《Weapon seller in the world of magic》


 Chapter 1 Mark Spencer

    Vermillion Bird Continent, Imperial city of Phoenix Empire;


    The city is bustling with people roaming on the streets, especially in themercial district of Hanga.


    Thousands of visitors from other Empires and kingdoms flock towards this popr area, every day. The majority of them eithere here to eat the food made by Divine Chefs or get a nice weapon from the weapon stores.


    While the food business was always booming with customers every day, the weapon stores, on the other hand, were struggling with thepetition.


    It''s because seventy percent of the customers were always taken by the big 3 stores.


    First is the Evesting weapon store, which was owned by a business tycoon who has the backing of Swordmasters guild.


    Second is Lunaris, which was backed by an Elder of Phoenix Empire Magicians guild.


    The third and final is the Hollow weapon store that belongs to the Vice Guildmaster of the Archers guild branch of the Empire.


    Over the years, as they umted millions of spirit crystals, these three weapon stores developed branches in almost every kingdom that belongs to the Phoenix Empire.


    At one of the small alleys of the district, there''s a small weapon store which almost had the same condition as other small stores.


    An old man dragged the chair out and sits outside to bask in sunlight as it was too cold inside the store.


    As his neighbors don''t seem to have any customers, a couple of them also joined him to talk about their lives, their children''s lives, etc¡­


    A tall, handsome-looking young man in his mid-20s who seemed like he was passing by while looking left and right, stopped in his tracks.


    Looking at the signboard and the paper in his hands, a smile appeared on his face. "Here it is¡­"


    He then saw a couple of old men talking to each other. He called him out, "Excuse me¡­ is the owner of this store, inside?"


    The old man, who was busy chatting with his neighbor, stopped talking as soon as he heard the young man.


    He thought he was a customer. "It is me. Please,e in."


    The young man was led into the store. He looked around. There he saw various types of weapons were hanging on the walls.


    Suddenly, a particr staff that was ced on the wall behind the counter attracted his attention.


    He immediately walked towards it. His eyes lit up, "this is one fine material. Abination of Rosewood and Hazelwood in 3:2 ratios. That''s rare. Oh! Grade-7 Midnight wolf''s blood is the catalyst?


    That means it will give a mage tremendous strength if he were to engage in a battle after sunset. Worthy of its gold grade¡­"


    "How¡­ How did you know this?" The old man was taken aback. Except for himself, no one knows that the midnight wolf''s blood was used as a catalyst during its creation. Its grade was even more of a secret as he was worried that it will only bring harm to his store and himself.


    And the fact that this young man was able to tell itsposition just by a look shocked him even more.


    *Ahem* Clearing his throat, the old man said, "That''s our family heirloom, not for sale."


    "Don''t worry. I can''t use this even if I wanted to." The young man waved his hands while maintaining a smile. "I don''t possess Ether particles."


    "Ah!" The old man was once again taken aback as he heard him. He fell into confusion even more. If this guy is just a civilian, howe he was able to appraise a gold-grade weapon? "Young man, would you like to see ungraded weapons?"


    Ungraded weapons are those that were used mostly by mortals who were born without Ether, a particle in the body that will grant people certain skills as well as create a way to increase their life span.


    As for graded weapons, they will start from Iron, then, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and finally tinum. Above tinum, there are semi-divine and Divine grades but they are only avable to the top experts around the world.


    So, a gold-grade weapon is indeed a fortune for most of the spirit warriors whatever path they have chosen.


    The old man certainly became worried upon hearing this customer''s analysis. It was only after he realized this guy is a civilian, did he sigh in relief.


    But still, his wariness didn''t disappear. He wanted to know whether he''s really a customer that happened to pass by or a spy sent by someone.


    So, he prepared to show him all the collections of ungraded weapons that he stored. If he is a spy or someone with a motive, surely, he would get irritated by checking out several weapons that are trash in the eyes of higher rank spirit warriors.<sub> </sub>


    However, to his surprise, the young man gave an unexpected reply, "I would like to buy your store, Owner Yang."


    He then showed the newspaper where he put an ad selling the store for thousand gold coins. "The ad mentioned that the weapons in the store are included but since you said it is a family heirloom, I have no objection if you want to take it away."


    "Eh? You want to buy my store?" The old man was really surprised that someone epted the offer. If that young man wouldn''t have said that he can take the staff with him, he would have suspected it is because of the staff.


    After all, the starting price of a gold-grade weapon is at least 500 gold coins, which is enough for a normal person to live his whole life if he goes and lives in a town.


    Still, because of his wariness, the old man decided to leave the city with the money and the heirloom, right away, to go back to the vige where his son and daughter-inw are staying.


    As the old man agreed, he immediately brought the documents of thend and handed them over to the smiling young man while thetter took a bag of gold coins out of thin air, scaring the hell out of the old man as normal people without ether can''t do that.


    But, he didn''t ask for the reason and quietly took the money. After counting the gold coins, the old man took the midnight wolf''s staff and left the ce after saying goodbyes to his neighbors.


    While neighbors became curious about the new owner, the young man closed down the shutter. His face turned cold as he spoke, "System, show Character menu."


    Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared before him.


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Strength: 0.3


    Intelligence: 0.7


    Defense: 0.2


    Agility: 0.1


    Vitality: 0.8


    Resistance: 0.1


    Charisma: 6.8


    Bloodline: N/A


    Attribute: N/A


    Spirit Path: N/A


    Ether Quality: Nil


    Ether energy: 0


    Rank: N/A


    Skills: N/A


    Life span limit: 80 (55 years left)


    QUESTS:


    Main Quest: Acquire a weapon store pleted)


    Reward: Weapon Creation. (Click to receive the reward)


    Side Quest 1: Earn 100 gold coins from selling the weapons (In progress)


    Reward: System store.

 Chapter 2 Starter Pack

    Mark Spencer is once a century genius military weapon designer who was well sought by the generals of the army, navy, and the air force or his country.


    From machine guns to missiles, submarines to aircraft, he was known to design unique and futuristic weapons.


    One day, he was contacted by the world''s biggest mafia group to be their weapon designer for a hefty sry. However, he refused their offer, which resulted in his kidnapping during his holiday stay outside the country, despite the heavy security.


    For five long years, they kept him on an isted ind and forced him to make weapons for them, until one day, he somehow managed to escape from the ind and contacted his friends from the army.


    But, who could have expected that he will be betrayed by his trustedrades as the higher-ups were in suspicion of his defection...


    In a desperate struggle, Mark jumped into the ocean, but because of heavy wounds, he wasn''t able to swim and slowly drowned.


    An unknown amount of timeter, he opened his eyes only to find his soul transmigrate into a world of magic, where the original owner named Lu Zhen, who was born as a prince of the Phoenix Empire.


    However, due to his inability to gather ether energy in his body, he was switched with a servant''s baby by his biological mother without the knowledge of his father, the Emperor.


    Despite facing such an unfortunate incident at birth, Lu Zhen grew up happily as the son of a vige chief until one night, his foster parents get killed by a burr, leaving the fate of a twenty-year-old prince in the hands of his father''s best friend who took him in and let him work in his weapon store as the manager, located in a nearby town.


    Five more yearster, while he was sleeping, his soul suddenly gets attacked by a soul from another world.


    As a result, his weak soul was crushed and absorbed by the other soul, thereby, upying his body.


    The moment Mark opened his eyes, along with the memories of the previous host, he also found a mysterious weapon system that appeared in his brain.


    And the first thing the system asked him to take over was a weapon store to activate the weapon creation.


    After resigning from his previous job of being a manager at a store, he waited for two weeks to understand the system as well as to stabilize his mental condition.


    With his parents dead, Mark immediately put his property for sale and cashed out all the money before setting off to the Imperial city.


    After buying a seemingly normal weapon store, he immediately closed off the shutter and clicked on the quest reward to activate it.


    *Ding! You activated the weapon creation.


    *Ding! You received a starter pack. Please check your inventory.


    *Ding! You received a new quest. Please check the quest list for details.


    Mark then opened the inventory with which he was familiar. Like in the games of the modern world, there were five hundred slots in it of which a few of them are upied by clothes, pouches full of gold, and a few other usefulmodities¡­


    Except for those items, there''s an image of a gift pack that wasn''t present before. He clicked on it.


    A blinding light shed before him before the system voice sounded in his head.


    *Ding! You received a signboard. Please check out the inventory.


    *Ding! You received an Android assistant.


    *Ding! Single-shot pistol is unlocked. Please check out the gallery for details.


    *Ding! Bullet is unlocked. Please check out the gallery for details.


    Suddenly, a familiar blinding sh urred before his eyes and a perfectly built handsome looking young man appeared.


    *Ding! Please name the assistant.


    If not for the notification that said the word Android, Mark would have thought he''s a real person.


    He was indeed surprised by the system''s generosity.


    Upon remembering his younger brother, Mark named his assistant. "Allen Spencer."


    As soon as his naming waspleted, the Android came to life and greeted him with a bow, "Greetings, Master."


    "I gave you the name of my sibling. So, you can address me as Big brother or Big bro, from now onwards."


    "As you wish, Big Brother." The Android saluted him.


    Mark inspected him as he did with the staff, earlier. The details appeared.


    Name: Allen Spencer


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Rank: Four-circle (Intermediate)


    SKILLS:


    Active:


    Laser Eyes: Shootser from his eyes and cause heavy damage to the opponent.


    Incineration: Shoot powerful sts of fire from his palms.


    Lightning fist: Punch the enemies and paralyzes them with an electrical shock.


    Passive:


    Battle Craze: Able to fight nonstop while absorbing sr energy.


    "Hmm, the system indeed sent a useful one to protect me. However, his rank is too low."<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! Please earn credits to upgrade its strength.


    As if it read his thoughts, the system immediately sent him a reminder.


    *Ahem* Clearing his throat, he changed the topic. "System, open Gallery."


    A holographic screen appeared before him that was full of hundreds of images being grayed out.


    It was something he saw before. So, he didn''t pay attention to them and clicked on one of the images that looked like it was avable. The details appeared.


    9 mm Bullet


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 20 silver coins.


    "20 silver coins per bullet. So expensive. If even the price of a bullet is this high, I wonder about the price of the pistol."


    Mark proceeds to click on the second avable image.


    Single-shot pistol


    Grade: N/A


    Effect: A pistol with a single round of ammunition. Must be reloaded after each shot. Capable of inflicting heavy damage on a mortal. Damage decreases as the strength of spirit-warriors increases.


    Range: 10 meters


    Price: 5 gold coins


    "I should sell this one for 5 gold coins? System, isn''t the price too high? It''s an ungraded item and needed to be filled with bullets every time." Mark can''t help butin.


    Even for the people living in a city, 5 gold coins are enough for amon man to eat his fill, three times a day for at least three months. With five gold coins, people can afford to rent a house with three rooms for one month.


    With 5 gold coins, one can even buy ten ungraded weapons from other cheaper stores.


    So, he wondered whether people would even care to buy them¡­


    In response to hisint, the system sent him another reminder


    *Ding! The rarer the object is, the more valuable it is. The prices set by the system are always fair.


    "Well, can''t do anything about it if the system is adamant on its decision. After buying this store, I''m still left with 300 gold coins. I can at least live for two years without any problems. So, there''s enough time to sell the weapons."


    He then opened the quest list to see the new quest.


    Main Quest: Sell your first weapon provided by the system (In progress)


    Reward: Dismantling skill.


    "Dismantling skill? What is it?" Mark asked the system.


    *Ding! You can select any object that you own and select dismantle. The object will be converted into credits ording to its quality.


    "Oh! That''s useful¡­" Mark immediately eyed the weapons disyed on the wall.


    He then opened the gallery once again and clicked on the pistol.


    *Create*


    A sole option appeared before him. He clicked on it.


    *Please select the number*


    Since he only needed to sell one toplete the main quest, he selected only 1.


    *Ding! Single-shot pistol has been created. Please check your inventory.


    Mark opened the inventory. There, he saw a pistol image. He took it out and looked at it carefully. His eyes lit up, "This feels nice in hands."


    Just as he was about to close the inventory, Mark''s eyes captured an empty board in the inventory. "Ah! That''s right. I almost forgot about the signboard."


    He clicked on it.


    *Ding! Would you change the name of the store or keep it.


    "Of course, I will change it"


    *Ding! Please name your store.


    "Genesis"


    He named the weapon store with the same name as his code name from the past life.


    A signboard with a name appeared on the floor as his hands are full.


    "Okay, we are all set. Now, it''s time to open the store."

 Chapter 3 First Sale (Part-1)

    It was evening. A crescent moon was apanied by a few stars in the skies of Imperial city.


    Meanwhile, in one of the streets of the Hanga district, a couple of young age is traveling in a carriage vehicle with several shopping bags.


    Upon spotting at the carriage, the civilians walking nearby hurriedly moved aside to clear the way.


    It''s not the carriage or the couple they feared. More exactly, it''s the wolves that are pulling it.


    And they aren''t normal wolves either.


    These people with lower ranks only found them terrifying and didn''t know that they were of rank-4.


    If they knew, instead of giving the way, they would have started running away from them.


    Like spirit warriors, ranked beasts can use ether and have skills too. On the same level, they are stronger than humans of the same level. So, to tackle such beasts, unless they are of 5-circle or above, going against them is just foolishness.


    To own such beasts, the couple is indeed has a wealthy or powerful background.


    "Stop!" The youngdy suddenly yelled just as the carriage was about to enter another street. She started to stare through the window.


    "What happened?" The man asked her.


    "Dear, look at that." She pointed at a certain glowing signboard.


    As the man looked in the direction her finger is at pointing at, he saw a signboard that was glowing brightly in the dim-lit neighborhood.


    The most eye-catching part is the store name written on the signboard, which has seven different colors from Red on the top to Violet on the bottom. "Genesis? Never heard of it. And what''s that?"


    He concentrated on the strange symbol that was drawn below the word. It was the symbol of two handguns in a cross shape. However, he never saw that symbol, previously.


    In a normal situation, he wouldn''t go to such a poor neighborhood, but those neon lights really intrigued his fianc¨¦e.


    "Driver, go there."


    The carriage changed itsne and slowly went towards the destination.


    The young noble then asked the driver to check out what kind of store it is.


    Following his employer''s orders, the carriage driver stepped down from his seat and walked into the store.


    Within no time, he returned to the carriage and informed them that is a weapon store.


    The young nobleman frowned as he heard it.


    "My beloved, I bet this signboard was just a trick to attract customers. What can this normal weapon store of a shabby street offer us? Let''s leave." As soon as he heard that it is a weapon store, the young nobleman lost interest in it.


    At first, the youngdy thought he was right but then, as her eyes wandered at the signboard once again, she doesn''t know why but she felt like she was drawn to it.


    "Dear, I''m dying with curiosity here. Just once. Let''s see what kind of weapons they sell. Who knows, what kind of fortuitous encounter we will have."


    Since she was adamant about entering the store, the young nobleman thought of fulfilling her small wish. After all, it isn''t a big deal.<sub> </sub>


    Both of them stepped down from the carriage and walked into the store.


    As soon as he stepped inside, they saw a handsome-looking young man was standing nearby the table like a puppet without any expression while an equally attractive young man was lying his head on the counter.


    "Big brother, there''s a customer." The Android woke up his boss.


    Mark raised his head and looked at the couple.


    The guy was a tall and slim young man, not particrly attractive, wearing a colorful long robe, carrying a paper fan.


    On the other hand, the girl was very beautiful to the extent that even the veil that was covering the part of her face couldn''t hide it.


    However, neither of them grabbed his attention.


    What grabbed his attention was their clothing which appeared high-end.


    Even though there are no brands in this world to determine their value, he could still see the details of their fabric with the passive inspection skill.


    Silk was even more expensive in this world, which made him think that this couple might be rich.


    "Wee to Genesis. May I know what are you looking for?" Mark was quick to stand up on his feet and a bright smile appeared on his face.


    The young nobleman walked around and inspected the weapons on the disy.


    His expression changed right away as soon as he closely looked at the first one. "Trash."


    "Trash" "Trash" "Trash"¡­


    The more he observed those weapons, the more he felt disgusted.


    Mark, on the other hand, was calm on the surface as even he didn''t think highly of them. He wanted to dismantle them the moment he acquired the skill.


    "My previous statement was right. This shop is nothing but trash. Let''s leave." Without talking to neither Mark nor the Android, he directly criticized the shop while talking to his fianc¨¦e.


    It irked Mark a bit. But, he took a deep breath and stayed calm.


    "Um, excuse me." Instead of responding to her fianc¨¦e, the youngdy turned towards the counter and looked at Mark. "Do you have any other weapons other than these?"


    "Yes." Mark nodded in response while continuing to maintain his usual fake bright smile. "There''s a special weapon that was only sold this shop in this whole Empire. Would you like to see it?"


    He then proceeded to take out a box from one of the drawers.


    "Special weapon?" While the youngdy seemed to be interested in that box, her fianc¨¦e didn''t think much of it. Still, he walked towards the counter to see what kind of unique weapon is that it can''t be sold anywhere else.


    As Mark opened the box, he revealed a silver-colored pistol with a wooden handle. A few 9mm bullets are lying beside it.


    Both of them were instantly taken aback. Indeed, it was unique. They have never seen this kind of weapon.


    Thedy suddenly remembered something and said, "this looks a bit simr to the drawing on the signboard."

 Chapter 4 First Sale (Part-2)

    "Yes, this is called pistol." Mark raised it and exined the parts to his beloved rich customers. "This is a ranged ungraded weapon and these are bullets. After loading a bullet, you can shoot a target that''s ten meters away from you."


    "Oh! Ten meters?" The youngdy''s eyes lit up. "I want this."


    Just then, her fianc¨¦e folds his hands to the back and said, "This weapon is indeed unlike any other thing I have ever seen. However, it is still ungraded. What is the use? And I also have suspicions that a tiny metal thing, what it is called again, yes, bullet, can inflict any damage."


    "If that is the case, I can just keep it as a decoration. I can show it off to my friends." While the nobleman doesn''t seem that interested as it has zero practical use for someone like him, the youngdy on the other hand seemed like she was fond of its appearance and insisted on buying.


    *Sigh* "Fine, as long as you are happy." Not intending to quarrel with her, he decided to buy it. It''s not like hecks money anyway.


    Looking at Mark, the young man put his hands on the pistol and said, "I''m buying this pistol and rest of those bullets. How much is it?"


    "5 gold coins for the pistol, 120 silver coins for six bullets. A total of 6 gold coins and 20 silver coins, please." Mark''s smile was never brighter as there wasn''t a single sale for the past week and now, it looked like he struck the jackpot.


    However, in the next second, he realized that he counted the chickens too soon.


    "You dare to try to scam us?" Suddenly, the young nobleman was enraged and raised his fist. "Are you courting death?"


    mark saw a thin strand of red energy around the fist. It was the ether energy present in elite individuals of this world.


    However, strangely, his smile never disappeared on his face, and neither there''s a look of surprise about his behavior.


    Mark just stood in his ce as before.


    Just as the fist was about tond on the table, suddenly, his arm was caught by a hand.


    The eyes of the couplesnd on the handsome figure before them.


    "Customer doesn''t have the authority to damage store''s property," Allen announced without any expression on his face and released his hand.


    The couple was surprised to see that a 3-circle warrior like him was stopped by this shop assistant.


    Being in the third realm isn''t anything to be proud of. Still, they didn''t expect a higher realm expert is working in such a small weapon store as an assistant.


    Maintaining a bright smile on his face, Mark then spoke, "If you cannot afford the item, you are free to leave the shop but don''t use us of cheating, Mr. Customer. You might not find this weapon anywhere else in this empire and rare ones are often more expensive thanmon items.


    Moreover, you can kill a mortal with this. Even if someone is a 1-circle fighter, he will still be heavily injured by this small bullet."


    Upon hearing the exnation of the shop owner, the nobleman turned his attention towards Mark. "Did you say that this can deal heavy damage to even a 1-circle fighter?"


    Looking at how the customer was calmed down, Mark inwardly sighed in relief and nodded in response, "Yes. If it is from weak physical strength paths like mage or archer, even 2-circle spirit warriors can be injured as long as the bullet hit the vitals."


    The nobleman''s eyebrows were raised. "An ungraded weapon can injure even 2-circle mages?"


    He felt the shop owner was boasting too much. But this time, he didn''t lose his cool because of the presence of the Android who stopped his fist without the use of ether energy.


    That itself tells him that he couldn''t underestimate this shop assistant.


    However, at the same time, he couldn''t turn his attitude after undermining everything. He has to protect his own pride.


    ncing at the strand-shaped weapon in the hands of Mark, the nobleman said in a serious tone as he ced seven gold coins on the counter, "fine. I''ll buy it. However, I need to see its power with my own eyes."


    He then raised the fan in his rand. "This is a copper-graded item. Shoot at this. If what you said is true, then, it should leave a dent in it. However, if it really turned out to be an empty talk, you should be ready to face conseque¡­"


    *bang*


    Without any warning, Mark loaded the bullet in a sh and shot urately at the center of the fan.<sub> </sub>


    "kya¡­" The loud sound from the pistol startled the youngdy.


    Meanwhile, the nobleman was taken aback by Mark''s sudden action, even more so with the bullet making a hole through the fan.


    "So, how is it?" Mark looked at him for an answer. He wondered whether this rich fellow will feign ignorance and defame him again or will ept the truth.


    Thankfully, the nobleman didn''t turn out to be an arrogant young master who looks down on everyone unnecessarily and develops a grudge for every little thing.


    "I take it." Without wasting any words, the nobleman nodded.


    After exining how to load a bullet and shoot, he put back the gun and the bullet into the box, "here."


    Mark''s smile was no longer a fake. It was a genuine one as he officially started his business in this world.


    However, the moment he handed over the remaining excess gold coin and the box, a series of notification bells rang in his head and drained away all the happiness he got from this transaction.


    *Ding! One Single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Six 9-mm bullets have been sold. 1 gold 8 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Youpleted the main quest. Check the Quest tab to receive the reward.


    As a person who went through so much during his five years imprisonment on that private ind, Mark still managed to keep his emotions under control and maintain his smile.


    "Pleasee again." After sending away the couple, Mark returned to his seat and opened the quest list.


    Even though he was dissatisfied with how 90% of his earnings have been taken away by the system, still, he looked forward to the new quest.


    Only with quests, the system''s functions will be unlocked one by one and he will get to survive in this world where strength matters the most.


    Main Quest: Sell your first weapon provided by the system. (Completed)


    Reward: Dismantling skill (Click to receive the reward)


    *Ding! You received Dismantling Skill.


    *Ding! The skill tab has been added to the character.


    *Ding! You received a new quest. Please check your quest list for details.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Please check your quest list for details.


    Without waiting any longer, Mark opened the quest list once again.


    Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-shot pistols (In progress-1%)


    Reward: Single-shot firearms unlock


    Side Quest (1): Earn 100 gold coins from selling the weapons (In progress-6%)


    Reward: System store


    Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Single-shot pistols


    Reward: Revolver

 Chapter 5 Exchange Rates

    Skills:


    Dismantling: Dismantle any object that belongs to the host and exchange it in equivalent credits. Cost: 0 Ether energy points. CD: 0 seconds.


    "Finally, I got the chance to scrap away these weapons." Mark then ordered the Android assistant to gather all the disyed weapons and also the ones in the storage.


    Meanwhile, he went ahead and closed down the shutter.


    Soon, a small heap of various weapons and armors formed in the middle of the store.


    Once again, opening the skill tab, he clicked on the skill. A new window opened on the holographic screen before him.


    There''s a circle with some mystic symbols around it. Below it, there''s a word dismantle which was grayed out.


    Mark wondered whether he should ce the weapon inside it.


    He took a sword from the heap.


    Just as it touched the new window, the sword disappeared from his hand and its image appeared in the circle and the word ''dismantle'' now glowed.


    He touched it.


    A system warning appeared before him.


    *Ding! The item will disappear forever and cannot be retrieved. Proceed?


    Mark clicked on yes.


    A ray of light was sted by the mystic symbols at the sword before it glowed brightly for a second and disappearing.


    *Ding! You dismantled a nameless sword. You received 0 credits.


    "What the¡­" The system''s notification surprised him as he didn''t expect it is for nothing.


    "System, what is the meaning of this?" Mark immediately questioned the system.


    *Ding! Ungraded weapons are considered trash and aren''t worth a credit. Please dismantle some better weapons if you need credits.


    "You should have told me that beforehand," Markmented with a disapproving tone. If he would have sold it to a customer, he would have atleast pocketed a few silver coins.


    Even if he didn''t think much of silver coins, still, something is better than nothing, right?


    So, he asked forpensation to test the waters. However, the system was adamant and countered his statement in return.


    *Ding! The Host should have asked about it, beforehand. This System cannot pay thepensation for the host''s mistake.


    "Hmm? I see¡­" From this small conversation, Mark at least understood that the system can hand outpensation if the mistake lies on its side. He thought of looking for loopholes in the future.


    Putting aside the matter, he asked, "Okay. Answer me, then. What is the exchange rate?"


    *Ding! Copper-graded equipment is worth 1-5 credits.


    Silver-graded equipment is worth 10-50 credits.


    Gold-graded equipment is worth 100-500 credits.


    tinum-graded equipment is worth 1k-5k credits.


    Diamond-graded equipment is worth 10k-50k credits.


    Crystal-graded equipment is worth 100k-500k credits.


    Ruby-graded equipment is worth 1m-5m credits.


    Mythril-graded equipment is worth 10m-50m credits.


    Celestial-graded equipment worth 100m-500m credits.


    God-graded equipment worth 1B-5B credits.


    As the system have a lengthy list of exchange rates, Mark went into a daze. As far as his knowledge about this world is concerned, he only knows the existence of tinum-grade weapons.


    Only now, he understood that there''s a big list even after that.<sub> </sub>


    Remembering how the previous shopkeeper was so protective of a mere gold-grade weapon, Mark couldn''t help but burst intoughter.


    Allen tilted his head in confusion. He didn''t know what''s going on with this master of his.


    What Mark doesn''t know is that this long list wasn''t asplicated as he thought.


    Diamond graded to Ruby graded weapons were grouped as Semi-divine weapons in this world from low to high respectively.


    As for Mythril graded to God graded weapons, they are called Divine weapons from low to high respectively.


    Only powerful royal families and sects have their possession. The civilians like Lu Zhen alias Mark don''t even know their existence.


    "Anyway, let''s continue. There are a lot of them to dismantle." Shrugging his shoulders, Mark continued with dismantling one by one.


    It took three hours to dismantle all 445 pieces of equipment, earning him a meager 687 credits in total.


    As the credits weren''t of any use, for now, he closed down the screen and left upstairs.


    Even though this world wasn''t advanced enough to have things like a refrigerator, thankfully, Mark had the inventory to store down the food where it will never get expired.


    So, he took out the leftover rice from the system inventory and made a bowl of quick egg-fried rice to fill his stomach.


    After having his quick dinner, Mark went to sleep right away. Meanwhile, Allen, the Android assistant sat down in the living room to protect his master from possible danger.


    The next morning, Mark came downstairs with his assistant waiting for him after his cleaning was done.


    His eyes wandered around the ce. "Ah! That''s right. I dismantled the weapons. Okay, let''s do this."


    *Ding! You created Single-shot Pistol


    *Ding! You created Single-shot Pistol


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You created Single-shot Pistol


    After creating roughly around 20 of them, he ordered the Android to ce them on the shelves on the wall.


    As Allen gets to work, Mark then proceeded to create 9 mm bullets. He doesn''t know how many times he created, but he believed the number was over a hundred.


    He ced all of them into a box, which in turn was kept in one of the drawers of the counter.


    "Now, we are set. Allen, open the shutter."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Song Manor;


    *Bang*


    A loud bullet sound was heard for the fourth consecutive time through thepound as Song Yue pressed the trigger with a smile on her face.


    With a couple of maids standing behind her, she tried shooting at the vase ced 10 meters away from her.


    The first time, the bullet shot another vase that was located a few meters away from her target.


    The second time, the bullet shot nearby the gardener''s foot, scaring the hell out of him.


    Decreasing the distance to 5 meters, as she tried again, this time, the vase was sessfully destroyed, although due to the sound and the recoil, she wasn''t able to open her eyes.


    By the time, she shot for the fourth time, not only she was able to get used to the sound but she also managed to get used to the recoil.


    In the meantime, the explosive sounds attracted the attention of a few people from the mansion. The most important of them is her father, Minister Song Yun, who stared at the weapon in her hands curiously from the balcony of the first floor.


    "Dear, did you know what that thing in our daughter''s hands?" He asked his wife who also came outside with him, to which she responded with shaking her head, "I''m afraid, not."

 Chapter 6 A Bulk Purchase

    Loading thest bullet into the barrel, the youngdy asked the servants to rece the vase, however, not at the same ce but seven meters far.


    She aimed at it. A look of determination can be seen on this 1-circle mage. Meanwhile, her father was watching her, more specifically, the pistol in her hands and the vase.


    *Bang*


    She pressed the trigger. The bullet cut through the air and struck at the center of the vase, destroying it.


    "fuu¡­" cing it vertically near her face, she blew the little smokeing through the muzzle while keeping the other hand on her waist.


    *p* *p* *p*


    The maids pped in excitement.


    "Lady Song, you are amazing." "That pose is very cool, Lady Song. Please stay like that."


    One of the enthusiastic maids who always carry Song Yue''s instant camera with her took it out and scurried forward.


    "Eh?" Song Yue was taken aback but growing up with her from childhood, sheplied with her request and continued to stand there like that.


    Handing the photograph to her, the maidmented, "That weapon pistol perfectly suited for this pose. Here, take a look, Lady Song."


    Song Yue looked at herself and was surprised. "Strange, I unknowingly did that. What if I wear a coat and a hat? Will I look cooler?" She couldn''t help but fantasize about taking more pictures with this unique weapon before she remembered something.


    "Oh right! I''m out of bullets. I should visit that store again." With her two maids, she left the mansion in the carriage while a guard followed from behind for her safety.


    Meanwhile, at Genesis, Mark was just nkly staring into space, sighing from time to time.


    It''s been 3 hours and yet, no customer had stepped inside.


    Neither he knows how to promote business nor does he know how to pass off the idle time.


    After all, in this world, there are no televisions, smartphones,ptops, or the inte. And with no ability to gather ether, he felt there''s no point to train to be stronger either.


    As for spending time talking, this Android assistant of his only knows how to follow themands and he couldn''t keep his fake personality with the neighbors every single day either.


    So, Mark continued to create a 9-mm bullet every once in a while, slowly stocking up in his system inventory.


    After all, all the customers that buy Single-shot pistols were sold, everyone will eventually return to his store for the bullets, at least until others started to make it.


    He doesn''t care about such giarism as he will be selling more advanced weapons by the time other weapon shops started to copy his designs.


    His goal is only to make his store popr like those big three weapon stores.


    Meanwhile, the Android, who was just standing there like a puppet, disturbed his work, "Big brother, customers¡­"


    Mark immediately closed down the holographic screen and looked at them.


    It was the same beautiful youngdy from the previous days. Except that there were two more youngdies around the same age instead of that tall young man.


    He could almost guess what she came for. So, he instantly stood up on his feet and greeted with a smile. "Wee to Genesis. May I know what you are looking for?"


    Meanwhile, Song Yue was ncing at the shelves on the wall where there are pistols instead of usual weapons.


    While Song Yue''s eyes fell on the pistols as soon as she stepped inside the shop, the maids look like they are love-struck.


    *Kee¡­* "The guys are so handsome." The two of them are grinning among themselves while staring at Mark and Allen respectively.


    Song Yue shook her head with a smile and let them stay on their own while she proceeded towards the counter. "Hello, I''m here to see if your shop has any stock in bullets."


    Mark nodded, maintaining a bright smile as usual. "Sure, how many do you need?"<sub> </sub>


    "Give me 10. No, 20. Hmm, no, no¡­ 50." She raised five fingers.


    Looking at the bulk order, Mark felt like his lucky days have arrived. "Sure. Each bullet costs 20 silver coins. So, a total of 10 gold coins."


    "10 gold?" The two maids gasped in shock. Working as a maid in the Earl mansion only earns them 3 gold coins per week.


    "And two of those pistols." She pointed her finger to the shelves.


    "Each pistol costs 5 gold coins. 2 pistols and 50 bullets. A total of 20 gold coins." Mark''s heart was beating rapidly in excitement. Never in the world had he imagined that his business suddenly boomed in one night.


    "20 gold coins?" The maids felt like they were about to even faint as it was like six weeks sry.


    "Here," Song Yue took out glistening twenty gold coins from her pouch and ced them on the counter.


    "Allen, bring two Single-shot Pistols," Mark ordered the Android while taking out three empty wooden boxes from the drawer. He slowly started to fill bullets in one of the boxes.


    Meanwhile, the three youngdies were taken aback upon hearing the shop assistant''s name. All of them thought it was a strange name.


    While the two maids kept the thoughts to themselves, Song Yuemented her thoughts, to which Mark replied Allen was from a faraway ce.


    *Ding! Single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! 50 bullets have been sold. 9 gold coins have been deducted.


    Feeling pain in his chest due to the deductions, Mark bowed, following this world''s etiquette, "Thank you for the purchase. Please visit again."


    As each of them took a box, one of the maids asked, "Um, excuse me. May I know your name?" She seemed to develop a crush on Mark.


    Upon hearing her question, Song Yue asked in realization, "That''s right. Yesterday, I forgot to ask your name."


    "Lu Zhen," Mark replied with the name that he was known in this world.


    "Oh! So, it''s owner Lu. Nice meeting you." Before she left, Song Yue suggested Mark change the boxes that looked a bit cheap for a unique weapon like this.


    Mark just smiled but didn''t say anything about it because in his eyes this was the most basic weapon.


    If he would pack a single-shot pistol with a grand one that costs more than 10 silver coins, what he would pack advanced weapons in the future?


    That''s why he decided to stay with the original decision.


    After she felt with her maids, Mark now looked at the Quest list. "Okay, 74 gold coins to go to unlock the system store."


    ***


    Half an hourter, Song Manor;


    "Milord," A middle-aged man kneeled before Song Yun. This was the same hidden guard that followed Song Yue for protection.


    "Tell me, what is it?" Song Yuan asked him.


    The hidden guard reported the matter to the Minister to which thetter fell into deep thoughts, "so, he doesn''t only have one of them. Having more than 20 of them means they are manufactured somewhere. Hmm¡­"


    After thinking for a long time, he ordered, "I need you to investigate the background of the store. I also need to know where they get those unique weapons from. Do whatever methods you have to use but my identity should be kept secret, understand?"


    "Yes, Milord."


    After dismissing the guard, Song Yun took out one of the destroyed bullets that were collected earlier, "This isn''t iron or steel. I wonder what this metal is."

 Chapter 7 Lin Xues Hunting Trip (Part-1)

    Just like the Song n, the Nie n is considered one of the twelve major noble ns in the Phoenix Empire and is one of the six noble ns that reside within the Imperial city and is responsible for six ministries.


    The only difference between them is that the Song n oversees the ministry of public works while the Nie n oversees the ministry of Revenue.


    Usually, the Emperor should favor the current head of the Nie n and the minister of revenue, Nie Ruogang, but with Song Yun''s maternal cousin being the Commander of the Army, the current situation was in the Song n''s favor.


    The officials cozy up to Song Yun, supporting him in every scheme that he presents in front of the Emperor.


    Due to such reason, Nie n is always in odds with Song n in everything they do and try to cause trouble regarding taxes.


    And if that wasn''t enough, one year ago, the minister ofw and justice, Zhang Lei got his eldest son engaged to Song Yue.


    This marriage alliance between the two ns caused worry in other ns, including the three royal princes who don''t want the third prince to gather too much support.


    Crown Prince Manor, Imperial city;


    Nie Ruogang, elders from Zhou and Han ns, a couple of generals, and a few other higher officials were invited to a feast held by Prince Shang Zexi.


    As the Emperor is getting older, the crown prince is trying to make sure to keep maximum support behind him and at the same time, sabotaging the ns of his brothers and their supporters.


    While he''s in the middle of a discussion of creating a trap for the Zhang n, a servant of him handed him a piece of paper while whispering something.


    As soon as he read the letter, his facial expression changed.


    "Your highness, is everything all right?" Nie Ruogang asked him.


    Just then, Shang Zexi broke out into a smile, "everything is alright. I need you to talk about something,ter."


    The moment Nie Ruogang saw the smile on the crown prince, he understood it is a piece of good news, but since Shang Zexi isn''t intending to say it in public, it must be top confidential information that the prince doesn''t want to leak out.


    So, he didn''t probe it further and epted the prince''smand.


    One by one, the guests left the building. Only the crown prince and the minister of Revenue are present.


    "Brother Nie, there''s a piece of information regarding my third brother. He''s going out on a private hunting trip with Zhang Kong, Song Yue, and Lin Wuying''s daughter.


    That brat must be trying to woo her to acquire the Lin n''s support. Hmpf¡­"


    Nie Ruogang''s facial expression turned serious. "Our n is at your service. Please state your order, your highness."


    "Just need a little bit of your help. Xu sect will take care of the rest." The crown prince then exined his n.


    After hearing everything, Nie Ruogang clenched his fist, trying to calm down his excitement. For the past year, Nie Ruogang was waiting for a chance to foil this alliance.


    Now, it seemed like the apple itself fell on hisp without the need to climb the tree. How could he let the chance away¡­<sub> </sub>


    He wants to take advantage of this situation and assassinate both of them. With the death of the third prince, no one would think that he''s the one behind it.


    ***


    One weekter;


    A team of eight entered the forest of Bloodhill, the homnd of Werewolves, wild boars, giant bears, and so on.


    This tropical forest that lies on the northern part of the Phoenix Empire constantly acted as a barrier for tiny southern empires against the invincible empire of Leon that rules most of the central part of the continent.


    It practically divides the southern part of the Vermilion bird continent from the north.


    Due to the forest spanning more than 15 million sq. km that was filled with even eight circle beast, the northern kingdoms and empire never dared to even cross over, much less invading the southern kingdoms and empires.


    The only way for the northerners toe down is by flying. Because of the dangers, no normal person would ever dare to go on such a journey. If one doesn''t want to face danger, they can only go around and travel for thousands of kilometers to reach the south.


    Still, this dangerous forest was always packed with adventurers as it was abundant in ether crystals which will be helpful to improve one''s ether energy.


    Some adventurers go hunting down the monsters and man-eating trees as their corpses can be used as a material for graded weapons, pills, elixirs, etc¡­


    A team of ten entered the forest. Four of them wore standard gold-grade armor and weapons. Every one of the soldiers is atleast a four-circle warrior. They were escorting Song Yue, her two maids, her fianc¨¦e Zhang Kong, her best friend Lin Xue, and the third prince Shang Wei.


    Their purpose is neither the corpses nor the ether crystals. It was only to hunt down the beasts for fun.


    And at the same time, the third prince also wanted to woo the daughter of Lin Wuying, who is serving as the minister of Personnel.


    With the Lin n holding the power to control the appointments of the officials excluding the military, once the third prince marries this Lin n''s heiress, he would be able to manipte the system to his will and might even be the Emperor.


    However, the third prince didn''t have that kind of intention at all. He was just in love with her while thetter disdains him, mainly because of his average appearance.


    Despite knowing that looks were the number one priority for her, Shang Wei still was hoping to impress her with his strength.


    The forest was divided into several sectors on a scale of 9 to 0 with the outermost 3yers considered less dangerous and almost safe for those who are below 4-circle.


    Right now, the third prince and his acquaintances entered sector-9 where the area almost seems devoid of monsters and ether crystals as many adventures explore in the region.


    After walking for several hours, they entered sector-8.


    After a long walk, the third prince said that they will take a rest. As the soldiers set up the tent, he spread the map on the ground, "If I''m not wrong, soon, we will enter this area."


    "Festhorn?" Lin n''s princess frowned as she read the name written on the map. "Isn''t this ce full of wild boars? I thought we are going to Nurwhir to hunt down the goblins."

 Chapter 8 Lin Xues Hunting Trip (Part-2)

    The cold beauty eyed him suspiciously.


    If not for the fact that there''s a five-circle spirit warrior of the assassin path was following her in secret under her father''s order, she would have even rejected such a hunting trip.


    After all, she doesn''t trust the third prince.


    So, instead of just keeping the doubt to herself, Lin Xue directly confronted him.


    In response, the prince chuckled, "we are going to Nurwhir after my business is finished."


    "Business?" Along with Lin Xue, the other two also turned their heads towards him. While the handmaids of Song Yue kept quiet, they too nced at the prince from the corner of their eyes.


    All of them were curious as to what does the prince has business in a region that is considered a wastnd for ether crystals.


    Only people who wanted to capture wild boars and warthogs go to Festhorn.


    Feeling the gazes on him, the third prince smiled mysteriously, "All of you will be surprised when we get there. Just trust me and follow."


    Everyone looked at each other for a moment before Lin Xue shrugged her shoulders, "fine. I hope you won''t waste my time¡­"


    After an hour of rest, the team continued their journey.


    Soon, they met two warthogs that are roaming around. As soon as they smelled the scent of humans, the two beasts rushed towards the team.


    As the soldiers raised their swords, the third prince raised his hand, "move."


    Heeding the order, the soldiers moved aside.


    He then conjured a fireball on his palm. After it became as big as the size of a cannonball, he threw it at one of the iing beasts.


    As the fireball hit the warthog, thetter was sted away and crashed onto the tree.


    The second didn''t care about its acquaintance as it rushed towards its prey.


    "hmpf, livestock¡­" The third prince once again started to summon a fireball.


    However, this one was twice bigger than thest. Just as it was about to formpletely, suddenly, a slender back of a familiar girl appeared in his sight.


    The girl swung a sword and cleanly cleaved its body vertically into two parts.


    The warthog that just stood on its feet appeared scared at the moment. It turned around and started to run.


    However, before it even made a step forward, Lin Xue already covered the distance between them and killed it with one swing.


    Putting the sword back to the sheath, she returned to the team.


    "Oh! That''s amazing, Sister Xue." Song Yue''s eyes lit up in excitement as she saw such an amazing feat.


    "Indeed, she isn''t called a genius swordmaster for nothing." Zhang Kong also nodded in agreement, well, at least on the outside. However inside, he was deeply ashamed.


    Both of them are at the circle-3 realm and yet, he felt like there''s a huge difference between theirbat capabilities.


    In the meantime, Shang Wei dismissed the fireball andmented, "You are fast, Lin Xue."


    "More like you are too slow." Lin Xuemented coldly as she stopped beside Song Yue.


    "I''m a mage. What do you expect¡­" The third prince mumbled to himself.


    In fact, the third prince was strong enough to kill it in one move. After all, he''s a mage with destructive power.


    However, the drawback is that the mage''s skills take too much time to be unleashed, unlike the melee warriors.<sub> </sub>


    The higher the destruction level, the more it consumes ether energy as well as time.


    The team proceeded to walk further deep into the forest under the lead of the third prince.


    On the way, they have met with various circle-2 wild boars and warthogs but Lin Xue took care of them all without giving a chance to either the soldiers or her fellow nobles.


    ? She felt like these actions of hers will hurt the pride of the prince but on the contrary, the third prince was only enamored with her further. He was now more determined to make her his.


    After hours of walking, the group of ten reached some kind of ruins. There are damaged concrete houses and broken statues everywhere.


    "I have heard that the Emperors used to banish the people to this forest when this entire southernnd is ruled by Ancient Xia dynasty." Zhang Kongmented as he opened the fan, looking around the houses.


    The third prince nodded and then, looked at his crush, "What do you know about thest emperor of Xia, Lin Xue?"


    Lin Xue nodded, "Of course. It said that Emperor Xia Jie was extremely corrupt in nature and is said to be the most reckless emperor in history.


    He is said to be lived avish lifestyle and treated his people as ves. His style of ruling was filled with s*x, luxury, and entertainment.


    If themoners disobey his order, he would punish them to death.


    If the nobles disobey his order, depending on his mood, he would either send them to the dungeons or exile them to this forest.


    If his vassals disobey his order, he wouldn''t hesitate to destroy their kingdoms.


    With the support of six ns, King Shang Yating rebelled against the Xia dynasty.


    It took twenty long years for the Shang n to gather a majority of the support and overthrew Emperor Jie andter, founded the Phoenix Empire, bringing peace to thend.


    Those people who are exiled or escaped to the forest formed several human settlements until one day Emperor Shang Yating managed to abolish the act of exiling to the forest.


    The sessful rulers made everyone abandon the towns and migrated back to the Empire."


    "Yes." The prince nodded with a smile. "But, there are a few important things that weren''t recorded in the history, well, at least for the public. Recently, I acquired an ancient parchment from 18th-century BEE (Before the Era of Ether).


    He took out a parchment made out from some unknown skin, "One of my servants identally found this in the hands of a skeleton when he was exploring a cave."


    Everyone''s interest was piqued as soon as they heard about a 3500-year-old parchment.


    However, to their disappointment, he put it back into the pocket, not intending to show the contents.


    Shang Wei then continued, "It is stated that the rulers of Xia dynasty originally sent people to the forest after one found a bunch of scarlet crystals which upon contact, one would absorb the energy into their body and die."


    "Eh?" Even the soldiers who are putting up a poker face from the start seemed surprised after hearing his story.


    Lin Xue was also no exception to it either. "Do you mean?"


    The third prince nodded with a smile, "Yes. They found the Ether crystals."


    "But, how''s that possible?" Song Yue expressed her confusion. She was clearly in disbelief.


    Zhang Kong also voiced his suspicion, "The presence of the ether crystals and the emergence of the first spirit warrior have been known only for 1786 years. Our current timeline is called Era of Ether and the timeline is called for a reason."


    The third prince shrugged his shoulders, "well, it seems the ether crystals have been founded long ago unlike we imagined."


    "But, what does this parchment have to do with this ce?" Lin Xue frowned as she looked around. For her, everything seemed normal. There are no caves nearby to think there''s a crystal mine here either.


    "I said there were a few important things that were hidden from the public, didn''t I?" A mysterious smile appeared on the third prince. "This is the hideout of Xia Jie before he died of old age."


    "What!"

 Chapter 9 Lin Xues Hunting Trip (Part-3)

    "Hideout of Emperor Jie?" Everyone was taken aback by the exnation.


    "Brother Wei, wasn''t Emperor Jie killed by the founder in the battle?" Song Yue looked at him in disbelief.


    The history books clearly recorded the battle between the unified forces against Xia where their leader, Shang Yating beheaded Xia Jie and brought peace to thend.


    Zhang Kong and Lin Xue also couldn''t believe what they were hearing.


    "Does that imply that the history has been altered by your ancestors?" Lin Xue''s impression of Shang Wei had further fallen.


    The third prince let out a sigh, "it appears so."


    He didn''t continue the conversation for a while as he was also disappointed by this fact.


    After all, if an important piece of history has been altered in the recordings, that would mean, there would be a lot of things that must have been altered too.


    "So, does this ce have some kind of treasures or something?" After a brief silence, Song Yue attempted to continue the conversation as no one is speaking up.


    The third prince nodded in response but didn''t exin further. As his mood was disturbed by Lin Xue''s reminder, he didn''t want to go on with this topic any longer.


    After walking for a while, they reached some kind ofrge podium with pirs around it. Not only the pirs werepletely intact, but they also have identical statues constructed on top of them.


    The statue resembled a creature of myth with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and a tail of a scorpion


    In the middle of the podium, there is a passage that was leading to the underground.


    Around the entrance, there are severalrge stones around the entrance of the stairs, which suggested they might be the debris of the sealed entrance caused by an explosion.


    However, everyone''s attention wasn''t on those structures but was on the three dead soldiers.


    The prince and the others rushed towards them.


    "Your highness¡­" Suddenly, one of the supposed dead soldiers opened his eyes and stood up in great difficulty.


    "What happened?" A deep frown appeared on Shang Wei.


    The soldier hurriedly replied, "Your highness, Captain Huo Jing abandoned his duty."


    He then recounted the story of how the captain of their squad killed them after they found the entrance of the undergroundbyrinth.


    "Thankfully, my act of ying dead fooled him."


    Kowtowing on the spot, he then begged for mercy for not being able to fulfill his duties.


    Upon hearing everything, Shang Wei got enraged. "How dare he? Where is that traitor, now?"


    The soldier answered that his captain was still underground and hadn''te out yet.


    "You and you, guard the entrance. The remaining two wille with me to apprehend that traitor." After giving the orders to his soldiers, he looked at his friends. "Captain Huo Jing is a circle-4 Mage. So, I think all of you should stay here for your safety."


    Lin Xue snorted in response as she folds her hands to the chest, "I alone am enough to¡­"


    "Except that he knew about arrival." The third prince cut off her words in a serious tone.


    As this is a matter concerning life and death, he didn''t intend to act all strong to impress her. Looking at her, Shang Wei further said, "A prepared magician is the most dangerous. Even a higher realm spirit warrior couldn''t act recklessly in front of them.


    If something happens to you on my watch, I wouldn''t able to lift my head in front of your father, ever again. So, Lady Lin, I ask you to please stay with the guards."


    While the seriousness on his face indeed surprised Lin Xue, this stubborn girl was never the type to back off from the danger either.


    She stepped forward towards the entrance. "If that''s the case, then, these two will be the witness. I''m making my own choice. Either I will go to the undergroundbyrinth or I will return to the Imperial city."


    Staring at him into the eyes, she then asked, "What do you want me to do?"


    Shang Wei knew her personality very well. He felt like if he didn''t allow her, there''s a high chance that he will be losing her forever. So, the prince was left with no choice but to support her decision.<sub> </sub>


    As Song Yue and her handmaids were pretty much defenseless against such a powerful enemy, they stayed outside.


    Zhang Kong was also forced to stay outside to apany his fianc¨¦e.


    After a few moments, a man in ck robes and hood appeared before the group, scaring the hell out of everyone.


    The two royal knights that were left outside immediately withdrew their weapons.


    Zhang Kong quickly stood before his fianc¨¦e to shield her.


    Song Yue then concentrated on the spatial ring she was wearing.


    Pouring the ether energy into it, she summoned two boxes out of thin air.


    One of them carried three pistols and the other one is loaded with bullets.


    "Zou Bi, Yin Bo¡­ take one each and be ready just in case."


    As the handmaids and Song Yue took a pistol and loaded a bullet for their safety, Zhang Kong was taken aback. "My beloved, when did you buy them?"


    A smile appeared on Song Yue as she caressed her pistol, "A week ago. Even in this past week, I visited that store a couple of more times to buy bullets. Dear, this weapon is really addictive once you get familiar with shooting the targets. It''s really fun."


    "Well, it is still an ungraded weapon." Zhang Kong shrugged his shoulders.


    Even though he was impressed with its firepower, it was still only useful to weaklings like his fianc¨¦e.


    In the meantime, at the entrance of the stairs, the Royal knight of circle-5 realm pointed the sword at him, "The entrance has been sealed. You cannot go inside. Leave."


    Without showing his face, the hooded assassin threw a medallion towards the royal knight.


    Upon seeing the symbol of a unicorn, he apologized and stepped aside.


    The hooded man disappeared and then, reappeared at the top of the stairs. He once again disappeared from everyone''s sight.


    Meanwhile, Shang Wei, Lin Xue, and two soldiers of the circle-4 realm reached the bottom of the stairs.


    With the third prince being a fire mage, the group of four didn''t face any issues with the darkness around them.


    After walking straight for a few minutes, everyone stopped.


    "Now, what¡­" Lin Xue asked the prince as she saw there were numerous tunnels ahead of them.


    "Let''s not separate." Shang Wei was cautious, not intending to underestimate the traitor.


    Two hourster, the group of four reached the entrance of the tunnels.


    "Not again¡­" Lin Xueined as she kicked the wall in anger. "How many times it has been¡­"


    "Umm, there are so many tunnels here. So, I guess it is possible for them to be interconnected."


    "I know that¡­" She shouted at him, which made him shut his mouth for a while.


    After a brief silence, the prince asked in a slow tone, "are you going to continue?"


    "Giving up isn''t in my nature." Lin Xue started walking in another random tunnel. The prince followed her from behind.


    Unlike the other tunnels, this tunnel turned out to be a straight one. They walked for half an hour and, halted their steps upon hearing the sounds from up ahead.


    Soon, they reached the entrance. A battle was going on between a giant snake and a familiar fellow.


    "A Guardian beast?" Shang Wei''s eyes flickered in surprise.

 Chapter 10 Lin Xues Hunting Trip (Part-4)

    A giant cobra and a middle-aged man in armor were locked in a battle.


    Even though the beast was heavily injured, it didn''t care about its state and was continuously spitting out mes while guarding the giant treasure chest standing at one of the corners.


    For the past three days, Huo Jing kept on challenging the four-circle realm beast that can''t leave the cave.


    Whenever he felt like he would lose, he would run out of the cave and challenge it again after recovering his ether energy.


    With the beast getting weaker every time, he grew confident in defeating it.


    Just when he thought he would finally y this beast and acquire the treasure, Captain Huo Jing spotted the prince and the guards at the entrance. His chest tightened all of a sudden.


    Believing his subordinates were dead, he took a deep breath and calmed down.


    "Your¡­. Your Highness¡­" he then cried out as if he was happy to see him.


    Jumping to the side and dodging the mes, he further said, "The treasure is behind this beast. Come and help me out, Tao Fu, Zhen Song¡­"


    As he asked the help of the royal knight standing beside Lin Xue and Shang Wei, the prince gave a look at them and nodded.


    They too nodded, indicating that they understood the gesture and entered the cave.


    With three warriors in a four-circle realm attacking a heavily injured rank-5 beast, the snake was fallen very quickly but it didn''t die yet.


    Just as one of the soldiers about to give the finishing blow, the prince stopped them.


    Amid the curious gazes from everyone including Lin Xue, he took out an ancient tome from his storage ring.


    After turning several pages, he started to read an incantation in anguage unknown to the people around him. His ether energy was almost consumed in the process.


    As the incantation was finished, five red chains with an anchor as its heads were released from his upper body and pierced the fallen giant cobra, one by one.


    After five sessive hits, energy started to flow into his body through the chains from the fallen snake.


    As time passed, the giant cobra started to be thinner and thinner. Soon, all of its life force seeped away and half an hourter, its core was destroyed leading to its death.


    In the meantime, not only the ether energy of the third prince was recovered but he also broke through and entered the four-circle realm.


    After the whole process was over, the third prince opened his eyes and nodded with a smile as he was satisfied with the result. "Good, I received an abundant amount of ether particles. I''m now halfway through four-circle. Once I stabilize in this realm, I should use ether crystals and break through the next realm before 26th birthday."


    While Lin Xue was curious about this mysterious book, she didn''t express her curiosity as she wanted to stay away from Shang Wei.


    Meanwhile, Huo Jing was feeling disappointed now that he couldn''t im the treasure.


    Still, he disyed excitement on the outside. "Your highness, the treasure¡­"


    "We''ll get it to it, Captain Huo Jing, but before that, we should decide on your punishment for killing fellow soldiers and betraying the Empire." The prince maintained a bright smile while announcing his death sentence. "You know the punishment, don''t you?"


    Even Li Xue could feel the anger in his tone. She stepped away from him, leaving to his own.<sub> </sub>


    From the start, she never intended to involve in this matter as it has nothing to do with her. She only entered because she believed that she wasn''t that weak that she had to stay outside under the protection of prince''s guards.


    "What¡­ what are you talking about, Your Highness?" Captain Huo Jing stuttered upon hearing the prince. "I have no idea what you are talking about."


    The prince suddenly turned cold as he couldn''t maintain the fake expression anymore.


    He clenched his fist in anger and spoke, "One of the three soldiers that you attacked, managed to stay alive. It''s over, Huo Jing. Surrender yourself and return to the Imperial city with us. I will make sure to at least pardon your death sentence and reduce it to twenty years of imprisonment."


    With being surrounded by everyone, Huo Jing didn''t see any ways to escape. So, he kneeled down in front of the prince and begged for mercy.


    He promised that he will follow him to the court and ept the punishment.


    As he couldn''t use the tome for some time and neither of the royal knights possesses any spirit skills to capture him, Shang Wei concentrated on the storage ring and took out a rope that he uses for climbing.


    Huo Jing''s upper body was tied with the rope with his hands to back.


    "Well, let''s get the treasure." Shang Wei walked towards the treasure chest.


    Lin Xue quietly followed him. Inwardly, she wanted to see what kind of treasure it is.


    However, to her surprise, Shang Wei didn''t touch the box that looked like a treasure chest.


    Instead, he took out the parchment from the storage ring and carefully read it once again while cing his hand on the wall behind the treasure chest.


    Nothing happened.


    He moved his hand and ced his hand at another ce on the wall. Nothing happened again.


    "Hmm, ording to this letter, it must be somewhere here." The third prince was confused.


    Watching the third prince kept touching the wall, Lin Xue opened her mouth in annoyance, "What are you doing?"


    "Looking for the entrance," He ambiguously replied and continued his act.


    Lin Xue didn''t understand what he was saying, "What entrance? Aren''t we here for Emperor Jie''s treasure? Isn''t that the chest?"


    "No, that''s a trap." Shang Wei immediately replied. Turning his head with a smile, "This document warned to not open the chest or else, an area-wide five-circle spell will be released."


    *Click*


    Right then, his hand unknowingly touched the right spot coincidentally and a part of the wall started to back off, revealing a brightly lit cave within.


    Even from far away, Lin Xue could see the several ether crystals embedded on the ground and wall.


    "A hidden crystal mine?" Lin Xue''s eyes widened as she followed the third prince into the cave.

 Chapter 11 Lin Xues Hunting Trip (Part-5)

    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    On the outside of the entrance, Song Yue was bored after waiting for several hours.


    So, she started to practice shooting fruits by keeping them on the head of a four-circle knight.


    Due to his higher level, he wasn''t worried about getting injured by a no-grade weapon.


    Despite not showing any interest on the surface, the five-circle royal knight captain who was guarding the entrance was also watching it from the corner of his eyes.


    He was curious about the strange-looking ranged weapon that was firing a tiny metal thing. What he was surprised is the speed the bullet was going.


    He felt like even a five-circle warrior like him couldn''t evade it if he stays in ten meters range.


    Right then, he heard noises from the underground passage.


    As he turned his head, he found the prince and the others returning.


    "Wee back, Your Highness." He greeted him with a bow and then, sighed in relief.


    Even though he was confident that nothing can happen to the prince because of the hooded ally, he was still happy that Shang Wei returned without being harmed.


    If anything happens to the prince, he was sure that the Emperor will not hesitate to take off his head.


    "Captain Gao, you stay here to guard this ce until General Liu returns with the army. Meanwhile, seal up the entrance and destroy these pirs. It shouldn''t look any suspicious. And, don''t spare anyone that dares to enter the passage. Understand?"


    While the prince was busy passing the instructions, Huo Jing''s hand turned to zing red and the rope suddenly started to burn.


    Quickly, the rope turned to ash and Huo Jing became free, sending everyone into alert.


    "Argh¡­"


    Huo Jing pressed his zing hands on the two soldiers that are apanying him from the moment he was captured and pressed on their arms where there are no protective bracers.


    "Gao Meng." As the prince spoke his name, the five-circle realm warrior dashed towards the traitor who started to run after bing free.


    However, Huo Jing never intended to escape as he knew he knows very well that he couldn''t escape from Gao Meng''s pursuit.


    He rushed towards Song Yue and grabbed her.


    Gao Meng had no choice but to stop in midway.


    "Song Yue" "Lady Song" "Yue Yue"


    Everyone screamed her name with a panic. Even Lin Xue was the same as she knew that Song Yue was too weak to escape from the traitor''s clutches.


    One of his hands once again started to be zing hot as he put it near her neck, "don''te closer if you value her life."


    "How dare you?" Zhang Kong shouted in fury. "Leave your filthy hands off my woman."


    "I gave you the opportunity to live but I guess you really wanted to die, don''t you, Huo Jing?" The prince''s face turned colder.


    Song Yue was a precious person to him, someone he was friends with from his childhood. For him, she was like a sister. Taking her a hostage crossed his bottom line.


    "You can''t fool me by telling that you''ll spare my life. If I return to the pce, the only thing that will wait for me is that dark prison. I would rather risk my death than going to that ce." Grabbing her, Huo Jing continued to back off a bit by bit. "Anyone dares to try anything funny, I''ll take her life. Don''te forward. Stay away."


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue gripped the sheath of her sword but didn''t take it out as she doesn''t want to risk her best friend''s life.<sub> </sub>


    She was only hoping that her hidden guard would make a move and rescue Song Yue.


    However, a whole minute passed, but nothing happened except for Huo Jing slowly backing away two steps while they were going forward one step.


    As Song Yue knew that she couldn''t get away by struggling, she too didn''t resist and stayed still with her eyes fixed on her free left hand that had a pistol in it with a bullet loaded.


    At the same time, she also knew that she had just one chance to escape. Song Yue decided to wait for a perfect time.


    Huo Jing was slowly increasing the distance from the prince and others. All this while his hands were upied with one was grabbing her right hand and the other was at her neck.


    His attention waspletely on the prince and the others. Song Yue realized that too.


    After they reached the entrance of this abandoned vige, Huo Jing realized that it was the perfect time to escape.


    Just as his arm loosened, all of a sudden, Song Yue spun around once and her left arm appeared in his view.


    His pupils constricted seeing a strange metal thing in her hand that was only a couple of centimeters away from his eye.


    Song Yue pressed the trigger.


    *bang*


    "Argh¡­" Huo Jing screamed loudly in pain as his left eye started to bleed heavily.


    Song Yue was released from his grip and fell onto the ground.


    She hurriedly stood up on her feet and started to run towards her friends.


    As soon as they saw she was freed, Gao Meng and the others dashed towards her in case he captures her again.


    However, contrary to their thoughts, Huo Jing who was gravely injured in the eye started to run for his life.


    Seeing Song Yue safe, the prince ordered Gao Meng to chase the culprit and capture him.


    "Thank goodness, you are alright." Zhang Kong tightly hugged her as she reunited with her fianc¨¦e.


    "That was some hit, Sister Yue." The prince also sighed in relief to see her okay and praised her for injuring the enemy. After all, she was only in a one-circle realm. It is indeed a brave act to even try to attempt such a feat. Much less getting seeded in it.


    Smiling brightly, she raised the pistol, "I should actually thank my guard''s sacrifice. If I didn''t know that the bullet can injure one''s eyes, I wouldn''t have dared to try shooting at him."


    "Bullet?" The Prince went into a daze as he stared at the pistol.


    With Zhang Kong partially blocking his view, he didn''t see how she did it.


    All he heard was a loud sound. So, he assumed it must be some kind of explosive made out of ck powder.


    As the eye is a vulnerable spot even for higher realm warriors, he thought she''s really lucky to hit.


    Now that he realized the weapon, its unique shape caught his eye. He became curious about it.


    More than him, Lin Xue was the one who was most curious about the weapon. She pointed out, "What a strange name. Its name is just as strange as its appearance. Bullet¡­"


    "No¡­" Song Yue waved her hand. "This is called pistol. The thing I fired from this is called a bullet."


    "Hmm?"

 Chapter 12 Bargain

    Genesis weapon store, Imperial City;


    "Sigh¡­ One whole week has passed and only two sales except for bullets. At this rate, it might even take a year toplete the main quest," Mark rests his chin on the table with a disappointed look.


    He nced at the quests.


    Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-shot Pistols (In progress-5%)


    Reward: Single-shot firearms unlock


    Side Quest (1): Earn 100 gold coins from selling the weapons (In progress-64%)


    Reward: System store


    Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Single-shot Pistols (In progress-50%)


    Reward: Revolver


    "Well, at least, due to that riche girl''s purchase of bullets, I''m near topleting the first side quest." Letting out another sigh, Mark continued to watch the entrance in the hopes of getting a wealthy customer.


    "Man, designing a nuclear warhead is a lot easier than selling these weapons here. My goal of taking the revenge is going further away as days passed¡­" *Sigh*


    At such a moment, a short and fat middle-aged fellow in decent clothes entered the shop.


    "Big brother, a customer." As usual, the Android was quick to report to his master.


    Looking at the long-bearded bald man who was wearing clothes made of cotton, Mark lost his interest. He knew what was going to happen, next.


    "Allen, take care of the customer," Mark spoke in azy tone as he turned his head, resting his cheek on the counter.


    Two weeks ago, when he first opened the store, Mark disyed enthusiasm, at least on the outside to every customer.


    However, after being called a scammer by so many customers, he eventually lost interest and let the Android do the greetings.


    In the past three days, except for Song Yue, he rarely disyed his bright smile in front of customers.


    "Hmm?" The fatty frowned as he saw Mark''s behavior.


    "Wee to Genesis weapon store. May I know what you are looking for?" Allen, the Android received the customer in his usual emotionless tone.


    "Oh! Yes. My friend introduced me to the store. I came for those pistols. That''s what they are called, right?" He said to the Android.


    Mark''s ears perked up upon hearing his words. He turned his head and looked at him curiously. He wondered which friend.


    "Is it Song Yue?" Mark threw the thought away as he felt it is unlikely for such a person to be friends with such a beauty who was from a rich household.


    So, he wondered whether it is those two beginner adventurers from three days ago.


    "My name is Huo Fen. I''m a merchant from the Western Yan"


    Mark immediately sat up as soon as he heard that the customer is a merchant.


    He listened to the fatty middle-aged man''s story carefully.


    "Through a caravan, I set out towards this city to sell my goods and make a profit. But, who could have expected that we would face bandits on the outskirts of the city?


    By luck, a couple of teenagers, who were passing by the area, saved us from harm. In the past twenty years, I have roamed every city located in this giant Empire but I have yet to find such a unique ranged weapon."


    Walking towards the shelves where the pistols are disyed, he looked at them in admiration, "these weapons are unlike anything I have ever seen in my life."


    He then turned his head towards Mark who sat straight unlike before, "I heard that they cost five gold coins. I wonder if I can get any discount if I purchase in bulk. I won''t ask for much. Can you give me 12 pistols for 50 gold coins?"


    "Discount?" Mark was taken aback by the customer''s bargain. He doesn''t know what to do as he never faced this kind of situation.


    *Ding! System doesn''t allow bargains. If the host epts the deal, it will be considered as a gift and the host will not receive his 10% share.<sub> </sub>


    A part of him felt like it is unfair for him to pay from his own pocket for a stranger.


    At the same time, another part of him was excited to sell them in bulk to finish his mission and activate the revolver and System store.


    As Mark fell into deep thoughts, the customer waited for his decision.


    After thinking for a long time, once again, a bright smile appeared on Mark as he said, "Mr. Huo, I can ept the deal if you purchase the bullets in bulk."


    "Bullets?" It was Huo Fen''s turn to be taken aback by surprise.


    "Just like a bow needs an arrow, you need a bullet for the pistol to shoot the target. The bullets fired from this pistol will be able to kill mortals or 1-circle spirit warriors and even injure heavily even those of 2-circle realm as long as they don''t belong to the path of a fighter." Mark repeated the exnation of the same thing he gives to every customer.


    Mark further said while showing the 9mm lead bullet, "each of these costs 20 silver coins, and they can only be used for once."


    However, unlike other customers, Huo Fen''s eyes only lit up in excitement, "If this guy from the poor neighborhood has a monopoly on this weapon, does that mean the bullets can only be bought from this shop. That means I will have a monopoly in other kingdoms if I y my cards right."


    "Give me twenty bullets per pistol. Since I''m buying in bulk, I hope I would get a discount on this too. 240 bullets and 12 pistols for 90 gold coins. Deal?" Huo Fen tried to bargain once again.


    "40 bullets and 2 pistols. That means 18 gold coins of loss. Hmm¡­" Mark felt like losing such an amount isn''t bad whenpared to the benefits ofpleting the mission.


    Mark nodded with a smile, "deal."


    "Allen, bring 12 of those Single-shot pistols here." After ordering the Android, he took out two boxes filled with 100 bullets each and then, filled the rest of the forty in another empty box.


    *Ding! The single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold and 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! The single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold and 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! The single-shot pistol has been sold. 4 gold and 50 silver coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Two hundred bullets have been sold.


    *Ding! The single-shot pistol has been given as a gift. 5 gold coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! The single-shot pistol has been given as a gift. 5 gold coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! 40 bullets have been given as a gift. 8 gold coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Side Quest (1) has beenpleted.


    *Ding! Side Quest (2) has beenpleted.


    While Allen was helping out the customer in cing them in the cart, Mark was grinning from ear to ear as he opened the Quest panel.


    Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-shot Pistols (In progress-15%)


    Reward: Single-shot firearms unlock


    Side Quest (1): Earn 100 gold coins from selling the weapons (Completed)


    Reward: System store (Click to receive the reward)


    Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Single-shot Pistols (Completed)


    Reward: Revolver (Click to receive the reward)

 Chapter 13 Ring Of Luck

    *Ding! You unlocked the System store.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Check out the Quest panel for details.


    *Ding! You unlocked Revolver. Check out the Gallery for details.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Check out the Quest panel for details.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Check out the Quest panel for details.


    Mark quickly opened the store to see what it holds.


    *Ding! Please select a category: Skills, Items, Attributes, Bloodlines, and Unique Weapons.


    Of the options presented before him, only Items were highlighted. The rest of them are grayed out.


    Mark understood that they are locked just like hundreds of weapons in the Creation panel.


    "System, how do I unlock the rest of the categories?" He was actually surprised that even things like Bloodlines and Attributes can be bought.


    *Ding! Please upgrade the system store to unlock the remaining categories.


    "And how do I upgrade the system store?" Mark''s eyes were fixed on thest category as he was very curious about what kind of weapons will be there in the Unique Weapons category.


    He was looking forward to upgrading it as soon as possible.


    However, System''s reply darkened his expression immediately.


    *Ding! Upgrade stone can upgrade the store to the next level. Upgrade stones can only be obtained through either emergency quests or side quests. It depends on the host''s luck.


    He rested his forehead on the table and looked down at the floor in depression. "Luck, my foot¡­"


    "Anyway, let''s see if I can buy anything." Raising his head once again, he clicked on the only avable option.


    The categories disappeared and were reced by a long list of items in a grid. There are images apanied by their respective prices and names.


    The first section is full of various pills. Most of them affect for a limited time like increasing the recovery rate of ether energy, the sess rate of creation, healing the injuries, etc¡­


    Other pills give a permanent boost like improving agility, strength, skill power, longevity, etc¡­


    Mark looked at the prices and shook his head with a sigh. "Even a basic pill costs a hundred credits."


    He scrolls down further to see the next section, which contains the essories, which gives a permanent boost in things like strength, agility, ether recovery rate, and so on.


    It''s just that the boost only works when the host a.k.a Mark is wearing them. They are also quite cheaper whenpared to the pills.


    Since he doesn''t need to boost his strength and such, he thought of bypassing them too. However, as he scrolls down, his eyes captured a ring.


    As he saw its price was 500 credits, Mark immediately clicked on it


    Ring of Luck


    Grade: Copper (Upgradable)


    Description: With the Ring of Luck, the host can steal the luck of others for a limited time and increase the chances of getting lucky in any kind of situation.


    Effects (1): Permanent Luck+1


    Effects (2): Can steal up to +2 temporary lucky points for 5 minutes (Cooldown: 3 hours per 1 lucky point)


    Price: 500 credits


    Mark bought it without considering any second thoughts.


    Luck is what he needed to either get customers or the upgrade stones. Right now, it was the most important for him.


    To acquire the luck, Mark was even willing to go outside to roam and steal it from passersby.


    It would also helpful when he will fall in danger. He can steal the luck of his enemy to save himself.


    As soon as he bought the item, he received a series of surprising notifications from the system.


    *Ding! You bought the Ring of Luck. 500 credits have been deducted.


    *Ding! Ring of Luck has been sent to the inventory.


    *Ding! Youpleted the side quest (1). Click on the Quest to receive the reward.


    *Ding! Youpleted the side quest (3). Click on the Quest to receive the reward.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Check out the Quest panel for details.


    *Ding Luck stat has been added to the Character panel.


    "Has my lucky season already started or something?" Mark grinned from ear to ear as he closed down the notification screen and the store as he only had a little more than


    He then opened the inventory to take out a copper ring that looked like nothing special.


    He had quickly worn it on his left index finger and spoke, "System, open Character menu."<sub> </sub>


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Strength: 0.3


    Intelligence: 0.7


    Defense: 0.2


    Agility: 0.1


    Vitality: 0.8


    Resistance: 0.1


    Charisma: 6.8


    Luck: 2 (+1)


    Bloodline: N/A


    Attribute: N/A


    Spirit Path: N/A


    Ether Quality: Nil


    Ether energy: 0


    Rank: N/A


    Skills: N/A


    Lifespan limit: 80 (55 years left)


    Avable Credits: 187


    Net worth: 436 gold coins, 46 silver coins.


    Mark''s facial expression changed quickly, "Only 2 points of luck? No wonder I was kidnapped by a mafia gang. No wonder I was killed by my own trustedrades.


    No wonder my soul was transmigrated into a ce where all these supernatural beings exist.


    No wonder I possessed trash of a prince, who was born with no ether particles and got even switched with amoner by his own biological mother.


    No wonder my business isn''t going well¡­"


    The more he thought about it, the more he fell into depression.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he put those depressing thoughts away and focused on his current situation. After all, it is time to celebrate his bright future, not toment his tragic past.


    Looking at the copper ring, Mark mumbled, "I can steal 2 points of luck. That means my overall luck will be 5. I hope, with this, the situation will be a lot better in the future. Anyway, let''s see what the new quests are."


    QUEST LIST:


    Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-shot Pistols (In progress-15%)


    Reward: Single-shot firearms Unlock


    ? Side Quest (1): Purchase an item from the store (Completed)


    Reward: 50 credits (Click to receive the reward)


    Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Revolvers (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Semi-automatic Pistol (10 round magazine)


    Side Quest (3): Spend a total of 500 Credits (Completed)


    Reward: Lottery Wheel (Click to receive the reward)


    "50 credits? That''s the same price if I dismantle a top silver-graded weapon. Not bad. And this Lottery Wheel seemed like it''s also a good thing. Let''s check it out and see the prizes and participate in it after absorbing some luck from others.


    But, before that, I need to see the new quests."


    As he received both the rewards, two new quests also reced thepleted ones. His eyes lit up in excitement as he saw the reward.


    Side Quest (1): Earn a total of 1000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets (In progress-7.5%)


    Reward: Ether particles


    Side Quest (3): Spend a total of 5000 Credits (In progress-10%)


    Reward: Exchange panel (Currency to Credits and vice versa)


    Mark clenched his fist tightly to control his happiness, "It looks like 1 additional point of luck is working. As long as I sell the weapons, I can transform into spirit warrior and cultivate like these people with supernatural powers."

 Chapter 14 Mark At Everlasting Store

    In the bustling streets of the Imperial city, two handsome men were walking together.


    One had a bright smile on his face and the other had this cold look on his face.


    Together, they appeared like a sun and a moon for the young female pedestrians.


    The only difference is that the Moon is shining brighter than the sun as Allen has a perfect chiseled body while mark appeared to be on the leaner side.


    And right now, both of them are going their way to one of the most popr weapon stores within the city, the Evesting store.


    It was one of the big-3 weapon stores that had the backing of Swordmasters guild, the secondrgest guild in the continent with over eight thousand members.


    After the store striking a deal with Iron Vanguardians, the greatest cksmith guild in the continent that was operated by Dwarves, in the past twenty years, there was never a day it ran out of weapons, at least in the main branch of the Imperial city, no matter how many sales it has.


    And Mark wasn''t going to the store to buy something. He was actually going there to look for rich people who are blessed with money or strong people who are blessed with strength or talent.


    It''s so that he could steal luck from them. Mark thought of this method as he assumed people like them might have a huge amount of luck since they are blessed by the heavens with either money or talent.


    Even if he stole the luck from them temporarily, Mark was confident that they would at least not die because of him. And if they die, then, that''s their fate.


    With such a thought in mind, Mark walked into the store.


    As Mark and Allen entered the store, they found the ground floor was lively with customers.


    Mark felt a little bit of envy as he watched the scene.


    "Fu¡­" Taking a deep breath, he consoled himself, "don''t worry Mark, there will be a day when your store will be like them."


    Mark looked around and inspected the weapons.


    After seeing that three of them are ungraded, Mark assumed that all of the disyed models are ungraded weapons.


    He lost interest in them. After all,pared to his weapons, they were considered trash even though they were of high quality.


    The maximum ungraded weapon in the store only costs 2 gold coins and the minimum price in his store is 5 gold coins. So, one can imagine the difference between their level.


    Mark then changed his focus towards the southwest corner and then, the northwest corner where there are stairs.


    From the southwest, people are climbing up the stairs, and from the northwest, people are climbing down.


    Mark wondered out whether the graded weapons are upstairs.


    Upon hearing his words, Allen patted his shoulder, "Big brother, look over there."


    Mark looked in the direction Allen pointed his finger.


    There was arge board at the entrance which he ignored while entering the store.


    It has brief details of weapons, their price, and also a set of rules.


    He stepped outside and read them.


    Ground Floor: Ungraded weapons (4 silver coins ¨C 2 gold coins)


    1st Floor: Copper graded weapons (4 gold coins ¨C 20 gold coins)


    2nd Floor: Silver graded weapons (40 gold coins ¨C 200 gold coins)


    3rd Floor: Gold graded weapons (400 gold coins ¨C 2000 gold coins)


    4th Floor: Gold grade Custom made weapons (3000 gold coins)


    5th Floor: VIP (Only Nobles)<sub> </sub>


    6th Floor: Restricted (Only Staff)


    Rules:


    1) Buying weapons are limited to ten per customer, each day.


    2) Buying more than ten are only allowed to guilds. A letter from the respective guild master is needed.


    3) Buying five or more weapons in the same grade will provide a 10% discount.


    4) Damaged graded weapons are subjected to a discount from 10 to 50% based on their condition.


    5) Making a ruckus in the store is prohibited.


    6) Disrespecting a staff member is prohibited.


    7) Installments are allowed with a guarantor belonging to be the direct member of a noble family or upper echelon of a well-known guild. The store decides whether the guarantor is eligible or not.


    8) Stealing is prohibited.


    9) A reminder to the customers. Please don''t go to the floors above your budget and cause an inconvenience to our staff.


    10) The store reserves the right to punish, cklist, or forgive the customer based on the situation.


    ***


    *Whistle*


    Mark couldn''t help but let out a whistle as he read the rules. He was impressed with how they conduct the business, well, at least on the paper. "Those were some nice solid rules."


    He decided that he will also do the same once he returns.


    Now that he read everything, Mark proceeded to the stairs. Allen followed him.


    It was rather a narrow staircase with only three adults with average bodies barely could fit if they go side by side.


    With the influx of people, it took two minutes just to go to the first floor where severalmoners entered the floor.


    Mark didn''t stop there. He climbed up the stairs until he reached the third floor, where Gold grade weapons are sold.


    As he entered the space, Mark saw there were roughly eight customers in which there''s a couple in luxurious clothes who appeared to be rich just like Song Yue; three individual customers who were looking at the weapons; finally, a team of three people wearing simr equipment over their bodies.


    Wearing such equipment in public states either they are knights or Adventurers.


    Mark thought it might be thetter. He came to this opinion solely based on the appearance of their hands that have scars.


    His suspicion became right when the middle guy, who looked tall and buffed, patted the shoulder of the one on the right and then, on the left one, "Tao Shuren, Qiu Yan, don''t hesitate about the cost. Your captain isn''t that poor. Both of your contributions are great in killing the 6-circle Lynic deserved at least two pieces of gold-grade equipment. Pick any two weapons of your liking."


    "Six-circle, huh!" Mark clenched his fist to calm himself. "One day, I will also be stronger¡­"


    "Wee to Evesting." Spotting Mark and Allen at the entrance, a staff member greeted both of them as he was the only one that was free.


    Mark nodded in response while Allen stayed silent. He walked towards the staff member that greeted him and said, "I''m looking for a suitable weapon for my brother."


    Mark pointed to Allen who stood behind him.


    "Sure." The staff member maintained his smile and asked Allen, "May I know what kind of weapon you are looking for?"


    Mark gave the response instead of Allen, "He only used fists until now. So, we aren''t sure. But, our budget is 1000 gold coins. So, don''t show weapons that are above the price."

 Chapter 15 Stealing The Luck

    Usually, people whoe to the store first look at the weapons. Then, they ask for the price. If they liked it, then, they will buy it.


    If the price is above their budget, then, they will look at another weapon.


    However, saying the budget before looking at the weapons was something that was rarely heard within the store unless either they want to show off that they are very rich or they were just misers.


    But, most of the time, it just indicates that they have a limited budget.


    After all, no one would want to be looked down on because of their social status, at least, not in crowded ces like this.


    As usual, the rich couple and the buffed adventurer thought Mark and Allen were too poor while one of the other customers felt a little bit embarrassed as his budget was only around 500 gold coins.


    The staff members wondered whether it is because he was buying for someone else.


    The only one in the store that felt different is the floor supervisor, who was sitting at the bill counter.


    He had an inkling that this customer might be an employee or owner of a store.


    As far as he had seen, only those types of people will have a certain budget in their mind and then, go for the most practical use rather than the one that looks majestic and shy.


    Just like others, while the staff member was also taken aback, he still nodded in understanding and pointed to the wall, "these are all the disy models we have in our store. Follow me."


    The staff member then led them to one of the disyed weapons. It was a saber.


    Mark quickly inspected it.


    ***


    Warp Steel Saber


    Grade: Gold


    Description: A saber that was forged by Master cksmith Zhu Jian. It was made of Freiten steel. During the forge, a hundred ml of War Bee''s blood was used as a catalyst to bring the properties of space attribute. Like other Gold grade weapons, this saber has the capacity to hold the ether energy of up to a six-circle realm.


    Note: Those who were born with Space Attribute could use the warping technique to twist the space between them to some extent and block the attacks.


    As the staff member took the saber out from the sheath and spoke, "This saber costs eight hundred gold coins. Its name is¡­"


    "No, this saber doesn''t suit my brother. Show something else." The staff member was interrupted by Mark as he doesn''t want to waste the time at this ce.


    He actually wanted to steal the luck of the rich-looking couple on the other side. However, in order to not to look suspicious, he could only go near them naturally.


    After all, the system mentioned that the distance between them shouldn''t be more than 3 meters.


    Who could have expected that someone offends him right then¡­


    Just then, he heard a mocking tone from behind, "look at those two poor fellows backing away as soon as they heard the price. What''s the point of looks when you are dead poor? That is why, you two must continue to work hard or else, someday, you will also hesitate to buy because of its high costs like these two paupers."


    As his voice was loud enough, naturally, everyone in the store heard it but no one spoke anything as he hadn''t broken any rules. Disrespecting a fellow customer isn''t prohibited ording to the rules and he didn''t make any ruckus either.


    Mark turned his head to look at the source of the mocking tone.


    It was the same buffed guy who was showing off his gold-grade equipment that he wore from top to bottom.


    Allen also turned around but since he had no emotions and his master didn''t give any order, he stayed silent.<sub> </sub>


    Mark narrowed his eyes as he stared at the adventurer with his hands behind the back. Thetter also participated in the staring contest for a couple of seconds before he opened his mouth, "What are you looking at?"


    The staff member who was standing behind Mark saw the copper ring on thetter''s left index finger is glowing.


    Meanwhile, a holographic screen appeared before Mark.


    *Ding! Target locked. Target has four luck points. Proceed to absorb?


    Mark spoke inside his head, "Yes."


    *Ding! You should speak out to confirm.


    p Mark mumbled, "Yes."</anda>


    *Ding! Choose how many luck points you need to steal. Warning: Every luck point needed 30 seconds to absorbpletely. The target needs to stay within the range.


    "2" Mark mumbled again.


    *Ding! 2 points of luck are going to be transferred from the target to the host. Please stay within the 3-meter range from the target for the next 60 seconds.


    While Mark just continued to stare at him in silence, the adventurer spoke, "what did he just mumble, right now?"


    He thought Mark was probably swearing at him.


    The adventurer then looked at the staff member behind Mark and asked him in a serious tone, "You tell me. What did he just mumble, right now?"


    Before the staff member replied, Mark opened his mouth, "This rich adventurer, do you know what the most powerful thing in the world?"


    "Hmm?" The Adventurer frowned.


    Mark didn''t wait for his answer and said with a smile on his face, "It''s not strength or money. It''s not even authority. It''s luck. You can live happily even if you run out of money and be a beggar one day. But, if you lose luck at the perfect time, mister, then, only a god can help you in crisis. I hope you won''t run out of luck today."


    "What are you implying?" The Adventurer got enraged upon hearing Mark. In his view, the poor guy is trying to curse him to run out of luck and get into trouble.


    This time, his voice was too loud that the supervisor couldn''t ignore it anymore. He spoke, "Brother Mo, please tone down your voice. You are obstructing our business."


    The adventurer captain Mo Jiang quickly took out a heavy sword that was hanging at his back.


    Pointing it at Mark, Adventurer Mo said coldly, "If you have uttered those words outside the store, you would have paid dearly for running your mouth."


    As Allen quickly stood before Mark to protect him, thetter patted his shoulder and then, replied to the adventurer while maintaining a smile, "Well, I guess I''ll have to leave out of your sight to save my life, right?"


    "Sorry for the trouble. I''lle another time." Apologizing to the supervisor with a slight bow, Mark slowly walked towards the exit.


    However, the countdown hasn''t ended yet. He stopped just as he was about to pass the adventurers, Mark halted his steps and turned around, "Oh, I forgot about something."


    "That steel saber in your hands." Pointing the saber, Mark said to the staff member, "Warp Bee''s blood is used as a catalyst while forging it. So, it was useful to those of space attribute, not my brother. That''s why it is useless."


    The staff member was taken aback. "How do you know that Warp Bee''s blood is used while forging this weapon?"


    As the room was a bit silent because of the earliermotion, the other staff members and customers turned their heads towards Mark.

 Chapter 16 Lottery Wheel

    On the third floor of the famous Evesting weapon store, silence filled the room for a moment as the staff member asked Mark about how he discerned the catalyst.


    After all, it is known that unless you pour ether energy into manmade equipment, you couldn''t even know whether it is graded or ungraded much less what kind of hidden material was used while forging.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Mark replied, "Let''s just say my eyes are good."


    His words implied as if the matter is very simple to him.


    "Who are you kidding? You surely must have visited the store before." Adventurer Mo who doesn''t seem to like Mark scoffed in response. "Eye is good, my foot. Only 9-circle spirit warriors or humans born with innate eye ability could find out such a thing."


    As everyone also thinking the same, they nodded in silence.


    Mark nced at the timer. There were still more than 25 seconds left.


    While maintaining his bright fake smile, he pointed at the armor the buffed adventurer was wearing. "Troll''s blood was used as a catalyst in making this your armor as well as greaves. Abination of 70% tungsten and 30% silver is used in both of them. Honestly, they only look hard on the surface but are very brittle. It''s not a good choice for defense if you are an adventurer. Did you get cheated by the seller or something?"


    "Nonsense." Mo Jiang gritted his teeth in anger while the supervisor at the bill counter was sweating bullets as he was the one that sold him, six months ago.


    At the same time, the others in the room were also surprised to find a person with innate eye ability.


    Ignoring Mo Jiang''s expression, Mark continued by pointing his finger at the weapon as he inspected the details, "This one is a good sword. Made from Freiten steel just like that saber. Oh! Drake''s blood has been used as a catalyst. It seems to have a minute percentage of pure Dragon blood.


    That would mean, you will have a 1% chance to invoke a special skill belonged to the Dragons. I wonder what that might be¡­"


    *Ding! Two points of luck have beenpletely absorbed.


    After the absorbing process is over, the ring also stopped glowing.


    *Ahem* "Anyway, I''m leaving. Don''t want to stay in a store where the customers are insulted in such an open manner."


    As his job was done and the clock is ticking, Mark didn''t stay there any longer.


    Amid the shocking gazes of everyone, Mark hurriedly left the store with Allen.


    Mo Jiang, who was initially angry that this fellow customer was speaking as he wishes, now got stunned upon listening to his final exnation.


    The sword was something he received as a gift from a mysterious cksmith whom he saved in one of his adventures.


    No one except for that mysterious cksmith and him knows about the catalyst that was used while forging the de in his hands.


    Now, he couldn''t help but suspect the staff member that sold him this armor.


    Mo Jiang quickly turned his face and looked at the new supervisor. He asked in a serious tone, "Was that true? Tell me. You said that the Tungsten material armors are very strong. He''s saying that they are hard but brittle."


    The supervisorughed nervously, "don''t believe him. This isn''t normal tungsten. It''s made of Damascus Tungstenbined with silver. They are also quite durable. If you don''t believe me, then you should believe in our store''s reputation."


    "Hmm, I guess you are right." Mo Jiang put the sword back to the sheath, and mumbled, "I will teach that pauper a lesson sooner orter for trying to make a fool out of me."


    Meanwhile, outside of the store, Mark was returning towards his store.


    As the clock is ticking, he didn''t waste time in opening the inventory. Of course, it was only visible to him.


    In one of the inventory slots, there was an image of a ssic round lottery board.


    He proceeded to click on it.


    *Ding! Do you want to integrate the Lottery Wheel system into the Character?


    He clicked on Yes.


    *Ding! Lottery Wheel has been added to the Character.


    *Ding! You received a free chance for the first time.


    "System, open Character."<sub> </sub>


    There was a tab beside the Character that read Lottery Wheel.


    He clicked on it.


    A round lottery wheel appeared on the screen before him.


    It was divided into 21 slots of which only seven items were avable. The remaining fourteen of them are empty.


    Mark nced at the items.


    The first one is a Random Bloodline. The second one is a mysterious potion. The third one is a stone. The fourth one is a +2 chance. The fifth one is a Battle Tank. The sixth one is a unique skill. And finally,st but not least, the seventh one is a question mark.


    "Hmm, Bloodline, Battle Tank, and +2 chance slot are good but the chance is slim. Let''s hope five points of luck will help out."


    Mark clicked on the free chance button that was glowing below the wheel.


    "Bloodline, bloodline, bloodline, bloodline, bloodline¡­"


    As the wheel rotating, Mark was tensed and was hoping for a bloodline. Once, he makes thousand gold coins from selling the weapons, he will also be a Spirit warrior. So, getting a bloodline is the key to improve his strength.


    The wheel rotated for ten seconds before it started to slow down. With two nk spaces between the items, Mark couldn''t say where it willnd.


    After five more seconds, its speed became extremely slow while crossing the Bloodline.


    It dashed away Mark''s hopes but still, he felt like something is better than nothing. So, now, all he was hoping was to win at least one of those items.


    And as if the luck points worked for him, the lottery gave him a pleasant surprise.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you won Battle Tank-V.


    The free chance was grayed out and a countdown of 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes started.


    In the meantime, except for the question mark, the other options also disappeared.


    "Yes," A genuine smile appeared on Mark as he closed down the screen. If not for the fact that he was in public, he would even start grinning.


    <o>,m "System, open Gallery."</o>


    The Gallery was opened with almost everything grayed out except for the first three, which are Single-shot Pistol, Revolver, and a 9mm bullet.


    "Eh? Where is the battle tank?" Mark''s smile was quickly frozen and reced by a frown. He started to scroll down but everything else is grayed out.


    "System, Where is my reward?" He almost roared in his head.


    *Ding! The Host should check out the inventory.


    He opened the inventory as advised. There, he saw the image of a battle tank.


    "Hmm, it was an item? Not a blueprint?" Mark felt a little bit sad. That image of waging a war with a thousand military tanks seemed like a dream now.


    *Ding! The Host should be satisfied that he got something for free.


    The system''sment made him feel like an arrow pierced his chest.


    "Fine¡­" Letting out a sigh, he then clicked and then holds his finger on the inventory slot that has the image of a tank.


    *Dismantle* *Details* *Summon*


    He clicked on the details.


    An image appeared on a new holographic screen along with the description. His eyes lit up upon reading it. "I see¡­ no wonder only one was given."

 Chapter 17 Song Yues Addiction

    Battle Tank-V (Bound)


    Grade: tinum


    Length: 10.4 meters


    Width: 3.9 meters.


    Tunnel roof: 2.9 meters.


    Weight: 68,325 kilograms


    Elevation aiming angle: -10 to 75 degrees


    Primary weapon: 120 mm smoothbore cannon


    Secondary weapons: 12.7 mm Machine gun, 40 mm grenadeuncher.


    Additional Attachments: Avable (Depends on Host''s choices)


    Maximum speed: 82 km/hr


    Cruising range: 430 km. (Need to be refueled with ether energy)


    Maximum firing range: 10 km


    Autoload: Only Secondary weapons


    uracy: 100% up to 4 km; 80% from 4km to 6km; 60% from 6km to 8km; 40% from 8km to 10km;


    Description: A Battle tank that can crush your enemies with its heavy firepower, and also protects you with its strong armor at the same time. It is capable of killing anyone under the six-circle realm with one shot using the ammunition. The user can shoot in every direction without moving the vehicle.


    Skills:


    All-out Attack: Bombard the enemies with the energy attacks from all of the avable firearms with an attack power of 200% of the user. Cost: 50% of Maximum Ether energy.


    Invincible Shield: Create a barrier around the battle tank and block all types of attacks for 10 seconds as long as they don''t exceed the realm of 6-circle. Cost: 50% of Maximum Ether energy.


    "Invincibility? That''s f**k**g cool¡­"


    Mark was indeed fascinated by its stats. Looking at its image on the screen, he couldn''t help but remember a certain MBT (Main Battle Tank) that he designed back when he was in the army.


    At that moment, he swore to himself that one day, when he bes rich and popr, he would build arge factory to manufacture the weapons that he designed in the past and the ones that are still inside his head.


    "Anyway, right now, I need to focus on the present." Closing down the screen, Mark continued to walk. As usual, Allen silently followed.


    By the time he returned to the store, his luck points were back to normal. He doesn''t know whether they were returned to the original owner.


    However, ording to the system, it takes a whole day for Mo Jiang to recover one of his lost points of luck.


    So, that was two days in total.


    If it was anyone else, Mark would pray that they don''t get in trouble but for someone like Mo Jiang, who disyed such arrogance in front of him even though they weren''t even met before, Mark didn''t care about his well-being.


    Whether he dies or lives, it wasn''t his concern.


    Right now, his time was upied by the creation of the new reward, the Revolvers.


    With no one in the shop, Mark continued to create them.


    *Ding! You sessfully created a Revolver.


    Revolver


    Grade: N/A


    Description: A repeating handgun that allows firing a maximum of six consecutive rounds. Also known as a six-shooter, it is capable of inflicting heavy damage on a mortal. Damage decreases as the physical strength of spirit warriors increases.<sub> </sub>


    Warning: You need to click trigger once per every round.


    Range: 25 meters


    Price: 20 gold coins


    "Oh Boy, 5 gold coins is already too much for that pistol. Now, I have to sell this for 20 gold coins? And bullets? They would cost a hefty amount. Hmm, how about I sell a loaded revolver for the same price?


    For every 20 gold coins, my share is 2 gold coins and if I give away 6 bullets for free, I could still earn 80 silver coins per sale. That''s not a bad deal."


    ***


    Nurwhir, Forest of Bloodhill;


    Nurwhir is a region located in sector-8, the second most outer region of this enormous forest.


    It was the home to the race of Goblins, which have a special habit of not only eating the humans but were also known to store all the things that were left by its prey.


    So, it was considered a popr hunting spot for Adventurers. The only issue here is that they weren''t like dumb monsters that just attacked whenever a human is spotted.


    They are extremely clever and will nt traps, unleash several strategies, and hunt in groups. Like humans, they could also wield graded weapons.


    So, that would also make them extremely dangerous for those who are below the 3-circle realm.


    ? Still, all of them are only in the realm of 2-circle.


    So, there was no need to worry for this team with a 5-circle Knight-Captain Gao Meng, hidden 5-circle Assassin, 4-circle Mage Prince Shang Wei, speedy 3-circle swordmaster Lin Xue, 3-circle swordsman Zhang Kong, a 4-circle realm knight, and finally, a mere 1-circle realm and yet, possess a talent to kill every 2-circle goblin with a single bullet, the self-proimed Pistol master Song Yue.


    While the four nobles were killing them nonstop, the remaining two higher realm soldiers were only focused on protecting them.


    After all, these heirs of the noble houses were just here only to enjoy hunting.


    The two handmaidens were nowhere to be seen as Song Yue felt it was dangerous for them if they encounter any soldier like that Huo Jing.


    Of course, he was identally killed by Captain Gao but still, there might be rogue adventurers in the forest.


    Her handmaidens could save themselves from the beasts but against the humans, she wasn''t confident. So, she sent the two of them back to the Imperial city along with a 4-circle realm soldier.


    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    While her fianc¨¦e was carrying a box full of bullets like a servant, Song Yue was taking the bullet in the first second, reloading it in the next second, and killing a goblin with a headshot in the third second as soon as her eyes fell on the target.


    With huge sounds generated by the pistol, several times, goblins got a little bit afraid and run away.


    And whenever such a scene happens, Song Yue gets more excited and chases one after another.


    At the same time, the 5-circle knight was not only keeping an eye on everyone, but he also gave warning to every adventurer who stumbles upon this ce.


    Meanwhile, four people in ck clothes are observing them from the top branches of the trees around.


    Looking at Song Yue and Lin Xue that seemed they are taking pleasure in killing the poor goblins, one of them whispered, "I can''t figure out who are the real monsters here."


    After hunting for an hour, Song Yue realized that she had used more than half of the bullets.


    She slowed her pace.


    Two more hourster, the box almost became empty.


    She pped her forehead in realization, "I have bought too few bullets. Should have bought more. After finishing the hunt, I should visit the store once again. Before the next hunt, I have to stock up to 1000 bullets."


    Hearing her words, a frown appeared on Zhang Kong''s face. It made him realize how many bullets she had used earlier. More than a week ago, he bought them. So, he remembered that each of them costs 20 silver coins.


    "I knew that man is a scammer, alright. He tricked my girl into getting addicting to this strange weapon. Now, she had to buy those worthless ungraded bullets for lifelong, paying thousands of gold coins. No, I won''t let it happen."


    Taking a bullet from the box, he carefully observed it. "Paying 20 silver coins per piece is too much. I wonder if one can just reverse engineer it and manufacture it in our allied smithies. I should talk to father."

 Chapter 18 Ambush In The Bloodhill Forest (Part-1)

    For the next hour, the couple just strolled around with a 4-circle knight following them.


    Looking at the position of the sun, Captain Gao then informed everyone that they should return now.


    As Song Yue and Zhang Kong also agreed with it, Lin Xue and Prince Shang Wei stopped their hunting and started to return.


    By the time they reached sector-9, it was already dark. They decided to rest there for the night.


    As the Prince turned out to be too bad with nning for a trip, he forgot to bring the tents with him.


    So, all of them were left with no choice but to sleep in the open space.


    The two guards gathered the wood. Prince Shang Wei lit the fire with a fire spell.


    On one side, the two males lie on the ground. Since they don''t have much to talk about, they fell asleep quickly.


    On the other side of the fire, Song Yue and Lin Xue were busy in their girl talk.


    Captain Gao and the other knight were guarding them.


    "So, did you change your opinion of Prince Wei?" Song Yue asked her for formality even though she knew what her friend was going to say.


    As she expected, Lin Xue just scoffed in response. "What else can change? In the end, all he could do is to show off that he had a more powerful and richer background than me. That''s all."


    Turning to the side, Song Yue give her the pistol, "how about youe me with to the store that sells this? The owner is ten times more handsome than even Schr Shu."


    "C''mon, you are kidding." Lin Xue clearly didn''t believe her as Shu Fen was the most handsome guy she had ever seen in her life. This royal tutor used to be her childhood crush.


    Even if she no longer looks at him that way as he had kids her age, still, in her eyes, in terms of looks, no one could bepared with him.


    So, she was quite skeptical about Song Yue''s statement.


    "I was not exaggerating. Once you see Owner Lu and his assistant Allen, you will even say that they were ten times more handsome than Prince Wei." Song Yue told her while letting out another giggle.


    "Allen? It appeared like a foreign name." Lin Xuemented.


    "I guess." Song Yue shrugged her shoulders. "Owner Lu said that he was from far away. Maybe, he''s someone from the northern kingdoms. Who knows..."


    "I guess I must visit this store." Lin Xue mumbled, looking at the Pistol.


    "Oh, I didn''t expect you will be this bold." Song Yue let out a yful smile, "But, I should remind you. They weremoners. You should only enjoy inside yourself and not start something like a romance. Or else, who knows what your father will do."


    "Hey¡­" Lin Xue threw the pistol back to her friend. "I''m going there to buy a pistol. And please, my standards aren''t that low that I would fall for an owner of a small weapon store."


    "Well, I hope you will stay confident like this." Song Yue giggled once again as she was sure that her friend will at least get a surprise of her life for once.


    After talking a few more things, both of them slowly drifted into sleep.


    A few hours passed. The forest was cold, silent, and anymore darker. The only ce that was a bit bright is the camp where the nobles slept because of the burning firewood. Both of the guards were almost in a half-sleep state.


    Song Yue forgot to keep her pistol in the storage ring. No one knows what kind of dream she''s having. However, right now, she was ying with the pistol by rotating with her index finger at the trigger.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, on top of the trees, the four assassins were patiently waiting for the perfect time. For several hours, they have been in such a state. Feeling numb on his bottom, the youngest of them lost his patience. "Captain, how long do we have to wait?"


    A short middle-aged man who was sitting on a higher branch than him lightly knocked his head with a Bo staff. "Keep your voice down and wait until the right time¡­"


    Even though his whisper can be considered a bit loud in this silent environment, the drowsy bodyguards and sleepy nobles didn''t discover it.


    Seeing the situation under control, the captain sighed in relief. He waited for another hour until the 4-circle knight finally fell asleep and raised the staff. Suddenly, the tip of the staff was lit on small mes.


    The other two were hiding in different trees and were keeping an eye on Lin Xue''s hidden guard got the signal and they jumped down while taking out their weapons.


    Theynded nearby him and intended to take him by surprise.


    At the same time, the leader and the young adult also jumped from the branch tond on the ground silently.


    As they reached the ground, the leader pointed to the sleeping knight. The young assassin looked at him and gulped a bit as he nced at the drowsy 5-circle realm Knight-Captain who was sitting nearby the fire.


    Despite being recruited by the Assassins Guild at the age of ten and reached the 5-circle realm by the time he was only 18, this 19-year-old is almost a newbie with only a couple of human kills so far.


    So, he was a little bit nervous and excited at the same time.


    He was directly teleported right next to his target. He took out the dagger and was about to slice the knight''s neck.


    Just then, by sheer luck, Song Yue was having a dream of killing an orc with a headshot.


    She was so excited that she shouted, "Die, you monster."


    *bang*


    She identally clicked the trigger of the loaded pistol in her hand and suddenly, the sound of an explosion disturbed the silent surrounding.


    Zhang Kong sprung up on his feet letting out a huge scream while the rest of the others were also flinched in surprise due to the loud sound.


    "Xie Chen, down¡­" Captain Gao alerted him as soon as he saw the figure of a stranger in ck clothes who held a dagger. "Everyone, gather behind me, right now."


    "Captain Gao, behind you," While this knight also alerted the nobles in hurry, Zhang Kong who was up on his feet saw a short guy with a bald head and long beard was only a few feet away from the captain. So, he too alerted him.


    "Another assassin?" Captain Gao didn''t waste any time jumping forward and turned around to find a person who was standing still.


    Meanwhile, the four-circle realm knight jumped to the side to dodge but he wasn''t able to dodgepletely as the young assassin thrust the dagger in panic.


    His upper arm started to bleed quickly. He stopped it with his other arm while gritting his teeth.


    The young assassin pushed his leg against the ground and returned to his captain.


    "What to do, now?" He asked the shorty.


    The leader shrugged his shoulders, "Little Feng, we have been discovered. There''s no choice but to go all out."


    ncing at the captain, he further said, "I''ll take the big one. You handle the rest of them. There''s only one 4-circle in that group. It should be a piece of cake to you."

 Chapter 19 Ambush In The Bloodhill Forest (Part-2)

    A couple of hundred meters away from the campfire, a hooded man was resting his head against the tree. Due to the darkness in the surroundings, no one knows whether he was sleeping or continuing to guard.


    Just a few meters behind him, two assassinsnded on the ground without making any noise and slowly walked towards him while taking out their daggers.


    It didn''t take them long to reach the hooded man who seemed like he doesn''t notice their presence.


    Just when they were only three feet away from him, one of the assassins patted his partner''s shoulder.


    Suddenly, both of them lunged towards the hooded man and shed at his legs. They intend to cut down his legs to decrease his mobility.


    To their surprise, as soon as their daggers sessfully managed to inflict enough damage on the legs, all of a sudden, the hooded man disappeared into a cloud of smoke.


    "What!" Both of them were taken aback to see their target turned out to be a clone. They realized it is a trap. However, it was toote.


    Before they move away from there, a glowing double-edged de with its handle attached to a long chain cleanly sliced both of their necks in one move. Their heads rolled on the floor.


    *Tap* Tap* Tap*


    A hooded figure reached the dead bodies and nced at them, "dead in one strike. Who are these weaklings that are spying on me from a while ago?"


    He searched their bodies and take out their storage rings. He found gold coins, ether crystals, and a few other things but he doesn''t seem to be satisfied.


    Keeping their storage rings in his pocket, he mumbled, "I wonder who sent them."


    *Bang*


    Right then, a loud sound was heard from his 6 o''clock.


    He was surprised and immediately turned around. "It''s where young miss is sleeping and this sound is oddly familiar. Isn''t it the same sound of that weird-looking weapon of Lady Song?


    Pushing his leg against the ground, he immediately dashed towards the camp.


    As he reached there, the hooded figure saw Captain Gao was in a battle against a short middle man who looked like a monk. The enemy seemed to have an upper hand.


    Meanwhile, a young adult just around twenty years old is attacking a knight and his young miss, Lin Xue.


    The third prince had a fireball in his hand but was hesitating to throw it at the enemy because of Lin Xue. He doesn''t want to identally injure her. Song Yue was the same as the third prince, although for different reasons.


    While she aimed her pistol at the enemy, she was hesitating to shoot because of low ammunition. She only had eight to spend now. So, she doesn''t want to waste empty shots.


    As for Zhang Kong, he was just standing nearby his fianc¨¦e to protect her.


    The hooded figure swiftly moved towards the young adult.


    "Little Feng, get away from there." Suddenly the young assassin heard the warning from his leader. In the next second, Gu Feng sensed the presence of an iing enemy. He nced to the right.


    From the corner of his eyes, he saw a blurry figure that almost reached him.


    His heart skipped for a moment and quickly used the short teleportation technique to disappear from there and reappear more than 50 meters away.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, the former monk turned assassin kicked Captain Gao and then, unleashed his skill. "Dragon''s Rage."


    His Bo-staff that was glowing red due to the ether particles through them now had mes dancing all over it.


    He swirls the staff and thrusts it into the empty air.


    mes gathered around the edge of the staff and transformed into a dragon before it flew towards his target.


    Even though he had an opportunity to kill or inflict heavy injury on Gao who was in mid-air, he attacked the third prince who was like 15 meters away from him.


    The dragon-shaped me targeted the third prince.


    However, the hooded figure who reached Lin Xue didn''t make a move. Standing before her, he nced at it in silence while the knight screamed and rushed towards him. "Your highness, careful"


    Meanwhile, Zhang Kong grabbed Song Yue, moving away from the spot quickly.


    Looking at it, the third prince smirked, "what a desperate foolish fellow." As the dragon almost reached him, Wei easily sidestepped and dodge the attack.


    Just when he thought he escaped the attack with ease, the dragon gets collided with the tree, causing a heavy explosion, and sted away the nearby prince along with the knight who was about to rescue him.


    Zhang Kong and Song Yue managed to get out of the explosion radius while the hooded figure covered Lin Xue. Little bruises appeared on his skin here and there.


    "Your Highness!"


    Not caring about his injuries, Captain Gao who crashed onto the ground quickly stood up and rushed towards the prince.


    "Are you alright?" Captain Gao slowly helped the third prince.


    *Cough* Cough*


    The third prince slowly stood up on his feet, coughing out a mouthful of blood with his heavily injured back. "I''m alright. I underestimated the attack. "


    He nced at the fallen knight who was nearby him and asked the Captain to check his status.


    While Captain Gao left him and walked towards the knight, the third prince looked at others. He sighed in relief after watching Lin Xue is fine. Then, his eyes wandered elsewhere.


    His facial expression changed all of a sudden, "where are those fu***ng bas***ds?"


    Meanwhile, at Sector-6, Bloodhill forest;


    *Woof*


    Leading a pack of ck wolves, arge gray wolf is chasing after a buffed male who had gold-graded equipment from top to bottom and was covered in ether energy. It was none other than 5-circle realm Adventurer Mo Jiang whose luck was stolen by Mark.


    He was running for his life. With the Gray wolf being the realm of 6-circle, there''s only one thing in his mind. That is to get out of the sector and go into outer sectors where a barrier is ced at the border between Sector-6 and Sector-7, separating higher realm beasts from lower realm ones.


    Mo Jiang doesn''t care about the direction he was running towards. He was just heading south to look for a barrier.

 Chapter 20 Unlucky Mo Jiang (Part-1)

    "Finally." After desperately running for his life during the past three hours, Mo Jiang finally saw a blue barrier that was glowing in the darkness. He was ted and increased his speed to the maximum, not hesitating to burn his life force.


    The Gray wolf also caught its sight and increased its speed. The distance between them decreased rapidly. Just as it almost caught up to its target, the gray wolf saw the barrier was just ten meters away.


    It hastily opened its mouth and gathered the natural energy that transformed into a lightning ball.


    It was shot towards Mo Jiang''s back.


    At the same time, Mo Jiang who almost reached the barrier leaped towards it.


    He flew through the barrier and fell on the ground while the lightning ball hit the barrier and disappeared.


    *Woof*


    It let out a powerful bark and growled at Mo Jiang before turning around to leave.


    Meanwhile, Mo Jiang startedughing in excitement as he walked down the path. "Finally, I''m alive. Hahaha¡­ Eh?"


    He stumbled on a ce where there are a series of caves side by side. Several Orcs could be seen staring at him with their clubs.


    "Not again," Mo Jiang''s scream was echoed in the surroundings.


    Twelve hours ago, Imperial city;


    After purchasing pieces of equipment from the Evesting store, Mo Jiang and his two teammates left for the Guild district that houses many guilds from big ones like Swordmasters to even a ten-member guild like Castle Rover.


    Mo Jiang''s two teammates were all smiles as they were wearing newly purchased gold-graded armor and weapon until they realized they entered a different street.


    Soon, they stopped before a two-story building. "Hell Sky?" As soon as they read the name, a figure appeared in both of their heads. They shivered for a second.


    "Captain, we aren''t going for another joint mission with Hell Sky, are we?" One of them asked the buffed adventurer.


    "There''s nothing to be worried about." Mo Jiang told them before stepping inside the guild. They too followed him inside only to see a cheerful bustydy who was looking at the Quest board spotted them and waved her hands with a smile. "Mo Jiang, here."


    Two of the subordinates halted their footsteps right away with a frightened look on their faces. "Sister Qian?"


    Just a few days ago, they had done a mission with her and almost died in facing the six realm beast. Of course, their Captain was happier with their performance and gifted them gold-graded equipment but still, they intended to avoid this devil at all costs.


    Both of them looked at each other and nodded together.


    One of them then spoke, "Captain, I just remembered that I need to take my grandfather to Healer Cai."


    "Captain, I think my stomach is upset. I''m sorry that I can''t¡­"


    Before his words ended, Mo Jiang put his hands over the two of their shoulders and caught them, "don''t you dare. You areing with me."


    Thedy who was in the realm of 6-circle picked up a paper and rushed towards them.


    "It''s good that you came here at the perfect time." She raised her hand and showed the paper to Mo Jiang. "Just now, I thought you weren''t going to arrive and about to take another mission. Now that you are here, you can join us."


    "Damn, we should haveete." Both of the subordinates thought the same thing as they knew the mission is going to be troublesome and often filled with risk.


    Freeing his subordinates, Mo Jiang took it and read it.<sub> </sub>


    Mission: Bring the dead body of a six-circle Gray werewolf. The heart should not receive irreversible damage.


    Rank: AA


    Requirements: At least ten spirit warriors of the 5-circle realm (One spirit warrior of the six-circle realm can rece three spirit warriors of the 5-circle realm."


    Reward: 80000 gold coins, 8 High-grade Ether crystals.


    "AA?" As soon as the subordinates read the difficulty of the mission, imaginary tears started to flow down their cheek. Thest time it was only A, and now, it was AA. "We are so dead."


    Starting with Sector-9 and Sector-8, the mission in them are usually either E or D-rank.


    For Sector-7, the missions will be either D or C rank.


    For Sector-6, the missions will be C, B, or BB rank.


    For Sector-5, the missions will be B, BB, or A rank.


    For Sector-4, the missions will be A, AA, or AAA rank.


    And for the deepest three sectors, they will range from S to SSS. Of course, those missions will not be avable for any specific guild.


    Each mission has certain requirements and the adventurers could only ept them and get the reward if they met them.


    All of the guilds follow the same system that was created by the Adventurers Association.


    The top five guilds namely, the Swordmasters guild, the Magician guild, the Rangers guild, the Summoner guild, and the Assassin guild, have thousands of members. So, they don''t need to worry about these rules.


    However, the rest of the guilds would have less manpower and even more so a very few experts of advanced realms (5-circle and above). So, they would often join with other guild experts or hire Mercenaries.


    It is now exactly the same situation where Mo Jiang, a guild member of Swordmasters is helping out Qian Da who is a member of Hell Sky.


    Even Mo Jiang hesitated for a bit, mainly due to their target. Werewolves aren''t like other beasts. They are intelligent, a bit stronger, and faster than fellow 6-circle realm beasts.


    The only thing that''s a relief is that they are very low in numbers. So, it is almost impossible to meet with multiple werewolves at the same time.


    Thinking of the rewards, especially the high-grade ones, Mo Jiang said okay to her.


    Handing him a pouch full of gold coins, "here, 1000 gold coins as your advance payment. Upon sessfulpletion, you will get one-fourth of the rewards as we promised."


    Ten minutester, Qian Da gathered the remaining eight members where three of them are in the same realm as Mo Jiang''s teammates.


    Their state of mind seemed to be simr too. But, none of these 4-circle realms could defy their captains who had a certain influence in the city.


    The five 4-circle realm adventurers then collectively took an Advancement pill and raise their realm to a level higher for the next hour.


    It was a trick that small guilds use to ept the missions. The receptionist who was employed by the Adventurer association scanned their realm with the help of a gold-graded mirror and gave the approval.


    The team of twelve set for the Bloodhill forest just like other teams.

 Chapter 21 Unlucky Mo Jiang (Part-2)

    Everything went well in Sector-9. However, the moment they entered Sector-8, problems arose.


    They saw a group of adventurers running towards him followed by a horde of wild boars.


    Since the beasts were only a 2-circle realm, Mo Jiang and others didn''t care and advanced forward despite the warnings of other Adventures who were being chased.


    "Everyone, get your weapons ready." Qian Da gave them an order and raised her bow.


    Within just a few minutes, the piece ofnd is covered with more than five hundred bodies of wild boars.


    The dead bodies of the wild boars and their flowing blood attracted the attention of a few passing goblins that eventually spread the information to other goblin parties, feeling threatened by this team of twelve.


    Unlike the boars that attacked all at once, the intelligent goblins tried to ambush them in smaller divisions. The team faced the ambush of the goblins sixteen times of which they fell into a trap more than six times.


    However, the adventurers were too strong for the goblins. So, they ended up getting massacred as a result.


    After the incident with goblins, once again, they met with a horde of Orcs in Sector-7 which gave them a bit tough time as they were physically as strong as 4-circle realm beasts.


    As if they weren''t enough, it was Coyotes'' turn to ambush them in the sector-6.


    Three adventurers got heavily injured while the other seven were slightly injured. Only Mo Jiang who had a rich amount of battle experience and were equipped was gold-graded equipment, and Qian Da who was a 6-circle realm warrior werepletely unharmed.


    Eventually, they crossed the barrier and took a rest for a while before setting out towards the next sector with everyone being on high alert.


    As if their luck has been returned, except for some three lone foxes on the way, they didn''t encounter any beasts.


    Everyone sighed in relief.


    By the time they got into Sector-4, where their mission lies, it was almost dark. So, they returned back to Sector-5 and found a ce to rest as they couldn''t hunt in the dark.


    While the nobles in Sector-9 lit a campfire to have a nice sleep, these Adventurers on the other hand believed that the fire would attract the attention of beasts lurking around.


    Because of the possibility of the serpent beasts on the trees, they couldn''t help but lie on the ground. Moreover, the trees were too few at this ce. So, the moonlight gave them an advantage of the vision.


    Everyone decided to take turns for guardian in pairs every 3 hours until the morning.


    By the time it was midnight, it was Mo Jiang and Qian Da''s turn to watch.


    It would have been fine if both of them just stayed silent. However, being in a secret rtionship, Mo Jiang couldn''t hold back his lust now that everyone else is asleep.


    As thedy went with the flow, Mo Jiang could no longer be satisfied with kissing. Both of them slowly slipped away from there to go to the back of bushes that was around a hundred meters away from the spot.


    However, just as they arrived at the ce, both of them heard the bark within the bushes followed by the appearance of a tiny adorable pup with gray fur.


    The lost puppy barked at the two of them continuously.


    Along with its adorable appearance, its glowing amber eyes attracted thedy.


    "Cute¡­" Qian Da smiled as she put forth her hand to pet the cub. The little pup licked her hands, taking a liking to her.


    It was only after Qian Da took it into her arms, she realized that it wasn''t an ordinary pup but was a gray wolf pup.


    Meanwhile, Mo Jiang whose mood turned worse pointed his finger at it, "Look carefully. This is a werewolf cub. This is dangerous. Let me end its life."


    As if the pup understood his words, it started to cry with a long howl.<sub> </sub>


    Qian Da quickly turned aside so that it couldn''t see Mo Jiang''s face, and then, warned him, "don''t you dare."


    She turned around and took away the pup with her back to where everyone else is sleeping, leaving behind an angry Mo Jiang. He gritted his teeth. "That little¡­"


    Mo Jiang also returned to the spot where he saw Qian Da was petting the little wolf while thetter is sleeping. His expression turned envious.


    *Awooo*


    However, right then, the entire surroundings were echoed by a powerful howl. Everyone immediately woke up from their sleep and became alert.


    "Captain, that thing¡­"


    They were also surprised to see a gray wolf pup in her hands that woke up by the howl and looked around curiously.


    A few secondster, another howl was heard in the surroundings. This time, it appeared to be more powerful.


    *Woof* Woof* Woof*


    The pup in Qian Da''s hands responded with its tiny barks but its range wasn''t that much.


    "It must be its mother." One of the team members voiced his opinion.


    Gripping the cub tightly, Qian Da spoke, "if it is, then, it''s even better. Everyone get ready."


    "Xinyi, sleep it."


    Upon her order, one of the 4-circle realm adventurers from her team raised her staff and performed a spell on the pup. It went into sleep. She gave it to the magician and gave the order of keeping it safe.


    The poor girl who was afraid to death took the pup in her shivering hands.


    Qian Da then took out her Bow and conjured an arrow made of mes. Everyone also got ready with their weapons.


    With 6-circle realm experts like Qian Da, the majority of them were confident in taking down the beast.


    But, in the next moment, as the howls multiply in every direction, everyone started to be nervous until they heard the violent crashing of the trees from all sides.


    "Damn, what an unlucky day." Qian Da muttered her breath. Forming a n in her head, she acted quickly, "change of ns. Let''s retreat to Sector-7. Come with me¡­"


    Picking up the wolf pup from her teammate, she quickly dashed away into the direction they came from. The others followed her.


    Three ck wolves that are in the 5-circle realm obstructed their path on the way.


    All of themunched attacks on the wolves and heavily injured them. Since they were out of time, they left them alive and continued to proceed forward.


    However, within just half an hour, they heard a powerful bark where the source appeared to be right behind them. Continuing to run ahead, they turned their heads a little only to witness a female humanoid creature chasing the.


    It has dog ears, gray fur here and there, ws, amber eyes, with the most important aspect being running on four limbs like an animal. The expression on its face says that it was extremely enraged.


    Several ck wolves are following behind it.


    "Werewolf is here." Everyone''s heart skipped a beat.

 Chapter 22 Unlucky Mo Jiang (Part-3)

    "Mo Jiang, here. Grab it for a second." Handing the wolf pup to her trusted secret boyfriend, she stopped running and turned around while conjuring another fire arrow except that her aim doesn''t appear to be the wolf though.


    Aiming at the ground in between the wolf and her, she fired the arrow. As soon as it touched the ground, an enormous explosion urred, scaring the hell out of the wolves behind their leader.


    However, the werewolf didn''t even flinch in surprise. Letting out another howl, she jumped into the mes and transformed into arge gray wolf, increasing its speed tremendously.


    Qian Da didn''t rejoin the team and poured ether into the bow and conjured an energy arrow between her fingertips.


    She shot the arrow at it but the gray wolf leaped into the air, not only dodging the arrow but also moving past her. "Eh?" She was taken aback at first only to realize that her pup is with Mo Jiang. So, it might not have any interest to fight with her.


    However, the ck wolves are entirely another issue. They lunge at their delicious human prey as soon as spotting Qian Da. Soon, she was surrounded by a dozen ck wolves.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the eleven members were panicked with the absence of their captain while they were being chased by the wolf. In the current situation, they couldn''t bother to even think whether she was still alive or not much less stop and turned around to see her.


    "Captain Mo, it came for the pup." As Mo Jiang''s subordinate reminded him about it, something clicked in his mind and he too stopped moving. "That''s right. It''s a werewolf that can understand human''snguage."


    The others didn''t care and continue to run away for their lives.


    Mo Jiang turns around and raised the cub with a serious look.


    And just like he expected, the gray wolf suddenly stopped and barked at him.


    "I will give you this pup away and you and your pack will leave us alone." Mo Jiang tried to make a deal with it. He knew that even though only strength matters to werewolves, they are still very protective of their children due to the low birth rate.


    *Woof*


    It let out a bark in response. Mo Jiang didn''t understand what it was trying to say but he couldn''t trust its judgment either.


    He nced around. A few ck wolves surrounded him and his teammates are nowhere to be seen.


    He slowly stepped back and the Gray wolf advanced a step forward.


    "Well, there''s no other choice, now." Mo Jiang took out a blood-red colored pill from his storage ring and swallowed it right away.


    It was the advancement pill that temporarily raised his strength to the next realm for one hour.


    A tremendous amount of natural energy started to being absorbed into his body.


    *Grrr*


    The Gray wolf growled as it saw the changes in this child kidnapper. It thought the human will try ambushing it.


    At the same time, the five-circle realm wolves got a little bit wary, feeling threatened by his power.


    However, in the next second, to their surprise, instead of attacking, Mo Jiang poured ether energy into his arms, powering them up further, and threw the wolf pup away into the sky with all of his strength to redirect the attention of this werewolf.


    *Woof*


    Just like he expected, the gray wolf let out leaped into the air to catch its pup. However, it missed and the sleeping pup was crashed into the top branch of a tree before falling down.


    Meanwhile, Mo Jiang who started running in a random direction to escape from the predator heard a long howl from behind that seemed to be full of pain.


    "F**k." He cursed himself for his bad luck and continued to run.


    Two hourster, Present;<sub> </sub>


    Sector-7, Ulgar, Bloodhill forest;


    "Not again¡­" Mo Jiang sessfully escaped from the pursuit of an angry werewolf only to realize that he was stumbled on the Orcs settlement this time.


    As an Orc''s physical strength is almost equal to that of a 4-circle realm, once again, he started running away.


    Even though the Orcs were physically strong, their movement speed was quite less. So, it became easier for Mo Jiang to escape their pursuit.


    After escaping from the Orcs, Mo Jiang started to walk down towards Sector-8. He wanted to rest there until the morning as he was dead tired from running for several hours.


    On his way, he was contemting the experiences of the events that urred in the past twelve hours.


    "First, a horde of wild boars, then several ambushes of goblins, then, Orcs, then, Coyotes, and now, a werewolf with a pack of wolves, on top of that the pup that was supposed to just fly into the sky probably being dead by bad angle¡­ Sigh¡­ I must really be the unluckiest person on the."


    He couldn''t help but think that the day didn''t go well. He was really unlucky.


    "Do you know that what the most powerful thing in the world?" Suddenly, a memory triggered in his head and the question repeated in his ears.


    Mo Jiang halted his movements. He felt like it was too coincidental. "Did he do something?"


    He couldn''t help but wonder whether that person he met in the store put a curse on him secretly or something.


    After all, curse magic spells aren''t that rare in the Empire. Several ck magicians were adept in it, although most of them belong to dark guilds.


    "Once I left the forest, I need to visit the Church and check whether there''s any curse ced on me. If it turns out to be true¡­" Mo Jiang clenched his fist while saving Mark''s image to his memory just in case so that he could take his revengeter.


    Right then, he saw the silhouette of two people sitting nearby a tree.


    Here, the forest was thick and moonlight hardly prating the trees to illuminate the area. So, the surroundings were quite dim.


    Thinking that it might be either his teammates who were separated from him or some adventurers that are taking a rest, Mo Jiang called out. "Hey! you two, over there. Who are you?"


    As usual, despite the situation he was in, his arrogance never waned off.


    To his surprise, one of them stood up on his feet and dashed towards him with a staff.


    "Eh?" Mo Jiang was taken aback a bit.


    With his legs being extremely tired from all the running, he couldn''t dodge as a bald short guy in monk robes smashed his head.


    As Mo Jiang immediately fell on his back, the former monk and the young assassin left the ce, thinking that he was dead.


    Several hourster, Mo Jiang''s consciousness returned. He felt heat all over his body as if his skin is burning. He opened his eyes. "huh?"


    This time, he was tied to a pole that was suspended horizontally and was being rotated constantly just a foot above the fire. Around him, there were dozens of goblins, trying to roast after failing to kill him with their weapons.


    "I will kill you all¡­" Mo Jiang''s eyes turned red as he roared on top of his lungs.


    ***


    While the enraged Mo Jiang went on a killing spree in one of the Goblins settlements at Nurwhir region, at the same time, hundreds of kilometers away, there''s another person who was also involved with Mark, now traveling in a caravan.

 Chapter 23 Huo Fen Becomes A Prisoner

    Huo Fen is a small merchant from Western Yan, the biggest vassal state of the Phoenix Empire.


    It used to be an independent kingdom ruled by Feng n but because of a certain incident more than ten years ago, it became the part of Phoenix Empire and was currently ruled by the Ji n, which is one of the twelve major noble ns.


    He used to travel ces in Western Yan and buy specialties at a town and sell in the capital city for small-time profits.


    To makerger profits, one day, he decided to venture outside of Western Yan to sell the things native to Western Yan in Imperial city.


    However, he didn''t expect that his first experience outside his homnd would almost turn into horror with bandits obstructing his path.


    Thankfully, two adventurers passed that area by coincidence and saved him.


    There, he got enamored with the never-seen weapon in his homnd.


    After buying pistols from Mark, he sold the rest of his things at the market and started to return.


    Originally, he wanted to go alone but remembering his previous experience with the bandits, he decided to hire a few adventurers.


    However, upon visiting the Adventurer Association, Huo Fen realized that adventurers are really expensive.


    Then, a passerby Adventurer told him that there''s a caravan full of 32 members that were traveling to Western Yan, the next day morning.


    He enquired about it and learned that it is apanied by a team of five adventurers of which everyone is in a 2-circle realm.


    He went to the Caravan counter and paid cheap transportation plus a protection fee of 5 silver coins.


    After resting in a cheap inn for the night, he joined the caravan and set out for his homnd as soon as the sun rose.


    Everything went well for a few hours. As they crossed a small forest, There''s even an attack by bandits on the way and were dealt with quickly.


    However, he didn''t expect real trouble has arrived as soon as they reached the Kunyu mountain range, which almost acts as a natural barrier against the rest of the Empire.


    As they entered the valley of Kunyu, the caravan was once again attacked by bandits. However, this time, they were sheer in number and there were a lot of spirit warriors in this gang too.


    An intense battle emerged between the guardians and the bandits.


    Some people run away to escape. They were chased by bandits to kill.


    Others decided to surrender and stayed still, waiting for the oue between 25 bandits and five adventurers.


    Huo Fen knew that if the adventurers get defeated, then, his goods will be stolen away and they were more important than his life.


    He opened two boxes from the cart. One is full of bullets and the other had a pistol. It took a while for him to load it.


    From the distance, he aimed at one of the nearest bandits who were filled with injuries.


    He clicked the trigger.


    *Bang*


    A loud sound echoed throughout the surroundings and made everyone flinch in surprise. Huo Fen himself appeared to be shocked, not because of the sound but because of an adventurer fighting for them let out a piercing scream as his upper right arm was injured and blood started to trickle down.


    The bullet was too fast for anyone to see it. Even the victim just thought it was probably the attack of one of the bandits. Only Huo Fen knew that he misfired.


    What shocked him is that the bullet indeed managed to injure a two-circle realm warrior.


    Huo Fen got a little bit confident on the weapon in his hands. This time, in order to not injure an ally, he aimed at the group of bandits that surrounded another adventurer.


    He clicked the trigger once again and involuntarily closed his eyes.


    *Bang*


    Once again, a loud sound simr to that of an explosion in the surroundings scared everyone a little bit.


    As Huo Fen opened his eyes, the bullet pierced the side of a 1-circle realm bandit''s neck, instantly killing him in the process.


    While his death made the others into a little bit of confusion, a couple of bandits saw a strange weapon in Huo Fen''s hands where smoke was generating from the edge of its barrel.


    A bandit dashed towards Huo Fen with his sword as he reloaded one.<sub> </sub>


    Looking at the iing attacker, the merchant realized that the target was probably himself.


    He aimed at the bandit''s head and quickly clicked the trigger for the third time.


    *bang*


    *Argh¡­*


    Suddenly, the bandit screamed as he caught his private part where blood changed his pants into red color.


    "Eh?" Huo Fen was a little bit surprised that his attack misfired once again but still took care of the enemy.


    p After taking down two bandits, his confidence rose to another level. Just as he reloaded the gun and aimed at two bandits who found out the man behind the death of theirrade, an arrow filled like lightning and struck the pistol in the hands of the merchant.</anda>


    As the pistol flew away from his hands and fell on the ground, Huo Fen looked for it, instead of taking another from the box. By the time the merchant found it, he was already surrounded by three bandits.


    "It''s over." Huo Fen knelt on the ground by closing his eyes to embrace death. He felt like he fought bravely.


    Just as one of the bandits was about to strike him down, a deep voice was heard from above. "Qiu Kang, leave him alone."


    The three bandits looked towards the source of the voice and knelt on the ground before leaving to finish the remaining three adventurers.


    Huo Fen then raised his head but he found no one.


    In the end, including Huo Fen, 15 were taken as prisoners. All of the boxes were taken away by the bandits while he was taken to their hideout along with other prisoners with his eyes covered by a cloth.


    When he opened his eyes, what appeared before him is a street full of houses and people are roaming here and there.


    "Is this a bandits'' vige?" he wondered.


    He doesn''t know where he was for all he could see steep hills and rocks around everywhere.


    The bandits took the goods somewhere while he and his fellow prisoners were taken to a dim-lit underground ce where there are cells filled with people.


    This new batch was thrown into one of the empty cells.


    He sat in a corner dispiritedly like others and got busy with self-ming. "I should have hired higher realm adventurers. Those 10 gold coins cost me a hefty price."


    True to his upation, he was disappointed that his goods were stolen away instead of caring about his current situation.


    However, just after a few minutes, a bandit arrived at the cell and grabbed him, "Our leader wants to meet you. Come."


    As soon as he arrived at the hall that was filled with bandits, he found some of them, especially the middle-aged ones quite familiar, although he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    However, just as he saw the person sitting on a throne, Huo Fen was stunned in shock. "Prince Wu?"


    ***


    Two weeks passed away in a blink of an eye;


    Genesis Weapon store, Imperial city;


    "Thank you for the purchase." Mark bowed with a smile as he handed over a box with a Single-shot pistol and twenty bullets to a customer in exchange for 7 gold coins.


    As the customer left, Mark took his seat and nodded in satisfaction. "After improving my luck by one point, everything seems to be going well."


    Right then, a carriage stopped before the entrance of the store and ady stepped outside of it.


    The people in the neighborhood started to whisper among themselves as she walked into the store.


    As soon as Mark saw her, his facial expression changed immediately, "Oh, boy. I guess it''s time to close down the store."


    Allen went ahead to greet her, "Wee to Genesis, Ms. Lin"


    Lin Xue took out her sword and pointed at him, "It''s sparring time, Allen. Let''s go."

 Chapter 24 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With Sword Fight (Part-1)

    Everything started ten days ago;


    Ten days ago, Lin Mansion;


    "Ha" "ha"


    Like every morning, Lin Xue was practicing by swinging a wooden sword, a thousand times.


    It was a warm-up before she starts to spar with a swordmaster.


    However, upon returning from the hunting trip, her training became intense from day 1.


    She doesn''t want to be mercy at the hands of higher realm experts. At the same time, she isn''t the type to overly depend on ether crystals to improve her strength.


    So far, she hasn''t even taken the aid of ether crystals to breakthrough. They just happened naturally while she was training in the sword.


    Right now, the only thing in her mind is to reach the realm of one with the sword, the highest level for swordsmen.


    However, the only problem is that even her teacher is only a Swordmaster just like her. As for swordsmen who attained the pinnacle of the sword, she only heard of such people in fairy tales and read about those legends in the history books, but never seen one.


    Without any guidance, she could only depend on her own training regime.


    "Ha" Ha"


    Lin Xue continued to swing with all her strength. Each swing of hers is so strong that the wind generated by it was making a small cut on a tree that was over 10 meters away from her.


    "Xue Xue¡­" A familiar voice called her from afar.


    She stopped swinging and turned her head to find a guard was escorting Song Yue and her two handmaidens.


    Song Yue had a big smile on her face as she was walking towards her.


    As they met, the heiress of the Song n spoke about visiting the unique weapon store.


    Since Song Yue boasted so much about the looks of the store''s staff, Lin Xue wanted to see whether it''s true or not. So, she called it a day for training and apanied her.


    It is early morning and the city was bustling withmoners and Spirit Warriors everywhere.


    At one of the unnamed alleys of the Hanga district, a carriage entered. At first, the passersby didn''t give it that much importance as it was dragged bymon horses.


    But then, themotion arose when it was blocked by another carriage that was going in the opposite direction to hit the main street. Unlike the normal-looking carriage, this one was carriage was pulled by tworge hounds that don''t seem like normal.


    Since it is a narrow street with people going here and there, neither of the carriages have the space to evade each other.


    So, the wealthy man sitting inside the carriage told his coachman to drive them away.


    The coachman ryed the message of his master to a fellow ck-robed coachman of the other carriage who narrowed his eyes in response.


    "Leave away before you fall into trouble." The coachman of a normal-looking carriage warned the other.


    The wealthy manughed when he heard it and ordered to crush them.


    The coachman hit the hounds with the whip, which responded with a loud bark at the horses to scare them.


    *neigh* neigh*


    As the horses were afraid and started to go back a step, the coachman suddenly disappeared and reappeared back at his spot.


    The only difference is that his hands were colored in blood while one of the hounds no longer has its head and the other was shivering in fear.


    Its neck was cleanly sliced and the head rolled on the ground.<sub> </sub>


    Themoners screamed in fear and the coachman was stupefied like a statue.


    Cleaning the blood with a handkerchief, the ck-robed man spoke coldly, "now, I give you one minute. Disappear from my sight or else, you and your master will disappear from this world."


    The coachman yelped in fear and hurriedly threw the corpse of the dead hound, shifted the other hound to the middle, turned around, and left quickly without waiting for his master''s orders.


    *knock* knock*


    "I smell the stench of something. What did you do, Yao Ling?" A voice was heard from inside the carriage.


    "Nothing, Lady Lin. Just a beast." The horses then continued their way with everyone giving it the way in fear.


    Very soon, the horse carriage reached the store and the fourdies exited from it. The ck-robed middle-aged guard stayed there.


    "Wee to Genesis."


    Just as they entered the store, what they witnessed is the appearance of Allen at the entrance.


    Lin Xue went into a daze for a second as her eyes fell on his face. Something struck her heart as she further looks into his aquamarine eyes that appeared indifferent.


    Allen then turned his head and spoke, "Big Brother, Lady Song is here."


    Mark who was arranging the bullets from his inventory into various boxes abruptly raised his head and a glow appeared on his face as soon as he saw her.


    He instantly stopped his work and sprung his seat to wee this favorite customer of his.


    As the four of them stepped inside the store, Lin Xue observed the interior. To her surprise, it was too clean. From her birth, she had great eyesight. She could spot even a dust particle as long as it is her view.


    However, she couldn''t even find a tiny speck of dust particle in this store that was located in a rather poor neighborhood. It was indeed a surprise.


    On top of that, she found identical-looking pistols on the wall shelves. Her eyes were fixed on it while Mark came towards them.


    "Lady Song, you came here at a perfect time." Reaching her, Mark let out ament with a smile.


    "Huh?" Song Yue was taken aback a little.


    Without asking him to rify the meaning, she then said the reason for her visit, "I used all of the bullets in my hunting trip. That''s why I came here to buy in massive amounts at least five hundred of them. How many you have currently?"


    "Five hundred?" While Mark was indeed surprised, when he thought about it for a second, it doesn''t appear abnormal considering her continuous purchases.


    At the same time, he was ecstatic to find such a buyer.


    Clearing his thoughts, Mark then replied, "I have a little more than two hundred of them but I need to keep a hundred of them for other pistol buyers. For now, I can sell about a hundred bullets and deliver the rest of them within a few days."


    Mark didn''t tell right away to not cause suspicion. He intends to let her believe that he was only a seller and not a maker. He knew that he would receive a simr fate as his past life if people know that he makes this unique weapon.


    At least, until he can sufficiently protect himself from unknown enemies, Mark wanted to keep it this way.


    "Okay, that''s fine." Song Yue nodded.


    "Lady Song, our store received a sample of an advanced form of pistol. Would you like to see?" Mark threw bait with the word pistol.


    And it was hooked almost instantly.


    "Oh! An advanced form? Let''s see it, right away." Song Yue even forgot her handmaidens and her best friend as soon as she heard of a new unique weapon.


    She followed him to the counter.

 Chapter 25 Hands Up In The Air

    "You say this one can shoot six consecutive bullets?" Song Yue was enamored by this new weapon which is lighter, has a better grip, and looks better than the previous one.


    Mark pointed the small button at the rear end of the cylinder. "You have to hold onto it and then, swing it out to open the chamber and load the bullets."


    As Mark demonstrated how to load the bullets, Song Yue was watching it carefully. Her face was glowing in happiness as she was learning a new thing that was unknown to most of the people in the world.


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue who also followed Song Yue from behind also takes a look at the revolver. However, from time to time, she couldn''t help but nce at Allen who was standing nearby like a statue.


    As for the handmaidens, they were giggling among themselves, as usual,menting how handsome Lu Zhen and Allen are.


    "Oh! So, it''s like that, huh! Okay. First, let me see if it suits me or not." Feeling the revolver, she posed it with her finger on the trigger.


    As she pointed the revolver at everywhere while one of her handmaidens was ready with instant cameras to click the pictures, Mark thought that this girl would probably try to be a model if she was born in his past world.


    At the same time, he was also surprised to see a 20th-century modern invention of his past world in her hands even though it looked like it was made out of metal. ording to his knowledge, the world shouldn''t have this type of invention, at least, not yet.


    He inspected it. "Eh?"


    Magical Image Capturer


    Grade: Gold


    Description: A unique invention by Master cksmith Shen Chao using Wyvern''s eyes as a catalyst and stainless steel as core material. When the trigger is pressed, a unique seal inside of the item will start absorbing the natural energy in the surroundings to capture the moment happening before it and recreates it anything that fits inside. Picture quality varies ording to the material of the film. A thick sheet of paper is cost-effective.


    "So, this one functions like a camera but not exactly one?" Mark thought its inventor is really a genius. The steps are too simple actually.


    Despite being technologically backwardpared to his past world, he felt that this world of ether energy really has enormous potential and has so much to offer.


    It made him further think about some of his weapon designs that couldn''t be created because the experts thought they can only be created probably in 20-30 years when technology gets advanced.


    Mark wondered whether he could possibly create them recing the required modern technology with ether energy.


    As he clenched his fist to control his excitement, suddenly, Song Yue who was busy posing with the new revolver pointed the weapon at him.


    Mark immediately raised his hands by habit, surprising the heiress of the Song family.


    "Huh! What''s that¡­" She felt the theme even goes well with her revolver. "Hands¡­ up¡­"


    "Hands up in the air?" Her eyes lit up by finding a sentence that goes well with posing.


    Meanwhile, Mark who realized his actions cleared his throat and put his hands down. "Lady Song, please be careful. It was loaded with bullets and I''m not a spirit warrior."<sub> </sub>


    "Hehe, sorry about that¡­" Song Yue giggled as she pointed it elsewhere.


    However, right then, she unintentionally clicked the trigger with her concentration else.


    *bang*


    A loud sound echoed across the room, making the handmaidens fall on their butts because of close distance.


    The civilians passing by flinched and got panicked while the ck-robed coachman who already witnessed the bullets in the forest didn''t think too much of it and continued to wait.


    On the other hand, Lin Xue''s eyes widened in shock, not because of the sound of the bullet. She was too familiar with it.


    Her eyes captured Allen who moved like a sh and caught the tiny bullet that was about to hit one of the disyed weapons on a shelf. If she hadn''t seen a bullet in his fingers, even she wouldn''t have known whether he caught it or not.


    Allen then, returned to his original ce as if nothing happened.


    "Oops." Oblivious Song Yue just ced the revolver back at the counter and said, "I''ll buy this along with a thousand bullets. I''ll pay advance in full but, I need them by next week. Can you do it?"


    "Thousand?" After hearing such a high amount, Mark forgot about the earlier ident and let out a big smile, "Sure. We offer to deliver services for those who pay 50% advance as long as it is within the city. So, if you tell the ce, Allen will deliver the rest at the ce."


    "Oh! That''s nice. So, how much is for this revolver?" Song Yue asked him the price while readily taking out a storage pouch from her storage ring.


    "It''s 20 gold coins for revolver and the six bullets loaded in it. As for the bullets, our store has an offer for purchase that exceeds a hundred bullets in number. We give 10% more bullets asplementary. So, instead of 1000, you can just buy 900 bullets and get 990 bullets."


    Song Yue was taken aback a little bit as the store owner was only making a loss by suggesting this. In the end, she nodded as she continued to take out gold coins one after the other.


    Within a minute, the top of the counter was filled with two hundred glistening gold coins.


    The handmaidens looked like they were going to get a heart attack because of the shock. Meanwhile, a frown appeared on Lin Xue as Mark was smiling big as he was hurriedly collecting all the gold coins to keep them in the drawer.


    After all, two hundred gold coins for an ungraded weapon does seem like a waste but what can she do about this habit of hers. Her friend even bought that useless camera for fifty mid-grade quality Ether crystals. (1 mid-grade quality Ether crystal of 1 karat= 100 gold coins).


    As Mark handed a box full of hundred bullets and a wooden box with a revolver, she patted her shoulder, "Yue Yue, let''s go."


    It was at that moment Song Yue finally realized the reason she brought her along with her.


    She then turned back to Mark, "Owner Lu, I forgot to introduce her. This is Lin Xue, my best friend. Her father is Minister of Personnel."


    "Nice to meet you, Lady Lin." Mark greeted her with a smile. He only nced at her for a moment before turning back towards Song Yue. Since she isn''t a customer, he doesn''t feel the need to put extra hospitality to her.

 Chapter 26 Mark Goes To Song Mansion

    Unknown to Mark, Lin Xue was very good at reading facial expressions. She instantly realized that it was a fake smile, contrary to the one that he had on his face when he was collecting the gold coins.


    "hmpf, this guy is just the same as other store owners. Greedy about money¡­" her impression of Mark fallen from neutral to displeasure. At the same time, she was also a little bit taken aback by his attitude that doesn''t have any fear for her identity.


    She once again nced at Allen who had a look of indifference as he stood on the side for all this while without moving an inch like a statue. "Something''s wrong with this fellow. They look nothing alike and don''t seem like rtives. Then, why did such a person working for this guy?"


    Meanwhile, Song Yue asked when he will start selling the revolver, to which Mark replied by raising three fingers. "The first batch of Ten Revolvers will arrive in three days."


    Song Yue once again took out her storage pouch, "then, can I purchase all of them in advance. You can deliver them along with the bullets. That''s 200 gold coins, right?"


    "All of them? Lady Song!" The handmaidens could no longer be silent as they were seeing their young miss was once again spending the money like crazy.


    "Well, one for myself and one for this girl. I can give the remaining as gifts to my friends at the uing tea party." Song Yue shrugged her shoulders, implying that such an amount of gold isn''t a big deal for her.


    Lin Xue, on the other hand, now started to study Song Yue. Was she boasting in front of this guy?"


    She started getting suspicious of whether this girl had fallen for this greedy store owner.


    Putting the gold coins once again on the counter, she further said, "Owner Lu, basically, I''m promoting your store in our circle. So, when it gets popr, you should remember this favor and give priority to me whenever a new weapones, alright?"


    Mark waspletely dumbfounded, nodding his head up and down. He felt like he should have told her that twenty revolvers will be there.


    Just like that, 400 gold coins of the transaction took ce in one moment, although the system only considered 40 gold coins as a legitimate earning for the revolver and 100 bullets.


    The remaining were treated as mark''s own money like the one he earned by selling his properties. It reminded him that the cost will be cut when he delivers the goods as promised.


    Three dayster;


    After having another restless sleep because of over-excitement, Mark woke upte in the afternoon andter came downstairs to see Allen was standing on the side as always.


    The store was cleaned perfectly as always.


    "Good morning, Big brother." Allen greeted him upon spotting him.


    "Morning, Allen." Mark took his seat.


    After informing not to open the store yet, Mark started to be busy in creation.


    He looked at the inventory. "Okay, 762 left. 128 to go¡­"


    *Ding! 9mm bullet has been created. Check your inventory.


    *Ding!  9mm bullet has been created. Check your inventory.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! 9 mm bullet has been created. Check your inventory.


    Ignoring the continuous notifications, Mark relentlessly created bullets one after the other for the next hour.<sub> </sub>


    Keeping an extra three hundred of them in his inventory, the remaining were transferred into five different wooden boxes. The ten revolvers loaded with six bullets each were neatly packed in ten more boxes, diminishing almost all the storage boxes in the store.


    Thankfully, there was a furniture store within the same street where he could order them bulk in advance. Unlike the previous owner, Mark intended to use a special design engraved upon each of it to disy its uniqueness.


    Since he was going to visit a noble''s mansion, Mark picked the best of his clothes made out of linen fabric for himself and Allen, which are of course barely decent in the eyes of these people of higher social status.


    For one thing, Mark was actually thankful that this world didn''t have any brands and the judgment of clothes only based on what type of fabric was used to make the clothing or how it looks rich or not.


    The nobles and wealthy people wear clothes made from expensive silk, middle-ssmoners wear clothes made of linen or wool. As for poormoners, they could only afford cotton clothes.


    Both of them set out to the district of Qidong, a residential neighborhood where many wealthy people of the city reside. Because of that, soldiers were also a bit active in the area. Some of them are even stationed at a few entrances so that outsiders cannote and go as they wish.


    Naturally, after staying in the city for the past couple of weeks, Mark knew that much.


    So, he rented a decent carriage paying 30 silver coins for the whole day. Naturally, the services of coachman were also included in it.


    Mark and Allen encountered them. However, because of the carriage, they were let through.


    The horses continued to pull the carriage for half an hour before they finally stopped before arge gate where at least five guards are on standby.


    As per the instruction given by Mark, the coachman gets down from the carriage and informed the guards, to which the captain of the guard asked them to step down from the carriage, thinking they were only nothing butmoners that are probably the employees of one of the big three weapon stores.


    Mark expected that much. So, he didn''t take it as offense and get down from the carriage, putting a smile on his face.


    The soldiers were a little bit taken aback by his appearance. "This fellow is an employee of a weapon store?"


    He''s a soldier who fought various battles. So, naturally, his skin was tanned and his face was rough and filled with a couple of scars. So, naturally, he envies those with good appearances.


    However, when he saw Mark, who looks like he didn''t face any hardships, the soldier really wondered for a second whether he''s a rich young master of a wealthy father.


    However, as his eyes fell on Mark''s ordinary clothes, the captain threw such thoughts away. An invisible blow hits his chest as Allen gets down from the carriage and stands behind Mark.


    His feelings of envy turned into hostility and asked them in a harsh tone, "State your identities."


    Mark replied calmly, "I''m Lu Zhen, owner of Genesis weapon store. Please go and inform Lady Yue that I came here to deliver the remaining weapons."


    "Genesis?" The guards whispered to each other whether they heard of it.


    "Never heard of it before." The captain frowned in response. "Anyway, since you aren''t from those three weapon stores, we have to inspect the weapons to make sure you are saying the truth."


    "No. Only the customer has the right to inspect the weapons of our store." Mark shook his head in response while maintaining his fake smile, "If you just go and inform Lady Song¡­"


    The captain interrupted by pointing a sword at Mark. "Now, unless you prove your statement and let me make sure they are safe, I will not let you meet the princess. Now, do as I say or get lost¡­"


    Allen suddenly stepped forward and caught the sword with his bare hands.


    Mark''s expression suddenly turned to cold, "Allen, I don''t like that de."


    *crack*

 Chapter 27 Beating Up The Guard Captain

    Despite being born in two different worlds, amon trait of Mark and Lu Zhen is that they dislike people who try to undermine them by showing their authority.


    Now that Mark also received Lu Zhen''s memories after possessing his body, his hate towards such people is only next to the royal family that abandoned him because he was born without ether energy.


    Because it''s his favorite customer and the delivery is quite big, Mark tried to do a favor to Song Yue.


    However, getting looked down on by a mere gatekeeper hurt his self-esteem. For the sake of three hundred and sixty gold coins, he tried his best to calm down but as soon as the gatekeeper pointed the sword at him, Mark has lost it.


    He stopped faking his smile and turned into his original aloof self. Looking at him coldly, Mark gave an order, "Allen, I don''t like that de."


    Allen who grabbed the sword used his strength to press it further.


    *crack*


    As a sound of a crack was heard, the guard captain hurriedly tried to take back the sword. However, only half of it was returned and the other half was in Allen''s hand.


    The soldiers were taken aback by surprise. The coachman instantly backed away and stood behind Mark in fear.


    "You! What have you done? That''s a silver-grade sword. Do you know how much it costs?" The guard captain''s face turned red in anger. Looking at the Android, he growled as he powered up his body with ether energy, "I will not leave you alive."


    "Allen, I don''t like him." Mark passed out another order in a cold tone and took a step back. Then, thinking of Allen''s identity, he added another instruction as an afterthought. "Just make sure he doesn''t die."


    As soon as the order is passed, Allen didn''t waste any time to dash forward and punch his face.


    His nose was punctured instantly as he flew back a couple of meters. A couple of soldiers caught him at the perfect time and the remaining ones withdrew their weapons.


    "Argh¡­" Screaming in pain, the guard captain gave the order.


    However, before they took two steps forward, Allen leaped towards the captain, and this time, a powerful kick was nted in his stomach.


    The guard captain spits a mouthful of blood as he crashed onto the gate.


    ? The force behind Allen''s kick is so strong that not only the gate was burst opened but the guard captain was also knocked out. Along with him, two soldiers were also slightly injured.


    This led the remaining three soldiers to go into alert and hurriedly ran away to inform the higher-ups.


    Watching the scene, Mark felt his heart was rapidly beating in excitement. "Wow, so, this is the power of an Android?"


    Until now, all he knows that Allen was strong on the paper is also fast enough that he can be considered a superman in his past world.


    But, watching him overpowering the guard captain so easily, he was really amazed and was, even more, looking forward to gaining such power in the future.


    Just then, something else clicked in his mind. "Wait a second. Could it be that this guy is too weak?"


    Mark instantly threw the thought away. "No, that can''t be possible. He''s the leader here, guarding the entrance of this mansion, where the head of a powerful noble n of Song lives. But, since this arrogant piece of sh*t got knocked out so easily, he must be in the realm of circle-3. Maybe, that''s why Allen defeated him so easily."


    *Ding! The guard is at the beginner stage of the circle-4 realm.<sub> </sub>


    The system gave quick information as it wanted to remind him that the Android that came from the starter pack wasn''t that simple as Mark thought it would be.


    Mark was also a little bit surprised by the system''s reminder, although not because of Allen''s strength but for other reasons.


    "System, you never told me that you can inspect others'' data. Howe I can''t see it through the inspection skill?"


    *Ding! Host must upgrade his skill level to receive such benefit.


    "Tch¡­ what a miser¡­" Mark put aside his feelings and then asked about Allen''s full strength so that he could consider an option of summoning the Battle Tank to protect himself in case this incident offends some higher up in the mansion.


    *Ding! Allen Spencer is a perfect battle Android built with absolute control. Based on his current strength, his skill attacks will heavily injure even a 5-circle realm spirit warrior of the fighter path.


    Although it was just a couple of sentences written on a holographic screen, somehow, Mark felt like the system was boasting of its creation.


    "Okay, got it." Now that he verified Allen''s strength with the system, Mark decided to not push this incident furthermore and looked at the two soldiers that are supporting their captain while looking at Allen in hostility.


    "You two... Go to the Song n''s princess and tell her to collect her goods at our store." Mark no longer stayed there for two reasons. One is that he decided that he will no longer do door delivery.


    Second is that he was worried that a stronger one wille and get defeated, which will bring an even stronger one until he finally makes an enemy out of the Song n for something like this.


    After all, he knew that in a society where nobles and kings have absolute authority, they have too much pride.


    He can''t escte the situation unless Allen was strong enough to protect him.


    So, in this situation, even if someone knocks on his door because of the incident of harming a gatekeeper, he could let Allen spar them a little bit and hope that they would understand that it isn''t in their best interests to try crushing him or his store over nothing.


    If such a thing happens, Mark could only swallow the humiliation and pay them back a thousandfoldter.


    With such a thought in mind, Mark returned to the carriage. Soon, they set off from the ce.


    Unknown to them, a couple of spies are watching them from the nearby bushes.


    They looked at each other. One of them whispered, "Brother Su, I think we should follow this guy. Someone who can cause such a mess because of the slightest agreement can''t be a simple person even if he looks like amoner. Moreover, that stoic-faced warrior looks like an elite."


    The other spy nodded in agreement, "you are right. Even I couldn''t see his attack. Let''s do one thing. You follow that horse carriage. I''ll go and inform Young Master Nie."


    ***


    "What! Who is he? How dare he destroyed the entrance and injure our gatekeeper?" The leader of the Song Mansion''s security unit, Yi Fang went into a rage upon hearing that one of his subordinates got injured by someone.


    The soldier told him everything that he saw from the start.


    Crushing the ss in his hand, Yi Fang stood up on his feet, "Just a mere owner of a small unknown weapon store. If he wasn''t taught a lesson, people would think the Song n is easy to be trifled with. Inform our scouts to find out this store''s location."

 Chapter 28 Security Chief Of Song Mansion

    "Excuse me, where can I meet Zheng Fu?" Mark asked a stout man who was instructing a couple of staff members to relocate a few things within the store.


    "Yes, that is me." Just like others, he was a bit surprised by the appearances of Mark and Allen. Judging their attire, he assumed that they might be at least from upper-middle-ss society.


    So, he was polite while asking him about the reason for his visit.


    As Mark stated that he was the owner of a newly opened weapon store named Genesis which was previously known as Yang Yang weapon store, Zheng Fu''s expression changed to that of stoic.


    While he still treated Mark as a customer, he was nowhere near polite enough like before.


    Mark didn''t care much about his behavior and stated his intentions. "I would need a two hundred boxes with dimensions 10cm*30cm*5cm; then, another hundred boxes with dimensions 30cm*30cm*30cm; fifty more boxes with dimensions 50cm*50cm*50cm, and twenty more boxes with dimensions 100 cm*100cm*50cm. All of them should be of higher quality than what you usually provided to our store in the past.


    And the top of the box should have twoyers with the outermostyer should have an engraving of a design that I will provide you. These are my requirements and I won''t ept any defective product.


    Owner Zheng, calcte everything quickly and tell me when I will get the delivery. Also, tell me how much is the total payment and the minimum advance payment."


    As soon as Mark started to order in bulk with specific requirements, Zheng Fu went into a daze. He didn''t expect that this new owner seems to be richer than he expected.


    He didn''t wait any longer and proceeded with the calctions. Unfortunately, he wasn''t an educated man and the usage of mechanical calctors was only a thing of luxury as they were very rare and expensive here.


    With the cashier on leave, the owner could only depend on calcting it with an abacus.


    And it doesn''t seem like he''s also good at it. Zheng Fu was too slow so that there''s no room for error.


    After waiting for five minutes, Mark got annoyed with his slow pace and just asked him the price for each of them.


    "So, it''s 26 gold coins and 52 silver coins in total." As Mark calcted instantly, Zheng Fu didn''t buy it. He said thanks but continued with the calction, making Mark and Allen wait for another half an hour before he looked at him in surprise and apologized for it.


    At first, Mark got angered by him but then, thinking that it is a fellow business in the same neighborhood where most of them only earn 2-3 gold coins at most, Mark waved his hands, "just deliver it as soon as possible. You can then expect another bulk order within a few weeks."


    "Thank you for the purchase." Zheng Fu bowed with a smile. "Please visit again."


    Finishing his business there, Mark left for his store.


    Just as he stepped down from the carriage, he saw two people waiting at the entrance of the store. Passersby are also watching them curiously.


    One of them was wearing high-quality armor from head to toe while the other has a mask on his face but his cotton clothes with mud here and there tell that he doesn''t seem well off. There are also visible scars on his hands. However, for some reason, the well-built rich warrior is appeared to be wary of the other fellow.


    Mark walked towards the store. Allen followed behind him.


    Looking at them, the muscr man narrowed his eyes, "They match the description of the ones I''m looking for."


    He then asked out loud, attracting the attention of passersby. "Are you the owner of this store?"


    Mark nodded in response as he continued to walk. "Wait a second. I''ll open it right away."


    "So, you are the one that thrashed my subordinate, huh!" As soon as his suspicions were confirmed, the muscr rich warrior stated his intentions. "You don''t need to open the store because you areing with me."


    Meanwhile, a frown appeared on Mark as he turned around. "You are from Song Mansion?"


    "I''m the security chief of the ce where not only you destroyed the gate but also dare to beat up a person right at the outside of the mansion. You think you can escape after what you did?" Yi Fang growled in anger while remembering his subordinate''s face. A burst of ether energy released from him, causing a hugemotion in the surroundings.<sub> </sub>


    As for the masked fellow, he just stepped aside calmly. He was the least intimidated by the aura.


    Even though Mark expected retaliation from the Song n, he still didn''t expect such a strong warrior will be deployed to take care of him. His heartbeat involuntarily quickened its pace.


    Just then, Allen appeared before Mark in defense.


    Only then did Mark calm down and talked to the system. "System, tell me something. What are the chances of Allen winning against this guy?"


    *Ding! Please upgrade the System to the next level and receive assistance inbat.


    "Damn you¡­" Closing the notification screen, Mark cursed it for not being flexible at times like these. After all, he knew that it can actually inform him but could only follow the rules and not help out.


    Remembering the incident earlier a while ago, Mark thought of the loophole and spoke to himself in his mind, "I guess Allen will be shred to pieces by my enemy. Can this weak Android even have a chance at that strong spirit warrior?"


    *Ding!


    The notification bell sound followed by the holographic screen brought a satisfactory smile to his face.


    *Ding! The Android is indestructible during the daytime as long as the sun exists. However, the recovery rate varies ording to the time of the day and the injuries.


    He nced at the enemy and then at Allen, and finally at Sun that was almost on top of his head. An idea emerged in his mind.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark ordered the Android, "Allen, focus only on defending and usage of your skills is restricted for now."


    Allen saluted, "Roger, Big brother."


    He then looked at Yi Fang with his nk aquamarine eyes for a couple of seconds. "Target has been scanned sessfully, Activating Defense mode."


    Assuming that the other party must be at least in the circle-5 realm, Mark only ordered his assistant to defend.


    If his assumption is wrong and the other party turned to be weaker and gets heavily injured like that gatekeeper, the situation would be escted further. Mark clearly doesn''t want that.


    With the sun acting as Allen''s healer, now, the only thing that he was worried about is the possibility of the enemy possessing greater strength than he expected. So, he thought of helping him out a little bit with what he can.


    In case Allen cannot stop him, Mark was ready with summoning his Battle Tank to escape at any time.


    Taking everything in his calctions, he moved back a couple of steps and crossed his arms to the back while ring at the enemy. "Activate the skill, Luck Steal."


    *Ding! Target locked. Target has five luck points. Proceed to absorb?


    Mark mumbled, "Yes."


    *Ding! Choose the number of luck points.


    "2"


    Soon, his copper ring started to glow.

 Chapter 29 Mysterious Archer From Outside (Part-1)

    In one of the narrow alleys of the Imperial city, an intense battle is going on between Allen and Yi Fang, of which one of them is just perfectly blocking every attack while the other is getting aggressive as the fight drags on.


    The people in the surroundings moved away from them, the store owners closed the shutters and are watching the battle curiously.


    While some of them being afraid of the consequences of their fellow businessman offending the Song Family, a few people are secretly rooting for Allen to show the noble his ce.


    After all, even if they are poor, they still have their pride and have frustrations about the behavior of nobles. So, they hoped Allen would teach the muscr guy a lesson.


    In the meantime, Mark was watching in silence, the former being amazed by Allen''s battle techniques that are nullifying Yi Fang''s punches and kicks without affecting the surroundings.


    The poor-looking fellow is also greatly surprised of watching the battle. "I didn''t expect I would encounter a person who could block the ether energy attacks of a circle-5 realm warrior with such ease. He must be at least in the six-circle realm. But, such an expert staying in this kind of neighborhood?"


    He nced around and then thought, "was he perhaps in a simr situation like ours?"


    He continued to watch the battle in silence.


    Meanwhile, Yi Fang sted a ball of energy towards Allen from his palms. Thetter put forth his hands to block the attack.


    ? Just like before, as soon as it hit his palms, the energy attack bounced back a little and hit the ground.


    From the system, Mark did learn the Android had such passive ability but only works when the attack hit at the center of his palm.


    It led him to wonder whether it might be his new luck that''s working.


    *Ding! No, your luck points don''t affect the Android. It''s the result of the enemy''s bad luck.


    "Eh?" Realization dawned upon him. "Ah, I see¡­ Then, I don''t need to worry after the expiry of the additional luck points."


    Meanwhile, a look of frustration appeared on Yi Fang as he failed to dominate the battle for the past three minutes. He felt like the other party is just toying with him by not using ether energy and only focusing on defense.


    "Damn, what is this guy¡­" As the fight prolonged further, Yi Fang''s anger only increased further.


    Not having any choice, he finally takes out a gold-grade heavy sword from his storage card. Pouring ether energy into it, he leaped at Allen and sh at him.


    Allen raised his hands to catch the de.


    Just right then, all of a sudden, three energy arrows struck his chest at the same time, taking everyone by surprise.


    *Thud*


    Yi Fang suddenly copsed onto the ground with a groan while the sword fell off his hands. However, as he fell on the ground with his eyes opened, soon, everyone realized he was dead.


    Allen halted his movements and turns towards the direction where the arrows were shot.<sub> </sub>


    Taking a step back in a shock, Mark turns his head to find the man beside him whom he ignored all along had an exquisite bow in his hand with his fingers on the string.


    Putting down the bow, the mysterious stranger opened his mouth in a calm tone, "Owner Lu, will you open the store? It''s gettingte for me."


    "Eh?" Mark was taken aback as he heard his words. After all, the weapons in his store are of high price. So, he never paid attention to this guy with a poor-looking appearance from the start.


    Now that he saw his skills in person, he felt like this guy might be a higher realm expert whom Allen might notpete against. So, Mark tried to be careful with his words. "You want to buy a weapon?"


    The customer nodded, "Yes. Those Pistol weapons are indeed unique. I want to order bulk, at least in hundred amount and bullets like hundred per one pistol."


    Mark almost lost his footing in shock as he heard his words, "What did you say?" His eyes widened while trying to process the information. "10000 bullets and 100 Single-shot pistols?"


    Even though he had five points of luck, Mark couldn''t digest this matter for a few seconds as it was the first time he heard of such a ridiculous thing even if it is some expert archer like this stranger.


    "I probably didn''t hear it wrong." Letting out ament, Mark stared at the archer and asked, "You just said that you wanted to buy a hundred pistols and ten thousand bullets, right?"


    The mysterious archer inly nodded in response.


    Calming himself down, he asked as politely as possible even though he was skeptical of the situation. "Do you know perhaps know how much they cost?"


    The customer answered "20 silver per bullet and 5 gold coins per pistol, right? Merchant Fu told me everything about it. The amount wasn''t a problem. The only question is whether you can procure such a high amount or not."


    Mark went into a daze for a while. "2500 gold coins transaction. That''s enough to buy a top-tier gold grade weapon and is even enough to rent a house for a whole year in the upper residential districts."


    It is hard for Mark to believe what he was hearing. "You are serious, right?"


    A miniature avatar of Mark inside his head started to dance in joy. "A big customer¡­ Goddess of Luck is smiling on you, Mark¡­"


    Just when he was on high clouds, his supposed rich customer dropped a bomb, "If you have the stock, I will buy it right away. However, I have only one condition. I need to meet the manufacturer."


    "Manufacturer?" Mark''s facial expression suddenly changed upon finally realizing what the deal here is.


    Now, he understood why this man was intending to buy so many weapons. He wasn''t here to buy the stuff from him. He was here to gain the information about the manufacturer, probably to buy in bulk at a cheaper rate, or hire him or whatever with other intentions.


    When such a thought appeared in his head, his eyes subsequently fell on the dead enemy on the ground. "Oh boy, I forgot that this will bring more disaster. Allen isn''t strong enough yet. I should unlock ether energy as soon as possible. Or maybe, I should meet Song Yue and exin her situation in person."


    "Hello, what are you thinking about?" The Mysterious Archer brought him back to reality and asked him again about the manufacturer.


    Since he never nned to reveal the truth, Mark shook his head and letting out a fake sigh, "Not possible. I signed a confidentiality agreement. The manufacturer wants to stay hidden. I will lose my business and my life if I break the contract."

 Chapter 30 Mysterious Archer From Outside (Part-2)

    "Confidentiality agreement?" At first, he thought this owner was trying to find an excuse but after thinking deeply, he believed this store owner might be saying the truth after all.


    In reality, he had all the time to waste here. That''s why he silently waited for half an hour outside of the store.


    The only thing he didn''t expect is the sudden attack of a stranger. If he doesn''t belong to the Song n, perhaps, this man would have spared him but s, all the nobles and soldiers of the Phoenix Empire are his enemy. He couldn''t let this chance slip away.


    Along with that, the Archer hoped to put pressure on Mark while disying his power so that his mission goes smoothly.


    However, who could have expected that Mark would reject his request even after seeing his power and got such a huge deal¡­


    ncing at Allen, he further wondered whether this stoic-faced guy is keeping an eye on this small weapon store owner.


    His suspicions aren''t without reason. In a lower district where an average person earns a little more than 4 gold coins per week, the mere existence of a 5-circle realm warrior or possible 6-circle realm warrior itself is abnormal.


    The Archer felt the need to investigate the background of this manufacturer first before making a move.


    So, he decided to gain the trust rather than trying to put fear on him and risk the mission given by his master.


    Taking a deep breath, he then asked, "okay fine. How many can you sell, right now?"


    Mark answered, "I have around a little more than twenty pistols and a couple of hundred bullets. If you make an advance payment, I can get the remaining goods in three more days."


    "In three days, you can arrange all of them?" Mark didn''t know that the man was extremely shocked at the moment.


    He felt like he did the right thing to not make a reckless move. After all, to manufacture so many weapons in perfection within such a short time, not everyone can do it. It needs arge workforce. "Hmm, either he has the backing of a strong guild or had a deal with dwarves."


    "Okay, I will pay 500 gold coins upfront, and the remaining will be paid when I will collect all the goods at one time, three dayster. However, I expect the quality of the goods is as good as the ones you sold to Merchant Huo."


    "Merchant Huo?" Mark never forgot the face and name of the greedy merchant. "You mean, Huo Fen?"


    The mysterious archer nodded in response. "He was the one who informed me about your store."


    "I see¡­" Mark thanked that merchant in his head for bringing him such a business. ncing at the dead body again, something clicked in his head. "There''s something I would like to show you. You might want to take a look at it."


    He asked him toe into the store and walked forward.


    Just as he opened the shutter, Mark remembered something and he immediately turned around to nce at Yi Fang in the middle of the street with blood oozing from the dead body.


    He then walked towards it.


    The spectators looked at him in silence. Their facial expressions also have a mixture of amazement and fear. Meanwhile, the passersby are running away in fear, looking at the dead body. Someone decided to inform the Prefects.


    Prefects are thew enforcement officers appointed by the department ofw and Justice where the control was within the hands of Zhang n. With Song Yue being the future daughter-inw of Zhang Lei, the Minister ofw and justice, Mark knew that it will cause him a lot of trouble even legally if Song n gets angered.<sub> </sub>


    So, he wanted to take care of this matter properly if he wanted to stay within the city peacefully.


    Watching Mark walking towards Yi Fang''s dead body, the Mysterious Archer frowned, wondering what he was going to do with it. "Did he want to get the loot? Hmm, possible, considering the equipment on his body seemed of high quality."


    Mark first crouched nearby the dead body. The stench of blood didn''t bother him a bit as he had witnessed thousands of deaths in his past life. Along with being an arms designer, he also served as an active soldier in a couple of wars.


    He then spoke in his head, "Open Inventory."


    A holographic screen with inventory slots appeared before his eyes. As he touched the body, he spoke in his head, "System, Absorb it into inventory."


    In fact, to store the items, he has to drag them to the inventory slot and it will automatically absorb but Mark didn''t have the strength to pick him with a single hand. Moreover, he doesn''t want to lift his body with two hands and get his hands dirty with the blood.


    So, he asked for the help of the system. Since it is a matter that was linked with the inventory, a thing that was provided by the system, thetter didn''t feel any vition of the rules like earlier when he asked for assistance in a battle, and then, help him store the dead body.


    The onlookers were confused about these actions. It''s not like Mark did the crime and is trying to hide the evidence in his storage ring.


    Even if this stranger was in cahoots with Mark, the spectators knew there were so many witnesses. At least one of them will testify in court sooner orter. So, they felt it was useless to do it.


    Ignoring the gazes of everyone, Mark further proceeded to pick up the gold grade sword of Yi Fang from the ground and also store it before proceeding to walk towards his store.


    Since he would be gone soon, the mysterious archer didn''t care about Mark''s actions and followed him into the store where he saw Pistols on the wall shelves. Like Lin Xue, he too was impressed at how clean the store is maintained.


    Soon, after reaching the counter, Mark pretended to take out a revolver from the bottom drawer where he actually took out one of the spares from his inventory.


    "Here, this one is called a revolver. More Advanced than the pistol. Right now, this one was reserved for a noble. If you are interested to buy this, I can order them more."


    Grabbing the revolver, he observed it carefully. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he gripped the handle. "This one feels better than that one. It is also shorter and can be hidden in pockets."


    He then saw the cylinder with six holes in the chamber. "What is this for?"


    "You can load six bullets at a time and shoot six rounds in a row before reloading," Mark replied, maintaining his usual bright smile.


    The customer then asked for the pistol and grabbed both of them in his hands. Heplimented how the revolver feels morefortable than the Single-shot pistol.


    Taking it back, Mark told him about the price and its high range. The Archer was surprised for a second upon hearing the price. It''s not that he can''t afford it but it''s just that a hundred of them will cost 2000 gold coins. Combined with the bullets, it will be four thousand gold coins. Moreover, he needs to consider the long term too.


    After thinking for a while, he said, "Okay, order me twenty-five of these. If ourrades arefortable with it, then, I will order more."


    "Comrades? Is it a guild? Or it for an army?" Mark wandered in his thoughts.

 Chapter 31 Clash With Song Yun

    Song Mansion, Imperial city;


    "What did you say? Genesis Weapon store?" Two Prefects and their superior from thew and enforcement division were standing before Song Yun as they informed the events urred at one of the alleys of Hanga District, a neighborhood known as themercial district formoners.


    If the victim is amoner or a noble of the lower realm, the officers wouldn''t bother to investigate too much and directly proceed with interrogating the suspects. However, the dead person turned out to be of 5-circle realm warrior, the security chief of Song Mansion, and was killed with just one energy arrow.


    Assuming that the used has some rtion with the owner of the store with how he helped the store employee, the Prefects thought the case was above their grade and reported to their head, the Inspector, who didn''t hesitate to go to Song Mansion taking them along with him.


    As they reported everything that they have investigated until now, Song Yun fell into thoughts.  "I didn''t expect the tiny store that sells strange weapons had a backing of a 6-circle or above spirit warrior. And a person of that realm will not be a lone warrior. I can''t treat this matter lightly."


    Then, something suddenly clicked in his mind and he quickly summoned the gatekeepers to the balcony.


    Soon, a soldier arrived and bowed to him.


    "Tell me, why did they suddenly attack Captain Hu Jing?" His face was serious and his voice was stern. "I want nothing but the truth."


    Song Yun wasn''t at the mansion at that time and by the time he returned, the entrance was in the middle of a repair. So, he enquired about it.


    At that time, the guards only said that two people came here and injured their captain and the security chief personally went to apprehend the criminal.


    Song Yun didn''t bother to care about the situation until the Prefects came and inform him of the whole story.


    He wondered whether they really wanted to cause trouble or they had bad blood with the guard captain. So, he called one of the gatekeepers who were there at the incident.


    A yelp escape from the soldier in fright and revealed the entire story of how their captain was the one who offended them.


    "Just for that, he attacked our men?" Song Yun frowned in displeasure. His pride was hurt. After all, he was the head of a major noble n while Mark was only amoner without any status.


    Moreover, Yi Fang was his trusted servant who followed him for ten long years. Laying a hand on him is the same as challenging his authority.


    Looking at his expression, the Inspector voiced his opinion, trying to get into his good books. "Minister Song, if you give me an order, I will issue an official warrant against him as an aplice of a murderer. We can also put a few other charges of the pending cases on him. If he refuses and fights back, then, I will personally make a move to apprehend the criminal."


    Song Yun was also thinking in the same lines until suddenly, his eyes fell on the two people who entered thepound with a couple of soldiers apanying them.


    "It was them, Milord." The soldier pointed his finger at the two of them with a look of surprise.


    "Them?" Song Yun narrowed his eyes and stared at them intently until they stopped right outside the building.


    As they calmly stood in silence, a soldier came up and informed Song Yun about them and that they wanted to meet him. Song Yun saw a look of panic on the face of the soldier. He was one of the gatekeepers who witnessed Allen''s ability in a person.


    The Inspectormented that they must have visited the mansion to apologize.


    Taking a look at them, Song Yun shook his head, "I don''t think those two look like they came here to apologize. Maybe, to return Yi Fang''s body." His expression hardened as he mumbled to himself, "Nevertheless if they don''t, I''ll make sure they will regret it."


    Song Yun ordered his bodyguard to escort them upstairs. He also added another order as an afterthought.<sub> </sub>


    The Prefects and the Inspector looked at each other in surprise.


    Meanwhile, while waiting for the reply, Mark was looking around, admiring how big the grounds are.


    Looking at Mark who had this look of someone that was visiting a city for the first time from the countryside, the two Elite guards at the entrance door thought he was just amoner who was probably overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Song mansion''spound.


    So, they ignored his presence and just stood straight as if no people were standing before them.


    However, contrary to their thoughts, Mark was actually thinking about how he could freely ride his Battle Tank without any worries to destroy the surroundings. He was also dreaming of buying arge estate in the countryside in the future once he bes wealthy.


    Soon, Mark saw the soldier returned with a man in gold-grade armor from top to bottom just like Yi Fang. The only difference is that he wore leather armor instead of one that was made of steel or tungsten.


    "Do these guys get that much sry?" Mark couldn''t help but wonder as every soldier here is wearing at least silver grade armor on top of their clothes. "Anyway, soon, I will also be rich after selling the sword."


    Looking at Mark, who was standing half a foot before Allen, representing his status of superior, the Elite bodyguard told him to follow him inside.


    Mark and Allen followed the Elite guard as they were told. On the way, the Elite guard nced to the side from the corner of his eyes. Mark''s attention was in the surroundings as he was busy inspecting the luxurious items while Allen was just walking straight without expressing any sort of emotions or so whatever.


    Very soon, they reached a private chamber, which looked something like an office with a seat and a table. There were all kinds of books and scrolls on the wall shelves like a mini-library.


    "Greetings Minister Song." Mark greeted with a light bow as a part of etiquette. Allen followed the same.


    Song Yun responded with a cold tone, "Both of you have guts toe here to see me, after harming my servants."


    However, Mark doesn''t appear to be intimidated in the least for some reason.


    Mark looked back into his eyes calmly and replied, "We are here for two things. One, to fulfill our original objective which is to deliver the weapons that Lady Song has ordered in advance. And two¡­"


    Mark opened his inventory, clicked and hold on the slot with an image of a man, then, clicked on expel.


    *Thud*


    Suddenly, the dead body of Yi Fang fell on the floor, making Song Yun stand up from his seat with a frown on his face.


    The body was fresh as it was an hour before he stored them. With three arrows still stuck in the chest, the blood continued to flow out from the wounds.


    Not caring about the expression on the minister, Mark spoke further. "I had to store the body to make sure people or some corrupted officers steal the equipment and put the me on me,ter. However, aspensation for threatening my life, I took the sword. So, don''t ask for it in return."


    "You¡­" The Minister of Public works immediately exploded in anger.


    Mark, on the other hand, looked like he was determined to not drag this matter any longer.

 Chapter 32 Emergency Quest

    "So, if Lady Song is here, can you tell her to meet us? It''s our store''s policy to deliver the goods to the customer who gave the money." While Song Yun was boiling in anger because of the disrespectful tone in Mark''s voice, Mark just aggravated him further, implying that he was forgiving the Song n in exchange for the gold-grade sword.


    Thirty minutes ago;


    After the mysterious archer killed Yi Fang and then, proposed a huge deal, Mark was at that time was still mulling over the matter.


    Earlier, he had but three options.


    The first option is to meet Song Yun directly, hand over the body, and apologizing to him, not sure about the result whether he will be forgiven or Song n will retaliate.


    The second option is to meet Song Yue instead and request her to avert this possible crisis, resulting in a positive oue considering how lovely she is. However, Mark suspects that she or the Song n might take advantage of this favor that will cost him heavily in the future. Still, he could at least continue to live in the city peacefully.


    The third and final option is to just leave the ce and go into hiding for the next three days until the transaction is over.


    Of course, in three instances, he never nned to betray the mysterious archer and let him get caught in the trap of officials as this killer was still his customer at the moment.


    Mark could only stay on his side until the transaction is over. After that, in his view, this alleged six-circle archer can go to hell if he wishes. Mark doesn''t care.


    However, everything changed when the mysterious Archer decided to order 25 revolvers. Because in this whole deal worth three thousand gold coins, he will get to earn 1000 gold coins for weapons (100 Single-shot pistols and 25 Revolvers).


    It means in three days, he will turn into a Spirit Warrior.


    So, that would mean, he doesn''t need to fear the Song n anymore. That''s when Mark decided to scrap those options away. He even thought of taking all the equipment on the dead body away.


    While the system doesn''t recognize the money earned by selling them, Mark can still use that money and buy another weapon store in another city or maybe, another kingdom.


    That''s what he thought.


    But then, after the mysterious archer left the store left the store with a single revolver to test at his ce, Mark suddenly thought, "what if the customer will not turn out after three days? Or what if the customer backs away from the deal,ter?"


    The pessimistic thoughts made Mark worry about the danger. Mark decided to go for the third option.


    Absorbing all the weapons and bullets into his inventory, Mark stepped outside of the store and asked the Android to shut down the store. The shutter was closed and locked.


    Just as Mark took the keys from Allen, suddenly he halted his footsteps because of one single notification from the system.


    *Ding! You received an emergency quest.


    Quest: A future God of Weapons should never cower against a mere noble of a small Empire. Charge into the Song Mansion and show them that you are a person they can''t afford to mess with.


    Rewards: Passive skill: Ultimate Defense.


    Bonus quest: Instill fear into Song Yun and his subordinates.


    Rewards: Unknown (Depend on the fear level of Song Yun)


    Time limit: 60 minutes.


    Note: Upon epting the quest, the host will temporarily unlock the blueprints of 120 mm and 12.7 mm ammunition, and 40mm grenades for 60 minutes. The overall cost will be put into a loan with 1% interest per week. The Host can repay the loan at any time.


    ept?<sub> </sub>


    Mark waspletely stunned on the spot as soon as he read the quest details. He wanted to yell at the system for even trying to give him such a crazy quest.


    He doesn''t want to die another time, or worse, get captured to face the torture or being imprisoned in some kind of dark cell. Who knows what will happen if he goes against these unreasonable people with high pride.


    Just a while ago, he heard the Revenue minister Nie Rougang''s son injured amoner and forcefully abducted the victim''s wife in broad daylight and that too, in front of many people.


    Under great pressure from the officials, the wife was returned to the husband, two dayster.


    Despite his wife being vited by a stranger, the poormoner didn''t raise the matter and decided to move on with their scarred life because they couldn''t fight against the royal family.


    The couple thought the matter has finished. But, they were so wrong.


    Two dayster, a mob entered the poor couple''s house, killed him and his parents, and the woman was vited many times in a row and eventually died.


    The matter was med on a neighbor who was falsely charged and ended up in prison for the next thirty years.


    Everyone knows who is behind the matter and yet, no one was brave enough to even speak of it in this Imperial Empire of Phoenix.


    And then, there was another simr matter that urred over ten years ago where this time, it is the beloved nephew of the Emperor whose soldier tried to abduct a girl with a peerless beauty who was just roaming on the streets inmoner attires along with an old man.


    However, little did he expect the old man was a renowned 9-circle realm of the assassin path and she''s his disciple. Along with the prince, every soldier was cut into ten pieces like pieces of meat, and their parts were stored in a storage ring.


    Later, the old man gave the storage ring to the Emperor as a return present for the hospitality he received from the Emperor''s nephew.


    Yet, the Emperor just kneeled before him and asked for forgiveness instead. After all, even the strongest warrior in the Imperial city is only in the realm of 7-circle.


    With hundreds of pieces of meat, they couldn''t rejoin parts for each body and had to cremate everything together.


    This is the kind of world he was living in, a world, where the nobles decide the fate ofmoners and yet, the strong decide the fate of the weak no matter their status. Even an Emperor who rules six million square km ofnd had to bow before a single person.


    And certainly, he was smart enough to know his current ce in this world. Mark knew that Allen wasn''t strong enough to protect him if there''s a person like a mysterious archer suddenly attack him.


    So, he was ready to decline the quest no matter the reward but then, as his eyes fell on the reward, which says Ultimate Defense, and then, at the important note at the end, he got tempted a little.


    "Exin to me about the reward," Mark asked the system.


    *Ding! The system gathers a tremendous amount of natural energy and creates a barrier over the host and the store at all times. The host and the store cannot be harmed as long as he stays in the Weapon store and doesn''t use ether energy.


    "So, I will be safe from attacks even from 9-circle realm warrior?" he asked the system to get rity on how much of amount of protection this skill provides.


    *Ding! Unless a Demi-Godunches an attack, the host is protected by the defense mechanism.


    "My safety will be ensured as long as I pull this off, right?" Mark crackled his knuckles with a cold smile, "let''s bring the hell to this Minister."


    Present;


    "Tell me, Minister Song. I''m waiting for your answer. Is our customer here or not? I''m a busy man." Mark pressed the angered noble further.

 Chapter 33 Summoning The Battle Tank

    "Phuahaha¡­" As Song Yun''s anger reached the limit, a burst of hystericalughter escaped from his mouth. "In my whole life, I never encountered a fool like you who beat up my servant, then, became an aplice for the murderer of my Security Chief, then, came to my own house, and talk to me as if you were the one offended.


    Who do you think you are standing in front of, right now? Even the other major n members wouldn''t dare to speak to me this way."


    Mark crossed his hands to the back in response andmented in a calm tone, "No wonder your gatekeeper and the Security Chief are so arrogant. As is the king so are the subjects. Overestimating oneself is alright but one shouldn''t underestimate others¡­"


    Song Yun''s lips curled up as he looked at the both of them in contempt, "A lowlymoner without any status like you didn''t even possess the qualification to step inside my mansion much less, meet me.


    I thought I will leave you with a light punishment if you fell on your knees and apologize considering my daughter seems to be hooked up with those strange weapons from your store but you don''t seem to know your ce."


    Stepping towards him, Song Yun continued, "Then, listen carefully, what I''m going to do with you.


    First, for your impudence, your store will be razed to the ground.


    Then, the Prefects will take away the both of you for interrogation for the murder of Yi Fang.


    After that, the Inspector will confirm that both of you are an aplice for the murderer."


    As Song Yun patted Mark''s shoulder, his eyes fell on Allen who just stood like a statue without any emotions. "You are the one that harmed my gatekeeper and destroyed the entrance gate on your boss'' orders, aren''t you? You will pay dearly for the consequences."


    *p* *p*


    Returning to his seat, he pped twice.


    Two guards who were standing outside the door entered the chamber and bowed, waiting for his orders.


    Song Yun then ordered his bodyguard, to take away Yi Fang''s body and cremate it ording to the ancient traditions.


    Then, he ordered the soldiers, "Throw these two out of my house."


    As Mark''s arm was grabbed by a guard, he narrowed his eyes as he looked into Song Yun''s eyes, "don''t worry. Soon, you will take back your decision and apologize to me."


    "Oh, really?" Song Yun let our sneer and mocked in sarcasm, "I guess you have the backing of a legendary realm expert (8-circle)."


    He gestured the two guards to take them away in front of his eyes.


    While Allen and Mark were dragged away without any resistance, the Prefects along with the Inspector entered the private chamber and asked whether the matter is settled.


    Song Yun told them to wait for a day before jumping into action. The Prefects were thrilled to throw the both of them in jail so that they can get a bonus as well as get it into the good books of the Minister.


    "Need not to worry, Minister Song. I''ll take care of everything." The Inspector also assured him that his prefects will also keep eyes on the both of them so that they don''t get to escape from the city either.


    "Good." Song Yun nodded with a smile, "Now, there''s something else that I need you to investigate."


    ***


    Meanwhile, the Elite guards were escorting Allen and Mark. Both of them exited the house.


    These two 4-circle guards also don''t know the identities of Mark and Allen. All they know is that they weremoners and the minister isn''t pleased about them either.


    One of them was a bit rough as he pushed the back of Mark once they entered the grounds. Mark, being a mortal without any training was easily pushed forward and almost fell on the ground before Allen caught him in action.<sub> </sub>


    The two guards at the entrance doorughed in response. In their minds, these two indeed turn out exactly the same as their first impressions.


    Allen turns his attention towards them, "Big Brother, waiting for permission to act."


    Patting Allen''s soldier, Mark replied, "no."


    "What are you two murmuring about? Leave." One of the guards shouted at him in a harsh tone.


    Allen nced at the mansion and then, at the gate, and at the walls. "I shouldn''t just show these arrogant fools that I''m not someone who can mess with. I will have to instill fear in them and make them beg for forgiveness."


    He opened the quest notification which was put on hold until now to save time.


    Mark clicked on ept.


    *Ding! You have epted the Emergency quest.


    *Ding! Blueprints of 120mm and 12.7mm ammunition have been unlocked for 60 minutes.


    *Ding! Blueprint of 40mm grenade has been unlocked for the next 60 minutes.


    *Ding! Battle Tank''s fuel will be filled automatically by natural energy for the next 60 minutes.


    "Open Inventory."


    Now that he was in open ground with a huge amount of space while the clock is ticking, Mark didn''t hesitate to click on it.


    *Ding! You are about to summon the Battle Tank-V. Choose an option.


    The first option was just to summon it before him.


    The second option was to summon it while he will appear in the driver''s seat.


    The third option was to summon it while letting multiple people teleporting inside the tank.


    Mark naturally selected the third option.


    *Ding! Please touch the person you wished to aboard with you. Mark did it as the system asked.


    *Ding! Passengers have been confirmed. Summoning in 3, 2, 1¡­


    All of a sudden, Mark and Allen disappeared from everyone''s view and the Battle tank was summoned.


    "What the hell is that?" The guards who were in surroundings were taken aback as they saw the strangest and the most terrifying thing in their life.


    It was a 34 ft by 13 ft battle tank with a 17 ft big cannon in the front. With a little more than 9.5 ft in height, it''s almost as big as a room where these guards sleep at night.


    In their eyes, it looked like a giant beast, except that this was not alive and is made of metal.

 Chapter 34 The Might Of A Battle Tank (Part-1)

    ? Upon teleporting into the tank, Mark looked around curiously. He found it was a little bit different from the ones he was familiar with.


    Instead of the driver chamber at the front, right below the cannon, where one is supposed to lean to the back to drive it, Mark found there are threefortable squishy seats in the cabin crew.


    Instead of a periscope, there was a huge screen at the top, divided into five sections, showing the surroundings of the Tank with the help of cameras installed on each side. "Hmm, I guess there are blind spots..."


    Above his head, there''s a single entrance and exit.


    Coming to the seating arrangement, the driver''s seat was at the center where Mark found himself sitting on top of it.


    The other two seats were empty and Mark was nowhere to be found at the moment.


    In addition to the vehicle controls, a separate set of controls with each screen was also installed along with the vehicle control system to control the secondary weapons.


    However, the problem here is that he might have to change the seats to operate them. To his left lies the controls of the machine gun and to the right lies the controls of the grenadeuncher.


    So, he couldn''t fire the weapons and drive the vehicle at the same time. It made him suddenly remember that Allen was supposed to board with him.


    Mark immediately confronted the system about it, wondering whether Allen was left outside.


    *Ding! The Android was teleported to the turret basket.


    "So, he was teleported to the back, huh." He let out a sigh of relief. "That''s good. Allen can load the ammunition while I shoot. Wait a second..."


    Suddenly, he realized that he was in the driver''s seat and he hadn''t even started creating them much less store them in the storing chamber. Even if he creates the ammunition, how should he give it to Allen? "Do I have to go outside with a 20 kg ammunition in my hands to hand it to him every time? First, that''s not cool and second, someone will try to ambush or disrupt the flow if either of us goes back and forth. It would have been good if there''s autoload feature..."


    And once again, the greedy yet helpful system came for assistance.


    *Ding! Battle Tank-V is bounded to the host. The host can transfer the ammunition from the inventory to the storage cabin.


    "That''s convenient." Mark nodded in satisfaction.


    "Open, Creation Gallery"


    Mark proceeded to click on one of the newly unlocked ammunition.


    "Create"


    However, right then, he received a sudden shocking notification.


    *Ding! 120mm ammunition has only a forty percent sess rate of creation. Do you want to proceed?


    "Eh? 40%?" Mark never expected there''s also a chance of failure in creation. He then remembered seeing a pill in the System store that increases the sess rate. However, it cost 200 credits, which hecked at the moment.


    "System, if I fail, will I have to pay for that too?"


    *Ding! The host has to pay full price if failed but the sess rate increases by 10% of the previous sess rate when failed.


    *Ding! Example: If the host failed to create 120 mm ammunition that has a 40% sess rate, the next attempt will be increased to 44%. If failed again, the next attempt will have a 48.4% sess rate and so on...


    "Oh boy, it looks like the higher grade weapons aren''t that easy to manufacture in bulk as I thought." Mark''s face turned serious. "At this rate, I could never earn money from selling the weapons. if I knew this, I would have taken all the equipment of that Security chief as thepensation."


    *Ding! The host''s share will be increased upon each breakthrough.


    This notification made him feel at ease and Mark also realized how luck will also y a role in creating the weapons.<sub> </sub>


    "Damn, I should have absorbed the luck from one of the guards before summoning this vehicle. Anyway, the price doesn''t matter as long as I get stronger." Mark clicked on Proceed.


    *Ding! You failed to create K3. 2 low-grade ether crystals have been added to the debt.


    "So, each one costs 2 low ether crystals of 10 carats? That''s like 20 gold coins in the market. Damn expensive." It wouldn''t be an exaggeration if Mark got scared by its cost. After all, he nned to shoot for an hour straight. By the end of the time, who knows how much debt he will end up with¡­


    Still, whenpared to the rewards the Emergency quest is providing him, this cost was nothing. Mark felt that way and continued with the creation.


    *Ding! You failed to create K3. 2 low-grade ether crystals (10 carats) have been added to the debt.


    *Ding!


    *Ding!


    *Ding! You sessfully created K3. 2 low-grade ether crystals (10 carats) have been added to the debt, Please check your inventory.


    On the fourth try, Mark sessfully created the ammunition. He didn''t waste any time in sending it to the storage.


    There was also amunication device connected to the speaker of the vehicle that police officers use generally. With the system''s instruction, he tried to talk through it.


    Thankfully for him, Allen connected to him as soon as he heard his voice.


    "Okay, now. Where should I put this¡­" Mark looked into the screens and zoomed in a bit. His face turned cold upon deciding on his target. "Everything started because of this. I was a fool to spare his life back then. Now let these gatekeepers standing inside and outside be an example."


    "Adios¡­" Grabbing the controllers, Mark pressed on the trigger.


    While the rest of the guards outside are looking at it warily a couple of them walked near it.


    Suddenly, the turret rotated, surprising them a little bit. The long cannon, which looked like an elephant trunk for the guards, stopped as it aimed towards the Entrance Gate.


    Meanwhile, in the mansion;


    After sending away the two prefects, Song Yun sat alone with the Inspector and ced a pouch on the table.


    The inspector looked at him curiously as he found there was only one shiny red crystal inside. He gasped in surprise, "five high-quality ether crystals? Judging by the size, all of them are even a 10 carat."


    Indeed, it was unsurprising that he was shocked to see it, considering a high-quality crystal of that size is at least 1000 gold coins if it will be avable in the market. However, as high-quality ether crystals are a bit rare, they could even fetch him double if he were to sell them in the ck market.


    The Inspector assumed the matter must be quite serious if the Minister was giving him such a high amount.


    He asked about the job.


    Song Yun answered in a serious tone, "I need you to investigate a recent case. It''s the ambush on Third Prince during his recent hunting trip, a few days ago. This matter should be done secretly."


    "Are you suspecting the Nie n, Minister Song?" The Inspector also became serious.


    Although the case is taken by the Royal Inspector, Song Yun suspected there''s a foul y here. Song Yun exined, "I wanted to know whether it is one of the major noble ns or someone from the Royal Family¡­"


    "I understand, Minister Song." The Inspector put forth his hands to take the pouch full of ether crystals.


    *Boom*

 Chapter 35 The Might Of A Battle Tank (Part-2)

    An enormous explosion urred outside the building, making them flinch in surprise.


    The Inspector was even lost his bnce and fell on the floor because of the loud sound.


    "An attack?" Song Yun hurriedly left his table and walked outside. The Inspector followed him.


    Just then, a guard who rushed into the house and fell on the floor due to the loud sound, stood up as he saw Song Yun, he greeted him with a deep bow, "I apologize, Milord¡­"


    "What''s going on outside?" Song Yun asked with a frown.


    "Milord, there''s a strange metal weapon, no vehicle¡­ I don''t know what to call it. You need to see this¡­"


    When Song Yun heard of the word, metal weapon, he suddenly remembered Mark''s words before leaving. "Is it that guy? No, there''s no way¡­"


    Song Yun hurried to the balcony. "What the¡­"


    Along with the entrance gate, everything that was five meters to each side of it was all turned to dust. The four gatekeepers that were supposed to guard on the outside are also no longer seen.


    And as for the two guards who stood inside of the gate, one of them managed to get away but with heavy injuries. He was bleeding heavily.


    And then there''s a metal vehicle with seven wheels on each side and has a long barrel, which was rotating in a circle once again.


    The guards standing nearby are afraid to go near it. Many of them are shaken in fear upon witnessing the power behind the explosion.


    The turret stopped rotating. This time, the Smoothbore Cannon was aimed at the east of thepound wall.


    *Boom*


    Another powerful explosion urred, making another 15 meters wide entrance in the east.


    "What the hell is going on¡­" Song Yun roared in anger. The soldiers turned towards the balcony on the first floor.


    "What are you all looking at? Go and stop that thing¡­" He passed an order.


    Looking at the cannon changed its direction to the west and staying silent, not making any move, a few 4-circle realm guards stepped forward bravely andunched ether energy attacks collectively.


    *bam* bam*


    Meanwhile, Mark was busy trying to create the third 120 mm ammunition. After facing 5 consecutive failures, he started to get frustrated by the low sess rate and his increasing debt.


    While the Tank hasn''t even been damaged in the least without any dent or scratch, the loud sounds generated after being hit by the attack, his frustration turned into anger.


    *Ding! You sessfully created K3. Please check your inventory.


    *Boom*


    Allen was quick to load the ammunition and in the next second, Mark pressed on the trigger and created the third wide entrance on the west. Now, there''s only direction remained but the mansion is in the way.


    With three continuous high-level explosions, the whole neighborhood has been alerted.


    The turret slowly rotated and stopped, aiming at the Mansion. Meanwhile, the attacking guards fell on their butts with most of them went into a temporary deaf state.<sub> </sub>


    "Ren Huang, I don''t know what that is but stop it, right now. Destroy it and drag the cowards hiding inside this metal thing. Go¡­" Song Yun ordered his personal bodyguard to move as he had confidence in this expert. At the same time, after seeing the firepower in person, his suspicions about Mark being inside the vehicle grew more.


    After all, he could find a simrity between the Tank and the pistol his daughter bought as a gift for him, a while ago. Both of them have a long barrel where the ammunition is fired.


    Of course, Song Yun wasn''t the least a bit afraid of this new vehicle. If anything, his rage only grew further. "If it is really you behind this, then, forget about simple imprisonment. I will cut your limbs and throw you for my hunting dogs."


    Meanwhile, the 5-circle realm sword man leaped over the guards andnded on top of the turret, in between the two guns where he found two closed metal doors. Raising his sword, he poured the ether energy and shed at one of the doors.


    *Creak*


    Mark flinched a bit because of the creaking sound. He looked at the screen and found there were sparks generated as he attempted to sh at the cannon.


    "Damn you¡­" Mark grabbed the steering controls and stepped on the elerator.


    Slowly, the tank started to move. It took a whole six seconds to pick up 40 km/hr. The man standing on top of it now finally felt the speed.


    However, he still managed to stay on top of it, raising his sword to unleash a skill.


    Mark saw the fire started to gather around his sword. The mes slowly took the shape of a limbless dragon.


    Just as the enemy was about to strike the tank, Mark made a sharp turn while continuing to elerate the speed.


    Almost turning 60 degrees, the Battle Tank skids on the ground and threw away the five-circle-realm expert from its top.


    "Woah¡­" Even Mark seemed to be surprised as the tanks usually couldn''t make such a sharp turn.


    Grabbing the steering tightly, Mark just then drove straight towards the northwest of thepound, increasing his speed.


    Within a few seconds, its speed crossed 60 as it continued to charge forward while its Cannon was fixed towards the mansion.


    "Where is that going¡­" Song Yun panicked a little bit as he saw the Tank wasn''t that far away from the wall. He had a premonition in his mind. "Ren Huang, stop it¡­"


    The personal bodyguard who just stood up on his feet chased after the tank.


    However, before made it halfway, the battle tank rammed into the wall, making a hole out of it, and exits the ce.


    On the screens, Mark saw a lot of people gathered outside. Everyone became rmed at first upon witnessing a strange-looking metal vehicle with no beasts to pull it.


    Then, it reversed in the same direction for many seconds before making a turn and speed up once again. This time, Mark''s eyes fell on the six guards clustered in the middle.


    The guards quickly dispersed from the spot while Ren Huang sessfully managed to get on top of the tank once again, unleashing an ether energy attack since thest one is wasted away.


    *Creak*


    Once again, sparks emitted from Ren Huang''s attack. While the tank hasn''t been damaged, scratches appeared on top of it.


    When the system informed Mark that 0.1% of durability has been reduced by the attack, Mark suddenly pressed on the brake and stopped the vehicle. Once again, Ren Huang was thrown away but this time, he managed tond on the ground. "This low sess rate is killing me. Let''s go with bulk attacks at a time."

 Chapter 36 The Might Of A Battle Tank (Part-3)

    With the low sess rate mounting up his debts, Mark decided to switch to secondary weapons.


    But, he doesn''t know which one to use. So, he decided topare the two of them before deciding on which to stock up in the storage chamber andter, bombard his enemies with the ammo.


    He first clicked on the image of Grenade. The details appeared.


    40mm Grenade


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 5 gold coins


    "Only 5 gold coins?" A frown appeared on Mark''s face. He didn''t expect that cost of a 40mm grenade is far lower than 120 mm.


    Like the 9mm bullet, as there was no description, Mark spected that a Grenade''s strength might be entire realm lower than the former. And if that were the case, will the machine gun''s power is much lower?


    Mark closed it and then, clicked on 12.7 mm this time.


    C 16


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 1 gold coin.


    "Oh, boy, this one''s far lower than the Grenade. Well, it was a piece of good news but I can''t help but feel low. This one is definitely useless against 5-circle realm and above stage warriors." Letting out a sigh, Mark decided to choose Grenade.


    But, before that, he also wanted to check the sess rate of each of the ammunition to form a n.


    Mark first checked the 12.7 mm ammo''s by clicking on create. A familiar notification arrived.


    *Ding! 12.7mm ammunition has only an 80 percent sess rate of creation. Do you want to proceed?


    "80%, huh!" Mark fell into thoughts. He was satisfied that it was far better than the 120 mm ones but at the same time, he also knew that their power would be far weaker. So, he wasn''t that dependent on this, right now.


    Mark clicked on No and then, went to 40mm ammo.


    *Ding! 40mm ammunition has only a 60 percent sess rate of creation. Do you want to proceed?


    "And this one''s sixty¡­" Mark fell into a dilemma for a while. At first, he was already decided on Grenade but the sess rates throw off his mind for a moment.


    Now, he has but three options. First is the Cannon, low sess rate but high power. Second is the machine gun, high sess rate but low power. And third is the Grenadeuncher, medium sess rate but medium power.


    *Bam*


    It was at that moment Mark felt another tremor as the Tank was hit by a powerful skill attack from the side. It was so powerful that a 68-ton tank was moved a few inches by force. A tiny dent was visible.


    *Ding! Battle Tank-V durability is reduced by 0.5%.


    "This f****r has been irritating me¡­" Mark got angered and no longer thought straight. "Why should I form a careful strategy? Let''s just create every type and go on berserk."


    Bodyguard Ren Huang would have never thought of how his actions brought a disaster upon himself and his employer.


    Mark clicked on Grenade.


    *Ding! You failed to create a 40mm Grenade. The sess rate increases by 6%. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt.


    "And what was I expecting." Mark felt like another headache is going one on his way because of his low amount of luck points.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark attempted for the second time. Thankfully, he got a piece of good news and brought a little bit of peace to his mind.


    *Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm Grenade. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt. Please check your inventory.


    *Ding! You failed to create a 40mm Grenade.


    *Ding!


    *Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm Grenade.


    *Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm Grenade.


    *Ding!


    *Ding!


    Little more than fifteen minutes had gone by and Mark was upied in creating Grenades one after the other while the Battle Tank was being bombarded by attacks one after the other.


    Song Yun was getting impatient because of theck of a result. While none of the onlookers intervened in the situation, the matter was already reached to the Pce and a team of Elite soldiers was deployed to take care of the situation.


    However, because of his pride, Song Yun didn''t allow anyone to step into thepound.


    In the meantime, the Steward of the mansion, another five circle realm warrior joined Ren Huang. When both of them weren''t able to do anything against the defenses of the Battle Tank, Inspector himself came down and issued a warning to surrender.<sub> </sub>


    But, Mark was busy with creating the Grenades. He turned deaf ear to the warning. As there was no reply, the Inspector felt embarrassed and decided to join the both of them to take it down while one of the prefects left the Mansion to bring back more force.


    The three five-circle realm experts are attacking the sturdy battle tank left and right with all of their strength. By now, many people spected that this might be a new type of puppet controlled by someone.


    Because of the protection by the system, no one was able to sense the presence of Allen and Mark either. So, Ren Huang also stopped targeting the sturdy entrance doors located on top of the tank.


    Meanwhile, inside the tank, Mark was feeling tremors continuously but he was too much focused on creation. He wasn''t caring how much the debt is piling up or how much the durability of the tank is being reduced.


    Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm Grenade. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt. Please check your inventory.


    "Okay, fifty have been created. Now, let''s stock up the other ammunition. But, first, let''s load them."


    He opened the inventory and saw the ammunition was stacked together. He clicked on it.


    *Ding! You summoned Battle Tank-V. Please choose one of the options.


    1) Summon in hand


    2) Transfer into the storage chamber


    "Transfer"


    *Ding! 40mm Grenade has been transferred to the storage chamber.


    *Ding! The grenade Launcher is empty. Autoload feature is activated. One 40 mm Grenade has been loaded automatically.


    After transferring all the Grenades into the storage chamber, Mark now set his eyes on the other ammo.


    "Open, Creation Gallery"


    This time, instead of failure or sess, a surprising notification appeared on the screen as soon as he created the ammunition.


    *Ding! You selected 12.7mm. Choose an option.


    1) Single


    2) Bulk es with belt)


    "Second one seemed risky¡­ But, it is 80%. So, I can take a risk for saving arge amount of time and work¡­" Mark inquired with the system regarding the bulk option.


    *Ding! The bulk option will let the host create a maximum of 108 ammunitions at the same time. However, they will be joined together by the belt and can only be loaded or sold together.


    "What about the failure option?" Mark asked further.


    *Ding! Either all will be sessful or all will be failed. The bonus percentage from failures is not applicable for this option.


    "As I thought, it is risky but I don''t have time to waste¡­"


    *Ding! You selected Bulk. Please wait for a moment.


    Ten secondster;


    *Ding! You failed to create C16 (Bulk). 108 gold coins have been added to the debt.


    "Dammit¡­ It''s an 80% sess rate¡­ And yet¡­" Mark''s anger reached the maximum. His eyes turned red while his veins are almost popping out as he tightly grabbed the steering controls.


    "Create" "Bulk"


    *Ding! You selected Bulk. Please wait for a moment.


    *Ding! You sessfully created C16 (Bulk). Please check out the inventory.


    *Ding! You sessfully created C16 (Bulk).


    Five minutester;


    Steward Bai Chen was standing on top of the tank while relentlessly attacking with the sword even though the others gave up. Feels gazes at him, Song Yun came downstairs and watched it from the entrance door.


    Swallowing a pill and temporarily boosting his attack power by one-fold, the steward unleashed his ultimate skill.


    A giant me sword was forming in the sky with his de pointing towards the tank just like how he gripped the sword.


    "What is that?" The inspector who was taking a break saw one of the guns suddenly turned its direction, aiming at the back of the enemy.


    "Uncle Bai, behind you¡­" Ren Huang warned him with a shout.


    *boom*

 Chapter 37 The Might Of A Battle Tank (Part-4)

    Grabbing the controls of the Grenadeuncher, Mark looked at the screen. An old man in butler uniform was unleashing a skill. He doesn''t know whether it is powerful or not, but it was indeed shy.


    Mark opened the Stats of the vehicle. In the past 20 minutes, the tank''s durability decreased by nearly 14% with scratches and small dents all over its body.


    "You dare to harm my baby¡­ I''ll not leave you alive¡­" He gritted his teeth in anger, deciding on his first target. "Let you serve as a guinea pig for my test."


    He clicked on the trigger.


    On the outside, top of the tank, Steward Bai Chen was about to strike this metal thing with unimaginable defense. Just right then, the Grenade Launcher which stayed still until now turned its direction and aimed at his back.


    *Boom*


    "Argh¡­" Bai Chen shouted a cry of pain as something pierced from behind, breaking the backbone and embedded inside. There was no detonation but still, the target flew a few meters away from the Tank, crashing onto the ground.


    Although not dead, he was still not in a condition to even move as he lost his consciousness. He will be soon with massive blood loss.


    "Okay, that''s not bad." Mark was satisfied with the oue. He then asked the system the details of the grenade as he found out that this wasn''t a direct explosion on impact type.


    *Ding! 40mm Grenade made by the systemes with a safety feature, where the explosion urs only after it reaches 450 spins. As this ammunition goes at 90m/second and spins with 7500 rpm, it needs at least 3 seconds for a st to ur. And once the requirements are met, they will be detonated upon impact.


    "7500 huh!" Mark mumbled to himself. He shrugged his shoulders, turning his attention to the screens. "Can''t bepared to my baby Grenade G-57 which has a spin of 18000 rpm but anyway, let''s focus on the current situation."


    He then carefully observed the screen, looking for someone that offended him. "Now, where is that rat that troubling me from a while ago?"


    Thankfully, for him, this personal bodyguard even appeared right in front of him. "Good."


    "Uncle Bai¡­" Ren Huang was looked after by the Steward. So, he had a bit of affection towards the old man.


    "Hurry, take him away¡­" Two of the 4-circle realm guards that are standing far away, in a different direction from the cannon, hurried towards the unconscious body.


    Meanwhile, Ren Huang stared at the Battle Tank in rage. He took the same blue pill that the injured old man took. A tremendous amount of Ether energy was bursting from him.


    Watching him through the screen, Mark shook his head, "You will only get revenge only if you were alive. However, you have to pay action for serving Song Yun and damaging my vehicle."


    As he was standing only a few meters away from the Tank, Mark felt it was too wasteful to use grenades on him. His theories can''t be confirmed either.


    So, he decided to switch to a machine gun with even lesser power but has high speed.


    Switching the seats, he grabbed the controls of the machine gun. He locked on the target.


    "Bang Bang¡­" He pressed the trigger and hold on to it.


    On the outside, Ren Huang saw that this time, another gun was changing its direction, aiming towards him.


    Ren Huang pushed his leg against the ground to dash forward. However, before he made the first step, in a minute fraction of a second, arger-sized bulletpared to the ones Song Yue ys daily, hit him on the left side of his chest.


    It left a tiny wound after bounced off and pushed him back a little bit. But, Ren Huang didn''t have the time to think about how much pain it caused as he was hit around the same spot, hundred and seven more times in a row in just four seconds.


    *Thud*


    Ren Huang just fell on his back and stayed motionless.


    "Ren Huang," Song Yun screamed in worry but his bodyguard never moved from the spot.


    The Inspector quickly backed away in panic while the 4-circle realm guards that were supposed to arrive and take away the injured body halted in their tracks.<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! The next batch of 12.7mm ammunition is being reloaded automatically.


    "Okay, cool. At the very least, I confirmed that I can kill a 5-circle realm guard by firing a batch." Right then, a doubt emerged in his head, "Is he really a 5-circle realm warrior?"


    He fell into thoughts. Ren Huang''s earlier attacks indeed show that he might be in the 5-circle realm but Mark doesn''t know for sure. To confirm his suspicions, he aimed the machine gun towards the other guards who longed gave up on attacking the Tank and went into spectator mode.


    As the gun turned towards the group of guards, a few of them raised the shields to block while the others just escaped from the spot.


    One of them is named Mao Lan who was a neer. However, he was an employee not because he took the test but because of the connections.


    As soon as Mao Lan saw the defeat of Steward Bai and Bodyguard Ren, he decided to run away. Unfortunately for him, Mark already locked him as the target.


    Mao Lan didn''t know that the machine gun was turning around towards where he was running away.


    Mark pressed the trigger.


    *Bang*


    His skull was pierced from behind and he fell on his front. Instant spot dead. The guards panicked even more.


    "Woah, now that was cool¡­" On the other hand, Mark was quite impressed with the machine gun controls. In his eyes, it was more impressive than the cannon and grenadeuncher. Both of them have high explosive power but what''s the use. They have quite an amount of drawbacks when dealing with low-level spirit warriors like the ones around.


    With one of his objectives fulfilled, Mark switched the seats to the far right one. "Now, it''s the time to show the might of grenades."


    As the Grenadeuncher was aimed towards Song Yun who was standing at the main entrance door of the mansion, the soldiers immediately came forward with shields to protect him while gripping their hearts in fear.


    However, to their surprise, the Grenade Launcher didn''tunch any attack. Instead, the entire tank slowly reversed, getting far and far away from the minister.


    It stopped after a while. Song Yun wondered out loud, "what is it going to do, now?"


    Looking at them through the screens, Mark mumbled to himself. "the deaths of soldiers can be covered and forgotten easily but Mansion is different. Everyone should know the price Song n had paid for their arrogance¡­"


    *Boom*


    The Grenadeuncher suddenly fired the ammunition towards the second floor of the mansion.


    Five minutester;


    *Boom*


    Another Grenade sted onto a part of the ground floor, destroying the huge window.


    The Song Mansion was now full of huge holes, there were mes everywhere, several bodies of guards and Prefects were seen lying on the ground while the spectators are watching from the outside as if they were watching an exhibition.


    For some, it was curiosity, for some, it was an amusement, for some, it was fear, for whatever emotion it might be, one can say that the street was filled with people. No one dares to step inside to not turn into dead bodies.


    Having enough of it, Song Yun screamed at top of his lungs. "Stop it¡­ Who are you? What the hell do you want? Let''s talk in peace, okay."


    As soon as Song Yun stopped threatening and shouted for peace, the door at the front opened and Mark climbed up, revealing only his face.


    "It''s you, after all¡­" Song Yun gritted in teeth.


    Giving a cold gaze to the minister, Mark said, "told you so. You will regret disying your arrogance¡­"

 Chapter 38 Song Yuns Strongest Trump Card

    "I will not leave you alive." Song Yun couldn''t stop shiver in anger. His eyes turned red while ether energy was erupted and covered him like armor but what''s interesting is that a few experts who were just enjoying the show have a look of surprise on their faces.


    "Minister Song is in the 6-circle realm?" "He broke through?" "What was he doing until now, then?" "Is it a fake realm?" "An effect of a pill?"


    Numerous thoughts were going through the minds of these intermediate realm experts (4-circle to 6-circle).


    The Elite soldiers who were deployed by the Pce sighed in relief. What could they do against a metal puppet that''s seemed indestructible from 5-circle attacks and could kill them within seconds? What''s more, the controller seemed to be hiding against this turtle shell.


    Their hope rests on Song Yun. If he destroys the thing, then, they can return peacefully. If Song Yun gets killed, then, they can report that they weren''t a match that killed a 6-circle realm expert. Either way, they will be safe from getting punished for not doing their job.


    Mark stared at Song Yun. Originally, he doesn''t want toe out but for the mission to seed, the minister needs to know his identity. He didn''t expect that he was getting intimidated by the energy swirling around his enemy.


    Since only his head and neck are out, so, the people couldn''t see that his whole body below the neck is involuntarily shuddering.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark continued to maintain his expression of coldness and said, "Be careful what you wish for, Minister Song. This is just a tiny retaliation for your warning to me. Now, whether¡­"


    "You peasant still dare to speak in that tone after humiliating the name of my Song n? I''ll roast you alive, today." Song Yun, overwhelmed in anger pushed his leg against the ground and dash towards the tank, all alone.


    "Well, I guess it''s your wish then." Mark then nced at the mansion with more than twenty openings.


    At the entrance door, apart from the guards and Song Yun, there was a beautiful woman in clothes made of silk. "It''s his wife or sister, maybe? What about my golden goose? I hope she isn''t hiding inside. I don''t want to kill her by ident. But then, again, in this situation, anyone who stays in the building will only die sooner orter even if I leave them alive. There''s no need to do business with such foolish people¡­"


    He locked the door and went back to the seat.


    "System, Open Creation Gallery"


    He clicked on the 120mm ammunition.


    "Create"


    *Ding! 120mm ammunition has currently a 53.24% sess rate. Proceed?


    *Ding! You failed to create K3. 2 low-grade ether crystals have been added to the debt. Sess rate increases by 5.32%.


    "Again¡­"


    *Ding! You sessfully created K3. 2 low-grade ether crystals have been added to the debt. Please check your inventory.


    "Thank goodness." Mark quickly sent it to the storage chamber and gave an order to Allen through the wiredmunication device.


    Instead of firing, Mark decides to create again while waiting for his enemy to arrive.


    By the time Song Yun arrived, Mark created a second one.


    Suddenly, a powerful punch wasnded on the tank from the front, making a huge dent and even pushing the tank for a whole foot. Mark felt tremors inside and he almost fell down from his seat. Thankfully, he managed to keep his bnce while checking the new notification.


    *Ding! The durability of Battle Tank-V reduced by 2%


    "Woah, that''s high." Mark was really surprised to see it fell from 86 to 84 with just one punch. "I guess he''s 6-circle. Okay, I guess I didn''t have enough time to y around."


    Mark no longer hesitated about the price and attempts. He started to create one after another.<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Song Yun was shocked to find that even his strongest punch was useless against this piece of metal puppet vehicle in front of him. Moreover, some of his own force was also rebounding back to him. So, like the previous ones, he too felt the pain in his wrist.


    After throwing ten more consecutive punches, Song Yun''s hand is red. He decided to use his strongest skill but before that, he jumped and somersaulted a few more times and increased the distance to around 60-70 meters.


    Combining his attribute power along with his ether energy, he generated a hundred spears imbued in electricity. They are now floating above his head as if waiting for an order to strike down the enemy.


    The spectators went into a daze. They never knew that this politician was this strong.


    "What was that?" Mark paused for a second. He saw the skill was really shy and powerful. "Let him try."


    Being confident in the durability of the Battle Tank, Mark continued with his creation.


    "Die." Song Yun roared as he motioned his arm. Hundred lightning spears bombarded the Battle Tank, making dents and scratches all over. The tank was also getting pushed by an inch for every spear that hit it. In the meantime, Mark started receiving notifications of a reduction of 0.1% durability, eventually taking over 10% in the end.


    The Battle Tank no longer looked as new as it was before. It was now full of dozens of dents and scratches.


    "No way¡­" Song Yun''s eyes widened. His ultimate attack did nothing as he expected it to be. "Just what in the hell is this made of. Who is that b*****d that made it?"


    He could only curse out to vent out his frustration.


    On the other hand, Mark received another notification of sess. "Hmm, four is not enough."


    Song Yun then took out a sky blue pill with clouds on it. "I guess I have no choice. I need to bet everything on this high-quality Cloud pill."


    He swallowed it without hesitation. Within seconds, natural energy in the surroundings started to gather into his body.


    An aura of blue energy appeared over the usual red ether energy.


    His wife who was standing outside the entrance door under the protection of the guards became worried.


    But, she knew that she isn''t in any position to stop the fight and his prideful husband isn''t the type to back down when the opponent is especially from themoner background. After hearing the entire matter from the guards, she could only hope for her daughter to arrive soon.


    It isn''t that difficult for Song Yue to not hear of this attack even if the Lin mansion is more than twenty miles away from Song Mansion. The only issue is whether she would arrive on time or not.


    Song Yun raised his hand above his head. Clouds slowly gathered above the Song Mansion, blocking the sunlight.


    Suddenly, a lightning bolt descended onto Song Yun, or more specifically, onto his right hand.


    "Argh¡­" Song Yun screamed in pain with his hand slowly getting burnt despite being protected by his own ether energy and natural energy.


    However, consumed in rage, he doesn''t seem to care about the issue.


    "Dear, No¡­ Stop it¡­" His wife screamed but it didn''t reach his ears.


    His hands continued to draw the lightning and a sphere was about to take shape. It formed more than half and almost his entire lower arm is facing a third-degree burn.


    "The Hell¡­" One of the spectators couldn''t hold his astonishment. Thankfully, the crowd outside was quiet and no one paying attention to this Nie n''s spy.

 Chapter 39 The Powerful 120mm Ammunition

    While Song Yun was preparing for his ultimate trump card, Mark, on the other hand, was busy with his usual weapon-making.


    "Okay, now that''s the sixth one..." He was ignoring the shy skill happening on the outside and waspletely concentrating on creating the ammunition.


    As the Tank is blocking his senses, he wasn''t realizing how powerful it is. So, Mark was calm.


    Just as he was about to make another ammunition, the system sent a warning.


    *Ding! Warning: The power gathering by the enemy will cross the limits of the durability of Battle Tank-V, resulting in the host''s and the Android''s death. Interrupt the spell.


    "What the¡­ Seriously?" Mark suddenly stood on his feet in shock.


    *Ding! The Enemy is gathering natural lightning, which is far powerful than ordinary lightning generated by ether energy. You have 16 more seconds to stop it.


    "F**k¡­" Mark quickly took his seat and turned his cannon in the direction, where Song Yun was standing. He locked on the target.


    *Ding! Target is within the 4km range. Target has been locked.


    *Boom*


    As the cannon shot the HEAT projectile, Song Yun gritted his teeth and put forth his left hand forward to block the attack with the palm as he can''t afford to dodge while the spell isn''tplete.


    He unleashed a red and bluerge shield, consuming his ether energy at a rapid pace. "Three-fourths isplete. Just a few seconds more. Argh¡­"


    By using another technique and wasting ether energy, the blue and red armor around him thinned and his pain intensified.


    The projectile hit the shield target at a zing speed, creating an enormous amount of explosion. The crowd stepped back involuntarily in fear.


    The energy shield managed to block most of the damage but notpletely. He was still caught up in the explosion and sted more than a dozen meters away.


    The dark clouds dispersed from the sky along with the disappearance of lightning.


    Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Song Yun red at the tank in extreme rage. "I''m the head of the Song n. How dare¡­ *cough* How dare a mere peasant¡­"


    Mark shook his head, "high headed people like these really need to be beaten to near death."


    He pressed on the trigger without waiting for his sentence to finish.


    *Boom*


    Song Yun tried to attempt dodging by jumping to the side. Unfortunately for him, there was a target locking feature avable even for the cannon. The HEAT projectile changed its direction in the midway and hit him directly on the chest, triggering another explosion.


    This time, Song Yun was sted all the way towards the wall and crashed on it, falling on the ground while cracking the wall.


    "What the hell... That was a HEAT projectile, not a fu*k**g missile. How did it change in the midway after being fired?" Mark was an arms designer himself. Naturally, he knew that it doesn''t make sense. He thought the locked feature indicates the weapon, not the ammunition itself.


    *Ding! System controls its pathway.


    "Ah! I see..." If the system is involved, then, it was possible. There are many things Mark was curious about. For example, how could it create things out of the air without any raw materials? Why does it take a 90% fee from every weapon that sold him? What''s the use of gold coins for the System? Why does the system sometimes behave like an A.I., and sometimes like a real human? Who could have built such a system? Certainly not a god as the system confirmed to him that she was created by a bunch of maniacs from a faraway gxy.


    He doesn''t have any answers and neither does the system give him, apart from telling him that he should upgrade the system to get the answers he needs.


    But, one thing was for sure. He was thoroughly impressed with its ability. If the cannon''s locked feature works like this, then, it would be the best.


    "System, why didn''t you tell me before about the features of cannon?"


    *Ding! The host never asked.


    "You son of¡­<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! System detecting an obscenenguage directed at it. Host must control himself or else, will be subjected to a penalty of 100 gold coins.


    Clenching his fist, Mark took a deep breath and asked it about the Grenadeuncher in a calm tone, to which the System answered that it is only avable for one secondary weapon.


    As it asked whether he wanted to change the locking feature from machine gun to grenadeuncher, Mark rejected it and then, ced his attention once again on Song Yun.


    "Hmm, he was still alive? It must be the doing of that blue energy." With heavy injuries all over his body, Song Yun managed to get himself with extreme difficulty.


    "Well, never mind¡­" Mark shrugged his shoulders as if it doesn''t matter. "If two wouldn''t do the job, then, how about one more."


    *Ding! Target is within 4 km. Target has been locked.


    Just as he was about to press the trigger, Song Yun raised his hand and spoke almost in a whisper, "Fine, You win¡­"


    Unfortunately for him, Mark couldn''t hear it as his voice was too low and it was barely a whisper.


    "What is he talking about? He didn''t give up? Well, then..."


    *Boom*


    *Ding! Youpleted the main objective of the Emergency Quest. Return to the store to acquire the rewards.


    "Eh?" As soon as he pressed on the trigger, the system sent a notification.


    However, it was a bit toote as the HEAT projectile was alreadyunched and struck him once again.


    This time, he not only crashed onto the cracked wall. As the part of a wall was destroyed by the force, he was buried under rubble.


    "Dear¡­" His wife screamed and ran forward. The guards followed her. Without caring about Mark''s presence, they started to search for the minister. However, unlike them, the others were extremely aware of the Tank''s presence. So, no one stepped forward.


    Upon seeing the demise of a 6-circle spirit warrior with their own eyes, they don''t have the courage to step inside. One of the Elite soldiers rushed towards the pce to inform their general.


    Now, if this person will go rampage in the city, only 7-circle generals could stop him.


    In the meantime, as Mark became a silent observer, the Elite Guards managed to find Song Yun and brought him out. He was drenched in blood from top to bottom but was still alive and found to be coughing the blood.


    As they are carrying him away, the door on the top of the tank once again opened and Mark''s head popped up. "Wait." He shouted.


    Everyone shuddered in fear as they stopped and turned towards him. Song Yun''s wife stood in front of him, trying to act as a shield by herself.


    "The only reason I''m sparing him isn''t that he''s from a major noble n or has a super-strong cousin. It is because his daughter is a regr customer at our store. Tell him that." After giving a message in a calm tone, Mark then changed his tone to give a stern warning. "Tell him that this incident is over right now. If hees to his senses, then, maybe, in the future, your daughter will probably get the privilege to buy these Battle Tanks.


    If he still pursues revenge, then, next time, there won''t be any mercy. There won''t be one Battle Tank before you. There will be a hundred of these. Whether he wants me to sell these Battle Tanks to the Song n or use them against the Song n will depend on his behavior.


    Oh, by the way, this old man''s still alive. Treat his injuries." He pointed at the unconscious Steward who was losing blood for a while.


    After that, he closed the door and sit in the driver''s seat, before driving away towards the entrance gate slowly.


    As soon as they saw the vehicleing towards them, half of the crowd just dispersed and the remaining half stood aside silently and gave the way.


    ***


    Miles away from the Song Mansion, a carriage was pulled by two greyhounds at a fast speed.


    *Mmph* Inside the carriage, there were two people in masks and robes, tightly holding Song Yue whose legs and hands were tied up and her mouth by a cloth.

 Chapter 40 Song Yue Was Abducted

    Lin Mansion, Imperial City;


    Song Yue was reading a popr romantic novel while Lin Xue was busy with her sword training.


    All of a sudden, a couple of soldiers rushed into the training ground, interrupting Lin Xue''s training.


    "What is it?" She was annoyed that her training has been interrupted. A frown appeared on her face.


    "Mdy, something bad happened."


    One of them proceed with reporting to her about the incident that happened at Song Mansion. Song Yue who was nearby stood up in shock. She immediately rushed towards him, "What happened? Tell me the details."


    The second soldier exined everything from the appearance of a unique moving metal vehicle or puppet to its sudden rampaging within the Song Mansion''spound, heavily injuring the minister.


    p "My father is gravely injured?" A look of panic appeared on her face. "Xue Xue, I have to go."</anda>


    "Wait, I''ming with you." As Lin Xue offered toe along, for some reason, the soldiers were troubled and looked at each other before one of them hurriedly bowed his head, "Lady Lin, the city is in chaos right now. Your presence might attract enemies. If anything happens to you, our heads will be rolled on the ground¡­"


    "Don''t worry. Yao Ling will follow me." Lin Xue assured them that with a six-circle realm expert sitting beside her, she''ll be safe from any ambushes and she doesn''t need their protection.


    As soon as the two soldiers heard the name, their faces stiffened for a second before one of them directly kneeled before the heiress of the Lin n, "Mdy, I beg you. We got a report that Lord Song was confirmed to be a 6-circle realm. Even he was brought to the brink of death. We don''t know whether this fiend willunch against you. If something happens to you, our heads will be rolled off from the ground.


    While Lin Xue thought about her father''s character, she felt like it might be possible for the Minister of Personnel to show his wrath on the guards. Lin Xue didn''t consider it but Song Yue thought of the possibility of the third prince''s anger on the poor soldiers.


    She felt pity for them. So, when Lin Xue tried to insist that she wille in secret since Song Yun is also close to her, Song Yue told her that she will go alone. "After everything gets cool down, you can visit my father."


    "What are you still waiting for? Let''s go." Song Yue impatiently told to the kneeling soldiers to hurry up and prepare the carriage for her return.


    She thought she would be fine if she aboard a normal carriage and let the soldiers apany her in civilian clothes. However, she didn''t expect that as soon as the vehicle crossed Valley Street, the carriage suddenly stops and the soldiers enter the cabin without her permission.


    "What are you doing¡­ mmphf¡­" Her mouth was quickly closed by one of the soldiers before taking control of the situation. The carriage continued to move while the Lin n soldiers sat managed to abduct the Song n heiress.


    As for why they did this?<sub> </sub>


    It''s because they were originally spies of the Nie n who were nted at Lin n''s Mansion long ago. For five years, they have been serving like normal security guards; apany Lin Xue, and sometimes, her younger brother or her mother, and gained considerable trust from everyone.


    Their actual mission is to abduct either of the children of Lin Wuying and use them as a bargaining chip for the Crown Prince''s kingship.


    Nie Rougang upon receiving the news of the attack on the Song n thought that it''s the best time to mobilize them as his earlier n might take several years. After all, the King himself is super healthy. Unless the King will be assassinated, it will be impossible for the Crown Prince, Shang Zexi to im the throne.


    So, he acted right away. As for what he will be getting in return, it is his resignation from his post. When Song Yun retires, then, someone from Song n will have to take over his position.


    Despite women having several rights in the Imperial Empire of Phoenix, like even bing the head of their respective n, no woman was ever appointed as a minister in the royal court. In fact, except for the current Empress, Empress Dowager, maids, and dancers, no other woman irrespective of their position is even allowed to step inside the courtroom.


    This thing hasn''t changed in the past 3500 years and probably will not change as long as the Shang family rules the Empire.


    It means that Song Yue cannot hold the post of the minister after her father resigns. He doesn''t have other heirs too. The most ideal candidate would be Song Chang, who is the elder brother of Song Yun and is currently working at the Central Secretariat, a department responsible for drafting policy.


    The biggest advantage of Nie Rougang here is that Song Chang is in cahoots with Nie n. It was mainly because of the previous n head''s decision of making Song Yun his sessor despite Song Chang is the eldest.


    Song Chang hates Song Yun and most likely will strengthen the Crown Prince''s faction once his appointment will be finished.


    After the two spies rode for twenty minutes, they sessfully crossed the inner sector of the city and reached the outer sector where the poorer section of the society lives.


    Both of them were now even more alert with how bustling the streets are. So, they made sure to knock Song Yue out and constantly keep an eye on her as the horse carriage slowly made its way towards the outskirts. ording to the orders they received, a man will be waiting for them at the shores of Lake Beihai, located in the western part of the outer sector.


    That person will rece the coachman and takes the carriage to the hiddenir where they will keep Song Yue hostage until the Nie n''s work is done behind the scenes.


    Everything was fine without any disturbance until they reached thekeshore where twin dragon statues are located at the entrance of an abandoned millennium-old temple. It was the ce where their helper should be waiting but instead, there''s a huge battle tank is parked with an Android sitting on top of it with his arms crossed. He has a sword ced with him.


    "Target Found"


    His eyes glowed in red upon discovering the carriage.


    He leaped towards the carriage and shed the sword. The neck of the poor horse rolled on the floor, scaring the hell out of the coachman who is nothing but a civilian without any fighting prowess. The coachman screamed and ran away in fear.

 Chapter 41 Emergency Quest: Rescue A Damsel In Distress

    Until a while ago, Mark was nning to return to his home as quickly as possible as he knew that with its huge and strange appearance, the Battle Tank will not only attract the attention of passersby but also give his position away to the hidden enemies.


    Because he''s weak, he couldn''t abandon the Battle Tank until he reaches his destination. On the other hand, the Battle Tank is too big to even enter Rainbow Street where his store was located.


    So, he made a simple n. Stop at the main street and make a run for their store quickly. It was three hundred meters away. Normally, it wouldn''t take too much time to reach the store but if there are enemies, then, he will have to depend on Allen to defend him on the way.


    Little did he expect that as soon as the Battle Tank reached the corner of the street, Mark will receive a surprising notification emergency quest from the system¡­


    *Ding! You received an Emergency Quest


    He clicked on the quest.


    Emergency Quest II: Rescue a Damsel in Distress


    Description: Song Yue has been abducted by two spies of the Nie n and is in dire need of help. Song Yue is an important customer of Genesis. In order to not lose the profits of the store, go to Lake Beihai and rescue her.


    Enemy strength: Four-circle realm*2, One five-circle realm*1


    Rewards: Song Yue''s Affinity with the store increases by 2 levels.


    Location: Beihai Temple, Lake Beihai


    ept?


    "Song Yue has been abducted?" Mark was obviously taken aback as he didn''t expect it to happen. At first, he wasn''t that interested to help her out but then, as he saw the rewards, he was a little bit surprised and enquired about the matter with the System.


    *Ding! Affinity with the store decides the rtionship of the customer to the store. The higher the affinity, the more the customer will be attracted towards the store and they will prefer to buy the weapons from the store over others.


    *Ding! Upon reaching a certain level of affinity, the customers will be also eligible to buy exclusive weapons from the System. The Host cannot sell anyone else apart from the eligible customer.


    Levels: Total purchases (worth)


    Level-1: 1000 gold coins


    Level-2: 10000 gold coins


    Level-3: 100000 gold coins


    Level-4: 1 million gold coins


    Level-5: 10 million gold coins


    Level-6: 100 million gold coins


    Level-7: 1 Billion gold coins


    Level-8: 10 Billion gold coins


    Level-9: 100 Billion gold coins


    Max: 1 Trillion gold coins


    "One tr.. trillion?" Naturally, Mark went into a daze because of high-level figures given by the system. "Even if I collect all the gold coins in the world, there won''t be 1 trillion."


    System also understood his thoughts. So, it gave a little bit of rification.


    *Ding! Customers don''t need to buy items with gold coins every time. Those who reach level-2 can trade jewels, ether crystals, gold, or above graded items to buy the weapons from the store. The system will decide their worth during the transaction and neither the host nor the customer has the right to bargain the final amount.<sub> </sub>


    "I see, I understand." Now that he realized that he will get to create new weapons even if they could be sold for only Song Yue, Mark felt that it is worth saving her even if he has to face the risk of being surrounded by higher realm soldiers on the way.


    Mark also convinced himself that if he helps her out, at least the immediate future fight with the Song n or with the pce will end. If he was strong enough, he will care less about the retaliation from the pce, but currently, he isn''t. He needs customers and a lot of time to develop his store and in turn, be stronger. Since there''s a chance of resetting all the trouble with just one quest, he decided to take the gamble.


    With Allen controlling the vehicle, Mark intended to create as much ammunition as he can before the time limit is up. He pressed on ept. But, the system gave him another surprise of the day.


    *Ding! You epted Emergency quest II, Rescue a Damsel in Distress.


    *Ding! Your location is more than 1 km away from the quest location. Teleportation is activated in 3, 2, 1¡­


    "Eh? Whaaaaat¡­"


    Suddenly, a ck portal is generated above the Tank and sucked the vehicle. It wasn''t a smooth process at all.


    *Thud*


    The entire vehicle fell on the ground from 4 meters high, causing a huge tremor inside. As the Battle Tank crashed on the ground, Mark was pushed by the seat towards the roof.


    Thankfully, Allen was quick enough to cover Mark at the right time before thetter''s head hit the roof, or else, he would have ended up with a grave head injury as he was still a normal civilian. As for the Android, nothing happened even if his back was hit.


    *Ding! You reached the destination.


    "The fuck¡­ Are you out of your mind?" Mark didn''t hold back to scold the system as it was too abrupt.


    *Ding! Profanity Alert. Warning to the Host to conduct himself or else, you will be faced with a penalty.


    The system gave him a warning as usual.


    "Why didn''t you tell me beforehand? I would have at least wear a seatbelt and prepare myself." Controlling himself, Mark roared in his head.


    *Ding! The Host never asked the System about the details.


    The system answered him in a in tone as if that''s obvious. After a brief silence, it added an exnation.


    *Ding! Emergency Quest is called Emergency Quest because it is an emergency situation and the host will not have sufficient time to make preparations beforehand.


    *Ding! If the Host is located more than 1 kilometer away from the quest location, then, the host will be teleported to the quest location, or else, the Host will have to reach the location manually.


    *Ding! The Host can also request a quest map that will show the enemy''s position for a limited time. In that case, the automatic teleportation feature will be deactivated.


    *Ding! The Carriage with unconscious Song Yue is about to arrive in two minutes.


    Mark noted the rules to his mind. He felt like both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, if he can get a map that shows enemies'' movements, he can intercept them at any point. On the other hand, the teleportation feature will save him a lot of effort. But, how can the System decide on a certain location as the Quest location?


    After all, this isn''t a game but real life, and the thoughts and actions of real humans are often filled with so many variables. Who knows, they change their mind halfway and go in a different direction or they might even decide to run away in fear, instead of proceeding with the abduction. They could meet with an ident or someone else might save the hostage.


    While he was having several thoughts about this, Allen opened his mouth, "Big Brother, the carriage has arrived."


    Mark''s attention immediately turned to the screen where he could see a horse carriage from far away.


    "Allen, I leave this to you. You just need to leave one of the enemies alive." Mark gave an order while handing him the gold-grade sword he confiscated from the dead body a while ago.


    All this while, an unlucky bald man in monk robes was being crushed and got stuck underneath the Battle Tank as it fell on top of him during the teleportation. Being heavily injured, he appeared unconscious.

 Chapter 42 Android Saves The Beauty

    "What happened?" Liao Heng, one of the spies peeked from the window as the coachman screamed loudly and ran away.


    Instantly, his eyes widened as he saw the Battle Tank in the ce where an Elite should be waiting. "What the hell is that?"


    Du Fu, the other spy also looked at it. He started to sweat in panic, "Doesn''t it look exactly the same as the rumors we heard?"


    If it is really the same one, then, Du Fu knew that he and hispanion fucked up. After all, even a six-circle realm like Song Yun was helpless. What could they do?


    But then again, they don''t have anything to do with the enemy. And who knows the possible enemy might even help them if they reveal Song Yue is with for she is the daughter of Song Yun. Du Fu has a lot of worrisome thoughts going on his mind.


    Meanwhile, Liao Heng stepped down from the carriage, thinking that their helper might be in that giant metal thing. Maybe, they have to shift the package to the carriage with no animal to carry it.


    However, just as he made two steps forward, his eyes fell on Allen with a sword smeared with blood and the head of a horse behind him. Allen continued to walk towards him. His red blood pupils were scanning the enemy standing before him.


    "Scanning the target. Beginner stage, 4-circle realm"


    "Who are you?" Liao Heng frowned deeply. He realized that it wasn''t the one that was supposed to receive them. As Allen continued to walk forward, his heartbeat rose in panic. "What¡­ what do you want?"


    Allen didn''t give any reply and just dashed forward. Before Liao Heng knew what''s going on, the sword swiftly cut off his head.


    "Brother Liao¡­" Du Fu screamed in horror as he saw the head of hisrade was severed from the body with just one strike. Now, he confirmed that this higher realm fellow might be here to save Song Yue. As a person who was trained as a spy for decades before being employed at Lin Mansion, he wasn''t that much of a coward that he would lose his senses in fear.


    He quickly got off from the carriage while taking her as a hostage with a dagger at her throat.


    Du Fu threatened Allen who set his eyes on him, "don''te near or else, I''ll kill her."


    Allen stopped in his tracks as his primary objective is to rescue Song Yue. Killing the abductors is only secondary.


    Du Fu is inwardly relieved that the enemy seems like listening to him. But, soon, he realized that he greatly underestimated the Android.


    As he slowly backed away with the unconscious Song Yue, Allen who received permission to use his skill attacks, unleashed one of them.


    His blood-red pupils glowed for a fraction of a second before a powerfulser light unleashed from both of his eyes, aiming at Du Fu''s legs.


    *Argh* Du Fu screamed in pain with a set of holes appeared on his body, each of them is on each leg,pletely making a hole out of bone, thereby breaking the legs.


    As the spy was about to fall on the ground, Allen quickly dashed forward and caught Song Yue before looking around for the third enemy who was supposed to be in the 5-circle realm.


    When he didn''t find the guy, Allen carried Song Yue in his arms and walked back towards the Battle Tank to report to his Master about the sess of the mission.


    However, to his surprise, Mark wasn''t opening the door at all. He wasn''t busy is either creating weapons or looking at the quest.


    Mark''s eyes were rather fixed on one of the screens where he found a particr ordinary horse carriage parked far away.


    When he zoomed in, he saw a ck-robed coachman of that carriage who appeared anything but normal.


    But, he wasn''t the one that caused him surprise but it was thedy who put her head outside the window and was looking at the scene through binocrs.


    Mark continued to zoom and when it reached 40x, the picture was a bit blurry but he indeed discovered her identity. A look of surprise appeared on his face. "Isn''t this the same girl who apanied Song Yue, a few days ago? She didn''t buy anything but if I remember right, she''s the heiress of Lin n, right?"<sub> </sub>


    Realization dawned upon him. "That means even if I don''t rescue her, she''ll be saved. If that''s the case, then, why was I given a mission?"


    It also brought a little bit of confusion to him. So, he asked the system about it, to which thetter replied that it never stated that Song Yue will not be saved if Mark fails to save her.


    It further stated that the System gave him an opportunity to make peace with the Song Family so that his progress will not be hindered because of revenge.


    After making his decision, Mark finally opened the door and got out of the tank where he found his loyal servant is still carrying Song Yue in silence with his eyes fixed on the Tank. Meanwhile, Du Fu who ate a recovery pill was crying in pain nonstop because of a very slow rate of bone recovery. The residual effect ofser eyes is resisting the recovery ability.


    "Allen, leave her in the carriage, and let''s go¡­" Mark passed an order to Allen and purposely stared in the direction of the carriage which looks very tiny from far away.


    As he doesn''t know how they will interpret his stare, he raised his hand, waved it, and pointed at the carriage. With Lin Xue watching through binocrs, he believed that she could see his gestures and saw what Allen is doing too.


    After several minutes, the Battle Tank left the ce, Lin Xue ordered her bodyguard to drive towards the location.


    When they reached the ce, she also found another familiar figure on the ground, at the ce where the Tank was used to be. The unconscious injured bald monk was the same one that tried to ambush her and her friends a while ago during her trip.


    "Back then, he escaped with his disciple. Now, he was caught. You are in luck, Lady Lin." Yao Lingmented as he got down from the carriage.


    "Yeah, I guess¡­" She mumbled while staring at the empty space. Her eyes were fixed on the direction where the Battle Tank left. "Allen, huh!"


    The sword strike of Allen left a deep impression on her and a sense ofpetitiveness emerged in her heart.


    After a few hours, Song Yue found herself in Lin Xue''s room. As the daughter of a minister, she was being abducted a lot of times from her childhood. So, her first thought wasn''t the kidnappers but her father.


    Lin Xue told her the good news, "Don''t worry. Uncle Yun is resting at the Royal Healer''s quarters. He was brought in time. So, there''s no danger to his life."


    "Thank goodness¡­" Song Yue sighed in relief upon hearing that her father was well. It was then, she asked her friend about the abduction.


    Lin Xue smiled as she exined in detail, "I never nned to leave you alone from the start."


    When she heard there might be an attack because of themotion in the city, the Lin n''s heiress was even more determined to protect Song Yue as the two soldiers apanying the Song n heiress are only of the 4-circle realm.


    So, after Song Yue has set off to her home, Lin Xue also quietly followed from far away with her personal bodyguard Yao Ling, a six-circle realm of the Assassin path.


    Lin Xue only intended to go in secret so as to not worry her friend but she didn''t expect the two soldiers who were supposed to walk on foot to suddenly intrude the carriage and abduct her friend.


    Naturally, she was filled with rage.


    If not for the fact that her bodyguard has a special skill that lets him see through the objects, she would have long interrupted the carriage and kill them right away.


    Upon realizing that her friend is safe, she wanted to see where they were taking her. She wanted to know whether it is just a normal abduction or there''s more to it.


    In the process, she discovered the Battle Tank, Allen, and Mark saving her. While Song Yue is sleeping, Lin Xue also investigated the matter.


    "It was Owner Lu who attacked my father and it was also him who saved me?" Song Yue didn''t know how to react to the reality that happened all because she purchased things from the Genesis store.

 Chapter 43 Unlocking Exclusive Weapons

    Upon returning to the store safely, Mark immediately opened the quest list to ept the rewards.


    "System, open Quest list"


    QUEST LIST:


    Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-shot Pistols (In progress-18%)


    Reward: Single-shot firearms Unlock


    SIDE QUESTS:


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 1000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress-9%)


    Reward: Ether Particles


    *


    Side Quest II: Sell 10 Revolvers (In Progress-10%)


    Reward: Semi-automatic Pistol (10 round magazine)


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 5000 credits (In progress-10%)


    Reward: Exchange Panel (Currency to credits and vice versa)


    EMERGENCY QUESTS:


    Emergency Quest I: Show your might (Completed)


    Description: A future God of Weapons should never cower against a mere noble of a small empire. Charge into the Song Mansion and show them that you are a person they can''t afford to mess with.


    Reward: Passive skill: Ultimate Defense


    Bonus Quest: Instill fear into Song Yun and his subordinates (Completed)


    Reward: Unknown


    *


    Emergency Quest II: Rescue a Damsel in Distress (Completed)


    Description: Song Yue has been abducted by two spies of the Nie n and is in dire need of help. Song Yue is an important customer of Genesis. In order to not lose the profits of the store, go to Lake Beihai and rescue her.


    Reward: Song Yue''s affinity with the store increases by 2 levels.


    *


    "All I have to wait for three days and my quest and one of the side quests will bepleted. In the meantime, once I hand over the goods to Song Yue, another side quest will bepleted and I will unlock a semi-automatic pistol." Mark mumbled to himself while staring at the quest list.


    The only thing that worries him is whether Song Yue will take the weapons or not. Even though he saved her and gained the affinity, Mark wasn''t that confident that she might return as he doesn''t know whether it happens sooner or it will take a lot of time. After all, he couldn''t also rule out his attack on her father.


    "Affinity, huh¡­" As he remembered Song Yue, he thought of this new function of the system. He doesn''t understand how it works. If it is as the System mentioned it to be, then, the System thattched onto his soul is also powerful enough to influence the other humans.


    Putting aside the thoughts that will bring him nowhere, Mark proceeded to click on the quests and receive the rewards.


    *Ding! You sessfullypleted the Emergency Quest I and received the skill, Ultimate Defense.


    *Ding! Ultimate Defense has bee changed to Ultimate Defense I.<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! Ultimate Defense II is added to Passive skills.


    *Ding! Youpleted the bonus Quest sessfully. Ultimate Defense I is added to Passive skills.


    *Ding! You sessfullypleted the Emergency Quest II and received the reward. Song Yue''s affinity with the store has been increased by 2 levels.


    *Ding! Affinity Tab has been added to the Character.


    *Ding! Song Yue has been registered under Affinity Tab.


    *Ding! Congrattions, your customer Song Yue has reached level-1 affinity with the store. You unlocked Derringer.


    *Ding! Congrattions, your customer Song Yue has reached level-2 affinity with the store. You unlocked Shotgun.


    "Oh, a Derringer and Shotgun¡­ Cool¡­" Mark was satisfied with the new weapons he can create now, albeit only for the Song n heiress. Now, the only thing he hoped for was her return to the store, so that he could sell it to her. Maybe, he can just sell to other rich kids with her as the medium.


    Of course, even if it doesn''t work with her, there''s a customer who ordered 2500 gold coins worth of stuff. So, he could still sell Derringers to the mysterious archer.


    Mark first checked the Affinity Tab. Apart from Song Yue, there was no other name but he knew that there will be one more added to the list. Closing it, he proceeded to check the Skill Tab.


    SKILLS:


    Active Skills:


    Dismantling: Dismantle any object that belongs to the host and exchange it in equivalent credits. Cost: 0 Ether energy points. CD: 0 seconds.


    Passive Skills:


    Ultimate Defense I: By default, the store is invincible under the heavens and cannot be damaged by anyone under the Demigod realm.


    Ultimate Defense II: Within the store, the host cannot be harmed by anyone under the Demigod realm. The host cannot also be dragged outside against his will.


    "Okay, now that I got the turtle shell, there''s only one thing left to do."


    For the next three days, Mark never stepped outside of the store. His business went on as usual with a couple of customers every day. Song Yue never appeared once and neither did any officials visit his store to question or arrest him. Mark quietly waited for his time toe.


    In these three days, he became busy with creating bullets for the hundred Single-shot pistols and twenty-five revolvers ordered by the mysterious archer.


    On the fourth day, Mark woke up early, feeling excited about the transaction that was going to happen with the mysterious archer if everything goes smoothly. At the same time, he was anxious about whether Song Yue will appear or not.


    And four hours after the store is opened, a normal-looking carriage entered the alley and stopped before the entrance. Except for the ck-robed coachman, there''s nothing unusual or eye-catching about the carriage. Commoners were often busy earning money and didn''t have time to pay attention to such things.


    It was only after the icy cold princess of the Lin n stepped out of the carriage did a few passersby halted their footsteps and take a look at her.


    "Uncle Yao, please wait here." Lin Xue said to him before walking towards the store.


    "Wait a second, Lady Lin. I''lle with you. It isn''t safe." Yao Ling was concerned about the events that urred at the Song Mansion. He wasn''t sure whether it is safe to be alone.


    Seeing how Mark and Allen haven''t killed Song Yun and even rescued his daughterter, Lin Xue was sure that the store owner wouldn''t dare to incur the wrath of the Pce. So, she was sure that he won''t harm her. But, still, to be on the safe side, she allowed her Six-circle realm bodyguard to tag along with her.


    Allen who was arranging the pistols at the wall shelves saw Lin Xue along with a ck-robed expert enter the store. Mark, on the other hand, was busy creating 9mm bullets.


    As soon as they stepped inside the store, both of them felt the suppression on their soul and instinctively stepped outside.


    "This¡­" Lin Xue''s eyes are widened in surprise. It was the first time, she felt this way. She stepped inside again and felt the suppression once again. "What''s going on?" She couldn''t help but look at her bodyguard meaningfully. Thest time she was here, there was no such thing.


    "Lady Lin, this store is strange." Yao Ling responded with a warning, remembering a certain undergroundir that he encountered when he was young.


    Before Yao Ling suggest returning her to carriage, Allen walked towards them and greeted them with a bow, "Wee to Genesis."

 Chapter 44 Lin Xue At The Store

    "Hmm, this girl came instead of Song Yue?" As soon as Mark found Lin Xue entering the store, he had an inkling that she was probably here for collecting the order as well as giving him Song Yue''s message. Considering all the events that happened, he felt it was a high possibility.


    He was a little bit disappointed that his favorite customer hasn''t returned. Mark was looking forward to meeting her not because he missed her or something. He doesn''t care about her order either when he received a muchrge order than hers. What he was hoping is to introduce the exclusive weapons to her.


    Since they might not be his customers, he didn''t bother to go ahead and greet them and just stayed silent, observing their reactions instead. With her social status being a lot higher, maybe, the suppression effect of the store will surprise them and also increase the store''s reputation through their mouths. Other than that, there''s nothing that he wanted from Lin n''s heiress.


    Just as he expected, Mark saw a change in their facial expressions. Heughed inside when he saw they stepped outside in reflex. He waited until they step inside once again and talk to Allen.


    "I''m here on behalf of Song Yue to collect the goods." Lin Xue told him. At the same time, she observed him a bit carefully. With the extraordinary strength that he disyed especially with the sword, her curiosity about him increased a little bit. Of course, his handsome looks, and indifferent eyes, which don''t fake even in front of her was a bonus.


    Upon hearing her words, without even bothering to inform Mark, Allen pointed the board below the shelves. "We only deliver the goods to the customer that paid the money or to the one that customer had named while paying."


    Lin Xue and Yao Ling turned towards the direction where the Android''s finger is pointing at.


    There were a bunch of rules, quite simr to Evesting Store. Along with it, the prices were also written.


    PRICES:


    1) 9mm Bullet ¨C 20 silver coins


    2) Single Shot Pistol - 5 gold coins


    3) Revolver ¨C 20 gold coins


    4) Semi-Automatic Pistol ¨C 30 gold coins


    5) Derringer (Exclusive) ¨C 10 gold coins


    6) Shot Gun (Exclusive) ¨C 50 gold coins


    OFFERS:


    1) Buy 100 or more bullets, ten percent of the number of purchased bullets will be given asplimentary.


    2) Every Revolver will receive six bullets asplementary.


    RULES:


    1) Only a hundred bullets are sold each day.


    2) The customer can order in advance, paying at least a 20% upfront fee. The delivery date of the order will be decided by the store owner. The advance payment is non-refundable unless the store owner cancels the order on his own.


    3) The advance orders can only be delivered to the customer who has ordered in advance or to the one that the customer appointed his/her recement while paying the upfront fee.


    4) Exclusive weapons are only sold to selective customers. As for who is qualified, the store owner gets to decide that.


    5) The customer is prohibited to bargain with the store owner or any employee regarding purchases.<sub> </sub>


    6) The customer is prohibited to make any kind of ruckus inside the store.


    7) The customer is prohibited tomit theft inside the store.


    8) Upon breaking the rules, the customer could get cklisted temporarily or permanently by the store owner.


    9) cklisted people aren''t allowed to enter the store and the store owner reserves the right to punish them for invading his private property without permission.


    **


    Upon reading the rules, Lin Xue deeply frowned andmented, turning her head towards the counter, "You are quite arrogant with the rules, Owner Lu."


    Mark simply let out a fake smile and replied, "I have my own principles, Lady Lin. It will be the same whether the customer is amoner or noble. To what extent would I go to uphold my principles, I guess you already know the result."


    Along with a simple answer, he purposely reminded her about the Song Mansion incident. Mark was always respectful towards the customers. However, after confirming Lin Xue isn''t one, he wasn''t interested to entertain her.


    "Anyway, you can go back and tell Lady Song that if she wants the goods she ordered, she has toe in person and take them. Since she was a regr customer of our store, I can make an exception for her to return her advance payment if she cancels the order." After stating his intentions clear, he calmly took his seat.


    "You¡­" Lin Xue was a little bit angered by his response. Until now, she felt that Mark should be grateful towards the pce for not indicting him for the crime hemitted. After all, Song Yun isn''t a simple noble. He is a minister and head of a major n, highly favored by the Emperor himself. Attacking a minister is a serious offense in the Empire.


    The pce didn''t the action on him, only because of Song Yue, who requested the third prince to leave this matter alone. Even though she was angered that Mark attacked her father, still, the fault lies with Song Yun.


    Her mother also ryed the words Mark told her while leaving.


    "It was because she was a customer of the store, her father gets to live. It is because she is the customer of Genesis store, Song Yue was rescued from a kidnap."


    How a kind person like her would still ask for revenge even after knowing the reality?


    She also requested her fianc¨¦e Zhang Kong and her bestie Lin Xue to leave the matter alone and not to look for revenge.


    This was how Song Yue saved the store.


    However, as she was a bit embarrassed to appear in person, she requested her friend to go in ce of her to collect the weapons she ordered and also give her thanks as well as forgiveness to him.


    But, she was still the heiress of Lin n. Saying such things to amoner like Mark will damage her pride. So, she never mentioned it even after Mark spoke to her rudely. At the same time, she could not go back empty-handed. Her pride won''t allow that too.


    Should she resort to threats? No, it is below her dignity. Should she request once again? No, it is below her dignity. Should she just buy those exact things paying the same amount of money? No, that will make her a loser and Mark a winner.


    What should she do, then? Lin Xue racked her brains to look for a solution. It was then, her eyes fell on Allen and a thought appeared in her mind. Should she challenge? That''s a good idea but will the owner agree to it?


    Lin Xue then thought of the owner''s greedy and arrogant nature and formed a n. In this way, her curiosity about Allen will be satisfied, the owner will agree, and her friend will also receive her goods.


    She immediately threw a challenge at Mark, "How about this. Your worker and I will go for a sword battle. No ether energy will be involved. If he is even able tond a single hit on me, then, I will pay you 200 gold coins and buy all the things that Song Yue ordered in advance but failed to receive them." Lin Xue then nced at Allen, "How about it? Are you confident in his skill?"


    "Sword challenge?" Mark''s smile wiped off his face, reced by a frown for a moment before his face glowed in excitement, "I hope you won''t go back on your promise."

 Chapter 45 An Easy Win For Allen

    *Ding! You receive an Emergency Quest, Defeat Lin Xue


    Description: The heiress of the Lin n issued a formal challenge to the host. The host must defeat her and maintain the reputation of the store.


    Rewards: Lin Xue''s Affinity with the store increases by 1 level.


    Conditions for sess: Allen wins the challenge/ Lin Xue loses consciousness/ Lin Xue admits defeat


    Conditions for failure: Allen loses against Lin Xue/ host admit the defeat/ Host intervene in the battle


    *


    If not for the Emergency quest, Mark would never agree to the challenge. He doesn''t know anything about her. How would he know that Allen has the chance to win against her?


    Moreover, she clearly mentioned that there won''t be ether energy involved and the battle will be dependent purely on sword skills. Allen is sure strong in a fistfight as his path is a fighter. But, was he good at sword? Cutting that spy''s hand during the rescue of Song Yue was never counted as skill in his eyes.


    The emergency quest forced Mark to gamble. After all, even if Allen loses, there''s no loss for him anyway. So, there''s nothing wrong with epting the challenge.


    However, there''s one more thing that Mark needed to consider. It is the protection. The moment he steps out of the store, he will be vulnerable. Maybe, this was her n? Who knows¡­ He can''t trust her. So, Mark thought of a n.


    The sparring ground will be the space in front of the store. The alley was only ten feet wide. While it looks like it may not be sufficient theoretically, still, Allen battled the security head of Song Mansion in this very space, and also, it is only a pure sword battle.


    Mark clearly told to both of them that either the battle will take ce in front of the store or else, she is free to leave.


    Lin Xue didn''t think too much and agreed to it right away. The ce doesn''t matter for her. Despite being a six-realm expert, Yao Ling was nothing more than a subordinate and is quite loyal to Lin n. He doesn''t dare to intervene in something that thedy has decided. So, he became a spectator along with Mark while Lin Xue and Allen stepped out of the store and stood before each other.


    Lin Xue took out a silver grade sword from her storage card to give a handicap to Allen who received a gold grade sword given by his master. Allen''s eyes turned red and scanned her for a moment before it turned back to blue and he mumbled to himself, "4-circle Realm, Advanced stage. Sword mastery: level-5."


    Seeing that Allen isn''t making a move, Lin Xue pointed the sword at him and spoke in a serious tone, "you can begin."


    It was at that moment, Mark shouted from the store. "Allen, You are banned from using skills or killing her. You are also banned from making her disabled. Everything else is allowed."


    "Roger, Big brother." The Android saluted him and grabbed the heavy sword''s handle tightly with both of his arms.


    "Hmm?" Lin Xue who was facing the store took a glimpse at Mark and a frown appeared on her face. She thought Mark ispletely underestimating her. If that''s the case, then, she has to teach his servant a lesson. She only threw the challenge because of her curiosity in Allen. But, now, she felt that it is necessary to tone down this tiny store owner''s arrogance.


    She didn''t realize what those words really meant until the so-called challenge turned her into aughing stock in front ofmoners.<sub> </sub>


    After getting the orders from Mark, Allen charged forward without giving any warning to the enemy. His speed was so fast that Lin Xue couldn''t even dodge his attack and could barely able to block it.


    However, the strength behind the swing overpowered her defense and she was pushed back for a couple of steps before Allen quickly twisted his hand and swung at her arm.


    Although she managed to escape from it, the de still slightly grazed against her skin and a slight cut appeared below her elbow before bleeding. The moment she was wounded, the challenge was already won by Mark but thetter didn''t stop the match because of the emergency quest.


    Maybe, in the heat of the moment, Lin Xue forgot about her big words and resumed the battle by trying to go on with offense. She stepped forward and tried a horizontal sh, to which, Allen stepped back at the perfect time, barely missing the sword. And just as the de passed him, he lunged forward to hack at her arm that was holding the sword.


    He managed to strike her wrist with the blunt side of his sword with high speed, making her sword fall from her hands on the ground. And before she picks it up, he thrust the sword at her neck and stopped just a centimeter away from the throat.


    For a second, she was frozen on the spot and realized the difference between the two of them. It was raw strength and speed. The former she can''t do anything because of the gender difference but thetter is achievable. Just at that moment, she remembered something. Her attribute was lightning and she was so fast that she never bothered polishing her talent but instead, focused on mastery over various sword techniques.


    A simple spar with Allen opened her eyes. But, at the same time, she didn''t feel that she lost to him in sword skill. She just remembered her challenge, that''s all. Amid the stares of themoners, she spoke, "You won, Allen."


    *Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest, Defeat Lin Xue. Go to the Quest list to receive the reward.


    "Hehe, an easy win," A grin escaped from Mark upon receiving the notification. The ck-robed expert took out a pouch and turned towards Mark, "Owner Lu, here. And I apologize for the trouble." He was polite with Mark as he handed the pouch to him, following the rules of the challenge.


    First, the tank that can wreak havoc at Song Mansion and even heavily injures a six-realm expert like Song Yun, then, a store that suppresses everyone''s soul that enters, and a servant that can not only defeat 4-circle realm experts with ease but also defeat a master ss swordsman like Lin Xue in just two moves.


    If either Mark isn''t a civilian with no ether energy or the store locates in a better neighborhood, then, Yao Ling wouldn''t be troubled to think deeply.


    However, the facts before him feel like he should investigate the store.


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue has turned around and walked towards the carriage without even taking the dropped sword from the ground. She was embarrassed when her arrogant words hit her deeply. It hurt even more so when she saw a grin on Mark and an indifferent expression on the Android.


    Yao Ling returned to the carriage with the box full of bullets and weapons that are preordered by Song Yue, a week ago. When he opened the door to put the box inside, he saw Lin Xue bent her upper body, her arms were ced on herp and her head is touching them. He wondered whether she was crying or something. But, since there''s nothing he can say to her, he quietly ced the box on the seat before her and closed the door before taking the seat at the front and rode the horse.


    As they left the ce, Mark dly told Allen to collect the silver sword and return. It was then, a sudden p escaped from one of the crowd. No one knows who started it but suddenly, many people pped in excitement and some of them even started to praise Allen while some expressed their hatred for the nobility. "Well done, young man. You showed that noble bitch a lesson." "hahaha, deserves her right." "These nobles think they can do whatever because we aremoners." "Lin n''s princess suffers defeat in the hands of amoner."


    The other murmured among themselves.


    "Wow, he''s so strong." "Hmpf, what do you know? I heard that Owner Lu even went to Song Mansion and taught a lesson to him. Minister Song begged him to show mercy." "C''mon, don''t kid around. How can someone like that stay in a ce like this?" "Who knows?" "By the way, do you think Lin n wille for revenge,ter?" "I heard that third prince fancies her."


    With so full of nonsense going around, Mark didn''t bother listening to them and went back to his seat.

 Chapter 46 The Mysterious Archer Name Is Feng Wu?

    *Ding! 900 bullets have been sold. 162 gold coins have been deducted. The remaining 18 gold coins have been added to the inventory


    *Ding! 90 bullets have been gifted. 18 gold coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Ten Revolvers have been sold. 180 gold coins have been deducted. The remaining 20 gold coins have been added to inventory.


    *Ding! System has detected unounted bullets within the sold revolvers. They will be turned into gifts.


    *Ding! 60 bullets have been gifted. 12 gold coins have been deducted.


    *Ding! Youpleted Side Quest II. Check the Quest list for rewards.


    Reading the notifications, Mark fell into thoughts, "first, I received a total of 400 gold coins from Song Yue who paid the full amount in advance. Now, I received another 200 gold coins. So, that''s 600. Let''s see¡­ 372 gold coins were taken by the system. So, I made 228 gold coins from this transaction."


    Mark grinned in happiness before something clicked in his mind, "wait a second. If Lin Xue didn''t challenge me, then, I would have received only 28 gold coins as my share? 10 gold coins loss? Hmm¡­ with the profit I gained now, my current worth is nearly 700 gold coins anyway. 10 gold coins aren''t much to lose."


    He shrugged his shoulders and opened the Side Quests.


    SIDE QUESTS:


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 1000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress-29%)


    Side Quest II: Sell 10 Revolvers (Completed)


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 5000 credits (In progress-10%)


    *


    He clicked on the second one.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you unlocked Semi-automatic Pistol (10 rounds). Check the Gallery for details.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest. Please check the Quest list for details.


    Side Quest II: Sell 10 Semi-automatic Pistol (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Semi-Automatic Pistol (20 rounds)


    Suddenly, remembering something, Mark took out the silver grade sword from his inventory. It was dropped by Lin Xue and left without taking it. He took it as the spoils of victory. But, as he doesn''t have any use of it, he decided to dismantle it.


    He opened the skill tab and clicked on the skill. A new window opened on the holographic screen.


    There''s a circle with some mystic symbols around it. Grayed-out Dismantle word was written underneath the circle.


    He calmly touched the circle with the sword. It disappeared and reappeared as an image inside the circle and now, the dismantled word was glowing.


    *Ding! The object will disappear forever. Proceed.


    "Yes"


    *Ding! You dismantled Augur''s sword. You received 47 credits.


    *Whistle* "Now, that''s cool. Okay, let''s get to creation."<sub> </sub>


    He went to the Gallery to check out their details first. Since Derringer was now avable to both Lin Xue and Song Yue, he decided to prioritize it first. As for Semi-Automatic pistols, he can''t sell them when revolvers haven''t be popr yet. For now, he''ll create them but will keep them in inventory. Rushing with everything he has might not be a good idea.


    A few hours passed away. Within the time, the news of Lin Xue''s defeat was spread throughout the Imperial City. Usually, it wouldn''t be a big deal. However, as another rumor circted about how the store Genesis is the one behind the Song Mansion attack, some people spected whether she went there for revenge but got her ass kicked, some spected that she behaved rashly and was taught a lesson while others started to talk about the possession of unique weapons avable in the store that wasn''t even sold at big three weapon stores.


    Whether the rumors were exact or exaggerated, the name of store Genesis had be incredibly popr at the moment. Nobles and Wealthy people noted the name in their heads. A few of them even sent spies to confirm the rumors.


    Surprisingly, that morning, more than five customers came in and bought a single-shot pistol each along with at least ten bullets. Mark thought he was lucky. Unaware of the situation outside his store, he waited for the mysterious customer who made a big order in advance.


    In the afternoon around 3, the mysterious Archer finally appeared at the store, bringing a huge smile to Mark.


    The customer, who covered himself with a ck robe, a hood, and a demon mask, ced the pouch on the counter. "There are three thousand gold coins in there. The extra 500 gold coins are for another advanced order. Need 25 more of those revolvers and 2500 bullets. The remaining 500 gold coins will be paid after receiving the goods. Okay?"


    Despite not seeing his face, he recognized his simr stature and took the pouch in his hands and opened it to see thousands of glistening gold coins in it, widening up his mouth further. Thankfully, he had an experience of looking at such arge amount previously when he sold the properties of his adopted parents. So, he managed to control himself.


    However, counting such arge number is a time-consuming task. He was already tired from creating thousands of bullets every day. That he can''t do anything about it but this, on the other hand, he doesn''t have to do it by himself. So, he immediately called Allen and gave him the counting job.


    To his surprise, Allen didn''t even pour down the gold coins and count down. He just opened the pouch and took a glimpse at them. His eyes turned red for a moment as he scanned them in an instant and said, "Big Brother, there are a total of 2993 gold coins. Of them, 2122 coins have the symbol of Phoenix, and 871 coins have the symbol of Lion."


    Mark was taken aback to see a new ability of Allen. He realized that he wasn''t using this Android to his maximum potential and decided to learn everythingter. At the same time, he wondered why does this customer have so many gold coins that belonged to the invincible Leon Empire that rules the central part of the continent and is separated from the Phoenix Empire by the Bloodhill forest.


    Meanwhile, the unnamed mysterious Archer looked at Allen in disbelief, "you counted the number just like that?"


    He wasn''t bothered by the inurate number but was shocked because Allen could pinpoint the exact number with just a nce.  If he wouldn''t have caught Allen''s pupils turning from blue to red for a moment before they turned back to blue, again, he wouldn''t have believed Allen''s words a bit. He thought this employee of the store might have some sort of eye ability. At the same time, he cursed his subordinates who mixed the gold coins from Leon Empire into this pouch. "I will roast them alive once I return to the vige."


    Taking a breath, he then said to Mark, "Our Merchants roam all over the continent. So, we usually have all kinds of gold coins with us like Phoenix, Lion, Dragon, etc¡­


    Anyway, the coins might have been mixed in the pouch by mistake. Let me take away those. As he was about to take the pouch from Allen, Mark who confirmed with the system stopped him by saying, "No, it''s alright. We ept all the gold coins no matter what Empire they belonged to. It just has to be original with over 92% purity and weigh at least 1 gm."


    "Oh, is that so?" Naturally, the customer was surprised by Mark''s statement. After all, for a store owner living in the Imperial city of Phoenix Empire, what value does the neighboring kingdom''s coin worth? This is what he thought at first.


    But, now, upon hearing Mark''s words, he remembered that this guy before him was only a seller, not the manufacturer. It would mean the manufacture must ept all kinds of gold coins. As far as he knows, the people who only ept gold coins but don''t give importance to the Empire that makes it are the Dwarves.


    While he was half correct, he had mistaken that the store had a connection with the Dwarves who are known to deal only with big shots. He mumbled in realization, "that exins the confidentiality."


    "Hmm, what is it?" Mark looked at him, to which the customer shook his head in response.


    Mark then ordered Allen to bring the boxes, which are kept in the storage room behind the counter.


    Very soon, 125 boxes of equal length were covered all over the floor. Along with the store''s brand name Genesis printed on it, there''s a symbol of Eye drawn above the name. After much thought, Mark decided to keep it a simple yet effective design.


    The unnamed mysterious customer checked the boxes one by one and stored them in the storage ring. He nodded to Mark, "then, I will take my leave and return in one week to get my order."


    *Ding! Youpleted Main Quest.


    *Ding! Youpleted Side Quest I.


    *Ding! Feng Wu''s total purchase crossed 1000 gold coins. His affinity with the store raised by 1 point


    As the hooded man left the store, Mark stared his back and mumbled, "So, his name is Feng Wu, huh. But, why this surname feels familiar though?"

 Chapter 47 Mark Finally Becomes A Spirit Warrior

    After the mysterious archer (Feng Wu) left, Mark hurriedly opened the quest list and clicked on the main quest and side quest that hepleted.


    *Ding! You unlocked all Single-shot firearms. Check out the gallery for details.


    *Ding! You received a new main quest


    *Ding! You unlocked Ether particles.


    *Ding! You received a new Side Quest.


    *Ding! The system needs twelve hours to absorb the natural energy and convert it into ether particles before safely merging them with your DNA so that no other changes ur in the process.


    *Ding! During the process, the host will be unconscious. Proceed?


    "Allen, we are closed for the rest of the day." Before proceeding with the process, Mark ordered the Android to close down the shutter. He then walked upstairs to lie on the bed.


    He can actually continue his business as usual and proceed with the process during the night time but Mark was too excited at the moment that he couldn''t wait any longer. It''s been several weeks since he transmigrated into this world.


    In a world where power rules above all, no one knows how a weak civilian faces an unfortunate death. Considering he''s already been dead once, naturally, Mark doesn''t want to face death once again. So, he wants to raise his strength as quickly as possible. What''s more, there''s also his revenge against the Imperial family.


    Lying on the bed, Mark clicked on proceed. In an instant, he felt as if a powerful sleeping drug has been injected into him and lost his consciousness.


    It was a peaceful sleep. In fact, Mark would have slept for more time if it hadn''t been for the constant notification sounds rung in his ears and forcefully woke him up.


    As he slowly opened his eyes, there was a holographic screen floating before him where the notifications appeared one after another.


    *Ding! Ether Gene has been merged with your DNA sessfully.


    *Ding! Congrattions, Ether Core has formed sessfully. You receive 500 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! Phoenix Bloodline hasn''t been triggered. The Host can only buy the other bloodlines from the credits shop.


    *Ding! Your stats have been improved by a slight margin.


    *Ding! Choose your spirit path


    *Ding! Choose your attribute


    *Ding! Daily Quests have been unlocked.


    *Ding! New Main Quest has been added


    "Oh, 500 credits as a reward? Cool¡­ Now, I will be able to use Lottery once again, not once but two times." Mark became ecstatic, looking at the free reward. The lottery system that gave him the Battle Tank only works once a week. When Mark opened the Lottery for the second time once the cool-down period is over, he saw it was asking for 300 credits as a fee.


    And it isn''t easy for Mark such a high amount. Even if he dismantles the only gold-grade sword in his possession, it might not give him such a high amount of credits. So, he thought of thinking about itter. Never in the world did he expect to receive such a high reward for forming the Ether Core. Moreover, he formed ether core only because he sold more than 1000 gold coins worth of goods. That makes it an extra reward.


    Mark was so happy that he even took lightly of the bad news of not triggering the ancient phoenix blood that runs in the Imperial family and focused on other notifications.


    He read the fourth notification and spoke, "System, Open Character menu."


    ? A new window has been opened with stats disyed on the screen.


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Strength: 0.4


    Intelligence: 1.1


    Defense: 0.5


    Agility: 0.3


    Vitality: 1.0


    Resistance: 0.1


    Charisma: 7.0


    Luck: 2+1


    Bloodline: N/A<sub> </sub>


    Attribute: ???


    Spirit Path: ???


    Ether Quality: Low


    Ether Energy: 18


    Rank: N/A


    Skills: N/A


    Lifespan limit: 85 (60 years left)


    Avable credits: 834


    Net worth: 691 gold coins, 24 silver coins


    <


    >


    "Oh, there''s a breakthrough option, which is glowing?" Mark found that along with the improvement of his stats in various areas, there are question marks on spirit path and attribute, and there''s also a breakthrough added at the bottom, which is now glowing. That means he can break through to the 1-circle realm. Isn''t that the case?


    It brings to the matter of the rules of breakthrough. It was no secret that the number of ether particles will decide a spirit warrior''s breakthrough to the next realm. While Mark doesn''t know the exact amount, he does know that every realm needs ten times the amount of ether particles that of the previous realm. For example, if the four circle realm needs 10000 amount of maximum Ether particles, then, the five-circle realm would need 100 thousand.


    However, here, on the stats, there''s not even Ether particles state. Instead, there are ether energy points which are at 18. Since the spirit warriors said to use ether energy to increase their attack power of normal attacks or consume the energy to use skills, are ether particles and ether energy points both the same? If that''s the case, is 10 is the starting point to enter the 1-circle realm? Then, what do the stats signify? Questions are running through his mind. And the only one who could give an answer is the System.


    And luckily, the system answered him to clear his doubts.


    *Ding! The rules for Host are slightly different from other spirit warriors.


    *Ding! The Host''s stat points y a major role in the breakthrough. For every point in the main stat, the host can make a breakthrough. Before making a breakthrough, the host must decide his Spirit path.


    *Ding! Strength stat boosts the Host''s damage of melee attacks and the maximum weight you can carry.


    *Ding! Intelligence boosts the Host''s spirituality,mon sense, problem-solving ability, and skill in magic.


    *Ding! Defense boosts the sturdiness of the Host''s body and reduces the damage of melee and magic attacks.


    *Ding! Agility boosts the Host''s attack speed, movement speed, and reflexes.


    *Ding! Vitality boosts the Host''s life force.


    *Ding! Resistance reduces the effects of mind attacks on the Host.


    *Ding! Initial results show that the Host has an aptitude in Intelligence and Vitality stats.


    *Ding! Paths rmended: Fighter, Mage, and Summoner.


    "Hmm, my strength is quite low, and also fighting with fists and developing muscles isn''t my style anyway." Mark fell into thoughts upon reading the information sent by the system. "Maybe, it''s why it''s decided like that?"


    *Ding! Aptitude decides on genes, not by thoughts or personality. The Host''s talent appeared to be inherited from his biological mother.


    "Biological mother?" Mark''s facial expression immediately changed upon reading the reply from the system. He may not be real Lu Zhen but received his memories.


    While the real Lu Zhen never knew of his real identity and don''t have any enmity with the Imperial family, Mark felt that the least he could do is to get him justice.


    He couldn''t do anything when a higher rank officer sold him out to the Mafia gang. When he finally escaped and contacted his friends to tell them about the person who was responsible for his kidnapping, it was toote as he was already branded as a traitor and got a shoot on sight order ced on him. In the end, without even getting the chance to protect his innocence, he was killed by his trustedrades. Ironically, the guns they used to pierce bullets in his body turned out to be his own inventions.


    Mark wasn''t able to get justice for himself. So, all of his anger towards his formerrades was shifted towards the Imperial Pce. While Lu Zhen never suspected a conspiracy behind the deaths of his foster parents, Mark who knew the truth felt like the Imperial Pce might be behind their deaths.


    After all, he could at least imagine a spy keeping an eye on the servant who became vige chief after trading his baby with an Imperial Prince. Maybe, they just want to kill the two of them to bury the truthpletely. And even if Lu Zhen knows of it, what can he do and who will believe him without conclusive evidence?


    On top of that, during his two-week stay in the town of Fangchuan, Mark asked his employer that took him about the burr that killed his foster parents. However, what he received as a reply is a piece of bad news. The Burr has never been found. It was when Mark suspicion''s increased.


    It is why Mark has specifically chosen the Imperial city as the location of his store of all the ces in the Empire.


    Now that he finally started the path of being a spirit warrior, Mark was looking forward to payback the Imperial Pce in several folds.

 Chapter 48 Choosing The Spirit Path And Making A Breakthrough

    It was midnight. The darkness loomed all over the world. But, in the Imperial, on the first floor of a certain store named Genesis, its owner was in deep thoughts, thinking about something where no one in the entire world gets such an opportunity.


    "Okay, now, what path should I choose? Summoner or a Mage?" The moment one starts the cultivation of their spirit, every spirit warrior wouldn''t have a choice in their path. The only choice they have is the weapon.


    This is why many experts of fighter path use heavy swords. They don''t like to fight with fists and kicks like some barbarians.


    And others who don''t even like fighting might be cksmith if they were from fighter path or maybe an Alchemist if they were from Mage path.


    But, right now, Mark gets a choice to choose his Spirit path, his future. Based on the path he chose, his spirit skills will be decided. As a result, he went into a dilemma. Neither the System is helping him to choose out of the two nor could he ask the help of someone else.


    On one side, there''s Mage, a path with high damage power and a huge potential with the possibilities of learning huge devastating spells. Those who be mages were called gifted people who are loved by Ether.


    On the other hand, there''s a summoner, a path that''s rarely found in the Phoenix Empire. However, unlike the Mage path where one could save themselves by invoking defensive spells, a Summonerpletely depends on the summons. Moreover, the attribute also ys a huge role. Like for example, the dark attribute Summoner might summon only the undead, the earth attribute summoner might summon only the golems.


    Another disadvantage of Summoners is that the avability of skill books or the Masters where they can learn from is quite low and due to less quantity, their prices will touch the sky.


    Luckily for Mark, he also gets to choose attributes too. So, no need to worry about bing a necromancer and being hunted down by everyone. And the system also mentioned to him that it will provide the skills or he can buy them from the store too. Another disadvantage can also be covered here. Now, the things he needs to think about are their advantages over each other.


    After thinking for a long time, Mark finally decided on his Spirit path and his attribute. One can say the hopes for the future of his weapon storergely influenced his decision.


    He proceeded to click on the question marks beside the Spirit path. Several options appeared before him.


    *Ding! Choose one: Fighter, Archer, Mage, Summoner, Assassin, and Swordsman.


    *Ding! You have chosen Summoner. Lock it?


    "Yes"


    Mark then clicked on the question marks beside the attribute. Once again, an option appeared before him.


    *Ding! Choose one element: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Light, and Dark.


    "Fire element is toomon, Water is useless, Wind is unpredictable, Earth is boring, Light is too weak, and Dark is filled with a dangerous path ahead. But, Lightning is destructive and fast."


    *Ding! You have chosen Lightning. Lock it?


    "Yes"


    *Ding! You received a new summon, Lightning sparrow. Check the Familiars inventory for details.


    *Ding! Familiars inventory is added to the character


    "Oh, I thought I would receive one after making a breakthrough to the next realm. Cool." Mark was satisfied with the oue and continued with the remaining things that he needed to do. As for testing his power, he will do itter.


    "System, open Lottery"


    For Mark, this was the second big thing after the transformation into a spirit warrior. After all, it was because of the Battle Tank, he managed to go ahead against the Song n''s head. He was excited to see what kind of a weapon he will earn this time.


    The contents were exactly the same asst time, A random bloodline, a mysterious potion, upgrade stone, +2 chance, unique skill, a question mark. The only thing that''s changed is that the Battle Tank has been reced by an empty spot. Does that mean the contents won''t be refreshed? What would happen after he ims another one? Mark wondered.


    But, still, it isn''t the time for thinking too much. So, putting aside his thoughts, Mark proceeded to click on the button below it where 300 has been written on.


    With 300 credits consumed, the lottery wheel started to spin. With no bloodline triggered during his awakening, he could only hope for bloodline. Ten secondster, the wheel slowed down.


    It took another five seconds, its speed down further. However, there''s a panic appeared on Mark''s face as it was on the question mark and the next one is a nk.


    A couple of secondster, he closed his tightly and punched the mattress beneath him in frustration.


    *Ding! Better luck next time.


    "Luck¡­ Dammit, I forgot." It was only then Mark remembered that his luck points were only 3. That means there would be only a 30% chance for him to get lucky. In the excitement to try it, he lost the opportunity to acquire something.


    With the countdown of 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes appearing on the bottom of the lottery wheel, Mark dispiritedly closed down the window and spoke, "System, open Quest list."


    A new window opened with the list of new quests on the screen.


    QUESTS LIST:<sub> </sub>


    Main Quest I: Sell a total of 1000 firearms.


    Reward: Bolt Action Rifle, Lever Action Rifle, and Semi-Automatic Rifle


    *


    Main Quest II: Be Rank-1


    Reward: Host''s share increases to 20% permanently, 500 credits


    **


    SIDE QUESTS:


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 10000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress-0%)


    Reward: An upgrade crystal


    *


    Side Quest II: Sell 10 Semi-Automatic Pistols (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Semi-Automatic Pistol (20 rounds)


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 5000 Credits (In progress-16%)


    Rewards: Exchange Panel (Currency to credits and vice versa)


    **


    DAILY QUESTS:


    Daily Quest I: Every day, kill ten 1-circle realm beasts of any type without taking external help.


    Reward: 10 credits


    Daily Quest II: Spend time with any of your summoning pets for a total of 60 minutes.


    Reward: 10 credits


    Daily Quest III: Create thousand 9 mm bullets or any ammunition per day


    Reward: 10 credits


    Daily Quest IV: Sell ten firearms per day


    Reward: 10 credits


    ***


    "Oh, the next set of rewards is good, especially for the daily quests. 40 credits per day mean nearly 1200 credits per month, 14600 credits per annum. Not bad¡­" Mark was satisfied with the Daily Quests. They don''t seem that difficult and are basically freebies except for thest one, which needed luck. So, at the very least, he was confident to earn 30 credits each day.


    Then, his eyes fell on the reward for the main quest and something clicked in his mind. "System, is the upgrade crystal, the same as the upgrade stone?"


    *Ding! No, Upgrade crystal is used for upgrading the quality of ether particles in the host''s body whereas the upgrade stone is used to upgrade the equipment.


    "Ah, I see." Mark was a little disappointed that he cannot upgrade his Ring of Luck that easily. But, he was still happy that his ether quality will be upgraded from low to mid, effectively increasing his strength in the end.


    With everything set, Mark proceeded with the next step. "System, open Character."


    He clicked on breakthrough.


    *Ding!

 Chapter 49 Mark Starts His Training As Summoner

    *Ding! Congrattions on reaching Rank-1.


    *Ding! Youpleted Main Quest-II. you received 500 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You received a new main quest. Check the Quest list for details.


    *Ding! You received a new summon, Lightning Panther. Check Familiar''s inventory for details.


    *Ding! Your share in the purchases of system-created weapons has been increased to 20%.


    "Lightning panther, huh¡­ Cool. Panthers are usually fast and with lightning element, I can finish my enemies quicker." Mark was obviously high on clouds, not only because he finally step into the path of Elites but also because his share has been increased by 10%.


    He became curious about his summons. Since he doesn''t know anything about summoners, he was also excited to learn more about his ss like how powerful would be the summons.


    Do they possess any unique skills?


    Can he only use the summons sent by the system or whether he can catch the summons from the wild?


    Can he summon several of them at a time or not? If so, how must ether energy will be consumed?


    Most importantly, were those also created by System just like the weapons? Or the system is bringing them from somewhere else?


    Several questions were added to his list of unanswered questions that he hasn''t found the answer to yet.


    "System, open Familiars inventory," Mark proceeded to open the list of the familiars that he received until now. A new window opened.


    The Familiars inventory looked just the same as normal inventory. However, there were very limited avable slots, only five. The remaining slots were locked but were blinking as if they can be unlocked by paying something in return, possibly credits.


    Mark didn''t bother with the inventory and focused on the two slots that are filled with two images. One has the image of a sparrow and the other has the image of a panther.


    He clicked on sparrow first.


    Another window popped up with an illustration of a sparrow where sparkles are dancing all over its body.


    Below the image lies its information.


    Lightning Sparrow


    Name: ???


    Rank: 0


    Attribute: Lightning


    Strength: 0.4


    Intelligence: 0.1


    Defense: 0.2


    Agility: 0.9


    Vitality: 0.4


    Description: A flying beast native to the ne of lightning and thunder. It needs 1 ether energy point every minute to stay in the material world and can travel up to 10 kilometers away from the host.


    Skills:


    Lightning rush: Using the lightning attributebined with ether energy, the lightning sparrow could fly at the speed of sound. Cost: 2 points of ether energy. CD: 30 minutes. Range: 1 kilometer


    ***


    "I guess this can only be used for delivering letters." Mark couldn''t help but let out a sigh as he was disappointed by its stats. For sure, it can''t be used to attack any beast, or else, considering its vitality, it will die as long as it gets hit.<sub> </sub>


    But then again, it was a summon he received when he didn''t even make a breakthrough. So, he let it slide and kept his hopes on the next summon. After all, the first one is a sparrow and the second is a Panther. Naturally, thetter will be stronger.


    Thankfully, the system didn''t disappoint him this time. His face even lit up in satisfaction upon seeing the stats. Then, his eyes fell on the description and immediately his face darkened, taking away all the happiness. However, after that, when he saw the skills, he became normal again. So, overall, it was a mixture of happiness and disappointment.


    Lightning Panther


    Name: ???


    Rank: 1


    Attribute: Lightning


    Strength: 1.9


    Intelligence: 0.6


    Defense: 1


    Agility: 1.6


    Vitality: 1.5


    Description: And beast native to the ne of lightning and thunder. It needs 5 ether energy points every minute to stay in the material world and can travel up to 1 kilometer from the host.


    Skills:


    Lightning sphere: Shoot a lightning sphere at the enemy with 150% attack power and cause heavy damage. The enemy who was struck by the attack will be paralyzed for five seconds. The effect will be reduced by one second for every difference of one realm. Cost: 10 ether energy points. CD: 10 minutes. Attack range: 50 meters


    Rapid Attack: Rapidly strike the enemy with the ws five consecutive times with 50% attack power each time and cause heavy damage. Cost: 25 ether energy points. CD: 30 minutes.


    ***


    "The Panther has 1.9 points of strength. So, if it is a 150% attack, then, the overall damage will be almost at the same level as the normal attack of a 3-circle realm beast.


    And as for the second skill, if we assumed all the five strikes werended on the target, then, the overall damage will be the same as a normal attack of a 4-circle realm beast, which is at an advanced stage. But, I might have to wait for a while as my ether energy points are quite low." Mark quickly calcted the pros and cons of this summon and felt very much satisfied with the second summon. Now, he was looking forward to the future summoning beasts.


    Of course, whether at the current stage or in the future, Mark knew that his modern weapons will be more useful to take down the enemy. So, they should be his primary weapon and the summoning beasts should be assisting. The only thing Mark was hoping is that his summons to not get far behind the big weapons and forces him to abandon them.


    In his imagination of the destroyed Imperial city, along with the Tanks and Fighter Jets, there were now beasts like dragons and other colossal beasts running amok wild while he was walking amid the dead bodies.


    *p* "Okay, now the time is around 1 o''clock. This is the only time where it is safe for me to leave the store and train in the Bloodhill forest. Who knows who will follow me and try to assassinate to take revenge for Song n¡­"


    Mark was especially careful with the Song n as this major noble n isn''t just limited to the Song Mansion and its security. The n was also known to possess several higher realm experts. Moreover, the Supreme Commander General Of The Army who is a seven-circle realm expert is a close rtive to Song Yun. What if he or his subordinates take action? There were too many unknowns.


    On top of that, he wasn''t confident that things became normal again. Perhaps, if he had met Song Yue, he would have thought a bit differently. But, for now, he will have to go out in secret.


    With only five hours left for sunrise, Mark acted quickly.


    While everyone in the Imperial city is sleeping except for the patrolling soldiers, two people were moving through narrow alleys and streets like thieves so that they won''t be discovered by anyone.


    It took more than three hours for Mark and Allen to reach the edge of the forest. There was a blue barrier over the perimeter stretching for several miles. "Let''s go, Allen."


    Mark stepped inside the barrier and started to walk forward. The tall and thick trees around aren''t letting the moonlight illuminate the surroundings, making the area full of darkness. With the help of themp, Mark''s vision was restricted to only a few meters around.


    Thankfully for him, there''s an assistant who can make the job easier for him.


    "Allen, scan the ce and find the beasts," Mark ordered the Android while taking out a fully loaded Semi-automatic pistol with a magazine of ten rounds. He actually wanted to use Shotgun but changed his mind at thest minute as he felt the sector-9 waspletely safe due to the low strength of the beasts.


    *Bang*


    He didn''t even walk a hundred meters into the forest and got interrupted by the sound from far away in the silent forest. It was damn familiar to him. "Someone shot a bullet? Who?"

 Chapter 50 Mysterious Archer And A Mysterious Little Kid

    Upon hearing the sound of a gunshot at such a time, Mark felt curious. Except for the merchant Huo Fen, Song n heiress Song Yue, and the mysterious archer Feng Wu, all the other customers only bought one single-shot pistol from the store.


    Considering the identity and upation of his top three customers, he didn''t think none of them would be at this time and ce. So, he felt like taking a look.


    "Allen, can you scan the surroundings and find the humans nearby? I meant only humans." Mark asked the Android. He knew that this personal assistant of his can find the positions of the living creatures within 10kms but what he doesn''t know is whether his radar can distinguish beasts and humans separately or not.


    Unfortunately for him, only a piece of bad news is awaiting.


    Allen shook his head, "No, Big Brother, I can only sense living creatures in general apart from trees."


    "I see," Mark was disappointed a little bit but then, as another shot was heard from the same direction, he fell into thoughts, "based on the sound and environment, he/she must be around half a mile away. I just need to walk towards 2 o''clock but should also be careful about revealing my presence, just in case. Wait a second, why should I bother anyway? Can''t I just mind my own business? After all, I''m only here to finish my quests."


    Mark decided not to go. After asking Allen to scan the ce, thetter replied that there are more than twenty creatures, just a couple of hundred meters away in the 11 o''clock direction.


    Usually, the sector-9 region is filled with a variety of beasts like roons, monkeys, various types of insects, birds, etc¡­


    So, Mark doesn''t know what kind of beast he was going to encounter but since they are only in the realm of 1-circle, he wasn''t worried. However, he was reluctant on using the pistol considering how he can alert the other humans.


    But, after walking for ten or so steps, another sound resounded in the surroundings.


    *Bang*


    This time, along with the sound of a gunshot, Mark started to hear the screams of the creatures. Although it was very feeble, he felt irritated while feeling that he was running away.


    When did he be such a coward? He reduced a mighty Song n to such a state where even the royal family doesn''t dare to interrogate me. Why should he be so careful because of some possibility?


    "Argh¡­ Fine¡­ let''s see who this guy is." Mark changed his direction and started walking in the direction of the sound. "Worsee to worst, I will summon Battle Tank and escape."


    Allen, as usual, followed his master withoutining.


    On the way, Mark heard at least ten gunshots. Except for the sound bing bigger, he didn''t feel any changes, especially the position. Mark assumed someone might be in training.


    It was only after he reached the ce did he finally realized that he waspletely wrong.


    There were two people. One of them is a familiar one, Feng Wu, the mysterious archer who killed Song Mansion''s security head with a simple arrow, the one who made it possible for Mark toplete the quests and be a Spirit Warrior.


    The second one is an unfamiliar little boy who had a ck cloth over his eyes, blinding his vision while he was shooting at the target i.e. Feng Wu with a revolver.


    It appeared to be like Feng Wu is training the boy by moving around to enhance the senses.


    But, why at this time? If his aim is secret training, then, the gunshots that can be heard even from a mile away will easily give away the location. Maybe, it''s because there won''t be any disturbance at this time as everyone would sleep?


    Mark had several thoughts as he proceeded to walk forward. Considering he''s now the best customer in the store, he was more at ease.


    It was at that moment Mark stepped on a broken branch that was on the ground while Feng Wu jumped high onto the branch on the other side. Due to the darkness around, thetter didn''t find saw Mark or Allen until the boy''s ears perked up and he changed the revolver from right hand to left and shot a bullet towards Mark.


    Allen steps forward and blocks it with his body as an instinct.


    *Ting*


    A sound simr to that of a metal generated as the bullet pierced Allen''s clothes and hit his body and fell to the ground without doing any damage.


    "Hmm?" Feng Wu''s expression changed to that of a frown as he looked in the direction the bullet was shot. "Where was little Chun aiming at?"


    He activated his senses and found the presence of Mark. Feng Wu lightly kicked the branch and leaped towards the boy,nding in front of him. The boy sensing the presence immediately aimed the revolver at him.<sub> </sub>


    Grabbing the weapon, Feng Wu opened his mouth, "Who is there? Come out from hiding."


    "There''s someone else?" The boy mumbled to himself. He removed the blindfold.


    Mark slowly walked towards them and answered him, "it''s me, Mr. Customer."


    As he got near to them, his face became visible, taking Feng Wu by surprise. "Owner Lu?"


    As if the shock wasn''t enough, his eyes then fell on Allen and this time, his heartbeat spiked up for a moment, "you are here too?"


    ? Earlier, he only sensed Mark and no one else. Feng Wu is a six-circle realm expert who is at an advanced stage and almost reaching the peak stage.


    Considering how Allen evaded his sensespletely, Feng Wu looked at him warily for a second before he shifted his attention back to Mark and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "I''m here to train a bit," Mark answered in a in tone.


    "Train?" Feng Wu felt confused.


    "Come out, Chirpy." As soon as Mark spoke those words, a blue-colored sparrow with sparks dancing over its body suddenly materialized in front of him before it flew andnded on the shoulder, letting out a cheerful chirp.


    Chirpy is the name he had given to the lightning sparrow while he was on the way to the forest. The lightning panther was named Nero.


    "A summon? You are a summoner?" Feng Wu was naturally taken aback just like everyone would because of the extreme rarity of summoners. He knew that Mark is a spirit warrior when he saw him storing the sword in the inventory back then.


    Since Mark didn''t bring out the ether energy yet, Feng Wu didn''t know what realm he is in but that isn''t even the problem. The main issue here is that he cannot sense the presence of ether energy within Mark no matter how much he concentrated.


    He darted his eyes to Allen and then at Mark for a few moments, feeling that the duo is too weird and had a lot of secrets. Meanwhile, the boy is also looking at Mark curiously after hearing his guardian''s words.


    Feeling the gazes on him, Mark calmly dismissed the lightning sparrow and said, "I''m busy with running the store all day. That''s why I had to choose such a time to train myself. I didn''t expect someone else is training at this time too."


    Mark''sment clicked something in Feng Wu''s mind and he remembered the existence of the boy who was hiding behind him. "This is my nephew, Long Chun."


    Stepping aside, Feng Wu then introduced Mark to him, "Little Chun, this is Lu Zhen. Owner Lu is the one that sold this revolver."


    "Eh? This weapon is yours?" The eight-year-old little boy seemed surprised by the new information before he corrected his tone and spoke in a dignified manner like some noble despite wearingmoner clothes. "The unique weapons from your stores are indeed praiseworthy, although they make too much noise."


    Mark doesn''t like someone to criticize his weapons even if he is a little kid but since Feng Wu is a good customer of the store, he decided to forgive the kid and even decided to give him a gift, to attract the interest of this archer.


    "This is called a semi-automatic pistol or you can simply call it a pistol. This one has more capacitypared to the revolver." Mark put forth the handgun in his hands towards the kid with a smile, "it also has more range, although you can''t do anything with the sound apanied by the shot. Since you seemed like you have a talent in shooting, you can have it."


    The kid took a glimpse at his uncle before taking it, "Thank you."


    Mark no longer wasted time and left them to find the beasts andplete the daily quest. After both of them disappeared from their view, the kid looked at Feng Wu and asked in a curious tone, "Uncle, why did you lie? That mister seemed like a good man. Do you think he''s not trustable? Is he a threat? Should I be wary about his present too?"


    Feng Wu didn''t answer the kid''s question and said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, if you such time to worry about such things, put it to improve your sensory skills. As for that pistol, I will store it for now. You can train with it,ter."


    Taking the pistol into his hands, Feng Wu stared at it. It looked like a mixture of a revolver and a single-shot pistol. A frown appeared on his face, "there''s no opening or cylinder to load the bullets. What is this?"


    Meanwhile, Mark and Allen were walking together. Mark suddenly stopped as he remembered something important. "Ah, I forgot to tell them about the magazine. Should I go back?"


    Mark turned his head and stared at the direction he just walked from for a couple of seconds before turning back to the front and continuing to walk, "Nah, let them figure out themselves. After all, it is a present, not a sale."

 Chapter 51 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With Sword Fight (Part-2)

    *Bang*


    A sound of a gunshot reverberated in the surroundings for the tenth time while Allen was holding a screaming roon in his hand, lifting it up, not letting it escape.


    The bullet escaped from the semi-automatic pistol pierced its forehead and ended its life.


    As soon as it died, Allen threw it away, not paying attention to it any longer and then, went into scanning his surroundings again to find the next set of beasts for his master to hunt down. Because of deaths and huge sounds, the beasts nearby had long escaped.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Daily Quest I. You received 10 credits as a reward.</strong>


    "Big Brother, there''s a group of creatures between 9 o''clock and 10 o''clock, 3231 meters away," Allen informed him after his scanning is finished.


    Mark waved his hands, "Nah, we are done with today. Let''s return."


    Killing the beasts won''t improve his stats either way. They can only be improved by either absorbing the ether energy from the ether crystals or from the rewards he acquires from the missions.


    Of course, there''s another way. It is by absorbing the natural energy from the surroundings and refine into his ether energy just like how the system did it for him but he doesn''t know any technique to do that.


    "I guess I have to find out to see if it is possible. I wonder how much it would cost if such a technique exist."


    By the time Mark and Allen returned to the store, it was already morning and the public already started to swarm in the streets. So, he didn''t bother to take a sleep and opened the store with new enthusiasm.


    For a whole hour, the store didn''t get any customers except for one who ran away as soon as he saw the prices on the instructions board. It disappointed Mark, a bit, making him me his luck once again.


    But, at around nine, a familiar-looking horse carriage entered the alley.


    Mark, who was busy with creating 9mm bullets toplete another Daily Quest, was interrupted by the greetings of Allen.


    "Wee to Genesis, Lady Lin."


    Mark raised his head to find Lin Xue at the entrance of the store. Along with her, there''s the ck-robed man who is still wondering how his spirit is being suppressed as soon as he stepped in.


    "Is there some sort of Semi-Divine grade artifact?" He wondered for a moment before ruling out the possibility. "Nah, that''s impossible. Even the Lin n had the possession of only one Semi-Divine Artifact. How this tiny store could have it? Hmm, maybe, there''s a powerful spell ced on the store by some powerful expert."


    While Yao Ling is still busy in his thoughts, Lin Xue expressed the intentions of her visit. "I want to challenge your servant, once again. Yesterday, I underestimated his strength and lost. Today, I won''t. I want to see a clear winner between us. If he wins, 100 gold coins will be yours. If I win, then, you don''t have to pay."


    "100 gold coins?" Mark fell into thoughts.


    When he first saw Lin Xue, early in the morning, he was indeed incredibly annoyed as he knew for sure that this girl isn''t here for shopping. He even nned to refuse her challenge as soon as she said it but after she revealed the bet amount, he was tempted a bit.


    Now, the only thing that he was waiting is to receive an Emergency Quest just like the previous day. Unfortunately for him, there''s no such thing appeared. So, he fell silent, thinking of the pros and cons of this battle.


    Mark realized that Lin Xue probably wanted to regain her face in the public. Maybe, without knowing, did this news already spread over to the entire city?


    "Hmm, it might be possible considering she''s like a top celebrity within the Empire. Then, how should I turn this into opportunity?" Mark started to think about it seriously.


    Lin Xue was patiently waiting for his answer as Allen was neither giving any reaction to her challenger nor he was showing any expression to even guess his thoughts.


    Once he formted a n in his head, Mark put his hands behind the back and spoke in his head, "System, Lock the target for Talent absorption."


    <strong>*Ding! Target locked. Target has three luck points. Proceed to absorb?</strong><sub> </sub>


    "Uhh¡­ only three. She''s as unlucky as me?" Mark couldn''t help but take another glimpse at Lin Xue and look at her in pity after reading the notification on the holographic screen.


    "Why do I feel like he''s nning something vicious? Was this greedy fellow is going to ask for more gold coins as a wager?" Lin Xue thought in her mind when her eyes met Mark''s stare.


    "Absorb." Mark then mumbled slowly in a low tone. He chose one point. The ring on his index finger started to glow.


    He waited until the notification is heard and then, finally opened his mouth, "I agree to your challenge but only if change the wager. Instead of 100 gold coins, you have to buy weapons worth 200 gold coins. As for what type of weapons, they will be decided by me."


    "Buy weapons?" Lin Xue''s facial expression immediately changed for a moment. "I knew it. This guy is indeed greedy but why sell weapons when he can get them for free? It''s even weirder how this guy emphasized that the selection of weapons won''t be my choice too. Does he want to dump low-quality products?"


    When she thought about it deeply, she only got a headache but she couldn''t guess his intentions. Lin Xue decided not to think much as 100 gold coins or 200 gold coins, both are the same to her.


    In the end, she agreed to his condition as for her, sleeping in peace is very important.


    And that can''t be achieved unless she beats him through swordsmanship.


    "Okay, let''s get to it?" Lin Xue turned around and was about to walk away.


    "Wait." Mark stopped her before she gets out of the range. "I''m not finished yet."


    As she turned around with a frown on her face, Mark spoke, "This is only my first condition.


    My second condition is that there should be a time limit. I can''t let my only employee spend his time sparring with you when I have a store to take care of."


    "Fine, ten minutes, it is." Lin Xue felt it reasonable and was also confident in defeating him within that time. "I will ept defeat if he still stays conscious but he can''t also run away to spend the time. So, I''m proposing an additional rule that neither of us can''t get away more than ten meters from your store."


    Mark never nned on doing that. So, he readily agreed to it and turned towards the Android while handing the gold-grade heavy sword. "Allen, no killing, no skills, and not giving a permanent injury, Understand?"


    Allen saluted him as he took the sword, "Roger, Big Brother."


    Both of them walked outside.


    There''s already a small crowd gathered outside as some of them recognized Lin Xue earlier and word spread in such a neighborhood very fast.


    Allen was ready with her sword and Mark took out the old pocket watch that he had with him since childhood.


    As the Lin n heiress also took a gold grade sword from her storage ring, Mark who was standing at the entrance of the store spoke, "The time is now 7:21. The duel starts at 7:22 and ends at 7:32."


    "Hmm?" Yao Ling''s attention was stolen by the golden pocket watch for a moment. Staring at the serpent drawn around the clock dial, he thought, "I think I have seen this somewhere, probably in a clock store."


    Meanwhile, Mark then stared at the watch. Nearly twenty secondster, he announced, "let the duel begin."


    Lin Xue didn''t waste any time to charge forward this time, going into offense. Allen might not know sword techniques like her, but his analytic ability is off the charts and his reaction speed is almost equal to that of a six-circle realm expert.


    Naturally, he was fast enough to dodge and counterattack. Due to her extraordinary reflexes, Lin Xue managed to dodge his counterattacks but every time, she tried to evade the attack, the de gets slightly brushed off her skin, creating a small scratch.


    After three minutes, Lin Xue''s arms could be seen bleeding with a lot of scratches here and there and she started to lose her strength in her arms due to pain.

 Chapter 52 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With Sword Fight (Part-3)

    <strong>Five minutes into the duel;</strong>


    *Cling*


    Allen swung the sword as powerfully as before. It collided with Lin Xue''s sword but she was pushed back a few steps before another attack came onto her. Clearly, she''s getting weaker.


    *Cling* *Cling* *Cling*


    The fourth strike caused the sword to fall off her hands and Allen thrust it towards her neck and stopped it an inch away. She grabbed her right arm that was shaking nonstop while releasing sparks of electricity on its own. There''s a look of surprise on her face as she nced at her arm and then, at Allen.


    The public couldn''t understand what''s going on with the Lin n''s heiress but what they saw is how their neighborhood fellow bested her in a battle.


    Thest time during the previous day, the condition was just touching her. So, people thought she was too arrogant and was taught a lesson.


    But, now, she was overpowered right from the start and was cleanly defeated without any tricks. They were naturally happy and proud of Allen and thereby, Genesis store for standing against such a high-born noble.


    None of them including Mark knew that it is very rare for a spirit warrior to release attribute power without using skills or ether energy. It takes a genius to add an attribute to the ether energy attack but it takes a once-in-a-century genius to use attribute without the aid of anything. It was missed by everyone else.


    Analyzing her state, Allen informed her in a straight tone, "Lady Lin, you are no condition to continue the battle. Fighting at the same pace, you will lose consciousness in about 32 seconds. Please pick up the sword if you wish to resume the battle. It is against the rules of swordfight to battle an unarmed opponent."


    "Huh? What is he doing?" Mark was a little bit surprised by his words. Apart from him, usually, this eternal servant of his won''t chat with anyone else, especially when in the middle of the battle or so, he thought. Now, he felt the need to research more about the functions of Android,ter.


    Meanwhile, Yao Ling looked worried about her state. Using ether energy or attribute power is banned in the swordfight. So, he wondered whether she was consumed by anger and will break the rules.


    If she does so, Mark might intervene and so, he will be also forced to join in. Should he assassinate the owner when he got the chance? If he seeds, it will be alright but what if he fails?


    Then, will Mark take revenge against Lin n as he did with Song n? Can they stop that huge puppet vehicle?


    Maybe, they can, if they have done enough preparations but at what cost? Is it worth it?


    Yao Ling''s mind was filled with so many thoughts at the moment.


    It was then, Lin Xue managed to control her lightning energy that was going out of control and spoke, "You won this fight but I won''t admit that you are a better swordsman than me. I''ll return again to challenge you. Be prepared for it."


    Allen nodded in response and turned around to return to his master.


    As Lin Xue stepped inside the carriage, she caught her head and took a deep breath before raising her hand. Sparks were once again seen around her palm but this time, they were controlled.


    Making a fist, she mumbled to herself, "It''s been a long time since someone forced my lightning to appear on its own. Perhaps, he''s the key for me to get stronger."


    Yao Ling handed the pouch of 200 gold coins to Mark, to which thetter packed forty single-shot pistols and handed him the boxes.


    *Ding! You sold a single-shot pistol. 4 gold coins have been deducted.<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! You sold a single-shot pistol. 4 gold coins have been deducted.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You sold a single-shot pistol. 4 gold coins have been deducted.


    Twenty sessive notifications appeared one after another as soon the transaction ispleted, bringing a pleasant smile to Mark''s face. "20%mission indeed feels great."


    As Yao Ling stored them while not feeling good due to the young miss loss in a fair duel, Mark controlled his emotions and said, "Just a piece of free advice. It''s better to donate these weapons to others as I don''t think Lady Lin might be pleased to see them after losing badly. The rest is your wish¡­"


    Mark''s idea was not only to sell as many firearms as he can, to get closer topleting the main quest, but also to spread those modern weapons all over the Imperial city to increase his customer base. The more people buy them, the more they will return to his store to buy bullets.


    Now that he cannot depend on Song Yue to promote his store, he can only think of a roundabout way. Unfortunately for him, Yao Ling wouldn''t act without Lin Xue or her father, Lin Wuying''s permission. It won''t go ording to his ns, although it might not be a bad case too.


    Soon, Yao Ling and the horse carriage left the alley to return to the Lin Mansion and Mark returned to the counter while whistling in excitement. "200 gold coins business. Including yesterday, Lin Xue had done a total of 400 gold coins worth of business with the store. As long as her defeat doesn''t get to her head and started to think of a silly thing like revenge, she can be the gateway to my profits, hehe¡­"


    The rest of the day went well for Mark with more than ten customers buying either a single-shot pistol or revolver. Lin Xue''s defeat definitely aroused the interest of more individuals and spies but everyone is still disying a wait-and-see attitude on one hand, while trying to probe into the origins of the store, on the other hand.


    <strong>The next day;</strong>


    At 9 o''clock in the morning, almost at the same time as earlier day, the horse carriage once again stopped in the alley and Lin Xue entered the store.


    This time, her conditions were once again changed. While the usage of skills is still banned considering the small free space, Lin Xue proposed to allow ether energy in one''s attacks. Mark agreed to it without second thoughts. After seeing the difference between her and Allen, he didn''t bother to take away her luck again.


    The result went as he expected.


    Lin Xue was defeated once again but unlike before, Mark saw her face is glowing in excitement. He failed to notice that the match went for nearly seven minutes. As per the agreement, she had to pay 200 gold coins and receive another forty single-shot pistols. Mark was any more satisfied. Even not by traditional way, his business is booming with him about to make a profit of over 40 gold coins.


    He started walking towards the counter while ordering Allen to bring the boxes from the storage room.


    It was at that moment, a strange thing happened. Unlike the previous two times, she didn''t go and sit in the carriage. Instead, she followed into the store quietly and opened her mouth when Allen stepped inside the storage room.


    "Owner Lu, your servant is wasting his talent by working at a ce like this. I offer 2000 gold coins if you give him to me."


    "Hmm?" Mark''s facial expression changed right away as soon as he heard the proposal. A frown appeared on his face. "Give him to you?"


    "5000 gold coins. Think about it, carefully." Lin Xue raised the amount right away.

 Chapter 53 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With The Sword Fight (Part-4)

    "In my store, only weapons are sold, Lady Lin," Mark answered in a serious tone, not tempting to her offer even a little bit.


    "Fine, then. How about high-Quality Ether crystals? I''ll give you a 100-carat crystal." Lin Xue doesn''t seem like she was backing down. She refused to believe that a greedy person like Mark will not be tempted by money.


    If he''s refusing, that means he''s probably expecting even more. It is what Lin Xue understood the meaning behind Mark''s rejection.


    So, she raised the offer even more. "High-Quality Ether crystals are very rare. Although a 100 carat is worth 10000 gold coins, you won''t be able to find it even in the market. This is myst offer. It''s a lifetime opportunity for you as well as him."


    She thought she can subdue him with it but little did she know her words only aggravated his mood. "Your nobles thinkmoners like ves and may think that you can buy them with money but not everything can be sold, at least in my store. Even to buy a certain weapon, you need to reach certain requirements."


    Not only did he refuse it, but he even countered with provocation as soon after remembering how Lu Zhen was also switched with amoner as soon as he was born.


    Even though it is called swapping the babies, in the eyes of Mark, Lu Zhen''s adopted parents just sold their baby in exchange for wealth and Lu Zhen.


    On top of that, there''s his past life where he was approached by someone like her with a huge offer. He was rejected back then too and faced a tragic death, but it was another matter.


    What matters is his hatred towards people in power like them who gives a little shit about human rights. Allen might not be a human but in their eyes, he is. What her offer states that she is the same as his biological mother.


    And this made Mark angry for a moment, discarding everything about the possibility of her turning into a potential customer of the store.


    It was just then, Allen ced the boxes and took a glimpse at her without any expression, and turned around to walk into the storage room to bring in more boxes.


    Lin Xue''s face turned red in embarrassment and clenched her fist. She got the urge to turn and run away to the carriage and hide her face but if she backs away now, it would be seen as her admitting that Mark''s usation is correct. Even though she didn''t think much ofmoners, her intentions were good here.


    She was thinking of a win-win situation here. If Allen works at herpound, he will get a higher sry and a better life while she will improve her swordsmanship.


    Taking a deep breath, Lin Xue replied, "As I have said before, your servant has extraordinary potential. I would like to spar daily with him at our training grounds, but not in this restricted environment. I''m interested in his skills. If you can''t give him to me, then, let me borrow his time. Just Three hours per day in the morning.


    If you wished to be stubborn even when Ipromised on my end, then, we''ll go back to being strangers without having anything to do with each other in the future. After all, you and I live in two different worlds."


    Mark fell silent and looked at her in surprise. There was a look of determination on her face.


    After a brief silence, he opened his mouth, "speak your price."


    "I knew it." A rare smile appeared on Lin Xue before it disappeared after a second. Until now, Lin Xue was on her wit''s end. It was already a humiliation for her to lose a fair battle in front of everyone.


    Mark is a storekeeper and ording to her view, every trader or merchant or store in charger has amon quality. That is to never sell a thing or make a deal where they face a loss. If they ept the loss, then, it''s either thinking of greater gains in the future or protecting the greater losses in the future.


    She believed that Mark would surely ept the proposal but after big turned down three times in a row, she swallowed her pride andpromised on her part. And in the end, she sessfully caught the fish.


    Unfortunately, due to her sess, her impression of Mark didn''t change a bit and felt that Mark was just as she thought, a shopkeeper like everyone else.


    Lin Xue raised five fingers, "I''ll pay you and Allen more than I''m paying to my sword instructor. 500 gold coins per day. Only Royal Knights at the pce and Generals receive more wage than this. How you distribute that money between yourselves isn''t my problem.<sub> </sub>


    On top of it, I''ll use my Lin n''s influence to give you a store located in the heart of the city. The rent will be covered by our n too. This is my bottom line. Either you ept it or we leave, right away."


    Once again, Mark fell into thoughts.


    Earlier, he was only angry because of the past incidents that urred to him.


    Of course, even if that wasn''t the case, he will still get angry because Allen is precious and is invaluable.


    It wasn''t because the Android is bound to Mark and cannot be sold. Mark had given his little brother''s name to the Android. Just the thought of selling the Android is the same as selling his brother in Mark''s eyes.


    However, renting him ispletely another issue. As long as they don''t find that he isn''t a human, it wouldn''t be a problem. And it would be a lie if he wasn''t tempted by such an offer for such a simple thing. With 15000 gold coins, he can buy ten stores around. However, there was one issue that was still stopping him. It was the fact that Allen isn''t a human.


    "But, how could I make sure that no one finds his secret?" Mark continued to ponder.


    Even though Allen wore clothes and has skin when someone touches his body, they will instantly recognize the hardness, and in case, his body was hit by something that has prative properties like a bullet or a maybe a gold or higher grade sword, the sound of metal is bound to be heard.


    What if they find his secret and capture him to research it. Allen is at rank-4. While he has extraordinary healing power during the day and has a superior fighting ability that lets him fight evenly with a 5-circle realm expert, he can''t do anything if there''s someone like Song Yun.


    If such a case urs, Mark would have to go there personally to rescue him. The greatest power he possessed is the Battle Tank but the Royal Family also has 7-circle realm experts as Generals.


    Adding on top of it, Mark suspects that there''s a high chance that these noble ns might have already upgraded their security by bringing their n members or recruiting higher realm experts from the guilds. There''s no way to know what can happen there.


    Mark definitely won''t underestimate them. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he doesn''t want to go another rampage like before and take the risk.


    This is what bothers him the most.


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue continued to wait in silence. "Just what the hell is he thinking so seriously?" She was barely holding herself to not lose her patience. The offer she made is so good that in her opinion, Mark would readily ept it. But, it wasn''t happening as she envisioned.


    On the other hand, Allen, who was the center of the discussion, was calmly bringing the boxes as if he doesn''t listen to the matter.


    Six-circle expert, Assassin Yao Ling started to get worried, wondering whether the young miss would lose her temper any time soon and he might have to get into action. At the same time, the suppression within the store is also bothering him too much.


    After analyzing the pros and cons, Mark finally announced his decision, "Three hours in the morning. However, instead of your grand offer, buy the same amount, 500 gold coins worth of weapons from my store every day before you start your spar.


    And what you do with the weapons isn''t my concern. Sell them, distribute them, destroy them. I don''t care. My final condition is that I will personally visit Lin n every day with Allen and stay as a guest while you spar him. These are the conditions on my part. Make a formal contract with Lin n''s seal and bring it to me."


    "Alright," Lin Xue readily expressed her agreement, taking him by surprise.


    Soon, she left with the boxes, returning to Lin n to convince her father.


    The next day morning, Lin Xue stood before Mark with a scroll in her hands.

 Chapter 54 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With The Sword Fight (Part-5)

    Lin Xue is the only child of Lin Wuying, the head of the Lin n and the minister of Personnel.


    From the moment she was born, her father doted on her. Whatever she asked, he would present it before her without any questions.


    Thankfully, for him, his daughter didn''t turn out a spoiled child. Eventually, his doting only increased further.


    So, Lin Wuying didn''t ask a question and stamped the seal on the contract along with writing his name below it. Along with the stamp, the signature was necessary for the contract so that everyone knows who stamped it.


    When something happens, the officials will check the strokes and writing style for authentication so that one cannot say that the seal was stolen and misused. This way, the Prefects will be saved from time-consuming investigations.


    Lin Xue was happy and left his chamber while skipping in excitement. She can''t wait to spar with Allen again.


    However, once she left his chamber, Lin Wuying called Lin Xue''s bodyguard Yao Ling and enquired about the matter. He was shocked to hear that there existed amoner who can defeat his daughter with ease just by sword skills. After all, she learned from one of the best swordsmen in the Empire and even became a swordmaster.


    Yao Ling continued to tell about other things. Lin Wuying felt that everything about this store in a tiny alley is strange.


    And ording to Yao Ling''s investigation, no one in the neighborhood knows about Mark either.


    Lin Wuying smelled a conspiracy and asked Yao Ling to put two men nearby Genesis store and observe their movements from far away and report to him. At the same time, he also asked him to keep an eye on Mark and Allen when theye to Lin Mansion, every day.


    The next day, Lin Xue woke up early and rushed to the Hanga District to get to the store before 8 a.m.


    But, when she arrived there, the store is still closed. So, she started to knock it.


    Mark spotted her from the first-floor window and slowly came downstairs and opened the shutter only to see the scroll in her hand.


    Her eyes fell on Allen who looked the same as before. Her heart fluttered a little bit. She immediately shook her head, throwing stupid thoughts away, and took a glimpse at the Yawning Mark.


    "Here, your contract." She handed it to him and took out the pocket watch, "it''s almost seven. Get ready and follow me. You can also have your breakfast over there. C''mon, Hurry up."


    "Right away?" Mark was taken aback at first but Lin Xue reminded him that ording to the contract, Allen will have to spar her three hours in the morning on her choice.


    She thenined that it takes nearly an hour to travel between Lin n and the store if one isn''t in a rush. She was in fact doing a favor to him bying here personally and picking them up.


    Mark went silent when he heard that. He felt like pping himself for missing such an important detail when signing it during the previous evening. The contract only said for three hours of sparring but the destination is an hour away. That means two hours of traveling or at least, one hour if they are rushed.


    Now, adhering to the contract, his opening hours will have to be reduced by another two hours? "I''m really stupid. Sigh¡­"


    "But then again, it''s 500 gold coins. Perhaps, I can move into a better neighborhood and buy arge store,ter. Wait a second. Gold?"


    It was then something clicked in his head and he reminded her about another important condition. "You forgot about buying 500 gold coins worth of goods from our store before the spar."


    "Yeah, I know." Lin Xue took out a pouch from her storage card and casually threw it at Mark. As he caught it in reflex, she spoke, "I''ll be waiting at the carriage. Be quick."


    Mark was too happy to care about her behavior with his eyes glued to the glistening five hundred gold coins within the pouch.


    After confirming the amount with Allen, Mark looked at Yao Ling, "What weapon would you like to buy?"


    He pointed at the Rules Board. "You can choose any weapon from the five options as you are representing Lady Lin."


    Yao Ling felt a bit confused as he didn''t know which one to pick. But, ording to the contract, as they will be given to others anyway, he pointed at the expensive one, "Give 15 of those Semi-Automatic Pistols, a Revolver, and 200 bullets."


    Although he wouldn''t act on his own in matters that have nothing to do with him, considering how Lin Xue gave him the right to pick the weapons cuz she''s disinterested, Yao Ling decided to buy a weapon of every kind so that he may present it to Lin Wuyingter.


    Mark heaved a sigh of relief when Yao Ling stated his decision. After all, there''s a side quest linked to buying the Semi-Automatic Pistols. He was worried that this guy might actually pick 100 Single-shot pistols. It would also help him butpleting this side quest will also unlock another gun of the same type.


    "Allen, watch the store." After giving an order to the Android, he walked towards the staircase, climbed the steps to get to the first floor, and started his brushing.


    As Mark disappeared from his sight, Yao Ling looked around the store again. He concentrated for a while to find the source of the suppression on his soul but as he didn''t get any sess, he stopped looking around and eyed the Android.<sub> </sub>


    "I heard that you came from farawaynds, Allen Spencer." Yao Ling let out ament while Allen was standing nearby the counter without making any movements like a statue.


    This was the first time Yao Ling attempted to talk to Allen.


    Allen turned towards him and remembered what his master told the two heiresses of the noble ns. He nodded in response.


    Yao Ling continued his investigation through Allen in an indirect way. "Your name indeed is a lot different from here. So, where is your homnd? Are you from the unchartered territory?"


    Allen didn''t have an answer to that. So, he kept silent.


    Yao Ling took his silence as an affirmative. He then asked Allen, "How long have you known Owner Lu?"


    Instead of giving a number, Allen answered, "From the moment I was created."


    Yao Ling mistook ''creation'' with ''born'' as he never considered Allen as non-human.


    It led him to believe that Mark was also from unchartered territories, namely the inds located within the vast ocean. This also made him misunderstand why Mark was very reluctant to give Allen to Lin Xue. The truth is far different.


    Yao Ling continued to slowly probe into the origins of the store through Allen. Unfortunately, more than ny percent of the questions went unanswered as the Android himself either didn''t have an answer stored in his system or Allen need permission from Mark to speak about them.


    So, the six-circle realm assassin could only get a few half-truths in the end.


    Fifteen minutester, Mark returned in new clothes. In the meantime, he already created the weapons required for the order. After that, Allen started to ce them in respective boxes, andter, handed them to the representative of his customer.


    <strong>*Ding! You sold a Revolver. 16 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sold a Semi-Automatic Pistol (10 rounds). 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sold a Semi-Automatic Pistol (10 rounds). 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    .


    .


    .


    <strong>*Ding! You sold a Semi-Automatic Pistol (10 rounds). 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted Side Quest II. Check the Quest list to receive the reward.</strong>


    Upon clicking thepleted quest, he received the reward.


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Semi-automatic Pistol (20 rounds). Check out the Gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new side quest.</strong>


    ***


    <strong>Almost an hourter;</strong>


    A horse carriage entered thepound of Lin Mansion. Yao Ling was naturally acting as the coachman while Mark and Allen get to travel with Lin Xue in the same carriage.


    However, until they reached the ce, Lin Xue never spoke a word to either of them. She just closed her eyes and meditated. Seeing how Lin Xue closed her eyes, Mark spent the time creating weapons for the uing days.


    The carriage stopped and the door was opened by Yao Ling. "Lady Lin, we are here."


    She opened her eyes and nodded.

 Chapter 55 The Lady Who Was Obsessed With Sword Fight (Part-6)

    *Cling* *Cling* *Cling*


    On the training grounds of Lin Mansion, Allen and Lin Xue are engaged in a high-speed battle. While thetter isn''t holding back even in using Ether Energy or skills, Allen was calmly dealing with her without a change in his expression. His movements are also very precise.


    No matter what kind of attack she throws in, Allen would either dodge or block it with the heavy sword.


    This made thedy a bit frustrated. She wanted to say to him to go all out but how could she demand when she never gets into an advantageous position even for once.


    One more thing she realized is Allen''s stamina. In three hours of sparring, never once did Allen ask for a break and neither does his moves became sluggish as if he had infinite stamina. It was more to do with the sun that constantly replenishes his stamina and make him at his best at every moment.


    Not so far away from the sparring tform, underneath the parasol, Mark looked like he was having the time of his life.


    Surrounded by beautiful maids, he was leaning on his back and reading a book. A maid is fanning him, one stands beside with wine, one is feeding him fruits like grapes and such once in a while, and the other is acting as amentator, telling him the details.


    However, in reality, Mark was extremelyfortable with the presence of thedies around him who seemed to be attracted towards his appearance. If not for the book that is calming his mind, Mark would only have one choice left, which is to send them away.


    In the past life, Mark fell into the trap and was kidnapped by Mafia because of ady.


    So, he will be extra cautious when facing a woman who gives flirtatious gazes. Not to mention, he is in Lin n, which is close to Song n that he demolished, not so long ago.


    Moreover, he can''t understand why he''s being treated like royalty either. Is there a trap? Mark continued to keep his inventory open so that he can summon it and escape at any moment.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers stationed in thepound were on high alert. After all, the person lying nearby them is the rumored person that heavily injured Song Yun, who was revealed to be a 6-circle realm mage.


    Unknown to everyone, there were three more people hidden within the premises, keeping an eye on Mark. Yao Ling''s eyes are constantly darting towards left and right, watching the battle and then Mark. Like Lin Xue, he was also surprised by Allen''s sheer stamina, which seems to rival his own.


    By 11, the sparring is finished. Mark and Allen were sent back in a horse carriage.


    *Ting!*


    The sword fell from her shivering hands. Sparks of electricity were dancing all over Lin Xue''s body before they disappeared as she copsed onto the dueling tform.


    Her clothes werepletely drenched in sweat and she was taking heavy breaths. Despite not gaining an advantage even for once, there was a huge smile on her face. "I have sparred Swordmasters many times in my 23 years of life but never felt so satisfying."


    Usually, a smile was very rare on Lin Xue''s face. She mostly has this cold expression all the time.


    But, seeing her smile twice within just a single day, Yao Ling couldn''t help but feel suspicious.


    He knew that Lin Xue was probably the biggest sword addict he had seen in his life but at the same time, he also knew that she prefer a handsome guy as her future husband. She was still young and is at a marriageable age. On the other hand, Allen is strong and also probably the most handsome fellow in the Imperial city.


    Spotless clear skin, aquamarine eyes, unique angr fringe hairstyle, golden ratio face, body with perfect proportions, everything about Allen is too perfect, except for his stoned expression. At the same time, there''s Mark too who was also equally handsome and has this unique charm of attractingdies with a smile. The best example is how the maids even fought over themselves to serve him, a meremoner.


    He decided to inform the minister of personnel, not intending to take a chance.


    By noon, Mark and Allen to their home. Considering its lunchtime, Mark didn''t open the store right away. He opened at around 1. Three sessful transactions took ce for the rest of the day.


    He closed down the storete at 10 p.m. and slept right away after having dinner, putting aside the Daily Quests to hunt down the monsters. Still, he managed toplete the rest of the three daily quests, earning 30 credits. So, he was satisfied with it.


    <strong>Twelve days passed away in a blink of an eye.</strong>


    Mark opened the store at 7 a.m., a bit early than usualpared to before he made deal with Lin Xue.


    Maybe, he did the right thing as within two hours of opening, a total of twelve transactions took ce, although only single-shot pistols and bullets were sold.<sub> </sub>


    Of course, there were reasons for it too.


    One, the damage of a bullet shot from a Single-shot pistol is the same as the one-shot from a Semi-Automatic Pistol. The only difference is the rounds.


    Two, most people who bought them weren''t sure about buying an ungraded weapon at such exorbitant prices. Even minor nobles and well-off individuals hesitate to buy them.


    Thirdly, the bullets were expendable and can''t even be retrieved like arrows after firing them. So, a customer has to keeping to the store to buy them. Amoner with a poor ie cannot afford it.


    But, still, it is the best weapon for those who don''t possess Ether Energy. With the store''s fame spread all over the city, mainly due to Song n''s incident and Lin n''s protection, the number of customers increased gradually along with the regrs who are wealthy businessmen.


    Mark was happy with the progress. But, there''s another issue that arose along with the fame. He attracted the attention of several wealthy individuals who wished to know the process behind the manufacturing of these modern weapons.


    Mark would tell them that it''s confidential and the suppression in the store and his rumored rtionship with the Lin n protects him from others making their move.


    ***


    <strong>Jin province, Eastern Yan, Phoenix Empire, Vermillion Bird Continent;</strong>


    Lying in the eastern part of the Empire, bordering the Vast Ocean, Jin province is and filled with beautifulndscapes. It was also called thend of hundredkes.


    With good quality of soil, an abundant amount of water, the majority of the natives were farmers and depend on agriculture.


    The people were living without any issues, until one day, a red portal appeared out of thin air.


    Dungeon portals existed all over the world from the beginning of time. But, they are not great in number as the spirit warriors usually enter these Dungeons in search of treasures or hunt the monsters.


    However, the Phoenix Empire is another case. They have Bloodhill forest to venture on to search for ether crystals or to hunt the monsters. Considering how the dungeons have a horde of monsters, most of the spirit warriors, especially those living in the northern part of the Empire prefer the forest that has barriers.


    Those who wanted to risk their lives¡­ nothing can be done about them.


    But, therees a time like this when the spirit warriors were forced to go to the destination where the dungeon is located. It was when the portal turns red or a red portal appears.


    A red Dungeon portal signified only one thing. It is the Dungeon Break where all the beasts will escape the dungeon and go on a rampage.


    Due to the enormous corruptive energy released by the Red Portal, the temperature rose in thends nearby, the rivers andkes started to be dry, the soil bes infertile. The more thend is affected, the more it is nearing the time of the Dungeon break.


    Jin n didn''t waste time in sending the troops to guard the dungeon and at the same time, a letter was sent to the Imperial pce and remaining noble families, guilds, and sects.


    With a troop of hundred lead by a buffed man reached the ce. One look at his man in exquisite armor, people would get the feeling of bowing to him in respect.


    He who almost has the bearings of an Emperor, the General of the South, Second Prince, Shang Wen arrived at the Portal without bothering to go Jin Manor and rest.


    He was serious while staring at the cracks developed on the portal.


    "How many days, Brother Meng?" The second prince asked a question.


    Jin n''s representative answered with a grimaced look, "At best, seven days, Your Highness. But, the first attack by the lower realm beasts will probably start in four days. Estimating the size of the portal, the Dungeon Overlord will be at 7-circle realm."


    "7-circle realm, eh?"

 Chapter 56 Peak Strength Potion

    It is almost noon. In the Lin Mansion''s training ground, Lin Xue and Allen are sparring like usual.


    Compared to a few days ago, the heiress of the Lin n is doing extremely well as she progressed in raising the number of ether particles and entered the 4-circle realm. It was indeed a feat to achieve such a thing without taking help from external assistance. Yao Ling felt that had she absorbed the energy from spirit/ether crystals, she would have long entered the 5-circle realm by now.


    While she has yet tond a strike on Allen, she was no longer the same person she was, two weeks ago, who got toyed by the Android. Several times, she managed to push back Allen. And with the help of the lightning attribute, her speed also considerably increased to match Allen''s speed.


    But, Mark was indifferent to her progress as his attention lies elsewhere. He was currently absorbing the luck of a maid with more than seven points of luck.


    <strong>*Ding! 2 points of luck have beenpletely absorbed. </strong>


    "Okay, I have five minutes left." Mark appeared a bit anxious as he opened the lottery wheel. It has twenty slots but for now, fifteen of them are empty. Only six of them are present. The items didn''t change from the moment he first opened the lottery more than three weeks ago.


    The first one was seeded, giving him a Battle Tank. However, the sessive two draws turned to be failures. He lost 600 credits so far. But, he can''t do anything considering two points of luck absorption is his limit unless he upgrades the Ring of Luck to Silver grade.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark clicked on Go. 300 credits were deducted from his ount and the wheel started to spin.


    "Anything but nk¡­" Thest time he did it, the luck didn''t favor him. So, he was hoping for something good to make up for the lost credits.


    After ten seconds, the wheel slowed down. It was passing an empty spot, empty spot, then, the reward, empty spot, empty spot and reward while slowing down further.


    Five more secondster, its speed drastically slowed down as if it can stop at any moment. Mark''s face paled upon seeing the arrow mark is now in the midst of five empty space marks, created by the disappeared Battle Tank.


    "No¡­ No¡­ No¡­"


    The maids nearby heard his nonstop mumble. They wondered what''s wrong with him. With his eyes looking ahead, was he wondering about the sparring? Can''t heprehend the fact that their young miss can go head to head with his servant? The misunderstood maids could only think of such things.


    At thest moment, the wheel moved slowly a bit and Mark saw the arrow pass the five empty spots and stop on the image of a mysterious green potion.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won the Peak strength potion.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Peak strength potion is sent to the inventory. Please check the inventory for details.</strong>


    "Yes¡­" Mark clenched his fist in happiness, almost cracking the ss and spilling the wine.


    The maids were taken aback because of his sudden reaction. They were left confused but didn''t question him either as this handsome owner of the weapon store wouldn''t give them any answers. They learned it by experience.


    Mark was so happy that he isn''t in the mood to care about his image and immediately opened the inventory, clicking on the slot with a green-colored potion.


    A new window opened with information.


    Peak strength Potion (Bound)


    <strong>Grade:</strong> Crystal


    <strong>Description:</strong> A potion that grants the user extraordinary strength. Upon consuming, the host''s strength will be boosted to the limits that the host''s body can endure. No side-effects.


    <strong>Note:</strong> It is one-time use and the duration of effect is only 5 minutes.


    "System, what it meant by limits? Can you exin about this potion?" Mark was naturally on high clouds upon seeing its grade. Even though he didn''t understand what it was, he can still sense that it must be a powerful item. So, he felt the need to know about itpletely.


    The system didn''t disappoint him and sent a series of notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! It''s as the description said, the host will receive a massive boost in your strength.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! In general, the maximum limit of a human body is the 9-circle realm. So, one will gain such strength for a limited time.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! However, the host is still weak and his body cannot handle the potion''splete effects. To enjoy the full effects of the potion, it is rmended for the host to reach rank-4.</strong>


    "Rank-4? It will take a while, so, I need to store it."


    Thest notification calmed down Mark but he never felt safer and invincible even if it onlysts five minutes.


    ***


    Lin Xue abided by the rules of the contract very well. As soon as the time is over, she let Allen and Mark return to the store. The spies in the neighborhood became alert as they saw the appearance of the two.<sub> </sub>


    Within the past two weeks, all the six noble ns have installed spies nearby to keep their eyes on the movements of Allen and Mark.


    But, to date, they have yet to find how Mark receives the shipments. In the end, they concluded with a theory of Mark receiving the weapons through someone possibly in disguise as a customer.


    Now, they just need to note down the frequent customers'' list to investigate. They were busy on that.


    Meanwhile, the store attracted the attention of someone from the pce. More than the weapons, the attention was on Allen. Unfortunately, the intentions weren''t good in this case.


    This person is none other than the third prince, Shang Wei who was getting ufortable every day as he kept hearing of Lin Xue''s spar with Allen. It would be a lie if he wasn''t jealous of Allen''s appearance.


    So, on one fine day, he finally decided to enter the streets ofmoner districts but without any grand manner.


    Like Lin Xue, he sat in a simple horse carriage and even wore an outfit made of linen to disguise his stature. But, his security is also necessary.


    Not intending to attract the attention of Royal Knights, he employed a 5-circle-realm fighter from Swordmasters guild to be escorted for one day before leaving for the Hanga District.


    It was evening and the streets were bustling with people, especially around the clothing stores and food stalls.


    Shang Wei and his bodyguard stepped down from the carriage and walked towards the entrance.


    Mark was busy demonstrating the weapons to a customer while Allen is on standby.


    "This guy¡­" The third prince felt threatened as soon as he saw Allen from the entrance.


    It was at that moment, the bodyguard he employed suddenly let out a roar. "It''s you, bastard."


    "Huh?" The third prince almost jumped back in reflex and the customer shivered in fear because of the roar. Everyone turned towards the source.


    Mark felt he was familiar but he couldn''t put his finger on it. He spoke, "Customer, no disturbance within the store."


    The buffed fellow with a huge scar on his right cheek couldn''t control his rage, "It''s been three weeks but I still didn''t forget your face, you scum. You dared to put a curse on me and unleashed bad luck. I won''t leave you alive."


    It was then Mark finally remembered his Ring of Luck''s first victim. He calmly responded, "oh, it''s you. The one swindled by Evesting store."


    He''s the same Mo Jiang whose luck points were absorbed andter got chased by a Werewolf. After returning to the imperial city, he went to the Church and confirmed with the priest that someone indeed cursed him, unleashing a stroke of temporary bad luck on his fate. Since then, Mo Jiang swore to take his revenge.


    He has no idea about who the young man beside him is nor does he have any idea about Mark''s adventure into Song Mansion.


    Filled with rage, Mo Jiang took out a heavy sword from its sheath and rushed into the store.


    "Eek." The customer was terrified and moved back.


    However, Allen interrupted him in the middle, not letting Adventurer Mo go forward more than a meter. He caught the sword with bare hands.


    A look of surprise appeared on Mo Jiang. "What the hell is going on? Why do I feel my entire strength suppressed by an invisible force?"


    Before he gets back to his senses, Mark calmly gave an order, "Kick him out, Allen. And for breaking the rules, confiscate all of his equipment as punishment."


    In the next minute, an unconscious Mo Jiang was seen lying in the middle of the street with cotton sleeves and pants.


    With Armor, a pair of bracers, a pair of greeves, a rusty ring, and a storage ring, Allen returned to the store, passing a stunned Shang Wei, on the way who was wondering, "what is this daylight robbery?"


    After returning the confiscated items to his master, he turned around and walked towards the third prince.


    Shang Wei unconsciously took a step back in fear when he saw an expressionless look on Allen, worrying that it is his turn next.


    Before he revealed his identity and give a threat, thetter reached the entrance and bowed, "Wee to Genesis. Please get inside."


    "Um, no thanks." The third prince hurriedly waved his hand, "I think I''m at the wrong ce. Excuse me."


    Turning around, he walked away at a quick pace and got into the carriage before hurrying the coachman to leave. He didn''t even bother to take a look at Mo Jiang and fled away from the ce.


    Allen tilted his head in confusion. "Wrong ce?"

 Chapter 57 The Third Prince And The Fourth Princes Imaginary Chess Play

    <strong>Imperial Pce, Phoenix Empire;</strong>


    "Just who the hell are they and where did theye from?" The third prince was in the Imperial library, trying to concentrate on studying the ancient scriptures but he couldn''t concentrate on it due to the afternoon''s incident at Genesis.


    More than Allen, the third prince''s thoughts were on Mark whose attitude seems to be a problem.


    Before leaving the pce, he had made necessary investigations and found out about the soul suppression within the store but he didn''t expect the store owner was quite ruthless.


    A 5-circle realm spirit warrior is considered Elite wherever he goes within the Empire. Even the minor nobles will show them a bit of courtesy and respect.


    Such a man was not only kicked out but was also even humiliated by getting his equipment confiscated.


    When he saw it, the third prince remembered the Song n incident and he doesn''t know why, but he had a strong feeling that Mark might not care even if it is a Prince and might even act against him if he reveals that Mo Jiang is his bodyguard.


    If the Eldest Prince was known to be an administrator, the second prince was known to be a general, then, the third prince is known to be more of a schr.


    He was more intelligent, wiser, and more knowledgeable than most of the schr-officials in the Imperial Phoenix Empire. Sometimes, even the great Emperor would discuss with him regarding the affairs of the Empire. As he''s the closest to the Emperor of all the heirs, excluding the fifth princess, the crown prince is always on his edge and gets insecure about the throne.


    The third prince made a quick decision of refraining to reveal his identity and fled away from the scene before someone recognizes him.


    He might have saved his image but the presence of the store continued to disturb his thoughts.


    After thinking all night long, the third prince came to a decision. "A peace of mind is more valuable than an Ether crystals mine. I''ll use all of my resources to find out their origins and everything about them."


    The following day, he acted by visiting his younger brother, the fourth prince.


    Fourth Prince, Shang Bo is the only son of the Emperor and his second consort. This 22-year-old runs a giant spywork called the WEB to keep an eye on threats to the Imperial family.


    WEB is founded, hundreds of years ago by an Emperor. One after another, it is passed down the generations without following any family. When it passed to Shang Bo''s maternal grandfather, the Emperor married his daughter, and now, it was eventually passed down to the fourth prince.


    He''s also considered the backbone of the Imperial court but the current Emperor detests things like spying on others'' private lives. So, Shang Bo wasn''t favored by his father.


    Adding on top of that, Shang Bo and Shang Wei have a bit ofplex rtionship mainly due to the confidence in their intelligence. And both of them also interact with each other, although in their own way.


    When Shang Wei entered his brother''s chambers, he saw it was full of paintings, albeit of a dark concept.


    A blue-robed man was currently busy painting something. With the hair loose down, it reached his knees, almost covering his entire body from behind.


    *Ahem*


    The third prince cleared his throat, having a little bit of hesitation to call him out.


    Nevertheless, the fourth prince was very much attentive. Without even turning around, he spoke in a sarcastic tone, "My, my, what a surprise. Father''s favorite son is here to grace his presence, after all. Is it because of the Genesis store? Or is it because of Lin n''s heiress?"


    Shang Wei didn''t mind his tone as he was used to it, and replied, "What do you have on those two?"<sub> </sub>


    "So, it isn''t the girl, eh." Shang Bo''s lips widened a bit. Just from his brother''s tone, the fourth prince deducted even his intentions. Continuing to paint, he said, "Lu Zhen and Allen Spencer. I don''t have any piece of information on thetter that is not known to you. However, I can give you the information on the former on his personal history. But, if you want to know where his unique weaponse from, all I have is only spections. Still, interested?"


    "How much do you want?" Shang Wei asked him. He was familiar with his brother''s personality. This guy will never work for free, even for his brother. Even during childhood, Shang Bo would practically charge the fee if someone wants to y with him. When someone asks why he replies, "it is my time and I have the right to decide what to do with it. Why should I lend it for free just because you want it?"


    "Not how much, but what, Brother Wei. Special price for special people," Shang Bo surprised him with the fee, "two choices. Give the unknown map you discovered in the mines of Xia, or, win or draw against me in imaginary chess."


    "Unknown map?" Shang Wei''s expression darkened immediately, "how do you know of it?" Shang Wei had indeed found another map in the crystal mine during hisst trip to the Bloodhill forest.


    "Shang Bo let out a grin as he gave strokes to the painting, "I''m the master of WEB, you forgot that? Our eyes will be more on Imperial princes than on the citizens. After all, you people who are vying for the throne threaten the Empire more than anyone else."


    Shang Wei won''t give it to him. So, he could only choose another option. "I''ll take the white, soldier to D4."


    "Royal Knight to F6," Shang Bo replied instantly. While ying, he was not only doing his own work but also talk other things. "How''s your traininge along? Did you manage to decipher all the spells in that Ancient tome?"


    "Soldier to C4," Shang Wei made his next move and also answered his brother''s question. "No, many of them are tooplex and are written in an ancientnguage."


    "Soldier to C6," Shang Bo made another move and said, "This is why I told you to take my help."


    "Royal Knight to C3," Shang Wei shook his head and rejected the idea, "no thanks. Your upational hazard will not make me trust you with these things."


    "Captain to B4," Shang Bo shrugged his shoulders, "In a win-win situation, you always lose something."


    Both of them continued to y the game while talking about other things. It really takes a great deal of mental strength to even remember all the moves but both of them didn''t have a problem at all.


    Nearly an hourter, in their imaginary chessboard, only a Royal knight and the Emperor left for Shang Wei. And a soldier, captain, and the Emperor left on Shang Bo''s side. The soldier was also two steps from getting promoted to Commander and the Emperor is there to protect the pawn.


    The situation is an advantage to Shang Bo. Shang Wei was getting nervous. It was at this moment as if the goddess of luck is smiling on him that a soldier entered the room and greeted the two of them and then, informed Shang Bo that Emperor is summoning him.


    "Father?" Shang Bo''s eyes widened. It was a rare event that Emperor would summon him to his chamber. Leaving his brush aside, he finally turned around and said, "I''lle in a minute. You can leave."


    As soon as the soldier left, the fourth prince was about to call his maids to read him, but the third prince didn''t leave the matter. "Not so fast. Leaving in the mid-game is considered your loss."


    "Fine, Bishop to D2, check," Shang Bo seemed like he was in hurry.


    A victory smile appeared on Shang Wei, "My Emperor is on B5. It isn''t a check."


    "Shit." Shang Bo tightly closed his eyes, realizing his mistake.


    "Well, let me end the game." Shang Wei made hisst move with a huge smile on his face, "Royal Knight to G3, taking your pawn."


    Shang Bo let out a sigh, "Emperor to G3, taking your Royal knight."


    "Match drawn." Shang Bo knew that he can''t corner Shang Wei''s Emperor to A1 or A8 with just the captain and Emperor. Feeling bitter about his loss and his brother''s luck, the fourth prince took out a scroll from his storage ring and handed it to his brother. "Everything we have on them ispiled into this scroll. Now, if you excuse me¡­"

 Chapter 58 Unknown Rusty Ring

    <strong>Genesis store, Hanga District, Imperial city;</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Trolls'' Armor. 342 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Trolls'' Bracer. 164 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Trolls'' Bracer. 164 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    "Hahaha, this is what they call the Goddess of Luck is smiling on someone." Mark was on cloud 9 as he was dismantling all the equipment he confiscated from Mo Jiang after Allen defeated him.


    Originally, he thought the system wouldn''t let him dismantle it considering he doesn''t own them. If such a case urs, he nned to sell them in the Evesting weapon store and exchange them with other equipment in return, then, dismantle them. Or maybe, just sell them for gold, instead.


    But, upon facing the first sess, Mark remembered the silver grade sword that he picked up from the ground. Lin Xue faced her defeat when she sparred against Allen for the first time and left the weapon. He dismantled it and got credits in return.


    Back then, he did it without thinking of anything. However, now that there are several gold-grade weapons waiting to be dismantled, he enquired with the system.


    In response, he was told that the system considers all the equipment Mark confiscate from the enemies he, his summons, or Allen defeat fair and square.


    "I guess I found a way to earn credits." Mark crackled his knuckles with an evil smile on his face. For the sake of credits, he decided to make enemies from arrogant ones that irk him.


    "Okay, so far, I got more than 650 credits. There are still things left to be dismantled."


    He picked up one of the steel greaves and dragged it to the circle on the holographic screen.


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Tan''s Greave. 191 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    Then, it was the turn of the second one.


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Tan''s Greave. 191 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    Now, only a sword, storage ring, and a rusty ring were left.


    Mark pulled out the sword from the sheath. "Hmm, the sheath looked exquisite."


    <strong>Name: Ruby Bloodwyrm Steel sword</strong>


    Nickname: Hakanas (former) *Click to change*


    Grade: Gold


    Description: A sword that was forged by Master cksmith Zhu Jian. It was made of Freiten steel. During the forge, five hundred ml of Red Drake, the Ruby Bloodwyrm''s blood was used as a catalyst to bring the properties of fire attribute. Like other Gold grade weapons, this sword has the capacity to hold the ether energy up to a six-circle realm.


    Special skill: Generate mes from the sword and demolish your targets. (Strictly restricted to only fire-attribute users). Cost: 20% of Ether energy


    Unique skill: Turns into a sword made of powerful dragon mes for 10 seconds with a 1% chance.


    ***


    Looking at such a powerful weapon in his hand, Mark didn''t feel like dismantling it. He knew for sure that this sword will give him high credits if he were to dismantle it but it is better than Allen''s current sword even though both of them are of the same grade.


    It makes sense to rece it with the other one but wouldn''t it draw more hatred from Mo Jiang? Song Mansion''s security Chief Yi Fang was dead but Mo Jiang is alive, right?


    "Hmm, wait a second. Why am I even considering such a threat when I already started the enmity between us? Whether I dismantle or use the sword, it wouldn''t make a difference, anyway." Realization dawned upon Mark and he quickly took the gold grade sword out of his inventory and stored the Ruby Bloodwyrm''s sword instead.


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled Scalleda''s sword. 286 credits have been added to the character.</strong>


    After the sword, only two rings were left.


    One of them is a storage ring, which cannot be imed by Mark as long as its owner is alive. As Mark can''t do anything with it, he kept it in his inventory and will return to Mo Jiang if thetter apologizes for his actions.


    Finally, his eyes fell on a rusty ring that was found in Mo Jiang''s pocket.


    When he inspected it, a look of surprise appeared on his face. Instead of details, a notification has been received.


    ? <strong>*Ding! An unknown object has been detected.</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like to sell the object to the System in exchange for 500 credits?</strong>


    "500 credits?" Mark assumed it must be atleast a gold-grade ring. He had heard of essories like rings, earrings, and nes that give a passive strength boost to its wearer. They were also as rare as High-Quality Ether crystals.


    So, Mark decided to keep it for himself. Maybe, he can remove the rust by himself using salt, baking soda, and hot water. "There''s no harm in trying."


    Once he decided on it, the system sent another warning.


    <strong>*Ding! This is only a one-time offer. Do you really wish to reject it?</strong>


    "Yes." Mark was firm on his decision, not just because he was interested in it, but also because he had gathered enough credits with all the dismantling.


    Putting aside the ring for a minute, Mark proceeded to open the store with a little over 1800 credits.


    Like thest time, only the Item section was avable. Skills, Attributes, Bloodlines, and Unique weapons are grayed out.


    Mark scrolled down.


    First, it was limited ones of various pills that improve misceneous things like recovery rate of ether energy, healing, creation sess rate, better vision, etc¡­


    Basic pills cost 100 credits. They give a 10% boost for five minutes.


    Intermediate pills cost 500 credits and give a 30% boost for five minutes.


    Advanced pills cost 5000 credits and give a 100% boost for five minutes.


    "Man, damn expensive. Even 1800 credits will not be enough to let me buy a limited-time Advanced pill. For now, they are useless but in the future, when I get to create missiles, jet fighters and all, the percentage boost will help me a lot."


    The next category was full of pills that increase the stats permanently. Naturally, they are quite expensive but also limited in number. A total of ten basic ones, ten intermediate ones, and 1 advanced pill.


    A Basic pill that boosts a specific stat by a random 0.1 stat point costs over 100 credits. A specific stat point costs 500 credits.


    Likewise, an intermediate pill costs 1000 credits for boosting 0.3 stat points randomly but needs 4000 credits for boosting a specific one that Mark wanted to raise.


    As for an advanced pill, it costs 5000 credits to boost 1 stat point randomly and needs 20000 credits for a specific stat boost.


    While basic and intermediate pills can be depended on luck, Mark can only choose an ''Advanced grade'' intelligence pill to increase an entire realm in an instant. And 20000 credits isn''t a small amount either.


    "So, to take an advanced pill, I might have to dismantle 50-100 gold grade equipment? Were they peanuts or something that I can just gather them and dismantle? How many thousands of gold coins are they worth? System, isn''t it too expensive?"


    <strong>*Ding! Shortcuts are often pricey. </strong>


    The system made a simplement to hisint and shut his mouth.


    "Alright, you win." Mark resigned fromining and continued his shopping.


    Apart from stat pills, there are other ones like skill power that increases the damage power of skills, there are longevity pills that increase life span permanently but Mark can''t afford them and scrolled down further.


    He arrived at the Potions section, where, upon consuming a potion, a limited time stat boost will be granted.


    The prices were the same as the limited-time pills except that 100 credits worth basic potion will only boost 0.1 stat and that too for 60 seconds.


    Likewise, 500 credits intermediate potion will boost 0.3 stat points for 60 seconds, and 5000 credits worth advanced potion will boost 1 stat point for 60 seconds.


    The best thing about these Potions is that they can be taken by others that are bound to his soul like his summons or Allen. Considering how the lightning panther''s strength is at 1.9, Mark purchased a basic one.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased a basic strength potion. 100 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Strength potion (Basic) has been sent to the inventory. Check the inventory for details.</strong>


    "Okay, once I gather enough credits, I should buy an Advanced potion. I can give it to Allen to improve his strength in an emergency situation."

 Chapter 59 Commander Bai Visits The Store (Part-1)

    Mark continued to scroll. He arrived at the essory section.


    "Ugh, I can only afford copper-grade items?" Mark didn''t see any good essories that he can buy right away. The copper-grade essories only boost all of his stats by 0.1. Instead of buying those worthless ones, Mark decided to scroll up and make continuous purchases.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased a basic intelligence pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased a basic intelligence pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased a basic intelligence pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    Mark didn''t open the inventory and consume the pills, thinking of saving them for the future. If that''s the case, why bother to purchase now? Can''t he just purchase them at any time? Well, even Mark doesn''t know the reason behind his actions. He just acted on impulse, feeling that it is the right thing to do.


    "Okay, I''m done with this. Let''s get back to my daily chores." Mark ordered Allen to open the store and started to create 9mm bullets.


    ***


    <strong>Meanwhile, somewhere in a mansion located nearby the Imperial pce;</strong>


    Song Yue was sitting alone in the garden with a look of depression. "Sigh¡­"


    A week after her father went into aa, the Zhang n suddenly distanced themselves from them.


    Her fianc¨¦e Zhang Kong informed that the elders in their n were thinking of annulling their engagement and she needed to be prepared for an official announcement. After that, she never saw him.


    Her elder uncle Song Chang who was close to the Nie n took the position of temporary n head as well as the ministry, and they were forced to stay in Bai Mansion in fear of assassination while the Song Mansion''s repairs are going on.


    In just three weeks, her life turned upside down. She doesn''t know who to me. If it is someone else, they would have surely med Mark for this situation and will n on taking revenge.


    But, Song Yue is too nice to think of such a thing when her heart knew that the fault lies with her father. So, she doesn''t know what to do except for ming her fate.


    While she was busy just staring at empty space, the peaceful atmosphere was disturbed by the sudden explosion of the gate.


    She shuddered in reflex and looked at the front and saw an angry eight-foot monster in human skin that pushed the gate and entered thepound.


    He walked at a quick pace while being followed by a few soldiers.


    Song Yue stood up on her feet and greeted him with a bow, "Uncle Bai."


    He nodded and said, "Follow me, Xiao Yue."


    As he proceeded to walk, she followed from behind in silence.


    Soon, they reached one of the guest rooms where an unconscious Song Yun was seen, lying on the bed.


    Song Yun''s wife, a couple of elders, and Song Yue looked at him curiously.


    The man then took out some kind of potion with transparent liquid like water from his storage card and fed the former minister.


    All of a sudden, Song Yun''s eyes were opened and he woke up with a loud gasp and started to cough heavily.


    "Dear!" "Father" Song Yun''s wife and daughter hugged him with tears of happiness.


    A smile appeared on Bai Xun, the Commander of the Army and the maternal cousin of Song Yun. Looking at them, he spoke, "Brother Yun, you need to rest."


    Song Yun looked at his cousin and thanked him, to which, thetter waved his hand, and said, "You should thank Heaven Sect, not me. They were the ones who gave me the soul-cleansing pill. In the next seven days, your soul will be in the state of purification and increase your cultivation speed tremendously. You should take this opportunity to absorb the natural energy and refine it into ether energy as much as you can."


    Song Yun once again thanked him and lie on the bed while the Commander asked Song Yue to follow him outside.


    As they stepped outside the room, he spoke coldly, "Come with me, Xiao Yue. There is a debt that needed to be repaid. Those who mess with the Song n will not be spared that easily."


    "Eh?" She was taken aback before realization hit her. She hurriedly waved her hands, "Uncle Bai, Owner Lu isn''t at fault. And the father is awake. That''s enough for me. Let''s leave them."


    She replied as if she was pleading on Mark''s behalf. In a way, she felt indebted to Mark because, in her view, he had saved her life, more than once. During their trip to Bloodhill forest, when she was taken as a hostage by a Captain that turned traitor, it was with the help of a pistol that she shot him in the eye and freed herself. It was because of the sound of a gunshot, the group managed to escape the assassination from Xu Sect.


    Although she was the one that is directly responsible, Song Yue, these days, wondered what would have happened if Genesis store never exists. It was the gun that made it possible. Any other weapon wouldn''t have helped in such situations.


    This is why she doesn''t want Mark or his store to be harmed in something like revenge, at least not from her side.


    She continued to plead to Bai Xun who looked like he was surprised by her words, "Uncle Bai, if Owner Lu and Allen die by your hands, then, I will feel regret all my life and¡­"<sub> </sub>


    It was then Commander Bai raises his hand and interrupts her, "what are you talking about? I''m talking about the Zhang n."


    "Eh?" She was stunned by his reply.


    Bai Xun continued, "The feud between your father and that Owner Lu doesn''t involve Song n. It is personal. The reputation of the n isn''t be damaged by that.


    However, Zhang n''s actions arepletely another matter. Your engagement with Zhang Kong isn''t just between you and him. It concerns the whole n. I promised my grandfather that I will not let anyone trample on Song n''s reputation. Zhang n thought they can do whatever they want, because of Brother Yun''s absence.


    I wasn''t there, back then. Now that I''m here, then, I will make sure they face the consequences."


    "You won''t harm Zhang Kong, right?" Song Yue voiced her concern. Even though it is a political marriage, she had been engaged to him for three years and in this time, she developed feelings for her fianc¨¦e too. She thinks that her fianc¨¦e isn''t at fault here and he was being forced by the elders.


    Bai Xun clenched his fist and replied in a serious tone, "As the guardian of the n, I will do what is necessary to regain Song n''s reputation. As for Zhang Kong, he''s the heir to Zhang n. Naturally, those elders will defend him. Nevertheless, his actions will decide my reaction."


    Song Yue was then dragged along to the Zhang n.


    ***


    It was almost afternoon, Mark and Allen were returning from Lin Mansion in a horse carriage.


    Allen was sitting straight and is staring at empty space. If one looks close enough, they would find tiny 1s and 0s going up and disappearing at a terrifying speed. Mark, on the other hand, was looking outside through the window.


    Slowly, the carriage crossed Lin Wan Street, which is named after Lin n''s ancestor and is where Lin Mansion is located. Just after a few seconds, Allen blinked his eyes.


    Mark caught that and asked, "Is the uploadplete?"


    "Yes, Big Brother." Allen nodded in response, and then, asked, "Would you like to watch?"


    "Only the parts where she used her skills and also the parts where you fell into a disadvantage. Compile it into one file and save under name, Lin Xue vs Allen, Fight no. 7 Highlights." Mark passed an order.


    Until a week ago, Mark doesn''t know that Allen has 1 Exabyte of storage memory and will automatically record every moment but ny-five percent of the memory automatically gets erased after 24 hours has been passed.


    When he learned that not only the Android can store memory but also disy it to him after uploading to the system, Mark decided to make full use of it.


    So, every day, he will only make Allen remember the customers who came to his store but also record every fight Allen is in, so that, in the future, if a case arrived when Lin Xue stand against him, he can take care of her by targeting her weakness. On top of that, Allen can also analyze and learn her sword and movement techniques too. Maybe, he can try to improvise the techniques so that theye in handy in the future.


    As the horse carriage is traveling towards the Hanga district, Mark spent the time watching the highlights of the battle while creating 9mm bullets in the meantime.


    As usual, it almost took an hour to travel 46 kilometers of distance and they finally reached the entrance of the alley. Right when it was about to enter the alley, the horses neighed and stopped walking.


    "Have we arrived?" As Mark was about to get up from the seat, the tiny window in the size of a fist opened by the coachman and his voice entered the cabin, filled with panic, "Owner Lu, our way is blocked. I think we should leave from here."


    "Eh?" Mark opened the window and peeked outside and saw the entire street was blocked by the soldiers. They are on the left and right. And no civilian can be seen in the alley and every store is close, possibly due to fear.


    However, his attention wasn''t on them but was in the air where there is a 20-ft Blue Drake flying in the sky, quite near to his store. It was a 6-circle beast. On top of it, he saw a huge man and a slenderdy wearing a veil. Even from far away, Mark could recognize her.


    "Song Yue?" Mark was taken aback but soon, his surprise turned into a frown. "Did she finally decide to take revenge?"


    Mark opened the door and get down from the carriage.


    "Owner Lu!" The coachman panicked even more. Does this man like to enter the fire, that much?


    As Allen also got down, Mark spoke, "you can leave."


    *Neigh*


    The coachman didn''t hesitate to run away. Perhaps, the sounds of the horses caught the attention of the soldiers on standby. A couple of them looked in the direction and found the horse carriage is turning around while two handsome fellows were seen standing on the ground and one of them was intently ring at the drake.


    "You two over there, this street is blocked for now. Both of you need to leave." A soldier warned Mark and Allen.


    Mark narrowed his eyes and slowly started to walk in reverse while ring at the soldier.


    Just as the soldier was about to turn around, Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the tank.


    All of a sudden, Mark and Allen disappeared and a huge tank appeared.

 Chapter 60 Commander Bai Visits The Store (Part-2)

    "What the hell is that?" The soldiers in the front went into a panic state as soon as they saw the Battle Tank, which is even bigger than the blue drake, the Commander is riding.


    A Captain, on the other hand, fell on his butt in shock. More than 3 weeks have passed since the Song n incident, so, the rumors about a huge carriage-looking puppet that can move and attack its own slowly died down.


    But, Captain An Se was there at the Song Mansion and knew how dangerous this battle tank is.


    And when he saw it at super close distance, especially the long cannon, his heartbeat spiked up, and lost strength in his legs in fear.


    After all, the Battle Tank is not only strong enough to kill 5-circle but even send a 6-circle realm Mage like Song Yun into aa with just a single attack. On the other hand, he''s only at 4-circle. That makes the Battle Tank more terrifying to him.


    Some of the soldiers at the entrance hurriedly raised their shields in wariness, attracting the attention of the soldiers behind them.


    "Hmm, the soldiers are finally alert. But, what about those two?"


    Through the screen, Mark saw the people on the drake aren''t paying attention towards the tank. They were just looking away. So, he pressed on the horn and held it until Song Yue and Bai Xun turned their heads and look in the direction.


    A look of surprise appeared on Song Yue. To date, she never saw the Battle Tank but only heard of its descriptions from the servants. "Lu Zhen¡­" She mumbled in a low tone. There''s a look of sadness on her face.


    Earlier, just a while ago, her engagement with Zhang Kong is officially being annulled.


    As soon as the both of them stepped inside the Zhang Mansion''spound with a regiment, the elders who happened to be present at the ce thought Bai Xun is taking revenge for the humiliation done by them.


    The elders got angered and tried to retaliate, not caring about the difference in strength. In the end, they were beaten down. Surprisingly, Zhang n''s retired n head intervened and managed to stop him through sheer strength.


    It was then Song Yue finally realized that the reason behind the annulment of her engagement isn''t just her father. It''s because Zhang Kong''s grandfather finally managed to enter the 7-circle realm and increased his lifespan by 50 more years, this mess happened. Now that Zhang n''s status reached new heights, they no longer felt they are inferior to Song n and made the bold step.


    Realizing the truth, Bai Xun put an ultimatum before Zhang n''s heir. However, Zhang Kong replied that he won''t go against the decision of his n when he was told to choose between Song Yue and the n.


    As a result, he received a strike from enraged Bai Xun and got seriously injured with all the bones broken.


    Bai Xun vented his anger and both of them decided to bury this matter, right away.


    Song Yue naturally was depressed by these events. She wants to go straight home and stay alone but Bai Xun didn''t stop there. He expressed his intentions to meet the owner of the Genesis store and dragged her along with him.


    Back to the present, Mark continued to press the horn. As it was too loud, the nearby soldiers couldn''t help close their ears while moving back.


    He finally lifted his finger when the Blue Drake pped its wings and turned around to fly towards him.


    As it stopped in mid-air with over a few meters above the tank, Bai Xun grabbed her and jumped down,nding on the ground.<sub> </sub>


    Mark got up from his seat, climbed thedder and opened the door, peeked outside, and took a glimpse at the people who are standing right before the Tank.


    Previously, he saw it from far, so, he didn''t see Bai Xun properly. When he took a closer look, Mark was taken aback by his giant body and muscles. "Even fighters in WWE wouldn''t be this huge. Does this guy have giant blood or something?"


    His attention on him stayed only for a couple of seconds. Mark''s attention was quickly caught by the beauty beside him. His eyes lingered on her for a couple of seconds while a smile appeared on his face, "Lady Song, it''s been a while."


    It was then, something clicked in his mind. "Wait, why am I smiling? Isn''t she here for revenge?"


    *Ahem* he cleared his throat and instantly changed his expression, looking at the both of them coldly before she return his greetings. "If you are here for revenge, let me warn you beforehand. I will no longer show any mercy as I did on your father."


    p Upon hearing his words, a deep frown appeared on Bai Xun. At the same time, he fell into thoughts, "this face is familiar. Where I have seen it before?"</anda>


    Meanwhile, Song Yue hurriedly waved her hands, "No, wee in peace. Uncle Bai, I mean, Commander Bai Xun wanted to meet you"


    "Bai Xun? This guy is him? That legendary Commander?" Mark''s attention shifted to Bai Xun again. He was surprised upon hearing the name. Even Lu Zhen in the past heard of this mightymander, the only 7-circle realm expert in the Imperial City.


    Mark''s wariness only increased now, despite her words. He hurriedly opened the inventory and took out the peak strength potion. Grabbing in its hands to use it any time, Mark posed the question in a serious tone, "Speak your intentions, Commander Bai."


    Bai Xun put aside his thoughts and replied in a calm tone, "Let''s talk in your store."


    "I don''t trust people with authority. They have too much pride. How do I trust that you won''t attack me as soon as Ie out of this?" Mark didn''t hesitate to voice out his suspicion. Even in everyone''s eyes, he''s not a Spirit Warrior and is depending on the Battle Tank and the store. So, he won''t mind if people think he''s too cautious or worse, a coward.


    "I''m the Commander of the Imperial Army of Phoenix Empire. I don''t need to use trickery or permission. If I want to kill, then, I will kill regardless of their identity." Bai Xun felt a little bit humiliated when Mark rejected his goodwill. He further gave a warning, "This piece of metal won''t protect you if I take the action."


    However, Mark seemed unafraid, "really? Then, try it. Before you kill me, I''ll send everyone here standing before me to the afterlife."


    With the peak strength potion in his hands, Mark was full of confidence.


    Earlier, he was just reluctant because he knew that thismander can kill him before he even tries to drink the potion. However, inside the Tank, Mark will get enough time to drink it before Bai Xun makes a hole into the Tank. He also confirmed with the system that he will gain enough stat-boost to contest or might even overpower this Commander.


    "You¡­" Bai Xun got angered naturally. How dare amoner speaks in such a tone against him? "Impudence."


    As he clenched his fist, Song Yue grabbed his arm, "Uncle Bai¡­"


    He looks at her. She shakes her head with a worried look. It was unclear who she was concerned for, Mark, Bai Xun, the soldiers, or the residents who locked themselves in their homes.

 Chapter 61 Commander Bai Visits The Store (Part-3)

    Bai Xun took a deep breath and calmed down himself, "fine, how about I stay far away until you get into your store? You''ll be safe then, right? I heard that everyone who steps inside your store will face suppression on their soul."


    "Suppression?" Song Yue wondered what he was talking about. Back then, she came several times to the store but never felt such suppression. Is it because she''s weak and only higher realm experts can be affected?


    "He was here to inspect it?" Mark assumed that it was probably the case and agreed with his suggestion.


    Bai Xun kicked the ground and jumped over a dozen meters of height,nding on the blue drake. All Mark needed is just one second that takes for him to swallow the potion. Now that he''s far away, Mark sighed in relief and dismissed the Battle Tank. Song Yue saw Mark and Allen. She greeted the Android with a hello but Allen didn''t respond to her, mainly due to the auto erasure of his memories about herpletely. He doesn''t even remember her name.


    For some reason, Song Yue felt like it was natural and started to walk. Mark and Allen walked beside her while the stunned soldiers gave their way.


    Meanwhile, on the blue drake, Bai Xun frowned once again but this time, not because of Mark. "What is that green liquid in that vial?"


    Even from several meters, his vision was perfect and as soon as Mark and Allen got down and walked forward, he saw the vial in Mark''s left hand. When he tried to sense it, he felt a very powerful force sealed in that potion.


    "Is that the reason he was confident?" He wondered.


    Little did Mark know that one of his secret weapons has already been exposed to Bai Xun. Well, he wouldn''t care even if he knew. Revealing secret weapons will only provide him more insurance and cause others to hesitate to make the first move.


    Soon, the shutter was opened and the three of them entered the store.


    Upon stepping inside, Song Yue finally felt the suppression and was stunned on the spot.


    A few secondster, 2.5m Bai Xun entered the store and he too experienced the same. However, he seemed much morefortable than others as he scanned the store, "The feeling of powerlessness. Ding Zhi''s description is on point. But, I can''t sense any semi-divine tool though. My Aetherius isn''t also responding. So, either it must be a skill ced by some Supreme realm (9-circle) expert or it might be a Divine tool. No, that can''t be possible. If Lu Zhen has that fearsome background, why does he stay in a ce like this?"


    "Commander Bai¡­"


    A voice interrupted his thoughts and brought him to reality and his eyes finally fell on Mark. Previously, when he only saw Mark''s face, it was just a suspicion but now, he was sure that he had met this guy in the past or at least someone who looks like him. When he thought in that direction, a handsome man appeared in his head.


    Bai Xun got stunned by it.


    "Commander Bai¡­" Mark called him again, this time with an annoyed tone. Why is this guy daydreaming and wasting the time?


    "Ah, yes¡­" Bai Xun turned awkward all of a sudden before clearing his throat and taking out a scroll from his storage ring. "I''m here for two things. One is to confirm certain rumors.


    Secondly, to inform you that your name is officially included on the observational list. The Emperor doesn''t like spying in secret. Forgetting about your feud with Song Yun, you saved my niece Xiao Yue. That''s why I''m warning you in person. Until we determine that you aren''t a threat, you will be under constant observation and cannot leave the city without a prefect tagging along with you.


    And finally third is to ask your cooperation in catching this person." Bai Xun unveils the sketch of a person familiar to Mark. It is none other than Feng Wu, the mysterious archer who made a big order, not just once but twice.<sub> </sub>


    Mark naturally didn''t like his tone. But, he didn''t pay much attention to it but focused more on the sketch.


    Pointing at Feng Wu''s sketch, Mark reacted almost instantly, "I know him. He came to my store and bought weapons but who is he?"


    Mark was genuine. He was indeed curious about the person. Of course, it doesn''t mean he''ll consider the cooperation. After all, Feng Wu is a customer of the store. Not to mention, if he is someone wanted by the Imperial Pce, then, it is even more of a reason for Mark to protect him because Mark''s end goal is to burn down the pce, anyway.


    In response to Mark''s question, Bai Xun didn''t give Feng Wu''s details and just said that he''s someone wanted by the pce and has a bounty of 10000 gold coins on his head, dead or alive.


    "10000?" Mark realized that this guy must be really a high-profile criminal. But, it has nothing to do with him. The only thing matter is whether he''s useful to Mark or not.


    So, Mark decided to capture Feng Wu during thetter''s next visit. And he will decide his next move after he confirms theplete story from the wanted person. If he''s useful, then, Mark will shield him. And if he is no use, then, he will just hand over him to the pce. As for how he will capture him, it is pretty much easy. Anyone who steps into the store will be powerless against Allen. That is his greatest shield and now, a weapon too.


    "Okay," Mark took the scroll from Bai Xun.


    "Now that my business is finished, I''m taking my leave." Bai Xun didn''t waste a second as soon as he was done with what he came for.


    Meanwhile, the heiress of the Song n, Song Yue turned speechless.


    She thought Bai Xun is here out of curiosity but didn''t expect it is an official business.


    But, why did the highest-ranking officere to the store personally for these mere three issues? Can''t he just send someone to do those tasks? Not only Song Yue but even Mark wondered the same when Bai Xun stated his reasons.


    However, will Mark listen to him?


    Something tells her that Mark just gave a false promise. Until now, her impression of Mark is a kind and gentle soul who will go berserk when someone crosses his bottom line and is someone who likes money very much but his actions from a while ago stated that he''s also as arrogant as high born nobles from the major ns.


    On their way to Bai Mansion, both of them kept silent, having their own thoughts about what happened on the day.


    As soon as they reached the mansion, Bai Xun told her that he had something to do and went to the underground storage room, which is filled with dozens of paintings.


    He was looking at one after another, and finally, stopped before one painting.


    There was a boy in the painting with a bow on his back. Beside him is standing a handsome young man, wearing a full set of armor. He picked it up and took a closer look at the young man''s face and stature. Strangely, the painting looks a lot like Mark.


    He was stunned at the spot, "how is this possible? Lan Gengxin has been dead for so many years and he doesn''t have any siblings or heirs except for one daughter. Is this really a coincidence? I guess need to meet Queen consort Lan Jingyi."

 Chapter 62 Upgrading The Android Assistant

    A few days passed away smoothly without any major incidents.


    <strong>Genesis store, Imperial City;</strong>


    A wealthy merchant along with his servant was paying attention to a handgun held by Mark and listening to his exnation in a daze. "Mr. Zheng, This pistol features a stainless steel slide with rugged, wear-resistant Nitron finish, front cocking serrations, and rear night sights, tritium fiber optic front sight, and also the Short Reset Trigger."


    "Wait for a moment, Owner Lu." The wealthy merchant hurriedly stopped him from all the bbering, "I don''t understand a thing about you said. Exin it in normalnguage?"


    "Ah, Yes, I apologize." Mark realized that he was too excited upon seeing the familiar weapon from his past life.


    After calming himself, he then pointed at the tiny lens at the top of the gun. "These are night sights, which will glow in low light or darkness. So, it will be a lot easier to shoot. Of course, you still needed to depend on your senses regarding the target. As for the short reset trigger, it will decrease the reset distance of the standard trigger configuration by 60%. In simple terms, your firing speed will be more whenpared to other firearms, I mean weapons here."


    "I see¡­" The customer nodded in understanding.


    Zheng Ha was from amoner but a wealthy merchant family and import silk, tea, spices, and tobo from all over the continent and sell at Imperial City.


    Because he''s wealthy, there''s always a threat to his life and he was forced to keep guards all the time.


    As for self-protection, he isn''t a spirit warrior and didn''t have time to train in other weaponry. Due to the rising fame of Genesis, he heard about these pistols where civilians can at least protect themselves just by clicking the so-called trigger.


    He knows nothing about recoils or how tough is to aim at the target. Zheng Ha just wanted an easy way out and doesn''t hesitate to spend a mere change for it.


    And on this day, Zheng Ha finally visited the store and took at the prices along with the disyed items.


    He liked the shotgun, which is the most expensive one out here but Mark refused to sell him giving a reason that they are exclusive weapons and are limited in number. It is only for qualified customers.


    When asked who is qualified to possess it, Mark simply pointed at the board with revised instructions.


    Zheng Ha is a merchant. So, he knew business tactics well. Upon seeing the restrictions on special weapons, he was only left speechless for a while before thanking him for the tip.


    It isn''t some business secret that unique things are sold to special people. Even Zheng Ha sells unique goods to only people of the major noble ns or the Imperial family.


    But, Mark''s rule gave him an idea of changing from specific status to the people who actually provide himrge profits.


    In the end, he decided to buy the 20 round Semi-Automatic Pistol.


    Mark was filled with excitement. Even though it has been on sale for a couple of weeks, no one had purchased it because of its high price.


    Now that there was the first sale of this weapon, Mark exined its features in detail and then, demonstrate how to use it, after that, he even gave another piece of information, "If you buy this weapon, you can buy magazines separately. This way, you just need to load bullets at once when you are free and use them continuously until you are out of the bullets."


    "Magazine?" Zheng Ha fell into thoughts for a second before he pointed it, "oh, it''s this one, right?"


    "Yes." Mark nodded with a smile. "Each one costs 1 gold coin but it''s worth it. Moreover, this magazine will only work with this weapon. So, the people who bought other weapons wouldn''t even get such a privilege."


    "Really?" Zheng Ha was naturally impressed by the features of the weapon. He was ready to buy them.


    Mark was a little bit disappointed that the system didn''t provide any magazine for 10-round pistols and only unlocked for 20-round ones but either way, he knew this benefit will only increase the poprity of thetter.


    <strong>*Ding! 100 bullets have been sold. 16 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You gifted 10 bullets. 2 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Semi-Automatic Pistol (20-rounds) has been sold. 40 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You gifted 20 bullets. 4 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 5 Magazines have been sold. 4 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Side Quest I. Upgrade crystal is sent to the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! A new side quest is added.</strong><sub> </sub>


    "Thank you for the purchase, Mr. Zheng." Mark let out a pleasant smile as the notifications arrived one after another.


    The wealthy merchant caressed the expensive handgun and asked, "What did you say its name again?"


    "Sig Sauer¡­" *Ahem* "I mean, the name is the same as the one written on the board, Semi-Automatic Pistol but since there were two pistols with the same name, you can add P226 to it."


    "P226? What a weird name," Zheng Ha was puzzled at the model name.


    Mark thought of a quick excuse and told him that the weapon prototype was sessful after 225 failures.


    Here is where Mark''s 7 point Charisma made the customer believe his words and take them as it is.


    "Okay, I''lle again if I''m satisfied with its performance." Zheng Ha asked his trusted servant to store the good in the storage ring before he turned around.


    As the wealthy merchant is leaving, Mark bowed once again, not forgetting to remind him of another important thing. "Pleasee again."


    Once the customer disappeared from his sight, Mark copsed on his seat with a huge sigh of relief, "finally, a 20-round handgun has been sold. I think it''s better to need to disy only a couple of them. For golden gooses like these, expensive things should appear rare. Only then, they will get an urge to buy them. Anyway, let''s see how many firearms are left toplete the quest but first, the reward."


    With a thought in mind, Mark opened the inventory and saw a shiny crystal added to the slot.


    He took out of the inventory. The crystal was fist-sized but very lightweight, glowing even under bright light. Allen, who usually stays like a statue until Mark gave an order or a customer arrives at the store, abruptly turned his head abruptly and stared at it.


    Mark suddenly felt a gaze on him. As he turned his head, he saw it was Allen.


    "What the¡­" He was taken aback to see Mark''s intense gaze. For an Android that''s supposed to be expressionless, Mark felt a sense of greediness in his eyes.


    "It is indeed strange," Mark mumbled to himself and ordered Allen to close down the store for a while.


    p While Allen is closing down the shutter, Mark proceeded to inspect it.</anda>


    <strong>Upgrade Crystal (Bound)</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Description: A crystal made from the core of Void Dragon, Velton. Upon consumption, the quality of ether particles will be improved, raising the potential of the user.


    <strong>Note:</strong> This can be used to upgrade the strength of the Androids created by the system.


    "I see, so this is why Allen is acting strangely." Realization dawned upon Mark. "This is indeed a great opportunity."


    However, soon, a dilemma arose within him since he was originally looking forward to powering up his ether energy for several weeks. "What to do¡­"


    "Allen or myself? The solution is obvious but if I do this, then, I would lose a great chance to increase my own strength, and dependence on Allen would increase even more. Nah, I need to act based on the situations around me rather than doing things for myself."


    After finallying to a decision, he told Allen to follow them upstairs and make him sit on the wooden chair in the living room with little furniture.


    Thest time he became the spirit warrior, it took time. So, he doesn''t want to close down the store for ten or so hours for this.


    "Allen, I''m using this on you. Be prepared." Mark said to him while stretching his hand, following the instructions of the system.


    Allen''s blue eyes glowed for a moment as his eyes fixed on the crystal before he nodded, "I''m ready, Big Brother."


    Mark then touched the glowing yellow crystal to Allen''s head.


    <strong>*Ding! You are using Upgrade Crystal on the Android, Allen Spencer. Confirm?</strong>


    "Yes"

 Chapter 63 Dungeon Break (Part-1)

    The crystal instantly disappeared from his hands after the confirmation and Allen became like a statue.


    <strong>*Ding! The Android is absorbing the core energy from the Upgrade crystal.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The Android goes into standby. Estimated time: 11 hours, 29 minutes, 42 seconds.</strong>


    "Okay, 11 hours. Now, it''s¡­" Mark took out his pocket watch and look at it. "4:21. So, I guess, by the time I wake up, it will be done."


    Mark left Allen upstairs and came downstairs to open the shutter once again.


    He then went to his seat to look at the new quest. "System, open Quest List."


    <strong>QUESTS:</strong>


    Main Quest I: Sell a total of 1000 firearms. (In progress- 53.9%)


    Reward: Bolt action Rifle, Lever Action Rifle, and Semi-Automatic Rifle.


    *


    Main Quest II: Be rank-2


    Reward: Host''s revenue share increases to 30%, 1000 credits.


    **


    <strong>SIDE QUESTS:</strong>


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 100000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition. (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Ether Pistol


    *


    Side Quest II: Sell exclusive weapons to ten people (In progress-2/10)


    Reward: C-4


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 5000 credits (In progress-46%)


    Reward: Exchange Panel (Currency to Credits and vice versa)


    ****


    "Hundred thousand gold?" Mark gasped in shock. The previous side quest was onlypleted quickly due to his luck in meeting Lin Xue. For the past 18 days, representing Lin Xue, Yao Ling continuously purchased the weapons ording to the contract and Mark somehow managed to receive the upgrade crystal quicker than he thought.


    But, a hundred thousand gold coins is a far bigger number. What if Lin Xue suddenly decided to stop sparring with Allen and end the contract? Then, no one can say how long it takes to aplish the task.


    Mark felt pressured by the quest. If the reward is any other firearm, he would have taken it easy but it was a graded weapon. He can''t wait for years. So, Mark felt that he needed the sales to go up, which can only be possible by expanding the store.


    Due to his increased share, Mark had about 2900 gold coins in his inventory. It was clear enough to buy two stores like these. But, the only issue here is, who will manage the store?


    Due to the uniqueness of his weapons, Mark cannot trust someone and hand over the firearms. As for keeping Allen at the store, it was even more impossible for Mark to do that. It was then, something clicked in his mind.


    "Wait a second. Instead of opening a store, how about I travel around like a merchant, sell the weapons in bulk to different stores and guilds? Hmm¡­" Mark thought it is a better idea but to implement that, he felt the modern weapons needed to be popr in public.


    ***


    <strong>Jin Province, Eastern Yan, Phoenix Empire;</strong>


    More than a thousand Spirit warriors ranging from 1-circle realm to 6-circle realm gathered at the camping ground, five kilometers away from the giant Red portal, filled with numerous cracks. It looked as if the portal will be destroyed at any moment.


    Some of them are from guilds.


    A part of them are representing the Jin n, one of the 12 major noble ns of the Phoenix Empire and the rulers of Eastern Yan.


    Some of them are from various minor ns within the region.


    A few elites were sent by the Five Lakes sect, which is based in Jin Province.


    More than a hundred soldiers came from the south following the second prince.<sub> </sub>


    Another two hundred soldiers followed the General, who is in charge of the East.


    And finally, hundreds of volunteers arrived, some to save their homnd while others to collect the corpses and make a fortune.


    Everyone gathered at the ce, mingling with each other while waiting for the orders.


    In a tent, six-circle realm elites were having a meeting along with the lord of the region, Jin De.


    "So, how many beasts are we expecting here?" Jin De asked the council formed by the elites.


    A man with heavy armor from top to bottom spoke first, "Lord Jin, it is confirmed that this dungeon break is of Dragon grade, a threat to the whole Eastern Yan if it isn''t stopped here."


    Everyone turned their attention towards this man, Su Ling, also known as the General of the East.


    Even though he''s amoner, his position is higher than most of them, except for Jin De. So, no one intercepted him while he was talking.


    General Su Ling continued, "Considering the size of the portal, we can expect a seven-circle realm beast but it''s already the fifth day and there''s no appearance of the lower realm beasts. That states the Dungeon Overlord isn''t just a simple 7-circle beast but is a beast king with intelligence."


    "Beast King?" Everyone gasped in surprise upon hearing his words. They couldn''t believe that they were going to face a mighty creature very soon. A couple of them regretted volunteering to attend this battle.


    A beast in the wild or dungeon was divided into four categories based on the purity of the bloodline. First is an ordinary, second is Fierce, third is a King, and fourth is an Emperor.


    Ordinary and Fierce beasts can be found anywhere. But, a Beast King is different. Because of over 80% purity in their bloodline, a beast king is not only a lot strongerpared to the beasts from the same realm but also can control the beasts of the lower realms around it with ease regardless of their species.


    As for Beast Emperor, which has a hundred-percent pure bloodline, no one has even heard of them since three decades. And even if there''s a Beast Emperor, the dungeon portal would be deep violet in color with a size of over a thousand meters.


    Back to the meeting, General Su Ling informed about their estimation, "Usually, for a dungeon where Overlord is in seven-circle, there will be 3 to 5 Six-circle realm guardian protectors of the overlord, 12 to 20 Five-circle realm beasts, 60 to 100 Four-circle realm beasts, 240 to 400 Three-circle realm beasts, and 1200 to 2000 Two-circle realm beasts.


    If the overlord is a beast king, we can expect the numbers on the peak side. And on our side, we indeed have good numbers if we concern the overall strength but if it''s just 8 of us, then, I don''t think it is sufficient to kill the overlord without making sacrifices."


    A brief silence filled the room while Jin De was hit with a bitter reality. He was a vassal for the Emperor for nearly two decades and he was experienced enough to read the situation more clearly than others.


    Jin De wasn''t ready to lose the spirit warriors when these elites will focus on the overlord. He spoke to everyone, "If this beast king can control the beasts and decided to choose to wait until thest moment, then, we still have two days to spare. There''s still time."


    Turning his head towards the right, he then made a request to the Second Prince, "Your highness, can you send a letter to General Bai? If he faces the overlord, you eight can take care of the guardian protectors, and the remaining ones will be taken care of by our army."


    Everyone also felt his suggestion is good. On the other hand, the Five Lake sect''s two representatives were a bit displeased. Even though their sect leader is in the middle of cultivation and probably will note, it would have still made them a bit happier if Jin De had asked about their Sect master instead of Bai Xun considering they are natives of this region.


    On the other hand, the Second Prince''s expression changed to that of a deep frown. "No, the Emperor has sent me personally to care of this problem. And so, I made a decision. I will face the overlord and hold him down until all of you take care of those guardian protectors."


    "Alone?" Everyone was taken aback for sure but for some reason, they felt more at ease.


    ***


    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    <strong>Genesis store, Imperial city;</strong>


    It was around dawn. Mark was sleeping soundly on his bed, not intending to open in the early morning hours before Yao Ling picks them up.


    There was a holographic screen floating before him, where there''s a notification popped up.


    Allen was nowhere to be seen, either at home on the first floor or in the store on the ground floor.


    *Trrrrrrrring* *Trrrrrrring*


    All of a sudden, rm sounds started to y in his head, continuously until he woke up only to see the blurry holographic screen. There were two lines on it, indicating two notifications.


    "Hmm?" Mark rubbed his eyes and took a clear look.


    <strong>*Ding! Allen Spencer has been upgraded sessfully. Check its stats for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest: Dungeon Break.</strong>


    Emergency Quest: Dungeon Break.


    Description: A level-7 dungeon break appeared at Jin province, Eastern Yan. Go and retrieve the core of Cerberus.


    Reward: Rank-6 Android Assistant.

 Chapter 64 Dungeon Break (Part-2)

    <strong>Hanga market, Imperial city;</strong>


    It''s the seventh day of the week and the market is bustling withmoners of the working-ss who have a holiday.


    p In the busy crowded market, a certain Android is walking alone. Strangely, he hasn''t received an order from Mark and neither did he think about taking permission from his master while withdrawing 2 gold coins directly from the inventory.</anda>


    The system directly helped him without even giving a notification to Mark either.


    As if it wasn''t weird enough, Allen was humming some kind of tune as if he was in a good mood while shopping for veggies and meat. After that, he went to the bookstore to look for the cookbook.


    Every item that was bought by Allen was sent to his own inventory system followed by the remaining 12 silver coins and 34 bronze coins of change ended up returning to Mark''s ount.


    An hourter, he returned to the home.


    He opened the shutter, went in, and then closed it again, climbed up the steps, and went into the kitchen before taking out the ingredients and the cookbook from his inventory.


    He then took the cookbook into his hands. It was small in the size of an average adult palm but have several pages.


    "Scanning the recipes," Allen turned the pages rapidly and finished it in ten seconds. "124 recipes have been saved in the storage."


    "Now, all left is to ask master about which dish he would like to eat." Allen then left the kitchen, passed through the living room, and reached the bedroom only to see it''s empty.


    "Big Brother¡­ Huh!"


    "Master isn''t here?" Allen was puzzled. He checked every corner of the house but Mark was yet to be found. "Where did he go, early in this morning?"


    Allen closed his eyes for a moment, establishing a connection with the system that was attached to Mark''s soul.


    "Master isn''t in danger," Allen let out a sigh in relief and took the seat.


    He then went downstairs and proceeded to open the store on his master''s behalf.


    ****


    <strong>Jin Province, Eastern Yan, Phoenix Empire;</strong>


    The sun has risen but more than half of the spirit warriors were appeared to be half-asleep. Due to the tension, most of them couldn''t get sleep properly. A few of them even decided to run away.


    Meanwhile, at a certain section of the camping ground, it was too lively. They were all soldiers belonging to the second prince''s regiment.


    Their General was personally giving them a lesson bybating with each of them using only swordy without involving ether energy.


    It was a normal scene the people are seeing for the past six days. So, no one interrupted them and everyone minded their business.


    Several more volunteers are joining the campground as the D-Day is only 20 hours away.


    A group of adventurers from a tiny guild named Blue Hunters were dispatched from the city of Dongchuan. All of them are only in the 3-circle realm and their leader is in the 4-circle realm. Along with these adventurers, a young man in his mid-twenties was tagging along with them while riding a young donkey.


    While none of them are even paying attention to him, the young man had his head down in disappointment and kept sighing once in a while. "This damned, I mean, this almighty system had directly thrown me into this city as soon as I epted the quest. Allen was at the store. This ce is nearly a thousand kilometers away from Imperial city. Sigh¡­"


    He''s none other Mark who was teleported to Dongchuan city, a ce that is nearly 50 kilometers away from the camping grounds, as soon as he woke up from a peaceful sleep.


    Intending to stay low-key, Mark decided not to summon either his lightning panther or the mighty battle tank.


    But, he can''t also be looked down on by others because of his cotton pajamas.<sub> </sub>


    So, he first went to the store and changed his clothes to good ones. Luckily for him, due to themotion, he got 3-gold coins worth of linen clothes for just 1 gold coin.


    Along with that, he also was able to buy a 14-year-old young donkey for a mere 5 gold coins. He intended to ride on it until he reached his destination and will probably free it,ter.


    Or, maybe, he should just hand it over to the cooks there at the camp like a contribution so that people can fill their stomachs as he doesn''t like to eat donkey meat.


    Whatever the case, the life of this poor animal that is carrying Mark for fifty kilometers isn''t of his concern. And neither did he care about the humans who were about the humans he had yet to meet. The only thing that''s on his mind is to kill the overlord of the dungeon and snatch its core and return as soon as possible. Per every day he''s missing at the store, he''ll be losing more than 500 gold coins.


    However, just an hourter, he received the shock of his life that he almost fell off from the saddle.


    <strong>*Ding! A semi-automatic Pistol has been sold. 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! A semi-automatic Pistol has been sold. 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! A semi-automatic Pistol has been sold. 24 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Revolver has been sold. 16 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    "This¡­" Mark saw seventeen notifications appear one after another. When he realized that the total is added up to 500 gold coins, he concluded that Lin Xuee to the store and bought from Allen.


    "Allen opened the store on his own and is operating it without taking my permission? What''s going on?" He didn''t understand the situation properly. It was only after consulting with the system, Mark finally realized that Allen no longer needed supervision.


    "And that would mean I can expand the store in different cities." Mark thought of his earlier n again. He decided to think about the store''s future after the return.


    Nearly five hourster, dozens of tents appeared in Mark''s view after reaching an elevated spot. The entirend appeared to be barren without a single de of grass. Behind them also lie a couple of barren hills, covering the sight of the portal.


    The horses walking in front of him stopped. The leader and the only four-realm expert of the group, Gu Zemin turned his head and spoke in a bit of harsh tone as if he is in a bad mood, "Hey, you¡­ Lu Wen¡­"


    "Lu Zhen," Mark corrected him.


    "Lu Wen or Lu Zhen, whatever. We are here and our job is done." Gu Zemin told Mark that he''s on his own and further gave a friendly warning that he can''t expect anyone here to save him if the situation worsens.


    Mark naturally didn''t like his tone but since he had done a favor of showing the way and even escorted him all the way to this ce, Mark forgave him and get down from the donkey, and started walking towards the camping ground in a different direction from them.


    Where he was going in the kitchens where cooks are busy preparing lunch for the people who came to save the region from the beasts. There are a few soldiers on standby to ensure no disturbance to the chefs.


    "Stop, right there," As expected, one of them stopped Mark and his donkey. The remaining two soldiers also took a glimpse at him. Surprisingly, they cannot sense any ether inside him.


    Mark stepped aside from the donkey, "I''m here to contribute on my part. There are hundreds of people around and it must be very difficult to procure the meat. You can take this. I hope it will be edible."


    In the past week, Mark wasn''t the first one to provide the animals but still, it is rare to see a voluntary contribution during such situations.


    "Who do you work for?" A soldier questioned in curiosity. In the camping grounds, only cooks, cleaners, or servants to the nobles are seen not having ether. So, he wondered which minor or major noble n member sent it. Considering Mark is wearing good quality clothes, they have no doubt that Mark gets good pay.


    "My name is Lu Zhen and I''m from Imperial city." Mark introduced himself with a smile. "Due to personal situation, I came to Dongchuan and heard about the dungeon break. So, I made a visit here. It''s not every day that I get to see so many Spirit Warriors in action, right?"


    The soldiers were taken aback by his exnation and looked at him as if he was crazy or something.

 Chapter 65 Shotgun Shell With One Pellet

    Mark introduces himself and surprises the soldiers giving a weird reason. He tells that he was visiting the site to be a spectator to the uing battle between the humans and the beasts.


    However, before even one of them get toment, a voice was heard from behind Mark and disturbs their conversation. "What are you all wasting time in chit-chatting?"


    They collectively stiffened as soon as they saw the person. One of the soldiers bowed and addressed him in respect, "Mr. Li."


    The person proceeded to ask in a haughty tone, "I''m here to check the lunch preparations."


    The soldier named Zi Jihao replied politely while not daring to look at the person at eye level, "it will be done, Mr. Li."


    "You better hope. My master doesn''t like to be ufortable and he may lose his patience if they take too much time like yesterday." The person nodded before his eyes fell on Mark.


    While Mark''s appearance is indeed something to feel envy, Li Su also sensed that Mark has no ether. "And you over there, whose servant are you?"


    "Mr. Li, he''s here to help," Zhi Jihao answered in ce of Mark.


    "I see. You can join the kitchens to help out. We have fewbors, anyway." Li Su misunderstood the soldier''s words and thought Mark is here for work so that thetter can earn something. Due to not sensing any ether inside Mark, he neither thought about the donkey nor Mark''s outfit.


    And Li Su even thought that he was doing a favor on Mark by giving permission.


    But, his words didn''t bode well with Mark.


    Mark''s face darkened as he felt humiliated. He responded with a retort. "I''m not aborer and neither I''m a servant like you."


    "You dare to talk back to me?" Li Su was enraged. "Do you know who I am?"


    His roar attracted the attention of people nearby.


    "Not interested." Mark riled him even more with his reply.


    The soldier Zi Jihao hurriedly stepped forward and reminded Mark, "Li Su is the servant of Jin n and is in the 3-circle realm. He isn''t someone you can offend. Listen to my advice and apologize to him before the matter bes too serious."


    "No matter the stature, the one who makes the mistake should apologize even if that person is an Emperor." After disying his stance on the matter, Mark proceeded to open the inventory and was ready to summon the Battle Tank at any moment.


    Meanwhile, Zi Jihao quickly stepped away from him, believing that he''s really crazy.


    The others who were watching the scene also thought Mark was a fool to go against someone like Li Su.


    On the other hand, Li Su''s body started to tremble with his eyes turning red. "Impudent."


    To Mark''s surprise, a familiar gun was taken out by Li Su and pointed at him.


    "Single-shot pistol?"


    Mark never expected to see his weapons reach this ce a thousand kilometers away from his store. Nevertheless, he was angry that the weapon he sold is being used against him.


    The others around seemed to be familiar with the weapon considering they weren''t surprised about its unique appearance.


    Loading a 9mm bullet, Li Su then pointed it at Mark, "For your impudence, I can beat you up to death but I don''t want to waste fists on civilian ike you. But, I''m not a cruel person. I give you one chance. Kowtow and apologize for your remarks. I will probably spare you. If you don''t..."


    With so many witnesses around, he doesn''t want to kill a civilian and get a scolding from his master but he can sure shoot the person''s non-vital spots to get an apology in order to uphold the dignity of the Jin n.<sub> </sub>


    Unfortunately, he met the wrong person.


    The moment Li Su revealed the pistol and even more, pointed at Mark, he had sealed his fate.


    Mark raised his hand to click on a weapon.


    A ck-colored shotgun appeared in Mark''s hand. With a barrel length of 18.5 inches, an overall length of 28.5 inches, a pistol grip, and a durable finish, the weapon attracted the attention of the spectators around.


    Li Su was also taken aback by its appearance. It wasn''t enough that Pistol in his hand looks damn weird but now, there was another weapon, which was even weirder than a pistol, right in front of his eyes.


    While he never saw such a weapon in his life, Li Su still found it is extremely simr to that of the weapon in his hands. He wondered whether both of them are manufactured by the same organization.


    Mark pointed the loaded shotgun at the person that annoyed him and pushed aside the safety switch, clicking the trigger without any hesitation. Li Su was the first to take out the weapon but Mark made the first move.


    *Bang*


    As the trigger clicked, the shell fell on the ground, shooting a giant metal pellet, traveling at least twice as fast as a normal bullet, and struck the target five meters away.


    A one-year-old child''s fist-sized hole was made on the left shoulder of Li Su, followed by his copse on the ground.


    In third-person view, it appeared as if everything happened instant and everyone around was stunned for a moment.


    "What the¡­" Even Mark was shocked for a second, not because of the death but because of the size of the pellet inside the shot. "Wasn''t it supposed to be small-sized and more in number? Why was there a fucking metal marble inside it? "


    "Argh¡­" Li Su screamed in heavy pain with a heavily wounded thigh. The pistol in his hand was fallen onto the ground. "You will pay this with your life."


    It was then his eyes fell on the victim. "Well, whatever the case, there is a result. If I aim at its head, perhaps, I can kill him. I also won''t need to worry about the distance if there''s only one pellet."


    Seeing that he was wounded heavily, a sense of confidence grew in Mark.


    He put aside his thoughts and then, looked at him coldly, "If you can''t control your tongue, then, try to mind your tone when talking to others. Or else¡­"


    Mark proceeded to drag back the fore-end and released it, to reload the next cartridge and pointed at his head, "you will unnecessarily throw away your worthless life without aplishing anything."


    Li Su gritted his teeth in anger but the pain overpowered his rage. As he screamed once again, the soldiers hurried towards him.


    Zi Jihao told Mark to put aside his weapon and calm down.


    Before Mark replied, a masculine thunderous voice was heard in the surroundings. "What''s going on here?"


    Continue to point the Shotgun at Li Su''s head, Mark turned towards the source.


    The group of spirit warriors moved aside to give the way and gave a deep bow. Mark saw a young man in exquisite equipment is walking towards him. He was buffed, probably in his early thirties, and looked dignified. Even Mark felt like there was this invisible aura oozing out of him that has the bearing of a ruler.


    Along with him, another person is walking beside him at the same pace. He looked quite younger, probably around 18 or 19 years. Looking at his traditional style clothing made out of silk along with ornaments, Mark felt that he''s probably a wealthy young master.


    "Second Prince and Lord Jin?" The soldier Zi Jihao gasped in fear.

 Chapter 66 A Deal With The Second Prince (Part-1)

    "Second Prince?" Mark''s expression changed immediately as soon as he heard it. Mark stared at him with a deep frown. There wereplex feelings in his heart.


    Everyone within the Empire knew about the rtionship between the Imperial children.


    The first prince was born to Emperor and the Empress.


    The second prince was born to the Emperor and his first Queen consort.


    The third prince and fifth princess were born to the Emperor and his second Queen Consort.


    The fourth prince was born to the third Queen consort.


    The first Queen consort was an orphan with who the Emperor has fallen in love and used to be his favorite consort. But, on the night he turned 15, his mother died in an assassination.


    With no one to look after him, he was forced to choose the military way and eventually climbed up the ranks, bing one of the four generals by the age of 27 and maintaining the position for 5 years now.


    This is where the problem lies for Mark.


    He hates the imperial family to the core but the second prince is someone that stays away from the affairs of the pce. He might be of the Emperor''s blood but he basically held no rtions with any of his family members.


    For Mark, meeting such a person is really ufortable.


    *Tap* Tap* Tap*


    Amid everyone''s gazes, they continued to walk towards him and soon, they stopped before Mark and the others.


    "Young master," Li Su, who was massively bleeding, held onto his consciousness and weakly addressed the young man.


    "Li Su?" The young master of the Jin n was taken aback at first before he red at Mark, "are you the one that did it?"


    Before Mark gave a response, Li Su interrupted, "he''s the one, young master. Please give me justice."


    "What are you lot watching?" Jin Gengxin scolded the soldiers before him and ordered them to take his servant away for treatment.


    While he was taken away, the young man turned towards him once again, "you are really audacious to injure my servant."


    "Audacious, Eh?" Mark''s lips widened in amusement. "You remind me of a noble who said simr words to me, a few weeks ago. Do you know what happened in the end?"


    A deep frown appeared on Jin Gengxin. It would be a lie if he doesn''t want to behead the man in front of him. But, he was controlling his rage as people are looking at him. If hemits murder in daylight, it might negatively affect themoners that came all the way at his n''s request. Not to mention, there''s only less than a day before the dungeon break.


    Meanwhile, the Second prince fell into thoughts. The moment he reached there, he saw the shotgun in Mark''s hand, then, he saw no fear in Mark''s eyes, and now, he heard about an incident even he heard of it.


    "What should I call you?" The second prince asked him directly to confirm his suspicion.


    Mark was about to remind them of Song n but as he was asked about his identity, he thought he might as well introduce himself, "Lu Zhen."<sub> </sub>


    "Lu Zhen? The owner of Genesis weapon store?" Shang Wen wondered out loud in surprise.


    "Do you know him, your highness?" Jin Gengxin became curious. At the same time, he felt like he heard of the store name, somewhere or from someone.


    "Hmm?" Mark was also equally surprised "You heard of me?"


    The second prince nodded, "Of course, the fame of your store even reached the far south, although most of the credit must go to Lin n. Anyway, I nned to make a deal with you for our new division in the near future. Now that we have met by a strange coincidence, we can talk about the details right away. Follow me to our camp if you aren''t busy."


    The Jin n''s young master went into a daze. He didn''t expect the situation to turn like this, very quickly. Judging by how the mighty second prince isn''t putting on airs, he thought it would be better if he don''t look for trouble if he wants the second prince as his ally.


    As for the justice to Li Su, he''s just a servant. If he goes on to punish Mark and upset the second prince, Jin Gengxin was sure that his father will roast him.


    Amid everyone''s gazes, Mark followed the second prince towards the far left of the camp where the subordinates of the Second Prince are currently staying.


    As for Jin Gengxin, the young man parted ways in the middle to leave for the infirmary to check on his servant.


    On the way, the second prince didn''t stay quiet either. He went against his usual behavior of staying quiet and expressed his curiosity about the gun in Mark''s hand.


    "This type of firearm is called Shotgun. The name of this model is Tomohawk. It is ungraded weapon but with the help of 12-gauge ammunition, one can effectively kill a 3-circle realm, be it a beast or a human." Mark showed the ammo, surprising the second prince as he took a clear look at it.


    Previously, Mark only thought of him as someone from the Imperial family. But, upon realizing that Shang Wen is a potential customer, and a big one at that, Mark only treated him as such. It goes without saying that self-development and profits are more important than revenge for dead Lu Zhen.


    "This one is heavier, bigger than that bullet." The second princemented while returning it to Mark. "This one can kill a 3-circle realm, eh."


    Assuming that the second prince might have misunderstood his statement, Mark then added a remark, "of course, it cannot kill a 3-realm beast or expert just by clicking the trigger. You need techniques and the target should be vital points like forehead, chest, etc¡­"


    "Of course, I know." The second prince nodded in understanding. "Even if I have a divine grade sword, I cannot kill even a 1-circle beast by slicing its legs. I need to go for its head."


    "Well, a beast or a human can die from massive bleeding without any head slicing." Mark thought inwardly and continued to walk.


    Soon, they entered a huge tent.


    "Tea or wine?" The second prince asked him in a casual tone, taking his seat.


    Mark also took a seat at the round table and waved his hands, "Just a ss of water is enough, Your Highness."


    It''s not that he wanted to reject the hospitality. It''s just that he''s more of a coffee and beer guy. And unfortunately for him, coffee isn''t invented in this world and he didn''t know where he can he find coffee beans either.


    Thankfully, beers were avable in every town and city, although it''s more of amoners drink. So, Mark didn''t think it would be avable at this camp. Since Shang Wen didn''t offer it, he didn''t ask for it either.


    The second prince gestured a servant and thetter left the ce to bring tea for him and water for Mark. After a while, only Mark and Shang Wen are present in the tent.


    The second prince then put forth his proposal while resting his arms on the table, "So, it''s like this. As I have already mentioned, I nned to create a new unit in our regiment. It will beprised of only civilians who weren''t blessed with ether."

 Chapter 67 A Deal With The Second Prince (Part-2)

    ? "I''m experimenting with twenty soldiers per unit at the start. If it bes sessful, we will increase the numbers to fifty, hundred, andter, we might even establish a separate division with five hundred or more soldiers.


    I made enough inquiries and knew for sure that you won''t reveal who you are receiving your weapons from, because of a confidential contract.


    So, I never n to force you to. Instead, I wanted to establish a long-term partnership. However, before that, I needed to know whether you can procure enough bullets for our entire unit or not. If I even consider 20 per day, each one will consume over 140 bullets. That''s just the usual estimation. There can be even more.


    As the numbers grew, consumption will also increase. Can you alone handle this order?


    If you can''t, arrange a meeting with the manufacturer. Tell him my name and identity. If he/she is willing to, then, we can proceed with it and in return, I will handsomely reward you too."


    The second prince put forth the proposal and waited for the answer, sipping his tea.


    Mark fell into thoughts. He wasn''t thinking whether he can or not, considering he''s the creator. What he was doing is calcting the profits in his head.


    "140 bullets, 20 members. 2800 bullets per week, 145600 bullets per year. Each bullet, 20 silver coins. That means 29120 gold coins per annum. And what if there were a hundred members? It will cross a hundred thousand. I canplete the quest with ease, hehe¡­"


    After thinking about it, Mark felt like this is a good deal and nodded, "I can. How many bullets, how many weapons do you need?"


    If it was a couple of weeks ago, Mark''s heart would spike just by thinking about such a huge amount. However, after selling 500 gold coins worth of weapons to Lin Xue every day as a part of the deal, he felt a lot calmer when he heard the second prince.


    "Very well," The second prince let out a pleasant smile. He was also a little bit surprised by the confidence in Mark. After all, it isn''t a small deal either.


    Taking a sip, he spoke, "for the first order, I will have 5000 bullets altogether."


    "It''ll take a week." Mark gave a quick answer. "If it is urgent, I can reduce it by two more days."


    "A week, is it?" Shang Wen thought for a bit and nodded. "That will be okay for me."


    "After this is over, I will visit your store to check out the weapons personally and we''ll finalize the deal. You can stay here as our guest in the meantime." The second prince continued to sip the oolong tea and took out some papers from the storage ring and started reading it in silence. He doesn''t have anything else to talk to Mark.


    They aren''t acquaintances whether they can talk about casual things, Mark isn''t a noble where they can talk about the politics, and neither Mark is a higher realm spirit warrior where he can discuss strategy in the uing battle.


    What can Shang Wen do other than stay quiet?


    Thankfully, Mark has different ns.


    After a brief silence, he opened the inventory and took out a pistol, cing it on the table. He then started taking revolver this time.


    *Tap* *Tap*


    The sound attracted the attention of the second prince and raised his head. "Hmm?"


    Mark was taking each type of firearm one after another, cing them on the table.


    He then looked at the second prince, "Your Highness, you don''t need to visit the store. Let us finalize the deal, right away.


    This is Single-Shot Pistol. Only one bullet can be loaded each time. So, in a battle, one has to keep pulling the trigger and load it in the barrel¡­" Mark had an inkling that this prince knows how to handle this weapon. Nevertheless, he demonstrated pulling the hammer and clicked the trigger each time. There was no bullet. So, no one outside is rmed.


    Mark continued, "Its maximum range is 15 meters and costs 5 gold coins. The bullet can go farther too but the uracy drops.


    When the target is between 15-20 meters, the uracy drops to 50%. When the target is between 20-25 meters, the uracy drops to 25%. And when the target is above 30 meters, you can believe that no matter what you do, it won''t hit the target.


    Not just this pistol, every firearm has a maximum effective range. And has an absolute range of twice the maximum range. And the range between them, you can only depend on luck. In such a case, you will only waste the bullet. So, I won''t rmend shooting unless you want to depend on your luck."


    Mark put down the pistol and took the next one.


    This is Revolver. You can keep 6 bullets in this chamber. It is a double-action revolver. So, you just click the trigger after loading the bullets. Its range is 25 meters, absolute range 50 meters, and cost 20 gold coins.


    These two are Semi-Automatic Pistols. This is it magazine where you can store 10 bullets. Adding with the one that''s loaded, you can shoot 11 bullets in a row. Its range is 30 meters, absolute range 60 meters, and costs 30 gold coins.<sub> </sub>


    And the second model is P226. Its magazine can store 20 bullets. That''s 21 consecutive shots for the user. This weapon also has night vision, which will make it easier to point at the target in low light conditions.


    Adding to that, I sell individual magazines for this model so that it bes easier to load if you are in hurry. Its range is also the same, about 30 meters, absolute range 60 meters, but cost 50 gold coins. The magazine also cost only 1 gold coin.


    This model also has a no-fee maintenance offer. Each gun usually needed to be cleaned every 6 months. It might be even lesser if you use it too frequently. I won''t charge it, no matter how many guns they are."


    While Mark exined about the 20 round semi-automatic pistol, the second prince saw that he was more expressive than before and there was also excitement written on his face.


    He wondered it might be because the model is the most expensive. But, it wasn''t the case at all. Mark was just happy to showcase the weapon from his country of the previous life.


    Mark continued. "Now, it is the exclusive weapons, which are limited in a sale. So, they are sold to exclusive customers.


    The first of them is this Derringer. As you can see, this one has two barrels, so, you can quick-fire two shots. However, its recoil is quite greaterpared to a revolver and other advanced firearms. Its maximum effective range is also only 10 meters but costs 10 gold coins.


    And also, to buy this weapon, the customer''s purchases from our store needed to reach at least 1000 gold coins. Or else, they won''t be qualified."


    "10 meters?" The second prince was taken aback by its price and its details. In his opinion, it was worse than the single-shot pistol. The effective range is the reason he chose these firearms. The conditions were even more ridiculous to him.


    This derringer''s redeeming feature is that its appearance is quite catchy than previous models, but things like appearance were also useless to the military.


    "Okay, next." Shang Wen showed his disinterest in it.


    Mark nodded and put it down, picking up the final weapon. "I told you about this Shotgun. There are several models but for now, only this model Tomohawk is avable.


    Its maximum effective range goes as far as 50 meters and its absolute range is 100 meters. The gun costs 50 gold coins and has the capacity to hold 5 rounds in the bottom and 1 load. So, that''s 6. And adding on top of it, you can this saddle has four spaces where we can put the shotgun shells.


    As for the shotgun shell, each one of these will cost about 1 gold coin. Like P226, no maintenance offer is there on this weapon. However, to be eligible, you need to be either a level-2 customer or have a ten-thousand gold coins worth of total transaction with the store."


    Putting the shogun back on the table, Mark asked, "Your highness, which weapon interests you? Everything can be arranged within a week as long as the numbers aren''t too high."


    "What about the weapon that was used to demolish the Song n? Is it not for sale?" The second prince wondered out loud before realizing his mistake.


    Mark''s facial expression instantly changed to frown as he replied, "It''s not for sale, Your Highness. Only one such weapon was built and it was bound to my soul. I won''t sell it at any price because it is what that will protect my life."


    When he was exining it, he only thought of making profits, but now, he wondered whether this prince is actually eyeing for the tank in the name of such deals.


    "Is that so?" While the second prince fell into thoughts, Mark opened his inventory and sneakily took out the potion before keeping it in his pocket, reminding himself that he needed to be careful at all times when he''s outside the store.


    He only felt ease up a little when he saw the second prince take each firearm into his hand and check out the feel in his hand. Mark eyed the P226 model, his favorite and the one that was sold only once until now.


    The atmosphere fell silent.


    The second prince waspletely absorbed in thoughts while Mark was waiting for his decision while hoping that a 20 round Semi-Automatic pistol to be selected.


    As for raising his luck, Mark didn''t dare to do it to the prince. After the incident with Mo Jiang, he realized that luck absorption is basically a curse spell from the ring and the church can not only detect it but also remove it with force.


    Mark doesn''t want to do that to the second prince and harm his business, despite feeling on the edge just a moment ago.


    On top of that, there''s something called business ethics. Since the second prince is now a customer, Mark shouldn''t do things like that.


    After being silent for a whole minute, the second prince asked a question, "How good are you with those weapons or firearms that you called?"


    "I guess I''m familiar with shooting." Mark gave a modest answer, wondering why he asked such a question.


    It was then, the second prince stood up from his seat, instead of telling his decision. Mark followed the suit.


    Shang Wen then said, "That Revolver and that P226, is it? And the Shotgun. Follow me to the outside with those three and put the other three away."

 Chapter 68 A Deal With The Second Prince (Part-3)

    It was noon. The sun was above the hills, everyone who wore the armor is feeling the heat. People are eating their lunch. The poor donkey that carried Mark, all the way to the ce, was ced along with other livestock to get ready for the dinner.


    Meanwhile, in the southern troops'' camp, the soldiers gathered around at the behest of their General. As for the others, they were denied entry to the ce because of the restrictions ced by the General, a week ago.


    Mark appeared to be the center of attention as he was not only demonstrating the weapons but also his skill.


    There were three logs, sized about 5ft in length with a few meters apart from each other, that were seen standing before him, nearly 30 meters away. On top of each one, there was an empty flower pot was ced. On the other hand, Mark had a 20-round Semi-Automatic pistol in his hand.


    The General offered the bullets as he was demonstrating for them but he refused the offer and loaded his own 9mm bullets from the inventory.


    But, why is Mark demonstrating his skills?


    Well, it is because he''s really the only one that was familiar with the three of the firearms that Shang Wen selected earlier. Adding on top of that, the second prince is a client and asked for a live demonstration. If he doesn''t do it, then, what sort of a seller is he?


    Not knowing the real intentions of the second prince behind this request, Mark showcased his skills.


    He raised the left arm with the gun and gripped the handle with two hands. Since he''s left-handed, he closed his right eye just in case to narrow down his vision. Normally, he doesn''t need to but he felt this demo was important to the deal. So, he took it seriously and doesn''t intend to miss it.


    After pulling back the slide and letting go, Mark concentrated on the pot for five seconds.


    Just as he was about to click, he realized that the safety switch was on. He switched it off and concentrated on the target for a couple of more seconds and clicked the trigger.


    *bang*


    The shell fell off from the gun and at the same time, the flower was exploded into pieces.


    "Hmm, this is almost twice as fast as that Single shot pistol''s but is only slightly faster than that Semi-automatic pistol-P365." The second prince could barely see the bullet as it traveled above the speed of sound with 350 m/sec.


    While he can dodge it as the bullet usually travel in the straight line with how the gun is ced but it bes very difficult for a six-circle realm spirit warrior to clearly see an object that travels above the speed of sound.


    The second prince was satisfied with it. If he can''t see it, then, how would one-circle and two-circle realm enemies can see it? That means the targets, which he nned to use them on, will be injured or die for sure as long as his new unit gets properly trained.


    *Bang* Bang*


    Within the next two seconds, consecutive shots were fired and sted the remaining flower pots.


    "Next." The second prince passed the order.


    Mark changed it to revolver while walking forward and a new flower pot was ced was on top of each log. He stopped at the 20-meter range. He doesn''t feel nervous like before, this time.


    *Bang* *Bang* Bang*


    Another set of flower pots was destroyed one after another. Unlike before, it only took 2 seconds for three shots.


    The soldiers around seemed to be amazed. Whether it is 20 meters or 30 meters, the distance is definitely not a small one for 4-circle and lower realm experts.


    However, the second prince was a bit unimpressed. After seeing the earlier performance with P226, he wasn''t satisfied with the revolver.<sub> </sub>


    "Next"


    This time, Mark was standing nearly forty meters away. That''s like 130 feet. And when they saw Mark has the biggest firearms they have seen in his arms, the soldiers turned curious.


    Mark''s confidence was very high with the two earlier sesses. So, he didn''t even put too much concentration like his first shot and just calmly raised it with one hand and clicked on the trigger.


    As the giant pellet hit the flower pot with three times the speed of the sun and blew into thousand pieces, the soldiers stood there for a couple of seconds like a statue.


    "What the heck was that?" Even the second prince was stunned as he couldn''t even see the pellet until it hit the target. He rubbed his eyes as he concentrated too hard only to see some blurry thing travel in front of him.


    While archers felt they can also easily shoot such targets from 40 or even 50 meters, some of them couldn''t help but realize how easy was to shoot with the gun. Adding on top of that, the speed of thest one is almost ten times the speed of arrowsunched by them.


    Thankfully, the guns were ungraded weapons and the bullets have extremely limited power. All the twelve members in the Archery unit sighed in relief that guns cannot rece their bows.


    Meanwhile, a smile appeared on Mark.


    *Bang* Bang*


    The other two flower pots were also destroyed to tiny bits.


    He was satisfied with his performance and turned his head to look at the second prince, "Your highness, what do you think?"


    "You say that shotgun is exclusive?" Shang Wen asked in a questioning manner as if he wanted to say that Mark needed to make an exception for him.


    But, Mark couldn''t do anything. He was also slightly disappointed that the second prince probed about something that can''t be bought. In the end, he nodded, "Yes. The rules cannot be changed."


    "Alright, everyone, continue with daily sparring sessions, and Lu Zhen, follow me."


    The second prince once again returned to his tent. Mark also followed inside and took a seat.


    *Tap* Tap* Tap*


    Tapping the table a few times, the second prince went into a quick calcting mode and a few secondster, he spoke, "here''s the deal. I will make an order of 5000 bullets and 20 Semi-automatic pistols of the P365 model, right now. Then, two weeks after the delivery of your first order, the second-order of 5000 more bullets needed to be delivered.


    Uponpletion of four weeks of training and showing the results to His Majesty, if he gives the permission, we will formally make a contract and your store Genesis will be an official partner for Southern Army''s Firearm division. We''ll negotiate then."


    "5000 bullets and 20 P365s?" Mark couldn''t help but be disappointed a bit. Just now, he disyed how awesome P226s are, but this imperial prince turned out to be stingy.


    "Sigh¡­ but then again, this is also a good business opportunity." Mark felt that something is better than nothing. He also hoped that maybe, firearms will be incredibly popr once the military started using them.


    Of course, he also knew that soon, maybe, within a few months or maybe a year or at most 2 years, his monopoly on 9mm bullets might disappear. Until then, he needed to make as much profit as he can.


    And at the rate he''s earning money, Mark knew that he''ll be wealthy by then.


    Mark agreed to the deal and he was paid 500 gold coins as the advance. After that, he didn''t get to have a talk with the second prince again. He was provided a small tent in the camp to sleep, usually exclusive to the captains.

 Chapter 69 Dungeon Break (Part-3)

    <strong>Later, that evening;</strong>


    Mark finished his dinner and sit with a few of the soldiers around the campfire.


    "Lt. General Hu seemed to be such a mighty figure," Markmented casually as he was listening to the adventures of Infantry division''s Lt. General, Hu Shi.


    "Yup, if it not for the limited positions of Generals, he would have already be one." A soldier named Lei Jin spoke with pride.


    While he wasn''t an extrovert, he likes thepany of others too.


    And for some reason, he felt safe at this camp. Maybe, it is because he''s far away from the Imperial city or maybe, it''s because the soldiers were weak. The reason doesn''t matter. What matters is that he was chatting with others about casual things, which he didn''t get to have with other people in his neighborhood because everyone would be busy. Unlike him, they don''t get to earn much.


    A couple of hours passed away.


    The soldiers appeared to be energetic. On the other hand, Mark was getting sleep. He wanted to leave for his tent and sleep, which only the captain and above pay grade has the privilege but Lei Jin was in the middle of storytelling about another adventurer of their mighty Lt. General. This time, it appeared to be a romantic story of Lt. General Hu Shi and retired General Yuan Chin''s daughter whoter became the former''s wife. It is quite long and the scenes are like in a drama. He couldn''t even tell whether it is real or a story.


    Mark thought he would leave once it was over but for now, the story is going on for fifteen minutes.


    "So, Lt. General Hu climbed the house with the help of pipes in order to not alert anyone. And without making a noise, he managed to enter the balcony of the second floor where Lady Yuan sleeps.


    Lady Yuan appeared to be awake. She came to the balcony and saw him. They hugged each other. It was then, her door suddenly knocked twice. It turned out to be her father."


    The other three soldiers, who seemed like they are hearing it for the first time, were engrossed in it.


    "What happened, next?" A soldier named Kong Chin asked in enthusiasm.


    "Did they get caught? Or did our Lt. General escaped?" Another soldier named asked in tension.


    Lei Jin let out a smile and said, "It was thendy¡­"


    Before he finished the sentence, a sound of a huge explosion suddenly urred far away.


    Everyone including Mark looked towards the source, the hill before them.


    Followed by that, three loud barks were heard in the surroundings. The source was nearly five kilometers away, yet, even Mark felt like his audio was cut off for a couple of moments and can only hear the sound of buzzing in his ears.


    *Woof* Woof* Woof*


    Very soon, continuous explosions were seen one after another in the sky, above the hill. The exploding arrows were the signal that the dungeon was broken.


    The soldiers and the volunteers, everyone stood up on their feet right away. A majority from the lower realm were panicked and the others were serious as it came earlier than they expected. Nevertheless, everyone was picking up their weapons.


    The second prince and the other elites stepped outside of their tent.


    "Southern Army, get ready." The second prince was the first to give an order before going on his own.


    "The hell," Mark rubbed his eyes and looked at the sky again to see the back of a figure that was flying with bird-like wings. Adding on top of it, the mes were also dancing on the features.


    "Hah! General Shang is really the reincarnation of a Phoenix." A soldier stared at the flying figure in admiration.


    It was still dark. Wherever the prince is flying, the ce was being illuminated for a moment.


    In the meantime, the other elites started to pass orders.


    "Division A, get ready," said a six-circle realm Elite from another camp nearby.


    "Division B, get ready." "Division C, get ready." "Eastern Army, get ready" "Jin guards, get ready" "Division D, get ready" "Division E, get ready"<sub> </sub>


    As the other seven groups were gathering together, the troops at the Southern Army also stood uniformly. Mark stood on the side as he doesn''t belong to any group.


    Meanwhile, a Captain of a unit, Wang Li took the charge in Shang Wen''s absence, following his order.


    She''s about 5''5", slender, in herte twenties, and can be considered beautiful. The ponytail and pure white hanfu attire only increased her appearance by a few points but the weapon in her hand annuls all those things.


    It was a Ji, a two-pole hand weapon,prised of a long handle with a curved de attached to the top and a sharp metal tip. Ji is a very diverse and useful weapon, it can be used to sh with the side de or stab with a drip.


    It is indeed a good weapon but didn''t suit her stature.


    Tightly gripping the handle, she spoke loudly, "Everyone, our General is risking his life by fighting the dungeon overlord, all alone. As a member of the southern troops, I willy my life to fulfill our goal set by him at all costs. Are you with me?"


    As she raised the weapon, every soldier also raised their weapons, and roared, "Yes."


    She put the weapon and raised it again, "Are you with me?"


    "Yes."


    "Now, everyone, get ready to leave," Wang Li put down her weapon and mounted a Ferghana horse that was brought by a servant. The knights also mounted their Ferghana horses. While they were lean and looked like they will easily get injured, they were three times fast as local breeds, touching 150 km/hr despite they are only at the 2-circle realm.


    And that is what knights and Archers of Southern Troops needed. The second prince specially imported five hundred of them, all the way from Leon Empire, spending nearly 200 gold coins on each.


    As she mounted the horse and rode a bit forward, her eyes fell on Mark. She went towards him. Of course, his looks can''t be disregarded by anydy but it isn''t the reason.


    Upon stopping before him, Wang Li said, "General Shang told me to inform you something."


    "Hmm?" He looked at her curiously. "What is it?"


    Did that prince want him to take shelter in the campground or did he need to go with the troops?


    She replied, "Be a spectator or a participant as you wish. If you chose to be thetter, then, just make sure not to mess up the formations of the soldiers or unknowingly harm them, especially my soldiers or any other soldier from Eastern Army. The matter will not be forgiven if such a case arose. Consider it is my request or warning."


    A frown appeared on Mark as soon as he heard the message. He knew what the second prince is hinting at.


    On the other hand, Wang Li didn''t understand the meaning behind it. But, still, as per orders, she delivered the message and started to leave.


    Meanwhile, the second prince crossed the hill and saw the army of hounds. His eyes fell on the three-headed-hound standing the back. It was as big as thousand feet.


    The second prince handed on the top of the hill where a few scouts were on duty with firemp posts ced around.


    "Your highness."


    "Don''t worry, I will take care." Before they even point out the problem, the second prince assured them by waving his hands.


    As they sighed in relief, the second prince raised his arms above his head while gathering the ether energy into his palms.


    <strong>"Oh, the god of fire, Zhurong, I crave thou to bless me the mes of the eternal travelingmp to produce a replica."</strong>


    As soon as he finished his incantation, the fire attribute produced a ball of mes above his palms. It was only the size of the head. It was then, the ether energy gushed out of his palms and poured into the ball of mes, making it bigger.


    Within ten seconds, it grew as big as twenty feet, illuminating the surroundings.


    The second prince as well as the scouts clearly saw the army of hounds.


    "So, there were five of them, huh." Shang Wen''s face turned serious. He pushed the giant fireball upwards. It slowly flew into the sky and stopped at 1000 meters from the hill and 2000 meters from the ground level, turning the night into a day on the battlefield.

 Chapter 70 Dungeon Break (Part-4)

    "This beast king is more intelligent than I thought." Shang Wen had a deep frown on his face with his eyes fixed at the army of beasts.


    Usually, during a dungeon break, the beasts would go on a rampage but in this case, they were standing in a formation and calmly waiting for the orders, despite how they felt the fear as soon as Shang Wen arrived on the hill.


    The formation is like a maze from the top view.


    It was in the shape of 5 concentric circles with a 1000ft big three-headed hound standing in the center.


    Fouryers in this formation were filled with different types of hounds. In oneyer, it is made of three-circle beasts and in the nextyer, it is four-circle, the next is 3-circle and the innermostyer is once again four-circle beast. As for the five-circle beasts, they are spread all over the formation.


    But, the biggest trouble is the outermostyer where 300ft big two-headed hounds, the supposed guardian protectors of the overlord were standing together with the 2-circle realm hounds instead.


    After observing carefully, the second prince, Shang Wen mumbled, "Thankfully, the space between each is too great that one can pass through them but that means the six-circle realm experts will be engaged on the outside of the formation, far away from the overlord. I will have to count on myself until the end."


    Shang Wen then took a scroll out of his storage ring and started to draw the formation and write the instructions before handing it to one of the scouts, telling him to hand it over to Jin De who has the authority tomand other six-circle realm experts.


    pping his fiery wings, Shang Wen flew towards the army.


    *Woof* Woof* Woof*


    Cerberus let out a mighty bark to get ready for the battle.


    However, as the second prince continued to fly straight without attacking, Cerberus understood his intentions and once again barked, letting him fly towards the innermostyer.


    Soon, Shang Wen reaches the centermost formation and stops before the thousand-foot beast.


    He proceeded to take out a heavy sword from his storage ring. "I know that you can understand the human speech. Representing the Imperial family of the Phoenix Empire, I ask you to surrender and be our ally. All the beasts with the 4-circle realm and above will be spared."


    "You want me to be a mount to inferior creatures like you? Hahaha¡­"


    To his surprise, Cerberus started to talk in a human speech and evenugh like one.


    "Listen very well, human. Tonight will be thest day you inferior creatures get to sleep peacefully. After exterminating you and your pitiful army on the other side of the hill, we will not only demolish the cities but also free the other creatures from the dungeon." After making a shocking statement, it went on to say, "Your deaths will be a present to my benefactor."


    *Woof* *Woof* Woof*


    Letting out another bark, Cerberus glowed brightly for a second, turning into a man in human form but with dog fur on his arms along with the ws. It''s as if he was some kind of a weredog or werehound simr to that of a werewolf.


    The second princended on the ground and poured the ether energy into the sword with a serious expression.


    Several minutester at the camping grounds;


    "So, what now?" Mark fell into deep thoughts as the whole ce was evacuated by the spirit warriors. Only the cooking staff and other servants with no ether left.


    In deep thinking, he was walking back and forth.


    Mark was the type to get offended when someone gives him a warning unless he doesn''t have a way to face the other party. However, he was forced to stay behind, this time because he had yet to make an important decision.


    If everything went smoothly, Mark would have set out for the top of the hill and parked his tank there while the others get on to the battlefield before the dungeon break.


    While they were busy arranging their squads and getting into formations, Mark would go into the rear chamber and get ready to shoot the targets with 120mm ammo.


    After that, the dungeon will break, the monsters will rush out and the allied army will do whatever they nned earlier.


    Mark will then continuously load and shoot the beast army with 120mm ammunition, creating havoc on the battlefield.


    Amid the chaos, he will then get back to the front chamber again and ride into the battlefield. Once he kills the beast, all that''s left is to store it and leave the ce. As he was the one that killed it, no one would naturally object to it.<sub> </sub>


    This n had a major w. It is that there will be casualties of humans too. They might be small in number or might be big.


    In that case, Mark can justify his actions somehow. In this world, people would respect and fear the power of an individual. So, he was confident that they will ignore it as long as his contribution is high.


    However, the sudden change of his situation became a problem in his strategy.


    Not only the battle had arrived earlier, not only did the prince disy his wings and fly off to the battlefield, turning the area into the day, but he also left a note for him.


    When Mark heard of it, he felt as if the prince looked through him.


    Now, if he recklessly attacks the beasts and there will be casualties on the side of the humans, it was clearly giving a signal to Shang Wen that he will not care about his opinion.


    And that will also be fine as long as he has high contributions. The worst thing that can happen is their deal falls apart, and he will have to return the advance.


    But, can he kill the overlord and acquire its core?


    Mark had a strong feeling that the prince will battle it for sure. Like him, the prince might also wish for it.


    If he can''tplete the quest, then, it''s worthless to spend all those ammunition and increase his debt to the system.


    And then, he will be forced to kill the second prince. Maybe, after that, the remaining six-circle realm experts will die under his hand. What happens then?


    He will develop a strong enmity out of the Imperial family. The Emperor will not leave him alive.


    The store will save him but the Emperor can also ban the citizens to buy the firearms altogether if they can''t destroy him, thereby reducing his ie to zero and eventually, making him leave the Empire itself.


    In that case, Mark will have to go to a different Empire.


    A firearm is an invention that will be popr wherever it was sold. So, he might be able to start the business again but, if he leaves the Empire, then, he would lose the ieing from the Lin n, he will lose the future profits from the second prince himself.


    They are thousands of gold coins.


    "I had to think of a solution where I won''t need to escape the Imperial city and also acquire the core. How?"


    Mark continued to ponder.


    After a whole minute, an idea popped up in his head.


    "What if I wait until thest minute and steal the corpse? All I need to just touch it.


    Unlike others whose storage rings have limited size, my inventory doesn''t have size limitations. Whether it is a 1-foot beast or a 1000-meter beast, everything is the same. The only thing that matters is the number.


    But, stealing the beast in front of everyone will extremely offend everyone. The prince or the others won''t let me. They will try to kill me. The second prince might take this opportunity to kill me and snatch the Battle Tank. So, even in this case, I will have to kill them.


    So, not only do I need to kill it and steal it but I should also showcase my strength? All this will happen with only one thing. But, is it worth acquiring a rank-6 robot? Hmm, wait a second. I can also sell the corpse, right? It is a seven-circle realm beast king."


    When the thought of the estimated value of such beast appeared in his head, Mark''s eyes lit up. If one would be standing before him, they might have seen an illusion of his pupils turning into gold coins for a moment.


    Cracking his knuckles, he let out a wide grin, "now, let''s get to the business."


    After a while, the battle tank was seen traveling towards the west, taking a detour around to make it to the other side of the beast army.


    The servants who were standing outside were stunned on the spots.


    "Am I seeing things?" They could only look at each other in confusion for they had never seen such a thing in their whole lives.

 Chapter 71 Dungeon Break (Part-5)

    On thend of thousandkes, a tank was traveling at 80km/hr, hitting its maximum speed.


    Due to a long detour to take the enemy from surprise and also due to not-so-good pathway, it took an entire half an hour for Mark to sessfully reach the other side of the army.


    He pressed the brakes and stopped the Tank, about half a kilometer away upon finally seeing the outeryer of the formation.


    "Hmm, what are those two?"


    Through the screens, Mark saw two giant hounds along with tiny ones. He doesn''t know their grade or their strength but the least he could estimate that they were fierce beasts and probably of the 4-circle realm or above. This was the first thing he assumed.


    But, then, as he zoomed in and observed the battlefield, he found there were three more two-headed giant hounds on the other side and they appeared to be in the middle of battle.


    "Five of them? And toorge in size. So, that means they were probably the mini-bosses. 6-circle realm, eh. But, where is my target?" Mark''s vision was quite narrow and there were explosions, arrows, attacks, everywhere. So, he couldn''t see the details of the battle clearly.


    This wasn''t a problem since he doesn''t care about it in the first ce. The only thing that matters is the dungeon overlord.


    If six-circle realm beasts are more than 300ft big, then, how big their boss would be? At the very least, it should be the biggest of them all but Mark can''t spot the beast.


    Mark was clueless.


    It was then, all of a sudden, he spotted the second prince flying into the sky with his fiery wings.


    "It''s Shang Wen." Mark hurriedly zoomed in.


    The second prince appeared to have a sword of zing mes in his hands as he dived down.


    "The position seemed like it is the center of the formation. Is the boss over there?" Mark wondered.


    "Before going there, I need to take care of these beasts that seemed to be free without any work." Mark stood up on his feet and climbed thedder and opened the entrance.


    Once he got out of it, his body started to shiver uncontrobly. His breathing became heavier too. Mark immediately went back to the front chamber.


    "Phew¡­ what was that?" He ced his hand on his heart. It suddenly started to beat rapidly.


    <strong>*Ding! The host''s strength is inadequate to stay in a 1 km radius of a seven-circle beast king. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Please move back 253 meters or more to annul this effect.</strong>


    The system notified him right away about the pressure generated by these higher realm beasts on 1-circle spirit warriors like him.


    "I see. This is why, huh. I guess I underestimated a beast king. Wait a second." Mark read the lines between those words and realized something else. "That means my suspicion is right. The beast king is here."


    Taking a deep breath, Mark turned around the tank and drove farther away for a couple of minutes before stopping it and turning around again.


    He then finally got out of the tank and looked at the towering beasts, far away. "Damn, they are as big as Bahntower."


    After getting into the rear chamber, Mark saw controls before him and a storage chamber behind him.


    He opened the storage chamber and saw more than twenty 120mm ammunition, which are created while he was on the way. After several failures and a few sesses, he now owed more than 300 10-carat ether crystals of low grade to the system. That''s worth 3000 gold coins ording to the market price.


    However, Mark didn''t feel any regret at all. Considering no human army is on this side of the formation, he was free to go on a rampage too.


    Such a thought caused excitement in his heart and brought a grin to his face.


    Mark proceeded to take one of the 120 mm rounds in his arms. "man, this is fucking heavy."


    18 kilograms might be indeed heavy for someone like Mark that has low physical strength but the thought of bombarding the enemies made all the pain go away and he sessfully loaded the round.


    After taking the controls of the cannon, he aimed at the two-headed hound in his 1 o''clock direction and was more than 750 meters away.


    If its size is smaller, Mark would have worried about locking the target from this far away but the beast was over 300ft.


    <strong>*Ding! The target is locked.</strong>


    Mark clicked the trigger.


    *Boom*


    For a moment, the whole battlefield went silent as one of the heads of Orthus beast burst into bits and it cried in pain.


    After a few more seconds, before the beast get to spot the attacker, another 120mm was fired and blew up the other head, effectively ending its life.<sub> </sub>


    The second prince and Cerberus halted their battle for a second and looked at the source.


    As the headless Orthus fell on its back, forcing the adjacent inneryer of the formation to be disrupted right away, Shang Wen spotted the tank that was parked more than a km away.


    "It''s him." A smile appeared on his face. "The strength of that weapon is as real as the rumors, after all. At the same time, the range is insanely high. Only Archers and Mages of the seven-circle realm can attack the target from that far away."


    Meanwhile, Cerberus was angered. "Who dared to kill my brothers?"


    Unlike Shang Wen, Cerberus didn''t even understand how it happened.


    The second prince opened his mouth, taunting the beast to gain attention, "you still have an option of surrender and save your subordinates."


    "You¡­" Cerberus dashes towards him in rage. The second prince blocks the ws but was pushed back for a few meters before he flew towards the sky and dived again, shing at the beast.


    *Boom*


    Another powerful explosion was heard, repeating the same scene with another Orthus, which is on standby.


    Cerberus was distracted by the cry of one of its loyal guardians and the second prince sessfully inflicted damage on its shoulder.


    Shang Wen''s sword was stuck in Cerberus'' shoulder. He spoke coldly, "burn."


    The mes on the de increased their intensity, making the overlord cry in pain and rage.


    *Boom*


    The fourth explosion urred and its second guardian was down. It was then the dungeon overlord finally realized the source of the attacks on Orthus beasts.


    "You, I will destroy everyone." Cerberus roared in rage and transformed back into 1000ft beast, freeing itself.


    The second prince was pushed away by the force. With the help of wings, he saved himself from crashing onto the ground.


    *Woof* *Woof* Woof*


    The three heads barked once again.


    As soon as the orders were passed, the hounds that were staying in the formation rushed out forward, suddenly.


    Meanwhile, the second prince unleashed his skills while flying higher to Cerberus'' eye level.


    <strong>"The ming sword of Eternity." "Wrath of the Phoenix re."</strong>


    Shang Wen raised his semi-divine grade sword as he unleashed his swordsman skill. It was bing bigger each second.


    At the same time, his free left hand is conjuring a scarlet me. The me was also getting bigger and started to take the shape of a Phoenix.


    Unlike others, he was a twin-profession spirit warrior, although he only possessed a single attribute of fire. He can unleash mage skills and swordsman skills at the same time.


    The scarlet mes in the form of phoenix rushed towards the beast while a giant 200ft big ming sword was formed in Shang Wen''s hands.


    *Woof* Woof* Woof*


    The three heads barked once again, but this time, they weren''t just loud but they generated powerful sound waves like a sonic boom.


    The ming phoenix, the four-circle beasts, the three-circle beasts, nearby experts, the second prince, everyone in 100-meter range was pushed away with a powerful sound wave. The eardrums of the three-circle realm experts were ruptured, the four-circle realm experts started to feel dizzy.


    Cerberus then locked onto the second prince who once again managed to resist the attack and was flying towards it.


    The three-headed hound lightly kicked the ground and took a leap towards the iing enemy.


    Within a fraction of a second, it was already before the second prince and the hound raised its paw and swatted him with its full strength.


    Shang Wen was hit directly and flew back, crashing onto the rocks on the hill without able to resist it.


    Once it took care of the pest, the beast finally turned around and looked at the tank that wasing from behind.


    "It''s your turn, Killer of my siblings," Cerberus roared in human tongue and leaped towards its next target.

 Chapter 72 Dungeon Break (Part-6)

    After killing two Orthus beasts, Mark shifted to the front chamber and started to drive straight.


    He nned to go on a rampage by throwing all the grenades around, making his way towards the dungeon overlord.


    Little did he expect, his actions of killing two of the guardian protectors enraged Cerberus so much that it transformed back into the original form and the beasts started to go on a rampage like they were supposed to...


    After swatting away the second prince, the dungeon overlord turned its sight on the iing battle tank.


    "Damn, it ising towards me. I thought it wouldn''t pay attention to me until I strike it." Mark was panicked a little bit but then, he realized that the beast is just making his job easier.


    <strong>"Open inventory."</strong>


    Mark took out the Peak strength potion from the inventory.


    Cerberus, which was nearly half a kilometer away, sensed something strange from the iing tank. As a beast king, its senses were incredibly sharp enough to notice the presence of an extraordinary thing like a Peak strength potion.


    It suddenly increased its speed and charged forward.


    Just as he was about to open the cap of the vial, he found the beast leaped towards him, raising its paw. Dark energy gathered around its paw.


    "Fuck." Mark let out a curse and pressed on the big red button that''s around the controls.


    <strong>*Ding! Choose the skill.</strong>


    The beast''s paw was just a few meters away from the tank.


    Mark screamed, <strong>"Invincibility."</strong>


    Just as its paw was about to strike the tank, a blue energy barrier appeared around it.


    *Ting*


    The paw collided with the barrier.


    The Battle tank was sted away for more than fifty meters. It spun several times in the air before crashing onto the ground upside down. Inside the tank, Mark was hit several times but was fine without any injuries, mainly credited to the tank''s ability.


    Those inside the tank cannot receive damage until the tank is destroyed. In the meantime, the vial fell from his hands.


    <strong>*Ding! Ether energy is reduced by 9 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The durability of Battle Tank-V is reduced by 42%.</strong>


    Mark was on the floor with the entrance door right below him, which means he cannot get down in a normal way.


    "That dog is dead today¡­" He was naturally angered.


    The invisibility skill can only block the full-powered strike of a 6-circle realm beast. So, the Cerberus'' attack wasn''tpletely nullified.


    The battle tank now had a huge dent on the front.


    Previously, during the rampage at the Song Mansion, the overall durability of the battle tank was already reduced to 74%. Now, it had further reduced to 32, which means the tank cannot handle the next attack.


    Mark started to look for the vial in hurry. He found it on the seat. "Yes."


    Cerberus couldn''t sense the life of Mark but it can sense the potion. It had just mistaken the potion as the life of the tank and thought that this strange puppet wasn''t done yet.


    Cerberus charged towards the tank.


    <strong>*Ding! Drinking peak strength potion is rmended.</strong>


    The system wanted its host to live too. So, it gave a quick reminder.


    Mark didn''t respond to it and just opened the cap.


    Cerberus suddenly stopped in its tracks. An intoxicating scent wasing from its target and the three heads couldn''t help but salivate. It slowly started to walk towards the toppled tank and sniffed to see if it can eat and swallow it without any problem.


    Just as it opened its mouth, suddenly, the scent disappeared. In the next instant, the tank was also disappeared, leaving behind Mark, whose eyes looked cold at the moment as he raised his head to look at the beast.


    In an instant, the beast king leaped back and looked at him warily, sensing the terrifying strength inside Mark. It felt like he was the greatest threat on the battlefield.


    <strong>*Ding! You consumed the Peak strength potion.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! All of your stats temporarily increased to 7 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Ether energy temporarily increased to 10,000,000 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Eagle</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Lion</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Crocodile</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Wolf</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Shark</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Wyvern</strong>


    "This feels amazing." Mark was overwhelmed by the sudden surge of strength and ether energy. He was checking out his hands with a look of surprise. At the same time, he was curious about the temporary summons.


    <strong>"Open Character."</strong>


    He opened the character stats and checked out the list of the summons and their skills.


    "Wow, those skills are so dope." Mark couldn''t help but admire them for a second before his attention was stolen by the roar of the giant monster, standing about a hundred meters away from him.


    "Hmm?" His eyes finally fell on the beast. It was damn huge. He felt like an ant looking at a mammoth. But, there was no pressure on him like before, and neither there is fear in his eyes.


    If anything else, it was only rage. Mark turned cold as soon as he looked at its prey.


    He opened the inventory and looked at thest image. But, before that, he wanted to test his strength. Mark clenched his fist. Ether energy was pouring into it.


    Maybe, the beast king sensed Mark''s intentions. Instead of unleashing another skill, it leaped at him again, raising one of its paws.


    Mark went into a basic fighting stance that he learned in the military.


    *Graa¡­*


    Letting out another roar, the beast king used its strength to crush its target. However, before its paw hit Mark, thetter dashed forward and dodged the attack.


    Within an instant, he reached underneath its head. Mark kicked the ground and jumped high and hit the chin with his tiny fist.


    *Crack*


    A 1000 ft Cerberus flew into the air for more than a dozen meters and fell on the ground. The middle head''s chin bone was cracked. The beast king groaned in pain.


    Mark jumped back andnded on the ground. "Hmm, not bad." He appeared to be satisfied with his physical strength, although the dog wasn''t heavily injured by his punch.


    Feeling satisfied with the oue, Mark once again opened the inventory and this time, he summoned his strongest beast.


    <strong>"Come out, Wyvern."</strong>


    In an instant, a giant wyvern appeared on the battlefield.


    It was giant, about 100ft big, dark blue in color. While it appeared like a dragon, it only has two hind legs. The front limbs were attached to the wings. Its wing membrane is a dark grey with a paler lightning-shaped streak.


    The beast has a very narrow, triangr face andrge eyes. Its eyes are set back and it has three pairs of small fins on the side of its face behind the eyes. It also has a central fin rising from the top of its head giving it an Aquatic look. A ragged ribbon of flesh runs down its back.


    The appearance of wyvern greatly surprised the beast king. It felt like this creature is more terrifying than the human. As for the others on the battlefield, because of Cerberus''rge appearance, the wyvern is yet to be seen.


    Kicking the ground, Mark jumped as high as he can and sessfullynded on its back. Almost 30 seconds have passed. So, he decided to end this quickly.


    <strong>"Use skill: Lightning breath."</strong>


    The lightning wyvern opened its mouth and shot a concentrated beam of lightning towards the beast king.


    Cerberus panicked upon sensing the power of the iing attack. Without bothering to block or something, it hurriedly jumped higher to dodge the attack. However, the lightning was faster.


    The beam of lightning made a huge hole from the chest to the back.


    *Thud*


    Cerberus fell on the spot lifelessly, bing a corpse.


    Mark nodded with a smile, "now, this is exactly I envisioned." The skill had a 200% percent attack, which means it can even take out a Supreme realm beast as long as thetter isn''t a beast king. So, from the start, he was confident in taking out the beast with one move.


    He made a great leap from its back andnded a couple of dozen meters away before walking towards the corpse.


    When he was almost twenty to thirty meters away from its head, Mark''s senses activated automatically and he looked into the sky. Hundreds of meters away, there was his biological half-brother pping his fiery wings and staring at him.


    As the second prince descended towards him at his fastest speed, Mark shifted his attention on the corpse and lightly kicked the ground, and dashed forward.


    With a simple touch, the corpse disappeared into his inventory while the second princended on the ground.

 Chapter 73 A Staggering Offer Of 10 Million Gold Coins

    After absorbing the corpse of Cerberus into the inventory, Mark''s eyes shifted to the two corpses of Orthus. They will also sell at a great price.


    He wanted to loot everything but Mark knew that he doesn''t have much time. He needed to collect them and disappear. But, there''s someone behind him who will waste his time.


    Just as Mark was about to call the Wyvern, he was stopped by the second prince. "Wait."


    "Hmm?" Mark turned around with a frown on his face. He wondered whether the prince is thinking of stealing the beast king''s corpse from him.


    And just like he thought, the second prince put forth a proposal, "I need the beast. Name your price."


    "The core is as important to me, Your Highness," Mark replied him in a straight tone. Looking directly into his eyes, he further said, "and it''s not for sale."


    Mark knew that after showcasing his strength, the second prince wouldn''t dare to think of attacking him.


    And Shang Wen doesn''t n to attack it either. He said, "1 million gold coins. And I don''t need the core either."


    "What did you say?" Mark waspletely stunned on the spot. "Did you just say 1 million gold coins?"


    Just how rich is this fucking imperial family? Mark couldn''t even imagine such a staggering amount.


    Seeing that Mark was tempted by his offer, a smile appeared on the second prince as he said, "if you can present the core, I''ll add another zero to it. Of course, if you want ether crystals instead, they will be arranged as long as it isn''t peak quality. Those are difficult to earn for even the imperial family."


    "Ten¡­ ten million?" Mark felt like fainting right away. "Fuck the rank-6 robot. I can be rich overnight with this."


    At the moment, Mark wasn''t even considering the quest or the system at all. In fact, he couldn''t even wonder whether the real value of the beast king might be much more.


    But, then, something else clicked in his mind and his facial expression changed. He suspiciously looked at the second prince, "Is this offer, real? Can you procure such a huge amount all by yourself?"


    Shang Wen expected such a question and Mark didn''t disappoint him. He replied truthfully, "Only the Emperor has the right to provide such amount. And it will also result in more than one-tenth reduction of our entire treasury. However, I put my position as the Imperial prince and the General of the Southern Imperial Army and will assure you that the deal will go through as long as you agree to it. If it doesn''t happen, you won''t lose anyway."


    The second prince knows the value of the beast king more than anyone. If he can consume the core, he will instantly surpass even Bai Xun. It was the only thought in his mind. As for how he will convince the Emperor, that thing can be thought ofter.


    After receiving the second prince''s assurance, Mark became ecstatic. He thought of this as a heaven-sending opportunity and go through it. Just as he was about to speak, the system put a stopper on his ns.


    <strong>*Ding! You received a trade request.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Trade the corpse of Cerberus in exchange for a Lottery Pick ticket & 1 Crystal graded Attack Helicopter.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Using a lottery pick ticket, the host can pick the item of his choice in the lottery for once.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Warning: Trade request has a condition attached to it. The host cannot sell the core to anyone but submit it to the system</strong>


    "Eh? A lottery-pick-ticket and a crystal graded attack helicopter?" A sudden offer from the system forced those words of agreement to swallow down the throat.


    Mark knew what kind of a golden opportunity is this. First of all, the items in the lottery are all incredibly powerful. Maybe, he can use this opportunity to acquire a bloodline too.


    Secondly, the attack helicopter itself gives a huge advantage, something that a battle tank doesn''t have. Adding on top of that, if its grade is crystal, which is two levels above the tinum, then, the aerial vehicle would be anything but ordinary.


    Now, the only question that bothers him is whether they are worth ten million gold coins.


    If he received such an amount, then, he would be able to live a peaceful life. He doesn''t even need to work so hard as a weapon seller like he was doing at present.


    Now that he was already a spirit warrior, he can also try to be a powerful summoner instead.


    ording to the system, there are four ways Mark can be stronger.


    First, he can kill 1000 beasts of the same realm to break through to the next rank.<sub> </sub>


    Second, he can absorb ether energy from the ether crystals like everyone.


    Third, he can obtain stat points as rewards from the emergency quests.


    Fourth, he can consume those stat pills from the system store and raise his stats.


    With enough money, he can simply choose the second option and raise his strength. Or he can also choose the first option by employing higher realm experts as guards. They will hold the beast down and he will finish them one after another. There was that way.


    However, there was no guarantee that this deal will go through. After all, the decision lies with the Emperor, someone Mark intended to kill in the future.


    On the other hand, if he refuses to deal and trade with the system, he will receive a rank-6 robot uponpletion of the quest. And along with the Android that is more powerful than Allen, he will receive those two rewards too. They would ensure that he will appear stronger no matter what level he will be.


    However, he had to continue his business like usual and might offend the second prince.


    Mark felt like both have their own advantages and disadvantages. He doesn''t know what to choose.


    The second prince saw a look of hesitation on Mark''s face. He wondered, "What happened? Just a moment ago, he appeared like he is interested in this deal. Perhaps, he was thinking about a greater price?"


    The second prince waited in patience, ignoring the criesing from the battlefield, located more than half a kilometer away.


    While Shang Wen was anticipating a piece of good news from Mark, thetter remembered something even more important.


    "Why am I even thinking about choosing the gold? Even without much money, I can still be a powerful summoner. Moreover, it is just 10 million gold coins. Can''t I earn it if I was able to create a bunch of tinum-grade weapons in the future and sell them to various Empires? The potential of Battle Tanks, Aircraft, and missiles isn''t something that can be ignored for a short term gain."


    When finally he got out of the temptation, Mark hardened his gaze and rejected the proposal.


    Shang Wen''s facial expression darkened in the instant. "You don''t want to sell even the corpse?"


    "Yes, I decided to send it to our partner for custom-made equipment." Mark turned around, giving a quick excuse. But, then, as his eyes fell on the headless Orthus beasts, a quick idea popped up in his head, and he said, "Your highness, those two Orthus beasts were killed by me. I have the right to im their corpses. If you want, I can sell those two along with the cores."


    "Cores of Orthus beasts?" Shang Wen, who was earlier offended by Mark''s words, fell into thoughts. Their corpses are useless to him for they can only produce gold grade equipment, albeit high quality. However, the cores were different.


    While they can''t bepared to the core of a beast king of the 7-circle realm, they will still make him stronger. In the end, after thinking hard, he asked, "how much?"


    Mark doesn''t know how much they are worth either. So, he replied, "Visit my store when youe to the Imperial city, Your Highness. Until then, I''ll hold on to them."


    *Whistle*


    He let out a whistle and the Lightning Wyvern came towards him. After leaping onto its back, the 100ft seven-circle realm beast flew towards the battlefield.


    The prince didn''t waste the time too. He pped his phoenix wings and followed the Wyvern from behind.


    What happened next was even more surprising to him. Mark only stopped at two ces where the headless corpses lie. After absorbing them into the inventory, the Wyvern, upon receiving its master''s orders, flew towards the east with its peak speed, disappearing from everyone''s sigh in a blink of an eye.


    "What just happened?" "What is that beast?" "Who is that expert sitting on top of it?" Several questions popped up in the heads of other six-realm experts while they continue to battle their opponents.


    No one saw Mark''s face clearly and no one knows his identity except for Shang Wen.


    In the next four minutes, the lightning Wyvern, with over mach-4 max speed, traveled for nearly three hundred kilometers and almost covered one-fourth of the distance to the Imperial city before Mark ordered it tond him in the middle of the wilderness.


    Unknowingly to Mark, he was revered by hundreds of people after this incident.


    Shang Wen kept Mark''s identity hidden and believed that there might be a reason Mark is in the Imperial city, after all.


    So, once the battle is over with the deaths of the remaining Orthus beasts and the surrendering of more than a dozen 5-circle realm hounds, Shang Wen informed everyone that the dungeon overlord was killed by a Wyvern Summoner, earning Mark, a nickname, the Cerberus yer.

 Chapter 74 The New Android Assistant-Alina Spencer

    Somewhere in the wilderness;


    The night passed away and the morning arrived. The sun slowly rose from the east.


    At ake, some animals are drinking water while some elephants are enjoying the bath.


    Nearby the ce, there''s a tank parked around. It looked a little bit worn out. There were cracks on the windshield.


    Inside the tank, Mark appeared to be in a deep sleep in a seating position.


    "Hmmm¡­" He slowly opened his eyes and took out his pocket watch from the inventory.


    "It''s already 6:30?" Mark opened his eyes wide in realization.


    Getting out of the door, he stood on the roof of the tank and stretched his body. "Man, it''s tough to sleep like that. How long has it been since I slept in a seating position? Thest time, was it at High school?" *Yawn*


    Mark looked around and mumbled, "It looks like this ce wasn''t affected by the dungeon break."


    During the process of dungeon break, the nearbynds were turned barren but here, where Mark was standing, the grasnd is lively with herbivores wild animals. However, no animal is willing toe ten meters nearby the tank. They appeared wary of it. Maybe, it''s their natural instinct of the predators.


    As they were only harmless animals that don''t attack humans unless they were attacked, Mark dismissed the battle tank and finally opened the pending notification, to proceed with the trade.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest: Dungeon Break. The reward is sent to the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You traded the corpse of Cerberus.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 1 Lottery Pick Ticket and 1 fully loaded Attack helicopter are sent to the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 20mm ammunition has been unlocked</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 30mm ammunition has been unlocked</strong>


    "Open, inventory."


    Along with a rainbow-colored ticket that looked more like a ying card, there was an image of a helicopter with army-colored stripes and a packaging box in their respective slots.


    "This one seems to be a bit familiar."


    As soon as he saw the image of a helicopter, Mark immediately clicked on it. The image became bigger along with the appearance of the details.


    His eyes lit up in excitement upon confirming his suspicions. "I knew it. It''s modeled after Eurocopter Tiger."


    <strong>Attack Helicopter- EC 665 (Bound)</strong>


    <strong>Grade:</strong> Crystal


    <strong>Crew:</strong> 2 (max)


    <strong>Length:</strong> 14.08 m fusge (46ft 2in)


    <strong>Rotor Diameter:</strong> 13 m (42ft 8in)


    <strong>Height:</strong> 3.83 m (12ft 7in)


    <strong>Disc area:</strong> 133m2 (1430 sq. ft)


    <strong>Weight:</strong> 3060 kg


    <strong>Gross Weight (Fully equipped):</strong> 5090 kg


    <strong>Max. takeoff weight:</strong> 6000 kg


    <strong>Max. Speed:</strong> 295 km/hr


    <strong>Range:</strong> 800 km


    <strong>Fuel:</strong> 1000 ether energy points per 1% filling


    <strong>Service Ceiling:</strong> 4000m (13000ft)


    <strong> Rate of Climb:</strong> 10.7 m/sec


    <strong>ARMAMENT</strong>


    <strong>Guns:</strong> 30 mm cannon in a chin turret, with up to 450 rounds.


    <strong>Inner hardpoints:</strong> 4x Air-to-surface missiles, 20mm autocannon pod (12 barrel, 240 rounds).<sub> </sub>


    <strong>Outer hardpoints:</strong> 7x 70mm unguided rockets, 2x Air-to-air missiles.


    <strong>Additional attachments:</strong> Avable


    <strong>Maximum effective range (100% uracy):</strong> 8 kilometers


    <strong>Absolute firing range:</strong> 25 km


    <strong>Autoload:</strong> Yes


    <strong>Storage Chamber:</strong> No


    <strong>Description:</strong> An Attack helicopter that can destroy the enemies from the sky with its powerful armaments. It is capable of killing anyone under the seven-circle realm with one shot using the powerful unguided rocket.


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>Single-target Energy Beam:</strong> Attack the target with an attack power of 200% of the user. Cost: 50% of maximum ether energy. CD: 0 seconds


    <strong>Multi-target Energy Beams:</strong> Attack six targets at once with each energy beam containing an attack power of 100% of the user. Cost: 100% of the maximum ether energy. CD: 60 minutes.


    <strong>Auto Attack:</strong> Using a 20-mm autocannon pod, Shoot down the enemies with ether bullets with the power of rank-4. Cost: 1000 Ether points per 12 rounds. Maximum Effective Range: 1 km. CD: 0 seconds.


    <strong>Energy Sphere:</strong> st concentrated energy spheres at the enemies with the power of rank-6. Cost 50000 Ether points per 1 round. Maximum Effective Range: 4 km. CD: 10 seconds.


    <strong>Energy Disc:</strong> Generate arge Disc of ether through the rotor des as the Helicopter is flying and cut down the enemies thate in its way with an attack power of 150% of the use. Maximum effective range: 500 m. Cost: 30% Ether energy. CD: 20 minutes.


    <strong>Stealth:</strong> The Helicopter can turn invisible to escape the enemy''s senses as long as the target is a 7-circle realm or lower. The effect will be gone as soon as the vehicle is engaged in a battle. Cost: 1% Ether energy per 1 second. CD: 10 minutes.


    *****


    "Damn, so many skills. No wonder it is a Crystal grade weapon." Mark waspletely satisfied with the attack helicopter. Previously, there was this tiny bit of suspicion on whether the system is purposely not letting him get rich but now, he felt like it was worth rejecting Shang Wen''s offer.


    Of course, there''s also a bit of disappointment, which is that he cannot buy missiles for the helicopter just like he can''t buy the ammunition of the Battle Tank. The only way to buy them is to either get stronger or wait for an emergency quest where he will get temporary ess.


    Still, all is not lost. The system also gave him the reward of 30 and 20 mm ammunition for the cannons. Considering the 30 mm is as powerful as rank-5 (full-powered strike from 5-circle realm), Mark can use the helicopter as he wishes. As for the fuel, he needed to buy ether potions from the Potions Store run by the Alchemy guild.


    "Okay, now, let''s get that bloodline."


    Closing down the window, Mark proceeded to open the Lottery system.


    21 sections, only 5 are avable. +2 chances, Random Bloodline, upgrade stone, unique skill, and Question Mark.


    Below the lottery wheel, the button spin is grayed out and the timer below it, disyed, <strong>"22hrs 37minutes"</strong>


    "I guess I need to wait another day. Hmm, maybe, I should use it after spinning the wheel normally. If I''m sessful, then, I can use the lottery pick ticket and choose another one. Yup, let''s do that¡­" Mark closed down the lottery too and went back to the inventory.


    "Let''s see what kind of Android I will receive, this time." Considering the new Android is going to be more powerful than Allen, Mark was naturally excited.


    He clicked on the slot with the packaging box.


    A familiar blinding sh urred before his for a couple of seconds and a beautiful young woman appeared before his eyes. Just like Allen, not only her eyes were blue and her body proportions were too perfect but she was also having his face with no expressions and lifeless eyes.


    Even Mark was stunned for a couple of seconds, looking at her peerless beauty. To this date, in this current world, Song Yue was the most beautiful person in Mark''s eyes but now, it seemed like this Android beat her. And the outfit of Quju style onlyplemented the Android''s beauty.


    Thankfully, his mind was strong and he knew that she''s just a robot. So, Mark managed to get out of the stupor and then, took a clear look at her as he felt she had simr features to Allen.


    "Hmm, now that I think about it, if I ce Allen beside her, both of them could be easily passed as siblings or even twins."


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Android Assistant.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Please name the assistant.</strong>


    After thinking for a while, Mark opened his mouth, "I don''t have any extra cousins or siblings to name you after them nor do I intend to give the names of my friends whom I had forgotten long ago. But, you are also like Allen and I will be impartial. So, I will also take you into the Spencer family just like him. Both of your names will keep reminding me all my life that I''m not Lu Zhen but Mark Spencer.


    Hence, I name you Alina Spencer."


    Once the naming ceremony is over, the female Android''s lifeless eyes finally blinked before she greeted him with a bow, "Greetings, Master."


    Unlike Allen''s straight tone, her voice was too sweet and Mark shivered for a second as if he felt she was seducing him or something. He repeatedly shook his head and reminded himself, "she''s a robot, you idiot. Not a human¡­"


    "You can address me as Big Brother too just like your elder brother."


    Alina tilted her head in confusion, wondering when she had an elder brother. In an instant, Mark saw little 1s and 0s in her pupils before she gave a shocking response. "As you wish, Big Brother."


    "Eh? A smile on Android?"

 Chapter 75 The Town Of Daqing

    Her words were the same as Allen but her actions were a bit different. Instead of a salute, she folded her hands together, interlocking her fingers while letting out a smile on her face.


    "Eh? Smile?" Mark was stunned once again. He thought she was expressionless like Allen but that was before she got activated. However, once she was activated, even Mark had trouble believing that she was an android, not a sweet girl from the next door.


    "Is it because I named her Alina?" For a moment, Mark couldn''t help but wonder considering the name of the word means bright, beautiful.


    He proceeded to inspect her to check the details.


    <strong>Name:</strong> Alina Spencer


    <strong>Spirit Path:</strong> Assassin


    <strong>Rank:</strong> 6-circle (Intermediate)


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>Active:</strong>


    <strong>Shadow Cloaking:</strong> Turn invisible for 60 seconds. In this state, the Android can also attack the enemies but can only escape the senses of 6-circle and below spirit warriors or beasts. CD: 30 minutes.


    <strong>Short Teleportation:</strong> The Android can teleport a hundred meters away. CD: 30 seconds.


    <strong>Shadow Daggers:</strong> The Android can absorb the natural energy and manifest twin energy <strong>daggers to slice the enemy at any time of the day. CD: 0 seconds</strong>


    <strong>Twilight Shackles:</strong> The Android can absorb the natural energy and manifest three chains with a de at their respective edges and pierce the enemy to inflict heavy damage. The enemy who was pierced by the chains will also lose their movement speed by 50% for five minutes as long as they are of 6-circle and below realm. CD: 10 minutes per chain.


    <strong>Passive:</strong>


    <strong>Aegis of Night:</strong> The Android''s strength increases by 1 rank after the sunset and is immune to all curses.


    <strong>Interrogation:</strong> The Android can openly bewitch the minds of any spirit warrior of 5-circle and lower realm with a simple talk and extract the needed information.


    ***


    "No wonder I was attracted to her, despite knowing that she isn''t human." Mark was obviously amazed by Alina''s skill list. They were a lot different from Allen. The only thing that''s a letdown is the passive skill. Allen may be weaker but he has a better passive skill.


    While Alina''s passive skills are something that everyone would want to have, ording to Mark, Allen''s passive skill of being immortal during daytime is superior.


    "Big Brother, I''m waiting for your orders." Alina once again spoke in her usual sweet tone, making Mark extremely ufortable. For a moment, he regretted letting her address him as Big Brother.


    But, then again, if she addresses him as Master with such a sweet yet seductive voice, it will be even more ufortable. Mark can''t do anything to do with her personality but what he can do is to get used to her presence.


    "Ah, Yes. Let''s see..." Mark thought for a bit and asked, "Alina, do you have a distinctive map function?"


    Alina nodded and proceeded to scan the ce around. After ten seconds of silence, she spoke, "Big Brother, we are at the ce called Tangxun Lake, 725 km from Imperial city and at the border of Jin Province. There''s a vige named Xingtai nearby, six kilometers away from here if we walk towards the south and cross the woods. But, if we go west and enter Sui Province, there''s the town of Daqing, thirty-nine kilometers away. We can take rest in an inn."


    Mark was surprised by the information she gave him. It''s not that she managed to find the ce names but it''s more like she only spoke the necessary words, unlike Allen who will continue to bber unnecessary things like at whattitude and longitude their position is, how many animals there are around, what types of animals are they, what types of trees they are, etc¡­


    As for returning home, she never suggested it because Mark didn''t want to go yet. After seeing the notifications popping up and how Allen was able to use his inventory despite being far away, he was confident that Allen could operate the store in his absence.


    Mark wants to take this opportunity to take a few days of break and visit different cities and if possible, explore a dungeon.


    "Let''s go to Daqing." He walked towards the west as the Imperial city is also in the same direction.


    And that''s how both of them started to make a journey together. On the way, in order to make sure the stock was full, Mark continued his work of creating bullets and various types of firearms.


    He also didn''t forget about the new 20mm and 30mm ammunition. The former costs 2 gold coins per each with a 70% sess rate and thetter costs about 3 gold coins with a 65% sess rate.<sub> </sub>


    Like with the machine gun of the Battle tank, there''s also a mass creation option for both of them. The only thing that''s an issue is the price. 20mm had a 250 round option with 500 gold coins of cost. As for the 30mm ammunition, it only had a 450 round option with 1350 gold coins of cost.


    Mark knew that he couldn''t afford them. So, he didn''t dare to create bulk and so, he proceeded with normal.


    By the time he reached the town, he made over a thousand of them each, increasing his overall debt to the system to 300 low-grade ether crystals (10 carats), and 873 gold coins.


    Thankfully, the system only charges 1% monthly interest. It wouldn''t hurt Mark even if his debt piling up. So, he too decided not to pay it.


    "Big Brother, we are here," Alina informed him as they stood before the entrance of the town. There''s no proper entrance like the Imperial city. The towns and viges weren''t protected with walls and they don''t have any security at the entrance. The public doesn''t need to pay the toll fee too.


    So, it was a free entrance to anyone whether he is a noble,moner, or even a dacoit. Even inside the town spread over 10 sq. km, there are no patrolling soldiers. Whether it is the prefects or the soldiers, they werefortably sitting at thew and enforcement building. If there''s a crime registered by someone, they go and investigate, apprehend the criminal if the person is still in town, and then, go back.


    In ces like these, which are ruled by a minor noble n, the crime rate and the corruption are sure to be high. The standard living ofmoners here would be lower than even the poorest family living in the Imperial city.


    Naturally, Mark and Alina attracted the attention of the passersby as they were walking in the streets while looking for the inn. Their outfits which are above average at best in Imperial city, here at Daqing city, they appeared wealthy. So, it wouldn''t escape the eyes of the thieves living around.


    After asking around, Mark found out that Xiong (Bear) Inn is the best ce to stay. Meanwhile, a 19-year-old young man named Pan Tao, who looked decent by appearance, offered to take them to the ce without asking anything in return.


    As a cautious person, Mark did find such a noble act suspicious but with Alina on the side, he wouldn''t care about petty tricks. Worstes to worst, he''ll kill him and leave the town. It''s not a big deal.


    On the way, Pan Tao tried to probe their intentions as they appeared to be wealthymoners, "is it the first time you are here, Lord Lu?"


    Mark nodded in response, "Yeah, is there anything we would like to be careful about?"


    Pan Tao answered truthfully, "aside from big stores located in the town center, all the others will try to overcharge the outsiders for every good despite the low quality. There are a lot of thieves in this neighborhood. It''s best to avoid the regions that are far away from the Meng Mansion.


    But, then, it''s not their fault. We live in such a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer every single day. So, the poor cannot afford to live by the morals."


    Mark doesn''t know whether he''s a good person or if he''s just putting up a fa?ade to dupe him but at the very least, he knew that Pan Tao is a learned man.


    Pan Tao continued, "Meng n is also the absolute ruler of this town and they have connections with Sui n, the rulers of Sui province. So, unless you have the strength or backing, it''s best to be careful with them."


    Mark stayed silent. He wasn''t intimidated the least.


    The three of them continued to walk forward for a couple of kilometers while looking around and reached a two-story inn. It was as big as a mansion.


    "We are here, Lord Lu." Pan Tao bowed to him and excused himself.


    Mark was surprised that he left just like that. Once the guy was out of sight, he turned around and walked forward, "let''s go, Alina."


    She nodded and followed him inside.


    Meanwhile, Pan Tao continued to walk forward in silence without turning back or changing his pace. However, he wasn''t going in the same direction he just came. Instead, he was taking several turns before reaching a secluded ce that is full of rocks, trees, and little wild animals.


    He stopped and closed his eyes, then, spoke out loud, "what are you guys, waiting for?"


    In the next instant, four men in assassin outfits and masksnded on all sides, surrounding him.


    The young man thenmented, "That cousin of mine is really a fool to send low-level experts like you. He should have sent at least one 4-circle realm assassin."


    One of them replied, "For a trash like you who can''t even cultivate, even one of us his enough, Meng Tao."


    The young man suddenly opened his eyes. Instead of ck pupils, they were amber in color. All of a sudden, two handguns slide from his sleeves ande to his hands.


    Letting out a grin, he replied, "We''ll see."

 Chapter 76 Meng Tao, The Host Of Qilins Spirit

    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    Twenty-one bullets, twenty-one shots, and thirty-three seconds. The four assassins turned into corpses with forehead shots, ruptured eyes, and holes at their throats.


    "Hmpf," The young man snorted as he wiped the blood from his face, followed by stealing their storage rings and weapons.


    After cing everything in his storage ring, he closed his eyes for a moment and opened his eyes. The amber eyes once again turned to brown. He then walked away calmly.


    Pan Tao (Meng Tao) is an illegitimate heir of the previous leader of the Meng n, born to amoner woman. His mother died during childbirth. His father also eventually died of an unknown illness when he was four years old.


    After that, his grandfather, Meng Yi Jun took over the position once again and also decided to groom Meng Tao as the next n head. However, many people were against it, mainly due to his inability to cultivate despite being born with Ether particles.


    Meng Tao started to train from the age of 8 and yet, he had to make a breakthrough to the 1-circle realm. The reason for this is the Qilin. For some unknown reason, Meng Tao''s body is storing the spirit of this creature from the legends. All the ether he absorbed from the crystals gets consumed by this spirit, instead.


    In return, he could use some of its abilities. However, he can only keep it secret from everyone. Neither the Qilin nor Meng Tao knows why it happens when the Meng n itself is a minor noble n, founded around 300 years ago.


    Putting aside his powers for a moment, he had this opponent in the form of a cousin who is just as qualified as him for the position of the n head. So, naturally, assassination attempts weremon.


    His grandfather knew what''s going on in the n. He wasn''t strong enough to crush the opposition with his fist either. In the end, he made a deal with the elders that Meng Yu Han will be announced as the next n head as soon as thetter turns 21. It was only one year away.


    He thought everything would go well but the insecure Meng Yu Han still sent the assassins after Meng Tao.


    Unknown to them, Meng Tao was good friends with Lin Cai, one of the cousins of Lin Xue. After Lin Cai''s parents received a portion of the weapons and bullets from the Lin n, this 16-year-old girl sent them to Meng Tao.


    Within a week, hebined the gun shooting with his own techniques to be formidable enough to take out a three-circle realm and 3 two-circle realm assassins with his own hands.


    Back to the present, after finishing them off, he was going back in the same direction that he came from. The town center is where the Meng Mansion is also located.


    On his way, he crossed the Bear Inn. When his eyes fell on it, he thought about Mark and Alina, "those two. There''s something off about those two. Even my eyes couldn''t find anything, back when I first saw them. But, then again¡­"


    Mark''s image disappeared, leaving behind only Alina''s image in his head. A grin escaped from Meng Tao, "that woman looks very pretty. I wonder whether they are a couple. Considering how she walks a step behind the man, all the way, she might be his servant."


    As soon as he mumbled those words, a tiny beast appeared on his shoulder. It has the head of a sage dragon with long whiskers but there are antlers on top of its head like a deer, has the body of a horse but was fully scaled. Strangely, it was only visible to him.


    The chimera-type beast opened its mouth and spoke in a human tongue, "kid, I already told you before. Those two are heaven-defying beings that go against the will of the heavens.


    And people like them either bring peace to the world or cause great destruction. Unfortunately, most people in the past history only turned bad. You already have enough on your head. Better stay away from unnecessary trouble until I regain enough of my strength."


    "I guess I''ll listen to you." Meng Tao continued to walk.


    Meanwhile, inside of the rooms at the inn, Mark was formting a n as the Android projected the map of the Empire with her eyes.


    "Hmm, let''s see¡­ I''m now in the town of Daqing. After having lunch, let''s depart to Huqiu city.


    Then, tomorrow, we''ll go to Tianping city. On Day 3, after briefly stopping at Maxong town, we''ll leave for Shangwan city.


    Shangwan city is the headquarters of Sui Province. The business opportunities will be high. So, let''s stay there for a couple of days and see if I can sell the weapons in bulk. Maybe, I can use the loophole to earn more money, hehe¡­


    Anyway, on Day 5, I''ll leave for Tinghe city. On Day 6, after briefly stopping at Luozhuang town, let''s leave for Xinfang city.


    Xinfang is around 150 km away from Imperial City. I guess we can directly go home, on the seventh day without stopping at any town or vige."<sub> </sub>


    After finishing the n, Mark took a short nap while Alina sat on the floor and kept an eye on him.


    At around noon, Mark and Alina checked out of the inn.


    The innkeeper at the reception desk was grinning to himself as he looked at their backs, "the guy looks like he was very hungry. Must have spent quite a stamina during the past few hours. If I have such a heavenly beauty with me, I would have made love for all day. I''m envious. Damn that fellow."


    Mark and Alina didn''t bother to look around and went directly to the nearby restaurant that the innkeeper rmended.


    The Golden Dragon restaurant is the most popr restaurant in the town of Daqing and where the wealthy townsmen and visitors eat there.


    Not only did Mark and Alina look like an attractive couple, but they also looked well-off. So, the guards allowed them inside with respect.


    As they stepped inside, they saw little customers inside, having their food.


    "Hello, Wee to Golden Dragon restaurant." The manager greeted them with a smile. "Would you like to eat on the ground level or need a private chamber on the first level?"


    Mark nced at others who are staring at them, or more likely, at Alina. He doesn''t want to bother with those gazes. He replied, "Private dining is better."


    The manager''s smile became wider upon hearing that. "How should I address you?"


    "My name is Lu Zhen and she''s Alina," Mark replied.


    "Lu? Amoner? And Alina? What kind of name is that?" The manager fell into thoughts but he quickly recovered and spoke, "Lord Lu, Lady Alina, please follow me."


    They followed him to a narrow staircase in the corner that leads to the first floor.


    Upon reaching the end of the staircase, what he saw is a series of rooms of about ten in number with a curtain at the entrance. Each is as big as 100 sq. ft, big enough to even take a rest, much less eat in peace.


    Mark took the very first one, nearby the stairs.


    The inside was spacious as he thought. After he took the seat, the manager handed him a scroll with the items and their prices written on it, "Lord Lu, may I know what you would like to eat?"


    Mark looked at the menu. There were roughly ten items written. The most expensive is the Imperial Roast Duck, which costs nearly 5 gold coins.


    He had eaten once in the Imperial city. It was 16 gold coins there. Maybe, it''s because it is a town and the chef''s skill level will be low, the cost is also less here.


    "Imperial Roast Duck, Shangwan braised chicken, Hmm¡­ Wensi tofu, and hmm¡­ you know what, forget it. Bring each dish from the list."


    As Mark gave the order where the total bill amounts to twenty gold coins, Manager Do was on high clouds and hurried downstairs.


    Half an hourter, four beautiful-looking servants came upstairs along with the dishes. But, before they reach the chamber they need to serve in, a voice interrupted from nearby.


    "You came at the perfect time, Manager Do. Send them here and entertain the young master."


    "Lord Duan, we have an esteemed customer. Give me a couple of minutes." Manager Do spoke politely as he gestured the girls to get into the chamber. After all, he had ten dishes with him. "Lord Lu, here are the dishes you ordered."


    "Lord Lu? That''s not a noble surname. I wonder who he is." The young man in histe twenties raised his eyebrows as he followed the manager inside. The waitresses were cing the dishes on the table. But, his eyes fell on the girl.


    "This girl¡­" Upon seeing Alina, his eyes lit up. "Duan Zhong, forget those bitches, this beauty will satisfy the young master. Let''s hope this Lord Lu has a lower background."

 Chapter 77 Mark Visits The Meng Clan

    In one of the private chambers at the Golden Dragon restaurant, two men are drinking wine.


    "Meng Tao got lucky, again." A guy is in histe twenties crushed the wine ss in frustration. "That geezer must have hired someone to protect the bastard."


    "Cool down, young master." An Elder of the Meng n tried to calm him. "This time, we will give the job to Assassin Guild. As long as we pay enough, they will take care of the matter."


    "Do whatever it takes, Elder Lim. I need his death before he reaches 18. Forget about the position, I don''t want to give even a tiny bit of inheritance to him, no matter what." Meng Yu Han spoke to him.


    "Or maybe, we can take out Meng Yi Jun. Once he''s gone, the young master can ascend to the position of n head," Duan Zhong, a friend of Meng Yu Han advised to kill the current n head, instead of focusing on trash.


    "Do you know what it takes to assassinate an intermediate stage 5-circle realm expert?" The Elder reprimanded Duan Zhong upon hearing it. He further exined, "Even the assassin guild will take no less than 5000 gold coins for the job. And who knows whether Meng Yi Jun made advancement in his cultivation further or not."


    "I''m sorry. I was careless." As Duan Zhong apologized, the elder spoke, "first, we need the young master to calm down so that we handle this matter carefully. Go and bring some women to entertain the young master."


    "Yes." Duan Zhong left the room.


    However, not even thirty seconds have been passed and both of them heard a scream from outside.


    "Argh¡­ Young master, help me."


    "Hmm?" Meng Yu Han frowned and got on his feet upon hearing the tone of his friend.


    Both of them stepped outside only to see Duan Zhong was flying from one of the private rooms and crashing onto the wall. His right arm was severed.


    Followed by that, they saw a beauty step outside the room with the severed arm in her hands and threw it at him. She then turned around to get back to her master.


    "Hey, you¡­" Meng Yu Han roared in anger as he walked towards her at a fast pace.


    Alina stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at him coldly. She scanned him in a second.


    "19238 ether particles, beginner stage 4-circle realm, Fighter path, Emotional Status: Angry."


    After scanning him, she looked at the elder behind him.


    "81455 ether particles, peak stage 4-circle realm, Mage path, Emotional Status: Curious."


    Continuing to scream in pain, Duan Zhong then spoke with great difficulty, "Young master, I only asked that woman to serve you for an hour. Look what they did to me."


    "How dare you hurt my friend?" Meng Yu Han clenched his fist as he reached her. If it would have been a male, this guy would have attacked already. Maybe, Alina''s peerless beauty had an effect on him.


    p "I''m following my master''s orders," Alina replied coldly and turned around to walk inside.</anda>


    "You¡­" Meng Yu Han was about to grab her. Just then, Alina caught his arm without even looking at him and casually swung her arm. Without paying attention to him any longer, she returned to Mark.


    *Thud*


    He crashed onto the wall, cracking it.


    "Young Master," The Elder hurriedly rushed towards him. "Are you alright?"


    "Elder Lim, drag her and that master of hers outside." Meng Yu Han coughed for a while as he gave an order.


    Meanwhile, the manager exited the room and looked at the three of them. He was stunned on the spot. As for the waitresses, they were too afraid to move from the ce without Mark''s orders.


    The Elder stepped inside the room to find Alina sitting on the side while a handsome-looking young man was trying the dishes, all alone. The waitresses moved into the corner after spotting the Elder of Meng n.<sub> </sub>


    "Are you the one that ordered her to injure Duan Zhong?" The Elder asked him.


    Mark raised his head and looked at him, being annoyed by the disturbance, "now, who are you? You guys keep disturbing my peaceful lunch."


    "Do you know who your servant had attacked, now? He''s the future head of Meng n." The Elder reminded him before his eyes fell on Alina. Unlike the prideful young master, he was more of a calm-headed guy. Instead of revenge, he thought of something that benefits the n instead.


    He said, "You can pay it with either your lives or you can hand over that girl. She looks good enough to be our young master''s bride."


    Mark never saw such an unreasonable demand in his life. Then, he remembered that he''s currently in an Imperial age where the rights ofmoners and women are quite low and where the nobles act too arrogant.


    However, does that matter? Of course, not.


    Because, the moment he disturbed his peace, the middle-aged man already decided his fate.


    Mark wasn''t angry at his words as they were aimed at Alina but he was greatly annoyed by the interruption of these strangers when he was minding his business.


    "Alina, kill him." He gave an order.


    "Kill?" The Elder was taken aback by an unexpected reply but he wasn''t afraid. After all, he was a peak-stage 4-circle realm expert.


    But, just as he shifted his eyes towards Alina who was in a sitting position, his eyes widened as an energy chain with de pierced his chest almost a fraction of a second after Mark gave the order.


    As the corpse fell on the floor, Mark stood up on his feet, "this guy asked forpensation, didn''t he? Then, it would be fair to collect thepensation from this Meng n for ruining my appetite.


    Soon, Mark and Alina grabbed the attention of every passerby as the Android dragged an unconscious Meng Yu Han by grabbing the cor behind the neck while his sandals were hitting the ground.


    The restaurant was only five hundred meters away from Meng Street where all the houses of Meng n members were located. The center of the neighborhood is a mansion, about as big as Song Mansion or Lin Mansion in the Imperial city.


    The news spread to the whole town very quickly. On the way, the Prefect of the town came along with a few soldiers but all of them were defeated by Alina with ease.


    They reached the Meng Mansion. Unfortunately, the gatekeepers as well as a couple of elders weren''t as lucky as the soldiers. Those who tried to stop his way were mercilessly killed by Alina. After the death of an elder who is in the 5-circle realm, no one dared stop the both of them as they entered the Mansion.


    Meanwhile, a guard notified the n head about the news.


    An old man in histe seventies climbed down the stairs and saw Mark sitting calmly on a wooden chair. Alina was standing behind him like a servant while an unconscious Meng Yu Han was near his feet.


    Meng Yu Han''s father and Meng Yi Jun''s nephew, Meng Jian Hong was standing on the side with other elders with his eyes red in anger. But, no one dared to step forward at the moment.


    "Who are you?" Meng Yi Jun frowned as he nced at his unconscious grand-nephew and the future n head.


    "Who I am, doesn''t matter. Why I am here, matters." Mark replied coldly. "I''m the type to pluck the entire tree with its roots if it justes in my path and your so-called n heir disturbed my peace and coveted my servant. She''s like a little sister to me. What should I do with him? You tell me."


    As Meng Yi Jun nced at Alina, he thought Mark''s words make more sense. Who wouldn''t covet such beauty? He wondered whether this future n head might have crossed the bottom line.


    Taking a deep breath, he cupped his fists, "I apologize in his ce if he offended you. We too have suffered a loss in return. So, how about we make this even and forget this incident? We''ll provide enoughpensation too."


    In a normal situation, he would have beat up the person to death but after knowing the casualties, he took Mark seriously and felt that he should handle it carefully.


    "Ten thousand gold coins." Mark gave a shocking reply to his polite request. "I''m willing to forget it if you provide me thepensation."


    "10 thousand?" Everyone around gasped in shock.

 Chapter 78 Extorting Money From The Meng Clan

    "Ten thousand gold coins? Are you out of your mind?" Meng Jian Hong who was standing on the sidelines shouted at him.


    Such an amount might be nothing to people like Lin Xue or Song Yue but for a minor noble n like the Meng n, it is indeed a high amount. After all, they are based on a tiny town of Daqing where an averagemoner possessed a wealth of below fifty gold coins.


    So, it''s natural that Meng Jian Hong erupted in anger, despite the fact that his son''s life is at stake.


    Meanwhile, the n head Meng Yi Jun deeply frowned. "Are you serious?"


    Mark leaned to the back and crossed his legs with his right ankle on his left knee, letting out a smirk, "I guess this guy lying over here isn''t worth that much. I''ll change my words, then. Consider it as thepensation for sparing the Meng n. How about now?"


    "You¡­" Meng Yi Jun was taken aback by his words. He clenched his fist, trying to control his rage.


    "You dared to threaten us?" Meng Jian Hong might have hated the n head and his grandson but he considers it as the internal matter of the n. His loyalty to the n is very well known. This is the reason behind his earlier outburst.


    Of course, he also wanted to save his son and so, he tried to bluff, "n head, give us the order. Forget about Yu Han. We will let this guy walk away."


    *Snap*


    Mark snapped his fingers in response.


    As if Alina understood his thoughts, she raised her hand, activating the skill, Twilight Shackles.


    The familiar energy chain with a de as an edge was manifested in his hands before it pierced Meng Jian Hong in the abdomen.


    "Ugh." His eyes widened by the sudden ambush.


    As she swung her arm, his entire body was raised in the air before crashing onto the floor, right beside his son.


    "You are so annoying. I''m talking to the head of your n. So, you shut your mouth." Mark said to him before he shifted his eyes towards the old man. "This is just a warning. Don''t annoy me further. I''m waiting for your choice. Pay thepensation or face the annihtion."


    This was the first time Mark was dealing with the matter this way. In fact, there''s no reason for him to make a big deal out of this but because of the Meng n''s notorious reputation within the town, he decided to teach them a lesson that they won''t forget.


    The chain disappeared soon while the middle-aged man fell unconscious.


    ? Meng Yi Jun nced at the father and son duo on the floor and then, at the n elders, then, at Alina, and finally, stared at Mark while thinking deeply about the matter. "Fine, I''ll make the arrangement."


    "n head¡­" An elder responded with a roar. "How long will you let this guy act preposterous? Don''t you care about our n''s pride?"


    He didn''t stop there. He looked at his fellow elders and spoke, "Why are you silent? We don''t need to fear that woman. You can see Elder Jiang Hong was only wounded a little. He was right. If we fight together, then, we can take them down."


    As soon as his words ended, a few elders chipped in. They were all loyal to Meng Yu Han. So, they support each other.


    "Yes."


    "Yes, n head. If you fear him and give him the money, then, tomorrow, someone else wille and threaten our n. You will give, then too?"


    "The funds belonged to the n. You cannot give it to every random stranger that dared to humiliate our n. Ever thought how we would show our faces to the public?"


    The three elders who are at peak-4-circle realm, beginner-5-circle realm, and beginner-5-circle realm respectively openly showed their dissatisfaction towards the n head''s cowardly decision. In the group of twelve people standing on the sidelines, there were many 4-circle and a few 5-circle realm experts.<sub> </sub>


    Upon realizing that the girl isn''t that strong, to begin with, they grew confident.


    And when Mark heard them, he felt the urge tough. Hemented in response while shaking his head, "I wonder why a majority of the nobles don''t use any brain, at all. Well, never matter. I''ll cure their stupidity by showing them the reality."


    "Alina, kill them." He passed an order. Maybe, it''s due to her high strength, Mark really felt secure around her.


    Of course, this doesn''t change the fact that he is on the edge in his heart, fearing a possible ambush as he was surrounded by higher realm spirit warriors. The holographic screen continued to float before him and he was ready to summon the Battle Tank at any moment.


    Upon receiving the order, Alina summoned dark energy daggers. Meng Yi Jun''s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to make her move, he screamed, "wait. We have alreadye to an agreement. There''s no need for this."


    Perhaps, this is a difference between Allen and Alina. If it is the former, the three elders would have been attacked already but Alina didn''t do it and just looked at her master as if she wanted to confirm whether she needed to proceed or back off.


    Mark motioned his hand. She dismissed the daggers and stood straight once again.


    "You have ten minutes," Mark said to the n head.


    Meng Yi Jun nodded and then, ordered one of the elders in a stern manner. "Don''t cause trouble. Elder Zan, go and get Elder Shun here, right away."


    Meng Shun was the treasurer of the n and manage the funds. He is also the richest person in the town of Daqing, mainly attributed to corruption. Naturally, he was neutral and stays away from n politics.


    The elder who instigated others earlier was the one ordered to get the treasurer. He left with his face turned red.


    Mark was handed the pouch full of ten thousand gold coins within ten minutes as he ordered.


    Casually throwing the pouch to Alina, he stood up and started to walk away. The Android followed from behind.


    Once they were out of the Mansion, a grin appeared on Mark''s face as he took back the pouch from the Android, "never expected extorting is this easy. Until ten minutes ago, I roughly had 2900 gold coins but now, my worth increased to 12900 gold coins.


    Maybe, I should extend my trip to a few more days and visit towns. These minor noble ns didn''t have much strength. So, they are a perfect target. The only thing I need to keep in mind is to make sure that they are on the wrong side and I was only returning the favor. Perhaps, the only issue here is that the money earned this way wouldn''t help me inpleting my missions."


    Meanwhile, at Meng mansion;


    The elders whoseints were shut down by the n heads were seen protesting against the n head. After all, they were humiliated in their own ce. Why wouldn''t they be furious?


    In response, Meng Yi Jun roared back, "That guy was right. All of you are indeed stupid. Even after watching Elder Rong''s death, you wanted to go ahead and meet your demise? Money can be earned again but lives cannot. Moreover, have any of you ever thought how would be able to rule the town once our strength is reduced?"


    "But, that man trampled on our pride." An elder argued back.


    Meng Yi Jun replied, "We won''t let this matter go, either. By extorting us, he also offended the Sui n. They will take care of him.


    And also, take Yu Han away. He''s supposed to be the n leader who will protect our n, not bring disasters upon us. What if he had offended an Exalt realm or a Legendary realm expert? By now, Meng n would have been wiped off. After he wakes up, tell him that he''s house arrested for four weeks."


    The old man also took an opportunity to punish Meng Yu Han as he knew thetter always tries to cause trouble to his grandson. Unfortunately, he still doesn''t know about the assassination attempt or else, he wouldn''t have saved his grand-nephew.


    While the n head is reprimanding the elders for almost pushing their n to death because of their pride, from the second floor, there was a young man who was secretly watching it through the window. It is Meng Tao and he had a deep frown on his face.


    "You are right, Qilin. I did a good thing to stay away from that couple." He mumbled to himself.

 Chapter 79 Marks Trap For Qian Clan

    "Sorry, but we aren''t interested." A store owner bowed and politely rejected Mark.


    Mark let out a sigh and returned the pistol, revolver, and the two Semi-Automatic guns to his inventory before leaving the store in disappointment.


    As he stepped outside, a horse carriage stopped before him. Alina was having reins of the horse and is sitting there as a coachwoman. Naturally, the attraction of the passersby to her is evident but Mark doesn''t wish to cover her beauty because he wanted to use it as bait to invite the trouble so that he can get grounds for justice.


    Alina jumped down and opened the door of the carriage, "Big Brother, you looked tired. Do you want to take a rest?"


    "Yeah, I guess." Mark nodded and let out another deep sigh, "Let''s call it a day."


    Right now, Mark and Alina were staying in the city of Tianping, located about 172 km away from the town of Daqing and 95 kilometers away from Huqiu city.


    After finishing his business with the Meng n, Mark didn''t stay in the town any longer and started his journey towards the nearby city, ignoring the viges on the way.


    He then reached Huqiu city by the Tank and walked from the outskirts.


    It''s not that he wanted to stay away from the trouble, but as the streets were quite narrow for the tank to move freely, he opted for walking. To make sure this doesn''t happen again, Mark bought a horse carriage for 150 gold coins and used it to roam in the city.


    If it was before, he wouldn''t have gotten so much courage to do that but after extorting 10000 gold coins from Meng n, he felt rich and thought that he need to behave like one too. Not only did he buy the carriage, but he also went on a shopping spree for the rest of the evening to buy a few luxurious clothes for him, Allen, and Alina, spending another 200 gold coins just like that.


    The next day, he spent it searching for the store to sell his weapons in bulk. After visiting like 60 stores, except for those Big Three (Evesting, Lunaris, and Hollow), only one store agreed to buy and that too, only a mere twenty single-shot pistols and hundred bullets.


    When he thought of this n, Mark decided to charge 10% extra to the buyer asmission after the transaction is over, but now, he didn''t even make a copper coin of profit by giving a hundred bullets for free to the store owner for buying those twenty single-shot pistols. Nevertheless, his share is no longer important as he had a huge wealth now.


    Overall, his trip to Huqiu city didn''t make him happy. Not only he didn''t get to sell many weapons, but the city wasn''t ruled by some noble n. A member of the Sui n is the administrator of the city. He heard this administrator was a good ruler and didn''t have any kids too. So, Mark didn''t have any excuse to start a fight with him. Even if he had, the administrator was just a single man. He might not afford so much money.


    On the third day, he set out to Tianping city, located at the foot of Mt. Hua. To Mark''s bad luck, the city was ruled by the Mt. Hua sect, which is located on the top of the peak.


    And Mark cannot go against the sect as it has a 7-circle realm expert as the sect leader. Excluding him, several 6-circle and 5-circle realm experts were staying on the peak. Moreover, sects usually don''t have money as it wasn''t useful. They only have ether crystals.


    In the end, he pushed away his grand n of extorting the money and went on to visit the stores for his business. At least, there was someone in Huqiu city that epted his deal but here at Tianping, none of the store owners came forward as they were feared of making business with unknown weapons and some of them even advised Mark to go and try his luck at the Imperial City or the headquarters of the Province.


    So, instead of trying his luck, Mark decided to change his n. He went to the Information Guild, which basically sells the details that aren''t considered secret and are usually avable to the public. It''s like a helpline center. The information ranges from the details of the city to even the monsters at the Bloodhill forest.


    Mark paid five gold coins and received the details of all the major and minor noble ns in the Empire. Along with that, he also received the locations of the dungeons that are still open to the public.


    Back to the present, Mark returned to the inn and took a rest for the night. The next day morning, he opened the scroll and looked at the details obtained from the guild.


    "Alina, project the map." He said to the Android.


    As a holographic screen was projected through her eyes, Mark took a closer look and decided on his targets.


    "Alina, we''ll leave for Maxong town as we decided earlier. But, after that, we''ll take a detour to Shangwan city via the towns of Yijiashan, and Chigang."


    "I understand, Big Brother," Alina nodded.


    Soon, they left the inn and left the city, traveling towards the town of Maxong, which is only thirty kilometers away from Tianping.


    At first, they didn''t find anything amiss but as they entered the town and proceeded towards the most popr inn, Alina informed Mark through the small window, behind her. "Big Brother, two people are following us. Both are at the 5-circle realm and were spotted at Huqiu city as well as Tianping city. Such coincidence is unlikely. Do you want me to capture them? or Do you want to lose them?"<sub> </sub>


    "Spies, eh? Who could it be? Is it Sui n? Meng n is close to them. So, it might be them. Hmm, if that''s the case, then, what might be their motive? Assassination? Or just spying?" Mark fell into thoughts for a while before he waved his hands, "no need. Let them follow. We''ll wait until it''s time. For now, go to Qian Mansion."


    "I understand." Alina closed the window and continued to ride the carriage.


    Instead of wasting time investigating about Qian n''s young master, Mark went to the Qian n mansion directly to meet him directly.


    Of course, to get things faster, Mark bribed five gold coins to the gatekeeper, who took the both of them to the Steward of the mansion. He further bribed the Steward about twenty gold coins and sessfully arranged a meeting with Qian Ya-Hui at a restaurant.


    At around noon, Mark and Alina were waiting at an empty restaurant. Mark didn''t even hesitate to pay hundred gold coins to book an entire restaurant for a couple of hours. Despite that, he wore modest clothes, made out of linen so that it won''t give an impression that he was too wealthy.


    After all, he knew that nobles only grow arrogant when they were dealing with people that have less status and power. This is what he was aiming for.


    As the appointed time passed by, Mark started to grow impatient but kept calming down himself to wait for the young master of Qian n.


    He took out the pocket watch and looked at the time, "damn it. It''s already 12:40. When will these guys arrive?"


    A teenager around 15-years-old and two middle-aged men entered the restaurant of which the right one is familiar. He is the Steward of the mansion that arranged this meeting.


    One look at the person on left, Mark realized that he was the supposed young master, considering his Guanfu styled clothing is made of Silk. There''s also a pure gold ornament on his head, which supports the hair. However, what surprised him is the person in the middle, who too looked rich.


    Just as he assumed, both of them were stunned for a second when they saw Alina sitting beside him.


    As they continued to walk towards the table, Mark stood up on his feet and cupped his fists, "Greetings, Lord Qian. Thank you foring."


    Instead of the person on the left, the middle one nodded in response and took the seat. The steward introduced them, "He is our n elder Qian Xuegang, our n head''s brother and this is young master Qian Ya Hui, the one you wanted to meet."


    Upon realizing their identities, Mark felt that he hit a jackpot and proceeded to introduce himself, "My name is Lu Zhen and this is my servant. I''m a merchant from Imperial City, dealing in weapons known as firearms."


    "Firearms?" The three of them took a look at each other before Qian Ya-Hui asked, "I never heard of such a thing. What are they?"


    Mark took out the single-shot pistol, revolver, semi-automatic guns, and bullet from his inventory and let Alina exin the details.


    "I see¡­" Qian Ya-Hui was nodding every few seconds as if he was listening carefully. The middle person, on the other hand, was just staring at the Android as if he came for her.


    Meanwhile, Mark activated the ability of his Ring and started to absorb the luck from Qian Xuegang as he realized this guy might be the one that makes decisions.


    60 secondster;


    *Ding! 2 points of luck have been absorbed.


    Mark inwardly smiled as his luck points temporarily raised to five and Qian Xuegang''s luck points were reduced to one. That means this young master was bound to take a bad decision and end up unlucky.


    Once the demonstration is over, Mark spoke, "This is a never seen weapon that was basically known in the Imperial city. It is popr among the masses rather than spirit warriors. I wonder if Qian n is interested to make a profit. How much of the share are you expecting in return?"


    Qian Ya-Hui looked at his uncle as he was clueless. It was then Qian Xuegang spoke, pointing his finger at Alina. "You said she''s your servant, right?"

 Chapter 80 33000 Gold Coins Of Net Worth

    Inside the Qian Mansionpound, in the midst of dozen corpses spread around, Mark was standing in silence with a shotgun aiming right at the forehead of an unconscious teenager.


    On the other hand, Alina''s energy chain is seen pierced into a middle-aged man''s chest as thetter was pinned to the ground.


    Meanwhile, there was another middle-aged man in his 50s and has a striking resemnce to both of the hostages is kneeling before Mark.


    "So, what now. Will you continue to be stubborn or will you heed my demand?"


    The unconscious teenager was Qian n''s young master, Qian Yahui. The one that was pinned to the ground was Qian Xuegang, an elder of the n and also the younger brother of the n head.


    As for the one that is kneeling, he is the n head.


    It went exactly as Mark envisioned. The only change is that instead of the supposed young master, it was the elder that disyed his lust on his face when he asked Alina to be handed over to him, instead of the share.


    What happens next is obvious. Mark insults the Qian n at their faces, telling them that they don''t know how to treatdies. And in response, Qian Xuegang, whose luck points were reduced to 1, disys his arrogance and grabs Alina''s hand without her or Mark''s permission to use force.


    As a result, the steward gets killed, Mark takes the hostage of the remaining two after Alina defeats Qian Xuegang, and then, they parade the two of them on the streets exactly how it went at the town of Daqing with Meng family. All the soldiers and their superior, who was overseeing the town ended up unconscious on the streets with wounds on their legs and hands.


    But, this n head was a little bit stubborn than the Meng n''s head and refuse to pay thepensation. So, Mark had to kill a few of them before making him realize the reality.


    Another thing Mark did is to disy the prowess of his shotgun. He personally wounded several soldiers and killed a couple of Qian n guards with his shotgun.


    As the n head of Qian handed a pouch full of gold coins, Mark dismissed the gun and said, "if only you educate your foolish brother, if only you had control over your arrogance, you wouldn''t have seen this day."


    "Alina, let''s go." Mark turned around. Alina retracted the energy chain and followed him.


    Looking at his back, the n head, Qian He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, "You will pay this with your life."


    Alina and Mark walked to the restaurant where their carriage is parked. As Alina opened the door, Mark told her to get to the next destination.


    There were two men in their forties watching both of them from the corner of a street. Their facial expressions don''t seem good.


    "This man is behaving like a bandit, looting the nobles, and that too, in broad daylight. What should we do?" One of them asked another, to which thetter replied, "I don''t think we are strong enough to apprehend them, especially the girl. Let''s continue to observe."


    The former spy nodded in agreement and both of them continued to follow in secret, not knowing that they were already busted but Mark wasn''t taking action, that''s all.


    By the following day, Alina and Mark visited two more towns that are ruled by two minor noble ns. From Lei n, Mark extorted another 10000 gold coins but from the Wang n, he managed to bag a good deal.


    After making a deal in the morning, He went into work mode and started creating continuously and sessfully delivered a hundred single-shot pistols, fifty revolvers, twenty P365 ten-round Semi-automatic guns, and two thousand bullets by the evening dinner.


    Since the Wang n is now a customer of the store, he spared them from his extortion n.


    Because of this sessful transaction of 2000 gold coins in one go, the system closed a loophole and warned him that he cannot sell the weapons outside of the store as it makes opening a weapon store useless.


    Moreover, the system also believed that this method also reduces his stature. The system wanted Mark to be in the dominant position where the peoplee to him and buy the weapons or make a request in advance.


    Mark cannot argue with the system''s logic as he currently depended on it. Maybe, he''ll do what he wants once he opens the weapons factory and make the firearms without its help but for now, he should put up with it and follow its orders.<sub> </sub>


    Anyway, along with the 20% share earned from the weapons sold by Allen at the Genesis store in these past three days, Mark''s overall worth had crossed 33,000 gold coins, making him as wealthy as other rich merchants.


    As the horse carriage entered the city of Shangwan, the headquarters of Sui Province, meanwhile, Mark was staring at the inventory and let out a sigh of relief, "just a mere few weeks. My life hadpletely turned around from a miserable person. I guess Song Yue is really my golden goose. If not for her visit, perhaps, I would have still sitting in the store and wonder when I will start earning big."


    When he remembered their recent meeting, Mark mumbled to himself, "I wonder what might have happened for her to be sad. It shouldn''t be because of me, right? If I remember it right, Lin Xue once said that Song Yun went into aa. Who knows¡­"


    Mark checked into an inn as it waste in the evening. Sitting on the bed, he fell into thoughts on what to do from now on. His n of selling the weapon stores has been cut off.


    "Should I poke Sui n, too?" A thought appeared in his head. Just like how he extorted the other minor ns, can he extort a major n like Sui?


    However, in the next second, he threw the thought away, "no, the Sui n won''t be in the same level as those ns. Moreover, this isn''t an Imperial city where the n members were spread around. This is their home turf and there won''t be one or two 6-circle experts. I might have to go all out to tackle them.


    The battle tank only has one-third of durability left. If I waste it here, then, I would have to spend over 500 ether crystals to repair it. It''s not worth it. Hmm, maybe, I should demand an exorbitant price? Nah, let''s not risk it for now. I might as well take this opportunity to learn how to pilot the helicopter. Not to mention, I need to earn credits too."


    Mark sighed as he opened the lottery wheel. There was no timer but he can''t turn the wheel as hecked the credits. He felt like he did a useless thing to buy those intelligence pills and a strength potion, wasting 1600 credits.


    Now, not only he was only left with 280 credits, but there were no graded weapons left in the inventory where he can exchange them with the credits. Through the daily quests, he can earn a maximum of 40 credits of which 10 credits can be earned by killing the 1-circle wild beasts, which isn''t possible.


    So, he can earn 30 credits as long as he can create 1000 bullets within a day. As for the other two quests, summoning a beast for 60 minutes and selling ten firearms aren''t a big deal.


    The next day morning, Mark sat in the horse carriage and Alina set out towards the wilderness, instead of the city because of the change in the ns.


    Between Shangwan and Imperial city, there were no towns that were managed by minor noble ns. So, he could only use the time, wise.


    "Come out, Chirpy." Mark summoned the little sparrow.


    *Chirp*


    It chirped happily as it took a seat on his shoulder. Meanwhile, he started to create 9mm bullets.


    Nearly two hourster;


    <strong>*Ding! You created a 9mm bullet sessfully.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 1000 ammunition have been created sessfully.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Daily Quest III. 10 credits have been added to the ount.</strong>


    "Finally. 300 credits have been collected." Heaving a sigh of relief, Mark proceeded to open the Lottery Wheel. But then, as he saw how vacant the wheel looked with 17 empty spaces out of 21, something important clicked in his mind. "Oh fuck, I forgot that I only have 3 luck points. I will be bound to fail if I try it. By now, I must be far away from the city and it is unlikely that I will encounter a person. Should I bet on 30% luck?"


    It''s as if the heavens listened to him, the horse carriage stopped suddenly with the horse let out a neigh. The tiny window was opened on the front and Mark heard Alina''s voice. "Big Brother, six strangers are suspected to be following us in secret. Suspicion status rose to 80%. There are two groups. A group of two and a group of four. There''s one 6-circle realm spirit warrior in the midst of them."


    "Huh!" Mark''s facial expression changed to that of a deep frown.

 Chapter 81 Sui Clans Offer To Alina

    In the wilderness of about sixty kilometers away from the city of Shangwan, there''s a battle tank, which is parked in the middle of nowhere. Mark was standing on thedder with his head out of the entrance, looking out at the scene.


    In front of the battle tank, is standing the female Android who looks so beautiful to the point that even enemies are hesitating to attack her.


    And the so-called enemies are spirit warriors, wearing ck robes and masks like assassins. As for the horse carriage, it doesn''t seem to be seen in the surroundings.


    As soon as Mark got to know that there''s a strong guy following him, he immediately ordered Alina to use her second passive skill, Interrogation on them to find everything.


    And he got down from the carriage to summon the battle tank. His sudden actions alerted the spies. Then, Alina proceeded to speak some provocative words like what kind of cowardly men they are that they are afraid of a woman who is alone, they should cut their private parts and be eunuchs instead, she will even use a single hand to chop off their heads, etc¡­


    In a normal situation, it wouldn''t have a strong effect as they were well trained but Alina''s skill had an effect on the target''s minds. The six-circle expert managed to shield from this mental attack but the other three spirit warriors came out in the open, forcing their leader to follow them too.


    ? As for the other two spies, they are extra cautious from the beginning and are watching from very far away. So, they weren''t affected.


    "So, which impotent had sent the four of you to follow us?" Alina continued her interrogation with a smile on her face. It was seductive and yet, so insulting to them. Mark couldn''t see the expressions on the spies/assassins due to the porcin masks covering their faces. Of course, they could still see, talk, and breathe through itfortably.


    "You bitch, how dare you insult Lord Sui?" One of them exploded in anger.


    "Lord Sui? Doesn''t he have a proper name or what? Or he''s an illegitimate son born to his mother through an affair or something?" Alina continued to speak, leaving the listeners angry and Mark stunned.


    "You¡­" The three of them shivered in anger. As guards that are loyal to the n, they couldn''t bear it any longer. They brought out their weapons.


    Just as one of them was about to charge forward, one person raised his hand, "stand down."


    "Damn, she does have a venomous tongue," Mark mumbled to himself in surprise, watching the Android in action. As his eyes fell on her back, for a moment, Mark was distracted for a moment, "now that I think about it, she looks as good as she looks from the front, especially those... You idiot, what the hell are you thinking now¡­"


    Mark shook his head vigorously to throw away useless thoughts from his head and concentrated on the group of four. "The one on the far right seemed too calm. Is he their leader?"


    As soon as the thought ended in Mark, the leader opened his mouth, "I could see that you are talking that way on purpose,dy. Don''t worry, I''ll tell you our intentions. You and that man behind you, I assume he''s your master, both of you harmed and extorted the minor ns of Meng, Qian, and Lei that are under the Sui n''s protection.


    It looked like you are purposely targeting our n. Our orders are to strike you down if you were to harm another minor n and bring the two of you back with us as our prisoners.


    But, now that you find us out, surrender yourselves ande with us peacefully. Both of you will be spared. As the Elder of the Sui n, I will give you my promise."


    Alina was calmly listening to his words in silence. She was waiting for him to end. After all, she was just following Mark''s orders to extract information from them.


    Meanwhile, the leader of the party, Sui Hanying continued, "And if it doesn''t please you, there''s a second proposal.


    ording to our information, you are either at the peak stage of the five-circle realm or even might be at the six-circle realm. You are an asset to any n. Our Sui n''s young master is still unwed.


    With your beauty and strength, you are suited to be the Lady of the n and in the future, when our young master takes over the position of Patriarch, your status will be elevated to a level higher than even elders."


    The Sui n''s elder then shifted his eyes towards the battle tank, "If our information is correct, there''s only one Lu Zhen with such weapon made of metal. It can''t be a coincidence. You are from the Imperial city''s Genesis store, aren''t you?"


    Mark''s facial expression changed as his identity was found out. He wondered whether they found it out because of how unique his battle tank is. But, then again, he can''t do anything about it, can he? He was weak, after all.


    Meanwhile, Alina continued to stay silent.


    Assuming that he was right, Sui Hanying then said, "Once you cut off your ties with your current master and follow us, he will also gain a hundred thousand gold coins in return. All we need is a heartfelt apology from him towards our Patriarch."


    "100 thousand?" Of all the stupid nonsense this enemy had spouted, Mark''s attention waspletely on that number. Was he tempted to sell her off? Of course not.


    He even threw away 10 million gold coins offered by the second prince for thebined package of her, the helicopter, and the lottery ticket.<sub> </sub>


    Mark was only thinking that this n can afford to pay such a high amount if he was able to extort from them. After extorting three times, he has just been tempted once again.


    Due to the telepathic connection between him and Alina, thetter understood what her master is thinking about. She felt like she needed a reason to capture them.


    So, Alina replied to him, asking a simple question."What if we refuse to ept either of them?"


    "Yes, that''s it. Good job, Alina." Mark praised her inside his head.


    However, the reply was something that Mark didn''t like.


    "We''ll drag you and your master by force. Once we seal of your ether particles, he''ll be imprisoned at our mines with the rest of our ves while you will be sent to a brothel. We''ll use everything topletely destroy you. No one can challenge the authority of the Sui n and go unharmed." Sui Hanying said in a straight tone. It was as if he was saying the obvious.


    "Does your Sui n even have the capability to do that? If you know who my master is, then, you should know what happened to the previous n that challenged our master just like you are doing, right now." Alina let out a sneer as she asked. Since her interrogation skill doesn''t work on him, she can only proceed with normal ways to extract the information that her master needed.


    And as if everything goes what Alina wanted, Sui Hanying continued with his threats, giving additional information, boasting their mighty strength, "Hmpf, we aren''t as weak as Song n. There are ten Elders in our n, of which all of them are in the Six-circle realm. Even after that, our Partriach''s father, Grand Elder Sui Rong, the one who sent us here is a seven-circle realm spirit warrior and is as strong as Supreme Commander Bai Xun.


    That piece of metal and you cannot win. So, think carefully when you choose. There''s Heaven on one side and there''s hell on another side. The rest depends on your choice."


    Sui Hanying''s idea was quite simple. Give an opportunity to his enemies where everything goes peacefully and go all out if they chose to reject the peace. It works with all the people who aren''t of the same status as them.


    However, he met the wrong person, today. Mark isn''t like othermoners. He was someone who vowed to bring down the whole Empire just because his biological mother abandoned him. He went on a rampage, a while ago, all because Song n threatened to put him in prison for a lifetime.


    Now, would he stay silent and that too, when a certain familiar notification appeared before his eyes?


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Free the ves.</strong>


    Quest: Free the ves


    Description: The Sui n owns a crystal mine and manages a gold mine on behalf of the Imperial family. Release the ves from the clutches of the Sui n.


    Reward: Free stat ticket: 2 stat points


    Time limit: 12 hours


    Note: During the Quest period, all the ammunition of Battle Tank V and Attack Helicopter- EC665 is unlocked


    ept?


    "2 stat points, eh. Song n saw the might of Battle Tank and now, the Sui n will see the might of the Eurocopter Tiger," Mark mumbled as he raised his index finger to click on ept. But, at thest second, he remembered about the teleportation function and refrained himself from epting the quest. After all, there''s something important that needs to be done.


    Looking coldly at the four of them, Mark opened his mouth, "Alina, capture that elder and kill the other three."


    The assassins heard it and their facial expressions hardened.


    Sui Hanying narrowed his eyes as he said to Alina, "Your master chose down the hell route. But, your decision is the one that matters."


    Alina didn''t even respond to him and conjured two daggers made of dark energy. "Orders received."


    She dashed forward.

 Chapter 82 Unlocking Panzer

    As Alina charged forward, the Sui n''s elder Sui Hanying stepped forward, standing before his subordinates, "I''ll take care of her. The three of you will take care of that bastard hiding in that puppet. Beware of that thing that looked like an elephant trunk."


    By the time Alina reached them, the three assassins backed away a couple of steps and the Sui n''s elder stood in her path with a sword. It was a gold-grade sword but of high quality.


    Alina shed at him with one of the daggers at a high speed. Sui Hanying managed to block the sword but as the force of her strike is greater, he got pushed back a couple of meters.


    "Oraa¡­"


    He didn''t hold back and used his ether energy on the sword as well as on himself. An aura of ether energy covered him, powering up his physical strength. He kicked the ground and dashed forward, swinging the sword at her shoulder.


    Alina simply raised her right arm and blocked the sword with the energy dagger. She didn''t move an inch from the spot. Sui Hanying felt as if he had underestimated her.


    "Go¡­" He roared at his subordinates.


    Two assassins charged to the right and the remaining one charged to the left to increase the distance between them and her before they dashed towards the tank.


    Alinamented with a smile, "It was indeed a smart move."


    Sui Hanying felt as if something wrong going to happen. He tried to increase the pressure, "I won''t let you get away."


    "Sorry but I don''t intend to. After all, my mission is to capture you." Alina replied to him, maintaining a smile.


    <strong>"Twilight Shackles."</strong> She unleashed the skill.


    Unlike the previous times where she unleashed it through her palm, this time, dark energy chains erupted from her back. There were three of them.


    "No." Sui Hanying screamed and warned his subordinates who ore on their way towards their target. "Everyone, getaway."


    "Hmm?"


    The three of them nced back and saw an energy chain with a de ising towards them, one per each.


    They tried to change the directions but the chains followed them. The attack speed was much faster than their running speed. In the end, two of the assassins had their back pierced and the remaining one that tried to face it got his chest pierced by the de before all of them fell lifeless on the ground.


    "You¡­" Sui Hanying was shocked by the sudden turn of events. He was so confident in capturing them but the result proved him wrong. "I will kill you." He leaped back andnded on the ground, ten meters away from her.


    <strong>"Whirling de,"</strong> He unleashed his strongest skill to kill her right away. The thought of capturing was no longer on his mind.


    With the sword pointing at the enemy, he leaped towards her and then, started to spin at a terrifying speed. Being a fire attribute user, this attack made him a spinning ball of mes.


    But, in Alina''s eyes, his movements are too clear.


    <strong>"Shadow Cloaking."</strong> She activated her skill too and turned invisible for the next 60 seconds.


    Sui Hanying not only found her disappear from his sight, but he also couldn''t even sense her presence anymore. His skill attack had gone to waste and he was forced tond on the ground, a few meters from where Alina disappeared.


    However, the tank was still in his sight. Staring at it with a deep frown on his face, he mumbled, "Did she run away from the battle? Some people have the ability to teleport. But, why? There''s no reason unless her strength is only temporary." His eyes lit up in realization. "Yes, they are bluffing, all this while."


    Coming to a quick conclusion, he pointed the sword at the Tank that is more than fifty meters away from him, and spoke loudly, "It looks like your servant deserted you. Because of you, three of my subordinates have been killed. You will dearly pay for everything."


    Meanwhile, Mark, who was watching it from the screens, mumbled, "What is this guy spouting nonsense at this time?" He could see Alina crouching behind the enemy with her two daggers.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina is in Shadow state, except for the host and spirit warriors of seven-realm and above, no one can see her.</strong>


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded to himself in understanding.


    Sui Hanying continued to speak in a confident tone, "After capturing you, I won''t keep you as a prisoner at mines anymore. We''ll throw you to our hounds and make you their... Argh¡­"


    All of a sudden, he screamed in pain and copsed on the ground. Both of his calves were cut off and he started to heavily bleed. Before he gets to his senses, something pierced his two shoulders from above, disabling his movements.


    Just one movement of carelessness and the Elder was defeated by Alina with precise attacks.


    *Ding! Alina says that she aplished the task.


    Upon receiving a notification from the system, Mark stepped out of the tank and walked towards the elder of the Sui n.


    "You bastard¡­" Sui Hanying roared in anger but he could neither stand up nor move his arms. There''s some strange energy invading his body, blocking his ether particles. He felt as good as being paralyzed.


    Standing before him, Mark looked at the fallen enemy coldly, "you have really made a big mistake on offending me deeply. Now, your whole n will pay for your mistakes. You will surely be the witness. But, before that¡­"


    Mark raised his left hand and his copper ring started to glow, "Absorb 2 luck points." He spoke outrightly.<sub> </sub>


    Sui Hanying didn''t understand his speech and wasn''t in a situation to care about it too. He continued to spill out the threats. "I dare you to finish me off, right away, because whether you kill me or not, you two are finished. Our Patriarch will hunt the two of you. No one can shield you from his wrath."


    "Alina, Cut off his tongue." Mark gave another order. The Android didn''t even hesitate to pull out his tongue with her bare arms and raised the dagger with a wide smile on her face. She looked extremely sadistic at the moment. Sui Hanying''s eyes widened and the rage was reced by fear. He tried to move left and right, disying his struggle but in vain.


    Just as she was about to cut it off, Mark said, "Stop."


    He caught her arm, "don''t."


    As she backed her hand away and dismissed the dagger, Mark kneeled on one leg to his height and said to his face, "You are our prisoner and I expect you to behave. The next time you dared to threaten me, I won''t hesitate to turn cruel.


    I may not have firsthand experience in torturing someone, but I had the knowledge of torturous methods that are usually used for interrogation, like starting from plucking out your nails, cutting the fingers or toes one by one, gouging the eyes out, or inserting the rod through the back. If I start using all of my knowledge on you, trust me, you will rather want to go to hell than stay alive. So, don''t bring that demon out of me and turn me into a psycho, alright?"


    Sui Hanying was shivering in fear as he saw the person in front of him is not by means, amb. The guy is more like a wolf or a hyena. He felt as if he was going to pee in fear at any moment. Thankfully, he didn''t, or else, who knows what Mark would do to him. The Elder nodded vigorously and kept his mouth shut while Mark proceeded to collect the weapon and inspect it.


    "Gold grade, forged with Bacralt steel and copper. Oh, a fire attribute wolf. That''s rare indeed. It''s a good one." Mark stored it in his inventory, thinking that he can let Alina use it in the future.


    Nearly, one minute has been passed.


    <strong>*Ding! 2 points of luck have been absorbed.</strong>


    While Alina guarded the wounded elder of the Sui n, Mark proceeded to walk towards one of the corpses to confiscate the storage ring. In the meantime, he opened the lottery wheel.


    "Okay, I now have five points of luck. I won''t get any luckier than this. Let''s proceed."


    He clicked on the spin. 300 credits have been deducted, reducing his credits to Zero.


    Meanwhile, the wheel spun for a while. Mark''s face was glowing in delight as he saw the wheel''s speedpletely slowed down but it is only two spaces away from the reward. Itnded on +2.


    <strong>*Ding! You received extra two tries.</strong>


    "Okay, let''s be cool." Mark was happy but +2 isn''t some great reward because now the wheel only has four rewards and 17 empty spots.


    Taking a deep breath, he clicked on spin once again.


    After a while, the wheel stopped on empty space, much to Mark''s disappointment. But, then, a miraculous scene appeared before him.


    <strong>*Ding! Better luck next time.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Younded on empty space on the first try. +2-chance triggered.</strong>


    "What the¡­ +2 option is like this?" Mark halted his footsteps in shock. All the empty spaces were removed and the wheel was divided into fourrge sections. First is the question mark, second is the random bloodline, third is a unique skill, and thest one is the upgrade stone. "A 100% chance? Damn, the rewards in the lottery wheel weren''t normal, after all."


    Mark clicked on the spin with great expectations.


    "If itnds on the unique skill, I can choose random bloodline with a lottery ticket and vice versa."


    He was hoping for either of the two to acquire because the question mark ispletely random despite how awesome it is going to be and as for upgrade stone, it will upgrade the system, probably unlocking a couple of functions and a new category in the store, which he didn''t need at the moment.


    Nearly 20 secondster, the arrow slowed down but it is on upgrade stone. Mark was crestfallen a bit as the next one will be the Question mark and it is impossible for the arrow to point cross it with this turtle speed.


    Mark was prepared for it. And just like he expected, the wheel stopped with the arrow pointing at the Question mark. Little did he expect this question mark to really bring a surprise to him.


    <strong>*Ding! A mysterious package has been sent to the inventory.</strong>


    After the notification, the lottery wheel turned back to normal with a countdown on the bottom and 21 spaces of which only three are filled with rewards.


    "Open inventory."


    Mark clicked on the slot with a question mark image. He then clicked on open.


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the light tank- Sd.Kfz. 101. Check the Gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked 7.9mm x 57mm ammo. Check the Gallery for details.</strong>


    "Wow, a light tank. Wait a second. This code is very familiar. Isn''t it the series used during world war II? Hmm¡­" Mark went to the gallery and clicked on the image of the tank. The screen was erged and the details appeared below. This tank appeared shorter and doesn''t have smoothbore cannon either but it did bring a satisfactory smile to Mark.


    "Panzerkampfwagen-I, eh!"

 Chapter 83 Fly Back To Shangwan City

    <strong>Light Tank ¨C Sd.Kfz. 101</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Crew: 1


    Length: 4.02 m (12ft 2in)


    Width: 2.06 m (6ft 9in)


    Height: 1.92m (6ft 4in)


    Weight: 5400 kg


    Armament: 2X 7.9mm machine guns (25 rounds each)


    Ammunition Capacity: 2250 rounds


    Cartridge type: 7.9 mm x 57mm ammo


    Aiming angle: 0 to 60 degrees


    Max. speed of vehicle: 37 km/hr


    Fuel: 60 liters of diesel, gasoline, or crude oil


    Cruising Range: 200 km (diesel), 120 km (gasoline), 60 km (crude oil)


    Armor: Rank-3


    Effective Attack Range: 500 meters


    Absolute Range: 2000 meters (500-1000 m: 50% uracy, 1000-2000 m: 20% uracy)


    Auto-attack: Yes


    Target lock feature: No


    Additional attachments: No


    Description: An ungraded light tank, which has low defense but high attack power. With a dual machine gun, the tank can crush enemies of the 4-circle realm and below with ease. It can be operated by a single crew member.


    *


    PRICE: 500 gold coins


    Repair by System: 50 gold coins


    <strong>CREATE</strong>


    ****


    "Equivalent to the 4-circle realm, Damn. That''s so shway." Once again, Mark could visualize his dream of waging a war against the Imperial family with thousands of tanks.


    But, in the next second, he put the thought away and wondered whether he could sell it to the second prince, instead. A hundred of them would earn him 50000 gold coins. He could finish the quests by selling these tanks to the army, instead.


    As for whether it can be used against him in the future, Mark wasn''t worried about it because of two reasons. One, they are too weak. And two, only he could repair them perfectly when their durability reduces to zero.


    The only thing that''s an issue is the reverse engineering of this product. This troubled Mark and made him put away the thought of selling it, right away.


    He knew that even geniuses of cksmiths have a low chance but the Dwarves are different. They are on a whole level when ites to creating weapons. Unless he had a superior product, it''s best to keep them in secret, at least for now.


    What increased his satisfaction regarding this product is that, just like the other firearms, this one also didn''t have any rate of sess.


    He couldn''t imagine a situation where he received a failure like when he created ammo and loses 500 gold coins away.


    Closing down the window, Mark then clicked on the new ammo. It has the same power as 12.7mm ammo and 12 gauge shotgun ammo. Each one has the power of a full-powered strike of a 3-circle realm expert.


    <strong>7.92mm x 57 ammo</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 1 gold coin


    Bulk creation price (25 rounds): 25 gold coins


    Sess rate: 80%


    <strong>CREATE</strong>


    ****


    "Anyway, I received something satisfactory. Now, it''s time to use the lottery pick ticket. But, on which one? Unique skill or Random Bloodline?" Mark thought for a bit and decided on thetter as it was his first choice for several weeks.


    However, he didn''t use it yet as he remembered his experience when he became the Spirit Warrior.


    He enquired with the system about whether it will take a while, considering it wasn''t activating some existing bloodline. It was about adding a bloodline like a mutation, thereby modifying his DNA once again.


    The system was quick to respond.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! It takes 12 hours to integrate a bloodline into your DNA. The system doesn''t rmend the option, considering there''s an Emergency Quest going on.</strong>


    "I see." Mark nodded in understanding. He closed the window and continued to walk towards the corpse.


    From the corpses of three assassins, he found three storage rings, which are now ownerless.


    From the storage rings, Mark gained a total of 1834 gold coins, two pairs of gold-grade daggers, a gold-grade staff, two single-shot pistols, about a little more than a hundred 9mm bullets, and sixteen sky blue colored pills.


    He was surprised by the weapons from his store, but then, remembering how the Elder had information on him, he didn''t think too much about it and dismantled them.


    The remaining things like clothes, books, and food were left in their respective storage rings as they were dismantled. The storage rings gave him a total of 281 credits.


    He then proceeded to dismantle the weapons as they were of mediocre quality. In the end, he received about 623 credits, raising his total credits to 904.


    Once he was done with the exchange, Mark thought of summoning the helicopter but then, he remembered some important characters that he had momentarily forgotten.


    He looked at Alina and asked, "Alina, you said there were six spies, right? Where are the remaining two?"


    Alina answered right away, "Both of them are on standby, about 372 meters away from here. No additional movements detected."


    Mark nced at the unconscious elder, "he really lost his consciousness, right?"


    As Alina nodded in response, Mark said, "then, go and get those two, here. If I''m not wrong, these two might be the ones that are following us, all the way from Huqiu city. If they refuse toe with you, then, warn them of the consequences, and if they try to run away or reject you again, kill one of them and capture the other one, alive."


    "Roger, Big Brother." Alina nodded and dashed towards them at her fastest speed.


    Meanwhile, behind a huge rock, located far away from Mark, the two spies were watching them from a safe distance. They didn''t know what each one is talking but they witnessed what happened with the assassins from the Sui n.


    "Brother Yang, she''s far powerful than we expected. Not even an intermediate stage 6-circle realm expert like Sui Hanying is a match for her." One of themmented in a serious tone.


    The other one named Yang Huan let out a sigh, "It''s our fault, Brother Weng. If only we aren''t in the vicinity at that time, if only we hadn''t sent the letter to his highness, we wouldn''t have stuck in this situation."


    As soon as his words ended, both of them found Alina suddenly turned around and run towards them.


    "Brother Yang, we have been discovered." "Brother Weng, we cannot outrun her. We don''t need to risk our lives." "Agreed."


    As both of them came to an agreement, the two spies of the 5-circle realm came out of their hiding spot and directly kneeled on the ground.


    Alina stopped as soon as she reached them. Meanwhile, both of them kowtowed and pleaded for mercy.


    In response, Alina said, "My master wishes to talk to you. Follow me."


    Both of the spies raised their heads and looked at each other in surprise. "Yes."


    Soon, they reached Mark, who was waiting for them in patience.


    Both of them greeted him with a bow, and Yang Huan initiated the conversation, "Owner Lu, we are only here to spy on you and report it to the crown prince. We don''t have any other ill intentions."


    "Crown Prince?" Mark frowned upon hearing that the matter involves the imperial family. However, they never met each other.


    "Why?"


    Yang Huan answered truthfully, "You are officially on the watch list and you left the Imperial City without an escort."


    "So, what did you see?" Mark asked them.


    "Nothing." Both of them vigorously shook their heads. After seeing the condition of Sui Hanying, they fear him even more.


    Mark stared at them for a while, thinking about what to do with them. After a brief silence, he opened his mouth, "no need to be afraid. You can report everything as it is. And since you followed me all the way, I''ll not leave you empty-handed. You can add another piece of information to the report in advance. Sui n had tried to assassinate me. Now, I''m going to repay this favor to Sui n, 100 times in return.


    Oh, and don''t forget to run at your maximum speed, or else, you will miss out on the fun."


    Both of them looked at each other and then, at the tank. They wondered if Mark intended to go on a rampage just like he did with Song n. But, is that puppet strong enough to take down the Sui n''s leader? They wondered.


    However, in the next moment, something amazing happened.


    The battle tank that was parked away disappeared into thin air and all of a sudden, just a couple meters away from them, a never-seen vehicle appeared. If the earlier one is strange, this one is its dad.


    "What the hell is that?"


    Yang Huan and Weng Bo just stared at the mighty attack helicopter in a daze.


    If not that was shocking enough, Alina, Mark, and the unconscious guy disappeared from the spot.


    Alina get to the pilot seat while Mark and Sui Hanying got in the back.


    "Fly back to Shangwan city, Alina."


    <o>,m ******</o>


    <strong>Bai Mansion, Imperial City;</strong>


    Inside a closed chamber, Song Yun was seen floating in the air, covered by a scarlet aura of ether energy.


    Meanwhile, his surroundings were filled with ether crystals. There were dozens of them, ranging from low to high quality of different sizes. However, at present, barely six crystals were left with the others werepletely white in color as all of the ether energy is being absorbed by Song Yun at a rapid pace.


    Soon, the remaining six were also turned into white crystals and Song Yun opened his eyes,nding on the floor. He looked like he was frustrated. "Damn it. I can''t break through to the seven-circle no matter how much I absorbed it. I''m still stuck at thest step. It''s as if something isn''t allowing me to break that wall. There are only a couple of days left till the effect of this pillsts. I need to find a solution before then."

 Chapter 84 Bai Xun Meets The Second Queen Consort

    <strong>Imperial Pce, Imperial City;</strong>


    In the imperial gardens, the Supreme Commander/Commander-in-chief/ Chief General, the great Bai Xun is having tea with a graceful-lookingdy. She''s in herte forties but looks more like in her mid-thirties.


    There were a couple of maids standing behind her and a lot of Royal Knights/ Imperial guards were standing a bit far, so as to not intrude the privacy. If not for the fact that the Emperor cherishes this beautiful woman, Bai Xun would have talked with her in a private chamber because of the sensitive matter.


    But, he doesn''t want any silly rumors that can potentially drive the wedge between him and the Emperor. This is the reason the meeting has been arranged in the open.


    Not to mention, it is a well-known fact that both of them are like siblings prior to her marriage with the Emperor. But, after she gave birth to the prince, Bai Xun rarely interacted with her to maintain his neutrality in politics.


    As the Supreme Commander, his loyalty cannot be sided with any prince. It should be tied only to the throne.


    Now that they were having a tea session, the Imperial guards couldn''t help but wonder whether this woman is trying to rope in Bai Xun so that her son be the next Emperor.


    So, who is this woman?


    It''s none other than Lan Jingyi, the second Queen Consort of Emperor Shang Fu and the biological mother of Lu Zhen.


    "Commander Bai, I heard a rumor that you contacted the Heavens sect for the sake of waking up Song Yun." She took a sip of tea and said to him. Her tone was formal.


    "Yes, that''s right." Bai Xun nodded, confirming her suspicions.


    "Too bad that I can''t visit him because it would give a strong indirect message to the Empress," She let out a sigh and further asked, "what about little Yue? How''s she faring?"


    "She''s faring well better, Queen Jingyi." Bai Xun replied to her in patience. In a tea session, one cannot get to the matter right away. First, open with useless talks like these, then, get to the important matter as if it was something normal, and end with other useless talks.


    "Poor girl must have been devastated by Zhang n''s political ambitions. You should have brought her with you." Lan Jingyi looked as if she pitied the girl but her expression says otherwise.


    It was only a fraction of a second but Bai Xun captured a smile on her face as if she was delighted by it. As for the reason, probably only she knows.


    "It''s best if she were left alone, at this moment." Bai Xun replied to her calmly and finally got to the matter. "There''s something I''m curious about. It''s about your father."


    "Hmm? My father?" Lan Jingyi was taken aback by surprise. She didn''t expect that Bai Xun is here to talk about her father who had been dead for more than 30 years. "What is it?"


    Bai Xun then said, "Nothing serious. I encountered a young man recently. He looked strangely simr to Lan Gengxin. Judging by the difference in age, he could pass off as a grandson. But, then, I remember that you are the only child."


    "Eh? Someone that looks like my father?" A frown appeared on her face as she spoke in displeasure, "Are you trying to say that my father had a secret affair with some woman?"


    Bai Xun expected this reaction. So, he calmly shook his head and rified, "That thought never crossed my mind. I believe he truly loved Madam Xian. I was only wondering whether he had any siblings that I wasn''t aware of."


    "As far as I know, his only brother was also perished along with hundreds of others when the Lan Sect was destroyed, six decades ago." Lan Jingyi shook her head and only gave him a piece of bad news. She then added, "But, who knows, he could have made it alive."


    "I see." Bai Xun nodded in understanding. He felt like he needed to deeply investigate Mark.


    ording to the letter secretly sent by the second prince, Mark killed the dungeon overlord with the power of the 7-circle realm. That would mean his entry to the Imperial City isn''t by any means, a simple coincidence.


    After talking about the return of the second prince, possible marriage alliance between the Crown Prince and the independent kingdom of Eastern Sun, and a few other things, Bai Xun decided that it''s time to return.


    "I''m taking my leave, Queen Jingyi." He got up from the seat. The Queen nodded, "alright."


    Just as he turned around and started walking away, the Queen remembered something and stopped him. "Commander Bai?"


    "Hmm?" he turned around.<sub> </sub>


    "I forgot to ask that young man''s name, the one that reminded you of my father." She said to him.


    "Oh, it''s Lu Zhen." Bai Xun casually replied and turned around once again.


    "Lu Zhen?"


    The Queen consort was stupefied on the spot, recalling someone. "Commander Bai."


    This time, her voice was loud. No, it was more like a scream, make the Imperial guards flinch for a moment and surprise the Commander. Once again, he turned around only to see the Queen consort''s body is shaking uncontrobly.


    "Queen Jingyi, are you alright?" He walked towards her in worry.


    She supported herself by grabbing the table, "I''m fine. That young man, can you tell me his name, once again?"


    Bai Xun was taken aback by her response. He answered, "Lu Zhen."


    "Who¡­ who are his parents? Do you know¡­ do you know their names?" She asked him. For some reason, her voice was also shaking.


    "Not sure, but ording to what we know so far, he was born in a tiny vige as the son of the vige chief. After the death of his parents, he moved to the town of Shixi beforeing to the Imperial City." Bai Xun answered her truthfully. It is what the pce has on him.


    "Vige chief?" Lan Jingyi''s heart skipped a beat as realization dawned upon her, "this can''t be a coincidence."


    Trying to calm down herself, she turned her head and looked into his eyes, and said, "Commander Bai, I want to see him with my own eyes."


    "Eh?" Bai Xun felt that her behavior was strange. Based on the reaction, he got a strong feeling that this Queen consort might have known about Mark. Nevertheless, he replied, "ording to the spies, Lu Zhen''s current whereabouts are unknown but he runs a weapon store here. So, he might return, in a few days."


    Taking a deep breath, Lan Jingyi then asked, "Commander Bai, please do me a favor. Please confirm whether his parents are named Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi and whether that vige name is Huotang."


    Bai Xun never heard of those names before. A frown appeared on his face, "do you perhaps know Lu Zhen''s parents?"


    "Yi Zexi used to be my servant. She was also like a sister to me. Thest time I knew, they shifted to a vige named Houtang where her husband is the vige chief. They had a baby named Lu Zhen who is about my son''s age. I wonder whether he''s the same person." Lan Jingyi briefly gave him an exnation that is mixed with truths and lies, so that he doesn''t get suspicious.


    Her exnation also satisfied Bai Xun''s curiosity about her sudden outburst. He gave his word that he will find it.


    After Bai Xun left, Lan Jingyi copsed on the seat and grabbed her head, "Is it really him? No, it must be another coincidence. I may be thinking too much. But, what if it''s Shang Zhen?"


    ***


    <strong>Sui n District, Shangwan City, Sui Province;</strong>


    The Sui n District is a neighborhood located in the heart of the Shangwan city where all the members of the n live with their respective families. No one else is allowed to live here.


    While this restricts the n members, forcing several young people to even leave the city and develop their career in the Imperial City, for the others, it gives a sense of unity. And this is also what made the n very strong. The entire n district itself is its Iron Fortress.


    At the Sui n Mansion where the n head and his family live, a group of elders was summoned to the entrance hall.


    An obese middle-aged man is nervously standing in front of them with sweaty palms behind his back. He is the Patriarch of the n, Sui Chen.


    However, everyone''s eyes are on the young man standing beside him who was standing inplete calmness.

 Chapter 85 The Godly Archer Of The Sui Clan

    He''s Sui Weisheng, once in a century genius Archer and the future Patriarch of the n. This thirty-year-old young man is the one that runs the n behind the scenes.


    The Patriarch opened his mouth, "So, um, the reason I summoned you here is¡­ is¡­ is¡­ about¡­ about¡­"


    "Uncle, elite members." The young man leaned his head and slowly whispered in his uncle''s ears.


    "Ah, yes, three of our Elite members were killed by someone as they were pursuing a criminal. Their life crystals were shattered. And¡­ and¡­ and¡­" As the Patriarch is stuttering again due to nervousness, his nephew once again whispered something.


    He continued, "And the radiance in Elder Hanying''s life crystal is dwindling. So, he too was defeated by this same criminal."


    The Elders were stunned for a moment when they heard the news. After all, Sui Hanying is a six-circle realm expert, who is close to being in the advanced stage. To defeat him is something only a powerful spirit warrior with high status can do it. Not to mention, everyone knows that Sui Hanying is close to the Grand Elder.


    They wondered who this criminal is inviting death.


    It was then the young man opened his mouth, "His name is Lu Zhen, the only seller of those unique weapons called Pistol and bullet. He is also the one that went rampage in Song n''s Mansion and sent Song Yun into a state of deep sleep.


    ording to what we know so far, he and his servant got into conflict with the nobles and extorted 10,000 gold coins. If it is only once, it would have been alright. But, it has happened the same with Meng, Qian, and Lie ns. And that too, in the span of mere two days. It was out of the ordinary.


    So, I believe he purposely used some means to get in conflict with them. There was also news that his servant is a peerless beauty, which captivates a man''s heart with a single look.


    It might have been exaggerated but I believe he might have lured them using her and used it to his advantage.


    Our subordinate ns are targeted and extorted. So, we can safely assume that this man is purposely targeted our n. But, why? We don''t know the reasons, so far. I suspect someone probably hired him to trouble us. Once we capture him, we will know it."


    "What about the Imperial Pce? Why haven''t they taken any action when a minister was injured? Not to mention, Song Yun was close to the Emperor." An elder asked him curiously. The Song n incident was well known all across the Empire but most people don''t know the identity of the person that did it. This Elder is also hearing the name for the first time. Considering the surname Lu didn''t have any noble status in the Empire, he wondered what sort of background Lu Zhen has.


    To his question, Sui Weisheng replied, "it doesn''t matter, Elder Peng. This is Sui n''s territory. Here, thew lies in our hands. We won''t spare both of them."


    He took out a scroll from his storage ring and handed it to his uncle. "This is an order from Grand Elder."


    The Patriarch once again took the lead of the conversation and read the order. Four of the remaining nine elders were deployed to apprehend the two criminals and bring back the heavily wounded Elder.


    The Elders looked at each other.


    After all, except during the dungeon break nearly a decade ago, four elders were never deployed by the Grand Elder. This exins how serious the Grand Elder is taking the matter.


    At the same time, they were also satisfied with how their future Patriarch is putting up a good performance. In their eyes, he was already qualified to take the mantle from this cowardly Patriarch.


    "We aren''t aware of his whereabouts but I think it''s best to ambush at its home and drag them with you. It''s also important not to indulge in any talks. There''s no need of giving any warnings either. All of you just¡­" As the young master of the Sui n is giving further instructions, all of a sudden, a n member enters the room and interrupts the meeting.<sub> </sub>


    "Greetings, Patriarch. Greetings Young master," He greeted the two of them with a bow.


    "What is it?" The young man asked him with a frown on his face as his words were cut off.


    "Our scouts witnessed a strange object in the skies. We don''t know what it is but it seems to be made of metal and is flying straight towards our n district." He informed him.


    Everyone became alerted, right away. After all, the unknown is what fears the human.


    But, Sui Weisheng was calm and passed the orders. "Everyone, let''s get the Archers and Mages, ready. I will shoot it down, myself if it''s necessary."


    *Boom*


    As soon as his words ended, a huge explosion urred above them, destroying a part of the ceiling and things started to fall on them.


    "Everyone, be careful." Sui Weisheng shouted while taking out a bow from his storage ring. Pointing at the mes at the ceiling, he conjured an arrow and shot towards it.


    The arrow released a torrent of water, extinguishing the mes. However, the elders standing on the floor couldn''t escape from being drenched as a result.


    He then quickly passed the orders. "Elder Peng, protect uncle. You two over there¡­"


    He pointed at the two guards who were standing in the corner, "get my mother and aunt to safety."


    "Four of you will erect a barrier over the n district. If this is a projectile attack from that unidentified flying object, then, he shouldn''t enter ourpound. And by chance, if the enemy is already here, then, he shouldn''t escape.


    The remaining will engage with the enemy along with me. Let''s see which bastard dared to challenge us, so openly." Sui Weisheng rushed outside. He had a strong inkling that it might be Mark because thetter was the only one that possessed strange weapons. This is why he didn''t hesitate to take such extreme measures.


    When he got outside, he looked at the sky. There was no one nearby but, after a few seconds, he saw a dot far away that slowly became bigger as it came towards them.


    He kicked the ground and jumped onto the roof and saw the attack helicopter is flying towards them. It was only a couple of hundred meters away.


    <o>,m He raised his bow and conjured an energy arrow made of ether. Strangely, there were sparks of lightning over the arrow. Earlier, he disyed an arrow that released water. So, it clearly indicates that he''s a water attribute user. But, now, he could use lightning.</o>


    "Those who challenge the Sui n will meet their demise, no matter who they are." Sui Weisheng pulled the string harder and released the arrow to shoot down the helicopter without any warning.


    Just as he released it, a missile was fired by the attack helicopter. Before the arrow even went ten meters far away from Sui Weisheng, the missile already hit the arrow, causing another explosion, sting him, ten meters away. But, as he wasn''t hit directly, Sui Weisheng was unharmed, except for little scratches here and there.

 Chapter 86 Target Lock Is The Missiles Strength And Its Weakness

    <strong>Five minutes ago;</strong>


    Alina was operating the attack helicopter while Mark was busy creating the missiles.


    <strong>Hellfire</strong>


    Type: Air to surface<strong></strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 10 ether crystals (low) / 2 Ether crystals (mid)


    Description: An air-to-surface missile with the capability of reducing the enemies with (advanced stage) 7-circle realm or lower rank to nothing.


    <strong>Creation Sess rate: 25%</strong>


    Note 1: The attack cannot be dodged once the target is locked. The missile can chase the target for 6 km.


    Note 2: The missile cannot target the enemies who are flying 50 m or higher from the ground.


    Note 3: There should be a minimum altitude distance of 100 meters between the attack helicopter and the target.


    *


    <strong>Hydra 70</strong>


    Type: Unguided<strong></strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 2 ether crystals (low)


    Description: An unguided rocket that is capable of destroying the enemies with (advanced stage) 6-circle realm or lower rank.


    <strong>Creation sess rate: 40%</strong>


    *


    <strong>Mistral</strong>


    Type: Air to Air<strong></strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 2 ether crystals (low)


    Description: An air-to-air missile with the capability of destroying aerial targets with (peak stage) 6-circle realm or lower rank.


    Creation sess rate: 40%


    Note: The attack cannot be dodged once the target is locked. The missile can chase the target for 8 km.


    Note 2: The missile cannot target the enemies who are flying less than a hundred meters above the ground.


    Note 3: The attack helicopter must be at least 100 meters above the ground tounch this missile.


    *


    <strong>30mm ammo</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Price: 3 gold coins


    Bulk Price (450 rounds): 1350 gold coins


    Description: Ammunition fired by 30mm cannon can destroy (beginner stage) 5-circle realm or lower-ranked enemies.


    Creation sess rate: 65%


    *


    <strong>20mm ammo</strong>


    p Grade: N/A</anda>


    Price: 2 gold coins


    Bulk Price (250 rounds): 500 gold coins


    Description: Ammunition fired by a 20mm cannon pod can destroy (intermediate stage) 4-circle realm or lower-ranked enemies.


    Creation sess rate: 70%


    ******


    <strong>*Ding! Hydra 70 has been sessfully created. 2 ether crystals (low) were added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You failed to create Hydra 70 rocket. 2 ether crystals (low) were added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You failed to create Hydra 70. 2 ether crystals (low) were added to the debt.</strong>


    "Okay, I guess I have enough." Mark stopped creating the ammo and missiles as he felt the debt has been raised too much.


    Apart from the fully loaded Attack helicopter, Mark possessed about 1000 rounds of 30mm ammo; 5000 rounds of 20mm ammo; 10 Mistral missiles; 50 Hydra 70 rockets; 20 Hellfire missiles in his inventory.


    Itnded him with an additional debt of 24560 gold coins and 974 ether crystals (low).


    However, Mark didn''t stop there. He went on to create a hundred 120mm ammo adding to the previous 48, then, another hundred of 40mm grenades and a thousand ammo of 12.7mm for the machine gun.


    In the end, the overall debt is totaled to 1774 ether crystals (low) and 30433 gold coins.


    And yet, Mark didn''t hesitate to store all these in his inventory because he didn''t know when the next Emergency Quest would appear again. So, he used that one hour of travel to the fullest without resting a bit. Of course, the main reason he was able to do that is because of the mass wealth he gathered in the past few days.<sub> </sub>


    By the time the attack helicopter reached the outskirts of the city, he was done with it and waiting tounch. Of course, to use the full capacity of the Attack helicopter, two members of the crew are needed.


    From the rear chamber, Mark only had the controls of the armaments in the inner hardpoint, i.e. 20mm autocannon pod, and four Hellfire missiles. The remaining three are controlled by the pilot, sitting in the front chamber i.e. Alina.


    As he reached the city entrance, Mark was looking down through the window. "The aerial view is indeed amazing."


    It''s been a while since hest saw a city from a ne. So, he felt a little bit of nostalgia before Alina informed him. "Big Brother, we are in the eight-kilometer range."


    Taking a deep breath, Mark gave a nod, "fire Hydra 70 as a warning shot. Don''t aim for killing. Just aim at the roof."


    "Roger."


    Alina clicked on the button, nearby the controllers, and fired an unguided rocket at the Sui n''s headquarters.


    The rocket was fired from its pod and cut through the air with the speed of mach 2.2. In just 11 seconds, it hit the roof of the mansion, blowing up a part of the ceiling.


    Mark watched it through the screens before him. Like the battle tank, the helicopter was also installed with cameras everywhere. So, he had a 360-degree view at all times with a few blind spots, of course.


    Looking at the mes, he nodded with satisfaction but as the mes died within just a couple of seconds, he mumbled in seriousness, "It looks like they are prepared. Well, it doesn''t matter."


    He then ordered Alina to fly straight towards the mansion and wait for everyone toe out.


    After a few minutes, as the helicopter entered the n district, Alina informed Mark about the iing arrow with the power of the 6-circle realm (advanced stage), to which thetter replied to fire the unguided rocket while watching the screen.


    Little did he expect Alina''s aim was so precise, the rocket perfectly struck the arrow, followed by causing an explosion and sting away the attacker standing on the roof.


    "Okay, now, where is this so-called the backbone of Sui n?" Mark focused on the screens and wondered. He asked, "Alina, can you scan around while staying in the vehicle?"


    "Yes, Big Brother." Alina nodded and instantly scanned the whole n district. Stopping at the destination, two hundred meters above the mansion, she spoke, "A 7-circle realm expert is in the mansion. Should I blow the entire building?"


    "No, there''s no need." Mark was against the idea as he wasn''t here to take revenge but to extort the money. He only needed to push them to the edge of the cliff but shouldn''t proceed to throw them down below. He further said in the mic, "We have a speaker facility in this vehicle, right? I will first talk to them."


    Mark looked at the control system before him. At the end of the wire that is attached to the control system, there are two buttons. The blue one, on the left, indicated inte and the green one, on the right side, indicated speaker.


    He pressed on the green one.


    A giant megaphone appeared from below the helicopter. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Hello, nice to meet you. I''m Lu Zhen and I''m in no way hade here in peace. Your Elder named Sui Hanying is a hostage of mine. I''ll only say this once, so, listen carefully.


    I''m going to throw him down below along with a letter. After you take him away, then, I will start to descend. I don''t want anyone, 200 meters nearby me. Then, you will have 30 minutes to discuss and give a reply that you decided.


    Those who don''tply with these simple rules of mine will face death. This is my first andst warning. Don''t me meter as it''s on your ignorance and arrogance."


    Mark could see, several people are looking at the helicopter but he wasn''t even sure whether the sound get to them or not. After all, there is a distance between them and the rotor de sound can interfere. Not to mention, due to the noise-canceling feature, he didn''t even hear his voice from the speaker.


    In the end, he betted on their superior listening abilities and proceeded to open the door, pushing the unconscious elder out of the vehicle.


    However, he underestimated the Sui n. Just as he pushed down the Elder and was about to close the door, a blur of an arrow appeared in his sight.


    Mark quickly closed the door. The lightning arrow struck it but failed to pierce. It only cracked the ss.


    <strong>*Ding! The durability of Attack Helicopter- EC665 has been reduced by 1%.</strong>


    "Fuck." Mark let out a curse and leaned his head to the back. Sweat poured down his forehead, almost instantly and his body started to shiver due to the fear. "Close to the death."


    In the next second, he was filled with rage, "I''ll kill that motherfucker that tried to ambush me."


    Mark took a closer look at the screen. On the roof of the mansion, a young man was conjuring up another arrow. It was just an ether arrow without any attribute.


    "It''s you, bastard. Die." Mark took the control stick and pressed the red button.


    The system asked for a target. With the help of a control stick, he locked onto him.


    <strong>*Ding! Target has been locked.</strong>


    One of the four hellfire missiles wasunched. Since it has a target lock feature, the helicopter''s direction didn''t matter.


    It made a U-turn as soon as it was fired and flew towards Sui Weisheng. Thetter''s eyes widened upon spotting the iing projectile. He fired the arrow.


    With a speed of 1.3 mach, the Hellfire missile was indeed slowerpared to Hydra 70. However, the distance between them is also less. So, it didn''t take long for the missile to reach its target.


    However, just when it was only ten meters away from Sui Weisheng, thetter''s arrow obstructed its path. It''s where its strength of locking the target turned into a weakness.


    As the arrow isn''t its target, the missile tried to dodge it by making an upward trajectory. But, it was then Sui Weisheng outsmarted the system. "Explode."


    *Boom*


    The arrow that was supposed to go past the missile suddenly exploded in mid-air.


    <strong>*Ding! Hellfire missile sensors were damaged. Connection is severed with the system.</strong>


    "What!" Mark''s eyes are widened in shock. "How is that possible?"


    He was betting everything on this missile but didn''t expect it can be stopped too. However, all is not lost.


    The missile was sure deflected from its original path but it wasn''t destroyed. The missile eventually went past the mansion but hit a tower, located five hundred meters away. It was where the prisoners are kept.


    The whole tower was exploded into million pieces, killing everyone in it.


    The elders as well as the normal n members were stupefied for a moment to see the range of the explosion.


    Sui Weisheng sighed in relief, "thank goodness. It didn''t hit me. Or else, along with me, the whole mansion would have been exploded."


    He proceeded to take out a talisman and burn it.


    Meanwhile, Mark who was disappointed by the failed attack didn''t hesitate to fire another at the target. He was determined to kill the person that ambushed him.


    Another hellfire missile took a u-turn just like before and nned to take out the target.


    "Shit." Sui Weisheng hurriedly conjured another arrow to deflect it again. But, he was slow. The missile was already in front of him and he has yet to release the arrow. His heartbeat spiked to the maximum.


    It was at that moment, a figure in white robes and long white hair appeared before him.


    *Boom*


    Both of them were sted away while reducing the mansion into nothing.

 Chapter 87 Extorting A Six Digit Amount From The Sui Clan

    The talisman that was burned by Sui Weisheng is called "Forget me not," which was given to him by the Grand Elder when this future heir turned 21.


    The specialty of this talisman is that as long as is in 10000 km range from the Grand Elder, thetter could teleport to him in an instant to rescue him from the possible life-threatening situation.


    After the explosion of the prison tower, Sui Weisheng understood that he wasn''t a match for the enemy. Even if he could save himself, he felt like his n members will perish instead. That''s why he didn''t hesitate to summon his Granduncle.


    As soon as the talisman at Sui Weisheng''s hands turned into nothing, another talisman rushed out of Sui Rong''s storage card and created a portal. He walked into it and teleported right before his grand-nephew only for him to be struck by the hellfire missile and sted away together.


    Both of them fell on the ground with the old man perfectly managing to shield his grand-nephew with his body.


    Sui Weisheng waspletely unharmed but the old man was having fire burns all over his body. Despite that, he wasn''t conscious and stood on his own feet. The ether energy rushed out to heal his injuries. This is the specialty of seven-circle realm experts. Their ether energy can also heal their injuries.


    "Grand Elder!" "Young Lord Weisheng!"


    The elders and the other n members watching from the ground also got sted away but only had light injuries as they were standing away from the mansion.


    Four guards caught up in the explosion and died. An elder who caught the falling Sui Hanying and was about to hand it over to the guards was also sted away. He was fine but the guards were heavily injured.


    Meanwhile, Sui n''s Patriarch who was hiding in the mansion along with an elder was also hit by the deadly explosion and their bodies were also seen on the ground.


    The Elder was alive but is unconscious with all of his body heavily injured. Surprisingly, the fatty patriarch who was only at 4-circle realm survived the explosion and is perfectly fine.


    It''s all because of the armor he equipped at thest minute. His torso armor was a semi-divine weapon that created a barrier around himself and blocked the iing attack.


    The staff members working in the mansion weren''t spared either. Thankfully for Sui Weisheng, his mother and aunt escaped sessfully.


    Four of the elders who were ordered to erect a barrier didn''t get the time to do it and the mansion explosion forced them to return right away.


    The remaining two elders rushed towards the Grand Elder while the helicopter started to hover around the ce.


    As Sui Rong stood up on his feet and angrily stared at the attack helicopter, Mark''s voice was once heard from the giant megaphone.


    "So, I guess, by now, all of you must have understood the consequences of trying to break the rules I have. That mister over there, never try to ambush me, again. This time, I will erase your whole n. " Mark was indeed surprised by the effect of the missile.


    He felt the missiles given by the system are far powerful than the ones he was acquainted with, in his previous life. But then again, he also realized that he can''t push them far. Killing them won''t fulfill his quest, and neither can he extort the money. So, let go of his grudge and just reduced the time limit.


    An Elder named Sui Chun who was with Sui Hanying hurriedly searched his clothes. He found a scroll.


    Abandoning him on the ground, he dashed towards the old man and handed it, "Grand Elder."


    But, Sui Weisheng took it and read the letter. A deep frown appeared on his face as he said, "Grand Elder, he mentioned that you ordered Elder Hanying to capture them so that the girl would be my bride. And then, the Elder resorted to threats about making her a prostitute and him, a ve. Lu Zhen, in his opinion, was returning the favor for threatening. For our survival, he demanded two things."


    "What are they?" The old man asked him calmly. His sight is still fixed on the hovering helicopter to get ready for the next attack.


    Sui Weisheng looked at his grand uncle in surprise. The old man''s reaction clearly states that it is true. But, Sui Weisheng is a celibate and this is why he hadn''t married until now. This wasn''t a secret either.


    Then, why did this old man is trying to get him married? Sui Weisheng was a little bit disappointed but he knew that now is not the time to think about such useless things.


    He answered, "His first demand is to free all the ves at our crystal mine and gold mine. If we want to work them, he demanded to elevate their status to the servants with proper wages and proper amodation."


    Sui Rong narrowed his eyes. He felt this demand is nonsense. very is, after all, a normal thing in the Phoenix Empire. More importantly, what did Lu Zhen would gain from freeing those ves? He wondered.


    But, still, maintaining his calmness, he asked, "What is the second demand?"


    Almost crushing the letter, Sui Weisheng answered with a look of frustration, "100,000 gold coins. No ether crystals. Only gold."


    "100 thousand? Has he gotten mad?" Sui Rong lost his coolness for a moment.


    From the helicopter, Mark was observing their expressions. He let out a grin as he saw the old man destroy the scroll in anger, "it looks like they were angry."


    He picked up the mic and said, "That old man over there, considering how you survived my missile, I believe you are the Grand Elder that gave the order to capture us. So, here''s the deal. Either you pay thepensation or face the wrath. I still have a lot of missiles in my arsenal, you know."


    "How dare he threaten us, the mighty Sui n?" The Grand Elder clenched his fist in anger. He spits out a mouthful of blood and realized the pain, left by his injuries, once again. Almost thirty percent of his injuries were healed but only half of his either energy was left. So, if he wanted to fight, then, he can''t bother about injuries and vice versa.


    But, what if he gets injured again? Then, there would be noeback.


    "Grand Elder, give him what he wants." Elder Sui Chun pleaded to him. He was genuinely afraid of what Mark can do.


    "We know nothing about this weapon." Sui Weisheng also pitched in. He supported the Elder, "Earlier when I attacked him, my arrow only left a scratch on that thing. I think it''s wise to fulfill his demands. A hundred thousand is indeed arge amount but we can recover our losses within a few weeks. Moreover, the Emperor won''t sit by and watch when two major ns were attacked by the same person."


    In front of greater power, all that confidence that he disyed during the earlier meeting has disappeared. Now, Sui Weisheng wanted to use their connections with the Emperor to punish Mark.


    "Father¡­" A loud scream was then heard from behind them. The fatty patriarch was seen running towards him.


    "What a waste of Semi Divine armor." The elders couldn''t help curse inwardly. They felt like he should have been dead.


    Sui Rong sighed in relief that his only remaining son is still alive. He then nced at the helicopter. "Fine, you win, Lu Zhen but Sui n will have its revenge for sure."


    <strong>Nearly twenty minutester;</strong>


    The helicopternded on the ground but Mark didn''te out for his safety. Alina was the one who stepped out and received a pouch. After confirming the amount, she spoke, "Just a friendly reminder since you made my master, rich. I hope you won''t go back on your words for you took an oath with Heavens as the witness. Not only do you lose your ether, but a curse will also befall your whole n if you break the oath in the future.


    Although your oath only covered those two mines, it''s really better if the Sui n abolish very altogether. This way neither you nor your future generations will be tempted."


    The helicopter took off from the Sui n and flew towards the wilderness, leaving behind an enraged old man.


    "Weisheng,"


    "Yes, Grand Elder?"


    "Contact Mt. Hua sect for me. I guess only your master can help us out, now."


    "Yes." Sui Weisheng nodded.


    "And also, I think it''s time to bring some changes in our n." Sui Rong announced another astonishing thing. "Get ready to take the reins."


    Meanwhile, inside the helicopter, Mark was looking at the notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfullypleted Emergency Quest. A 2-free-stat point card has been sent to the inventory.</strong>


    "Open Inventory."


    Mark clicked on the card from the inventory. It was rainbow in color with a number 2 written on it.


    *Ding! Please distribute the stat points.


    The character screen opened before him with + symbols beside the stats.


    "Here, we go." Mark clicked on + two times.


    <strong>*Ding! Intelligence stat is increased by 1 point.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You can make a breakthrough to rank-2.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Intelligence stat is increased by 1 point.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You can make a breakthrough to rank-3.</strong><sub> </sub>


    Mark proceeded with yes and a series of notifications appeared one after another.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on reaching Rank-2.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted Main Quest-II. You received 1000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new main quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Thunder Eagle.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your share in the purchases of system-created weapons has been increased from 20% to 30%.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on reaching Rank-3.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted Main Quest-II. You received 2000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new Main Quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Thunder Lion.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your share in the purchases of system-created weapons has been increased from 30% to 40%.</strong>


    "40% share and 3000 credits, cool." Mark let out a wide smile as he proceeded to open his Character stats, followed by his pet inventory.


    ******


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 3


    Strength: 0.4


    Intelligence: 3.1


    Defense: 0.5


    Agility: 0.3


    Vitality: 1.0


    Resistance: 0.1


    Charisma: 7.3


    Luck: 3


    Bloodline: N/A


    Attribute: Lightning


    Spirit path: Summoner


    Ether quality: low


    Ether energy: 18


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Lifespan limit: 110 (85 years left)


    Avable credits: 3904


    Net worth: 132,964 gold coins, 31 silver coins


    Total Debt: 30433 gold coins, 1774 ether crystals (low)


    ***


    <strong>INVENTORY:</strong>


    100 ¨C 120mm ammunition


    100 ¨C 40mm Grenades


    1000 ¨C 12.7mm ammunition


    1000 ¨C 30mm ammunition


    5000 ¨C 20mm ammunition


    10 ¨C Mistral Missiles


    50 ¨C Hydra 70 rockets


    20 ¨C Hellfire missiles


    1562 ¨C 9mm bullets


    221 ¨C Single-shot pistols


    174 ¨C Revolvers


    61 ¨C Semi-automatic gun (10 rounds)


    35 ¨C Semi-automatic gun (20 rounds)


    2 ¨C Shotguns


    Battle Tank-V (tinum grade)


    Ruby Bloodwyrm Steel sword (gold grade)


    Rusty ring


    Fire wolf Bacralt steel sword (gold grade)


    Lottery pick ticket


    1 ¨C strength potion (basic)


    3 ¨C Intelligence pills (basic)


    12 ¨C Advancement pills (intermediate)

 Chapter 88 Big Brother, Do You Want To...

    <strong>QUEST LIST</strong>


    <strong>Main Quest I:</strong> Sell a total of 1000 firearms. (In progress-79.2%)


    <strong>Reward:</strong> Bolt Action Rifle, Lever Action Rifle, and Semi-automatic Rifle


    *


    <strong>Main Quest II:</strong> Be Rank-4


    <strong>Reward:</strong> Host''s share increases to 50% permanently, 4000 credits.


    **


    <strong>SIDE QUESTS:</strong>


    <strong>Side Quest I:</strong> Earn a total of 100000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress- 3.9%)


    Reward: Ether Pistol


    *


    <strong>Side Quest II:</strong> Sell exclusive weapons to ten different people (In progress-3/10)


    Reward: C-4


    *


    <strong>Side Quest III:</strong> Spend a total of 5000 credits (In progress-52%)


    Rewards: Exchange Panel (Currency to credits and vice versa)


    ***


    Mark wanted to go on a shopping spree to buy the remaining seven basic intelligence pills, spending 3500 credits.


    With a total of 10 basic intelligence pills, he could make a breakthrough but he resisted the urge after reading the details of his summons. With the amount of ether energy points that he currently had, he couldn''t even summon them.


    That''s why he felt like his next goal should be absorbing ether crystals and raising his ether energy. Thankfully, for him, he extorted enough money to buy them from the market.


    However, he didn''t save those credits either. After all, he needs toplete the third side quest and make use of the money that he earned from extortion or selling other items like the corpses of the beasts, traditional weapons, and other misceneous items.


    <strong>"Open system store."</strong>


    He directly went to the essory section.


    He grinned as he clicked at a silver ring. "I guess it''s time to remove my bad luck, once in for all."


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased Ring of Luck (Silver). 3000 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfullypleted Side Quest III. The Currency Exchange panel has been unlocked.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new side quest.</strong>


    <strong>Side Quest III:</strong> Spend a total of 50000 credits (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Statue of Velkazar.


    "System, what is this reward? Who is Velkazar?"


    <strong>*Ding! Velkazar, the personal mount of the wandering god, is the divine dragon that frequently bestows fortunes on its believers. Once a week, pray to the statue of Velkazar and receive one random present, which can be an item, currency, credits, crystals, weapons, skills, etc¡­</strong>


    "Oh, that''s cool." His eyes lit up in excitement. He didn''t understand who this wandering god was or why he had to pray to some monster but either way, he was getting free rewards. That''s more than enough for him.


    "Now that the exchange panel is opened, it will be easier toplete the quest. I wonder how much the exchange rate will be like. But, before that, let''s equip the ring."


    <strong>Ring of Luck (Bound)</strong>


    <o>,m Grade: Silver</o>


    Description: Upon wearing the ring, your luck stat improves by 2 points.


    Skill: Absorb a maximum of 4 points of luck from the target. CD: 12 hours.


    Mark took out a ring from the inventory. It was made of silver. He wore it right away on his right index finger. However, the system sent him a notification that had a bad piece of news.


    <strong>*Ding! Effects of the two essories of the same type cannot be stacked upon each other. The effect of Ring of Luck (Copper) was nullified.</strong><sub> </sub>


    "Ah, fuck." Mark punched the window in frustration. He expected that he can use both of them and maximize his luck to acquire the rewards from the lottery but now, his n failed. "Okay, 80% of luck is also not bad." Mark could only hope that he acquire something in the next draw.


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled the Copper ring. You receive 5 credits.</strong>


    *Sigh*


    "I bought it for 500 credits and dismantled it for 5 credits. What a fair exchange." Mark was annoyed by this rule. However, the system also had a befitting reply ready.


    <strong>*Ding! This is why the host should be careful when buying things. Scams are happening across the world because of ignorance and greed.</strong>


    Mark, "¡­"


    Letting out another sigh, he thought about opening the exchange system. The result was pretty much to his expectations. 5 gold coins can be exchanged for 1 credit and vice versa.


    Mark was tempted to exchange 100k gold for 20k credits but controlled himself and closed the screen.


    After a 30-minute flight, Alinanded the helicopter somewhere in the wilderness.


    She stepped down and let Mark get onto the pilot seat. It was only then he realized that there was only one seat avable in the front.


    "Damn, how could I forget about that?" As Mark scolded himself for being an idiot, Alina opened her mouth, "I have a suggestion, Big Brother."


    "Hmm?" He looked at her curiously.


    Half a minuteter, as Alina closed the door, Mark looked at his situation, "I don''t think this would work. Fuck, it''s so hot, here."


    Alina wasfortably sitting on hisp with her body facing the door and her arms around her master, raising the temperature in Mark''s body. His ears turned red, feeling her soft skin. He knew that she isn''t a human and even got familiar with her presence. However, such physical intimacy is entirely different.


    Mark couldn''t help but go into wild fantasy for a moment. When he realized it, he hurriedly shook his head and threw the thoughts away while scolding himself.


    Not even ten seconds passed, Mark hurriedly stood up from the seat and got down from the helicopter, embarrassedly covering down below. He returned to the back chamber and said on the mic, "There''s no need for me to learn how to fly this thing. Either you or Allen can do that for me."


    He took out a pot and a ss from his inventory and started to drink water.


    Alina tilts her head in confusion. Then, as she connected to his mind through telepathy, realization dawned upon her. "Big Brother, do you want to have sex with me in the vehicle?"


    Mark spit the water and started to cough heavily. He couldn''t help but scream at her in embarrassment, "Hey, don''t spout nonsense. Fly."


    "Hmm?" she didn''t understand why her master is acting weirdly. Putting the thoughts away, she grabbed the controls and started flying the helicopter. With so much amount of money in his hands, Mark thought that he had enough adventures and decided to return home, skipping the cities of Tinghe and Xinfang.


    ***


    <strong>Genesis store, Hanga District, Imperial City;</strong>


    Inside the store, there was a customer who handed Allen, 35 gold coins, buying 100 bullets and 1 Semi-automatic gun ¨C P365.


    "Thank you for the business. Pleasee by again." Allen took the money and handed him the box with the goods.


    Taking it, the man asked, "I don''t see the owner, anywhere. Do you know his whereabouts?"


    "I have no idea. All I know is that he''s alive." Allen shook his head.


    "I see." The man nodded and turned around.


    Allen escorted him to the outside. As the man left his sight, Allen let out a sigh, "Big Brother, when are you going to return?"


    It''s been several days since the abrupt disappearance of Mark. He was missing this one and only master of his. After his rank was upgraded by the upgrade crystals, Allen was going through a phase where he was dealing with a couple of emotions like sadness and happiness.


    The only one that can exin him is Mark. As he wasn''t avable, Allen opened up to Lin Xue quite a bit, taking the initiative to ask a few questions like a child.


    Lin Xue was surprised at first but then, felt amusing as the time passed. She no longer looked at Allen like he was only a sparring partner. She even thinks of him as her friend.


    It''s just a few days but, through Lin Xue''s help, Allen no longer answered everything that was asked of him, despite possessing the knowledge. It''s not at the stage where he perfectly understood what to say and what shouldn''t, in all types of situations. Still, at the present stage, he could fit in any normal human society on his own.


    At around 8 o''clock, he closed down the shutter and locked it before starting to run in the streets and jumping on roofs.


    Within fifteen minutes, he reached Lin n''s Mansion. There, he saw Lin Xue was looking at a pocket watch.


    "Lady Lin." He greeted her.


    "8:17." Lin Xue let out a smile andmented, "It''s quite amazing that you managed toe here for the past three days, at the exact same time."


    Allen replied with a smile, "Thanks for waiting."


    Lin Xue blushed for a second before she turned around to walk toward the dueling tform. "Let''s get started."

 Chapter 89 The Crown Princes Conspiracy Against Mark (Part-1)

    <strong>Lin Mansion, Imperial City;</strong>


    Allen was seriously sparring with Lin Xue, who was covered by sparks of lightning. As the former upgraded a rank, his strength increased. So, a four-circle realm swordmaster like Lin Xue couldn''t defeat him but she was also managing on her own through the newfound power of lightning, not only making her movements fast but even her attack was also as strong as a peak-stage 4-circle realm expert.


    Allen and Lin Xue''s swords shed for the umpteenth time. Allen suddenly kicked the ground and leaped back, exiting the dueling tform. "Lady Lin, the sparring hours are over, I need to get back to the store."


    As he turned around and walk away, Lin Xue took out her pocket watch again, "11:18. Exactly 3 hours. Just how punctual is this guy."


    She couldn''t help but stare at his back until he disappeared from her sight.


    By running on the streets and jumping on the roofs, Allen returns to the store. However, to his surprise, the shutter was opened.


    "Someone broke in?" Allen''s eyes turned cold as if he intended to kill the culprit before something else clicked in his head. "Is it Big Brother?"


    He rushed towards the store. As he reached the entrance, he saw Mark was sitting there in his original spot but to his surprise, there was a stranger who was leaning on the wall and is reading a novel.


    He ignored her and greeted his master. "Big Brother, you are finally back."


    "Allen, it''s good to see you too." Mark let out a smile. He felt as if he saw his younger brother after a while. "What have you been up to these days?"


    After Allen enthusiastically reported to him his new experiences, Mark introduced Alina to him.


    <strong>Two dayster, Imperial Pce;</strong>


    In the courtroom, the six ministers, officials of the three departments and six ministries, Chief Eunuch, Grand Secretariat, the third prince, the crown prince, and a few schrs were standing before him in two sections.


    "Grand Secretariat Li, you can start the proceedings of the court," spoke the Emperor after taking his seat on the throne. He looked majestic and his voice contained charisma.


    As for his physical traits, one can say he and the second prince resemble each other, a lot, except for the obvious age difference.


    The Grand Secretariat of the Empire ranks third, after the Emperor and the Supreme Commander, and oversees all the three departments and the six ministries. One can say he''s the most influential politician within the Empire.


    It''s ironic that amoner that every noble looks down on had the power to step on all these major ns at any time. It''s not that Li ZhenKang works hard and schemes against the people to get to this position.]


    It''s just that the Emperor wanted the Grand Secretariat to be neutral. This is the reason amoner working as an official in the Central Secretariat was suddenly promoted to the highest position in politics by the previous Grand Secretariat.


    Andter, when he decides to step down, Li ZhenKang should also choose amoner as his sessor.


    It has been this way in the past ruling of the Shang Dynasty for nearly 600 years and the current Emperor hoped it would be this way in the future.


    Li ZhenKang stepped forward and bowed as he informed, "Your Majesty, Royal Inspectors Yang Huan, and Weng Bo are here to report about the matter which has importance."


    The Emperor nodded, "let them in."


    The two investigating officers entered the courtroom and stood before the Emperor. As they greet him, thetter asked, "What is it that you want to report? And whomissioned the two of you?"


    Before they gave an answer, the Crown Prince Shang Zexi had interrupted, "it''s me, Your Majesty. I sent them to investigate a person named Lu Zhen, who runs a small weapon store in the Hanga district and is the one behind the demolition of the Song n''s Mansion and is responsible for former minister Song Yun''s deep sleep state.


    The most interesting thing about him is that he sells unique weapons called firearms. As for who makes them, it''s still unclear but we suspect it is the Dwarves."


    As Shang Zexi took out a single-shot pistol from his inventory and showed it to his father, thetter''s eyes lit up for a second. The Emperor appeared to be curious as he had never seen such a thing in his life.


    "Continue." He pointed to the Crown Prince, instead of the inspectors, making them wonder why they are even there for. To be decorations?


    The Crown Prince continued, "A few weeks ago, this man named Lu Zhen had a conflict with Song Yun and injured thetter because of baseless reasons like a security check.<sub> </sub>


    Song Yun''s daughter, Song Yue stopped the Prefects to put the matter to rest because she was rescued by him when she was abducted by some people from the Xu Sect. The reason for her abduction is unknown and unfortunately, the only culprit that was alive ended up dead in the prison due to the torture."


    "Xu Sect?" The Emperor''s facial expression changed within a second. The others who are unaware of the matter looked at each other and started to murmur.


    Meanwhile, the Crown Prince continued, "Yes, Your Majesty. It''s the same Xu Sect, which was banished from our Empire.


    Now, the strangest thing here is that just a week before this incident, three members of the Xu Sect tried to ambush, Prince Wei during his trip to the Bloodhill forest.


    Judging by the two incidents, it perfectly makes sense if Lu Zhen is a member of the Xu Sect. When the secret ambush failed, he attacked Song Yun but didn''t kill him because he was afraid that the Imperial pce will not leave him.


    As for rescuing Song Yue, he probably wanted to win her trust and he also sessfully managed to do that too. Not only did he save himself from the trial, he even managed to break the rtionship between Song Yue and Zhang Kong.


    What''s more, he''s listed on the watching list and it is confirmed that Commander Bai personally made a visit and informed him. And yet, he sessfully slipped past our spies and escaped the Imperial City without an escort."


    "You cannot twist the facts to your convenience with half-truths and half-lies, Crown prince Zexi." A voice was heard from the left, interrupting an imaginative novel that he was narrating. Everyone turned towards the third prince.


    "Your majesty, forgive me for interrupting but I don''t want to waste the time of the court with such nonsense things spouted by the Crown Prince.


    "You¡­" Shang Zexi clenched his fist in anger but he controlled it because of the ce he was standing at.


    The other spectators who are in favor of the third prince felt excited. After all, whenever the third prince opens his mouth, the Emperor gets impressed and the Crown prince will only get humiliated.


    Meanwhile, the Emperor was calm as he said, "State your opinion, Prince Wei."


    Shang Wei bowed and thanked him, before he stared at the Crown Prince, "you were narrating a good tale but judgments won''t be made from spections. We need solid evidence to prove that Lu Zhen is a criminal of the state.


    And if I''m right, aren''t you the one that''s responsible to watch him? What are your subordinates doing when Lu Zhen left the city? What kind of subordinates did you deploy? How can a Crown Prince, the next King of the Phoenix Empire be this irresponsible?


    Secondly, the Crown Prince needed to get facts, right. Song Yun was injured by the attack of a unique weapon that we aren''t aware of. It''s not the direct attack of Lu Zhen.


    ? Thirdly, the Crown prince needs to be reminded of the constitution. Whatever happened at the Song n Mansion, didn''t implicit the whole n and is just between Lu Zhen and Song Yun.


    It is entirely their personal business and even the Emperor doesn''t have the right to interfere unless the Song Yun''s immediate family requests to. Song Yun''s wife and daughter were clearly against it.


    How could you forget it? Several nobles including yourself allegedly used such a rule to your advantage and saved yourselves from the trial.


    However, the Song n''s mansion still belonged to the Song n. So, the current Minister Song can press the charges against him for damaging the property.


    Fourth and final, Song Yue and Zhang Kong''s engagement was broken because of the Zhang n. Isn''t it all because the Zhang n now had an Exalt realm expert (7-circle) and looks down on Song n?"


    After hearing the counter-argument from the third prince, everyone stared at the Crown Prince who appeared a bit angry.


    Originally, the third prince doesn''t want to defend Lu Zhen because of Lin Xue''s closeness with Allen. However, more than loving Lin Xue, he hates this eldest brother of him who sent assassins after him so many times.


    In fact, before the prisoner dead, he already found out that the Crown prince is behind the ambush at Bloodhill forest. However, before Shang Wei gets to reveal it to the public, the prisoner of the Xu Sect, the bald monk was assassinated, possibly by the men of the crown prince.


    Putting everything on Lu Zhen will close this matter and the Crown prince will escape without any investigations. So, despite disliking Lu Zhen, he still tried to defend him in court from all the usations.


    But, it was then he saw the crown prince''s lips curled up with a sneer before thetter spoke in a bit of loud tone as if he was announcing something important. "I knew that you keep trying to shut me down in whatever I say just like every time, but today is different, Prince Wei."


    He turned towards the Emperor and bowed and pointed at his two subordinates, "Your Majesty, the Royal Inspectors will reveal their investigation results, regarding Lu Zhen''s atrocities against the nobles."

 Chapter 90 The Crown Princes Conspiracy Against Mark (Part-2)

    The whole courtroom went silent as the two royal inspectors reported everything in detail, starting from the town of Maxong where the Meng n was extorted to the city of Shangwan where the Sui n''s Mansion and the city prison tower was decimated.


    The third prince finally understood why this eldest brother of his was trying to drag Lu Zhen into this mess. It''s because the weapon store owner indeed caused a mess and can be considered a criminal.


    So, the crown prince was putting all the other crimes onto him, so that he may escape from any kind of interrogation. Perhaps, the crown prince Shang Zexi wouldter kill Lu Zhen in the prison and erase this matter for good.


    Shang Wei saw the Emperor''s facial expression also change to that of a frown. Indeed, he was displeased by the actions of Lu Zhen. But, at the same time, defeating the Sui n''s Grand Elder with such ease isn''t a simple feat.


    Wait a second. Defeating Sui Rong with a flying weapon?


    The third prince felt a bad premonition.


    Just like he feared, the crown prince threw his dice, "Your Majesty, Prince Wei said that attacking Song Yun out of conflict is their personal business. Then, what about the Sui n?


    Moreover, the weapons that attacked Song Yun and Sui Rong are different. Thetter was much powerful. Can such powerful weapons be possessed by an owner of a small weapon store in an alley?


    At first, I assumed that he''s a spy from the northern Empires who came here with nefarious intentions. But, ording to our investigations, he''s born and raised here.


    And until a couple of months ago, he seemed to be living the life of an average civilian, but all of a sudden, he possessed a wide variety of weapons and a lethal one at that? How is it possible if someone isn''t behind him?


    And there''s also one question that bothers me. How did Lu Zhen know that Song Yue was abducted in the first ce?


    How did he save her at the exact spot where a member of the Xu Sect is waiting for the two abductors? After all, he was going towards his home. And Hanga district is far away from theke. These questions are yet to be answered. Only Lu Zhen can give it.


    But, let''s assume that it''s a pure coincidence and he has nothing to do with the Xu Sect or the northern Empire or any kind of hostile forces.


    But, even then, we need to put him on trial and formally investigate the origins of his unique weapons. We need to know who the one that manufactures them is.


    Is it really the dwarves or is there any other hidden entity that we don''t know?


    And there''s that powerful weapon.


    A unique weapon that can fly and injure an Exalt realm expert like Sui Rong, who was even in an advanced stage, I believe such a weapon is useful for the Empire and you should be the one that possesses it."


    The Crown Prince turned around the game, not only framing Mark as a criminal but also trying to influence the Emperor with greed for power.


    Seeing that the Emperor is actually considering it, the Grand Secretariat then hurriedly voiced out his opinion, "Your Majesty, whatever weapons, this Lu Zhen has, it''s considered his personal property. The Imperial pce doesn''t have the right to confiscate them, just because it is powerful."


    "Who said about confiscating, Grand Secretariat Li?" The Crown Prince appeared to be fully prepared to go all out and gave befitting replies to everyone that tries toe in his way. "If it''s a weapon, then, we can buy it. If it is soul-bound, then, we can contact the Heavens sect to get rid of the binding. If Lu Zhen is the citizen of the Empire and is loyal to the throne, then, he should have no problem selling it to us. We can even pardon his crimes for his service to the Empire."


    "Pardon?" The third prince fell into thoughts, once again. He couldn''t understand the intentions of the Crown Prince. First, he frames Lu Zhen, then, he talks about the might of the weapon, then, he says about acquiring it.


    Is his real goal, the flying weapon that he mentioned? Perhaps, he was looking for the manufacturer behind it and wanted to force it out from Lu Zhen? The third prince wondered.


    However, the Crown Prince didn''t end there. Now that the matter with Lu Zhen settled, he felt like he needed to crush this brother of his, too. He wanted to hit all of his targets at once with a single arrow.<sub> </sub>


    "Your Majesty, now, let me rify about the other statements that I made. Prince Wei said that I twisted some of the facts with half-truths. He said that I let Lu Zhen get away from the Imperial City and I was irresponsible.


    While Lu Zhen indeed get away without rming us but I was the one who managed to track them down at Maxong town. These two Royal inspectors are the perfect examples." He pointed at them and said, "On my orders, they followed Lu Zhen and his servant in secret and investigated everything."


    As the royal inspectors bowed nervously because they knew that wasn''t theplete truth, He continued, "As for the so-called constitution, we have Minister Song here. Song Chang recently assumed the position of the minister of Public works as well as the head of the n. A n head has the right to think about the well-being of the n members. And he has the power to override the decisions of all of the n members.


    So, even if the immediate family refuses to prosecute the used, the n head can nullify the decision and Minister Song now had decided to prosecute Lu Zhen and bring him to the trial."


    As he pointed to the middle-aged man, thetter came forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, Song Yun was a paternal cousin of mine but we are closer than biological siblings. I want justice for Song Yun and the other five n members who ended up as casualties."


    The third prince''s face darkened and felt the gazes of the people around him. He indeed made a blunder.


    Meanwhile, the Crown prince continued as he pointed to a tall and thin man who was half bald on the front but has a thick and long braid in the back, "Minister Zhang will exin the reason behind the annulment of the engagement between Song Yue and Zhang Kong."


    The Minister of Justice stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, we don''t what that bastard, excuse me, I mean Lu Zhen did to Song Yue but her visits to his store were too frequent.


    And ording to my son''s statement, Song Yue kept on praising Lu Zhen''s appearance as if she was infatuated. How could she talk about a stranger in front of her future husband? Even after her father was sent into a deep sleep, she requested not to prosecute. It isn''t anything but ordinary, Your Majesty. We have thews of adultery only for married couples. So, there''s nothing that can be done about her.


    The rtionship between them is bound to be broken. It was a pure coincidence that my grandfather entered the 7-circle realm. Prince Wei was trying to save the image of his friend."


    It was Shang Wei''s turn to clench his fist in anger. Lu Zhen was nobody to him and is even an annoyance. If the Crown prince wanted his flying weapon or whatever, it wouldn''t matter but Song Yue was different. She is not only his friend but was also like a sister.


    He wanted to punch his brother right in the face but controlled his emotions upon remembering that he was in the courtroom.


    With a smile on his face, the Crown Prince announced the list of charges, "Hence, it''s proved that Lu Zhen is indeed guilty. Your Majesty, I request a formal arrest for Lu Zhen and bring him to a trial for the following crimes.


    The attack on Song Yun, the five deaths of the Song n members, Four deaths of Meng n, eleven deaths of Qian n, six deaths of Lei n, thirteen deaths of Sui n, the death of seventy-four prisoners, eight security personnel, the property destruction of Song n and Sui n, extortion of 10000 gold coins from Meng n, 10000 gold coins from Qian n, 10000 gold coins from Lei n, 100,000 gold coins from Sui n, alleged rtions with Xu Sect, and alleged rtions with hostile organizations to the Empire."


    The officials in the court were silent, the ministers from Nie n, Song n, and Zhang n were smiling lightly, the third prince was boiling in anger, and the Emperor had a deep frown on his face.


    He stared at the third prince, "Do you want to say, anything, Prince Wei?"


    Taking a deep breath, the third prince answered, "A criminal will have to be punished, regardless of his/her status. However, if Lu Zhen turned innocent, then, the Crown Prince will be obligated to apologize not only to the prosecuted parties but also to the court officials for misleading the situation.


    And one more thing, Your Majesty. I would like to prosecute Minister Zhang for spouting lies in the sacred hall of judgment without any remorse for his actions. Along with him, his son should also be judged. If proven guilty, then, he''ll have to resign from his post and if he turns innocent, I will be obligated to not only apologize to him but will also resign from my post."


    Shang Wei cupped his fists and bowed to the Emperor, adding a final request, "I call for a public trial."


    The third prince''s sudden move indeed surprised everyone, including even his father.


    The Crown Prince mumbled to himself, "So, you are finally dering a war against me, huh."


    After a brief silence, the Emperor opened his mouth, "very well."

 Chapter 91 The Emperors Decree

    <strong>Genesis store, Imperial City;</strong>


    "Thank you for the purchase." Mark gave a bow as he handed two boxes, earning 10 gold coins.


    As the customer left the store, Mark nced at the notification screen and let out a smile.


    <strong>*Ding! You sold a Single-shot pistol. 3 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sold 25 bullets of 9mm caliber. 3 gold coins have been deducted.</strong>


    "Man, 40% share indeed feels good," Mark mumbled to himself before taking his seat again and resuming to create bullets. He had over 6500 bullets in his inventory but 5000 of them belonged to the second prince. So, he had to keep that portion aside.


    After a while, Allen suddenly stormed upstairs and returned by changing his dress to that of Shuhe outfit in ck color. Combined with a sword hanging at his waist, he indeed looks pretty much cool.


    Allen saw it, a day before. So, this scene wasn''t unfamiliar but he didn''t understand why Allen is bothering to do that in the first ce.


    What''s more, Allen proceeded to ask, "It''s 7:55, Big Brother. I need to go and attend a sparring session at 8. Can I pack all the relevant firearms?"


    There might not be any expression on Allen but Mark was connected to Allen. With a simple nce, he could understand that Allen appeared to be excited.


    For what?


    For the girl? For the spar? He couldn''t help but wonder, now that he knew these Android Assistants are no longer emotionless robots. He also draws a conclusion that it''s possible that all Androids will have emotions like humans, the more strong they get, starting with Rank-5.


    "Okay, alright."


    After receiving a nod from Mark, Allen, hurriedly withdrew the weapons from Mark''s inventory about 15-P365 guns and 250 bullets of 9mm caliber, and packed them before rushing outside.


    Maybe, it''s because of Alina''s presence or maybe, it''s because he started to trust Lin n, for whatever reason, Mark decided to not tag along with Allen, like before.


    A couple of hours passed away. With six more sessful transactions, Mark believed that everything was going well until all of a sudden, three men entered the alley. One of them is a eunuch and the other two are the imperial guards of the Elite realm (5-circle realm).


    They found Mark sitting in his chair and Alina was busy with her novel.


    Both of them raised their heads at the same time as they stepped inside.


    The three men had a look of surprise on their faces. First is naturally the peerless beauty of Alina and the other is the suppression of their souls. They heard it beforehand but experiencing is entirely different.


    The eunuch was quick to calm down himself and pulled out a scroll, starting to read without bothering to introduce themselves or greet the store owner.


    "A trial?" Mark''s facial expression changed to that of a frown. The list of crimes was quite detailed but some of them seemed ridiculous for example, he never even heard of Xu Sect. Why are they assuming he''s a member?


    The second thing is his alleged rtions with foreign Empires or Hostile organizations.


    And the most ridiculous of them all, entrapping Song Yue to break the rtions between Song n and Zhang n.


    Along with answering the crimes that he actuallymitted, he also needed to prove that all of those allegations were false. What''s more, it will be a public trial and the whole city will be watching him getting judged by the Emperor.


    "The trial will be conducted the following morning. Until then, you will be ced in a temporary jail." The eunuch ended the decree of the Emperor and asked a question. "So, Owner Lu, will you surrender in peace ande with us, voluntarily?"


    Mark crossed his legs on his knee and leaned back in response, letting out a smirk, "I knew that the Imperial family is full of shameless people but you guys proved me right. Return and tell to your Emperor that I will attend the public trial but I won''t being with you."


    "Are you going against the Emperor''s decree?" The Eunuch frowned as he threatened Mark of the consequences, to which Mark let out augh, "I remember how a legendary realm expert forced your beloved Emperor to kneel before him. What can a spineless coward like him do?"


    The Emperor might be his own father but Mark''s heart was filled with vengeance against him. He hates his mother for sure but he hates the Emperor even more. After all, in his view, his biological mother probably swapped him for amoner in order to please the Emperor as thetter wouldn''t look at her favorably for giving birth to trash that can''t cultivate.


    It might seem unreasonable but hatred always makes one think that way so that the enemy party is in wrong.


    Mark knew that he can''t destroy the Imperial family on his own but after testing the attack helicopter on Sui n, at the very least, he was confident in protecting himself.


    Whether he can do any damage to the Emperor or not, he can still threaten him with the lives of the civilians.


    Of course, that would hurt the reputation of the store and might affect his earnings but he would never let himself be bullied by anyone.<sub> </sub>


    So, he outrightly insulted the Emperor in front of the eunuch and forced the other two imperial guards to take action.


    "Alina," Mark called her as soon as he saw the eunuch ordered the two of them to attack. Before they even made it to one step forward, Alina appeared right in front of them and pressed her hands on their faces before lifting them up and crashing onto the floor.


    A loud sound filled in the store but there''s no damage to the floor.


    As the eunuch''s eyes widen, Mark snaps his finger to get his attention, "I don''t care whether Shang Fu is the ruler of the Phoenix Empire but here, in this store, I''m the God and all the customers needed to follow the rules."


    He then pointed at the board and added, "Violence in the store will not be epted. Now, leave before I decided to take extreme measures."


    The eunuch started to sweat in panic. He nced at the imperial guards that were pinned down to the floor.


    Mark understood what the eunuch was thinking and ordered, "ording to the rules, the store owner reserves the right to punish the rule-breakers. So, for trying to attack the owner of the store, both of you will be stripped of your equipment."


    "Alina, confiscate their equipment including the storage rings. The storage rings will be returned tomorrow after I attend the trial."


    "Argh" "No" "Aah"


    The store was filled with screams of the two Imperial guards as all their equipment was confiscated by Alina while getting beaten up for putting up a resistance.


    Mark dismantled everything as soon as he acquired it while the three of them exited the store in shame.


    He earned about 720 credits in total and two storage rings which he can''t get ess to.


    After they disappear from his sight, Mark mumbled to himself, "Now, they are sure to retaliate. I need to be ready for that. But, in no way, I should cause heavy casualties. I just needed to show them that I wasn''t someone they can toy around with.


    Perhaps, this is the best opportunity to increase my store''s poprity to the maximum and attract attention from some politicians.


    After all, it''s obvious that there will be people who don''t like the Emperor and they would be always looking for an opportunity to take him down.


    I can use that as an opportunity and work behind the scenes to start a rebellion.


    I will use the masses against the Emperor while equipping them with lethal weapons and Panzers. This way, my revenge will beplete and I could also continue developing the firearms."


    ***


    <strong>Meanwhile, at Lin n Mansion;</strong>


    Allen and Lin Xue were busy in their sparring. They only had an hour left but the third prince stop by at the n, forcing them to halt for a few moments.


    Allen took a leap from the dueling tform andnded before the prince, "Your Highness, please speak."


    He was polite, taking the third prince''s status into consideration.


    "I''m here to warn you, Allen." Shang Wei replied to him. "The Emperor had issued an arrest warrant against your master for various crimes. You will also be taken for questioning as you were there at the crime scene as one of the suspects. So, prepare yourself."


    Before Allen responded, Lin Xuended before him and spoke coldly, "Allen is under the protection of Lin n. I hope you will remember it before taking any action."


    She wasn''t a fool to not realize the hostility the third prince had for Allen. In her view, the prince was just jealous. Maybe, it''s because of their appearances. Or maybe, it''s because she treats Allen better than him.


    Whatever the case, she isn''t interested to entertain his thoughts and directly stating her opinion.


    Lin n''s Patriarch might have been in the same position as the Song n''s Patriarch but just like the Sui n, they have an Exalt realm expert in their n, although that old man stays in the country. They also have considerable influence in the three departments.


    If not for the backing, she would never dare to treat Shang Wei as she wished.


    In response to her statement, Shang Wei shrugged his shoulders, "you need to take it up with the Crown Prince, not me. He was the one behind it."


    Then, his face turned serious, "And there''s also public trial regarding Song Yue. I need you to be a witness."

 Chapter 92 The Emperor Wishes To Retire

    <strong>Imperial Pce;</strong>


    In a private chamber of the Imperial Pce, the Emperor was having tea with the Grand Secretariat. It was amon practice for both of them after the morning session of the court.


    The Emperor appeared to be tired.


    Letting out a sigh for the umpteenth time, he said, "I really don''t know who to pick as my sessor. One is too weak in strength to ascend to the throne and the other one is not only depends on his allies too much but is also sly in nature.


    And these ministers aren''t helping the situation, either. At this rate, my children will probably go through the same thing as me. Can''t those brats give me afortable retirement?"


    "If you ask me, your majesty, then, the one that has no desire for the throne is the one that is eligible to sit on it. I''m not saying this. It is what the ancient schrs said." The Grand Secretariat Li Zhen Kang replied to him in a roundabout way.


    The Emperor''s eyes narrowed, "I know who you are indicating too. However, he can''t be the Emperor. His personality is too straightforward and is more suitable to be a soldier. Adding on top of that, he didn''t have strong connections with the major noble ns and higher officials. Even if you give him the opportunity, I''m sure that he won''t take it."


    Li Zheng Kang nodded in understanding and then said, "The world is divided into good and evil, Your Majesty. However, if the good doesn''t wish to hold your hand, you will have to hold evil. But, not all evil are equal. Some are considered greater evil and some are the lesser evil. Now, which one is greater and which one is lesser? His Majesty should decide on it."


    "Greater and lesser evil, eh?" The Emperor took a sip and let out a self-deprecatingugh, "if they are evil, then, I guess I''m considered a devil?"


    Li Zheng Kang didn''tment on that as anything he would say will offend the Emperor. In the end, he replied, "You are still young, Your Majesty, and can rule for even another 100 years. Why think about retirement? As long as you continued to wait, you will find a solution, if not in this generation, then, next generation."


    "hahaha, that''s true." The Emperor let out a heartyugh. "As long as I make a breakthrough, my life span will increase even further. Speaking of next-generation, don''t you think this is the right time to talk of Wei''s marriage?"


    "With the Lin n''s heiress?" Li Zheng Kang spoke in an unsure tone.


    "What do you think?" As the Emperor nodded, Li Zheng Kang voiced his opinion,


    "Lin Xue is a beautiful young woman, talented in the art of swordfight, and has high potential. Whoever marries her could be considered a person blessed by the Heavens.


    The only issue here is that she''s a warrior type and Prince Wei is a schr type. Their worlds are different. Moreover, Lin n gives the freedom to the girls born in their n to choose their life as they wish.


    If Prince Wei sessfully woos Lin Xue, then, it would be a different matter. But, if you are nning an arranged marriage, then, considering the rtions between Crown Prince Zexi and Prince Wei, I highly doubt it unless thetter ascends to the throne."


    The Emperor didn''t like the answer but he didn''t have anything to give a counter-argument either. His son might be a 4-circle mage but hecks talent. In fact, he is the least talented out of all of his children.


    Letting out a sigh one more time, he put away those thoughts and changed the topic by turning serious, "let''s talk about this Lu Zhen. What do you think his background might be?"


    "Hmm?" Li Zheng Kang was a little bit taken aback by the sudden change of topic but he quickly recovered and said, "WEB possessed more Intel than any other person or organization. If they can''t find the origins behind his weapons, then, perhaps, no one can."


    "You overrate WEB too much, Brother Li." The Emperor clearly disyed his dissatisfaction on his face as soon as he heard the spy organization. "On a serious note, if this Lu Zhen doesn''t belong to any other hostile forces, I think it would benefit us to make friendship with him rather than prosecuting him. I couldn''t say it before everyone but it''s a little bit satisfying to hear that he made Sui n kneel. These days, they are really getting too arrogant."


    "But, Your Majesty, didn''t you wish to possess that flying weapon?" Li Zheng Kang was confused. He knew that the Emperor put up a fa?ade before everyone during the court proceedings. It is necessary too.


    However, he clearly saw a look of desire on the Emperor''s face when the Crown Prince mentioned its power. Why was he thinking about the opposite now?


    "Well, I would be lying if I say no. But, the Empire''s military strength also can be increased if we get a few more weapons like them. We can snatch/buy it from him and try to replicate it by making a deal with the Kingdom of Dwarves but is there any guarantee that they can do it? What if they can''t? If there''s a golden goose, you need to rear for the golden eggs, not kill it and taste its meat."


    The Emperor''s quote doesn''t seem that appropriate for the situation but he wouldn''t point it out either. In the end, the Grand Secretariat only nodded and praised him, "what a thought, Your Majesty. You really think far ahead."


    It was at that moment, a cry was heard at the entrance of the chamber.<sub> </sub>


    "Your Majesty!" The eunuch wailed as he entered the courtroom with injuries on his face as if it was punched quite a few times. The other two were also seemed to be badly injured.


    "Chief Eunuch Yang." The Emperor''s facial expression changed as soon as his eyes fell on the three of them.


    "What happened?" Li Zheng Kang asked him.


    "Your Majesty, Lu Zhen did this to us." The eunuch informed him after greeting the both of them.


    "How dare he?" The Emperor roared in anger and stood up on his feet upon seeing the state of his Chief Eunuch and two imperial guards. That''s right. The eunuch who visited Mark was the Chief Eunuch who an advanced stage 6-circle realm expert.


    He was smart to understand that it was of no use to raise his hand and get beaten up. So, he held his anger while the other two guards go themselves beaten up.


    But, he didn''t let go of this grudge.


    Now that Mark had alreadymitted the crime of not only refusing the Emperor''s decree but even dared to insult the Emperor, the eunuch decided to make this matter more serious by letting himself be beaten by the other two guards, and in return, he made their injuries worse.


    "Grand Secretariat Li, I take back my words." The Emperor clenched his fist. He was really angry at the moment. "That young man needed to be taught a firm lesson."


    *p* p* "Who is there?"


    The soldier standing outside entered the chamber and bowed, "Your Majesty."


    "Go and inform Commander Bai to appear before me, right away."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Bai Mansion, Song Yun was seeking a piece of advice on how to make a breakthrough to 7-circle Realm.


    "You are the only one in the city that can help me in making a breakthrough with your experiences."


    "A wall?" Bai Xun frowned upon listening to it and thought for a bit, then, asked, "What kind of wall is it? There are two types.


    <o>,m First is the rigid unmovable imaginary wall that wouldn''t let your ether particles expand further. If you felt it, you had hit your potential and it''s the end of you. Unless you opt for forbidden rituals or eat some heaven-defying pill, you cannot improve further.</o>


    However, if it is an invisible wall, which is separating you and the space beyond, then, it is caused by mental stress on your spirit."


    Song Yun thought for a bit and said in a serious tone, "it is the second one."


    "That would mean there''s something that is bothering your heart. Meditate and think calmly."


    As Song Yun did as he was told, Bai Xun guided him further, "now mental stresses are created because of incidents that frustrated you in the past but you couldn''t do anything about it."


    As Song Yun concentrated on the past, there are several incidents he could see but the biggest of them all is the memory of the demolition of his home by amoner.


    His body shivered as he gritted his teeth in anger, "Lu Zhen. That damnmoner."

 Chapter 93 The Emperor Deploys Bai Xun

    <strong>Genesis Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    Lin Xue was seen returning with Allen after their sparring session is over. In fact, she would have returned right away as soon as the third prince left but Allen insisted onpleting their sparring, ording to the deal.


    Alina was nowhere to be seen in the store. There''s only Mark who calmly sat at the counter.


    He was a little bit surprised to see Lin Xue at the store.


    "Greetings, Lady Lin." He stood up from his feet and lightly bowed.


    She nodded and said, "Owner Lu, you put yourself into serious trouble."


    "Is it about the public trial?" Mark asked her in return, implying that he knew the matter.


    "So, you knew about it." Shemented while walking towards him.


    "They came here and were kicked out too." Mark didn''t hide the matter and further said, "You shouldn''t have appeared at this time, Lady Lin. A serious battle will be at my doorstep at any minute."


    Lin Xue narrowed her eyes, realizing that the matter is far more serious than she thought. Nevertheless, she wasn''t going to stick out her neck for Mark anyway.


    Taking a deep breath, she spoke her intentions, "I''m here to save my friend. Release Allen from servitude. I''ll pay you enoughpensation in return. Then, Allen will not have anything to do with this matter and he will be in Lin n''s protection.


    If you aren''t interested in money, then, we can give you temporary protection. I''ll make sure Lin n to shield you from this matter and you get a pardon from the Emperor."


    As Allen was silent and just stared at his master, Mark broke out intoughter, "friend? Free from servitude? Pardon from Emperor? What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Lady Lin?"


    "Isn''t he a born ve to your family or something?" A frown appeared on Lin Xue. Based on what she analyzed so far, she felt that way, seeing the undying loyalty of Allen towards his master. Adding on top of that, Allen might address Mark as a big brother but when talking to her, he addresses Mark as his master. So, she thought her assumption was right.


    "I guess you don''t have a proper understanding about the rtionship between me and Allen, Lady Lin," Mark replied to her question in a roundabout way. Then, an idea popped up in his mind, and he said, "I''ll give you a short demonstration. Allen."


    "Yes, Big Brother."


    "Crush her throat and lift her." He passed an order, shocking Lin Xue.


    Her eyes widened as Allen suddenly caught her throat with his hand. Before she gets to escape, he lifted her by the throat.


    Lin Xue''s eyes met with Allen. Currently, they appeared very cold. As her legs started to kick in the air, disying her struggle, Mark passed another order, "Allen, leave her."


    Allen freed his hand and she fell on the floor.


    Looking at her, Allen gave her his hand, "Are you alright, Lady Lin? I''m sorry but I can''t refuse the master''s order. I told you before."


    She didn''t take his hand and stood up on her feet on her own while coughing. She turned her head and red at Mark in anger. She felt that his personality is far worse than she thought. "You¡­"


    "I apologize but this is to let you know that you shouldn''t try toe between me and my younger brother," Mark informed her calmly. At the same time, he was pleasantly surprised at Allen''s earlier behavior towards this girl. Is it a concern that he disyed?


    As Lin Xue thought of a possibility of Allen being mind-controlled by Mark, thetter proceeded to say, "Not intentionally, but still, you are a regr customer of the store and bought the firearms more than anyone else. That''s why I''m going to give you a piece of free advice. The rtionship between you and our store or more specifically Allen is strictly business.


    You buy 500 gold coins worth of goods and in return, Allen would daily spar with you for three hours. That''s it. There''s nothing more and nothing else. We don''t involve in your business and you better not poke into mine.


    Whether you heed my advice or not, is entirely your wish, Lady Lin."


    Allen is an Android bound to his soul whether he''s developing emotions or not. Considering Lin Xue is a level-2 customer, Mark thought of her well-being and decided to draw a clear line between her and Allen so that she will never have the intention of making Allen leave his side. The demo earlier was also done to back up his statement.


    Lin Xue might be much intelligent but she could understand what Mark was trying to tell her. However, she was as stubborn as a mule. She wouldn''t even care about Shang Wei''s identity when she coldly rejected his advances. Why would she care anything about what Mark tells her?


    She was now even more determined to free Allen out of Mark''s control.


    But, for now, all she could do is to lower her head and back away. Just as she was about to return to her home, the ck-robed guard entered the store.


    "Lady Lin, a blue drake is flying in this direction. I believe its destination is this ce." Yao Ling informed her in hurry. He knew the matter of the arrest. Seeing the six-circle beast, he had an inkling that the Supreme Commander was deployed to deal with this rebel.


    Upon hearing it, as Lin Xue''s expression darkened, Mark let out a smile, "I knew that Bai Xun wille. Allen, get ready for the battle. Alina will tell you what you needed to do." He pointed his finger upwards.


    "Roger, Big Brother." Allen gave a salute and then, turned towards Lin Xue and gave her a slight bow, "I''ll get going Lady Lin."<sub> </sub>


    As he rushed outside and then, leap over the top of the roof of the store where Alina is keeping an eye on the surroundings, Mark spoke to Lin Xue. "You can either leave or just stay here for the time being. I would rmend thetter option as this store is protected by outside attacks. Of course, my invitation is only for Lady Lin as your guard is strong enough to protect himself."


    "So, what do you want to do?" Mark waited for her choice.


    Before she replied to him, Yao Ling whispered to her, "Lady Lin, it''s better to leave right away. Inside the store, even I''m helpless. What if he takes you as a hostage and uses it to escape the situation?"


    Lin Xue who already had a negative opinion of Mark didn''t hesitate to think her bodyguard was right.


    "No thanks. I''ll be on my way." Not only did she reject his invitation, but she also went ahead and warned him, "I''ll not forgive you if something happens to Allen in your fight with the Imperial family."


    Mark suddenly wondered whether she fell for the Android just like those lusty male noble heirs fell for Alina.


    But, currently, he couldn''t think of those useless thoughts and went back to his seat while Lin Xue and her bodyguard left the store.


    "System, connect with Allen''s and Alina''s visions." He spoke out calmly.


    Suddenly, a couple of holographic screens were disyed side by side, before him. Mark saw nothing but the blue sky as both of them were staring at it.


    It was a built-in feature that came with Alina where she can share her vision with him no matter their distance. As for Allen, he received it when he upgraded to Rank-5. Unfortunately, there''s no audio connection in either of them. But, it''s enough for Mark.


    After that, he opened the inventory and took an advancement pill. It was one of the things he had received from those Sui n''s assassins. There were 12 of them.


    He took a pill into his mouth. It tasted like mint, forcing Mark to swallow it, directly.


    It dissolved very quickly and a cool sensation spread all over his body, followed by a surge of ether energy.


    <strong>*Ding! You took an advancement pill (intermediate)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your rank is raised by 1 for 60 minutes.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Crocodile.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Ether energy temporarily increased to 10000 points.</strong>


    "It has disadvantages but for now, maximum ether energy is most important."


    Mark proceeded to open the pet inventory and click on the image of a lion.


    *Roar*


    A powerful roar filled inside the store as a 2-meter big lion that was bathing in lightning sparks appeared beside him. It was a thunder lion with 3.8 points of strength.


    The beast can go head to head with 4-circle beasts and can even kill a peak stage 5-circle beast when using its strongest skill that increases its stats by 50% for 30 seconds.


    It sat before him, letting Mark caress its mane, "be on standby for now."


    While he is safe inside the store, without Allen and Alina, he can only depend on himself. That''s why he decided to use his second strongest move, right from the start. As for why didn''t he summon the lightning crocodile, it''s because the beast size is too big. Moreover, there''s no need for it unless it is absolutely necessary.


    <strong>*Ding! You summoned Thunder Lion. 1000 ether points will be consumed every minute.</strong>


    "Okay, I have ten minutes at most. I hope the time will be enough." Mark mumbled to himself.


    Meanwhile, on the outside, Bai Xun reached his destination. From the sky, he could see Allen and Alina sitting on the top of the roof. Were they expecting him? He wondered.


    He caressed the drake''s neck and jumped down, softlynding on the ground. He started walking towards the store. Allen and Alina didn''t make their move yet.


    "Wee to Genesis store, Commander Bai. I was waiting for you." Mark''s voice was heard from the side as he was about to step inside.


    His eyes fell on Mark who had a smirk on his face, before shifting to the beast, which was lying beside the store owner.


    "It''s not a tamed beast. The ether was constantly flowing from him to it. A summoned beast?" Bai Xun''s facial expression changed.

 Chapter 94 Commander Bai Vs Alina (Part-1)

    "Are you a summoner?" Bai Xun posed a question, upon spotting the thunder lion, which was constantly absorbing ether energy from Mark.


    This is the difference between a summoned beast and a tamed beast.


    The tamed beast or mount is independent of its own ether energy but it stays and sleeps at a stable just like others. If it dies, then, it dies.


    On the other hand, a summoned beast of a summoner is immortal. Even it dies in battle it will be resurrected after a couple of days. It also resides within the mindscape of its host but the manifestation of its physical body will consume ether energy from its host/master.


    This is why Bai Xun was sure that Mark is a summoner. Despite not being able to sense ether energy, he had his suspicions about it, mainly because of how he constantly takes a huge tank out of nowhere.


    Now, he confirmed it.


    However, for Mark, it wouldn''t matter as he decided to be high profile in this matter to improve the fame of the store. He wanted everyone to talk about the store, now.


    Crossing his legs on his knee, Mark replied, "what does it matter, Commander Bai? Does the situation change whether I''m a summoner or not?"


    "No, it wouldn''t." Bai Xun frowned upon hearing his response. He proceeded to announce, "On the orders of the Emperor, I''m here to apprehend you for your disobedience to the Imperial Decree. Come peacefully. Don''t let me use force."


    "In this store, I''m the God and everyone else is a mortal. Can you aplish your task?" Mark let out a sneer as he caressed the lion. It understood its master''s feelings and stood on its legs and growled at him.


    Bai Xun clenched his fist. Of course, he knew that very well.


    "If that''s the case, then, I''ll have to destroy the entire store from outside." Bai Xun warned him. He further added, "Because you look like someone I know, I was trying to be patient. This is yourst chance."


    Mark knew that even if the entire armye here and attack together, they can''t destroy the store, which was protected by the system. But, he didn''t say it as he wanted the fight, himself.


    So, he provoked him further, "If you try to destroy the store, then, my siblings won''t sit by and watch. And once I bring the big weapons, the entire neighborhood will bathe in mes. Do you want to sacrifice the lives of hundreds ofmoners for the sake of capturing me?"


    "Don''t go too far." Bai Xun got angered by Mark''s statement. Taking hostages and threatening him is the most despicable method. Except for the Emperor, no one in the Imperial family care about the lives of themoner. But sacrificing them like this will bring birth to a rebellion. He wondered whether this was why this man was so confident.


    *Roar*


    The thunder let out a roar as Bai Xun unknowingly stepped forward towards its master with an intent to kill.


    As Bai Xun came to senses and nned to silently leave, then, return with the army, which will evacuate the ce, Mark proposed a deal as if he read Bai Xun''s mind, "how about this? I''ll give you one hour. Evacuate the neighborhood.


    After that, we''ll keep the fight between ourselves. My younger sister will fight on my side and you, on the other side. I will not interfere with bringing out those big weapons and your drake or any other third party must not interfere on your side.


    Win against them and I will surrender myself. Or else, you must ept your defeat and return to the pce. As for the public trial, I already told that eunuch and his two soldiers, I will attend for sure. So, no worries.


    Oh, if you are worrying about leading you to a trap. Then, no. There''s no such thing as that. Alina is also at rank-6, I mean at Upper Elite realm (six-circle), maybe at advanced stage or peak stage, I don''t know.


    So, if you can''t even win against her, I don''t think I should listen to your nonsense."


    Mark tried to provoke him even further by telling him that he''s fighting against a weaker person and he seeded at it.<sub> </sub>


    "If you are so confident in your sister''s strength, fine, I''ll y your game and will also show you, why people call me the guardian of the Phoenix Empire."


    He turned around to walk through the exit.


    Mark stood up from the seat and walked forward and closed down the shutter now that he met with Bai Xun.


    "Good job in intimidating him, Leon." He caressed the lion''s mane and dismissed it, before climbing upstairs and sitting on hisfy bed.


    "System, make the screen bigger and can you increase the distance? It kinda hurts when concentrating on this close." Mark spoke to the system.


    In the next moment, the holographic screen that was floating before him increased its distance and went up to the wall, then, became a 100-inch screen. It was Allen''s vision as Alina is going to be the one that fights Bai Xun.


    "Damn, I should have brought corn from the market to make popcorn. It would have been good entertainment." Mark decided to enjoy the live battle as a spectator. Of course, he wasn''t confident that Alina wins against an Exalt realm expert like Bai Xun and he never nned to keep his word either.


    There''s already a backup n ready with Allen on standby. So, he wasn''t worried that something bad is going to happen.


    Meanwhile, on the outside, Bai Xun jumped high andnded on his Drake mount.


    He continued to stand on its back and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he used a sound technique, projecting his voice to every part of the neighborhood.


    Everyone is already tense when they saw the appearance of the Drake. Now, after the warning, people just started to run away from the ce, some cursing the Imperial family and the nobles while others cursing Mark who brought the attention of nobles to their tiny neighborhood ever since he settled down here.


    Fifteen minutester, the entire 1000 meters around the store was deserted. There might be a few people who refused to leave their homes despite Bai Xun''s reassurance ofpensating them. There might be elderly who couldn''t leave because of their conditions.


    But, in a world where strength matters, where one''s birth status matters, who would care about such people?


    Bai Xun''s attention was on the peerless beauty, of course, to defeat her. And Mark cares less about the lives of anyone be it a child or an old man.


    Looking at the both of them, he said, "Lu Zhen made a mistake, and he''s bound to suffer because of his arrogance. I heard that both of you are very strong. I know nothing about your origins but I respect your strength as well as your potential and give you onest chance. Step aside from this matter and leave Lu Zhen, you won''t be implicated.


    Stand in my way and you will be the aplices of Lu Zhen''s crimes."


    "What a fool." Mark broke out intoughter as he watched the screen.


    "System, pass a message to Alina, to take him down."


    <strong>*Ding! Affirmed, says Alina.</strong>


    As soon as the notification appeared, Alina disappeared from her spot and teleported behind Bai Xun who was standing on the drake. A kick was nted on his back, all of a sudden.


    He crashed onto the roof of one of the stores.

 Chapter 95 Commander Bai Vs Alina (Part-2)

    With a sudden ambush from Alina, Bai Xun crashed onto one of the stores and fell inside.


    Meanwhile, Alinanded on the blue drake''s back.


    The Drake twisted its head to breathe the mes. However, Bai Xun''s voice stopped it.


    "Chong, stand down." His voice reached the drake, making thetter twist its body instead of attacking the enemy.


    Alina lost her bnce and started falling towards the ground. In the mid-air, she controlled her body and carefullynded on a roof of a nearby store.


    Bai Xun jumped high andnded before her. He stared at her with a serious expression.


    She proceeded to conjure a dark energy dagger, "I guess this answers your proposal."


    Bai Xun narrowed his eyes for a second before taking out a custom-made tinum grade Ji weapon from his storage card.


    It is a two-handed pole weapon,prises a long handle with a curved de attached to the top and a sharp metal tip. Ji is a diverse and useful weapon, it can be used to sh with the side de or stab with the tip.


    Alina nodded to herself after scanning the weapon.


    She leaped towards him at a high speed. Bai Xun also leaped towards her.


    Both of them shed at each other at the same time.


    The dagger and the weapon collided but the force behind Bai Xun appeared to be higher. Alina was pushed back a few meters and shended safely before she dashed forward once again.


    This time, her speed was at its maximum and Bai Xun, whonded on the roof down below at the same spot where the collision took ce, didn''t get the time to gain speed like her. So, he went into the defensive.


    As Alina attacked him, he blocked it with his Ji. He was pushed back a couple of feet to the edge of the roof.


    It was then, Alina raised her other free arm. The second energy dagger appeared in her left hand and she threw it at his chest, taking him by surprise.


    Just as the dagger was about to pierce his chest, Bai Xun hurriedly used ether energy to form armor.


    The dagger pierced and suddenly dissolved into some unknown ck energy.


    Bai Xun felt that his ether energy was going to be corrupted at a rapid pace. He hurriedly dismissed the armor and backed away for a few meters.


    Meanwhile, in the store;


    "What energy is that?" Mark asked the system. He was curious about it.


    <strong>*Ding! It is a diluted form of corruptive energy called Protos, unique to cosmic beings known as the Protos race.</strong>


    "Protos?" Mark didn''t understand what it is and what it meant by cosmic beings but either way, the battle seemed like it was in Alina''s favor. That was enough for him in the current situation.


    Back to the battle, Bai Xun stared at Alina and the daggers made of unknown energy.


    "In a nce, it appeared to be like a dark attribute mixed in ether, but I couldn''t sense the presence of ether in it. What is it?" As he went into thoughts, Alina conjured the energy dagger once again and dashed forward, once again.


    The battle went on for twenty minutes. From time to time, while Alina appeared to gain an advantage, she had yet to wound him even once. At the same time, there were a few holes in Alina''s dress, one at the right shoulder, one at her right arm, one at her thigh, and the other at her waist.


    Her skin at those spots looked like they were pierced but there was no indication of any blood.


    Bai Xun''s Ji also didn''t have any blood on its de. Based on how he heard the sounds of metal, he assumed that Alina must be a metal attribute user. A metal attribute is a variant of the earth element and she isn''t the first person he had fought either.


    So, he was confident about it. The only thing that he didn''t understand is the presence of that unknown ck energy. His weapon and body are fine but the moment his ether energy gets contacted by the daggers, the former is started to get corrupted. This is what he observed so far.


    Another thing that he observed is how Alina is controlling her breathing. Despite fast pace attacks, she was calm. Her breathing rate waspletely stable, right from the start.


    It is anything but abnormal in his eyes.


    <strong>"Twilight Shackles"</strong><sub> </sub>


    Alina conjured the pitch-ck energy chain with a de at its end as the 10-minute cooldown timer is finished.


    Bai Xun was rmed and hurriedly stretched his Ji. Alina controlled the chain and dodged it, going straight for his face.


    At the moment the de was about to pierce his nose, Bai Xun tilted his head and evaded the attack before swirling his weapon and letting a part of the chain get trapped around the weapon.


    Once it was trapped, Bai Xun tightened his grip and swung it in the opposite direction. "Oraaa."


    Alina, who was attached to the chain on the other end, lost her footing and crashed into a store, making arge hole out of its roof.


    "You cannot defeat me, girl." Bai Xun let out a smirk, looking at the hole formed on the roof of a store.


    Just when Bai Xun thought that he had an upper hand, all of a sudden, his back was pierced by the de.


    "Argh¡­ He let go of the weapon in his hand and leaped back.


    Alina jumped high andnded on a roof. She raised her hand and dismissed the chain. As the chain was returned to her palm, the Ji that was tangled by the chain seized by her.


    Grabbing it, she nodded, "it was a superior weaponpared to the one in master''s inventory."


    Bai Xun''s facial expression changed as he touched his back. It is bleeding and for some reason, his ether energy couldn''t heal the wound, and neither the wound is closing up. It was the first hit in this battle.


    Looking at the blood in his palm, he mumbled, "I guess it''s time to get serious."


    He raised his hand above his head and spoke, "Come out, Aetherius."


    An exquisite bow appeared in his hand. It was off-white in color and shaped like wings. Then, a blow of wind hit the roof below Bai Xun''s foot and he started to fly higher and higher.


    Alina stared at him. Her mission isn''t to kill him but to protect herself. So, she didn''t bother jumping high and proactively attacking him but prepared herself to defend.


    After reaching a 100-meter altitude, Bai Xun stopped and pulled the string.


    A translucent arrow made of wind attribute was conjured between his fingertips and he aimed at her. "You are the first person who forced me to use my Aetherius against a lower realm opponent. You could have been something better. s, you chose the wrong side. Prepare to die, Alina."


    As he pulled the string to the maximum, Alina''s expression turned serious and she gripped the Ji weapon in her hands, tightly.


    Meanwhile, Mark received a notification and his face also changed immediately.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina wishes to use the Protos core to channel the energy into the weapon in her hands to increase her strength. Warning: Doing this would drop her strength from rank-6 to rank-5, permanently.</strong>


    Do you ept?


    Mark gave a quick answer, "No."


    Alina appeared to be surprised by the order and she decided to teleport away to dodge the attack, instead.


    "Die." Bai Xun released the arrow. The arrow transformed into a powerful gust of wind, intending to blow away everything on its path.


    Mark immediately proceeded to unleash his backup n.


    "System, send a message to Allen to summon the¡­ Eh? What is that?" He halted his order as soon as he saw a wall of mes appear all of a sudden, blocking the wind.


    When the mes are powerful than the wind, then, the wind will aid its growth but when thetter is more powerful, it will try to wipe out the mes.


    The same thing happened here. As the gust of wind with seven-circle power collided with the six-circle wall of mes, thetter was wiped out. However, in return, the wind was no longer violent.


    As Alina was just hit by the residual wind energy, she teleported towards the north and escaped it. The residual wind blow away a dozen houses and calmed down.


    "Stop, right there, Commander Bai," A powerful voice echoed in the surroundings, and Alina, Bai Xun looked towards the source. Two people were standing there.


    Mark was taken aback by surprise, "Second Prince? Song Yue?"

 Chapter 96 The Cerberus Slayer Is None Other Than Lu Zhen?

    From the start, Allen''s role is to be on standby until he gets a signal from Mark, through the system.


    Then, he will summon the attack helicopter from Mark''s inventory and use it to help out Alina and defeat Bai Xun, the strongest man in the Imperial City and the guardian of the Phoenix Empire.


    Once this suprememander is defeated, Mark was confident that he can negotiate with the Emperor for peace in exchange for Bai Xun''s life.


    Considering how Alina''s teleportation is avable, he wasn''t worried about getting her hit.


    But, little did he expect that the second prince appears here, of all the times. As if that wasn''t surprising enough, the beautiful Song Yue is also here. He watched the screen, intently.


    On the outside, Shang Wen was standing straight in his full set armor, staring at the sky with a serious expression. Song Yue was standing beside him. Her face was full of worries.


    Bai Xun frowned as he saw the second prince and he slowlynded on the ground, greeting him with a casual bow, "Prince Wen."


    As the suprememander, his position is above that of a prince and below that of the Emperor and Grand Secretariat, and he can only address the crown prince as "Your Highness."


    Moreover, the second prince is also his subordinate. It should be no surprise when he addressed the second prince like this.


    The second prince also greeted back with a casual bow. Meanwhile, Alina stood there on the roof and watched them. The same goes for Allen who hid behind the store earlier because the residual wind attack came in his way. He climbed the roof and took his spot once again.


    Bai Xun then said, "What is the meaning of this, Prince Wen? You are interrupting the orders of his majesty."


    "I know. I heard the matter." The second prince replied to him in a straight tone. He continued, "But, even then, the throne is the highest position. The dignity of the Imperial throne is greater than that of the Emperor.


    Under no circumstances, you cannot arrest a hero of the Empire and hurt the dignity of the Imperial Throne."


    "A hero?" Bai Xun was confused, "what are you talking about, Prince Wen? Lu Zhen is acquitted for several crimes. More than that, he insulted the decree of the Emperor. It is the biggest crime."


    The second prince nodded, "I know but all of them are just uses, stated by someone. Neither you nor his majesty had witnessed it personally. So, at the moment, he is nothing more than an used. Unless it is proved that he is a criminal, you should take him to the Imperial pce with great honor, not apprehend him like a criminal."


    "Just what is it that you wanted to say, Prince Wen? Please exin it properly." Bai Xun couldn''t understand why the second prince is standing on Mark''s side and even addressing him as a hero. Is there something that he missed?


    The second prince replied with a simple statement, "Lu Zhen is the Cerberus yer and the savior of Jin province."


    Bai Xun was stupefied on the spot as if he was electrocuted by million volts of electricity. "He''s that same person?"


    Suddenly, he remembered the lion when he entered the store. Realization dawned upon him as he connected the two incidents, "That''s right, he''s a summoner."


    The Cerberus yer is the name that was spread all over the Empire, over a week ago.


    The warriors who returned to their homes spread the name about how a seven-circle realm summoner killed the Cerberus with a single attack and saved everyone.


    Bai Xun couldn''t help but look in the direction of the store. Another reality struck as he saw the stores beside genesis store were ruined by his earlier attack. On the other hand, the two-story building didn''t even have a scratch. Adding on top of that, the stores behind it were also left undamaged.


    He hung his head down in shame, feeling as if Mark toyed with him. If the second prince was telling the truth, then, he needed to go all out to apprehend him. Even then, the chances were slim. "No wonder he warned about evacuation."<sub> </sub>


    Taking a deep breath, Bai Xun asked, "What should I do about His Majesty''s orders, Prince Wen? I can''t return empty-handed."


    "I''ll take the responsibility," The second prince answered him calmly.


    "Alright," Bai Xun nodded in understanding. He nced at Alina, then, at the store, before jumping onto the back of the blue drake and flying back to the Pce to report to the Emperor.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue sighed in relief and thanked the second prince, to which thetter turned his head towards her and asked curiously, "why are you thanking me for stopping him?"


    <o>,m "Eh?" She was taken aback at first, being surprised by her own words and then, gave a quick answer, "I mean you saved the destruction of the neighborhood."</o>


    Knowing that she was too kind, he didn''t dwell on it and shifted his attention towards the store.


    He slowly walked towards it.


    Mark, who was watching everything through Allen''s eyes, didn''t understand what this prince told to convince thatmander but his objective turned out to be a failure as people think it was the second prince that saved him.


    He was angry at the prince for meddling in his business but Shang Wen was also a customer who gave him the advance. Mark wouldn''t act against his customers without a strong reason. That''s the number one rule of the system. And he too will follow the ethics of the weapon seller.


    He stepped down from his head, climbed down the stairs, and proceeded to open the shutter.


    The dust entered the store through the wind, making Mark cough for a couple of seconds before he stepped back while informing both of his Androids to be on standby.


    At the same time, he was also ready to summon the lion, once again as there was still time left till the effects of the advancement pill will wear off and he will be extremely weak for the following ten hours.


    Mark continued to wait inside the store until the both of them arrived at the entrance and stepped inside.


    He greeted the both of them with a smile just like he always does to the customers, "Wee to Genesis store, Your Highness, Lady Song."


    "You are running amok, these days, Lu Zhen." The second prince let out ament as soon as he saw Mark.


    Just as Mark was about to refute his statement, Shang Wen continued, "but, the ones you fought weren''t good people either and the oue of it turned out to be good. So, I will stand on your side."


    Mark was taken aback and this time, his smile was real as he bowed, "Thank you."


    The Prince then proceeded to say, "I guess you know what I am here for."


    "Your order of 5000 bullets and 20 P-365 guns is ready. Give me a moment." He rushed into the storage room and then, poured all the 9mm bullets into a giant box. He started to push as he couldn''t carry a box that weighs 80kg with his thin arms.


    Shang Wen and Song Yue were surprised by his actions as they couldn''t understand why he is pretending like super weak. But, Shang Wen let him pretend that way and handed him the remaining 1100 gold coins, before absorbing the box into his storage ring.


    Mark was all smiles as he received 640 gold coins asmission and 960 gold coins disappeared from inventory.

 Chapter 97 A Belated Birthday Present To Song Yue?

    After his first business with Mark was finished, the second prince reminds him about the promise.


    Mark remembers it very well and is also looking forward to fulfilling it.


    He nodded in response and said, "The corpses of the beasts are still with me but their size is too big to take them out. The stores will be destroyed."


    Upon hearing it, the second prince waved his hands, "this area is already destroyed very much and everyone will bepensated in the future, might as well level it down. Once you prove yourself innocent during the trial, perhaps, this area will get a redevelopment with wider roads."


    "Well, if you insist, then, who am I to reject it." Mark shrugged his shoulders and sent a message to Allen through the system.


    Allen returned to the store while Alina keep on the lookout for possible attacks.


    "So, how much price are you willing to offer?" Mark then asked him upon realizing that they haven''t even negotiated any price.


    The second prince answered, "I don''t want to haggle over the prices. I''ll just quote the maximum price ording to the market. The highest price for a 6-circle realm beast in the market is about 50,000 gold coins. Considering that Orthus beast is of one grade higher, a fierce beast, I''ll make the price double. For the core, I''ll give another 150,000."


    He then raised five fingers, "Overall, 500 thousand gold coins for both of the corpses with their cores intact. If you are willing, we can immediatelyplete the deal."


    "The difference between 6-circle and 7-circle is like heaven and earth," Mark mumbled to himself.


    He had an idea that the body parts of the 6-circle beasts can only be used for making gold grade weapons while 7-circle beasts can be used to forge a tinum grade if it''s a fierce beast or a beast king.


    But, knowing it and experiencing it are two different things.


    Adding on top of it, Mark doesn''t know the current market prices but for some reason, he had a strong feeling like the second prince isn''t the type to dupe him. He looked more like a straightforward character.


    Thinking that the beast corpses were just a bonus anyway, Mark gave a nod to it and asked Allen to give them instead as he doesn''t want to get out.


    Song Yue and Shang Wen were taken aback by this move of Mark for they never expected such expensive things are given to a servant. Not knowing the reality about the inventory, they felt Mark must have really trusted Allen to keep the corpses with him.


    While Song Yue stayed back at the store, the second prince followed Allen outside.


    After moving far away from the store, Allen released the two headless corpses of 300 ft big in width and 700ft size in length from the inventory, leveling down several stores and residences as a result.


    A few spies who are observing the situation from a distance were stunned to watch the scene. They intended to report to the Crown Prince of this matter.


    Upon confirming the cores are intact, the second prince handed him an unbound storage ring that contained the gold coins.


    With just a simple scan, Allen confirmed the amount, and the second prince stored the beasts in his own storage ring.


    Meanwhile, inside the store, there was an awkward silence between Song Yue and Mark. Neither of them knows what to talk about.


    While Song Yue appeared to be hesitating to talk, Mark tried to initiate the conversation with an apology, "I heard that your father was in a state ofa, I mean deep sleep. I didn''t expect it would turn out like this. I''m sorry."


    He heard from Lin Xue about how Song Yue was the one that requested the fianc¨¦e and the fake prince to leave this matter.


    While maybe, in her eyes, it was returning the favor but for Mark, it is a favor, indeed as at that time, he doesn''t have any attack helicopter or Alina. If Bai Xun would havee to apprehend him, Mark knew that he would have to shut down his store and hide until he gets an opportunity to escape.


    Not to mention, she''s the store''s first customer and one can say, she started the chain reaction that improved the store''s fame and wealth by several folds.<sub> </sub>


    He was also thankful to her from the start.


    At the same time, he doesn''t want her to misunderstand that he was trying to appease her or something. He added, "However, I don''t regret my actions because I can''t let anyone threaten me or my family members and trample on my dignity no matter who it is."


    Song Yue slowly opened her mouth, "I know and I won''t me you either. I just me the situation where respect isn''t given based on one''s age or actions but is given for strength and social status."


    Mark was a little bit embarrassed when he heard it but he controlled his expression and thanked her.


    When he felt the situation return to normal, he once again became a businessman, "Lady Song, I wonder if you are still using the firearms, I meant that revolver."


    "Xue Xue¡­ I mean, Lin Xue is daily sending me 100 bullets, a part of those she buys here. So, I was never out of it but these days, I''m staying at Bai Mansion. So, I refrain myself making trouble for the others. It makes huge noise you know." All of a sudden, Song Yue started to speak normally. It looked like that awkward atmosphere earlier never existed.


    For some reason, Mark was also delighted when she saw a smile on this special customer.


    He attempted to sell his exclusive weapon, which she was eligible to buy as she had a level-2 affinity with the store.


    "Lady Song, this is called Nighthawk Tomahawk Shotgun, or you can simply call Shotgun. This is the newest of the firearms, an exclusive weapon. It hasn''t been sold to anyone yet." As Mark was exining about the shotgun and its ammo''s power, Song Yue''s eyes lit up and went into a trance. She couldn''t believe that there existed an ungraded weapon that can kill a 3-circle realm expert and even injure a 4-circle realm expert.


    As she took into her hands to get the feel, the second prince and Allen returned to the store.


    Allen handed him the storage ring and the second prince looked at the shotgun, "Sister Yue, are you interested in that weapon? That bullet released from it¡­"


    "12 gauge ammunition or you can call it Shotgun pellet." Mark corrected him.


    "Yeah, whatever that is, I have seen its power. You can indeed protect yourself. I''ll buy it for you." The second prince offered to buy it for her after promoting it.


    Before Song Yue gave her reply, Mark interrupted, "Your Highness isn''t qualified to buy the second exclusive weapon. I believe I mentioned it before at the camp. ording to the rules of the store, only the customer with more than 10,000 gold coins of the transaction can buy it. I cannot break the rules, I apologize."


    A frown appeared on the second prince as he reminded Mark about the 500 thousand gold coins transaction, to which, thetter replied that the transaction was a personal deal and has nothing to do with the store.


    He pointed at Song Yue in surprise, "then, she bought more than 10000 gold worth of weapons, here?" He looked at her.


    As Song Yue shook her head, Mark, who couldn''t say about the mission, gave an excuse, "I can give her as a present, though."


    "Eh? A present?" While Song Yue was pleasantly surprised, knowing that Mark is the type who wouldn''t want to suffer a loss, Mark gave another excuse, "something like a bted birthday present? This will not break the rules of the store. Moreover, I made a huge profit anyway."


    Mark then gave her the Shotgun and about 50 of 12-gauge ammunition, suffering 100 gold coins of loss. But, he was so rich at the moment that he didn''t feel much.


    "Thank you." She gave a beautiful smile as she stored them in her ring.


    "You''re wee," Mark also smiled.


    Meanwhile, the second prince darted his eyes left and right, wondering whether there''s something really is going on between the two of them. For a moment, he wondered whether Zhang n''s usation of Song Yue and Mark is indeed true.


    After all, no matter how kind one is, it is truly weird to converse with a person that sent one''s father into a deep sleep.

 Chapter 98 Bloodline Of Blizzard Pegasus

    After the two of them left the store, Mark sent a message to Alina to return to the store. He then transferred all the gold coins to his inventory. "634 thousand gold¡­ Damn, I feel like a billionaire."


    Soon, the store was closed and Mark went upstairs and sat on the bed.


    "Okay, there''s around 20 minutes before my body gets too weak due to the after-effects of the advancement pill. This is the perfect time to use it."


    "System, open Lottery Wheel."


    As the familiar lottery wheel appeared before him with a timer, 4 days 15 hours left till the next try.


    There were only three options left to choose from. Upgrade stone, Unique Skill, and Random Bloodline. The remaining 18 were empty.


    Mark clicked and held the lottery ticket image for a couple of seconds in the inventory.


    "Use?"


    He clicked on Yes.


    The lottery ticket disappeared and the remaining empty spaces disappeared, leaving behind the three.


    <strong>*Ding! Choose one of the three rewards.</strong>


    He didn''t hesitate to click on the Bloodline. However, the system gave him a surprise.


    <strong>*Ding! You choose Random Bloodline.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Bloodline is detected in your DNA.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Choose between two, Blizzard Pegasus, and Random Bloodline.</strong>


    "Blizzard Pegasus?" Mark wondered out loud. He then asked the system, "System, what is that beast? I heard about Pegasus in my past life but never heard about this Blizzard Pegasus. Moreover, how did I have it in my body?"


    It was public knowledge that the Imperial family has phoenix bloodline in them, although only the Emperor and the second prince are known to awaken it so far, at least the ones that are still alive.


    If that''s the case, should he also have Phoenix?


    All of a sudden, something clicked in his mind, "don''t tell me it''s¡­"


    <strong>*Ding! Blizzard Pegasus is poprly known to be the guardian beast of the Lan Sect, which has been destroyed more than three decades ago.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Thest known user born with this bloodline is your maternal grandfather. You received it through your biological mother. As for the current generation user, it is still unconfirmed.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Phoenix and Blizzard Pegasus are opposite in nature. Hence, this body couldn''t be born with ether energy. However, there''s a tiny remnant of the Blizzard Pegasus''s bloodline still remained, which is being preserved by the system ever since you awakened as a Spirit Warrior.</strong>


    "From my mother''s side?" Mark''s face darkened. At the same of awakening into Spirit Warrior, the system did mention that his intelligent stats and low-strength stats are inherited from his mother.


    But, now, even the bloodline too?


    At first, Mark doesn''t want to ept the system''s offer and choose Random Bloodline but then, his eyes fell on the notification that says thest known user is his maternal grandfather. That would mean his mother didn''t awaken it.


    This piece of information gave him a lot of satisfaction and made him think a bit positively.


    He decided on Blizzard Pegasus, not intending to take a risk on betting on a random one. Little did expect that it won''t be easy as he thought it would be.


    Just before he was about to click, he felt as if he was missing something. He faced multiple situations like this in the past and the system kept reprimanding him that he should have asked it before taking the decision.<sub> </sub>


    "System, what happens after I choose this?"


    <strong>*Ding! Warning: Choosing Blizzard Pegasus'' bloodline will forcefully change your attribute to ice. Or you can exchange 100,000 credits to add the Ice attribute to the character.</strong>


    "Fuck, I knew it. The system never gives me an easy time." The moment he saw 100 thousand credits, he knew the system''s n. It loves the gold after all. So, it tried to set up a trap to steal his 500 thousand gold coins.


    As if the system read his thoughts, it sent the following statement.


    <strong>*Ding! All the advanced attributes will cost 100 thousand credits. The seven basic attributes of Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Water, Light, and Dark cost 50,000 credits to purchase. The variant attributes of basic elements will cost 75,000 credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Upon buying an attribute, based on your rank, you will receive the set of summons from the Blizzard ne, home to the ice attribute beasts.</strong>


    "Is that so¡­" Mark eyes the notifications suspiciously but he believed because the system cannot lie.


    "500 thousand gold¡­ I couldn''t even keep it for five minutes." He felt a pain in his heart but he knew that he had to sacrifice for the sake of getting stronger. Mark convinced himself that he will enter the dungeons and earn a huge amount of money in the future.


    <strong>*Ding! 500,000 gold coins are exchanged for 100,000 credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You chose Blizzard Pegasus Bloodline.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You chose to add the Ice attribute. 100,000 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Only a small percentage of Blizzard Pegasus'' bloodline has remained in your DNA. The system will use natural energy in the surroundings to aid its growth and purify it.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The host will lose consciousness for 16 hours.</strong>


    Mark lost his consciousness, right away and entered into a deep sleep. Allen kept his eyes open, guarding his master while Alina, on the other hand, knew more about the process than him. She took it easy and grabbed a book to finish the novel at a slow pace.


    <strong>Meanwhile, at the Imperial Pce;</strong>


    The second prince was standing in the middle of the courtroom as used, during the afternoon court proceedings. However, his expression and posture say that he was confident about facing whatever thates at him.


    Along with the third prince, crown prince, and the other officials, the suprememander of the army, Bai Xun was also standing along with them.


    The Emperor looked at him sternly, "General Wen, why do you obstruct the Imperial decree?"


    A look of surprise appeared on the second prince. He turned towards Bai Xun, "Didn''t you reveal the truth to his majesty?"


    Bai Xun answered, "I thought its best if you answer it yourself because you are the witness."


    As everyone stared at the two of them, wondering what this truth is, the crown prince opened his mouth, "Your Majesty, we have reports of the appearances of two beast corpses at the Hanga district, except that these beasts were more than 700ft in length and 300ft big."


    Everyone in the courtroom gasped as they heard it. Meanwhile, the second prince turned his head towards the crown prince as thetter continued, "And it appears that Lu Zhen''s servant named Allen, who is a foreigner from far awaynd and if of mysterious origin, handed the two of them to Prince Wen.


    Can I question whether it is considered a bribe for shielding his master, Lu Zhen?"


    The frown on the Emperor''s face deepened, "Is that true? Answer the court, General Wen."


    In Emperor''s eyes, Shang Wen is of upright character and resembles him in many ways. That''s why he was the most anxious person in the court, hoping for his son to prove those usations are nothing but false.


    The third prince was silent and didn''t intend to involve in the matter because he doesn''t want to fall into his eldest brother''s trap once again by defending his second brother without knowing the matter. He became a spectator.


    The second prince opened his mouth, answering to his father, "No, it''s a transaction. He gave the beasts and I paid him. As for the details, I''m afraid it''s confidential."

 Chapter 99 The Second Prince Makes A Breakthrough

    "Confidential? Prince Wen, you forgot that you made a business deal with a criminal of the Empire. Moreover, what proof is there that you aren''t lying to hide the bribe?" The Crown Prince took the chance and pointed his finger at him. He felt like he was really on a roll today, first his third brother and now, the second brother.


    Unfortunately for him, Shang Wen isn''t like the third prince who keeps everyone shut their mouths with his intellect. The second prince is apletely straightforward type.


    He gave a quick reply with a bold question, shaking the hearts of everyone present in the courtroom, including his father, "Proof? Let me ask you a question. I want to ask you. Is there proof that you are his majesty''s real blood? You haven''t awakened our famed Phoenix Bloodline. So, why shouldn''t we assume that the Empress hadmitted adultery?"


    "You bastard¡­ How dare you insult my mother?" The Crown Prince was naturally infuriated. The ether energy erupted from, revealing his beginner stage six-circle realm cultivation.


    He didn''t care about his surroundings.


    "Stand down, Zexi." The Emperor''s roar filled the entire courtroom. Everyone shuddered for a second.


    The Crown Prince stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at his father, who himself looked very angry. On the other hand, the second prince calmly stared at the Emperor as if nothing fazed him.


    "Shang Wen, I know what you are hinting at. But, your choice of words is inappropriate. After this, you''lle with me and personally apologize to the Empress." The Emperor''s voice turned cold while he''s barely controlling his rage.


    The second prince then stared at his father and replied, "You haven''t even listened to my wordspletely. Once I''m finished, you can judge whether my words are appropriate.


    I''m not insulting the Empress. But, I''m asking a question. The proof of your blood, the blood of ancestors is certainly the Phoenix Bloodline. But, what if one doesn''t awaken the bloodline? What proof is there? It''s the character, Your Majesty. One''s actions throughout their lifetime decide what kind of person he/she is.


    Whether it is the Empress or the Queen consorts, their upright moral character and loyalty to the Emperor state that whether any children of the Imperial family is indeed your child whether they awakened the ancient Phoenix Bloodline or not."


    The second prince then turned towards the crown prince whose anger isn''t subsidized yet, "you became a crown prince just because you were born the eldest. However, I didn''t be a General because I was a prince. I worked hard and through my actions, I proved myself to the Empire and became the General of the South.


    Whether it is a member of the imperial family, a noble, an official, soldier in my regiment, or even amoner living in the outer sector, everyone knows about my character. I never lied in my life.


    Living far away from my home, I spent my life there on the border, protecting the Empire from the beasts, bandits, and hostile forces all my life.


    And you asked me the proof that I didn''t take the bribe? In my eyes, this is the same thing as asking you about the identity of your blood.


    As for confidentiality, do you report to the Emperor about every garment that you bought in a store? Do you report every food that you eat at the restaurant? It is the same for me. It is my money, earned by my efforts and hard work. I paid it in exchange for something in return. Why do I have to report to you or the Empire for that matter regarding the details?


    It''s not like I''m required to pay the taxes like others to report my financial status.


    And dealing with a criminal? For god sake, you are a crown prince of the Phoenix Empire. The Emperor is the soul, the Grand Secretariat is the brain, the Supreme Commander is the heart, and the Crown Prince is considered as the face of the Empire.


    Can you not embarrass your position by asking such a foolish question? There''s a huge difference between an used and a criminal. Where did all those lessons you learned from the Grand Tutor?"<sub> </sub>


    Amid the gazes of everyone, the second prince started to lecture him in a direct tone for such a simple usation was all he needed to reveal the truth. The third prince would only try to win the argument with his wits but the second prince wouldn''t stop until the crown prince hung his head in shame in front of everyone.


    The Crown Prince was shivering from top to bottom with his eyes bing red and blood rushed to his face and neck. It is evident he was barely controlling his rage.


    On the other hand, the third prince wasughing inside, enjoying the crown prince''s misery.


    Meanwhile, the Emperor became calm. He addressed the courtroom, "anyone wishes to speak?"


    Everyone went silent, not having the courage to argue against the second prince.


    "General Wen, you are dismissed." After the announcement, the Emperor''s tone suddenly turned soft as he spoke to his son, "it''s been a while since youst visited the home, Wen. Go and visit your mother."


    As the second prince bowed and left for the Imperial graveyard to visit his mother''s grave, the Emperor heave a sigh of relief and gave a sharp stare to his eldest, "Crown Prince Zexi, your brother returned to the city after a year and the first thing you did is to drag him to the court with a baseless usation instead of wee him with wide arms, and even then, you couldn''t keep your argument and made yourself aughing stock. Don''t make trouble."


    "Yes, I apologize, Your Majesty." The Crown Prince bowed in reluctance.


    The second prince talked with her mother''s grave for a while and went to the Imperial training grounds located behind the Barracks where new soldiers are being trained in formations. The Second inmand also known as the Assistant to Supreme Commander is training them.


    The Prince asked the ground for a day. The second inmand didn''t understand why he needed 200 thousand sq. ft ofnd alone but he still epted the request and vacated the grounds, leaving him alone.


    The Prince finally took out four beast corpses. Three of them are the corpses of 6-circle realm fierce beasts, Orthus.


    The remaining one is a normal 6-circle beast, a Giant Squid, which he eliminated when it came out of the ocean along with other oceanic beasts and invaded the southernmostnd for some reason.


    He summoned his semi-divine sword, Heart Striker, and then, started to cut off their chests, taking out an organ shaped in the form of a huge sphere with bones protruding out from several directions. It is the core located in the right part of the chest, hiding behind the lungs.


    This is where all of its energy is stored.


    He absorbed all of them in one go and then, went into meditation stance, refining them into his ether energy. Meanwhile, the sword hovered around him, protecting him from any possible ambushes.


    <strong>The day passed away;</strong>


    At around 7 o''clock the following morning, Mark opens his eyes.


    *Ding!

 Chapter 100 The Public Trial (Part-1)

    <strong>*Ding! Blizzard Pegasus'' bloodline sessfully integrated into the Character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a unique skill.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your stats are improved slightly. Check the character for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Ice attribute is added to the character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Baby Penguin.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Tundra hare</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Reindeer</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Snow fox</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Total transactions with the store crossed 100,000 gold coins. The system will be upgraded to level-2.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Total transactions will the store cross 500,000 gold coins. The system will be upgraded to level-3.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Warning: Upgrading to level-2 takes 24 hours and Upgrading from level-2 to level-3 takes 48 hours of time.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! During this time, the host cannot use System. Except for the Familiars Inventory, everything will be shut down temporarily. Proceed?</strong>


    Mark, "..."


    For a moment, he doesn''t know how to react. As soon as he got up from sleep, the first thing he saw was the familiar notification screen but the summons he received from the system caused his mood to copse.


    The upgrade notifications of the system his mood better. He opened the inventory and read their details one by one and let out a deep sigh, "It looked like I was duped by the system. The stats of the ice attribute monsters are even weaker than my lightning summons when I was charged 100 thousand credits. Only the snow fox is barely better. My 500 thousand gold coins¡­"


    <strong>*Ding! The host needed to be reminded once again that the rarer the item, the pricier it will be.</strong>


    "I know that. Just let me rant in peace, will ya." Mark replied. The system stayed silent.


    He didn''t proceed with the system''s upgrade because there was going to be a trial to attend. And when he was outside, any attack can be possible.


    "System, open character stats"


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 3


    Strength: 0.5


    Intelligence: 3.6


    Defense: 1.2


    Agility: 1.6


    Vitality: 2.1


    Resistance: 1.1


    Charisma: 9


    Luck: 5


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice


    Spirit path: Summoner


    Ether quality: low


    Ether energy: 359


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Lifespan limit: 110 (85 years left)


    Avable credits: 1684


    Net worth: 132,964 gold coins, 31 silver coins


    Total Debt: 30433 gold coins, 1774 ether crystals (low)


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>Active:</strong>


    Dismantling: Dismantle any object that belongs to the host and exchange it in equivalent credits. Cost: 0 ether points, CD: 0 sec


    Absolute Freezing: Freeze your surroundings for 30 seconds. Range: 50 meters. Cost: 100 ether points, CD: 60 minutes. Note: The skill and its cost be stronger along with the host. Note 2: The skill''s effect will be lessened as the difference of strengths between the target and the host bes greater.


    <strong>Passive:</strong>


    Ultimate Defense I: By default, the store is invincible under the heavens and cannot be damaged by anyone under the Demigod realm.


    Ultimate Defense II: Within the store, the host cannot be harmed by anyone under the Demigod realm. The host cannot also be dragged outside against his will.


    ***


    "Cool, 9 points of charisma. Now, it gets easier to sell the weapons. And luck improved by 1 point." Mark''s mood was improved a lot when he saw the stats and the skills.


    "7:12, right now. I still have a lot of time. I needed to get prepared to answer all the allegations. The way I speak is more important than the facts themselves. And no matter what, justice should be on my side. Okay, let''s recount my history."


    Meanwhile, Allen opened the store as usual, although it''s obvious that no one woulde here with everything in the neighborhood was razed to the ground.


    Nearly eight hours passed, the store had yet to receive a single customer.


    At around 3:30 p.m., a horse carriage arrived at the store. The second prince stepped out of it and entered the store, then, asking Allen about Mark.


    After a while, Mark and Alina came downstairs, wearing the brand new clothes they bought at Huqiu city.


    When asked for the reason for apanying him, the second prince answered that they were now in the same boat because his n of developing a firearms division solely depends on Mark''s innocence.


    Mark couldn''t help but like the second prince''s straightforwardness. He wondered whether it is because Shang Wen didn''t grow up, surrounded by politics every day. Of course, the prince was also something like a stepping stone for Mark to improve his fame and is also an important part of Mark''s n to create the dependence of the Imperial family on his firearms.


    Allen and Alina also tagged along with Mark, not just because of providing protection but both of them are also part of his crimes, ording to the decree. Allen is involved in the Song Mansion''s demolition, erasing the evidence by killing the Xu sect members, and Alina is involved in the rest of the crimes.


    After an hour of travel, they reached the Grand Arena where the tournaments and also public trials take ce.


    By the time they reached the destination, 30% of the arena is filled up with thousands of citizens. Four tents were set up in the arena, one for the Emperor, Grand Secretariat, and the Supreme Commander, the second one for the ministers, the third one for the prosecutors, i.e. the Crown Prince and his aides. Thest one is for defenders, i.e. used and the ones that support them.


    Mark, Allen, and Alina entered the arena along with the second prince, bringing a deep frown on the Crown Prince, who was already waiting there with the heads of Meng n, Lei n, and Qian n. As for Sui n, only an elder attended in ce of Sui Rong.


    The main three judges haven''t arrived yet as they had toe at thest moment.


    Amid the gazes of the public and enemies, Mark made his way towards the tent, allotted for the defenders, which was ced right beside the prosecutor''s tent.


    On his way, he continuously stared at all the victims coldly, making them shudder for a second.


    Meanwhile, the Crown Prince''s attention was stolen by Alina. It was obvious that he was enamored by her beauty and he couldn''t remove his eyes off her. The faces of the n heads were darkened when the Crown Princemented, "Her beauty is indeed peerless just like the rumors."


    Soon after, Song Yue arrived with Lin Xue and the third prince.


    The third prince and the Crown Prince exchanged nces before the former stepped inside the tent.


    Lin Xue whispered, "Look at that girl sitting behind Lu Zhen. Allen was right. She indeed looked like a twin to Allen, although she was more expressive."


    Song Yue''s face darkened for a second as if she was threatened by Alina but remembering where she was, she put away those thoughts and followed the third prince to enter the tent.


    "Brother Wen, I didn''t expect that we would stand on one side. After all, we belong to different worlds." Shang Wei let out ament with a smile, to which thetter nodded and simply replied, "A pure coincidence. You came here to defeat Brother Zexi and I came here to support Sister Yue and Lu Zhen."


    The third prince didn''tment on it and turned towards Mark, "You must be Lu Zhen, the talk of the town. Well, we have nothing to do with each other but for now, let''s work together."


    Mark silently nodded. It was this person who stole his identity and fortune but he doesn''t hold the grudge against someone who didn''tmit a crime against him. Just like himself, the third prince was also exchanged from his mother against his will. In fact, he pities him for being embroiled in politics.


    The third prince frowned at Mark''sck of response. Just as he was about to take his seat beside the second prince, Allen asked him, "Excuse me, Prince Wei. Aren''t you the same person who visited the store with an adventurer named Mo Jiang?"


    "Hmm?" Everyone turned towards Allen. Mark who was about to greet Song Yue also shifted his attention towards the Android.


    Shang Wei''s face darkened immediately. Meanwhile, Allen continued with a cold tone, "If Mo Jiang is your henchman who attacked Big brother, are you an enemy?"


    "Hmm???" Everyone now turned towards the prince and waited for his answer.


    "Allen, read the situation." Lin Xue hurriedly came to his rescue. "This isn''t the time to fight amongst ourselves. We can talk once we are done with the trial."


    As the third prince refused to speak further, Mark simply took out a gold ring from his inventory and stretched his hand, "if it belonged to the servant, then, you can return it to him. It is useless to me, anyway."


    The second prince, Song Yue, and Lin Xue couldn''t help but be speechless by his actions.


    If Allen made the atmosphere tense, then, Mark made the mess out of it.


    The third prince replied, "I have nothing to do with him. He''s just a temporary bodyguard for a day I borrowed from Swordmasters guild."

 Chapter 101 The Public Trial (Part-2)

    It was clear that Mark didn''t believe him and his impression turned from neutral to negative.


    But, he didn''t drag the matter for any longer and sat straight. For a while, the atmosphere turned awkward before the heiress of the Lin n changed the topic as she cursed out, "Zhang Kong, you bastard."


    The third prince, Song Yue, and Mark turned their heads in the direction Shang Wei was looking.


    Minister Zhang, his son Zhang Kong, and some old man were walking towards them, more like they were going towards the tent beside them.


    "Dear¡­" Song Yue whispered to herself with her eyes about to tear up.


    As they were about to pass the tent, Zhang Kong nced at Song Yue before moving his head away.


    Meanwhile, Mark stared coldly at him.


    Mark still remembered that day when the couple came to his store. Zhang Kong berated his weapons and Mark showed him the power of pistol and embarrassed him.


    After that, this was their second meeting but the couple was no longer together. The real reason for the annulment of their engagement was that the Zhang n became stronger than the Song n but he was dragged into their mess for fulfilling their agenda.


    When he heard it through the second prince, Mark added the Zhang n to his cklist and at the same time, he also felt a little bit happy for some reason. Is it because he got an enemy to extort a huge sum of money? Or is it because Song Yue became single again? Quite debatable but Mark never thought about it deeply. So, the answer remains a mystery.


    They waited for 15-20 minutes before Emperor Shang Fu, the Supreme Commander Bai Xun, and the Grand Secretariat entered the arena following the announcement of their arrival.


    The Emperor passed by the tents but he didn''t even nce at them until he reached his throne and take his seat. It was so to indicate that they aren''t princes now. One is a prosecutor and the other is a defender, nothing less or more than that.


    As he gestured, the spectators took their seats and the Crown Prince first stepped out of his tent and walked towards the tform ced in the middle of the Arena.


    Stepping on it, he exined to the public all the charges on Lu Zhen regarding this trial.


    The soldier nearby the judges'' tent announced loudly, following the procedure, "used Lu Zhen, Allen, and Alina, pleasee forward."


    The second prince patted Lu Zhen, "it''s your turn."


    Lu Zhen nodded and stood up. He walked forward. Allen and Alina followed behind. Their dazzling appearances indeed surprised the spectators for a moment.


    However, the Emperor frowned when his eyes fell on Mark. "Commander Bai¡­ Is it just me or does that young man resembles Lan Gengxin?"


    "Lan Gengxin? Thete Patriarch of the Lan Sect or the man reputed to be known as the Ice Emperor?" The Grand Secretariat expressed his surprise. He only heard the name and the stories of the legend of Lan Gengxin.


    "He does, Your Majesty." Bai Xun confirmed it. He added, "It was for this reason I met Second Queen Consort and confirmed that Lan Gengxin didn''t have any heirs except for her. It''s unlikely that Lu Zhen has any rtions with that man."<sub> </sub>


    The Emperor nodded that he understood and stared at the three of them. His gaze was fixed on Alina for a few seconds before he gave a gesture for the crown prince to start the trial.


    "Thank you, Your Majesty." The Crown Prince bowed to the Emperor and then said, "For Crime number 1, I would like to call Song Chang, the current Patriarch of the Song n to the trial."


    The Emperor nodded and a middle-aged man, who looked average in every angle, walked forward and stepped onto the tform, standing beside the crown prince.


    "used Lu Zhen, Song n had officially reported your crime on attacking the former Public works minister and the head of the Song n. Do you wish to defend?" The Crown Prince asked Mark.


    Mark didn''t know why this Crown Prince wanted to trouble him but thetter was an enemy to him. So, he was bound to argue instead of just defending.


    He looked straight at this biological father of his, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I wish to address all of the usations at once because the answer to all of them isn''t that different."


    "All of them are the same?" The crowd started to murmur among themselves. A frown appeared on the Crown Prince while the third prince was taken aback.


    The third prince only nned to step in when Song Yue is concerned. Now, he was forced to step in as the Emperor gave the permission and everyone from the defender and prosecutor section arrived on the trial tform.


    "Lu Zhen, everyone is here. Now, exin in detail what you want to say," The Emperor said to him.


    Mark then started his lecture that he prepared beforehand, "Your Majesty, what happened to me is nothing special. In fact, it is what society goes through every day.


    First, I''ll address my issue." Mark pointed at Song Chang, "this man is the head of the Song n. He is here to report that a stranger such as me damaged their property and killed a few of his n members. And this man from Qian n reported that I killed his n members and extorted 10,000 gold coins, this man from Lei n is the same, and this elder from the Sui n reported that not only I killed his n members but also cause huge property damage.


    All of them have one thing inmon. It is that they have high social status within their respective towns and cities and all of them threatened me about the consequences if I don''t listen to them. Their reasons are different and their threats are different.


    Song Yun threatened me that he will frame me and my younger brother Allen and send us to prison for life if I don''t kowtow and apologize.


    Qian, Lei, and Meng ns threatened me to hand over my servant whom I treat as my younger sister to them or else they will kill me and even used the Sui n''s name to scare me.


    And the Sui n''s elder named Sui Hanying even threatened me to turn me into a ve and my younger sister into a prostitute if I don''t listen to him.


    But, why did they dare to do that? It''s because I''m amoner and is an owner of a small weapon store. If it wasn''t me who wasn''t in those situations, what if it is someone from those spectators?" Mark pointed at the thousands of civilians who came to witness the trial. He decided to use them from the start as soon as heard it was going to be a public trial.


    Mark also wanted to use this situation to develop feelings of rebellion, which can be of use to him in the future.


    Pointing at them, he raised his voice even higher, "what if it''s amoner? Wouldn''t they have spent their lives in misery for offending a noble? Wouldn''t their sisters and daughters of their family be dragged away by the nobles?


    Or Do I need to remind his majesty about the incident that urred a few months where a noble tried to take away a girl by force thinking that she''s amoner and you had to kneel before a Legendary realm expert?"

 Chapter 102 The Public Trial (Part-3)

    The entire arena fell silent for a few moments. Mark not only defended himself but also indirectly insulted the nobles and even the Emperor wasn''t spared.


    The second prince felt like Mark shouldn''t have said that. If he knew his father well, it is going to enrage him. He couldn''t help but be worried that this new future partner is going to be punished.


    The third prince narrowed his eyes. He finally understood what Mark was trying to do. Now the Emperor can''t even punish Mark for speaking the truth or else, it will only prove that Mark is right. "Damn, he knew how to use the situation to his advantage."


    Song Yue started to get worried when she heard his statement. Lin Xue just thought that he was spouting some nonsense to cover up his crimes.


    However, Mark didn''t care who is thinking about what and continued to lecture, "Despite the incident had scarred the dignity of the Imperial throne, his majesty didn''t care. The nobles didn''t care and resumed as if it was a normal issue. Why? It''s because they only saw that the person who humiliated the Emperor is a Legendary Realm expert who can squash the entire army like a bug.


    Isn''t that the case?


    Instead of that, if the Imperial family would have focused on the core issue, then, this day wouldn''t have arrived in the first ce.


    And this man¡­" Mark pointed his hand at the Sui n''s elder, "he represents the Sui n, where they held hundreds of ves in their mines, forcing them to work nonstop in poor conditions. If some people die, then, they can be reced by abducting a few more. Who cares about the life of poormoners? I want to ask your majesty in front of everyone. What gives the right of the Imperial pce and the nobles to treat themoners as their ves?


    The founder of the Shang Dynasty, Shang Yating overthrew the Xi dynasty for what reason? Isn''t it because the Xia Dynasty''sst Emperor treated his subjects as ves?


    When he sat on the throne, he quoted one thing. It is well known to the public too. The Emperor is the ruler of thend but is the first servant of his people and is the first guardian of his people. He was also the one who abolished the very system.


    1700 yearster, I wonder what the descendants of such a great Emperor are doing to improve the lives of themoners."


    If it was any other Emperor, Mark probably wouldn''t have gone to such lengths but the hatred towards his father, made him take advantage of this situation and insult him in the public.


    After a brief silence, Mark once again continued by pointing at Song Yue, "Your Majesty, let me address the second issue. I can affirm that I have no role in breaking her rtion with her former fianc¨¦e but there''s no use because of another societal issue.


    Just like themoners, the women were facing the same basic human rights and have several restrictions on them as if they were some things that men possessed.


    A father thinks that he hadplete rights over his unmarried daughter, and when the daughter gets married, her husband thinks he can dictate her life. How is this any different from very? And why wouldn''t they? The people''s inspiration is the Emperor himself.


    If the wives of the Emperor themselves cannot possess the right to enter the courtroom if the wives of the Emperor themselves cannot possess the right to step out of the pce without the permission of the Emperor, just imagine what a normal woman born in amoner family goes through. It was as if the women existed for the sake of bearing the children of their respective husbands.


    But, if one argues that it is the norms of the society, then, why are women adventurers are free to do what they want? Why is there a kingdom where women rule? Why is there an all-female Sect? It''s because they are Spirit Warriors and are strong enough to challenge the decisions of their family or society.


    So, doesn''t both the situation dictates that the right to voice out their opinion only lies with the Spirit Warriors of high realms?<sub> </sub>


    If the weak cannot voice out their opinion because they are afraid of the strong, isn''t the Emperor, who was considered the guardian of his people, supposed to stand on their side? Why is his majesty standing on the opposite side?


    If the Imperial family focused on solving the core issues of the society rather than building some new roads, bridges, or turning blind to the atrocities of the major noble ns, perhaps,moners like me wouldn''t have taken thew into their hands.


    Wee to the city in order to improve our lives but what we face is the atrocities of nobles and high-level officials every day."


    Upon finishing his lengthy monologue, Mark waited for the counter-argument.


    This is where his 9 points of charm started affecting the opinions of the listeners. For some reason, even the Emperor couldn''t help but go into a trance, feeling a bit guilty towards his wives. It was as if he was convinced by Mark''s words.


    The crowd''s murmurs increased. They didn''t debate about the issue of women''s rights but agreed with how these arrogant nobles treated them worse than livestock.


    Song Yue stared at his back in a daze. She was impressed by his talk. Meanwhile, Lin Xue concluded that Mark might not be as bad as she thought.


    The only one who saw through Mark''s scheme is the fake third price. He was confident that Mark purposely escted a personal problem to a societal issue. He mumbled to himself, "I underestimated this fellow."


    Now, the focus of the matter isn''t what Mark did but what forced him to do it. The Crown Prince was hurriedly thinking of something to counter.


    The Emperor asked the Crown Prince, "Do you wish to say anything? You remember the condition, right? If you fail to prove Lu Zhen is a criminal, then, you will have to apologize to him and will also receive a punishment."


    Before the Crown Prince opened his mouth, the Zhang n''s Grand Elder and the only Exalt realm expert within Zhang n intervened, "Your Majesty, Lu Zhen might have a point but it doesn''t address the usation the third prince put on our Zhang n. My grandson here will speak for himself."


    As he nudged Zhang Kong from the back, Song Yue looked at him. Her feelings were extremelyplex at the moment.


    Standing beside Mark, he nced at him for a second before straightening his back and saying loud and clear, "No matter how kind a woman is, can she back the man that sent her father into the state of deep sleep? No matter how handsome is a man, can a woman praise the looks of a stranger openly when she was engaged to someone? Even if Song Yue''s innocent, her inappropriate behavior was enough to crack our rtionship."


    Song Yue was stunned on the spot as she couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Tears started to flow down her cheeks, feeling betrayed to the core. A deep frown appeared on the third prince and the second prince.


    *p*p* *p*


    It was then, Mark suddenly pped his arms, "Your Majesty, this is what I''m telling earlier. Taking granted of woman and trying to control her actions. And as for the breakage of the rtionship, if his trust in his fianc¨¦e of two years, of whom he is going to spend the rest of his life can be broken just because shepliments a man''s appearance or just because she returned the favor, then, isn''t he the one who is the source of the problem?"

 Chapter 103 The Public Trial (Part-4)

    Without letting Song Yue exin herself or even letting the third prince interfere, Mark took the matter into his hands and argued with Zhang Kong, "I said that I have nothing to do with her. Did you perhaps witness that we met in private or something? Did you or anyone witness any incident that can be stated that her loyalty towards you was wavering? If your statement is true, then, aren''t you the one who was feeling insecure?


    Someday in the future, if your wife praises that the Emperor is so mighty, then, does that mean she''s not faithful to you, anymore?


    Praising a man''s looks is considered unfaithful and a man''s strength isn''t considered unfaithful? What kind of bullshit is that?"


    Turning towards the Emperor, Mark then said, "This kind of man is the reason that women were looked down on in the society."


    "Uhh¡­" The Supreme Commander was stumped by Mark''s reply. "Another lecture?"


    He couldn''t help but pity the poor guy who dug his own grave. On the other hand, the third prince gave double thumbs up in his head.


    After Zhang Kong was thoroughly lectured on how to respect the woman, he hung his head down in shame, feeling like a loser.


    "Crown prince Zexi, I''m waiting." The Emperor looked at his son. He could understand what Mark was trying to say but he also doesn''t want his eldest son to look like aplete loser without even being able to fight back.


    In a hurry to prove his point, the Crown Prince argued that it was wrong for Lu Zhen to extort huge sums from the ns and also he vited the rule of escaping the city for a week, without informing the officials when he know that his name is recorded in the observational list.


    The Emperor was satisfied with it and he shifted his attention to Mark.


    It was then the second prince decided to strike the nail with a hammer to finish this trial once in for all.


    "Your Majesty, I wish to say something." He opened his mouth for the first time.


    "Go on." The Emperor also wanted to listen to what his second son as to say to defend Lu Zhen.


    Shang Wen then announced, "I don''t want to mention it when Lu Zhen himself doesn''t wish to, but seeing that he was dragged to the public trial because of the Crown Prince''s half-done investigations, I couldn''t hold the truth any longer.


    The day he disappeared from the Imperial City, I met him at Jin Province. We fought together on the battle against the beast tide and Lu Zhen is the summoner that killed Cerberus, earning him the title of Cerberus yer. I can attest to this fact even by taking an oath with the Heavens as the witness.


    Just one corpse of Cerberus will earn him a gold mine. Why would he bother extorting mere 10 thousand or 100 thousand? I believe he wanted to teach them a lesson.


    Instead of honoring him with rewards, the Crown prince tried to turn Lu Zhen into a traitor of the Empire. Such irresponsibility cannot be forgiven, and Your Majesty, it won''t look good for the Emperor if he cannot give justice to the hero who saved not only the people of Jin province but also forced the Sui n to free the ves and turn them into employees with proper wage and good living conditions."


    Now, it was Mark''s turn to receive a surprise. From the start, he nned to tackle the situation alone, depending on two things, one is to drag the society into his problem, and the other is to depend on his 9 points of charisma to convince the public so that they will be on his side.


    Little did he expect the second prince will be arguing with his father on behalf of him¡­


    Whatever motives the second prince had, Mark was impressed by his actions. He nned to reward him,ter.


    Meanwhile, the third prince, the ministers, the eldest prince, and everyone else heard the second prince go into shock. They couldn''t believe their ears.


    "Oh, boy, that careless brat of mine unnecessarily provoked an Exalt realm expert." The Emperor suddenly felt like his head is in pain.


    The Crown Prince and the other noble n heads don''t look like they were going to open their mouth any time.


    So, the Emperor took the charge, "Lu Zhen, I wish to ask you three simple questions. If you don''t wish to answer it, you have the right to be silent but you cannot lie. For that, take a soul oath with the heavens as the witness."<sub> </sub>


    Mark fell into thoughts. He hesitated about taking an oath because there are a lot of secrets in him and sometimes, even silence can be considered an answer.


    Sensing his dilemma, the system came to the rescue.


    <strong>*Ding! The oath of the heavens has no effect on the system. There will be no repercussions even if you take an oath and do not fulfill it.</strong>


    Even though Mark felt like this sassy system is boasting itself, he didn''tment on it and just focused on the situation before him. He nodded and took the oath.


    My first question, do you belong to the Xu sect or any other hostile organizations that the Imperial family had banned?"


    Mark answered it right away, "Whether in the past or at present, I don''t belong to any sect, any guilds, organizations, or have contacts with the foreign Empires."


    "Good," The Emperor believed him and proceeded to ask his second question, "What is your purpose ofing to this city and opening up a store at a Commoner district?"


    Mark answered immediately once again, "To sell the firearms and make money."


    The Emperor then asked the final question, "Your weapons, so-called firearms are unique and are of unknown origin. If you don''t wish to disclose the identity of the manufacturer, then, will you be able to arrange a meeting? His/her identity will be protected. I give my word.


    Mark shook his head in response without hesitation, "That''s not possible, Your Majesty. The manufacturer cannot meet anyone but me. It was a soul contract, so, I can''t reveal the details. What I can say is that I was, I am and I will be the sole weapon seller."


    "Alright," The Emperor nodded in understanding. If not for the fact that Mark took a soul oath, he would have suspected him because it''s weird for a manufacturer to have a sole weapon seller unless they have a strong rtionship.


    The Emperor then stood up from the throne, "I, Shang Fu, 32nd Emperor of the Shang Dynasty, announce Lu Zhen and Song Yue as not guilty. For trying to malign the image of a warrior with baseless usations, I punish Crown Prince Zexi with a house arrest of 15 days, where he cannot attend to the court matters nor can he step outside the pce for any reason. Viting this decree will be subjected to harsher punishment.


    I dere Zhang n is guilty of trying to ruin the image of Son Yue to cover Zhang Kong''s mistakes. Zhang Kong will be punished with twenty whips on his back and for a period of 15 days, the duties of Zhang n will be handed over to Grand Secretariat Li. Zhang Kong and Zhang Lei will apologize to Song Yue on their knees.


    ording to the conditions stated before, I order the Crown Prince to apologize to Lu Zhen, right now, and then, court officials,ter. After that, his punishment of house arrest will bemenced.


    As for Zhang n, Minister Zhang Lei will resign from his post and hand it over to a worthy sessor.


    If the public is satisfied with my judgment, please stand up. If not, continue to sit. ording to the rule of the public trial, you hold the decision to override the judgment. You have five minutes to decide."


    Usually, the spectators would follow the decision of the Emperor because of fear but today, they were really satisfied that the Emperor judged in favor of themoner who talked about their rights.


    Almost every one of them stood up on their feet while praising him, "May the Emperor live and reign for ten thousand years."


    Soon, the crown prince bowed to Mark and apologized for using him without properly investigating the matter. He secretly vowed in his heart to take revenge for sure.


    Zhang Lei and his son Zhang Kong fell on their knees in front of everyone and apologized to Song Yue. Thetter didn''t even reply as she was heartbroken by her ex-fianc¨¦es words.


    Meanwhile, Zhang n''s Grand elder''s face turned red due to embarrassment and anger. But, he wasn''t foolish to take action and swallowed the humiliation.


    Just when it seemed like everything was going well for Mark, an interruption came in the form of a person.


    "The justice hasn''t served yet, Your Majesty." A powerful roar escaped from the spectators.

 Chapter 104 Song Yun Challenges Mark

    The cheering of the spectators stopped and everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the voice.


    "Father?" Song Yue''s eyes were widened in surprise as she spotted Song Yun standing on a flying sword with hands on his back. His expression was rather serious.


    "Minister Song?" The Emperor stood up from his throne. The Supreme Commander and the Grand Secretariat followed the suit.


    "Even if he didn''t let go of his grudges, he shouldn''t havee now." The third prince twitched his lips. Despite how he didn''t get any role in this trial, still, his brother was punished, and his childhood friend Song Yue was served justice. But, then, this man had to crash the celebrations.


    The third prince was aware that Song Yun woke up but he kept silent because neither Song Yue nor her father wanted to reveal it yet.


    Meanwhile, Mark was stunned for a second, "this man isn''t in aa?" He nced at Song Yue and wondered whether this is why she didn''t hold a grudge against him. "Was my apology unnecessary?"


    But then, upon seeing that she appeared to be surprised, he misunderstood that she might have known about it or Song Yun probably woke up, a while ago. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, "It doesn''t matter either way."


    While the other ministers were just as surprised as everyone for they have been in the dark, the crown prince, who was disgraced earlier, suddenly saw a ray of hope because he was confident that a proud man like Song Yun would never lower his head against amoner like Mark even if thetter is some Cerberus yer.


    As for Zhang n''s representatives and Song Chang, their faces darkened.


    After reaching the trial tform, Song Yun jumped from the flying sword andnded on the ground.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty." He cupped his fists and bowed.


    The Emperor nodded with a smile, "You are back, Minister Song. I was worried that you will be in deep sleep for a long time."


    "Your Majesty, it''s all thanks to Commander Bai." He cupped his fists to his cousin too.


    He didn''t exin any details. Everyone including the Emperor just thought that he was thanking Bai Xun for giving him a ce to stay and looking after him and his family while he was unconscious. Mark felt something amiss but he didn''t think too much and focused on him to see what he wants to say.


    Song Yun then turned around. His first gaze didn''t fall on Mark but was on Zhang Kong''s father, the minister of Justice.


    "Zhang Lei, this isn''t over yet. You can be assured that I will pay back a hundred folds in return. But for now, I have to settle an old case." He didn''t bother to hide his animosity even in front of the Emperor. Being very close with him, the Emperor was also silent and let him talk about what he wanted to.


    Song Yun then turned towards Mark, "I have been watching you from the stands. You aren''t guilty of killing a few of my nsmen or destroying the property. But, this is something personal that is between us. I''m not willing to settle this matter."


    "So?" As Mark calmly responded to him, Song Yun turned around and looked at the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I will wee your judgment. However, the justice will bepletely served when I, the victim will get an opportunity to settle the things with him, once in for all."


    "How do you wish to do that, Minister Song?" The Emperor asked while hoping that this man will not propose a stupid thing like a life and death battle.


    "A one-on-one battle," Song Yun went ahead and did the most foolish thing. "The one who is involved in injuring me, Lu Zhen, and that stoic-faced servant." He pointed at Allen.


    "I will erase this debt if the both of them managed to defeat me. If they will be defeated, they will apologize on their knees and Lu Zhen will take an oath with the Heavens as the witness that he will stay away from my daughter." After announcing boldly, he turned around once again and looked at Mark, "do you dare to ept this challenge?"


    Some felt that he was brave; some felt that he was foolish; some are excited to see the prowess of Cerberus yer; some wishes to see how Lu Zhen will be shown his ce while others worried that nobles will be shamed once again.<sub> </sub>


    "Father, please let''s not drag this matter and return home." Song Yue stepped forward and pleaded to him with a worried tone. The tears on her cheeks were dried up and her makeup messed a bit.


    "Shut up." Song Yun, who was boiling in anger, shouted at his daughter for the time. "Siding with my enemy, I was disappointed in you, the most."


    "Father," Another shock hit Song Yue while the crown prince smiled a bit. Her legs suddenly lost their strength and lost her bnce.


    Mark was quick to catch her. Continuing to support her by grabbing her arm, he stared at Song Yun. His gaze turned cold, "You are the prime example of a noble who looks down onmoners. Perhaps, defeating you once again in front of everyone will make people understand that not everymoner will bow their head. I ept your challenge."


    "Your Majesty, we are waiting for your permission." Song Yun cupped his fists and bowed to the Emperor.


    The Crown Prince opened his mouth, "Your Majesty, I believe we should let the two of them settle their matter by themselves."


    For Shang Zexi, both Mark and Song Yun are enemies. If they want to go ahead and beat each other up, he will encourage them from the bottom of his heart.


    Moreover, if Song Yun will suffer a defeat, he can use it to his advantage and make sure Song Chang stays in the position. If Mark gets defeated, then, his humiliation will be avenged.


    Either way, he was the winner. So, he supported Song Yun.


    The Emperor turned his head towards the Grand Secretariat for the first time, "what do you think?"


    Thetter nodded in agreement. The Supreme Commander also thinks that it is appropriate.


    "Very well," The Emperor gave the permission and also slowly Bai Xun to make sure to protect Song Yun in case he was badly injured.


    As everyone dispersed, leaving Allen, Mark, and Song Yun in the middle of Arena, the former n head of Song clenched his fist and said to his opponent, "thest time, you took me by surprise. But, you won''t get such an opportunity. I''m going all out today."


    "Try your best to stay alive." Mark calmly replied, trying to provoke him.


    The Imperial Guards and Bai Xun stood before the Emperor''s tent for thetter''s protection. The second prince was on guard to protect the third prince and others.


    Amid everyone''s gaze, Song Yun proceeded to summon an exquisitely curved staff, stunning the spectators. It was in the shape of a traditional dragon with whiskers and is inscribed with mystic symbols all over it.


    "Song Yun has a Semi-Divine weapon?" The Emperor and the other Exalt realm experts recognized it with a single nce. The Grand Elder regretted breaking their alliance with Song n.


    Mark was clueless about it but he wasn''t in a situation where he cares about it, anyway because his opponent released the ether energy, revealing his peak-stage six-circle realm cultivation. Allen was the one that informed him when asked.


    "Come on, what you are waiting for," Song Yun pointed the staff at Mark, provoking him.


    "Well, then." Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the attack helicopter.

 Chapter 105 Upgrading The System

    In an instant, the attack helicopter appeared in everyone''s view.


    "Is that the flying machine?" The Emperor wondered out loud.


    "It appears so, Your Majesty." Bai Xun answered him with a nod. He was baffled by its appearance just like others.


    Meanwhile, Sui Pen, the elder deployed by the Sui n started to shiver. "It''s the same thing that injured our Grand Elder."


    The Crown Prince stared at the weird-looking object.


    Even though he had never witnessed it, the third prince guessed that those des above the helicopter are the ones that might be the reason the weapon can fly.


    Song Yun appeared to be unfazed by its appearance. "This is the new weapon, huh. Nevertheless, with Longwei in my hands, I''m invincible."


    Mark got into the rear chamber and Allen became the pilot.


    "Fly, Allen." Mark gave an order.


    Soon, the rotor des of the helicopter started to spin at a high speed. A gust of wind generated by it, spread in all the sides before it slowly flew upwards.


    Song Yun took out his flying sword and he too flew higher. He was here to reim his honor and remove the knot in his heart to make a breakthrough. Mark didn''t like it.


    "Oh, boy¡­ This man had to fly along. Can''t he just stay on the ground and let me strike him with the Hellfire missile?" Mark was annoyed that his opponent stopped him from firing the most powerful missiles of the helicopter just by flying.


    After all hellfire missiles have certain conditions before theunch. They cannot target an opponent who was flying in the same range as the helicopter. So, Mark ordered Allen to fly higher and reach the altitude where he can at least use air-to-air Mistral missiles.


    Even if they weren''t as strong as Hellfire, they could still take out a peak-stage 6-circle expert.


    Song Yun also followed the suit and just flew until 100 hundred meters when the helicopter finally stopped.


    "Allen, move forward and wait for my signal." Mark passed the order and grabbed the controller.


    Allen flew the helicopter straight towards the opponent and Mark pressed on the button and held it.


    Immediately, 12 rounds of 20mm ammo were shot from the cannon pod from the inner hardpoint.


    Song Yun raised the staff. A golden barrier appeared over him. The 20mm rounds hit the barrier and bounced off without even making a scratch on the barrier.


    Initially, the distance between Song Yun and the helicopter was about 150-200 meters. The helicopter managed to pick up the top speed by the time it covered half of the distance.


    In that gap, Mark had wasted more than a hundred rounds of 20 mm ammo, which didn''t do anything to the barrier and brought augh to Song Yun. He was so overconfident that he didn''t bother to take advantage and prepare for an attack spell.


    Instead, he tried to provoke Mark, "Is this the so-called mighty flying machine that injured the mighty Grand Elder of Sui n?"


    It was at that moment, a big rocket that was waiting in the rocket pod flew out at its top speed.


    It only took a fraction of a second for the Hydra 70 that was mixed in 20mm ammunition to reach the barrier and strike it.


    *Boom*


    A heavy explosion urred as the unguided rocket collided with the barrier. However, Song Yun remained uninjured. On the other hand, a huge crack appeared on the barrier.


    The helicopter passed him and ascended a few meters while turning to the few meters.


    "Heh!" Song Yun''s confidence grew even higher as he raised the staff and poured ether energy, repairing the barrier. "Let''s see what else you are capable of."


    For a few minutes, Mark continuously fired 20mm ammunition and Hydra 70 once in a while.


    However, Song Yun was standing still with the golden barrier over him. Even the Emperor started to wonder whether his second son was lying that Lu Zhen was the Cerberus yer. If that''s the case, then, he wouldn''t leave either of them go unpunished.


    At the same time, people like the ministers and the second prince who wanted to see the might of this weapon couldn''t help but be disappointed at its below-par performance.


    The Zhang n''s representatives and the other minor noble ns'' respective leaders nced at Sui n''s elder, wondering whether their Grand Elder was really weak or something.


    Only the third prince felt something amiss. He was the only one that observed the path of the flight.<sub> </sub>


    Although the helicopter appeared to be moving in circles while trying to attack Song Yun, it wasn''t. It was moving in a spiral path, increasing the altitude between them slowly.


    Ten minutes passed away. More than a thousand attacks hit the barrier but it was very sturdy.


    "Well, I guess I have wasted enough time." Song Yun mumbled to himself. He decided to counterattack.


    He raised his staff, pouring ether energy into it. A purple-colored lightning sphere is about to be formed at the tip of the staff.


    Looking at it, Mark nodded, "okay, we are at 243 meters high and he''s still at 100 meters. The altitude is enough.


    "Allen, fire Mistral missile." He gave the order.


    "Roger," Allenunched one of the two air-to-air missiles installed at outer hardpoint.


    As the sizes of the unguided rocket and Mistral missile appeared to be simr, Song Yun didn''t think much of it as the barrier is as powerful enough to tackle them.


    *Boom*


    This explosion was a bit more powerful than thest one, cracking the barrier to the point that it might break at any time.


    Song Yun was stunned for a moment. However, he couldn''t repair the barrier as his lightning sphere was about to form.


    Little did he expect in the second, another missile, far more powerful than thest one will strike the cracked barrier, triggering an enormous explosion in the air.


    The golden barrier was destroyed and Song Yun with fire burns all over his body slowly started to fall freely. His consciousness is still intactpared to thest time.


    Bai Xun dashed forward and sessfully caught Song Yun in the mid-air.


    "Father¡­" Song Yue screamed as she rushed forward into the Arena.


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    Everyone dispersed from the arena.


    The third prince sighed as he realized that this incident probably pushed the Zhang n to the Crown Prince''s side. Thankfully, the ministers were ready at the present. Under the Emperor''s orders, Zhou n''s Patriarch, who was the number one healer of the Imperial city, healed his injuries before the situation gets worse.


    Lin Xue, Song Yue, and the third prince left along with the unconscious Song Yun, the second prince left until Mark and Allen got down from the helicopter and dismissed it.


    Mark then thanked the second prince for his help and further said, "Four weekster, once your proposal is epted by the Emperor, please do visit the store. I will have a new weapon that might interest you."


    Of course, Mark wanted to show off the Panzer right away but he felt that it isn''t the time to introduce the weapon, yet.


    "A new firearm? How powerful?" asked the second prince. While he was looking forward to seeing it, he wasn''t that optimistic about the purchase because he knew for sure that they will be expensive if bought in bulk. But, if it''s really powerful than a Shotgun, then, he might equip the Elites with them.


    Mark let out a smile as he answered, "You can say they will give a normal civilian can wipe out a unit of soldiers lead by a captain. It is extremely useful in wars, not rmended in ces with low mobility, though. For the military, there''s nothing more useful than this weapon. However, you can only see the prototype after three-four weeks."


    "If that''s the case, then, it changes everything." If previously, the second prince just wanted to try to bring changes to his regiment, now, he was tempted by acquiring those weapons. He decided to try his best to make his new idea, a revolution.


    Parting ways with the second prince, Mark, Alina, and Allen returned to the store.


    The streets were empty like before with ruins all around. He let out a sigh and entered the store.


    He didn''t bother to open it anymore and went upstairs to take the rest.


    Sitting on the bed, Mark opened the notification panel.


    After taking out a few gold coins, he clicked on the upgrade.


    <strong>*Ding! The system will be upgraded from level-1 to level-3. Warning: It takes 72 hours t upgrade. During this time, the system''s functions will not be avable except for the Familiars inventory. Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes."


    *Ding! The system upgrade has started.

 Chapter 106 Song Clans Petty Revenge

    During the next three days, the Imperial family proceeded with the redevelopment.


    The Emperor, who was impressed with the performance of the attack helicopter, announced the project right on the following day of the public trial.


    Instead of restoring the neighborhood, they started developing exactly how the second prince prophesized. It''s too bad that the original owners won''t be getting back their properties.


    The residents who were living in the neighborhood were shifted to differentmercial districts and werepensated for their loss.


    Instead, the plots around the Genesis store were given to the auction house so that they will be bought by the wealthy traders and businessmen to develop inns and high-quality stores and turn this particr area into an Elite neighborhood that specifically belonged tomoners.


    Of course, Mark knew that it will take a while for everything to turn into a normal business neighborhood but surprisingly, the ruins still weren''t cleared. The work was too slowpared to what he expected.


    The main reason for it is none other than the Song n. The n oversees the ministry of Public works and its minister is Song Yun, who might have written off the debts officially but his grudge only increased.


    This means that Song n won''t try to deliberately provoke Mark or his Android assistants but Song Yun can still make trouble for him, legally through indirect means.


    For example, making the redevelopment too slow so that Mark gets fewer customers, and in turn, face losses. In reality, both the Song n knows that it''s an act of petty revenge as this move wouldn''t do anything to Mark. Thetter can just shift his home to some other neighborhood and open the store there.


    However, officials of the Public works ministry were confident that it will at least annoy their minister''s enemy. And in case Mark really moves into another neighborhood, then, it would also make it seem like Mark ran away and maybe, the minister will reward them.


    And by coincidence, during the three days, Mark didn''t step out of the store, and neither did he bother to open the store. The officials working there thought that Mark might really leave the ce but they didn''t know that the main reason behind the closure of the store is the system upgrade.


    Because of it, the ultimate defense skill is also not avable. To make sure that people won''t find out, he closed the store, even putting up a notice outside that he''ll be cultivating close doors.


    Meanwhile, Allen attended the spar sessions at the Lin Mansion as usual but as Mark forgot to take out enough weapons from the inventory, he made a request through Allen that the goods will be received 3 dayster and he will also receive money when they were delivered.


    Lin Xue never had an interest in those weapons. So, she readily agreed to it. Maybe, Mark defending Song Yue affected her impression a little bit. At the very least, she didn''t look at him negative way like before.


    On the other hand, Song Yue wasn''t heard or seen ever since she left with her father. Despite losing against Mark, her father was reinstated as the minister of public works as well as the Patriarch of the Song n. As Song Yun took over his duties once again, the family left Bai Mansion and shifted to their guest house.


    Meanwhile, the elders who were surprised that he possessed a Semi-Divine weapon, all along, questioned him. If the staff belongs to the n, then, he''s obligated to tell them. But, if he acquires it by another way privately, even then, Song Yun must at least inform them in case he used n funds or their properties.


    Song Yun gave them a shocking reply that it was handed to him by his mother.


    His statement surprised many people, including Bai Xun because Song Yun''s mother belonged to Bai n, which is just a minor noble n. Some were curious about how did a member of the Bai n manage to get their hands on a Semi-Divine weapon and the others assumed that Song Yun was just trying to use it as an excuse to hide its origins.


    While this was going on, Mark received a summon from the pce about honoring him with a title for his service but Alina informed them that her master who is busy in close door cultivation for the next three days doesn''t want a title as a reward.<sub> </sub>


    Instead, he wished for a materialistic reward like arge estate in the outskirts so that their firearms manufacturer can direct manufacture there, thereby, reducing the transportation time.


    The message was passed from Alina to the messenger of the pce.


    Mark''s request was well received by the Emperor who intended to form a friendship with him so that one day, the Empire might receive more than a few flying machines like the one that defeated Song Yun and Sui Rong or atleast powerful weapon like the Battle tank that demolished the Song n.


    With the crown prince being house arrested and absent in the courtroom, no one dared to protest against the Emperor''s decision to reward Mark, a huge estate, somewhere nearby the Imperial City.


    Unfortunately, even thates under the authority of the Public works ministry. As Song Yun knew that he can''t defeat Mark, once again, he decided to take petty revenge in the form of choosing a location.


    The Emperor knew of these matters but Song Yun was close to him, perhaps the closest of the six ministers. He was also aware of the loyalty of the Song n towards the throne. Song n is one of the first allies that joined Shang Yating to overthrow the Xia dynasty and form the Phoenix Empire.


    So, he was lenient on them. As for Mark, he decided topensate with thend area size.


    It was around 11, with only a few hours left till the upgradepletes. Allen was supposed to finish his sparring session with Lin Xue and is probably on his way. In the upstairs, Mark and Alina sat on the floor with a board between them. On the board, there were several ck and white stones with white only half the number of the ck stones.


    Mark''s face doesn''t look good and Alina was smiling as if she was enjoying it.


    *Tin*


    Alina ced another ck go stone, taking out three of his white stones, "Big Brother, your turn."


    He took the white stone and looked all over the board, "Ugh, fine, you win."


    "Yay¡­" As Alina cheered with a high pitch, Mark mumbled to himself, "These Chinese games are tough to understand."


    Alina, who heard Mark, quickly stood up on her feet and went towards the shelves before returning with another board and box, "Big Brother, we can y Chess, the one you are familiar with."


    "Forget it, we already yed three times and I don''t want to be destroyed once again." Mark let out a sigh as he lies on the floor and looked at the ceiling. "I guess I''m too used to creating bullets. I feel bored. I can''t even go outside due to the fear of ambush."


    Seeing that, Alina went into trance for a moment, "Searching the database for the ways to relieve boredom for a man."


    0s and 1s appeared in her eyes for a second before she spoke out, "found entries, the top solution, Erotic Adventures of Lai Ben Shan volume 2, page 32, page 43, page 46, page 57, page 65, page 78, page 79, and page 96. The best way for a man to relieve boredom is¡­"


    In the next second, Mark''s eyes widened as he stuttered pointing at this female Android, "you¡­ you¡­ what are you doing?"

 Chapter 107 Kissing The Android

    "Providing pleasure to relieve your boredom, Big Brother," Alina slowly started it disrobe herself, revealing her perky boobs and curvy body.


    It wasn''t the first time he had seen it but before incidents were just idents when Alina didn''t mind changing before him. But, all of them are just for a few seconds where he excused himself quickly but now, it was entirely different.


    In an instant, Mark felt his throat dry and the temperature in his body rose considerably. A certain part became quite active. Before he gets to speak further, Alina pushed the board aside and jumped onto it while tightly hugging him. He felt as if all the strength left his body.


    "Which idiot told you that I need it? Get¡­" Before he speaks further, Alina''s lips locked his lip and her tongue invaded his mouth.


    Feeling bliss over his body, Mark lost the will the resist and just continued to lie on the floor.


    Both of them continued to kiss each other for a whole minute before a certain scream brought his senses back to reality, once again, "You¡­ you¡­ Big Brother, younger sister, what''s going on¡­"


    As Mark and Alina looked towards the source, Allen was pointing his finger at him. He looked like he was extremely embarrassed by the situation. For a second, Mark felt as if their ten-year-old kid interrupted while he was having sex with his wife.


    "Alina, this is my order, step away and dress up." Mark managed to shout.


    "Eh? Is that so?" Alina looked confused for a moment before she left her master and wore the clothes once again.


    Mark, whose first kiss in this life was stolen by a robot of all the people, felt embarrassed that he went with the flow for a moment when she kissed him and scolded her, "Where did you get this crazy idea?"


    "And Allen, you go downstairs, right now." He sent Allen right away due to feeling extremely embarrassed.


    As if nothing happened, Alina calmly reached out to the shelves and showed him the novel she was reading in the past week. "Erotic Adventures of Lai Ben Shan, Vol. 2?"


    "This is a fucking erotic novel. Where did you buy this?" He asked the Android in a stern tone.


    "At Huqiu city book store when we toured around," Alina answered in a straight tone, not disying any awkwardness.


    "How many novels did you buy like these?" Mark further asked her.


    "7 volumes," She answered.


    "Destroy all the books that you bought." He immediately gave an order, believing that they are corrupting her. More than corrupted, he was worried that one day, this super beautiful Android would sexually assault him in the name of keeping him happy.


    "Not possible, except for volume 2, all of them are locked in system''s inventory." She replied as she conjured the dagger and stabbed the book in her hands without hesitation.


    Mark stared at her for a while before letting out another sigh, "okay fine. But, from now onwards, you are forbidden to read erotic novels or any novel that''s not suitable below 18-year-olds." Remembering her sudden act, he added, "You are also prohibited to do such things with me or any other person of that matter."


    "Affirmed, Big Brother," Alina nodded with a smile and gave a salute.


    Followed by that, she then spoke to herself, "top solution is discarded. Searching for another solution in the database, 18+ is prohibited. Found viable solutions."


    She looked at Mark and said, "A lovely meal is another way to relieve boredom. Another solution is to have a massage. And the final way is to read a book. What do you wish to do?"


    Mark eliminated the massage, right away. He feared that she might undress once again. As for the book, he felt that it isn''t a bad idea but then, remembering the earlier incident that urred because of some damn author, he opts for the meal. Moreover, it''s been hours since he ate breakfast.


    As she was about to leave downstairs to discuss the menu first so that Allen can go out for grocery shopping, Mark stared at her back and touched his lips, "man, she was a damn good kisser. That was amazing¡­"


    "Hmm?" Alina turned around and nced at her master in confusion. Being connected with minds, she could sense his current feelings. She didn''t understand why Mark scolded her when he liked the experience.


    Shaking her head, she put aside the thoughts and left the room.


    Meanwhile, Mark realized he was just thinking and pped both of his cheeks at the same time, "get out of it, Mark. She''s not even a human. You can''t fall into this mess. Just think of yourself that you kissed some silicone doll and forget it. Yes, this doesn''t count at all."


    As he tried to convince himself, Allen left the store and went to the market. They have had lots of groceries before but everything is locked in the inventory for the past three days and in this world, there''s no refrigerator. People who had enough money would buy an Ice Box, which starts from 100 gold coins and freezes the food, then, heats itter.


    Mark didn''t have it because he depended on the system. The inventory will keep all the ingredients fresh as it is.<sub> </sub>


    So, in these past three days, he depended on Allen and Alina to get fresh groceries and made the food right away.


    After having a hearty meal while not forgetting to praise Alina for her cooking skills, Mark decided to take a nap since he have nothing to do anyways.


    A few hourster;


    He opened his eyes and slowly woke up. The first thing he saw is the familiar floating holographic screen. A smile appeared on it, "Ah, I missed this."


    <strong>*Ding! The system is upgraded to level-2.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The attribute category is unlocked. Check the system store for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your inspection skill is upgraded to Sage''s Eye.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked an attachment, silencer. Check the gallery for details</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The system is upgraded to level-3.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The skill category is unlocked. Check the system store for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked a new function, Store Expansion</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked an attachment, Telescopic sight (scope). Check the gallery for details.</strong>


    "Oh, I can now use attachments, huh, cool. And there''s an upgrade to the Inspection. I wonder what these new eyes would do." He sat on the bed and spoke, "System, Open Skills."


    Sage''s eye: Allows the user to inspect any non-living thing or living thing and find the details that are of public knowledge.


    "Okay, at the very least, it gets easier when encountering strangers." Mark closed the window and then opened the store. He went to the Skill category to see what kind of skills he can buy.


    The skill category is divided into two sections, one is Elemental and the other is misceneous.


    The Elemental section contains the skills that depend on the attributes and the misceneous section is full of all kinds of skills from super great to bizarre. Like for example, there''s an active skill that increases his drinking capacity, and there''s another passive skill that makes him ambidextrous.


    Depending on their effectiveness and rarity, the misceneous skills were further divided into five divisions, namely, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Peak, and Unique.


    Beginner skills are priced at only 100 credits, Intermediate at 1000, Advanced at 10000, Peak at 100k, and each unique skill cost 1 million credits.


    The same goes for the elemental section, although they have restrictions unlike the misceneous. After all, Mark cannot conjure a fireball when he possesses lightning and Ice Attributes.


    As Mark didn''t have many credits in the ount, he didn''t explore it and closed the section and went to the attributes category. It was just like the system told him back then. The seven Basic attributes cost 50k credits, the variant attributes cost 75k, and the advanced attributes like Ice, poison, sound, or acid costs 100k credits.


    "Okay, let''s see what this store expansion function is." He close the window and spoke, "System, Open Store Expansion tab."


    In an instant, the holographic screen with an image of his store appeared before him.


    It wasn''t just an image. There were slides too. He swiped the image. The new image disyed the interior of the store, then, after swiping it again, the storage room was shown, then his residence where the kitchen was shown, then, it''s the bedroom, and the living room.


    He scrolls down to see the dimensions of each room.


    Below them, there is EXPAND option.


    And at thest, there''s BLUEPRINT option.

 Chapter 108 Renovating The Store & Visiting The Swordmasters Guild

    "System, exin it."


    <strong>*Ding! You can expand the interior of your store or add new chambers as you wished in exchange for gold coins. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Note: The exterior of the store and the appearance will not be changed.</strong>


    "Okay, that means I don''t need to move out to a bigger residence." Mark''s eyes lit up in excitement. Along with the suppression, the interior expansion will certainly improve the fame of his store.


    Feeling that he had enough gold coins in his inventory, Mark clicked on blueprints.


    Several blueprints containing the ns, preview images with different dimensions, and prices appeared before his eyes.


    The starting one was the cheapest with 100 gold coins.


    It was simple, quite simr to the one he had now with everything being wooden furnished except that instead of the pistols disyed on shelves, the entire left wall had a ss fitting where tiny weapons and rifles can be ced separately.


    Mark swiped to see the next one.


    He went on to search a few times before finally deciding on the blueprint that cost 25000 gold coins. The money was enough to buy a mansion in the central region of the city where the nobles and wealthy individuals live but Mark didn''t hesitate to spend on renovating the store and increasing its interior size.


    "Here we go¡­" He purchased it.


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like to rece it, right away?</strong>


    <strong>*Warning: All of you will be teleported outside the building. It takes 3 hours.</strong>


    Mark changed into new clothes and clicked on proceed. With the system once again online and his helicopter avable, Mark no longer feared to go out.


    <strong>*Ding! System expansion is about to start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­</strong>


    In the neighborhood, a fewborers are breaking therge stones and removing the smaller ones one by one. It was indeed a slow process, employed by Song n''s strategy.


    All of a sudden, everyone witnessed a ck-colored barrier appear over the two-story building.


    Followed by that, Mark, Allen, and Alina were teleported outside altogether.


    "What is that?" "Wow, that woman is so beautiful." "Who are those handsome warriors?" "Are they twins?" "Shhh, he''s the Cerberus yer" "The owner of that mysterious flying machine?" "Shh, he''s the enemy of Minister Song"


    All kinds of murmurings spread around the workers.


    Mark stared at the barrier for a few seconds. He felt the energy he was sensing in it is extremely simr to that of Alina''s energy daggers.


    "System, is that the so-called Protos Barrier?" He mumbled to himself.


    <strong>*Ding! Yes. This is the final line of defense, which can block the attack of even a Demi-God realm beast or human. However, ites with a heavy cost when it is used on the host to absorb the attack.</strong>


    "That''s great." Mark let out a wide smile in realization.


    This statement from the system gave a strong hint to Mark that even without a helicopter, tank, or the Android assistants, his life can be saved atleast once. That is enough to remove the fear from him.


    "Allen, Alina, let''s go for a walk," Mark said to them as they stared at him.


    Soon, they left the street and walked for another few kilometers, reaching the Guild District.<sub> </sub>


    On the way, he felt the gazes from every passerby. Some looked at him curiously while some look at him in fear. Whether people remember how he looked or not, the quality of their appearances is enough for every onlooker to identify them, especially Alina''s. Meanwhile, there were a lot of spies who followed them in secret.


    Mark''s performance at the Arena indeed attracted the attention of several wealthy individuals and the neutral major noble ns. Of course, there''s also the fourth prince from the Imperial family.


    His pace was neither fast nor slow and his head keep turning left and right as if he came to the guild district for a tour.


    Eventually, the group of three stopped before a giant building that stretched over two hundred meters wide and stands atleast fifty meters tall, having seven floors. He raised his head and nodded as he read the name, "Swordmasters."


    They walked through the entrance and stepped inside to find themselves inside a massive hall and a lot of crowds gathered at different ces. There were several reception desks at various spots.


    Here, everyone is too busy that they didn''t notice them until Mark patted a passerby who is walking towards them with their adventurer team, "excuse me."


    The man looked at Mark and the other two. Naturally, he was surprised at their visuals at first but then asked, "Yes?"


    Mark asked, "Do you know someone named Mo Jiang here?


    "Mo Jiang?" The other adventurers who passed by Mark suddenly stopped and turned around.


    One of them reacted to it, "who are you?"


    "Wow, look at that beauty." Another man whispered to his teammate as the three of them turned around.


    The leader who asked the question was also attracted to Alina for a second before turning back his attention to Mark, when thetter questioned, "Do you know Mo Jiang?"


    "Yes, he can be considered an acquaintance." The Leader of the group informed him before asking a question in return, "but, who are you? Why do you want to meet him?"


    "That is of no business to you," Mark replied in an annoyed tone. He came here for a purpose and didn''t want to waste his time exining to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Maybe, defeating several top experts also increased his arrogance, "If you know where he is, then, tell me. Otherwise, you can be on your way. I''ll ask others."


    A frown appeared on the leader. He couldn''t sense even a tiny bit of ether from three of them but something tells him the girl in Hanfu wear is someone who is far stronger than him.


    He said, "Brother Mo is no longer in the guild. He left a while ago."


    It was Mark''s turn to frown, feeling that his time indeed wasted. But, then, something clicked in his mind, "You said you are acquaintances. Where is he?"


    "As you said, it''s not my business. I''ll be on my way, then." The Leader named Chen Shi turned around to walk away, "follow me."


    "Stop," Mark spoke in a bit of a loud tone. For some reason, he sensed that this guy knows where that rat is hiding. Seeing how he addressed Mo Jiang as Brother Mo, Mark was a little bit confident.


    A few adventurers and clients around looked at the source of the voice. Meanwhile, the leader stopped and turned his head, "what is it?"


    "I''ll ask you again. Where is Mo Jiang? I need to meet him." Mark asked him again. This time, his gaze was cold as if he wanted to intimidate this adventurer.


    "I''m afraid I can''t tell you without knowing your intentions." Chen Shi felt like this guy is probably here to settle the scores. So, he doesn''t want to reveal Mo Jiang''s location. "Now, if you excuse me, we have a mission to finish."


    As someone who is in 6-circle realm status, he had his own pride and definitely didn''t like how Mark was speaking to him as if that person is of above status. Even if he''s a prince, Chen Shi wouldn''t care.


    It was at that moment, some nearby adventurer rushed towards Mark, "Lord Lu, I will take you to him."


    It was a boy in his teenage with messy hair and crappy armor.


    "Lord Lu?" Chen Shi frowned but then, he put it aside and barked at the boy, "Chang Bo, what are you doing here?"

 Chapter 109 Im Here To Return Your Storage Ring

    Chang Bo is an orphan who was raised by a retired low-level adventurer after finding that he was born with high-quality ether.


    Despite being poor, his early life went well but when he was twelve, the old man died of a heart attack, leaving behind heavy debts that cost him the house and the boy was on the streets once again.


    Thankfully, by then, he''s already broken through the 2-circle realm and could fend off himself. Although his cultivation realm is low, he was still a swordsman. So, the Swordmasters guild took him in.


    In the past three years, he changed different teams but in the end, he only became an errand boy.


    Like other citizens, he too attended the public trial and had seen Lu Zhen and the other two.


    When he realized the situation, Chang Bo saw an opportunity and immediately volunteered to sell out Mo Jiang despite the fact that he was once teammates with thetter.


    Naturally, Chen Shi didn''t like it. "Chang Bo, what are you doing here?"


    "I¡­ I¡­" The boy flinched by Chen Shi''s yell. He stuttered in fear.


    Meanwhile, Mark inspected the boy with Sage''s eye.


    Name: Chang Bo


    Age: 15


    Species: Human/???


    Spirit path: Magician


    Rank: 2-circle realm


    Ether energy: 743


    Ether quality: High


    Bloodline: Unknown


    Attribute: N/A


    Life span Limit: 5644 years


    Description: He is suspected to be born as half human and half werewolf/vampire considering his long life span. But, the system might need 10 ml of his blood to confirm the details.


    "A hybrid species?" Mark was naturally surprised by the sudden turn of events. Who could have expected that he will meet such an interesting species when he came to meet Mo Jiang for another matter?


    He felt like the encounter is really a fate. But, seeing his low-level strength and crappy armor, he couldn''t help but assume that either the boy might not have known about his own strength and probably picked up the sword because he doesn''t have any attribute or the boy might have been trying to hide his identity by staying low key like this way.


    Whatever the case, Mark felt like he could use it to his advantage.


    Maintaining his stoic expression, Mark stepped forward towards the boy, "So, your name is Chang Bo, huh! Anyway, take me to him. I''ll handsomely reward you in return."


    Now that there''s someone who knows where to find Mo Jiang, he felt like he no longer needed Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi attempted to stop them, "no, you cannot leave."


    Just as he was about to take out the sword from the sheath, Mark called Alina''s name.


    Without even requiring a formal order, she understood it and dashed towards Chen Shi like lightning and caught his wrist before forcefully pushing the sword handle back to the sheath. Staring directly at his eyes, she gave a warning, "We came here in peace. Don''t escte the situation and meet your doom."


    "You¡­" He tried to free his hand but found that her grip was really too tight. In the end, he bowed, "I apologize."


    She freed him and walked back to Mark whose eyes were fixed on the boy, "let''s go."<sub> </sub>


    As Mark followed the boy towards the exit, Chen Shi said to his team, "Guys, we will have to postpone the mission. You guys take rest for a while, I''ll return soon."


    As Chen Shi also disappeared from their view, the five of them looked at each other, wondering what to do. It was then, an adventurer nearby scolded them, "Hey, what are you doing? Don''t you know who that man is?"


    As the five of them appeared to be clueless, the fellow adventurer pped his forehead, "I forgot that you just returned this morning from the mission. That man is Lu Zhen, the owner of Genesis store, an Exalt realm expert who killed the seven circle beast king Cerberus, defeated Sui n''s Grand Elder Sui Rong, and a while ago, he even defeated Minister Song Yun in front of everyone. Chen Shi might not even return if he goes against him."


    "Eh?" The five of them quickly realized the situation and hurried outside.


    Meanwhile, the others around started to wonder why a mighty figure like Lu Zhen is looking for someone like Mo Jiang. Did thetter offend him?


    Unknown to them, from the top floor, an old man, who was wearing magnifying sses (spectacles) due to poor eyesight, was watching the scene intently. He''s the Commander that controls all the guild branches of Swordmasters located in the Phoenix Empire. "So, this is the weapon seller of firearms, huh. Not less arrogant than any major noble n heir."


    At around fifteen minutester, the boy took Mark and his Android assistants to an inn.


    "Lord Lu, give me a second. Let me go and confirm it." The boy politely said Mark to wait outside as he went inside and had a talk with the receptionist who is also the owner of the inn. As soon as he revealed Mark''s identity, the receptionist hurriedly came outside and weed him.


    He was treated as an esteemed guest but Mark firmly told him that he wanted to meet Mo Jiang first. The owner hesitated at first but eventually, took them to the first floor and he knocked on the room thrice before a woman opened the door.


    "Zhuan Bai, Lord Lu wishes to meet Mo Jiang. You go downstairs and wait." She didn''t who they are but seeing the owner''s attitude made her think they might be nobles. She bowed to them and hurriedly left the ce.


    As they stepped inside, Mark saw Mo Jiang was in the middle of drinking and is swaying a lot.


    He looked at the guests and pointed his finger in a different direction, "who are you lot." Everything is blurry for him.


    "Oh boy." Mark felt like pping his forehead. He came here for a simple purpose but still faced difficulty. "I guess even 5 points of luck aren''t enough."


    "Owner Dai, bring me a tub of water," Mark said to him.


    After a while, as Chen Shi and his team came to the room, they saw Mo Jiang was being tortured. At least, that was what they thought as Allen was grabbing his hair and keep pushing Mo Jiang''s head into the tub and then pull out. Mo Jiang was screaming for help and struggling to get free. Meanwhile, Mark, Alina, and the boy were standing on the side, calmly staring at the scene. The owner, on the other hand, seemed like he doesn''t know what to do.


    Chen Shi hurried inside and roared, "What are you doing? Stop it."


    "Hmm?" Mark turned his head. As he saw Chen Shi was dashing towards them, he called Alina once again.


    She immediately dashed forward and gave a powerful knee strike to thetter''s abdomen. A crack appeared on his low-quality gold-grade armor. It''s obvious that he was also deceived on buying a piece of tungsten armor, which appears hard but breaks easily when enough force is applied.


    "Why do you keep trying toe in my way, Chen Shi?" Mark asked him with a cold gaze on him. He inspected the man earlier with Sage''s eye and found that this adventurer was actually a beginner stage 6-circle realm swordsman. It was then Mark realized he was no match for Alina.


    Before, he was in the guild, so, he restrained his actions but here, he wouldn''t need to but Mark knew that they don''t have any personal enmity. So, he tried to be patient.


    Letting out a heavy cough, he spoke, "I won''t let you harm Mo Jiang. He is like my brother. If you have grievances with him, Lord Lu, I willpensate. Don''t kill him."


    "Are you an idiot? Who said anything about hurting him?" Mark got annoyed and barked at him. He cleared the misunderstanding by pointing his finger at Mo Jiang, "I''m just trying to bring him back to a sober state. There''s something important that I need to talk to him about."


    "Lord Lu, isn''t there a sober pill for that?" One of the adventurers in Chen Shi''s team voiced his opinion.


    Mark disyed a look of surprise at first. He doesn''t know the existence of such a pill. He asked, "Do any of you have one?"


    "I have," Chen Shi hurriedly took out a ck-colored pill from his storage card, handing it to Mark, who handed it to Allen, who then put it into Mo Jiang''s mouth and forcefully made him swallow.


    Within just ten seconds, Mo Jiang came to his senses and looked at his surroundings. His eyes fell on Mark. "You¡­ what do you want?"


    Mark calmly took out a gold ring from his inventory, "I came to return your storage ring."


    "Huh!"

 Chapter 110 Is The Rusty Ring A Sacred Relic?

    The onlookers were stupefied as Mark showed Mo Jiang, a gold ring. "This is your storage ring, right?"


    "Yes," He shrieked. At the same time, he was shivering in cold with water dripping from his head.


    "Here, take it." Mark stretched his hand.


    "Di¡­ did you¡­ did youe here to return the ring?" Mo Jiang stuttered in fear as he took the ring with a shivering hand.


    Mark couldn''t understand why this guy suddenly turned into a coward. Just because he was thrashed by Allen and got his equipment confiscated? Mark didn''t think so.


    Nevertheless, it doesn''t have anything to do with and he doesn''t care.


    He spoke, "I''ll get to the matter directly. I have two questions. You just needed to answer."


    "What is it?" Mo Jiang asked him.


    Mark turned his head to look at Chen Shi, "I need to talk with him, alone. Either you wait outside or get killed after hearing the secret. Which option do you wish to pick?"


    Very soon, the owner, the boy, Chen Shi, and his team, everyone left the room.


    Looking at Mo Jiang, Mark proceeded to ask, "My first question. What kind of unlucky incidents that you faced after I left the Evesting store?"


    Mark wished to understand more about the ring of luck as the ones he absorbed the luck were either dead or far away. Mo Jiang is the only one that is avable.


    Mo Jiang was surprised at first but he eventually answered his meeting with the ambushes of goblins, then, trolls, werewolf, and all.


    Mark still remembered that this person has 4 points of luck, of which he took away 2 points back then. After hearing everything, Mark remembered how Mo Jiang said how the Church identified it as a curse.


    He couldn''t help but wonder whether the curse will get stronger if he gets luckier or it is just the result of their low luck points


    For example, back when Mo Jiang faces the unfortunate incidents one after another, Mark received a battle tank in the lottery with the help of absorbed luck points. Then, what would have happened if he didn''t earn anything? Then, would Mo Jiang still face the same incidents?


    The Ring of Luck doesn''t just give luck to its wearer. In return, the target will also be unlucky. So, Mark had a theory on whether the degree of curse depends on his luck of acquiring things or was he just thinking too much.


    The system''s silence on the matter also increased his curiosity. To confirm his theory, Mark decided to test on a few subjects,ter. However, only on the ones that have high luck points.


    Mo Jiang continued, "And even after treating myself at the church, my bad luck hasn''t gone at all. First, I run into you and lost everything, and then, some guy with a bow and arrow tortured me to hand him some sacred relic of Yu''s Ring. I repeatedly told him that I didn''t find any tomb of Emperor Yu."


    He continued to shiver once again, then, frantically looking for the pot vessel full of beer.


    "Sacred relic? Tomb of Emperor Yu? Yu''s Ring?" Mark was stunned when he heard it. His other reason foring here is to inquire about the origins of the rusty ring. But now, he strongly felt that it might be Yu''s Ring, considering how the system disyed its interest.


    If Mo Jiang doesn''t remember it, Mark felt that it is better to leave it that way.


    He nodded and replied, "It looked like you went through a lot. I won''t trouble you for any longer."


    He turned around without trying to confirm about the rusty ring and walked away.


    Later, while leaving the ce, Mark gave 10 gold coins to the boy, "If you don''t want to be an adventurer one day and decided to settle for a stable ie job, visit Genesis store."


    "10 gold coins?" Chang Bo counted the glistening gold coins again and again in disbelief. He didn''t even do anything and received money more than enough.<sub> </sub>


    For someone like Chen Shi, ten gold coins are like change but for Chang Bo, it is enough for him to eat his fill three times a day for a whole year.


    One of the adventurers from Chen Shi''s team standing nearby spoke, "Chang Bo, you are indeed a lucky person to get the attention of Owner Lu."


    Chang Bo looked at the gold coins and at Mark''s back a few times.


    After finishing his business with Mo Jiang, Mark looked at his pocket watch and found that only an hour has passed.


    With two hours left to go, Mark decided to go on a shopping spree. The three of them sighted in several ces in the Central district, buying linen and even silk clothes at one of the popr clothing stores, giving a huge order for custom made boxes at a furniture store as the one he was familiar with razed to the ground, buying a huge number of fantasy novels from a book store that can be read even by children and teenagers, and buying groceries that can evenst for half a year


    People who recognized him paid their respects and people who didn''t miss their chance of getting acquainted.


    However, Mark never bought jewelry as he wasn''t a fan of those ornaments the nobles put on top of their heads. Moreover, he also doesn''t want to increase Alina''s beauty even more. To diminish her attraction, Mark even nned to make her wear the male clothing from now onwards but rejected at thest moment for he doesn''t want her to change the sexual orientation of the girls that visit his store in the future.


    Along with the jewelry, he also didn''t buy any carriage as he decided to use the battle tank for now as it will give his identity to everyone on the way andter, shift to armored vehicles like Marauder, after unlocking them.


    Almost two hours were about to finish and the three of them were returning from the fish market.


    Mark was looking at his inventory filled with so many items and thought, "once you have money, you really spend a lot, huh. Almost 1800 gold coins disappeared in two hours. But then again, I''m going to live in a 16-room mansion. So, this much expense is necessary.


    Moreover, by tomorrow noon, I''ll earn 2000 gold coins from Lin Xue for the four days. Considering my 40% cut, I''ll make 800 gold coins. So, that''s only 1000 gold coins of reduction in my wealth."


    <strong>*Ding! The renovation of the store is sessfullypleted. You can enter the store.</strong>


    About 15-20 minutester, Mark reached the ce. The Protos barrier disappeared long ago and from the outside, nothing was changed.


    Allen proceeds to open the shutter. Mark peeked inside and almost opened his mouth in shock.


    He quickly entered the store and told Allen to close the entrance.


    Mark then looked around. Everything is constructed in pure white marble. In front of him lies the beige-colored reception counter, which is nearby the entrance. There''s a modern chair. Behind the desk, Genesis was written in big words.


    To the left and to the right, two paths lead to a different set of rooms.


    For now, everything is empty as Mark had to decide, which goes in which. Naturally, therge rooms are to disy the big vehicles like the tanks and helicopters, and small rooms could amodate disy firearms or ammunition.


    At the end of the right pathway, there''s a staircase that leads to arge house with over 12 rooms. It was filled with sofa sets, beds, paintings, beautiful chandeliers were hanging. Everything came for free naturally.


    What''s more, there''s a built-in feature installed by the system that came with the renovation. It is the optimal temperature setting. No matter what weather is outside, inside, the temperature was always fixed at 18.


    Mark couldn''t help but let out a whistle, "man, I didn''t spend 25000 for nothing."


    He saw all of them in the blueprint but seeing it in the image and experiencing it, in reality, is different.


    For the rest of the day, while Mark kept on creating different types of weapons, the other two Android assistants started to arrange them.


    The next day, Markzily woke up from thefy bed, had a shower, then, breakfast.


    Once he was done with everything by 7, he came downstairs and opened the shutter.

 Chapter 111 A Reward From The Emperor

    "Chief Eunuch Yang, here," The Emperor passed a scroll with his seal to a stout fellow who seemed like he was ufortable while receiving it.


    Still, in the end, he couldn''t go against the Emperor''s orders and set out to Hanga District along with a couple of Imperial guards. These two are the same guards who were thrashed by Alina back when the Chief Eunuch visited Genesis store to announce Emperor''s decree.


    The only difference from then is that back then, they volunteered but today, they were forced to tag along.


    p Upon reaching the store, the Chief Eunuch surveyed the surroundings. A frown appeared on his face, "it''s almost been a week but there''s little work progress. I need to report to his majesty."</anda>


    Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the store, followed by the other two only to be stupefied on the spots. There was the reception desk where Mark was seen busy, taking a nap. On the other hand, Alina was standing on his right and Allen on his left.


    That is well and good but what''s with the interior of the store? The Chief Eunuch never expect that shabby store from the outside suddenly change to this way.


    Meanwhile, Allen greeted them. "Wee to Genesis weapon store. What would you want to buy?"


    "Ah, yes. I''m sorry." The Chief Eunuch came to his senses and took out the scroll, "I''m here with the Emperor''s decree. Can you¡­" he gestured to Allen to wake up his master.


    "Big Brother, someone from the pce is here." Alina woke up him.


    Mark instantly opened his eyes as soon as he heard someone is there, for there hasn''t been any customers since thest four days.


    But, the moment his eyes fell on the three, and then, at the scroll in the stout fellow''s hands, Mark lost his interest. "Oh, it''s you. What is it?"


    Now that Mark''s stature is very high, the Chief Eunuch was careful with his words and said, "His Majesty summoned you to the Pce."


    Mark took the scroll and read it. His eyes lit up after reading the part that says, "Reward ofnd."


    Mark nodded with a smile, "sure, I wille, right away."


    "And there''s something else." The Chief Eunuch slowly said with hesitation filling his face.


    A momentter, the Chief Eunuch made a deep bow and the two Imperial guards kowtowed for the forgiveness of offending him back then.


    Mark didn''t care much about it and waved his hands, "it''s fine. Let''s go."


    Soon, a battle tank was seen following an ordinary horse carriage. Mark spent 1000 gold coins for its repair, increasing its durability back to 100% and removing all the scratches. It looked brand new.


    The battle tank, with its huge size and unconventional design, was naturally the center of attraction.


    Wherever the battle tank passed, the people couldn''t help but halt their works and just stare at it for a moment.


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    The pce gates were opened and the soldiers moved aside in hurry, giving the way to the battle tank.


    As the battle tank passed them, one of the soldiers heave a sigh of relief, "that thing is really scarier than a higher realm fierce beast. I thought we are going to be attacked for a moment."


    "Yeah, me too." Another soldier responded to him, agreeing to his statement.


    Upon nearing the pce, Mark dismissed the tank and started to walk alongside Allen and Alina.


    While Mark followed the Chief Eunuch in silence, he started to look around. Obviously, it was several times bigger and grander than his little mansion on the first floor. There''s a look of pity on his face, followed by anger. "Poor Lu Zhen, he should have been growing up in a ce like this. That damn woman took away everything."


    Alina nced in Mark''s direction upon feeling the fluctuations in Mark''s feelings but as they subsidized very quickly, she didn''t pay attention to it, any longer.<sub> </sub>


    The group of four reached the courtroom and Mark waited outside while the Eunuch went inside and informed the Emperor.


    It was then Mark, Allen and Alina stepped inside the court. It was filled with everyone. There were familiar faces like Song Yun and the third prince. The crown prince was still on house arrest. The second prince and Bai Xun were nowhere to be seen.


    Amid the mixed gazes from every side, Mark walked forward at a normal pace.


    "Your Majesty," He calmly bowed to the Emperor much to his displeasure.


    A smile appeared on the Emperor, "I believe you already know why you are summoned. So, let mee straight to the point. Intentional or unintentional, you have done a great service to the Empire by ughtering the Beast King Cerberus. And I''m deeply ashamed that you were instead dragged to trial, instead of rewarding you.


    In the light of the events, the Imperial pce decided to hand over a piece ofnd nearby the Imperial city just like you have requested. But, then, we heard that you are coborating with General Shang Wen to create a firearms division. That led me to rethink the reward.


    Thanks to our Grand Secretariat Li, we found a solution.


    "I have a proposal on one hand and a reward on another hand.


    1 acre ofnd, located just 13 kilometers away from the Imperial city. From today onwards, it will be yours.


    Along with it, there''s an 80-acrend in the wilderness, about 113 kilometers away to the north-west of our Imperial City, if you can give a word that within five years, you will deliver atleast 3 of those flying machines, the one you used in the duel against Minister Song, the Imperial pce is willing to hand over thatnd to you.


    Not only that, but we will also build an estate and take responsibility for all the expenses in setting up thergest smithy. I will also exempt you from paying all kinds of taxes.


    And if General Wen managed to prove that the firearms division is an asset, then, I can give you my word, the firearms division will be established in all the regiments and the Firearms will also be recognized as one of the Spirit Paths in the Phoenix Empire.


    The choice is entirely up to you and there''s no pressure. If you needed time to consider, then, you can take it."


    "No need to think, Your Majesty, I ept your proposal." Mark readily stated his opinion. The moment the Emperor said the size of the manor he will be given, Mark was tempted.


    And when the location was revealed, Mark decided to agree to the proposal without even hearing the rest but then, after the Emperor stated the conditions attached to it, he realized that his helicopters were the real reasons behind this summon.


    But, he wouldn''t want to hand over such powerful equipment to his enemy, just like that. So, after epting the deal, Mark added, "However, I just need a small rification."


    "What is it?" The Emperor was all smiles as upon seeing that his n was sessful.


    Mark then proceeded to ask, "The two attack helicopters-EC 665 I''m supposed to deliver, are they belong to the Emperor or the Army?"


    "Hmm? What do you mean?" The Emperor appeared to be confused.


    The third prince understood the meaning and spoke, "Your Majesty, I believe Lu Zhen was wary that the weapons he delivers will be used against him."


    Although Mark agreed with the third prince, he knew that this fake prince might have misunderstood his intentions. He decided to use it for his advantage and said, "I made enemies against the nobles and probably even the Crown Prince. I couldn''t help but think, what if for some reason, the Crown Prince bes the Emperor and decided to take revenge."


    The Emperor furrowed his brows upon hearing Mark. He understood the meaning behind his words. Nevertheless, he put away the thought and replied truthfully, "All of the weapons will be considered my personal property, and they will be distributed among my children ording to my will if that unfortunate day really arrives."


    The third prince was the most satisfied with the Emperor''s reply for he was sure that he will be given one of them, considering their close rtionship.


    "Alright, I will deliver 3 of those helicopters within five years of time but I need to remind his majesty that they won''t be given for free. The pce must pay for them too because it might cost millions of gold coins." Mark reminded him just in case.


    "Of course, I know that." The Emperor nodded. He doesn''t care about the money. The safety of the Empire is more important.

 Chapter 112 A Mysterious Spy

    Two more days passed away in a blink of an eye.


    In the master bedroom of the first floor''s residence, Mark was staring at thend deed he received from the Emperor and let out a long sigh.


    "80 acres¡­ It''s more than 3 million sq. ft of freend. Even in my dreams, I never imagined holding such a huge property. But, I didn''t understand why the Emperor was too generous. If he wants the attack helicopters, he could just ask and offer an amount. I guess he doesn''t want a rejection?


    Well, it doesn''t matter as long as I can unlock more powerful weapons within 5 years. Until now, I have yet to unlock a copper-graded firearm. There is no single big sale in the past seven days and at this rate, how long will it take?


    I''m really bingzy after bing rich. I guess I really need to open the branches to improve the sales."


    Because of Chief Eunuch Yang, who reported to the Emperor about the status of the redevelopment of the neighborhood around Genesis store, the work had suddenly gotten faster with more workers employed. There are even Mages from various guilds deployed for this task.


    Most of the buildings around were already demolished by the workers. They were currently busy with sweeping.


    Meanwhile, Genesis was yet to receive a proper customer despite its fame shot through the roof within the past week. During the past two days, he only received five customers and all of them only bought a single pistol and a few bullets, toured inside the store in awe, and left.


    Mark thought that the business will boom eventually once everything is cleared. Since he seems to be free time, he decided to take a break for another week, nning different things.


    His first stop is Kunyu mountain range, where his property was located.


    From midnight, Alina and Allen became busy with cooking nonstop while Mark slept peacefully. They made enough varieties and dishes for the next week or two as he doesn''t intend to make a trip to any city or town.


    Once all the preparations are done, Mark and Alina left at 9 o''clock while leaving behind a depressed Allen at the store as he still needs to attend Lin Xue''s sparring sessions. After all, Lin Xue was currently, the second most important customer of the store.


    Despite everything, Mark''s name wasn''t cleared from the watch list. So, an official watcher/spy tried his best to follow the carriage that was pulled by two horses. Of course, to not offend Mark, the watcher kept his distance.


    Alina informed Mark but thetter didn''t care as he wasn''t intending to do any uwful activity like before unless his enemies n on inviting trouble themselves by doing silly things like ambushes.


    Originally, he nned to go by a tank as it is extremely suitable to go to any terrains but then, he realized that his tank can''t run endlessly. It doesn''t even depend on fuel. The battle tankpletely depends on his ether energy to fill it.


    As the tank''s mileage is about 430 kilometers, he didn''t think about it before but now that his travel journey will easily cross that, Mark had to choose another way.


    He can''t use a Helicopter either as it is the sole source of his strength. It can only be used in emergencies.


    Mark''s ether recovery rate was exactly 1 hour. It wouldn''t matter how many ether energy points he has. And the battle tank''s mileage is about 430 kilometers and it takes 100 ether points to fill 1% of its fuel capacity.


    That means for every 100 ether energy points, the vehicle can go a little more than 4 kilometers.


    Indeed, it''s nowhere enough. So, Mark only had two options. He needed to take an advancement pill and refill its tank when its fuel indicator reaches red, or just need to rent a top-quality horse carriage.


    Mark chose thetter and rent one. Since he wasn''t willing to take a coachman with him, he had to pay a 500 gold coins security deposit to the stables'' owner.


    And once he returns the horses and the carriage, the owner will deduct the required amount, giving back the remaining amount to him.


    After six hours of traveling, Alina reported to him that they have arrived.


    Mark''s eyes fell on the scenery as he opened the window.


    "Wow, the Emperor is indeed generous," Mark eximed in surprise as he saw beautiful mountains covered in nothing but grass. It just reminded him of the artificial turf ground he usually saw in ser games.<sub> </sub>


    There weren''t any wild trees or rocks. From the distance, the mountain range ispletely green as if it was trimmed by some giant hedge trimmer.


    Hended on the ground. Even below him, the grass only came up to his ankle.


    Mark walked around while the horses started to eat the grass.


    Thend allotted to Mark was a piece of grasnd located on the foot of a hill, which can act as a natural barrier. There was also a small freshwaterke and a stream about a kilometer away.


    Being far away from the bustling city, the ce had good air quality and was also peaceful, apart from usual untamed zebras, deer, and rabbits. They weren''t Spirit Animals and also quite harmless. So, there''s nothing to worry about either. At least that''s what Mark thought at first when he inspected the area.


    But then, his cheerful mood was disturbed by Alina''s next report. "Big brother, three spies are watching us. One is on the top of the hill and the other two are hiding in theke.


    The spy on the hill is a civilian and the two spies in theke were five-circle Spirit Warriors."


    "Lake?" Mark was taken aback at first but then realized that the matter wasn''t simple at all. He assumed it might be an ambush, considering they were a bit powerful.


    He took out an advancement pill from the inventory and grabbed it. It was for emergency use, just in case. He also kept the inventory open to summon the battle tank at any moment.


    He didn''t summon it right away so as to not to scare the horses once again and lose them. Unlike thest time, he had to return these two to their owner.


    Once he was done with his safety measures, Mark ordered Alina, "Bring those spies from theke before me. I''ll take care of the rat hiding at the hill."


    As Alina nodded and left in the direction of theke, Mark stared at the peak of the hill and mumbled, "Come out, Myraah."


    *Screech*


    An eagle that''s almost 1.5 m in height appeared before him. Like its fellow summons, lightning sparks were seen all over its body. It is a 2-circle beast, Thunder Eagle.


    "Myraah, go and bring that enemy to me." He gave another order.


    Considering how this giant eagle can even carry him, Mark felt that it can follow the order without an issue. Moreover, with the spy only a civilian, he didn''t think it was much of an issue for Myraah.


    As the thunder eagle soared into the sky, the enemy who was spying on him from the hill was alerted but to Mark''s surprise, the low-level spy did neither try to run away nor tried to surrender himself.


    He took out a single-shot pistol and shot at the eagle.


    The sound of the gunshot echoed in the surroundings, making Mark furrow his brows, "revolver?"


    Even if he couldn''t see it, Mark still managed to identify the weapon the spy is carrying. The gunshot of the single-shot pistol sounds a bit different from the semi-automatic gun.


    Maybe, his sense of hearing improved a lot after making a breakthrough to the 3-circle realm. For some reason, Mark could urately guess whether it is even a revolver or a single-shot pistol.


    After a few secondster, he heard the sound once again before the thunder eagle was seen flying back to its owner while its talons tightly gripped the man''s leg, hanging him upside down.


    "Good." Mark was satisfied with the fact that he captured an enemy without the help of an Android and waited until the thunder eagle neared him. His face abruptly changed when the man fell on the ground, nearby his feet. Revolver was nowhere to be seen but blood seems to be flowing from the side of his head.


    "Suicide?"

 Chapter 113 Kunyu Bandits (Part-1)

    Mark stared at the dead body for a brief amount of time in silence. He couldn''t understand why someone would shoot themselves just because they were discovered.


    Grabbing his chin, he fell into thoughts, "The fact that a spy is specifically hiding here means either he should be here for me or there''s some secret treasure here.


    But, this guymitted suicide, which means he doesn''t want his intentions to be found out. And his clothes aren''t in proper condition. The armor is just made of leather and isn''t even a graded one. Why would this person hide here in the first ce? Ah, I forgot about it. Let''s see who this man is and see if I can find something about him."


    Mark proceeded to use Sage''s eye to inspect the dead body.


    In an instant, all the information appeared on the holographic screen and Mark furrowed his brows after reading the description.


    "He''s a bandit? And that too, a member of Kunyu bandit group? I never knew such a bandit group existed nearby this ce." Mark wasn''t only surprised about the existence of the bandit group but was also surprised by this guy''s loyalty.


    After all, bandits are supposed to be greedy, selfish, and cowards. To save their lives, they wouldn''t hesitate to sell out theirrades. But, this guy who is probably on the lookout hasmitted suicide?


    If such a low-level person is that loyal to the group, it would either mean that their leader is indeed charismatic, or they fear their leader very much, or the group itself is actually a rebellious group.


    For Mark, the third is the best option but even it is one or second, it wouldn''t matter as long as there isn''t some legendary expert in their midst, which is of course impossible.


    Mark searched the dead body and found nothing but a few spare bullets, and 7 silver coins.


    Meanwhile, Alina was seen dragging an unconscious injured man with an energy chain. There''s another fellow who was voluntarily following her.


    They reached Mark and the Android reported, "Mission, sessful, Big Brother."


    As she shifted her eyes towards the dead body for a moment, Mark stared at the young man that was standing beside Alina, about a couple of meters away.


    He inspected him with Sage''s eye.


    <strong>Xing Yimu</strong>


    Rank: 5 (intermediate stage)


    Spirit Path: Assassin


    Description: An elite member of Mt. Hua Sect who specializes in scouting.


    The moment he read the description, everything became clear for Mark.


    "Mt. Hua Sect, huh," Mark slowly opened his mouth and the young man''s face paled.


    As soon as he realized that even his identity was blown, Xing Yimu quickly fell on his knees and begged, "I''ll tell everything, please have mercy on us."


    "What is there to exin?" Mark scoffed as he heard the plea. He further said, "Mt. Hua Sect is located in Sui Province. That would mean Sui n is closer to your sect. Sui n was supported by the Crown Prince. And Song n''s Patriarch was defeated by me.


    Naturally, your sect would have gotten the information about thisnd even before I receive thend deed from the Emperor. Or I should say you purposely allotted me thisnd so that you can kill me without causing any trouble.


    The escort was appointed by the pce. So, I highly doubt he would turn into a witness for my murder. Is there something else you want to add?"


    Mark''s gaze turned cold as he silently stared at the kneeling young man.


    The young man answered, "The Kunyu valley is the ce where the infamous Kunyu bandits live. You are given thisnd so that your presence can keep them in check."


    After adding a detail, he pleaded once again, "Please have mercy. We were only scouts and nothing more."


    Mark stared at him in silence for a few seconds. On one hand, there''s a civilian-level bandit who doesn''t hesitate tomit suicide and on the other hand, there''s a 5-circle Elite realm assassin who intends to beg for life. What an irony.


    After a brief silence, Mark opened his mouth, "fine, I''ll leave the two of you if you answer my questions."


    "Yes, please ask me. I''ll answer everything truthfully." The young man appeared to be hopeful once again.<sub> </sub>


    "First, answer me, who are Kunyu bandits?"


    Xing Yimu answered, "This is something we have yet to confirm but there''s a spection in our sect that Kunyu bandits were the former soldiers of the Western Yan before it was invaded andter annexed into the Phoenix Empire, about a decade ago."


    "Western Yan?" Mark felt like he was missing something critical but didn''t know what it is.


    "What is the strength of Mt. Hua Sect?" Mark pushed aside his thoughts and then asked him before adding another question, "How many experts do you have over 6-circle and above?"


    "As far as I know, there are a total of 22 experts, of which, 17 elders are 6-circle, and the other four guardians are 7-circle. Our Sect leader, Dai Long is at the peak stage of 7-circle. But, there''s a rumor that he entered the legendary realm." Xing Yimu answered while hoping that Mark would at least try to think of the consequences and his chances of survival will increase.


    Mark furrowed his brows when he heard that. He felt Mt. Hua Sect is formidable than the Imperial Pce.


    He further asked, "Who gave you this mission?"


    "Guardian Sui Ping, He is an uncle of Grand Elder of the Sui n." Xing Yimu replied.


    Something clicked in Mark''s head and he asked, "Suppose you found me without being detected. How did you n on rying this information to your sect so that this Guardian Sui Ping or your sect members will be deployed before I return?"


    "Eh?" Xing Yimu was surprised for a second before taking out a paper with some strange drawings. "With thismunication Talisman. Usually, we were given an intermediate quality and can contact our sect''smunication hall as long as we are within 1000 km range. Themunication hall will act as a mediatory between us.


    But, for private missions, we will be given separate talismans like these, which are imbued with our superior''s ether energy, so that we can report to them directly."


    Communication Talismans were rare in the cultivation world but Xing Yimu didn''t expect an Exalt realm expert like this Lu Zhen wouldn''t know about it. Or maybe, he was mistaken about it.


    Anyway, that doesn''t matter. What matters to him is how to get out alive from this ce. After this, he decided to kill his unconscious partner, steal his storage ring, desert the sect, eventually go into hiding.


    Mark thought for a bit, weighing the pros and cons.


    After a whole minute of silence, he nodded, "okay, you can leave with your partner."


    Xing Yimu kowtowed, "thank you."


    Alina handed his unconscious partner and he carried him on the back while walking away. Just as he walked more than 20 meters, Mark suddenly gave an order, "Alina, kill the both of them."


    Alina nodded and dashed towards them while conjuring energy daggers.


    Within just three seconds, Xing Yimu''s throat was slit and blood start to pour out endlessly.


    Throwing away his partner on the ground, Xing Yimu grabbed his throat with his eyes widened. "You¡­"


    "Sorry but my master isn''t kind-hearted." Alina let out a smile and shed his wrists without giving him any time to recover. In a fraction of a second, she then pierced the chest with her daggers, urately damaging the heart.


    He fell to the ground. Before he lost his life, he cursed in his heart, "Everyone will receive their karma. You bastard will one day¡­"


    At least, he hadst moments but his partner didn''t even have such luxury. Alina killed him ruthlessly and collect their storage rings before returning to Mark. Meanwhile, the blood spilled on her face disappeared automatically, although nothing can be done about the clothes.


    Taking the storage rings, he inspects them. From the two storage rings, he received 67 low-quality ether crystals, 263 gold coins, a couple of gold-grade weapons, and 6 advancement pills (intermediate).


    The clothes, food, exclusive talismans, and pouches, things like that are of no use to him. After storing the corpses in one of the storage rings, Mark directly dismantled the two of them, earning about 97 credits.


    Then, he proceeded to dismantle the gold-grade dagger and gold-grade staff. Mark received about 153 credits and 296 credits, respectively.


    "Not much but I guess something is better than nothing."


    Mark put aside the matter and shifted his attention towards the mountains. "Former soldiers of Western Yan, eh! Now, that''s something worth investigating."

 Chapter 114 A New Bloodline Skill

    In the middle of nowhere, Mark was sitting on the grass in lotus position with dozens of ether crystals poured beside him.


    "System, Absorb."


    He was taking one of them into his hands, absorbing all the ether energy from it, and took the System''s help to refine it.


    Within ten minutes, all the sixty-seven ether crystals were absorbed and refined, increasing his ether energy points from 359 to 426.


    "I see, low ether crystals only raise 1 point, huh. No wonder it is too tough for the Spirit Warriors to raise their level in a short time." Mark mumbled to himself while taking a look at his stats.


    After calcting how much it costs to reach 7-circle, Mark threw away the silly thoughts and proceeded to open the currency exchange tab.


    <strong>*Ding! You exchanged 2500 gold coins for 500 credits.</strong>


    "System, open the store."


    A list of categories appeared before him. "Items, Attributes, and Skills."


    He clicked on items.


    A long list appeared before him. Mark didn''t waste any time and scrolled down to the Pills section.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased the Basic Intelligence pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    "Open Inventory"


    He searched for a while before finding the slot with an image of a pitch-ck pill with a 4 number on the bottom.


    Their shape isn''t that of a usual sphere-shaped one like an advancement pill. Instead, they look more like vitamin capsules. When he took one of them out, he could instantly feel the softness like gel.


    He swallowed like a capsule. Within a few seconds, the pill entered the stomach and dissolved instantly.


    <strong>*Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.1 points permanently.</strong>


    Mark didn''t feel any difference and proceeded to take the remaining three of them, earning three more simr notifications before the new notification popped, giving him the confirmation about the breakthrough along with another surprising notification.


    <strong>*Ding! Your Intelligence reached 4 points. Do you wish to break through to rank-4?</strong>


    "Yes. Proceed."


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you sessfully broke through to rank-4.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted Main Quest-II. You received 4000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You receive a new Main Quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Lightning Crocodile.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Frosty Roc</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your share in the purchases of system-created weapons has been increased from 40% to 50%.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new skill, Ice bolt.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your skill, Absolute Freezing has been upgraded.</strong>


    <strong>******</strong>


    <strong>Absolute Freezing:</strong> Freeze your surroundings for 60 seconds. Range: 100 meters. Cost: 1000 ether points, CD: 30 minutes.


    <strong>Ice bolt:</strong> Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy at any time tounch them at your enemies. Anything that the ice spear pierces will be frozen. Attack strength: 100% power of the user. Range: 100 meters. Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: 0 seconds. Note: The user can only control one spear at one time. The rest will hover around the user.


    *******


    "Okay, I guess my summons would be strong enough to protect me in the absence of Allen and Alina but need to do something about the ether crystals. Let''s hope this trip would be bountiful enough for me to raise my ether energy considerably. Until then, I need to depend on these advancement pills. Seriously, they are a cheat item for me."


    Mark was now satisfied with his strength and decided to leave for his next stop, the bandits'' vige but he practically knows nothing about these Kunyu bandits and the mountain range stretches for a few hundred kilometers from north to south.


    He knew that he cannot search through old fashion methods. As he was thinking for an idea, Alina spoke to him after automatically reading his thoughts, "Big Brother, there''s still a spy who is alive, the watcher deployed by the pce."


    She pointed her finger towards the east where around half a kilometer away, a person is sitting on a horse and is observing them through a piece of high-quality magnifying equipment (binocrs).


    The watcher didn''t dare to go near to Mark and just spied from distance. He witnessed the eagle and the deaths of the strangers. He couldn''t hear them. So, he didn''t know what he asked them but either way, he will report it to the Imperial Pce,ter.


    However, little did he expect, he would also be a victim in Mark''s ruthlessness.


    Unlike the spies from Sui n or the Kunyu bandit, Alina didn''t drag him by force nor did she threaten him.


    She calmly informed him that Mark wanted to talk to him.


    At first, the watcher thought that Mark will probably threaten him to stay quiet about this matter, and in case, he was forced to make an oath, he nned to keep it as secret as it has nothing to do with him.<sub> </sub>


    But then, after reaching Mark, thetter asked him about the Kunyu bandits on how to meet them.


    The watcher didn''t have any idea what Mark was thinking. Maybe, this guy would warn them because hisnd is nearby or maybe, he will also extort them, or maybe, he had some other ns.


    Whatever the case, it doesn''t matter to him and the watcher replied, giving a suggestion, "Lord Lu, you can go through any of the Kunyu valleys that are connected to the Western Yan. If both of you hide your aura like now, they will surelyunch an attack for sure."


    "Okay, thank you." Mark nodded with a smile before adding, "And should I expect you to follow me if I go to the Kunyu valley?"


    The watcher stayed silent, trying to understand the hidden meaning. He replied, "If Lord Lu wants me to stay here, I will do so."


    "No, I won''t stop you from doing your job." Mark waved his hands with a smile.


    The watcher inwardly sighed in relief and bowed to him, before getting onto the back of his horse as Mark stepped forward towards his carriage that was parked about 100 meters away.


    But, just after he made two steps, Mark stopped in his tracks and turned around, "Actually, you know what. I don''t want to take that risk."


    "Alina," He called her name and snapped his finger.


    "Sir?" The watcher''s face paled as the peerless beauty disappeared and a dagger was pierced from the back of his throat.


    Hested for a few seconds before his body fell on the ground from the horse.


    Looking at his corpse, Mark let out a sigh, "sorry but this wasn''t personal. I can''t risk allowing someone to live who might have a chance to learn about my ns to ruin the Empire."


    To not leave any evidence, Mark further ordered Alina to kill the horse too before cing the two corpses into the inventory. He nned to dispose of themter at the third destination.


    About an hourter, the horses were seen pulling the carriage as they were slowly walking through the valley.


    Alina informed Mark about the presence of bandits who are hiding but thetter didn''t care much and told her to drive.


    Eventually, they reached halfway into the valley.


    And all of a sudden, bandits rushed from left and right.


    "Alina, scan the surroundings and tell me what the strength of the strongest person is." Mark gave an order.


    While the bandits were about to reach the carriage with various weapons in their hands, Alina quickly followed the order and found the person and reported him, almost within two seconds, "Big Brother, found him. He is in the advanced stage of the six-circle realm."


    "An upper elite?" Mark furrowed his brows. He didn''t expect such a powerhouse is hiding within bandits. Now, his suspicion of their identities deepened, thereby increasing his excitement.


    "Okay, take him down and bring him to me alive." After giving an order, Mark took out an advancement pill from his inventory and swallowed it.


    <strong>*Ding! You took an advancement pill (intermediate)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Each of your stat is increased by 1 point for the next 60 minutes.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily reached rank-5.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning wolf.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Tundra Bear</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Ether energy temporarily increased to 100,000 points.</strong>


    As Alina jumped away from the carriage and quickly rushed away, the bandits who reached the ce thought that she was escaping. Someone wanted to shout about catching her but she already left their sight.


    It was then the door of the carriage is opened and Mark stepped down. His eyes fell on the bandits surrounding his horse carriage from all the sides. To his surprise, several of them have pistols and revolvers in their hands.


    Looking at his luxurious clothes, the eyes of the bandits lit up. A captain bandit who was at 3-circle realm walked forward in confidence after sensing there''s no ether in Mark and spoke, "Leave your belongings here ande with us in peace. Or else¡­"


    There''s a revolver in his hand. He shot the bullet into the sky and then, pointed at Mark, "the next thing that will blow up is your head."


    Mark stared around with a frown on his face. "How do you get so many firearms with you?"


    At first, he wondered whether it is the Lin n but pushed away from the thought as Lin Xue mostly buys Semi-Automatic guns, every day.


    A figure appeared in his mind.


    Before he gets to confirm his suspicions, the captain shouted, "Quit asking nonsense questions and surrender if you want to leave. I''ll give you five seconds."


    "5, 4, 3¡­"


    As the captain bandit was counting down the numbers with the revolver aiming at Mark''s forehead, thetter replied, "well, too bad that I won''t give you the time to think."


    "Come out, foxy."


    In an instant, a blinding sh of lights appeared beside him, pushing all the bandits including the horse carriage away slightly away to clear the space, and after five seconds, a pure white fox, which is bigger than Mark appeared on the spot.

 Chapter 115 Kunyu Bandits (Part-2)

    Even though the Snow Fox is a beast belonging to a very rare ice attribute, its strength is still in rank-3 and could contest against a 4-circle realm expert when it doesn''t use any skills.


    In normal situations, it was something that can''t be feared but when facing the bandits where most of them aren''t even Spirit Warriors, it was invincible.


    Mark didn''t stop there. To intimidate them further, he summoned the thunder lion.


    Each of them will drain him about 1000 ether points per minute but at present, he possessed enough ether energy for them to sustain long.


    As the bandits were taken by the sudden turn of events, Mark spoke, "I''ll just give you one breath of time. Either scram away or kneel on your spots. Those who tried to resist will be killed."


    In a fraction of seconds, all the bandits decisively fled away in different directions including the captain that aimed the revolver at Mark''s head earlier.


    The moment they saw the beasts, they knew that their prey isn''t a simple man, and these Kunyu bandits only make safe bets.


    Mark, who was surprised by their decisive action, shook his head and went back into the carriage while the thunder lion and snow fox were guarding him.


    About ten minutester, Alina returned while dragging an injured man by chains. The thunder lion moved from the spot as Alina passed it and knocked on the door.


    "Big Brother, missionpleted." She reported him.


    Mark opened the door and stepped out again only to be surprised once again as he saw the man caught by the energy chains. He quickly activated Sage''s eye and inspected him. A smile appeared on Mark, "I knew it."


    The man also looked at Mark and was taken aback, "Owner Lu?"


    It was none other than Feng Wu, the mysterious archer who came to his store, a while ago. Feng Wu never expected that the storekeeper has an expert by his side, more powerful than Allen.


    Mark ordered Alina to free him.


    As Alina dismissed the chains, Mark said, "don''t worry, Ie here in peace. That''s why I only warned yourrades and didn''t take their lives even though a subordinate of yours put a gun at my head."


    "Thank you." Feng Wu nodded in understanding. After he was soundly defeated, he was informed the same. Or else, he would rathermit suicide instead of getting captured by an enemy.


    Mark then said, "Before I get to the matter, just let me confirm your identity. Are the Kunyu bandits really the former soldiers and citizens of Western Yan? If yes, then, take me to your leader. If not, then, I will return as I don''t have any business with some bandit group."


    Feng Wu stayed silent, clearly hesitating whether he should speak or not.


    Meanwhile, Mark patiently waited for the answer. The moment he confirmed that Feng Wu was a Kunyu bandit, everything became clear to him.


    After all, it wasn''t a secret that Western Yan was once ruled by Feng n, and the person before him was confirmed to be Feng Wu.


    And once he confirmed Feng Wu''s data by inspecting him, Mark received all the answers even without asking anything. But, still, he can''t expose his secret.


    Since this archer never mentioned his real name, Mark could only act ignorant and put up an act that he had suspicions about and is in the middle of connecting the dots.


    Feng Wu thought for a while. He stared at Mark and then, the lion, fox, and Alina. He was tempted to take Mark hostage after sensing that the beasts were only in the 3-circle realm but he was wary of the peerless beauty. After all, he just saw her power. In his eyes, she didn''t even use ether energy but still defeat him. So, it''s likely that she''s at 7-circle. If anything goes wrong, he cannot escape alive.


    After thinking for a while, he questioned, "Let''s assume that we are what you think we are. What then, Owner Lu?"


    Mark naturally understood the meaning behind his words. Since they were his future allies, he would see them differently and wouldn''t get offended by every little thing that annoys him.<sub> </sub>


    He replied, "If you are Western Yan''s former soldiers, and if any of your princes is still alive and willing to take back the kingdom, I''ll provide help."


    "Eh? You''ll help us?" A trace of surprise appeared on him. He didn''t expect this person would side with him. He probed, "How?"


    "By supplying weapons, naturally." Mark shrugged his shoulders and exined further as he already knew that Feng Wu is the former prince of Western Yan. "I have more advanced weapons than those single-shot pistols and revolvers. I will also constantly supply bullets and ammunition. Of course, they will be expensive but I''m willing to provide them on credit. Your leader or the King can repay the principal amount after iming the kingdom. Until then, just need to pay a tiny interest.


    So, if you like this deal, then, fulfill these three simple conditions. One, take me to the leader. Two, I also need to meet the person that will take over the throne. Three, I need solid proof that you are indeed the former soldiers of Western Yan who became bandits after your kingdom was upied by the Shang Dynasty."


    Feng Wu fell into thoughts. No matter how he thinks, this deal was a favorable one for them. Their overall strength already improved a bit after the purchase of firearms.


    But then again, he just couldn''t trust a stranger into their hideout and expose the location. Moreover, there''s also a threat of assassination to their leader.


    After thinking for a bit, he asked a final question, "Why do you want to help us? Do you have any enmity with the Imperial Pce?"


    Mark expected this question long ago. He calmly answered, "Let''s just say I became a victim of a certain incident caused by an Imperial family member."


    "Revenge? Is it the Emperor? Crown Prince?" Feng Wu wondered for a while before he replied truthfully, "I can fulfill two of your conditions but I''m afraid I can''t let you meet our future King until I was sure that I can trust you. I hope you understand."


    The conditions were just excuses for Mark. In fact, he doesn''t need to know them as he already found the person he was looking for.


    As Mark nodded in agreement, Feng Wu revealed his identity, "The leader of Kunyu Bandits is actually me. My name is Feng Wu, and I''m the second prince of Western Yan."


    "No wonder you have 10 thousand gold coins of bounty on you," Markmented right away, alerting the person quickly. Feng Wu panicked a bit, thinking that it is indeed as he first thought."


    But then, in the next second, Mark waved his hands, "don''t worry. That small amount doesn''t interest me, anyway."


    Feng Wu didn''t rx a bit despite Mark''s assurance. He was wary of him even more and nced around to escape at any moment.


    Mark didn''t know what is going on inside Feng Wu. Now that he already revealed his intentions, he felt that it is time to impress him.


    Mark started his disy of the weapons. His 9 points charms worked in full effect, impressing this exiled prince.


    "Oh, this one can kill a 3-circle Spirit Warrior, huh." He took the shotgun into his hands and tried it.


    *bang*


    The shotgun pelletpletely sted away the rock that was about 1 meter big. "This one''s good." He was impressed with the power. He could imagine his subordinates blowing up the people''s heads with it.


    "Did you say this one costs 50 gold coins?" He asked him.


    Mark nodded, "it''s an exclusive weapon for the customers whose transactions with our store cross 10,000 gold but if it was me, I would choose this one to rece the revolvers and single-shot pistols. The damage is the same but one can shoot 21 times in a row. It''s best if one is running. Moreover, its range is also higher."


    ? As Feng Wu tried it and acknowledged that the 20-round handgun had a better grip and was very light, Mark finally took out his trump card from the inventory, "now, I''m going to show you the thing that will be useful in the war."


    He summoned a battle tank painted in ck. It was about 4 meters in length, 2 meters wide, and a little above 1.9 meters in height. Instead of a 120mm cannon, there were only two machine guns at the top.


    "Behold the Panzer." He raised his hand and pointed at it while Feng Wu stepped back instinctively. Thetter was stunned upon seeing it.

 Chapter 116 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-1)

    After clinching a huge deal with Feng Wu, Mark left the ce.


    Feng Wuter returned to the bandits'' vige and called for an urgent assembly.


    The elders were summoned to the council room where they usually discuss the matters going on in Western Yan. They had their own group of loyal spies working in the kingdom, of which, one of them was even a eunuch working at the pce.


    Never once they had abandoned the idea of reiming their throne and returning to their homnd. But, the conditions in the past decade weren''t in their favor.


    When Feng Wu exined about the panzer that can take on 4-circle realm experts with ease, the elders were baffled andter, expressed their support to him.


    After deciding on the numbers, he summoned merchant Huo Fen, who was imprisoned here a few weeks ago andter, got trapped by working as an instructor to the bandits that were new to firearms.


    As he was given good amodation and food and was treated considerably better than prisoners or other low ranking bandits, he settled down there, although not abandoning to leave the ce.


    And at present, Huo Fen was standing before Feng Wu, waiting for his order.


    Thetter handed him the scroll, "I want you to make a trip to Imperial City and hand it to the owner of Genesis Store. From now onwards, you will be our envoy and will act as the middleman between us and the store. You will resume your normal life as a merchant too. But, before you leave, take this."


    It''s a mysterious purple-colored pill with red dots, looking bizarre in one nce but Huo Fen''s heart skipped a beat when he saw it. It''s as if he had the knowledge of it.


    "Your Highness, this pill¡­" His voice started to shake as he stayed on the spot. He doesn''t seem like he wanted to take it.


    Feng Wu furrowed his brows, "what I''m about to give you is the heaven-defying pill, which is only a few numbers left in existence. You don''t want to appreciate the favor?"


    Huo Fen stepped back in fear. The risks were well known even to the public. After all, this is the pill that brought the downfall of the 2000-year-old mighty Feng Dynasty.


    "Yes, your highness." He stepped forward and took the pill into his hand.


    Feng Wu and the other elders were kept staring at him until Huo Fen clenched his fist and took the forbidden pill.


    The moment, the pill is digested, extreme heat regenerated in his body.


    "argh¡­" Huo Fen screamed in pain as he copsed on the floor. He was absorbing the natural energy at a rapid rate.


    "Just hang on for 18 hours and your fate will be changedpletely." Feng Wu said to him before ordering the subordinates to take him to his residence.


    It is a forbidden pill that will give a bloodline to a Spirit Warrior, although there are risks of thetter turning into a beast or worse, half-beast.


    And if a civilian takes it, they will be forcefully turned into Spirit Warrior using the same method the system did to Mark.


    However, it was an unsafe process. The person who took it will have a 60% survival and even if one seeds, after bing Spirit Warrior, his/her maximum potential will be stuck at 2-circle at best.


    The good thing is that the survived civilian will have a high chance of acquiring the bloodline of the beast that this pill was made from.


    As its creator is dead, they don''t have many in stock. By giving it to Huo Fen, Prince Feng Wu is really taking a serious gamble on partnering with Genesis store.


    "Let''s hope those metal puppets can give our victory. Now, all I need to wait for Grand uncle to finish his decade-long close door cultivation with a sessful breakthrough," Feng Wu mumbled to himself while a couple of bandits were taking away Huo Fen.


    Meanwhile, Mark left the Kunyu valley and returned to hisnd. He was faced with after-effects of the pill, feeling very weak. Mark just stayed in the carriage as they started traveling towards the south at a slow pace.<sub> </sub>


    By the evening, they reached somece in the wilderness. Since Alina wouldn''t need any food, Mark eats on his own and then, had an ufortable sleep in the carriage while hypnotizing himself that he was sleeping in the back seat of a car.


    The next morning, they started the journey once again, and by the time, the sun is at its highest position, the carriage stopped at the third destination.


    "Big Brother, we are here," Alina informed him.


    "Finally," Mark let out a sigh of relief and stepped down only to see arge number of adventurers ahead of him, some of them were entering the giant blue portal, some of them were calling out people to join them, some were asking a fee for letting the people join them, and some of them were arguing about something.


    Apart from the adventurers, there are also infirmaries, food stalls, stables, and such businesses that were set up nearby, trying to make a profit out of the situation.


    A nearby adventurer team of four-spotted the carriage along with Alina and Mark. Their looks were hard to ignore, especially Alina''s when she was in the midst of adventurers who usually don''t have any love life.


    Seeing the outfits of Mark and Alina, and sensing no ether energy from either of them, they thought Mark must be a rich noble and Alina might be his servant.


    One of them walked towards Mark and greeted him, "Hello, Sir, are you looking for a team to guide you?"


    "You are¡­" Mark looked at the person and inspected his details. Upon finding that he''s only at 3-circle and didn''t have much background, Mark rxed a bit.


    "I belonged to an adventurer team called, "Freemen." We don''t belong to any guild and our job is to guide first-timers or low realm Spirit Warriors or tourists by taking a fee.


    We charge just 2 gold coins per hour. If you need exclusive security and guidance, it''ll cost 10 gold coins per hour. Oh, our leader is a beginner stage 5-circle realm expert. As long as we don''t enter the core region, your safety is guaranteed."


    Mark felt amused by his exnation. He couldn''t help but widened his lips as hemented, "interesting. I didn''t expect such a business tactic exist."


    Maybe, because he was feeling rich due to the enormous amount of gold coins in his inventory, Mark felt like ying along. As the team was quite weak, he wasn''t bothered about getting ambushedter.


    "Everything is fine but I''m not sure whether I can strangers and follow them inside only to get robbedter." Mark then said to him as if he was really considering it but worrying about the matter.


    The adventurer didn''t get offended as it is something people like them were used to it. People are wary of them even more so because they don''t belong to any guild but their leader wouldn''t want to be restricted by rules.


    He said, "Well, in that case, you can join our Spades."


    "Hmm?" Mark looked at him, asking for an exnation.


    Seeing that he was really able to lure a client, the adventurer patiently exined, "Basically, our adventurer team was divided into two groups, Spades, and Diamonds.


    Diamonds is a group for exclusive clients and Spades is a group for the general public where we take five members with us but it will take a while for us to gather five people and our strength is also considerably lesserpared to Diamonds. So, the region we explore is also quite limited."


    "What about the treasures that we find or the carcasses of the beasts?" Mark asked another question.


    The adventurer was taken aback at first but then, he thought it is possible for this rich young master to not be familiar with the dungeons. In the end, he answered, "We strictly follow the adventurer code. The carcasses naturally belong to the one that kills it but the treasures will be divided equally among the group no matter who finds what."


    Mark was impressed by his answer and let out a smile, "my final question. Suppose I want to enter the dungeon with my horse carriage, will you charge me, 8 gold coins?"


    "Eh? Horse carriage?" The adventurer couldn''t help but nce at the horse carriage in surprise. Is there any special thing about them?

 Chapter 117 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-2)

    "Phuahaha, look at that pathetic team." "Wow, she sure is a beauty" "Is there a noble?" "I wonder which tourist is so brazen enough to take animals into the dungeon while depending on such a weak team." "The horses look high quality to me but they aren''t Spirit Beasts." "Should we follow them?"


    Mark and his party attracted the attention of a few adventurers as they went into the portal.


    This party had a total of eleven members. 6 of them belonged to the adventurer team named Spades, two are Alina and Mark, and the remaining three are novice adventures, of which one person is from a minor noble n who joined them for the experience.


    As for the other two, the leader pitied them and let them join as the team was earning enough money for this journey.


    While the adventurer team was walking on their foot, Mark wasfortably sitting in his double horse carriage and the novice adventurer was riding on his horse as he refused to walk when he saw the other passengers werefortably traveling in the horse carriage.


    ording to the deal, Mark agreed to pay 8 gold coins per hour while the team will give security to not only him and his Android assistant but also the two horses.


    It''s because of such a good deal that the group leader decided to give two novice adventurers, free guidance.


    As the party started to move into the dungeon, Mark received the notifications. He started reading the details on the holographic screen.


    <strong>Emergency Quest: Clear the Dungeon</strong>


    Description: Kill or tame the overlord of the Dungeon and liberate the trapped Spirit Beasts.


    Difficulty: Rank-6


    Rewards: Grenade (All types)


    **


    Side Quest IV: Tame ten monsters


    Rewards: Taming Skill


    ****


    "System''s ammunition seemed like they are more powerful than the ones I used in the past life. So, I guess the grenades will not disappoint me. I''m here to take out the boss, anyway. So, the quest doesn''t matter much but the issue is with the side quest.


    How was I able to tame these monsters in the first ce?" Mark fell into thoughts for a while before he opened the window on the right and peeked outside.


    The sky was blue but there was no sun or clouds. There are hills and forests located far away. They were currently traveling on barrennd.


    Even though it is called a dungeon, the ce inside is more like a separate realm with various locations.


    "So, can you tell me about this dungeon?" He initiated the conversation with the adventurer named Liu Zhong, the one who invited them.


    The 23-year-old answered, "This dungeon is an intermediate-level dungeon with the overlord named Tan. ording to what we know so far, it is a 6-circle fierce beast, some say it looks like a spider, some say it looks like a scorpion, while some say it is a human-faced centipede.


    No one knows what it looks like. There were just rumors and everyone who reached the innermost core area and try to kill it ended up as its food."


    "Then, why don''t the Exalt realm experts make a move and kill it?" Mark asked him curiously. He knows that it is a dungeon and even knows its name from the system but he doesn''t have any detailed information on the monsters.<sub> </sub>


    Liu Zhong shook his head, "it''s not possible because of the obvious issues. One, the dungeons have restrictions ced on them. Whether it is an Exalt realm expert or a Legendary realm expert, their strength will be reduced to 6-circle. So, unless it is important, people like them wouldn''t want to risk it.


    Two, as long as the overlord of the dungeon stays alive, the monsters will resurrect endlessly. No one can do anything about it but once it dies, along with the lower realm monsters, the dungeon itself will be closed while everyone else within it will be forced out.


    Unless the dungeon ispletely explored and all of the treasures were taken, adventurer teams wouldn''t want to try killing it too."


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded and grabbed his chin, going into thoughts while processing the information, "I wonder about the theory behind the endless resurrections."


    Suddenly, something clicked in his head and he asked the system, "System, you mentioned that the Spirit Beasts are liberated when the boss is killed. Can you borate?"


    The system was always quick to answer.


    <strong>*Ding! A dungeon is a realm created by a Dungeon creator, which is an advanced profession thates in the path of a Summoner.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! After reaching 7-circle, a Spirit Warrior can choose an advanced profession rted to his/her original profession.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! In the Summoner pathway, the Spirit Warrior can continue to be a Summoner or choose an advanced pathway of Beast Tamer or Dungeon Creator.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Beast Tamer is a profession where an individual would be able to tame any beast, although the chances of sess vary, depending upon the difference in strength. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The Dungeon Creators collect the beasts from various nes of existence and trap them in a dungeon. Any invader dies in the dungeon, the dungeon creator will receive their ether energy. So, to lure more adventurers, the creator had to sacrifice some of the treasures and keep them in the dungeons.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Once the monster dies, its body will return to something called a temporary resting space and the soul will be able to reenter its body once again, resurrecting 24 hourster in the same spot.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The Overlord of the dungeon will have a magical contract with the lower realm monsters and when it dies, the connection between the Spirit Beasts and the dungeon will be severed, letting them return to their original ne of existence where they were abducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! A few times, due to the low mastery of the dungeon creator, a dungeon break would ur, releasing all of them into the real world. If the dungeon creator has high mastery, he/she can purposely cause a dungeon break, effectively turning it into their weapon, causing chaos in the world.</strong>


    "Oh, boy¡­ this dungeon seems to be a lot deeper than I expected it to be." Mark realized that it wasn''t simple at all. He then continued to ask, "System, if I''m not a Tamer, then, why was I given a side quest? How could I tame a beast, when I''m only a summoner?"


    <strong>*Ding! The host should figure it out himself.</strong>


    Mark felt like he can''t understand the personality of the system. At one time, it was like a saint but at other times, it acts sassy.


    It was then he suddenly remembered Bai Xun who had a drake as his mount. He felt like he had asked a useless question.


    He once again peeked outside the window, "Liu Zhong, do you know anything about taming the beasts? I saw people have Spirit Beasts as mounts."


    "Ah, yes." Liu Zhong nodded. Now, he was sure that this guy was aplete newbie. But, since Mark is the client, he exined patiently. "There was a Spirit Beast Contract usually avable in the market but are expensive, well atleast for us. The cheapest one would cost as high as 10 gold coins. But, if you have lots of money, I would rmend just buying a Mount directly because¡­"


    "Everyone, the monsters were resurrected. Careful." All of a sudden, the team leader shouted as he takes out the sword from the sheath.


    A group of 2-circle Spirit Beasts numbering more than ten appeared in their path. All of them looked like boars but with four tusks.

 Chapter 118 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-3)

    The bunch of 2-circle monsters was dealt swiftly by the team leader and another swordsman. Both of them are 4-circle experts. So, they weren''t a big deal. The other four just focused on the protection of the clients.


    Adventurer Liu Zhong, who was tasked to protect the horse carriage from the left as well as turning into a guide for their esteemed civilian client, spoke to Mark with a smile, trying to reassure him, "Don''t need to worry, Lord Lu. Incidents like these are toomon in a dungeon, and as you can see, our leader alone is enough to take care of them."


    "I can see that," Mark nodded in response, and then, asked a series of questions, "Tell me more about the dungeon. What are the prime locations here? What kind of treasures did people find? Do you have any map?"


    Liu Zhong patiently answered one by one, clearing Mark''s doubts. At the same time, he was given a rough sketch of a map drawn on a goat''s skin.


    Although Liu Zhong said it was for free, Mark generously gave him a gold coin for it, which made the poor adventurer feel the envious gazes of his brothers.


    That''s right. All of the six adventurers in the Spades team are biological brothers of themoner Liu family. From Liu Zhong, Mark heard that their parents are farmers who died because of a dungeon break more than 15 years ago.


    The six of them were rescued by a wandering adventurer. Since then, they were staying together and fighting together.


    Mark was really surprised upon hearing his story. How could all the six children of a poor farmer in the countryside possess ether energy?


    It''s obvious for Mark that either there might be a hidden story to this or this adventurer is lying to him.


    Either way, neither Liu Zhong nor his siblings were any special based on what Mark saw with his Sage''s eye.


    So, he didn''t care much about their story and focused on the dungeon.


    After acquiring the map, which Liu Zhong imed to be 80% correct, the remaining 20% being the innermost core, Mark took a closer look at it.


    He stored it in the inventory and then, sent a telepathic message to his lovely female Android.


    Alina received the message, then, retrieved the goatskin map silently from the inventory and scanned it in a fraction of a second before cing it back into the inventory.


    <strong>*Ding! You received an image from Alina. Download?</strong>


    "Yes."


    The holographic screen disyed a map identical to that of the goatskin map with a proper sketch and graphics.


    Their entrance was in the north.


    There are two outposts located at the southwest and northeast with a long curved road between them.


    This path passes through several camps like the Dragon Knight Camp, Grotto Camp, Shimmerwood camp, assault camp, and finally, the war camp. All of these five camps have exit portals where the adventurers can escape. These camps are also the ces where they can take a rest.


    Now, the whole dungeon was basically divided into five regions, namely Grotto, Shimmerwood, Pritsha''s Nest, northern ruins, and the core region.


    No one knows who named these regions, probably earlier adventurers but either way, Mark doesn''t have any interest in it.


    After traveling for 30 minutes, they finally reached the Northern ruins, it is usually filled with 1-circle giant ants and medicinal flowers.


    Upon reaching the ce, Mark peeked outside. The captain and the other novice adventures became busy with massacring the ants.


    Even though there are literally thousands of ants that are 1-ft big, the ce was also swarmed with several low realm adventurers. There are no medicinal flowers to be plucked as all of them are already cleaned up long ago.


    About 15 minutester, the team continued their journey amid the gazes of the other adventurers. Naturally, the double horse carriage and Alina attracted the attention of everyone wherever the team passed by.


    It led a few adventurers to follow them from behind and some even tried to strike a conversation but Alina didn''t even speak a word no matter who talked how much. She just turned deaf to their words


    Some felt humiliated and thought of taking revenge but seeing the 4-circle expert in their midst, they put away such thoughts. None of them know that they just saved their lives by not doing such foolish things.


    However, the trouble for the party is far from over. After another thirty minutes of a journey, while asionally battling a group of warthogs, they reached their first resting point, the Assault Camp.


    Mark saw several adventurers sitting there and chatting around, healing their wounds from battle, there was even a trading center set up here where the adventurers can exchange the corpses for money.<sub> </sub>


    While Liu Zhong stayed behind to apany Mark, the others left for the trading center.


    Just a couple of minutester, a rude group of adventurers came to the horse carriage. One of them addressed Alina, "Hey beauty, what''s your name?"


    Alina stayed silent as before.


    The guy who is in histe thirties furrowed his brows by theck of her reaction. He spoke to her once again, dy, it''s not a good manner to ignore an Elite like me, making time to talk to you."


    As Alina ignored him again, Liu Zhong hurried forward and reached him. It seemed like he recognized him, "Fang Bao, please don''t disturb our clients."


    "Oh, it''s Liu Zhong," The other guy also seemed to know him. Adventurer Fang Bao proceeded to ridicule him right away, "if you are here, then, your pathetic brothers must also be here somewhere. Where are they? Did they perhaps go to exchange those low realm monsters, again?"


    The others who are standing behind this 4-circle expert also started tough along.


    Liu Zhong''s face turned red but he bore with it because he knew that he cannot defeat even one of them. In the end, he said, "If you have something to say, you can tell it to our captain. We''ll not sit by and watch if you try to use your strength to bully us."


    Fang Bao raised his arm and grabbed Liu Zhong''s shoulder. The former''s face turned cold as he said, "I guess it''s time we show everyone''s ces. Or else, every trash would mouth off as they wish."


    While the other adventurers who are resting behaved as if it has nothing to do with them, Liu Zhong was trying his best to get free while he was pushed onto his knees through brute force. "C''mon, hahahaha, scream for help. I want to see which trash of your brother wille and beg me to forgive you."


    Just then, a shout escaped from the carriage as the door opened, and Mark peeked outside, "Who is that barking outside, near my carriage. Get los¡­"


    His eyes fell on Liu Zhong and then, the buffed man with an unruly beard and messy hair.


    Mark furrowed his brows, "what are you doing?"


    "Who are you?" Fang Bao asked him in return before remembering Alina once again. He nced at her and then at him, "You appeared like a civilian. I bet you are here as a tourist. Here''s the deal, young man. Leave the girl here and run away. I''ll let you live."


    "Again?" Mark felt like a headache this time because Alina attracting this man''s attention is of no use. When he saw the lusty looks the other adventurers also had on their faces while they were staring at his Android Assistant, just for that moment, he thought it would be better for him to hide her beauty with a robe and hood.


    He then stared at the man and inspected his details for information.


    Fang Bao


    Race: Human


    Rank: 4-circle (peak stage)


    Description: A member of the Mt. Hua sect, and the leaders of the ssless Knights adventurer team.


    ***


    "Okay, that was interesting." Mark, who was enemies with Mt. Hua Sect, decided to act after confirming the identities of his otherpanions who just have a normal background.


    "Do you know who I am?" Mark asked him in response, to check his reaction.


    To his surprise, Fang Bao let out augh, "This is awlessnd. Even if you are a prince, no one cares whether you die or not."


    "In that case, it''s fine." Mark gave him a strange reply and nodded.


    Before the man understood what was going on, all of a sudden, a shotgun appeared in Alina''s hands and she shot at him.


    *bang*


    It wasn''t the loud gunshot that attracted the attention of everyone but it was the screaming of Fang Bao who was bleeding in the eye.

 Chapter 119 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-4)

    "Oh, her attack is damn precise," This is Mark''s first thought as he stared at the scene unfolded before his eyes.


    As Fang Bao screamed in pain, the teammates took out their weapons to retaliate. There were three of them.


    "Alina, knock them out but don''t use energy daggers or skills. Use the shotgun as your main attack." Mark passed a quick order. He didn''t take them much seriously considering they aren''t a threat. However, he doesn''t want others to interfere in his business and there''s also his curiosity regarding Alina''s gun handling.


    In just a fraction of a second, Alina appeared before the adventurer team, surprising Liu Zhong and everyone else, and she started to fire the shotgun pellets one after another.


    For a moment, Mark really felt amazed while watching how she managed to take a bunch of 4-circle realm experts with a shotgun.


    In his eyes, she looked more graceful when using a firearm instead of a dagger, although her clothes didn''t match with the weapon.


    However, the shotgun could only hold 6 rounds inside. They weren''t enough to knock them out and Alina might have to load the rounds.


    Alina didn''t want to give an opportunity for the targets to escape or fight back.


    While they were still screaming in pain with the injuries at vulnerable spots, she knocked them out with a chop at the side of their necks.


    Everyone except for Fang Bao was knocked while the leader of the team lost both of his eyes, kneeling at the spot and screaming for help.


    "Tell him to stop screaming. It''s too noisy." Mark gave an order while getting down from the carriage. Everyone around was staring at the scene in silence.


    Loading the remaining four shotgun shells from the side saddle, she crouched before him and put the shotgun at his throat, "Shhh, my master doesn''t like your voice. So, shut the fuck up or else, I will put this into your mouth and shoot, understand?"


    Alina had a passive skill, influencing the target''s minds with her words. The more the target is weaker than her, the more she can influence them.


    So, when Fang Bao heard her words, he was intimidated to the core and started to shiver and nodded.


    "Woah," Mark was surprised for a second. It was a different side of Alina that he saw today. Honestly, he prefers a badass woman like this. Too bad, she isn''t a human.


    Clearing his throat, Mark spoke, "don''t misunderstand, Fang Bao. Just so you know, I''m not punishing you because you dare to threaten me, tried to harm mypanion, or you eyed my servant. Well, I don''t say that I''ll keep quiet but the main reason isn''t that. It''s because of your rtion to Mt. Hua Sect."


    Fang Bao fell on his butt when he heard Mark''s words. How could the stranger have known about it? No one in the guild knew of it.


    Mark continued, "Now, I''ll ask you three simple questions. Nod if yes. Shake your head if No. Are you in touch with your fellow sect members?"


    Fang Bao nodded.


    Mark then asked, "My first question. Are you close with any person in your sect that is stronger than you?


    Fang Bai nodded once again.


    Mark asked again, "My second question. If you die, will that person seek revenge?"


    Fang Bao stayed silent for a while before Alina pressed the shotgun at his throat once again, "answer him."


    Fang Bao nodded.


    "What is that person''s identity? How strong is he?" Mark asked his third question.


    Fang Bao answered with great difficulty, "my maternal cousin is an elder. He is in the 6-circle realm."


    "Oh, that''s better." Mark let out a smile upon hearing a useful piece of information. A n already formed in his mind. He decided to execute it, "I heard that you carrymunication talisman with you all the time andmunicate with your sect as long as you are in 1000 km range.


    I''ll allow you to use it to send it to your uncle in case you wanted revenge. In that case, tell him also that I don''t intend to stay here for too long. He can only catch me before the dungeon clears.


    So, do you want to take that option before you die or should I behead you, right away? I''ll give you one minute to decide."


    At that moment, Fang Bao had only one thought. To survive. Judging by how he was taken down, he felt like this man wouldn''t show mercy if he plead with him.


    So, Fang Bao tried to run away in some random direction at his maximum speed.<sub> </sub>


    He suddenly rolled to the back and stood on his feet before trying to move away. But, will Mark let him do that?


    *Bang* Bang* *Bang*


    Three sessive shots were fired by Alina. Interestingly, all three of them struck Fang Bao''s lower part of the right leg and that too, at the same spot.


    The first shot only injured him slightly because the shotgun pellet is only rank-3 but when the sessive shots hit him at the same spot, the injury became bigger, effectively making him crash on the ground.


    As he tried to drag his leg, Alina caught up with him and cruelly stepped on that leg without disying any emotions on her face. "Sorry, but you don''t have a way out."


    Mark shook his head as he walked towards Fang Bao who was screaming and pleading for mercy. "Fang Bao, as I said before, your death is already sealed. You only had an option of being avenged. There are 50 seconds to go."


    It was at that moment, a high pitch roar escaped from nearby. "Stop right there, you fiend."


    Mark turned sideways to look at the one that disturbed him.


    A teenager-looking boynded a few meters away from him. Following that, four more expertsnded behind him.


    Out of desperation, Fang Bao pleaded with them, "please help me. I don''t want to die."


    Seeing the boy has this air of a noble around him, Mark didn''t waste any time to inspect the boy with Sage''s Eye. When he did that, he couldn''t help but broke out intoughter.


    <strong>Ji Guanli</strong>


    Race: Human


    Rank: 5-circle (advanced stage)


    Description: The heir to the Ji n.


    "I never expected my luck would turn out this well or else, why would I coincidentally meet a member of Mt. Hua Sect and now, the heir of Ji n?" Mark couldn''t stop himself tough at the situation, earning a frown from the boy.


    Ji Guanli spoke, "I don''t know who you are or what kind of business you have with that man but killing is against thew. You cannotmit such a crime without getting away with it, no matter who you are when there are so many witnesses. For the sake of your future, leave him and get lost from here."


    Mark''sugh became bigger in response before he replied, "it''s too funnying from you, whose father murdered hundreds of civilians to rule the Western Yan, Young lord Ji Guanli."


    Ji Guanli''s frown became deeper when he realized that this man recognized his face. "That was war, not some personal vendetta against an individual."


    Mark returned with a swift response, "this is the same too, except that in my side, there wasn''t any army on my side. I''m just a single individual. And this is a form of gueri warfare tactic."


    Ji Guanli didn''t understand his words properly. He said, "I don''t care what it is. Leave him alone. Since you know who I am, then, you should also know the consequences of going against the Ji n."


    "You are contradicting by your own statement, Young Lord Ji. I don''t understand why every noble turned out to be a hypocrite." Mark shook his head with a sigh before giving a cold gaze to the teenager, "This isn''t Western Yan, young lord Ji. Don''t go around showing off your identity. Who knows, some crazy man like me will take it as an offense and you might not return to home."


    "How bold of you. I don''t care what kind of background you have. Today, you will have to be taught a lesson." The teenager got angry and signaled to his guards.


    "I don''t mind people putting their noses in someone''s business but I don''t like it if that business is mine." Mark looked at Alina, ordered her to take them down while permitting her to use her full strength.


    Alina let out a grin as she dismissed the shotgun and summoned the dark energy daggers.


    Even though all of them are in the six-circle realm, the strongest one is only an intermediate stage.


    None of them were strong enough to face Alina but with their teamwork, they managed to sustain light injuries.


    Meanwhile, Mark took the advancement pill, temporarily raising his strength to 5-circle.


    He didn''t hesitate to summon the rank-5 Tundra Bear and rank-5 lightning wolf to take down the scion of the Ji n and capture him.

 Chapter 120 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-5)

    "Summoner with a dual attribute?" Ji Guanli was taken aback by the sudden appearances of a giant white bear and a wolf with sparks dancing all over its body.


    He didn''t know what pill this fiend before him took but whatever the case, there''s a crisis on his side.


    He turned towards the left. His four guards were barely defending themselves from a peerless beauty.


    He hardened his expression and decided to take an intermediate quality advancement pill.


    Taking a pill, he made a temporary breakthrough to the 6-circle realm. However, unlike Mark, his cultivation level didn''t be advanced 6-circle. It was only at the intermediate stage. After all, the higher the rank, the lesser the effect the pill would have on them.


    Nevertheless, Ji Guanli thought it was enough to face the enemy. Being a genius, he was confident in his superior skills.


    "Tundra Bear, you stay with me and act as the guard. Lightning wolf, you take him down." Mark passed the orders. As they were only temporary summoning beasts and don''t have any given names, he just called them with their species.


    "Woof"


    The lightning wolf barked at the teenager and dash forward.


    "Brother Fan, go and protect the young master." One of the Ji n''s elite guards, Long Yaoting said to another guard who crashed on the ground because of a kick in the gut.


    Fan Seichan clutched his stomach as he slowly stood on his feet. He didn''t hesitate to abandon hisrades to guard his young master.


    However, will Alina let him do as they please? Of course, not.


    "As if I would let you interrupt my master''s battle," Alina mumbled to herself before raising her arms.


    <strong>"Twilight Shackles."</strong>


    Three pitch-ck energy chains erupted from her palms of which one of them pierced Fan Seichan in the back.


    "Ugh¡­" Fan Seichan halted in his footsteps and looked at his chest where a de came out of it while transforming into that of an anchor-shaped object.


    She then swung the chain, making him fly towards a couple of other guards. The remaining two chains also attacked two of them, heavily injuring them too.


    Meanwhile, the lightning fox reached its target.


    Ji Guanli was ready with clenching his fists. His Spirit Path is Fighter and majorly depends on his fists and kicks.


    He went into a battle stance with his right foot forward and the left foot at a perpendicr angle to it. Ether energy was covering his body, powering up his strength.


    As the lightning wolf jumped onto him with its sharp canines, Ji Guanli bent his body and twisted to the left a bit beforending a powerful punch on the beast.


    The lightning wolf was hit on the chest and flew up in the air for a couple of meters. Ji Guanli then nted a kick before it falls onto the ground.


    *Thud*


    The lightning wolf flew towards Mark.


    "Tundra Bear," Mark called out the giant icy bear beside him and transmitted his thoughts.


    Standing on its two legs, it stood before its master and stretched its arms forward, and caught the wolf.


    The wolf was then put on the ground. It growled at the enemy.


    Mark''s face doesn''t look good at the moment. "Until now, I only fought against weaker people. This kid is tough to beat. I guess I have no choice but to go big."


    Ji Guanli then charged forward to go onto offense, this time.


    Mark gave an order to both of them. <strong>"Tundra Bear, use Gigantification."</strong>


    Right away, about 50000 ether points were deducted and a blinding sh of light appeared over the bear, increasing its size from 15 ft to 100 ft when standing on two feet.<sub> </sub>


    Itsrge size attracted the attention of several adventures that are far away.


    In Gigantification state, along with its size, its strength is also boosted by 50%, although only for 20 seconds of time.


    Naturally, unlike other monsters of the wild, Mark''s summoning beings were special as their strength is calcted in numerical values.


    A seven-circle realm expert is usually 3-10 times stronger than a six-circle realm expert. However, for Mark, a twenty percent boost for a rank-6 will provide him the strength of a rank-7. It is definitely the most ridiculous and cheating ability in the universe.


    With a skill that boosts a significant percentage of the summoning being''s strength, Mark could even wipe out a Supreme Realm expert with his rank-7 beast.


    Maybe, this is why the consumption of ether points is also very huge even for summoning, much less activating a skill. After unleashing a skill, Mark didn''t even have sufficient ether points left for the lightning wolf to unleash its skill.


    What''s more, the duration of their stay in the material world is also decreased to a few minutes. So, Mark knew that he has to finish this battle as soon as possible.


    At the current stage, the Tundra Bear touched the strength of Legendary Realm for a brief period of time.


    Dismissing the lightning wolf, Mark passed quick orders, "Alina, get away from there." "Tundra Bear, kill those four."


    Alina immediately teleported away while the giant tundra bear raised its hand and ttened the elite guards of the Ji n with a single palm strike. The entire Assault camp shook for a few seconds as if a powerful earthquake had urred. Even Mark himself isn''t immune to the effects and fell on his butt after losing his bnce.


    As the Tundra Bear raised its palm from the ground, without any surprises, all the four elite guards turned into a pool of blood. Not even equipment or their storage rings were spared. Everything was destroyed.


    The Ji n''s young master was shivering in fear as he raised his head and looked at the monster.


    He realized that he fucked up for good.


    Mark stood up on his feet and tried his best to control his expression. In a calm tone, he said, "Whether you belonged to Ji-n or the imperial family, you can''t escape the consequences of offending me."


    Straitened his back, he walked forward. The confidence in Mark grew as the fear in Ji Guanli''s eyes increased.


    And the teenager did what every idiotic noble would do. In fear of death, he threatened Mark, "if you kill me, the Ji n won''t leave you alive. My master is the Patriarch of Heavens Sect. You will also face their wrath."


    Mark broke out intoughter, "I offended many people in this world. One more wouldn''t trouble me but you will be more useful as a hostage rather than a dead body. So, I won''t kill you."


    He then looked to the side where Alina was standing, "he''s your responsibility."


    "Affirmed, Big Brother." Just as Alina epted the mission, the giant bear returned to its size, bringing a trace of a surprise to Ji Guanli''s face.


    Mark then dismissed the beast to save up his ether points. There are still about 36000 ether points left, barely enough for him to summon the rank-5 beast for 3 minutes of time.


    Realization dawned upon Ji n''s young master. "I see, rather than hiding the strength, this is just a temporary boost. I was tricked because of their deaths."


    Right away, his fear was reduced a lot and he readily used all of his ether energy to create a barrier around him, surprising Mark, a little bit.


    "Hmm? Does he still think he had a chance now that there''s no beast on my side?" Mark wondered when he saw the barrier and eventually, shook his head, "it''s useless. The protos daggers of Alina can prate any shield."


    He then saw the teenager take out some kind of talisman. He doesn''t know whether it is amunication talisman or it is something else but he decided to observe and let Alina deal with it.


    And once again, the overconfident scion of the Ji n ran off his mouth with a burning talisman in his hand, "You did a very big mistake on killing my elite guards. I remember your face. Once I return to the n, I will sure to make you pay over¡­"


    Through the words of the teenager, once Mark realized what the talisman does, he suddenly attacked with his bloodline skill while Alina dashed towards her target to stop him.


    "Absolute Freezing," Mark unleashed his first bloodline skill.


    As it takes a bit of time to especially target one enemy, Mark froze all of his hundred-meter surroundings.


    In just a fraction of a second, the Ji n''s young master, unfortunately, his horse carriage, Liu Zhong, a dozen spectators in the range, every single one of them was frozen and became like ice sculptures along with the surroundings.


    The other spectators took a few steps back in fear.

 Chapter 121 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-6)

    Absolute Freezing is the first bloodline skill of Mark, which not only freezes the target under the ice but there''s also puts ayer of powerful barrier below it.


    It was done in such a way that neither would the target get affected by the temperature nor would they be able to escape by force.


    The skill has its own advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that obviously, the affected target won''t be able to move. Under this state, Mark and his Android assistants were able to cause damage to the frozen target with energy attacks.


    The disadvantage is that all kinds of physical attacks from outside will only damage the ice and the barrier, helping out the trapped target.


    ? Another disadvantage is that even Mark cannot free a person from a freezing state. So, if an ally was caught in the range by mistake, then, they were as good as going into a vulnerable state and he can''t do anything about it.


    There are only three ways to get out of the state.


    First, they need to wait until the time limit is over. The time limit varies ording to the strength of the trapped one.


    Second, someone from the outside helps them out by attacking it.


    Third, which isn''t actually a way but a prerequisite condition. If a target possesses a powerful fire element bloodline like a phoenix, they can instantly get out with their own bloodline skill.


    Unfortunately for Ji Guanli, he was only qualified for the first way. The only good is that he''s temporary in the six-circle realm, so, it won''t take an entire minute for him to get free.


    However, this time is enough for Alina to use energy daggers and knock him out.


    About 40 secondster, Ji Guanli was freed but was found unconscious with several cuts over his body.


    Without bothering to heal him, Mark first ordered Alina topletely rob him. Apart from the clothes he wear, everything else like a bunch of various talismans in his sleeve, a storage ring, his tinum gradence was confiscated by Mark.


    Another 20 secondster, the others in the surroundings were also recovered. The ice below them was gone and everyone just started to run away in fear except for Liu Zhong as Mark called out his name. His five brothers and the three novice adventures also returned by then and stood behind him.


    Before they thought they were just escorting some civilian tourist but now that they have seen how powerful both of them are, Liu Zhong and his brothers were sure that this is someone they can only offend in their dreams.


    As Liu Zhong stood before Mark, thetter said, "I was impressed by your character. It is never easy to stand up against stronger people for the sake of upholding the principles. If you ever need a job with stable ie,e to Imperial city and ask for Genesis Store."


    "Eh? Genesis Store?" Liu Zhong''s heart skipped a beat for a second. Taking a deep breath, he mustered the courage and asked, "May I know if you are the one they call, Cerberus yer?"


    "Oh, you have heard of me." Mark let out a smile and nodded, "since you know who I am, then, it is even better. I''ll get going. You and your brother might need to hurry up. This dungeon will close soon after I had enough fun. Oh, by the way¡­"


    He pointed at the horse carriage, "If you don''t mind, can you return the horse carriage to our store? Earlier, I paid you 50 gold coins, right? It''s barely been an hour since we entered the dungeon, right? I''ll let you keep the remaining 40 gold coins as a fee. Are you willing to ept this private quest?"


    Liu Zhong''s five brothers stared at him in envy as the 3-circle realm adventurer bowed and thanked him. 40 gold coins is indeed a high amount, considering their meager ie thates with risks of battling.


    Mark then nced at his brothers to say farewell.


    It was then he suddenly remembered something and addressed the eldest brother of Liu''s family who is standing a bit far away along with others, "Liu Gowei, I heard from your brother that you possessed a few intermediate grade Spirit Beast Contracts. I''m willing to buy each at the market price of 100 gold coins per each. For elementary scrolls, I''ll pay 10 gold coins. What do you say?"<sub> </sub>


    "Eh? Ah, yes." Liu Gowei was a bit surprised at first but then, agreed to sell right away.


    What Mark offered isn''t some generous amount. It was just a base price that was avable in every market but unlike elementary scrolls, intermediate scrolls are a bit rare and not every store would just sell at 100 gold coins.


    ording to the demand, some would even take advantage of the customer''s little knowledge about the market prices and sell it at higher prices.


    However, these Spirit Beast contract scrolls that he had were the loots he gained by killing the adventurers some time ago. He was a part-time bounty hunter. Sometimes, he takes bounty missions too and earns extra ie.


    Liu Gowei nned to sell them at the market for 40-50 gold coins but since the business is here in front of him, he didn''t wait any longer to discard them from his storage card.


    Mark paid 500 gold coins in exchange for 4 intermediate Spirit Beast Contracts and 10 elementary Spirit Beast Contracts.


    The Spirit Beast Contracts looked very simple to be fact. It is a scroll made of leather where it contained a contract symbol drawn on it, imbued with condensed energy.


    While giving the pouch full of gold coins, he said, "If you ever got hold of any Spirit Beast Contract of advanced grade, you can visit my store and sell it to me. I''ll pay 2000 gold coins for it. If you have it on you right now, I can even pay 3000 gold coins."


    "3000?" Liu gasped in surprise when he heard the number. Sure, the advanced grade scrolls are super rare. But, even a 7-circle realm expert had a mere 5% chance to sessfully form a contract with a 7-circle beast with an advanced grade Spirit Beast Contract.


    That''s why most of them are only sold for about 1000-1500 gold. Because people rarely buy them, the sellers would just offer 500-600 gold coins to buy them from the adventurers. Now, paying 3000 gold for them is considered too generous.


    Liu Gowei was instantly tempted by the money and confessed, "Lord Lu, actually I have one with me. I didn''t expect you are so interested in it. So, I didn''t bring up the matter."


    When Mark heard that, he got an urge to kill him and snatch it for free but he didn''t have any enmity to do that. And Liu Gowei''s brother also made a good impression on him.


    So, Mark agreed to the trade.


    Like the other intermediate ones, before giving them money, he inspected it with Sage''s eye to make sure this isn''t a scam. The details appeared on the holographic screen.


    ***


    Item name: Spirit Beast Contract


    Grade: Advanced


    Description: As its name states, using this scroll, a user can form a contract with a Spirit Beast.


    ***


    Mark waited until the Liu brothers counted the gold coins and confirmed the amount. Naturally, some adventurers who spotted it became greedy and thought of ambushing them and looting the money.


    After giving a tight warning to Liu Zhong about the safety of the horses, he turned around and walked away a few steps to gain a bit of distance for enough space and summoned the battle tank under the mixed gazes of everyone.

 Chapter 122 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-7)

    Shimmerwood is a region, located in the eastern part of the dungeon. It is mostly covered by woond where the light is quite dim. If onepares to the other areas, it is like night here.


    Since dungeons don''t have day and night, the campsite in this area is majorly used as a resting ce for adventurers to have a good sleep before they set out again.


    The area was filled with only two types of beasts. One is a Dark Kangaroo and the other is a Dark turtle. Both of them are 3-circle realm beasts ofmon type but unlike other beasts, they are mostly peaceful in nature. Unless you attack them, the beast wouldn''t attack you.


    While dark kangaroos were seen hopping around all the time, dark turtles mostly rest in their ces. Because of low visibility, one might even think of it as a rock.


    And if one mistakes it that way and anger the turtle, the adventurer should make sure he won''t get caught because dark turtles are poisonous in nature. Their bite is lethal for novice adventurers. So, usually, the weak adventurer teams just avoid going into the wilderness.


    In such an area, a mighty battle tank was going at 60-70 km/hr, destroying everything in its path as it drove into the heart of Shimmerwood. The trees were destroyed, dark kangaroos turned into a pool of blood, dark turtles were crushed, but Mark didn''t care about anything and continued to drive.


    Meanwhile, beside him, Alina was sitting still while keeping an eye on the unconscious teenager.


    Using the Twilight shackles, she bound him tightly and even sealed his ether energy temporarily.


    After about fifteen minutes of driving, they reached arge pond. There''s a group of seven adventurers fighting a giant dark turtle.


    The lights shed by the battle tank attracted the attention of the adventurers as well as the dark turtle for a second before the beast went back to its shell.


    When they saw its appearance, none of them knew how to react because they don''t know what that even is.


    The leader of the group shouted, "Everyone, pay attention to the beast."


    Mark climbed thedder and opened the entrance on the top and peeked outside. He inspected the beast from far away with Sage''s eyes.


    <strong>Shimmerwood Turtle</strong>


    Description: The Boss of the Shimmerwood region.


    Rank: 5 (elementary-stage)


    Grade: Fierce Beast


    Attribute: Dark/Water


    Type: Defensive


    Tamable: Yes


    "Okay, it''s just like Liu Zhong mentioned. A dual attribute spirit beast." Mark nodded to himself before inspecting the humans fighting it. The strongest of them is their leader named He Bojing who is at the peak stage of the 4-circle realm.<sub> </sub>


    Mark didn''t waste any time to get out of the tank. He ordered Alina to guard the hostage.


    Looking at his stats, he then mumbled, "I have roughly 45 minutes till the effects of the advancement pill disappear. On the way, I recovered about 5000 ether points and now, I have 41266 ether points, enough to summon the 5-circle realm Tundra Bear or Lightning fox but let''s be smart about savings."


    <strong>"I summon you, Frosty Roc."</strong>


    Arge bird that looked a bit simr to that of an eagle but is bluish-white in color appeared beside him.


    It is about 13ft big in height and has a wingspan of nearly 30ft. Of course, this frosty Roc is still smaller whenpared to the giant turtle before them.


    As the four-circle realm beast let out a powerful screech, the battle once again halted. This time, everyone focused on Mark and his beast. Even the giant turtle put its head and look at it.


    "This beast is imed by us." He Bojing warned Mark, pointing the scimitar at him. "Don''t try to steal it or else, you will face the consequences. Return."


    All the seven adventurers are in the 4-circle realm with the weakest being in the intermediate stage. So, they weren''t afraid of a beast in the same realm. The only reason they were fighting the giant turtle for nearly half an hour is because of its tough shell.


    And this roc didn''t have such a great defense. So, naturally, they didn''t think of it as a threat.


    Still, the leader doesn''t want to deal with an extra beast when their hands were already full with the giant turtle. So, he kindly warned Mark to leave.


    If it is someone else, they might think twice but why would Mark care when he is confident about taking everyone out even without Alina''s help.


    "Roc, I leave the beast in your hands. It''s alright as long as you don''t kill it." He ordered the Frosty Roc and proceeded to open the inventory.


    As the giant bird pped its wings and flew towards the pond, rming the adventurers, Mark let out a smile and clicked on an image that looks a little bit like the battle tank.


    In a fraction of a second, Mark disappeared from the spot and a Panzer was summoned on the spot.


    He found himself before the vehicle and weapon controls. Since the effective range of weapons is over 500 meters where the uracy is 100%, Mark didn''t bother to move the vehicle and directly went for the shooting without giving any warning.


    Grabbing the weapon controls, Mark let out a grin, "let the fun begin."


    The two machine guns fixed on the top of the Panzer rotated for a while before they were aimed at the adventurers who were already surprised by the sudden appearances of a giant roc and a panzer and started firing 7.9mm x 57mm ammunition. Each of the ammo is as powerful as the full strength of a peak-stage 3-circle beast''s attack.


    "Careful¡­ Ugh¡­" The leader gave a warning but the firing rate of machine guns is about 1200 rounds per minute and each gun had the maximum ammunition capacity of about 2250 rounds.


    It wasn''t a fight but a bloody massacre.


    Within just 5 seconds, about 200 rounds of ammo were collectively fired from both the machine guns, leaving behind six corpses and one heavily injured man who managed to escape just at the nick of the time and was crawling with coughing out blood.

 Chapter 123 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-8)

    Looking at the scene from the screens, Mark let out a sigh, "too bad that these guns were missing auto-lock and autoload features. But then again, it is a bit expensive to use. I wasted about 300 gold coins on these fools."


    Controlling the left machine gun, Mark carefully aimed at the crawling He Bojing and just clicked on the trigger once.


    The machine fired one round and pierced the forehead of the target from the sideways.


    The adventurer captain of the team finally became a corpse.


    Meanwhile, the Frosty Roc reached the giant turtle, which went into hiding in its shell.


    The giant bird started attacking the beast with its talons. The shell was unfortunately too tough even for the frosty Roc.


    Mark didn''t help out his summon to check out his prowess.


    Little did he expect the Frosty Roc would get angry just after being failed once. It immediately unleashed a skill, reducing his ether points by 3000. Meanwhile, its attack strength behind the skill reached an advanced stage of the 5-circle realm.


    As it pped its wings rapidly, a gust of cool winds generated from the wings and hit the giant turtle.


    It continued for thirty seconds. By the time it ended, the entire pond was frozen in ice. As for the giant turtle, it was encased in an iceberg.


    A scream that heavily resembled a hiss escaped from the iceberg, which cracked a bit as the beast struggled to get free. Unlike his Absolute freezing, it doesn''t have any barrier and the temperature inside the iceberg was also as cold as -100 degrees Celsius. If it is a human, he would have already been dead by now.


    Mark drove the Panzer to the edge of the pond and got out from it. He doesn''t know whether it was listening to him or not but he tried tomunicate with it. "If you can hear me, then, close your eyes for five seconds."


    He didn''t receive any response from the giant turtle. Thetter was just busy breaking out of the ice by a st of a concentrated water beam from its mouth.


    "I guess I have to wait." Mark raised his hand and transmitted his thoughts to the Roc. The beast went into standby mode, waited for two whole minutes until the iceberg is broken and the turtle partially freed itself and is now crawling forward to get out of itpletely.


    Mark then spoke as loud as he can, "I have a proposal for you. Form a contract with me and be my mount for one hour. After that, I will release you not from the contract but will also help you to return to your nativend. Do you ept?"


    The giant turtle blow out the air and hissed at him in response.


    Mark''s face darkened, "I guess I wasted time and ether points for nothing."


    He stared at the Roc and checked its details, especially at the skills. His eyes lit up when he read its third skill.


    <strong>"Roc, use cial Thorn field."</strong> He went for the big attack.


    5000 more ether points are deducted and the frosty roc unleashed another skill. With a 50% boost, its intelligence stat temporarily increased to 6.4, almost reaching the intermediate stage of the Upper Elite realm (6-circle).


    Before the giant turtle got outpletely, suddenly, giant icy thorns, each about 2m-3m in size, pierced its shell from all the sides.


    "Hsssaaa"


    The turtle screamed in pain while not being able to move.


    Mark decided to form the contract forcefully.


    He took out an intermediate-grade scroll and ced it on the ground, following the system''s instructions to forcefully tame the monster.


    As he poured ether energy into the scroll, the sealing mark glowed in darkness and shot a rope of purple-colored energy towards Mark.


    Mark caught it and threw it towards the turtle.


    Upon beingunched, the rope turned into a concentrated energy beam and hit the monster''s nose, precisely.


    In just five to six seconds, a holographic screen appeared before Mark with a notification.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! The Shimmerwood Turtle sessfully resisted the Spirit Beast Contract. You failed. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! System''s Advice: Either reduce its willpower by causing more damage or convince it through goodwill.</strong>


    The energy beam disappeared along with the sealing mark.


    "Damn¡­" Mark gritted his teeth and turned around. He dismissed the Panzer and the Frosty Roc and rushed back to the Battle Tank.


    As he climbed down thedder, Alina looked at him, "do you need my help, Big brother?"


    <o>,m "No, I will take your help at the overlord. This one is mine. Either I will force it to be my mount for sure or kill it." He unlocked the turret''s entrance and climbed the tank to get into the rear chamber.</o>


    He took the controls of the 120mm smoothbore cannon and aimed at the spot that is a few feet away from the beast so that it won''t die. An ice thorn is there at that spot.


    <strong>*Ding! The target has been locked.</strong>


    Mark clicked on the trigger andunched the heat projectile. Weirdly, the system could control its path like a guided missile.


    *boom*


    Arge explosion urred on the frozen pond, melting down all the ice and turning the giant turtle into a bloody figure.


    Mark got out of the tank and checked its status. When he found that it was alive, he rushed forward and once again, activated the Spirit Beast Contract.


    This time, the process only took 2 seconds.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully formed a contract with Shimmerwood Turtle.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on taming a Spirit Beast for the first time. You received 100 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on taming a 5-circle spirit beast. You received 500 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The grade is detected as a Fierce Beast. Youpleted the hidden quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Radically Invasive Projectile (R.I.P) 9mm ammo. Check out the gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The Spirit Beast was in dire status. It was ced in the Familiars'' inventory for recovery. The beast cannot be summoned for the next 24 hours.</strong>


    "Aha! I can ce them in my pet slots." Mark pped his forehead in realization when he read thest notification. "I thought it would be like others. Thankfully, it didn''t agree back then. Or else, I would have freed it unnecessarily. Wait a second¡­"


    Suddenly, something clicked inside his mind and Mark talked with the system, "say, do these beasts I captured in the wild also consume my ether points?"


    The system readily gave him the answer and a surprising one at that.


    <strong>*Ding! No ether points are needed to summon them or let them use their skills.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! In case, the host misunderstands something, let me rify about the Spirit Beast Contracts.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! As the host is still a summoner, not a beast tamer, the host cannot store them in Familiars'' inventory for free. Based on the beast''s realm, the host will be charged a rental amount. The Shimmerwood turtle will cost 5 gold coins each day.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Only during the dire status, the mounts or the contracted Spirit beasts can rest in the familiars'' inventory for free.</strong>


    "35 gold coins per week, man, that''s robbery." Letting out a sigh, Mark opened the gallery, deciding to think about itter.

 Chapter 124 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-9)

    <strong>Name: Radically Invasive Projectile (R.I.P.) 9mm ammo</strong>


    Price: 50 silver coins


    Description: A hollow point type bullet that divides into eight fragments upon the point of impact, prates the target and causes damage at different ces at once. Like the other ammo, the bullet inside the case is also made of tungsten.


    **


    "System, just where do you get so much of tungsten? Did you own several mines or something?" Mark joked around while checking out the details of this new bullet, which can be used in his basic handguns.


    <strong>*Ding! The host doesn''t need to know. If interested, please upgrade the system to get the answers.</strong>


    "Sassy systems aren''t loved by protagonists you know¡­" Mark let out ament and returned to the battle tank.


    Upon finishing his job at the Shimmerwood, he left the ce right away at his maximum speed. He passed through the region of Grotto, the biggest area of the dungeon sparring over 100 sq. km.


    It''s as big as a small city, filled with various types of monsters with different strengths. Several adventurer teams are found here, not only because of the sheer number of monsters and various treasures but also because of the outpost at the southwestern region and a campsite at the center.


    But, Mark doesn''t have any business here. So, he just traveled on a wider path, often surprising the adventurer teams. About 25 minutester, after traveling nearly 16 kilometers, he reached the destination, a region without any campsite, the Pritsha''s nest.


    If only he part ways at northern ruins instead of the assault camp, which is in the western part of the dungeon, Mark would have gone here directly. His first priority was the wolf instead of a slow and defensive turtle.


    ording to Liu Zhong, this region is not only the closest ce to the core region and is also considered as part of the core region by the adventurers, although it is quite a distance away from the central region of the dungeon.


    It is because the ce is ruled by a dark attribute wolf of the peak-rank-5 realm and the weakest one is still a 4-circle realm beast.


    He doesn''t know whether it can be useful to him or not but at the very least, it looks cool to have different types of wolves.


    With great expectations, Mark drove the battle tank into the rocky region surrounded by the cliffs.


    Not even a single adventurer team is found. Instead, dozens of wolves are busy roaming around here and there. All of them have brown and gray fur in different shades. Only one was distinct from them, which stood about a couple of hundred meters away.


    It has Dark Gray fur and is about the size of an average human adult.


    *


    <strong>Name: Pritsha</strong>


    Title: Cannibal


    Description: The boss of the Pritsha''s nest. It is one of the generals of the dungeon overlord. The title cannibal came from killing and eating more than 100 wolves.


    Grade: Fierce


    Rank: 5-circle (peak stage)


    Type: Offensive


    Attribute: Dark


    Tamable: Yes


    *


    At first, everything is peaceful but then as Mark drove further and was just a few feet away from a brown wolf, it howled right away and leaped towards the tank.


    Within a second, every wolf is alerted and several wolves from the distance rush to rip the enemy apart.


    But, the battle tank isn''t something that mere 4-circle beasts can damage that easily.<sub> </sub>


    The first wolf that tried to bite the tank had its canines destroyed.


    Looking at the rush of the beasts, Mark mumbled to himself, "I guess this is why people avoid this ce. These packs of wolves really have unity amongst them. Nevertheless, there''s nothing that can stop me from capturing the boss."


    Mark elerated the battle tank and let Alina control the machine gun to shoot around whileunching 40mm grenades once in a while.


    *Awooo* *Awooo*


    The continuous howls and the screams of the wolves filled the region as the battle tank was massacring whateveres in its way.


    The boss of the region finally took the action. It took a giant leap andnded directly on top of the battle tank in one try.


    It raised the paw and scratched the tank''s roof.


    <strong>*Ding! The durability of Battle Tank-V is reduced by 1%.</strong>


    Mark immediately received the notification. He elerated even further and made a sharp turn, throwing off the wolf from the roof while receiving the notifications three more times.


    The Battle Tank''s durability was now reduced to 96%.


    While it was still in the air, Alina perfected the timing and fired a 40mm grenade. It exploded right at its chest.


    Although the 40mm grenade wasn''t powerful enough to take out this fierce beast, the gray wolf was still significantly injured, which only increased its rage.


    "Alina, how long will this kid stay unconscious?" Mark asked an unexpected question to his Android Assistant.


    Reading his thoughts, she answered, "ording to my calctions, 43 minutes more. I need only two minutes to clear this field. Even if 1% probability urred and he miraculously woke up while I was away, he won''t be able to use his ether energy. But, in that case, Big Brother has to handle him alone."


    "Alright, then," Mark nodded and gave the formal order, "First, we take away this wolf''s speed. Severe its legs. Once you were done with that, kill every other wolf in the surroundings. I don''t want to see any other wolf disturb me."


    "Affirmed, Big Brother," Alina stood up on her feet and climbed thedder, and opened the entrance.


    As soon as she put her head out, a wolf jumped onto her from the sideways.


    She raised her fist and simply pushed it with her palm before getting out and starting her massacre.


    Just as Alina promised, within two minutes, the entire field was filled with corpses of the wolves everywhere with a lone wolf angrily barking at Mark. Its four limbs were cut off and its mouth was sealed by Alina''s Twilight shackles. The energy chain made sure that it won''t get to attack her master in any way.


    "Pritsha, the Cannibal¡­ You have two options. One is to surrender in peace and the other is to get injured more and be a part of my beast collection. In both ways, the oue won''t change¡­" As Mark spoke to it calmly, the wolf also ignored his words and continued to sob in pain.


    Mark furrowed his brows. "You are also stubborn, huh. It doesn''t matter. I will¡­"


    "Uhh... Big Brother, only the beast kings and above grade beasts or the summoned or contracted beasts can understand the humannguage." Alina interrupted his speech, making him dumbfounded for a moment.


    "Eh?"


    Mark was so embarrassed that he didn''t even want to meet his eyes with a robot and look away. Eventually, he cleared his throat and ordered her to beat the wolf to the brink of its death, then, sessfully captured with the Spirit Beast Contract after failing once. Now, he had only 1 advanced scroll and 1 intermediate scroll left to capture the overlord of the dungeon.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully formed a contract with Pritsha, the Cannibal.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on taming a Spirit Beast of the 5-circle realm.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! It is a fierce grade beast. You received 500 credits as a reward.</strong>


    "Okay, only 15 minutes left till the effect of the advancement pill goes off and I be extremely weak and vulnerable. I need to hurry up."

 Chapter 125 Dungeon Of Taslan (Part-10)

    "Ha, no wonder Liu Zhong had never known how the core region looks like," Mark mumbled in realization as he stared at one of the entrances of the core region, which is a giant red portal that separates the beasts trapped inside from the rest.


    If not for Sage''s eye, he would have even thought it was an exit.


    Getting back to the seat, he slowly drove into the portal only to see the change in scenery.


    Just outside the portal, thendscape was full of rocky cliffs and barrennd but inside, there was a pathway made of concrete before him. It appeared to be built on an elevated region cuz down below on either side, there wasva flowing around like a river.


    Mark was amazed to see the level of detail this dungeon creator put inside the dungeon. At the same time, he was also careful with the surroundings because the road was just five meters wide.


    16.4 feet might be broad width for those whoe by foot but the battle tank itself is nearly 13 ft. Just slight steering might be lethal for him.


    There are only ten minutes left till he bes exhausted but still, he drove the vehicle slowly and carefully for another couple of minutes until he reached some kind of big altar with the signs of battle and corpses of a few adventurers.


    Since he was pressed in time, he sped up and drove straight, crushing every corpse that lies on the way.


    Soon, the battle tank reached a cavern with a few more dead adventurers. No sign of any beast here either.


    He drove for five minutes taking several turns. All he met were the corpses of the adventurers. Not even one beast was seen resurrected. It means some adventurer team has swept the area recently, probably within thest 6 hours or so.


    With only three minutes left until the effects of the advancement pill disappear, the path finally leads to him an open ground, which looks a lot like a graveyard with tombs around and dark soil.


    "The location is quite apt, considering the scenery." This was Mark''s first impression.


    Just like the location, the graveyard didn''t have just empty tombs but there are dozens of corpses spread all over the field.


    It isn''t a mystery of what killed them. Anyone could easily guess it.


    On the field, only three beings are alive. First is the main boss, a giant spider with the face of a man and has 12 legs. It was 100ft big; although two-thirds of its height was contribute to its legs that looks like steel pirs from far away.


    The second is a short old man in white robes who was floating in the air and the final one is a young girl. The two of them are attacking the beast from the left and right.


    Seeing that their attacks aren''t coordinated, Mark doubted whether they are really teammates, or they are just temporary allies who will settle the scoreter.


    As for why? It is also obvious. In the middle of the graveyard, there''s a pir upon which, a glossy ck egg was ced in a nest. The egg is about 6ft big and around the pir, there''s a barrier. Now, who put that barrier is also something worth to look an answer for.


    Maybe, they were too busy in the battle, or maybe, it was because they couldn''t sense the presence of Mark, Alina, and Ji Gulian as he was inside the Battle Tank. Whatever the case, neither the three of them were paying attention to the direction where the Battle Tank is parked.


    Meanwhile, Mark''s eyes momentarily shifted from the egg to the battle, or more like the girl.


    "This¡­"


    His widened as he found this teenager possessed the element of ice. She was also standing on arge bird that is just purely made of ice.


    Seeing that, he couldn''t help but mumble, "I wonder how that ice sculpture is flying. Is it bloodline ability or skill? Can I also do that?"


    "Big Brother, you have roughly 150 seconds left." Alina suddenly interrupted his thoughts with a reminder.


    "Ah, Yes. That''s right."


    He quickly climbed thedder and get out. Before going into the turret, he activated Sage''s eyes and inspected them. His first inspection is the overlord, obviously.


    <strong>Name: Tan</strong>


    Title: The Devourer


    Description: The overlord of the dungeon. The title "Devourer" came from devouring the soul of the adventurers that were killed by it. The more it devours the soul, the more its energy quality improves.


    Grade: King<sub> </sub>


    Rank: 6-circle (peak)


    Type: Bnced


    Attribute: Metal/Light/Poison


    Tamable: Yes


    "Are you fucking kidding me? Not only does it has three attributes with two of them being advanced but it is also a beast king? Moreover, this has a light attribute. Its powers and attribute just don''t match. Where did that dungeon creator find it?" Mark was naturally astounded as he heard it is a fierce beast.


    But then, his eyes fell on the description and understood the reason. He started to wonder, "Should I try taming it or just kill it? But, I don''t have much time though. And these two won''t let me steal it. I might have to kill them too. Let''s check their identities, first."


    "Eh?"


    Pan Ei


    Race: Human


    Rank: 6-circle (peak)


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Attribute: Wind


    Description: An elder of the Mt. Hua Sect.


    A trace of surprise appeared on his face as he saw the details of the old man, followed by a huge smile, "this is indeed fate. Or else, why would I meet Mt. Hua''s member back there and now, an Elder. Even though I left Fang Bao alive, after seeing the deaths of Ji n''s guards, as long as he''s no fool, he won''t inform the elders about me.


    But, if it is this man that ends up dead, then, the story would be different. Now, let''s see who this brave young girl is capable of going against such a higher realm Spirit Warrior. She only looks like 15 or 16."


    He shifted attention to the teenage girl. In a fraction of a second, his face darkened.


    Shang Jiao


    Race: Human


    Rank: 6-circle (advanced)


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Ice


    Description: The youngest child of the Imperial family of the Shang Dynasty. A princess of the Phoenix Empire.


    "Oh boy, the god is really messing with me, right now. One surprise after another. Just what are the odds that I would meet the biological younger sister of Lu Zhen, here? And she''s only 15 years old but is already a 6-circle realm expert. Just how much of a terrifying talent is she?" Mark was once again shocked by the sudden turn of events.


    He couldn''t help but stare at her for a while. For some reason, he remembered his own brother from past life. "Allen¡­"


    Remembering about the timer, he shook his head and got rid of the useless thoughts, and quickly got inside the turret. He went on to load the 120mm ammo in hurry.


    Looking carefully at the screen, he locked onto the target. He didn''t aim at the man-faced spider but the old man. Because of its huge size, it was harder to spot the shorty.


    <strong>*Ding! Target has been locked.</strong>


    He pushed the button andunched a heat projectile.


    It was only after the powerful sound, the battle tank attracted attention. But, it was already toote. The projectile had already left the cannon.

 Chapter 126 Dungeon Of Taslan (Final)

    Being high-level warriors, their reaction was instant. The little princess controlled the inanimate bird to get away from there. The old man also moved away, thinking that it was aimed at the beast. Meanwhile, the overlord pushed its legs against the ground and jump high.


    Surprisingly, they saw the heat warhead projectile change its directions like some kind of fireball spell that locked onto Pan Ei.


    It was also too fast that didn''t let him try dodging away. He was left with no other choice and poured ether energy to power up his body just before it reached him and detonated, creating a powerful explosion enough to st away the free-falling Tan.


    The Elder crashed onto the ground with heavy injuries. Tan''s legs were slightly injured but it healed itself pretty much quickly and stood up its feet.


    Meanwhile, the Elder grunted in pain and look in the direction of the battle tank while spitting a mouthful of blood. "That metal thing with an elephant''s trunk-like weapon. I heard of it before. Is that him?" He furrowed his brows.


    The little princess of the Shang Dynasty, meanwhile, had a look of anger. "Who is this that dared to interrupt my battle and hurt my prey? And what in the hell is that thing? A puppet?"


    But, before all of them even think of the next action, Mark made the next moment as he didn''t have time to introduce himself, yet.


    He took themunication device and hurriedly gave away the order, "Do it, now."


    Alina immediately pushed onto a dark-green-colored, fist-sized button. From the smoothbore cannon, grenadeuncher, and machine gun, energy was gathering at a rapid pace.


    <strong>*Ding! Checking your ether energy points. You had 51642 ether points. You passed the requirement.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your current intelligence stat is at 5.0</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The maximum attack strength of Battle Tank-V is restricted to 9.0. The attack strength has been readjusted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The target is locked.</strong>


    A concentrated beam of energy was released by the three weapons and hit at one spot, forming a huge energy sphere.


    Upon sensing the power in the sphere, the two powerful Spirit Warriors as well as the overlord of the dungeon trembled involuntarily in fear.


    "Does he want to destroy every one of us or something? I need to leave the ce. The egg doesn''t matter." Shang Jiao''s eyes shifted to the portal nearby the man-faced spider. She made the judgment in an instant and flew towards it.


    The old man of Mt. Hua Sect, on the other hand, made a different decision.


    He flew forward to the tank with high speed, believing that he was the target. After all, he was ambushed earlier. So, he wanted to destroy it before that energy spherepletes.


    8, 7, 6 5, 4¡­


    Within five seconds, the heavily injured elder covered therge distance. He clenched his fist and punched the battle tank with all of his strength.


    Arge dent appeared on the battle tank while it was pushed back for nearly 10 meters, reducing its durability by more than 20%.


    Mark was shocked when he received that notification but he just shook his head with a smile, "it doesn''t matter. Everything is over in 3, 2, 1, Boom¡­"


    The energy sphere, which is about the one-fifth size of the man-faced Spider, was fired.


    As soon as he realized that the target wasn''t him, the elder of Mt. Hua Sect sighed in relief but then, his facial expression changed when he realized that the pir and the egg were in the way of that attack.


    To his surprise and Mark''s surprise, the huge sphere passed through the pir and moved towards its sole target.<sub> </sub>


    As a beast king, its senses were powerful. It instantly estimated the power lies in the sphere and knew that it cannot handle it.


    Pushing its legs against the ground, it took a great leap towards the sideways when the attack is only a few meters from it but the energy sphere that locked onto it made a sharp turn and flew towards it.


    Before it evennded on the ground, the beast was hit by the energy sphere. Once it was it, the energy sphere sunk into its body, instead of causing an explosion like the heat projectile.


    Once all of the energy was sucked into its body, the man-faced spider blew up and its blood scattered all over the surroundings.


    "I guess the modern weapons are better than summoning beasts, after all." Mark nodded to himself as he started to receive a series of notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest, Clear the Dungeon. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Fragmentation Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Concussion Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Anti-Tank Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Stun Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Sting Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Smoke Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the Tear gas Grenade.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the Molotov cocktail.</strong>


    Mark was greatly satisfied with the reward sent by the system while the adventurers, who were busy fighting in other regions, went into a frenzy as they found all the monsters disappeared in front of their eyes.


    However, soon enough, his expression turned serious as the barrier around the pir disappeared.


    Even after witnessing everything, Elder Pan of Mt. Hua Sect couldn''t stop himself from getting greedy and flew towards the pir at his fastest speed. Within just a few seconds, he already arrived at the bottom of the pir and is now flying higher to reach for the egg. All of a sudden, something pierced his back. He screamed in pain. "Argh¡­"


    Mark let out a smile as he watched it on the screen, "hmpf, do you think I will sit here in silence and let you take it?"


    As soon as he unleashed the skill of the Battle Tank, he ordered Alina to kill the old man and return with the egg if possible.


    Using her teleportation ability, Alina managed to reach the bottom of the pir within a fraction of a second even before him, and using her skill, she turned invisible, waiting for him.


    Eventually, he fell for an ambush.


    Both of them started fighting together. Mark watched it for a while before he received a notification from the system and started to feel dizzy and weak, all of a sudden.


    <strong>*Ding! The effect of the advancement pill is over. For the next 10 hours, your stats will be affected by 90% debuff.</strong>


    He sat on the floor and closed his eyes to take some rest, eventually falling asleep.

 Chapter 127 Emergency At Mt. Hua Sect

    Mt. Hua Sect, Sui Province;


    It was the evening. The sun is on the west with only a couple of hours to set.


    On the peak of Mt. Hua, as the sect members were training, an old man with a long white beard was walking around with one of the four guardians of the sect, Sui Ping.


    This person wearing such simple robes was actually the Patriarch/sect leader Dai Long who was staying in the current position for more than a century.


    "So, how is it going with the Sui n? Is Weisheng ready to take over the position of Patriarch?" He asked.


    Sui Ping is the paternal uncle of Sui Rong who is the grand elder of the Sui n. Sui Weisheng himself is the youngest disciple of Dai Long. Unlike the sects in other empires, here under the rule of the Shang Dynasty, the members of the sects don''t necessarily stay in seclusion, far away from human society. They can still return to their normal lives at any time.


    All thend in the Phoenix Empire ultimately belonged to the Emperor whether an individual or an organization owns it or not. So, to operate the sects, they will have to abide by the rules set by the Imperial family.


    Once they gain formal recognition, they can im territory in the wilderness and build whatever they want freely. If they don''t, then, the military can take action against these uwful people.


    These unofficial sects are the reason why the second prince and the other generals are always busy with battles.


    Dai Long was also very attentive to his disciples and always kept an eye on their activities.


    With all his other remaining alive disciples doing great, his focus shifted to his youngest disciple. He heard the Sui n''s demolition. So, he couldn''t help but worry about the mental state of Sui Weisheng.


    When asked about Weisheng, Guardian Sui Ping''s face stiffed. He answered a bit hesitatingly, "Well, ever since the defeat of Sui n, he became a little bit obsessed with raising his strength."


    Dai Long nodded as if he expected it, "he is still young. An unparallel genius like him won''t take the defeat, easy. Send a message to your n that I''m summoning him."


    Sui Ping slightly bowed, "it''ll be done."


    "What about that Lu Zhen? Did you find his backer?" Dai Long enquired about Mark.


    "So far, nothing," Sui Ping shook his head with a darkened expression, "We don''t know where and when he gets his weapons toe from.


    ording to the report, he left the Imperial City for some business, probably to meet his manufacturer. Since the Emperor gave him thend to build an estate with a smithy, he will be sure to visit thend.


    I have sent a couple of spies to Lake Shijing. They will inform when he arrives there."


    Dai Long let out a long sigh as he stared at the horizon, "a new form of weapons. A new Spirit Path that doesn''t need ether energy. A flying weapon that can defeat a 7-circle realm like Sui Rong. Times are changing, Sui Ping."<sub> </sub>


    "It doesn''t have to be, Sect master." Sui Ping voiced his opinion on the matter. When Dai Long nced at him, thetter further stated, "Changes thate in turbulent times might be good ones but changes thate in a peaceful time will bring nothing but chaos. We shouldn''t be indifferent to it and try stopping it."


    "Is it really your own opinion or were you just acting emotionally because your n is involved?" Dai Long questioned him right away.


    Sui Ping shook his head and tried to defend himself, "no, I don''t specifically aim at Lu Zhen or the mysterious manufacturer of the firearms. I''m only saying that we¡­"


    All of a sudden, two guards rushed towards them while screaming, "Sect master¡­ sect master¡­"


    Dai Long and Sui Ping turned around at the same time.


    Stopping before them, they started taking heavy breaths. One of them spoke, "it''s an emergency."


    "What is it?" Sui Ping asked them while furrowing his brows. "What is the matter that is so important that both of you rushed here all the way from the bottom instead of informing throughmunication talisman?"


    One of them met his eyes with the both of them and informed, "We confirmed that Dungeon of Tan was cleared."


    While Dai Long was calm, Sui Ping let out a snort, "what''s so special about it? Elder Pan took 22 elite members with him. It will be a walk in the park for them. Did they find some Earth grade (semi-divine) treasure or something?"


    But, the facial expressions of the guards don''t look that good. Dai Long captured that and said, "Finish what you want to say."


    The Elite guard then continued, "The dungeon wasn''t cleared by Elder Pan. It is someone else. We didn''t confirm the matter but ording to the message we received from themunication hall, Elder Pan ran into the fifth princess and her Imperial guards in the core region."


    As soon as the guard spoke of the possible enemy''s identity, both of their facial expressions changed.


    "Continue." Dai Long spoke with a cold gaze. Based on the guard''s expression, anyone could guess what happened next.


    The guard then said, "Elder Pan''s life crystal was shattered. The fifth princess was the only one that got alive. All the Imperial guards who apanied the princess and all the elite guards under Elder Pan were found to be dead. An unidentified body and a dead horse were found along with other corpses."


    "Shang Jiao, the precious daughter of Emperor Fu." Sui Ping gritted his teeth in anger. He was already angry with the Imperial family for letting Mark away with his crime but now, their elder was killed by the youngest child of the Imperial family? It was one setback after another. He was naturally filled with rage.


    He turned towards Dai Long, "Sect Master, the Imperial family went too far, this time."


    Dai Long raised his hand with a serious expression. An Elder in the six-circle realm is indispensable to any group or organization. Along with him, about 22 elite members in the 5-circle realm also became casualties. Who knows how many of them have the potential to break through in a few years.


    As Sui Ping stopped speaking, Dai Long stared at the guard, "is there anything else you want to report?"

 Chapter 128 Sun And Moon Brooch

    This time, the other guard opened his mouth, "Sect master, I think it might not be the princess. ording to the information we received, all of the equipment from their corpses was looted."


    "She can do this as a diversion tactic or it might be the other adventurers. Nothing is surprising about losing storage rings and equipment in the dungeon." Sui Ping reprimanded him for making such foolish statements.


    Sect Leader Dai Long, on the other hand, fell into thoughts. After a brief silence, he asked, "Is that everything?"


    "This is from an unreliable source but there are sightings of two mysterious things. First is a 100ft giant bear with white fur that caused an earthquake with a simple m at the ground. And the second one is a huge and sturdy metal puppet that has an elephant-trunk-like weapon.


    Some of the adventurers who are training at the southern part of the dungeon imed to have spotted it. But, it was confirmed that this mysterious metal puppet was seen by the passersby around the dungeon as it traveled towards the north." The guard finally reported the most important piece of news.


    Dai Long and Sui Ping looked at each other, calling out the name at the same time, "Lu Zhen?"


    As soon as he heard about the battle tank, Sui Ping changed his statement about the princess immediately. He said, "No wonder it appeared strange that the Imperial family was behind this. After all, it is just a rank-6 dungeon and we don''t have enmity too. If it is Lu Zhen, then, everything would make sense. That crazy man loves to challenge huge powers."


    Dai Long once again asked the guard in patience, "anything else?"


    As the guards shook their heads, the sect leader nodded, "both of you can return."


    After the two guards left, he nced at Sui Ping, "Guardian Sui, I want you to send two elders to bring back the corpses andunch a proper investigation. I need all the details about the traces of battle.


    And contact the Imperial family. I want you to meet the Emperor in person and question the fifth princess. Just get her statement and we willpare it with our investigation results.


    If she''s innocent and we are in wrong, then, we will leave her alone. If not, we will force the Imperial Pce to pay properpensation to the families of the elite members."


    "What about Lu Zhen?" Sui Ping appeared a little bit anxious as the sect leader didn''t say anything about this adversary of the Sui n.


    Dai Long replied, "We don''t know his exact strength. Sending elders will be worthless and sending one of the guardians will be risky if a battle erupts for some reason.


    And sending two of the four guardians seemed like it will be too much just based on some spections. We won''t take any action until he returns to the Imperial City. Then, we will send someone to contact him to get to this matter deeply.


    If he''s really the one behind the death of Elder Pan, it will be a war."


    ***


    Meanwhile, somewhere at the border between Qing province and Yuan province in the southern part of the empire, the battle tank was traveling at a slow pace.


    Letting out a yawn, Mark opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a sitting position inside the turret.


    Mark took out the pocket watch and looked at the time. "I guess I slept for three hours without even knowing. Is this also an aftereffect of the pill or something?"


    "You are up, Big Brother." Suddenly, a familiar sweet voice escaped from themunication device before him.


    He grabbed it and asked, "Alina, report me the status."


    Alina informed, "The egg and the loot from the corpses were collected and sent to the inventory.


    The corpses of Watcher Xiong Dong and his horses were dumped at the dungeon''s graveyard.


    The Hostage woke up, two hours ago but is knocked out again. Like Big brother, he is currently suffering from aftereffects of the pill. The estimated time for his return of consciousness is about 2 hours 4 minutes from now.


    Our next destination is roughly about 102 kilometers away. The Battle Tank has about 46% fuel left. We are okay for 194 more kilometers."


    "Thanks. You can stop nearby in the wilderness. Let''s take a rest. We can go there tomorrow." Mark ordered her.


    As she stopped driving the battle tank right away because they were already in an area without any human poption, Mark opened the inventory to check out his gains.<sub> </sub>


    He gasped when he saw the sheer amount of new items in inventory. He let out a wide grin in happiness, "33549 gold coins, 4664 low-quality ether crystals, 154 mid-quality ether crystals, and there are even 36 high-quality crystals? Must be from that elder.


    Anyway, whatever I spent on upgrading the store has returned. My wealth was now even a new peak. I was just ten thousand gold coins short of reaching 150k. Once I start selling the Panzers, it will be changed."


    Along with those, he received dozens of talismans, 21 advancement pills, 79 recovery pills, 22 hunger pills, 53 stamina pills, dozens of varieties of medicinal flowers, 98 pieces of equipment/items of which 46 of them are of gold grade and the remaining are silver grade. Just one tinum grade is collected.


    In the inventory, there are 36 more storage rings, which are currently either empty or filled with toiletries, food, and clothing. Some of those rings are silver grade and some are gold grade.


    *Ding! You dismantled a silver-grade storage ring. You receive 34 credits.


    *Ding! You dismantled a silver-grade storage ring. You receive 48 credits.


    *Ding! You dismantled a gold-grade storage ring. You receive 266 credits.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You dismantled a silver-grade storage ring. You receive 14 credits.


    *Ding! You dismantled a gold-grade storage ring. You receive 458 credits.


    After dismantling 36 of them, he earned a total of 5166 credits.


    "Now, let''s continue with these too¡­" Laughing like a mad man, he continued to dismantle all the weapons, one after another, earning another 14589 credits. Only one piece of equipment, which was a tinum grade brooch, was spared as it has interesting effects and the description.


    <strong>Name: Sun and Moon Brooch</strong>


    Grade: tinum grade (peak quality)


    Description: An essory made by an unknown cksmith using obsidian as material. The blood of a werewolf is used as a catalyst. Once it recognizes an owner, it won''t anyone as the master as long as its owner is alive.


    Effects:


    1) Increases the healing rate by ten times.


    2) The wearer cannot be possessed by evil spirits, wraiths, and monsters.


    3) During the day, the wearer can absorb sr energy and refine it into ether energy. But, the wearer needed to be under the sun.


    4) During the night, the wearer can turn into shadow, incapable of being detected by anyone on the same or lower realm.


    Note: It is a part of Set Equipment.


    System Rmendation: Lu Zhen, Allen Spencer


    **


    "Unlike before, now the system is even giving rmendations. I guess it''s because of the upgrade." Mark let out a smile and put away the essory. Contrary to what the system thinks, Mark believed it is best for Alina regarding assassination missions.


    "Now, let''s see what beast egg is being protected by a barrier." With great expectations, he clicked on the glossy ck egg with patches here and there.

 Chapter 129 Another Breakthrough?

    Egg


    Grade: Fierce/ King/ Emperor


    Species: Hybrid


    Description: An egg of mysterious origins


    *Ding! Would you like to hatch it?


    Mark thought for a bit and asked, "System, what are the odds of each grade?"


    *Ding! Fierce ¨C 90%, King ¨C 9%, Emperor ¨C 1%


    "I guess it might be depending on luck. Let''s not hatch it right away and wait until I absorb someone''s luck points. Hmm, wait a second. There''s one, right now." Mark remembered the teenager who was currently a hostage. "I wonder if he has enough required number of luck points."


    He picked up themunication device, "Alina, bring out the hostage. I need his luck."


    Soon, Mark and Alina were standing on the grasnd with thetter holding an unconscious Guanli.


    He couldn''t see the target''s luck points with Sage''s eye. So, he opted for another solution.


    "System, absorb the luck." He spoke out loud.


    <strong>*Ding! The target has 3 luck points. Only a maximum of 3 can be absorbed.</strong>


    "Oh, fuck. An unlucky guy." Mark shook his head with a sigh. ncing at his face, Mark mumbled, "I guess he can be considered unlucky or else, why would he run into me of all people."


    As Alina get him back to the front chamber, Mark just sat on the ground and opened the system store. Adding the 4000 credits he previously received from making a breakthrough, currently, he had roughly about 23800 credits.


    Mark went onto the currency exchange tab and typed the number. Soon, 11000 gold coins were deducted. His wealth was reduced to 130k gold coins.


    But, he doesn''t care.


    After tasting the overwhelming power of his summoning beasts and battle tank''s offensive skill, he desired to get stronger. Of course, he knew that he made a lot of enemies and there was only Alina and Allen to save him. So, he felt his own strength also needed to be improved very much.


    <strong>*Ding! You exchanged 11000 gold coins for 2200 credits.</strong>


    "Okay, 26000 credits. Now, it''s time to remove the bad luck from me."


    "System, open the store."


    He scrolls down to the items section right away for he knew what he was going to buy.


    <strong>*Ding! Ring of Luck (gold) costs 15000 credits. Proceed to buy?</strong>


    Mark didn''t hesitate to buy it and wore it before dismantling the silver-grade ring.


    <strong>*Ding! You dismantled the ring of luck (silver). You received 50 credits.</strong>


    <strong>Ring of Luck (Bound)</strong>


    Grade: Gold


    Description: Absorbs the luck from the targets, increasing the wearer''s luck.


    Effects: Luck+4 (permanent)


    Skill: Absorb a maximum of 6 points of luck from the target. CD: 12 hours.


    "Okay, my luck finally stands at 6 points. Now, I only need to absorb 4 points of luck from someone and I will get lucky for sure. Let''s spend the remaining too."<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased Basic Intelligence Pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased Basic Intelligence Pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased Basic Intelligence Pill. 500 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    Mark used 3000 credits to buy the remaining basic intelligence pills. Now, there are only intermediate and advanced pills left. He didn''t look elsewhere and just went on buying them, intending to make another breakthrough.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased Intermediate Intelligence Pill. 4000 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased an intermediate intelligence pill. 4000 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    "Each intermediate pill will give me 0.3 stats of intelligence. I guess I''m ready for another breakthrough. My earnings from the store will be improved once again." Mark let out a grin and proceeded to take the pitch-ck-colored pill that feels a bit spongy.


    Just when he was about to swallow it, Alina interrupted him, "Wait, Big Brother."


    "Hmm?" Mark turned towards her.


    "Your body is currently weak right now. It isn''t rmended to improve your strength forcefully." She said to him.


    "Eh?" Mark was taken aback and immediately enquired with the system. "Is that true?"


    <strong>*Ding! Taking an intelligence pill during the debuff time puts pressure on the body. The host will feel tremendous pain as if he was being fed even with stomach full, although there is no life risk.</strong>


    Mark didn''tin about it. He knew this sassy system would probably answer him that he should have asked it first.


    He decided to wait until the next day.


    But, since he had too much time, he thought about the ether crystals and asked the system, to which thetter answered him that there won''t be an issue in absorbing the ether energy since it won''t put a toll on his body or the mind.


    He poured ether crystals before him. They formed a small heap. Mark started to absorb them,


    His ether energy points slowly rose with each low-grade crystal giving only 1 point. If not for the fact that his ether quality is low, his cultivation rate would have been faster.


    With each crystal taking as much as 8 seconds of time to absorb and refine it, he first aimed for absorbing 574 crystals nonstop, hitting the 1000 mark.


    This process took nearly 80-90 minutes. By the time his ether points reached 1000, the sun is slowly going down and the darkness slowly loomed over the continent.


    Mark took a small break. He resumed after 5 minutes.


    Half an hourter, as he was still busy with raising his ether energy points, sounds of punching escaped from the battle tank.


    He stopped cultivating and looked at Alina, "He must have woken up. Get him down here."


    Alina went back into the battle tank and dragged him outside once again. Just like Mark, he was also in a weakened state. But, he was in a much-worsened state for some reason. He was wobbling left and right as if there was no strength in his legs.


    Ji Guanli saw Mark. "You bastard, free me, right now." His voice was a bit weak as a person with a heavy fever.


    "Sorry but that''s not possible," Mark replied with a smile. He further said, "You should be satisfied that your limbs are still intact. If you keep behaving like a spoiled rich brat, along with cutting off your limbs, I will also gouge out your eyes. So, please behave and take a seat. I have a few questions."


    For a moment, Ji Guanli felt as if he saw a devil.

 Chapter 130 Marks Stern Warning To The Heir Of Ji Clan

    "During earlier and even now, you kept saying that we''ll pay for this. I''m curious. How strong is your n, anyway?" Alina asked the boy.


    Mark had the questions to ask but he let his Android Assistant be his mouth for she had a passive skill that can easily extract the information from lower realm Spirit Warriors and civilians.


    As if he was hypnotized by her voice, Ji Guanli answered right away, "The strongest person in our n is my great grandfather. He is a seven-circle realm warrior who is just a step away from reaching peak stage.


    Other than him, there are 8 Elders with each of one in the six-circle realm. There are more than 20 five-circle realm experts and 42 four-circle realm experts working for our n."


    "It''s weaker than I thought." Mark thought that they are some great force to capture Western Yan but it turns out that even Sui n is stronger than them. But then, all of a sudden, he remembered about those four elite guards of him who are in the Upper Elite realm (6-circle). If 6-circle experts were deemed as elders of the n, then, howe such powerful people were acting as mere guards?


    He nced at Alina and transmitted his thoughts through telepathy.


    Alina nodded to him and asked the boy, "You have fewer six-circle realm experts than I thought. Then, who are those elite guards? Do you have any allies or backing of somerge organization or sect?"


    "Yes." Ji Guanli nodded right away and exined, "In our Western Yan, there are no sects orbat guilds. Everything is monopolized by the Church of Nuwa. They are the ones who supply manpower whenever we needed."


    "Church of Nuwa?" Mark was a little bit confused and went over his memories. "Ah, I see. Nuwa is the mother goddess who was believed to be the creator of humanity."


    He nced at Alina, who quickly asked, "Is the Church of Nuwa different from the Church of Light in the Imperial City? What is the rtionship between them?"


    "Church of light is solely dedicated to the goddess of sun and light, Xihe. They won''t acknowledge someone else as the principal deity. The same goes for the Church of Nuwa.


    The former follows the teachings of Saint Confucius and thetter follows the teachings of Saint Mozi. They are at odds with each other." Ji Guanli answered truthfully.


    Mark fell into thoughts. Church of Light is a peaceful organization made up of healers but this one seemed to have warriors. So, if the Kunyu bandits were to invade the region, they will be bound to get into trouble.


    He wanted to know their strength.


    Alina sensed his thoughts and immediately enquired about them with the hostage.


    Ji Guanli once again answered with a dazed look, "I don''t have exact numbers but it ismon knowledge that the current Cardinal of Church of Nuwa, overseeing the Western Yan is an intermediate stage Exalt realm Archer (mid-7-circle).<sub> </sub>


    And behind him lies the headquarters of the church, which is originated in the Empire of Qing. No one knows how strong they are."


    "If it is just that, then, was worried for nothing." Mark shook his head with a smile. Since the members of the church were usually blessed by their deity, he was worried that the strongest one would be in the legendary realm. If it is just a 7-circle, then, he can take care of him from far away in a couple of strikes in case they refuse to stay neutral.


    "So, if you were killed, will theye for revenge?"Alina once again asked to confirm it.


    However, to Mark''s surprise, Ji Guanli shook his head and revealed another character, "No, they won''t. Although they will be seeking justice for their lost members, it''s the Ji n that has to answer to them. But, the one who will take revenge is the fifth princess Shang Jiao."


    "Shang Jiao?" Mark''s facial expression instantly changed. It was his biological sister, the one who awakened the same bloodline as him, Blizzard Pegasus.


    Ji Guanli continued, "I was close friends with the fifth princess. We studied together in the Phoenix Academy, although I graduated early to take care of family matters. The elders in our n nned to send a proposal to the Imperial pce after I make a breakthrough to 6-circle. If that happens, I will be the son-inw of the Emperor.


    I don''t know whether Shang Jiao views me in the same way that I view her, but if anything happens to me, I''m sure that she will avenge me. She''s the type of person who would harbor grudges even for smaller matters.


    Apart from that, recently, our n received a marriage proposal from the independent kingdom of Western Moon to my elder brother. But, the rtionship between Western Moon and the Imperial family is a bitplex. So, my father is still thinking about it.


    Once it was finalized, our n will get another backing.


    With Western Moon kingdom and the Imperial pce as our allies, our Ji n will be so powerful that the other ns will have to think twice before offending us in any way."


    As soon as he finished the reply, a hand fell on his shoulder. "Don''t dare to have any thoughts on my sister." Mark''s gaze was too cold, contrary to the devil''s smile before.


    Mark threatened him, "I will skin you alive if you drag her into the mess. How old are you? Just 14. Do the things thatpliment your age. Don''t y an adult. Had you been an adult, you would have departed this world, a while ago."


    "Eh? Sister?" Ji Guanli was taken aback by surprise. That little word has more impact on him than a serious warning. "What are you talking about?"


    "Shit." Mark realized what he had just blurted out in anger. He then spoke to himself in his mind, "Mark, what are you thinking, right now. She is the beloved daughter of the Emperor and that Queen Consort. She''s an enemy. You cannot ept as your sister even by mistake."


    Seeing Mark fall into thoughts, a sudden thought appeared in Guanli''s head and he asked, "Are you, Prince Bo?"

 Chapter 131 Marks Factory

    Ji Guanli never met the fourth prince. So, he wondered whether the person sitting before him is the infamous leader of WEB, the strongest spywork in the Empire.


    Guanli''s question brought back Mark to reality. Thetter answered, "who am I is of no importance to you. But then again, I was actually quite foolish to discuss the future with you, which you don''t have anyway. With such meager strength, your n is also doomed. So, how about we talk about something else?


    Tell me, what do they teach in your academy?"


    "Just what in the hell do you want?" Ji Guanli roared at him in frustration before started coughing a bit. It was clear how massive the difference is between Mark and Alina''s interrogation.


    The teenager doesn''t even have the energy to argue much less fight. For the first time, he regretted, taking the advancement pill. How could he have expected that he will run into trouble even with his elite guards?


    Now that he got what he wanted, Mark felt that he had no use of him, any longer and asked Alina to knock him out again for a couple of hours.


    Later, Ji Guanli woke up again and was offered food for dinner, and then, was tied his limbs with a rope.


    The next day morning, Mark woke up from sleep. As soon as he opened his eyes, they met with another pair of eyes. It was Alina. She greeted with a smile, "Good morning, Big Brother."


    He was in a crouching position in the front chamber of the battle tank. His head was in Alina''sp. The Android Assistant doesn''t need sleep or feel any back pain even if she sat in the same position for years. To pass the time all night long, she read Journey to the West at a slow pace.


    Meanwhile, the heir of Ji n was imprisoned in a panzer, sleeping in a sitting position. In the middle of the night, after the aftereffects of the pill disappeared, the teenager tried to escape but with Alina keeping an eye on the panzer every moment, he was caught by her.


    She pierced his body lightly with the daggers and used the Protos energy in her daggers to suppress his ether energy. All the night, the tips of those daggers were embedded in both of his thighs, effectively paralyzing his body.


    Upon waking up, Mark stepped outside of the tank and had brushing, followed by breakfast, early at 5 o''clock, then, finally sitting on a t rock in a lotus position.


    "Open Inventory."


    He took out the ck pills from the inventory and swallowed them one after another.


    *Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.1 points.


    *Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.1 points.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.1 points.


    *Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.3 points.


    *Ding! Your intelligence is increased by 0.3 points.


    *Ding! Your intelligence stat has crossed 5. Proceed to breakthrough?


    "Yes, proceed."


    *Ding! Congrattions, you sessfully broke through to rank-5.


    *Ding! Youpleted the main quest-II. You received 8000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You received a new summon, Lightning Wolf.


    *Ding! You received a new summon, Tundra Bear.


    *Ding! Your share in the purchases of system-created weapons was increased from 50% to 60%.


    *Ding! You unlocked a new function, Factory. Check the Character for details.


    *Ding! You received a beginner''s package. Check out the inventory.


    *Ding! You received a new main quest.


    *Ding! Your bloodline skill, Absolute Freezing has been upgraded.


    *Ding! Your bloodline skill, Ice bolt has been upgraded.


    **


    Absolute Freezing: Freeze your surroundings for 120 seconds. Range: 200 meters. Cost: 10000 ether points, CD: 30 minutes.


    Ice bolt: Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy to attack your enemies from far away with each spear containing 100% of your magic power (Int). Range: 200 meters. Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: 0 seconds.


    **<sub> </sub>


    *Ding! You received a new main quest. Check the Quest list for the details.


    Main Quest II: Make a breakthrough to rank-6.


    Reward: 16000 credits


    Main Quest III: Make your own weapon for the first time.


    Condition: Need to score at least 7 when being evaluated by the system.


    Reward: Assistant Robot (rank-1)


    *****


    "No fucking shit¡­ making own weapon? An assistant robot?" Mark''s eyes widened. He only wanted to increase his magic strength (int) so that he can eradicate the legendary realm beast king but he didn''t expect another reward like this.


    "Maybe, it''s due to 6 points of luck?" He couldn''t help but wonder. Ever since he purchased the ring of luck and slowly came out of unlucky status, everything is going for him too well. In fact, the progress was too fast, one should say.


    He didn''t waste any time opening the character menu and clicking on the factory. A new holographic screen appeared before him with details.


    <strong>Mark''s Factory</strong>


    Level: 1


    Avable machines: A drill press (1), a welder (1), a milling machine (1), and athe (1).


    Avable time: 30 minutes


    Cool down: 24 hours.


    <strong><<< Go >>></strong>


    "30 minutes, huh. Well, something is better than nothing. Let''s see how it looks like."


    He clicked on Go.


    *Ding! Your consciousness is being teleported to the Factory. Prepare yourself.


    Mark was still sitting on a rock but his soul appeared somewhere else in a small chamber with machines before him. There was a robot standing before him.


    Unlike the Androids, it was a normal robot but with A.I. software.


    Mark inspected it.


    Robot-1


    Rank: 1


    Type: Support


    Description: An assistant robot that will help the host to make the weapons.


    Mark sighed in relief, "I thought I have to do all the work. Thankfully, the system took care of that issue. After all, I''m a weapon designer, not a gunsmith. Wait for a second, what about the materials? Do I need to buy them from the market?"


    *Ding! Open the beginner''s package.


    "Ah, I almost forgot about it," Mark remembered the reward and opened the inventory, clicking on the beginner''s package.


    *Ding! You received a 10 kg b of stainless steel, 10 kg b of iron, 10kg b of aluminum alloy, 1 kg b of titanium, and 1kg of smokeless powder.


    ording to the images, all of them looked like they were perfectly refined.


    "Hmm, it''s cool and all but they won''t be enough. I still need to care about other things like rubber grip and recoil springs. Maybe, I need to research the metals. There are various metals that I don''t know or maybe, they were just called with different names. I need to gather information and make contacts with the dealers who can provide me with those.


    Okay, I have spent enough time. Let''s return. We''ll get to this weapon-making after returning to the store. After all, I finally got the opportunity to bring out my knowledge into the real world. I shouldn''t be thinking of some ordinary handgun at all."


    After returning to reality, Mark opened his eyes and started absorbing the ether crystals until he reached 2000 ether points before he got into the battle tank.


    The Panzer was also dismissed and Ji Guanli was brought back to the tank. Alina sit in the middle and Mark started the vehicle, before driving the vehicle towards the east.


    Their next destination is an infamous dungeon that hasn''t been cleared for a decade.

 Chapter 132 Taming A Beast King (Part-1)

    Originally, Mark nned to hand over Ji Guanli to the Kunyu bandits as a present but because of the fuel capacity of the battle tank, he decided to keep him hostage until he was done with the next dungeon and return by helicopter.


    As for the dungeon, it is indeed a special one. Unlike other dungeons, it is small and only contains five monsters. So, more than a dungeon, it''s like a prison.


    But, why hasn''t it been cleared yet?


    It''s because this overlord that was trapped inside it is a legendary realm beast king. The other four monsters were in the seven-circle realm.


    A decade ago, a lot of fools risked their lives to gain treasures or clear the dungeon but over time, the numbers reduced, and eventually, it was abandoned.


    At first, Mark intended to go to another dungeon located in the Southern Yuan after clearing the first one but then, after seeing how easily the man-faced spider Tan was defeated, he decided to gamble on it and is also excited to see the emergency quest and its bountiful reward.


    It took two hours for the battle tank to reach a valley. Because the dungeon firmly holds a legendary realm beast king as the prisoner, it is so big that it can be seen from even 100 km away. Not to mention, every dungeon emits a special type of dense energy that can be sensed by a high-level Spirit Warrior.


    So, it wasn''t difficult for Mark and Alina to find it as long as they knew the location, although it was a bit difficult to reach that ce. The road was quite bumpy and filled with wild bushes, flowers, and grass. Since rarely any adventureres to this ce, no one bothered to make a proper route like with other dungeons.


    The giant dungeon portal was blue, just the same as a decade ago, stating that there''s no dungeon break going to ur.


    Of course, because of how powerful it is, it goes without saying that the Yuan n, which manages the Southern Yuan Province, kept its eyes on it constantly. A tower was constructed on the top of the hill and three soldiers were stationed there.


    Their job is to simply monitor the situation. Because there''s no adventurer attempted to go there for the past 18 months, the three soldiers just enjoyed the peace. One of them is sleeping inside the tower and the other two made a fire and is cooking breakfast while chatting.


    Because of how quiet the ce is, the noise escaped by the battle tank''s engine is enough to disturb them.


    Both of them spotted the battle tank that is going towards the portal.


    "Brother Mo, What is that?" One of them asked.


    "That is one strange puppet, Brother Cao." The othermented.


    "Is it the Puppet Sect?" The soldier surnamed Cao, wondered out loud.


    They just take a note and continued their business. It''s not their job to stop someone tomit suicide. So, they were indifferent to it.


    Meanwhile, the battle tank entered the portal and the surroundings changed to that of a simple in ground with two four portals standing right beside each other.


    Mark readily stopped the vehicle and read the notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! You entered the Dungeon of Savage Baltrow.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Clear the Dungeon.</strong>


    Quest: Clear the dungeon


    Description: Either tame or kill the dungeon overlord, Savage Baltrow.


    Difficulty: Rank-8<sub> </sub>


    Risk: Extreme


    Reward: Self-propelled Howitzer Pzh 2000.


    "I remember the code. It''s Panzerhaubitze¡­" Mark''s eyes lit up instantly. "This one is even more powerful than the battle tank I have, right now. But, why is there such a huge reward? Is the difficulty level too high or does the howitzer have weak skills? Or maybe¡­"


    After brief thinking, he asked in his head, "System, is this an ungraded one like the panzer?"


    *Ding! Yes, the howitzer isn''t an ether weapon but can be mass-produced.


    "No wonder." Mark nodded in realization. After all, the first ether weapon that is waiting to be mass-produced needed so much work. The system wouldn''t give him a weapon that is even more powerful than the Battle Tank-V that easily.


    <o>,m He then climbed up thedder and peek outside to inspect each portal. A frown appeared on his face, "all four of them are rank-7 portals? Then, where is the beast king?" Mark looked around.</o>


    The ce isn''t some endlessndscape. The blue barrier could be seen around the ce. Since this wasn''t exactly like a usual dungeon, he thought the rules must be also different.


    Mark nced at the unconscious teenager and then, at Alina, "I''ll leave him in your care once again."


    Alina looked at him in worry, "but, Big Brother, can you take care of yourself? They are strong beasts, you know."


    An hour ago, he was purposely knocked out so that he wouldn''t get to see the real prowess of this battle tank. Who knows whether the Kunyu bandits will decide to send him back or use him as a ledger for something¡­


    Now, another issue had urred for him. He thought he can just ignore them and go straight for the boss. Since his skill attack can lock the target. He nned to stay at the dungeon entrance and just shoot the target from far away. If something unexpected happens, he will drive in reverse and get out of the dungeon.


    But, here, the situation is a bit different. Or maybe, this urred because he hadn''t gathered enough information during his stay at Sui province. After all, he never nned to clear this dungeon. But, consecutive breakthroughs during the past two weeks changed his opinion.


    The Battle tank cannot take out seven-circle beasts. Last time, it waspletely thrashed down by the Cerberus with one attack, although it has more to do with the fact that Cerberus is a beast king but still, he knew that it cannot contend against those beasts.


    And there''s no guarantee that Alina can defeat them too. The fact that she was unable to defeat Bai Xun clearly tells that she was weaker than them.


    And until those four protectors are defeated, a passage that leads to the final boss might not be revealed. So, what to do, now?


    After thinking for a while, Mark let out a smile, "I guess I''m going to depend on that steroid, once again."


    If not for those advancement pills, Mark would have attempted to make another breakthrough. He received 8000 credits as a reward for the breakthrough. If he can just exchange 20000 gold coins for 4000 credits and use them to buy intermediate intelligence pills, he could just be six-circle right away. But, in such a case, intermediate advancement pills would no longer work.


    The reason he takes those pills is to get a temporary boost of ether energy points. With his meager 1000 ether points, even if he bes a Supreme Realm expert, it would be useless.


    This is why he stopped at rank-5 and decided to stay there until he manages to get his hands on high-quality advancement pills or raise his ether points by steadily absorbing the energy from ether crystals.


    After the n is formed, Alina took the unconscious heir of the Ji n and stepped outside the tank.


    Mark proceeded to open the inventory and click on the attack helicopter, summoning it beside the tank.

 Chapter 133 Taming A Beast King (Part-2)

    Alina threw the kid in the back and stepped inside the pilot chamber.


    The attack helicopter slowly rose in the air and flew towards one of the portals. After it gets inside, Mark tried tomunicate with her through the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina replies that she can hear you.</strong>


    "Okay, connect me to Alina''s vision." He said to the system.


    Soon, a holographic screen appeared before him. Mark saw a sleeping giant dragon, which is as big as the statue of liberty.


    Thinking about the dungeon break, where all the generals of the beast king were the same beasts, he expected it might be a dragon. Of course, the other possibilities weren''t put away either.


    Mark took out the advancement pill and swallowed it.


    <strong>*Ding! Select the stat you wish to increase temporarily.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your intelligence stat temporarily has been increased by 1.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily reached rank-6.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your ether points temporarily boosted to 1,000,000</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, the thunder shark</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Ice Leopard</strong>


    "Oh, thank goodness. I received a good one from the ice family. A shark will be useless innd battles. But then again, I only need one beast to operate." Mark sighed in relief and drove into the second portal.


    What weed him is the sight of a giant scorpion. "I guess they were different, after all."


    He climbed thedder and got outside to summon the Ice leopard. But, the moment his head was out, the scorpion sensed the presence and opened its eyes. It made a sound with its pincers and moved its tail in excitement since it''s been a while it tasted the meat of a human.


    "Come out, Ice Leopard." He hurriedly summoned the 6-circle beast and ordered it to take care of the beast. Meanwhile, he got inside the tank and drive towards the left to stay a distance from the two.


    *Roar*


    Letting out a hoarse and weak roar, the ice leopard, which is about 20 ft big, dashed forward.


    The scorpion no longer sensed a human. So, its attention shifted to the iing beast.


    The fierce beast waited for the leopard to get near. It was ready to spew out poisonous gas from its mouth at any time.


    But, the ice leopard wasn''t just a simple beast. It has a master who can outsmart the giant scorpion''s brain with ease.


    As soon as the ice leopard covered half the distance, Mark gave an order through telepathy while he was looking at the skills, "don''t go head-on. Make circles around it and create illusions with your fastest speed, then, attack with a Rush skill."


    Following the orders, the ice leopard started to circle around the beast that is 15 times its size, just about twenty meters away.


    Ten seconds passed and Mark got the effect he wanted. Due to its 6.8 points of agility, even he found it difficult to spot the original one.


    Ten more seconds passed and the giant scorpion was now confused. It was attacking empty spots over and over with its stinger and the pincers.


    Feeling irritated, it spun around itself while releasing poisonous gas around it.<sub> </sub>


    Within no time, the ice leopard was affected by the poison but it ignored the gas and activated the skill, Rush.


    Soon, what appeared like a beam of light struck the giant scorpion from sideways and it was sted away for more than a dozen meters. The attack contained the power of the peak-stage 7-circle realm. So, it was quite injured by the sessful ambush.


    Maybe, due to Mark''s luck, the injured giant scorpion coincidentally fell on its back and pped its legs, struggling to get back on its feet.


    Mark''s ether points were deducted by 200,000. With an earlier deduction for the summoning, his current ether points stand at 700,000. Unfortunately, for him, the poison was too powerful for a six-circle beast. The ice leopard was already in dire status and was dismissed right away.


    Meanwhile, the giant scorpion pushed its back against the ground with great force and flew into the air, and tried to twist its body in the air.


    Having no other choice, Mark was ready to leave the ce.


    It was at that moment he saw a missile strike its abdomen, resulting in a heavy explosion.


    "What the¡­" He was taken aback when he watched on the screen. He quickly looked at screen 5 where an attack helicopter was seen flying in the sky, nearly at 320 meters altitude from the ground. He couldn''t hear the sound of the rotor des. So, he didn''t notice until now.


    He immediately sent a message through the system. Soon, a reply came.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina wishes to report that the three beasts were taken care of.</strong>


    "That fast¡­" A trace of surprise appeared on Mark before realization dawned upon him, "I forgot that I created a lot of missiles during the fight with Sui n."


    He said, "system, ask Alina how many missiles and unguided rockets she had used."


    <strong>*Ding! Alina replies that including this, she had used a total of 4 hellfire missiles, 6 Hydra 70, and 11 mistral missiles so far.</strong>


    "Oh, those were higher than I thought. I guess these beasts were at the peak stage. No wonder this didn''t die earlier with one shot," Mark mumbled to himself before dismissing the beast and asking Alina to finish the rest without holding back.


    With heavy injuries over its body, the giant scorpion stands on its feet. Its attention now shifted to the attack helicopter. As the hellfire missile wasunched once again, it raised its pincers in time to crush the tiny thing.


    But, as soon as the contact was made, it detonated right away, creating a massive explosion once again. Despite knowing that it can''t harm him or his battle tank, Mark couldn''t help but reversed the vehicle in hurry as part of instinct.


    In an instant, the surroundings changed on their own. The smoke disappeared and what appeared on the screen is a giant portal, which is purple in color.


    Mark realized that he probably unlocked the door to the boss. At the same time, he felt like he was stupid for wasting 30,000 ether points on nothing. He could have just waited outside and let Alina finish the job.


    And so, he was forced to wait for half an hour to recover his ether points to full.


    In the meantime, he formed a strategy and exined it to Alina. It was quite a simple one too.


    Soon, the tank slowly moved towards the portal while at the same time, an attack helicopter also followed from the sky at the topmost part of the portal as neither of them knows how big this beast going to be.


    The surroundings were the same, in ground with no grass or big rocks or anything.


    "Hohoho, an intruder. How long has it been? But, it''s strange that I can''t sense the presence of humans. Are those two puppets? Interesting¡­" A deep voice, heavily resembling a human escaped in the surroundings but too bad, neither Alina nor Mark could hear what it is.


    However, it doesn''t matter as the final boss already appeared on the screen.


    Contrary to his expectations, it wasn''t big at all. The beast barely reached the size of 4ft big and 7ft long, excluding its 3ft tail.


    It is a grayish-brownish manticore with a lion''s figure and paws; golden spikes covering its body; the fangs of a sabertooth; and the horns and wings of a dragon. Its eyes and tail''s tip glow a bright blue.

 Chapter 134 Taming A Beast King (Part-3)

    Proceeding with the n, as the battle tank stopped right at the entrance, Alina locked onto the beast from a 1000ft altitude andunched a hellfire missile.


    As soon as the missile wasunched, the manticore ced its attention on the vehicle.


    "What is that?" It didn''t know what the thing that wasing towards it. This was the first time the beast had witnessed such mysterious weapons and their attack.


    Savage Baltrow couldn''t also sense the power as it doesn''t contain Ether energy or natural energy.


    Unlike the fierce beasts, this beast king was highly intelligent, probably smarter than an average adventurer. It wasn''t also highly proud of its strength because it already tasted the first hand of a human''s strength.


    Since these puppets managed to kill the subordinates, the beast king didn''t underestimate the attack and pped its wings.


    To evade the missile, the manticore swiftly flew to the side but thetter changed the path as soon as is it did.


    With the missile''s speed hitting 1.3 mach even while changing the directions, the surprised manticore didn''t get the time to evade it. But, it did protect itself by erecting a weak barrier around itself.


    The missile hit the barrier and detonated. A powerful explosion destroyed the barrier and sted away the beast king.


    However, there were no injuries on the manticore. It stood on its feet and calmly stared at the helicopter.


    "So, its power is at the peak stage of the 7-circle realm, huh. Two of them could easily wipe out one of my generals. No wonder, the master behind these puppets is confident in challenging me." Savage Baltrow mumbled before ncing at the battle tank, "I wonder why that thing isn''t going to make a move. Well, it doesn''t matter, anyway¡­"


    The manticore no longer put its attention on it after seeing another missile wasunched from the helicopter.


    "It''s the same one." The moment the beast king spotted the hellfire missileing at it once again, itunched a counter-attack.


    It spewed out a giant fireball at the iing missile. But, the missile target locking system didn''t let it touch anything other than the target.


    To its surprise, the hellfire missile skillfully made a sharp turn and evaded the fireball, and continued to fly towards the beast king.


    The manticore also acted quickly by erecting another barrier, the same as thest one.


    Once again, it was sted dozens of meters away, although without any injuries. Meanwhile, Alina controlled the steering to move fly towards the left and dodged the fireball. After traveling for another couple of hundred meters, the fireball disappeared on its own.


    Alina didn''t fail to spot it.


    Mark received a notification.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina says that the range of the dungeon overlord''s fireball is exactly 521.34 meters.</strong>


    "I see. This beast king can shoot the targets half a kilometer away." Mark nodded in understanding before letting out a smile, "Not as powerful as my modern weapons though. I can shoot the target from kilometers away.


    And once I developed my ingenious ''Aryan'' missile, which couldn''t see the light because of those cowardly higher authorities, I could wipe out anything within 21,000 kilometers range.


    But, I''m not earth. I can''t be sure of whether it can cover every ce on the. This might even be bigger. In that case, I need to improve its range. I should go to the Information guild to gather the info.


    Anyway, that''s still far away. Let''s not think too much about it and focus on this beast king."


    Mark stared at the screen and watched the battle.


    After Alina used up all the four hellfire missiles and proceeded to reload them, the beast king finally left the ground and flew towards the helicopter.


    Mark mmed the hand rest in excitement, "Yes. The helicopter now had theplete attention of the dungeon overlord."


    He then sent a message to Alina.


    Upon receiving it, Alina didn''t hesitate tounch four hellfire missiles one after the other sessively.<sub> </sub>


    Savage Baltrow was taken aback by her move but then, it calmly faced it by erecting another barrier around it, although this time, it was a stronger one.


    The first missile struck the barrier and caused a massive explosion but the barrier was intact and the manticore continued to fly before another missile struck it.


    By the time it covered one-third of the distance, four consecutive massive explosions were seen in the sky. By the end of the fourth, the barrier was finally destroyed but the uninjured beast king flew out of all those smoke and flew towards the helicopter.


    While reloading another four missiles, Alina flew the helicopter to a higher position in the same way she did when facing Song Yun in a battle, on the day of a public trial.


    With a speed of 290 km/hr, the attack helicopter was found to be moving in a spiral route but covering a wide area. It was done this way so that Alina could confuse the beast and move at the highest speed without an issue, although it would cost more fuel.


    At the same time, Alina wasunching mistral missiles, which are air-to-air missiles but only had the power of beginner-7-circle realm and can destroy peak-6-circle realm targets. So, it was nowhere strong to injure the beast king.


    But, at the very least, they managed to slow down the beast''s speed, helping Alina to increase the distance between them. Despite its small size, the legendary realm beast king''s top flying speed was only 254 km/hr. This became an advantage t


    Eventually, both of them reached a point where they are only appearing as a dot from the ground.


    Mark was watching through the screen, zooming by 40 times. It was a bit blurry but he could at least figure out which one is the helicopter and which one is the beast.


    <strong>*Ding! Alina says that she had reached 2.2 km altitude. Waiting for further orders.</strong>


    "Good." Mark let out a smile. He gave an order to y tag with the beast once he locked on to the target.


    <strong>*Ding! Your current intelligence stat is at 6.2</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The maximum attack strength of Battle Tank is restricted to 9.0. The attack power is readjusted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The target is locked.</strong>


    The 120mm cannon, grenadeunch, and machine-gun rose higher at 65 degrees while being charged up.


    Mark''s ether energy was deducted by 50% in one go.


    A concentrated beam of energy was released by the three weapons and hit at one spot in the air, forming a huge energy sphere.


    "10, 9, 8¡­."


    Mark started the countdown in excitement as the energy sphere started bing bigger.


    The beast noticed within 3 seconds. "This power¡­"


    It didn''t hesitate to abandon the helicopter and dived down with its maximum speed.


    "5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­" *Boom*


    The giant energy sphere was shot towards the beast king.


    "Sorry but you are toote." Mark let out a pleasant smile and rxed a bit. He was confident that everything will be over.


    But then, a surprise arrived before his eyes.


    The beast king used all of its ether energy from the core and unleashed a skill, "Unyielding."


    Ayer of purple energy appeared over its skin.

 Chapter 135 Emperor Shun

    The giant energy sphere prated its body and exploded inside but unlike the man-faced spider, it didn''t explode into pieces but just turned into a bloody figure while falling onto the ground. It didn''t lose its consciousness but couldn''t move its body either.


    The beast king was making slight noises while lying on the ground, motionless.


    "This beast is damn tough," Mark mumbled to himself. Since he still had 50% ether energy left and the skill of the battle tank didn''t have any cooldown timer, he wondered whether he should use it once again.


    It was at that moment, the system sent a notification, taking him by surprise.


    <strong>*Ding! Based on the calctions, the host has a 70% chance to capture the beast by using the taming scroll/Spirit Beast Contract.</strong>


    "Since when did this sassy system start giving suggestions without being asked?" Mark wondered at first before he received another notification. "Is it because of the upgrade?"


    <strong>*Ding! Based on the blood loss and recovery ability, the beast king will die in 36 seconds.</strong>


    When he read that, Mark quickly left the seat and got out of the tank.


    Uponnding on the ground, he rushed forward and stopped about fifty meters away from the beast, just to be safe.


    Alina was also ready tounch the missile in case the beast suddenly tries to ambush her master.


    cing the taming scroll on the ground, Mark spoke loudly because it''smon knowledge that beast kings can speak and understand humannguage.


    "You are about to face true death very soon. Unlike your subordinates, as the dungeon overlord, you cannot return to your home. You know that. ept me as your master and live. You can be free from this prison too." With only less time on his hands, he went straight to the point without trying to convince with the benefits and all.


    Mark then proceeded to pour the ether energy into the contract that he paid for 3000 gold coins.


    The purple energy on the seal lit up and shot a rope towards Mark, who threw it at the beast king.


    The rope turned into a concentrated energy beam and hit the back of the target.


    Unlike before, the beam just connected to the beast king for 15 whole seconds even though it was on the brink of its death.


    About ten-odd seconds away from its death, the beast king forced out a mutter under its breath, "very well, if that keeps me alive¡­"


    A bright glow appeared over its body before it disappeared from Mark''s sight. Meanwhile, he received a series of notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully formed a contract with Savage Baltrow.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on taming an 8-circle Spirit Beast. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! It is a king-grade beast. You received 5000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest, Clear the Dungeon.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Howitzer Phz 2000. Check the gallery for details.</strong>


    "Hahahahaa¡­" Mark startedughing crazily at the top of his lungs. "An 8-circle beast king as a contracted beast... Now, who would dare to touch me? Neither the Ji n nor the Imperial pce is a match for it."


    Hisugh suddenly disappeared and he had a cold gaze. He clenched his fist, "Queen Consort Lan Jingyi¡­. you abandoned a 1-day old baby boy because he wasn''t born with ether core. But the heavens decided to be on my side.<sub> </sub>


    You enjoyed your life for the past 25 years. Now, it''s time to face retribution. Since you gave birth to this body, I wouldn''t kill you but I''ll show how it feels to lose everything. First, I''ll take away the authority and power, then, money, and after that, free¡­"


    "It looked like your heart is filled with a lot of darkness, young man. A pity, indeed." All of a sudden, an aged voice was heard in the surroundings, taking Mark by surprise. He instantly stopped babbling about his revenge and looked around. There''s no one to be seen.


    "Who is it?" He furrowed his brows and spoke out aloud. Since he still has 500,000 ether points left, he was prepared to summon Tundra Bear and lightning fox at any moment.


    A projection appeared before him. Mark instinctively moved back and put his guard up and stared at the 3d holographic projection.


    It was a frail-looking old man who looked like a rich schr, although his attire was unfamiliar. The style is different from what nobles and princes wear.


    Mark inspected him with Sage''s eye. All he could see were question marks.


    "Don''t need to worry about me. This is just a stored consciousness of mine, which will disappear soon once my objective is fulfilled," The projection spoke to him in a calm manner.


    Mark thought for a bit and asked in suspicion, "Are you the dungeon creator?"


    "Well, yes. That''s obvious, isn''t it?" The projection looked at him as if he was a fool for asking such silly questions. He continued, "Anyway, let me introduce myself. I''m Chonghua of Yao n; my lineage name is Youyu, although I was more known with the name Yu Shun or Emperor Shun."


    "Yao n?" Mark went into his memories. He never heard of it. He doesn''t know who this Emperor Shun is, either. Is he someone from other Empires? As far as knows, only two dynasties ruled this ce. One is the Xia Dynasty, and now, the Shang Dynasty.


    Seeing the confused look of Mark, Emperor Shun''s projection continued to say, "It''s been more than 4000 years since I was dead. It''s no surprise that one forgets my name.


    Ever heard of Xia Dynasty?"


    Mark nodded in response.


    "Good." Emperor Shun nodded, "My sessor is Xia Yu, the one who established the Xia Dynasty."


    "Eh?" Mark''s eyes were widened in surprise. He took a step back and asked, "You are the predecessor of Emperor Yu?"


    Emperor Shun let out a smile, "Yes, I appoint him as my sessor before leaving for the cultivation and make a breakthrough to enter the realm of immortals. On the way, I was ambushed by that darn demoness.


    Eventually, I did make a breakthrough but my physical body couldn''t support the power, at that time.


    Before my death, I managed to create a puppet, which was capable of holding my soul for thousands of years. For so long, I was making preparations for my return with a grand spell. I collected the necessary items.


    As if the gods were angry with me that I was trying to defy my fate, on the day I was supposed to perform the ritual and get back to the living, my tomb was raided and I had to fight them.


    Because of a strong immortal realm (11-circle) Spirit Warrior apanying them, my puppet couldn''t handle them, and eventually, it was destroyed under the attacks.


    All of my possessions were stolen, except but one. I managed to seal a fragment of my soul into my divine grade sword and escape the ce.


    I traveled to several realms for several decades to look for a sessor as you know, our realm has a low amount of natural energy. It takes a long time to convert into ether crystals."


    "Ether crystals?" Mark was confused once again. Everyone in the world knows that the age of ether started with Shang Dynasty and that too, only 1700 years ago.


    So, how did this old man from 4000 years ago even know of their existence, and he was a demi-god too during his rule over the eastern continent?

 Chapter 136 Choosing Between Allen And A Divine Sword

    Mark only grew more confused about the history of this world. Is there a distortion in history? Maybe, the Xia Dynasty rewrote it to have a monopoly over the ether mines?


    Emperor Shun continued, "I met with a few geniuses who were noble and virtuous but they didn''t have fate with me. All the five died young. Of course, it''s not that I''m cursed or something. It''s just that their circumstances were a bit different.


    Anyway, a decade ago, I decided to return to earth to try my luck here. During my travels, I found that only our world has dungeons and dungeon creators. As a dungeon creator myself, I captured a few beasts and created a dungeon to see the worthy sessor of mine but never in the world did I expect anyone would be able to defeat a beast king from the savagends.


    Anyway, enough of my story. I''lle to the point directly.


    At the moment, I don''t know where my corpse is located. I would be happy if it is in the same ce but I don''t hope much."


    He closed his eyes and raised his hand. A glowing exquisite broadsword appeared in his hand.


    Emperor Shun then opened his eyes and looked at Mark, "This is a Divine sword called Aries, forged by the dwarves. It is meant to be possessed by the greatest king under the heavens.


    I received it from my predecessor as an inheritance. Normally, I would have passed it to my sessor but he rejected it, saying that he won''t continue my lineage and start fresh with his own dynasty. I respected his wishes and brought them with me, back when I left the pce.


    I was only hoping that someone is strong enough to kill the beast but I didn''t expect to meet someone to tame it. It is even a surprise that it went inside you, probably to the mindscape where usually only soul weapons can stay.


    Anyway, everyone has their own secrets. So, I won''t be prying into your own. As the one who liberated the beasts in this dungeon, you are entitled to get a reward. It''s an unofficial rule abided by every dungeon creator.


    At first, I want you to have this sword but your heart is filled with vengeance and I can see there''s too much darkness inside your soul. I''m afraid you aren''t suitable to hold it.


    But, still, you have to get something. So, I will give you two choices.


    One, you''ll be handed this divine sword and of course, naturally, I will follow you but I will let you use its power for one year until you found a worthy soul.


    Two, I''ll teach you a skill that lets you travel to different realms.


    Pick one."


    "The sword looks amazing but can it be as powerful as nukes? Definitely, no. Moreover, I either use summoning beasts or modern weapons. What is the use of a sword? And that too, only a year." Mark fell into thoughts,paring the two of them. "On the other hand, traveling to different realms seems like a wonderful idea. Maybe, I can even return to my own earth? A possibility, exists, right?"


    As Mark was heavily leaning towards the second option, a holographic screen suddenly appeared before his eyes with surprising notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! The system rmends taking the sword. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! If the host doesn''t like it, the weapon can be traded with the system for 100 million credits/unlock of meteor missiles and twin-enginebat aircraft.</strong><sub> </sub>


    "100 million credits?" Mark gasped in shock as he said that aloud.


    Emperor Shun furrowed his brows. "What is he talking about?"


    With a few thousand credits, he reached rank-5. With so much of credits, not only he could instantly be a Supreme Realm expert but once he exchanged the remaining credits with gold, he could buy all the ether crystals and still, be the richest person in the whole phoenix empire.


    But, wait for a second, if the system is offering that much, then, the sword must be really special, far more special than Savage Baltrow or the corpse of Cerberus.


    If that''s the case, he can never hand it over to the system because the most precious things are meant to be kept, not to be sold.


    He went on with his quick calctions and asked in his head, "system, is it a Celestial graded weapon? And if you can im this weapon, does that mean you can erase his soul?"


    <strong>*Ding! It is confirmed to be a Celestial grade sword.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Yes, the system can use the Protos energy to erase the soul fragment.</strong>


    "Then, if I decided to keep it, will you do me a favor and erase the soul fragment of Emperor Shun?" he asked the system, although not expecting any positive answer.


    And as expected, the system gave a reply.


    <strong>*Ding! The system follows thew of exchange. The host cannot expect the system to do a favor without giving something in return.</strong>


    "I want to give the sword to Allen or Alina. You can even bind it to either of them in case you think I will use it or sell it elsewhere. Name your price." Mark tried to cut deal with the system while the clueless Emperor is waiting for the answer.


    After a brief amount of silence, the system agreed to the decision but asked for an exchange.


    "You want me to give up Allen? Are you crazy?" Mark immediately roared in his head. Clearly, he didn''t like the deal. How could he like it? Lately, he might be roaming with Alina but Allen was someone who he really treated like family. He felt the system has gone too far.


    The system was also ready with its reply.


    <strong>*Ding! Allen Spencer was given as a part of the beginner package. The host didn''t earn through either hard work or through lottery.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The host sessfully tamed a legendary realm beast king; possessed an attack helicopter; possessed Battle Tank-V; has a rank-6 Android Assistant; and unlocked the howitzer. At present, the host doesn''t necessarily need Allen Spencer.</strong>

 Chapter 137 M134 Minigun

    "If that''s the case, I will refuse the sword. For you, he might be a rank-5 Android but for me, his family. His value can''t be measured by some sword or money." Mark didn''t even take two seconds to make the decision. He was very firm on it.


    <strong>*Ding! Think about it once again, the sword isn''t a normal one. People wouldn''t hesitate to wage wars against kingdoms to acquire such a sword.</strong>


    Mark no longer paid attention to the system that was trying to tempt him.


    Looking at Emperor Shun, He opened his mouth, "Emperor Shun, I have decided. I choose¡­"


    <strong>*Ding! Then, instead of Allen, the host can choose either Battle Tank-V or Attack helicopter-EC 665. In exchange, the system will erase the soul fragment of Emperor Shun and bind it to Allen Spencer. Deal?</strong>


    Mark stopped talking when the new notification arrived.


    Emperor Shun furrowed his brows, "what happened, young man? I''m waiting for your choice."


    Mark answered, "I need more time. Please wait for a minute."


    After responding to the old man, Mark spoke to the system, "Battle Tank and Attack helicopter are my trump cards, you know. I don''t think the sword will be more worth than either of them. Not to mention, you are only binding the sword to Allen."


    <strong>*Ding! What he was offering is only for a year. If the system erases his soul, then, Allen would receive Celestial graded equipment for free.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! With upgrade crystals, Allen''s strength can be upgraded to until rank-10. The stronger the Android bes, the more powerful he will get with the Celestial graded sword. Hence, the system believes this is a fair exchange.</strong>


    It was then Mark finally realized why the system intended to ask Allen in exchange. At the same time, he saw that the system really wanted him to im the item. Or else, why would it keep trying to convince him?


    He thought of taking advantage of the situation and negotiated with the system, "I know those upgrade crystals are too rare. They couldn''t even be bought. So, by the time Allen be rank-10, I believe that not only I would have already reached that stage but also would havepleted enough quests to unlock the nukes. So, your proposal is quite unfair to me, system.


    Since you believe in a fair exchange, to give up either of these two amazing vehicles, you should add something else like some firearm or vehicles like submarine or warship or a missile¡­ Only that way, it will be fair.


    There was a brief silence from the system.


    About more than ten secondster;


    <strong>*Ding! The most system can offer is a limited time lottery pick ticket as extra (7 days)</strong>


    "Deal," Mark agreed right away.


    System, "¡­"


    Meanwhile, Emperor Shun was wondering what the person is thinking. Why is it so difficult to decide? He couldn''t understand it. Anyone can tell that the second option is the right choice.


    In fact, he doesn''t want Mark to pick the divine sword either. After all, he doesn''t like the darkness, which is developed inside Mark. So, he purposely put the second option so that he can leave searching for his sessor.<sub> </sub>


    At the same time, he was also curious about this young man''s background. The attack helicopter and the battle tank were new things to him. And he looked so young too. At that age, to defeat and tame a beast king like the Baltrow is indeed an amazing feat.


    Moreover, the divine sword itself seemed to acknowledge him and be quite restless. It only means that the young man standing before him either belongs to the royal lineage or contained a powerful bloodline of a Divine Beast.


    Little he knows that the sword is barely sensing the presence of the system, which is residing in Mark''s soul.


    "Your Majesty, before I tell you my decision, I need your help in identifying something," Mark spoke to him after finally making the decision of choosing the trade.


    "What is it?" Emperor Shun asked with curiosity.


    Mark opened the inventory and took out a rusty ring and stretched its hand towards the old man. "I received this from someone who imed this belonged to Emperor Yu. Can you help me?"


    The soul fragment of Emperor Shun flew towards Mark. Even with closing the distance, he couldn''t identify it because it waspletely rusty.


    "Well, I''m not sure but if Xia Yu got this item along with the crown as a part of royal jewelry, then, this can identity it." Emperor Shun raised the divine sword and put it near Mark''s hand. Maybe, it''s just his arm but it seemed as if the sword was shaking.


    As the tip of the de touched the ring, the rusty ring glowed brightly and floated in the air, bringing a smile to both Mark as well as the spirit.


    "It appeared to be a part of royal jewelry that I used to wear and was passed onto my sessor, indeed."


    As it returned to Mark''s hand, disying its original appearance, he inspected it with the Sage eye. At the same time, the system sent him a notification.


    <strong>*Ding! The system sent a trade request.</strong>


    Yu''s Ring


    Grade: Ruby


    Description: Ring of Emperor Yu, the great. It is also known as the ring of immortality. With the help of this ring, Emperor Yu almost lived for five centuries.


    Skill: The wearer can absorb the life span of the target by 1 year. CD: 24 hours.


    Side effect: Every time the wearer absorbs life, their soul will be corrupted by little.


    "Damn, the ring is good and bad at the same time. Let''s see what the system offered, this time." Mark clicked on the notification. Even though the ring''s grade is very high, Mark wasn''t keen on having it because of its side effect. Corruption of the soul will lead to madness and loss ofplete morals.


    Then, how did Emperor Yu manage to do it? Maybe, he too was corrupted after ruling for 60 odd years and passed the throne to his son? The history of the Xia Dynasty was also distorted, after all. Except for thest emperor of Xia who made a mess, the predecessors weren''t that much known to the public.


    <strong>*Ding! Trade Yu''s Ring with M134 mini gun (Gold graded)</strong>

 Chapter 138 Trading Away The Battle Tank

    "Oh, that Gatling-style gun?" Mark knew the machine gun, which was once, one of the fastest guns capable of shooting 2000-4000 rounds per minute. He was naturally happy to receive it in exchange but what slightly disappointed him is that it is a graded weapon.


    He knew the system very well. It wouldn''t let a graded weapon be sold. Now, the only thing that matters is whether this machine gun has any worthy skills or not. With the weapon only being in gold grade, Mark didn''t have much hope but still, he asked the system for its details.


    <strong>M134 Minigun</strong>


    Type: Machine gun


    Grade: Gold


    Ammo: 7.62 x 51mm


    Barrels: 6


    Weight: 39 kg


    Length: 801.6 mm


    Barrel Length: 558.8 mm


    Muzzle velocity: 850 meters/sec


    Effective range: 500 meters (uracy: 100%)


    Absolute Range: 1000 meters (uracy: 20%)


    RPM: 1000-6000 (can be set beforehand)


    <strong>Description:</strong> A destructive machinegun that is capable of destroying enemies within a snap of a finger.


    Consumption: The machine gun uses the user''s ether energy as its power source. It consumes 1 ether energy point per every second.


    <strong>Skills:</strong>


    <strong>Ether bullets:</strong> The user could charge the machine gun with ether energy and use energy bullets in ce of 7.62 x 51mm ammo. Each bullet fired from one barrel has the power to eliminate any target under the peak-3-circle realm. Cost: 10000 ether points per 100 rounds.


    <strong>SuperBeam:</strong> The machinegun will be charged for ten seconds and create a concentrated beam of energy to shoot it at the enemy with 130% attack power. Cost: 50% of maximum Ether energy. CD: 10 minutes


    Note: The system rmends the host to have atleast 1.5 points of strength before trying to use the ammunition to handle the recoil force. Until then, it is rmended for the host to use the fixed mount.


    "Oh, 130%? That''s not bad if I consider the cooldown timer. As for the ether bullets, they aren''t worth much. Another problem is its weight.


    I can lift 40 kg but I can''t hold it for too long. There''s recoil force I need to consider. I guess I need to depend on the mount until I gain the necessary strength. Maybe, I can just keep it in the entrance to make it more intimidating.


    And there''s consumption. 60 ether points isn''t a big deal either way. Currently, I have about 2000 ether points. That means I can easily operate the gun continuously for 30 minutes. That''s like shooting 100,000 bullets at the enemies. It''s awesome but gonna be expensive for sure.


    Anyway, let''s not wait for this old man for too long. Who knows, whether he might change his decision due to impatience¡­"


    After asking a couple of questions, Mark proceeded to ept the trade. The ring disappeared from his hand.


    <strong>*Ding! M134 Minigun has been unlocked. Check out the gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 7.62 x 51mm ammunition has been unlocked.</strong>


    After he was done with it, Mark looked at the old man and faked out his expression with a bright smile as if he appeared to be excited, "I''m willing to take the sword. I live in Imperial City and was acquainted with a few nobles and a prince who had awakened a phoenix bloodline. So, I''m sure that I can find you, a sessor."


    The 9 points of charm worked on the spirit of Emperor Shun who trusted Mark''s words and nodded.


    As soon as he left the divine sword, it flew by itself andnded in Mark''s right hand.


    "I will be resting inside the divine sword for the next year. I hope you find the potential sessor." Emperor Shun then flew into the divine sword.


    As soon as the old man disappeared, Mark received a request from the system for official confirmation.


    <strong>*Ding! You received a trade request from the system.</strong>


    He clicked on it.


    <strong>*Ding! Trade either Battle Tank-V or Attack Helicopter EC665 with the removal of soul fragment from the Celestial Grade sword and bind it to Allen, lottery pick ticket (7 days)</strong>


    "I trade Battle Tank-V" Mark spoke to the system.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Confirm with Battle Tank-V?</strong>


    "Yes"


    The Battle Tank behind him and the sword in his hands, both of them disappeared at the same time and he received a confirmation. Along with that, there were some surprising notifications that he didn''t take into ount.


    <strong>*Ding! The Battle Tank-V has sessfully been traded.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 96 of K3 (120mm ammo) have been returned to the system. The debt was reduced by 192 ether crystals (low) </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 94 of 40mm grenades have been returned to the system. The debt was reduced by 470 gold coins.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 834 of C6 (12.7mm ammo) have been returned to the system. The debt was reduced by 834 gold coins.</strong>


    "So, I guess I made a loss about all those failures?" Mark let out a sigh. When he thought about the character of the system, he felt like it perfectly makes sense.


    Since it takes an hour toplete the process, Mark forgot about the sword and opened the Lottery Wheel.


    Nearly three days ago, the cooldown timer has already ended but Mark didn''t meet any proper enemy to absorb luck points. Even now, he doesn''t want to risk absorbing Ji Guanli''s luck. After all, there are two things avable on the wheel. The rest of the 19 spaces are empty. Unless he possesses 10 points of luck, he cannot risk wasting the turn and waiting for another seven days.


    Keeping the lottery wheel window on the side, Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the lottery pick ticket. He held on to it for two seconds before a prompt appeared.


    "Use?"


    "Yes"


    The lottery ticket disappeared and took away all the empty spaces temporarily, leaving behind only two rewards. One Upgrade stone and the other is a unique skill.


    After thinking briefly, he selected the upgrade stone, aiming to improve his luck. He doesn''t want to keep the matters pending any longer.


    <strong>*Ding! Upgrade stone is being sent to the inventory.</strong>


    The lottery wheel returned to its earlier state with only one reward and 20 empty spaces. Below it, the spin option is avable.


    Mark right away searched the inventory and found a blue-colored stone with white patches on it.


    He took out the stone and held it. The stone was lightweight and has a smooth surface but was very hard like steel.


    He inspected it.


    <strong>Upgrade stone</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Use the upgrade stone to improve the quality of equipment.


    Following the instructions from the system, Mark took out his ring and ced it on the ground. He inspected the ring. There was an upgrade option that became avable at the end of its details.


    He clicked on it.


    <strong>*Ding! Upgrade stone will be consumed. Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes"


    A blinding sh of light covered the gold ring for a few seconds before it once again revealed to be the same without any appearance chance. While it still looks like a gold ring, it is sessfully upgraded, although unfortunately, not a tinum grade.


    Mark wore it and then inspected it with Sage eyes. "Eh?"


    <strong>Ring of Luck (Bound)</strong>


    Grade: Gold+


    Description: Absorbs the luck from the targets, increasing the wearer''s luck.


    Effects: Luck+5


    Skill: Absorb a maximum of 7 points of luck from the target. CD: 12 hours.


    "System, is there a grade such as Gold+?" Mark asked in confusion. He expected it to be a tinum grade.

 Chapter 139 A Cat Hatched From An Egg?

    <strong>*Ding! ''+'' exists for each grade. Didn''t host ever wonder why the exchange rate for a gold grade is between 100 credits-500 credits while the silver grade is between 10 credits-50 credits?</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! + Grade will ur whenever the item is refined by a cksmith or through the upgrade stone.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! To upgrade it to the tinum grade, the host needs one more upgrade stone.</strong>


    "I see." Mark nodded in understanding. He didn''t think it was a waste to choose it with the upgrade stone as he could now reach 100% luck with the help of hostage.


    He ordered Alina to bring out the hostage. The moment the dungeon is clear, the helicopter is already started to descend but even afternding, Alina didn''te out until she was called now. She waited until the old man disappeared and stepped out.


    The unconscious Ji Guanli was dragged out by Alina. Mark stared at the teenager and used the ring of luck''s only ability.


    <strong>*Ding! 3 points of luck are being absorbed. The host needed to stay for 90 seconds within 10 meters range of the target.</strong>


    "Oh, the range has been increased. I didn''t notice it." Mark eximed in surprise.


    One and a half minutester;


    <strong>*Ding! 3 points of luck have been absorbed sessfully.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 5 minutes timer has started.</strong>


    "I don''t need 5 minutes, anyway." Mark opened the lottery wheel once again and clicked on the spin, right away.


    300 credits were deducted and the wheel started to spin. There was no tension on Mark''s face for he knew that it is going tond for sure.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won a unique skill from the lottery wheel.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Select the attribute.</strong>


    "Attribute? I guess the skill must be a useful one." Mark had a bit of hope while selecting the lightning attribute as he already possessed two bloodline skills from the ice attribute.


    <strong>*Ding! You received Thunderst Skill.</strong>


    <strong>Thunderst:</strong> Summon a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike down the enemy with 150% magic power. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: 60 minutes.


    "Cooldown is higher but it is a strong skill. It will be helpful in times of need." Mark was satisfied with the skill.


    If he had seen this even a few hours ago, he would have started jumping in joy but after getting the divine sword, beast king, howitzer, and Minigun, he was a bit calmer when he received the skill.


    It was like his hundred thousand dor investment in crypto made him a billionaire and then, he received a million-dor lottery. Of course, he would be happy but the value of a million bucks to a billionaire won''t be much. The same situation happened with Mark.


    Meanwhile, the lottery wheel refreshed.


    Once again, seven new items appeared with two empty spaces between each one.


    A few of them aremon like Unique Skill, Question mark, peak potion, and +2, but the other three are different from before. Mark''s body shivered in excitement when he saw those items.


    The first of that trio is a lightbat aircraft, the second one is an Upgrade Crystal, and thest one is a shocking Reconnaissance satellite.


    "Love you, system, you are the best." Markughed out loud in excitement. With such a spy satellite, the whole world will be in his hands. Even the so-called WEB spywork will be useless.


    As for theck ofputers and such tech, he doesn''t worry about it. After working with the system for weeks, he could atleast guess that the system will be the one that receives signals and will show him the live feed.


    But, in the next second, the sassy system poured water on his happiness with a simple statement.


    <strong>*Ding! The host shouldn''t be too happy. Even if the host acquires the satellite, the host doesn''t possess any rocketunching station or even a space rocket to carry the satellite into space.</strong>


    "Fuck¡­" Mark cursed out in realization. He was a military weapon designer, not a researcher at NASA. How would he know the mechanics of building one? Even if the system helps him with that, this world is too backward in technology.


    In the end, he asked the system whether he could earn them through some method like through the quests or something like that.<sub> </sub>


    In response, the system sent a simple and effective reply.


    <strong>*Ding! Please upgrade the system.</strong>


    "Argh¡­ fine." Mark dismissed the lottery wheel and took out a glossy ck egg from the inventory. It''s the mysterious egg he earned from clearing the Dungeon of Tan.


    Now that he had ten luck points, he proceeded with hatching the egg with a simple click.


    <strong>*Ding! Please drop a drop of blood on the egg to form a contract with your soul.</strong>


    Betting on his luck, he took out a kitchen knife from the inventory and carefully cut his palm, and squeezed a drop of blood onto the egg.


    *Crack*


    In an instant, the egg cracked in the middle before a little paw came out.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on obtaining a beast emperor as the mount. You receive 50000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    "50000?" Mark was stunned for a second before bursting out withughter. "I knew that 10 points of luck will work even if there is only 1% probability. I think I should take this opportunity to create the ammunition for panzer, howitzer, and¡­ Eh?"


    *Crack*


    The other little paw came out and soon, the head. Mark was frozen when he saw the head. Eventually, the whole body came out, covered in sticky fluid but its appearance was clear. The golden furred baby beast wasn''t half even the size of an egg.


    Mark just stared at the beast in a daze as it pushed away all the fluid with a thought. The beast looked at Mark with a gaze filled with love, epting him as a parent. It opened its mouth, "meow."


    "A cat?" Mark rubbed his eyes and took a closer look at the beast, taking it into his hands as it struggled to walk towards him.


    "This is a beast Emperor? And how the fuck a cat can be hatched from an egg? What kind of concept is this? System, are you ying a joke on me?"


    <strong>*Ding! You acquired the egg from the dungeon, not from the system.</strong>


    "Ah, that''s right. Sorry." Mark apologized upon realizing it. Normally, he acquired precious treasures from the system. In shock, he forgot it for a moment.


    He quickly activated the Sage eyes and inspected it.


    <strong>Unnamed</strong>


    Grade: Emperor


    Species: Cat


    Attribute: Water, Wind, and Light


    Rank: 1


    Description: A beast with mysterious origins.


    *Meow*


    It let out a soft yell as its attention fell on his hand. The blue gem on the golden furred cat glowed a bit before a small beam of light hit his palm, healing the cut.


    And then, it fell on its side right away before a blinding sh of light covered it and disappeared.


    <strong>*Ding! The beast is feeling fatigued. It was stored in the familiars'' inventory.</strong>


    While it continued to rest after performing healing right after it was born, Mark named it ''Tishanan'' after confirming with the system that it is a male one.

 Chapter 140 The Devil Spawn Of Yuan Clan

    <strong>The same day evening;</strong>


    <strong>Dasong County, Southern Yuan Province;</strong>


    In a county, located in the southernmost part of the empire, nearby the ocean, there stood a handsome manor house surrounded by borated gardens, including a fountain. The grey painting over the mansion and the darkness in the surroundings gave off an eerie feeling.


    A person in soldier attire was seen passing through the gate and reaching the entrance of the mansion. For thisrge mansion, only two guards were ced outside the gate. And both of them were just standing straight without any expression.


    The door opened inwardly on its own without anyone visibly opening it. He entered calmly but his pace was quite fast. If not for the fact that the running is against the etiquette, he would have already done that so.


    The entrance hall wasrge, dimly lit, andvishly decorated. Arge carpet was covering the whole concrete floor. At the end of the hall, a staircase splits into left and right while leading to the first floor.


    It was quite empty, one should say with the minimum number of servants and almost no visitations from any elders. The servants also had the same expression as if they were puppets. Nevertheless, the ce is spotless. It is well maintained.


    He took the left path. On the way, he nced around at the portraits ced along the wall as he climbed up. In an instant, his body is stiffened when he found their eyes moving.


    "Fuu¡­ it''s not your first time here, Ye Hai. Be cool¡­"


    Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the steps and just climbed the stairs in silence.


    He reached the first floor and walked towards a closed room, followed by knocking on the door twice.


    Just like with the entrance door, it opened on its own, revealing a young man in his twenties. His messy hair was brown and quite long. It was almost touching the floor while he was in a sitting position.


    It was a dim-lit room with minimum furniture. There was a simple cot and a thin mattress on top of it. There was a wooden desk and chair. There was a wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room. Compared to howvish the mansion is, it was indeed surprising.


    Other than that, there''s a portrait on the wall where a boy was seen with a beautiful young woman.


    The young man was busy writing something. He was so engrossed in it that he didn''t even sense the presence of an outsider.


    "Master Yuan?" The soldier called out the young man after waiting for a few seconds.


    It was only then the young man finally turned his head. One of his eyes is covered with a patch; the other eye is bloodshot, looking like he didn''t sleep for a while. There is an x shaped scar on his right cheek.


    "Ye Hai?" The young man appeared to be acquainted with this soldier. He asked, "What is it?"


    "The Prison of Baltrow was cleared." The soldier informed him.


    "What!" The young man suddenly raised his voice, only to turn it into hoarse, and coughed out a bit. He then asked, "Say it again? Did you say that someone killed that beast?"


    Ye Hai nodded, "A while ago, our soldiers stationed at the Baltrow Tower spotted something like a puppet that has wheels going into the portal. The portal turned white in color and after that, it was the same puppet exited from it.


    A momentter, a flying puppet exited from the portal.


    Based on the descriptions given by our watchers, only one person was known to possess something simr to those two items. His name is Lu Zhen, the Cerberus yer. However, we have yet to confirm it. All we have is spections.<sub> </sub>


    But, it was confirmed that the dungeon is empty and will soon be destroyed in three days, following the worldws."


    A few drops of tears suddenly escaped the young man''s eyes as he turned his head towards the portrait on the wall. A whisper escaped from him, "mother¡­"


    The young man stood upon his feet with a hardened expression, "Ye Hai, I''m going there to inspect the traces of the battle. In the meantime, send a letter to that uncle of mine that I''m returning to take back what''s mine."


    ? "Eh? You are returning? What about this ce?" The soldier asked in surprise. "You said that when it''s time for your return, this ce has to be demolished. Do we really have to..."


    The young man removed the patch and revealed a glowing scarlet pupil, "I told that it will disappear, not demolished."


    It wasn''t the first time the soldier had seen the glowing eye. So, he wasn''t visibly surprised and only wondered why he had chosen to reveal it.


    However, in the next second, he shivered with a chill running down his spine when he found the surroundings instantly changed. Both of them are standing in the middle of a graveyard.


    He looked around. There were no gardens, fountains, the mansion couldn''t be visible. But the entrance gate, thepound wall, the rocky hill on the left, and theke on the right was the same. There were no guards outside the gate.


    "Did we teleport?" He wondered out loud but there was no response from the young master he was serving. Thetter was silent as he stared at a particr grave in silence.


    After a whole minute of silence, the young man opened his mouth slowly, "You said that the person who cleared the dungeon is named Lu Zhen?"


    "Ah, Yes, Master Yuan." The soldier''s voice shook in a bit of fear as he answered. If he can be teleported without being able to resist, then, he can be killed too.


    "What do you know about him?" The young man asked.


    The soldier answered truthfully, "ording to our sources, he runs a weapon store named Genesis at the Imperial City. He''s also the sole weapon seller of firearms. They are a new type of weapons that civilians would be able to wield to defeat elementary Spirit Warriors.


    As for hisbat ability, he is a summoner with a peak-7-circle realm. Some specte that his cultivation realm is even higher.


    Aside from that, there''s a flying puppet with him that he used to defeat the Grand Elder of the Sui n. He also had a peerless beauty as a servant. She was known to be strong enough to go head to head with Supreme Commander Bai and is beautiful enough to make any male fall for her."


    The young man nodded, "okay, you can leave."


    As the soldier went towards the entrance gate with a clueless expression, the young man mumbled, "Before leaving for the Leon Empire, I guess I will have to meet this Lu Zhen and express my thanks."


    On that day, a huge manor that is standing firmly for a decade disappeared without a trace.


    <strong>Meanwhile, somewhere in the Kunyu mountain range;</strong>


    An attack helicopter was seen hovering around while searching for the bandits. After finding a group, shended the helicopter somewhere in the open and dismissed it before carrying the heir of Ji n on her shoulder like some boar''s corpse. The tips of the two daggers of hers were still embedded in his body to make sure his ether energy stay sealed.


    She proceeded to walk into the forest for a while until being surrounded by a group of bandits. All of them have lusts written on their faces.


    She cold-bloodedly killed everyone except for one person before she gave her identity.

 Chapter 141 Handing Over The Hostage

    <strong>Several minutester;</strong>


    "I apologize for the actions of my subordinates." Feng Wu bowed slightly in embarrassment. He had fought with her and knew that he couldn''t afford to make an enemy out of her unless his powerful ancestor gets outside from the closed-door cultivation.


    Well, even then, he cannot avenge the deaths of his subordinates as he needs the help of her master.


    "So, may I know the reason for your visit?" He asked her in a polite tone. His eyes wandered over the teenager. He wondered who it is.


    It was then she threw away the boy at Feng Wu''s feet, "this is Ji Guanli, the second child of Ji n but is selected as the heir due to his high talent. It is my master''s present to you in advance to show how serious he was taking this trade between you."


    "Eh? Heir to the Ji n?" Feng Wu was naturally surprised. Why wouldn''t he be? It was only a couple of days since he finalized the deal with Mark and now, thetter already brought an important hostage to him?


    "But, how did you get him?" He asked with his eyes widely opened.


    Alina shrugged her shoulders and gave a cold reception to him, "it doesn''t matter to you. My master told me to inform you that whatever you do with you is your wish but if his namees out in public that he''s working with you, he said that he won''t hesitate to even raze the entire Kunyu mountain range to the ground just to hunt you down."


    After finishing her business, she no longer stayed there and started flying back to the Southern Yuan where her master is traveling towards the final destination, the dungeon of Yannan.


    With Battle Tank gone, Mark was traveling in a self-propelled howitzer. Although this one is quite bigger than the battle tank and is even able to handle a stronger opponent if one doesn''t take skills into consideration, the space inside is quite cramped.


    Unlike the battle tank, there is no turret here but was divided into front and rear chambers. The front chamber only contained a driver''s seat. Just like with the other normal battle tanks, the driver almost has to be in a sleeping position to even drive straight.


    Along with this disadvantage, the powerful 155m cannon cannot target the enemies who are standing behind.


    Thankfully, the rear chamber has a bunk at the left and right top for sleeping. Apart from that, there were two more seats avable in the back. One has aputer screen with him and the other can be elevated to the top of the exit where they can shoot the enemies with the 7.62mm machine gun whilefortably sitting.


    Currently, Mark was driving at a slow pace of 10-15 km/hr while waiting for Alina''s return.


    Just a few weeks ago, he would be fear of death every time he goes outside without protection but as he grew stronger, he became more reckless with making new enemies as well as fearless of ambushes even on traveling alone.


    As he was carefully searching for the whereabouts of the dungeon, he received a message from Alina about her return.


    He stopped traveling and parked the vehicle outside of a vige. He just stayed inside the vehicle to fill his stomach and then, take a brief nap as he knew it would take her a while to return.


    The distance between the Yuan province and the Kunyu Mountains is about 600 kilometers far by the air route. With the helicopter only having an 800km range and Mark having low ether points, she would have to travel on foot while using teleportation skill every thirty seconds.<sub> </sub>


    Mark originally nned to go inside alone but he decided against it after a second thought since he doesn''t want to take that advancement pill every time.


    As he was taking a nap in the rear chamber, a series of knocks woke him up. Unlike the battle tank, this howitzer has an entrance/exit in the rear like a jeep. With a press on the button, the metallic door was opened without any noise and Mark jumped down on the ground.


    Two soldiers in a fully armored state were standing on the side. One of them knocked again.


    "What do you want?" He asked.


    The two of them turned around and found Mark was standing there with an annoyed expression.


    One of them acted surprised, "Brother Lu, it''s you¡­"


    "Eh?" As Mark was taken aback by his sudden greeting, the guy realized what he had blurted just now. He cleared his throat, "I mean Lord Lu¡­ Pardon my manners. I''m Lei Jin. We met at Jin province during the dungeon break."


    Mark went down to his memories. He remembered the soldier, "Ah, Yes, you are the guy who told the stories about your Lt. General Hu, right?"


    "You remembered me," Lei Jin let out a sigh of relief. He then said, "I didn''t know that this belongs to you. We just heard the vigers panicked about a mysterious thing on the outskirts."


    Since he had to wait for a while, and there''s a familiar person before him, Mark decided to chat for a bit, "Are you stationed here?"


    Mark knew that the southern empire was in the protection of the second prince''s army.


    "No, actually, a dungeon break is about to ur about twenty kilometers away from here. We came here to evacuate the people, just in case." Lei Jin informed, giving a surprise.


    "A dungeon break?" Mark furrowed his brows. "Is it the dungeon of Yannan?"


    "Yannan? Isn''t it already cleared a while ago?" The other soldiers asked in doubt, to which Lei Jin nodded, "yes, this was a different one, appeared about three days ago. To be honest, I don''t think it is as serious as thest time. The portal size is too small but since it affected thend for 9 kilometers in radius, I suspect it is a rank-5 dungeon."


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded in understanding. Now that there''s no dungeon to clear, he decided to return.


    "Okay, then, it''s time for me to start going." When he was about to part his way, Lei Jin stopped him. "Wait. General Wen is currently staying at the camp. It is not far away from here. He would be happy to receive you as a guest."

 Chapter 142 Brother Lu, You Are A Savior

    Not so long ago, when he met Bai Xun for the first time, Mark kept the peak strength potion ready to use at any time. He was so tense that he didn''t even allow Supreme Commander to walk with him.


    It was only after he entered the store, Mark rxed back then. Now, it was theplete opposite.


    With the Shimmerwood turtle and Pritsha-the Cannibal ready to be summoned from the Familiars inventory at any time, Mark felt any morefortable.


    "Well, that''s to be expected. After all, no one in your battalion mastered the guns." Mark replied to Lei Jin who said that practicing with firearms is extremely difficult.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created Contender (break-action single-shot pistol)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created Falling-block Rifle (single-shot)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created .204 inch rifle cartridge (5.2 x 47mm)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created an M99 rifle (single-shot anti-material precision rifle)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created .50 BMG (12.7 x 99mm)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created Pzf 3-IT600 (anti-tank rocketuncher)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You created a 110mm HEAT warhead.</strong>


    ***


    <strong>Contender</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Effective range: 10 meters


    Absolute range: 20 meters


    Description: A pistol with a single round of ammunition. Capable of inflicting heavy damage on a civilian and 1-circle Spirit Warriors.


    **


    <strong>Falling-block Rifle</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Description: A 3.2 kg rifle capable of inflicting damage on 2-circle and below Spirit Warriors by shooting .204 cartridge.


    Effective range: 100 meters


    Absolute Range: 200 meters


    **


    <strong>M99 Rifle</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Weight: 10kg


    Description: A rifle capable of inflicting damage on advanced-3-circle Beasts or Spirit Warriors of Fighter path from a far distance using .50 caliber ammunition.


    **


    <strong>Pzf 3-IT600</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Weight: 13.3 kg


    Effective Range: 400 meters


    Absolute range: 600 meters


    Description: A destructive rocketuncher capable of destroying 5-circle or lower realm Beasts and Spirit Warriors.<sub> </sub>


    ******


    While chatting with Lei Jin on the way, Mark, who had put aside the single-shot firearms unlock, until now, started to make them so that he can make a deal with the Second Prince.


    Since the sales weren''t that great until now, Mark didn''t introduce those new models into the store. He doesn''t want the customers to be confused about choosing a wide variety of guns when most of them didn''t even know the concept of a gun in the first ce.


    However, the second prince is different. Even if he was as clueless as others, he wanted to form a separate division for firearms. So, Mark wanted to introduce these varieties to him. They might be single shot but far better than the single-shot pistol.


    This is the reason he agreed to the visit right away when the soldier requested him toe and visit their General.


    While the other soldier named Zi Tian was left behind at the vige to oversee everyone''s packing their luggage, Lei Jin took Mark to the campsite.


    The scene was simr to the past except that most of them are soldiers. Maybe, it''s due to the fact that the dungeon is of lower rank, or maybe, it''s because it is in a region where there is no major town or city located.


    The reason doesn''t matter to Mark. He doesn''t intend to stay much longer either way.


    As Lei Jin and Mark were walking towards their general''s tent, a few soldiers who interacted with Mark, thest time, recognized him.


    But, only one of them was bothered to greet him.


    "Hello, Lei Jin¡­ and you must be Owner Lu, right?" A soldier named Ye Liang greeted them with a smile on his face. He had a P-365, a ten-round semi-automatic pistol, hanging over his waist in some kind of leather pouch that vaguely resembles a holster.


    "Are you a member of the firearms unit?" Mark asked right away as he nced at the gun.


    Ye Liang nodded while taking it out, "I was personally chosen by the general to be a part of the 20 member unit. I should say it''s actually very useful in capturing the civilian-level thieves and street gangs, especially if they are running away.


    Even at close strength, we don''t need to worry about controlling our strength. All we need to focus on is our aim. Whoever made this, is a genius."


    Mark just smiled in response while speaking in his head, "that genius is standing right in front of you."


    But, that smile was short-lived as the holographic screen appeared before his eyes.


    <strong>*Ding! The system is the weapon maker. The host is a weapon seller.</strong>


    "I know that, okay¡­" Mark replied to the system before blurting out with aint, "Ah, that sassy system, it never fails to get on my nerves."


    "Eh? What!" Both of the soldiers stared at him. They didn''t understand his words properly.


    Mark realized the mistake and just said to them, "Ah, I''m sorry. I was thinking about something else. Anyway, Lei Jin, let''s get going."


    He bowed slightly to Ye Liang and proceeded to walk forward.


    Thankfully for him, just when they are about to reach the tent, the general himself stepped out along with a graceful-lookingdy and her maid. His expression looked a bit stiff while thedy had a glow on her face.


    It was then Mark''s eyes met with Shang Wen.


    He immediately left her and walked forward, calling out his name aloud with affection, "Brother Lu, what are you doing here?"


    "Eh?" Mark was a bit surprised by how this biological half-sibling addressed him. The second prince''s facial expression also seemed a bit exaggerated. It was as if he was looking at his long-lost brother.


    Well, that is true in reality but the prince doesn''t know it, so, Mark wondered why he was behaving this way. It''s not like they were close or something. They only met two times. Is it because he killed the Cerberus and the second prince wanted to make friendship with him?


    Mark immediately shook his head and threw that thought away for everyone in the Empire knew that the second prince isn''t like that.


    However, soon, he understood the reason.


    Upon reaching Mark, the second prince grabbed him and slowly whispered, "Lu Zhen, please y along for a moment."


    Mark''s eyes then fell on thedy who suddenly furrowed her brows.


    He realized it and yed along as he was the master of making fake expressions. He widely smiled, "it''s been a while, Brother Shang. I''m actually here for a very important business. It''s very urgent."


    "Is that so? Let''s talk in the tent." Mark was personally escorted by the second prince, stupefying Lei Jin, and the surrounding soldiers who they never saw their General acted to someone this way. Since they were addressing each other as brothers, maybe, this new handsome guy is a close friend or maybe a childhood friend?


    Of course, there are a couple ofdies around who usually fantasize about male-male rtionships by reading those banned novels. Mark being handsome and delicate and their general being buffed and tough, messed up their imagination even more. The time of the day happened to be the evening after the dinner time added as a bonus.


    However, there''s one person who was in displeasure. It is the graceful-lookingdy that was abandoned and ignored.

 Chapter 143 Another Deal With The Second Prince?

    As Mark and Shang Wen went inside the tent, thedy asked her maid, "Chang Xinyi, find everything about that guy. I want to know who is he that his highness who didn''t even bat an eye to me but act cheerful towards him."


    Meanwhile, inside the tent, the second prince let out a sigh of relief and took a seat, "thank you, Lu Zhen. If you hadn''te in time, I would have been suffocated by that snake."


    "If you don''t mind me asking, who is thatdy? Based on her clothes, she looked like a noble." Mark was curious.


    "She''s Yuan Meili, the third daughter of Yuan Weishi. He is the governor of Northern Yuan Province. Myte mother used to be friends with her mother and once upon a time before I was born before my mother married my father, they jokingly made a pact to wed their children to each other.


    After I lost my mother, this family didn''t even care about my existence and when I finally became the general, they suddenly remembered Lady Yuan''s friendship with my mother. What a bunch of annoying people¡­" After rattling out for a while, he sighed once again before he looked at Mark, "So, Lu Zhen, what are you here, for? There''s still a week before our agreement for the next batch of bullets."


    Mark replied, "I was passing by. One of your soldiers Lei Jin recognized me and invited me to the campsite."


    "No. A person like you will nevere all the way here, just to greet me. I''m sure that even if the Emperor is camping here, you wouldn''t ept the invitation for no reason." The Second Prince was blunt with his response. He didn''t buy the excuse at all.


    Mark felt as if he was seen through once again. He couldn''t help but remember thest time, during the dungeon break, the second prince left behind a note, warning him not to be reckless with using the battle tank. As a result, Mark was forced to make a huge detour to take them by surprise from behind.


    He directly opened the inventory and took out a gun that weighs atleast 10 kg.


    *Thud*


    He ced it on the table, rather casually. "This is M99, a .50 caliber rifle type firearm that can urately shoot the targets from 1800 meters. As for its absolute range, it is about 2600 meters but its uracy drops heavily."


    "2600 meters?" The Second Prince was visibly shocked and just stared at the rifle.


    Mark continued to exin, "You have a telescopic sight (scope), right here, which even has a 10x zoom feature so that it is easy to target from far away.


    However, unlike with P365 that you are using here, this one is a single shot. That means you need to load one bullet after another.


    Mark then took out a 12.7x99mm bullet and showed it to the second prince, "you need these types of bullets to shoot from this rifle. And each of them is powerful enough to take out the 3-circle realm Spirit Warrior of the intermediate stage. If the target is a mage or another Spirit Path other than Fighter, you can even take out the beginner/elementary stage of the 4-circle realm.


    Since you can shoot it from far away, the one who mastered this weapon can shoot the eyes of your target while you fight. After all, the eyes are sensitive parts. Whether it is a 1-circle realm or 7-circle realm, eyes are always vulnerable but of course, if they are protected by energy, nothing can be done, just saying. All I can say is that these are the perfect tools for¡­"


    "Assassination," Shang Wen finished the sentence with a dazed expression. The weapon he sawst time and the one he saw now are entirely on different levels.


    "That''s right." Mark nodded.


    The enemy would care evenmoners if they are well equipped in armor and have weapons in their hands but what if they are ced far away?


    Shang Wen couldn''t help but imagine a scenario where amoner was ced on the rooftop of high-story buildings or on the top of the hills.<sub> </sub>


    After thinking for a brief amount of time, the second princemented, "I bet this won''t be cheap."


    Mark replied with a nod, "It isn''t easy to make such a weapon. Even though I only possess one, 10 more will be procured by the end of the week. As for the cost, 250 gold coins per rifle. The special bullet, on the other hand, costs only 1 gold coin."


    "That''s within my expectations." The second prince was calmer when he heard the price. Remembering something from the past, he further said, "This isn''t the weapon you mentioned during ourst meet, right?"


    Mark waved his hands, "of course, not, your highness. It will take atleast a couple of weeks before its prototype gets ready but if you are interested, I can ask my manufacturers toplete it by next week."


    The second prince nodded and then stared at the rifle. "Can I hold it?"


    Mark gestured with his two hands.


    Shang Wen stood up on his feet and walked forward. He lifts the rifle. "It''s heavy."


    Mark pointed to the inverted ''V'' shape stand, "Yes. That''s why there''s the mount."


    Shang Wen put it down again, "let''s not go too far. It was only recently my subordinates were training with small ones. I''ll check this one out, next week, during my visit to Imperial city."


    Mark was disappointed that he couldn''t make a deal. Unlike in his past world, the selling of weapons here is too easy and there''s a lot of business potential when the client is none other than the military.


    But, he didn''t back away from trying. Now that he came all the way, he would procure at least one deal.


    cing it back into the inventory, he said, "If that''s the case, then, I have a simple but destructive weapon. Power-wise, this weapon can kill a 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior or Beast."


    "What did you say?" The second prince, who put down the rifle and walked away, abruptly turned his head and spoke loudly. If the previous was a surprise, then, this one gave enough shock to skip his heartbeat for a moment.


    Mark calmly took out the rocketuncher and a 110mm heat round from the inventory, cing them on the table. "Behold Pzf 3 ¨CIT600 or you can simply call it as a rocketuncher. I won''t go into too much detail and waste your time. It has an absolute range of 600 meters.


    Each warhead will automatically self-destruct upon either contact or traveling 600 meters, blowing up everything in the vicinity with the power of the 5-circle realm (intermediate stage).


    On a side note, the explosion range will be about a 30-meter radius. So, one also had to be careful when firing it.


    This weapon costs 1000 gold coins and each warhead costs about 5 gold coins. So far, this is the most expensive of my collection. I''m sure whether to sell such a dangerous weapon to the public. So, I haven''t ordered them anymore either. If your highness is interested, I can try it. If not, please do rmend me a few noteworthy people to whom I can sell it without worrying."


    "I want a live demonstration." This time, the second prince didn''t even take time to think and asked for a demo.

 Chapter 144 Loyalty Of Contracted Spirit Beasts

    "Uh, right away? It''s dark outside. Not safe for testing." Mark doesn''t want casualties to ur when making such a good deal. So, he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    The second prince thought for a bit and asked, "Then, will you stay here until the morning?"


    In a normal case, Mark would have rejected but for the sake of the deal, he agreed to it. "No problem."


    "Fu Chao¡­" The second prince called out someone.


    A person in cotton wear entered the tent and bowed, "Your Highness."


    Shang Wen pointed his hand at Mark, "Lu Zhen is our esteemed guest. Make preparations for his stay."


    The attendant bowed to the prince and left the tent.


    After a while, he returned and spoke politely, "please follow me."


    "We''ll meet tomorrow morning, then." The Second Prince gave a farewell to Mark and went outside for a usual patrol to check on his subordinates.


    Soon, Mark stood before arge tent, capable of housing even ten people. "The treatment is much better than thest time."


    He thought it might be because he''s the weapon seller but in reality, this has more to do with the fact that fewer numbers are camping around.


    Earlier, he wanted to ask for a bigger tent so that Alina can also stay in but it turned out to be unnecessary.


    He sat with Lei Jin and a couple of other soldiers around a campfire for a couple of hours before going back to the tent and sitting on the mattress.


    <strong>"Open Familiars'' inventory"</strong>


    Savage Baltrow is in red color, indicating that it is still recuperating; Lightning Wolf and Tundra Bear are grey in color, indicating that they are unavable for summoning due to low ether points; the remaining slots are glowing.


    Mark clicked on the wolf.


    <strong>*Ding! You are about to summon Pritsha, the Cannibal in 3, 2, 1¡­</strong>


    A blinding sh of light appeared beside him before revealing a dark gray wolf that is about the size of an average male adult.


    *Woof*


    A powerful bark escaped from it, alerting the soldiers nearby.


    Mark instinctively moved away as the wolf bared its fangs against him. Sensing the hostilitying from it, he stored it in the inventory, once again.


    "System, what''s going on?"


    <strong>*Ding! The Spirit Beast was contracted forcefully and therefore, has less loyalty towards its master. Please check out its details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like the system to erase its memory? Rank-5 Spirit Beast costs 200 credits. As a result, the loyalty will be fixed at 50%. </strong>


    "Oh boy, there''s this too¡­" Mark grabbed his forehead. If such is the case, then, this was indeed an issue that needs to be taken seriously. He felt a headache when he found the wolf''s loyalty is at 5%.


    "System, tell me, how much you charge for erasing the memories of the remaining two contracted beasts?"<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Erasing the memory of Shimmerwood Turtle costs 200 credits and erasing the memory of Savage Baltrow costs 1 million credits. If the host chose to use gold coins, it will be added to the debt.</strong>


    "1 million?" Mark gasped in shock. Heined, "That''s like 5 million gold coins. It''s enough that it can even be captured but to summon it, I need to shell out such a huge amount of money? Are you doing this on purpose to trap me in debt?"


    <strong>*Ding! Savage Baltrow is a Beast king of Legendary Realm (8-circle). Erasing its memories will be as expensive as erasing the soul fragment of Emperor Shun. The system is fair. Please don''t put false allegations.</strong>


    Mark felt like all of his hopes dashed away. Just until a while ago, he was dreaming about fulfilling the justice to Lu Zhen with its help but now, his goal was suddenly teleported to faraway. As for agreeing with the deal, he would never do it. It''s because if he put 5 million gold coins on debt, then, just that 1% monthly interest itself will crush him down.


    It was then something clicked inside his mind. He asked, "System, how far the beast''s disloyalty will for. Will it attack its owner? Will it attempt to kill its owner and escape the contract?"


    <strong>*Ding! No, the Spirit Beast will refuse to listen to the orders and might be unwilling to protect its owner if thetter is facing life-threatening danger.</strong>


    "Then, it will be fine." Mark sighed in relief. He quickly made the decision and said, "System, erase the memories of Pritsha, the Cannibal, and Shimmerwood Turtle. And I would like to change their names too. Will that be possible?"


    <strong>*Ding! Of course, like with the summoning beasts, the host simply needs to go to their details and change the name. The title can also be removed but the system doesn''t rmend it as the host would only lose out on bonus stats from it.</strong>


    "While its sassiness never disappeared, the system atleast talks more now. It even provides suggestions on its own. I wonder how it will change after being upgraded further." Mark mumbled to himself while reading the detailed notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! 400 credits will be deducted from the inventory. Proceed? Or would you like to use gold coins, instead?</strong>


    "Use credits," Mark answered it. Since he earned a lot of credits during the past few days, 400 isn''t much for him, at the moment.


    While the system is in the middle of erasing their memories, a couple of soldiers entered his tent and looked around. They found no one but Mark.


    One of them deeply bowed, "We apologize for the sudden intrusion. We heard a wolf''s bark from this ce. I guess we are wrong."


    "Oh, don''t worry. It''s mine. She''s a bit angry with me. Everything is fine, now." Mark waved his hands with a smile on his face.


    "Ah, a summoner?" Another soldier eximed in surprise for he couldn''t sense even a tiny bit of ether from Mark. Both of them apologized once again and left the tent, informing their superior.


    Everything calmed down quickly.


    About five minutester, the system informed him about the removal of the memories of the wolf and turtle. Mark resummoned the wolf, once again after changing its name.


    This time, it didn''t bark and just stared at him curiously.


    Mark stood up on his feet and raised his hand towards it, "Hello, nice to meet you, partner. I''m Mark Spencer. Let''s work together."


    The dark gray wolf lowered its head and allowed him to pet, letting out a small growl.


    <strong>*Ding! The Host''s sincerity touched the contracted beast''s soul. The loyalty of Noelle is increased by 12%. The familiarity of Noelle changes from neutral to Ally.</strong>


    There are three states for a contracted beast, Ally, neutral, and Rebel.


    The beast turns into a rebel when its loyalty is below 40%. From 40% to 60% where half of the contracted beasts stay in the neutral state. In this state, even tiny things like greetings, food, or scolding will change its mood.


    But, once it crosses 60%, it bes an ally. It lends its power to its owner. The more its loyalty increases, the more it will be willing to give up its life.


    Seeing that the beast has already be its friend with just a small greeting, Mark gave his first order but more in a polite tone, treating it more or less like an equal, "I''m going to be busy with something important. For the next hour, please guard my body."

 Chapter 145 Debut Of Tigon Series Firearms

    <strong>*Ding! You entered Mark''s factory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! All your skills are locked.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Familiars'' inventory is locked.</strong>


    "Okay, let''s get started." Mark returned to the real world and went to an empty table, taking a seat. Thankfully, for him, a modern pencil was already invented in this world. So, it made the job easier for him.


    He spread a big white sheet of paper on the table and then, fell into thoughts.


    "Okay, what should be my first weapon? I should also take ammo into consideration in order to use it.


    With the help of the system, I can create ordinary 9mm, R.I.P. 9mm, 0.50 caliber, and .204 caliber bullets; 12 gauge shotgun shells, 7.62x51mm, and 7.9mmx57mm ammo.


    9mm is too weak unless I need to make a weapon that can shoot it with at least mach5 or above speed. It''s too much of a hassle and I have already too many types of pistols.


    M99 already makes a good sniper rifle. Maybe, should I make something like SIG Sauer''s SSG 3000? Should I create a variant of the model with a ten-round capacity?"


    Mark immediately shook his head, "Nah, I will already receive a set of rifles once Iplete the main quest. I need to make something that I don''t have and won''t have in the nearby future either, well, at least a few weeks would do.


    The first weapon should be innovative, not a boring one either. Think Mark¡­ think of all the ones that were shut down because of budget and other technical issues. You don''t need CAD to design the parts. You have a system that''s faster than even the world''s fastest quantumputer. It will help with analysis and take care of otherplex calctions.


    You just need a design and the required amount of material.


    Let''s see¡­ out of all the ammo I have, the most powerful is 7.9mm. But, I don''t want a rifle. Hmm, wait a second¡­ The shotgun, all I need to design is an auto shotgun based on a machine gun. Let''s bring my ''Tigon-3'' to this world. I might as well bring out the whole Tigon series. I have enough material anyway.


    I can think about the attachments after the factory levels up."


    For the next 90 minutes, Mark became busy with drawing various parts of five weapons.


    Two of them are handguns where the first one is a machine pistol, capable of firing automatically like a submachine gun. Tigon-1 notably uses a front-loaded magazine.


    The second one, Tigon-2 also known as Executioner looks like a bigger version of a revolver. Instead of 9mmbullets, the cylinder holds 8 gauge shotgun shells. However, as he hadn''t unlocked them, Mark should reduce the size so that he can use 12 gauge shotgun shells instead.


    The third one, Tigon-3 is a double-barreled fusion gun with twin triggers. It can act like agrenadeuncher and fully automatic shotgun at the same time.


    There is only one magazine though, on the back. It holds shotgun shells of about 16 rounds and can reach a fire rate of 120 RPM.


    The upper barrel can shoot grenades at the enemies, although it is a single shot one.<sub> </sub>


    Its maximum range is also as high as 600 meters. Unfortunately, due to high production costs andplex design, it could only be in service for four-five years.


    This is the current top priority of Mark.


    The fourth one, which is the 57th personal defensive weapon (PDW-57) of the army, codenamed Tigon-4 is a fully automatic submachine gun with a magazine size of 50 rounds. This gun personally designed by Mark in his previous life can also fire the target from 600-700 meters range.


    The fifth and final weapon of the Tigon series is a semi-automatic 28th marksman rifle of the army (MR-28), which uses a .308 or 7.62mm caliber to shoot down the enemies at about 600 RPM. Its range is also high about 1200meters. With the scope attachment readily avable to create from the gallery, he was good to go with it.


    However, unlike with the system-made weapons, all of these ones will have an uracy issue. Mark needs to be extremely careful.


    Once his designs were ready, he started to think about the materials.


    "Hmm, as a part of beginners'' package, System had provided me materials like stainless steel, iron, aluminum alloy, and titanium for the weapon and smokeless powder for ammunition.


    Let''s put aside the ammunition for now. I already decided to go with the existing one. After all, the system could provide me any number of ammo with just a click, although it''s really a mystery how it does that. Anyway, I don''t want this robot to tirelessly work on the bullets. Let''s think about that in the future.


    No matter what, Titanium makes a good material for the weapons. But, I don''t have much of it. And definitely for sure, I can''t mass produce them. Who knows where I can find titanium ores.


    Hmm, how about making the prototypes only using it, and when I mass produce, I can use other cheaper materials. Yes, this is a good idea."


    Mark returned to the factory and handed the third one with designs of several parts of the gun to the robot along with the titanium b for the material and let it take care of the rest. The system promised to make the finishing touches like rubber grip and the painting. So, he no longer stayed there and returned to the real world. Once the parts were done, he will go there to inspect them, again.


    Until then, he will rest while waiting for his beautiful assistant.


    Roughly about two hourster, midnight arrived. Since the threat of dungeon break is more than two days away, the soldiers were also appearing to be rxed. Only ten percent of the thousand-member army was standing guard while the rest are sleeping under the sky with campfires around.


    Alina reached the entrance of the camp. She saw a few soldiers sitting around here and there, chatting among themselves.


    She fell into thoughts for a second as her aquamarine eyes scanned everyone. "Hmm, except for one, everyone is under 7-circle realm. Let''s ask the master."


    Very soon, she received a reply and she nodded to herself, "Okay, good."


    Not bothering to introduce herself to the strangers, she used the invisibility skill and rushed towards her master''s tent.


    Meanwhile, at one of the tents, Shang Wen suddenly opened his eyes. He furrowed his brows, "an intruder?"

 Chapter 146 Ambush From The Necromancers (Part-1)

    "Alina, you are here." Mark lets out a smile and finally lies down on the mattress. Despite the wolf acting as the guard, Mark couldn''t sleep properly inside the tent.


    Of course, while he no longer fears the attack of an enemy, during the sleep, he would still be vulnerable. He doesn''t want to take a chance to depend on this wolf that is weaker than the 6-circle realm expert and only has 62% loyalty.


    It was only after reuniting with his beautiful assistant, Mark felt secure and proceeded to close his eyes.


    Alina sat close to him and focused on recovering her stamina. Unlike Allen, she doesn''t have the privilege of having unlimited stamina whether it''s day or night. It''s just that her attacks will be a lot stronger after the sunset and she will be immune to debuffs/curses.


    So, she needed to recover her stamina once in a while.


    Meanwhile, at the General''s tent, Shang Wen got down from the bed. "Intruder?"


    He activated his senses to full but didn''t find any powerful aura. He tilted his head with a confused look on his face, "strange. Am I too paranoid?"


    The second prince went back to sleep.


    A little more than three hours passed away;


    It was about 3:40 in the morning. The ones who are on guard went to sleep and the second batch of soldiers took their turns to rece them. However, due to the fact that everything is peaceful and no indication of any emergency, everyone is in a half-sleep state. Roughly about 50-60 were fully awake.


    About a couple of kilometers away from the campsite, seven mysterious figures are walking at a slow pace with fire torches in their hands. All of them wore ck robes and hoods along with silver masks except for the one in the middle. This person was walking a couple of footsteps ahead of them as if he was leading the unit.


    Two soldiers were waiting for them.


    The two of them bowed to the seven of them.


    The leader of the unit asked, "Any troubles?"


    One of the soldiers shook his head, "No, Milord. General Wen is resting in his tent. Lt. General Hu isn''t avable. There are no other 6-circle-realm Spirit Warriors among the adventurers either."


    The leader who appeared to be in his fifties nodded with a stoic face as he took out a pouch, "Good. Here, 100 gold coins for your work. Now, both of you may leave unless you wish to be casualties."


    After taking the pouch full of gold coins, the two soldiers left the ce, bing deserters.


    The leader of the hoods then turned his head, "Let''s get started."


    Everyone else nodded and proceeded to make a circle and start incantations.


    "Oh, the god of death, Yan Wang, I crave thou to bless me the¡­"


    After a minute-long incantation, a seven-pointed star seal appeared with each of them as vertices. It glowed brightly in the darkness for about five seconds before a figure rose from it. It was a ck horse with a mysterious figure with a buffed body sitting on its back.


    This mysterious figure was wearing ck armor from top to bottom. His left hand was grabbing the reins of the horse while his right hand had a double-ded ax.


    The only thing off about him is that he had no head or whatever. Instead, there''s green energy erupting above his neck.<sub> </sub>


    "Lord Xia, the headless knight." The leader of the hoods raised his voice while looking at the horse instead of the person, "Vanquish the enemies of Xu Sect and Xia Dynasty who were camping at the ce, two kilometers away from here. Your prime target is the holder of phoenix bloodline."


    The middle-aged fellow pointed the direction where the campsite could be seen on an elevated t ground.


    As soon as the orders passed, the headless knight pulled the reins, the horse neighed and started running in the air at a fast pace.


    The leader raised his staff, creating a purple-colored portal. He then looked at the other six, "Let''s go."


    They walked into the portal.


    Meanwhile, at the campsite, Mark was in a deep sleep. Alina recovered her stamina and therefore, she told the beast to take a rest, taking charge for the lookout.


    It hasn''t even been a minute; all of a sudden, she sensed a presence of a powerful foe in 1 km surroundings.


    Alina stood on her feet and walked towards the entrance of the tent.


    From far away, she saw a ray of dark energying straight towards the camp. Her facial expression changed to that of a frown, "powerful ether core; 82 million ether particles. It''s an advanced-stage seven-circle enemy."


    The Android quickly got back to her master to shield him from a possible attack.


    Within no time, the ck ray reached the camp and revealed itself to be a headless figure on a ck horse that can fly without any wings.


    "What the hell is that?" A nearby soldier screamed on top of his lungs as he stared at the headless figure that stayed silent for about five seconds before flying towards the General''s tent.


    Every soldier was instantly alerted.


    Naturally, the second prince also sensed the foe. This time, he directly charged out of his tent without wearing any armor. The headless knight stopped just a few feet away from his target.


    "Who are you?" Shang Wen summoned his semi-divine ming sword and pointed it towards the enemy.


    But, there''s no reply from the guy. Of course, how could there be when it doesn''t even have any head.


    Instead, the headless knight pulled the reins. The ck horse neighed andnded on the ground before charging forward while the knight shed at the second prince after confirming the target.


    As the speed was too fast, the second prince jumped to the side and evaded the attack.


    The horse collided with the tent, but instead of charging through, it passed through it and quickly rushed outside.


    Just in those two seconds, Shang Wen figured out that is a puppet. That means the owner must be nearby. His eyes wandered around.


    "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7¡­


    7 Spirit Warriors, one is at peak-stage six-circle, two are at intermediate-stage six-circle, and the remaining four are at peak-stage five-circle."

 Chapter 147 Ambush From The Necromancers (Part-2)

    "Before I went to sleep, I was sure that there was no 6-circle Spirit Warrior in the camp. And it is unlikely that such a weak dungeon break would attract powerful adventurers. Moreover, all the seven energy signatures areing from the same ce. They are likely to be enemies. But, that headless guy is in 7-circle. Is it a collective summoning or an equal contract?"


    While Shang Wen was analyzing the strength of the opponents at a quick pace, the headless knight was back and rushed towards its target.


    Instead of taking it head-on, he backed off and sprouted his me wings before flying higher.


    As the headless knight also followed him, he realized that he was the target.


    Shang Wen didn''t take long to make his judgment and shouted at the panicked soldiers and adventurers as he evaded another attack, "everyone, get back and protect yourselves. Wang Li, take charge. The enemies are in the 2 o''clock direction. No one below 4-circle will engage the target."


    Wang Li is a captain, who was considered the strongest 5-circle realm expert in the entire Southern troops. The second prince treats her like a brother and trusts her more than all the six Lieutenant generals under him.


    So, he readily gave away the responsibility of leading a thousand soldiers while he gets busy with the headless knight.


    Wang Li, who was in the battle mode, holding the weapon-Ji, addressed everyone, "Those who are above 4-ci¡­"


    She was just getting started but the enemies didn''t give her an opportunity to disy any interim leadership.


    The leader of the hooded group let out a smirk as he raised the staff. The tip gave a dark glow before a huge seal appeared before he and the skeletons rose from the ground. All of them have swords in their hands. In the midst of them, there are two armored skeletons on ghostly horses.


    They rushed out of the darkness while collectively giving a piercing cry.


    "Hmm¡­" Mark opened his eyes because of the noises around. His sleep was disturbed. "What''s going on?"


    Alina quickly answered, "Big Brother, an ambush from unknown enemies. All of them are necromancers."


    "Necromancers? Here?" Mark got up from the mattress. He didn''t rush out readily and just asked, "What realm is the strongest enemy?"


    "Advanced-stage Seven-circle. It is a headless knight summoned from a group of seven, currently busy battling against the General of the South." Alina didn''t hide anything.


    Upon hearing everything, he finally got out of the tent only to see a mess out there. The adventurers are running away, the soldiers are fighting the skeletons with swords, and the weak ones were gathered and taken by a couple of captains to a safe location as per their General''s orders.


    "Oh, boy, what kind of luck is this? Of all the days, an attack should happen on the night I stayed at this camp?" Markined to himself, feeling incredibly annoyed that his sleep was disturbed.


    <strong>*Ding! Whether your 7 points of luck were triggered or the remaining 3 points of misfortune were triggered depends on the host''s actions.</strong>


    "What do you mean?" Mark was confused by its sudden statement. Since the systemmunicated to him on its own, he realized that there was something that the system was hinting at.


    As a response, the system gave him a notification.


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Assist the Second Prince.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Capture the masterminds. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, snatch the summoned being.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Choose one of the quests.</strong>


    "Hmm? Three Emergency Quests?" This was the first time Mark had ever received multiple emergency quests at the same time and was asked to choose one.


    <strong>Emergency Quest-I: Assist the Second Prince</strong>


    Description: Assist the Second prince to fend off the enemies in killing the Headless Knight.


    Reward: Shang Wen''s affinity with the store increases by 2 levels.


    *


    <strong>Emergency Quest-II: Capture the masterminds.</strong><sub> </sub>


    Description: Capture the summoners and end the battle


    Reward: Unknown (depends on the captured enemies)


    *


    <strong>Emergency Quest-III: Snatch the summoned being.</strong>


    Description: Form a summoning contract with the headless knight after getting acknowledged by him.


    Quest Item: Summoning Contract (Exclusive)


    Reward: Lottery Wheel pick ticket (limited-7 days)


    *


    ? "Hmm, Due to the previous deal, the second prince''s affinity is already at level-1. Two more levels mean it will be level-3 and I get to unlock another exclusive weapon. However, if the prince started buying panzers and even higher-ranked weapons in the future, the affinity was bound to be increased naturally.


    The second option is to capture the enemies that summoned this headless guy. But, it is easier to kill them than capturing. The reward is unknown but knowing the system, the reward will be good.


    As for the third option, having this summoned being will increase my security even more but I have to shell out a lot to attain neutrality with it. Moreover, I already have 10 points of luck. A lottery pick ticket is unnecessary. It only reduces the time by a week."


    Mark weighed his options for a few moments and then, came to a decision. He went for the safest route. The one that has the least work but yields more results.


    <strong>*Ding! Emergency Quest-I is epted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Emergency Quest-II and Emergency Quest-III are automatically rejected.</strong>


    "Alina, get ready to fly," Mark proceeded to open the inventory and click on the image of the helicopter.


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like to enter the vehicle or summon outside?</strong>


    "Summon Alina as Pilot and me as Commander."


    Both of them disappeared, reced by an attack helicopter.


    As the rotor des generated powerful winds to blow off the tents nearby, some of the soldiers who are retreating to the safe route nced in the direction of the vehicle.


    The Attack helicopter took off from the ground, attracting the attention of the second prince, the seven necromancers, and everyone else except for the skeletons and the headless knight.


    Shang Wen let out a smile, "somehow, it feels reassuring when this flying puppet is an ally. Maybe, it''s because of the person inside it, or maybe, it''s just its raw power."


    A few of them recognized it while a few of them were amazed. Captain Wang Li shouted as she shed the de at the ghostly horse of the death knight and injured it, "Concentrate on the battlefield. Everyone, move¡­"


    Meanwhile, the necromancers became nervous. One of the six followers, who were silent until now, opened his mouth, "It resembles the same puppet that defeated Song Yun and Sui Rong. That means Cerberus yer is here. What do we do now, Lord He?"


    He Jing, the peak-six-circle expert replied in a serious tone as he raised his staff once again, "Go all out; bring out the wraiths. I''ll let the Lich King go on a rampage. Before the Headless knight vanquishes, we will annihte everyone down below. And once our trump card is defeated, we will dismiss our summons and leave."


    Everyone nodded and started their incantations.


    In about ten seconds, six of them summoned wraiths, which are undead creatures that are in the form of dark spirits. Each of them is as powerful as peak-rank-5 Spirit Warriors.


    The remaining one, the leader summoned a being, who looks almost like the headless knight except that there was no horse and he had a skeleton that was covered by a tinum grade helmet.


    Along with his broadsword, all of his other pieces of armor were also in tinum grade and his eyes were glowing in the darkness.

 Chapter 148 Ambush From The Necromancers (Part-3)

    "What the hell are those things?" More than half of the soldiers started to shake nonstop as they were overwhelmed by fear when the wraiths were added to the skeletons.


    And when the Lich King entered the scene by killing a captain and a few soldiers in a single sh of his sword, the remaining adventurers started to run away for their lives.


    The soldiers also wanted to run away but they couldn''t. If they desert the battlefield, they will be traitors. Not only they will be killed, but even their families will also be exiled from the respective province. Along with that, their properties will be snatched away by the regional powers like the major n.


    But, if they die on the battlefield, their families will be paid enoughpensation and if the said soldier has a kid or a sibling, then, thetter would receive a post somewhere in the three departments with a proper wage.


    In the end, they grit their teeth and are forced to fight the skeletons while the elite-level soldiers helped the captains to fight against the wraiths.


    Meanwhile, in the sky, the second prince blocked the attack of the headless knight. As their weapons shed, the prince pushed away for a few meters before he regained control and flew back towards the enemy.


    His eyes fell on the ground.


    As they were about 200-250 meters above the ground, it was taking a while for Alina to fly the helicopter higher.


    Shang Wen realized that it might take at least 10-20 seconds before he gets help from Mark. And he couldn''t leave the Lich King to his subordinates. They weren''t powerful to face it.


    A thought appeared in his head. "They are undead. That is why this attack was taking ce in the dark. If that''s the case¡­"


    He raised his arms and started the incantation. It''s the same spell he used during the previous dungeon break.


    <strong>"Oh, the god of fire, Zhurong, I crave thou to bless me the mes of the eternal travelingmp to produce a replica."</strong>


    A ball of mes appeared in his hands. The headless knight charged toward him once again.


    Shang Wen pped the wings and dodged to the left. Meanwhile, the ether energy gushed out of his palms, increasing the size of the balls.


    By the time the helicopter reached 100 meters altitude, the second prince had alreadyunched a mini sun into the sky, illuminating the entire battlefield.


    "Scraa¡­" "Kraaaaa¡­"


    The skeletons and the wraiths started to scream in agony.


    "Crescent sh¡­"


    Wang Li jumped high and spun around before shing a wraith in her path, destroying it in one move.


    "Kraaaa¡­"


    The Lich King let out a powerful roar before shifting his attention to Wang Li, who appeared to be the strongest on the battlefield. He started to rush towards her.


    Landing on the ground, she shouted, "everyone, take advantage and kill these dark spirits."


    When one more wraith and a skeleton knight were dead, everyone''s morale was boosted a bit. The facial expressions of the necromancers changed.


    Back to the battle in the skies, the helicopter is slowly ascending as if it has all the time in the world.


    Since the enemy is in the 7-circle realm, Alina thought she might need to depend on hellfire missiles but to fire those, the altitude of the helicopter should be at least a hundred meters above the targets.


    She wasn''t also in a hurry because the situation is in control.


    But, Mark started to be a bit restless upon seeing the tide of the battlefield suddenly turn in their favor.


    He was here to help out the prince. The more casualties happen, the more precious his assistance would be.


    If everything can be handled by them alone, how would the prince feel grateful towards him?


    This is the reason Mark was worried.


    He decided to finish it as quickly as possible.<sub> </sub>


    "Okay, let''s go with the big attack, right away."


    He looked at the controls before him.


    On the right side, there were buttons in different colors. He pressed on the ck one.


    <strong>*Ding! 50% ether energy will be detected. Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes."


    *Ding! Please lock the target.


    *Ding! Target has been locked.


    A blinding sh of light covered the whole helicopter, grabbing the attention of the prince as well as the headless knight for a moment.


    A megaphone appeared below the sh of light. A voice came out of it. "Your highness, move away."


    The message was quite simple but the second prince was smart enough to understand the meaning and just used his phoenix wings to fly away.


    The headless knight appeared to be confused for a moment. Should he go after the prince or should he go after this new power that is threatening its life?


    s, it isn''t a free summoned being to make its own choices.


    It conveyed its thoughts to the necromancers.


    In about three seconds, the headless knights received a reply. "Forget about the new enemy and destroy that mini sun in the sky."


    The headless knight looked at the sky. It raised its double ax. Powerful dark energy covered it.


    Before it evenunch an attack, a sudden concentrated beam of energy was shot towards the headless knight.


    The distance between them is only about 150 meters and the beam, which is traveling at the speed of light, is impossible to dodge. The headless knight didn''t get the time to defend himself and was hit by the beam while the second prince stopped flying and let free fall tond on the ground.


    By the time hended on the ground, there is no headless knight or horse. It was erasedpletely.


    "Oh! the ultimate attack of this Eurocopter tiger is different from the battle tank," Mark eximed in surprise as he looked at the notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest-I. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Shang Wen''s affinity with the store rose to level-3.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked a Grenadeuncher.</strong>


    "Now, that''s a big jump from a shotgun." A smile appeared on his face. He doesn''t know whether the system uses anything that was out of his knowledge but what he observed so far is that the system''s 40mm grenades generate far more explosions than usual grenades.


    Every time he sees the level of explosion, it would remind him of C4. Well, this mystery along with others isn''t something that he cannot solve, right now. He had to go with the flow and think about it,ter.


    "Okay, now, I can offer these weapons to the prince. Speaking of Shang Wen, where is that buffed guy?" Mark shifted his attention to the screens.


    On the third screen, the prince was spotted. He was looking at the helicopter with his mouth agape. "Can this weapon even do powerful ether attacks?"


    The second prince only saw the helicopter use the missiles to defeat Song Yun. He didn''t expect energy attacks too. "No wonder my father wanted three of them and didn''t hesitate to reward an 80 acre ofnd to Lu Zhen. It would be nice if our army possesses one like this."


    A bit of longing developed inside the prince as he stared at the helicopter. It was then the megaphone appeared once again.


    "Your Highness, the strongest has been dealt with. My assistance will end here as there will be more casualties on your side if I step in that mess over there."

 Chapter 149 The Second Princes Decision

    If the appearance of the mini sun improved the morale of the soldiers, the defeat of the headless knight vastly boosted their morale.


    Everyone suddenly became energized. Wang Li became aggressive in her attacks and started going all out against the Lich King. A couple of captains joined her after taking out the remaining skeleton knight.


    Now, there are only five wraiths, which are being debuffed by the mini sun and lose their strength by atleast a realm. The morale of the captains was at its highest as the second prince was flying towards the woods where the masterminds were hiding.


    Meanwhile, the necromancers were in a tight spot.


    "What should we do now, Lord He?" One of the hoods asked the leader.


    The peak-stage six-circle realm expert clenched his fist in anger as he stared at the helicopter in the sky, "Damn that Lu Zhen. He is far stronger than we expected. And we also received misinformation about Shang Wen''s strength. He appeared to be in a seven-circle realm."


    "We are leaving." He made a decision and raised the staff.


    Just as he was about to create a portal, a necromancer screamed out, "Lord He, iing attack. Dodge¡­"


    "Eh?" He raised his head only to see a missileing towards them. "Defend yourselves."


    A few of them jumped away to evade the attack and the remaining pushed out ether energy from their bodies to form a barrier around them and block the attack.


    Within just a couple of seconds, the hellfire missile already reached them.


    *boom*


    Upon contact with a barrier, the warhead detonated, causing an enormous explosion.


    All the hundred meters around them were dust into dust. Nothing remained; neither the trees nor the corpses.


    The 4-circle elite soldiers around the perimeter were sted away. None of them were dead but suffered heavy injuries.


    The skeletons, wraiths, and the Lich King disappeared. Everyone started shaking in fear once again because of the powerful explosion nearby.


    The second prince halted his movements and raised his head to look at the helicopter once again. A trace of surprise appeared on his face, "He was feigning earlier?"


    Looking through the screen, Mark grabbed themunication device and changed the setting from the speaker to the mic. "Thanks, Alina. Good job in spotting their location."


    "I''m d to be of some help, Big Brother," Alina replied while letting out a smile.


    The helicopter slowly started to descend onto the ground amid everyone''s gazes. He stepped down along with Alina and started to walk.


    The one who was the most shocked is Lei Jin, who never expected the harmless-looking Lu Zhen is far more powerful than their general, at least his weapons are.


    The night passed away within a couple of hours;


    As the dawn arrived, the soldiers just treated like everyday crises and started their day with morning exercise.


    Thankfully, due to Mark''s intervention, there were a few casualties and the battle didn''tst for long. So, everyone felt it like some nightmare.


    As the Spirit Warriors were naturally strong-willed people, they managed to protect their mental state. Their lives didn''t change from this incident, anyway.


    On the other hand, Lei Jin''s life changed all of a sudden. When the fellow soldiers heard that he was the one that brought Mark to the camp, they treated him a lot better. Even the captains greeted him early in the morning with smiles. Of course, thisnded him in an awkward situation for he doesn''t know how to react.


    At around 8:30 in the morning, Lei Jin was standing before the tent where Mark was staying.


    His heart was beating rapidly due to nervousness. "I can''t believe I addressed such a mighty figure as Brother. What if he was offended, back then?"


    After watching how Mark singlehandedly destroyed the enemies, he was too scared to meet him. But then, Captain Wang Li, under the orders of the second prince, instructed him to take care of Mark as long as he stays at the campsite.


    He cannot deny her orders and was afraid to go alone.


    In the end, he took a deep breath and entered the tent.


    He found Mark appeared to be in a meditative state and Alina just sat nearby him. She sharply stared at the intruder.<sub> </sub>


    "Pardon for the intrusion." Lei Jin gulped a bit and politely said to her, "The General ordered me to check on Lord Lu."


    "Tell General Wen that my master will meet him during lunchtime," Alina replied to him.


    Lei Jin bowed and left the tent.


    After leaving the tent, he let out a sigh of relief. "For now, I escaped."


    He went to the General''s tent and reported the same to the second prince.


    "Okay, you may go." Shang Wen nodded.


    Once he left, the prince mumbled, "Once he wakes up, I need to talk about those new firearms. Before the world gets used to these firearms, I need to make sure the Imperial army of the south stays on the front line. I should hurry up with the training and get approval from the Emperor.


    Putting it aside, I really wonder about the background of those necromancers. Not only they can summon the headless warrior, one of them can even summon a powerful lich with armor. It was probably a set. Not everyone can afford such high-grade equipment.


    Should I write a letter to the Emperor for a formal investigation?" He fell into thoughts.


    ****


    <strong>Genesis Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    With the pce ordering the Song n to speed up the process, the surroundings of the store looked clean without any ruins of the buildings.


    The store started receiving customers one day ago, although the majority of them appeared to be spies or tourists. All of them would just roam inside the store and be amazed by the interior.


    In the end, most would purchase a single-shot pistol and a few bullets. In the midst of them, a rich customer bought a P-226 and 100 bullets, spending 70 gold coins.


    At present, Allen was packing a P-365 and fifty bullets in a metal box. The metal box had the words Genesis word written in calligraphy and two pistols in x-shape painted on it. This one was provided by the system for free after he purchased this expansion.


    However, the design was something that is decided by the system. Mark couldn''t do anything about it. So, the previous design of the eye, which used to be carved on the wooden boxes, was scrapped away.


    He handed the box to an old man after receiving 40 gold coins. "Thank you for the purchase, pleasee again."


    The old man took it as he mumbled, "I hope my grandson would like it."


    When he heard that, Allen gave a warning, "The guns are inadvisable for the kids below 14 to use if they aren''t Spirit Warriors. Please proceed with caution when you let them handle it."


    The old man nodded, "thank you, I will."


    As the customer left the store, Allen took back the seat and looked at the wall clock, "8:40. Twenty minutes left."


    After Mark and Alina left the imperial city, Allen would open the store from 6:45 to 8:45 as a part of opening hours and then, close the store until 12:30 in the afternoon.


    Just like every day, he was waiting for the closing time. Just about two minutes away from the time, a horse carriage stopped before the store and a person wearing a cloak and hood entered the store.


    Allen spotted her and quickly stood up on his feet, "Wee to Genesis. May I know what you are looking for?"


    The person didn''t answer right away.


    After a brief silence, the person spoke in a high-pitched tone, in a female voice, "Is Lu Zhen, here?"


    "No, he isn''t," Allen replied right away.


    "Do you know where he went?" Thedy asked him.


    It isn''t the first time he heard people asking about his master. Allen didn''t think too much about it and answered the same thing he answered to others, "No, he only told me that he will be out of the city for a few days. I''m not sure when he will return either."


    However, he didn''t expect thedy would drop an unexpected question. "I heard that you grew with Lu Zhen. Do you know the names of his parents?"


    "Eh?" Allen stared at her.

 Chapter 150 Marks Quadra-Barreled Weapon

    "Okay, shotgun barrel-check; machine gun barrel-check; grenade barrels-check; curved triggers of the same size-check; recoil springs-check; shotgun cylinder-check, safety pins-check¡­"


    One after another, Mark inspected each and every part that the robot made during the past four hours. Most of it is made of titanium but as 1kg of b provided by the system wasn''t enough for the weapon, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy were also used.


    He couldn''t hide his smile when he saw how perfect the measurements are. Not even a 1mm error urred whenpared to his instructions.


    Originally, the Tigon-3 was supposed to be a twin-barreled fusion weapon between a fully-automatic shotgun and grenadeuncher but after the battle, Mark suddenly changed his decision to modify the weapon design.


    Without taking sleep, he returned to the factory and added a few things to make it moreplex. To simplify it a bit, he changed the shotgun into semi-automatic and reduced its ammo to 6.


    Thankfully, the assistant robot didn''t have any feelings and just worked its best to match the provided instructions.


    Back to the present, Mark started to assemble the parts. Although the robot can do it, since this is the first weapon, he wanted to assemble it himself.


    It took a while for the entire weapon to be assembled before he handed it to the system for the rubber grip at the handle, the paint, and the quality check.


    <strong>*Ding! Analysis finished. No errors. Please test the weapon for the final check.</strong>


    The notification arrived while returning the firearm to Mark.


    He grabbed the lengthy magazine with his right hand and the handle grip with his left hand. "Damn, this is one heavy weapon."


    The new finished weapon is a Quadra-barreled with the longer one on the top and the shorter one on the bottom. The 28.5-inch barrel is a shotgun and the 43 inch long and thin barrel is to shoot the 7.9mm bullets.


    Apart from those two, there are two more 15inch barrels, one on the left and right respectively, which are used tounch the grenades.


    There''s a rotating cylinder with six rounds nearby the triggers. This shotgun works the same principle as the revolver. So, there''s no need for the fore-end and the action barrel to load the shotgun shells.


    And before the rotating cylinder lies a lengthy magazine, capable enough to hold 30 rounds of 7.9x57mm bullets.


    cing it on the table, Mark opened the gallery and first clicked on the attachments section. Only one was avable. The rest are grayed out. He clicked on it.


    <strong>*Ding! Telescopic sight (scope) has been sessfully created.</strong>


    He installed it on the upper barrel.


    Mark then clicked on the 40mm grenade.


    <strong>*Ding! 40mm ammunition is in the list of exclusive sales. Do you wish to create personal or for the sale?</strong>


    "I wish the system wouldn''t ask this, every time." He let out a sigh and clicked on the second option.


    Whenever Mark created the shotgun shells, the system will always send him a notification.


    If it is personal, then, the system will charge the money but if it is for sale, then, he wouldn''t be charged.


    As for the normal sales ones like bullets and other weapons, which are avable for everyone, the system wouldn''t charge him beforehand. It would let him create for free but would charge him when he used it for himself.


    And of course, the weapons like missiles and all, which aren''t for sale, they will also be charged at the creation stage.


    <strong>*Ding! 40mm ammunition has only a 60% sess rate of creation. Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes"


    <strong>*Ding! You failed to create a 40mm grenade. The sess rate increases by 6%. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You failed to create a 40mm grenade. The sess rate increases by 6%. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    "Damn, my 7 points of luck isn''t helping here." Mark clicked on the creation once again.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You failed to create a 40mm grenade. The sess rate increases by 6%. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm grenade. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt. Please check out your inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created a 40mm grenade. 5 gold coins have been added to the debt. Please check out your inventory.</strong>


    "Okay, next¡­"


    Mark then proceed to click on the 12 gauge shell.


    <strong>*Ding! 12 gauge ammunition has only an 80% sess rate of creation? Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes"


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created a 12-gauge shotgun shell. Please check your inventory. </strong>


    After creating six of them, he loaded them into the cylinder and the grenade went into the upper barrel.


    He finally went to click on the ammunition for the machine gun. It was the same ammo that is used in the Panzer.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created 7.9mmx57mm ammunition.</strong>


    "System, where should I test it?" asked Mark.


    <strong>*Ding! Anywhere in the outside world. Once it is sessful, the system will provide a testing ground for the host.</strong>


    "Okay, that''s good." Mark nodded and ced the weapon in the inventory.


    Back to the real world, he opened his eyes and turned his head, "Alina, let''s go outside."


    Alina nodded with a smile and stood on her feet. Mark did the same before walking outside the tent.


    As soon as they left the tent, Mark felt several gazes from the soldiers. Lei Jin hurried towards him and greeted him with a deep bow, "Lord Lu."


    "Inform General Shang Wen that I''m going to test my weapons. If he''s avable, he can meet me there¡­" Mark pointed at the rock formations, located far away in the distance. It was on the opposite side of the dungeon portal.


    He and Alina started to walk away without bothering to wait there any longer.


    It''s not that he wanted to act arrogant or something. It''s just that Mark was too impatient to test his weapon to care about anyone else.


    About fifteen minutester, Mark was about a kilometer away from the campsite but still continued to walk towards the location. He wanted the testing location to be far enough from the people so that no casualty urs by mistake. A secure location will also make it difficult for anyone to spy.


    As he was walking, Alina reported to him a piece of important news, "Big Brother, a person in 7-circle realm left the campsite and is traveling towards us through the air. I believe it is Shang Wen."


    Mark stopped in his tracks and turned around before raising his head. Like his Android assistant mentioned, it was Shang Wen who was seen flying with his zing fire wings.


    Within a minute, the second prince reached them but didn''tnd before him and just continued to fly.


    Mark understood in one nce. "Well, I guess this guy has his own pride¡­"


    He continued to walk. In the meantime, the second princended at the rock formations and patiently waited for half an hour until the two of them get there.


    "Your Highness" He bowed slightly, following the etiquette despite not wanting to. The second prince returned the greetings with a simple nod, "Lu Zhen."


    With his arms crossed behind the back, the second prince said, "I heard that you wanted to meet here."


    "Let me test fire my own weapon. Then, I''ll demonstrate the rocketuncher I showed you the other day." Mark replied while taking out the newly created shotgun-grenadeuncher.

 Chapter 151 Demonstration Of Rocket Launcher

    "Another new weapon?" The second prince turned curious and observed the weapon. If the previous weapons looked like wolves, this one looked like a mammoth. It''s very bulky and looked heavy too.


    But, in reality, it was only 14 kilograms, courtesy of titanium and aluminum alloy.


    Mark ignored his presence and walked a few steps to the left and aimed at one of the rocks about 50 meters away.


    His fingers caressed the three triggers before making a decision and clicking on the middle one.


    *Bang*


    A 7.9mm bullet escaped the upper barrel and pierced the rock like a sh of lightning while its case fell on the ground. Meanwhile, Mark''s hands shook a bit due to the recoil.


    "It''s faster than that tungsten pellet." The second made a quick judgment,paring it to the shotgun he witness during the previous demonstration.


    "Fu¡­" Mark took a deep breath and clicked on the right trigger.


    *Bang*


    This time, a shotgun pellet was fired by the gun and made a fist-sized hole out of the sturdy rock.


    "Okay, onest thing¡­" Mark grabbed it tightly and clicked on the left trigger.


    *Bang* Bang*


    A 40mm grenade was fired by both of the grenadeunchers at the same time. Mark was pushed back a few feet but managed to stand straight.


    Both of them hit the rock and detonated upon contact, right away.


    *Boom* Boom*


    Two big explosions were witnessed by the second prince, blowing up the rock and its ten meters surroundings.


    Some of the rock fragments flew towards both of them but did no damage as Alina shielded Mark while the second prince had a tough body.


    "Okay, I''m done¡­ Hmm?" Mark quickly realized that he didn''t receive any notification from the system. He confronted the system.


    Only then did he understand that he didn''t test the weapon properly like he used to do in his previous life.


    The test includes maximum effective range check, absolute range check, full capacity ammo check, and mobility check.


    Since it will time for that, he ced it back into the inventory and took out the rocketuncher before looking at the client.


    "This is the one you want me to demonstrate, right?" He asked the prince.


    "This and the other weapons if you have anything new," The Second Prince gave him a little bit of surprise with his reply.


    A bright smile appeared on Mark as he nodded, "Alright."


    <o>,m Mark put down the rocketuncher and opened the inventory. He took out a falling block rifle, M99 sniper rifle, andstly, the grenadeuncher.</o>


    "Your Highness, you have already know about these two. Let me introduce the remaining two." Mark picked up the falling block rifle.


    He knew that it won''t interest the prince but since thetter asked, Mark gave the details about it. As expected, the prince wasn''t impressed by a single-shot rifle, which can only harm 2-circle enemies.<sub> </sub>


    The prince felt that those handguns are better for they are light and easy to carry unlike these.


    Mark then showed him the grenadeuncher, which has a cylindrical chamber for eight rounds. "This is an exclusive weapon. As per the rules of the store, at present, you haven''t made enough transactions to buy these. But, in case you made arge order in the future, let me give you a briefing.


    I don''t have any extra grenades. So, I couldn''t show you an exact demonstration but you have seen it earlier. Since we use the same ammo, this one''s power is identical, capable of eradicating everyone under 5-circle.


    Its range is about 200 meters but if you don''t worry about uracy, you can shoot as far as 500 meters.


    As Shang Wen nodded seriously indicating that he understood, Mark picked up the rocketuncher, which he was confident in selling to the prince.


    "As I have said before, this one is a rocketuncher with code-named, Pzf 3-It600." Mark carried it on his left arm before taking out a heat warhead from the inventory and loading it from the front.


    He then ced it on the shoulder and looked into the scope. His finger is on the trigger as he said, "Your Highness, as I informed you yesterday, it has an effective range of 400 meters and an absolute range of 600 meters. Do you wish to see its range or its prowess? Earlier you saw how that 3-meter rock was exploded. The effect will almost be simr, a bit less to be honest, but covers a wider range."


    "Can I trust your words?" The second prince threw a question in response.


    "Demonstration is needed because of theck of trust, Your Highness," Mark said in a calm tone. He further said, "We aren''t close enough to trust each other. All we can do is mutually benefit from each other. You receive the weapons and I receive the money."


    "You misunderstand my words, I don''t mean that." The second prince shook his head.


    As Mark looked at him in confusion, the second prince let out a sigh, "forget it. I''ll put everything into defense. I''ll give a signal when I''m ready."


    "Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Mark didn''t understand his words at first but then, as the second prince sprouted his fire wings and flew away towards the direction where the gun is pointing, he finally realized the meaning.


    The princended about three hundred meters away from Mark and then, took out the ming sword as well as conjured a threeyered ether wall before him before a fireball shot from his hand. It flew into the sky and exploded.


    "You don''t need to be so careful though," Mark mumbled and put his eye near the scope. With a 10x zoom feature, he felt as if the prince was standing 30 meters away.


    He clicked on the trigger. The 100mm H.E.A.T. warhead shot from the rocketuncher and due to his positioning, he felt little recoil.


    With a speed of less than 160 m/s, the warhead only took a couple of seconds to reach the barrier and struck it, causing an explosion.


    However, not even a scratch appeared on the barrier. It was as if someone threw a chicken egg on a sturdy steel wall.


    "Okay," The second prince nodded and dismissed everything before he flew back for about another hundred meters and gave a signal once again.


    *bang*


    Mark shot another warhead at the unarmed prince without hesitation. As the warhead is quite slow, the second prince caught it, at least attempted but the Heat warhead was programmed to be detonated, on the first contact.


    It wasn''t focused on the armor pierce, followed by detonation.


    The explosion urred at close range. The fragments pierced his skin here and there but only caused minor injuries.


    Mark then saw the prince close his eyes and pushed out all the fragments and healed himself pretty quick. This was one of the powers of Exalt realm (7-circle). They can just use ether energy to heal themselves.


    "Good, in the hands of my subordinates, this weapon will¡­ Hmm¡­" As he was admiring the potential of these rocketunchers that can shoot a target from hundreds of meters away, he saw Mark change the weapon to M99, ce it on the stand, and go into a lying position.


    Looking at the prince through the scope, Mark mumbled, "Suddenly, I feel the urge to shoot at his eyes."

 Chapter 152 A Deal Of 30000 Gold Coins

    Shang Wen heavily resembles the Emperor, whether it is the appearance of the personality.


    As Mark met the Emperor during the public trial, he couldn''t help but remember his biological father when he looked at the prince. His inner devil from the heart kept whispering in his head to click the trigger and injure one of his eyes. On the other hand, the inner devil from the brain tells that it is a foolish choice because he is a potential golden goose that will make him richer.


    Mark went into a dilemma for a few seconds. The second prince saw that Mark was hesitating to shoot and misunderstood that thetter was waiting for the signal.


    He shoots out a fireball and lets it explode in the air.


    "Nah, let''s not do that." Mark''s ambition for developing the store outweighed his revenge for the Imperial family. So, he threw away an opportunity to ambush the second prince and continued with the demonstration.


    Of course, there are other reasons too. It is because the person is the second prince, Shang Wen. If it is someone else, it would be different.


    The Crown prince dragged him to the public trial with false allegations adding to his crimes. The Queen consort sacrificed him for the sake of her prestige. Of course, the Emperor is an indirect reason for her action.


    Bai Xun isn''t an imperial prince but he is a part of the imperial family as he married the Emperor''s younger sister. He is forever loyal to the throne and wouldn''t hesitate to kill him if it''s an order from the Emperor. So, he can be considered as an enemy too.


    But, the second prince is different from them.


    Not only Shang Wen understands his personality very well but even publicly showed his support. He is also known for being a righteous and straightforward character. Adding on top of that, this prince is a potential client that can solve his worries aboutpleting the quests.


    Mark had a good impression of the second prince and wouldn''t mind being an ally.


    *Bang*


    He finally shot at the chest of the prince, which did nothing but still, thetter was surprised not only by how fast this 0.5 caliber/12.7mm ammunition had struck him even from a half kilometer away but also with Mark''s skills, especially his uracy with both rocketuncher and this sniper rifle.


    Once might be a coincidence, but striking him twice, is a skill.


    A thought appeared in his head.


    Meanwhile, Mark stood up on his feet and gestured with his hand toe over.


    As the prince returned to the rock formations within a minute of flying, Mark then spoke, "These are the new weapons I currently possess. Apart from the weapons, I have different types of explosive devices known as grenades, like one of them release smoke to cover you, one of them explodes, one of them stun the enemies, one of them bring tears and skin irritation, and one of them just releases fires."


    "Oh¡­" The second prince was listening to his exnation carefully. When he heard the exnations, he could instantly guess how they will be useful to their army. He was looking forward to the next demo.


    But, then, Mark''s next sentence disappointed him.


    "I didn''t have them with me to show you the demo. By the time you return to the Imperial City again, the first batch of those explosive devices might arrive at the store." Mark finished his exnation and proceeded to ask him about his decision.


    Shang Wen had already decided on what to do with them. He replied, "I''ll be straight with you. The newly created firearms division is facing a lot of issues while training with just the gun. Before I bring in themoners, I''m experimenting with Spirit Warriors in my army because even in the case of self hurting, they would be fine as the bullets don''t do that much damage.<sub> </sub>


    However, now, you demonstrated weapons, which are of higher grade and more powerful. In this case, toplete the training, we might need one experienced person to train our troops."


    Mark didn''t like where this is going. He felt like the prince would ask for Alina. If that is the case, were his words just straightforward like his character known in public, or whether he was just aiming for her just like other lustful nobles.


    But, then, as he patiently listened to his proposal until the end, Mark realized that he just misunderstood and sighed in relief that he did a good thing to be patient.


    "So, let me get this straight, I''ll stay three-seven days with your regiment and train one of your soldiers. In return, you''ll purchase 20-M99 sniper rifles, 10-Rocket Launchers, 10-Grenadeunchers, and their respective ammo 100 in number per firearm.


    And once your firearm division gets approval, you will increase those numbers to at least five times?


    But, whenever you buy a new weapon in bulk number, I will have to train one soldier for three days to one week." Mark said to him with his heart beating rapidly in excitement due to the result of calctions.


    "And that required number for your services will be decided by a negotiation between us," The Second prince added another use, which favors Mark.


    After calcting the total amount, Mark then said, going into a merchant mode, "each M99 will cost 250 gold coins, and each 12.7mm round costs 1 gold coin. The stand is free.


    Each Pzf 3-IT 600 rocketuncher will cost 1000 gold coins and each 110mm Heat warhead costs 5 gold coins.


    Each Grenadeuncher will cost 300 gold coins and each 40mm grenade costs 5 gold coins.


    This deal will cost you a total of 30,000 gold coins. Our store has an offer where the customers will get 10% additional ammunition if they buy 100 or more. So, you will get 110 of each type of ammunition in return.


    For an advanced order, a minimum of 20% of the full amount should be paid upfront. So, that''s 6000 gold coins.


    As for the delivery rate, you can pick up everything from the store, a week after my return. To be safe, either you have toe personally to pick them up or it should be the most trusted person of you like for example, the one who I will train.


    If this is okay with you, please prepare a contract during my stay here."


    "30,000, huh," The second prince thought for a bit and nodded, "alright, it will be done. Now that we''re finished with the demonstration of new firearms, I''m returning to the campsite."


    The second prince was never the one who sugarcoat his words or actions. He came here to meet the weapon seller for something. He was finished and he expressed his intentions to return to the camp without wasting the time.


    But, Mark wasn''t done with his demands yet. He stopped him, "wait a second, Your Highness. I have something else to speak."


    The second prince who was about to fly away looked at him curiously. "What is it?"


    Mark let out a smile and replied, "The Dungeon Break, I want to give another live demonstration, a practical one against the beasts. I need the cooperation of you and your soldiers¡­"


    Upon hearing the n, Shang Wen furrowed his brows, "a barrier?"

 Chapter 153 Chimera-SGM

    As the second prince left for the campsite to make preparations for the uing dungeon break, in case Mark would mess up with his ns, thetter sat down on the ground and started creating the required ammunition.


    "Okay, I''m done with the preparations." Mark nodded with a smile on his face and took out his weapon from the inventory. In an instant, he felt the weight.


    "Hmm, judging by the recoil I felt during the first weapon testing, I don''t think my current physique will support the machine gun that just needs a couple of seconds to empty out the magazine.


    Why worry about the aftereffects now. I already had the taste of weapon testing. Let her do it."


    After loading it, the weight increased by a few kilograms. It became heavier. He quickly handed it to his beautiful assistant, "You know the requirements to clear the trial. Do it."


    Alina nodded and followed the procedure with the weapon testing.


    About five minutester;


    <strong>*Ding! You havepleted all the tests. ce the weapon in the factory tab to receive assessment results.</strong>


    He opened the Character menu and clicked on Mark''s Factory. There was an extra option that appeared after he assembled the weapon for the first time.


    <strong>Mark''s Factory</strong>


    Level: 1


    Avable machines: A drill press (1), a welder (1), a milling machine (1), and athe (1)


    Avable time: 6 minutes (max: 30 min)


    Cooldown: 24 hours


    Weapon Analysis


    <<< Go >>>


    Every 24 hours, he can only spend 30 minutes of time in the factory. That''s why he didn''t spend too much time there apart from designing the weapon and giving the materials to the robot. During the rest of the time, the robot will work in the background.


    Mark clicked on weapon analysis. A circle appeared on a new window. As soon as the weapon touched the screen, it disappeared from his hands and appeared as an image in the circle.


    He pressed confirm.


    The circle started to spin.


    After nearly 30 seconds of deep analysis, it stopped and a result appeared in a new window.


    Name: N/A


    Type: Fusion


    Grade: N/A


    Weight: 14.3 kg


    Barrel lengths: 28.5 in, 43 in, 15.1 in, 15.1 inches


    Muzzle velocity 1: 688 m/s (machine gun)


    Muzzle velocity 2: 396 m/s (shotgun)


    Muzzle velocity 3: 154 m/s (grenadeuncher)


    Muzzle velocity 4: 154 m/s (grenadeuncher)


    Maximum Effective Range: 352 m


    Absolute range: 635 m


    RPM (machine gun): 775


    RPM (shotgun): 63


    Description: A 14.3 kg fusion weapon capable of inflicting damage on 5-circle or below enemies.


    Ammo required: 7.9mmx57mm, 12 gauge, and 40mm grenade.


    Rmend stats: 1.0 STR


    System''s rating: 8.6<sub> </sub>


    Comment: The weapon is up to the standards of the system. It can be sold to the customers.


    Followed by the new window with results, a series of notifications arrived from the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the main quest-III.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Assistant Robot (rank-1). Check the Gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked weapon testing grounds.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You earned 1000 experience.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Mark''s factory leveled up.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the shlight. Check the Gallery for details</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Mark''s factory leveled up.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the Laser sighting system. Check the Gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Make it public.</strong>


    "Hmm? Emergency Quest?" He clicked on the notification as his curiosity took over his happiness of a sessful result. He already knew about the experience beforehand. So, he was a bit less interested in that whenpared to a sudden quest.


    After all, Emergency Quests always give wonderful rewards.


    Quest: Make it Public


    Description: Sell the prototype to the system in order to make the weapon avable for the public.


    Reward: 10000 credits, weapon unlock


    "Eh? I can do that?" Mark didn''t expect that he can sell the model to the system so that it can replicate it and sell it through the store.


    Until now, he had an assumption that the system might have some infinite storage filled with all the weapons that will be unlocked as heplete the equipment but now, it was clear that the system can mass-produce the new weapons that are created by him.


    This made him go back to his first impression. Can the system make the weapons out of thin air?


    Mark knew that he won''t get the answer to that from the system. So, why should he waste the time and even get lectured in return?


    Putting his thoughts aside, he just epted the quest and confirmed with the system.


    *Ding! As the creator, you can name it.


    At first, Mark wanted to name it Tigon-3 but then, as he realized that it was different from the original model, he thought for a while and said, "System, I name it Chimera-SGM. Let this be the start of the Chimera series."


    <strong>*Ding! Chimera-SGM has been added to Gallery. A price tag has been added.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Chimera-SGM (ether) has been added to the Gallery. A price tag has been added.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Chimera-SGM. Check out the gallery for the details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received 10000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    "There''s an ether version too?" Mark was visibly surprised by the system''s action. "Great! Now, let''s see how much it costs."


    Mark opened the gallery right away and clicked on the normal weapon. His eyes lit up when he saw the price, "Woah, 1600 gold coins? That''s the highest, so far, well, if I exclude the howitzer. Now, let''s see the ether one."


    There was an identical image beside the weapon but is grayed out. In excitement, he forgot that he cannot see the details of locked weapons and clicked on them.


    Only after the reminder from the system did he realize the situation and just ask the system directly.


    Before the system replies to upgrade it to know the details, he added, "I think it''s fair for the creator to know the price and the details. Don''t you think so, system? After all, you follow thew of exchange and fairness."


    There was a brief silence from the system as if it was thinking about it. After a few seconds, he received a befitting reply.


    <strong>*Ding! The host has yet to unlock any ether weapons. So, it is not fair to let know of the details of an ether weapon even if the host is the creator. The host will be informed after the first unlock of an ether weapon.</strong>


    "Damn it." Mark''s face turned red in embarrassment. He thought he could trap the system using its own words but unfortunately, it outwitted him.


    "Alright, you win."

 Chapter 154 Mark Goes On A Shopping Spree

    "System, Open Character stats"


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 5


    Strength: 0.5


    Intelligence: 5.2


    Defense: 1.2


    Agility: 1.6


    Vitality: 2.1


    Resistance: 1.1


    Charisma: 9


    Luck: 7


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice


    Spirit path: Summoner


    Ether quality: low


    Ether energy: 2014


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II, Thunderst


    Bloodline skills: Absolute freezing, Ice bolt


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Lifespan limit: 175 (150 years left)


    Avable credits: 74,350


    Net worth: 136,670 gold coins, 24 silver coins


    Total Debt: 31586 gold coins, 1582 ether crystals (low)


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>ACTIVE:</strong>


    <strong>Dismantling:</strong> Dismantle any object that belongs to the host and exchange it in equivalent credits.


    <strong>Sage eyes:</strong> Allows the user to inspect any non-living thing or living thing and find their details.


    <strong>Thunderst:</strong> Summon a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike down the enemy with 150% attack power. Cost: 50% ether. CD: 60min.


    <strong>PASSIVE:</strong>


    <strong>Ultimate Defense I:</strong> By Default, the store is invincible under the heavens and cannot be damaged by anyone under the Demigod realm


    <strong>Ultimate Defense II:</strong> Within the store, the host cannot be harmed by anyone under the demigod realm. The host cannot also be dragged outside against his will.


    <strong>BLOODLINE SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>Absolute Freezing:</strong> Freeze your surroundings for 120 seconds. Range: 200m. Cost: 10000 EP. CD: 30min.


    <strong>Ice bolt:</strong> Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy at any time tounch them at your enemies with 100% power. Anything that gets pierced will be frozen. Cost: 20% ether. CD: 0 sec. Note: User canunch only one spear. Range: 200m


    <strong>AVAILABLE WEAPONS FOR SALE:</strong>


    Single-shot Pistol; Revolver; P365 (10 rounds); P226 (20 rounds); R.I.P. 9mm; Light tank ¨C Sd.Kfz. (Panzer); Eight types of Grenade; Falling block rifle; Contender; M-99 Sniper Rifle; Rocketuncher- Pzf 3-IT600; Self-propelled Howitzer- Pzh 2000; Chimera-SMG.


    <strong>AVAILABLE AMMO FOR SALE:</strong>


    9mm; R.I.P. 9mm; 7.9mm; 12 gauge; 0.50 BMG; 0.204 caliber; 40mm; 110mm HEAT warhead; 7.62mm; 155mm HEAT;


    **********


    "74 thousand? That many credits? How did I miss this?" Mark gasped in shock when he saw the stats.


    He started recollecting his recent memories. "Ah, that''s right. I got 8k from a recent breakthrough, then, 5k from taming the legendary realm beast king, another 50k from acquiring a beast emperor from that egg, and 10k credits from this emergency¡­


    Let''s use them for something. Just a few hundred credits more and I can buy an advanced attribute. With 75K credits, I can buy Space Attribute. Who knows I can even receive a beast that lets me teleport to Imperial city directly.


    Or maybe, in the future, once I acquire a unique skill from the lottery wheel, I can probably travel to other realms."


    At first, Mark was excited at that thought but then, he threw away such fantasy thoughts and returned to reality, "let''s be practical. I should buy something that will help me get stronger, not add another power.


    Should I buy a skill? Nah, I already have enough of them.


    Maybe, I should convert them into gold coins? 75k would give me around 375k gold coins. Adding with the remaining, my wealth would cross 500k but what is the use of having wealth more than necessary?


    Then, should I just save it until I increase my ether points to 100K? Nah, I had only roughly 2000 now. It will take a long time unless I use high-quality crystals but they are too rare. It is too wasteful to use them, now. I''ll have to wait until I upgrade my ether quality.


    How about an essory like the ring of luck? Something that boosts my stats? Hmm¡­" Mark fell into thoughts for a while.


    In the end, he decided to spend them.


    "System, open the store"


    A holographic screen with five options appeared before him. Bloodline and unique weapons are still grayed out and are unavable.<sub> </sub>


    He stared at the remaining three, "Item" "Skill" "Attribute"


    He clicked on the item section right away.


    While scrolling down, he found something useful and bought them.


    *Ding! You bought a basic strength pill. 500 credits have been deducted.


    *Ding! You bought a basic strength pill. 500 credits have been deducted.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You bought a basic strength pill. 500 credits have been deducted.


    Mark spent 5000 credits to buy 10 basic strength pills. It was so that he can be qualified to handle the recoil force of the M134 minigun and Chimera SMG.


    "Okay, next¡­"


    He went to the essories section.


    Originally, when he bought the ring of luck for the first time, he was still a civilian and didn''t know how amazing the effects of those essories were. Mark thought they were just too expensive.


    It was only after experiencing the percentage increase buff he realized that they were indeed worth the price.


    "Let''s see¡­" he started clicking on each item to check their effects.


    "To increase magic power by a whole realm, I need at least 20% of boost in intelligence stat.


    The highest grade in the essory section, tinum will give a 50% boost but it would cost me 100,000 credits. I might need 31k credits more to buy it. Even if I exchange all the gold coins, I can''t buy them now.


    I guess I''ll have to adjust with the gold grade. 25% will improve my stats to 6.5. It won''t affect my summons but I can make it useful by using the M134 minigun and the attack helicopter."


    <strong>Amulet of Magic</strong>


    Grade: Gold


    Description: An amulet that increases the magic power of the wearer.


    Effects: 25%


    Price: 15000 credits


    After making a decision, he clicked on purchase.


    *Ding! You purchased an Amulet of Magic (gold). 15000 credits have been deducted.


    "54k left¡­"


    He scrolled further and at the bottom of the list of essories, there was another item that interested him.


    <strong>Glove of Creation</strong>


    Grade: Gold


    Description: A hand glove that increases the sess rate of weapon creation.


    Effects: 25%


    Note: The percentage refers to the original sess rate of the creation.


    Price: 15000 credits


    "So, for ammo with a 60% sess rate, I will get an additional 15%, huh. It''s worth."


    After reading the details, he purchased it right away without a second thought.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased the Glove of Creation (gold). 15000 credits have been deducted.</strong>


    No other essory interested him at the moment. After a quick thought, he went back to the pills section.


    "I can''t depend on just improving magic power. I need to worry about defense too. For how long I will have to hide in the battle tank, helicopter, or in the store? One day, I might have to depend on myself too."


    Making a decision, he proceeded to buy defense stat pills. 5000 credits for 10 basic defense pills; and 32000 credits for 8 intermediate defense pills.


    With that, his vast amount of credits depleted to a mere 2350. It''s like he almost 350K gold coins just to improve the sturdiness of his body.


    Now that he was done with his shopping spree, he sat on the ground and took out the basic strength pills from the inventory. Just like the intelligence pill, the strength pill is also pitch ck in color and is a little bit squishy like fish oil capsules.


    He swallowed one after another, ten times in a row, raising his strength to 1.5 points. Strangely, those pills also raised his defense stat by 0.4.


    After that, he proceeded to swallow the defense pills. 10 basic defense pills improved his defense by 1 point. And 8 intermediate defense pills improved his defense by 2.4 points.


    In the end, it reached 5 points.


    Mark stood up on his feet and looked at his body. He expected something like abs but there are no visible changes. When asked about the system, thetter replied that it is his bones and the inner parts of the body that became stronger, not the exterior skin.


    He couldn''t understand why can''t the system just give him a good physique but then again, he wasn''t the type to go and work out, and even if he wants to, this world doesn''t have gyms.


    The old way of running around, swatting, crawling under the fences, pushups, sparring, things like that are too military-like in Mark''s opinion. So, he just opts for the shortcut way. Using pills to increase his strength. Fortunately, the system-made items don''t have any side effects or requirements. So, it was the most preferred way for Mark.


    After he was done with the pills, he wore the pendant with a ck gem around his neck.


    He usually wears Daopao (Taoist robe). So, it is easier to hide the amulet from being discovered.


    As for the ck glove, it will attract attention if he wears it casually. So, he kept it in the inventory and decided to use it only when he is working.

 Chapter 155 Mark Becomes An Instructor

    A couple of days passed away in a blink of an eye;


    At the corner of the campsite, 3-circle realm soldier Lei Jin was carrying an M-99 rifle.


    About ten soldiers and a few adventurers were gathered behind him and became spectators as he supported the gun''s rear end on the shoulder and looked into the scope, much to Mark''s displeasure.


    About a kilometer away from the campsite, a row of vases were ced with at least a 6ft gap between each one.


    Mark crossed his arms to the chest and stared in silence. The aggressive captain, Wang Li was standing beside him. She was carrying a rocketuncher in her arm.


    Lei Jin clicked the trigger.


    *Bang*


    Due to his superior physique, he easily withstood the recoil force as the 0.50 caliber bullet left the barrel of the rifle. However, he missed it. A disappointed look appeared on Lei Jin.


    Wang Li furrowed her brows.


    "There''s a reason why a stand was provided, Captain Wang." Mark opened his mouth, addressing the woman standing beside him. "It wasn''t about weight but was about bnce. The bullet just travels in a straight path. If the bnce was tilted even a little, the uracy will fall."


    Wang Li replied, "One can only say that they mastered the weapon when they can use it in every position. Isn''t that the case, Lord Lu?"


    "You cannot expect a bow to do the job of a sword." Mark countered her statement right away. "All of the weapons I sell might be firearms but unlike your weapons of the ancient era, each type of firearm has a different purpose. It wasn''t just about the difference in the attack power.


    The weapon in your arms is used to cause things like explosions, destroy formations, kill a group of monsters in one strike, or take down the walls of the castle cities.


    And this weapon in Lei Jin''s hand is suited for assassination. Even though the damage of its bullet was only in 3-circle, it has prative properties. Even the four-circle experts will die if they were struck at vitals.


    Wang Li wasn''t the type to ept defeat in an argument but she doesn''t know anything about firearms and how they work. Mark has the most experience. So, she could only ept his words and stay silent instead of making a fool out of herself.


    Seeing that he wasn''t getting any response from her, Mark shifted his attention towards Lei Jin, and gave amand, "now, take the prone positioning as I have taught you."


    Lei Jin lies down on his stomach with his body angle to the target about 30 degrees. His spine is perpendicr to the shoulders.


    As he was looking at the target through the rifle scope again, Mark suddenly shouted, "Don''t dig your toes into the dirt. Are you trying to crawl or something? Your leg should be stationary. Understand?"


    Wang Lin and Lei Jin flinched for a moment. The spectators just shook their heads as they were seeing this side of Mark for the past couple of days.


    Meanwhile, Lei Jin answered, "I apologize, Sir."


    Mark narrowed his eyes and shouted, "I told you, no apologies. And don''t be mute for god''s sake. Louder."


    "Yes, Sir. I''ll correct it." Lei Jin answered in a loud tone, feeling as if he went back to being a newbie when he first joined the southern troops. He corrected his posture before firing it at the target.<sub> </sub>


    This time, the vase he was aiming for, was hit by the bullet and the upper part was destroyed into pieces.


    "Good, again."


    Wang Li observed Mark''s behavior from the corner of her eyes. As for Alina, she was just silently standing beside Mark, on the other side. She was always ready to guard him in case something unexpected happens such as an ambush from an unknown enemy.


    After eleven more sessive shots, Mark nodded, "Good, you can now hit the targets from 1000 meters away, at least eight out of ten times. Now, let''s increase the distance to 1500."


    Until the afternoon, he stood like a statue and sincerely trained Lei Jin, following the agreement.


    After a lunch break, the training continued until the evening in the hot sun. Due to the raising of defense stat, his stamina also raised considerably.


    He stood straight for hours on the same spot and kept on correcting Lei Jin whenever he made mistakes but never experienced fatigue. Of course, another factor also contributes to this, which is the feeling of happiness while training him.


    Mark couldn''t help but remember his early days as a cadet in the military where he was trained to death by the demon instructors. He was recruited as a weapon designer but he was always trained extra hard in the name of protecting himself in case a war erupts.


    Back then, he cursed them with all his words but now, he actually felt good when training a cadet.


    Soon, the sky darkened, the visibility wore off and Lei Jin could no longer train. Mark also felt that both of them need rest. So, he didn''t train the soldier after the sunset and spent his time inside his tent by creating the required ammo.


    After having dinner, he slept soundly until the next morning and saw the soldiers are marching in lines towards somewhere.


    Turning his head to the left, he could see a giant dome-shaped blue barrier spanning over two kilometers in diameter.


    "It''s time, huh," Mark mumbled to himself before he went and met the second prince. Inside the tent, along with the prince, there are a few captains.


    "It''s a good thing you are here, Lu Zhen." The second prince said as soon as he saw Mark enter the tent. He then added, "I was just about to order a soldier to wake you up."


    The others bowed as a greeting.


    "How long do we have until the dungeon break?" Mark responded with a question.


    "I guess about 1 hour." The second prince answered him honestly.


    "I understand, I will get going," Mark nodded and followed the soldiers.


    After 15 minutes of walk, he reached the perimeter of the barrier and observed the portal, which has cracks all over it.


    Amid the gazes of everyone, Mark alone walked into the barrier, followed by Alina.


    He took out a 4ft stand from his inventory. He firmly set it up on the ground before taking out the M134 minigun and rocketuncher, giving thetter to Alina.

 Chapter 156 Might Of M134 Minigun

    *Boom* Boom* Boom*


    *Trrrrrrrrrrrr* *Trrrrrrrrr*


    The spectators standing outside the barrier could just see the explosions, smoke, and the sounds of the gun firing.


    With the RPM of M134 minigun set about 3000 beforehand, Mark would finish 1000 rounds chain every 20 seconds. It would take another 5 seconds to set it.


    The beasts just ran here and there without even bothering where the attack ising from, Mark fired randomly without any aim.


    Of course, with 50 rounds per second, even if he wants to aim at a particr thing, it''s practically impossible unless that target is strong enough to face the mighty firepower of the minigun.


    Adding to him, Alina asionally shot 110m warheads, eradicating everything within 30 meters from the point of impact.


    Since normal weapons can also hurt her master and herself, she made sure to target the faraway targets.


    By the time Markpleted his fourth chain, the whole battlefield became silent. He doesn''t even know when the dungeon overlord was dead. It was probably killed by Alina.


    But, it doesn''t matter. What matters is that the entire battle onlysted barely 2 minutes.


    Even the second prince had his mouth agape with incredulity. "What the hell is that thing? Just how many attacks did it do? Thousand?"


    His eyes fell on the bullet cases on the ground, "No, the numbers appeared to be thrice than what I expected¡­"


    Unlike others, his vision and senses were far superior. While he couldn''t witness bullet firings properly, he saw how the beasts were killed.


    The rocketuncher is the one that killed the horned Orc, the dungeon overlord, and its four generals but he was more attracted towards the Gatling-style gun. It almost killed 80 percent of all the beasts that emerged from dungeon break.


    He ordered the fifty mages standing outside the barrier in every direction to remove the barrier, letting the smoke and the dust disperse.


    Then, he ordered the water mages to clear the raging mes here and there which were urred due to the explosions of 110 mm heat warheads.


    Meanwhile, Mark was examining the barrels of the gun. His eyes were filled with curiosity, "Oh, the heat is dissipated, quickly."


    After firing 4000 rounds nonstop, it is obvious that the barrels will be too hot but Mark felt it is cool even upon touch. He wondered whether it is because of ether consumption.


    "If 1 ether point will dissipate the heat and can act as the source of power, then, it''s more than enough worth to rece Yu''s Ring. I guess I did a good thing to trade it." Mark was satisfied with its power.


    At first, Mark intended to test-fire the weapon in a dungeon by mounting it on the attack helicopter but as the dungeon of Yannan was cleared and a dungeon broke on its way, he came up with a quick n and asked the prince to set up a powerful barrier around so that they won''t escape.


    But, it was a risky move in the eyes of the prince. It''s because those who enter the barrier cannot get outside. So, if he set up a barrier beforehand and Mark backs off at thest minute, then, his soldiers would have to enter it to face the beasts.


    In case of an unexpected rise in the enemy''s strength, the wounded soldiers couldn''t run away and he personally had to take care of the beasts by himself. A rank-5 dungeon is also considered a practical training session for the captains. If he goes inside to take care of everything, then, it would be a waste of opportunity.


    This is the reason why the prince hesitated a bit but eventually, decided to take a leap of faith.<sub> </sub>


    p And the result of that can be summarized in just one word, "Astonishing."</anda>


    "Lu Zhen," The second princended beside Mark in a single leap.


    "Your Highness, everything is finished." Mark let out a smile as he reported to the prince. He pointed at the hundreds of corpses, "as previously agreed, the loot belongs to the southern troops."


    He had no use for those corpses as there''s only one fierce beast among them and that too, only a 5-circle realm beast of advanced stage.


    The second prince took a nce at the Minigun and said, "You are giving a surprise in our every meeting, Lu Zhen. This time, it''s this¡­"


    While the prince''s face appeared calm on the surface, Mark felt like the former was eyeing his weapon. Before the prince asked about its sale, Mark decided to disappoint him.


    He replied, "Just like the helicopter, this is a gold grade ether weapon and is bound to my soul, Your Highness. It took years to make it. There''s only one of its kind in the world and I''m afraid there won''t be another one."


    "A gold grade, huh." The Prince wasn''t disappointed as Mark expected but had a look of surprise on his face, "So, your firearms also have graded weapons too. Wait for a moment¡­ your flying puppet, I mean that helicopter used some sort of energy to defeat the headless knight, a while ago. Is that also a graded weapon?"


    "It''s a crystal-graded weapon," Mark answered truthfully. By this time, keeping it a secret serves no purpose.


    "Crystal grade? Is there such a thing?" The Prince was taken aback. "Your manufacturer is from the Phoenix Empire, right? Because, here, we don''t have such a grade."


    Mark realized his mistake. He corrected his words, "In traditional terms, crystal means mid-quality Semi divine grade weapons. My manufacturer uses different terms than others. Like low-quality Semi divine weapons are termed as diamond and high-quality ones are termed ruby."


    At first, he doesn''t know about those weapons. It was only after acquiring the divine sword, he found it from the system.


    "Now, it makes sense." The Prince nodded in understanding. The firearms are considered modern weapons as they were born just now, at least in the Phoenix Empire. So, it isn''t a surprise if the weapon creators used terms different than traditional ones.


    Then, a doubt appeared in his mind. The Prince asked right away, "Then, you nned to give three Semi-divine weapons to his majesty?"


    Mark expected this question as soon as he revealed the might of the helicopter, a couple of days ago. He shook his head, "No. They won''t be graded weapons. Apart from the ether, everything would be the same."


    "Now, this is more like Lu Zhen." The Prince thought in his head. In his eyes, thetter isn''t the type to give away such free gifts to someone.


    Shang Wen wasn''t acquainted with Mark for a long time but somehow, he could understand his personality. He knew that if Mark gave away ether weapons, then, he couldn''t make a profit out of it.


    The so-called ammunition can only be sold at Genesis and this is how he would continuously make profits for a long time even after selling three of them to the Emperor.


    As the soldiers cleaned up the battlefield, Mark gets back to the tent and took a seat on the mattress. He opened the inventory and started calcting the losses, "42 warheads left in the inventory. That means 8 of them were fired by Alina. And I used 4000 rounds of ammunition. Excluding the additional debt that urred because of creation failure, 4040 gold coins went away just like that in test firing. Ugh¡­ I guess bullets were too expensive."


    He put aside the matter and just lies on his back, "I wonder what is Allen doing right now."


    "System, connect with Allen''s vision."


    A screen appeared before him right away. Mark''s expression changed.

 Chapter 157 A Customer With An Unexpected Surname

    <strong>A few minutes earlier;</strong>


    <strong>Hanga District, Imperial City;</strong>


    Just like any other day, Allen was operating the store. A couple of customers were roaming around to check out the avable weapons.


    This new upgraded store had a description attached with each section of weapons or explosives. So, if the customers know how to read, then, Allen wouldn''t have even needed to exin what it is.


    There was a separate chamber for the demonstration of low-end weapons like pistols and handguns, etc¡­


    The weapons were stored in a ss chamber for disy where they can''t be taken out without the permission of the owner and the ss is very hard for the customers to even make a scratch with their strength waspletely suppressed by Ultimate Defense. So, there''s no way of theft even in the absence of Mark.


    As a result, Allen was having quite a rest, this time. Unless they personally ask him to demonstrate or ask for an exnation about additional details, he would barely leave the counter.


    Around 8 o''clock in the morning, two customers made their way into the store. Like the mysteriousdy who was visiting the store daily for the past couple of days, these two customers had a cloak around them and their head was covered by a hood.


    Maybe, it''s the effect of the cloak or it''s because Allen''s strength is weaker, the android could neither see their faces nor could he see their details.


    But, since they have nothing to do with him, Allen didn''t care about it and behaved the same way as he does to every customer.


    "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store." He bowed to them with a straight face, "may I know what you are looking for?"


    One of them ced a pouch full of glistening gold coins on the marble counter, "information. It is something that might not be in public knowledge but isn''t secretive either. What we seek is simple answers to confirm a couple of things that can be obtained from elsewhere too. In this, there are 500 gold coins. All of it is yours if you give what we want."


    As an Android, Allen had a keen sense of hearing. Just from the tone of the customer, he estimated that the customer on the left is an old person, probably in his seventies unless he is some Upper Elite realm (6-circle) or higher realm expert who has a long life span.


    While he doesn''t have any use for the gold coins, Allen wanted to atleast hear what these customers want to know.


    "Speak." He said to them. "If it is the information that I can provide you, we will talk about the payment."


    "That''s alright." The old man in the hood nodded. He proceeded to ask, "We wish to confirm the identities of Owner Lu''s parents. Are they Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi?


    Our second question; did he grow up in the vige of Houtang?


    Our third question; did he have an eye-shaped birthmark behind his neck?


    Our fourth question; did he have an ice attribute?


    And finally, do you have a portrait of Owner Lu from his young age, preferably from his teenage? Even if it is a current one, it will be helpful. If there isn''t you could just describe his features.


    Each question is worth 100 gold coins. How many of them can you answer?"


    Allen fell into silence. If the customer was seeking the answers, he would have rejected it but it looked like the former already have answers and is just seeking confirmation.


    But, at the same time, the matter is regarding the personal information of his master. He can''t act in haste either.


    After thinking for a bit, he decided to take Mark''s permission.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, at the campsite hundreds of kilometers away from the Imperial city, Mark was watching the scene after connecting through Allen''s vision.


    "I wonder what they are talking about." He cannot hear the audio but for some reason, he felt those mysterious people in hoods are bad business.


    Mark sent a message to Allen just when thetter was about to connect to the system to send a message to the former, enquiring about the matter.


    Allen became very happy that his master was actually paying attention to him in secret.


    Lately, he started to feel that Mark was ignoring him ever since Alina came into their lives. Lin Xue''s constant reminders about it only made it worse.


    While there was no jealousy, he still felt sad sometimes that his master isn''t depending on him like before. He doesn''t want to be useless¡­


    But, now that everything is clear, his mood improved a lot, and exined everything in detail.


    After knowing the matter, a frown appeared on Mark''s face. "So these people know Lu Zhen''s past as well as know my attribute? The only ces I used the ice attribute are the dungeon of Tan and Kunyu valley. It''s unlikely Feng Wu''s associates. Are they from the Ji n?


    No, if they are from Ji n, how would they know about my special birthmark that was at the bottom of my neck. Only during the shower or changing the clothes, it will be revealed. Not to mention, they are asking about the younger Lu Zhen and are even willing to pay 500 gold coins. That is anything but normal." He thought about it deeply. Something clicked in his mind.


    "Don''t tell me their aim is just one question and the remaining were just fake ones to hide their real objective? If that''s the case, it''s highly possible that they wanted to confirm about ice attribute."


    After pondering for a while, Mark made a decision and sent a message to the Android.


    Upon receiving the order from his master, Allen looked at the hooded customers and opened his mouth, "I can answer all the questions but I don''t take free money like this. Buy 1000 gold coins worth of weapons from our store. That is my condition. If you can''tply with the condition, you can leave and confirm your answers from elsewhere."


    Allen''s reply took those two by surprise, making them think the same thing, "What a loyalty".


    The money isn''t a problem for them but they didn''t expect Allen would want the weapons to be sold rather than earning a huge amount of money for himself.


    In their eyes, 500 gold coins were enough for a person like Allen to run away and start a new life unless there''s a ve mark ced on his soul. Such forbidden techniques exist in some sects in the northern empires. They were banned in Phoenix Empire but some were used in secret.


    But, does Lu Zhen also practice such evil techniques? They had doubts about it.


    As they eventually agreed to the deal, Allen spoke, "I don''t know about the ice attribute. All I know is that my master possesses Lightning Attribute. The first three questions were true.


    As for the fifth question, no, we don''t have any portrait in our home but I can draw it for you.


    He took out pencil and paper from Mark''s inventory and started sketching 15-year-old Lu Zhen. Unlike Alina, he can''t connect with Mark''s mind or can ess his memories.


    All he could use was his imagination.


    Nevertheless, Mark as well as the other two customers were impressed to see Allen''s skills. The level of detail was awesome. Mark saw that the final result on the paper is quite identical to Lu Zhen''s appearance from his memories.


    <strong>*Ding! Lan Jing''s affinity is increased by 1. The name was added to the list of exclusive customers.</strong>


    "Eh? Lan surname?"

 Chapter 158 An Army Of Robots

    "Lan surname?"


    Mark never expected someone from his maternal side woulde looking for him. As far as he knows, everyone in the Lan Sect was killed in a dungeon break about 30 years ago.


    The only survivor is the Queen consort Lan Jingyi. So, where is this Lan Jing came from? And more importantly, why is he looking for Lu Zhen?


    Did this Lan Jing know the rtion between Lu Zhen and Lan Jingyi? Mark was racking his brains to figure out the intentions of these mysterious customers.


    He wanted Allen to stop those two and interrogate but held the order in the tip of his tongue as it will lose the integrity of his weapon store.


    Even the system wouldn''t let him go unpunished if he were to attack his customers without thetter disying any hostility against him or his store.


    So, he let them go away without asking any questions after they happily fulfilled the end of their deal.


    The two of them bought nothing but grenades, which are as powerful as rank-4, each costing 100 gold coins.


    cing them into the storage ring, Lan Jing spoke to Allen, "our business is finished here. We''ll be leaving."


    They turned around and left the store.


    After stepping outside, the other hooded fellow, who was silent until now, opened his mouth, "Master, the identity has been confirmed. What should we do now?"


    "Shh¡­" Lan Jing gestured his disciple to be silent and started walking without giving any reply.


    They walked in silence until they left the street. Once confirming that no one is following them, Lan Jing pulled down the hood, revealing an aged face, full of wrinkles, and short white hair. He took out a paper from the storage ring and let out a wide smile as he looked at the sketch of a teenager, "we have finally found the young master after 10 years of searching. Sect master will be d to hear this news."


    His disciple also pulled down the hood, revealing the face of a young man in his twenties, "But, master, Lu Zhen doesn''t seem to awaken the bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus. Wouldn''t the fifth princess be a better choice for our task?"


    Lan Jing''s facial expression immediately changed upon remembering Shang Jiao. He shook his head, "No, she''s the beloved daughter of Shang Fu. He won''t hand over her. But, we don''t need to worry about it. We can use forbidden magic to forcefully awaken the bloodline within him. Everything would be fine, then."


    "I understand." The young man named Li Cheng nodded in response and continued to walk with his master. After a brief silence, he said, "master, this is really fate, isn''t it? I mean what are the odds that Lu Zhen would have been dragged to the public trial by his own siblings and we attended it by pure coincidence?"


    "Yeah," Lan Jing nodded in agreement, "if not for that incident, we wouldn''t have found that young master is living in Imperial City. Poor young miss, Lan Jingyi. She probably doesn''t even know that her child is living just a few kilometers away from her home."


    And the two of them eventually left the city without alerting anyone.


    Meanwhile, at the campsite in the southern yuan province, Mark rested for a couple of hours before he resumed his training.


    It went on until the evening. After having a quick shower at the temporary bathhouse set up at the campsite for the soldiers, he returned to the tent and started thinking about various things.


    "Okay, let''s make a quick review about the arsenal. First of all, it''s better to refrain from using the attack helicopter in the war against Ji n.


    I need to make an impression that I didn''t participate in the battle directly.


    What I can provide the Kunyu bandits are the panzers, rocketunchers, and grenadeunchers. But, they won''t be enough to win the war if the church of Nuwa intervenes. I might either need to lend a howitzer or set Baltrow on loose.


    The issue here is that howitzer is very risky to use even from faraway because the current one I have is quite simr to the battle tank that I used before.


    If I attain the loyalty of Baltrow, all of this wouldn''t be an issue. I can set it loose and it will be easy to even defeat the imperial army. But, what can I do? 50 million gold coins of debt. I can''t handle such a huge amount at the present stage.


    Hmmm¡­ wait a second¡­"


    Something clicked in his mind and his eyes lit up as realization dawned upon him. "I missed one other thing. The robots. They were different from firearms and no one knows that I can create them. Even if someone finds it, I can justify it with my profession as a weapon seller.<sub> </sub>


    Once the Western Yan is firmly taken away from the Phoenix Empire, depending on the actions of the imperial pce, I will continue being a weapon seller, ying both sides or just abandoning the imperial city.


    If such a case arrives, I will move to Western Yan and fortify the Kunyu mountain range with panzers and howitzers where the assistant robots will ride it.


    From there, I can go to Leon Empire through the seas and set up branches in major cities in case firearms are banned here.


    Either way, it isn''t something that I need to think deeply about, at present. Let''s just go with the flow and see where it leads me¡­"


    He put away the unnecessary thoughts aside and opened the creation panel (Gallery).


    <strong>*Ding! Purchases have been set to personal for the next 30 minutes.</strong>


    After having a talk with the system and setting it beforehand in order to save time from wasting it on every prompt, he proceeded to create the robots.


    But, the system gave him another surprise, a pleasant one at that.


    <strong>*Ding! You are about to create an Assistant Robot. Choose its profession.</strong>


    1) Butler


    2) Fighter


    3) Sales Assistant


    "System, a little exnation about the sales assistant, please." He asked right away.


    <strong>*Ding! The sales assistant robot is programmed to act as a storekeeper. It can count the money; exin to the customers about the weapons avable to sell within the store; warn the customers about the rules and can take advanced orders from the customer.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! But, it is cannot punish the customers for breaking the rules and is also vulnerable to attacks. Only the owner has such privilege.</strong>


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded in understanding and clicked on 1. He doesn''t want to work with his Android assistants for little things like cleaning, arranging, and stuff¡­


    <strong>*Ding! Assistant Robot (Butler) has been sessfully created. 200 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    After creating a few more butlers for his mansion house, he started creating fighters inrge numbers.


    <strong>*Ding! Assistant Robot (Fighter) has been sessfully created. 200 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Assistant Robot (Fighter) has been sessfully created. 200 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Assistant Robot (Fighter) has been sessfully created. 200 gold coins have been added to the debt.</strong>


    Mark only stopped after creating about 100 of them, increasing his debt by 20000 gold coins more.


    He then named each of them in the form of numerical.

 Chapter 159 The Cardinal Is An Elf

    Just like the weapons, every assistant robot can be sold in the store for 200 gold coins each but Mark didn''t want to sell these ones despite the fact that they were only suitable to do menial tasks.


    He was worried that some people are smart enough to make them do other tasks than the ones they were designed for.


    For example, Mark himself wanted to use these rank-1 robots to operate the tanks in the war. All they need to know is how to drive and press the triggers tounch warheads.


    With his manpower, he hoped to create his own army, strong enough to wipe out any force that tries to go against him.


    He summoned two of them, one is a butler, and the other is a fighter.


    They look a bit different from the one he had seen at the factory.


    The one at the factory was like a cute assistant robot one would see at the restaurants but the one that was created ispletely made of metal and is humanoid in appearance.


    "Good morning, master. What you would like me to do? Waiting for input." Both of them spoke to him at the same time, although with different gestures.


    The fighter robot greeted Mark by bending one knee and saluting with its hand on the chest part. On the other hand, the butler robot greeted with a deep bow.


    Looking at the 6ft robots, an inch taller than Mark, thetter mumbled, "From top to bottom, they looked exactly the same as the robots from Avengers, although none have consciousness on their own like Alina and Allen. Maybe, the system is like Ultron or something? Anyway, this one will do."


    He inspected one after another.


    **


    Name: R-12


    Type: Fighter


    Rank: 1


    Description: A fighter robot that can at least throw punches and kicks at the enemy. It consumes 1 kWh of power every hour when the switch is on.


    Battery Capacity: 1000 Kwh


    Skills:


    Conversion: The robot assistant can passively absorb the sr energy and recharge its battery.


    **


    Name: R-1


    Type: Butler


    Rank: 1


    Description: An assistant robot that will help its owner to do menial tasks such as cooking, cleaning, fishing, wood chopping, etc¡­


    Note: As an inbuilt option, the butler robot only knows how to clean the surfaces. The rest have to be taught. It consumes 1 kWh of power every hour when the switch is on.


    Battery Capacity: 1000 Kwh


    Skills:


    Conversion: The robot assistant can passively absorb the sr energy and recharge its battery.


    **


    "Okay, good. I guess I can proceed with the next step, soon enough. These fighter robots will be the ones that will change the tide of the war at any time."


    Two dayster;<sub> </sub>


    "I''ll be leaving, Your highness." Mark bowed slightly to the second prince. Thetter nodded in response.


    There was an attack helicopter parked behind them. Alina was sitting inside the pilot seat.


    He got inside and closed the door.


    The helicopter started to fly higher before disappearing into the horizon, not that they flew for very long because of less fuel. Mark only opts for this route to look cool while leaving. There''s also a howitzer he wanted to keep a secret from the prince.


    After traveling like hundred kilometers, emptying the fuel energy by 98%, they got down and traveled in a howitzer.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Western Yan''s capital city, the troops were being assembled at the castle where Ji n currently resides.


    Inside the castle, elders of the n were gathered for a meeting. An Arch Bishop from the Church of Nuwa was sent to this emergency meeting as a representative to resolve the situation.


    "You cannot talk me out of this, Arch Bishop Ma. Today, I will destroy those rats once in for all." An elderly fellow is fuming in anger, momentarily forgetting the status of Ma Yinglin.


    But, the Arch Bishop was patient since the matter is serious and the person beside him is a seven-circle realm expert who is known for having short temper.


    Ma Yinglin spoke, "Grand Elder Ji, I will be straight with you.


    Kunyu mountain range is vast. There are thousands of caves. It is difficult to find their hideout even if the whole imperial army is deployed.


    Moreover, this region used to be in the control of the Feng n for a long time. We don''t know how many spies are located even within the walls of this castle, much less in the city.


    If the enemies find out about your movements, they wouldn''t hesitate to cut down your child''s head as they have warned. Young master Ji isn''t just your son but he is also an important knight for us to gain a foothold in the Imperial City. Cardinal would want you to treat this matter without any violence."


    The Arch bishop''s advice made the grand elder angry. He mmed the table, "so, you want me to empty our entire treasury to hand over 500,000 gold coins to those bastards? There''s no way in hell I would give away half of our Ji n''s wealth."


    "No, that''s not what I meant." The Arch Bishop was calm. "Our Cardinal just doesn''t want to spill the blood of the soldiers unless it''s necessary. From what we know so far, he was abducted at the dungeon but it is far away from even the Kunyu mountain range.


    The rebels didn''t have the courage to step out of their fortress. So, we can be assured that someone or some people from the outside are powerful enough to wipe out four of our elite members and abduct young master Guangli.


    If we can find out their identity and capture them, it will lead us straight to the hideout. I ask you to be patient for a while.


    Our investigation team is already doing everything it can to gather the clues of the culprit. "


    The grand elder of the Ji n became silent for a while. Eventually, he nodded, "fine, three days. I''ll wait for three days. After that, we will go to war. I showed them mercy for a whole decade but no more¡­"


    After convincing the grand elder of Ji n, the archbishop returned to their headquarters.


    A young man was waiting for him in the cardinal''s chamber. He had long golden hair, pointy ears, emerald-colored eyes, and was charming. It''s not a secret that he is an elf.


    The Arch Bishop greeted on one knee, "Your Eminence."


    The young man nodded with a smile, "stand up, Arch Bishop Ma."


    This 20-odd-year-old young man is none other than the cardinal, who was blessed by the goddess Nuwa.


    Originally, a prince of Leon Empire, Shi En was given to the church of Nuwa as an offering by his father for removing a powerful curse on Grand Emperor (Retired Emperor), although it was mostly due to the fact that the elders wanted to get rid of him as soon as his elven mother died in childbirth.


    The archbishop recited everything that happened at the Ji castle.


    Shi En fell into thoughts for a while. In the end, he gave an order, "continue with the investigation. Meanwhile, send a letter to the Imperial Pce. Let the fifth princess raise a ruckus and keep those bandits upied."


    "But, your eminence, what if they kill the boy?" The Arch Bishop disyed his worry, to which, the young cardinal answered, "that''s why we''ll offer the ransom they demanded the Ji n but will not hand it over right away."

 Chapter 160 Nie Rougang At The Dwarven Kingdom

    To the east of the Bloodhill forest, a 932,566 sq. km of area separates the Phoenix Empire in the south and the Leon Empire in the central region of the Eastern Continent.


    This mountainous range at the equator was inhabited by one of the six intelligent humanoid creatures known as Dwarves. The other five are the elves, werewolves, vampires, dragons, and humans.


    Hundreds of thousands of years ago, before the age of ether, back when humans were nothing but cavemen who are the bottom of the food chain, beasts would be seen everywhere on the midelleas (earth).


    The dragons are the overlord of the world but they don''t meddle with anyone unless they were hungry. The majority of the time, they will just sleep. But, when they wake up, they cause nothing but destruction. That''s why ancients probably say, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."


    The vampire and werewolves were the mutated race, which evolved from primitive humans.


    The vampires look tall and skinny; have long white hair, pale skin, amber eyes, fangs, and bat-like wings. Their appearance was quite elegant whenpared to the rest of the creatures, back then.


    The werewolves, on the other hand, looked like furred humans but with buffed bodies and enhanced physical abilities.


    Both of them were vastly at odds with each other from the beginning as if they were natural enemies. Maybe, it''s due to the fact that they have particrly long life spans. One can even say they are like immortals whenpared to the other creatures.


    With the intelligence of humans and the power of beasts, both of them are the perfect sentient beings on the, ording to their beliefs. Naturally, they sought lordship, the authority to rule.


    However, there''s but one slight problem to their conquest. Two other races formed their own kingdoms long ago.


    Being one with nature and able to use natural energy, the Elves built their viges in forests while being constantly alert against predators.


    The dwarves, on the other hand, didn''t have enoughbat ability to face the wild beasts. So, they put their focus on building fortress cities around the mines. The mountains act as their natural defense.


    With their manufacturing ability, the dwarves made bows and swords for the elves while thetter swore that they will protect them from any invasion.


    But, due to one attack from a dragon on one fortress, everything changed.


    The dragons love gold and treasures and the dwarves have loads of them. The nearby elves couldn''t face them. So, they backed out.


    The twenty or so dwarves became homeless and wandered around to find a new home. In the end, they encountered a vige full of humans.


    The dwarves got shelter and food. They decided to live for a while. Eventually, they found out that humans are weak inbat, have low longevity,and low intelligence but have two amazing capabilities.


    One is that they can reproduce at an rming rate for they don''t have any mating season like the beasts. The other is that they can somehow absorb the energy present in the Spirit Beasts, although nine out of ten times, they will fail to be stronger due to not knowing how to refine that energy.


    The dwarves gave weapons to humans to empower their defense.


    Slowly, the time changed. The intelligence of humans grew leaps of bounds as their brains developed due to evolution. Once they grasped the power of ether, they became far stronger than others.


    They grew so strong that the 20-odd dwarves even got back their kingdom after the dragon was slewed and the term dragon yer emerged.


    Over time, the rtions between the race of dwarves and humans improved on a worldwide scale.


    The Vampires, werewolves, and the elves were forced to flee the eastern continent; the pure dragons became extinct; the wild beasts were either destroyed or imprisoned; while the dwarves were allotted a piece ofnd tofortably rule until the end of time.<sub> </sub>


    A sacred pact was made between the human rulers and the dwarven rulers more than 10 thousand years ago where no human emperor or king can ever set to conquer thend of dwarves.


    In return, the dwarves cannot deny the requests to make weapons for the humans as long as they were paid properpensation for the task. The dwarves cannot also side with any human empire and will continue to stay neutral.


    The region is peaceful for the past ten millennia no matter which dynasty rules whatnd.


    At the dwarven fortress city of Berdur, a carriage pulled by two rhinos of 4-circle realm slowly entered through the east gate and was escorted by an official of the city.


    Upon reaching the duke''s residence, the vehicle stopped and two men stepped down from it.


    The official took them inside and let them meet the duke who rules the city and the surrounding areas. There were a total of 9 regions present in thend of dwarves, each one ruled by a duke. All of them in turn were vassals for the King.


    "Wee to Berdur, Lord Nie." Duke Rundrok greeted the two guests from the Nie n.


    As everyone took a seat and the guests were served wine, the duke asked the reason for their visit.


    The revenue minister Nie Rougang and his brother, Nie Hong looked at each other before thetter took out a revolver from his storage card and handed it to his elder brother.


    Nie Rougang handed it to the duke, "Lord Rundrok, we want to know about this."


    "Hmm?" The Dwarf observed the pistol curiously. As he caressed it, he spoke in admiration, "the craftsmanship is marvelous. The one who made it must be atleast a master cksmith. I have never seen a weapon like this in my life. What is this called?"


    A trace of surprise appeared on Nie Rougang and Nie Hong for they didn''t expect this master cksmith had never seen it.


    Nie Rougang cleared his throat and answered, "This is called revolver. It is one of the models of a weapon known as firearm. They are recently sold in a weapon store. We don''t know who the manufacturer is and neither can we afford to offend that weapon seller. So, we came here if you can shed some light on us."


    As the revenue minister of Phoenix Empire turned towards his brother, thetter proceeded to take out a 9mm bullet.


    Nie Rougang took back the revolver and opened the cylindrical chamber. He gave a demonstration by putting a bullet, then, dragging back the hammer before clicking the trigger while aiming upwards.


    *bang*


    The sound of the gunshot reverberated across the hall, making a few dwarves outside flinch in surprise.


    Meanwhile, the Duke''s eyes are widened. Realization dawned upon him. He nced at the bullet case in Nie Rougang''s hand as thetter opened the cylindrical chamber and removed the cartridge.


    "That thing you put inside this weapon, do you have more?" He suddenly asked Nie Rougang.


    Nie Rougang handed a bullet to the dwarf, who then crushed it with his fingers, revealing a brown-colored smokeless powder. "Hmm, I see¡­" He mumbled.


    The two guests of the Nie n realized that this dwarf was familiar with the powder.


    Nie Rougang asked him, "Do you know what that powder is?"

 Chapter 161 Modern Weapon Of Dwarves

    The dwarf shook his head, "no but I know something simr. We possess something called ck powder, which is explosive in nature. I think upon clicking that part, this powder gets exploded,unching the upper part at high speed.


    This works on the same principle as a weapon we recently developed, although that weapon isrger and has more power."


    "What is it?" Nie Rougang was excited, feeling that his trip to this city isn''t in vain.


    Previously, he had suspicions that it might be the work of a human but after hearing the exnation from the dwarf, he felt like the manufactures of the weapons sold at Genesis is the secret work of a dwarf, probably from other cities.


    As Nie Rougang asked about this new weapon of the dwarves, the duke of Berdur had a look of hesitation. He doesn''t seem like he wanted to reveal the secret.


    Nie Rougang is a politician with good observation skills. It was clear to him what is going on in this dwarf''s mind. He looked at his brother, "bring out everything."


    Nie Hong nodded.


    Very soon, a single-shot pistol, revolver, P365, P226, and derringer were ced before the duke.


    "Lord Rundrok, these are all the firearms. Aren''t you interested in replicating them? These ungraded weapons sell as high as 50 gold coins in the imperial city."


    In an instant, the dwarf''s brain activated about the business and he fell into thoughts.


    p After a brief silence, he stood up on his feet, "follow me."</anda>


    They walked to an armory/ weapon storage room, full of various weapons, ranging from daggers to metal and wooden puppets. However, out of all of them, one thing attracted the visitors the most.


    "This is the new weapon you talked about earlier?" Nie Rougang asked unsurely as he stared at a big hollow rod with a thread sticking out from the rear end. Clearly, he was a little bit unimpressed by its crude design.


    "Don''t take this lightly, Lord Nie." The Duke of Berdur caught Nie Rougang''s expression but he didn''t feel offended at all. Instead, he decided to clear the doubts of these two privileged guests.


    He exined as he showed a cast iron ball of about 20kg in weight and has the size of a human''s head, "Each one of this can destroy the walls of the fortress with ease. Once it wasunched by the cannon, this sphere can even kill a 4-circle realm when sessfully hit head-on.


    Apart from these, we have developed exploding ones as well. They will not only hit the targets but after a period of time, they will even explode causing more damage to the enemies. In those, we use ck powder, which will ignite uponunching the cannonballs."


    "4-circle, huh! Now that changes everything." Nie Rougang nodded in approval. There''s a glint in his eyes. As the helicopter and the battle tank were considered puppets by him as well as everyone, Nie Rougang didn''t think about them.


    All he could think is how its firepower is more powerful than Mark''s lightweight weapons.<sub> </sub>


    Maybe, it''s because he was too excited to have dozens of these installed at his mansion in case of another misadventure by Mark, or maybe, it is because this dwarf is highly reputed¡­ for whatever reason, Nie Rougang didn''t bother to ask for a demonstration and directly went for the purchase.


    He asked, "How much is it? I want at least thirty of these."


    However, the Duke of Berdur shook his head, "we don''t have permission to mass-produce them, yet. It''s our king''s orders."


    Nie Rougang furrowed his brows, "why?"


    "I''ll be honest with you. These make humans too powerful and uncontrolled. There would be chaos if the owner of these cannons uses them tounch an invasion." The Duke of Berdur was bing exasperating while he exined the situation. "One wouldn''t need any ether to fire them, you know. Once you figure out how to make them and it will be public knowledge, it won''t be a pretty sight. His Majesty doesn''t want to be med by the human rulers for the mess."


    It was clear that even this dwarf doesn''t agree with his king''s orders. After all, what has the well-being of humans had anything to do with him? They were cksmiths and he feels that it''s their right to innovate new types of weapons.


    As Nie Rougang fell into thoughts, trying to figure out a way to convince the dwarf, his brother, Nie Hong opened his mouth, "Lord Rundrok, the King doesn''t have to know about this deal. Perhaps, we cane to an arrangement."


    "What do you mean, Lord Nie?" The Duke of Berdur frowned.


    Despite being intelligent and possessing greed for gold, the dwarves were honest beings. They don''t lie, were loyal to their king, don''t cheat their clients, and most importantly, they were quite straightforward. Well, at least, most of them. Exceptions always exist everywhere.


    Thankfully for this revenue minister of the Phoenix Empire, the duke of Berdur isn''t a saint. He loves gold more than any other dwarf or dragon. At the same time, he is also a bit cunning whenpared to the rest of the dwarves.


    Nie Rougang came out of his thoughts and said, "I''ll provide you the raw materials and I''ll pay 500 gold coins for every cannon and 20 gold coins per exploding cannonball you provide me. This transaction won''t be in the records of your kingdom or our empire. Are you willing to ept this deal?"


    "500 per cannon? And you will even provide iron?" The Duke of Berdur was taken aback by this shocking offer. In an instant, he realized that there was nothing for him to lose, and everything is to gain.


    But, his greediness came in the way. Seeing the desperation on his client, he replied, "It''s very hard toplete this task. I can''t do this alone. There''s a need for manpower and I had to shut their mouths with extra pay to make sure this never leaves Berdur. 1000 gold coins per cannon, 10 gold coins per iron sphere, 25 gold coins per exploding cannonball.


    In return, you will get the first batch of 10 cannons and 100 cannonballs of both variants within a week."


    "Deal," Nie Rougang agreed to it, right away.


    He''s the revenue minister and is super-rich. Just mere thousands of gold coins aren''t much for him. So, despite knowing that the dwarf is trying to take advantage of him, he epted the deal without any negotiations.

 Chapter 162 Back To The Imperial City

    After thirty-three hours of nonstop traveling by thend, Mark finally returned to the store. It was already midnight by the time he arrived through Howitzer. So, except for patrolling guards, no one had discovered his return.


    Moreover, he was traveling in a howitzer, which looks a lot like his previous battle tank. So, in just a nce, the passerby soldiers knew that it was him and didn''t dare to stop his route.


    The howitzer stopped at the entrance of the store.


    Mark was in the midst of sleeping on the bunker bed in the rear chamber.


    As Alina, a part of the system, she was able to open the locked rear chamber from outside.


    She stepped inside and proceeded to wake up her master, "Big Brother, we are here."


    As soon as Mark felt a touch, he immediately opened his eyes and saw Alina.


    As he stepped down from the vehicle, he patted it twice with a smile on his face, "it''s really a good thing that our vehicles can run on vegetable oils without facing any issues.


    Or else, it would have be tough to sell these in the future. But, then again, the consumption is too high. So far, 5700 liters out of 6500 liters of oil were spent away. That means it cost me nearly 300 gold coins just to travel 500 odd kilometers.


    I need to ask around to see if crude oil is avable anywhere. But, before that, I need to buy a few barrels of vegetable oil for reserves¡­"


    He dismissed the howitzer and went to the shutter.


    At first, he want to knock but thinking that Allen might have been at the first floor''s mansion, he sent an indirect message to Allen through the system.


    Within just a few seconds, the shutter was opened.


    Allen proceeded to greet with a smile on his face, "Vitej doma, Velky Bratre (Wee home, Big brother)."


    "What the¡­" Mark was taken aback by Allen''s action for thetter never had greeted him like that. "Allen, why happened to yournguage? Why you are suddenly talking in Czech?"


    Mark was born in Austria to a Czech mother and American father. From childhood, he could speak Czech, Austrian-German, and English very fluently.


    But, here, in this world of magic, most of the people in the three major empires, save for a few independent kingdoms and no man''snd, speak thenguage of Orlon and has a different writing system and alphabets.


    Thankfully, due to absorbing Lu Zhen''s memories and possessing his body, he could speak and write fluently.


    Until now, he never had to use speak his pastnguage because there''s no use. And since the system gave him the Androids that can speak this world''snguage, he didn''t care much about it.


    However, all of a sudden, as the Android suddenly talked in his mother tongue, not only Mark was surprised but it also reminded him of his past life just for a moment.


    When enquired with Allen, thetter said in Orlon with a trace of surprise on his face, "Sister Xue said that you might like to talk in nativenguage more."


    "Sister Xue?" Mark was once again surprised, widening his eyes, "you mean, Lin Xue?"


    Allen nodded in response.


    "Since when were the two of you are on such close terms?" He was bewildered by the fact that thedy of the Lin n got closer to Allen despite he showed her Allen''s loyalty towards him and even gave a warning to not cross the line between an employee and a client. "Just what in the hell happened during the time I was away?"


    Allen answered with an innocent look, "I don''t know. Sister Xue just asked me to address her that way, about three days ago."


    Mark wanted to think that Lin n might have been trying to scheme something but when he realized that he only profited from them until now, he dismissed those thoughts away.


    With Allen bound to his soul and will forever have 100% loyalty, he didn''t care about it and just walked inside the store.


    As soon as he returned to the mansion, the first thing he did is to run into the bathroom and have a nice long shower with hot water.


    All the Spirit Warriors can just expel the filth from their bodies through ether energy. It was the same case for the mouth. But, maintaining cleanliness and having a shower are entirely two different things.


    After making a long journey, a hot shower followed by a peaceful sleep on afy bed is considered bliss for Mark and he enjoyed it.


    The next day morning, Mark woke up at 9. By the time, Allen had already left the store and he had a floating notification screen, stating about the daily purchases made by Lin Xue.


    After a quick breakfast, he went downstairs and sat in his chair. He didn''t open the store, yet, as he had something to take care of.


    "Open, Familiars inventory"


    About 14 images of the beasts were seen in the inventory. Ten of them are summoning beasts. The other four are tamed ones, which costs him to store in the inventory when they are perfectly healthy.


    The system charges him 5 gold coins per day fierce beasts like gray wolf and the dark turtle; for the beast king Baltrow, he''s paying 80 gold coins per day; and thankfully, Tishanan, the emperor grade cat is only rank-1. So, he was only being charged 100 gold coins per day.


    Until now, he hid the two of them but now that he''s back into the store, Mark no longer wanted to unnecessarily pay huge amounts of money to the system.


    He first summoned the legendary realm beast king.<sub> </sub>


    *Roar*


    As soon as the manticore was summoned, it looked around curiously. As it was bound to Mark''s soul, there was no suppression on it but it could still sense the power of the system.


    "This power, it''s as if I''m sensing the power of a true god, strange¡­" Baltrow let out a strangement in a human speech before it paid attention to its owner who was staring at its details with excitement.


    *******


    <strong>Baltrow (Bound)</strong>


    Grade: King


    Title: Savage (deactivated)


    Rank: 8 (advanced-stage)


    Species: Hybrid


    Type: Bnced


    Attribute: Fire/Dark/Poison


    Loyalty: 26%


    Description: The manticore from the realm of undyingnds. It has an IQ of over 120.


    <strong>Title - Savage:</strong> When activated the title, Baltrow will act on its own and turn deaf to the host''s orders. Except for the host and other soul-bound entities, the beast cannot judge who is ally or enemy.


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    Active:


    <strong>Concussive Blows:</strong> Baltrow attacks the enemy with its paws, giving five sessive blows in just one second. Each blow contains 100% of its attack power. Cost: 20 million EP (ether points). CD: 15 minutes


    <strong>Poison Breath:</strong> Baltrow can breathe out poisonous gas and slowly kills everyone who breathes in the gas, excluding host and soul-bound entities. Effect: Depends on the strength and resistance of the target. Range: 500 meters. Cost: 20 million EP. CD: 60 minutes.


    <strong>Dragon ze:</strong> Baltrow breathes out an ocean of mes turning everyone into ash. Effect: 120% attack power. Range: 500 meters. Cost: 40 million EP. CD: 60 minutes.


    <strong>Spiky throw:</strong> Baltrow shoot the spikes from its back and pierce the targets (min: 1, max: 24). Effect: each spike contains 80% of attack power. Range: 100 meters. Cost: 30 million EP. CD: 10 minutes/spike


    <strong>Extreme Bite:</strong> Baltrow will bite the target with its fangs of a sabertooth while seeing poison into the enemy. Effect-1: 120% attack power. Effect-2: targets will be paralyzed by poison. This effect will be changed based on the target''s resistance. Cost: 30 million EP. CD: 60 minutes.


    <strong>Dark sh:</strong> Baltrow unleashes a concentrated beam of dark energy through its mouth. Effect: 130% attack power. Cost: 40 million EP. CD: 90 minutes


    <strong>Passive:</strong>


    <strong>Savage Aura:</strong> When it is summoned, the host''s vitality and agility increase by 30%, and during the ''Savage'' state, attack power (int&str) is also increases by 12% as long as the host stays within 200 meters radius.


    <strong>Merge:</strong> Baltrow can add the other attributes to increase the damage of its skill attack. The cost of the skills will also increase.


    ****


    As Mark sighed inwardly upon seeing the high cost of activating the skills, the beast opened its mouth, "human, when you used the Spirit Beast Contract, you promised me that I will be free from that prison. But, I didn''t expect you will just transfer me from one prison to another. You held me several days in that dark prison there and forced me to sleep but I will forget the matter because you healed my injuries too."


    "Well, this one behaves more civilized." Mark couldn''t help but remember the gray wolf that barked at him in hostility as soon as it was summoned.


    He cleared his throat, "If that''s what you wish, I will not hold you there and give you the freedom to walk around over here but in return, I need you to do one little thing."


    "What is it?" Baltrow was excited a bit but controlled its expression to hear the condition, first.


    But, in the next second, the legendary realm beast king took a step back when Mark took out a golden furred cat from the familiars'' inventory and introduced it, "this is Tishanan, our youngest family member. I need you to look after him."


    *Meow*


    As Mark put down the tiny cat, thetter greeted the manticore with the size of an average adult male lion.


    There was clear evidence of fear on the face of the manticore. It stuttered as it used Mark, "you¡­ you¡­ abducted the¡­ kitten¡­ of the Golden Demon Cat. Aren''t you afraid of the death?"


    "Eh? What are you talking about?" Mark furrowed his brows.

 Chapter 163 Nine Planes Of Existence

    "The Golden Demon Cat is one of the demon lords of the undyingnds. Several Supreme realm Spirit Warriors and even demi-god realm Spirit Warriors fell under its paws during the great expedition." The might beast king of the legendary realm was shivering in fear. "If it knows that its kitten was abducted, the Golden Demon Cat will send its army of beast kings and fierce to invade this world."


    "Uhh¡­ you are talking about this cat, right?" Mark raised the tiny little cute kitten.


    "The golden fur, ocean blue eyes, a gem on the forehead, and an emperor grade aura. There''s no doubt that it is the offspring of the Golden Demon Cat." The manticore was firm in its response.


    "It can be a coincidence." Mark blurted out while he fell into thoughts.


    *Meow*


    The cat then meowed in response while tilting its head in confusion. In its view, its parent is the one that is holding it. What is this golden demon cat nonsense?


    Mark was also thinking the same as the kitten. The fact that it came out an egg is already shocking enough.


    And now, its parent is some super powerful beast that canmand several beast kings? If that''s the case, what is the egg doing in a mere rank-6 dungeon?


    Either Heaven is ying a joke on him or the manticore was mistaken.


    He contacted the system but received a disappointing response.


    Since the system couldn''t verify its ims and is refusing to divulge the details of undyingnds, Mark can only question it further to extract more information, "Baltrow, tell me about the undyingnds."


    "Well, the realm of undyingnds is too vast and I never wandered too far from my habitat. So, I can''t give you the information as much as you expected but I will tell you what I know.


    Do you know about the nine nes of existence?"


    Mark shook his head as he doesn''t have such knowledge. However, he had an inkling that it might be rted to the summoning beast and wild beasts in a dungeon as they were from these nes of existences, ording to their attribute.


    Baltrow started exining, "Basically, our universe is divided into nine nes, which were stacked upon each other.


    They are named as¡­


    ne of fire and ice;


    ne of water;


    ne of wind;


    ne of lightning and thunder;


    ne of earth and metal;


    ne of light and dark;


    ne of Celestials;


    ne of immortals;


    And ne of Mortals.


    ***


    "Your mortal ne of existence is at the bottom-most and is where all the humans and other intelligent races were living in different mortal worlds.


    The topmost ne, the ne of Celestials is where the deities live. In simpler terms, you humans would address it as Heaven.


    The ne of Immortals is at the second most top, where the demigods, immortals, and their families live.


    In between the mortal ne and the immortal ne, the remaining six nes exist.


    As you go to the above realms, the richness in spiritual energy/natural energy will increase by folds, making cultivation a lot easier.


    Now, the undyingnds are basically the worlds located in the immortal ne of existence that waspletely upied by the beasts.


    Because of extremely rich spiritual energy, it was too easy for the beasts living there to grow stronger. Just look at me. Before I was captured a decade ago, I''m only nine years old. For blessed humans to reach my stage, it will take several decades.


    Over there, each world is ruled by a demon lord, which is an emperor-grade beast. The weakest of them will be at the Demi-god realm (10-circle) and the strongest is rumored to be at the True God realm (14-circle).


    And Golden Demon Cat is a demon lord that ruled the realm (world) of Grima. It is also my homnd, although my ce was far away from its habitat.<sub> </sub>


    In its army, there are space attribute creatures that can transport several of the beasts to any world they want. Normally, they won''t even look a nce at the mortal ne but now that its kitten is abducted by you, it won''t stay quiet."


    Mark fell into deep thoughts as he absorbed all the information. Unlike these beasts or the people around, he was a science person. He knew that the universe is made up of countless gxies.


    While it is debatable whether the multiverse exists or not, so far, Mark concluded that his soul was probably transported to a differentary system or another gxy. As for the Heavens, he had a different image of them from the rest of the world.


    Instead of deities, he believed that they were just stronger Spirit Warriors that are probably influencing the lives of the humans from far away.


    Even now, his thoughts didn''t change.


    But, these nes of existence confused him a little bit. If the manticore didn''t say that these nes stack on each other, he would have thought they were just gxies.


    Adding on top of these, there''s the secret of the system.


    Feeling headache while thinking about all these mysteries, Mark decided to put the unnecessary thoughts away and went on ahead and say, "Well, I received the egg as a reward for clearing a dungeon. And Tishanan is already bound to my soul just like you."


    Pointing his finger to the ceiling, he continued, "Above the floor lies my home. I have enough rooms. You will be amodated. Meanwhile, you just need to look after it upstairs while I was busy running the store down here. Whatever the threat thates from this Golden Demon Cat, I will take care of it,ter. But, I would like to stress that this is Tishanan''s home."


    How would Mark lose a demon emperor pet over the fear of some unknown immortal realm beast that is very far away?


    *meow*


    The cat immediately responded by raising one of its paws as if it was agreeing with its owner.


    After summoning a butler robot, he ordered Alina to teach the necessary things, one of them being pet care.


    Even though Baltrow is a mixed-race with a dragon, scorpion, sabertooth tiger, and lion, it majorly looked like a lion with wings, teeth, spikes, and tail. So, Mark told Alina to treat it like a pet lion and teach the butler robot the skills of a zookeeper.


    He decided to just feed it daily until its loyalty will increase to the point where he would be able to use it in battle.


    As for Tishanan, it is a kitten and is quite weak. So, he stressed that it needed extra care.


    Alina then grabbed the cat and escorted the butler robot and the manticore to the upstairs.


    Mark then summoned a sales-assistant robot and ordered it to stand beside the counter.


    "Okay, now that everything is set. Let''s open the store." Mark turned his head to look at the robot and gave an order to pull up the shutter.


    "Command can''t be fulfilled." A reply came from the assistant in its robotic voice.


    It was only then Mark understood that its job is only to do the sales. This kind of work belongs to the butler robot.


    Mark let out a sigh, "I guess I can''t expect too much from rank-1 robots. Now I wonder about the Battle robots."


    He personally pulled up the shutter to let the sunlight illuminate the store, making the lights at the reception area automatically switch off by themselves.


    Here at Hanga District, While Mark is excited to sell the weapons once again, several kilometers away at the Imperial Pce; servants were rushing here and there.


    The soldiers were also searching all over the ce for something or someone.


    "Did you find her?" The Emperor roared at the Imperial guards. His Queen Consort - Lan Jingyi looked worried at the moment.


    They looked down at the ground, not daring to meet eyes with the Emperor.


    "Find her, search everywhere in the city, now." He roared once again.


    <o>,m It was then the third prince arrived at the gardens of the Inner pce where the Empress and the Queen Consorts live. His facial expression doesn''t look good at the moment.</o>


    "Xiao Wei, did you find anything about your sister?" Lan Jingyi asked in worry.


    Shang Wei took out a scroll from his sleeves and handed it to his father, "Your Majesty, this was found under her bed. It probably rolled down because of opened windows and heavy wind."


    The Emperor opened the scroll and identified that it is his daughter''s writing. As he was reading it, Shang Wei said, "Mother, Xiao Jiao left for Western Yan because of Ji Guanli''s disappearance."


    "What¡­"

 Chapter 164 The Messenger Of Feng Clan

    Half a dayter;


    Ji Pce, Western Yan;


    Another urgent meeting was held by the Ji n''s grand elder as Shang Jiao was at their doorstep to enquire about the disappearance of her best friend. Her appearance here wasn''t by coincidence. She received a letter from the Church and asked her to present at the meeting.


    So, one can say that the Church of Nuwa is the one that called for the meeting.


    From their side, the Church sent one of their Arch-Bishops to the meeting along with a witness named Fang Bao, a member of the Mt. Hua sect who made it alive.


    "Are you sure it''s Lu Zhen?" The Grand Elder of the Ji n furrowed his brows upon hearing the results of the investigation.


    "Who the hell is this Lu Zhen? What enmity he had with your Ji n?" The fifth princess mmed the table and roared at Arch Bishop. The table was instantly frozen in ice, making the others move back in instinct.


    "No, the Ji n doesn''t have any enmity with him, Your Imperial Highness." The Grand Elder informed her in a serious tone.


    An elder named Ji Wu voiced his opinion, "Let''s just say that he has a tendency to trouble the noble ns for every little reason. He''s rumored to be a 7-circle summoner and was looked high upon by the Emperor."


    "Did Guanli offend him somehow?" The Patriarch of Ji n, Ji Guanli''s father asked the Arch Bishop in a worried tone. If that''s the truth, he knew that it won''t end with Ji Guanli. The fight mighte directly to their n in the form of that flying puppet (attack helicopter).


    The Grand Elder said, "Why does that matter? Our Guanli is already in the hands of the traitors."


    "Exactly," Arch Bishop Ma nodded. He further said, "That''s why we believed that he might be colluding with the Kunyu bandits. This evidence will be enough for the Imperial Pce to issue an arrest against him."


    "What about the bandits?" The fifth princess was a lot calmerpared to a moment ago upon realizing that the enemy is someone she can''t just go and beat him up.


    Since the Church of Nuwa is holding off the Ji n to make any movements against the Kunyu bandits, she asked for their strategy.


    Arch Bishop Ma looked at her, "The Church will pay the ransom on the Ji n''s behalf and get back the young master. But, after that, we will confirm the involvement of Lu Zhen in this incident, directly from the victim.


    I request the princess will take the witness to the pce and immobilize the troops to arrest Lu Zhen. Young master Ji will also testify to what happened to him to solidify the case. As you know, the Crown Prince was house arrested and cannot participate in the affairs of the empire for a while. So, I need you to speak directly to your father. If possible, take your brother''s help.


    If Lu Zhen is the one that handed the young master, then, he will know the way to the hideout of their traitors. We will then uproot them once in for all."


    "Hmmm¡­" The fifth princess fell into thoughts. The others didn''t talk and just waited for her reply. Her actions had now be the most important for the nid by the church.


    After a brief silence, she opened her mouth, "alright. I will do everything to get justice for my friend."


    p The next day, the Ji n had announced the abduction of Ji Guanli along with the ransom amount, just as Feng Wu instructed them in the previous letter. They told the envoy should contact them within a day.</anda>


    As a result, everyone in the provincial capital had known that their fallen prince had made a move.


    It brought mixed reactions among the citizens. Some of them wanted the old regime while the others wanted to be the citizens of the Phoenix Empire.<sub> </sub>


    The announcement was made in the morning and by noon, a person is standing at the gates of the pce, iming that he''s the envoy sent by Kunyu bandits. The stout man looked very frightened when he did it.


    There are a few impostors who imed to be the envoy because of greed. All of them were sent to jail though.


    The original envoy handed a letter that was written by Feng Wu along with Feng n''s royal seal.


    As the seal matched, the envoy was taken inside.


    As soon as he stepped inside the pce, he found the elders were waiting for him at the entrance hall. And none of them have a smile on their face.


    The envoy''s body started shaking in fear as he slowly walked forward and bowed to them, introducing himself purposely, "I''m Huo Fen, a local merchant but now, turned into a messenger, just for this transaction."


    Huo Fen was the same greedy merchant who bargained with Mark to buy bulk goods in the hope of making a profit. Unfortunately, he became a captive,ter, turning into a gun instructor for the soldiers.


    Then, Feng Wu used a forbidden pill to alter his DNA forcefully, turning him into a Spirit Warrior.


    After he managed to survive and managed to change his destiny, he was trained with the rest of the higher realm Bandits. Within a short time, Huo Fen had be a 3-circle archer.


    As if that wasn''t enough, his position was also elevated to that of an elite messenger.


    However, Feng Wu knew that the Ji n will capture the messenger and torture him to track their hideout.


    And that''s why Huo Fen was ordered to introduce himself beforehand. This was step-1. Step-2 was taking the ransom, which will not happen through Huo Fen because of therge amount.


    As instructed, Huo Fen handed the letter to a guard who gave it to the Grand Elder, Ji Zedong.


    Upon reading the contents of the letter, he gritted his teeth in anger and crushed the scroll, "I knew that Lu Zhen is colluding with those traitors."


    The Arch Bishop took it from the Grand Elder and read it. Unlike the others, his eyes lit up in excitement as he spoke, "The Kunyu Bandits wanted our envoy to follow their messenger to Genesis store and deposit it there."


    "What are we waiting for? I will contact my father and instantly mobilize the troops to capture Lu Zhen." The fifth princess stood up on her feet, making Huo Fen take a step back in surprise. A mixture of fear and hope was evident on his face.


    ncing at Huo Fen, the Arch Bishop replied, "no, everything else ister. First, the safety of young master Ji is more important."


    If he sells out the Kunyu bandits, he and his family will get into danger. But, if Lu Zhen gets into trouble because of Feng Wu and the former decides to cancel the deal, then, it would be easier for him to escape the crisis.


    This reminder made the princess calm down. She nodded and took her seat, "You are right."


    After the meeting concluded, the princess returned home.


    The next day morning, an excited Arch Bishop of the Church of Nuwa, a worried Ji n''s Patriarch, a determined elder of Ji n along with a nervous Huo Fen set out for the Imperial City where the fifth princess was also waiting for their arrival.

 Chapter 165 Chang Bo, The Welpire

    <strong>Genesis Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    "Okay, these are the conditions. Work hours are from morning 9 to evening 9. There will be a lunch break from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. When there are no customers, you can rx.


    As for the working days, you only need toe to the store from Monday to Friday.


    Saturday and Sunday are rest days but if you wish to work during that time, then, you will be paid 50 silver coins per hour. The same goes for overtime during weekdays.


    The overall wage will be 120 gold coins per month and will be paid on a weekend basis every Friday evening.


    Apart from that, you will have two paid leaves every month. They will be umted over the following month if you won''t take them. If you don''te on normal days, then, 6 gold coins will be deducted from your wages.


    And you should never forget toe on time. If you arete, then, you can expect the deduction of the wages. For example, if you came at 9:10 or 9:15, then, the hourly wage from 9 o''clock to 10 o''clock, 60 silver coins will be deducted.


    If your performance is satisfactory, at the end of the month, either I might raise your sry or give you a bonus. Of course, if it isn''t, then, you can expect a decrease in sry or even get fired. So, you must brace yourself for everything before starting to work here.


    Keeping aside the work, as an insurance, I need your blood, not much, just about 10 ml. That way, I could track you in case you stole expensive weapons from the store and run away. I cannot take any chances, you know.


    Also, while you are working, every week, you might suddenly be unlucky. It''s just a side effect. You will get used to it eventually but don''t worry, I will warn you beforehand. Then, you should make sure to stay within your house or here.


    If you are ready to ept all these terms, you can start working right away. My younger brother over here will train you."


    Mark pointed to Allen behind as he exined everything to a teenager who came for the job.


    "120 gold coins per month?" The 15-year-old teenager named Chang Bo gasped in shock.


    Chang Bo is the hybrid human, suspected to be a vampire/werewolf with more than 5600 years of life span, whom Mark met at the Swordsman guild, a while ago.


    At early in the morning, Mark opened the store and waited for the customers. Roughly about an hour passed by, he received a notification from the system regarding the Lottery Wheel avability.


    With 7 points of luck, Mark indeed had a fair chance of winning something from the new seven items but he wanted a 100% sess rate. He decided to wait for customers with the highest luck. If someone with 7 or 8 pointses in, he can absorb 3 points from them.


    Even after that, they wouldn''t be as unlucky as Mo Jiang as back then. Little does he expect Chang Bo would coincidentallye to the store and hesitantly ask if Mark''s offer is still valid.


    <o>,m Mark was on the clouds to see the teenager. The moment he decided to recruit Chang Bo, he had decided about the sry and other conditions.</o>


    And now, being fully prepared, he calmlyid out the conditions. Chang Bo was stunned on the spot upon hearing the offer. He looked at this weapon seller in disbelief. "Pardon me, Lord Lu. Did you say that I will be paid 30 gold coins every week and I only need to work only five days?"


    6 gold coins per day. Adding on top of that, there''s extra pay for overtime. This sry is something that even the Royal Pce will not give to the personal maids and servants of the Emperor.


    Inparison, this sry is ten times that of the personal maids of Song Yue who only receive such an amount because of her generosity.


    Chang Bo felt like he did the right thing to act in instinct when he was about to pass through thismercial district. With such money, he could move into a better house, wear good clothes, and don''t have to sleep on an empty stomach every day.<sub> </sub>


    He didn''t know why Mark had asked for the blood but facing poverty, Chang Bo agreed to it, right away.


    He kowtowed on the spot, "thank you, Lord Lu."


    Mark waved his hands with a smile, "it''s not much. Allen will take you upstairs. Fresh up and pick up something from the wardrobe to change into better clothes that suit the stature of my store.


    Oh, before that, blood please¡­" He took out an injection with a sharp needle from his inventory. For some strange reason, the needle was glossy ck in color. That means it isn''t stainless steel. Thankfully, Mark hadn''t seen it, or else, he would have thrown a fit if he realize the system used an extremely rare Dark steel to forge a needle.


    This injection was conveniently provided by the system as a Quest Item, making Mark wonder why the system has other misceneous things apart from the weapons and cultivation-rted items.


    Chang Bo had seen many weapons in his life, from swords to guns. But, he never saw such a tiny ungraded weapon but could still instill fear in him for some unknown reason.


    Seeing a terrified expression on his face, Mark said, "don''t worry. You are a 2-circle Spirit Warrior. It won''t hurt you a bit."


    Mark''s words brought a sigh of relief to the teenager. But, then, as this new employer of him pierced his left arm, Chang Bo felt a jolt all over his body. He screamed a bit, "Argh¡­"


    Mark was surprised by Chang Bo''s reaction but he didn''t stop and continued to pierce all the way into the arm before drawing out the blood.


    By the time he was done, Chang Bo grabbed his arm and grit his teeth with his whole face turned red.


    Meanwhile, a trace of surprise appeared on Mark''s face. The blood was ck in color, instead of red.


    Either it means the boy has low oxygen levels or it might mean something else entirely. Judging by how frail and pale the boy looks on the outside, many would probably think he''s sick. Dark Red or almost ck blood color is something that''s not rare in the Empire. So, no one would suspect him.


    However, Mark, who already knew that the kid was only half-human, almost confirmed his race even without the system''s help.


    Nevertheless, he handed it to the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest: Collect the blood sample of Chang Bo.</strong>


    The quest was something he received when he met Chang Bo for the second time, although this one has no rewards.


    <strong>*Ding! The blood sample has been analyzed. It is confirmed to be the blood of a welpire. The ether quality is peak. Due to the opposite forces, the bloodline is currently in a dormant state.</strong>


    "A welpire? Does that mean he''s a werewolf as well as a vampire? It looks like I stumbled upon a gold mine." Mark''s eyes lit up in excitement upon reading the results.


    As the spot where the needle was pierced was healed almost instantly, Chang Bo got up on his feet and slowly went upstairs in silence. It was a mystery of what was going on in his head.


    Mark didn''t care about it either now that he got what he wanted. Along with the blood sample, he already absorbed the 3 points.


    <strong>"Open Lottery Wheel"</strong>

 Chapter 166 Save For Upgrading Allen Or Use For Upgrading The Ether?

    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you have won Upgrade Crystal from the Lottery Wheel. The item was sent to the inventory.</strong>


    "Okay, an Upgrade Crystal. It''s time to power up Allen once again." Mark was satisfied with the first reward. Since he nned to give the divine sword to Allen, it would makeplete sense to upgrade his rank further.


    Mark couldn''t help but imagine how Allen might be able to kill Bai Xun whom Alina fell into a disadvantage during theirst battle.


    Unfortunately for him, the system decided to put brakes on his excitement, right away. Despite having 10 points of temporary luck, nothing could stop the disappointing notifications from the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Upgrading from rank-5 to rank-6 requires two upgrade crystals. So, the host must collect one more crystal. The system rmends the host raise the ether quality, instead.</strong>


    "Hmm¡­ raising my ether quality, huh," Mark pondered on it for a while. Normally, with 10 points of luck, he will clear the lottery wheel in five more weeks even if no lottery pick is acquired.


    So, that means¡­ to upgrade Allen to rank-6, he should wait atleast a minimum of five weeks and a maximum of ten weeks. If one considers such time from a broad view, two-three months isn''t big deal. However, the rate of Mark and his store''s improvement is visible to everyone.


    In three months, who knows how the situation will change. But, if he can upgrade his ether quality, he can start working on ether points. With a rank-5 cultivation base, Mark''s ether points'' current limit is about 100 thousand but at the present, he only had a little more than 2000.


    Clearly, there''s so much to do.


    After weighing his options for a long time, Mark made his decision.


    "System, how long does the ether upgrade take?" He asked.


    <strong>*Ding! 60 minutes. During this time, the familiars'' inventory and the skills that use ether energy will be inessible.</strong>


    "Okay, upgrade the ether quality." He said as he touched the yellow crystal to his own forehead, following the instructions. It disappeared into himself.


    <strong>*Ding! The Upgrade crystal is consumed. The process of Ether quality upgrade has been started.</strong>


    60 minutes will pass away in a blink of an eye. So, hefortably sat on his chair and waited for the customers.


    After a while, Chang Bo returned in loosely fitted new clothes and started training. Allen dragged to each section of the weapons, exining to him in detail so that the teenager can do the same to the customers.


    About 30-40 minutester, Allen left for Lin n''s Mansion to spar with Lin Xue. Chang Bo was trying his best to remember the details of the weapons that he had never seen in his life.


    A couple of new customers arrived during Allen''s absence. Mark didn''t move from the spot and put the work on Chang Bo, telling them that he is a new employee.


    The sales assistant robot was dismissed by Mark to see how the kid will fare alone. He asked Alina to keep an eye on him but told her to not intervene, just observe him from far.


    Surprisingly, Chang Bo integrated into his job very quickly. He first started the exnation about the store''s enormous space to those who were looking around.


    "It''s an application of space magic. I was told that our master''s acquaintance helped out." He exined while first taking them to the handguns section.


    "Here, this is¡­"


    Ten minutester;


    "Thank you for the purchase. Please stop by again." Mark gave a big smile as he handed the box full of 9mm bullets about 50 in number along with a P365 Pistol (10 rounds).<sub> </sub>


    From the overall bill of 40 gold coins, Mark made a profit of 24 gold coins. Normally, he should be happy but as soon as the two customers left, Mark''s facial expression changed.


    He turned towards Chang Bo who kowtowed right away, "I apologize, Lord Lu. Please forgive me."


    At first, Chang Bo was full of confidence when he escorted the customers to the weapon section. Because there was a board attached about the details at each section, it didn''t pose a problem either.


    With Alina around, even the weapon testing had no issues.


    But, at thest moment, during the package, Chang Bo messed up by packaging P226 (20-round) instead of P365 (10-round).


    If Mark didn''t check it before handing it to the customers, he would have made 20 gold coins of loss. While the amount isn''t a big deal, why should he incur losses because of this welpire brat?


    He was already paying an enormous sry just to keep him as a servant. Now he had to double-check everything so that he won''t suffer losses?


    Mark wanted to get angry at him but in the end, he let out a sigh, "it''s alright. Beginner mistakes happen on the first day. Just make sure to not do the same mistake again."


    "Thank you, Lord Lu." Chang Bo bowed again before standing on his feet and getting back to his work.


    ***


    <strong>Emperor''s Chamber, Imperial Pce;</strong>


    "Arresting Lu Zhen? Xiao Jiao, what are you saying?" The Emperor was in disbelief upon hearing that the disappearance of Ji Guanli has to do with none other than the owner of Genesis store.


    These days, all the major developments in the Empire are only about him. From making trouble to the noble ns to helping out the second prince, he was hearing a lot of news.


    Everyone in the city is also talking about the amazing interior inside the store located in the Hanga district.


    When asked for the evidence, Shang Jiao then replied, "There''s one. He''s a disciple of the Mt. Hua Sect. He was assaulted by Lu Zhen but managed to escape with his life. Before that, he witnessed the abduction of Guanli."


    "No, he can''t be the witness, my daughter." The Emperor let out a deep sigh. He exined, "Mt. Hua sect is a close ally of Sui n. Lu Zhen was enemies with Sui n. The case won''t hold up and we would unnecessarily make enemies out of him. He had done enough contributions for the Empire, you know.


    If he once again pulls out thatmoner card, people would just think that we are ungrateful people who hold grudges onmoners for standing up to us. I can''t give an order of arrest based on that."


    "Father, the Kunyu bandits themselves had written that the transaction had to be taken ce before Lu Zhen. What is better proof than this?" Shang Jiao, the fifth princess argued back to prove her point.


    Unfortunately for her, the Emperor countered her statement right away with a simple fact, "Lu Zhen will then argue that it is because of the suppression inside his store. Even Bai Xun will be helpless as a chicken once he enters the store. So, that ce is quite suitable for suchrge transactions."


    "Argh¡­ then, is there nothing we can do?" The fifth princess felt agitated for her hopes were dashed away. "Father, we cannot let such a person get away with a crime."


    "Well, if Ji Guanli himself testify it and then if we get a confession from the leader or a top member of Kunyu bandits about Lu Zhen''s involvement, the Imperial pce is helpless," replied the Emperor while letting out a bitter smile.


    As an afterthought, he added, "Honestly, even if it is the case, I want to forgive him. I had a deal with him, you know. Three mighty flying puppets, those weapons can make the Imperial pce powerful enough to suppress the majority of the guilds and sects."


    When she heard it, the teenager took a step back with her eyes widened in surprise. "They were right. Lu Zhen has the support of the Emperor."

 Chapter 167 An Advanced Payment From Feng Wu

    It waste in the afternoon; Mark was leaning his back at the chair, enjoying the peace while caressing the back of a golden furred cat. "Man, after roaming here and there for days, I missed the feeling of beingzy¡­"


    *Purrr*


    Tishanan wasfortably sleeping on Mark''sp.


    Maybe, it''s the seven points of luck that are working on. Or maybe, it''s because the news of the return of Mark was already spread all over the city. Whatever the case, Mark''s business was faring even better than the previous day.


    From the morning, he had sold about 600 bullets, 4 P226, 1 P365, 12 single-shot, 7 revolvers, 5 Fragmentation grenades, and 8 smoke grenades.


    ? Combing with daily 500 gold coins worth of weapons from the Lin n, overall, the store''s ie crossed more than 1000 gold coins within 10 hours of opening.


    With a 60% share of the earnings, he added several hundreds of gold coins to his ount.


    But, it wasn''t just because of that he was happy. It''s because of how good Chang Bo turned out to be. Apart from the mistake in the packing, he did at the start, the teenager seldom made any mistakes in exining the weapons and explosives to the customers.


    As for the weapon testing, Chang Bo only stood on the side as he wasn''t familiar with the weapons.


    For the sake of not causing a mess, it was decided that the weapons and explosives demonstration will be done by either Alina or Allen, at least until Chang Bo gets familiar with the work. It will take some time but Mark can afford to wait.


    It won''t matter to him who does the work whether it is Chang Bo, the robot, or the Android, assuming that there will be no mistakes.


    With enough stock in the inventory, Mark didn''t create weapons and just stuck to his seat.


    For the past hour, there were no customers either. So, whilezing around, he was watchingption videos of Allen and Lin Xue''s sparring matches as a form of entertainment.


    But, soon, everything changed with the arrival of three strangers and a familiar face except that they are not the customers.


    Chang Bo who was also resting at a corner hurried to the entrance to greet the new customers as he was taught by Allen.


    "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store. May I know what you are looking for?" He greeted the people who were visibly stunned by the interior in the store as well as the suppression of their bodies.


    "I was skeptical and thought people are exaggerating about the suppression by divine artifact." Ji n''s Patriarch, Ji Chengmented as he looked around. "It looks like the rumors are true."


    Ji Wu, an elder of Ji n and an advanced six-circle expert was also appeared to be shocked as he felt too helpless. His instincts are urging him to leave the ce right away.


    "No wonder ''His Highness'' was afraid of this weapon seller and appointed me." Huo Fen thought. At the same time, he was surprised that the ce transformedpletely from the time he visited it.


    As he was previously acquainted with Lu Zhen, he proceeded with the talks, "we are here for owner Lu."


    As Chang Bo backed away, thinking that it is a personal matter, Huo Fen greeted Mark with an awkward smile, "Hello, owner Lu."


    Lu Zhen nced at the four of them. He found Huo Fen familiar but couldn''t recognize him properly.<sub> </sub>


    "What do you want?" He asked calmly. Since they aren''t the customers, Mark doesn''t feel the need to show hospitality. He didn''t even stand up from the seat to wee them.


    "I don''t know if you remember properly. A few weeks ago, I came to the store and bought weapons in bulk amount." Huo Fen spoke in a respectful tone. Since the weapon seller was an Exalt realm summoner (7-circle), he needed to be careful in his speech.


    Mark remembered him. It''s the guy who bargained with him. However, his expression didn''t change a bit as he replied, "so?"


    Huo Fen didn''t feel offended now that he knew his ce. He continued, "My master, Lord Feng Wu had instructed me to give you this."


    He handed a scroll in the presence of the three people tagged along with him.


    When he saw it, Ji Wu whispered to Ji n''s Patriarch, "Lord Cheng, now it''s clear that he''s involved."


    Ji Cheng nodded with a serious expression. Just as Ji Wu turned to their remainingpanion, an Arch Bishop from the Church of Nuwa, to his surprise, he saw thetter was standing there like a statue, sweating like crazy despite the low temperature within the store.


    He found that Arch Bishop was just staring at the owner of the store without batting an eye. Was he afraid of Lu Zhen or something? But why? Wasn''t he also in seven-circle? Where was the confidence that he disyed on their way to Imperial City?


    He didn''t know what''s wrong with this Arch Bishop but they aren''t here to fight Lu Zhen anyway, at least until their heir gets back to them. Ji Wu shifted his attention back to the owner whose expression changed as soon as Huo Fen mentioned Feng Wu.


    For a moment, Mark was angered as he clearly warned Feng Wu that his name shouldn''t be linked with him in the public. He used the eyes of Sage on the customers and figured out their identities. His rage increased further. He felt as if he wanted to go out there and massacre the Kunyu bandits.


    Mark was aware that his name will be out once Ji Guanli gets freed. He was prepared with his reasons too. But, it shouldn''t be revealed by his ally.


    Fortunately, the letter saved their alliance.


    As he read the letter sent by Feng Wu, his anger was not only subsidized but his blood was also rushed in excitement. Huo Fen didn''t know the contents of the letter. So, he was also curious about it when the expression of Mark turned 180 degrees.


    First, he was all broody but now, he was smiling like the happiest man. Looking at Huo Fen, "okay, you can pay the deposit right away. Within two weeks, the weapons will be ready.


    However, the ammunition and the bullets were too many. It will take at least four-six weeks to procure them. You cane back six weekster and take them at once or visit the store every week and take some of them. But, let me ask beforehand. I should register the order on Feng Wu''s name, right?"


    "Eh?" "huh?" "What?"


    The three of them collectively fell into a daze by Mark''s sudden change of attitude. Neither of them understood what he is saying either.


    Looking at the confused looks on their faces, Mark asked, "Aren''t you here to buy the weapons? Feng Wu''s letter mentioned the list of weapons he required. Don''t you know about it?"


    After noting down the order, Mark handed the letter back to the stout merchant from Western Yan. Thetter read it.


    "Ah, I''m sorry. I wasn''t told about the objective." Huo Fen replied in embarrassment. Judging by how the prince sternly warned him to not peek into the contents of the letter, he thought there would be a secret message but he didn''t expect that it is just a list of weapons.

 Chapter 168 Mark Gets Punished By The System

    Upon remembering the money he was supposed to take from the Ji n, realization dawned upon him. So, that''s why the Prince had instructed him to hand over the money to the store owner. He thought it was because they were partners and were sharing the ransom amount.


    He turned around to look at the Ji n''s Patriarch, "Lord Ji, the ransom please."


    "Okay," Ji Cheng''s mind was preupied with his son''s safety. So, he hurriedly handed over a tinum graded pouch that can amodate a million gold coins to Huo Fen.


    As Huo Fen handed the entire amount to Allen, thetter scanned it and reported, "Big Brother, a total of 300,089 gold coins."


    Mark looked at Huo Fen, "it looked like there are 89 coins higher than the supposed deposit. You want it back or¡­"


    Huo Fen didn''t reply to him and just turned around to look at Ji n''s Patriarch. Ji Cheng waved his hand with a wry smile, "When 300 thousand coins were gone, what is that change matter? Forget it. I just want my son back."


    "Okay, um, can I have them please?" Huo Fen asked Mark. 89 might not be much for Ji n or the Church but it is a huge sum for him.


    While Allen started cing the coins one after another on the counter, Huo Fen took out a talisman from his storage ring and burned it.


    Very soon, a telepathic message came to his mind.


    He turned around and informed them, "My master had said that young lord Ji is at an inn named Kong Xin, located at Fantang district."


    "Okay, let''s go, right away." Ji Cheng turned around to walk away without waiting any longer.


    "Me too?" Huo Fen asked in hesitation.


    "Of course, you areing with us." Ji Wu grabbed him. After giving a bow to Mark, the elder of Ji n dragged him away only to stop after a few steps.


    "Arch Bishop Ma?" He turned around to see the Arch Bishop was still rooted on the spot without moving. Did he fall unconscious while standing or something?


    He shook his shoulder vigorously, bringing him back to reality after calling him a few times.


    "Ah, yes¡­" His voice was shaking in fear.


    "Let''s go," said Ji Wu and walked forward. The Arch Bishop deeply bowed to Mark with a stuttering apology, "I¡­ I¡­ apologize for¡­ for intruding. I''ll¡­ I''ll be on¡­ on my way¡­"


    He hurried outside.


    Looking at his back, Mark wondered, "What''s wrong with him?"


    As the horse carriage was traveling towards the Fantang district, which is anothermoner neighborhood known for inns and brothels, Ji Wu and the others saw Arch Bishop was shivering a bit while murmuring, "beast¡­ beast¡­ beast¡­"


    "Are you alright?" Ji Wu asked him. "You looked as if you saw some ghost or something."


    "It''s a beast emperor." Arch Bishop Ma Yinglin finally spoke properly. "That cat in thends of Lu Zhen, it is a beast emperor, Elder Wu. The appearance of Beast Emperor always brings disaster to the world. I''ll have to go back to Western Yan."


    "A beast emperor?" Even Ji Cheng couldn''t help but pay attention to the matter, "are you sure? I didn''t observe it properly but in a single nce, it looked like an ordinary house cat. Maybe, you are mistaken."


    "The beast emperors are different from the Beast kings, Lord Ji." Arch Bishop exined to the both of them, "they will hide their aurapletely. As I''m in Exalt realm, I can sense its inner aura. It was only at 1-circle but its inner aura isparable to that of a seven-circle beast king. Moreover, I can also sense its demonic nature."


    "It looks like everything about Lu Zhen is a mystery," Huo Fen mumbled as he stared outside.


    Back to the store, Mark was on high clouds, staring at the order that he wrote.


    1) 200 Panzers


    2) 100 P-226 (20 rounds) Semi automatic handguns


    3) 1000 magazines (20 rounds)


    4) 200,000 bullets (9mm)


    5) 100 shotguns


    6) 10,000 Shotgun shells (12-gauge)


    7) 50,000 machine gun''s ammo (7.9mmx57mm)


    ***


    "The overall order value is over 200 thousand gold coins. It instantlypletes my side quest. Come to think of it,tely, I''m not paying much attention to the Quests. A while ago, I have spent thousands of credits, right? I should havepleted one of them."


    Mark opened the Quest list.


    MAIN QUESTS:<sub> </sub>


    *


    Main Quest I: Sell a total of 1000 firearms (In progress -98.4%)


    Reward: Bolt Action Rifle, Lever Action Rifle, and Semi-automatic Rifle


    *


    Main Quest II: Be Rank-6


    Reward: Host''s share increases to 70% permanently, and 16000 credits.


    *


    Main Quest III: Sell the weapon that you designed for the first time.


    Reward: Upgrade crystal


    **


    SIDE QUESTS:


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 100000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress-12.1%)


    Reward: Ether Pistol


    *


    Side Quest II: Sell exclusive weapons to ten different people (in progress-7/10)


    Reward: C-4


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 50000 credits pleted)


    Rewards: Statue of Velkazar.


    **


    "Fuck¡­" Mark cursed out loud as soon as he read the quests. The sleeping cat jumped as if someone stepped on its tail; Allen and Alina nced at their master; and Chang Bo, who was still in a daze, seeing the enormous profits of the store, pulled back to the reality by Mark''s outburst.


    He couldn''t understand what was wrong with Mark. For once, this owner will be happy, and in the next moment, he''ll go into a rage, and after that, he will turn happy, again.


    "An upgrade crystal¡­ Goddammit. System, you knew about it and you still rmended it to use it on my ether quality¡­ You moth**fuc**ng cheating system¡­"


    Like Chang Bo thought, Mark was riding in a wave of emotions. Earlier, he was on cloud nine but when he realized how he was duped, he cursed the system out of frustration.


    No one knows where the attack came from. For a second, thousands of volts of electricity passed through his entire body, making him helplessly fall onto the floor.


    *Thud*


    A holographic screen appeared before him as he groaned in pain.


    *Ding! The system kept mentioning that profanitynguage shouldn''t be directed at the system. As the host ignored the warning, the system gave a small punishment. Consider it as another warning.


    *Ding! The next time, it will be much harsher. So, please be careful about losing control over your speech.


    *Ding! The system only rmended it because it is the right choice. As for the upgrade crystal in the quest reward, the system isn''t responsible for the host''s negligence.


    It was the first time Mark was punished by the system.


    Mark wanted to curse again but refrained from it.


    "Are you okay, Big Brother?" Allen and Alina asked at the same time.


    Mark silently went back to his seat as if nothing had happened earlier. The cat titled its head and stared at its master.


    Meanwhile, Chang Bo fell into confusion once again. "What the hell was that? Who ambushed the owner? No, the energy usually doesn''t work here. So, was that a perhaps amon urrence?"

 Chapter 169 Emperor Shang Defends Mark

    About an hourter, the Ji n representatives retrieved the hostage who was found to be unconscious at an inn. In the meantime, the princess was also informed. She arrived at the location, shortly after them.


    Suspecting that they might harm them after getting back their kid, Zhan Tai, the deputy of Feng Wu, had long fled the inn but stayed hidden while roaming in the neighborhood.


    Once he confirmed that Ji Guanli is with them, Zhan Tai abandoned Huo Fen and returned to the hideout.


    As for whether Huo Fen betrays them or not, the prince himself doesn''t worry about that. Why should he care?


    The princess took them to the Imperial pce while also intending to interrogate Huo Fen about the location of Kunyu bandits as well as Lu Zhen''s involvement in this crime.


    After putting the boy to rest at a royal guest room, Arch Bishop Ma, Ji n''s elder Ji Wu, and Ji n''s Patriarch Ji Cheng went and meet the Emperor, leaving the princess behind who voluntarily stayed to look after her close friend.


    At the meeting chamber, Grand Secretariat Li was also waiting for them. The three of them sat down after greeting the two of them.


    "Tell me everything that happened without leaving any detail." The Emperor''s expression was quite serious as this willplicate the rtionship between Genesis store and the Imperial Pce and might turn sour forever.


    Ji Cheng exined everything, starting from how Ji Guanli left for the dungeon of Tan with four Elite guards of the six-circle realm to how they found him at an inn unconscious.


    "So, they put the ransom as a deposit to buy weapons from Lu Zhen? Are they nning to invade soon?" The Emperor wondered out loud.


    "Brother Fu, here I''m talking about getting justice to my son and you are talking about an invasion." Ji Cheng mmed the table as he went outburst for a second before he realized his mistake quickly, "I apologize, Your Majesty, I¡­"


    "It''s alright, Brother Ji," The Emperor waved his hands. "I''m also a parent. I understand your pain too."


    Just like their children, as the two of them were close since their childhood, the Emperor forgave for his rude remarks. But then again, Lu Zhen is important to the pce.


    So, he tried to defend the owner of Genesis weapon store, "Brother Ji, I know that you are angry that someone abducted your son and ced him as the hostage for the past two weeks. But, did you ever think of a possibility whether someone is deliberately trying to pit you against Lu Zhen?


    Lu Zhen had humiliated the Sui n. So, one shouldn''t be surprised if Mt. Hua sect will try taking revenge on him by instigating another n to form enmity with him."


    Something suddenly clicked inside Ji Cheng''s mind and he turned towards the Arch Bishop who was the one that performed the investigation. If the Emperor is true, then, wouldn''t it be the same as they are being made fools?


    Thankfully for him, Arch Bishop Ma dismissed the Emperor''s hypothesis, right away, "I''m confident that Fang Bao isn''t lying. It isn''t a secret that our Cardinal was blessed with the eye of truth. So, nothing can be hidden from his third eye.


    Moreover, we have the victim right in the pce. Once young master Ji wakes up, he can testify the truth."


    "And, Your Majesty! Forgive me for not agreeing with you but if the Mt. Hua sect had a hand in this, why would they send their member? Wouldn''t it be logical to send a stranger instead?" Elder Ji also voiced his opinion, strengthening their argument.


    "Look, Brother Ji. I want to help you too but I''m helpless in this situation. We have already dragged him to the public trial without knowing the full details. He isn''t a simplemoner, you know. If we arrest him, then, not only we will unnecessarily make an enemy but also lose our reputation." The Emperor said to him, disying his helplessness over the matter.


    He then added, "We need strong evidence that can''t be countered with any logic. Unless you do that, we can do nothing to him. How about I form a special investigation team?"


    Previously, it was important for the Emperor to stay good with Lu Zhen, but now, after he received the reports from the second prince, regarding Lu Zhen''s weapons that are waiting to be mass-produced, it became a necessity for him to keep Lu Zhen in the Phoenix Empire.


    What if Lu Zhen set up his store at the northern Empires and then, he supply weapons of destruction to them? He cannot let that happen.


    Unlike other fools who care about more false prestige, Emperor cares about the future of his Empire and also the welfare of his citizens. He was also farsighted than others. It is why he minded his tone when requested for the attack helicopters.<sub> </sub>


    But, at the same time, he cannot let his vassals grow discontent with him either. It will give sow the seeds of rebellion in them. That''s why he felt the need to tread this matter very carefully and maintain bnce.


    The Emperor''s reply naturally displeased the representatives of Ji n. Ji Cheng had decided to leave the ce without waiting much longer. He will use everything he can, to take revenge on both the traitors as well as Lu Zhen.


    Just then, the Arch Bishop opened his mouth, "Your Majesty, I will have to remember you an important thing. Lu Zhen possesses¡­"


    "Arch Bishop Ma, this isn''t the time." Ji Cheng timely interrupted him.


    "Eh? But why?" The Arch Bishop was confused.


    "We are only here to get justice for Guanli. So, let''s keep it that way," Ji Cheng tried to convince him with whatever came to his mind, hoping that the Arch Bishop read the atmosphere for a moment.


    Unfortunately, it was toote. The Emperor''s curiosity increased. What is that Lu Zhen possessed? Another powerful weapon like the flying puppet?


    The Emperor told the Arch Bishop to out with it.


    Ji Cheng tightly shut his eyes as the Arch Bishop started exining, "He was raising a beast Emperor cub. And I think you are aware of the saying. The disasters follow wherever the Emperors of the beasts roam thend.


    If you don''t want a disaster to befall on your Imperial Pce, either you have to banish Lu Zhen from your Empire or kill the beast when it is in its infancy.


    Both of the solutions will surely form enmity between you two.


    So, you might as well take this opportunity to make a move against him and save the prestige of all the noble ns that became victims to his deeds."


    It came as a shock to the Emperor who wasn''t prepared for such a thing. A trace of disbelief can be seen on his face as he said, "A Beast Emperor? Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I confirmed it with my own eyes." Arch Bishop nodded firmly.


    In an instant, the Emperor''s eyes lit up, contrary to the expectations of the Arch Bishop.


    He turned his head and looked towards the old man sitting beside him, "Grand Secretariat Li, the store will be opened till 10 o''clock, right?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty." Li ZhenKang nodded in response.


    The Emperor stood on his feet, "we are leaving right away. Follow me."


    "I''m sorry, Brother Ji. I will return quickly. You are a guest at the Imperial Pce. Please make yourself home." The Emperor scurried away without even bothering to hear their reply.


    "What the hell?" Arch Bishop looked at the Emperor''s back in a daze.


    Ji Cheng pped his own forehead, "great, Arch Bishop Ma. You had to say it."


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 170 Lan Jingyi Tags Along With The Emperor

    Ever since he was eight years old, when he heard that their ancestor was blessed by the divine beast Phoenix, Emperor Shang always had a wish that is yet to be fulfilled. He wanted to see a divine beast.


    That simple wish made him be fascinated towards the beasts. If someone imed to witness a new species somewhere in the wild or a dungeon, he would send a team to capture it.


    But, as he grows older, he would only get worried about seeing one before he dies.


    Unfortunately, to this date, forget about the mythical divine beast, he couldn''t even see a glimpse of a beast emperor.


    Now that he heard of the existence of an emperor-grade beast that is living inside the Imperial City, the Emperor couldn''t stop himself.


    He left the royal meeting chamber, dragging the Grand Secretariat along with him.


    The General of the North who was usually stationed at the Imperial City at all times, Ye Yin was notified about it.


    It is mandatory for a General or a Supreme Commander to always escort the Emperor whenever he was going out for he was only an intermediate-6-circle Spirit Warrior despite the fact that he had awakened the Phoenix bloodline.


    General Ye Yin and a handful of Imperial guards were making their preparations to head out.


    Meanwhile, Emperor Shang and Grand Secretariat Li were on their way. They reached the end of the hallway, making a right turn that would lead him to the inner pce where the women of the Imperial Family and their maids live.


    He was going straight towards the exit but when he saw the entrance of the inner pce, a thought appeared in his head. He halted his footsteps.


    "Grand Secretariat Li, please go on your way. I will be here in a moment." Emperor Shang took a turn and went towards the inner pce.


    Surprisingly, instead of going towards his favorite Queen consort, Lan Jingyi, he went to the Empress whom he rarely talked to during the past decade or so.


    As he stepped inside the Empress'' chamber, he found a woman in herte fifties who was busy ying an ancient board game known as Weiqi. As Chess became popr among the citizens of the empire, Weiqi almost became nonexistent. Only a few families who wanted to stick to the old tradition y it.


    *Ahem*


    The Emperor cleared his throat, interrupting their y.


    "What is it?" The Empress appeared to be quite irritated. She didn''t even move her head to look at the source of the sound.


    The maid, on the other hand, immediately tried to stand up to greet him but her hand was caught by the Empress, "where are you going, sit down."


    "It''s me, Zhenya." The Emperor said to her, thinking that she probably misunderstood for an Imperial guard.


    "I know that it is you, Shang Fu. Who else would dare to enter without getting permission," The Empress gave the maid, a shock to her life as she addressed the Emperor directly by his name and even talked in a rude tone. "I already told you before. Unless you n on removing the house arrest on my son, don''t bother to look for me. Just tell me and leave quickly."


    Emperor Shang furrowed his brows. He was familiar with her temper but it still hurts when she talks like that.


    She may not be his favorite but she is still his wife. But, what can he do? He was also a part guilty for proceeding with the marriage, several decades ago, despite how she wants to enjoy the life of a free bird, at her home, for a bit more time.


    Empress Zhenya was from the most powerful major n of the Phoenix Empire, the Yuan n. She was seven years elder than the Emperor but was engaged to him by her parents on the wishes of thete Emperor.


    At first, she was good and all but after he started marrying more women, her actions became centered on politics with the main objective of retiring him and ascending the crown prince to the throne.<sub> </sub>


    With the crown prince being imprisoned in the pce, the second prince publicly insulting her loyalty, the Emperor withdrawing his ns of stepping down from the throne, all of these only increased her anger.


    The Emperor expected a little discontent from his wife but he didn''t expect that she would go this far. Like him, she was also fond of beasts. In fact, her daily hobby is to take care of the Emperor''s personal mount, not because it belongs to him but it is because the beast is of king grade.


    This is the reason he came to invite her but seeing her mood with his own eyes, the Emperor decided against it, and without speaking anything, he turned around and left the chamber.


    "Your Majesty¡­" The maid tried to speak something to the Empress but thetter doesn''t seem bothered by it, "forget about him. You y."


    After leaving the chamber, he went to his favorite consort for he doesn''t want to feel like a loser returning empty-handed.


    There, the ever-beautiful, Queen Consort Lan Jingyi was busy with her weaving.


    Looking at her from the distance, a smile appeared on Emperor Shang, "no matter what she does, she looks very graceful."


    *Ahem*


    He cleared his throat like before. Unlike the Empress, Queen Consort immediately stopped her work and looked at him.


    Her smile widened as she stood up on her feet, "Your Majesty?"


    "Are you busy, Dear? I didn''t disturb you, right?" He asked her, to which, she shook her head, "it''s alright, Your Majesty. I was just passing my time."


    The Emperor once again remembered Mark''s words from the public trial. He thought his wife was probably bored all day.


    He said in a soft tone, "I''m going out somewhere. Do you want toe with me?"


    "Sure, Your Majesty. Give me a few minutes. I''ll change into formal wear." She agreed right away without even asking where they are going.


    Some of the maids think it was because of fear or respect but the Emperor believes that it is because of her utmost trust in him. After all, during the past 26 years of their marriage, he never took her to the hunting or weapon shopping, which she doesn''t like.


    Soon, both of them left the inner pce. Lan Jingyi boarded a pnquin while the Emperor mounted on a horse.


    Surrounded by a general and a group of Imperial guards, they made their way to the backwaterke behind the pce, located about 500 meters away.


    At the shores of theke, a few soldiers in the 5-circle realm were stationed as if they are guarding the ce.


    They bowed to the Emperor and moved away as he stepped down from the horse and walked forward.


    Upon reaching the shore, he spoke out loud, "Amara, it''s time to go out."


    As soon as his words fell over, bubbles appeared at the surface of theke before a giant stingray came to the surface. It was in the six-circle realm but its aura far stronger than a typical 7-circle beast.


    Some of the Imperial guards, who weren''t unfamiliar with it, flinched upon seeing its presence.

 Chapter 171 Parents At The Store (Part-1)

    Genesis store;


    "Chang Bo, go to the bullets section and pack 110 of 9mm bullets and 110 of RIP bullets for the customer," Mark ordered the teenager as a routine customer in silk robes was standing before him.


    "Oh, it looks like you have another servant, Owner Lu." The customer casuallymented while staring at the back of Chang Bo.


    "He''s the only one, Mr. Zheng." Mark rified him. "Allen and Alina are my siblings. Don''t group them with him."


    "Ah, that''s right. I apologize," The customer clearly didn''t believe it, considering the behavior of the Androids towards the owner but he cannot mess with the owner either. So, he gave a fake apology and waited in silence.


    Zheng Ha never bought any weapons except for P-226 and his overall transaction amount is down below 200 gold coins. So, he wasn''t an exclusive customer.


    However, he visited the store more than anyone else. Even when Mark was away, he regrly made a visit to the store to buy 9mm bullets. Every time hees, he buys 100 of them.


    And now, after seeing the demonstration of RIP bullets, he ordered a hundred of them too. With each RIP bullet costing 50 silver coins and a normal bullet costing 20 silver coins, this order of 70 gold coins brought a smile to Mark.


    Because Zheng Ha has amoner background, Mark had a good impression of him.


    With no customers around, Mark initiated the conversation with this wealthy merchant of spices and tea, "Say, Mr. Zheng, I was wondering, you import silk, tea, spices, and tobo, right?"


    "Yes," Zheng Ha nodded.


    Mark then asked, "Do you know any traders who deal with oil? I don''t just mean cooking oil. Other kinds of wastage oils too."


    Zheng was visibly surprised by Mark''s question. He wondered what a weapon seller wants to do with the oil business. Nevertheless, he answered truthfully, "Yes, I''m a member of the merchant and traders association. I''m also in the Elite group. So, I was acquainted with the oil tycoons."


    Mark then said, "I need oil, huge amounts in that, at least 50 barrels, a day. Buying in the market will cost too much. So, I was wondering if you can rmend me someone who can provide me with such amounts without failure. If needed urgently, this person would be able to spend even five to times of that."


    "50 barrels a day?" Zheng Ha gasped in shock. He looked at Mark in disbelief, "that''s like 8000 liters. Why do you need so many amounts?"


    Such an amount is used by the Imperial pce to spend it on the whole army if they eat three meals a day.


    Mark expected that Zheng Ha will be shocked. Everywhere he bought a few barrels, the sellers in those markets, also looked at him suspiciously.


    He didn''t exin his needs to the customer. Mark tried to be mysterious as he replied, "It''s for my experiments. You don''t need to know it. Just rmend a name."


    Zheng Ha thought for a bit and said, "Sending atleast 350 barrels of oil every week without failure¡­ Only one person in the Phoenix Empire had the ability to do that, Yuan Zhou. He''s a merchant prince who not only owns several mills and estates but also had a huge political influence at the Imperial court.


    However, as you can see, he''s from Yuan n, where the Empress is hailed from. If you are ufortable with him, there''s always Yao Yang and Shao Tai. Both of them weremoners and have a considerable reputation in the market but I don''t think either of them will be able to fulfill your requirements.


    I mean, it''s not that they don''t have the capacity to produce 50 barrels a day but they will have to consider the civilians too. If they send a majority of the portion to you, then, amon man would suffer.


    I think it''s best if you make deals with multiple oil traders or just regrly import them in bulk from the Dragon Empire for a cheaper price. It was so that the prices of the oil remain stable."


    "Ugh¡­ I guess I expected too much." Mark mumbled to himself. He mistakenly believed that the oil production ability of this world is also at a simr level even if there''s no production of crude oil and natural gas. After all, the uses of cooking oil should be the same everywhere.


    Mark forgot that it is not only a world of magic but also in the 18th century.


    While he was still thinking about what to do, Chang Bo returned with two boxes that has separatebels on them. "Lord Lu, here¡­"


    A sales robotic assistant was assigned to double-check the items to match with the order so that Mark wouldn''t have to do it.


    So, he just took it from the teenager and hand it to Zheng Ha, "here are your goods."


    Handing over the pouch of gold, Zheng Ha then said, "When youe to the decision, please send anyone with a letter to my residence. I live in the Maolu district. Everyone in the district knows my ce. Anyway, once I know that you are interested, I will arrange a meeting with the¡­"<sub> </sub>


    *Screeeee*


    All of a sudden, his words were interrupted by a high audible pitch from the outside. It appeared to be very near, and even though the sun hasn''t set, the space outside became darker as if it was covered by a huge shadow.


    Zheng Ha turned around and nced at the entrance for a moment, "What beast is that?"


    As the store indefinitely blocks the aura from outside, Mark also didn''t know which beast it is.


    He left the counter and walked towards the exit, peek his head outside, only to see a troop of soldiersing towards the store. Meanwhile, there''s a huge purple-colored beast floating above the store. Due to its enormous size, Mark couldn''t figure out its appearance but his Sage eyes did the job.


    *


    Amara


    Grade: King


    Title: None


    Rank: 6 (peak-stage)


    Species: Stingray


    Type: Offense


    Attribute: Water/Wind


    Loyalty: 66%


    Owner: Shang Fu


    Description: A six-circle beast king from the ne of water. It is currently contracted to the Emperor of the Shang Dynasty.


    ***


    "Emperor?" Mark''s expression changed right away as soon as he read the details. He nced at the soldiers on their way. With his Sage eyes, he found that the weakest of them is at intermediate-5-circle.


    As for the strongest one, who is one of the four generals of the Empire, he is at peak-6-circle.


    Mark fell into thoughts.


    "Unless that Ji n''s brat is too much important to the Emperor, thetter wouldn''t make a move against me." Mark threw the thought away in the next moment, "No, even if it is, the Emperor wouldn''t send his mount in person and risk its death. Bai Xun will be the one that wille here. Perhaps, there''s Emperor standing above this beast? Was he making a personal visit?"


    As Mark was trying to figure out the intentions of these guests, Zheng Ha hurriedly left the store, feeling ominous about the situation.


    The Imperial guards eventually arrived at the store. They didn''t enter but just stood on either side with their general stepping inside the store.


    Like everyone, he was surprised just the same when he felt the suppression followed by the unexpected interior design. "It''s just like the rumors said¡­"


    Meanwhile, Mark, who already returned to the counter, took his seat, and said, "State your business, General Ye."


    "His majesty is arriving with Queen Consort Lan. Get ready to wee him." Ye Yin replied.

 Chapter 172 Parents At The Store (Part-2)

    There''s only one Queen Consort Lan and he realized that his biological parents were at his doorstep. But why?


    Was the truth out?


    Mark couldn''t help but remember a guy from Lan n, enquiring about him with Allen during his absence.


    He didn''t know their purpose but he isn''t in any mood to wee them with a smile.


    In the end, he crossed his arms to the chest and raised his eyebrows, "Queen consort Lan, you say? What is their reason for the visit? Are they intended here as the customers or do they want to talk to me? If it is thetter, then, tell them that I''m only avable after evening hours as you didn''t even bother to inform me beforehand."


    General Ye Yin furrowed his brows upon seeing the change in Mark''s attitude. He doesn''t care what he has against the imperial family but he cannot let him talk this way.


    Looking at him coldly, he said, "Owner Lu, please mind your tone when speaking about his majesty. He is the Emperor. Every inch ofnd in the Phoenix Empire belongs to him and every citizen of the Empire is his subject.


    He doesn''t need an invitation to go somewhere and neither is it needed for him to wait for his subject. Before we take it as you are insulting his majesty, please do leave that ce and properly wee his visit. It goes the same to your servants."


    Mark naturally didn''t like his tone. If it was the previous him from a few weeks ago, he would probably think twice before doing whatever he want but now, the situation is different.


    He leaned his back further and proceeded to keep his feet on the counter as if he was resting in leisure. "Perhaps, you should have investigated properly about me and my store beforehand. Thend might belong to the Emperor but inside the store, the space is owned by me. I''m the God here. So, before I take your behavior as an offense, get lost from my sight."


    "You¡­" Ye Yin clenched his fist in anger. He might be a general but still, he was amoner. So, he would understand if the head of a major n talks down to him.


    But, here, this man before him who is amoner like him was not only talking down at him but even dared to disrespect the Emperor.


    Does this Lu Zhen think he''s invincible because he''s a seven-circle? With just a message from the Emperor, the sects would send a bunch of seven-circle realm experts.


    No, maybe, he was confident because, in this store, everyone is suppressed.


    Realization dawned upon Ye Yin. Instead of engaging in battle with Mark, he stormed out of the store.


    After walking for a distance, he raised his head. There was a house-sized carriage fixed on top of the floating stingray. Before the carriage, two people were seen standing beside each other. They were the Emperor and the Grand Secretariat respectively.


    General Ye Yin made a giant leap andnded on its back.


    The Emperor looked at him, "did you inform him of my arrival, General Ye?"


    General Ye Yin fell onto its knees, "I apologize, Your Majesty. That man is too arrogant and has no respect for his Majesty. He told that his majesty needed toe after the evening hours if he isn''t a customer."


    Emperor Shang was displeased upon hearing those provoking words. "Did you tell him the reason for my visit?"


    "Uhh¡­" The general''s face was frozen.


    Emperor Shang''s frown deepened, "don''t tell me that you don''t even know why you are escorting me in the first ce?"


    "I''m sorry, Your Majesty." General Ye Yin bowed once again. "I didn''t enquire the reason with Grand Secretariat Li, beforehand."


    As the emperor sharply turned his head to look at the old man beside him, thetter just gave an awkward smile. "I thought it was unnecessary."<sub> </sub>


    The Emperor let out a sigh, "it doesn''t matter. I''ll just buy something from the store for using his time."


    "Amara, get down." He then ordered the stingray tond.


    Thankfully, there was a huge empty space before the store. So, there wasn''t any need of using a specialized skill of his mount.


    As the giant stingraynded on the ground, Grand Secretariat Li was the first to get down. Meanwhile, the emperor knocked on the door of the carriage and informed his wife.


    While the stingray was veryrge in length, it was as thin as a couple of feet. So, it didn''t cause any problem for the Queen Consort tond on the ground before the beast rose up in the air, once again.


    Escorted by the general on front and Grand Secretariat on the Emperor''s right side, the couple made their way into the store.


    Meanwhile, Mark was just calmly waiting in his seat, intending to see what they will do. He was testing the waters in order to n his next move.


    Unfortunately, he forgot that the Emperor isn''t a prideful person. He wouldn''t get angry over every little thing. And here, he''s the one that came on a purpose to fulfill his wish.


    Getting angry over such rejection will not only make him petty but he also wouldn''t be able to get a glimpse of a beast emperor.


    Mark saw the four of them enter the store. His eyes fell on his parents. The Emperor was a familiar face. He had seen him at the public trial. But, the woman is unfamiliar.


    Her face was covered by a veil. So, he couldn''t see her appearance but since he had already heard of her identity from the General, Mark activated the Sage eyes to confirm for sure.


    As Chang Bo and Alina stood on the side, Allen greeted them, treating them just the same as every customer. "Wee to Genesis, may I know what you are looking for?"


    The Grand Secretariat and Queen Consort were taken aback by his soulless greeting. Meanwhile, the Emperor nced around, "interesting."


    "Your Majesty, evening hours are important of our store." Mark looked at the Emperor. His blood was boiling in anger, getting an urge to attack the woman but he tried his best to not show his original feelings and behaved as usual. "Please do tell it right away so as not to waste the time."


    While he indeed stood up with respect towards the customer, he didn''t bother to leave the counter and talked from far.


    The Grand Secretariat Li furrowed his brows but didn''t say anything.


    The Emperor didn''t appear to be caring about it very much. He stated his reason, "I heard that your store is housing a beast emperor. I just wish to take a look at it and return to the pce. Topensate for your loss of time, I will buy something. You can show me the goods."


    At first, Mark wanted to kick them out of the store, but, the moment Emperor said that he will buy a weapon, Mark can no longer do that for his biological father is now a customer.


    "Chang Bo, Allen, both of you take his majesty and hispanions show around." He ordered the two of them.


    The Emperor walked forward. He was followed by the general and grand secretariat but his wife just stood on the same spot and is staring at Mark in a daze.


    "Shang Zhen¡­" She mumbled to herself with tears welling up in her eyes.


    "Dear?" The Emperor called her.

 Chapter 173 Parents At The Store (Part-3)

    "Owner Lu''s appearance has a striking resemnce to my father''s. I was taken aback, Your Majesty." Lan Jingyi quickly gave a logical excuse before she was questioned by the Emperor regarding her action of wiping the tears that were about to leave her eyes.


    "I know, I was also shocked when I saw him for the first time," replied the Emperor as he nodded.


    While the Emperor didn''t think much of it the same, the others were surprised. On the other hand, Mark''s heart skipped a beat.


    The Emperor then looked at Mark, "Did you ever hear of the name, Lan Gengxin?"


    Mark shook his head despite knowing it, "No."


    "He is the leader of Lan Sect, which was destroyed long ago due to the beat tide but that''s another story." The Emperor exined to him. "If he''s alive, he''ll be about your grandfather''s age but um¡­ just don''t mind me asking this question. I''m a bit curious.


    You don''t happen to be unaware of the names of your grandfathers, right?"


    Mark hurriedly answered, "My paternal grandfather is named Lu Chang and my maternal grandfather is named Yi Ju. More than five years ago, they were killed along with my parents by a burr."


    "Is that so, I''m sorry for your loss." The Emperor spoke softly before turning away to walk towards the weapons section.


    It was then the Queen Consort opened her mouth, actively initiating a conversation with Mark while momentarily forgetting about her position, "There was something that I want to ask you. I heard that you are from the vige of Houtang. Your mother, was she perhaps, Yi Zexi?"


    "Hmm?" The Emperor turned around once again, staring at his wife. How does his wife know about Lu Zhen''s mother''s name? Does Lan Gengxin really have an illegitimate child? If that''s the case, then, Lu Zhen will be a rtive to the Queen Consort, thereby, to the Emperor too.


    "Dear, do you know his mother?" He asked before Mark answered her question.


    Upon hearing his words, Mark quickly said, "I apologize, Your Majesty, and Queen Consort Lan. I''m not interested to share information about my personal life with people whom I have just met. You are here as customers. I''m here as a weapon seller. We''ll keep the rtionship just that way."


    Lan Jingyi didn''t get what she wanted but she atleast confirmed 80-90% that Lu Zhen is her son.


    She decided to stop by,ter, just like when she visited the store in secret, a few days ago. For now, she could only shut her mouth and follow her husband.


    Once they left the reception area to go and look at the weapons, Mark let out a sigh of relief, "I thought I was caught. But then again, it''s the first time I''m hearing that I look like myte grandfather. Maybe, this is the reason why that man from Lan n visited the store to enquire about me?


    Anyway, let''s forget about that and focus on the Emperor. He is rich enough to buy any weapon from my store. Since he will probably be adamant on seeing Tishanan, let''s sell that weapon to him."


    Mark waited until they returned with Chang Boing with a list.


    He took them and read the list of items. It contained one item of every weapon avable in the store for the normal public.


    "Single-shot pistol x1


    Revolver x1


    P-365 x1


    P-226 x1


    Fragmentation grenade x1


    Concussion grenade x1


    Anti-Tank Grenade x1


    Stun Grenade x1


    Sting Grenade x1


    Smoke Grenade x1<sub> </sub>


    Tear gas Grenade x1


    Molotov cocktail x1


    Contender x1


    9mm bullets x1000


    RIP bullets x1000"


    ***


    Mark asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, do you wish to buy everything on the list?"


    "Well, of course." The Emperor firmly nodded his head and exined, "Second Prince is interested to make a new division for firearms and I also promised to make them official once the results were clear. Still, I need to experience them myself to see how they work."


    In reality, this is what the Grand Secretariat advised him to do. The Emperor trusted his judgment and followed it.


    Mark nced at the list once again. He calcted the amount in just a few seconds, "815 gold coins¡­ I think it is the perfect time to milk more money from him."


    Mark then looked back at the Emperor and put up his standard fake smile, treating himpletely as a customer, "If His Majesty is willing to try every weapon, our store has other models too. It''s because they were too advanced and expensive for the normal public while my store is fairly new, I had to keep them secret. If His Majesty is interested, I can show them, now."


    "Are there others? Go on." The Emperor gave him permission to disy them. If not for his desire to look at the beast emperor, he wouldn''t have bothered to waste so much time.


    Mark took out three weapons, one after another.


    "This is a falling block rifle, this one is an M99 rifle, and this one is a rocketuncher."


    Mark exined their features in detail. Chang Bo, General Ye Yin, and Grand Secretariat stared at them in a daze, especially at thest two heavy weapons.


    A weapon that can assassinate a person from more than 2 kilometers away and a weapon canunch a powerful attack to decimate a group of 5-circle experts. What kind of concept is that?


    In an instant, the Emperor felt the potential of these firearms. He realized why his son was trying very hard for this division.


    Flying puppets will provide trump cards for the Empire but these weapons will increase the power of the military of any Empire that possesses them. They don''t even need Spirit Warriors to operate them. This is firearms'' biggest advantage.


    "Okay, I''ll buy one each. And those, what are they called again? Yeah, ammunition, I need 100 of respective ammunition from these rifles and about another 50 of these warheads." The Emperorvishly spent a great amount of money even without seeing the demo.


    However, Mark wasn''t done yet. He made his father spend more money as he announced, "there''s onest weapon. It''s the most sophisticated of all. We have only one of them in the store at present."


    *Thud*


    Mark took out his famed Quadra-barreled Chimera SMG (shotgun, grenadeunchers, machine gun) from his inventory and ced it before the Emperor. With its unique shape, it quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the room.


    Mark felt proud when he witnessed curiosity in everyone''s eyes.


    "This is Chimera SGM. As you can see, this contained four barrels. You can shoot people from hundreds of meters away.


    You can also shoot explosives to blow the enemies. With two grenadesunching at the same time, the st radius will also be greater.


    And if the enemies are weaker, you can also click this trigger to shoot shotgun pellets.


    This is priced at 1600 gold coins. Believe me¡­ you won''t be disappointed with this beast¡­"


    "Is that so?" The Emperor was a little skeptical about its price but seeing that Lu Zhen is overenthusiastic about the weapon, he decided to spend it. In his view, a couple of thousand gold coins will neither make him poor nor will make a person like Lu Zhen, a rich fellow.

 Chapter 174 Parents At The Store (Part-4)

    After calcting everything including the weapons and their ammunition, Mark let out a wide smile as he said, "the price is totaled to 4865 gold coins, thank you."


    Mark was happy that he introduced his Chimera SGM to his father. Just the weapon and its ammunitionbined amount itself are over 2000 gold coins.


    Meanwhile, Lan Jingyi, General Ye Yin, and Grand Secretariat Li Zheng Kang gasped collectively in shock for they didn''t expect their Emperor visit turned quite expensive for the pce.


    As for the Emperor, he didn''t care about the amount and rather had grown a bit impatient with all the waste of time until now. "Grand Secretariat Li, hand over the money and take the goods."


    "Now, will you let us meet the emperor-grade beast?" He asked Mark, to which thetter pointed his finger at the ceiling, "It is resting with its guardian, upstairs, Your Majesty. You cane with me but only one more person is allowed toe with you. Believe me; you don''t wanna upset its guardian."


    "Guardian?" None of the listeners understood the meaning behind his words. They assumed that he owns a beast emperor but Lu Zhen''s words indicated something else. Is the beast Emperor, probably a guest at the store?


    If that''s the case, he can invite it to the Imperial Pce, right? The Emperor couldn''t help but have such thoughts.


    In the end, Mark''s parents followed him upstairs while the reception counter was taken by Alina. Chang Bo and Allen got to work in packing the required goods. They didn''t forget to give 10% extra ammunition, following the rules of the store.


    The general couldn''t help but worry about the safety of the emperor who went alone but he can''t do anything in this situation because he knew that Shang Fu is getting impatient.


    General Ye worried that he will be punished if he tried to argue with Mark and waste the time. So, he didn''t say anything when Mark said that only two are permitted to follow him.


    Mark and his parents reached the upstairs. Looking around, Lan Jingyi felt like her son is living well. She couldn''t help butpliment him, "the interior of your house is good."


    Unfortunately, Mark wasn''t interested in having a conversation with her, "not everyone is fortunate enough to get everything by birth, Your Highness. Some people had to work hard to acquire what they want. I''m thetter."


    Lan Jingyi didn''t know what is in Mark''s mind when he said that but she became guilty upon hearing those words. She whispered under her breath, "I''m sorry."


    Soon, the three of them reached the door with a wooden board was hanging above it. On the wooden board, sketches of a cat and a strange creature were drawn, and below it, words were written, "Tishanan & Baltrow''s room."


    His parents wondered whether they are the names of the beast emperor and its guardian. Then, which one of them is the beast emperor?


    Mark opened the door and revealed the room.


    It was a in white marble room with a wooden wheel ced in the corner. While a golden furred kitten is passing the time by having fun at the exercise wheel, a manticore was lying in another corner, sleeping soundly.


    *Meow*


    The kitten left the wheel as soon as it saw Mark. It rushed towards him, who hugged in his arms with a smile on his face. As someone who raised a cat in his previous life for almost a decade, he was very wellfortable with this recement of his Tishanan, although a different breed.


    He caressed its fur and rubbed its chin, and then, introduced it to his father, "Your Majesty, this is the¡­ Eh?"


    Emperor Shang was just standing at the entrance of the room like a statue, his face frozen in shock. The same goes for Queen Consort too.


    Both of them are staring at the sleeping manticore. Mark couldn''t see his mother''s expression because of the veil but he could see the sweat on his father''s forehead.


    "Your Majesty¡­" he called out loud after calling a couple of times, waking up the beast king from its sleep and bringing his parents to reality.


    *yawn*


    Letting out a yawn, Baltrow looked at the strangers first and then, at his owner, "Lu Zhen, who are these two? Your friends?"<sub> </sub>


    "No, it''s the Emperor of thesends, Shang Fu, and his Queen consort, Lan Jingyi." Mark replied casually before formally introducing his summons to his father, "Your Majesty, this is Tishanan, the beast emperor you have wanted to meet, and this is Baltrow, its guardian."


    *Meow*


    Tishanan raised its tiny paw as a way of saying hello.


    On the other hand, the manticore slowly stood on its legs with its wings still closed, andmented, "No wonder I sensed the aura of that fiery divine beast. A pleasure to meet you, Emperor Shang."


    It then shifted its eyes towards Lan Jingyi, and a trace of surprise appeared on its face, "An ice user? You have the same attribute as Lu Zhen. It''s really rare to meet ice users. But then again, it''s more of a surprise to see partners who had opposite attributes. Humans are indeed mysterious creatures."


    "Ice?" Emperor Shang turned his head to look at Mark, who was stunned for a second before he quickly changed the topic, "Your Majesty, I need to get back to the store. So, if you intend to spend a couple of minutes with Tishanan, here¡­"


    Mark stretched his arms. Tishanan tilted its head and looked at the middle-aged woman who looked at least 15 years younger than her age. Somehow, it felt a sense of familiarity with her, as if there''s an aura of its master on this woman.


    Shang Fu quickly forgot what Baltrow had said as soon as he saw the golden furred cat with a blue gem on its forehead.


    However, he was hesitant to take it into his hands. Before he touched the kitten, Shang Fu nced at the manticore as if he was waiting for its permission.


    As if the beast king sensed his thoughts, it said, "Both, Tishanan and I serve Lu Zhen. If you aren''t a foe to Lu Zhen, then, don''t need to be afraid of us."


    "Thank you." Shang Fu thanked the manticore as well as Mark before trying to pet it. Unfortunately for him, the kitten didn''t even stay five seconds in his arms, maybe due to his Phoenix bloodline or other reason.


    Tishanan quickly jumped onto Lan Jingyi who caught it in reflex.


    *Meow*


    Tishanan somehow looked happier as it settled down in her arms, surprising everyone.


    For a few seconds, Lan Jingyi didn''t know what to do.


    But then, as Shang Fu jokinglymented how he was envious of her, she thought of petting it.


    But, it was at that moment Markmanded in a bit of loud voice, failing to suppress his tone, "return."


    The cat disappeared from her arms and returned to the familiars'' inventory, costing him 100 gold coins of rent.


    After sending it away, Mark stared at the couple, "Pardon my rudeness but it is tired from all the ying earlier. Some other day, I will bring it to the pce for his majesty to pet it. But for now, it needs rest."


    "Alright," Shang Fu was happier with this arrangement. He vowed in his head that he would properly spend time with the kitten, next time.


    A few minutester;


    "Thank you for the purchase, Your Majesty. Please do visit again." Mark bowed as the customers left the store.


    Once they were out of his sight, Mark mumbled, "Open, Quests."

 Chapter 175 Statue Of Velkazar

    Mark proceeded to click on all thepleted quests.


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked all models of Bolt Action Rifle</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked all models of Lever Action Rifle</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked all models of Semi-automatic Rifle</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Upgrade crystal has been sent to the inventory</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Statue of Velkazar has been sent to the inventory</strong>


    ****


    <strong>MAIN QUESTS:</strong>


    Main Quest I: Sell a total of 10000 firearms


    Reward: Submachine gun (All models)


    *


    Main Quest II: Be Rank-6


    Reward: Host''s share increases to 70% permanently, and 16000 credits.


    *


    Main Quest III: Create ten types of weapons at the factory. (In progress-0/10)


    Reward: A random ether version of the host''s designed weapon


    **


    <strong>SIDE QUESTS:</strong>


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 100000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the bullets and ammunition (In progress-14.3%)


    Reward: Ether Pistol


    *


    Side Quest II: Sell Exclusive weapons to ten different people (8/10)


    Reward: C-4


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 500000 credits


    Reward: Amulet of Diyu


    *


    Side Quest IV: Tame ten monsters (4/10)


    Reward: Taming skill


    *****


    "Okay, another mysterious reward," Mark mumbled as he stared at thest side quest. As usual, he enquired about the matter with the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Amulet of Diyu is an artifact that belongs to the King of Hell, which can summon a demon from hell for the host to form a contract.</strong>


    "Okay, that''s a cool one." Mark was satisfied with the reward he will soon acquire but for now, he need to pay attention to the current ones that he had already acquired.


    Mark opened the inventory and searched for the statue.


    He found a slot with an image of a dragon that is changing its colors every second. Mark clicked on it.


    <strong>*Ding! Do you like to ce the Statue of Velkazar inside the store or integrate it with the system?</strong>


    "Integrate? Exin it clearly." Mark said to the system.


    <strong>*Ding! The first option will let the host pray for the divine dragon Velkazar every week and has a 50% chance to receive a random reward. The host''s luck only affects the rewards but not the percentage. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Upon choosing the second option, the system will absorb the power within the statue of Velkazar and let the host obtain an item by 100%. However, the cooldown will be increased to 14 days.</strong>


    "Hmm, well, if I go away like thest time, I would probably need to take the statue with me, every time." After analyzing the pros and cons, Mark decided to pick the second option. The statue disappeared from the inventory and he was asked to wait for 20 minutes.


    In the meantime, he checked out the other rewards.


    As he was already tricked because of the system''s rmendation and used up an Upgrade crystal he earned from Lottery Wheel, he didn''t feel the need to save up the remaining one.


    Mark used up the Upgrade Crystal to upgrade his ether quality once again. With nothing else to do, he waited.


    20 minutester;<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Statue of Velkazar is sessfully integrated with the system.</strong>


    "System, open the Statue of Velkazar."


    Just like the lottery wheel, a simple holographic screen appeared before him with an image of a rainbow dragon. It was quite beautiful to look at one nce.


    There was a wish option below its image. He clicked on it right away. It grayed out and a timer had started, 13 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes.


    Meanwhile, a new screen popped up with a notification.


    <strong>*Ding! You received a buff, +1 strength point for 24 hours.</strong>


    "Oh, the statue can even provide buffs? It''s even better than giving items but it''s a pity... sigh¡­" Mark was happy that he received something good for free but physical strength is of no use to him, at present. "Okay, anyway, time to get back to work."


    "System, Open Gallery"


    Putting everything aside, Mark started his production started. He had a big order from Feng Wu. The weapons are easy to make. It''s the ammunition that is the problem. 200,000 bullets cannot be produced quickly. It is a time-consuming task.


    "If only there''s an additional helper, this would have been pretty easy¡­ Sigh¡­"


    Mark couldn''t help but sigh upon remembering that the Androids don''t have the authority to create the weapons through the system.


    <strong>Forty minutester;</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your ether quality is sessfully increased to High.</strong>


    ***


    <strong>Imperial Pce;</strong>


    At a royal guest room, a 15-yr-old princess was reading a novel while looking after her unconscious friend.


    From time to time, she was ncing at him, wondering why he isn''t waking up


    All of a sudden, Ji Cheng stormed inside, alerting her. Seeing a furious expression on his face, she asked, "Uncle Ji, is everything alright? What did Father say?"


    "You can ask your father, Shang Jiao. We won''t get our justice here." Upon realizing that he was speaking in a rude tone, Ji Cheng took a deep breath and said, "I apologize, Princess Jiao. We will be leaving for our home, right away."


    "Eh?" Shang Jiao was taken aback by his decision. Meanwhile, the two also entered the room.


    She asked, "What happened? Please exin it clearly, Uncle Ji."


    Instead of Ji Cheng, an elder of Ji n, Ji Wen exined the matter, leading the princess to frown. "Lu Zhen? A beast emperor? In that case, Father will try to befriend him."


    "I know. I expected that, Princess," said Ji Cheng while trying his best to control his anger. "But, I had hopes on our friendship. So, I waited there without moving for two hours. In the end, he refused to help us. I no longer have a reason to stay here and humiliate myself."


    After informing his decision, he turned his head, "Elder Wen, please carry Guanli to the carriage."


    Just as the elder of Ji n walked to pick up the young master, Shang Jiao stopped him, "Wait, I''ll convince my father. As long as I''m here, I won''t let my friend face injustice."


    She immediately rushed out of the room and went to the Emperor''s Chamber where her father was doing some calligraphy.


    "Father¡­" She called out in a bit of a loud tone.


    "Xiao Jiao?" The Emperor turned his head. The moment he sent away Ji Cheng and others, he expected her outburst. "Come in," he said calmly.


    "Father, you cannot do injustice to the victims because of your personal reasons. The Emperor had to be fair to all the subjects when making a decision." The daughter tried to lecture her own father.


    Usually, if a prince does that, he would get an earful but she is Shang Fu''s favorite child despite the fact that she inherited her maternal side''s bloodline. So, he didn''t take it as an offense and calmly replied to her, "If the victim isn''t Ji Guanli and is someone else, would you react the same? If I''m the Emperor, then, you are also a princess, my daughter."


    Shang Jiao was stumped for a moment before she said, "But, Uncle Ji is also your friend for decades. How can you turn your back on him because of a stranger like Lu Zhen?


    I heard that Kunyu bandits will procure weapons from Lu Zhen. It means they will be used against us in the end. His loyalty to the throne is questionable.


    How can you side with him because of a beast emperor and that too, some 1-circle kitten?


    On the other hand, Uncle Ji isn''t just your friend, but he is also your vassal for Western Yan. If you can''t side with him, can''t you atleast be neutral?"


    "You don''t understand. It isn''t that simple." Shang Fu shook his head with a sigh. "Today, I have realized that it''s best to not offend him."


    "C''mon, father. It''s not like he''s some Supreme Being (9-circle)." Shang Jiao snorted in response. "The sects in our Empire even have legendary realm Spirit Warriors.


    If you sent a request to the sect leaders, Lu Zhen and his store will disappear in a blink of an eye."


    The Emperor stared at her in silence. He appeared to be in deep thoughts.


    In the end, he replied, "fine, let''s do this way. Pass a message to Ji Cheng that I''m going to invite Lu Zhen to the lunch, tomorrow. If the issue can''t be solved, I''ll do as you say and drag Lu Zhen to the trial."


    "Really?" The fifth princess'' eyes lit up right away as she got a chance for the Ji n. "Thank you, father. I knew that you will not disappoint me."


    She scurried off from the room, right away.


    Shang Fu shook his head with a smile, "silly child. I can already see the Ji n backing off, tomorrow."

 Chapter 176 Lunch Meet At The Imperial Palace (Part-1)

    Around 8 o''clock in the evening, Genesis Store;


    ? <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created a 9mm bullet</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created a 9mm bullet</strong>


    With no customers in the store, Mark was preupied with creating bullets for Feng Wu''s order.


    A familiar eunuch entered the store with a scroll in his hand. Every time he arrives, it will turn out to be an important matter. So, Mark stopped his work and responded to his greetings with a question.


    "So, what order you have brought from the Emperor, this time?" he asked.


    Chief Eunuch handed the scroll to him, "Owner Lu, this is from His Majesty."


    Mark opened it and read everything. His facial expression changed from curious to that of a frown, "A lunch meeting with Ji n to resolve our differences? Is the Emperor trying to be a mediator? But, I don''t have any personal enmity with them though. It''s the Emperor that I need to take revenge on.


    And I could understand if he is inviting Tishanan too but why Baltrow? Didn''t he already guess its realm? If anything, he should keep it as far as possible. Well, let''s go and see what they are cooking up."


    After making his decision, Mark raised his to look at the eunuch who was waiting for his reply, "Return and tell the Emperor that I wille but not alone. Both of my siblings wille with me too and I expect the treatment towards them is no less than what I will receive."


    "Understood," The chief Eunuch nodded firmly.


    After the eunuch left the store to return to the pce, Mark returned to his work.


    The next day morning, at around 5 o''clock, Allen kept a board outside of the store in which it was written that the store will be closed for the whole day. As Chang Bo was also informed before, he stayed at home.


    Since he had to apany Mark to the Imperial pce, thetter ordered him toplete his sparring session with Lin Xue early in the morning.


    Meanwhile, at the living room of the first-floor residence, Mark piled up a heap of ether crystals and is busy with absorbing one after another. Since he doesn''t know what might happen at the pce, he decided to focus on strengthening himself as much as he can.


    Previously, when his ether quality is at low, it used to take at least 10 seconds to absorb all the energy from ether crystal but now, after upgrading it two times, it was only taking barely three seconds. His absorption rate has also increased a lot.


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed low-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 5 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed low-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 5 points.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed low-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 5 points.</strong>


    It took him only five hours to absorb all the remaining 4085 low-quality ether crystals in his inventory, thereby, increasing it by 20425 ether points. But still, he knew that he is far away from reaching his maximum limit.


    So, he took out the remaining 154 mid-quality ether crystals and 36 high-quality ether crystals and started absorbing them too. Fortunately, the high-quality ones were bigger than the usual 10-carat crystals and are in irregr shapes. So, he acquired more ether points than he expected.


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed mid-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 50 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed mid-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 50 points.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed mid-quality ether crystal (10 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 50 points.</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed high-quality ether crystal (17 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 850 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed high-quality ether crystal (26 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 1300 points.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed high-quality ether crystal (22 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 1100 points.</strong>


    By the end of consuming all the ether crystals, Mark''s overall ether points were totaled to 66435.


    "Okay, good." Mark nodded to himself. "Now that everything is set, it''s time to shower¡­ Oh¡­ I guess there''s still time."


    Seeing that it was only 11 o''clock, Mark went back to sleep for a whole hour and then started to get ready.


    By 12:30 P.M., about 90 minutes before the appointed time of the lunch meeting, Mark got downstairs. There Alina was ready with a double horse carriage rge-sized), which she rented while her master was busy with increasing his ether energy.


    "Baltrow, after you," Mark was carrying the sleeping kitten in his arms as he stepped outside of the store after the rank-8 beast king. Because of its less loyalty, he could only speak politely towards the manticore until it gets more than 50.


    As Allen shut the shutter and locked it, Mark walked towards the horse carriage, which looksrger than a normal one. Since they were more passengers this time, he asked Alina and she did it but he didn''t expect that Alina would sit in the coachman''s seat at the front. He realized that he forgot to mention to rent a coachman along with the horse carriage.


    Walking towards the carriage, Mark couldn''t help but take a second nce at her.


    Even from far away, in luxurious silk-made hanfu, Alina looked like a princess from a fairy tale.


    Staring at her, Mark mumbled, "I should have bought a matching veil with this dress, back then. I made a mistake. Now, I wonder which foolish guy will offend me. If it is the Emperor or a prince, then, it will give me a strong reason to dere war on Western Yarn andter, at Phoenix Empire."


    Soon, Allen reced her upon Mark''s order for thetter doesn''t want the passersby to think badly of him, letting her drive. Of course, in normal cases, it wouldn''t be an issue but currently, he appeared to have some reputation to hold.


    Mark felt pity for Allen in doing this but until the butler robot learns how to drive a horse carriage, he can only depend on either outsider or Allen, at least when traveling inside the Imperial City.


    After an hour of travel, the horse carriage reached the pce. The soldiers stopped the carriage at the pce gates as Allen was a stranger to them.


    Even if he dressed like a noble, here, the gatekeepers don''t care unless they were sure that they can''t offend the guest. Thest time, Mark came in a battle tank. So, they didn''t stop him because it was public knowledge that only he possessed it. But, the current situation is different.


    "Stop, who are you? Do you have any permission document to go inside?" The captain asked.


    "Permission document?" Allen never thought of it. He shook his head right away, thinking that they were asking him.


    The captain pulled out his broadsword right away and pointed at him, "Then, you can return where you came from."


    Allen opened the tiny window at the front of the carriage and informed his master.


    Mark furrowed his brows. He got an urge to order the Android to attack but he managed to refrain himself from making such foolish acts and said, "tell them that Lu Zhen is here."


    When the matter was solved right away and the carriage started moving forward, he shook his head, "what ax of security. Shouldn''t they at least confirm whether it is the real Lu Zhen or some imposter?"


    Alina stared at him in silence. She didn''t understand what was wrong with her master. Was he alright? Did consuming arge number of ether crystals affect his brain or something?


    First, he felt angry for stopping his carriage but now, he wasining that they aren''t properly checking his identity.


    There''s nothing wrong with Mark''s brain. He just hates his parents. So, he was automatically looking for faults without knowing.


    As the carriage slowly moved forward, a soldier rushed towards the pce and informed of the arrival of Lu Zhen to his superior.


    By the time the carriage stopped, Chief Eunuch was already waiting to wee them. He was all smiles until Allen got down from his seat and opened the door.


    However, the first thing he never expected to wee is the manticore, which stepped down from the carriage before everyone else.


    "What is this strange beast?" Chief Eunuch furrowed his brows when he sensed nothing from it. He initially thought it was a normal wild beast and looked at the door to wee Lu Zhen but, in the next moment, his facial expression changed when the manticore stopped suppressing its realm as it felt like this man is looking down at it.

 Chapter 177 Lunch Meet At The Imperial Palace (Part-2)

    As the manticore released its aura of the 8-circle realm, not just the chief eunuch but the entire city also ensued in chaos.


    The Emperor, tone of the princes, the Grand Secretariat, Arch Bishop Ma, General Ye, and even Supreme Commander Bai Xun rushed towards the location where Baltrow is standing as if they were being summoned to pay respects to it.


    Mark didn''t instruct the manticore because it wouldn''t listen to his orders anyway. All he requested was to suppress its realm until they reach the pce so as to not scare the public.


    Mark was its contractor. So, it obliged his request but this Eunuch is no one to it. That''s why Baltrow felt the need to show its prowess to get some fear or respect.


    Mark didn''t stop it as this will only benefit him. Since the manticore won''t fight on his behalf at the current loyalty, Mark would let it pressure everyone. Or maybe, this is why his biological father also requested for it to attend? He could only wait and see their attitude.


    Within no time, General Ye arrived but his entire attention was on Alina. He couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    After him, Bai Xun arrived on his blue drake. He was the second one tond before Baltrow despite the fact that he lives nearly 2 kilometers away from the Imperial Pce.


    In his left hand, the semi-divine weapon bow was brimming with his ether energy as he was ready to take on the beast at any moment.


    His eyes fell on Mark who slowly got down along with Alina, and a little kitten.


    "Owner Lu, is this yours?" Bai Xun asked in bewilderment. Isn''t Lu Zhen a seven-circle summoner? Then, why was an 8-circle beast king is with him? How did he manage to tame such a powerful creature?


    Mark gave a nod in response, "of course, but you see, currently, Baltrow was also the guest of Emperor."


    Bai Xun knows that beast kings of 7-circle and above are capable of human speech. So, he directly addressed the manticore, "your aura will unnecessarily bring panic to the soldiers as well as the citizens living around. So, please suppress it."


    "You are in 7-circle but know when to fight and when topromise. That is indeed good quality. Very well, human," Baltrow replied him and suppressed its strength again, almost making the chief eunuch faint in shock. "It can talk¡­"


    Thetter felt a little bit disappointed that it didn''t look at him for permission even for the sake of formality but then again, he knew that at present, he only possesses the power to send it away to the familiars'' inventory. So, he could only stay silent.


    After a couple of moments, the Arch Bishop of the church of Nuwa arrived. As the beast king retracted its aura, the Emperor and his son reduced their pace of walking and met the guests at the entrance hall as they already stepped inside the pce.


    "Is that the beast Emperor?" The third prince muttered under his breath. He was only in 4-circle. So, his senses weren''t as strong as the higher realm experts. However, his attention was quickly stolen by thedy standing behind Mark. "Beautiful but can''t bepared to Lin Xue though¡­"


    "I''m pleased to see that you have epted the invitation, Lu Zhen, Baltrow, and Tishanan." The Emperor greeted the three of them with a smile. As an afterthought, he added, "Of course, you two are also wee, Allen, Alina. And Supreme Commander Bai, now that you are here; join us for the lunch."


    The Emperor, who sits at the highest position of the entire empire, speaking in such a tone with Allen and Alina, shows how serious he is.


    Very soon, Mark and others took their seats in the dining room. Two special seats, which looked as luxurious as the throne, were also arranged nearby Mark for the two beasts.


    And next to the seat of Tishanan lies the Emperor''s seat. It was arranged that way on Shang Fu''s orders. The middle-aged fellow looked very creepy as he is trying to pet the little kitten and showering affection on it while thetter is trying its best to ignore him.<sub> </sub>


    In the end, as if it had enough, the kitten swallowed the milk at once and left its seat, and returned to Mark, taking a seat on hisp, and proceeds to take a nap. The Emperor appeared to be visibly sad.


    Meanwhile, Ji Guanli, Ji Cheng, and Shang Jiao were staring at him in hostility; The Arch Bishop and Bai Xun kept ncing at the sleeping kitten and the manticore from time to time; the third prince, on the other hand, was staring at Allen. He looked as if he wanted to settle some scores with him or something.


    As for the poor Grand Secretariat who gets involved in matters he doesn''t have any interest in, he just silently ate his food without minding anyone else.


    With everyone having various things going on in their head, the lunch was rather silent until the end.


    Of all the people who sat for lunch, perhaps, only Baltrow ate until its stomach filled. The rest didn''t have such a mood, for various reasons. As it praised how delicious the food is, the Emperor finally gave a smile, much to the displeasure of Mark.


    Soon, the dishes cleared from the table and the Emperor finally spoke to Mark in a serious tone. "Lu Zhen, let''s talk."


    Shang Fu eyed some people. Grand Secretariat Li, Bai Xun, Ji n''s elder Ji Wen, Third prince Shang Wei, and the princess left the room.


    When the Emperor saw Allen and Alina were just sticking to their seats, he said, "Lu Zhen, the nature of this matter is quite serious and confidential. Your servants¡­"


    Before he finished it, Mark interrupted him, "siblings. They are my siblings, Your Majesty. I''m involved in every action of theirs and they are involved in every action of mine."


    "Okay, that''s fine with me," spoke Ji Cheng in an ufortable tone.


    As Mark raised his eyebrows and turned towards the Patriarch of Ji n, thetter spoke, "You killed the elites of Nuwa Church, abducted my son, kept him hostage for a whole week, and in the end, handed over to the Kunyu bandits. How much of it is true?"


    "All of it," answered Mark in a calm tone. His gaze appeared like he was asking, "so what?"


    "Your Majesty, I don''t think there is even evidence needed." Ji Cheng sharply stared at the Emperor.


    Taking a long breath, Shang Fu then asked, "Why did you do that? Did you have enmity with Ji n?"


    "Nope," Mark shook his head. He exined, "He attacked me and I retaliated by killing his guards and defeating him. He then used his n name to threaten me and I was irked. So, I punished him. There''s nothing more and nothing less."


    ? "You¡­" Ji Cheng clenched his fist but his arm was caught by the Arch Bishop, indicating the presence of the beast king. Controlling his anger, Ji Cheng said as he grabbed Guanli''s shoulder, "my son isn''t some randommoner on the street that you can just punish him."


    "I have my bottom lines, Lord Ji. And if a person crosses it, I wouldn''t think of sparing even if that person belongs to Imperial family." Mark''s gaze this time was too cold when he replied it.


    He might be looking at Ji Cheng but the target of his statement was his father who was visibly surprised.

 Chapter 178 Lunch Meet At The Imperial Palace (Part-3)

    From Mark''s response, it was clear to everyone that he won''t even apologize to the Ji n for formality no matter who asked him to.


    Ji Cheng felt that Lu Zhen was so arrogant that he won''t even put Emperor in his eyes.


    On the other hand, Shang Fu felt like Lu Zhen waspletely reasonable in his actions.


    In his view, Lu Zhen, who is a hater of noble ns, who not only possessed a flying puppet but also a rank-8 beast and newly born beast Emperor; such person usually would have killed the kid for trying to threaten him. No one should be surprised if that happens. That''s why Ji n should be thankful that their heir came back in one piece.


    But, since he should be a neutral party without taking any side, the Emperor refrained from making any personalment about the issue and changed the topic, "Lu Zhen, there''s something else I want to talk to you. It is regarding the Kunyu bandits."


    Mark anticipated this topic and was fully prepared with the answer. Before the Emperor asked him the exact question, Mark exined, "Your Majesty, I informed these three before and I will tell you the same. I and those bandits have no personal rtions.


    I thought they will be interested in this kid. So, I left the fate of this kid in their hands. In the end, I guess that left a good impression on them to order a huge number of weapons in advance. There''s nothing more and nothing less, Your Majesty."


    "And it is those weapons that are the issue here, Owner Lu," said the Arch Bishop with a serious expression. As Mark nced at him, thetter continued, "Kunyu Bandits are the enemies of the Empire. Helping them is the same as going against the Imperial Pce. And if they use your weapons against the people of Western Yan, you will be responsible for every death caused by your weapon."


    "I''m not a cksmith, Mister." Mark''s gaze turned cold. He isn''t against these scheming types but he doesn''t like to be on the receiving end.


    Looking at the Arch Bishop, he further snarled, "I''m a weapon seller. My job is to take the money and sell the weapons, irrespective of their identities. Everyone who enters our store is a customer.


    Whether the person is a noble ormoner, a man or a woman, a human or a beast, a friend or a foe, all are equal in our eyes. None will be discriminated against in my store. So, leave your nonsense elsewhere."


    "And if I say the same thing? If I order as the Emperor to not sell the weapons to Kunyu bandits, then, will you stick to the same principle?" The Emperor gave a surprise to Ji Cheng with a sharp question.


    They didn''t expect the Emperor to suddenly change the side. Ji Cheng thought that Shang Fu was probably annoyed by Lu Zhen''s behavior.


    However, the truth is that Shang Fu was only trying to probe into Lu Zhen''s thoughts to see whether he was truly indifferent to politics or not. It was so that he may decide his way of dealing with this firearms seller.


    Shang Fu''s words didn''t cause any impact on Mark even on the outside as thetter already hid his hatred deeply in the heart.


    Turning his head to look at his father, Mark replied, "For several millennia, there was a rule that has never been changed until now. It is that a King or an Emperor, who rules a certainnd, has absolute authority over any individual living there. Any subject who wishes to reject an Emperor''s order only has two options if they don''t want to rot in jail.


    One is to sacrifice their homnd and leave the Empire and the other is to turn into a rebel.


    Now, whether I need to leave the Imperial city and set up my store at the northern Empires or whether I use the force the Emperor to take back his decision, it will depend on the actions of Imperial Pce. If no hostility, then, I''ll go away in peace. And if shown hostility in any form, then¡­"


    Mark didn''t finish the sentence but the Emperor understood his thoughts. But, he wasn''t mad at it.<sub> </sub>


    He calmly nodded, "alright, you are clear on your stand. Then, listen to my words carefully. I don''t beat around the bush. Whatever I have in my mind, I''ll say directly to your face."


    Ji Cheng and Ji Guanli looked hopefully at the Emperor. They finally felt like they did well on listening to the princess and waiting.


    But, in the next second, their facial expressions changed as the Emperor gave a twist.


    Looking straight at Mark with a serious expression, Shang Fu then said, "Stall it for at least six-eight weeks. Speak your price."


    While the teenager and the Arch Bishop looked a bit okay, Ji Cheng looked very devastated as his little hope that he was holding onto, has dashed away.


    He finally realized that his friend had abandoned him because of a stranger and his powerful summons.


    However, the Emperor isn''t even paying attention to Ji Cheng. His focus ispletely on the weapon seller. This is hisst try. If thetter still disys stubbornness, he would have no choice but to dere war on Kunyu Bandits right away and mobilize his troops.


    If this was before his visit to the store, the Emperor wouldn''t care about the weapons because Genesis store is only known to provide guns and bullets, which can harm civilians and 1-circle & 2-circle Spirit Warriors.


    But, now, upon personally testing the weapons he bought during the previous evening, Shang Fu cannot afford to let those explosives and Chimera SMG fall into the hands of enemies.


    This is why he asked for some time so that he can send Elite scouts to find those rats and eliminate them before they dere war.


    Upon hearing his father''s request, Mark couldn''t help butugh inwardly as he understood his thoughts in an instant, "This man probably didn''t know about the order that Feng Wu ced in advance. Only Panzers are worth something. But, even those aren''t a match for 5-circle or higher realm Spirit Warriors. I guess he might be thinking about other weapons.


    Unfortunately, Feng Wu doesn''t have any idea about those. I need to make use of this opportunity to turn it into my favor. Think Mark, think¡­"


    The Emperor was waiting patiently for Mark''s answer while ignoring everything else.


    After a while, Mark opened his mouth, "Three conditions. One, the Imperial Pce will officially dere Firearms as a weapon of the masses just like the traditional weapons.


    Two, the ministry of revenue will not try to obstruct the Second Prince over the purchases of firearms from my store.


    Three, I want the emptynd, which is located before our store. Of course, I won''t ask for it for free. I''ll pay the amount ording to the market price.


    You see¡­ I can''t demonstrate the prowess of advanced weapons in my store. So, I wish to build weapon testing grounds there. After all, I can''t go all the way to Kunyu mountain range to test them. It''s too inconvenient.


    Fulfill these three conditions and I will not sell them a single weapon they ordered for the next eight weeks."

 Chapter 179 Lunch Meet At The Imperial Palace (Part-4)

    Shang Fu fell into thoughts, seriously considering the termsid out by Mark.


    It didn''t take long for him to understand the point but whether to ept it or not is entirely another question.


    For a second, Shang Fu regretted sending the third prince away. Shang Wei was his special advisor on whom he can rely.


    But, anyway, now that there''s nothing that can be done about it, he needed to think carefully beforeing to the decision.


    In the end, he gave a nod to it, "consider it done."


    Just as Mark was about to celebrate it inwardly, the Emperor said, "But there''s a small problem."


    Mark looked at his father, waiting for an exnation.


    After giving a slight pause, Shang Fu then said, "If I were to create a firearms division, at any time, we cannot run out of ammunition or equipment. And unlike other weapons, these firearms are only avable in your store and you need to depend on your manufacturer to send the order to you before you can sell it to us."


    "Yes, your worry is logical," Mark nodded in understanding but this biological father is thest person he would want topromise with. So, he outrightly advised, "if you have a problem with procuring the weapons, then, all you need to convince your son that firearms aren''t in the best interests of the pce. After all, he will be themanding general of the firearms. I only put the condition on the revenue ministry. There''s no restriction on the Emperor."


    "Yeah, right¡­" Almost everyone rolled their eyes when they heard Mark''s reply. They thought that Mark is taking advantage of Shang Fu''s cowardly nature and trying to push him further.


    But then again, this disys his stubborn nature or one may also call it arrogance, which even undermines the position of the Emperor.


    The look of frustration was evident on the three guests from Western Yan as the Emperor was keeping his calm, not being offended by Mark''s remarks.


    By now, Emperor Shang perfectly understood Mark''s personality. So, he decided to change his way of approach.


    "Alright, fine. Your weapons, your rules¡­ There''s nothing we can do about that." For a second, the Emperor looked like he admitted defeat before he hit back at Mark, "Let''s talk about something that can be done. In fact, this problem is from your end."


    "Which is?" Mark raised his eyebrows.


    Emperor Shang then pointed out, "I granted you an 80-acrend a while ago to build a smithy where you promised me three flying puppets, no, what were those names again? Ah, that''s right; three attack helicopters in five years of time. But so far, there''s no progress, and now, you are even talking about leaving the Empire."


    Mark went stiff for a second. At first, he was indeed interested to build one but after making a trip to the dungeons while unlocking a factory system, he had forgotten about the real factory he was supposed to build on thend.


    And that reminds him of the butler robots. In an instant, a way of mass-producing the bullets within less time has been found.


    Meanwhile, the Emperor continued, "I understand that you and Song n have differences and you might have reservations about giving notice to the ministry of public works. If you have a problem with it, you can hireborers through private organizations.


    As I have already stated, all the expenses will be borne by the Imperial Pce. So, I wish for you to talk with your manufacturer and start the construction as soon as possible."


    Mark let out a smile and nodded, "I will soon, Your Majesty. I''m working on the blueprint, I mean, the architecture of the weapon factory. Once it was finalized, I will inform the Imperial Pce."<sub> </sub>


    "Finally, there is one piece of good news in this meeting," thought Emperor Shang as he felt relief in his heart.


    With the meeting almost concluded with nothing else to talk about, he brought up the topic of Ji n for the final time as Mark got up on his feet to leave, "Since you have already punished Ji Guanli for his mistake, then, I hope you won''t have any ill feelings towards the Ji n."


    Ji Cheng looked at his friend. Until the meeting, he thought the Emperor was taking Mark''s side but now, it appeared like the Emperor was practically requesting the other party to leave the Ji n.


    And this only infuriated him more because it clearly indicated that Ji n is worthless in front of Lu Zhen.


    At the same time, Ji Cheng also learned that there was a deal between the Emperor and Lu Zhen. Three attack helicopters, each one is capable of defeating a 7-circle expert. He could understand why the Emperor would ignore Lu Zhen''s behavior.


    However, that doesn''t mean that he would back down on revenge. Even if Lu Zhen is an 8-circle summoner, he will still get it, although not at the expense of the destruction of his n. For that, he needs to n carefully.


    Before Lu Zhen, he first needed to prioritize eliminating the Kunyu bandits who dared to extort 300 thousand gold coins from the Church of Nuwa on the Ji n''s behalf. Now that they have also lost four Elite warriors, Ji Cheng knew that his n is at the mercy of the church.


    Adding on top of that, there''s Arch Bishop who doesn''t want a beast Emperor to stay in the Phoenix Empire. Several schemes popped up in Ji Cheng''s mind.


    In the end, he calmly informed Mark in front of the Emperor, shocking his son and the Arch Bishop, "after thinking for a while, I believe that you aren''t in the wrong. But, this isn''t the reason I''m backing away.


    The truth is that Ji n doesn''t have the strength to challenge you without suffering heavy losses.


    Neither our power is enough nor did my friendship with the Emperor appear to be enough. I''m willing to forget this matter and return to our home."


    It was clear to Mark that this man woulde back in revenge. So, he didn''t take his words to the heart and simply replied with a nod, "alright."


    Ji Cheng''s expression was calm until Mark and his associates left the pce.


    Once they were out of his sight and Ji Wen returned to the dining room to know what happened, Ji Cheng turned cold as he spoke to the other two, "we are leaving. Arch Bishop Ma, after our return, I want you to arrange a meeting with Cardinal Shi."


    Ji Guanli looked at his father curiously.


    Meanwhile, at the entrance of the pce, the carriage was waiting for Mark. Allen got back to being the coachman.


    Once the Emperor along with the two imperial children who joined on his insistence, personally sent them off, the third prince asked, "What happened, father? The matter of Ji n was resolved and you get him to start the smithy but it looked like you aren''t happy with this meeting. Is it because of his conditions?"


    Shang Fu let out a sigh, "it''s tough to handle people like him who have nothing to lose but everything to gain. Your second brother would at least listen to me because of our kinship but this guy has neither kith nor kin."


    He then turned his head towards the 15-yr-old girl, and said, "By the way, Xiao Jiao, for a while, don''t involve with Ji n. If it is necessary, I will drag Guanli to the Imperial City. No matter what, I don''t want you to be caught up in the mess that was about to unfold."


    "Eh?" Shang Jiao was taken aback, "what mess? I thought that Uncle Jipromised."

 Chapter 180 Handing Over The Brooch

    <strong>A couple of hourster;</strong>


    <strong>Zheng Residence, Maolu district, Imperial City;</strong>


    Zheng Ha and Mark were sitting before each other. The former had a list in his hand. He was taking a closer look at the items. Allen was also sitting beside Mark like a statue.


    Usually, Alina would have followed him for security reasons but today, as Allen had to handle the horse carriage as the coachman, he tagged along with him while the other three were dropped at home.


    After looking at the items for a couple of times, Merchant of Spices and tea, Zheng Ha looked back at Mark.


    "So, let me recite everything¡­


    Along with 300 barrels of oil every week, there''s a one-time purchase of 100 kilograms of brimstone (sulfur) in powdered form, 150 kilograms of charcoal powder, 1 ton of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), 100 kg of plumbum (lead), 100 kg of stannum (tin), 100 kg of brass, 100kg of Herculean steel, 100 kg of Damascus Tungsten, 1 ton of copper, and 100 high ether crystals of 10-carat size each."


    Zheng Ha looked at Mark in confirmation.


    Mark nodded with a smile, "yes, that''s all."


    Zheng Ha looked back at the list and fell into thoughts.


    After a brief amount of silence, he said, "Owner Lu, I may not be in this business but even I know that Damascus Tungsten and Herculean steel are very rare, and procuring suchrge amounts is very tough and expensive. Not to mention, the merchants, who possessed them, might not sell to you as they have deals with either the Dwarves or the big three weapon stores. You might have to go to the beast Empire to acquire them at a cheap price.


    So, I advise you to find them in auctions. There''s oneing up in three months. Maybe, if you have any unique firearm like your flying puppet, you can sell them there."


    Mark thought for a bit and gave a nod. He wasn''t in a hurry to make his own weapons in the outside factory. He had his own factory inside the mindscape where he only needed to make a design. Then, the assistant robot will create the parts and assemble them, and the system will procure the weapon and mass produce it.


    He then asked, "So, the others can be procured with ease?"


    Zheng Ha replied, "There''s something else I want to suggest. It''s regarding the ether crystals. I rmend you acquire the ores instead of polished ones."


    "Why?" Mark furrowed his brows. "Be clear."


    Zheng Ha then exined, "It''s because you can get them half the price of the market. I mean, an Exalt realm expert like yourself doesn''t need polished ones to absorb the energy.


    I just wanted to remind you about it because high-quality crystals are expensive. Unlike the low and mid-grade crystals, the polished high-grade ones will not be at their base 1000 gold coins price. Their price might increase, depending on the avability.


    Of course, this is just my suggestion. If you want polished ones, I will arrange them too but it will take time to procure 100 of them."<sub> </sub>


    Unlike the rest of the Spirit Warriors, Mark gets a steady amount of ether points upon absorbing the energy from the crystal. So, he doesn''t have to worry about their size or shape. No matter how rich ore is, the system canpletely drain it.


    The only problem is that a high-quality ether ore will not just contain ether energy, it will also beposed of different metals and minerals too, based on the location it was mined. So, that would mean a 1000 carat-sized ether ore isn''t the same as 100 ether crystals of 10 carats. This is why they are priced less.


    Thinking about his maximum benefit, Mark gave a nod to his suggestion too but he changed the number, "then, you''ll bring me an ore that is about 1500 carat sized. You can procure them in different sizes too. It doesn''t matter."


    "Okay, that can be arranged." Zheng Ha nodded with a smile. He further said, "I need about 3-7 days to talk with various merchants in the circle. After that, I will give you the details of the expense and the dates of the meeting."


    "Alright, I will wait for your letter." Mark agreed with it and then, got up from the seat. "You will get your 3% brokerage fee once everything is over."


    Zheng Ha thanked him with a smile as 3% of this whole deal will him thousands of gold coins.


    Mark and Allen then returned to the store where Alina was looking after the two beasts. Mark was dropped off and Allen made a trip to the carriage rentals to return the horse carriage and receive the refundable amount.


    In the meantime, Mark called Alina downstairs.


    She swiftly left the two beasts and hurried to meet her master. Since her creation, she always tagged along with Mark wherever he went. The only time she wasn''t with him is when she went on a mission to hand over Ji Guanli to the Kunyu bandits. But, it is different from now. She was left behind at the store while Allen was taken in her ce.


    Even while going to the Imperial Pce, she only sat behind.


    While she understands his thoughts, Alina couldn''t help but feel sad that she wasn''t useful to him for a certain job.


    So, she was feeling a little bit useless during the past couple of hours and now that he returned, she couldn''t help but teleport right next to him.


    Mark was a little bit taken aback by her sudden appearance before him but he ignored it and proceeded to take out a brooch from his inventory.


    He handed the tinum grade item to Alina, "take this. From now onwards, this is yours."


    Alina took the sun and moon brooch and ced it a few inches above the left ear, attaching it to the hair like a hairpin.


    As soon as she wore the essory, Mark received a notification from the system.


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to bind Sun & Moon Brooch to Alina? Warning: You cannot unbind itter.</strong>

 Chapter 181 Marks Letter To Feng Wu

    "Yes, proceed," Mark confirmed it with the system despite knowing how it is extremely useful for his growth.


    If he had it, during the day, he could constantly absorb the natural energy from the surroundings and refine it into ether energy. His healing rate will increase by ten times. During the night, he could intrude into the pce and trouble his enemies all he wants. As he gets stronger, the effects will also get stronger.


    Judging by how it is a part of set equipment if he somehow acquires other parts, he will receive some bonus buff for sure.


    And yet, he gave it to Alina because he was a little bitzy and doesn''t want to do everything by himself. It is also one of the reasons he picked the summoner path instead of mage.


    As Alina was as strong as 7-circle during the night, he was sure that no one would detect her whether she meets Feng Wu, assassinate his enemies, or even rob the treasury.


    Unlike her invisible skill, which onlysts 30 seconds, the brooch can make her invisible all night, and even after engaging in battle, she would be able to deal with it ordingly without getting exposed.


    Although nothing can be done about ether energy, he would be satisfied that her healing rate will improve by a lot, and even during the day, she would be able to battle strong opponents like Bai Xun.


    <strong>*Ding! Sun & Moon Brooch has been bound to Alina.</strong>


    "Now, only the divine sword is left. It was already bound to Allen but I will have to wait until he reaches rank-6¡­"


    Time passed away with Mark just focused on creating the bullets.


    The night arrived and the bustling streets of the Imperial city became empty. Most of the soldiers were patrolling in the inner sector where the wealthy individuals live. As formoner districts in the outer sector, there were barely any soldiers, just two or three for the whole neighborhood.


    Even then, they wouldn''t patrol continuously and mostly, sit somewhere. There''s just one ce in Hanga District where more than five soldiers were stationed.


    Along with the soldiers, two more spies were keeping an eye on the store.


    While the job of the soldiers is to make sure that no one tries to break into the store or make amotion outside, the spies were there to see if anyone from the store makes any suspicious movements like going out at the night.


    Unfortunately for them, Mark is already prepared.


    At around 1:30 A.M., Alina, who activated her invisibility skill, exited the store, and at her fastest speed, she managed to leave the neighborhood within thirty seconds.


    Once her invisibility has been worn off, she turned into a shadow and slowed down her pace.


    The shadow ability of the brooch might make the wearer invisible in darkness but under the effects of artificially produced light, one can spot a shadow even if thetter can''t be found by senses.


    This is why Alina made sure to stay in darkness using the walls as cover until she exited the city. Once she realized that she had wasted a whole hour to get out of the radar, she once again increased her speed to the maximum.


    Within half an hour, she reached the town of Dujing, located about fifty kilometers south of the Imperial city.


    There, she reached an inn named Xin Xin. She intruded into the inn without making a sound and went to the first floor.


    She stopped before a door that says 103. "Okay, ording to big brother, this is where my target is supposed to be resting."


    She conjured her dual-energy daggers and pierced one of them without sound before leaving it.


    The Protos dagger converted into some type of corrosive energy and started eating away at the wood.<sub> </sub>


    Within just ten seconds, almost the entire door was eaten up away. As it was enough for her to enter, Alina retracted her energy and entered the room.


    There, she saw a stout man sleeping on a bed soundly. Luckily, she had night vision. So, she doesn''t need light to see things in the dark.


    "Okay, target confirmed." Alina nodded to herself.


    Even from far away, she and Mark stay connected. So, she was able to use his inventory at any time. Alina opened her master''s inventory and took out a revolver, a letter, and a gold coin.


    She quietly ced the three of them beside him and turned around to walk away. Alina returned to the store by 4 o''clock in the morning and stayed in her room to rest as if nothing had happened during the past three hours.


    Meanwhile, in the town of Dujing, Huo Fen was shivering in fear as he stared at the destroyed door and then, at the items in his hand.


    Because the entrance was destroyed, the chill wind from the outside hit his skin and he felt cold for a whole hour.


    But, due to being in sleep, at first, he didn''t put much attention but as he rolled to the side, his belly has collided with the barrel of the revolver. The sudden sharp sensation woke up him momentarily before he saw the state of the entrance.


    He couldn''t help but be afraid that someone entered the room and ced all these things without him knowing. If one can do that, then, one can also take his life in sleep too.


    After hesitating for a long time, he used the help of a candle to read it as there is a shortage of electricity in towns and viges. The words were written as follows.


    "Arrange a meeting with Feng Wu, exactly 3 dayster, at my ce. Give the revolver to him and say that Long Chun has a good talent in handing those modern weapons. However, practicing in Bloodhill forest is riskier.


    Oh, by the way, Mr. Huo Fen, the merchant; make sure to pay the gold coin to the innkeeper aspensation for destroying the door.


    Yours Truly


    An anonymous ally"


    Huo Fen stared at the letter once again and wondered, "His Highness told me to stay here until I procure the weapons. Except for the elders and his highness, no one knows about it. Who might it be?"


    Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.


    "Oh, yes, there''s Lu Zhen too. He also knows about it through the letter. Maybe, is it him? But, why so secrecy? Something doesn''t add up. What if I was wrong and this turns out to be a trap?"


    Huo Fen thought for a while and decided to use the Talisman to send the message to the exiled prince, first thing in the morning.


    ***


    <strong>Three days passed away in a blink of an eye;</strong>


    In these three days, the Emperor announced that firearms are considered the official weapons of the Phoenix Empire. And those, who want to take that path, they will be called gunmaster. However, it will remain an unorthodox path for it doesn''t involve the usage of ether energy.


    About half a day after the announcement, Mark received a letter and a grant from the Imperial Pce that stated argepound wall will be constructed around the 5-acre emptynd before his store.

 Chapter 182 An Extremely Busy Sunday

    Originally, Mark was prepared to spend the market price of 25000 gold coins on buying that 5-acrend, indirectly wasted all because of him.


    But, he didn''t expect that the Emperor would make thisnd for his private use to test or demonstrate the weapons as he wishes for free. That means he doesn''t need to pay a single copper coin.


    However, thend will not be owned by him but belonged to the Empire. So, he cannot sell or rent it to any other person. This is something that he doesn''t understand as thend doesn''t have any strategic value to it.


    Mark didn''t know that the Emperor was forced to do it under the pressure of the court officials as it was originally supposed to be auctioned so that it can be turned into an elite neighborhood where wealthymoners can do their businesses.


    Once this experiment bes sessful, the Imperial Pce will evacuate every other poormoner doing business in all of the Hanga District, turning it into an elite district.


    Unfortunately, for them, Mark didn''t have ns on staying in Imperial City for very long.


    This is why he doesn''t worry about not being able to buy thend. As long as he can use it to demonstrate the weapons to customers, he was satisfied. Whether this will inconvenience the surrounding stores due to noise pollution or will it scare the pedestrians, he doesn''t give a damn about it.


    Now that thend problem is solved, all he needed to wait for is the arrival of the second prince and the letter from Zheng Ha. Then, there''s Feng Wu but he wasn''t sure whether he wille personally or not as it is indeed riskier.


    It was evening and Mark was busy handling the customers.


    Because it is the weekend, Chang Bo was given a leave but he still attended his duty to earn extra coins after resting on Saturday.


    Mark was thankful for his decision as the store sees an influx of customers, right from the moment he opened the store on Sunday morning.


    This has more to do with the announcement made by the Emperor, which spread all over the Empire during the past few days.


    More than half of those customers are themoners and minor nobles who are working as civil servants.


    They have respectable positions in society but are quite powerless when facing even a low-level adventurer. Usually, they were also the targets for robbers as they have quite a decent amount of money and jewelry in their lockers.


    With the firearms, they hoped to protect themselves and their family members or at least, warn the people by shooting the gun in the air. As it makes a huge sound, it can alert the soldiers if it is shot at midnight.


    As they have jobs on the weekdays, they didn''t have time to buy them. Sunday was a holiday for all the court officials and civil servants. So, they used this time to buy a weapon for themselves and their family members.


    As for the remaining customers, there were merchants and traders, who are earning well. Servants of major noble ns or wealthy individuals have also arrived.


    And there were some interested individuals who came from far to try these unorthodox weapons while there were also the spies of the Nie and Zhang ns who buy the new ones that were added.


    Mark was so happy that he couldn''t stop smiling from morning to evening.


    "P-365, 20 bullets, and 10 R.I.P bullets¡­ A total of 39 gold coins, thank you."


    "3 fragmentation grenades¡­ A total of 300 gold coins, thank you."


    "1 tear gas grenade, 1 contender, and 10 bullets¡­ A total of 112 gold coins, thank you."<sub> </sub>


    "1 Pzf3- It600 or Rocketuncher and 10 of 110mm warheads¡­ A total of 1050 gold coins, thank you. Please be careful while operating, Customer. It''s quite destructive¡­ And as I said before, once the construction of our testing ground is finished, we''ll also offer training regarding advanced weapons like these. Please do stop by again¡­"


    One after another, Mark continuously sold the items nonstop. Because of arge number of customers, he and Chang Bo couldn''t even manage to eat breakfast, lunch, or even properly take a 15minute break.


    By the time it reached 9, Mark had an enormous business of overall transactions almost reaching 15000 gold coins where his share was about 60%. However, once it passed of the closing time, despite wanting to keep it open, Mark no longer kept it open as he was too hungry and very tired. After all, he doesn''t have that much stamina courtesy of low strength points.


    After taking a look at his pocket watch, Mark spoke in a loud tone, "everyone, the store will close down in five minutes. Either please hurry up your purchases ore back tomorrow. Or else, you will be kicked out and get cklisted."


    There were roughly about six customers in the store. Some of them were curiously observing a sales assistant robot as it was exining in a robotic voice. No matter what they ask, it wouldn''t answer about anything that isn''t in its data feed.


    A couple looked at each other. The youngdy said, "Dear, let''se back, tomorrow, again. This ce is really different from the rest of the stores."


    Her husband sighed as he shook his head, "No, I will be busy with the work. I''ll buy you that stylish-looking pistol, what was its name again¡­"


    The wife reminded him, "Contender."


    "Yeah, that''s right." He nodded and bought a contender and 20 bullets in hurry, not intending to anger the Cerberus yer like Lu Zhen.


    The rest were also afraid of his strength and quickly left the store before the time is up.


    Once thest customer is out of the store, Mark asked Chang Bo to stay as a guest for the night and offered to treat him to dinner.


    At first, he wanted to take him to some luxurious restaurant but then, he got rid of that n at thest minute upon realizing that he need a horse carriage to go.


    The Shimmerwood turtle can also bring them to the restaurant on its back but he knew that its sheer size will not only intimidate themon public but also cause heavy inconvenience to the traffic. Not to mention, there''s also a chance of identally destroying the buildings on their way.


    That''s why he gave the task of dinner preparations to Alina and Allen. Both of them hurried off to the first floor with huge smiles on their faces, excited to be useful to their master.


    Meanwhile, as Chang Bo thanked his employer, Mark asked him to close down the shutter so as to make sure the customers don''te after the closing hours.


    Just as the 15-year-old closed almost half of the store, a hand stopped it, and forcefully pushed it up.


    Chang Bo was taken aback as he saw a person in ck robes and a hood, along with a clown mask on his face.


    "Customer, the store is closed today," Chang Bo informed him.


    In response, a muffed voice escaped from the masked human, "I came from far away and I won''t take a long time."


    Feeling the voice strangely familiar, Mark furrowed his brows and immediately activated his Sage eyes.


    He said, "Let the person in, Chang Bo, and close down the store."

 Chapter 183 Taking Advantage A Loophole In The Deal With The Emperor

    As the masked human was about to step inside, he took a nce to the right from the corner of his eyes and spotted four people in hoods sitting there with nkets on them. It''s as if they were beggars.


    Stepping inside, he spoke to Mark, in rather a loud tone, "Owner Lu, I''m from Heavens Sect. My master ordered me to bring the weapons. This is the list he provided."


    The mysterious masked fellow handed a scroll to Mark as Chang Bo closed down the shutter as he was ordered.


    Mark, who had already recognized him, nodded and yed along without even taking a look at the scroll, "Is it Elder Jian? It''s been a while since west met."


    The masked fellow was a little bit surprised by Mark''s response but he shook his head firmly, "not exactly, it''s from Patriarch."


    "Is that so?" Mark then turned his attention to the teenager who almost closed down the shutter, "Chang Bo, wait."


    "Yes, Lord Lu?" He turned around.


    Mark got up on his feet and took out five glistening gold coins, "I''m sorry but I will treat you some other time. Take this and serve yourself a fancy meal. Consider this as an extra bonus for your hard work, today. Once again, I apologize for this."


    If they were close, Chang Bo would have felt bad for getting kicked out like this after being offered food and a ce for the night but he was only working in the store for only a few days.


    The fact that his owner is apologizing along with paying a huge bonus itself made him feel respected, at leastpared to his previous life at the guild where everyone used to look down on him because he was an errand boy.


    As Chang Bo took the money and left the store, Mark closed down the shutterpletely and turned around to walk to the counter where the scroll was ced earlier.


    He didn''t open it. Rather, he just folded his arms to the chest and stared at the masked fellow while leaning to the counter, "alright, Prince Wu, there''s no one else. You can take off the mask."


    The masked fellow removed his mask, disying a clear shock on his face, "How did you know that it was me?"


    "Let''s just say that I have special eyes." Mark vaguely replied as he doesn''t want to reveal his secret. He then took the scroll and opened it, "I hope this one isn''t empty."


    As he suspected, something was written on it.


    The words stated that he is the uncle of Long Chen and he received Mark''s letter through a friend. This was also written indirectly so that only Mark would understand the hidden meaning.


    Casually throwing it back at the counter, Mark disyed a smile as he greeted, "Wee to Genesis Weapon store, Prince Wu. I''m sure you must be surprised by the changes inside the store."


    Feng Wu also let out a smile as he replied, "Compared to thest time I visited, even the situation outside the store also appeared to be changed."


    "What can I say¡­ Some people won''t just leave me alone," Mark shrugged his shoulders as he started walking towards one of the rooms.


    "So, may I know the reason you have wished to meet?" asked Feng Wu while following him. He added, "Is it about the Ji n? Or is it something else?"


    Mark answered him truthfully, "The Emperor offered me a deal to dy your order for 8 weeks and I epted it in return for a few conditions."


    "What!" Feng Wu halted his footsteps. He furrowed his brows, "so, you called me here to tell me the cancetion of the order?"


    Mark replied while looking ahead, "of course not. Why would I lose two hundred thousand gold coins of earnings? Moreover, I would never cheat a customer. Please follow me."


    <o>,m He and Feng Wu reached the chamber where the advanced weapons are kept.</o>


    There, Feng Wu saw some weapons that he hadn''t seen before.<sub> </sub>


    "This is Rocket Launcher"


    "This is Grenade Launcher, an exclusive weapon that needs a minimum of 100,000 gold coins of transaction with the store."


    "This is M99¡­"


    "These are sniper rifles¡­"


    "These are the models of is assault rifle named AK 47, Ak 103, G36, Ar-15¡­"


    .


    .


    .


    "This is a Molotov cocktail. It looks like a normal weapon but the mmable liquid inside this isn''t simple. Along with Nitroglycerine, some other powerful mmable liquids are also added. Just like with the grenades, it depends on your arm strength. So, one should be careful when using it."


    After exining the functions and the power of each weapon to him, except for battle robots, Chimera SGM, and Howitzer Pzh 2000, Mark further stated, "I promised the Emperor that whatever you have ordered, I will dy it by atleast 8 weeks.


    But, I never promised about the ones that you haven''t ordered yet. So, here''s my suggestion.


    For now, I wish you to put a hold on the current order. I will usually take 20% for advance orders. So that is 42,200 gold coins. If we put it aside, there are the remaining 257,889 gold coins that will be left with me.


    With that money, you can even put an order of over a million gold coins. So, put up a new order.


    As I have said before, I will provide whatever weapon in whichever amounts you needed. We can take care of the remaining bnce after you im your kingdom. So, no need to hesitate with it."


    Feng Wu then fell into thoughts. He was ncing at the weapons, which appeared to be more awesome than those P-226 guns, but at the same time, they are he expensive and his soldiers were still untrained.


    On the other hand, he was tempted about buying those grenadeunchers and Rocketunchers, which are powerful enough to take out even 5-circle realm experts if he were to believe Mark''s words.


    As for the explosives, they are indeed useful but they are too costly for something that is one-time use. He would rather buy an additional rocketuncher instead of buying ten explosives that can even cause a lot of self-harm.


    Feng Wu didn''t forget what Mark had said about the Emperor. If Shang Fu had asked him for 8 weeks of time, it was clear to this exiled prince that the Imperial Pce is going to take action on finding them. In this situation, he needed to hurry up.


    After thinking for a while, he made a decision.


    He said, "Owner Lu, I won''t keep you in a tight position. Whatever I ordered earlier, you can put them on hold for eight weeks. Keep 20% of it aside as an upfront.


    Meanwhile, I''m going to order the same list of weapons fromst time. And then, add 10 of these rocketunchers and 100 warheads.


    This new order should be a priority and procure them as fast as possible."


    Mark nodded with a smile as he scored another big deal. Since it is arge amount, he could afford the time and wait until Feng Wu gathers all of the money.


    He then showed his index finger, "one week. By the end of the week, you will receive the Panzers and machine-gun ammunition, rocketunchers and their warheads, the shotguns and their cartridges, P-226 guns, and their magazines. However, the bullets will take a longer time."

 Chapter 184 Light Multirole Vehicle

    Just as Mark said earlier, it is tough to procure the bullets. Whether it is the weapon or a bullet, he only needs one click but getting 200,000 bullets is the same as clicking 200,000 times. It is a nightmare that Mark doesn''t want to go through.


    That''s why he will take time to produce those while finding out a way to manually produce them in the real world.


    On the other hand, there is a bulk option of 250 in number on 7.62x39mm rounds. So, he could mass-produce them while wearing the glove of creation which increases his sess rate by 25%.


    However, Mark cannot say all of these to Feng Wu. So, he had to follow up with an excuse too.


    He exined, "Ever since the Emperor announced the firearms bing an official weapon for the masses to use, I''m receiving too many customers.


    Almost 80% of all the bullets at the store were sold out today. I need to keep some for the store too. So, by next Sunday, all I can procure is about 10,000 regr bullets. 10,000 per week is my limit.


    This is why I have advised you to buy Ak-47s. They are easy to use and cheaper than other assault rifles. More than that, their ammunition is also 7.62mmx39mm. They are as powerful as shotguns but have a higher rate of fire.


    Think about it."


    But, Feng Wu rejected Mark''s suggestion. He shook his head, "no, we don''t have time to train in new weapons. All of them are highly ustomed to these P-365s and revolvers. Adding Shotguns, rocketunchers, and Panzers would already strain them a lot.


    Maybe, once we took back our kingdom, I will raise an army with separate divisions, where each one would handle a type of weapon."


    After a brief amount of silence, Mark nodded, "it''s your wish. Anyway, one weekter, Alina will bring them to you and will even give a crash course on how to operate the vehicle and the other weapons.


    But, you should remember that even if you failed and got surrendered, my name shouldn''t be dragged. You have just bought these through different spies as I''m dying it on purpose.


    Unlike you, I neither have kith nor kin. The moment the Imperial Pce acts against me with hostility, I will start a war where I wouldn''t hesitate to sacrifice thousands of innocents to achieve my goal. Such an oue isn''t in anyone''s interest."


    Feng Wu stayed on the spot like a statue and stared at him with a trace of surprise on his face. In the end, hemented, "I really wonder what kind of grudge you have, against the Imperial family."


    Mark didn''t say anything to it and stayed silent.


    Feng Wu also didn''t stay for a long time and quickly left with his mask on. As the spies, who were acting as beggars, had already heard his purpose at the beginning, they really believed that he is an envoy from Heavens Sect and didn''t dare to stop and question him.


    As a result, Feng Wu escaped without raising suspicions.


    Later, Alina returned downstairs to inform her master about the dinner only to realize that their employee had left the store.


    Mark originally wanted to spend this happy day with a fellow human like Chang Bo but that opportunity was lost and he was forced to eat the 20-course meal, all alone.


    Sensing his emotions, Alina also joined him with the eating to give himpany. Even though she is an Android, she could easily digest all the food without leaving any wastage like the humans. Of course, it doesn''t mean that she enjoys it.


    Unfortunately, she''s incapable of enjoying the food of the humans.


    Sr energy from the sun, natural energy from the surroundings, ether energy from the crystals, and electricity from the poles, are some of the things she likes to consume even though those things wouldn''t give her any extra benefit except to improve her mood. The same goes for Allen too.


    Mark''s mood had gotten better when the Androids joined him. As the beasts were sleeping, he didn''t disturb them and just enjoyed the dinner with the two of them.


    After he was done, he went to his room and sat on his bed. After creating like 100 bullets, he finally went to sleep.


    <strong>Two dayster;</strong>


    It is the day when the lottery wheel resets. As soon as he saw it was avable, Mark absorbed 3 points of luck from Chang Bo to reach 10 points of luck and proceeded with the lottery.


    "Open Lottery Wheel"


    As he clicked on it, 300 credits have been deducted as usual and the wheel started spinning.<sub> </sub>


    Maybe, his ten points of luck have worked on the wheel that he was given what he wanted to acquire for so long time.


    When the wheel stopped, the arrow was pointing at the question mark. Thest time he got it, he unlocked Panzer. Mark couldn''t help but wonder what it might be.


    <strong>*Ding! A mysterious package has been sent to the inventory.</strong>


    "Open inventory."


    Mark was filled with excitement as he clicked on the slot with a question mark image. He clicked on open.


    p <strong>*Ding! You have unlocked VTLM2-NEC. Check your inventory for details.</strong></anda>


    "Hmm? Never heard of such a code name. I wonder what it might be¡­" Mark curiously opened the inventory and scrolled to the right to go to thest slot.


    His eyes immediately lit up as found a vehicle that looked more like a jeep, instead of some tank.


    "Oh, this looks like Iveco LMV isn''t it?" Mark clicked on it and opened the details.


    *


    VTLM2-NEC


    Grade: N/A


    Crew: 1+4


    Weight: 7tons


    Length: 4.7m


    Width: 2.05m


    Height: 1.95m


    Max speed: 130 km/hr


    Range: 500 km


    Armor: Rank-5


    Payload capacity: 1200kg


    Armaments: 12.7mm machine gun


    Attachments avable: Yes


    Description: This is a light multirole vehicle, fast enough to chase the enemies or run away from the enemies, durable enough to take damage from 5-circle and below realm enemies, and is strong enough to kill 4-circle enemies with the machine gun at the same time. The user can attach two weapons of choice and operate them through the remote weapon system.


    Price: 2500 gold coins.


    "Okay, now this is damn pricey¡­" Mark mumbled to himself. But then again, he couldn''t wait to go for a drive.

 Chapter 185 Revealing The Truth? (Part-1)

    <strong>Five more days passed away in a blink of an eye;</strong>


    While there was a steady flow of customers every day, the overall earning in these past five days week is only about 2400 gold coins if Mark puts away Lin n''s 3500 gold coins/week of shopping in exchange for a spar with Allen.


    The second prince has yet to visit the store to finish the old deal and the recent 30,000 gold coins deal for he doesn''t ept the Emperor''s grace.


    He wants to prove that his firearms division is ready for official deployment just like other divisions. Other than receiving an additional 5000 bullets, there was no progress there.


    If there''s something that is going extremely well, it is the meeting with well-known wealthy merchants from different sectors.


    Mark inked a deal with four oil Merchants; then, a merchant who deals in salt, sugar, and other things; then, a merchant who deals in rare materials; and finally, a reputable merchant, who had over 1 million gold coins of worth, known to deal in ether crystals. After being convinced, Mark had decided to buy high-quality ether ores of about 2500 carats. Just the ether ore alone cost him nearly 100,000 gold coins.


    Mark had used the advanced money that Huo Fen handed him, instead of using his own. That means he was now obligated to send weapons to Feng Wu, no matter what. Atleast that''s what Mark decides to believe.


    All the week, he had a series of lunch meetings with these people who are on a higher socialdder.


    In the meantime, the Imperial Pce acted regarding thend in the Hanga district. There was apound wall with barbwire built around a 5-acre ofnd and put up a board in every direction, stating that trespassing willnd them in jail and a fine.


    There was only one big entrance gate, which is facing the store. Even two soldiers were also stationed there, not just to guard the space but also officially keep an eye on the store.


    At around 3 in the morning, Alina managed to leave the Imperial City without getting spotted. She was going to the Kunyu mountains to not only deliver a part of the order but also to give them a brief training for a few hours so that everyone atleast knows how to operate the Panzers and load the ammo belts in machine guns. There, at the edge of the forest, a guide was waiting for her.


    Even though Feng Wu had already deepened his ties with Mark, he doesn''t trust him enough to take her into their hideout where their families are living. Instead, the guide was ordered to take her to a different hideout where only a few teams of bandits will be there. Not to mention, the ce is also suitable to train the panzers.


    The store was opened at 7 as usual. With Allen busy sparring with Lin Xue, Alina at the Kunyu Mountains, and Chang Bo is surprisingly on leave even though he likes doing overtime on Sunday, Mark had no choice but to rely on sales assistant robots.


    Naturally, the new customers were amazed by the metal puppets for they can talk. Some of them tried to investigate their origins and some ask if they could order one like them but Mark only disappointed them with rejection.


    While he maintained his smile, the rejected customers didn''t dare to try their luck to convince him. Mark''s reputation has been increased several times,tely, courtesy of the actions of the Emperor. Upon reading the rules, no one attempted to steal something or misbehaved in the store either.


    At around 10 in the morning when the customers are decent in number, a luxurious carriage pulled by two pure white horses entered the street full of food stalls. About 20 soldiers were apanying them. The crest of the phoenix on the carriage clearly indicated that they were from the Imperial family, not some higher official or minister.


    Queen Consort Lan Jingyi and her teenage daughter stepped down from the carriage.


    Looking at the face of the fifth princess, it doesn''t take a genius to figure out that she was ufortable with the situation. She looked at her mother again, "Is this really necessary? You are really undermining your daughter''s talent."


    Lan Jingyi''s face turned serious, "just do what you were told to do. I already told you before. If you cause any more trouble, I will send you back to the academy."


    Shang Jiao stayed silent. In fact, it was her decision to take a troop of soldiers to the Dungeon of Tan only to get out alone while abandoning their bodies. As a father, Emperor would extremely dote on his only daughter. So, Lan Jingyi was always strict with her despite loving and worrying about her as a parent.<sub> </sub>


    And now, as Lan Jingyi heard of the matter between Mark and the Ji n, she was worried that Shang Jiao would go against her blood-rted brother.


    In her view, Mark might not have any idea about his real family. So, judging by his current personality, there was also a possibility that he would harm his sister. This is something a mother can''t ignore.


    So, she decided to sort out the situation. Thankfully, for her, she had the support of the Emperor.


    Both of them entered the store, instantly attracting the attention of everyone.


    Mark, who was rechecking the items just for formality, also spotted them. In an instant, his expression changed. Furrowing his brows, he mumbled, "Why are they here?"


    There''s no Emperor. So, he was sure that this wasn''t about the beast Emperor. Then, what it might be?


    Just like how Lan Jingyi thinks that Mark doesn''t know about their blood rtion, Mark was also under the same impression that she doesn''t know about it. So, could only wonder why they are at his store. Maybe, they liked the weapons and wanted to buy more ammunition? That can also be done with some Imperial guard or Eunuch. So, looking to test the weapons? Mark couldn''t think of any other exnation.


    In the end, he controlled his hatred like thest time and greeted them from the counter with a smile, "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store. What are you looking for, Queen Consort Lan?"


    "You must have already met my daughter. This is Shang Jiao." His mother first introduced the 15-year-old princess.


    "I know," Mark nodded in reply and furthermented, "It''s actually very unusual to see an ice user in the family of fire attribute users."


    "I inherited the ancient bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus, Mr. Lu." Shang Jiao couldn''t hide her animosity towards Mark. Combined with how the external pressure ispletely suppressing her ether particles and causing her difort, her impression of Mark only worsened further.


    Mark didn''t mind her tone as he never had any expectations of anyone from the Imperial family, maybe excluding the Second Prince.


    But, the Queen Consort didn''t take it lightly. She gave a light knock on her daughter''s head, "Xiao Jiao, is this the way to talk to your elders? Behave yourself¡­"


    "Ouch¡­" Shang Jiao rubbed her head. She grumbled, "Why does it hurt when you are nothing but a mortal, mama¡­"


    "Xiao Jiao¡­" As Lan Jingyi turned stern, Shang Jiao looked at Mark and bowed slightly, "I apologize¡­"


    "Ah, Yes." Mark was slightly ufortable by her apology. But then, his sister''s statement sowed a seed of suspicion in his mind.


    He instantly activated Sage''s eyes and was surprised to see nothing but question marks except for her name.


    <strong>*Ding! Please upgrade the system to improve Sage eyes.</strong>

 Chapter 186 Revealing The Truth? (Part-2)

    Lan Jingyi


    Race: Human


    Rank: ???


    Spirit Path: ???


    Attribute: ???


    Description: Daughter of Lan Gengxin and wife of Emperor Shang. She''s the biological mother of the host. Her origins are mysterious and the current level of the system is incapable of scanning her.


    "She''s a hidden Supreme realm expert or something?" In an instant, a thought appeared in Mark''s mind and he felt nervous, all of a sudden.


    If that is the case, then, he might have to n his revenge very carefully.


    But then again, if she''s really strong as he was thinking, will she allow her husband to kneel before a stranger and let his reputation be damaged? She even sacrificed her own son for the sake of keeping her position in the heart of the Emperor. It is very unlikely that she would stay hidden back then.


    The only thing that appeared logical to Mark is that she possessed some kind of treasure like a crystal-graded or God-graded one that is blocking the system.


    Meanwhile, Queen Consort observed her son''s reaction. She was curious about what he is thinking. On the other hand, Shang Jiao was thinking that Mark was probably surprised by her bloodline.


    Lan Jingyi brought her son back to reality with herment, "Mr. Lu, you appeared to be lost in thoughts."


    Shaking his head, Mark let out a smile, "it''s nothing, Queen Consort Lan. It''s been a while since Ist heard of that beast''s name. My master told me that Blizzard Pegasus and Phoenix are enemies and each is vying for the other''s blood even to date.


    So, usually, parents with those bloodlines will give birth to an Ampon (the one who was born with no ether despite having Spirit Warriors as parents)


    I guess your daughter is really blessed by the heavens, Queen Consort Lan. Not only she was born as a princess of an Empire but also awakened extraordinary talent. Reaching 6-circle at this age is no easy feat.


    On the other hand, people like me who were born asmoners in some corner of a vige will have to struggle every day and pray for the heavens to smile on us even once so that our fate will be changed.


    But then again, what can we do other than pray for our luck? The nobles wouldn''t give us opportunities and always crush us so that they can continue to assert their dominance."


    Mark faked his expression as if he was envious of the princess to hide his real feelings. Along with providing fake information like he had some mysterious master that changed his fate, he even purposely sighed deeply at the end to make it more real.


    Perhaps, it''s because of his charm stat, or maybe, it''s because of her mother''s love, Lan Jingyi not only believed him but felt a deep amount of guilt, wondering what kind of price did her son pay to change his fate.


    Meanwhile, Shang Jiao thought that this firearms seller probably faced injustice in the hands of a noble when he was a child, and after gaining his strength, he was trying to take revenge against every noble out there in return. She wasn''t wrong to assume that way when considering his actions until now.


    While the mother and daughter were in thought, Mark asked them once again about their reasoning to visit the store.<sub> </sub>


    Lan Jingyi nced around for a second and said to her daughter to bring out the weapon.


    Shang Jiao nodded and took out Chimera SGM from her storage ring. Lan Jingyi pointed to it, "My daughter wants to master this weapon. Do you have time to teach her? Of course, you would bepensated for it."


    "Oh, so, it''s for this huh." Realization dawned upon Mark and he became a lot relieved that the reason turned out to be quite simple. Wait for a second¡­ why was he relieved? Why should he care what they are here for, in the first ce? That''s right. They are nothing more than strangers and he needs to treat them like every customer. Not to mention, this is a good opportunity to earn more money.


    After thinking for a brief amount of time, Mark maintained his smile, "I don''t need any teaching fees but the price for ammunition must be paid."


    "Of course, that goes without saying." Shang Jiao snorted in response.


    Taking a nce at her, Mark further said, "I have one simple condition. If the princess is going to be taught under me, then, she will have to behave like a student. That means, during the teaching hours, she will not be a princess. As an instructor, I might scold her or even punish her for the mistakes she does during the training time. Daily timings and time limits for the task are yours to fix but rules are mine to follow.


    This is all I can reply to your offer. If Queen Consort Lan and Princess Shang agree to this, I have no problem teaching her. Or if you just want to know how to operate the weapon, then, you can be my guest until lunchtime. I''m currently understaffed at the moment. So, I''m unable to help you right away."


    Shang Jiao''s face darkened as she heard his words. Since she already knows what her mother was going to say next, she could only assume that her worst phase of life is going to begin.


    Making her fears true, Lan Jingyi then said, "I haven''t beenpletely honest with you, Mr. Lu."


    "Hmm?" He looked at her.


    "A while ago, my daughter had made a big mistake, costing the lives of her subordinates in a dungeon. As a punishment, my daughter was stripped of her privileged status for the next four weeks. Along with learning how to master this weapon named Chimera, she will be working at your store as an ordinary employee.


    You don''t need to worry about her status and treat her just like how you treat your other workers. If she makes a mistake, you can punish her as you fit. There will be no repercussions on it. Of course, the abuse of power isn''t tolerated by any means but I and my husband believe that you wouldn''t do that."


    Mark didn''t expect that the Emperor would take such a decision. Mark remembered the punishment that the crown prince got it back when he was dragged into the public trial.


    At first, he believed her words but then, he felt something wrong with the punishment. Why is it only his store? And that too, four weeks? Was this really the punishment or the Emperor is trying to keep an eye on him, sending his daughter on a secret mission?


    Well, if it is because of Kunyu bandits, unfortunately, it was toote as he already sent the weapons required to siege a city. Only the ammunition of 9mm bullets left.


    What about the advantages?


    Mark knew that he can earn a lot of money through the ammunition required for Chimera SGM as long as he ys his cards right.


    After analyzing the pros and cons, Mark gave a nod, "Four weeks is a lot of time for just Chimera SGM. She''ll be able to handle any firearm by the end. Since I have promised ''His Majesty'' about the attack helicopter, I will teach her how to fly too, provided that she is diligent towards training."


    "Okay, she''ll start tomorrow but before that, can I see the demonstration of your training method?" Lan Jingyi then put forward an unusual request.

 Chapter 187 Revealing The Truth? (Part-3)

    The store was closed and all the customers were kicked out but none of them dared to leave the street. Instead, they gathered at the Genesis Training grounds and watched Mark as he was demonstrating how to use Chimera SGM.


    It''s because Queen Consort just asked them in a polite tone as she cannot afford to wait two hours. Although her tone was polite, everyone immediately understood that it was an order and no one had the courage to ignore her words.


    In the end, they just followed them into the training grounds named after the store.


    *Brrrrrrrrttttttttt*


    All it needs is a mere 8 seconds tounch 100 rounds with each one powerful enough to take out a peak-3-circle realm. Anyone below 6-circle would have been sent to the brink of death if he/she were bombarded with 100 of such tungsten bullets


    But for now, the only things that were destroyed were the thirty vases made of mud.


    Fortunately, even after Mark''s arm shook a lot due to the recoil, making him waste more than half of the ammunition for nothing, no one could detect it due to the machine gun''s high performance.


    Perhaps the only strange thing is that the Queen Consort looked a bit too calm on the surface despite not being a Spirit Warrior. Shang Jiao, on the other hand, had apletely different reaction. Her mouth was widely opened and a shock was disyed on her face.


    She was in disbelief that a weapon can destroy a target that is ced atleast 500ft away. They were standing at a corner and those vases were ced diagonally in another corner. What''s more shocking than the distance is that she couldn''t see many of the bullets attacking the vases.


    After finishing the demonstration of the machine gun, Mark looked at the mother and daughter pair, "as I have said earlier, this part is called a machine gun, which has a high fire rate and can shoot the objects from even half a kilometer away. But, if you don''t like to waste ammunition or feel that it is useless against a 5-circle realm opponent, you can put the machine gun aside and choose this final one, twin grenadeunchers. All you have to do is to load the grenades like these¡­"


    Mark loaded two 40mm grenades, one in either of the grenadeuncher, and just aimed at an empty spot on the ground, about 60-70 meters away.


    Both of them grenades wereunched and hit the ground, causing an enormous explosion in front of everyone. The other spectators took a step back in fear while Shang Jiao and a General flinched in surprise despite being in a six-circle realm.


    Here is where the Queen Consort acted strange again. She didn''t move from the spot and just gave a nod to the explosion as if she knew about it.


    "Queen Consort Lan, this is just a demonstration of how these work in general. I will teach the princess how to operate each part effectively in different situations using different weapons." He ended it with a statement and waited for her answer.


    Shang Jiao looked like she made up her mind. Before her mother answered, she gave her reply, "No, the demonstration hasn''t been over yet, Mr. Lu."


    "Hmm?" Mark and Lan Jingyi looked at her.


    Shang Jiao then said, "I want a demonstration of its effectiveness on live targets. And I''ll be that target."


    "Are you crazy?" Lan Jingyi knocked her head once again.


    "Ouch¡­" Rubbing her head, she replied, "I''m a 6-circle expert, Ma. Those things cannot hurt me anyway. And it''s not like we use these weapons to y. They are used to harm the Spirit Warriors, right?"


    "In that case, let me volunteer for it, Your Highness." General of the North, Ye Yin stepped forward to be the target.


    "And you think you are stronger than me just because you have higher ether particles?" Shang Jiao raised her eyes brows as she stared at the General who apanied them along with the other soldiers.<sub> </sub>


    General Ye immediately bowed, "I apologize for not picking my words wisely, Your Highness. I don''t mean that."


    Shang Jiao shifted her focus back to her mother, "Father gifted me this weapon and instructed me to train in it during the punishment. If I were to use this weapon as my secondary weapon, then, I have to experience it myself."


    Lan Jingyi stared at her stubborn daughter for a while and then, turned towards Mark, "are you sure that it won''t heavily injure her?"


    Mark shook his head right away, "I can''t give any guarantee for that. Despite being a 6-circle, she''s still a mage. Mages usually have high magic power but low in defense and my weapons specialize in prating the defenses."


    His words caused worry in Lan Jingyi but brought a frown to her daughter. "Mr. Lu, don''t ce me in the same group as those ordinary mages. I can even give a tough fight to someone like Supreme Commander Bai. These bullets weren''t much."


    Mark didn''t take her words seriously and just stared at his mother instead. He asked for confirmation, "so, does Queen Consort Lan will give me permission to fire at her daughter? I just hope that I won''t get med by the Emperor if something happens because of her overconfidence."


    "You¡­" Shang Jiao clenched her fist in anger.


    Lan Jingyi thought for a bit and said to Shang Jiao, "General Ye will face the attacks. After that, he will decide whether it is safe for you or not. After all, one should always be careful of the unknown."


    "But, Ma¡­" Shang Jiao tried to protest her decision, as it will only undermine her strength but seeing the look on her mother''s face, she stayed silent, "Alright."


    General Ye walked forward and stopped at 50 meters distance as he was instructed by Mark. He pulled out a gold-grade shield, clearly disying that he doesn''t intend to take the risks.


    Shang Jiao snorted at his action, "what a coward."


    Meanwhile, Mark got into the position. Unlike before, he was focused. One of his knees was on the ground with the weapon stably positioned at the same level as his shoulders.


    Mark looked through the scope and adjusted his aim. For a moment, he felt like aiming at the forehead but eventually, he changed his aim towards the right elbow. It was one of the few ces where there is no armor and so, it is vulnerable to attacks.


    He clicked on the trigger.


    *Bang*


    The machine gun fired one round. With a muzzle velocity more than twice the speed of sound, the peak stage six-circle expert couldn''t see it properly.


    But then again, it wouldn''t matter because he knew that this bullet will not be able to hurt him. So, he didn''t bother to dodge or defend himself with the shield.


    As a result, the bullet managed to strike his right elbow. It didn''t injure him but left a deep red mark, making the spot swell a little bit. The General groaned, feeling a sharp pain but not for long.


    Mark continued. After shooting for like ten rounds from the machine gun, using it more like a sniper, Mark shifted to Shotgun and then, eventually,unched grenades.


    Because the General was cautious enough to use the shield as well as his ether energy to protect his body, the four grenades also did nothing to him, except for leaving tiny wounds on his body here and there.

 Chapter 188 Revealing The Truth? (Part-4)

    Mark could only bitterly smile as the result wasn''t as great as he boasted earlier but no one thinks that way as the General of the North is one of the strongest soldiers of the Imperial Pce. He is at the peak stage of the six-circle realm and even in the fighter path. It would be scarier if he would get injured.


    Seeing the result, Shang Jiao said to her mother, "now, it''s my turn."


    As Lan Jingyi nodded, the princess left her mother''s side and started walking toward the General to take his ce. Mark ced his weapon down and started loading the ammunition for the next demo. His back was facing his mother.


    Meanwhile, at the back of the spectators, two people looked at each other. One of them whispered, "She was helpless and alone. We will not get another opportunity."


    The other one nodded and both of them quickly slipped past through the crowd and came to the front.


    As the soldiers were just standing on the side, there was practically nothing that can stop the both of them from reaching the Queen, Consort.


    Confirming once again that everyone is too distracted, they decided to act right away.


    All of a sudden, both of them kicked the grounds and dashed towards Lan Jingyi.


    "Queen Consort¡­" General Ye spotted it from far.


    "Ma¡­" A scream escaped from Shang Jiao as she turned around to see two fellows nearing her mother. Lan Jingyi looked like she was frozen in shock. Until a moment ago, everyone was just concentrating on the demonstration.


    The reason everyone had their guards down is because of the presence of General Ye, Shang Jiao, and Mark. Who would dare to even try to cause a ruckus with them around?


    No one expected someone would attempt an assassination at such a moment. It is clear that neither of them fears their lives.


    Meanwhile, Mark was just loading the ammunition. He turned her head to see two figuresing in his direction. They almost reached Lan Jingyi and both of them have daggers that are smeared with poison in their hands.


    His eyes turned cold and his body acted in instinct, "Absolute Freezing."


    10000 EP (ether points) were deducted.


    In just a fraction of a second, all of his 200-meter surroundings, or one should say, the whole training ground and the people standing inside it were frozen in ice.


    Everyone except for Shang Jiao and Lan Jingyi turned into ice sculptures, making the princess stupefied in shock. Even Queen Consort was shocked by the sudden turn of events.


    The two assassins, who just tried to kill her, were just a couple of feet away from her. Their daggers are drawn out but s, it wasn''t sessful.


    Meanwhile, Mark was also taken aback to see his mother and sister weren''t affected a bit. "What''s going on?" A trace of confusion appeared on his face.


    "This power? It belongs to Blizzard Pegasus. How is that possible?" Shang Jiao asked out loud in wonder. From Ji Guanli, she heard that Mark can cast ice magic but she didn''t take it seriously. After all, he is a summoner. So, she thought he learned ice magic from some magic book.


    But, Absolute Freezing is different from normal ice magic. It even freezes a higher realm expert without question, although in that case, the time will be less. She also has this bloodline skill.


    How can she expect that this person possesses the same bloodline as her? That is not possible unless he was rted to her grandfather. If he isn''t, then, that would only mean that she wasn''t the only special one as she thought. Shang Jiao felt as if the whole world started to crumble around her.


    She turned toward her mother.


    Tears started to fill up Lan Jingyi as she turned her head to look at him, "Shang Zhen¡­" She mumbled.<sub> </sub>


    Even before this, she was confident that he is her son but other than the name of his parents and his simr appearance to her father, Lan Jingyi didn''t have any proof to confirm it.


    If this isn''t proof that he is her biological son, then, what is? Now, she was 99.9% confident. All it left for her to confirm was that there was an eye-shaped birthmark on the back of his neck.


    Mark, on the other hand, didn''t understand how he couldn''t affect both of them. He confronted the system.


    And just like always, the system responded immediately.


    <strong>*Ding! Bloodline skills don''t affect people with the same bloodline.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The divine grade (Mithril, Celestial, God) weapons can also have the power to resist the skills.</strong>


    "I see¡­" Realization dawned upon Mark. Because of the second notification, he didn''t suspect his mother but then, as he heard Shang Jiao''s words, he looked at his mother.


    When he saw her expression, Mark felt like his heart skipped a beat, feeling that he was caught. Before he was questioned anything, Mark decided to escape the situation.


    Leaving the weapon on the ground, Mark got up on his feet and spoke calmly to his sister, "I have only frozen them for 30 seconds. They will get free. Whatever you do with them is none of my concern. Let''s call it a day."


    He picked up his pace as he walked towards the exit without even ncing at his mother.


    Just as he passed through her, she opened her mouth, "wait."


    Mark didn''t stop and just continued to walk.


    "Shang Zhen, wait for a moment¡­" Her voice was loud enough that even Shang Jiao heard it.


    Mark''s heart skipped a beat once again. He nned to reveal his birth secret when he destroy the Empire but not at the moment. There were so many deals pending and his store hasn''t developed to the extent to take on the Imperial Pce.


    In such a case, what can he do? Mark can only feign ignorance in front of the world.


    Taking a deep breath, he turned around and finally looked at his mother who was almost crying, "Queen Consort Lan, I think you are too shocked by my magic that you aren''t thinking straight. My surname is Lu. Anyway, since you could evade my magic, then, I guess you have enough treasures to protect yourself. Excuse me¡­"


    Mark turned around once again and continued to walk. He left the training grounds and returned to the store, leaving the mother and daughter in thought. That whole day, he didn''t open the store at all.


    Later, on ake, a boat was floating at a slow pace. Lan Jingyi and Shang Jiao were facing together as they sat inside the boat. Only those two were on the boat and no one else. The soldiers were waiting at the shores.


    "Okay, tell me, Ma. What is it that you want to tell about Lu Zhen?" She asked her mother.


    There was a look of hesitation on her mother.


    She further said, "Lu Zhen clearly has the bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus. Is he rted to you or my grandfather in some way? I thought it is strange when I heard that he looks like myte grandfather. But, now, it appears too coincidence. And the fact that you addressed him with the surname Shang baffles me. My head is getting heated with several theories."


    Letting out a deep sigh, Lan Jingyi finally revealed the truth, "To know about him, I have to start with the destruction of the Lan sect. More than 30 years ago¡­"

 Chapter 189 Shang Jiao Starts Working At The Store

    <strong>The next day;</strong>


    Mark had forgotten about yesterday''s incident and opened his store early in the morning, trying to behave like usual.


    Alina had already returned and brought a piece of good news with her. With the war about to start in a week, he is now eager toplete the iplete deals as soon as possible.


    It was about 8 in the morning. Allen had gone to spar with Lin Xue. Chang Bo came early. Alina was taking the weapons out from Mark''s inventory and cing them in their respective cabs.


    As it is Monday, there''s no customer rush because everyone had gone to work. There was only one customer inside the store at the moment. Mark had no interest in this customer because shees every two days.


    Every time this teenageres to the store, she would keep asking about every weapon again and again, but in the end, only buys like 20-50 bullets.


    If Mark wasn''t wrong, he believed that this girl with the surname Yu has a crush on Chang Bo and that''s probably why she kept on visiting the store so that she get to spend time with him. Unfortunately, Chang Bo was too dense and he doesn''t have any idea.


    Since his employer always tells him to never show hostility against the customers unless they are rude and cross the bottom line, Chang Bo just treated her like one and patiently exined about the weapons.


    "I see¡­ So, this one has requirements, huh." The girl grabbed her chin as if she was thinking of buying it. After a brief amount of silence, she opened her mouth, "Do you think if you can¡­"


    "Hello, Owner Lu." A sweet yet crispy voice interrupted her words. Chang Bo and Yu Ah turned their heads to look at the new person that arrived at the store. A trace of surprise appeared on their faces.


    Neither of them had probably heard of yesterday''s incident at the training ground. So, they were surprised to find the fifth princess at the store. What''s more, she even had this wide smile on her face.


    "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store, Your Highness." Mark greeted his sister formally just like he does for every other customer. He expected her to arrive. So, he was calm, although he was a little bit taken aback by her expression because in the three instances he had seen her, there was nothing but an expression of seriousness on her face.


    But now, it waspletely opposite.


    Meanwhile, Shang Jiao walked toward the counter while remembering the promise she made to her mother. Upon reaching her brother, she took out two scrolls from her storage card, "this is from the Imperial Pce and this is from my father."


    Mark took the both of them and read the letter from Imperial Pce, first.


    Since it is an order from the Imperial Pce, the message was quite blunt. The Princess is going to work at the store for four weeks without taking any wages. Her work timings are from 9-12 and 2-5.


    There was no information about her training or anything like that.


    And in the second letter that was personally written by the Emperor, the reason was exined and there is a request for her training in the firearms.


    Everything is good except for thest line where the Emperor asked him to not treat her harshly if she unknowingly makes a mistake and to protect her like an older brother.


    Thatst bit of word irked him the most. So, by the time he read both of the letters, he had decided that no matter how she acted, he will never even view her positively.


    "So, what should I do now?" Shang Jiao asked him while maintaining a smile on her face.


    "Chang Bo!" Mark called out for the welpire kid. The teenager left the customer and walked toward the counter.


    "Lord Lu," He bowed to him before greeting the princess with an even deeper bow.<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Shang Jiao didn''t return the greetings. If anything, there''s a look of disdain in her eyes as Chang Bo is not only amoner without any background but he is also weak. There''s no reason for her to treat him equally.


    Unfortunately for her, Mark had spotted it. Immediately, he said, "Princess Shang, the moment you start working in the store, you are no longer the princess but are just Shang Jiao, not only for me but also for my staff.


    ? Chang Bo is my first employee. So, he is senior to you. So, his position is naturally higher than yours.


    Even if you don''t want to respect him, it is fine. But, disrespect towards him isn''t tolerated. I hope you remember that."


    There was no longer a smile on his face like usual. Instead, he was stern in his statement so that this spoiled princess understands that he was serious.


    If it was the previous Shang Jiao, she would have stormed out of the store in anger but she came here with a certain mission, fulfilling a promise to her mother. So, she tried to be as calm as possible.


    She clenched her fist and released it, and then, again clenched her fist. After doing it like four times, the anger inside her settled down.


    "Alright, I will keep that in mind." Shang Jiao nodded and forced herself to slightly bow towards Chang Bo, "I''m in your care."


    "Chang Bo, exin to her about the weapons, feeding the beasts, and everything you have learned here." Mark then looked at Alina, who was just standing against the wall and reading Journey to the West and told her to look after the customer.


    Shang Jiao nodded and followed Chang Bo, earning a moment of displeasure from the girl surnamed Yu. But then again, what can the poor girl do? Even if Mark says that she won''t be a princess during working hours, does she have the courage to even say anything to the princess?


    Unfortunately, Nope¡­


    So, she could only leave the store while buying a bunch of bullets.


    About half an hourter, the next customer arrived. Well, Zheng Ha is not exactly a customer but the person standing next to him is.


    Both of them entered the store and exchanged greetings with Mark.


    "Owner Lu, this is my friend, Zhu Jianhong." He introduced the middle-aged fellow that looked very rich, based on his wear.


    "The store''s interior is really unique," Zhu Jianhongmented with a smile as he looked around. "It''s a pure white marble. Very expensive and quite durable. You have good taste, Owner Lu."


    "Thank you." Mark smiled in satisfaction. So far, many customers visited the store and bought many things. However, not many would recognize the stone because granite and marble stones, for some unknown reason, are even rarer than ether crystals in this world.


    "May I know the reason for your visit?" asked Mark, hoping for good news.


    And just as he wished, Zheng Ha brought a piece of great news, "all the items you have asked for have been procured and are on their way to the Imperial City. As for Brother Zhu, he came from the Lunaris City of the Western Moon Kingdom."


    "Western Moon?" Mark looked at him.


    Shang Jiao, who was on her way to report to her brother, stopped in her tracks, "Hmm?"

 Chapter 190 An Invitation From Western Moon Kingdom

    "Let me introduce myself properly." Zhu Jianhong didn''t hide anything and waspletely out with his intentions. "I''m Zhu Jianhong, Prime Minister of the Western Moon kingdom and special advisor to King Shen Niu. I came here on the orders of his majesty."


    He then handed him a scroll while briefing the entire contents of the letter in one sentence, "Our King invites you to a lunch and also discuss the matters, like for example, opening a weapon store like this at the Lunaris City."


    "Your King wants me to open a new store there?" Mark never expected to receive an offer from the neighboring independent kingdom this quick. After all, it hasn''t been long since he even came to this city and there are so many things that are iplete.


    After thinking briefly, Mark rejected it, "I''m sorry to disappoint you but there are already pending orders and we are barely keeping up with the demand. My manufacturer won''t be able to supply weapons for a new store."


    Mark''s reply naturally disappointed the envoy from the Western Moon. However, he didn''t give up because of the importance ced by his King.


    "I heard that you were being restricted by the Imperial Pce to not sell weapons to the Kunyu bandits.


    Several noble ns formed enmity with you. Because of the presence of a Beast Emperor, the Church of Nuwa will stand against you.


    The Emperor had made your firearms official but the southern army is still hesitant to cooperate with you.


    Even thends you were grantede with several restrictions." Zhu Jianhong listed one after another, revealing every medium or high-level secret that couldn''t have known him very easily.


    "How about shifting your store to our kingdom if it is difficult to open a new store, then? You won''tck any customers in our kingdom too. In fact, our citizens were more prosperous.


    Moreover, our kingdom ispletely neutral. So, you can make business with Phoenix Empire as well as Leon Empire simultaneously." After pointing out the faults of the Phoenix Empire, he then spoke out about the advantages of their kingdom.


    In fact, this isn''t easy for him. After all, he came to the Imperial City as an envoy to discuss important matters with the Emperor while just giving an invitation to Mark but here, he was talking about splitting the alliance between Genesis store and the Imperial Pce.


    If not for spies who constantly sent them the information of every important activity happening in the Phoenix Empire, where the center of those events happened to be Mark, he wouldn''t have probably made such a bold move.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t know that the princess of the Phoenix Empire would be standing there and listening to his words.


    Shang Jiao wished to go out and beat up this guy who is trying to insult her father by making such remarks but she barely managed to control herself as she was curious about her brother''s opinion.


    Whatever his reply is, Shang Jiao had decided to teach this middle-aged guy a lesson, although not at the store.


    Thankfully for her, Mark didn''t disappoint her either. He replied to the prime minister of Western Moon in a straight tone, "It looks like you misunderstood something. If I were to look at things like freedom or rich customers, I would have gone to the Empire of Qilin and set up my store over there. I choose this city because I was born here. In the future, when I will no longer have any positive feelings left here, I will naturally leave.


    But then again, since your kingdom expressed interest in firearms, I''ll open the branch at Lunaris when the manufacturing facility waspletely built at the Kunyu mountain range and the production rate increases by several times.


    For that to happen, you might have to wait for atleast a year or maybe more, who knows¡­


    Until then, you can ce a mass order here in advance, and then, resell them at your kingdom at whatever price you want to."<sub> </sub>


    "Well, I will ry the message to our King." Zhu Jianhong found disappointed for sure as he failed in his mission. However, he doesn''t want to return with empty hands too. So, he asked Mark whether he has any problem with epting the lunch invitation.


    When Mark replied that he can make the time, Zhu Jianhong nodded and forced out a smile, "We await your presence at Lunaris City. Please do keep that letter for the entry."


    Soon, both of them left the store and Shang Jiao slowly came out in the open along with Chang Bo.


    Mark spotted her from the corner of her eyes. He didn''t look at her and just asked, "How much did you listen?"


    "Everything, I guess." She replied.


    "Then you must have been disappointed," said Mark while taking his seat.


    "Why?" Shang Jiao was a little bit confused. Was he thinking that she wants him out of the Imperial City or something?


    Mark then gave her a surprise with a little reminder, "I heard from your friend that the Ji n sent a marriage proposal for Western Moon for their eldest heir. Ji Cheng might have said that he is willing to forget the matter of Guanli''s abduction but I knew that the major nobles never learned their lesson until they werepletely destroyed.


    If the Western Moon kingdom knows so much about me, then, they would have already learned about this incident.


    Despite that, if they are inviting me for a lunch, then, that would only mean that the marriage proposal would be rejected."


    Even though Mark had given a lengthy exnation, Shang Jiao didn''t understand what this matter has to do with her being disappointed. It''s not like she had any friendship with Ji n or Ji Mingyu.


    She only cares about Ji Cheng and Ji Guanli because she had been close with them for more than a decade.


    When said the same to Mark, thetter decided to reveal an important thing to see how she would react, "When he was a hostage, Ji Guanli admitted that he is the future son-inw of the Emperor. In such a case, you will be the future daughter-inw of the Ji n. Their family problems should be yours, right?"


    "Eh?" Shang Jiao was stunned for a moment. "What nonsense is that?"


    Mark looked at her in silence and blinked twice, acting as if he was surprised by her reply, "you weren''t engaged?"


    "Of course, we weren''t. Why would I be his fianc¨¦e? He is my childhood friend." Shang Jiao snorted in response, disying that she doesn''t have any feelings for the scion of the Ji n.


    Mark didn''t know why but he was happy that his sister and Ji Guanli are just friends. He cannot acknowledge the brat who ns to use her and gain the position of Prince Consort.


    Wait a second¡­ Why does it matter who Shang Jiao likes or dislikes? For him, she should be nothing more than the daughter of the Emperor. Yes, he only has one real brother, and that one is living somewhere in another world or maybe, another universe.


    Calming down himself, Mark thenmented, "I guess he was probably trying to scare me to save himself with such a lie. But then again, no one will be surprised if Ji n will send a marriage proposal for you. If they can send it to Western Moon kingdom for their eldest heir, then, they can send it to the Imperial Pce for their youngest heir."

 Chapter 191 Song Yue Is Going To Marry Into Ji Clan?

    Mark''s words disturbed Shang Jiao a little bit, actually, quite a lot because she had never imagined Ji Guanli in that way.


    However, she had been friends with Ji Guanli for more than a decade and treats him just like her own sibling too. On the other hand, she had only found out that Mark was her real brother, just a day ago.


    In the end, the decade-old friendship won over her immediate thoughts and she assumed that her brother was probably trying to draw a wedge between her and her friend because of his enmity with Ji n.


    But, at the same time, she cannot refute his words as well. In the end, she decided to confirm herself with her friend directly and also give him rity on her opinion in case he misunderstood her supporting actions for love.


    An hour passed away. Maybe, today isn''t a good day for Mark, or maybe, it''s because people are feared due to Mark''s freezing the customer on the earlier day. Whatever the reason, his business wasn''t going well from the morning. Only three customers had visited during the past four hours.


    Not being interested to work on creating bullets and other weapons, Mark leisurely curled himself up on the chair and basked in the warm sunlight. The little kitten is also enjoying his presence while sleeping on hisp. As for the manticore, it wasn''t interested to move from its chamber. So, Mark left it as it is.


    As Alina busied herself toplete Journey to the West novel, Shang Jiao was left with two choices. One is to join her brother and the other is to stay behind and chat with Chang Bo.


    Unlike Mark, Shang Jiao was a pure ice mage. She is ufortable to heat in general. And because of her constitution, during hot temperatures, she would sweat a lot whenpared to others.


    With the temperatures outside reaching 35, she was morefortable inside the store where a temperature of 18 degrees is maintained constantly by some unknown magic.


    As a result, she opted for the second choice and sat nearby the reception. Chang Bo also took a seat nearby at her behest.


    "So, how did you end up here? It looked like Owner Lu looks after you very much. Were you acquainted in the past?" She initiated the conversation to know more about her brother as it was a little embarrassing to talk to him about personal matters, right at the moment.


    "No, it''s not like that at all, Your Highness. I met him for the first time when¡­"


    She patiently listened to his story but she still didn''t understand why Mark was generous to him. Even if she''s a princess, she knows the value of money. 6 gold coins per day is not by means a normal sry for someone who was working in a weapon store.


    Inparison, even the maids serving the Emperor wouldn''t earn that much amount.


    Did her brother see something in him? Or maybe, her brother knows Chang Bo''s parents and is secretly helping him this way? Shang Jiao formed several theories in her mind.


    As a result, she slightly developed curiosity. She started asking personal questions like where he was from. What was he doing before he joined the guild? And how does Mark treat him and the other two, etc¡­


    While Shang Jiao is in the middle of soft interrogation, Allen returned to the store but he wasn''t alone. Lin Xue was with him.


    ? Mark got up from the chair as he saw Lin Xue''s worried expression.


    "It''s been a while, Lady Lin," Mark greeted her first as a formality and then asked right away without even inviting her into the store, "What brings you to my store?"


    Earlier, the system sent him a notification, regarding a message sent by Allen. ording to the message, Lin Xue intends to ask him for some help but he didn''t know what it is.


    But, Mark cannot say it to her. So, he acted as if he doesn''t know anything. As it appears to be an urgent situation, he asked right away.<sub> </sub>


    To which, Lin Xue replied, "I need you to help out my friend, Song Yue."


    "Lady Song?" Mark furrowed her brows. "What happened?"


    "Uncle Song, I mean, Minister Song had arranged her marriage to Ji n''s eldest heir, Ji Mingyu." Lin Xue exined the matter.


    "Eh?" Mark waspletely taken aback by surprise. Just a while ago, he was talking to his sister about the Ji n''s marriage proposal strategies and now, it looked like they made their move, confirming his suspicion that Western Moon had rejected the proposal.


    He felt a little bit bad for that young woman but there isn''t much he can do about this issue.


    After thinking for a bit, he asked her, "does Lady Lin is interested in Ji Mingyu or have anything against him?"


    "Eh?" This time, it was her turn to be surprised. She also realized that Mark had misunderstood. So, she exined to him in detail, "No, I have never met him in my life. It''s just that Song Yue was against this but Minister Song was forcefully marrying her to him to forge ties with the Ji n and strengthen the position of the Song n.


    I went to her house and found out that she was under house arrest until her marriage.


    I want to approach the Imperial Pce but my father had strictly instructed me to not be involved in this because he doesn''t want to disturb the rtions between our ns."


    Mark doesn''t know what to reply to her and just stared at her in silence.


    Thest time she visited the store, Mark indeed acted cold towards her. Adding on top of that, Lin Xue never had a good impression of Mark. She grew as the heiress of the Lin n, and from her birth, she observed that everyone around her would act good and nice toward her.


    It made her have negative feelings towards those who put up fake expressions. Naturally, she came to dislike Mark, keeping him in the same ss as others because he constantly puts fake smiles in front of everyone and is quite greedy towards money.


    As Allen never bothered to impress her, Lin Xue had a good opinion of him. Unfortunately for her, Allen doesn''t have free will and needs Mark''s permission.


    So, in the end, she had forgotten all of that and came here in the hope of asking Mark''s help because she believed that only he and Allen could help her at the moment.


    However, she knew that Mark is money-minded but might not take money directly. So, she put forth a proposal when she saw his silence. "Help me out with this situation and I will even buy 20,000 gold coins worth of weapons. I don''t have that many gold coins with me right now but I was willing to give high-quality ether crystals instead."


    High-quality ether crystals are indeed very precious and even Mark didn''t have the guts to reject them.


    But, he should also take the consequences into consideration. Any wrong step, he might face irreversible losses. Not to mention, there was no indication of a quest as he expected it to be. What if it turns out to be a trap, instead? Mark couldn''t help but even suspect her intentions after thinking for a while.


    But then, as an image of a crying Song Yue popped up in his head, he suddenly felt bad for her.


    In the end, he asked, "What kind of help are you expecting from me?"

 Chapter 192 You Do As You Wish And I Will Handle It My Own Way

    "The marriage is going to be held in 3 days and I don''t have any n. If we can''t stop the marriage by any means, then, as ast resort, we will have to help Song Yue in escaping her house and hide her somewhere safe.


    In such a case, your house is probably the safest one. I heard that a beast king of the legendary realm is staying at your store. Not even the Supreme Commander would dare to intrude without your permission.


    In the meantime, I will send a letter to her great grandfather who is currently living in the countryside. Neither Minister Song nor Supreme Commander Bai can disobey him. Everything would be fine, then."


    Lin Xue tried her best to convince him by indirectly stating that this task has low risk but high rewards when considering all the offers.


    When Mark thought about it, he too felt the same way. It''s not like he needs to raid the house of Song Yun and kill someone.


    However, he also knew that he cannot blindly ept it and fall into a trap, in case the Lin n is cooking up a conspiracy. The Emperor has a good impression of him and he needs to take advantage of this to make the army depend on his weapons too much.


    When they realize that they can no longer afford the weapons, he nned to offer EMI (equated monthly installment) to the army so that they procure more weapons from the store.


    First, he will drown the Imperial Pce in debt, and then, he will eventually rece his father with a puppet emperor.


    ? This is what he decided after the Emperor fulfilled his demands and the firearms were being acknowledged as official weapons in the Phoenix Empire.


    As things can go south midway at any time, Mark felt the need to keep a backup n, which is to start a civil war and cause unrest all over the Empire.


    As he didn''t want to go on rampages as he did with Song n and Sui n in the past, Mark thought of confirming the truth.


    "Okay, I''ll see what I can do." He didn''t give his word that he''ll help her as he wasn''t sure what he was dealing with. Recklessly going on a massacre doesn''t need scouting but if he wants to abduct her without taking a single life so that it seemed like she escaped on her own, he needs to be careful.


    "I understand." A clear disappointment was visible on Lin Xue. She came here with a lot of expectations, believing that Mark would ept this task for the sake of money and also betting on his enmity with Song n and Ji n.


    Maybe, he was no longer interested in money because he was earning moretely? Or maybe, he lost interest since she said she wouldpensate with ether crystals? If that''s the case, should she raise the amount?


    She thought about it but in the end, she threw away the thought of increasing the offer as it would directly imply that he was hesitating because of the low offer when there are woman''s rights at stake. Didn''t he argue about the societal issues regarding poor people and women''s rights in the public trial? How can he turn his back on Song Yue, then?


    Then, does that mean this guy was thinking about not offending the ns now that his store became popr and he has something to lose?


    Since it appeared like she may not receive help from Mark, Lin Xue had decided to take it upon herself to risk it.


    She turned around and walked away. Once her horse carriage is out of sight, the princess came out of the store and confronted Mark.<sub> </sub>


    "Are you going to help out Sister Yue?" she asked as he took the seat.


    "I''m really wondering whether you are here to carry out your punishment or spy on me." Mark hit back at her. He was surely not pleased to talk about this matter with her. If he was interested, he would have called out to her when Lin Xue was offering him a deal.


    "It''s not like you are talking in secret and I just don''t want to put you into an embarrassing position while revealing myself when you don''t want me to involve me in this matter," Shang Jiao defended her actions, taking Mark by surprise.


    He didn''t expect that his sister would be able to guess his thoughts urately. It kinda reminded him of the second prince but at the moment, he didn''t want to think of the guy who was dying his order for a while as his mood is already disturbed because of Song Yun''s actions.


    In the end, he let out a sigh, "I have already defeated Song Yun two times now. If we confront each other again, he will die for sure, and no one including Lady Song and your father would appreciate it. It was one thing if I act in self-defense or for revenge but this one is different.


    What you will do if you were in my situation?" He asked in return.


    He thought that his sister would be troubled to answer but it didn''t take a second for her to give her response. "I don''t do things so that people appreciate my actions. I do it because I think it is right. And I have already decided to help out Sister Xue in a way I can."


    "But, thews of the Empire allow the Emperor only to stop the marriage if the bride or the groomes out in the open and speaks against it. And Lady Song is house arrested if her words are to be believed. You n on convincing Song Yun or something?" Mark wanted to know what she ns to do so that he can work around it.


    Shang Jiao shook her head, "no, I never had the intentions to take my father''s help or convince Uncle Song. Thetter will treat me as a child while the former would reject it as he cares more about the welfare of the Empire over justice."


    While she no longer hates Mark after learning the truth, Shang Jiao still had a little bit of resentment against her father for almost cutting off ties with the Ji n when he was supposed to deliver justice for them.


    "Then?" Mark turned curious.


    Shang Jiao let out a smile, "didn''t you hear what Sister Lin just said? Uncle Song will listen to his ancestor."


    "Well, you do as you wish and I will handle it in my own way." Mark wasn''t interested in that option because he doesn''t trust nobles. Where is the guarantee that this so-called ancestor of the Song n will help out Song Yue? Not to mention, old people would usually put the n''s prestige and benefits above the happiness of their children.


    Slowly, time passed away. In the afternoon, a few customers arrived and the looks on them were priceless when they recognized Shang Jiao. None of them understood what was going on with neither of them gave an exact exnation.


    At 5 p.m., Shang Jiao''s shift is over and she took her to leave. However, she didn''t leave for home. Instead, she went to meet Lin Xue to show her support.


    Meanwhile, Mark continued his business as usual. It was only after midnight did he made his move.

 Chapter 193 Alina Infiltrates The Residence Of Song Yun

    The district of Qintou is another affluent neighborhood where mostly the branch family members of several major ns live together in harmony.


    It might not be as luxurious as the district of Qidong where the original Song mansion is located, but is nevertheless, a great ce to live in.


    Here, Song Yun used to have a guest house but now, it became his residence while the construction of his original mansion is taking ce. It only took a few minutes for Mark to raze it to the ground but rebuilding will take months.


    Until then, he had no choice but to live here as he doesn''t want to buy a mansion in the Qidong district and humiliate himself.


    Just like the past couple of weeks, the residence was heavily guarded by the upgraded security. There are about 30 guards with the weakest in the 4-circle realm. Three of them were even in the six-circle realm. Of those three, the new security head is at the peak stage.


    However, none of this mattered to Alina as she easily infiltrated the residence with the help of Sun and Moon Brooch.


    Because it is midnight and the moon is only showing 1/13th of its true size, all Alina needs to do is to avoid the firemps on the corridors and fire torches on the wall.


    Still, there were two challenges to her. First is that she doesn''t know where Song Yue is staying. And the second is that Song Yun is a 7-circle realm expert. He could sense her presence.


    Now the only thing she''s betting on is that he isn''t awake.


    Fortunately for her, luck is on her side. She went past the guards, climbed up to the balcony, and entered the house but no one has yet to get alert.


    The house had about nine rooms in total, 5 on the first floor and four on the ground floor.


    She first scanned the floor she was on and found out that there were only four spirit warriors who are sleeping inside the house. One of them is a 7-circle realm expert, another is a 5-circle realm expert, the third one is in the 1-circle realm, and thest one is a 2-circle realm expert.


    There are a fewdies who are sleeping on the first floor but all of them are civilians, indicating that they are maids.


    With the lone 7-circle realm expert on the ground floor, Alina felt that mission is going to be easy.


    "Hmm, this one-circle must be his wife, considering they are on the same bed. And that 5-circle, sleeping alone on the ground floor, must be the steward or some servant." Alina assumed that her target is alone right at the moment.


    Through Mark, she had learned that Song Yue is a 1-circle realm Spirit Warrior but on the first floor, she sensed a person in the 2-circle realm. If not for the novels that taught her themon knowledge regarding various rtionships, she would have thought Song Yue was on the ground floor with her father.


    Alina reached the door where she assumed Song Yue was sleeping. Naturally, it was locked from the inside.


    At first, she thought of destroying the door but that will wake up others.


    Even if she only depends on the Protos energy generated from her Protos Daggers and silently destroys the door, she will leave behind a piece of evidence.


    As she doesn''t know how to unlock the door and she can''t knock on the door, she tried on the second method.


    Alina closed her eyes and scanned the room once again. Within a second, she nodded with a smile, "it looks like there''s an opening."


    She walked back to the balcony and climbed onto the roof. Indeed, she was created to be an assassin.


    She was swift at climbing onto the roof and reached the other side of the house and yet, not even a tap of sound was generated from the tiles that spread all over the roof.


    The other side didn''t have any balcony but the window appeared to be kept open. Did Song Yue forget about closing it or did she keep it open for air because it is too hot inside the room?


    Normally, one would cut off that assumption because all the nobles and wealthy people install ceiling fans in their houses. Of course, because electricity has been invented roughly a decade ago and the electric fans were invented only five years ago, the bill can''t be afforded by amon man.<sub> </sub>


    However, Alina has a bit lessmon sense whenpared to an average human if one excludes fighting skills. Whatever she learns, it is from novels, or through personal experience.


    As a result, she assumed that it is because Song Yue wanted air. She didn''t dwell on it too much and directly managed to jump from the edge of the roof into the room through the window.


    Shended on the floor and felt the winding from above. Alina realized that she misunderstood but then again, what does it matter? Nope, it isn''t something that needed any thinking.


    She shifted her attention towards the bed and saw her sleeping. Through her vision, she saw her appearance.


    Song Yue looked a lot thinner than when she saw herst time. However, Alina is a battle Android and she doesn''t have any empathy for humans. The only thing that matters to her now is thepletion of her mission.


    She summoned one of the Protos Daggers and walked towards the bed. Upon reaching the target, she tightly pressed her palm against Song Yue''s lips.


    Song Yue woke up from her sleep because of the sudden attack.


    "Umpf¡­" She tried to make a sound and moved but Alina put the dagger at her throat and spoke in a low tone, "Shhh, don''t make a sound, or else, you will not be able to make sound permanently. I only have a few questions."


    In an instant, Song Yue''s eyes were filled with tears. She was extremely afraid as she doesn''t even know who is beside her bed and what this person wanted. However, she tried her best to calm down because abductions aren''t new to her. Since this person imed that she is only for some information, she decided to cooperate.


    And since the voice belonged to a female, Song Yue was more relieved that atleast, her body won''t get vited and she will keep her chastity.


    It was then, Alina said, "Shook your head sideways for no and nod for yes. Understood?"


    Song Yue nodded.


    Alina started asking the questions. "Was your marriage fixed with Ji Mingyu?"


    Song Yue nodded.


    Alina proceeded with the next question. "Are you against the marriage?"


    *Nod* Song Yue gave a nod to that as well.


    Alina continued.


    "Do you wish to stop this marriage?"


    *Nod*


    "If the marriage can''t be stopped and an opportunity arrives before you, will you be willing to run away from the home?"


    The third question made Song Yue wonder about the intentions of thisdy. Does the person, behind thisdy, wants to humiliate her father or something? Maybe, thisdy''s boss is an enemy of the Ji n? Or maybe thisdy would abduct her and made it seem like she ran away? But, why does that matter when she was going to be sacrificed for her father''s ambitions?


    As Song Yue was busy in her thoughts, Alina asked her, "I''m waiting for your answer."


    In the end, Song Yue nodded.


    Then, Alina finally freed her mouth and said, "I apologize for my actions as I have to fulfill my mission. My name is Alina Spencer and I''m on the orders from my master. You know him by the name, Lu Zhen. If you wish to escape, I will take you to our home, right away, without making any fuss."

 Chapter 194 Successfully Escaping The House

    "Uhhh, what are you doing?" Song Yue looked a bit afraid as Alina was carrying her and stood in front of the window. Alina''s eyes were fixed on the street that is visible through the window.


    Through her ''Short Teleportation,'' Alina could not only teleport anywhere in 100-meter surroundings but she could also bring a person with her.


    However, there are risks here.


    First, this teleportation would only work in an open area. That means she cannot teleport through walls or any physical objects. And the second, the person with who she was teleporting along must have a tough physical body to endure it. Or else, they will face side effects like headache, vomiting, etc¡­


    Unfortunately for Song Yue, she doesn''t know about all of these, and Alina didn''t feel the need to exin these, because, in her view, this wasmon sense.


    As Alina still has yet to choose thending spot, Song Yue asked her again, "how we are going to escape from these guards?"


    Alina put her thoughts aside and replied, "The n is simple. First, I''m going to throw you outside the window."


    "Eh?" Song Yue looked at her in shock. Then, she got down from Alina''s arms and look down at the ground through the window. She was terrified, "Ehhhh! Umpfff"


    Alina hurriedly closed her mouth, "be silent. Or else, people would find out."


    As she slowly removed the hand, Song Yue scolded her right away, "are you here to get me out, or are you nning to break my bones to postpone my marriage?"


    "The second option is indeed a good idea but my master wants to finish this mission with no one getting harmed in the process," replied Alina while carrying her once again without caring what this heiress of the Song n is thinking. She continued, "After throwing you out, I will catch you in mid-air and then, both of us will teleport outside of thepound. From there, we fly away."


    Song Yue suddenly got down once again, "No way. I won''t jump out of the window. What if you fail to catch me? Even if I risk it, I will probably scream and alert everyone."


    "Hmm, now that I think about it, you are right." Alina realized that she didn''t take some of the things into consideration. She felt like it is really troublesome to cooperate with weaklings.


    After thinking briefly, Alina took a risky route.


    She opened the door and both of them slowly tip-toed across the corridor, trying their best to not make any sound.


    They slowly made their way to the kitchen on the same floor. Alina was a little bit confused. She didn''t understand why the target took her to this ce, which only has small venttion and a window that is just as big as the one in the bedroom.


    Song Yue then took the fire torch from the wall outside the kitchen and stretched her arm. Of course, she made sure to stand at the entrance while doing that she doesn''t know where the gas oven and gas cylinder are ced. A mishap could ur if she were to be careless.


    Alina raised her head and saw a door-like thing on the ceiling.


    "Did you see it?" asked Song Yue and then said, "The door leads to the attic. From there, we can go to the roof. You were just looking for an open area to teleport, right?"


    Alina nodded and told her to put away the fire torch because the entrance to the attic lies right on top of a bunch of gas cylinders.


    As she can see through the darkness, Alina easily walked forward. She gave a piggyback ride to Song Yue so as to make sure she doesn''t collide with vessels and make some sound.


    They reached the cylinders section and Alina spoke, "grip me tight and don''t scream. I''m going to jump high."


    "Alright," Song Yue tightened her grip and concentrated on not making any sound.


    With just a simple jump, Alina reached the entrance door and grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door. Dust fell on top of their heads but Alina didn''t mind such a thing and Song Yue tried her best to keep quiet.


    While the door opened, Alina managed tond on the floor and jumped once again.<sub> </sub>


    Both of them reached the attic and Song Yue closed the door after she got down. The attic was as big as three rooms but it was poorly maintained. The dust was everywhere, there was old rustic armor ced in a corner, but the biggest one is the rotten stench that filled the attic. Maybe, it is from an animal that was stuck here, or maybe, Song n killed some important witness and hid his/her corpse.


    But, whatever it is, neither of them wants to know the source of the stench. They were just focused on leaving the ce.


    Song Yue felt an urge to vomit but she tightly covered her nose with her veil and tried to manage the breathing through her mouth.


    Then, she walked to the window that is asrge as a door. She opened it and a gust of air hit her face, forcing her to step back.


    Alina then carried her once again as she stepped outside and then, scanned the surroundings. This time, there were no obstructions in her vision. She took a leap andnded on the top of the roof. She only stayed there for a split second before using Short Teleportation.


    Both of them appeared on the edge of the street, nearly 70 meters away from Song Yun''s residence.


    Fortunately, there was enough space on the streets and the patrolling soldiers were a bit far away. However, there weremp posts everywhere. It is difficult for neither of them to hide their identities if anyone spots them.


    So, Alina quickly summoned the attack helicopter from Mark''s inventory and hurried Song Yue to get inside.


    As soon as she took the pilot seat, Alina pressed the ck-colored button, unleashing the skill of the helicopter, Stealth.


    The skill of Stealth turns the Attack Helicopter turn invisible to escape the senses of every one of the 7-circle realm and under. It consumes 1% of Mark''s ether energy per second but the effect will be gone once the helicopter will be engaged in battle.


    With 100 seconds in hand, Alina coolly pilot the helicopter andnded it on the roof of the weapon store before the time is even up.


    It was then, that another small hurdle arrived before them. There are two guards standing at the entrance of the training ground. So, they cannot go through outside.


    Thankfully, Mark had already taken that into consideration. He went downstairs and opened the window on the backside. It is never opened because of the chicken center located behind the store. Along with the unpleasant stench, there was always this sound made by roosters and hens, which is very irritating to the ears.


    But now that the situation is demanding, he opened the window. He helped Song Yue tond in the store. Alina got inside herself and closed down the window.


    For a while, Song Yue took deep breaths while speaking, "I never thought I would run away from my house like this. I should really thank you and Alina for helping me out. If not for you, I would really¡­"


    Mark handed her a ceramic-made water bottle, "we can talk tomorrow. Lady Song, first drink some water and have a good sleep. Alina will take you to your room."


    Song Yue nodded with a smile.


    Soon, Mark returned to his room and sit on his bed. Until now, he had watched how Alina infiltrated the residence of Song Yun and how she got his daughter out of there.


    So, he indeed knew how luck yed the part, helping out Alina to finish this mission sessfully. "*Sigh* I guess Alina indeed works hard. I should buy her a new set of books, tomorrow. Lu Zhen is indeed a mysterious fellow."


    As hey down on the bed to sleep, thetest memory of Song Yue thanking him with a smile appeared in his head. Unknowingly, a genuine smile appeared on his face. "All well that''s end well."


    Meanwhile, in the other simr-looking room, Song Yue was looking around in awe, "this looks even grander than my room back at our previous home."


    Alina gave her a set of clothes so that she could change into them after having a shower. As she was a bit shorter and very thin at the moment, the clothes were a bit ufortable to wear but she had no choice for now.


    She tooy on the bed and closed her eyes. However, she didn''t get sleep, probably because it is the first time she was sleeping in a stranger''s house.


    In the end, she fell into thoughts, "But then again, Lu Zhen indeedes to help when I''m in need of it."

 Chapter 195 Birth Of A New Emotion In Alina

    The next day morning, at the residence of Song Yun, the security guards were kneeling on the ground while the head of the Song n was walking left and right.


    He was barely controlling his rage to kill them.


    "Tell me, who is the one that assisted my daughter to escape?" His gaze was sharp and ayer of ether energy covered him. Meanwhile, there was a paper in his hand. Something was written on it.


    It is the letter Song Yue had written with her own hands, leaving behind it on the bed before she left with Alina. It was done so that her father doesn''t misunderstand that someone abducted her.


    The contents of the letter were quite simple. She wrote that she doesn''t like this marriage and she doesn''t have the strength to oppose her father. That''s why she was running away from the house.


    If it was the previous Song Yun, he would have thought about how she was doing all alone and felt sad but he seems to have changed ever since he faced defeat by Mark and humiliated himself in public. He became stern with her and started having too many meetings with other n heads to improve Song n''s strength.


    Now, along with disappointment, he was also angry at his only daughter who not only went against his decision but also harmed the reputation of the Song n. No matter what, he can''t let the news get out as it will give birth to several rumors. And at the same time, he needed to find her and bring her back home in three days.


    This is one of the reasons he was trying his rage as these elite guards were also the pride of the Song n. Killing them is the same as reducing the n''s strength but of course, disciplining is necessary.


    Song Yun felt like the current situation isn''t favorable for him. So, he didn''t punish them. Rather, he outrightly announced to everyone that he will even forgive them if theye forward and admit the truth.


    Unfortunately, none of the guards have any idea. So, everyone denied speaking. And this caused him to change his decision slightly as an idea popped up in his head.


    In the end, Song Yun just took a deep breath and pointed at a 5-circle realm expert, "you, over there, get up."


    "Me?" The middle-aged fellow, who is a member of the branch family, was surprised and immediately kowtowed instead of getting up on his feet. "Please show mercy, Milord. I swear on the heavens. I really don''t know how the young miss had escaped."


    "Just get the hell up ande forward. I have a job for you." Song Yun appeared annoyed as he said that.


    The guard thought that he wasn''t going to be punished and he got up before walking forward.


    "Stand on the side." Song Yun then continued to pick the people one after another.


    About 8 of them, of which three are in 5-circle and five are in 4-circle, gathered at a spot.


    Song Yun then looked at the security head that was also kneeling along with the others, "Cousin Tai, you have disappointed me the most since you were even sleeping."


    "I apologize, Lord Yun. I was careless." The peak-6-circle expert bowed in shame.


    Song Yun waved his hand, "forget it. Now, please do one thing for me."


    Song Tai looked at his distant cousin.


    Song Yun then said, "Beat up all of them but none of them should die or go into a deep unconscious state. Are you capable of that?"


    "Eh?" The eight guards and Song Tai were also surprised by Song Yun.


    As the guards begged for mercy, Song Tai mercilessly beat them up to appease his cousin.


    Looking coldly at the guards on the ground, Song Yun then said, "Now, the eight of you, remember this clearly. An unidentified abducted my daughter when she was sleeping and you eight were stationed on the first floor. You tried to stop him but got beaten up. Before Song Tai and others get to the spot, they disappeared by using some treasure.


    You will tell the same to his majesty. And if I hear any unpleasant rumor, which traces back to any of you, the culprit will be expected to be thrown into the abyss."


    Everyone shivered in fear and nodded repeatedly.<sub> </sub>


    Very soon, he set out to the Imperial Pce to meet the Emperor to tell the story of her abduction in order to cover up her voluntary escape. He even forced one of his cooks to write a threatening letter that demands his resignation, annulment of the marriage alliance, and 500 thousand gold coins.


    Of course, he won''t hand it to Imperial Pce but only show it to the Emperor and ask him to lend troops to search for his daughter.


    As for the suspects, his enemies will be included like his cousin Song Chang and other elders, Xu Sect, Nie n, Zhang n, and finally, Lu Zhen as all of these have the motive to not let Song n ally with Ji n.


    What happens when it proved to be false?


    Well, the cook, who wrote the letter, will take the me and go to prison while his family will be handed enough gold coins to live happily for the rest of his life in some town that is far away from the Imperial City.


    As for the real matter, Song Yun suspected that Lin Xue might have helped out his daughter to escape. Can Lin n be also involved in this? What if his daughter was taking shelter in Lin Wuying''s Mansion?


    So, he decided to activate his spies who were working in his friend''s mansion to find out the truth.


    While the news of Song Yue''s abduction spread all over the Imperial City with the soldiers deployed to check everywhere, inside the Genesis Store, Mark and Song Yue were sitting face to face at the dining table as Alina served the breakfast. It was based on Mark''s recipe but perfected by Alina.


    One of those dishes was even made by Mark specifically to serve the beauty. But why? To impress her? To show off his cooking skill? Was he trying to show his hospitality to the first guest who slept in his residence? Maybe, he was just in the mood to cook. The reason can be anything and Mark didn''t think much about it and just got into the action.


    Song Yue had a look of confusion on her face as she stared at the tes on the table. She was familiar with any dish. She wasn''t even familiar with the utensil in his hand. It looked like some pitchfork, which was used by farmers to lift hay.


    "This is called potato pancake." "This is called farmer''s breakfast." "This is potato omelet" "This is Bircher Muesli. It''s very good with honey or milk." "This is semolina pudding. It''s sweet. So, it''s better to eat it at the end."


    As Song Yue was staring at the unfamiliar dishes, Mark demonstrated to her how to eat with the fork, which was actually created by an assistant robot using stainless steel at his factory.


    "If you are ufortable with these dishes, please don''t hesitate to say what you want to eat. We have enough ingredients and Alina will cook it for you." Mark added as an afterthought in case she was craving meat dishes or something familiar.


    Song Yue hurriedly waved her hand, "Ah, it''s alright. I was just surprised to see such breakfast. It looks like everything about you is unique, Owner Lu. It feels as if I''m in a different world."


    "Is that apliment?" Mark asked her.


    As Song Yue nodded with a smile, Mark urged her to taste each dish and tell the one that she likes the most.


    She followed Mark''s instructions on how to use abination of the fork and knife to try each dish lightly. She pointed to the small bowl with the pudding. "I like this the best."


    "Ah, is that so?" Mark couldn''t hide his smile upon hearing it.


    "What happened?" Song Yue asked him. Mark controlled his expression and looked away, "nothing."


    Alina thenmented, "Semolina pudding was cooked by Big Brother."


    "Ah, really?" Song Yue looked at him in surprise.


    "It isn''t much." Mark cleared his throat and just filled his mouth with the pancake.


    As she started eating and even praising the taste, Mark felt a little bit happy to eat with another living being. It''s been a while since he hadst done that.


    Meanwhile, Alina, who also joined them on her master''s order, watched the two of them. Suddenly, she felt a strange emotion. She felt as if it would be great if she was in the guest''s position and Mark would act the same way with her.


    What is this feeling? She wondered.

 Chapter 196 Inviting Lin Xue And Shang Jiao For Lunch

    Just like every day, at 8 a.m., Allen had visited the Lin Mansion, although this time, it wasn''t for a sparring session.


    Usually, he would be allowed to get in but today, he was stopped by one of the guards, stating that the young miss is currently busy.


    Allen was a little bit surprised and enquired with them.


    The gatekeeper named Wan Fa was acquainted with Allen, and he knew the rtionship between him and the heiress. So, he didn''t dare to ignore him and replied in rather a polite tone, "Master Allen, earlier, a while ago, the princess had stopped by and both of them were busy with sparring. So, it might take a while. Should I go and inform the young miss?"


    Allen nodded, "please do so. I cannot afford to spend time waiting. My master doesn''t like it."


    "Alright," The guard also knew that this master he was talking about is the mysterious owner of Genesis, the Cerberus yer, and the hater of nobles. Even if it appears like Allen is bragging about his background which he doesn''t, the guard didn''t mind his tone and went into the residence to inform them.


    Roughly, after a minute, he returned and informed him that he can go. The gates were opened and Allen stepped in.


    Soon, he reached the training ground where both of them appeared to be waiting for him as they stopped their spar.


    "Greetings, Sister Xue" "Greetings, Your Highness"


    He greeted them with a bow while cupping his fists, following the etiquette of a martial artist. It was actually taught to him by none other than Lin Xue.


    "What brings you here, Brother Allen? I told you that today''s sparring session is canceled, right?" Lin Xue asked him in curiosity.


    "I''m here with a message sent by my master," Allen replied to her before he nced at the princess and said, "I was supposed to visit the Imperial Pce to give a message to her Highness too but since you were here already, I will pass the message and return."


    "What is it?" asked the princess.


    "First, to Sister Xue." Allen shifted his attention to Lin Xue and said, "My master invites you to our home for lunch."


    "Eh? Lunch?" Lin Xue was a little bit taken aback by Mark''s lunch invitation. But, isn''t it inappropriate to ept it from an unmarried man if the location is his home? Does this mean Lu Zhen is trying to woo her? Since when did he develop an interest in her, anyway?


    If he was, he wouldn''t have rejected the deal proposed by her. Wait for a second, the deal¡­


    For a second, she misunderstood Mark''s intentions but then, something clicked on her mind. First of all, it might not be a one-on-one lunch. Second, Mark seemed like the type to use that time to make some sort of deal.


    Lin Xue then wondered whether he ns to talk about how to save Song Yue.


    After thinking briefly, she nodded, "Alright, I will be there but Princess Jiao will also join me."


    Allen stayed silent for a while, informing Mark about it. After he received a reply, he nodded, "My master says that he epts the condition."


    As Lin Xue was satisfied with his reply, the princess was surprised, "since when did you talk to Mr. Lu? I didn''t see you taking out anymunication talisman."<sub> </sub>


    Lin Xue exined to her right away, "Brother Allen has some sort of telepathic connection with Owner Lu. Maybe, it''s part of their soul contract. I don''t know many details about it but they can converse without the need of external talismans."


    "I see¡­ no wonder," Shang Jiao nced at Allen once again and thought of Alina. She felt like that busty woman also made a soul contract with her brother and became his servant. That is probably why this pair of siblings will never object to Mark''s decision.


    But then again, unlike Lin Xue, she didn''t think it was too much or anything, not because Mark is her brother but it is because she is a member of the Imperial family and even her family has imposed such contracts on some imperial guards to ensure their loyalty.


    However, even in such contracts, it is next to impossible tomunicate telepathically. It was only possible with the beasts. Of course, this was the case with normal people. So, she was curious about how her brother achieved it.


    Just when she was impressed by the advantages brought by telepathicmunication, Allen looked at her and gave her a shocking message.


    "Secondly, my master wanted to remind the princess about her training with Chimera SGM. As she didn''t take permission for absence and failed to attend the appointed time, she has to carry the Chimera SGM and run 20ps around the Genesis training ground without the usage of ether energy. I was ordered to monitor the punishment."


    These words once again hit the princess about the reality that she was currently living in. She remembered Mark''s words and realized that he really meant it when he said he won''t treat her like a princess.


    As a spoiled princess, she grew up being pardoned for most of the mistakes she had done.


    The death of her subordinates isn''t a small thing. So, she was ready to take the responsibility but getting punished for not attending the training?


    Shang Jiao''s face reddened in anger.


    It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t displeased but what can she do? She promised her mother that she''ll put up with Mark and try to get closer to him before telling him the truth.


    Shang Jiao clenched her fist and released it. After doing it a few times, she calmed herself and said, "Alright, I will do it."


    "Are you serious?" As a trace of surprise appeared on Lin Xue as she looked at the teenage princess, Allen continued, "And also, the princess had to attend to her duties as a part-time employee of the store. She had toplete the punishment and start working from 9 o''clock. So, there are only 42 minutes left. Comingte to the work is the same as insubordination and my master warns that there will be an extra punishment if the princess won''t show up to work in time.


    In case the princess isn''t interested to ept the punishment given by her superior, she doesn''t need to learn anything or work in the store any longer."


    After passing the respective messages, he didn''t wait any longer and excused himself to return home. After all, he needed to assist Alina to make a variety of dishes for the lunch.


    Once Allen is out of sight, Lin Xue patted her shoulder with a sigh, "Of all the people, you had to work under that demon. Your father has indeed given you a cruel punishment."


    She was usually cold to everyone but as she treated Shang Jiao like her younger sister, she sympathized with her but thetter didn''t take her words kindly.


    Shang Jiao swatted her arm and defended Mark, "It isn''t your business, Sister Xue. So, stop judging my situation with your personal feelings involved in it. Mr. Lu might have shown unrestrained behavior towards the nobles but he is a hundred times better than a person like Uncle Song who is using his own daughter for his political ambitions."


    "Well..." Lin Xue was stumped for a moment.

 Chapter 197 The Retired Leader Of Song Clan

    Shang Jiao continued to defend her brother while ming others, "Look at our own family. My father cannot offend Mr. Lu because he was blinded by the benefits. Your father cannot support Sister Yue who is also like a daughter to him, all because he wants to keep the rtionship with the Song n.


    But, Mr. Lu will go to any lengths for his people without caring about benefits. He leveled down the Sui n mansion because one of those elders insulted that foreigner named Alina.


    I don''t like it because I, my friends, and my family members faced the brunt of his actions but I do admire that quality of his. I wish my father would be the same."


    ? Lin Xue was taken aback by Shang Jiao''s response. She didn''t expect this spoiled princess of all the people would defend a devil-like Lu Zhen. It has only been a day since she started working and she has already switched the sides?


    However, she can''t ept it. Lin Xue immediately argued with the princess without thinking much, "well, he refused to help Song Yue when he is in a clear position to do that. Maybe, he is better than other nobles who disy themselves as righteous in public but he doesn''t possess the quality of Noblesse Oblige and no doubt, a selfish person."


    Shang Jiao doesn''t even know what came over her. Maybe, it''s because she doesn''t want her brother to be seen badly in front of Lin Xue, or maybe, she was just genuine in her opinion.


    She didn''t even hesitate to argue back, "Who isn''t selfish? There are countless daughters suffering the same fate as Sister Yue but aren''t you only helping her because she is your friend? Neither you nor I am an exception. If you are pointing a finger at someone, you should also acknowledge that the remaining four fingers are pointing at you too.


    Moreover, noblesse oblige only applies to the Emperor, the Imperial family¡­ Well, never mind. It isn''t worth arguing here."


    Shang Jiao wanted to defend her brother by pointing out that he was amoner but then, she realized that he actually wasn''t. So, she shut her mouth and ended the argument before changing the topic to Song Yue''s rescue n.


    As Song Yue is important, Lin Xue put aside Mark from her thoughts and told her about various risks in their ns.


    After discussing the matters for a while, Shang Jiao changed the topic once again, "okay, then, shall we get back to the spar? I have yet to see that pure lightning attribute technique of yours."


    Lin Xue nodded, "Alright. There''s also a sword technique that I need to work on. It is currently unfinished. So, I guess I will also put it into practice."


    Soon, both of them resumed their sparring.


    Meanwhile, at Genesis store, Song Yue was staring at the butler robot with curiosity gleaming in herrge Hazel eyes. asionally, she was poking the robot''s metal head and cheeks.


    "Lady Song, do you need anything?" The butler robot, which was trained by Alina, asked her.


    Song Yue didn''t respond to the robot butmented, "I have only heard of high-grade battle puppets, which are capable of human speech, but never saw one."<sub> </sub>


    "It is actually a low-grade one and is only capable of doing menial tasks and that too, after being trained by someone." Mark shrugged his shoulders, clearly undermining its abilities so as to make sure that it won''t attract her attention. He even exaggerated its price as well as its electric power consumption to make it appear like it''s not worth it as it appears on the surface.


    Judging by Song Yue''s crestfallen face, Mark felt like he was sessful in fooling her. He didn''t know that she felt sad for him that he made such a huge loss in buying it and she reminded him that because of her curiosity.


    After a while, Song Yue was seen petting the golden furred kitten as shefortably sat on the floor. There was no air of a noble on her. She looked very humble, at least in Mark''s eyes.


    Even more surprising fact is how the manticore allowed her to pet it.


    To not scare her, Mark didn''t reveal the beast''s real identity and telepathically requested it to behave like a normal beast but that is just special enough to talk in human speech.


    As the heiress of the Song n is only in the 2-circle realm, she doesn''t have the capability to realize which one is a normal beast and which one is a beast king, which one is a 5-circle, and which one is an 8-circle. So, he was confident that she won''t find out.


    But then again, why a person like him was even bothering to care so much for thedy?


    The thought never urred to his head. There wasn''t any other human living with him and so, no one reminded him of that fact either.


    "So, are you sure that your great grandfather will help you?" Mark struck a conversation while casually sitting nearby the manticore.


    "Yes, Great-grandpa will surely help me. Father and uncle Bai don''t even dare to speak before him. Not only that, but he was also revered by Uncle Shang, I mean, Emperor Shang. But then again, he is worthy to be respected. After all, he was one of the greatest leaders of Song n and was known to be very righteous."


    There was a look of excitement on Song Yue''s face as she spoke about her ancestor. Mark grew a little curious.


    "Lady Song, after my experience with the nobles, it is difficult to believe that a n leader who is in politics or in general, a person with high authority can ever be righteous. Can you tell more about your great grandfather?"


    Since he had nothing to do anyway, he asked her about this old man. Not to mention, if he is strong enough to subdue Bai Xun, then, he is someone that needs to be wary of.


    At the same time, the fact that this powerful guy never knocked on his door for revenge even after his descendant went into aa states something about his character. So, Mark felt like he needed to study more about him before cing him as an enemy or someone neutral.

 Chapter 198 Living Together (Part-1)

    With a pleasant smile on her face, she started exining about her great grandfather, or one should say, she was basically bragging about it.


    "Actually, I never met my great-grandpa. I have onlymunicated through letters but I have heard a lot of stories about him since my childhood.


    I don''t know how strong he is now but more than a century ago, he was already the strongest person in the Empire.


    I heard that when he used to serve as the minister, he would constantly fight against the Imperial family and other ns to give justice to the poor and helpless.


    But, his powerful strength and righteousness became the reason for his doom. As the Emperor was forced to respect his opinion and side with him every time, people began to think that the Emperor is a puppet of the Song n.


    To protect the dignity of the Imperial throne, he sacrificed his position and took an oath that he won''t involve in the affairs of the kingdom unless an invasion takes ce.


    The Nie n''s ancestor took advantage of his personality and forced him to take an oath to make sure that the Song n won''t take advantage of his identity.


    Of course, this doesn''t stop from him giving suggestions to my father regarding the n''s internal affairs. But, as he neveres home, my father would visit him from time to time.


    As he can involve in Song n matters, at the very least, I''m sure that he will not let me face any injustice."


    Mark stared at her in silence for a while before he asked, "what if it doesn''t happen as you think? What if your great grandfather doesn''t help you?"


    "In that case, I will have to resign to my fate." Song Yue let out a deep sigh. Mark felt a little bit angry, more like disappointed, for not having any fighting spirit.


    But then again, he could also understand her position. She neither has the strength to go against her family''s decisions nor does her gender allow her to make independent decisions.


    After all, he was someone from the modern era. For him, the current customs followed by everyone are too backward and they leave a sour taste in his mouth.


    While he doesn''t have any interest in transforming society, at the very least, he can''t let his acquaintances suffer such a fate. Not to mention, Song Yue is a level-2 VIP client, although her total purchases aren''t that high.


    Intending to help her, he said with a smile, "If all of your routes are closed, you can stay here as a guest until your problems are solved.


    There''s also the fifth princess who is helping you. The second prince will soon visit the store. I can try to convince him to help you. I think the third prince would also help you, considering he raised a ruckus in the imperial court and drag the Zhang n to the public trial.


    With the support of three imperial children, even the Emperor would be forced to side with you. Or I can just bribe the Imperial family with a promise of providing another attack helicopter and let the court stand behind you.


    As long as you have enough willpower, we can solve the issue one way or another. So, cheer up and be strong."


    His 9 points of charm really worked this time in motivating the heiress of Song n to stay determined in her resistance to her father''s wishes.


    Of course, there''s a major issue here that Mark wasn''t telling her. It is the aftermath.


    Even if Song Yue managed to stop her wedding and go back to her home, can the broken rtionship between her and her family will be mended? Mark felt that it is unlikely.


    He doesn''t know what''s going to happen to her future but since she''s an adult and she made this decision herself, the least he can do is to stand beside her and give support. It is what he had decided before sending Alina to rescue her.


    Slowly, the time passed away.<sub> </sub>


    Allen returned with Shang Jiao and informed Mark that she hadpleted her punishment.


    As Alina was busy with cooking and he intended to stay beside Song Yue until the lunch meeting, the reception on the ground floor was handed to Allen. With Chang Bo and Shang Jiao working together, the store ran the business as usual.


    Noon arrived;


    While the shutter stayed open, there was a board ced on the outside, stating that the store was out of business for the rest of the day.


    Chang Bo was given leave. Because of the sensitivity of the matter, he wasn''t invited for lunch. The teenager never had the thought of getting such an invitation because he was a servant and knows his limits. He was even grateful for earning a high sry. What more does he want¡­ So, he wasn''t disappointed at all as he left the store.


    Soon, the horse carriage with Lin n''s crest arrived at the store. The familiar assassin Yao Ling was at the front in his ck robes and hood. He didn''t get down from the seat and stayed outside while Lin Xue alone walked toward the store.


    Shang Jiao and Allen wee her as the hosts. Since Mark is her brother, the princess never thought of herself as an outsider. In her view, only Lin Xue was the guest.


    So, when Mark came downstairs, she volunteered to wee the heiress of Lin n as the employee of the store. Maybe she was doing this to impress him and escape punishment when sheeste or neglects her training. Or maybe, she wants to get his trust to spy on him. Mark doesn''t know the reason but it doesn''t matter to him at the moment. All of his thoughts were preupied with Song Yue''s problem.


    With Mark waiting upstairs, tasting the dishes in the kitchen, the princess met Lin Xue.


    "So, did you find out why he wants to invite me for the lunch?" Lin Xue asked her.


    Shang Jiao let out a sigh, "nope. I didn''t get the opportunity. From the morning, he only came downstairs for once and returned to assist Mr. Allen''s sister."


    "I see¡­" Lin Xue fell into thoughts for a bit. She wondered whether this guy is looking forward to this lunch. But, why? Were her first thoughts right? Does he want to woo her and get the backing of her n?


    If Mark would have known what she was thinking, he would have rebutted her, telling her that she thinks too highly of herself. After all, he doesn''t have an ounce of interest in this girl who attempted to separate Allen from him.


    "Anyway, let''s go in¡­" The princess started walking. The others followed.


    Meanwhile, Allen sent the message and he received a reply.


    "Sister Xue, Your Highness¡­ my master is inviting the both of you to the residence. Please follow me."


    He then escorted both of them upstairs.


    With the store looking so luxurious, they wondered what his home looked like. Shang Jiao has expectations as she climbed up the staircase.


    Upon reaching the living room, both of them were stunned for a second. Of course, it''s not the paintings and chandeliers hanging from the ceilings that shocked them. It''s the person who was sitting on a sofa while petting a golden furred kitten with a beautiful smile on her face.


    Both of them looked at each other and then, looked at her.


    "Yue Yue¡­" Lin Xue called her, almost not being to control her voice.

 Chapter 199 Living Together (Part-2)

    "What the hell is going on here? Didn''t you tell me the other day that you are house arrested? Did your father allow you toe out? No, that''s not possible. Don''t tell me Owner Lu helped you escape? But, howe there''s no news and¡­"


    As Lin Xue was shocked by the sudden appearance of her best friend, she started asking questions nonstop, contrary to her cold and quiet behavior. It forced the heiress of the Song n to interrupt her in hurry. "Calm down, Xue Xue. Now, take a deep breath, will ya¡­"


    "But, how did this happen?" Lin Xue grabbed Song Yue''s shoulder. It looked as if she was happier than the victim who got free.


    "All thanks to Owner Lu and Ms. Alina. Without even harming a single guard, she managed to bring me out." As Song Yue exined how she escaped in detail, Mark exited the kitchen but didn''t go out and disturb them. He just nted his left, taking the support of the door, and watched them while folding his arms to the chest.


    Perhaps Lin Xue was too involved in listening that she didn''t pay attention to the surroundings and she didn''t know that Mark was there.


    And so, after hearing everything, shemented while nodding, "It looked like my gamble worked. When he didn''t give me a proper answer, I thought that a lot of things like whether I offered too less or maybe, he was afraid of making an enemy out of Song n and Ji¡­"


    Before her words finished, Song Yue hurriedly closed her mouth, "Stop. He''s here. And it isn''t as you imagined."


    Lin Xue''s eyes widened as she turned her head. Meanwhile, Song Yue apologized to him in her ce.


    Mark''s expression didn''t change a bit. He simply waved his hand, "it''s alright. I can afford not to mind if it is a guest that I invited. By the way, there''s something else I need to inform you but it''ll make it awkward if I say it now. So, I''ll talk about itter. You girls can resume your talk. I''ll go and check on the dishes."


    It would be a lie if Mark wasn''t displeased by Lin Xue''s words as he never thought of this as a business deal but considering that she''s a guest, he needs to mind his manners as the host and put aside the matter.


    As he left the ce so as not to make Song Yue feel awkward, she scolded her friend in displeasure. "Can''t you sense the surroundings before running off your mouth like that? Does he already hate the nobles? What would he think of me now? And you are wrong about him too. He wasn''t doing this for money. He doesn''t want the major noble ns to do as they wish without even considering the woman''s rights."


    "It''s his fault for listening to the others'' conversation in secret. Moreover, you didn''t even let me finish my sentence, causing the misunderstanding." Lin Xue replied slowly as if she was the victim here. Suddenly something clicked in her mind and she let out a mischievous smile, "By the way, you seem to be worried about what he is thinking about you, now? Did you progress that much in 12 hours?"


    As Lin Xue tried to tease her friend, Song Yue yfully pped her shoulder, "stop talking nonsense." Shang Jiao tilted her head in confusion. She didn''t understand what they were talking about. When asked them, Lin Xue pinched her cheek, "you are still too young for that."


    Shang Jiao puffed her cheeks, "I''m 15, you know."


    "Exactly." "Exactly." Both of them spoke at the same time andughed out together.


    After a while, Mark returned and informed everyone that the dishes were ready. He put back the sleeping kitten in its room and followed them to the dining room.


    Soon, Alina, Allen, and a butler robot arranged the table with 36 varieties of dishes. However, there were no western-style dishes from Mark''s past life as he doesn''t want to share with them. Only Song Yue is privileged to taste those exotic dishes.


    Instead of normal meat, Alina used the meat of low-grade spirit beasts to improve the taste but then again, it is only of restaurant quality.


    The food quality might not bepared to what the Imperial family or the major noble n members eat on their formal asions but nheless, everyone was impressed with the taste.


    Feeling a little bit embarrassed by the earlier incident, Lin Xue ate silently for a while before Mark opened up the topic, "So, what is your next n, Lady Lin? Send the letter to the Song n''s ancestor?"


    "Ah, actually, we nned to visit him tomorrow and tell him in person." Shang Jiao replied to him instead of Lin Xue.


    As Mark turned towards his sister, she further said, "I nned to tell you, I mean take the permission of leave, in the evening."


    "Well, if you mess it and the wares to my store, then, along with the death of individuals, the extinction of major ns will also be on your heads. If escted to the situation where I had to leave my homnd, then, you two will be partly responsible for the consequences too. Just saying¡­" Mark casually informed her as he calmly picked up a piece of shredded rainbow chicken (2-circle) and chewed it.<sub> </sub>


    For a moment, Lin Xue shivered and stared at Mark''s calm look before ncing at Alina and Allen who are behaving as if the words didn''t disturb them a bit.


    Was he too overconfident or was he too bloodthirsty? She wondered.


    Meanwhile, Shang Jiao was only amazed that her brother is strong enough to utter those words. She believed him. On the other hand, Song Yue was starting to get worried for her father.


    She knew that Song Yun won''t hesitate to go all out if he learns that she was with his enemy. Judging by how her father was defeated two times in a row, she had no doubt that he will lose again. But, she was more worried that he might die as a result.


    He might be hurting her by taking such a decision but he is still her beloved father. She can''t let such a thing befall him or her rtives.


    Then, should she go back to her n and marry the Ji n''s eldest heir?


    That''s not possible. She had already epted her father''s decision once and epted the engagement with Zhang Kong.


    She devoted herself to him and after spending with him for three years, she was ready to spend the rest of her whole life with her fianc¨¦e but in the end, what happened? He had broken her heart. She wasn''t ready to give her heart to someone again even if she gets forcefully married.


    That''s why she didn''t hesitate to leave her house when the opportunity arrived.


    Then, what are her other options? She had to convince Mark to show restraint if he had to battle her family members. If she can''t, then, onlymitting suicide is avable.


    Unfortunately, she doesn''t have the courage to do that, or else, she would have used it to threaten her father to cancel the marriage.


    Then, should she just leave this ce? That way, Mark wouldn''t also have to harm her father.


    <o>,m "Yue¡­ Yue Yue¡­" Lin Xue''s voice disturbed her thoughts, bringing her to reality.</o>


    "Ah, yes." She looked at her friend.


    "Where do you lost in thoughts?" She pointed at Mark with the chopsticks, "Owner Lu is calling you for a while."


    "Nothing," She shook her head with a smile. "I was wondering whether I shoulde with you."


    "Eh?" The three of them looked at her in surprise.


    Looking at everyone''s expressions, Song Yue realized that her statement was quite shocking to them, well, except for Alina and Allen who are just silent and not reacting to anything.


    She thought of a quick exnation and said, "I mean I''m thankful to Owner Lu that he helped me out of this situation but I don''t want to trouble him more. That''s why I''m thinking of tagging along with you two and hiding in some remote town until the things get solved."


    Mark frowned at first, but then, he realized that he cannot take responsibility for her life. She is an adult and she will do what she wants to do with her life and face the consequences too.


    Lin Xue, on the other hand, refused it right away, "No, I can''t leave you in a ce where you will be vulnerable. It''s best if you live here until the things get solved."

 Chapter 200 Heirloom Of Lin Clan

    After convincing Song Yue to stay at the store, for the time being, they continued with their lunch. Not having any topic to talk about, the rest of the lunch waspleted in silence. Lin Xue tried to revive the conversation by asking him about something he was going to tell her. Mark simply replied with ter'' and ended the conversation.


    Once everyone was done with a dessert wine, Alina and Allen went back to the kitchen to wash the dishes, Song Yue stayed behind in the living room along with Lin Xue while Mark went downstairs to transfer the stock from his inventory to the disy ss chambers. Shang Jiao was an employee of the store. So, he dragged her along with him.


    He wasn''t that keen on giving work to her or anything. It was just that his two helpers were currently in the kitchen and Chang Bo is out. She was the only helper avable.


    With the two of thedies alone, they talked for a while, like usual times.


    "Say, Yue Yue, earlier, you wanted to leave with me. Are you worried about living with Lu Zhen?" Lin Xue asked her, taking her by surprise. Before Song Yue even responded, she patted her shoulder with a smile, "actually, I can understand it. He is an unmarried guy and you look beautiful enough for a man to make a move on you. But, don''t worry. I brought you something for your protection."


    As Lin Xue took out an expensive-looking amulet, Song Yue recognized it and refused to take the heirloom of Lin n, "No, you misunderstood it. I was only worried about my father. As for Lu Zhen, I don''t think he is that type. Moreover, he has someone like Alina by his side. Why would he even think about me?"


    For a moment, Lin Xue felt like Song Yue was envious of a perfectly looking Alina. Forget about her, as a woman, even she was envious of Alina''s figure. Sometimes, she also wonders how the looks of this family of three are on a different level but she expresses that to anyone as it goes against her character.


    But all of that doesn''t matter at the moment. Song Yue''s mental strength is more important. As she doesn''t want to leave behind Song Yue to be filled with thoughts, she refrained to tease her friend and just shoved the amulet into her hands, "In any case, you can''t just trust men. I don''t know that you escaped yesterday but now that I know it, I can''t leave you unprotected even in this store. Just keep it with you for now."


    Song Yue was touched by Lin Xue''s action. The amulet was not just the heirloom of the Lin n but it is also a semi-divine artifact. It neither has any magic nor is useful in a fight. All it does is distort the space around its wearer so that it cannot be harmed or even touched by anyone under the Demigod realm. So, it is considered a life-saving treasure.


    That said it won''tst for an unlimited time. Depending on one''s willpower, it mightst one second or even one day. The wearer''s cultivation realm has nothing to with it. Once its abilities wear off, it will take some time before can be used again.


    Lin Wuying, the minister of Personnel, loves his daughter so much that he gave such a treasure as a present during her adult ceremony.


    "Thank you," Song Yue gave a hug to her after wearing it around her neck but kept it hidden.


    <strong>About 30 minutester;</strong>


    "Okay, I''ll be leaving. You, be careful." Lin Xue parted with her friend as she was in a hurry to leave for the home. She had to take permission from her father to go outside the Imperial city.


    Upon exiting the store, she thanked Mark for inviting her to lunch. However, in response, Mark gave a piece of shocking news.


    He informed her that Allen will no longere to her house for sparring. Before she asked the reason, he further said that he don''t want to get worried every day that his brother might be ambushed.


    "Is this why you don''t want to say it earlier?" She asked in realization.


    As Mark nodded, Lin Xue stressed that the Lin n will be responsible for Allen''s safety. Mark shook his head, "sorry but I don''t trust the noble ns. They will renege on their promise if their interests will be harmed. Just look at your friend. She was betrayed by Zhang n. And look at yourself. You had toe to a stranger like me to help you even though your father is in a position to solve this matter."


    Seeing that Lin Xue fell silent and didn''t respond to his strong statement, Mark let out a sigh and asked her toe to the Genesis Training ground to spar if she was still interested to continue with the deal.<sub> </sub>


    Compared to what shemented about him, his words were a lot more direct and rude but Lin Xue knew that her friend''s life is currently depending on him and she doesn''t want to give any reason to let him mistreat Song Yue.


    In the end, she swallowed her pride once again and agreed to his condition, treating it as if she was making the concessions from her side in exchange for his help, "alright. The ce doesn''t matter to me."


    Shang Jiao felt pity for this sisterly figure but she could only side with her brother as his demand isn''t that inappropriate. After all, it was Lin Xue who was being benefitted from the sparring and her brother isn''t even taking free money either.


    Once the horse carriage left their sight, Mark nced at his sister, "Princess Shang, you don''t have to work in the store for today. Go upstairs and take a rest."


    "Understood," She nodded and left for the upstairs to givepany to Song Yue for the rest of the day.


    The store''s business hours are resumed as usual with the help of the two Androids and the sales assistant robots.


    <strong>Meanwhile, at the Imperial Pce;</strong>


    Outside of the Emperor''s chamber, a 22-yr-old Shang Bo was standing in nervousness. His father would rarely talk with him and whenever he does, most of the time, he will always be ended up being summoned to the court.


    But, today was different.


    After two years, his father summoned him to talk in private. Shang Bo, the current leader of the WEB organization and the fourth prince of the Phoenix Empire, is naturally excited.


    "Your Highness, His Majesty would like to see you." The Imperial guard moved aside and let him in.


    Taking a deep breath, Shang Bo entered his father''s chamber and found him busy with calligraphy.


    He bowed to him respectfully with his left palm on top of his right palm. "Father¡­"


    However, he only received a cold reception from his father. "I didn''t summon you as your father, here, Prince Bo. The Emperor summoned the leader of WEB."


    Shang Bo was visibly disappointed. He understands why his father dislikes him that much. He was the one who went against his father''s wishes and took over the leadership of WEB. What else can he do? He can''t abandon his mother.


    But then again, it''s been three years since that day. Does his father still never intend to forgive him?


    ? Shang Bo could only sigh and greeted him once again, "Your Majesty."


    "Sit down."

 Chapter 201 Is Alina Envious Of Song Yue?

    In the Emperor''s chamber, the father continued to practice calligraphy while the son is listening to his words.


    "So, here''s the story. Song Yue has abducted by some unknown person in the middle of the night. The demands are the canction of her marriage with Ji Mingyu and the resignation of her father.


    There are only two days till her marriage. So, it''s likely the other major ns are the culprits.


    I need you to use your organization''s spywork to find her location. Remember that no one should even know about it. Now, give me the price for the task."


    The fourth prince was a little bit taken aback by his father''s words, not about Song Yue''s abduction but about the money. "Father¡­ I mean, Your Majesty, what''s the need for the price? You rarely ask me a favor. I will do my best to find her."


    The Emperor however doesn''t seem to change his mind. He said, "As I said before, you are here as the leader of WEB and I don''t want to owe something to the organization that I loathe. So, if you are interested to take up this task, quote the price. If you aren''t, then, I will send the investigators to find her. Whether you want to treat me as a customer or not, it is up to you."


    Shang Bo was a little bit heartbroken by how his father is treating him like a stranger even though they were alone and not in the Imperial court. Forget about speaking nicely, his father wasn''t even looking at him as he gave the task.


    "Alright, Your Majesty. I will charge the Imperial pce after finishing the task based on the resources we have used." Shang Bo answered him.


    The Emperor nodded, "okay, you can go now." He continued his work.


    Shang Bo slowly got up on his feet and left the room in silence. After exiting the Emperor''s chamber, he clenched his fist and released it a few times with a look of frustration on his face. "He didn''t even ask me how I or my mother was doing for once. Are we no longer rted in his eyes?"


    Meanwhile, inside the chamber, Emperor Shang stopped his calligraphy practice and let out a deep sigh, "I''m sorry, my son, but I can never acknowledge you as long as you are tied to that vile organization, which is indirectly responsible for the death of my wife. If only I was strong enough, I would have uprooted it from thisnd. Perhaps, I should look for an unorthodox method to break the shackles of my potential and enter Exalt realm."


    He sighed once again and continued with his hobby.


    ? ***


    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    The Genesis weapon store is opened at 7 o''clock as usual. While Alina was apanying Song Yue so that she won''t feel lonely and Allen was looking after the store as Lin Xue was out of the city, Mark was stuck to his seat and got busy with his creation of ammunition. He was also waiting for Chang Bo to arrive as he needs his luck on the lottery wheel for a 100% chance.


    Of course, he can also do the same with Song Yue but she only has 5 points of luck. By absorbing 3 points from her, he doesn''t want her to face bad luck. If her luck bes low, then, it might even be possible that something will go wrong with Lin Xue''s mission and Song Yue''s location might get exposed. Why take such a chance when he can just wait for a couple of hours.


    As he spent the time in creation, a couple of customers arrived. They were repeat customers who came to buy the 9mm bullets. Being in a situation where he needed to store them, Mark put a restriction on the amount, selling them only 20 each.


    At around 8 o''clock, Alina sent him a message, reminding him about the breakfast. Mark generally skips breakfast and usually eats only 2 or 3 times a week but since there''s a guest upstairs, he didn''t miss an opportunity to eat with a fellow human who also happened to be a beautiful woman.


    "So, how did the morning hours go?" asked Song Yue as soon as she saw him.


    "Well, business during weekdays won''t be that great," Mark replied with a sigh as he took his seat.


    "Didn''t you say you have pending orders from the second prince to be delivered? Once Brother Wen purchases the weapons and the firearms division is implemented in the army, the store will get busier." Song Yue tried to cheer him up. "By the way, food is ready. Please go and wash your hands. I will help Sister Alina to arrange the table."


    "No, you don''t need to do that." Mark hurriedly waved his hands, "You are a guest, you know."


    "It''s just arranging the dishes on the table. Not a big deal." Song Yue felt bad for Alina as the work increased because of her. She wants to repay her somehow but what can she do? She can''t help with cooking because she has never done it in the past 22 years of her life.<sub> </sub>


    The other menial tasks were done by the butler robot and alsopletely beneath her status to even think of helping in them. So, all she can do is help out with this small task.


    "Thank you¡­" Mark smiled and left to his room. As he was walking away, for some reason, he felt this exchange of conversation was a bit strange but when he thought about it for a second, he didn''t find anything amiss. He shook his head and continued to walk.


    At that moment, neither of them had spotted Alina who just exited the kitchen room but halted her steps, watching them in silence. She felt a disturbance in her chest. "Was something wrong with my energy core?" She wondered.


    After finishing the breakfast, Mark came downstairs and resumed his business. During the next hour, a few customers arrived at the store but only one of them purchased an Ak-47 along with 100 rounds (7.62x39mm) for abined price of 150 gold coins. Of course, Allen had to give a demo to this wealthy customer at the grounds, spending 10 rounds. So, that gives him the profit of 80 gold coins. Mark was satisfied with it.


    Being in a good mood, he started creating the 9mm rounds with more enthusiasm.


    About ten minutes before 9, Chang Bo finally reported. Mark''s smile grew wider, "wee, Chang Bo. I was waiting for you."


    The teenager already guessed it, "it''s that day, already?"


    Chang Bo is working at the store for more than two weeks. So, it''s safe to say that he had already familiar with Mark''s character. And this exact wee was given, about a week ago too.


    He doesn''t know what this owner does with his luck but it doesn''t matter. He decided to work until the closing hours, doing overtime.


    The teenage welpire nodded, "Yes, I''m prepared."


    "Absorb." Mark raised his right hand, where the gold ring on his index finger glowed for the next 30 seconds.


    <strong>*Ding! 3 points of luck were absorbed.</strong>


    "Open, Lottery Wheel."


    The lottery wheel with five avable items and 16 empty spaces appeared before him.


    "Unique skill, peak potion, +2, reconnaissance satellite, and lightbat aircraft, Hmm¡­ except for the satellite and unique skill, everything would be useful. Ah, no, that''s not right. Unique skills can be overpowered too.


    With the support provided by the amulet of magic, my current intelligent stat is at 6.2. The thunderst skill will let me obliterate any individual under 9-circle, well, legendary realm Spirit warriors have their own ways to protect themselves. So, I can''t take it for granted. However, if I have another unique skill with the same capability, then, it will only give me more power.


    But then again, as the war is going to start soon and the developments around me are making it tough for me to stay with my ns, I need to possess something that can give me an edge over others.


    So, an aircraft and a peak potion are the best options. Let''s hope for the best."


    He clicked on the spin. 300 credits were deducted and the wheel started to spin. Previously, he would worry about whether he was able to get a reward, and now, he was worried about whether he gets the desired one.


    After ten seconds of spinning, the wheel stopped, bringing a satisfactory smile to Mark''s face.


    *Ding!

 Chapter 202 Overpowered Lightning Clone

    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won ''+2 chance'' as a reward.</strong>


    ''+2'' reward on the lottery wheel doesn''t give him any benefit. All it does is to remove the empty spot and let him spin again for the remaining rewards.


    Since Mark already possessed 10 luck points (for the next 5 minutes), it isn''t useful to him but he was worried that he will draw +2 at the end where there aren''t any options and waste a week of waiting time.


    Now that it had already arrived, he felt as if a small burden was removed from his head.


    <strong>"Unique Skill, Peak potion, Reconnaissance satellite, and lightbat aircraft."</strong>


    A new wheel popped up, which is equally divided into four rewards. He clicked on the spin once again.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won ''unique skill'' as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Two attributes are detected in your body. Please select one attribute to choose a random unique skill.</strong>


    At first, he thought of choosing the ice attribute as he had chosen lightning during his previous chance but then, he remembered that he would receive a new bloodline skill when he breakthroughs again. Every Spirit Warrior who had awakened a bloodline would usually receive the knowledge of one skill automatically at 2-circle, 4-circle, 6-circle, 8-circle, and 10-circle. Mark wasn''t any different in this, either.


    So, in the end, he chose the lightning attribute again. There''s also another reason to choose it. Unlike the ice attribute that had chosen him, lightning was chosen by him when he first became the Spirit Warrior. It was indeed a bit special in Mark''s eyes.


    <strong>*Ding! You had chosen the lightning attribute. Drawing a random skill from the system''s database.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! "Lightning Clone" has been added to the skill list.</strong>


    Because of its name, Mark opened the skill list right away and checked the effects of the skill. "Damn, it is fucking op. This is what I''ve been looking for."


    **


    <strong>Lightning Clone:</strong> Create a clone made of lightning attribute and ether energy, controlling it like a puppet from a distance. Cost: 1% Ether energy/second. Range: 500 meters. CD: 0 seconds.


    <strong>Effects: </strong>


    1) Strength of the lightning clone will be one whole realm above the highest stat of the user during the time of unleashing the skill. (Maximum stat: 10.9)


    2) The clone will release an enormous amount of energy upon being destroyed, causing serious damage to the enemies standing nearby. In such a case, the user cannot resummon the clone for the next 12 hours.


    **


    Mark felt like the skill he acquired is ten times better than the other rewards because of its potential. If he can be a Supreme realm being in the future (9-circle), then, he would have the strength of a Demigod. How amazing is that?


    Even now, if he summons the clone, it will have 7.2 stats of strength. Even without the help of the Androids or the helicopter, perhaps, he can fight head-on with Bai Xun.


    He was so happy that he gave 10 gold coins to Chang Bo as a bonus reward. The teenager didn''t understand why he was given money out of nowhere. But, judging by his employer''s expression, he felt like something good had probably happened to the owner. He naturally didn''t refuse the free money and thanked him.


    Mark didn''t forget to check on the Statue of Velkazar. There was still a few days left for its 14-day cooldown timer to end. Should he absorb Chang Bo''s luck again? He wondered.


    A couple of hours passed away. Mark''s mood returned to normal and he immersed himself in creation until lunchtime. With only a few customers in the store, he didn''t feel the need to pay too much attention to his surroundings.<sub> </sub>


    Post lunch, he decided to hand over the security and supervision to Alina, counter to Allen while he stayed upstairs, and talked with Song Yue for a while before he cooped himself in his room to focus on creation, although not for long.


    About 4 in the afternoon, he received a message from Allen, forcing him to stop his work and rush downstairs to find Shang Jiao in the store. Why was she here? Isn''t she supposed to be outside the city? Or did she alreadyplete the task of bringing the Song n''s ancestor to the Imperial City?


    These questions popped up in Mark''s head at first but he didn''t dwell deep into them as there was someone else standing next to her. It is the second prince.


    First, the lightning clone skill, and now, the second prince is here to finish the deal and let himplete the side quest? He felt like the day was lucky for him.


    The prince greeted Mark with a smile, "it''s been a while, Lu Zhen. Sorry for thete, though. I was preupied with something urgent matters."


    "I understand, Your Highness." Mark returned the greetings with a nod before taking a nce at his sister, "and what about the princess? I thought she had taken leave for some trip."


    Shang Jiao gave a sheepish smile in response, "Mother refused to give me permission to go out. Then, I heard that Brother Wen is arriving. So, I stayed at the pce."


    "It''s alright. You are on the leave anyway. What you do with it isn''t my concern." Mark waved his hand, forcing out a smile. He had doubts about whether this spoiled princess really intended to go with Lin Xue. He believed that she used it as an excuse to not work.


    Since he was in a good mood, he doesn''t want to do something unpleasant as handing out punishment. Moreover, the second prince might be displeased with his actions if it was done in front of his eyes. So, he can atleast cut off some ck for her.


    Mark shifted his attention back to the prince, "By the way, Your Highness, we have got a ton of new rifles, which put those pistols to shame. Would you like to take a look before I present you that secret weapon?"


    "It looks like your manufacturer is on a roll, Lu Zhen." The second prince joked in response, surprising the princess. "Every time I meet you, you will have new weapons. But then again, I came to Imperial City for a three-day visit. So, I can afford the time."


    "Great, we have the training ground over there. I''ll present you the new ones, one after another." Mark pointed at the exit where the soldiers at therge entrance gate could be seen even from the counter. After informing him, he once again got back his attention to his sister, "Princess Shang, follow me to the rifle chamber; need some assistance."


    Before Shang Jiao replied to him, Chang Bo, who was nearby, answered, "I will go with you, Lord Lu."


    Mark abruptly turned his head towards the teenage boy before throwing a key at him, "Don''t worry. You also have some work to do. Go to the storage room and pick up 50 vases from it and then, go to the training ground to arrange ten of them with a 1-meter distance between them. You know where to ce them."


    Every day, after finishing the spar, Allen would visit the market and brings a lot of vases with him. And then, Mark would transfer some of them into the storage room, which he originally used to keep the empty wooden boxes and weapons-filled boxes for outward appearance.


    "Yes." As Chang Bo went to the storage room, Mark walked towards the room where a note was stuck on the door that says Rifle. She slowly followed her brother, assuming that he will lecture her about her absence.


    But, instead, he simply asked her whether she told the second prince about Song Yue or not.


    In response, Shang Jiao shook her head, "No, I told you that I keep it a secret."


    "Well, after we go to the training ground, go upstairs and ask Lady Song whether I can inform him or not," Mark said to her. As an afterthought, he added, "Your brother is in a position to help her more than anyone."


    "I''m not sure about that, though." Shang Jiao thinks that it is a bad idea as the second prince is someone with principles. One of them is that he won''t stand injustice when it concerns his friends. So, if he knew the truth, the first thing he''ll do is to storm into the Imperial Pce and blow up the matter in the court.


    After listening to the advice of the princess, Mark decided to keep mum on the matter and returned to the reception. "Shall we go?"


    While Allen continued to look after the store, Mark walked along with the second prince and fifth princess to the training ground.

 Chapter 203 The First Mass Produced Modern Ether Weapon

    <strong>Imperial Pce;</strong>


    After the court session is over, Shang Bo went to the Emperor''s chamber to meet his father to report the investigation results as 2 days of time were finished. Unfortunately for the Emperor, Song Yue''s location hasn''t been tracked yet but received a shocking piece of news.


    "Minister Song deceived me?" The Emperor red up in anger upon hearing that the ransom note that Song Yun presented was a fake and Song Yue wasn''t abducted but ran away on her own. He might be disappointed with this fourth child of his, nevertheless, as a father he trusts him. However, he was also an Emperor who can''t take his word for granted.


    So, he said sternly, "I''m going to summon Minister Song here and ask him directly. If he doesn''t apologize and stick to his earlier words, then, you will have to prove yourself innocent. Or else, you will be punished for giving false information to the Emperor."


    "Then, I will go and start preparing to gather the evidence, Your Majesty." Unlike thest time, Shang Bo didn''t show emotions on his face and behaved like the leader of WEB.


    Soon after he left, the chief eunuch was summoned and he was told to invite Song Yun to the Imperial Pce for the dinner. Since Song Yun is the cousin of Bai Xun, who is not only the Supreme Commander but also the brother-inw of the Emperor, Shang Fu would try to be less harsh on this minister of public works even though lying to the Emperor is considered a huge crime. It is why he wanted to handle this privately.


    Meanwhile, at the Genesis Training ground;


    "So, this is the mighty weapon that will bring revolution to the army?" The second prince stared at the panzer in awe. He furthermented, "It looks like a lesser version of your¡­ what was it called again, yeah, Battle tank. Isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, you can say so. The machine guns on the top can be controlled while you control the vehicle. And there¡­"


    Mark exined to him everything about the mobility of the vehicle and the firepower of the weapon. It looked like the princess also appeared to be amazed by its prowess. To be able to kill a bunch of 4-circle experts by just spending extra money is something that is out of her expectations. What''s more, even a normal civilian will be able to do that.


    No wonder her father doesn''t want to go against her brother. What would happen if he sells these to the northern Empires? It would indeed threaten the safety of the Phoenix Empire. Shang Jiao was only getting impressed by the weapons sold by her brother. She couldn''t help but really wonder, "Where do all these amazing weaponse from? Who is that mysterious manufacturer? Is it perhaps brother Lu''s master?"


    As Mark let him inside the panzer and gave a demonstration of driving, Shang Jiao became curious and asked for a drive after a little bit of hesitation. Mark wanted to refuse it but because of Shang Wen, heplied with the request and let her experience the feeling inside the panzer.


    Unfortunately, she doesn''t like it as she felt suffocated inside. She didn''t say it but her expression made it obvious to Shang Wen. The prince chuckled as he pinched her nose, "That was a vehicle designed for battle, not to roam around."


    She puffed her cheeks and looked away in response, "I know that."


    For a moment, Mark felt a little bit envious as he saw the closeness between his siblings but he reminded himself that he wasn''t a part of their family and the two of them are nothing but the children of the Emperor.


    *Ahem*


    Clearing his throat, he then said, "Since we have the training ground here, you can send the soldiers. Allen will train them for a month. And as I said to His Majesty, for any new weapon you buy in bulk, atleast 50 in number, he will be avable to train your soldiers."


    The second prince soon decided to make an order.


    They returned to the store andpleted the pending transactions first. 5000 bullets (9mm); 20-M99 sniper rifles with 2000 rounds (.5 inch caliber); 10-Rocketunchers with 1000 warheads (110mm); 10-Grenadeunchers with 1000 grenades (40mm).


    It totals 31000 gold coins, which was finalized back when Mark was a guest in Shang Wen''s camp.


    Allen carefully packed them from system-provided sturdy metal boxes with the imprint of the store printed on top of it.


    The prince handed him the rest of the money, not onlypleting the deal but also unknowingly helping him toplete the quests.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted Side quest I.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted side quest II.</strong>


    After that, the second prince made a new order for the army, which is 5000 rounds (9mm), 2000 rounds (R.I.P.), 50 Panzers, 100 Ak-47s, and 3000 rounds of 7.62mm caliber. This deal is about 40000 gold coins.


    This might not be as high as the one made by Prince Feng Wu but Mark was more than satisfied because of the potential transactions in the future. But, the army needs to get drunk in sess after sess and increase its dependence on modern weapons.


    Once the deal waspleted, the second prince didn''t feel the need to stay much longer at the store and thought of returning to the pce but then, Shang Jiao asked Mark about using the training ground for sparring.


    It surprised him a little bit but he nodded. Meanwhile, the prince realized the meaning behind her words. As soon as she looked at him, Shang Wen epted her challenge, "alright, let''s see how much you have improved."


    At first, Mark wasn''t interested to be a spectator but then, he thought that it would be better to learn about their abilities in case they be opponents in the future. But before that, there''s something else that he needs to do.


    Mark then said to the both of them to proceed to the training ground again while he will join them a bitter. Once the brother and sister pair is out of his sight, he spoke to the system, "Open Quest list."


    A holographic screen with quest details appeared before him.


    <strong>MAIN QUESTS:</strong>


    <strong>Main Quest I:</strong> Sell a total of 10000 firearms (In progress: 876/10000)


    Reward: Submachine gun (All models)


    *


    <strong>Main Quest II:</strong> Be Rank-6<sub> </sub>


    Reward: Host''s share increases to 70% permanently, and 16000 credits.


    *


    <strong>Main Quest III:</strong> Create ten types of weapons at the factory. (In progress-0/10)


    Reward: A random ether version of the host''s designed weapon


    **


    <strong>SIDE QUESTS:</strong>


    <strong>Side Quest I:</strong> Earn a total of 100000 gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding the ammunition (Completed)


    Reward: Ether Pistol


    *


    <strong>Side Quest II:</strong> Sell Exclusive weapons to ten different people (Completed)


    Reward: C-4


    *


    <strong>Side Quest III:</strong> Spend a total of 500000 credits (In progress: 600/500000)


    Reward: Amulet of Diyu


    *


    <strong>Side Quest IV:</strong> Tame ten monsters (4/10)


    Reward: Taming skill


    **


    Mark proceeded to click on thepleted side quests


    <strong>*Ding! Ether Pistol has been unlocked. Check the gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new side quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! C-4 (basic) and C-4 (advanced) have been unlocked. Check the gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new side quest.</strong>


    "Okay, let''s see what the first seble modern ether weapon looks like¡­" Mark eagerly opened the gallery and proceeded to click on the one with the image of a revolver that has a star attached to the image at the top right.


    He clicked on it to check the details.


    <strong>Ether Pistol</strong>


    Grade: Copper


    Maximum power: peak-2-circle (2.9)


    Maximum Effective Range: 50 meters


    Description: A semi-automatic revolver with six rounds capacity. It can absorb the ether energy and transform them into ether bullets. They will be stored in the cylindrical chamber.


    <strong>How to Use:</strong> Press the red button that is located nearby the hammer. The pistol will go into absorption mode. Then, open the cylindrical chamber and pour ether energy into it. The transformation into bullets will happen automatically. Close the cylindrical chamber and drag the hammer for once. Then, you can shoot six consecutive ether bullets, one after another by clicking the trigger.


    Note 1: As the ether pistol can only hold the maximum power of 2-circle, which is 999 ether points in each, the maximum ether energy it can absorb is 5994 ether points'' equivalent to ether energy from the user.


    Note 2: The user can also load 9mm rounds as a recement.


    Price: 64 gold coins.


    "64 gold coins, huh."

 Chapter 204 Might Of Lightning Clone (Part-1)

    Mark wasn''t sure whether this ether pistol will work in the market considering its high price, but then again, he doesn''t n to release it right away. So, it isn''t something that he needed to worry about, right now.


    Putting aside his thoughts, he created one ether pistol and went to look at the details of C-4.


    <strong>Composition-4 (Basic)</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Description: An explosive device that is capable of killing any Spirit warrior of 4-circle and lower realm.


    st radius: 25 meters


    How to use: Set the timer beforehand and ce C-4 on the destination. Once the detonate button was pressed, it will be blown up after the countdown hits zero.


    Note: Once the timer is set, the explosion cannot be stopped.


    Price: 150 gold coins


    **


    "150 gold coins are cheap if one considers its effect except that not having control is a bit risky. Let''s see this advanced version¡­"


    <strong>Composition-4 (Advanced)</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Description: An explosive device that is capable of killing any Spirit warrior of 5-circle and lower realm.


    st radius: 60 meters


    How to use: A remote wille as a set with the device. Set the timer beforehand and ce C-4 on the destination. Once the detonate button was pressed, it will be blown up after the countdown hits zero.


    Note: The timer can be stopped, reduced, and increased by the remote control. However, the user must be within 100 meters radius of the explosive device to control the remote.


    Price: 700 gold coins


    "Damn, that''s too expensive¡­" Mark gasped in shock but when his eyes fell on key details, he felt like it is worth the amount. Even though the warhead shot by the rocketuncher and the 40mm grenadeunched by the grenadeuncher achieve simr results, the application of C-4 is different from them. Combined with Alina''s invisibility, this explosive device had the potential to be a very lethal weapon.


    Ahead of the uing war, he could help the Kunyu bandits by letting Alina nt secretly these devices in the capital city of Western Yan.


    <strong>"System, Open new quests"</strong>


    <strong>Side Quest I:</strong> Earn a total of 1 million gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system (excluding ammunition)


    Reward: Ether Sniping rifle (silver grade), Ether Assault rifle (silver grade)


    *


    <strong>Side Quest II:</strong> Expand the business by opening a second branch in a different city and appointing a manager.


    Reward: Store guardian


    **


    "Oh, a store guardian?" Mark immediately enquired with the system and learned that the store branches don''t enjoy the privilege of Ultimate defense skill that protects the main branch from attacks. So, a guardian robot will be ced at the store.


    It will protect the branch manager when he is inside the store and the building from threats. However, it will neither listen to the orders of the branch manager nor will it ever involve in the matters that are out of its job.<sub> </sub>


    For example, if the branch manager is being murdered outside the store and if that person asks for its help, it won''t budge from its spot. Even Mark cannot force it to do anything as he does with the butler robot or the Androids.


    As it didn''t bring him a great advantage, he didn''t think too much about it and closed down the window.


    He then proceeded to create a bunch of Panzers and Ak-47s along with 7.62mm ammunition. As it has a bulk option, it only took him four clicks to create 1000 of them. Of course, he didn''t forget to wear the glove of creation to increase the sess rate by 25%, which increased the 80% sess rate for 7.62 mm round to 100%.


    While he created the second prince''s order within a few minutes, Mark nned to give him the panzers, a couple of weekster, or more like once the war is over in Western Yan.


    After he was done with the creation, he went to the training ground and found that the brother and sister appeared to be in a rather serious battle in contrast with a friendly spar, well atleast from Shang Jiao''s side.


    Mark saw the princess was bleeding quite a lot but she was resilient in her attacks as if her life depended on it. On the other hand, the second prince barely has any scratches on his arm. Thankfully, neither of them is using their personal semi-divine weapons, or else, the destruction in the surroundings would have been severe.


    *Thud*


    For the nth time, Shang Jiao crashed onto the ground. With the zing phoenix wings spread apart, Shang Wen looked down at his sister and said, "Give up, Xiao Jiao. You cannot defeat me in your present state. An Ice is destined to melt when faced with fire. Instead of stubbornly depending on your attribute, focus on developing ether techniques."


    Shang Jiao spits out a mouthful of blood as she slowly got on her feet, "No, I don''t agree with your statement. There was a reason why the Blizzard Pegasus has never been defeated by the Phoenix."


    Shang Wen shook his head, "But, you aren''t the Blizzard Pegasus and I''m not the Phoenix. Neither you can acquire the ability of Absolute zero nor can I acquire the ability of resurrection. So, you should stop being stubborn about believing nonsense that you are the representative of Blizzard Pegasus.


    Out of us five siblings, you are the most talented child. Father is hoping you to be a Supreme Being in the near future but if you are like this, then, you can never be one, Xiao Jiao."


    Shang Jiao didn''t agree with his words. She wiped the blood around her lips and stared sharply at her half-brother as she unleashed ice wings, "watch me. I''ll prove you wrong."


    The fifth princess became dead serious now and finally took out her personal weapon, an exquisite staff adorned with several crystals at its head. She took a great leap to the back and then, raised the staff, <strong>"Oh, the goddess of snow and ice, Tengliu, I crave thou to bless me the strength to unleash the serpent of ice and vanquish the enemies from my sight."</strong>


    The tip of the semi-divine staff glowed for a second before conjuring a giant ice serpent, changing the facial expressions of Mark and Shang Wen. Both of them became serious, although for different reasons.


    While Mark wants the training ground to not get damaged, the second prince, on the other hand, realized that his words had fallen deaf on her ears. So, he decided to show the might of his strength. He too summoned his ming sword.


    As he raised the sword above his head, the mes on the sword grew stronger as well as increased in size. He then pped his wings and flew towards the iing attack.


    As the two opposite forces moved toward each other, Mark felt like he should stop it somehow. He decided to make his move with the new skill he acquired.


    <strong>"Lightning clone, activate."</strong>


    A being that looked quite identical to Mark appeared before him. However, there were a few differences. First, sparks were dancing all over this being. Second, this being has blue eyes without any visible pupils. And third, unlike Mark, its aura is visible for everyone to see. It is in seven-circle with all stats equaled to 7.2.


    A telepathic link formed between Mark and the clone. It was different from his usual connection with the beasts or the Androids. He felt as if the clone was a part of his body. This was a new feeling for him and he liked it.


    Mark motioned his hand. The lightning sparks on the clone thickened for a second and it turned into a sh.


    In an instant, it covered 20 meters of distance and obstructed both of them as their attacks were about to collide. Both of them found the clone and thought that it was Mark. The second prince tried to change his direction while Shang Jiao also tried to control the movement of the ice serpent.


    However, before the both of them even made their moves, the clone threw punches left and right simultaneously.


    "Ugh¡­" The Prince groaned in pain as the fistnded in his stomach, sting him away. Meanwhile, the ice serpent was destroyed into thousands of ice particles, leaving a shock on Shang Jiao''s face.


    Once the battle was halted for a moment, the clone disappeared and a faint voice was heard from a distance, "Okay, that''s enough."


    The brother and sister looked at the source of the voice to find Mark walking towards them calmly, trying his best to control his anger as he looked around the mini craters.


    For a moment, they were confused and nced at the spot where the clone had disappeared before staring back at him.

 Chapter 205 Might Of Lightning Clone (Part-2)

    Upon reaching them, Mark stared at his sister and lectured her in a calm tone, "Your father had lent me this ce, Princess Shang. But, that doesn''t mean that you can do whatever you can and expect that no one will speak against you.


    This is supposed to be a ground where the weapons are demonstrated. Since it is big enough to train, one can spar if they want and I have no issue with that. However, if you intend to kill each other, please do elsewhere.


    I held back earlier because your brother is with you but it looked like you take everything for granted and don''t care about the consequences."


    Mark indeed doesn''t want to disappoint a valuable client like the second prince but he couldn''t turn a blind eye when his temporary property was going to be damaged because of these two imperial children, especially Shang Jiao. Moreover, he was also a little bit irked by how the princess went back on her promise about tagging along with Lin Xue.


    So, he didn''t hold back in scolding her.


    Shang Jiao felt a mixture of emotions in her chest. On one hand, she was annoyed with Mark''s behavior toward her. On the other hand, there''s her promise to her mother. Apart from these two, there''s helplessness about her strength whenpared to both of her brothers. Not to mention, there''s an embarrassment for showing poor performance.


    She felt the urge to shout out loud that they were siblings but can''t even say it because her actions can lead to disastrous consequences if she doesn''t time them right.


    As a result, she was frustrated. Thankfully, she learned self-control. So, she swallowed all the words at the back of her tongue and apologized while looking down at her feet, "I guess I got a bit reckless. I''m sorry."


    Maybe, it is the blood or maybe, Mark felt that he was harsh on her. He felt a little bit bad upon seeing her expression. Mark''s expression softened, "It''s alright. Things can happen. As long as you are mindful of your surroundings, no one wouldin."


    Mark then turned towards the second prince, "I apologize for interrupting your sparring session, Your Highness. But I think your fight has gone the limits of what one would call a sparring session. So, I''m concluding this spar as a tie and ask the two of you to leave."


    Mark knew that his words might appear like an insult because Shang Wen is not only an imperial prince but also a powerful general of the Phoenix Empire. Now, a person like that will have pride and probably a high ego.


    Normally, he wouldn''t give a shit even if he is an Emperor, but his necessity once again reminded him topromise in this situation. Not to mention, this half-brother of his is a respectable figure in the Empire and is an elder. At the very least, he can try to be polite with Shang Wen.


    As a result, after telling them to get out of his training ground, Mark opened the inventory and took an item as he spoke while faking surprise, "I guess I spoke a little bit harsh, forgetting that you are a customer of the store. It''s not my intention to be disrespectful.


    But I won''t let you return disappointed. As a token of apology, I will present you with the prototype Panzer. You can take this with you and train your soldiers for the next two weeks before the rest of the order get ready."


    To make sure he doesn''t take the words to heart, Mark tried to pacify him by offering a Panzer. Of course, this isn''t a gift. It was just given in advance. He didn''t make any loss here.


    However, the Prince had other ns.


    Shang Wen knew that he had to bring that same weapon to the training ground for Allen to train his soldiers because he didn''t have time to train them in person. He waved his hand, "no, it''s not necessary. The one who is in the wrong should apologize whether it is amoner or an Emperor. But, if you ept one simple request of mine, I will be content with this trip."


    "I cannot promise before hearing what it is," Mark right away replied while wondering what it is going to be. Not another dungeon break or something?


    Shang Wen then said, "Can you finish the spar that my sister had to halt? I heard that you are a dual attribute summoner. A peak-7-circle and dual attribute¡­ It''s not every day that I get such an opportunity to spar.<sub> </sub>


    Unlike her, you are responsible. So, I''m confident that you won''t go all out, and neither would I do anything that will damage the surroundings. I will alsopensate for the destruction caused by my sister and if it was unintentionally caused by our spar, how about it?"


    "A spar, huh?" At first, Mark was indeed taken aback as he was the one who was supposed topensate but here, the second prince was ming himself, although without apologizing.


    But then, he remembered how the lightning clone punched both of them and stopped the battle.


    Mark wondered whether it is because of that. Not to mention, the second prince is the one who witnessed his power in person during the dungeon break of Cerberus. Of course, back then, he got the power from the peak potion, which is temporary. But, now is different.


    After thinking for a bit, he thought that this proposal is favorable for him and nodded, "alright, if that is your wish."


    "Xiao Jiao, move." Shang Wen said to his sister in rather a serious tone.


    Poor Shang Jiao, who displeased both of her brothers, had hung her head down in disappointment. She walked away to watch the battle from a distance. How was a pampered princess like her reduced to such an extent?


    Both of them then stared at each other. Shang Wen dismissed his semi-divine weapon and Mark decided to test the full strength of his clone.


    "Are you ready?" asked Mark.


    As soon as Shang Wen nodded, Mark activated the skill with a thought in his mind.


    <strong>"Lightning clone, activate."</strong>


    The clone was summoned again. The skill''s no cooldown period is a big advantage for Mark. Unfortunately, its maximum time is only 100 seconds no matter how strong Mark gets but then again, it is only one of the skills. As long as he has enough credits, he can buy them in the store. So, that''s not an issue.


    Anyway, Mark''s clone was ready to battle and his ether energy is dropping by 1% per second. He couldn''t afford to waste any time. So, he gave the order right away, pointing at the second prince.


    Shang Wen now had a clear look at the lightning clone. He clenched his fist and was ready to face it head-on.


    The lightning clone charged toward him at its maximum speed. If it was any other 7-circle realm expert who recently made a breakthrough, they wouldn''t have even been able to see the clone properly.


    But, Shang Wen was talented and had awakened his Phoenix bloodline when he was only 7. Of course,pared to Shang Jiao who awakened at 3 years old, he might becking behind but that doesn''t matter now.


    All that matters is that his eyes can perfectly follow the clone''s movements. As a result, Mark didn''t get to see what he expected.


    The cloneunched a fist at Shang Wen, to which thetter responded calmly by ducking before counterattacking with a palm attack.

 Chapter 206 Might Of Lightning Clone (Part-3)

    Mark''s lightning clone was pushed away a few meters and Shang Wen had now taken the initiative. But, the clone wasn''t any weak either. It dodged by instinct and tried to kick him.


    Through the telepathic connection with the clone, Mark could feel its movements and he could also sense Shang Wen''s movements. From the first couple of exchanges, he understood that the clone isn''t probably fast enough to defeat the second prince when he concentrated on it.


    "Since that''s the case, let''s join." Mark made his move. He went onto the familiars'' inventory and summoned the gray wolf. While it was only in a 5-circle, they won''t consume his ether. The only worry is that they can''t be revived like his summons. So, he needed to be careful.


    Mark wasn''t finished there. He mounted on its back and ordered it to go towards the high-speed battle where neither of them has yet tond a proper attack on either one.


    Both, Shang Jiao and Shang Wen had spotted his movement.


    The second prince mumbled with a smile, "So, you are finally making your move, huh. I guess I need to give my 100%."


    Shang Wen''s fire wings once again erupted from his back and ether energy poured into his wrists to increase his power.


    As Mark was only about 20 meters in range, Shang Wen decided to push away the clone because he wasn''t confident in dealing with both of them at once, atleast without his semi-divine weapon.


    He was also sessful in pushing away the clone too and was ready to charge toward Mark but it was just then, that thetter had made his move.


    "You have moved enough. Now, Freeze for a second."


    Mark unleashed the first of his bloodline technique, "Absolute Freezing."


    In an instant, all of his 200-meter surroundings were frozen apart from Shang Jiao who was safe because of having the same bloodline. Meanwhile, 10000 ether points were consumed, thereby reducing the time limit of the lightning clone too.


    Shang Wen''s eyes could move but his whole body was frozen in ice. He found the skill is incredibly simr to that of his sister. Does Mark also has the same bloodline as Blizzard Pegasus or was this skill?


    Since he doesn''t have the Blizzard Pegasus bloodline like Shang Jiao, he couldn''t distinguish it from ordinary freezing techniques. But then again, it isn''t the time to analyze around as his eyes spotted the rushing clone while Mark had stopped.


    In an instant, he realized that Mark had no intentions to battle him directly and was fooled by his act.


    He quickly activated his bloodline skill. "God of Fire." The mes spread to his whole body and the ice started to melt.


    But, these couple of seconds was enough for the lightning clone to recover the distance andnd a full-powered kick in Shang Wen''s abdomen.


    The second prince spits out a mouthful of blood as he flew into the air. He felt a great pain in his stomach. The lightning clone took advantage of the free fall of Shang Wen and leaped towards him, attempting a knee strike.


    Shang Wen saw the knee attack of the clone while he was still in the air. There was only a fraction of a second before he will be hit again. He doesn''t have the luxury of making the decision and just went with whatever came to his mind.


    While covering his body with the fire wings, he managed to twist his body as he fell to the ground. Mark''s lightning clone struck the wings. It pierced through the wings and struck the side of Shang Wen''s waist.


    *Ugh*<sub> </sub>


    The second prince let out another groan, feeling heavy pain in the impact area.


    *Thud*


    He crashed onto the ground. As he was in the 7-circle realm, his ether energy had acquired healing properties. His was recovered within a few seconds, although the pain still lingers.


    Meanwhile, the lightning clone wasn''t faring any better. When it knee-struck its opponent, the mes on his body hadtched onto the clone. Soon, the mes had spread all over its body. With no defensive measures against attacks like these, the clone started getting burned, although it wasn''t feeling an ounce of pain.


    "So, this is the effect of the Phoenix bloodline skill?" Mark felt like he gained some valuable information. As for why he is sure that it was a bloodline skill of a phoenix, it''s because the ordinary skills cannot melt the ice at -100C temperature, this quickly.


    Not knowing how to dismiss the mes, which are harming his clone, Mark then dismissed it and stared at the prince who slowly got up on his feet, "Let''s stop here or else, I fear that this spar will turn into a battle and I might be able to hold back."


    The second prince had long treated Mark as someone of superior strength. So, he wasn''t disappointed by the loss. Instead, hemented with a smile, "Lu Zhen, you are not only strong but also an astute Spirit Warrior. And thank you."


    Mark also knew that the prince didn''t give his all as the spar didn''t evenst 30 seconds. He nodded, "You are wee and I have no problem sparring with you again in the future too as long as we will suppress our strength to low realms so that the surroundings won''t be impacted."


    Shang Wen stared at him and blinked his eyes a few times and then asked, "If that''s the case, can we spar again tomorrow? I don''t know why but I feel like I will gain some insight if we spar for a bit more time."


    Mark only said for formality that he was okay with sparring. While he was interested to acquire the info on the prince''s battle techniques, he wasn''t that desperate to risk his life.


    It''s because his skill can onlyst 100 seconds at best. And all he has are the weapons and a sure-kill technique. Even if the second prince suppresses his strength, Mark''s punches weren''t even as strong as a 2-circle realm fighter. He doesn''t want to clear the prince''s misunderstanding about his strength either.


    Thankfully, he had a legitimate reason to refuse him.


    In the end, he replied, "I''m sorry but I have a lunch meeting, tomorrow."


    The second prince didn''t give up, "Not a problem. We can spar in the evening."


    "The lunch meeting isn''t in Imperial City. It is in the kingdom of Western Moon. I got an invitation from the king and will have to see what he wants with me. Not to mention, I might even stay for another day to tour around the ce." Mark exined to him the truth not only to refuse the spar but also to ry this message to the Emperor.


    He doesn''t want some idiot to unnecessarily dragging him to a trial with a false usation that he was conspiring with the Western Moon kingdom.


    "Okay, I understand." Shang Wen was slightly disappointed that he might not get to spar again but he can''t do anything about it.


    Eventually, he returned to the pce with his sister while Mark went upstairs to check upon Song Yue.


    She appeared to be in her room with the door closed. After confirming her life aura and presence by taking Alina''s help, he returned downstairs and took a seat, resuming his daily work of ammunition creation.

 Chapter 207 Shen Ling, The Intellectual Princess Of Western Moon Kingdom

    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    "I''ll be going, Lady Song. Alina will take care of your protection and your needs. So, there''s nothing to worry" Mark was at the bottom of the stairs and looked at Song Yue who is standing a few steps above.


    Looking at her worried look, he further said, "You know that I, Alina, and Allen are telepathically connected. So, we will be in contact with each other all the time. Don''t hesitate to talk to her."


    Song Yue nodded, forcing out a smile, "Be careful ande back home safely."


    Soon, Mark and Allen exited the store. While Song Yue stayed upstairs, Alina escorted them out with a little bit of disappointment as she wants to apany her master but instead, her master asked her to guard Song Yue, which indicates the level of importance Mark puts on the heiress of Song n.


    For some reason, she doesn''t like it because of the disturbance in her chest area where her energy core is located but then again, she can''t go against the orders of her master either. She was created to be that way. So, sheplied with his order and didn''t insist on following him.


    On the other hand, Allen was on cloud nine. This is the first time his master had taken him outside of the Imperial City. That means Mark trust that Allen can guard him. At least, that''s what the Android believed.


    Once both of them stepped outside, Mark opened the inventory to click on the helicopter. Just as he was about to summon it, something clicked on his mind.


    "Wait a second. The distance between the Imperial city and the City of Lunaris is roughly about 500 kilometers. The time is about 7:50. So, I still have more than 5 hours and the Eurocopter tiger will take me there in two-three hours as I won''t have to worry about any air traffic.


    So, how about Iveco LMV? It will take 6 hours tops to reach there. Or maybe, I should bete on purpose. This will also let me realize whether they casually invited me or if they have an important purpose. Hmm, let''s do that."


    Mark opened the gallery and proceeded to click on a light multirole vehicle, which was priced at about 2500 gold coins.


    Since he is purchasing for personal reasons, the system treated it as his property and added the money as his debt. If it has purchased by a customer, Mark would have gotten his 60%mission but unfortunately, self-purchases don''t have that privilege.


    As he pressed on to create, a vehicle that most resembles a MUV/SUV that people used in his past life had been summoned. One should say it looks very pleasing to the eye, unlike the Battle tanks.


    This time, Mark sat in the driver''s seat while sat on the front side beside him. Allen rarely gets an opportunity to be a passenger. He was ufortable because his master is doing his job but at the same time, it was a new feeling for him.


    Soon, they set out for the Kingdom of Western Moon. Alina put up a close board outside the store, indicating that it will remain close for the rest of the day.


    As the vehicle zoomed through the streets of the city, Mark lower down the window ss and enjoyed the feeling of getting hit by the wind. Allen tried the same but he didn''t understand why his master was smiling big. Not wanting to disturb Mark''s happy time, he stayed silent and gazed outside.


    On the other hand, Song Yue was feeling anxious as she sat on her bed. She grabbed her chest, "I don''t know why but ever since Lu Zhen had told me that he was going out of the city, I was feeling as if something wrong going to happen. I wonder why."


    Was she worried for her own safety in his absence? Or was she worried that it is a trap for Mark? Or whether it is something else? She has no idea why but that feeling isn''t disappearing at all, even after Mark tried to make her understand that there''s nothing to worry about.


    Meanwhile, the Imperial pce got the news about his visit to a foreign kingdom. Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn''t the spies that informed the Emperor. The princess is the source of the information. She stayed at home, and when asked by Lan Jingyi, she told her everything except for Song Yue''s matter.


    Naturally, the Emperor is interested in Mark''s movements and Shang Bo, the fourth prince was more than happy to help him out at any time. As a result, the spies were activated at the Western Moon''s pce.


    About five hours passed away.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>Lunaris city, Western Moon kingdom;</strong>


    The time was noon and the lunch preparations were going on in the kitchens. The King appeared to be a little bit angry as he sat along with his Prime Minister, Zhu Jianhong.


    "Are you sure that he wille?" The King asked him again as he took a look at his pocket watch. "It''s almost 1."


    Earlier, Zhu Jianhong was brimming with confidence but he wasn''t sure now. Still, he cannot back down when he raised the hopes of the king, "It''s true that he had left his store five hours ago in a strange vehicle made of metal. Our spies also confirmed that its speed is atleast half a fold faster than the maximum speed of our fastest horse. So, he might arrive at any minute. Let''s wait for a bit."


    "I hope this meeting is worth the wait, Prime Minister Zhu." The King furrowed his brows as he warned him. "If the information you gathered will turn out to be nothing but a false rumor, you should be aware of the consequences."


    "That I can confirm, Your Majesty." Zhu Jianhong was watching the king from close ever since he took up the post about a decade ago when the previous prime minister had died.


    Previously, the King used to be kind and generous but ever since he had lost his Prime Minister during a military coup, he became stricter on the subjects, acted stern towards his own daughter, and looks down on his officials too much.


    But then again, all of this had nothing to do with Zhu Jianhong as he was always good at his job and if he had done something wrong, there would always be someone to me.


    And now that he had gambled big to cover up his corruption, Zhu Jianhong can only hope for the best.


    In the meantime, at the King''s Quarters, a fairly decent-lookingdy was changing her clothes one after another while her maids were putting up with it and constantly praising her beauty.


    "So, how is this one?" She asked them.


    One of the maids gave the same reply she was giving for the past 30 minutes. "You look absolutely stunning, Your Highness." The other maid silently nodded in agreement for she was tired to give anotherpliment.


    "Hmm, I guess this one goes through with my jewelry." Thedy looked herself in the mirror and smiled. "Mother said that the guest is not only in the 7-circle realm but also young and looks quite handsome."


    "But, isn''t he amoner?" A maid blurted out unknowingly and she immediately bowed to the princess upon suddenly remembering that the princess doesn''t like it. "I apologize for speaking out of turn."


    "It''s alright," Princess Shen Ling looked at her and further stated, "One cannot earn respect simply by growing up in a wealthy household, Lei Peizhi. It is given by one''s actions. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were farmers. Now, we are ruling over themoners and nobles. Why?


    It''s because our ancestors worked hard, gain the acknowledgment of people whether through strength or goodwill, and then, upied a huge chunk ofnd. The same goes for the other Empires.


    Originally, no King or even an Emperor owns thend because they aren''t the ones who created it. What they can do is rule over the piece ofnd in exchange for serving the people who live on it. Now, if those Kings or their descendants became arrogant and became vile people, then, their doom is imminent.


    Anyway, I care about what matters and ignore what doesn''t. And whether he was worthy of me or not, the answer lies in his personality and actions. Well, actions depend on situations, so, I guess personality is a priority here.


    There''s a reason why the maids of mine get transferred to other people very frequently. It''s because they were dishonest and deceitful. That''s why never give empty praises just to keep your job if you want to stay with me, that is. Neither you will get any respect from me nor will I be able to trust you with important things."


    The maids were stiffened for a moment as they felt like they were seen through.

 Chapter 208 Eat Everything, Prime Minister Zhu

    <strong>Time: 3:45 P.M., Royal Moon Pce, Lunaris City;</strong>


    A family of four along with the Prime Minister and a General was having ate lunch together in silence. It is the King, the Queen, their daughter, and their nephew who lost his parents nearly two decades ago.


    The lunch was rather grand with several dishes on a long dining table but except for the King''s nephew, no one looked like they were enjoying the delicacies.


    Zhu Jianhong was sweating bullets at the calmness of King Shen Niu. He felt like the calm before the storm.


    The Prime Minister kept ncing at him from time to time, wanting to say something but nothing coulde out of his mouth because of fear. At the same time, he was also hoping to receive a message from one of his spies that Mark had entered the city.


    The Princess was the first to finish her lunch. "I''m going back to my room, Your Majesty."


    As the king nodded, she left the dining room and returned to her room in disappointment as she dolled up herself for a long time just to meet the guest but the guy never came.


    One after another, the King''s nephew, the General, and then, the Queen left the dining room. Usually, they would have to stay until the King was done with his food but they received the order to leave as soon as they filled their stomachs.


    Eventually, King Shen Niu and Prime Minister Zhu Jianhong were only left. The King had yet to scold him.


    Once he was also done with the lunch, Zhu Jianhong got up on his feet and bowed, "Your Majesty, permit me to excuse myself."


    The King finally talked to him. He replied, "where are you going, Prime Minister Zhu? There''s a lot of food on the table."


    "Eh?" Zhu Jianhong didn''t understand his words. "Your Majesty?"


    "Our cooks worked hard from the morning. You shouldn''t waste it, you know." The King calmly said to him. "Finish everything and leave."


    Realization dawned upon the Prime Minister. His punishment is finally here. He gulped his saliva and took a nce at the table. There was a lot of food on the table, which will be enough for atleast 100 or even more. On the other hand, he was already full. How would he be able to aplish the task?


    Well, technically, he can finish it with the help of his ether energy. If he can direct his ether energy into his stomach, he can digest his food quicker than the natural process but there''s bowel movement he also needed to consider. It is embarrassing to even consider.


    So, in the end, he decided to burn all the food that goes to the stomach instead of digesting it. However, this needs to be done carefully, or else, he would harm his own stomach organ and get hospitalized for weeks.


    15 minutes past 4, the King also left his chamber, leaving behind a trusted royal knight to keep an eye on the Prime Minister.


    Royal knights in the Western Moon kingdom are special. They listen to no one but the Supreme General (Equivalent to Supreme Commander) or the King. Even the princess doesn''t have any right to order them.


    The Prime Minister started burning the food that was just stored in the stomach. It took 15 minutes to clear up the space and resumed his eating.


    About an hour passed away. There''s still a lot of food to eat and he kept on cursing the King as well as Mark for making his life hell.<sub> </sub>


    "That damn weapon seller¡­ He made a fool out of me. If only I was strong enough, I would have buried him into the ground, and as for Shen Niu, I would have choked him to death, pushing all the food into¡­ *Burp* Ugh¡­ my stomach has been filled."


    <strong>Another hour passed away;</strong>


    "I cannot go on anymore." The Prime Minister was mentally tired and by now, he had lost all the interest in these delicacies, feeling like he wouldn''t be able to touch them for the rest of his life. Even the royal knight who was observing him for the past couple of hours felt pity. Unfortunately, he couldn''t go against the orders of the king and help the Prime Minister.


    It was then, that a talisman made out of energy suddenly appeared in front of Zhu Jianhong''s eyes. In a fraction of a second, it disappeared into his forehead and a voice message directly came to his head.


    His lifeless eyes suddenly lit up and he got up on his feet, leaving the food on the te. "Hu Jie, go and tell his majesty that the guest had finally arrived in the city. I will proceed with the wee arrangements."


    "Please wait here." The royal knight obviously didn''t believe him and only walked toward the doorkeeper and gave the task to him.


    As the doorkeeper rushed towards the King''s Quarters, Hu Jie returned to the dining table and stood in his earlier ce while keeping an eye on the Prime Minister.


    Zhu Jianhong didn''t mind the royal knight''s actions and continued tomunicate with his trusted spies. Now that the guest is in the city, it is easy for him to track Mark and his vehicle.


    Meanwhile, in the streets of Lunaris City, an armored vehicle was leisurely passing through the stores, attracting the attention of every passerby as they had never seen such a vehicle in their lives. It was moving on its four strange wheels without the help of a beast.


    "As expected, it is a carbon copy of Imperial city¡­" Mark found that whether it is the architecture of the residences and stores or the city structure, everything is the same in the Imperial city. It felt as if he was roaming nearby his home.


    Mark lost interest and decided to not waste time touring around and stepped on the elerator, speeding up the vehicle.


    Even though the Lunaris city isn''t asrge as the Imperial city of the Phoenix Empire, it is still a big city spanning more than 1000 sq. km. It is bound to get some time to reach there.


    After nearly 35 minutes, Mark finally reached the entrance gate of the pce. Naturally, he expected the soldiers to get hostile. So, he rolled down the window ss to show them the invitation letter but to his surprise, the gates were opened and no one stopped him from entering the pcepound.


    "Now, this is unexpected." Mark peeked outside at the soldiers who stepped aside and were staring curiously at the vehicle. "Thank you." He nodded with a smile as he slowly drove forward.


    Upon reaching the pce, Mark and Allen stepped outside of the vehicle where a familiar-looking person is waiting for him at the bottom of the steps.


    "Wee to Lunaris, Mr. Lu." Prime Minister Zhu has a big smile on his face. He was pleased that he no longer had to face the eerie of the King.


    Mark ced the vehicle back into the inventory and returned the greetings with a slight bow, "It''s been a while, Mr. Zhu. Sorry for arrivingte. I had trouble with the fuel on the way."


    "Fuel?" Zhu Jianhong wondered what it might be. Is it some kind of beast? Or some kind of gang? A guild? An organization perhaps?

 Chapter 209 The Impostor King Of Western Moon

    Seeing the look on the Prime Minister, Mark realized his mistake and rified to him, "My vehicle consumes all types of oil, Mr. Zhu. I use that term when using it for transportation."


    "Ah, I see," Zhu Jianhong nodded in understanding. He had learned a new word and he liked it anyhow. "Anyway, pleasee in."


    Mark and Allen followed him to climb the steps to enter the pce.


    Meanwhile, from one of the rooms on the second floor, Princess Shen Ling was secretly watching them through the ss. The two maids were also with her.


    One of them readily spoke, "Who is Lord Lu between those two, your highness?


    As Mark and Allen look equally handsome and young, although, with different charms, the maids were confused for a moment.


    "Isn''t it obvious? The short-haired guy must be servant judging by his stature and Prime Minister Zhu''s greetings." Shen Ling replied to her before taking a look at them again, "okay, at the very least, the rumors were right about his appearance. And actions say that he is also smart. Now, let''s see what kind of personality this guy has."


    While she was taking a look in the mirror once again, Mark had entered the pce and proceeded towards the King''s quarters.


    After walking for quite a bit, they finally reached an empty meeting chamber. Mark and Allen took a seat. The Prime Minister stayed with them while a royal knight went and informed the King.


    A few minutester, Mark found a middle-aged fellow arrived there with a couple of royal knights.


    His clothes were luxurious, and his white hair is quite long to reach the knees. People would believe that he is quite old from behind. Still, his face was clean without any wrinkles. Mark couldn''t help butpare this king to his biological father.


    And for some reason, his father appeared more dignified and had the aura of the Emperor while this guy looked like a shrewd wealthy merchant instead of a king. This was Mark''s first impression and obviously, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    "It''s our King." Zhu Jianhong whispered to Mark and got up on his feet. Mark and Allen followed the suit.


    As Shen Niu reached Mark, thetter followed the etiquette and made a deep bow, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I''m Lu Zhen, owner of Genesis Weapon Store. This is my brother, Allen Spencer."


    King Shen Niu found Allen''s name strange but he didn''t react to it and just remarked, "you are quitete, Mr. Lu. I thought you rejected our invitation."


    Before Mark gave the same excuse, Zhu Jianhong spoke for him.


    The King reacted the same way as the Prime Minister upon realizing the truth. "I see. I guess I misunderstood the situation. Then, would you like to stay for the dinner, if that''s not a problem?"


    Seeing the calmness of the King, Mark thought that his suspicions were right. They have a strong motive. He epted it.


    "You must have been tired from all the travel. Please take a rest in our guest room until then. We''ll talkter." The King said to him before taking his leave.


    Mark thanked him. Just as the king was leaving the ce, Mark inspected him out of curiosity to check what realm he is in. As the information appeared before him, Mark''s expression changed. "Shen Qiu? I thought his name is Shen Niu."


    He read the remaining details with Sage''s eyes.


    <strong>Shen Qiu</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 68


    Rank: 7-circle (high)


    Spirit Path: Summoner


    Attribute: Dark


    Affiliation: Western Moon kingdom<sub> </sub>


    Description: Twin brother of King Shen Niu and the Grand Prince of the Western Moon Kingdom. He is a necromancer.


    "Huh, this guy isn''t the king. It''s his twin brother. Is this a prank on me or something?" Mark was surprised by the info. If it is indeed as he thought it would be, then, he would teach these guys a lesson before returning home because it is not funny at all.


    Once the king is out of sight, the Prime Minister pointed to one of the royal knights that stayed behind, "Mr. Lu, he will take the both of you to your rooms."


    He abruptly turned his head to look at the Prime Minister, "Mr. Zhu, the one who came here was really the king?"


    Zhu Jianhong nodded in affirmation, "of course, he is. Who else can it be?"


    <strong>*Ding! You triggered a Hidden Quest, Save King Shen Niu.</strong>


    The moment Mark saw the quest title, realization dawned upon him. He doesn''t need to be suspicious of the incident no longer.


    "Nothing, I heard that King Shen Niu is quite old. He looked younger in person, that''s all." Mark gave a quick excuse to him, to which thetter replied with a nod, "Maybe, it''s because our majesty had broken through to 7-circle recently."


    "I guess this is how he covered up his realm, huh." Mark couldn''t help but suspect this fake king is behind his brother''s disappearance.


    Of course, there''s always a possibility that he might be acting as the king for the stability of the kingdom but Mark cannot think positively when the matter involves the royal family. Well, before he came to a conclusion, he had to read the quest details. Mark thought that it would be better to be alone.


    After a while, he and Allen separated, going to different guest rooms. After ordering Allen to take a rest, Mark calmly sat on the chair and opened the quest details.


    <strong>Hidden Quest: Save King Shen Niu</strong>


    Description: King Shen Niu was imprisoned somewhere in the Qincheng prison. Break into the prison, save the king, and help him reim the throne.


    Reward: Choose a Warship ¨C [destroyer] [submarine]


    Time Limit: No


    Condition for failure: King Shen Niu dies.


    Note: The Quest will be canceled if not epted within 24 hours.


    ept?


    "Oh, the system is finally offering me the navy power, huh." Mark was first excited about the rewards but then, he fell into thoughts, wondering about their capabilities, followed by other things.


    "Are they ether ones like the attack helicopter or were they normal ones, which can be unlocked and mass-produced? Both have their own advantages.


    If it is the former, then, I will have to go with a submarine but if it is thetter type, then, I might have to choose the destroyer. Well, let''s put aside that matter for a second and think about how to aplish this task.


    First of all, I need to gather info on this Qincheng Prison, especially how powerful the strongest guard is. If it had been Alina, she would have easily rescued him without making any fuss, but if I had to do it, then, it would be the same as waging a war in the middle of the night. That means I won''t have much time in saving the king.


    After that, I also need to capture the impostor and keep him alive. Only then the quest will go smooth. But then, what if Shen Niu fails to get recognized by his family? I don''t even know how long he was being imprisoned there.


    And once everything is solved, what if the Queen does something bad like suicide because of her tarnished reputation or worse, punished by the court for adultery? This world isn''t modern and the rules were quite unforgiving for women whether they were of high social status or not. Who knows¡­ she might be punished for the mistake she hasn''t done.


    What happens then?


    Will I make a new enemy instead of an ally? Ugh... there are too many issues¡­"


    In the end, he let out a deep sigh and went to the bed to take a rest for a while to not overthink unnecessarily.

 Chapter 210 What Will I Gain From Opening A New Branch In This Kingdom?

    A couple of hourster, Mark woke up from his nap and had a shower before sending a message to Allen.


    The Android came to Mark''s room and asked, "Your orders, Big Brother?"


    "Was there any soldier outside?" Mark replied with a question.


    p As Allen nodded in response, Mark then said, "Go and tell him that I wish to meet the King."</anda>


    About 15-20 minutester, the soldier returned with a message from his superior about the invitation to the dinner.


    Mark epted it and left his room at around quarter to nine.


    After a while, Mark reached the door of a chamber. The soldier opened the door for him, revealing a round table where the Prime Minister, The impostor King, and another young man were waiting for him.


    Mark''s eyes fell on everyone and vice versa.


    Since he had already known about Shen Qiu and Zhu Jianhong, he stared at the prince and inspected his details.


    "Shen Zhi, the son of Shen Qiu? I see¡­ No wonder both of them are together. Now, I wonder whether this prince is in cahoots with his father. Maybe, he was unaware like everyone but those chances are slim." Mark thought for a bit and walked towards them.


    "Mr. Lu, this is Prince Shen Zhi, His Majesty''s nephew, and Your Highness, this is Lu Zhen and his servant Allen."


    After greeting them, the Prime Minister introduced the Prince to Mark and Allen. However, Mark wasn''t pleased by the introduction and corrected him, "I treat him as my younger sibling, Mr. Zhu, and not a servant."


    Maybe, it was because he named Allen after his younger brother, or maybe, it''s because he started his journey with Allen. Whatever reason it might be, this male Android was special to Mark, in fact, more than anyone else in the current world, and he is quite sensitive to the matters when it concerns Allen.


    Seeing the look of seriousness on him, the King harshly scolded the prime minister for not showing proper hospitality towards the guest.


    Prime Minister Zhu felt humiliated and even Mark could see the look of aggravation on him but didn''t speak much because everything will be over soon once the real king returns.


    Once they have taken their seats, the wine was served. Mark didn''t forget to inspect it through his Sage eyes and confirm that there was nothing mixed in it.


    Only then does he take the sip before looking at Shen Qiu to enquire about the purpose of the invitation. Considering how he waste by several hours and still received a warm reception, he grew curious about the matter.


    Before he opened up the topic, Shen Qiu started a conversation, "So, Mr. Lu, how''s your business going on?"


    "It''s not been very long since we set up the store, Your Majesty. But, it''s going very well, I should say." Mark replied. But then, he suddenly felt that his response was too modest.


    So, he bragged a little bit, trying to test everyone''s reaction, "a treaty was formed between our store and the Imperial Army of Phoenix. Now, only the weapons manufacturing facility is left. Once it will bepleted, then, everything will be set."<sub> </sub>


    "I see¡­" Contrary to Mark''s expectation, Shen Qiu was quite calm as if it was either within his calctions or has no interest in the matter.


    On the other hand, Prince Shen Zhi, who wasn''t blessed with ether, disyed his interest, "I heard that your store sells this weapon that can kill even 5-circle realm experts. I asked Prime Minister Zhu to bring me one when he visited your home but he forgot about it."


    "I will have to go to the imperial city very soon anyway, Prince Shen. I will make sure to bring loads of them with me," Zhu Jianhong knew that if he defends himself or apologize, it will only bring him troubleter. So, he tackled it in a different way.


    And before this unnecessary topic gets dragged, he diverted it by raising an important one, "By the way, Mr. Lu, earlier, when I received you at the entrance, you have mentioned that you are trying to reconsider our offer about opening the store''s branch here in Lunaris City because of the familiarity with your neighborhood. So, did you think about it?"


    Mark had expected this topic woulde and he was well prepared to answer. However, if it was just this, then, he would be disappointed for sure.


    "I thought about it but I don''t find the reason why should I open a new branch here, hundreds of kilometers away from my home," replied Mark with his attention ced on the King instead.


    He further exined, "I mean, as I said earlier, my business is doing extremely well in the Imperial city. I may have enemies there but the Emperor appeared to be quite friendly. So, if I had to open a new branch, I can choose a nearby ce. Why should I open here and risk my rtionship with the Imperial Pce? I heard that the Western Moon Kingdom and Phoenix Empire have a lot of issues between them.


    What will I gain here if I open a new branch in your kingdom? Will there be any benefits that can offset the risks? And in return, do I need to provide your army with something like the attack helicopters or battle tanks? What about a manufacturing facility? What about the merchants who can supply the raw materials? Will the ess to the Leon Empire be smooth?"


    Mark had a quest waiting to bepleted. So, he already nned on opening a branch either in this city because of the kingdom''s connectivity with the Leon Empire. However, he knew that he cannot appear to be in need either. This way, he would an edge over the other party during negotiations. Even if everything fails, he won''t lose anything. There''s still Western Yan.


    Once he was done with a series of questions, he ended the reply, "If you are interested, please prepare a clean presentation of issues like these when putting forward a proposal and then, we will negotiate the terms.


    Oh, andstly, can I confirm whether the reason for this meeting was originally the store?"


    Mark then waited for their response but he saw a look of shock on everyone''s faces. Seriously? Don''t they have any ns at all? Is the invitation done in a moment of impulse? Or do they think he was being too much for opening a mere branch?


    Mark wondered what was going on in their minds. The King and the Prince nced at the Prime Minister to give a reply but Zhu Jianhong''s aim was never the store.


    He only wants the alliance with Mark who was not only powerful enough to trouble the noble ns of the Phoenix Empire but also knows a mysterious existence that brought these modern weapons to this world.


    In his view, Mark''s secret manufacturer might have been someone from a different mortal world where an advanced civilization exists. Who knows they might even be from a higher ne of existence.


    The nes of existence are mysterious to everyone. So, it is left to one''s imagination.


    Zhu Jianhong then quickly thought of something and said, "By tomorrow morning, I will prepare aplete contract for you but before that, may I ask a couple of things?"


    Mark nodded in response. "Go on."

 Chapter 211 Marks Stance On Western Yan

    "Does your store have any new types of weapons that are yet to be made public?" Zhu Jianhong put forth his first question, slowly revealing his intentions for this meeting.


    Mark didn''t expect such a question but he answered with a nod, "Yes, there were a few but the firearms were fairly new in the society. So, it will only confuse everyone if I disy everything in the store."


    Mark''s reply brought a smile to the prince, "Can I see them?" He appeared to be eager.


    This time, Mark intended to reject him but before he gave a reply, the King shut him off in a stern tone, "this isn''t the time to fool around, Shen Zhi. Just be quiet for a while and let us talk."


    As the prince was visibly disappointed, the King looked at Zhu Jianhong and signaled him to continue.


    Prime Minister Zhu then asked, "Out of the weapons you sell, which one is the costliest one and which one is the most popr one?"


    This question had Mark think for a bit. Somehow, he could guess the other party''s intentions. So, he answered truthfully about Chimera SGM and Single-shot pistol.


    "I see¡­" Prime Minister Zhu nodded in understanding. There was a n going on in his mind.


    After that, he asked a few questions, mostly rted to the sales of the weapons and the client. He didn''t enquire the exact numbers but just asked in general such as which days people buy more and what kind of people buy his weapons. Were they civilians? Spirit Warriors? Wealthy individuals? Nobles? Elite schrs? Etc¡­


    So, Mark answered him without hiding as he guessed that this guy would investigateter, anyway.


    Once he was done with his questions almost getting the information on what was required to make the deal, Zhu Jianhong turned his head to look at the King who was calmly observing them in patience, "Your Majesty, I''m done."


    Shen Qiu then leaned forward towards the table, cing his hands on it with a serious look on his face, "Mr. Lu, let''s get to the real business."


    Mark asked, "What is it that you wish to speak to me in person?"


    In response, Shen Qiu suddenly brought up another topic out of nowhere, "what do you think about the Kunyu bandits?"


    "Hmm?" Mark stared at him in silence while thinking of how to answer now that the cat is out of the bag.


    From that simple question, he realized that their real intention is probably to discuss the war that was going to happen soon.


    Considering the sour rtions between the Western Moon kingdom and the Phoenix Empire, it won''t be a surprise if the Western Moon helps Prince Feng Wu.


    But then again, Western Moon cannot interfere in the internal matters of Phoenix Matter, atleast, not openly, because it would break the ancient treaty between them, letting the Empire give an opportunity to invade this independent kingdom.


    And once Phoenix Empire invades Western Moon, her northern neighbor, the Leon Empire, would be involved and escte the matter. Who knows¡­ this can start a full-blown war between the tworge empires, eventually destroying the tiny independent kingdom.


    So, what can be done?


    They can either try to improve their rtions or create disturbance in the enemy state. If it had been the original king, he would have thought of his people and tried topromise on the issues but currently, an imposter is sitting on the throne of Lunaris city and he doesn''t seem like he wants to bow before Emperor Shang.


    Now, the only question remains is that whether his suspicions about them siding with Feng Wu is true or not. After all, they already knew about Feng Wu''s 300,000 gold coins of purchase.


    Mark knew that he had to answer carefully. After a brief amount of time, he replied, "honestly, I don''t care about Western Yan. I''m a businessman and I only see profits. At the moment, the profits lie with the Imperial Pce. So, I was willing to dy the order."<sub> </sub>


    "Your actions and your words don''t match, Mr. Lu," responded Shen Qiu, taking Mark by surprise. "ording to the information we have got, they have several metal puppets that look like a lesser version of the one used to demolish the Song n."


    Mark''s heart skipped a beat and almost spilled the wine but he managed to calm himself and thought, "It looks like my suspicions are right. These guys are in cahoots with Prince Feng Wu."


    *Ahem*


    Clearing his throat, Mark then said, "I will reiterate my statement. I made the deal with Emperor Shang and dyed the order to Feng Wu. However, if some strangeres to my store and pays the amount for a weapon, I will sell them without bothering to investigate their background. They might have bought it in other ways. There''s nothing to be done and it doesn''t concern me who bought what either."


    "I see¡­" A slight disappointment shed on Shen Qiu''s face but was quickly reced by calmness.


    "Not much for a reaction, huh," thought Mark when he observed the three of them. He took a sip of wine again while thinking about his next move.


    Mark didn''t fall into the trap set by them and just stuck to the same thing. He was also testing their rtionship with Kunyu bandits. Only he and Feng Wu knew aplete truth and if Shen Qiu exposes that truth, then, that would mean he was betrayed by Feng Wu. If not, then there''s nothing to be worried about.


    Of course, since they are strangers, Mark also knew that Shen Qiu probably will not confess the truth even if he and Feng Wu are close allies. And once he gets reced by the real king, then, everything will be buried. Either way, Mark will be safe.


    Still, he has yet to confirm the real truth. So, Mark wanted to push the matter.


    He asked, "What do you think about them, Your Majesty? Do you think Kunyu bandits need to reim their homnd?"


    Maybe, the Prime Minister was expecting this question.


    Before the king gave the reply, he answered right away, "Well, Western Yan is our neighboring region and we have border issues even before their annexation into Phoenix Empire. The matters over there will impact our kingdom. It would be best for us if the region is stable."


    "Somehow, it feels like you support their cause, Mr. Zhu, but your problem will not be solved even if they get into power." Mark pushed him again to get rity while showing off his knowledge from the past world. "Stability can never ur in a region that was upied by force. Even if Kunyu bandits were wiped out, then, some other rebel group will rise. Whether it is an independent region or whether it is a controlled region, only economic development will help those people.


    Unlike nobles or wealthy people, amon man would always be satisfied with his life as long as he has to get fill his stomach three times a day, clothes to wear every day, and a house to sleep in. If they have enough money for other things, they won''t bother with who is sitting on the throne.


    And if Kunyu bandits will somehow reim their kingdom, they would have to worry about food supplies and everything because they would be making enemies of the Phoenix Empire. In such a case, they will turn to you. If you don''t provide help, then, Leon Empire will surely take advantage of the situation.


    Once that happens, Western Yan will be caught between two huge powers, which will only increase instability at your border. There will be an influx of refugees to your kingdom, increasing the problems.


    That means the best thing you can do is to bnce the rtions between the two Empires like your ancestors did and make sure you have a say in the matters of Western Yan.


    In my opinion, this can be considered a peaceful solution. Of course, there''s always an option of indiscriminately massacring thousands to instill deep fear into the remaining hundreds of thousands of citizens but that''s a cruel thing to do and might have consequences unless you are a Supreme Being no one dares to question."


    While the King felt as if he was being lectured by an outsider and got annoyed a little bit, the Prime minister on the other hand nodded in agreement and praised, "Mr. Lu has a good insight."


    Meanwhile, a look of shock appeared on the face of Prince Shen Zhi upon hearing the exnation. "How is this possible? Wow¡­" He eximed, drawing the attention of everyone because of his strange reaction.


    "Hmm?" Mark looked at him.

 Chapter 212 Mark Meets Shen Ling (Part-1)

    Shen Zhi couldn''t keep the words in his heart and immediately spoke, "My cousin said the exact same words a few days ago when we talked about the matter. I guess intellectual people think alike. You should meet her, Mr. Lu. You will be great friends."


    "Eh? Cousin?" Meanwhile, Mark remembered that King Shen Niu has a daughter and fell into thoughts.


    If the situation had been different, he would have been curious about her who appeared to be thinking in the same line as him but for now, he couldn''t believe his words.


    Mark''s mind wandered off to another matter, all of a sudden.


    Why is he dragging the princess in this matter unless he was either inly telling the truth or scheming something else?


    If it is the former, then, the prince is na?ve, and if it is thetter, then, he felt the need to be careful. After all, Shen Niu''s daughter should be a thorn in Shen Qiu''s eyes.


    Setting him up with her is the best way for Shen Qiu. He can not only solidify Mark''s rtionship with the Western Moon but also remove her from politics. Even if she can''t hold a position, as a child of a king, she will always have a considerable influence within the kingdom. What if some noble marry her? Then, their son will be eligible to sit on the throne in the future.


    Isn''t it best to marry her to amoner like Mark? Once she marries amoner, ording to the tradition, her status as a royal princess will be removed and nothing can stop Shen Zhi to seed his father.


    Of course, all of this theory was just in Mark''s head.


    Acquiring powerful skills and various weapons; meeting the Emperor and the imperial children; getting respected by wealthy individuals; all of these boosted his confidence and made him even believe that he was indeed worthy to marry any princess of a kingdom or an Empire.


    Of course, he wasn''t conceited, atleast in his view. Mark knew his potential very well and he was also confident in toppling the Empires as long as he has enough time.


    With the ruling family always full of conspiracies no matter the ce, Mark couldn''t help but think that way.


    To find out their ns for him, he yed along with the prince, "I guess it wouldn''t be a bad idea to exchange the ideas."


    In truth, Shen Qiu never had such ns. It was only after Mark spouted such words, that something clicked in his mind.


    He tried to divert the topic by throwing his niece as bait, "Mr. Lu, I must admit that your thinking is in the same line as my daughter, Shen Ling.


    You can consider it as huge praise because my daughter had graduated with top grades from the Heavenly Academy, which is not only the best institution in Leon Empire but also reputed to be the best in the entire world. Even the schrs of our court would lose an argument with her.


    I believe that either you two can be good acquaintances or you might learn something new from her."


    ? Bragging about his niece left a bad taste in Shen Qiu''s mouth but at the moment, he had only this solution in his mind. After all, from the start, he nned to support Kunyu bandits in secret and create unrest in the Phoenix Empire.


    Seeing that Mark had enemies all over the Empire and even took the order from Kunyu bandits, Shen Qiu thought that he could be an ally if the rumors about him are true. However, Mark''s response made him suspect whether he can be tamed. If not, then, it would be best to keep him distant. This is what Shen Qiu''s concluded in the end.


    On the other hand, Zhu Jianhong always had the impression that Mark could improve the might of their military with his weapons. Not to mention, the presence of an additional 7-circle realm expert could also help the kingdom in diplomacy.


    It is why he actively pushed forward for this meeting. Now, all that''s left is to see whether Mark''s strength is the real deal or not. He had already made the arrangements and will act on the following day.


    After Shen Qiu sessfully diverted Mark''s attention for a moment, the Prime Minister and Shen Zhi continued the conversation with praises of Shen Ling about this and that incident. The prince looked as if he was a fan of his cousin.<sub> </sub>


    Mark found them too exaggerated and wanted to stop but he failed to find a correct time to cut off the topic and was forced to listen patiently until a soldier entered the room and informed them of the arrival of the princess and the Queen.


    The four of them then got up on their feet to continue their conversation during dinner.


    Just as they exited the chamber, Mark''s eyes fell on the two women who had simr features to one another. Looking at them, anyone would say that they were mother and daughter.


    Mark was then introduced to this legendary princess of the Western Moon kingdom.


    After greeting her and her mother, Mark opened his inventory and finally took out something that is covered by a gift wrap.


    He handed it to the princess, "Your Highness, this is from me."


    It''s a customary practice in this world for the guest to present a small gift to the host when they were invited. However, one cannot give a gift to someone of the above status on any asion unless they are close. It is considered disrespectable if a stranger breaks that rule.


    This is why he never gave it to Emperor and his family. On the other hand, he wasn''t a citizen of the Western Moon kingdom and such a rule wouldn''t apply to him.


    That''s why Mark had nned to give the present to the King but after arriving here, he found the truth about the real king. So, he never brought it out before and only handed it in when he saw the princess.


    But, all of this is unknown to everyone. So, in their eyes, he was just trying to grab attention from the princess. Even Shen Ling thought the same and was rather happy because of the misunderstanding.


    She thanked him and ced it in her storage ring before proceeding to the dining room along with everyone else.


    During the first meeting, she maintained her reserved image of a person from the royal family and didn''t talk with him at all.


    But, once the dinner is finished and the king insisted on her escorting the guests to their rooms, along with a royal knight, Shen Ling walked along with Mark.


    It was then she finally put her princess image aside and talked to him in a casual tone, starting withmenting about histeness, "I didn''t expect Mr. Lu would skip the lunch, altogether."


    Mark halted in his tracks and looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to bring up the topic that is long forgotten.


    As he answered the same thing to her about the fuel, Princess Shen Ling shook her head with a smile, "Our kingdom had spies all over the towns and cities. If you had stopped by one of those ces to buy oil, then, the spies would have informed Prime Minister Zhu. After all, your vehicle is so unique that it will instill fear in the eyes of amon man. People would always be alert when it considers an unknown.


    The fact that we don''t know about your whereabouts until you reach Lunaris city clearly indicates that you only traveled in the wild for 10 hours. That means you are covering up the truth. In my view, either you purposely camete to test the reactions of my father or you have been looking for something in the wild.


    But then again, all of this doesn''t matter because you are already here and we had the dinner too. It''s just that I feel apologetic to our servants. That''s all."


    Mark was taken aback by her words and stared at her. There was a look of confidence on her face as if she doesn''t have any doubt regarding her analysis. Maybe, this is how the intellectuals behave?


    He doesn''t know and doesn''t care. Feeling that there''s no need to insist on the lie, Mark replied with a question, "And does the princess know why I am here?"

 Chapter 213 Mark Meets Shen Ling (Part-2)

    "Well, it''s obvious that you are here to see whether you can gain something from this meet." Shen Ling shrugged her shoulders as she answered him. She further said, "But, what can our kingdom give you that you won''t get it at the Imperial City?


    Additional customers? Nope, I heard that your store was closed a few times due to theck of goods.


    Huge business opportunity? We have wealthy individuals here but can''t bepared to the Phoenix Empire. Moreover, the rich people wouldn''t care whether the store is within the city or outside. They can always hire people to buy things for them. So, it''s a no.


    Land? You had an 80-acre plot at the Kunyu mountain range but you have yet to start your manufacturing facility. One would only think about the second one when the first one ispleted. So, it''s a no, too.


    Western Moon can give you two things. First is the ess to Leon Empire. Second is the ess to the ocean where you can even bypass the Leon Empire and go to the Dragon Empire, other northern independent kingdoms, or even the beast Empire.


    Of course, you can also go from the Phoenix Empire for it has a long coastline but it will take more time unless you n on flying. Western Yan has a lot of ports but you have a sour rtionship with the Ji family. They might or might not be able to stop you but they can trouble you for sure.


    Apart from this, no one here had the strength to trouble a person like you who even managed to tame a legendary realm beast king. Whatever you demand, it will be done, atleast if we talk in theory.


    And in the future, even if you turn against the Imperial family of Phoenix, you can simply shift your store as well as home here. The King won''t go against you and the Empires cannot break the treaty and invade thisnd.


    This is why I think that you are in favor of expanding your store in our kingdom."


    Mark was indeed surprised by her analysis once again and felt as if she managed to see through his mind. But then again, she wasn''t aware of his truth and neither does she knows his revenge n for his parents.


    To confuse her a little bit, he responded with praise, followed by a vague statement, "You have a broad mindset, Princess Shen. It is a rare quality among the people who have an upbringing in a wealthy household. Whatever you said was indeed right. However, it wasn''tplete, Princess Shen. You are only half right."


    "Iplete?" Shen Ling curiously looked at him. What is that she missed?


    Mark simply smiled, "I heard that you are the most intelligent person in this kingdom and are a great lover of solving puzzles. How about I give you a simple question and then, a riddle? I will give you a clue for each one. If you aren''t interested, then, we can forget it."


    After hearing all the bragging about her, he was curious about whether she is also wise or not. He also wanted to check her knowledge.


    As she had guessed his intentions, he felt embarrassed and wanted to defeat her in her own game. Maybe, that will give him a sense of satisfaction. He was from the era of the inte where one is easily able to acquire information about a lot of things. So, he was confident in challenging her.


    And Shen Ling epted right away because she was proud of her intelligence and wisdom. "Please go on¡­"


    Mark then proceeded to ask her the question he was asked when he was recruited into the army in his past life. "Who are the two major friends and two major enemies of a soldier? Or in general, a warrior."<sub> </sub>


    "Friends and enemies of a warrior?" Shen Ling thought for a bit. She never heard of such a statement in academic teachings and neither did she saw in any book. So, she had to answer out of her own experience.


    It took her about half a minute of thinking before opening her mouth, "I believe impatience and greed are the enemies of a warrior."


    "And friends?" Mark asked with a smile. He was celebrating the small victory in his mind because she was wrong.


    "Hard work and luck?" This time, she sounded a bit unsure.


    Mark then said, "You have only answered one correct, Princess Shen. Sleep and tiredness are the two major enemies of a soldier. As for friends, they are hard work and caution.


    A warrior/soldier who vanquishes these two enemies and befriends the two friends could aplish anything."


    He had expected the princess to argue regarding her answer but to his surprise, she fell silent for a while before nodding in agreement, "You are right. Impatience and greed are indeed enemies of humans but the deprivation of sleep and tiredness will cause more damage. I''m impressed."


    Unlike Mark, this wasn''t any challenge to her. If she wins, then, it disys her skill and if she loses, then, she will learn something new.


    So, she didn''t feel any disappointment by the failure and said, "You can ask the riddle now."


    "Alright," Mark felt a little bit embarrassed by his thoughts upon seeing her positive attitude.


    This time, he felt a little bit easy on her.


    He spoke of the riddle he still remembered from his past life, although he changed the name for his convenience.


    "Suppose, Princess Shen is stranded on an ind covered in forest.


    One day, when the wind is blowing from the west, lightning strikes the west end of the ind and sets fire to the forest. The fire is very violent, burning everything in its path. Without intervention, the fire will burn the whole ind, killing you in the process.


    There are cliffs around the ind, so you cannot jump off. There''s a mysterious seal ced on you, which suppresses your strength and ether energy. So, you only have the strength of a civilian, and your body cannot resist the mes. However, you are indeed quick on your feet.


    In such a case, how can you survive the fire?"

 Chapter 214 Mark Meets Shen Ling (Part-3)

    While the question seemed like a tough one at one nce, it is actually quite simple when one understands it properly. He wanted to see if she has the ability to act under difficult circumstances.


    Unfortunately, he had underestimated her because of the previous question. She only listened to the question once and thought for about 10 seconds before giving the answer, "That''s easy. If I will be stuck in that kind of situation, I will take a piece of wood and light it from the fire on the west end of the ind.


    Then, I use my speed and the wind to my advantage to run towards the eastern end of the ind and start a new fire, a few meters nearby. The wind that was blowing from the west will burn it before the iing fire. After that, I can simply rest at the burnt area at the eastern end and contact my people."


    Mark was impressed by her answer. He realized that she might not have all the knowledge in the world but she sure is wise.


    He nodded with a smile, "You are correct, Princess Shen. I will fulfill my word and give you the clue right away.


    Tomorrow will turn into a memorable day for you, perhaps one of the happiest days in your life. Who knows; you might even cry in happiness."


    p "Eh? What does that mean?" Shen Ling, at once, wondered what he is going to do that will have that much impact on her.</anda>


    It is clear to her that this is rted to her heart rather than her brain. Now, she is usually uninterested in material possessions. Despite being in the 5-circle realm, she was more like a schr rather than a warrior. Instead of a semi-divine weapon, she would be more interested in mysterious ruins, ancient texts, etc¡­


    She doesn''t know whether this handsome young fellow knows her enough or not but she decided to believe him and replied, "I will look forward to it, then."


    "Trust me, you won''t be disappointed." Mark let out ament and picked up his pace as they reached the guest room.


    After saying good night, Mark closed his door and lies down on the bed to take a short nap. Allen, on the other hand, simply waited in his room until further orders.


    Meanwhile, the princess returned to her room and fell into thoughts. If it is just happiness, there can be a lot of things but she might even cry? It can only happen on a few asions like she meets her idol or if her dream has been fulfilled. Maybe, there''s a hidden portal in the wild, which leads to a different world? She let her imagination run wild to expand the possibility of answers.


    "If only I had answered the first question right, I would have connected the two clues and solved the puzzle. Let''s see what present he is going to give me, tomorrow." She sat on her bed after changing intofortable wear. Just as she was about to sleep, something clicked in her mind. "Hmm, speaking of the present, didn''t he give me a customary gift? Let''s open it before going to bed."


    She then took out the present from her storage ring and removed the gift wrap. It revealed a metal box with the words, "Genesis" on the top with a minimalistic design. It is only stainless steel. So, there''s nothing important here. However, there''s a hidden spell cast on it by the system to make sure that the customers won''t feel the heat even if it was ced in the sun for longer durations.


    Shen Ling opened the lid and found a glossy ck revolver, although with a longer 5inch barrel. As she picked it up, she saw a note with instructions as well as a small message.


    After reading it, a trace of surprise appeared on her face, "this is the ether firearm, which has yet to be put into a sale? Now, that was unexpected. I really wonder who supplies him with these weapons. But then again, he doesn''t seem like the type to bow his head. What if he isn''t the puppet of that mysterious existence but the one who participated in creating these weapons?"<sub> </sub>


    A strange thought appeared in her head but she quickly dismissed it away as she had already known about his past 25 years of life. Western Moon''s spywork is second to only WEB. So, she was confident in the information on him.


    It was one thing if he kept a low profile as he cultivated under a mysterious master but it was entirely different if he also had another secret existence. That''s why she assumed that she was overthinking. Soon, she fell into sleep.


    A few hours passed away. Midnight arrived and except for the soldiers on night shift, everyone else is peacefully sleeping.


    Mark suddenly opened his eyes as if an rm rang in his head and woke him up. He took out the pocket watch from the inventory and looked at the time. The dial was glowing in darkness along with the minute and the hour hands. "Oh, it was already 2:35? It looks like I have slept for nearly 5 hours."


    Mark switched on the light and went to the washroom. After washing his face to remove the drowsiness, he switched off the light once again and spoke to the system. "Open, the pending notifications."


    The holographic screen appeared before him with the hidden quest notification.


    He pressed on ept.


    <strong>*Ding! You epted the quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like to be teleported to the quest location or wait?</strong>


    <strong>Warning: If you choose to wait, then, you would have to go to the location manually.</strong>


    "This is why I kept the notification pending." Mark chose to teleport.


    <strong>*Ding! Allen Spencer and Alina Spencer can be teleported to the quest location along with you. Would you like to take them along?</strong>


    "Choosing Alina is best but I cannot leave Song Yue alone without protection. And Allen isn''t strong enough yet but if I equip him with the divine sword right away instead of waiting for his breakthrough, this might work. I might also need disguise too. I should thank Feng Wu for giving me the idea to buy in masks and ck robes. Anyway, let''s get going."


    Very soon, Mark and Allen disappeared from their rooms.

 Chapter 215 Breaking Into The Prison (Part-1)

    Qincheng Prison, one of the world''s toughest prisons, where notorious human criminals and other intelligent races were imprisoned. It is reputed to have a 0% escape rate over the past five decades.


    The prison was located on the ind of Qincheng, which is only about 6 sq. km of are. All it contained was a prison and outposts in every direction.


    The prisoners here werepletely cut off from the world. There are no visitations or releases. And they are known to have only two fates, either dying by trying to escape or turning into a bag of bones in the cell.


    Because the inmates have a lot of reputation in the outside world, there would be always some fanatic followers trying to break into the prison to save their leader. This is why there are more guards around the prison than the number of prisoners.


    Due to the sheer amount of work put into security, Western Moon was always funded by the other empires whose criminals were facing life imprisonment. In a way, the kingdom holds a bit of leverage over theserger empires, although the king would never exercise that leverage because he couldn''t afford to face the anger of the Emperors.


    But, the current king, Shen Qiu is different. Because of the border disputes with the Phoenix Empire, he is constantly challenging the patience of Emperor Shang every time his Prime Minister visits the Imperial City.


    Of course, he never intended to release the prisoners or anything but wanted more funds in maintaining security. Shen Qiu wants others to pay money for the prison and its maintenance while he pockets the money that was supposed to be allotted to it.


    Several five-circle and six-circle realm experts were guarding the ind at the outposts and warships that patrol around the ce to make sure no one gets near it.


    These people were paid in full but because of that, the prison guards with low cultivation levels weren''t getting their wages properly. As a result, they take their work lightly. With how the inmates had several powerful seals on their bodies, followed by getting inadequate food, all of them are weaker than a normal person. So, there''s nothing to worry about.


    And in the middle of the night, when several soldiers appeared to be tired and the patrolling of warships was almost reduced to just one ship, Mark and Allen appeared on the ind, behind some huge tree.


    Looking around his surroundings, he found that he was teleported right before the entrance, evading all the possible security on the ind. Behind him, there were woods, spanning over an acre or two. Maybe, some soldiers are hiding in the woods. Who knows¡­


    The walls were about 50 ft in height but the entrance gate was only 6ft big and 6 ft wide. There was a security guard on either side but to Mark''s luckiness, they were currently sleeping.


    Looking at them, Mark mumbled, "Man, I''m really missing Alina in times like these¡­"


    "Big Brother, I can do better than her," Allen called him out in response. Because it is dark, Mark couldn''t see what kind of face the Android is making but just from Allen''s words alone, he felt like the male Android is gettingpetitive against his female counterpart.


    It''s something new but was it good or bad? Only time will tell.


    Mark realized that it is probably the right time to test the power of the divine sword of Emperor Shun. He opened the inventory and clicked on the sword. Details appeared on a holographic screen.


    <strong>Aries, the sword of light (bound)</strong>


    Owner: Allen Spencer


    Grade: Celestial


    Description: The sword, which was forged by the divine cksmith of Meng Hui of Sis, belonged to the ne of light and dark. It was previously owned by Emperor Shun and is currently bound to Allen Spencer. During the forge, the blood drawn from the Light Emperor Dragon''s heart was used as a catalyst to bring the properties of light attribute. Like other celestial grade weapons, this sword has the capability to hold the ether energy of up to God Realm (13-circle).


    Note: Only those who have either awakened Light attribute or have nopatibility with elemental attributes can use the following skills.


    <strong>SKILLS LIST:</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>Illumination:</strong> Light up the surroundings. CD: 1 second/1 meter radius


    <strong>Blessing:</strong> Heal your target. CD: Depends on the status and type of injury.


    <strong>Expel:</strong> remove the curses on the target. CD: Varies on the cursing type and its effects


    <strong>Eternal light:</strong> Emit a field of eternal light and temporarily blind the vision of everyone who witnessed it within the range. CD: 60 seconds/10-meter range.


    <strong>Arc of Light:</strong> sh at empty air and create an arc of light, cutting down everything in its path with 100% attack power of the user. CD: 0 seconds.


    <strong>Light Beam:</strong> Absorb the natural energy from the surroundings and shoot a concentrated beam of light, destroying the enemy with 120% attack power. CD: Depends on the final attack power.


    <strong>Light Dragon:</strong> Turn the sword into the divine dragon of light and attack the enemies with 140% attack power. CD: Depends on the final attack power


    <strong>Passive Skill:</strong>


    <strong>Aura of Light:</strong> All the stats will be increased by 30% as long as the sword is in the hands of the user (10% if it is in the hands of a user who is not the owner but has the light attribute.)


    ***


    "What the¡­" Mark had hit his back to the trunk of the tree in shock, letting the leaves rustle. Thankfully, it didn''t alert the guards who were in deep sleep.


    It''s been a while since he had acquired this divine sword but considering he was never going to equip it, Mark never inspected its details, worrying that he will regret it. All he knows from the system is that the sword can increase Allen''s rank by 1.


    Mark thought that Allen will have the power of the 7-circle realm when the Android will get an upgrade. It is also why he had never equipped him with the sword, feeling that it is useless now.


    However, Mark had earlier gained the unique skill of the lightning clone. Combined with Thunderst, he was confident that he wouldn''t need the divine sword even in dreams. Not to mention, weapons like swords aren''t for azy guy like him. He wouldn''t like to move too much on normal asions.


    Now that he finally saw the details, the reality became difficult to swallow. But then again, what else can he do? He could only let out a sigh and click on equip.


    As soon as he did that, the divine sword left the inventory in the form of a speck of light and entered Allen''s body, bing one with its new owner.


    Allen then raised his hand and summoned the exquisite glowing sword. In an instant, energy flowed from the sword into the core of his body. His stats were boosted by 30%, crossing even Alina''s stats and reaching 6.7 points.


    Soon, the surprise on Mark''s face was reced by a pleasant smile and he immediately takes out a couple of ck robes with hoods and nk masks.


    "I should really thank Feng Wu for giving an idea." He then gave a nk mask and a ck robe to Allen and wore the other.


    Once he was fully equipped to hide his face, he looked at the Android, "Let''s go, Allen."


    The Android understood Mark''s intentions and dashed towards the entrance.

 Chapter 216 Breaking Into The Prison (Part-2)

    There was a huge wall with a small entrance gate. Beside the gate, two guards are sleeping, and this is midnight. What would Mark does in this situation?


    Option A: He will knock them out and get the keys to open the gate


    Option B: He will kill them and get the keys to open the gate


    Option C: He will kill one and threaten the other to open the gate


    Option D: ¡­


    There''s no need to analyze what Mark might do. It is obvious. If Alina had been here, he might choose one of the first three options but since she isn''t there, then, he was only left with one option, which is to destroy everything in its path as he goes towards his destination.


    But then again, he understood the quest objective very well. This isn''t simply rescuing Shen Niu. He also needed to find him, break him out, and rece him as the king once again while keeping him alive until thepletion. He can neither let him be coteral damage nor should his opponents know that this specific prisoner is the target.


    As soon as theynded on the ind, Mark let Allen scan the surroundings to search for the enemies.


    While the Spirit warriors, who were stationed at the outposts and secretly hiding in the woods, were weaker than a 6-circle realm expert with the exception of one warrior, there are three powerful spirit warriors who are guarding inside the prison. They can trouble him frompleting the mission.


    Two of them were found to be at the peak stage of the 6-circle realm and the remaining one, possibly the Warden, is at the 7-circle realm of the intermediate stage.


    If it is simply killing them, it would have been easy. Mark would summon an attack helicopter and bombard them with the missiles. However, the fact that his target should be alive will make this a challenge.


    As a result, Mark opened the inventory and took out a rocketuncher. But, instead of the gate, he aimed at the woods and clicked on the trigger.


    A 110mm warhead shot from theuncher and struck a tree, triggering the detonation.


    *Boom*


    Arge explosion shook the ind and the fire spread in the woods with the help of winds traveling across the ocean.


    Because it is midnight when everything was silent, Mark''s action drewmotion. The prison guards inside and the Spirit Warriors stationed outside, everyone had be alert all of a sudden.


    At the same time, he ordered Allen to cut down the entire wall that is standing in its way and kill everyone who dares to stop him. This is Mark''s style.


    Allen raised the sword and swung it down, shing at empty air. An arc of concentrated light was created and it moved towards the target.


    The sound of the explosion woke up the guards from their sleep only to spot a powerful iing attack.


    As they reacted by jumping aside to save themselves from the ambush, the arc of light had struck the gate urately.


    *Thud*


    A part of the metal gate fell on the outside. As he controlled its size, only the gate was damaged. The wall around it was intact as it is.


    "Big brother, the entrance is open. Shall we get inside?" Allen asked him, to which, Mark shook his head as he opened the inventory once again, "No, we will make our stand here and drag out those three. So, don''t throw weak and urate attacks like before.


    Put aside that sword for a second and take this. We need to go wild around to divert their attention. After taking them out, I''ll go in and save the target while you guard the entrances. Make sure that no one enters the prison from any side. You are permitted to use the sword, skills, or any weapon in my inventory."<sub> </sub>


    He threw a grenadeuncher towards him, "Now, get to work."


    Allen caught the weapon and took a great leap,nding on top of 50ft wall.


    Meanwhile, the two prison guards who appeared to be shocked by the sudden turn of events pulled out their weapons to engage the enemy. Because of the mes in the nearby woods, they could see the presence of two intruders.


    As soon as they saw one of them disappear from their vision, one of them said, "Inform the captain, hurry."


    The other nodded and entered the prison to inform their immediate superior.


    Meanwhile, Mark ignored them and took out another warhead.


    He equipped it to the rocketuncher before turning to the northeast and clicking the trigger,unching another attack at an angle between 40 and 45 degrees.


    He didn''t aim at a particr spot. All he needed are a series of continuous explosions in different ces. Taking advantage of its 600 meters absolute range, he was able tounch the warheads in different directions; almost setting the whole woods on fire, thereby, trying to distract the attention of the guards.


    Of course, he wasn''t alone here, Allen was also continuouslyunching 40mm grenades while running on the wall, making it seem like the prison was being attacked by all the sides.


    *Boom* *Boom* Boom*


    Through their collective efforts, the entire woods were set on fire and triggered the waves of restlessness among the guards due to the powerful explosions.


    <strong>Meanwhile, inside the prison, in Warden''s quarters;</strong>


    In a royally looking room that doesn''t match with a ce like a prison, on a king-size bed, a fatty was snoring heavily with two malnourished naked young women with scars on their back. They also have a type of seal over their foreheads, which has not only sealed their ether energy but also suppresses their physical strength by 90%.


    Are they prisoners? Probably. But, who cares? Even if it turns out that these young women are innocent and were falsely framed before being taken advantage of by the warden, Mark wouldn''t flinch because it is not his or his friends'' problem to deal with anyway.


    Just like the others, the powerful explosions also woke them up from their sleep. The young women panicked but didn''t dare to speak out in presence of the warden.


    On the other hand, the warden furrowed his brows and activated his senses to full. "Hmm, what''s going on?"


    He dressed up quickly and exited his room. The young women looked at each other and also dressed but didn''t follow him. They stayed in a corner, hugging each other in fear.


    On the way, he met two of his direct subordinates who are on their way to meet him while sending away the other prison guards towards all of the exits.


    "Lord Ren" "Lord Ren" The two six-circle realm expert cupped their fists and bowed.


    "Forget the formalities. What the hell is going on, outside?" He snarled at them in response. He appeared to be more irritated that his sleep was disturbed rather than the prison being attacked. As he is a 7-circle realm expert, he doesn''t care about getting fired.


    One of the two guardians, named Long Yazhu reported to him, "we too have no idea. Neither of us could sense any unfamiliar energy on the outside."


    While he was speaking, another couple of explosions startled them.


    "Rather than an attack, it looked like someone is challenging us to fight. Or it might be an attempt to break-in. Long Yazhu, you guard the southeastern gate, and Sun Xia, you guard the northwestern gate. I''ll go to the main gate. Whoever it is, they will pay very dearly." The fatty clenched his fist in anger.

 Chapter 217 Breaking Into The Prison (Part-3)

    Unlike Allen, as Mark didn''t move from the spot while targeting different locations, the guards that came out of the northwestern gate had spotted him.


    There were about 12 of them, of which four were in the 5-circle realm and the rest were in the 4-circle realm.


    All of them drew out their weapons as soon as they spotted a stranger with a hood and mask.


    If it was some other ce like the royal pce, they would first ask about his identity as well as his motive, followed by a warning to stop and surrender. If an intruder doesn''t ept the surrender, they would try to capture him and give the death sentence as thest resort.


    However, the Qincheng prison is different. The guards directly went for the kill after seeing Mark without considering any circumstances or consequences.


    Unfortunately for them, it''s the person who doesn''t have any care for the lives of the strangers. As Mark knew that he was in the 30-meter range, he didn''t fire the warhead at the enemies that appeared. Instead, he unleashed the lightning clone skill and ordered it to kill them.


    Before they even get an opportunity to attack Mark, his mighty clone raised its arm and charged forward, striking their chests one after another.


    For a moment, Mark''s vision went blurry because of his connection with the clone. It was like his eyes couldn''t follow the movements of his body. It was too fast for him.


    One strike, one kill. Within five seconds, dozen corpses fell on the ground. With a thought, he dismissed the clone after wasting two seconds (2% of his ether energy).


    As a result, he lost 7% of his ether energy (4650 ether points) but he was satisfied with the result because this was his strength, neither his Androids nor his weapons.


    "Okay, the small fish are dead. Now, let''s wait for the big fish." Mark loaded a warhead in the rocketuncher but didn''t shoot it. He calmly stared at the prison''s entrance.


    Roughly half a minuteter, one of his three targets appeared. Long Yazhu nced around his surroundings. His facial expression turned serious upon spotting the corpses of his subordinates. Then, there was a huge fire, burning in the woods. Finally, his eyes fell on Mark with a rocketuncher on his shoulder.


    "Bastard¡­"


    Like his subordinates, he too didn''t waste the time chatting with the enemy and directly sprung into action.


    <strong>"Lightning Clone, activate"</strong>


    Mark also resummoned his lightning clone, which readily blocked his attack and countered with a kick to his chin.


    As Long Yazhu flew by the kick, Mark ordered his clone, "Don''t kill him. Just knock him out."


    The lightning clone leaped towards its opponent and nted another kick, this time in the abdomen as Yazhu was still in the air.


    Long Yazhu crashed onto the wall and fell to the ground. The sturdy wall cracked but managed to stand.


    "Damn it. This enemy is stronger than me." Long Yazhu wiped the blood from his lips as he slowly stood on the ground. Instead of attacking with all of his strength, he took out some talisman and ignited it with his ether energy.


    Unfortunately for him, the lightning clone was too fast. Before he even managed to send a message to the warden, the clone reached him and gave a solid kick to his thigh.


    "Argh¡­"


    Long Yazhu screamed in pain but the lightning clone didn''t stop its attacks. It gave consecutive punches, smashing his bones all over his body. Long Yazhu lost consciousness.


    "Dismiss¡­"<sub> </sub>


    Mark slowly walked toward his body after checking his status. Upon reaching him, he observed him for a few seconds and nodded in satisfaction, "okay, one is down. I wonder what happened to the other."


    He connected to Allen and enquired about the other 6-circle realm expert through the system.


    Meanwhile, at the south-eastern entrance gate


    A fatty was engaged in a sword battle with Allen. A spear user was supporting the fatty. Allen looked like he wasn''t gaining any advantage.


    "Ha" "Oraaaa" Both of them were trying their best to kill him but Allen calmly parried their attacks while looking for a way to break through their defense without killing them, of course.


    As he is in the middle of a battle, the system sent a message to him.


    <o>,m Allen didn''t waste any time backing off a bit and sending back the reply.</o>


    <strong>*Ding! Allen replies that he is in the middle of a battle with the spirit warrior named Sun Xia and the Warden of the prison, Ren Zhn.</strong>


    "A two-front battle?" Mark furrowed his brows by the reply sent by Allen. He didn''t expect Allen would face two of them at the same time. ording to his strategy, the three of them should separate and go to each entrance gate to check upon the attackers as he and Allen were making explosions from all the sides of the prison.


    Was he wrong in his approach? He couldn''t help but wonder.


    In fact, he was right. They were separated for sure but Mark had made the mistake of letting Allen climb the outer wall. Because of that, he was spotted by the Warden and he changed his direction upon witnessing the divine sword on Allen and got consumed by greed.


    He doesn''t know that it was a divine grade sword but he knows for sure that it was more powerful than his tinum grade sword. As the semi-divine weapons were bound to the owner, he decided to kill Allen at all costs, thinking it aspensation for causing chaos around his prison and disturbing his sleep.


    And once they shed their weapons, Ren Zhn realized that the other party was equally strong and can heal himself through the light attribute. As a result, He couldn''t even injure him, much less kill him. So, he took the help of Sun Xia.


    If not for the fact that the explosions continued even after his sh with Allen, Ren Zhn would have even brought Long Yazhu to assist him.


    But anyway, two on one is also good, considering they are managing to push back the Android to a disadvantage.


    Unfortunately for him, his subordinate was already defeated and Mark is free to move. At the same time, Allen wasn''t using his offensive skills because his master ordered him not to kill them. That means he was only allowed to use them on weaklings who will cross the woods ande towards the prison.


    Why did Mark give such a strange order when he mercilessly killed a dozen prison guards earlier?


    It''s because of their usefulness.


    Unlike four-circle and below realm warriors, Five-circle and Six-circle realm experts were important to any organization or kingdom. As they weren''t high-level warriors like Exalt realm experts, they usually have less arrogance and would stay bound to duty under normal circumstances.


    As a result, they are important to the kingdom. Since he was going to save the king, he will naturally be an ally of Western Moon. So, he shouldn''t harm the kingdom by killing them unnecessarily when he had a choice of sparing their lives.


    As for why Mark had cleaned up those five-circle realm experts too, it is because he doesn''t think too much of them. For him, anyone below 6-circle isn''t worth thinking about. Maybe, his decision will change once he gets his hands on more powerful weapons but for now, he decided not to kill 6-circle experts who could be useful to him in the future.


    And now that he felt like it is difficult for Allen to hold back any longer, Mark ordered the Android to lead his opponents to him.

 Chapter 218 Breaking Into The Prison (Part-4)

    Upon receiving the message, Allen dropped his battle and started running away.


    "Don''t let him escape." Ren Zhn shouted and chased after him without knowing that he was going to fall into a trap.


    Meanwhile, Mark opened his skill list and was ready tounch the skill. Soon, he saw the Allen in a hood and mask. Allennded before him and just a couple of secondster, a fatty fellow and a buffed guy appeared in his view. Their faces weren''t clearly visible due to the darkness. Only due to the mes around, Mark and his opponents could see each other.


    A frown appeared on Ren Zhn when he saw Mark. He mumbled, "This guy also didn''t have ether energy. How could these guys conceal even from my senses? By the way, what is that weapon on his shoulder?" Ren Zhn stared at the Rocketuncher, which looked different from the grenadeuncher that he had earlier seen in Allen''s hands before their battle.


    Ren Zhn then spotted the body of his direct subordinate along with the prison guards. He let out a sigh of relief when he sensed that Long Yazhu was alive.


    This time, he didn''t rush like before because he knew that not anyone would be able to turn his subordinate like this in such a short span of time. He was sure that this new guy is atleast in the same realm as him. Fortunately, he couldn''t sense the presence of any semi-divine weapon in Mark''s hands. So, he wasn''t afraid.


    "Who are you?" He asked Mark who had his hand raised above his head, stretched towards the sky.


    <strong>"Thunderst, activate."</strong> In response to his question, Mark unleashed his strongest skill.


    A powerful thunder was heard in the sky where dark clouds gathered. Before the sound reached the ears of everyone, a blue bolt of lightning struck the fatty, turning him into ash in a split second. Even his tinum-grade weapon and his storage ring along with the things inside it weren''t left behind.


    Sun Xia just stared at the ash in a daze. "Lord Ren died just like that?" In an instant, he realized that he wasn''t a match for the two men before him. What loyalty, what pride, and what resilience? Everything is nothing before life for people like Sun Xia. To even take revenge, he had to stay alive first.


    As for getting persecuted by the kingdom for neglecting his duties, he wasn''t worried about that. Will a king punish a peak stage 6-circle realm expert like him? No kingdom or sect would dare to do that.


    That''s why he put away his pride right away and kneeled on the spot, "Show mercy, Lord. If you have a problem with the kingdom of Western Moon, I will even sever my ties with thisnd and leave for somece, never to be seen again."


    He was lucky that Mark doesn''t have any intention to kill him. Looking straight at him, he said, "I''m here to free one prisoner. I''ll take him with me and those who stand in my way will die. If you want to live, make way for us."


    "With the demise of Lord Ren, I possess the highest authority." Sun Xia sighed in relief and got up on his feet. He made a fist and ced it on his chest, "Your wish will be fulfilled. All I request is that there won''t be any more casualties."


    Seeing how the warden died, Sun Xia guessed that this young man was probably a legendary realm expert. If he truly is one, then, even if all the guards fought against him, everyone would just die.


    And with the death of Ren Zhn along with Long Yuzha''s unconscious state, the security strength of the prison had reduced by two-thirds.


    In such a state, even if Mark turned out to be in the high/peak stage of the 7-circle realm, it will be nothing but a massacre. Maybe, if those experts stationed in warships will join, then, there might be a chance but he doesn''t want to take such a gamble when this can solve by releasing one prisoner.


    The only thing that is puzzling him is the identity of the prisoner that is rted to this crazy devil?


    The kingdom of Western Moon was also careful in imprisoning the criminals in this prison. Well, atleast during the past few decades. Due to spending hefty funds on sries for 7-circle realm experts, they had to tone down the level of security along with the inmates too.


    They stopped putting risky prisoners here like someone who is an elite member or an elder of a powerful sect, or a close rtive of Exalt realm or higher realm Spirit warrior.


    Criminals with powerful backgrounds were killed in secret instead.


    The current inmates of Qincheng prison might have decent backgrounds but none of those backings have the guts to challenge Western Moon Kingdom''s strength and the authority of powerful empires like the Leon Empire and Phoenix Empire.<sub> </sub>


    That is why Mark''s appearance is a shocking incident for Sun Xia who was enjoying his free ie without doing any work.


    In the end, he personally escorted Mark and Allen while ignoring the corpses around.


    Mark didn''t expect that his mission would get easier. Instead of just killing one after another, Sun Xia''s assistance will reduce his work.


    Of course, he was ready to unleash ''Absolute Freezing'' in case of an unlikely ambush. After all, it''s foolishness to trust a stranger.


    On the way, they met several prison guards but all of them were sent away to the entrance and were ordered to guard it. After informing them that everything had been settled, Sun Xia strictly told them to not let anyone into the prison, especially the guards from the outposts. Because of his authority in the prison, no one dared to question him, and followed the orders.


    Mark was satisfied with his method that not only saved the lives of the prison guards but also stopped the unnecessary interference from other guards.


    It didn''t take long for them to cross one of the inner gates of the prison. From there, it is a circr structure. One after another, they visited each cell. Mark continuously used his Sage eyes to inspect their details from the outside.


    Sun Xia didn''t understand why Mark wasn''t just speaking out his name so that finding that inmate would be easier but thetter was careful about the matter.


    After searching for more than 320 cells, spending more than two hours, Mark finally stumbled upon the old man who had a long beard and disheveled hair, lying motionless in the corner of the cell despite the earliermotion.


    <strong>Shen Niu</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 68


    Rank: N/A


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Dark


    Affiliation: Western Moon Kingdom


    Description: The former king of the Western Moon kingdom. After being defeated by his twin brother in a coup led by a Supreme General, he was sent to Qincheng Prison in secret.


    Note: The person has the Doom Seal ced by the Church of Doom, resulting in the loss of ether particles.


    "Doom Seal?" Mark wondered what it is. And there''s Church of Doom too, which he had never heard before. He could ask the system but since there''s a guy here who is following his orders, Mark said to the 6-circle realm expert.


    "Mr. Sun, tell me about Church of Doom."

 Chapter 219 Church Of Doom

    Sun Xia was a little bit surprised by the question as it ismon knowledge to the citizens of Western Moon Kingdom. Nevertheless, he answered, "Church of Doom is the most powerful organization of our kingdom. Even though it is called a church, it is more like a cult, worshipping the evil Taotie and wearing taotie masks too.


    No one knows their origins but they came to the shores of Western Moon about three centuries ago. Back then, the Church of Light opposed their existence and termed them evil because of their practices but the Church of Doom was too strong with its leader said to be in the Supreme Realm.


    They wiped out half of our army, hunted down the members of the Church of Light to thest man, and massacred more than 2 million citizens.


    It forced Supreme Beings to take action and get to an agreement. In exchange for the Church of Doom being given a ce in the Kingdom of Western Moon and recruiting the citizens, the organization will not influence the king and interfere in the internal matters of the kingdom. Of course, this treaty also forced the Church of Light to leave the kingdom permanently.


    While the leaders of the Church of Doom kept their word for decades, the Kings couldn''t help but be restless. After all, it is like hosting a tiger in your house. You can''t sleep even if it is a harmless one.


    So, about two centuries ago, King Shen Yang had made another deal with them. The Royal family will pay tributes to them in the form of funds, and in exchange, they will not only have to help out with the seals but alsoe to their aid in case an Empire or any sect invades theirnd.


    Maybe, they have a grand n, or maybe, they simply don''t. Whatever the case, until now, Church of Doom is staying true to the agreements even after two centuries."


    It was a shocking piece of information to Mark. He didn''t expect that there''s a powerful organization with a Supreme Being as its head. He felt like he really underestimated this tiny independent kingdom. Mark thought that the kingdom is depending on the treaty between Western Moon and the two empires.


    Staring at the real king, Mark mumbled, "No wonder Shen Qiu is bold enough to challenge the Imperial Pce."


    "Sorry?" Sun Xia''s ears perked up when he heard a familiar name. It looks like he indeed has a great sense of hearing.


    Mark didn''t speak it again and said, "Open it."


    Sun Xia finally ced his attention on the inmate. He doesn''t have any idea who it is though.


    After securing the unconscious king, Mark and Allen left the prison. They reached thepound. Instead of going outside, Mark had directly summoned the attack helicopter. He and the unconscious king sat in the back while Allen closed the doors and started flying.


    As the attack helicopter flew into the air while pushing away everyone nearby with the wind generated by the rotor des, Sun Xia stared at it and mumbled, "What kind of puppet is this?"


    Once the helicopter is out of his sight, he remembered something important, "That''s right. Brother Yazhu was still alive back then." He rushed towards the northwestern gate.


    Meanwhile, in the helicopter, Mark was getting an urge to vomit due to the bad smelling from this rugged old man who looked more like a beggar than a king. Being in a tighter space, the smell only became worse. As a result, he was forced to use ether energy to block his sense of smell while looking outside.


    It was night. So, not much was visible, well, atleast for the next half an hour. Then, he found thousands of tiny lights spread all over thend. It was the capital city of Western Moon. As the ind of Qincheng was too far from the maind, no citizen of any city or town was rmed at the moment, although the same can''t be said for the royal family and the ministers.


    As the King had summoned the high-level officials at early morning five and is discussing the attack of mysterious people on Qincheng prison, resulting in the deaths of 8 four-circle realm warriors, 4 five-circle realm warriors, and 1 seven-circle realm Spirit Warrior, the appearance of an attack helicopter alerted the soldiers stationed in the city of Zhishang.


    Afternding at a deserted ce within the city, Mark dismissed the attack helicopter and summoned his LMV (light multirole vehicle), throwing away the king in the back seat while he drove it.


    Mark traveled in random directions for a while to look for a citizen. Fortunately for him, a few soldiers were already looking for him. He encountered a unit of about 8 members.


    He stopped driving and simply showed them his invitation letter, making them understand that he was a guest of the king.<sub> </sub>


    The captain read the letter and wondered whether this man with a mysterious vehicle waste or whether he came six days earlier. Whatever the case, the letter had a royal seal along with the king''s name, which itself states that he can''t mess with the person.


    As a result, he didn''t question him much and politely asked whether he could provide any assistance.


    Mark replied, "Do you know where I can find an inn? The rental price isn''t important but I need a peaceful atmosphere."


    "There''s an inn named Bao Bao. I think it will suit your needs, Lord Lu." The captain informed him right away as the inn is quite famous among tourists.


    Upon reaching there, Mark also requested servants to clean up the old man who looked like a beggar. The owner was quite cooperative. Even though it is rather early in the morning, he followed Mark''s request.


    Strangely, the old man didn''t wake up even after being cleaned up and was dressed in new clothes by the hired servants. Was he in aa? Mark suspected at first but as there''s no status attached to his details. Naturally, he asked the system for answers.


    And in response, he received a couple of notifications.


    <strong>*Ding! The Seal of Doom that was used on King Shen Nui is more powerful than a normal one. As a result, his consciousness was also sealed along with his ether energy.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You triggered a hidden quest, "Break the Seal of Doom"</strong>


    Quest: Break the Seal of Doom


    Description: A Legendary realm (8-circle) expert had unleashed a unique seal known as the Seal of Doom onto King Shen Nui before he was locked away at Qincheng Prison. Break the seal and save the victim.


    Reward: Unique skill ¨C Seal Breaker


    "Seal breaker? System, shed some light¡­"


    *Ding! Seal Breaker skill would let the host remove any type of seal as long as it is under Ancient grade.


    (Seal grades: Common < Elite < Knight < General < King < Emperor < Ancient < Saint < God)


    "Oh, that''s awesome." Mark was now excited. Free rewards are always weed. But then, something clicked in his mind. How should he break the seal in the first ce? He enquired with the system once again.


    <strong>*Ding! Solution 1: Use 1 billion EP (ether points) worth of ether energy to break the seal by force.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Solution 2: Buy a tinum-grade purification stone from the store and nullify the effects of the seal.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Solution 3: Exchange Attack Helicopter EC665 with the system to temporarily get ess to Protos energy reserves of the system and remove the seal.</strong>


    Mark''s expression changed suddenly and he couldn''t help but let out a sigh, "Does the system hold a grudge on me or something? None of those solutions are fucking viable."

 Chapter 220 Now The System Is Even Offering A Credit Card?

    Mark neither had the strength nor the will to sacrifice his beloved attack helicopter. Previously, he had given up the Battle Tank for the divine sword. But, it was worth it. However, was the life of this king worth it?


    Maybe, it''s best to throw away the life of this old man. Having a submarine or a destroyer is good but they aren''t worthpared to the attack helicopter.


    As Mark thought of it as an impossible quest and had second thoughts aboutpleting it, the system lured him into debt.


    <strong>*Ding! The host can use the stone first and pay upter.</strong>


    "Pay upter? As in credits?"


    <strong>*Ding! 1 credit = 5 gold coins. The purification stone will cost 50,000 credits. 250,000 gold coins will be added to the debt.</strong>


    "250k? Are you crazy?" Mark gasped in shock. He instantly rejected the idea, "there''s no way I would give up such a huge amount of money just so to wake up this old man. Fuck off the quest. I will just take him to the royal pce and leave his fate in their hands. If they frame him as Shen Qiu or will they suspect the current imposter king, let them take care of their mess¡­"


    Even if the system is allowing him to take care of the problem and pay off the debtster, Mark was unwilling. Maybe, if he was desperate for warships, he would have thought it differently but at the moment, he prefersbat aircraft over the submarine.


    However, the system never does things half-heartedly. When it offers something, in one way or another, the system always acquires something in return. This is its strength and also its weakness.


    It was the first time Mark had realized the fact when he doesn''t ept its solutions, the system gave him another proposal.


    <strong>*Ding! epting the offer will unlock the credits limit and the Unique items section in Store.</strong>


    "Credit Limit? Unique items? Exin." Mark could vaguely guess what they are just by their names but nevertheless, he asked the system for rity.


    <strong>*Ding! Upon unlocking the credit limit, the host could shop in the store and pay upter with a low interest of 0.1% per day.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Based on the host''s repayment history, the credit limit will increase gradually. For every 10 credits the host repays to the system, the credit limit will be increased by 1 credit by the next day. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! As a beginner, the host would be given a 100,000 credit limit at the start.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The unique items section was a part of Unique weapons in the store. Upon unlocking it, the host would be able to buy unique items that aren''t present in the Items section, although the rest of the unique weapons will remain unavable to buy.</strong>


    "So, it''s like a credit card, huh! although with slightly different terms and conditions."


    Just like the system expected, Mark was tempted by this offer. Because he was confident in paying back by converting earned gold coins to the credits.


    Originally, he had the money to buy the stone but it would make his life difficult.


    A while ago, Feng Wu had given him an advance payment of 300k gold coins. Of them, 42k gold coins were put as a 20% upfront for his first order that was dyed by 8 weeks due to his promise with Emperor Shang.


    Of the remaining 258k gold coins, he had delivered 175k gold coins worth of goods to Feng Wu on the second order, which was basically the same as the first order plus 10 rocketunchers and 100 warheads. From it, he earned his 60% share totaling over 100k gold coins.


    So, there are more than 120k gold coins that are still unounted yet.


    From the second prince, he earned over 18k gold coins as a part of his share.<sub> </sub>


    As for purchases, he might have ordered rare materials and a 1500 carat ether ore but he didn''t receive the order and only paid over 30k gold coins as an advance payment.


    Along with his personal wealth, he had a total of over 400k gold coins in the inventory.


    So, if he had spent away 250k right away, it will bring him a lot of trouble in the future.


    But now, because of the offer from the system, he felt as if a huge door was opened.


    As the increase of the credit limit urs right on the next day, Mark felt like it is a good deal, despite the fact that he knew how this offer was a bottomless debt.


    For example, if he had spent 20k credits i.e. 100k gold coins, on the first day, the interest would be 100 gold coins. The next day, it would be 100 gold coins and 10 silver coins. On the third day, it would be 100 gold coins, 20 silver coins & 1 copper coin.


    Like this, the interest will be kept on increasing minutely every day. Still, Mark is willing to take the risk. Instead ofvishly spending his gold coins, he decided to save the earned money to convert it into credits.


    However, he wasn''t willing to just ept the system''s verdict. Mark had realized the system''s personality based on its actions during the awakening of bloodline or during the exchange of divine sword.


    Back then, he just thought that the system is desperate to take back the Battle tank. But when he gave a thought, it originally wanted the divine sword but because of the failure, it offered something else and became open to negotiations.


    Mark got a strong feeling that he should negotiate the deal. However, he also knew that he needed to be logical to win over it. He followed his guts and said, "The credit limit is not enough, system. Once you have taken 50,000 credits, I will be only left with another 50000. I don''t have any credits left in my ount either. So, how about 200,000 credits?"


    The system readily gave him the reply, obviously not epting it.


    <strong>*Ding! 200,000 credits amount is the same as million gold coins. The host had yet to earn such a figure even if all the purchases arebined. So, the host''s proposal is rejected.</strong>


    "Hmm, if only the deal with Feng Wu had gone through smoothly, I would have made him buy advanced weapons with the remaining amount. But, anyway, it only brought me extra business from him. So, there''s nothing toin over there.


    But then again, my transactions are over 500k right? Just the first transaction with the second prince was alone worth 500k.


    Then, there is 130k gold coins worth of transactions from the noble ns. Even though it is only nothing butpensation, it is still a transaction like the one I sell the beast corpses with cores to the second prince.


    Despite how the system didn''t include these transactions for quests, it has still acknowledged them as viable transactions and will include them during its upgrade to the next rank. That is how it crossed Rank-3 anyway.


    So, I can use this fact to my advantage. Hmm¡­"


    As Mark put his n into action, the system became silent. Roughly after 10 seconds, it agreed with the negotiation and gave a final deal.


    <strong>*Ding! 160,000 credit limit. Deal or No deal?</strong>


    Mark let out a bright smile as he nodded, "I ept."


    In the next second, the purification stone was sent to his inventory followed by a series of notifications.

 Chapter 221 Unlocking Space Attribute

    <strong>*Ding! You epted the hidden quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You opened the credit limit system. 150,000 credits added to the limit.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the Unique Weapons category. Everything except the Unique Items section has been locked.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! tinum-grade purification stone was purchased. 50,000 credits were reduced from the credit limit.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The purification store was sent to the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your remaining credit limit is 110,000 credits.</strong>


    "Open inventory."


    Mark took out a brightly glowing stone and inspected it.


    <strong>Purification stone</strong>


    Grade: tinum


    <strong>Effect: </strong>


    1) Removes all debuffs from the target.


    2) The target can be a living or non-living thing


    3) Removes any type of seal on the target as long as it is of General grade and lower.


    4) If the target is a living being, restore the vitality and ether energy (Max: peak-6-circle)


    5) If the target is a non-living thing, restore its condition to its peak (Max: tinum grade)


    Note: This is a one-time use item and can only be used on a single target. Disappears after usage.


    **


    "Hmm¡­ the effects are quite good but it is a pity to spend so much of credits on a one-time use item. Anyway, it was already bought. There''s no use in thinking about it now. I should get to work but there''s no hurry to wake up the king. First, let''s shop a little bit.


    What do Ick?


    I have an amulet to improve my magic power.


    I have a glove to improve my creation rate.


    I have two powerful unique skills and two bloodline skills.


    I have two powerful Androids to follow my orders and protect my life.


    Apart from that, there''s Howitzer that can take out 7-circle from the ground and an attack helicopter that can take out my enemies from the air. After this quest, I will get something to attack from water too.


    So, what do Ick now? Hmm¡­"


    Mark thought for a while about whether he can buy something now that he has enough Credit limit left.


    Last time, when he had about 74k credits, he thought of buying an attribute but backed down because of facing the reality. However, now, the situation is different. He can afford two more basic attributes or 1 variant attribute or an advanced attribute.


    As soon as the thought appeared in his mind, Mark made the decision and went ahead with the purchase.


    <strong>"Open Store"</strong>


    The list of categories appeared. Only Bloodlines is grayed out. Mark clicked on Attributes.


    <strong>Basic: 50000 credits</strong>


    Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning (owned), Wind, Light, Dark


    <strong>Variant: 75000 credits</strong>


    Metal, Shadow, Sound, Space, Ma, Crystal, Gravity, Oil


    <strong>Advanced: 100000 credits</strong>


    Ice (owned), Wood, Poison, sma, Lava, Storm, ss, Acid, Sand


    <strong>Super Advanced: 1,000,000 credits </strong>


    Not avable-Reach level-6 system to unlock


    **<sub> </sub>


    "Super advanced? This option wasn''t there before. Well, it doesn''t matter either way. The system is still at level-3. To get to level-4, I need 1 million gold coins worth of transactions, which I will acquire soon.


    For level-5, it might be 5 million or even 10 million. And to get level-6, I wonder how much it will be needed. Hmm, by that time, maybe, the credit limit will increase to 1 million. But, it isn''t something that I should worry about now. Let''s focus on the present."


    His eyes then shifted to the variant section.


    Mark could buy any attribute in the list but his eyes were fixed on only one.


    "Okay, here we go¡­" He clicked on the attribute that he wanted to buy and proceed with the purchase.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased the Space attribute. 75000 credits have been reduced from the credit limit. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your remaining credit limit is 35000 credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Space Attribute has been integrated into the character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Spirit Path is detected as a summoner. No Space attribute beasts exist in the system.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Error</strong>


    "No space attribute beasts? You, damn¡­" Mark was stunned by the notification, feeling as if he was conned by his system. As a person who experienced the punishment for the use of profanitynguage directed at the system, he barely managed to swallow the words. However, he won''t back down either. After all, it''s 75k credits, equaling 375k gold coins.


    Just as he was about to protest, the system probably thought of the solution and sent him a notification.


    <strong>*Ding! Mandatory Quest for the Second Spirit Path has been triggered.</strong>


    Quest: Awaken Second Spirit Path


    Description: A few attributes like Space or Sound don''t have corresponding beasts and are not rmended for the Summoner path. To solve the issue, the host had to awaken the second spirit path.


    Complete the following tasks to awaken the second spirit path.


    1) Sell a firearm, which wasn''t designed or manufactured by the system.


    2) Upgrade the system to level 4.


    3) Improve the ether energy points to reach a minimum of 100,000.


    4) Sell at least one weapon of every type that can be mass-produced by the system (excluding Exclusive weapons).


    Reward: Choose Mage/ Assassin


    **


    The quest made him a lot calmer than before. The system proved that it was fair but for Mark, this is an opportunity in misfortune.


    Since it is going to take a while toplete all the tasks, Mark put aside the matter and returned his focus to the old man.


    After receiving the instructions from the system, he proceeded to ce the purification stone on the forehead of the old man where the seal is present and poured ether energy into it.


    The purification stone turned into specks of light before disappearing into the seal.


    The process only took 10 seconds for the seal to disappear. The king abruptly opened his eyes, almost instantly, feeling healthy all of a sudden.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Quest. Unique skill-Seal Breaker has been added to the skill list.</strong>


    "Where am I?" A loud voice escaped from his mouth as he sat on the bed. He looked around.


    Mark was about to greet him but before that, the King''s eyes fell on him and he gasped in shock, taking the young man by surprise by uttering, "Lan Gengxin?"


    The King hurriedly shook his head, "no, that''s not possible. Brother Gengxin was dead long ago. Am I in a dream? Or maybe, this is the afterlife?" He looked around once again and asked himself, "but why does it look like I''m in some inn? A king sleeping in such a ce? What kind of prison is this?"


    Mark didn''t know that this king knows his maternal grandfather and was even close enough to address him as ''Brother'' but then again, if one thinks about it, the Lan n used to be located in Kunyu Mountains on some peak and Western Yan shares border with Western Moon kingdom. So, it is not a surprise if they know each other.


    "Hello, Your Majesty." He greeted the King and brought him to the reality, "First, this isn''t a dream and second, I''m not Lan Gengxin. My name is Lu Zhen and I''m from the Imperial city of Phoenix Empire. Can you tell me what thest thing you remember?"


    "Not Gengxin? And this is reality?" The King once again looked around and then at himself in linen clothes, which can be considered a worthless outfit in his eyes. But, at the moment, he doesn''t want to think about such unnecessary matters and focused on the young man who shared simr traits with an old acquaintance of his.


    He focused on recalling his memories. All of a sudden, several memories hit him. He grabbed his head and a look of shock appeared on his face before it turned into anger, "that''s right. That traitorous bastard Shen Qiu stabbed me in the back as I was retreating. Even my wife conspired together with him to poison me. And Supreme General Gong, how dare he lead a coup against me in the first ce? I''ll kill every one of them¡­"


    "Woah, wait for a second, Your Majesty." Mark got some rity on the matter and he right away reminded the King, "This is the Year 1786 of ether era. It''s been a decade since the coup."


    "Eh?" The King was taken aback. "I slept for a decade?"


    Mark continued, "I don''t know what happened a decade ago but I found you at Qincheng Prison with a seal over your body and consciousness. I had to use my precious treasure to bring you back as it is ced by some legendary realm expert."


    "The year 1786? Qincheng Prison?" The King, who came back to his senses, became dazed once again. It''s a little bit difficult for him toprehend what Mark had told him just now.

 Chapter 222 Was Shen Qiu A Puppet Of The Queen?

    As Mark spoke about what he knows so far, the king copsed on the bed and grabbed his forehead. "Sigh¡­ I thought those traitors wanted to kill me but didn''t expect that Shen Qiu will take advantage of our identical appearances and is living my life. Perhaps, it would have been possible because of my wife.


    Now that I think about it, the Church of Doom might be also behind this, considering myte father-inw was an elder in that organization. If it is the case, then, I couldn''t fight them.


    Either way, I don''t care about my life. I have lived long enough. My only worry is my daughter. She was only 16 years old back then. Must have grown up into a fine woman by now. If I reveal myself, what if they take her hostage?"


    As the kingmented how everything went wrong because of his blind trust, Mark gained considerable information, and everything slowly became clear, although there''s still a mystery left. Why did they imprison him after sending him into aa? Isn''t killing an easy way to remove him from the path?


    Do they have a big grudge against the king? Or is it because the King is a close person to either of them? Whatever might the case, Mark''s worry about the Queen''s honor was gone. He doesn''t need to care about it, any longer.


    On the other hand, the waters above ahead looked very deep. He wasn''t sure whether it is worth making an enemy out of a Supreme level being. It''s not like he has fewer enemies at present.


    After thinking for a while, in the end, Mark decided to take a roundabout approach instead of just taking the king to the pce and starting a massacre.


    Looking at the saddened old king, he said, "Your Majesty, do you wish to see your daughter in person? I can bring Princess Shen to you."


    As soon as Mark said those words, the King''s facial expression changed. He looked as if he regained hope, "Really? I guess I owe you again."


    "Okay, until I return, my brother Allen will be by your side. I request you to not wander anywhere in the meantime." Mark left behind the Android to keep an eye on this quest target and he left for Lunaris city in his LMV at the fastest speed after getting directions from the owner of the inn.


    <strong>Royal Pce, Lunaris City;</strong>


    After finishing the urgent meeting with the ministers, Shen Qiu returned to the King''s Chamber. However, there was someone waiting for him there. It''s the Queen.


    "Dear, you are up, already?" He let out a fake smile upon seeing the Queen. However, thetter didn''t bother to put on any appearances like him. She appeared to have a serious expression on her face. She replied, "I want to speak to you, alone, Your Majesty."


    The servants were quite surprised at her behavior. Everyone in the city knew that the Queen was usually a timid woman who never speak against the King but only these servants of the pce knew that from time to time, she get serious with him and when she does that, the King would eventually either take back a royal decree on something or announce a new policy in the following days.


    Meanwhile, Shen Qiu was also curious. He wondered whether it is linked with the attack on Qincheng prison or it is something else. After sending away all the servants from the room and locking the door, he asked her.


    Maintaining her serious look, the Queen then said, "I received a message from Elder Xi. The Doom Seal ced on him had disappeared."


    "Who are you talking about" Shen Qiu furrowed his brows. At first, he didn''t get it but then suddenly, it clicked in his mind. The attack on Qincheng Prison and the disappearance of the seal, his eyes widened upon realization, "Did Brother¡­ *Ahem* I mean, did he escape from the prison? How is it possible? Except for you, me, and the elders of the Church, no one knows about it."<sub> </sub>


    As Shen Qiu refused to believe that his brother could escape in that condition and neither could outsider knows of the location unless it was leaked from the organization, he said, "maybe, it''s possible that he passed away. You know, the seal also disappears when one is dead."


    His words appeared to have a negative effect on the Queen. The old woman stormed forward and caught his cor. Surprisingly, a seven-circle necromancer like him was easily lifted up high in the air with her frail-looking arm.


    As he caught her arm and his feet started kicking the empty air, the Queen spoke sternly, "I told you long ago and I will warn you again. If you dared to speak of the death of my loved one, I will cut you into thousand pieces and serve you for our Lord Taotie."


    Shen Qiu''s face paled at her warning and he nodded vigorously, "I apologize for my tongue slip. Please forgive me."


    As the Queen loosened her grip, he fell to the floor.


    She then said in amanding tone, "Leave for the Qincheng prison right away and check the situation yourself. If he is still in prison, then, it''s alright. If not, then, find his whereabouts."


    "Yes," Shen Qiu hurriedly left the room and the Queen took a seat, grabbing her head, "If Shen Niu returns, then, everything I worked hard for the past decade will be gone. No matter what, I need to fulfill my mission and resurrect the ancestor."


    Roughly after three hours, Princess Shen Ling, who dolled up herself, left the room and went to check upon Mark.


    However, to her surprise, the soldiers informed her about the disappearance of Mark and Allen before giving her a scroll. Thankfully, he had thought of the issue and left behind a letter in the room before he epted the quest.


    The princess read the letter, which stated that he was leaving for a morning ride in his vehicle to tour around the kingdom and will return by lunch for sure.


    She was visibly disappointed as she intended to take him for a tour around the city but what can she do when the guest isn''t there in the first ce. The princess returned to her room, throwing away the jewelry, "Lei Peizhi, Tell my mother that I won''t attend breakfast. I''m not in a mood to eat."


    After sending away one of her maids to inform her mother, Shen Ling took a history book from the shelf and took a seat on the balcony before engrossing herself in the story of the Kui Empire''s prince from the 11th century.


    It tells how an illegitimate son, who was born from an Emperor and the maid of a sixth concubine, managed to remove all the imperial princes from his path and be the Emperor at the age of 36. Unfortunately, he could only rule for barely three years before he died due to a rare illness that he was suffering from the birth.


    Another four hours passed away. Just like he stated in the letter, Mark had managed to return to the royal pce by noon.


    After having a nice shower and changing his clothes, Mark proceeded towards the dining hall for the lunch. He nned to ask her out on a date after lunch so that she can reunite with her father ahead of his re-ascension to the throne.

 Chapter 223 Lin Xue Spars Against Song Tai, The Song Clan Ancestor

    Meanwhile, somewhere in Qing Province of the Phoenix Empire, there''s arge estate containing stables of several types of beasts, ranging frommon horses to even a giant fire-breathing smander, which is a seven-circle beast king.


    Behind the huge mansion also lies arge ground where a pretty woman was in the middle of a sword fight against a dignified-looking old man.


    For the past couple of days, Lin Xue was visiting this ce as a normal acquaintance, although with a secret intention to convince this ancestor of the Song n in helping out her best friend.


    However, because Mark was skeptical about it and expressed his worry during their lunch meeting, a small doubt developed inside her heart on whether he might side with Song Yun instead of Song Yue.


    So, she nned on taking a word from him. The clueless old man agreed to fulfill her wish as long as she would best him in a sword battle where he would also suppress his cultivation to her level (low-5-circle).


    Unfortunately for her, his skills were vastly superior to Lin Xue who had reached the level of a swordmaster. After failing twice, she decided to reveal one of her trump cards.


    Lightning sparks were dancing all over her body and the sword but her ether energy wasn''t being consumed in the slightest. It is the pure attribute power. It is said that only 1 in every 100,000 Spirit Warriors could be born with such talent. That would mean, in the whole world, the number of people who can use attribute energy like her could be counted with fingers.


    Song Tai, the ancestor of the Song n was impressed by her talent, although he felt it was still iplete. He doesn''t know what she wants but at the very least, he decided to help her in finishing the technique.


    Lin Xue realized that sparring with Song Tai was found to be more beneficial than Allen. Well, it''s natural. After all, the dignified old man is rumored to be in the peak stage of the legendary realm and has lived for nearly 150 years. However, Lin Xue, for some reason, felt sad instead of getting happier.


    In her view, Allen was the best-skilled warrior she had ever met and she wanted it to be that way. Why though? She doesn''t have any idea yet. But then again, it isn''t the time to think about such useless things. She was here for Song Yue and she should aplish her task no matter what.


    Time passed away. The sun was slowlying down. It was about to be sunset and she will be forced to stop, then, and visit the next day. The old man looked like he was a bit tired, not physically but mentally. Even if he is a grandmaster swordsman, he is still old and doesn''t have an interest in winning.


    In a desperate attempt to not waste the opportunity, Lin Xue went all out, pulling out a semi-divine grade sword from her storage ring. She unleashed the technique she had never shown in the public or against any other spirit warrior.


    "Torrent of the Lightning dragon"


    She spun around and unleashed a powerful torrent of lightning energy toward her opponent. The torrent of energy transformed into a wingless, limbless, dragon as it went towards the target. If one doesn''t know the cultivation level of Lin Xue, just by the attack alone, they would think that she is at the peak stage of the 6-circle realm.<sub> </sub>


    Song Tai''s face turned into that of a surprise, not because of its shape or power but mainly due to its speed. It was too fast. He had two options, crush it with his mighty strength or evade the attack by using his real speed. In an instant, he realized that he cannot suppress his strength any longer unless he too takes out his semi-divine grade weapon. But, that will not look good for his reputation.


    Song Tai let out a sigh as he stretched his arm. Scarlet ether energy covered his hand before bing bigger. As the lightning dragon reached him, he caught it and destroyed it with ease.


    Her strongest attack was destroyed but a smile appeared on Lin Xue''s face, "Thank you for letting me win, Lord Song." As Song Tai broke the rule of suppressing his strength to 5-circle, it was his loss.


    Looking at her, Song Tai said, "You have been showing patience for three days. It must be very important for you. Fine, as long as it isn''t extreme, I will do my best to fulfill your wish. Even if it involves the destruction of a powerful sect, I will dly do it. Tell me.


    Lin Xue replied with a serious look, "I think it is better to talk inside."


    "Alright," Song Tai nodded and it didn''t take long for him to learn about the situation his descendant was in. The ancestor of the Song n could understand why Lin Xue sought her help and also why she hesitated in opening up the matter before taking a word from him.


    In the end, he agreed to fulfill her wish and both of them started their journey to the Imperial City.


    While everything was going well for Lin Xue at the Phoenix Empire, in the independent kingdom of Western Moon, the goddess of luck also smiled on Mark with the princess epting his invitation to the city of Zhishang for the grand surprise.


    He had actually expected her to turn down the invitation because they are strangers and the King isn''t also in the city at the moment. Anything can happen to her.


    However, not only did she readily ept his invitation, but she only took a few royal knights with her. The strongest of them is only at the elementary stage of the 6-circle realm. For a princess, who was touted to be the smartest person in the Western Moon kingdom, wasn''t she too gullible? Mark couldn''t understand her thought process.


    And the biggest question here is, why does the Queen let her go just like that? Even if she''s evil, she should care for her daughter, right? Maybe, she isn''t her biological mother? Or maybe, she''s like his mother, who can sacrifice her son for her selfish gains?


    Mark had several questions in his mind but then, he thought that none of those mattered. For him, at the moment, only the quest and its rewards matter.

 Chapter 224 Shen Ling Reunites With Her Father

    As the royal knights rode on top-quality horses, the princessfortably sat next to Mark as he drove the vehicle. She traveled in a horse carriage, rode on a wild horse, a spirit beast rhino, and even a drake, but the feeling was a lot different when she sat in LMV.


    As he drove toward the city of Zhishang while stopping once midway for refueling, she calmly observed everything to understand how the vehicle works.


    By the time they reached the destination, it was already around dusk. Mark had driven the vehicle back and forth between the cities with only a lunch break. As a summoner with low physical strength, he is naturally tired.


    After dropping her off at the most luxurious hotel in the city, Mark told her that they will meet at a restaurant named Quanjude, which is popr for its duck dish. He further added that someone will join them at the dinner.


    When he said that, Shen Ling''s eyes widened for some reason and she hurriedly grabbed his hand in front of the royal knights, the hotel manager who came to greet them, and the passersby who are eager to see their princess, "Don''t leave. Take me with you."


    "Eh?" Mark was taken aback by her response. Maybe, he was mistaken but for that one moment, he saw a look of anxiousness on her. Remembering all of her actions until now, Mark truly wondered whether this princess had fallen for him or something.


    Meanwhile, the princess realized her words could instill misunderstandings in the minds of the listeners. She freed him and cleared her throat, "You are an important guest of our pce. I think it''s improper for me to stay here while you stay in some ordinary inn. I and our royal knights will go with you. If we are going to meet again after a couple of hours, we might as well leave together for the restaurant."


    "Is that so?" Mark fell into thoughts. Since he is going to reunite the father and daughter, the ce doesn''t matter anyway. He only told Allen to book the entire restaurant for convenience. Now, Mark felt like he wasted 500 gold coins for nothing.


    "As you wish, Princess Shen," He let out a smile and opened the door, gesturing for her to get inside.


    After giving an apology to the hotel manager, the princess left with Mark, leaving behind the stunned audience. Soon, the royal knights followed behind.


    Looking at their backs, the hotel manager mumbled, "What is the identity of that young lord who is making the princess act like this? Was he a prince of northern empires to be engaged to her? Hmm¡­"


    After driving for more than half an hour, they reached a ce on the outskirts of the city. But, it wasn''t an inn. Instead, they arrived at an abandoned cathedral. It used to be where the believers of the church of light used to worship. But now, it is nothing but filled with dust and spider webs.


    As for why Mark had taken her to this specific ce, it''s because he was new to this city and doesn''t know much. All he needs is a quiet ce and he happened to hear about it.


    Mark escorted her inside the cathedral along with her trusted royal knights. In the church hall, Allen appeared to stand nearby a mysterious person who wore ck robes and covered his head with a hood.


    The footsteps alerted the King and he got up on his feet to turn around while lowering down the hood, revealing his face to the visitors.


    The royal knights were visibly surprised to see their King, although with an aged look, long white beard, and disheveled long white hair that almost reached the waist.


    "Is it Shen Qiu, the valiant Grand Prince who sacrificed himself two decades ago during dungeon break?" All of the spectators had the same thoughts, well, except for one, the princess.


    Tears quickly filled the eyes of Shen Ling as she rushed forward while screaming, "Father¡­"


    The royal knights were shocked again. This time, even Mark was surprised. "How did she know?"


    As the father and daughter hugged while crying in happiness before engaging in a conversation about how she missed him all the years and apologize for being able to save him from the deadly prison, realization dawned upon Mark, "now, everything made sense, her actions, and her words. It only indicates that she knew that the current King is an imposter. Well, this will work in my favor if I y my cards right."


    Meanwhile, the royal knights don''t know how to react. It isn''t easy to believe that this old man is their real king and the current one is an imposter. Only their captain, who was serving the pce for 18 years, felt emotional and believed the truth that appeared before his eyes.


    After a while, everyone settled down in the church hall and Mark asked her how she knew about this matter to rify his suspicions. Her father also looked at her for the answer.


    Shen Ling exined to them how she managed to pick up things like how Shen Qiu kept his distance from her mother, how his policies and behavior were too much different from before, how he kept her away from Lunaris city as much as possible, and most importantly, how he showered love on her cousin too much. Small things umted and made her believe that it wasn''t her father.


    "Once I realized that it was my uncle all along, I began to wonder whether my father is alive or dead. Then, one day, roughly about six years ago, an envoy from the Church of Doom arrived at the royal court.<sub> </sub>


    Maybe, she has some issues with Uncle Shen and my mother, or maybe, the organization has internal disputes. I don''t know for sure. While leaving, she secretly passed me a note, which not only has the information on my father but also stated a prophecy. It speaks of a man blessed by an ancient divine beast who will arrive at ournd and somehow change the fate of the kingdom.


    And the first change will be the return of its real king. I waited for several years but nothing happened. I took the task of saving my father into my hands but only faced failure continuously more than twenty times. All the hired Spirit Warriors were mercilessly killed. If not for the fact that my uncle was keeping an eye on my finances, I would have attempted to hire Exalt realm experts from the Northern Empires.


    But, now, after seeing my father, I believe it was speaking of you, all along. From the bottom of my heart, once again, I thank you for saving my father."


    From her words, Mark understood one thing for sure.


    Church of Doom shouldn''t be taken lightly. Along with strength, they appeared to guess the events happening in the kingdom. The one who can predict the future is always terrifying because people will attempt to change it as they fit it.


    Putting aside his thoughts, he waved his hands with a smile, "keep your thanks forter, Princess Shen. The task is still iplete. Now, we have to get his Majesty back to his rightful position, although I doubt your mother and uncle will let it happen in a peaceful way."


    "I will not spare those two traitors." The King growled in anger as he clenched his fist.


    It was at that moment, all of a sudden, a spiral portal opened in the center of the hall, alerting everyone. An elderly woman in pure white robes stepped outside. There was a wooden staff in her hand. A blue orb was embedded at the head part of the staff. It is currently glowing. On her other hand, there''s a crystal ball, which looked like something that fortune-tellers who im themselves as seers would use.


    Landing on the ground, she looked around before stopping her gaze at the King and then, at Mark, "I guess I''m at the right ce, after all."


    Like others, Mark was also alerted. He didn''t waste time activating the Sage Eyes ability.


    <strong>Gu Ya</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 39


    Rank: 6-circle (peak)


    Spirit Path: Seer/Mage


    Attribute: Space/Wind


    Affiliation: Western Moon kingdom


    Description: A talented spirit warrior who had an affinity with two attributes.


    **


    "Hmm, like with other people, her background wasn''t mentioned in the description. So, it wasn''t known to the public, eh." Mark was rxed a lot once he realized that she is of no threat with her low cultivation. At the same time, he was also surprised at her unique Spirit Path and her age.


    As he wondered about her identity and purpose, Princess Shen Ling pointed her finger at the stranger with a look of surprise on her face, "It''s you... The elder from the Church of Doom."


    "Huh!"

 Chapter 225 Gu Ya, A Seer From The Church Of Doom

    It was only a moment ago the princess was talking about the elder of the church of doom who helped her in finding out the truth.


    And suddenly, this person is here at the abandoned church, standing before everyone, and that too, came uninvited. People who think it is just a coincidence were fools.


    As the princess confirmed her identity, thetter dismissed her staff and said, "Rx, I came in peace."


    She then turned her body towards the King and bowed with her left hand on her chest, "Greetings, Your Majesty. It appears that you are great in health and even had your cultivation restored, not that I expected considering you were sealed by none other than Elder Liao."


    She then turned her head, this time, toward Mark with a curious look, "Forgive my rudeness but are you the one who broke the seal?"


    Mark furrowed his brows in response, "for someone who appeared out of nowhere, you sure ask a lot of questions without even introducing yourself."


    He knows her real name and age but the others don''t. Not to mention, for some reason, he felt like she doesn''t think much of everyone even though she wasn''t even at the doorstep of Exalt realm.


    Does she have the confidence or does she have great backing? Mark couldn''t help but wonder after reprimanding her.


    "Oh, pardon my manners." Thedy upon realizing the truth apologized in a calm tone and then, introduced herself, "My name is Gu Ya and I''m an elder of the Church of Doom."


    "Okay, if you tell us how did you find us or what are your intentions, it will be nice to proceed with the conversation." As soon as she introduced herself, Mark didn''t waste any time getting rity on the situation.


    He was also curious of why someone from the Church of Doom is helping out them in the first ce. And it appeared as if she was doing this in secret, keeping it from her organization. It is indeed suspicious.


    Maybe, she had expected the question. Gu Ya answered him without taking her time to think, "I''m a Seer. I had prophesized where you are going to end up. As for my intentions, I''m here to see with my own eyes whether the destined one in the prophecy is here or not. If you are the one, then, I want to talk to you in private. So, I ask you again. Are you the one who unsealed the King?"


    Mark didn''t know what this 39-yr-old woman who looked like she is in her 70s wanted with him but at the very least, he can hear what she has to say and decide what he wants to do.


    He nodded in confirmation and also revealed the truth, "Since I cannot repel it using force, I had to use a Purification Stone on the King."


    "Purification Stone? Never heard of such stone that can remove the seals and restore cultivation. Is it an otherworldly item?" The Seer mumbled as she fell into thoughts for a while. After a brief silence, she said to him, "Then, can you please use an ability of your bloodline?"


    "Bloodline? For your confirmation?" Mark was no fool. It was clear to him why she was making such a request but it is more important for him is whether he could gain anything or not. Something told him that this thing might lead to another quest.


    But at the same time, there was also a worry in his head. If the woman can ascertain his bloodline just by his skill, then, wouldn''t his connection to Lan n be revealed?


    "Yes, before I confirm that you are the one from the prophecy, I cannot divulge the details." As Gu Ya was taking this matter very seriously, Mark also spoke his intentions, "Not here, Miss Gu. I don''t want people to get caught up in my demonstration and neither do I trust a stranger that I can follow to some unknown ce. So, keeping this in mind, suggest a solution."<sub> </sub>


    Mark indirectly told her that he cannot demonstrate his powers in front of others. Weak and old the King might be, but Shen Niu is still the ruler of the kingdom and he cannot be kicked out by anyone.


    As he wondered what she will reply with, Gu Ya resummoned her staff, "I understand. I will set up a spatial field around us."


    The blue orb glowed once again, forming a pitch-ck-colored barrier around them. From the outside, the barrier only looked like it enveloped both of them but inside the barrier, Mark saw that the area inside the barrier was expanded by a hundred times. He couldn''t help but remember his store and then wondered whether he could also do it once he awakened the second spirit path.


    "So, are you ready?" Gu Ya asked him.


    Mark came out of his senses and nodded. "Absolute Freezing, activate."


    In an instant, everything inside the barrier was frozen. Even the mage wasn''t spared. The pitch-ck dome-shaped barrier suddenly turned into an ice dome, bewildering the spectators.


    The King got up in shock as some past memories hit him. "This ice, it is different from other ice magic. The temperature in the surroundings doesn''t have any impact on this ice. No doubt about it. It is the same as Lan Gengxin''s bloodline ability. And there''s his resemnce to him. Is he rted to him?"


    Mark had made a blunder this time. He overestimated the spatial barrier and thought that the outsiders wouldn''t have any idea about his ability. Of course, it isn''t that he nned to keep his ice ability any secret but he doesn''t want those abilities to look like bloodline skills.


    Upon considering the intelligence of Shen Ling and Shen Niu''s acquaintanceship with Lan Gengxin, Mark doesn''t want them to witness his ice skills in person but Gu Ya''s weak crowd control ability now had defeated his purpose.


    "I guess I fucked up¡­" Mark realized the blunder he had made. So, instead of making his way out of the ce, he just stayed on the spot in silence, waiting for the time to run out.


    About 80 secondster, the ice disappeared and Gu Ya was freed. Surprisingly, the spatial field reappeared. It looks as if nothing happened two minutes ago. Originally, it was supposed tost for 120 seconds but her higher cultivation and the spatial field''s higher power reduced the time.


    Upon being freed, Gu Ya stepped back in surprise with a little mixture of fear. She said, "I have only read about this ability in the records but it''s the first time I experienced it in person." Earlier, when trapped under ice, she tried her best to get free. Her ether energy couldn''t break it.


    For the past 80 seconds, she felt helpless and it is a scary experience for her. Adding on top of that, the temperature was below -100 degrees. If not for the fact that she protected her body from it, Gu Ya felt like her aged physical body wouldn''t havested against the freezing. As a result, she would have probably died.


    After forcing herself to calm down, Gu Ya nodded, "The bloodline of Ancient divine beast, Blizzard Pegasus. You are indeed the person I was looking for, Mister¡­ I''m sorry but I forgot to ask your name, earlier."


    "Lu Zhen," informed Mark before asking about her objective.


    Gu Ya then answered, "Before I tell you my objective, let me tell you a small story of ate leader of the Lan sect, Lan Gengxin, and his monster pet, an ancient beast named Zheng."

 Chapter 226 Inheritance Left By Grandfather

    "Zheng is a five-tailed leopard monster native to a ce called the undyingnds. The female species is called Ning.


    Roughly about 50 years ago, Lan Gengxin along with his acquaintances, who were originally expelled from the Ancient Lan Sect, came to the Western Yan and settled down at the Kunyu mountain range where a branch of the Lan Sect is already located.


    All of a sudden, the Lan Sect''s strength grew leaps and bounds, forcing the Emperors, kings, and other organizations to have a good rtionship with them. That ispletely another matter to discuss. So, I wille to the main subject.


    Anyway, these new members who took over the Lan Sect didn''te with empty hands. They brought a Zheng cub with them. It is a Beast Emperor. It''s highly possible that they have stolen or they might not. It doesn''t matter. What matters is that it is still alive and is currently guarding its master''s grave.


    Nearly 30 years ago, when Lan Sect was destroyed because of a 9-star dungeon break, the 22-year-old Zheng was at a 5-circle. And over time, its strength increased to 9-circle. Our Church of Doom is attempting to subdue it for a long time but even our Supreme Pontiff isn''t strong enough.


    Now,ing to the prophecy, while I couldn''t see your exact face because it is all blurry but I see a young man who was mounted on top of arge leopard with five tails and has some sort of cat on his shoulders. All over him, I felt the aura of a Pegasus that suppresses even beast emperors.


    And this man will bring the glory to our Church along with the Western Moon kingdom.


    Now that I confirmed your bloodline, I feel like everything is pointed to you. I''m willing to take a chance. After all, we don''t have much time.


    ? <strong>*Ding! You triggered a hidden quest.</strong>


    Quest: Inheritance of Lan Gengxin


    Description: As a direct descendant who inherited the Blizzard Pegasus, it is your right to inherit his unimed inheritance. Capture the pet that he left behind.


    Reward: Missile Defense System (upgradable)


    ept?


    "Man, another hidden quest? They are popping one after another." Mark would usually be happy if there''s such a tempting reward but the difficulty of the quest made him doubt whether he canplete this quest.


    First of all, the target was a beast emperor. And second, it was in 9-circle. That means it is the same as battling a demi-god.


    The beast would probably leave him alive upon learning that he is the grandson of Lan Gengxin but submitting itself to him, Mark doesn''t have confidence. If that''s the case, why should he take the risk?


    But at the same time, Mark also knew that this quest doesn''t have any time limit.


    So, he decided to ept but without any intentions toplete it until he was strong enough. Even if it fails and someone else manages to capture it or kill it in the future, Mark wouldn''t lose anything either way.


    <strong>*Ding! You epted the Quest.</strong>


    Once he epted the quest, he nodded, "Okay, I''ll try and see if I can subdue it. Thank you for informing me."


    "It''s my pleasure," She forced a smile.


    It was at that moment Mark found her expression strange. Something else clicked in his mind and he called her out as she was about to remove the barrier, "Wait for a second, Miss Gu¡­"


    As she looked at him, Mark proceeded to ask, "Why do I feel like you are hiding something? After all, even if I subdue the beast emperor, I will gain a powerful pet but what will you gain from this? We are strangers. What makes you think that I will help this kingdom and bring glory to your church and thisnd? Who knows¡­ I might even use this beast against your organization."<sub> </sub>


    Mark was logical in his statement and Gu Ya also knew that it was possible but she appeared to be helpless in this situation. She let out a sigh in response and revealed the truth, "I don''t have any choice but to take a leap of faith.


    Some of the elders of our church are conspiring with the queen to resurrect her ancestor who is our founder using an ancient sacrificing ritual within a year. Even the Supreme Pontiff is involved, once the news of King Shen Niu''s return is out, they might speed up the process.


    The life of 10 million people is at stake now. If you were able to subdue the beast and reveal your alliance with the Royal Pce of Western Moon, the undertaking might be stopped.


    For the sake of innocent citizens, I need your help." She clenched her fists before making a deep bow.


    On the other hand, Mark received one more quest from the system. This one appears to be at the same level as aplishing the earlier quest.


    <strong>*Ding! You triggered a mandatory hidden Quest.</strong>


    Quest: Stop the Undertaking


    Description: The Church of Doom is nning to sacrifice 10 million citizens of the Western Moon kingdom to resurrect the founder of the Church of Doom. Stop the ritual by killing the current Supreme Pontiff openly.


    Time limit: 324 days (can be reduced at any time)


    Reward: Battle Android (Rank-7)


    Quest Failure: The deaths of millions of innocents, loss of Zheng, chaos in the continent of Vermilion bird, destruction of independent kingdoms, a possible alliance between the Empires, and the host''s business might get affected depending on the situation.


    **


    Mark doesn''t even know to react now. A mandatory quest and there are consequences of Quest failure? He felt like he ran off his mouth unnecessarily.


    Obviously, the reward is very tempting but the quest is something that is out of his capabilities. Well, as long as he takes an advancement pill, the thunderst would be able to kill the Supreme Pontiff who is rumored to be in the 9-circle realm. Using the clone, he could also defeat the elders.


    However, the biggest problem here lies in his defense. The Spirit Warriors under 7-circle aren''t at risk but the above realm experts have certain skills to even strike him before he makes a move. Moreover, he only has two trump cards. What if this Supreme Pontiff guy would protect himself with skill against his thunderst and makes a counterattack.


    If his attacks failed, neither his attack helicopter nor his Howitzer PHz 2000 would be able to shield him. He can only depend on the manticore, the beast king of the 8-circle realm.


    Even if he convinces it to protect him, will it be a match for a Supreme realm expert? Mark doesn''t want to take any gambles. That means he was left with two options toplete the quest.


    First, the beast Emperor pet of his grandfather, and Second, the peak potion.


    The peak potion is entirely up to the chance. And it isn''t easy to form a contract with a beast emperor either. That means he needs to depend on the potion to increase his strength and force Zheng beast to admit loyalty to him. And then, he uses the beast to kill the Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Doom.


    That means everything now depends on the lottery wheel. Well, what can Mark do? He could only sigh and tells her again that he will see what he can do.


    Gu Ya was also clear on what she was asking but she was also helpless here. After all, she doesn''t have any solution to the problem except to put her trust in this stranger.

 Chapter 227 Family Deserves A Second Chance

    After removing the spatial field, Gu Ya greeted the king once again and left the ce by using the portal, leaving behind curious people.


    Mark chose to keep silent on the matter as he thought it will only cause unnecessary panic and they aren''t strong enough to stop what wasing.


    If they were close enough, they too tried to push him into divulging the matter but as they barely know each other, the King and the princess didn''t ask him again once he refused to speak about his discussion with the elder of the church of doom.


    Putting aside the future quests, for now, Mark focused on the present and asked the King, "Your Majesty, how may I help you in reiming the throne?"


    The King turned to his daughter who was wise and intelligent enough to advise him even when she was only 13 years old.


    Princess Shen Ling thought for a bit and exined her strategy, "Harsh and sometimes reckless his policies might be, I should agree that Uncle was a good administrator. Even the happiness index of the Lunaris city rose considerably. We are also doing great in the economy because of foreign traders.


    So, storming into the pce and making a ruckus would only cause unnecessary panic among the public, especially the traders and other foreign businessmen because of worry about an uncertain future.


    At first, while I was on the way, I thought it is best to abduct Uncle and let father rece him without making any fuss like how he did it with you. But, the issue here is that Father and Uncle no longer look the same. So, that option is no longer viable.


    But, what if you privately meet with Uncle and Mother, ande to an arrangement? You will forgive their mistake. In exchange, you will get back your throne without bloodshed. The royal court will then announce that you went missing and Uncle was ruling in your ce to protect the kingdom from hostile forces.


    Of course, Uncle will not remain in the pce. He will be reinstated as the governor of Helong province. It is on the border with Western Yan and he will take responsibility for mending the rtionship with the Phoenix Empire as penance for the betrayal."


    Mark was visibly surprised by her suggestion. In his mind, there are several scenarios like bombing the capital or bombing around the royal pce as a distraction to take out Shen Qiu, bombarding the enemies with missiles until they submit, or letting Allen use the might of the divine sword to cut through the enemies until he takes down the Queen and the impostor Queen, etc¡­


    All he could think of destroying enemies but never expected of having a pact with the other party to have peaceful aftermath. Of course, he didn''t think Shen Ling''s n was right too.


    Looking down on it, hemented with a simple sentence, "Princess Shen, you are too idealistic."


    He didn''t bother to exin any further but the princess understood what he wanted to convey. She looked at him and said, "It''s because they aren''t strangers, Mr. Lu. And family deserves a second chance so that they can repent on their actions."


    Her words made him remember his mother and other family members who he swore to destroy.


    Unlike Mark who never had any memories of his real family, Shen Ling received love from her mother and probably from her uncle too before facing betrayal in the form of getting separated from her father. Her hatred towards the both of them should exceed him.


    Okay, he can understand her forgiving the Queen because it is her mother whom she dearly loved but even her uncle was forgiven? Based on the conversations he had with the princess, he didn''t feel like she was a fool.


    But, if she was right, then, he will be wrong. That isn''t something he wants to admit. So, he responded with a question, "what if one doesn''t have any emotional connection with those family members from the start? Then, are they still worthy of forgiveness?"


    "Eh?" This time, it was Princess Shen Ling''s time to get surprised. She was only trying to justify her suggestion. So, she didn''t expect that kind of question from Mark.


    And when asked, she thought for a bit and answered, "Of course, everyone deserves an opportunity to redeem themselves but we seldom have the heart to forgive the strangers. But, we can show some mercy on close friends and family for once unless they are hell-bent on killing you. We can atleast do that much, right?"<sub> </sub>


    Mark didn''t argue with her and stayed silent as his conscience told him that she was right but his heart cannot ept it because it defeats his purpose of opening the store in Imperial city in the first ce. If not for his revenge, he would have also taken it slow.


    As a result, he wouldn''t have reached the position where he was now. Who knows¡­ he might be an owner of a small modern weapon store whose ie is majorly dependent on Lin Xue''s grace.


    Revenge is what drives him to sess. At least, that''s what Mark believes at the moment.


    Anyway, putting his feelings for a second, he continued to listen to her n. The princess appeared to be betting on Mark''s presence to arrange the meeting between her father and uncle.


    Mark was prepared to even go to war toplete his quest. Acting as a bodyguard doesn''t seem that difficult. Mark was actually hoping for the meeting to turn violent as he would be able to showcase the strength of his weapons. At the same time, his reward from the king would also be a bountiful one.


    Meanwhile, her father reluctantly agreed to her suggestion of forgiving his brother and wife, although, in his mind, he nned to send his wife, his brother, and his family to exile after Shen Ling gets married.


    Very soon, the princess ignited a talisman and sent a message to her mother. When Mark saw the process of her storing the message into the talisman, he reconsidered his thoughts about the princess.


    Her earlier suggestion gave an impression that she has a soft heart but now, she doesn''t appear that way any longer. Mark found her character interesting.


    What message did she send that made Mark change his impression?


    Shen Ling not only asked the two of them toe to the Zhishang city and meet them at Quanjude restaurant that Mark had earlier booked for the meeting of the King and his daughter but she also gave them the time limit of four hours.


    As far as Mark knows, Shen Qiu left to inspect the Qincheng Prison. Whether he was back or not, he wasn''t sure and neither does the princess has any idea. So, this demand of hers indicates that she doesn''t n on going soft on her family even if she forgives them.


    The princess further warned her mother that in the event both of them fail to arrive in time, she and her father will publicly dethrone her uncle publicly and reveals her conspiracy too.


    If that happens, as a fellow partner in crime, not only the Queen would be a traitor but also be framed for adultery due to the possibility of sleeping with Shen Qiu during the past decade.


    As a result, before losing her life, she will lose her dignity. Because she''s the Queen, for decades, the future generations will also talk about her.


    Shen Ling never had the intention to do that. But, to add psychological pressure on her mother and uncle, she neatly exined the consequences, although, for some reason, she didn''t tell her mother about Mark at all.


    Maybe, they have really been scared or maybe, they have a n in mind. Mark didn''t know.


    But, roughly after three and half hours, the Queen along with Shen Qiu and some unknown elderly-looking person reached the restaurant where the royal knights were stationed at the entrance.


    A royal knight escorted the three of them to the third floor, where a garden is located. On the way, they discovered that there was no staff on the ground floor. It gave the impression of a closed-down restaurant at one nce.


    There, in the open air, surrounded by firemps, Shen Ling and Shen Niu were sitting at the table while Allen and Mark were standing behind them like bodyguards. Both of them wore ck robes, covered their heads with hoods, and faces with nk masks.

 Chapter 228 Attack First And Then Negotiate

    Mark and Allen came as the guests of the pce. Then, both of them allegedly went out for a city tour early in the morning but Mark returned alone for the lunch.


    Then, Mark left with the princess, and hourster, the princess tells her mother that she finds the real king and warns her toe and meet them in a city that is nearly 150 kilometers away.


    And when her mother attends the secret meeting, she sees two mysterious people standing behind the princess and the King. Most importantly, she couldn''t sense the cultivation realm of either of them just like with the royal guests.


    As long as one isn''t a fool, it is easy to link up everything and guess the identities of the masked men. The Queen and the impostor King quickly recognized them.


    Mark also knew the possibility of getting found out. The princess had told him that when he wore the mask.


    And yet, he still bothered himself to hide his identity because of three reasons.


    One, if the princess was wrong and the Queen turned out to be not so smart, he will be sessful. Two, by hiding his face, he could also hide his expressions. Three, he can save himself from the embarrassment of bing someone''s bodyguard.


    Thankfully, even though the Queen had identified two masked bodyguards, she didn''t ce much attention on them. Her entire attention was on her husband. She was calm as she faced the King. On the other hand, Shen Qiu was inwardly nervous because of the presence of Mark as well as the mysterious expert with them.


    Taking the seat, the Queen was the first to greet her husband, "it''s been a while, Dear. You look like you are in good health."


    King Shen Niu naturally was angered by her response. He punched the table, disying anger on his face, "Is this what you have to say, Tan Ning?"


    The Queen calmly responded once again, "You are standing between the Church of Doom and their grand ambition, Dear. If not for me begging the elders, you would have been dead by now."


    The princess and the King were dumbfounded by her reaction for a moment. Shen Ling quickly said, "I think you don''t have any idea what kind of situation you are in, mother. Choose your words wisely. Telling wrong things at wrong times sometimes leads to disastrous consequences."


    The Queen didn''t pay heed to her advice and just stared at her husband, "I think it''s best for you to stay away from the public for one more year. Once we are done, you can take your throne. And I will be willing to take any punishment that you inflict upon me."


    "What are you nning, mother?" Shen Ling furrowed her brows. She felt like her mother is dead serious about her objective. She couldn''t help but wonder what was going to happen within a year.


    "It doesn''t concern you, Princess Shen." The mysterious expert opened his mouth, this time. Stroking his slim and lengthy white beard, he further said, "We have waited for nearly three decades. We can''t tolerate any unnecessary disturbance. I''m here to take you and your father with me. For the next year, both of you will stay as our guests. You should be thankful for Lady Tan that I''m willing to show mercy."


    From the start, they never had the intention topromise. This became clear from his words.


    The King clenched his fist as he stared at his wife and brother, "Don''t think that you can subdue me, wicked woman. I would rather die than be your prisoner once again."


    Soul energy gathered in his palms. He was on the verge of losing his control.


    It was at that moment Mark finally decided to enter the conversation. "It''s the undertaking."<sub> </sub>


    "Hmm?" The opposite parties raised their eyebrows as they nced at Mark. The Princess also turned her head in curiosity, "Undertaking?"


    Mark shed a light on the truth for the daughter and father pair as he exined, "I don''t know what forbidden ritual it is but the Church of Doom is nning to sacrifice millions of citizens to resurrect their founder."


    His statement brought waves of surprise to both the parties with one of them building up anger while the other was taken aback because this was only known to selective individuals. However, he wasn''t done yet.


    Before the Queen and the mysterious expert wondered about the possibility of a traitor in their midst, Mark continued, "And the fact that the other party is confident in capturing you two is because of that legendary realm expert. If my information is right, his name is Xi Lim, of the two grand elders at the Church of Doom. He''s 125 years old and is a Fire mage. Oh, by the way, he is at the peak stage."


    Xi Lim got up from the seat in shock. Earlier, this Elder was disying arrogance but Mark''s words shook him up a bit. After all, except for the other grand elder, no one in the organization knows his age.


    Looking at the masked bodyguard in wariness, he asked, "Who the hell are you?"


    Now that he had already given away his identity by speaking out in his real voice, he took off the mask and answered, "Just an ordinary weapon seller but at this moment, I''m responsible for the safety of these two. Apart from that, there''s nothing for you to know."


    Shen Qiu, who was silent until now, tilted his head and whispered in Xi Lim''s ear, "Lord Xi, he is Lu Zhen, the guy I told you earlier."


    Xi Lim''s coolness once again returned upon hearing it. He was wary of the two masked individuals from the start as he cannot gauge their cultivation. But, now that he knows that Mark is in Exalt realm (7-circle), he changed his n from killing him to capturing him.


    Proceeding to summon a Semi-Divine Staff, Xi Lim looked at Mark, "along with the two of them, you too areing with me, Lu Zhen."


    Princess Shen Ling and King Shen Niu were filled with nervousness. Previously, they thought that they can depend on Mark, or at worst, the princess decided to use her trump card, the demon scroll. However, Xi Lim turning out to be in a legendary realm made her change the strategy.


    "Father, take this." She took out the scroll from her storage ring and handed it to Shen Niu, "use this in an emergency."


    Seeing her actions, the Queen warned her, "Don''t bother, Xiao Ling. Beforeing here, Elder Xi had set up an anti-teleportation barrier. You cannot use teleportation scrolls to escape. Moreover, we have several priests spread all over the ce. Even if you try to get away, we''ll catch you all. Dear, don''t resist ande with us in peace."


    "Wicked woman," The King growled in response. His anger was at its peak because of the Church of Doom''s n to massacre innocent citizens. "No matter what, I will not let you seed."


    "Weaklings don''t have the choice, brother. It is the same for an ordinary citizen or a King," Shen Qiu advised his brother to follow his example and just do as the Church wants.


    All of a sudden, without any warning, a lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck an unprepared mage, Xi Lim, right on top of his head.


    "This is why I suggested that it is better to attack first and then negotiate," Mark mumbled to himself as he stared at the ash.

 Chapter 229 Write Down My Address

    A moment ago, the city of Zhishang was bustling with people. With a city built at the shores of the ocean, people from northern empires, especially the civilian merchants and strong adventurers do business here.


    The civilian merchants don''t have ether energy and hence, cannot store them in a storage ring. Instead, they transport here through the boats.


    The foreign adventurers who wanted to sell corpses alsoe through therge ships because of the limited space in the storage rings.


    As one of the three ports of the Western Moon kingdom, Zhishang was also famous for marine food markets. Thousands of fishermen from the nearby indse and do business here.


    In a nutshell, it''s hard for the central region of this city to not be crowded with people.


    Just like every day, tourists, natives, adventurers, and all types of people are roaming the neighborhood. With the news of the royal knights stationed at a popr restaurant passed around, naturally, arge crowd gathered at the entrance to see what was going on.


    The people''s enthusiasm increased when they heard that the restaurant is currently upied by the royal family. They thought that the King and his family came here for dining.


    However, to their surprise, all of a sudden, a lightning bolt descended from the skies and struck the restaurant.


    The terrifying sh of lightning made a few people go temporarily blind while the others started running away in fear after they heard a powerful rumble in the sky. Who doesn''t fear natural disasters?


    Fortunately for them, after that, the sky became calm and the crowd slowly gathered once again as the restaurant waspletely intact. Some of them started wondering whether the King is okay while some were hoping for the king to be struck by lightning and considered it a punishment from the heavens.


    Meanwhile, on the third floor''s garden dining area, the supposed royal family members were stunned by the sudden development and went into a daze as the supposed legendary realm expert from the Church of Doom was struck by lightning and turned to ash.


    All of them were thinking of the same thing, "What the hell just happened?"


    Because it is natural lightning, they wondered whether it is a coincidence. But, before they digested it, Mark opened his mouth, this time while giving a cold gaze to his enemies, "There''s a reason I have chosen an open spot like this, Queen Tan, Shen Qiu."


    "Eh?" "Huh!" "What!"


    All of them looked at him in disbelief.


    "How did you know that the lightning will strike at this spot?" Shen Qiu was the first to erupt.


    In response, Mark stared at him in silence for a couple of moments and asked, "Are you an idiot?"


    "What? You¡­" As Shen Qiu''s face turned red as he was scolded, the Princess let out a smile, "I knew that you can use Ice and Lightning attributes but didn''t expect that you are also a lightning mage, Mr. Lu. You aren''t in Exalt realm as everyone believed it, right?"


    Well, she clearly misunderstood his strength but Mark didn''t have any ns to correct her. He stayed silent and let her believe whatever she wanted to believe.


    But then again, if one thinks about it, she was also right. He was only a 5-circle summoner. With the Amulet of magic, his stats were equal to that of a 6-circle. And finally, the thunderst had a 150% attack power, bringing his attack power to over 9-circle. He was indeed an overpowered Spirit Warrior.


    As for why Xi Lim was dead instantly despite being an 8-circle realm expert in peak stage, it is because he was unprepared. A prepared mage is as powerful as 10 warriors of the same realm but an unprepared mage is even weaker than a warrior of a below realm.<sub> </sub>


    Xi Lim might have been an 8-circle realm Spirit Warrior but he is still a mage. His defense is a lot lesser than even a 6-circle realm Spirit Warrior of Fighter Path.


    Maybe, if he had been prepared for the iing attack by shielding himself with ether energy shield or some defensive skill, he wouldn''t have probably ended up dead.


    But, Mark didn''t give him such an opportunity. As soon as he realized that Xi Lim was an enemy, he silently ambushed him with the Thunderst to take him away and turned around the situation.


    And now, Princess Shen Ling and King Shen Niu were in high spirits while Queen Tan Ning and Grand Prince Shen Qiu became nervous.


    Seeing the legs of Shen Qiu shaking in fear while he was inwardly cursing the Prime Minister who invited Mark to this kingdom, the Princess calmed her heart and took her seat, "Okay, I think both of you will now be ready to listen to my proposition."


    Like her father, she was also angry at her mother and uncle but this meeting made her realize that her mother doesn''t want to harm them. Tan Ning might have been evil enough to sacrifice millions of innocents but still, she was the reason Shen Niu was alive.


    Shen Ling was smart enough to understand that simple logic. That''s why she tried to deal with the situation in a calm manner.


    On the other hand, the King couldn''t control his emotions. Letting out his ether energy wildly, he roared, "Tan Ning, it isn''t enough for you to lock me up and separate me from my daughter for a decade, you still want to imprison me, again? In front of the enormous strength of your organization, my ancestors might have left with no choice but to shelter you people in ournd.


    However, your organization had decided to break the sacred oath by not only interfering in the internal matters of the kingdom but also harming the lives of innocents.


    Enough is enough. Everything ends now. I will cede the disputed territories. I will even ept whatever unfair demands the Empires would ce before me. No matter what, I will make sure to erase the Church of Doom from mynd. As for you two, I¡­"


    "Wait for a second, Father." Shen Ling hurriedly stopped him from proceeding any further. She doesn''t want him to announce any punishment because she feared that it willpletely break apart her family. As she earlier said to Mark, she wants her mother and uncle to repent of their actions. At the same time, she wants this matter to stay secret in order to protect the dignity of the royal family.


    That''s why, after stopping her father, she quickly stated the original conditions to both of them.


    While Tan Ning digested it pretty quickly, feeling that her daughter is showing mercy on her, Shen Qiu, on the other hand, went into a daze for a while. He was expecting to be thrown at Qincheng prison.


    So, in case, the King announces his punishment, he was ready to retaliate by summoning the undead and escape. But, to his surprise, nothing happened as he feared. Not only he was pardoned for his betrayal, but he will also keep his dignity as he passes the throne to the real king.


    It is good for him except for the fact that the decision-making isn''t in his hands. The Queen is the one who put him on the throne. So, Shen Qiu looked at his sister-inw to hear what she has to say.


    For that one moment, seeing the calmness on the Queen, Mark thought that they were Tan Ning and Shen Ling were really mother and daughter.


    As Mark and others wondered what the Queen was thinking deeply when there was no punishment for her at all, thetter turned her head to look at Mark instead of her daughter.


    With a serious expression on her face, she spoke, "By killing Elder Xi, you have really brought doom upon yourself, Lu Zhen. Had you not been involved in this matter, everything would have gone well. You don''t know what kind of danger you have invited upon yourself. Now, be prepared to face the consequences."


    "Write down my address." Mark simply responded by letting out a fake smile while crossing his arms to the chest, "Plot no. 16, Alley No. 11, Hanga District, Imperial City, Phoenix Empire. Whether it is to buy a weapon or settle down the disputes, I''ll happily wee friends and enemies alike. So, you don''t need to worry about me. Pray for your fellow members of the church that I won''t get lucky during the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, these hands will put raze your church to the ground whether the Empires take action on you or not."


    Even the princess didn''t fullyprehend the meaning behind his statement but she was sure of one thing. He is going to do something big in the uing weeks.

 Chapter 230 Submarine Or Destroyer

    <strong>A few hourster;</strong>


    In the capital city of Lunaris, at midnight when people were supposed to sleep, thousands were gathered at the Pce Grounds as the King was about to make an important announcement.


    Everything went as the princess wanted it to be. After informing the ministers, Shen Qiu made an announcement of the King''s return to the public, handing over the crown in front of everyone.


    Just like with the ministers, the people went into disbelief for a while. Shen Niu then took the charge and exined to everyone the story cooked up by the Princess.


    ording to his version, a decade ago, during the time of the rebellion by the former Supreme General Xuan Yi, the King was poisoned by a servant who was actually a spy of the leader of the rebellion.


    As a result, he was sent away through a secret tunnel so that he can be healed in a safe ce. Although he escaped death, the King, unfortunately, was gone into a deep unconscious state a) for nearly 10 years and finally woke up because of Lu Zhen. And in this time, to protect the throne from possible internal and external enemies, Shen Qiu had taken the King''s ce with the help of Queen Tan Ning.


    Originally, the princess had a slightly different story in her mind, in which Shen Niu personally appointed his brother as a temporary king.


    But, after the meeting, she changed it so that for the public, it will appear like Shen Qiu was entirely responsible for the decisions that were made during the past decade.


    This new story wasrgely weed by the public and ministers who were dissatisfied with Shen Qiu''s rule. Zhu Jianhong, the prime minister of the kingdom was happier than ever as he saw the real king on the throne. It means that he doesn''t have to bear the attitude of Shen Qiu any longer.


    As for Mark, he sessfullypleted his quest and was also promised by the King a handsome reward in private for not only saving him and bringing his consciousness back but also for saving him once again from Xi Lim.


    In fact, neither Shen Qiu nor Shen Niu had expected that the Queen will bring a legendary realm expert with her. If Mark wouldn''t be there to take action, both of them would probably be imprisoned now.


    For that, the King was grateful to him and asked him to name anything as a reward. Mark didn''t make haste in replying to that and told him that he will give his answer, the next morning before he returns home. The King agreed to it.


    Anyway, the announcement was over and the people returned to their homes in joy. Mark and Allen also returned to their respective guest rooms.


    Mark then locked his room and sat on the bed while opening the quest list.


    "Okay, now is the time to choose the reward, Submarine or a Destroyer?"


    Mark still hadn''t cleared his doubt. Now that hepleted the quest, he asked the system about the rewards.


    The system gave him a quick reply.


    <strong>*Ding! The host has a choice. For both the rewards, you can pick either a single ether-powered warship or a normal warship that can be mass-produced by the system and sold to the customers.</strong>


    "Now, thisplicates the things¡­" Mark realized that it is different from what he expected. If it is something decided by the system, he can make use of it at his convenience but since he was given a choice, Mark knew that he cannot make a wrong step.


    "Both have advantages and disadvantages. If I had to choose an ether-powered warship, a Submarine would be a better choice as there will be super powerful beasts living at the depths of the ocean. But, arge part of the ocean is unexplored. It will be a risky adventure. And mass-produced normal submarines will stand no chance.


    On the other hand, Destroyers will be good in huge numbers. Most of the powerful marine beasts won''te to the surface either way. And I can even rule the ocean surface if I make my moves right.


    The only problem is that I''m not sure if the King would give me the reward that I''m hoping to receive.


    He gave his word for sure but the hearts of humans are unpredicted. No, the Western Moon needed my support. If I don''t stand with them, then, they won''t have a chance against the Church of Doom. As for the Empires, each emperor will only think of the best interests of his people. Who dares to send soldiers to the death for the sake of Shen Niu?


    An intelligent woman like Shen Ling would also realize it by now. Hmm, Okay. For the sake of defending the territory, I have to make this choice."


    Mark proceeded to click on Destroyer.


    <strong>*Ding! Choose a type: Destroyer V (ether) / Kidd-ss Destroyer (mass-produced)</strong>


    "Kidd-ss?" Mark felt like he had heard of it but was not sure where. If there was one thing he was sure of, it is that this is probably the first vehicle that doesn''t belong to the Eurasian Federation, which was formed after world war 3 and where he worked in his past life.


    Either way, he made the decision. So, he clicked on the mass-produced destroyer.


    <strong>*Ding! Kidd-ss Destroyer has been unlocked. Please check out the Gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked 127mm ammunition.</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked RIM-66 Standard missile.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the Harpoon missile (anti-ship)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Mk 46 torpedo.</strong>


    Closing down the window, Mark excitedly opened the Gallery and searched for the brightly lit items, and clicked on the ship-looking image.


    Below the image of a destroyer, the details appeared.


    <strong>Name: Kidd-ss Destroyer</strong>


    Type: Guided missile destroyer


    Grade: N/A


    Discement (full): 9,782,954 kg (~9783 tons)


    Length: 172 meters (563ft)


    Beam: 17 meters (55ft)


    Draught: 9.6 meters (31.5ft)


    Max. Speed: 61 km/hr


    Range: 6000 km ¨C 11000 (Depends on the type of fuel and speed of the ship)


    Fuel Capacity: 32000 liters


    Armament:


    I) 2x 5-inch (127mm) 54 caliber Mk 45 dual-purpose guns (20 round capacity)


    II) 2x Mk 26unchers for RIM-66 missiles


    III) 2x 20mm CIWS (close in weapons system) Mk 15 cannons


    IV) 2x Mk 141quadruple Harpoon missile canisters


    V) 2x Mk 32 triple 12.75 in (324mm) torpedo tubes


    Aviation facility: Flight deck and hangar for helicopters.


    Description: This mighty warship is capable of destroying enemies under the 7-circle realm with its firepower.


    Price: 35000 gold coins


    Create?


    "35 thousand gold coins? That''s even 7 times the Phz 2000 howitzer, which delivers the same results but then again, this has a greater range. Hmm, maybe, I can install a couple of howitzers on the ship deck and use them to my advantage. This world doesn''t have the same weapons that I can ess, anyway."


    Mark wanted to create one but at thest second, he controlled his urge upon remembering that he doesn''t need this warship at the moment. Not to mention, there will be unnecessary heavy debt.


    After deciding to create it when it was necessary, he closed down the gallery and everything before going to sleep. Of course, he didn''t forget to contact Alina to know the situation over in the city.


    Seeing that everything is fine, Mark wondered about Lin Xue''s mission for a while and then, slept soundly.

 Chapter 231 Marks Conditions To Open The Store At Lunaris City

    The next day, before the breakfast, Mark met the King in private and had expressed his wish regarding the reward.


    He asked the King to give him an ind that isn''t in danger of drowning at the present so that he may develop a manufacturing facility on top of it. He also added another condition that no natives are living on this ind.


    At first, Mark was a little bit worried when he saw a change in the King''s expression but then, he sighed in relief as the king gave him the word that he will acquire it right away but it''s just that only the prime minister has a clear idea about the demographics of the kingdom.


    Mark patiently waited until the morning assembly at 9 o''clock and was summoned to the court at 10 o''clock once the ministers were done reporting to the King about how their departments are faring now. Some boasted while some requested the King to change the policies.


    As soon as Mark was informed by the soldier, he went to the court in haste and everyone abruptly turned their heads as he stepped inside.


    He walked forward and stopped a few meters away from the King and greeted him with his fist at the chest before bowing slightly, "Your Majesty."


    King Shen Niu got up on his feet and the others followed the suit.


    He then spoke out loud, "Despite not belonging to thisnd, you have done an enormous service to the kingdom. As a reward, I wish to present to you the ind of Nanqu, which is under the control of our kingdom for several centuries. From this moment onwards, it belongs to you.


    There was another thing. While I was discussing the current internal affairs with Prime Minister Zhu, I heard that Grand Prince Shen had invited Mr. Lu to Lunaris city in the hopes of letting him open the branch here and let our citizens have experience with the unique type of weapon known as firearms, which itself has a lot of different types of weapons.


    Using the authority as the King, I give you the Xuan Yi Mansion for your stay and the Tower of Xuan Yi for your business if ever decided to open the store, that is. Whatever the terms are, you can discuss them with Prime Minister Zhu in private."


    As Mark thanked the king for the reward as well as for the offer, Zhu Jianhong didn''t forget to inform him that the ind is currently been inhabited by low-rank Spirit beasts, which is of course not a big deal for a person like Mark anyway.


    After receiving thend deed of Nanqu Ind, Mark returned to the guest room. He was nning on returning to the Imperial City as Alina told him that Lin Xue stopped by the store.


    ording to the message, Song Yue''s paternal great grandfather had finally returned with Lin Xue and is currently at Song Yun''s new mansion to formally annul the engagement.


    He ordered Alina to make sure to stay inside the store but he wasn''t sure about Song Yue. If she gets tricked by the old man and gets out, then, it is over for her. Even Alina is helpless against someone who is in the legendary realm if the rumor about Song Tai''s strength is correct. Hmm, maybe, she can take him on with the divine sword?


    Considering that she wasn''t the owner, her stats will increase by 10%, making her as strong as a 7-circle.


    Combining her own skills and fighting techniques along with the divine sword''s skills (She doesn''t have any attributes like humans and so, she could use them), Mark thought of the possibility of the female Android going against the Song n''s ancestor.


    Even then, she couldn''tst long against such a superior opponent. In that case, he would rather sacrifice Song Yue and protect Alina.


    But, for some reason, he doesn''t want to do that. Was she that worthy of facing such unnecessary troubles? Clearly, she isn''t. He knows that too.


    Then Why?


    Does he have feelings for her or something? No. Mark might appreciate her beauty but he was clear in his mind that he won''t fall in love with anyone to create weakness.


    Maybe, it was because she is under his protection. Or maybe, it is because he finds her pitiful. Or it might be because he likes living, eating dinner, and talking with a human.<sub> </sub>


    Mark doesn''t have a clear reason but one thing he knows for sure. Not only he will be displeased if Song Yue was taken away in force but will also slightly be disappointed if she leaves on her own.


    Then, does that mean he wants her to stay with him forever? Mark doesn''t want that too. So, it is a bitplex as he has yet to make up his mind.


    While all of this is in one part of his mind, another part is worrying about the quest. Lunaris city is indeed far away from his home. He cannot go back and forth as he wishes. As he was already here, he might as well open the branch and temporarily appoint a manager toplete the quest before returning to the Imperial City of Phoenix.


    But, to do that, he needed to wait for the Prime Minister, who will onlye and meet him once the morning court session is over.


    As a result, Mark could only wait in his room while staying in touch with Alina. In the meantime, he wrote something on a nk scroll.


    Roughly about two hourster, the court session was finally over and a royal knight gave Mark''s message to the Prime Minister.


    As Zhu Jianhong came to the guest room, Mark gestured for him to sit before handing him the scroll. "What is this?" he asked curiously.


    Mark replied, "I''m currently tight on time. Here''s what can the royal pce can provide me in exchange for opening the branch in this city. Go through it and negotiate on the terms with which you have a problem."


    Zhu Jianhong opened the scroll and read the conditions. Some of them were a little bitplicated.


    1) The Western Moon Kingdom should formally acknowledge firearms as an official weapon and promote them to the public. As an example, the kingdom can form a firearms division, or even if it is not possible, it is alright.


    2) The store should be at a prime location and he will not pay the rent to thendlord.


    3) The store should also have a residence for the manager and other employees to sleep in.


    4) The royal pce should help him in hiring the employees and all of their wages will be paid by the Revenue Department.


    5) The standard wages of the employees must not be less than a civil servant.


    6) The royal pce will help him in acquiring atleast 100 barrels of oil per day through various merchants for a cheap price. Of course, it will be paid for by him.


    7) Not only the oil but the royal pce will also help him in acquiring themon and rare materials including Damascus Tungsten, Herculean steal, unpolished ether ores, etc¡­ Naturally, he will bear the cost as long as the royal pce helps him by mediating with the merchants for a reasonable price.


    8) The store will only sell advanced weapons in the city. That meansmon citizens with low ie couldn''t afford to buy them.


    P.S: In a case where all the conditions are met, the weapon seller will give priority to the Lunaris city branch and its buyers regarding ultra-powerful weapons.


    **


    "What do you think?" Mark asked Zhu Jianhong as he read all the conditions and fell into thoughts.

 Chapter 232 Tower Of Xuan Yi

    "Okay, these are all the things that can be done. But, the hiring process will take time." Zhu Jianhong readily agreed with the terms as he was ordered by the King toplete all the demands of the savior no matter how difficult they turned out to be.


    While Zhu Jianhong was grateful to Mark for bringing back the King, he was also the Prime Minister of the kingdom. Every decision he makes will bring a change to the citizens. That is why he must also think about the consequences before agreeing to something.


    Once he confirmed that Mark''s demands were not only easy but they also bring benefits to the kingdom, he didn''t negotiate and just escorted him to the two locations, which were once the properties of the former Supreme General Xuan Yi.


    After the rebellion was crushed, he was given a death sentence, and all of his personal properties were snatched by the royal pce while his family was exiled.


    Some of the properties were auctioned off to wealthy individuals while the others were used by the kingdom for other purposes like one was used as a rental house, one for a storage center, detention facility, etc¡­


    The Tower of Xuan Yi used to be a hospital run by the Health ministry. The treatment was given free for the soldiers, elderly, and kids, but as time passed, the cost of employing the healers became a burden.


    To save money, Shen Qiu shut it down about three years ago. Since then, it is an abandoned building.


    As for Xuan Yi Mansion, it was currently used as a guest house for important guests from foreignnds like the envoys, ministers, or Generals whoe with several people.


    Individuals can be amodated at the royal pce but some people would want their servants and guards to stay with them. For guests like them, this mansion is perfect, well, atleast until now.


    After taking a visit to the mansion, Mark visited the Tower, which was located in the inner sector of Lunaris City.


    It was about 30-35 meters in height and has nothing but a huge door on the ground floor and windows until the top. There are no corridors or stairs visible from the outside.


    Looking at the vertical gap between the windows, Mark thought, "6 floors, huh. That''s not bad. I can use the system followed by the Evesting weapon store I visited back then. Each level can represent a specific type of power of a weapon."


    They entered the tower and just like an abandoned building, the dust and webs could be seen everywhere. As for the interior of the tower, there are no separate rooms. Every floor is arge room of about 150 sq. m (1600 sq. ft) in area.


    It wasn''t as big as it appeared from the outside but the size is enough to disy his weapons. Since he basically got it for free, he was satisfied with the arrangement.


    Zhu Jianhong then handed him two contracts with royal seals on them. Mark put the thumbprint on both of them. One was kept with Mark and the other was taken by the Prime Minister.


    ording to the contract, for the next 10 years, he holds the ownership rights to the Tower of Xuan Yi and Mansion of Xuan Yi but he can only run the weapon store at the tower and will not earn money through the mansion by giving it for rent.


    Once 10 years are fulfilled, both of the properties will be his for permanent.


    Mark usually doesn''t care for small things like those and he wasn''t in a situation to care either.


    After the contract signing is finished, Mark asked the system about the procedures to open the branch.


    The reply came very quickly.


    <strong>*Ding! Just say it to the system and let it confirm your ownership.</strong>


    "Okay, I choose this ce to expand the store and open a second branch."


    <strong>*Ding! Ownership was confirmed. Please appoint a manager.</strong>


    "Allen Spencer."


    <strong>*Ding! You appointed Allen as the manager of the Genesis store''s Lunaris city branch.</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the quest sessfully. Go to the quest to receive the reward.</strong>


    Mark opened the quest panel and clicked on Side Quest II.


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Store guardian.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! From now onwards, every time the host opened a branch, a Store guardian will be appointed. Its rank will depend on the host''s strength at the time of opening.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a Signboard and a mysterious package in the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The host is confirmed to be at Rank-5. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! A Rank-8 Robot is appointed as the Store guardian of the Lunaris City branch. Please open the mysterious package in your inventory to receive the store guardian.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new side quest</strong>


    Side Quest II: Expand the store to 10 different cities and sell atleast 1000 weapons through each branch (excluding ammunition)


    Reward: Upgrade Crystal (Superior)


    "Superior? System, how is this different?"


    <strong>*Ding! Superior grade Upgrade crystal is made from the central part of the core of the Void Dragon King. Using it will yield three times the effect of the Normal Upgrade crystal.</strong>


    "Three times, eh?" Mark immediately thought of Allen. At the moment, he needed two upgrade crystals to get an upgrade to the next rank. If this is used on the male android, his base stats will be at the same level or even higher than Alina. And once he uses another upgrade crystal, Allen could reach rank-7.


    As for why he wanted to upgrade Allen and not Alina, it''s because of the divine sword. When equipped, he was already stronger than her.


    And once Allen gets to upgrade, he will not only be strong enough to take care of legendary realm experts but could also y a Supreme realm expert or beast.


    Maybe, he should do that before taming his grandfather''s pet?


    Anyway, he can think about thatter. First, he will have to return quickly.


    Leaving the responsibility of cleaning the tower and hiring the staff to the Prime Minister, Mark summoned the attack helicopter right away and left for the Imperial city without bothering to personally inform the King or the Princess. Later, Zhu Jianhong reported to the King about his departure due to an urgent situation back at home.


    <strong>Genesis Store, Imperial City, Phoenix Empire;</strong>


    On the first floor residence, the twodies were busy chatting for the past few hours while Alina went to the kitchen to prepare for lunch while giving them privacy as Lin Xue wanted.


    At first, the topic of their conversation was about Song Tai but when Song Yue realized that everything will go back to normal, she rxed a lot and continued to talk about others.


    Perhaps, the only worry in her heart is that Mark hasn''t returned yet. He was supposed toe on the same day by midnight but it was the 3rd day and he was still in the Western Moon kingdom. Of course, it is not that she was worried about her fate in his absence or he will be ambushed by one of his enemies. It is something else but she just doesn''t know what it is.


    At around 12:40 in the afternoon, Alina finally exited the kitchen with the dishes and arranged the table. She served lunch to them while rejecting their request to join. After all, it is no use. If her master asks her, she might eat lunch to apany but Song Yue isn''t her master. She wasn''t obliged to entertain her. Her job is only to protect her until Mark returns.


    And for some reason, Song Yue''s presence also irked Alina a little bit. She was still unable toprehend the reason why she doesn''t like their beauty to enquire about her master''s whereabouts every once in a while.

 Chapter 233 Shen Ling Wants To Marry Mark

    <strong>The royal pce, Lunaris city, Western Moon kingdom;</strong>


    "You can''t be serious, my daughter," spoke the King as he was bbergasted by Shen Ling''s sudden decision about her marriage. "I didn''t expect a smart woman like you to make such a decision in haste."


    After Mark left the city without informing them, Shen Ling talked with her father to fix her marriage with him while mending ties with the Phoenix Empire.


    It was indeed a piece of shocking thing for Shen Niu who just reimed his throne 15 hours ago. He felt like his daughter''s intelligence had fallen because of love. After all, Mark is young, handsome, and very strong. It''s natural that a girl falls for him.


    But, behind those obvious things, a lot ofplicated issues were hidden. He wanted her to rethink carefully and take everything into consideration.


    As he knew that his daughter would be stubborn on her decision unless he made her realize it, he listed out the issues, "Look. I know that Lu Zhen is a powerful Spirit Warrior and I owe him my life. But, marriage cannot be taken lightly. You know what happens if a female member of the royal family marries into a household of amoner. You will lose all the privileges of a princess and be amoner. Can you ept such a fate?


    Adding on top of this, he had several enemies in Imperial City, and along with us, he offended the Church of Doom. If he hadn''t killed that elder, the Church would have only tried to take revenge on us. Once you were married into a powerful noble family of an Empire, at the very least, you will not be harmed.


    However, if you marry that guy, along with his other enemies, the Church will also hunt the two of you down. Knowing that, how can I ept your request?


    Okay, even if you are ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of love, what about your father? I only have you. If you marry a noble, I can pin my hopes on my grandson but if you lose your status, the next in line is nephew Shen Zhi. Do you want me to hand over the throne to him? Do you want your father to die in unhappiness?


    And if Lu Zhen was truly powerful or suddenly turn out to have a secret powerful background that can evade all these troubles, why would he marry you and form such a close rtionship with a weak kingdom like ours?


    My daughter! If you have answers to these questions, please do enlighten this old father of yours.


    While the King used his entire knowledge to remove the possible blindfold from her daughter''s eyes and drag her to reality, Shen Ling simply let out a smile, "Father, your daughter was a disciple of Supreme Realm expert. My master might not lift a finger even if our kingdom is destroyed but if I was killed, he won''t sit around. Not to mention, I was given life-saving scrolls to protect myself from tough situations."


    "Eh? Supreme Realm?" The King was taken aback by shock. This is the first time he was hearing it. Neither his daughter nor the Prime Minister mentioned it until now. So, it will take a while before digesting such a fact.


    Meanwhile, Shen Ling nodded and continued, "Yes, the scroll I gave you earlier would actually summon a demon from the hell. Since my cultivation realm is low, I can only control a demon with a strength of 7-circle. On the other hand, you can summon an 8-circle one. Honestly, I nned to let you use it if Lu Zhen hadn''t ambushed that legendary realm expert.


    But, thankfully, everything went alright. Now, if Father can make a breakthrough, then, we will get a 9-circle realm demon as a guardian. You don''t need to fear the Church of Doom''s retaliation at all.


    As for my status, if I can marry him and convince him to shift his home to this kingdom, as the King, you can give him the status of honorary nobility. I''ll still be a member of the royal family. Our kids will be full nobles, having the right to inherit the throne.<sub> </sub>


    And if Lu Zhen stays here and sides with the royal family for eternity, you will have double protection. What will you have to fear?


    As for the possibility of a hidden background, if Lu Zhen''s status is really greater than us, then, I just need to make him fall in love with me. Well, I''m not sure whether I can aplish such a difficult task but giving up without even trying is cowardice. Anyway, we''ll think about the process when the timees.


    But, before all that, atleast Lu Zhen should know what my intentions are. As far as I know, people like him cannot be won over by clever schemes. Only by being honest and straightforward, one can attain respect from him. At least, that''s what I think."


    The King didn''t speak for a while, not knowing what to say.


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    <strong>Song Yun guest house, Imperial City, Phoenix Empire;</strong>


    All the elders of the Song n werepletely silent as they started at the imposing Song Tai who passed the order, and then, a cherry red-faced Song Yun who couldn''t agree on the decision.


    "Grandfather, you can''t do this to me." Song Yun grew up in the presence of his grandfather and was close to him. So, he could use such speech. He further said as he clenched his fist, "Because of that bastard Lu Zhen, I have lost all the respect and status in the kingdom. This is the only way for me to get back."


    Song Tai stared at him for a while in silence and said, "If you really suffer injustice and if even Shang Fu is helpless in the matter, you would havee to me. That itself exins that you know that you are wrong. In this case, only an arrogant fool will choose the path of revenge. An intelligent person will put the pride aside and make peace with the enemy instead and turn them into friends."


    "There''s no way I will ever make peace with thatmoner," replied Song Yun with his heart filled in anger. But then, as he saw Song Tai frown in response, he quickly controlled himself and said, "Grandfather, please return my daughter. If she has a problem with the marriage, then, I will convince her, okay?"


    However, Song Tai wasn''t calmed down. If anything, his expression turned hard as he got up on his feet and spoke loudly, "Song Yue will return to this house but the marriage will be on hold until I make the decision. And Song Yun, if you have any respect for your grandfather, then, you''ll not only ept my decision but also will not put any force on her until she was ready for marriage and volunteers for it.


    If you reject my decision and do as you wish, I will also do what I want."


    After announcing his decision, Song Tai walked away from there without bothering to listen to anything from his grandson.


    Upon leaving the house, he started flying without the help of any flying sword or any other artifacts. His speed was also so fast that the guards stationed outside only managed to take a glimpse of his back and he disappeared already.

 Chapter 234 Song Tai Is At The Store

    <strong>Genesis Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    On the first floor residence, as Song Yue and Lin Xue were enjoying the delicacies prepared by Alina, thetter came downstairs and opened the shutter to resume the business.


    Since Song Yue no longer needed herpany, Alina doesn''t have any reason not to open the store as it is only hurting her beloved master''s ie. She walked to the board from the entrance and wiped off the words about out of stock and wrote that the store is open, although 9mm bullets are out of stock.


    ? Alina understands Mark more than anyone else. She knew how much of a time-consuming task it is for her master to create hundreds and thousands of 9mm bullets. If it is a month ago, then, it would be different but now, considering the wealth of her master and the poprity of the store, they aren''t in a desperate need to sell those low-level and cheap items.


    Taking it as an opportunity, the female Android decided to promote the Ak-series. But, to her surprise, before she even got the opportunity to sell them to themon public, an old man had reached the spot and disrupted the business. One can say it is indeed a pure coincidence.


    At first, Alina thought that he was a customer and treated him like one. "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store. What are you looking to buy?"


    But then, his following reply made her realize the situation, "My name is Song Tai and I''m here to take back my great-granddaughter, Song Yue."


    After scanning him, Alina realized that he wasn''t someone she could fight head-on as her master warned her. But then again, inside the store, all of his strength is useless. So, she dared to act boldly even in front of an esteemed Spirit Warrior like Song Tai.


    Making an uninterested face, Alina pointed her finger at the ceiling, "She''s upstairs but you cannot meet her until my master returns. Pleasee again two to three hourster if you aren''t here as a customer. Thank you."


    Song Tai furrowed his brows as he inspected her through his senses. "A puppet?" His eyes then wandered around, "A divine suppression and a top-grade puppet that can talk? This store is indeed as mysterious as Lin Xue mentioned it to be."


    Upon realizing that Alina is not a human, he almost gave up on persuading her because the puppets and the beasts cannot be reasoned with. Their masters'' orders are absolute. But, the problem here is that he cannot use his ether energy.


    As a Master swordsman, he was also physically trained. He can use his fists or worse, he can depend on his semi-divine grade sword.


    Even after he takes everything into consideration, he still doesn''t have any idea how strong Alina is. It would be a foolish idea to use force when there''s an unclear oue.


    Hmm, maybe, should he grab her by surprise and threw her out of the store and then, defeat her outside where his powers aren''t restricted? Such a thought also crossed his mind.


    However, considering that Alina looked a bit special whenpared to other puppets he had witnessed in his life, he wondered about giving it a try.


    After thinking briefly, Song Tai said to Alina, "Then, I would like to talk with her. I don''t have the strength to take away her in your presence. If she wants toe with me, then, everything can be solved right away."


    "I would very much want to kick her out¡­ *Ahem* I mean, I wished for this problem to be solved too but my master strictly told me to not let anyone except for Lin Xue to meet her and I''m permitted to go all out to stop the person. So, I will once again ask you to either wait or return after two hours." Alina tried to deal with Song Tai as patiently as possible but even she has limits.


    She decided to kick him by force if he continues to irritate her by talking about Song Yue once again.


    Thankfully, Song Tai didn''t do it. He simply nodded, "I understand. I will wait but I can meet Lin Xue, right? Go and tell her that Song Tai is here."<sub> </sub>


    If it is someone else who had a powerful cultivation base, they would have already attacked to protect their pride but Song Tai only acts against evil, which is harmful to the society.


    And here, he doesn''t see any bad thing. The only thing that he needed to confirm is whether Song Yue was taking shelter here or was the owner keeping her as a hostage.


    If he cannot meet his great-granddaughter, then, that''s alright. But, there''s no restriction on Lin Xue. On top of that, he could also let Song Yue know that he is here. He cannot use force but she cane to him on her own, right?


    If Mark was here, he might be able to guess his thoughts but Alina is, after all, a puppet in Song Tai''s eyes. She can be straightforward, make logical decisions, or simply follow her master''s orders. She cannot scheme around.


    As a result, she went upstairs and informed Lin Xue about Song Tai''s arrival. And just like thetter expected, both of thedies rose to their feet and proceeded to go downstairs but this is where Song Tai had underestimated Alina''s resolution and Song Yue''s trust in Mark.


    Following her master''s orders, to stop her from meeting Song Tai, she informed whatever Mark had told her. She left the decision to her.


    Alina came downstairs. Lin Xue came downstairs but Song Yue didn''t. She stayed behind as she didn''t treat this ce as some sort of inn where she can check in and check out at any time she wanted to.


    Song Yue felt indebted to Mark and that''s why she respected his wishes and didn''t meet her great grandfather. At the very least, she can do that.


    Upon reaching downstairs and meeting the ancestor of the Song n, Lin Xue said, "Grandpa Song, I apologize but she says that she will wait for Owner Lu. It was her decision." One could see a trace of worry on her face regarding possible consequences.


    Song Tai was naturally surprised. Normally, he would have left but since he was bound by an oath, he took a seat nearby, "I will wait."


    Alina narrowed her eyes and stared at him.


    Song Tai looked back at her, "what?"


    Alina said, "This is a weapon store, Mr. Song. We only sell weapons here. If you aren''t either a guest of my master or a customer of the store, then, you cannot stay here. It will disrupt our business."


    Lin Xue furrowed her brows, feeling that this busty woman is insulting an esteemed person like Song Tai who can even dictate terms to the Emperor. "Ms. Alina, you cannot talk that way to Grandpa Song."


    It is one thing if Mark talks that way, but despite being strong, Alina is a servant right?


    More than Alina''s behavior, Lin Xue was more worried about how the old would react.


    Lin Xue didn''t know that Alina isn''t human but Song Tai does. So, he didn''t take her words to the heart and showed his magnanimity, "It''s alright. Since I have to wait anyway, I will spend the time wisely. Show me all the weapons your store has to offer."

 Chapter 235 Mark Meets Song Tai

    For the next couple of hours, Lin Xue had assisted Alina to givepany to the ancestor of the Song n as he tried different weapons in the training ground.


    As Alina can''t leave the store because of Mark''s orders, she denied giving any demonstrations. And when Lin Xueined that Song Tai is now a customer, Alina simply referred to the rules board, which says the right to deny demonstrations lies with the store employees.


    As a result, Song Tai, who had remembered all the instructions given by Alina, tested the weapons and explosives one after another. Of course, this self-demonstration brought 751 gold coins of revenue to the store courtesy of all the ammunition and explosives that he wasted.


    Once he was done, Lin Xue returned the weapons that they borrowed, and then he finally ced the order.


    "1 Sd.Kfz. 101(Panzer), 1000 of 7.9mmx57mm ammunition, 1 Panzerfaust 3-IT-600 (Rocketuncher), and 100 warheads (110mm)¡­


    That would be a total of 3000 gold coins. Do you wish to purchase in your name or Lady Song''s name since you told me that you are buying for her?" Alina went into a receptionist mode, suddenly treating him very respectfully unlike an hour ago. The sudden change in her behavior clearly indicates that Genesis Weapon store doesn''t care about the cultivation level of the customers but is more about how much they are buying.


    Song Tai, who knew that she is a puppet, thought that she was designed that way and then asked, "Is there any point who buys it?"


    Alina pointed her finger at the Rules board where it was mentioned about the exclusive weapons for the special customers.


    Since he has no usage for weapons, he said, "Buy in Song Yue''s name."


    Considering Song Yue is already a level-2 VIP customer, 3000 gold coins of a transaction wouldn''t help her much but then again, something is better than nothing.


    After that, he waited for another half an hour while being served an oolong tea. Lin Xue felt that Alina is just the same as her greedy master.


    But then again, it isn''t her ce to teach how others should act in their own residence. She too calmly waited until Song Tai suddenly rose to his feet and spoke as he looked at the entrance, "what was that sound?"


    "My master is here," replied Alina as she left the reception and stood at the entrance.


    Very soon, the helicopternded inside the training ground and two men got down from it.


    Mark was already informed about the arrival of Song Tai. So, he wasn''t surprised to see the old man waiting for him. However, he still felt the need to verify his identity. After all, he just went through a Quest to rece a fake king with a real one.


    <strong>Song Tai</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 118


    Rank: 9-circle (low)


    Spirit Path: Swordsman


    Attribute: Wind


    Affiliation: Phoenix Empire


    Description: Ancestor of Song n and a former head of the Song n.


    *<sub> </sub>


    "Oh, a Supreme Ream expert, huh," Mark had suspicions of Song Tai being in the 9-circle as both Lin Xue and Song Yue confidently told him that he was atleast in the legendary realm, decades ago. So, it is not surprising at all.


    If Mark had met this old expert before his trip to Western Moon, he would have been a little cautious but killing that elder who belonged to the Church of Doom increased his confidence.


    As he entered the store, Lin Xue whispered to Song Tai, "The one on the left is Lu Zhen."


    Song Tai already figured that out the moment he sensed life in Mark but nothing in Allen. He nodded as he rose to the feet andmented, "For a person who is rumored to own an 8-circle beast king, you indeed take your time to reach here, Owner Lu."


    While his face waspletely calm, indicating that it was either a purement without any malice or he was hiding his true emotions, Mark felt like he was being mocked.


    He didn''t know why Song Tai said that but he wasn''t the type to back down from an argument. He countered right away, "And you are indeed patient for being a Supreme realm expert. Last time I heard, Supreme Realm experts are so impatient and arrogant that they will force the Emperor to kneel because of some bastard noble''s mistake."


    Mark was referring to the incident that urred a while ago where Shang Fu was forced to kneel to prevent the destruction of the Empire.


    Mark''s words indeed take Lin Xue by surprise for she never thought that Song Tai is in 9-circle. She couldn''t help but took a nce at the harmless-looking old man.


    Meanwhile, Song Tai realized that something is blocking him to sense Mark''s cultivation realm. Is it the store or is it something else?


    Putting away his thoughts, he let out a smile, "fair enough. Anyway, let''s get down to business."


    "Okay, no problem." Mark looked at the smiling female Android, "Alina, bring down Lady Song."


    "Alright," She saluted him while continuing to keep a smile on her face because of happiness, "I will bring her right away."


    She rushed upstairs and came back with Song Yue.


    Meanwhile, a pleasant smile appeared on Mark''s face as he felt like Song Yue''s face was just glowing with happiness. Is it because her great grandfather is here to pick her up or is it because Mark returned? He wondered at first but quickly threw away those thoughts and greeted her.


    "You are finally home." Song Yue let out a sigh of relief, "You didn''t return for three days. I was worried that something might have happened."


    "Well, I went for lunch but the situation becameplicated with recing the king and opening the branch¡­" replied Mark before realizing that Song Yue has no idea based on the bewilderment on her face. "Wait a second¡­ Didn''t Alina tell you what was I doing there?"


    "I have no idea what you are up to," Song Yue shook her head, making Mark turn his head to look at the female Android who flinched for a moment and said, "Big Brother never ordered me to inform Lady Song."


    Shaking his head with a sigh, Mark looked at Song Yue once again, "it''s a long story. I''ll tell youter. But, before that, let us solve the current issue." After saying that, he turned around and looked at the old man who was keenly observing the both of them. "Mr. Song, you can finally tell us how you n on helping your great-granddaughter."


    "Ah! It is Great-grandpa Song Tai?"


    It was then Song Yue finally realized that her ancestor is here. She never met him before. So, she didn''t know that her great grandfather is still waiting for the past couple of hours.


    She hurriedly greeted him and then apologized for letting him wait.


    Song Tai then spoke, "I''m here to take you home, Xiao Yue. I fulfilled my promise with Lin Xue. Your marriage with Ji Mingyu is currently put on hold. If you are not willing to marry him, then, it will be done ording to your wishes. However¡­"

 Chapter 236 Song Yues Decision

    His expression hardened as he continued, "Running away from home and staying at an unmarried man''s home; do you know how it will affect our n if the word is out? If not for your father spreading a rumor that you were abducted, the consequences would have been dire.


    I can assure you that from here on, no one would dare to force you into a marriage against your wishes but you have to apologize to your father."


    "I¡­" Song Yue doesn''t know what to tell him. She knew that she did the right thing but at the same time, she can''t refute his words too.


    As a look of hesitation appeared on her face, Mark interrupted their conversation,


    "Smoke generates because of the fire, Mr. Song. You cannot me the smoke that suffocated the people who inhaled it when the real fault lies with the fire."


    "Hmm?" Song Tai took a nce at him.


    Mark continued, "The Song n was already fallen the moment Song Yun had decided to sacrifice his daughter for his personal ambition. Song Yue''s staying here is the result of that sinmitted by her father who even locked her up like a prisoner. What consequences are you talking about? If she has done nothing wrong, why should she apologize?"


    Song Tai furrowed his brows in displeasure, "Owner Lu, I''m thankful that you looked after my great-granddaughter but this is our family matter. Don''t interfere."


    "Lady Song is the guest of Genesis Store, at the moment," replied Mark in a serious tone as he crossed his arms to the chest. "Only she has the right to stop me from interfering. Not you or your n."


    "Right then, tell me one thing." Song Tai didn''t back down from the argument, "I will put aside the n for a moment. What about Song Yue? She didn''t do any wrong, correct? Then, who will be responsible if her character gets defamed after themoners and fellow nobles learn that she spent three days with an unmarried young man and slept in his house? Even if you want to protect her, you should have let her stay in an inn.


    You can wash off your hands from this matter and continue to live happily but what about Song Yue? She''ll have to live with the allegations for the rest of her life, right? Can you convince the whole society using strength or your weapons?


    Answer me."


    Song Tai thought that he can corner Mark using such facts but thetter was already aware of all the issues before he made the decision.


    <o>,m Looking straight into the eyes of the Supreme Realm expert, he answered, "I will do nothing, Mr. Song. Just like how I was responsible for my life, Lady Song is responsible for her own life. All I can do is support her through my ways. If society defames her, it is her responsibility to fight the battle to clear her name.</o>


    And in the process, I will stand by her side against society. If she thinks that my weapons will give her justice, then, I will dly provide them too."


    From Mark''s reply, Song Tai realized that the weapon seller had rity on his decision. But, to what length he was willing to go for Song Yue is something that needed to think about.


    The old man then said, "What if siding with her will make you the enemy of a Supreme Realm Spirit Warrior along with half a dozen noble ns? If you encourage her, this might be a reality."<sub> </sub>


    Mark''s face turned serious when he heard that. He felt like the old man is threatening him. As a result, he only got more stubborn about his decision. "Mr. Song, you know nothing about me. I would rather burn the entire world or die in the process than betray my conscience."


    Mark thought that he had given a befitting reply but Song Tai took advantage of it and asked while taking a nce at Song Yue, "Does that mean you will destroy Song n too?"


    It was at that moment Mark realized that he fucked up. He didn''t expect this powerful expert will trap him using his own words.


    In Mark''s eyes, most of the nobles with high authority or great power are quite one-dimensional people. If someone of lower stature or lower strength doesn''t agree with their decision, then, they will try to destroy them.


    So, when Song Tai implied that Mark will make an enemy out of him, he thought that the old man would probably use force to take her away.


    But, never in the world did he expect that Song Tai would use his brain in this heated argument. For a moment, he felt like a fool.


    As Mark stayed silent, refusing to admit either yes or no, Song Tai turned towards his great-granddaughter, "Xiao Yue, now you must have understood the consequences. If you don''te with me and apologize to your father, he will surely escte the situation. You know him. Not only your character will be defamed, but because of you, either your benefactor will die or your whole family will be massacred. If everything can be solved by a simple apology, why take the path of destruction?"


    Just as Mark feared, thisst piece of conversation impacted Song Yue a lot. She wanted the marriage to be stopped and that had happened. Why prolong the matter over unnecessary pride? Not to mention, she was apologizing to her own father, not to some stranger either.


    Making the decision, she slowly opened her mouth, "Great-grandpa, I will return with you and apologize to father. But, I also need your help in convincing my father to put a stop to his enmity with Lu Zhen. Can you do this favor? I beg you." She then bowed to Song Tai, taking him by surprise.


    One is begging him to show mercy on the other while thetter is willing to fight the world for the former.


    All of a sudden, he felt like their rtionship isn''t normal. Are they really mere acquaintances like Lin Xue mentioned? Song Tai had a reason to doubt it but at the moment, it isn''t important. He threw away the thought to the back of his head and replied with a smile, "I''m your great grandfather. You don''t need to beg me to do a favor as little as this. Consider it done. Happy?"


    "Thank you." Song Yue bowed to him once again and then looked at Mark, "I''m sorry to drag you into my matters. I''m also sorry for not being able to live up to your expectations. But, I won''t be able to forgive myself if something happens to you or my family."


    Mark didn''t know what else to say. Song Yue willingly took the decision and he doesn''t have any right to stop her. But, a strange disturbance urred in his chest as she left with the both of them.


    For several minutes, he just stood at the entrance, clenching his fist in frustration as Lin Xue''s carriage disappeared from the sight.


    "Well, she went back to her world and it''s time that I proceed on my way¡­" Mark let out a sigh and closed down the store before going back upstairs to eat his lunch.

 Chapter 237 Marks Weapon Designs

    As he went to the dining room and Alina served him the food, he couldn''t help but sigh once again, feeling loneliness without Song Yue.


    Alina, who felt like her master is sad, apanied him and tried to engage him in a conversation regarding the things that happened in the Lunaris City.


    Mark felt a lot better after sharing the things with her. The fact that Alina never going to betray eased him a lot as he revealed important secrets like the contents of the quests or his future ns, etc¡­


    After a while, as Alina went to the kitchen to clean up all the dishes, Mark went back to his room and sat up on the bed.


    "System, Open Quest List."


    "Hmm, selling 10000 firearms has a long way to go. Breaking through to rank 6 was put aside for a while. That leaves designing ten types of weapons. I have five designs ready with me already. After all, Chimera SMG is a modified version of Tigon-3. So, I just need to design tigon-3 too. That means I would need another five.


    As for side quests, earning 1 million gold coins from here on will take a while. Opening 10 branches can be done but selling atleast 1000 weapons at every branch will take time. Thest quest has 500k credits to be spent to acquire the Amulet of Diyu and form a contract with demons.


    I have spent more than 125k credits but to spend other 375k credits means spending 1.75 million gold coins. Hmm, maybe, I should venture into the Bloodhill forest and kill some 7-circle beasts or a beast king to earn that amount.


    Hmm, it is best if I can awaken the second spirit path and get a teleportation skill. The other quests will be easier.


    As for those two emergency quests, I still have to wait for the peak potion. Hopefully, I acquire it during the next draw.


    Anyway, let''s do things one after another."


    He then spread a sheet of paper and started to draw new designs.


    "I need to add a few weapons to the Tigon series. Let''s see what type of ammo is avable for me at the moment."


    9mm; R.I.P ¨C 9mm; 7.9mm; 12 gauge shotgun ammo; 0.50 BMG (12.7mmx99mm); 0.50 caliber (12.7mmx108mm); 0.204 caliber; 40mm grenade; 110 mm HEAT warhead; 7.62mm; 155 mm HEAT; 6.5mmx48mm; 0.450 caliber; 0.243 caliber (6x52mm); 5.56x45mm;


    Looking at the list, Mark first thought of a sniper rifle with a longer range than the ones in his arsenal.


    In his past life, he designed a couple of sniper rifles with more than 3 km range for the Mafia gang that kidnapped him but they never went into mass production due to high costs and no buyers for the gang.


    Mark picked up one of them and decided to add it as Tigon-6. If everything goes as he wants, this sniper rifle that shoots a 0.50 BMG will be able to reach 5.3 kilometers. However, its effective range will be more important though. As long as it ends above 3 kilometers range, he will be satisfied.


    Mark''s seventh design was Tigon-2''s modification. Tigon-2 is a revolver that shoots shotgun shells. He changed the size of the cylinder, recing the shotgun shells with 40mm grenades. He named it Tigon 2A.


    Mark''s eighth design was Tigon-1''s modification. Tigon 1 is a machine pistol, that works simr to that of a submachine gun with a front magazine. But this design will have three barrels of equal length, using the principle of a Gatling-style gun for a high RPM. Hence, he named it Tigon 1A.


    The ninth design is a short-range Rocketuncher. It is named Tigon-7. The weapon''s design is a simple, smoothbore, aluminum tube,yered with fiberss on the outside. The most difficult part of creating this weapon is the solid propent motor that powers up the rocket. Since he was alone, it will be a time-consuming task.


    Because he cannot stay more than 30 minutes in the factory, he has to build the motor in the outside world and brings it to his Factory, letting the assistant robot finish the rest.


    As for the final design, Mark decided to make it big. Tigon-8 will be a Howitzer built-in artillery style as it is simplerpared to a vehicle type. He can then install a couple of these on his Destroyers to increase their firepower.


    "Okay, designs are ready but I''m still in need of materials. Just that Chimera SGM had consumed a lot of materials from the ones provided by the system as a part of the beginner package.


    I need to wait for the news from Zheng Ha. Until then, this will be on hold." Mark stored the sheets of paper in his inventory and went back to his bed.<sub> </sub>


    A mentally tired Mark fell asleep quickly and woke up at around 6 o''clock in the evening. He opened the business as usual. With no customer visiting the store, he continued to work on his creation of those time-consuming 9mm bullets one by one.


    At around 7:35 in the evening, a couple entered the store, buying a single-shot pistol and ten bullets. As they left, Mark remembered Song Yue once again, specifically their first meeting. He missed her presence more than ever. "I wonder whether Song Yun had forgiven her. Well, she was his only daughter. So, he must wee her, or else, he will only regret itter on."


    Another half an hour passed with no customers. Mark decided to close down the store.


    After having dinner, he went back to his room. Not getting any sleep, he became focused on creating 9mm bullets nonstop.


    Time passed away. Midnight arrived.


    <strong>*Ding! You created a 9mm bullet.</strong>


    After continuously clicking 2500 times, even his arms started to pain and he became tired physically this time. Mark lies down on the bed and closes his eyes, trying to sleep.


    As if the whole world decided to not let him sleep, the notification bell sound made him open his eyes. And when he saw the screen, his eyes widened in shock.


    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Save Song Yue.</strong>


    "Song Yue?" He immediately sat on the bed and opened the quest.


    <strong>Quest: Save Song Yue</strong>


    Description: The Elders of the Song n are not happy with Song Yue''s return. They n to kill her and make it appear like a suicide. Save her and take her under your protection.


    Reward: Song Yue affinity level +3


    ept?


    "Killing her?" Mark''s gaze turned cold as soon as he read the description. Neither was he wondering why the system wants to protect her when she could no longer purchase without losing the backing of her family nor does he care about what exclusive weapons will be unlocked this time.


    There''s only one thing that is in his mind. It is to save her.


    He clicked on ept right away.


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to be teleported to the quest location, right away?</strong>


    "Yes"


    <strong>*Ding! You can only bring either Alina or Allen with you? Choose the Android.</strong>


    Usually, he would get the opportunity to bring them both but Mark doesn''t have the time to question the system.


    "Allen," He said.


    <strong>*Ding! You will be teleported to the location in 3, 2, 1¡­</strong>

 Chapter 238 Mark And Song Yue To Get Engaged?

    Mark and Allen disappeared at the same time and found themselves on the edge of a tall cliff. On the bottom, there was a forest but the estimated distance to the edge of the cliff is like a few hundred meters. Mark couldn''t help but move forward in reflex as he wouldn''t survive the fall because of his low physical strength. Far away, the Imperial city with lights in the streets could be seen from the cliff.


    As the time is midnight, the surroundings were quite dark around. However, the moonlight in the clear sky gave him enough visibility, and the fact that his targets were right before his eyes made the current time irrelevant.


    There are three guys in front of him with Song Yue''s arms locked by two buffed guys while the other one was leading them. Song Yue''s eyes looked dead at the moment as if she gave up on resisting.


    But just then, the elder who was leading them stopped in his tracks and let out a shriek in great surprise. "You, what are you doing here?"


    Mark walked forward with a cold look on his face. Allen followed him from behind.


    "I knew that nobles cannot be trusted, after all." He snarled at them as he raised his hand. "You guys don''t deserve to live."


    "Lightning Clone"


    An energy clone with lightning sparks dancing all over its body was summoned before Mark. "Kill them."


    Only then did Song Yue finally see the guy with a familiar voice. Her eyes widened in shock. "Lu¡­ Zhen?"


    The Elder of the Song n quickly took out the sheath from his storage ring. But, he was toote.


    Before he even pulled out the sword from its sheath, the lightning clone already reached him and pierced his chest with its bare hand. It pulled out his heart by force and crushed it before eyeing the other prey.


    The guards immediately released Song Yue in fear and started running back. But, can 5-circle Spirit warriors like them outrun lightning clone''s speed, which is equal to a 7-circle Spirit warrior?


    The result is obvious. With consecutive punches to the back of their heads, both of their skulls were crushed in an instant.


    The enemies are dead and Song Yue is saved but the notification about Questpletion hasn''t appeared. However, Mark''s thoughts weren''t on that. His entire attention was on Song Yue.


    He slowly walked up to her who copsed on the ground upon being released. As he reached her, she raised her head. Tears filled her eyes as she asked, "How?"


    How could Mark reveal his system and the quest? He thought of a quick excuse and replied as he gave her his hand, "I was worried that this might happen. That''s why I asked Alina to leave a mark on you."


    "Thank you." She didn''t take his hand though. Looking at the ground, she further said, "Maybe, it would have been better if you nevere on time. I would have been spared from this sadness."


    Mark kneeled to her height and asked slowly, "what happened?"


    "I thought everything was solved after my father epted my apology. I knew that my father will be angry but he¡­" Song Yue''s voice quivered as the memories of the past hour appeared in her head. "He turned a blind eye when I was dragged by the guards and Elder Hun. My mother tried to stop him but was locked up. They wanted to kill me¡­"


    Mark''s blood boiled in anger. Upon remembering his own birth mother that sacrificed him for selfish gains, he couldn''t help but grit his teeth, "That trash¡­ I will not spare him alive¡­"<sub> </sub>


    "No." Song Yue grabbed his arms while crying, "Please, I beg you. He is still my father. If he wants to kill me, that means I disappointed him very much. Just take my life and forgive him¡­"


    Being overwhelmed by emotions, Song Yue doesn''t even know what she is spouting but Mark''s pity for her surpassed his hatred for her father. Calming down himself, he slowly said, "Let''s go back to my house."


    "No, it will only aggravate my father. I don''t want anything to happen to either of you because of me. Just leave me alone here. My death will solve everything." As Song Yue continued to weep, Mark grabbed her face and raised it to his eye level. A trace of surprise appeared on her face.


    "Look, Song Yue. If I don''t know this situation, it would have been fine but now that I am aware, I''m not abandoning you. As for your father, don''t worry. I will not kill him. Okay?" said Mark from the bottom of his heart. Usually, he doesn''t hesitate to lie or show fake expressions to fool the other party but this time, he was genuine.


    Song Yue was touched by his words but a question lingered in her heart. She couldn''t help but ask, "Why do you have to go to such lengths for me? We are barely acquaintances."


    In response, Mark let out a smile, "it''s because you are different from the people who see me either as amoner or a Cerberus yer. You see people for what they are. You are kind enough to show mercy to your enemies. Someone like you is worth saving. Come with me, Song Yue."


    "But, what will people think?" She was worried that Mark''s reputation will also be damaged because of this decision.


    "Well, Alina and Allen are living with me. I consider them as my siblings but in reality, they have no biological rtion with me." Mark shrugged his shoulders. This time, he was attempting to fool her with a lie. "One more person will not change anything."


    "I know that they aren''t human." Song Yue revealed a shocking piece of information, taking Mark by surprise. "How do you know?"


    Song Yue answered, "Great-grandpa told me that they are top-grade puppets. Judging by your expression, I guess he is right."


    Mark didn''t expect that one of his biggest secrets is out. It made him wonder whether the Supreme Realm experts are vastly different from others or if it is just Song Tai.


    Anyway, whatever is done is done. Now, he should focus on justifying himself. He thought for a bit and said, "Well, as long as the people don''t know about it, we''ll be fine."


    "But, the truth wille out sooner orter. And at that time, your reputation will damage more than ever." Song Yue replied in a worried tone. She was never thinking of herself from the start.


    Not knowing what else to say to convince her, Mark let out a deep sigh, "in that case, there''s only one choice left. We have to get engaged to protect your dignity. No one would dare speak ill of you, then."


    This time, it was Song Yue''s turn to be taken aback. "Eh? You want to marry me?"


    The heiress of the Song n might be kind but not na?ve. Although Mark held a special ce in her heart because he saved her three times, she is still a human who can have negative thoughts because of misunderstandings.


    As a result, she felt like Mark was probably helping because he wants to court her. If that''s really the case, then, her respect for him will be fallen. Thankfully, Mark acted quickly and cleared the misunderstanding with a firm exnation, "No, unless I achieve my goal, neither love nor marriage has any ce in my heart as well as my thoughts."


    Song Yue was once again surprised but at the same time, slightly disappointed for a reason she doesn''t know.

 Chapter 239 Unlocking New Exclusive Weapons, Panzer-IV And LARS

    Mark continued, "Unlike marriage, engagement doesn''t have any vows to be fulfilled and can be annulled at any time prior to marriage. So, this solution I''m providing is an engagement with benefits where we will only act like a couple in the outside world.


    But, when we were at home, just like before, you will stay in your room and I will stay in mine. Neither of us will take advantage of the fact that we will be half-married at any given point in time. So, it will be like you are a tenant who will be living in my house except that you don''t need to pay me any rent.


    And of course, I don''t want you to think that you are a burden on me. That''s why I want you to work with me, taking up the position of the store''s manager. Chang Bo is only an employee but I''m still paying him 120 gold coins per month.


    As the post of a manager is the highest position in the store, I will pay you higher. But, I will also keep in mind that you are the heiress of a major noble n. That''s why I don''t offer a fixed sry and undermine you. So, let''s work on profit-sharing.


    Not many people know that for every weapon I sell, I get to keep 20% of the ie as my share and the remaining goes to my manufacturer.


    Of that 10% is your share. That means 2% of the overall revenue generated by every weapon that we managed to sell to the customers at the store you are in charge of. Just so you know that my store had hundreds of thousands of gold coins worth transactions until now and it will only increase in the future. So, that 2% isn''t by means any small amount, well, atleast for me.


    This is the only solution that I can provide to solve all the problems that you are worried about. If you have any other way, please don''t hesitate to voice it out. We have enough time."


    Mark actually didn''t prepare this proposal beforehand and just spoke whatever came to his mind. It was only after he finished the exnation that he wondered whether he offered a bit too much money to her. If he can really get 100k gold coins worth of order, he will have to give her 2000 gold coins as a share when she wasn''t investing a dime in the store.


    Should he have offered 1% instead? Anyway, the words were already out and he cannot take back his promise.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue went into a daze for a while. She really felt like Mark is a good man and she has nothing but admiration for him. Eventually, her eyes were filled with tears once again as she bowed, "Thank you."


    Soon, the attack helicopter was seen flying back to the Imperial City. Previously, Mark was careful enough not to let anyone know what Song Yue was with him but now, he no longer bothered to hide her. In fact, before getting back home, he told Allen to go to Song Yun''s guest house where he was currently waiting for the Elder to return and give him the news of his daughter''s death.


    But, to his surprise, instead of the elder, a familiar-looking helicopternded on the ground. Because it is midnight, the sound of the helicopter is naturally loud enough to draw the attention of everyone including the neighbors.


    Song Yun came out of his residence with a serious expression on his face. All the guards were on high alert, wondering whether the demolition will repeat once again.


    Thankfully, for them, Mark didn''t have such intentions. He let Song Yue sit inside while he got down from the aerial vehicle.


    Allen also got down but he only stood before the door to guard Song Yue and also lend a hand to his master if he gets in trouble.


    Mark looked around for a couple of seconds before spotting Song Yun. He immediately opened the Familiars'' inventory and summoned Baltrow, the beast king of the 8-circle realm.


    Song Yun and the guards who were above the 5-circle instantly noticed how strong it is. Their legs couldn''t help but shiver, feeling as if their death was decided by this walking time bomb.


    On the other hand, Song Yun rooted in the spot without showing any fear. Mark then stopped a few meters away from him and opened the inventory, throwing out three dead bodies on the ground.


    In an instant, Song Yun realized what happened without even Mark giving any exnation.


    As Song Yun stared at the bodies in silence, Mark then opened his mouth, "Today, you attempted tomit a crime that is a ck mark on every parent. I wanted to eradicate the Song n from its roots but your daughter is still kind enough to not only forgave you but even requested me to not punish you.


    Anyway, I''m here to inform you that Song Yue and I decided to get engaged. It was mutual consent from both of us and also she will be staying with me from now onwards. It goes without saying that she will be under my protection.


    In a couple of days, I will surely send you a formal invitation. If you are interested,e as the parent of Song Yue and be sure to bring your wife. After all, she will be my future mother-inw. The Patriarch of Song n or its elders isn''t wee.


    I was willing to forget the enmity with the Song n for her sake but if you want to continue the enmity, I will wee that too, although your n members might not be able to face the consequences.<sub> </sub>


    The rest depends on your choice."


    After saying what he came for, Mark turned around to walk away. Song Yun shed angrily but because of the beast king, he barely managed to control himself inunching an attack.


    His original n was to make everyone believe that his daughter was abducted and postpone the marriage. But, the Emperor had found out that he was lying. So, he admitted that she ran away and pleaded mercy to escape the wrath of Shang Fu because lying to the Emperor is one of the greatest crimes.


    The rtionship between Bai Xun and Song Yun had saved him from Shang Fu and he was forgiven.


    While he was suffering from that embarrassing moment, his grandfather made a visit to the n and put a hold on the marriage before canceling it indefinitely once Song Yue returned home.


    And once Song Yun learned that Song Yue was with his enemy of all the people, he snapped. Overwhelmed by hatred, Song Yun decided to use his daughter''s death to frame Mark with an usation of defiling her, which lead to her suicide.


    Considering how Song Yue stayed at the Genesis store for a week, he was confident that Mark couldn''t escape from capital punishment.


    Now, all of his ns were crushed by Mark and he found himself cornered by all the sides. The only option left for him is topromise.


    Contrary to his thoughts, the guards were actually happier that their heiress is going to marry the Cerberus yer. Most of them were also unaware of what happened but judging by Mark''s words and the three corpses, most of them spected that Song Yun might have tried to send away his daughter to Western Yan at midnight and forcefully marry her to Ji Mingyu in secret.


    Their spection might be far away from the truth but it can''t change the present anyway. And now, they were hoping for the n head to be reced by someone else so that Mark can stand on their side.


    Meanwhile, the helicopternded at the training ground and the three of them walked toward the store.


    Once Song Yue stepped inside, Mark finally got the notification about the Questpletion along with the rewards.


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the Quest. Song Yue''s affinity with the store is increased by 3 levels.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Song Yue''s affinity with the store reached level 5.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked a level-4 exclusive weapon, Medium Tank: Sd.kfz. 161 (Panzerkampfwagen IV).</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 75mm caliber ammo has been unlocked.</strong>


    <o>,m <strong>*Ding! You unlocked a level-5 exclusive weapon, Light Artillery Rocket System (LARS)</strong></o>


    <strong>*Ding! 110mm rocket has been unlocked.</strong>


    "Panzer-IV and LARS? Now, this is good stuff." Mark was very much satisfied with the rewards.


    Mark felt like on cloud nine but he controlled his excitement and proceeded to walk toward the staircase.


    Meanwhile, Alina teleported downstairs as soon as she sensed her master''s presence only to lose her smile in an instant she saw Song Yue.

 Chapter 240 Are You Ready, Manager Song?

    "Oh! Hey Alina, Lady Song will resume her stay here," said Mark as soon as he spotted the female Android.


    "Eh? What''s going on?" She was taken aback by surprise. She was thinking that everything will go the same way as before once Song Yue leaves but this girl returned?


    While the Android cannot ess Mark''s memories without his permission, she can connect with the system. Unless it is necessary, she wouldn''t do that. It is why she just waited for Mark''s return without enquiring why he and Allen left for a quest without taking her.


    Now that she became curious about the matter, she essed the system''s Quest log and found the details. From there, everything is easy to understand, although there''s still something that bugged her mind.


    She didn''t ask any questions and quietly escorted the two of them upstairs. Alina get back to the bedroom she was familiar with and so, was Mark.


    But, Alina charged into the room before he locked it, taking him by surprise. "What happened?" He asked.


    "Why is she here, Big brother?" Alina responded with a question.


    This was the first time Mark found an expression of displeasure on Alina''s face regarding someone else who wasn''t his enemy. "Are you ufortable with her or something?"


    "Yeah," Alina nodded without keeping it in her heart. "I''m not sure why though."


    Mark suddenly remembered the system that gave him the quest to save Song Yue two times. Even if she bes a level 5 exclusive customer, her present financial situation will not be helping to earn money by selling exclusive weapons to her.


    He might be using several unlocked weapons for his personal use but the system''s intention of giving him such rewards is so that he could sell them to the public.


    Though Song Yue was the first customer of his store, though she was also the one who is indirectly responsible for the store''s poprity at the beginning, her overall transactions of her were even less than 500 gold coins.


    So, why did the system think that he will gain something from Song Yue?


    He could understand saving the king as it gave him the destroyer but he can''t understand why the system ced such importance on Song Yue?


    It might something or it might be nothing but Alina''s statement made him believe that there might be a mystery to all of this.


    Alina didn''t know that her simple words without proper exnation only made Mark more curious about Song Yue. Previously, she was an object of pity. Now, Song Yue suddenly became an object of interest.


    Anyway, thinking wouldn''t solve anything and he knew that the system wouldn''t give him the answer. He decided to observe carefully for the next few weeks and see if his suspicions were right or not.


    "Big Brother?" As Alina brought him to reality, Mark told her what happened earlier without bothering to hide anything.


    Alina knows what marriage is but she doesn''t understand the concept of being engaged. When asked him, Mark gave a detailed exnation to her.


    After a brief silence, she asked a simple question, "Why her?"


    Mark just went through the same thoughts, and he could only let out a sigh, "That''s what I would like to know too."


    He then cleared his throat and further said, "Anyway, you don''t need to give the same treatment from tomorrow. She''s no longer a guest. but then again, she is the manager of the store. So, give her the respect she deserves, that''s all."


    Alina saluted and left his room. Upon returning to the living room, she took a seat on a couch and started wondering, "So, it''s because of some mysterious power inside her making me ufortable? Not because of her interactions with Big Brother?"


    Meanwhile, inside one of the guest rooms, which formally became Song Yue''s room from tonight, thedy lies down on the bed to sleep but the events that urred earlier kept her awake.


    She started weeping once again, "Mama, Baba¡­ Sorry for not living up to your expectations."


    On the other hand, Mark was on cloud nine as he opened the gallery to check out the details of the two new exclusive weapons.


    <strong>Medium Tank ¨C Sd.kfz. 161 (Panzerkampfwagen IV)</strong>


    Type: Exclusive (Level-4)


    Grade: N/A


    Crew: 2 (min) ¨C 5 (max)


    Length: 5.92 meters (19ft 5in) ¨C Without the gun


    Width: 2.88 meters (9ft 5 in)


    Height: 2.58 meters (8ft 10in)


    Weight: 25462 kg


    Primary Armament: 75mm caliber main gun


    Rate of Fire: 20 rounds per minute (max)


    Secondary Armament: 2x machine guns


    Rate of Fire: 900 rounds per minute (max)


    Ammunition Capacity: 3150 rounds (machine gun), 87 rounds (main gun)


    Cartridge type: 7.92mm caliber (machine guns), 75x495mm ammo (main gun)


    Aiming angle: 0 to 65 degrees


    Max. speed of the vehicle: 42 km/hr


    Fuel: 470 liters of diesel, gasoline, crude oil, or cooking oil


    Cruising range: 200km (diesel), 120km (gasoline), 60 km (crude oil), 18 km (vegetable oil)


    Armor: Rank-5


    Effective range: 4800 meters


    Absolute range: 7700 meters


    Auto-attack: Yes


    Target-lock feature: No<sub> </sub>


    Additional attachments: No


    Description: An ungraded medium tank, which has a decent defense and high attack power. With dual machine guns and a 75mm main gun, the tank can crush every enemy below the elementary stage of the 6-circle realm with ease. The tank can also defend against the damage under the intermediate stage of the 5-circle realm.


    Note: It must be operated by 2 crew members to use its full potential.


    *


    <strong>Price: 2000 gold coins</strong>


    Repair by system: 200 gold coins


    <strong>CREATE</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Sd.kfz. 161has been created and was sent to the inventory. 2000 gold coins are added to the debt.</strong>


    "Okay, with this, I wouldn''t have to worry about thend wars. As for selling the tank, obviously, it won''t be easy, considering it needs atleast 1 million gold coins worth of transactions with the store. That much money can only be possible by dealing with Empires and kingdoms.


    Hmm, maybe, I should sell Panzer-1s to the normal public while keeping this for the kingdoms. As for the Panzerhaubitze 2000 (Pzh 2000), its attack power rivals a 7-circle and can even shoot a target from 30 km away with 100% uracy. So, it should be kept for only private use, although I should sell atleast one toplete the quest. Maybe, I can sell it to the second prince or maybe to King Shen Niu. It isn''t a worry.


    Perhaps, the only thing I should worry is about the oil. Crude oil isn''t discovered in this world or atleast, might not be popr yet because the people don''t know what to do with it. Until I get to acquire the crude oil, I can only depend on cooking oil. With the introduction of vehicles to the army, the oil consumption will rise and probably, its price too. So, I should store as much oil as I can.


    As for LARS, it will take time for even the wealthy Empires to be able to qualify. I can only use it for my defense or install them on the destroyers or the ind. I wonder how much that one will cost."


    *


    <strong>Light Artillery Rocket System (LARS)</strong>


    Type: Exclusive (level-5)


    Grade: N/A


    Crew: 1 (min) ¨C 3 (max)


    Length: 7.8 meters (25ft 7in)


    Width: 2.5 meters (8ft 2in)


    Height: 2.9 meters (9ft 6in)


    Weight: 15237 kg


    Main Armament: 36 barrels


    Rate of Fire: 120 rounds per minute bined)


    Secondary Armament: Machine Gun (roof mounted)


    Ammunition: 110mm rockets (barrels), 7.62 mm (machine gun)


    Aiming angle: 0 to 55 degrees


    Maximum speed: 74 km/hr


    Operational range: 500 km


    Armor: Rank-4


    Effective Firing Range: 8 km


    Absolute range: 14 km


    Auto-attack: Yes


    Target Lock Feature: No


    Additional attachments: No


    <strong>Description:</strong> An ungraded rocket artillery system, which has mobility along with strong firepower. Each 110mm rocket can destroy the enemy under the peak-5-circle realm and has a st radius of 15 meters.


    36 rockets were mounted in two clusters of 18. However, the user cannot fire all of them at once. There''s a gap of 0.5 seconds between eachunch of the rocket.


    Note: The armor protection is only offered to the driving chamber. The barrels installed on the back remain unprotected.


    *


    <strong>Price: 3000 gold coins</strong>


    Repair by system: 200 gold coins ¨C 500 gold coins


    <strong>CREATE</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! LARS has been created and sent to the inventory. 3000 gold coins are added to the debt.</strong>


    "Ugh¡­ my debt is rising day after day. Soon, it will surely cross my worth. Anyway, it''s only a few days. Once I receive the materials, a new path will be opened soon."


    The night passed away with Mark having a pleasant sleep while Song Yun lost his sleep.


    The next morning, Mark, Song Yue, and the two Androids gathered downstairs.


    As the store is opened by Allen, Mark looked at Song Yue, "Are you ready, Manager Song?"


    Song Yue took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes."

 Chapter 241 A Surprise To Lan Jingyi

    <strong>Imperial Pce;</strong>


    Just like every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Emperor was enjoying lunch with his favorite consort, Lan Jingyi.


    "Dear, what do you think I should give a reward to Lu Zhen, this time?" The Emperor asked his wife. "Because of him, the window to solve the border issues with the Western Moon kingdom is finally opened. He might not intend to help us but his actions will make hundreds of soldiers, who were stationed on the border, return to their homes. Not to mention, I have yet to thank him for saving you."


    Lan Jingyi naturally wanted her son to prosper. But, more than that, she wanted to see him again. At the same time, she also needed to consider her husband''s reputation too.


    After thinking for a bit, she replied, "He''s atleast a seven-circle summoner and possesses an 8-circle realm beast king.


    If you give him a reward by taking his cultivation level into consideration, it will be too much for the little favor he had done for the Imperial Pce. As a result, the noble ns will think that you are sucking up to him.


    And if you offer the reward for saving me, then, Lu Zhen might also feel the same thing as it has been a while since that incident happened. Yes, it''s my fault that I kept this from you and also didn''t let others inform you but I don''t want to because you worry. You already have enough tensions.


    Anyway, the best thing you can give him as a reward is making another order and creating more firearms divisions. However, you told me that even Shang Wen''s order is taking time. So, it will only put an additional burden on Lu Zhen.


    Then, there''s the manufacturing facility for these firearms. You already gave thend and also had given the word of helping with the construction. But, he has yet to make a request. Maybe, he was a bit embarrassed to ask you as it cost a lot of money?


    How about we invite him for lunch or dinner and ask him about it directly?"


    Emperor Shang fell into thoughts. He was seriously considering his wife''s suggestion. If Mark wille, then, the Beast Emperor kitten will alsoe. Maybe, he can pet it, this time. As cats love to y, maybe he should also prepare a few things for its entertainment?


    Lan Jingyi stayed silent in the meantime, wondering whether she should contact Lin Xue to find out her son''s favorite foods. She was also thinking about how to connect with him. She wasn''t sure whether she could ever tell the truth to her husband or even her son but at the very least, she wanted them to get along with each other and get closer. It is the first step. Everything else can be nnedter.


    Both of them are busy with their own thoughts, unexpectedly not for very long. Usually, at this time, no one is allowed to disturb their privacy but the door was opened and an imperial guard entered the room in hurry, "I apologize, Your Majesty, but Supreme Commander Bai requests your audience."


    "Tell him to wait for a while," replied the Emperor. Even if Bai Xun is his brother-inw and his strongest subordinate, Shang Fu cannot leave his lunch in a hurry unless it is an emergency.


    The Imperial guard then gulped in nervousness and said, "He wasn''t alone, Your Majesty. There are a couple of guests with him and one of them was a peak-stage Legendary realm Spirit Warrior who came from far away to meet His Majesty."


    "Eh?" A trace of surprise appeared on Shang Fu. He quickly rose to his feet, forgetting his lunch. "Okay, I''ll be there in a minute."


    As the imperial guard turned around and left the room, Shang Fu looked at his wife, "I''m sorry but I have to go, dear."<sub> </sub>


    As Lan Jingyi nodded in understanding, he stormed out of the room as if he is in a hurry. Once he was out of sight and she was left alone with the maidservants around, the Queen consort let out a sigh, "he''s always busy with something. If it is a Legendary realm expert, then, it''s unlikely that he wille back for the lunch."


    It was then a sudden thought appeared in her head, "how about I just go and visit Shang Zen? It''s a good idea but I need some reason, right? Hmm¡­ yes, that spoiled daughter of mine was happilyzing around stating the reason that he was out of the city.


    Now that he has returned, I should apany her to the store to make she was not only receiving proper punishment but also training on that bulky weapon Chimera SGM. Last time, I couldn''t spend much time because of those assassins."


    Soon, she returned to the Inner Quarters and ordered a maid to fetch her daughter.


    After a while, both of them exited the Imperial Pce with a troop of 100 soldiers headed by a General. The sheer number intimidated the public in the streets but Lan Jingyi and Shang Jiao were helpless. It''s the Emperor''s order.


    Because of the assassination attempt that happenedst time, they can only be extra careful.


    After nearly 90 minutes of travel, they finally reached the store. Not intending to block her son''s business, she ordered the General and a few Imperial guards to apany her while keeping the entire force outside the alley. They were also instructed to not obstruct anyone''s path into the alley.


    They might have escorted the Queen consort and the princess because of the General''s order, which was originally given by the Emperor but they can''t go against her orders too. Not to mention, Shang Jiao will be there with her mother. She is powerful enough to protect her mother.


    Just as the group of eight reached the entrance of the store, everyone was stunned for a moment upon witnessing a strange incident. Why Song Yue is sitting at the reception?


    Whether it is the Imperial guards or whether it is General, everyone was aware of the appearance of Song Yue, although she used to cover her face with a veil most of the time she was out shopping.


    Currently, Song Yue was staring at Alina who was checking the notebook. They don''t know what''s written in the notebook but considering how nervous Song Yue is appearing, they are wondering whether she was learning something from Alina.


    Whatever the case, the scene of two heavenly beauties together was a visual treat for the males and the Imperial guards couldn''t help but smile before trying to control their expressions once again as they grabbed the attention of Song Yue.


    "Ah, Auntie Lan? Xiao Jiao?" Song Yue was also equally surprised to see them at the store at such a time. She then suddenly remembered that Shang Jiao was serving punishment as an employee of the store.


    She rose to her feet and proceeded to leave the desk to greet the familiar acquaintances who were always nice to her. But, it was then Alina opened her mouth and made her realize something important, "Manager Song, we are still in working hours."


    Upon hearing those words, Song Yue quickly changed her behavior and greeted them in a calm manner. "Wee to Genesis Store."


    Shang Jiao and Lan Jingyi looked at each other with a trace of confusion written on their faces, "What''s going on?"

 Chapter 242 Song Yue Is A Free Person

    "Ah, so you were getting engaged to Lu Zhen?" asked Lan Jingyi with a big smile after hearing the whole story.


    For her, Song n attempting honor killing doesn''t hold that much importance whenpared to her son''s marriage. Why focus on the negative and also make others sad when they talk about positive things?


    Song Yue was someone whom she had seen had grown up. The third prince Shang Wei treats her as a sister. So, Lan Jingyi also treated her like a daughter. Sometimes, Song Yue''s good manners also made her lecture the spoiled princess of the Empire.


    To describe in a simple way, Lan Jingyi was very happy to receive someone like Song Yue as her daughter-inw.


    Of course, Song Yue left a few important details like they will be nothing but a fake couple and they will never marry. Hence, it caused a misunderstanding.


    But then again, she felt like this doesn''t matter because Lan Jingyi is a part of the Imperial family and would only meet them from time to time. So, there''s no need to exin in a detail.


    Meanwhile, Mark stayed downstairs and looked after the store in Song Yue''s ce as the lunch break is already over and working hours resumed. Chang Bo, the Androids, the General, and the Imperial guards also stayed with him in order to give them privacy.


    The afternoon working hours have less businesspared to other timings. Mark took this as an advantage to rearrange the weapons in each room as he heard from Chang Bo that the customers are often getting confused because of the sheer number of models when ites to rifles.


    That''s why he removed the unnecessary models of all the rifles and kept it simple. For example, regarding assault rifles, only G36, ssic AK 47, and M4 carbine.


    As for bolt action rifles, he only kept one model 700 ADL. This Remington 700 variant was also equipped with a scope andes with a bipod.


    The lever-action rifles were also represented in the store by one model, W 94. Winchester 1894 was a ssic hunting rifle that was popr for more than a century in his previous life. So, Mark was sure that people would like it, especially the rich guys or nobles who love to go hunting.


    Mark decided to ce other models in different branches he will open throughout the Empire, although all kinds of ammunition will be avable in every store. He wanted customers of the different regions to use different models so that his store will appear even more unique than at present.


    Roughly about half an hourter, thedies came downstairs with all smiles. Shang Jiao and Lan Jingyi are happy that they have a new family member whom they have good impression of for several years. And Song Yue was happy that atleast two of her past acquaintances didn''t abandon her.


    At the same time, she was also worried about Lin Xue who has yet to visit the store and meet her. Now that it is an open secret that Lin Xue was the one who brought Song Tai to cancel her engagement with Ji Mingyu, the heiress of the Lin n might have fallen into trouble.


    But then again, it has only been a little more than 12 hours since she returned to this new home. Not to mention, Lin Wuying is different from her father. He would never harm his daughter even if their n fell into trouble.


    As a helpless woman, Song Yue can only wait in patience before asking Mark a favor to get some information on her friend''s status.


    Anyway, back to Lan Jingyi, upon returning downstairs, she looked at her son, "Mr. Lu, it''s not my ce to say anything but I hope you don''t confine her to these four walls." Her statement was simple but everyone understood what she was trying to tell.


    Mark replied with his powerful statement, "Song Yue isn''t my servant that I can dictate the terms, Queen Consort Lan. She is a free person. She will decide what she wants to do with her life."


    As no one knows that they are a fake couple, Song Yue understood it differently from others. She understands that they weren''t even that familiar with each other but still, she was slightly disappointed by his indifference. Even if it is just posturing, she wanted to hear some nice words, something in the clich¨¦ lines of he would never hurt her feelings¡­<sub> </sub>


    Lan Jingyi then spoke about how Song Yue is also a part of her family and asked Mark to not forget to send an invitation to the Imperial family. It kinda irked Mark but in his view, no one knows about his birth secret and so, he calmed down his nerves and nodded.


    Soon, Queen Consort and the others proceeded to return to the Imperial pce, leaving behind the princess at the store as she needed to continue work there and also finish her training.


    After another 90 minutes of travel, she and the troop of soldiers finally reached the Imperial Pce. Just as her horse carriage was about to enter through the entrance gate, it was stopped and the door was knocked.


    She opened the door and found that it was the General. He bowed, "I apologize, Queen Consort Lan. His Majesty wishes you to meet the Imperial guests."


    "Why did you stop me here, then?" Lan Jingyi furrowed her brows in displeasure. Stopping her right at the entrance of the gate, isn''t it the same as insulting her position?


    The General bowed once again, "I apologize but¡­"


    He then raised his head and nced at the sky, indicating that the guests were there.


    Lan Jingyi then stepped down from the carriage and saw a pure white Pegasus, and a pair of winged horses slowly descending on the ground. These are rare hybrid breeds of a horse called Masto, which looked like regr brown horses but has wings. Because they were too low in number and have a low breeding rate, each of them costs atleast 1000 gold coins to buy when they are a foal.


    Native to the Dragon Empire, it was always been a spectacle to witness them in person but the Queen consort''s attention wasn''t on the horses but the people mounted on them.


    There''s a change in expression of her expression as theynded on the ground. Unlike the Emperor who was grinning like a fool as he enjoyed the ride on the Pegasus, there was clear displeasure written all over her face.


    Do they know each other? The expressions of nervousness on these guests


    "Dear, look at it. The Pegasus had epted me without resistance," boasted Emperor Shang to his wife. Pegasus is said to be the symbol of royalty over the course of years. It''s amon belief that it won''t recognize someone as its master who doesn''t possess the ability to rule over the masses.


    The fact that Shang Fu rides with ease indicates that he is an able ruler.


    The Emperor was so happy at the moment that he couldn''t see that his wife is frowning and not even paying attention to him.


    The reality only hit him after the two men got down from their mounts.


    "Greetings, Queen Consort Lan." One of them slightly bowed to her and then smiled. "It''s been a while."


    In response to his greetings, Lan Jingyi almost growled at him, "You have got some nerve to visit my home, Lan Jing. Why? Is it because you are now in the legendary realm?"


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 243 Queen Consort Lan Jingyis Paternal Uncle

    The Emperor suddenly stopped smiling and a surprise took over him because all he knows is that this man is at the peak stage of legendary realm expert.


    The person only told him that he was acquainted with Emperor''ste father-inw, Lan Gengxin, and expressed his wish to meet the Queen Consort after their important talk was over.


    However, by that time, Lan Jingyi was already gone to meet Mark. The Emperor doesn''t know where his wife and daughter went. He thought they went shopping.


    After waiting for a while, the legendary realm expert lost the patience to wait any longer and intended to return. Who could have expected him to run into Lan Jingyi right then?


    And now that the Emperor heard of the name, he was taken aback, "Lan surname?"


    He doesn''t know who Lan Jing is but judging by the current situation, he could easily guess that he was not only a part of the Lan Sect but also hated by Lan Jingyi.


    Does that mean he''s probably a traitor? Shang Fu wondered.


    Meanwhile, Lan Jing continued to maintain his pleasant smile without minding the behavior of Lan Jingyi, "Well, I''m officially here as the envoy of the Eastern Sun kingdom, Queen Consort Lan. Unofficially, I''m here to meet my grand-nephew."


    "Grand nephew?" Lan Jingyi couldn''t help but think of Mark at first but then, she remembered that no one knows about him. Forgetting about her real son, even Shang Wei was also her precious son whom she raised for 25 years. Naturally, she doesn''t want him to get near to this traitorous uncle of hers.


    "From the moment you had betrayed my father and left the sect when he needed you the most, you are no longer a family of mine, Lan Jing. And that extends to my children too. Just like me, a Queen Consort, they are nothing but a Prince and a Princess to you."


    Lan Jing didn''t take her words to his heart at all as if he ignored her warning. He said with a meaningful smile, "You can stay away from your blood but cannot cut off your rtionship with your blood rtives. That connection stays intact no matter how much time passes."


    His words made her remember Mark once again and she wasn''t able to deny that. She stayed silent.


    After saying what he wanted to, Lan Jing no longer stood on the spot. He mounted onto the winged horse and said goodbye to the Emperor before flying off away. The other one also followed him.


    As the Queen consort was staring into the sky in a terrible mood, the surprised Emperor confronted her and brought her back to reality. "Dear, what''s going on? He just addressed Shang Wei as his grand-nephew. Is it your uncle? I thought everyone in the Lan Sect died back during that dungeon break."


    Lan Jingyi took a deep breath and controlled her emotions before she started exining, "He is my paternal uncle who ran away like a coward during the dungeon break. It might not have changed any oue but your heart breaks when your family member abandons you at the time of need.


    Not wanting to tarnish the reputation of my family, I lied that he perished away in the battle.


    After that, you know my story. I was adopted byte Supreme Commander Zi Ning and I get to know you¡­"


    Suddenly, Emperor Shang fell into a dilemma as he took a nce at the Pegasus. He asked with a bit of hesitation, "Say, Dear, you wouldn''t mind the presence of the Pegasus, right? Technically, it is from the King of Eastern Sun. He is only an advisor."


    Lan Jingyi nodded that she understands. And The Emperor smiled once again as he not only mounted on the horse but also let his wife sit in front of him to go on for a ride in the sky and improve her mood. They aren''t nning to leave thepound of the Imperial Pce. So, none attempted to follow them.


    But, this act sure irked some maidens who serve the Empress and the other Queen consort as they felt that the Emperor is too smitten with Lan Jingyi.


    Meanwhile, Bai Xun silently stared at them, feeling a little bit regretful. He was an unofficial student of Lan Gengxin and he was aware of Lan Jing''s identity too. But, he doesn''t know that this guy is a traitor. He felt disgusted for trying to show great hospitality to him.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    The winged horses stopped somewhere one of them ncing around to check whether they are going in the right direction or not.


    "Master, shouldn''t we have informed Queen Consort Jingyi about the young master?" The disciple took the opportunity to ask Lan Jing.


    Lan Jing shook his head with a sigh, "If I had the chance, I would have informed her. But, with Shang Fu standing there, I can only give her subtle hints. And even if we tell her, considering the state she was in, Jingyi will only think that I''m harming her son and will do everything in her power to stop us. Anyway, let''s go.


    *neigh* neigh*


    The winged horses once again started moving. Soon, they reached the Genesis Weapon store andnded on the ground.


    Both of them entered the store, and like others, they too were surprised to find Song Yue working in the store. She was currently rechecking the goods and then recording their names in the notebook for the ounts. As for Shang Jiao, they already learned about her situation from the Emperor.


    Both of them entered the store and were greeted by her.


    "Wee to Genesis Weapon Store. Please state what you are looking for. You can also roam around and check if you like any weapon and wanted to buy it."


    Song Yue looked like she adapted to her job very quickly.


    Li Cheng couldn''t help but stare at Song Yue in a daze. He is a young man. So, he naturally gets attracted to a beauty like Song Yue. Her voice also sounded very pleasant to his ears.


    Realizing that his disciple was almost about to drool and embarrass them, Lan Jing elbowed him, bringing him to reality, and then said, "I wish to meet the owner of the store, Lu Zhen."


    It was at that moment Allen recognized him, "You have visited the store before for my master, a while ago."


    "Yes, Sure I am," replied Lan Jing with a smile.


    Assuming that it is really an important guest because everyone whoes to have a chat with Mark turned out to be someone with great status in society, Chang Bo hurried to one of the chambers.


    There he saw Mark standing in a corner, against the wall, and observing the butler robot, which was moving things like various weapons from a heap on the floor to their assigned ces. Alina was training it in doing the basic manualbor in the store.


    Of course, the process is very slow and it would be a lot faster if he let Alina do it personally but Mark wanted to employ these trained butler robots in other branches so that there won''t be needing any staff apart from a manager.


    Chang Bo then informed Mark about the guests.


    Mark left the judgment to Alina and left the room. As he reached the lobby, he saw the two strangers. He inspected their details automatically.

 Chapter 244 Lu Zhens Birth Story

    <strong>Li Cheng</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 28


    Rank: 6-circle (low)


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Water


    Affiliation: Eastern Sun Kingdom


    Description: Personal disciple of Lan Jing and an Elite of Lan Sect.


    *


    <strong>Lan Jing</strong>


    Race: Human


    Age: 83


    Rank: 8-circle (peak)


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Water/ Wind


    Affiliation: Eastern Sun Kingdom; Heavenly Ocean Empire;


    Description: Personal advisor of King Ouyang Zhen and an elder at the Lan Sect of Heavenly Ocean Empire.


    **


    Mark still remembered the name he once learned because of the notification. Back then, he was at the Southern Division Camp after being invited by the Second Prince.


    He knew that this man even had the knowledge about Lu Zhen''s unique Eye shaped birthmark behind his neck. He expected his presence sooner orter. So, he was able to keep his calmness on his face and asked, "I''m Lu Zhen. What do you want with me?"


    "Can we talk in private?" asked the old man with wrinkles all over his face.


    "Sure," Mark nodded and took the both of them upstairs, leaving Song Yue and Shang Jiao in wondering.


    After they went to the living room and took their seats, Mark asked them again. If not for the fact that this old man is his maternal grand-uncle, he wouldn''t have bothered to take them to his residence. Instead, he would have talked with them in one of the weapon rooms. He doesn''t know what they want with him but if they reveal their true identity, then, Mark would bother them to help him with something else along with clearing his suspicion.


    After introducing himself and his disciple, Lan Jing then opened up the topic, "before I tell you our real purpose of visit, what do you know about your parents?"


    Mark had an inkling of where this topic goes but at the moment, he wants to maintain ignorance.


    "I don''t think there''s special about my parents. My father is a vige chief and my mother is a housewife. I also know that before they settled in our vige of Houtang, they were working here at the Imperial City. My father was a cksmith and my mother was a maid to the Empress Dowager (Emperor''s mother) andter to Queen Consort Lan," calmly answered Mark. He wanted them to hurry up with the matter.


    Little did he expect that the story wasn''t as simple as he had expected.


    Lan Jing proceeded to speak about the past, "Well, your mother wasn''t just a maid of Lan Jingyi. She had an unfortunate but a special rtionship with the Emperor."


    Thest sentence changed Mark''s expression. He couldn''t keep his face straight after hearing that, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Lan?"


    Lan Jing continued with the story, "You know how the kings and Emperors could be. They marry several women but still couldn''t hold back their lust when spotting a beautiful woman.


    Back then, the Emperor was quite, how should I say, more aggressive and reckless. He was also an alcoholic.<sub> </sub>


    Anyway, as you said earlier¡­ before Yi Zexi was assigned to Lan Jingyi, she used to serve Empress Dowager and looked after her very well. But, Emperor Dowager was not a Spirit Warrior. She couldn''t battle her old age. After she passed away, Yi Zexi then served Lan Jingyi.


    Back then, the Emperor used to give utmost attention to his first Queen Consort as he was doing for Lan Jingyi. Part of the reason was also because of Second Prince. Shang Wen is the only one who had awakened the Phoenix Bloodline.


    Because of that, Lan Jingyi used deliberately ignore him to attract his attention. Sometimes, it worked and other times, it doesn''t. Whenever it happens, she gets angry and goes to her maternal house, well, more specifically to her adopted mother.


    One such day, when she was absent, a drunken Emperor visited her chamber. She wasn''t there. Instead, there was Yi Zexi who was there to change the bed sheets and everything.


    Under the influence of alcohol, he forced himself on her. Like other maids, Yi Zexi couldn''t resist the Emperor. He has no idea what he had done.


    Sometimeter, Yi Zexi became pregnant with the child of the Emperor and this news was found out by Lan Jingyi.


    Maybe, if it was someone else, they would probably kill her but Lan Jingyi decided to keep her safe. Roughly about a weekter, Lan Jingyi also found out that she was also pregnant.


    Consider it a tant coincidence or a design of the God, you and Third prince Shang Wei were born on the same day, just a few hours difference. Both of your birth took ce in the Imperial Pce too.


    You were born with no ether and Shang Wei was born with a fire attribute.


    Maybe, Lan Jingyi became insecure about her position in the heart of her husband or maybe, she felt guilty on behalf of her husband.


    No one knows the exact reason but that day, Lan Jingyi and Yi Zexi switched their babies.


    That''s right. You are the son of Emperor Shang and Queen Consort Lan, an Imperial Prince."


    While reciting the first part of the story, Lan Jing kept on observing Mark''s expression. At first, there was a frown on his face. Then, it was reced by disbelief, then, anger, and finally, a big smile.


    Once he was done, Mark suddenly broke out intoughter, "hahaha¡­ thank you Mr. Lan for proving that I''m right all along. All this while, I had a small doubt lingered in my heart. Now, I''m clear. You have done a great favor on me." Mark even shook his hands vigorously after that, expressing his joy.


    Lan Jing and his disciple Li Cheng were greatly surprised by Mark''s behavior. At first, they thought he was excited because he found out that he was an imperial prince but Mark''s words made them realize that he knew the truth all along.


    But, is there a need tough like this? They didn''t know the real meaning behind hisugh.


    As Mark calmed down, he once again took his seat, "Okay then, since you bothered to dig out the buried truth and revealed it to me, at the very least, I will cooperate with you and listen to the end. Tell me."


    Lan Jing stared at him for a brief amount of time and then continued, "After your birth, Lan Jingyi sent away Yi Zexi, although not with empty hands or simple money. After all, Yi Zexi''s dignity should also be upheld in the society she will live.


    So, she paid a lump sum of money and an offer to be a vige chief to a young cksmith named Lu Yimu to marry Yi Zexi and be your father.


    However, how could a mother''s heart be at ease?


    Lan Jingyi sent her trusted imperial guard, Tan Jian, on a lifelong mission to keep an eye on you. However, what she didn''t know is that I was the one who nted him there in the first ce as I was worried about her safety. After all, she was my only brother''s daughter.


    That''s how I get to know about you and the whole story.


    Because you are born with no ether, I thought that it''s better for you to stay there and live in peace. So, I never showed myself.


    Little did I expect that someone would also find out about your existence. Well, I suspect it."


    Here is where Mark''s expression changed once again, although it is only for a moment because he had that suspicion all this time. "Who is it?" he asked.


    Lan Jing shook his head, "I don''t know. But, I can tell you this. The burry at your house was a nned one and their aim is only to kill your parents. Considering Tan Jian is in the 6-circle realm, their background must be extraordinary to send an assassin strong enough to kill him.


    The extraordinary de might be any organization, guild, sect, or n. The de that was grabbed most likely belongs to someone from the Imperial family. I would suspect the Empress and her Yuan n if that is the case."


    Mark disagreed with Lan Jing''s analysis in his head. More than the Empress, won''t his mother benefit the most if Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi die? The truth can be buried forever that way. He suspected her from the start and it only rose further after hearing out the entire story.


    But, considering this old man is the uncle of Lan Jingyi, Mark didn''t voice his disagreement and asked, "So, why are you telling me this and what do you expect from me? Just so you know that I''m not interested to get back to my family or be some imperial prince either. So, is there anything else you would like to say to me?"


    The pair of master and disciple turned their heads and looked at each other.

 Chapter 245 Ancient Lan Sect

    "Um, Mr. Lu, if you don''t mind me asking, if you already know the truth of your birth and never had the ns of returning to your family, Isn''t it better to go somewhere else?" Li Cheng asked after listening to Mark''s resolution. The presence of the Imperial princess in the store is also bugging him.


    In response to his question, Mark asked in return, "Is that a problem for you?"


    A clever person would be able to understand what Mark was trying to say. Outsiders have no right to poke their noses into his business.


    While Li Cheng might not read between the lines but he could at least understand that Mark wasn''t pleased by his question. He shook his head and stayed silent.


    Meanwhile, Lan Jing was analyzing Mark''s reactions from the start to histest reply and came to a conclusion that thetter might not follow him if he just offered him what he had originally in mind. After thinking for a while, he said, "Since you know that you are the son of Lan Jingyi and Emperor Shang, then, you must have already figured out what bloodline you have."


    "Blizzard Pegasus," replied Mark.


    Lan Jing nodded with a smile, "Then, you must have also known about Lan Gengxin."


    "Just as much everyone knows." Mark shrugged his shoulders. Originally, he doesn''t know a dime about his maternal grandfather. He had only learned of that name from the system when he awakened the bloodline. After that, that Seer from the Church of Doom told a little bit about him.


    When Gu Ya told him that his grandfather and others came to the Phoenix Empire and took over the existing branch of the Sect, he thought they were probably from other Empires.


    But, after seeing the details of Lan Jing, where it was mentioned that this guy is from Heavenly Ocean Empire, Mark wondered whether they are from other worlds.


    To confirm his suspicions, he let the old man finish the story of the Lan n too.


    "Lan Gengxin''s origins lie with the Ancient Lan Sect, which is based in the Heavenly Ocean Empire. It is located in the ne of Ice and Fire where spiritual energy is a hundred times richer than this low-level world of the mortal ne.


    Of course, I won''t belittle this world either. After all, this world only faces low-level threatspared to what we face there.


    For a hundred thousand years, the Ancient Lan Sect acted as one of the guardians to keep the monsters in check.


    But, more than five decades ago, your maternal great grandfather, Sect master Lan Ye made a blunder by joining other ns and sects to overthrow the Emperor. If the rebellion seeded, Lan Sect would have be the number one sect in the entire Heavenly Ocean Empire.


    Unfortunately, his wrong choice hit us very hard.


    As we lost our status and our fame took a hit, a lot of disciples left the sect, the elders formed factions among themselves, and the Imperial family started breathing fire down on our necks. While we might have lost the war, the imperial pce couldn''t take us down.


    So, they kept on provoking us and harassing us to make us lose patience and make another blunder. If we had done that, the Imperial family would have taken the support of other guardian sects andpletely destroy us.


    To appease the Emperor and protect the sect from a civil war, the Sect Master had to make a difficult choice. He had destroyed the cultivation of his only two sons and exiled them from the sect.


    The Emperor was a good man, in fact. He felt like our sect and our sect master had suffered enough. Keeping the sect''s past deeds in mind, he had forgiven us. At the same time, the Sect Master had made the elders take the oath of not eyeing his seat until he was alive.


    Considering the main family line has ended, they too agreed with it. Only after that, did he destroy our cultivations and sent us away.


    However, no one has any idea that the Sect Master had a backup n. Before our cultivation got destroyedpletely, we were given a cultivation storage pill, which will absorb some of our ether particles and store them in a particr part of the body.<sub> </sub>


    Once we became ordinary civilians with all of our ether particles killed, I and my brother were sent to the mortal ne. Thankfully, some loyal friends followed us and stayed with us until the end.


    After the seven of us reached thisnd, we learned that there''s a Lan Sect branch existing without our knowledge. It was a sect formed by a descendant of the Lan n expelled from our sect thousand years ago.


    We took over the sect and slowly improved our cultivation realm. Unlike my brother, I wasn''t blessed by the Blizzard Pegasus. As a result, I couldn''t reach my peak even after fifty years. Sigh¡­


    Anyway,ing to the point, you are the descendant of Lan Gengxin and also blessed by Blizzard Pegasus. You have the chance to be the n heir before taking over the Sect.


    Our Ancient Lan Sect might have fallen from its peak but no one can deny our history. We have reserves of money, treasures, skill books, pills, whatever you ask, it will be yours.


    If youe with us and im your heirship, within a decade, you can easily be a Demigod (10-circle). And if you diligently cultivate for a century or two, who knows, you might be able to even be a Saint (12-circle). What do you say?"


    Lan Jing already realized that this fellow doesn''t seem the type to be moved by a story. That''s why he tried to tempt him with treasures and cultivation.


    On the other hand, Mark was simply staring at him in silence.


    Lan Jing thought that this descendant was in his thoughts but Mark wasn''t, at least, not at the moment. He was just staring at the holographic screen that was only visible to him.


    <strong>*Ding! You triggered a mandatory hidden quest.</strong>


    Quest: Return to the n


    Description: The host was able to activate the Blizzard Pegasus bloodline due to the mother''s family line. One way or another, you are connected to Lan n. And the Lan n is directly connected to the Ancient Lan Sect. It is your duty to repay the debt by returning Ancient Lan Sect to its former glory.


    Reward: Unknown (Depends on how long it takes toplete the quest)


    p Time limit: None</anda>


    <strong>*Ding! The system epted the quest on your behalf.</strong>


    Mark couldn''t anything with the mandatory quests but then again, as there is no time limit, he wasn''t worried about it.


    Once he closed down the screen, he finally started thinking. His thoughts weren''t about the quest but rather on how to deal with these two. What he liked about Lan Jing is that this old man didn''t try to speak of the blood rtionship between them. After all, he is Mark''s granduncle.


    Instead, the old man only talked with him as if they were strangers. Mark liked that way. So, what should he do to take advantage of his desperation?


    After thinking deeply, Mark came to a decision and said, "I''ll go with you but not at the moment. There are several things I need to do at this ce, for example, I need to find out the killer of my parents. I also wanted to restore Lan Sect at Kunyu mountain range among other things.


    If you help me with them, then, I can even finish them faster and return with you."

 Chapter 246 Asking Favors

    Lan Jing was here with a proposal to use his descendant for his purpose but never in the world did he expect to get involved in Mark''s mess instead.


    However, what can he do? Mark and Shang Jiao were only his way to return home.


    While females and males have equal standing in Lan Sect, unlike in this mortal world, Shang Jiao isn''t a free person like Mark. She was tied to the Emperor but he on the other hand can act as he wishes. So, Mark was his best bet and he has no choice but to help him as none of his direct descendants awakened the bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus.


    "Okay, I''ll help you with whatever is needed. The Kingdom of Eastern Sun will be also on your side," replied Lan Jing after making a decision.


    Mark smiled brightly, feeling as if luck is on his side. He wasted no time in asking for a favor, "At the moment, I need information on two organizations, church of Doom, and Church of Nuwa. Just information about their exact strength and numbers is enough. I also need your help behind the scenes to find out who is the mastermind behind the death of my parents. And of course, I expect you to keep everything a secret including the fact that I knew about my birth secret."


    "Ah, it''s just that¡­" Lan Jing inwardly sighed in relief when he heard his grandnephew''s request. They weren''t difficult tasks for him. He nodded, "consider it done."


    Mark was satisfied with Lan Jing''s reply. However, he wasn''t done yet. "I heard that grandfather had a Zheng beast as his mount. As a summoner, I''m interested in the beasts. I wonder if you can tell me about it like what are its abilities, weaknesses, etc¡­"


    Mark couldn''t ask it directly because he doesn''t know whether this guy was aware of its existence or not. So, he yed cautiously.


    Lan Jing, on the other hand, didn''t think too much about it and just gave the information that his descendant needed. "Zheng is a multi-attribute beast, a terrifying one at that and almost impossible to even befriend. If not for the fact that my brother found it as an egg, he wouldn''t have any chance to tame it."


    "Eh? Egg? But, isn''t that a leopard?" Mark felt like his intelligence is going to be damaged because of the strange behavior of the monsters in this world. First, a cat, and now, this leopard? Do all cat species monstersy eggs? Or is it the same case for every monster? He isn''t some zoologist to care about such things anyway.


    So, he quickly came to terms with the facts present before him and continued to listen.


    "Zheng has five tails, each representing one attribute, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning. The beast practically shouldn''t have any weaknesses. But, if you will ask about Lan Ju, the one my brother tamed, I would say he likes to y ''Tag'' and upon losing, he sulks very often. He was also very fond of fishes, not sure if other Zheng beasts would have the same habits.


    Another weakness of every Zheng is that they are very short-tempered. In case you are wondering how that is a weakness, losing a temper will make an intelligent species lose the ability to judge the situation. Because of that, they only cause unnecessary destruction, make everyone hate them, and ultimately, bring demise to themselves during tough times."


    Feeling like this old man is giving life lessons to him instead of giving some useful info to him, Mark changed the topic, "alright, I understand. Let''s talk about something important like the Eastern Sun kingdom. I wonder whether your king is aware of the modern weapons that I sell. I mean¡­ thest time you arrive at the store, you bought some explosives worth 1000 gold coins, correct?"


    "How do you know that?" Li Cheng opened his mouth, not expecting that Mark would them but he quickly realized that the robes they wore back then hid their cultivation, not their faces. Obviously, Allen, who was a receptionist back then, would inform his master. If he could draw a younger Mark''s picture right away, he can also draw their faces for as long as he can remember them.


    Feeling like he asked a foolish question, before Mark even answered, Li Cheng apologized and stayed away from the conversation between Lan Jing and Mark.<sub> </sub>


    Lan Jing then said, "To be honest, I wasn''t interested in the weapons. I just bought them to find the answers I seek from your servant."


    Mark replied, "First of all, don''t address him as my servant. He is a younger sibling to me. Secondly, I nned to expand my business into other empires. Recently, I opened a branch in the Western Moon kingdom after the King made firearms official weapons. Now that you are here, I''m wondering whether to take this opportunity to expand there too¡­"


    Giving a momentary pause, Mark gave a big smile to his granduncle and proceeded to ask the next favor, "How about you buy each model and present it to your King? It''s alright if he rejects my modern weapons to ept into his army but he should at least be aware that there''s an option that can let even lower realm Spirit Warriors fight against higher realm beasts and enemies. If he bes interested, I will surely visit him with the proposal."


    At one nce, it looked like Mark was asking for ess to the Eastern Sun kingdom, but in reality, he wanted to turn this meeting into a business deal. Not only does he n to earn some money but he also wanted to get near to thepletion of the quest.


    By this moment, even if both of the guests couldn''tpletely guess Mark''s thoughts, they can at least understand that this son of Lan Jingyi is indeed asking for favors more than they expected. He was nowhere the honest guy he appeared at first nce.


    What''s more frustrating is that Mark''s requests aren''t difficult for them. The only worry now Li Cheng and Lan Jing had is whether he will ask for more favors.


    Thankfully, Mark knows when to push forward and when to stop.


    As Lan Jing agreed to the request and further asked if there was anything else, Mark shook his head with a smile, "None at all, at the moment."


    "It means there will be more in the future, great¡­" Li Cheng thought in his head, feeling a little bit annoyed but as he is also, in a way, depending on Mark''s return to the sect, he kept quiet.


    Very soon, the floor of the living room started to be filled with various rifles.


    "This is M16. It is lighter than 3kg and can shoot even the target 500 meters away at a speed of 500-750 rounds per minute. Of course, that''s just the number. The magazine only has 30 rounds. So, changing one to another magazine will take time and reduce that overall number.


    This assault rifle uses this 5.56x46mm ammunition and is powerful enough to take out everyone below 4-circle. And if all the bullets were striking one person without amiss, even 5-circle wouldn''t be spared."


    "This is AUG¡­" "This is TAR-21¡­" "This is SG 550¡­" "This is FN Scar-L"


    "All of these assault rifles will only cost 250 gold coins to buy. The ammunition costs 1 gold coin and the empty magazine (20/30 rounds) also costs 1 gold coin.


    Now,ing to sniper rifles¡­ let me exin what sniper rifles are in the first ce¡­"

 Chapter 247 Shang Jiao Confronts Her Mother

    Mark''s exnation of each model that was withdrawn from the disy in the store earliersted for more than an hour.


    After a while, the three of them came downstairs and Chang Bo helped Mark with the packaging of the weapons while thetter purposely gave the task of calcting to Song Yue so that she found herself doing her job.


    Song Yue was an educated woman who was taught by the Royal Tutor. While she might not be as intelligent as Shen Ling, at the very least, she knew how to make calctions without making mistakes.


    As Mark started to speak of the order, she opened her notebook where she recorded the prices of the weapons and explosives avable in the store.


    In the end, the bill totaled 10596 gold coins and Lan Jing paid the amount with medium-quality ether crystals of 10-carat sized, each one equivalent to 100 gold coins worth.


    Mark was happy to receive 106 of them as he was in need of them more than the money anyway.


    Once Li Cheng stored everything in his storage ring, Lan Jing said, "I''ll be leaving, Lu Zhen. Be sure to use themunication talisman if you are in need of anything."


    "Sure, I will," replied Mark while maintaining a genuine smile on his face.


    Lan Jing then nced around but didn''t find his grandniece. Feeling that it is a pity to not meet her properly, he sighed inwardly and turned around to walk away.


    Once they exited the store, the winged horses, which were just standing on the side like good pets, neighed and opened their wings before scurrying toward their owners.


    Lan Jing and Li Cheng mounted on their horses and they flew into the sky.


    Back to the store, after the guests turned customers left the store, Mark stored all the ether crystals in his inventory except for two. "Here, this is yours, Manager Song. Your 2% share." He moved the two scarlet crystals toward Song Yue.


    She was naturally surprised by his move. "Why? I didn''t sell them the weapons though."


    "It doesn''t matter. A contract is a contract." Mark refused to budge on his promise. He further added, "They might be able to increase your strength too. Now that you don''t have bodyguards, it would be useful in increasing your cultivation realm for your protection."


    She didn''t take them and just let out a sigh, "There''s a reason why my cultivation is only at 2-circle. Ether crystals are useless to me. Forget about 2, even if I have 2000, I won''t be able to make a breakthrough. My father once said that my special constitution will not let my body absorb the ether energy from the crystals. I have to absorb the spiritual energy (natural energy) from the surroundings and refine it normally."


    Usually, the Spirit Warriors cannot absorb the ether energy from the crystal and nourish their body when they reached their potential. But, here, the situation is slightly different. Her words implied that she can still make a breakthrough but cannot take the help of ether crystals.


    Mark couldn''t help but think of Alina''s ims about being ufortable around her. Combined with the system''s generosity, he wondered whether there''s really some mystery to Son Yue.


    And when he thought of the word mystery, he was also reminded of his biological mother who is known to be a civilian but waspletely unaffected by his Absolute Freezing technique as well as the Sage Eyes'' inability to find out details about her even though it worked on a Supreme Realm expert like Song Tai.


    Upon remembering his mother, he also thought of his sister. Suddenly, it clicked on his mind. He looked around. She was nowhere to be found.


    He asked Chang Bo, "Where is Shang Jiao?"


    The welpire answered with a little bit of hesitation, "She told me that she remembered something and left home, about an hour ago."


    "She left without telling me?" Mark furrowed his brows.


    Feeling that Mark was displeased, Song Yue hurriedly covered for her, "She went upstairs to meet you but after realizing that you are having a serious conversation with the guests, she didn''t disturb you and left."<sub> </sub>


    Once again, Mark was taken aback, this time, it kinda spiked up his heartbeat for a moment, "If she came upstairs, then, did she listen?"


    His face darkened as it was the worst thing that can happen to him. He doesn''t want his real family to find out his secret before he made his preparations. But, then again, he cannot assume the worst without knowing the matterpletely. Maybe, she could have reached upstairs when he is in the middle of a demonstration.


    Mark thought of observing her behavior the next time they meet. Then, he will make his decisions depending on it.


    Anyway, putting away the thought, Mark took back the ether crystals and said, "Manager Song, I will add 212 gold coins for your sry since you have no use of them."


    Chang Bo couldn''t help but stare enviously at Song Yue. His 120 gold coins monthly sry might be on the same level as decent-level officials of the Empire but Song Yue''s earnings from one transaction were high enough that made him realize that she wasn''t an ordinary employee like him.


    But, why is there such a huge difference when both of them are low-level Spirit Warriors? Is it because she is a noble and he is a homeless orphan? Or is it because she is a beautiful woman? Chang Bo''s bet is on thetter. As he doesn''t know the events that transpired at the Song n, he can only suspect that the owner is trying to woo the beauty.


    In the end, he could only be satisfied with the good treatment he was being given and took a seat nearby.


    Meanwhile, at the Imperial Pce, it happened simrly as Mark feared it to be, although in just a different way.


    She was about to confront her mother with a look of furiousness on her face but stopped in her tracks upon learning that her father is also inside.


    Shang Jiao wanted to push the Imperial guard aside and break into the room but barely managed to control her impulse at thest minute and asked the guard to remind her parents about her arrival.


    As the door was kept unlocked from inside, indicating that Shang Fu and Lan Jingyi weren''t in the middle of any private discussion, it was easy for the guard to knock on the door and enter the chamber to report them. Of course, there are also maids and servants inside. So, one doesn''t need to wonder what they are doing.


    She was allowed in right away.


    As she entered, the princess saw her parents were actually ying ''Go''. It''s an ancient traditional game, which was invented in thesends, thousands of years ago, but at the moment, its poprity started waning during the past century after an unknown spirit warrior brought chess into people''s lives. Still, the Emperor liked the traditional game more, not wanting to be influenced by chess strategies to apply in real life.


    15-yr-old Shang Jiao had no idea how to y this game and neither does care about the moment. Consumed by anger, she put away her etiquette and walked toward them before turning the table upside down, taking her parents by surprise.


    "What''s with you, Xiao Jiao?" Her mother furrowed her brows in displeasure. She felt like her spoiled daughter is turning into more of a rascal these days.


    On the other hand, Emperor Shang, who had observed her expression, asked in a bit of a soft tone, "What happened, daughter? Did anyone deeply offend you?"


    Shang Jiao looked at the both of them and then nced at the maids and servants around, "All of you get out for a moment. And send away those guards at the entrance."


    As the servants and maids hesitated while staring at the Emperor for the order, Shang Jiao roared, "Get out."


    Even the Emperor was flinched for a moment, feeling as if there was something wrong with his dear daughter.


    As everyone was leaving the room to give privacy to the family upon getting the Emperor''s permission, Lan Jingyi rose to her feet and tried to catch her daughter''s ear to twist and pinch it as punishment for her rude actions, Shang Jiao swatted her arm. "You can do that after you answer my question about my brother."


    Lan Jingyi doesn''t know what happened with this brat but she doesn''t want to open the topic before Shang Fu of all the people.


    She hurriedly grabbed her arm tightly and looked at her husband, "Dear, I will just return in a minute."

 Chapter 248 The Super Powerful Lan Jingyi (Part-1)

    Before even Shang Fu responded to her, she dragged her daughter away from there, leaving behind a clueless Emperor. "Did Shang Wei do something illegal in secret and Jingyi covered it up or something?"


    Meanwhile, Shang Jiao felt her mother''s grip was quite tight. She didn''t expect that a 6-circle realm Spirit Warrior like her couldn''t get free. Maybe, it has to do with her weak physique?


    Whatever the case, Lan Jingyi is in control, and eventually, they reach an underground storage room in the inner quarters while sending the two guards away. The room was neat with paintings and mysterious sealed boxes around.


    After locking the door, Lan Jingyi sharply stared at her daughter who was rubbing her wrist turned red due to the former''s tight grip.


    "Don''t you understand that your father is there?" She started scolding her right away. "What if he finds out? What should we answer? How should he react to the truth? Do you have any idea what will happen?"


    Shang Jiao replied with a question in return, "Brother Wei isn''t a stranger but my half-brother born from the servant, isn''t he?"


    Lan Jingyi was stunned at her question, "Who told you that?"


    "So, it is true," said the princess as she discovered a trace of panic on her mother''s face. She continued, "Father vited her under the influence of alcohol and you covered up his sin, wasn''t it? I heard that it was amon thing for him back then. Then, how many brothers I have that you cover it up, Mother?"


    Instead of defending against the usation, Lan Jingyi grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes, asking the same question, "Who told you?"


    Shang Jiao didn''t cower and stared back into her eyes without an ounce of respect, "You lied to me that a servant had abducted my brother and you had to rece him with another baby that was born on the same day out of fear of your insecurity. I believed you. To this date, I was really trying to get close to him and tell the truth to bring him back home.


    But, I never imagined even in my dreams that you would manipte me into thinking that you are on the good side. I¡­"


    As Shang Jiao continued to rattle on, Lan Jingyi''s face turned ice-cold as she asked her for the final time while interrupting her, "I ask again, Who¡­ told¡­ you? And where did you hear this?"


    Maybe, it is fear or maybe, it is something else. Shang Jiao didn''t know what happened to her but she could no longer speak further after seeing her mother''s face. She was frozen for a moment before answering, "A while ago, two people came into the store¡­"


    More than an hour ago, Genesis Store;


    After Mark escorted both of the guests upstairs, Shang Jiao, who was bored without any work, had a thought.


    She informed Song Yue, "sister Yue, I''m wondering whether to ask Owner Lu whether I could use the training ground for her free time to master Chimera SGM. Think he''ll agree?"


    Song Yue simply smiled in response, "It won''t hurt to ask."


    "Okay, I''ll go and ask right away. They must not have started their important discussion anyway." She then rushed upstairs to ask her brother''s permission. Allen and Alina didn''t stop her because it isn''t like she was restricted to go upstairs. If Alina had an idea who they are and what kind of discussion might happen between her master and the guests, she would have stopped her.


    As a result, Shang Jiao reached the upstairs residence without any hindrance. Just as she was about step inside, she heard the old man say, "Well, your mother wasn''t just a maid of Lan Jingyi. She had a special rtionship with the Emperor."


    That powerful line made her stop right there and hear the rest of the story in secret.


    Shang Jiao didn''t get to hear theplete story. She could only bear to hear up to where the old man said that the Empress or Yuan might be behind the death of Yi Zexi and Lu Yimu, her brother''s adopted parents.


    After that, she rushed away from the store after giving some poor excuse that she had something to do at home.


    Neither she knows who they are nor does she know why their aim is. However, she was aware that her mother lied to her and her brother knew the fact that he was born an Imperial Prince. How? Probably from his adopted mother or through his master. Only he knows.


    Suddenly, her brother''s enmity with the noble ns made sense to the princess.<sub> </sub>


    However, those things no longer matter because, for Shang Jiao, her father might look like a coward who always looks for peaceful solutions but still, he was her hero. And her mother who always punishes her appeared like someone with real discipline.


    She highly respected both of them and suddenly, the image she built up for more than a decade was shattered in a moment. How could a teenager like Shang Jiao control her emotions?


    <strong>Back to the present;</strong>


    p As the princess finished the tale she knew, the Queen consort turned furious. Even though Shang Jiao never told the name, it was clear to her mother.</anda>


    Lan Jingyi clenched her fist and growled in anger, "Lan Jing¡­"


    Shang Jiao was taken aback by surprise, "Lan?"


    Lan Jingyi then closed eyes her for a while and then opened with a calm expression, "Look my daughter, I won''t lie this time. Whatever you heard was true. But, at the moment, neither you are in a mood nor you are old enough to understand theplexity of the situation. Go to your room and meditate for a couple of minutes.


    By the time you calm down, I wille and visit you and exin everything in detail that you fail to understand. Okay? Now, go¡­ Please do a favor for me and keep it from your father, at least for now."


    Once her mother turned gentle, Shang Jiao no longer felt that mental suppression and thought that she will give some random excuses to justify her actions. She scoffed in response, "Whatever you say, how will I be sure that you won''t lie again? Anyway, I would really love to hear what you have to say that can change my mind."


    Shang Jiao walked away from the storage room and proceeded to leave her room as her mother wished. However, Lan Jingyi didn''t follow her. In fact, she wasn''t even there in the room and disappeared as if there was a secret exit.


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the sky above the outer sector of the Imperial city, a pair of winged horses were flying at a normal pace as other birds.


    Lan Jing was having a smile on his face while feeling that his mission is half-sessful. On the other hand, his disciple doesn''t appear that enthusiastic.


    Taking a nce at his disciple''s face, he asked, "What''s the matter, Xiao Cheng."


    The disciple replied, "I know that it''s not my ce to question your decisions but master, don''t you think that we have been scammed by this Lu Zhen? Ten thousand gold coins¡­ it is no way a small number."


    Lan Jing shook his head with a smile, "It is a small price. Once you step inside our sect when I return, you''ll understand why these ether crystals are nothing but worthless stones. In fact, they are formed by the fossils of the beasts sent by¡­"


    *neigh* neigh*


    The winged horses neighed in surprise and stopped moving forward while Lan Jing''s face stiffened as a woman in a ck robe and a hood suddenly appeared before them.


    Her face appeared to be hidden by therge hood but the fact that she was floating in the air while blocking their route is something that can''t be taken lightly.


    It was then a familiar voice escaped from the person, "It seems like you really don''t know what''s good for you, Lan Jing."


    "Huh?" Lan Jing was visibly surprised as he called out the person''s name, "Jingyi?"


    "Eh? Queen Consort Lan?" Li Cheng was even more surprised by the name. He thought that she was a civilian. But now, she is flying?


    Meanwhile, the person in the ck robe didn''t lower down the hood and continued to speak, "I already told you that you are no longer a family and yet, you dare interfere in my family matters."


    Before Lan Jing even had the opportunity to reply, the hooded figure charged forward and reached him in a blink of an eye, and grabbed his throat before throwing him down to the ground.

 Chapter 249 The Super Powerful Lan Jingyi (Part-2)

    He crashed in a remote location with nothing but grass and rocks where little wild animals roam.


    As he rose to his feet and dusted his clothes, she teleported to him within a second once again and pped him on the ground. He spits out a mouthful of blood and crashed onto the ground once again.


    This time, he didn''t try to get up and just lie on the floor. The hooded figure then stood a couple of feet away from him and said, "This is just a warning, Lan Jing. If you daree near my son, once again, I will forget that you were once the biological brother of my father."


    Just as she turned around and was about to disappear, Lan Jing asked, "what if hees looking for me? What will you do then, Jingyi?"


    "Hmm?" She turned around to face him once again, "What do you mean?"


    The old man then exined, "He knows the truth even before he met me. Even after hearing out theplete truth, I didn''t see any change in his determination to mind his own business.


    I only visited him in the hopes of taking him with me to his ancestral home. And now, he also agreed to return to the Ancient Lan sect as he has no ns to return to his mother who abandoned him.


    It''s been 25 years, Jingyi. I think you are toote to get back to your family. Let him go."


    "No, I won''t let my son go to such a dangerous ce to fulfill your ambitions." The hooded figure was quite adamant about her decision. She further said in a firm tone, "He might want to go because he probably felt alone.


    That darn bitch put poison in his mind even without a shred of gratefulness that I raised her son as my own and let him be the Imperial Prince that he could have never be. Her soul should also be grateful that even now or in the future, I won''t stop looking at Shang Wei as my son.


    The past isn''t something that I can''t change. However, I will surely bring him home. After that, he can make his choice on whether to live with us or go away. Until then, you will never attempt to take him away. If you ever do that¡­"


    Thick fog appeared to be escaping from her sleeves as she warned him, "Mark my words. There won''t be any mercy."


    Soon, the fog covered her before she disappeared from the spot.


    For a while, Lan Jing stayed there on the ground, trying to heal his internal wound using his ether energy." As an 8-circle realm Spirit Warrior, it is not a big deal for him.


    His disciple and the winged horsesnded nearby.


    "Master, are you alright?" Li Cheng asked in worry, to which, Lan Jing let out a sigh while staring at the clear blue sky, "Yeah, I guess our return might just be postponed for more than a simple week or two."


    "Why didn''t you fight back? Is it because she is your niece?" asked the disciple.


    In response, Lan Jin asked him a question, "Say, Li Cheng, tell me why she could fly?"


    "Hmm¡­ She is a Wind Attribute user?" Li Cheng voiced his opinion.


    Lan Jing shook his head, "no."


    "I see¡­ so, it''s that robes, huh!" Li Cheng assumed that the robe she was wearing is special.


    Lan Jing shook his head once again. "No."<sub> </sub>


    "Invisible divine weapon?" asked Li Cheng for thest time, to which, Lan Jing shook his head again.


    "If not for the robes, wind attribute, and even a divine weapon, how can one fly? It''s not like she''s a bird." Li Cheng wondered until the fourth option clicked in his mind.


    Realization dawned upon Li Chen and he started sweating, "De¡­ Demi¡­ Demigod?"


    "And now you understand why didn''t I resist?" Lan Jing looked at him.


    "But, how is that possible?" Li Cheng''s voice quivered. He was damn afraid of her. "You told me that she never cultivated before the Great Dungeon break. Unless she''s a heaven-defying talent, isn''t it almost impossible that she can make a breakthrough to such a level in this environment in just thirty years?"


    "You are right. It is impossible for her." Lan Jing nodded in agreement. He then exined, "That brother of mine is a heavenly genius that the world can only see one for every century. He always told me that he was developing a technique where it''s possible for one''s cultivation to be transferred to someone else that possesses the same bloodline. I guess hepleted it. Sigh¡­ no wonder she couldpletely hide her cultivation from my senses.


    Come to think of it, even the condition of Lu Zhen is also the same. I wonder whether he is also a demigod."


    "C''mon, Master. Don''t joke around. If he was, then, there''s no need for him to ask your help." Li Cheng was already shocked that Lan Jingyi is a demigod. His heart cannot handle it if her son turns out to be one too.


    Lan Jing let out augh and finally rose to his feet, then, dusted his clothes, "Let''s go."


    Soon, the duo went in the direction of their kingdom as if this incident didn''t happen at all.


    <strong>Meanwhile, back at Genesis Weapon Store;</strong>


    The store continued the business as usual. Song Yue found Mark was in very good spirits for some reason.


    "Oh C''mon, not a wall game again,"ined Mark as all the tiles were drawn. Instead of working, they are ying Mahjong. Mark, Song Yue, Allen, and Chang Bo were ying while Alina just sat behind his master and quietly read her book.


    There are no stakes in the game but as Mark announced that each game winner will get 10 gold coins as a reward, Chang Bo was more than motivated enough to y with enthusiasm, although treating it as work instead of ytime.


    Song Yue couldn''t help but wonder whether it is because of the two gentlemen who bought more than 10k gold coins worth of weapons.


    Unknown to her, Mark wasn''t celebrating because of the money. It''s because of the big hurdle he almost crossed because of those two.


    Toplete the hidden quest and awaken the second spirit path, he needed to aplish several tasks. One of them is to sell at least one weapon of every model. As it will take weeks to do it, he ns on letting Chang Bo or Song Yue do it for him and face the loss of money.


    But, now, only the howitzer, the advanced C4 model, LMV, and Destroyer were left to sell. The only issue is who can he sell these powerful advanced weapons to? In Mark''s view, only three customers might be eligible. First, Emperor Shang. Second, King Shen. And third, Prince Feng.


    As for why the second prince isn''t eligible, it is because he isn''t an independent leader like those three. He can always be ordered by the Supreme Commander or the Emperor to hand over the weapon or to use it for their purposes.


    Slowly, the time passed away, and the sunset arrived but the princess never returned for the rest of the working hours.


    In the evening, Chang Bo was invited to dinner and ate Alina''s food with everyone. He returned home with a satisfactory smile on his face.

 Chapter 250 Trouble For Mark?

    Once he left and the store was closed, Song Yue finally realized that they were alone. As for Alina and Allen, she knew that they aren''t humans and could no longer bring herself to look at them as humans as she did before.


    During thest night, her emotions were unstable. So, she didn''t think too much about it but now, as her emotions were stable, she suddenly remembered that she was living alone with a man, a particrly handsome one at that. Her heartbeat couldn''t help but beat wildly due to nervousness.


    Thankfully, Mark was the same as before. That eased her up a lot. Slowly, they became busier with normal talks, although it''s just mostly Mark telling her about his adventure in the Western Moon kingdom.


    "As they are almost at the end of their conversation with the clock hitting 10 p.m., Song Yue put forth a sudden request.


    "Eh? You want to train in firearms?" Mark was slightly surprised at first but then he thought that she was trying to get stronger now that she was on her own.


    "Great Grandpa gave me some weapons he bought here," replied Song Yue. She added, "There''s also a Panzer, which I want to master more than anything else."


    Mark didn''t give too much thought and nodded right away, "Alright. We can train in the early morning for two hours daily."


    "That''s great. Thank you, Owner Lu." As Song Yue let out a smile, Mark waved his hands with a smile, "we aren''t at working hours. You can be less formal and call me by my name. Not to mention, we are getting engaged. It is the least we can¡­ Hmm, what happened?"


    Song Yue''s face turned red as her legs suddenly became restless. "Nothing, I was just tired."


    "Ah, Sorry¡­" Mark apologized and suggested that she should go and have some sleep. As she returned to her room and locked the door, she ced her hand on her chest. Her heartbeat spiked up for a few moments before she scolded herself. "What are you getting embarrassed for such a simple statement, you idiot. It''s not like you are a little girl. "


    Taking a deep breath, she went to bed to sleep.


    <strong>Three dayster;</strong>


    During the past couple of days, the news about Song Yue''s stay with Mark was spread all over the city. As the Song n cannot take her away by force, the elders opted for damage control.


    They created a new rumor based on past events. Now, ording to the story cooked up by the Song n, Mark and Song Yue fell in love at some point after the public trial.


    Due to his enmity with Mark, Song Yun didn''t agree with their rtionship. As a result, Song Yue eloped in the middle of the night, ten days ago and since then, she was staying with her lover.


    The silence of Song Yue and Mark on this rumor turned into a fact. And this piece of news brought mixed reactions from the public. Themoners supported the couple, stating that the boundary between amoner and a noble cannot stop love.


    Some noble ns like Ji n, Zhang n, and Nie n were infuriated that Mark is getting bolder day after day. The Emperor stated his neutrality but secretly blessed them in his heart. After all, Song Yue was also like his daughter.


    As for the four princes, the crown prince doesn''t care because Song Yue no longer has any value without the backing of her n. The Second Prince doesn''t interfere in the matters of others but he treats Mark as a valuable partner and to some extent, as a friend. So, he is naturally happy for Song Yue.


    The third prince is currently out of the Empire for diplomatic reasons and the fourth prince has nothing to do with either of them.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>Song Yun''s residence, Imperial City;</strong>


    Song Yun was having a morning tea with an elder named Song Mu who was the strongest in the n (excluding Song Tai) prior to Song Yun''s breakthrough.


    "If you ask my opinion, Lord Song, as the Patriarch of the n, you made the right choice but as a father, you are the worst," said Song Mu and calmly took a sip.


    Song Yun clenched his fist with a frustrated look on his face, "If only that damn Lu Zhen doesn''t exist, everything would have gone well for us."


    Song Mu shook his head and said, "Right now, you shouldn''t think about him but focus on internal matters. You know that your elder brother, Song Chang is vying for your position for a long time and he was bitter about the fact that he was forced to step down.


    Since you are an Exalt realm Spirit Warrior, the elders won''t be going against you but your brother won''t lie down. Before he makes some idiotic mistake that threatens our position in the Empire, you should¡­ Hmmm¡­"


    Before he finished with his suggestion, a lightning sparrow stopped beside them like a sh of lightning, taking them by surprise.


    It let out a chirp and dropped a heavy scroll from its tiny back. It fell right on the table. As both of their attention momentarily shifted to the scroll, the sparrow flew away at the speed of sound.


    "What is this? A message from someone?" asked Song Mu.


    "I guess." Song Yun opened the scroll only to see beautiful calligraphy in the form of an invitation. As he read the details, Song Yun''s expression changed from puzzled to anger and he couldn''t help but burn it with his ether energy.


    "I will not leave him alive¡­" Feeling as if he was being mocked by Mark for being invited to his own daughter''s ceremony, Song Yun lost his senses for a moment before the elder stopped him with reasoning. "Stop it. If you go ahead, the Song n won''t support your decision and you will lose everything. Think calmly for a second, Lord Song. Even you know that you can''t beat him. Even if you return alive because of mercy, Song Chang will make sure to bring you down. Tell me. What will you gain from this? Instead, you will only be the loser."


    Song Yun snarled at him, "So, you want me to ept him as my son-inw and admit my defeat like a coward?"


    Elder Song Mu didn''t take offense to Song Yun''s tone. He calmly replied, "All I''m telling that it is bad for you if you confront him head-on. I didn''t say that you can leave him without giving any trouble."


    "What do you mean?" asked Song Yun as he frowned. He couldn''t understand what this old man was trying to suggest.


    Song Mu reminded him of his newest ally, "It is a fact that you were forced to annul the engagement due to Ancestor''s interference. But, it is only known to us. Because of the rumor, people think that you annulled it because Lu Zhen is stronger. If you can make the Ji n think the same, then, they could retaliate against Lu Zhen to take back their daughter-inw as you have yet to pay thempensation for going back on your word."


    Song Yun thought for a bit and rejected the idea, "Ji n was weak. The only reason I wanted to form an alliance with them was because of the Western Yan''s strategic location and their status as one of the twelve major noble ns of the Empire. They don''t have the power to defeat Lu Zhen."


    "You forgot about the Church of Nuwa, Lord Song."

 Chapter 251 Thats Classified

    The elder appeared to have thought of everything beforehand. Maybe, his real intention to meet Song Yun was to involve that outcast Church, all along.


    Song Mu continued to exin, "Lu Zhen has a beast Emperor in its infant stage. Church of Nuwa appears to think that beast emperors bring cmities to the region they were in like the Great Dungeon break, three decades ago.


    If we can convince the Ji n and give a little bit of push, the church of Nuwa might be roped in.


    And here''s something that you would love even more. ording to Shen Qiu who ruled as Shen Niu for the past decade, Lu Zhen had killed an elder of the Church of Doom in the process of reinstating Shen Niu as the King once again. It was hard for us to contact them directly but at the very least, we can expect that they are furious.


    The only problem is that the members of both organizations aren''t allowed to step inside the Imperial City. So, they have to be smuggled inside the city without alerting anyone."


    Song Yun seriously considered his n and even was excited for a moment but there''s also one thought that lingered in his mind. What if it fails? Song n might even be extinct for real. After all, this will incite the anger from the Emperor.


    As he voiced his thoughts, Elder Song Mu only told him that the risk have to be faced by Song Yun alone and the n cannot be involved in his personal feud. However, Song Mu assured of providing assistance behind the scenes.


    Song Yun, who was driven by revenge, agreed to the n. With only three days till the engagement ceremony, he felt like there was little time and prepared for his travel.


    Meanwhile, at Lin Mansion, Allen arrived with the invitation.


    Surprisingly, the guards weed him politely and took him to the Minister of Personnel. Lin Xue was also with him. She was more than happy to see him after three days. However, at the moment, she stood silently behind her father.


    "So, you are the sparring partner of my daughter?" asked Lin Wuying as he attempted to sense Allen''s cultivation, facing a failure. This is the first time they met each other in person. Allen''s handsome features brought displeasure to Lin Wuying as he was worried that his daughter will fall in love with him. He doesn''t want the whole Mark-Song n saga to repeat with him with Allen.


    Allen responded without a change in his expression, "Yes. It was my master''s order."


    Lin Wuying then asked, "Where are you from, Allen?"


    If it was the previous him, he would give an answer like he''s from Genesis Store but now, he was more aware of how to answer questions like these. As a result, he replied, "That''s ssified."


    "ssified?" Lin Wuying naturally was surprised. He probed into his origins further, "Your name sounds too different and so was your haircut. I heard that you are from faraway inds. Do people there have simr names as you?"


    "That''s ssified," replied Allen once again.


    "What is your exact realm?"


    "That''s ssified."


    "Why is your surname in the end?"


    "That''s ssified."


    "How do you know Lu Zhen?"


    "That''s ssified."


    "Who is Lu Zhen''s master?"


    "That''s ssified."


    "Who is your weapon''s manufacturer?"


    "That''s ssified."<sub> </sub>


    As Allen continued to give the same answer to the questions, which are restricted ones in his opinion, Lin Wuying started to get annoyed.


    In the end, he thought carefully and asked, "What about that woman? Both of you have the samest name. Are you siblings?"


    "That''s ssi¡­" Allen almost gave the same answer before he paused and corrected himself, "Yes, she''s my younger sister."


    "You¡­" As Lin Wuying was ticked off by Allen''s tongue slip, Lin Xue grinned behind her father. In fact, she was the one who taught him to utter those words to any question that is difficult to answer because it might displease his master.


    Seeing that Allen waspletely refusing to answer any questions that Lin Wuying couldn''t find it using his resources, thetter no longer cared about it and extended his hand, "Give it."


    As Allen handed him the invitation, Lin Wuying said, "Give your master my reply. Due to theplex political circumstances, the Lin n would like to stay away from this matter until things cool down. So, we wouldn''t personally attend the engagement ceremony, and neither would Lin Xue visit the store for sparring sessions.


    But, we would sure send an attendant with a gift and our blessings. Tell him to not take it as an offense and understand our position."


    Allen appeared to be a bit surprised at first, not because of their rejection of the invitation but at the thought of not getting to spar with her or even see her for a while. However, he didn''t ask for any exnation of theseplex political circumstances and nodded in understanding.


    Soon, he said goodbye to Lin Xue and proceeded to return to the store not being aware that Lin Xue was only keeping a facade in her father''s presence. Inside, she was frustrated to be restricted by some situation. But, for the sake of the n, she had to endure it.


    At the same time, the situation is somewhat different in the Imperial Pce, where Alina made a visit with the invitation to present it to the Emperor, the second Queen Consort, and their two kids. Usually, an engagement/wedding invitation would be for the family but here, it was quite selective.


    Honestly, he would rather not invite them of all the people but he gave his words when Lan Jingyi told him that they would surely attend for Song Yue''s sake. He was fine with no one toe for him but at the very least, Mark wanted Song Yue to be happy.


    Following the rules, Alina stated her reason to the guards, who informed their superiors, who then passed the information to their superiors, eventually, leading her to enter the pce and wait in one of the meeting chambers.


    Surprisingly, the crown prince entered the chamber instead of the Emperor whom she requested to meet.


    As the crown prince saw her, his eyes lit up and lust could be seen in his eyes as he greeted her, "Hello there, beautifuldy. I apologize for letting you wait. I must say that your beauty exceeds what I heard from the rumors."


    As a higher-ranking Android, Alina has more human expressions and thinking than Allen. She frowned in response to his greeting, "I don''t remember requesting a meeting with you, Prince Zexi."


    "I''m the crown prince of the Phoenix Empire and also its future Emperor, Lady Alina. Meeting me is the same as meeting my father." Shang Zexi unted his status to her and then, suddenly changed the topic as he walked toward her, "by the way, I''m really curious about something. How does a perfect beauty with great strength like you end up a servant for Lu Zhen? Even nobles and princes would queue up before you to marry you."


    His intentions were pretty clear to Alina but the fact that he was bold in the first meeting even after he was being punished by the Emperor just a while ago shows the arrogance that came from his crown prince status. Alina had little patience, to begin with.


    Feeling that he was wasting her time, she spoke coldly, "My master gave me the task to deliver the invitation to either the Emperor or Queen Consort Lan or Princess Jiao. You are neither of them and I don''t have any time to chitchat with other parties. Either you can go and bring one of them or I will find them on my own."


    "You are really like a wild cat, huh,"mented the Crown Prince who is above forty and looks older than his age but still in an illusion that he can charm anydy that he wants, especially if thedy is someone without any powerful background.


    And Alina finally snapped. She disappeared from her spot and appeared behind the crown prince, taking him by surprise with a dagger pressing on his throat.


    "You, what are you doing?" Shang Zexi''s eyes were widened by her response. He felt like he didn''t say anything that she can take offense to her heart.


    Alina then gave a warning, "Learn to control your tongue, or else, you might find it missing all of sudden as you wake up in the morning."


    The crown prince was in a 6-circle realm but at the moment, he couldn''t even muster up his strength to resist her. In the end, he just nodded and apologized, "Sorry¡­"


    Alina retracted her dagger and left the room, eventually teleporting to Shang Jiao''s room and giving her the invitation.

 Chapter 252 The Devils Hand

    <strong>Genesis Weapon store, Imperial City;</strong>


    "Here is the remaining payment." Mark handed about 19 pouches filled with 5000 gold coins in each and another pouch with 145 gold coins to Merchant Zheng Ha upon receiving the goods.


    Adding 30k gold coins of advance payment, Mark had given him about 125145 gold coins in total, of which the order is 121,500 gold coins. The remaining 3645 gold coins are Zheng Ha''smission fee.


    The merchant was very happy to score it big and felt like his hard work had paid off. On the other hand, Mark''s wealth dropped down to below 100k for the first time since he had extorted that amount from the noble ns.


    Fortunately, there are still pending orders, and once they arepleted, his unounted money will not only turn into his official wealth but also increase further after the remaining amount is being paid.


    Either way, it doesn''t matter to Mark at the moment as his mind was preupied with something else.


    After their transaction is over, except for 300 barrels of oil, which is a continuous supply every week, Mark then gave the invitation to the merchant.


    Like others, Zheng Ha also heard of the rumors of Mark and Song Yue''s love story. So, he wasn''t that surprised at the news of their engagement ceremony and expressed his joy, "Thank you for the invitation, Owner Lu. I will surely attend."


    Once the merchant left the store, Mark kept both of the storage rings, one that contained the materials and the other that contained the barrels of oil, in his inventory and continued his business.


    Roughly about an hourter, Alina returned and reported to Mark that she had handed the invitation directly to Shang Jiao as she couldn''t meet the Emperor or the Queen consort. She didn''t also forget to mention her encounter with the crown prince.


    Mark frowned in displeasure when he heard that. He already had a bad impression of the crown prince who dragged him to the public trial. His impression worsened and decided to teach his eldest half-brother a lesson in the future.


    On the other hand, Song Yue didn''t think too much about it. Maybe, it is due to the fact that she is aware of Shang Zexi''s worse personality or maybe, she was unconsciously thinking that Alina is a puppet and wasn''t a matter of concern.


    Whatever the case, she didn''tment on the matter and directly asked what she was curious about. "Then, did you find out why she was absent for the past three days?"


    Mark put aside his thoughts on the crown prince and looked at Alina. After all, he needed to know whether his sister heard something or not. Thetter answered, "Princess Jiao said that she was grounded for a week for disobedience."


    Mark doesn''t know what to think of that excuse but he wouldn''t mind if she doesn''te to the store anyway. He simply nodded, "alright."


    Meanwhile, Song Yue was slightly disappointed as she nodded in understanding, "I see¡­"


    Another 10 minutester, Allen returned with a message from Lin Wuying. Song Yue was once again disappointed, this time it is not only because she missed her best friend''s presence but she was also a little bit guilty for bringing trouble to Lin Xue.


    Slowly, the time passed and the lunch break arrived.


    After everyone ate together like a family, Mark stayed behind while the others returned downstairs to resume the business. Of course, just before they left, he didn''t forget to absorb 3 points of luck from Chang Bo.


    Once he was left alone upstairs apart from the sleeping cat and the manticore, he returned to his room and quickly opened the Lottery Wheel as he had already wasted more than ny seconds since he absorbed the luck points.


    The lottery wheel, at present, had only three items left with the rest of the 18 spaces empty. But, having a failure is no longer possible because of the current 10 luck points.


    [Peak potion] [Reconnaissance Satellite] [Light Combat Aircraft]


    "Here we go¡­"


    Hoping to acquire the peak potion, Mark pressed on the spin. 300 credits were deducted from his ount and the wheel started spinning. He had great expectations to get that potion so that he can finish his inheritance but as the wheel stopped, he couldn''t but let out a sigh.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won Light Combat Aircraft. The item has been sent to your inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked R-73 air-to-air missile</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the S-13 rocket (120mm)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the S-25 rocket (Air to ground)</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked ZB-500 bombs (incendiary free-fall bombs)</strong>


    "Sigh¡­ Lightbat aircraft aren''t that strong. They mostly have subsonic speeds and are usually equipped with bombs, gun pods, and short-range missiles. Not to mention, I need to build a runway for them."


    Mark would be happy with it if he received it at any time but at the moment, it wasn''t what he needed the most and he definitely wasn''t that pleased as he would have to wait for another week.


    But then again, since he had already received a free gift, it wouldn''t hurt to look at its details.


    <strong>"Open inventory."</strong>


    Mark clicked on the image of an aircraft. The details appeared on a new screen and he was dumbfounded for a moment.


    *


    <strong>Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ¨C Yak 130 </strong>


    Grade: N/A


    GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:


    Crew: 2


    Length: 11.49 m (37 ft 8 in)


    Wingspan: 9.84 m (32 ft 3 in)<sub> </sub>


    Height: 4.76 m (15 ft 7 in)


    Wing area: 23.52 m2 (253.2 sq ft)


    Empty weight: 4,600 kg


    Gross weight: 7,250 kg


    Max takeoff weight: 10,290 kg


    <strong>PERFORMANCE</strong>:


    Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h


    Cruise speed: 887 km/h


    Stall speed: 165 km/h


    Range: 2,100 km


    Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)


    Rate of climb: 65 m/s (12,800 ft/min)


    Fuel capacity: 2246 liters


    Fuel consumption: 2173 liters/hour (diesel), 3622 liters/hour (gasoline), 24146 liters/hour (vegetable oil)


    <strong>ARMAMENT</strong>:


    Hardpoints: 9 (1 on each wingtip, 3 under each wing, and 1 under the fusge) with a capacity of up to 3,000 kg.


    Autocannon 20mm (x1), R-73 missile (x2), S-13 rocket (x2), S-25 rocket (x2), and ZB-500 incendiary bombs (x2)


    Additional attachments: Avable


    Maximum effective range (100% uracy): 20km (R-73 missile), 3km (S-13 rocket), 3 km (S-25 rocket)


    Absolute range: 40km


    Storage chamber: No


    Description: A lightbat aircraft capable of going at subsonic speeds and is powerful enough to eradicate every enemy under peak stage of 7-circle with one shot.


    <strong>PRICE: 50000 gold coins</strong>


    *


    "It''s a fuc*ing mass-produced one." Mark couldn''t help but yelp in surprise as he had only expected another ether weapon. The thought of a mass-produced one never crossed his mind because so far, the system only gave him ether weapons from the lottery wheel.


    Mark wasn''t any happier than now. All of his earlier displeasure was gone from him only to be reced by excitement. Perhaps, the only issue left for him is to look for the right buyer with such a huge price but he would just think about itter and enjoy the present.


    "Anyway, let''s continue with the next one." Mark closed down the lottery wheel and opened the Statue of Velkazar for a free blessing. Without any expectations, he clicked on the worship button.


    The statue on the interface glowed for a couple of seconds before giving him a reward.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you received a random skill upgrade as a blessing from the statue of the Divine Dragon, Velkazar.


    <strong>*Ding! Dismantling has been upgraded to ''The Devil''s Hand''</strong>


    <strong>The Devil''s Hand:</strong> Dismantle any object that you can touch and exchange in equivalent credits. And in case the object has an owner (bound to one''s soul), then, you get 50% of equivalent credits as long as it is below Mythril grade (i.e. Semi divine and below). Cost: 0 ether points, CD: 0 seconds.


    Mark''s eyes once again lit up and he clenched his fist to control his excitement, "Yes, first, LCA, and then, an OP skill. 10 points of luck didn''t disappoint me, after all. Now, I have found another way to earn gold coins/credits. Hmm, I wonder if I can just dismantle Allen''s divine sword Aries. Even if it is bound to his soul, considering it is of Celestial grade, at the very least, I could earn atleast 50 million credits."


    As soon as the thought appeared in his head, a response came from the system right away.


    <strong>*Ding! The host cannot dismantle the items that are bound to the host, Androids, or the system.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! If the host is interested to earn credits, the host can sell Allen along with the divine sword as a package for 100 million credits/meteor missiles. </strong>


    "But, I have already lost the battle tank though."


    <strong>*Ding! Battle Tank-V will be returned. Do you wish to proceed with the exchange?</strong>


    "Stop being ridiculous, there''s no way I would give up Allen. I was just thinking," scoffed Mark as he instantly rejected its offer. For some reason, he had a strong feeling that it won''t be thest time the system will try to make him sell the male Android.


    System: ''¡­''

 Chapter 253 Making Gunpowder

    <strong>Mark''s factory</strong>


    Level: 3 (EXP: 250/1000)


    Avable machines: A drill press (3); a welder (3); a milling machine (3); athe (3); Cupping Press (1); Draw Press (1); Transfer Press (1); Bullet Assembly Press (1); Primer, loading and packaging (1)


    Assistant Robots: 3


    Avable time: 29 minutes (max: 30 minutes)


    Cooldown: 24 hours


    Weapon Analysis


    Testing Grounds


    <<< Go >>>


    <strong>*Ding! You have entered Mark''s factory. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! All of your skills along with Familiars'' inventory are locked.</strong>


    Upon entering the factory located in his own mindscape, Mark was greeted by the sight of a familiar robot along with the required equipment. The level-3 factory is now the size of arge living room with three sets of equipment


    He started taking out the wooden boxes filled with some of the materials like 100kg of powdered brimstone (sulfur), 150kg of charcoal powder, and 1000 kg of saltpeter (potassium nitrate). A huge pile of wooden boxes formed in the corner of the room.


    "Okay, for the gunpowder, the mixture ratio should be 74.8% saltpeter, 13.3% charcoal, and 11.9% sulfur." Mark simply wrote the instructors on a paper and passed the ingredients to the robot to do all the manual work. As it does the work with pinpoint uracy, he wouldn''t need to worry about errors.


    While the robots started working on the ck powder, Mark returned to the real world and went downstairs to join everyone else.


    The afternoon business was as bleak as usual. Mark cannot do anything about it. So, he did what he had to do to get rid of his boredom. How? By forcing everyone to y Mahjong with him. Of course, this time, it was just to pass the time and no money was ced as a reward or anything.


    Because Song Yue was happy spending time with Mark and Chang Bo like having a normal life, Allen was too loyal, and Chang Bo was too grateful for earning his keep with less work, the atmosphere didn''t look like Mark is abusing his power as the boss of the store.


    Eventually, the sunset arrived and the store became busy during the evening hours. While thebined transactions only amounted to 360 gold coins, the new customers were 12 of them, a satisfying number for Mark.


    Once the store is closed and Chang Bo left for his home after having dinner with everyone, Mark and Song Yue returned to their respective rooms. While Song Yue went into afortable sleep, Mark sat on the floor in the lotus position.


    He proceeded with taking out a 1500-carat ether ore, which weighs 300gm and is very rich in ether.


    <strong>Ether Ore</strong>


    Weight: 1542 carat


    Quality: High


    Description: An unpolished ether ore, which contains unrefined ether energy.


    "Okay, let''s see how much I would be able to increase my EP (ether points). As long as I can get more than 30k, I will be satisfied."


    Mark closed his eyes and started absorbing the ether energy from the ore. His ether points are rising at an rming rate. Roughly after six hours of continuous absorption, the scarlet ore turned white and he received the notification.


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed high-quality ether ore (1542 carat). Ether energy has been increased by 44718 points.</strong>


    He slowly opened his eyes with a smile on his face, "Good, now, let''s continue."


    Mark then proceeded to absorb those ether crystals (mid-quality) that his maternal granduncle paid him for the weapons he bought to demonstrate to the king of the Eastern Sun kingdom.


    Of the 106 crystals he received, the system took its share and handed him the remaining 63 crystals. Each one is a polished one and gave him 50 ether points. As a result, his ether energy was increased by 3150 points more.


    "System, Open Character stats"


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 5


    Strength: 1.5


    Intelligence: 5.2 (+1)


    Defense: 5


    Agility: 1.6


    Vitality: 2.1


    Resistance: 1.1


    Charisma: 9


    Luck: 2+5


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice, and Space (locked);


    Spirit path: Summoner


    Ether quality: High<sub> </sub>


    Ether energy: 114,303


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II, Thunderst, Lightning Clone, Seal Breaker, and The Devil''s Hand


    Bloodline skills: Absolute freezing, Ice bolt


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Lifespan limit: 175 (150 years left)


    Avable credits: 1480


    Avable Credit limit: 35000 (out of 160,000)


    Net worth: 92,115 gold coins, 18 silver coins


    Total Debt: 185,586 gold coins; 1598 ether crystals (low)


    Credit debt: 125,000 (+877) [Equivalent to 625000 gold coins (+4385 gold coins)]


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>ACTIVE:</strong>


    <strong>The Devil''s Hand:</strong> Dismantle any object that you can touch and exchange in equivalent credits. And in case the object has an owner (bound to one''s soul), then, you get 50% of equivalent credits as long as it is below Mythril grade (i.e. Semi divine and below). Cost: 0 ether points, CD: 0 seconds.


    <strong>Sage eyes:</strong> Allows the user to inspect any non-living thing or living thing and find their details.


    <strong>Thunderst:</strong> Summon a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike down the enemy with 150% attack power. Cost: 50% ether. CD: 60min.


    <strong>Seal Breaker:</strong> Allows the user to remove any seal under ancient grade.


    <strong>Lightning Clone:</strong> Create a clone made of lightning attribute and ether energy, controlling it like a puppet from distance. Cost: 1% ether energy/second. Range: 500 meters. CD: 0 seconds. Effect: The strength of the clone will be one whole realm above the highest stat of the user during the time of unleashing the skill (Max stat: 10.9). The clone will release an enormous amount of energy upon being destroyed, causing serious damage to the enemies standing nearby. In that case, the user cannot resummon the clone for the next 12 hours.


    <strong>PASSIVE:</strong>


    Ultimate Defense I: By Default, the store is invincible under the heavens and cannot be damaged by anyone under the Demigod realm


    Ultimate Defense II: Within the store, the host cannot be harmed by anyone under the demigod realm. The host cannot also be dragged outside against his will.


    <strong>BLOODLINE SKILLS:</strong>


    <strong>Absolute Freezing:</strong> Freeze your surroundings for 120 seconds. Range: 200m. Cost: 10000 EP. CD: 30min.


    <strong>Ice bolt:</strong> Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy at any time tounch them at your enemies with 100% power. Anything that gets pierced will be frozen. Cost: 20% ether. CD: 0 sec. Note: The user canunch only one spear. Range: 200m


    <strong>AVAILABLE WEAPONS FOR SALE:</strong>


    Single-shot Pistol; Revolver; P365 (10 rounds); P226 (20 rounds); R.I.P. 9mm; Light tank ¨C Sd.Kfz. (Panzer); Eight types of Grenade; Falling block rifle; Contender; M-99 Sniper Rifle; Rocketuncher- Pzf 3-IT600; Self-propelled Howitzer- Pzh 2000; Chimera-SMG; 12 models of assault rifle; 8 models of Lever action rifle; 8 models of bolt action rifle; Kidd-ss Destroyer (warship); Ether pistol; C4 (basic); C4 (advanced); Chimera SGM; VTLM2-NEC (Light Multirole Vehicle); Yak 130 (Lightbat aircraft);


    <strong>UNLOCKED EXCLUSIVE WEAPONS: </strong>Derringer; Shotgun; Grenade Launcher; Panzer-IV; Light Artillery Rocket System;


    **


    "Man¡­ that was some heavy debt. It''s only been a week and the interest is already crossed 4000 gold coins. Even if all the pending orders are fulfilled and I pay all of my wealth, I won''t be able to be debt-free. I guess I should sell some of my strongest weapons.


    But then again, I have to sell atleast one model of the mass-produced item anyway. I might as well look for the buyer. Feng Wu owes me and couldn''t afford expensive items or their maintenance even after he reims his kingdom. That darn biological father of mine could buy it but I don''t want to give it to him.


    I guess it leaves with only one choice, King Shen Niu. He is rich and also needs my support. He will happily buy them and I will also have no problem selling them to him. Hmm, wait a second¡­"


    As Mark suddenly remembered his granduncle, he realized that he has one more potential buyer. "That''s right. The Kingdom of Eastern Sun is known to be sitting on 20% of the gold reserves. They might have issues with the surrounding Empires of Leon and Qilin. If I upgrade their security with Howitzers, then, I might draw the attention of the northern empires and strike some kind of deal with them too.


    Since Western Moon has so many inds in its control and has quite a lengthy shore, I should sell them a couple of Destroyers. As for the LCA, Hmm¡­ perhaps, I should have a talk with Shang Fu to change our deal. After all, I don''t have any attack helicopters.


    Anyway, let''s go and check on the work progress."


    <strong>"Open, Mark''s factory"</strong>


    His spirit entered the factory inside his mindscape and dozens of wood boxes were piled in one corner and others filled with about 380 kg of saltpeter and about 40 kg of charcoal powder in another corner.


    One of the 9ft robots, which stood there like a statue for hours, turned toward him as soon as he entered the ce. It bowed, "The work has been done."


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully created gunpowder. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You earned 100 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to sell the form to the system and make it avable for mass production in exchange for 100 credits?</strong>


    "Even this can be sold?" Mark wondered out loud.


    <strong>*Ding! Ignite it in a confined space and see it for yourself if it does nothing.</strong>


    "No thanks." Mark scoffed at the system''s sarcastic remark and then, proceeded to ask, "If I sell the prototype to you, how much will it cost to buy it from you when I create it in the future?"


    <strong>*Ding! 6 silver coins per 100 gm.</strong>


    "Oh, that''s not bad, actually." Mark pondered on it.

 Chapter 254 Unlocking The Mine

    There''s roughly about 830kg of gunpowder in front of him. Excluding the remaining goods, just buying the three of them cost him about 1500 gold coins. However, it will only take one-third cost if he could buy it from the system.


    This is probably the first time he actually gets to see that the system is offering cheaper than outside the world. After all, ording to its policy, the rarer the item is, the costlier it should be. Does that mean gunpowder isn''t a rare item?


    When Mark thought about it for a moment, it made sense to him. After all, the ingredients he used were all avable in bulk in nature and being utilized for various purposes in this world. He knew that people would try to reverse engineer his weapons.


    At the very least, he knew that someone will surely find the process of making the bullet. However, smokeless powder is tough to crack. So, some alchemists will try to use recements. It only means that sooner orter, gunpowder will be invented.


    When people realize the value of these materials, their price will go up and so would be the cost of making gunpowder.


    So, Mark thought that he might as well depend on the system to procure the ssic gunpowder for a cheaper version of the bullet.


    And with buying from the system, each 9mm bullet will take only around 5 grains (~0.32 grams) of gunpowder. That means 100 gm would be sufficient for 300 bullets. Now, it''s time to produce the remaining three parts of the ammo: the bullet, the case, and the primer.


    He doesn''t have too many machines for fast mass production. So, 200 thousand of bullets order made by Feng Wu might take some time. That''s why he only tasked one of the robots to mass-produce them as much as possible while the remaining two will work on his designs toplete one of the conditions of the quest for the second Spirit Path.


    He handed over the detailed designs of the parts required for the remaining Tigon series weapons (except for the rocketuncher and howitzer) as well as the instructions and almost all the materials i.e. 100kg of lead, 100 kg of tin, 100kg of brass, 1ton of copper, 100 kg of Herculean steel. He only withheld Damascus tungsten in his inventory as this high-density material was of no use in making firearms.


    He wanted to use it in making a missile but that requires heavy work and high-end equipment, which he can acquire once the Factory reaches a higher level. So, it was left for the future.


    Once he stored all of the wooden boxes filled with gunpowder in his inventory, Mark returned to the real world and proceeded to sleep.


    <strong>The next day evening;</strong>


    "Open Mark''s factory"


    Unlike thest time with Chimera SGM, Mark didn''t bother to assemble the parts himself and already passed the instructions to the robots to do the work before he left.


    As a result, he was greeted with the sight of eight shiny weapons neatly ced on the desk. Two of the robots bowed to him and reported to him thepletion of the work while the remaining one is busy with the process of making the 9mm lead bullets with copper casing (gunpowder version).


    Mark ignored it for a second and ced his entire attention on the weapons. Actually, they were only assembled. There are still two steps left. If there''s an error in his design and receives a poor rating from the system, then, he should redo the design process and it will take a toll on his brain.


    However, he was confident that it won''t happen. After all, these designs weren''t created just now. He had created prototypes in his past life. It''s just that they didn''t make it to mass production because of budget constraints,plex designs, and the avability of affordable options.


    Mark first picked up the machine pistol, capable of auto fire with high RPM just like a submachine gun. Its outer appearance resembles that of a Glock-18, although with an additional front-loaded magazine of 30-round capacity.


    With the fun switch at the top, the machine pistol can interchange from semi-automatic and automatic modes.


    The semi-automatic mode will use the rounds at the back and the auto mode will use the bullets in the front magazine.


    Down below the barrel, the torchlight can also be fixed so that it will be easier at night.


    "System, analyze the weapon."


    <strong>Tigon 1</strong>


    Type: Pistol


    Grade: N/A


    Weight (empty): 624 gm


    Caliber: 9x19mm


    Rate of Fire: 1420 rpm


    Magazine capacity: 20, 30 rounds


    Maximum effective range (100% uracy): 23 meters


    Absolute range: 58 meters


    Attachments: avable (max: 1)


    Description: A handgun that is capable of shooting automatically like a machine gun.


    Rmender stats: N/A


    System''s rating: 7.2


    Comments: The weapon is up to the standards of the system. It can be sold to customers.


    <strong>*Ding! Please proceed to the testing grounds to test the weapon.</strong>


    Mark closed down the window. Instead of directly going there, he first checked the remaining weapons


    <strong>Tigon 2 (Executioner)</strong>


    Type: Revolver


    Caliber: 12 gauge shotgun shells


    Capacity: 6 rounds


    Range: 83 meters


    System''s rating: 7.9


    **


    <strong>Tigon-3</strong>


    Type: Fusion


    Barrels: 2


    Caliber: 12 gauge shotgun shells, 40mm grenade


    Capacity: 16 rounds (shotgun), 1 round (grenade)


    Range: 576 meters


    System''s rating: 8.8


    **


    <strong>Tigon-4 (PDW-57)</strong>


    Type: submachine gun


    Caliber: 9x19mm


    Capacity: 50 rounds


    Range: 690 meters


    System''s rating: 8.2


    **


    <strong>Tigon-5</strong><sub> </sub>


    Type: Sniper rifle


    Caliber: 7.62x51mm


    Capacity: 10 rounds


    Range: 1280 meters


    System''s rating: 7.1


    **


    <strong>Tigon-5A</strong>


    Type: Sniper rifle


    Caliber: 0.50 BMG (12.7x99mm)


    Capacity: 10 rounds


    Range: 5084 meters


    System''s rating: 9.5


    **


    <strong>Tigon-2A</strong>


    Type: Revolver


    Caliber: 40mm grenades


    Capacity: 6 rounds


    Range: 62 meters


    System''s rating: 6.8


    **


    <strong>Tigon-1A</strong>


    Type: submachine


    Barrels: 3 (Gatling style)


    Caliber: 9x19mm


    Rate of Fire: 2455 rpm


    Capacity: 50 rounds


    Range: 95 meters


    System''s rating: 7.8


    **


    "System, Open Testing Ground"


    Mark''s spirit was then transported to the ce with different sections that are filled with target boards.


    The testing ground is in the shape of a sector of a circle. It is further divided into three sections. The first section is full ofnes separated by indestructible walls. This is for practicing small guns ranging from pistols to machine guns.


    As he proceeded further, he enters arger second section, which is for testing explosives like grenades or C4, and bigger weapons like a rocketuncher. The targets are randomly ced everywhere over the barrennd.


    The final section is where all kinds of habitats are located ranging from hills to a hugeke. Here, ording to the system, the target can appear at a ce where Mark wants it to be with just a thought in his mind. It is a perfect ce to testbat aircraft, missiles, destroyers, etc¡­


    Mark began to test his eight weapons of the Tigon series in the first section. The sniper rifles were tested in the third section because of higher range.


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-1. You received 200 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-2. You received 350 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-3. You received 800 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Mark''s factory leveled up.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked suppressor</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-4. You received 500 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-5. You received 400 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-5A. You received 1500 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Mark''s factory leveled up</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Scope (zoom: 20x).</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked Mining.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-2A. You received 750 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented Tigon-1A. You received 500 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to sell the designs to the system for mass production?</strong>


    "Mining? System, is that what I think it is?"


    The system confirmed his thoughts with its reply.


    <strong>*Ding! The mining function will let the host mine the rarest materials ording to the level. However, these materials are bound to the host and cannot be sold to others in any way. They can only be used for the host''s research or production of the weapons.</strong>


    "Okay, that''s cool. Let''s see what it is, right away." Mark proceeded to open the mines, putting aside the offer from the system for a moment.


    <strong>Mine</strong>


    Level: 1


    Extraction: 1gm/hr


    <<< Go >>>


    "Uh, system, what metals can I mine actually?"


    The mining function was actually different from what Mark had imagined it to be. There were no real mines like it was for the factory. Instead, there''s a lottery wheel with eight sections and each one had the image of metals that he only heard of in mythological stories orics. Fortunately, there are a couple of them that he knew from his past world.

 Chapter 255 Ether Powder

    Below the wheel, there was a spin option with 1000 credits cost. Thankfully, there was no cooldown timer.


    The eight metals are Adamantium (200 gold coins), Mithril (100 gold coins), Celestial Bronze (500 gold coins), Neosteel (60 gold coins), Orichalcum (20 gold coins), Trinium (28 gold coins), Plutonium (15 gold coins), and Radium (180 gold coins).


    Compared to the mining of these rare metals, 1000 credits cost was too cheap but the problem arrives after itnds on something.


    For example, once the arrownded on Adamantium, the mining will start with extracting 1gm of metal per hour continuously, which means Mark would be able to earn more than 8.7kg of Adamantine if he doesn''t touch the mining system for a whole year.


    However, he can''t mine them for free. Each metal has a price written on it. Adamantium costs 200 gold coins per gm. So, even if he patiently extracts 8.7 kg, Mark still has to pay more than 1.7 million gold coins. Every time he mines something, he will get charged in the form of debt. And every debt has an interest attached to it.


    "Oh, there are radioactive ones as well? But, there is no uranium? Depleted uranium would be very useful for making great ammunition. Anyway, I should worry more about the debt rather than the avability of those items.


    Of the metals, I worked with plutonium and radium. I could make radium bombs but it is a bit of a risky project. Plutonium is easier to work but to work with them, I need the proper equipment. As for the other metals, I might have to study them properly in order to use them in weapon manufacturing. When my business is done here, I will start my research. Until then, let''s keep it away.


    Anyway, let''s see what I will get."


    Depending on his 7 points of luck, Mark proceeded to click on the spin.


    The wheel spun for a while before it stopped on a cheap one.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you unlocked Trinium ore. Proceed with the extraction or spin again with half the price (500 credits)?</strong>


    "Proceed with the extraction," replied Mark.


    The section with Trinium metal was painted sky blue, indicating that the process started in the background.


    Mark closed down the window and shifted his attention back to the weapons. He then asked, "System, what is your offer for the weapon''s prototypes?"


    The system responded immediately.


    *Tigon 1 ¨C 1000 credits


    *Tigon 2 ¨C 500 credits


    *Tigon 3 ¨C 5000 credits


    *Tigon 4 ¨C 10000 credits


    *Tigon 5 ¨C 2000 credits


    *Tigon 5A ¨C 8000 credits


    *Tigon 2A ¨C 800 credits


    *Tigon 1A ¨C 2000 credits


    "So, a total of 29300 credits, huh! It is less than what I expected." Mark was a little bit unsatisfied with the offer but the system was ready to give its exnation.


    <strong>*Ding! Credits are offered based on how unique the innovation ispared to normal weapons, howplex its design is, and how powerful it can be.</strong>


    Mark readily understood what the system was trying to tell but he didn''t mind it either way. After all, he designed those weapons for only one purpose, which is to finish the main quest-III and receive an ether weapon. Considering how the system had recognized gunpowder as a type of weapon, he now hadpleted those ten weapon designs.


    However, he wouldn''t sell them to the system, right away, as the mandatory quest of getting the second spirit path will require him to sell one of each type of weapon in the gallery except for exclusive ones.


    Why should he add eight more and make the quest more difficult? Thinking that way, Mark quietly kept all of them in his inventory and decided to sell them at ater date.


    After exiting the testing ground, Mark''s spirit returned to the factory where the other two robots also joined the third one in mass-producing the bullets.


    Until now, about two boxes were filled (~3000), and it will take a few days forpletion but Mark also knew that 100 kg of lead will not be enough for 200,000. He only ced less amount of lead as an order because he doesn''t know the price. Now that he knew that Lead bse very cheap in this world too (42 silver coins per 1 kg b), mainly because of its usage for nothing but paintings to everyone else, he decided to make a big order, soon enough.


    "Okay then, let''s finish the main quest, right away." Mark proceeded to take one of the 9mm bullets and let the system analyze it too.


    *


    <strong>Lead bullet</strong>


    Type: ammunition


    Caliber: 9x19mm


    Description: A cheaper version of the system''s tungsten/lead bullet. The 9mm bullet is powerful enough to kill a civilian and can injure a 1-circle realm Spirit Warrior.


    System''s rating: 9.1


    And to test the bullet, he doesn''t need to go to the testing grounds. He just took out the ether pistol and ced one bullet in the cylindrical chamber and shot at his whole hand from point-nk range. With 5 points of defense, he wasn''t worried about getting injured by a 9mm bullet.


    *Bang*


    Because of the ck powder, a bit of smoke escaped from the gun while his hand stung slightly. As for the bullet, it bounced off and fell on the ground just like the cartridge.


    Looking at his palm where a slight ting of redness appeared, Mark nodded in satisfaction, "alright."


    <strong>*Ding! You sessfully invented the Lead bullet (9x19mm). You received 100 experience points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the main quest III. Go to the quest list to im the rewards. </strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to sell the prototype (copyrights) to the system for 100 credits?</strong>


    "And how much the system will sell it to the public?" asked Mark in response.


    <strong>*Ding! 8 silver coins per each.</strong>


    "No," Mark rejected it right away upon reading the rmended price. He knew that the system gave a higher price because a bullet is rare in the world and only he can make it properly unlike gunpowder, which can be created by any alchemist out there that figured out the right ingredients and ratio.


    At the same time, he should also fulfill one of the conditions of the mandatory quest where he should sell a weapon that isn''t designed or manufactured by the system. If he sells the copyright, then, it will no longer be his.


    Why bother for a mere 100 credits when he can mass-produce without doing much work?


    After rejecting its offer, Mark ced one of the boxes in his inventory and opened the Quest list.


    **


    <strong>MAIN QUESTS:</strong>


    Main Quest I: Sell a total of 10000 firearms (In progress: 947/10000)


    Reward: Submachine gun (All models)


    *


    Main Quest II: Be Rank-6


    Reward: Host''s share increases to 70% permanently, and 16000 credits.


    *


    Main Quest III: Create ten types of weapons at the factory. (Completed)


    Reward: A random ether version of the host''s designed weapon


    **


    <strong>SIDE QUESTS:</strong>


    Side Quest I: Earn a total of 1 million gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding ammunition (In progress ¨C 1.4%)


    Reward: Ether sniping rifle (silver grade), Ether assault rifle (silver grade)


    *


    Side Quest II: Expand the business to 10 cities and sell atleast 1000 weapons through each branch excluding ammunition. (In progress ¨C 0%)


    Reward: Upgrade crystal (superior)


    *


    Side Quest III: Spend a total of 500000 credits (In progress: 126900/500000)


    Reward: Amulet of Diyu


    *


    Side Quest IV: Tame ten monsters (4/10)


    Reward: Taming skill


    **


    He clicked on the quest. Only after that did he suddenly realize something. He didn''t even register the weapons with the system, yet. How could he get an ether version of the weapon?


    "Wait¡­"


    <strong>*Ding! Only two weapons designed by the host were registered in the system.</strong>


    Upon seeing the notification, Mark realized that he fucked up because those two are none other than gunpowder and Chimera SGM. If he earns thetter, he will be fortunate but what if it is the former? But then again, can there be an ether version of gunpowder? Even if there was, will it be any use other than being a substitute? He wondered. And just as he feared, he received the product right away.


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked ether powder. Check out the gallery for details.</strong>


    "Sh*t" He pped his forehead for not being able to turn lucky and also making a bad choice. "If I only realized it before, I would have sold a couple of prototypes."


    As he can''t change the past anyway, Mark chose not to me himself and move forward.


    "System, Open Gallery"


    He scrolled for a bit and stopped on the image of white powder that is next to gunpowder. "This must be the ether powder."


    He clicked on it. Immediately, his eyes widened, "What the¡­"

 Chapter 256 The Seed Of Fire

    <strong>Ether powder</strong>


    Description: The remnant powder is made from depleted ether crystals. It is used to make ether weapons ording to the quality of the powder.


    Price: 10 silver coins per gram (copper); 1 gold coin per gram (silver); 10 gold coins per gram (gold); 100 gold coins per gram (tinum); 1000 gold coins per gram (diamond, ruby, Crystal); 10k gold coins per gram (Mithril); 100k gold coins per gram (Celestial); 1m gold coins per gram (God);


    "Seriously? The ether firearms could be made from those worthless things?"


    Mark always thought that ether weapons are made from high-quality metals and blood or any part of a spirit beast. So far from his inspection, he concluded that way.


    But, he didn''t know that he can simply make ether weapons from those white crystals that are thrown away after absorbing the ether energy. So far, he had absorbed the energy from thousands of ether crystals of various qualities and dumped the white crystals as trash. Just a day ago, he had absorbed that 1500 carat ore of high quality, and Allen threw it away at the garbage collection site.


    "Ugh, I don''t know whether tough or cry now." Mark was happy that he can make the ether weapons from now onwards but he felt like he threw away gold coins for nothing.


    In the end, Mark convinced himself that he actually received a better reward as he can make even God-grade firearms in the future. He then returned to the real world and went to sleep right away.


    <strong>Two dayster;</strong>


    The Genesis training ground, which was once used for weapons testing and sparring field, now, had be the venue for the engagement ceremony. A huge tent was ced inside, covering almost every inch of thend inside thepound wall. The inside was also decorated quite nicely with chandeliers, aluminum candlenterns, and all, suitable to host guests with wealthy backgrounds. As for the food, Alina rented one of the kitchens of a restaurant and personally cooked all the items including a few recipes from Mark''s past world. He nned to use this asion to introduce them to the guests. And based on their reactions, he might also think of opening a restaurant of his own to have an additional ieter on.


    The business might not be even half profitable as the weapon store but there are reasons for him to do this. First, he no longer has to depend on Androids as much as before. So, he might as well use their other talents and cash it.


    Secondly, the store was doing poorly during afternoon hours except for weekends. So, it can serve as a secondary ie. Not to mention, it will be the perfect ce for him to use those butler robots for something.


    It was just an idea that came to his mind and he wants to see if it can seed or not. That''s all. If opening the restaurant is not possible, as long as the guests like it, he could still sell those recipes to the other restaurants and make money out of it. Speaking of which, there are so many ideas from his past world that he can actually sell to the businessmen of this world.


    As for why he making these sudden ns out of nowhere, it''s mainly because of the rising debt. He could see the debt will only rise to exorbitant amounts in the future and unless he ns on continuing to extort money from the noble ns, he should do something about it.


    While this will not clear the debt he owes to the system, it will atleast help him with the interest the system charges him. And that''s enough for Mark. As for the huge debts, he also has a n for them and will soon unveil it, today.


    It was around 10''o clock in the morning. Since it is Monday, people were busy with their work but it wouldn''t stop everyone to take a look in the sky where a giant stingray is moving toward the outer sector where the Hanga District and the Genesis Weapon store are located.


    The imperial family of four along with Supreme Commander Bai, Grand Secretariat Li, and Northern General Ye Yin were seated inside a house-sized carriage that is attached to the stingray''s back.


    The fourth member of the imperial family isn''t the third prince or some other wife of the Emperor. Surprisingly, it is the second prince, who coincidentally returned to the Imperial City just a day ago to receive the order.


    Of course, he didn''te all the way without knowing whether his order is ready or not. Only after enquiring with a subordinate did he finally decide to visit.<sub> </sub>


    But then, why does a general like him have to take the items in person? The store''s new rules don''t restrict his subordinates to visit the store and take it.


    It is because of four reasons.


    One, it would give the second prince a perfect reason to return to the Imperial City where his mother''s grave is located.


    Two, the rocketunchers and grenadeunchers are a bit too powerful to let any normal soldier have their hands on them. After all, these aren''t swords or bows. Whether in the hands of a civilian or a Supreme Being, they work the same.


    Three, 50 panzers are too big to be stored in normal storage rings. Each of its widths is slightly more than 2 meters big. So, even a gold-grade storage ring will be cramped. He owns a semi-divine grade storage ring and couldfortably store an entire pce in it. So, there''s that too.


    And the fourth and final reason is that he wanted to meet Mark to see if thetter had any new advanced weapons. After all, every time they met, Mark has introduced a new weapon to him and it''s been like ten days since theyst met. So, he had curiosity too.


    As a result, he made a personal trip once again, surprising his father and the others, making some people like the crown prince and Nie Rougang wonder whether Shang Wen was also eyeing the throne.


    Upon learning that Song Yue and Mark are going to get engaged, he decided to tag along with his family to give his blessings to the couple and also finish his business at the same time.


    Back to the present, the Emperor is currently in a discussion with the other three subordinates regarding some important stuff.


    "If the seed of Fire will really appear on ournds, then, we might have to be extra careful on security. More than those guests from outside, we have to worry about our internal matters. Some people will try to take advantage of this chaos and cause a disturbance," said the Emperor in a serious tone, indicating the possible invasion from Kunyu bandits. The others agreed without hesitation.


    Bai Xun then stated his opinion, "how about we talk to Lu Zhen? He has those rocketunchers and Grenadeunchers that can even take care of 5-circle realm experts. Having a dozen of them in each unit would be able to help us, right?"


    "I''m afraid that''s not possible, Supreme Commander Bai." The Second Prince immediately rejected the idea. He opinioned, "Our soldiers are working with his weapons. So, I knew very well what are their strengths and weaknesses. They are indeed stronger and can put fear in enemies but the wielder needed a lot of training. Honestly, these weapons are never seen in history. So, we don''t have any training manuals for guidance.


    At present, we are only depending on Lu Zhen''s training given to a couple of our soldiers, a while ago. For the new weapons, we n on sending them here so that they train under him and return to us before training the rest of our regiment.


    All of this will take atleast a month and we barely have a week or two left till the birth of the fire seed."


    "Do we actually know its location?" asked the Second Prince.


    "Well, ording to the envoy of Eastern Sun, it will be born in a volcano somewhere in the south," replied the Emperor before looking at the Grand Secretariat, who then said, "We have 92 active volcanoes on ournd excluding the Bloodhill forest. So, it is tough to say which one the fire seed will choose. But, I would ce my bet on the Zhao Province, which has over half of the number."


    "Hmm¡­"

 Chapter 257 Mark And Song Yues Engagement Ceremony

    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store;</strong>


    Looking at the clothes that cost over 500 gold coins, Song Yue let out a deep sigh as she sat on her bed, "Lu Zhen is really too much. He doesn''t have to spend this much on something like a fake engagement. I guess it might have to do with the guests that are arriving.


    I know it''s not real but still, it would be nice if there''s someone with me."


    Just as she was also feeling lonely, missing her best friend, the door was knocked on, twice.


    She put aside the dress and opened the door only to be surprised, "Ma!"


    It was her mother that was standing outside. Song Yue''s mother, Chen Xiao couldn''t help but break into tears as she caressed her daughter''s face before they hugged each other.


    After talking for a while, mainly about Song Yue''s life at this ce, thetter asked about Song Yun. "Ma, what about Baba?"


    Chen Xiao replied angrily, "He''s also here but refuses to meet you. It''s a good thing anyway. It''s better if that man stays away from my daughter." Then, grabbing Song Yue''s shoulder, she softened her tone as she apologized, "I''m sorry that I couldn''t do anything for you. All I can do is hope that Lu Zhen will treat you better¡­"


    Song Yue couldn''t say that her rtionship with Mark isn''t real. So, she had to nod in response and assure her mother about her well-being with a smile on her face, "Meeting Lu Zhen is the best thing that happened to me, Ma. He respects my wishes and never makes me sad. He also never made me feel like I was some kind of guest here. As I have said before, it is the first time I have been working in a store but I feel very content with my job.


    As forforts, you have seen yourself. The residence might have fewer roomspared to our previous mansion but in terms of quality, only the interior of the Imperial pce could outmatch this ce. Alina''s cooking level isparable to that of Imperial chefs. And recently, Lu Zhen also promised me that he will never try to restrict my freedom as other husbands do. What more possibly could I want? I''m very happy here, Ma, and you can stop worrying about me."


    "What else can I do?" Cheng Xiao let out a sigh and then, forced herself to smile once again, "anyway, today is a happy asion. So, I will not spoil it by bringing up the past. And also, don''t attempt to talk to your father, okay? I''m worried that he might ruin the day under the influence of anger."


    Song Yue became silent for a second before nodding, "I understand."


    Roughly an hourter, at the venue hall, all the invited guests were seen standing together as Mark and Song Yue stood alongside each other with a Priest from the Church of light reading a prayer.


    Mark doesn''t worship Goddess Xihe, the Deity of Light and Sun, but he had to respect the traditions of thend as well as Song Yue''s beliefs. That''s why he followed the way everyone has their engagement ceremony in the majority part of the Empire.


    First, an official Priest prays for the Deity of Light and Sun, Xihe, and asks for a blessing for the couple. Once it was over and both of them admit that they agree to be each other''s fianc¨¦e, the first and main part of the ceremony will be finished with the priest officially dering both of them as half-husband and half-wife.


    After the process was done, the second part of the ceremony is where Mark would give an engagement gift to his fianc¨¦e. Only after that, the guests would hand over the gifts to the couple. People would usually prefer to give money but some will also give other gifts.


    The third part is where the guests will dine to their heart''s content if they were satisfied with the food taste before leaving.


    And the final part is where the couple will have dinner at the bride''s house before the groom returns alone to his home. Unfortunately here, this cannot be possible because of obvious reasons.


    Back to the ceremony, after the deration from the Priest is over, Mark handed Song Yue, a Chimera SGM as an engagement gift, staying true to his profession. Painted in tinum and gold colors, the weapon''s appearance really looked very cool at the first nce despite its bulky appearance. Even Shang Jiao was tempted to paint her Chimera SGM like that.


    Except for Song Yun''s family and the Imperial family, there are other guests who are wealthy and frequently visit the store.


    Mark was no saint that he forms a friendship with the ones who aren''t useful to him. In fact, the secondary reason he bothered to invite these wealthy individuals with their families to the engagement ceremony was so that he could use this opportunity to earn more money from the gifts. As this is only a fake engagement, Mark didn''t feel bad about doing this.


    Anyway, except for the imperial family, none of them had any idea about Chimera SGM. So, it was a mysterious thing for them but neither of them was daring enough to ask what the object is.


    The only people who have an idea about the weapon are the members of the imperial family. And they assumed that Mark gifted her this advanced weapon so that she can protect herself in crisis.<sub> </sub>


    After Song Yue ced the weapon in her storage while intending to return it after the engagement because of its high price (1600 gold coins), Song Yun and his wife stepped forward while their guards stood in their ces.


    Without bothering to hide displeasure on his face, Song Yun handed Mark a pouch of gold coins (500 gold coins), "Congrattions." His tone was also cold.


    While Mark didn''t care much about his gift, he still responded with an unusualment as he nced at the subordinates, "You are quite bold, Minister Song."


    The others only assumed that Mark''s reaction was based on either Song Yun''s appearance at the venue or his outright cold behavior. On the other hand, Song Yun felt like he was seen through and asked, "What do you mean?"


    Mark replied with a warning, "Don''t do something that you will regret."


    It was then Song Yun understood that Mark had found out his n somehow. He doesn''t know that Mark could just find out one''s identity by using Sage Eyes.


    But the fact that Mark wasn''t making any move made him feel like this weapon seller was too arrogant. As a result, Song Yun confidently let out a smirk, "I never did something that I regret."


    Song Yun had actually forgotten that he admitted defeat during their first bout itself, right before losing consciousness. However, as he went into aa, his memory of the battles was a little bit hazed and he angered further because amoner pitied him and showed him mercy. And that aggravated his emotions. After losing once more, this time, in front of everyone, his hatred only increased. Thetest incident didn''t help it either.


    Upon seeing no remorse in Song Yun, Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure before Song Yue grabbed his arms while making a face as if she was pleading with him.


    Mark quickly changed his expression and put up a fake smile before slightly bowing to Song Yun, "Thank you for the gift."


    Song Yun nodded and turned around to walk away.


    Song Yue couldn''t help but feel disappointed upon watching how her father didn''t even take a nce at her. Just as she was about to call him, Cheng Xiao grabbed her hands and shook her head, indicating her not to do that.


    Cheng Xiao then looked at her son-inw, "I understand that you had a bad rtionship with my husband but I hope my daughter won''t suffer because of her father''s actions."


    "Cheng Xiao!" A deep voice was heard from her behind. Naturally, it belongs to her husband.


    "Ah, Yes,ing." As Cheng Xiao stuttered a bit while replying to her husband, Mark said to her, "Don''t worry, Ms. Cheng. I promise you that I will try my best to keep your daughter happy all the time."


    "Thank you." Cheng Xiao smiled in satisfaction and turned around to walk away, following her husband back to the table and taking a seat.


    And then, it was the turn of the most important guest to hand over the gift.


    Emperor Shang and Lan Jingyi went together at first.


    After congratting Mark, the Emperor handed him and deed by saying, "I can understand that you might have been troubled every time you are using thisnd for your own uses. So, I think this is a more appropriate gift for your engagement."


    It is thend deed of the Genesis Training ground. Mark was greatly surprised by the gift because the overall value of the plot is around 20,000-25,000 gold coins.


    On the other hand, people didn''t think too much because whenever the Emperor gave a gift to someone, it has to be something that is befitting his status. So, this didn''t cause any surprises. However, it was only until Lan Jingyi took out a brocade box and opened it before gifting it to Song Yue.


    Mark saw a glowing dark blue colored bracelet in the shape of a dragon that coiled around itself. Song Yue was stunned for a second as she stared at it. People couldn''t see it but as Lan Jingyi started speaking, they too were stunned.

 Chapter 258 Extravagant Gifts From The Family

    Handing over the gift, Lan Jingyi exined, "This is called Shenlong bracelet, made out of Heavenly Jade (Mithril) material. This is an heirloom I received from my mother when I was young. My daughter isn''t interested to inherit it while my son is of fire attribute. While the wind might support him, the water will harm him. So, it is useless for him to have a bracelet that is suited fordies.


    Your Spirit Attribute is water. So, I think it will be beneficial to you. Maybe, it can also help with those nightmares you usually have since your childhood."


    Mark was taken aback upon hearing her words. He couldn''t help but inspect it right away. The details were just as his mother earlier depicted about the bracelet.


    <strong>Shenlong Bracelet</strong>


    Grade: Ruby (Semi-Divine)


    Description: A bracelet of the Spiritual Dragon, Shenlong. Upon bonding with it, the user would be capable enough to summon wind, rains, and water. The bracelet also dispels the nightmares of the user. But, to be its master, a pure soul is needed. Those who have more sins than virtues on their heads will be able to bond with it.


    Comment: Not rmended for the host.


    Theoretically, the bracelet could fetch him millions of credits if he were to use the ''Devil''s Hand'' skill on it. Unfortunately, he couldn''t because it was now owned by Song Yue of all people. If Lan Jingyi hadn''t given it to Song Yue, he would have probably thought of dismantling it but now, he could only fight his greed and stay silent.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue tried to refuse the gift, feeling that it was too precious. However, Lan Jingyi forced it onto her palms, telling her that she can return it after reaching 7-circle.


    Everyone knows that it is impossible for Song Yue to reach such a stage. So, everyone pretty much concluded that the bracelet will be with Song Yue until she dies. As for robbing it from her, no one dared to even think about it with Mark at her side.


    After Mark''s parents were done with their gifts, his siblings came forward to give their own gifts.


    Unlike others'' gifts, the second prince''s gift was a little bit special. It was neither some heaven-defying item nor money. It was but a simple scroll with a list of items.


    Handing the scroll, Shang Wen said, "I''ll be more practical than others, Lu Zhen. Rather than some extravagant gift that suits my position, I would like to give something that you''ll like and probably need it."


    No one knows what is written on the scroll but a glow of genuine happiness appeared on Mark as he read it. He looked at his half-brother, "Thank you. You can visit the store, one weekter again."


    This time, even the second prince was surprised, "really? You can arrange them within one week?"


    Mark nodded in great enthusiasm.


    "Alright, then." Shang Wen nodded and returned to his parents.<sub> </sub>


    Song Yue became curious upon seeing her fianc¨¦e''s expression. She asked in almost a whisper, "What is it?"


    Mark closed it and ced it in inventory, "I''ll tell you,ter."


    Then, finally, Shang Jiao appeared with her gift. She already apologized before the ceremony and was forgiven already. So, her mood was quite good as she presented the gift to her brother, "I have no idea how many skills you know but I guess having more is always a good thing. This is a copy of the manuscript left behind by the greatest beast tamer, Xie Chen. I think it might help you."


    This was actually the first time she has even attended a formal asion like this and it turned out to be her brother''s. As she was aware that her brother had known about his birth, she decided to be more thoughtful in picking up the gift.


    Mark felt like his seven points of luck is doing their work and happily epted it, considering he needed it now more than anything. Unlike what everyone thinks of him, he was aplete novice summoner.


    Until now, it worked very well because he was able to beat those beasts using higher strength and forced them to submit to him but it will be different with a beast like Zheng that his grandfather left behind.


    Once Shang Jiao also backed away, the other guests started giving him pouches with gold coins, mostly 100-500 in number. Bai Xun gave about 1000 gold coins and General Ye Yin also gave about 500 gold coins. Even if their positions are high, they are sried soldiers unlike the nobles or the imperial family. Not to mention, they aren''t that close to Mark and this isn''t a wedding ceremony either. So, it was well within expectations.


    Surprisingly, the father of the girl, Yu Ah who had a crush on Chang Bo, gave two high-quality ether crystals as a present. Those were atleast worth 1000 gold coins each. Naturally, Mark was taken aback.


    Despite not buying much from the store, he knew that her father is a wealthy man based on their high-quality clothing and horses. However, only this morning, Mark learned that Yu Huang is andlord owning over 600 acres of farnd. Even though he was nothing but ofmoner status, thousands of farmers work under him for fixed wages like servants of nobles.


    ording to Zheng Ha, Lord Yu Huang is known to be too much of a miser. So, it came as a surprise for him to get that much gift money from this guy of all the people. But then again, it isn''t the right time to think about people''s intentions. After all, Mark invited them for his own purposes.


    Once the gifting part is over, Mark cleared his throat and addressed the guests, "Thank you for attending this event and letting us share our happiness with all of you. Before all of you leave for the dining, I would like to take this opportunity to announce something."


    Everyone including Song Yue stared curiously at Mark. He did mention it in the invitations. So, all the guests couldn''t help but wonder what it might be. Is he going to leave? Will Mark announce the wedding date? Or will it be something important like Fire seed? Is he going to use this opportunity to introduce a powerful weapon of his? It won''t be that Song Yue is going to be a mother or something, right?


    Different guests have different thoughts as they stared at the weapon seller.


    Mark then spoke, "Two weekster, on the morning of Monday, I''ll be organizing an expo¡­ I mean a weapon exhibition at this same venue. People from other kingdoms will also be invited to this event. These weapons I''m going to introduce will be one of a kind that won''t be sold to the public.


    I can''t give you details but one of those items will be powerful enough to destroy even a bunch of 7-circle experts even from several kilometers away. However, my manufacturer wishes for this to be in the hands of people with a certain responsibility, not be sold recklessly to anyone who orders it.


    So, an auction will be conducted for booking the rights of buying them for a brief time period, based on the weapon. That means those weapons will not be sold to anyone else during that time. Interested buyers can visit the venue directly on the day of the expo."

 Chapter 259 Killing 8-Circle Experts Like A Walk In The Park

    "He is a weapon seller, alright. He wouldn''t miss an opportunity to make the business even in an engagement ceremony." Shang Wen shook his head with a smile. Some disdained his approach while the others were amazed upon hearing about such a weapon. The Emperor belonged to thetter.


    He had a promise with Mark regarding three attack helicopters but since there''s an opportunity to strengthen the Imperial army, why shouldn''t he take his chances? Fortunately, he wouldn''t have that muchpetition. Or so does he think.


    Soon, everyone went to the dining section and sat down. Alina and butler robots served food to the tables. All the guests have visited the store. So, they were familiar with those robots. But, instead of exining the weapons, they were acting as trained menservants. Alina worked hard during the past couple of days just for this asion.


    "Okay, Song Yue, let''s have lunch?" Mark asked his fianc¨¦e once every guest had taken the table.


    Song Yue nodded.


    As they walked toward an empty table, suddenly, the Emperor called them, "Lu Zhen, Song Yue."


    As they turned their heads to look at the Emperor along with other guests, Shang Fu said, "Join us."


    Usually, the couple will join the table of the groom''s family but since Mark is alone and Song Yun doesn''t appear to invite his daughter and future son-inw to his table, the Emperor offered the couple to should join the imperial family for dining.


    At first, Mark rejected it but as Shang Fu insisted that every citizen of the Empire is his family, the former felt like he could atleast dine with the people who gave him expensive gifts. If he had looked at them like a family, Mark would have been disgusted to even stay there. But, because he treated them as guests in his heart, he was able to eat with them while enjoying the delicacies.


    Lan Jingyi and Shang Jiao were happy to see that Mark had to follow the custom even by great coincidence while Song Yun, on the other hand, was brimming in great anger. Despite the fact that Alina''s cooking skill isparable to one of the best chefs in the Empire, even a dessert left a sour taste in his mouth.


    Alongside the normal dishes, Mark also introduced western dishes of his world to the Emperor. At the same time, Allen and Alina were doing the same to the other guests. Some found those new dishes weird and others found them fascinating.


    Of course, Alina didn''t forget her mission of collecting reviews from the guests regarding the dishes from Mark''s past world. The guests were reminded of those restaurant managers who do the same when introducing new dishes to wealthy/ noble customers.


    In roughly about an hour, the members of the Imperial family along with Mark and Song Yue were done with eating. Some are still in the middle of the dining. But, no one needed to wait for anyone to finish anyway.


    Soon, Emperor Shang and his family alongside General Ye Yin left on the giant stingray, which was hovering in the sky hundreds of meters away, until it received the call of its master. Bai Xun didn''t tag along with them because of some reason.


    And once the giant stingray was out of sight, Song Yun, who didn''t even seem like he ate much during the past hour, abruptly rose to his feet.


    Until now, the atmosphere was quite peaceful. And everyone is also enjoying the delicacies.


    But, all of a sudden, Song Yun spoke to his three guys in knight armors who were quietly standing behind him and his wife like guards. "What are you waiting for? Kill him and get my daughter back."


    Bai Xun was stunned in surprise.


    "What!" Everyone stopped whatever they are doing whether it is eating or talking. As his voice isn''t small, even Mark heard it clearly. In fact, he smiled a little bit as he mumbled, "it is time."


    Without wasting time, heunched his bloodline skill.


    "Absolute Freezing"


    Before they even reached Mark, the ice erupted from him, freezing everything and everyone except for Alina and Allen. Even Bai Xun wasn''t spared from behind frozen.


    The crisis was averted right but Mark didn''t dare to be careless as two of those guards are at the elementary stage of the legendary realm (low-8-circle) and the remaining one is at the peak stage of Exalt realm (peak-7-circle). With far higher ether particles than him, they could resist his skill effect and might be able to free within 30 seconds at most.


    At the same time, he doesn''t want to depend on Bai Xun as he was a cousin of Song Yun and might turn a blind eye.


    So, he made his next move without bothering to give any opportunity to his enemies at all.


    "Open inventory"<sub> </sub>


    Mark then took out an advancement pill from his inventory and quickly swallowed it.


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed the Advancement pill (intermediate). Each of your stat is increased by 1 for the next 60 minutes.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your ether energy temporarily increased to 1 million points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Shark</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Ice Tiger</strong>


    He doesn''t n on summoning the beasts, which are only in 6-circle. Instead, he went on ahead, summoning the Lightning Clone, which might consume the same 1% ether for every second regardless of his total amount but has far greater strength than the enemies.


    "Activate, Lightning Clone"


    Once he unleashed his skill, the lightning clone was summoned.


    Because of the pill, his base intelligence stat rose to 6.2. Then, the amulet of magic further boosted it by 25%. So, his overall intelligent stat ended up at 7.75. The lightning clone was one whole realm above his maximum stat.


    As a result, a lightning clone with the cultivation level of peak-eight-circle was summoned. Mark felt that this was enough.


    Looking at the three frozen guards who somehow could move their eyes while trying to use their ether energy to escape the frozen state, Mark gave an order, "kill them. Rip their skin and take out their hearts."


    He doesn''t have any mercy and neither does he care whether drawing blood at an event like an Engagement ceremony will bring bad luck to his rtionship with Song Yue. The only thing on his mind is to show everyone that he is no longer someone who needed to depend on weapons to kill his enemies.


    As the three guards were almost about to escape the frozen state while using all of their ether energy, the lightning clone charged toward them and pierced their armors with its bare hand.


    It forcefully took out the hearts from their respective bodies one after another. Naturally, due to its overwhelming strength, the clone was unsessful in bringing out the hearts without damage. As the hearts were crushed anyway, Mark dismissed the clone and walked towards those bodies with holes in their chests.


    He nned to store them in his inventory due to their high-quality armor and the storage rings andter, present them as evidence at the court but upon remembering Bai Xun''s presence, Mark only ordered Allen to strip their armor and storage rings, cing them in his inventory.


    Roughly after 40 seconds of time, Bai Xun escaped from the frozen state. And he appeared to be speechless. He might have been frozen earlier but he saw how easily Mark defeated those three.


    Another 20 secondster, Song Yun was free but his expression changed a lot. Like Bai Xun, he too watched the one-sided massacre. As a person who knew their strength beforehand, he could only be afraid of Mark. There was no arrogance or hatred left. Only fear could be seen on his face.


    Bai Xun then shouted, "Song Yun, what the hell was that?"


    Song Yun was however silent. He could only stare at Mark who was staring back at him coldly.


    Another 60 seconds passed away and the ice disappeared on its own.


    Most of the guests alongside Song Yue started shivering because of the extreme cold temperature they just experienced.


    It was then Mark finally moved. Walking forward at a slow pace, he spoke, "Song Yun, I showed mercy to you three times until now and even a while, I gave you a warning. However, you became so arrogant that you didn''t even care about it. But, now, you have crossed the line. You dared to collude with the Church of Doom and attempt to kill me. I''m at the end of my patience."


    Song Yun, who was utterly terrified, lost his bnce and took the support of the chair as he took a nce at the dead bodies once again.


    "Church of Doom?" Bai Xun''s facial expression changed all of a sudden. On the other hand, Song Yue and Cheng Xiao appeared to be too shocked that words cannot escape their mouths at the moment.

 Chapter 260 Handing Over Song Yuns Fate To His Cousin

    Mark has dismissed the light clone and is standing very near to Song Yun but thetterpletely lost his courage to even try to attack him despite the fact that he is a 7-circle Spirit Warrior.


    But then again, it is not surprising. While being in a frozen state, he witnessed legendary realm experts killed like it was nothing. How would he be a match for this enemy of his?


    Until now, Song Yun refused to believe that Mark was strong enough to kill Cerberus on his own. In those two battles that he had with Mark so far, he lost to thetter''s unique but powerful puppets.


    He also knew that Mark is invincible inside the store. This is why he was confident in killing Mark when he is outside without the protection of any puppet. The presence of two 8-circle realm experts and a peak-7-circle realm expert only boosted his confidence even after taking the 8-circle beast king, the presence of Bai Xun and Shang Wen into consideration.


    Still, the reason he didn''tunch an attack in the presence of the Emperor is that he feared that either Queen Consort or the princess might be a casualty. If that happens, his n would be done for.


    But, the end result struck him so hard that he couldn''t even breathe properly as Mark stood a couple of meters away from him.


    Meanwhile, Bai Xun stayed silent. He doesn''t know whether he should interfere or not. Attempting to kill Mark in front of everyone is already a crime but a minister like him colluding with the members of a banned organization would be subjected to life imprisonment. "Maybe, death is an easy way out," thought the Supreme Commander.


    Suddenly, he remembered Song Yue. As he took a nce at her, he saw thedy was just staring at them in silence. It is difficult to know what''s going on in her mind.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, Mark had different ns. The moment he took Song Yue under his protection, he knew that he cannot kill her father. But, he wouldn''t let him off either.


    As Mark was thinking about how to punish this noble who never learns his lesson, Chen Xiao finally stepped forward to beg her future son-inw, "Please show mercy on his life, Lu Zhen. If not for his sake, do it for Song Yue. Let him get punished by thew, instead. Don''t take his life at a happy asion like¡­"


    As Cheng Xiao was trying her best to convince her future son-inw, Mark interrupted her, "Don''t worry, Ms. Cheng. Both of you are still guests that I invited and I won''t forget my manners as a host."


    "Supreme Commander Bai¡­" He called out to Bai Xun who was staring there.


    "Ah, Yes?" Bai Xun sounded a bit nervous.


    In fact, even at first nce, Bai Xun had figured out that these three guards who appeared to be in the 6-circle realm were suppressing their strength greatly. Once Song Yun ordered them, they stopped suppressing their strength, and eventually, it became clear to him that they are far stronger than him.


    Then, he saw Mark take a pill that strikingly resembled an advancement pill before killing the three of them.


    As far as Bai Xun''s knowledge is concerned, the advancement pill''s effect loses as it increases the grade.


    For example, a low-4-circle expert takes an intermediate pill. He will be a low-5-circle. However, if a low-5-circle takes the same pill, usually, he bes a peak-5-circle. Of course, there will be exceptions.


    Upon watching the lightning clone''s attacks, Bai Xun estimated that its strength is near a peak stage of the legendary realm. This only suggests that either Mark was atleast at the elementary stage of the legendary realm (low-8-circle) or this special lightning clone could be summoned by taking a pill that looks like an advancement pill.


    Either way, Bai Xun now felt that even if he takes an advancement pill and uses his Semi-divine weapon, he might not be able to defeat Mark. And that feeling of helplessness made him very ufortable.


    Anyway, back to the present, Bai Xun responded to Mark''s call and looked at him to see what he might order.


    Mark then said, "I will follow thew. You are the Supreme Commander and you are also the witness. The evidence is there on the ground." He pointed at the dead bodies.


    "I want the Imperial pce to investigate it impartially and confirm whether my usation is true or not. I hope you guys won''t disappoint me by showing mercy to Song Yun due to your familial rtionship and giving injustice to me.


    As for their belongings, I''m keeping them aspensation for ruining my engagement ceremony."


    After saying what he had in his mind, Mark then looked at Cheng Xiao, "I believe you were satisfied with this."<sub> </sub>


    "Thank you." She bowed in gratefulness.


    Mark then turned around to walk toward his fianc¨¦e who was just standing there like a statue. Upon reaching her, he asked as softly as possible, "are you alright?"


    Without saying anything rted to the incident, she turned around, "let''s return home, Lu Zhen." She then started walking away without taking a nce at either of her parents.


    Mark then looked at the other guests and bowed slightly, "I apologize for the inconvenience but I guess we will have to end the ceremony. You can continue to dine. My siblings will be with you."


    After giving a nce to Song Yun for onest time, he walked out of the venue.


    p He silently followed her upstairs. As she opened the door and was about to enter, Mark grabbed her hand, "wait. Let''s talk. I can''t let your father go unpunished but I can forget this matter and¡­"</anda>


    Before he finished, Song Yue interrupted him, "I want to be alone for some time to organize my thoughts."


    Mark freed her arm and nodded, "okay. When you are ready to talk, knock on the door."


    She then closed the door and sat on the bed. Grabbing her head, she let out a deep sigh, "Everything is perfect until a while ago. Why does it have to turn out like this?"


    Mark was too happy with the presents he received and the high-quality equipment he had looted and doesn''t want his mood to turn worse by thinking about Song Yun. By losing courage, he was sure that this leader of the Song n would no longer try to harm him again. And even if he is wrong and Song Yun would return for revenge, Mark was confident about beating him to death.


    He didn''t dwell on the matter but unknowingly he was already being soft because of Song Yue. After all, this is a guy who killed people without hesitation even when it is not necessary.


    After clearing his thoughts about others, Mark returned to his room and locked the door before opening the inventory.


    He first took out the equipment he looted from the bodies of assassins. The armor set was all gold grade. So, he didn''t bother to read their details and directly dismantled them.


    Twelve of the armor equipment yielded him a total of 3522 credits. And two of those daggers, which were used by the 7-circle expert, also belonged to gold grade but gave him 852 credits due to their higher quality.


    Regarding the other two which belonged to 8-circle assassins, they were of tinum grade. Because of that, Mark hesitated to dismantle them. Instead of acquiring six to eight thousand additional credits, he decided to hand over them to Alina.


    As she was also an assassin-type robot, he felt that they will be suited for her, although it will be a bit of a hassle for her to use them when she can just use far more powerful Protos'' daggers. At the very least, she would be happy to receive a present.


    "Okay, let''s see if they have anything in their storage rings. It would be nice if they have ether crystals." Mark hopefully connected his consciousness with one of the two gold-grade storage rings using the ether energy. It belonged to the young 7-circle expert.


    Apart from usual clothing and food, he found a heap of ether crystals of different sizes, talismans, different pills, and a scythe with a long handle.


    "Hmm¡­" He intently stared at the scythe that was giving off a strange aura before taking it out of the ring.


    As it appeared in his hands, Mark felt its weight. It was as light as a feather. Mark felt amazed, "I wonder what metal it is made of."


    Just then, the scythe started shaking violently as if it wanted to escape his hand. Mark acted fast and ced it in the inventory before inspecting its details by clicking on its image on the inventory slot.


    "Crystal+?" Mark couldn''t keep his calm as he stared at the holographic screen.

 Chapter 261 Song Yues Request

    <strong>The Doom''s Scythe</strong>


    Grade: Crystal+ (Semi-Divine)


    Description: The Scythe is forged by a myriad of metals of which, Adamantium constitutes about 12%. Once belonged to the Necromancer King, it passed down to several elders of the Church of Doom, eventuallynding in the hands of Wen Hua.


    Rmended Users: Alina, Lu Zhen


    <strong>*Ding! You received a trading request. Exchange the Doom''s Scythe for 1,900,000 credits?</strong>


    "1.9million, huh," Mark contemted on the matter. Usually, he would say no, but his debts with the system made him ponder on it. When he thought deeply, he realized that it was a good offer, considering he would earn less than 1 million credits if he were to dismantle it.


    But then again, the weapon is a bit too precious to give up away. Not to mention, even if he converts the remainder into gold coins, they won''tst long and one day, he will still fall into debt again. Then, what''s the use of trading it right now?


    In the end, he decided to keep it as he couldn''t bear to sell it because of its 10% buff on the user. That means Alina would be able to fight evenly with Bai Xun if she uses this weapon.


    But, before he gives it to Alina, he should make sure that the weapon wouldn''t try to escape again. That means he needed the system''s help.


    And it won''t do it for free. Now, it is only a matter of price.


    "System, I want the weapon to bound it to Alina. What price should I pay in exchange for your help?" He asked.


    As always, the system is ready with its reply.


    <strong>*Ding! M134 minigun (Ether version) is the required price.</strong>


    "No way, give another option," Mark might not be using this weapon but he wanted to research it for developing advanced ether weapons. Moreover, he was also aware that whatever weapons the system is interested to take back, that thing is going to be important for sure. So, he can never ept the offer.


    Thankfully, the system wasn''t as inflexible as it was, at the beginning. It gave a secondary option.


    <strong>*Ding! 50000 credits for purifying the weapon and binding it to Alina''s consciousness.</strong>


    "Hmm, it can be done." Mark knew that this will only increase his debt further by 250,000 gold coins but he felt like it was worth it. However, he didn''t readily agree to the deal.


    It''s because there were two more storage rings. What if there was a better weapon in them? That''s why he decided to check the other two.


    Putting aside the ring, he then connected his consciousness to the second gold grade ring and found only pouches and ether crystals of different sizes.


    "Okay, that''s a pity. Next¡­" He then inspected the items inside the remaining storage ring, which is of tinum grade.


    And just as he expected, there was another special weapon inside. This one was a sword of semi-divine grade but of lower quality (Diamond). The system only offered a measly 270,000 credits but he traded it right away without bothering to negotiate.


    Once the trade is done, he first paid off the credit debt including the interest.


    <strong>*Ding! 125,877 credits were deducted as a debt payment.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your credit limit increased by 12587. New limit = 172587 credits.</strong>


    "System, purify the Doom''s Scythe. Take credits as payment for your services.


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to use your credit limit or directly pay from the ount?</strong>


    Since the credit limit could be increased just by repayment, he chose the first option.


    <strong>*Ding! 50000 credits were reduced from the credit limit. Avable: 122587 credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Please wait for one hour toplete the process of binding.</strong>


    Mark then opened the character stats once again and paid off the debt that he just took.


    <strong>*Ding! 50000 credits have been deducted as a debt payment.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your credit limit increased by 5000. New limit: 177587 credits.</strong>


    After all the deductions, he now had a little over 98k credits remaining to be spent. Mark then dismantled those tinum-grade daggers, which he originally kept aside for Alina before he discovered the scythe.


    As a result, Mark earned another 7224 credits.


    After transferring all the pills and a few dozen ether crystals and ores of different sizes to his inventory, he dismantled the three storage rings too. Itted him a profit of 2886 credits.


    Overallbined, Mark now had over 108k credits in his ount without any credit debt.


    And then, there''s a semi-divine grade weapon that he kept with him, a low-quality semi-divine grade weapon that he sold to the system, and then, there are over a few dozen high-quality ether crystals and ores he acquired from the storage rings. Indeed, he scored very big in this event.<sub> </sub>


    If there are any more hard feelings left for Song Yun, those were also evaporated by the big gains.


    Everything is good and all but what now?


    Should he proceed with increasing his ether points right away? Or should he go on a shopping spree? Mark wondered for a while.


    "Even If I want to spend credits, what is there to buy? More attributes? Pills to improve intelligence or other stats? Skills? Or just convert them into gold? In the current situation, choosing any of those solutions would be like wasting credits. If bloodlines and unique weapons are unlocked, it would have been a different story though¡­"


    After thinking for a bit, Mark decided to save credits for now and took out a bunch of ether ores from the inventory.


    He started absorbing them as he doesn''t have anything better to do anyway.


    <strong>Half an hourter; </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You absorbed high-quality ether ore (112 carats). Ether energy has been increased by 3444 points.</strong>


    "Okay, that''s good. Let''s keep going."


    He went for the second ore. Roughly about 10 minutester, as he is still in the process of refining the ether energy that was absorbed into his body, a knock was heard on the door.


    *Knock* Knock*


    Mark opened his eyes right away and got down from the bed, "Coming."


    As he opened the door, he found a calm-looking Song Yue standing outside. "Ready to talk?" he asked.


    Song Yue nodded and walked to the living room. He followed her and took a seat on the couch, next to her. "Should I speak first or will you?" he asked.


    "I have a request," replied Song Yue.


    "Okay, go on."


    Song Yue then took a deep breath and said, "I won''t ask you to forgive my father. I just want to meet my father and tell him something. Can you arrange it, please?"


    Mark didn''t know what was going on in her mind as her words and her expression aren''t matching. But then again, he already decided to forgive Song Yun and promised her the freedom to walk away from him whenever she wants. So, he agreed to her request, "alright."


    "Thank you. And please speak your mind." As Song Yue told him that it is his turn to speak, Mark shook his head, "It no longer mattered but if I had to speak something, then, I have some advice. Use that bracelet without any hesitation. Queen Consort Lan is from the Imperial family and she wouldn''t miss things like them."


    "But, it''s too precious." Song Yue wasn''t convinced.


    "No, it''s not." Mark then casually waved his hand, "In the future, I can sell a few advanced weapons to the Imperial Pce to repay that favor. You don''t need to worry about it."


    "Are those the weapons you are going to disy in the exhibition?" Song Yue asked curiously.


    "Yup," Mark nodded in response. Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind and he asked her, "Do you want to see them?"


    "Oh, really?" Song Yue''s expression changed all of a sudden. She was keeping quiettely because of her situation but she was actually addicted to a gun, long ago.


    Upon seeing a smile on his fianc¨¦e, Mark thought that she cheered up a bit. He then rose to his feet, "Wait for a bit. I''ll change into somefortable wear. We''ll go for a ride. You can also learn how to operate armored vehicles like Panzer and LMV. After that, we can fly around a bit to have an aerial view of the city."


    "Sure," Song Yue''s smile grew wider at the thought of driving those and was also excited to get onto the helicopter.


    ***


    <strong>The Doom''s Tower, Western Moon Kingdom;</strong>


    Somewhere in the wilderness, bordered between Western Moon and Leon Empire, a 2000ft (>600m) majestic tower is seen as if it is touching the sky. It is located at a very remote location where there is no vige nearby within a 50 km radius. There are mystical symbols engraved on the tower from the bottom to the top, making it more mysterious to the spectators.


    And on one of the floors of that tower, several hooded figures were sitting at arge round table.


    There were atleast 16 seats in number but only 12 were filled. Of the 12 seats, one looked very special. It resembles a king''s throne, although its body is quite longpared to the rest of the measurements.


    A frail-looking old man with several wrinkles on his face was seen sitting on the throne. He looked like he was about to die at any moment but he is the strongest in the room.


    Sitting beside him is another old man who is about 160 years old. It is the remaining Grand Elder of the Church, Teng Ju.


    He spoke to the leader, "First, Grand Elder Xi Lim, and now, Elder Wen Hua, Elder Gong Zan, and Elder Yu Chun. Not only did Shen Niue back to power but we also lost four important figures, Your Grace. All because of that one person."


    As the other elders agreed save for one (Gu Ya), the leader of the Church of Doom spoke, "The Seed of Fire will be born very soon. Until then, no one is allowed to leave."

 Chapter 262 213 Years Of Imprisonment

    <strong>Courtroom, Imperial Pce;</strong>


    In the evening, after the sunset, the Crown Prince and Second Prince, five ministers, Supreme Commander Bai, Grand Secretariat Li, and several officials were summoned to the courtroom. Everyone knows why they were summoned but no one is daring to speak a word to the infuriated Emperor.


    Soon, a person was dragged to the courtroom in chains. Unlike other prisoners, his appearance was quite dignified because of those expensive clothes, although his facial expression tells that he was quite afraid. Obviously, it was Song Yun.


    As he reached the center of the courtroom, Song Yun fell to his knees right away and begged, "Your majesty, please show mercy. I know that I was wrong. Please give me one chance to redeem myself."


    In response to his pleading, the Emperor rose to his feet without hiding his anger and roared, "Do you even deserve mercy? One chance? Do you think I wasn''t aware of what you did?


    Lord Song, for the past twenty-four years, you have embezzled hundreds of thousands of gold coins from the funds that the public work ministry was allotted. This is your first crime.


    You locked up your daughter and try to force her into marriage to someone. This is your second crime.


    When she escaped on her own, you lied to the Emperor that she was abducted. This is your third crime.


    After she returned to the n on her own, you tried to kill her to uphold your false honor and attempted to turn into suicide. This is your fourth crime.


    Your hatred toward Lu Zhen became so high that you lost your intelligence and values. You dared to smuggle the elders of the Church of Doom, which is a banned organization, right into the heart of the Empire, the Imperial City. This is your fifth crime.


    You colluded with those elders of the Church of Doom and tried to kill Lu Zhen in broad daylight. This is your sixth crime.


    And evidence of every crime was also submitted to the court. Do you still think you deserve a chance? Tell me."


    Song Yue was stunned by the words of the Emperor. How? Even if the WEB organization is super powerful, it is very difficult to gather evidence against him on all these things. His mind went nk from the shock he experienced and kowtowed once again, begging for forgiveness.


    "Crown Prince Zexian, tell me the punishment for these crimes." The Emperor looked like he decided not to show any mercy to his loyal minister.


    Maybe, he med himself for bing soft-hearted and probably wanted to make an example out of Song Yun who happened to touch his nerve by doing an idiotic act and failed.


    Or Mark''s announcement might have influenced his decision. If he can attain those weapons that can kill 7-circle Spirit Warriors, just like how the Phoenix gets reborn from the ashes, the Phoenix Empire might also revive itself to be the strongest empire on the continent.


    Whatever the case, Emperor Shang decided to go hard on this guy who was his close friend, once upon a time.


    Shang Zexian, the crown prince whose punishment from the public trial was over, then spoke, "Embezzlement, 35 years; domestic violence, 3 years; Lying to Emperor, 98 years; attempted murder of kin, 14 years; an act of terrorism, death penalty or 56 years; attempted murder of a stranger, 7 years.


    Overall punishment is of either 213 years of imprisonment or the Death penalty, Your Majesty." He ended with a respectful bow.


    A seven-circle Spirit Warrior usually can live for more than 250 years old and less than 300 years old. So, in theory, Song Yun might be able to live even after ending the punishment. Of course, the Emperors can also pardon or lessen the punishment at any time. It was a better choicepared to Death Penalty.


    However, even decades of imprisonment will make go mad because of harsh conditions. How could the Patriarch of a major noble n bear such treatment for a long time? Naturally, it scared Song Yun the most.


    He wanted to run away but his ether energy was sealed and there was a strength suppression seal ced on his body too, which made his physique as weak as a 1-circle or 2-circle.


    "No, please show mercy, Your Majesty." "Cousin, please help me." "Brother Lin, please help me" "Your Majesty, my ancestors served the Imperial family with utmost loyalty. I never intended to betray the Empire. It''s all because of that damnedmoner. He brings destruction to the Empire. He needed to die. I''m only loyal to the throne. Please show mercy."<sub> </sub>


    Song Yun spouted whatever words that came to his mind as he begged the Emperor and others to not give him such punishment. But, even at that moment, he couldn''t let go of his hatred toward Mark despite the fact that he is afraid of him.


    The Emperor was only infuriated even more. He signaled the guards to take him away.


    As Song Yun was getting dragged away pathetically, some enjoyed the moment while others shuddered in fear.


    Once he was out of sight, Emperor Shang took his seat with a look of irritation on his face, "Grand Secretariat Li, send an official notification to the Song n that Song Yun is permanently relieved of his duties as the minister of public works and tell them to appoint his sessor within 3 days of time.


    Also, going by thew, just like with every traitor, we are confiscating all the personal properties of Song Yun except for his current residence, which will be shifted to his wife''s name. The usual pension shall be provided to her equaling the same as a retired Lieutenant General. Whether Song n looks after her or not, the Imperial Pce shall not punish her because of her foolish husband."


    He didn''t say the exact number because a retired lieutenant general would only have a pension of 300 gold coins per month and for a person like Cheng Xiao, who was the firstdy of the Song n, it could be like an insult in some people''s eyes. That''s why hepared it to a high-position military officer.


    But then again, in reality, he was being merciful here. Usually, the families of traitors will be exiled from the Imperial City or even the Empire. Keeping Mark''s rtion with Song Yue in mind, he didn''t punish Song Yun''s wife.


    After the matter with Song Yun is over, the Emperor dismissed everyone and returned to his chamber. He didn''t even eat dinner that evening and just went to sleep.


    As an Emperor, he was clearly angry at Song Yun who crossed his bottom line, but as a friend, he felt bad for him. There''s nothing that can be done when clear pieces of evidence are pointing at the culprit. If he didn''t punish him, then, it will give rise to a rebellion and cause unrest in the Empire.


    Lying t on his bed, Shang Fu then let out a deep sigh as he remembered his childhood memories with Song Yun when they yed together, eat together, and sparred together, "You fool. Two decades ago, you and Ji Cheng opened my eyes, making me realize that hatred is the most terrible thing that can happen to a human. Those who are consumed by hatred will only bring trouble not only to others but also to themselves. When that happens, even our own kin will turn against us. How did you forget it?"


    The Emperor closed his eyes and went to sleep with an empty stomach.


    Meanwhile, in the underground jail, Song Yun was currently sitting against the wall in depression. It was actually a temporary jail where culprits are detained before they will be shifted to the main prison. As he was alone, several thoughts appeared in his mind.


    It was at that moment he heard the footsteps. Song Yun raised his head.


    Soon, the figure got closer and reached the cell. It was a familiar face.


    "Elder Mu!"


    A ray of hope appeared on Song Yue''s face as he saw his most trusted elder and partner in crime, Song Mu.


    Hurriedly dragging his body to the cell, he begged him, "You are the only one who can help me in this situation. Convince Bai Xun to talk to the Emperor. I don''t want to go to ck Citadel."


    Song Mu stared at him for a few seconds and opened his mouth, "I''m afraid that''s not possible, Song Yun."


    Song Yun was stunned for a second, not just because of the words but because of the tone used by the elder. The other party sounded cold.


    "What do you mean?" He asked.


    Song Mu then said, "Are you that dumb to realize it? All the evidence against you was provided by the Song n. The elders turned against you."


    "What!" Song Yun''s eyes widened.

 Chapter 263 If You Have To Blame Someone, Blame Yourself

    "It took seven elders, me, Crown Prince, Zhang n, and Nie n to finally put you away for good. Now, Song Chang will take your ce. And with the firm backing from six of the twelve major noble ns (Song, Nie, Zhang, Sui, Ji, and Han), the Imperial throne will belong to Crown Prince for sure."


    Knowing that Song Yun no was already finished and wouldn''t likely get out of the prison, Elder Song Mu revealed the plot behind his demise.


    "You bastard¡­"


    Song Yun trusted Song Mu the most. So, his words sounded like thunder roared in his head over and over. Realization dawned upon him. He caught the cell bars in rage, "I trusted you..."


    Song Mu replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "I know that you trust me. That''s why it became easier to deceive you."


    "You¡­" Song Yun''s face was so red that he might copse due to the heavy blood rush, at any second.


    Elder Song Mu then continued, "Actually, you know what¡­ I never betrayed you because I was never on your side, to begin with.


    To know of your ns constantly and inform Song Chang, I patiently stood on your side for the past two decades. However, we couldn''t act hastily because of your grandfather.


    We are biding our time and waiting for you to fall out of the Emperor''s favor but other than being corrupt like every official, you wouldn''t just do any crimes that can''t be forgiven.


    So, what can we do? We have only an option of assassination. I should admit that you have really kept your cultivation hidden for so long. However, you made the mistake of trusting me.


    If you hadn''t revealed to me that you broke through to 5-circle, nearly two decades ago, we would have tried to assassinate you by using poison long ago. But, too bad that you turned out to be a Spirit Warrior with high cultivation, contrary to what we expected.


    As your strength slowly increased over time, it only became tougher and tougher for us to hold onto that hope. Do you know how stressful it was for me?


    We tried to harm you mentally by killing Song Yue but it failed every single time no matter which organization we gave the task to. On the other hand, you started to get more powerful by forging a marriage alliance with Zhang n using your daughter. With Lin n as an ally, the chances for the Crown Prince to attain the throne started bing bleak.


    Then, Lu Zhen arrived into our lives. Whether it is your bad luck or our great luck, you picked a fight with him on your very first meeting and went into a deep unconscious state a) as a result. We thought the heavens blessed us.


    Zhang n''s grand elder making breaking through to 7-circle and breaking your engagement and then forging a marriage alliance with Han n, all came in our favor.


    Unfortunately for us, Bai Xun came to your save and you even managed to break through to 7-circle. All our hopes are crushed.


    However, your enmity with Lu Zhen once again gave us hope. We used it as an opportunity to dig up your grave. And look at you. You had your eyes blinded by hatred and fell into the coffin that we quietly ced behind you. Then, all that''s left is to nail the coffin.


    The elders collectively worked hard to find your ledger and also became witnesses for your actions against Song Yue.


    The Zhang n stopped the Ji n from supporting you. The Nie n bribed the Church of Nuwa with some unique dwarven weapons and put them away from this matter.


    The frustrated you went on ahead with your n, all alone, without taking the Emperor''s desire to acquire those powerful weapons of Lu Zhen into consideration.


    Now, you are finally buried with no way out of this abyss. Honestly, if you ponder carefully, we aren''t the ones who are responsible for your situation. It is the result of your own idiotic actions.


    So, if you have to me someone, then, me yourself for supporting Shang Wei, me yourself for looking down on elders and treating everyone like your servants, and me yourself for getting consumed by hatred."


    Song Yun didn''t respond this time as he has no strength to even shout. He just kneeled on the floor with a dazed look on his face while Elder Song Mu turned around to walk away.


    After a long time, tears finally escaped his eyes. Sitting against the wall, he cried nonstop while muttering something.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store;</strong>


    The time was around 6 o''clock and the sun is still shy, hiding behind the clouds but there is enough visibility around for the citizens to go for a morning walk or enjoy the fresh air in the peaceful atmosphere.


    But, for those who stay in the Hanga district, it was quite noisy and people were forced to wake up as the gunshots were heard quite often.


    Inside the training ground, Song Yue was learning how to operate a Panzer. To his surprise, Song Yue turned out to be quite a genius. She easily learned how to drive the vehicle within just 10 minutes.


    And by half an hour, she even scared him by drifting while keeping the tank''s speed at maximum.


    After realizing that Song Yue easily perfected how to drive properly, Mark was no longer on the vehicle. He got onto his own Panzer and asked her to follow him. While doing that, they went into a tag game. As a result, Song Yue started drifting along the corners.


    Mark got worried that the tank will flip due to her recklessness because she is still a novice. As Song Yue was only at 2-circle, she would be hurt if that happens. So, he had to stop the game and went on with training her on how to operate the machine guns while driving.


    Song Yue''s task is to shoot the moving Panzer that Mark was in.


    The two machine guns of this Panzer made by the system could be operated by the driver. However, it would just be a little bit hard to control them while driving because you only have two hands and there are three different types of controls. Mark and Song Yue worked on that.


    While it didn''t have much problem for Song Yue who appeared to be good at moving her hands, the price turned out to be a big problem for her. In the next ten to fifteen minutes, nearly 140 of 7.9mm mm ammo were consumed in training, which is like spending 140 gold coins.


    Since she is no longer the heiress of the Song n, Song Yue knew that she had to be a little bit thrifty. So, she took her time and put more focus on uracy rather than just blindly shooting the enemy. Of course, it is easier said than done, considering that machine guns have a high rate of fire.


    At around 7:30 in the morning, the Panzers stopped and both of them got down from the vehicle.


    As soon as they exited the training ground, both of them spotted spot a familiar horse carriage parked nearby with a familiar hooded figure sitting there like a statue.


    Song Yue''s face glowed in happiness and she fastened her pace. Upon entering the store, she saw her friend was there, chatting with Allen.


    "Xue Xue," called out Song Yue.


    Lin Xue turned around and she too was smiling big as both of them hugged each other before Lin Xue greeted Mark, followed by an apology. Mark waved his hand, "I can understand your position. So, it''s a no big deal."


    "Um, De¡­ Dear, we um¡­ have something to talk about in private. We''ll join you for breakfast. Tell Alina that I''m fine with anything." She blushed a little bit, trying to keep up the appearance before Lin Xue before dragging her upstairs.


    Mark was slightly taken aback at first but he managed to read between the lines, which indicates that Song Yue will not reveal the truth about their fake rtionship even to Lin Xue. That was enough for him. He nodded and followed them upstairs after waiting for a minute.


    By the time he reached the living room, they were already in Song Yue''s room. He wasn''t curious about their conversation and just went back to his room to have a nice shower. Allen, meanwhile, continued to operate the store alongside robots.


    "You pretty much got ustomed to this ce." Lin Xuemented as she casually sat on the bed before adding, "But, then again, you are supposed to befortable in your husband''s house anyway."


    "We aren''t married yet," replied Song Yue, blushing again.

 Chapter 264 A Humongous Offer From The Imperial Family

    Ever since Song Yue ran away from home, she was basically out of touch with the current affairs of the kingdom and used to depend on Lin Xue to know anything that is happening outside of the store.


    Lin Xue was also aware of it. That''s why she had gathered various pieces of news through her servants before making her visit.


    For a while, she was telling her the developments that were happening around. Song Yue also appeared to be very curious and she patiently listened to everything, expressing her views from time to time.


    But, eventually, the heiress of Lin had to bring up the most sensitive topic for Song Yue as she felt that her friend deserved to know, "Your father had received a life imprisonment sentence of 213 years on various charges. The n elders turned against him."


    However, to her surprise, Song Yue didn''t even flinch at the matter. She simply nodded, "One can''t escape from karma. Everyone has to face the consequences of their actions."


    Lin Xue felt neither hatred nor love in her friend''s voice. It was as if Song Yue wasmenting about a random stranger.


    She then said, "Look, you know me. I''m always on your side. It''s just my father told me that uncle Song''s sentence can be reduced by 24 years if you and Lu Zhen decide to forgive him. Of course, it doesn''t help your father''s situation. 189 years or 213 Years, both are the same either way but I want you to know that you had that choice."


    Song Yue shook her head in response, "The previous me would have probably chosen it without hesitation but now, I no longer wanted to."


    Lin Xue stared at her in silence. She felt like her friend''s heart was probably broken by Song Yun''s act. She no longer dwelled on the topic and started talking about something else.


    After they had breakfast together, Lin Xue returned home while Song Yue sat at the reception desk as the manager. Mark was too free. So, he used the time to create those expensive 9mm bullets just to keep the stock.


    Some time passed away. Chang Bo came to work at 9 o''clock as always and Shang Jiao came to work at 11 o''clock. There were a few customers before noon and she and Chang Bo worked together, giving the Androids, especially Allen, plenty of rest.


    After the lunch break, the business hours continued at 1 o''clock.


    Roughly about 4 o''clock in the afternoon, the second prince made a visit to the store.


    Mark''s face glowed in happiness to see his number one customer. Usually, Song Yue or Chang Bo greets a customer but Shang Wen was greeted by Mark.


    <strong>"Wee to Genesis Weapon Store, Your Highness"</strong>


    After staying with him for several days, Song Yue could somehow discern his expressions. And she was confident that it was a genuine one. Maybe, it''s because of the engagement gift?


    What was in that scroll? Song Yue forgot about it because of everything that happened after that.


    But, now, she really couldn''t help but be curious.


    The second prince then stated the reason for his visit.


    "They were already packed," replied Mark with a smile. He then nced at the teenager, "Chang Bo, go to the storage room and bring the boxes kept in the left corner. Shang Jiao, you go and help him." He also sent his sister along with the welpire to carry the boxes. After all, she needed to finish her punishment, right?


    One after another, both of them brought about 100 small boxes with each one containing an Ak-47. Once all of them were absorbed by Shang Wen''s storage ring, Mark started walking toward the exit, "please follow me to the training ground."


    The second prince nodded in understanding and followed him to therge empty barrennd inside apound wall with wire fencing on top.


    One after another, Mark then started taking out Panzers one after another. After Shang Wen absorbed 50 of them into his storage ring, Mark then took out threerge crates from his inventory and ced them on the ground. These weren''t different from the usual sturdy metal boxes that Mark hand it to the customers.


    The wooden crates were bought from a furniture store as the system-made boxes were usually small. Last time, he had to give more than a hundred of them for those 5000 (9mm) and 2000 (0.5 in) ammunition. While the system gives him free for packaging the weapons, it would cost him 50 silver coins to pack bullets in them.<sub> </sub>


    So, he decided to order three crates. One of them has 5000 rounds (9mm), the second one has 2000 rounds (R.I.P), and the final crate has 3000 rounds (7.62mm).


    The second prince cannot count the bullets as he did with the Ak-47s and Panzers as they were too many in number. Instead, he decided to trust Mark''s work ethics and kept them in his storage ring.


    And from finishing this order, Mark earned about 24000 gold coins as his share (60% of 40000 gold coins) and then firmly shook hands with the second prince, "It''s always pleasant to do business with you."


    Shang Wen smiled in return and then took out a scroll from his storage ring, "actually, my visit has another purpose. Before you read it, let me tell you that you don''t have to ept this proposal from the Imperial Pce. Even if you reject it, we willpletely understand."


    "What is it?" Mark turned curious as he took the scroll and opened it right away. Upon reading the letter, he asked curiously, "What is this seed of fire?"


    "Eh? You never heard of it?" Shang Wen didn''t expect that someone as powerful as Mark have no knowledge about the fire seed. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and calmly exined, "Legend tells that at the beginning of time, the universe was whole and everything is located in one ne of existence.


    The worlds are very rich in spiritual energy and it used to be quite easy for the mortals (beasts & intelligent races) to be Demigods and immortals. As bunches of Saints (12-circle) and Junior gods (13-circle) emerged, the authority of the original gods who were born from the cosmos was challenged.


    So, what will they do? The mortals have a high rate of reproduction. The Elder Gods might be invincible but they care more about the universe. So, the original Gods (celestials) who were born of either cosmos or from the Elder Gods decided to bring apocalypses to several worlds for poption control.


    But, violence only gives birth to violence. The rebels rose. They started killing weak celestials and their descendants.


    So, in the end, to bring peace to everything, the Elder gods (15-circle realm) decided to make nes of existence.


    And in the process of creating them, they offended a sleeping devil that possesses anti-divine energy.


    The battle was so intense that it almost brought the entire universe to the brink of destruction. The devil was dead but the gods couldn''t escape unscathed either. It is said that every once in a while, they bleed one drop of blood even to date.


    When that single drop of blood falls onto a piece ofnd, the world will try to nourish it using various methods. When that happens, unnatural phenomena around the impact zone would be seen for the next 10 years of time. Once time passed, it will give birth to an elemental seed.


    However, the earth goddess is a greedy one. She only nourishes the divine blood so that she could eat up the elemental seed. Most of the time, the elemental seeds will just return to earth.


    But, the cultivators had discovered that the seed will be absorbed by the earth only after it bes mature. And this gives a gap of roughly 37 minutes for cultivators to snatch it for themselves.


    ording to public knowledge, an elemental seed will be able to nourish one''s ether energy, giving the corresponding elemental attribute to the user, or nourish it further if the user already possessed the elemental attribute. In rare cases, those seeds can even awaken the hidden bloodline present within the body of a user.


    Coming to the seed of fire, while it is extremely useful to the Imperial family, it is also a fact that we don''t possess the capability of snatching it with several legendary realm experts from around the world eyeing for the treasure.


    As stated in the letter, we need your assistance. Whatever the reward you want, we can negotiate."


    Mark stared at him in silence for a while. He wasn''t pondering on the matter but was waiting for the quest notification. However, even after a minute of waiting, the system didn''t issue any emergency notification.


    As he could just buy the attributes with credits, Mark wasn''t that interested in this fire seed. The fact that there''s no reward from the system for this task only decreased his motivation.


    But then again, the Prince is a VIP customer. Mark cannot reject him in the face just like he does with others. So, he acted like he was analyzing the risks and merits.


    The second prince observed him in silence for a couple of minutes. Seeing that Mark wasn''t responding, he spoke, "Lu Zhen, yesterday, I gave you a 1 million gold coins worth order for my firearms division. However, if you aplish this task, Emperor Shang is ready to give you a promissory note, stating that the Imperial Army will buy atleast 100 million gold coins worth of goods from your store within the next 5 years of time."


    "100 million?"

 Chapter 265 Making A Visit To The Black Citadel

    100 million gold coins over the next five years. It means that on average, the Genesis Store would earn more than fifty thousand gold coins every day just from the Imperial Pce, alone.


    For a moment, it felt as if an electrifying spark passed through his veins.


    While Mark put aside the ns of dethroning his biological father and changed his strategy to make the Imperial Pce heavily dependent on firearms, he never ruled out the possibility of creating a civil war.


    And if hemitted to five years of peace, who knows¡­ he might even stop hating his biological parents. Hatred is the one that is fueling Mark to progress. He doesn''t want to do that. Not to mention, he might create nuclear missiles within that time.


    Hence, Mark opted to seek a different solution. After thinking for a bit, he said to the second prince, "100 million does sound tempting but 5 years is too long, Your Highness. If I were to do this, then, I wish to have weekly guarantees."


    "Hmm? What do you mean?" asked the Second Prince, to which, Mark raised five fingers, "500,000 gold coins worth orders guaranteed per week."


    The Second Prince furrowed his brows for a second and he fell into thoughts. Certainly, the overall amount will be more than 100 million but it isn''t an issue. The problem is paying such a huge amount every week.


    The Imperial Pce cannot use its treasury just on buying weapons and creating a strong military. There are a lot of things that it needs to be spent on. The taxation system only allows the pce to collect various fixed taxes from the citizen every 3 months nd tax, house tax, water tax, municipal tax, business tax, and revenue tax).


    Of course, as the Cerberus yer, Mark was exempted like the high-ranking civilian and military officials of the state but that isn''t a focal point here.


    The Second Prince might have been a military officer but he knows how his father runs the Empire. So, instead of readily agreeing to Mark''s demands, he negotiated, "A week would be too short for the Pce to arrange funds for you. We should also consider the fact that our military is untrained in your firearms and it will take a while to master those weapons. Not to mention, it will take time for you to procure all the goods, right? How about five million gold coins per 3 months? This won''t be including the ammunition at all."


    Mark felt like agreeing to it as it is a good deal but he wants to see the bottom line of this muscr fellow. "3 months is still too long. You can see how the situation is changing every week in the Empire. 1 million gold coins per two weeks."


    "Ugh. You keep pushing me to a corner." The Second Princeined in a casual tone and then took a deep breath, "2 million gold coins worth order every month. But, this should include the ammunition. This is the best I can offer."


    "Okay, deal," Mark readily agreed as soon as Shang Wen finished his words.


    "Somehow I felt like I lost," thought the Second Prince when he saw a smile on Mark. Upon sighing inwardly, he then said to this weapon seller, "On behalf of the Imperial Pce, I will order everything during the first week of every month. The delivery should have to be done by the time I visit with the list of the next order.


    By the way, my father also ordered me to invite you and your family, including Song Yue, to the Imperial Pce for tonight''s dinner. We can also draw up an official contract in the evening and seal this deal. What do you think?"


    Mark wasn''t interested in having dinner with the Imperial family but he knew that Song Yue will like it. Since there''s also something he had to gain from this meeting, he gave a nod, "We will surely visit."


    Soon, the Prince returned to the Imperial Pce to discuss the terms with the Emperor. Mark, on the other hand, continued his business as usual. However, it was only until sunset did the store kept open.


    At around 8 o''clock in the evening, two vehicles (Iveco LMV) entered through the pce gates and stopped at the foot of the stairs to the main entrance.


    From one vehicle, Mark, Song Yue, and the golden furred cat got down, and from the other vehicle, Allen, Alina, and the manticore stepped down.


    As always, the presence of the 8-circle beast king intimated everyone except for Bai Xun who was instructed to receive them personally. Of course, he wasn''t alone. The Northern General Ye Yin was also standing beside him.


    Usually, Supreme Realm experts, the Kings, and Emperors would have such privilege of getting received by a Supreme Commander of the Phoenix Empire. But, it looks like Emperor Shang is hell-bent on making Mark, an ally. The 100 million gold coins offer is the best example.


    "Thank you foring, Mr. Lu," Bai Xun formally greeted them with a smile. "Wee to the Imperial Pce."


    During the next ny minutes, the contract was signed on the terms Mark and Shang Wen agreed earlier, the dinner was finished, and somehow, the second prince managed to get recognition from Baltrow, the manticore. It even agreed to have a spar with Shang Wen when thetter stated his wish to fight against it.<sub> </sub>


    Since it already gave his word without even waiting for Mark''s permission, thetter can only agree to it. In the meantime, Emperor Shang once again failed to get into the good books of Tishanan. The golden-furred cat appeared to be enjoying more in the presence of thedies who are petting it.


    Once it was over, the Second Prince escorted Mark and others to the exit. And just before they left, Mark made a certain wish to Shang Wen.


    The Second Princeplied and left with them in the vehicle, experiencing the joy of the backseat while the two androids were in the front. As for the beast king, it was riding in Mark''s vehicle in the back while Song Yue sat in the front seat. As for the kitten, it wasfortably sleeping in her arms.


    After a 70-minute journey from the Imperial Pce, they reached ake with ck-colored water. It is called Heise Lake, which spans around 6 sq. km. Of course, it has nothing to do with their objective. Instead, they came to visit a ce located near thiske.


    Upon vehicles stopped and everyone got on the ground, Mark saw the entrance and it looked like an underground mine. Song Yue has never been to this ce. So, she was also surprised by how only two guards were standing outside.


    "Follow me." The second prince took the lead and everyone followed behind them.


    Once entering the ce, Mark found that the ce is indeed heavily secured as he heard it would be. All along the way, there are soldiers standing guard on either side. However, they were a bit weak. The weakest soldier is only in the 2-circle realm and the strongest one is in 4-circle.


    Soon, the warden of the ck Citadel met them. The peak-5-circle guy looked like a tough guy with scars all over his face and his biceps but started shivering in fear as soon as his eyes fell on the manticore.


    "Let''s go to cell 403," said the second prince.


    p "Your Highness." The warden bowed and started walking forward. They have taken several tunnels on the way, making it harder for the first-timer to remember them but it isn''t difficult for Allen and Alina. Hence, Mark acted as if he was strolling in a garden.</anda>


    One of the best ways to hurt the Imperial Pce is to release the prisoners and use them against the Imperial army. Or so, Mark thought as he followed the warden.


    Soon, they reached the cell where a person is sleeping in in white robes. Because of the wall torches around, Mark and Song Yue could see the person''s face. It was Song Yun who was shifted to the prison during the morning hours. He appeared to have aged just within a day. There was also a bowl of rice nearby and it appeared to be untouched.


    Mark nced at his fianc¨¦e. She was staring at him but he couldn''t see any expression on her. She appeared to be very calm.


    The Second Prince then spoke, "Wake him up."


    The warden bowed and then took out a thin and long staff from his storage ring before poking at Song Yun''s abdomen. "403, you have visitors."


    Song Yun slowly opened his eyes, "Yes?"


    His vision was blurry for a second, but as he saw the people, his eyes widened, "Xiao Yue?"


    "I don''t think you still possessed the right to call me that way, Mr. Song. So, please refrain from speaking informally to me," replied Song Yue in a calm tone.


    A trace of surprise appeared on everyone except for the Androids and the beasts.


    Song Yun was stunned at first before realization dawned upon him. He let out a deep sigh, "Yeah, you are right."


    Before anyone else speak, he went on to say, "I don''t think I have the right to call myself your father and neither do I possess any qualification to ask for your forgiveness. I''ll pay for the sins I havemitted and I pray that someday, both of you will stop hating me."


    Both Mark and Shang Wen felt like something changed in Song Yun. However, Song Yue didn''t think that way. Looking into his eyes, she replied as calmly as possible, "Such words don''t suit someone like you, Mr. Song. You are probably expecting me to forgive you and pardon your sentence but that will never happen."

 Chapter 266 Honest Conversation Between Mark And Song Yun

    While everyone became speechless for a moment due to the change of behavior from Song Yue who is known to them as a kind-hearteddy, she continued, "Since my childhood, I heard you talking to Elder Mu or my mom or others, a lot of times, about how you wanted a male heir. I was sad that I couldn''t help you. After all, neither I am a son to take over your ce nor am I a talented Spirit Warrior.


    Hence, I did the only thing I could do. Follow your orders. I didn''t hesitate to get engaged to Zhang Kong when you told me on my 19th birthday. People are getting married in theirte 20s or early 30s but I was ready to marry him in my early 20s. I sincerely loved him but only received a broken heart after three years.


    You then tried to sell me to the Ji n. I was locked up and you hurt my mother too. It''s true that I went against your wishes and ran away. I don''t like to marry Ji Mingyu, whom I have never even met in my life.


    I felt guilty about my actions. I regretted that I didn''t try hard to convince you before attempting to run away. That''s why, when you and the elders came to a decision to kill me, I epted my fate.


    If you had disowned me back then, I would have quietly epted it. Even if you have attempted to take me by force from Lu Zhen before the ceremony, I would have begged for your life and might have forgiven you, thinking that you are acting on your emotions.


    However, your head was so screwed up that you smuggled those ruthless legendary realm experts of a vile organization and chose to attack after Lu Zhen officially became my half-husband with everyone''s blessings.


    Do you truly believe that they will quietly leave after killing Lu Zhen? They will certainly start a massacre, leaving behind no evidence. You would have died. I would have died. And even my mother wouldn''t be spared either. I would be surprised if that thought never appeared in your mind.


    No, I''m sure that you are prepared for that too. As long as your enemy gets killed, you will happily die. That kind of a person you truly are.


    Now, I also lost the heart to forgive you. I don''t know how long they will hold you here but I truly hope that you stay here for atleast 60 to 70 years so that I and my mother wouldn''t have to see your face until the day we die.


    I said everything I have to say. It''s time for me to return. Goodbye."


    Without bothering to listen to Song Yun''s reply or anything, she turned around to look at Mark, "let''s go home."


    p Mark nced at Song Yun for a moment and then, he looked at her, "You go and wait for me in the vehicle. Alina and others will join you. I think I should have a talk with him, alone."</anda>


    After saying it, he turned to the second prince, "Do you mind giving us privacy for a while?"


    The second prince nodded.


    Soon, everyone but Allen and Mark left the ce. Song Yun nkly stared at him. After listening to his daughter, he felt like thousands of needles stabbing his heart.


    If his own daughter spoke to him like that, then, how would this enemy speak? Whatever the case, he thought that he had to face it.


    But, before that, he thought he needed to clear something with Mark.


    Continuing to sit on the ground, Song Yun spoke softly, "I know that I don''t deserve to even apologize to my daughter but I want to know where I went wrong in your case? Let''s put aside our enmity for a moment and talk as a man to man. Please spare me a couple of minutes."


    At first, Mark felt like this guy was repenting his actions but now, it appeared like Song Yun still thinks that he is right. Whatever it is, this might be thest time they will see each other. So, Mark felt like he should atleast listen to him, "Talk."


    Song Yun then said, "You, amoner from some poor neighborhood of Hanga district, challenged my authority. Is it wrong of me to get angry?


    You destroyed my home and sent me to a state of deep unconsciousness a). Is it wrong of me to challenge you for a battle, back during the public trial?


    You hid my daughter at your ce, indirectly causing the marriage alliance with Ji n to copse. Is it wrong of me to develop a deep hatred for you?


    You saved her and then brought her to your home, followed by announcing your engagement. Is it wrong of me to think that you are using her to get back at me?


    If these things happened to you, would you truly not think of revenge?"


    Usually, he would have to shout these things with a frustrated look on his face but Song Yun, at the moment, didn''t appear that way. Instead, he looked as if he was seeking an answer. That''s why his tone is soft.<sub> </sub>


    Mark didn''t expect such questions but he doesn''t have to think to answer them. He replied calmly as he raised his hand, "I''m no saint, Song Yun. I have a lot of sins in my head. This hand of mine is indirectly responsible for the death of millions of innocent lives. You are not the first one who had a grudge against me and certainly, you won''t be thest. Your hatred toward me ispletely justified.


    Emotions are something that will happen naturally. You can''t do anything about it. But, your actions are in your control, right?


    You are the head of a n. You are a minister of the state. You are the husband of someone and a father of someone. When you have so much to lose, you should be also aware of the consequences of your actions.


    Tell me something. Was this the first time you have ever felt frustrated in your life? You must have been frustrated with certain decisions of the Emperor, or your grandfather, or the Elders of your n, right?


    Did you ever pick up a fight with them as you did with me? No, right? Why? It''s because you clearly know that they can make your life hell.


    On the other hand, I don''t possess any authority or influence.


    As you quoted in your first sentence, you are just frustrated with the fact that a lowlymoner dared to challenge your authority. So, what if he has weapons? So, what if he is Cerberus yer? You just need to bring a stronger guy and then,ter, paint themoner as someone evil to society.


    Isn''t this truly the case?


    Actually, the problem is with the system, right from the beginning. Because people like you inherited the position of minister and the n head from your father, you would never truly understand the importance of your position.


    But, seriously, I don''t understand you, nobles. It''s not like you have some three eyes or wings. Why do you guys think that you are too privileged? I could understand the prejudice against poor people or civilians. But, I don''t understand why you look down on people who weren''t of noble families.


    A couple of millennia ago, your ancestors are also farmers andborers. The blood of amoner runs through your veins too. In the future, if the Empire copses, your descendants might also turn intomoners too.


    Had you not looked at me through the lens of a noble, you would have been able to put aside your hatred and maintain a peaceful rtionship with me, instead of thinking that I''m afraid of going all out against your n.


    I don''t want to brag but if I have the power to kill a peak-8-circle expert of the Church of Doom, then, isn''t it certain that I have the ability to eradicate any major n as I wish?


    If you had thought that way and truly had epted me as your son-inw, then, your n would have a formidable ally, by now. You would be able to dictate terms to any major noble n or even negotiate with the Emperor.


    Hence, you might not be wrong to develop a grudge but you just chose to walk in the path of hell when there is a choice of going to heaven.


    For some reason, I want to believe that this incident changed you a little bit. That''s why I''m bothering myself to exin, all of this. If you understood it, then, all is fine. If not, then, only God can help you.


    Now, if there''s anything else you want to say, please do."


    Mark actually stayed there to mock Song Yun about how he focused on an enemy staying far away while ignoring the problems that are right beside him. After all, the elders of the Song n did most of the damage.


    Little did he expect to stand there and give life lessons to Song Yun.


    On the other hand, Song Yun fell into deep thoughts, taking Mark''s words seriously. As he pondered on the matter, realization dawned upon him. Letting out a deep sigh, he nodded in agreement, "You are right. I have several opportunities to end the enmity but didn''t do it. Perhaps, my hatred toward you developed because of envy.


    You are amoner born some in some vige. And you are only 25.


    Yet, you have those weapons that defy the existence of Spirit Warriors. You awakened a rare spirit path of a summoner. You acquired strength enough to kill a beast king like Cerberus. If I think about it, I''m probably driven that I wasn''t blessed with such things.


    Sigh¡­ I guess I have no right to me the elders for my situation, after all. As Elder Mu and you said, I''m only facing the consequences of my actions."


    *Ding!

 Chapter 267 Song Yun Escapes The Prison

    <strong>*Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Save Song Yun.</strong>


    Quest: Song Yun is truly repenting actions and deserves a second chance to redeem himself. Get him out of the prison using whatever method.


    Reward: 1000 credits


    ept?


    "Only 1000?" Mark was certainly disappointed by the reward. Usually, the system offers him hefty rewards while issuing an Emergency Quest, well, based on its importance. The fact that the reward is low indicates that he doesn''t need to help him.


    However, even the system believes that Song Yun is changed. And it is something that he can''t ignore. For the sake of Song Yue, he decided to take a leap of faith.


    But then again, he wasn''t the type to risk his goal for the sake of an enemy like this middle-aged fellow. In fact, thetter should be happy with the fact that Mark didn''t kill him on the spot.


    After thinking briefly about how to use the situation to his advantage, Mark then spoke, "Song Yun, one final chance."


    "Hmm?" Song Yun, who hung down his head in regret, raised his head and looked at Mark in confusion. "What do you mean?"


    "I will give you an opportunity to make it up to your daughter," answered Mark in a calm tone. "But, in exchange, I need something from you too. It''s not a big thing. You just need to guard my fianc¨¦e, your daughter in my absence."


    "Protecting Song Yue? Will you ask the Emperor to release me?" Song Yun''s face, which was drained of energy, suddenly filled with hope, and he rose to his feet. Whether he regrets it or not, whether he wants to make it up to his daughter, all of it is secondary. Being able to escape from this underground cell takes priority.


    However, Mark wouldn''t want to owe a favor to the Emperor over a person like Song Yun. He shook his head in response, "No, I don''t want to go against Song Yue''s wishes. She''s also a victim and those 17 years of punishment are something only she has the right to pardon. Unless I convince her first, I can''t do anything on your release."


    "Then?" Song Yun looked at him curiously.


    Mark didn''t speak anything but take out ink, brush, paper, and a table from his inventory. He then started writing something on it.


    After he was done, Mark raised the paper.


    "I will remove that seal on yours and let you regain your cultivation, right now. You can escape on your own at midnight. It won''t be hard for you to do that.


    You are already a traitor of the Empire and still will be branded as a traitor. However, I will give you shelter in my house and shield you from the Imperial Pce provided that you will never expose your face to anyone else but me and my two siblings.


    And when I realize that you are trying to break the deal, I will kill without any hesitation. I''m going to keep an invisible tracker seal inside you that can''t be removed by even a 9-circle expert. Hence, you won''t be able to escape even if you run to the ends of the earth.


    Give a nod if you ept this arrangement or else, just sit down. Perhaps, I would bring her to visit you once in a while. This is the most I can do."


    Song Yun wasn''t a fool. He understood why Mark was writing it on paper instead of directly speaking of it. After all, people say that even walls have ears. Who knows whether someone is spying on them from the other side of the wall


    He nodded his head vigorously.


    Mark then put away the things and raised his hand. Closing his eyes, he activated the skill.


    <strong>"Seal Breaker"</strong>


    Mystic symbols appeared around his palm before they wereunched at Song Yun. Before Song Yun even made a movement, they already struck him and entered his body.


    Soon, the seal ced on his body was shattered like ss and Song Yun felt the surge of his strength. He wanted to breakthrough right away but exercised control andpletely suppressed his strength before kowtowing once again, "Thank you."


    "Now that I''m done here, I''m leaving. Take care."


    Keeping up appearances that he didn''t do anything other than scolding, Mark left the ce alongside Allen, leaving behind a man who continued to kowtow in gratefulness until the former was out of sight. Wiping off his tears, Song Yun mumbled, "Xiao Yue is safe with Lu Zhen but I wonder how Cheng Xiao is doing now. Once everyone knew that I escaped from the prison, they might harm her. I have to shift her to some safe ce."<sub> </sub>


    Soon, hey down on the floor and closed his eyes, acting as if he went to sleep.


    <strong>A few hourster, at around 3:00;</strong>


    <strong>Emperor''s chamber, Imperial Pce;</strong>


    Just like every other citizen in the Imperial City, Emperor Shang was in a deep sleep. Lan Jingyi was sleeping next to him. Seeing that both of them are naked with their clothes on the floor, it must have been an intimate night.


    *knock*knock* knock*


    The knocks on the door woke them up. They appeared to be rather loud.


    "Ugh¡­ can''t they just wait until the morning?" Lan Jing Yiined as got down from the bed before dressing up. The Emperor also did the same and then, unlocked the door with a look of annoyance on his face.


    Upon opening the door, Emperor Shang saw the Northern General, Ye Yin, who appeared to be panicking instead of being worried. In an instant, Shang Fu understood that the emergency was rather serious than he expected it to be.


    Ye Yin then reported, "Your Majesty, Song Yun escaped from the prison. Almost every guard was knocked out cold."


    "What!" Emperor couldn''t hold his voice and reacted rather loud. "How did it happen?"


    Ye Yin shook his head, "we aren''t sure. Either he must have somehow broken the seal or someone from the outside must have helped him."


    "Church of Doom?" It was the first thing that came to Shang Fu''s mind as he heard that there was a strong possibility of an involvement of an outsider.


    "Call Bai Xun, right now. And wake up, Shang Wen." Shang Fu hastened the pace of his walking while going toward the throne''s room, leaving behind a displeased Lan Jingyi.


    "That man dared to escape?" Lan Jingyi was already furious with Song Yun who attempted to kill her son. Now that he has escaped with help, an assumption popped into her head.


    Furrowing her brows, she thought, "I sincerely hope that he won''t do a foolish thing like trying to harm Shang Zhen, again. If that happens, I won''t even care whether he is Xiao Yue''s father or Sister Cheng''s husband. I will reduce him to ashes...


    No, he isn''t the real problem, here.


    Shang Zhen can take care of him at any time. Church of Doom will pose a threat. As long as that old thing is alive, I cannot expose myself by going near that tower. Even if that woman is injured, as long as she is in her domain, she is very powerful.


    But then again, ording to Gu Ya, they were ordered not to pursue this matter until they im the seed of fire. So, it might not be a guy from church who broke Song Yun out of the prison. If it were to them, they would kill the guards instead of knocking them out. Even if I were in Song Yun''s shoes, I would kill them too. Hence, it must be the work of either hidden organization or a sect."


    As much as she has several theories, the matter is something that doesn''t need to worry about. She returned to the inner quarters and resumed her sleep in her room.


    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store, Hanga district;</strong>


    "How did that happen?" Song Yue didn''t bother to hide her displeasure as she heard from Lin Xue about her father''s escape.


    Lin Xue shrugged her shoulders, "who knows but you have to be careful."


    As both of them are in the store, the other three also heard of it. While the Androids looked like they didn''t care, Mark lied straight to her face, st night, when I talked to him alone, he said that the Church of Doom will surely rescue him. I thought he was ridiculous as they lost precious elders because of him. But, it looks like he was right."


    Lin Xue let out a gasp in surprise and she warned them once again, this time, in a serious tone, "Then, all of you should really be careful from now onwards, especially you, Allen."

 Chapter 268 The Black Knight

    Ten days passed away but Song Yun was nowhere to be seen.


    The Emperor sent thousands of soldiers to search all over the Imperial city; the six n leaders, who are governing the provinces, were also notified of the matter; Mark was also notified of the matter and was offered security for Song Yue and his siblings but he refused it.


    As the Emperor took this matter seriously, he called out for an all-out investigation as a seven-circle realm expert in on the loose. The Crown prince and his allies wholeheartedly supposed it, fearing that Song Yun might try to take revenge on them.


    The investigators interrogated Song Yun''s rtives, questioned Mark and Song Yue, Cheng Xiao, Elders of Song n, and everyone that Song Yun but the investigation yielded no results. Even the super powerful spy organization, "WEB" couldn''t trace his whereabouts.


    In the end, the Imperial pce was left with no choice but to officially announce a 50,000 gold coins bounty on Song Yun, dead or alive.


    Meanwhile, Mark was also left with bitter feelings as Song Yun didn''te to the store as per the deal.


    Mark seriously warned him that he wouldn''t spare his life if thetter were to break the terms of the deal. But, in reality, he didn''t imnt any tracker seal inside Song Yun and neither did the system give him a quest to apprehend him or something. So, where should he go and look for him?


    Considering how Song Yun had a hefty bounty on his head, Mark decided to give him an opportunity if they ever meet. If he won''t be satisfied with the exnation given by Song Yun, without any hesitation, he would kill the former leader of the Song n and attain the reward amount.


    But, for the current time, Mark can only continue to run the store as if the incident has nothing to do with him.


    As for Song Yue, at first, she was displeased, but then, as a couple of days passed, she eventually put away the matter from her thoughts.


    *


    It was around noon. Everyone is having lunch together while a couple of butler robots are serving the dishes.


    And just like the past few Fridays, the timer on the lottery wheel was roughly around 12 minutes. Everyone isfortably enjoying the delicacy made by Alina but Mark was getting restless as he kept on ncing at the wall clock every once in a while.


    Seeing that there was so much left in the bowl, Song Yue asked him, "Dear, is the food not to your liking, today?" Usually, she calls him by name but in the presence of Chang Bo and Shang Jiao, she had to address him that way.


    Mark looked at her and shook his head, "No, I just¡­"


    Before he finished his reply, Alina interrupted him with a look of displeasure on her face as if she was offended by Song Yue''s remark, "There''s no way Big Brother would hate my food, Lady Song."


    Song Yue was living here for a while and was ustomed to Allen and Alina''s behavior. So far, what she had witnessed is that Alina was too devoted to Mark andpletely understands what he is thinking.


    However, as she is a high-quality puppet with her own emotions, Alina gets tends to be happy or sad based on the situation, just like humans. Allen was cool. He would never get angry. He was always calm and understanding.


    On the other hand, Alina was a perfectionist. Whatever job she was given, from cleaning the floor to training the butler robots, she does it without any mistake. And except for Mark, if anyone pointed out a mistake in her work, she would get triggered even if it is Allen.


    Not intending to upset this puppet thatpletely resembles and behaves like a real human being, Song Yue apologized right away, "Sorry, I chose the wrong words. The food was incredibly delicious. It''s just that Lu Zhen barely touched the food."


    "Ah, Big Brother had a lot on his mind," replied the Android without disclosing the secrets of her master.


    Mark then vaguely exined, "I''m leaving tomorrow morning for some urgent business. I was thinking about it."


    Song Yue was curious about it but she didn''t ask him because of the nature of the rtionship between them. She silently ate the food.


    Once the lunch was over and she returned to her room for a 10-minute nap while Shang Jiao returned downstairs, Mark started absorbing the luck points from the welpire (Chang Bo).


    Upon absorbing three points to reach a temporary 10 points of luck, he returned to his room and locked the door.


    Taking a deep breath, he opened the lottery wheel.


    There were twenty nk spots and a green-colored potion. Last week, he got the useless reconnaissance satellite, which cannot beunched into space without the space rocket. Hence, he had to wait one whole week to earn the most precious reward.


    Comfortably lying on the bed, he clicked on the spin button. With ten points of luck, there''s no worry on his face.


    Eventually, the arrow stopped on the target.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on acquiring the Peak Potion as a reward from the lottery wheel. The item was sent to the inventory.</strong>


    The lottery wheel refreshed, disying the third batch of items. Mark couldn''t help but whistle as he saw the items. "Now, this is an upgrade¡­ Good."


    <strong>The seven items are: </strong>


    Random Unique weapon


    Random Bloodline


    Rank-1 Android (Weapons Research Specialist)<sub> </sub>


    Upgrade crystal (Superior grade)


    Ungraded Main Battle Tank (Merkava Mark IV),


    Peak potion


    Mysterious box (????)


    *


    Mark liked the new items on the Lottery wheel. In fact, he was a little bit worried that the system would modify it since he was taking advantage of ten luck points to have a sure reward. But, thankfully, the lottery wheel was the same, making him let out a sigh of relief.


    Anyway, once he was done with the lottery, Mark closed it and opened the Statue of Velkazar. Thest time, two weeks ago, he received an upgrade of the dismantling technique, making it overpowered. Hence, he was now filled with expectations.


    Unfortunately, even with maximum luck points, not everything went as he expected. Or atleast, that''s what he thought when he looked at the notification.


    <strong>*Ding! You received the blessings of the Divine Dragon Velkazar. Your agility stat is temporarily increased by 1 point.</strong>


    "Ugh¡­ what a useless reward."


    Mark closed it and then opened the inventory to look at the peak potion. It was the same asst time. However, he was currently a 5-circle realm summoner. Hence, he could use it to the maximum potential.


    Now, the only question that arises is whether the Amulet of Magic would increase his intelligence stat even after the consumption of this potion.


    Once again, he was met with disappointment.


    <strong>*Ding! Amulet of Magic is a gold-grade item, which loses its effect once your intelligent stat reaches 8.</strong>


    "I guess I have to depend on my lightning clone, after all."


    Having nothing else to do, Mark resumed the absorption of ether energy from the ether crystals.


    But, there''s a small change in his method.


    Instead of absorbing each one and waiting for the system to refine that ether energy into his, he directly absorbed the crystals one after another without bothering to refine them.


    During the past ten days, he discovered that his body could endlessly store the ether energy without worrying about the bottleneck and let the system refine it in the background, thereby, automatically increasing his ether points.


    For the past few days, every night before sleep, Mark would absorb a bunch of ether crystals and then goes to bed. By the morning, they would be refined, and he repeats the process again and again.


    As for why Mark couldn''t just absorb all of those dozens of high-quality crystals at once, he just wouldn''t want to check the progress every now and then during the day. It''s just for his mental peace. No important reason behind it.


    After absorbing thest batch of ether crystals and ores left in his inventory, Mark kept those white crystals back in the inventory instead of throwing them away, and closed his eyes to take a short nap.


    But, not even two minutes passed away and he received a message notification.


    <strong>*Ding! A message from Allen: A customer wishes to meet Big Bro.</strong>


    "Who might it be, now?" Mark wondered as he got down from the bed and went downstairs. He appeared to be a little bit annoyed.


    There were still 15 minutes left in the lunch break, and those who knew him well were aware that Mark would rather have a meeting during work hours than during break time. Not to mention, it''s not a secret that weapon stores like Genesis would usually be empty during the afternoon and it would be the perfect time to meet.


    Hence, Mark expected a stranger. And it does appear like one at one nce.


    It was a person of average build and height, covered in shining ck armor of tinum grade. The stranger was also wearing a knight helmet, which his covering his face entirely.


    Upon seeing Mark, the stranger raised his hand. A lump of Ether energy escaped from his fingertips before transforming into letters, and then, into sentences. "Hello, Lu Zhen. I apologize for taking a long time."


    The letters stayed for a moment before disappearing into thin air.


    Upon reading the message, Mark recognized the identity of the stranger. But, still, for verification, he activated Sage Eyes and inspected the details. It''s a certain 7-circle realm expert, alright.


    Mark nodded with a smile, "I was waiting for your arrival, Mister. I trust that you will protect my fianc¨¦e with your life."


    As Song Yun in disguise nodded in response, Mark then asked, "By the way, what do you wish to be called?"


    As a look of curiosity appeared on Shang Jiao''s face, the stranger wrote the words in the air, once again, "The ck Knight."

 Chapter 269 Mark Meets Zheng (Part-1)

    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    "Song Yue, this is ck Knight, a peak stage 6-circle realm expert from the Western Moon kingdom. I have hired him for your protection in my absence." Mark introduced the disguised Song Yun to Song Yue as a guard, surprising her a little bit.


    Song Yue was taken aback, not expecting that Mark would hire such a strong expert. She doesn''t know how strong this man in a knight''s armor is, but as the former heiress of Song n, she does know that his security services won''t be cheap.


    She asked, "How much it will cost for his security?"


    Mark actually didn''t prepare for that question. He thought Song Yue will ask him whether there is a need for an outsider when there was Allen and Alina.


    As he was thinking of a price, along the lines of somewhere between 300-400 gold coins per month, Song Yun raised his hand and gave the reply through writing. It didn''t take long for the words to appear in mid-air.


    "I owe Lu Zhen, my life. As repayment for the favor, I will be protecting you for the next 6 months, Lady Song."


    As he cannot say that he will serve for the rest of his life as some sort of ve, he gave a certain time limit. He thought that time would be enough for him to gain forgiveness from his daughter. If it wouldn''t suffice, he will try to extend the time limit by using some sort of excuse.


    Luckily, Song Yue bought his reasoning, and nodded with a smile, "Thank you." She was happy because of two things. One, it didn''t cost money. Two, her fianc¨¦ saved someone''s life.


    But, what do those things have to do with her?


    Song Yue never dwelled on the matter as if it is obvious.


    Meanwhile, Mark inwardly sighed in relief, feeling that he dodged a bullet. Originally, he wanted to introduce Song Yun as a 7-circle but didn''t do it so as to not attract unnecessary suspicion. So, he portrayed the guy as a foreigner he hired for Song Yue''s protection citing her father''s escape from the prison as a reason.


    The Imperial Pce was also aware that Mark visited the Western Moon kingdom and brought a change of regime. Hence, it would be a perfect ideal cover for Song Yun, ording to Mark''s opinion.


    But, the biggest issue lies within the family, not the outsiders. Song Yue''s opinion is the most important here. As she didn''t suspect anything and agreed with the protection, Mark was satisfied.


    <strong>The next day morning;</strong>


    "Okay, I will be back by evening. See ya."


    Leaving behind the manticore and Allen at the store for Song Yue''s safety just in case Song Yun tries to switch to his old ways, Mark boarded the attack helicopter, which was piloted by Alina.


    As he rejected the instant teleportation function toplete the emergency quest when he epted it, Mark received a map, which lets him track his target until hepletes/fails the quest.


    After a few hours of travel, while refilling the fuel, on the midway for once with Mark''s ether energy, they reached the Kunyu mountain range.


    Soon, it started descending onto one of the peaks, which was a huge t ground as if the mountain''s top part was sliced away. The ce wasn''t that big but it wasn''t small too. It was roughly around 1 sq. km (~250 acres) filled with ruined buildings, but still, the ce was quite neat without any dust or unnecessary rocks and stones around.


    At the corner of this abandoned vige, there was a graveyard filled with burial mounds. A grey-haired man in tattered white robes appeared to be sweeping the ce at a slow pace as if he has all the time in the world.


    The sound of the helicopter didn''t escape his ears. He immediately raised his head to look at it and frowned, "what is that thing?"


    Putting away the broom, he started walking toward the location of the ruined buildings where the helicopter was going tond.


    Upon reaching there, he saw two people stepping out of it and the helicopter disappeared into thin air.


    The man, who appeared to be in his early fifties, opened his mouth, "Stop right there. Leave this ce, strangers."


    Mark was naturally surprised by the appearance of a human in such a location as he wasn''t expecting any hosts to receive him. "Was he a member of the Church of Doom?" he wondered. ording to Gu Ya, the organization is nning to upy the beast for three decades but to no avail.


    To confirm his suspicions, he activated the Sage Eyes and inspected him. And the details really surprised him.


    <o>,m <strong>Lan Ju</strong><sub> </sub></o>


    Status: Humanoid


    Grade: Emperor


    Species: Zheng


    Gender: Male


    Rank: 9 (peak-stage)


    Type: Offensive


    Attribute: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning


    Description: Zheng is a beast from the undyingnds. A pet of Lan Gengxin, it is very loyal to its master even after his death, acting as the grave keeper of the Lan Sect''s graveyard.


    *


    "So, this beast can take the shape of a human?" Mark heard the legends of the pure dragons that can transform into a human but didn''t expect this one can also do it.


    What''s more shocking is its cultivation. If the beast''s cultivation level is at peak-9-circle in its humanoid form, it will be even higher in its true form.


    And then, what''s about its strength?


    It is safe to assume that a demigod beast emperor can easily defeat an average Immortal realm human (11-circle). All of a sudden, Mark felt like the peak potion might not be enough to subdue it by force.


    And if he manages to defeat by some miracle, there''s still a problem left. How will he be able to form a contract with a Demigod-level beast using an advanced Spirit beast contract?


    Hence, he came to the conclusion that he needed to fight for its acknowledgment, rather than trying to capture it.


    Fortunately, he received a manuscript of Beast Tamer Xie Chen as an engagement gift from his sister. During the past ten days, it helped him to understand more about the beasts and their behavior. As a result, the loyalty of the manticore was raised substantially enough for it to give him a word that it will guard Song Yue with its life.


    Not knowing whether he can defeat by force or not, Mark first closed his eyes, controlling his stunned expression, and then, took a deep breath and greeted the Zheng with a sincere bow, "Greetings, Lan Ju, my name is Lu Zhen and I came from the Imperial City."


    The middle-aged fellow was a little bit surprised by how Mark greeted him. After all, not many people who are still alive knew his name. If someone knew his name, that means, they also knew that he is a beast, not a human. The Church of Doom came to his mind, at first.


    Suspecting that the visitor might be lying about his origins, Lan Ju warned him again, this time, a bit aggressively, "Whoever you are, the outsiders have no business with thisnd or me. Leave before you regret it."


    Mark was the kind of person that gets offended even by the slightest threat. But, knowing that he cannot attack the beast, he tried to reply as calmly as possible, "I''m here because of three things. First, I want to pay my respects to my grandfather. Two, I want to im his inheritance, which he left for me. And three, Reviving the Lan Sect."


    "Grandfather? Reviving the sect?" Lan Ju furrowed his brows upon hearing that Mark is rted to someone from the Lan Sect. He asked, "Who is your grandfather?"


    Mark answered, "Lan Gengxin. He is my maternal grandfather if what Granduncle, Lan Jing said is true."


    He purposely mentioned Lan Jing''s name so that the beast would atleast consider giving him an opportunity to earn its acknowledgment. However, little did he expect that he would actually touch its sore spot for speaking out Lan Jing''s name.


    "How dare you to spout that traitorous bastard''s name?" Lan Ju suddenly roared in response. His voice released some sort of sound waves, striking Mark and Alina at the same time, pushing them away.


    The power behind the sound waves was so powerful that Mark felt like he would fall from the cliff. Thankfully, Alina was quick to act in releasing the Protos chains and catch him before leaping to the side andnding on the ground.


    As Mark was freed from the chains, Alina stood before him while conjuring her Protos daggers.


    "What is that corrupted energy?" Lan Ju became wary all of a sudden, stopping in his tracks and staring intently at Alina and the ck energy daggers in her hands. "A peak quality puppet? There''s no way humans of this remote world can progress this far."

 Chapter 270 Mark Meets Zheng (Part-2)

    Whether it is a beast or a human, one would always fear the unknown and wouldn''t foolishly tackle it.


    There''s a reason why Mark arrogantly attacks the opponents that offend him. Why? It is because he knew that he would win for sure.


    And at the same time, since he couldn''t inspect the details of his biological mother, he proceeded cautiously with a different approach even after capturing a beast king of the eight-circle realm. Of course, that can be changed once he captures this demigod realm beast but the possibility appeared to be a little bleak, at the moment.


    Simrly, Lan Ju could neither sense the strength of the visitors nor could he recognize the exact nature of the Protos energy present in the daggers held by Alina. Hence, it shouldn''t be a surprise if he turned a bit wary of them.


    Meanwhile, Mark, upon getting the taste of an absurdly powerful sound wave attack, decided not to underestimate its short temper. He also realized that there''s some history between Lan Jing and the Zheng beast.


    Continuing to stand behind Alina to protect himself, Mark then spoke loudly, "I don''t know what happened but it''s true that I''m the rightful heir of Lan Gengxin as I have inherited his bloodline. Whether you like it or not, I''ll make sure that the Lan Sect will rise from the ashes. If you want to help me, then, I''ll happily wee it. If you don''t want to, then, please don''t stand in my way.


    My grandfather once took you into his family and gave you his surname. So, I think you can do atleast that much for him, considering you are guarding his grave for so many decades."


    Lan Ju furrowed his brows as he patiently listened to Mark. In fact, he became a lot calmer because of his soft spot for his master. As thetter was done with his request, he said, "Just now, you mentioned that you inherited his bloodline. Show me the proof."


    Mark was ted to hear that the Zheng had cool down and is willing to talk. Seeing a hope toplete his quest, he felt that he did a good thing by trying to be civil instead of just directly going to the fight.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark then raised his hand toward the Zheng that had its guard up. "Absolute Freezing"


    -10000 EP


    As he unleashed his bloodline technique, the surroundings started to freeze at a terrifying pace. In just a second, all of his 200-meter surroundings were frozen in ice except for Alina.


    Surprisingly, Lan Ju managed to dodge the attack and quietlynded on the ice floor. He had his heartbeat skipped for a moment as his senses picked up the aura, "I can feel the aura of Blizzard Pegasus in the ice. And it is also very pure just like the master. He is a descendant of the Lan n, alright. But, if I only consider the range and the temperature of this ice, then, he must be in the 6-circle realm. But, his face is the most suspicious."


    *Ahem*


    Clearing his throat, Lan Ju then said, "I admit that you have the bloodline but it doesn''t prove that you are a descendant of my master. I only answer to Lan Gengxin, neither the Lan n nor the ancient Lan Sect.


    And not to mention, you are too weak to revive the Lan Sect if I believe this attack is your strongest bloodline attack. So, I have no reason to let you do what you want. However, I will allow you to pay respects to your grandfather because of your bloodline."


    Mark didn''t take this into consideration when he journeyed to the Kunyu mountain range. Whether it is Lan Jing, Bai Xun, Emperor Shang, Lan Jingyi, or King Shen Niu, everyone told Mark that he strikingly resembled Lan Gengxin.


    Then, howe this beast is failing to recognize him? Why does this Zheng still doubt his words? Perhaps, the other party wanted strong evidence to support his im?


    Then, that would only leave a DNA matching. It might appear silly but he can only enquire about the matter despite never reading such a thing in Xie Chen''s manuscript.


    "System, do the Spirit Beasts have any ability to recognize DNA?"


    He expected either the correct answer or a reply something along the lines of ''Figure out yourself''. But, to his surprise, the system sent a different style of reply.


    <o>,m <strong>*Ding! Is everything okay with the host''s head?</strong></o>


    The system was already sassy in nature. As it leveled up, it became less sassy. Lately, Mark thought that the system turned a bit nice except for profanities that are aimed at it.


    But, itstest reply made Mark change his opinion. Closing down the notification, he mumbled, "Great, now it turned sarcastic too. Anyway, I''m now on my own. So, what should I do? If I had that Shen Long bracelet with me, I would have made up a story of how I received it as an inheritance. Do I have no choice but to battle? If only the beast can analyze my blood just like the system did with Chang Bo¡­ Hmm¡­ wait a second¡­"<sub> </sub>


    An idea popped up in his mind.


    While Lan Ju is almost losing his patience because of Mark''s silence, thetter opened his mouth with a smile, "You have lived with my grandfather for more than two decades. As someone loyal to Lan Gengxin even after his death, you shouldn''t have forgotten his scent or the taste of his blood, correct?"


    As Lan Gengxin didn''t use the Spirit Beast Contract and neither has any system supporting him, he would have used his blood to form a contract with the beast. Mark believed that a beast emperor like the Zheng would be able to remember it.


    Confirming Mark''s assumption, Lan Ju admitted it, although being, although being momentarily confused about what the guy is implying, "Yes, so?"


    Mark raised his hand once again. But, this time, he didn''t attack. Instead, he said, "You can have my blood to check whether I have any rtion to Lan Gengxin or not."


    "Blood?" Lan Ju was visibly surprised by Mark''s confident expression. It began to wonder whether this guy is really his master''s grandson or not. In the end, he nodded, "alright."


    Mark let out a satisfactory smile, seeing that his n was sessful to an extent. He then ordered the Android, "Alina, cut my palm and extract blood."


    "Big Brother?" Alina''s eyes widened as she looked at him in shock. Even in her dreams, she can never harm her beloved master.


    Mark understands the reason behind her hesitation but he neither has any sharp weapons nor does have high strength stat to draw blood out of himself. Hence, he has to depend on this busty android to do the job.


    After much deliberation, Alina finally raised her hand and gently sliced at his right palm before taking out a soup bowl from Mark''s inventory and squeezing about 10 ml of blood into the bowl. He tried his best to bear the pain, thinking about the quest reward.


    After collecting the blood, Alina then tore off a bit of the right sleeve of her robes and tightly wrapped it around the wound as shecked the healing skill and Markcked any healing ointments in his inventory.


    Mark didn''t care much as he will use the peak potion. Once he enters the Supreme Realm, he could easily heal his wounds with ether energy. All Exalts (7-circle) and above realm experts have that ability. So, the wound is no big deal for him. But, he didn''t stop Alina either as it felt good to receive care from a beautiful woman even if that woman is an Android.


    Anyway, soon, the Android left her master''s side and walked forward, eventually handing it to Lan Ju.


    Over the course of several decades, he had eaten several animals and adventurers. So, he wasn''t unfamiliar with tasting the blood of a human. The only problem is whether he will be able to control his urge to eat Mark after drinking the blood.


    But then again, if Mark''s blood tastes really different from Lan Gengxin, killing him should not be a problem as it would imply that the visitor was lying about his rtion to thete Patriarch of the Lan Sect.


    "Okay, here we go." Lan Zhen raised the bowl and drank the blood. His eyes lit up instantly and his first thought was, "Woah, such purity. It tastes very rich to invoke my hunger." But, in the next second, he let out a deep sigh upon remembering one of the memories with his master. "Gengxin¡­"


    In a wastnd, an injured young man was carrying a leopard cub while battling a bunch of assassins. He was bleeding from head to toe but never once did he put it down or gave it away to those assants from the Church of Nuwa who termed a beast emperor as an ill omen to the world.


    Eventually, all the assassins were killed and the young man who strikingly resembled the current Mark copsed on his knees. Caressing its back, he said with a smile on his face, "Lan Ju, don''t worry about them. As long as I am alive, I won''t let anyone hurt you."


    Being touched by his actions, the cub let out a cute roar before it initiated the Spirit contract after 18 months of acquaintanceship.


    <strong>Back to the present;</strong>


    Seeing that the middle-aged-looking fellow went into trance, Mark assumed that his gamble turned into a sess. However, he showed his patience and waited for the other party to speak.


    Lan Ju then looked at Mark and said, "I guess you are telling the truth. However, I cannot trust a weakling to inherit the sect. Prove that you are worthy."


    These words were the ones Mark was waiting for. Feeling that his patience paid off, he threw a challenge in reply, "Will you ept the Spirit Beast Contract and be the guardian of my Lan sect if I stay undefeated for 5 minutes?"

 Chapter 271 Mark Meets Zheng (Part-3)

    If it was just a minute earlier, Lan Ju, the Zheng beast would have been wary of the challenge with unfavorable conditions as he couldn''t gauge the realm of the visitors.


    However, now that he personally confirmed the rtionship between Mark and his master, Lan Ju didn''t dwell on the conditions. If this challenger indeed can stay undefeated for five minutes, it would only showcase his ability to bring Lan Sect back to its glory. He would be more than happy to help the young man.


    But, at the same time, there was also this worry developed in his heart. What if this young man wasn''t hiding his strength and is in 6-circle as he appeared on the surface?


    What if he identally kills the descendant of Lan Gengxin? The Zheng cannot do that to him. After a brief moment of thinking, Lan Ju said, "Don''t overestimate yourself, young man. You don''t know my real strength. I will consider your familial rtionship with my master and change the terms.


    I will give you ten minutes. If you cannd three hits on me, I will consider it your win. I won''t attack you in the meantime. And you cannot take help from the puppet either. Ready for the challenge?"


    Mark was taken aback by the other party''s proposal. He never nned on doing that. From the start, he was aware that he won''t be able to attain the acknowledgment from this Demigod beast if he let Alina assist him. Originally, he wanted to depend on the peak potion to go head to head with the Zheng but it looks like the goddess of luck is smiling on him. Maybe, it is his 7 points of luck? Whatever the case, there''s a possibility that he won''t need to use the peak potion.


    Not wanting to give any time for the Zheng to think on his decision, Mark agreed, although adding a condition of his own, "I ept your terms but you cannot leave this peak during the battle. No running away."


    "Hmpf, you are insulting me, young man." Lan Ju snorted in response.


    He doesn''t know whether the Zheng would keep his word or not but Mark saw an opportunity and he intended to take full advantage of it, making the first move right away while raising his arm above his head.


    "Thunderst"


    Without giving any warning, Mark ambushed the opponent with the lightning strike. Thest time, the Demigod realm beast emperor escaped from getting frozen, but this time, not even the Zheng could dodge the sh of lightning that descended onto his head out of nowhere. It was only after he was struck by lightning that the thunder rumbled in the sky.


    Only a few strands of hair were damaged by the attack but still, it left a surprise on Zheng''s face. "No wonder he was confident. That was powerful enough to kill an 8-circle beast king of any kind."


    "Damn, the beast was too strong," Mark grumbled inwardly, seeing that his most powerful attack did nothing. But, he decided to put the negative aside and focused on the positive.


    Letting out a smile, he then said, "That''s one hit. Two more to go."


    "You are one shameless guy. You know that?" Lan Ju appeared to beining but he has a smile on his face as if he was impressed by the power behind the attack.


    In response, Mark shrugged his shoulders, "Well, you are in the demigod realm. I had to be shameless."


    "Oh! You can see my real strength?" The Zheng was pleasantly surprised once again as no one to date, except for the leader of the Church of Doom, has managed to realize that he wasn''t in Supreme Realm but the demigod realm. Lan Ju then added, "And still wanted me to attack you, earlier?"


    Mark replied while taking out an M134 mini gun and setting up on the stand, which was roughly about 60 meters away from the target, "I have my ways to protect myself."


    "Hmm? What is that thing?" Lan Ju saw the Gatling-style gun, which he has no knowledge of. However, he can see the six holes in the barrels and immediately guessed that something wille out of them before spotting Mark to connect it with a chain of ammunition.


    At the same time, Lan Ju also sensed the presence of ether powder in that strange metal weapon. He concluded that the challenger might also use some ether attacks.


    With his superior sight, senses, and intelligence, it wasn''t hard for Zheng to realize that these pointy things wille at him, next. All it took for Zheng to understand everything was a mere three seconds.


    Mark wasn''t aware that his n was exposed to his opponent but he doesn''t care anyway. After all, the backup n was already there in his head.


    Looking at the prepared beast emperor, Mark set the rpm to the maximum. "Are you ready?"


    "Whatever¡­" The Zheng gestured for him to get on with it.


    Mark suddenly started counting numbers. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3¡­"


    Without finishing 2 and 1, he firmly held on to the trigger, shooting 1000 rounds of ammo in a mere 12 seconds.


    While he was shooting, Alina was standing there and capturing the target''s movements.


    As the smoke cleared, Mark no longer saw the middle-aged fellow. Instead, there was a five-tailed scarlet-leopard standing with its head high. "You didn''t fail to surprise me, young man, although it was too childish to use that silly move, earlier with the countdown. Anyway, what is that thing called?"<sub> </sub>


    Mark replied, "It is called M134 minigun."


    "Weird name,"mented the leopard.


    Meanwhile, Mark turned his head to look at Alina for the result. The Android shook her head, "No collisions are detected."


    "Damn, 1000 gold coins are wasted¡­"


    As Mark loaded the next chain of 1000 ammunition rounds (7.62 x51mm), the leopard spoke, "those things are fast but not enough to hit me when I clearly know where the attack ising from. Using the same attack will be useless."


    "We''ll see about that." Mark was prepared for a momentary failure. So, he ignored itsment and turned the weapon toward the scarlet leopard. But this time, he didn''t directly shoot it.


    Instead of clicking the trigger, he clicked on the blue-colored button, which is right below one of the space grips.


    <strong>*Ding! You only have 306,224 ether points left (46.9%). Not sufficient to invoke the maximum power of the skill.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The skill attack power has been revised. Superbeam will have a maximum attack power of 120%.</strong>


    This is the new function of the system, Mark discovered a bitte. Regarding the skill attacks, especially from the modern ether weapons, if there isn''t any sufficient ether energy, then, Mark can stillunch them using the remaining ether points. But, as a result, the attack power will be reduced significantly.


    Usually, it is not rmended to do it, but at the moment, Mark''s aim wasn''t to harm the opponent, of course, not that he could even if he wanted to, though.


    Followed by the notifications, a small electric spark was released into his body before emptying his reserves in an instant while the Gatling gun gets charged up.


    The Zheng naturally sensed the surge of ether energy from the weapon. But, Mark didn''t give the leopard too much time to prepare despite knowing that the oue won''t change a bit.


    He pressed on the trigger and held onto it, barraging another 700 rounds for the next eight seconds. While the five-tailed leopard, keeping its word, was busy dodging the bullets with constant side steps, the weapon was charged up and Mark hold onto the weapon tightly, bearing the recoil as beams of concentrated ether energy were shot from six barrels before merging into one superbeam.


    The leopard sensed the attack and attempted to evade the attack when it was only a couple of feet away.


    The leopard skid to the left and came out of the smoke. But, to its surprise, the superbeam made almost a 90-degree turn and struck its neck.


    No injury or even a bruise appeared on the leopard but its job is done and Mark put away the weapon and raised his thumb and index finger, "That''s two hits. Now, only one more to go, Lan Ju."


    "Suddenly, I feel like I was duped because of my own ignorance,"mented the leopard. However, Mark could feel the friendliness in Zheng''s tone. Or maybe, it''s just him.


    Anyway, there was one more to go and Mark took out another weapon, this time, it is a rocketuncher.


    As he loaded the 110mm warhead, the leopard decided not to just side step but create enough distance so that it will get time to evade once again, not wanting to make the same mistake.


    Taking the beast emperor''s ignorance about firearms as an advantage, Mark shot the warhead. Before the warhead strikes the leopard, thetter leaped more than five meters to the left before cing attention on the warhead.


    Once again, the surprise took over its face as the warhead exploded upon touching the ground instead of changing its direction or going straight and striking some ruined structures.


    *boom*


    In an instant, thirty meters from the point of impact was reduced to dust.


    The explosion was quite powerful and because of the hills around, the sound echoed a few times, reaching the Kunyu valley where the bandits were preparing for the war.


    Perhaps, the leopard had already made the decision or it might have been too shocked by the explosion. It didn''t move from the spot when it can try to evade. As Mark put away the rocketuncher without hiding his excitement, the leopard changed back to the humanoid form.


    "You are quite a trickster unlike your grandfather but I will keep my word."

 Chapter 272 Missile Defense System

    <strong>*Ding! The Zheng has epted the Spirit Beast Contract.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions on forming a contract with a 10-circle Spirit Beast. You received 100,000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! It is an emperor-grade beast. You received 50,000 credits as a reward.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the hidden quest, Inheritance of Lan Gengxin. Missile Defense System (Upgradable) was sent to the inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the X-1 missile. Check out the gallery for details.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Lan Ju is detected as a Demigod realm beast. Please upgrade the system to level-6 to ce it in the familiars'' inventory.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Do you wish to erase the memory of Lan Ju and raise its loyalty to 50% for 1 billion credits? Note: If you ept the deal, 5 billion gold coins will be added to the debt.</strong>


    While keeping his cool on the surface, Mark was celebrating in his head because of how easily he managed to form a contract with the super-powerful Zheng. However, thest notification from the system disturbed his mood.


    Upon reading the system''s offer, which is nothing but an attempt to trap him in bottomless debt, Mark couldn''t help but scoff at it, "Do you take me for a fool? Even if I looted the entire Vermillion Bird Continent, I wouldn''t probably be able to gather such an amount. Just the 1% monthly interest itself will amount to 50 million gold coins."


    <strong>*Ding! You can clear the debt once you start making Celestial/God-grade weapons. You can always purchase relevant ether powder from the system.</strong>


    "And who should I sell it to?" Mark countered back. He knew that no one is rich enough to buy those ultra-powerful weapons.


    It was then the system reminded him of some pretty important.


    <strong>*Ding! There are thousands of worlds in the universe. You could always find customers who can either pay with gold coins or with equivalent treasures.</strong>


    "Hmm, that''s right¡­"


    Mark would be lying if he says that he wasn''t tempted to take the offer. However, his rationality stopped him from making this deal with the devil kind of thing. "No, even after you wipe out its memories, there''s no guarantee that the beast would listen to my orders unconditionally. Look at Baltrow¡­ I managed to raise its loyalty to 56%, but I would have to keep my politeness while requesting something, or else, it will refuse to listen to me.


    If you can somehow make this beast emperor have an unconditional loyalty to me, then, I might think about it."


    If he had a Demigod realm beast emperor at his disposal, then, he would easily have the world at his feet. Atleast, that''s what Mark believed.


    Unfortunately, the system had a bad piece of news, waiting for him.


    <strong>*Ding! Please upgrade the system to maximum (rank-10) to unlock such a mechanism.</strong>


    Before Mark even saw a glimmer of hope, it was crushed by the system''s reply. Then, what else he can do? Simple¡­


    <strong>*Ding! The system''s offer was denied.</strong>


    "Sigh¡­ it''s really a pity¡­ Anyway, let''s see this MDS (missile defense system) and what upgradable means. After all, I can improve the grade of any weapon as long as I have enough upgrade stones."


    <strong>Missile defense system ¨C I (upgradable)</strong>


    Grade: Copper (max: God)


    Weapon type: Mounted


    Missile type: X-1


    Launchers: 1


    Number of missiles peruncher: 5<sub> </sub>


    Missile length: 3 meters


    Missile weight: 50 kg


    Warhead type: Fragmentation


    Max. range of fire: 1 km


    Max. speed of missile: mach 1.5


    Description: A missile defense system that can be used as an offense or defense, ording to the situation. Moving at supersonic speed, X-1 could potentially obliterate all targets below 5-circle in a blink of an eye.


    Skills: None


    Upgrade >>> 1000 credits.


    "Okay, this one is damn good. Upgrading through credits is the best possible gift that the system can give me. I wonder how powerful this one bes once it reaches god grade. Of course, the upgrading costs will bleed me but it is worth the risk. No wonder the system gave this reward for taming the beast emperor. Maybe, I wouldn''t need its power in the future, after all. I will be able to¡­"


    As Mark was deeply thinking of all the possibilities he could achieve with the newly acquired missile defense system, Lan Ju, who was patiently waiting for a while, cleared his throat and brought him back to reality. "Lu Zhen, how long do you n on standing there in a daze? Come and pay respects to your grandfather."


    "Ah, Yes, I''m sorry¡­" Mark closed the window and walked forward, following the middle-aged-looking fellow to the graveyard where dozens of burial mounds are located without any names.


    Still, the beast emperor remembered every name. Upon entering the graveyard, he was actually pointing out every burial mound and telling about them. Mark patiently listened to his story until they reached a burial mound in the center.


    Upon reaching the spot, a trace of sadness appeared on Lan Ju''s face as he said, "This is where your grandmother and grandfather were buried together. Madam Xian loved my master very dearly. She was nothing but a mere 3-circle Spirit Warrior. But, she possessed a special ability to control the minds of ordinary and fierce grade beasts without forming any contract. In rare instances, she was able to control even a beast king of Exalt realm (7-circle), although it is only for a few moments.


    Three decades ago, when a dungeon break urred in these mountains, many disciples fled in fear, and many elders sent their families away from the danger, and even that traitorous bastard Lan Jing ran away like a coward but she fought alongside her husband despite his objection.


    To give her husband those two to three seconds of time, she even attempted to take over the mind of the dungeon overlord, Qilin, a fearsome monster of undyingnds, sigh¡­"


    Lan Ju paused for a moment and let out a deep sigh. Mark looked at him curiously and asked, "Did she fail?"


    "If that is the case, then, she is a fool," thought Mark. While the story might be touching for some people, for Mark, it was like a teacher exining to him a chapter from a history textbook. He doesn''t even have any feelings for the Lan Sect either. The revival of the sect was just a means for him to gain strength and manpower. That''s all.


    However, Lan Ju was different. This ce holds so many memories for him. He practically grew up here. He witnessed the sect flourish under his master and he also witnessed its destruction.


    Forcing out a smile on his face, Lan Ju then proudly said, "Madam Xian managed to stop Qilin for eight whole seconds. Those mere 8 seconds helped my master to finish his ultimate technique and save mankind.


    This world owes my master and madam Xian. Had my master failed to kill the beast, the entire continent would have been destroyed by its onught."


    Mark was taken aback by his words. He felt like this beast emperor is glorifying Lan Gengxin too much. After all, there are several Supreme beings hidden across the continent. Judging by how no one is aware that Song Tai is in the Supreme realm, he won''t be surprised if there are a few more of them in the Phoenix Empire.


    As they had already formed a contract and Lan Ju wouldn''t harm him as a result, Mark spoke his mind freely, disying his doubt while choosing his words a bit carefully, "Is Qilin that powerful? I heard that it was a rank-9 dungeon break."


    "Don''t lump us with you humans. The two humans in the same realm might possess simr strength even if their ether quality varies but the bloodlines affect our strength a lot more than you expect," replied Lan Ju as he shook his head in response.


    He then exined further, "While the Qilin, back then, was a 9-circle beast, it was still an ancient grade beast, a level higher than us. Even in my current peak strength, I could barely contest against that Qilin. It''s actually amazing that an intermediate stage Demigod (mid-10-circle) like my master managed to y the Qilin Prince."


    At once, Mark felt like his heart skipped a beat upon learning that his grandfather is actually a Demigod. No one told him that. Perhaps, themon people might also have been unaware of it. Or it might just be Lu Zhen who doesn''t possess such knowledge.


    But then again, Lan Gengxin was already dead, and the Qilin was dead, long ago. There''s no use thinking about how strong they were, anyway.


    Putting away his thoughts, Mark kowtowed before the burial mound and paid his respects to the dead. After rising to his feet, he then looked at the beast emperor, "For now, I''m returning to the Imperial city. What will you do?"

 Chapter 273 Upgrading The Missile Defense System

    A helicopter took off its flight from one of the peaks of the Kunyu mountain range. Mark was looking down at the ruined structures where a middle-aged fellow was standing there, "Well, I have already established a spiritual connection with him. That was enough. Of course, until I formally establish the sect and raise a private army, I need to visit him regrly. His current loyal is standing at only 23%. It wasn''t enough. I cannot give a reason to this guy could just severe the contract.


    Hmm, now that I think about it, Lan Ju should be better off here. It will not only let me protect my identity from Lan Jingyi but he won''t be able toe in between us.


    Anyway, let''s not think too much about it. You have a lot of work to do, Mark."


    Soon, the helicopter disappeared from Lan Ju''s sight and he went back to the graveyard, continuing to sweep at a snail''s pace, once again.


    Once the helicopter hit a certain height and continued to fly straight toward its destination, Mark opened the inventory to proceed with the upgrading.


    With over 177k credit limit waiting for me to spend and another 108 thousand credits in his ount excluding these 150k credits he received recently, Mark felt rich enough to splurge around. And he chose the defense system to spend those credits on.


    "Okay, here we go."


    <strong>*Ding! 1000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-I was sessfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-II.</strong>


    As he clicked on the upgrade, the image on the screen was changed. Previously, it was like five 80mm mortars clustered together in a pentagon shape. Now, those guns were neatly arranged together in two lines, five on the top and five on the bottom.


    "Okay, silver grade. Now, next to gold¡­"


    Mark went on with upgrading until he can no longer do it.


    <strong>*Ding! 4000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-II was sessfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-III.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 20000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-III was sessfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-IV.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the X-2 missile.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 120,000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-IV was sessfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-V.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You unlocked the X-3 missile.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Insufficient credits.</strong>


    "Hmm, the next upgrade needs a whooping 840k credits. It will take a while to amass them again but I guess I should be satisfied with its current state."


    **


    <strong>Missile defense system ¨C V (bound)</strong>


    Grade: Diamond (max: God)


    Weapon type: Mounted


    Missile type: X-1, X-2, X-3


    Launchers: 3 (Type-1, Type-2, Type-3)


    Number of missiles peruncher: 20


    Missile length: 3 meters


    Missile weight: 50 kg (X-1), 90 kg (X-2), 160 kg (X-3)


    <o>,m Warhead type: Fragmentation</o>


    Max. Range of fire: 120 km (100% uracy)


    Absolute range: 200 km (20% uracy)


    Max. Speed of missile: mach 3.8


    Target lock: Yes (only ether attacks)


    st radius: 20 meters (X-1), 50 meters (X-2), 130 meters (X-3)<sub> </sub>


    Storage chamber: Yes


    Description: A missile defense system that can be used as an offense or defense, ording to the situation. Moving at supersonic speed, X-3 could potentially obliterate all targets below 7-circle in a blink of an eye.


    Upgrade >>> 840,000 credits.


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    Active:


    <strong>Single-target Ether missile:</strong> Shoot a concentrated beam of ether energy from one of theunchers at different attack powers. Cost: (Type-1: 100k EP, Type-2: 1m EP, Type-3: 10m EP)


    <strong>Multi-target ether missile:</strong> Shoot 20 concentrated beams of ether energy from one of theunchers at once with each containing 120% attack power of the user. Cost: 30% ether energy.


    <strong>All-out Attack:</strong> Bombard the enemies with the 60 energy attacks from all of theunchers at the same with an attack power of 200% of the user (max stat-9.9). Cost: 50% of maximum ether energy. CD: 0 seconds


    <strong>Invincible dome:</strong> Create an invincible barrier with a maximum of 50 meters of radius and block all types of attacks as long as they don''t exceed stat 7.5. Cost: 10% of maximum ether energy per second. CD: 0 seconds


    <strong>Passive:</strong>


    <strong>Auto attack (Deactivated):</strong> When the defensive mode is switched on, the missile defense system will automatically use the missiles in the storage chamber and intercept all types of attacks that are aimed at its owner. Cost: none. CD: 0 seconds.


    **


    "Good. It''s worth spending 145k credits on this item."


    Mark let out a satisfactory smile upon reading the details of the new missile defense system. "Once the Kunyu bandits start the war, I should set this weapon at the Lushan peak and attack from far away using those skills. With Lan Ju around, first of all, no one would dare toe there, and secondly, energy attacks will make it impossible for the enemies to trace it back to me.


    With this, I can easily achieve my target. Now, all I need to do is to wait until that fatty merchant makes the visit. Hopefully, I get my weekly shipment from Zheng Ha. So far, only 25000 of those lead bullets were manufactured. I have a long way to go but with 72000 tungsten bullets that I painstakingly saved until now, Prince Feng would be able to hold on until I take out the big ones.


    Anyway, the hidden quest is finished. Now, I should focus on acquiring the second spirit path. Let''s hope that the uing expo turns into a sess. Hmm, I should contact Lan Jing to drag an envoy to the expo.


    Then, there''s the Western Moon kingdom. Didn''t Prime Minister Zhu Jianhong give me themunication talisman to contact him? It would be too much work to give a formal invitation. Let''s just invite him through the message.


    Hmm, who else is there? The major noble ns and sects. Some of them have enmity with me but business is business. I can atleast put my displeasure aside as long as the money flows in.


    Let''s ask the assistance of the imperial family to send the message to everyone. Even if some fool tries something funny, I would be able to take care of it. After all, I still have the peak strength potion with me."


    After sending a message to Alina that he was returning home, Mark closed his eyes and took a nap while Allen calmly piloted the vehicle.


    ***


    <strong>Heaven Pavilion, Yuan npound, Northern Yuan Province;</strong>


    The Heaven Pavilion is a building, located in the lush gardens of the Yuan npound. It is usually a location where the public meetings between the elders of the Yuan n ur.


    Because of its huge open space, the rest of the n members also get an opportunity to witness the meeting between these higher-ups that have authority.


    And other times, the n leader/patriarch would also give judgments to the sinners of the n.


    One can say that it is simr to that of a courtroom of the Imperial Pce except that it is strictly exclusive to the n members.


    As the strongest n in the Phoenix Empire, Yuan n has about 27 elders of which everyone is in a 6-circle. There are three grand elders with 7-circle realm cultivation with one of them at peak stage.


    So, it shouldn''t be a surprise that the meetings would go on for a long time because of the varied opinions of elders belonging to different factions.


    However, at the moment, everyone including those three mighty grand elders just silently stood in their ces as they stared at the 20-odd-year-old young man who walked into the pavilion and took the seat, where Patriarch was supposed to sit.


    It was only after he sat that everyone also took their seats.


    "Let''s begin," said the young man with a patch on one of his eyes as he let out a devilish smile.

 Chapter 274 The New Leader Of Yuan Clan

    Yuan Menzi is the son of thete Leon Empire''s prince, Shi Le, and the n''s former heiress, Yuan Xuefen.


    Both of them passed away when he was young, although at different times.


    Yuan Menzi didn''t have any memories of his father as he was assassinated by his own royal bodyguard, nearly three decades ago. So, he was mostly raised by his mother who was ousted by the n on the grounds that she conceived a male child whockspassion for everyone but his mother. People termed him as a devil spawn because of his abnormal left eye, his behavior, and the rising natural cmities over the region.


    If only the seventh prince of the Leon Empire was alive, Yuan Menzi and his mother''s lives would have been easier.


    Unfortunately, Emperor Shi refused to ept her as his daughter-inw as the prince never asked for his consent beforehand. After all, falling in love with Yuan Xuefen and then marrying her, all of this happened during one of his trips.


    The n leader, Yuan Weishi, kept the both of them far away from the n matters, sending them to the southern Yuan province where the dungeon breaks were quite frequent.


    On the night of the 12th birthday of Yuan Menzi, he gets abducted by some adventurers. His mother chased after them and somehow ended up in the Dungeon of Baltrow. Whether it is a beast that killed her or whether it is one of the adventurers, no one knows the truth to date.


    The pain caused by his mother''s death only increased his powers tremendously. However, Yuan Menzi cannot abandon his post as the n elders forcefully made him take a soul oath in the name of the heavens that he would continue to guard the dungeon just like his mother did.


    Of course, in return, they made him the governor of the southern Yuan after he turned 18. And just three yearster, the invincible dungeon was cleared, and he became free.


    Upon returning to the n with far greater strength than the n''s grand eldersbined, he usurped his uncle''s position and became the new Patriarch of the Yuan n.


    Of course, he never nned on staying there for a long time. Hence, following his wishes, the n never made an official announcement about the change of the regime.


    Back to the present, as Yuan Menzi called for a n meeting, the grand elders and the elders including the former Patriarch gathered at the Heaven Pavilion.


    Upon taking their seats, the elders silently stared at the young man and waited until he speaks of the matter.


    Yuan Menzi then nced at the former Patriarch, "What are you waiting for, uncle? Tell them."


    "Ah, Yes." Yuan Weishi rose to his feet like an ordinary elder and took out a scroll before reading it aloud.


    It was an invitation letter from the Wuji sect for the annual summit. However, instead of asking the n to send a representative, the Wuji sect stressed that the three grand elders alongside the Patriarch of the n need to be attended together.


    In fact, to show their seriousness, the letter even mentioned that an esteemed expert like Dai Long, the leader of the Mt. Hua sect was also attending the summit.


    Some of the elders turned serious, all of sudden.


    Looking at everyone''s expression, Yuan Menzi asked, "Uncle, what''s the matter?"


    Instead of the former Patriarch, a grand elder named Yuan Peng, who is also Yuan Menzi''s grand uncle, answered him, "I think they might have invited us to talk about the seed of fire. After all, it is almost the time of its birth."


    "Seed of Fire?" Yuan Menzi furrowed his brows as he stared at his grand uncle.


    He was aware of the story behind those elemental seeds but didn''t know that seed of fire is going to be born. He then asked with clear displeasure written on his face, "If that''s the case, why haven''t I informed, yet?"


    As everyone else stiffened for a moment and held down their breaths, not intending to invite trouble onto themselves by answering him, Yuan Weishi, the former n head replied, "The n had long decided to stay away from this matter. Legendary realm experts from all parts of the world will be iming the fire seed. Involving in such a matter will only bring destruction to our n."<sub> </sub>


    "Even then, you should have told me," said Yuan Menzi, making his uncle nervous.


    It was then a middle-aged-looking woman who rose to her feet and supported Yuan Weishi, "If we had to inform you every little thing that we have decided, it will take years. So, Lord Yuan wasn''t at wrong, here."


    "Ms. Kang," The young man took a nce at her and asked, "Did I give you permission to talk?"


    While his tone appeared to be very calm, for the female elder, it appeared like a death sentence. Yuan Weishi immediately tried to protect her by making a request, "She''s your aunt, Lord Menzi. I hope you consider your familial rtion and forgive her."


    In response, Yuan Menzi let out a scoff, "Just like how you practically exiled my mother?"


    As Yuan Weishi couldn''t defend himself against that usation, Yuan Menzi raised his eye patch, revealing a glowing scarlet pupil.


    "No, don''t¡­" Yuan Weishi tried to stop him but it was already toote. Kang Ah, who is the wife of the former Patriarch, let out a painful scream as she grabbed her head.


    "Please stop it. I''m begging you¡­" The woman fell to her knees, apologizing to her nephew and pleading with him to show mercy upon her.


    No one knows what kind of mental attack Kang Ah was facing, but the elders couldn''t help but remember that night when two of the grand elders and former Patriarch Yuan Weishi acted the same.


    Feeling that his aunt learned her lesson, Yuan Menzi covered his eyes with the special patch, ending the illusion technique upon the target, and stated, "I don''t care how the n was run before me. As long as I''m acting as the Patriarch, no funny business, understand?"


    "Calm down, Lord Yuan. Acting on unnecessary things will only waste your time," The third grand elder, Cao Lin, who is the mother of Yuan Weishi and maternal grandfather of Yuan Menzi, opened up her mouth. Unlike others, she wasn''t afraid of her grandson.


    In fact, she was the very reason the other grand elders didn''t involve the Imperial family in their n affairs. She was also the one behind Yuan Menzi''s appointment as the governor of Southern Province. And she was also the only one who convinced the young man to not take any lives of the nsmen and be the n leader, instead. She didn''t even try to fight him like the other grand elders.


    As this position will make his work easier, Yuan Menzi also agreed with her, although putting a condition that he will run the n in his own method.


    Upon hearing her words, Yuan Menzi got back to the topic as if nothing happened earlier.


    "Okay, you can state your opinions on whether we should attend the summit or not. The seed of fire doesn''t interest me. If you convince me to go and it turns out that the fire seed is their main agenda, then, the ones who were responsible for wasting my time will face consequences. Please keep that in mind before speaking out."


    <o>,m Because of Yuan Menzi''s early warning, no elder dared to risk it and face the punishment. Meanwhile, their powerlessness only increased their hatred toward him.</o>


    Seeing that no one is raising their hand, Yuan Menzi let out a smile, "okay, we''ll follow the majority. We''ll not attend the summit as we are busy with internal matters of the n. Next¡­"


    The grand elders were stumped by his methods of an impudent monarch but they didn''t state their opinion either.


    Grand Elder, Cao Lin then spoke, "A firearms exhibition is going to be conducted at the Imperial City on the uing Monday. We haven''t received an official invitation but I heard that it is open to all the public."


    "A firearms exhibition?" Yuan Menzi looked at her curiously. This is the first time he even heard of the word, Firearms.


    However, before he asked her, another grand elder, who was silent until now, mustered up his courage and opinioned, "Lady Cao, it belonged to Lu Zhen. He is an enemy of noble ns and Crown Prince also detests him very much. If we go there, then, we would have to answer the Empress. Even if she''s your younger sister, I don''t think she will be pleased by it."


    "Lu Zhen?" The young man suddenly remembered the guy he was supposed to visit but couldn''t meet him until now. "Grand Elder Cao, tell me more about this Lu Zhen and the firearms exhibition."

 Chapter 275 Hu Tian, The Envoy Of Kun Empire

    After about 3 hours of travel, the helicopternded on the Genesis Training grounds, right when the sun was almost at its peak.


    While Mark returned to the store, Allen started running at full speed to do his next job.


    He reached the Imperial Pce in 20 minutes and handed a letter directly to the Emperor, who was in the middle of having a casual chat with the Grand Secretariat.


    Emperor Shang offered him to sit with them and have a drink of wine, but Allen refused it and started returning home.


    Meanwhile, Shang Fu read the letter and was visibly surprised.


    "What is it, Your Majesty?" asked Li Zhen Kang.


    Shang Fu replied as he handed the letter to him, "It looks like Lu Zhen needs our help to inform the leaders of the major noble ns, sects, and guilds about his uing so-called expo. He was worried that people might not show up because of his reputation among the noble ns. I don''t know whether to feel happy that he wanted to rely on us or make us feel insulted that he wants us to be a messenger."


    "Eh?" The Grand Secretariat read the letter carefully and then opinioned, "Your Majesty, the letter clearly mentioned that we need to invite them, not inform them."


    "Hmm, what does that mean?" Shang Fu furrowed his brows. He looked at him as if he was saying, ''weren''t both of them the same?''


    Li Zhen Kang, the Grand Secretariat, then exined, "Your Majesty, I believe that he wants to use the authority of the Imperial Pce to force them to attend the weapons exhibition. They might reject his invitation but not yours.


    Well, if you ask me, I''d say that we shouldply with his request because you know he''s no longer a simple weapon seller. With the contract, he had be a partner like the dwarves.


    The Emperor thought for a while and finally nodded, "alright, then. We only have two days to spare. So, let''s not waste any time and get to work. Prepare invitations for the leaders of the top 10 guilds, sects, and all the twelve major ns. Of course, don''t forget the wealthy merchants and other prominent individuals."


    "As you wish, Your Majesty."


    Li Zhen Kang left the room with hastened steps to finish the work as quickly as possible.


    ***


    <strong>Almost at the same time, at the Western Moon Kingdom;</strong>


    <strong>Royal Pce, Lunaris city;</strong>


    Inside one of the private meeting chambers, King Shen Niu was drinking wine with some stranger. Both of them appeared to be quite polite with each other.


    "We have upgraded the security of the Qincheng Prison. We can''t do anything if someone as powerful as Lu Zhen suddenly decides to forcefully break out a prisoner without bothering to consult us.


    But then again, even if he isn''t an ally or even if it is some other legendary realm expert, no prison in the world would be able to stop such people, and no Empire would dare to make an enemy out of them either." The King was trying to reassure the envoy from Kun Empire to invest their money in the Qincheng prison, which has its reputation recently damaged by Mark''s actions.


    The King cannot me Mark even for the sake of the guest''s feelings as the person rescued from that ce.


    By portraying thetter as a guy who was strong enough to take down an elder of the Church of Doom, he also indicated to the guest that the Western Moon Kingdom, with its powerful ally, is worth forming rtions with. It isn''t just the ind prison that was on Shen Niu''s mind. There are several things that he wanted to cooperate with the Kun Empire.


    The envoy appeared to be interested.


    As they were talking about various things, all of a sudden, the door was knocked on three times before the Prime minister entered the chamber.<sub> </sub>


    "Prime Minister Zhu?" The King looked at him curiously. He wondered what might be the matter that forced him to disrupt the meeting. "What is it?" He asked.


    "I apologize, Your Majesty. But, I believe that you should know this." The Prime minister bowed to him and exined, "Lu Zhen sent a message through themunication talisman."


    As Zhu Jianhong went on to exin the uing expo, the envoy of the Kun Empire was shocked at the details.


    Hu Tian couldn''t stay silent and expressed his disbelief, "An ungraded weapon that can kill even a seven-circle from several kilometers away? Who the hell is this Lu Zhen, Your Majesty?"


    King Shen Niu could only sigh and reply, "I wonder the same. His past is pretty much ordinary. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he became too strong as he shifted to the Imperial city of the Phoenix Empire. Anyway¡­"


    Shaking off his thoughts, the King looked at his prime minister, "Reply to him that I will definitely attend. Tell Treasurer Dai Zan to meet me. And also, contact Wangxi bank to send a representative. We can''t draw hefty amounts from our treasury all of a sudden. So, we might need to take a high-interest loan from those greedy merchants."


    "Um, Your Majesty, our Kun Empire can help you with that." The envoy of Kun suddenly entered into a matter that basically has nothing to do with him.


    Hu Tian further said, "We don''t know how much the final price of the item will go, but if everything is true as you mentioned, I believe even a million gold coins wouldn''t suffice. I can make the decision on behalf of our Emperor, and Kun will grant 10 million gold coins to the Western Moon Kingdom as a part of our investment. In return, we want those ten of those twenty aircraft or whatever they are. Of course, we would pay our share of the weapons too.


    What do you think?"


    King Shen Niu silently stared at Hu Tian for a while, wondering whether he should ept this offer or not. First, there''s no guarantee that he might win the bid as there''s already a strongpetitor.


    Secondly, Mark was only selling 20 aircraft at the expo. Even if the Western Moon kingdom sessfully won the bid, giving away half of them to the Kun Empire might hurt him a bit. After all, each of them is equivalent to having a bunch of 7-circle experts as Battle ves. And possessing 20 of them could make the King of Western Moon as powerful as the emperors of surroundingnds.


    But then again, it is difficult to reject such a good offer. For one, Shen Niu would lose a massive investment opportunity. And two, it might strain his ties with this northernmost empire of the Vermilion Bird Continent.


    And Kun Empire isn''t just a simple northern empire. Along with the Eastern Sun kingdom, this Kun empire was also a neighbor to the ck Turtle continent. So, in a way, this alliance could be a gateway to the other Empires that were abundant in natural resources.


    And maybe, who knows, if the rtions improve further, King Shen Niu could send a marriage proposal to the imperial family of the Kun Empire. Considering Mark was already engaged, Shen Niu was confident that his intelligent daughter would surely give up on him.


    Believing that alliance was more worth than some ten weapons, the King agreed to his offer, although with adding a piece of warning, "thank you for your assistance. But, I should remind you something. We will be fighting against Emperor Shang in the auction."


    "You don''t need to worry about that. If I have enough influence to grant that much investment, I can also drag one of our princes to apany us," replied the envoy with a confident look.


    Meanwhile, the reassurance from the envoy sowed expectations in Shen Niu''s mind. As a result, he couldn''t help but speak his thoughts, "Then, will you be able to convince Qin Zhi to apany us?"


    "Eh? The fourth Prince?" The envoy, for some reason, was surprised by Shen Niu''s request. In an instant, Hu Tian understood his thoughts. In fact, even Qin Zhi wanted to tag along with him to visit Lunaris City.


    Seeing that the both of them were on the same page, He nodded with a smile, "Alright, I will do what I can."


    ***


    Sometimeter in the afternoon, the Eastern Sun kingdom;


    On the outskirts of the city of Helius, a 12-year-old was sitting on the flying horses with an M-99 sniper rifle on his shoulders.


    *Bang*

 Chapter 276 Ouyang Zen, The King Of Eastern Sun

    *Bang* bang* bang* bang*


    Continuous gunshots reverberated across the hills located outside of Helius city and people who were kneeling on the ground started copsing with all of their skulls pierced by a 12.7mm round, killing them instantly.


    After thest kneeling guy died, the flying horse slowly descended onto the ground and the 12-year-old kid, who was the shooter, jumped from the back of the horse with the sniper rifle.


    *p* p* p*


    A middle-aged-looking fellownded behind him and started pping, "Bravo, Your Majesty. You are indeed a once-in-a-century genius. Without any formal training, you have not only struck the target without fail but even managed to put a hole in their skulls precisely."


    Meanwhile, the soldiers, who were nervous as hell as they stood behind the prisoners as the kid fired the bullets, couldn''t help but wipe out their sweat and let out a series of sighs of relief as the mass execution is finished.


    And this 12-year-old kid is none other than Ouyang Zhen, the current King of Eastern Sun. He is a 2-circle Spirit Warrior of Fighter path. However, he likes bows and arrows instead.


    But, ever since Lan Jing returned with a wide variety of guns, he fell in love with them, especially the M99, the single-shot sniper rifle that shoots a 12.7x99mm round. With its range going as far as 1800 meters, he picked it as his principal weapon, carrying it with him all the time. However, the only problem is that Lan Jing had only brought 100 bullets of 12.7mm caliber with him and Phoenix Empire is thousands of kilometers away from the Eastern Sun kingdom. So, he wasn''t recklessly shooting the bullets, atleast, not from this sniper.


    At present, 8 death row prisoners of the Eastern Sun were executed for the first time without using the guillotine, and that too, away from the public. One can say that Ouyang Zen has the style but neither Lan Jing nor other soldiers appreciate their king''s methods.


    Reasons?


    Lan Jing wanted the king to execute them publicly so that the citizens will get to fear and respect his authority.


    On the other hand, the soldiers were dead scared about getting struck by those bullets. They preferred a much safer Guillotine. After all, guns and bullets were pretty much a new concept to them and people always feared or be wary of the unknown. So, their worries were reasonable.


    After finishing with the mass execution, Ouyang Zen returns to the pce alongside Lan Jing, his personal advisor as well as a guard.


    Considering how the kid trusts him and always listens to his opinion, the ministers and even the civilians pretty much think that Ouyang Zen is just a puppet of Lan Jing. But, what can they do? Lan Jing isn''t just a royal guard of the king but he is practically the guardian of the entire Eastern Sun kingdom.


    Because of his peak-8-circle cultivation, neither the bordering empires of Leon and Kun nor the politicians dare to dethrone Ouyang Zen in any way even if he was perfectly not qualified to sit on the throne if one just considers his age and other qualified heirs.


    ? It''s been more than two years since Ouyang Zen has been the king and the administration was good so far. There''s been less crime rate, rebellious groups were being dealt with swiftly, and the economy is doing very well.


    Anyway, no one isining and every problem is being handled, so, Ouyang Zen was at peace while taking decisions, although, in the process, he might have traded his childhood innocence in exchange for the supreme authority.


    Now, there was one more person who could potentially influence him and ruin all the policies indirectly introduced by Lan Jing. She is the most important person to Ouyang Zen.


    Her name is Zan Rong and she appeared to be at the pce when the King returned to his home.


    One of the rooms of the royal pce was dedicated to a number of small and big aquariums where exotic aquatic creatures, mostly fishes, were being looked after daily. Of course, none of them are high-ranking spirit beasts. They were either normal ones or the ones below 2-circle. So, generally, they are harmless for someone like Zan Rong, who is a 5-circle healer.


    A couple of soldiers were currently transferring a jellyfish from a bucket full of water to a clean aquarium tank. At the moment, this 2-circle aquatic beast appeared to be immobile due to the seal ced on it.


    After it was transferred into a fresh tank, the seal was removed and the jellyfish started moving again. It didn''t show any signs of struggling and started to swim around.


    A smile appeared on Zan Rong as she touches the ss, "that transparent glowing body and tentacles, it is so beautiful."


    There was this look of intoxication on her as she watched the jellyfish swim around. She was so into it that she didn''t even notice Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing entering the room.


    Maybe, the Jellyfish was also happier in its new environment and is expressing its thankfulness. Upon reaching the surface of the water, it raised a couple of tentacles above the ss.


    Thinking that the creature wants to show appreciation, Zang Rong raised her hand to grab it.


    But, just before she does that, a slender hand caught her arm and pulled back immediately.<sub> </sub>


    Zan Rong was taken aback and looked at the source to find Ouyang Zen, who looked like he was terrified, "What the hell, Zan Rong? Do you want to die?"


    "Eh?" The 19-year-old didn''t understand and was too shocked at his outburst. "What happened, Zhen Zhen?"


    Ouyang Zen shouted at her once again, "Don''t you know what beast that is?"


    "Ah! You were talking about this jellyfish." Zan Rong sighed in relief upon realizing what Ouyang Zhen was talking about. She thought that she made some mistake, triggering this kid''s anger. She then exined with a smile, "It''s actually a 2-circle beast. Its sting won''t harm me. Moreover, I think it likes this ce. See how happy it is¡­"


    However, Ouyang Zen didn''t calm down from the exnation. Instead, he pointed at the jellyfish''s body and continued to yell at her, "It is not an ordinary jellyfish but a box jellyfish, and that too, Verinex type. The red spots on its box-shaped body were pretty much the clue to identify it. Even if you are in the 5-circle realm, once you are stung, you will barely survive a minute.


    What if we hadn''t arrived in time? For God''s sake, stop importing the aquatic spirit beasts. You were also bedridden thest time you decided to bring in a 4-circle electric eel of fierce beast grade and tried to pet it."


    As the 12-year-old scolding at her out of concern, thetter just looked down at the floor in silence and finally apologized after he was done, "Sorry. It looks so adorable that I forgot about it."


    "Forgot? You forgot about it?" Ouyang Zen''s anger only rose further because of her words and just as he was about to lose control, Lan Jing handled the situation, "Okay, calm down, Your Majesty. We will take precautionary measures from now onwards."


    Followed by that, he then grabbed the kid and dragged him back a bit before whispering, "You know her more than anyone. Please don''t make any mess out of this matter."


    As Lan Jing freed him, Ouyang Zen took a deep breath and spoke as softly as possible, "Sister Rong, please be careful from now onwards."


    "You are not angry with me?" She asked in response.


    "No, I''m not," replied Ouyang Zen as he forced out a smile.


    Zan Rong immediately grinned, "Thank you."


    She then pointed it to the jellyfish, which started to swim around once again, "If I''ll be careful on touching it, then, can I keep it?"


    "No" "No"


    Lan Jing and Ouyang Zen replied at the same time, surprising the girl. The 12-year-old then puffed up his chest and spoke in a dignified way like a king, "Lan Jing, I need you to find out those bastards that are directly involved in bringing this fish to the pce. Even if there is no conspiracy theory, then, all of them will have to beshed 50 times with a whip."


    Before Lan Jing responded to the order, Zan Rong hurriedly asked in worry, "What about the jellyfish? Will you kill it?"


    She appeared to be worried more about the life of a threatening jellyfish rather than the soldiers. Clearly, something is not right with her.


    Fortunately, Ouyang Zen knows her personality very well. Hence, he tried to be careful with his words, "no, we will send it back to where it came from."


    "That''s awful. There are so many terrifying creatures in the sea." Zan Rong made a disappointed face before looking at Lan Jing for help but thetter avoided her gaze and just looked away.


    Knowing that the kid rarely changes his mind when he decided on something, Zan Rong agreed to it, "Alright."


    "Anyway, the reason I came to visit you is to tell you that I got an invitation from Phoenix Empire. It''s been a while since you stepped out of the pce. If you want to, you can join me. We can also visit your mother''s hometown during the trip. What do you say?"


    Zan Rong hesitated quite a bit to answer as she nced at each and every aquarium tank around. In the end, she nodded, "okay."


    Ouyang Zen was a little bit worried to leave her alone at the pce when he will have to leave the kingdom alongside Lan Jing and the supreme general for atleast three days.


    Now that she agreed, he finally managed to genuinely smile and reminded her, "Since it is pretty far, we should leave early in the morning."

 Chapter 277 Expo 1783 (Part-1)

    <strong>Two dayster;</strong>


    <strong>Genesis Training Grounds, Imperial City;</strong>


    In the early morning of Monday, Mark and his family started working. The whole ce was divided into three sections.


    The first section is covered by a huge tent where the auction will be taking ce. Sitting at one of the tables, Song Yue was memorizing the script she was given for she was going to be the host of the auction.


    As this expo involves transactions of huge amounts, millions of gold coins in Mark''s opinion, Song Yue knew that she cannot mess it up. Fortunately, for the past couple of weeks, she was handling the customers at the store. With her experience as a manager, at the very least, she has some confidence to pull this one.


    Song Yun aka the ck Knight was simply standing behind his daughter, doing his bodyguard duty.


    In the meantime, Alina wasmanding the butler robots in other arrangements like the chandeliers, food section, etc¡­


    The second section is covered by another tent where guns were neatly arranged on several long tables. Chimera SGM was the highlight of this section and was ced at the center of the room. All of them were enclosed in transparent ss boxes.


    It cost hundreds of gold coins for Mark to order these custom-made ones during the past two weeks. But then again, in front of the profits, he was going to earn soon enough, the costs were nothing.


    Allen was arranging all of that with the help of more robots. A sales assistant robot was deployed at each table with a weapon.


    The third section is an open area, which is currently being filled with a row of a Panzer-I, Light multirole vehicle (LMV), PzH 2000 Howitzer, LCA, and Destroyer.


    Even though it upied the biggest space on the ground, much of it was just empty with only one model of each of them being put on disy. Mark took the job of arranging those four vehicles.


    Just like with the firearms and explosives section, Mark also deployed a sales assistant robot for each vehicle for an exnation of their functions to the VIP clients.


    By 8:30 in the morning, everything was set, and the people who were passing by couldn''t help but halt their footsteps for a moment to take a nce at those vehicles ced inside thepound of the training grounds. However, because of the stern looks of the soldiers recently stationed at the entrance, they didn''t stand there for long and went on their way.


    In the meantime, Chang Bo also reported for duty. He was given the task of registering the names of everyone that enters the venue.


    The welpire teenager was given a separate table and chair ced nearby the entrance to sit, a patio umbre for the shade, and a butler robot to apany so that he doesn''t feel low, not that he would, but still, Mark doesn''t want to lose the loyalty of this hybrid intelligent being that could live for thousands of years.


    Thankfully, Shang Jiao, for some reason, decided to ditch her family and reported to duty as an employee of the store instead. At around 9 o''clock, she dragged one of the chairs from the auction hall to the entrance and apanied Chang Bo.


    Shang Jiao was usually a person who doesn''t like to be confined by rules set by society whatsoever. And no one dares to question her actions either. During her time at the store, she befriended Chang Bo of a simr age despite the fact that he has neither background nor the strength to even look her in the eye.


    And now that the representatives of the major noble ns will arrive soon enough, this move might irk the Imperial family and others, pretty much soon. As for how it will affect Chang Bo''s life, only time will tell.


    Meanwhile, Mark was going on the rounds to check whether everything is in ce or not. After he was done with the weapons hall, he went to the auction hall to fetch his fianc¨¦e who was still reading the script.


    Seeing the look on Song Yue''s face, he spoke, "No need to be so anxious, Manager Song. Just take it easy."


    Song Yue raised her head to look at her fianc¨¦ and forced out a smile, "you are here, De... Dear. Is everything done?"<sub> </sub>


    "The guests might arrive at any minute. So, we should get ready."


    "Alright."


    As both of them started walking away, the ck Knight followed them in silence while wondering why his daughter would constantly stutter every time she addresses her fianc¨¦ and why Mark would address her using a prefix. Weren''t they lovers?


    Perhaps, it''s because of his presence that they cannot show affection to each other? Song Yun couldn''t help but wonder.


    ***


    Another hour passed away and the first guest arrived at the venue. It was none other than Yuan Menzi, the current leader of the Yuan n. He refused to stay at the Imperial pce like other n leaders, who will attend the auction together with the Emperor as a big group.


    It goes without saying that the other n leaders won''t bid for the aircraft and howitzers which the Emperor has an eye on. The Imperial Pce invited them first so that Emperor Shang has fewerpetitors in the auction.


    As for the sect leaders, they weren''t invited because of a number of reasons.


    One, it is due to the annual summit, which will start on the same day quite coincidentally and will go on for the next three days.


    Two, they usuallyck material wealth like gold coins.


    And three, they wouldn''t likely show interest in firearms as cultivation techniques are everything to them.


    Anyway, back at the training ground, while the coachman parked the horse carriage outside, Yuan Menzi started walking toward the gate alongside his cousin-sister, who is trying her best to hide her displeasure.


    Her name is Yuan Meili and she is the third daughter of the former Patriarch of the Yuan n and the governor of the Northern Yuan Province. She fancies the second prince and wouldn''t want to miss any chance of meeting him.


    However, her cousin, the Yuan n''s devil refused to entertain the emperor or his family and directly came to the venue and she was forced to tag along with him.


    As they entered through the gate, both of them found the teenage couple giggling around. Yuan Meili was familiar with Shang Jiao and she heard about the only employee of the store too.


    Hence, she didn''t like the scene. In her eyes, themoners without any status were just untouchables who shouldn''t even be allowed to breathe the same air as her.


    On the other hand, Yuan Menzi''s attention was stolen by the robot that is standing nearby them.


    Upon seeing him, the butler robot left its position and walked toward him, "Hello, Wee to Expo 1783 by GWS."


    While Yuan Meili was slightly taken aback by its appearance or the way of talking, the butler robot politely pointed his hand toward the table, "Please register your identity before entering."


    "Interesting puppet," mumbled Yuan Menzi as he stared at the robot that have a perfect vocabry and also manners.


    Meanwhile, Chang Bo and Shang Jiao had spotted the first guest and they stopped chitchatting.

 Chapter 278 Expo 1783 (Part-2)

    As Yuan Menzi reached there and told them his name, Chang Bo, who has no idea about the guy, calmly wrote the name in the register and gave him a fist-sized blue token made of stic with the number 19 written on top of it.


    This ismonly given in auction halls everywhere in the world. So, the tokens were easy to buy and neither of the guests was surprised about it.


    However, Yuan Meili couldn''t help butment as she gave her name, "Yuan Meili, daughter of Yuan Weishi. And I''m sure both of you heard of the proverb, the toad is wishing to eat the swan''s meat?"


    "Hmm?" Chang Bo and Shang Jiao looked at her. They didn''t understand why she was talking about the proverb in this situation. What''s more surprising for them is that there was a look of disgust clearly written on Yuan Meili''s face.


    While the welpire teenage boy stayed silent as he knows his ce, the spoiled princess didn''t stop herself and directly confronted the young woman, "What do you mean, Sister Meili?"


    Yuan Meili was about to exin the meaning without bothering to keep it to herself but her cousin didn''t give her such a chance. Before she even replies to the princess, Yuan Menzi suddenly grabbed Chang Bo''s hand and sharp nails erupted from his fingers, digging into the teenager''s flesh, right away, before taking them out.


    "Argh¡­" Chang Bo screamed in pain and Shang Jiao rose to her feet with anger evident on her face. "You dare¡­"


    The aura of a 6-circle Spirit warrior erupted from her.


    Yuan Menzi then licked the blood on one of therge pointy nails that is even bigger than his fingers and had his eyes widened as if he realized something, "No wonder Lu Zhen recruited you. What''s your name, boy?"


    "tssss¡­ Chang Bo," replied the teenager while wincing in pain. He experienced far worse physical abuse in his life, prior to his recruitment by Mark. So, he wouldn''tin about this much pain.


    On the other hand, Shang Jiao wasn''t as tolerant as him. Turning her hand into something like a sharp icy sword, she tried to attack him, aiming at his chest. However, Yuan Menzi stayed on the spot.


    To everyone''s surprise, her icy sword hand passed through him before he disappeared into thin air and reappear behind her.


    He lightly patted her shoulder, "cool down, princess. It''s not smart of you to engage battle with a 7-circle expert, and that too, at this location. Lu Zhen will not be pleased if you spoil his big day. How about you take it with me, some other time?"


    And at the same time, his other handnded on Chang Bo''s shoulder before a streak of ether energy poured into his body and healed the wound. "There you go, Chang Bo."


    Shang Jiao jumped away from that ce in reflex and looked warily at the guy. "Who the hell are you?"


    "For now, I''m a guest," replied the young man with a patch on his right eye. "That''s all you need to know, princess."


    Shang Jiao stared at him in silence.


    After realizing that he is in 7-circle, she tried her best to control her urge to battle. Just like he said, her brother might not want to see a huge battle erupt on the training grounds but she also knew that Mark is protective of his people.


    Dismissing her iplete-icy transformation, Shang Jiao snorted, "Hmpf, alright then, you can answer to the one who has the authority in this ce. We''ll see whether you will still be all condescending."


    "Um, I''mpletely alright, Princess Jiao. There''s no need to make this matter worse." Chang Bo intervened in the situation and politely requested both of the guests to proceed.


    While Yuan Menzi was calm as if nothing mattered to him, Yuan Meili gloated inside her head regarding her cousin''s misfortune. She didn''t have that much opinion on Mark. In her eyes, the weapon seller might be strong enough to take down her whole n but he is someone without any authority. All he can do is kill people.


    Sooner orter, he will offend some powerful guy and get himself killed. Yuan Meili was confident about it.<sub> </sub>


    However, Shang Jiao is different. She''s the princess, the beloved daughter of the Emperor, who can turn the whole Yuan n upside down with a snap of a finger. The Emperor has the support of millions of citizens on his side. He can shun anyone down and make anyone turn into a pauper overnight.


    That is why Yuan Meili felt like her trip was satisfactory with her cousin offending the princess. Maybe, she can escte this situation to involve Imperial Pce in Yuan n''s affairs and remove this devil? She wondered.


    Anyway, both of them made their way to the weapons hall, where several unique firearms were disyed.


    In 20 minutes, both of them were finished with the tour and sat down at the auction hall.


    Yuan Menzi wasn''t the type to think about his fellow n members. So, none of the weapons stirred his heart. As for the big ones on the outside, it takes everything for the Yuan n to win the rights of one of those vehicles.


    However, Yuan Meili was different. She was sent to procure the weapons that suit the low-level ranking n members in order to boost the overall strength of the n. Of course, her main aim is to meet the second prince but still, she can afford to spend her time thinking of the n''s requirements.


    Some of the weapons truly amazed her. Of them, Panzer-1, which only cost 500 gold coins per unit, became at the top of the list of her priorities.


    While Yuan Meili is busy calcting the estimated prices of the bidding of the products she has an eye on, her cousin calmly sat beside her and was tossing the coin over and over again. No one knows what he was thinking at the moment. Whatever the case, they weren''t talking to each other and the robots were also silent. So, the auction hall looked as if no one is upying the space.


    However, that was about to end in about 15 minutes as a group of people entered the auction hall. Representing the Eastern Sun kingdom, Lan Jing arrived with King Ouyang Zen, Princess Zan Rong, and a General of peak-six-circle realm cultivation.


    Yuan Meili recognized none of them but the mianguan worn by the kid clearly indicated that he is a ruler and the symbol of the sun on it gave away his identity as the king of Eastern Sun.


    Mianguan is a type of crown that only a king and his respective Prime Queen, the emperor and his respective Empress, and ministers are allowed to wear at formal asions. It is shaped like a tall hat with a t base on top of it. There will be strings of pearls attached at each end.


    While it will be normal pearls for the ministers, the rulers and their spouses will have golden pearls.


    As for the symbols crafted on the crown of the rulers, they weren''t just representations of the kingdoms. Those will usually have a defensive spell sealed inside so that it mighte into use in case of a possible assassination attempt.


    While Yuan Menzi continued to toss the coin without bothering to speak to the fellow guests from far away, Yuan Meili rose to her feet and greeted them.


    As they introduced themselves to each other, Lan Jing furrowed his brows as he nced at Yuan Menzi who is minding his own business. "Who is that?" He asked.


    Yuan Menzi raised his eyebrows and looked at him while Yuan Menzi gloated inwardly and tried to be calm on the outside as she told them about her cousin.


    Naturally, they were surprised to hear that the strongest n of the Phoenix Empire was fallen into the hands of a young man. Lan Jing couldn''t help but try to sense his cultivation.


    He nodded in realization, "I see¡­ A 7-circle of advanced stage, huh! No wonder he appeared arrogant."


    Feeling that it is useless to start a fight over theck of attention the king is getting, Lan Jing led hispanions to table no. 12, where they sat ording to the token they were given at the entrance.


    In order to acquire information about what herpetitors were going to bid on, Yuan Meili ditched her cousin and joined their table, trying to start a conversation.

 Chapter 279 Expo 1783 (Part-3)

    <strong>1st-floor residence, Genesis Weapon Store;</strong>


    Mark was waiting in the living room for thedies toe out of their rooms.


    Looking at the clock on the wall, he mumbled, "It''s almost 11 o''clock. How long they will take? The guests must have already started arriving. I could understand Song Yue is taking time but even Alina too? Ugh¡­ Should I just go to the venue and meet with the guests? Both of them can turn up together at the time of the auction.


    But then again, only Lan Jing and Shen Niu matter to him. After all, they are the only ones that can force Shang Fu to spend more money. Anyway, let''s ask Allen if they arrived or not."


    As soon as he asked Allen through the system, the Android sent the reply.


    <strong>*Ding! Allen reports that only representatives of the Eastern Sun kingdom are here.</strong>


    Mark sighed in relief upon learning that the first step of his n became sessful.


    After sending another message to Allen, he went downstairs. There, he saw Song Yun sitting there and reading a newspaper. To make sure his identity stay safe, he kept his face hidden under the knight''s helmet.


    *Ahem*


    Clearing his throat to earn attention, Mark then said, "Guests from faraway will arrive within a minute or two."


    ? "Alright"


    Song Yun replied with writing in the air. Mark was a little bit surprised by that. He said, "Only two of us are here. You can talk."


    In response, Song Yun once again wrote in the air using ether energy. "There is a reason why ancients say even walls have ears. I don''t need to risk it unless I fall in dire situations."


    Mark felt very weird to see a cautious attitude from Song Yun. After all, this was a guy who always does reckless things without thinking properly. Perhaps, Song Yun changed a lot more than he expect to be? He wondered.


    Anyway, leaving the guy alone who is minding his own business, Mark opened the shutter and waited for the King of Eastern Sun and his aides toe into the store and have a chat with him.


    After a while, Allen brought Lan Jing and a 12-year-old in king''s robes with him, taking Mark by surprise.


    "Since when could minors be kings in this world? In Phoenix Empire, they couldn''t even be qualified to hold an official post." Mark couldn''t help but inspect the details of the kid once more to confirm his identity.


    And a trace of joy could be seen on his face as he was staring at the holographic screen with details of Ouyang Zen. "No proper age, No parents, not first in the line, and still became a king, huh! So, Lan Jing might have been holding the real power. It is good news for me."


    Mark now felt that his chances to carry out his n increased further.


    As they reached the entrance of the store, he took the initiative to formally greet them by cupping his fists and a slight bow.


    "Greetings, King Ouyang, wee to Genesis Weapons Store" "It''s been a while, Mr. Lan."


    "Likewise, Mr. Lu."


    While Lan Jing kept it formal in order to hide their familial rtionship, Ouyang Zen gave a satisfactory response to Mark.


    "I have heard a lot about you from Guardian Lan, Mr. Lu." The kid returned the greetings with a smile on his face. He further added, "Your weapons so-called firearms are quite innovative."


    "Thank you." Mark nodded and then looked at his great-grand-uncle. "Didn''t you say that you have threepanions, Mr. Lan?"


    Ouyang Zen answered in ce of the legendary realm expert. "It''s my adopted sister and our general that tagged along with us. She doesn''t have interest in the firearms and just came here for a tour."<sub> </sub>


    Since the girl was no use to him, Mark lost interest in the other two and focused on the kid standing before him. He weed them, "Please follow me to the upstairs."


    With his eyes wandering around the ce, Ouyang Zen followed Mark. He couldn''t help but be amazed by the spacious interior, high-quality furniture, and cooling system. On the outside, it was like 30ish centigrade but here it was as cool as 18C.


    He is only a low-level Spirit Warrior and wasn''t immune to the temperature changes like Lan Jing. His body is just like any other civilian. Hence, he liked it more than inside the tent.


    On the way, Lan Jing and Ouyang Zen saw the ck Knight, who rose to his feet and greeted them with a bow before getting back to reading the newspaper.


    Mark didn''t stop to introduce Song Yun. He just passed off ament that it is a guard he hired for his fianc¨¦e. Because of the absolute suppression within the store, neither Lan Jing nor Ouyang Zen could sense the cultivation of ck Knight and they just continued to walk toward the staircase.


    Soon, they reached the first-floor residence and sat in the living room. He ordered the butler robot that is on standby to make some tea for the guests.


    "As you wish, Master," The robot named R-114 bowed and went to the kitchen.


    As it left, Mark started the conversation, "Okay, um, before I open up the topic as to why I have invited you for tea, let me ask you something, King Ouyang. What do you think of firearms?


    Mr. Lan brought almost every type of weapon that is avable in the store for the public. So, you must have a basic understanding of how they work.


    I want to know whether there are any firearms and explosives that will be suitable for your kingdom''s army. Just give me an honest opinion."


    Lan Jing stayed silent and let the kid give the reply on his own.


    Without thinking deeply, Ouyang Zen answered, "If I should be honest as a King, firearms are too dangerous to even exist. They give power to the frustrated civilians tomit crimes, taking thew into their own hands instead of filing aint.


    They can also be misused to bring instability to the ruling of a kingdom or an empire. As for those big ones you paced outside, if they fall into the hands of someone without real power, it will give that person enough confidence to start a rebellion.


    I''m sorry but I can''t allow my citizens to own these weapons. There''s already enough unrest in our kingdom.


    And personally, I like the M99, the one that can shoot targets from more than a kilometer away. But,ing here, I realized that there are weapons that even have a higher range. Of all the firearms, the one named Tigon-5A impressed me the most. I would want to equip them with hidden guards of mine to keep an eye on my security even from five kilometers away.


    Apart from it, that huge warship is something needed for our naval defense. Our main focus will be these two. Of course, we will be bidding for the Phz 2000 thing but I don''t think our chances will be high."


    Mark didn''t know whether this kid was already prepared with an answer beforehand or he answered on the spot but for a moment, he felt like he was conversing with an adult, not a kid who probably just entered his puberty.


    While he wasn''t happy with Ouyang Zen''s refusal to let him open a branch at Eastern Sun, he still maintained calmness on his face and further thanked him for being straightforward.


    Since the matter is over even before the tea arrived, Mark didn''t know what else to speak further and stayed silent for a while. Ouyang Zen also felt a bit awkward staying at the ce after showing his stance on the firearms.


    Thankfully, Lan Jing came to the rescue by bringing up a new topic of fire seed.


    "Yeah, I heard from the second prince," Mark admitted that he was aware of the seed of fire that was about to be born, very soon.


    Lan Jing then said, "Originally, ording to our calctions, the elemental seed should have already been born by now but it hasn''t yet. I believe there will be more than one for the grabs."


    That statement surprised Mark. "Twin elemental seeds?"


    "Either that or a stronger elemental seed." Lan Jing didn''t appear to be sure about it. "Whatever the case, Emperor Shang should be careful. Not only does he need to make sure there won''t be chaos due to the possible conflict between the powerful cultivators but he also needed to be wary of the invasion from Beast Empire."

 Chapter 280 Expo 1783 (Part-4)

    Sometimeter, the tea is served to the guests while Ouyang Zen is in the middle of narrating his own adventure at the Dragon Empire, which lies on the other side of the world from the Vermilion Continent.


    As the strongest and thergest empire in the world, the Dragon Empire is indeed worth talking about. However, Mark was only interested in whether he can expand his business to the Dragon Continent, nothing more than that¡­


    Taking a sip of tea from the cup, Ouyang Zen''s eyes widened in surprise and he looked at the robot in fascination andmented, "Mr. Lu, I have seen quite a few types of puppets in my life but your puppets are quite unique."


    "Well, I call them robots." Mark felt happy with the praises even though he wasn''t the one that made them. But, to maintain modesty, he added, "They look good on the surface but they have their own weaknesses."


    "But, I guess you aren''t interested to sell them?" Ouyang Zen asked with a suspicion that there might be more to these robots than it appeared. "I mean you certainly didn''t put them for disy like others."


    "Hmm, I didn''t?" Mark was visibly surprised by his statement. Then, he realized that he forgot it due to the presence of other robots roaming around.


    Controlling his expression swiftly, he tried to use an excuse, "Well, they can''t be categorized in either¡­ Hmm¡­"


    Mark suddenly stopped speaking and stared in the direction of Song Yue''s room as the door opened and she stepped out alongside Alina.


    Both of them looked breathtakingly beautiful. More than their essories and clothing, Mark was surprised about the hair. Usually, the women in the world basically have three different types of hairstyles. The first one is draped hair, the second one is braided hair, and the third one is bun hair.


    The three types of hairstyles were further developed into several variants across the centuries but the fourth type never appeared before.


    And now, Alina transformed Song Yue''s usual braided hair into abination of ponytail and bangs/fringe, a style that waspletely Mark''s type. The beige-colored Hanfu only made her look like a next-door girl.


    Even on the day of their engagement ceremony when Song Yue was all dolled up, Mark wasn''t moved a bit.


    But, at present, suddenly Mark felt like his heart skipped a beat and he couldn''t keep his eyes off her as she walked toward him.


    Is it because of her appearance change? Or is it because of the change of feelings over time? Mark has no idea.


    Fortunately, Alina''s appearance was attractive enough to distract his attention and bring him back to his senses.


    As thedies walked into the living room, Mark rose to his feet and introduced them to the guest and vice versa.


    While Ouyang Zen was calm, Lan Jing appeared to be surprised by Mark''s rtionship with Song Yue. He didn''t know that they were engaged and now, in his opinion, she would also have to be involved in his ns.


    "But, did she know her Lu Zhen''s birth story?" Lan Jing wondered.


    Soon, all of them left the store and went to the venue together. At the registration table, Shang Jiao continued to apany Chang Bo as thetter registered a couple of names.


    The three guests saw Mark and immediately greeted him. Like others, they were also surprised to see a King''s crown on a little kid but they don''t dare to question Mark or his aides.


    They directly went to the auction hall as Ouyang Zen was already done with the tour.


    While the number of registrations reached over 32, Mark found only three tables were upied in the auction hall. Thinking that the remaining people were in other sections, inspecting the weapons, Mark continued to calmly escort Ouyang Zhen and Lan Jing to the table.


    However, it wasn''t the same case for the kid. He became furious all of a sudden, earning attention from everyone around by talking aloud right from the entrance of the auction hall, "General Ma!"<sub> </sub>


    "Hmm?" Mark and others looked at him.


    Meanwhile, Ma Ping, the General who was talking to a wealthy merchant, felt goosebumps just from hearing that angry tone of his king. He immediately got up and looked in the direction, "Your Majesty?"


    "Where is Sister Rong?" Ouyang Zen asked him.


    Taking a deep breath, General Ma Ping answered respectfully, "Your Majesty, Princess Zan has gone outside with Ms. Yuan Meili."


    "Yuan Meili?" Mark felt like he heard the name somewhere. Song Yue then patted his shoulder gently andmented with a bit of surprise on her face, "Yuan n sent the third daughter of Yuan Weishi or all the people? It looked like they were taking this auction rather seriously."


    "Ah, so, she''s the one, huh."


    Song Yue''s words made him remember the woman. She was the same person he briefly met at Second Prince''s camp. He remembered Shang Wen telling him that the Yuan n wants to marry off her to him.


    Meanwhile, Ouyang Zen roared once again, "Then, why in the hell are you staying here? You were supposed to protect her."


    "Yes, but¡­" The General hesitated to defend himself, making the kid only angrier.


    Lan Jing stepped in to control the situation. He stepped forward, and turned into a blurry figure, reaching the General in just a second.


    As the General took a step back in reflex, Lan Jing gripped his shoulder tightly and asked the same question as the kid, "Ma Ping, where is she?"


    The General gulped his saliva and answered slowly, "the facility that is two blocks away. It''s¡­ It''s¡­"


    ncing at his surroundings, he leaned forward and whispered, "It''s the public toilet. She is too embarrassed to let me follow her and too scared to go alone."


    "Ah, I see." Lan Jing nodded in understanding. He returned to Ouyang Zen and whispered the same. After all, it isn''t something that can be talked about in public, especially when they are people standing at a higher socialdder. So, his hesitation could be understood.


    However, unlike Lan Jing, the King of the eastern sun didn''t try to understand the issue. He gestured his hand toe forward.


    And when the General reached the king, thetter gave an extreme cold gaze, "Tell me, General Ma, what job you were assigned?"


    "To protect Princess Rong," replied the general while clearly disying nervousness on his face. He didn''t expect this kid would take this matter too seriously.


    Ouyang Zen then asked, "And what are you doing now?"


    "I apologize, Your Majesty. I should have secretly followed her and kept an eye on her location from far away." The General no longer tried to defend himself and pleaded for forgiveness because deep down, he knew that he might have unconsciously let her go away because of his issues with herte father.


    Since the General admitted the mistake, Ouyang Zen didn''t drag the matter further and directly gave the punishment, "After we return, you will clean the barracks alongside your subordinates for a day. Do you ept it?"


    General Ma Ping goes down on one knee and bowed, "I ept, Your Majesty."

 Chapter 281 Expo 1783 (Part-5)

    "Okay, now, go¡­" The kid sent him away before apologizing to Mark for making a ruckus in his ce.


    Mark realized that this person is probably very precious to the kid that he had to outburst just because she disappeared. But then again, he can understand Ouyang Zen.


    In his past life, Mark was also overprotective of his younger brother as he''s the only living rtive. Ouyang Zen was also in a simr situation, although the different surnames clearly indicated that this Zan Rong person is neither a member of the royal family nor she is a biological sibling to Ouyang Zen.


    Either way, she has nothing to do with the auction. Hence, her existence doesn''t matter to Mark. He put away his thoughts and waved his hand with a smile on his face, "no worries. Pleasee this way¡­"


    As he escorted the both of them to their table, Mark felt a sharp gaze toward him. There was no killing intent. So, he wasn''t alerted and just nced in the direction from the corner of his eyes.


    He saw the young man with an eye patch staring at him while continuously tossing a gold coin and catching it. Or maybe, he was staring at thedies beside him? Mark didn''t know but he won''t ept it nicely if it is thetter.


    Since everyone except for Shang Fu, Shen Niu, and Ouyang Zen are irrelevant, Mark didn''t go his way to meet him and concentrated on the kid.


    "Okay, uh, Mr. Lan, King Ouyang, the auction will start in 90 minutes. For the sake of fairness for everypetitor, we will not engage further with anyone else. In the meantime, Alina will be here. And we have amazing delicacies prepared for you. I hope you didn''t forget to leave ament after finishing your lunch.


    I''ll be leaving now¡­ See youter¡­"


    After ordering Allen to make rounds to see if everything is alright and Alina to take care of the weing, Mark was about to lead Song Yue to the waiting room which is a part of the tent that covered the auction hall but has a separate entrance.


    And just he was walking away with his fianc¨¦e, Zan Rong and Yuan Meili returned to the auction hall, walking toward table number 12, where the representatives of the Eastern Sun kingdom were sitting.


    Mark suddenly halted his footsteps and so was thedies. His eyes fell on the 19-year-old girl who was a head shorter than him. Just for that moment, he felt like the whole world turned upside down.


    His eyes widely opened and wandered all over her face, the fair skin, long neck, striking emerald eyes, full and natural-looking eyebrows, upturned nose, full but down-turned lips, and heart-shaped face.


    Everything about her was too familiar to Mark. Perhaps, the only different thing is that she''s older than the person he remembers. And his heartbeat rose rapidly when he went through his memories from his past life.


    In a momentary shock, he couldn''t control his voice and spoke loudly, "Mari?"


    "Eh?" Zan Rong was startled for a moment and so were the other twodies. The girl then replied, "Mister, my name is Zan Rong."


    Mark''s face was crestfallen all of a sudden and he apologized right away, "I''m sorry. I mistook you for the wrong person. I''ll be on my way¡­"


    Without waiting for her reply, he left the ce to go to the waiting room, hurrying his footsteps. Song Yue bowed to them and followed her fianc¨¦ with a bit of doubt in her head. She doesn''t know why but when he heard his voice quivering while speaking of the name, Mari, she felt like there was a story to it and she was anxious to know the truth.


    As a result, as soon as she entered the waiting room and saw Mark was sitting there with his head hung down, she asked right away, "Are you alright?"<sub> </sub>


    Mark raised his head and nodded as he controlled his expression, "of course, why not?"


    "Is this Mari your friend?" Song Yue was hoping not to hear an answer like she is a former lover or something simr as she asked him. And Mark didn''t disappoint her either.


    "Not exactly," He replied while forcing out a smile before adding, "Marina was friends with Allen actually. I mean, not the one you know. It''s my younger brother, I mean, someone who was like my younger brother. I was just shocked to see her when there''s no way she can be here."


    After hearing Mark''s words, Song Yue somehow got a strong feeling that the original Allen Spencer might not be alive. Probably, something happened in the past and he died. That''s why Mark named a high-quality puppet after his younger brother-like person.


    As for the smile on Mark''s face, she was confident that it was a fake one. After staying with him for several weeks, she could easily see through his fake expressions that appear real at one nce.


    That means Mark must not be in a good mood while remembering his loved ones who passed away.


    Forming her own theory in her mind, Song Yue felt a little bit guilty and apologized, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked."


    Mark waved his hands, "No, I should be the one to apologize. You must have been really surprised."


    "Well, not really¡­" Song Yue looked away, not intending to admit that she was damn anxious a while ago. She then quickly changed away the topic. "Anyway, I have been wondering about something for a while. It''s regarding the exhibition."


    "What is it?" asked Mark.


    Song Yue then said, "Firearms might have been acknowledged as official weaponry but the bidders won''t know how they work practically. We have neither allotted a separate space for the demonstration. Can they really spend thousands of gold coins on the things they can''t trust? Moreover, your reputation among the leaders of the major ns isn''t that great, to be honest. I''m not sure whether they will bid at all."


    "That''s a good question." Mark nodded with a smile and then exined his strategy, "You see, Song Yue, I never have any intention of selling them to those n leaders from the start. My target is selling the vehicles to those independent kings and Emperor Shang. The advanced weapons are for the wealthy merchants to sell them elsewhere. That''s why I purposely put away the demonstrations."


    "Then, why did you go to such lengths to even invite them in the first ce?" Song Yue didn''t understand his thoughts on this move. To invite them, he had to write a letter to the Emperor and request him to bring them to the venue.


    It can''t be that he just brought them for his own amusement, right? Song Yue wondered as Mark didn''t answer and just smiled in response.


    Meanwhile, inside the auction hall, Ouyang Zen was in deep thoughts while staring at Zan Rong, who was listening to her new friend, Yuan Meili.


    To connect with the 19-year-old girl, Yuan Meili was disying all of her knowledge regarding marine life. As a result, Zan Rong waspletely hooked on the conversation and couldn''t even feel Ouyang Zen''s gaze on her.


    "Lu Zhen called her Mari, earlier. Is this really a coincidence? I remember grandpa telling me that her real name is Marina Zan and her people have surnames at the end. Perhaps, if her memories were intact, she wouldn''t have been Zan Rong.


    Either way, I should confirm with him after this auction is over and find her family."

 Chapter 282 Expo 1783 (Part-6)

    It is around half past twelve and almost every guest who arrived at the venue was sitting in the auction hall at their respective tables.


    The VIPs were given separate tables for themselves at the front while wealthy individuals or uninvited guests had to share them with others at the back.


    Some were finished with lunch, some were chatting while drinking wine, and some were still in the middle of eating. Dozens of robots were catering to their needs and almost everyone appeared to be impressed with the hospitality. Of course, some people were envious and nothing can be done about them.


    At table number 3, which is quite near to the podium, the representatives of Western Moon Kingdom were sitting together with the uninvited representatives of Kun Empire.


    From Western Moon, King Shen Niu arrived with Prime Minister Zhu Jianhong, Princess Shen Ling, and a General. And from Kun Empire, envoy Hu Tian and Crown Prince Qin Yu tagged along with them.


    Originally, Hu Tian requested the fourth prince, Qin Zhi to tag along with him in order to cement a rtionship with the Western Moon kingdom but at thest minute, the crown prince volunteered for the job and reced his brother.


    Despite being the crown prince of the Kun Empire, Qin Yu has considerably less support from either the officials or the masses whenpared with his younger brother.


    Of course, the reasons aren''t that illogical either.


    Qin Yu is 49 years old and Qin Zhi is 27.


    Qin Yu is only a 4-circle Spirit Warrior, clearly not a talented one. On the other hand, Qin Zhi is considered a genius with a cultivation realm at the peak stage of the 6-circle realm.


    Qin Yu married six times but failed to produce a single child so far. Some citizens are under an impression that he is impotent while others believed that he is cursed by the heavens.


    Qin Yu''s mother, the first Empress already passed away due to a heart stroke and at present, Qin Zhi''s mother is the Empress.


    There are other reasons as well but those four are enough for him tog behind the fourth prince. As the Emperor of Kun is also getting too old, Qin Yu was desperately looking for opportunities.


    So, when he heard about the firearms from his loyal spies, he decided to form his own separate army. He doesn''t have an interest in those panzers or howitzers. He was more interested in the weapons that can easily be carried with them and yet has enough destructive power. Some of the products caught his eye and he was intending to acquire the weapons and their rights no matter the price.


    "Creating a state-controlledmon adventurer guild for all professions is indeed better than letting several private guilds emerge one after another. However, it wasn''t enough just to convince the guild branches existing in the empire. If you don''t provide enough incentives, you will only witness the migration of the adventurers. And of course, there''s the problem with rising corruption by state officials."


    Shen Ling was expressing her views to Qin Yu, who asked her opinion about the reform, which the crown prince was trying to make but not getting support for to make it a reality.


    While they were in the middle of a discussion to pass the time, Mark and Song Yue entered the auction hall together alongside the ck Knight, earning the attention of everyone who was waiting.


    Upon stepping on the podium, Mark stood silently beside Song Yue as thetter addressed everyone with a smile on her face, "Wee to Expo 1783. My name is Song Yue and I''m your host for the auction. Nice to meet you."


    Upon taking a sound augmentation pill, which is avable in every alchemy store, Song Yue''s voice output became high enough to every corner of the auction hall.


    *p* p* p*


    A few leaders of the major ns started pping in support. The other followed with light ps.


    Song Yue then continued, "Before we begin, let me start with the rules.<sub> </sub>


    As it was described in the details you found in the weapons hall, every item that will be auctioned is going to be sold in mass numbers along with the rights for one year.


    Once a bidder bought the rights, during the next year, only that relevant party will be qualified to buy those special weapons from our store or any branches we will open in the future.


    Adding on top of that, there''s a minimum assured order for each item. That means whether there is a dy in the order or not, the store will guarantee to provide the minimum number during the time period that the contract will hold on.


    Now,ing to the bidding process, each of you was given a token. The bidder will only have to raise that wooden paddle to raise the bid.


    Each item has a buyout price, which is basically ten times the price of the starting bid.


    One can directly go for a buyout and win the bid. However, if there are multiple bidders interested in the buyout, then, the bidding will start from that buyout price, although only for the ones who expressed their interest at the very start. If missed an opportunity at the start for whatever reason, then, it is your loss.


    And everyone should understand that the auction was only for the rights. The bidder should still pay additionally for the items after winning the bid.


    Lastly, the auction is divided into two phases.


    The first phase is the auction of the exclusive items that have a 1-year protection period. We talked about that earlier.


    And the second phase is auctioning the vehicles disyed outside. Each one has a different protection period.


    Without further ado, let''s begin the auction for the firearms."


    Looking at Song Yue finished her introductory speech without stuttering or making any mistake, Mark nodded with a smile and then took out the first item from his inventory.


    Meanwhile, at the weapons hall, a few people were still roaming around to check out the weapons and Allen was standing there, waiting for the order.


    Upon receiving the message from Mark, he touched a weapon that looked like a pistol and it disappeared.


    He then loudly announced to the remaining people.


    "Attention everyone, the auction was started. Please proceed to the auction hall if you don''t want to miss it."


    Some people ignored him while others rushed out. Allen didn''t care either way. His only job is to remove the items from the disy as soon as the bidding starts and remind the potential bidders about the auction.


    Back at the auction hall, Mark ced the item on the desk ced before them and Song Yue proceeded with the exnation.


    "The first item to be auctioned is the machine pistol named Tigon-1. Everyone must have already seen the details at the weapons hall. Hence, sparing the details, we will go to the auction directly.


    The item''s price is 35 gold coins per piece. The number to be sold on the spot is 50 and the minimum assured order is about 10000 in 1 year. The starting bid is 1000 gold coins and the buyout price for 1-year rights is 10,000 gold coins.


    Those who are interested in the buyout, please raise the respective token paddles in the next 30 seconds, thank you."

 Chapter 283 Expo 1783 (Part-7)

    Mark took out his pocket watch and started the timer. The majority of the bidders were silent while some merchants were discussing with their partners whether it is worth bidding for the buyout or not.


    The price of the machine pistol is only 35 gold coins but its buyout price is 10,000 gold coins. Even if this amount isn''t much for these wealthy merchants, they will still have to worry about the profits they were gonna make by selling these firearms to people living in faraway ces.


    The clock is ticking but no one raised the paddle, making Song Yue a bit nervous. After all, this is the first item and she wants to go everything smooth despite the fact that the machine pistol, Tigon-1 can only be useful for civilians or low-level adventurers.


    On the other hand, Mark was calm. After registering all 8 weapons and earning about 30,000 credits, which is equivalent to 150,000 gold coins, he can afford to buy a model with his own money but through Chang Bo or Song Yue. So, whether they are sold or not, it won''t bother him much as long as the big vehicles were sold at an exorbitant price.


    The countdown reached thest ten seconds and no one raised it yet with merchants deciding to go with the bidding.


    Mark also thought the same and he was waiting for the countdown timer to finish.


    However, when there were only 3 seconds left, a paddle with blue token number 3 was raised.


    "Hmm?" Mark''s eyes fell on the princess who bid for the buyout. A trace of surprise appeared on a few merchants who were eyeing the machine pistol but wanted to go for the bidding to acquire the rights for a lower price.


    But, before they got the chance to discuss further, the time is up and Mark pressed the little button on top of the pocket watch, "The buyout time is over."


    Song Yue''s face changed and a pleasant smile appeared on her face as she strikes down the hammer. "Sold. Congrattions, No. 3 on purchasing the rights to buy Tigon-1."


    Alina, who was on standby until now, made her move. She walked to the table where the representatives of Western Moon and Kun Empire were sitting together and handed a contract. Before starting the auction, Alina has already distributed dip pens and inks to each table. So, it would be easy for the bidders to think until the end and sign whenever they wanted to.


    While Mark took out the second item from the inventory and ced it on the table, Princess Shen Ling read the contract. The deal costs her an overall amount of 11750 gold coins to which she will receive the first batch of Tigon-1 and 1-year rights to purchase them again.


    She signed the contract and ced it aside. It needed Mark''s signature too for the contract toe into effect and that will only happen after she handed him the money and he handed him those 50 machine pistols. But, as this won''t be thest time she will bid, she decided to deal with everything at the end of the auction.


    Back to the podium, Song Yue became a bit more excited as she announced the next product.


    "Now, it''s time for the second weapon of the Tigon series to be auctioned. Also known as the executioner, this big-sized revolver can shoot shotgun pellets that are powerful enough to take out even a 3-circle Spirit Warrior if one''s aim is perfect.


    You can say that it is apact version of a Shotgun, which was a level-2 exclusive weapon of our store. Due to its considerable small size despite its high firepower, it can be hidden in sleeves and is a perfect weapon to protect oneself in case of a sudden ambush.


    The price of Tigon-2 is 75 gold coins a piece and the number to be sold on the spot is 100. The minimum assured order is about 5,000 in 1 year. The starting bid is 1000 gold coins and the buyout price is 10000 gold coins.


    You have 30 seconds to make the decision."


    Mark pressed the button once again. This time, the bidders didn''t waste time like before, especially the merchants.


    The first one to raise the paddle was a merchant named Wang Ping, who deals in alchemy products like potions and pills.


    As soon as he showed interest, the other merchants who wanted to wait until the end had to raise their respective paddles too.


    Ouyang Zen and some of the major n leaders showed interest in the weapon. As for Emperor Shang, he was only interested in three things. Until the auction gets to that point, he nned to stay as a spectator.


    In the meantime, he was cursing Mark inside his head for pouring the water on his hard work.<sub> </sub>


    Shang Fu tried to eliminate thepetition and reduce the possible bidding price by making deals amongst them on who will bid on what product.


    Grand Secretariat Li also nned to use the n leaders as proxies on different items so that the good ones would fall into the hands of the Imperial Pce. Since Mark had already sent him a list of the auctioned items in the special invitation letter, Shang Fu thought that he can make full use of this information.


    But, how in the world could he expect that Mark would not only invite the Eastern Sun kingdom but even a Prince of Kun Empire will also crash at the event? Now, only Western Moon Kingdom isn''t the only thing that Shang Fu needed to worry about.


    Adding on top of that, Mark put high starting bids and buyout prices for every item.


    All these things added up and only made it tougher for Shang Fu. But, since he could do nothing about it, Shang Fu proceeded to discuss things with the Grand Secretariat who joined him alongside Bai Xun.


    As for the second prince, he didn''t tag along with them as he wasn''tfortable with ying mind games. An auction isn''t a ce where people throw money to get what they want. It''s all about ying smart to acquire the items at a price that''s worth paying for it.


    Anyway, back to the bidding, one after another, a paddle was raised every three to four seconds even for the buyout, indicating that there was going to be toughpetition between them.


    Mark couldn''t help but smile in excitement. His eyes wandered all over the ce to identify the bidders.


    And when he was done with the scanning, his eyes fell on the princess of Western Moon who appeared to be grabbing the paddle but not raising it.


    Mark stared at his pocket watch and there were only ten seconds left. Just like previously, he expected her to participate in the bidding but sadly, she put the paddle down on the table in the end.


    Upon witnessing it, Mark stopped paying attention to her and focused on the bidders.


    <strong>Meanwhile, at table no. 3;</strong>


    "Why? That weapon looks worth procuring." King Shen Niu was confused by the princess'' decision to not bid for the item.


    Shen Ling shook her head and replied, "They are worth the price but it is considered foolish to spend so much on them."


    "Eh?" Prince Qin Yu couldn''t understand her. He said, "Just now, you bought those worthless things for 10,000 gold coins."


    "You will have to wait for a while, Prince Qin." Shen ling let out a mysterious smile and then shifted her attention back to Mark.


    As the 30-second timer is over, Song Yue found 11 bidders.


    She spoke, "Okay, the buyout timer is finished. The further bidding will only be participated by numbers 1, 6, 8, 12, 15, 19, 26, 28, 32, 41, and 59.


    The bidding will start at 10,000 gold coins and each bid is raised by 500 gold coins. Now, you may raise the paddle to increase the bid."


    As soon as her words ended, a paddle was raised. Mark took a nce in the direction. He saw Ouyang Zen raise the paddle but his attention was quickly stolen by the girl sitting beside him.


    Since he missed the chance earlier to identify her, Mark inspected her details through Sage''s eyes.


    "What the¡­" A trace of surprise appeared on his face as he stared at the holographic screen that is floating in the air. "Mari? Lyra? What the hell is going on?"

 Chapter 284 Expo 1783 (Part-8)

    <strong>Zan Rong </strong>


    Aliases: Marina Zan, Lyra Erxidor


    Race: Human


    Age: 19


    Rank: 5-circle (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Wood


    Affiliation: The Eastern Sun Kingdom, Ixitus Empire, Eurasian Federation;


    Description: Marina Zan, a native to Earth-192, was one of the summoned heroes of the Ixitus Empire and went by the name Lyra Erxidor. Due to some reason, she has lost her memory. She''s currently living as an adopted sister of Ouyang Zen, the King of Eastern Sun.


    <strong>*Ding! You triggered a hidden quest, Awaken the memories of Zan Rong.</strong>


    "She''s Mari, the one I was familiar with? The fact that she''s affiliated with Eurasian Federation clearly shows that she didn''t just have an identical name and appearance.


    But, I thought I''m from another universe. Even if I assume that we are actually in some random gxy, which was thought to be a universe by the inhabitants with superpowers because of its enormous size, just what are the odds that we ended up on the same where there might be millions ofs with life?


    There''s clearly something going on that is beyond my understanding. How did Mari end up in this world? ording to the description, she was summoned into this world unlike how I transmigrated. Is this a great coincidence or the work of some powerful god?


    Whatever the case, I might be able to get a clue for the way to return to my earth if I unlock her memories.


    Even if this body is Lu Zhen''s, I can still check out how Allen is doing out there.


    I could also take my revenge on those traitorous bastards that betrayed me and the mafia group that tortured me for five years. With the superpowers I possess, it will be a piece of cake.


    Ugh¡­ Mark, let''s not go too far. Everything can be handled over time but for now, I need to focus on the present."


    By the time Mark came out of his thoughts, the bidding for Tigon-2/Executioner has already reached 17000 gold coins and yet, the bidding war doesn''t seem to be slowing down.


    As the bidding went on, Song Yue sounded more and more confident. She looked as if she had years of experience in hosting an auction.


    "17500, no. 12¡­" "Oh, number 41 joined the bidding once again. Wee back. Current bid is 18000, everyone. Looking for 18500¡­ anyone? "No. 6 bids 18500" "No. 19 bids 19000" "No. 1 bids 19500" "No. 19 bids 20000"


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    "No. 41 bids 47500." "No. 19, do you wish to continue?" "No. 19 gives up." "I''m looking for 48000, anyone?" "47500, once¡­ 47500, twice¡­" "No. 32 bids 48000" "No. 41 bids 48500" "No. 32 bids 49000" "No. 41 bids 49500" "No. 32 bids 50000"


    "From here on, the bid will raise by 1000 gold coins. Anyone up for 51000?"


    "No. 41 bids for 51000" "I''m now looking at 52000. No. 32?" "No. 32 gives up." "Anyone else is willing to rejoin?"


    "51000 once, 51000 twice, sold."


    "Congrattions, No. 41 on purchasing the rights to buy Tigon-2."


    Wang Ping was the first to raise the paddle and expressed his interest in buying the rights and in the end, he became the winner too. He appeared to be ted as Alina brought him the contract.


    Some people thought that he was foolish; some people were envious of his wealth; some didn''t care, and some felt that Wang Ping might have been aiming at only one item.<sub> </sub>


    Of them, Shen Ling belongs to the first category.


    As soon as the item was sold, she revealed her reasoning to Prince Qin Yu for why she didn''t express her interest. It''s because of Shotgun. As a person who made aplete investigation about Mark and his store, Shen Ling knew that one can buy any number of Shotguns as soon as their overall purchases cross 10k gold coins.


    "So, that means he wasted 50k gold coins for nothing?" Qin Yu was taken aback upon hearing her words. Kun Empire might be rich but 50k gold coins were in no way considered cheap to even the Emperor, much less a powerless prince like Qin Yu. He couldn''t help but take a nce in the direction of a foolishly grinning merchant and then at the others who also participated in the bidding war. "There''s clearly something wrong with the heads of these guys."


    Prince Qin Yu was under the impression that merchants of the Phoenix Empire were idiots. They aren''t as rich as the merchants from his Empire but they squander too much money on worthless things.


    However, soon, he realized that he underestimated them a lot.


    "116000, once, twice¡­ sold" "Congrattions, No. 32 on purchasing the rights to Tigon-3."


    "27500, once, twice¡­ sold" "Congrattions, No. 7 on purchasing the rights to Tigon-4."


    "68000, once, twice¡­ sold" "Congrattions, No. 14 on purchasing the rights to Tigon-5."


    "46000, once, twice¡­ sold" "Congrattions, No. 26 on purchasing the rights to Tigon 1-A"


    "258000, once, twice¡­ sold" "Congrattions, No. 9 on purchasing the rights to Tigon-2A"


    For more than an hour, the whole auction was owned by the merchants. The leaders of all the major ns and even the kings from foreignnds had to admit defeat in front of the resilience disyed by the merchants who stopped ying smart as the items were being sold one after another.


    And then Mark took out a weapon, which is sought by almost everyone in the room.


    "Behold one of our prized possessions, Tigon-5A, a sniper rifle that has the ability to shoot the targets from as far as 5 kilometers away with great uracy."


    Song Yue was aware that everyone in the room had knowledge about the weapon but she still couldn''t help but remind them of the special feature in order to heat up thepetition even more.


    "270 gold coins per piece, 100 of them in upfront, and 10000 for minimum assured order. The starting bid is 25000 gold coins and the buyout price is 250000."


    And just like she expect it to be, as soon as the buyout timer started, more than 13 people showed interest, which made her realize that these people indeed have more wealth than several major ns.


    But, the surprise didn''t end there. For the first time, Shang Fu personally raised the paddle. And at the same time, Shen Ling refuses to participate in the race, guessing that the end result will cross half a million gold coins.


    Well, she turned out to be right.


    For a while, thepetition was healthy between everyone but once it crossed 500k, the wealthy merchants stopped bidding one after another as they found it is too much. In the end, two bidders were left. Both of them are representing their people and neither wanted to give up. In the end, it became a battle of pride.


    After a fierce bidding war between Shang Fu and Ouyang Zen, the sniper rifle has fallen into the hands of the Eastern Sun kingdom for an exorbitant price of 870000 gold coins.


    <o>,m If not for the fact that the Grand Secretariat, Li Zheng Kang convinced Shang Fu to give up for the sake of the other item, the bidding would have reached even a million.</o>


    Seeing how his n worked on milking the money from this bunch of Richie riches, Mark now couldn''t help but raise his expectations for the next set of items. Adding on top of that, he was also feeling proud of himself while watching the weapons he designed being sought by so many bidders.


    The auction continued with Chimera SGM making its appearance. It is the first weapon Mark designed in the body of Lu Zhen and he expected it to cross a million. Unfortunately, he had to face up with a minor setback as the Quadra barreled gun only ended up being sold for 327 thousand gold coins.


    Mark then put up his bets on the final item of the firearms section, the only ether weapon sold by his store, the Ether pistol. Because it is a one-of-a-kind weapon that is powerful enough to shoot targets with ether bullets of peak-2-circle strength, he had his hopes up.


    However, once again, the result disappointed him as the weapon was sold for only 56000 gold coins.


    Mark was a little bit disappointed as thest two results didn''t meet his expectations. To cool off his head, he announced a 15-minute break before auctioning the next set of items.


    He and Song Yue left for the waiting room to take a rest, leaving behind Alina who ordered the robots to serve wine or tea to the guests.

 Chapter 285 Expo 1783 (Part-9)

    As Song Yun stood as a guard at the entrance of the waiting room to make sure no one disturbs his daughter and son-inw, both of them took their seats and started drinking water.


    Mark then copsed on the sofa and fell into deep thoughts.


    "Okay, so far, I earned about 1,773,500 gold coins only from the rights. And all of that belongs to me. The system would gain nothing because it doesn''t have any authority over the rights.


    Since I only became richer from this event, I don''t need to feel stressed about the biddings that didn''t meet my expectations.


    Hmm¡­ wait a second. If I add the weapon sales, then, it will be over 2 million gold coins, correct?


    If I had to give away 2% of my ie to Song Yue, then, I should already give more than 40,000 gold coins to her. And what about the remaining items? If it will cross 10 million, I might have to give more than 200,000 gold coins to her.


    After getting the lifetime settlement, what if she cancels the engagement and moves out? I would rather marry her than let her get away with so much money. Damn¡­ should I just go back on my word?"


    While he had a good impression of Song Yue and fairly likes her to the extent of developing a casual rtionship, if such a huge amount of moneyes into the equation, unfortunately, it changes his perception.


    It''s not that Mark was a ve of money. His body, Lu Zhen loves it too much since his childhood, and the greed for gold is ingrained in his bones so deeply that Mark couldn''t fight against that temptation.


    Perhaps, if Song Yue''s rtionship with Mark is as strong as Alina or Allen, he wouldn''t have these thoughts but at the moment, he doesn''t have any strong reason to give away so much amount of money to Song Yue just so that he continuously keep her by his side.


    As Mark was trapped in a dilemma on whether to go back on his word or give up a such huge amount of money, Song Yue opened her mouth as she took the seat beside him, "Lu Zhen, can I say something?"


    Because of the sound augmentation pill, she spoke almost as if she was whispering to him.


    And that appeared loud enough for Mark to return to reality from his deep thoughts.


    He looked at her, "What is it?"


    "You told me that you will give me a 2% share of the earnings even from this auction but it looks like the overall amount is a lot more than I imagined," replied Song Yue in a firm tone. She added, "I''m sure that you will also honor your promise even though I didn''t work hard to receive such an amount. However, having too much amount of money might have an adverse impact on my mind. I want to continue our rtionship just like how it always has been."


    "Hmm?" Mark was taken aback by her response. He didn''t expect Song Yue to talk about the same topic that''s been bugging him right now. At the same time, he got a strong feeling that his fianc¨¦e doesn''t want the money. "What do you mean? Say it clearly."


    Looking straight into his eyes, Song Yue answered without any hesitation in her eyes, "For the sake of my mental health, I don''t wish to take the promised 2% share from this expo."


    "Eh? You don''t want it?" Mark was shocked. He reminded her immediately, "Once this is over, you might earn more than a hundred thousand gold coins, you know."


    "I know." Song Yue nodded firmly.


    Seeing that thedy doesn''t have an interest in the money, Mark felt ashamed of himself for giving more importance to money. And then, as Song Yue closed her eyes and take a short nap, he stared at her beautiful face. His heart skipped a beat once again.


    In the end, he sighed inwardly, "If only we get engaged under different circumstances¡­"


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    Mark and Song Yue returned to the auction hall after the short break. He found almost half of the tables were emptied. He doesn''t know why they left when they can still try their luck with Panzer but then again, the three main clients were there. The others only existed to see his earnings and get jealous or admire him. He didn''t dwell on it much and continued to walk to the podium.


    Clearing her throat, Song Yue greeted everyone with a smile on her face. "Wee to the second phase of Expo 1783. As we earlier mentioned, the weapons in this phase will have separate protection periods. And there won''t be buyouts.


    Due to their sizes, we cannot disy the next set of items here and will only speak of the name.


    And let me also inform you that you wouldn''t need to pay all the money upon signing the contract.<sub> </sub>


    As long as you pay at least 20% of the bidding fee, a preliminary contract can be signed for the main contract. And then, you will one week of time to pay the remaining 80% amount along with the original payment for the items in bulk.


    If you chose such option and then fail to pay the amount within the time, the contract will turn void, and that 20% upfront amount will not be returned to the customer. It will be treated aspensation for causing a loss.


    Secondly, you can also choose to pay with ether crystals instead of gold coins. However, only high-quality crystals will be epted and each such crystal of 10-carat size will be equivalent to 1000 gold coins.


    We won''t ept weapons or any other items as a recement for gold coins no matter what kind of grade they are in.


    Please keep this set of rules in mind as we proceed with the auction.


    Our next item to be auctioned is the Panzerkampfwagen-I or you can call it Panzer-I by short.


    Before we start the bidding, let me inform you that this weapon is already sold to several parties. Hence, the auction won''t be for its rights. However, we can block further orders for the next three months.


    This auction is for a total of 1000 vehicles. Of them, 50 will be given at first as soon as the contract is signed.


    And within three months i.e. twelve weeks of time, the remaining 950 vehicles will be delivered to the customer.


    Each Panzer cost 500 gold coins. So, their total worth is about 500 thousand gold coins. So, we''ll start the bid with 500,000 gold coins and each bid will be raised by 5000.


    Let the auction begin¡­"


    "505" "510" "515"¡­ "645" "650"¡­ "785" "790"¡­ "905" "910"¡­ "965"


    From the start, a fierce battle emerged between Shen Ling and Shang Fu. However, the princess of Western Moon isn''t keen on spending too much additional money on panzers just so that a thousand can be delivered to the kingdom in a quick time.


    She only thought of ying with Shang Fu, trying to spend his money. But then, as she was about to stop at 800k, Prince Qin Yu told her to procure them at all costs and he will be paying from his pockets.


    Since Qin Yu didn''t know whether he could get back those aircraft with him or not but he thought of at least buy a thousand Panzers to prepare his own army.


    Each one of them might be only powerful enough to take out 3-circle Spirit Warriors but when 1000 of them attack at the same time, he could basically turn around the tide of war. All he needed are just civilian soldiers who are expendable.


    As a result, Shen Ling continued with her bidding.


    "965¡­ once¡­ twice¡­" *ting* "sold"


    "Congrattions, No. 3 on purchasing 1000 Panzers"


    Eventually, Shang Fu backed down as he could afford to wait for three months to order Panzers. He had 100 million gold coins worth of deal with Mark in case thetter helps him to acquire the fire seed. Hence, Emperor Shang felt like he can order themter.


    Meanwhile, Mark once again felt ted on selling the Panzers, almost at double the price. He gestured for Alina to hand over the contract to Shen Ling while sending a message to Allen through the system about removing the Panzer from the disy.


    Song Yue nodded in happiness for Mark and continued, "The next item to be auctioned is a light multirole vehicle. We call it Iveco-LMV. Each piece cost 2500 gold coins and has a protection period of 6 months. While the minimum assured order is 1000 in number, you will be bidding for 100 of them, worth 250k gold coins.


    The starting bid for 6 months of rights is 100,000 gold coins and each bid is raised by 5000."


    The whole hall became silent for a while.

 Chapter 286 Expo 1783 (Part-10)

    Whenpared to Panzer, Iveco-LMV looks more stylish; it has more speed; it has more range; it houses more crew members; it has a remote-controlled weapon station like FLW, equipping a 20mm gun, which is able to shoot 360 degrees to as far as 1000 meters.


    Unfortunately, itcks proper armor and firepower for the price it was being sold for. Well, at the very least for these rulers who were looking for practical applications, this vehicle doesn''t hold much value. Hence, the reluctance to bid for the item.


    The silence from everyone disappointed Mark, a little bit, but then again, he doesn''t have much expectation, to begin with. After all, even he thinks that the system is ridiculous to put such a huge price for the military vehicle that he ns on using for only traveling.


    Mark''s greed to earn more money forced him to keep the bidding price and the bulk selling amount high.


    He thought some foolishly rich customers will pay for it but no paddles were raised in the air.


    ncing at the pocket watch, Mark inwardly sighed and prepared himself to announce "unsold". However, it appears that his seven points of luck are still in action.


    At thest second, one paddle raised just like with the machine pistol. But, this time, it belongs to someone Mark never expected it to be. Yuan Menzi bid for the item, making his cousin furrow her brows in displeasure.


    Like Mark, Song Yue also thought that it will go unsold when she saw that no one raised the paddle. And now that there is one bidder, a smile bloomed across her face as she announced, "100,000 gold coins- No.19. 105,000 anyone? Last call, 100000, once, twice, sold."


    "Congrattions, no. 19 on purchasing the rights to Iveco-LMV for the next six months."


    As the people around pped for his win, Yuan Meili whispered in a sharp tone as if she was scolding, "100 thousand gold coins for the rights and 250 thousand gold coins for the items. Do you even know what you have done? You have used 30% of treasury over those things."


    In response, Yuan Menzi abruptly turned his head and looked at her coldly, "Yuan Meili, I''ll just say it once again. Don''t dare to question my actions."


    Yuan Meili flinched as she looked at his face. She couldn''t help but look down at the floor and cursed him inwardly, "This damn bastard. He is bound to destroy our n sooner orter if he stays as the n head. I need to think of something to take him out. To make him an enemy of the Imperial family, I need to make him hurt Shang Jiao.


    Hmm¡­ that boy appears to be close with the princess. If something happens to him and that me goes onto Yuan Menzi''s head, then, Shang Jiao will attack him and gets hurt in return as she was no match for him.


    But, at the same time, Yuan n cannot make an enemy out of Lu Zhen. I need to be careful to make my move."


    While Yuan Meili was busy with her thoughts on bringing down her cousin, Song Yue announced the next item to be auctioned, making everyone alert.


    "Now, it is time for the top 3rd item of this event. Panzerhaubitze 2000 or simply PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful modern weapons manufactured to date. I guess that all of you might have been aware of its abilities but let me give you a brief insight into the item.


    Pzh 2000 is a type of self-propelled weapon called a howitzer. It is just like Panzer but is used to shoot targets from as far as 30 kilometers away.


    For the ammunition part, you will need a 155mm caliber one called SMArt-155, a guided artillery shell that is powerful enough to take out everyone under 7-circle with ease.


    Now, each vehicle costs 5000 gold coins, and each SMArt-155 costs just 100 gold coins. We are offering 50 such vehicles and 1000 SMArt-155 rockets in this auction.


    Adding on top of that, there will be a 1-year of protection period. The minimum assured order in the next 12 months of time will be 500 such vehicles and 10000 rockets.


    The starting bid is 1 million gold coins and each bid is raised by 100,000. You have 60 seconds to think. After that, we will proceed with the bidding.


    Neither the n leaders nor the wealthy merchants had the money to bid for the item. Even though Song Yue mentioned that they only need to pay 20% to book the contract and pay the remaining 80% within a week to finalize it, none of them was daring enough to step forward.


    And in the end, just like how Mark wanted it to be, the bidding war between Shang Fu, Shen Niu, and Ouyang Zen started.


    The 12-year-old kid might be against the weapons but even he couldn''t help but agree that PzH 2000 will surely improve his kingdom''s military might to a whole another level.


    Of course, at the same time, he was also aware that a stable economy in the kingdom is more important be a military superpower. So, he limited his funds to 10-12 million for this.


    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    "4.6 million ¨C No.3" "4.7 million ¨C No. 12" "4.8 million ¨C No.25"


    .


    .


    "7.8 million ¨C No.12" "7.9 million ¨C No.25" "8 million ¨C No.12" "8.1 million ¨C No.3"


    .


    .


    .


    "10.6 million ¨C No.3" "10.7 million ¨C No.25" "10.8 million ¨C No.3" "10.9 million ¨C No.25"<sub> </sub>


    .


    .


    .


    "14.5 million ¨C No.25" "14.6 million ¨C No.3"


    "14.6 million, once, twice, sold."


    "Congrattions, No. 3 on purchasing the 12-months of rights of Pzh 2000."


    In the end, the howitzer fell into the hands of King Shen Niu for a price that shocked Mark to the core. What kind of amount is 14.6 million gold coins? With such an amount, he can even run his own kingdom.


    Not to mention, there are two more products that needed to be auctioned.


    By the end of the expo, how rich Mark is going to be? Will he be the richest individual in Vermilion Bird Continent? And what if he converts to credits? He could not only upgrade the Missile defense system again but he might be able to max all some of its stats. His fortune graph is sure going to have an exponential curve today.


    Mark was trying his best to not show his excitement on the outside and kept a poker face while clenching his fists tightly and releasing them.


    As for the n leaders, some were envious of Mark, some were filled with admiration, and two guys appeared to be in regret.


    One is Lin Wuying, who distanced himself and Lin Xue from the Genesis Weapon store because of the pressure from the Song n. Two is Song Chang, the new Patriarch of the Song n who didn''t attempt to smooth things with Mark after the imprisonment of Song Yun.


    Now, both of them felt like they should do something to get into Mark''s good books.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue didn''t appear to be that affected by the situation. She didn''t have an ounce of regret for her decision on rejecting the 2% share and only felt happy for her fianc¨¦.


    She then continued with auctioning the next item, showing great enthusiasm as usual, "The top 2nd item of the event is Lightbat aircraft ¨C Yak 130 or you can call it LCA or Yak 130 for short.


    As we cautioned on the board with details ced at the aircraft, you need to build at least a 600-meter long runway or a straight road made of asphalt and other things for it to fly safely into the sky or descend onto the earth without anyplications.


    If you don''t build them, Genesis Weapon Store is by no means responsible for any harm to either the pilot or the vehicle.


    Each LCA is worth 50,000 gold coins and we are offering 20 of them in the event. Along with aircraft, there will be 100 R-73 missiles, 100 S-13 rockets, and 100 S-25 rockets.


    The minimum assured order is 100 aircraft and 500 of each type of missile but the protection period is for only 5 months or 20 weeks.


    Of course, the pilot training will also be provided for free, although only for one selected person.


    The starting bid is the same as earlier, 1 million gold coins, and each bid is raised by 100,000."


    <strong>At table No. 3;</strong>


    "Father, we have roughly 4 million left. I don''t think that we can win this bid." Shen Ling whispered to King Shen Niu.


    Before Shen Niu reacted, Prince Qin Yu said, "Not an issue, King Shen. I still have more than 20 million in my inventory. We can still bid for it."


    Shen Ling never wanted the Western Moon kingdom to owe Kun Empire so her father doesn''t want to do something that the northern empires in the future.


    It was why she rejected the idea of taking their help in acquiring the aircraft and forced her father to take a loan of 15 million from the bank. The other 5 million was taken from the treasury.


    But, aftering here and witnessing the atmosphere in the auction hall, she realized that even those twenty million might not be enough to acquire the aircraft.


    Hence, she changed the target to howitzers, which she can own itpletely.


    Now that she won it, she was more rxed, knowing that she secured a weapon to protect hernd from the enemies like the Church of Doom.


    However, the crown prince of the Kun Empire doesn''t want to go back with just Panzers. He wants to acquire ten of those twenty aircraft.


    The princess knew that. Hence, she decided not to eye any aircraft and purely bid for the sake of Qin Yu. This way, instead of her father owing to the Kun Empire, it would be the other way.


    On the other hand, she would get the right to purchase them individually without spending a single gold coin.

 Chapter 287 Expo 1783 (Final)

    Having lost the bidding war twice, Emperor Shang was now more than ever fixated on winning the aircraft no matter the cost.


    Just like with the howitzer, only Shang Fu, Ouyang Zen, and Shen Ling bid for Yak-130.


    And just like the previous bidding war, Ouyang Zen was the first to exit as the price crossed 12 million. However, neither Sheng Ling nor Shang Fu looked like they were going to stop.


    Soon, the price raised to 15 million, then, 16, and then, 17 without any pause. Mark''s heartbeat was also beating at its peak in excitement. He felt like he will pass out due to a blood rush at any moment.


    The n leaders just stared at their Emperor in a daze as the price crossed 20 million, which is more worth than the entire 12 major ns'' worthbined.


    Meanwhile, Qin Yu was getting nervous as they only have four million left to bid. Even if Song Yue had mentioned that he only needed to pay 20% upfront to win the contract, the crown prince of the Kun Empire wasn''t at ease.


    Unlike Emperor Shang who won''t be questioned on what he spent the money on, Prince Qin Yu should answer to the imperial court of Kun. He cannot spend tens of millions of gold coins for twenty aircraft. After all, 7-circle realm experts aren''t scarce in the northernmost empire of the continent.


    Well, if he is a popr figure in the court, it would have been fine. However, theck of support made him hesitate to bid further as it crossed 25 million.


    As a result, he was forced to give up on the ambition to acquire the aircraft, letting Shang Fu win it with 25.7 million gold coins for 5 months of purchasing rights.


    And then, the final item was auctioned. Despite having simr firepower, the Kidd-ss destroyer didn''t attract that much bidding from the guestspared to the previous two vehicles.


    First of all, there are only two bidders, Shen Ling and Ouyang Zen. Secondly, Qin Yu didn''t appear to be that interested in procuring them as Mark was only offering 3 of them at present and 10 of them as a minimum assured order within 6 months.


    Thirdly, Shen Ling has no interest in borrowing the money from Qin Yu and only intended to fight with the remaining 4 million.


    Because she wasn''t that desperate to acquire them, eventually, the warship fell into the hands of the Eastern Sun kingdom, which also exerts control over a hundred inds in the emerald sea.


    "5.6 million, once, twice, sold"


    "Congrattions, No. 12 on purchasing the rights to Kidd-ss Destroyer.


    With this, the GWS Expo of the year 1783 officiallyes to an end. For those who had received the contracts, please follow us to the store and finish the transaction.


    And once again, we thank everyone for attending the event and making our expo, a sess."


    *p* p* p* p* p*


    Everyone pped as Mark grabbed Song Yue''s hand and bowed together to the guests as a formality of farewell.


    Once Mark and Song Yue left the auction hall, the people also rose to their feet and started leaving the auction hall one after another.


    <strong>Sometimeter, at Genesis Weapon store;</strong>


    "Thank you for the purchase, here are your goods."


    Mark gave a silver-grade storage ring to a merchant. It has over 50 Tigon-2A, the grenade revolver, and 1000 grenades (40mm). Each weapon was priced at 480 gold coins and a 40mm grenade costs 5 gold coins.


    So, apart from 258,000 gold coins, the merchant named Yu Chen had handed over another 29000 gold coins.


    Once the transaction finished, the system, as usual, sent him the notification.


    <strong>*Ding! You sold 50 Tigon-2A. You received 14,400 gold coins as your share.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You sold 1000 grenades (40mm). You received 3000 gold coins as your share.</strong><sub> </sub>


    So, from the entire amount of 287k, a little more than 11k was deducted by the system and the remaining 275.4k went to his inventory.


    Now, only four customers are left in the store. They are all people who stand at the top of the socialdder in society but at the moment, every one of them was sitting obediently as Mark was processing the transactions.


    Mark then pointed at his 2 o''clock where the young man with an eye patch was sitting on a chair. "Mr. Yuan, it''s your turn."


    Yuan Menzi didn''t get up and said, "We can finish at the end. I have something important to talk about with you in private."


    Mark didn''t know what he wanted to say but in any case, he wanted to finish all the contracts. He replied, "First, please be done with transactions. We can surely talk afterward."


    "Alright, if you insist." Yuan Menzi didn''t like people talking against him but the suppression inside the store made his powerspletely useless. Not to mention, he was also aware of the gap of strength between himself and this weapon seller.


    So, he obliged Mark''s words and walked to the reception desk, cing the gold grade ring. Mark handed it to Allen who scans it in a second as usual and reports to his master, "Big Brother, there are 245,000 gold coins and 276 high-quality crystals but of different sizes. Thebined size will be equal to 7654 carats."


    Mark made a quick calction and said to the young man, "Mr. Yuan, you need to pay 100,000 for purchase rights and 250,000 for the hundred LMVs. This is more than the required amount."


    In response, Yuan Menzi let out a smile, "we can sort it outter."


    After Mark signed the document and gave him 5000 gold coins of worth tinum-grade storage ring, which contains the 100 LMVs, Yuan Menzi returned to his seat and sat in silence.


    Yuan Meili didn''t know what her cousin wanted to talk but since she doesn''t have any strength or authority to question him, she sat silently beside him.


    Mark then nced at his granduncle, Lan Jing, and then, at the amnesiac friend from his past life, eventually calling the kid.


    Lan Jing stepped forward and handed a gold-grade ring with exactly 6,629,000 gold coins in it (870k ¨C rights for Tigon 5-A; 27k ¨C 100 Tigon 5A; 10k ¨C ten thousand ammunition; 5.6million ¨C rights for Destroyer; 105k ¨C three destroyers; 2k ¨C 100 torpedoes; 4k ¨C 100 rounds of 127mm caliber; 5k ¨C 50 rim-66 missiles; 6k ¨C 100 Harpoon missiles).


    As the king of a ce with thergest number of gold mines on the continent, Ouyang Zen didn''tck money. However, instead of squandering recklessly just to be happy, he would rather spend them on improving the quality of his people''s lives. Or else, with the money he has within the treasury, he could have purchased the rights to all the weapons disyed in the auction.


    Anyway, back to the present, Lan Jing gave the money and Mark proceeded with signing the contract.


    "Here we go, thank you for the purchase." Mark also handed him the tinum-grade storage ring that is holding the 5km range sniper rifles along with three massive warships and their ammunition.


    Taking the ring, Lan Jing then said, "His Majesty is really interested to host lunch for you. Someday, if you have the time, please do visit the city of Helius."


    Mark nodded with a smile, "of course, I will send you the message through themunication talisman."


    "Good." Lan Jing earlier discussed with Ouyang Zen and decided to invite Mark to their royal pce in order to talk about Zan Rong.


    As the group of four left the store, Zhu Jianhong, the prime minister of Western Moon Kingdom stepped forward.


    The Western Moon Kingdom is indeed the biggest winner of this auction. They have won the purchase rights of machine pistol (Tigon-1) for only 10,000 gold coins, Panzers for 965k, and Howitzers for 14.6 million.


    Adding with the prices of weapons and their respective ammunition, the overall amount Mark was paid is about 15.9 million gold coins. Just like with the Eastern Sun kingdom, all of it was paid in gold coins. As Mark suddenly saw millions of gold coins going into his inventory, he suddenly wished that they could have paid in ether crystals instead.


    Anyway, he cannotin at this stage when he suddenly became the richest individual in Phoenix Empire within a few hours.


    Putting aside his thoughts, he said to the representatives of the Western Moon, "King Shen, Prime Minister Zhu, you are wee to wait upstairs along with Princess Shen. After finishing everything here, I''ll join you guys."


    Both of them nodded and made their way toward the staircase.


    Meanwhile, at the first-floor residence, Shen Ling and Song Yue were in the living room, and thetter''s face didn''t look good at the moment. "Another wife? What do you mean? Please be clear."

 Chapter 288 Shen Lings Goal

    Until a while ago, everything was fine between Shen Ling and Song Yue. They were chatting about various things, although it was mostly Shen Ling trying to probe into Song Yue''s personality by asking her opinions regarding various events.


    And once she had a fair understanding, Shen Ling slowly opened the topic of Mark''s second marriage, changing the atmosphere in the room, all of a sudden.


    "Princess Shen, why are you asking about my opinion about sharing Lu Zhen with another woman? What are you implying? Please be clear." Song Yue furrowed her brows as she confronted Shen Ling. If it is Lin Xue who was talking about the matter with Song Yue, thetter would have taken it as a joke. However, the fact that ites from a stranger she met for the first time makes it a matter to think seriously.


    On the other hand, Shen Ling was quite calm. Without hiding anything, she proceeded on exining, "You see, Ms. Song. You have grown up in the household of a major noble n and must be aware of how the world works on the upper societydder.


    Lu Zhen is young, handsome, and far stronger than his peers. If I had to choose someone, I would rather choose him over those princes or kings from othernds. I''m interested in marrying him and I won''t be thest one either. Sooner orter, my father will send a proposal to him.


    I don''t know whether you truly love each other or whether your engagement happened due to unforeseen circumstances. But, the fact is that he is already engaged to you. Your consent is more important to me than even Lu Zhen''s.


    That''s why I wanted to know what you think. If Lu Zhen marries multiple women even if it''s for convenience, not out of love, will you befortable with it?"


    Song Yue didn''t answer her. She fell into deep thoughts, pondering on her own situation.


    The thought of having another woman by Mark''s side didn''t feel right to her. She was ufortable.


    At the same time, Song Yue knows her situation very well. She was weak, not talented as the Androids, and dependent on Mark. After spending with him for weeks and seeing his kind personality that no one else gets to know, she doesn''t even think that she was worthy of him.


    Adding on top of this, only she was aware that their engagement is nothing but a cover-up Mark did it to protect her dignity in this stereotypical society. Hence, she put away her real thoughts and tried to keep a calm expression on her face as she replied, "When were engaged, I promised myself that I will support him in every decision he makes."


    Upon hearing the answer that she expected, Shen Ling nodded with a smile, "thank you. If I''ll be sessful in marrying Lu Zhen, I will make sure¡­"


    "Shen Ling."


    A deep voice interrupted her words and both of thedies turned their heads to look toward the source.


    They saw King Shen Niu standing at the entrance with his prime minister and the Supreme General of their army. Shen Ling saw her father didn''t appear to be in good mood at the moment.


    "Father? What is it?" Shen Ling was a little bit surprised by the frown on her father''s face.


    Taking a deep breath, Shen Niu then said, "We just received a message from General Luo. We need to leave right away."


    "What happened?" She asked him.


    Shen Niu didn''t give the answer and just replied, "It''s urgent. I will tell you on the way. C''mon, hurry up."


    "See youter, Ms. Song." Shen Ling bid farewell to Song Yue and left with her father and otherpanions.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Mark just sent off Shang Fu and was about to return to his desk. He saw the four of them already reached downstairs and are walking toward him.


    Mark stopped them and asked them. Shen Niu didn''t give him the proper answer either and just gave the same vague reply he gave to his daughter before leaving increasing his walking pace.


    "I''ll stop by some time again, Lu Zhen," said Shen Ling before walking away.


    Mark didn''t know what is going on with them but since the transaction is already finished, he silently escorted them to the exit and returned to the desk once their Twin bears'' carriage started to leave.


    As the carriage drawn by tworge brown bears left the neighborhood, Shen Niu finally looked at his daughter and asked her seriously, "Now, care to exin to me what the hell were you talking there with Ms. Song?"


    Upon hearing his question, the princess quickly realized that there was no urgency at Western Moon. Her father was just displeased by her actions.


    She exined calmly, "I''m talking about my marriage with Lu Zhen, Father. You see, she''s his fianc¨¦e and will be like my sister once I married him. I thought it is better to tell her first as I don''t want hard feelings between us."


    Her reply did no good. It only infuriated her father even more.


    He readilyshed out at her without caring about the presence of the Supreme General or the Prime minister.


    "You are really unbelievable, Xiao Ling. When I told you about the Kun Empire''s fourth prince, Qin Zhi, you told me that you''ll think about it.


    ording to Envoy Hu Tian, you have the qualities to be Qin Zhi''s wife. If the fourth prince bes the ruler of a huge empire, you could be the Empress. Kun Empire isn''t as big as the Phoenix Empire or Leon Empire but their military might is rather strong.


    I admit that Lu Zhen is strong and has this mysterious background that lets him have a monopoly on these powerful weapons but can he beparable to Qin Zhi and Kun Empire?


    Adding on top of that, he even has someone else in his life. I never imagined my daughter of all the people to even think of bing a second wife of amoner."


    Shen Niu loves his daughter very much and gives her the freedom to do what she wants. He just reunited with her not long ago and doesn''t want to hurt her but that doesn''t mean she would misuse her freedom to fix her marriage behind his back. He felt like his daughter fooled him.


    However, he never expected that his daughter would shock him with her reply. Looking straight into his eyes, she spoke loud and clear, "I don''t have any interest to be someone''s prized possession, father. Neither do I want our kingdom to be an indirect vassal state of arge Empire nor do I intend to hand over the throne to someone else.


    I have decided to be the first Queen Regnant of Western Moon. And to rewrite the rules of the politics in our kingdom, I need someone like him by my side. Perhaps, if I make it a reality, then, a change will eventually happen in the othernds."


    "What" "What" "What"


    Along with her father, the prime minister and the Supreme General also reacted together. They were just as surprised as Shen Niu.

 Chapter 289 Purchasing The Stat Pills

    <strong>Genesis Weapon store, Imperial City;</strong>


    After every other customer has left the store, Mark finally had a chat with Yuan Menzi who patiently waited.


    Yuan Menzi first thanked him for clearing the Baltrow Dungeon and then requested a meeting with the manticore.


    Remembering the additional amount he received earlier, Mark allowed it. Allen went upstairs and brought down the manticore.


    Yuan Menzi enquired about his mother''s death, whether it happened by the beasts or the people. He showed the portrait of hers.


    Unfortunately for him, the manticore has no recollection of meeting that woman. Without gaining any considerable information, Yuan Menzi left the store in disappointment.


    Mark didn''t know his story and neither was he in the mood to care about it. As soon as Yuan Menzi and her cousin left the store, Mark closed down the shutter and went back to his room.


    He then locked the door and sat on his bed before letting out a wide grin, "Okay, now, let''s see the gains."


    After transferring all the gold coins and ether crystals to his inventory, he looked at the eight-digit number and Mark couldn''t just stop smiling.


    "51.5 million. That''s enough capital for me to do everything I want in this world. With such money, I can just retire and build a huge estate myself in the countryside, living in peace for the rest of my life.


    Unfortunately, there are too many things to do. I need to bring down Shang Fu, revive Lan Sect, looking for a way to return home. I can''t just let put all of those things away just because I turned into a billionaire overnight if I consider the standards of my.


    Sigh¡­ why am I thinking this bullshit now? There''s still the system''s upgrading pending. Need to hurry up and increase the strength exponentially. Let''s keep a portion of the amount and use the remaining."


    Taking a deep breath, he spoke in his mind, "System, Open conversion."


    <strong>*Ding! You converted 40 million gold coins to credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! 8 million credits added to the ount.</strong>


    "Now, shall we go on a shopping spree?"


    Mark opened the store.


    As the system hasn''t upgraded yet, the bloodlines and unique weapons are still unavable to buy. But then again, he didn''t have any intentions of exploring them either.


    Mark clicked on the items. He scrolls down to the pills section and proceeded to buy the permanent stat pills.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 8 Intelligence pills (intermediate grade). 32000 credits were deducted.</strong>


    After buying eight of them, he exhausted the intermediate-grade pills. He then went on purchasing the advanced grade at hefty prices.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 Intelligence pills (advanced grade). 100000 credits were deducted.</strong>


    "With this, I can directly increase 7.4 points in total. Adding to 5.2, it will be 12.6. So, I can just be immortal if I consume it now?"


    As soon as the thought came to his mind, the system poured water on his excitement with its reminder.


    <strong>*Ding! The host can only increase stats using external assistance until he bes a Demigod. After that, all the items that augment your stats will be of no effect.</strong>


    "Uhhh¡­ So, I wasted 40000 credits for nothing?" Mark''s mood turned a bit worse upon learning that he lost 200 thousand gold coins over carelessness. But, fortunately, the system''s other quick reminder saved him.


    <strong>*Ding! Advanced-grade pills and potions provided by the system are not user bound. They could be given to anyone else.</strong>


    "Ah, is that so? Then, can I sell them too?" asked Mark hopefully.


    <strong>*Ding! You have already bought them from the system. The system no longer holds the right to dictate what you do with them.</strong>


    "If these can be used by anyone under Demigod realm, then, each one of these is priceless."


    Realizing the potential of the stat pills, Mark continued with his shopping spree, buying every stat pill that is avable in the store.


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 strength pills (intermediate). 40000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 strength pills (advanced). 100,000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>---</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 agility pills (basic). 5000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 agility pills (intermediate). 40000 credits are deducted.</strong><sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 agility pills (advanced). 100,000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>---</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 vitality pills (basic). 5000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 vitality pills (intermediate). 40000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 vitality pills (advanced). 100,000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>---</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 2 defense pills (intermediate). 8000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 defense pills (advanced). 100,000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>---</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 Resistance pills (basic). 5000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 10 resistance pills (intermediate). 40000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You purchased 5 resistance pills (advanced). 100,000 credits are deducted.</strong>


    ---


    All of it cost him a total of 783 thousand credits. That''s almost 10%. Of course, it also means that he can afford to squander a lot without worrying about exhausting his resources. Hence, he decided to continue his shopping.


    He scrolled to the top and went back to the category screen. Mark then clicked on the attribute section.


    "Well, I could just buy every attribute avable but owning too many will lead to confusion and extra thinking.


    Hmm¡­ let''s pick healing type, support type, and one more attack type."


    Just as he was about to click on the light, something clicked inside Mark''s head and his index finger stopped just an inch away from the option (light).


    "That''s right. I forgot that I have yet toplete the quest and awaken the mage spirit path. Let''s wait until then. For that to happen, I still need to upgrade the system and sell the three types of robots and two types of C-4.


    I guess it is time to meet Feng Wu, once again. It''s been weeks since he obtained the needed equipment save for the 9mm rounds. I wonder when he will start the invasion.


    Anyway, that''s his headache, not my problem. I just need to focus on raising all the stats."


    <strong>Sometimeter in the evening;</strong>


    Roughly about 1600 kilometers away from the Imperial city, on the border of Northern Yuan province and Zhao province, smoke started to leave a volcano while it was shaking rather violently, rming the nearby stationed soldiers.


    Tremors continued for hours and smoke started getting thicker as the time passed.


    Evacuations were going on at a rapid pace and the matter was informed to the Governor of the province, Zhao Chou. The Eastern General, Wan Kun was also informed.


    Eight 5-circle mages were deployed by Zhao Chou to take care of the situation. They surrounded the volcano with each one taking one side at 1 km away from the foot of the mountain.


    As all of them released a group skill, a gigantic barrier was formed over arge area, epassing the volcano and the toxic gases it was releasing.


    By the next day''s dawn, Wan Kun arrived with a part of his elite troop over the suspicion that it might be work of fire seed. His suspicion grew stronger as there was no sight ofva or explosion even after 12 hours. Without being able to escape the barrier, the smoke was just spreading all over the area, making it slowly harder for the spectators to see the volcano.


    At 6:25 in the morning, as the sun slowly rose into the sky, a mysterious group of ck robes and hoods arrived at the scene.


    They were watching the scene from five kilometers above the ground. Surprisingly, all of them are floating without the support of any item.


    The one in the front was looking at the pocket watch. At 6:28, he closed it suddenly and announced to his group, "It is time."


    As soon as his words ended,va shot into the air like a beam of mes and solidified to take the shape of a pir. Because of its extremely high temperature which reaches as high as 1600 C, its glow could even be visible in the midst of the trapped toxic gas.


    Far away at the edge of a cliff, Zhao Chou pointed at it with his face suddenly filled with excitement, "Is that what I think it is?"


    "I''m afraid so," replied Wan Kun. Unlike this Zhao n''s Patriarch, the General of the East doesn''t seem to be looking good. "I will have to send a message to the Imperial pce, right away. ording to the texts, once the fire womb is born, it will take 12 hours for the fire seed to appear."

 Chapter 290 Breaking Through To Rank-6 (Upper Elite Realm/6-Circle)

    <strong>Genesis Weapon store, Imperial City;</strong>


    At the first-floor residence, Mark was still on his bed, sleeping peacefully while everyone else in the city already woke up and started going to their work.


    Meanwhile, the store was already opened and Allen was managing it. Song Yue''s work starts at 9 and Mark insisted that she doesn''t have to work early in the morning.


    Feeling a little bit of pity for Allen, despite knowing that he is only a robot, Song Yue apanied him downstairs, just sitting there in a corner and reading the newspaper.


    Her father aka the ck Knight hasn''t arrived yet as he was also strictly told only to report to the duty at 9. The arrangement was done in such a way so that Song Yue feels like the ck Knight was a hired person.


    Anyway, back to Mark, while he was sleeping soundly, the system was refining the ether energy in the background.


    The mandatory notification sounds rang in his ears continuously and woke him up.


    <strong>*Ding! 382,700 ether points were added to the character.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your overall Ether points crossed 1 million. You are qualified to break through to the next rank.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Note: Your overall skill power will remain unchanged as they will be depending on stats.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Proceed with the breakthrough?</strong>


    "Haaah"


    Letting out a yawn, Markzily looked at the holographic screen floating before him. "Oh, it''s already over? Great."


    After washing his face to clear drowsiness, he returned to the bed and sat down before proceeding with the confirmation. "Yes, please proceed."


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you sessfully broke through to rank 6.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your share of revenue increased to 70%.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Youpleted the main quest-II and received 16000 credits.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new main quest.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Thunder Shark</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new summon, Ice Tiger</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Your bloodline skills have been upgraded to level 6.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a new bloodline skill, Blizzard Wings.</strong>


    **


    <strong>Absolute Freezing (Lv6):</strong> Freeze your surroundings for 180 seconds. Range: 300 meters. Cost: 100,000 EP (ether points), CD: 30 minutes


    *


    <strong>Ice bolt (Lv6):</strong> Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy to attack your enemies from far away with each spear containing 110% of your magic power (Int). Range: 300 meters. Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: 0 seconds.


    *


    <strong>Blizzard Wings (Lv6):</strong> Create a pair of indestructible icy wings, which can be used to fly, block the iing attacks, or attack the enemies with a blizzard.


    Flying: 10 EP of consumption every second.


    Block: Up to 150% defense stat points. Cannot fly or attack. The back will also be vulnerable. No ether consumption. And no external items can augment this feature (original defense points).


    Attack: Generate a blizzard for ten seconds with the power of 100% intelligence stat points. Cost: 10000 EP. Range: 300 meters. The host is immune to the reduction of visibility due to the blizzard.


    **


    "Okay, now, this is a cool one." Mark nodded in satisfaction. The indestructibility and the kind of defense it provides greatly gave him a sense of safety. Of course, he was also excited to fly in the sky.


    "Anyway, let''s get going¡­"


    Closing down all the windows, he opened the inventory to take out the stat pills. Earlier day, he swallowed them one after another to cross 5 points except for strength, not wanting to use precious advanced grade stats pills.


    Of course, there''s a second reason too. It is that for every 1 point in the increase of strength, 0.4 defense stat also increases. This is what Mark observed while improving his stats. Taking strength from 1.5 to 3.9 already took Defense to 5.96 (rounded off to 5.9 ording to the system''s calctions).


    Hence, taking any more will make him breakthrough to rank 6, which he doesn''t want at any cost because it will render all of his advancement pills useless.


    It was only in the evening did he finally realize something after remembering the gift of Yuan Menzi, the ether crystalsbined were worth more than 750k gold coins.


    Realizing that he could just make a breakthrough anyway, he absorbed the crystals altogether and let the system do the rest of the work while he was sleeping.


    And now that he broke through to 6-circle, he intended to bring the other stats to greater 6 points but less than 7 points as he doesn''t want another breakthrough.


    After calcting the required amount of stat pills to reach his target, Mark put away the remaining and then started consuming them one after another.


    <strong>*Ding! You consumed the intelligence pill (intermediate) and increase the intelligence stat by 0.3 points.</strong>


    .


    .


    .


    <strong>*Ding! You consumed the intelligence pill (intermediate) and increase the intelligence stat by 0.3 points.</strong><sub> </sub>


    He consumed five pills one after another.


    "Okay, that will reach my int to 6.7. With the amulet of magic, it will further raise to 8.37 or 8.4 to round off. Now, I could just kill anyone under the Demigod realm by striking them with a lightning bolt as long as they are unprepared.


    And if they are prepared, I can still summon the lightning clone and take them out. There are also my ether weapons like the M134 minigun, Attack helicopter, and the Missile Defense system. I can roast them from far away.


    Hmm,ing to the missile defense system, should I upgrade it again? I can afford to pay 840k credits now but whether it is a diamond grade or crystal grade, there won''t be much change.


    I need a huge transformation with it, and for that, I should upgrade it to atleast Mythril grade. So, that means three upgrades.


    If my calctions are right, then, the second upgrade will cost more than 6 million credits and the third upgrade will cost more than 50 million credits. When I think about it, even the present amount didn''t feel much.


    To gather such huge amounts, not only I might have to bring all the emperors and independent kings to the auction but also sell them even more powerful weapons than thest time. Well, not necessary to be powerful but even missiles with a higher range will do the job.


    I hope, by the next year, I will be able to do that. During the past few months, my life was changed so much. I was struggling to sell a pistol worth 5 gold coins and now, there are millions in my inventory. Who knows, by the next expo, I might even earn billions¡­


    Anyway, let''s stop thinking about the things far away and focus on the present."


    2 intermediate-grade strength stat pills raised his strength by 0.6 points. At the same time, his defense stat is also raised by 0.15 points, crossing the 6-point range.


    2 intermediate-grade defense stat pills raised his defense further by 0.6 points.


    2 intermediate and 1 advanced grade agility pill raised his agility by 1.6 points.


    3 intermediate-grade vitality pills raised his vitality by 0.9 points.


    1 intermediate-grade resistance pill raised his resistance by 1 point.


    In the end, his inventory had 5 advanced grade strength pills; 3 intermediate and 5 advanced grade intelligence pills; 5 advanced grade defense pills; 4 advanced grade agility pills; 5 advanced grade vitality pills; and finally, 4 advanced grade resistance pills.


    <strong>"System, show Character stats"</strong>


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 6


    Strength: 4.5


    Intelligence: 6.7 (+25%)


    Defense: 6.8


    Agility: 6.6


    Vitality: 6.1


    Resistance: 6.1


    Charisma: 9


    Luck: 2+5


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice, and Space (locked);


    Spirit path: Summoner


    Ether quality: High


    Ether energy: 1,035,630


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II, Thunderst, Lightning Clone, Seal Breaker, and the Devil''s Hand


    Bloodline skills: Absolute freezing, Ice bolt, Blizzard Wings


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Store branches: 1


    Lifespan limit: 235 (210 years left)


    Avable credits: 7,208,146


    Avable Credit limit: 189,500/189,500


    Net worth: 11.2 million gold coins


    Total Debt: 0


    Credit debt: 0


    ***


    "Okay, the preparations areplete. Now, let''s go and meet my dear partner in crime to urge him to start the war. Allen has yet to start the pilot training, and even if Shang Fu sends a once-in-a-decade genius who has the ability to learn how to properly fly the aircraft in a couple of weeks, it will still take a long time for the runways to be built anyway.


    The Imperial pce won''t be able to deploy them, and by the time everything is ready, I should convince Feng Wu to merge his kingdom with the Western Moon. Perhaps, I will be able to earn more from either side if war starts between Western Moon and Phoenix Empire."


    To implement his n without wasting any time, Mark decided to visit Kunyu bandits right away. However, after reaching downstairs, he realized that he had to dy it because of the letter sent by the Imperial Pce.

 Chapter 291 Mark Pays A Visit To Lan Ju

    "The seed of fire was born, huh." Mark read the letter sent by the Imperial Pce.


    As per the letter, he was instructed to arrive at the Imperial Pce by noon. From there, he will be teleported directly to the location.


    The Imperial Pce''s 100 million gold coins worth deal will onlye into effect when he sessfully snatches the fire seed and hands it over to the Emperor.


    Once the fire seed is imed by the Imperial Pce, the contract wille into the effect, and within three years, the Imperial Pce will make sure the overall contract order reaches 100 million gold coins.


    Of course, Mark didn''t have such great patience to look through the deal for 3 whole years. That''s why the monthly guarantees were included in the contract, ording to which, the order from the Imperial Pce will be atleast 2 million gold coins per month. The representative was chosen to be the Second Prince and every order will be given in his name.


    Mark might have earned tens of millions earlier during the expo, but rather than a lump sum of money, he would want a high stable ie. And this deal will give him what he wants provided that he won''t get caught while working behind the scenes to fulfill his revenge.


    Hence, he decided to make this mission sessful no matter what kind of troubles he must face. But, that doesn''t mean that he would risk wasting a precious item like the peak potion. It is like a life-saving trump card for him.


    Then, what else he should do to ensure his sess? His personal ether weapons are with him all the time and the Savage Baltrow is also there as a backup. Just one thing is left to make it a 100% sess.


    Mark decided to fetch the middle-aged fellow who probably started sweeping in the graveyard once again.


    Needless to say, he has an option of summoning the Zheng directly to him but due to thetter''s high cultivation and low loyalty, the chances are little, and even in the possibility of sess, the cost will be damn high to store the beast in the familiars'' inventory. Not to mention, there''s also an issue of convincing him.


    Why bother to take such risks when he can just fly there and pick him up personally? Going back and forth will roughly take 5-6 hours.


    As the direct teleportation to the location is instant and the budding of the elemental seed will take ce after dusk, Mark could afford to let the Emperor wait for a couple of hours.


    Unfortunately, this n has a major w.


    Lan Jingyi, his biological mother is familiar with Zheng. Taking him to the pce might easily expose Mark''s identity and spoil his ns. Or at least, that''s what the weapon seller thought.


    To protect his identity, he might have to go to the location by himself if he has to take Lan Ju, the Demigod realm Zheng beast with him. But, that will take a long time. Who knows¡­ he might not even arrive in time.


    Hence, Mark fell into a dilemma and was forced to weigh his options. Either having a perfect bodyguard and risking the mission as well as the deal or saving time and protecting his identity.


    After pondering for a minute, Mark made the decision, "Okay, life is more important. Even if the contract gets annulled, I can find other ways to make deal with Shang Fu. Not to mention, Phoenix Empire isn''t the only Empire in the world. There are other potential customers like the Kun Empire."


    Mark decided not to go to the pce altogether and told Song Yue to give a message to Chang Bo when he reports to duty.


    As the Android cannot leave Song Yue alone with her distrustful father who was in disguise, Mark wanted to send the welpire to the Imperial Pce to pass his message to the Emperor.


    Soon, the helicopter took off and started flying in the direction of the Kunyu mountain range.


    Sometimeter, at Lan Sect''s graveyard;


    "So, let me get this straight. You want me to get rid of all the obstacles just so that Shan Fu gets the elemental seed? How about No?" The Zheng didn''t appear to be pleased by Mark''s request. Thetter wondered what might be the issue.


    To get rity, He asked Lan Ju a direct question, "Do you hate assisting me, or do you hate Emperor Shang?"


    Lan Ju answered without hesitation, "Look Lu Zhen, when I epted you as the sect leader, I didn''t ask about your background. You are a descendant of my master, inherited his bloodline, and passed my test. That is enough for my acknowledgment.<sub> </sub>


    Now, I don''t know what kind of rtionship you have with Shang Fu or Lan Jingyi but I cannot help anyone rted to Lan Jingyi, the woman who refused to lead the Lan Sect despite inheriting the Demigod realm cultivation of Lan Gengxin.


    Because of her reluctance, all the remaining disciples of the sect scattered and forced the sect to disband for good.


    Shang Fu is her husband and I bet the fire seed is for one of his children to awaken the Phoenix bloodline. If you want to help them, I don''t care, but don''t ask me to do them a favor."


    "Lan Jingyi is a Demigod?" Mark''s face turned dark when he heard that. From the moment he failed to inspect her details, he had his suspicion. But, more than that, he thought it would be the work of a divine grade weapon (Mythril/Celestial/God).


    Since she belongs to the Imperial family and is the favorite wife of the Emperor, he thought it is possible for her to own one. Unfortunately, the reality struck him a little bit hard.


    Thankfully, Lan Ju is on the opposite side of the Imperial Pce. It is a piece of good news to Mark.


    He then proceeded to ask, "What if I go against Lan Jingyi and her family, one day? Will you be neutral or will you stay on my side?"


    Lan Ju didn''t know why the young man asked him that question but he had a policy of not probing into the other party''s intentions deeply.


    "I will not kill Lan Jingyi or her blood with my own hands because myte master would be disappointed by that. However, I acknowledged you as the leader of Lan Sect, and as the guardian of the sect, it is my duty to protect you from any of your enemies," replied the Zheng beast in a firm tone.


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded in understanding and then spoke, "Okay, so, if you treat yourself as the guardian of our Lan Sect, then, you are obligated to not harm the sect in any way."


    "That goes without saying." Lan Ju felt like the young man was implying something else. He said, "What is that you want to say? Speak clearly."


    Mark then revealed his deal to the beast emperor and affirmed that they were never going to do a favor to Shang Fu.


    As he pledged that earned money to revive the Lan Sect, the Zheng fell into thoughts for a while before giving a nod to Mark''s request, although attaching a small condition to it.


    "Alright, I will do my job and eliminate every enemy that dares to eye the fire seed. However, I won''t protect Shang Fu. Your contract was with the Imperial pce, not to the specific person."


    Mark epted it with a smile, "That''s fine by me. Now, shall we leave? We can''t waste the time."


    <strong>Meanwhile, at the Imperial Pce;</strong>


    Emperor Shang was in a discussion with Lin Zheng Kang (Grand Secretariat), Bai Xun (Supreme Commander), Shang Wen (Second prince), and a couple of two old men.


    "Lu Zhen will be joining us at Mt. Jizu. ording to the message he sent with his servant, a powerful expert will be helping us to im the elemental seed." Li Zheng Kang said to the others.


    As a few people nodded, one of the old men named Du Tianmu, a 7-circle realm expert asked the Emperor, "Your Majesty, if you don''t mind me asking, who you n on giving the fire seed if it really falls in our hands?"


    "Of course, it is going to be the Crown Prince. After all, he''s going to be the next Emperor." The other old man, named Si Lung voiced his opinion immediately. Feeling several pairs of eyes on him suddenly, he quickly defended himself, "I don''t support him or anything. I just heard that a lot of major ns are in his favor."


    Grand Secretariat, Li Zheng Kang then stated, "If we acquire the seed, then, it will be decided at the court. However, if Lu Zhen gets the seed, ording to our contract, the elemental seed will go to Third Prince, Shang Wei."


    "Shang Wei?" The two invited 7-circle realm experts were taken aback by surprise.


    "Is Prince Wei friends with Lu Zhen?" They wondered.

 Chapter 292 Anyone Below The Supreme Realm Isnt Worthy Of Our Attention

    The time was around noon and the sun is at its peak position.


    At the top of a cliff, 20 kilometers away from Mt. Jizu, the volcano that just erupted to give birth to theva pir, which is also known as the womb of the fire seed, a few tents were seen.


    For now, Wan Kun (Eastern General), Zhao Chou (Zhao n''s lord/Patriarch), Yuan Meili, and their subordinates were staying there while waiting for the Emperor.


    While the soldiers continued to observe the moments of the targets through their respective telescopes, a portal opened nearby, throwing everyone on full alert.


    Thankfully, it isn''t an ambush from enemies or something. Shang Fu and his aides walked out of the portal.


    Surprisingly, along with two old men, Si Lung of Heavens Sect and Du Tianmu of Fivekes Sect, there''s another old man. This person is truly an important figure and even the Emperor treated him with great respect. It is Song Tai, who is known to be the strongest being in the Phoenix Empire if one doesn''t take the hidden Supreme beings into consideration.


    Upon walking out of the portal, Emperor Shang spoke to the expert, "Lord Song, please¡­"


    Together with Second Prince and Supreme Commander, the six of them walked into one of the tents.


    As they took the seats, Eastern General Wan Kun cupped his fists and greeted them.


    Shang Fu nodded in return and then asked, "General Wan, I don''t see the barrier. What''s going on?"


    Just as the general was about to exin the situation, Zhao Chou took the opportunity to show the Emperor that he is working hard and answered in Wan Kun''s ce, "Your Majesty, there were three primary forces we need to be wary of.


    The first is the Church of Doom, the second is the group of legendary realm experts sent by the Tang dynasty, and the third is the Ironpalm sect of the Leon Empire.


    These three forces aren''t letting anyone near thatva pir. People who got within the 5-kilometer radius of the pir were getting killed without mercy. So far, we have lost 12 of our men.


    As for the barrier, we don''t know who destroyed it but must be an expert from one of those forces. Thankfully, they also sealed all the trapped toxic gases that escaped after the destruction of the barrier. So, we''ll be fine."


    "What about the discement of civilians?" Emperor Shang continued to ask questions.


    Zhao Chou answered once again, "Our n members are trying their best to locate every single civilian from 50-kilometer surroundings. Yuan n is also cooperating with us. If not for Lady Yuan''s timely act, it would have been tough for us."


    He wants to take the entire credit but since Yuan Meili is already there, he pitched her name instead of giving the credit to the Yuan n in general. Another reason he gave credit to her despite Yuan Meili being a female and having no power is that he doesn''t like the arrogant Yuan Menzi.


    The Emperor looked at the young woman and nodded with a smile, "It''s good to see that your n is letting you manage such affairs. Whatever family you will be married into, it will only bring fortune to your future husband."<sub> </sub>


    "Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty." Yuan Meili grabbed her long skirt and slightly bowed with a smile as a part of etiquette while ncing at the second prince. Trying to be modest, she then said, "However, I don''t deserve it. I just did what I had to do in an emergency situation.


    Your Majesty, our n set up the safety camps, 70 kilometers away to the south. While we are currently taking care of their amodation, food, and clothing, there are more than 50,000 people overall.


    Usually, it wouldn''t be a problem for a few weeks but our n leader has earlier spent quite a significant portion of our funds to return the favor Lu Zhen did to him, a while ago, in clearing the Baltrow dungeon. So, we might still need financial assistance from the Imperial Pce."


    Upon hearing her words, the second prince thought that she was taking the credit of the n for herself and demeaning her cousin at the same time. He wasn''t acquainted with Yuan Menzi, but as a straightforward person, he doesn''t like people who scheme around for selfish reasons. Adding on top of this, he hates marriages of convenience.


    He doesn''t like her in the first ce, and now, his impression of her only had fallen further.


    On the other hand, Emperor Shang was impressed by her modesty and nced at his son, wondering whether she is a good match for Shang Wen.


    Meanwhile, far away in the sky, the mysterious group was calmly floating above the clouds and looking down at the group to keep an eye on everyone''s movements within a 50-kilometer radius.


    The leader of the group, who was keeping an eye on the experts sent by the Church of Doom, suddenly shifted his attention by sensing another strong power in the southeast.


    He then spoke to the rest, "A Supreme Realm cultivator is here. Based on the location, the guy is on the side of the Empire."


    "Obviously, it is Song Tai,"mented one of the hooded guys.


    Another hooded fellow then said, "He just broke through recently. Anyone of us can defeat him in a one-on-one battle. He isn''t a threat. The Church of Doom is the one we should be concerned about the most."


    "Yes, that''s right." The leader of the party nodded in agreement, "If their leader joins the fight, it will take at least three of us to kill him. And if that hidden Demigod makes an appearance, then, we will be done for good."


    "Recently, there''s another name that is being heard everywhere in this Empire." The fifth hooded guy voiced his opinion, changing the topic. "This guy Lu Zhen had a mysterious manufacturer, who sells powerful weapons through him. I heard the rumors that he possessed special weapons called firearms. These things can be operated by a civilian through which an army of 7-circle can be destroyed with ease."


    "Really? That''s something to pay attention to." "It can also be just a rumor" "No, I heard that he made tens of millions of gold coins in yesterday''s auction. So, it must be true" "Should we pay him a visit to check the authenticity of the rumors?" "If it is true, then, those weapons might be useful in our kingdom too." "I wonder whether he wille here then"


    As his subordinates were suddenly going off track, the leadermented out loud, "Anyone with less than the power of a Supreme realm Spirit Warrior is not worthy of our attention. Now, put your utmost focus on the surroundings. It is going to take a while for theva pir to transform but we cannot let any other humans from the outside worlde in our way. As soon as we spot them, we need to act swiftly. So, don''t lose the focus for the next three days."


    The time slowly passed. As the sun''s position slowly moved to the west, more and more cultivators from different sects started arriving at the location. Meanwhile, theva was getting hotter.

 Chapter 293 This Is Wu Weibao

    The sun has already set but theva pir isn''t showing any signs of going into the next phase.


    As theva pir reached 3000 C, creating a heat wave across the region, the mages at the campsite were trying their best to keep up the barrier all the time to make sure their bosses won''t feel ufortable.


    The Emperor and his aides, leaders of several sects, three powerful forces, and the mysterious group of Supreme realm experts, everyone were patiently waiting for the transformation of theva pir while continuing to monitor theirpetitors.


    In the meantime, Emperor Shang sessfully managed to rope in the leaders of a couple of sects by pledging to give them a Semi divine treasure each in exchange for fighting for him.


    The respective leaders of Mt. Hua Sect and Wuji sect knew that they cannot get the fire seed even with their 8-circle realm cultivations but the reason they stayed is to get a part of the beast that theva pir will soon transform into.


    As the temperature was steadily rising, their willpower started to dwindle. And at that moment, the Emperor gave them a deal of free semi-divine weapons. They couldn''t help but get tempted.


    Song Tai''s presence also helped the Emperor a lot in gaining their confidence. Little did they know that the Song n''s ancestor isn''t here to participate in the assault but only to protect the Emperor from any misadventure of the enemies.


    ***


    It was around 7 o''clock in the evening.


    General Wan Kun entered the tent and informed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, no cracks were seen on the pir and no sight of that flying metal puppet."


    Emperor Shang looked at his son, "General Shang?"


    The Second Prince replied, "Ten minutes ago, Lu Zhen informed me that he has entered the Zhao Province. He''ll be here soon."


    Mark and the Second Prince had a privatemunication talisman to contact each other.


    Shang Wen had given him so that it will be easy for them tomunicate regarding the status of the orders. He doesn''t want to keep sending a soldier to the store ahead of his visit.


    "Okay, prepare for Lu Zhen''s wee. And tell everyone else that I wish to talk with them." The Emperor gave the order to the Eastern General.


    About 15 minutester, the sound made by the rotor des was heard in the sky before it descended onto the ground, a hundred meters away from the tents.


    Allen, Mark, and Lan Ju got down from the vehicle and started walking toward the tent. Not wanting to risk exposing Lan Ju''s identity at any cost, Mark made him put on a disguise, covering his body with ck robes, head with a hood, and face with a nk mask.


    They were received by the Eastern General and were escorted to the tent, where he saw the Emperor, some familiar faces, and some new faces.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty" "Greetings, Your Highness" "It''s been a while, Mr. Song"


    He only greeted the three of them and proceeded to introduce Lan Ju while ignoring the rest of them, "This is Wu Wei bao (Five-tailed leopard). The expert I told you about."


    ? None of them figured out the hidden meaning and just took the name as it is, nodding in response.


    Meanwhile, Song Tai whispered to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, that man is in the peak stage of the Supreme realm."<sub> </sub>


    Emperor Shang was stunned by his words and he couldn''t help but stare at the hooded figure once again before cupping his fists in respect, "It''s an honor, Venerable Wu."


    The moment he addressed Lan Ju with a title, everyone also realized that this new expert is atleast in the same league as Song Tai. They too cupped their fists and greeted him respectfully. At the same time, they truly felt like Mark''s background is a lot moreplicated than they expect it to be.


    On the other hand, Mark felt like he was being ignored by this bunch of weaklings.


    He didn''t like it and wanted to brag that the expert is nothing but his contracted beast of the Demigod realm but kept his calm upon remembering his goal. Not to mention, it wasn''t the first time he was treated like that. Thest time he took the manticore with him, the people from the Imperial pce feared it more than its master (him).


    So, he can ignore that unpleasant feeling rather easily.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark then asked, "Your Majesty, how long will it take for the fire seed to be born?"


    His question was answered by Song Tai instead, "Usually, it should have been born by now already. Even I can''t predict when it will happen."


    Mark nced behind from the corner of his eyes, "Lord Wu?"


    Wu Weibao aka Lan Ju closed his eyes for a couple of moments and then voiced his opinion, "I can feel the intense rage from thatva womb. It was mutating. I don''t think that pir would transform into a regr monster. All of you below 9-circle should be prepared to throw away your lives if you intend to fight it."


    Lan Ju''s words created a tense atmosphere in the room. If those words have been uttered by Mark or any other person, people would have taken it easy but the fact that they believe Lan Ju is a Supreme being made it harder for them to ignore his warning.


    The representatives of Heavens Sect and Five Lakes Sect, who were in the 7-circle, wondered whether they should return.


    However, not everyone is like that. One person dared to argue with Lan Ju.


    Dai Long of Mt. Hua Sectmented in a calm tone, "If high realm cultivators like us will cower under a life-threatening situation and try to be selfish, then, what will happen to the civilians and novice Spirit Warriors?"


    Of course, his intention isn''t to talk back to a Supreme Being but wanted to make his point.


    Some people might understand it but Mark wouldn''t take it that way. In his view, if one argues back on a suggestion of goodwill, then, he is either a person with ego or a person with high principles. Either way, when the real battlees, that person will not follow the orders and will do their own way.


    Mark quickly inspected his details to check whether he has the skill to back up his words. When he saw that Dai Long is in the legendary realm, he calmed down, thinking that this guy is an expert.


    However, when he read the description that gave away Dai Long''s identity, Mark couldn''t help but narrow his eyes as he opened his mouth, "So, it is you, Dai Long, huh."


    "Hmm?" Everyone turned toward Mark. Thetter let out a coldugh and continued to speak without hiding his displeasure, "I was busytely for the past few weeks. So, I almost forgot about you guys for a while. Thanks for appearing. Because of you, I remember once again.


    Once this is over, I will surely pay a visit to your sect to see that bastard from the Sui n. He sent two assassins after me and I have yet to clear the debt."


    "Oh boy, I went to such great lengths to rope them in and this guy had to worsen the situation as soon as he arrived." Emperor Shang felt like he was going to get a headache with Mark openly showing his animosity against Dai Long.

 Chapter 294 Emperor Shangs Choice

    Ever since he reincarnated, Mark was consistent on one thing, which is to develop grudges over the people with authority.


    Likewise, there''s also an unpaid debt with the Mt. Hua sect. Back then, he decided to forget it as the leader of Mt. Hua is a legendary realm expert (8-circle) and he doesn''t have the strength to contend against him.


    He expected it would take months or even years to achieve the strength enough to crush that entire sect but his growth elerated at a rapid pace, and now that he could afford to showcase his enmity, Mark didn''t hesitate to act.


    Of course, he wasn''t just acting on his feelings. To bring Shang Fu down, Mark nned to increase the dependency of the Imperial Pce on his firearms and other weapons.


    However, just selling the weapons wasn''t enough. Mark wanted to leave Shang Fu without any powerful and wealthy allies. His allies should turn into his enemies. Only then, when he gets dethroned, no one woulde to his help.


    Indirectly, he already influenced the Emperor to take action on Song Yun. It is already enough to shake the n leaders'' confidence in Shang Fu. And now, it is Mt. Hua sect''s turn.


    Using his grudge against Mt. Hua Sect''s, Sui Ping, and taking advantage of Shang Fu''s helplessness, he wants to irk the Sui n even more.


    Luckily for him, the leader of the Mt. Hua sect served himself on the tter and he used the opportunity to rake up the issue at a perfect moment.


    The Emperor was in a bind. He doesn''t know how to react. There''s a Supreme realm expert on Mark''s side and his help is very much needed in acquiring the fire seed.


    At the same time, the Mt. Hua sect is a valuable ally to the Imperial Pce and he personally requested Dai Long to side with him in the uing battle, offering him earth-grade armor (Semi-divine).


    So, what should he do?


    Well, whether there is Wu Weibao or not, his heart has already sided with Mark, but as the Emperor, he cannot go with what his heart says. He should be logical in his actions.


    But, first, he needed to make sure that no fight erupts at the scene.


    Hence, Emperor Shang decided to divert everyone''s attention quickly before the matter turns worse because of Dai Long''s reaction.


    "Lu Zhen, you can settle your issues with the Mt. Hua sectter, but for now, we need to think about how to face the enemies that are blocking our way to the fire seed.


    We need to deal with the Church of Doom, the Dragon Empire, and the Ironpalm Sect. Neither of them is on peaceful terms with us and wouldn''t spare our lives if ites to obtaining what they want.


    But, we should be wary of the Church of Doom the most since they will be looking for your blood."


    Emperor Shang believed that this topic would be enough to control the situation. However, little did he expect Mark''s reply to that will worsen the atmosphere in the room.


    With Lan Ju giving him the word, he was confident about acquiring the fire seed. Hence, he didn''t care about the identity of the opponents.


    Of course, he didn''t know that the Church of Doom''s leader was also present. So, he paid little attention to them, or else, he would run off right away to kill him andplete the pending quest.


    Mark made himself loud and clear as he threatened Shang Fu, "Your Majesty, with me on your side, you can be assured that the fire seed will fall in your hands. However, even for the sake of our agreement, I cannot work with the people, with whom I had grudges.


    If they are our store''s customers, it would be different but I don''t have a reason to put with their existence. So, you have to make a choice right now. If you choose Mr. Dai, then, forget our deal. We will leave and obtain the fire seed on our own. Since I don''t have any use for it, I might just auction it to make money out of it.<sub> </sub>


    Oh, and also, if I won''t have any allies, I will be bombarding the transformed beast with missiles. Those warheads don''t distinguish between a friend and a foe. So, I will not responsible for any idents and I don''t want you to guys put me on me. Just saying¡­


    The rest is your wish. Tell me when you made the decision. Until then, I will be waiting outside."


    Not intending to negotiate on the terms, he made the exit right away. Allen and Lan Ju followed the suit.


    As he walked to the edge of the cliff and observed theva pir from far away, Lan Ju stood beside him and said, "I don''t care about the lives of humans much less their feelings but I think that you were a little bit harsh earlier. That man named Dai Long; I didn''t feel an ounce of darkness from him. He''s worthy to befriend."


    Mark shook his head and stated his opinion, "I don''t agree. Light asks for stability and peace while darkness motivates one to get hungry for strength. As for that Dai Long, he might be good but he shelters evil. So, I don''t think he is worthy of befriending."


    Lan Ju fell silent and just quietly observed his future sect master. As for Allen, he just doesn''t care about anything other than following Mark''s orders, well, excluding his new friend, Lin Xue.


    Meanwhile, inside the tent, the Emperor dismissed the others except for Dai Long. Of course, Bai Xun and Shang Wen stayed inside.


    Shang Fu then apologizes to the leader of Mt. Hua Sect, taking others by surprise, "Lu Zhen has often suffered injustice since childhood. So, he tends to show hostility against people with whom he had a grudge. His young age is to me for that. I hope you forgive him for my sake and try to solve the issue in a peaceful way."


    Dai Long wondered why the Emperor was apologizing on behalf of Mark.


    Was he worried for Mark or was he worried for Mt. Hua Sect? Not many people were aware but the Mt. Hua sect''s origins lie with the Ancient Shaolin sect branch of the Dragon Empire. The main branch is located in the ne of earth and metal.


    Hence, if Dai Long personally makes a request, then, the Shaolin sect branch will be involved. They won''t be a problem as long as the mysterious expert is with Mark.


    However, if the situation esctes and brings the powerful experts from the main branch to his world, then, Mark will be done for good, well, atleast, in Dai Long''s opinion.


    However, Dai Long never nned on creating unnecessary violence over petty revenge. He lived enough to know how to deal with someone like Mark and was confident in resolving the enmity.


    The only problem is how to handle the present situation. Mark didn''t seem to be enthusiastic to work with them and even mildly threatened to kill them with the missiles. The best solution is to leave the ce. But, that will make them aughing stock


    So, Dai Long chose a different route. He replied, "Your Majesty, I think me and my people should stay here at the tent and protect you from any possible attack. If there is more than one powerful assassin, then, Venerable Song won''t be enough. In the meantime, Prince Wen and Supreme Commander Bai can work with Lu Zhen."


    Shang Fu nodded with a smile, "Thank you."


    After a while, the second prince informed Mark and thetter was forced to agree, considering Dai long wasn''t his real enemy. As the rtionship with Shang Fu hasn''t gotten to the stage where the Imperial Pce ispletely dependent on him, Mark gave Shang Fu enough space for negotiations.


    Soon, a separate tent was set up for him with enough furniture inside to feel luxury. Mark rested there with hispanions. Citing the reasons for unpleasantness in the presence of Dai Long, he rejected the dinner with the Emperor and decided to eat in his tent. Allen didn''t need the food to eat and Lan Ju prefers the raw meat of monsters. So, he ended up eating alone. After eating regrly at home with Song Yue, he kinda felt lonely and missed her presence.


    Thinking that he will return by the next morning, Mark put away his thoughts and spent his free time creating the bullets.


    Little did he expect that theva pir won''t transform all night, at all.


    And so, three more days passed away in a blink of an eye.

 Chapter 295 Exo Skeleton Suit

    It was noon and the sun is already at its peak position. As if that wasn''t enough, the surrounding temperatures around Mt. Jizu hit as high as 100C while almost half of the Phoenix Empire was experiencing a heat wave, reaching average temperatures as high as 45C.


    The usual temperature at the Imperial City is around 25. So, for themoners, it is indeed as worse as hell.


    As for the Northern and Southern Yuan provinces where temperatures are around 35 C, they are experiencing 50-52 C, and citizens are advised to not get out of their homes. People with weak constitutions are getting ill and kids are dying.


    While Yuan Menzi didn''t appear to care about the people''s suffering and leisurely enjoyed his time at the n, the elders couldn''t afford to enjoy such luxury. They were trying their best to help people, although Yuan Menzi is getting credit for it as he holds the authority to release the funds.


    In the meantime, at the campsite, the Emperor and his aides werefortable as the area waspletely covered by the heat dispelling barrier.


    Mark holed himself up in his tent, trying his best to not leave the ce. On one hand, it''s been more than three days and theva pir wasn''t just transforming. On the other hand, he was missing the presence of Song Yue.


    Unfortunately for him, there were no mobile phones in this world and neither was hefortable in letting the system and Alina act as mediators to pass the messages between them.


    Mark didn''t know that he will be away from home for this long. Hence, he didn''t prepare anything to create some sort ofmunication channel between them. He decided to purchase a set of long-rangemunication talismans after this is over.


    At around 1 o''clock in the afternoon, in his tent, Mark was seen being busy working on a ballistic missile''s design and itsponents.


    "Hmm, let''s go with 62% titanium, 8% stainless steel, and 30% Duralumin. As for the dimensions, 3100 mm (3.1 meters) would be the optimal length, 160 mm diameter (16 cm), and 21.5 kg warhead. Nah, the speed will bepromised a little bit unless Ipromise with the fuel tank for the desired results. In thetter case, the range will beprised. It''s not like I''m aiming forrge distances.


    How about 73.5 kg without fuel and explosive charge and 99.5 kg with everything? In that case, an 11 kg mixed warhead can be fitted alongside a 15 L fuel tank. This will ensure atleast 80km and hypersonic speed.


    However, the main problem is the engine module. Liquid fuel is more difficult to handlepared to solid fuel but the performance is stronger in the former''s case.


    And the next problem is that peroxide hasn''t been invented in this world. Should I go for anotherburent? Nah, I can make it myself. If there''s any trouble, I can hire a high-level alchemist for the assist.


    Then, what should be the ratio of fuel toburent? Hmm, let''s see¡­ if I use kerosene and peroxide, then, the ideal ratio should be somewhere between 1:14 to 1:15. Theory won''t cut it. I need to run tests.


    As for the warhead, I just need to put two warheads in the explosive module, one serves as the detonator with a smaller quantity of explosives like 1kg and the remaining 10kg will be detonated and destroy the target.


    Of course, there are also guidance systems like the electro-optical, radar guidance, infrared guidance, lock beforeunch, and lock afterunch but it is better to just buy them from the system''s store, which will be avable once it hits level 6. So, not a big deal.


    Hmm, wait a second. Why should I follow the same method and use the same materials as I did on earth? I have the ess to rare materials mining. But then again, what''s the use? The destruction depends on the warhead, right? Hmm,e to think of it, what if I can trap some ether energy alongside the explosives? It doesn''t take mass. So, it can be done. But, will it increase the destructive power? What if it causes premature detonation?"


    As Mark was thinking about all the possibilities with the addition of ether energy, a soldier entered the tent.


    "Lord Lu, I apologize for the intrusion. His Majesty is inviting you to the lunch." He gave the message.


    Lan Ju, who was justzing around, made ament as the soldier exited the tent. "Shang Fu doesn''t just give up, does he? For the past three days, he''s been inviting you and you are rejecting it. Yet, he was inviting you again. I guess he wants to mediate between you and that person named Dai Long."


    "Let him do what he wants. I will not budge on my¡­ hmm¡­ wait a second¡­" Mark decided to eat alone once again but then, something struck his mind, all of a sudden. "Lan Ju, What day is today?"


    "How would I know that?" Lan Ju was a bit surprised by Mark''s sudden question. He might be a beast emperor but he has been away from the civilization for a very long time. It''s no surprise that he doesn''t have any idea about the dates.


    "Allen?" Mark asked him.


    "It''s Friday," replied the Android, who was sitting like a statue for a while.


    Mark then hurriedly opened the Lottery function and almost pped his forehead. "I forgot about the day."


    He rose to his feet and walked toward the exit, "I''ll go and have lunch with the others."


    "Hmm?" Lan Ju raised his eyebrows, wondering what is going on in Mark''s mind. Nevertheless, he didn''t join him.


    Meanwhile, inside one of the tents, the Emperor sat along with his son, Song Tai, and Bai Xun. He was waiting for others to arrive.


    He was discussing what to do with theva pir causing mayhem across the empire. They aren''t sure when the fire seed will be born. Hence, they had the option of destroying it. It was suggested by the second prince but the Emperor didn''t appear to buy the idea.


    "Even if I forget about the fire seed, how do you n on getting past those hostile forces and destroying theva pir?" He asked.<sub> </sub>


    The second prince replied casually, "it isn''t a big deal. We can always take Lu Zhen''s help and destroy the pir right from here. I don''t think he had sold all of his howitzers to the Western Moon. I''m sure that there will be a couple with him. We can''t buy them but that doesn''t mean that he cannot use them to help us. However, you have to be the one who should take the decision."


    Before being a father, he is the Emperor and he has to take care of his citizens first. Hence, he considered the option.


    But, before he replied, his eyes fell on the person who just stepped inside the tent.


    To his surprise, the first to arrive is Mark, who never epted his invitation until now.


    "Lu Zhen?" The Emperor called out his name.


    Mark replied that he changed his mind and sat down beside the second prince. Thetter then asked about Allen and Wu Weibao (Lan Ju), to which, Mark gave a quick excuse that his twopanions are on a diet.


    Shang Fu bought the lie and nodded with a smile. He was satisfied that Mark attended the lunch and that is enough.


    In the next 10 minutes, the other VIPs arrived one after another. Each one of them was surprised by Mark''s presence but they didn''t bother to ask him as their impression of him turned bad because of his refusal to talk to them or eat with them for the past three days.


    Throughout the lunch, Mark calmly ate his food, only giving short and decisive answers to either the Emperor or the second prince whenever they tried to strike a conversation with him.


    As he was done with the main course and started eating the soy milk pudding, he put his right hand under the table and unleashed the skill, whispering to himself. The ring glowed for 90 seconds before he received a notification stating that he absorbed the luck and the 5-minute timer has started.


    Within the next minute, he hurriedly finished the dessert and excused himself by telling that he needed to go out for a walk. He thanked the Emperor for the meal and exited the ce.


    As soon as he was out, he mumbled, "System, open Lottery Wheel."


    <strong>*Random Unique Weapon* </strong>


    <strong>*Random Bloodline*</strong>


    <strong>*Rank-1 Android (Weapons Research specialist)*</strong>


    <strong>*Upgrade crystal (superior grade)*</strong>


    <strong>*Ungraded battle tank (Merkava Mark IV)*</strong>


    <strong>*Peak Potion*</strong>


    <strong>*Mysterious Box*</strong>


    "Every single item is valuable, this time. However, if I had a choice, I would pick upgrade crystal to improve Allen''s stats."


    He clicked on the spin without wasting any time.


    <strong>*Ding! 300 credits were deducted.</strong>


    Roughly 25 secondster, the arrownded one of the rewards. It was expected as he has 10 points of luck at the moment. But, the reward that came from it was unexpected.


    <strong>*Ding! Congrattions, you won "Random Unique weapon". The weapon box was sent to your inventory.</strong>


    As he opened the inventory and clicked on the box with a question mark, simr to the mysterious box, the specific inventory slot glowed for a couple of seconds before an image of an armored suit appeared in the slot.


    "I wonder what this might be¡­"


    Mark turned curious as this was the first he received an armor-type weapon. He clicked on it to check the details.


    He was forced to halt his footsteps with a look of surprise on his face, "A sci-fi Exo suit? My, my¡­ this is unexpected."

 Chapter 296 Transformation Of Lava Pillar

    <strong>Exoskeleton Suit-VII (Bound)</strong>


    Model number: VT-61


    Grade: Mythril


    Crew: 1


    <strong>PERFORMANCE:</strong>


    Maximum speed: 788 kmph (running), Mach 3 (flight), 346 kmph (underwater)


    Energy consumption: Ether points (amount depends on actions)


    Maximum operating altitude: 29284 meters from sea level.


    Maximum operating depth: 10682 meters underwater.


    <strong>ARMAMENT:</strong>


    Assault battle Rifle (Ether) ¨C An assault rifle with a capacity to store 300 million ether particles worth of ether energy.


    Ammunition: Ether energy


    Range: 965 meters


    Magazine: 3 rounds (Rank-8 ether bullets); 10 rounds (Rank-7 ether bullets); 20 rounds (Rank-6 ether bullets); 50 rounds (Rank-5 ether bullets);


    Rate of Fire: 100 RPM (fixed for every type of round)


    *


    Sniper Battle Rifle (Ether) ¨C A single-shot sniper rifle with a capacity to store 900 million ether particles worth of ether energy.


    Ammunition: Ether energy


    Magazine: 1 round (low-Rank-1 to peak-Rank-8)


    Range: 12430 meters


    *


    Attachments: Scope (60x)


    Target lock-in: Yes (Assault rifle)


    <strong>OTHER FEATURES:</strong>


    Flight, underwater breath, enhanced vision, night vision, Resistance (9 points), and Neural link.


    <strong>Description:</strong> The exoskeleton suit-VII is a durable armor made out of Mithril (82%), Adamantium (8%), and other materials. It is capable of blocking every type of attack under the 8-circle realm and powerful enough to hurt enemies under rank-8 physique (8.0-str).


    <strong>SKILLS:</strong>


    Active:


    <strong>Nullification:</strong> The suit absorbs all types of attacks for five seconds as long as they are below the level of 10-circle (<10 str/int). Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: 180 seconds.


    <strong>Energy barrier:</strong> The suit creates a defensive shield for 10 minutes, which reduces the attack power of an energy-based attack by 20%. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: 12 hours.


    <strong>Stealth mode:</strong> The user can turn invisible for 30 seconds and attack enemies from far away. However, the mode will get canceled with physical contact with anyone. Cost: 10% ether energy. CD: 15 minutes.


    <strong>Elemental st:</strong> The user can st concentrated energy from either of his palms and destroy the opponents. Effect (1): 160% attack power (max: 9.9 int) Effect (2): Contains the attribute effect. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: 0 seconds.


    <strong>All out Burst:</strong> The battle rifle/sniper rifle absorbs the natural energy from the surroundings and shoots a concentrated beam with Rank-9 attack power (9.5-int). Cost: 100% ether energy. CD: 36 hours.


    <strong>Passive/Toggle:</strong>


    <strong>Flight:</strong> The user could fly like a bird in the sky with just 1 ether point/second of consumption.


    <strong>Underwater breath:</strong> With the suit having the ability to automatically extract oxygen from water, the user could swim underwater without any breathing issues as long as the mask is kept on. No cost is required.


    <strong>Neural Link:</strong> The user could operate the suit remotely by connecting his mind with the suit''s core. Cost: Depends on the distance and time. Note: Once the suit is disconnected, it needed to be collected in person. Hence, there''s a risk of losing it.


    <strong>Enhanced vision:</strong> Through the inbuilt scope function in the helmet, the user can see the objects more clearly with 10x zoom. No cost is required.


    <strong>Night vision:</strong> The user can see in the darkness as clearly as in the day. No cost is required.


    ***


    "Damn, the suit is so dope. Come to think of it, this is also the first time I received a Mythril grade weapon."


    Mark felt like he had underestimated the significance of luck more than ever. The maximum points of luck not only guaranteed his reward but also gave him what he needed the most.


    No matter how strong he got, he was always worried about his defense. Despite raising it to more than 6 points, Mark never was settled with his fears over ambush. It is why the peak potion became too valuable to him.


    As for why he didn''t buy defensive skills, in Mark''s eyes, only unique skills are worth being bought and each skill would cost a million credits or 5 million gold coins, which appeared to be a bit too much for him to invest in.<sub> </sub>


    And now that the system practically gave him the Exo suit for free, Mark was more confident than ever in tackling the enemies even in closebat, although it is not his forte.


    After returning to his tent, he took out the suit from the inventory and equipped it. The suit automatically adjusted its size to Mark''s body.


    From the outside, while appeared like tight-fitting wear, Mark waspletelyfortable. He felt as if he didn''t even wear a metallic suit of armor over his clothes at all.


    At the same time, he felt feather-light and all sorts of its functions were kinda stored in his memory.


    It isn''t the first time he received knowledge about a bunch of things all of a sudden. When he transmigrated into Lu Zhen''s body, Mark received a gush of new memories. The feeling was a bit simr.


    And Mark was astounded by it. Of course, he saw its details earlier but reading about the functions and understanding it is two different things. Now, the only thing left is to experience it directly.


    However, it isn''t the same case for Lan Ju. The beast emperor never saw anything like it and his future sect leader appeared more like an alien organism from another world rather than a human.


    As Mark was caressing the futuristic-looking weapons that came with the suit, Lan Jumented, "You look weird. People will either get scared or attack you if you go out in that form."


    "Hmm?" Mark was taken aback by the remark as he returned to reality. Due to theck of a mirror inside the tent, he doesn''t know how he looks. So, instead, he connected to Allen''s vision, thereby watching himself through Allen''s eyes.


    "Well, he isn''t wrong, I guess," Mark admitted that it looks threatening but at the same time, he was well aware that the suit''s purpose is to defend and attack, not to appear like a friendly knight. Not to mention, he looks cool in this Exo suit from sci-fi movies.


    Dismissing it by pressing a button on the upper part of the chest, Mark put it away in the inventory, "I can wear it once the pir goes into the second phase. Sigh¡­ I wonder how long I have to stay here. This damn 100 million¡­ Hmm¡­ wait a second. How about I make some profits? If I can sell those ether weapons to the Emperor inrge numbers, then, perhaps, this waiting time would be worth it.


    But, what if Iplete the main quest and unlock those two weapons but the Emperor won''t buy both of them? The ether pistols didn''t sell for much. The Imperial pce might show interest in an ether sniper rifle, considering its maximum output is in rank 6 but what about the assault rifle?


    They already have too many types of weapons and the second prince might not agree with them. Then, I would have to search for the next customer. Maybe, I can use the situation to my advantage and force Shang Fu to buy them?


    Nah, selling them at auction will me more profits. And it''s not like I''m in need of mon¡­"


    *Screeee*


    A sharp noise, probably a high-pitch scream of something, rang across the region, all of a sudden.


    "What the hell was that?" Mark felt goose bumps upon listening to that noise. Allen appeared to be normal.


    On the other hand, Lan Ju turned serious as he spoke, "It is the signal of the transformation of theva pir."


    "It came from there?" Mark was visibly surprised. "But, it is more than 20 kilometers away."


    Lan Ju shrugged his shoulders, "If I scream out loud, it will reach even 100 kilometers. Not a big deal for beast emperors."


    "Is that so?" Mark wondered for a second whether the golden-furred kitten will also be like that before his attention was grabbed by the soldier named Yu Wan, who entered the tent in hurry.


    "Lord Lu¡­"


    Before he finished his speech, Mark interrupted him, "I know. Go and inform his majesty that I''ll be making my move."


    The soldier bowed and exited the ce while Mark opened the inventory once again as he mumbled, "The five-minute timer hasn''t been over and the pir had to transform at this moment. It looks like the luck points are at it once again."


    Meanwhile, at Mt. Jizu, which is no longer a volcano but just a ttened molten rock, the glowingva pir was slowly transforming into a humanoid monster.


    <strong>7 km away from theva pir, 2 o''clock direction;</strong>


    A group of seven cultivators, belonging to the Ironpalm sect, were camping around. The weakest of them is at peak-7-circle and the leader of the group is at low-9-circle.


    Despite staying quite close to theva pir, which was as hot as 3000C, they were perfectly alright.


    Without any sort of tension, they were chatting regarding worldly affairs until the temperature dropped in the surroundings with theva pir going into the final phase of transformation.


    "It has started. Now, start the preparations." The leader of the group, Yan Zhenlou, ordered the six elders of the sect. "Luo De, Zhuan Zexi, Yao Lingxin, and Ding Yu¡­ the four of you willunch the formation as nned.


    Xun Hong and Gu Ru, you are with me. Remember that our target isn''t to kill the beast but to use it in taking down the others. Understood?"


    It took an entire hour for theplete transformation, resulting in a giantva golem.


    <strong>5 km away from theva pir, 6 o''clock direction;</strong>


    Here, the space was upied by the Spirit warriors/cultivators sent by the Imperial family of the Dragon Empire (Tang Dynasty).


    Originally, the group of five was led by a peak-stage legendary-realm Spirit warrior named Qiu Song but after they sensed the presence of more than one Supreme realm expert, they had to call for assistance.


    And the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty sent his Supreme Commander. One of the ancestors of the Imperial family also joined him in order to have fun by battling a fellow Supreme Being.


    Both of them are in 9-circle and it boosted the group''s morale while sending the other forces on alert.


    As theva pir started its transformation, the Supreme Commander of Dragon Empire, Gu Chao, gave orders to the rest, "ording to our intel, this process will take roughly 60 minutes, give or take 5 to 10 minutes. I''ll take care of others. All of you just focus on the monster. And remember this well. The fire seed and the corpse, everything should fall in our hands. Spare no one."


    "Yes, Sir." The others ced their fists above their hearts and saluted him. On the other hand, the old man with them, Tang n''s ancestor, Tang Jiyao let out a wide grin as he stared in the direction of Phoenix Empire''s campsite, "It''s been a long time since I fought against a person in my realm (peak-9-circle). This should be fun."


    <strong>3 km away from theva pir, 10 o''clock direction;</strong>


    And this is where the elders of the Church of Doom staying for the past three days. Their leader was staring at the transformingva pir, "Soon, the final elemental seed will fall into my hands. Once grandmaster gets freed, no force in the world will be able to stop us from bringing the ancestor¡­"


    <strong>One hourter;</strong>


    Theva pir finally transformed into a six-eyed giantva golem.

 Chapter 297 Battle For The Seed Of Fire (Part-1)

    Theva golem is more than 3000 meters big with no legs to move around. One can say that is a half-golem, considering its base is its abdomen. It is like the entire Mt. Jizu had grown arms, and head, and came into life.


    To talk more about its appearance, it has six eyes with three eyes on each side ced vertically on top of each other. Each eye is about 30-40 meters big in size, enough to terrify people with one nce.


    On its forehead, there is a brightly glowing gem, the size of a 30-story building (~120m).


    There''s another glowing gem, located in the middle of its chest and this one is the size of a 120-story building (~500m).


    As one would believe, both of them turned out to be fire seeds. Sensing its cultivation from far away, Lan Ju opinioned that it is at the peak stage of the 9-circle realm but its strength would be far higher. Ifpared to the beasts, theva golem would be a beast emperor.


    Upon hearing the details, Markmented, "It means that that thing is no match for you."


    "Obviously," replied Lan Ju with a firm nod. After a couple of seconds of pause, he added, "However, it won''t be easy to acquire the fire seed. There''s a lot ofpetition ahead, and you could be ambushed at any moment while I be busy with the battle against the golem."


    "You don''t need to worry about me." Mark waved his hand, suddenly getting confident because of the suit. "As long as a demigod won''t suddenly ambush me, I''ll be fine."


    Lan Ju felt that Mark was too overconfident and decided to keep quiet about the possible threats. He thought that it is better for Mark to get a reality check.


    And if Mark proves that his assessment is wrong, then, what more can it be better for the Lan Sect?


    Either of the cases will only benefit him. Or so, Lan Ju thought before grabbing him and teleporting to the bottom of the cliff, leaving the heat dissipating barrier ced by the Zhao n.


    Before a week ago, there used to be a forest filled with lush greenery. But, ever since the volcanic eruption, followed by the appearance of theva pir, the ce ended up like a desert in just three days, although without any sand.


    Looking at the path ahead, Mark equipped his suit once again and took the battle rifle into his hands. "Let''s go¡­"


    He charged forward, testing the speed of the suit. However, in the next second, a high-pitched scream escaped from his mouth.


    "Waah"


    Due to the sudden eleration of the speed, Mark lost control and crashed onto a dead tree. The rifle slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. "Fuck¡­"


    *Pfft*


    Lan Ju broke out intoughter immediately andmented, "You really look like a clown now."


    Mark dusted off his suit and picked up the rifle while feeling embarrassed, "Damn, that''s not cool. I might need more practice. Wait a second¡­ I don''t feel any pain."


    The fact that the suit is durable enough to st through the dead trees has clicked in his mind.


    ording to what he learned so far, the monster usually stays alive for 10-15 minutes at most, protecting the fire seeds from any predators before the earth starts its absorption.


    But then again, it took 3 days for the transformation instead of the usual 12-13 hours. So, one can expect it to stay alive for 30 minutes at most.


    As it will take time to kill the golem, Mark assumed that he needs to move at the speed of 250 kmph, at the minimum.


    And now that he has a problem with the footing, Mark activated flight mode and automatically found himself ascending toward the sky. His arms and legs were shaking left and right as he tried to find some bnce.


    Of course, it''s not that this was the first time he was flying on his own. In the past, he did fly once while trying to use a prototype jetpack, although it onlysted half a minute and he was grabbing the handles tightly as he flew higher like 10 meters.


    But, now, there were no handles to grab or anything, and neither can he feel the weight. So, this was entirely new to him and it takes time to adjust.


    Fortunately, Mark knew that he doesn''t have time to fool around and had time constraints. So, he tried his best to adjust to the flying.


    It took entire two minutes for him to fly in the air horizontally like a superman. By this time, fighting was already started at the destination. The experts of Dragon Empireunched their attack.


    However, they weren''t just attacking the golem.


    The original five experts led by Qiu Song who arrived first were trying their best to kill the golem. The Supreme Commander of their army, Gu Chao flew in the direction where the Church of Doom''s elders were located. He ns to stall them until his team does the rest of the job.


    As for the Tang Dyansty''s ancestor, he directly flew straight toward Mark and Lan Ju.


    And soon, he met them too.<sub> </sub>


    Mark was bulldozing through every tree and rock by brute force while flying at subsonic speed. Lan Ju was flying beside him while dodging every block on the way.


    At a location, roughly around 6.5 km away from the golem, Mark suddenly received a warning in the system.


    Inside the helmet, a tiny holographic screen has opened up with a warning.


    *Warning*


    <strong>"A powerful hostile force ising your way."</strong>


    "1924 meters, 1832, 1740, 1648, 1556¡­"


    Upon seeing the warning and followed by the distance tracking disy, Mark controlled the suit through telepathic connection and put an abrupt brake, crashing onto arge boulder and then, falling onto the ground.


    Lan Ju stopped beside him, "It looks like you need more training to operate that Exo thing, armor¡­ or whatever it is."


    "Ugh¡­ luckily it is just Zheng. If it was someone else, it would have been so embarrassing to show this pathetic side of me." Mark slowly got up on his feet and was checking his suit to see if there are any scratches. Neither any scratches appear on the suit nor did he feel any pain or so whatever. "Okay, good. Now, let''s focus on the enemy¡­"


    He raised his head to look at the sky.


    "So, you too sensed him, huh." Lan Jumented, to which, Mark nodded.


    "Look, Lu Zhen. The iing enemy is at the peak stage of the Supreme realm and it is best for you to stay beside me at all costs." Lan Ju then gave the warning.


    It was then Mark understood that the suit probably give him the warning of an enemy who is powerful enough to destroy it. After all, he collided with trees to boulders on the way but he was never warned once.


    He reached out his back and took the Battle rifle in his hands to face the enemy who is moving toward them at 331kmph. Through enhanced vision, Mark could actually see his appearance, although not clearly. His face was a bit blurry.


    "452m" "360m" "268m" "176m" "84m"


    The old man finally stopped and started slowly descending onto the ground with a smile on his face, roughly 5 meters away from Mark and Lan Ju.


    Mark activated his Sage eyes right away and inspected his details.


    <strong>Tang Jiyao</strong>


    Race: Human/Dragon


    Age: 486


    Rank: 9-circle (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Attribute: Fire


    Bloodline: Red Dragon


    Affiliation: Dragon Empire


    <strong>Description:</strong> Tang Jiyao is the former Emperor of the Dragon Empire. Born as the descendant of a Dragon, he canpletely transform into a Red Dragon and gain its abilities, although for a limited time because of his human race.


    *


    "A dragon eh!" Mark stared at the old man, wondering how his realm form looked. Whether in his past world where dragons are a myth or in this world where people imed that they were real, the topic of dragons was always fascinating among the public.


    Like others, he too wished to see what a real dragon looks like. The Drakes and Wyrms are amon sight and they were considered impure dragons or fake dragons.


    At the same time, he also wondered whether this old man would have a spirit core like other beasts if he was killed in Dragon form. And if he dies, will he revert to a human corpse or will he stay as a dragon? That is also something that needed to be pondered.


    Meanwhile, Tang Jiyao was also observing the two of them. He found his target for sure but Mark''s appearance and theck of ether made him furrow his brows. "Who are you two?" He asked.

 Chapter 298 Battle For The Seed Of Fire (Part-2)

    "Who are you two?" Tang Jiyao couldn''t help but ask about their identities in surprise upon realizing that he cannot sense anything from Mark.


    Just like Lan Ju, he too never witnessed such strange armor. If not for the fact that he can smell the presence of a human from Mark, he would have thought that it is a new type of beast or an extraterrestrial creature.


    At the same time, he couldn''t figure out whether Lan Ju is a human though. For him, Lan Ju didn''t smell like a human nor did he smell like a beast. It left Tang Jiyao momentarily confused.


    Unfortunately for him, neither Mark nor Lan Ju is in the mood for a chat.


    Without bothering to introduce himself, Mark passed the order, "Lan Ju, kill him. But, before that, I want to see his real form."


    Lan Ju nodded and charged forward,unching an attack without any warning.


    Tang Jiyao barely managed to dodge the iing punch and eximed in surprise, "Woah! that was¡­"


    Before he finished, Lan Ju, who narrowly missed hitting the target, put a sudden brake to his legs and elbowed Tang Jiyao''s back. The force behind this casual attack was so powerful that thetter flew away like fifty meters and crashed onto a boulder before falling to the ground.


    Mark expected the old man to get furious after getting hit, but to his surprise, the Tang dynasty''s ancestor was grinning in happiness as he rose to his feet. "Yes, this is it. How long it has been since I was hit by someone? Good, very good."


    Tang Jiyao went into a battle stance, the feet pointed forward, thighs parallel to the floor, with the buttocks pushed out, and the back arched up to keep the upper body from leaning forward. It indicated that he follows a particr style of fighting.


    On the other hand, Lan Ju simply stood on the spot without any sort of stance or so whatever. "Your current strength isn''t a match for me. You better go with your full strength, the descendant of a dragon."


    "Then, make me do so, Unnamed Warrior," replied the Tang Dynasty''s ancestor with a smile on his face while pouring ether energy into his body, forming ayer of scarlet energy over his skin.


    "Alright, then." Lan Ju once again rushed forward once again. This time, sparks of lightning could be seen dancing all over his body, increasing his speed by ten-fold.


    "What the¡­" Tang Jiyao''s smile was gone and reced by shock once again.


    Before he blinked his eyes, Lan Ju was already before him and gave a powerful blow to the chest.


    In just a fraction of a second, Tang Jiyao crashed onto several trees and rocks, falling away nearly half a kilometer from his earlier spot.


    Meanwhile, Mark was pushed back a dozen meters by the shock waves generated by the hypersonic speed of Lan Ju, followed by a sonic boom in the air.


    Thanks to the suit''s resistance, the effect is reduced a lot, and Mark decided to fly into the air and be a spectator.


    "I can''t believe that I tried to challenge this beast. Was he ying around with me, back then?" Mark was not only taken aback but also started sweating upon watching Lan Ju''s strength up close. What''s funny is that this isn''t even Lan Ju''s real strength.


    It led Mark to wonder how strong his biological mother, who is allegedly in the Demigod realm, ording to Lan Ju.


    Mark was certainly strong and he possessed the unique skills to crush supreme beings like ants. However, having power isn''t everything. This is what he realized when he watched the one-sided battle through the sniper rifle''s scope.


    Within no time, as Mark wanted, Tang Jiyao stopped smiling and then turned into a true dragon. His realm isn''t changed but his strength has certainly increased.


    *Roar*


    Tang Jiyao, upon turning into a dragon, has probably lost his senses. He behaved like a true beast, breathing an ocean of mes all over his surroundings.


    Or maybe, he was actually aiming at Lan Ju, who was moving at extremely high speed and punching from different directions?


    Mark doesn''t know and doesn''t want to know either. As soon as he saw the red-scaled dragon, which looked almost simr to how he imagined it to be, he controlled the suit to fly forward at subsonic speed. Within no time, he covered more than 2 kilometers, although thending wasn''t smooth.


    Upon reaching 200 meters range, Mark tried to stop but due to the high speed, he was forced to deactivate his flying ability and crash to the ground, making a small-sized crater.


    He was now only 150 meters away from the majestic-looking angry Dragon, which is destroying its surrounding terrain like a mad beast.<sub> </sub>


    It sensed his presence but not being able to sense any ether energy from him, the Dragon ignored Mark''s presence and concentrated on the prick who was punching it left and right at an extremely high speed.


    "Well, let''s end this thing." Mark raised his hand toward the sky.


    He was about to unleash the Thunderst skill but remembered at thest second that the lightning descended from the heavens willpletely roast the dragon without the possibility of corpse retrieval.


    *p*


    He pped himself on the forehead in realization, "Dumbass¡­"


    Mark dwelled on the matter more seriously, "Okay, first, let''s think of a way to kill it but not destroy its corpse as a result, and at the same time, not expend my ether energy too much."


    If not for the fact that Mark doesn''t want to expose Lan Ju''s identity, he would have told Zheng to go all out right from the beginning. And now, because of the time constraints, he was forced to help it out. Of course, within a minute or two, the dragon will be killed even without his intervention but he probably wants to show off his abilities to Lan Ju in order to gain more respect and loyalty points from the beast emperor.


    "The bloodline skills I have aren''t that useful, at the moment.


    Thunderst skill mightpletely destroy its body, bloodline skills, and even the Lightning clone won''t be enough to one-shot the dragon unless I drink the peak potion, Helicopter needs Allen to pilot it, and M134 Minigun is useful but has huge energy consumption.


    That leaves the Missile Defense system. Multi-target ether missile will work but I intended to save it for the golem.


    So, in the best-case scenario, I will have to use 50% ether energy to unleash Superbeam skill from the Minigun and take out the dragon, and then, use the multi ether missiles against theva golem. This way, I can save my peak potion for emergency measures.


    Hmm¡­ wait a second. How about the amulet of Diyu? Nah, I decided to do it on ater date under Lan Ju''s supervision, and let''s keep it that way.


    Then, how about I improve it once and see if I can get any new skills? Well, it''s worth a try. It would be better to upgrade it directly to the Mithril grade but the situation calls in."


    After thinking for a bit, he made the decision.


    "Open Inventory"


    While distancing himself away from the battlefield, Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the Missile Defense system.


    He scrolls down to the bottom and went on to click on upgrade, spending hundreds of thousands of credits.


    <strong>*Ding! 840,000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-V has been upgraded to Missile Defense System-VI.</strong>


    Mark then checked out its details. Its appearance hasn''t changed much except for the increase in the number of mortars. Earlier, it was 20 peruncher. Now, it was 25.


    The missile''s maximum speed was also increased to mach 4.2, giving hope that they will go hypersonic once the defense system gets upgraded a couple of more times.


    And then, there''s an additional active skill added to the weapons skills list along with skill upgrades, earning a satisfactory nod from Mark.


    "This is indeed better than M134. Well, isn''t that obvious? Anyway, let''s not waste the time and get to the action."


    Mark summoned the Missile Defense System.


    The mounted type defense system looked a bit simr to the infamous Iron dome system, although this one has a sophisticated appearance and doesn''t have any separate control center or radar system. All of it was inbuilt within just one single big box that has buttons and levers on it.


    Mark would love to dissemble this for the research at any other time, but for now, his concentration was on getting the job done rather than admiring it.


    He quickly read the instructions on its details page and get to a conclusion, "Okay, so, this is the one I need."

 Chapter 299 Battle For The Seed Of Fire (Part-3)

    Mark went on clicking a ck-colored button.


    <strong>*Ding! The skill, Trident Missile, was activated. 414,252 Ether points were deducted.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Please lock on the target.</strong>


    Because of all the mes ahead, it became a little bit harder for Mark to lock it right away, but without any intervention from any enemy, hefortable took his time to do the task.


    Once the target was locked, the threeunchers absorbed natural energy from the surroundings at a terrifying pace, alerting all the Supreme realm experts within the 30 km radius.


    Just like others, Lan Ju and Tang Jiyao also sensed the surge of power just a couple of kilometers away. They put a pause on their battle for a moment. The strangest thing for them is that the power isn''ting from a human or a beast. It was from a non-living thing.


    Lan Ju didn''t receive any information on it but he understood that Lu Zhen wanted to make thest strike. Hence, he decided to stop toying with the dragon and mmed the ground, unleashing one of his skills.


    In an instant, huge volumes of water rose from the ground, extending like tree branches and capturing the red dragon''s limbs.


    *Roar*


    The dragon roared in anger and used its hottest mes to evaporate the water web and free itself. However, before the mes touched the water, Lan Ju went on to pour lightning energy into the water threads, effectively paralyzing the dragon.


    Tang Jiyao didn''t feel helpless more than ever. He wondered why he even tried to wage an unnecessary battle against a superior opponent.


    He regretted being arrogant about his cultivation strength, which led to the underestimation of the enemies. Just until a minute ago, this Tang Dynasty''s ancestor was grinning in satisfaction because of an adrenaline rush, and now, that smile was long gone.


    Like a trapped insect on the spider web, the dragon waited ten seconds until three beams of energy shot from the threeunchers of the missile defense system.


    The three beams of energy then converged immediately to take the appearance of a three-pronged spear, a Trident, as it flew toward its target at the speed of mach 4.2.


    As the attack formed, Lan Ju and the Red Dragon sensed the power behind it. "Peak stage of the Demigod realm?"


    Knowing well that he was going to die, Tang Jiyao decided to take his enemies with him to the afterlife bymitting suicide.


    He exploded his spirit core, intending to release almost 25 billion joules of energy into the surroundings, destroying everything within the ten-kilometer radius.


    He died right away without seeing the result of his suicide attack, but unfortunately for him, nothing happened as he desired.


    To save Mark, Lan Ju turned into the five-tailed leopard and used a magic skill to absorb all the energy into his body. As a result, the explosion happened inside him, damaging his internal organs.


    Meanwhile, the ether trident passed through everything that came in its way and directly pierced the Red Dragon corpse''s chest, destroying its bodypletely.


    As everything happened in the span of a few seconds, Mark couldn''tprehend the situation.


    It was only after he picked up the sniper rifle to look at the result did he saw the injured leopard. As for the dragon, he cannot see its remains. "Did I make a mistake?"


    He was sure that the attack would kill the beast but didn''t know that because it struck a dead dragon without any cultivation, it destroyed the remainspletely instead of making a hole out of its chest.


    So, why is there an injured leopard on the ground? Mark wondered whether his attack actually affected both of them.


    He didn''t know what happened but it wasn''t the time to ponder on the situation either. Everything can be answered by Zheng. Mark flew toward the spot andnded before the five-tailed scarlet leopard, which was currently surrounded by ayer of translucent natural energy.


    It took a whole 3 minutes for the Zheng beast to recoverpletely and transform back into a human.


    Mark patiently waited until Lan Ju was fine and then enquired with him.


    As Lan Ju exined the details of the battle, Mark only felt frustrated about losing his time, profits, and ether points without gaining anything in return. This negative feeling inside him forced him to take an extreme step.


    He ordered the beast emperor in a serious tone, "Lan Ju, I want the fire seeds and the corpse of the golem. I ask you to kill everypetitor that goes near my prey. If you meet someone in the Supreme realm, you can transform into your original form but make sure to finish them. After killing them, collect their corpses into this."


    As Mark handed a gold-grade storage ring to Lan Ju, thetter replied with a question, "And what about you? Will you be taking care of the Golem?"<sub> </sub>


    Previously, he thought that Mark was too overconfident but after sensing the power inside the ether trident earlier, he put a bit more trust in Mark''s strength. Of course, the worry of Mark getting hurt is there, naturally. He warned him about the rage inside theva golem.


    Mark quickly dispelled his worries, saying that he will attack from far away.


    Lan Ju nodded and left him alone. In the event of an ambush from an enemy that Mark cannot tackle, he would teleport to Mark''s side and solves it.


    Meanwhile, atleast ten kilometers away from this drama, two experts who just met each other to battle stopped their squabbling on who should back away and shifted their focus into the direction where Mark and Lan Ju were standing earlier on.


    The Supreme Commander, Gu Chao, was in a state of shock, sensing the loss of life from Tang Jiyao.


    "You must have also sensed it, right?" He asked Yan Hai, the leader of the Church of Doom. Thetter nodded with a frown on his face.


    Gu Chao then put forth a proposal, "How about we settle our differencester and remove the threat together? Neither of us alone will be able to fight this expert."


    Yan Hai then responded with a counter offer, "We don''t need to fight though. All we need is an elemental seed. Give us the smaller fire seed and take the bigger one. You can settle thepensation for the difference with Ether crystals."


    "Alright." The Supreme Commander of the Dragon Empire nodded solemnly in agreement.


    While it appears like the Church of Doom and the Dragon Empire suddenly became allies, however, in reality, Gu Chao never nned to honor the agreement from the start. He wanted to im everything. Well, that is how the Dragon Empire is. Whatever thing the Tang Dynasty had eyes on, by hook or crook, the empire will acquire it.


    Soon, both of them left in the direction where Lan Ju was heading towards.


    Meanwhile, Mark was flying toward theva golem that seemed to be continuously swinging its hands while pouring down theva asionally. As its enemies are atleast 1500-2000 times smaller than itself but have the power to put holes in its body, theva golem was indeed facing trouble in killing them.


    Of course, Mark can attack it and eventually kill it from a safe distance, way outside its range of attack. Unfortunately, he couldn''t because of thepetitors who are standing close to it.


    He doesn''t want someone to steal its carcass and run away before he reaches there. This is why he needed to be in close proximity.


    At the same time, he cannot also finish it quickly too. It will make lose a lot of profits.


    Hence, Mark flew at a controlled and low speed of about 80 kmph while Lan Ju tries to eliminate thepetition and brings back their treasures.


    By the time Mark reached the destination, theva golem has already stopped swinging its arms and gone into a still mode.


    Making the same mistake as Tang Jiyao, theva golem treated him like a civilian, who is not of any threat to it, and didn''t bother to attack Mark even after he came as close as 500 meters.


    And since everyone is dead except for the two, well, ording to Lan Ju, Mark summoned the missile defense system once again and set it up on a t molten rock surface.


    He clicked on the red button,unching the skill, "Multi-target ether missile." After thetest upgrade, it releases 25 ether missiles from one of the threeunchers with each ether missile containing 120% of Mark''s current attack power (10.0-int).


    <strong>*Ding! Choose the targets.</strong>


    "Okay, here we go¡­"


    Mark allotted all the 25 markings to theva golem so that it will be bombarded with ether missiles one after another. And all of this only costs him 30% ether energy.


    Because theva golem''s body is quite huge, he hoped that its body along with the fire seeds won''t be destroyedpletely.


    Mark''s target lock is finished and the missile defense system is absorbing the natural energy.


    He was expecting that everything will go well but little did he expect how much of a blunder he had made bying closer to the target andunching the skill.


    Because Lan Ju failed to mention how he sensed the surge of natural energy when heunched the ether trident earlier, Mark failed to guess the possibility of the defense system getting attacked while it was still in the middle of charging.


    As an automatic response to the threat, theva golem immediately acted upon sensing the power surge from the missile defense system. It raised its arm to swat Mark and the weapon at a terrifying attack speed.


    <strong>"Oh, shit. Activate Nullification."</strong> Mark quickly raised his arms and used the remaining ether energy tounch the suit''s skill, Nullification, in order to absorb the damage and protect the weapon.

 Chapter 300 Battle For The Seed Of Fire (Part-4)

    <strong>60 seconds earlier;</strong>


    More than 4 km to the east of theva golem, the Church of Doom''s leader and Tang Dynasty''s Suprememander were aggressively attacking a five-tailed leopard with their movements so synchronized as if the both of them were teammates for years.


    Both of them appeared to be filled with rage and wanted to kill the beast emperor at all costs as they lost all of their teammates.


    A while ago, Gu Chao and Yan Hai sessfully cut off Lan Ju''s way as he was moving toward the battlefield. Or atleast they thought at first.


    They wanted to kill Lan Ju before he steals the fire seed but they didn''t expect that it was a part of Lan Ju''s n.


    After dragging the two of the most powerful opponents from their respective teams to atleast 10 kilometers away, Lan Ju simply said hello to them, and then, turned into a scarlet leopard before teleporting to the golem.


    By the time the two experts caught up to him, every member of their respective teams was ruthlessly massacred. Their bodies were collected.


    Lan Ju was collecting the corpses of the experts from the Ironpalm sect while pushing away the golem''s arms with its (100times) erged five tails. The leader of the group managed to escape using a great teleportation scroll. So, he was the only one alive.


    In the meantime, Gu Chao and Yan Hai found him and they started their attacks in fury to take revenge for theirpanions, whose even corpses weren''t spared by the beast.


    Sensing Mark was getting near to the location, Lan Ju decided to take the both of them far away.


    Their desire for revenge made them put priority on killing this demigod realm leopard at all costs. Since the leopard is an agile/offensive type, Gu Chao and Yan Hai had the confidence to take down the beast emperor despite their senses telling them that thetter is in the Demigod realm.


    With no opponents except for the mysterious group left to trouble his sect master, Lan Ju thought that everything to go well. Little did he expect that Mark woulde so close to the golem.


    Even then, he didn''t interfere and continued to fight against two Supreme realm experts, who happened to be quite a challenge as their strength far surpassed an average Supreme Being.


    Adding on top of this, Gu Chao, the Supreme Commander of the Dragon Empire was a light/water attribute user while Yan Hai, the leader of the Church of Doom, surprisingly has the abilities of fire, water, wind, lightning, metal, poison, wood, and darkness.


    As the fighting dragged on for a minute, Gu Chao was more rmed upon witnessing the techniques of Yan Hai.


    The Zheng is a beast emperor born with multi attributes. It wasn''t a secret to either Yan Hai or Gu Chao. However, Gu Chao didn''t expect to see Yan Hai has so many attributes.


    Believing that no human could be born with so many attributes, he realized that Gu Chao was too dangerous to keep alive and decided to kill him when an opportunity arrives, perhaps, at a time when he will be drastically injured while fighting against the Zheng beast.


    As for Yan Hai, he fought face to face against Lan Ju more than three times in the past and ran away with his life every single time. He learned its habits, techniques, weaknesses, and everything.


    That knowledge brought him an advantage in this fight with a worthy teammate, who is in the same realm, can support his lightning with water, and can heal his injuries inflicted by the enemy.


    And now, at present, Gu Chao unleashed a skill called the Aqua dragon, which is a concentrated form of huge volumes of water in the shape of a limbless & wingless dragon.


    Yan Hai supported the skill by adding a lightning attribute to it, increasing its attack power to inflict damage on the scarlet leopard.


    At first, Lan Ju wanted to evade the attack by using short teleportation but then, he sensed the surge of power from Mark''s weird-looking weapon and the golem''s actions simultaneously.


    "Get lost the both of you."


    Lan Ju roared at his opponents and conjured a powerful fireball with white mes dancing on it.


    The hot white fireballpletely destroyed thebined attack of Yan Hai and Gu Chao, unleashing a massive amount of energy from the collision.<sub> </sub>


    By the time both of them stabilized themselves, the scarlet leopard is gone from their sight.


    "Did it run away?" Gu Chao wondered out loud. Yan Hai immediately expanded his senses to scan the surroundings.


    "It is at the golem." He replied before asking to himself, "who might be that civilian?"


    Gu Chao was also a Supreme Being and he too can sense their presence at the battle site. "It appears that the beast has a weakness. What if we capture him and put psychological pressure on the zheng?"


    Yan Hai didn''t know who it is either but judging by how Mark was protected, he too agreed that it is a good choice. However, unfortunately, he wasn''t the type to make cowardly actions to fulfill his goal.


    He wanted to subdue or kill the beast no matter what. ncing at Gu Chao, he got an idea. He took out a scroll from his storage card.


    "What is it?" Gu Chao wondered whether Yan Hai has some trump card to act against the beast emperor.


    Yan Hai answered truthfully, "This is something that will help me to defeat the beast."


    Yan Hai used ''me'' in the sentence but Gu Chao didn''t dwell on such a thing because of the urgent situation. In fact, he was actually wondering whether Yan Hai has more treasures in his storage ring. He was a little bit excited to acquire them once this leader of the church of doom dies.


    It was at that moment Yan Hai opened it toward Gu Chao, revealingplex symbols drawn inside a six-pointed star.


    Gu Chao thought that Yan Hai was exining it to him but thetter activated the seal by pouring ether energy into the scroll, unleashing threads of purple-colored energy threads from the scroll and capturing Gu Chao immediately.


    As they were standing near, Gu Chao couldn''t dodge the sudden attack and fell into a trap.


    "You¡­ What the hell are you doing?" Gu Chao roared at Yan Hai.


    Yan Hai let out a smile, "Sorry but you''ll have to be a part of me in order to defeat the Zheng. And don''t bother to resist. This is created by our guardian of the Doom tower. You have to be in the same league as the zheng to resist it."


    The energy threads tightened their grip, releasing strange energy into Gu Chao''s body. He started to feel dizzy while his ether energy was slipping away from his body. He tried to resist it but all of his strength appeared to be draining away nonstop.


    "You bas¡­tard¡­ You will pay for¡­"


    They were thest words Gu Chao spouted before his body started to deform, eventually turning into some kind of ck ball.


    Yan Hai picked up the ball from the ground and swallowed it. Within the next few seconds, ayer of golden energy covered his body, removing all the leftover bruises. "This surge of ether energy¡­ the power of light attribute¡­ I feel like I can break through to the Demigod realm. However, I need to fulfill the task. As long as I can acquire the fire seed and subdue the zheng, all the sacrifices are worth it."


    He then turned around to look in the direction where the giantva golem was supposed to be. "It looks like the battle is already over. Now, what are we waiting for? Let''s go and cap¡­"


    *rumble*


    Two yellow lightning streaks descended from the sky simultaneously without any warning, striking the region where Mark and Lan Ju were supposed to be standing.


    "Hmm, who are they?" Yan Hai furrowed his brows as he saw a group of seven slowly descending toward the ground.


    He activated his senses, probing their realms. A trace of surprise appeared on his face, "All of them are in the Supreme realm? Who are they? Where did theye from? What should I do now? Dammit. The matter has beplicated. Should I go forward or should I leave?"


    Meanwhile, at the remnants of Mt. Jizu, the scarlet leopard was lying on the ground with a hole in its body, the missile defense system was in mes, and Mark crashed onto a rock without any injuries.

 Chapter 301 Battle For The Seed Of Fire (Part-5)

    Mark slowly got on his feet and looked around in a daze. "What the hell just happened? Just ten seconds ago, I was¡­"


    A while ago;


    As Mark activated the skill without considering the fact that it will take some time for the skill to activate and the enemy will not just sit around and do nothing, theva golem indeed motioned its arm to remove the threat (Missile Defense System).


    Having only 18% ether energy left to use, Mark just did what he can do to protect the defense system. He activated the Nullification skill of the suit.


    The skill only absorbs all types of damage under the Demigod realm. However, two problems arose. One is that theva golem''s physical strength surpassed the Supreme realm and the other is that the Nullification skill needed 20% ether energy for the full effect.


    As a result, Mark''s defense was around high-9-circle and the iing attack power has the equivalent power of a full-powered strike from a mid-10-circle expert.


    <strong>*Warning*</strong>


    <strong>"The probability of the suit''s </strong><strong>destruction is 100%"</strong>


    <strong>"The risk of heavy injuries rose to 93%"</strong>


    <strong>"The risk of death rose to 67%"</strong>


    As theva golem''s palm almost reached Mark, thetter received the warning from the suit and his body became stiff for a fraction of a second. "Shit! I fucked up."


    The system was ready to sacrifice his cultivation to release the invincible Protos barrier as thest resort to protect Mark from death.


    However, Lan Ju appeared at thest moment and blocked the golem''s palm with its erged tails.


    "How many seconds more?" The beast emperor asked Mark as he swatted the golem''s palm away. However, he was met with silence.


    It was then he sensed the heartbeat spike from Mark. "It''s the fear. Does that mean he cannot take the iing damage and be just bluffing around?"


    Lan Ju wasn''tpletely sure that Mark cannot block the earlier attack. However, he thought he couldn''t just take the chance as Mark had no idea how strong theva golem was.


    Sensing the emotion of fear from Mark, the beast emperormented as he blocked theva golem''s palm once again, "You are reckless, you know that?"


    Meanwhile, sweat beads formed on Mark''s forehead and he tried to calm his heart. He sighed in relief and thanked the leopard in his heart before answering in a shaking voice, "Five seconds more."


    After sensing Mark''s emotions stabilized rather quickly, the zheng turned around to spit out a torrent of water at theva golem''s palm that was about to shoot a beam ofva.


    Before the skill was even unleashed, the zheng put an end to it and that gave the missile defense system enough time to finish the countdown timer, unleashing 25 ether missiles with each one containing an attack power of a Demigod (10.05 int).


    Because of the less distance, theva golem could only protect the fire gems by covering its body with its arms. However, the ether missiles turned out to have high pration. They put holes all over its body, eventually killing it in the end.


    Just one shot and the boss died. How incredible that is?


    Not to mention, the defense system is still at crystal grade. What would happen if it was upgraded to the maximum? Maybe, he can even kill the gods with this?


    Mark''s earlier feelings were all gone and his body started to shiver in excitement just the thought of its potential.


    He was now more than ever determined to upgrade it to the God grade.


    "Lan Ju, thanks for the assistance but now that we are done here, I should collect the reward, whilst you clean up the battlefield," said Mark as he stepped toward the weapon. He intended to dismiss it and fly toward the corpse of theva golem.


    However, before he could do that, two yellow lightning bolts descended from the sky, taking him by surprise.


    "Careful¡­" The zheng used its erged tail to strike Mark, pushing him away from the weapon.


    One lightning bolt struck the zheng and the other struck the weapon.


    Present;


    Mark saw the scarlet leopard was badly injured. The lightning drilled a big hole into its stomach and it just lie on the floor in an unconscious state. On the other hand, the missile defense system was in mes, on the verge of destruction.


    <strong>*Ding! Missile Defense System-VI''s durability has been reduced by 99%. Please repair it.</strong><sub> </sub>


    "No¡­ no¡­ no¡­" Mark grabbed his head and started muttering in disbelief, "This cannot happen¡­ The repair costs¡­"


    The system charges 1000 gold coins per 1% durability if it is a crystal-grade weapon. That means¡­ it will cost nearly a million gold coins now.


    At the same time, the system charges 100,000 gold coins to house Lan Ju in the familiars'' inventory, which will recover its health to full within a day. He can treat it outside too. As long as Allenes here with the divine sword, he can heal Lan Ju. However, the appearance of the powerful enemies made it impossible for him to do it.


    Mark raised his head and red at the mysterious experts in anger. "1.1 fucking million gold coins¡­ 1.1¡­"


    He kept on muttering while sending the defense system to the inventory and cing the Zheng in the familiars'' inventory. After sending them away, he took the vial with a dark green-colored potion and drank it without hesitation.


    <strong>*Ding! You consumed the peak strength potion</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! All of your stats temporarily increased to 9.9 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! Ether particles temporarily increased to 9,999,999,999 points.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Wyvern.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Gori.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Lightning Dragon.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The maximum limits of all the skills of the character were raised considerably.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Frosty Wyvern.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Tundra Mammoth.</strong>


    <strong>*Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Ice Dragon.</strong>


    Mark felt the terrifying surge of strength in his body but he tried his best to not pay attention to it due to the seriousness of the current situation.


    Staring at the mysterious group of experts, who appeared to be taking their time in descending as if they weren''t in hurry, Mark mumbled, "You lot will pay for it. But, before that¡­"


    Mark shifted his attention to the fallen golem and immediately rushed at his top speed to secure the reward.


    Not only did it take him a fraction of a second to reach there but he also felt too controlled regarding his speed. The feeling was different from earlier when he struggled quite a bit to find bnce and everything.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious experts didn''t stop him and they continued to descend at their own pace.


    Mark ced the entire disfigured carcass of theva golem in his inventory and then ced his attention on the enemies.


    They were still a couple of hundred meters away from the ground and Mark became too impatient to wait for them. He dismissed the suit, figuring out that it was of no use to him in his present state.


    Then, how will he fly? Well, he can summon a dragon but he doesn''t want to waste ether points when there are so many enemies. So, he opts for a different way.


    <strong>"Activate Skill: Blizzard Wings"</strong>


    Upon unleashing the third bloodline skill, a pair of icy wings erupted from his back. They were made of ice but they were also flexible in nature.


    Mark pped his wings and flew toward the experts. Since he already had experience in flying with the suit, Mark wasfortable. As for the reason, why he chose to fly with these icy wings, it is because of the defense it will provide to him.


    Now that he was set, the only thing he needed to do is to take down the strongest of them in one shot.


    He activated his Sage eyes and looked at their details.


    Since none of them carried any divine grade weapons or have the cultivation above the Demigod realm, even with those special clothing, their identities and their strength were revealed to Mark. A trace of surprise appeared on his face.


    The most surprising isn''t the fact that everyone is in the Supreme realm but it is their race and their affiliation.


    "The dark elves of Ixitus Empire? It''s the same as Mari''s affiliation. What a great coincidence¡­"

 Chapter 302 2 Million Gold Coins As Compensation

    Mark''s first thoughts were to capture one of them for the information on the Ixitus Empire, the ce that shelters the experts who managed to summon Mari from the earth.


    If he can go there and find out how they did it, perhaps, he can find a way back to his homnd.


    The peak potionsts for five minutes and he was confident about finishing them within a minute. The remaining four minutes are enough to interrogate a person.


    But, then, upon remembering how much loss he just experienced from their ambush, adding to the fact that he escaped death narrowly once again due to the zheng''s timely act, Mark''s blood boiled in anger.


    He decided to not spare even one of them and give them any chance to escape. He can find out the information from Mari/Zan Rong once her memories returned anyway.


    Hence, Mark acted right away with his eyes fixed on the leader, who was standing way above the group. <strong>"Thunderst, activate."</strong>


    Meanwhile, the experts be alert as they saw Mark raise his hand while flying toward them, indicating that he was going to attack.


    They couldn''t sense his cultivation realm but were confident to take on even a Demigod as long as he is below the intermediate stage and they were staying together in their special formation. The five of them formed a pentagon with the sixth person in the center while the remaining one stood above them.


    Little did they expect that the leader would receive their karma too quickly.


    As they were monitoring the situation on the battlefield from the sky, they realized that the modern weapon possessed by Mark was incredibly dangerous.


    If they had knowledge of the Missile Defense system, the leader of the group would have tried to steal it. However, the fact that it is mysterious made him decide that they will destroy it altogether.


    Of course, the zheng was troublesome for them and they cannot afford to fight it. Considering how it protected Mark, they used their fusion skill, the yellow lightning to ambush it together with Mark.


    They intended to harm atleast one of them but luckily, the zheng was injured and the weapon was destroyed.


    Unfortunately, their luck didn''tst for long.


    They ambushed the enemies with yellow lightning strikes and in return, their remaining enemy now ambushed the strongest of them using the same method, the sudden strike of lightning.


    *rumble*


    As a red lightning bolt descended from the heavens and struck their leader without any warning, turning the peak-stage Supreme realm expert into ashes, everyone''s expressions were frozen immediately.


    Mark didn''t stop there. After expending 50% of his ether energy, he proceeded to unleash his first bloodline skill, Absolute freezing, in mid-air.


    In just an instant, his entire five-kilometer radius was frozen up in ice while only 100 million ether points were consumed in the process.


    For the Emperor and others who were only observing it from the campsite, it appeared as if a huge iceberg formed in the ce where theva golem was once located. And six frozen statues were ced on top of that iceberg.


    As the bonus effect of the Absolute freezing, the temperature felt by the frozen elves dropped down to -210 degree Celsius, just -9 degrees away from the freezing point of oxygen. If they had been humans, no matter how strong they are, they would have died by now.


    However, the superior dark elf race had more resistance to cold and hot temperatures naturally. Some of them were feeling shortness of breath but none of them have yet to face death.


    While they are also trying their best to get free from the frozen state, Mark didn''t sit still either. Hended on the top of the t surface of the iceberg and made his next move.


    <strong>"Activate, Lightning clone."</strong>


    The lightning clone was summoned on top of the iceberg. With the power of a peak stage Demigod, it didn''t take five seconds for the clones to behead all the elves along with their hoodies.


    Once they were dead, Mark dismissed the clone in order to save his ether energy, and then, pped his wings to fly around to look for the opponents who were still alive.<sub> </sub>


    Since he had several minutes left, Mark didn''t want to waste the opportunity and search for the prey. However, his efforts became fruitless, not being able to find even one of them during the five minutes.


    As for Yan Hai, he long fled from the battlefield as soon as he witnessed the power of a red lightning bolt, which appeared to be something that he cannot afford to go against.


    Roughly, after 30 minutes, the iceberg disappeared and the headless corpses fell to the ground. Until then, Mark was guarding them, wearing his suit once again with his peak powers gone.


    Once they were avable to search, Mark searched their pockets to find the storage rings. After looting them, he ignored the dead bodies and flew toward the camp where the Emperor and his aides were waiting for him with various expressions. Some of them like the experts from Mt. Hua sect had a trace of fear on their faces; some of them like the soldiers had a look of admiration; the Emperor was smiling big; while Song Tai and others like the second prince and Yuan Meili were astonished.


    While Mark ventured into the battlefield, the soldiers at the campsite continuously kept an eye on theva golem through the telescopes.


    They didn''t get to see Lan Ju or his beast''s appearance anywhere due to the high-speed battles but they sure witnessed theva golem being destroyed by ether missiles, followed by Mark killing an enemy with a powerful red lightning bolt and then freezing the others using bloodline skill.


    Each of them had a separate reaction as the Eastern General reported the results of the battle to the Emperor but whatever the case, Mark had brought the fire seed with him and that is enough for the Emperor and the second prince to not question anything about the new weapon or his skills.


    And Mark''s reclusive attitude disyed during the past three days also made it harder for the others to speak to him properly.


    Fortunately, Song Tai couldn''t sense the cultivation realms of the dark elves. Or else, everyone else would have feared Mark so much that they would shiver in his mere presence.


    Anyways, as soon as he reached the campsite, Mark asked for a private meeting with the Emperor and his son.


    Soon, except for Shang Fu, Shang Wen, Mark, and Allen, the others left the Emperor''s tent.


    "It would be nice if Venerable Wu hade along with you. I thought of inviting the both of you to the pce for a grand feast," said the Emperor as he took the seat. Mark had earlier lied to everyone that hispanion, Wu Weibao (Lan Ju), left as soon as his work is done and didn''t return with him. Hence, Emperor Shang thought that it was a pity to not be able to invite such an expert.


    Mark responded to the Emperor''s words by bringing up a different topic in a serious tone, "Let''se to the matter directly, Your Majesty. In the process of obtaining the fire seed for you, I lost a crystal grade, I mean, in your terms, a semi-divine grade weapon; I had to use up my life-saving potion to face those dark elves from another world that you failed to mention.


    However, I''m not shameless topensate for all of my losses. Before I hand over your item, I need you to pay the repair fees for the Missile Defense system so that I can send it back to my manufacturer. It will cost 2 million gold coins and I don''t want to bear such huge expenses. I hope you understand the reasoning behind my demand."


    Mark lost 1.1 million gold coins because of the ambush and he decided to cash in the opportunity, extracting more money from his biological father. If thetter can pay more than 25 million gold coins, then, 2 million shouldn''t be a problem for him. Hence, Mark will rob him for sure.


    On the other hand, Shang Fu and Shang Wen were taken aback by the information they got from Mark.


    "The Dark elves from another world?" Shang Wen looked at his father. "Your Majesty, you know anything about it?"


    Shang Fu also shook his head, "I know that a few tribes of elves were still living in the Beast Empire but never heard of dark elves."


    Both of them could only ask Mark for an exnation. However, unfortunately, he doesn''t have any idea about them. But, since he already opened the topic, he tried his best to answer them, "All I know is that those dark elves are from Ixitus Empire. It would also be helpful to me if you can find something about it."


    "I have never heard of the Ixitus Empire but I will ask Shang Bo to enquire with the ancient sects of the Dragon Empire. They might know something about it," replied the Emperor before adding as an afterthought, "Oh, by the way, those 2 million gold coins, you will get it. Don''t worry about it. I can do that much for you."


    Mark nodded with a smile, "thank you."


    The Emperor then said, "General Wen wille to your store in two days to collect his order with a new one from the Imperial Pce. I will send thepensation to him. In the meantime, I hope you will honor the deal from your end."


    Mark responded with a proposition in return, "Your Majesty, how about I just sell theva golem''s remains along with the fire seed? We can negotiate the price for the package deal."


    "Hmm?" "Hmm?"


    Shang Fu and Shang Wen stared at him.

 Chapter 303 Just The Golems Head Excluding The Fire Seed Is Worth 20 Million Gold Coins?

    <strong>Sometimeter;</strong>


    Mark and the others gathered at the dead forest, lying at the bottom of the cliff where the campsite is located.


    Mark opened the inventory and took out the corpse of the giantva golem, which stretched for 3200 meters.


    Everyone stared at it, mouth agape with incredulity. Even Song Tai couldn''t hide his astonishment upon seeing the giant monster up close. Adding on top of that, no holes were seen on its body. Everything appeared to be intact.


    Perhaps, the only couple of changes from when it transformed is the dullness of the Fire seeds on its body and theck of life.


    The tworge fire seeds, one on its forehead and the other on its chest, might not be glowing but they are working perfectly. The best example is the regeneration of theva golem''s skin and organs.


    "Venerable Song, Your Highness, now, I need your help in severing its head cleanly." Mark reminded them of the agreement they just made.


    ording to the agreement, Mark will keep the severed head and the smaller fire seed while the rest of the remains will go to the Imperial Pce.


    In exchange for the golem''s remains, which can be used to make more than 100 semi-divine weapons, a number of 9-star delicacies, advanced elixirs, and other things, the Imperial Pce will pay 15 million gold coins to Mark (Of which atleast 5 million gold coins in the form of ether crystals or ores). If not for the fact that the golem doesn''t have a spirit core, Mark might have demanded more money.


    Adding thepensation, he will earn a total of 17 million gold coins. Of course, all of this money isn''t included in the 100-million gold coins deal. Not to mention, several storage rings are waiting to be explored.


    Hence, Mark managed to make huge profits from this trip and no longer felt disappointed in paying a million to repair the missile defense system.


    Meanwhile, the Imperial pce''s treasury was downed by a significant portion.


    Therge amount of savings amassed by the Shang Dynasty''s rulers during the past millennium was squandered by the current emperor within just a week.


    Now, if the Imperial Pce will pay 17 million gold coins at once, the empire will have less than one-third of the treasury left.


    The remaining money won''t sustain much longer in case a food crisis or other issues arose unexpectedly and the Emperor knows it very well. Yet, in order to improve the military might of the Empire; in order to bring Mark closer to the Imperial Pce, Shang Fu took the risk.


    Shang Wen was aware that Shang Fu spent more than 26 million just a few days ago in the auction. And now, another 15 million. He couldn''t understand why his father was squandering so much money on improving the military strength when he was known to be a responsible ruler but he is a General after all.


    He doesn''t know how the empire is administered or how much money the treasury has. And neither was in a position to question his father''s motives too. Hence, he kept his thoughts to himself and went on with the flow.


    After the golem''s head was severed, Mark stored it in the inventory, and then, pointed to the 2800-meter big headless corpse lying on the ground, "you can take it in any way you wish, Your Highness. We''ll meet at the store again, three dayster."


    Soon, the helicopter left the area, flying toward the Imperial City. Staring at the helicopter, Shang Fu let out a deep sigh and turned around to walk away to the campsite, leaving the work to his son and the others.


    Meanwhile, inside the vehicle, Mark contacted the system as soon as the helicopter took off. Since the fire seed is practically useless to him as well as Song Yue, he wanted to know how much it is worth so that he can sell it in some auctionter on.


    "System, if I want to trade the fire seed along with theva golem''s head, what would you offer in return?" He asked out loud, considering no one can listen to his words.


    The system responded right away.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! You received a trade request. Exchange Lava golem''s head (fire seed included) for 18 million credits/Random Mythril graded weapon.</strong>


    "What the¡­ 18 million? Are you serious?" Mark couldn''t just believe his eyes for a moment. "That''s like 90 million gold coins."


    <strong>*Ding! The fire seed possessed by the host is of Superior quality. Upon usage, the host has a 76% chance to awaken the Phoenix Bloodline. Otherwise, the fire seed, like all the elemental seeds, contains a minute percentage of divinity. It is beneficial to the system. </strong>


    <strong>*Ding! The three pairs of eyes, brain, and teeth are precious parts of theva golem. The eyes contain the bloodline. The brain contains its memories of the earth. And its teeth are more durable than titanium and far stronger than tungsten. Hence the price is fair. </strong>


    "What if I sell it to you separately? How much they would be worth?" Mark''s heartbeat steadily increased in tension. He feared that he made a tremendous amount of loss earlier.


    And the system surely disappointed him by confirming his fears.


    <strong>*Ding! The fire seed is worth 14 million credits and the parts of theva golem''s head are worth 4 million credits.</strong>


    <strong>"The head is worth 20 million gold coins and I gave away such a huge corpse for a far lesser price. No wonder Shang Fu readily agreed to the price without even bothering to negotiate."</strong>


    Mark was really riding on the wave of emotions on this trip.


    He started the trip by sessfully convincing Lan Ju to follow him to the campsite.


    Eventually, his excitement died down with theva pir taking forever to transform.


    After that, he became lucky to receive an exoskeleton suit.


    However, it didn''tst long as he lost an opportunity to acquire the corpse of a red dragon.


    Then, once again, he found his happiness by destroying theva golem with one skill attack.


    Unfortunately, within the next few seconds, his missile defense system was damaged to the extent that he needed to pay 1 million gold coins to repair it. Intending to kill the enemies, he had to use the peak potion, which he never wanted to do because Lan Ju was supposed to be tagging along with him.


    After that, that feeling of unhappiness disappeared with the Emperor agreeing to paypensation and even was ready to pay an exorbitant amount to acquire the corpse.


    Now, he has money and he has one of the fire seeds.


    Just as he thought that he was content with the trip, once again, the unhappiness found him in the form of the system''s offer, which made him realize that he actually faced a huge loss by making deal with the emperor.


    Knowing that it is almost impossible to acquire 90 million gold coins even if he sells the head with the fire seed in some grand auction, Mark decided to make the deal with the system and find temporary satisfaction. As for acquiring the majestic Phoenix Bloodline, he wouldn''t do it even if the system offers him a reward in return.


    "System, I ept the trade."


    <strong>*Ding! Choose the exchange item: 18 million credits/Random Mythril grade weapon.</strong>

 Chapter 304 Welcome Home

    "Credits," He answered. To upgrade the missile defense system to Mythril grade, he might need a lot of credits.


    But then, why couldn''t he just go with choosing the Mythril grade weapon? Mark knew that the system will follow thew of fairness. It means that this random weapon he is going to receive will be worth less than 100 million gold coins for sure.


    However, in his opinion, the current Crystal-grade missile defense system is far more worth than a mere 100 million as he could kill everyone under the Demigod realm with ease. Once it is upgraded to Mythril, perhaps, he might be able to kill even Demigods.


    If that''s the case, then, what will be the new worth of the weapon? Mark estimates that it will be atleast a billion. That would mean that its worth will be equal to thebined worth of all the empires that existed on the he was currently living in.


    Logically, he believed that his decision is right and proceeded with the trade.


    <strong>*Ding! 18 million credits are added to the ount.</strong>


    "Now, I have nearly 24.5 million credits to spend. I have a little more than 11 million gold coins in my inventory and the Emperor will give me atleast 12 million more. So, that''s like 4.5 million credits. So, overall, I will end up with 29 million credits.


    The upgrade to ruby needs 6.72 million credits. Judging by the graph, the upgrade from ruby to Mythril grade might need another 60.5 million credits. That means I will be short of more than 38 million. That''s like 190 million gold coins. Just where in the hell should I get such amount?"


    3-4 months ago, he was looking at 100 gold coins like it was a treasure. Now, that 100 became 100 million. Mark was aware that whether it is the seed of fire or the expo, they are only once-in-a-year types of events. He cannot depend on them once again and neither does he want to wait for a long time.


    Hence, Mark had to think of a new way to earn the money.


    "Hmm... to earn such huge amounts, selling the weapons won''t do. I need such events again.


    The best way to earn is to kill higher realm monsters and sell their cores as well as their carcasses. Bloodhill forest is there to provide me with the targets.


    But, I need to find the right buyer too. The amounts I required could only be given by the emperors and kings.


    I have already squeezed more than 40 million from Shang Fu. He might not be able to procure vast amounts for a while. So, I need to choose another imperial family...


    Leon Empire, perhaps?"


    <strong>Several Hourster;</strong>


    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    The time was around 11 p.m., and every store in the city was closed. GWS was no exception either. It is just that the shutter wasn''t closed.


    Song Yue dragged the chair to the entrance/exit a while ago and sat there with Tishanan, the golden furred cat,fortably sleeping in her arms.


    Chang Bo left his home long ago, the ck Knight a.k.a Song Yun also returned to the inn where he was renting the room for a while, and Alina was busy reading a mystery novel.


    That leaves the manticore lying beside Song Yue and telling her about the stories of undyingnds. Song Yue was nodding once in a while as if she was paying attention but in reality, her eyes kept ncing at the sky.


    "So, as you know... that one-legged toad emperor isn''t the one to sit by. He rushed into the battlefield and... Hmm?"


    Soon, a faint sound of the rotor des was heard far away. Because the streets are empty at this time, Song Yue could hear them. She quickly recognized the sound and got up on her feet, all of a sudden.


    The manticore paused for a moment and looked at Song Yue, "what happened, young miss? Getting bored?"


    Song Yue pointed to the sky with her face glowing in happiness, "Did you hear that, Baltrow? It''s Lu Zhen''s helicopter."<sub> </sub>


    "Eh? Lu Zhen?" The manticore raised its head and stared at the sky. There''s nothing. It then enhanced its senses and concentrated on the surroundings. Indeed, the rotor des'' sound could be heard. They got louder as time slowly passed.


    Just after a minute, the helicopter was sighted in the sky with its red LED lights shing on the left and green LED on the right. Itnded on the training grounds and the both of them got down from the vehicle.


    As Mark exited the training grounds, he saw there were lights in the store and Song Yue was sitting at the entrance, taking him by surprise. "Was she waiting for me?" He wondered as he walked toward her. That thought warmed his heart.


    Upon reaching her, he apologized right away, "Sorry for taking long. I didn''t expect this would turn into a 3-day trip."


    Song Yue didn''t stop smiling and simply replied, "Wee home."


    Mark couldn''t help but also smile in response, feeling good to see her face. It felt as if he hadn''t seen her for weeks.


    After a while, as Mark freshened up and came out of his room, Song Yue and Alina appeared to be arranging the dishes on the table. Mark was slightly taken aback upon seeing two tes on the table.


    "You didn''t eat dinner?" He asked Song Yue. To which, thetter replied casually as she took the seat, "I thought I could wait as you are already on the way."


    Mark stared at her in silence for a few seconds. He was touched and felt happy to see someone waiting for him at the home.


    All those unpleasant feelings he faced during the afternoon were suddenly gone from his head just by listening to that simple sentence from Song Yue. Meanwhile, Alina felt a heavy disturbance in her heart (core) as she read Mark''s thoughts.


    Not knowing what was going on with her or how to react, she left for the kitchen and almost mmed the countertop in frustration. "Why doesn''t Big brother treat me the same way he treats Lady Song even though he depends on me more than her? I just don''t like this feeling.


    Fuu... take a deep breath and rx, Alina. Why are you being anxious about every little thing? No matter how close Song Yue gets close to Big Brother, she cannot rece me. All I need to do is to fulfill my job, staying on his side at all times.


    Anyway, you seriously need to keep yourself busy so that you don''t get such useless thoughts. Hmm... How about implementing that restaurant n that Big Brother wanted to bring to this world?"


    After calming herself, Alina got outside of the kitchen only to see Song Yue and Markughing together while sharing the experiences of their respective childhood incidents.


    Alina''s face darkened once again, feeling jealous once again. This time, she didn''t leave but interrupted them by suddenly bringing up the topic of the restaurant business to Mark.


    The earnings of tens of millions of gold coins during the past few days made him forget about it altogether. After being reminded by the Android, Mark fell into deep thoughts for a while and finally gave an ok.


    "But, Big Brother, just opening it won''t do, right? We need to think about the dishes that general people like, special dishes that only we have the recipe for, and also a signature dish that cannot be replicated by any chef out there.


    We need to think about the ingredients too, especially regarding the meat. Just ordinary chickens, pork, beef, andmb won''t do. As the quality of the meat of the spirit beasts goes up, the quality of the dish improves. For that, we need to do a lot of groundwork." Alina continued to chat with Mark, ignoring Song Yue on the side.


    For a while, it appeared that even Mark was distracted by the topic of the restaurant and continuously discussed it with her. Meanwhile, Song Yue felt a bit left out as she wasn''t involved in the conversation. As ady who grew up in a noble household, she was familiar with the high-quality meat but her hesitation got in the way, turning her into a silent spectator.


    <strong>After a while;</strong>


    Mark returned to his room and locked the door. Sitting on the bed, he then enquired about the system regarding the status of the zheng.


    The system responded to him right away, giving a piece of good news.


    <strong>*Ding! Estimated time for theplete recovery: 32 minutes.</strong>


    "Okay, good. Now, let''s see what to do with those things from dark elves."

 Chapter 305 Purchasing Passive Skills

    Previously, when he was on the helicopter, he had inspected the storage rings he looted from the dark elves of the Ixitus Empire. However, due to the tiny space, he couldn''t take them out.


    And now that he is in his room with enough space, Mark took the semi-divine weapons (bows) one after another before transferring them directly to the inventory.


    The semi-divine weapons have their own consciousness like the wild beasts. Without the owners, they act like wild beasts too, running away or attacking the people nearby.


    The Doom Scythe was the perfect example of that. It is why Mark didn''t bother to inspect them in his room but sent them to the inventory directly before checking out their details.


    They are 6 in number and five of them are in Diamond grade and the other in Crystal grade if one were to evaluate them using the system''s grading method. None of them is much useful to Mark and he intended to dismantle them for credits. At his present stage, any weapon less than mithril grade (divine grade/low quality-heaven grade) is useless.


    He already has the Doom Scythe to upgrade and with the scarcity of the upgrade stones, he wasn''t sure he can afford to upgrade other semi-divine weapons. Not to mention, there are also charges to reset the memory of their respective consciousness.


    Why bother when he can just sell them and make money? Hence, he decided to opt for the same route.


    However, it wasn''t just the semi-divine weapons that were inside the storage rings. There were hundreds of thousands of coins and bars in each of them.


    And the most surprising thing is that they looked like gold coins but actually aren''t.


    When he was in the helicopter and inspecting them, Mark thought that they were gold coins as the coins were yellow in color. But, only now did he realize that their color was off.


    Upon inspecting them through Sage Eyes, Mark discovered that they are Orichalcum coins, made of Orichalcum, a yellow-colored metal alloy that is made of 80% copper and other unknown metals.


    Usually, their value should be lower than gold but the system rated them far higher. ording to the mining function, 1 gm of Orichalcum is priced at 20 gold coins.


    So, what made them so special?


    The metal alloy can absorb natural energy from its surroundings. It''s that very ability that made Orichalcum put at a higher price even though its durability is far lower than steel or even iron, forget about titanium.


    With each coin weighing 11.2 gm, Mark calcted the total gains after transferring all of them to the inventory.


    "Hmm, I gained over 762k Orichalcum coins from all of those storage rings and that would mean a little more than 8500 kg of Orichalcum in possession. It is worth 170 million gold coins. That''s like 32 million credits, enough for me to upgrade the missile defense system to Mythril grade."


    Mark was on high clouds, feeling lucky to get showered by millions of gold coins one after another. But, the system appears to have different ns.


    Even before he asked, it sent him a notification, pouring water on his happiness.


    <strong>*Ding! The system cannot purchase raw materials no matter the kind. Hence, the host cannot sell it to the system and earn something in return.</strong>


    "That''s 170 million, you fucking bastard." Mark couldn''t control his emotions upon learning that he cannot earn the money from Orichalcum coins. But then again, his reaction should be obvious. After all, who would be able to keep calm even after reading such a notification?


    However, will the system care about his feelings? Obviously, it won''t. As soon as Mark cursed the system, it punished him with a high voltage current shock, enough for him to feel the pain but less than what it needed to hurt his physical body.


    Followed by the punishment, the system gave a serious warning.


    <strong>*Ding! The host kept on ignoring the system''s policy on obscenenguage aimed at it. The next time will be followed by a penalty in the form of credits or a mandatory emergency quest with no rewards.</strong>


    After receiving an electric shock, Mark felt like all of his stamina got drained away. He grumbled, "I will get back at you, one day."


    <strong>*Ding! The host is already doing that by taking advantage of the loophole and illegally earning millions.</strong>


    Mark no longer tried to argue with the system and put his attention on the worthless coins. "I guess the best way is to melt them and use the Orichalcum to produce ether weapons. But, to determine their usage, I might have to perform tests on their durability, hardness, reaction with other alloys, melting point, etc¡­ Without studying it properly, I cannot waste such precious material. If I can figure out the process behind its bonding with the natural energy, it will be a breakthrough for my ether weapons.


    Anyway, let''s put aside the matter and focus on the other items."<sub> </sub>


    ? Mark then fixed his eyes on the bunch of arrows ced on the floor. He separated them based on the color of their arrowheads. All of them are also rare and expensive materials.


    Some are made of Herculean steel, some are made of Damascus tungsten, some are made of obsidian, and a couple of them are even made of mithril metal. Overall, there are about 142 in number.


    All of them are ungraded items but their sharpness, hardness, and pration ability made them powerful enough to even injure Supreme realm experts as long as the archer can shoot them at high speed.


    For Mark, those arrows are useless but the materials of their arrowheads are a different story. Compared to all the rewards, their worth isn''t much but if one considers avability, then, Mark indeed has a fortuitous encounter.


    After cing different types of arrows in different inventory slots, Mark dismantled the storage rings, destroying the other useless items ced in them. The six storage ringsted him about 1658 credits, which isn''t much to pay attention to.


    "Okay, there''s still time for the zheng to heal up. So, let''s shop around. I can''t experience those near-to-death situations ever again even if I have to spend money on them. I will have to upgrade my defenses."


    He proceeded to open the system''s store. As the system hasn''t upgraded to level-6 yet, there were still categories that are grayed out. He then clicked on skills.


    *Elemental* *Misceneous*


    Mark clicked on misceneous as they don''t have any attribute restriction. It was further divided into five sections.


    *Beginner* *Intermediate* *Advanced* *Peak* *Unique*


    All beginner skills are priced at 100 credits and the price increase 10 times as the quality moves up. In the end, the unique skills are equally priced at 1 million credits.


    With more than 24.5 million credits in the ount, Mark felt like he could afford to buy one or two, keeping the rest for the missile defense system.


    Anyway, upon clicking on unique skills, two more options appeared.


    *Active* *Passive*


    "Hmm¡­ Active skills like the thunderst are good, but at the moment, I need to look for automatic defense skills that can protect me from any kind of ambush. Not to mention, cooldown timer sucks."


    Mark went to the passive skills section. There are about 25 skills listed of which 10 are offensive, 10 are defensive, and 5 are supportive type. He carefully read the description of each skill.


    Of them, three impressed him the most, well, atleast, they were useful in the present situation.


    The first one is Enhanced Durability. Basically, it increases the body''s toughness to receive less iing damage. It has over 99 levels with each level corresponding to a 1% additional damage reduction. And guess what, the skill can easily be upgraded to higher levels through credits.


    It means that as long as he has money, he can increase his defense. Of course, one can expect the costs will be damn huge.


    Still, Mark felt like he needed it. Money can be earned, not life. He bought it without hesitation.


    <strong>*Ding! 1 million credits are deducted. You purchased the "Enhanced Durability" skill.</strong>


    The second one that impressed him is a simple but powerful passive skill. It is called "Ether Regeneration." This ability will let the user recover the ether energy at a faster rate.


    Unlike the others, Mark depends heavily on the skills that use a high amount of ether energy as he doesn''t possess any fighting skills on his own. Hence, recovering the ether energy at a faster rate will help him greatly to use more techniques.


    <strong>*Ding! 1 million credits are deducted. You purchased the "Ether Regeneration" skill.</strong>


    And for the final passive skill, he chose something that neither gives him any boost in any stats nor that can be used to hurt the enemy but is still very unique and powerful.

 Chapter 306 System, You Are A Scammer

    <strong>*Ding! 1 million credits are deducted. You purchased the "No touch" skill.</strong>


    "No touch" skill is an automatic defensive passive ability, which can be toggled on/off to activate or deactivate at any time. The skill''s ability is what its title says. Upon being activated, the user cannot be touched by anyone else physically. Whoeveres within the range shall be pushed away by an invisible force.


    That means Mark cannot be harmed physically. However, the range attacks still work though. Another problem is that he cannot exempt the allies. Even they are affected by this skill.


    And that''s where the toggle switch is needed.


    Mark never had ns on activating this skill unless it is in an emergency but since he was already spending millions of gold coins and is still far away from his goal of making the missile defense system a divine weapon, he thought he might as well get what he wants.


    After purchasing the third passive skill, he closed down the window and then entered the Active skills section. There''s a skill he had his eyes on for a while but its high cost made him hesitate until now.


    It is called the Gravity Dome, which creates an invisible dome around the user. Inside the region, the user would be able to control the gravity, well, not exactly aplete control but one can increase the gravity by ten or twenty folds so that the enemies will be crushed to the ground.


    Another good part of the skill is that it not only grows along with the user just like the bloodline skills but the user can also exempt his allies from being affected by this skill.


    <strong>*Ding! 1 million credits are deducted. You purchased the "Gravity Dome" skill.</strong>


    He opened the skills list to take a good look at the details. He nodded in satisfaction.


    "Okay, that''s 4 million overall. With the earlier 1.5 million credits of spending, I guess I will alsoplete the next side quest once I acquire the Amulet of Diyu. Anyways, let''s level up the Enhanced Durability a little bit."


    Mark then clicked on the damage reduction skill, which was at level-1, at the moment.


    <strong>Enhanced Durability (Lv-1):</strong> Increase the user''s body durability to receive less iing damage of all types except for mental attacks. Effect: 1% DR. Limit: Opponents who are no greater than two ranks/realms above the user.


    As he clicked on the level, the option of upgrade came up.


    And the moment Mark''s eyes fell on the cost required to upgrade the skill, he got an urge to swear at the system immediately. However, the previous experience of electric shock forced him to swallow down his words and made ament in a mild manner, "the system once again scammed me."


    Upgrade to Level-2 >>> 1,000,000 credits.


    "C''mon, I just paid a million credits/5 million gold coins, which are enough for me to live peacefully for a lifetime, just to buy that skill. And I have to spend a million credits for every percentage? System, you are a scammer. Admit it by now." He scolded the system without using obscenenguage.


    Naturally, the system won''t ept any allegations against it. It gave a reply right away.


    <strong>*Ding! The skill''s real usees into effect when the host reaches the Demigod realm. Please re-read the skill''s description once again and ponder on it. The host would be able to understand the skill''s potential.</strong>


    "Well, for its effectiveness, I should not only earn money more but also get stronger. At present, it is nothing but a useless skill."


    Being a little depressed by continuous setbacks, Mark now put his hopes on the storage ring with the zheng.


    Little over twenty minutester, the scarlet leopard opened its eyes and found itself in a room with pure white-colored walls, floor, and ceiling. There was nothing else around it except for a small portal at the ceiling. "Where is this ce?" Lan Ju wondered at first as he inspected the surroundings.


    "There''s this strange energy presented in this room. It is so pure and unlike anything I have sensed before. My injury also healedpletely. Is this the so-called divine energy?<sub> </sub>


    But, ording to the master, only the divine beings from the celestial realm contain such power. Lu Zhen is clearly a mortal, 100% human. When I tasted his blood, I didn''t sense any divine energy inside his body.


    Does that mean I was captured by some divine being? Well, I don''t sense any suppression on me. So, let''s go into the portal and see where it leads me."


    Lan Ju then took a leap toward the ceiling and entered the portal only to find himself on the floor of a bedroom with Mark lying carelessly on the bed with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. He was watching Alina''s cooking show. "Hmm?"


    Mark''s attention was disturbed by the appearance of the leopard. "Lu Zhen?" The scarlet leopard eximed in surprise.


    He immediately sat on the bed and let out a smile, "Wee back, Lan Ju. It looks like you arepletely healed."


    "So, you are the one who ced me in that white room? What was that ce anyway?" The scarlet leopard questioned him directly without wasting his breath on other pleasantpliments.


    "The white room?" At first, Mark was a little bit confused but then he realized that the zheng was talking about the familiar''s inventory. He doesn''t know what the room looked like, but at the same time, he doesn''t want to appear clueless as the more majestic he appears to the zheng, the more loyalty he will gain from the beast emperor.


    Mark nodded and then exined, "It is a special dimension where my contracted beasts or summoned beasts can be healed. Anyway, it''s roughly been 12 hours since you were sent there. We got the fire seed and the enemies were defeated. Just don''t ask me how. I told you that I had my means to protect myself."


    The zheng stared at him for a few seconds and eventually nodded, "alright. Everyone has their own secrets. So, this is your residence?"


    As the leopard looked around, scanning the ce, Mark nodded. "Yes. We are at the Imperial City."


    The scarlet leopard also nodded in satisfaction and praised, "I sense the Demigod-level suppression all over your residence. It is good to be living in such a ce for you. Anyway, now that your job is done and I''m alright. I guess I will be returning to my home."


    Mark was aware that he cannot let the zheng stay at the Imperial City for a very long time as it will increase the chances of his real identity getting exposed. Not to mention, he recently learned from the zheng that his mother is a Demigod, not a civilian with a divine grade item. Hence, it is more important that he needs to send him away.


    As a result, he epted Lan Ju''s decision to return to the Kunyu mountains. Soon, the scarlet leopard slipped out of the window on the first floor andnded on the ground before dashing at subsonic speed in the darkness.


    Not even a hundred seconds passed and Lan Ju was already more than a hundred and fifty kilometers away from the outskirts of the Imperial City. He is somewhere in the wilderness.


    But, little did he expect to stop in his tracks as his way was cut off by a stranger in ck robes and hood.


    "Hmm?" Lan Ju was rmed as soon as he sensed the cultivation realm of the woman who appeared out of nowhere. "A Demigod?"


    The stranger lowered down the hood to reveal a familiar-looking face. The woman coldly greeted the zheng, "Lan Ju."


    "Lan Jingyi, the traitor¡­" The scarlet leopard let out an angry growl.


    ***


    Back to the Genesis Weapon store, Mark was staring at the storage ring that was full of corpses of the Spirit Warriors that the zheng eliminated during the noon. He doesn''t want to tell to the beast emperor that he wanted their storage rings and damage his reputation. Hence, he asked the zheng to collect their bodies so that he can loot from them personally.


    However, back then, he didn''t think about other things like his pure white marble floor getting stained by the blood of the corpses. There''s also the smell that he needed to consider. He doesn''t want Song Yue to see the situation. So, he did the most logical thing that he can do.


    Sitting on the bed, Mark went to the factory''s testing grounds inside his mindscape. On level-3 one, thend was quite huge. So, he felt it was a good ce to put the corpses down and inspect them without worrying about anyone.

 Chapter 307 Lan Jingyi Confronts The Zheng (Part-1)

    More than 150 kilometers away from the Imperial City of Phoenix Empire, Lan Jingyi and Lan Ju were standing in front of each other, disying clear hostility on their faces. It looked like the fight is almost going to break up at any moment.


    But, before that, an exchange of dialogues is necessary, thought Lan Jingyi as she confronted the scarlet leopard about its appearance within the city, and that too, near her son.


    "What were you doing at the Imperial City, Lan Ju?"


    As Lan Jingyi tried to interrogate the zheng, thetter scowled in response, "What''s it to you, traitor?"


    "I told you not to call me that, Lan Ju." Lan Jingyi clenched her fist, trying her best to notunch an attack. Unlike Lan Jing, this scarlet leopard is in the same realm as her, clearly stronger than her regarding the magic power.


    Lan Ju then replied, "You, who abandoned your father''s legacy despite inheriting his power, are nothing more than a traitor in my eyes."


    "We have gone through that conversation already and I''m tired of listening to your unreasonable allegations." Lan Jingyi wasn''t interested in talking about the past and stressed the present situation once again, "Anyway, you haven''t answered my question yet. What are you doing at the Imperial City?"


    Lan Ju hit back with the same response, "Then, I will reply the same thing. What is it to you?"


    "Okay, let me rephrase my question. What are you doing at the Genesis Weapon store?" asked Lan Jingyi before adding, "I don''t see you being tied to any rtions apart from myte father for the past three decades."


    Lan Ju immediately caught on to her intention and said directly, "I don''t know what sort ofplex rtionship you had with Lu Zhen but I acknowledge his strength, valor, and bloodline. He will achieve something that you had thrown away. The revival of the Lan Sect will be a reality."


    "That''s never going to happen," snarled the Queen Consort as the ether energy rushed out of her body, forming ayer over her skin. "I will not let you drag my son into that messy business. Stay away from Shang Zen and return to where you havee from, the undyingnds."


    "Your son, Shang Zen, huh! No wonder¡­"


    All this while, Lan Ju has theories about Mark. Of them, two are the most logical ones.


    The first is that Lan Gengxin had an illicit rtionship with some other woman and secretly had a child with her. And Mark was the son of that child.


    The second theory is that Lan Jingyi herself had an affair with a man other than Emperor Shang and raised him in secret.


    This way, Mark could possess the bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus without a problem.


    It was only now he finally realized that Mark was an Imperial Prince born to Lan Jingyi and Shang Fu. Then, why the surname Lu? Is there a need to raise him in secret? Or maybe, he was being separated from his parents somehow and grew up in a household with the surname Lu? Lan Ju has a new theory but he wasn''t that curious to find out the truth.


    Anyways, without bothering to exin in detail about his meeting with Mark, Lan Ju replied to her warning, "I have epted him as my sect master and he has requested me to be the guardian of the sect. So, whether you like it or not, we will revive the Lan Sect once again. Now, if you excuse me, I will have to return. It is already midnight."


    After saying what he wants to say, the scarlet leopard turned out to walk away, but before he made even one step, Lan Jingyi teleported to the space before him and pushed forth her hand, releasing a tremendous volume of ice from her palm.


    Lan Ju leaped back and breathed out a sea of mes in mid-air to counter the ice. The zheng not only nullified her attack but also forced her to dodge it and flew into the sky.<sub> </sub>


    The zheng was about tond on the ground, but seeing that Lan Jingyi intends to have an aerial battle, he used the wind attribute and float in the air. This is the difference between Spirit beasts and Spirit Warriors.


    The spirit beasts cannot fly if they don''t have wings no matter what realm they are in. However, if they have wind attribute, they can float.


    On the other hand, the Spirit Warriors can fly regardless of their attribute after reaching the Supreme Realm.


    While it appeared that Lan Jingyi was in an advantageous position, one cannot forget that Zheng is a beast emperor. Lan Ju''s attack power or speed isn''t something that the Queen Consort can match it. So, in order to defeat him, she has to use several tricks.


    And since winning against the zheng is more important, Lan Jingyi didn''t want to hold back. She unleashed her second bloodline skill, the ice bolt.


    Conjuring ten spears of ice, Lan Jingyi caught one of them and flew toward the zheng at her peak speed.


    Lan Ju narrowed his eyes and erged its tails, using them as a fan to generate a gust of wind.


    The wind covered a wide range and rushed toward her at a speed of 510 kmph. It was really a violent wind.


    "Damn." Lan Jingyi realized that she can''t evade it. But, if she blocks it head-on, that will create an opening for the zheng to ambush her.


    Hence, she spun around and horizontally cut the wind with the spear, spinning around one more time before throwing it at the target. After releasing the ice spear, she caught the second ice spear and then threw it again.


    As someone extremely familiar with Lan Gengxin, this beast emperor knew all the characteristics of the bloodline skills of the Blizzard Pegasus. He cannot let the ice spear touch him and get frozen for a couple of moments. As those spears have a target lock function, the dodging option is also useless here.


    Hence, the zheng spat out a fireball in order to counter the ice spear, which covered more than a hundred meters distance between them in just a fraction of a second.


    Without any surprise, the ice spear waspletely melted by the fireball.


    Perhaps, Lan Jingyi already anticipated that her first attack would fail. That''s why she followed it with a second attack, which is considerably slower. However, Lan Ju didn''t have the time to spat another fireball.


    Therefore, the zheng stopped wind ability, letting himself freefall to gain the distance, and then let out a loud roar, creating a sonic boom through its mouth.


    Covering a wide range, the sonic boom first destroyed the ice spear into thousands of pieces and then continued to go toward the Queen Consort. She doesn''t have a way to counter sound technique and was forced to halt her movements, creating ayer of ether barrier over her body.


    The ripples of power sound wave, enough to destroy the eardrums of even an Exalt realm expert, were sessfully blocked by her defensive technique, although cracking the barrier in the process. Of course, she was also got pushed back a couple of dozen meters away.


    Stabilizing herself, she motioned her arms with an angry expression, "I have enough of your tricks. Merge¡­"

 Chapter 308 Lan Jingyi Confronts The Zheng (Part-2)

    All the remaining eight ice spears came together, merging to form a 50-meter giant and glowing ice spear before beingunched at the zheng, who justnded on the ground.


    "This woman wants to kill me or something?" The beast emperor sensed the power of the iing attack, which is almost at the same level as a novice immortal (low-11-circle). Compared to those yellow lightning strikes from the dark elves, it is considerably weaker but still, the attack can harm the zheng, who has a weak defense.


    Lan Ju turned serious and sharply stared at the iing ice spear. All of a sudden, an additional eye appeared on his forehead before conjuring a powerful beam of concentrated energy from his three eyes in the form of a prism.


    The beam of concentrated energy and the ice spear collided to create a giant explosion, ttening everything within the 8-kilometer radius. Because it urred at midnight, the soldiers at the Imperial City were naturally alerted.


    After destroying the opponent''s attack, the zheng raised his head to look at the woman from far away. "This unreasonable woman appeared to be quite protective of Lu Zhen. At the same time, it appears that he doesn''t have any idea of her strength. He was certainly surprised when I revealed that Lan Jingyi is in the Demigod realm. Whatever¡­ I don''t need to care about their personal problems anyway. It was theirs to solve, not mine.


    On the other hand, I need to resolve this current situation. What will be better? Making her realize that she isn''t a match for me or Teaching her a lesson so that she won''t dare to do such foolish acts? But, she isn''t just the daughter of my master. She is also Lu Zhen''s mother. What if he decides to go back on his promise for hurting his mother? Ugh¡­ these humans and theirplex emotions¡­"


    Lan Ju, the zheng was weighing his options on defending himself and going on the offensive.


    Meanwhile, Lan Jingyi, the Queen Consort who stabilized herself, also stared down at the scarlet leopard. She was frustrated by facing failure once again.


    "I guess I really have no other choice¡­"


    A determined Lan Jingyi raised her hand, summoning an exquisite recurve bow. It is made of Adamantium with slightly luminescent blue-green markings and thin strips of dark blue metal (mithril)cing through its limbs.


    It appeared that Lan Ju also recognized it at first nce. Staring at the majestic bow, he mumbled, "She finally took it out, the Apocalypse. But, did she master it?"


    "I''ll give you onest chance, Lan Ju. Return to your undyingnds and never return." Lan Jingyi warned him as she pulled the string. A scarlet ether energy arrow was conjured between her fingertips.


    "Such level of arrogance from an inherited power? How impudent you are, Lan Jingyi?" The zheng roared in response to her provocation.


    In the very next second, his body expanded to a hundred times bigger, bing a 230-foot monster with five giant tails. ring at the tiny woman floating in the sky, the zheng further said, "You really need some beating to get you back to your senses."


    As the zheng imbued ether energy into its tails, they disyed the characteristics of their attributes. One was burning in mes, one turned into flexible water, one was nothing in thick lightning sparks, one has a tornado swirling around it, and thest one turned into flexible but turned into rocky form.


    "Since you wanted to go all out, let''s finish this battle in one move."


    Looking at the giant leopard, Lan Jingyi dismissed the ether energy arrow and conjured another arrow.


    However, it was neither ether energy nor attribute energy. It was something else. This special arrow was made entirely of energy and colored the same shade of blue-green as its markings.


    The zheng sensed the power of an advanced stage immortal in the arrow, far stronger than the merged ice spear she fired earlier.


    "Arrow of the Jade Emperor, One of the three ultimate skills Lan Jingyi inherited from her father along with the cultivation." The zheng mumbled in seriousness as he poured ether energy into the tails once again.<sub> </sub>


    But, this time, the transformed tails started releasing attribute energy at the same time, creating some sort of giant sphere filled with the power of all five attributes. The power appeared to be in the same realm as the blue-green arrow of the Queen Consort.


    Because of the enormous magic power inside each of their skill attacks, people from even a hundred and fifty kilometers away, i.e. the patrolling soldiers of the Imperial City and the people living in the outer sect, were able to feel it. Of course, as the Imperial City is too far away, it didn''t disturb anyone''s sleep.


    It''s just that the earlier explosion alerted the soldiers and they didn''t feel like the matter is simple as they hoped it to be. The higher-ups, all the way to the Empress got reported on the matter.


    With the Emperor and the Supreme Commander away from the Imperial City, for the past few days, the Grand Secretariat took care of the affairs of the Empire. As the interim Emperor, he decided to deploy the soldiers, specifically the mages at midnight along with the Northern General, Ye Yin.


    The mages were ordered to spread all over the city to create a giant barrier all over the inner sector.


    Unfortunately, the poormoners living in the outer sector weren''t given such protection. It might be biased but that is how it is with the Imperial pce.


    As for Mark, his consciousness was in his factory''s testing grounds. He was unaware of the developments in the outside world.


    Back to the location where the battle is taking ce, the zheng was ready to fire its five-elemental sphere and Lan Jingyi was pulling the string as much as she can while aiming the ''Arrow of the Jade Emperor'' at her opponent.


    Upon sensing the power behind the five-elemental sphere, Lan Jingyi figured out that her attack won''t be able to beat it. However, she had two more ultimate skills as backup and she nned on unleashing them as soon as she released the arrow.


    "Die" *Roar*


    Both of them unleashed their skill attacks. Following the n, Lan Jingyi proceeded to conjure another arrow, which is made of translucent energy.


    "Sorry but it''s my¡­ Huh!"


    *Boom*


    In one second, both of the attacks collided, releasing more than a trillion joules or 1 terajoule of energy. It exceeded Lan Jingyi''s expectations by a lot and her eyes widened as she was about to hit by a wave of energy, "F**k."


    Lan Jingyi realized that she messed up big time. In her life, she never had fought against a demigod-level opponent and neither had she thought that the collision would release so much amount of energy.


    Her guess was in the two or three hundred billion range based on thest collision of their skill attacks that released fifty billion joules of energy. Realizing that she was so wrong in her calctions, Lan Jingyi hurriedly dismissed the arrow and proceeded on using all of her ether energy to create a defensive barrier.


    But, before she created the barrier and the wave of energy almost reached her, her vision was suddenly blocked by the giant scarlet leopard.


    She was grabbed tightly by the zheng while thetter''s back was hit by a wave of energy. Meanwhile, fifty kilometers of the surroundings were razed to the ground, destroying everything and killing everyone in the radius.


    Unfortunately, more than ten viges and theirbined four thousand innocent vigers were wiped out of existence.

 Chapter 309 Earnings From War Loot

    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    As thetest explosion threw the entire Imperial city and nearby towns into chaos, Mark was not moving from the spot with his consciousness still in the factor''s level-3 testing ground.


    Unlike the real world, here, there is no such thing as darkness. So, it looked like a bright day.


    This ce is originally for testing explosives and missiles, but at the moment, Mark was using it to line up the corpses before collecting each of their storage rings and other useful equipment as part of war loot.


    Once he collected their storage rings and weapons, he threw away all of their bodies in the same gold-grade storage ring before dismantling them. All 23 bodies were destroyed and he earned 384 credits.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to inspect the details of the corpses to understand who the zheng had killed. 7 of them are from the Iron Palm Sect, 5 belonged to the Tang Dynasty, 8 belonged to the Church of the Doom, 1 is a rogue adventurer from the Phoenix Empire, 1 is actually the deputy leader of the Mage guild, and thest one is surprisingly a thief with only 3-circle realm cultivation.


    The corpses of the Church of Doom''s elders satisfied him the most. He doesn''t know their real strength, but with losing so many elders along with the second grand elder, he was confident that he practically crippled the organization.


    It is a pity that their leader escaped but it is fine. Mark doesn''t want to disturb his mood with such things. As for the others, he didn''t care about their background.


    First of all, none of these killings will be traced back to him, and secondly, even if they did, he was no longer afraid of anyone under the Demigod realm whether the zheng is with him or not. And he highly doubts that a demigod woulde at him to take revenge for those people. Even if it happened, Mark still has the zheng. He can rely on the scarlet leopard.


    Anyways, after cleaning up the bodies, he then searched each storage ring, transferring the useful ones directly to the inventory. There was a satisfactory smile on his face as he looked at the gains.


    "From those 23 storage rings, I only earned about 146,158 gold coins but there are still 26124 ether crystals and ores. Man, these would even give me another breakthrough. Not to mention, 119 ether ores are even at peak quality. I didn''t know that peak quality ether even exists. After all, even high-quality crystals are hard to find in the market.


    If I think about it, all of those peak-grade ether ores came from the Tang Dynasty''s experts. So, I guess the Dragon Empire has such resources. If they can afford such precious things, then, the imperial family would be able to buy all the expensive weapons from my store.


    The only problem is that they don''t have anypetitors on their continent. For my business to thrive, conflicts or wars are necessary. The more unstable a ce will be, the more profits I would be able to make. Hence, the Leon Empire would be a better client as it was surrounded by several enemies."


    Apart from those gains, Mark also gained about 9 more semi-divine weapons, 4 advanced-grade Advancement pills, andstly, an Adamantium-made brocade box with mysterious symbols on it.


    Unfortunately, none of the semi-divine weapons are even of ruby quality, forcing him to dismantle them and earn a total of 2.2 million credits.


    Combined with the other 6 semi-divine weapons of elves which were dismantled for a total of 3.4 million credits, he earned about 5.6 million credits, easily covering up all of his expenditure (4 million) on the skills.


    "Okay, what should I do with this one?" He then clicked on the brocade box and looked at its details without taking it out of the inventory, fearing that it might react violently because of its grade.


    <strong>Unknown</strong>


    Grade: Diamond-God


    Description: A mysterious Adamantium-made item. It is difficult to assess its grade at the system''s present level. However, it was protected by high-ranking runes and spells, and could only be opened by the special key designed for it.<sub> </sub>


    <strong>*Ding! Would you like to exchange the "Unknown" item for 1 million credits?</strong>


    Since 1 million credits will help with nothing, Mark rejected the trade request and decided to keep it with him for a while. Since the box came from the thief''s storage ring, perhaps, he would be able to find its origins if he could investigate him and find his life story.


    Mark remembers the face of the thief, a young man in his early thirties, and also knows his name. So, he thought he could do it while iming that this thief had also stolen something from him.


    He didn''t keep too much expectation on finding its source as it is impossible that something of a divine grade item can fall into the hands of a 3-circle realm Spirit Warrior and he gets to live for even a day. The real owner would have enough sources to track it down to the thief. Or so, he thought.


    Closing down the window, Mark then proceeded to take out the ether ores to absorb their energy, leaving the refining to the system to do it in the background while he sleepster.


    For a whole hour, he greedily absorbed every bit of energy that is avable in the high-quality ether ores and some ether crystals, leaving the peak-grade ones in the inventory.


    By the time, the 60-minute time limit is over and he was forced to exit the factory, Mark absorbed about 188 ether ores and 64 high-quality ether crystals of different sizes.


    There are a lot of them left to be absorbed, but for now, he felt the need to rest. For a while, he went through happiness and followed by quick disappointments, a lot of times, but at the end of the day, Mark had a smile on his face while he slowly fell asleep.


    Meanwhile, far away from his store, at one of the peaks at Kunyu Mountain range;


    It was too dark in the surroundings with the moon hiding behind the dark clouds but Lan Jingyi has no problem with her sight as she sat before her father''s grave.


    "I''m really afraid to face the truth, you know. After a long time, I was not only able to see Shang Zhen with my own eyes but I could also talk to him. What if this fails and he will forever shun me? You tell me, Lan Ju. What will you do if you are in my ce?"


    Lan Jingyi was talking to the scarlet leopard that was sitting beside her. After the zheng saved her, getting injured in the process, the Queen Consort learned that Lan Ju will even sacrifice himself to keep her alive because of his loyalty to her father.


    After calming down, she epted her fault for abandoning him and the sect, exining the reasons behind her decision. Later on, after the zheng managed to heal his injuries, she followed him to the sect, where she was born and grew up.


    Later on, she opened up her worries to the beast emperor, whom she once treated as her eldest brother.


    The zheng patiently listened to her past that involves Lu Zhen and stated his own opinion on the matter, starting with scolding her, "You are truly a coward. You are afraid of being targeted by your n and didn''t continue your father''s legacy. Now, you are afraid of getting rejected by your own son and wanted to y hide and seek with him.


    I''m a demigod-level beast emperor, Jingyi. I can live for ten millennia. If not Lu Zhen, then, I can still pin my hopes on his descendant or your daughter''s descendant. My oath to master will not be changed. As long as I live, I will wait for a worthy heir to revive the sect. My thoughts aren''tplicated as you humans.


    However, you, on the other hand, were too indecisive. You took three decades to clear the misunderstandings with me when the matter isn''t even that big deal to worry about.


    I didn''t spend too much time with Lu Zhen but as far as I can tell, he isn''t the type to run away from the problem nor does he appear like a narrow-minded fool.


    Since he already knew the truth but still kept silent on the matter while allowing your daughter to work in his store, it clearly indicates that nothing will be changed as long as you don''t make it public. That''s what I think but it''s better to make it clear to him. Unless you don''t know his issue, how could you find the solution?"

 Chapter 310 The Second Princes Pending Order

    The next day, early in the morning, the Emperor learned of the matter as soon as he woke up and decided to stop leisurely traveling on a long route, teleporting to the Imperial Pce along with the second prince and Bai Xun. Song Tai went on his way toward his home.


    Without wasting any time, he summoned all the ministers to the courtroom to discuss the matters of the powerful energy explosion, which urred not so far away from the Imperial City where nearly 3.5 million citizens were living.


    Of course, the deaths of four thousand vigers also cannot be ignored by the Emperor. However, as he doesn''t have the strength to apprehend those criminals who were probably Demigods from the legends, all he can do is providepensation to the direct family members of the victims.


    The Queen consort felt guilty about the casualties that urred because of her battle with the zheng but she was neither an upright person nor a fool to reveal the truth and surrender herself. Not to mention, for her, the most pressing issue is to admit the truth to her son. She was already bothered by it and doesn''t want to think about the lives of the vigers. In her view, her husband is already dealing with it.


    Hence, she kept her silence and behaved like herself as usual.


    While this was going on in the Imperial city, there were emergency meetings held at other locations, specifically, the Iron Palm Sect, Tang Dynasty''s Imperial pce, Church of Doom, and Mage guild''s HQ in Leon Empire.


    Even outside of the world, located in a higher ne of existence, the elders of the Dark Elf tribe of the Ixitus Empire were discussing the possible reasons behind the deaths of their members.


    Now, every single one of those forces wanted to investigate the deaths of their elites and intends to turn the Phoenix Empire upside down for the results.


    And the person, indirectly responsible for this mess, was happily continuing to lead his life as a weapon seller during the day while nning his next four weeks during the night.


    And so, three days passed away in a blink of an eye.


    <strong>Genesis Weapon Store, Imperial City;</strong>


    The business is doing well during the past few days with 400-500 gold coins of worth transactions every day.


    Chang Bo continued to do his job as an employee of the store.


    Shang Jiao was attending daily at 6 o''clock and served as a store employee like Chang Bo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


    As for 6 to 8 in the morning, she was training with Mark.


    Originally, his fianc¨¦e also wanted to train in firearms and he nned to teach her personally while leaving the princess to Alina.


    But, to his surprise, Alina insisted on training Song Yue reasoning that her precise techniques will hurt the ego of a 6-circle realm expert and an imperial princess like Shang Jiao.


    Mark bought Alina''s excuse and handed her the training of Song Yue, disappointing thetter.


    Meanwhile, the Lin n''s heiress once again resumed her sword practice with Allen.


    With the training ground quite big, all three parties werefortably doing their own thing without getting in the way of the other two.


    Like the past three days, Mark returned to the store after finishing the morning training with his sister.


    The store was opened at 9 o''clock and he became busy creating the weapons, leaving the operations of the store to hispanions.


    As Mark was going to upgrade the system soon enough, he thought it would be better to load the storage chamber with the firearms and bullets. Because of the time-consuming process of creating 9mm bullets, he stopped working on them for the moment and focused on creating bigger ones like the 7.62 mm, which he could create in bulk.


    This move can make him lose a lot of customers as the majority of them operate revolvers, single-shot pistols, and semi-automatic handguns. But, he can''t afford to think about those losses and work on something more productive like assault rifles.


    It was around 3 o''clock in the afternoon. Sitting in one of the weapons'' chambers, Mark was in the middle of creating more Ak-47s and Ak-203s, increasing the stock.


    Knowing that there will be little to no customers at this time, the second prince visited the store. Chief Eunuch tagged along with him.<sub> </sub>


    Mark stopped his work immediately upon being informed by Chang Bo and he got out of the room to meet his half-brother.


    Shang Wen nodded as he calmly greeted Mark, "Lu Zhen." The chief eunuch, on the other hand, was all smiles as if he was in a great mood.


    Mark returned the greetings with a smile, "Greetings, Your Highness, and Chief Eunuch Yang. Wee to Genesis Weapon Store."


    Without wasting the time with unnecessary pleasantries, the second prince opened up the matter directly, "We are here for a number of things. First, let''splete the transaction."


    The One-million gold coins worth of order was supposed to be delivered a long time ago but the situation didn''t permit Shang Wen to visit the store until now.


    "200 Panzers ¨C 100,000 gold coins


    200 Ak-47 ¨C 20,000 gold coins


    100,000 rounds (7.62mm) ¨C 100,000 gold coins


    200 Grenade Launchers ¨C 100,000 gold coins


    10,000 grenades (40mm) ¨C 50,000 gold coins


    100 smoke grenades (radius: 100m) ¨C 10,000 gold coins


    300 Tear gas grenades (affected area: 500k cubic meters) ¨C 30,000 gold coins


    100 Molotov cocktail ¨C 10,000 gold coins


    500 Rocketunchers ¨C 500,000 gold coins


    1000 Warheads (110mm) ¨C 50,000 gold coins


    100 M99 ¨C 25,000 gold coins


    10,000 rounds (12.7mm) ¨C 10,000 gold coins."


    **


    "Please check your items and all of them amounted to 1,005,000 gold coins. And those storage rings areplimentary. So, you don''t need to return them. Thank you."


    Mark had pre-arranged everything neatly in 21 gold-grade storage rings, long ago and was waiting to give him when an opportunity arrives. If not for the system''s rule, he would have given it 6 days ago when he went to the campsite. But, he can only transact at the weapon store or deliver the weapons to the door if he receives the full advance payment.


    Anyways, once the second prince checked the ordered items and gave the gold-grade ring filled with 1005 gold bars, each one weighing 10kg and worth 1000 gold coins. This wasn''t the first time he received gold bars as a payment. Earlier for the auctioned items, the Emperor also paid the amount with gold bars too. So, he wasn''t that surprised to see them.


    Once the pending transaction was over, the second prince followed it up with a new order. It wasn''t a lengthy list as the previous one. It is just one line. The Imperial Pce needed 100 more lightbat aircraft. The cost of the order is about 5 million gold coins and is considered the first installment of their 100-million pledge.


    Mark only needs 6 seconds to make them, but as he wants them to think thatbat aircraft are too difficult to procure, he said that he will deliver them within 6 months of time.


    The second prince was satisfied with the answer and then asked about the training. Mark promised that Allen will soon visit the Imperial Pce to inform them.


    "Alright¡­" The second prince nodded and then looked at the person beside him. "Chief Eunuch Yang."

 Chapter 311 On The Eve Of Marks Departure

    "Your Highness." The eunuch bowed to him and then handed a tinum-grade storage ring to Mark, "this contains thepensation of 2 million gold coins, 8 million gold coins worth of money, and 7 million gold coins worth of ether crystals and ores. And His Majesty has also sent a semi-divine grade item as a token of gratitude."


    Along with the storage ring, the eunuch also handed a scroll to Mark. It is a formal letter from the Emperor, not something to be paid attention to.


    "So, I heard that you are leaving the city for a while? My sister told me." The second prince sat down for a casual talk, knowing that Mark won''t be around for the next four weeks.


    Mark nced at Shang Jiao and then nodded, "it''s been a while since I have constantly been working and Song Yue was also feeling bored by staying at home all the time. So, I thought it would be better to take a long vacation."


    "Both of us and Mr. ck Knight were going on this trip, Brother Wen." Song Yue joined in the conversation to support Mark''s statement. In reality, she knew that her fianc¨¦ only spoke half-truth. The other half contained his business trip to the Western Moon kingdom and Eastern Sun kingdom with another expert tagging along with them.


    However, if she had to be honest, her feelings were rather mixed.


    On one hand, she wanted just the two of them to go on the trip without any unwanted third wheel. Lately, she came to love the moments when they were chatting together about normal things.


    On the other hand, she was conscious of the fact that she sees Mark as a man, not a sibling or something. Since a proper rtionship has yet to be established between them, there was this thin invisible wall between them.


    Anyways, back to the conversation, Shang Wen talked about the developments of the new Firearms division that the Imperial army has implemented recently. Hundreds of civilians were recruited from outside the army and were currently being trained in usual physical exercises and tactics.


    Mark promised that he can supply the needed ammunition and equipment in time as long as they aren''t 9mm caliber. He also made an informal request of procuring huge amounts of plumbum (lead) and brimstone (sulfur) for the increased production of a weakened 9mm version.


    Shang Wen was ted upon learning that these new ordinary bullets will only cost 4 silver coins and will even cost much lower if he provides the raw materials. He thought they might be helpful in dealing with ordinary civilian criminals without spending many funds. He nodded, "Whatever you need, send the list to the Imperial Pce. We will provide everything."


    Soon, the second prince and the chief eunuch left the store, Mark continued with business as usual.


    Slowly, the sun has set in the west, and the closing time arrived. Before the two teenagers leave, he talked to the two of them, informing them of their immediate future linked to the store.


    "Shang Jiao, you are free from the punishment and no longer needed to work in the store. As for the training, you can only consult General Shang from now onwards in case you are still interested. I express my gratitude for putting aside your ego and working for our store like a normal person."


    As Mark indirectly implied that she needed to get back to her princess life, thetter felt sad that she might not be able to meet her brother on daily basis. She med herself for not trying hard enough to get close to her brother. But, she wasn''t the type to listen to the orders and say "yes".


    "Owner Lu," The princess responded immediately with a request, "if you don''t mind, can I still visit the store once in a while and work like before? I kinda liked the feeling of you know, working like a civilian, and also to chat with Sister Yue."


    Mark was a little bit taken aback by her request and he pondered on it. But, before he gave his answer, Song Yue agreed on his behalf, "Of course, Xiao Jiao. You are like family. You cane at any time."


    Originally, if it is the same Mark as a month ago, he would have winced at Song Yue''s remark. He doesn''t want to acknowledge that anyone from the Imperial family is a family member to him, but after getting to her better for the past couple of weeks, he doesn''t hate her a bit.


    At the same time, he didn''t want to get too close to her because of his revenge against his parents, or more specifically, his mother who has the power to change any situation in the empire but refuses to do it and even stayed like a civilian for decades.<sub> </sub>


    And now that Song Yue had already spoken, he didn''t feel like it would be good to say no. Hence, he agreed in the end, "I don''t mind it."


    Shang Jiao felt happy and let out a wide smile.


    Mark then shifted his attention to the welpire, "Chang Bo, in our absence, you will be the interim manager of the store. Whatever you need, you can find them on either the shelves or in the storage room. If any weapon isn''t avable, you can take it as an advanced order in case the customer would wait for our return."


    He already informed Chang Bo about it a day ago. So, thetter wasn''t surprised and nodded firmly, "You can count on me, Boss."


    "Good." Mark nodded and gave him the key to the store before sending the two of them away.


    Once they were gone, he then instructed the Androids, "Alina, you can work on the restaurant business. I know that a hundred thousand gold coins will be more than enough to buy the store and procure all the necessary ingredients for a whole month but still, make sure to spend it wisely."


    "Affirmed, Big Brother." Alina nodded with a smile. She was determined to make her restaurant business, a strongpetitor to the leading restaurants in the city.


    Mark then looked at the other Android, "Allen, I want you to search for your own hobby, looking for the things you like to do."


    "Rozumim, Velky Bratr" Allen saluted, confusing Song Yue a little bit. From time to time, she observed that Allen would speak in a differentnguage using a strange ent, often making her wonder whether it is some sort of ancientnguage Mark learned from his mysterious friend.


    On the other hand, Mark already came to the terms with Allen''s obsession with using Czech while he was talking to him. He actually liked to hear his mother tongue from the Android and let him do what he wants.


    Anyways, the night passed away and dawn arrived.


    In an LMV, Mark sat in the driving seat while Song Yue sat beside him with the golden-furred cat in her arms. ck Knight aka Song Yun shared the backseat with the 8-circle beast king, manticore.


    Lin Xue and Shang Jiao, the two of them came to the store early in the morning to send them off. Chang Bo also reported to duty early for the same reason.


    Once the vehicle disappeared from their sight, Lin Xue looked at Allen, "shall we begin our sparring?"


    Allen nodded, "let''s go."


    As the both of them walked toward the training ground for the sword fight, Shang Jiao said to the welpire, "Chang Bo, I''ll help you with the store until Brother, I mean, Owner Lu returns."


    "Thanks a lot." Chang Bo bowed slightly with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 312 Soul, The Organization Of Assassins

    <strong>Around 3:50 p.m., somewhere in the busy street of the slums, located in the outer sector of the Imperial City;</strong>


    Two men, disguised with masks and hoods, entered a seemingly ordinary-looking inn named "Chengwang".


    One of them pinched his nose and expressed his disgust as he looked around the ce, "this ce is stinking so much. Are you sure we came to the right ce?"


    The other man nodded, "Please bear for a while, master. We will return soon."


    "Fine. But, this needs to be done quickly. If I stay for ten minutes in this disgusting slum, I would get sick." The servant''s master couldn''t bear the sight of poor hygiene. He might be a rich guy.


    Anyways, soon, both of them walked to the reception desk where the manager is sitting. She''s a middle-aged woman who is nearly 8.3 ft tall and wider than both of thembined. One of the hooded men flinched when he saw this monster in human skin.


    The servant then spoke to the manager, "We are here for the sky-bourning wine. I heard that you sell a genuine one."


    The giant woman narrowed her eyes as she heard those words. She asked, "It is quite expensive. Are you sure that you can afford it?"


    The servant politely answered, "We are prepared to buy it at any cost."


    "Alright. Then, follow me to the underground wine cer."


    The woman was then personally escorted to the underground where wines from centuries away were preserved.


    Once she confirmed that no one else is spying, the manager asked the both of them, "Okay, now, you may reveal your identities."


    Both of them took off their masks, revealing their identities. It is the crown prince and his loyal bodyguard.


    While Shang Zexi is indeed a high-profile person, the manager was calm as she addressed the both of them, "alright. Before going to them, I will have to warn both of you to not negotiate the prices or speak in a condescending tone. Or else, you might not make it back."


    Shang Zexi furrowed his brows in displeasure. He was the crown prince. How dare this woman talk to him this way? The woman might look big but she isn''t even a Spirit Warrior. With his 6-circle realm cultivation, he can kill her in the blink of an eye. So, shouldn''t she mind her tone?


    He felt insulted and clenched his fist but the servant caught his arm, indicating him to stay silent.


    Shang Zexi forced himself to calm down and simply nodded.


    "Good."


    The woman then walked to one of the walls with the mark of arge hand engraved on it. She ced he hand and it glowed for a couple of seconds before the wall door slid to the right, revealing a staircase that leads down to somewhere.


    "Follow me."


    As the three of them entered the dark space, the door closed, and they continued to walk down the stairs.


    It took them five minutes to reach the floor with dim-lit surroundings. Then, they started walking. The ce looked like an underground maze with several tunnels leading to either somewhere or a dead end.


    Eventually, after another ten minutes of walking, they entered a stone chamber where a mysterious hooded figure sitting behind a desk. There was nothing else in the room.


    Neither Shang Zexi nor his servant felt the presence of ether from this stranger but the fact that the ce appeared quite mysterious made the crown prince adhere to the warnings and controlled his tongue.


    The hooded figure gestured for the woman to leave. The manager bowed and stood outside of the chamber and closed the door.<sub> </sub>


    The hooded figure then spoke to the clients in a raspy voice, "Speak of the target name and basic information."


    Shang Zexi answered, "Shang Wen, the second prince. I believe that is enough."


    The hooded figure nodded and then asked, "How do you want his death to be, and what is the time limit?"


    Shang Zexi took a deep breath and answered, "I need you to kill him in 4 days of time and handover me the corpse. How he dies is not of concern to me. But, all of his body parts should stay intact."


    "2 million gold coins," replied the hooded figure, taking the crown prince by surprise.


    "Are you kidding us?" Shang Zexi red up in anger, right away. He was prepared to pay any amount but even then, he couldn''t ept such a high figure. He felt like they were scamming him by being all mysterious. "He is just an Exalt realm Spirit Warrior, not a Supreme Being. Don''t dare to mess with me. Do you know who I am?"


    The hooded figure raised his head, revealing his stitched blind eyes and a frail-looking face with freckles. It looks a bit frightening but what follows that turned even more frightening for the prince.


    Metal spikes came out of nowhere and pierced the bodies of the crown prince and his servant without hurting their vitals butpletely paralyzing them.


    "I know who you are, Prince Zexi."


    Not only the crown prince was paralyzed but even his ether energy stopped circting in his body. It was as if his cultivation was sealed.


    There was a sharp pain all over his body due to the abrupt piercings from the metal spikes but the word couldn''t escape his mouth. It was the same case for his servant too.


    The public, friends, allies, or even close rtives only knows this guy as a peak-6-circle realm Spirit Warrior. Only Shang Zexi and his mother, the Empress, were aware that he is actually at an intermediate stage of the 7-circle realm, not strong as Bai Xun but powerful enough to keep the crown prince from any kind of danger.


    But, now, even he was helpless against the blind fellow sitting before them. He wanted to apologize and beg for mercy but he couldn''t move his mouth either.


    Thankfully, for them, the hooded figure retracted his power in just ten seconds while warning them not to scream.


    Both of them wanted to scream out loud in pain as the spikes are out but held the pain as the hooded figure exined the reasoning behind the exorbitant amount of fee, "First of all, the second prince isn''t a simple Exalt realm Spirit Warrior. He has awakened the Phoenix Bloodline. To finish him cleanly, we will employ a legendary realm expert of atleast advanced stage. Secondly, he possessed the fire seed of high quality. If you don''t want our assassin to loot his storage ring, then, you must pay 2 million gold coins. We don''t need any advance payment and will only take it after the job is done."


    Shang Zexi fell silent. Now that he experienced the power of this blind expert, he developed more confidence in this hidden organization. In the end, after much thinking, he then asked as politely as possible, "If I want Shang Wei, the third prince, also to die in the meantime, how much more it will cost?"


    "If you want us to assassinate him after you acquire the fire seed, then, it will be a hundred thousand gold coins," replied the hooded figure before he took a three-second pause to think and then said, "But, before that, it will cost 5 million gold coins. ording to our information, his path to the throne will be clear after awakening the Phoenix Bloodline."


    "So much of difference, huh? But then again, it is reasonable." After being taught a lesson, Shang Zexi appeared to be more understanding toward this member of the organization named "Soul". He then asked as an afterthought, "what about Lu Zhen? You must have known about him."


    In response to that question, the hooded figure rejected it right away, "No one in our organization will take that assignment even if you offer 100 million."


    Shang Zexi heard about Mark''s acquaintance, a peak-stage Supreme realm expert. Hence, he wanted to probe into the strength of the organization. As the blind fellow said that the organizationcks the capability to take out Mark, he wondered whether he should put aside his ego and befriend the weapon seller.


    Putting away his thoughts, the crown prince said, "I guess we will talk again after this job is done."


    "In four days, you will hear the news of Shang Wen''s death," replied the hooded figure.


    Soon, the crown prince and his servant left the inn, returning to the Imperial pce by taking a roundabout way to hide their tracks.

 Chapter 313 Marks First Stop - The City Of Lunaris

    <strong>Kunyu Mountain Range;</strong>


    The light multirole vehicle was slowly and steadily moving through the mountain trails and came to stop at the foot of Lan Mountain''s Violet peak.


    Looking at the trail ahead, Mark mumbled, "Just like I expected, I guess it is no longer possible for the vehicle to go. n B."


    He nced to his side. Song Yue was sleeping with her head resting on the window ss.


    She looks damn beautiful from the side angle. For a while, he just stared at her in silence. Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face.


    However, it didn''tst long as he heard a couple of knocks from behind. Mark turned his head but he couldn''t see the ck Knight because of the monitor and all the other wirings in the middle.


    Mark slowly opened the door without disturbing Song Yue and got outside. He opened the door and looked at the sleeping manticore and the ck Knight.


    He first spoke to the ck Knight in a low tone, "We will wait here."


    The ck Knight replied through his usual writing in the air with ether energy, "Alright."


    Mark then woke up the beast king, giving it some real work for the first time. Since its loyalty toward him is still 38%, he had to talk with it beforehand.


    And the manticore understood as soon as it woke up.


    Mark pointed at the top of the peak, "He is there."


    Baltrow got out of the vehicle and pped its wings to the graveyard located above at the peak of the mountain, carrying Mark''s message to Zheng.


    Before the zheng beast left his ce, he also talked about this trip but didn''t tell the time as he wasn''t sure whether the second prince will visit the store after three days or seven days.


    Whatever the case, the beast emperor has already agreed to his n, and the moment he met with the Baltrow, Lan Ju understood that it is time and he didn''t even bother to ask the manticore about its identity. Lan Ju scanned the surroundings and found Mark''s position immediately.


    After saying goodbye to the graves, he followed the manticore back to the vehicle.


    The five-seater vehicle''s strange appearance surprised Lan Ju at first but thetter also knew that there was nothing ordinary about Mark. So, he tried adjusting to the situation and went on with the flow, "So, where are we headed first, Lu Zhen?"


    Mark answered, "We''ll go to Lunaris City to meet King Shen Niu. From there, we''ll sail in the ship."


    "Ship?" Lan Ju was curious to know what Mark is nning but he wasn''t the type to dig into the details just to satisfy his curiosity anyway. "Okay." As he nodded, Mark asked the manticore to shift to the 5th seat behind the left backseat. As for the space behind the right backseat, it was allocated to the storage chamber.


    As Lan Ju entered the vehicle and took his seat, he became more confused about the wirings, control systems, and the monitor that is disying the outside world. He felt fascinated yet confused at the same time. Nevertheless, he didn''t question anything and just said hello to the other passenger beside him.


    Song Yun was already ufortable with a legendary-realm beast king sitting beside him. And now, there was even a stronger expert sitting beside him.


    When he heard the news of a mysterious Supreme realm expert who helped Mark in defeating theva golem, a few days ago, Song Yun thought that this guy might be the same.


    But, what is he doing at the Lan Sect of the ces? Song Yun has no idea but he knew that he isn''t in a position to ask something. So, he kept his thoughts to himself and stayed quiet. Meanwhile, the manticore was staring at the back of Lan Ju''s head and it looked a bit confused. Lan Ju looked like a human from head to toe but he smells like a mighty beast to it. But, at the same time, due to Lan Ju''s contract with Mark, the manticore didn''t sense any threat from the stranger either. If anything, it felt that Lan Ju is an ally.<sub> </sub>


    Mark got back into his seat and started the engine. Taking a deep breath, he thought, "Okay, adding with the suit and the new skills, I have enough protection now. Let''s think about the next breakthrough, a monthter. I don''t need to be in a rush. Alina will take care of Feng Wu''s matter. I just need to spend these 30 days wisely."


    Opening the stat panel, he proceeded to click on the upgrade.


    <strong>*Ding! The system will be upgraded from level-3 to level-6 and needs 30 days of time. During this time, all the system''s functions will be turned off. Proceed?</strong>


    "Yes"


    <strong>*Ding! The system upgrade has started.</strong>


    With the required things stored in his tinum-grade storage ring, which was earlier given by the second prince, Mark doesn''t feel like he would miss the inventory function. So, the impact this upgrade would fall on him will be negligible. Or so he thought as he reversed the vehicle and then continued his journey to his first destination.


    He drove for a few hours and then set up a tent with a bonfire nearby a river in the Western Moon kingdom before having dinner and resting until the morning.


    Of course, Mark and Song Yue didn''t sleep together in one tent. Song Yue slept alone with the beast king guarding her. Song Yun apanied the manticore while Mark and Lan Ju took a rest in the bunker bed, located in the back chamber of the howitzer.


    As for the LMV, it was just parked on the side since people can only sleep in the sitting position inside this vehicle. Fortunately, everyone in this party of five had the experience of sleeping in the wild. Hence, no one has a troubling sleep.


    The next day, at 3 o''clock in the morning, they packed up and continued their journey.


    In three hours, they reached the city and entered a prestigious inn named after the moon goddess, Chang''e or Chang Er.


    ***


    <strong>Lunaris City, Western Moon Kingdom;</strong>


    The royal pce was looking sparklingly clean even from a distance with hundreds of servants giving their best for the past three days.


    King Shen Niu looked anxious as he was walking back and forth in the entrance hall of the pce while kept ncing at the door.


    Shen Ling came to him and reported, "The preparations for the lunch were done and the chief cook Wang confirmed that there are no problems with the taste. Our fabled Crescent wine was also carefully brought to the kitchen."


    "What is its age?" asked the king.


    The princess answered, "78 years."


    "Good." Shen Niu responded with a satisfactory nod andmented, "Crescent Wine tastes best when preserved for 75-80 years. I hope the guests would like it."


    Shen Ling shook her head with a smile, feeling that it is so stupid, "Baba, my husband doesn''t care about such things. You don''t need to be too nervous."


    "Your husband?" The king red at her. "I have yet to talk to him about it and you already decided that he is yours? This is the problem with you, intellects. You get too overconfident in your schemes that you don''t even worry about failure."


    "Baba, we should turn even a miserable situation into an opportunity for sess," replied the princess. The King shook his head, feeling that his daughter lost her IQ because of her crush on the weapon seller.

 Chapter 314 The Six Demigods Of The World

    At around 11 o''clock in the morning, the light multirole vehicle arrived at the royal pce.


    Western Moon''s Prime Minister Zhu and other important officials were waiting for him at the entrance.


    As Mark slide down the window and looked outside, he saw the familiar face. He opened the door and stepped outside while telling the remaining people to stay inside.


    "Greetings, Lord Lu." Zhu Jianhong gave a 90-degree bow alongside the other soldiers stationed there. Mark was never greeted with this much respect before. So, he was a little bit taken aback but controlled his calm expression and nodded, "Thank you for the hospitality, Mr. Zhu. Shall we go?"


    As the soldiers moved aside, Mark got back into the vehicle and drove through the entrance, eventually reaching the impressive white marble building, shining brightly.


    The King, the princess, the ufortable Queen, and another ufortable prince who is the nephew of the king; all of them appeared to be waiting outside the pce as the doors of the vehicle opened and the people got outside.


    In an instant, a trace of surprise appeared on several of them. They were only prepared to wee Mark and probably his servants.


    But, the King never expected that alongside Mark, there will be others that he didn''t know.


    There''s his beautiful fianc¨¦e who appeared to have lost in thoughts while staring at Shen Ling; there''s an average build but has knight''s armor from head to toe and this guy is even in the 7-circle realm; a middle-aged looking fellow who gives off the same vibe of a Supreme realm expert that he once met; a cute kitten but is of emperor grade that he heard of; finally, a beast king of the legendary realm.


    Just the manticore is alone to turn the whole kingdom upside down. But, why did Mark bring such powerful figures to his pce and intimidate them when this was a friendly visit? The king didn''t understand Mark''s motives.


    On the other hand, Shen Ling''s smile only grew wider as she saw the group. She wasn''t that affected by them at all.


    The King greeted them and escorted everyone into the pce. They sat down in the main room that is connected to the entrance hall. The spotless room was decorated with floral wallpapers, high-quality paintings on them, ster decorations for the ceiling, crystal chandeliers, etc¡­


    As this isn''t the first time he came here, Mark could see the changes. But, he wasn''t as attentive to it as Song Yue or the golden-furred kitten. Mark''s focus is on the king.


    Being familiar with Shen Niu, he made the introductions of his people. He introduced Lan Ju as Wu Weibao in order to hide his rtion to the Lan sect.


    The instant he heard the name, Shen Niu cupped his fists immediately and greeted him. Obviously, as a ruler of a kingdom, he would know what happened in the neighboring territories. This was also why he was giving so much respect to Mark.


    And that also means that he heard of Wu Weibao''s name. He suspected it when he saw him at the entrance but now that he confirmed his identity, it became difficult for the king to keep his calm in Lan Ju''s presence.


    "Actually¡­ we would have invited you¡­ invited you in person for the favor¡­ the help you knowingly¡­ I mean, unknowingly did it on us. I mean the Church of Doom¡­ you killed them¡­ Sorry, I''m just¡­ because of the heat you know¡­ Hahaha¡­"<sub> </sub>


    As the king suddenly turned into a timid person, confusing Mark and others, Princess Shen Ling took over the position of the host and spoke, "What my father wants to say is that once again you did a favor to our kingdom by taking out the elders of the Church of Doom."


    "It''s not a big deal." Mark waved his hand in response, understanding why the king suddenly became tense. He further said to the King, "as long as their leader is alive, the threat still exists. I actually didn''t know that he was there, at that time. Or else, we would pursue him and kill him for sure. Anyway, sooner orter, I will finish the job. So, you don''t need to worry about it, King Shen Niu."


    "I hope so¡­" the King let out an awkward smile but the princess appeared to have different opinions. "No, Mr. Lu. It''s not that simple. No disrespect to Venerable Wu but even a demigod will be helpless if he wants to enter the Tower of Doom and kill Yan Hai."


    "What do you mean?" Mark furrowed his brows. Isn''t the church of doom''s leader only a Supreme realm expert? Is there anything special about this tower? Defense skills like his store, perhaps? He wondered.


    The princess then looked at her mother, who sat quietly like she doesn''t even exist, "It is best if she exins it."


    The Queen was slightly surprised by how her daughter suddenly pushed her into the talk. She looked at her husband, who suddenly frown at the mention of her name, and then spoke, "The elders of the church of doom speak of the existence of the ancient guardian who came to thisnd following Yan Hai.


    The tower of doom wasn''t actually constructed by the builders like the public thinks it is. It actually came along with this ancient guardian in the form of miniature size.


    The tower of doom is the disguised form of the divine grade weapon of the ancient guardian, who is said to sleep in his special coffin all the time in order to prolong his life and look for a way to break through and be immortal.


    No one has any idea of the abilities of the tower but one thing is for sure. It is that every elder of the church believes that as long as they are in the tower, they are safe unless an immortal from another world is attacking them.


    But, forget about immortals, our world didn''t even have a sufficient number of Supreme realm experts."


    "Okay, you have said enough, Queen Tan." The King responded coldly, addressing her in a formal way, as soon her exnation was finished. Mark caught Shen Ling slightly smiling and when their eyes met, she quickly wiped it off away from her face.


    She knew that his hatred for her will remove his suddenly developed timidness because of the mysterious expert. So, she involved her mother in the conversation. And just as she expected, King Shen Niu returned to his usual self and joined the conversation. "Anyway, with the deaths of several elders, Yan Hai won''t act for a while. But, the real problem is the Dragon Empire. Mr. Lu, I won''t ask whether you are responsible for the deaths of the Tang Dynasty''s ancestor, suprememander, and his men, but if I were you, I would be careful.


    To my knowledge, only six demigod realm beings exist in this world. Of them, four are only beasts namely, the zheng of Kunyu, the Kun of the ocean, the Werewolf lord of the beast empire, and the dragon emperor of the Bloodhill.


    Of the remaining two, one is the ancient guardian of the church of doom, and the other is the founder of the dragon empire, Tang Yuan. And the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty wouldn''t keep silent after hearing about the death of his ancestor. We shouldn''t be surprised if he bothers Tang Yuan to action personally."


    After listening to all the exnations, Mark onlymented one word, "interesting."

 Chapter 315 Either Marry My Daughter Or Cut Ties With Us

    <strong>Roughly about 80 minutester;</strong>


    The lunch was finished and everyone except for Mark went to their respective guest rooms.


    He was sitting in a private chamber, chatting with the king and princess.


    "Well, at the moment, I''m on a vacation. So, the ns of opening the branch store will have to wait for a few weeks," replied Mark when asked about the store''s status. The royal family has already hired the required staff members. So, they were waiting for the opening.


    While this piece of news slightly disappointed Shen Niu, it is not on the main agenda. Hence, he threw it away to the back of his mind and proceeded to speak about something else. "It''s alright. The store can wait. Our hands are already full of those panzers and howitzers.


    Speaking of which, we would really like to order more ammunition for the howitzers in the near future, like 1000 of them. So, I was hoping that you would start procuring them from your manufacturer and have them in stock so that, you know, we don''t have to wait for too long."


    At the moment, Mark cannot create anything even if he wanted. So, he cannot do what Shen Niu wants. But then again, there''s nothing wrong to give empty promises to strangers like him, anyway.


    Hence, he nodded, "alright, I''ll see what I can do."


    "Okay, thanks." Shen Niu went silent for a while before he started another topic, "So, from here to Nanqu ind, huh? If you need any help with the construction, don''t hesitate to¡­"


    Before he finished his sentence, the princess hurriedly grabbed his arm and shook it, "Baba¡­ Don''t stall the matter¡­"


    "Hmm?" Mark looked at her and then observed her father. The king looked like he was suddenly being bothered by something.


    "What is it, King Shen?" Mark asked.


    "It''s nothing¡­ you know¡­ how the world is¡­ people doing marriages, some people love each other, some people get arranged by their parents... Emperor Shang married four times like that¡­ I, on the other hand, married only once because I thought I can only marry the one I love. In the end, she turned out to be an evil witch who plotted behind my back¡­"


    As the king was stammering about whateveres to his mind while trying to slowly get into the matter, the princess interrupted him once again, "Baba, shall I do the talking?"


    "No way." The King almost raised his voice as he rejected her idea. "It is inappropriate."


    Mark started to wonder what they are getting at. What is inappropriate?


    Taking a deep breath, Shen Niu turned serious as he spoke, "Lu Zhen, I will be straight with you. I want my daughter to be married to the fourth prince of the Kun Empire who has the highest possibility to be the emperor.


    However, she has taken a liking to you and wanted to marry you instead."


    "Eh? She wants to marry me?" Mark was taken aback and looked at the princess, who then nodded, "Yes, that''s true. I believe that you are the perfect spouse for me."


    "But, we have only met two times until now. She knows nothing about me at all," thought Mark as he heard her words.


    He didn''t expect the princess to fall in love with him. He couldn''t help but wonder whether it is because of his actions that saved her father or something. In old fairy tales, it usually happens like that. Whenever a princess or her parents get saved by a strong and good-looking protagonist, she will fall in love with him.


    But then again, his impression of her so far tells that she might have decided to marry him because of his ability to kill supreme beings.


    Mark was about to ask her the reason but the king decided to continue to speak his opinion on the matter without giving him a chance to react.


    "Usually, I won''t have an issue at all. After all, you are a young man, a high-level Spirit Warrior, and possess the strength to protect my daughter from all the harm. As a bonus, you have a good appearance too. Hence, I wouldn''t have to worry about my granddaughters, if there will be any.


    However, the problem is that you have made an enemy out of the Dragon Empire that we cannot dare to offend even in our dreams.


    As far as I know, the tang dynasty bore grudges very much and once they figured out that you are behind the death of their men, they will not only try to hunt you down but also your friends and family.<sub> </sub>


    You are strong. So, they might not be able to do anything to you but we are different. There isn''t one legendary realm expert living in our kingdom.


    I''m aware that you did so much for us but I''m a king and my priorities should always lie with my people. To some extent, my daughter. This is why I cannot agree with my daughter."


    Mark didn''t understand a thing that Shen Niu was trying to convey.


    Was this king requesting him to not love back his daughter? If that''s the case, it isn''t a big deal as he doesn''t have any feelings for her.


    However, Mark wants rification. Hence, he calmly responded with a statement, "Just be precise, King Shen. What is it that you are implying?"


    The king took a deep breath once again and spoke, "Based on the current situation, I can only ask you to choose an option between the two.


    One, marry my daughter and make the western moon kingdom, your home. In such a case, we will be behind you in every decision you make. Your friends will be our friends and your enemies will be ours.


    Two, if you aren''t interested in this proposal, after today, please stop having any personal contact with either me or anyone from our kingdom. I''ll marry off my daughter into the Kun Empire and seek their protection from the church of doom. I''llpensate you for the store branch you were supposed to open here.


    And I ask you to exchange Nanqu Ind for the ind of Fujian, which is a bit far away from the rest of the territories but is five times bigger. The ind also has about 12 islets around. All of them will also be yours.


    However, we won''tpletely cut off our ties. It''s just that if we ever need weapons, the Kun Empire will act as the medium. This is the only for the survival of my people."


    "I see¡­" Mark easily understood the reasoning behind those two options.


    A business rtionship could easily be broken by interests but not the rtionship through marriage.


    In a business rtionship, he won''t have any responsibility towards Shen Niu or his people and can abandon them at any time even if the Dragon Empire or Phoenix Empire attacks them because of him but if he marries her, then it will be sailing on the same boat.


    Fortunately, it isn''t difficult to make this decision either.


    While Mark wanted to use the Western Moon Kingdom to either form an alliance with the Western Yan region or annex it after Feng Wu ims it, he can work it out even without their assistance. Not to mention, he doesn''tck customers.


    Understanding the situation, Mark replied calmly, "Thank you for being honest. I''ll also be straight with you. I have a fianc¨¦e already and I promised her that I''ll give importance to her opinion. I cannot marry anyone else unless she wasfortable with it.


    Secondly, Princess Shen was barely an acquaintance who I met a couple of times. I don''t know anything about her nor does she know anything about me. So, I''m not sure whether I''mfortable with the idea of marrying her."


    Since the king was clear on cutting personal ties with himpletely before they even began, Mark decided to make it easier for him. Not to mention, he was getting a better end of the deal even with rejection. He doesn''t know where Fujian is, but if it is five times bigger than Nanqu (area: 2 sq. km), then, he might as well build a small town there. No strings attached and he can develop a base along with a manufacturing facility.


    Since they will be cutting off ties, Mark decided not to mince his words and directly talk about the ind of Fujian. But, fortunately, or unfortunately, fate has other ns for him and he realized it soon enough.


    Before he expressed his wishes to know more about Fujian ind and its islets, Shen Ling intervened in the matter for the third time with ament, "But, Song Yue has already given her consent to our marriage though."


    And this time, Mark was the one who was affected by it. He got up from the seat, shocked by herment, "When?"


    Shen Ling calmly answered, "A few days ago, after the auction. As for our rtionship, we can first get engaged and then get familiar with each other. Also, I don''t have any romantic feelings for you either. I wanted a marriage with convenience with you, just like all thosedies from noble ns or wealthy households marry into other households.


    Give me five minutes of your time and I''ll convince you that this marriage will surely bring benefits to each other."


    Shen Ling was trying to remember all the parts of her proposition that she was about put forth before Mark but thetter''s mind was stuck on her first sentence itself. "After the auction? Did it happen when I send her away upstairs while dealing with the transactions?" Mark remembered Shen Niu left the store quickly when he was supposed to wait upstairs.

 Chapter 316 Is Mark In Love With Song Yue?

    It came as a shock to him that Song Yue had not only agreed to this marriage beforehand but she didn''t even tell him about it.


    It''s tough for Mark to believe it as his fianc¨¦e isn''t the type to scheme behind his back. He liked her because of her honest and kind nature.


    Mark felt betrayed.


    He didn''t want to stay at the ce any longer and wanted to meet her.


    Notmenting on Shen Ling''s earlier statement, he spoke to her father, "King Shen, please excuse me for a minute. We''ll talk again on this, after a while."


    In response, the king said, "Look Lu Zhen, I really respect you. So, I''m exining all this to you. My daughter is already 26 years old. It saddens me to send her away when we just reunited but the world isn''t that forgiving for thedy, especially if she is of the royal family. The higher the age of an unmarried woman, the more people think that she has some kind of defect. That is why I want to get her married soon.


    I have already heard of your opinion but please do take three more days of time to ponder on it carefully and give me your decision."


    "Alright." Mark didn''t care about his words, at the moment. His mind is on something else.


    He left the ce and went to the guest''s section with the help of a soldier. He wants to confront Song Yue on this matter right away.


    Meanwhile, inside one of the rooms, Song Yue was sitting on the bed with a scroll in her hand. She looked like she was in deep thinking.


    *knock* knock*


    The knocks on the door brought her to reality and she hid the scroll back into the storage ring and spoke loudly, "Yes, please enter."


    The door was opened and she saw Mark. His usual bright-looking expression was gone and he looked like he was quite frustrated.


    He closed the door and then walked toward her. Song Yue got up from the bed. "What happened?" she asked.


    "King Shen Niu gave me a marriage proposal for his daughter," replied Mark before immediately asking her, "After the auction, did Princess Shen express her desire to marry me and you have already given your consent?"


    "Eh?" Song Yue had expected this to happen but didn''t expect that Mark would be so displeased by it. She slowly nodded, "Yes."


    Mark almost raised his voice, "Why?"


    Turning around and slowly walking a couple of steps away, she answered while trying her best to hide her emotions, "I cannot stand in the way of your bright future. She is a princess, beautiful, intelligent, and I thought she will match you in every way."


    "Well, not as beautiful as you but she''s okay I guess¡­" Mark trailed off a little bit,menting on her statement before he shook his head and got on the right track, "No, that''s not the point. This isn''t about calctions. It''s about feelings. I don''t feel anything for her."


    Her face glowed for a bit but she tried to suppress it and argued back without looking at him, "Well, you can develop feelings after getting engaged. Lots of people ended up loving each other after the marriage."


    Mark only became more frustrated as he raised his voice this time as if he was having a verbal fight with her, "No, I can never develop feelings for that woman because I¡­"


    He was about to tell something but the realization hit him and he forced himself to swallow down the words and tried to speak something else, "because I... I¡­ I have several goals to achieve. And I have told you once. Until I fulfill them, neither love nor marriage has any ce in my heart or my thoughts."


    "Sorry for not informing you." Song Yue apologized to him while bing dispirited all of a sudden upon hearing his statement.<sub> </sub>


    Mark didn''t know what else to say and he just excused himself to leave the ce, going to the royal guest room that he was allotted.


    After entering the room, he threw himself on the king-size bed and hit his face against the pillow. "Idiot¡­ what the hell was you going to bber earlier? Okay, Song Yue was a beauty and your heart skipped many times because of her but that doesn''t mean you should carelessly throw around the words."


    Mark then sat in the lotus position and closed his eyes to calm himself, "Fuu¡­ take a deep breath. Nothing has changed so far. But, the princess appeared to be quite confident in convincing me. I couldn''t help but be curious.


    But, what if I get convinced? What will happen to Song Yue?"


    Mark didn''t know how the situation will develop and that unknown future worried him. He doesn''t want to abandon Song Yue at any cost and that feeling, which goes against his opportunistic nature, worried him.


    Hence, he decided to run away from the problem, by leaving for Fujian ind as soon as he acquired thend deed.


    Mark slowly tried to clear his head with meditation, although not for a long time. In just two minutes, he heard the door knock.


    "Hmm? Is it Song Yue?"


    Wondering whether it is his fianc¨¦e who probably wanted to talk to him, Mark took a deep breath and got down from the bed, walking forward to open the door only to see the princess was standing outside with a smile on her face. "Princess Shen?"


    "Can Ie inside?" asked the princess.


    Mark didn''t need to think too deeply to understand her motives. He easily guessed that she will try to convince him.


    He nned to escape but since the problem is already on his doorstep, he might as well face it, thought Mark as he nodded.


    Mark dragged the chairs, facing each other before asking her to sit.


    However, she didn''t sit and just took out some kind of scroll, "mind if I use the sound barrier? It''s better to remain this conversation private."


    Mark became curious. He wondered what secret she was going to tell him. "Sure."


    As he agreed, Shen Ling poured her ether energy into the scroll and activated the technique.


    A visible yellow-colored barrier formed by the connection of hexagons, almost covering the entire room.


    "Okay, I''m ready to listen," said Mark as he took the seat, indicating for her to go on with what she visited him for.


    Shen Ling wiped off the smile on her face and took the seat, speaking in a serious tone, "Let me give you the main reason for my decision to choose you. I wish to be overthrow the patriarchal system in our society and be the first ruling queen of the Western Moon Kingdom.


    And with you on my side as my husband, I''m confident that I can fulfill my dream."


    "You want to overthrow your father?" Mark was taken aback. This is not expected by him for sure. But why she was doing that?


    Was she perhaps angry with the fact that her father is trying to marry off to the Kun Empire''s prince against her wishes? He wondered.

 Chapter 317 Shen Lings Scary Analysis (Part-1)

    Fortunately, his suspicions turned out to be false as she exined, "No, my father is willing to hand over the throne to me but he doesn''t have the power to face the rebellion from the society.


    It was because of this decision that I fought to buy the 1000 panzers and purchase rights for howitzers. But, they can only be used to suppress the rebel elements.


    I need a partner who can stand by my side, someone who doesn''t look down on women, someone intelligent, someone strong, and someone who doesn''t give a shit about how difficult the problem is.


    And I don''t think I can find a better husband than you."


    Mark didn''t speak for a while, digesting everything that she had told him earlier. It would be a lie if he says that he wasn''t impressed in the least but still, her reasoning wasn''t enough for him to consider marrying her.


    After thinking for a bit about how to convince her to stop pursuing him, he calmly spoke, "Okay, it seems that you are clear from your side. You might also have a few things left to say in order to convince me that I will be benefited through this marriage.


    However, there was a big problem here. You wanted to rule a kingdom and wanted me on your side but I cannot do that. Once my job is finished, I will leave for another realm for good.


    And because of yourmitments to the people of thisnd, you will not follow me. Hence, I don''t think it is a good idea for you to marry me."


    Mark didn''t lie to her. Once he had his revenge against his biological parents, and give justice to histe adopted parents, he nned to leave with Lan Jing for the ce his maternal grandfather came from.


    Of course, there is hesitation because of Song Yue but at the very least, he wasn''t creating an excuse to shoo away the princess.


    However, the princess appeared to be too calm. She didn''t flinch at his statement and calmly gazed at Mark.


    She then let out a smile and shook her head, "No, Lu Zhen. I''m sure that you won''tpletely abandon this world and leave with your maternal granduncle, Lan Jing. Or else, you won''t ask for the ownership of an ind to build a manufacturing facility."


    "What!"


    Mark rose to his feet with his eyes widened in shock, "how do you know?"


    He never spoke of his rtion to Lan Jing with anyone else and neither thetter would have revealed it to anyone. If the princess found this rtion, doesn''t that mean that she also knows his birth secret?


    "It is simple once we analyze the past events," Shen Ling continued to smile and gestured for him to sit down.


    As he took the seat once again, the princess exined, "Let''s start with your adopted parents, Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi.


    ording to our source of information, Yi Zexi used to be a maid for Empress Dowager, Emperor Shang''s mother, andter served the Queen consort, Lan Jingyi.


    At that time, her husband, Li Yimu was an apprentice of Master cksmith Wan. He was a civilian without any ether energy. He neither had any background nor any education.


    And yet, all of a sudden, he was given the position of the vige chief, that too in a ce, which was hundreds of kilometers away from his hometown.


    The official story is that Empress Dowager was too happy for her daughter-inw that she gave her former maid, a present in form of appointing thetter''s husband such a position.


    Now, when Yi Zexi and Li Yimu arrived at the Houtang vige, they already had a baby boy, who looked like he was born roughly around the same time as the third prince. So, that means Yi Zexi was pregnant when she left the service of Emperor Dowager.


    However, married women cannot serve as maids for the imperial family. That leaves me with a question.


    Was Yi Zexi pregnant before married? If so, then, who is the father of the child? Since Li Yimu was supposed to be her husband, then, he must be the father, correct?<sub> </sub>


    If that is the case, she should have been fired, not sent to her daughter-inw who was also pregnant around the same time.


    Mark interrupted her with ament, "maybe, she was too nice? You know, my mother served the empress dowager for years. So, I guess she repaid the favor?"


    "It''s possible. That thought urred to my mind at first too and I stopped my research," Shen Ling nodded in agreement. However, her exnation has yet to reach even half. She continued, "But, then, I saw you unleashing the freezing technique on that day."


    Shen Ling reminded Mark of the day he showcased the Absolute freezing technique to the good elder from the church of doom, Gu Ya, who is on the side of good.


    "I knew that you had ice abilities. So, it didn''te off as a surprise but the fact that Elder Gu Ya had requested you to showcase your bloodline ability to reveal her secret prophecy brought to my attention.


    It was then I realized that your Freezing technique isn''t some ice ability but a bloodline skill.


    It made me wonder why you have a bloodline skill in the first ce when you were born of civilian parents. Either you have an ancestor with an ice bloodline or you were never the child of Yi Zexi and Li Yimu in the first ce.


    Now, it isn''t any secret that Princess Shang Jiao was an ice-ability user and known to possess Blizzard Pegasus, which she inherited from the line of her maternal family.


    You had an ice ability bloodline skill, have simrities with Lan Gengxin, born on the same day as the third prince, and grew up as the son of the woman who happened to work at the Imperial Pce.


    Rather than going after that 0.1% probability, I made a bet on the obvious thing. You are the son of Queen Consort Lan Jingyi. Then, who might be the father? Obviously, it is Emperor Shang.


    You probably never awakened your bloodline or ether because of the opposing forces of Phoenix and Blizzard Pegasus. Something must have happened at some point in time.


    Maybe, your mysterious master or manufacturer or whoever might it be, did something to your body to awaken the sleeping bloodline.


    It became clear to me that you are the real third prince. Then, who might be Shang Wei, the one who is living your life? That brings me back to my above suspicion. Why did Empress Dowager do a favor on Yi Zexi?


    After all, at that time, no one knows that Yi Zexi would give birth to a son with ether energy and Lan Jingyi would give birth to a normal child.


    My hunch is that Shang Wei is the illegitimate son of Emperor Shang and Yi Zexi. That suspicion of mine became more apparent when you demanded your biological father that the fire seed must go to the third prince.


    I don''t know if you are aware of this or not. But, if a normal person without any hidden bloodline absorbs a powerful thing like the elemental seed, it would lead to death.


    And soon, I would hear the results. I''m confident that Shang Wei would awaken his Phoenix bloodline. So, it''s alright.


    As for Lan Jing, I know that he visited your store once, and then, you bothered to call him and his king for tea before the auction. It is obvious that you know him and now, you just told me that you are leaving this world. That gives it away. You will leave with him as he is from another realm just like Lan Gengxin."


    As Shen Ling was exining how she analyzed each incident to draw a conclusion, Mark just stared at her in astonishment. It was too difficult to digest everything but he tried to be as calm as possible as he responded with a question, "Is there anything else you would like to say about me?"


    Looking at Mark''s expression, the princess realized that she had sessfully impressed him a little bit. But, there is still a bit of information in her head she was dying to tell him.


    Now that Mark is curious to know what else this princess had analyzed about him, she continued by asking, "What else I know? Should I tell you about how I think that ck Knight is Song Yun, and how Wu Weibao is actually the beast emperor Zheng, or about your revenge against the Imperial Pce through weapons dependence? Hmm?"


    Mark''s heartbeat rose to the peak as he felt like his ns werepletely exposed to thisdy. For the first time in the past few months, he found someone scary.

 Chapter 318 Shen Lings Scary Analysis (Part-2)

    "Okay, just tell me everything that you know and how you find it out." Mark was so tensed at the moment that he was even considering killing her to protect his secrets.


    At the same time, he was also impressed by her analytical skills. For a moment, he even thought she could help him devise a n to dethrone Shang Fu more effectively. Should he marry her?


    But, he doesn''t want to act on impulse when there is nothing for him to gain from either of the options.


    Hence, he decided to treat this matter carefully without messing up because of some impulse.


    As Mark asked the princess to continue with her analysis, she spoke, "well, let''s start with the identification of your aides.


    Song Yun was arrested after his assassination n failed and then he was charged with a series of crimes one after another, which sentenced him to 213 years of imprisonment.


    Now, let''s look at the charges. First, embezzlement. He was sentenced to 35 years of imprisonment and he deserved that for sure but where did the Emperor suddenly acquire the evidence, the ledger book?


    Obviously, the Song n handed it to him. Emperor Shang didn''t have any grudges against Song Yun and neither is he a scheming type. Hence, he wouldn''t have investigated behind Song Yun.


    Secondly, domestic violence. It is actually a joke that Song Yun was charged with that crime when all he did was lock up his wife and restrict his daughter''s freedom for a while.


    Then, Why did it happen?


    It''s because domestic violence ismon not only in the noble houses but also in the houses of themoners. On a daily basis, hundreds of husbands beat their poor wives, and hundreds of wives would abuse their elderly inws who live with them.


    But, does anyone cares about that? Neither the society cares nor the officials.


    If we arrest everyone who participated in domestic violence, the jails won''t be sufficient.


    Thirdly, attempted murders of kin and stranger. No argument about that but Song Yun was indeed given the maximum sentence.


    Fourthly, the act of terrorism. In this situation, Song Yun is indeed a criminal for colluding with the top members of the organization, which is banned from the Phoenix Empire.


    However, based on Emperor''s rtionship with Song Yun, if thetter apologizes earnestly, Emperor Shang should have actually forgiven him. After all, Song Yun''s reasoning was just to get his daughter back and kill his enemy, not harm the innocent citizens.


    And finally, lying to the emperor. Indeed, deceiving the ruler of thend is the biggest sin that a citizen canmit but one should also look at the consequences resulting from that lie. It''s just mostly a white lie if you ask my opinion. For that, 98 years of imprisonment is too much.


    My point is that Song Yun was not only betrayed by his nsmen but also by the Emperor, who is supposedly a friend.<sub> </sub>


    That leaves me with the question. Why did Emperor Shang go so hard on his friend? What do you think, Lu Zhen?"


    Mark never tried to think about Song Yun''s punishment. At first, he thought that Song Yun got what he deserved. Later, when Song Yun became the ck Knight, Mark no longer cared.


    Now that Shen Ling reminded him of all of this, he couldn''t help but wonder. This happened before the expo and the emperor has no idea aboutbat aircraft or howitzers.


    He said unsurely, "Maybe, Emperor Shang''s rtionship might be turning sour with Song Yun, or maybe, he thinks that I''m a valuable asset?"


    "Could be," nodded the princess before she crossed her arms to the chest and said, "However, I think that it will make more sense if he already knows that you are his son."


    "No, that''s impossible." Mark refuted her statement right away. He furrowed his brows as he exined, "From our past meetings until now, I''m sure that he only saw me as a weapon seller. I believe that it might be because of my actions against 8-circle realm experts and also because of the legendary realm beast king that I had formed a spirit contract with."


    Shen Ling wasn''t surprised and calmly nodded as if she knew that he will react like this. She said, "Well, let''s just say that is true. I won''t argue with that. Now, let''s get back to the topic, Song Yun.


    Why did he escape or rather how did he even escape in the first ce when his ether energy, as well as his strength, is sealed? Not to mention, knocking out all the guards that are on the way.


    Adding on top of that, this happened right in the middle of the night, six hours after you met with him.


    You saved my father, who is in a worse state. I''m sure that you can remove whatever seal is ced on Song Yun.


    And ten dayster, a peak-six-circle realm expert visits your store and bes Song Yue''s bodyguard. Your store literally can suppress the strength of any Spirit Warrior; you have a legendary realm beast king and two powerful servants on your side. Why would Song Yue even need such protection?


    What''s more¡­ He doesn''t even talk. He uses ether writing method. Combine all the events and it will make sense that Song Yun is the one behind the armor.


    As for Wu Weibao, I heard that he visited the campsite along with you but in the real battle, some of the soldiers imed that they took a glimpse at a scarlet leopard with five tails.


    I know for a fact that it is Zheng. So, the beast emperor is on the battlefield but the supposedly Supreme realm expert, Wu Weibao, wasn''t seen anywhere else? Why?


    Obviously, he is in his original form. But why did the Zheng beast even bother to leave his mountain to help you? Obviously, it is because you are the grandson of Lan Gengxin and awakened the bloodline of Blizzard Pegasus.


    You are the perfect candidate to revive the sect."


    Mark doesn''t know what to say now. Since all of these are found out by the princess, why leave out the remaining ones? He asked her to continue exining his revenge.

 Chapter 319 Shen Lings Scary Analysis (Part-3)

    While exining her theory, Shen Ling was also observing Mark''s expression so that she can know what he is thinking.


    She also had a couple of theories that can indicate that the Emperor might be aware of the truth but she wasn''t hundred percent sure of them and neither did Mark appear to be weing such a theory. Hence, she didn''t bother to reveal them.


    Anyway, the princess ended her analysis with the final topic, Mark''s revenge, "I have analyzed your movements from your arrival to the Imperial City. First, you acquired a store, then, slowly lived the life of an ordinary weapon seller but sold unique weapons called firearms.


    Then, you get into a fight with the Song n and you acted on an impulse, showing off the power of your battle vehicle.


    After that, you traveled hundreds of kilometers just to kill the Cerberus, showing off your own power and impress the second prince.


    Right then, you picked up a fight with the Sui n, causing a lot of destruction, this time, showing off the power of your helicopter and missiles.


    Then, you showed off the power of the helicopter in front of everyone in the public trial, defeating Song Yun fair and square. I wondered why you did that when you can easily defeat him through your fists.


    At first, I thought you probably didn''t have real strength in the first ce and you probably used some kind of powerful enhancement pill or potion to improve your strength temporarily and defeat the Cerberus.


    But, on the day of your engagement, you clearly defeated an eight-circle realm expert with a skill of yours. So, that means your strength is a real deal. So, were you toying with Song Yun and other opponents in the past?


    I''m not so sure about it but when I saw the rate at which how you release your new weapons to sell, I realized something.


    When you first arrived, you only sold single-shot pistols, then, you sold the revolver after seeing that you are generating profits and the firearms are working in this society.


    Eventually, the number of weapons and their firepower improved exponentially as the Imperial Pce is frequently buying more weapons.


    For the sake of maintaining your rtionship with the Imperial Pce, you even let go of hundreds of thousands of gold coins that you got from Feng Wu, the leader of Kunyu bandits.


    Then, I realized that you are trying to make sure that the Imperial Pce depends more on your weapons."


    "And that exins my revenge?" Mark found a lot of inconsistencies in hertest analysis. Her conclusion might be correct but the way she connected with the things that happened with him to reach such a conclusion was wrong.


    Some of his acts weren''t just because he is impulsive or wanted to show off. It is the result of the system''s emergency quests and their hefty rewards.


    For the first time since she started to show off her scary analysis, Mark felt like he can breathe properly. His mood recovered a bit upon realizing that even an intellectual like her isn''t that perfect.


    However, he cannot ignore the fact that she somehow found the truth. Either way, as he intended to see it until the end, Mark patiently listened to her.


    Meanwhile, Shen Ling was slightly surprised by the sudden smile on Mark''s face but she didn''t dwell on it for much time and proceeded to exin, "If you know the truth, then, it is obvious that you will be angry at your parents, especially your mother for switching you with the other baby all because you weren''t born with ether.


    But, your actions don''t make sense. Logically, you should have sold those aircraft and other powerful weapons to enemy states like the Leon Empire but ever since your first contact with the second prince, you are just empowering the Imperial Pce.


    It clearly states that you wanted the Imperial Pce topletely depend on you. You wanted the Emperor and every powerful person with authority at your mercy.


    And I see that your n is working quite well if I guessed it right.<sub> </sub>


    You showed the pce that you are personally stronger than their top experts.


    You disyed the might of your firearms.


    With the beast king, you disyed the might of your support.


    Finally, with Wu Weibao, you showed that you also have powerful allies that the Emperor cannot dare to offend. So, everyone will try their best to keep you on their side.


    I just don''t understand what you n for their future, though. I feel like I missed several things and there might be a few inconsistencies as I took the highest probability route but once I covered all of that, I will be able toe to a more detailed conclusion.


    Anyway, what do you think of my analysis, so far?"


    If she had revealed one secret, Mark would use some excuse, but now that there are several things that he heard one after another, he didn''t want to exin himself to her, and neither did he n on admitting the truth.


    Withoutmenting on her analysis, he simply responded with a question, "If you know that much about me, then, what will happen if these truths wille out? What do you think?"


    It appeared that Shen Ling was also prepared for that question too. She answered, "Well, either you will go on full rebel mode or just deny everything stubbornly."


    "Good," Mark nodded with a fake smile and leaned forward with his arms resting on its knees, "and do you believe that I won''t silence you to protect my secrets, Princess Shen?"


    The princess shook her head in confidence, "no, you won''t. It''s because marrying me brings more benefits to you than rejecting me or killing me. And I think you can already see that."


    "You are intelligent for sure and are worth befriending but this isn''t enough for me to marry you." Mark wasn''t convinced yet as he felt that she gains a lot more than him.


    If she wants to have a marriage of convenience without any feelings involved, then, he should also treat this as a business. And in business, one should always look at the profits.


    To even open a store branch, he asked the king what he gets in return. If it is a love-less marriage, then, he has to see enough returns from a business perspective.


    Even if she was intelligent, he could still offset that intelligence with his strength. Not to mention, the system''s assistance will open when he upgrades it to maximum rank. So, he might need her advice.


    As for the Western Moon kingdom, if he wants to rule it, he can topple it down at any moment. His current prowess could make that a reality.


    And once again, the princess anticipated this exact reaction from him. Seeing that he was considering the marriage, the princess felt happy and she decided to make her next move.


    She rose to her feet right away and said, "I knew that it might not be enough. That''s why I have prepared something else that will surely convince you. Follow me."


    The princess started to walk toward the exit. Mark followed her.


    They walked for about ten minutes, eventually, reaching the treasury room, which is guarded by a team of 5-circle and 6-circle realm experts.

 Chapter 320 Will Mark Agree To Marry Princess Shen Ling?

    Both of them entered the treasury. Mark saw millions of gold coins spread around like sand with jewelry and gems found here and there. However, they didn''t impress him a bit as he had more wealth at the moment.


    The princess then reached a wall with a huge handprint on it as if it belongs to a giant. "This is our secret armory." She introduced it as she ced her right hand on the print.


    The wall door slid to the left, revealing a chamber with weapons arranged on the walls.


    There are about 110-120 of them and every single of them is a semi-divine/earth-grade weapon.


    As Mark inspected them, he found that several of them are actually in Ruby grade, which is like a high-quality semi-divine weapon.


    Along with that, he spotted something else. There was amon factor in every single weapon.


    He asked her curiously, "You managed to get your hands on Adamantium metal?" All of them varied in percentages, some of them have 10% Adamantium, some of them have 22%, and the highest one has a 41%. But, it is clear that Adamantium metal is used in every weapon.


    "Indeed, you have special eyes like I assumed," Shen Ling let out a satisfactory smile as she praised him. She then said, "Yes, they are made of Adamantium. Now, please follow me. I''ll take you to our greatest treasure."


    Shen Ling then went to another corner of the room with five levers in different colors attached to the wall.


    Pointing at them, she exined, "Each of these levers can be moved in three positions, up, down, and middle. So, there is a total of 729 possiblebinations out of which only 1bination will work out. Thebination will be changed often. So, it will be a bit tricky to open this.


    And if you fail three times in a row, the seals will be activated and the toxic gases will be released from all the sides, knocking anyone under the legendary realm. So, even if we are careful to never open this lock."


    "Can''t you just destroy the wall with brute force? It looked like it is just made of bricks," asked Mark. He felt like she was bragging too much about that security.


    To which, the princess shook her head as she was setting the levers in their positions, "but no one knows where the door really is and no one had any knowledge about these levers. Only my father and I know about it and we two are the only ones with ess."


    *swoosh*


    The door slid to the left once again, but this time, it revealed a staircase to the underground.


    "Come."


    Mark followed her to the underground cavern.


    While walking forward with a fire torch in her hands, she exined that this ce was once used by her ancestor to escape from the pce with his family when he lost the war against invading forces.


    Later on, this was used by the kings and princes to go out in secret. And now, it ispletely sealed to anyone else because of their secret treasure.


    Mark''s curiosity only increased. He wondered what might be the treasure she wants to show him.


    After making several lefts and rights for 15 minutes, they eventually reached the center of the cavern with a huge boulder sitting in the middle.


    Because of enough lighting in this ce, Mark got a clear look at the object. It was as big as 200 meters wide and 100 meters big.


    "This is the treasure I told you about. This thing dropped into thisnd from the sky about a century ago and ever since then, it was stored in this ce." As Shen Ling introduced the object, Mark walked forward with a look of shock on his face, "it is a fucking meteorite, and a high-quality one at that."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    The system might be in the middle of an upgrade but his Sage eyes are still working the same just as with other skills.


    Just a while ago, he found the info of those semi-divine weapons through the same method, not that he had some special eyes or something like the princess thought.


    <strong>Type-E Meteorite</strong>


    Grade: N/A


    Status: partly destroyed.


    Composition: Adamantium, iridium, padium, tinum, rhodium, ruthenium, rhodium, metallic iron, silicate minerals, graphite, iron carbides, and others.


    Description: A Type-E meteorite made up of an Adamantium alloy and other minerals.


    **


    "Damn. She has really kept a great treasure." A look of greed clearly disyed on Mark''s face as he stared at the boulder.


    Shen Ling caught that and she proceeded to say, "Our kingdom has a bit of a different marriage tradition from your Phoenix Empire, Lu Zhen. Instead of the groom''s family, the bride''s family will be the ones to give the dowry to the groom.


    And my father wanted to hand over this treasure to the Kun Empire as my dowry. But if you marry me, this will be yours to keep. Along with this dowry, you will naturally have the ess to all the resources our kingdom has to offer.


    Once I be the ruling queen, every bit of this kingdom will naturally belong to you. So, I reiterate that this marriage will only benefit you a lot."


    By now, even Mark was convincedpletely. That boulder is enough for him to put aside his reservations about everything and marry her. But, before agreeing to it, he must also inform her that he cannotpromise on a few things.


    He then asked, "Everything is good but the main problem still existed. I will leave for another realm after my work is over. I might visit this ce once in a while but I''m not gonna stand beside you at every minute as a normal husband does. What will you do about that?"


    "As long as you visit me once a week or atleast a month, that''s fine with me," replied the princess immediately, feeling excited that she had almost seeded in achieving her current goal.


    Mark asked the next question, "I probably will not be able to love you even in the future. Will you be okay with that?"


    "Of course," Shen Ling nodded. "I''m okay as long as I was treated as a good friend. You can do that much, right?"


    "I always thought that one shouldn''t marry more than once. But, if I take this step, I might also have thoughts of marriages with other women in the future. Are you okay with it?" asked Mark.


    Shen Ling''s smile widened as she agreed to the terms once again, "I''ll be fine. In fact, I rmend you do that. Marrying to increase the alliances is not bad. You will have my full support."


    "My final question." Mark turned serious as he talked about the most important matter, atleast, in his view, "What would you have done if I had killed you on the spot and steal this treasure for myself? My secret would be safe and I would gain the meteorite for free. Unlike earlier, I have lots to gain from this act."


    However, the princess didn''t flinch a bit. Her smile didn''t fade away from her face as she said, "If I nned to share my life with you, I should trust you with atleast this much, right? If I''m wrong, then, that''s my fate. Well, I hope that you realize how much of a gamble I made to showcase my sincerity.


    If you still aren''t interested, then, I will think that it is my fate. After all, I have nothing else to convince you anymore."

 Chapter 321 Mark Takes The Decision

    Mark stared at her for a while, calcting the pros and cons. She patiently waited in silence until he opened his mouth, "Before I give you my answer, I should tell it to someone else."


    Shen Ling didn''t have to think hard to understand who that someone is. She told him that she will wait for his answer, feeling positive in her mind.


    Soon, they got out of the treasury room and parted ways.


    While the princess went to the king''s chamber to give good news to her father, Mark went to Song Yue''s room.


    He didn''t reveal anything about his conversation with Shen Ling or about the hidden treasure but only informed her that he was considering marriage to the princess.


    Song Yue''s face was frozen for a moment before she turned away to hide her expression from him and simply replied, "I''m happy for you."


    Mark was probably still hoping for her to express her rejection so that he gets a hint that she likes him. He didn''t leave right away and continued to engage in the conversation while walking toward her, "Are you really fine with this? Then, why are you looking away?"


    As he grabbed her arm and make her face him, he saw tears fill her eyes and before he speaks anymore, she raised her hand to show the scroll in her hand.


    Mark took the scroll and opened it.


    "Hmm? This is a letter." Mark read it from start to the finish and frowned as he looked back at her, "What are you implying?"


    ording to the letter, Song Yue''s mother had returned to her maternal home, and just a few days ago, her uncle apologized to her on his knees for the betrayal from the elders and requested her to return for the sake of the dignity of the n. After all, she is a daughter-inw of the Song n. In the end, she forgave him.


    Song Yue replied slowly while looking down at the floor, "I got this letter when you are at Mt. Jizu. No matter how bad my father turned out to be, I used to feel safe by his side. You are the second person I felt like that. I know that I''m nothing but a burden to you. Still, I acted selfishly because I think I''m happy at our home... I mean... your residence.


    And now that I see that you have a bright future ahead, I realized that I shouldn''t hold you back. Don''t worry about me and take every decision that benefits your life."


    By the time she finished her words, tears were already running down her cheek and she wiped them off to turn away from him.


    Mark stood there on the spot, stunned by her words. He came here to say about his marriage and ended up listening to something else.


    He turned around in a daze and left the room without responding to her words.


    Mark locked his door and sat on the bed, grabbing his head. "Just what in the hell just happened earlier? Song Yue will leave me? But why? Isn''t she happy at the store? Maybe, she doesn''t want to work? No, that''s not it. Was she against this marriage, perhaps? No, I don''t think so. After all, she is the one who gave an okay to this marriage in the first ce? Then, why? A burden, huh? Was I too good to her that she felt that she was useless or something? Then, is it my fault? Ugh... I just don''t want to think anything..."


    Mark copsed on the bed, feeling that his brain is getting heated by numerous thoughts.


    And when he closed his eyes, Mark started to think of his memories with Song Yue. Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face and it stayed until the end.


    He suddenly opened his eyes as realization dawned upon him. Sitting on the bed, he shook his head with a smile, "Mark, you are finished..."


    A few hourster, at the dining hall;


    "yeah, I know that" "C''mon, King Shen. Those are trade secrets." "Really? I didn''t expect Mr. Zhu has such a sense of humor, hahaha"


    Everyone was eating, looking rather delighted except for Song Yue and the current Queen. Both of them were ufortable for various reasons.


    Shen Ling was observing her guests as she chatted with them, and she found Mark wasughing a bit more than necessary and Song Yue was a bit too silent.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    It was clear that she was sad but why Mark is too happy? Because he was marrying her? The princess didn''t think so. She wondered what happened.


    She wasn''t the only person who thought that way. Even Song Yue wondered why Mark is too happy. Is it because she was leaving and he was free of the burden? She became sadder.


    After finishing dinner, she didn''t even bother to wait for Mark and left for her room. She decided to part ways with Mark when he was about to leave for the port city.


    Meanwhile, Mark didn''t talk to her at all and hefortably finished his dinner. After a while, Shen Ling was seen escorting Mark to his room. On the way, they were silent for a while and she decided to poke into his business, all of a sudden. "It looked like something happened between the two of you. Was she against our marriage or something?"


    Mark didn''t reveal the details of his conversation with his fianc??e and simply answered, "I haven''t given my answer to you, yet."


    "But, your actions are indicating that you are willing, though," countered the princess.


    Mark shrugged off his shoulders, "even then, I still have yet to give my official reply to your father. Until then, you should refrain from mentioning it."


    "So, you didn''t tell her yet? Should I talk to her?" The princess acted a lot casuallypared to the afternoon. It was as if she had suddenly be close friends with him.


    Since Mark had decided to marry the princess already, he didn''t try to stay distant from her and asked a question in return, "do you know the popr sites in the city?"


    *


    It was around midnight. Everyone else in the city is sleeping but Mark was just staring at the ceiling while keeps looking at his pocket watch every few minutes.


    The night was over and the dawn arrived.


    Mark had a shower and wore new clothes before getting out of the room and going to Song Yue''s room.


    There are a couple of soldiers stationed outside for her security but they didn''t stop him from knocking on the door, obviously.


    He kept on knocking until the door was opened and saw thedy.


    Song Yue''s face didn''t look good at the moment. Her eyes were red and her face was too pale as if she was sick.


    "Are you alright?" Mark asked in worry as he raised his hand to touch her forehead. Fortunately, it is normal and he sighed in relief.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue was a little bit taken aback as she didn''t even expect him to care about her and backed away a step by reflex, "yeah, I''m fine."


    Looking straight at her, Mark then said, "We are going out to somece. Go and change."


    "Eh?" Song Yue was slightly surprised, "where?" She asked.


    "Do you trust me?" Mark responded with a question. To which, Song Yue nodded twice, "more than anyone."


    "Then, go and freshen up. I will wait for you."

 Chapter 322 Mark Expresses His Feelings

    After a while, Mark and Song Yue left the royal pce in their LMV, leaving behind the others in their respective rooms.


    It is the first time Song Yue was in the City of Lunaris. So, she didn''t know where he was taking her. But, since he wanted to keep it a secret, she didn''t ask him again and kept her eyes on the y road.


    After 30 minutes of drive, they reached a location with a giant banyan tree that was dead. The state of the surroundings indicated the settlements of an ancient civilization from thousands of years ago.


    Because it is a weekday and early in the morning, there isn''t anyone around the ce.


    Song Yue was naturally confused. "What is this ce?" She asked as she got down from the vehicle.


    Mark also stepped out and then spoke while staring at the tree, "That tree is known as Truth seeking Tree. ording to the beliefs of the citizens of this kingdom, it is nted by Shen Eng, the ancestor of the Shen Dynasty.


    Some people believed that he became a god after acquiring the truth-seeing eye and some people believe that it is a myth.


    Whatever it is, I want to tell you something at a special ce and there isn''t a better ce than here."


    Song Yue didn''t understand why they traveled for fifty kilometers just to speak. But, since it seemed to be pretty much important, she decided to be patient.


    "What is it?" She asked curiously.


    Mark then stared at the horizon as he started to speak of the story, "I''m going to tell you a story of someone that I know. His name is Mark.


    Well, this person isn''t exactly from this world. He is from a ce called Prague.


    Mark lost his parents in a war at the age of ten and has only no rtives except for his younger brother, who is six years younger.


    Because his parents died as heroes while saving twenty-two civilians and three soldiers, the government, I mean, the ruling organization provided them a house to live in and schrships to study in institutions.


    Admiring his parents, the boy dreamt of serving the homnd. However, he wasn''t that gifted in physique and was very smart for his age. Eventually, Mark became a weapons designer after going through mandatory two years of military training.


    At the age of twenty, he was already a team leader. Since his homnd was constantly at war, he had to create weapons of mass destruction. Yes, indirectly, he killed tens of millions of people but he was also one of the people responsible for the end of the fourth world war, which took the lives of 3.6 billion people over 39 years in various ways.


    In fact, one of the reasons the war ended is because of a missile named Meteor-Z, which carries diluted anti-matter warheads. Just one of them can potentially wipe out the size of our Phoenix Empire in an instant.


    And then, peaceful times arrived. Just because peace is there doesn''t mean that no one wanted to start chaos. The world''s most powerful mafia gang, I mean, an evil organization has learned of this genius weapon designer and his team.


    At that time, without much work, Mark was enjoying his life. He doesn''t have that much of great looks but I guess he was a charmer. He was also a bit of a bad boy, enjoying thepany of girls very often and that weakness made him fall into a trap set by the evil organization.


    Mark was abducted and imprisoned him. The evil organization wanted him to create his greatest invention, the Meteor-Z missile as the project was abandoned after the war due to the risks."


    Song Yue gasped in horror, imagining the scenario of the man. "What happened to him?" She interrupted.


    Mark continued with a smile, "But, he wasn''t the only person who was involved in the project. He doesn''t have his team and it will take a long time to create one on his own. Well, that''s what he said to his captors.


    They told him that he can only leave only when the weapon is ready.


    So, he did what he could do. While working on the mega project, he was making other weapons for the mafia leader, who exported them to who knows what kind of organizations.


    Anyway, five yearster, Mark managed to secretly create anti-matter grenades with 1mg concentration in each.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    He went on a full-Rambo-mode, destroying the entire facility and the people inside it, and escaped from the ind on a speedboat, although with injuries.


    Everything should have been fine if he had just tried to go home but he just had to contact his trusted superior because he was in another country, I mean the ce that is ruled by someone else. You can think of it as another kingdom.


    Anyway, within a couple of days, he reunited with his friends after five years. And he thought he would finally go home. But, soon, he realized that he was betrayed.


    He tried to escape but the old injuries acted up as he was shot three times. In the end, he jumped into the ocean but never surfaced."


    Song Yue didn''t understand several things that he said but she could at least understand the story. She became sad andmented, "Poor guy."


    Mark shook his head, "the story hasn''t ended, Song Yue. It is just the beginning."


    "Hmm?" She looked at him. What else is there? Did he perhaps survive? Song Yue wondered.


    Mark continued with his story, "Mark thought that he would die but when reopened his eyes, he was in someone else''s body with the original body''s memories. His soul was merged with a young man, who was equally unfortunate."


    "Eh?" Song Yue was taken aback by the development of the story. Suddenly, she felt like her fianc¨¦ wasn''t telling her about someone else. She listened in patience.


    "This young man is the son of the Emperor and his consort. But, he was born without ether energy and so, he was abandoned by his mother.


    If that wasn''t enough, even his adopted parents were mysteriously killed by a burr and the nobles squashed the case using their authority. He developed a hatred for nobles but he doesn''t have any power. Hence, he only tried to live a normal life like every othermoner out there.


    But, the heavens didn''t abandon him. His misfortune turned into a blessing after his soul merge with Mark within a few months. Since then, unbelievable things happened to him one after another.


    He met new people, created enmities with powerful people, became rich, and even a princess of a neighboring kingdom proposed to him.


    However, that darkness had never gone from his heart. The betrayal from his love, then, his superior, his friends, and the injustice faced even by the other soul he merged with, everything clustered together to give him just one goal, revenge.


    He couldn''t take revenge against the people from his previous life. So, all of their sins will also have to bear by the sinners of this life. Until he does that, he can never move on with his life. But, fate has another n for him."


    Now, it became clear for Song Yue even though Mark never spoke of the word Lu Zhen. She became emotional.


    She pointed at him while tears filled her eyes, "It''s you?"


    "Yes." Mark nodded in confirmation and continued while looking straight into her eyes this time, "Do you know why I am telling you all of this? It''s because you are my light, Song Yue. Ever since I met you, I started genuinely smiling in normal conversations, I stopped feeling lonely, I started worrying about someone, and I even showed mercy on my enemy, giving him a second chance.


    In my life, I have lost my parents, my teammates, my friends, my brother, and probably myself. But, I don''t want to lose you too."


    As Song Yue already started tearing up, Mark stepped forward and grabbed her arms, "I love you as a man loves a woman, Song Yue. Please don''t leave me. I''ll do anything that you ask."


    As the tears ran down her cheek, Song Yue responded with a request, "Can you hug me, please."


    In that instant, a smile bloomed on Mark''s face as he freed her and widened his arms while stepping back a bit.


    Song Yue stared at him for a couple of seconds before rushing into his arms. Hugging her tightly, Mark proceeded to ask, "Will you marry me?"


    Song Yue looked at him and nodded thrice before hugging him again while tearing up in happiness.

 Chapter 323 Allen Joins The Guild

    Genesis Training Grounds, Imperial City;


    *cling* cling* cling*


    The pair of swords were constantly shing with each other at a pace that couldn''t be seen with naked eyes by anyone weaker than an average 4-circle realm expert.


    As usual, Lin Xue was trying her best, and Allen was matching her speed, countering all of her attacks, and pushing her back.


    "Here, check out my new move..." Lin Xue leaped back and somersaulted a few times to gain a considerable distance before she charged forward with the sword.


    Upon reaching him, she made a sharp cut to her 2 o''clock, slightly surprising Allen who thought she would fake thrust at his chest but attack one of his thighs instead, based on her previous pattern of fighting.


    As Allen nced to his left, Lin Xue then threw a concentrated sphere at him, which he blocked with ease. However, it was nothing but a distraction for her as she had already gone to her next location, which is in the 2 o''clock direction from her current spot with her sword drawing a line on the ground, using her ether energy.


    She threw a sphere of concentrated energy before going to her next position. After doing this six times in a row, she returned to her original spot and raised her sword to the sky, unleashing the skill.


    "Hexagonal Lightning barrier,plete."


    A giant dark-blue colored barrier was formed around Allen and Lin Xue added lightning energy to it. The sparks started dancing all over the barrier, effectively trapping the Android.


    Allen nced around, scanning the barrier to find out its effectiveness as well as its weakness. And without any surprise, he found a way to escape.


    Putting down the sword given by Lin Xue, he stretched his hands toward one of the sides of the barrier, "Activate Incineration."


    In the next instant, powerful sts of fire were shooted from his palms, hitting directly at the center of the target where the thickness is very less and no lightning sparks for some unknown reason.


    With the help of blue mes, a hole was made in one of the sides of the barrier. After which, the barrier broke like ss and Lin Xue''s face darkened. She protested, "It''s not fair. You broke the rules of our agreement."


    "When did I do that?" Allen appeared to be confused.


    Lin Xue puffed her cheeks and looked away, "Didn''t we agree that I won''t use lightning mode and you don''t use your attribute techniques?"


    Allen answered straightforwardly, "but it is just mes created by the hydrogenbustion."


    "What is hydrogen?" Lin Xue didn''t understand his words naturally.


    Allen immediately started his exnation, "Hydrogen is the chemical element with symbol H..."


    As he went on with a half an hour lecture about the hydrogen element and its uses, Lin Xue, who didn''t understand a bit, finally lost her patience and hurriedly stopped him before her brain gets heated, "Okay, I got it. How about we stop this sparring session for today?"


    "Hmm, okay." Allen stopped showing off his scientific knowledge and gave the sword back to her. "Here."


    However, Lin Xue didn''t take it and said, "No, that''s a gift. It belongs to you."


    "But, nothing belongs to me. Everything I use belongs to my master," replied the Android as he pierced the sword into the ground, indicating that he doesn''t want it.


    "Do you know why your master ordered you to find a hobby on your own?" Lin Xue responded to his rejection with a question.


    As Allen shook his head, Lin Xue exined, "I think it is because your master wanted you to be independent. He wanted you to develop your own thoughts on the matter rather than just following his orders blindly."


    "Is that the reason?" Allen appeared to be surprised, believing her words.


    Lin Xue nodded, "Yup. That is why it perfectly makes sense for you to own a sword."


    Allen wanted to argue that he had a divine sword and doesn''t need her tinum-grade sword but Mark''s firm order made him swallow down those words. Seeing that Allen is still refusing to take her present, Lin Xue made her next move. She asked, "Say, Allen, do you treat me as your friend?"


    Allen nodded twice.


    Lin Xue then asked, "if that is the case, then, is there something wrong if I give a gift to my friend?"


    Allen shook his head.


    "Simple. Then, it perfectly makes sense that you should take it." She urged him to take it.


    Taking the Damascus-steel-made sword into his hands, he asked, "do I need to carry it, all the time?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Hmm? Of course not. Didn''t you have any storage ring?" Lin Xue reminded him of the most obvious thing but in the next moment, she realized that he doesn''t own the ring.


    Until now, he was used to keeping using Mark''s inventory as his storage but because of the system''s upgrade, that facility can no longer be enjoyed for the next four weeks.


    Hence, he had no choice but to depend on Alina, who was the only one to be given a storage ring.


    When he said that only his sister has the storage ring and the money, Lin Xue became furious. She didn''t voice it out so as to not disappoint Allen but she cursed Mark in her heart for earning millions but cannot even look after his so-called siblings properly.


    "Okay, then, follow me. I will buy you the storage ring." Lin Xue offered to help. Allen dly epted the favor as he wasn''t thatplicated as a human. Since he realized that he can receive any gift from a friend, then, the storage ring is also the same in his eyes.


    Lin Xue was delighted by his reply and she let out a rare smile before dragging him to her horse carriage.


    A couple of soldiers stationed murmured among themselves as the horse carriage slowly left their sight.


    As Lin n''s horse carriage was traveling to the market located in the inner sector, she talked about the task Mark gave to Allen. "So, what do you think about the hobbies, so far? Did you find one?"


    Allen shook his head, "I have no idea. Do you have any suggestions, Sister Xue?"


    Lin Xue nodded and replied, "I have actually just thought of one. It was something that not only helps the both of us in a way but also your master."


    "What is it?" Allen turned curious.


    Lin Xue answered, "Adventuring. You can join a guild and be an adventurer, do quests and hunt down the beasts. You can sell the corpses to make money. When Lu Zhen returns, you can show him how much money you have earned by yourself. It can be the perfect example for being independent."


    "Really?" Allen''s eyes glowed in excitement. There''s nothing more joy for Allen other thanpleting the tasks given by Mark.


    Lin Xue nodded in return, "Believe me."


    After buying a storage ring for Allen, Lin Xue then ordered her bodyguard, who was currently acting as coachman, to leave for the guild district.


    Actually, Lin Xue had a reason for giving such a suggestion. Her father told her to join a top guild and experience the life of an adventurer for a while but she was unwilling to do it, feeling that it is a waste of time.


    But, if Allen tags along with her, she thought her adventures will be interesting. At the same time, there''s also a small hope in her heart that Allen will stop thinking of himself as Mark''s ve or something.


    After a while, the horses entered the guild''s district. The Lin n''s crest on the carriage obviously attracted the attention of the passersby. The adventurers among them wondered whether the Lin n has any quest to issue. The only big question is, at what guild?


    However, to everyone''s surprise, the horse carriage didn''t stop before some known guild. Instead, it stopped before a tiny guild known as the Ace.


    Lin Xue and Allen stepped out of it, walking toward the building, attracting the attention of the people once again. Lin Xue might be a familiar face to everyone but Allen wasn''t. At the same time, his looks cannot be ignored either. As a result, some thought he might be her fiancee and wondered about his identity while others thought that he was her guard based on his battle wear.


    Ignoring the gazes of the people around, Lin Xue and Allen entered the guild, once again earning the attention of the guild members standing around in the lobby.


    All of their eyes were on the girl who was walking with steady steps. And by the time she reached the reception desk, the guild master already rushed down the stairs and hurriedly greeted her, introducing himself.


    Lin Xue solemnly nodded and said, "Mr. Wang, we need your guild membership."


    Only then did the guild master pay attention to Allen, who just looked like someone that can piss off any average-looking male. "And you are..."


    As he cannot sense any ether energy from Allen, he didn''t think much of him but still spoke politely in order to not offend Lin n''s princess.


    Lin Xue introduced him, "This is Allen Spencer."


    Wang Jian never heard of the name. Hence, he didn''t react much and even thought that it was too foreign. Hemented, "Hello, Mr. Allen. I''m sorry but you have to go through a test."


    Lin Xue wanted to reveal his background but she kept her mouth shut.


    As Allen nodded, Lin Xue walked away and let the spar happen in the lobby. The others curiously looked at them, wondering why a civilian want to be an adventurer. They are weak but that doesn''t mean that they can be humiliated like this.


    Wang Jian and Allen stood a few meters apart. The former then said, "This is just one minute spar, Mr. Allen. Juste at me and try tond a hit on me."


    And in the next moment, Allen was standing at the guild master''s ce and the poor guy was unconscious.

 Chapter 324 Journey To Fujian Island

    Two dayster;


    Outside the pce gate, the King of Western Moon and his daughter were standing there to send off the guests.


    While King Shen Niu looked like he wasn''t all that pleasant, the princess appeared to be very happy. She was smiling from ear to ear as if she had found some heaven-defying treasure.


    "Okay, I''ll be leaving, Princess Shen," said Mark as the others got into the vehicle.


    Shen Ling smiled brightly and replied, "I already told you that you don''t need to be formal, Lu Zhen. We aren''t strangers anyway."


    "Well, it''ll take time, I guess." Mark shrugged his shoulders in response before turning around to walk away.


    "Lu Zhen." The princess called his name, to which, as he turned his head, she further said, "I''ll be waiting."


    Mark let out a smile and nodded before continuing to walk toward the vehicle.


    As the vehicle started to leave away from the pce, Shen Ling and her father watched it until it disappeared from their sight.


    Turning around to return to the pce, he said, "I didn''t expect him to ept this marriage, my daughter."


    Shen Ling replied, "Well, I told you, father. He will be my husband."


    "Yeah, I really underestimated you and him." The King gave a vaguement with a hidden meaning inside. He implied that Mark agreed to the marriage because of that adamantium treasure and she basically convinced him through a bribe.


    As he walked away at a brisk pace, the princess could only shake her head as she mumbled, "You don''t understand, father. The one who made this possible is neither me nor Lu Zhen. It is thatdy of the Song n."


    She started to remember the private talk she had with Song Yue.


    Two days ago, after Mark and Song Yue returned to the pce, suddenly, their behavior changed a lot.


    In Shen Ling''s eyes, they didn''t just makeup with each other but something had happened, which she has no idea about. But, she was too happy that Mark officially told her father about the eptance of this marriage proposal.


    Hence, she didn''t put too much attention to the matter.


    However, after the dinner, while Mark had wine with the King and the Prime Minister, Song Yue initiated the conversation with her, asking to her talk in private, just the two of them.


    Song Yue revealed the real reason behind her engaged status and she further thanked the princess for unknowingly pushing Mark to confess his real feelings. And that made their fake engagement, apletely real one.


    Song Yue told her that she was no longer worried about Mark getting married to someone else as long as she was in his heart.


    Seeing the sincerity from Song Yue, the princess of the Western Moon kingdom expressed her thanks and rified her that she doesn''t n on stealing Mark from her. The princess also reiterated that she was really interested to be friends with Song Yue as she is very important to Mark.


    Back to the present, Mark was driving the vehicle toward the port city of Lushan.


    In about six hours, he covered 396 kilometers and reached the destination. After having lunch in a restaurant in the city and packing enough food for the next few days, he drove the vehicle to the harbor with hundreds of boats docked.


    After renting a medium-sized houseboat for five gold coins per hourly rate, Mark and others got into it.


    The captain of the ship expected this family with a powerful beast to roam in the sea for several hours, if not, more than a day. Hence, he thought he would be able to earn a considerable amount.


    Even Song Yue and others thought that they will travel for days. However, to everyone''s surprise, after 45 minutes into the sea, Mark walked toward the edge of the boat and raised his hand to look at the tinum ring on his left index finger, connecting his consciousness with the storage ring.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Okay, let''s do this."


    All of a sudden, a giant warship appeared in front of the boat, creating a huge wave as a result.


    Lan Ju, the zheng acted fast by conjuring up an ether barrier over the boat. The wave hit the barrier and passed away without being able to hurt anyone else.


    As the captain thanked Lan Ju, Mark told him that they were going to stop traveling on their boat, further asking him to get near to that giant warship in the middle of the ocean.


    Except for Lan Ju and the zheng, the other two were familiar with the destroyer. Hence, they didn''t stay in a daze for very long. And thankfully, the zheng wasn''t that attached to materialistic things.


    Only the manticore was in a daze for a moment, looking at its massive size. It felt like it seriously underestimated the humans.


    Soon, everyone boarded the warship while Mark went downstairs to the captain''s cabin. ording to the system''s instruction manual, just one person is enough topletely operate the warship, from sailing tounching attacks. It''s just too much workload, that''s all.


    However, at the moment, Mark just has to sail it across the ocean to reach the ind of Fujian and its 12 islets, which he insisted on only swapping with the previous one (Nanqu ind) despite the fact that the king is ready to give him all the inds as a gift.


    Hence, it posed no problem for Mark to sail it to his destination.


    After about 12 hours of sailing in the ocean without encountering any unwanted trouble, the destroyer reached the ind.


    The destroyer was docked at the shores of the ind and everyone got out to the deck to take a look at the scenery before them. All of them were taken aback.


    The Fujian ind was supposed to be a beautiful tropical ind paradise with the velvety white sand beach to walk around in barefoot, warm glistening blue waters to y in, the beautiful mountain in the center of the ind, and the green palm trees everywhere around.


    However, the scenery before them is quite different.


    The palm trees were burned. The blue water was red and the white beach was full of aquatic andnd beasts'' corpses. There was a giant snake curled itself around the peak of the mountain. It was so big that it can be clearly seen from the shores.


    Looking at it from far away, Lan Ju immediately said, "A beast king of the 7-circle realm."


    Mark furrowed his brows and intently stared at the anaconda-like snake.


    "This snake destroyed my ind. It won''t leave from this ce." He was naturally displeased by its act as he owns this ce.


    Thankfully, Mark''s party members were formidable enough to destroy any kingdom, much less a beast king of the 7-circle realm.


    Now, the only question is how to punish it.


    Mark didn''t have any advanced grade spirit beast contract scrolls left. And he still needed to tame six more monsters to activate the taming skill, upon which, he won''t need any external support like contract scrolls to tame any type of monster.


    At the moment, he cannot forcefully tame it. And killing it appeared a small punishment.


    It was then he suddenly remembered something he read from the manuscript written by the greatest beast tamer, Xie Chen. It was given to him as a present by Shang Jiao at his engagement ceremony.


    The manuscript not only contained the guide but also the characteristics of different types of beasts.


    Mark turned his head to look at the zheng, "Lan Ju, I need you to do something for me."

 Chapter 325 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-1)

    Upon hearing Mark''s request, Lan Ju acted right away. He dashed forward and reached the top of the mountain within twenty seconds.


    Song Yue and others could already see the giant serpent was sted into the sky before it freefalls onto the ground.


    Another minuteter, Lan Ju returned to the party and informed Mark, "The snake was willing to form a contract with you on the condition that it won''t be taken away from this ind. It told me that it was born here and appeared to be quite attached to this ind."


    Mark never nned to carry it away too. He agreed to the terms, "Alright. Let''s go and meet it."


    After a while;


    "So, let me get this straight. You stay here as the guardian and I will grant you the freedom to roam around. The mountain will be your home and I won''t touch it either. However, the entire forest will be reduced to the ashes and you have to ept the terms," said Mark as he looked directly in the eye of the 500-meter-long serpent beast.


    The rest of the contract is quite easy. All it needs is Mark''s blood to be consumed by the beast and vice versa. It was an equal contract and the terms were set beforehand.


    Hence, the process went quite smoothly, although Mark didn''t receive any notification as the system was offline at the moment.


    After the contract waspleted, the giant serpent named Yong returned to the mountain and curled itself around its peak.


    Meanwhile, Mark took out 50 robots from the storage card, lining them up straight.


    The others wondered if these robots will clean up the ind. However, Mark had no ns to do that yet.


    He spread arge sheet with the drawing of a house and its parts.


    "Go and cut down the trees." He ordered the robots to get down to the work.


    About four hourster, two wooden houses were built in the middle of nowhere, one for Mark and Song Yue, and another for Lan Ju and Song Yun.


    After that, arge kennel was also built for Baltrow.


    "How long we are going to live here?" asked Song Yue. She was staring at the house in awe.


    Meanwhile, at the Imperial City;


    Inside of the guild Ace, Lin Xue, and Allen were standing in front of the guild master, who had the scrolls in his hands with quests.


    He was nervously exining each quest to Lin Xue while observing Allen from time to time.


    "No, it is too far" "No, the quest is too easy" "Are we boar hunters or what?" "Finding the kidnapper of a minor noble family''s heir? Do you think my status is that lowly?"


    Lin Xue was rejecting every kind of quest avable, giving the reasons one after another as she wanted a perfect quest for Allen''s first quest as an adventurer. Allen calmly watched it from the side without giving his opinion until the guild master spoke of a certain quest with serial killings.


    "Lady Lin, how about this." The guild master exined to them the mysterious serial killings of the people belonging to Xiangrao vige during the past year.


    Just as Lin Xue was about to reject it by telling him that they aren''t detectives, Allen epts the quest right away, "Sister Lin, I think we should ept this quest. Most of the victims appeared to be children."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Seeing that Allen wanted to pick this quest, she decided to go with the quest but the bodyguard behind her didn''t feel like he wasfortable with it.


    He voiced his opinion right away before Lin Xue''s mind changed. Pointing at the symbol drawn at bottom of the scroll, he warned her, "Young miss, look carefully at the insignia. I think you should think twice before epting it."


    ording to the investigation results, all of the dead bodies appeared to have a drawing on one of their cheeks. It is the symbol of a winged lion with two horns protruding from its forehead.


    One who has knowledge of the demon worlds, Ars Goetia, would realize that it belongs to Vap, one of the 72 demon lords.


    It means that the organization behind the assassinations either was using these victims as sacrifices to Vap or the founding members might have just randomly chosen them as their organization''s insignia.


    If it is thetter, it is alright, but if it is the former, then, those ultists might pose danger to Lin Xue, or so her bodyguard thought.


    Lin Xue stared at the quest for a few seconds and nodded as she looked at the guild master, "Okay, we will ept this quest."


    "But, young miss¡­" The guard tried to warn her but she retorted with her statement, "If it is that dangerous, then, this quest might have gone to one of the top guilds."


    "I guess¡­" The bodyguard had no choice but to obey her as she had logic backing her statement.


    On the dawn of the next day, they were seen leaving on the horses provided by the guild. Because of the location of the vige, they had to ride horses instead of traveling in a carriage.


    Obviously, Lin Xue''s bodyguard secretly followed them from behind.


    After about six hours of travel, they reached the forest of Shunan, named after one of the emperors.


    Right from the entrance of the forest, it was quite thick with a single narrow path leading to the vige that the horses had to slowly walk.


    Looking around the bushes and the trees, Lin Xue spoke, "Allen, don''t you think that it is really weird that a vige was built in the middle of a forest like here? Not to mention, they aren''t simple vigers either. They were retired soldiers, for god''s sake. Why do they have to choose such a location?"


    Allen scanned the ce andmented in response, "It is probably because of the red sandalwood."


    "Eh?" Lin Xue suddenly pulled the reins back and stopped the horse. She looked at him in surprise, "red sandalwood? It wasn''t mentioned in the quest details. How did you know?"


    Allen pointed to a nearby tree that has a red bark but wasn''t giving off any aroma like normal sandalwood trees. "Wow." She eximed, contrary to her cold and calm personality.


    Her reaction made Allen ask, "I''m sorry but does red sandalwood has uses other than for medicinal purposes or furniture?"


    He came to an earlier conclusion because of its uses and nothing more. It was only after Lin Xue reminded him of its price he realized why she reacted that way.


    The red sandalwood in this world was known to only grow in the Bloodhill forest at the tier-5 zone, which is dangerous for anyone below the 4-circle realm Spirit Warriors.


    And due to its extreme rarity, wealthy families like to prefer it as the raw material for furniture. Hence, the price of red sandalwood per 1kg goes as high as 500 gold coins. It is indeed too expensive.


    Lin Xue decided to report this matter to the Imperial Pce after returning as such treasure belongs to the empire. Maybe, this will let her gain the favor of the emperor and use it to forever get rid of the third prince from her back. She doesn''t like Shang Wei and it was extremely ufortable for her to keep rejecting him every time he shamelessly tries to woo her.

 Chapter 326 Allen And Lin Xues First Quest (Part-2)

    After traveling for two hours in the forest, they eventually reached the vige. Allen and Lin Xue were greatly weed by the vige chief after learning that they were the adventurers who took the quest.


    He exined to them everything he knew about the mark on the faces of the victims, the details of the families of victims, and the timings of their deaths.


    Vige chief Lian Zhong further told them that the people of the vige believe that it is a work of a demon, although he opinions that it might be the work of the ''Crushing giants'' gang who usually controls all the markets in the surrounding viges. He thenmented that the Prefects (police) don''t even try to investigate the gang.


    Lin Xue furrowed her brows in displeasure upon hearing that. She asked, "What kind of backing this gang has?"


    Lian Zhong bitterly smiled as he answered, "The lord of this Qing Province, Qing Chun."


    "But, what does the Qing n has anything to do with the lives of harmless retired soldiers? Do they have a grudge in the past or is it something else?" asked Lin Xue.


    Lian Zhong looked at him and shook his head, "I''m sorry but I cannot say anything further without acquiring a strong piece of evidence. It will pose danger to not only me and my family but also to my fellow vigers."


    Lin Xue was slightly annoyed by this vige chief''s response. He wanted justice for his kin and friends; he had the guts to speak out the name of a suspect with a strong background but doesn''t want to reveal the reason why he thinks so.


    So, he wanted the adventurers to take the risks of offending the Qing family just based on his spection?


    As the heiress of the Lin n is pondering on whether she should reveal to him that she was aware of the existence of red sandalwood or not, Allen spoke to the vige chief, "How about showing us the ces where the corpses are left? Maybe, we can hunt for the clues."


    Lin Xue returned to reality upon hearing Allen''s words and she nodded in agreement right away. "Alright, we''ll just do that."


    She turned toward the vige chief and told him to show them the locations. However, Lian Zhong refused it and only gave them the map of the forest with spots on several ces, "I apologize but those ces are too dangerous for low-ranked Spirit Warriors like us."


    ? Lin Xue felt frustrated once again. She suddenly felt the urge to beat him and ask him why he even bothered to live in a vige that is inside the forest when he was too afraid to go inside it.


    And this forest isn''t even the Bloodhill forest to worry about the monsters. Of course, he was referring to something else but Lin Xue was too angry at the moment that she didn''t want to ask him the reasons.


    Telling him that they will go on their own, she snatched the map from the vige chief and ventured into the forest to check whether any clues were left behind by the culprits.


    While they were walking alone, Lin Xue spoke her thoughts to Allen regarding her theory of illegal smuggling of red sandalwood.


    In response, Allen shook his head and voiced his opinion, "Sister Lin, I think I will take back my first impressions on the case. Based on what he told us about the 16 victims, all of them were close rtives of the retired soldiers belonging to the unit named Yellow tiger, and they were killed on a random date without any pattern. It means that this isn''t simple serial killing."


    Allen''s words made Lin Xue suddenly realize something important. She added to his statement, "Surely, all of you might have belonged to the same division under the Western General but I think the culprit has a grudge against his unit. I believe we should investigate Lian Zhong''s unit instead of this gang."


    "I too think the same, Sister Lin." Allen agreed with her words as it is logically possible.


    To confirm their theory, both of them started visiting the spots marked on the map.<novelnext></novelnext>


    For the first few sites, everything was normal. Maybe, due to the rainfall during the past few days, the area was filled with muddy waters, forcing Lin Xue to depend on Allen''s enhanced vision.


    Following her request, Allen scanned the ce as soon as they went to the spot where the victims were either killed or dumped away.


    After facing six failures, they were going to the seventh spot. However, on the way, Allen suddenly sensed the presence of five assassins hiding at the ce where they were going and immediately notified the Lin n''s heiress.


    "Really?" Lin Xue''s eyes lit up as soon as she heard that the assassins were only in the 4-circle realm. She felt like they would be the ticket to the answer she was searching for. She intended to interrogate them and find out the identity of the mastermind.


    She asked herpanion, "Allen, I need you to knock them out and we capture them. Can you do it?"


    Allen nodded and both of them continued to maintain the same pace as if they have no idea about the trap, which lies ahead.


    And once they neared the spot where there were a lot of thick bushes around, one of the five assassins suddenly jumped from a bush and reached Lin Xue within a fraction of a second, aiming for her throat.


    Unfortunately for him, their positions were already revealed to their supposed prey and both of them were well prepared.


    Lin Xue easily evaded the attack by dodging to the side and Allen worked together with her and kicked him in the back with great force.


    "Argh."


    The masked assassin let out a painful groan as he crashed into one of the bushes and disappeared.


    In the next second, two assassins from different directions came out of the bushes and attacked each of them.


    "Careful," Allen warned as he dodged the attack aimed at his chest and grabbed the assant''s cor, mming him onto the ground with great force. Following the n, Allen unleashed theser eyes andpletely burnt the thighs of his respective enemy.


    "Arghhhh¡­" The assassin screamed in pain before losing consciousness.


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue summoned her precious semi-divine grade sword and imbued the lightning attribute power into its de before shing it with the dagger aimed at her throat.


    As the two weapons collided, the lightning attribute from Lin Xue''s sword passed through the dagger and struck the assassin that attacked her. The electrical current not only inflicted heavy damage upon him but he was also paralyzed on the spot, falling onto the ground.


    "Two down and three more to go," said Lin Xue as she nced at her 2 o''clock.


    Allen then scanned his surroundings once again and informed their new positions. As his voice wasn''t that low, the three of them heard him and they unanimously chose him as their prime target despite the fact that Lin Xue has a powerful sword in her hands


    The three of them took out advancement pills from their respective storage rings and swallowed them at the same time, increasing their realm by one level. Now, with their 5-circle realm cultivation, they were confident in taking out these two and saving theirrades at the same time.

 Chapter 327 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-3)

    Using their stealth skill, the three assassins turned invisible and exited the bushes without making any sound.


    Lin Xue couldn''t see them but their invisibility appeared to be useless against Allen. Maybe, it is because Allen was at rank 5 and their realm wasn''t higher. He spotted them right away and informed his partner, "Sister Lin, your 2:14, 4:31, and 10:17."


    As soon as she heard the words, Lin Xue closed her eyes and stabbed the sword into the ground, unleashing her most powerful skill.


    "Ascent of the lightning."


    Upon consuming her ether energy by nearly half of the maximum, the sword released the energy into the ground, creating a seal that covered over 20 meters of her surroundings.


    Using a clock as the reference, she then imagined the positions of the targets as her partner mentioned earlier and attacked them.


    In an instant, three concentrated beams of lightning released from the seal on the ground toward the sky.


    Two of the assassins were struck down by the lightning and the remaining one managed to escape by a hair''s breadth.


    The fifth assassin was sweating like crazy as he saw the death of his teammates and he made the decision to run away.


    "Sister Lin, he is escaping." Allen said to her immediately, to which, she shook her head, "let him go."


    After running for a while, the assassin looked back and found that they weren''t pursuing him. Hended on a branch of a tall tree and sighed in relief, "Dammit. These two are far more powerful than their peers. I guess only those elites can take them out."


    The assassin then started moving toward his hideout to inform his higher-ups about the mission failures and the details.


    Little did know that a shadow is silently following him from a distance. It was the bodyguard of Lin Xue. As an advanced-stage 6-circle realm Spirit Warrior of the assassin path, it is obvious that a lower realm assassin can sense his presence.


    Some time passed away and Lin Xue was waiting for the captured assassins to wake up from their unconscious state.


    One of them opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground with energy threads tightly binding him. In front of him were the two adventurers who defeated him and his teammates. As for the others, three of them were seen in the same state as him, although motionless.


    "So, are you ready to either spill the beans for why you attacked us or die?" said Lin Xue as she raised her sword, staring at him coldly without having any glimmer of mercy in her eyes.


    The assassin gritted his teeth and threatened them in response, "Both of you will not leave this forest alive for sure."


    He then tried to get free but those lightning energy threads were not only binding him but also inducing a paralyzing effect on his entire body. Even his ether energy appeared to be in a static state.


    While he was struggling to move, Lin Xue then spoke, "I''ll ask you again. Will you answer my question or not."


    The assassin appeared to be stubborn and maybe too loyal to his superior. He stayed silent.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lin Xue''s face turned dark and she immediately thrust her sword at his shoulder, making the assassin scream in pain. "My lightning attribute energy will make sure to paralyze your body but not without removing the touch or pain sensitivity. That means you will helpless feel the pain as I stab over and over."


    "You bitch¡­" the assassin cursed her as he continuously screamed in pain.


    Lin Xue motioned her arm back and then pierced his left shoulder this time and continued, "You will eventually beg me to kill you but I won''t do that. After turning you into a disabled person, I will take you to the Imperial city where you will either be executed publicly or be imprisoned for the rest of your life without being able to evenmit suicide for several years. But, if you tell the truth, I will free you and your pals. So, what do you think?"


    The assassin''s willpower was really strong. He wasn''t tempted by her words and intensely stared at her without blinking for more than ten seconds before finally giving his reply, "I was prepared to face all consequences when I took up this job. Go ahead,dy. Do whatever you want."


    "Okay then, you made your decision." Lin Xue pressed the sword against his neck and sliced it without hesitation. The blood splurted out of the assassin''s neck and he couldn''t do anything about it. However, just as he was about to die, Lin Xue caught his chin and poured a red-colored potion onto his neck.


    The injury was healed very quickly and he returned to life from the brink of his death, looking at her in surprise.


    Lin Xue then said, "I''m the daughter of Lin Wuying and I can afford to spend these potions worth ten gold coins even a thousand times. So, if you still aren''t willing, then, I''ll take you to the brink of death and then heal you again and again.


    As for your superiors, if they are strong enough to deal with us, then, you don''t need to be afraid.


    And if you want to take the secret of their identity to your death, that only means they are weak. It also implies that they won''t be able to escape unscathed after my guardian encounters them as he was currently following your teammate to your hideout.


    I''ll ask again one more time. Tell me why you attacked us and who your boss is. In the name of Lin n, I will give you a quick death but will leave your teammates alive.


    Want a painless death or painful lifetime suffering? Want your teammates alive or get killed? Everything depends on your answer, mister."


    The assassin patiently listened to her words and gave an unexpected response. Heughed out loud as soon as she ended her threats. "Hahaha hahahaha, so, you are the Lin n''s princess, huh? No wonder you are so ruthless and arrogant."


    Bearing the pain from the shoulder injuries, the assassin then said, "Fine, I''ll tell you, not because I''m craving for a quick death or something but to show you a glimpse of the death that you will face in the near future.


    We were the members of Crushing giants, an organization originally created by a major noble n to handle the smuggling of gold and other rare materials. However, right now, we are on our own.


    ? After discovering the treasure here in the form of red sandalwood, we settled here over a decade ago. Do you know the value of them? Our organization earns over a hundred thousand gold coins every year by selling them to the Dragon Empire and Leon Empire.


    We have experts who can deal with the major noble ns. Your so-called guardian won''t even make it back. As for you two, both of you were marked to death by our boss and you won''t be able to escape alive. So, I will be avenged for sure."


    Lin Xue furrowed her brows upon listening to his exnation. Seeing the look of confidence on the assassin''s face and her failure to intimidate by her threats, for a moment, she wondered whether the opponents are really strong.


    But then, she realized that this guy doesn''t know that her bodyguard is a 6-circle realm expert. Even a 7-circle elite Spirit warrior cannot kill him if he wants to escape.


    As a result, she got a bit calm and said as she thrust her sword into his throat, "Very well, goodbye."

 Chapter 328 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-4)

    After ending the assassin''s life with one strike to the neck, Lin Xue rose to her feet and dismissed the lightning energy threads that bound the remaining assassins who were unconscious and then started walking away in silence. Allen followed her, leaving the others alive.


    A whileter, she ended the silence between her and the android with a question calmly, "Allen, you aren''t talking for a while. Do you dislike this side of mine?"


    "No, I don''t think much of it." Allen shook his head in response and further said, "It is just that I remembered Big Brother Lu. Whether it''s your way of talking or actions, you resemble him, a lot. Actually, I should say that you appear like ady version of my master."


    "Is that the reason you arefortable with me?" asked Lin Xue, not liking to be a recement for someone else, to which, Allen replied, "I''m not sure. Maybe, after receiving the upgrade and gaining a certain amount of individuality like Alina, I might be able to tell the answer."


    Lin Xue halted her footsteps and turned around to look at him in wonder, "Upgrade? Individuality like Alina? What do you mean?" She didn''t understand his words properly.


    Allen went stiff for a second, realizing the blunder he made by almost spilling the truth. If there is one thing that the android cannot handle, it is a disappointment from Mark.


    Hence, he quickly thought of something to cover it up and exined, "I meant that I have yet to know the world like my sister. My vocabry is a bit different from the people from the maind."


    Like the rest of the citizens of Imperial City, Lin Xue was also under the opinion that Allen and Alina might be from a faraway ind. She believed him and then changed the topic, "Anyway, what should we do about the problem? Should we clean it up the organization by ourselves or should we only report it to the Imperial Pce?"


    Allen analyzed what he knew so far and then reminded her something, "Sister Lin, you forgot to ask him about the serial killings of the family members of the soldiers. Our quest wasn''t solved yet."


    "Hmm? Wasn''t the "Crushing giants" organization behind the serial killings?" Lin Xue looked at him in surprise, not expecting her friend to miss such a straight connection.


    "It is clear. They want to hide the red sandalwood smuggling. So, they were just killing all people who ventured into the forest so far.


    Since the vige is in the forest, it is obvious that vigers roam around and they were killed because they discovered the red sandalwood trees. Every member of the vige was rted to some retired soldier anyway."


    "Yes, that is true but isn''t it strange that those kins of the soldiers all happened to be belonging to the same unit when there are retired soldiers of other units who also lived in the vige?" Allen reminded her about the key point in the matter that they discussed a while ago.


    Realization dawned upon Lin Xue. "You are correct. The serial killings might not have anything to do with the red sandalwood smuggling. That also means that the "Crushing giants" organization might know a thing or two about the matter."


    When she said that, Allen saw a rare smile appear on Lin Xue''s face. What happened? He wondered.


    As he asked her whether she remembered something of a good memory, the heiress of the Lin n answered that she got an idea and turned around before starting to walk in the direction they just came from.


    Allen followed her.


    Soon, they reached the ce where the unconscious assassins were left earlier. She walked toward one of the remaining alive enemies.


    Allen patted her shoulder and pointed at the dead guy, "Wait, Sister Lin. You promised him that you will free his teammates."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Of course, I fulfilled my promise." Lin Xue nodded in response before adding, "But, I never promised that you won''t interrogate them. And don''t worry. We won''t kill them no matter what their answer is."


    Allen stared at her in a daze, seeing the shadow of Mark behind her once again. He shook his head and removed his thoughts, focusing on the present.


    Reaching an unconscious assassin, she asked Allen to drag him to a different location, away from the others. The remaining ones were also separated from each other.


    About 20-25 minutester;


    "This is everything I know. I''m willing to leave the organization and work honestly if you leave me alive." A terrified assassin pleaded for mercy after experiencing near-death more than sixteen times in a row. Not everyone has the same amount of willpower.


    Luckily for Lin Xue and Allen, they gained a piece of key information regarding the quest. Hence, they didn''t interrogate the others and went on their way to the vige.


    After reaching the vige, both of them visited the families of the victims and enquired whether the head of their families had done anything bad to someone or someone''s family when they were in the regiment.


    Lin Xue didn''t hesitate to use her n name and threats to find out the truth.


    In the end, both of them learned that more than two decades ago, during a dungeon break, these soldiers didn''t evacuate a vige as they were too drunk and the captain framed his lieutenant and everyone else also testified against him due to the fear of getting punished.


    As a result, the lieutenant named Yan Xuo was executed for forcing his subordinates to get drunk and his family membersmitted suicide after a few days, not bearing the insults from society.


    From there, it became easier for Lin Xue to guess the rest of the story.


    After specting that these serial killings were probably the work of a family member of Yan Xuo, the heiress of the Lin n confronted the vige chief at his house, the next day morning.


    The vige chief was shocked when he learned that these two adventurers found out his secret and also felt devastated that this isn''t the work of Crushing giant but a mission of revenge.


    Knowing well that he doesn''t have the power to go against them, Lian Zhong fell onto his knees, begging them for mercy.


    Looking coldly at him, Lin Xue said, "I''m not giving you an option, Vige chief Lian. I''m telling you toe with us and surrender yourself to the authorities after we capture the real culprit. If you want to run away, then, you can. However, we will drop this quest right away and return. Yourte daughter will not get her justice from us. The rest is your wish."


    After giving him a stern warning, Lin Xue left his house and Allen followed her. They started visiting each house with the portrait of Yan Xuo''s younger brother, the likely suspect as he is the not only other male in the family but also a Spirit Warrior.


    The only problem was that the portrait is of a teenager and he will be in his 30s by now. It is very difficult to identify him, but as Allen showed his confidence, Lin Xue trusted him.


    She thought that it won''t take very long for her to solve this quest and will soon return to the Imperial city and reveal the illegal smuggling of red sandalwood but she didn''t know that fate has different ns for her.

 Chapter 329 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-5)

    Far away from the vige, inside the caves, Lin Xue''s bodyguard, Yao Ling was being tied by the energy threads. He appeared to be gravely injured and also in a daze.


    Standing in front of him is a tall old man with a white and thin beard, which was extending all the way to his feet.


    Crossing his hands behind his back, he was continuously asking the questions, rather softly instead of using a threatening tone, and the captured enemy was giving the answers without hesitation or struggle. It looked as if he was hypnotized.


    "Mr. Yao, I was curious. If I finish off your young miss, will Lu Zhene after us?" the old man asked after learning of Allen''s background.


    Yao Ling shook his head, "No, Owner Lu does seem like he hates our young miss. He probably won''t."


    "Hmm¡­" the old man stroked his beard and fell into thoughts, "so, as long as I leave Allen alive, there will be no problem with Lu Zhen, huh. The Qing n doesn''t have the strength or willpower to help us if I unnecessarily offend that firearms seller.


    But, at the same time, I can''t let those two get away after learning about the existence of my treasure. What to do¡­ Hmm¡­ wait a second. Why should I be worried about him when it wasn''t me who kills them?" The old man raised his head to look at Yao Ling and let out a smile.


    Meanwhile, back in the vige, Allen and Lin Xue started searching for the culprit as they visited each house in the vige one after another. They were sure that the serial killer was hiding in the vige. Hence, they spared no effort to make this quest, a sess.


    Not to mention, Allen even drew a sketch of the person in the portrait by analyzing his teenage-looking face.


    And luckily for them, they eventually found the young man who was going by the surname Yu but his face almost matched Allen''s sketch.


    Lin Xue was very much impressed and patted his shoulder with a smile on her face, "Allen, you are really a genius. We have finally found Yan Xuo''s brother, the serial killer."


    She purposely spoke those words in front of the young man in order to study his reaction.


    But, even she didn''t expect him to attack them all of a sudden instead of trying to run or feigning ignorance.


    Thankfully, her high reflexes made her dodge the dagger aimed at her throat and Allen took the action by releasingser beams through his eyes and making a hole out of the enemy''s thighs.


    "Arghhhh¡­" the young man screamed in pain, making the neighbors turn curious.


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue summoned her semi-divine-grade sword and poured lightning energy into it before stabbing at his shoulder.


    The young man screamed once again, although this time, he also felt numbness all over his body.


    Lin Xue then coldly spoke, "Yan Huian, we know who you are and everything about your ploy of revenge. Don''t worry. We will not let Lian Zhong go unpunished either and your brother''s name will also be cleared.


    Now, all I want to ask you is whether you are willing to quietly follow us to the¡­"


    Maybe, Allen''sser beams were too much for him, or maybe, she stabbed him a bit too hard. The young man directly lost consciousness before she even finished.


    "Dammit¡­" Lin Xue became a little bit frustrated and kicked his body as she spoke, "This bastard fainted before even confirming that he is the culprit."


    "What should we do now?" asked Allen, to which, Lin Xue thought for a few seconds and replied, "I have got an idea."


    An hourter, somewhere in the middle of the forest;


    Lian Zhong (the vige chief) and Yan Huian (Yan Xuo''s younger brother/alleged serial killer) were facing each other in the presence of Lin Xue and Allen. It appeared that both of them have hatred for each other which was clear from their respective gazes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lin Xue then said, "This is my way of giving justice to both of you. You can talk it out or try to kill each other, whatever. I don''t care. In the end, we will be taking one of you with us to the Imperial City.


    You have got ten minutes to settle your issues. If the situation will not be solved, then, we will take both of you. So, if you have any grudges, this is the perfect moment to fulfill them.


    And I don''t need to remind you two that neither of you can outrun us. So, don''t try to escape. Okay, I have said enough. Your five minutes start now."


    Lin Xue started the timer on her pocket watch and silently watched the both of them. Her lightning sword is in her hands and Allen was also ready tounch an attack on anyone that tries to run away.


    Soon, a battle emerged between the two of them. They were weak Spirit Warriors and didn''t possess any sh moves or anything. All there were punches, kicks, and energy attacks once in a while.


    However, as their respective strengths and skills were on the same level, the battle was quite interesting. Or atleast, it was what Lin Xue thought as a spectator.


    Within 6-7 minutes, the battle came to a climax and it was tilted in Yan Huian''s favor, owing to his young age and calmness in the battle.


    As the vige chief was clearly showing signs of tiredness due to high pace battle, Yan Huian took advantage of it and used all of his strength to thrust his dagger forward.


    Lian Zhong''s chest was stabbed by the dagger and the blood started to flow down his body while he lost the energy in his legs.


    "Hahahaa¡­" Yan Huian startedughing crazily, "Until now, I have killed you more than a thousand times in my head. But, doing it, in reality, gives me more happiness than I expected¡­"


    The young man then pulled back the dagger into his hand before cing it on Lian Zhong''s throat, "goodbye¡­"


    He was about to sh his throat and end his life. However, just then, his wrist was grabbed by an arm, belonging to Lin Xue. She said, "If he dies without admitting it in front of the emperor, you cannot remove the taint on your brother''s name, Mr. Yan. ording to the constitution of Phoenix Empire, the used cannot be dered as a criminal if he dies before the investigation results are over."


    Yan Huian and Lian Zhong were shocked by her reply, although for different reasons.


    While the formerined inwardly that Lin Xue was fooling him when she said that she was giving him an opportunity to take revenge, on the other hand, Lian Zhong who was burning with revenge thought of his dead daughter.


    He closed his eyes and ignited the ether particles within his body and let out a burst of loudughter, "I see¡­ Thank you, Ms. Lin, for reminding me of such a key point. Yan Huian, I lost against you and I realized that I don''t have the ability to give justice to my daughter."


    Lin Xue furrowed her brows as she heard those words. "Lian Zhong¡­"


    The vige ignored her and continued to speak, "After killing so many innocent people, you will have to be punished, not just literally. Your brother died as a traitor and will forever be a traitor. That will be a befitting punishment to¡­"


    Before he finished thatst word, all the ether energy in his body converged to be a solid ball before it exploded, releasing a huge amount of energy.


    As thousands of joules of energy were released from Lian Zhong and spread to the surroundings, Allen dashed forward and stood in front of Lin Xue like a wall.


    The energy struck him but didn''t even damage his clothes, much less injure him. Meanwhile, Yan Huian got sted away and crashed onto a banyan tree.


    As Allen moved aside, Lin Xue saw a dead Lian Zhong on the ground, followed by hearing a loud scream from behind. "No¡­"


    She turned around to see the fallen young man, who suddenly lost his hopes. But, she doesn''t appear to care much about the sudden change in the situation. She simply said, "Allen, knock him out. We will take him to the Imperial city."


    Just as Allen nodded and walked toward Yan Huian, leaving her side, all of a sudden, a shadow emerged from her behind and grabbed her arms, "Young miss, the situation has gotten dangerous. We are leaving right now."

 Chapter 330 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-6)

    "Yao Ling? What the hell happened to you?" Lin Xue was surprised to see the bloodied figure of her loyal bodyguard. Without wasting any moment, she took out a recovery potion from her storage ring and fed the guy.


    As his injuries were healed in a jiffy, Yao Ling once again urged her to escape from the forest, "You are in grave danger. The boss of the gang is far stronger than me. He isn''t someone we can face head-on. We need to leave, right away."


    Lin Xue''s face stiffened at his words. She couldn''t help but remember the words of the assassin who warned her that she will only leave the forest as a corpse.


    Luckily for her, the culprit has already been apprehended and shepleted the quest. So, there''s no reason left for her to stay here and risk her life.


    She turned her head to look at the android, who was looking at her and Yao Ling, "Allen, pick up the target. We are leaving right away."


    Allen nodded and lifted the unconscious prisoner on his shoulder like a sack of rice and followed his only human friend.


    They started walking toward the east, contrary toward the north where the nearest exit of the forest is located.


    Yao Ling''s n is simple. He imed that he found a hidden cave behind the waterfalls where they can hide for a few days and leave the ce.


    Lin Xue trusts him very much and she decided to follow his idea as she wasn''t confident about taking on the enemy that even her bodyguard can''t handle. As for Allen, his thoughts aren''tplicated. Wherever Lin Xue goes, he will go there.


    As a result, the group of four (including the unconscious culprit) traveled deep into the forest to reach the waterfall, going against the water flow of a nearby river.


    The scenery wasn''t that great to look at. It was a simple waterfall falling from 25-30 meters in height, rocks are everywhere and the water was quite muddy due to the heavy rainfall followed byndslides.


    But then again, they aren''t here for sightseeing. Hence, Lin Xue didn''t pay much attention to the surroundings and followed her bodyguard.


    By the time it was noon, they reached the cave behind the waterfall and entered the ce. Yao Ling took a fire torch out of nowhere and asked for Allen''s assistance.


    As the android was lighting up the fire torch using his incineration skill, although controlled (1-circle realm power), Lin Xuemented, "You are pretty prepared for all kinds of situations, Uncle Yao."


    "It''s my job to keep you safe, young miss," replied Yao Ling as he started walking forward on an irregr narrow path, leading the others deep into the underground cavern, where there is enough sunlighting through the small openings.


    Lin Xue looked around and nodded in satisfaction. It seems like she liked it. She then asked Allen about his opinion.


    Allen didn''t think much of the ce. He was usuallyfortable with any kind of situation but since his friend asked him, he felt obligated to give a proper answer and scanned the surroundings.


    It was at that moment he realized something and he immediately grabbed Lin Xue''s hand, pulling toward him and embracing her. She was taken aback by his sudden actions. As for the captured Yan Huian, he was thrown aside.


    At the same time, her heartbeat spiked up to the peak and she tried to free herself while scolding him, "what the hell are you doing, Allen? Leave me."


    Allen calmly answered as he looked at Yao Ling, "Sister Lin, he appears to be under someone''s control and this cave was filled with several traps."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Trap?" Lin Xue furrowed her brows and stared at her calm-looking bodyguard. She found it unbelievable that someone of Yao Ling''s caliber can even get hypnotized but she cannot ignore Allen''s words either.


    Then, she remembered how they were dragged to this ce, and she realized that she made a mistake.


    No, more than that, she also med herself in her heart for not realizing it sooner and slightly med Allen in her head for being so careless. After all, if Allen has the power to sense such a change in Yao Ling, he should have done it before.


    But now, they were already in the trap. Taking a deep breath, she then asked, "Do you know a way to free him, Allen?"


    Before Allen answered, Yao Ling quickly opened his mouth, feigning ignorance, "Mr. Allen, don''t speak such bullshit. It''s not funny."


    "Hmm?" Lin Xue momentarily shifted her attention toward him. Walking slowly towards the both of them, he continued, "I''m at the elementary stage of Exalt realm (low-7-circle). It''s impossible for me to get hypnotized by anyone under the legendary realm. I really wonder why Mr. Allen wanted to sow discord between me and young miss."


    When he was finished, he was only a few feet away from Lin Xue, and he was about to unleash a skill to speed up and strike Lin Xue''s neck within a fraction of a second.


    However, Lin Xue acted quickly as soon as she heard those words. She summoned her semi-divine sword and poured her lightning attribute power into the de along with her ether energy. "Even at his death door, Uncle Yao never going to reveal his real cultivation, especially in the presence of someone like Allen, who wasn''t trusted by him. And Allen wasn''t the type to prank around. So, who the hell are you?"


    Yao Ling halted in his footsteps as he got caught, "well, it looks like I could no longer fool you."


    He then straightened his back and put back his hands, introducing himself, "People call me the Ghost of the Qing. Anyways, one of you is going to die and the other will soon forget it."


    As soon as he ended the words, two of the seals were activated and ced around. Both of them created a twoyer strong wall kind of barrier to block the only open escape route. The only other way to escape is to destroy the ceiling while defending oneself against the copse of the cavern and also the onught of puppetized Yao Ling.


    Even a fool knows what to choose. Lin Xue went into battle stance and said to the android, "Allen, get ready to battle."


    Allen then replied, "Sister Lin, I have yet to give my answer to your earlier question."


    As Lin Xue nced at him, he continued, "I only know one way to free him from the hypnotic state. It is by killing him."


    "No," screamed the Lin n''s heiress. Yao Ling is her trusted bodyguard who was protecting her since the day she was born. She cannot kill him unless there is no other choice, "We have to knock him out. We can then tie him up and treat him at the Imperial City."


    "And I will sit back and do nothing, right?" The enemy mocked them in a sarcastic tone. He further gave a bit of warning, "Before worrying about this fellow, worry about your lives."


    "Allen, let''s go. Use anything. Just don''t take his life." Lin Xue dashed forward at full speed and she was followed closely by Allen. Due to the small distance, it only took them a second to reach the target. She took the initiative to attack.


    Yao Ling also activated the ''Dash'' skill in time and turned into a blur.


    But, in the next second, a painful scream escaped behind Lin Xue (right in front of Allen) as twoser beams unleashed from Allen and struck his abdomen.

 Chapter 331 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-7)

    The invisibility wore off right away and Yao Ling was seen on his knees with two on his stomach of which one of them cleanly pierced the navel while the other only heavily bruised the skin.


    The blood was gushing out of his navel at a rapid pace while he helplessly fell to the side, "you bastard¡­"


    Meanwhile, Lin Xue, who leaped forward in reflex, slowlynded on the ground and looked at the scene.


    A look of surprise appeared on her face, "Yao Ling was defeated just like that?" She turned her head to look at Allen, who then exined, "I attacked his navel, where not only the central focal point of the energy pathway system is located but was also one of the vulnerable parts of the human. Without any external defensive barrier on top of a body, it is easy for myser beams to strike it. He was quite careless to attack me, I should say."


    As Lin Xue stared at him in a daze, feeling it very hard to believe her eyes, Allen reminded her to quickly heal the unconscious party or else, thetter would die due to blood loss.


    She hurriedly healed her bodyguard by pouring potions on the injured part while Allen scanned the barrier and walked toward it.


    Touching the scarlet barrier, he mumbled, "Hmm¡­ the barriers were stuck onto each other. The defensive stat is about 7.6 and has no weak spots. It can be solved by unleashing either the light dragon or a light beam.


    But, the only problem is that the cool-down periods vary on the oue. If we face an unexpectedly strong opponent, then, these skills from the sword wille into use. In such a case, it is too much of a waste."


    As Allen was formting a strategy to get out of this ce, Lin Xue, meanwhile, sent her lightning attribute energy into the body of Yao Ling and made sure to paralyze all the ether particles so that even if he woke upter on and tries to free himself, they would get enough time to knock him out again.


    Allen takes out the divine sword of Emperor Shun and the lightning sword in Lin Xue''s hands started shaking wildly. "Hmm, what happened, Lei?"


    Usually, all the semi-divine grade traditional weapons develop a certain amount of consciousness due to the cores of the beasts that were used in their creation.


    That is also the reason why Doom''s scythe tried to escape from Mark''s grasp, back when he acquired it from the assassins of the Church of Doom.


    If it isn''t for the fact that the system wiped out Emperor Shun''s soul fragment and the weapon''s consciousness from the divine sword, it would have been impossible for Allen to even wield it with his current strength.


    Anyways, back to the present situation, Lin Xue''s semi-divine weapon, which she was using for more than a decade, spoke its mind through telepathy. It appears to be afraid of the sword in Allen''s hands.


    It only then did Lin Xue finally realize the odd situation and turned her head to look in the direction of Allen. Her eyes fell on the glowing divine sword and widened in surprise.


    Dismissing her lightning sword, she left the unconscious Yao Ling on the ground and walked toward him with a look of surprise, "Allen, what sword is that? The intensity of its aura is off the charts."


    "My master gifted me," replied Allen with a proud smile on his face before raising it above his head. Looking at it, she thought, "it looks like Owner Lu wasn''t as bad as he appears, after all. He indeed treats Allen more than a servant or a simple family member."


    The light energy flowing into the sword glowed brighter as he swung it down. Cracks appeared on the lower part of the barrier where the sword shed down. He swung it down at that part, two more times, and then finished with a punch. A hole was formed in the barrier.


    Both of them got out of the cave while carrying an unconscious person respectively. They moved at a slow pace without forgetting to be keeping an eye on the surroundings.<novelnext></novelnext>


    About 35-40 minutester, Yao Ling got out of his unconscious state. As soon as Lin Xue heard him groan while opening his eyes, she threw him onto the ground and summoned her weapon before moving to Allen''s side just in case.


    Thankfully, he appeared to be himself without the signs of being hypnotized again, thereby reducing a great headache for the Lin n''s heiress.


    Yao Ling first expressed his confusion about how he was in the forest when he was supposed to be captured. Once it was cleared by Lin Xue, he then exined of his story.


    After following the assassin to the hideout, he got caught and fought with a couple of 6-circle realm experts before taking on the boss, which eventually led to his capture.


    From his story, Lin Xue once again confirmed that the enemy is indeed far stronger than they can handle.


    She already decided to quietly leave this ce. Hence, there is no change in the n, although their speed was rather quick with Yao Ling volunteering to carry their lone baggage while sending him to an unconscious state every time he wakes up.


    Six more hours passed away and the sunlight slowly disappeared over the Phoenix Empire. As they were too careful and went on a longer route under Allen''s guidance, it took them a while to finally escape not only the forest but also the ambushes ced at several exits of the forest.


    At the moment, they were almost at the border of Qing province and the Kunyu mountain range. Allen''s strategy is to go into the mountains and take a detour to the imperial city.


    By taking full advantage of his scanning ability, Allen was confident about losing the trail in the mountains. Of course, he was confident about taking the enemy but Lin Xue insisted on avoiding the battle at all costs. She might be brave but not foolish and reckless. Hence, Allen had to opt for this method.


    However, even he didn''t anticipate the enemy''s bold move.


    Just as they reached one of the peaks of the Tuoshan hills, the ce outside the Qing province''s border where they nned to rest for the night, arge-scale golden barrier was erected from four sides, trapping them in between.


    The four elderly mages who created the barrier through joint effort started walking toward their target.


    "What the¡­" Lin Xue''s widened in surprise and Yao Ling panicked. He immediately made a request, "Young miss, use the teleportation scroll and escape from here."


    "How in the hell we walked straight into the trap?" Lin Xue questioned Allen without bothering to hear Yao Ling''s request.


    This time, Allen didn''t have an answer. He shook his head, "I don''t know. But, I''m sure that there is no trapid here before we reached."


    "That means they anticipated your strategy and were waiting for us here?" asked Lin Xue, feeling that her suspicion might be right.


    Allen thought for a bit and answered, "Either that or they were tracking us from far away every second. I cannot sense anyone''s presence around 500 meters though."


    "A tracking seal?" Lin Xue''s attention immediately shifted to her bodyguard who could only bitterly smile upon realization. "Damn..."

 Chapter 332 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Part-8)

    The golden barrier formed over the hill illuminated the area that it covered. In an instant, Lin Xue, Allen, and Yao Ling could see their surroundings as well as they could in a day.


    Throwing away the unconscious Yan Huian aside, the three of them took a triangr formation in order to keep an eye on all sides.


    Maybe, it is because the top of the hill is an open ce, or maybe, it is because the top echelons of the ''Crushing Giants'' gang were confident enough to take out their enemies. Whatever the reason might be, the boss of the gang and his four elders calmly climbed up the hill and slowly walked toward Lin Xue and others from all sides without any sudden ambushes.


    Meanwhile, Allen was checking out the barrier that covered the entire hill. After analyzing its power through his scanning ability, he said, "Sister Lin, this barrier is quite different from the one that was ced at the cave. It seems to have a number of functions like anti-teleportation, noise canceling, vision canceling, self-repair, and ether restriction."


    As Allen''s voice wasn''t low, the long-bearded old man who was walking with the help of a wooden staff let out a smile and nodded, "Indeed, the servant of Lu Zhen won''t be an ordinary expert. Not only you had the strength but you also have great sensory abilities. It is too bad that you had a strong background that we cannot offend but that also means that you won''t be able to leave alive from here as we want to protect our secret."


    The old man''s statement first shocked Lin Xue and Yao Ling, and then followed by making them feel depressed as their entire day had gone bad all because they discovered the existence of red sandalwood.


    While Yao Ling was regretting his capture, Lin Xue was wondering whether she made the wrong choice in epting this quest. After all, it is clear that they were at a great disadvantage when facing four experts of the peak-6-circle realm and a 7-circle realm expert.


    As she was ming herself in her head, Yao Ling spoke with a determined look, bringing her to reality, "Young Miss, all of this is my fault. I will detonate myself to take down the enemies and the barrier altogether. You and Mr. Allen should escape."


    "What did you say?" She gave a sharp look as she immediately rejected the idea. "There''s no way I''ll allow you to do that, Uncle Yao."


    Allen then shifted his attention to his friend as she was the leader of this party, "Sister Lin, what is your decision? Kill them and escape or destroy the barrier and escape?"


    She took a nce at him and then at the enemies that surrounded them. After quick thinking, she connected her consciousness with her storage ring and took out a scroll before handing it to the android.


    "Here, this is an instant teleportation scroll, which will take you directly to the Lin n''s Mansion as long as you are not far than 10,000 km from our home. Look for an opportunity and use it by pouring ether energy." She gave away her life-saving treasure to Allen without caring about her own life.


    Of course, she took this decision not just because she cares for Allen but it was also because of Mark.


    She knew that Allen''s unreasonable master would probably destroy the whole Lin n in revenge once he learns that she was the one who dragged her friend into this adventuring business.


    And not to mention, if she wasn''t with him, he could have escaped on his own with ease. For the sake of her n, Allen must stay alive. Or atleast, that was what she thought at the moment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, she doesn''t know that Allen cannot activate the scroll as he doesn''t have any ether energy inside his system.


    But, as he cannot say it out loud because of his master''s order, Allen replied without taking the scroll from her hand, "The best course of action in this current situation is for you to escape, not me. Big Brother Lu is out of town and I don''t have much credibilitypared to the heiress of a major noble n when ites to convincing Lord Lin or Emperor Shang."


    "You underestimate your master''s fame in the city, Allen," said Lin Xue, not intending to back down from her decision. "You just need to meet my father and exin it to him. Without fail, he will talk to His Majesty to deploy a general to save us."


    Allen stared at her while thinking about how to convince her in a logical way.


    But, the enemies will not sit around and do nothing, right?


    The boss of the gang appeared to have lost his patience and spoke out loud, "Okay, you have wasted enough time with pointless discussion. Now, prepare yourselves to die." He raised the staff and mmed its bottom end on the ground.


    A mud dragon rose from the soil and flew toward Lin Xue''s party at a very quick pace.


    "Careful," screamed Yao Ling as he quickly shielded his young miss. Without hesitating to suppress his strength, he unleashed a barrier in the shape of a scarlet wall made of his ether energy.


    While the barrier couldn''t manage to stop the mud dragon, it took some of the damage and reduced the dragon''s size, indicating its reduced power.


    Allen immediately summoned his divine sword and swung it down at the iing attack. The mud dragon was cleaved into two before disappearing into thin air, taking the enemies by surprise.


    The old man furrowed his brows as his eyes fell on the glowing sword, "That sword''s aura is too powerful. A top tier semi-divine grade sword or¡­"


    As a crazy guess came to his mind, he dismissed the wooden staff and summoned his personal weapon, a semi-divine grade staff with the shape of a snake with its cobra head constantly spitting little mes. "Ashei, check out that sword''s grade." He instructed.


    The mes spitted by the cobra-headed scepter intensified all of a sudden as the old man received a reply. His eyes widened upon hearing it, "A divine grade?"


    His facial expression immediately changed and a look of greed appeared on his face. He raised the scepter once again to unleash the skill, and this time, he didn''t y around.

 Chapter 333 Lin Xue And Allens First Quest (Final)

    "Elders, summon that thing right now." He ordered the elders who were silently standing away in different directions. After that, he proceeded to unleash another mud dragon but this one was a lot bigger and appeared to be quite powerful, almost reaching the power of a legendary realm beast (low-8-circle).


    Seeing that their boss was going all out right from the beginning for some reason, the other four mages also raised their respective scepters and unleashed abination skill, summoning a giant serpent with four heads.


    Each head was of a different attribute (fire, wind, lightning, dark) and the monster seems to be in the 7-circle realm, turning Lin Xue''s face pale. "We''re doomed." She felt like all of her ns were useless in front of these extraordinary powers and there was no way they could escape.


    "I''m sorry." She mumbled in sadness and looked at Allen''s back as thetter raised the sword above his head.


    Even Yao Ling was also not confident about escaping with his life. Hence, he decided to follow his original n. He dashed forward toward the giant serpent and the four elders, nning to detonate his ether particles and take down the enemies with him.


    But, just as he reached halfway, he felt an enormous power behind him. The four-headed serpent started shivering as it raised its head. Even the elders took a step back in reflex.


    Yao Ling couldn''t help but stop in his tracks and turn around only to see a giant light dragon floating above the heads of Lin Xue and Allen. "What the hell¡­"


    Meanwhile, the old man looked like he was also in a daze, "Supreme realm?"


    *Roar*


    The light dragon let out a powerful roar as Allen swung down the sword, "Skill: Light Dragon,plete. Go¡­"


    The light dragon, which was only as big as 10 ft, rushed forward while opening its mouth.


    "Defend¡­" The old man momentarily forgot about the energy mud dragon that was summoned right beside him and hurried up to conjure a defensive wall.


    The light dragon mmed into the barrier, destroyed it, then, went on its way, collided with the boss of the gang along with his energy mud that was on standby, and finally struck the wall of a barrier.


    The golden barrier was destroyed, the mud dragon and the old man were nowhere to be seen, and the surroundings became dark once again.


    "Skill: Illumination."


    The words escaped Allen''s mouth before a wave of light energy was released by the divine sword, illuminating the surroundings.


    The android then turned around to look at Lin Xue and smiled, "the barrier is destroyed. Will you teleport to your home?"


    He didn''t have much reaction to the death of the enemy of the prowess of the light dragon. All he cared is aboutpleting the mission that he had taken.


    Seeing that he helped out his friend to teleport away,


    Lin Xue''s heartbeat rose rapidly as she stared at Allen, forgetting everything around.


    "Sister Lin? Sister Lin?" Allen had to call her a couple of times to bring back her to reality.


    "Allen," She pointed her finger at the empty space before them, "What was that?"


    "Oh, it is one of the skills that are possessed by the sword," calmly replied the android.


    Lin Xue followed up with the next question, "What was that sword anyway?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "My master calls it the divine sword Aries, which was once wielded by Emperor Ku and passed down to Emperor Zhi, Emperor Yao, and finally Emperor Shun."


    "Emperor Ku, Shun, Yao, and Zhi?" Lin Xue was never shocked more than when she heard of those figures. "You mean the one from the legends? I heard various stories about them but didn''t know that they were real. How did you master acquire it?"


    Allen answered without hiding the truth as it wasn''t prohibited by his master, "It was given by Emperor Shun''s spirit."


    "So, the stories about those five emperors and three sovereigns bing immortals and leaving for the celestial realm might be true, after all," eximed Lin Xue in excitement before she came to her senses by another piece of logic came to her mind, "Nah, their names might have also been used to cover up its real origins."


    She doesn''t know whether Mark lied to Allen or not, but one thing became clear to her. Allen was too precious for his master.


    She also realized that it might be challenging for her to free Allen from his master''s control.


    Perhaps, she should just stop thinking about it and try to get along with Mark instead so that he willingly frees Allen. Or else, she would be forced to live on the first floor of the Genesis Weapon Store after her marriage.


    Hmm, wait a second¡­


    Lin Xue suddenly realized that something was off in hertest thoughts. "Marriage? Are you crazy? Why the hell are you thinking of such a ridiculous thing?" Her eyes unknowingly shifted to Allen, who shifted his attention to the kneeling four elders.


    The four-headed serpent was dismissed by them upon realizing that their enemy is too strong for them to even try and escape.


    As Allen walked toward them while feeling that they were no longer a threat with the fear clearly disyed on their faces, Lin Xue kept staring at his back. "Well, alongside his looks, he does have perfect broad shoulders, neither too buffed like the second prince nor thin like the third prince." She shook her head immediately, "what are you thinking, Lin Xue? Get a hold of yourself."


    ***


    One weekter;


    On one of the beaches of Fujian ind, Mark was enjoying a morning walk alongside Song Yue with both of them linking their arms and chatting about various things, although it was mostly Mark talking about the stories from his past life.


    "So, you use this thing called a phone to talk to a person even from the other side of the world?" Song Yue couldn''t help but be excited whenever her fianc¨¦ exined a new thing that was unheard of in this world.


    Mark nodded with a smile and proudly bragged about his past once again for the nth time, "It''s just the beginning, my Schatz. We can take photos, record our moments to watch themter, and learns things that were happening in a corner of the world. The technology developed so quickly that by the time of the war, we can wrap the superphones around our wrist like a bracelet."


    "Ohhh¡­"


    While Song Yue didn''t understand even half of Mark''s exnation about the features of the mobile phones from his time, she was fascinated by the things from the other world and even wanted to go there one day if she gets an opportunity.


    After a while, the ck Knight entered the beach to fetch the couple for the morning breakfast.


    However, as he saw the both of them quite intimate with each other, a satisfactory smile appeared on his face. "I guess I shouldn''t disturb them. It is just breakfast anyway. Missing it will not be a big deal."


    Seeing that his daughter is quite happy with his future son-inw, he turned around to walk away to busy himself with sword training.


    As a mage, he was never good with swords buttely, to pose as the mysterious swordsman, he was practicingmon sword techniques from the books sold by the Swordmasters guild.

 Chapter 334 Tishanans Breakthrough

    It was the time of the day when the sun was almost at its peak position.


    Mark, Song Yue, and Song Yun finished their lunch together and the former started talking about his ns for their next destination.


    Meanwhile, the manticore was sleeping, as usual, the anaconda continued to coil itself around the mountain and keep an eye on the ocean, and the demigod realm beast, Lan Ju, on the other hand, was babysitting the golden-furred kitten.


    The Zheng and Tishanan were of the same species and shared amon ancestor. Hence, it didn''t take long for them to bond. Not to mention, the kitten was also of beast emperor grade.


    As a result, Lan Ju became its teacher and tried his best to train the junior.


    For the past few days, he woke up the little kitten early in the morning and made it run tenps around the perimeter of the ind as a warm-up.


    After that, Tishanan will tag along with Lan Ju as it goes into the ocean to catch some beasts.


    The kitten, which used to only drink milk, eat eggs, and some cooked chicken meat until it came onto the ind, was fed the meat of the high-quality Aquatic Spirit beasts along with their core.


    However, since it refuses to eat raw food unlike the manticore, Mark had to cook it in the form of stew before feeding it. Song Yun also helped by volunteering to cut down the beasts, removing inedible parts, washing their meat, etc¡­


    After eating fill, the kitten will sleep until the evening. And then, it will spar the manticore in darkness to improve its reflexes and senses. Of course, it goes without saying that the beast king will go easy on the little creature.


    As a result, Tishanan grew stronger at a rapid pace. Only ten days have passed since they came onto the ind and the golden-furred kitten was already on the brink of making a breakthrough to the 4-circle realm, although its size hasn''t changed a bit from the day it was born.


    Very soon, it will make a breakthrough. Mark was also postponing his ns for the past couple of days for the same reason. And if all goes well, it will happen today.


    At present, somewhere deep in the ocean about 300-400 meters below the surface, a five-tailed scarlet leopard was choking a great white shark with one of its tails while the little kitten was watching it from the leopard''s head.


    It was surrounded by some kind of bubble technique that was not only nullifying the water pressure but also making it stick to the leopard''s head. Soon, the powerful beast king of the 7-circle realm became a corpse and the other tails of the zheng pped down the water, making the both of them swim upwards to the surface.


    In no time, both of them returned to the ind.


    As soon as Tishanan got free, the kitten left its master and rushed toward one of the houses and entered the one where the humans were in the middle of their discussion.


    *Meoww*


    The delightful greeting call from the kitten interrupted them and the couple rose to their feet immediately to wee it with smiles on their faces as if their little kid returned from kindergarten.


    As Song Yue and Mark raised their arms to hug it, the kitten halted in its footsteps and stared at the both of them.


    "Tishanan,e here." "You''lle to this big sister, right?"


    Mark and Song Yue crouched down and suddenly fought for its attention. It''s just a little contest they do every day for fun.


    The little kitten moved his head left and right to look at both of them for a while before it rushed toward Song Yue and snuggled in her arms.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Song Yue let out a grin and showed a ''V'' to her fianc¨¦, "Schatz: 4, Markie: 2. Hehe, I win once again¡­"


    Mark crossed his arms to the chest and scolded the kitten, "betrayer. I''m your master, and yet, you always take her side."


    As soon as the words escaped his mouth and he looked away, the kitten suddenly opened his eyes and jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing its cheeks with his cheeks, "Ma".


    Mark didn''t look at it and continued to y it out, "Hmpf, I won''t talk to you."


    Song Yue knew that Mark was acting. So, she didn''t interfere and quietly watched the kitten, which jumped onto his head and then at his other shoulder to lick his other cheek.


    When Mark turned his head once again, the kitten dropped down his head and let out a woeful meow, expressing its sadness. Perhaps, that already melted down Mark''s heart and he didn''t try to take the joke too far, quickly petting it by rubbing its chin.


    The kitten became happy and it jumped back into Song Yue''sp to take a short nap, making Mark shake his head with a smile. "This cheeky little brat¡­"


    Roughly after 15 minutes, the kitten was woken up by Song Yue and its eyes directly fell on a spherical shaped organ that is as big as Mark with bones protruding from all of its sides. It appears to be so much rich in energy.


    Even the manticore in the house and the anaconda on the mountain couldn''t help but stay awake and stare in the direction where they were sensing such energy.


    However, just like the aquatic beasts in the ocean, none of them dared toe closer to the core as Lan Ju disyed the aura of a demigod.


    Of course, after staying for more than a week on the ind, Song Yun already knew his real identity and it appeared that Mark doesn''t care about it. Neither did Song Yun confront Mark on the matter nor did thetter have given any kind of exnation. In fact, it only made Song Yun more loyal to his friendship with his son-inw.


    Anyways, back to the present, Tishanan jumped from Song Yue''s arms andnded on the ground before steadily walking toward the core.


    Looking at it, Mark asked the zheng once again, "Are you really sure that Tishanan is going to be alright? He is only a 3-circle realm beast." He was worried that the core of a 7-circle realm beast king will be too much for the tiny little kitten.


    For a brief moment, Lan Ju showed signs of being frustrated upon being questioned by Mark for the nth time since noon. But, since he is the future Patriarch of the Lan Sect, he cannot get angry with him without any good reasons.


    Hence, taking a deep breath, Lan Ju answered as calmly as possible, "I told you earlier. Tishanan is different from me. He was born to an ancient-grade beast and would likely be one in the future. So, there''s nothing to be worried about."


    Mark nodded and signaled the kitten to proceed.


    As Tishanan opened its tiny mouth, Lan Ju forcefully plucked out a bone, letting the energy escape the core through a hole. The demigod realm beast then redirected the energy toward the kitten.


    At a rapid pace, all the energy flew into the kitten, which started refining it. Soon, a blinding sh of light covered the kitten and thetter started to float in the air.


    The phenomenon made Lan Ju''s eyes light up and he eximed, "It''s going better than I expected."


    Meanwhile, far away from the location, deep inside the ocean where there is no sunlight, a pair of glowing eyes opened before a deep voice escaped like a sonic boom, "the time hase sooner than I thought. I wonder whether he is truly ready for the task."

 Chapter 335 Tishanan Mutates Into An Ancient Grade Beast

    At one of the beaches of the Fujian ind, the humans along with Lan Ju were staring at the floating ball of light while praying for sess.


    Earlier, when Tishanan was covered by the light and flew into the air instead of making a breakthrough to the next realm, the zheng exined to everyone that the golden-furred kitten''s bloodline triggered the process of mutation.


    However, it wasn''t as if there was a hundred percent possibility. But, if it bes sessful, then, the little kitten will be an ancient-grade beast like its parent.


    Mark was obviously excited to see the kitten power up. The stronger it gets, the more useful it will be to him in battles. Or maybe, he can just let Song Yue continue to keep it as a pet while thetter acts as her secret protector.


    Anyways, back to the current situation, the kitten continued to float as a ball of light in mid-air for the next ten minutes before it expanded into an elliptical form vertically.


    Once the light was dimmed, in ce of the golden-furred kitten, everyone saw an attractive cute little boy with shoulder-length golden hair. In human terms, he can be considered a 3-4-year-old kid.


    The boy slowlynded on the ground and looked around the surroundings before examining his own hands and legs.


    "Is that our Tishanan?" asked Song Yue, rubbing her eyes. Just like Lan Ju, the kitten''s transformation didn''t leave any trace of a beast.


    Meanwhile, Mark immediately activated his Sage eyes to inspect its details.


    Tishanan


    Title: N/A


    Status: Humanoid


    Grade: Ancient


    Species: Cat


    Gender: Male


    Rank: 4 (intermediate stage)


    Type: Bnced


    Attribute: Water, Wind, Light


    Description: The child of the Golden Demon Cat, which is one of the demon lords of the undyingnds. Like the other Beast Emperor and above-grade beasts, it matures along with its power instead of its age.


    Skills:


    Heal: Using the attribute of light, the beast could heal the target''s injuries and wounds. Effect: 120% attack power.


    Hydro st: Using the attribute of water, the beast can spit a powerful stream of water and injure the enemies. Effect: 130% attack power.


    Air Gust: using the attribute of wind, the beast can release wind over a specific target area, delivering great shock waves of pure force. Effect: 130% attack power.


    Purification: Remove any type of debuff on the target caused by magic.


    Water prison: The beast unleashes the skill to bind, imprison and/or otherwise stop objects/beings by surrounding them with huge volumes of water. Effect: Those who were trapped inside the prison will have their ether energy slowly absorbed by the beast.


    ***


    "Well, not as great as I imagined," thought Mark in disappointment as he stared at the holographic screen floating before his eyes. He expected great abilities from Tishanan as it mutated into an ancient-grade beast.


    If one considers the rtion between each grade, then, at present, this kitten should have the strength to defeat a 7-circle beast king like Cerberus or the anaconda.


    However, its stats and skills state something else entirely. If in the humanoid state, the beast has 4.6 points of intelligence, which is its highest stat, then, after transforming back into its original form, in the best-case scenario, it would be around 5.5 or 5.6.


    It means that Tishanan can at most defeats go against an elementary-stage Exalt realm beast (low-7-circle). Forget about beast kings and emperors. And that is just in theory. In reality, the battle experience should also be considered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Anyways, all of these worries can be shut down once it makes another breakthrough. Thinking that way, Mark calmed down his emotions and focused on the curious-looking boy instead of the stats.


    "Wu¡­" "Wu¡­" "Ah¡­"


    Tishanan started making sounds like a baby, addressing everyone. Mark and Lan Ju understood what it was trying to say.


    He walked forward and patted the head of the naked boy with a smile, "Since you have attained the humanoid transformation, I think it is more appropriate to give you a human name.


    After me, Allen, and Alina, you will be the third one to join our family. As the fourth-born child, your name will be Anan Spencer."


    "A¡­ na¡­ nu?" The golden-haired boy somehow managed to speak of his name, earning apuse from Song Yue. "Woohoo! Congrattions Tishanan, I mean, Anan. You spoke your first word."


    Mark nced at his fianc¨¦e, who appeared to be too happy. He was disappointed earlier for the beast betraying his expectations but upon seeing a heartyugh from Song Yue, his negative feelings were slowly washed away from his heart.


    He ced his attention back on the boy. Just as he was about to congratte Anan, all of a sudden, the water nearby the beach moved back at a rapid pace. The attention of Lan Ju was quickly drawn to it.


    "Lu Zhen," called Lan Ju, raising his voice.


    Mark turned his head to look at the zheng, "Hmm?"


    Lan Ju then pointed at the ocean, "Look, the water is going back. I don''t feel good about this."


    Song Yue heard it and looked in that direction before letting out a gasp, "My goodness. Markie, it is the signs of a tsunami."


    "It looks that way," replied Mark with a serious look. However, he felt something was strange as things don''t add up. He stared at the retreating waters of the ocean for a while.


    "What should we do now?" Song Yue became worried, although not because of the uing disaster. After staying in this peaceful ce for 10 days without leaving Mark''s side except during the night''s sleep, she became a little bit attached to the house they lived in and the beaches they take long walks daily.


    *We need to leave*


    Meanwhile, Scarlet words appeared in the air as Song Yun wrote them through his ether energy. As he didn''t think that it would be a crisis with so many powerful beasts around, he didn''t need the feel to get out of the ck Knight character yet.


    Fortunately for him, Lan Ju was standing in the opposite direction. Hence, the words were seen and the zheng quickly responded, "No need to worry, Mr. ck knight. I can conjure up a barrier to defend the whole ind against the natural disaster."


    "No, Lan Ju. This isn''t a natural disaster. This is created by someone or something," said Mark after analyzing the situation in his head. Everyone was startled by his ims and looked at him.


    Mark then turned around and exined, "Water is sure going back but none of the beasts or the small birds and animals living on this ind got an inkling of a natural disaster beforehand."


    He then pointed at the ground, "Tsunamis are created by earthquakes inside the ocean. If we look at the rate of water retraction, the magnitude of the earthquake must be atleast over 9. That means we will be able to feel the tremors on the ind.


    Other warnings include a loud roar from the ocean and the strange behavior of the aquatic beasts. But, none of this happened until now.


    Everything indicates that it is either an unintentional attack of a sea beast or a deliberate ambush from an enemy of the mage Spirit Path. Whatever the case, the enemy doesn''t appear to be weak."


    After concluding the nature of the tsunami, Mark didn''t bother to wait for the reactions from the listeners and directly passed the orders. "Song Yue and Anan will go back to the house. The both of you will stay inside while Baltrow and Mr. ck Knight will guard the house. Lan Ju and I will take care of the rest. Understood?"


    With Mark making a serious expression and speaking in amanding tone, everyone couldn''t help but just nod in response and follow his orders. Anan also transformed back into the kitten, which was slightly biggerpared to before, although not fully grown.


    Before leaving, Song Yue gave a tight hug to her fianc¨¦, "Markie, be careful."


    "I will be," replied Mark and hugged back.


    They retreated back to the house that is located hundreds of meters away from the shore and Song Yun conjured an ether energy barrier over the house just in case. Baltrow stood beside him to guard the house after receiving the telepathic message from its master.


    Roughly after 15 minutes, a tsunami of 480 meters in height that is stretching for only ten kilometers had appeared in front of Mark, proving his theory.

 Chapter 336 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-1)

    A gigantic wave was approaching the ind at a speed of about 150 km/hr. Lan Ju and Mark were waiting at the beach to face it.


    Soon, it struck both of them and then washed away everything on the ind that is on its path. Thousands of small fishes and other aquatic beasts crashed onto the ind.


    Lan Ju was not only unharmed but also didn''t move an inch from the spot.


    As for Mark, who wore the Exo suit in order not to waste his defensive skills and ether energy, he was pushed away atleast for a hundred meters before the water retreated to the ocean. He was of course unharmed.


    However, his attention was on the house with the barrier as it was also hit by the wave. Seeing that there were only cracks in the barrier, Mark let out a sigh of relief and rose to his feet.


    Meanwhile, Lan Ju''s focus was on the ocean. His senses were at their peak but couldn''t sense the enemy no matter how far or how deep he searched.


    "Is there a demigod trying to y hide and seek with us or was Lu Zhen just mistaken?" The zheng wondered as he cannot sense any other presence.


    It was at that moment a heavy sigh was heard in the surroundings, making the demigod-realm beast emperor jump on his feet in an alert. "Who is it?" Lan Ju asked in a loud tone.


    A reply came in the form of two words, "Truly disappointing." The voice was quite deep and quitemanding to the zheng, increasing his curiosity.


    Lan Ju looked around and tried his best to locate the enemy but to no avail. He couldn''t help but wonder out aloud, "Did the enemy master the art of invisibility or something?"


    The voice responded once again, this time with a bigger sentence, "Feline creature, you are too noisy. Stay silent for a while and let me concentrate on the guy with the weird costume."


    As soon as his words ended, fourrge turtles were summoned around Lan Ju with each one releasing an energy chain. These chains bound Lan Ju andpletely restricted his movements.


    Lan Ju resisted for a couple of seconds and then became silent, although, for some reason, he didn''t transform into a beast to free himself.


    Meanwhile, Mark halted his footsteps in shock. After all, the zheng is his greatest backing. Anything that can capture him is something that is too powerful and running away is a terrible idea. He understood that very well.


    Now, this situation leaves him with only one choice. He would have to raise the upper limit of his skill prowess. In the present situation, all the damages of his skills were capped at 10.9 points of stat, which might or might not be enough if this unknown enemy was prepared.


    Luckily, the stat pills were also in his storage ring.


    However, this also had a problem. Even after he raises his cultivation level, his ether points will still be at around 1 million. It means that he might have to depend only on the skills that consume a fixed percentage of ether energy rather than a numerical amount.


    So, bloodline skills like Absolute Freezing, Blizzard wings, and summoning his beasts might be out of the question. But then again, with Baltrow and Lan Ju on his side, he never had to depend on his summons either. Hence, there wasn''t much to lose.


    Before he proceeded, he just needed to be sure that what he was going to do is worth the trouble. Judging by the tone of the invisible stranger, it appeared more like he wasn''t that hostile.


    Should he trust his instincts or should he take the intelligence pill to be safe?<novelnext></novelnext>


    Just as Mark was contemting on whether to make a breakthrough to 7-circle or talk it out with the ambusher, the voice was heard from the sky once again, "Good, stay that way without making any trouble, feline creature. Now, the master of the zheng, hear me out carefully. Before I reveal myself, you will have to prove your worthiness. You failed the earlier test. But, I was willing to give you another chance. Of course, you weren''t given any choice about this. So, get prepared to face the trial."


    "Trial?" Mark''s thoughts about the breakthrough were thrown into the back of his head as his attention was picked by the voice from the sky. Naturally, he wasn''t pleased by the proposal either. "Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, trying his best to stay calm on the surface.


    "Calmness is a good trait for any kind of Spirit Warrior but having pride should be in respect with one''s strength. After all, excessive pride will only lead to a downfall in the end. Let''s see if your pride is in the same equation as your strength or if it is excessive." An odd reply came from the sky before a golden portal appeared before Mark and engulfed him.


    After Mark disappeared from sight, Lan Ju took a deep breath and asked, "Why are you doing this? For what reason do you want to test Lu Zhen?"


    "Ho, now that''s unexpected." The voice eximed in surprise. It furthermented, "It appears that you have discovered my identity."


    Lan Ju nodded firmly and then spoke in a polite manner despite his hands and legs being tied up by energy chains, "Yes. Those spirit-suppressing turtles gave away your identity. It is also the reason why I no longer wanted to resist, Lord Yuqiang."


    Once Lan Ju spoke those words, the turtles disappeared and he was freed. Followed by that, an old man with an ordinary-looking face made his appearance.


    One cannot be fooled by his average build and the peaceful vibes of a civilian he was giving at first nce. Lan Ju knew how dangerous this fellow is.


    Hence, he fell on his knees and kowtowed to greet the stranger.


    In response to the greeting, the old man chuckled and made ament on the appearance of the zheng, "You rejected the human civilization for three decades without bothering to integrate into their society, and yet, you like to stay and behave like them in the end."


    Lord Yuqiang''sment was only met with Lan Ju''s silence.


    Seeing this, Yuqiang lost interest to converse about other matters and proceeded to speak of his real intentions, taking the zheng by surprise.


    Meanwhile, Mark was transported to a ce where he can only see a stairway to some kind of door in the end. Everything else was blocked.


    At first, he was angry at this mysterious being for transporting him to this ce without his consent but then as he calmed down himself, Mark realized that the enemy isn''t hostile and wanted to test him for something.


    With the zheng being captured too easily, he became worried about Song Yue''s safety. After all, none of those will be able to protect her. Adding on top of this, the system is offline.


    Hence, he first needed to control his emotions and get out of this situation by following the rules set by the enemy. Mark proceeded to go through this trial by stepping on the first step without knowing what kind of test he was going to face.


    Quickly, his surroundings changed once again. The ce looks like a cave of an ether mine. Thousands of ether ores could be seen protruding from the walls.


    However, none of that mattered as there is a giant creature waiting for him.

 Chapter 337 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-2)

    Mark activated his Sage eyes without wasting any time in inspecting the details of the monster with the body of an ox, four horns with two protruding from the forehead and the remaining two protruding from the back of its head, human eyes, and pig ears.


    *honk*


    Looking at its prey, the beast let out a sound that is simr to a goose, although it was a bit too loud for a human. Mark was forced to close his ears for a second while staring at its details.


    *


    Zhuhuai


    Species: Hybrid


    Rank: 7 (advanced)


    Grade: Beast King


    Type: Bnced


    Description: A monster from the undyingnds.


    *


    "Just a 7-circle monster, huh?" Mark felt more relieved upon seeing that his opponent is someone he can defeat without relying on external assistance.


    However, the problem here is that he doesn''t have much experience in closebat.


    And the more time he spends here, the more worried he might get regarding the safety of his fianc¨¦e as he couldn''t trust this invisible enemy to not keep them hostage.


    Then, should he summon the missile defense system and bombard the opponent with missiles? This way, he could save ether energy.


    But, is there a need to save it?


    With the ''Ether Regeneration'' passive skill, he can recover his ether energy at the rate of 1% every 1.7 seconds. That''s only three minutes to recover all of his consumed ether points.


    As Mark was contemting on whether he should go for the quick route or use this opportunity to test his own power, the beast charged at the intruder like a bull. Its horns were glowing in scarlet energy, aiming to kill him in one shot.


    Seeing that, Mark quickly activated the suit''s flight ability and flew higher to dodge the iing attack, followed by taking out a sniper battle rifle and pouring about 500 thousand ether particles into it (~49% ether energy).


    As Mark then proceeded to set the power to 3 using the dial switch ced above the trigger, the beast put a brake on its legs and turned around. It raised its head to look at the enemy flying without any wings.


    *Honk*


    Letting out a snort, the beast unleashed a skill. Energy started to condense at the tips of its front horns.


    Mark raised the rifle and aimed at the beast. With enhanced vision, Mark didn''t bother to use the scope and directly clicked on the trigger.


    *Swoosh*


    A rank-3 energy bullet was released from the rifle and cut through the air like lightning and perfectly piercing the beast''s right eye.


    *Graaaa*


    The beast roared in anger as the blood oozed from its eye. Maybe, it is because it isn''t real or maybe, it is because Lord Yuqiang created it that way. Whatever the case, it wasn''t showing any signs of feeling pain or trying to heal its eye injury. Instead, it resumed gathering the energy at its horns toplete the technique.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So, it is a dumb one, eh?" Mark''s confidence increased by its move and he clicked the trigger once again, aiming at its other eye.


    The beast couldn''tplete its technique and it lost its vision, although it doesn''t pose any problem for Zhuhuai as the beast kings don''t need the vision to sense the enemy. Its smelling capability is more than enough to locate its prey.


    A giant energy ball was thrown at Mark, who in turn, faced it head-on and took the blow directly to test the suit''s defense. Of course, the beast''s 7-circle realm cultivation is the primary reason for him to take such a step.


    As for its grade, ording to the manuscript of Legendary Beast Tamer Xie Chen, which he received from his sister on the engagement ceremony day, the difference in the grade of beasts lies in their respective skill set.


    If a king-grade defense appeared to be a lot stronger than the fierce-grade beast of the same realm, it''s because of the passive skill of the former. But, at the same time, battle type also ys a major role here.


    For example, if a king-grade beast is a defensive type, then, its normal defense and active defensive skill prowess might be far higher than a fierce-grade beast of the same realm. In such a case, their attacking prowess remains the same.


    And if both are offensive types, then, their defensive prowess remains the same. As for the bnced type, the difference will be seen both in offense and defense but it won''t be much higher whenpared to the other two types.


    Anyways, back to the present, Mark knew that an offensive type beast king of the 7-circle realm (advanced stage) cannot unleash an attack on a Supreme realm.


    Hence, he was confident about taking it head-on.


    And just like he expected, as the energy ball struck his suit, it dissipated right away without even pushing him away lightly much less hurting him.


    "So, it doesn''t have pain receptors but still can sense my presence, eh," Mark observed the beast from the air as it was conjuring another energy ball. "Hmm, either through the smell or through sensing of a life. That means I haven''t done any proper damage."


    It was then a sudden thought came to his mind and his facial expression hardened, "Sh*t¡­ Song Yue was still out there. I cannot waste the time."


    Mark suddenly realized that he doesn''t have the time to toy with the opponent or test his suit. Not to mention, this might not be the only opponent he will face in the trial.


    Mark slowlynded on the ground. As the beast turned his head to change its aim, he mumbled, "Gravity Dome, activate."


    However, nothing happened.


    "Ah, right. I forgot." Mark remembered that he doesn''t have the system running in the background to automatically unleash the skill through voice activation.


    Since he never mastered the skills in a traditional way like the other Spirit Warriors, Mark had to depend on manual activation (except for the bloodline skills). He opened the skills interface, which is still working despite the system''s offline status.


    He clicked on the Gravity Dome under the Active Skills section. And as the system is offline, there was no prompt message received by him and it directly activated right away, unleashing an invisible dome in a 100-meter radius.


    Once the skill isunched, Mark''s consciousness was connected with the dome and he could sense the unfamiliar yet familiar particles filled all around the ce, possibly the gravitons.


    It was a strange feeling. Mark somehow felt like he was looking at ether particles inside his body with an ability to control them.


    While he was experiencing a new feeling, the beastpleted its energy ball and threw it at him once again.


    The result was the same as earlier. Mark was struck by the attack without receiving any damage but it surely helped him to return to reality.


    Meanwhile, the beast felt frustrated and it unleashed another skill, increasing its size by several folds.


    cing his attention on the opponent, Mark then raised his free left arm. "Good that you have increased your size and weight. Now, I''ll help you increase it even further. Gravity at maximum."


    In an instant, an enormous pressure descended onto the beast, increasing its weight by 40 times the original as the gravitational force was increased within the dome.


    The beast copsed onto the ground, unable to bear it. And Mark calmly walked toward it.

 Chapter 338 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-3)

    *honk* honk* honk*


    The beast named Zhuhuai was struggling to move but to no avail under the effects of the 40g environment and Mark reached it before he took a leap andnded right before its face. The beast struggled to open its mouth and snap him into two halves with its sharp teeth but it couldn''t move an inch from the spot.


    Raising his foot and stomping on its mouth that''s as big as a fully grown pumpkin, Mark changed the power from 3 to max (8) and pierced one of its injured eyes through the sniper''s barrel, "If I do like this, then, your tough skin will note in the way. Time to disappear."


    Mark proceeded to click on the trigger with a murderous gaze on his face.


    The remaining amount of the ether energy that he poured into the sniper rifle was consumed and a rank-5 energy bullet escaped from the rifle''s barrel, piercing through everything and destroying the brain in the end.


    The beast''s eyes turned lifeless in one shot and disappeared instantly, leaving behind the rifle with blood on its barrel.


    And in the next second, a white portal appeared a few feet away, clearly inviting him to step inside and get out of this ce. However, Mark didn''t readily do that.


    Instead, he walked to a wall and punched the ore a couple of times to break apart a chuck of it. As a Spirit Warrior with 4.5 points of strength, it isn''t that difficult to aplish such a feat.


    Taking the ether ore into his hands, Mark tried to absorb the ether energy to see whether it is fake or true.


    Unfortunately for him, while the ether ore turned white and the energy absorbed into his body, it only replenished it, not increased the ether points. Mark lost interest right away.


    "I''m a fool to even expect something goodes out of misery." He threw away the white ore and walked into the portal, returning to the stairway. All of the steps were white like earlier except for the bottom step, the one he was standing on. It turned ck.


    "Hmm, I see. So, this is like a dungeon with various levels?" Mark wondered as he proceeded to climb onto the next step. Just like earlier, it glowed before transporting Mark to a simr kind of ce.


    It almost looked like the same cave with ether ores protruding from the walls and ceiling all over but the ce is a lot bigger and there were two monsters this time. Both the blue-furred hounds were beast kings of the 7-circle realm.


    "Gravity Dome"


    He unleashed the same skill that doesn''t have any cooldown, making the two hounds grovel on the ground due to the immense pressure.


    Assuming that there are still more battles to go, Mark decided not to explore the powers of his suit or his strength. Instead, he opted for the easiest route to clear this difficulty.


    "Lightning Clone"


    He summoned the super-powerful lightning clone that has the stats of a Supreme realm expert and ordered it to finish the hounds.


    The lightning clone charged forward. It only took one powerful kick from the lightning clone to kill each monster. As a result, the battle was over in a couple of seconds and Mark returned to the stairway without bothering to ce attention on the ether ores.


    With the Ether regeneration, he can recover his ether points within a couple of minutes anyway. So, there''s no need to depend on them.


    Anyways, with an aim toplete this so-called trial in hurry, he didn''t take much rest and stepped onto the third step.


    The location was again simr to the previous one, although increasing the cavern size. And this time, the opponents are giant Spiders that are as big as an average adult male. They were four in number and all of them had the ability to spew poisonous venom.


    But, in front of the Gravity Dome and Lightning Clonebo, none of those beasts stood a chance as Mark took the initiative to start the battle. Itsted only a few seconds and Mark proceeded to the next step.


    On the fourth level, the difficulty increased along with the change of location.


    Mark found himself in the middle of a forest covered by snow and a giant Ice ape was seen jumping from one branch of a tree to another. He activated the Sage eyes'' ability and observed the ice ape.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Okay, now, it is an 8-circle realm beast king, eh?" Mark didn''t pay much attention to the monster that has no chance of facing against his powerfulbo attack.


    The ice ape was fallen only in a few seconds, and in this level, along with the portal, something new, although with simr power, made an appearance as soon as the beast disappeared.


    It resembledrgely like an energy ball floating in the air. When Mark inspected it, he lost interest right away.


    Beast Spark


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Contains the extracted core energy of a beast. Used for replenishing one''s ether energy based on the quality.


    "Forget it. I don''t have the time to spend time on refining it. I would rather waste the time by taking a short break."


    Mark walked past the free reward and stepped into the portal.


    After returning to the stairway, he continued his trial right away as there is enough ether energy left to use.


    On the fifth level, Mark faced two ice bison, which of course, didn''tst even ten seconds in battle.


    On the sixth level, the opponents were four yetis.


    Just like before, once again, the battlefield changed. This time, it was on an ind surrounded by endlessva, which is as hot as over 2000 degree Celsius.


    On the seventh level, a bull that breathes mes turned out to be the opponent. It was a nine-circle beast king that managed to defend quite a few punches and kicks before finally getting killed.


    And on the eighth level, two giant fire golems became the opponents that drew their energy from thevake around the ind. The lightning clone faced great difficulty to defeat them. By the time this level was cleared, Mark was left with only a little over 22k of ether points, which would be enough for just two seconds of the clone.


    Hence, he decided to take the beast sparks left behind by the golems and replenished his ether energy. Thankfully, the process didn''t take much longer; within minutes, he was ready to face the next challenge.


    Mark''s confidence in hisbo attack was at his peak and he wasn''t that bothered or looking forward to battling the opponent. For him, this trial became a walk in the park.


    Little did he expect that the opponent on the ninth level won''t be four 9-circle realm beast kings but a single opponent of emperor grade.


    Bi''an


    Grade: Emperor


    Rank: 9 (peak stage)


    The tiger with dragon scales and wings let out a mighty roar,unching an attack as soon as it spotted the intruder. Mark couldn''t even properly see its details or observe the surroundings and was forced to defend himself against its attack.


    Within a fraction of a second, it covered the distance between them and shed at his chest with its ws.


    As he blocked the attack by crossing his arms to the chest in reflex, Bi''an''s ws tore through the suit and scratched his wrist.


    "Argh¡­" Mark let out a painful scream and quickly backed away while unleashing the Gravity Dome.

 Chapter 339 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-4)

    Like in the earlier levels, the invisible dome with 100 times the gravitational pressure had made its appearance to trap the beast emperor. However, it didn''t appear to be that effective against this opponent whenpared to the previous one.


    Bi''an managed to resist the pressure and kept moving forward albeit at a slow pace. As for the location, it appeared to be in grasnd surrounded by a forest.


    Why is there such a setting? Neither Mark cares nor will anyone exin it to him. So, it is mysterious for the time being.


    Anyways, back to the battle, after leaping back andnding on the ground, Mark summoned his lightning clone once again to deal with the opponent.


    However, this time, the lightning clone couldn''t gain any advantage against the dragon tiger. Perhaps, if it was an android like Alina and Allen, it would have been different. s, the lightning clone was just a skill and all of its attacks were pretty much straightforward.


    The lightning clone charged forward and threw a punch at its target. Due to the slow movements, Bi''an got hit by the punch but its defense appeared to be quite stronger and it barely bruises one of its dragon scales.


    *Grrr*


    Bi''an growled in anger and opened its mouth to breathe out powerful mes, burning the clone and the cracks started forming all over its body.


    As the clone cannot receive any pain either, it didn''t care about the state of its body and proceeded to attack the dragon tiger at a close range. It went for the neck where the dragon scales weren''t present.


    Bi''an was in the middle of trying to turn its enemy into ash and it, unfortunately, didn''t have the time to dodge the attack. If anything, it increased the intensity of the dragon fire so that the enemy will die before it gets injured.


    The lightning clone''s hand pierced through the beast emperor''s neck.


    *Scraaaa*


    Bi''an''s mes were stopped and the blood started to trickle down its neck, earning a satisfactory nod from Mark.


    However, in the next second, the beast let out a sonic scream to push the clone away before proceeding to heal itself. Even Mark was also affected by it, but thanks to his suit''s resistance capabilities (9.0 resist stat), he managed to defend against it just by tightly closing his ears and moving away.


    Meanwhile, the lightning clone used friction between its feet and the ground to not get pushed for more than a few meters. It quickly charged forward and attacked the dragon tiger that was still in the middle of healing.


    Like the previous battles, Mark watched it as a spectator for more than a minute until his ether energy was down by more than two-thirds and the clone was at aplete advantage. However, at the same time, it was also on the verge of getting destroyed with its body full of cracks from head to toe.


    Upon remembering the cooldown period of 12 hours in case it destructs, Mark wondered whether he should intervene or not.


    "What do I do? Surely, this monster isn''t going to be thest one I have to face. And who knows, how strong the next is going to be. I will have to depend on the lightning clone for now. But, it was also winning. Shouldn''t it be better if I let it continue to fight? I still have a lot of ether energy left to use."


    After much contemtion, he decided to wait as Bi''an''s natural healing powers weren''t able to catch up with the rate of injuries inflicted upon its body.


    Ten more secondster, the clone ducked its ws and slid on the ground, reaching below its body before giving a powerful punch to its inner side. Its ribs were cracked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The beast''s body flew up in the air for a few meters before the gravitational force dragged it down.


    *Thud*


    It fell on the ground heavily and that collision broke its ribspletely.


    As Bi''an motionlesslyy on the ground for a few seconds, the lightning clone tried to take advantage of it and raised his hand. It started to vibrate very fast and didn''t miss Mark''s enhanced vision either.


    "What is that blurring?" He wondered out loud in surprise. This was the first time he saw the clone use something like this but unfortunately for him, at the moment, the system isn''t online to give him the answers he needs.


    "Whatever the case, I will just watch for now. Answers can be foundter on." Mark put aside his curiosity and continued to be a spectator.


    With a vibrating hand, the lightning clone proceeded to ce it on the beast''s neck to slice its headpletely and effectively end its life.


    It was at that moment that Bi''an slightly raised its head with a serious look on its face. Suddenly, its expression changed as its mouth widened.


    "What the¡­" Mark took a step back in surprise, "is it smiling?"


    So far, in this trial, he saw nothing but anger from the beasts. It is the first time he saw a beast smiling and that smile was quite simr to the one he often finds on Tishanan before he acted like he was sick and doesn''t want to drink milk.


    In that instant, Mark felt like the beast was trying act to set a trap for the clone. He wanted to warn the clone and order it to move away but there wasn''t enough time to do that.


    Before he could even send his thoughts to the clone through their telepathic connection, the beast had already made it move.


    As the clone''s vibrating hand reached the edge of its neck, Bi''an''s body turned into some kind of green smoke that enveloped its target. Soon, the clone was trapped by a ball filled with a gaseous substance.


    Mark didn''t even get enough time to react to the situation and everything just gets destroyed with the release of nearly a billion joules of energy. "The fuck¡­" He screams out loud and hurried to unleash the Exo suit''s nullification.


    But, before he even tries it, the energy just passes through his body and proceeds to destroy the surroundings. Mark was leftpletely unharmed and this led him to an assumption that this energy was actually released by the lightning clone which he was immune to the damage.


    Staring at the beast spark that was left behind by Bi''an, Mark mumbled, "I guess it did something to the clone and kill it, eventually leading to its energy release. But, that smile on its face was quite weird. Either there is something that I have yet to understand or the creator was just a strange fellow. Whatever the case, I need to get out of here fast."


    Mark proceeded to walk forward and absorb the energy from the beast spark. In half a minute, he recovered all of his ether energy and went on to step inside the portal, returning to the stairway.


    However, this time, he didn''t step on the next one right away. He observed the stairway for a while, falling into deep thoughts once again.


    "There are six steps to the door. So, that means six levels. Judging by the battles so far, the next one would be two 9-circle realm beast emperors. Just one was enough trouble and now, there will be two? Moreover, I need to face them without my lightning clone. How should I proceed now?"

 Chapter 340 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-5)

    After much deliberation, Mark came to a decision that is going to alter the course of his grand revenge n, very soon.


    He took out a bunch of ck colored pills that resembled fish oil capsules and swallowed them one after another without any hesitation.


    While there were no notifications from the system because it was offline at the moment, it didn''t stop Mark''s stats to rise ording to the stat pill.


    All in all, he took five strength pills (advanced grade), 3 intelligent pills (intermediate grade), 1 defense pill (advanced grade), 3 agility pills (advanced grade), 3 vitality pills (advanced grade), and 3 resistant pills (advanced grade).


    These pills took all of his stats to cross 9 points, effectively making him a Supreme Being, although without proper ether energy to match his stats.


    Due to the requirement of a high number of ether points, the Absolute Freezing skill became unavable to use. Because of the system''s offline status, the new summoning beasts weren''t added to the list either. After all, a summoner, in general, would use a summoning spell to summon a beast from other nes and form a soul contract through ritual.


    However, it was different for Mark. The system stores the beasts and unlocks them when its host reaches a required rank. In a way, it is like the system is giving him a free gift for breaking through to the upper realms.


    Fortunately, this wouldn''t disappoint Mark as he doesn''t have many ether points to summon them anyway. With his 1 million EP, the most he could do is summon a 6-circle realm beast for one minute.


    And since the lightning clone skill''s cooldown timer has been reset with these multiple breakthroughs, Mark''s mood also recovered a bit and he felt ready to go to the next level.


    As he climbed the next step, the location changed once again, this time, he was on a small islet located in the middle of an endless ocean. There wasn''t much space to move around but thankfully, the Exo suit can handle even the deepest parts of the ocean without a worry. Hence, he wasn''t bothered by the ce but focused on the surroundings to spot the enemy that appeared to be hiding underwater.


    As the suit''s enhanced vision only zooms into the object or makes things appear slower for a clear view, it didn''t help him much in locating the beast. Hence, he could only prepare himself for the iing attack.


    As for summoning the lightning clone beforehand, he cannot do that either until the battle starts. After all, that skill would consume 1% of his ether energy per every second.


    So, that leaves him with unleashing the other skill, which only consumes 1% per 40 seconds. With his ether regeneration passive skill, he could maintain it 24/7 without any problems.


    Then, why would he dy it and wait for the enemy?


    Mark decided to unleash the Gravity Dome and set it up beforehand.


    He opened the skill interface, and as soon as his eyes immediately fell on the other details of the upgraded skills, his face glowed up in joy. "Man, everyplex issue has been solved just like that. Now, I can clear up this trial with ease."


    ***


    PASSIVE SKILLS:


    Ultimate Defense I (disabled): By Default, the store is invincible under the heavens and cannot be damaged by anyone under the Demigod realm.


    Ultimate Defense II (disabled): Within the store, the host cannot be harmed by anyone under the demigod realm. The host cannot also be dragged outside against his will.


    Sage eyes: Allows the user to inspect any non-living thing or living thing and find their details.


    The Devil''s hand (disabled): Dismantle any object that you can touch and exchange in equivalent credits. And in case the object has an owner (bound to one''s soul), then, you get 50% of equivalent credits as long as it is below Mythril grade (i.e. semi-divine and below).


    Enhanced durability (level-1): Increase the user''s body durability to receive less iing damage of all types except for mental attacks. Effect: 1% DR. Limit: Opponents who are no greater than two ranks/realms above the user.


    Ether Regeneration: Increase the ether recovery rate by 100 times. Effect: 1% recovery per every 0.7 seconds.


    No Touch (Deactivated): Upon activation, the user''s body will be untouchable physically. Nothing in the world (except for the items owned by the user and energy) can touch the user.


    **


    ACTIVE SKILLS:


    Thunderst (Lv-7): Summon a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike down the enemy with 150% attack power (max: 10.9). Cost: 50% ether. CD: 15 min.


    Lightning Clone: Summon a lightning clone with stats equal to your maximum stats+1. Cost: 1% ether/second. CD: None


    Gravity Dome (Level-9): Creates an invisible dome around the user. Inside the dome, the user could control the gravity from 0.2g to 200g. Range: 1000 meters. Cost: 1% Ether Energy per 120 seconds. CD: 0 seconds.


    **


    BLOODLINE SKILLS:


    Absolute Freezing: Freeze your surroundings for 1800 seconds. Those who were frozen will face a temperature under -220 degrees Celsius. Range: 3000m. Cost: 100,000,000 EP. CD: 60min.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Ice bolt: Conjure any number of ice spears with your ether energy at any time tounch them at your enemies with 120% power. Anything that gets pierced will be frozen. Cost: 20% ether. CD: 0 sec. Range: 3000m


    *


    Blizzard Wings: Create a pair of indestructible icy wings, which can be used to fly, block iing attacks, or attack enemies with a blizzard.


    Flying: 10 EP of consumption every second.


    Block: Up to 150% defense stat points (max: 12.5). Cannot fly or attack. The back will also be vulnerable. No ether consumption. And no external items can augment this feature (original defense points).


    Attack: Generate a blizzard for ten seconds with the power of 100% intelligence stat points. Cost: 10,000,000 EP. CD: 30 sec. Range: 3000 meters. The host is immune to the reduction of visibility due to the blizzard.


    *


    Freezing gaze: Freeze any kind of matter just by looking at it and locking the target. Those without bloodline skills, divine weapons, and less cultivation level than the user''s intelligence stat points will not be able to escape. The frozen people face a temperature of -220 degrees Celsius. Cost: 1,000,000,000 EP. CD: None. Range: 3000 meters.


    ***


    Without thinking much, Mark clicked on Gravity Dome, unleashing the skill.


    An invisible dome was released into the surroundings, instantly.


    "Cool." Mark let out a pleasant smile as he started sensing the graviton particles even far as 1 kilometer away when it was only 100 meters a while ago.


    "Now, for the next safety measurement."


    The torn part of the suit around his wrist reminded him to be careful of physical damage from closebat. Hence, he toggled on the "No Touch" passive skill he bought a while ago.


    With the skill staying activated, apart from the things he owned, no object or living thing in the world could touch him. As for how it decides what he owns, usually, it was the system that decides.


    With the system going offline, Mark didn''t know its overall limits but with the experiments, he conducted during the past ten days, he concluded that the skill would atleast push away the people and doesn''t resist the ether weapons bound to his soul.


    That much is satisfactory enough for Mark to depend on this passive skill of his.


    Once he was done with setting up the defenses, he was finally rxed and read the description of the skills once again to formte a n against the future enemies.


    "Let''s see¡­ My body can regenerate all of the ether energy within 70 seconds. That means I can continuously keep the lightning clone with me without worrying about consumption. Maybe, if I can cover it up with armor like Song Yun, I can also use him as a bodyguard.


    Thunderst skill was a bit of a disappointment but it is expected anyway. After all, it depends on intelligent stat points. While I might have them over 9 like the rest of the stats, the original int stat was still only at 7.6.


    Anyway, against beast emperors of the 9-circle realm, the skill will be more than enough to turn one of them into ash even if they turned out to be a defensive type.


    But then again, I won''t have to depend on the rest of the skills with the lightning clone to do the job for me.


    As for defense against the ranged attacks, I would have to unequip this suit and depend on the wings. They will protect me as long as I don''t let them attack me from behind."


    While keeping his eyes on the surroundings in wariness of a sudden ambush, Mark proceeded to summon the lightning clone and then went on to take off the suit, followed by unleashing the Blizzard wings.


    "Okay, now I''m ready. Only the enemies are left to appear," mumbled Mark as he spread his wings widely.


    He waited for half a minute in patience before bubbles appeared on the surface of the water, just a hundred meters away, and nine giant snake heads rose from the water.


    Surprisingly, there was only one 9-circle beast as an enemy but this one isn''t a beast emperor. When Mark inspected its details through his Sage eyes, his expression changed right away upon finding that it is a beast that could be said to be on par or stronger than even Lan Ju at his peak strength.


    Xiang Liu


    Grade: Ancient


    Rank: 9-circle


    Description: Xiang Liu, a monster with 9 snake heads was once the underling of the Water God.


    "Who the fuck is the creator of this trial?" Mark couldn''t help but cursed out loud in anger while staring at the giant squid.

 Chapter 341 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-6)

    As the ancient grade beast Xiang Liu rose from the ocean, an enraged Mark didn''t give it any chance to evenunch an attack and proceeded to unleash his most reliable skill, Thunderst.",


    In just an instant, a scarlet-colored lightning bolt descended from the false sky and struck one of the snake heads of Xiang Liu.",


    The lightning bolt then tore through the snake''s head and went on striking the neck before destroying its core and killing it with one move. No battle urred here. It is just one-sided annihtion.",


    Very soon, as the corpse of the beast slowly drowned in the ocean and disappeared, a floating beast spark appeared in Mark''s sight but he ignored it and walked through the portal after dismissing the clone.",


    Upon returning to the stairway, he stared at the remaining steps and mumbled in seriousness, "five to go. But, before that, let''s see my whole stats to formte a proper n against future opponents. There are still five levels to go and surely, each one will be a lot stronger than the previous one. Hence, I would need to take notes of the cooldown timers more than anything."",


    "Open character interface."",


    The skills might not be activated by the voice recognition due to the system''s offline status but somehow, just like the skill interface, he could open his character interface just by speaking out loud. This feature became avable after the system upgraded to level 3. Once the system upgrades to level 6, who knows what other offline functions it will unlock?",


    Anyways, back to the current situation, while Mark was recovering his spent ether energy, he observed the details of the stats and skills once again.",


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)",


    Rank: 9",


    Strength: 9.5",


    Intelligence: 7.6 (+25%)",


    Defense: 9.8",


    Agility: 9.6",


    Vitality: 9.1",


    Resistance: 9.1",


    Charisma: 9",


    Luck: 2+5",


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus",


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice, and Space (locked);",


    Spirit path: Summoner",


    Ether quality: High",


    Ether energy: 1,035,630 EP",


    Special Skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II, Thunderst, Lightning Clone, Seal Breaker, the Devil''s Hand, Gravity Dome, Ether Regeneration, No touch, and Enhanced Durability.",


    Bloodline skills: Absolute freezing, Ice bolt, Blizzard Wings, Freezing gaze.",


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)",


    Store branches: N/A",


    Lifespan limit: 585 (560 years left)",


    Avable credits: N/A",


    Avable Credit limit: N/A",


    Net worth: N/A",


    Total Debt: N/A",


    Credit debt: N/A",


    *


    "Don''t want to be too happy in this situation but it is just too unbelievable that I just upgraded my rank three times directly." ",


    Mark was kinda overwhelmed for a moment by the stats as he looked at his stats and he couldn''t just stop smiling.",


    Compared to thest time, there was a big boost in every stat. Not that low ether energy will not allow him to reach his full potential, but with the powerful skills he had in his arsenal, Mark thought that low ether energy might not pose any problem even if he faces his mother in a battle.",


    After calcting how strong each skill is going to be, he created a strategy on what skill he should use at what level.",


    "Okay, my ether energy is full. Let''s do this¡­"",


    Taking a deep breath, he climbed the next step to enter the eleventh level of the trial. ",<novelnext></novelnext>


    Previously, it was an ind in the middle of the ocean, and now, it was a floating ind in the sky with clouds passing around.",


    Mark neither looked at the enemy nor did he pay attention to the surroundings. He directly went on unleashing thebo i.e. the lightning clone and the gravity dome, and only then he observed the surroundings.",


    Like thest time, the beast didn''t make its appearance for atleast 30 seconds, and when it did, it surprisingly appeared with a coating of scarlet barrier around it.",


    Mark looked at the beast. It was a two-horned tiger with giant bat-like wings. Its body was protected by red-scale armor and there is a red mark on its forehead. He inspected the details.",


    Qiong Qi",


    Grade: Emperor",


    Rank: 10-circle (intermediate)",


    Description: A native demonic beast of the undyingnds and the master of Bang Mountains.",


    *


    "Sure enough. The evil creator of this trial didn''t betray my expectations." Mark looked at the beast with a cold gaze. He clicked on the second bloodline skill, Ice bolt, and conjured one ice spear.",


    Grabbing an ice spear in his right arm, Mark ordered the lightning clone to guard while he closed his eyes.",


    He concentrated on the graviton particles spread around his 1 km radius in the invisible dome. He motioned his left arm and clenched his fist, "200g."",


    In an instant, all the graviton particles started splitting into numerous numbers, increasing the intensity of gravity 200 times within the dome.",


    The demonic tiger instantly felt the gravitational force and crashed onto the floating ind. A crater appeared at the spot of the collision.",


    "Let''s go." Mark pped his icy wings and flew forward at a low altitude. The lightning clone went past him and reached the demigod realm beast emperor, which was somehow resisting the enormous gravitational force with great difficulty.",


    The clone threw a punch at the oval-shaped barrier surrounding the beast. A crack appeared on it while it lost its bnce and fell on its butt. The lightning clone took advantage of the opportunity and threw a couple of consecutive high-speed punches to destroy the barrier.",


    Just as its punch was about tond on the beast emperor, thetter let out a powerful roar and pushed away the clone into the sky.",


    By that time, Mark reached the crater and he saw the clone almost brush past him and sted into the sky. Luckily, he didn''t collide with it and sighed in relief.",


    "Okay, here we go¡­" He threw the ice spear at the beast and conjured the second one as soon as it left his hand.",


    Qiong Qi nced at the iing attack and raised its paw. Sharp ws came out of it and the beast swiped at the icy spear with great force. The icy spear collided with its ws that have been empowered by the mes.",


    Luckily for Mark, the beast was only at the intermediate stage of the demigod realm and its attack barely reach the immortal realm, and on the other hand, the icy spear has the power of an immortal realm expert (11.4-int). Its ws couldn''t match the might of the icy spear. ",


    While its mes did melt a part of the spear, the sharp pointy front had pierced its paw.",


    Its paw was wounded and blood started flowing out before it was frozen by the aftereffect of the icy spear.",


    The beast hurriedly breathes out the mes and tried to melt down the ice. Mark took advantage of this moment and threw another icy spear.",


    The second icy spear cut through the air like lightning and pierced its forehead, followed by freezing it under -220 degrees Celsius of temperature. The beast fell to the ground. ",


    The ice slowly spread on its face but it justy motionless on the ground. About four secondster, it slowly turned into specks of lights, leaving behind a beast spark and letting Mark know that it was killed.",


    As Mark let out a sigh of relief, the lightning clone was in a descent motion and soon, itnded nearby the beast spark and turned its head to look at him as if it was waiting for the order.",


    "Useless¡­" He muttered under his breath for not being able to utilize the strength of the clone properly and dismissed it.",


    After returning to the stairway and recovering his ether energy, he looked at the door that looks so near but is so far away, "Four to go."",


    He climbed to the next step, entering the 12th level of the trial while expecting the opponents to be either two beast emperors of the demigod realm or an ancient-grade beast of the same realm.",


    And it turned out exactly as he expected it to be. There were two demigod realm beast emperors and each one appeared to be a lot stronger than the previous one too. However, Mark was too calm at the moment as he stood at the edge of a cliff and stared at the two flying blue dragons with golden scales here and there.",


    Ying dragon",


    Grade: Emperor",


    Rank: 10-circle (peak)",


    Description: A dragon that is banished from the Heaven Pce of the Celestial Realm. Once a pet of the Yellow Emperor, it roamed across the undyingnds and died in the hands of a three-legged Golden crow.",


    "Too much unnecessary information. Let''s finish it as fast as possible." ",


    "Gravity Dome" "Lightning clone" "icy Spear"",


    While the two dragons were forced to crash on the cliff because of the gravity dome, the lightning clone went after one and Mark threw an icy spear at the other one.",

 Chapter 342 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Part-7)

    Fujian ind;


    Amidst the corpses of thousands of fish and other aquatic creatures that washed up on the ind, Lan Ju was busy talking about some serious matters with the stranger, who sent Mark to the trial without his consent.


    "I have seen him up close. He is a lot more stubborn than an average human. Not to mention, the darkness in his heart is something he has yet to conquer," replied Lan Ju after hearing the stranger''s n. The zheng was sure that it is going to be failed because of Mark''s personality.


    Yuqiang didn''t seem to agree with Lan Ju''s opinion either. He said, "I don''t know him but I''m well aware of a human''s greed. I just need topensate him with something after he finishes his trial. Tell me, what he likes more? Wealth or power?"


    Lan Ju didn''t know what this person has in mind but he was sure that Mark will not be pleased about the trial. But, anyway, there''s not much he can do at the moment for hecks the strength and willpower to go against a god.


    In the end, he let out a sigh and said, "Lord Yuqiang, he gave away a divine sword to his high-quality puppet to use. So, I doubt he will appreciate it no matter what kind of weapon you give him.


    As for skill books, his lightning bolt skill and his lightning clone are very powerful. Not to mention, his bloodline skills.


    Hence, in my opinion, he might be satisfied with either gold or ether crystals. Or maybe, celestial materials like adamantium and mithril, which are almost impossible to be found in this mortal realm."


    Yuqiang thought for a bit and nodded, "alright, I got it. Once I confirm that he was able to reach the 11th step, I will give take him to ces with rare materials. There are actually a few on the ocean bed."


    "Will he be able to go past the tenth level?" wondered Lan Ju as he nced to his right. There was a scepter floating in mid-air, being enveloped by golden energy.


    Meanwhile, inside the scepter, Mark was currently fighting alongside the lightning clone against a giant white snake.


    Compared to all the previous monsters he faced, in the trial as well as in reality, this white snake is far bigger. Its tail was stretched for tens of kilometers long and Mark was smaller than a flea in its eyes. As a result, the gravity dome wasn''t helping that much.


    But, thanks to the difference in height, it also became very tough for the white snake to kill Mark and his lightning clone as they were moving at their peak speed.


    *Ssssaaa*


    As the white snake breathes out mes on arge scale, the lightning clone dodged it by taking a leap andnding on its back while Mark controlled his wings to cover himself.


    The icy wings were perfectly able to block the mes and the lightning clone started running on top of its body, making its way to the head.


    Within no time, the lightning clone reached its destination and proceeded to slide down.


    Meanwhile, Mark spread his wings wide and stared at the snake. "Open skill interface," he mumbled.


    Looking at the details of the skills, he thought, "There''s still fifty seconds left for the Thunderst to use again. Man, I really should have bought a few active skills. But then again, who could have expected that I would one day face an immortal realm beast? Anyways, let''s focus."


    As the clone reached its left eye to injure it for the seventh time during the past twelve minutes, Mark aided it by pping his wings to soar into the sky to its height and threw an icy spear, which reduced his ether energy to as low as 10%.


    The white snake saw a tiny clone near its eye, and despite the fact that it went through simr experiences for six times, it didn''t defend against the clone and focused on the more powerful Mark and his icy spear that contained the power of a peak stage immortal realm expert.


    *Sssaaaa*


    It breathes out the mes once again, which melted the iing icy spear, and Mark had to defend himself by covering himself with the wings, again.


    Naturally, as he stopped pping the wings, he started to freefall amidst the mes and crashed onto the ground.


    A small crater formed and no injuries urred to Mark, although it cannot be said the same for the beast.


    The white snake''s left eye started to bleed as the lightning clone gave consecutive punches. However, as it acted pretty quickly, it healed its eye and shook off its head, throwing away the clone far away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The clone managed tond on its body, and meanwhile, Mark rose to his feet and backed away to recover his energy, just focusing on defending himself.


    Half a minuteter, the white snake appeared to have finally caught the clone in its spell. As there were spiral rings appeared in its eyes, the clone was slowly turning into a statue.


    Within seconds, he turned into aplete statue and the white snake mmed its gigantic head onto it. The statue was broken into pieces, releasing a huge amount of energy and turning her mouth into a bloody pulp.


    "Damn it." Mark gritted his teeth in anger. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to click on the skill. "12 seconds to go. Let''s hope its sacrifice hasn''t gone in vain."


    With the clone gone, the white snake''s attention was firmly fixed on Mark. While recovering its mouth, it suddenly grew a pair of arms from its body that stretched toward him.


    Mark quickly crouched down and covered himself with his icy wings to protect himself from any possible ambush. He then started counting down the time.


    "8, 7, 6, 5¡­"


    When he reached five, the two arms reached him with the goal of poisoning him with a simple touch. However, due to the "No touch" passive skill, it didn''t go how the beast wanted it to go.


    As its cultivation realm and strength are significantly higher than Mark, the invisible force that escaped from his body made him fly in the reverse direction instead of pushing away its arms


    In reflex, Mark spread his wings wildly and stopped in mid-air. He then nced at the holographic screen floating in front of his eyes and a smile escaped from him right away.


    "Thunderst, activate."


    He clicked on the skill.


    The lightning bolt made its appearance for the third time in this trial and struck its head precisely. This time, it was yellow in color.


    The white snake''s head burst open and the rest of the white snake''s body fell down with a heavy thud.


    "Did I get it?" Mark wondered out loud.


    But, in the next couple of seconds, his facial expression changed as instead of disappearing, flesh slowly started to form and its head was about to reform into new albeit at a slow pace.


    "Fu*k, I might have missed hitting its core due to its leaning posture." Mark cursed out aloud in frustration. Taking a deep breath, he mumbled, "If I wait five more minutes, it would be healed anew. I need to act faster but I don''t have much ether energy left either. Should I wait and give it another try or should I go for an upgrade?"


    In three seconds, Mark made his choice. He concentrated on his storage ring and took out a ck colored pill.


    Taking a nce at the fallen white snake and then at the pill, Mark mumbled, "well, there''s one more enemy to defeat anyway. If it is going to be a lot stronger than this white snake, then, I might need more power from the lightning bolt with a shorter duration of cooldown timer."


    After a bit of hesitancy, he finally swallowed the advanced-grade intelligence pill, raising his original "INT" to 9.6, effectively turning the amulet of magic into a useless item from now onwards.


    But, there''s no regret in his heart. After all, his survival is at stake here, well, atleast that''s what he believed as he wasn''t exined anything about the rules of the trial beforehand.


    After making a breakthrough to rank 9, he checked upon the skills, specifically the Thunderst skill that depends on his INT stat. In an instant, his facial expression changed and he broke out into a smile.


    "Yes, now, this is something I needed at the moment. I made the right choice." Mark''s mood became a lot better all of a sudden as he stared at the details of the skill.


    Thunderst (Lv-9): Summon a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike down the enemy with 150% attack power (max: 12.5). Cost: 50% ether. CD: None.

 Chapter 343 The Trial Of The Holy Beasts (Final)

    About fifteen secondster, the white snake waspletely healed. During this time, Mark didn''t move from his spot and just focused on recovering his ether energy.


    As the white snake raised its head and hissed at him, Mark just crouched on the ground and covered himself with the Blizzard wings while keeping an eye on the opponent''s movement by looking through the small gap between the wings.


    Somehow, the white snake learned nothing from the experiences and tried to burn him in its mes. Clearly, it didn''t work and six more seconds are wasted. Hence, it went on to unleash its next skill, continuously spitting out a stream of venom at Mark for the next five to six seconds.


    Mark had already faced it once and wasn''t that worried about the attack. He continued to stay in his position.


    Thirty more seconds passed away and the white snake has yet to find to way to break through the defense of Mark''s blizzard wings. Whatever kind of attack itunches gets blocked by the wings. Neither its powerful and intense mes nor its head and tail ms was found to be effective.


    Nevertheless, the beast just didn''t give up or try to think of different solutions either. Perhaps, this is the difference between a real immortal realm beast and a programmed one. The white snake has no willpower or thoughts on her own and just battles ording to how it was created and programmed by the creator of this trial.


    However, there is something strange about this beast. It was supposed to be an 11-circle realm beast emperor and yet, it was only unleashing a specific set of skills or normal attacks when it was supposed to have over a dozen of them. Is it because it can''t or is there something else? Mark wondered for a moment before realizing that his ether points reached the maximum.


    He stopped thinking about other things and spread apart his wings, followed by rising to his feet.


    The white snake saw that and it immediately motioned its head backward to unleash the mes once again.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t get such an opportunity as Mark already had his finger on the skill interface.


    He clicked on the Thunderst skill without hesitation while concentrating on the target to lock onto it.


    A purple lightning bolt descended from the false sky and struck the head of the white snake. This time, the lightning just pierced its head. The energy released from the lightning bolt passed through its entire body, turning everything into ash.


    "The lightning turned purple¡­" mumbled Mark in a daze, remembering the time when he had unleashed against the dark elves back when he imed the fire seed.


    Originally, his lightning was blue. It turned red when his INT stats (including the buff from the amulet) crossed 7 and its attack power reached the demigod realm.


    Then, the lightning turned yellow, when its attack power crossed the immortal realm.


    And now, as the power of a lightning bolt entered the saint realm (12-circle), it became purple. "I wonder what color it would be after I make it through demigod realm and its power cross God realm (13-circle). Anyway, only one level to go. Let''s finish it as quickly as possible. Song Yue must be worried because of the sudden change of events."


    After recovering his ether energy, he returned to the stairway and proceeded to climb onto the final step before the door, which is probably the exit. He can only know when he enters it.


    As the surroundings changed to that of a barren ind withrge and small rocks here and there, Mark saw his opponent was already waiting for him just like how it was in the earlier levels.


    However, it didn''tunch any attack and just turned its head to look at him. As if that wasn''t surprising enough, for the first time, Mark was greeted by his opponent. "Hello there, warrior. I''m¡­"


    "Thunderst"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Mark clicked on the skill in reflex as soon as his eyes fell on the dragon with the body of a goat and a single horn on its forehead. He neither read its details nor did he bother to converse with it. He went for the kill, right away.


    The purple lightning ambushed it by striking its head in an instant. The ancient grade beast named Bai Ze was wounded heavily and turned into a bloody mess as it fell on the ground. In the next very instant, it was covered by golden energy.


    But, Mark didn''t give it the time to heal. Seeing that the first attack didn''t kill the enemy, he clicked on the skill for the second time. With no cooldown timer, the purple lightning made its appearance once again.


    The sky rumbled again and the lightning bolt struck the heavily injured beast without any mercy.


    This time, the beast couldn''t defend itself and turned into a corpse, leaving behind the Beast spark.


    And this is how the one-sided battle against the final boss of this trial ended in two moves.


    "Okay, now that was finished, let''s return. I also needed to punish the bastard who threw me here and made me spend so many precious stat pills when I nned to sell them to the richer clients of northern empires for exorbitant prices."


    Assuming that everything is over, he proceeded to walk into the portal, of course, after he recovered his ether energy to full. After all, there is still a potential enemy on the outside waiting for him. Well, that was what he thought as he returned to the stairway and went on to walk through the door.


    However, he didn''t return to the ind. Instead, a little kid was waiting for him in some kind of white endless space. Everything was pure white in color, the background, his clothes, his hair, and even his skin were so pale that he appeared to perfectly blend in the surroundings.


    The little kid''s unique appearance and the fact that Mark didn''t leave this ce made him quite alert. This person might be the creator of the trial or another monster in humanoid form. Perhaps, this is thest monster he had to fight against?


    Mark decided to attack the kid without any warning. But, as soon as he opened the skill interface, he saw that all the skills turned grey and became unavable.


    Mark was taken aback by surprise. "What the hell is going on? Without Thunderst, how should I fight him?"


    Not having many options left to act, he inspected the kid. However, all he saw are question marks, from name to description. Mark''s heartbeat rose quite a bit. Now, his suspicion about the kid got stronger and he asked right away while trying to maintain calmness on the outside, "Are you the creator of this trial? The one who sent me here?"


    The kid, who looked like a 7-year-old, opened his mouth in response without any expression on his face, "Yes and No. I''m the creator of this trial but not the one who dragged you here."


    Mark thought that there might be two enemies who were cooperating with each other. If there are multiple opponents, then, the situation might beplicated.


    Taking a deep breath and forcefully calming down himself, Mark then asked, "Who are you? What do you guys want with me?"


    The little kid replied, "Before I give you the answer that you seek, let me introduce myself. My given name is Wang Zuo and I''m the spirit of the divine throne of the Heavens, well, former throne to be exact."


    "Uhhh¡­ Divine throne? Somehow, I feel like my life is going to get moreplicated."

 Chapter 344 Wang Zuo, The Divine Throne Of The Heavens

    The background story of Wang Zuo is quite straightforward and without any sort of conspiracies. He was the soul of the divine throne of the heavens where the jade emperor sits and rules the entire celestial ne of existence.


    For eons, the divine throne went through several repairs and eventually went into a stage where it will cost a great number of resources and time. Hence, the jade emperor was forced to rece it with a new throne.


    Obviously, Wang Zuo didn''t like to be retired. He protested in rather a violent way, causing mayhem in the heavens and bringing a huge amount of losses of resources to the heavenly pce. As a result, he was expelled from the heavens for eternity.


    While wandering all over the universe for about millions of years, he eventually ended up on this earth.


    "So, let me get this straight. You were out of the job. So, you threw a tantrum at your boss and got kicked out? Seriously, that''s not a very smart method to take revenge." Mark was bbergasted by the story of this pale-looking spirit and couldn''t help wondering how unwise he was for a weapon that lived for billions of years.


    "Are you calling me stupid?" The spirit responded with a question. He might have a nk expression on his face but his words clearly indicated that he was displeased by Mark''s words.


    Mark shrugged his shoulders and answered, "It isn''t necessary that only stupid people make stupid decisions. Even the intelligent ones also do. If I was in your position, I would ally myself with the bitter most enemy and provide him with all the confidential information I have on those gods to bring down the jade emperor."


    The divine spirit stared at Mark for a few seconds before he looked down at the floor and muttered, "That''s right. I could have lent support to the Chaos King. I missed an opportunity."


    "Chaos King?" Mark wondered whether he is some sort of powerful demon or something. But then again, those matters have nothing to do with him at the moment. Hence, he put those thoughts away and asked the spirit, "So, how did you end up in the hands of Lord Yuqiang?"


    The divine spirit shook his head, "He actually doesn''t know who I am for I took the appearance of a scepter and identified myself as a wandering divine-grade weapon that is looking for a master and also a way to reach my peak."


    "So, he is your master?" asked Mark with a hunch that the answer is no. After all, he doesn''t believe that a weapon couldn''t lie to its master.


    Just like he thought, the divine spirit made it clear of its independence, "Obviously, he isn''t. While he is a potential candidate, he was still a servant that serves the heavenly pce. There''s no way I would ept someone like that as my master."


    "Then, that means¡­" Mark wondered whether this divine spirit wanted him as his master.


    The divine spirit nodded, "Yuqiang might have sent you here for his own mission but I cannot ignore the fact that you even managed to reach me. Not to mention, you are quite different from every other candidate who participated in this trial for the past four thousand years.


    I don''t know who your master is but I see that you could unleash powerful skills with an attack power of atleast two realms above your cultivation realm. It is the primary reason that I think that you will be suitable to wield my power."


    "Okay, thanks I guess." Mark wasn''t that keen on taking a damaged divine-grade weapon but he doesn''t want to reject free credits either. Once the system bes online, he can sell it and earn credits.


    However, there was a small problem here. What if this spirit can read out his thoughts after entering into a contract? If the system is online, it would be different, but without its support, he wasn''t that confident that he would be able to protect his mind.


    While Mark was thinking of how to deal with this matter, the divine spirit continued, "In my present state, I will be able to transform into any type of weapon that you imagine and would be able to store enough energy tounch the full power of a Minor God (12-circle).


    I can also imprison people inside this ce and force them to battle against my transformations just like you earlier went through. However, my abilities willrgely be affected by the person whounches that skill whether he is my master or not.


    Lord Yuqiang is in Saint Realm (12-circle). Hence, the toughest monster I could conjure is an ancient beast named Xiezhi, which we encountered once during our travels.


    And in your hands, since you are currently in the Supreme realm, I would be able to conjure the strongest legendary realm beast you have encountered in your life. Your memories will tell me that.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There are other amazing abilities that I can help you out but I think you will be more satisfied with my memory prowess.


    I have roamed numerous ces with Lord Yuqiang and will help you acquire countless treasures that mortals couldn''t even dare to dream of.


    If by chance you were able to repair me, naturally, my abilities will be enhanced further.


    But, yes, there is a risk too. Unless you are as strong as a major god, I won''t rmend you to enter the celestial ne in the future. A long time might have passed but I''m not sure whether the heavenly gods will turn hostile against you if they sense my presence in your mindscape.


    I think I have said everything that needs to be said. The rest lies in your decision. You have five minutes to think. After that, I will send you back to the outside world and we will treat it like this proposition from me had never urred."


    Wang Zuo might have liked Mark as thetter passed the trial with flying colors but that doesn''t mean that he will beg him for the contract. After all, he was once the divine throne of the heavens and he had his own pride.


    At the same time, he was also confident that Mark would ept him. After all, which mortal would dare to resist such an offer?


    Unfortunately for the divine spirit, Mark had different thoughts. He wasn''t interested in the first ce.


    Upon hearing its abilities, the first thing that came to his mind is to use it as a personal gun, but then, he realized that it will ess his memory.


    It would also mean that he will not only expose the existence of the system but also his intentions of dismantling it to earn credits. That is enough for Mark to make his decision without any hesitation.


    After brief thinking, Mark said, "Wang Zuo, I''ll keep you in my storage ring for now and form the contract after I return to my home. You see, I''m currently on a vacation, right now. It''s already disturbing that I was forced into participating in this trial without being given any choice. So, I don''t want to think aboutplicated issues for the rest of my vacation."


    The divine spirit didn''t know why this is aplicated issue when it only requires a single drop of his blood to form the contract. But, as a spirit that has less intelligence than even a teenage human, all he could think was that Mark was wary of the heavenly pce and probably wanted to see its abilities beforehand to see whether it is worth the risk to form a contract.


    As Mark asked him to wait for only three weeks, the divine spirit agreed to the arrangement.


    "Alright." Mark let out a smile and proceeded to close his eyes as the divine spirit sent him back to the real world.


    Meanwhile, on the ind, Lord Yuqiang was in the middle of a chat with Song Yue, although it looked like he was interrogating her with a strange set of questions about her personal life.


    He asked her how she grew up, how is her rtionship with her parents and rtives, what does she think of her best friend, her happiest moment, her saddest moment, how she met Mark and how they fell in love, etc...


    Song Yue was obviously ufortable but his identity as the god of seas and Lan Ju''s insistence made her give honest answers to Yuqiang. Of course, those weren''t the only reasons. Mark is currently in the middle of a trial and she doesn''t want to anger this god over such things.


    At first, she thought that this entric god probably wanted to learn about the important moments of her life as he had business with her fianc¨¦. But soon, her thoughts changed as Lord Yuqiang asked, "So, when you slept, have you ever felt like a god, for example, being able to manipte and reconstruct the world in your dreams as you wish?"


    "Ehh?" Song Yue flinched in surprise and Yuqiang didn''t miss that either, "You did?" He asked.

 Chapter 345 Marks Price To Fulfill Lord Yuqiangs Mission

    Song Yue had been facing such dreams since she was a child but she never told about them to anyone except for her parents.


    After learning that they were called lucid dreams, which are rare but not unheard of, she no longer paid attention to them. However, when Lord Yuqiang questioned her in a way that indicated that he might know the exact details of her dreams, Song Yue fell into deep thoughts. She didn''t answer it right away and took her time as she wasn''tfortable for some reason.


    Thankfully, before she gave her confirmation, Lord Yuqiang dropped their conversation in a jiffy and rose to his feet, announcing that Mark is out.


    Followed by Lord Yuqiang, the others also left the house and started walking toward the beach where the glowing scepter was floating earlier.


    After walking for a few steps, Lord Yuqiang halted his footsteps with a look of surprise on his face, "He''s epted by Wang Zuo. Hmm? Supreme realm?"


    Everyone saw icy-winged Mark flying toward them with the scepter in his hand.


    Soon, hended before them with a smile on his face. The worried Song Yue sighed in relief upon seeing that he was fine and well. She wanted to rush forward and hug him but controlled her emotions because of the presence of people around.


    Meanwhile, Lan Ju also sensed the changes in Mark''s cultivation realm. Before anyone pointed it out, he directly spoke of the matter, "Lu Zhen, what in the hell did you face in the trial that you became a Supreme Being?"


    As soon as the question escaped from the zheng, the others looked at him in shock, especially Song Yun.


    Song Yun, like the rest of the humans, doesn''t possess the ability to sense one''s real strength. All he could calcte is one''s cultivation realm based on the amount of ether energy. So, in his view, Mark was still in the 6-circle realm. This is why Lan Ju''s question greatly shocked him. He wondered whether this future son-inw of his was deliberately hiding his cultivation until now.


    Thankfully, his knight''s helmet hid his expression and no one else is paying attention to him.


    On the other hand, Mark''s expression was frozen. His smile was wiped off his face and he looked at the only stranger around before giving a chilling answer, "courtesy of a sea god who had a disregard for people''s opinions because they are weaker than him. I was forced to raise my strength."


    Lord Yuqiang''s expression was also changed by Mark''s rude reply. He furrowed his brows for a second but quickly calmed down and spoke in a polite manner, "I apologize if I made you angry with my actions. It''s just that I had to be sure that you can handle such situations even when you are unprepared. After all, my mission involves the fate of all the worlds located inside the entire mortal ne."


    Mark didn''t respond to him right away and instead, he activated his Sage eyes to inspect the god without many expectations. Fortunately, a holographic screen with enough details appeared before his eyes.


    Yuqiang


    Species: Human/Serpent/Celestial


    Status: Humanoid form.


    Grade: Ancient


    Rank: low-12-circle (real: peak-12-circle)


    Description: A descendant of the Yellow Emperor (father''s ancestor) and a celestial serpent (mother''s ancestor), Yuqiang is the god of Sea and wind.


    **


    After looking at his details, Mark realized that it is indeed foolish to challenge him as advised by the divine spirit, and with Song Yue and others around, he didn''t take the risk and swallowed down all of his anger.


    Trying to be as calm as possible, he then said to Lord Yuqiang, "Okay, I''m willing to listen. Tell me. But, before that, I want to inform you that Wang Zuo epted me as his master. You shouldn''t have any problem with it, correct?"


    Lord Yuqiang took a nce at the scepter and replied, "Those who weren''t acknowledged by Wang Zuo couldn''t even touch him, much less carry him. The moment I saw the divine scepter in your hands, I realized it already. But, still, I would like to hear it directly from his mouth."


    The sea and wind god closed his eyes and connected his consciousness with the scepter without even grabbing it. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes and said, "A contract hasn''t been established between you two, nevertheless, he wants to travel alongside you. I will respect his wishes."


    "Okay." Mark nodded and finally ced the scepter in his storage card. He then asked Yuqiang to get to the matter, right away.


    In response, Lord Yuqiang snapped his fingers and created a noise-canceling barrier. Mark went through a simr experience a while ago. Hence, he wasn''t rmed and calmly stared at the sea god.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You might have already heard about me from Wang Zuo but let me introduce myself before we get into the matter¡­" The god of sea and wind exined his back story.


    It was the time when mankind hasn''t existed on this.


    He grew up in the celestial ne and always wanted to work for the heavenly pce. Unfortunately for him, when he broke through to the Saint realm, he awakened the bloodline of his maternal ancestor, a celestial serpent. It might be a divine beast but still a beast.


    As a result, he failed to get his dream job and was allocated a job in the mortal ne, which was protected by the four holy beasts since the time of its creation. This way, it was never been invaded by the forces of the upper nes.


    Roughly about ten million years ago, a great evil force known as the Chaos King somehow resurrected and started invading worlds one after another.


    Countless gods fell in front of his strength. Even the holy beasts were no exception either. Lord Yuqiang somehow managed to survive the war and even killed a couple of generals of the Chaos King.


    Eventually, the jade emperor vanquished the evil once again but the mortal ne was still vulnerable to the threats. Hence, arge number of minor gods and immortals were deployed to act as the guardians of several habitable worlds.


    Impressed by his acts of valor, the jade emperor gave two special missions to him. One of them is to restore the heavenly barrier over the mortal ne. It can only be possible once the four holy beasts will be resurrected and get to their peak strength.


    The only problem is that the holy beasts are linked to each other and need the blood of an intelligent mortal species to even be born from their respective eggs. Previously, it was a jade emperor who was their master when he used to be a human.


    For years, Lord Yuqiang visited several worlds to encounter mortals with the potential to reach the Saint realm. Along the way, he met the wandering Wang Zuo and became friends. Thetter helped him to conduct trials for potential candidates, making his job easier.


    And when Mark disyed the power of a Saint for a moment during the battle against the dark elves, Lord Yuqiang''s attention fell on him. The sea god then learned that Mark also tamed a 10-circle beast emperor.


    Because the system is offline, his real cultivation realm was easily found by the sea god. Obviously, thetter was surprised by his 6-circle realm cultivation. He started doing prophecies regarding Mark.


    And when Tishanan evolved into an ancient-grade beast, the sea god finally made his move. He could ask Mark''s permission whether he wanted to participate in the trial but Mark''s low cultivation level made him act directly.


    Never in the world did he expect that not only Mark would clear the tenth level of the trial, which required the demigod realm in his opinion, but he would also tame the divine spirit. What''s more, he made a breakthrough three times. It is another mystery to solve.


    Lord Yuqiang doesn''t want to leave this opportunity at all costs. That exins his polite tone.


    "And what''s the other mission?" asked Mark in curiosity after listening to the whole story.


    Lord Yuqiang shook his head in response, "that''s confidential. And it was alreadypleted. So, no need to discuss it. For now, all I need you to do is to form a contract with the four holy beasts and be their guardian until they be demigod realm beasts.


    They get stronger by absorbing the natural energy from their surroundings. Hence, there won''t be any burden on you either. However, their birth would also trigger an unwanted invasion from the other nes for everyone wanted to im power for themselves. They cannot fall into wrong hands.


    Adding on top of this, the golden furred kitten of yours had now be an ancient grade, which will be sensed by its parent, the Golden Demon Cat. It might send its army to take back its child.


    ording to the verdict from the heavenly pce, no Saint Realm expert or a beast (12-circle) is allowed to enter the mortal ne and I will ensure that not even immortal realm experts will be able tond on this world. But, the remaining must be handled by yourself. Since you cleared the trial, I believe that you can face them.


    Once the holy beasts cross the demigod realm, I wille and collect them in order to create the heavenly barrier.


    Anyways, this is everything I had to say.


    Inpensation for everything that you went through earlier and for everything that was about to happen in the near future, whatever you wish, I will try my best to fulfill it.


    Do you desire power? Authority to rule the world? My bloodline? Want to be the wealthiest in the entire mortal ne? You name it."


    "All the Adamantium avable in the mortal ne," replied Mark, right away as if he had already prepared beforehand. "That''s my price."

 Chapter 346 The Rebirth Of The Holy Beasts

    "Adamantium cannot be avable in pure form and you will only be given in the form of ores. Will that be okay?" replied the sea god without thinking too much.


    Mark didn''t expect this sea god would agree so quickly, but since he was already getting what he wanted, he put an end to this matter with a silent nod.


    With a smile on his face, the god of the sea then snapped his fingers, bringing out four beast eggs, each of them being as big as the houses the robots built on the ind.


    Each of the giant eggs had a different appearance too. One was blue and looked like it had scales. One was red and appeared to be quite hot as if it was very angry. The third one was white in color but have stripes all over. And thest one just looked like a giant ck rock that fell from the sky.


    As Mark and the others were staring at them, the sea god conjured two more things out of thin air.


    "Here, I need your blood."


    After giving him a special knife and a bowl, Yuqiang gestured for Mark to proceed with the blood ceremony as he wanted to see them born in person.


    Mark shed his own palm with the knife and collected about 10-15 ml of blood in the bowl before handing it over to the sea god.


    Yuqiang then ced his palm on the bowl to inject a part of his divinity into the blood. This was insurance. It was done so that Mark doesn''t haveplete control over the holy beasts.


    Once he was done with the process, he flew higher and poured the blood on each egg, hoping that this will finally satisfy the requirements to hatch them.


    As the four beast eggs gave off a blinding sh of light, the sea god''s face also glowed with happiness for his efforts turned into sess after so many years. And soon, he could see himself going back home and working in the heavenly pce.


    One by one, the eggs cracked and the holy beasts broke through their respective shells and stepped out.


    Mark''s eyes fell on them. The first toe out is a giant blue dragon with long whiskers and two arms but no wings. Even then, it was seen floating in the sky.


    The second one is a fiery scarlet bird that was bathing in intense mes. It has a chicken head, swallow''s chin, snake''s neck, fish''s tail, and five-color feathers.


    The third one to hatch is a giant white tiger cub with ck stripes.


    And finally, the giant ck tortoise was born with its tail surprisingly in the form of a golden serpent. Both of them appeared to be sharing the same body.


    As Mark proceeded to use his Sage eyes to find their information, Yuqiang greeted them loudly without bothering to hide his excitement, "Wee back to the world of the living, Azure Dragon of the East, Vermillion bird of the South, White Tiger of the West, and ck Tortoise of the North. My name is Yuqiang, a servant of the Heavenly Pce."


    The four holy beasts responded with their roars. While they were quite loud, as newborns, they sounded quite adorable at the same time too, well, atleast to the god of sea and wind. He just couldn''t stop smiling as he pointed at Mark, "This is Lu Zhen and he will be your guardian until all of you be qualified enough to go back to your rightful ces. I will be looking forward to the day when we will meet again."


    As the beasts turned their heads to look at their parent, the sea godnded on the ground and told Mark that he will fulfill his promise to collect all the avable Adamantium in the mortal ne and give it to him within one year.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, he didn''t remind Mark about holding the end of his bargain. With his divinity injected into their bodies, the sea god was confident that Mark wouldn''t be able to turn the holy beasts against him in the future.


    As for Mark himself, Yuqiang was aware of his greediness and darkness but still, he wasn''t worried. After all, he is in the Saint realm and possessed a bloodline that is even more powerful than Blizzard Pegasus. In his view, he can kill the mortal at any time.


    Unfortunately, this minor god neither knows about the heaven-defying system that Mark possessed nor was he aware that hepleted the trial by defeating an immortal realm beast of ancient grade. If he had known, he would be more careful in giving this task to him all the people. But for now, the situation ended up like this.


    Once he left, Mark paid attention to the holy beasts, which have the memories of their previous life ording to the sea god, "I''m leaving this ce, very soon. If you can reduce your size, I will be able to take you all with me. If you can''t, then, you can stay on this ind for a while until I return."


    Mark quickly received his response from the holy beasts; all of them gave off a blinding sh of light before turning into the size of an average-sized dog.


    He let out a pleasant smile and nodded, "Good, now you look more approachable. By the way, these are my family members. She is Song Yue, my wife. He is Lan Ju; he is ck Knight; this is Baltrow and Anan Spencer (formerly Tishanan)."


    Mark introduced one after another who were standing around him. The holy beasts observed the fellow beasts and the humans for a few seconds before greeting the golden-furred cat in Song Yue''s arms. The rest were ignored.


    *Maw*


    The cat raised its paw while continuing to cozy itself in Song Yue''s arms as if it is a lord greeting its subjects.


    This irked the holy beasts, especially Baihu, the white tiger cub. It took a giant leap at Mark andnded on his shoulder before looking down at Anan and letting out a cute roar.


    As the guy whose soul was linked to these beasts, Mark automatically understood what these little fes were feeling and he decided to put discipline into all of his contracted beasts now that he had such strength to do so. Of course, there''s also the intention of showing off and gaining loyalty points hidden in this decision.


    Hence, he acted quickly by suddenly calling out to the zheng, "Lan Ju, let''s spar a bit. I wanted to know how much stronger I got."


    "Eh?" Song Yue and others abruptly turned their heads in surprise, not expecting it from Mark. After all, he just came out of the trial.


    "Everyone, move away."


    Mark addressed the others in a serious tone, making the little holy beasts flinch for a second before they scurried away like good pets. As the others also followed the suit, only Lan Ju was left beside him.


    "Lu Zhen, I know what you are doing but your n might backfire too as I won''t fake it and admit defeat just to show that you are stronger." The zheng warned him in a low tone after staring at him for a while.


    To which, Mark responded with a question, "If I win, will you follow my orders without even talking back, atleast for the following two-three months?"

 Chapter 347 The Zheng Submits To Marks Authority

    Ten minutester;


    A giant blue-colored fireball wasing toward Mark, who controlled his blizzard wings to block them. The fireball struck the icy wings and disappeared.


    The five-tailed scarlet leopard disappeared and reappeared behind Mark in an instant before opening its mouth widely.


    It was about to attack him with a Hydro st but the lightning not only intervened in perfect time but also threw a punch right at its chin.


    The scarlet leopard sted away for a dozen meters and crashed onto the group with blood trickling down its mouth.


    Meanwhile, Mark turned around while conjuring an ice spear. He looked at the leopard, which is slowly rising to its feet, "So, will you finally agree that I''m stronger than you and admit defeat?"


    Pushing away the dust from its body, the leopard replied, "I have yet to use my lethal skills, Lu Zhen. Since this is just a spar, I''m not being too serious."


    "Well, I''m also the same, Lan Ju. I wasn''t also giving my all because this isn''t a real battle and there are others around or else, it would have been finished long ago." Mark countered his statement, disying his confidence, although it appeared more like arrogance.


    The scarlet leopard stared at Mark for a few seconds in silence and then said, "Alright, if your clone managed to survive this next attack of mine, I will consider it my defeat."


    "Bring it on, then." Mark gestured it to proceed.


    The scarlet leopard then stretched its legs wide and raised five of its tails. Soon, each of its tails was covered with attribute energy.


    Within seconds, a powerful sphere was being generated above the beast. Mark saw mes, water, lightning sparks, stones, and wind manage to converge into a giant disc to be translucent in color.


    "This is my strongest attack that I have only used once in my life, Lu Zhen. The pure natural energy attribute attack is deadlier than any other attribute. Neither fire can burn it nor can ice freeze it." Lan Ju warned him as his skill reached itspletion. Strangely, for some reason, the zheng didn''t ask him to stay away to save himself from getting killed and only bragged about its mighty prowess.


    Is there some sort of n he had? There might be.


    However, Mark doesn''t seem worried in the least.


    He was quite calm as he stared at the translucent sphere. "Ke Long (Clone), get behind me."


    The lightning clone quickly got behind him as the translucent sphere wasunched. Mark used the blizzard wings as a shield once again.


    As the attack reached halfway, the zheng mumbled in confidence, "He is too proud of his wings. There''s no way he''s going to survive this. Maybe, after I resurrect him, he will get to his senses and¡­ Huh?" Lan Ju was stunned for a second, all of a sudden, as its attack struck the blizzard wings.


    However, no destruction happened as the beast emperor expected.


    Forget about killing Mark in the process, not even a feather of his wings was damaged. The so-called pure natural energy, which is thebination of five basic attributes, got defeated in front of sturdy icy wings.


    A memory was triggered as he saw the silhouette of Lan Gengxin behind Mark, "master?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    In it, a teenage-looking Lan Ju was chatting with a dashing young man, who looked quite simr to Mark.


    The teenage boy asked his master about his strongest attack. In response, thetter replied that his wings were quite invincible.


    The scene changes to the battle against an ancient grade beast, Qilin, and its hundreds of servants. As they were rampaging all over the Kunyu mountain range, the zheng hid behind Lan Gengxin, who was blocking a powerful beam of concentrated energy from the dungeon overlord.


    "Lan Ju¡­ Oi, Lan Ju¡­ Hello¡­"


    "Ah Yes, Sorry about that." Lan Ju came back to his senses and apologized without actually meaning to do it. Mark was slightly surprised by its tone and apology but didn''tment on the matter, thinking that this beast emperor acknowledged his strength.


    Meanwhile, Lan Ju finally realized that Mark indeed has the strength to back up his arrogance. Unknowingly, his loyalty shot up by a significant amount of percentage, enough for him to ept this human as his superior.


    After removing the barrier around the ind which cut off the ce from the rest of the world so that their battle wouldn''t alert any hidden demigod, Lan Ju then cupped his fists and bowed, "ready to obey your orders, Sect Master."


    Mark felt ted by the zheng''s response but tried his best to control his emotions and spoke as he raised fingers one by one, "You have but three jobs to fulfill. One, I need you to look after the holy beasts just like you did with Anan (golden-furred kitten).


    Two, using your human identity as Wu Weibao, intimidate every idiot that tries to look down on me or go against me. And if I ask you to eliminate them, do it without asking me for the reasons.


    And three, in case of a strong enemy that cannot be handled by Baltrow, your number one priority will be protecting Song Yue. Can you do these three things?"


    Lan Ju readily agreed to the orders without questioning him, holding up the end of their earlier wager.


    "Good." Mark nodded with a smile before cing a D-Day on the Phoenix Empire''s downfall in his mind. "I look forward to that day when you will finally understand how it feels to lose everything, Lan Jingyi."


    ***


    Imperial city, Leon Empire;


    Inside a private chamber of the pce, the ruler of the biggest empire of the vermilion bird continent was staring at Shang Wei, the third prince of the Phoenix Empire as he was discussing the details of the trade and other things with the Prime Minister of the former.


    After thinking for a while, he suddenly interrupted them with an unusualment, "Prince Wei, would you like to be a key bridge between our empires?"


    "Eh?" "Huh?"


    Both of them turned to look at Emperor Shi Le in a bit of surprise and confusion. The prime minister didn''t understand the meaning behind Emperor''s words but Shang Wei felt something strange. A vague suspicion came to his mind.


    To rify his doubt, he voiced out, "How may I be of service, Your Majesty?"

 Chapter 348 Shang Wei At The Leon Empire

    As the third prince of the Phoenix Empire asked Emperor Shi to speak of his intentions, thetter simply let out a smile and said, "What do you think of my granddaughter, Princess Shi Juan? You met her yesterday. I believe both of you are a good match."


    The image of a battle-crazydy in knight''s armor appeared in Shang Wei''s head, and instantly, his mood soured a bit. Forcing out a smile, he replied, "Your Majesty, I already have a girl that I love."


    "Who is it that stole the heart of an intellectual like you?" asked the 83-year-old emperor without showing any sort of displeasure at getting his proposition rejected. It looked like he was quite curious. "Which empire''s princess is she? I heard that Western Moon''s princess was quite intelligent and wise. Is it her perhaps?"


    Shang Wei answered honestly, "She is not a princess but the daughter of a minister. He is the current head of the Lin n."


    "But, you are going to be the sessor to Emperor Shang Fu and will take his ce soon,"mented the surprised emperor. He further said, "Don''t make the same mistake as your father, Prince Wei. You should marry someone of a royal bloodline to match your status.


    It is not because she is my granddaughter that I''m telling you this. But, it is because we have cordial rtionship with the Phoenix Empire for centuries and I just wanted your future to be brighter.


    As you know, Princess Shi Juan isn''t just beautiful and strong but she also awakened our ancestral bloodline too. Your descendants will obviously rule the south for the next millennia too.


    As a well-wisher, I suggest you take Princess Shi Juan as your first wife and then marry whoever you like. I heard that you are one of the smartest in the Phoenix Empire and I also see your intellectual prowess in person. I''m sure you will make the right choice. So, take your time and answer."


    Shang Wei wanted to reject him right away as it hasn''t been that long since he watched the princess battling a 7-circle realm beast king without caring about her injuries.


    Her bloodied figure on top of the monster''s corpse, her barbarian style of eating the meat and drinking the wine, and her straightforwardness in talking, everything is still fresh on his mind.


    In his opinion, apart from her pretty face and nice figure, there''s nothing elegant about her. Even if he wasn''t in love with Lin Xue, Shang Wei would never marry such a person.


    At the same time, he was also aware that once the bloodline of Phoenix integrates into his body, his own potential will also beparable to his second brother, Shang Wen. Perhaps, then the Lin n''s heiress would finally ept him. Or so, Shang Wei hopes it to be.


    Hence, there is no way that he would even try to ponder on the subject but then again, he should consider the old man''s identity too.


    In the end, he gave a diplomatic answer, "Your Majesty, I''m thankful for your goodwill. I will think about it and send you my reply very soon."


    "Good, I''m expecting good news." Emperor Shi was satisfied by his reply and Shang Wei continued to negotiate the terms of their agreements.


    It was the time of evening. Shang Wei somehow managed to finish his dinner after being intimidated by the presence of a gracefully looking Princess Shi Juan the entire time. Her younger brother was bragging about her heroics during the battle against a rebel army.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He was exining how she, with just a unit of 18, faced more than 300 enemies, how she still emerged as the winner and earned the title of Blood warrior.


    Killing a monster is quite different from killing a human being without any mercy even if the opponent is an enemy. Not to mention, as a schr who grew up in the era of peace, Shang Wei had never seen even a small war. So, he wasn''t thatfortable with the solution that can result in so many deaths.


    Shang Wei felt like this princess believed in violence to solve every issue and stayed away from her as much as possible. Thankfully, the princess didn''t care about his presence. So, no harm was being done here and he managed to return to his room without facing any unexpected issues.


    But then again, he also grew up as a prince and it is impossible that a person of his stature wouldn''t get embroiled in something troublesome.


    And it came in the form of a whisper from his trusted imperial guard.


    Shang Wei wanted to sleep in peace for he was looking forward to returning home. Just like anyone who has been away for several weeks away from his family, he was quite excited to see them.


    There are so many things that he wished to share with his father and there are so many things he would also like to know the details of. After all, many lives have been changed since his departure from the Phoenix Empire.


    However, the news from his bodyguard made his lose his sleeppletely. He fell into deep thoughts.


    "The moment I learned that I will receive the seed of fire, I knew that Eldest brother would try to eliminate me but never in the world did I expect him to be in cahoots with that mysterious "Soul" organization.


    ording to Shang Bo (fourth prince), even his NET couldn''t get hold of the information on this organization. But, they appeared to be quite powerful and did many high-profile assassinations without failure.


    As long as I''m in the city, I will be safe. It''s quite possible that they try to assassinate me when I travel to Western Yan by sea route. And once I reach home, I will absorb the fire seed and possibly make a breakthrough.


    So, how should I survive this?"


    Shang Wei thought for a while before he started writing something in the scroll.


    Soon, his bodyguard left the pce with the letter and the prince lies down on the bed, "Well, I feel a bit guilty for using Emperor Shi''s favorable impression of me to my advantage but I guess all is fair in love and war."

 Chapter 349 Shang Wei Gets Abducted

    The next day at dawn, surrounded by a unit of twenty elite knights and a General of the Imperial army of Leon, Shang Wei left the pce in a grand manner as if he was announcing to the world that a high-profile target is sitting inside the horse carriage.


    Except for the Emperor and his trusted aides who knew the truth of the fire seed, no one in Leon Empire is that thrilled to have Shang Wei at the imperial pce, as in their eyes, he is just a 4-circle realm mage and the third prince with no real power at Phoenix Empire too.


    Hence, when he left the pce with such heavy security, the imperial family members only looked down on him further and were rather happy that this leech was gone. As for the emperor''s favorite granddaughter, she doesn''t care.


    The day went on for the rest of the people as usual.


    Roughly four hours after his departure;


    In the pce, there was an argument going on in the courtroom between the crown prince and the Emperor''s nephew.


    "Your Majesty, the Imperial Pce has pumped more than eight hundred thousand gold coins into this project for the past year and it wasn''t going anywhere due to constant rains," spoke the crown prince in a loud tone with his chest puffed out. "I suggest that we should cancel this project and not fund anymore."


    As he put out his proposition in a firm tone, Everyone''s eyes shifted to the Emperor''s nephew who is ruling one of the five provinces of the empire as a vassal for the throne.


    Sun Reqiang then rose to its feet and argued back in an imposing manner, "Crown Prince Shi Qiu, you probably don''t understand the significance of the bridge considering you have never stepped outside this pce.


    Tianjin Bridge is not only a dream project of Emperor Shi Xun (the current emperor''ste great-grandfather) but it is also a way to connect the western provinces. Do you know how much we can shorten the distance once the bridge ispleted? It will be reduced from 12 days of travel to just 1 day."


    "Oh, really?" The crown prince let out a meaningful smile and he counterattacked right away as if he was prepared beforehand. He pulled out a scroll from his sleeves and spoke, "It came to my notice that the construction workers were receiving meager wages and only a single-time meal. I heard that even children were being hired."


    As Sun Reqiang''s face darkened by his statement, the crown prince of the Leon Empire further suggested that they should redirect the funds to build Emperor Shi Xun''s statue instead as it will atleast improve the image of the Imperial family. As for the Tianjin Bridge, hemented how it was being used by some people to earn money.


    The crown prince closed his argument and turned to his father and bowed, "Your Majesty, I request for a full investigation on the management of the funds on the Tianjin Bridge and stop the funding until it is over."


    "You¡­ don''t go too far, Shi Qiu." The Emperor''s nephew raised his voice. Anger was clearly evident on his face.


    "Lord Sun." The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure, "this is a courtroom. Please mind your tone."


    Sun Reqiang hurriedly apologized andmented that the crown prince is misusing his position to nder him with baseless usations.


    The Emperor was about to react to it by siding with his son but before he did that, an injured royal knight stormed into the room without waiting for permission and fell onto his knees.


    While the crown prince got angered by his behavior and expressed his intentions to punish him, Emperor Shi gestured for his son to sit down and told the knight to speak of the matter.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The royal knight rose to his feet and said, "Your Majesty, we were ambushed by unknown experts around the outskirts of the city and General Wan was heavily injured in the process. Prince Shang Wei was abducted along with his imperial guard."


    "What did you say?" The calm-looking emperor suddenly red as he rose to his feet. The others also got up from their seats as it is disrespectful to continue sitting when the emperor is in a standing position. "Who is that dared to abduct my guest?"


    "I apologize, Your Majesty. It happened very quickly. By the time we understood what was going on, everyone was knocked out." The royal knight proceeded to plead for mercy.


    The Emperor told him to rise and then looked at the crown prince, "Shi Qiu, I need you to send messages to all the sects and tell the Supreme Commander to meet me right away. Put up a 500,000 gold coins reward in all the guilds to save Prince Wei and bring him alive. Make sure this matter gets resolved as soon as possible. We need to prevent a war with the south at all costs."


    "Eh?" The crown prince and the others were quite shocked by the emperor''s reaction. 500,000 gold coins are by no means a small amount even for the Imperial pce.


    Is that weak southern prince that important? The ministers couldn''t help but wonder.


    While the rest stayed silent, the crown prince didn''t stand still. He quickly opinioned against the order, "But father, it is our General who was harmed by their adversaries and we are the victims. Besides that, our military is far stronger than the Phoenix Empire. A timid Emperor Shang won''t dare to wage an unnecessary war against us. So, there''s no need to send our city into chaos by announcing such a hefty reward."


    "Shi Qiu, this is an order from an Emperor and I don''t give you permission to defy it¡­" Shi Le raised his voice with a stern look and the crown prince immediately shut his mouth. He no longer tried to reason with his father who had already taken his decision.


    Cupped his fists, the crown prince respectfully bowed, "It will be done, Your Majesty."


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains, far away from the Imperial City, a group of cultivators was seen carrying an unconscious Shang Wei and his imperial guard.


    After an hour of travel, the group entered one of the caves and put both of them on the ground as they removed their hoods.


    The leader of the group looked at the prince and spoke in a low tone, "Wake them up."


    Following his order, one of his subordinates took out a potion from his storage ring and opened its lid. A pink-colored gas escaped the bottle and entered Shang Wei''s nose.


    Just like his bodyguard, Shang Wei opened his eyes after a couple of seconds and looked around.


    As his eyes fell on the middle-aged fellow with a goatee, a pleasant smile appeared on his face and he greeted him, "It''s been a while, Grand mage Wang."


    The leader of the group nodded and then said in a serious tone, "You can rest here as long as you like and stay hidden from the rest of the world. The food and water can be arranged too. I hope you will hold up the end of your bargain too."


    "Once I return to my home safely, I will talk to my father and provide you with the things you have asked for. It''s my promise," replied the prince.

 Chapter 350 An Alliance Proposition To The Eastern Sun Kingdom

    Three dayster, Helios City;


    At the entrance of the capital city of Eastern Sun, which lies on the northern coast of the southern province of the kingdom, an army of about three to four hundred soldiers was on standby with each one having a rifle in his/her hand while their general was staring at the sky in anticipation in order to proceed with the orders came from above.


    As the soldiers were staying in this position since morning without any movement, some of them became busy scolding Mark in their hearts.


    The sun is on their head, they didn''t have any food or even water, and their legs were about to give out. However, not one of them dared to speak or even move from the spot for the orders from a King are absolute. Because of that, even the nearby citizens who gathered on the sidelines out of curiosity couldn''t leave either as it would be disrespectful to their king.


    And then, finally, when a majestic raven with two pairs of eyes appeared in the sky, some became excited to see these important royal guests while the others sighed in relief that they won''t have to stand in the sun any longer.


    Looking at the kingdom''s Supreme General and the guests standing behind him, General Li Jun, the third strongest soldier in the royal army, ordered the soldiers, "The royal guests are here. Begin¡­"


    *bang* Bang* bang* bang*


    The loud shots of rifles reverberated in the surroundings as a part of this ceremony invented by the king, specifically for Mark as a sign of respect for his firearms.


    Of course, that doesn''t mean those weapons will be sold in the Eastern Sun kingdom. The king doesn''t want civilians to possess them at any cost as he believed it would cause chaos. For now, it is just for the usage of military personnel only.


    Mark wanted to convince the kid and change his opinion. It is one of the reasons for his visit. However, he cannot appear as someone who was seeking something from the Eastern Sun. After all, his status has changed from a while ago.


    Right now, Mark is in the Supreme realm. Even though he doesn''t possess an adequate amount of ether particles, he was confident that he can crush anyone below the immortal realm with his eyes closed. Theoretically, he is probably the strongest human on the. Naturally, he felt that he was in a higher positionpared to the king.


    As a result, staring down at the rifle army in a calm manner, Mark gave a nod, "Your king really knows how to wee a guest, General Li."


    Thisment made the supreme general frown in displeasure as he doesn''t like the fact that someone is talking about his king in such casual speech much less acknowledging a weapon seller like Mark.


    However, he was quick to hide his emotions, not intending to offend the supreme realm expert on Mark''s side. In the end, he simply forced out a smile and thanked this royal guest.


    As the beast went past the crowd, General Xianjun dismissed the crowd and followed them to the royal pce on a winged horse.


    Soon, Mark reached his destination and was weed warmly by Lan Jing and 12-year-old Ouyang Zen (the king of the eastern sun) in person. Along with them, there was also Princess whose past was connected to Mark''s past life, although at the moment, she appeared to be distracted by a tiny squirrel ying on her palm.


    After the usual greetings and introductions are finished, everyone was led to the royal guest rooms to rest. But, there was no talk happening at ater time of the day too.


    For two days straight, forget about important meetings between Mark and the king to fulfill their respective agendas, Mark and Ouyang Zen didn''t even talk in private.


    Instead, the weapon seller from the phoenix empire just enjoyed the privilege of being a royal guest, spending his time with Song Yue as they toured around the capital city.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Fortunately, it wasn''t as if nothing important happened during these past couple of days.


    For Lan Jing, Mark''s visit turned out to be fruitful. When he saw the zheng in human form, his legs actually shivered and his speech stammered while addressing the guests.


    Lan Jingter told Ouyang Zen that the guest is someone anyone in the kingdom shouldn''t dare to offend no matter the cost. The king thought that it is because the person named Wu Weibao is too powerful for them to handle. But, the real reason was that he was afraid of the zheng.


    Surprisingly, Lan Ju asked for a meeting with Lan Jing in private and ordered him to assist Mark in reviving the sect branch if he wants to repent his selfish actions for running away.


    Lan Jing had nned to take his grand-nephew to his home and would never support the revival of the sect branch at Kunyu mountain range. However, at the same time, he also knew that he cannot fulfill his mission with Lan Ju against him.


    Hence, for now, he promised the zheng to support the Lan Sect branch''s revival and he will do that. But, when the timees, he won''t hesitate to go back on his word.


    However, on the third day, he finally became aware that the current Mark is vastly different from the one he met a while ago.


    The time was around two in the afternoon. Song Yue and others left for their respective rooms after having a delicious lunch while Mark asked for a private meeting with Lan Jing and Ouyang Zen to discuss the matters.


    The king obliged his wishes and went on with the meeting.


    As soon as all the servants were dismissed from the meeting chamber and Lan Jing went on unleashing a noise-canceling barrier to protect their conversation, Mark''s first action was to reveal his real identity to the twelve-year-old kid.


    Looking straight into the eyes of the king of the eastern sun, he spoke in a serious tone, "King Ouyang, before we speak about other things, let me reintroduce myself in case Prime Minister Lan Jing didn''t tell you my secret."


    As the kid''s expression changed to that of curiousness, Mark continued to speak, "I''m a bit quite ashamed to say this but I''m the son of Emperor Shang Fu and Queen Consort Lan Jingyi."


    "Lan Jingyi?" The Eastern Sun''s king furrowed his brows and immediately turned his head to look at his prime minister. Thetter nodded in response and said, "Your Majesty, Shang Zen is my grand nephew who inherited the Blizzard Pegasus of our n."


    "It''s Lu Zhen, Mr. Lan," corrected Mark right away with a disapproving look. He further added, "From the moment I was thrown away by Lan Jingyi and swapped with Shang Wei, I ceased to be a member of the imperial family. At the moment, I''m nothing but the grandson ofte Lan Gengxin."


    Ouyang Zen stared at him for a few seconds and nodded as he quickly absorbed the shocking information, "okay, that was unexpected but why you are telling me this? What do you want from me?" He asked the weapon seller directly while wondering whether this weapon seller would ask his help to reim the throne of Phoenix Empire or something.


    In response, Mark surprised him once again with his reply, "Soon, I will be engaged to the princess of the Western Moon kingdom. I wish to form an alliance between your two independent kingdoms."


    "What did you say?"

 Chapter 351 Do You Know Zan Rong?

    From the start, Ouyang Zen had expected Mark to put forth a proposition regarding the weapon store. After knowing about this Supreme realm expert on the guest''s side, he nned to ask for time instead of directly rejecting it. After all, no one in the right mind would offend such an expert.


    Little did he expect that Mark would turn out to be a prince of the Phoenix Empire and also rted to his prime minister, Lan Jing.


    Had Mark would ask for his help regarding manpower and wealth, Ouyang Zen would dly provide it, although in an indirect manner, as the Eastern Sun doesn''t have any rtions with this southernmost empire of the Vermilion bird continent.


    But, Mark''s revtion about his link with the Western Moon kingdom followed by the proposition of an alliance caught him off guard for a moment. He couldn''t help but fall into deep thinking, trying to analyze this weapon seller''s real motive.


    "For what reason has he revealed his real identity? Why did he be a mediator between Western Moon and the Eastern Sun? Are these two things rted?"


    There are questions in Ouyang Zen''s mind but he wasn''t close enough to Mark to confront him in a direct manner. So, he had to respond with the reply that was already on his mind from the start.


    Mark also agreed to give him three days of time before departing for his next destination.


    As Ouyang Zen expressed his thanks, Mark then quickly switched to the next topic by handing a scroll to Lan Jing.


    The legendary realm expert took a good look at the contents of the scroll and informed the king, which is procuring rare metals from the eastern sun while selling the spirit beast corpses directly to the pce. Since it isn''t a big deal to give him a priority when Mark offered to purchase them at a market rate, Ouyang Zen agreed to it without much thinking.


    Once those two things were done, Mark once again surprised them by stating that these two were the only things he had as an agenda regarding this visit.


    "Only these two?" Ouyang Zen didn''t understand what was going on in Mark''s mind. After all, these two weren''t serious things and can be aplished even by talking throughmunication talisman. There''s no need for a personal visit unless there''s a deep meaning behind those propositions.


    As the king fell into thoughts one more time, Lan Jing opened his mouth, speaking in a bit of favor toward Mark, "Lu Zhen, you sure you don''t want to talk about opening your store''s branch here and selling firearms?"


    "Not anymore," replied Mark as he firmly shook his head in response. He further stated, "As long as the royal pce is interested to buy the weapons from my store, it will be enough for now. As for opening a branch here, I''m confident that it will happen sooner orter and it will be done at the formal request of King Ouyang Zen. After all, the future belongs to firearms."


    Lan Jing''s question followed by Mark''s reply forcefully brought Ouyang Zen back to reality and he saw a trace of arrogance in Mark''s tone. He wondered where Mark''s confidence ising from. Is it because of that mysterious expert, Wu Weibao?


    If it is, then, in Ouyang Zen''s eyes, Mark was too delusional to think a power of a mere individual can change the ways of society. People, whether they aremoners or rulers, don''t like change and will try to eliminate the one who is trying to bring it. Hence, this twelve-year-old thinks that Mark''s grand ambition will go unfulfilled.


    But then again, saying this out loud will only bring nothing but a useless argument between them. Who knows, the argument might even escte to something worse, which he doesn''t want for it was not only bad for the eastern sun but also for the mystery about his adopted sister''s past might go unsolved.


    Hence, Ouyang Zen kept his mouth shut and simply nodded as if he was agreeing with Mark, although notmenting on whether he would permit the sale of firearms to the public.


    However, at the same time, he also knows that there is a possibility of merchants importing firearms from the phoenix empire and selling them to themoners.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And seeing confidence in Mark, Ouyang Zen realized that perhaps, he shouldn''t take this lightly. This resulted in a thought appearing in his head about implementing aw on owning firearms. He decided to discuss with Lan Jing and announce itter on.


    After a while, Mark returned to his room and Ouyang Zen returned to the throne hall. Strangely, for the same reason, neither of them brought up the topic of the princess and ended the meeting.


    Coincidentally, it appeared that both of them don''t want Lan Jing to hear of this matter and they thought of talking about it when the time is right.


    And that right time arrived at midnight when Lan Jing was away from the pce.


    Before going to bed, Mark was spending his time drawing designs of some of his creations from his past life. While he was in the middle of thinking about the materialposition for a cruise missile, the door was knocked on twice.


    He stopped his work for a moment and asked who it is, wondering whether it is Song Yue or Lan Ju. However, there was no response from the other side and the knocks continued.


    "Hmm?" Mark furrowed his brows after his question went unanswered once again. Putting away his designs back into his storage ring, Mark opened the skill list with his finger almost touching the gravity dome. He knew that the enemy wouldn''t knock on the door like this, but still, he couldn''t help but be cautious as he wasn''t inside his home where he is a god.


    He slowly opened the door and found a familiar-looking kid wearing a robe and covering his head with a hood.


    "Ouyan¡­" Mark was about to call him by his name in surprise but the kid put a finger on his own mouth and slowly slipped inside the room, gesturing him to close the door.


    As Mark did it while dropping down his guard, Ouyang Zen removed his hood and ced a scroll on the floor before pouring his ether energy into it.


    The scroll lit up and unleashed a noise-canceling barrier.


    Once the barrier was finished, Ouyang Zen let out a sigh of relief and spoke, "Sorry about that, Mr. Lu. I just need to be careful."


    "Uh¡­ okay¡­ So, what is it that you want to talk about that you had to visit my room at this hour and this secretly?" Mark asked him. He was indeed curious about what this kid had to say.


    Ouyang Zen then took a deep breath and said, "It is about my sister, Zan Rong. Do you know her?"


    Mark took a step back in surprise as soon as he heard that. At first, he wanted to feign ignorance but then the king went on to reveal that during the auction, he heard how Mark had addressed Zan Rong as "Mari" when no one should have known that her real name is Marina Zan.


    After thinking about the pros and cons while staring at the kid for a few seconds, Mark came to a decision and spoke, "Very well, I''ll tell you what I know about her and her family. But, before that, I need to know how she ended up in this pce."

 Chapter 352 The Eye Of Talim

    Roughly 15 minutester;


    The atmosphere in the room fell quiet as Mark and Ouyang Zen were digesting the information each of them received from one another.


    As a person who wants to help his sister, Ouyang Zen was honest. He didn''t leave a single important detail like how her grandfather was investigating an unexplored ancient ruins site and discovered mountains of gold, jewels, and top quality equipment that includes a divine grade item.


    However, it wasn''t easy for him to get those things out of the ce as the main underground chamber was guarded by a white dragon.


    The former king fought with the dragon and emerged victorious while receiving fatal injuries in return. As a result, he lost his cultivation and a great Supreme Being like Ouyang Ru ended up being a mortal.


    But, this isn''t the end of the story.


    Before the white dragon died, it handed Zan Rong who appeared to be sealed in crystal, and informed Ouyang Ru that her real name is Marina Zan. After revealing that she is from a different world and her cultivation is vastly restricted, the white dragon requested Ouyang Ru to protect her in exchange for a divine-grade item and became a corpse.


    And by the time Zan Rong was unsealed from the crystal and opened her eyes, she had no recollection of her identity and the king gave her a new name and title.


    In the following year, the king dies in an assassination plot and Ouyang Zen would be the new king of Eastern Sun.


    As for Mark''s side of the story, he wasn''t that honest for his past life is linked with hers. Hence, he didn''t speak about his actual connection with Zan Rong but instead told them that he met her at a ce called Vienna during one of his travels with his master.


    After that, he saw her once again in another world where a race called the dark elves looked slightly different from the traditional elves of this current world. However, he didn''t meet her as his master urged him to leave that ce due to certain circumstances. Later on, he met her for the third time during the auction. Mark imed that this is why he was so surprised to meet her back then. There''s nothing more to the story that he can add to.


    There were two reasons behind this false story narrated by Mark.


    One, obviously he doesn''t want to reveal that he transmigrated for the maniptive people of this world would try to term him as some kind of demon instead.


    As for the second, his abnormal growth of strength and the unknown modern weapon technology will give rise to a lot of suspicions as his fame attracts the attention of Supreme realm experts.


    It wasn''t that he was afraid of being targeted. It is just that Mark is a businessman whose ie depends on the public.


    Hence, he had to give a bit of information about his background so that themoners think of him as their own, not some otherworlder or a guy who sold his soul to the devil. It was also one of the reasons why he revealed his birth secret too and ns to make it public,ter on.


    With this, now, his story will go like a prince who had been wronged since birth, then, lived his life as a normal fellow until he encounters a mysterious expert by coincidence, changing his life upon epting him as his master and selling firearms on his behalf.


    As for the identity of his master, no one would dare to enquire about a guy who can travel between the worlds (i.e., atleast a demigod) and create such advanced weapons.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anyways, back to the present, after sorting out his thoughts, Mark asked whether they have any ideas about how to forcefully jog one''s memory before adding that his master is currently out of reach.


    Ouyang Zen looked at him like he want to scold him, are you an idiot? If I know how to retrieve her memory, why would I bother talking about this with you? Can''t I do it myself?


    Thankfully, Lan Jing responded quickly by telling them about a piece of treasure.


    "Lu Zhen, it is called the Eye of Talim, a dwarven artifact that can help you do that. It is said that the artifact is usually used to only store the memories of any number of people so that their experiences and knowledge of techniques can be passed down to new generations. However, you can also use it to recollect a forgotten memory as long as it was there in your brain."


    As Mark became mildly curious about this artifact, Ouyang Zen asked him where he can find it.


    Without a bit of hesitation, Lan Jing then said, "it was currently in the possession of the Wuji Sect. However, it is impossible to steal it from them as it was too precious."


    "Wuji Sect? Never heard of it. Is it strong?"


    Perhaps, Mark grew too arrogant after the power boost earlier that he no longer cared about these powerful organizations no matter what kind of prestige they have.


    He wasn''t even worried about the overall strength of the sect and just casually asked his granduncle to speak about the trump card of the Wuji sect.


    Lan Jing answered, "ording to what we know, the Wuji sect''s leader is a Supreme Being (peak-9-circle), and has five Supreme realm experts and more than a dozen legendary realm experts as backing."


    Mark''s expression slightly changed for a moment but the calmness returned quickly to his face.


    Lan Jing continued to speak about the power of the Wuji sect, which is based in the Leon Empire.


    Excluding countless treasures, powerful guardian beasts, and two divine-grade treasures, the sect has a defensive formation, which will restrict the strength of invaders.


    "Even with ''his'' support, you cannot bend the will of Wuji sect elders." Lan Jing indirectly warned Mark to not take foolish steps for he knows what kind of person this grandnephew of his is.


    But, will Mark listen to him? Naturally, he wouldn''t.


    In the end, he promised them that once he acquires the artifact, he will send a message and ask them to bring the girl to the Imperial city of Phoenix.


    Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing could only look at each other and shook their heads as Mark left the room.

 Chapter 353 The Coachmans Fortuitus Encounter

    Three dayster, Mark and hispanions left Helios City and journeyed to the western neighbor, the Kun Empire.


    As the empire''s capital was far away from the shore, Mark chose thend route, traveling by the traditional carriages instead of LMV.


    Those carriages and their respective coachmen were provided by the pce. Obviously, they weren''t your typical horse carriages either. Both of the carriages were pulled by bicorns, which are 4-circle Spirit Beasts of the dark attribute. These dark horses with two horns could run faster than the maximum speed attained by LMVs.


    Adding on top of that, the presence of the royal family''s crest helped Mark to cross the border without facing any questions from the guards posted at checkpoints or worrying about the directions.


    As a result, Mark not only got qualitative time alone with his fianc¨¦e and saved the effort of driving but he was also able to cross the border before sunset.


    Of course, these Spirit Beasts can also travel through the darkness but Mark was against the idea, not because he thought it was unsafe or anything. It is just that he doesn''t want to sit in a carriage all day long.


    Hence, he ordered the coachman to stop nearby a pond and went on setting up the tent to take a rest for the night.


    As a woman, Song Yue had a tent on her own and slept peacefully while the manticore stood outside as a guard and kept an eye on the surroundings.


    Lan Ju had gone on a stroll in his beast form as he felt like it and no one objected to his decision.


    And Mark ended up sharing the tent with his future father-inw.


    As for the poor two coachmen, they neither have the luxury to sleep in tents nor do they have the courage to rest inside the carriages. As a result, they could only sleep beside one of the campfires.


    But, it doesn''t mean that they were being mistreated or anything. Generally, all adventurers won''t set up tents and campfires as they would attract unnecessary trouble. So, they werefortable with sleeping outside, on the ground. If there is anything that is troubling them, it is actually the presence of the manticore.


    These coachmen were just 3-circle realm Spirit Warriors while the manticore is a legendary realm beast king. It was no surprise that they were afraid of its presence. Hence, they slept as far away as possible from the beast.


    Eventually, everyone fell asleep.


    By around 3 a.m. in the morning, the mes were gone from the campfire and the cold air struck the two coachmen, making them shiver involuntarily. While one of them doesn''t want to disturb his sleep because of the mere chilly atmosphere, the other one named Dai Qiu woke up and looked around.


    Because the dark clouds covered the moon, there was absolutely no light around him and he couldn''t see anything. Perhaps, the manticore was closing its eyes; he couldn''t see the beast either.


    "Too dark¡­ maybe, I should relight the campfire. The chunks of dry wood are also nearby, although it would be tough to locate them in this darkness¡­ Ugh¡­ should I just go back to sleep, then?" As the guy was wondering what to do, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there was a light in the sky.


    No¡­ It wasn''t just simple light. It was a portal that was emitting light. "What is going on?" Dai Qiu panicked and instantly tried to reach out to his left where his other colleague was sleeping.


    It was just then, he saw two figures exit from the portal and started falling from the sky with their back facing the ground.


    Dai Qiu didn''t know what came over him. Instead of waking up his partner or caring about the manticore which also opened its eyes and was curiously looking at the portal, he just rose to his feet and foolishly rushed in the direction these strangers were about to fall.


    Thankfully for him, the portal didn''t disappear and continued to emit light. Hence, he didn''t have a problem reaching the spot only to find two teenagers being enveloped by light as they were floating just one foot above the ground. They didn''t crash and died.


    "Phew¡­ it looked like they were alright." Dai Qiu let out a sigh of relief and approached them.


    The two unconscious teenagers suddenly fell to the ground and a floating ball of light appeared in his sight. Meanwhile, the portal disappeared and the darkness loomed over the region once again.


    But for Dai Qiu, his immediate surroundings up to 5 meters are still visible. So, he clearly saw the appearances of the teenagers. One is a boy and another is a girl. The boy looked ordinary and had the attire of a martial artist while the girl was pretty and wore a luxurious dress.


    Neither of them looked injured but seeing the boy''s clothes torn apart around his right shoulder and waist, Dai Qiu wondered whether they have gone through the battle and if someone healed them before sending them through the portal.


    "What to do with them?" Dai Qiu stroked his chin, not knowing whether to take them with him or leave them. After all, he wasn''t with his adventuring buddies. He was on an official mission given by the king, and his clients were the royal guests of the kingdom.


    He doesn''t have the guts to even speak with them. Not to mention, that manticore that is constantly keeping him on his edge just with its presence.


    Earlier, Dai Qiu only had the thought of saving the misfortunate, but now that he remembered his reality, Dai Qiu became clueless.


    After much deliberation on the matter, he made his decision. Dai Qiu sat on the ground and spoke to himself, "Okay, I will guard these two until sunrise and then leave. At this time, let''s try to wake them up."


    Dai Qiu stretched his hand toward the boy. Suddenly, the ignored ball of light, which was on standby until now, suddenly flew forward and floated before his hand and moved left and hand.


    "Eh?" Dai Qiu was taken aback. "You don''t want me to wake him up?"


    Hemented just in surprise but didn''t expect the ball of light would respond to his words by spinning up and down as if it was nodding its head.


    "You can understand my words?" asked Dai Qiu while pinching his arm, not being able to believe the scene.


    In response, as the ball of light spun up and down, Dai Qiu asked with curiosity, "What are you?"


    The ball of light then released a bit of light attribute energy and shockingly wrote a reply in the air. It introduced itself as a light elemental spirit and has no name or master but was still a servant of the Wen sect.


    Dai Qiu scratched his hair in confusion. He never heard of it and asked more questions.


    As time passed, Dai Qiu and the ball of light continued to converse with each other. Perhaps, it was because it wasn''t a human and the two teenagers were unconscious; Dai Qiu shared the stories of his small-time adventures with it while spending the time.


    Eventually, the darkness in the surroundings started fading away and Dai Qiu saw that it was time for dawn.


    Since he couldn''t stay, he apologized to the ball of light and told it that he needs to go. But, to his surprise, the ball of light shot toward his forehead and he too lost consciousness.


    "An elemental light spirit? Interesting indeed¡­" a voice came from above. A five-tailed scarlet leopard was staring at the figures from the sky.

 Chapter 354 The Representatives Of Kunlun Sect

    Sometimeter;


    After having a night of good sleep, Mark slowly wakes up in the morning andzily stretches his body, "Yooo¡­shaaaa¡­ Today is Day 17 and less than two weeks away from thepletion of the system upgrade. Hmm, I guess there is enough time¡­ Anyway, let''s go and resume our journey. We should reach the pce by evening¡­ Hmmm¡­"


    *ng* ng* ng*


    The sounds of metals shing with each other disturbed his thoughts and made him focus on the outside. Wondering what''s going on, he raises the door only to witness two strangers having a swordfight, not just far away from his tent. His otherpanions were staring at the teenage couple.


    Mark stepped outside but it appeared that no one but Song Yue paid attention to him as everyone''s eyes were on the strangers who were moving at a crazy speed.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue walked toward him and greeted him good morning, asking about how his sleep went.


    Mark asked about the strangers in reply.


    "Oh, those kids were brought by guardian Lan¡­ I mean, Mr. Wu," replied Song Yue. After taking a pause, she further added, "It appeared that Coachman Dai had a fortuitous encounter. Yesterday, he was at 3-circle, and today, he suddenly became a 5-circle warrior. Those two kids were demanding him to return with them and serve their sect."


    If it was previous Mark, he would have gotten quite interested in the treasure that this adventurer turned coachman acquired. But, at his present stage, only divine-grade artifacts might interest him.


    Mark didn''t think too much about it and ced his focus on the teenagers before speaking out loud, "*p* *p* Alright. That''s enough ying around. Now, everyone, gather here¡­"


    Upon hearing Mark''s voice, the two teenagers who just started their sparring suddenly halted their movements and looked in the direction of the sound.


    Meanwhile, the others quickly left their positions and went toward Mark. Seeing the others, the teenagers also followed them.


    Mark then enquired about their identities, wanting to listen to their story from their mouths.


    While the girl appeared to be slightly nervous, the boy took responsibility to answer the questions. From the others, he heard of Mark and he had also seen the royal crest on the bicorn carriages. Hence, he made sure to be as polite as possible.


    Cupping his fists, he greeted Mark before retelling his story, "Lord Lu, we are the members of Leon Empire''s Kunlun sect. My name is Dong Fang, and she is Zi Ling, the granddaughter of our Patriarch."


    Mark took a nce at the girl, who immediately dropped her head in shyness. As he looked back at the boy, he continued the story.


    They were on their way to Kun Empire''s Xianshu sect for the Dragon Warrior Tournament, which is conducted every decade where every talented individual can participate as long as they fulfill three conditions.


    One, the individual should belong to a sect, which should be located in the vermilion bird continent.


    Two, the individual should atleast be in the cultivation realm of 4-circle but he/she cannot have a cultivation realm greater than 6-circle.


    And three, the individual''s age should be below 30 years old.


    Because the Kunlun sect is quite well known and is one of the top 10 sects of the continent, the sect received four seeded spots where the selected individuals wouldn''t need to participate in qualifying rounds.


    Dong Fang imed that while he and Zi Ling along with three morepanions were on their way to the destination, they were ambushed by their bitter rivals, the members of Wuji Sect.


    Mark was slightly taken aback upon hearing a familiar name. He nned to go there anyways to retrieve the artifact. Now, his interest in these teenagers increased a little bit.


    Meanwhile, Dong Fang continued to speak with a look of frustration on his face, "That traitorous bitch Ai Qing colluded with the enemies to take down our elder and another sect member. If not for our elder''s sacrifice, we would have died too."


    "Dong Fang¡­"


    Zi Ling couldn''t help but raise her head and pat his shoulder in pity as the boy grit his teeth in anger.


    Mark didn''t want to know how close they are to this person Ai Qing or thete elder. He was just interested in knowing whether these two could be helpful to him in some way or whether it is just a waste of time to talk with them.


    Hence, he asked the boy, "so, what do you n on doing? Will you return to the sect?"


    Dong Fang shook his head and answered with a determined expression, "there''s no way we would return empty-handed and make a joke out of the sacrifice of ourpanions. We must return victorious."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark fell into thoughts for a while. Upon thinking about how to use them, he turned to the shy girl, "Ms. Zi, I have a question for you."


    "Yes?" She yelped in surprise and looked at Mark directly before looking down at the ground. "Please speak¡­"


    As Dong Fang and others curiously looked at Mark, wondering what he wanted to ask, thetter put forth a proposal, using the opportunity, "I''ll help the both of you to safely travel to your destination and I will also help you take your revenge to return to your sect with the heads of your enemies. In return, I want you to arrange a meeting with your Patriarch and the other elders that have the power to make or break thews of your sect. Will you be able to do that?"


    "Eh? Why?" The girl''s eyes widened and she abruptly raised her head to look at Mark for a moment before going back to her shy mode.


    Not only her, but even the others were also thinking that this proposal is quite strange and wondered what was going on in this handsome fellow''s mind. After all, the sects won''t use firearms as it would go against their principles.


    Hence, if Mark has only a weapon-selling deal in his mind, then, generously helping these teenagers in such a way is a bad idea. However, is that everything? Perhaps, Mark has a different motive for helping them. Everyone wondered but didn''t voice it out.

 Chapter 355 The Unfortunate Crown Prince (?)

    "So¡­ do you agree to this proposition?" Mark steadily gazed at the girl who couldn''t understand the reason.


    In response, shemented while staring at the ground, "You would unnecessarily offend the Wuji sect if you help us. Is there a need for the senior to go to such lengths just for a meeting?"


    She was kind enough to think of the welfare of others but not everyone would reply in kindness. Mark wiped off his smile and sternly told her that it is a matter of adults and she should only answer with a yes or a no.


    Dong Fang tried to support her but Mark also acted coldly toward him, stating that it isn''t his ce to answer unless he can take decisions on her behalf.


    As Dong Fang shut up his mouth, Zi Ling bit her lip and slowly nodded, "Yes, I promise. Please seek justice for my seniors."


    As soon as she gave her promise, Mark''s smile returned to his face once again as if he was a cheerful person in the first ce. He said, "Alright, then, it is settled."


    Dong Fang looked at Mark like he was wondering, is this fellow a good guy or a bad guy?


    Roughly a couple of hourster, the bicorns started running in the wilderness at their top speed. Dong Fang and Zi Ling joined the carriage Mark and Song Yue were sitting in, although in reluctance with the weapon seller appeared to have a lot of questions to ask them.


    Mark asked them about the powerful sects in the Leon Empire, the imperial pce''s strength and the ideologies of their emperor, the wealthiest merchants and individuals, etc¡­


    Within a couple of hours, Mark got a rough understanding of everything that he needed to know in order to decide whether it is okay to involve the Leon Empire''s forces in his grand n or not.


    ***


    Imperial City (Jingyu City), Kun Empire;


    On the streets of the city, a middle-aged fellow in luxurious robes was walking with a look of depression on his face. He was sighing over and over again. It is none other than Qin Yu, who doesn''t have a great daily routine if one should say.


    He gets up early in the morning, goes to the training ground to hone his skills and strength, returns to the pce, gets bashed by the ministers left and right for his foolish opinions on the affairs of the empire, goes out once again, this time to his secret residence where he meets an adventurer''s wife with whom he had an extramarital affair with, returns to home and quarrel with his main wife (title: crown princess) over one issue or another, and finally going to sleep with one of his five other wives (title: secondary consorts).


    Unless something special happens, usually, this is how the life of Qin Yu went on for years.


    Qin Yu expected to change his life after introducing those 500 battle tanks he acquired from the Western Moon kingdom as a part of his share but he was only mocked by the officials in the end.


    He had forgotten that no one in the Kun Empire possessed the knowledge of firearms yet, much less operating them. And battle tanks were more advanced than mere firearms.


    How could the soldiers operate them just based on the instructions provided on the paper? It isn''t the same as mastering the techniques recorded in skill books.


    Because of Qin Yu''s high ambitions, dozens of destructive battle tanks that went out of control caused a lot of property damage to the training grounds and injuries amongmon soldiers, but thankfully no casualties.


    Qin Yu''s n failed terribly with the Emperor ordering him to submit all of them to the pce.


    As a result, his 500 battle tanks were taken away by the pce without giving him any contribution.


    And the worst has yet toe.


    After the Emperor took away the battle tanks, he assigned his favorite, the public''s favorite, the fourth prince to look after those tanks.


    Soon, the fourth prince, Qin Zhi was going to be formally appointed as the General of the battle tanks division once the soldiers under him manages to control them properly.


    What else can Qin Yu do if his own father is against him?


    With no supporters to stand by his side and fight, the crown prince can only give up on his ambition while finding sce in his extramarital affair.


    It was around the time of dusk when he would leave to meet his secret lover.


    However, Qin Yu couldn''t meet her as the woman''s husband is at home and he was as depressed as he can be, at the moment. After walking for a while, the crown prince decided to relieve his stress by visiting a beautiful courtesan.


    "Damn it. I shouldn''t have sent them away." The crown prince med himself for sending away his servant along with his horse carriage for wanting to spend time alone on the streets earlier. Now, he would need a carriage to get to the brothel.


    As he was hoping for a private carriage to enter the street he was standing on, two carriages pulled bicorns passed by him instead.


    Qin Yu''s eyes fell on the crest of the banner ced on the carriages and his eyes lit up. "A sun with a sword. Is it an envoy from the Eastern Sun making a trip? Let''s see what the imperial pce is up to."


    As the bicorns were just slowly walking in the street, with a quick dash, Qin Yu managed to outpace them with ease and then stood in their path.


    The front carriage stopped followed by the behind one.


    Seeing his luxurious clothes, the coachman thought that he might be a noble and it might not be good to unnecessarily offend him. Hence, he decided to politely deal with him.


    "Greetings Mister, we represent the Eastern Sun''s royal family. Please make the way," said the coachman.


    Qin Yu nodded, "I know that. Inform him that the crown prince of this empire wishes to meet him."


    "Crown Prince?" the coachman was taken aback. Just as he was about to step down and tell the people sitting in the back (i.e. Lan Ju, Song Yun, and the manticore), the zheng already passed the info to Mark through their telepathic connection.


    By the time the coachman stepped down, the door of the second bicorn carriage was already open and Mark stepped out.

 Chapter 356 Plan To Create A Puppet Emperor

    Silence filled the carriage traveling at the front as Qin Yu becamepletely honest with Mark, who left Song Yue and joined the other one.


    The crown prince expected to get snubbed by Mark after revealing his current situation, but instead, he saw the weapon seller break into a peal ofughter andmented, "It is perfect, Prince Yu. It made my job a lot easier."


    Qin Yu misunderstood that he was being mocked by him too and felt a bit angry. However, in the next moment, his eyes widened as Mark continued to say, "How about I solve your problems? There''s a simple solution."


    "Eh? What do you mean?" Qin Yu wondered whether Mark was suggesting the assassination of the fourth prince and he nned to reject the idea as he was against such a thing. Not to mention, the repercussions in case the n will fail. Thankfully, he didn''t voice it out and his patience rewarded him quite well.


    The misunderstandings cleared when the weapon seller went on to exin the details of his proposition.


    "500 battle tanks are nothing¡­ I can provide you with manpower, better weapons, and required ammunition. You just need to establish a guild.


    The robots are puppets that won''t betray their owners like the people. You can trust them and create a private force that will be loyal to only you and no one else. They will be strong enough to contend against any army with only a few weeks of training.


    Using your influence, bring tasks to your guild and thenplete them using your army. The more your fame grows, the more elite adventures will be willing to join your guild. Eventually, it leads to support from the ministers and nobles.


    Now, the only question that is remaining is, are you willing to put your future in the hands of a stranger like me?" Mark asked while looking straight into the eyes of Qin Yu.


    The crown prince of the Kun Empire was obviously tempted by the offerid out by Mark. It felt like a devil''s whisper and he who was on his wit''s end couldn''t resist the offer, fearing that the opportunity will disappear once again


    Mark expected Qin Yu to ask for time but thetter only thought for five seconds and gave a nod, "I''m willing, Owner Lu. As long as you are on my side, I''m confident that I will gain everything that I have lost."


    Mark let out a smile, inwardly rejoicing that he easily acquired a puppet that he needed, and then said, "As a gift for the beginning of our friendship (more like the beginning of Qin Yu''s servitude), today, I will do you a favor. If you are lucky, perhaps, you might have a small victory against your brother."


    "Hmm?"


    ***


    Imperial Pce of Jingyu;


    The Emperor of the Kun Empire was in the middle of having tea with an old man. Thetter was a grand elder of the Xianshu sect and he visited the pce to formally invite the emperor to the Dragon warrior tournament.


    The opening ceremony and the finals are both equally important days for the tournament. Hence, the sect elders wanted the Emperor to grace them with his presence.


    Other than that, there was one more thing that the old man wanted to discuss with Emperor Qin Mo.


    It is about the fourth prince, Qin Zhi''s marriage. Unlike the families living in cities, sects weren''t interested in things like marriage and having kids, etc... The members of the sects were usually more interested in finding a cultivation partner.


    The top sects have these qualitative dual cultivation techniques that will help a couple to speed up their cultivation progress if they practice it together. There will also be several other benefits and it cannot be practiced just with anyone.


    As someone said to be born with enormous potential, it is impossible for Prince Qin Zhi to stay single with everyone having eyes on him for different reasons.


    "Your Majesty, our Xie Mei will legally turn adult (16 years) in a couple of months and Patriarch Xie wanted his granddaughter to be wed to Prince Zhi and both of them to be cultivation partners."


    Emperor Qin was slightly surprised, not because of a marriage proposal but more because of the fact that the girl is just 15 right now. She is just a teenager. And his son is atleast twelve years older.


    By the time she enter her mid-20s, an ideal age for marriage (in his opinion), Qin Zhi would be already in histe thirties.


    However, he cannot make fun of the guest''s mindset when it was his ancestors who wrote that rule in the empire''s constitution in the first ce. Moreover, he had to be careful when dealing with a supreme realm expert.


    Hence, Emperor Qin tried a different method to reject the proposal.


    He grabbed his chin as if he was contemting and said, "Hmm¡­ Xie Mei, huh? Can''t believe the little girl already reached that age. I guess time flew very quickly.


    As far as Xie Mei is concerned, I have no problems with her. Just like my son, she is also considered the heavenly child with the potential to be a demigod. They are a good match.


    However, when I talked with my son about his marriage, he informed me that he is fond of Princess Shen Ling of the Western Moon kingdom.


    Soon, we are already nning to send a marriage proposal to King Shen. It would be extremely unfair for a girl like Xie Mei to end up as a secondary consort."


    Emperor Qin thought that this guest would back away after hearing this exnation but little did he expect that he would be the one to get surprised instead.


    "But, Your Majesty, Princess Shen Ling was already engaged to that weapon seller. How could Western Moon even ept your proposal?" The supreme realm expert responded with a question. He looked at the emperor as if thetter had gone crazy for going to do such a stupid thing.


    "Eh? Weapon seller? Who?" Emperor Qin looked clueless on the matter.


    The supreme realm expert felt the urge to p his forehead but forcefully calmed himself down with a deep breath and exined, "Those chunks of metallic puppets you snatched from the crown prince and gave to Prince Zhi were actually sold by the weapon seller named Lu Zhen.


    He is amoner from Phoenix Empire with no special background but surprisingly has a supreme being on his side and sells powerful weapons known as firearms.


    If I should say, those things he introduced to the world should be called an abomination as they defy all the hard work our ancestors had done over the centuries to create fighting techniques.


    King Shen Niu might have not made an official announcement but it is true that he betrothed his daughter to Lu Zhen. "


    The supreme realm expert had a serious look on his face as he warned the emperor to not go with the proposal.


    Meanwhile, Emperor Qin quietly stared at the old man with a goatee as if he wanted to say, aren''t you guys mountain dwellers who were cut off from the rest of the world? How in the hell is it that you guys know so much about the matters of the south when he, the emperor of Kun was left in dark?


    With the matter of Shen Ling being resolved, the supreme realm expert then once again urged the emperor to consider the Xianshu sect''s proposal.


    The Emperor now was thinking about how to respond. It was at that moment; a soldier entered the room and informed him that the crown prince is requesting an audience.

 Chapter 357 Im Here To Do Business

    Using his authority as the crown prince, Qin Yu took Mark and the others into the imperial pce without the need for any invitation or permission letter, followed by allotting them their guest rooms before hurriedly leaving to meet his father.


    Perhaps, his luck also turned around after meeting Mark. His father, who never easily sees him when he was in a meeting with someone else, suddenly allowed him to walk in.


    With great enthusiasm, Qin Yu walks inside and spots a familiar-looking old man. He stops in his tracks involuntarily and apologized for the intrusion. "I didn''t know that you were in a meeting with Venerable Yang. I''lle at ater time."


    The reason why the emperor let his good-for-nothing son interrupt this meeting is that he wanted some time to think of a way to reject the marriage proposal from the Xianshu sect now that the Western Moon kingdom is out of the picture.


    Why would he now send him away? The Emperor sternly ordered him to speak about what he was for.


    Qin Yu took a nce at the supreme realm expert and then said, "An acquaintance of mine wishes to meet you. He is a weapon seller from the imperial city of Phoenix Empire who came to the north because of an official business with the Eastern Sun''s royal family. Since he was already here, I took the opportunity to invite him."


    "Phoenix Empire?" The Emperor and the supreme realm expert took a nce at each other; they were just talking about a certain individual from the same ce and had the same profession too.


    Since the person is already a guest at their pce, the emperor thought that he can spare a couple of minutes to meet this fellow.


    He gave a nod to his son, "alright. I will see himter."


    On the other hand, the Xianshu sect''s grand elder had a different thought. He felt like it was too much of a coincidence that the crown prince''s acquaintance is a weapon seller, who also happened to have official business at the eastern sun.


    But, at the same time, there is no reason for him to meet a weapon seller even if it turns out to be Lu Zhen. After all, their worlds are different. Hence, he kept silent as the crown prince walked away.


    It was then a sudden thought popped up in his head, and once Qin Yu left the room, the supreme realm expert made a suggestion, "Your Majesty, why don''t you send the crown prince to our sect to supervise thepetition? I''ll talk to our Patriarch to arrange it.


    This might give him a chance to prove his usefulness to the pce. If he can pull it off sessfully, you can probably try sending him as an envoy to other empires like the other princes."


    "Eh?" Emperor Qin was slightly surprised by this old man''sment but he was secretly happy that the topic might be diverted because of this. Hence, without any hesitation, he started talking about his woes because of his eldest son''s activities.


    The supreme realm expert didn''t know whether tough at the emperor''s misfortune or pity the crown prince as Qin Mo continued to undermine his son behind his back.


    But then again, it wasn''t his nose to poke into the matters of the imperial family. So, Yang Bingwen kept quiet and let the old emperor speak as long as he wants.


    Meanwhile, Qin Yu appeared to be quite ted with his request bing sessful.


    He went to the guest quarters and informed Mark about the situation.


    However, Mark didn''t feel that impressed by the emperor''s decision as Qin Yu was.


    He left his room and entered the neighboring next room where Lan Ju was taking a rest.


    Mark woke up the zheng and told him to follow him to meet the Emperor.


    "Huh? Brother Lu, my father is in the meeting. It is not appropriate to meet him right now without his permission." The crown prince was surprised that his guest wouldck so much patience that he would get ready to barge into the private chamber and interrupt Emperor''s meeting with a supreme realm expert.


    Mark then halted his footsteps and looked at the crown prince, letting out a smile, "Prince Qin, this is why you are getting stepped on, every single day. You need to learn to fight back to protect your interests."


    He then looked at the zheng and gestured to him something. Lan Ju nodded in understanding.


    Seeing the exchange of nces between Mark and Lan Ju, the crown prince felt like they were going to do something reckless. "What are you going to do?"


    As soon as his words ended, a powerful aura was released and put pressure on everyone in the pce, save for a few individuals (Mark''spanions including Qin Yu).


    Within ten seconds, Yang Bingwen was already standing before them alongside Qin Mo with both of them having serious expressions on their faces. "Who are you?" The supreme realm expert asked. Meanwhile, Emperor looked at his son.


    Mark raised his hand and Lan Ju retracted his aura; the old man shifted his attention to Mark. A trace of surprise appeared on his face, "this young man looks like that powerful sect leader, Lan Gengxin."


    "I heard that I cannot meet your emperor without permission. So, I thought it is better for him toe to me," replied Mark without wiping off the fake smile on his face. Inspecting the emperor, he furthermented, "Who in the world could have expected that Emperor Qin is a Supreme realm expert himself? The world is really full of surprises."


    "Eh? Eh?" Qin Yu was looking right and left in confusion, wondering whether he had listened correctly. His father is a Supreme realm expert? Lu Zhen must have gone nuts. After all, it is well known that Qin Mo was once an Exalt realm expert who received heavy injuries during an ambush and had his cultivation realm dropped to 6-circle.


    During the past three decades, his cultivation remained the same. Qin Yu was under the impression that this guest of his has made a mistake but his father''s reaction gave the truth away.


    "Both of you and Qin Yu, you too, follow me." Emperor Qin ordered them and turned around to walk away in seriousness. The supreme realm expert and the crown prince quietly followed him.


    However, after walking a few steps, the Emperor realized something amiss and he turned around only to see that Mark didn''t move an inch from his spot and neither did his expression change.


    What was the meaning behind this smile?


    Don''t think you are in any position to order me in that tone? The Emperor understood that way and he concentrated on Mark once again. This time, he was quite surprised as he cannot sense anything from him.


    Is this young man, a hidden expert? The Emperor turned a bit wary of Mark and cleared his throat before speaking a little bit more softly than earlier, "*Ahem* It is ufortable to talk in this ce. I believe you want to talk things in private too."


    Mark replied while continuing to maintain his smile, "No, I''m not here for an important talk. I''m just here to do business by selling a certain type of weapon. Since you are already here, then, let''s go to a remote location where I demonstrate its prowess to you. If I did it here, the entire pce might turn into ruins."


    The Emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at Mark and the Supreme Being behind him, wondering if this fellow is Lu Zhen, the one Yang Bingwen earlier warned him about.

 Chapter 358 The Clash Of Egos

    It won''t be a lie to say that Mark''s attitude irked Emperor Qin very much. He was the ruler of an empire that is far more prosperous and stronger than the Phoenix Empire.


    How dare a weapon seller born in amoner family try to cause trouble in the imperial pce and even talk to him like they were equal?


    Is it because of the Supreme Being by his side? So what if it is? Qin Mo not only had authority but he also possessed strength.


    Sure, Supreme Beings (peak-9-circle) stood at the top of human society but that doesn''t mean they can defeat multiple Supreme realm experts (9-circle). The only reason they were feared by even the experts of the same realm is because of the factor known as a breakthrough.


    Once a Supreme Being makes a lucky breakthrough to the next realm and bes a demigod, their strength would increase so much that if they want to destroy an empire, any number of supreme realm experts couldn''t save it.


    However, Qin Mo was different. Unlike the fa?ade he was putting up in front of the whole empire, he was actually a supreme realm expert and recently reached even the advanced stage.


    Adding on top of that, he received the knowledge of a formation left behind by his ancestor, who was a demigod. Upon activation, their ancestor''s spirit wille to life and protect him.


    Of course, it doesn''t mean he can use this trump any number of times he wants. The number might be limited but it is still enough for him to stay arrogant.


    Qin Mo believed that by the time he uses all the remaining attempts of this protective mechanism, his fourth son won''t be far away from bing a demigod.


    That is why he didn''t submit to the aura disyed by Lan Ju, unaware that thetter actually was holding back his strength.


    If Lan Ju transforms into his original form and releases the aura of a demigod, then, the situation mightpletely turn in Mark''s favor but thetter was nning to keep it a secret as one of his trump cards.


    As a result, Qin Mo still thinks that he has an upper hand and didn''t exactly listen to Mark''s request right away. Instead, he said, "If you want to talk to me, then, I will spare my time on the ount of my son''s request. However, if you are looking to do business in Kun Empire, then, contact the minister of trade.


    And if you are looking to do business directly with the imperial family, then, any prince of the first rank (son of the legal wife of the Emperor) would be fine to witness the demonstration.


    The prince then passes the proposal to me and I will take the decision after discussing it with my chief advisor. That''s the protocol and I expect you to follow the same."


    Perhaps, Mark had already expected the attitude from Qin Mo as soon as he discovered his real cultivation. He didn''t get angry inside and neither did he disy any other emotion on the outside.


    Continuing to keep his fake smile on the surface, Mark replied, "Well, I believe that there is always an exception to every rule."


    "However, you aren''t privileged enough for me to make an exception," Qin Mo countered immediately, not intending to give a face to Mark or his aide at any cost. He felt like he was already doing a huge favor by not demanding them to apologize.


    So, in this situation, what will Mark do?


    Will he get angry? Will he yield to Qin Mo''s authority and be polite? Will he leave the pce, feeling humiliated?


    The supreme realm expert on Qin Mo''s side was wondering how the situation will unfold now. He was worried about the eruption of the battle.


    But, to his surprise, Mark calmly spoke, "well, if I don''t get a privilege, then, I guess my weapons will also have the same ce. That would mean the imperial family isn''t business-friendly.


    Then never mind, Emperor Qin. I will be on my way and sell my advanced weapons elsewhere. It is not like I don''tck clients.


    I thought that I should give preferential treatment to Kun Empire because Qin Yu is my friend but it is a pity I guess.


    Not only the Eastern Sun will get the warships to rule the northern sea and the Leon Empire will get the opportunity to buy the C4 (advanced), but your 500 battle tanks will also soon going to be vehicles of transport rather than a military asset.


    Well, none of this is rted to me anyways. So, I thank you for your hospitality and leave at dawn for my next destination, the Xianshu sect to deliver justice for mypanions. You can be on your way. Farewell and Good night." He waved his hands with a smile.


    Mark talked down to Emperor and didn''t take him seriously.


    Mark then boasted about the power of his weapons.


    Mark then indirectly threatened the emperor of the consequences if thetter don''t listen to his request right away.


    And in the end, he even purposely revealed an important thing like leaving for the sect, knowing very well that this old man is a grand elder there.


    From start to end, Mark didn''t show his original emotion on his face and just smiled as if he was delivering good news but his words left a huge impact on the listeners.


    The crown prince didn''t know what was going on. The Emperor narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought. No one knows what he was thinking about. And the worried supreme realm expert suddenly eximed in surprise, not expecting that this man would visit his ce for delivering justice. To whom?


    What feud does his sect have with this weapon seller? Unlike Qin Mo, he wasn''t arrogant enough to underestimate this Supreme Being, who was rumored to be the man behind the death of every expert in the battle of fire seed. It is just a rumor as no one witnessed the events in person but still, why is there a need for a fight when one can resolve it peacefully?


    "Mr. Lu, there''s no need to travel all the way to the Xianshu sect. I''m the grand elder of that very sect. Tell me your issue and I will solve it for you."


    As the old man correctly guessed Mark''s identity just through the words and extended his hand of help, the weapon seller waved his hand, "Rx. I have no issue with your sect. I''m only traveling there for thepetition where I will deliver justice. I appreciate your help though."


    "Dragon Warrior tournament?" Yang Bingwen was taken aback at first but then he inwardly sighed in relief that his sect isn''t in the picture.


    Meanwhile, the Emperor''s frown deepened as he saw a change of tone in Mark when he was speaking to the old man beside him. It was soft and friendlier. Why? I''m the Emperor and I''m stronger than this idiot. Why is he more respected than me? This brat is purposely doing this to rile me up¡­ It is not like my empire needs those things and neither I''m afraid of enemies possessing them. Hmpf¡­


    Silently, standing behind Mark, Lan Ju was observing the Emperor. As a demigod realm beast, he could easily sense the change in one''s emotions just with a look. He felt like this situation isn''t getting anywhere because of these two egoistic individuals.


    In the end, he decided to intervene and said in a calm tone, "Emperor Qin, give me some face and follow my master''s request."


    "Master?" "Eh?"

 Chapter 359 The Might Of C4 (Advanced)

    The moment Lan Ju spoke, all the arguments were shut down and the matter is settled.


    Perhaps, it is because of his powerful cultivation, or perhaps, it is because Lan Ju had admitted that he is a servant of Mark, not his backing. Or it might even be because Qin Mo wanted to get back at Mark for giving more respect to Yang Bingwen.


    Whatever the case, Emperor Qin had agreed to witness the demonstration of the weapon that Mark intended to sell to the imperial family.


    However, Mark wasn''t happy. He felt the same that Qin Mo earlier felt.


    After killing immortal realm beasts in the trial, Mark was under the impression that he is more powerful than the zheng even in its peak state.


    With Lan Ju''s loyalty crossed 50% and behaving really like a loyal servanttely, Mark was already feeling superior to the zheng and that is why he didn''t like the sudden change in the behavior of the emperor.


    But, then again, since he nned to remove him from the start, for the sake of achieving his goal, Mark suppressed his useless pride and followed the Emperor to a remote location within the city. By the time they reached it, it was already too dark and theck of streetmps only made it darker.


    Of course, the low visibility shouldn''t be a problem for supreme realm experts. Hence, neither the emperor was ufortable nor Mark was worried. Night vision is a passive ability of Supreme realm experts that don''t need any training. So, Mark could see the area around him without any problems.


    However, Qin Yu wasn''t strong enough to have such abilities. Hence, he couldn''t see a thing. But, still, since Mark promised him that theck of night vision wouldn''t hinder him to watch the demonstration, Qin Yu stayed hopeful.


    Upon confirming that there were no civilians in a hundred-meter radius, Mark started walking forward alone while taking out a white-colored round object that looked more like a digital weighing machine.


    After walking for a while, he stopped at a five-foot big rock and ced it on top of it before returning back to hispanions who were standing atleast 90 meters away from the spot.


    "Is that the weapon, Mr. Lu?" asked the grand elder of the Xianshu sect. "And what will happen now?"


    Mark let out a smile and raised the remote in his hand, "well, you can find it out with your own eyes."


    "Okay, do whatever you want to," said Qin Mo, disying a bit of impatience.


    Mark ignored him and went on exining to Qin Yu instead. He showed the digital meter on the remote.


    "After we set the timer, it will be disyed here. Right now, I didn''t set anything. So, it was showing 0.


    Anyways, I will tell you the details on the way. But, first things first, keep your eyes on your 1 o''clock."


    As Qin Yu nodded and looked in that direction, Mark went on to press the big red button ced at the bottom of the remote.


    *Boom*


    Once he pressed it, in just a fraction of a second, an enormous explosion urred before their eyes, turning nearly three acres ofnd into barren.


    The loud explosion startled the people living within a one-kilometer radius and even the others roaming the streets of the imperial jingyu city couldn''t help but panic for a moment.


    Qin Yu stepped back in surprise and lost his footing, falling on his butt while his father, the Emperor turned serious. "More than eleven thousand sq. meters ofnd was impacted with the explosion power of a low-5-circle."


    He remembered Mark''s threat about the enemies possessing these weapons.


    If a single weapon can do this much damage, then, what if a hundred of them get detonated at once within the city? Not to mention, these can be operated by civilians. No, he cannot allow that to happen.


    Qin Mo''s mind already started to think of a strategy for using these weapons and he asked in curiosity, "earlier, you pressed that button and the explosion happened. From how far can you do that? And how many can you provide within one month span of time?"


    "Yes, the fish is hooked¡­" Mark wiped off his fake smile and reced it with a genuine one upon realizing that the client is now curious about buying this.


    He turned his head and looked at the emperor, "100 meters is the maximum range one can operate this advanced version of C4 through this remote control. If not, you can set the timer beforehand and enjoy the explosion from far away too.


    As for how many, at the moment, I have a limited number. But, if you order in advance, by next month on the same date, I can sell you not more than 1000 in number. However, each one is priced at 700 gold coins.


    If you need a basic version, which has the power of a 4-circle strength detonation, a 25-meter radius, andes without a remote, then, it will cost you 150 gold coins per each.


    And if you wish to sell these explosives only for the imperial family, then, it will cost an additional 1 million gold coins per year. That means during that time, our weapon store will exclusively sell it to you and only you.


    Of course, we will also pledge that our store will guarantee to sell you atleast 10,000 of them during the booking time.


    So, what do you think?"


    "700 gold coins per each and 1 million for exclusive?" Emperor Qin fell into deep thoughts,paring its worth with a battle tank that costs 500 gold coins.


    Seeing Qin Mo pondering on the matter for a while, Mark further told him that he will be staying at the Xianshu sect until the end of the tournament (4 days). The imperial pce can send its reply before he leaves for Leon Empire.


    The Emperor didn''t say anything and silently nodded. After all, such an amount of money is not a small thing that he can casually spend on one-time usage explosives.


    The next day morning;


    The bicorn carriages left the imperial pce and started the journey to their next destination, the Xianshu Mountain, which is located nearby the southwestern border of the Kun Empire and Leon Empire.


    Inside the front carriage, alongside Lan Ju, Baltrow (manticore), and the ck Knight (Song Yu), the Xianshu sect''s grand elder (Yang Bingwen) also appeared to be traveling with them.


    He was interested to get into the good books of Lan Ju for his own selfish needs. If the patriarch learns that he had the support of a Supreme Being, his position in the sect will be higher than the other two grand elders. It will increase his probability of bing the next Patriarch once the current one retires.


    This was also the reason he personally made the trip to the imperial pce to invite Qin Mo and put forth the marriage proposal.


    Unfortunately for him, Lan Ju, who was sensitive to people''s emotions and thoughts, already discovered this. Yet, he yed along for the sake of his master''s ambition.


    It is like they were trying to use each other for their own goals except that Yang Bingwen will likely be abandoned once the tournament is finished.


    The time ticked and the bicorns were traveling at their peak speed, eventually reaching the ce before sunset.

 Chapter 360 Mark Goes To Mt. Xianshu

    Violet Peak, Mt. Xianshu;


    At the third highest peak of the mountain, controlled by the Xianshu sect, four youngsters were panting hard as theyy on the ground; they just finished their spar with the strongest inner disciple of the violet peak.


    Yang Zenchao has already entered the prestigious Exalt realm and cannot participate in the tournament. He was merely giving pointers to these juniors who came from far with their elder, who is by the way his acquaintance.


    After stopping the spar, Yang Zenchao praised a couple of them, "Miss Ai and Mr. Wang are really skilled atbat. Both of you geniuses can hold off your own against a higher-realm opponent. If luck is on your side, you can enter the top 30."


    "Eh? Top 30?" Ai Qing and Wang Teng were surprised. When both of these 5-circle realm Spirit Warriors heard the praise from this good-natured senior, they were hoping for a better ranking figure, not mere top 30, and that too if luck favors them.


    As the representatives of the great Wuji sect, it is like humiliating to them. However, they don''t want to unnecessarily get into a feud with this genius who had powerful connections.


    Wang Teng swallowed his pride and thanked the senior for his evaluation.


    "By now, all the qualification matches must have beenpleted. I''m going to the main peak to check out the list of qualified individuals. Do either of you want to tag along?" Yang Zenchao liked these two juniors because they not only have talent but don''t show their arrogance.


    In his opinion, those who know the ways of the world will do great in their lives. They are worth befriendingpared to those who go against the world for the sake of pride.


    That is why he extended friendship toward these two worthy individuals, not knowing that their impending doom has already on its way.


    Meanwhile, at the bottom of the mountain, Mark was arguing with his fianc¨¦e, trying to convince her to not climb with them. The others can only silently look at the couple with mixed feelings.


    "My Schatz, there''s Baltrow here to take you up. Why do you want to trouble yourself? Listen to me. You can see how high the mountain is."


    On the other hand, Song Yue doesn''t want to be treated like a princess. She said, "No thank you. I can climb up there. It is only 5 kilometers of hiking right?"


    "It isn''t as easy as you say." Mark tried to make her understand that trekking is different from walking on the ground. "The path isn''t that good. It is narrow and irregr. Or else, we would have taken the carriage to the top."


    "That''s fine with me. It is not like I''m a civilian and I don''t want to depend on it too much." Song Yue continued to be stubborn.


    Having no other choice, Mark bent his body and suddenly picked up his fianc¨¦e, taking her by surprise.


    "Markie, let me down. It is too embarrassing¡­" Song Yue covered her face in shame as the people were staring at them.


    While Lan Ju and Yang Bingwen didn''t think anything, the two young couple looked away while blushing, not being able to see such romance in the open as it is too much for them.


    As for Song Yun, his feelings were a bitplex. He was after all a conservative man. But then again, after seeing how happy her daughter was, he can only bless them in his heart and acted as if he didn''t exist. The two coachmen also behaved like they didn''t see anything.


    Mark didn''t listen to her and said, "I will give you two choices. One, Baltrow will take you there. Two, I will carry you like this all the way up to the top. What will you prefer?"


    "You always do things for me and don''t let me do anything on my own." As Song Yue puffed her cheeks andined in a mumble, Mark leaned his head to her ear and whispered, "Well, then, don''t do it for free. Let''s see¡­ A kiss for every kilometer. How about you repay me with five kisses tonight?"


    Song Yue''s face immediately turned red upon being teased by her fianc¨¦. She tried to get free while yfully pushing away his chest, "Get lost¡­"


    As Mark refused to put her down, in the end, she resigned to the ultimatum and reluctantly agreed to sit on the manticore''s back, although not forgetting toin that he is a bully.


    "Hahaha¡­ cute¡­"


    Mark let out augh and put her down before proceeding to Violet Peak, leaving their bicorn carriages at the stables located at the foot of the mountain.


    As no one is in a hurry, the mountain hikingsted for about a couple of hours before finally passing through the gate.


    The sunset hasn''t arrived yet. So, everyone could clearly see the grand elder escorting Mark and others. Combined with Mark and Song Yue''s great looks, they attracted so much attention that none of the spectators could turn away their heads and look elsewhere.


    As Yang Bingwen was personally escorting them to the lodging areas, from the other side, Yang Zenchao appeared to be walking with the beauty. Both of them were all smiles as they were in their own world, chatting with each other and almost ignoring their surroundings.


    Both of the parties were now in a distance where they can see each other and Dong Fang''s expression turned sour as soon as he saw them. He couldn''t control his emotions and roared in anger, "Ai Qing¡­"


    The beauty beside Yang Zenchao startled for a moment and looked in the direction of the voice. Her face darkened instantly, "Dong Fang? Zi Ling? These guys are alive after all."


    As Dong Fang was ready to charge forward and attack her, his arm was caught by Mark. "This is not the right time." Dong Fang didn''t dare to move after being warned by Mark but he couldn''t help but look at her with hatred. Zi Ling was silent but she too hatefully red at the woman who she thought was a friend but instead turned out to be a spy from their rival sect.


    The two parties walked toward each other amidst the curious gazes of the participants and the inner sect disciples of the Violet Peak.


    Yang Zenchao observed the expressions of the girl beside him and the strangers who were beside the grand elder. He neither asked her nor did he leave her side. He apanied her and calmly greeted the old man. "Grand Elder Yang."


    The old man didn''t pay attention to either the girl or the people beside him, not intending to involve in their matters. He calmly nodded in response and said, "Zenchao, Go and bring Elder Yang to my residence. Oh, and also inform Patriarch that I''m busy apanying a distinguished guest. Hence, I cannot meet him at the moment."


    From the corner of his eyes, Yang Zenchao took a nce at the people who were tagging along with his great-granduncle. His attention was mostly grabbed by the silent middle-aged-looking fellow and the manticore. As for the others, he didn''t spare a nce and cupped his fists, "understand."


    "Miss Ai,e¡­" Yang Zenchao dragged the girl along with him, taking her away from Mark''s group. She too was silent after realizing the identity of the grand elder, based on earlier conversation.

 Chapter 361 The Four Representatives Of Kunlun Sect

    Once they left out of his sight, Yang Bingwen let out a sigh of relief and enquired about the matter with Mark. "Is that girl belonged to the Wuji sect, the one who betrayed those two kids?"


    "It doesn''t have anything to do with the Xianshu Sect, Mr. Yang. So, it is better off you knowing." Mark replied coldly before realizing that his true thoughts were being exposed. He immediately corrected his tone and expression. "Don''t worry. We won''t do anything that will hurt your sect''s fame."


    Yang Bingwen was slightly displeased by the rude remark from Mark. But keeping his goal in his mind, he forced himself to smile and acted as if he wasn''t bothered by the earlierment. He let out a sigh and said, "No, I was just worried about my great-grandnephew, thed you met earlier. He appeared to have a liking to her. I rarely see him apany a female disciple in our sect."


    "Then, you better warn him to stay away from her for her fate is sealed whether she met us in thepetition or not. Or else¡­" Mark doesn''t want to be harsh on this respected grand elder but the words juste out of his mouth before he realized the problem and he had to correct his ter as this old man''s usefulness hasn''te to an end.


    *cough* "I mean that it is better for the both of us if he doesn''t stand in our way to punish a traitorous woman who plotted the death of several individuals. As his ancestor, I believe that you can convince him to not associate himself with the Wuji sect."


    Mark doesn''t need such a lengthy exnation but he had to act like a boss but not an arrogant one because there are people watching them. They weren''t mere spectators. They were messengers who will deliver the news of his firearms to their regions.


    With everything going in his favor, the news of the grand elder personally escorting Mark and hispanions, followed by the Patriarch making a personal visit to meet him had spread to even the other peaks. People couldn''t help but try to guess his identity.


    But then again, not everyone is curious to know about this guest. After all, the tournament is the main attraction and moreover, there''s news that Emperor himself is going to attend the opening ceremony too.


    ***


    The next day at dawn;


    Mark and hispanions left the grand elder''s residence where they were guestsst night, and they proceeded to the highest peak of the mountain, known as the main peak/White Peak.


    The disciples of the white peak became the hosts, spreading from the entrance to the arena.


    Just like its name, every inner sect disciple of white peak wore white robes, and with their pale faces, several of them really looked like ghosts in fairytales but no one dared toment about it as it is considered a sore spot for those disciples.


    Of course, Mark could care less about their feelings but his current attention wasn''t exactly on their appearances but rather on their gender. He saw a lot of female disciples and participants walking around.


    Mark couldn''t help but casuallyment, "I should say that the north is really progressive. Back in the Phoenix Empire, I don''t think there were any sects that ept both genders."


    In response, Song Yue then voiced her opinion, "well, you can see mixed groups in guilds though."


    Yang Bingwen thenmented, "When one has power, they have the freedom to choose their life. And no matter what kind of society it is, the beliefs of the highest authority will reflect the entirend as more and more time passed."


    "Well, I won''t object to that," replied Mark. He added while remembering his biological father''s face, "that is why it is necessary for an Emperor to be a role model for his citizens."


    Song Yue fell silent when she heard that and she immediately grabbed his arms to console him, knowing what he was thinking about.


    The others, on the other hand, didn''t think much and only assumed that it is just a part of the conversation. Perhaps, the only one who misunderstood is the grand elder, who assumed that Mark was talking about Emperor Qin.


    Meanwhile, inside the arena, a few qualified participants lined up in front of a giant stone b ced in the middle of the field. Ninerge markings in the shape of stars were inscribed on top of this mysterious object.


    And right before the stone stab, there was a thin and transparent blue-colored barrier, which will test one''s age.


    There was an elder with 8-circle cultivation standing on its right, and Yang Zenchao, the inner sect disciple of Violet peak was standing on its left with an empty scroll in his hand.


    "Your invitation letter please¡­" Elder asked the group standing at the front. One of them handed it to the old man and thetter looked at it, "Luo sect, 3 slots."


    He then looked at the group, "are you the three?" he asked.


    As the three teenagers nodded in response, the Elder told them to proceed with the test.


    The first one walked forward and pressed his palm against the stone b, inserting his ether energy into it.


    The moment he did that, five stars lit up and the elder nodded in satisfaction, "Five-circle realm cultivation. Next¡­"


    He pointed at the handsome-looking young man on the other side of the stone b.


    Yang Zenchao asked for his name and recorded it in the scroll using ether energy writing.


    One after another, the participants went through the test and recorded their names so that it bes easier for the sect to arrange the match fixtures, especially these Spirit Warriors from the same sect who came through rmendations without facing any preliminary battles.


    Every time, there will be 128 Spirit Warriors participating in the tournament, of which 64 slots were reserved for people from the well-known sects and the other 64 will be decided through preliminary rounds.


    Not all the sects were given an equal amount of slots. Luo sect, for example, was given 3 slots while Wuji and Kunlun sects were given 4 slots each. As for the host, the Xianshu sect has the right to reserve 8 slots for their disciples.


    Of course, this didn''t mean that the sects with reserved slots can send whoever they can. They will have to adhere to the rules of thepetition too.


    Some of the sects with only 1 or 2 slots tried to act smart, trying to fool them by faking their age. However, they underestimated the Xianshu sect''s age-detecting barrier. It urately guessed whether one''s real age is below 30 or not. As a result, five cultivators were disqualified from the tournament and became aughingstock in front of the other sect representatives.


    After parting ways with Song Yue and others at the entrance, Mark, Zi Ling, Dong Fang, and coachman Dai Qiu made their way toward the stone b.


    Zi Ling and Dong Fang didn''t have a bit of nervousness on their faces and they appeared to be quite determined with a clear goal in their mind.


    Mark, on the other hand, looked like someone who didn''t care about thepetition. He was leisurely observing the arena.


    And the remaining one, Dai Qiu was sweating like hell. His face was pale, his eyes were red as if he didn''t sleep all night, and his heart was beating very fast as he followed Mark.


    "What kind of trouble do I put myself into?"

 Chapter 362 I Dont Question My Masters Actions

    Dai Qiu was originally a low-level adventurer whose team ended up in a mishap against a fierce beast of 5-circle when they explored a dungeon. Since then, he didn''t join the teams and mostly worked as a temporary coachman for nobles.


    From time to time, he fought against bandits and lower realm assassins but it is because he had to protect his client and there was no other choice.


    However, at the present, there is nothing at stake here. Why should he go and risk his life in apetition he didn''t have any interest in?


    Unfortunately for Dai Qiu, he wasn''t given the option to choose. Because that so-called light elemental spirit merged with his body, he was told to join the Kunlun sect for that spirit belonged to the sect.


    If he doesn''t listen, then, he will be hunted down.


    While he was contemting on whether to run away with his life when these two teenagers be busy in the tournament battles, Mark put forth another proposition which he was only told to agree to it without any negotiations.


    Mark promised that the Kunlun sect will forget the matter and he will have his freedom as long as he will enter top-32 and then follows him to the Kunlun sect to formally apologize for taking their treasure.


    Now, Dai Qiu could ignore the demands of the teenagers but Mark? He was the royal guest of Eastern Sun and to some extent, even the Kun Empire. If include the Western Moon kingdom and Phoenix Empire, where he could run away if he offends such a person?


    Hence, the poor adventurer turned coachman became a participant, representing the Kunlun sect alongside Mark, Zi Ling, and Dong Fang.


    The Xianshu doesn''t care whether Mark and Dai Qiu belonged to the Kunlun sect or not. It entirely depends on the Kunlun sect of who to choose. It is not a problem whether the representative is an outsider.


    It was at this point that Mark took advantage of and was participating in the ce of dead seniors of Dong Fang and Zi Ling.


    Soon, Mark and the other three joined the line. They only have four members in front. So, it won''t be long before their turnes up. However, their strength appeared to be anything but ordinary.


    "Show your invitation" "Here"


    "Okay, step through the barrier and ce your palm on the artifact."


    "6-circle realm. Good¡­ please go and register your names."


    "6-circle realm"


    "6-circle realm?"


    "6-circle realm???"


    Because of the high number of participants, the legendary realm expert didn''t bother to sense each one''s cultivation realm and didn''t pay much attention to the group that is filled with only teenagers.


    How could he have expected to meet Upper Elite realm cultivators in a row? Naturally, he was taken aback and took a nce at them one more time and mumbled, "It appeared that the Iron Palm Sect is going all out after losing half of their strength."


    "One of the four representatives of the sect nced in the elder''s direction as he heard those words. His face turned serious but he didn''t speak anything and turned around his head before walking away toward the participants'' section even though they knew that the matches will only start three hourster.


    As for Mark, he wasn''t that dedicated or determined. After Dong Fang and Zi Ling were done with their registrations, he calmly walked through the barrier and ced his palm on the stone b, which is a semi-divine artifact ording to the details disyed on the holographic screen before Mark''s eyes.


    Once he was done, he went back to meet Song Yue before they went on a tour. Surprisingly, Yang Bingwen too tagged along with them and became a tour guide.


    Previously, the disciples of the White Peak only heard the rumors and now that they were witnessing it with their own eyes, their curiosity toward this group has increased quite exponentially.


    "Why Grand Elder Yang is escorting them?"


    "Do you know who they are?"


    "I heard that they were representing Kunlun Sect."


    "Is that beast king belong to their sect''s master or something? It looks so mighty."


    "I should say I''m envious of that guy. His wife is so pretty"


    "Oh my god¡­ his smile¡­ I think I''ll fall in love with that young master. He is so handsome" "Shhh¡­ mind your manners"


    "I felt like he has the air of a prince. Even his looks (age) and cultivation realm are simr to the fourth prince. I wonder whether he is a prince of Leon Empire or Phoenix Empire." "Hmpf, it''s just your overestimation. The fourth prince is a heavenly genius. Someone like him couldn''t hold a candle against Qin Zhi."


    "I wonder who that middle-aged-looking fellow is. I cannot sense any cultivation. He must be powerful. Who knows, he might be a hidden expert?"


    As Mark was roaming around the main peak, mainly the training grounds, judgment hall, cultivation caves where spiritual energy is far higher, merit shops where disciples exchange their merits for items or techniques, meditation center, etc¡­, murmurings filled the entire ce with almost every disciple and participant who recognizes the old man murmuring one thing or another.


    Mark had no interest to care about others. As the guy who wanted to revive the Lan Sect, he just wanted to see how a sect functions and what are the essential things that he needs to pay attention for.


    After a couple of hours, he returned to the main arena where people started filling up the audience seats. Just like Mark, the other participants also have people tagged along with them to support them. Along with the disciples from the other peaks, they too sat down.


    Meanwhile, Song Yue and others were taken to the VIP section, where important guests, elders, and grand elders will sit.


    The Grand elder introduced Song Yue to them. They have heard of the weapon seller and his exploits so far. So, they weren''t surprised by either the golden kitten sleeping in her arms or the manticore.


    However, Lan Ju is different, who was a Supreme Being (?) like their Patriarch. So, his presence attracted their attention the most.


    Ignoring thedy who kept her eyes on the arena''s field, the sect''s Patriarch struck up a conversation with Lan Ju. He inquired about Mark''s chances in the tournament.


    Of course, he wanted to know why Mark is representing the Kunlun sect, which should have no connection with the weapon seller as far as their sources say. But, even a fellow supreme being like Patriarch Xie cannot ask him because of the fact that this fellow named Wu Weibao has mysterious origins.


    This is the problem with old and wise people. Sometimes, they think too much about the matter, trying to get to the bottom only to get nowhere in the end. But, oftentimes, they will also guess it right.


    The same thing happened here too.


    To his earlier question, he received an ambiguous reply from the zheng, "I don''t question my master''s actions, Patriarch Xie. There''s always a reason behind them."


    And in the next second, the Patriarch of the Xianshu sect was already in deep thinking, trying to search for the hidden meaning behind Lan Ju''s words.

 Chapter 363 Xie Zhongs Thoughts

    Lan Ju only wanted to tell him that he trust Mark''s decisions and don''t unnecessarily question them but Xie Zhong understood it differently as he analyzed those deeply.


    Why a supreme being epted amoner as his master in the first ce when even the Emperors had to greet them in respect? Such loyalty can only ur by two things.


    One, the guy has a strong hidden background.


    Two, the guy forced the supreme being into servitude.


    Feeling that the second option is out of the question, Xie Zhong concluded that Mark belonged to the first option. The existence of firearms and the Kunlun sect''s support for Mark only increased his suspicion.


    Now, the only question that remained in Xie Zhong''s mind is why Mark is participating in this tournament.


    For a person who had a supreme being as his servant, a manticore as a mount, and a beast emperor kitten as a pet, the rewards from the tournament shouldn''t entice him. Hence, there''s another motive. Perhaps, revenge?


    It is not umon that arrogant young masters wanted to take revenge with their own hands. So, maybe, it was just that?


    Xie Zhong formed his own theory based on an ambiguous answer from Lan Ju.


    Mark''s arrival did bring confusion to the Patriarch of the Xianshu sect but thankfully, it also saved his face a little bit, considering the emperor sent a letter about skipping the opening ceremony but promising to attend the finals.


    Back to the Arena, once the matchups were done ording to one''s cultivation, making sure that neither fellow 6-circle realm experts be opponents nor do a 4-circle realm Spirit warrior will face a 6-circle cultivator, well, atleast until round 32.


    The legendary realm expert, Elder of the scarlet peak (4th highest), Gao Su became the proctor of all the battles.


    He started by speaking the rules after speaking a few words about the tournament for formality.


    The Dragon Warrior Tournament, which only urs once every 10 years, is considered the most prestigious tournament in the continent, not just because of the impressive rewards and the participation of the most talented cultivators from sects but it is also because the top 8 Spirit Warriors will also be qualified for the Void tournament.


    If the Dragon Warrior tournament is a continental one, then, Void Tournament is a worldwide one.


    Coming to the rules, currently, round 128 will start. Due to the fact that five seeded candidates from various sects ended up being disqualified, five lucky individuals will proceed to the next round without any battle.


    Obviously, it is going to be the warriors with the highest potential. Of the remaining 123, there were about 19 of them in the 6-circle realm. 5 out of those 19 got a bye and proceed to the next round.


    Unfortunately, Mark wasn''t one of them.


    But, he didn''t think he wasn''t unlucky though. After all, his goal is something else and he needs as many opportunities as he can get to fulfill his goal.


    As for how the battle goes, there was arge tform ced in the middle of the arena. It was fifty meters wide, a hundred meters long, and 2 meters in height. As long as the participant''s body touches the ground, he/she loses.


    Flying is allowed but not greater than fifty meters above the ground and five meters away from the tform. If this rule is broken, then the participant will lose the match too.


    Other than that, killing is absolutely allowed. However, only before the participant admits his defeat or before the proctor announces that the said participant is in no condition of battle.


    The weapons and artifacts are allowed no matter whom they belonged to but the contracted beast is not allowed to support its ally/master.


    As for the rewards, there are different ones for different rankings but the one that is worthy to be described were the rewards for the first four ranks.


    The fourth ranker will receive 10,000 gold coins, a fierce-grade beast egg of chosen attribute, and a tinum-grade weapon.


    The third ranker will receive 20,000 gold coins, a beast-king egg, and a tinum-grade weapon.


    The runner-up will receive 30,000 gold coins, either a direct chance to form a contract with a 6-circle realm beast king that has no master or a beast-king egg and a tinum-grade weapon & armor set.


    And the winner will receive a huge amount of 100,000 gold coins, a chance to form a contract with a 7-circle realm beast king with no master or a beast-king egg, a tinum-grade armor set, and a semi-divine grade weapon, and finally, an opportunity to seek guidance in cultivation directly from the Void Temple.


    The Void Temple is an organization that conducts these dragon warrior tournaments in all the continents every decade, followed by the Void Tournament at the end.


    It is said that one of the three demigod realm beasts of the world was the guardian of this Void Temple and there''s also a rumor that a demigod cultivator was hiding in that temple''s headquarters.


    How much of that is true? No one knows.


    However, one knows that the organization is far stronger than any Empire''s army or any individual sect just based on the fact that they have atleast three supreme beings and a dozen Supreme realm experts. Unknown to the rest of the world, who knows how many more such experts were hiding there?


    Anyways, back to the tournament, after the recital of the rules was over, the proctor went on to announce a spar between two grand elders of the sect, following the tradition of the tournament.


    This practice not only showcases the strength of the hosting sect but also helps the youngsters in widening their horizons. Who knows, some of these geniuses can learn a thing or two after watching advanced realm experts fight.


    Everyone but Mark was intently staring at the arena. They were excited to watch the sparring between two supreme realm experts. Even the grand elders sitting beside the Patriarch were ready.


    Little did they expect Xie Zhong to suddenly change a decision. He stopped them from going to the field and cupped his fists toward Lan Ju, "Brother Wu, if you don''t mind, I would like to spar with you. Will you ept this selfish request of mine?"


    "Huh?" Everyone else quickly turned their heads to look at the Patriarch. Lan Ju too nkly stared at him, wondering what this fellow was thinking. Trying to get yourself humiliated?


    As if Xie Zhong understood what everyone was wondering about, he gave his reasoning before Lan Ju gave his answer.


    Usually, it is an incredibly rare thing for two Supreme Beings to be standing in the same location. Xie Zhong too had never battled a person in the same realm and such opportunities were even rarer.


    Perhaps, he wanted to experience how strong he is,pared to other Supreme Beings. Even after Lan Ju warned him that he will be putting the stake the reputation of his sect in the process, Xie Zhong didn''t back down from the request. After all, what''s fame? It will change based on the circumstances. Not to mention, it was just a spar anyways¡­


    Since there was nothing to lose for him here, Lan Ju agreed to the spar and both of them slowly rose into the air, flew toward the battle tform, andnded on it, taking everyone by surprise.


    "Patriarch Xie is personally showcasing his abilities? This will be awesome¡­"


    "Hey, who is that expert beside him? Is he a grand elder?" "No, he is not. I think he is the servant of that handsome guy¡­" "Wow, no wonder he was given the royal treatment. I''m curious about his background"


    "I heard that Patriarch Xie is one of the few grandmaster swordsmen in the world. He could use even grass as a de. I''m excited¡­"


    The spectators started discussing among themselves as the two powerful beingsnded on the tform and looked at each other.


    "Brother Wu, we''ll follow the same rules as the participants. The match will end when one of us steps outside of the ring." Xie Zhong spoke in a polite tone and cupped his fists. "We''ll start when you are ready."


    Lan Ju nodded in silence.


    Xie Zhong created an energy sword and went into his battle stance. Lan Ju did the same, indicating that it is going to be a sword fight.


    Looking at that, a smile appeared on Xie Zhong, "good. We''llpare our sword skills then."


    He charged forward as soon as the proctor blew the whistle. Lan Ju, on the other hand, didn''t move from the spot without disying any expression on his face. "Come on."

 Chapter 364 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Part-1)

    *Thud*


    Xie Zhong flew out of the ring and crashed onto the ground. However, he didn''t wake up andy there motionlessly, causing a great panic among the disciples of the sect.


    The proctor hurriedly went to him and checked his condition. "He is not dead." He sighed in relief upon finding that the sect''s Patriarch was just knocked out.


    "Don''t worry." A voice was heard from his behind and he nced at Lan Ju. Thetter continued while walking calmly toward them, "I just struck his chin, which affected his brain, leading to that state. He will be alright within a couple of minutes."


    The Elder then rose to his feet and took a deep bow in fear and respect to this Supreme Being who ended the spar in two moves after defending himself from Xie Zhong''s barrage of sword attacks for a couple of minutes. "Thank you for the demonstration."


    "No problem." Lan Ju waved his hand, "if there''s nothing else, I''ll be going back to my seat then." He flew toward the VIP section andnded beside Song Yue, calmly taking his seat as if the earlier spar isn''t a big deal.


    However, for the spectators, it was something else entirely.


    They didn''t feel like they have watched a spar between two Supreme Beings. Instead, it was like some inner sect disciple sparring against an elder.


    From the start to finish, Lan Ju was in control of the flow of the battle.


    And when he realized that he had yed enough, he cut down Xie Zhong''s energy sword with his energy sword and then gave a powerful uppercut to his opponent''s chin, ending the match.


    Now, this spar increased the attention Mark received from everyone. He could feel gazes from all sides but stayed calm and kept his eyes on the field as the proctor announced the start of the battles.


    "First match: Lu Wan of Star sect vs Jia Yong of Xianshu sect."


    Lu Wan is a 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior and Jia Yong is a 6-circle realm expert. Thetter might be of simr age but she was more experienced in battles. In fact, this is her second time participating in the Dragon Warrior tournament. Thest time, she went as far as the top 16.


    So, it is clear that she is the favorite to win and no one doubted it. Some people felt pity for thed who had to face her of all the people.


    However, Mark rooted for the seemingly weaker one instead, not because they have the same surname though. There are thousands of families out there with the same surname and they were not rted to each other.


    His opinion is based on the information he saw on the holographic screen. His identity appeared to be slightly special.


    Lu Wan


    Race: Human


    Age: 28


    Rank: 5 (advanced stage)


    Spirit Path: Swordsman/mage


    Attribute: Metal


    Bloodline: Bronze Dragon


    Affiliation: Leon Empire


    Description: A talented spirit warrior from Star sect, a minor sect located in Leon Empire''s Tawang mountains. Due to having two spirit paths, his road of cultivation is also double the work.


    "A swordmage, eh? This is the first time I was actually seeing this type of person. Interesting from the very first match itself¡­"


    Meanwhile, on the battle tform, the two participants were standing nearly 20 meters apart from each other, waiting for the signal.


    As soon as the proctor blew the whistle, both of them charged forward with swords in their hands.


    The battle went on for ten minutes without any result. ording to the rules, if a match bes a draw, then, the one with lower realm cultivation will be dered the winner and proceed to the next round. And if both of them were in the same realm, then, the judges (three grand elders of the Xianshu sect) will make the decision by voting.


    As a result, Lu Wan was dered the winner and Jia Yong exited the arena in depression.


    Seeing that Lu Wan didn''t reveal either the powers of a mage or his bloodline abilities, Mark''s impression of him improved a bit. He noted down the name in his mind.


    Meanwhile, the morale of the Xianshu sect members became quite low.


    First, Xie Zhong lost badly to an outsider and then one of the top contestants of the hosting sect ended up being defeated by an opponent of the lower realm. How could they feel good?


    Thankfully, it didn''t stay that way for a very long time.


    During the next 60 minutes, 8 out of 59 scheduled matches werepleted. Unlike the very first match, there were no surprises in these matches. The one with a higher cultivation level won it and proceed to the next round.


    And then, the proctor proceeded to announce the next match, making every single spectator focus on the battle tform.


    "Xie Mei of Xianshu sect vs Liang Cheng of Mt. Hua sect"


    As the fifteen-year-old beauty stood up from her seat and took a giant leap,nding directly on the middle of the tform, which is at atleast 150 meters away from the audience section, Mark''s attention was grabbed by her.


    He then heard Zi Ling gossip to Dong Fang. "I heard that she is the illegitimate daughter of Patriarch Xie."


    "Eh?" Dong Fang appeared to be surprised by her statement. He looked at her and asked, "But, isn''t he like two hundred years old?"


    Zi Ling shrugged her shoulders, "Men are men in the end. You see a beautiful woman and you forget about everything¡­"


    "Hey, that''s not true. Not everyone would be interested in romance." Dong Fang argued with her. He added, "I, for one, only love the sword and nothing else."


    "Hmpf, as if. Every time I see you, there''s always a different girl on your side." Zi Ling counterattacked with a look of displeasure on her face, to which, Dong Fang defended himself, "They were just older sisters who wanted to guide me¡­"


    "Yeah right¡­"


    Ignoring this teenage couple bickering, Mark focused on the girl as her opponent slowly climbed the stage.


    Once again, he activated his Sage eyes to take a look at her information. "Eh? Celestial?" A look of surprise appeared on his face, for a moment before he read the rest of the details.


    Xie Mei


    Race: Human/Celestial


    Age: 15


    Rank: 6 (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Archer


    Attribute: Divine/Lightning/Water


    Bloodline: N/A


    Affiliation: Kun Empire/Heavenly Domain


    Description: Born as a child of a human and a pure celestial from heaven, the girl was born with divine energy and no limiters.


    "Divine energy? No limiters?" Mark''s eyes lit up in excitement as he saw her details. Staring at her, he only had a single thought in his mind. "If I bring her to my side, then, I would be able to travel to other worlds without any tension. Now, the only question is how?"


    And the answer to his doubt came to him as he watched the battle.


    Instead of simply defeating her opponent by knocking him out or throwing him out of the ring, Xie Mei opted for a different route. After destroying all of his abilities, she trapped him in a cell made of arrows and injured him little by little.


    If one should see it objectively, she destroyed his willpower by torture. Of course, in her eyes, it was justified as she wanted to make an example out of him for trying to look down on her sect. However, the others felt like she was a sadist and they don''t want to face her.


    On the other hand, Mark had a smile on his face as he found a way to achieve his goal. "Arrogance and loyalty to the sect. I guess I should trample on the sect''s pride to make her willingly walk into the trap.


    But then again, I might not meet their representatives. So, I guess I should ruthlessly trample on the dignity of Spirit Warriors itself.


    Then, all I would need to do is to make a couple of insults on her sect while making sure to not touch her bottom line by speaking about the Patriarch.


    Hmm, that''s not a bad idea. I''m here to promote modern weapons anyways.


    I might as well make everyone understand that there''s no need to train so hard to master a bunch of techniques when they have a gun in their hand."


    However, his goal of recruiting her can only be aplished if they meet in the battle.


    After reading her information and watching her battle, Mark was confident that she will go to finals without any problem. That means, as long as he wins his battles, he will be bound to meet her sooner orter.


    Never in the world did he or anyone for that matter expect that there would be another contestant who will be an obstacle in her path to the finals.

 Chapter 365 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Part-2)

    The battles continued. After Xie Mei''s win, the morale of the Xianshu sect disciple improved a lot, which only became better as three more individuals proceeded to the next round.


    Combined with two byes, now, the Xianshu sect has six members who went to round 64 and most of the disciples were nowpletely rxed as they watched the rest of the battles.


    It was around noon. For better or for worse, 32 matches were alreadypleted in the past three hours. There were only 27 matches to go and the crowd is quite less in the standspared to the morning now that all the matches of Xianshu sect representatives were over.


    Mark started to get slightly restless as he was sitting there for hours and he doesn''t know when his turn wille. Not only him, but even his fellow representatives haven''t battled yet.


    Another reason for Mark''s impatience is that he couldn''t see any other worthy individuals after Lu Wan and Xie Mei that are worth recruiting. Hence, he felt like he was wasting his time and energy and wanted to leave the ce and stroll around but his goal kept on reminding him to not move from the spot.


    And his patience is finally rewarded with the appearance of a familiar person, although for Dong Fang, it is going to be a nightmare.


    "Dong Fang of Kunlun sect vs Meng Tao of Five Lakes sect"


    "Okay, wish me luck, Sister Zi." Dong Fang stood up from his seat and made his way to the battle tform. Along with him, another person rose to his feet. Mark''s eyes were glued to him while remembering their meeting in the past.


    They have only met once but Mark, who now has 9 points of intelligence, cannot forget anything he heard or saw in the past. With perfect recall, all he needs is a thought and he would be able to remember the exact words of a conversation with a stranger from even a decade ago.


    When Mark met him for the first time in the town of Daqing, Meng Tao introduced himself as Pan Tao, a traveling peddler. He appeared like a good fellow, warning them about thieves, scammers, and the Meng n.


    But, that isn''t the point.


    Back then, he was not even at 1-circle. Now, within a few months, he was already eligible for the Dragon warrior tournament?


    It''s not like he had a system like Mark that he can cultivate at a fast pace. So, that means he was either faking it back then or he was met with a fortuitous encounter in the wild just like the coachman Dai Qiu.


    And so, Mark became curious and inspected him only to find an interesting piece of information. "The Qilin, eh? I wonder whether it is the same Qilin that destroyed Lan Sect. If it is, then, I might be able to find the answers."


    The battle started and Dong Fang took the opportunity to act first. With a saber in his hand, he charged forward at his maximum speed, which is actuallyparable to that of an assassin of the 6-circle realm.


    However, Meng Tao didn''t appear to be shaken by it. He stood on his spot with a calm-looking face.


    Once Dong Fang reached him, Meng Tao spun around to dodge the saber and kicked him in the back.


    Dong Fang lost his bnce as he moved past his opponent. As he was about to regain his footing, Meng Tao suddenly took out a peculiar weapon from his storage ring. It''s a rocketuncher.


    "Hmm¡­ how did he get his hands on that thing? I don''t remember selling it to him," wondered Mark as Meng Tao clicked the trigger and shot a 110mm warhead, aiming at his opponent''s right foot.


    It missed its target and hit the floor. The contact with an external physical object triggered the detonation and a huge explosion was seen on the battle tform, sting away the teenager.


    From the point of impact, everything around in the 30-meter radius turned to dust. In the middle of a battle tform, arge crater was formed while a heavily injured Dong Fang crashed onto the edge of the tform.


    In the meantime, Meng Tao was also affected by the st radius but he protected himself with a wall of ether energy barrier. So, only superficial injuries were left on him as hended on the floor.


    "What the hell was that skill?"


    "What is that thing?"


    "Who is that young man? Why I haven''t heard of him before?"


    "I have never seen such an artifact in my life"


    "But, it appears that it is not a skill, considering he was also injured."


    "That st is quite simr to the effects of that explosive potion. But, I don''t think the potion''s effects are this strong"


    Half of the spectators rose to their feet in shock and they started discussing majorly the weapon in Meng Tao''s hand.


    Meanwhile, at the VIP section, one of the Grand Elders spoke, "Grand Elder Yang, wasn''t that weapon quite familiar to you?"


    "Yeah, it is one of those things called firearms, right?"mented another grand elder.


    Yang Bingwen meaningfully stared at Song Yue and nodded in response, thetter confirmed their suspicion, "It is called a rocketuncher, one of the most powerful firearms sold by my husband. With over 1000 gold coins of price, it has the power tounch a warhead that has the power to eradicate anyone below the 5-circle realm. By the way, that piece of warhead only costs 5 gold coins."


    As the only person who knows about Mark''s future ns, Song Yue took the opportunity to promote the rocketuncher to these elders even though she was prepared to do it after Mark''s performance.


    If these grand elders didn''t have any knowledge of firearms beforehand, they might have been tempted to keep a few in their sect''s storage chamber, just in case.


    But, they already knew about the rocketuncher and other weapons. Hence, none of the grand elders showed any interest.


    They looked like they didn''t even hear her and put their attention on the battle tform, which is repaired by the proctor. The 8-circle realm expert used his earth attribute to create arge concrete b out of thin air, making the tform look as good as new.


    Since Yang Bingwen brought her to the VIP section, he took the responsibility to reply to her,menting that it is an interesting invention.


    Meanwhile, Zi Ling rushed forward into the field and picked up her friend after his injuries were healed by the healers. She hatefully red at Meng Tao''s back as he exited the arena, not intending to watch the rest of the matches.


    Two more hours passed away and only 11 matches left to go. Zi Ling and Dai Qiu finished their respective matches; both of them went to the next round.


    Dong Fang looked depressed as his goal of taking revenge with his own hands didn''t materialize.


    However, luckily for him, when Mark was called to the arena, there''s another familiar person was also called. His expression changed.


    "Hao Shuren of Wuji sect vs Lu Zhen of Kunlun sect"


    "Lu Zhen, beat him¡­" Dong Fang cheered for Mark in his heart. He even wanted to cheer out loud but just as he got up from his seat, he saw Mark take out a familiar-looking destructive weapon from his storage ring. "What the¡­"


    "It''s the same thing that Meng Tao used, right?" Zi Ling shook his shoulder with a look of surprise on her face.


    Neither of them had ever heard of the name Lu Zhen or the firearms for that matter. All they know is that he had powerful connections and powerful subordinates. Hence, he cannot be offended.


    It was only now they realized something was wrong. Seeing the weapon in their hands and remembering that Meng Tao also belonged to Phoenix Empire, they made a connection.


    And before they got out of that shock, Mark''s actions shocked them once again.


    "Get ready¡­"


    As soon as the proctor blew the whistle, Mark''s opponent backed away instantly, trying to be careful to not get hit with that. He saw what it could do and wouldn''t want to risk his life.


    Looking at the guy who was moving around in circles, Mark calmly inserted the warhead and then took out another item from his storage ring.


    He pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it on the ground.


    A thick amount of smoke was released into the surroundings, blocking the vision of the opponent and the spectators.


    Meanwhile, Mark closed his eyes and thought, "What in his exact position, Lan Ju?"


    In the next second, he opened his eyes with a smile and clicked on the trigger, aiming in his 2 o''clock direction. "Happy death day."


    *Boom*

 Chapter 366 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Part-3)

    The same type of explosion was seen once again. However, this time, it wasn''t just the tform that was destroyed. The opponent who sted away and crashed onto the ground had severe third-degree burns, and by the time the proctor reached him, Hao Shuren lost his life.


    Unlike Meng Tao, Mark struck him directly with the intention to kill. The 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior at the elementary stage didn''t think of using an energy barrier to protect himself and only thought of trying to locate his opponent.


    As a result, when he was struck by the warhead, his body couldn''t defend itself against the damage inflicted upon him and ended up dying.


    "No¡­" "No¡­""


    Two screams echoed simultaneously from the participants'' section and an old man entered the field to pick up the dead body.


    "The winner is Lu Zhen of the Kunlun sect."


    The Proctor announced the winner after sensing that Mark was still on the battle tform.


    After it was announced, Mark calmly walked to the edge and jumped down onto the ground before returning to his seat to watch the rest of the matches. He wanted to see if there were any other potential Spirit Warriors who can be recruited.


    Not many winners of round 128 had left the arena like Meng Tao. After finishing their matches, they returned to their seats to observe their future opponents in order to formte a strategy for the win.


    So, there was quite a crowd in the participants'' section as Mark returned and every one of them paid attention to him because he was the only one who killed his opponent so far in the current round. And that too, with the same weapon Meng Tao used in his match.


    If one person used it, then, it can be considered a strange type of artifact. But, if another person also used an identical-looking artifact, then, it can be considered a mass-produced product.


    Hence, they were curious about the weapon.


    Because Mark was sitting alone now as Zi Ling and Dai Qiu were apanying Dong Fang at the normal audience section, someone gathered courage and approached him while the proctor was dispersing the smoke and repairing the tform.


    "Excuse me. Are you Owner Lu from Phoenix Empire?" A rough voice was heard from the side, gaining the attention of nearby participants.


    A couple of participants started whispering among themselves.


    "Phoenix Empire? Wasn''t he from the Kunlun sect?"


    "Earlier, that guy named Meng Tao is from Phoenix Empire. That''s why this fellow probably misunderstood it?"


    "Why did he address him as Owner Lu, then? Only the store owners, restaurant owners, andndlords were addressed that way."


    "Who knows¡­"


    Meanwhile, some participants who belonged to the sects of the Phoenix Empire fell into thoughts, realizing something they should have done long ago. They couldn''t help but stare in the direction of Mark.


    As for Mark, he calmly turned his head to look to the left to find a tall and thin young man with a ponytail.


    After inspecting his details, Mark nodded and replied with ament, "I didn''t expect my name will reach even the Heavens sect. But then again, your sect is an ally to the imperial family. I guess it shouldn''t be a surprise."


    The guy didn''t know how to respond to Mark''s unusualment as he wasn''t sure whether thetter wasmenting in a sarcastic way or speaking casually.


    In the end, he ignored Mark''sment and said in a polite tone, "Indeed, it is Owner Lu. I''m sorry but I was just surprised to see you here. I heard that you are already at the peak stage of Exalt realm."


    "Exalt realm?" "Exalt realm?" "Hmm?" "What is he saying?" "Did this fellow break the rules somehow and enter thepetition?" "How did he evade the senses of a legendary realm expert?" "Did he use some mystical artifact?"


    The whispers circted all over the ce as soon as Ye Kang blurted out those words.


    Mark furrowed his brows and responded sharply this time, "Just because I can kill the Cerberus doesn''t mean that I''m in Exalt realm, Mr. Ye. Don''t speak of bullshit if you weren''t aware of actual facts. "


    Ye Kang was startled at first but then as he realized what his words signify, he quickly apologized for his mistake and ran away from there, leaving the listeners filled with curiousness.


    And no one knows who started to spread the rumors, probably the participants from the Phoenix Empire or some elder from the Xianshu sect; Mark''s deeds mixed with a few lies spread around like wildfire.


    "Killing a 7-circle realm beast king?" "Killing legendary realm experts on his wedding (engagement) day?" "Earning tens of millions of gold coins in an auction?" "Forcefully snatching the daughter of his enemy?" "Obtaining the fire seed?" "The one behind the deaths of the Ironpalm sect''s elders?" "Destroying the major noble ns over a simple feud?" "Best friend of the second prince?" "Abducting a noble n''s heir for money?" "Was in cahoots with a mysterious organization from another world that tries to take over this world using firearms?"


    An ample of rumors spread among the disciples of the sect and participants alike by the end of the day.


    No one knows the authenticity of the news and everyone is afraid of asking him because of Lan Ju and the manticore.


    However, most of the participants did have one question in their minds.


    Did they have the ability to defeat him in battle?


    The five-circle and four-circle realm warriors weren''t confident. Only the 6-circle realm experts wanted to battle him. Of them, there were a few who were even dying to face him, although mostly because of the rumors.


    Evening at around 8 o''clock, Scarlet Peak;


    Outside of the lodging area, several sect disciples and participants gathered around a bonfire, separated into small groups, and were having discussions, majorly about the tournament, beauties, their respective kingdom affairs, etc...


    Sui Weisheng was one of the people who was discussing the tournament. And the people in his group couldn''t stop talking about Mark of all the people, making the former quite ufortable.


    "Senior, I can''t believe you fought him and escaped alive. I mean he is someone who had killed a legendary realm expert, right?" A young man eximed in surprise after listening to Sui Weisheng''s exaggerated story of how he valiantly fought against Mark and his attack helicopter.


    Not intending to listen to any praise for Mark, Sui Weisheng replied, "It''s just a rumor, junior brother Qi. Lu Zhen wasn''t strong as the rumors suggested. He only knows to depend on those weird puppets and weapons. Even in today''s match, he depended on that weapon. Take them away from him and he is nothing worth discussing."


    "But, still, that weapon is scary. In one move, it killed a 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior." The 4-circle mage shuddered, imagining himself in such a scenario.


    In response, Sui Weisheng let out a snort, "it''s not a big deal. I have already gauged its power. It cannot harm an opponent who is in 6-circle and Lu Zhen himself isn''t immune to its damage if the explosion urs around him. So, as long as we keep a close distance, the weapon is useless."


    "Yeah, senior is almost at the Exalt realm. If he meets Lu Zhen in battle, that guy will not have a good ending¡­" Another young manmented, supporting Sui Weisheng.


    Sui Weisheng pleasantly smiled on the surface. However, he had different thoughts in his mind. He was actually praying that he won''t meet the guy in the field. The Sui n is not doing great right now.


    So, if they meet in the arena and he fails to control his temper and kills him, then, the Sui n will face repercussions. After all, in his opinion, Mark was no longer the same weapon seller they met, months ago.


    Now, Mark had the backing of the second prince, the fifth princess, to some extent, even the Emperor. Adding on top of that, a Supreme Being was serving him.


    So, now, it is really not the best time to take his revenge. And as the next n head, Sui Weisheng wanted to help his n and not send it to its doom.


    "Man¡­ who could have expected that Lu Zhen would crash into this tournament of all the ces¡­" He inwardly sighed and stared at the stars.


    Meanwhile, at White Peak;


    While the rest of the participants indulged themselves in some form of entertainment, the fifteen-year-old Xie Mei was practicing her archery in darkness.


    A target in the form of a human was more than 200 meters away and there were only firemps ced around it for visibility.


    And yet, every arrow struck the target in whatever ces she aimed.


    After striking it with the 30th arrow in a row, the image of a person came to her mind and she mumbled under her breath, "There''s something off about that fellow named Lu Zhen. For some reason, I couldn''t just keep him away from my head."

 Chapter 367 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Part-4)

    The next day;


    "The winner is Dai Qiu of the Kunlun sect"


    "The winner is Xie Mei of Xianshu Sect"


    "The winner is Sui Weisheng of Mt. Hua sect"


    "The winner is Lu Wan of Star sect"


    "The winner is Meng Tao of the Five Lakes sect"


    "The winner is Zi Ling of the Kunlun sect"


    "The winner is Yu Hao of the Iron Palm sect"


    "The winner is Xian Li of Blue lotus sect"


    "The winner is Wang Teng of the Wuji sect"


    .


    .


    .


    "The winner is Ai Qing of the Wuji sect"


    After more than 26 matches, Mark finally got his turn around noon and he went onto the stage.


    Just like in the first round, his opponent was once again a 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior. But, Gu Li wasn''t considered a good matchup, well, ording to others.


    Yanmen sect is one of the major sects in the Kun Empire which is also known as the breeding ground of assassins. The sect only takes in those who have the talent to be an assassin.


    Mark''s opponent is an assassin who mastered the art of stealth. As soon as the battle began, Gu Li activated his skill and disappeared from everyone''s vision. Not even tournament favorites like Sui Weisheng or Xie Mei could sense his presence. For one moment, it looked as if he teleported away.


    People thought Mark ran into some trouble but little did they know that he never had any ns of fighting fairly.


    As soon as his opponent went into stealth mode, he contacted Lan Ju using their telepathic connection and directly asked for Gu Li''s position.


    After getting what he needed, Mark once again used the same tactic he used in the earlier round.


    The smoke grenade released thick smoke into the surroundings and blocked the vision of the assassin, forcing him to move away from his current spot.


    However, as Mark already knows his position, he blindly charged forward in that direction and shot the warhead from his rocketuncher upon getting into 30-meter range.


    *Boom*


    The explosion returned for the second time with the first one used by Meng Tao against his opponent.


    Since the opponent isn''t an enemy, he wasn''t hit directly. And due to his fast reflexes, despite getting caught in the st radius, Gu Li wasn''t as heavily injured as one would expect it to be. There are second-degree burns here and there over his body.


    However, that doesn''t mean he is in the game. ording to the tournament rules, the moment his feet touch the ground, he loses.


    When the warhead detonated, he was already near the edge of the battle tform. The st threw him away out of the ring.


    "The winner is Lu Zhen of the Kunlun sect"


    The smoke cleared and the proctor dered the end of the battle with Mark winning the battle without putting much effort once again.


    Upon coolly finishing the match, Mark turned around to walk toward the participants'' stands but it appeared that Assassin Gu Li doesn''t intend to leave the arena, just yet.


    Raising his head and looking toward the VIP section, he spoke loudly, "I ask the judges if you were willing to allow such heretic methods. What''s the point of a tournament if there are cultivation techniques that aren''t even involved in the first ce?"


    Mark halted his footsteps and turned around to spare a look at his defeated opponent. He furrowed his brows.


    The others also looked at the assassin and then at Xie Zhong with the majority agreeing with his argument. The others (mostly belonged to 6-circle) felt like it is just a loser''s babble.


    Meanwhile, Gu Li continued, "Every participant here belonged to sects and came here from all over the continent. It''s already unfair to allow a person from the material world into thispetition specifically made for the cultivators belonging to the sects.


    And on top of that, heretic unknown type of weapon was permitted to use in thispetition. I refuse to ept this result."


    "Hmpf, ignorant fool." Mark let out a snort in response to his opponent''s outburst before Xie Zhong or his grand elders replied to him.


    Feeling that an opportunity to promote his firearms knocked on his door, Mark took this chance and bothered himself to speak to his insignificant opponent.


    "My firearms are officially treated as a new type of weapon in Phoenix Empire, Western Moon kingdom, and also Eastern Sun kingdom. Even your Kun Empire''s royal family purchased five hundred units of my battle tanks.


    That means, apart from Leon Empire, almost this whole continent acknowledges the so-called heretic unknown weapons. I said this many times to a lot of people and I will say the same to you. The future belongs to firearms.


    Whether one wants to take the risky new path and rule the future world or stay on the same old path for a stable but mediocre future depends on one decision.


    Don''t try to paint it as evil just because your path is different and weak. If it is stronger than my path, then, you wouldn''t have ended up as a loser."


    After thoroughly scolding his opponent, Mark didn''t bother to hear his reply and started returning to his seat.


    Meanwhile, silence filled the whole arena for a moment before murmurings spread around. The reactions were quite mixed. Or one should say, he made several enemies with his earlierments.


    "The future belongs to firearms? Our path is weak? What bullshit is he spouting?"


    "That guy is challenging everyone"


    "Hmpf, let''s see how long he will stay arrogant"


    "Firearms were recognized in so many ces? Ugh, I feel like I have lived like a frog in well"


    "I wonder what those so-called battle tanks purchased by the imperial family"


    "What a braggart. He will stop boasting after facing the stronger ones."


    "I wonder whether I should try these firearms. They appeared quite strong from so far."


    "Damn, he makes me angry but I can''t do anything."


    "Apletely new path, huh! I feel like the world is about to change in the near future."


    ***


    Once all the 32 battles were over, a 30-minute break was announced by the proctor before round 32 started.


    Perhaps, Mark''s statement displeased even the elders of the sect too. Or maybe, it increased their curiosity. By great coincidence, he was matched up against Meng Tao, who also used the same type of weapon.


    So, the round-32 battle between Mark and Meng Tao is like the showdown between firearms.


    Of course, that doesn''t mean that spectators were curious about the result. Mark was clearly the favorite here. After all, Meng Tao is only at the peak stage of the 4-circle realm. The moment he gets caught up in the explosion, he would die for sure unless he had a defensive treasure.


    Upon their names being called, both of them stepped onto the battle tform.


    Each of them was given 1 minute of preparation and Meng Tao readily took out the rocketuncher, which was already loaded with the warhead in its barrel.


    But, surprisingly, Mark didn''t take out the same weapon and instead, takes out a different one, surprising everyone including his opponent.


    Before the proctor announced the start of the battle, he waved his hand with a smile, "it''s been a while, Pan Tao. Or should I call you Meng Tao, instead?"


    Meng Tao was startled for a second before he politely replied, "I''m honored that you remembered someone insignificant like me, Lord Lu."


    Mark stared directly at his face for a few seconds and shook his head, "forget it. Nothing goodes out of it if I reveal your secret here. I won''t even question how you acquire the weapon and its ammunition. However, I expect you to meet me in privateter in the evening. I need some answers from that chimera of yours¡­"


    Meng Tao was once again startled and took a step back with his secret being found out by his opponent. He then heard the voice of Qilin in his head, "It is not surprising, considering the fact that he is a heaven-defying being. I don''t sense any hostility from him either. So, just calm down your nerves and focus on the battle."


    Taking a deep breath, Meng Tao threw away all of those unnecessary thoughts and concentrated on Mark.


    As for the weapon seller, he went on taking out a 4-foot stand and mounting the M134 minigun.


    Pointing the gold-grade ether weapon at him, Mark spoke, "Alright, let''s make a deal, Meng Tao. If I win, you will just have to honestly answer three questions of mine. If you managed to stay on the field for more than a minute, I will ept my loss and withdraw from the tournament. What do you say?"

 Chapter 368 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Part-5)

    For a while, Meng Tao didn''t speak anything and consulted the Qilin''s spirit for advice.


    The Qilin slightly hesitated at first but then, it thought that there isn''t much to lose in answering some questions and agreed to the deal, which was heavily leaning on its host''s side.


    After the wager was finalized between the two of them, they waited for the signal.


    Soon, the waiting time is over and the proctor blew the whistle.


    Meng Tao clicked the trigger to shoot the warhead at his opponent and leaped in a backward direction to increase the distance as soon as the match started.


    Mark quickly raised the elevated angle of the machine gun and shot 100 rounds of ether bullets in just a fraction of a second.


    As soon as a bunch of bullets simultaneously struck the iing warhead, it triggered detonation. Arge explosion urred in mid-air, taking Meng Tao by surprise and throwing him off his bnce. He crashed onto the floor.


    "Boy, I''m taking over you..." A voice was then heard in Meng Tao''s head and he lost consciousness with Qilin possessing him.


    A translucent aura erupted from the young adult as he made a quick backflip and stared at Mark, who quietly watched him. Meanwhile, the silhouette of a chimera appeared behind his back.


    "What the¡­"


    The grand elders rose to their feet in surprise as they witnessed the possession. Xie Zhong spoke out with widened eyes, "An aura warrior."


    "Aura Warrior?" Song Yue and her father looked at the old man for an answer.


    Noticing their stares, Xie Zhong exined, "Aura Warriors are those who were born with the aura of a spirit beast emperor when they were born. Usually, the chance of this urrence in Spirit Warriors is as low as 1 out of 10000."


    One of the grand elders thenmented, "Fortunately, Mr. Lu is in the 6-circle realm. He will be okay, I guess."


    "Oh" "is that so?" Lan Ju and Yang Bingwen reacted at the same time, using a sarcastic tone.


    "Eh?" As the remaining two grand elders slightly frowned at their reaction, especially from their ownrade, Song Yue let out a beautiful smile as she pointed at the field, "my husband is a lot stronger than you possibly imagine."


    Xie Zhong nced at her from the corner of his eyes, wondering whether she is being confident or just trying to boast in the heat of the moment.


    But, in the next second, his facial expression changed. Even Qilin in Meng Tao''s body sweated involuntarily as its eyes fell on the lightning clone that appeared beside Mark.


    "Throw him out." Mark passed the order.


    And in just a fraction of a second, Meng Tao''s cor was grabbed by the clone and he crashed onto the ground with just a casual throw.


    The lightning clone disappeared quickly after its job is done but Meng Tao didn''t get up and left for a while. Continuing to lie on the ground, the Qilin stared into the sky with a dazed expression and thought, "What in the hell was that? It''s fu*king faster than I would ever be in my prime. That Lu Zhen could only be a friend, not a foe. Forget about 3, I will answer 30 if I have to¡­"


    Meanwhile, the murmurings once again flew around.


    "What was that skill? One second, it was there beside Lu Zhen, and in the next second, the match is over?"


    "That''s a fu*king attribute clone skill." "The long lost ancient technique?"


    "Was he of lightning attribute?"


    "Hey, did it teleport?"


    "Kya¡­ Master Lu is just too strong and too handsome" "Hmpf, he is nothingpared to the fourth prince" "Nah, Master Lu is more handsome" "he is already married. On the other hand, the fourth prince is still single. Not to mention, he has a stronger background"


    "Say, senior brother, can we recruit that Meng Tao? He appeared to be talented." "Of course, he is an aura warrior, junior sister. Do you think his sect would allow him to leave? Only top-tier sects might have the chance to snatch him."


    "I wonder what that weapon used by Lu Zhen. It appeared to be some sort of ether weapon in contrast to Meng Tao''s."


    "Its firing speed was awesome. I didn''t know that owner Lu possessed this type of ether weapon." "Yeah, in the auction, he only sold a copper-grade ether weapon. This one appeared to be atleast in silver grade."


    "Forget about the handsome guy for a second. The other fellow, earlier, there was some strange power erupted from him, right?" "Hmm, yeah, I too saw it."


    ***


    The round-32 battles ended around 3:40 in the afternoon and Patriarch Xie called for the day.


    Holding up the end of his deal, Meng Tao quietly followed Mark as thetter climbed down the mountain while the rest of hispanions apart from the manticore returned to the residence allotted to Mark and everyone on the White peak.


    For nearly 30 minutes, neither of them spoke anything. Maybe, it is because he is too nervous or maybe, it is because of the presence of a legendary-realm beast king, Meng Tao showed a great deal of patience as he waited for Mark to open up on the matter.


    Once Mark found a remote location on the mountain, he stopped walking and asked without looking at the 19-year-old, "Earlier, you were possessed by Qilin. Can you talk to its spirit?"


    "Yes¡­" Meng Tao admitted it.


    "Then, ask the Qilin whether it is the same creature that caused the destruction of Lan Sect." Mark put forth his first question.


    Meng Tao went into silence for a while before he slowly opened his mouth, "Yes."


    "I see¡­" Mark calmly nodded and then asked his second question. "Ask who trapped it in the dungeon, which led to a dungeon break."


    Taking a deep breath and controlling his emotions, Meng Tao answered after half a minute, "He said that the one behind its capture and the dungeon break is someone named Lan Xu, an immortal realm dungeon creator (11-circle)."


    "Lan Xu?" Mark furrowed his brows. He didn''t know who it was, but seeing his surname, he almost could confirm that it should be some grand elder from the Ancient Lan Sect and is rted to histe grandfather, Lan Gengxin. "Well, it will be clear once I talk to Lan Jingter."


    Mark emptied his mind once again to clear off unnecessary thoughts as he finally turned around to look at the neen-year-old, "My final question is for you, Meng Tao. If I offer you the needed backing, and an endless supply of free ammunition along with different types of firearms and vehicles, will you be my subordinate and swear your loyalty to me?"


    "Eh?" Meng Tao took a step back in shock. "Why?"


    "That''s not an answer, Mr. Meng," replied Mark, expecting a direct answer.


    For the next few seconds, Meng Tao''s head hurt like hell as the Qilin was screaming at him. "What are you hesitating, kid? ept his offer. Pledge your loyalty to him. You won''t get such another opportunity to achieve greatness in a shortcut. Do it. Don''t think and follow my advice¡­"


    "Argh¡­ alright¡­ don''t yell."


    ***


    The next day, after round 16, the battles for the 9th and 10th rankings were held among the losers of round 16.


    Mark continued his winning streak and made it quarterfinals.


    He was termed to be lucky, ording to the majority of the spectators, for not facing a 6-circle realm Spirit Warrior as an opponent so far. Of course, it goes without saying that the poprity of Mark and his firearms began increasing exponentially.


    And not everyone is happy with that.


    Some people were dissatisfied with the matchups andined that the Xianshu sect is not being impartial. However, as the grand elders firmly said that the matchups werepletely random from round 32, the haters couldn''t do anything but hope that he will face humiliation in the quarterfinals where all of the participants were in the 6-circle realm.


    ***


    It was the final day of the tournament and VIP guests started arriving one after another.


    Earlier, the VIP section was only filled with the elders, the grand elders, the Patriarch of the Xianshu sect, and Mark''spanions.


    But, right now, it was filled with more than thirty VIP guests.


    There were respective grand elders of the sects that made it to the final day, including the Patriarch of the Wuji sect.


    There were wealthy individuals.


    There were some powerful nobles from the empire along with their Emperor and three princes (eldest, fourth, and seventh).


    Then, there were a couple of representatives from the organizers, the ever-powerful Void Temple.


    Andstly, one cannot forget Lan Ju and others who were sitting there for the past couple of days.


    Because of Lan Ju''s strength as a supreme being and the fact that he has defeated Xie Zhong with ease, he and the others naturally received a warm reception from the other guests too, well, except for one.

 Chapter 369 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Quarterfinals)

    The Patriarch of the Wuji sect is an advanced-stage Supreme realm expert and his strength was no less than a supreme being, well, atleast in his opinion.


    He neither fears the Xianshu sect nor did he care about the authority of Emperor Qin Mo.


    This was why he didn''t bother to hide his animosity against Lan Ju and hispanions. As for the reason, well, it can be guessed by anyone who watched Mark''s battles.


    In his very first match itself, Mark killed a talented individual from the Wuji sect while representing the Kunlun sect. Throughout the tournament, he also showed his overbearing attitude with everyone from participants to the elders of the sect.


    Obviously, he would want to take revenge. But, he cannot act on his own as Mark also had a supreme being as backing. And it''s not worth offending such a figure over a disciple who didn''t have any personal rtionship with him.


    Hence, he can only hope for Mark''s death within thepetition itself.


    Unfortunately for him, such a day neveres forth.


    As the 8 participants were waiting in their allotted section, the Proctor greeted the Emperor and went on to announce the start of the quarterfinals.


    ***


    "Ai Qing from the Wuji sect wins the battle and proceeds to the semifinals."


    "Sui Weisheng from Mt. Hua sect wins the battle and proceeds to the semifinals."


    "Xie Mei from the Xianshu sect wins the battle and proceeds to the semifinals."


    "Now, for the fourth and final quarterfinal. Lu Zhen from Kunlun sect vs Ya Ya from Xianshu sect."


    The cheers erupted in the arena with most of the spectators rooting for Mark''s opponent. In fact, it was quite overwhelming.


    "Ya Ya" "Ya Ya" "Ya Ya" "Lu Zhen" "Ya Ya" "Ya Ya"


    Of course, it is not because they hate Mark or something.


    It''s just that more than two-thirds of the spectators belonged to the Xianshu sect and being a beauty in her 20s only made her more popr among the male disciples. The result could be seen from the wild cheers.


    However, for Mark, she''s nothing more than a walking piece of flesh whose only use is to contribute to the promotion of firearms.


    As both of them got onto the battle tform and Mark took out the rocketuncher, Ya Ya took the initiative to converse with Mark.


    "You do know that thing is useless against me, right?" She pointed her finger at the rocketuncher. "Forgetting the fact that the explosion''s power won''t be enough, I''m also a water/light attribute user."


    Mark replied with a smile, "Then, I guess it will be quite humiliating for you to lose this battle if I use nothing but this weapon."


    "You¡­" Ya Ya was irked by his provocative words. She was motivated to wipe off the smile from her opponent.


    Hence, the moment the whistle was blown, she unleashed a powerful skill, starting the battle with a big move.


    As the water dragon was slowly being formed above her head, Mark didn''t wait until it was finished and attacked her right away.


    However, Ya Ya didn''t move from the spot and just let out a smirk as the warhead detonated at her feet and exploded.


    Due to the barrier ced by the proctor to protect the battle tform, no damage was done to the flooring.


    As for Ya Ya, a couple of bruises appeared on a few ces like her hands, cheeks, and legs, but neither there was heavy damage inflicted on her nor did her legs move from their spot.


    "Told you¡­" Ya Ya''s smile widened and she then put her entire focus on the skill now that her theory became true.


    The haters of Mark and the fans of Ya Ya gloated at the first setback faced by Mark. So far, he never reloaded the rocketuncher with a second warhead.


    Just when the spectators were about to feel like Mark''s winning streak is over, he surprised everyone by raising his free left arm and pointing his index finger at her.


    He wasn''t exactly pointing at her but was clicking on the skill disyed on the invisible holographic screen.


    "I wonder if it works¡­ let''s try and see for myself."


    With the system being offline, no notification was received by Mark but he could sense all of his ether energy vanished in an instant before the entire battle tform froze in ice, including the opponent and her water dragon.


    "Yep, it worked." Mark let out a pleasant smile. In the past, he experienced situations where he used the skills with fewer ether points than required. The result was the skill being unleashed with less power.


    Back then, the system was online. But now, it isn''t.


    That is why Mark wasn''t sure until he tested it directly in the battle. Luckily for him, it worked perfectly and didn''t force him to opt for a different route.


    "An ice attribute? I thought he was a lightning attribute user." "A dual attribute user?"


    "Look at that. His skill could even freeze the water dragon. Wow¡­"


    "It looks like we have underestimated him a lot"


    "Fu*k. That''s a bloodline skill¡­" "A bloodline skill?" "Only people born with a bloodline like me could sense it. I''m sure that it is a bloodline skill"


    "Ugh¡­ this guy more trouble than I thought"


    "Kyaa¡­ Master Lu is amazing as always."


    "That bast*rd¡­ How dare he freeze our goddess?"


    "Will he now start firing those exploding objects from that weapon?"


    "Poor Ya Ya"


    "Hey, what he is doing?"


    Amid the gazes of the spectators, Mark put away the rocketuncher and started walking toward the opponent.


    Ya Ya could see him but she cannot move. Adding on top of that, she was experiencing extreme cold at the moment. She felt like she was going to freeze to death.


    She tried her best to deploy the ether energy to create a barrier around her skin and protect herself from the cold. At the same time, she was also looking for a way to break from this paralysis state.


    Meanwhile, Mark reached her and then took out a piece of a white-colored box from his storage ring.


    He ced it at her feet. He took out the second one and put it on the side. Then, he took out two more explosives and made sure that she was surrounded by them.


    After cing them, Mark didn''t even spare a nce at her and walked back to the original position.


    Taking his time to attack, he turned his head toward the VIP box. His eyes were fixed on the person who was sitting beside Xie Zhong. Emperor Qin Mo furrowed his brows as he stared at him, almost guessing what the weapon seller is going to do next.


    *Ahem*


    "Ladies and Gentleman, My name is Lu Zhen, and I''m from the Phoenix Empire." Mark started introducing himself to the potential clients around him before publicizing the firearms.


    "I''m sure most of you might not have heard of firearms. So, let me introduce a model that we are selling at the moment."


    Pointing at Ya Ya, he continued, "The boxes you see are called C4. This is an advanced version of the explosive and each one costs over 700 gold coins. As for the st''s strength, you can say they were in the 5-circle realm. Our Ya Ya is a 6-circle realm expert and is even a water and light attribute user. Let''s see how these explosives fare against her."


    "What are you doing?" A dignified yet loud voice escaped from the Emperor before the Xianshu sect''s Patriarch reacted to it.


    Continuing to look in Qin Mo''s direction, Mark replied, "Everyone has their own battle strategy, Emperor Qin. I have my own way to defeat my opponent. As the chief judge, please be neutral and don''t interrupt our battle just because you found my methods strange."


    He then nced at the displeased old man sitting beside Qin Mo and added a statement, "And don''t worry, she won''t die."


    The spectators were taken aback by how Mark dared to speak in such a tone with the ruler of the Kun Empire in public. The haters increased in number.


    Mark could care less about others and just do his own thing. Taking out the pocket watch, he spoke, "The explosives will be active in about 235 seconds. Let''s wait and see whether she can escape it."


    For the next four minutes, the entire arena was silent. As Mark continued to stare at the pocket watch, the spectators were watching in anticipation.


    Will Ya Ya escape before the time?


    Were the explosives really strong enough to defeat her if they st at the same time?


    Why is Patriarch Xie not doing anything?


    Why did it feel like they were sitting on execution grounds?


    The spectators went through several thoughts as they watched Ya Ya in silence. Many of their heartbeats were also spiked in tension.


    And then, finally, Mark opened his mouth again.


    "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2¡­"


    When he was on 2, all the ice on the tform disappeared, unfreezing Ya Ya. She lost her strength and immediately copsed on the floor while shivering in fear.


    But, Mark wasn''t in the mood to pity her as the time is almost up.


    "1¡­"


    He spoke the number 1 and then, in the next second, all four C4 explosives detonated at the same time.


    *Boom* Boom* Boom* Boom*


    The sounds of the explosions caused tremors in the hearts of spectators while Ya Ya sted away with second and third-degree burns on her body.


    She fell to the ground and the prepared healers quickly rushed forward to heal her before covering her with a cloth to protect her dignity.


    Hundreds of eyes were fixed on Mark and many of their faces were filled with bewilderment. They truly felt like they underestimated Mark and his firearms.


    Letting out a smile, Mark then spoke in a loud tone, "well, the result is here¡­"


    "A psycho¡­" Several of them got the same thought in their head as he calmly walked away with a smile.

 Chapter 370 Bettings Between The VIP Guests

    By noon, rankings from 5th to 8th were decided while the semifinalists took a rest.


    When the sun is at its peak position, the semifinal battles were announced.


    The first battle is between the respective winners of Quarterfinals 1 and 2, i.e. Sui Weisheng and Ai Qing.


    It was an intense battle between closebat and rangedbat thatsted for a whole hour, keeping the audience standing on their toes until it was over.


    In the end, Sui Weisheng managed to acquire the win with a bloodied body while an equally injured Ai Qing went unconscious.


    Both of them received grand apuse from the VIP guests. Some of them were praising Sui Weisheng while some of them were praising Ai Qing for showing a tough spirit and never giving up attitude even while losing.


    But then again, not everyone would shower their praises on the participants. Some criticized that they dragged the battle for a very long time while somemented that Sui Weisheng purposely went easy on Ai Qing, further criticizing him for being a fool to chase after skirts.


    All of this has no importance for a few people, like for example Lan Ju and hispanions. Their attention was only on the guy they were supporting. There were also some who were waiting to see the skills of the so-called heavenly child (Xie Mei).


    Soon, the proctor announced the start of the next battle.


    "Next up, Lu Zhen of the Kunlun sect vs Xie Mei of the Xianshu sect"


    As Mark and his opponent proceed to the battle tform, someone decided to make things interesting at the VIP section.


    "Venerable Xie, I wonder whether you are interested to make a bet with me," said the Grand Elder of Poison Sect. Their sect''s representative lost in the quarterfinals but he doesn''t want to miss any opportunity to make things difficult for their rival sect.


    Keeping his hope on Mark, he continued to speak with his wager, "How about 1000 high-quality ether crystals for starters? My money is on Lu Zhen. What do you say?"


    Xie Zhong furrowed his brows in response. "What do you think you are doing, Brother Wan?"


    Wan Shui then tried to provoke him, "Why? Are you scared that your granddaughter will lose?"


    "Hmpf, who do you think you are, talking to our Patriarch like that?" Lian Chin, one of the grand elders of the Xianshu sect came in support of Xie Zhong.


    Wan Shui then sharply stared at him, "if you aren''t confident in your representative, then, say so¡­ no need to spout nonsense, Lian Chin."


    "I''ll bet with you, Brother Wan," The third grand elder took this opportunity to impress Xianshu. "Isn''t it just 1000 crystals? I''ll pay you from my pocket. It is not appropriate for the hosting sect to be involved in gambling."


    "Ho¡­ now this looks interesting¡­"mented the grand elder of the Blue Lotus sect. As her representative lost against Mark, she had a light grudge against Lan Ju.


    Taking a nce at him, she said while taking out a pendant from her storage ring, "I wonder whether anyone is interested in having a bet with me too. I would like to put a semi-divine artifact as a wager. I won this inst year''s grand auction. It increases one''sprehension and makes it easier when mastering techniques."


    Her words drew the attention of every guest in the VIP box, especially those from the sects. Based on the description, this artifact is extremely valuable for their disciples. Even Xie Zhong couldn''t help but look at her in surprise.


    However, it was the fourth prince who acted before anyone else. "Senior, if you don''t mind, I would like to bet with you."


    "Your highness?" Everyone''s attention shifted to him including his father''s. More than the fact that the imperial prince is willing to join the fun, they were surprised to see that he is supporting Mark.


    "So, the Imperial family indeed has friendly rtions with Lu Zhen?" A lot of people had this thought in their mind as Qin Zhi took out an exquisite-looking saber.


    After taking permission from the emperor, the fourth prince put forth the saber in the bet, "Not sure whether you think this can be considered in the same level as the pendant but I want to say that this saber is a high-level Semi divine weapon, forged from the bones of a pure red dragon."


    "Oh! Your Highness, you are quite generous indeed." The woman from the Blue Lotus sect let out a giggle as she praised the prince.


    Meanwhile, the crown prince''s expression turned worse. Thest thing he wanted is for his brother to get into good books of the weapon seller. Mark promised him the throne but that promise might be broken if he develops a friendship with Qin Zhi.


    As if the heavens are helping him, just when the deal between his brother and thedy from the Blue lotus sect is finished, the Emperor joined in the conversation too.


    However, his attention was on the middle-aged looking fellow who defeated Xie Zhong in front of everyone. "Mr. Wu, what do you think of this battle?"


    Naturally, his words would attract the attention of everyone nearby for he is the ruler of the Kun Empire.


    As they looked at Lan Ju for his response, thetter nced at the emperor from the corner of his eyes and replied in a firm tone, "I will say the same thing I said to Mr. Xie, a while ago. The oue of his battle always depends on his wishes, not the opponent''s. But, if you want me to speak directly, the little girl''s strength is no match for my master."


    If these words were spouted by someone else, the listeners wouldn''t have taken them seriously. However, the one who spoke is a supreme being, probably the strongest guy in the VIP box. Hence, their curiosity toward Mark only increased further.


    Of course, there ought to be someone who might get riled up by his words too. And it was the Patriarch of the Wuji sect.


    His representative just lost the battle and if Xie Mei wins the battle, then, Mark will be facing Ai Qing. It would be the perfect timing for revenge. Or so, he thought as he spoke, "I would bet a 50,000-carat-sized ether ore of high quality that Lu Zhen will lose. If you are so confident in your master, do you dare bet with me?"


    Lan Ju didn''t even bother to take a nce at him and scolded him, "Are you dumb? Just watch the battle. You will understand what I meant."


    "You¡­" Wuji sect''s Patriarch clenched his fist in anger, almost losing control. He was, after all, an advanced-stage Supreme realm cultivator. How could he be brushed off like this?


    But, since he also has the dignity to keep, he kept hisposure and calmlymented that he''ll see whether Lan Ju''s words are just bragging without any weight behind them or not.


    Lan Ju didn''t bother to speak again and put his attention on the battle tform as both of the semifinals reached their spots.


    "Phew¡­ this was a bit nerve-wracking¡­" Xie Zhong felt at ease, seeing that the matter didn''t erupt between these supreme realm experts. After all, both of them were respectable figures.


    Unfortunately for the Patriarch of Xianshu sect, the trouble is far from over...

 Chapter 371 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Semifinals-1)

    As the two semifinalists came onto the battle tform and the proctor informed each of them to make their battle preparations for the next two minutes, Mark took this opportunity to rile her up.


    "Missy, you cannot defeat me." He started the conversation with a bold statement.


    Xie Mei furrowed her brows in displeasure, "Big words for someone who depends on external objects to win the battles."


    "Well, aren''t you also depending on a bow to defeat your enemies?" Mark pointed her finger at the exquisite-looking bow in her hand. "Made from the bones of a dragon-crocodile beast of the 9-circle realm and King Grade. A high-quality bow with a solid 36% chance of invoking the aura of the beast. It is a good weapon but pity that it won''t suit you."


    Had she met him at some other ce, she would have been shocked by how he knows theponents of the bow. But, the fact they met in the tournament made her assume that her opponent made his research.


    He rode along with Yang Bingwen and stayed at his residence as a guest. So, it is highly possible that he learned it from the grand elder.


    So, rather than how he knows about the bow, she focused on thetter part. "What do you mean that it doesn''t suit me? This weapon was with me since I was ten."


    "It''s a heavy bow, takes too much of your time, and strains your muscles in long battles." Mark took out an M134 mini gun from his storage ring and further said, "Using this weapon, you can attack the enemies ten times in the time you shoot one arrow."


    "That thing?" Xie Mei raised one of her eyebrows, "a gold-grade weapon?"


    Maybe, it is due to the 9 points of intelligence. Mark immediately understood what she was trying to say just from those few words.


    She wants to say that gold-grade weapons can only be used up to 6-circle as they can only store ether particles up to a maximum of 9 million.


    Being at the peak stage of the 6-circle, the 15-year-old has a high possibility of making a breakthrough within a few months anyway. So, what is the use of it? If you don''t have something better, then, don''t bother¡­


    As if he urately read what was on her mind, Mark shook his head with a smile, "if a gold-grade weapon exists, then, naturally, semi-divine weapons also exist."


    "Whatever¡­" Xie Mei shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t trust you or your so-called firearms."


    Mark didn''t feel dejected and only felt happier by her rejection for her animosity will only be helpful for him.


    He continued to converse with his opponent, trying to rile her up, "I forgot that you are still a little kid who hasn''t seen the world yet and isn''t knowledgeable enough to have foresight about the future. Powerful firearms should be handled by responsible people. I guess you aren''t ready for it, yet. It doesn''t matter. After you get defeated here and then will be defeated by one of the firearms once again, you will realize how the bow is holding back your potential."


    "I''m not a kid," Xie Mei suddenly screamed in response. Perhaps, that specific word of all the things was some sort of trigger to her that she erupted in anger as soon as she felt like his opponent was mocking her age. She didn''t even bother to hear the rest of his exnation at all.


    Mark was slightly surprised by her outburst at first but then he realized that he hit the nerve and taken advantage of it. "I think you are, physically and mentally¡­"


    "I''ll kill you." Xie Mei gritted her teeth. She lost control of herself and the grand elders of the Xianshu sect started to get worried.


    Mark bursts intoughter after seeing her n is working very well. Deciding to strike the iron when it is hot, he executed the final part of his n, "if you are a mature girl, you should deal with it like an adult. How about this? I won''t move from this spot and neither will I use any skills for five whole minutes. Heck, I won''t even use ether energy. If you can defeat me within the time frame, then, I will take back my words and apologize. But, what if you cannot even win this match? Will you throw away the bow and devote yourself to firearms training?"


    "Eh? That''s¡­" A look of hesitation appeared on Xie Mei''s face.


    At the same time, one of the grand elders at the VIP Box furrowed his brows in displeasure, "what the hell is Lu Zhen trying to do?"


    "I think he is trying to put mental pressure on the girl,"mented the crown prince, taking this opportunity to shine.


    "You are wrong, Eldest brother." The fourth prince had a different opinion on the matter. As the others looked at him, he exined his view, "I think Lu Zhen isying a trap for he already knows the result is in his hands. If Xie Mei follows their wager, then, it will be easier for him to recruit her just like how he poached Meng Tao to his side.


    Even if it doesn''t happen, the more Xie Mei uses those firearms in the future, the more the other sect disciples will follow the suit because of her influence. In the end, he will be the one to make a profit out of this."


    "No way¡­"


    "As expected for your Highness; you can discover his strategy without any effort"


    "This Lu Zhen is quite evil¡­" "Hey, Venerable Wu can hear you." "Oops¡­"


    "Poor Xie Mei. She was too young to see through her opponent"


    "Still, in the end, the match is decided by one''s battle skills. I''m sure that Xie Mei would win."


    "Lu Zhen knew that he cannot win against her. So, he decided to use such mind tricks. But, he won''t be sessful."


    As the murmurs andments filled in the VIP Box, Patriarch Xie looked at his granddaughter in concern.


    "You cannot fall into the trap, Xiao Mei¡­" He muttered under his breath.


    Back to the battle arena, as the countdown was ticking, Xie Mei took out her bow and epted his challenge, and then loudly dered that there is no way she would lose to the likes of him.


    Mark let out a satisfactory smile and nodded in response, "good luck, kiddo."


    "I¡­ am¡­ not¡­ a¡­ kid¡­" She stressed those words once again and firmly gripped the handle of her bow. Her re was filled with hatred.


    Mark no longer paid attention to her and connected his consciousness to the storage ring.


    "20 seconds to go¡­" The Proctor informed both of them. Mark dismissed the weapon in his hand. "Hmm?" Xie Mei raised her left eyebrow.


    "10 seconds to go¡­"


    Mark took out a fist-sized box with arge red button on its top.


    "Is that some kind of defensive treasure?" Xie Mei wondered while pulling back the bow string.


    "5 seconds to go¡­"


    Mark pressed the button. It expanded into some kind of cloth, enveloping him.


    "3, 2, 1¡­"


    By the time the proctor blew the whistle, the exoskeleton suit was equipped with its owner, taking Xie Mei by surprise.


    Looking at his opponent, Mark gestured with his index finger toe at him with all she got.

 Chapter 372 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Semifinals-2)

    Four and a half minutester;


    "Haaaa¡­"


    Concentrated energy in the form of golden-colored lightning cut through the air and struck Mark but didn''t leave a scratch on his exo-suit.


    The whole arena was silent, including everyone in the VIP Box. They just couldn''t believe their eyes.


    Just like what Mark prophesized at the beginning of the battle, he didn''t move from the spot, and neither did he attack her. He didn''t even use any ether energy to protect himself. But, he waspletely unharmed.


    On the other hand, Xie Mei appeared to be quite exhausted as she used so many powerful skills that shook the hearts of the spectators against her opponent only to find out that all of them were useless and none of them could break the defense of the Exo suit, which has 9 points of stats. One can say that she was actually attacking a Supreme realm expert who has trained his body to the peak.


    It is why, even when she augmented her magical powers (int) to peak-7-circle by using an artifact, she couldn''t hurt her opponent.


    Taking heavy breaths, as Xie Mei stopped attacking and went into ether recovery mode, Mark smirked under the exo-suit and spoke for the first time since the battle started, "This is the power of modern weapon technology, missy. They don''t hamper your progress. Instead, they will open a new door for you.


    Whether it is the rocketuncher I used in the past round or the explosives I used in the quarterfinals, they were for the people who don''t dare to look directly into the eyes of powerful Spirit Warriors. It was so that they have the means to protect themselves.


    If I sell such powerful weapons for themoners, then, isn''t it foolish to think that I don''t have any firearms built specifically for the Spirit Warriors?


    I''ll say it again, Xie Mei. You have the potential for I have sensed the power of gods sleeping inside you. You possessed a hidden attribute that the rest of the humans could never hope to achieve even if they be a demigod. Don''t waste your potential on the bow. The gun will make you unleash your full potential.


    Anyways, you still have 10 seconds to attack me. So, this might be yourst chance to prove that my views are wrong."


    Mark was banking on his 9 points of charm, which let him smoothly talk with people and make others trust his words. Usually, he only used it on clients to make more sales but at the moment, he was trying it on the teenager to see if it works against a half-celestial.


    As if his power of charm is working, Xie Mei lowered her bow and fell into deep thinking.


    Meanwhile, at the VIP Box, everyone was just going crazy by what they have watched and heard so far¡­


    "Just how powerful is that defensive armor?"


    "That weird-looking flexible armor¡­ I want it. Elder Xan, see if we can buy it from Lu Zhen."


    "Damn, Lu Zhen''s weird artifacts were only getting stronger as the tournament passed. What will he pull out in the finals?"


    "Sui Weisheng is weaker than Xie Mei whether it is in the mastery of the bow or the unique skills. There''s no way he could win against someone who the girl cannot even scratch with her arrows."


    "Ugh¡­ why did such a troublesome fellow appear in this tournament? Elder Cao, how did your sect even manage to rope in a guy like this?"


    "What happens to Xie Mei now? Will it happen as the fourth prince envisioned?"


    "Hidden attribute? The power of gods? He is spouting nonsense once again, isn''t he?" "Looks like it, master"


    "Lu Zhen, this fellow is more dangerous and crafty than I thought," mumbled the Emperor.


    "The power of gods? My son also said the same thing, back then. Is it really true?" thought Xie Zhong, the patriarch of the Xianshu sect.


    Amid the gazes and murmurings of the spectators, Xie Mei stood silent for more than ten seconds and freed her grip on the handle while looking down at the floor.


    *Thud*


    As the semi-divine bow fell on the floor, she raised her head. This time, there was no anger or sadness on her face. Instead, there was a determined look. She spoke in a loud tone, "I will honor the agreement and pick up the firearms after the tournament is over. But for now, let''s finish the battle."


    Leaving her bow on the ground, she poured all of the little ether energy she had into her fist and charged forward.


    Mark then raised his hand. Xie Mei was prepared to get beaten by his attack but she wanted to punch his face just once before it happens.


    But, before she even covered half of the distance, Mark spoke, "I quit."


    "Eh¡­" Xie Mei lost her bnce due to the shock andically crashed onto the floor.


    "Huh?" "Eh? Did he just say quit?" "What?" "Why?" "Huh?"


    The spectators, including the majority of the ones in the VIP Box, were dumbfounded and simultaneously stood up from their seats.


    "You quit?" The Proctor also appeared to be bbergasted.


    In response, Mark unequipped his exo-suit and nodded with a smile before walking away.


    *Pfft* hahahaha


    Yang Bingwen couldn''t help but break out intoughter, gaining the attention of nearby guests. He thenmented, "It''s just like Venerable Wu has told earlier. Everything just went as Lu Zhen wanted it to go."


    "Hey, it is your sect''s representative who lost the match." The others nkly stared at him while almost thinking the same thing.


    Meanwhile, the fourth prince was deeply thinking about something and suddenly, his eyes widened as something clicked in his mind. His expression looked like he realized something truly important, "I see¡­ I now understand why he admitted defeat. From the start, his target is Ai Qing. Since Sui Weisheng went to the finals, he had to lose this match.


    But, he is someone who wanted to go everything his way. That''s why he riled up Xie Mei, then, trapped her to bet with him. He knows that Xie Mei cannot hurt him. So, he put a certain time limit to destroy her willpower. Once, his goal is achieved, he admitted the match.


    If I''m not wrong, Ai Qing will die in the match for sure. After all, she betrayed the Kunlun sect andid a trap for herpanions, killing three of them including an elder.


    He was doing this for those two from the Kunlun sect. But why? What kind of deal did he make with those two that he was willing to risk deeply offending the Wuji sect?


    This Wu Weibao and that chimera beast aren''t just his trump cards. He had something more powerful backing. That might be why he doesn''t care about anyone.


    Hmm¡­ let''s forget about those things I don''t have an answer to. Let''s see what kind of new toys he had in his arsenal."


    After urately analyzing Mark''s actions and words until now, the fourth prince of the Kun Empire formted a n in his mind.


    Soon, he executed it by passing a note and a storage ring to the Wuji sect''s Patriarch.

 Chapter 373 Dragon Warrior Tournament (Battle For 3rd Position)

    Roughly about half an hourter, Ai Qing was in the middle of chatting with Yang Zenchao. Thetter was trying to help her by stating all the things he analyzed from Mark''s battles so far.


    From the moment the semifinals are concluded, they were discussing how to beat him. With little more than two hours till their battle, they felt it is enough.


    "No matter what kind of tricks we prepared, you had to keep your distance close to him. Only that way, you would have a chance to defeat him."


    "I don''t know¡­ I''m still not confident even after all that¡­" Ai Qing let out a deep sigh, fearing that all of this battle analysis is useless in front of absolute strength.


    ording to Yang Zenchao, she can win if she strikes his vital points above the chest, i.e. neck where he believed that the armor will be at its weakest.


    Since neither of them had ever heard of a battle armor set that includes an item to specifically protect one''s neck, Yang Zenchao put his hopes on an assumption that it is nothing but a cloth that is attached to the headgear and the torso armor. There was no other exnation that came to his mind.


    Seeing that his love interest is still not confident, Yang Zenchao decided to pull out his trump card.


    "Here¡­" He took a pair of golden bracers from his storage ring. "These are healing bracers. Not in a semi-divine category but still the tinum ones will help you out. They constantly absorb natural energy from the surroundings and heal your injuries automatically."


    "Really? You would give these to me?" Ai Qing was taken aback. She wasn''t a dumb girl to think that this handsome fellow was gifting her because he is generous.


    However, they were too precious to ignore. Not to mention, Yang Zenchao is also perfect husband material in many ways.


    So, for her, there was no reason to reject the presents.


    Yang Zenchao was even happier to see that she appreciates his help. Now that the battle strategies were finished, he wanted to have a casual chat with her. "Say, Ai Qing¡­ do you have¡­ Hmm?"


    It was at that moment the door was suddenly opened and an unexpected guest followed the Wuji Sect''s Patriarch into the room, taking the both of them by surprise.


    Both of them quickly stood up on their feet and greeted them by cupping their fists and bowing.


    Soon, a number of instant one-time use skill scrolls, semi-divine grade armor set, a couple of semi-divine artifacts, one which even includes a flute that summons a random 7-circle/8-circle beast king to do the user''s bidding,


    "This¡­ Your Highness¡­ Why?" Ai Qing was speechless as she stared at the items. She was overwhelmed by the presents given by the fourth prince.


    In response, the fourth prince let out a smile, "let''s just say that I want you to try your best to defeat your opponent. If you aplish the task, I will let you keep one of the artifacts and the remaining skill scrolls with you."


    Ai Qing fell silent for a while, taking her time to digest the reality before her. On the other hand, Yang Zenchao''s eyes were fixed on the gauntlets. With their handle stretching about a foot in length, he knew for sure that his golden bracers woulde in the way. So, they would have to be removed.


    Considering the fact that they were of lower grade, it makes sense for them to be reced too. It''s just that he just gave it to her as a present and if she reces it, he would understand it but still feel sad.


    But, to his surprise, Ai Qing took everything except for the gauntlets that can store her ether energy forter use. Even the fourth prince and her sect master were surprised.


    "Ai Qing, what were you doing?" Lai Peng, the Patriarch of the Wuji sect wasn''t pleased by her act of not epting all the items generously lent by the fourth prince.


    In response, Ai Qing showed the golden bracers and said, "This is given by someone special to me. I can''t take it off when such an important match ising up."


    Lai Peng frowned upon hearing her words while Qin Zhi took a nce at Yang Zenchao and waved his hand, "alright. No worries. I hope that the remaining will be enough to finish off your opponent."


    "Believe me. They are more than enough, Your Highness." As Ai Qing assured them of her win, the fourth prince nodded and bid goodbye before collecting the gauntlets and leaving the ce. Her sect master also followed the suit.


    She then looked at the man standing beside her and asked him whether they should form a new battle strategy, one that involves the items given by Qin Zhi.


    Yan Zenchao came out of his daze and nodded with a smile. "Alright¡­"


    Little more than 75 minutester;


    After taking a short nap, Ai Qing woke up with a fresh mindset. Both of them then left the room.


    While parting their ways on the way, Yang Zenchao said to her, "Let''s meet at the whiteke once this is over. I have something to say to you."


    As if she knows what it is about, Ai Qing let out a beautiful smile, "I can''t wait to hear it."


    "Now, go and win¡­"


    Yang Zenchao left for the stands while Ai Qing left for the participants'' section where the other three were already waiting.


    After a while, the Proctor entered the field and announced the battle for 3rd position.


    Mark calmly walked toward the battle tform. Ai Qing appeared to be even more confident as she made her way.


    Unlike during the semifinals, Mark didn''t speak a word and just waited for the whistle. Ai Qing, on the other hand, was fully equipped with armor and artifacts. She tightly gripped her sword tounch an attack as soon as the proctor gives the signal to start.


    *60 seconds left* *30 seconds left* *10 seconds left* *5 seconds left* *3, 2, 1¡­*


    *phweeee*


    The whistle was blown and Ai Qing let out a battle roar, charging forward at her peak speed. At the VIP Box, the guests saw Lan Ju raising his hand and unleashing a protective barrier around Song Yue, confusing them a little bit.


    However, soon, Emperor Qin''s confusion is cleared as he saw Mark simply raise his index finger and point at the empty air.


    "Gravity dome¡­"


    All of a sudden, enormous pressure descended into the surroundings.


    Ai Qing suddenly copsed onto her knees midway before falling on her stomach.


    And it''s not just her. Everyone in the 1 km surroundings except for Mark, Lan Ju, and Song Yue copsed to the ground/floor beneath them without even knowing what struck them.


    "What the¡­" The Patriarch of the Wuji sect, the imperial princes and Emperor of the Kun Empire, Grand elders of several sects, and even the experts from Void Temple, everyone was stuck in their seats, not being able to raise their hand too.


    Amid the gazes of thousands of people, Mark then calmly started walking toward her with a smile on his face. It appeared so evil that Ai Qing''s eyes shook in fear.


    Upon reaching her, he took out a tinum-grade sword, which belonged to Zi Ling, and pointed its tip just an inch away from the back of her neck as he crouched down. "It''s not personal, Ai Qing. This is purely business. So, don''t hold any grudge toward me in hell, okay?"


    Ai Qing was frozen in fear and she couldn''t even talk as she was already trying her best to raise her head. She felt like she is going to die for real.


    It was then the Patriarch of the Wuji sect, Lai Peng roared, "No, don''t. We admit defeat¡­"


    The Proctor took this chance to announce the result but Mark cut him off speaking directly to Lai Peng, "Sorry but my opponent here is still not unconscious. You can''t make a decision for her."


    Without wasting any more time, he looked back at the woman lying on the floor and swung down the sword with all the strength he has. "Adios, Ai Qing."


    With no armor protecting her delicate neck and her ether energy also being suppressed in the process, the sword made a clean cut, separating her head from the body.


    "No¡­" "No¡­"


    Two screams echoed in the stadium, one that belonged to her Patriarch and the other belonging to Yang Zenchao who loves her.


    Looking at Mark''s actions, Qin Zhi''s entire body shivered for a moment and his eyes widened as he mumbled, "This fellow is fearless and ruthless."

 Chapter 374 Leaving For The Next Destination, The Kunlun Mountains.

    As Mark deactivated the skill, the pressure was lifted from the surroundings and the spectators started taking deep breaths after feeling helpless for 20 seconds straight.


    The lower realm cultivators were staring fearfully at Mark while the higher realm cultivators were staring angrily, feeling humiliated.


    Lai Peng quickly rose to his feet and flew toward the battle tform. Hended beside the decapitated disciple of his sect and looked at Mark with reddened eyes. "You bast*rd, I''ll kill you¡­"


    "Hmpf, you should have expected this when you nted a spy in the Kunlun sect and dared to ambush them on the way, killing three of them in the process," calmly replied Mark.


    The Grand Elder of the Kunlun sect who also came as a guest couldn''t help but clench his fist in anger. He wanted to go there and attack Lai Peng but ording to his sect master''s orders, he cannot do that.


    He needs to escort the weapon seller, hispanions, and other disciples back to the Kunlun sect but he can only involve in the matters of Dong Fang and Zi Ling.


    That''s why he kept quiet and watched what was about to transpire in the arena. Of course, there''s also a thought that his help isn''t needed here because the weapon seller already had a powerful bodyguard.


    As for the others, they too didn''t involve because of Mark''s earlier attack that affected even them. Most of those VIPs thought that it is better to stay neutral, not wanting to unnecessarily offend either the Wuji sect''s Patriarch (Lai Peng) or Wu Weibao (Lan Ju).


    However, not everyone would stay silent either. The Grand elders and the Patriarch of the hosting sect made their way to the battle tform. Meanwhile, Emperor Qin was silent as he stared at Mark and him alone. No one knows what was going on in his mind at the moment.


    Back at the battle tform, as Mark calmly stared back at Lai Peng without any fear, thetter blew up in rage.


    Ether energy burst out of him and he recklessly charged forward. Unfortunately for him, Mark was already well prepared.


    Instead of releasing the skill once again, this time, he simply took a nce at the VIP Box, and in the next second, Lan Ju already disappeared from there.


    Before Lai Peng grab Mark''s throat, Lan Ju appeared right in front of his master before catching the enemy''s hand in a timely manner and swinging it away.


    Without being able to resist the force of Demigod, Lai Peng sted away and crashed out of the battle tform, stupefying the spectators once again.


    The other supreme realm expertsnded nearby, in the meantime.


    As Lai Peng rose to his feet and hatefully red at Mark, thetter continued to disy his calmness as he ced his hands behind his back, "Consider this a warning. Try to attack again and your aides will return to the Wuji sect with your dead body."


    "You¡­" Lai Peng clenched his fist and motioned it back. Ether energy started gathering in his fist. "Today, neither you nor your friends will leave alive from this ce."


    Just as he was about tounch a ranged skill, the Patriarch of the Xianshu sect stopped him.


    "Calm down, Brother Lai. This isn''t the ce to fight."


    He then turned his head to look at Mark, with a look of displeasure, "Mr. Lu, you have caused enough trouble already. Do you want more casualties to ur from the battle between two Supreme realm experts? Why are you trying to rile him up?"


    Mark''s expression changed upon hearing those words. Xie Zhong''s expression and words for both of them clearly indicated that he wasn''t on Mark''s side.


    Just until yesterday, this fellow was supporting Mark. Suddenly, he changed the party. Why?


    Well, it is not hard for Mark to imagine the reason.


    He forced Xie Zhong''s granddaughter to abandon the bow. If she goes back on her word, her image will be destroyed considering she promised in front of hundreds of disciples of the sect.


    Since he didn''t have any enmity with Xie Zhong, Mark didn''t get into an argument with him and put his entire focus on his enemy.


    He then raised his voice so that people in the stands also hear him, "I killed your disciple without breaking any rules but you intended tomit murder in daylight. Why? I guess it is because I''m an Upper Elite realm cultivator while you are a Supreme realm cultivator.


    With your high cultivation realm and the backing of the Wuji sect, perhaps, you thought that you could do anything you wanted in a fit of anger and everyone would also turn a blind eye, right?


    Well, it doesn''t matter either way. I''m not a person who begs others to give justice to me. I''m the type to snatch justice with my own hands."


    Raising three fingers, "I''ll give you seven days of preparation. On the eighth day, I''lle to Wuji sect and settle our scores."


    Without caring about anyone''s reaction, he turned around and started walking away.


    Lan Ju followed him from behind while the others at the VIP Box and the general audience section (Dong Fang, Zi Ling, and coachman Dai Qiu) also got up to leave as they were informed beforehand.


    Looking at Mark and Lan Ju who were walking toward the exit of the arena, Lai Peng gritted his teeth, "Both of you will not even leave the border of this empire."


    Roughly three hourster;


    The two bicorn carriages were seen traveling at a speed between 90-100 km/hr on a barrennd surrounded by rocky hills.


    They were still far away from the border and even thousands of kilometers away from their next destination but Mark didn''t seem to be in a hurry. He was still confident about finishing his tour on time.


    Above those carriages, there was a giant albatross keeping up with their pace. This 7-circle beast king belonged to the Kunlun sect; although at the moment it was flying alone as the sect''s Grand Elder was traveling with Zi Ling and Dong Fang.


    Lan Ju and Song Yun were with them, and Song Yun along with the manticore found themselves in Mark and Song Yue''s carriage.


    Originally, Mark wanted the manticore to fly alongside the albatross in order to keep an eye on the surroundings. But, the beast was sozy that it wanted to sleep instead.


    Since it isn''t securing the surroundings isn''t that important, he let it do what it wants and continued his journey.


    After another hour of traveling, the vehicles slowed down as the light in the surroundings started dimming. The sun is in a setting phase and before it gets too dark, Mark decided to set up a tent and everything.


    The vehicles were parked on top of a rocky hill where there is enough t ground for them to rest for the night. As for theck of a water source in the surroundings, they could only depend on the cirction of their ether energy to remove impurities for now, which is amon thing among adventurers and cultivators.


    Giving the task to set up the two tents to the two coachmen, Mark sat nearby and talked with Song Yue about how there were only ten days left before their return.


    "Yeah¡­ almost three weeks have gone just like that¡­" Song Yue rested her head on his shoulder while grabbing his arm, "it would be nice if we are able to leave in such peace forever."


    "We will, my Schatz," replied Mark right away. After a brief pause, he further said, "Once my heart is at peace, we will have such peace."


    Song Yue then moved a bit closer and snuggled herself into his arms as she said, "You know that I will always support you, Markie."


    Mark didn''t say anything but just let out a pleasant smile as he continued to hold her.


    They stayed in that position for a few minutes as they chatted about normal things. The rest also didn''t bother the love birds and continued with their own business until the peacefully lying Albatross suddenly let out a high-nasal bray with its attention fixed on the sky.


    As everyone paid attention to the giant beast, the manticore also suddenly woke from its sleep and stare at the horizon. It spoke, "A powerful enemy is approaching."


    The albatross nodded like a human and eximed as it spoke in human speech, "A super powerful enemy¡­"


    Everyone''s expression changed. Even Mark and Song Yue stood on their feet in seriousness.


    It was then Lan Ju, who was sitting on a nearby rock, scolded the both of them, "Ah, shut it the both of you. It''s just a baby Griffin and its owner who probably decided to stop following and meet us."


    "Hmm?" Everyone turned their head to look at Lan Ju.

 Chapter 375 Picking Up Another Girl?

    Sometimeter, the griffinnded near the campsite and everyone saw a familiar figure jumping onto the ground and walking toward them.


    "Ms. Xie? What are you doing here?" asked the Kunlun sect''s Grand Elder in a bit of surprise. He couldn''t help but take a nce at the Griffin walking behind her. "Any message from Brother Xie?"


    "No." Xie Mei shook her head with a smile as she shifted her attention toward Mark and said, "I left my sect and decided to follow my husband. Dear husband, you will take responsibility for shattering my pride and my life as an archer."


    Everyone: "¡­"


    For a while, the entire surroundings became silent as everyone stared at the 15-year-old in disbelief. Even Mark was also taken aback by her bold confession while Song Yue felt that she is crazy.


    Because of her high potential, Mark wanted to recruit her. To do that, he cleverly forced her to abandon the bow. Little did he expect this teenager would want to marry him instead.


    If this is how she wants to y, then, he would rather not recruit her at all.


    Trying his best to not get angry with her, Mark spoke in a calm tone, "girl, first of all, you are too young to even speak of marriage.


    Secondly, I already love someone else.


    Thirdly, I''m not responsible for anything. You were the one who lost the bet. It''s your choice to follow the terms of the bet or not.


    And finally, I''m not your husband. So, please refrain from addressing it as such."


    Mark''s reply made Xie Mei unhappy but the teenage girl didn''t n on backing it out. Pointing her finger at him, she made a deration, "I already made my decision. Whether you ept it or not, you are my husband. Your opinion is no longer important."


    The way she said those words made everyone including Mark and Song Yue feel that she is a crazy person.


    After deciding to shoo her away, Mark then said, trying to be as calm as possible, "fine, I''m releasing you from our wager. I''ll write a letter to your Patriarch. You don''t need to abandon the bow. Okay? Now, you can return to your home."


    "None can do." Xie Mei continued to be stubborn. "I have already made my decision and I''m not the type to break my word. I also took an oath to make you my husband. That cannot be broken too."


    "Don''t test my patience." Mark''s expression changed to that of seriousness mixed with anger. "Return now, or else¡­"


    "Or else, what?" Xie Mei folded her hands to her chest as if she was provoking him. "I can only break my promise when I die."


    "Then, you can die¡­" Mark raised his hand and gestured for Lan Ju to take care of the girl while sending an order telepathically.


    The zheng walked toward the girl.


    When he reached her with an energy spear and thrust it toward her neck, she tightened her fists and shut her eyes but didn''t move from the spot. Five seconds passed away, ten seconds passed away but her death never came and she opened her eyes.


    The energy spear was just an inch away from her neck while Lan Ju was looking at his master.


    Mark silently nodded in response and Lan Ju dismissed the energy spear before patting her head, "child, you are brave. So, I will give you an opportunity to think about it again. You don''t understand the significance of your words.


    My master''s life is riddled with dangers you cannot fathom imagine. If you be a part of his life, your entire sect will bear the consequences. Are you prepared to sacrifice the life of your fellow sect disciples for your happiness when my master will not ever give you the treatment you deserved?"


    "I¡­" Xie Mei, this time, couldn''t give an answer and there was a clear hesitation on her face. After all, she wasn''t a selfish girl.


    Seeing that his n worked, he thanked Lan Ju telepathically and spoke in a calm manner, trying to hammer the nail into the coffin, "kid, now that you understand the implications, return to your sect. Just apologize to your grandfather and everything will turn right. After all, you have the potential to be a demigod, if not, atleast a Supreme Being. Everyone would wee you.


    As I have said earlier, I''m nullifying the deal between us and will write a letter to Patriarch Xie so that it will be easier for you to pick up the bow in public once again."


    Xie Mei who was silently looking at her feet until now abruptly raised her head with an excited look.


    *p*


    Lan Ju pped his forehead and mumbled, "idiot. What have you done?"


    "Hmm?" Mark didn''t understand the sudden change of expressions on Lan Ju and Xie Mei''s respective faces.


    It was then the fifteen-year-old said, "You are right. As long as I train hard, it won''t be hard for me to be a Supreme Being and perhaps, a demigod too. If I was able to acquire a suitable firearm for my realm, I would be as strong as ten supreme realm experts.


    Doesn''t that mean that I have the strength to protect my sect? Who in the right mind would try to attack my sect when it has my backing? Thank you my husband for making me realize such a simple thing."


    Mark: "¡­"


    He couldn''t speak anything for a while and scolded himself for trying to act too smart only to dig his grave in the end. Where were the 9 intelligence points when he needed them? He felt like an idiot all of a sudden.


    What should he do now? This girl wasn''t afraid of death and stubbornly ns to follow him. There''s no strong reason for him to kill her just because he was ufortable.


    Not to mention, the fact that the girl is someone who might actually be someone useful to him after a few years of grooming. Of course, he doesn''t have the slightest intention of marrying her. He isn''t a pedophile. As for what happens when she grows up into a fine woman a few years down the line, he will leave his thoughts for the future.


    In the end, he resigned from his n of shooing her away and decided to deal with her in a way that was going to benefit him, "Fine, you may follow us and I will think about our marriage. But, one condition. You will listen to everything I say."


    "Sure, whatever my husband says, I will listen." Xie Mei continued with her role y as a wife, irking Mark and Song Yue once again.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark then said, "Alright, then. My first instruction for you is that you will either address me as boss or master, whichever you prefer when we are in the presence of a third person."


    "Alright, hubby~" Xie Mei used a nasal voice, trying to be sweet as if she wants to continuously trouble Mark and the others.


    "Mind I remind you that there are people around?" Mark furrowed his brows.


    "Oops, sorry..." Xie quickly apologized and rubbed her head like a klutz.


    Mark shook his head while letting out a deep sigh, "I should stop judging someone by their details. Anyways, it doesn''t matter. There''s an event uing ahead. After that, whatever she decides will be her final decision."

 Chapter 376 Marks Proposal To The Kunlun Sect

    The next day morning, Mark and hispanions resumed their journey. Unlike what they expected, there was no sort of ambush happened from the Wuji sect despite its patriarch making an announcement.


    Eventually, the group crossed the border and entered the Leon Empire. Because of the crest on the horse carriages, no one stopped them including the soldiers at the border check post.


    The appearances of the griffin and the giant albatross made it only more difficult for anyone to question them either. Of course, the news of their appearance will reach the imperial pce very soon.


    Just like that, two more days passed away.


    Somewhere in the wilderness of Leon Empire;


    The two bicorn carriages were striding side by side in a vast desert with a giant albatross and a Griffin following them from above.


    While the albatross was alone and didn''t have any rider, the Griffin, on the other hand, was apanied by a 15-year-old girl.


    Sliding the window to the left, Song Yue took a nce at the sky andmented, "You are a bit harsh on the girl. There''s no need to alienate her this way, you know."


    Mark patted her hand as he answered, "I''m not alienating her. I''m just using her to keep an eye on our surroundings."


    "You wouldn''t let her travel with us. You wouldn''t let her sleep in the same space as everyone. You wouldn''t let her eat with us. Heck, you don''t even let us talk with her." Song Yue wasn''t impressed by his actions toward the teenager. She further added, "You don''t need to purposely make things harder for her."


    In response, Mark slowly reached out to the window and closed it before replying to her, "If I had to be honest with you, I don''t trust her. You saw her. She was acting a lot crazier and too stubborn. What if she attacks you? It''s not like she is my friend or any rtive that I would blindly believe that she doesn''t have any other nefarious intentions."


    "Please, don''t give justification. You don''t trust anyone whether they act crazy or not." Song Yue expressed that it was just in his nature to suspect others, to which Mark countered immediately, "I trust you. In fact, other than you, it''s hard for me to trust anyone else."


    "Well, that''s¡­" Song Yue felt speechless for a second as her fianc¨¦ indirectly told her how special she is to him with a straight face. She couldn''t help but blush and look away, "thanks." She mumbled.


    Mark let out a grin as he put his arm over her shoulder. She ced her head on his chest and snuggled herself into his arms.


    Looking at the two love birds, Song Yun had mixed feelings. One, it is his daughter that someone is hugging in front of him. He was a little bit angry but is helpless to do anything.


    At the same time, he was happy that his daughter found the love of her life. He heard how devastated she was when her ex-fiance broke up with her, not to mention the fact that his son-inw is a man of whom he can be proud at any given day.


    Since he wasn''t supposed to react to anything, Song Yun just closed his eyes to take rest and stay as if he was invisible.


    Time passed away without any incidents;


    Around 2 in the afternoon, the bicorn carriages finally crossed the desert and enter the Kunlun mountain range, which is ruled by three major sects (Kunlun, Wuji, and Shaolin).


    Mark expected an attack here, considering the ce is also home ground to the Wuji sect. If everything goes as he wants, he would have a perfect reason to wipe out everyone from the Wuji sect, loot their treasure and give a firm but an indirect warning to the other forces on the continent.


    All he needs some justification to do it. Rather than appearing like a selfish person, he would want to be a vengeful person instead.


    Unfortunately for him, the Kunlun sect was overly concerned about their dear guest and decided to send another Grand elder along with a couple of elders to pick them up on the way and escort them safely to Mt. Ku, the highest peak of the mountain range.


    As a result, the rest of the journey throughout the mountainous area also ended up smoothly.


    Because of these cautious elders of the Kunlun sect who pestered Mark until he agrees with their request, Mark had to continue his travel even after sunset. Those people don''t want to give any opportunity for the Wuji sect to n an assassination in darkness.


    Fortunately, the Bicorns and the other mounts could see in the dark. Hence, traveling in the darkness didn''t pose any problem.


    By midnight, Mark reached the Kunlun sect and was directly escorted to the Patriarch''s residence to take a rest for the night.


    Dong Fang and Zi Ling didn''t follow him there as they were no longer part of his group. Not to mention, they had their own respective homes to go to and have some sleep.


    It goes without saying that Xie Mei also tagged along. Now that she is also a guest, Mark didn''t have the right to order her to not sleep in the same space as he and Song Yue. As a result, she ended up sleeping under the same roof, just a couple of rooms away from both of their rooms.


    The next day, around 9 in the morning, Mark and Lan Ju had an audience with two grand elders and the acting Patriarch of the sect as the real boss of this ce was in a Close Door Cultivation for the moment.


    Lan Ju stayed as a spectator, letting his master do all the talk and whatever deal he wanted to make. He was just there to protect Mark and put mental pressure on the clients.


    After an exchange of pleasantries, the acting Patriarch and a Supreme realm expert, Ding Tai told Mark that he was informed about his deal with Zi Ling and would like to hear what he wants.


    In response, Mark asked a simple question. "Do you all have the power to make decisions on behalf of the sect regardless of your Patriarch''s absence?"


    Acting Patriarch Ding Tai nodded firmly, "Yes."


    "Alright, then." Mark leaned to the table and ced his arms on it with a serious look as he said, "here''s the deal. I''m going to wage a war against the Wuji sect. I and my forces will take care of them.


    Before that, I need some high-quality information on the Wuji sect like their top techniques known by their upper echelons, hidden experts, any defensive formation, etc¡­


    Then, I need your sect''s help to conjure arge-scale barrier around their mountain so that the disciples cannot escape by any means.


    In return, Mt. Wu, the leftover disciples of the Wuji sect, and every weapon of tinum and below grade will be yours. Of course, you will also be a friend of Genesis Weapon store, Western Moon kingdom, and Eastern Sun kingdom. That is the deal I offer for your assistance.


    Oh, I forgot to mention one more thing. A coachman of mine had identally acquired the elemental spirit of light, which I believe belonged to your sect. However, he wasn''t interested to join your sect. So, his freedom is also added in this deal."


    Everyone: "..."


    The whole room was filled with silence for a while.

 Chapter 377 Kunlun Sects Answer

    Neither the acting Patriarch nor the grand elders of the Kunlun sect had expected to hear such an absurd proposal when they decided to host Mark for his help in Dragon Warrior Tournament.


    Forget about conditions for a second. What kind of force is the Wuji sect? It is one of the top sects on the continent and had great influence in the Imperial court of the Leon Empire.


    Assuming that Mark will probably back down from his foolish idea, the acting Patriarch exined, "Before you hear about the Wuji sect, you must know the history of the Kunlun sect.


    Our sect was founded by a demigod named Xiao Shu, roughly about 1500 years ago.


    No one knows where he came from. There were only spections that he was from a higher ne of existence.


    He was quite powerful. Back then, the world was still in the stage of infancy when talking about the Spirit Warriors.


    Because a man cannot see or even get the blessings of gods in direct form, people used to revere him as a god. And our Kunlun sect is considered the heavenly domain.


    For the next three hundred years, we were considered the most powerful sect in the entire continent. The Emperors used to pay homage to our founder.


    Whenever they needed any help in taking the decision or resolving matters with fellow emperors, they used to make personal visits to this ce.


    But then, one day, our founder passed away due to an incurable illness caused by a mysterious curse. Before he died, he left his four divine weapons to his four disciples who were also the Grand Elders of this sect.


    Now, two of his disciples didn''t have ambitions. But, the other two fought with each other for the highest seat on this continent.


    In the end, ourte Patriarch had attained the victory and it wasn''t digested by the other candidate. Thetter left the ce to find the Wuji sect on Mt. Wu.


    After some time passed away, the other two grand elders also decided to leave this mountain because of the sh of their ideologies. One formed a sect for the followers of Buddha and the other one formed the Iron Palm sect.


    Because of this, there was a constant rivalry between us and Wuji sect while the Shaolin sect and Iron Palm remain neutral.


    And over time, our rivalry has slowly turned to enmity.


    Now, all of us are thirsting for each other''s blood but ording to the agreement made by our predecessors, the four sects cannot go to all-out war against one another. If one breaks the agreement, then the other three will join forces to eliminate the remaining.


    Conjuring arge-scale barrier is not a problem for us but if you fail, then, this will lead to a huge mess.


    And defeating them on their own turf is impossible even if you know their treasures and techniques. Mt. Wu had a formidable defense formation, which the founder of the Wuji sect received knowledge from the demigod.


    Upon activation, the ancient formation will lock down the intruders and their ether energy. Even the disciples living in the sect will not escape. The only one that will not be influenced is the caster himself, i.e. Wuji sect''s Patriarch. Other than that, only demigods will be able to bypass the restriction.


    Of course, this formation also has a small obvious weakness too. Since the pressure will be on one''s ether energy, one with an extraordinary physique like a Supreme realm of Fighter path will still be able to escape with his life while taking a lot of lives (disciples) with him along the way."


    Mark didn''t interrupt him and neither did he attempt to remove Ding Tai''s worries by speaking about Lan Ju''s real strength. He calmly listened to his exnation and asked, "Anything else?"


    Ding Tai felt like Mark hasn''t been convinced yet. He continued by telling the guest what he knows about the sect.


    Apart from the formation, the Wuji sect appears to have various artifacts in their possession. The most famous of those artifacts and the one that really matters is actually a divine-grade artifact named Yu pipa.


    Originally belonging to the Kunlun sect''s founder, it is a jade pipa that is capable of controlling the weather and elements. The music can also effectively paralyze and induce the drowsiness of an enemy. ording to the records, not even a normal demigod can escape this effect.


    Ding Tai didn''t know that Lan Ju isn''t a simple Supreme being either (peak-9-circle). He wasn''t even a normal demigod.


    Hence, Mark was confident that Lan Ju will be safe. And he was even a little bit excited to snatch the weapon from the Wuji sect.


    "Okay, I understand. What about the skills?" Mark then asked him about the most famous techniques of the Wuji sect to understand whether it is safe for him to send the manticore into battle too.


    Ding Tai and the other grand elders described to him the effects of the skills they have inmon with the other three sects and the ones they know about the Wuji sect''s unique ones.


    After confirming the number of legendary and supreme realm experts within the enemy zone, Mark thanked them for the information and further said that he will begin his preparations for the uing war.


    As for whether the Kunlun sect wanted to participate in this war or not, it was left to their decision.


    While the oue of the battle won''t change regardless of their actions, he still hoped for them to go along with him.


    If they back out, he would have to drop them out of his ns for world domination, show a bit of mercy on the Wuji sect instead of total wipeout, and then shift his carrot-and-stick n to some other time. It will be a bit of a headache but not so much that it would block his path or anything.


    Hence, he gave them a day to think about it and left for his room.


    And then, about a couple of hourster, the acting patriarch met Mark once again, this time for tea, and spoke of his decision.


    Mark raised the cup with a smile, "Happy Cooperation."


    Ding Tai didn''t know what the gesture is but he followed the suit and did the same as Mark and smiled as he raised the teacup, "Happy Cooperation."

 Chapter 378 Allen And Lin Xue Go On A Mission With Alina

    Meanwhile, in the Imperial City of Phoenix Empire;


    Somewhere in the Hangu district where the Genesis Weapon store is located, there was a huge old building being renovated for the past couple of weeks.


    It was once a restaurant belonging to a wealthy individual but due to some reason, his restaurant went out of his business and he neglected the ce altogether.


    At the moment, the building and the 8000 sq. m ofnd beneath it is in Mark''s name, although it was bought by Alina using the money given by her master.


    After purchasing the building and hiring the experts to renovate it to suit modern style architecture ording to the memories of Mark, she contacted the Song n about the development of the area around.


    If the surroundings are dirty, who wille to the restaurant and eat the food? That''s why she wanted to take the help of the Public works ministry.


    Fortunately, everything went on her way and the area was currently being cleaned around and the instation of firemps and electricity is being done at a rapid pace.


    Inside the kitchen that waspletely renovated, Alina was busy cooking a dish. She was swirling down thedle for a few times and took an ample amount of soup with a piece of meat.


    "It''s good but it''s too normal¡­ I need something that will bring those wealthy individuals to this ce and also bring business (weapon sale) to big brother. Hmm¡­"


    After thinking for a while, she wrapped up the cooking practice and left the ce. In about 15 minutes, she reached the guild district and started looking for something.


    Because she was wearing graceful clothes and not armor like the people roaming around, she looked like a client. And her beauty did attract the attention of passersby, male and female alike.


    A couple of adventurers approached Alina who appeared to be searching for a specific guild.


    "Miss, may we help you?" asked an adventurer.


    Alina spared a nce at him and said, "A guild called Ace. Did you know it?"


    The two adventurers looked at each other and shook their heads before the guy asked, "Are you looking for someone or are you looking for a guild to post a mission?"


    "Both," replied Alina in a cold tone upon spotting their lustful gazes. "Now, if you can''t help me, then, don''t waste my time¡­"


    Disgusted by the way they are looking at her, just like the other men, Alina didn''t bother to stay there and proceeded to walk.


    An adventurer suddenly grabbed her arm in a hurry, "wait¡­ I can hel¡­"


    Before he finished his sentence, Alina twisted her hand and grabbed his wrist with her grabbed the arm, and swung it over her shoulder.


    The adventurer was mmed onto the ground and instantly became unconscious. "You must be tired of living." Shemented as she red at the adventurer at her feet.


    The other adventurer was shocked to see the incident. Earlier, they just thought that she is a civilian of the middle or upper ss. But, seeing how she casually knocked a 4-circle realm Spirit Warrior, the adventurer quickly realized that they fu*ked up and immediately apologized to her.


    As he begged for mercy, Alina stared at him for a while and spoke, "alright. I will forgive you but you will do one thing."


    After a while, both of them were seen following her like guards as she entered the Ace guild.


    A few hourster;


    The same day noon;


    Allen and Lin Xue were at their guild to do some missions as usual.


    They have done eight missions so far and all of them were sessful. The two of them also became closer than ever due to spending time with each other in their free time and battling their enemies or monsters in their adventures.


    And now, they became quite inseparable. Except during their sleep time and bath time, Lin Xue and Allen could be seen together, almost every minute of the day.


    Some people detested it while some just passed it off by seeing Allen as her bodyguard. Whatever the case, neither Lin Xue nor her father minds it. So, no problem hase between them.


    Just like every time, the pair of adventurers walked to the mission board to pick up a couple of missions in the same region.


    As they were contemting on which one they should choose, the manager of the guild approached them. "Lady Lin, Mr. Allen¡­"


    The both of them looked at him.


    He said as he handed a piece of note to Allen, "An important client requested your services. It''s a bodyguard and hunting mission. If you are interested¡­"


    Allen looked at it and said with a look of surprise, "This address¡­ it''s my sister''s."


    "Eh? Your sister?" The manager appeared to be shocked for some reason. On the other hand, Lin Xue beamed with delight, "Alina''s? I guess it must be for her restaurant''s business. Let''s leave right away. It''s been a while since Ist saw her anyway."


    While it appeared like Lin Xue was interested in the hunting mission, the reality was something else. She just wanted to meet Allen''s sister to impress her. Earlier, she did that while trying to help her in cooking but she failed miserably. But, if it is hunting, then, it will be a good opportunity to redeem herself.


    As the both of them left in a hurry, the manager stared at their backs in a daze, "that demonicdy is his sister? There was a stark difference between these siblings. The guy is someone who looked much more disciplined and never disagree on something unless it is necessary. On the other hand, that girl uses violence and threats at the slightest of disagreement." The manager shivered, thinking about Alina while the backs of Allen and Lin Xue disappeared.


    About an hourter, they entered the building in the middle of renovations and found Alina in the middle of cutting down onions into thin slices to improve her cutting skills further.


    "Hello, sister¡­" "Ms. Spencer¡­"


    Alina looked at them and let out a smile, "it''s been a while, Allen." She didn''t respond to Lin Xue for some reason, maybe, it has to do with the fact that thisdy is bad at cooking and never gave a proper fight in a one-on-one battle against her.


    Putting her feelings aside, she went on exining to them the details of their uing mission.


    "So, it''s like this. I need ingredients for my recipes. Hence, we are venturing into Sector-4¡­"

 Chapter 379 An Attack From Werewolves

    By the evening, the group of three (Alina, Allen, and Lin Xue) exited the Imperial city on rental horses and made their way to the Bloodhill forest.


    They reached the forest by dark but didn''t stop and rest. Instead, they pushed their way until they reach Sector-6 where 4-circle realm beasts aremon. Then, they set up a camp.


    However, to Lin Xue''s surprise, Alina started a campfire as the other two set up the tents.


    "What the hell, Alina¡­ you don''t set up a fire in the dark. Didn''t you evere to the forest?" said Lin Xue as she raised her voice in surprise before realizing that she spoke out before thinking. It is indeed foolish to set up a fire in a ce where beasts lurk in the dark while their vision will be limited.


    But then again, she is here to impress thedy so that her path to gaining Allen''s love bes easier. Instead, she scolded her.


    Fortunately for her, before Alina argued back, Allen replied in a soft tone, "Sister Xue, my younger sister is actuallyying a trap for the beasts. Instead of searching for them in darkness, she is inviting them to the fire so that it bes easier for her to hunt them and save enough time."


    "Ah, I see¡­" Lin Xue nodded in realization. She was a person with high pride. So, she wouldn''t usually go her way to apologize to anyone including Mark. But, to Alina whom she wasn''t even acquainted much, Lin Xue bowed slightly with an awkward smile, "Sorry, I didn''t think of that¡­ I guess I overreacted¡­"


    Alina wiped off the frown on her face and calmly nodded, "alright. Just focus on protecting yourselves. I will take care of the rest."


    She didn''t pursue the matter because of Allen as Lin Xue is friends with him and he trusts her very much.


    The night passed away without anyone getting sleep due to the continuous attacks from various beasts. At the very least, Alina''s n was sessful. By the morning, she had more than sixty corpses in her tinum-grade storage ring and they resumed their journey deep into the forest without taking any rest.


    Being androids, neither Allen nor Alina needs any sleep. Hence, they looked fresh as always. On the other hand, Lin Xue appeared to be quite tired as she helped out Alina in killing the beasts throughout the night.


    By noon, they sessfully crossed Sector 5 and entered Sector 4, where the sightings of wolves of different types aremon. Each pack of wolves serves under a werewolf, which could even hunt down Exalt realm experts. Hence, if they weren''t careful, they can say goodbye to this world.


    Then, why did Alinae here? It''s not like people prefer the meat of wolves or werewolves.


    It''s because of a certain species known as the wandering armored cow. Their meat is often considered a delicacy in Phoenix Empire and is so expensive that only wealthy individuals could afford them. The price of 1 catty of this beef (0.6kg), depending on its cut, will range anywhere between 100 gold coins to 10,000 gold coins.


    While these herbivores don''t like to kill any animals or humans, they were quite difficult to hunt due to three reasons.


    One, they were fierce grade beasts and possess a thick coat of armor around their skin. It''s damn tough to even pierce their body and kill them.


    Two, they were known to be fewer in number; each one wanders alone and didn''t have any particr habitat to settle down. With sector 4 isn''t any small in size, it is difficult to spot them.


    And even if one has the capability to spot them and kill them, the third reason will only make the job more difficult. The wandering armored cow has the ability of stealth and they were pretty agile despite the fact that an average beast (matured one) weighs over 10,000 kilograms.


    Unfortunately for those beasts and fortunately for Lin Xue, both Allen and Alina were androids and have the ability to scan around to spot the beasts. Their infrared vision will also render their stealth ability useless unless the targets were stronger than them. Allen might not be able to spot them but they couldn''t escape Alina who was a rank-6 Android.


    It didn''t take long for them to spot a wandering armored cow. Using the Protos daggers, Alina easily took care of the beast and hunt it down by herself.


    As for the other two, they were on standby to keep an eye on the surroundings as one wouldn''t know how they will be attacked by other predators like snakes, carnivorous spirit trees, wolves, etc¡­


    Once she was done with her battle, Alina stored the beast in her tinum-grade storage ring and proceeded to hunt down the second one and then the third one.


    After that, she stopped her hunt and the group started returning to the lower sectors.


    Lin Xue had earlier fought with a pack of wolves when Alina was hunting down the third cow.


    Her stamina was quite low at the moment. She wanted to lie down and rest but didn''t do it as she doesn''t have any interest to appear weak in Alina''s eyes of all the people.


    But then, as if the god of misfortune decided to take a liking to her, they were marked by not just one but two werewolves and both of the androids sensed their presence far behind them. Allen informed Lin Xue.


    "What should we do?" asked Lin Xue in a bit of worry. If it is one werewolf, it would be fine. But, two of them would be quite a bit of a challenge for the three of them. So, it is best to make a run. Or so she thought.


    Contrary to her expectations, Alina didn''t have much of a reaction to Allen''s warning. She calmly said without changing the pace of her walk, "As long as the both of you handle one of them until I finish the other one, we''ll be fine. Nothing to worry about, Lady Lin."


    "Ah, Is that so?" Lin Xue was slightly taken aback at first, but then after remembering how this woman fought one on one with Supreme Commander Bai Xun and how Allen had a divine-grade weapon of the light attribute, she became a lot calmer.


    Taking a deep breath, she summoned her semi-divine-grade lightning sword and tightly grabbed it. She was ready to battle with everything she has.


    Within a couple of minutes, the two werewolves in their humanoid transformations caught up with the group of intruders and one of them directly attacked them without initiating any dialogue.


    As the male werewolf tried to attack Allen with his ws, Lin Xue stepped forward and blocked his ws with her lightning sword.


    But, the force behind his ws appeared to be superior. She was pushed back. Allen quickly grabbed her waist from behind and took a giant leap to the side, separating from Alina.


    The male werewolf''s eyes were fixed on Allen. He let out a powerful growl and charged toward him.


    On the other hand, the female werewolf stared at Alina, who was staring back at her.


    Unlike her partner, the female werewolf didn''t mindlessly attack her enemy and instead questioned her with a frown, "You don''t smell like a human. What are you?"


    In response, Alina summoned a scythe and brandished it like a whip, "I will be your death unless you turn around and disappear from my sight within ten breaths."

 Chapter 380 A Mysterious Tomb

    As the male werewolf started his offense on Allen and Lin Xue, the female werewolf growled at Alina and charged forward.


    Her ws opened up midway and she raised her right hand upon reaching her target that didn''t move from the spot.


    "Die."


    The female werewolf motioned her arm to shred Alina into pieces with her powerful ws.


    However, her ws didn''t strike the target. Instead, they passed through her. Is it an afterimage?


    The female werewolf momentarily thought that it is a clone but then the so-called afterimage she passed through was still there and it moved.


    "Crescent sh"


    Alina swung down the scythe of Doom, releasing an enormous amount of dark energy in the form of a crescent moon.


    Because there was no cast time, the skill was unleashed instantly and the werewolf didn''t have time to dodge.


    As a result, she was struck by the attack. And surprisingly, it didn''t just simply hurt her. It cleanly sliced her into two, ending her life in an instant. The blood splurted from her body as each half fell on either side of the ground.


    "No¡­" The male werewolf suddenly stopped his assault and let out a scream. He transformed into arge white-furred wolf and then turned around, rushing toward Alina with full of hatred in its eyes.


    Alina shifted her attention to the iing wolf. She stared at it coldly and raised her left arm, "Twilight shackles."


    Three chains of protos energy were shot out of her palm and captured the wolf. As the chains were suppressing its movements, she spoke, "Allen, do it."


    Allen put away the tinum-grade sword gifted by Lin Xue a while ago and summoned the divine sword of light.


    He charged at the wolf and took a giant leap. While he wasing down, he swung the sword with all of his strength. The wolf''s head was separated from its body and became a corpse.


    Lin Xue stood there in a daze, "It was over, just like that?"


    For a moment, she couldn''t believe her eyes that two powerful werewolves of the white wolf tribe died just like that in the hands of this pair of siblings.


    Of course, this didn''t scare her. Instead, it only motivated her further. Clenching her fist, she mumbled, "I will have to train harder to catch up to them."


    After storing their corpses, Alina started discussing this event with the other two.


    Why did the werewolves pursue them? They were intelligent species and wouldn''t blindly attack without any reason.


    "Is it because we killed the pack of wolves?" Allen voiced his thoughts.


    To which, Lin Xue shook her head in response, "unlikely. Werewolves wouldn''t hold any kinship for normal wolves. It is already suspicious that two werewolves are together in the first ce. They must be partners considering how the male one reacted earlier."


    Alina thought for a bit and said, "Then, either we have unknowingly killed their pup or they must not want us to find something."


    "Find something?" Lin Xue furrowed her brows. "You mean that they might be guarding some treasure?"


    Alina didn''t say yes or no but instead, scanned the surroundings. Roughly about twenty secondster, she abruptly turned her head to look in the direction of the east and walked at a brisk pace. "Come¡­"


    The other two followed her, wondering what it might be. Allen was also scanning his surroundings but he found nothing unusual.


    After walking like two hundred meters in the direction where they were originally going earlier before they were attacked by the werewolves, the three of them reached arge banyan tree with a huge hole in the trunk.


    Alina jumped into the hole instead of stepping inside. Allenmented, "It appeared that there was some sort of path that is leading to underground."


    "Is that so?" Lin Xue nodded in understanding and activated her lightning energy armor. With the sparks of lightning dancing on her body, Lin Xue also jumped into the hole. Allen followed the suit.


    Both of them fell for about fifty feet before reaching the ground surface. Then, they saw Alina walking toward something that is brightly glowing in purple. They followed her.


    By the time they reached a tomb glowing in purple, they found Alina staring at the words written on top of the b. They were written in some kind of strange script.


    "Unable to decipher¡­" She mumbled in the end and turned to Lin Xue. "Do you know whatnguage is this?"


    Lin Xue took a good look at the writings on the stone b and said, "probably the ancient orlon. I''m not sure."


    "Let''s open it and see what treasure this one holds." Alina reached out to the stone b to move it.


    Allen caught his arm quickly and said, "Whatever this object is holding, the Yu sword appears to hate it. Maybe, it is better to wait until Big Broes home. It looked ominous."


    "We can''t wait until then for we don''t know when Big Brother will return. Maybe, it is because it is a powerful divine grade item of the dark attribute," replied Alina. What she didn''t reveal the either of them is the fact that the doom''s scythe in her mindscape is trembling in excitement as they got closer to this tomb. If not for the fact that the scythe is not bound to her consciousness, she was sure that it wille to the real world on its own.


    As the both of them looked at Lin Xue for her opinion, she awkwardly smiled as she said, "I think we should open it." She wants to side with Allen but not wanting to displease her future-sis-inw (in Lin Xue''s mind), she decides to listen to Alina.


    "Good." Alina nodded with a smile and proceeded to move the stone b aside. It was opened with ease and they saw a skeleton lying there with a glowing ring on his index finger.


    "So, this is the source of the purple glow¡­"mented Lin Xue as she stared at the ring.


    Alina then reached out to the ring and removed it. Holding it on her palm, she let out a smile, "Big Brother will be very happy when he receives this."


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® "I guess¡­" Allen agreed with her while feeling ufortable.


    "I wonder what grade it is. I cannot scan it,"mented Alina as she carefully observed the ring with a glowing purple gem embedded in it.


    "Uhh¡­ guys¡­ we have a situation¡­" Lin Xue tugged Allen''s shirt and pointed her finger at the tomb. As Allen and Alina looked in that direction, they saw the skeleton slowly regaining its skin.


    As Alina and the other two quickly distanced themselves from the tomb but didn''t leave their sight away from it, a naked man with waist-length white hair slowly rose from the tomb and stepped out of it.


    For a few seconds, he observed his body and stretched his limbs. Then, a creepy smile appeared on his face as he shifted his attention to the three of them, "I guess I should you kids for releasing me from that curse. I shall reward the three of you by adding to¡­ Hmm¡­ you twock the souls. You are puppets. Who is that genius that created such high-quality puppets like you?"


    The expressions of Allen and Alina were changed. On the other hand, Lin Xue went into shock, "Huh? What did he just say?"

 Chapter 381 Marks Demands For The Peace

    While Lin Xue''s mind is aplete mess from what she heard from this mysterious old man, the two androids were alerted. They quickly went into battle stance and took out their respective weapons after scanning the enemy.


    This fellow before them appeared to be an exalt realm expert (7-circle) at peak stage but his age was over 1500 despite the fact that he is a human.


    The fact that he could see through them indicates two possibilities. Either this fellow who came back from the dead is once a supreme realm expert who had his cultivation droppedter on or he had special eyes that can see the souls.


    Either way, they didn''t take this man lightly and decided to kill him.


    However, never in the world did either of them expect the doom scythe suddenly escapes Alina''s grip on its own and flew toward the man.


    As the enemy caught the scythe, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Buddy? No... your old consciousness and memories were wiped away. You were bound to that puppet? Don''t worry. I will free you¡­" He talked to the scythe while ignoring the other three for a while.


    When he shifted his attention back to them, he saw Alina had the Protos daggers out and staring at him coldly.


    The mysterious expert let out a grin, "I don''t know how much time has passed away but I hope my generals are still around¡­"


    Raising his free left arm above his head, he spoke out loud as the dark energy enveloped him, "My faithful servants, wherever you are, heed the call of your master."


    Arge glowing circle with mystical symbols appeared on the ground. Alina and the other two jumped away in reflex.


    Soon, arge undead gori rose from the ground, making the summoner crestfallen a bit as it probably failed to meet his expectations, but Alina and Allen weren''t in the mood to think about anything else. The Gori was a fuc*ing legendary-grade monster.


    As the leader of the party, Alina gave the order, "Allen, take Lady Lin and escape from this ce. I will catch up to you."


    To which, the expert bursts out intoughter, "You really have a lot of human emotions,dy puppet. Interesting¡­ Unfortunately, none of you will leave¡­"


    The de of the doom scythe glowed and the entire surroundings changed in an instant. They were in a cave a second ago but now, they were on an ind with an endlessva sea around.


    As the master of doom scythe, Alina recognized the skill at a single nce of the surroundings. "The illusionary realm¡­"


    The mysterious expert gave the order to the undead gori, "kill her."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Mt. Ku of the Kunlun Mountains, Mark was writing something on a piece of scroll.


    After he was done, he gave it to Lan Ju, "go to Mt. Wu and hand it to the Wuji sect''s patriarch."


    As the zheng took the letter, Mark further warned him in a serious tone, "I''m sure that he will be enraged after reading the demands and you might be ambushed. In such a case, don''t try to retaliate and just focus on escaping. We cannot give them a reason to be afraid of us. The more confident they are, the more it will be easier for us."


    "What if they don''t attack?" Lan Ju asked in response to his master''s instruction.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® Mark shrugged his shoulders, "then, it is simple. You provoke him with a direct attack but don''t kill him at all costs. I want you to force them to use the defensive formation and experience its effects in person."


    "Understood, master." Lan Ju nodded as he rolled up the scroll and ced it in his right sleeve. Soon, he left the mountain to finish his mission.


    Not long after Lan Ju''s departure, Mark''s heartbeat spiked up all of a sudden when he was about to lie on the bed.


    He clutched his chest in pain, "what kind of ominous feeling is this? Will Lan Ju face difficulty or something? No, that''s unlikely. Song Yue was also fine. I guess it might be just acidity. Let''s not take a rest and go for a walk. Hmm¡­ that will be good."


    At the same time, Lan Ju has already neared his destination, Mt. Wu, which is located just about 16 kilometers away from Kunlun Sect.


    As he went through flying, he was spotted by the disciples roaming on the peak of the mountain. It goes without saying that the patriarch and the elders were alerted.


    By the time Lan Junded on the ground, he was greeted by the presence of the sect''s Patriarch and two other grand elders.


    "So, to what do we owe your visitation, Wu Weibao?" asked Lai Peng without a shred of respect in his tone.


    Lan Ju didn''t care about his manners and handed the scroll to the Wuji sect''s Patriarch, "this is from my master."


    Lai Peng opened it and read it. It didn''t take long for his expression to turn dark.


    Raising his head to look coldly at the zheng, Lai Peng said, "Your master needed my head, 2 million gold coins or the same worth of ether crystals, and half of our treasury inpensation for the mental damage our sect has indirectly given him? Or else, there will be a war?"


    He tore the scroll into two pieces and further said, "Return and tell him that our sect isn''t afraid of him or the Kunlun sect."


    Seeing that the enemy isn''t acting recklessly, Lan Ju went on with n B.


    "Alright then¡­ You rejected the peace and chose the destruction of your sect. That''s fine with us. But, before I return, I still need to do the mission given by my master." Lan Ju told them that only two people were killed in the tournament. The other two who participated in the ambush against Zi Ling and her group are still alive.


    He boldly announced that he will be searching for them and take their heads with him in return whether someone likes it or not. Until then, he will kill any disciple he encounters.


    And just like he expected it to go, Lai Peng was infuriated and he lost control of his anger and roared, "You crossed the line of being a messenger, Wu Weibao."


    Lan Ju, who turned around and was walking away, halted his footsteps, nced at him from the corner of his right eye, and spoke coldly, "So, what if I did? What can you do?"


    "I will kill you¡­" Lai Peng charged at him with a clenched fist.


    Lan Ju timely caught his hand and swung his arm over his shoulder, mming down the boss of the enemy sect onto the ground and alerting the others.


    "You cannot stop me," said Lan Ju and he started walking away toward the disciples who were watching them. Looking at his back in anger, Lai Peng shouted, "Grand mage Wang, activate the formation."


    Lan Ju stopped in his tracks and turned around, feeling that he managed toplete his mission.


    ***


    Meanwhile, back at the Bloodhill forest;


    In the underground cave, Allen was unconscious, a heavily injured Lin Xue had the glowing ring and some sort of hexagonal-prism-looking thing in her trembling hands, and Alina''s body was on the floor with a hole in her chest. And the mysterious expert''s leg was on Alina''s face.


    He put his strength further and ttened her face into a metallic te as he looked at the android, "Go and inform the Imperial family of Phoenix. Necromancer King has returned and he will being for the Emperor''s head."

 Chapter 382 Shang Wei Is At Wuji Sect?

    Wuji sect, Mt. Wu, Kunlun mountain range, Leon Empire;


    The grand formation of the Wuji sect was unleashed by one of the grand elders with just a thought in his head.


    It was actually surprising for the other grand elder and the elders that the key to this ancient formation was actually with their grand mage instead of the Patriarch himself.


    Very soon, everyone felt the effects of the formation. Their connection to ether energy was cut off and a translucent barrier covered the entire mountain. Even the outer sect disciples and elders living in lower altitudes weren''t spared.


    The only people who weren''t affected were the grand mage and Lan Ju, the former being the caster and thetter being a demigod realm beast.


    As Lan Ju stayed silent and calmly observed the changes in the surroundings, Patriarch Lai Peng mocked him with overconfidence, "Didn''t your allies from the Kunlun sect tell you about our defense formation? If you came here to act bossy even after knowing, then, I must say that you are too arrogant."


    "Is it over?" Lan Ju tilted his head and disinterestedly looked at him as if he was bored and disappointed. He furthermented, "I thought your so-called formation is something special but it is quite mediocre. I don''t even need to showcase my full power to break this."


    "You¡­" As Lai Peng was angered once again by Lan Ju''s overbearing attitude, thetter stomped on the ground.


    He didn''t even use any ether energy but the force behind the stomp was so powerful that arge size crater was formed while the mountain shook as if it experienced an earthquake.


    As all the disciples and elders almost lost their bnce, Lan Ju has already crossed the invisible bubble around the mountain.


    The moment he exited its range of just 300 meters from the peak of the mountain, pressurepletely disappeared on him and he floated in the sky while looking down at the dumbfounded elders. Even Lai Peng and the grand mage who was the caster couldn''t believe their eyes.


    Lan Ju then announced loudly so that every person in the sect hear it, "Disciples of Wuji sect, you have until dawn to prepare yourself for the doom. Those who wish to live can abandon the sect and run for their lives before it bes toote."


    Once he was done with his warning, Lan Ju meaningfully stared at the mountain for a while before flying away and returning to his master.


    As the zheng reported to Mark how that defensive formation is nothing but a joke along with another piece of information, he fell into thoughts, "Why was that fellow at Wuji sect? I don''t know his intentions but we aren''t enemies. Not to mention, he is useful to me in the uing days. Hmm¡­"


    After thinking for a while, Mark made the decision and ordered the zheng, "Lan Ju, I need you to bring him to me first thing in the morning. His consent doesn''t matter. I just cannot afford to identally kill him."


    "Understood," Lan Ju nodded.


    ***


    During the evening, Somewhere far away from Mt Wu;


    An ordinary-looking young man in ordinary clothes was roaming in a town with the outer sect disciples. Despite not being a disciple of the sect, he was wearing the same clothes as hispanions.


    As the guy was enjoying his time munching the street snacks, one of hispanions spoke, "Say, Long Wei, why did you stick around? You have been only here for a couple of weeks and haven''t got any opportunity to learn anything."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    "Hmm?" Everyone else looked at their friend.


    The young man of the 4-circle realm answered as if he was prepared beforehand, "I actually offended someone with influence. So, I cannot leave unless things cool down there or I be an inner sect disciple."


    "I should say it is really strange that the elder didn''t directly promote you to the inner sect disciple. I mean you are at 4-circle, qualified to be one," opinioned another outer sect disciple.


    Before the young man gets to respond, the remaining one asked, "That''s good and all but will we be able to survive tomorrow?"


    The young man patted his worriedpanion with a smile, "Don''t need to worry, Brother Bu. ording to what Elder Long has informed us, the enemy doesn''t have an army. In the case of a war between two armies, the weakest will be used as cannon fodder but if the enemy has limited numbers, then the fight will be between the strongest and the weakest will be spared."


    "But Long Wei, what if the Kunlun sect is involved?"


    The young man answered confidently, "They won''t, atleast directly as they will face the consequences. However, since the Ironpalm sect lost a lot of its strength in their recent expedition, it is quite possible that the Kunlun sect will be involved in this war in a way that won''t touch the bottom line of Shaolin and Ironpalm sects."


    "Anyways, what happens will happen. Let''s forget about tomorrow and enjoy the present. Let''s go to the brothel. I wonder if Lady Hua is free to entertain us with her singing."


    As the rest of them got excited upon meeting the beauty, the young man named Lu Wei let out a deep sigh as he raised his head and stared at the stars, "Leon Empire is making a ruckus as I have nned. ording to uncle Yan, His majesty also appeared to be quite mad at Emperor Shi. Let''s hope that war won''t erupt out of my disappearance.


    And what should I do with this Lu Zhen? He is running amok all over the continent, doing whatever he pleases. He bes quite uncontroble. Something had to be done.


    Sigh¡­ it is really tough to live the life of a prince.


    My mind would have been a lot more peaceful had I been born in amoner family or in a family of schrs. Well, there''s nothing to mull over the matter you don''t have any control over."


    ***


    The next day dawn, at Kunlun sect;


    "I''ll be back in a jiffy, my Schatz," Mark grabbed the worried face of Song Yue and kissed her forehead.


    "Be careful¡­"


    As she nodded, Mark pressed the button on the fist-sized box. The exo suit was equipped on him and he slowly flew into the sky.


    Followed by him, Lan Ju flew into the sky, and then Xie Mei on the Griffin.

 Chapter 383 The Gold Dragon, Jinlong

    Within half an hour of time, Mark neared the destination and stopped his flight. There was an obstacle in front of him in the form of a golden barrier.


    It was covering the entire mountain. As for the barrier supposed to be created by the allies (Kunlun sect elders), it hasn''t happened yet.


    The Barrier of Gold Dragon, Jinlong


    Rank: 9 (peak)


    Description: It is a self-healing barrier created by the guardian beast of the Wuji sect. The barrier is like a defensive shield that will block the attacks from outside but will let the attacks from within the barrier pass through it.


    **


    As Mark was inspecting the barrier, the griffin stopped beside him and Xie Mei said, "I heard that there is a grand mage surnamed Wang in the enemy''s forces. Only he could conjure such a marveling barrier."


    "No, this was created by a gold dragon, not a human," replied Mark before adding, "The Kunlun sect elders mentioned that the Wuji sect has a guardian beast too but didn''t say that it was a dragon."


    "A gold dragon? Impossible." Xie Mei was shocked by Mark''s words. She further said, "I thought they have gone extinct. If it is really true, then, it is highly possible that we might not be able to win this battle."


    Mark then turned his head to look at the teenager, "what do you know about the gold dragons, Miss Xie?"


    Xie Mei answered, "The gold dragons are the wisest kind after the white dragons. Thousands of years ago, when the dragons were ruling the earth¡­"


    "Not the history, the abilities," Mark interrupted her, forcing her to stop showing off her knowledge about the history and admitted that there''s little about their abilities recorded in history. But, what she was confident about is the fact that the gold dragon is more of a mage type, able to conjure various spells, and theoretically, they also should have the ability to learn as many spells as they can, just like the human mages. They were also super intelligent to predict the moves of the enemies and this make them quite lethal.


    "Alright then, we will do something unpredicted," Mark nodded and suddenly turned in a different direction from Mt. Wu, resuming his flight.


    Lan Ju didn''t know what Mark was nning but he followed him in silence. Xie Mei also followed the suit.


    Meanwhile, on the top of Mt. Wu, the two grand elders also with the Patriarch who were staying awake and alerted since thest evening couldn''t help but wonder why the enemy has changed direction.


    Obviously, with their high sensing range, they spotted Mark and the other two long ago and were prepared to fight. Even they know that the barrier wouldn''t be able to stop someone who managed to resist the effect of their ancient formation.


    However, it will take some time to destroy the barrier, and in that time, they hoped to counterattack with their own techniques. But, Mark started to go away instead.


    Was he leaving? Or is there another n? Everyone had this same thought, including Xie Mei who stubbornly tagged along with Mark to prove her worth.


    Mark flew for another 20 minutes beforending on top of a high-altitude mountain, located about 26 kilometers far away from the foot of Mt. Wu. On the way, he even saw familiar faces who were still trying to get into their positions.


    Mark ignored them and kept his eye on Mt. Wu or more like the shining grand barrier as he stood on the peak. As the other two alsonded beside him, he asked them to give him some space.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    They moved away and Mark took out his Missile Defense system from the storage ring and mounted it on a t surface.


    "What is this thing?" Xie Mei couldn''t help but wonder. The missile defense system with threeunchers appeared damn weird to her. But then again, it is not like it was her first time seeing a strange weapon. Now, the only question left in her mind is "what would this weapon do?"


    Aiming at the golden barrier, Mark started taking out a bunch of X-2 and X-3 missiles, loading them one after another.


    By the time he loaded all forty of them in their respectiveunchers, it was already morning and the vision became quite clear for the naked eye.


    He locked onto the target.


    "First, let''s remove the barrier¡­" Mark wanted to use a skill of the defense system but then he changed his n at thest second and turned toward Lan Ju.


    "Can you hit that thing from here?" He asked.


    Lan Ju shook his head, "only a demigod has the power to destroy it from this far." The meaning behind his words is clear. He would have to transform into the zheng to strike the target from more than 25 kilometers away.


    Both of them nced at Xie Mei. She has yet to gain the trust of Mark. So, whether it is okay to reveal the secret to her is something that Mark had to decide for.


    Mark thought for a bit and said, "Then, go closer and strike it from a lower angle."


    Lan Ju meaningfully nodded and disappeared. Xie Mei wondered what Mark meant by lower angle and its significance. But, she promised to not ask questions to satisfy her curiosity if she wants to tag along to participate in this conquest.


    Hence, she silently stared at Mark and became a witness to what was about to happen to the enemy force.


    Stopping roughly about ten kilometers away from Mt. Wu, Lan Ju transformed into a five-tailed scarlet leopard and went into action with a big move.


    A giant energy sphere filled with five different elements (fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning) made its way toward the golden barrier.


    The entire Kunlun mountain range started shaking like there was an earthquake but of low magnitude.


    The elders of the Kunlun sect, Wuji sect, and even Shaolin sect felt their breathing became harder as they sensed the power of a super powerful demigod.


    As the strongest beings in the vicinity, Patriarch Lai Peng and the sleeping gold dragon were forced to get out in the open.


    Both of them saw the iing energy sphere. As it neared, the gold dragon spoke in a bit of anger, aiming at the middle-aged fellow beside it. "Lai Peng, you doomed all of us with your foolishness."

 Chapter 384 It Is A Warning Shot

    "I didn''t know that the enemy is a pseudo-demigod." Lai Peng had panic clearly written on his face and he put aside his pride as a supreme realm Spirit Warrior to beg the gold dragon standing beside him.


    The attack will reach them in about 30 seconds and he felt there was enough time if the sect''s guardian beast makes another move.


    However, the gold dragon only scolded him in return for his ignorance, "Pseudo demigod? Are you that much of a fool that you lost all of your senses?" It roared.


    "What do you mean? Don''t tell me that the enemy is a demigod¡­" As Lai Peng didn''t properly understand the words, the gold dragon shed light on the matter. "There are five elements in that sphereing at us. Don''t you understand what that means? There''s only one being with the power of a demigod and mastered all the basic five attributes."


    It was at that moment realization dawned upon the patriarch of the Wuji sect, "the Zheng of Kunyu Mountains¡­ But, that''s impossible. How someone like Lu Zhen could have¡­" A gasp escaped from Lai Peng as suddenly everything became connected, "Wu Weibao¡­ he is the zheng. Is this why Lu Zhen was acting so recklessly?"


    When he realized what he had done, regret took over him. He felt like if he had been given another chance, he would have kept his emotions in check and calmly negotiated the terms instead of trying to trap the demigod.


    Looking at the crestfallen patriarch who lost his motivation to battle, the gold dragon said, "All is not lost yet, Lai Peng. Surrender and negotiate for peace on behalf of the sect. We can end this battle without facing any casualties."


    "Alright, I will kneel before him and apologize. Just get us out of this trouble, Jinlong." Patriarch Lei appeared to have made his decision in an instant as the energy sphere was only about a couple of kilometers away and will probably reach in 10-12 seconds.


    "Good decision¡­"


    The gold dragon nodded and closed its eyes. It transformed into countless specks of light before shaping in the form of a barrier inside the existing golden barrier.


    Ten secondster, the energy sphere struck the golden barrier and a huge explosion urred, ttening everything in a 2-kilometer radius.


    The Kunlun sect''s elders and elite disciples standing in their respective positions about five kilometers away from Mt. Wu and waiting for the signal couldn''t help but crouch and defend themselves from the debris falling onto them.


    Unknown to Mark, there were a couple of tiny viges located in the forest and they were also caught up in this explosion. Fortunately, they were all evacuated. So, only the houses and other structures were destroyed.


    Meanwhile, the disciples living at the foot of the mountain couldn''t help but scream in panic. Many of them felt like they were going to die. Fortunately, nothing happened.


    Half of the golden barrier from the top half was impacted by the explosion and was destroyed. The inner barrier, on the other hand, developed deep cracks all over the ce.


    As the outer golden barrier started to self-heal, the cracked inner barrier disappeared and it went back to its original form, the gold dragon.


    Jinlong, upon returning to its beast form, was seen with injuries all over its body. It couldn''t hold on and just copsed onto the ground.


    Before it lost its unconsciousness, the dragon did manage to warn the stunned Lai Peng for thest time to keep his word for they don''t have any means to protect themselves from the following attacks of the scarlet leopard.


    But, what''s the use?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As soon as the barrier was cleared, forty projectiles wereunched at Mt. Wu, all of them at the same time without any gap.


    20 of them are X-3 missiles with each of them having the capacity to eradicate every existence below 7-circle using the power of advanced 7-circle and 20 of them are X-2 missiles with each of them having the power of advanced-6-circle.


    As none of them contained any ether energy, Lai Peng and the other elders couldn''t sense them until they were in in sight.


    Seeing so many projectiles raining down at the sect at the same time, Lai Peng could only try to protect himself. A shield of ether energy covered him up.


    *Boom* Boom* Boom*


    Simultaneous powerful explosions were heard on the top of Mt. Wu, making giant craters one after another.


    By the end of thest explosion, there''s nothing left on top of the mountain except for lightly injured grand elders, a few heavily injured elders, an unconscious gold dragon, and an unharmed Patriarch. The remaining elders, elite disciples, residences, caves, ponds, beautiful fountains, everything was destroyed.


    In an instant, the 5174-meter mountain had be a 4000-odd-meter mountain with somewhat a t peak and surrounded by an enormous amount of dust, smoke, and harmful gaseous substances.


    "Cough" "Cough"


    Lai Peng slowly rose to his feet covered by dust from top to him and looked at his surroundings. Tears almost welled up in his eyes, "Our sect¡­ everything has gone¡­"


    "Not yet, Lai Peng." A familiar voice interrupted him and Patriarch Lai couldn''t help but turn around.


    The ce was full of dust. So, his vision waspletely blocked but as the figure walked to him closer, he was able to see the person.


    "Wu Weibao¡­" Lai Peng gritted his teeth in anger. He wanted to rush forward and kill him but upon remembering his earlier conversation with the sect''s guardian beast, he forced himself to calm down.


    Meanwhile, Lan Ju continued to walk until he was only a couple of feet away from his enemy. With a look of indifference, he said, "Consider this as a warning shot. My master doesn''t want to spill the blood of innocents. That is why he doesn''t allow me to blow up your entire sect."


    "Okay, take my life and leave the sect alone," replied Lai Peng with a reddened face. Clenching his fists, he further added, "You can also take all the treasures of our sect."


    Lan Ju shook his head, "The terms are changed now. My master wanted to make an example out of the Wuji sect for a greater purpose. So, here are the new terms my master has informed me just in case you suddenly changed your mind about the war like you did now."


    "What are they?" helplessly asked Lai Peng.


    Lan Ju took out a scroll from his right sleeve and handed it to Lai Peng.

 Chapter 385 Marks New Conditions & Betrayal Of The Grand Mage

    Lai Peng took a look at the list of new demands. Surprisingly, they didn''t ask for his life. However, they were even more absurd.


    The first demand is something simr to thest time. The lives of the elder and the other two disciples, who plotted against the deaths of Zi Ling''spanions and Kunlun sect''s elder.


    The second demand is a handover of every treasure, including the guardian beast and their precious Eye of Talim.


    And the final demand is the disbandment of the Wuji sect. All the disciples must join the Kunlun sect and swear their loyalty to the new Patriarch.


    As for the elders, grand elders, and Patriarch Lei, they can join the Kunlun sect or they can leave for some other ce they wish.


    Mark also didn''t forget to add a postscript (PS) that there is no negotiation here and failure toply with even one of the conditions will lead to the death of every disciple belonging to Wuji Sect.


    "Disbandment of the sect and giving away the eye of talim? There''s no way I could ept such demands. I should escape this ce and n for revengeter," thought Lai Peng. He intended to make a fake promise and leave this ce with a teleportation talisman he had in his storage card.


    Even if the disciples died, as long as the sect isn''t disbanded, he could still revive it and counterattack with the help of other sects. There''s nock of geniuses in the world anyways, well, atleast in his opinion.


    However, he never expected that his enemies didn''t let their guard down.


    In what appeared to be perfect timing, just as he was about to speak about how he needed a bit of time to talk with the two grand elders, arge-scale translucent scarlet barrier appeared in the surroundings, imprisoning Mt. Wu and other locations. With Mt. Wu as a center and a 5-kilometer radius, the barrier indeed covered a vast amount of area.


    And this took almost every disciple of the 5-circle and above belonging to the Kunlun sect.


    As the both of them sensed the barrier and Lai Peng abruptly turn his head in some direction, Lan Ju then said, "If you nning to escape, then, it is toote, Lai Peng. And show even the slightest of resistance, I will take the action. Or you can try killing me, although the oue will only be worse instead of getting better even if such a miracle happens.


    This time, we will only give you ten breaths of time to make the decision. Say Yes or No."


    After saying what he had to, Lan Ju shifted his attention to the surroundings as the dust was bing thin at a rapid pace.


    "I see¡­ it''s that man''s job, huh." Lan Ju ignored Lai Peng and stared in a particr direction.


    Soon, all the dust, smoke, and mildly harmful gaseous substances in the air were purified as all of them were sucked into some kind of ck hole created by Grand Mage Wang Chin.


    After clearing out the air, Wang Chin looked in the direction of Lan Ju and Lai Peng with a hardened expression, "Patriarch Lai, get away from there¡­" he shouted as he was about to cast a powerful magic spell.


    Lan Ju raised his right eyebrow and raised his palm. As ether energy gathered at the top of his palm, hemented without addressing specifically anyone, "It appeared like some people never learn their lesson. Mercy is useless on such idiots."


    Wang Chi''s incantation only made it through halfway but Lan Ju has already finished conjuring a lightning spear, shocking the grand mage.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just as he was about to throw it toward the grand mage of the Wuji sect, Lai Peng shouted, "I agree to your peaceful terms. Please don''t kill anyone."


    He then quickly turned his head and addressed the mage, "Grand Mage Wang, you too back down. We lost the war."


    "Patriarch Lai¡­" Wang Chin raised his voice but as Lai Peng sharply stared at him, the grand mage put the staff on the ground.


    Lan Ju nodded and threw the lightning spear toward the sky. It traveled for a few seconds and exploded, giving a signal to Mark to not attack for a while. It was what they discussed earlier.


    Patriarch Lai Peng then looked back at the grand mage, "Tell Grand Elder Du that he is free from his punishment. Wuji Sect is going to cease to exist and merge with the Kunlun sect. I also want you to inform everyone to submit their treasures given by the sect so far."


    "Including the staff of talim?" Wang Chin asked as he nced at the exquisite staff in his hands.


    "Everything," replied Lai Peng with a serious expression.


    "Okay but I have a request. Can you please¡­" Wang Chin gestured for the patriarch toe near him.


    Lai Peng asked Lan Ju''s permission before walking toward the grand mage. The zheng didn''t do anything as he was being confident to take action before theyplete any unexpected move.


    Little did either Lan Ju or Lai Peng expect that as soon as the patriarch reached the grand mage, thetter swiftly threw out an object that looked simr to that of an hourss but in the size of a palm.


    In that very instant, everything froze around Wang Chin, including Lan Ju. However, unlike others whose time waspletely frozen, Lan Ju could see his surroundings. His eyes could move. "A treasure that controls the Time?"


    Meanwhile, Wang Chin jumped high and swung down his arm which was covered in ether energy.


    It was so sharp that Lai Peng''s arm was cut off from his body and fell to the ground.


    Wang Chin quickly grabbed it with his left hand and raised the staff with his right hand and unleashed a skill.


    A circle with mystical drawings appeared below the frozen patriarch, releasing a concentrated beam of purple mes from underneath the target''s foot.


    Lan Ju saw the high intense mes consume the flesh and skeleton, leaving behind nothing but ash on the ground.


    "The purple mes¡­" Lan Ju walked through his memoryne for a short while before he said, "I remember myte master telling me about this Azu n of the ne of fire and ice. The n members had the mes in purple color, often called the cursed mes or demonic mes¡­ Just now, I sensed the demonic presence in yours. You are from the Azu n, aren''t you?"


    Wang Chin raised his head and let out a smile.

 Chapter 386 Wang Chin Of The Azu Clan

    "I must say, you do know your stuff for someone who has grown up in the world of these mortals all your life,"mented the grand mage as he crouched down.


    He slowly removed the storage ring from Lai Peng''s hand that was cut off earlier.


    In the meantime, the hourss lost its effectiveness and fell on the ground, and cracked. The restriction on Lan Ju''s movements was also removed.


    Lan Ju furrowed his brows, "what are you doing?"


    "Nothing, I was just taking the thing that belonged to us, that''s all¡­" replied the grand mage. He then added, "You see¡­ Eye of Talim belonged to the Azu n in the first ce."


    "Doesn''t matter. Every treasure presented on this mountain belonged to my master." Lan Ju said in a serious tone.


    To which, Wang Chin burst out intoughter, "hahahaha, what a funny joke. Do you really believe that you are invincible or something? I have seen enough demigods to know how to deal with them."


    The grand mage raised his staff once again and mmed its tip onto the ground, unleashing the ancient formation and locking down everyone.


    "You have already tried thatst time. It didn''t work." Lan Jumented and proceeded to gather the energy in his hand. He doesn''t want to waste his time with this peak-8-circle mage.


    However, Wang Chin didn''t look scared at all.


    Did he have any tricks up his sleeve?


    Might be possible but Lan Ju could care less about it as this grand mage standing before him is already dead in his eyes.


    As a spear made of ether energy formed in Lan Ju''s hands, Wang Chin took out another hourss, surprising the former.


    As the hourss was thrown into the air, Lan Ju reacted in a timely manner.


    Instead of motioning the spear toward the enemy''s heart, he activated his teleportation skill and made his escape. The barrier conjured by the collective efforts of the members of the Kunlun sect was bypassed and Lan Ju returned to his master''s side.


    Mark was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Lan Ju. Xie Mei, who was already stunned by the earlier performance of the missile defense system, couldn''t help but wonder whether the war is already over.


    However, Lan Ju appeared to be in a hurry. As soon as he reached his master, he didn''t give any time for the exnation and directly grabbed Mark while saying, "We need to move away quickly¡­"


    "What do you mean¡­" Mark had confusion clearly written on his face. Just a moment ago, Lan Ju gave him a signal that indicated the surrender of Lai Peng but now, he was telling him to leave the ce. What might have happened?


    Mark wanted to know the matter but Lan Ju didn''t have time to exin him. He decided to first teleport away to as far as he could and then answer.


    Soon, the hourss was activated and time froze in Wang Chin''s surroundings once again. As the wave of colorless energy passed through Xie Mei, she was frozen on the spot just like all the disciples of the Wuji sect and Kunlun sect.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Meanwhile, Lan Ju and Mark appeared outside of the mountain range, located about 50 kilometers away from Mt. Wu.


    "Sorry about that, master but the enemy appeared to possess a treasure that can stop the time to the individuals within a certain range. It is something I have never witnessed or heard of it before." Lan Ju continued to exin everything about how this grand mage belonged to the Azu n, one of the enemy ns of the Lan n, back at the ne of ice and fire, how he killed Lai Peng, etc¡­


    After hearing him out, Mark furrowed his brows, "Why are these simple matters getting tooplicated¡­"


    He thought for a bit and said, "Then, let''s teleport back to Mt. Wu. We cannot let him get away."


    "No, what if he had a third hourss?" Lan Ju was worried about Mark''s safety. "I think it is best for you to stay here. I will return after taking care of him."


    Wang Chin''s purple mes or so whatever will not be able to hurt him a little bit but Mark was different. If Lai Peng can be killed, then, there is a high chance that Mark can be killed too and he wouldn''t be able to stop him from doing that.


    It was for this very reason Lan Ju bothered to take Mark far away from the battle zone. For someone of Wang Chin''s caliber, it wouldn''t be shocking to point out Mark''s location by simply tracing the path of the projectiles fired earlier.


    From his earlier experience, Lan Ju had already figured out what can that hourss do. It stops the time for exactly 5 seconds but had a range of 30 kilometers. That''s like affecting more than 2800 sq. km of area.


    In five seconds, Wang Chin might not be able to travel 16 kilometers to reach Mark but what''s to say that he doesn''t possess other mystical items?


    Hence, Lan Ju felt the need to act with caution.


    On the other hand, Mark didn''t think it was a big deal as the zheng was making it to be. He convinced the zheng with his strategy to get back to the battlefield.


    Meanwhile, on the top of Mt. Wu, the grand mage threw away the patriarch''s hand and took the ring into his hand.


    He had a grin on his face upon connecting his consciousness with the ring. "I didn''t expect to get my hands on the Eye of Talim and even jade pipa this easily. I guess I should thank Lu Zhen and his zheng for creating an opportunity for me to strike Lai Peng, although I would have done it eventually some other time in the future.


    Well, anyways, since I have already obtained what I want, it''s time to leave this ce. I need to find a secret hideout to study Xiao Shu''s memories and look for a way to break through to immortal¡­ Hmm?"


    As he was still in his thoughts, two figures popped out of thin air just a few meters away from him. One was the familiar opponent and another was something that looked like a mysterious alien creature.


    However, before he even reacted, Mark who was in the exo suit raised his index finger and clicked on a skill.


    "Gravity Dome, 200g."


    In the next instant, enormous pressure descended onto the surroundings, forcing everyone on the top of the mountain to their knees.


    *Thud*

 Chapter 387 End Of Wuji Sect

    Wang Chin copsed onto the ground without being able to resist the gravitational pressure within the gravity dome that covered the entire area with a 1-kilometer radius from the caster, i.e. Mark.


    As for the others, they were still in shock to see the death of their patriarch, although not clear how he died. They assumed that Lan Ju did it and now, they were forced to lie on the ground.


    "Argh¡­" Wang Chin let out a scream as he struggled to move. Since Mark had gone with the maximum amount of gravity, even Lan Ju is barely resisting the pressure. For someone like Wang Chin who doesn''t have a great physique, it was hell.


    Mark wasn''t done with his attack. He proceeded to summon the lightning clone while slowly walking toward the enemy.


    As the lightning clone appeared beside him, Mark passed an order, "clone, you rip off his arms before he tries anything funny. And Lan Ju¡­ just cut off his head and get rid of him."


    "You bastards, you won''t get away with this¡­" These were thest words of the grand mage before his arms and heads were cut off simultaneously.


    Somewhere on an ind located in a sea ofva, there was a man in the middle of deep meditation. There was a thickyer of energy around him. Violent purple-colored mes were dancing all over the energy. They looked as if they were about to erupt at any moment.


    All of a sudden, the man opened his eyes and theyer of energy disappeared. "My life clone was gone." Soon, a gush of new memories entered his mind.


    He first gritted his teeth in anger, "that damn zheng¡­ I''ll skin it alive¡­ Making a breakthrough into the immortal realm (11-circle) should have certain requirements and these bastards (elders) of my n aren''t cooperative with the information. I guess I have no choice but to make a trip to the ne of mortals and acquire the Eye of Talim. Lu Zhen, huh!"


    The same day evening;


    After everyone was finished with dinner and the servants cleaned the table, the guests left for their own rooms except for Mark and Shang Wei.


    The third prince of the phoenix Empire was captured by Lan Ju as soon as the war is over. He was put on house arrest until the evening.


    Once he was reluctantly done eating, he finally got the opportunity to talk with Mark.


    As they were sitting alone in the room, Shang Wei grew a bit nervous, not expecting to be caught in this situation.


    Fortunately for him, Mark just wanted to ask him why he was at the Wuji sect during that time.


    After knowing what Mark can do, Shang Wei would never dare to lie to him. He revealed everything about how a powerful mercenary group was hired by his eldest brother to assassinate him and how he used this opportunity to his advantage.


    After thinking for a while, Mark didn''tment anything on the matter and simply replied, "Tag along with us. We will safely drop you at your home, Prince Shang. But, whatever stories you cook upter on, we have nothing to do with them. Just remember that."


    That reassurance gave Shang Wei a lot of relief. He couldn''t help but let out a smile and thank Mark for the favor.


    Two dayster;<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The two bicorn carriages with their respective coachmen were ready to depart.


    Song Yue and others were seated in their respective carriages, Xie Mei hopped onto her griffin, and Mark was having a chat with Kunlun Sect''s acting patriarch. Jinlong, the gold dragon also became a passenger for he reluctantly swore his loyalty to Mark in the name of the heavens and both of them consumed each other''s blood with a verbal contract.


    "Brother Lu, you have done a great favor for us despite the fact that we haven''t done much to deserve such favor. Kunlun sect will always be in your debt," said Ding Tai, a grand elder, and the acting patriarch.


    Mark replied, "Well, if you want to repay the debt, then please do use your influence to put a good word to the Emperor and the other wealthy individuals. It will help my business to prosper."


    It was for this very reason he rewarded the sect. They will give him free publicity and bring huge clients to him while he can put his attention to other matters. There are not many days left till D-day when the system wille online. So, he doesn''t have the time to travel around for business anymore.


    "Sure¡­ I''ll do everything in my hands to help you out¡­"


    As Ding Tai gave his word, Mark nodded with a smile and proceeded to board the carriage.


    *neigh* neigh*


    Soon, the two bicorn carriages resumed their journey to the south. For the next few days, they only traveled. They crossed the Leon Empire''s border to enter the Western Moon kingdom.


    But, instead of making a visit to the royal pce, Mark continued to travel further south and entered the Phoenix Empire through the Kunyu mountain range.


    From there, the group split up into two groups.


    One group consisted of Mark, Jinlong, and Lan Ju.


    The other group consisted of Xie Mei and her griffin, Lan Ju, Song Yue, Shang Wei, the manticore, the golden kitten, and the ck Knight (Song Yun).


    The first group ventured into the mountains on foot while the other group made their way to the Phoenix Empire''s Imperial City in the bicorn carriages.


    As for the reason why Jinlong was tagging along with Mark despite how he had already a demigod at his service, it is because of the low amount of loyalty points.


    Jinlong''s current loyalty to Mark is only at 10%, which is enough for the gold dragon to break the pact between them at any time. Hence, he needed Lan Ju to keep an eye on him for the moment.


    As for Xie Mei, there''s always manticore and Song Yun for Song Yue''s protection. Adding to the fact that he had shown her what he can do, Mark felt like she won''t do anything that will only be the reason for her death.

 Chapter 388 Song Yue Returns Home

    The next day morning, somewhere in the Kunyu Mountains;


    It was the dawn of an important day for Mark. He was so excited that he couldn''t sleep all night properly and freshened up even before sunrise.


    And what did he do, next?


    Well, nothing¡­


    Mark kept on staring at his pocket watch. There are still a few hours left till noon.


    "Man, why is time running so slowly¡­"


    His concentration was disturbed upon hearing the sounds of bullets outside. He left his room and stepped outside of the house without informing the other two housemates (Lan Ju and Jinlong).


    As soon as he left the house, he witnessed the bandits, or more like their families started gathering outside on the street while a group of bandits with handguns appeared to be on a march.


    From time to time, they were shooting bullets into the air, disturbing everyone''s sleep for no good reason. Several people, especially the wives and the children had this annoyed look on their faces but they couldn''t say anything else too as these brave soldiers will bring them back to their homnd.


    Mark, on the other hand, had a different view. He was ted to see the progression of the guns. Being in a good mood also made him ignore the sound pollution and stood there for a while until the leader of the group spotted him.


    The group stopped their march when they reached the guest residence where Mark is standing outside.


    The leader greeted him with a deep bow and introduced himself as Hou Qifang, a general of the Kunyu Royal Force (i.e. Kunyu bandits).


    As Mark nodded in return, the 5-circle realm Spirit Warrior continued to say, "His Majesty ordered us, the generals, to pass you a message if we ever see you during the day."


    "What is it?" asked Mark.


    Hou Qifang answered, "It''s nothing important, Lord Lu. His Majesty just wants to have an important talk with you regarding the war and supplies. If you tell us when you will be free to talk, he will be visiting you with our Grandtutor."


    "Now it is a good time to talk," replied Mark.


    Earlier day, he was introduced to this grand tutor of the Western Yan who was the only Exalt realm expert in the midst of Feng Wu''s army. He was their backbone too.


    However, Mark didn''t think much of him after defeating supreme realm experts with ease. The Grand Tutor was just another weakling. But then again, he is here to talk with them anyway. So, he agreed to talk.


    As Hou Qifang bowed and left with his group, Mark mumbled, "I guess I should also write everything on the paper of what I had in mind."


    Imperial City, Phoenix Empire;


    *knock* knock* knock*


    The series of knocks disturbed the emperor''s sleep, making him a bit angry.


    "Come in¡­" He shouted.


    The door was opened and an imperial guard enters. He bowed, "I apologize, Your Majesty but it is an emergency."


    Emperor Shang''s eyes widened and he became fully awake by the word ''emergency''. "What is it?" he asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Imperial guard replied, "Your Majesty, our patrolling guards spotted two carriages bearing the crest of Eastern Sun''s royal family. A 7-circle realm powerful beast and its rider were also spotted in the skies."


    "Eastern Sun''s royal family?" Shang Fu furrowed his brows in displeasure. "But, we didn''t receive any letter. Did they think my city is a ce where they cane and go as they please?"


    The imperial guard then gulped in a bit of fear and further said, "ording to Supreme Commander, the beast is of emperor grade."


    "A beast emperor?" Emperor Shang''s eyes immediately changed as soon as he heard those words. He shouted, "Who''s there?"


    As the servants rushed in, the emperor ordered them to prepare his bath and clothes. He then ordered the imperial guard to make preparations for the guests from the north.


    "Ah, Yes¡­" The imperial guard was surprised by the sudden change in Emperor''s attitude but he didn''t dare question his majesty and hurriedly scurry away from the room.


    Roughly about an hourter, the two bicorn carriages stopped at Genesis Weapon store and were parked in the training grounds. Everyone got down.


    The two guards at the training grounds greeted Song Yue and Shang Wei with a deep bow.


    While Shang Wei simply nodded, Song Yue, who was familiar with them, let out a smile and conversed, "Xiong Heng, Lang Mu; how are you doing? Are there any troubles in our absence?"


    One of them replied, feeling ted as his existence is acknowledged by someone like Song Yue. "Lady Song, thank you for your kind wishes. It''s been quiet around here ever since the store was closed. Once in a while, some kids would try to trespass on the ground to y games. And once in a while, some people from the imperial pce wille to check whether Lord Lu returned or not. Other than that, there''s no problem here."


    "What about little Chang?" She was a little bit surprised about the closure of the store. After all, her fianc¨¦ gave the spare keys to the store to Chang Bo to work as the interim manager and take advanced orders. "Have you seen him around?" She asked.


    Soldier Lang Mu answered her question, "Lady Song, he stoppeding for the past three weeks. But, I heard that the kid opened a store branch somewhere in the city and was taking orders from there¡­ We don''t know the details."


    "Is that so?" Song Yue assumed that Alina must have given him the money to do that as she knew that the android was given a hundred thousand gold coins to open a new restaurant and manage it. "Okay, good job for looking after the store and the grounds. Here¡­"


    She gave them a gold coin each as a token of appreciation and started walking as they thanked her with big smiles.


    Xie Mei watched her actions from behind and her eyes narrowed in displeasure, "this woman is weak but very difficult to beat¡­"


    After unlocking the shutter, Lan Ju then lifted it up and everyone entered through the invisible barrier to see the interior of the duplex mansion. Shang Wei and Xie Mei never came here. So, they were quite surprised by how beautiful and clean it looked.


    However, Song Yue appeared to have different thoughts. She couldn''t help butment, "there''s a lot of dirt around. Was Allen and Alina out of the city for a few days or something?"


    As far as she can remember, there has never been a day when she saw the house with dust around. Every part of the house including the store always looked sparklingly clean.


    She quickly took out hermunication talisman that connects to her best friend Lin Xue. As they weremunicating on a daily basis, she knew about her adventures with Allen.


    So, she thought her friend would have the knowledge.


    But then, since she n on surprising Lin Xue and purposely didn''t inform her arrival at the city, Song Yue put away themunication talisman and looked at the manticore, "Mr. Baltrow, I''m going to Lin n to meet my friend. Can you keep an eye on the store and others?" She nced at Xie Mei as she said this, hoping that this beast king would understand.


    Thankfully, she understood what Song Yue wants to say and nodded. "You go¡­"


    After a while, in one of the bicorn carriages, Song Yue, her disguised father, and Shang Wei left to visit Lin Xue''s residence.

 Chapter 389 The System Is Online & A Series Of Notifications

    A few hourster at Kunyu bandits'' hideout;


    Mark was walking back and forth in his room while checking out his pocket watch from time to time. "The cooldown should have been over. What''s taking so long?"


    He has been this way for the past couple of hours, being nervous and excited at the same time. The anticipation is upying his mind so much that he refused to eat lunch until he receives the notification.


    At half past one in the afternoon, his wait was finally over with a familiar sound ringing in his ears, followed by a series of notifications on the holographic screen.


    *Ding! The system upgrade ispleted. All functions will resume as they should.


    *Ding! The system has upgraded to level-6.


    *Ding! The Bloodline category has been unlocked in the system''s store.


    *Ding! The unique Weapons category has been unlocked in the system''s store.


    *Ding! The super advanced attribute has been unlocked in the Attribute category.


    *Ding! Sage eyes passive skill is upgraded to The Eyes of God skill.


    *Ding! Ultimate Defense I and Ultimate Defense II received an upgrade.


    *Ding! Lottery Wheel has been upgraded.


    *Ding! Tishanan has evolved to ancient grade. You received 1,000,000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! Tishanan''s name is changed to Anan Spencer.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Yong, the anaconda of Fujian. It is a beast king. You received 5000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Qinlong, the Azure Dragon of the East. It is of ancient grade. You received 1,000,000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Baihu, the White Tiger of the West. It is of ancient grade. You received 1,000,000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Xuanwu, the ck Tortoise of the North. It is of ancient grade. You received 1,000,000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Zhuque, the Vermilion Bird of the North. It is of ancient grade. You received 1,000,000 credits as a reward.


    *Ding! You tamed all four holy beasts. You received 1,000,000 credits and a title as a reward.


    Title: Master of Holy beasts


    Description: When equipped, the beasts will listen to the user''s words regardless of their loyalty percentage.


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Jinlong, the gold dragon of Mt. Wu. It is a beast emperor. You received 50,000 credits as a reward.


    "System, you are back. I really missed you," said Mark in excitement as soon as he received a series of notifications. It''s been four weeks and stuff happened. So, yes, he indeed missed the system. Unfortunately, the same can''t be said for thetter.


    It responded in its usual style.


    *Ding! Thank you, however, the consciousness of the system has been in a sleeping mode. Hence, the system cannot say that it missed the host.


    "Yeah, you are indeed the sassy system that I remembered." Mark was too happy to mind its cold reply.


    He opened the quest list and went on to click on them one by one.


    *Ding! Youpleted side quest-I. Ether sniping rifle and Ether assault rifle were unlocked in the gallery.


    Ether sniping rifle


    Grade: Silver


    Effective Range: 1000 meters (100% uracy)


    Absolute range: 2000 meters


    Ammunition: 12.7mmx99mm


    Maximum velocity: 900 m/sec (bullet), 1700 m/sec (ether bullet)


    Attachments: Avable


    Skills:


    The bullet of lightning: Shoots an ether bullet that travels at the speed of lightning and pierces the enemy with 120% attack power (max stat: 5.9). Range: 1000 meters. CD: 60 minutes.


    Description: A sniping rifle that can shoot the ether bullets of peak-4-circle and assassinate enemies from far away without making any sound.


    Price: 800 gold coins.


    **


    Ether Assault Rifle


    Grade: Silver


    Effective range: 600 meters (100% uracy)


    Absolute range: 1200 meters


    Ammunition: 7.62x39mm


    Rate of fire: 960 rounds per minute


    Maximum velocity: 900 m/sec (bullet), 1700 m/sec (ether bullet)


    Attachments: Avable


    Skills:


    The Rapid Fire: Shoots twenty ether bullets almost at the same time with each one carrying 110% attack power of the user (max stat: 4.9). Range: 600 meters. CD: 60 minutes.


    Description: An assault rifle that destroys enemies before they even had the chance to make a move. The maximum power that an ether bullet can have is peak-4-circle.


    Price: 800 gold coins.


    **


    *Ding! You received a new side quest-I.


    Side Quest-I: Earn a total of 10 million gold coins from selling the weapons created by the system excluding all types of ammunition (In progress-0%)


    Reward: Battle Tank-IV (Gold grade), Rocketuncher (Gold grade), and Battle Suit (gold grade)


    "Hmm, battle suit? Sounds like my exoskeleton suit of lower grade. Very cool but earning 10 million will take a lot of time through normal sales that don''t include ammunition¡­"


    Mark continued to scroll down.


    *Ding! Youpleted the side quest-IV, Tame ten monsters. You received Taming skills.


    *Ding! Youpleted side quest-III. The amulet of Diyu has been sent to the inventory.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Ding! You received a new side quest-III.


    *Ding! Youpleted the side quest-III, Spend a total of 5,000,000 credits. You received a title, Great customer


    Title: VIP customer


    Description: upon equipping this title, the user could purchase any weapon in bulk with a chosen number of items at one time.


    "Well, this is a great one actually. Now, I could just purchase bullets in bulk without worrying about wasting my time."


    Mark continued to scroll down the notifications keeping a satisfactory smile on his face.


    *Ding! You received a new side quest-III.


    Side Quest-III: Spend a total of 50,000,000 credits.


    Reward: Staff of Blessing.


    "Hmm? The staff of Blessing? I wonder what that is. Is it like that Dragon statue that gives me free rewards?"


    Without taking a look at further notifications, he contacted the system for its details.


    *Ding!


    Staff of Blessing


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Using the staff of blessing, the user can grant his original stats to anyone for a brief amount of time. The greater the number of targets, the lesser the time limit. Once used, 24 hours are needed for the reactivation of its ability.


    "hmm?"


    Mark read the description a couple of times to confirm whether he understood it correctly or not. Once he confirmed it, he inquired with the system in order to understand the potential of this staff.


    "System, what if I use this to empower the rank-1 battle robots, let''s say ten of them? How much time will they be able to wield my power?"


    Mark wasn''t interested to give powers to the humans. He only wanted to know whether he can create a powerful army of robots that can not only operate the battle tanks and other weapons but also fight with the enemies through fists.


    And it appeared that he was extremely fortunate. The system gave him a great piece of news.


    *Ding! The host can grant the blessing to ten battle robots of rank-1 for a period of 30 minutes. The time can be extended further if the host grants the blessing of lesser stats.


    "30 minutes?" Mark gasped at once. He expected it would be like five or ten minutes. But, knowing that it is more than an hour, he couldn''t help but imagine the scenario of hundred robots.


    He asked it right away. "What if there were like a hundred of them?"


    *Ding! 3 minutes.


    "3 minutes? Wow. I can have an army of 100 robots with a 9-circle realm cultivation level for 3 whole minutes. That will be enough to crush any empire''s army. And what if I be a Demiod in the future?


    With such an army, even if the entire world united to fight against me, they will still lose. All I need to make sure that the robots were equipped with proper weapons..."


    *Ding! Rank-1 battle robots cannot handle the power of demigods. They will crumble to powder in an instant if the host attempts such a thing. Rank-9 battle robots are rmended for such action.


    *Ding! Rank-1 battle robots can only handle the power of the Supreme realm for a brief period of five minutes. After that, they will be destroyed by overloading. Rank-6 battle robots are rmended for such action.


    *Ding! It is rmended to use rank-6 stats on battle robots of rank-1.


    "Ah, is that so?" Mark was slightly disappointed by the reality, making him realize that he was getting too far ahead of himself.


    But then again, having an army of a bunch of rank-6 robots also sounded awesome. of course, that doesn''t mean he will not use rank-9 stats on the battle robots for the time being. Each of them only cost 200 gold coins.


    Hence, he can just spend some money and use those robots for five minutes. Those crucial five minutes will be enough to win a war, in Mark''s opinion.


    After calming down by taking deep breaths, he then mumbled, "enough fooling around. Let''s focus on what I have acquired so far, not on the ones that are still far away."


    Mark went back to the notification window to read the rest.


    *Ding! Youpleted the main quest, Breakthrough to rank-7. You receive 64,000 credits. Your share in the weapons sale increases to 80%.


    *Ding! You failed to choose the advanced pathway between Dungeon Creator and Tamer. As a result, the host''s profession will continue to stay on the path of a summoner.


    *Ding! Youpleted the main quest, Breakthrough to rank-8. You receive 256,000 credits. Your share in the weapons sale increases to 90%.


    *Ding! Youpleted the main quest, Breakthrough to rank-9. You receive 1,024,000 credits. Your share in the weapons sale increases to 100%.


    *Ding! Congrattions on achieving the Supreme realm. You received a mysterious package from the system as an appreciation gift.


    *Ding! You received a new main quest.


    Main Quest: Be Rank-10


    Reward: 10,000,000 credits, random Mythril grade item.


    *Ding! You received a trade request from the system. Trade Yu''s Jade Pipa for 30 million credits.


    *Ding! You received a trade request from the system. Trade Wang Zuo, the Divine throne (damaged) for 100 million credits.


    *Ding! You received a trade request for Talim''s items (Eye of Talim and Staff of Talim). Trade the weapons for abined amount of 10 million credits or 1 Upgrade crystal (Superior grade).


    He acquired 11 more semi-divine weapons but the system was interested in only those four. The others were ignored. Hence, Mark was sure that he needed to dismantle them for credits.


    But, before that, there were several things that are left to do like checking out the rewards, new features, new items in the store, etc¡­


    And the first thing he decided to do is to open the gift.


    "Open inventory."


    He scrolls down for a while before finding the image of a cardboard box with a question mark on top of it.


    Mark proceeded to click on it and then proceeded to open it.


    The box disappeared and a number of things popped up in the inventory while he received new notifications.


    *Ding! You opened the mysterious package. An upgrade crystal (superior), an upgrade stone (superior), a lottery pick ticket (14 days), a unique skill, B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, and Mark 14 nuclear bomb (one-time use).


    "Man¡­ today is my lucky day or what¡­ These rewards are too awesome. I guess I really did a good thing on upgrading it to rank-9. A B-2 spirit stealth bomber? It''s one of the coolest aircraft ever built. I always wanted to bring it back but costs too high to build one¡­


    The upgrade stone can be used on the missile defense system. The upgrade crystal can be used on Allen. There''s one upgrade crystal in an unfinished quest and another can be acquired through the trade if I y my cards right in negotiation.


    I can give both of them to Alina, making her reach rank-8 just like that. Speaking of Alina and Allen, I wonder what they were doing."


    Due to the sudden urge about contacting his dear android siblings, Mark asked the system to send a message to Alina. However, the reply from the system didn''t appear to be positive.


    *Ding! Alina Spencer''s current status is dead.


    "What did you say?" Mark''s facial expression changed drastically.

 Chapter 390 Tracking System

    "What do you mean her status is dead?" Mark raised his voice as he questioned the system. "Exin how deep the problem is."


    Mark never expected that someone in the Phoenix Empire would dare to attack her in his absence.


    But then again, he was also aware that androids cannot die. Even if they werepletely destroyed, as long as he pays enough credits, the system will bring them back to life while retaining their memories.


    He confirmed it on the day when he gained Allen as a quest reward. It is also the reason he gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted while he was on a long vacation.


    But, that doesn''t mean he is okay with them getting killed by enemies. After all, there''s also emotional bonding between him and the other two. He will have his revenge for sure but before that, he would have to understand the core issue.


    Fortunately, the system was quite cooperative in exining the details and providing him with the solution.


    *Ding! Alina''s core is intact and safe but it has been severed from her body. Her status is dead.


    *Ding! The system rmends the host purchase the tracking system through which, the host can track the location of androids, beasts, weapons, and everything bound to the host''s soul.


    *Ding! Proceed to purchase?


    Mark didn''t respond to the system''s sale offer but instead asked, "You said Alina''s core was severed. So, if I buy this tracking system, I will track the whereabouts of the core but not the body. Am I correct?"


    *Ding! Correct. An android''s core contains everything ranging from its data (memories) to its energy. Without the core, the body is nothing more than a lump piece of metal.


    "Alright, I''ll buy it." Mark didn''t even think of asking the system about the costs as it wouldn''t matter. Not because he is rich or something but it is due to the fact that Mark treats Alina like a younger sibling. And you cannotpare a sibling''s life to money.


    *Ding! 10,000 credits were deducted. The tracking system is added to the character. Go to the character screen to use the function.


    Mark didn''t waste the time in opening the character screen where his stats were shown. As the UI has been updated, it looked slightly different.


    The character screen was divided into several tabs.


    One had the stats, one had the list of his properties, one had the list of his contracted beasts and their details, one had the list of his skills, one is dedicated to Mark''s factory, one is dedicated to quests, one is dedicated to his soul bound weapons, one had the list of androids, one had the list of VIP clients and their level, one is dedicated to lottery wheel system, one is dedicated to Mining system, one has the list of the store''s branches and their data, one had the list of all the weapons and their respective prices sold in the store, andstly, there is a tracking system.


    He clicked on thest tab and opened the tracking system.


    There was one big circle in the middle of the screen and there was another circle beside it that had the symbol of lock and the number 1000 written below it.


    Mark didn''t need an exnation to understand how this works. He clicked on the second circle right away and purchased it for 1000 credits.


    Once the two were unlocked, he clicked on one of the empty circles. 3D Illustrations of several beings popped up before his eyes.


    If Mark had been doing this in some other situation, he would have been amazed but right now, his mood wasn''t good. Hence, he didn''t appreciate the system''s artwork and just clicked on the second image.


    *Ding! Lock Alina? You cannot change once you select the target.


    "Do it."


    The illustrations disappeared and Alina''s image filled one circle. He selected Allen for the second one.


    Once he was done with his selection, Mark proceeded to click on Alina.


    "This location¡­" Mark''s expression changed as he saw the directions and the distance. He could urately guess where Alina''s core was.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In the next instant, he hurriedly clicked on Allen. As their locations ended up the same, Mark asked, "System, can you send a message to Allen?"


    *Ding! Allen Spencer''s status is dormant. Can receive the message but cannot send it back.


    "He was also attacked?" Mark''s heartbeat spiked up once again. He gritted his teeth, "damn it. I need to leave¡­"


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Lin Wuying''s Mansion, Imperial City;


    In one of the rooms of the mansion, Allen was seen unconsciously lying on the bed with Lin Xue and Song Yue standing nearby.


    Both of these best friends appeared to be in the middle of an argument, although it is mostly Lin Xue doing the whole arguing while the minister of Personnel, Lin Wuying, had a look of worry on his face as he was walking back and forth outside the room.


    "It is true that I brought Allen into the world of adventuring but it was Alina who brought us to this mission. It was not my fault. You are being unreasonable." Lin Xue shouted at Song Yue as thettermented that she shouldn''t have dragged Allen with her.


    "And do you think my fianc¨¦e would care who was at fault here? Try to understand the situation, Xue Xue¡­" replied Song Yue. She was actually more worried about her friend.


    Lin Xue didn''t back down and said in a harsh tone, "What is there to understand? He will kill us and probably destroy our n, right? Let him do what that devil incarnate wants. I''ll never apologize to him."


    "Hey, that''s going too far. Mind your tone, Lin Xue. He is my husband." Song Yue furrowed her brows in displeasure. Even if Lin Xue is her best friend, how could this girl call her fiance a devil? This is something Song Yue will not sit out.


    However, Lin Xue became so crazy that she wasn''t thinking straight at all. She exploded without having control over her emotions, "Then, I guess he is a divine being, right? What a joke¡­


    For the sake of aplishing his goals, your husband will go to any extent. He is selfish to the core. I''m telling you. He is a warmonger who will burn this entire world one day.


    Falling in love with him, choosing him as your husband, and supporting his activities, you are equally guilty, Song Yue.


    From the moment we became friends since when did I ever abandon you? I stood by you at all times and shared all of my secrets with you, Song Yue. Yet, you have lied to me about Allen.


    Even when I revealed to you the fact that I was in love with Allen, you should have told me that he is not a human. The least you can do is firmly oppose my decision using some sort of excuse. No, you didn''t do anything of that. Instead, you suggested that I need Alina and Lu Zhen''s approval for that to work.


    You made me misunderstand that there''s hope for me." Lin Xue was at the top of her voice. Fortunately, the room was sealed by her father through a noise-canceling barrier.


    Meanwhile, tears filled up Lin Xue''s ears as she fell to her knees, "In my whole life, I just loved one man and he isn''t even a human, Song Yue. Just a human-looking puppet¡­ I... I really love him, Yue Yue¡­"


    Seeing her ever-cold-looking friend breaking down so emotionally, Song Yue''s expression softened. She couldn''t help but hug her friend and apologize. "I''m sorry¡­ I just don''t know how to tell you. So, I ran away from the problem¡­ I don''t mean to lie to you. I swear¡­"


    Lin Xue continued to bawl her eyes out and hugged back, "please¡­ do something¡­ save him¡­ the healers don''t know what''s wrong with him. Even the healing stone of the Heavens sect doesn''t work."


    Patting her friend''s back, Song Yue replied, "Only my husband will have the idea of how to help Allen out. And don''t worry. I will not let himy a finger on your n."


    Just a moment ago, Song Yue was demanding an apology from Lin Xue, when Mark returns. She even suggested to Lin Xue that thetter should kneel before Mark and beg for her life. After all, she knew how precious the androids to Mark are.


    But now, the situation haspletely turned around. She was even promising her friend to shield her from Mark''s wrath.


    Well, such is the case with kind-hearted people like Song Yue. She forgives others too easily.

 Chapter 391 Repairing Allen Through An Upgrade

    "I need to leave right now due to a situation. Inform Prince Feng that he can send one of the subordinates to our store''s branch located at Lunaris city to collect the items on the date we decided."


    Mark informed a guard to pass the message to their leader before he gathered Lan Ju and Jinlong (the gold dragon) and teleported away from the vige.


    Grabbing two of them, Lan Ju took a few continuous teleportations to reach the0 Imperial City''s valley street.


    Staring at therge mansion from a distance, he said, "Knock out everyone who tries to stop me."


    The zheng and the gold dragon nodded in unison and followed him from behind as he walked forward.


    The two gatekeepers of Lin Wuying''s mansion obviously stopped him at the entrance


    "Halt right there. Who are you?" One of the guards who didn''t recognize Mark spoke out loud while pointing the spear at him.


    Mark nced to the side. Lan Ju disappeared and reappeared behind the guard, giving a chop at his neck at controlled strength and knocking him out.


    Jinlong, the gold dragon wanted to do the same but Lan Ju didn''t give him the opportunity and knocked out the second one too.


    Mark continued to walk forward and stepped inside thepound.


    As a few other guards who were roaming around discovered them, Lan Ju flexed his fingers andmented, "I guess it is better to just knock everyone out to save time."


    Mark didn''t say anything and stayed silent but the gold dragon had different thoughts. Using his intellect, he made his move without bothering to ask Mark''s permission.


    Transforming into a 20ft gold dragon, he released his aura but made sure to control the range so that only the Spirit Warriors inside the mansion get affected by the presence of a supreme realm beast.


    Lan Ju and Mark halted their footsteps in surprise and turned their heads. The gold dragon took a nce at them from the corner of his eyes and said, "I believe no one is foolish enough to fight once they realize that they don''t stand a chance against their enemies."


    Mark answered calmly, "except that these guys aren''t our enemies. They could be considered allies."


    "Ah!" The gold dragon realized that he fucked up by misunderstanding the situation. He bowed his head and apologized for his reckless move.


    But, it appeared that Mark wasn''t against his move. He ordered the gold dragon to continue to stay in that form and put pressure on the Lin n.


    As a result, Lin Wuying and the ck Knight were forced toe out of the house in a hurry. The moment he saw Mark, his legs already started to shiver. Even Song Yun was in the same condition, although he appeared to be ufortable with the presence of the gold dragon.


    But, in the end, Lin Wuying is still a minister who dealt with the emperor and the imperial guests for a long time.


    He managed to stay calm even in the presence of a powerful dragon and gracefully weed Mark and the other two. "Wee to our residence, Owner Lu. How was your trip?"


    Mark replied in a straight tone, "We''ll have a nice talk in the future but for now, I''m busy with other matters. I''m here to take Allen, my younger brother back with me."


    "Ah, that''s¡­" Sweat beads started forming on Lin Wuying''s forehead as he became nervous once again. He wiped off the sweat with his handkerchief and said, "There''s something I need to tell."


    Mark raised his hand, "I know the condition of Allen, Lord Lin. So, don''t bother for now. If you want to answer, just tell me how he ended up in this ce."


    Lin Wuying thought that Song Yue probably had updated the news and seeing that Mark wasn''t too angry, he felt a bit relieved and told him the truth that he knows, "My daughter brought him from the Bloodhill forest. They were attacked by a¡­"


    Mark raised his hand once again and interrupted him, "I will hear the story directly from the witness. So, can you now hand over Allen? Or should I take him in my own ways?"


    Mark didn''t tell him what was his own way but Lin Wuying understood it perfectly. The minister nced at the gold dragon and gulped his saliva before he nodded like a hen, "Yes, of course, we''ll happily cooperate with you."


    After a while;<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The Necromancer King, huh?" Mark mumbled coldly as he tightened his grip on the hexagonal-prism-shaped object in his hand. "He ising after the Emperor''s head? Good¡­ It will save me a lot of trouble to search for him."


    After collecting the glowing ring, Alina''s core, and Allen''s unconscious body, Mark bade farewell to Lin Xue and returned to the store with his fianc¨¦e.


    As for Lin Xue, she felt a lot relieved after seeing Mark, knowing that Allen would return to life.


    Adding on top of that, nothing happened as Song Yue earlier warned her. After listening to the entire story, Mark even thanked her for the help instead of unnecessarily ming her for this incident.


    It made her feel a little bit regretful for speaking such harsh words to her best friend, regarding Mark. She didn''t change her view about Mark but still, she felt like she hurt Song Yue with her words. She decided to apologize to her the following day.


    Andstly, Lin Wuying was just happy with the fact that Mark didn''t show his aggression against his family. It is enough for him.


    Upon returning to the store, Mark heard that the third prince returned to the pce because of the long wait. And Xie Mei took this opportunity to take a room for herself and was currently taking a nap.


    Mark didn''t wake her up and just went to his room with Allen''s body. He didn''t forget to tell Song Yue and others to take a rest in the meantime.


    Laying the android on the floor, Mark closed the door and sat down before the body. He talked to the system. "System, to repair Allen, how much do you need?"


    The system was always quick to reply.


    *Ding! 100,000 credits


    As Mark was about to agree to pay the amount without even trying to negotiate, the system decided to not take advantage of the situation and sent him the second notification, something that helps its host.


    *Ding! The host can choose to upgrade Allen Spencer with the upgrade crystal and repair him without paying credits.


    "Oh, I can do that?" Mark was surprised a bit and then opened his inventory right away.


    Since he nned on giving it to this android in the first ce, Mark didn''t hesitate to click on the image of a crystal. This one was rainbow in color as opposed to yellow.


    Upgrade Crystal (Superior)


    Grade: N/A


    Description: A crystal made from the core of Divine Dragon, Velkazar.


    "Velkazar?" Mark remembered the statue of Velkazar which gives him free gifts every couple of weeks. "Let''s think about itter, Mark. Focus on the present." He shook away those thoughts and grabbed the glowing rainbow crystal that appeared in his hands.


    Soon, he touched Allen''s forehead with this crystal.


    As the crystal disappeared into his forehead, the system sent him the notification.


    *Ding! The Android goes into standby. Estimated time: 71 hours, 56 minutes, 32 seconds.


    "Okay, so, three days, huh? Not a big deal. I can wait. Now, it is Alina''s turn."


    Mark then looked at the hexagonal prism core that was ced in one of the inventory slots and contacted the system once again, "System, what is the price I have to pay to bring back Alina?"


    *Ding!

 Chapter 392 The Lamp Of Wishes & Upgrading The Exo Suit

    Mark''s expression changed as he saw the system''s offer.


    *Ding! Attack Helicopter-EC 665 is the price.


    Just a moment ago, he thought that the system changed after the update. It was bing nicer and stopped bing an opportunist.


    But, the new reply from the system made him wonder whether he was wrong.


    As a result, he didn''t rush as he did with Allen''s repair. Instead, he tried to negotiate. "Attack Helicopter is something that I need for my family to fly around and will be useful for my research. I''ll pay you in credits instead."


    Adding to the cursed ring, he possessed four divine-grade weapons, one of which was given to Allen. The remaining three could be traded for credits. Hence, he wouldn''t becking credits even if he spent a hefty sum for Alina''s resurrection.


    Too bad for him the system also had the knowledge of it. Hence, it didn''t ask for the credits as in its view of thew of exchange, a precious thing can only be exchanged for another precious thing.


    Now that credits are no longer precious for Mark, the system decided to use something else that is worth a lot.


    However, Mark wasn''t ready to give up the helicopter despite knowing the fact that it would bring Alina back.


    So, what should the system do?


    Ask for the divine-grade weapons? Give him a difficult mission?


    The system made a quick analysis and gave him the best offer it can.


    *Ding! The price toplete the host''s request has been changed.


    *Ding! Your side quest has been changed.


    Side Quest-III: Spend a total of 100,000,000 credits in the system store.


    Reward: Staff of Blessing, themp of wishes.


    Themp of wishes


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Themp of wishes can be used to make a request to the system that bypasses thew of exchange. Whatever the host asks, the system is obliged to fulfill it.


    Note 1: God-grade items and the ones that don''t exist within the system''s database cannot be granted.


    Note 2: can only be used once every 180 days.


    **


    "So, this is like a genie''smp?" Mark had this thoughte to his mind as soon as he read the description. His eyes then shifted to the quest itself and mumbled, "The original 50 million credits have been raised to 100 million credits in the side quest and another reward was added. To get 500 million gold coins, I might have to rob all the empires.


    Let''s see what I have got first.


    Prior to my departure, I had over 21 million gold coins including the 10 million given by the Imperial Pce as a part of our deal.


    I had 26.2 million credits. Now, adding the new rewards, now, I had a total of 33.6 million credits. If I convert all the gold to credits, I''ll have another 4 million.


    To reach 100 million, I would still need over 62 million credits. Trading Jade pipa and this cursed ring of Chiyou will me another 50 million. That leaves 12 million credits to be earned. Hmm¡­ I wonder how much I can earn if I sell all the semi-divine items I got from the Wuji sect¡­


    But, is this really the right thing to do?"


    Perhaps, it is because Mark was rxed knowing that Alina''s resurrection is possible as long as he earned enough money. He was having second thoughts about trading every treasure he had toplete the side quest.


    Instead, he could take it slow and focus more on bing stronger. Adding on top of that, it was Alina''s fault in the ce that she ended up like this.


    If she had only listened to Allen''s opinion and waited for a few days until the system gets online to contact him, none of this would have happened.


    If one should receive a reward for doing the right thing, then, they should also be punished for bing reckless.


    Mark doesn''t know what his exact feelings were. Was he angry with Alina or was he angry with himself? Or whether he suddenly thinks her life isn''t as important as wasting away 100 million credits in hurry¡­


    Whatever the case, for now, he just convinced himself to not hurry the resurrection of Alina and put his priority on exploring the functions of the system instead.


    But, before that, he would have to check out the new items in inventory that he missed due toing in a hurry


    "Open Inventory"


    He first clicked on the rainbow-colored stone. A new window opened up with its image and the details.


    Upgrade stone (Superior)


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Can be used on items and upgrade their grade as long as the item is Celestial or below grade.


    "So, this cannot be used to upgrade to the god grade huh? Well, it doesn''t matter anyways. I have already decided on the item which I will use this on."


    He took out the stone and then the fist-sized box with a big red button on top of it. Mark touched the stone to thepressed exo suit.


    Just like with the android, the box glowed as soon as it was touched by the upgrade stone. Thetter disappeared into the box in the meantime.


    As the glowed died down, Mark received the confirmation.


    *Ding! Exoskeleton suit-VII has been sessfully upgraded to Exoskeleton suit-VIII. Check out its details for the changes.


    Exoskeleton Suit-VIII (Bound)


    Model number: VT-61<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Grade: Celestial


    Crew: 1


    PERFORMANCE:


    Maximum speed: Mach 2 (running), Mach 10 (flight), Mach 1 (underwater)


    Energy consumption: Ether points (amount depends on actions)


    Maximum operating altitude: 57458 meters from sea level.


    Maximum operating depth: 25682 meters underwater.


    ARMAMENT:


    Assault battle Rifle (Ether) ¨C An assault rifle with a capacity to store 3 billion ether particles worth of ether energy.


    Ammunition: Ether energy


    Range: 2680 meters


    Magazine: 3 rounds (Rank-9 ether bullets); 10 rounds (Rank-8 ether bullets); 20 rounds (Rank-7 ether bullets); 50 rounds (Rank-6 ether bullets);


    Rate of Fire: 300 RPM (fixed for every type of round)


    *


    Sniper Battle Rifle (Ether) ¨C A single-shot sniper rifle with the capacity to store 9 billion ether particles worth of ether energy.


    Ammunition: Ether energy


    Magazine: 1 round (low-Rank-1 to peak-Rank-9)


    Range: 38566 meters


    *


    Attachments: Scope (150x)


    Target lock-in: Yes (Assault rifle)


    OTHER FEATURES:


    Flight, underwater breath, enhanced vision, night vision, Resistance (9 points), and Neural link.


    Description: The exoskeleton suit-VII is a durable armor made out of Mithril (42%), Adamantium (48%), and other materials. It is capable of blocking every type of attack under the 9-circle realm and powerful enough to hurt enemies under mid-rank-9 physique (9.5-str) with simple fists and kicks.


    SKILLS:


    Active:


    Nullification: The suit absorbs all types of attacks for five seconds as long as they are below the level of 11-circle (<11 str/int). Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: 180 seconds.


    Energy barrier: The suit creates a defensive shield for 10 minutes, which reduces the attack power of an energy-based attack by 30%. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: 6 hours.


    Stealth mode: The user can turn invisible for 30 seconds and attack enemies from far away. However, the mode will get canceled with physical contact with anyone. Cost: 10% ether energy. CD: 5 minutes.


    Elemental st: The user can st concentrated energy from either of his palms and destroy the opponents. Effect (1): 160% attack power (max: 10.9 int) Effect (2): Contains the attribute effect. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: 0 seconds.


    All-out Burst: The battle rifle absorbs the natural energy from the surroundings and shoots a concentrated beam with Rank-10 attack power (10.5-int). Cost: 100% ether energy. CD: 24 hours.


    Passive/Toggle:


    Flight: The user could fly like a bird in the sky with just 1 ether point/second of consumption.


    Underwater breath: With the suit having the ability to automatically extract oxygen from water, the user could swim underwater without any breathing issues as long as the mask is kept on. No cost is required.


    Neural Link: The user could operate the suit remotely by connecting his mind with the suit''s core. Cost: Depends on the distance and time. Note: Once the suit is disconnected, it needed to be collected in person. Hence, there''s a risk of losing it.


    Enhanced vision: Through the inbuilt scope function in the helmet, the user can see the objects more clearly with 20x zoom. No cost is required.


    Night vision: The user can see in the darkness as clearly as in the day. No cost is required.


    **


    "Damn, the improvements are too big. I guess I did the right thing to upgrade it after all. Anyways, there are others to check out for. Let''s put this away."


    cing the exo suit back in his inventory, Mark proceeded to click on the rest of the rewards. He clicked on the unique skill ticket with a question mark.


    The ticket disappeared from the inventory, giving him a skill.


    *Ding! Metal Armor skill (unique) had been added to the skills list.


    Metal Armor (Lv-9): The user can gather magic energy and turn his body into steel, increasing strength and defense stats by 2 points for ten minutes (Max: 10.9) Cost: 50% Ether energy. CD: 6 hours.


    "Well, the skill isn''t exceptional but isn''t bad either. It might be useful in the future¡­"


    Mark didn''t like the skill that much as he was expecting an offensive type. He felt like he had enough protective measures already and didn''t need another defensive skill. But then again, it is not like he paid for it. So, he was cool to have an extra one.


    Closing down the window, he went on to click on the image of the next slot that coincidentally has a part of his name included.

 Chapter 393 Nuclear Bomb

    Mark 14 Nuclear bomb


    Model: TX-14


    Grade: N/A


    Type: Thermonuclear


    Yield: 6.9 Megatons


    Energy Release at the point of impact: 28.8696 Peta Joules (Equivalent stats: 12.1)


    Max. st radius (high possibility of death): 4183 meters (groundburst), 4467 meters (airburst)


    Max. Effective radius (light injuries): 26.5 km (groundburst), 30.7 km (airburst)


    Description: This nuclear bomb has the potential to wipe out any Spirit warrior below Saint Realm if they stand close enough from the point of impact. The more distance is from the point of impact, the less damage the targets will receive.


    **


    "The first solid fuel staged hydrogen bomb, eh¡­ It''s an old model but the danger it possesses to my enemies cannot be ignored either.


    Putting aside this bomb''s ability, there''s something I need to ponder.


    Based on this information, we can safely say that even a beginner Saint Realm expert (12-circle) would usually have the strength equivalent to this nuclear bomb.


    That guy named Yuqiang who gave me the holy beasts is surely stronger than an average Saint Realm.


    Then, what about the realms above Saint?


    ording to Baltrow (the manticore), there are beasts and beings in the 13-circle and even in the 14-circle.


    There''s a high chance that even a bomb of Tsar bomba''s capacity wouldn''t be enough to harm those beings. Thermonuclear bombs are only helpful against the worlds on this of type 1 civilization, and to some extent, type 2 civilizations, possibly.


    But, the anti-matter weapons, on the other hand, have the potential to hurt those godsfortably sitting in heaven and ying with the fates of mortals.


    The anti-matter weapons should be what I need to put as my next big goal.


    Let''s see I need about 23.3gm of antimatter to have equivalent energy released by a nuclear bomb with a megaton yield. Even if I assume that I need a gigaton yield to hurt them, I would need 23 kilograms of antimatter.


    Even at my team''s peak, we didn''t create so much antimatter in theb. Forget aboutb with sophisticated, I don''t even have decent modern equipment in this world.


    Nah, even if I somehow collect tons of anti-matter, it is only enough to hurt the people, not enough to totally wipe out a as the gods do in the myths. It means they are far stronger than I can imagine.


    What I need is something like a true vacuum bomb that releases vacuum energy and created some sort of vacuum decay, but it should be in a controlled manner or else, the entire universe will die¡­ Ugh¡­ why am I thinking of such absurd theories right now?


    Destruction ofs? Defeating gods? And vacuum energy? Seriously? You are way over in your head, Mark.


    Come down to the earth and think about the problems before you, idiot. Fuuu¡­ take a deep breath¡­"


    After calming down himself and throwing all unnecessary thoughts away from his head, Mark closed the window and clicked on the missile defense system.


    Since it can be upgraded with a click of a button, he didn''t summon it and proceeded with the upgrade using the credits.


    *Ding! 840,000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System has been upgraded to Crystal grade.


    He didn''t stop upgrading.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Ding! 6,720,000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System has been upgraded to Ruby grade.


    "Okay, next¡­" His eyes shifted to a section of the inventory filled with dazzling items.


    With his eyes fixed on a throne-shaped item, Mark asked, "System, how much is needed to repair Wang Zuo?"


    The system took a couple of seconds to analyze the weapon''s condition and gave him the answer.


    *Ding! 2 billion credits. The divine throne is a god-grade item. It requires rare resources to repair it and bring it back to its peak.


    "2 billion?" Mark let out a gasp in shock. But then, as he remembered the price quoted by the system to forcefully remove the memories of the zheng back when he first contracted with it, he felt calmer.


    He felt that it might be worth the price, considering the fact that the god grade is the highest grade an item can have in the universe. There''s nothing higher than that. It is why the gods and immortals call them universe-grade items.


    As he can''t repair it at the moment, he could only try wiping out its consciousness. Since the system didn''t cost him much when it wiped out the consciousness of the Yu sword, Mark expected it to be doable.


    And the system confirmed to him that he can afford it, but Mark couldn''t help but have second thoughts as he read the notifications.


    *Ding! The price is 18 million credits. The system will use the protos energy to wipe out its memories and will bind them to you. The divine spirit will not remember anything and will staypletely loyal to you.


    *Ding! If the host doesn''t want any spirit hosting the divine throne, it will cost 15 million credits. Note: If the weapon doesn''t have any spirit, then, it cannot act on its own.


    Mark understood that he was left with two choices. The semi-divine and divine weapons which had the spirits can act simr to the contracted beasts. They wouldn''t need their masters to wield them all the time.


    At the same time, Mark knew the benefits of Wang Zuo too. This old divine spirit has been there for a long time and probably knew a lot of secrets of heaven including the Jade Emperor.


    With great wisdom, the divine spirit can also advise him on several matters.


    However, there is a big risk. Since Wang Zuo is a divine spirit, he can escape when things be difficult between him and his master. In the future, what if he escapes and reveals the secret of the system to some god-like Yuqiang?


    After analyzing the pros and cons for a while, Mark came to the decision and talked in his head, "System, I would like to wipe out the spirit entirely."


    *Ding! Please store the item in your inventory.


    Mark nodded and took out the scepter from his storage ring.


    As soon as he came outside, Wang Zuo expressed his delight, "finally. I thought I would stay and share that space with those inferior spirits. But then again, I didn''t expect a mortal to possess more than one divine-grade weapon.


    Lu Zhen, where did you get that Yellow Emperor''s Jade pipa? There are also weird metallic objects in strange shapes. I''m really curious. Woah, what is that puppet? It looks exactly like a human from top to bottom.


    And what is this ce? I feel quite an amount of suppression on me. It was as if some powerful entity unleashed a skill and trapped us in a pocket dimension.


    Anyways, did you think ande to a decision? We can proceed with forming the contract without wasting any time. What do you say?"


    Earlier Mark had a tiny bit of pity for the divine throne as he decided to wipe out its spirit but when he heard these words from Wang Zuo, he felt like he did the right thing after all.


    After telling the divine spirit that he still needed half more day and will answer all of his questions, Mark ced the divine throne in the inventory.


    "System, proceed¡­"


    *Ding! The inventory has been locked temporarily to block the target''s escape route.


    A few minutester;


    *Ding! 15 million credits were deducted. The divine throne has been bound to your soul. Name the divine throne.

 Chapter 394 The Overpowered God-Grade Weapon

    "Danya"


    "That is the name I will give to the divine throne as I will deliver judgment using the weapon."


    *Ding! The name is registered. Check out the weapons tab for the details.


    Mark clicked on the divine throne for the details.


    Danya, the divine throne


    Grade: God (peak quality)


    Status: Damaged (50% reduction of skill effectiveness, max limit of stats wise reduced by 20%, 100% higher cost, cooldown time, and unavability of several skills)


    Attribute: Divine Energy


    Description: Once the divine throne of the heavens, Danya is a damaged artifact of god grade that can shapeshift to any type of weapon its master desires. All types of attacks unleashed by Danya will contain divine energy.


    Skills:


    Active:


    Divinity Bestowal: using the divine throne, the user can bestow divinity to any ally for one hour. CD: 6 hours. Range: The target must be seen with the naked eye.


    Life Creation (unavable): Using the divine throne, the user can create a new life of any shape, size, and species. All it needs is imagination. Cost: Varies. CD: Varies.


    Absolute Restoration (unavable): The user can restore anything/everything back to its natural state with absolutely no ws or mistakes in the process, regardless of how badly destroyed the target is. The user can undo powers that can be otherwise apocalyptic, reverse altered effects, restore destroyed souls, resurrect, and heal any type of damage be it mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. Cost: Varies. CD: Varies. Range: The target must be seen with the naked eye.


    Divine judgment: By sitting on the divine throne, the user can unleash karma on the target. The target will receive the judgment from the heavens within one day of time. The result will be based on virtues and sins. Cost: depends on the target. CD: 0 seconds. Range: The target must be seen with the naked eye.


    Dimension Creation (unavable): the user can create dimensions and nearly anything within the dimension (objects, creatures, etc¡­) and travel to them with a thought. Cost: varies. CD: varies.


    Divine arrows (unavable): The user can conjure divine arrows and rain down on the enemies with 150% attack (max: 13.9). Cost: 1% ether energy per divine arrow. CD: 1 sec per divine arrow. Range: unlimited.


    Divine Healing: The user can heal themselves or others by using divine energy/power. Cost: Varies. CD: varies.


    Divine shield: The user can cover himself with a divine barrier that has self-healing power. It has the power of 200% defense (max: 13.9). Cost: 1% ether energy per second. CD: 0 sec.


    Almighty Mode (unavable): The user''s body will merge with the divine throne and transform into an almighty divine being for five minutes. During this time, all of the stats will be increased to 13.9. Cost: Nil. CD: 72 hours.


    Prophecy: The user can have a prophetic dream of his destiny. The point of the future will be random and cannot be controlled by the user due to the loss of the divine spirit. Cost: Nil. CD: 12 hours.


    Passive skills:


    Divine Aura: In the presence of the divine throne, all of the user''s stats will be increased by 50% or 2 points (max: 13.9), whichever is lower between them.


    Divine transformation: The divine throne can shapeshift into any kind of item or weapon that its master desires. However, it cannot take the appearance of a living being.


    Divine Recovery (unavable): The user''s energy (all types) recovery rate increases by 1000%.


    Divine magic: All of the attacks generated by the divine throne contain divine energy. Hence, they are extra harmful to the undead and other dark creatures.


    Instant teleportation (unavable): The divine throne can teleport its master to any ce in the universe.


    Immunity: The user is immune to all kinds of debuffs.


    ***


    "Woah, that''s a lot to digest¡­" Mark didn''t expect that a god-grade weapon is too overpowered even whenpared to the likes of the celestial-grade divine sword, the exo suit, and others.


    The power to create life, the power to create dimensions, the power to travel anywhere in the universe; it will just make him a god. Not to mention the fact that he could return home and check on his brother.


    His mind screamed to repair it even by taking loans but fortunately, Mark''s rationality saved him from falling into endless debt as he wasn''t dealing with gods yet.


    Hence, he could manage it for what it offers him at the moment. As for returning to his home, he could still do it as long as he finishes the quest and unlocks the space attribute.


    And to make sure he won''t get tempted further, Mark closed the window and tried to shift his focus on other interesting objects like the Amulet of Diyu for example.


    "What the¡­"


    Once again, Mark was taken aback by the details, although it left a bad taste in his mouth unlike the earlier one. "System, are you joking with me? There''s no way I will use this one¡­"


    Mark had a bit of expectation on this treasure as this would let him form a contract with a demon but that hope appeared to be gone as it required ten years of life force just to initiate the summoning. Even then, there''s no guarantee of the sess rate.


    And there''s also a possibility that he would fail to form a contract with the demon after the summon.


    Mark felt like he received a useless item.


    But, thankfully, the system already had a solution, one that satisfies him as well as its habit to milk gold coins from him.


    *Ding! Contracting with demons alwayses at a heavy cost as their loyalty is guaranteed once the contract is formed. It is different from the beasts.


    *Ding! Integrate with the system? The cost will change to 50,000 credits and the host gets a free chance.


    "50,000 credits huh?" Mark couldn''t help but scoff at the offer proposed by the system. "The lottery used to only cost 300 credits. You inted the prices quite quickly, System."


    *Ding! The system received a huge upgrade and hence, the quality of the items also increased significantly. As a result, the cost also increased.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "In such case, I guess the cost to spin the lottery wheel must also be increased,"mented Mark in response.


    *Ding! Yes, it has been increased from 300 credits to 3000 credits. You can check out the new lottery wheel for the details.


    Since he cannot argue with the system without seeing the results of the upgrade, Mark was forced to agree with the arrangement.


    "Fair enough. Proceed with the integration."


    *Ding! Amulet of Diyu has been integrated with your character.


    The amulet with the image of a devil disappeared from his inventory and a new tab was added to his character menu.


    He opened the Amulet of Diyu.


    Amulet of Diyu


    Grade: N/A


    Description: The amulet of Diyu is an object that is used to summon a demon from theherworld and form a contract with it.


    Cost: 50,000 credits


    Cooldown timer: 30 days


    Sess rate: Varies


    Free chance: 1 (100% sess rate for summoning)


    Contracted demons: 0


    <<<Summon>>>


    "System, exin to me the process of forming a contract."


    Since he was dealing with the unknown here, he asked for the system''s assistance to get rification.


    If the demon will be summoned to his residence, then, the ultimate defense will probably make it easier for him to subdue the target. In such a case, he can use an empty room.


    But, what if the demon goes on a rampage and others might catch up in their battle as Mark unleashes the gravity dome?


    In that case, he would send everyone away for a while before proceeding with the summoning.


    Or maybe, he should just go far away and summon the demon in a remote location?


    There are a lot of thoughts going on through Mark''s head and the system''s response only gave him a bit of temporary relief.


    *Ding! Upon initiating the summoning, the system will unleash the summoning circle, dragging a random demon from one of theherworlds located in the ne of immortals.


    *Ding! The demon will usuallyy down the conditions as they are bound to the summoning circle for the next 30 minutes. The host will be on his own to deal with the demon.


    *Ding! Once the host fulfills the conditions, he can form a contract with the demon with terms discussed beforehand. After that, the host can summon the contracted demon at any time while consuming ether energy in the process.


    *Ding! For the first contract, the system can create a temporary spatial dimension and summon the demon in that location. If the host needed the system''s assistance to create such dimension every time, a fee of 10,000 credits will be needed for 30 minutes.


    "Man, you are gold sucking vampire aren''t you?" Mark could really feel that the system was actually waiting to promote its assistance to loot more gold coins from him now that he is very rich and also earn a 100% share of every piece of weapon from a transaction. "Fine¡­ we''ll proceed after I''m done squandering."


    "System, open the store"


    *Skills*


    *Items*


    *Attributes*


    *Bloodlines*


    *Unique Weapons*


    "Well, I have enough items. Don''t need more. Let''s see the unlocked content"


    Mark clicked on the attributes category and scrolled down to thest section.


    Super Advanced: 1,000,000 credits


    Chaos, Time, Nuclear, Protos (Anti-divine), Divine, Anti-matter, Nature (natural energy)


    "Oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­ ouch¡­ I''m not dreaming. It''s¡­ it''s¡­" Mark had a hard time believing that he could purchase one thing that he was dreaming to collect the most through scientific ways.


    Mark didn''t even take a look at the other attributes and directly went on to purchase the thing he desires.


    However, the system won''t give him the easy way either.


    *Ding! Super Advanced attributes can only be purchased once. After this purchase, the others will be unavable to purchase. Proceed?


    "Oh boy¡­ now this has beplicated¡­" A look of hesitation appeared on Mark''s face.

 Chapter 395 Purchasing The Attributes

    ording to Mark, of all the weapons he designed, the Antimatter bomb is considered the best. Indirectly, just a couple of prototypes even stopped the world war.


    If only the weapon wasn''t banned by the upper echelons, who knows, for the future generations of the earth, Mark would have been called the father of anti-matter bombs.


    However, it is also a truth that its creation is what caused his doom.


    That doesn''t mean Mark wasn''t fascinated by designing it once again. They have so much potential. Not to mention the fact that he no longer has any superior to control his actions.


    If he wants to create them, he could create them.


    And the system gave him a shortcut to achieve it by providing anti-matter particles for free.


    On any day, Mark would have chosen it without hesitation. But, as the system mentioned that he can only purchase one super advanced attribute, he wanted to make sure that he was making the right choice.


    Since he already knows the method to make the anti-matter, Mark would just need the right materials to create the anti-matter extractor. As long as there is enough time, he might be able to build one and even upgrade it as he researches more.


    In that case, isn''t it foolish to choose an anti-matter attribute? Mark thought that way and spared another nce at other attributes on the list.


    "System, exin the attributes in this section¡­"


    *Ding! Purchasing the Chaos attribute will let the host manipte reality.


    *Ding! Purchasing the time attribute will let the host manipte the timeline.


    *Ding! Purchasing the Nuclear attribute will let the host manipte the nuclear reactions; reactions involving changes in a nucleus, such as fission, fusion, neutron capture, or radioactive decay.


    *Ding! The divine attribute is manipting the divine energy, which is exclusive to celestial beings.


    *Ding! Protos attribute is the opposite of divine energy. This anti-divine energy is the most corruptive energy in the entire universe. No shield could block this energy. Even gods find it difficult to defend against this energy.


    *Ding! Anti-matter attribute is about the maniption of anti-matter particles, which are usually found in cosmic rays. Exposure of anti-matter to the material world will give rise to the annihtion of matter.


    *Ding! Nature attribute is the maniption of natural energy, which is found in every world that is inhabited by living things. The natural energy can also be refined into ether particles.


    *Ding! The system rmends Time.


    "Controlling time is great and all but it is not for me. I''m a weapon seller and my interests lie in selling my creations to the masses, not some universal domination and bing a god or something. All I want is the power to protect myself and retaliate if one touches my bottom line. That''s all¡­"


    Mark eliminated Time and Chaos from the list as a result of his priorities.


    "Compare to creating anti-matter bombs, hydrogen bombs were quite easier to make. With enough manpower (robots) and materials, it is possible."


    The nuclear attribute was also eliminated.


    With the divine throne giving him free divine power, the divine attribute was also eliminated.


    As for Protos energy, it ispletely unknown and Mark doesn''t want to take the risk. If he has no option, he would take the leap of faith but since there are better options, he hesitated to choose them.


    Not to mention, Alina already possessed Protos energy and he can take her help to research the anti-divine energy.


    Only two were remaining; Antimatter and Nature.


    Both of them had great potential in their own right.


    Natural energy is in abundance and if mastered properly, he could sell the weapons to the masses while anti-matter, on the other hand, needed responsible individuals to handle the bombs made out of them as they were quite dangerous.


    His eyes darted up and down. "F*ck¡­ who am I kidding? I think I have already made my decision a long time ago."


    No matter how logically he wants topare every attribute, Mark''s heart was dead set on only one attribute. He just wants to eliminate other options through excuses.


    Upon realizing that, Mark felt like he wasted too much time dwelling on it and went to the pending notification and clicked on yes.


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits were deducted. The anti-matter attribute has been added to your character.


    *Ding! The Summoner spirit path is detected. There are no beasts for Anti-matter. The mage spirit path is rmended.


    *Ding! A quest for the mage spirit path is detected. Anti-matter will be locked.


    *Ding! The super advanced attribute section has disappeared from the system''s store.


    "Okay, one is over. Let''s see if there were any useful attributes."


    He scrolled up.


    Basic: 50000 credits


    Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning (owned), Wind, Light, Dark


    Variant: 75000 credits.


    Metal, Shadow, Sound, Space (owned), Ma, Crystal, Gravity, Oil


    Advanced: 100,000 credits


    Ice (owned), Wood, Poison, sma, Lava, Storm, ss, Acid, Sand


    "System, is there a limit on purchasing other attributes?" He asked with his eyes fixed on a certain attribute.


    *Ding! No limit on Basic attributes. The host can select any three in Variant attributes and any two in advanced attributes.


    "Is that so¡­ well, not that it matters anyway."


    System: "¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Closing down the chat window screen with the system, Mark proceeded to purchase the attributes.


    *Ding! 75,000 credits were deducted. The gravity attribute is added to the character.


    *Ding! The Summoner spirit path is detected. There are no beasts for the Gravity attribute. The mage spirit path is rmended.


    *Ding! 75000 credits were deducted. Oil attribute is added to the character.


    *Ding! Summoner spirit path is detected. There are no beasts for the Oil attribute. Mage spirit path is rmended.


    *Ding! 100,000 credits were deducted. Poison attribute is added to the character.


    *Ding! Summoning beasts from rank 0 to rank 9 were unlocked.


    "Gravity spells will be helpful in restricting the movements of my enemies, I will use Oil for various purposes, and Poison could make even simple 9mm bullets lethal but I need to spend time on research."


    As all but the basic attribute section were closed for the purchase, Mark went back to the categories section and clicked on Bloodlines.


    Just like the rest of the categories, Bloodlines category was also divided into different tiers from tier-1 to tier-6.


    The prices were so high that Mark felt the urge to close it right away but forced himself to explore the list.


    Tier-1 bloodlines cost 100,000 credits each;


    Tier-2 bloodlines cost 400,000 credits each;


    Tier-3 bloodlines cost 1,000,000 credits each;


    Tier-4 bloodlines cost 5,000,000 credits each;


    Tier-5 bloodlines cost 50,000,000 credits each;


    As for Tier-6, it cost an enormous 1 billion credits. It only has one bloodline, which is something called "Primeval".


    The Blizzard Pegasus he currently owns is one of the Tier-5 bloodlines. Phoenix was also on the same list.


    Mark couldn''t help but felt amazed by this detail, not because he was the child of the two people who possessed ancient bloodlines but it is because of the fact that the system gave him 50 million credits worth as a gift.


    Back when he awakened, even 100 gold coins were so much worth to him and the system gave him 250 million gold coins of worth and didn''t demand the amount.


    "Maybe, it is probably because I possessed it in the first ce and the system only helped me with the awakening?" wondered Mark. He further thought, "But still, the sassy system helped me a lot more than I deserve¡­"


    All of a sudden, Mark felt a little bit guilty for using the loopholes to make millions of gold coins and still cursed the system as too greedy.


    "Anyway, let''s get going with the purchase¡­"


    He explored the list under the Tier-3 bloodlines which are affordable in his current situation.


    "Hmm¡­ based on the list of monsters listed here, I guess the Tier-1 bloodlines mean the bloodline passed down from themon grade monsters. Tier-2 bloodlines mean the fierce grade monsters. Tier-3 means the king grade and Tier-4 means the emperor grade. Finally, Tier-5 should be an ancient grade.


    However, only monsters weren''t listed. There were also gods listed here. There''s even the bloodline of Jade Emperor and Monkey King in tier-5.


    Now, my curiosity about the system''s origins only increased further. Just how could scientists create such a thing? I believe something else is also involved.


    One day, I will find out the truth but for now, let''s focus on the present."


    Mark threw away the thoughts and clicked on a bloodline that has a familiar name on it, "Yeti".


    It was an 8-circle realm beast king he fought in the trial of holy beasts. Since it is an ice attribute, he thought of receiving a few more ice spells (bloodline skills). However, the system disagrees with his decision. It gave a warning notification as usual as he tried to purchase the bloodline.


    *Ding! The host cannot use its abilities. Proceed with the purchase?


    "Eh? Why?"


    *Ding! Bloodlines are different from attributes. Each bloodline contained the essence of the beast and is quite alive like a spirit.


    *Ding! The host possessed a tier-5 bloodline. It cannot coexist with lower tier bloodline and neither can it ept a bloodline with an opposite attribute.


    "So, I cannot purchase any bloodline below tier-5?"


    Mark was stumped by the system''s exnation. Each bloodline in tier-5 costs 50 million credits and he wouldn''t waste much money on a bloodline even if he bes the richest person in the universe.


    He was forced to go back to the category menu with disappointment and put his entire hopes on the unique weapons'' category.


    "I wish I would find something worthy here."


    He clicked on the category, opening up into two sections; normal and ether. As Mark wanted to sell them instead of using them for his own purpose, he chose the normal ones.


    "Hmm¡­ I wonder if I can find something that is of 9th generation fighter, F-46''s caliber. It belonged to the enemies but still, the best fighter jet¡­"


    He scrolls down and almost felt like pping himself.


    "Ugh¡­ advanced ones are too pricy. Even if I unlock them, there won''t be customers who want to buy them.


    Let''s pick an affordable one for now but is better than a training aircraft like Yak 130 I have."


    After selecting one after another and reading their details, Mark finally chose the one.


    "Yup, this Swedish one will be best¡­"

 Chapter 396 Equipping Gripen Aircraft With Nuclear-Capable Brahmos Missile?

    *Ding! 2,000,000 credits were deducted. You unlocked JAS 39D. Check out the gallery for details.


    JAS 39D


    Other names: Gripen/Griffin


    Crew: 2


    Payload: 5,300 kg


    Length: 14.8 m (48 ft 5 in)


    Wingspan: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)


    Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)


    Empty weight: 6,800 kg


    Loaded weight: 8,500 kg


    Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 kg


    Wheel track: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)


    Performance:


    Maximum speed: Mach 2 (2,204 km/h, 1,372 mph) at altitude


    Combat radius: 800 km


    Ferry range: 3,200 km with drop tanks


    Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)


    Armament:


    Guns: 1 ¡Á 27 mm Mauser BK-27 Revolver cannon with 120 rounds


    Hardpoints: 8 (three on each wing and two under the fusge)


    Each unites with;


    Missiles:


    6 x Rb.74 (Air to Air)


    4 x Rb. 99 (Air to Air)


    4 x Meteor (Air to Air)


    4 x Rb.75 (Air to the surface)


    2 x KEPD.350 (Air to the surface)


    2 x Rbs.15F anti-ship missile (air to surface)


    Bombs:


    4 x GBU-12 Paveway IIser-guided bomb


    2 x Bk.90 cluster bomb


    8 x Mark 82 bombs


    Description: JAS 39 Gripen D is a light single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft that has the ability to destroy an army of enemies with 8-circle and below cultivation.


    Price: 100,000 credits/500,000 gold coins


    ***


    "Aircraft is done. Since this has meteor missiles unlocked, I don''t need to worry about airbat. However, I need a supersonic cruise missile, which is also nuclear-capable. I can then modify the Hardpoints to create a new variant that can equip the new one.


    As for the nuclear warheads, I might have to depend on myself cuz I''m sure the system will not include them in this package. But, it is not a big deal anyways. I can make them at any time as long as I have the materials and manpower.


    Wait a second¡­ why bother making nuclear warheads when I can make anti-matter warheads and put them in missiles? Now that anti-matter particles can be collected so easily, I would just have to focus on the modification, not the warhead itself¡­


    Anyway, let''s go to the missiles'' section."


    Mark scrolls down further, crossing various sections ranging from unique handgun models to warships before stopping at missiles.


    After searching for a while, he purchased one that can beunched from an aircraft and also from a warship.


    *Ding! 500,000 credits were deducted. Brahmos missile has been unlocked.


    "Next is the manpower. My future soldiers..."


    He further scrolled down to go to the section named assistant, which is further divided between robot and android.


    He clicked on the robot section only to see the images of different types of robots. Along with different types of humanoid robots, various beast types also existed.


    Since they are only robots, they don''t have any specific set of skills like the androids. So, it was just a difference in appearances. The only thing that actually matters is their rank, which decides their durability, learning capability, reflexes, moving speed, data storage, etc¡­


    "A rank-1 robot only costs 200 gold coins each and 1000 credits to unlock but it ends with a rank-9 robot costing as high as 78 million gold coins each and 1 billion credits to unlock.


    Ugh¡­ at the high-end ones, millions were shown like cents¡­ I really miss those days when I was happy to earn 5 gold coins.


    But then again, I''m partly at fault here. I was the one who rushed into rank-9¡­ Anyway, Mark, you just focus on the present."


    Mark forced himself to stop thinking about other things and explored the details of each robot.


    After ten minutes, he made his choice.


    *Ding! 10,000 credits were deducted. Battle Robot-III (rank-3) has been unlocked.


    *Ding! 10,000 credits were deducted. Robot Dog (rank-3) has been unlocked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Ding! 100,000 credits were deducted. Battle Robot-V (rank-5) has been unlocked.


    "Okay, I think I''m done with the store. There''s no need to buy too many. Let''s go to other functions."


    Mark closed the system store and went on to open his dearest lottery wheel that gives him free gifts of high value every time.


    The only problem is the fact that his luck is still at 7 points. Hence, he decided to only use the lottery pick ticket, which guarantees him a reward.


    As he clicked on the Lottery Wheel tab, the image of a wheel appeared on the holographic screen.


    The lottery wheel should have been upgraded ording to the system but it looked exactly the same with seven rewards and 14 empty spaces. There are a couple of changes though.


    The first one is that one of those seven rewards should be empty when he won the exo suit but it was filled by the same reward.


    Second is the change of cost to spin the wheel. It was increased from 300 credits to 3000 credits.


    And below the wheel, there was another box that says pick ticket). There was a number 1 on this glowing box.


    *Random Unique weapon*


    *Random Bloodline*


    *Rank-1 Android (weapons research specialist)*


    *Upgrade crystal (superior grade)*


    *Ungraded battle tank (Merkava mark IV)*


    *peak potion*


    *Mysterious Box*


    "Here we go¡­"


    Mark clicked on the lottery pick ticket and the wheel started to spin while the empty spaces were removed. In the meantime, the number "1,000,000" appeared in ce of a lottery pick ticket.


    This was a new scheme from the system to earn more money. Since it knew that its host was using the ring of luck to get 100% probability every time, it introduced the lottery pick ticket, which eliminates the empty space.


    And to make sure that its host will not try to depend on this feature too much, the system also added a couple of moremands.


    The lottery pick ticket can be purchased only when the regr spin option is avable.


    One can only purchase one at a time. Until it was used, the second one cannot be purchased.


    And once, one purchased a lottery ticket, until the spin option above it was used and then reset after its regr 7 days of time, the sessive price increases with each purchase.


    It can be considered a genius move by the system but unfortunately, its host is already at a stage where he doesn''t have an obsession with any new skills or weapons anymore.


    Hence, for the moment, these rules didn''t affect Mark much and he was happy to receive whatever he got.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you received a peak potion. The item was sent to the inventory.


    "Open Inventory"


    He casually tossed the vial of green liquid back into the inventory after confirming that it is the same as the ones from before. With his stats crossing 9, the peak potion that increases his stats to 9.9 no longer appeared impressive as before.


    Meanwhile, the peak potion was reced by an upgrade stone.


    Closing the lottery wheel, Mark then goes back to the Amulet of Diyu.


    He clicked on the free chance option.


    *Ding! You will be teleported to the pocket dimension in 30 seconds.


    The countdown timer started for him.


    Meanwhile, on some located in the immortal ne, a demon with three heads (a cat, a man, and a toad) attached to spider legs was standing at the edge of ava pool and staring at the red sky. On its man''s head, there was a golden crown usually worn by kings.


    The weird-looking demon appeared to be lonely, based on the facial expression on the man''s head.


    He lets out a deep sigh, "Life is so boringtely. Everywhere, there is peace. No wars, no motivation to get stronger, no interesting things to learn, and no summoning from mortals either. Those who seek vengeance don''t summon me and those who seek wisdom will not turn to our rituals. They would rather read the teachings of Buddha.


    Ugh¡­ I''m so bored¡­"


    As the demon resorted to swimming in theva pool to relieve his boredom, he sensed the otherworldly power descending onto his.


    He stopped swimming and stared at the sky. A ck-colored portal appeared out of nowhere and a beam of light was shot out of it.


    The demon''s eyes widened in shock as the beam of light struck him in a fraction of a second and then all he saw was that he was at standing in some kind of arena.


    Just as he wondered where he was, a blinding sh was seen before Mark made his appearance.


    "Eek¡­" Mark couldn''t help but jump back as his eyes spotted a creature with a disgusting appearance.


    His finger almost clicked on the Thunderst skill but Mark managed to hold himself and inspected the demon.


    Bael


    Species: Demon


    Rank: peak-13-circle


    Description: One of the nine demon kings of Ars Goetia.


    Mark''s face suddenly turned pale and he roared in his head, "System, are you trying to get me killed?"


    Never in the world did he expect to summon a powerful demon king who can end his life with a snap of a finger.


    Mark wanted to return right away.


    *Ding!

 Chapter 397 Seven Deadly Sins (Part-1)

    *Ding! In the event of death, the host will be resurrected by the system. However, it only works if the host dies in this pocket dimension.


    *Ding! Since it is the first time, the services are provided for free. The host can enable this feature beforehand by paying extra.


    "Tch¡­ avaricious," mumbled Mark before paying attention to the demon walking toward him.


    Meanwhile, the three-headed demon with spider legs had its senses working at their peak, trying to understand the ce he was at and the strength of the human who appeared.


    He also seeks the answers from Mark as thetter is likely to be linked to bringing him to this strange ce.


    As the system was online and protecting Mark, the demon couldn''t sense anything from the person.


    If he was a lower-ranked demon, he would have probably assumed that Mark was a normal civilian. But, Bael is one of the kings of Ars Goetia who had 66 legions of demon army under hismand.


    Each legionprising 6666 demons can easily destroy all the life on the Mark was living in. Perhaps, only supreme beings and demigods could survive by running away or hiding.


    He is not a fool to assume that an average mortal could just drag him from his own world. It was obvious to him that the person standing before him is either a dragon in pig''s form or he had a true god (14-circle) supporting him.


    Both of his assumptions might be wrong but he was certainly curious instead of angry.


    That helped Mark to strike up a conversation with the demon.


    As the demon stopped walking about a few feet away from Mark, thetter introduced himself with his usual fake smile to cover his nervousness, "Hello, Lord Bael, my name is Lu Zhen. I''m a summoner and I wish to form a contract with you."


    "Ho¡­ as I expected." The demon let out a smile on his man''s head. He then asked, "What are the terms?"


    Seeing that the demon looked interested in the contract, Mark inwardly sighed in relief and firmly said, "Appear whenever I call for you. Destroy my enemies if asked. Protect my allies if asked. Be my messenger envoy whenever needed. If you have knowledge of rare materials in any world, please do give me the information. This is all I need from you."


    Seeing that the demon is stronger than the god Yuqiang who gave him the holy beasts, Mark felt that Bael must also be knowledgeable. So, he added that condition in the end too.


    And just like the system mentioned him, the demon took his terms seriously and went into thinking. Whether this will lead to an argument or even a battle entirely depends on the terms.


    Unexpectedly for him, Demon King Bael didn''t want to test his battle strength. Instead, he demanded life force in return.


    "No¡­" Mark outrightly rejected it. After all, he wasn''t desperate to get the help of a demon, unlike the desperate people who sign a contract with the devil in exchange for their souls. "Either change your terms or we treat it as if this meeting didn''t ce at all."


    He would rather waste this free chance than ept this deal involving his life force.


    Bael observed the fearless human in silence. To understand this summoner''s personality and thoughts, he decided to test him.


    "Alright. I will use seven deadly sins against you. Based on your performance, we will negotiate the terms." Demon King Bael then closed his eyes and summoned seven ghostly spirits around him.


    Mark was alerted by the demon''s sudden actions and clicked on the lightning clone skill in reflex.


    It appeared the same as the ghostly spirits while gaining the attention of Bael. "Hmm? An attribute cloning technique? That''s a rare skill." He praised Mark before adding that a clone won''t help him in this situation as the seven deadly sins are different. They cannot be avoided.


    And before Mark even responded, his eyes had gone nk and his soul was transported to an illusionary realm where he found himself sitting at the table with dozens of varieties of delicacies.


    It was like his consciousness is trapped inside a dream. For some strange reason, he didn''t find anything amiss and was stuffing his mouth with the food, starting with the muffins.


    Feeling an endless appetite, he continuously ate the food nonstop for atleast 30 minutes straight until his eyes fell on an apple pie.


    As he took the slice of the pie into his hand, a sudden memory jogged in his brain. It was the memory of Alina serving him the pie for the first time. He tasted that dish after several years; hence, it was imprinted on his mind.


    As soon as he realized that he was in the middle of a test, the remaining delicacies disappeared, reced by dead insects like cockroaches, crickets, etc¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ugh¡­"


    He spat out whatever was in his mind and coughed several times, staring at the table in disgust. Followed by that, he got angry at the demon. "That bastard¡­ I will roast him alive¡­"


    As he was enraged, a peal ofughter filled the ce, followed by the words. "hehehehe¡­ you seemed special, mortal. Not everyone could get out of Gluttony in such little time. However, this time, it will be different. Even if you realize that it is not reality, you won''t be able toe out so quickly. Good luck¡­"


    Mark felt dizzy and fainted on the spot as the surroundings disappeared, followed by the change in the scenery.


    As he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a king-size bed without any clothes. There were a couple of extremely beautiful-lookingdies, one on each side, sleeping beside him.


    They looked so hot that Mark couldn''t resist himself touching them. As one of those women slept like she wasn''t feeling anything, the other woman was forcefully woken up and found Mark exploring her body.


    She felt aroused and let out a sexy moan as she grabbed his arm but didn''t stop him.


    Giving off a lecherous gaze, he didn''t even bother to greet her good morning and just directly went into action.


    The loud moans of the woman filled the room for a while until the door burst open all of a sudden and a blond-haired woman in luxurious attire entered with a serious look.


    Mark stopped whatever he is doing and turned his head to look at the woman, "Oh, Hey Rachel. Want to join us?"


    "We don''t have any time for that now, Mark." She raised her hand to show a tab in her hand.


    As he sat on the bed, a woman named Rachel yed the video and gave it to him.


    On the screen, a video was yed where a group of prisoners was being executed by guillotines.


    Mark''s veins bulged, his eyes reddened, and there was a clear look of anger on his face.


    Throwing away the tab in fury, he growled, "That weak ind country dared to go against us? Pass the message to the generals that we are going to war. I''ll give them an hour."


    He quickly dressed up and left the room without bothering to converse with his wives anymore.


    As he came out of the pce, Mark''s eyes fell on arge army of robots with advanced weapons in their arms. He gave them an hour but it only took a few minutes for his army to gather.


    Allen was standing in front of them. Everyone fell onto their right knee and bow to their king.


    Mark fell into a daze for a couple of seconds as he stared at Allen.


    A series of blurry memories and words appeared in his head.


    "Allen, you may call me big brother" "Allen, slice that arm" "Allen, make me breakfast" "Allen, clean the store" "Allen is my younger brother. He is not someone you can put a price on, Lady Lin" "Allen, crush her throat" "Allen, you will have to find a hobby that you can enjoy" "Allen, you don''t need topete with Alina"


    Eventually, he managed to get out of those thoughts and nodded. "Rise¡­"


    As they got up, he announced, "Today, we are going to wipe out thend of japan from the. Hail Genesis¡­"


    "Hail Genesis," roared the androids and robots as they saluted him.


    But then, Mark''s expression changed once again as blurry memories disturbed his concentration.


    "From now onwards, your code name will be Genesis, Mark." "I name the store with the name attached to my life, Genesis" "Wee to Genesis Weapon store"


    "What the hell is going on?" He wondered.

 Chapter 398 Seven Deadly Sins (Part-2)

    Sometimeter, on arge ind, as millions were being massacred indiscriminately by thousands of robots and the buildings were being destroyed by explosions one after another, Mark wasughing like a crazy viin while observing from a helicopter.


    "Now, the whole world will understand what will be the result of offending me. Hahahaha¡­"


    Within no time, the enemy country has fallen and the king was on his knees before Allen. Behind the king who had a striking resemnce to Song Yun, there were about a thousand soldiers in the same condition without any willpower left.


    And around them, there were hundreds of robots with rifles in their hands.


    The king raised his head as he saw the helicopternd and Mark gets down, walking toward him.


    When Mark reached the king and looked at his face, he stepped back in surprise. For a few seconds, unrted memories appeared in his head where he only did nothing but caused destruction using his battle tank.


    "You massacred innocent citizens who had nothing to do with our enmity. You are a devil," roared the kneeling king. There was a clear hatred in his eyes.


    Mark came out of his thoughts and looked coldly at his enemy, "you should have expected this before you executed my spies publicly without even trying to negotiate with me."


    As the enemy king spat on the ground in response, Mark raised the gun and pointed at his forehead, "Goodbye, loser."


    The enemy king shut his eyes and prepared for death.


    One second¡­ two seconds¡­ three seconds¡­


    Time ticked for five seconds but the bullet never escaped the gun. The king opened his eyes to see a devilish smile on Mark. "No, you won''t die a death without a proper audience. I will parade you in the streets of our capital city before executing you. But, before that, I will destroy everything that you hold dear. First, your citizens, then, your prosperous kingdom, then, your soldiers, then, your family, and only after that, your death wille."


    "You mothe¡­ Argh¡­" As the king was about to curse Mark while standing up, Allen kicked the back of his thigh with so much force that it forced him to kneel once again.


    "Kill¡­" Mark gave the signal to his robots and hundreds of gunshots were heard, turning every captured soldier into a corpse.


    After a while, the helicopter started flying away with the defeated king inside.


    Enormous explosions urred one after another, drowning the entire ind in the ocean.


    Roughly about a couple of hourster, Mark and his army returned to the city.


    Tens of thousands of people gathered on the sidewalks as the robots paraded in the middle with Mark''s half of the body standing out of the tank.


    "All Hail Genesis" "All hail Genesis" "All hail Genesis"


    The cheering reverberated all over the city as the army was going to the center of the city.


    Soon, everyone gathered in the arena. Several guillotines were ced in the middle of the arena and a few feet away from them, the defeated king was kneeling with injuries all over his body. He was tied up by Allen so that he won''t move from the spot.


    Mark and his queens were sitting on a balcony, watching the event.


    Allen spoke loudly, "Bring in the prisoners."


    Two women covered in ck robes and hoods were dragged in chains along with a dozen more individuals who were criminals of the kingdom of Genesis.


    "No¡­ please spare their lives¡­" the defeated king screamed as loud as he can while the robots secured the prisoners including those two hooded women with a pillory at the bottom of the frame, holding the position of the neck directly below the de imbued with ether energy.


    Allen then raised his head to look at his king for permission. As Mark gave his nod, Allen turned toward the robots and announced, "Begin."


    The first de was released and cut down the neck of a prisoner, ending his life in one chop.


    For the next ten seconds, the heads started rolling on the ground one after another.


    And finally, only two women were left.


    "No¡­ please take my life¡­ Just kill me first¡­"


    The king pleaded with everything he could but it fell deaf to Mark''s ears. Allen then gestured for the robot to release the de.


    It was at that moment Mark opened his mouth, "Wait."


    The robot stopped the execution and the king hopefully looked at Mark, wondering whether he had a change of heart.


    However, the next sentence from Mark dashed his hopespletely.


    "It''s no fun to kill them like this. Mr. Song Yun here should see the faces of his loved ones when they were killed. Only then it will be satisfying." Mark said with a smile, making it seem like he is a sadist to the core.


    But, as if everyone is psycho like him, everyone justughed and cheered along.


    "Kill" "Kill" "Kill" "Kill"


    As the whole stadium was filled with cheering, the robots grabbed their hoods and tore them with force before grabbing their hair and raising their heads for their king to take a look at their faces.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mark was stunned for a moment as his eyes fell on the beautiful face of a maiden at the end.


    A gush of memories hit him at the same time as the de was released on the wife of the defeated king. He got up from his throne. "Song Yue!"


    The head of the woman who resembled Song Yun''s wife rolled on the ground and her husband cried out in pain and tried to get up but was held by Allen.


    In the next second, thest de of the guillotine was released.


    "No" "No"


    This time, two people screamed at the same time. One was the defeated king but the other was Mark.


    Surprising everyone in the stadium, Mark took a huge leap from his throne.


    He couldn''t make a propernding and tripped his leg, falling on the ground. By that time, the de almost reached the neck of the woman.


    "Noooo"


    He screamed at the top of his lungs and instantly, everything around him froze by the ice.


    Everything except for Song Yue and Allen was frozen in ice and she raised her head with tears falling from her eyes and a look of surprise on her face.


    Mark didn''t care about his surroundings and just dashed forward.


    "Why?" She asked with a stunned expression.


    After freeing her, he caressed her face and spoke, "Even if this is an illusion, I would never hurt you, my schatz. I would rather burn the world."


    A stream of tears fell down from Song Yue as cracks appeared all over her body. "What?" Mark was taken aback at first but then saw the whole world around him start cracking.


    Eventually, everything disappeared and Mark saw the demonic creature standing before him with its human head smiling.


    "You¡­" Mark got angered and almost opened the skill tab to attack but the demon king''s words stopped him from doing that.


    "You are full of lust, wrath, and pride, Lu Zhen; quite a fitting host for demons. On the other hand, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth; the three deadly sins had no effect on you.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t have time to test your greed but it is clear that your love for that girl is strong enough to repel the seven deadly sins. It destroyed everything I had nned for you. She''s your anchor, Lu Zhen.


    I really wonder what would happen when that anchor gets broken one day. Will the ship sink or will it sail and destroy everything in its path. Anyways, this is my assessment of your test."


    As Mark forcefully suppressed himself from beating this demon, thetter continued, "Now,ing to my conditions, they were simple. Freedom to act. There is no cost for summoning me, but to stay by your side, I would need to consume the soul of a human or any creature. Here¡­"


    Demon King Bael took a white orb out of nowhere and threw it toward Mark. As thetter caught it in reflex, the demon said, "every time you kill, this will absorb the soul of the killed one. When this changes color, you can summon me at any time."


    Mark observed the orb in his hand.


    Orb of Bael


    Grade: N/A


    Description: The orb automatically absorbs the souls from the corpses when near them (in a 100-meter range).


    He furrowed his brows as he fell into deep thinking, wondering if it would be the right thing. Since his path ahead is filled with dead bodies, either way, Mark was tempted to take this offer.


    However, after experiencing the seven deadly sins, he wouldn''t underestimate this demon.


    He consulted the system. As expected, he received a series of notifications.


    *Ding! The target is too stronger than the host. The system cannot forcefully summon the target whenever the host wants.


    *Ding! The host cannot summon the target with full power. The target will only possess the strength of a maximum of two realms above you.


    *Ding! This target usually can only be summoned for 10 minutes to 60 minutes for 24 hours. But, this target can break the rules due to abnormally high stats.


    *Ding! The system cannot control the target as a ve contract cannot be imposed due to therge difference in strength and the host should depend on his own skills to order the target.


    *Ding! Using the orb of Bael to absorb the souls is against the course of nature and might receive the attention of the Death god, Yan Wang.


    *Ding! The orb of Bael can be integrated with the system to receive protection from being traced. Proceed?


    "We''ll proceed after returning to our world."


    Mark kept the notifications aside for a second and looked at the three-headed demon. "Alright, Bael. We have a deal."

 Chapter 399 Awakening Of The Second Spirit Path

    Yu''s Jade Pipa


    Grade: Mythril


    Description: The musical instrument that can control all the basic elements present in nature.


    "It''s only a Mythril grade, huh?" Mark was slightly disappointed by its skill set and grade. If he didn''t have the divine throne and the exo suit, he would have probably kept it, but at the moment, it felt like he was keeping a useless item. "System, proceed with the trade."


    *Ding! You traded Yu''s Jade Pipa to the system. 30 million credits have been added to the ount.


    "Next, it is¡­"


    Ring of Doom


    Status: Cursed


    Grade: Celestial


    Description: The ring of Yan Wang gives power over all types of undead beings. One would be immortal just by wearing it. However, at the moment, it is cursed. As a result, one would be sealed in the form of a skeleton upon wearing it.


    *Ding! Do you wish to lift the curse with purification stones (superior grade)? Nothing will change in the skills or the offer.


    "Nah, a superior grade one will only cost me another 1 million credits. It''s not like I''m interested in this object."


    After making his decision, he spoke, "System, I would like to trade this too."


    *Ding! You traded Ring of Doom. 47 million credits have been added to the ount.


    "Now, I have enough credits for the upgrade. Should I proceed or not?"


    Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the defense system. With new earnings, he had a strong urge to upgrade it but when his eyes fell on the cost for the upgrade in 9 figures in gold coins, he hesitated to spend such an amount as he was worried that it will force him to spend the remaining to get themp of wishes.


    "Nah, even after this upgrade, the next one will likely cost over 600 million credits. I will have to loot several worlds to collect 3 billion gold coins. Let''s not give it to temptations and use the money to develop my ind.


    Anyways, let''s check out thest one too¡­"


    Closing the window that showed the details of the defense system, he clicked on the aircraft with a unique design.


    B-2 Spirit bomber


    Grade: N/A


    Crew: 2


    Length: 69 ft (21.0 m)


    Wingspan: 172 ft (52.4 m)


    Height: 17 ft (5.18 m)


    Wing area: 5,140 ft2 (478 m2)


    Empty weight: 71,700 kg


    Loaded weight: 152,200 kg


    Max takeoff weight: 170,600 kg


    Fuel Capacity: 75,750 kilograms


    Performance


    Maximum speed: Mach 0.95 (1,010 km/h)


    Cruise speed: Mach 0.85 (900 km/h) at 40,000 ft altitude


    Range: 11,100 km


    Service ceiling: 15,200 m


    Armament:


    80¡Á 227kg ss bombs (Mk-82) mounted on Bomb Rack Assembly (BRA)


    36¡Á 340kg CBU ss bombs on BRA


    16¡Á 907kg ss weapons (Mk-84, JDAM-84, JDAM-102) mounted on Rotary Launcher Assembly (RLA)


    16¡Á B61 or B83 nuclear weapons on RLA


    Standoff weapons: AGM-154 JSOW missile or AGM-158 JASSM


    Description: An aircraft bomber that has the capability to destroy an army of legendary realm experts with ease. It''s a marvel of stealth engineering and deserved to be praised.


    Cost: 400,000 credits/2,000,000 gold coins


    ***


    "2 million? Ugh¡­ the prices are rising at an exponential rate every time. The cost of those bombs will be even more. No one with a right mind in this world would buy it. Only crazy people like me would spend hundreds of millions of gold coins just on upgrading as if they don''t matter.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Nah, even if they were crazy enough to squander their wealth, I will not sell these babies at any cost even after I unlock them in the gallery either way. They are exclusive to my army. So, I guess I don''t need to worry about its sales. I just need to manage my spending on the bombs. Perhaps, when I create anti-matter bombs in the future, my spending will be cut off further.


    Anyways, I''m done checking with all the rewards and changes in the system. All that''s left is to wait for Chang Bo to return and absorb his luck points for the lottery wheel."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***


    Seven days passed away in a blink of an eye;


    During these seven days, a lot happened that is directly or indirectly rted to Mark''s life.


    First, the crown prince was put on house arrest with the Emperor strongly suspecting that he is behind Shang Wei''s abduction. Arge-scale investigation started.


    Second, the Emperor invited Mark and his family for lunch. However, Mark postponed it by a week because of Allen''s upgrade.


    Third, Mark received a letter from the Western Moon kingdom about the official engagement ceremony.


    Fourth, Mark acquired an upgrade crystal of superior grade from the lottery. He used it on Allen once again as soon as the upgrade is over. He wanted Allen to go toe to toe even against a supreme realm expert.


    Fifth, Western Moon secretly went into a secret alliance with Prince Feng Wu. ording to their agreement, the kingdom will officially recognize the Western Yan as an independent kingdom once the kunyu bandits overthrow the Ji n.


    After that, they will give necessary protection for the border. In exchange, Western Yan will cede its disputed territories to Western Moon. As the result, thetter will gain about 6630 sq. km ofnd.


    As for Princess Shen Ling''s ns of annexing thend into its kingdom, it will have to wait until she acquires the throne.


    Sixth, Shang Wei sessfully awakened the power of the phoenix bloodline through fire seed. The remaining part of the Golem''s head was currently being researched by the mages and alchemists of the imperial pce.


    Before making weapons out of them, they wanted to study the head and the happy emperor gave them permission, much to the protest from the crown prince and the generals.


    Last but not least, Mark received the results of the investigation from his grand-uncle, Lan Jing regarding his adoptive parents'' death.


    The organization behind the incident is named Soul but the Eastern Sun kingdom doesn''t have much information on them.


    Mark''s best subordinate who excelled in the investigation is now dead. He knew that they were just the bullet. The hand which clicked the trigger should be someone else.


    And he doesn''t want to spook them unnecessarily over the fit of rage, atleast not before he found their identity. That is why he decided to wait until Allen was done with histest upgrade and give the task to him.


    In the meantime, the store was opened and proceeded to run as usual. The advanced orders received by Chang Bo during the past few weeks had the store a little more than 9,000 gold coins. And throughout the week, the store received 2000 more gold coins as earnings.


    However, the rich owner of the store had nearly 390 million gold coins in his ount (if all credits were converted to gold and added to the remaining gold coins), which is more than all the wealth of the entire phoenix empire, and hence, he didn''t feel a thing about such massive profits.


    While continuing to create weapons in his free time, as usual, Mark waited for thepletion of Allen''s upgrade. He thought of lying low for just three more days but something changed in Kunyu valley that forced him to make his move in advance.


    The so-called grand tutor of Western Yan became too impatient to wait for the delivery of the weapons and went on a killing spree of Ji n guards, spooking them.


    If he had been sessful in assassinating the Ji n''s head, it would have been fine but he failed due to the intervention of an expert from the church of Nuwa coincidentally staying there as a guest. As a result, he was recognized but managed to escape with his life.


    The Imperial family was alerted by the sudden change of events at Western Yan and the Emperor deployed an army along with the Northern General to take care of the situation.


    Feng Wu cannot scold his greatest asset for his recklessness and hence, can only turn toward Mark for help.


    As a result, Mark was forced to send the zheng to Western Moon three days in advance with a storage ring full of weapons and ammunition as promised. He also made sure to write a letter with further instructions.


    As the zheng reached the city of Lunaris, he directly went to the store and opened it. There was nothing inside except for a robot (the guardian).


    As the zheng is connected to Mark''s soul, the robot treated it as a friendly target and allowed inside to explore the tower. However, Lan Ju wasn''t interested in that.


    The zheng just silently waited at the reception desk on the ground floor until the party arrive and take the ring without giving any money. ording to the agreement made between Mark and Feng Wu, they will give him the principal amount after they won the war.


    And Mark received the confirmation of the transaction through the notifications he received back at the Imperial city.


    A total of 825,600 gold coins were deducted from his ount but he was nevertheless happy that the sale went through, not because of the gold.


    It is because he almostpleted the quest that''s been on pending for so long.


    "Great, now, only Gripen, Battle Robot-III, Robot Dog, and Battle Robot-V are left. The world isn''t ready for these things. Let''s just purchase it myself through proxy. But, the system recognizes only individuals that weren''t connected to my soul as the customers."


    Sometimeter;


    "That would be 524,000 gold coins," said Mark to Chang Bo, who was wondering why he was given two storage rings, one full of gold coins and the other with weapons, and then asked to proceed with the sale.


    Whatever the case, he would do it as he was ordered without any questions. As he received a series of notifications, Mark gave ten gold coins to his subordinate as a reward.


    Chang Bo didn''t know why he was doing this but he was pretty much happy with his boss'' generosity.


    Once the job is done, Mark left him to manage the store and returned to his room.


    Locking the door, Mark proceeded to open the notification screen.


    *Ding! Battle Robot-III has been sold. You received 2000 gold coins (100%) as your share.


    *Ding! Battle Robot dog has been sold. You received 2000 gold coins (100%) as your share.


    *Ding! Battle Robot-V has been sold. You received 20000 gold coins (100%) as your share.


    *Ding! JAS 39D has been sold. You received 500,000 gold coins (100%) as your share.


    *Ding! All mass-producible weapons are sold at least once.


    *Ding! You fulfilled all the conditions. Youpleted the mandatory quest, "Awaken the second spirit path"


    *Ding! You may choose between Mage and Assassin.


    "Well, there''s no need to think."

 Chapter 400 The Necromancer King Resurrects Alina

    Mark clicked on the mage. And his notification screen was once again flooded with a series of notifications.


    *Ding! Mage spirit path has been unlocked.


    *Ding! Gravity, Space, and Oil attributes were detected in the host''s body. All of them were associated with the Mage spirit path.


    *Ding! You received the skill, Attraction.


    *Ding! You received the skill, Repulsion.


    *Ding! You received the skill, Flight


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You received the skill, Singrity


    He received nine skills associated with gravity attribute, followed by space, and then, Oil.


    *Ding! You received the skill, teleportation


    *Ding! You received the skill, Spatial Barrier


    *Ding! You received the skill, Spatial Distortion


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You received the skill, Wormhole


    *Ding! You received the skill, Oil Detection


    *Ding! You received the skill, Oil daggers


    *Ding! You received the skill, Oil transmutation


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! You received the skill, Oil clone


    ***


    "Finally, the problem with transportation was solved." Mark explored the list of skills he received from the space attribute, ignoring the remaining ones for the moment.


    "Hmm¡­ If I remember correctly, my home was named Earth-192 by the system. But, the problem is I don''t know where it is or where am I for that matter. I didn''t learn astronomy to even basically understand the positions ofs or stars or gxies either. How can I locate my world?"


    As Mark was wondering about how to make a visit to home so that he can have his revenge and bring back his brother if it is possible, the system gave its piece of advice without being asked.


    *Ding! Zan Rong/Marina Zan has traveled from her host to another world via summoning. If the system gets ess to her memories, tracing is possible.


    "Technically, my soul also traveled from earth to this world, correct?" Mark pointed out that if he can remember his whole life, then, his soul should also possess the memories that can be used to track the earth.


    However, the system had different opinions on this logic.


    *Ding! The soul can only possess the memories its physical body experienced, and that too, for a short while. The soul itself doesn''t have any memories.


    *Ding! The host can only remember his past life because of the system. The system stored all the memories in its database when the host''s soul is merged with Lu Zhen''s.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Fine, you are the boss. I will have to make a trip to Helios city anyways. I will unlock Mari''s memories using the Eye of Talim and get you ess to her brain."


    ***


    Helios City, Eastern Sun kingdom;


    "Your Majesty, for the past few weeks, the members of our specialized unit were operating the warships. It wasn''t perfect but I think we can go ahead with theirunch on the day of your birth," said Lan Jing, talking about the Kidd-ss destroyers they acquired in the auction held by Mark.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ouyang Zen is going to turn 13 within five days and Lan Jing wanted the day to be remembered by theunch of their super warships that will secure their maritime boundaries against the other neighboring kingdoms. They would also be able to prevent illegal fishing too.


    "Okay, you can proceed with the preparations for theunch from the harbor," The teenager gave his nod and further asked, "what about the guests? Is Lu Zhen invited?"


    Lan Jing nodded and exined, "Yeah, along with him, we will also be hosting the royal guests too.


    King Shen Niu and Princess Shen Ling of Western Moon, the new Dwarven King-Kraggek Jadefury, and Crown Prince Qin Yu of the Kun Empire confirmed their participation.


    On the other hand, the Leon Empire only replied that a prince and a minister will attend the lunch but didn''t specify which ones."


    "Alright." Ouyang Zen turned serious as he said, "But, make sure to keep this in mind. Our priority for this event should be awakening the memories of my sister. Go and personally escort Lu Zhen if you have to. I don''t care."


    Lan Jing bowed, "I will contact him and make sure that he brings Eye of Talim along with him."


    ***


    Meanwhile, in Sector 3 of the Bloodhill forest;


    In the region filled with 7-circle and 6-circle realm beasts, a bunch of corpses was ced on the ground in an orderly fashion.


    The Necromancer King was drawing some ritual circles on arge scale with the de of his doom scythe. Surprisingly, he was no longer in Exalt realm when he came out of his prison. He was now in the 8-circle realm.


    After he was done, he ced the corpses around therger circle while cing the body of a woman in the middle of the central circle. It was Alina, who looked devilishly beautiful as always as a while ago, the Necromancer King ttened her face using brute force and still managed to restore it to normalter on.


    He then raised his scythe and proceeded with the incantations.


    "Oh, the Lord of Death, Yan Wang, here is your servant praying you for your blessings and¡­"


    The incantation was a minute long and once it was done, strange dark wisps erupted from the corpses and made their way toward Alina''s body.


    After entering her body, the dark wisps merged to form arge one before transforming into the shape of a missing hexagonal shaped core. Somehow, all the circuits in her body got activated while dark energy flowed through them.


    Alina''s eyes were suddenly open and she sat up. She looked at the long-haired man with the staff and kneeled, "Master."


    The Necromancer Kingughed as he spoke, "Wee to the world of the living, Alina. But, I don''t like your name. As my first subordinate, I will adopt you into our great Xia Dynasty. Hence, from this moment, your name will be Xia Fen."


    Alina raised her face to look at him before cupping her fists, "Understood, Master." After a brief pause, she asked, "What are your orders, master?"


    The Necromancer King then said, "We are going to get back my peak strength. Also, we are going to need a mount befitting of our status and an army. Follow me¡­"


    Soon, both of them slowly made their way toward Sector-2, which wasn''t explored in decades because of the existence of beast kings of the legendary realm (8-circle).


    ***


    Three dayster;


    Genesis Weapon store, Imperial City;


    Mark was casually reading the newspaper while sitting in a corner as the remaining people handling the customers.


    Song Yue was working as the manager of the store, Chang Bo went back to being a normal employee, and the new freeloader who is interested in Mark and doesn''t have any job responsibilities just spends her time chatting.


    The gold dragon, Jin long, didn''t stay with Mark as he felt suffocated in the city atmosphere. Since Mark has no use for the dragon at the moment, he sent him away but made sure to keep an eye on him.


    As a result, both of the beast emperors were currently staying at the ruins of Lan Sect, located in the Kunyu Mountain range. But, thanks to Mark''s rank-9 stats, their telepathic connection was still active. Even from a couple of hundred kilometers away, they could speak to one another.


    As for Shang Jiao, she returned to the academy, making Chang Bo a little sad but thanks to a new friend he made, he didn''t miss her as much as he thinks he is.


    "This damn idiot¡­ He really made a mess this time." Mark was busy cursing Feng Wu for letting his grand tutor go wild. Because of thetter''s actions, the imperial army is rigorously searching the Kunyu mountains while the Ji n has gained additional security.


    The whole second page waspletely dedicated to the news from Western Yan. As if it is sponsored by the imperial family, the Kunyu bandits were shown in a bad light in the newspaper.


    Their crimes were exaggerated too much and their noble deeds like giving charity to the poor are described as an evil scheme to recruit bandits.


    Mark could only let out a sigh of pity and turned the page to look for the market section. "Oh, someone from the inner sector is putting up their store for an auction. It is in a prime location. I can ce an office there just for taking orders."


    As he was reading the details, a notification bell was heard in his head, followed by the appearance of the holographic screen.


    *Ding! The upgrade time ispleted. Inspect Allen for details.


    "Finally, the ten days of wait is over." Mark closed the newspaper with a pleasant smile and got up from his seat. "Let''s go and have a talk with him¡­"

 Chapter 401 Who Will Be The Bait?

    Allen Spencer


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Rank: 8 (current stats: 9.9)


    Equipped Weapon: Aries, the sword of light (30% stats buff)


    Skills:


    Laser eyes: Shootser beam from his eyes and caused heavy damage to the opponent. Attack power: 120% (max: 9.9). CD: 10 minutes.


    Incineration: Shoot powerful sts from his palms. Attack power: 120% (max: 9.9). CD: 5 minutes.


    Lightning Fist: Punch the enemies and paralyze them with an electric shock. Attack power: 120% (max: 9.9). CD: 5 minutes.


    Berserk: Go into a berserk state for 60 seconds, increasing the rank by 1. CD: 12 hours.


    Finger Beam: Can release a concentrated energy beam from both of his index fingers separately. Attack Power: 110% (max: 9.9). CD: 180 seconds.


    Sr Beam: Absorb the sr energy and use it to attack the enemies. Attack power: 120% (max: 9.9). CD: 5 minutes.


    Passive:


    Battle Craze: Able to fight nonstop while absorbing sr energy. All injuries are healed almost instantly during the day.


    Flight: Able to fly as high as 30 km in altitude.


    Hyper sensors: the Android possessed several passive and active sensors which allow him to scan the environment, objects, and living beings; can perceive danger; heightened smell, hearing, and vision, etc...


    ***


    "Oh, I almost forgot about that celestial-grade sword given by Emperor Shu. Allen could practically one-shot everyone below supreme realm with ease." Mark was very much satisfied with the results of the double upgrade.


    Of course, there is also a slight dissatisfaction too. It is the restriction of the attack power, "Too bad that he won''t be a match for either the zheng or that biological mother of mine."


    "Anyways, I don''t have time to think about unnecessary things. There are only two days left for Ouyang Zen''s birthday and I will have to leave tomorrow. So, whatever preparations are necessary, they should be done today," thought Mark as he reached upstairs.


    He went to his room where Allen just opened his eyes and was observing himself, opening and clenching his fists.


    Upon spotting his master, he quickly bowed without being able to hide his smile as he was too happy to see Mark after so long. "Big Bro¡­"


    Mark then went on asking about his meeting with the Necromancer King.


    Allen didn''t leave any detail during his exnation. "Sister Alina sacrificed herself in exchange for our lives. But, the enemy didn''t know that she purposely gave her core to us instead of destroying it so that she could be revivedter on. Thankfully, everything went on our way and Lin Xue managed to return safely, although we lost the sun and moon brooch, the scythe of doom, and her storage ring."


    Mark was slightly surprised when he heard those words as Allen was in an unconscious state and couldn''t have known what happenedter on.


    But then, as he remembered how Alina had the ess to his memories, Mark realized that Allen probably had the same function now that he is at rank-8.


    Mark then patted Allen''s shoulder, "Don''t worry. Alina will be revived in due time. But, I''ll have to bother you with a couple of errands. We don''t have much time."


    Allen automatically read what was on his master''s mind but he didn''t speak it out. Instead, he gathered his feet and gave a salute, and asked, "Your orders, Big Bro?"


    Mark then turned serious as he said, "I need you to go to the imperial pce and remind the Chief Eunuch about the lunch invitation, then, meet the third prince to repay the favor with information on the organization name Soul.


    After that, go to the Gxy guild and put up an information request on how to contact Soul.


    Then, travel to the Kunyu valley to meet our friends there and hand over the letter I''ll give you. You will have to do everything before tomorrow''s sunrise. Can you manage it?"


    "Of course, Big Bro." Allen nodded firmly.


    Soon, the android left the store to aplish the tasks given by his master.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And in just five hours, he returned with good news, surprising Mark with his efficiency.


    After reporting the news to Mark and giving him the documents with information on ''Soul'' written in it, he rushed to the kitchen to supervise Xie Mei.


    For the past ten days, she was the one who did the cooking as she doesn''t want to be a freeloader, well, and also to impress Mark and Song Yue.


    Song Yue didn''t mind it as she treated the teenager as her younger sister but Mark wouldn''t shower praise on her as he doesn''t want to encourage her.


    At the same time, he would also purposelypare her cooking with Allen and Alina''s, stating that she has a long way to go.


    And now that Allen has returned, he was enthusiastic to make dishes for his master but Mark doesn''t want him to cook as it would be disrespectful to his strength.


    So, he gave him the job to supervise Xie Mei and also train the butler robots in assisting the cook.


    Sitting on his bed, Mark started reading the information given by Shang Wei. Thetter collected it from the fourth prince and didn''t hesitate to give it to Allen as the organization is rumored to be the one who took up the assignment from his eldest brother.


    He doesn''t know why Mark wanted this information but if this will help him take down the crown prince for good, Shang Wei would dly cooperate.


    "The information only contained various operations allegedly done by this organization. I need the locations of their hideouts or their names. Without them, all of these were nothing.


    But, the info says that Shang Zexi and Nie Rougang might know one of their offices. So, Shang Wei wasn''t in the Wuji sect by coincidence. He was trying to escape the assassination by staying there in secret, huh?


    But, ording to the articles from the newspaper, he was being imprisoned in the Wuji sect and I saved him when I destroyed the sect due to my personal issues with them.


    What a story he cooked up." Mark smirked as he shook his head.


    "Anyways, it has nothing to do with me. Let''s focus on how to make contact with this mysterious organization. Wait a second. They do assassinations right?" It was at that moment an idea popped up in his head.


    Mark''s eyes lit up as he mumbled, "Toy a trap for them, I need to put a bounty on myself. Let''s make someone meet either the crown prince or Nie Rougang and request them to do this¡­ Nah, that''s a bad idea."


    He immediately thought that if a bounty has been ced on his head, ''Soul'' might target Song Yue too.


    Mark knows nothing about the strength of this organization and wouldn''t underestimate them just because he is in the supreme realm. Furthermore, they might not even ept the mission in the first ce as the news of him and his super bodyguard destroying the Wuji sect was already spread all over the continent.


    So, he will have to put someone vulnerable.


    Mark doesn''t want to risk with Song Yue. The ck Knight is still Song Yue''s father. Hence, he is also not suitable.


    Allen can act as bait but he is too close to Mark''s heart. With the demise of Alina, Allen has be more precious. The zheng and the gold dragon were too strong. Manticore and Anan are beasts. Chang Bo is an unrted person.


    That leaves just one person.


    "Yup, Xie Mei and her griffin can be the bait I need. I''ll leave her at the store and travel to the Eastern Sun with the others. On the surface, she and Chang Bo will manage the store in my absence.


    I nned to return to this city in secret using my teleportation skill anyways. Once the war starts in Western Yan, people will be too busy to take of the situation in the Imperial city.


    This is what those assassins will think and tries to kill Xie Mei. They will fall into my trap. Once I capture them and get the name, I''m going to reveal my real strength. Until then, I need to be patient and careful with my ns."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Bloodhill forest;


    In the innermost sector of the forest, an army of undead was standing in a line like spectators as two figures were rigorously battling a dragon.


    Under the relentless assaults from both of them, the dragon has fallen eventually. Once it copsed, its core was taken out and all of the energy inside it was slowly absorbed by the Necromancer King while Alina was healing her injuries using the natural energy from her surroundings.


    The process went on for the whole night.


    As the dawn of the next day arrived, the Necromancer King opened his eyes and clenched his fist, "Advanced stage of the Ninth-circle, finally, I managed to reach my former strength. Now, for my mount¡­"


    He looked at the corpse of the dragon.

 Chapter 402 Going To Helios City

    At the dawn of the following day, Mark, Song Yue, ck Knight, and Allen departed from the Imperial city, traveling in the bicorn carriages given by the royal family of eastern sun, a while ago.


    Xie Mei was left behind at the store, and to keep an eye on her, the manticore was also left at the store.


    As for Lan Ju and Jinlong, they traveled to Western Moon and joined the princess.


    Following them from behind, an ambassador from the Phoenix Empire also left for the Eastern Sun as a formality. However, strangely, this ambassador wasn''t any politician or a member of the imperial court. Instead, it was the fourth prince who usually never steps out of the pce.


    Mark didn''t know about it and didn''t care even if he knew.


    Under his orders, the bicorn carriages traveled through the Dwarven kingdom and then went through the Leon Empire, entered the Eastern Sun kingdom, and finally reached the destination byte in the evening.


    It took them about 17 hours of travel to reach Helios City. Excluding Allen, all the remaining travelers including the coachmen and the bicorns were dead tired by the time they reached the royal pce.


    On the way, he realized that he would need a transport aerial vehicle that has enough space to make it feel like a moving house. He also had his eye on an aircraft.


    Unfortunately, he would need a proper runway to fly it in the first ce. Hence, he could only postpone the thought of purchasing it until some other time.


    Meanwhile, inside a private chamber, Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing were in the middle of a conversation with the ruler of the Dwarven kingdom, King Kraggek Jadefury.


    The dwarven king was admiring the wine while Lan Jing was hoping for a possible trade between the two kingdoms other than wine too. "The Blue Jeweled wine is indeed praiseworthy. My people would surely love this taste. Yi Di (the god of wine and alcohol) blessed your kingdom.


    However, I was actually looking forward to tasting that legendary ck Spirit wine of your kingdom."


    "Ugh¡­ this barbarian has nothing but alcohol in his mind." Ouyang Zen wanted to speak about the situation of the trade of veggies and fish meat.


    Eastern Sun kingdom shares boundaries with the Dwarven kingdom, Leon Empire, Kun Empire, and even the Xiezhi Empire of the ck turtle continent.


    The majority of its kingdom was in the Vermillion bird continent and it was mostly filled with the Rocky Mountains and barrennds.


    As for the remaining part, they were just inds in the ocean between the Vermilion bird continent and the ck turtle continent. Those help the kingdom in extending their maritime boundaries and so, in turn, help in fishing.


    Hence, the kingdom majorly depends on either Kun Empire or Leon Empire for vegetables.


    Having a border with Xiezhi Empire known for its fertilend, Ouyang Zenpromised on some inds to form trading rtions with its northern neighbor and reduce dependency on the other two empires.


    And he wanted the Dwarven kingdom to follow his route with Eastern Sun bing the mediator.


    However, the drunken dwarven king didn''t even give him an opportunity to talk about it. He kept asking things about meat and alcohol, and Lan Jing was forced to give him exnations as the host.


    It was then a soldier disrupted their meeting and informed them of the arrival of Mark.


    Ouyang Zen immediately got up on his feet and excused himself as the matter wasn''t going anywhere, "I need to go and attend to an important guest. Our Prime Minister will keep youpany."


    The Dwarven King furrowed his brows in displeasure. "Important guest? Which Empire''s prince is he?"


    "No, he is amoner and the owner of a weapon store," replied Lan Jing in Ouyang Zen''s stead. The teenager smiled as he added, "he can be considered a chief guest for this event. So, if you excuse me¡­"


    He turned around and picked up his pace as he was walking away.


    "A weapon store owner?" The Dwarven king fell into thoughts for a while before he opened his mouth, "Is he ''that'' Lu Zhen?"


    Lan Jing asked with a slight surprise, "You know him?"


    "I read newspapers too," replied the dwarven king. "We might live in mountains but that doesn''t mean we aren''t aware of the world outside of our kingdom. We heard that he sells unique weapons called firearms and has a supreme being as a servant with the power of a pseudo-demigod."


    Lan Jing nodded with a bright smile, feeling proud of his grand nephew. "His weapons will change this world. I think dwarves will benefit a lot if you form a friendship with him."


    "I have seen a couple of those firearms. They couldn''t be made by simple hammer and forge. Furthermore, the parts of each weapon are different from another. It is easier to make a semi-divine grade weaponpared to an ungraded firearm." The Dwarven King thought that it wasn''t worth learning the making of firearms when they could just make semi-divine-grade weapons and earn lots of gold. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for protection, the treaty with Leon and Phoenix empires will keep it safe. Hence, he didn''t see any benefits that Lan Jing suggested.


    Lan Jing could only shrug his shoulders and think that it is a pity before taking this opportunity to bring up the trade.


    Meanwhile, Ouyang Zen reached the entrance of the pce and weed Mark and hispanions in person.


    "Who else has arrived, King Ouyang?" asked Mark as soon as he met the teenager. Thetter answered, "The Leon Empire has sent its third prince and a minister. The Dwarven King is also here."


    "What about Prince Qin Yu? Is heing?" asked Mark. He had personal business with the crown prince of the Kun Empire but didn''t have amunication talisman to talk with him like he had with Shen Ling, Lan Jing, and Feng Wu. Hence, his participation is important.


    Unfortunately for him, Ouyang Zen only had a piece of bad news. The teenager shook his head, "No, the representative was changed at thest minute. The fourth prince, Qin Zhi, ising."


    Mark could only inwardly sigh and nod in understanding, "Okay, umm¡­ Princess Shen Ling was also on her way. King Shen Niu wasn''ting because of some urgent matters. Anyways, shall we go?"


    Soon, everyone was escorted to their rooms, leaving Ouyang Zen to have a private talk with his chief guest.


    As they took their seats, the teenage King went on to ask about the Eye of Talim.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Mark took out a fist-sized, eye-shaped amulet and, showed it to him. "With the help of an expert (system), I removed its consciousness. All that''s left is to use it on Mari, I mean, Zan Rong to unlock her memories."


    Ouyang Zen sighed in relief after seeing it with his own eyes, "phew, finally, I can rx a bit. Thank you."


    "You can thank me after the task," replied Mark. He then said, "Anyways, let''s talk about the business. Your kingdom is full of rare materials and I''m interested to buy them in raw form. We could¡­"


    After a while, the discussion was finished and Mark went to his room to sleep, well, atleast in the eyes of Ouyang Zen and his soldiers.


    However, once he locked his room from inside, Mark didn''t hesitate to open the skill tab and scrolled down to the section where his spatial skills were listed. He clicked on teleportation.


    As soon as he did it, a new window was opened, disying a 3d globe of the.


    Just like his home, this one is also made of mostly water (~84%) butrger in size and has four continents with two in the eastern hemisphere, one in the center, and the other in the western hemisphere.


    The system also made it quite convenient for him by dividing the continents by their kingdoms and empires. Along with the provinces, even towns, and cities were disyed, although the viges were omitted for some reason.


    The Vermillion Bird continent was divided into eight regions. Phoenix Empire in the south. Above it, there was Bloodhill forest covering the vast area.


    To the left of Bloodhill forest, there''s the Western Moon kingdom. To the right, there was the dwarven kingdom and the mountains of Kush. And to the north, Leon Empire covered a massive area.


    To the north of the Leon Empire, there''s the Kun Empire. To the right of the Kun Empire, there is the Eastern Sun kingdom, and to the left, there''s the Qilin Empire, which was isted geographically from the Kun and Leon Empires by the mountain range of Tawang.


    And to the northeast of Eastern Sun, a couple of thousand kilometers away, the ck Turtle continent is located.


    The ck Turtle continent is ruled by just two empires, the Empire of Xiezhi, and the Empire of Baize.


    As for the central Dragon continent, it was ruled by only Dragon Empire.


    And the remaining White Tiger continent was called the beast empire, where various top-tier intelligent Spirit beasts formed their own kingdoms like the Werewolves, Pantheras (lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, etc¡­), Bears, giants, etc¡­


    The ocean is inhabited by a lot of known and unknown species. It is not much explored in history. As a result, the system couldn''t gather much information from the timeline.


    It wasn''t the first time he used teleportation, and hence, he wasn''t that surprised by the details given by the system.


    However, when he just practiced during the past few days, he didn''t travel so far. So, this was more exciting for him.


    He couldn''t stop smiling as he zoomed in a lot of times and finally clicked on a mountain nearby the Kunyu valley.


    *Ding! The destination is selected. Please wait for ten seconds for the generation of the spatial door.

 Chapter 403 Mark Starts The War With A Surprise Attack

    10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1


    As the ten seconds passed, a portal appeared in front of Mark. He stepped inside.


    The portal disappeared and he stepped outside to see himself on the top of a grassy hill. Because it is a wild region, not a thing could be seen in in sight.


    Cracking his knuckles, he mumbled, "Okay, now, let''s nt the bombs."


    "Equip, Exoskeleton Suit"


    The night vision of the suit cleared the problem of the darkness and flight ability made it easier for Mark to travel directly to Western Yan without worrying about the pathway.


    He reached the capital city in no time and continued to fly to the city center and then silentlynded on the ground without alerting anyone.


    Mark went on to activate stealth mode and took out a C4 from the inventory. "Well, the D-day for the doom of the Phoenix Empire is finally here. Starting from this day, Shang Fu and Lan Jingyi will never be able to sleep peacefully."


    A couple of hourster;


    Mark returned to the Kunyu valley where a bandit/soldier is waiting for him to escort him to the vige.


    He went straight to the cave where he met Feng Wu and his grand tutor. They looked a bit sleepy. It was Mark''s fault in a way as he was the one who made the both of them wait for him until his arrival.


    The three of them sat together and were having a tea session while Mark did most of the talking. "Look, I have set the timer to 5 o''clock in the morning. The sun rises around 6:30 to 6:45. So, our aim is to finish the war within those 90-100 minutes of time."


    Feng Wu gasped in surprise. "90 minutes? That''s impossible, Brother Lu. Just traveling itself will take an hour."


    "I know." Mark nodded with a smile. "That''s why your army will start atleast half an hour early and if you follow my n correctly, it will take just 30-40 minutes to win this war."


    He briefs his strategy once again, "Ji n''s grand elder, the northern general, the captain. Basically, everyone above the 6-circle realm will be taken care of. All you have to do is to make the remaining enemies surrender and get a firm hold on your capital.


    The battle robots and tanks should be stationed at the border; the snipers will continue to station on top of the hills like usual but half of them will be shifted to the roofs of the tallest structures within the city; I will lend you a batch of advanced robots until the situation calms down; as for the Ji n heir, he needed to stay as a hostage for a few days.


    Once you received a formal acknowledgment of independence from the Western Moon and Eastern Sun kingdoms, you will release him and his family along with the prisoners on the grounds of humanity.


    During this time, my servant will stay as your guest to make sure even Song Tai won''t try anything funny. Alright?"


    Feng Wu and his grand tutor nodded in understanding.


    Roughly about three and a half hourster;


    Ji Pce, Gong city, Western Yan;


    The heir of the Ji n, "Ji Guanli" (15 years old); his father and the n patriarch, "Ji Cheng"; an important n elder, "Ji Wu"; the n''s grand elder, "Ji Jianguo"; Mt. Hua sect''s representative and paternal uncle of the grand elder of Sui n, "Sui Ping"; the new northern General of Phoenix Empire, "Hu Shi"; finally, the archbishop of the church of Nuwa surnamed Ma; all of them had an emergency meeting early in the morning.


    As for the elder son, Ji Mingyu, he is more of a schr who hates fighting and scheming. Hence, he stayed away from the n as the imperial troops entered Western Yan to defend the territory and also to search for the Kunyu bandits who could no longer be ignored due to the emergence of their grand tutor.


    And this meeting is due to the sudden activity of arge army crossing the Kunyu Mountains and on the way to Western Yan.


    Newly promoted general after the former one retired citing health reasons, Hu Shi was reading the paper he received from his subordinates.


    "Feng Wu''s army has about 700-1000 soldiers in number and everyone is equipped with firearms. Based on thetest attacks on our soldier units who ventured into the mountains, some of them surely possessed ether firearms that can strike us from at least a couple of hundred meters away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Apart from that, atleast 200 of those metallic puppet weapons called Panzers were also spotted in the wild. It was the same model General Shang Wen had recently included in the army.


    Each of those is not strong enough to kill anyone above 5-circle and even 4-circle Spirit Warriors can protect themselves but below that, there''s no stopping it. I personally witnessed their power when I was a lieutenant under General Wen. The Panzers will be too troublesome if they enter the city and target our civilian poption.


    These weapons need a coachman sitting inside to move them and atleast one more to operate the firearms smoothly. But, due to theck of numbers, they might allot only one person to operate them. Hence, their movements will be unsteady and slow during the war.


    This is where we might gain an advantage."


    "This Lu Zhen really brought upon a headache for us,"mented Ji Cheng while gritting his teeth in anger. He further said, "Everything started because of him. I bet he is behind this invasion too; all so that he could see our destruction."


    "There is no evidence of him involved in this war except for selling weapons to Kunyu bandits." Hu Shi wasn''t interested to go against Mark as thetter had the support of the imperial pce. "Furthermore, if he could destroy the Wuji sect, then, he wouldn''t need Kunyu bandits to destroy your n. So, let''s focus on real factors, Lord Ji."


    As Ji Cheng grunted and stayed silent, Arch Bishop Ma asked, "couldn''t you have requested the list of weapons he sold to them?"


    General Hu Shi shook his head, "We already did that and he replied that he cannot give the list because of the confidentiality between the seller and the client."


    Sui Ping then pitched in his opinion, "His weapons might be revolutionary but the ones operating are still the Kunyu bandits. There''s a saying, a divine grade sword in the hands of an amateur will lose to a copper grade sword in the hands of a master swordsman."


    "True," Elder Ji Wu nodded in agreement and then voiced his opinion, "we should just make our move ahead of them and surprise them with a bombard of attacks. They likely only have one 7-circle Spirit Warrior. If he takes him and Feng Wu out, the rest don''t matter whether they have amazing weapons or not."


    Everyone then looked at the Grand Elder of the Ji n for his opinion. He was in deep thought, thinking about all kinds of possibilities.


    Just as he was about to give his nod, all of a sudden, a powerful explosion urred far away from the pce but due to the fact that everyone else is sleeping, it was loud enough to reach all the way to these experts.


    *Boom*


    "Hmm?" A few of these experts furrowed their brows when they heard it and looked in the direction of the sound.


    Little did they expect to hear sounds continue with each one getting louder than the previous one, i.e. the sessive explosions are getting near to the pce.


    *Boom* Boom* Boom* Boom* Boom* Boom* Boom*


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® More than a dozen explosions urred all over the city in various ces, destroying their surroundings, and randomly killing the innocent citizens living nearby.


    The citizens are quickly seen running in the streets and Mark was flying in the sky in stealth mode with a holographic screen floating before him.


    The holographic screen has the image of a circle with the percentage increasing slowly as the souls were flying into the sky and disappearing into the screen.


    "54%" "73%" "89%" "112%"


    Once it crossed 100, the circle stopped absorbing the souls, letting them go to the spirit realm instead.


    Meanwhile, the summon option appeared below the circle. Hended on the roof of a building and clicked on it. "I summon you, Demon King Bael."


    A blinding sh of light appeared before his eyes and a humanoid figure appeared in ce of the three-headed demon, taking Mark by surprise.


    "Eh? Bael?"

 Chapter 404 Western Yan Has Been Captured

    "I can shapeshift into any creature. Since we are in the human world, I thought this is an apt transformation. My strength in this world appeared to be limited to that of an immortal (11-circle) and I can stay for a maximum period of 6 hours," exined Bael as he was asked about his transformation.


    Mark remembered the details of his abilities and nodded in understanding. He was also happy with this arrangement as it eventually bes his advantage in the end.


    He said, "Okay, time is of the essence here. Capture everyone in the surroundings with a 6-circle realm of cultivation and above. Imprison them and bring them here. After I confirm their identities, you can have them as your meal. As for the weaker ones you encounter on the way, just knock them out."


    "Consider it done." The demon was very much excited to do the job as it is in his nature to do such evil deeds. Rising into the sky, Bael then looked at the city where people are running in fear and nced at his contractor, "my judgment is correct. This man will bring chaos with him. And I like it. Anyways, let''s get this party started."


    The demon king Bael proceeded to scan the entire city and spotted the majority of the individuals gathered at one spot. He couldn''t help but lick his lips as he stared at the majestic pce from far away.


    There were a couple of them hiding in the city and one individual helping the others but the demon gave priority to the spirit warriors in the Ji pce as they were more in number and appeared tastier.


    Meanwhile, in the pce, the n heir Ji Guanli and his mother were house-arrested by Ji Cheng, the n Patriarch.


    He ced several guards as their security as the grand elder summoned the n members to protect the pce while the Church of Nuwa, guilds, Mt. Hua sect, and the imperial troops currently present within the city outskirts proceeded to enter the city to look for the culprits.


    "Some of the enemies have breached our walls and I will focus on capturing them until Feng Wu''s army arrives at the city," said General Hu Shi as he was prepared to head out.


    The others also had jobs to supervise their subordinates or atleast pass the orders to them. A couple of them also nned to head out but all of their actions were interrupted by the appearance of a stranger who just looked like some civilian.


    "Who are you? How do you get inside?" Ji Cheng shouted at Bael as he saw him. General Hu Shi didn''t know why but he felt something off and quickly halted his footsteps. He was about to take out his tinum-grade sword from his storage ring but the stranger captured his thoughts almost instantly and raised his hand.


    "Bone prison."


    *Snap*


    As he snapped his finger with a devilish grin on his face, bones erupted from the ground out of nowhere and surrounded Hu Shi from all sides, imprisoning him.


    "You bastard." Hu Shi took out the sword and shed at the thick bone but it even didn''t leave any scratch on it, disying its toughness.


    Meanwhile, the others became alerted as realization dawned upon them. "An expert."


    Grand Elder, Ji Jiango made his move. He conjured a hot fireball in his hands and quickly fired at the stranger without any hesitation, believing they were under attack.


    Bael smirked as he looked at the fireball, which only has the power of a mid-7 circle.


    "My servants of the darkness, arise." Bael unleashed another ability of his.


    In an instant, skeletons rose from the ground one after another. The fireball hit one of them but didn''t do any damage. And there were ten such skeletons in the room.


    "A necromancer with 9-circle cultivation?" The same thought came to all of them as their eyes fell on the skeletons, and instantly, the imprisoned General take out hismunication talisman and sent a message to Supreme Commander Bai Xun.


    The demon overlooked it as he wasn''t instructed to keep an eye on the humans'' actions after they were imprisoned.


    Once the undead skeletons heavily injured the targets, they were also imprisoned in a bone prison before all of those prisons started floating in the air, following the demon.


    Bael returned to the same spot in just five minutes with the prisoners. Mark felt amazed at first but then thought that it is obvious these 6-circle and 7-circle experts are no match for the demon king, who had the power of an immortal at the moment.


    Due to theck of sunlight, the prisoners couldn''t see Mark and the light from the fire caused by explosions from far away was quite dim. All they could see is a blurry figure.


    Ji Cheng went on to threaten Mark without knowing his identity. "Free us, you mixed egg (bastard). Or else, you will pay for the consequences."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mark ignored him for a moment and looked at Bael, "Are these all?"


    Bael shook his head, "there were three more."


    "Then, bring them here too." Mark gave his order and focused on his prisoners.


    The audacity of a human to order a higher being like a servant amused the demon instead of offending him. As a demon king, he was just fond of all the bad traits in his contractors.


    "Alright but don''t kill them. They are my food." Bael didn''t forget to remind Mark of his earlier order and flew away.


    Mark then went on to activate God''s Eye skill, which was upgraded from Sage''s eye after the system came online. Its function remains the same, except that no one would be able to hide their information now.


    After getting to know their details, he thought, "Church of Nuwa, Mt. Hua sect, Ji n, and a new northern general. Everyone gathered in one spot. Good¡­ very good. Let''s keep one as a hostage."


    Meanwhile, at Imperial City;


    Emperor Shang Fu was sleeping soundly in his room but his happy dream, whatever it might be, disappeared as he was forced to wake up early in the morning.


    "Ugh¡­ not again." Shang Fuined as this was the fourth time his sleep was disturbed in the past six months. The fact there were such frequent urgent situations kept on urring at such unusual times which require his attention only mean not everything is right in the empire.


    "Come in."


    After giving permission for the guard to enter the room, Shang Fu slowly got up.


    The Imperial guard reported the matter to the Emperor without leaving any detail.


    And without any surprise, the Emperor was shocked by the report and spoke, "Pass the message to Bai Xun that I want him at the pce this instant. I''m also calling for an emergency assembly."


    "Your Majesty." The imperial guard hurriedly left the room and went to inform the Emperor''s orders to his superior who passed it to the Chief Eunuch who had the means ofmunication with Bai Xun, the Generals, and the ministers.


    And within 45 minutes, everyone arrived at the courtroom and took their seat.


    "I bet all of you must have already been informed of what''s going on in Western Yan," said Emperor Shang with a look of frown on his face. "Feng Wu dered the war without giving off any prior notification."


    Nie Rougang showcased his loyalty by trying to be angry, "How dare those traitors to try to invade our empire. They must be hanged to death, Your Majesty."


    "But, why now?" asked Lin Wuying in wonder. "What is it that made them confident to wage a war when there were a bunch of experts openly waiting for them? Is there a stronger expert in their midst?"


    Bai Xun then asked, "what about the updates from the Ji n?"


    "They might be currently engaging with that unknown expert," opinioned the Grand Secretariat. "The message we received from Western Yan is just through captains."


    "Are they even alive?" The third prince was feeling suspicious of the state of the allies.


    Emperor Shang then said, "I have yet to speak everything. About 40-45 minutes ago, Chief Eunuch had received a message from General Hu through themunication talisman."


    As the rest of the ministers turned their heads to look at the guy standing beside the Emperor, the Eunuch informed them, "Before even the war started, an unknown enemy intruded into the Ji pce and attacked everyone. ording to General Hu, the enemy is suspected to be a supreme realm warrior and can summon the undead. He is a necromancer.


    Everyone has been taken as hostages by the time Feng Wu reached the city with his army equipped with Lu Zhen''s weapons and armored vehicles."

 Chapter 405 A Letter To Emperor Shang

    "Oh! Shit. Prince Wei''s suspicion is true?" The Grand Secretariat was taken aback and so were the others. Panic struck a few ministers as they heard of the existence of a supreme realm expert.


    Song n''s current head spoke in a hurry, "We have to send Ancestor Song Tai to deal with them. Does anyone have any instant means ofmunication with him?"


    As everyone shook his head, Lin Wuying spoke, "Or we can take Lu Zhen''s help."


    "Are you serious, Lin Wuying?" Nie Rougang red up when Lin Xue''s father suggested the name. As a person who was on the side of the Crown Prince and Ji n, he took the opportunity to put allegations against Mark.


    "Lu Zhen kidnapped Ji n''s heir and handed him to the Kunyu bandits to take revenge.


    He stole Song Yue away from Ji Mingyu when he was supposed to wed her.


    He sold those weapons to Kunyu bandits who were using them to murder our civilians.


    And I strongly suspect he is also behind Kunyu Bandits as of now. After all, you have heard the reports. A supreme realm expert attacked the Ji Pce. I remember Lu Zhen had a supreme being as his servant.


    Don''t you think it is likely both are the same person? In this situation, do you want to take his help? Ridiculous."


    Lin Wuying became silent as he couldn''t counter that. He doesn''t actually want to defend Mark at the moment as he had the same suspicion.


    However, the Emperor doesn''t think so. He immediately scolded Nie Rougang before anyone else react to it, "Don''t speak based on spections, Minister Nie. He is a friend of the Imperial family. Insulting him is the same as insulting this throne."


    Nie Rougang realized that the emperor was unhappy and he quickly apologized for his statements before saying that he didn''t have any other logical exnation.


    Shang Fu snorted and told the rest to get on to the original topic and discuss the best course of action.


    In the end, Bai Xun suggested the assassination of Feng Wu, followed by inciting a rebellion from the citizens until we surround them with our troops and let Song Tai take care of that mysterious expert.


    Everyone seemed to agree with his suggestion but the Emperor stayed silent. He dislikes such underhanded methods for the sake of victory, and hence, there is hesitation to give the answer.


    After a lot of thinking, he turned to his son and asked, "Shang Wei, you are my special adviser. Tell me if there is a better n than sacrificing innocents."


    As if he already had a n in his mind, the third prince readily answered as he got up from his seat, "Your Majesty, there is one which doesn''t involve bloodshed."


    As everyone curiously looked at the third prince, thetter spoke, "We give up Western Yan on the condition that Feng Wu and his army remain loyal to the throne."


    "What?" Nie Rougang opposed it immediately. He raised his voice at the third prince, "Prince Wei, whose side you are on? You want our majesty to admit defeat against those bandits and give away ournd? Do you know how big it even is? It''s over 260,000 sq. km."


    Even the suprememander Bai Xun opposed the n. "The war against the Feng n took the lives of thousands of soldiers. Giving it away will not be a humiliation to our soldiers but also a betrayal to our citizens there.


    Furthermore, the enemy''s strength hasn''t been confirmed yet. It was only mere spection from General Hu. If he is a legendary realm expert, then, we can win this war without a problem."


    Shang Wei folded his hands and leaned to the backrest as he argued, "Supreme Commander Bai, Minister Nie; both of your arguments are true but it is also a fact that we won''t have much support from the civilians as thend was originally ruled by the Feng n for hundreds of years anyways.


    Whether Ji n rules it or Feng Wu rules, does it really matter as long as he swears loyalty to his majesty? If they can''tpromise on it, we can proceed with the assassination of Feng Wu, followed by giving asylum to the bandits and their families to start a new life.


    As the great schr Sun Tzu said, the greatest victory is that which requires no battle."


    Shang Wei then looked at his father and said, "His Majesty asked my advice and I gave my opinion. We follow your orders whatever they may be."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Emperor Shang felt that his son is right and he was about to agree to his proposition for the sake of peace but before he did that, a soldier scurried forward and informed everyone that Feng Wu''s messenger is waiting for permission to enter.


    Soon, the former fatty merchant and a nervous freak, Huo Fen walked into the courtroom with his head held high in confidence. Strangely, he was already in the 5-circle realm. Only he and Feng Wu know how it happened.


    Halting his footsteps at the center of the court, Huo Fen calmly greeted the emperor and raised his palms to disy a scroll, "Your Majesty, His Highness Feng Wu has sent a letter to you."


    The Chief Eunuch took the scroll and read it aloud.


    "Dear, Emperor Fu of the Shang Dynasty,


    With the greatest pleasure, we''re informing you that our Kunyu royal force has sessfully captured Gong City and imprisoned the general named Hu Shi, Ji n heir, and Ji Cheng''s wife along with more than fifteen hundred soldiers of your army.


    Western Yan gained its independence and we would like to stay that way as we once did.


    Seven days from now, there will be an official coronation ceremony taking ce at Gong City and the Phoenix Empire is wee to send its delegate for wishing our new king.


    We also hope to receive a formal acknowledgment from Phoenix Empire for the sake of peaceful rtions. If you chose peace, Western Yan is willing to forget past grudges.


    As a gesture of goodwill, we will release all the war prisoners. In exchange, the soldiers of the Phoenix Empire will also leave ournd.


    And of course, we would also wee enmity too. In that case, we will act ordingly.


    Hoping for a positive response, yours sincerely;


    Prince Wu of the Feng Dynasty"


    Everyone except for Shang Fu rose to their feet in anger. The Emperor, on the other hand, tightly grabbed the handle and showed heavy restraint in order to keep his image in front of the messenger. He gestured for everyone to sit down.


    As they took their seats, Shang Fu tried to be as calm as possible as he dealt with the matter. "Return and inform your king that I will give him three days of time. Release the hostages, make a proper apology to the victims along with the announcement ofpensation, and swear his loyalty to the throne. I will allow him to rule Western Yan with a certain degree of freedom.


    If he doesn''t, the Phoenix Empire will formally take it as an act of war and retaliate in our own way."


    "I''m sorry but can you please provide me an official letter with everything you have said written on it?" Huo Fen refused to deliver the message through the mouth as he was afraid of the scheming politicians sitting in the courtroom. He might show his confidence due to the fact that Feng Wu managed to reim his kingdom but he was still afraid of death. He doesn''t want to get caught in the middle of all of this.


    Shang Fu''s face turned beet red and his veins popped up because of his rage but he managed to put it under control and asked for the scroll.


    After a while, Huo Fen bowed and then turned around to walk away with the letter.


    Once he is out of sight, Emperor Shang finally showed his real emotions. He couldn''t low down his voice as he roared with mes erupting from his body, "A mere messenger of bandits dares to say that he doesn''t trust my words? A bandit dared to threaten me with hostages?


    Who do they think they are? Just because I''m showing lenience, those bandits think that I''m weak?"


    Shang Fu stared at the startled officials of his and spoke in a powerful tone, "I don''t care what sort of busy ns they have but the three remaining generals, retired generals, guild leaders, sect leaders, andstly the n leaders have to be at the pce within 36 hours."


    "Your Majesty"


    The ministers and Bai Xun felt like they were seeing their aggressive emperor of the past days; as a result, everyone''s morale received a huge boost.

 Chapter 406 Assassination Attempt On Xie Mei

    Ji Pce, Gong city, Western Yan;


    In the pce, Mark and a few higher rank members of Kunyu bandits took their seats in the ce where that earlier meeting Ji n held it. Behind Mark, the demon was standing like a loyal servant to keep up appearances, although he was the strongest person here. He doesn''t have a thing such as an ego when he is summoned. So, no harm is being done here.


    "Okay, the sun is about to rise and I need to return to prevent any unnecessary suspicions. Any problem, just send me a message." Mark said to everyone as he rose to his feet.


    As the others got up their seats too, Feng Wu slightly bowed in respect, "Once again, thank you for your help, Owner Lu. I never expected to go our war this smooth."


    "No mention." Mark smiled as he waved his hand. He further added, "You have to be careful. People don''t know that Feng Chun is the real king. And before your enemies know the truth, they would think that you are going to be the king and will likely try to assassinate you during these seven days. You are on your own for that."


    "I know." Feng Wu nodded seriously. It was also the reason he was very careful to keep the existence of his nephew a secret, the former king''s only grandchild.


    Soon, Mark equipped the exo suit and flew away from the pce,nding in a remote location.


    As Bael alsonded before him, Mark gave his next order, "I need you to go to my home and protect the girl named Xie Mei from the shadows. The ce is named Genesis Weapon store. You can find your way by hypnotizing any soldier stationed in the city.


    As for your mission, keep an eye on her until someone attacks her. If that happens, you should capture them and send a telepathic message."


    "Consider it done," Bael promised to do the task and Mark opened up a portal and walked into it, returning to Helios City, although finding himself in the outskirts.


    Nevertheless, he used the tracking system to track Allen''s location at the royal pce. With GPS (sort of) function, he made it to the Royal pce and used the stealth ability of the suit and quickly got to his room by flying up to the second floor and getting in through the window, all in a matter of just 30 seconds of time.


    Throwing away the suit in inventory, he copsed on the bed to have some sleep.


    Meanwhile, in the Imperial city of Phoenix Empire;


    A group of masked individuals made their way through the streets, evading the soldiers who are patrolling around. They were four in number.


    "I''m excited about this mission, you know," said a masked individual as they entered the outer sector wheremoners live and where there is almost no patrolling because of the invasion. His hoarse voice and his words don''t match at all but no oneined as they were used to it.


    One of them with the codename Viper replied, "Panther, just because you are a summoner doesn''t mean Griffin will submit to you."


    "But, I have the greatest chance, right?" countered the guy codenamed Panther.


    Before Mark and Allen left for the Eastern Sun kingdom, the android was met with a guild member who surprisingly knows something about Soul.


    While the information is useless because it was already something Mark indirectly learned from Shang Wei, Mark figured out that this fellow named Li Ming is pretty much close to Nie Rougang and confirmed that this revenue minister knows a way to contact them.


    Bribing him with 500 gold coins to keep his identity a secret, Allen gave him the letter, a pouch with more than 100,000 gold coins, another pouch with 10,000 gold coins, and another scroll with a mission written on it.


    Li Ming gave them to Nie Rougang. The letter contained a message stating that he would have to deliver the mission to Soul organization with the advance in a big pouch. The smaller one with 10,000 gold coins is hismission for doing the job.


    Now, whether Li Ming does his job, whether Nie Rougang does his job, or they betray because of their greed for gold is something Mark had to take a leap of faith.


    But, faith is something Markcks. Hence, he made sure to attach a postscript where he threatened Nie Rougang that in the event of betrayal, his name will be given to private assassins. And for that, the employer (Mark) wouldn''t hesitate to spend another 100,000.


    As for the mission, Soul organization will have to kill Xie Mei when she is out of protection from Lu Zhen (Mark). She should die and her body should disappear while a letter should be left behind stating her departure.


    Mark didn''t forget to give her details and the abilities he knew. Along with 1 million gold coins as a reward for doing the job, he also mentioned that the girl has griffin as her contracted beast. If they kill her, they can capture the beast emperor and take it with them as their prize too.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The griffin might be a beast emperor but it is still a baby with only the strength of a 5-circle realm. For legendary realm experts, it shouldn''t be difficult to defeat it.


    That was the thing that attracted Soul organization the most and not just one or two but four members were deployed for the mission.


    Soon, they reached the weapon store and are looking for a way to enter.


    Having the knowledge of the store''s suppression inside, they knew that breaking into the store and killing her would be an impossible task. Hence, they decided to draw her out.


    As the rest of the three went into hiding and suppressed their cultivation realm, the sole woman member of the team, codenamed Peafowl, took out her mask and lowered her hood walked toward the store, and knock loudly on the shutter until it was opened by a teenager.


    Xie Mei was half asleep as she looked at the person, "what is it?" She asked while letting out a yawn.


    The woman grabbed Xie Mei''s hands as if she was in a huge problem and is in hurry, "My husband was bitten by stray dogs on the way and bleeding. No one is opening the doors. Please help me."


    "Stray dogs? It''s weird. Anyways, bring him inside. I know how to save him," replied Xie Mei.


    "Thank you so much¡­" The woman shed tears as she grabbed her hands before saying, "pleasee with me. He is lying there." She pointed in some random direction.


    Xie Mei didn''t think too much at first and followed her. But, after walking a few steps, she then asked curiously, "May I ask how it happened?"


    "We are traveling merchants from Northern Yuan province. On our way, we met with a pack of mad stray dogs. They attacked our bullock for no reason. My husband protected me and shoo them away but in the process, he was bitten a lot." The woman narrated a story in a brief manner while taking away the girl from the store.


    However, Xie Mei felt odd even in that story. She couldn''t help but say, "I''m sorry but there should be no stray dogs in our district or the surroundings. I heard that a while ago, all of those stray animals like dogs, cats, goats, and pigs were captured because of the inconvenience they cause to our store and our customers."


    The woman stopped walking and turned around. She wiped the tears and let out a smile, "well, I didn''t know that. If I had known, I would have used a better excuse."


    "What do you mean?" Xie Mei furrowed her brows. "Who are you?"


    Three figures simultaneouslynded around her. Panther spoke, "well, let''s just say your grim reapers."


    Xie Mei instantly realized that they were trying to assassinate her as Mark was no longer in the city. Xie Mei quickly used a significant portion of her ether energy and expelled it through her body in all directions.


    The assassins didn''t expect it and were hit by the sudden attack. They sted away a few meters and crashed onto the ground, giving space for Xie Mei to escape.


    "Iffy." She shouted at the top of her lungs as she leaped into the air.


    A powerful screech echoed in the surroundings before the griffin woke up, pped its wings, and flew into the sky.


    It happened so fast that even the assassins didn''t expect their target to perfectlynd on her mount''s back by the time they get up and take out their weapons.


    "We can''t let her escape," said the woman codenamed Peafowl.


    However, the response came from nowhere, startling everyone.


    "You have to worry about yourselves, humans."

 Chapter 407 Capturing The Assassins

    The voice of a stranger from nowhere startled everyone. Even Xie Mei, who was prepared to break her vow and use the bow due to an emergency, got surprised by the new entry.


    Soon, the demon materialized himself and appeared before the assassins.


    "Who are you?" As they felt nothing from the demon king, they were more alert.


    Bael smiled in response, "well, who am I is of no importance. What''s important here is that you aren''t here to assassinate the girl but to give answers."


    "Kill him." The leader of the group codenamed Falcon, ordered the others. As they tightly gripped their daggers and were about to charge at their new target, Bael snapped his fingers and all of a sudden,rge bones looking like tusks erupted from the ground and pierced each of them in their legs or thighs.


    "Aaaah"


    The four assassins of the 7-circle realm screamed in pain as their movements are halted. Xie Mei was stunned by the sudden move from her savior and she continued to stare from above.


    Meanwhile, Bael used bone prison once again to imprison everyone during the next few seconds and spoke to them, "Now, shall we go?"


    Bael slowly flew higher and so were the four bone prisons while the trapped assassins were trying their best to escape but couldn''t do it. Even their teleportation scroll is not working inside the bone prison.


    As the demon king was about to fly away, Xie Mei shouted, "wait." But Bael didn''t stop.


    Xie Mei ordered the griffin to follow him. After blocking his way for a moment, she thanked him and asked his name.


    Bael waved his hand in response, "as I have said earlier, my name is of no importance here. If you want to thank someone, you can thank Lu Zhen because he was the one who gave me this mission, although he was also the one who used you as bait to draw them out."


    "Eh? I''m the bait?" Xie Mei was shocked again. When she heard Bael''s first half of the sentence, she thought Mark was looking after her but thetter half of the sentence made her realize why she was left behind.


    She couldn''t help but ask, "Who are they?"


    Bael shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? You can ask Lu Zhen by yourself. I''m going to Kunyu Mountains to meet him. You can tag along if you want."


    "Isn''t he at Eastern Sun?" Xie Mei was once again surprised by the demon king''s words. She looked at him warily. After being fooled once, she couldn''t trust a stranger''s words despite the fact that he helped him.


    Bael understood what she was thinking and he didn''t mind it. "If you don''t want toe, then, don''t. You can still wait for his return and then ask him the questions. I''m leaving."


    Xie Mei thought for a bit and made her decision, realizing that if this stranger is strong enough to defeat those assassins of the 7-circle realm with such ease, then, he could kill her anytime he wants.


    "Wait, I''lle with you." She said.


    The demon king took her along with the four prisoners to Mt. Lan where the ruins of the Lan sect are located. He could directly go to Eastern Sun and it wouldn''t even take a minute for him to cover the distance but Mark decided Mt. Lan as the ce to interrogate them.


    After reaching the ce, he sent a message and waited.


    And it didn''t take long for a portal to appear and for Mark to walk out of it. Thetter wasn''t informed about Xie Mei''s presence and hence, was taken aback when he saw her standing beside the demon king. Naturally, he didn''t like it.


    "What are you doing here?" Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure.


    Xie Mei replied, "To get the answers."


    Mark meaningfully looked at the demon as if he was asking what mischief is this.


    Bael shrugged his shoulders calmly in response, "You never said that I shouldn''t bring her with me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mark wanted to get angry at him but the demon king is useful to him in many ways. Hence, he clenched his fist and controlled his annoyance before speaking to the 15-year-old.


    "I need to draw out the members of the ''Soul'' organization to interrogate a certain matter but I can''t put my loved ones in danger. Hence, I used you." Mark said it in a way without using any apologetic tone, hoping to use this situation to get rid of her. Seeing the look of shock on her face, he further said coldly, "I will do it again without hesitation even in the future. This is one of the risks you will have to bear if you want to live with me along with facing unexpected assassination attempts."


    "But, why save me?" Xie Mei was intelligent enough to understand the hidden meaning behind Mark''s words. However, Mark underestimated her willpower and determination. Before he gave her the answer, she answered her own question, "It''s because I''m your guest and you hold yourself responsible for my safety. Isn''t it?"


    Mark''s face darkened, feeling like he failed to get rid of her. "I have my own principles that I follow." After a brief pause, he added, "I''m not a god. Just because I believe in something, that doesn''t mean I would aplish it without fail."


    Indirectly, he was saying that he cannot save her all the time and today is just an exception. However, the determined teenager responded positively and even put him in a difficult spot with a surprising question. "I guess I should work hard then. By the way, I need a weapon to protect myself. Since I gave the bow because of you and since you said I''m suited for firearms, I guess I will have to depend on you to lend me one. As you said earlier, there will be future assassination attempts on me. I should protect myself."


    "Well¡­" Mark was stumped for a second by her request but it is also a fact that he is responsible to make give up the bow, he also agreed to let her live with him, and he also put her in danger. So, he thought she was logically right and it shouldn''t be a big deal to give an ether weapon. "Fine, I will give you one."


    Just as he thought about giving her an ether sniper rifle that can be used by her, Xie Mei reminded him, "I will soon make a breakthrough to 7-circle, by the way."


    "Alright. Wait here for a while." Mark promised her and shifted his focus to the unconscious prisoners.


    "Bael, can you seal their cultivations?" He asked the demon king. Thetter replied by shaking his head. "I''m not good at sealing techniques but I can destroy their cultivations though."


    "It''s even better. Do it." Mark gave his permission to act.


    The demon king let out a smile as he raised his hand, "with my pleasure."


    Concentrated demonic energy erupted from Bael''s right palm before taking the form of four sabers.


    He released the bone prisons and attacked them.


    The four assassins woke up with a painful scream and continued to scream as the demonic energy was attacking their spirit core while destroying their cells.


    Unlike Mark who had gone through gene mutation and don''t need a spirit core to cultivate, the cultivators/spirit warriors of this were born with spirit cores and they enhance these cores through constant training or absorbing energy from third-party sources and refining them.


    This is also why their spirit path and attribute are fixed and cannot be changed, unlike Mark who can just have multiple attributes and spirit paths/professions.


    As the respective spirit cores of the assassins were destroyed, turning them into mortals/civilians, Mark walked toward them.


    "Lu Zhen?" "This¡­"


    The assassins just went through hell but upon seeing Mark, they felt like their death is near.


    However, none of them begged for death as they were already dead inside with the loss of cultivation. They lost their will to live and were not afraid to die. And Mark wasn''t interested to deliver their death so soon.


    Taking out a handgun from his inventory, Mark pointed it at the woman first. "Now, Ms. Huang Jing of Qilin Empire, we shall start with you."


    The woman''s eyes widened in shock when her name and homnd is revealed by Mark. Even her teammates don''t have any idea.


    Mark didn''t care to exin himself and proceeded with the interrogation. "Now, I will ask a question. I hope I won''t be disappointed."


    "Ten years ago, your organization took an assignment rted to Huotang vige. The names of the victims are Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi. The incident is disguised as burry. Now, who is the client?"

 Chapter 408 Threatening The Assassin

    As soon as they heard Mark''s words, three of them looked confused and the fourth one tried his best to keep a poker face.


    One can control their expression but their heartbeat isn''t easy to control perfectly, atleast not when one is taken aback because of an unexpected question.


    "I don''t know," replied the woman, codenamed Peafowl, in the meantime. "Even if I know, I won''t answer you."


    "She was telling the truth,"mented the demon king before pointing his index finger at the eldest of the four, "Lu Zhen, this fellow knows it. There was a momentary spike of his heartbeat."


    "Is that so? Then, she is of no use to me." Mark responded to the demon king by clicking on the trigger without hesitation. The bullet left the gun and pierced the woman''s forehead, taking everyone by surprise.


    She fell to the ground and became a corpse. The middle-aged-looking fellow''s heart spiked up again when he saw that before he convinced himself to stay strong and prepare for death.


    Mark passed through the two in the middle and stood before the guy. Looking coldly at him, he raised the gun and pointed it toward the youngest of them, the one with the codename Panther. "Now, this was a warning shot just to show you what this beauty can do to mortals."


    The team leader (codename: Scarlet Tiger) spat onto the ground and replied, "We were afraid of neither death nor torture. Kill them for all I care."


    "Fine, let''s see how much willpower you have." Mark clicked the trigger two times in a row, ending the lives of his remaining teammates too.


    Scarlet Tiger aka Liu Xing remained unmoved by their deaths.


    As he stayed silent, Mark pointed the gun at his shoulder and shot the bullet. A sharp pain struck Liu Xing but he managed to bear the pain and looked straight at the horizon.


    *Bang* bang* bang* Bang*


    Four more bullets were shot one after another, one at his left shoulder, one at his left thigh, one at his right thigh, and thest one at his abdomen region. The blood was oozing out of his body and Liu Xing was feeling dizzy along with pain all over his body but he refused to speak.


    The demon king watched the scene with curiousness. He wanted to know what his contractor will do next.


    The irritated Mark kicked Liu Xing''s abdomen. As thetter fell down, Mark pressed his leg against the bullet wound and said, "Give me the name I want and I will give you a painless death. Don''t waste my time or else, I swear that you will wish for your death."


    Bearing his pain, Liu Xing forced out the words in response, "You have made a big mistake, young man. The moment you destroyed our cultivation, I have already lost my fear of death. There is nothing that can scare me."


    "What if I use your family members to threaten you? You won''t get scared even then?" asked Mark, resorting to using the half-baked information to his advantage.


    Liu Xing''s eyes widened for a moment before he let out a fakeugh, "I don''t have a family."


    The demon king sensed the change in Liu Xing''s heartbeat and secretly informed Mark through their telepathic connection.


    Mark, who realized that Liu Xing has a weakness, went on to use his Eyes of God skill once again. Compared to the Sage Eyes, the upgraded skill has more details, especially the description.


    He couldn''t help but smirk and said, "Is that so? Then, let me tell you about someone I know. His name is Liu Xing and he is from¡­"


    Liu Xing


    Codename: Scarlet Tiger


    Rank: N/A


    Age: 68


    Affiliation: Phoenix Empire, Dragon Empire (former)


    Description: Liu Xing used to be Honglong province''s governor. After a feud with an imperial prince, he lost his position and fame, and all of his assets were forcibly taken by the imperial pce. He assassinated the prince, escaped to Phoenix Empire with his wife, daughter, and son-inw, and joined the Soul organization. Due to an incident in histest mission, he lost his cultivation and turned into a mortal.


    ***


    After speaking out what he had read in the description, he then said, "I don''t know whether you have a grandchild or not but in order to fulfill my revenge, I will not hesitate to break my principles and torture all of your family members including the children right in front of your eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I will pluck off each of their nails, then, cut off their fingers, hands, and legs while my dear friend here will recover their limbs before I repeat the process again and again."


    As Xie Mei closed her mouth in shock, the demon king was smiling in amusement, and Liu Xing was finally shivering in fear as he was imagining the scene, Mark looked straight into his eyes and further said, "We don''t have any enmity. Don''t make it into one. Or else, you will know the true terror. Let me tell you about a few incidents that urred in my life.


    Some arrogant noble insulted my sibling. So, I killed that noble and attacked their n, making them pay thepensation.


    Then, their backing, the Sui n, tried to do the same. They faced the same result.


    In another incident, a minister of the empire insulted me and demanded an apology by falling onto my knees to save myself. As a result, I blew up their mansion located in the heart of the city and send him into aa.


    Then, the Emperor asked me to deliver him the seed of fire for his son. I promised him. To fulfill my end of the deal, I killed everyone who got near my prize. There were a lot of 8-circle realm experts on it. Poor Ironpalm sect almost lost their strength by half because of that.


    Recently, when I was on a vacation, I encountered a pitiful teenage couple who faced an ambush from their rival sect and lost theirrade. For the sake of a promise to that couple, I entered a tournament and killed the culprit right in front of her patriarch.


    When her Patriarch attempted to attack me and further threatened me with words, I destroyed his whole sect. You must have heard of Wuji Sect''s doom or read in the newspapers too.


    There are other incidents to say but I think you understood the point.


    All of those victims; I don''t have too much personal enmity with them as I have with the person who gave the assignment to you. He killed my parents. This one was too personal for me. I will not hesitate to kill a million innocents to punish that culprit.


    Now, if you give me the name, I will not touch your family. Or else¡­"


    Mark didn''t finish his sentence and quietly stared at Liu Xing who already started sweating.


    There is a reason why the Soul organization didn''t take up the assignment from Nie Rougang and the crown prince regarding the assassination of Mark. They knew he is strong but only now Liu Xing realized that he is also more ruthless than he expected.


    As a person who killed several people, Liu Xing could see Mark contained a tremendous amount of darkness and also have the eyes of a murderer. He could see Mark really meant what he said.


    Unknown to him, the nine points of Mark''s charm made his words more convincing to the listener.


    Therefore, putting aside his work ethic, Liu Xing spoke, "I will say it but don''t touch my family."


    "I promise." Mark maintained his seriousness, hiding his real feelings of excitement. "Tell me."


    Liu Xing exined, "10 years ago, we got an assignment to kill your parents as well as their secret guard sent by the imperial family. But, we also have to make sure that you don''t die. While I assassinated the guard, your parents were murdered by my partner. We have a request to make it look like a burry.


    We did as we were requested. However, my partner, codenamed Crimson Lion, was killed by Bai Xun in another mission we did five years ago. He wasn''t alive anymore."


    *bang*


    A bullet was fired from Mark''s gun as he was irritated again due to Liu Xing''s lengthy exnation. It pierced the right side of his abdomen, a bone of the ribcage, barely missing the liver.


    As Liu Xing let out a painful scream, Mark growled, "I don''t want to know all this bullshit. Give me the fucking name of the one who gives you the assignment. Who is it?"


    "Grand Secretariat Li Zhen Kang," Liu Xing revealed the name, taking Mark by surprise. "That fellow? Why?"


    "We don''t ask the reasons," replied Liu Xing while breathing heavily. He looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.


    Mark turned his head to meaningfully look at the demon king who was enjoying the scene. Thetter nodded without being asked any questions, "He is telling the truth."


    "Then, that''s good." Mark nodded.


    *Bang*

 Chapter 409 Attack On The Imperial Palace?

    Once Liu Xing lost his usefulness, Mark killed him, stole their weapons, loot their storage rings, before throwing all four corpses into an empty storage ring of his.


    The storage ring was further dismantled for credits while destroying their corpses for good.


    "So, what now?" asked Xie Mei in a bit of worry. The teenager might not who Li Zheng Kang is but she was aware that a Grand Secretariat is one of the most powerful men within an empire in terms of authority. Attacking him is the same as announcing a war against the Emperor.


    Mark replied with clear signs of anger on his face, "Now, it''s time for the Grand Secretariat to pay for his crimes. However, I don''t think he is the mastermind for he gains nothing from killing my parents. There is someone from the imperial family that ordered or requested him to do so. I need that name."


    "Bael, go to Imperial City once again and search for your next target of abduction. I''m transmitting my thoughts to you in the form of an image. Bring him here without killing anyone. Just knocking them out would be fine. And also, take the girl with you and drop her at our home." Mark passed his next order to the demon king, using his services as much as he wants to, without any hesitation.


    Since it is going to be another bad thing to do, Bael agreed to do it readily and went on to grab Xie Mei''s arm as well as touch the head of the griffin.


    "Wait." Xie Mei stopped him for a moment and looked at Mark in a bit of worry, "I know that you are strong enough to topple the empire but I hope you also thought of the consequences. Doing this will make you an evil person in the eyes of society.


    My grandfather said that if a majority of people are on your side, you will be a hero but if they are against you, you will be a viin and heroes will emerge from the public to defeat you. The more you resist the heroes, the more you be infamous. There''s no backing from there.


    And eventually, therees a day when you will fall and no one wille to support you. Think about it once again."


    Mark knew what he was going to do and he wasn''t interested to make Xie Mei understand his emotions or thoughts.


    He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, "I''m not forcing you to stay on my side. You can leave if you want. Bael will drop you and your griffin at Xianshu sect."


    Xie Mei didn''t know what else to speak to this stubborn fellow. As she took a vow to herself that she won''t leave his side at all costs like a dutiful wife would be (in her opinion), she could only reply to him to be careful before disappearing with the demon.


    After dropping the teenager at Genesis weapon store, Bael fly higher into the sky up to 1km of altitude and scanned the entire city using his senses.


    "Found it." Bael looked in the direction of a majestic pce located in the heart of the city. Even though his maximum power was restricted greatly, with the peak stage immortal realm power, he managed to find his target in mere 6 seconds of time.


    The demon then flew toward the imperial pce, alerting a certain Queen Consort when hended right in front of the entrance door and knocked out the door guards.


    Fearlessly, he walked into the imperial pce and started walking in the direction where he sensed the presence of his target.


    Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Emperor Shang was still in the middle of a meeting with his ministers, the Grand Secretariat, Bai Xun, and the third prince. None of them were aware of what was going on outside as there is a noise-canceling barrier ced within the room to make sure no spies are listening to their conversation in secret.


    And at the moment, the third prince and Nei Rougang were arguing about a matter.


    "Minister Nie, don''t try to evade it. We have proof that your n secretly acquired a new type of weapon in several numbers from the Dwarven kingdom. However, the Dwarven King isn''t aware of it. Your actions are quite suspicious." Shang Wei used Nie Rougang on the grounds of corruption, deceit, and rebellion. He further demanded the minister in donating those weapons to the imperial army so that they may be deployed to the border and take down the Kunyu bandits'' battle tanks.


    This matter was brought up by Lin Wuying when Nie Rougang talked about the imperial pce allocating more funds and setting up a war donation box so that the citizens can also contribute to this war without actively participating in the war.


    The revenue minister stressed that this is a better way than raising the taxes. As Lin Wuying brought it up, Shang Wei used this matter to his advantage.


    When Nei Rougang refused to hand over them as it is considered private property, Shang Wei countered that the minister can use them against the imperial pce when the army is busy at the border fighting a war.


    He also pointed out how it is weird for the Nie n to gather such funds to buy those expensive weapons and that too, high in number.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In response, Nie Rougang almost roared in anger, "Lies. Our n served the throne for more than 1700 years. We were also one of the few ns who stood behind the founder while unifying this southernnd. Don''t dare question our loyalty. We won''t sit and listen quietly even if you are a prince."


    Seeing Nie Rougang agitated by his allegations, Shang Wei leaned back a bit with a smile on his face, "If you cannot donate them or even sell them, then, you should have no problem lending them to the imperial army. Supreme Commander Bai just now mentioned that if we want to defeat them, we need to attack them at the same time.


    Each of those cannons can shoot targets from more than a thousand meters away. We can surely surprise the enemies with an all-out attack."


    "But, it is not just our soldiers and Ji n''s main family who are kept as hostages. There are hundreds of thousands of citizens too,"mented the Han n''s Patriarch. "Is His Majesty really want to go ahead with the war?" The minister of war is clearly against the war. He wanted peaceful negotiations.


    However, the Emperor is very angry. He sharply stared at the war minister, "I would have settled for peace if that Feng Wu hadn''t threatened us. His arrogance will be his downfall."


    "And we don''t have to worry about the citizens, Minister Han." Shang Wei made him understand that Feng Wu look at all the citizens of Western Yan as his own citizens and had a bit of emotional attachment to them.


    Bai Xun then voiced his opinion, "The killing of soldiers will only give us the reason to go all out against them. They clearly don''t want that either. Hence, it is just an empty. Perhaps, the only lives we have to worry about are that of the Ji n.


    If we could just manage to save Ji Cheng and Ji Guanli, we could proceed with the all-out attack, but, not without Song Tai and other experts of the 8-circle realm.


    And while they were distracted, our assassin will have to make sure to poison Feng¡­"


    *Ssssssh*


    Just as Bai Xun was about toplete his sentence, all of a sudden, the walls werepletely frozen in ice.


    "Huh?"


    Everyone got up from their seats in a bit of confusion.


    But, in the next second, the floor and the ceiling were also frozen in ice.


    "What the hell is going on?" "An ambush?" "Ice? It''s Lu Zhen¡­" "How is that possible? The ambassador confirmed Lu Zhen''s presence at Eastern Sun yesterday." "I cannot sense anything outside this room"


    As various murmurings filled the ce, the Emperor roared, "Who is it?"


    "Your Majesty, let me take care of it." Bai Xun quickly summoned his semi-divine bow and conjured an energy arrow.


    He shot at the ce where the door was supposed to be located.


    The arrow struck the ice but couldn''t even scratch it, making everyone''s face dark.


    Even Bai Xun was shocked and turned his head to look at Shang Fu. "Your Majesty, my power cannot destroy this. We are trapped for good."


    "Not really, Supreme Commander Bai. Let me try." The third prince stepped forward.

 Chapter 410 Xia Dynastys Terracotta Army

    He walked toward the ice wall and then closed his eyes, raising his hands. Bright mes escaped his palms and took the shape of arge bird before rushing toward its target.


    In the impacted region, ice slowly started melting. Some of the ministers who were in Shang Wei''s support were impressed by the bloodline skill.


    They were about to praise him but the melting ice recovered its solid state once again, throwing everyone into despair once again.


    Shang Wei turned around and looked at his father, "Your Majesty, if you and I work together and unleash our bloodline skills, we could open the way."


    Shang Fu nodded immediately, "Alright."


    Soon, as the others backed away, the father and son duo unleashed their respective bloodline skills of the same type.


    "Bloodline skill: the Arc of Inferno" "Bloodline skill: the Arc of Inferno"


    Shang Fu used the sword and shed at empty air, generating mes in the form of an arc and affecting a wide area. On the other hand, the third prince used his staff to m the floor with the bottom of the handle. The effects were just the same, although less powerful than the former.


    Including the frozen floor, everything within the affected region melted and everyone saw the door.


    However, the ice appeared to have self-healing power. Just as it was about to recover its previous state, Bai Xun acted quickly by firing an energy arrow and destroying the door while everyone made their run toward the exit without knowing that it wasn''t a prison but some sort of protective barrier.


    They even managed to get out sessfully only to see unconscious soldiers on the floor all around the corridor in the same ces they were stationed.


    Along with it, there was a huge hole made in the ceiling of the corridor, going all the way to the top. It only means that someone sted through the walls continuously for four floors and escaped.


    "What just happened here?" Shang Fu couldn''t help but ask in wonder.


    "I will enquire about it, Your Majesty," replied Bai Xun.


    Meanwhile, in the skies far above the imperial city, two figures were seen battling against each other.


    Every time they shed, powerful waves were generated but thankfully, they were far high enough that those waves aren''t reaching the city.


    A couple of minutester;


    After another sh, they separated and looked at each other. One appeared to be enjoying himself while the other one already had signs of tiredness despite the fact that only three minutes have passed.


    Letting out a pleasant smile, Bael spoke, "I must say you are quite talented in fighting, for a fake."


    Taking heavy breaths, the deadly serious-looking Lan Jingyi answered, "I told you to stop calling me that, you disgusting creature. Nevertheless, I don''t care as long as you will note anywhere near my family."


    "Family? Pfft¡­ Hahahahaha" Bael broke out intoughter as he heard her words. "You are interesting,dy. Perhaps, if I wasn''t on a job, I would have taken you back to my world for experimentation. I''m really curious about the process of your creation. You are neither an avatar nor a clone. Did your original create you through soul-splitting? I wonder¡­


    Anyways, I have yed around for so long. Now, if you excuse me, I need the life of a man named Li Zheng Kang. I will entertain youter,dy. But for now, you will have to stay aside for some time."


    The demon king disappeared and appeared behind her.


    She motioned her hand in reflex but Bael teleported before her and gave a powerful punch to her chin. He disappeared soon after.


    Lan Jingyi felt dizzy as she flew upward for a while. Because the punch wasn''t lethal, she managed to recover within 30 seconds and then proceeded to descend to the ground.


    By the time Lan Jingyi returned to the pce while wearing a robe with a hood and covering her face with a mask to hide her identity, she already found her husband and the others in an unconscious state. Bael was seen imprisoning an unconscious grand secretariat in a bone prison.


    As she checked upon her husband and son, Bael waved his hand with a smile and disappeared with his prisoner. "See youter."


    "What the hell is that guardian Yuqiang doing? Immortals are not allowed to roam thisnd." Lan Jingyi mumbled in anger but she knew that she cannot stop the demon from leaving.


    She never thought of herself as the strongest being on the but she was confident that she could protect her family from any threats. It was the first time she felt so helpless at the moment and further wondered about the identity of the fellow who managed to form a contract with such a powerful demon.


    Meanwhile, at the Kunyu Mountain range, Mark was waiting for the demon while kept looking at his pocket watch. "It''s been five minutes already. I guess he was facing trouble with spotting the target."


    Earlier, he thought that it will take Bael a while to aplish his task and return to Helios City. The result? The demon kingpleted his mission too quickly. Thankfully, there was no cooldown on the skill. Hence, he was able to return to Mt. Lan once again to interrogate the assassins.


    Unlike before, Bael''s current task wouldn''t need any waiting but he would have to search for the Grand Secretariat in the city with millions of poption. Not to mention, there is no guarantee that Li Zheng Kang was currently residing in the city.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If it takes longer time, Mark would rather return to Helios City. Hence, he decided to wait for 15 minutes and then return.


    Fortunately for him, Bael returned with the target before the time limit Mark set in his head.


    Flexing his fingers, Mark mumbled, "Now, let''s wake up this gentleman and extract the truth."


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the Bloodhill forest;


    An undead army, a powerful undead dragon, and Alina (Xia Fen) were following their master, the Necromancer King, as he resumed his aimless roaming in sector-1 and sector-2 regions of the forest right after he woke up.


    After killing the lord of the Bloodhill forest and making its undead version his personal mount, he went on doing that for several hours until midnight while killing every creature he encounters on the way.


    As the two innermost regions of the deadly forest were cleaned uppletely within just a day, the Necromancer King''s army only grew stronger with the addition of 8-circle and even 9-circle beast kings.


    "Where is it? It''s been more than fifteen hundred years since I was sealed away. My memories aren''t clear yet." The Necromancer King appeared to be searching for something.


    For the next three hours, he was relentlessly roaming and his soldiers were quietly following behind him without speaking anything.


    Eventually, he ended up at the ck dragon''sir once again. "I think I should search this area properly once again. This is the safest ce to hide them after all."


    He then turned around to look at the undead dragon and Alina/Xia Fen, his two strongest servants, "Xia Fen, both of you will take the left path. I want you to check if you see any path that is sealed up with the symbol of two dragons coiled around each other. They might be covered by rocks and soil but look carefully.


    As for you, Xia Hei (undead dragon), I know that you don''t have your memories but you still have the sense of a beast emperor of a Supreme Being beast. If you feel like there is something wrong, report it to Xia Fen."


    The undead dragon let out a hiss and nodded firmly, implying that it understands. Soon, thedy and the dragon set out to therge tunnels in the left direction from the entrance.


    The Necromancer King went in the other direction.


    Nearly, an hourter, he reached the end of an underground cavern but failed to find what he was looking for.


    "Dammit¡­ Where the hell is my ancestors'' army?"


    Being frustrated by the failure, he got angry, and in rage, he mmed the tip of the scythe onto the ground using his ether energy.


    Maybe, he used too much force. The ground beneath him started cracking and the entire ce started shaking as if an earthquake urred.


    Realizing that he was underground, the Necromancer King quickly protected himself using an energy shield while floating in the air.


    However, the copse didn''t happen as he anticipated.


    Instead, only the ground beneath him was destroyed, revealing an energy barrier covered over arge scale. Only a part of it was seen from his point of view but he was more than happy to see it with his own eyes.


    At the bottom of the barrier, there were thousands of statues ced around a tomb. There were torches on the wall still burning even after 1500 years.


    Clenching his fist with a creepy smile on his face, he mumbled, "I thought I sealed them in a hidden dimension. But, it looks like I didn''t. I won''t have to find the seal¡­"


    He raised the scythe and used almost all of his ether energy tounch a powerful beam of concentrated dark energy.


    The beam struck the barrier and cracks started appearing all over it before making a huge hole.


    The Necromancer King descended through the hole andnded on the ground.


    Letting outughter, the Necromancer King used the remaining energy to unleash threads of dark energy into the statues around him.


    "Wake up, Xia''s terracotta army. The time hase for us to reim ournd. With my undead army as the support, there''s no stopping us this time."


    Each of the statues'' eyes glowed simultaneously and every one of them started moving their limbs as if they were alive.

 Chapter 411 A Deal From Leon Empire

    Mt. Lan, Kunyu Mountain range;


    It''s been more than 3 hours since the Grand Secretariat was abducted and brought to the ruins of Lan Sect.


    While it appeared like he was just silently kneeling in front of the demon king, in reality, his soul was pulled into an illusionary realm created by Bael.


    There, he was being tortured with all kinds of punishments the demon could think of.


    The reason, he didn''t speak the name of the mastermind and maintained his stance that he was the one who ordered the execution of Lu Zhen''s parents but wouldn''t give the reason for it.


    As threats didn''t work on him because ofcking any family and Mark clearly didn''t buy Li Zheng Kang''s lie, he ordered the demon to punish him in his own style until his time in the mortal world is finished.


    In the meantime, he returned to Helios City and acted as if he was just woken up from sleep.


    As one more hour passed away, thest VIP guest finally arrived at the pce while the preparations for the lunch are going on in the kitchens. It is the fourth prince of the Kun Empire, Qin Zhi.


    As one of the most popr people of the Vermillion Bird Continent, Qin Zhi was weed grandly at the pce but he couldn''t meet the birthday boy who was somewhere else. Qin Zhi could only go to his room and freshen up.


    On his way to the guest room, he inquired about the whereabouts of everyone else. The soldier told him what he knows.


    "Oh, Princess Shen was here? Perfect. This is a good time to talk to her about the issue in Western Yan. If I y my cards right, then, we can acquire a stake in the southern region too. The only problem would be Lu Zhen.


    More than his mysterious background and powerful servants, his detachment and neutrality are troublesome to handle. Hmm¡­ if he would actively support one side and will have a stake in the war too, then, he will be tied to something and his actions will be more predictable."


    While Song Yue was engaging in conversation with otherdies in the pce and the two experts (Jinlong and Lan Ju) were strolling in the gardens without being bothered by anyone else, Mark, on the other hand, went with some of his fellow royal male guests to the Imperial temple.


    Currently, Ouyang Zen was praying for the statues of his ancestors while a giant pig (5-circle, fierce grade) was being ughtered by the Supreme General of the kingdom as a part of the sacrifice. The priests of the temple started incantations while walking around the kneeling King.


    Meanwhile, the royal guests standing far away became busy chatting with each other as they were too bored and disinterested in the ritual that was going on for the past 30 minutes.


    Mark was no exception either. He was chatting with the general of Leon Empire.


    "Nah, I''m not interested in supporting anyone. I''m just a weapon seller you know," answered Mark as he was asked about thetest developments in Western Yan.


    It''s already been a few hours. It shouldn''t be a surprise for the news to reach these royal guests who have spies in almost every independent kingdom and empire.


    Upon hearing Mark''s words, General Fan Zongmao of the Leon Empire couldn''t help butment, "War is the most lucrative business for a weapon seller, Mr. Lu."


    He then further added, "And the weapons you sell could make them lethal even in the hands of a civilian. If you of all the people don''t take advantage of it by supplying the weapons to the weaker party and prolonging the war, it is really a pity."


    Mark was slightly surprised by his suggestion. He asked in wonder, "Do you support those bandits? I thought Leon Empire is an ally to Phoenix Empire."


    "Well, our alliance isn''t as strong as you imagine. You can say we are more like business partners. We don''t involve in each other''s internal matters no matter how serious they are," replied the general.


    He further exined, "Even if we are requested for the support, we aren''t obliged to send our troops or economic support. Our self-interests take priority. And our interests definitely lie in the weakening of our neighbors for sure.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Our Emperor is interested in making the third prince, Shang Wei, his grandson-inw but despite that, ourmitments won''t change. This is something everyone knows and even we acknowledge it publicly.


    There''s a reason why no one is approaching me or our ambassador in the friendly way they did with the others. They knew that we are just meant for business."


    Mark stared at him in silence for a few seconds and let out a smile, "You are quite straightforward, Mr. Fan."


    "Just like the symbol of our empire, we are known for our straightforwardness and directness in our hunting or social behavior," General Fan spoke with pride.


    To which, Mark responded with ament, "But lions are also known to disy slyness on certain asions. Especially, a male lion is often seen trying to lure away the leader to a trap and take over the pride."


    General Fan shook his head with a smile, "Mr. Lu, just like how the countless stars in the sky disappear as soon as the sun rises in the sky, you cannotpare ordinary lions to a legendary auspicious beast like Leon. It''s humiliating for us.


    Our Leon is the symbol of strength, bravery, determination, resilience, and nobility. We believe that slyness is something that weak people do to stronger people due to theirck of strength. Our Empire is like the sun. We don''t need to opt for slyness to eradicate our enemy."


    Mark wanted to retort that their sun is just one of the mediocre stars in the universe but since this general has no idea about the concept of gxies while he would unnecessarily go off-topic, Mark kept his opinion to himself and just agreed with his statement, "Yes, your Empire is indeed like the sun."


    General Fan smiled in response, "d we are on the same page."


    "Indeed," mumbled Mark while thinking that this general was just like a frog in the well.


    What he truly wanted to say is that Sun behaves like a king in its sr system but in reality, it was also a servant just likes, revolving around the center of the gxy where a supermassive ck hole is located.


    Mark thought that the general would understand it over the course of time.


    To keep their conversation alive, Mark then asked after staying silent for a while, "So, General Fan, I was wondering what are your opinions on our firearms?"


    "I knew this topic wille up sooner orter." The General behaved a little bit arrogant but he made sure to not sound like one. He replied, "Personally, I feel like civilians shouldn''t get such power. And spirit warriors shouldn''t depend on external weapons whether it is swords or firearms. But, if you are curious about our Emperor''s stance on it, then, I must say he seems interested.


    The problem is that we are interested in those flying puppets you sold the purchase rights and the bulk amount to your Emperor. Those bulky metal puppets (Panzers), on the other hand, were too weak. Those things that cause sts over a wide area are expensive and just one-time use.


    Furthermore, we would want weapons that our enemies have no idea how to counter them. If you have anything like those, His Majesty would be willing to be your client.


    And after getting to know about the ether weapons from Western Yan, we strongly suspect that you possess more potent weapons, which will onlye to light once your store''s poprity reaches the certain level you wanted. Am I wrong?"


    Something suddenly clicked inside Mark''s head and realization dawned upon him. "So, you are nning to talk to me about business from the start. You wanted me to confirm that I have new firearms." After a brief pause, he added with a smile, "I must say that is slyness, General Fan."


    The general rigorously shook his head and rified right away, "No, you misunderstood me. I didn''t start a conversation because of business. I''m here to give you a mission on behalf of His Majesty."


    "Mission?" Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure. He didn''t hide his true feelings this time. "Does your emperor think I''m an adventurer or something?"


    The General realized that he had misspoken. He quickly corrected his words, "No, what I mean is that his majesty needs your help in aplishing a difficult task. Consider it as a deal regarding the Church of Nuwa. Since it is in the territory of Western Yan, we cannot step in without Emperor Shang''s permission. This is why I asked you about your opinion on the war."


    "Church of Nuwa? War? Please be clear¡­" As Mark asked for the details, the general nced around his near surroundings where he saw the guests who could hear them. He shook his head and said, "Not here."

 Chapter 412 The Vile Act Of The Grand Secretariat

    After the sacrificial ceremony and praying to the ancestors is finished, Ouyang Zen returned to the pce but he didn''t step inside. Instead, he went to the pce grounds and blessed the citizens with his presence as each of them was given 5 gold coins and a set of clothes.


    This is the tradition of the Eastern Sun kingdom, going on since its foundation.


    The nobles, court officials, royal knights, generals, and the members of the royal family will have to present the king with a birthday gift but themoners and soldiers, on the other hand, will be receiving presents from the royal pce.


    As millions of citizens would visit the capital city every year, the donations will start a week before the king''s birthday and will end a week after the event. Those who missed the deadline or cannot show their identification documents won''t be able to enjoy the rewards.


    While Ouyang Zen spent his time there, Mark returned to the royal pce. General Fan and a few other royal guests also followed the suit as it isn''t necessary to be present at the pce grounds like with the temple.


    General Fan hoped to talk with Mark about the deal but thetter went missing somewhere in the pce. He couldn''t find the weapon seller anywhere.


    Mt. Lan, Kunyu Mountain range;


    Demon King Bael was staring at the dazed prisoner, who was currently trapped in an illusionary realm. His hand was on Li Zheng Kang''s head and he had his eyes closed.


    Suddenly, a portal appeared out of nowhere and Mark stepped outside of it.


    "What are you doing?" He asked curiously.


    The demon king opened his eyes and replied, "I''m watching his memories."


    "So¡­" Mark''s curiosity increased.


    Bael then said, "His life story is interesting but I will tell you what you want to know. The mastermind behind your parents'' deaths is your grandmother, who is, unfortunately, no more. It appeared that the ones who died weren''t your real parents but you were switched at birth with your half-brother born to your¡­"


    "I know that story. So, don''t bother." Mark didn''t let the demon finish his exnation and asked him again, "Are you sure she is the mastermind?"


    As the demon king nodded, Mark clenched his fist in anger and let out a shout of frustration, "Argh¡­ Dammit."


    With the principal conspirator dead, Mark felt all of his nning became useless.


    Just then, the demon said, "I have something else to say. But, before that, let me ask you. What kind of rtionship do you have with your father, the Emperor of the Shang Dynasty?"


    "He is not my father," replied Mark in a sharp tone. He then added, "If you want to fulfill your curiosity, I don''t care whether he dies or lives."


    With that reply, the demon got his answer and he then said, "ording to his memories, Your fath¡­ I mean, Emperor Shang had fooled around with a lot of women when he was in his prime. It appeared that fathered over 46 children in total.


    And except for one child, all the remaining illegitimate children and their mothers along with everyone who knew the secret were assassinated too."


    "What did you say? 46?" Mark''s heart shook for a moment as if a volcano has erupted. Killingmoners, soldiers, or even innocent women is one thing. But, killing children¡­


    Even in his imagination, Mark wouldn''t dare tomit an act like that. "Wake him up." He raised his voice in anger.


    The demon king obliged his request and snapped his fingers. Li Zheng Kang''s eyes became alive and he looked around in confusion. "It''s a dream?"


    Surprisingly, he adapted to the changes in the situation quite quickly.


    Feeling the heat from the sun, Li Zheng Kang asked Mark without showing signs of any weakness, "How long has the time passed?"


    Mark responded by taking out the gun from his storage ring and shooting a bullet at Li Zheng Kang''s shoulder.


    *Bang*


    "Argh¡­" He screamed in pain at once and Mark shifted his aim to the former''s left shoulder without speaking anything before shooting more bullets.


    *Bang* Bang*. . . . . . *bang* *click* click*


    He shot him continuously in different ces, perfectly missing his key vitals, until the magazine emptied.


    The grand secretariat was feeling pain all over his body and experiencing severe blood loss.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As his consciousness was about to fade away, Mark then spoke, "Bael, heal him."


    He saw Bael''s stats and skills after he formed the contract and knew what type of abilities he has.


    As the demon king healed Li Zheng Kang''s injuries, Mark reced the empty magazine with a new one loaded with bullets.


    Pointing his gun at him again, Mark spoke coldly, "I won''t me you for killing all those 46 women who slept with the Emperor but killing their babies? People say that you are one of the noblest officials in the empire. You don''t take sides and only serve the throne. You don''t have a family as it will be your weakness. You follow the rules and will always make sure justice prevails in the courtroom.


    What bullshit rumors are those? You are worse than a monster. Don''t you even feel a little bit of remorse for killing children?"


    Li Zheng Kang was first surprised as his secret was out like that but then he quickly defended himself with a lengthy reply, "The assassination of illegitimate children of the imperial family is a tradition passed down in the Shang Dynasty. It is the job of a Grand Secretariat to clean after the mess made by his Emperor and the crown prince. All my predecessors did the same.


    Fortunately, no grand secretariat ever faced the dilemma of keeping one alive to protect the bloodline. And yes, I don''t feel any remorse as I was prepared to do it when I took up the job. His Majesty knew that and yet, he fooled around.


    As for the babies, it is their respective mother''s fault. They might have willingly or unwillingly slept with the Emperor but it is also a fact that they have the option to kill their baby when they became pregnant.


    We cannot kill pregnant women or their unborn children by any forceful methods. It has to be voluntary. We give her a choice to kill the unborn child in exchange for money.


    It''s not 46 women, Lu Zhen. The total number of women is 114. Of them, 68 agreed to take the money and killed their unborn child by taking the pregnancy termination pill. The remaining women refused.


    There are such pills and potions avable in the market for a cheap price to do the job but the greed of bing a concubine by giving birth to an imperial child doomed their lives.


    It''s nothing but a choice and consequence, Lu Zhen.


    If not for the fact that Queen Consort Lan sent you and your mother away from the city, both of you would have died on the day of your birth.


    However, your mother''s fate was already sealed. Eventually, thete Empress Dowager found out the location of your home and ordered me to proceed with the assassination.


    However, I purposely instructed them to spare you as I know that you aren''t his illegitimate son but the son of Queen Consort Lan. Regrettably, I only learned the truth after the title of prince was conferred upon the third prince. Killing him would be going against thew and Queen Consort Lan also seemed like she had forgotten you. Furthermore, you are identified as a civilian with no ether energy. Hence, I decided to ignore your existence altogether.


    Little did I expect you to return to the Imperial City in ten years and enter our lives as a unique weapon seller. Within no time, you stepped so high into the socialdder that I didn''t dare to reveal the truth anymore.


    It''s not just because you are doing better as Lu Zhenpared to an imperial prince. It is also because your growth in fame and poprity gives hope tomoners.


    Ever since you stepped inside the Imperial city and fought with the nobles, themoners became braver than before and they no longer fear to send theirints to the court when they faced injustice from nobles or powerful people.


    Now, I have said everything I can.


    You can take your revenge on me in any way you can but I can''t apologize to you for following my duty. Even if I get a second chance, I would do the same."


    When Li Zheng Kang first started his exnation, Mark had the urge to clear the magazine once again but as he went on listening, his anger slowly faded away.


    In fact, he no longer felt angry with this old man. Instead, his anger shifted to someone else.


    "I knew it. In the end, that bastard Shang Fu is the source of my agony. He knew about this absurd rule and yet couldn''t control himself lusting for women even when he has several wives. That moth**f**ker yed around with 114 women?" Mark concluded that Emperor Shang is the true culprit behind the death of his adoptive parents.


    His hatred toward his biological father only grew further and he became more motivated to bring him down for good.


    However, there is still one question that''s bothering him.


    To get rification on the matter, he asked Li Zheng Kang in response to his exnation, "Did Shang Fu knows that I''m his son?"


    Li Zheng Kang stayed silent for a while. He hesitated to answer.


    *bang*


    Mark grew impatient by his five seconds of silence and shot the bullet into his abdomen, "Just say yes or no. Or else, I will bring him to this same location and ask him by myself."


    "He does," answered the demon king in Li Zheng Kang''s ce.

 Chapter 413 Discussion Between Shen Ling And Song Yue

    As both of them looked at the demon, thetter looked at Li Zheng Kang, "I have already read your memories. But, you see, speaking the truth leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I cannot lie to my contractor. So, it is best if you speak the truth by yourself."


    Li Zheng Kang stared at him for a couple of seconds and let out a sigh, "Yeah, it is true, although not for long. It''s only been a couple of months. He visited your store right after but upon seeing how you are doing well, he decided against revealing the truth to you.


    Seeing how Queen Consort Lan had gifted her mother''s heirloom to Song Yue, I believe she too figured it out. Honestly, it''s not that hard for her to realize the truth. Your appearance is a striking resemnce to Queen Consort Lan''s father, Lan Gengxin. Adding on top of that, you also had the ice attribute. The rest is easy to connect."


    Mark already knew that his mother knew about him. So, he wasn''t that surprised about it. He calmly nodded and went on to ask another question, "Does Shang Wei know the truth?"


    "I don''t think so," Li Zheng Kang shook his head.


    Mark then asked his final question, "So, ording to you, only you and those damned biological parents of mine know the truth, correct?"


    As Li Zheng Kang nodded while pressing the wound with his hand in reflex in order to stop the blood flow, Mark let out a smile for once as he raised the gun. "Thank you for your cooperation. You can die now."


    *Bang*


    With a bullet piercing through his skull, the Grand Secretariat turned into a corpse and fell to the ground.


    "Bael, your time in this world is about to end." Mark turned toward the demon king and gave his final instruction for the day, "Before you leave, dump this body right in the middle of the imperial court. But, not like this. Crave the word ''guilty'' on his forehead, above the bullet wound. And thank you for your assistance so far."


    "Alright. I await the next summon." Bael nodded.


    As Mark opened the portal and returned to a random location on the outskirts of Helios city, Bael let out a smile while grabbing the corpse. "My choice is right. Wherever this man goes, destruction follows for sure. It''s going to be fun. Looking forward to it."


    A couple of minutester;


    After dumping the body in the empty courtroom, which was currently frozen in ice, Bael teleported to the outskirts of the city.


    Just as he was about to return to his world, a thought suddenly struck his head and he mumbled, "I still have a little bit of time. I might as well check the presence of anyone else here. Who knows, someone might have a contract with humans."


    Meanwhile, at the Helios City of Eastern Sun Kingdom;


    In arge private chamber located on the third floor of the pce, also considered as one of the inner chambers where the males weren''t allowed to step in unless in emergency situations (except for the king), a gathering was organized for the female guests separately from the males.


    All the women here have simr status and even Song Yue had the upbringing of a noble. Hence, she has no problem mingling with the otherdies (wives and daughters of court officials, ambassadors, etc...)


    Some of them were casually discussing matters of their families and household affairs, some of them were listening to the music yed by a famous singing courtesan, some of them were exchanging knowledge, some of them were showing off their skills in weaving, calligraphy, and embroidery to each other, and a few were even discussing literature and philosophy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unfortunately, there was no one here skilled in fighting and neither did anyone have an interest in things nor were they interested in politics. All of them were only doing things that society expects them to do.


    And such discussions around her made Princess Shen Ling quite frustrated. She kept her feelings to herself while talking with others, but when she was finally alone with Song Yue, she expressed her true thoughts, "I pity these women, Sister Yue. They act high and mighty but don''t understand how useless they are to society. None of thesedies even had any ambition to earn proper recognition on their own andpletely depend on their husbands or fathers."


    "Well, if you say that way¡­" Song Yue couldn''t finish her words due to feeling hurt by her words but Shen Ling understood it by her expression. She quickly rified her opinion, "You are different from them, Sister Yue. You might have devoted your life to Lu Zhen but you are still doing something to help him out unlike them."


    Song Yue bitterly smiled in response, "It might seem that way on the outside but I''m not much different. I just sit there all day. I couldn''t even help him with house chores properly."


    "Nah, don''t sell yourself short. He trusts you in managing the store and the ounts. I believe he is trying to remove that inferiorityplex by doing that," replied the princess, taking Song Yue by surprise.


    Not because she was hearing it for the first time but it is because Shen Ling told her the same words Mark replied to her when she asked him during the vacation why he made her the manager of the store.


    Feeling that Shen Ling understood Mark''s thoughts quite well, Song Yue became slightly upset as she was ready to share her husband physically with other women but not his heart and mind.


    The possessive part of her doesn''t like someone else to understand Mark''s thoughts more than her. But, the kind part of her tries to make her understand that she can stop her husband from loving other women but not vice versa.


    Fortunately, the princess of the western moon didn''t make Song Yue think more nonsense by changing the topic, "You know, when both of you will shift to Western Moon, I''ll teach you the statecraft. Perhaps, you might be a key politician as well as an administrator in the future."


    "Eh? Shifting to Western Moon? Administrator? What are you saying?" Song Yue returned to reality and she was confused by Shen Ling''s words.


    To which, the princess let out a chuckle, "C''mon, there''s no way a person like Lu Zhen would stay at Phoenix Empire. I believe he must have already told you about his rtionship with the Imperial family, although I figured it out by myself. If you think about it, all of his actions are connected to each other and they all indicated only one oue."


    Song Yue didn''t need to connect all of those things as Mark revealed his goal to her long ago.


    And she had different thoughts from the princess. She shook her head, "I don''t think he would be willing. I mean he doesn''t need to."


    In her view, Mark intended to overthrow Shang Fu and sit on the throne by himself.


    Princess Shen Ling probably understood what was on Song Yue''s mind too. She shook her head with a meaningful smile, "You forgot about your friend, the third prince. He has awakened the Phoenix bloodline because of Lu Zhen. I heard that Lu Zhen even saved his life a while ago. And now, this variable suddenly became the favorite to seed the Emperor."


    "But Brother Wei doesn''t have such ambitions. He just doesn''t like his eldest brother to seed their father. Since he is a child, he always supports Brother Wen (the second prince) to be the Emperor." As Song Yue tries to argue with her own logic, Shen Ling replied, "Well, it might change once he learns the truth. Who knows, what kind of mess will start at the Phoenix Empire? So, it is better for the both of you just move into our pce."


    Song Yue fell silent, worried about her brother-like figures from the imperial family as she could only see their doom in the future, and further wondered if Mark would give his family an opportunity to get his forgiveness.


    When she thought about it, her father''s face appeared in her head and she felt that maybe she wasn''t the right person to talk to her fianc¨¦ about forgiveness as she herself couldn''t be able to do that to his fugitive dad, not knowing that he was beside her all this time.

 Chapter 414 Grand Banquet

    Three hourster;


    The grand banquet started in the pce and following the social norms, the men were seated in the main hall along with the King while the women were seated in a separate room.


    As a person from the modern world, Mark naturally didn''t like such customs but since he was a guest and the host was his ally, he had to respect them. Hence, he decided to not show any displeasure on his face and just went on with the flow. With the golden-furred kitten on Song Yue''s side, he wasn''t that worried about her safety when he isn''t with her either.


    The Heavenly Spring wine, made from the spring water of a sacred mountain, is served before the start of the meal. And there were cold cuts of dragon meat on the side.


    Those who cannot drink alcohol due to preferences or age were served "Crown of the East" tea. It''s a tea made from the leaves of a tree called the Crown Tree, which is only grown in the gardens of the royal pce of the Eastern Sun.


    As a teenager who just turned 13, King Ouyang Zen naturally drank the tea while Mark was enjoying the wine he never tasted before. He was sitting right to the king while Lan Jing was on the left.


    As for Jinlong and Lan Ju, both of them aren''t interested to join the banquet as the former isn''t interested to eat a species of his own kind (dragon meat) or even see others eat and thetter doesn''t want to be bothered by the humans.


    They just have the gardens to themselves, enjoying the tea while conversing about unimportant things.


    Prince Qin Zhi of the Kun Empire sat next to Mark at the high table with other royal guests. And he was very much interested in conversing with Mark.


    The remaining guests of wealthy backgrounds, schrs, court officials, and ministers sat elsewhere in the hall, mingling among people of simr status.


    "Mr. Lu, I was wondering what you do with those weapons you acquired from your enemies if you don''t use them?" suddenly asked Qin Zhi after talking about various things.


    Mark raised his eyebrow and looked at him, "why? Do you want to purchase them or something?"


    "Don''t misunderstand. I''m not interested in them." Qin Zhi rified himself with an exnation, "There''s a grand auctioning up at Dragon Empire. The date wasn''t announced but it is usually either around the end of the spring or the start of the fall. If you have any semi-divine weapons, you can register with the auction. You will get a far better price than here."


    "Oh, you mean the world auction by the Temple of Void?" Ouyang Zen, who heard it, took an opportunity to interrupt their conversation with hisment as he was too bored by silently drinking the tea.


    "Temple of Void? I heard that name," replied Mark before looking at the teenage king, "What do you know about the world auction?" He was obviously interested.


    His question was answered by Prince Qin Zhi, "It''s the most prestigious auction conducted ever in this world where all the powers from four continents will participate. The weakest weapon you will find in the auction will be a tinum-grade set."


    Ouyang Zen then added after he munched a chunk of the steamed bun and swallowed it, "The royal families were automatically granted entry but for others, they will have to receive an invitation from the temple. Of course, those who auction atleast a semi-divine grade item or a treasure equivalent to it will also get a seat."


    As Wil was wondering whether he could introduce firearms at the world auction, Qin Zhi then said, "Assuming that you took all the treasures from the Wuji sect, there are three items in your possession that will sell for tens of millions (gold coins) per each."


    "Yu Jade Pipa, Eye of Talim and the Staff of Talim, I guess?" Mark was confident that this fourth prince of the Kun Empire was talking about those two as they were the ones the system also showed interest to trade.


    "Staff of Talim? I have only heard of the Eye of Talim,"mented the birthday boy.


    Qin Zhi exined with a smile, "They were part of the set equipment of a beast named Talim. He was a beast emperor from the upper ne of existence but was said to live like a human mage all his life.


    Other than those two, there is the armor of Talim, the crown of Talim, and the Ring of Talim. Togetherbined, they were as valuable as a Sky-grade item.


    The Dragon Empire has the crown, the Qilin Empire''s imperial family had the armor in its possession, and the ring is lost somewhere."


    Just like in the system, Divine grade in this world was also divided into four categories; Earth, Sky, Heaven, and Void.


    Earth is equivalent to Mythril grade. Heaven is equivalent to Celestial. And Void is equivalent to the God grade. As for Sky, it is somewhere between Mythril and Celestial.


    However, there are only earth-grade items within the powerful imperial families, and Sky-grade items are just one or two in number. Heaven-grade weapons are only known to be possessed by the gods and Void-grade items are just considered a myth as they are only contained in stories of Jade Emperor and Monkey King. No one actually believes them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It is why, sometimes, Sky grade is treated as Heaven grade, and Heaven grade is termed as Void grade.


    Returning to the present, as Qin Zhi was trying to tempt Mark into auctioning the items and further extending an invitation from their empire to join them at the VIP room in the auction, thetter asked what was upying his mind for the past couple of minutes. "How would the auction organizers be able to decide to put in an auction and entice the bidders for higher bids for a never-seen weapon?"


    "Eh?" Qin Zhi was surprised for a second as he didn''t see any excitement on Mark''s face for how much he could earn by selling such coveted items but instead there was curiousness about expanding the fame of his weapons store.


    And trying to use this opportunity, he then exined, "Well, the Void Temple''s word is enough for everyone to bid. All you have to do is to give a demonstration to their representatives. If you are willing to join us, we can arrange that too."


    "Hmm¡­ I''ll think about it." Mark didn''t give a definite answer as he wanted to keep his options open.


    Personally, he would want to attend with King Shen Niu or his daughter as they were willing to ride in the same boat as him and soon, they were also about to y a massive role in his n but he will have to talk with the princess before taking the decision.


    Unlike the empires, the small kingdoms like Western Moon don''t have that much budget to spend on things like weapons in an auction and too when they have already spent during the expo.


    If they have to attend a world auction, then, they will be forced to spend a lot of money to keep up their dignity in front of others. That is why he will have to talk to Shen Ling and only then, he will take the decision.


    Slowly, time passed away.


    The tables were filled with various delicacies, followed by a serving of the legendary wine known as ck Spirit Wine. It was probably rare that only 2 foot-sized vase was brought into the main hall and was served to only important royal guests like Mark, Dwarven King, and others.


    When Lan Jing offered to Mark before the others, he refused it right away in a little bit of disgust while staring at its details.


    ck Spirit Wine


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Made from the blood of the pen*s of a beast king named ck Spirit Tiger, this wine is said to enhance one''s testosterone levels, stamina, life force, and physical and mental strength (temporary).


    Note: Not rmended for Spirit warriors below 5-circle.


    Aftereffects: Those below 6-circle will go into an intoxicated state if drink more than 200 ml. If drank more than 450 ml, the sexual desire will overwhelm the user.


    Note 2: No effect on the host.


    "Mr. Lu, don''t go after its color. Just a cup of wine almost costs 20,000 gold coins," said Qin Zhi as he took a sip. An expression of delight instantly appeared on his face. "Hmmm¡­"


    Mark waved his hand with a smile, "It''s alright. I don''t enjoy the wine too much. You enjoy, Prince Qin."


    "Okay¡­" Qin Zhi continued to enjoy the wine just like the other adults with the dwarven king enjoying the most. People appeared so intoxicated that they couldn''t bother chatting about important things with others anymore.


    Because of the taste of wine, Qin Zhi probably missed it but Ouyang Zen captured Mark''s expression as the teenager wasn''t allowed to touch alcohol.


    Tugging Mark''s sleeves, he leaned to the side and slowly asked while covering his mouth, "Do you figure it out? I heard that Brother Lu''s eyes were quite special."


    Mark nodded and replied, "What would happen if people realize the truth of the secret ingredient?"


    Ouyang Zen shrugged his shoulders, "Thousands of people enjoy that organ itself. And many alchemists use such parts in making medicine. What''s the problem with the blood anyways?"


    Just like with his feelings about the separation of the dining ce ording to gender, Mark doesn''t want to force his views on the kid and hence, he ignored the matter altogether and simply changed the topic, asking about his schedule for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 415 The Request From Leon Empire

    As the banquet was finished, the guests were either escorted to their rooms to take a rest or went on a stroll in the gardens.


    Ouyang Zen, however, didn''t have the time to rest. He has to travel to the port tounch the warships and then unveil the new statue of histe father built in the heart of the city.


    After that, he will have to return to the royal pce where the presentation ceremony will take ce. All the guests who participated in the banquet will present their gifts to the birthday boy.


    Only then he could finally take a nap.


    The teenage king and his guardian were out with the dwarven king and Prince Qin Zhi tagged along with him due to their curiosity about the Kidd-ss warship. One wanted to inspect its technology and the other wanted to see if they were worth buying too.


    Mark took this opportunity to talk with the general of the Leon Empire.


    Seeing that he was trying to talk with him since morning, Mark took out the LMV Iveco and asked him to sit beside him, and drove outside of the pce with an excuse of just touring the city.


    No one is there to question him and neither knew him well enough to suspect his actions either. Perhaps, the only thing that soldiers were curious is the LMV. It was so out of the ce that it naturally attracts attention.


    As he was slowly driving on a sturdy concrete road and the general was looking around in curiosity, Mark opened up the topic. "So, General Fan, tell me. You said you have something to talk about, involving the fate of the Western Yan."


    The general turned serious as he nodded, "Yes, I do. You must have heard of the Church of Nuwa."


    "Yeah, I heard that the Church is the ally of the Ji n and considered the guardian of the Western Yan, well, atleast its branch there," replied Mark while carefully choosing his words. He doesn''t want to reveal that he had already killed its archbishop and intended to demolish them very soon.


    General Fan then took a deep breath and said, "The Church of Nuwa has its branches all over the world and each branch has a cardinal overseeing the region. Below him, there will be three Arch-Bishops carrying out his orders. Every cardinal is usually a 7-circle realm expert and every archbishop will be in a 6-circle realm.


    Of course, there are also elite fighters who don''t preach to the people but just take the jobs like adventurers.


    Anyways,ing to the point, the current cardinal of the Church of Nuwa''s Western Yan branch is a 20-year-old young man named Shi En."


    "Shi?" Mark instantly recognized the surname. "Is he a member of the royal family? A prince?" He asked.


    The General nodded with a bitter smile, "Yes, he was originally a prince. His mother isn''t a human but a species called Elf."


    "Elf?" Mark was taken aback at once. He couldn''t help but think of Zan Rong, a fellow earthling with amnesia. "What kind?" He asked.


    This time, it was the general''s turn to get surprised. "You know about elves?"


    Mark nodded and behaved as if he had knowledge about the elves. "Pale face, pointy ears, affiliation with nature; do I need to go on?"


    General Fan shook his head and even let out a sigh of relief before exining, "Thank goodness. I guess we took the right decision in contacting you. As far as we know, Queen Consort I¡­ Eyy¡­ Eirlys (EY-RlihS), sorry about that. Queen Consort Eirlys introduced herself as a moon elf. We thought she came from the moon goddess domain.


    When she was pregnant with Shi En, our current Emperor Shi Xuan who was retired back then fell ill due to a curse. His Majesty contacted everyone but even supreme realm experts couldn''t do anything.


    In the end, he contacted the Church of Nuwa''s Supreme Pontiff. Thetter asked for a price."


    "And that price was Shi En?" Mark''s facial expression darkened all of a sudden. He stepped on the brake, stopping the vehicle in the middle of the road.


    "Yes." General Fan nodded while slowly shifting his gaze, worrying that this mission is going to be a failure.


    Mark was someone who faced injustice as a baby and hence, there''s no way he would understand their point of view. Still, he had to listen to everything before making the decision. Keeping his anger in check, he gestured for the general to continue with the story.


    General Fan continued, "At first, His Majesty thought that he could offer a baby born during the same time as Shi En in ce of him but Shi En wasn''t born as a human but as an elf.


    With his mother dying during childbirth, the elders didn''t face any problem in convincing His Majesty to proceed with the sacrifice. Shi En grew up in the church as the child of Goddess Nuwa.


    He was currently serving as the Cardinal and thetest news from our spies at Qing Dynasty (Xiezhi Empire) stated that one of the four heavenly princes of the church had passed away and there is a high chance that he will be appointed as one.


    If that happens, then, it will be toote. We have to act when he is outside of their protection."


    "Okay, tell me something. Do you want him to return to his biological family or do you want me to end his life? What are you suggesting?" Mark could sense that it was more likely the former case but they wouldn''t ask his help for such a thing, would they? It''s illogical. Hence, he ced his bet on thetter.


    General Fan replied while sighing inwardly, "Naturally, we want him to return but he already made his decision clear. He wants nothing to do with the family but three years ago, as our Emperor passed away, Grand Emperor Shi Xuan took the charge as the ruler once again.


    His Majesty is willing to confer the title of a prince on Shi En and give him an opportunity to seed him. What we need from you is the destruction of the Church of Nuwa''s branch at Western Yan and his abduction before delivering him safely to the imperial pce."


    "Hmm¡­ let me get this straight," Mark spoke with a frown on his face, expressing his displeasure.


    "One, you are going back on your promise. Two, you want to act against his wishes. Three, you want me to kill people who had nothing to do with me. And four, you want me to abduct him and deliver to you like a hired mercenary. Why do you think I will help you guys?"


    Mark usually says this type of words with a hidden meaning like asking about what he gets in return but this time, he was direct as his heart responded to it, not his mind.


    The General then took out two scrolls from his storage ring, "These two are wish grants from His Majesty. You can have one of them. If you take the left one, Apart from the throne and the lives of the imperial princes and princesses, you can ask for anything. The Leon Empire will be obliged to fulfill your request.


    And if you take the right one, you can also ask for any materialistic reward that doesn''t cross the value of 10 million gold coins.


    Of course, it goes without saying that your firearms will be acknowledged by the imperial pce. This is how much we value your help. Will you do it?"


    *Ding! You received an emergency quest, Justice to Shi En.

 Chapter 416 Unlocking Zan Rongs Memories

    Quest: Justice to Shi En


    Description: Shi En was born as a prince of the Leon Empire but due to circumstances, he was sacrificed by his father when he was a baby and faced injustice. Deliver justice to him in any way you can.


    Time limit: None.


    Reward: Unknown (Depends on the end result)


    Mark stared at the holographic screen floating before his eyes and fell into deep thoughts. Meanwhile, the general stayed silent, disying his patience.


    He thought from all angles and in the end, he decided on taking the wish grant scroll that lets him demand anything from the Emperor. But, before taking it, he made sure to confirm that this grant doesn''t have an expiry date.


    *Ding! You epted the quest.


    "I promise you that your Emperor will meet his grandson at his home for sure." Mark epted the quest and turned around the vehicle to drive back to the royal pce. General Fan was happy as his mission is aplished, not knowing that Mark has different ns for Shi En.


    Several hourster;


    It was around midnight and almost all the royal guests went to sleep. Mark was awake though. He was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking of everything happened during the past 24 hours.


    "With the attack on the Emperor and killing of the Grand Secretariat, the imperial court would likely assume that it was the work of the mysterious warrior who imprisoned and killed those experts in the Ji pce.


    By now, Song Tai should have made his move. However, Feng Wu says there is movement from the enemies. It is as if they have given up on Western Yan.


    Nope, if that is the case, there will be a formal letter to Feng Wu. Then, do they think that it is the work of an unknown enemy? Or maybe, they think that they''ll have to act carefully and need to gather their troops tounch a full-scale war?


    Whatever the case, I have no time to lie down here. Tomorrow morning, I will have to..."


    *Knock* knock* knock*


    His thoughts were interrupted by the door knocks before it was opened. Mark immediately sat up and get down from the bed in a hurry as there was only one person who would open the door without asking his permission.


    Soon, the door was opened and Mark saw three figures in hoods.


    After a while;


    Zan Rong was seen wearing the amulet (Eye of Talim) around her neck with Lan Jing cing his hand on her head. Both of them had their eyes closed and Lan Jing was guiding her. As for Mark and Ouyang Zen, they were spectators.


    An hourter, Lan Jing finally took off his hand off Zan Rong''s head and let her drown in the sea of memories that were hitting her like waves.


    Roughly about half a minuteter, she opened her eyes widely with a look of shock on her face.


    She looked at Ouyang Zen and spoke to him first, "Your Majesty, I know what my origins were. And sorry for troubling you until now." She formally bowed deeply as she stood up, shocking Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing. In their eyes, she was a silly and clumsy girl who doesn''t have the capability to be serious even when someone put a knife at her neck.


    She then turned toward Mark and bowed to him too, "Thank you for your help. Without you, I wouldn''t be able to remember who I am."


    "No problem. I could do that much for a past acquaintance," replied Mark as he nced at the notification screen.


    *Ding! Youpleted Emergency Quest, Awaken the memories of Zan Rong. You received a mysterious package as a reward.


    A Zan Rong turned toward Lan Jing and Ouyang Zen while thinking that Mark was talking about them, the wise teenage king managed to decipher his words quite quickly and said, "He was talking about you, sister."


    "Eh?" A look of surprise appeared on her face. She turned toward Mark once again. "We know each other? But, I have never seen you in my life."


    As Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing looked at each other, wondering whether she really had all of her memories returned to her, Mark then spoke in anguage that can''t be understood by the people of this world.


    (English) "I know you, Marina Zan. You are a student at JKU and live in the city of Linz. You are then summoned to the Ixitis Empire and be a spirit warrior there beforending into this world."


    Zan Rong''s eyes widened in shock, "How do you know?" Unknowingly, she too responded in English, probably of the fact that it is her mother tongue.


    Mark replied, "(English) if you are interested to know how I could know thisnguage or these details about you, we can talk before lunchtime or you can take your time ande to our store branch at the Lunaris City of Western Moon and meet me there. I also need some answers from you."


    Lan Jing and Ouyang Zen, who couldn''t understand a thing these two were speaking, couldn''t help but look at them in confusion. But then again, it also proved that Mark knew her.


    Soon, the three of them left the room and Mark closed the door and quickly opened the inventory to check what kind of treasure he earned.


    *Ding! You opened the mysterious package.


    *Ding! You received 0.2 free attribute points and a memory storage card.


    "A memory card?" Mark couldn''t help but look at the details.


    Memory storage card


    Storage space: Unlimited


    Grade: N/A


    Description: You can store anyone''s precious memories in the card and ess them at any moment.


    Note: The memory storage card isn''t bound to your soul and can be essed by anyone.


    Directions to use: ce it on the forehead with the nk image on the card facing upwards and pour your ether energy into the card before thinking of the memories. To ess the stored memories, ce the card with the image facing upward.


    "Okay, I guess I misunderstood by its name. Anyways, let''s use this attribute. I wonder if it can be used to increase defense to 10 points."


    Mark opened the character stats and saw a plus besides every attribute except for luck. "Here we go."


    *Ding! The defense attribute has been raised by 0.1 points.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "9.9 points¡­" Mark''s face darkened as he saw the plus sign disappear beside the Defense option. All this time, he wondered if he should train in a traditional manner just like the natives of this world to make a breakthrough into the demigod realm but now he confirmed it.


    *Sigh* "Let''s just focus on maximizing the stats. We''ll think about breakthroughter¡­"


    *Ding! The strength attribute has been raised by 0.1 points.


    Name: Lu Zhen (Mark Spencer)


    Rank: 9


    Strength: 9.6


    Intelligence: 7.6 (+25%)


    Defense: 9.9


    Agility: 9.6


    Vitality: 9.1


    Resistance: 9.1


    Charisma: 9


    Luck: 2+5


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice, Space, Gravity, Oil, Poison, Antimatter


    Spirit Path: Summoner, Mage


    Ether Quality: High


    Ether energy: 1,644,962


    Special skills: Ultimate Defense I, Ultimate Defense II, Thunderst, Lightning clone, Seal breaker, Devil''s hand, Taming, Enhanced Durability, Ether regeneration, No touch, Gravity Dome, Eyes of God, Metal Armor.


    Bloodline skills: Absolute freezing, Ice bolt, Blizzard Wings, Freezing gaze


    Titles: VIP customer (equipped), Master of Holy Beasts


    Special items: Danya (the divine throne), Exoskeleton suit-VIII, Missile Defense system-VII, B-2 spirit bomber, Mark 14 nuclear bomb, peak potion, Attack helicopter EC-665, Ring of luck, M134 Minigun.


    Unlocked exclusive weapons: Derringer (lv1), Shotgun (lv2) Grenadeuncher (lv3), Panzer IV (lv4), LARS (lv5)


    Assistants: 2 (Allen Spencer, Alina Spencer)


    Contracted beasts: 10


    Contracted demons: 1


    Store branches: 1


    Lifespan limit: 585 years (560 years left)


    Avable credits: 78,635,118


    Avable credit limit: 189,500


    Net worth: 11,204,479 gold coins


    Total debt: 0


    ***


    The next day, the remaining royal guests who stayed for the night also started leaving one after another. Only Mark and hispanions stayed behind for the lunch. Princess Shen Ling wanted to stay but the situation at Western Yan required her presence at her home.


    At around 10 in the morning, Mark and Song Yue were strolling in the gardens while chatting about each of their past funny incidents.


    "Mr. Lu¡­" A faint voice was heard far away from behind. At first, Mark didn''t put his attention but then as he was called once again with the voice getting a little bit louderpared to before, Mark halted his footsteps and turned his head.


    "What happ¡­" Song Yue pause her talk and also followed the suit, spotting a woman scurrying toward them while grabbing her long skirt to not trip and fall down. "Do I need to leave?" She asked.


    "Nah," Mark shook his head, "You know the truth already. No need for privacy." He told her to stay, giving her a slight moment of happiness.


    After a while, the three of them went for a ride to talk in the vehicle without worrying about someone listening to them.


    However, Song Yue had to take the back seat for she was merely a spectator.


    "So, what answers do you seek from me?" asked the girl after Mark drove silently for a while and gave her the signal to speak.


    "Well, let''s start with how you were summoned by the elves."


    *****

 Chapter 417 Zan Rongs Past

    Three years after Mark''s abduction;


    Year 2044, Linz City, Eurasian Federation;


    In a city where the air traffic is slightly busy with Aero-cabs flying everywhere, a young adult couple was walking on a sidewalk with their arms locked with each other.


    One is Zan Rong/Marina Zan and the other one was a handsome-looking young man with aquamarine eyes, messy hair, a v-shaped torso, and broad shoulders. He looked attractive enough to have the attention of the female passersby.


    "Babe, I have to return to the dorm," said 17-year-old Mari. To which, the man responded with a question, "It''s already the time? I thought your flight is at 19:00 hrs."


    Mari shrugged her shoulders, "I haven''t packed."


    The man''s shoulder''s dropped and his face crestfallen in depression, "I can''t believe the summer is here already."


    "But then again, it is just this summer. Once I return, I can move in with you." Mari told him about how her dad has given his permission for her to move out of the dorm and live with her boyfriend.


    The man was naturally happy when he heard that and he expressed how he cannot wait for the day when they start living together.


    Both of them stopped and looked at each other before kissing each other. The passersby don''t care about it anyways as it is amon thing.


    Just as they were about to separate from each other, something incredible happened all over the world at the same time.


    Thirty beams of light descended onto the earth while everyone was frozen in their spots as if time itself stopped.


    Coincidentally, the two of them were also caught up by the beams of light. Once they disappeared, the time flew like normal.


    The young adult couple suddenly found themselves in the middle of arge tform alongside the other chosen heroes of simr ages and they were surrounded by dark elves.


    A tall and attractive-looking woman who was standing in the summoning circle greeted them. "Wee, chosen heroes from another world. I''m Nyxira, the third princess of the Ixitus Empire. Our world is in grave danger and we require your assistance to save millions of people from the demons.


    We will give you powers, we will train you, we will make you live as long as our race, and you could also return to your world with those abilities to be heroes there too. All we ask is your time, bravery, and service."


    One yearter;


    Somewhere in the woods;


    Mari and her boyfriend were wearing a full set of equipment and carrying bows & staves just like the other dark elves as they were hunting down demonic creatures in a forest.


    Despite the fact that they have only trained for one year, the two of them have already surpassed the dark elves of captain rank in terms of strength and skills. With the 7-circle realm of cultivation, Mari is now a newly promoted general while her boyfriend turned fianc¨¦ is her lieutenant general with the cultivation realm of peak-6-circle.


    After killing one after another, both of them eventually reached the central region of their of the demonic serpent Vyrkara, a beast king of the 7-circle realm.


    There, a half-naked muscr man was waiting for them while sitting on his throne.


    "Wee to my abode, the legendary demon yers. I heard so much about the heroics of you twotely but you two aren''t smart at all. unting your talents in front of the natives and snatching their positions will always create envy. Now, look at the two of youing straight to death..."


    "Don''t overestimate yourself, serpent." Maria took out her staff adorned with a blue crystal on its top and pointed it at Vyrkara. Her partner also took out his bow made of dragon bones and conjured an arrow.


    "Oh boy, here we go¡­" Vyrkara stood up from his throne and transformed into a seven-headed serpent with each one in a different color, corresponding to each basic attribute. Its cultivation rose to 8-circle and the young couple''s faces changed upon realizing that they were indeed fallen into a trap.


    The battle ensued between them.


    Eventually, Marina and her fianc¨¦ fell into extreme disadvantage and they decided to escape from the beast, but not outside. Instead, they ventured deeper into the caves located in their.


    Vyrkara naturally followed them from behind. Unfortunately, itsrge size made it difficult to capture the couple and its movements also slowed down.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Vyrkara cannot transform back into a human form either. He wasn''t an emperor-grade beast that can transform at will after reaching a certain level. There was some sort of cooldown timer between transformations.


    After running for so long with injuries, they ended up in an underground cave where a mysterious headless statue was ced in the middle.


    "Babe, look at that. There''s something written here¡­" Mari pointed at the stone tablet below the statue as her fianc¨¦ was wondering where the statue came from.


    She walked toward the stone tablet and crouched down to wipe it off.


    "We don''t have the time to fool around, Mari," said the man as he took out a scroll and ced it on the ground, getting into action to activate the teleportation formation.


    "C''mon, there''s no way that serpent would be able to reach with its huge size. We literally crawled in those tiny gaps." After telling her fianc¨¦ to stop worrying, she further told him that she won''t take a long time to fulfill her curiosity.


    However, just as she wiped off the first few characters, she was taken aback in surprise, "Uhh, babe, look at this. It''s Mandarin."


    "Huh?" the man was surprised and couldn''t help but look in the direction of the stone tablet. As Mari hurriedly wiped off the dust to reveal more characters, her fianc¨¦mented, "It looked like we aren''t the first ones to be summoned by the elves."


    "But, who could have inscribed these words here and what was it doing here?" asked Mari filled with curiosity.


    To which, the man responded with a shrug, "Who knows! We don''t have the luxury to probe into the matters."


    "Wait. There''s a message here. Give me a second." Mari went on to wipe out all the dust with her hand and read the sentence as her fianc¨¦ continued with his process.


    "For someplicated reasons, I''m sealing my soul in the statue, hoping that I will never get out. If you read this, then, I hope you never attempt any technique that involves space attribute anywhere near my prison as it will create distortion in space and unleash hell onto this world. I hope¡­"


    Just as she read it in her mind, a panic appeared on her face as the teleportation formation waspleted. "Mari, it was ready."


    "Oh, no." Mari abruptly turned her head and shouted, "Shut it down, Allen."


    "What are you¡­" The man was taken aback and before he even reacted to anything, the statue started cracking and multiple portals appeared randomly with each one having great suction power.


    Without being able to resist, the two of them float in the air and flew toward a portal each.


    "Mari¡­" "Allen, no¡­"


    They ended up being swallowed up by the portals before the statue crumbled to dust, releasing a wisp.


    At the same time, random portals started to pop up everywhere around the world, and from them, alien creatures exited one after another, throwing the entire world into chaos.


    Present day, Helios City, Eastern Sun Kingdom;


    "And this is how I ended up in this ce only to lose my memories in the process." Mari finished her story and let out a deep sigh as she looked outside through the window ss. "I don''t even know where my hubby was right now and how should I find him. But, I think I can find some clues in the ruins of Khambhat, where I appeared on this.


    Even if I find a way to leave, I still need to worry about my cultivation now. There was some sort of seal on me and my cultivation realm was regressed to 5-circle."


    After hearing everything, Mark only asked one question as he pressed on the brakes, "Your fianc¨¦. Is his full name, Allen Spencer?"


    "Hmm? Yes, how do you know?" Mari asked curiously. She told her story but had yet to hear how this man knows her past and could speak her mother tongue. "Do you know Allen?"


    Mark''s hands started shivering all of a sudden and Song Yue''s facial expression also changed.


    Forcefully calming down himself outwardly, Mark nodded, "Yes. He is like a brother. I mean, I was a close friend of his elder brother."

 Chapter 418 The Emperor Summons Mark

    Originally, Mark nned to reveal his real identity and further tell her all things about Allen to prove his point in order to gain her trust so that he could get ess to all her memories and find a way to his home.


    But, after hearing her story, he realized that it is useless and he changed his ns swiftly. He doesn''t see any reason to ess her memories now. Without his younger brother''s presence at either Ixitus Emperor or his home, he has no motivation to visit those ces.


    Yes, there''s an afterthought of taking his revenge against his former superior, the friends who betrayed him, and the mafia gang group that turned his life upside down, but still, they aren''t as important as his younger member. Finding him takes priority and now Mark has no idea how to aplish the task.


    As a result, he took the approach of being a close friend to Mark who heard about her, that''s all.


    Zan Rong/Marina didn''t buy his storypletely as she remembered the incident when they met for the first time. Back then, Mark addressed with her shortened form.


    However, Marina didn''t have a single memory where she met Mark before her life. Hence, she could only conclude that either they knew each other very well and her memories didn''t returnpletely or there are some truths he was withholding from her.


    After experiencing the world of fantasy for a couple of years, her bet is on thetter. Allen''s full namepletely coinciding with her fiance''s name only increased her suspicion further.


    But then again, she didn''t question him because of the distance of familiarity between them. Perhaps, she would ask him in the future but for now, she kept her opinions to herself.


    After going on for a drive a couple of hours, they returned to the pce. Allen was seenpeting in calligraphy with Lan Jing. The king was all praises for the android, expressing his disbelief of how he couldn''t believe Allen was aplete beginner as Mark told him.


    Being at rank-8, naturally, Allen''s learning ability was something normal humans cannot understand it. Mark could only smile and reply that he is proud of his brother.


    Soon, they went to the dining hall for the lunch and once it was finished, Mark started his journey back to the Phoenix Empire.


    By the following evening, Mark reached home with Song Yue, Allen, and ck Knight (Song Yun) while the two beast emperors traveled on their own to go to Mt. Lan.


    As for the two coachmen and the bicorn carriages, since they originally belonged to Eastern Sun, Mark left them at the pce and traveled the LMV.


    They reached home by 4:45, and surprisingly, just half an hourter, a soldier was at the store with a scroll in his hand.


    He gave it to Allen and returned it.


    After freshening up, as Mark came out of his room, he was handed the scroll. Taking a seat on a couch, he opened it.


    There weren''t many sentences written inside. And the content was also so clear that he was forced to respond right away. Closing it, he calmly rose to his feet and said, "Allen, we are going to the imperial pce. Inform Xie Mei about it and also tell her to pass the information to Song Yue. It might get a while for her toe out of her bath anyways."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Allen nodded firmly before asking about their means of transport and further suggesting his opinion. As the rank-8 android, he was more connected to Mark''s soul than Alina in the past ever could be.


    He exactly knew what Mark was thinking. And at the moment, the weapon seller was wondering whether he should take the attack helicopter, go by LMV, or just fly using an exo suit.


    "Big Bro, based on how your fame has improved in the eyes of the imperial family and the change in the situation at Gong City, it is rmended to intimidate the imperial family before they put pressure on us. There is a high chance that the Emperor will question your involvement in the war." Allen didn''t wait for orders and instead gave his master a piece of advice, trying to test if Mark would feelfortable with it or if he would feel offended.


    Based on Mark''s reaction, Allen decided that he would act ordingly in the future.


    Of course, there is a reason for him to suddenly voice his opinion even though he was upgraded to rank-8, a while ago. It is because of the existence of the real Allen Spencer.


    He knew that he is a recement for Mark''s brother but after the incident with Zan Rong, Allen was worried about his ce in Mark''s heart after the original returns.


    Seeing that Mark''s real brother was stranded up in some world and Mark nned to search for him too, the android who was bing a lot closer to a real human felt like he should use all this time to get so close to Mark that thetter would no longer think of him as a recement.


    Fortunately for him, Mark already stopped thinking of him as a mere android. So, that''s a head start. Now, he should once again make his master feel like he is not only reliable for fighting but also a reliable advisor.


    "Upgrading to rank-8 really had brought tremendous changes to him," thought Mark and responded with a question, "What do you think we should do then?"


    Seeing Mark respond positively, Allen let out a pleasant smile and spoke, "Jinlong, the gold dragon would be the best scenario to be used as a mount but he has other uses, and using traditional mounts to make appearances shouldn''t be your style. Hence, I rmend Danya."


    "The divine throne?" Mark was taken aback at first but then he remembered that it can change shape ording to the will of its owner. And it can also fly. In an instant, he realized what the android was trying to convey. "Do you mean I should transform Danya into some sort of spaceship from sci-fi movies?"


    "Exactly," nodded the android. Allen further said with a tiny bit of excitement, "Its appearance shouldn''t be simple either as it only makes it appear exotic for the people of this and nothing more. If you give me enough time, I think I could design in a way that you can even use all the unlocked missiles too. While it will take several days to build a perfect model, for now, we can do with basic ones like rotary guns at one of the hard points and¡­"


    "Nah, let''s just stick to the civilian spaceship model." Mark shut down Allen''s idea as it would restrict him to transform into other things at any time he wants. There''s also the weapon''s avable skill set to consider. "Anyways, thanks for the tip. Let''s go with your idea. And I think I have the perfect appearance I need in my mind."


    Allen immediately realized what his master was thinking of and he gave his approval with a nod, "Yes, I believe you do, although we have to mind the size of the object. It should be big but not too big. People should witness its entire appearance and we should be able tond it in the pce ground."


    "Yeah, I know."


    Mark proceeded to summon the divine throne.

 Chapter 419 Mark Finally Bares His Fangs Against His Father?

    The imperial pce, Imperial City of Phoenix;


    Unlike any other usual day, the pce was heavily guarded by thousands of soldiers from the entrance gate to the Emperor''s chamber.


    From morning to night, every second, they were on high alert, working in different shifts and ensuring the pce was always secured.


    And when they spotted an unidentified flying object in the sky which is descending toward the forecourt of the pce without going through standard procedures, almost half of them rushed forward and took out their weapons.


    However, a majority of their hands were shivering in nervousness and fear as they remembered the warning from their Supreme Commander. If any enemy is bold enough to make such an entrance, then, it is almost assured that only those above the 7-circle had remote chances of surviving.


    More than some sort of spaceship, it looked like a creature. With its spiny, spider-like shape and constantly undting ck skin, the divine throne took the appearance of a sci-fi warship called the shadow dreadnought, although of the mini size.


    Overall, it did have an unsettling effect on the spectators. Naturally, the generals were informed and by the time the objectnded, even Song Tai was present. While everyone is tense and Song Tai looked serious, there was just one person who looked calm.


    "Rx everyone. It is not an enemy. Lower down your weapons." Shang Wen''s words attracted the attention.


    As they turned to look at him, the second prince pointed at the object, "It looks weird, it is made of metal, and it can fly. Do you need me to say any more?"


    The low-level soldiers looked at each other in confusion while the imperial guards and the three generals realized what the second prince was hinting toward.


    Soon, a door was opened on the top of the vehicle and two men were seen slowly rising up.


    Song Tai''s eyes darted to Mark and then at the sixteen-pointy legs of the vehicle until Mark and Allennded on the ground.


    The supreme realm expert then disappeared from the spot, returning to the side of the Emperor whom Bai Xun was guarding in his absence.


    "It''s been a while, Brother Lu," greeted the second prince with a smile, expressing his friendliness.


    Mark smiled in return and nodded, "It is, Brother Wen." He doesn''t want to address him like that but it came naturally from his mouth. After all, Shang Wen was the only one in the imperial family Mark respects from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps, it might be because of the second prince''s noble and straightforward character, or it is because he never thinks of himself as royalty. The reason might be anything.


    Leaving behind the divine throne and Allen in the middle of the pce grounds, Mark started walking forward. Walking beside him, the prince asked, "What was that? Is that a new flying puppet?"


    During the divine throne''s transformation, people cannot sense its grade. Hence, Shang Wen has no idea about it.


    Mark has no ns to reveal the secret either. He answered, "It was a gift I recently received. There''s only one of its kind in the world though."


    "Rx. I''m not interested in it. There''s already so much on my te with the existing ones,"mented the second prince with a shrug of his shoulders.


    After a brief pause, he then changed the subject, "Originally, I nned on meeting you to borrow Allen to increase the pace of the flight training. But, the situation forced us to meet under different circumstances."


    Mark immediately replied, "Honestly speaking, neither you nor I have anything to do with this current situation. It''s not our job to worry about it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The second prince immediately understood what Mark was hinting at. He couldn''t help butment, "Well, not everyone thinks that way though. People always connect something with another to suit their needs."


    "That''s true." Mark nodded in agreement.


    Soon, the both of them made their way to the private chamber while everyone else dispersed to get back to their work. However, the spider-like vehicle was attracting too much of their attention that they couldn''t help but nce at it very often.


    Meanwhile, Mark stepped inside the chamber and saw Shang Fu and the remaining three princes in the chamber alongside Song Tai and Bai Xun. There was no one else apart from these.


    It was also the first time Mark saw Shang Bo in person but his impressions of this prince are nowhere near positive.


    As the leader of NET, the most powerful spy organization in the whole Vermilion bird continent, usually, he certainly is a person worthy of befriending but because of the fact that Shang Bo is an imperial prince who appeared to be working in the shadows, Mark feels like he is more of a threat.


    As Mark stood in one spot for a bit of time, Bai Xun asked him to take a seat before introducing the princes.


    Mark nodded to each of them and greeted the emperor with a bow and then sat beside Shang Wen.


    Looking at him, the serious-looking Emperor then opened up the matter, "Lu Zhen, you must have already learned of the situation at Gong City."


    As Mark nodded, Emperor Shang continued, "The reason I summoned you here is to discuss how much involvement you have in this war."


    Mark expected that much from the start. He calmly answered, "I''m a weapon seller and my job is to sell the weapons to the customers. What they do with them is none of my business and the consequences are not mine to bear either."


    "I don''t buy that, Mr. Lu,"mented the crown prince. He took the opportunity to act first before the other princes, especially Shang Wei.


    As everyone looked at him, the crown prince went on to say, "I believe you were aware of who Kunyu bandits are and what they will do once you sell the weapons to them. As a citizen of the empire, you do have the responsibility to alert the imperial prince if you were to sell something really dangerous to the traitors of the empire."


    A frown instantly appeared on Mark''s face as he heard the words of the crown prince but it quickly disappeared by his sheer willpower. He didn''t waste time in defending himself, "I''m bound by the customer-seller confidentiality. And those who walk into our store are our customers regardless of their identity. Whether it is an Emperor, peasant, or a traitor, all of them have equal status for us."


    "How dare youpare His Majesty with a peasant? Do you think of us as a joke?" The Crown Prince raised his voice. Perhaps, he wanted to impress his father more and decided to be more vocal. Or it might be because of his ill feelings toward Mark.


    Mark is the type of person who has a high ego and doesn''t like to be insulted by enemies, definitely not when he had so much anger toward the Shang Dynasty, which encourages the killings of babies.


    He instantly reacted by giving him a death stare, "And do you think you are qualified to raise your voice against me just because you are a crown prince? Whatever I am now is the result of my hard work. On the other hand, you got that position on a gold tter because you are the eldest. It''s not the result of hard work. So, yes, I think of you as a joke and look down on you."


    "You¡­"


    Everyone: "..."

 Chapter 420 Shang Wei Offers A Deal

    ?


    At once, silence filled the room for a few moments.


    From Bai Xun to Song Tai, no one did expect Mark to re up against the crown prince right in the presence of the Emperor.


    But at the same time, they knew Shang Zexi was also in the wrong to raise his voice like that. Mark/Lu Zhen wasn''t your average weapon seller that the crown prince had to showcase his authority over him.


    If he is such a person, he wouldn''t have been summoned to the pce like this. The crown prince should have handled this matter with grace.


    Maybe, it is because of Mark''s current status and how valuable he has be. Or maybe it is because the crown prince''s situation isn''t good in the pcetely. Whatever the case, the Emperor didn''t side with him and instead scolded him as soon as Mark lectured him.


    "Prince Zexi, I believe I have told you not to speak anything carelessly. Now, I forbid you from speaking any further." The Emperor''s stern voice shocked the crown prince and he stammered in his speech. "Me? But¡­ father¡­ he is the one¡­ he is¡­ why?"


    As the Emperor''s stare became sharper, the crown prince shut his mouth and looked at Mark in hatred.


    Then the Emperor gestured for the third prince to handle this matter with his eyes. Thetter let out a smile and spoke, "Don''t mind my eldest brother. He has been house arrested for a while. So, his emotions aren''t stabletely."


    The crown prince also took a nce at him in hatred, feeling humiliated.


    On the other hand, Mark nodded in understanding while wondering what this prince is going to say, considering the fact that they didn''t get angry.


    No matter, by the end of this meeting, Mark swore to spoil the rtions between him and the imperial pce and turn them sour so that it bes easier for him to shift out of the capital city and openly support Feng Wu. Of course, it can only be done under the premise that they were the guilty party.


    The third prince then said, "Okay, here''s the situation. The Kunyu bandits are equipped with firearms and some of them aren''t known to us. You don''t sell them in your store either.


    The Empire is at war and we need the details like their strengths, weaknesses, and how many you sold to them each model. You can do that much for the imperial pce, right?"


    Mark thought for a bit and replied, "I have no problem with sharing the details but you might lose the motivation to continue the war with them. Do you really want to know?"


    "What did you sell?" The Emperor furrowed his brows, feeling ufortable in his chest as he words those words.


    Mark turned his head and answered with a mixture of truths and lies, "First, I will tell you about seven key weapons; LARS, Rank-5 Robot, C-4 (advanced), sniper rifle (ether), PANZER IV, and finally Grenadeuncher."


    The third prince asked for a sheet with details written on them but Mark went on to exin everything orally because the words have more impact.


    And just as he expected, the faces of every listener in the room changed quite a bit when they heard how devastating the firearms used by Feng Wu''s army going to be.


    "Your Majesty, we cannot let our infantry units fight them," opinioned Bai Xun. "It is a suicide." More than their damage power, the suprememander was worried about their high range.


    Shang Wen agreed with him and further said, "Only archers above 7-circle could have such a high range. But, if we use the mages purely for maintaining a defensive barrier over arge scale instead of offense, we can hold them down until our experts infiltrate their stronghold."


    "Hmm¡­" The others thought about the second prince''s strategy. The crown prince on the other hand wanted to say that it is unwise to discuss their strategy in front of a possible enemy. But, he could only shut his mouth.


    In the meantime, the third prince was thinking deeply while staring at Mark. Thetter felt his gaze and asked, "Do you want to say something to me, Prince Wei?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shang Wei responded with a question, "What currency did they pay you?"


    "I''m sorry?" Mark was taken aback a bit. As the others looked curiously at the third prince, thetter rified his question by stating, "I know for sure that the firearms you described cannot be sold cheaply. If they procure such weapons and their respective ammunition, then, where did they get so much amount of money? If they have paid you such an amount, then, someone wealthy should be behind them."


    "Hmm, now that you mention it, it is suspicious indeed," Emperor Shang also felt like he ignored such a vital matter.


    "Is there a foreign kingdom or empire that is pulling the strings from behind?" thought everyone.


    Unfortunately for them, Mark was already prepared for the question. In fact, it was Allen who listed possible questions that could be asked in this meeting while they were on their way to the pce.


    Mark calmly answered, "They didn''t pay me with gold. Instead, they put three semi-divine-grade weapons of the Feng Dynasty as coteral. When they paid me in full, I will return their weapons. In the event of default, I will get to keep them."


    "Coteral?" Shang Wei thought for a bit and asked, "How much is the bill?"


    "Roughly about 6 million." Mark threw a random figure as he knew they won''t bother to look too much into it. If such a case arose, then, he will cover it up by stating that there were advanced orders pending too.


    Little did he expect that the third prince would suddenly put forth a bold offer.


    "The imperial pce will cover the bill and you get to keep those weapons. We will also throw in another semi-divine grade of high quality. In exchange, you just need to lend Venerable Wu for a day."


    "6 million?" The crown prince couldn''t help but scream at once. Even the Emperor furrowed his brows in displeasure as hemented, "I didn''t expect you to take such a decision without discussing it with me."


    Feeling the pain, the Emperor has already allotted 10 million gold coins for this war. They will be spent on paying remunerations to the military, guilds, and sects. Of course, there''s alsopensation for the lost families.


    On top of this, if they spent 6 million more just to recruit Wu Weibao (Lan Ju/the zheng) for a day, the imperial pce''s treasure will not have sufficient funds to run the empire for a very long time. They would have to resort to rapidly mining more gold and silver to fill the treasury or take a loan from the northern empires.


    Even if it wins them the war, it just doesn''t seem that worth it. Now, adding on top of that, Shang Wei is also offering a semi-divine grade weapon of high quality (Ruby grade).


    It is obvious that the Emperor is angry at his son, who just decided things on his own without considering the aftereffects.


    However, the third prince wasn''t a person without ns. But, it appeared that he doesn''t want to share things openly, "Your Majesty, we cannot afford to lose the Western Yan. I will exin everythingter on but for now, trust me on this."


    Shang Zexi was told to shut up. Shang Wen was always on Shang Wei''s side. Shang Bo never speaks unless he was asked to do so. Bai Xun only speaks on matters of the military. As for Song Tai, he doesn''t have any role in this meeting other than staying there as a guard for the Emperor.


    Hence, the Emperor is the only one who will think and make the decision. Before he did that, he made sure to ask Mark about it. Looking at him, he asked, "If we give you what Shang Wei has promised, can you promise me that Venerable Wu will bring the head of that mysterious Supreme Being? He doesn''t need to battle anyone else either."


    Everyone turned their heads to look at Mark. The weapon seller, who thought of a quick excuse, replied by shaking his head, "I''m afraid that''s not possible. It''s because the enemy is equally powerful as Wu Weibao. To defeat the enemy, Wu Weibao had to fight with his full strength. But if they fight in Gong City, there''s a high chance that the entire city will disappear from the world. That means you will have to be prepared to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens."


    Everyone''s face hardened when they heard his words but only Shang Wei thought differently as he realized something important.


    "You know who that mysterious expert is, don''t you?"

 Chapter 421 Marks Next Move

    ?


    The room was filled with silence once again as everyone stared at Mark, who was thinking deeply.


    In the end, he let out a fake deep sigh and said, "Fine, I''ll tell you the horrific truth that none can bear to hear."


    Thest Mark said in such a way, he revealed the details of the firearms that almost made them lose motivation to proceed with their ns of the war.


    Now, there''s more to hear?


    Even a supreme realm expert like Song Tai couldn''t help but stare at Mark without blinking his eyes.


    "If you want to win the war, you have to face not one but two supreme beings. One is a demon and the other is a beast emperor.


    Jinlong used to be the guardian of the Wuji sect. After the sect disbandment, he followed us by his own will.


    Atleast, that''s what we thought until recently we realized that he and Feng Wu appeared to have some sort of history and now Jinlong is gone to support his old friend.


    But, before he left, he informed us that Feng Wu had contracted with some powerful demon.


    And that demon should be the one who attacked the imperial pce cuz Jinlong was with us, at the Eastern Sun kingdom, when it happened.


    The most Wu Weibao can do is to keep one of them busy. Even for that and also to make sure to save the citizens from not getting caught up in the middle of their fight, what you were offering might not be enough.


    If the target is that gold dragon, it can be done. After all, Jinlong cares about the lives of people.


    But, if the target is the demon, the job is extremely difficult as it loves to cause destruction and wouldn''t even care to explode if that''s what it takes to bring down its opponent.


    You might have to throw in another high-quality semi-divine grade for the job. And lend him divine-grade equipment to face the enemy. This is what it takes me to involve in your headache and solve the situation."


    After a while;


    Mark was boarding his new vehicle for the air travel and the Emperor personally escorted him to the vehicle to bid goodbye to his guest. The princes were forced to tag along and the crown prince looked quite displeased.


    Surprisingly, he wasn''t the only one who wasn''t pleased. Even Mark was in the same state as he entered the vehicle without turning his head to look at his biological family.


    "Allen, let''s go."


    Soon, the vehicle rose into the air like a spaceship and flew toward its destination.


    As it disappeared from his sight, the Emperor turned around to walk away and said in a low tone, "Song Tai, you follow me to the treasury. I will lend you something that will help you take down the dragon. Shang Wei, you also follow me. We need to talk."


    "Understood, Your Majesty." The ancestor of the Song n and the third prince bowed and followed him. The remaining people went on their ways.


    Meanwhile, inside the flying divine throne, Mark clenched his fist and muttered, "Dammit."


    Allen understood what his master was feeling after reading his memories. Hemented, "I guess this is also not a bad thing."


    Mark raised his head and looked at the android, "How it isn''t a bad thing? None of our ns seeded except for intimidating them. I guess we went too far that they didn''t speak a word against me.


    I wanted them to be non-cooperative by purposely acting like a big shot in front of the Emperor. They ignored it.


    I even tried to humiliate the crown prince to get them angry and make a wrong move. But, it didn''t materialize either.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I revealed that their main enemy is the one I let slip away from my control. But, no one med me.


    To force them to ept Feng Wu''s terms, I put two great obstacles in the form of supreme beings but instead, they asked for my service.


    I raised my fees so high that anyone with a brain would reject it. But, they epted it.


    Even if they believed that the enemies have two supreme beings, I thought they would let Lan Ju handle the dragon and we could just put up a drama in front of everyone while Bael kills the rest.


    Instead, Shang Wei somehow convinced the Emperor to ept all of my absurd demands just to lend them Lan Ju for a day so that he will handle the demon none of them had ever seen.


    If Lan Ju handles the demon, it is going to be a problem. Jinlong is a noble dragon and wasn''t loyal to mepletely. He wouldn''t kill others even if I order him.


    I don''t understand why Shang Wei seemed so obsessed with reiming the Western Yan, which wasn''t theirs in the first ce.


    I thought he is a wise person and will choose peace instead of war, although it will aplish nothing because I nned to make Bael kill the ministers, one after another to trigger them.


    Still, I sensed that Shang Wei was more eager for the war than the rest. The madness was clear in his eyes."


    Allen analyzed all the conversations that happened in the meeting and said, "Big Bro, I think there''s a high chance that the Western Yan is harboring a deep secret, which was only known to Shang Wei. It could be rare materials or a secret treasure buried somewhere.


    As for the mission to help them out, you will still get free credits in millions whether the promised divine-grade item is an unbound one or a bound one. Big Bro doesn''t need to go back on his words.


    If the Emperor hears that Lan Ju died under the hands of demon king Bael, you get to have free credits and the war can still be won by letting Bael go on a killing spree."


    "Nah, it isn''t that easy to fool the Emperor." Mark shook his head, not beingpletely convinced by Allen''s idea. He pointed out the main problem, "Lan Jingyi is a demigod and we never know when she will stop acting weak. I can be seen as a killer but not a liar. It hurts the reputation of the store too."


    "Then, Bael will first capture her," Allen made a suggestion to his master that they will first target thetter''s biological mom and then proceed with the n.


    However, Mark wasn''t confident of the idea. "Killing would be easier than capturing a demigod. Even Bael cannot detain her for very long. Not to mention, he will disappear after 6 hours. What will be then? The zheng will be forced toe out in the open to tackle her and it will be proved that I deceived the imperial pce for a divine-grade item. It''s not worth the risk."


    "Hmm¡­" Allen started looking for the solution through his analytical abilities. About ten secondster, he asked, "What if the zheng abducts Shang Jiao and threatens Queen Consort Lan to stay out of this war? Technically, Queen consort Lan is still a being from another, an alien.


    If the zheng says that a demigod of another world like them shouldn''t interfere in the business of the internal powers of this, then, we will have a logical reason to keep Shang Jiao as a prisoner.


    Shang Jiao is her biological daughter and also the Emperor''s favorite child. The little girl could even make the Emperor withdraw his ns for the war but I know that you won''t like it. So, at the moment, we can only use her to put pressure on Queen Consort Lan."


    "Hmm, you are right but¡­" Mark hesitated to take the decision as a wave of memories hit him. He doesn''t want to admit it but she was almost a family at Genesis Weapon Store.


    Does he want to stoop so low to abduct his own sister and use her as a bargaining chip to aplish his goal? Mark was slightly conflicted about this.


    Understanding Mark''s feelings, Allen went on to say, "Big Bro, when the timees, who she will choose? Will she choose her estranged brother who was hell-bent on destroying her father''s empire or will she choose her imperial family that raised her?


    And when she stands in your path, what will you do? You won''t kill her on ount of a biological rtionship but you might have to imprison her, right? Or will you forget revenge altogether as you are too afraid to give her the pain?"


    Perhaps, this is what people call A.I. controlling humans. Under Allen''s persuasion, Mark eventually took the decision of the dark path.


    With a look of seriousness, he firmly said, "We''ll abduct her tonight."

 Chapter 422 Shang Jiao Has Been Abducted

    ?


    Around 02:45 A.M., Imperial Pce;


    In the Emperor''s chamber, Shang Fu was sleeping soundly. The wine ss and the opened jar of wine on the bedside table indicate that he drank before he went to sleep.


    Or perhaps, he drank it to get some peaceful sleep. After all, the war in Western Yan is giving him a big headache. Adding on top of that, he found out that his enemies are supreme beings. Obviously, he needs some drink.


    *knock* knock* knock*


    It was one of those repeated events where his sleep would be disturbed by the knocks at midnight.


    He didn''t hear it and continued to sleep while snoring heavily.


    This time, someone banged on the door as if there was an urgent matter. There was no response from the Emperor.


    At once, the door was smashed with brute force. It was opened, making a loud sound as they collided with the wall.


    "What!"


    The Emperor abruptly woke up from his sleep and warily looked around. He then saw a blurry figure entering the room. The lights were switched on.


    Rubbing his eyes, as the Emperor looked at the stranger who dared to disturb his sleep in such a way, he found it was none other than the second prince.


    "What the hell are you doing, Shang Wen?" The Emperor angrily roared at him.


    To which, Shang Wen replied in an unpleasant tone, "I apologize Your Majesty but I don''t have the time to wait until you wake up."


    "Another trouble?" Emperor Shang felt like he suddenly became sober. "What is it this time?" He asked while ming his bad luck.


    Tightly gripping the scroll in his hand, Shang Wen answered, "My sister¡­ Princess Shang Jiao has been abducted by the enemy."


    "What did you say?" Shang Fu''s eyes widened in shock and he quickly snatched the scroll from his son''s hand.


    He read the letter. This wasn''t a piece of information sent by some scouts. It was a ransom letter except that there was no ransom. Instead, there was a demand.


    "Lan surname? But, I never heard of this name before. Who the hell is this Lan Ju? And what business she has with my wife?" roared the Emperor.


    Shang Wen answered, "I don''t know. Perhaps, you should ask mother¡­ I mean, Queen Consort Lan about it."


    Even though they were less than 15 years apart, Shang Wen still addresses Lan Jingyi as his mother because of the fact that she was the only one who treated him as a family after the demise of his mother.


    However, he was also a general now, and he cannot address her that way, atleast before the Emperor.


    "Let''s go."


    The Emperor and the second prince made their way to the inner quarters. As Shang Wen stopped at the entrance, the Emperor dragged him along with him, not caring about formalities in such a terrible situation.


    Of course, that doesn''t mean he would barge into his stepmother''s room. And even the emperor wouldn''t allow it. He just waited outside the room. A minuteter, the Emperor also came out and stood with his son as the door was locked.


    A couple of more minutester, Lan Jingyi then hurriedly came out of the room in normal clothing as she cannote out in her pajamas. Even if it is her stepson who is like her son, he is still a grown-up man. It is highly inappropriate in this world of the medieval era.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Did you find out who sent this?" asked Lan Jingyi in a serious tone.


    Feeling some kind of invisible pressure on him, Shang Wen replied, "The guard informed him that it was given by a middle-aged-looking man."


    "Who is this Lan Ju, dear?" asked the Emperor. "What does she want with you?"


    Lan Jingyi shook her head, "It isn''t a she. It is a he, Your Majesty. Lan Ju is the pet of myte father. It is a son of the beast named Zheng. My father mistook him for a female when he was a baby and gave him a feminine name."


    "Zheng?" Shang Fu and Shang Wen looked at each other. They never heard of such a beast.


    Lan Jingyi continued with her mix of truth and lies, "It''s a beast king he found somewhere. And I know what he wants. He probably wanted to use me to revive the Lan sect since his growth stopped at 7-circle and doesn''t have credibility. Using my surname, he could bring back all the former disciples."


    "It doesn''t make any sense, Mother." Shang Wen opinioned that there must be a conspiracy. "Abducting Xiao Jiao when we were busy with the war and sending us such a letter in the middle of the night, something isn''t right here. A beast king wasn''t capable of plotting such a scheme. Somehow, I feel like there''s a mastermind."


    Hearing his words made Lan Jingyi remember Mark for a moment before she shook away such thoughts and said, "Whatever the case, we will know when I meet him. Since he said I know where to find him, I believe he might be at Mt. Lan. I''m going right now."


    "What? Are you serious?" Emperor Shang grabbed her arm as she was about to walk past him without bothering to ask his permission or anything. "In the middle of the night?"


    Lan Jingyi gave a sharp look at him and replied, "Our daughter is abducted. I would go to hell to take her back if I have to. If you understand it, then, let me go."


    Shang Fu and Shang Wen were taken aback by her anger. While Shang Wen was surprised to see such impoliteness toward his father, Shang Fu was more understanding of her behavior.


    He was aware that when it concerns Shang Jiao, his wife would be scary. For some reason, he would feel invisible pressure on his soul whenever she takes a decision on their little princess and he tries to object to it.


    In the end, he would support her and even now, it was no different. Letting out a deep sigh, he said, "Alright but you won''t go alone. What if it turns out to be a trapid by an enemy? I''lle with you."


    "No, Your Majesty, your safety is most important." Shang Wen volunteered to go with his stepmother. As a 7-circle realm Spirit Warrior who had the highest concentration of the bloodline of the phoenix, the second prince was confident enough to protect Lan Jingyi from a beast king of the 7-circle realm.


    How would he even know that he was going to face a demigod beast emperor¡­


    Lan Jingyi feared that they wouldn''t let her go if she says the truth, and hence, she lied about the zheng''s strength and his origins.


    Knowing that she cannot go alone anyways, she agreed with Shang Wen''s condition and hurried him to prepare for the transport.


    Somewhere far away from the Phoenix Empire on an ind;


    It was the time the sun was about to rise.


    Shang Jiao slowly opened her eyes to find herself on a bed, in some kind of wooden house. "Where am I? I snuck out of the academy and I was on my way to watch the fireworks and then, I received a shock of high power¡­"


    As she thought about it, she remembered that someone skillfully struck her neck from behind with some kind of lightning energy ability and she lost consciousness.


    Shang Jiao quickly got down from the bed and scurried outside of the room, reaching the living room. She saw decent-quality furniture, although with excellent craftsmanship around. She didn''t care about them as she rushed to the exit.


    However, as she stepped outside, Shang Jiao halted her movements at once as soon as her eyes fell on a giant dragon of cyan-bluish color (Azure).


    "What the hell."

 Chapter 423 The Golden Demon Cat And The Mysterious Mage

    ?


    Roughly seven hours earlier;


    The city of Dongyi, Jin Province, Phoenix Empire


    A portal opened up in the middle of the city ruled by the Jin n (not to be confused with the Ji n), and Mark walked out of it wearing ck robes, covered his head with a hood, and his face with a nk mask so that no one will recognize him in any unexpected situations like these.


    Luckily for him, despite the fact that people are still roaming in the streets, it was dim due to the high distance between eachmppost on the street.


    It was just 15 minutes away from midnight and there was no way, any kind of store or restaurant will be opened here in any kingdom. Even pubs will be closed now. Only two businesses are active at night. One is the hotel business and the other is the brothel.


    Mark couldn''t help but wonder what they were doing. At first, he wanted to stop someone and ask but then as his attire itself is suspicious enough, he didn''t bother to do it and looked for a dark alley.


    There, he equipped himself with the exo skeleton suit and just look for the academy from the skies. As far as he knows, the Phoenix Academy spreads over 200 acres ofnd and had a 50-meterrge statue of a phoenix built in the academy.


    With his night vision, he had no problems searching in darkness. All it needs is time to locate it. Mark felt like he had plenty of it. But, to make this faster, he activated invisibility and followed a civilian with decent luck points for a while until she was alone, knocking her out with a taser gun he purchased from the store and dragging her to a dark alley.


    Since he had to absorb 3 luck points and he needed 90 seconds of time while he only had 30 seconds of invisibility, he was forced to act in such a way.


    Once his luck points were maximized, Mark was about to fly into the sky and quickly search for the academy and the princess sleeping somewhere in the dorm before his temporary luck runs out.


    Before the timeline, he somehow had luck in the random direction he picked earlier and found the academy entrance.


    And just as he was about to look for the girl''s dormitory, he saw a girl with icy wings go past the high walls of the academy and thennded outside the academy while carrying another girl.


    "Lucky¡­"


    Mark grinned taking out Taser Gun as he flew in the direction of his target. Of course, this wasn''t the same Taser gun he used against the civilian. This one was a transformation of the divine throne.


    For the past couple of hours, Mark has done experiments on the divine throne after getting to know that a divine-grade weapon could also use other attribute attacks than its own.


    He realized that he could actually use all of the attributes from lightning to anti-matter through the divine-grade weapon.


    However, the task wasn''t easier by any means, especially for the guy whopletely depended on the system-provided skills until now.


    After training for two hours, under Allen''s guidance, Mark finally managed to release an electric shock through the weapon.


    Whether it is a sword or a spaceship, the oue doesn''t change but Mark chose the form of a taser gun to ambush his sister from behind. The other girl tried to save Shang Jiao by attacking Mark but thetter needed evidence about the abduction.


    Hence, he left her unharmed and just grabbed his sister before flying away at his maximum speed.


    The zheng received the order through their telepathic connection from a long distance. He went to the imperial pce while partially hiding his public identity by covering his face from the nose. It was how the soldier recognized him as a middle-aged fellow.


    Now, back to the present, the night passed away and the morning of the next day arrived. Shang Jiao found herself trapped in a house surrounded by four giant beasts and one far away coiled around a mountain.


    Emperor Shang lost his sleep. He couldn''t help but just walk left to right for the past few hours while his wife and son were on their way to Mt. Lan on the giant flying stingray.


    The gold dragon set off to Western Yan at dawn and sessfully reached the pce, where he was greatly weed by Feng Wu and the others.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Meanwhile, some of the influential beings of the Empire like the elders of the sects and a few heads of the major ns reached the Imperial City.


    Everything is going just as Mark wanted it to go. He was waiting for his father''s army to strike Western Yan with full force.


    ***


    While the Phoenix Empire was in the middle of unfolding a huge event, far away from the world, realms above the mortal ne, another plot was started in the undyingnds.


    Undyingnds aren''t the name of a ce or a world.


    It was thergest region with thousands of worlds in the immortal ne where the strongest beasts in the universe exist.


    One of those worlds was the realm of Grima and its ruler is named Golden Demon Cat.


    In the courtroom of the majestic golden pce, a little blonde girl with cat ears was sitting on the throne as she looked at her generals and the officials.


    All of these officials just looked like little girls and boys with animal ears and whiskers. If Mark would witness the scene, he would definitely think that they are cosying various feline creatures like cats, lions, tigers, etc...


    They looked cute even with their serious-looking expressions.


    Anan Spencer, the golden kitten certainly doesn''t share such traits as he looks like aplete human when he transforms. Maybe, it is the environment of the earth. Who knows¡­


    The Queen was addressing her subordinates with full of excitement. "With the surrender of Amphia, we have finally won the war with them, and from now onwards, the felines will haveplete domination over those Canines."


    "All hail the Queen" "All hail the Queen" "All hail the Queen"


    As the creatures were hailing their queen, a portal was opened up in the middle of the court and an old man with a beard touching the floor stepped out of it.


    The ce became silent and everyone turned wary of the human mage.


    The Queen, who was filled with excitement, became serious. Naturally, she was displeased by this fellow''s actions.


    "What are you doing here, interrupting us like this without my permission, Dungeon Master Yan?" asked the Queen.


    The old man let out a toothless grin where a few teeth are absent for some reason. He replied, "Well, to congratte your victory over your archenemies, I''m here with a present."


    "What kind of present?" The Golden Demon Cat''s expression didn''t change a bit. She was still frowning. "Did you trap my enemies in a dungeon or something?"


    The old man shook his head and spoke, "The heir has been found, Your Majesty."


    The Queen stood up from her throne in full of shock and the entire courtroom was filled with murmurings. "Where? Where did you find my grandchild, Yan Luo?"


    "Diqiu world of the mortal ne," replied the mage whileughing inwardly, "hahahaha, Yuqiang, you might have hid the person but it wouldn''t matter. I will erase that entire world from existence after taking these cats take you out of my way. Once the Chaos Lord revives, the gods shall fall."

 Chapter 424 Lan Jingyi And Shang Wen At Mt. Lan

    ?


    Roughly around 10 o''clock, Shang Wen and Lan Jingyi made it to Mt. Lan.


    Lan Jingyi asked him to stay at the foot of the mountain as she intended to battle against the zheng to get back her daughter, but as the second prince insisted on following her due to worry about her safety, she decided to knock him out in case of an emergency.


    Amara, the giant flying stingray, the Emperor''s mount, made its way to the top of the mountain.


    There, they have the zheng waiting in its original form. Looking at the five-tailed scarlet leopard, the 6-circle realm flying stingray was frightened and refused to make itsnding.


    But then, as the zheng spoke to it in a human tongue, not wanting to see Lan Jingyi getting carried by Shang Wen if thetter was a stepson, the king-grade beast reluctantlynded on the mountain but made sure to avoid the zheng''s gaze.


    Meanwhile, Shang Wen turned wary of the beast emperor. He felt like this opponent is far stronger than he imagined. He decided not to battle it but instead put his entire focus on how to quickly grab his mother and fly away without caring about Amara.


    "Wee to my abode, Lan Jingyi, and Shang Wen," greeted the zheng.


    Lan Jingyi responded with a question, "Where is my daughter, Lan Ju?"


    The zheng calmly replied, "First, pay your respects to your parents. Then, we shall talk."


    Lan Jingyi started walking toward the gravesite. Just as Shang Wen was about to follow, the zheng looked at him, "Not you, Shang Wen. Outsiders aren''t allowed in that sacred ce."


    "He is my son, Lan Ju," said Lan Jingyi without bothering to hide her anger.


    The zheng shook his head, "But, he still doesn''t have any ties with the Lan Sect. And neither had he any rtions with the dead. He is an outsider in my view. You should be satisfied with the fact that I allowed your husband''s mount and his son into this premises."


    Lan Ju also didn''t hide his disgust as he looked at Shang Wen and the beast. He doesn''t like the imperial family, for whom Lan Jingyi chose to betray the wishes of her father.


    "You¡­" Shang Wen clenched his fist but he controlled his emotions, knowing well that he is no match for the beast. Lan Jingyi told him to wait as she walked away.


    Once Lan Jingyi was out of sight, the zheng then sat down in silence and closed his eyes.


    Shang Wen also kept his mouth shut for a while until he couldn''t bear it anymore and said, "I don''t sense my sister anywhere on this mountain. I guess it must be behind the human who is helping you."


    The zheng ignored his words and continued his nap.


    Shang Wen then spoke, "On our way, I had a lot of time to think about your intentions behind this act. My mother is a mortal. My sister is too young and my brother has already awakened the Phoenix bloodline. He would probably be the Emperor someday. So, I highly doubt you want to use them to revive your fallen sect. So, what is it that you are truly after?"


    Lan Ju continued to y deaf as if he didn''t hear him.


    But, Shang Wen didn''t back down. He continued with his theory to confirm his suspicions. "I had this friend of mine. You can say he is like a brother and I don''t have any reason to distrust his words. He says that the gold dragon of the Wuji sect has aligned itself with Feng Wu.


    He also said that Feng Wu had contracted with this powerful demon, which was the one that attacked us and killed the Grand Secretariat. Now, you took this opportunity and abducted Shang Jiao.


    A powerful beast like you doesn''t need to work with a human unless he/she is your contractor. And you don''t ept just anyone as your partner too. He must be rted to this sect and should also have a high cultivation realm."


    As Shang Wen was speaking out his own theory, something clicked in his head. "The gold dragon left Lu Zhen''s side after the birthday event of Ouyang Zen. And Ouyang Zen''s prime minister is Lan Jing, my mother''s paternal uncle. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Eastern Sun kingdom has thergest reserves of gold and a long war will bring down our economic conditions, forcing my father to take a loan. Now, everything fits.


    Lan Jing is the one who is pulling the strings behind this entire situation, isn''t he? He has the perfect reason to take revenge.


    The Imperial Pce didn''t send any help to Lan Sect during the dungeon break. In our defense, it is because weck the strength to face it. But, in his view, we probably have betrayed him.


    And my mother''s marriage to the Emperor has probably escted his anger. So, he waited for the opportunity to strike us down."


    The zheng couldn''t help but open his eyes and take another look at the second prince. "This¡­"


    It''s not because he was surprised about the analysis of the second prince but it is because his master told him the same thing that the imperial pce wille to a conclusion.


    Mark intended to distract everyone''s attention away from him by painting Lan Jing as the prime conspirator. Of course, by the time they investigated everything, they will figure out that Lan Jing has no role in this and they have been fooled all along by Mark.


    But, it will be toote by then. Mark would have already finished his revenge.


    Seeing the zheng look at him in surprise, Shang Wen more felt like he was right. Making a serious expression, he said, "No matter what you nned, I want to tell you that I will go to any extent to keep my family safe. If that involves selling my soul to a more powerful demon, I wouldn''t hesitate to do so."


    "Interesting." The zheng finally responded to him, seeing that his master''s n is working. "I can sense your sincerity when you said about protecting your family. Answer me, young warrior. What will do if your brothers turn against each other? Or if your mother or your sister turns against you?"


    Shang Wen''s face darkened. He didn''t give an answer but instead asked him, "What are you nning to do?"


    "Come back and ask me the same question when you were qualified to have a conversation with me, weakling," replied the zheng before he closed his eyes once again.


    Shang Wen''s pride was hurt by the zheng but he could only clench his fist and stay silent, not just because of the difference in their strength but it is also because of the fact that Lan Jingyi was still on the premises of the mountain and Shang Jiao''s fate was at stake here.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Imperial Pce;


    In the Emperor''s chamber, Shang Fu was anxiously waiting for a message from his son. He was so concerned about the situation at Mt. Lan that he refused all the requests for meeting from various sect heads and n lords to discuss the situation about the war.


    As he was regretting not establishing a two-waymunication talisman between him and his son, his thoughts were interrupted by his third son.


    "Your Majesty, Sorry for the disturbance but there is someone here to meet you," said the third prince while standing outside of the room.


    Shang Fu waved his hand, "I''m not in the mood to talk right now, Shang Wei. I will meet the guest in the evening."


    "Your Majesty, he is a supreme being," said the prince, gaining his attention immediately.


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 425 A Supreme Being With Mysterious Origins

    ?


    In a couple of minutes, Shang Fu met the supreme realm expert, who came all the way from the Dragon Empire.


    He was old with wrinkles all over his body, looking like a bag of bones.


    "Emperor Shang, let me introduce myself. My name is Huang Ming and I''m a traveling adventurer. I heard about the war and I''m here to help you."


    Unlike Shang Wen who just trusts Mark''s words, Shang Fu has already confirmed the existence of the gold dragon in Western Yan.


    Just this early morning, Jinlong was received grandly by Feng Wu and he didn''t do it in secret either. All the citizens living in Gong City witnessed the majestic dragon too.


    This confirmation only increased Shang Fu''s worry. And the appearance of a supreme realm expert looked like a blessing from heaven.


    However, Shang Wei won''t be fooled like his father. He immediately enquired the reason behind his action, "But, why? Venerable Huang, you must know that we have enemies of the same caliber as you."


    To which, the traveler let out a smile, "I''m not risking my life for fun either. You can pay me with something I desire."


    "What is it?" asked the Emperor. He further added, "Anything you desire, it is yours."


    The traveler answered, "Your second child, Shang Wen."


    "What do you mean?" Shang Fu abruptly stood up from his seat in shock and furrowed his brows in displeasure.


    The traveler continued to maintain his smile as he waved his hand, "You misunderstood me. What I mean is that I want him as my disciple. I heard about his righteous qualities and his talent.


    With the power of the Phoenix running through his blood, he is a perfect person to inherit my knowledge. He will still be your son but won''t be able to serve as the General.


    I''m almost at the end of my life span. And I realized that it is almost impossible to make the breakthrough to be the demigod. Rather than expending my life force to chase an impossible dream, I decided to use my cultivation for something great.


    If your son bes my disciple, within a few years, I will not only make him a master but also let him inherit my cultivation before I die. After my death, he will return to his homnd as the Supreme Being. Who knows, he might be able to even be a demigod within a century or two.


    Everything depends on your choice, Emperor Shang. Whatever you decide, take it very soon. I''m leaving after sunset. If not him, then, I will find another. The world didn''tck geniuses with potential."


    Shang Wei didn''t expect not only this supreme realm expert to turn out to be Supreme Being but he is also interested to make Shang Wen his disciple. Adding on top of that, he will also help them in the war.


    Shang Wei felt like the goddess of luck has smiled upon the Empire. Meanwhile, the Emperor stayed silent.


    The Supreme Being from farawaynds was taken to the guest room to take a rest, leaving the Emperor in deep thought.


    He was reluctant to send him away.


    As the third prince returned to the private chamber and saw his father sitting there and thinking, he spoke, "Your Majesty, this is a fortune for us. Brother is very lucky."


    "But, for me, it sounded like I was asked to sell my kid for a favor," replied the Emperor. He then looked at him and said, "We don''t need his assistance to be honest."


    "Yes, but we cannot prolong this war any longer. The more Feng Wu stays on thend, the higher the chance he will discover the existence of the mines and ''that'' tomb.


    There''s a high chance it has already been discovered by the third party who was helping him out. But, we should be fine as long as the Leon Empire or the Dragon Empire learn of it. Or else, it would be a huge trouble.


    That is why we need him. And don''t think too much, Your Majesty. Just think of it as you are sending him a conquest for a few years."


    "Hmmmm¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Mt. Lan;


    Lan Jingyi returned from the graveyard and confronted the zheng. She demanded the release of her daughter once again.


    In response, the scarlet leopard let out a chuckle and replied, "You and I don''t belong to this world. You married someone. That''s fine with me but you shall not involve in the wars of these natives.


    Of course, as your daughter who awakened myte master''s bloodline, Shang Jiao shall not involve in the war between Phoenix Empire and the Western Yan either, whatever the result might be.


    Until this is over, your daughter will be safe with me and you will not cross the Imperial city. You are allowed to defend your family at your home though. I hope you understand what I''m saying, Lan Jingyi."


    Lan Jingyi stared at him in silence.


    Meanwhile, Shang Wen was filled with confusion. Lan Jingyi getting herself involved in this war? She is just a mortal without any ether energy. Shang Jiao might have some impact with her 6-circle realm cultivation but the enemies are supreme beings.


    It just doesn''t make sense unless Zheng was actually protecting them out of his affection for the Lan family.


    Then, what of his conspiracy theory about Lan Jing being the mastermind?


    His views didn''t change much.


    Mankind is always afraid of the unknown. Rather than thinking that there might be a mysterious enemy, even a righteous person like Shang Wen couldn''t help but believe that the Eastern Sun kingdom is the enemy because, then, everything would just make sense.


    ***


    Genesis Weapon store, Imperial City;


    There was a strange silence in the store and everyone appeared very bored.


    *Sigh* "It''s been two days since thest customer." cing her head on the desk, Song Yueined.


    Well, it''s not like they went out of poprity. It is just that the entire city is in a lockdown state where the soldiers aren''t even letting the people leave or enter the city without permission.


    With the markets closed, the food supply was being taken care of by the imperial pce.


    Of course, Mark has no problem with the ingredients as he has already procured 1-year worth of food and meat from various sources and loaded them into his inventory before the start of the war.


    However, his business has been impacted slightly. In the current situation, he cannot go to the western moon''s branch for business purposes as he wants to lie low and make sure he doesn''t gain any suspicion from the imperial pce.


    Hence, he decided to send a trusted subordinate to sell the weapons. Allen is out of the equation as his movements also attract attention. Xie Mei isn''t trustable. Mark cannot bear to send away his fianc¨¦e. The zheng and the gold dragons are doing their own missions. Mark was left with only Chang Bo, the welpire.


    However, he won''t send him away alone. For this project, he has a card up his sleeve.


    That ace is none other than Meng Tao, who was recruited during the Dragon Warrior Tournament but wasn''t used yet.


    Today is the day Mark decided to use this hidden ace. Everyone else was waiting for a customer while he was waiting for Meng Tao to arrive.

 Chapter 426 The Flames Of War: The Phoenix Empire Battles The Western Yan

    ?


    "Here, you know the prices and I leave all the managing to you. It''s your wish on how many servants you want to hire and how much sry you will give them. I''m allotting a maximum of 500 gold coins for the sries.


    As for Meng Tao, he is already hired as the assistant manager and his sry is percentage basis just like you. It''s just that you will get 2% and he will get 1%. Depending on the earnings and the sales, you might get a bonus or a sry hike.


    The most important rule you will have to remember is that you have to sell it from the store just like how we do here. I will you the best of luck in your new journey, Chang Bo.


    Meng Tao, I hope you too will do your job without disappointing me."


    After reminding him what he needed to know, Mark gave a send-off to Chang Bo and Meng Tao.


    As a result, Allen returned to his original job, although there won''t be any customers for a while for the android to sell the weapons.


    A couple of dayster;


    The preparations for the coronation ceremony of Western Yan''s new king are going in full swing.


    The kings of the Eastern Sun and Western Moon have already confirmed their participation. On that day, they will gift the new king with their formal acknowledgment.


    As for the other empires in the continent, Qilin Empire and Kun Empire outrightly rejected the invitation as they don''t want to be the enemies of the Phoenix Empire.


    The Dwarven kingdom cannot interfere in the matters of the humans. So, the dwarves will also be absent.


    The Leon Empire, on the other hand, neither rejected nor epted. The Emperor of the Shi dynasty decided to wait until the Phoenix Empire finally acts.


    Depending on the result, they will change their stance.


    But spiritually, the Emperor was on the side of the Western Yan as it would lessen the strength of the Southern Empire.


    And the main yer, Shang Fu, gathered his three current generals, two retired generals of which one of them was reinstated as the stand-in for the northern army, sect leaders and their elders, Elite Adventure teams from various guilds, and finally, the three supreme realm experts (including Lan Ju aka Wu Weibao).


    While the army was slowly marching to the west, the three supreme realm experts flew at their respective paces and reached their destination in different time intervals.


    Lan Ju was the first to arrive there and he didn''t attack the soldiers on the front line. Instead, he zoomed past them and put up act with the gold dragon in the skies by the time the remaining two caught up with him after they casually attacked the enemy soldiers standing in their way.


    As a result, Western Yan lost a couple of LARS systems, seven rank-5 robots, more than twenty rank-3 robots and robot dogs, and roughly about 120 foot soldiers.


    Song Tai and Huang Ming reached Lan Ju who appeared to be on a stalemate with the dragon.


    As they were about to support him to y the beast emperor, the zheng first warned them not to interfere in his battle and further reminded them to go on their way in order to fulfill their respective missions.


    ording to what they have discussed earlier, Wu Weibao (Lan Ju) will handle the gold dragon while the remaining two supremes will take of Feng Wu, his guardian, and his contracted demon (if exist).


    Following the n, Huang Ming and Song Tai left the gold dragon and flew toward the pce.


    Surprisingly, no guard stood outside of the pce to even block their way. Adding on top of that, their senses cannot prate the building.


    The two experts assumed that it is probably done by the so-called Feng Wu''s demon and further concluded that Feng Wu''s soldiers were hiding in the pce to ambush them.


    However, with the two of them working together, they felt only a demigod has the power to defeat them. Hence, they confidently barged into the pce without caring whether there are traps or not.


    It was there they received another shock. The whole pce was empty. No soldiers were hiding. No maids, no Feng Wu, and no hostages either. Instead, they could only sense one presence.


    Huang Ming and Song Tai looked at each other and meaningfully nodded before going on their way to the courtroom, where they saw a handsome youth sitting on the throne and weing them with a smile.


    "Hello there, my human friend said I should be courteous with the both of you. He asked me to give you a choice, especially for you, Mr. Song. So, here it is." Demon King Bael put forth an option before Song Tai as Mark thought that Song Yue would feel sad if her ancestor dies in the war. "Surrender yourself and be our prisoner or be punished along with yourpanion. What will be your decision?"


    Song Tai furrowed his brows in displeasure. "We knew about you from the start and we are here to kill you, demon."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The demon king lets out a fake sigh andmented, "Each to their own decision. Nothing can be done about it."


    He stood up from the throne and his two opponents went into their battle stance.


    It was then Bael raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a smile on his face. The surroundings changed immediately to that of an endless barrennd without anything else.


    The eyes of Song Tai and Huang Ming widened in great shock as they looked around.


    "An illusion?" Song Tai wondered out loud.


    Huang Ming shook his head in extreme seriousness, "This isn''t an illusion, Brother Song Tai. This is called the domain."


    "Domain?" Song Tai''s heart skipped a beat for a second and abruptly turned his head to look at hisrade. "A demigod?"


    As Huang Ming nodded seriously, Song Tai didn''t hesitate to take out a Bo staff from his storage ring and shocked his teammate as well as their enemy at the same time.


    "A divine-grade weapon?" Huang Ming and Demon King Bael sounded at the same time.


    cing the Bo staff with a golden ring around its center firmly on the ground, Song Tai spoke, "You underestimated the Phoenix Empire''s imperial family. They might not have a strong expert within the army but there is a reason why the Shang Dynasty has been sessfully ruling this southern empire for more than 1780 years.


    Earlier, you gave me the option to choose. Now, I will give you a choice. Return to your underworld and sever your con¡­ Ugh¡­"


    Before he finished his warning, all of a sudden, a sharp pointy energy broad de erupted from the ground and pierced Song Tai''s body at an unimaginable speed.


    Upon piercing his body, the energy de transformed into demonic energy and invaded his body, paralyzing him.


    *Thud*


    The bo staff fell to the ground and Song Tai was frozen like a statue before falling onto his back.


    Looking down at Song Tai, the demon king snorted, "Hmpf, a fool talking nonsense in the middle of a battle. You are the one who underestimated me. You should actually be thankful that my friend doesn''t want you dead."


    Meanwhile, Huang Ming rushed toward Song Tai in a sh and grabbed the Bo staff, and spoke to the weapon while creating an ether energy barrier around himself, "I don''t know your name but please grant us your strength. I request you to allow me to wield you for a while."


    The Bo staff glowed for a second and became lighter. At the same time, a divine energy shield was formed over him.


    "Thank you."


    Huang Ming didn''t waste in speaking dialogues and charged forward with the Bo staff.


    Bael looked untroubled. He calmly stared at the opponent as thetter reached him and swung down the Bo staff.


    Bael ducked in a timely manner and raised his right hand. Lightning bursts out of his palm in the form of a concentrated beam of energy and struck the divine shield.


    The shield couldn''t block Bael''s attack and the lightning beam broke through his defenses, making a hole out of his chest in the middle.


    Bael fell onto his right knee. Clenching his fist, he tried to heal his wound by using ether energy but for some reason, the hole wasn''t closed and the blood continued to pour down.


    *Pfft*


    The demon king broke out intoughter, "Did you forget that you are in my domain? Here, I set the rules. And one of my three rules bans the healing altogether. Hahahaha."


    Huang Ming could only raise his head and look at theughing demon in deep hatred.

 Chapter427 The Flames of war died out before it properly burn

    Chapter427 The mes of war died out before it properly burn


    In the skies of Gong City;


    Lan Ju was in a fierce battle against Jinlong. Thetter was in the form of a gold dragon while the former was using a weapon that looks like the imperial Phoenix bow, also known as the Bow of the Shangs.


    The Imperial Phoenix Bow is first used by the Shang Dynasty''s founder to overthrow the Xia Dynasty and is passed to one emperor and then the next.


    Emperor Shang lent it to Wu Weibao/Lan Ju to defeat the gold dragon but Mark has entirely different ns for the weapon.


    It cannot be subdued and Mark doesn''t want to subdue it or erase its will either. He intends to destroy the Shang Dynasty''s pride.


    But, for the weapon to fall into his hands for good, he would have to stage Lan Ju''s death.


    And it should happen in front of the soldiers of the empire so that he would have enough witnesses for the weapon getting looted by the dragon and their morale also gets reduced in the process.


    Of course, Mark wouldn''t take the risk of letting the divine-grade weapon escape to its master as soon as its current wielder falls down.


    Hence, he ced it in the inventory and handed the divine throne to Lan Ju.


    The divine throne was transformed into a bow resembling the imperial bow. Lan Ju, on the other hand, has five basic attributes.


    Hence, he used fire energy arrows to make it seem like the bow was a real deal.


    The fight between them went on for atleast seven hours.


    During this time, the LARS systems operated by Rankk-3 robots were randomly firing missiles at the iing frence adventurers and volunteering sect disciples to keep them away. And those who escaped it and advanced forward were hunted down by the snipers (rank-5 robots).


    The rank-5 robots might not be able to pour ether energy into their sniper rifles but they have a perfect aim. With just normal ammunition, they were able to target the eyes and other vulnerable parts of the enemies.


    After a few losses, the elite adventurers and elite disciples of various sects managed to protect their eyes and other vulnerable parts with an energy shield but they still couldn''t get near Feng Wu''s army as the bandits turned soldiers were using grenades of various types and rocketunchers to defend their home.


    Furthermore, the weapons in Feng Wu''s hands have far higher than the traditional archers from Phoenix Empire. Hence, even the ranged attacks couldn''t be sessful.


    Hence, everyone could only hope for 6-circle and 7-circle realm experts to arrive as fast as possible and make a way for them.


    And seven hours after when the supreme realm experts broke through the enemy''s frontline, Phoenix Imperial Army arrived and surrounded the enemies from three different directions. Sect leaders, n heads, guild leaders, generals, and all invited powerful individuals were also in that bunch.


    However, they weren''t attacking and only set up camps around. They were waiting for the results from their three trump cards that were currently in the middle of the enemy''s territory.


    In the Emperor''s camp, Shang Fu and the other important figures were waiting for the result.


    The gold dragon and Lan Ju were seen in the skies but the other two were nowhere seen. Even Feng Wu, his nephew, and the others weren''t sighted anywhere by the spies.


    Obviously, Shang Fu was anxious.


    And, about an hourter, around 3 p.m., when the temperature outside slowly cooled down because of the cloudy weather, the Emperor''s fears hade true.


    An elder of the Mt. Hua sect entered the tent with a panicked expression, "Your Majesty."


    "What happened?" The Emperor turned more anxious as he rose from his seat. The others followed suit as they cannot sit when the Emperor is standing.


    The elder replied with his voice shaking in worry, "Ven¡­ Venerable Wu is no more."


    "What? The gold dragon won?" Emperor Shang was naturally shocked to hear it. After all, the gold dragon and Wu Weibao should be of equal strength originally but with the divine grade item, thetter still should have won even if he couldn''t use it to its full potential because of theck of ownership over the weapon.


    The elder nodded, "Everyone has witnessed Venerable Wu has fallen and was eaten by that monster."


    Shang Fu quickly closed his eyes and raised his hand. He attempted to summon the Imperial Bow back to him but there was no answer. "My connection to the Imperial Bow has been severed?"


    Shang Fu felt heavy pain in his chest. His legs lost their strength and his body copsed on the seat.


    "Your Majesty." Bai Xun attempted to grab him in concern. The Emperor waved his hands while taking heavy breaths, "I''m alright."


    Meanwhile, some of the n elders and the crown prince were rejoicing in their heads, thinking that the weapon seller has lost his greatest backing and he doesn''t seem invincible anymore.


    At the same time, Shang Zexi also thought that he got an opportunity to ascend to the throne.


    As for the others who were genuinely worried about the welfare of the empire, their morale was hit.


    Heaven Sect''s representative, an 8-circle realm expert named Chen Hong, then tried to showcase his optimism by stating, "Your Majesty, there''s nothing to be worried about. Venerable Huang and Venerable Song are a great threat to them. That is probably why they were dragged away from the city to somece far away. I''m sure that they will return victorious."


    "Do you really think so?" Shang Fu looked at him in hope.


    Cheng Hong nodded with a smile, "Our Patriarch once said that Huang Ming is invincible under the demigod realm if he fights seriously. There''s no way Feng Wu''s demon will defeat him."


    Shang Fu then thought of the untamed divine grade item he secretly gave to Song Tai on his son''s advice. His mood became slightly better and replied, "Lu Zhen is a friend of our imperial family. Today, he lost a great asset but we will not let Venerable Wu''s sacrifice to go waste. We will defeat the enemies and end this war before the sunset."


    Before anyone else react to his bold announcement, everyone heard a voice in the surroundings.


    "You are right. The war will end before the sunset but I''m afraid you won''t be able to avenge him."


    As everyone in the tent became extremely alert, Shang Fu shouted, "Who is it? Show yourself."


    As everyone in the tent became extremely alert, Shang Fu shouted, "Who is it? Show yourself."


    In response to his shout, a figure materialized out of nowhere with two unconscious bodies, each on a shoulder.


    *Thud*


    Bael threw them onto the ground, stupefying everyone before making an announcement in the form of a warning, "Consider this as our mercy. Within an hour, all of your forces must leave the borders, or else, you will see thousands of dead bodies."


    The demon king disappeared without bothering to hear the other party''s response.


    But then again, no one is in a state to speak out. They were scared to death at the moment and their morale was at the bottom.


    Even this optimistic Chen Hong had his legs shivering as he was staring at the two unconscious supreme realm experts, whose cultivations were destroyed. They were nothing more than two old men, now.


    "Your Majesty?" Bai Xun looked at his brother-inw who was staring at the two men for a while.


    As there is no response, Bai Xun shook Shang Fu''s shoulder and forcefully brought him to reality.


    "What just happened, Bai Xun?" asked the Emperor as he came to his senses.


    Bai Xun bitterly smiled as he replied, "We lost the war, Your Majesty."

 Chapter 427 The Flames Of War Died Out Before It Properly Burn

    ?


    In the skies of Gong City;


    Lan Ju was in a fierce battle against Jinlong. Thetter was in the form of a gold dragon while the former was using a weapon that looks like the imperial Phoenix bow, also known as the Bow of the Shangs.


    The Imperial Phoenix Bow is first used by the Shang Dynasty''s founder to overthrow the Xia Dynasty and is passed to one emperor and then the next.


    Emperor Shang lent it to Wu Weibao/Lan Ju to defeat the gold dragon but Mark has entirely different ns for the weapon.


    It cannot be subdued and Mark doesn''t want to subdue it or erase its will either. He intends to destroy the Shang Dynasty''s pride.


    But, for the weapon to fall into his hands for good, he would have to stage Lan Ju''s death.


    And it should happen in front of the soldiers of the empire so that he would have enough witnesses for the weapon getting looted by the dragon and their morale also gets reduced in the process.


    Of course, Mark wouldn''t take the risk of letting the divine-grade weapon escape to its master as soon as its current wielder falls down.


    Hence, he ced it in the inventory and handed the divine throne to Lan Ju.


    The divine throne was transformed into a bow resembling the imperial bow. Lan Ju, on the other hand, has five basic attributes.


    Hence, he used fire energy arrows to make it seem like the bow was a real deal.


    The fight between them went on for atleast seven hours.


    During this time, the LARS systems operated by Rankk-3 robots were randomly firing missiles at the iing frence adventurers and volunteering sect disciples to keep them away. And those who escaped it and advanced forward were hunted down by the snipers (rank-5 robots).


    The rank-5 robots might not be able to pour ether energy into their sniper rifles but they have a perfect aim. With just normal ammunition, they were able to target the eyes and other vulnerable parts of the enemies.


    After a few losses, the elite adventurers and elite disciples of various sects managed to protect their eyes and other vulnerable parts with an energy shield but they still couldn''t get near Feng Wu''s army as the bandits turned soldiers were using grenades of various types and rocketunchers to defend their home.


    Furthermore, the weapons in Feng Wu''s hands have far higher than the traditional archers from Phoenix Empire. Hence, even the ranged attacks couldn''t be sessful.


    Hence, everyone could only hope for 6-circle and 7-circle realm experts to arrive as fast as possible and make a way for them.


    And seven hours after when the supreme realm experts broke through the enemy''s frontline, Phoenix Imperial Army arrived and surrounded the enemies from three different directions. Sect leaders, n heads, guild leaders, generals, and all invited powerful individuals were also in that bunch.


    However, they weren''t attacking and only set up camps around. They were waiting for the results from their three trump cards that were currently in the middle of the enemy''s territory.


    In the Emperor''s camp, Shang Fu and the other important figures were waiting for the result.


    The gold dragon and Lan Ju were seen in the skies but the other two were nowhere seen. Even Feng Wu, his nephew, and the others weren''t sighted anywhere by the spies.


    Obviously, Shang Fu was anxious.


    And, about an hourter, around 3 p.m., when the temperature outside slowly cooled down because of the cloudy weather, the Emperor''s fears hade true.


    An elder of the Mt. Hua sect entered the tent with a panicked expression, "Your Majesty."


    "What happened?" The Emperor turned more anxious as he rose from his seat. The others followed suit as they cannot sit when the Emperor is standing.


    The elder replied with his voice shaking in worry, "Ven¡­ Venerable Wu is no more."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What? The gold dragon won?" Emperor Shang was naturally shocked to hear it. After all, the gold dragon and Wu Weibao should be of equal strength originally but with the divine grade item, thetter still should have won even if he couldn''t use it to its full potential because of theck of ownership over the weapon.


    The elder nodded, "Everyone has witnessed Venerable Wu has fallen and was eaten by that monster."


    Shang Fu quickly closed his eyes and raised his hand. He attempted to summon the Imperial Bow back to him but there was no answer. "My connection to the Imperial Bow has been severed?"


    Shang Fu felt heavy pain in his chest. His legs lost their strength and his body copsed on the seat.


    "Your Majesty." Bai Xun attempted to grab him in concern. The Emperor waved his hands while taking heavy breaths, "I''m alright."


    Meanwhile, some of the n elders and the crown prince were rejoicing in their heads, thinking that the weapon seller has lost his greatest backing and he doesn''t seem invincible anymore.


    At the same time, Shang Zexi also thought that he got an opportunity to ascend to the throne.


    As for the others who were genuinely worried about the welfare of the empire, their morale was hit.


    Heaven Sect''s representative, an 8-circle realm expert named Chen Hong, then tried to showcase his optimism by stating, "Your Majesty, there''s nothing to be worried about. Venerable Huang and Venerable Song are a great threat to them. That is probably why they were dragged away from the city to somece far away. I''m sure that they will return victorious."


    "Do you really think so?" Shang Fu looked at him in hope.


    Cheng Hong nodded with a smile, "Our Patriarch once said that Huang Ming is invincible under the demigod realm if he fights seriously. There''s no way Feng Wu''s demon will defeat him."


    Shang Fu then thought of the untamed divine grade item he secretly gave to Song Tai on his son''s advice. His mood became slightly better and replied, "Lu Zhen is a friend of our imperial family. Today, he lost a great asset but we will not let Venerable Wu''s sacrifice to go waste. We will defeat the enemies and end this war before the sunset."


    Before anyone else react to his bold announcement, everyone heard a voice in the surroundings.


    "You are right. The war will end before the sunset but I''m afraid you won''t be able to avenge him."


    As everyone in the tent became extremely alert, Shang Fu shouted, "Who is it? Show yourself."


    In response to his shout, a figure materialized out of nowhere with two unconscious bodies, each on a shoulder.


    *Thud*


    Bael threw them onto the ground, stupefying everyone before making an announcement in the form of a warning, "Consider this as our mercy. Within an hour, all of your forces must leave the borders, or else, you will see thousands of dead bodies."


    The demon king disappeared without bothering to hear the other party''s response.


    But then again, no one is in a state to speak out. They were scared to death at the moment and their morale was at the bottom.


    Even this optimistic Chen Hong had his legs shivering as he was staring at the two unconscious supreme realm experts, whose cultivations were destroyed. They were nothing more than two old men, now.


    "Your Majesty?" Bai Xun looked at his brother-inw who was staring at the two men for a while.


    As there is no response, Bai Xun shook Shang Fu''s shoulder and forcefully brought him to reality.


    "What just happened, Bai Xun?" asked the Emperor as he came to his senses.


    Bai Xun bitterly smiled as he replied, "We lost the war, Your Majesty."

 Chapter 428 Weapon Transmutation

    Chapter 428 Weapon Transmutation


    As Shang Fu was discussing their next course of action at the border of Western Yan, meanwhile, at Genesis Weapon Store, Imperial City;


    Despite there being no customers for the past few days, the store was still kept open so that people know Mark is at his house.


    Usually, he sits at the counter and chats with his fianc¨¦e but right now, he is in his room. Of course, he wasn''t sleeping.


    Mark was staring at a specific item in his inventory and wondering whether it is really okay to destroy it just because he hates the Imperial family.


    "The weapon is bound to Shang Fu. So, it can never be mine to use. It is quite possible that the weapon could escape the moment I let it out of the inventory.


    To sever its connection with Shang Fu and forcefully bind it to me requires a billion credits. I don''t have such an amount of money to give to the system. Even if I have, I wouldn''t still do it. This bow is not just worth it.


    Hmmm¡­ I can keep this with me and use it as a bargaining chip in the future but I will lose 25 million credits/125 million gold coins if I do that.


    But then again, neither 25 million nor the Phoenix Empire would be important in my life. If only I could find a way to extract the materials and use them to build¡­ Hmm? Wait a second¡­"


    All of a sudden, something clicked inside Mark''s head and he quickly went to the system''s store and clicked on the skills section.


    He stopped scrolling down after finding what he was looking for.


    "Yup, this is the one¡­"


    He then scroll down to the bottom and explored the unique skills. He stopped scrolling down after finding what he was looking for.


    "Yup, this is the one¡­"


    His face beamed in excitement as he pressed his finger on the skill, "Weapon Transmutation."


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation has been added to the skill section.


    Weapon Transmutation (Level-1): With a touch on an item, the user could extract all the raw materials used in making it. Currently, it only works on ungraded items. Cost: N/A. CD: 12 hours.


    Seeing level-1 glowing beside the skill name, Mark wasn''t discouraged by its description and clicked on the level.


    *Ding! Proceed for the upgrade? 1 million credits will be deducted.


    "Yes." Mark proceeded without hesitation.


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-2.


    Mark read its new description. "Hmm. The upper limit is increased to bronze. Let''s continue."


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-3.


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-4.


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-5.


    "Okay, I reached tinum but it isn''t enough. From here, the fee will increase but it''s alright. I have enough credits anyway."


    *Ding! 2,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-6.


    *Ding! 3,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-7.


    *Ding! 4,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-8.


    "Damn, the price is getting skyrocketed for the divine-grade items. But, it doesn''t matter. I will sacrifice all of the semi-divine weapons if I have to earn more credits. Let''s proceed..."


    *Ding! 10,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-9.


    *Ding! 20,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to level-10.


    *Ding! 30,000,000 credits have been deducted. Weapon Transmutation skill has been upgraded to maximum level.


    "74 million credits... 370 million gold coins¡­" Mark couldn''t help but stare at the remaining bnce in a daze, realizing that he had indeed spent too much.


    It was then he remembered about a certain side quest.


    "System, Open the Quest list"


    Side Quest-III: Spend a total of 100,000,000 credits in the system store (99.2%)


    Reward: Staff of Blessing, the Lamp of Wishes.


    "Well, in the end, despite trying to postpone it in order to save money, I almostpleted it after all. Should I go ahead and purchase something now?" Mark fell into thinking.


    The war is almost over and Alina would still need a few upgrades to qualify to help him now that she lost her weapon. Of course, he can still give her another semi-divine weapon but none of the possessed items were suitable to her as the Doom Scythe.


    "Anyways, let''s not care about those things right now and focus on the present. We will handle one problem after another." Mark doesn''t know the exact reason but he just doesn''t want to resurrect Alina yet, atleast not before he takes revenge against her culprit, the Necromancer King.


    In the end, he abandoned the idea ofpleting the quest and closed down the window. He opened the skills, once again.


    Weapon Transmutation (max): With a touch on an item of any grade (ungraded-God), the user could extract all the raw materials used in making it. Cost: N/A. CD: 5 seconds.


    Mark clicked on the skill and activated it.


    *Ding! Touch the object you desire to use the skill on.


    "Open inventory."


    He clicked on the bow. Only details appeared.


    *Ding! You need to physically touch the object for it to work.


    The system reminded him without asking.


    "I see¡­" Mark nodded and then took a deep breath before summoning it to the outside world.


    The imperial phoenix bow probably realized the situation. A powerful screech escaped from the bow while it turned into hot mes.


    "Ugh¡­" Mark groaned in pain but it onlysted for a second before the majestic bow was surrounded by the golden glow and eventually turned into specks of light.


    *Ding! The Imperial Bow of Phoenix has been salvaged.


    *Ding! You extracted 2.8kg of Adamantium, 12.4kg of Mythril, Phoenix orb (78% purity), 40kg of Heavenly Jade Dust, and the hair of the White Dragon Emperor. Check out your inventory.


    "A phoenix orb? Heavenly jades dust?"


    Mark opened the inventory and click on the raw material he was hearing for the first time.


    *


    Phoenix Orb


    Purity: 78%


    Description: An orb that contained the energy of the mythical beast, phoenix. The purity has been lost because of the mixture of the energies of various wielders across history.


    Effects: The orb can be used in making a semi-divine or higher-grade weapon. It can also be directly consumed by the user to acquire the Phoenix Bloodline, although the process has a high risk of death.


    **


    Heavenly Jade Dust


    Status: Crystalline


    Weight: 40kg


    Description: An element found only in the celestial n. Jade crystal is the gods'' equivalent version of the ether crystal.


    Effects: Useful in making mithril and celestial grade items. Useful in making an aphrodisiac that works even against the gods.


    **


    Reading the description made him remember the ether powder he unlocked in the gallery. A doubt rose in his head.


    He asked, "System, I want to know the grade of ether crystals your ether powder is made of."


    The system was ready with its reply.


    *Ding! After extracting the ether energy from the crystals, the system prepares the ether powder as follows.


    1) Copper-grade ether powder is purely a powdered form of a low-grade ether crystal.


    2) Silver-grade ether powder is purely made from middle-grade ether crystal.


    3) Gold-grade ether power is a mixture of middle-grade and high-grade ether crystals with a ratio of 3:1


    4) tinum-grade ether powder is the same mixture as earlier but the ratio this time is 1:3


    5) Semi-divine-grade powder (Diamond, Crystal, and Ruby) is purely made from the powdered form of high-grade ether crystals.


    6) Mithril grade needs peak-grade ether crystals.


    7) Celestial-grade ether powder can be made from various elements like the heavenly jade crystals, ck Jade crystals of the Hell realm, Obsidian of the mortal ne, Qing Jing and Zhen Zhu of the undyingnds, and so on. The system prefers to use the jade crystals of heaven.


    8) God-grade ether powder can only be made from cosmic dust, also known as interster dust from space.


    **


    "Obsidian? Are you fucking serious?" Mark''s jaw dropped in shock as he saw that obsidian powder is used to make celestial-grade weapons.


    Obsidian is nothing but volcanic ss that is formed whenva cools rapidly and solidifies without crystallizing. It is mostmonly found in areas where volcanic activity has urred and is probably the easiest to acquire.


    "Damn, I should have asked you about this earlier. By now, I would have collected tons of obsidian from all over the world."

 Chapter 429 Mark demands the emergency assembly

    Chapter 429 Mark demands the emergency assembly


    30 minutester, Emperor Shang Fu ordered the withdrawal of troops.


    60 minutester, the demon king made a visit to Mark and handed over the divine-grade weapon, the Bo staff, as he cannot take it with him to his world.


    "This weapon¡­" Mark frowned as he read the details.


    It turned out to be Ruyi Jingu Bang, the weapon of Sun Wukong from the legends. However, it was slightly a disappointment for Mark as a weapon with such legendary status is nothing but a low-quality divine-grade item (Mythril grade).


    Mark kept it in his inventory as he has yet to decide what to do with it. The system rmended it for Allen but as he already had a better divine-grade weapon, Mark felt like it doesn''t make any sense to hand it to him.


    At the same time, he couldn''t extract raw materials through weapon transmutation or dismantle them through Devil Hand because of the avability of upgrades.


    As long as he uses superior-grade upgrade stone on it, he could upgrade it to Celestial grade. Then, he can decide whether he should dismantle it or not.


    After sending away the demon king back to his realm, Mark then thought about his next move. But, as it cannot be rushed, he waited for the right time.


    About 7-8 hourster, Emperor Shang Fu and the other officials reached the Imperial city, which is currently protected by the second prince and his troops in the absence of the Emperor.


    It was already dark by the time he arrived and he was probably so affected by the result of the war that he forgot about informing Mark regarding the death of Wu Weibao. He slept without eating any food that evening.


    However, Mark was quite happy to not get any formal letter from the imperial pce. He felt like he found an opportunity to get into a feud with the Emperor.


    The following morning, Feng Wu''s messenger turned official ambassador, Huo Fen, along with his royal tutor arrived at the pce with their official proposal of peace, although it''s more like a list of demands.


    ording to it, the entire Western Yan, which used to be in the control of the Feng Dynasty before it was overthrown by the Phoenix Empire, will be handed back to them.


    The Phoenix Empire will not only formally acknowledge Western Yan as an independent kingdom but also give a written guarantee that the Empire''s army will never start an unprovoked war in the future.


    As a part ofpensation for looting the Feng Dynasty for several years, the Phoenix Empire shall be giving 1 million gold coins a year for the next decade.


    Finally, the Emperor or any prince shall attend the coronation ceremony of the king which is happening in two days of time.


    In return, the war will be stopped. All the hostages will also be released.


    Of course, the royal tutor of Western Yan didn''t forget to add that there were no negotiations on their terms. It''s all or nothing.


    Emperor Shang was trying his best to control his rage this time. He wanted to kill both of them, but he couldn''t do it as it will only invite doom to the Empire with the loss of two divine-grade items and Song Tai turning mortal.


    In the end, he agreed to the conditions and stamped the imperial seal right away.


    After their job is done, both of them left the pce and made their way toward the Hanga district, located in the outer sector of the imperial city.


    As Mark already knew about their visit beforehand, he opened the store.


    "Good morning, wee to Genesis weapon store." Allen greeted the customers with a genuine smile on his face. He was really happy to see someoneing in even if it is a familiar face.


    Mark was also happy but for a different reason.


    As the android greeted the customers, his master spoke, "I was waiting for both of you."


    "His Highness ordered me to give this to you," replied Huo Fen as he took out a storage ring from his pocket and ced it on the desk.


    Mark grabbed it and poured his consciousness into the ring to check the contents. It didn''t have any treasures or gold as Huo Fen expected. There were only the destroyed robots and weapons inside.


    But Mark exactly wanted them too.


    He specifically instructed Feng Wu to collect them and send them back after the war is over. The system could repair them for a fee, but Mark is interested in studying them in his free time.


    As for why he couldn''t just buy it and break it down to study them, Mark had that thought a couple of months ago, but the system warned him not to do that as it is considered disrespectful.


    Mark cannot go against the invincible, stubborn, and sassy system head-on. Hence, he could only find loopholes and exploit them.


    After confirming that the goods were there, Mark bid farewell to the both of them without intending to talk about their affairs for too long. He was aware that there are spies watching his store for a couple of days.


    As they left, NET''s spy on the roof of a nearby residence quickly took out a special note from his pocket and wrote something with ether energy.


    Some time passed away and the Sun reached its peak position.


    Once again, the spider-shaped spaceship made its appearance at the Imperial Pce, this time without any appointment or so whatever.


    Perhaps, the imperial family has already guessed the reason for his visit. They sent the second prince to escort Mark and Allen to the Emperor''s private chamber.


    However, Mark''s intentions were never about imingpensation, asking for an apology, or something. He wanted to break off the rtionship with the Imperial family he developed until now.


    Hence, he had to act like he was mad.


    Giving off an angry look at the noble second prince, Mark rejected to have a private talk with the Emperor and further said, "General Shang, the things I wanted to talk about, I needed the imperial courtroom. Would you be able to arrange a full audience of the ministers right now? At the very least, Nie Rougang should be here."


    To which, Mark shook his head in response, "Not exactly."


    "Is this about Venerable Wu?" asked the second prince, wondering whether Mark wants toin or something.


    To which, Mark shook his head in response, "Not exactly."


    "Then?" As the second prince tried to press for the truth, Mark replied, "I will only say that in the court."


    "Brother Lu, His Majesty isn''t in a situation where he can attend the courtroom session. And suddenly summoning the ministers without telling anything to them might create unnecessary panic. Please understand and¡­"


    As the second prince was trying to convince Mark to attend a private meeting with the Emperor instead, Mark interrupted him with a statement, "I''m a weapons seller and I cannot prefer one over another. Everyone who walks into the store is a customer no matter what kind of rtionship I have with them. This is what the motto is. I put my ethic aside for the sake of the imperial pce and sacrificed a supreme being. I should deserve at least this much, right?"


    "This¡­"

 Chapter 430 Im Not Here To Seek Answers

    ?


    Sometimeter;


    The six ministers and other important officials were arriving one after another and found Mark standing silently at the center of the court. Shang Wen was standing beside him.


    "Mr. Lu? What are you doing here? Is everything alright," asked the current patriarch of the Lin n, Lin Wuying.


    However, Mark didn''t speak a word. He just folded his hands and stared at the throne in silence.


    As Lin Wuying gestured for Shang Wen to ask what this is all about, the general of the south could only shake his head, indicating he has no idea.


    The officials started murmuring as they were ncing at Mark every once in a while.


    Soon, the crown prince and the third prince also arrived with the Emperor. Until Shang Fu sits on the throne, Mark was mute and turned a deaf ear to his surroundings.


    He was in fact conversing with the Emperor in his mind, going through the series of possibilities and how he should respond to each statement. Thest time he came, he failed. But, this time, he won''t fail.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty," spoke Mark in an unpleasant tone. The disrespect is clear in his behavior.


    Sighing inwardly, Shang Fu nodded and said, "I was informed that you want to speak in the presence of everyone. What is it?"


    Mark finally opened his mouth, "Your Majesty, let me start with something obvious. Two days ago, we made a deal. I lend you Wu Weibao for a day and in return, you pay me 6 million gold coins and 1 high-quality semi-divine weapon (ruby grade) after the war.


    Then, yesterday, you start the war and then decided to end it. You happily make a peaceful pact with the enemy after costing the life of Song Tai too.


    You didn''t honor your promise, Wu Weibao died for no cause, I didn''t get to bury him, and the imperial family didn''t even bother to send me a letter."


    He raised his voice as he asked, "Why I had to hear the news of the death of Wu Weibao from your enemies? Tell me¡­"


    His voice sounded like thunder as he echoed in the courtroom. The minister shuddered for a moment and the Emperor was forced to stand up in shock. He realized that he was so engrossed in the humiliation from the defeat that he forgot to inform Mark about the matter.


    Seeing the Emperor looking at the floor in silence while tightly gripping the handrest, Mark pushed him further, "Do you think he is a hired mercenary? He is a supreme being. Maybe, you don''t care because he is not a servant of the imperial family. Or is it because you just didn''t believe my words and thought that it is impossible to have two supreme beings on the side of the enemies?"


    "Owner Lu¡­ the thing is¡­" The third prince wanted to speak on behalf of the Emperor but Mark didn''t give him such an opportunity.


    He raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop. As Shang Wei shut his mouth, Mark said, "Whatever reason you might give me, I don''t want to hear it as I''m not here to seek answers but to relieve my frustration and leave the judgment to your subordinates. Please sit down and listen. Yesterday, I lost a servant who can even win me a kingdom. So, I think I deserve at least that much."


    His 9 points of charm worked very much on the third prince and the other listeners. They stayed silent and let Mark speak everything he wants.


    Mark felt secretly happy that his n is working very well. He decided to use his charm to its full extent and make sure to create an atmosphere of distrust in the courtroom by the time he leaves.


    Mark then returned his gaze toward his biological father once again and continued, "Now,ing to the second matter. Nie Rougang, please stand up."


    "Yes?" Nie Rougang''s heart skipped a beat for a second, wondering what this madman wants with him. As far as he can remember, there is no personal grudge between the both of them, except for the fact that he hired the Xu Sect to attack the third prince once and Song Yue almost died that day.


    However, Mark went on to speak about apletely different matter.


    Without looking at him, Mark spoke, "On the dawn of the day during the time when the Western Yan is captured, a few powerful assassins of the organization named Soul tried to assassinate a friend of mine named Xie Mei. After digging around, I found out that you are the one who gave them the task. Do you ept my usation or deny it?"


    At that instant, everyone''s gaze fell on Nie Rougang. Meanwhile, sweat beads appeared above the forehead of the crown prince. The minister of revenue looked in the direction of the nervous prince.


    The crown prince quickly reacted by rising to his feet and started acting as if he was betrayed, "Minister Nie, you are still in touch with that middleman? I told you that he is a bad business. Look where it got you now."


    "Prince Zexi, please exin yourself." The Emperor reacted for the first time. He was displeased upon realizing that his son was really involved with that mysterious terrorist organization.


    Previously, he thought it was something Shang Wei made it up and only put his son under investigation. However, he wasn''t serious and was only trying to ease up the sessor that he decided on. But, it looks like he had to take this seriously.


    The crown prince turned toward his father and bowed, "I apologize, Your Majesty. I want to keep this under wraps but I had to reveal the truth now. The truth is that I and Minister Nie have been in touch with the Soul organization for a while.


    We regrly use them to eliminate the rebellious elements to safeguard the empire from the shadows. I was afraid of getting punished by revealing it to His Majesty and it is a huge crime to lie to his majesty either. So, I could only keep it a secret.


    After the arrest of Song Yun, the revenue department was put under heavy scanner and we couldn''t use the funds to do the job anymore. Hence, we decided to stop.


    But not so long after, Minister Nie met a stranger who somehow knew about our rtionship with the Soul organization. He brought missions and used to give him a 25%mission.


    I was against it as it is too risky, but Minister Nie thought that we can resume our operation using those fundsing from the middleman. I told him to not trust strangers who unnecessarily give too much money, but he didn''t listen.


    Your Majesty, I request you to forgive him for his mistake. Minister Nie is working for the welfare of the Empire even if it is something that didn''t reward him."


    As the Emperor''s gaze softened, the crown prince then shifted his attention to Mark and apologized to him while putting aside his ego.


    Rather than denying the facts, he thought it is better to cook up a story on the spot. More than easing up his father, he was afraid of this weapon seller who doesn''t care about the background of his enemy and just go wild.

 Chapter 431 Forsaking The Homeland

    ?


    In the eyes of the crown prince, Mark might not be strong enough to defeat the entire imperial army, but his weapons could definitely kill him. Shang Zexi loves his life, and he wants to be safe than sorry.


    Mark was also quite surprised by how convincing the crown prince''s story was, but he had something up his sleeve to counter that.


    Turning toward the crown prince, he then replied, "Suppose you are sleeping on your bed. Suddenly, someone tries to kill you but you escape and catch the culprit. The culprit turns out to be Allen. When you confront Allen, he says that he was ordered by me. Then, youe to me and I say that I was given money by someone to put a bounty on top of you. Even if that someone gets caught, will you leave me and Allen if we simply apologize and say it wasn''t on purpose? Or you will put us under trial?"


    "That''s¡­" The crown prince fell into a dilemma, whether he should abandon Nie Rougang or not.


    It is a fact that Nie Rougang did this behind his back and he was angry at him for this but they are in cahoots with each other in every crime theymitted.


    If Nie Rougang opens his mouth, forget about seeding his father, the crown prince should worry about his own life.


    As a result, he felt like he had two options to choose. One, burn the bridges and kill Nie Rougang. Two, continue to stick with him by trying to cool down the weapon seller while putting aside his ego once again.


    Shang Zexi had chosen the second path and he cupped his fists once again and bowed, "Minister Nie has made a mistake. But, in these times of chaos, he is necessary for the Empire. I hope you forgive him as long wepensate you with material wealth."


    If Mark takes that offer, he would lose the excuse of acting against the Imperial Pce.


    But, he cannot just show a stuck-up attitude when one is in a high position such as the crown prince bowing before him in front of everyone.


    Hence, he waved his hand and continued to be stern, "As I have told you guys earlier, I''m not here to seekpensation or answers. Since you have already epted my usation, let me continue."


    "There''s more to listen?" The third prince and the Emperor felt a headache, not knowing how to deal with this troublesome fellow.


    The crown prince sat down and Mark continued by returning his gaze to his biological father, "Thirdly, I want to tell you the reason behind my settlement in the Imperial City. It wasn''t because of the business."


    "Then?" Everyone curiously stared at him, wondering what it might be.


    Mark then revealed half of the truth, "When I was 15 years old, a burr intruded into our house, ransacked our money, and killed my parents. The authorities kept their mum and the nobles disregard the incident as it is somethingmon in their eyes and the lives ofmoners aren''t a big deal in the eyes of people like you.


    Back then, I''m powerless. But, today, I''m not. I went against my fate and attained the power I desired. I came here to find out the killers of my family.


    But,ter on, I discovered that the killers are none other than the assassins of the Soul organization and the one who gave them the mission is the Grand Secretariat, Li Zheng Kang."


    This time, the shock was so great that every single official stood on their feet. Even the Emperor is no exception either.


    And obviously, Shang Fu didn''t believe those usations just like the rest of them.


    This time, he defended histe minister, "there''s no way Grand Secretariat Li was involved in¡­"


    As he was speaking, he suddenly remembered the word traitor on the forehead of Li Zheng Kang.


    Shang Fu then changed his words to a question, "Are you the one behind his death?"


    Prepared for such a question beforehand, Mark shook his head, "No, I''m not. I only found this out today. I always had suspicions that someone from the imperial family is involved but I didn''t expect it to be the grand secretariat of all the people."


    Feeling odd about Mark''s exnation, Shang Wei then asked a series of questions, "Who told you that? What evidence do you have against Grand Secretariat Li? And most importantly, why do you suspect that someone from the imperial family is involved in the death of your parents? They were just normal people and even lived far away from us. How were they rted to our family?"


    Mark pointed his finger at the Emperor, "The man sitting on the throne is the one they had a rtionship with. As for the one who told me the truth, it was the contracted demon of Feng Wu.


    He imed that when he killed the Grand Secretariat and saw his memories to find out any useful Intel about the experts supporting the throne, he found out that Grand Secretariat was following the orders of thete Dowager Empress in killing all the women who this noble emperor had vited so that his dignity remains intact in the eyes of the public.


    Even their children aren''t spared. If I tell you that the number of such women is more than 100, would you believe it? If I tell you that more than 40 children born with the blood of Shang were killed, would you believe it?


    And one of those pitiful women was myte mother, who served in this imperial pce as a maid. She left the city and married my father,ter on. Their happiness becameplete when I was born to them and we were living a peaceful life until your grand secretariat found out her existence and sent the assassins.


    Had I not been rescued by an expert that day, I would have died that day with my parents too.


    The moment I learned of the truth, I want to massacre every single person from your family but those who are directly responsible passed away, and attacking you people will just make me a traitor of my mothend.


    However, I''m too disgusted with the actions of His Majesty that I cannot sit by and ignore them as if nothing happened.


    Hence, today, I''m here to spill the truth in front of everyone before leaving this ce for good. I received a marriage proposal from the Western Moon kingdom a while ago and soon, I will be engaged to Princess Shen Ling.


    It''ll be my new home. But, despite my feelings, I will keep my word and fulfill the conditions of every agreement I made with the imperial pce. If your army requires my firearms, your representative may visit the store and purchase them as a customer. I won''t mistreat my customers no matter who they are.


    Now that I have said everything I want to, it is time for me to leave. Goodbye, Your Majesty. This might be thest time I will be addressing you as such. From tomorrow onwards, you are no longer my emperor and I''m no longer your citizen."


    Leaving everyone in a daze, Mark turned around and started walking away. His footsteps are probably the only sounds that the officials could hear at the moment.


    And surprisingly, the Emperor was the first toe out of his stupor and called him out, "Wait, Shang¡­ Lu Zhen. Stop."


    Mark continued to walk away, not noticing the slip-up from the Emperor. On the other hand, Shang Wei fell into deep thought, analyzing the known truths and the ones Mark spouted earlier.

 Chapter 432 Shang Wens Opinion

    ?


    Emperor Shang didn''t follow Mark and neither did he order anyone to stop him either. He just copsed on the throne with a look of disappointment.


    The ministers and the officials stayed silent as they don''t know what to say now.


    They want to say that Mark is a liar but deep down, they were aware that their beloved Emperor is a skirt chaser back when he is a young man. It is just that they don''t know that the number is so high.


    What''s more¡­ Grand Secretariat Li and even the Emperor''s mother was involved in something like this? It was also a shocking thing for them.


    As they looked at each other to say something, in the end, the minister ofw & justice, the Zhang n''s Patriarch was forced to speak out the voices of his fellow ministers.


    "Your Majesty, please tell us that he is lying. If the citizens hear of this matter, they will lose their trust in the Emperor. There will be protests." He raised his voice slightly but then followed with an apology.


    The Emperor was unresponsive and this made the Zhou n''s Patriarch, the minister of Board and Rites shakes his head in realization and speak his voice aloud, "He cannot because it is true."


    The rest of the officials who were mere spectators started murmuring among themselves.


    "Excellent, Minister Zhang, you perfectly hit the iron when it is hot," The crown prince thought in his head and tried his best not to smile.


    If there was someone who was very celebrating over this fact, it was the crown prince.


    In his mind, he was preparing to dethrone his father and ascend it before Shang Wei gets an opportunity.


    Rising to his feet, he addressed the rest of the officials, "Everyone is dismissed. Please return to your homes."


    Slowly, the room was cleared and only the imperial princes and Bai Xun remained with the Emperor, who was resting his elbows on his knees while grabbing his forehead.


    Bai Xun walks up to his brother-inw and patted his shoulder, "Your Majesty!"


    Emperor Shang raised his head.


    He was trying his best to keep to not crying but sorrow was clear on his face. His voice turned hoarse as he said, "I cannot believe Li Zheng Kang and my mother do this to me behind my back. Li Zheng Kang was a friend I trust with my life and all my secrets. How could he do this to me?


    I made mistakes when I was young, but I nned to rectify them by giving them the concubine status. However, they started disappearing one after another. Li Zheng Kang told me that they ran away because of the fear of the society but I had no idea that they were being hunted down."


    "Father, why must you behave like you are guilty when it is the fault of that traitor Li Zheng Kang?"mented the crown prince, trying to gain some points with his father.


    He further added with wise statements, "And people make mistakes all the time. Which ancestor of ours didn''t make such mistakes? The fact that you are feeling guilty about your past actions itself is something admirable. Most rulers don''t even have the heart to acknowledge it even to themselves."


    "Shang Zexi¡­" Emperor looked like he was touched by the support given by his eldest son.


    He couldn''t help but look at his other sons. The third prince stayed silent as he was too busy thinking.


    As for the second prince, he always considers himself a soldier when standing in the presence of his father. Hence, he had to keep his mouth shut in the courtroom.


    Even now, he stood there like a soldier without showing any emotion but the Emperor wants to hear that he isn''t wrong out of this righteous son''s mouth.


    "Say something, Shang Wen." He urged the second prince to speak.


    The second prince replied in a calm manner, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, if my words indicate any disrespect toward you, but you are the Emperor and the role model for your citizens. Themoners treat you as a god in human flesh.


    Several schools of thought are trying their best to empower women all over the world, but you treat them as a sexual object? You have a sister who was married to Supreme Commander Bai. You also have a daughter who will marry a noble or a prince of othernds someday. What would you have done if those people will follow in the same footsteps as you? Can you swear on your soul that you won''t get angry and try to understand them?


    But then again, the past is the past and just being guilty about it doesn''t change anything. If you want to repent, then, you should atleastpensate their families with material wealth along with an apology letter written by your hand. At the same time, you should also search for the victims who are still alive. It is possible that your illegitimate children are living somewhere.


    Regardless of your actions, I will still safeguard the southern provinces with my life. I''m a servant to the imperial throne and I will not abandon my duty as long as I''m not retired. This is all I have to say."


    "Shang Wen, how could you talk like that?" The crown prince red up at his brother as usual. Of course, this time, there''s a motive. He wants to get into his father''s good books.


    To which, the second prince responded with a long statement, "The longer you live in the darkness, the more sunlight will get painful. You would want to go back into darkness as you will be afraid of the sunlight. But, when you decided to face it and bear it for a while, you will be able to witness what the world has to offer. The truth is something simr, Prince Zexi."


    Shang Wen''s words of wisdom made the Emperor realize something important. It was as if his mind became too clear and all muddled thoughts vanished in an instant.


    The depression around him was gone and a look of determination appeared on his face. Rising to his feet, he spoke, "Call back the ministers and the officials who left. Inform them that I''m going to make an important announcement. I need Shang Bo, the Empress, and the two Queen Consorts to be present too.


    And Shang Wen¡­"


    "Your Majesty."


    "You follow me to the ancestry hall. The rest will stay here," said the Emperor as he stepped down from the throne and walked toward the exit.


    Leaving behind everyone in confusion, the father and son pair left the courtroom. They took several lefts and rights in the pce before reaching the Ancestry Hall, where the paintings of the past emperors were disyed on the walls along with the statue of the founder.


    Shang Wen didn''t know why they came here but he didn''t question him and just followed him in silence.


    His curiosity did increase when the Emperor told him to shut the door.


    However, for the next minute, Emperor Shang just stared at the founder as if he was in deep thought. Shang Wen patiently waited.


    The silence finally ended when Shang Fu raised his hand and looked at the ring around his index finger.

 Chapter 433 Emperor Shang Announces His Retirement

    ?


    He took out the scarlet feather of some bird from his storage ring and handed it to the second prince, "this has been passed down in our family for generations and so far, it was used two times in history. When you feel like you need help, pour your ether energy into this feather. The Phoenix will hear you ande to the rescue. However, it can only be used for one more time.


    Perhaps, the war could be won if I used it but deep down, I probably know that Western Yan isn''t ours to begin with. It is an upied territory. I guess I wasn''t desperate enough to use thisst remaining treasure of the Shang Dynasty after losing both of our divine-grade weapons.


    Today, I will give you this so that it bes your life-saving treasure."


    "But, Your Majesty, shouldn''t this be handed to your sessor?" Shang Wen was quite surprised when he heard the history behind this feather which looked quite normal at one nce.


    Could it be that his father wanted to name him as his sessor or something? Such thought came to his mind and if that were the case, he would definitely talk him out of it.


    Shang Wen wasn''t remotely interested to rule the empire. His goal is to seed Bai Xun as the next suprememander. That''s all¡­


    Fortunately, even the Emperor has the same opinion of him. He forced out a smile as he replied, "To be honest, you are a perfect candidate to be my sessor as you are righteous and don''t have the greed for the throne.


    However, I''m also afraid that if you ascend to the throne, you will either lose your character that built so far or your straightforwardness will be taken advantage of by the ministers just like how they did to me.


    Hence, I want you to be the guardian of thisnd just like Venerable Song. It is a pity that he lost his cultivation because of my shortsightedness. But, this also taught me a good lesson. Only the demigods are powerful enough to protect thisnd."


    cing his hand on the young man who looked quite identical to him, Shang Fu continued, "If you confine yourself in this ce, you won''t be able to be the demigod. I want you to travel to the higher ne of existence and train there. With the bloodline of Phoenix, I guess you will do fine. Come back when you make a breakthrough to the demigod realm and guard thisnd of our ancestors. Consider this a request from your father or an order from your Emperor."


    "Your Majesty¡­" Shang Wen doesn''t know how to react for a few moments. But, after a while, he kneeled on one leg and saluted with a right fist on his chest, "Your wish is mymand."


    Shang Fu raised his son up and gave him a hug and then said, "There''s a world teleportation located on the ind far away in the west. Decades ago, Lan Gengxin and his associates came to this world through the same one. With it, you can travel to higher nes filled with denser spiritual energy. I don''t know the exact location, but Lan Jingyi was aware of it."


    Shang Wen nodded in understanding while feeling a little bit emotional inside. However, he didn''t show it.


    After a while;


    The confused ministers and the officials of various departments were waiting for the Emperor''s announcement, wondering what happened during the time they were away.


    Taking his seat on the throne, the Emperor then addressed his officials, "What I am about to announce isn''t something that was taken spontaneously. It has been on my mind for a while ago, but I postponed them due to various reasons. Because of the recent situation, I had to do this."


    Several high-level officials had the same thought, "Is he going to announce his sessor?"


    Even the Empress and the Queen consorts had the same thought. After all, why else they would get summoned to the imperial court?


    Without betraying their suspicions, the Emperor announced what they have been waiting for, but with a slight twist, "30 days from now, I''m going to formally relinquish my power as the ruler of the Phoenix Empire and name my sessor.


    And during these next four weeks, my heirs shall participate in the trial set by me and based on the results, I will choose one. All the imperial princes who bear the surname Shang are qualified to participate in the trial. Everyone has two days for the preparation. Supreme Commander Bai will oversee the registrations of the qualified candidates."


    As the officials started murmuring among themselves while the ministers were looking at each other faces, Shang Fu continued, "Here''s my second announcement. I hereby dere the end of millennium-old traditions, as the new emperor ascends to power, stripping the six major noble ns of their grasp over the ministries that have long been under their control."


    "What!" The ministers stood up from their seats in shock. The Emperor is removing their positions? What kind of bullshit announcement is this? Clearly, no one is in favor of it.


    Seeing the reactions of the ministers, Emperor Shang raised his hand and raised his voice, "Sit down and listen until the end."


    As they reluctantly sat down, Shang Fu continued, "The Empire will no longer be divided into 7 provinces. Every province will be divided into two further except for the southern yuan province and each of the territories will be managed by one of your six major ns. As for the ministries, they will be managed by qualified schrs and will act independently just like the three departments.


    And my third announcement is that the following Emperors or their rtives will no longer be above thews.


    If he is guilty, he shall be punished after aplete investigation by thew and justice ministry.


    He cannot use the imperial treasury as he wishes just like I and my forefathers did. The revenue ministry must give its approval whether it is to spend money or borrow money as long as it crosses more than a million gold coins.


    He cannot announce any public constructions without approval from the Public works ministry.


    He cannot go to war on a whim without the approval from the War ministry.


    He cannot promote or dismiss an official without the approval from Board and Rites ministry.


    He cannot make decisions without the approval from the personal ministry. However, he can also reject any propositions made by the ministry. That authority remains with the Emperor.


    And if he wants to override the rejection from the ministries, he should have majority support (atleast 3 out of 4) from the Supreme Commander, Grand Secretariat (Head of Central Secretariat department), Chief Minister (Head of the Department of the State affairs), and the Grand Chancellor (Head of the Chancellery).


    These decrees of mine wille into action when the new Emperor seeds me and they cannot be removed by my sessors for the next three generations (100 years) unless it is a unanimous decision from the Emperor, Suprememander, three department heads, 12 regional lords, and the six ministries.


    I want these announcements to be heard all over the Empire within the next couple of days.


    That is all."

 Chapter 434 Unveiling Midnight Encounters

    ?


    Genesis Weapon Store;


    "Eh? Why?" Xie Mei was taken aback as she was suddenly informed that they were leaving the city for good.


    She was someone who grew up in the mountains and rarely stepped out of the sect.


    The teenager liked this bustling city and she often goes out to walk.


    And now, she hears that they were moving to a secluded ind that has no human poption. Obviously, she didn''t like it.


    But, will Mark cares about her opinion?


    Naturally, he won''t.


    He straightforwardly said to her, "You can stay here with Allen if you want. I don''t intend to close down the store anyways."


    "Fine, you are the husband and the head of the family. Wherever you go, I have to follow," replied the teenager as she sat down.


    Mark was irritated at herment and he warned her, although not in a serious tone, "I believe we have an agreement that you won''t address yourself as such until you were an adult. In the event you break the agreement, I can kick you out. Remember?"


    "Eek!" As Xie Mei sprung up on her feet and hurriedly replied that she will not leave, Song Yue intervened and nicely told him not to tease her before informing her that they weren''t actually living on an ind but will be shifting their new residence to the Lunaris City.


    "Ah! That''s where your second wife lives,"mented Xie Mei in realization.


    Mark couldn''t help but frown when he heard that. "She isn''t my wife, Xie Mei."


    "But, will be one day, right?" countered the teenager.


    Mark then argued, "Yes, but when it happens, you can address her that way. Until then, she is the princess of the Western Moon kingdom."


    Xie Mei stayed silent for a couple of seconds before asking Song Yue, "Sister Yue, I really want to ask something. Are you reallyfortable with your Markie¡­ I mean Lu Zhen to have another wife."


    As Song Yue hesitated slightly, Mark replied in her ce, "She is the one who convinced me to marry Princess Shen."


    "Yeah," Song Yue mumbled while nodding slowly. However, her expression was slightly ufortable. Maybe, her growing attachment to Mark made her regret such a decision,tely.


    It was then, Mark added, "but then again, my marriage with Shen Ling is purely business. You can think of it like a business partnership. Even if I marry someone else in the future, it will be the same. Song Yue is the only one I love and I intend to stay that way. So, you too should forget about your ambitions for the marriage, kid."


    "I''m not a kid. I''ll turn 16 within a few weeks." Xie Mei almost screamed at Mark as she gets irked whenever he calls her that. She further added with a challenge, "And just you wait, I''ll make you will fall head over heal for me and follow me like a puppy."


    "Ha! Wishful thinking, pancake."


    "See, I knew you adore me or else, why do call me by your favorite breakfast dish? You should stop denying it and marry me, okay?"


    "No, I actually meant something else. And you should stop irritating me or else, I will really send you back to your home."


    "Bleh, our destinies are tied. You are not going to send me away¡­"


    "Destinies, what bullshit¡­"


    As Mark and Xie Mei continue to bicker as usual and making the atmosphere quite lively, Song Yue shook her head with a smile and went upstairs to pack her clothes.


    The afternoon passed away and the darkness took over the Vermillion bird continent.


    The manticore, Xie Mei, Song Yue, and the golden kitten got into the vehicle.


    Mark gave a hug to his beloved android and said, "Allen, I leave this store in your hands. Once everything is finished as I nned, you may join me. Until then, take care of yourself. I know you can manage it on your own but it is best if you hire someone so that you also won''t get bored to be alone. You have unlimited ess to my inventory. So, don''t need to wait for my permission to spend money or take out the goods to sell."


    "Affirmed," replied Mark with a salute.


    Mark then got onto the driver''s seat and drove away from the vehicle. Allen waved his hands as a gesture of goodbye, and once the vehicle is out of his sight, he let out a deep sigh like a human and looked at the sky, "I hate times like this. It would be nice if there''s indeed a person whom I can talk to without feeling ufortable."


    The image of a person came to his mind and he mumbled, "I wonder what Sister Xue is doing right now? It''s been a while since Ist her. After that fiasco, we haven''t met again. Let''s go and meet her in the morning."


    A few hourster;


    Allen was walking back and forth in the upstairs living room while keep ncing at the wall clock. "It''s still 12:30. There are 5 more hours to go."


    As an android, he never needs to sleep.


    And previously, when he is a rank-5 android, he was more of a robot than a human. His thoughts weren''tplicated. He could just stay sit in a spot for hours without thinking of anything.


    Now, after getting upgraded to rank-8, he has all the emotions that a human has. It''s like he is a human born in the body of an android.


    He cannot sit still. He has massive data in his core and it was keep running, not letting him sit in peace.


    Not being able to resist the urge to see his only human friend (outside the Genesis Weapon Store family), Allen left the residence and flew to the inner sector.


    Because he is an android andcked any traditional cultivation, he won''t be sensed by any experts around. However, if he flies too fast, the sonic boom generated by him will cause disturbance and he doesn''t want to be caught by anyone''s vision.


    Hence, he flew at a slow pace and it took almost 30 minutes to reach Lin Wuying''s mansion.


    He came here many times and even knew what room at what residence his friend sleeps. Of course, even if he has no knowledge of it, there shouldn''t be a problem. His Hyper sensors could spot her in an instant.


    Allen slowly intruded into the house and reached Lin Xue''s room, which was surprisingly lit up. The time was around 1 a.m. and Lin Xue still appeared to be awake. She was seriously writing something in a notebook.


    At first, Allen nned to knock, but intending to surprise her, he scanned the room and saw that a window is opened.


    He flew around and then went in through the window, only tond on the bed and alerted her due to the creaking sound of the bed.


    As Lin Xue abruptly turned around and saw Allen, she almost screamed, "All¡­"


    "en¡­" She managed to control her voice with a look of surprise on her face. "What are you doing here?" She asked curiously before suddenly remembering the fact that he is a high-quality puppet of the weapon seller just like Alina. Depression took over her instantly before anger reced it.


    Mark then said, "I''m here to see you."


    "Oh! Around 1 o''clock?" Lin Xue''s expression changed and she acted coldly towards him.

 Chapter 435 Shattered Illusions: Allens Awakening To Lin Xues True Feelings

    ?


    It was the first time Allen saw coldness from Lin Xue.


    He was familiar with her cold personality but she never acted this way toward him. She was always warm and friendly.


    He doesn''t know why she appeared angry.


    Maybe, is it because he disturbed her when she was in the middle of some important issue.


    Allen learned from Mark that he cannot juste to a conclusion based on a woman''s behavior. Analyzing won''t work for some women as their actions don''t have logic.


    Allen wondered whether Lin Xue is one such woman.


    As he was busy thinking about the perfect reply, Lin Xue then spoke, "I asked you a question, Mr. Allen. Why are you here at this hour?"


    "Mr. Allen?" The Android was surprised once again but remembering Mark''s teachings, he put away his analysis and went directly to the matter.


    Trying to be as honest as possible, he exined, "Sister Yue, I''m actually not sure about it. My big bro and the others have left the city and I was alone. You came to my mind and I felt like it has been a long time since we talk. So, I¡­"


    "So, you thought you could just intrude into our residence, into my room, in the middle of the night, huh?" Lin Xue continued to respond to him coldly. After a brief pause, she further added ament, "No wonder you could do it. After all, you are a puppet, not a human. If you are one, you would be able to have a sense of decency that you shouldn''t intrude into a girl''s room at such an hour."


    "Eh? How did you¡­" Allen was shocked this time as Lin Xue wasn''t supposed to know his secret. But then, he remembered the fight with Necromancer and everything that happened with Alina and all.


    He realized that maybe this is why she was angry at him.


    Making an apologetic face, he said, "I don''t mean to hide the truth from you. But, my big bro has ordered me to keep my secret and I don''t want to disappoint him."


    "I know. After all, you won''t hesitate to kill me if your big bro orders you," replied the Lin n heiress, ming Mark in her mind. She then said, "Anyways, since you are already here, let me be clear. I no longer hold any interest in seeing you or holding any conversations with you. Leave this instant."


    "No, it is not true." Allen tried to clear things up for his friend now that she knows his secret. "The past me might kill you if I get an order. But, now, I''m upgraded several times. I can resist his order and you are a special person to me. There''s no way I will hurt you and let you get hurt if I had to oppose my big bro."


    Hearing his honest words only made Lin Xue more emotional. In her frustration, she growled at Allen, "Why can''t you just understand my words properly? I don''t want to talk to you. I will shout if you stay here anymore. No matter how strong you are, people still think that you are the younger brother of Lu Zhen. His fame will be the one that gets hit. Your store''s fame will also get hit if they know you are abusing your strength to harass a woman."


    "Okay, I will leave as you wish and I don''t even show my face to you any longer. Don''t need to threaten me." Allen raised his hands like he surrendered or something.


    However, he didn''t turn and leave right away as he could sense her emotions through his hyper-sensing abilities.


    Allen pressed her to convince him by arguing, "I just needed an honest answer. Why? Is it really matter if I''m a puppet? Do I be ineligible to talk to you or be your friend? After myst upgrade, I can now fly and travel distances faster than a supersonic jet. I have all the emotions that any human on this has. I''m now strong enough to go toe to toe against any supreme realm expert.


    I failed to protect you back then but if I face the Necromancer King again, I can defeat him. I can now even help you aplish your dream. You can be one with the sword. I can scan the surroundings to spot any hidden treasures or mines. I can make the finest sword that a dwarf could ever make.


    With my abilities, I can earn money more than all the noble nsbined. I''m better than 99.99999% of all the humans on this. And apart from once that happened as my big bro wanted you to stay away from his affairs, I had never mistreated you ever since we met.


    Do all of my qualities amount to nothing if I don''t possess a human body and soul? I saved your life once. If you want to burn the bridges, then, give me the truth."


    Allen didn''t know it himself but he looked quite frustrated as he was exining to Lin Xue. Did her rejection really vex him that much? Who knows¡­


    However, Lin Xue was even more frustrated than him. In the end, she exploded as the tears welled up in her eyes, "You want the truth, right? Then, hear it. I fell in love with you, bastard. And you turned out to be a fucking puppet. It is unbearable for me to even look at you. Can you understand what I am going through?


    You have abilities? Okay, they might suit a bodyguard or an adventurer or some other profession. Sure, you can earn loads of money but can you really love someone? Can your heart beat for someone when you don''t even have a heart? Can you marry someone and have kids? Can a girl imagine a future with you?


    Loving you is more disgusting than falling in love with an intelligent beast species. You are not even he or she. You are a thing. Now, you are a superfast analyzer, right?


    Then, try to think how a girl like me should feel when she falls in love with someone for the first time in her life, she wanted to share her life with you and then finds out that it is nothing but an illusion.


    Now, do you get it? Get it?"


    She almost roared at his face, looking at him in deep hatred while waking up everyone from the household.


    As people rushed to her room, Allen stood there like a statue. He was truly shocked to hear it.


    He doesn''t have any personal experience but he does see what it means by falling in love and what it means by imagining a future together. His master''s love for Song Yue is the best example of that.


    As Lin Xue copsed on the floor and bawled as if her beloved died or something, Allen looked at her in a daze and mumbled without knowing, "So, everything is going to be alright between us if I be a human?"


    Lin Xue raised her head and looked at him. She felt as if he was mocking her intelligence.


    Lin Xue lunged at him and grabbed his cor while pushing him away slowly, "Yes, go and be a human. Tell your dear bro to turn you into a human. I''ll marry you even if you stay as a ve for Lu Zhen your whole life. Leave¡­"


    *knock* knock* knock*


    "Xiao Xue? Are you alright? Who are you shouting at? Open the door. I''m breaking it now¡­"


    The doors were knocked at that time and she heard his father''s voice.


    "My father is here¡­ leave¡­" Lin Xue was rmed and she suddenly talked in a whisper, hurriedly sending away Allen.


    Once, Allen jumped out of the window and flew into the sky in a daze, she wiped her tears and turned around, telling him to give her a second.


    As she opened the door, she saw his father along with a couple of servants were there standing outside.


    He stepped inside and looked around. "What happened?"


    "Nothing," replied Lin Xue in a hoarse voice.


    Lin Wuying then looked at her face, "You are crying¡­ Are you alright?"


    As he touched her face, it felt hot. He then touched her forehead, "You have a fever." He turned his head and shouted, "Bring the physician right now."


    As one of the servants left, Lin Wuying took her to the bed and let her sit before he kneeled to her height and asked, "What is it that about? Did you have a nightmare?"


    Lin Xue nodded thrice in silence, not intending to exin to her father.


    Lin Wuying smiled as he patted her head, "It''s probably because you holed yourself up for several days. You are probably scarred because of the Necromancer King. To defeat it, you must go out and roam."


    As Lin Xue nodded, Lin Wuying sighed as he sat down, "Today also has been hectic for me. First Owner Lu''s usation against the Emperor, then, the Emperor''s retirement announcement¡­ Sigh¡­"


    "Uncle Shang''s retirement?"


    ***


    Meanwhile, Allen was flying in the air, trying to digest her questions. On the way to his home, he questioned even himself whether he could really do what a girl expects of him.


    Unfortunately for him, he is an android and everything is usually based on logic. Why he stays loyal to Mark? It is because he is his creator, although the system is considered his parent.


    But, why does he act too desperate to save his friendship? Is it really because she is the only friend he had or is it something else? Is there a possibility that he too likes Lin Xue the same she liked him once?


    There are too many things and Allen couldn''te to a conclusion for some reason. Maybe, he gets the answer if he is a human, thought the android.

 Chapter 436 Wedding whispers: Plans for a destination celebration

    Chapter 436 Wedding whispers: ns for a destination celebration


    The next day morning;


    Royal Pce, Lunaris City, Western Moon Kingdom;


    "Wee, Lord Lu, Lady Song, and the honored guests, to Lunaris City. Your presence in my pce is a great honor; may our alliance bring prosperity to both our families."


    The King of Western Moon, Shen Niu, apanied by his daughter, courtiers, and officials, greeted the guests with a formal deep bow, showing reverence and acknowledging their presence. Mark and Song Yue respond bows with equal respect.


    If this was any other normal visit, such formality was unnecessary. But, since it holds special significance, the king treated Mark already as his son-inw and gave him the respect he deserves.


    Following the formal greetings and rituals, King Shen Niu led the guests in a majestic procession through the pce, showcasing the grandeur and splendor of his kingdom. Courtiers and attendants follow along, adding to the sense of importance and celebration.


    It is not the first time Mark and Song Yue were visiting the pce but as agreed upon beforehand, they yed along.


    Only Xie Mei was new and as a person who never stepped inside a royal pce, she was quite overwhelmed with their wealth, not knowing that Mark once held more wealth than thebined wealth of the Western Moon kingdom''s citizens but blew it up all on Weapon Transmutation skill.


    Once it was over, everyone was given their own guestroom to take rest until lunchtime.


    Xie Mei slept peacefully all night while they were on the way but Song Yue kept Markpany, talking with him so that he don''t sleep on the way and their vehicle crashed into some tree or rock.


    Now, Mark has 9.6 points of strength, 9.5 temporary points of intelligence, and 9.1 points of resistance his physical and mental stamina is over the roof. He doesn''t get tired that easily and neither could he feel much stress unless it deeply affects his soul, meaning emotional things rted to his heart.


    However, Song Yue doesn''t have such resistance. The moment she stepped into her room, she copsed on the bed and fell into a deep sleep while sharing the room with the manticore and the golden kitten, which constantly act as her bodyguards.


    As for her real bodyguard, aka her dad who disguised as the ck Knight warrior, he too couldn''t properly sleep in a sitting position as Xie Mei. Hence, he also fell asleep as his back hit thefy bed.


    And if one wonders where the zheng was, the beast emperor continued his stay at Mt. Lan and temporarily stayed away from Mark.


    Xie Mei took out her Griffin for a walk as they roamed outside of the pce while Mark was in a private meeting with Shen Niu and Shen Ling in his room.


    "Okay, son, let me go through what we have discussed through themunication scroll over the past few days." King Shen Niu started speaking first, directly going through the matter.


    Meanwhile, Mark was also slightly surprised at Shen Niu''s change of address toward him as it is the first time he called him like that, but he didn''t mind it and listened to the king in silence.


    "The coronation of Feng Chun is going to happen the day after tomorrow. Hence, I have to leave by tomorrow noon. Xiao Ling will stay here. As you know, we don''t have any specific ministries or departments to handle the marriage and other ceremonies. We hire private individuals who we call event nners to do them. They will take care of everything.


    Anyways, we hired Yang Tao. You can discuss the dates and venues and everything with him regarding your marriage with Lady Song and then your engagement with my daughter. And then¡­"


    "Wait a second¡­" Mark stopped him from going further as he wanted to say something regarding his marriage.


    "Hmm? What is it?" He asked. Shen Ling, who was just smiling in silence, also couldn''t help but curiously look at Mark, wondering what he wants to say.


    Mark then said, "There''s a slight change in the ns actually. After discussing it a bit, we realized it is better if my marriage with Song Yue happen somewhere else."


    "Where?" Shen Niu asked.


    Before Mark answered, Shen Ling said in a bit of an unsure tone, "Eastern Sun Kingdom?"


    Mark asked curiously, "Did Song Yue tell you that?"


    Shen Ling shrugged her shoulders, "just a hunch, backed by a couple of theories."


    Mark stared at her for a couple of seconds and got back to her father as he doesn''t want her to exin her theories, atleast not in front of her father.


    As Shen Niu wondered why, Mark then exined that Song Yue isn''tfortable with both events being attended in the same ce without much gap between them.


    Hence, he decided to have a destination wedding with Song Yue at Eastern Sun but omitted the location, making them assume that it is Helios City.


    Shen Niu felt weird and didn''t know what to reply to that, thinking of this destination wedding, far away from their hometown.


    He could understand if Mark wanted to marry at the Fujian ind since it is legally his own property, but at Eastern Sun kingdom? That far away? Why?


    The only reason he could think is because of the current situation at Western Yan and the Phoenix Empire.


    Mark then further said that two-three months after thepletion of his first marriage, they can proceed through engagement or marriage with Shen Ling as the King wishes.


    Mark''s assurance about his marriage to the princess brought a bit of relief and a boost of energy to King Shen Niu once again and thetter continued with his exnation about their schedule, "Anyway, once the Western Yan is formally dered as the independent kingdom, we will proceed with implementing this embassy system and make sure to propose this system to the other powers who will attend the ceremony.


    Coming to yourself, for the next few days, Xiao Ling will be responsible for taking care of you and yourpanions. She will let you know everything you have to know about our kingdom and our royal affairs.


    After that, I expect you to train the soldiers for a week regarding your firearms and vehicles as you have promised.


    Then, you can go and tour around these airstrips and runways that you wanted. Whatever ce you want, we will make the announcement but as we know, the sellers usually have ten weeks of time to register their items from the date of announcement. So, I arrangements.


    Regarding the world auction, we still have to wait for the announcement but as we know, the sellers usually have ten weeks of time to register their items from the date of announcement. So, I guess we have plenty of time.


    You can use this time as an opportunity to marry Lady Song within the next couple of months and then we can proceed with my daughter''s engagement after the auction. It''s just a suggestion. Not pressuring you by any means¡­"


    "Hmm¡­" Mark thought about it, taking the matter rather seriously.


    To be honest, he doesn''t want to think about the marriage until he moved on from his revenge. He wanted it to be something like opening a new chapter of life.


    For that to happen, he needed a civil war to start in the Phoenix Empire. To get the desired results, he estimated about 5-6 months of time.


    But, this King Shen Niu was trying to rush his marriage with Song Yue so that he can get his daughter to wed him.


    What should he do?

 Chapter 437 Unleashing Ambitions and Mechanical Disappointments

    Chapter 437 Unleashing Ambitions and Mechanical Disappointments


    After much thinking, Mark decided to rush his ns too.


    First of all, he cannot keep Shang Jiao hostage for too long. He never knows if Lan Jingyi suddenly loses her patience.


    Secondly, there is a high chance that things might get cool down if he gives too much time for Phoenix Empire to recover.


    Before he left, he did hear of the announcement made by the Emperor. Mark assumed it might be because of his allegations but he didn''t have any pity for his biological father anyway. In fact, he thought this is a perfect opportunity.


    For the civil war to happen, Shang Zexi cannot win the race at all costs. But, he cannot lose by extreme either. The crown prince should feel like he has a strong chance.


    As long as he loses by a tiny margin and Shang Wei ends up being a winner, Mark felt like he could support the crown prince in the shadows through funding and breaking up the military.


    Once Shang Zexi emerged as a strong opposition, he will reveal the truth about the new Emperor Shang Wei. Neither the primitive-thinking ministers nor a proud person like Shang Zexi would ever ept an illegitimate child to sit on the throne.


    As the hell breaks loose at the Southern Empire, Mark will rake in money while supplying weapons to both parties. He will have his revenge and money at the same time, like hitting two birds with one stone.


    However, there''s also another problem, which is the fact that Shang Zexi and Shang Wei are still brothers who grow up together. They might have rivalry but didn''t have hatred against each other.


    If they have strong hatred, then, Shang Zexi would have a strong motive to overthrow his brother even if he has to destroy his own Empire in the process.


    But, what can spark such hatred? Mark wondered.


    He had a few thoughts like staging an assassination attempt on the crown prince, abducting the crown prince''s wife, creating rumors like the crown prince turned out to be impotent, etc¡­


    He wants to have a strong emotion of hatred from the crown prince. After thinking for a bit, a familiar face came to Mark''s mind.


    A smile appeared on Mark''s face as he thought, "Nie Rougang."


    Nie Rougang is someone who is a strong yer in politics and he was cherished by the crown prince too much. To save him, the proud Shang Zexi bowed his head before Mark in front of everyone without being ordered.


    Mark decided to target the man who he didn''t like either.


    Seeing Mark deep in his thoughts and then have an evil smile made the father and daughter wonder what was going on in his mind. But, they remained patient until he was done with his thinking.


    In the end, he apologized and then further said to King Shen Niu that he will keep his suggestion in mind when taking the decision.


    After sending away both of them with an excuse that he need to take a light nap, Mark closed the door andy on the bed as if he was sleeping.


    But, in reality, he isn''t.


    He spoke to the system, "Open Mark''s Factory."


    Mark''s factory


    Level: 4


    Avable machines: Drill press (10), Welder (10), Milling machine (10), Lathe (10), Weighing and measuring equipment, Blender, Grain-forming machine, Curing machine, and Computer Numerical Control machine (CNC).


    Avable time: 240 minutes


    Cooldown: 6 hours


    Computer-Aided Design software (CAD)


    Testing Ground


    Analysis lv2


    >> It was leveled up automatically when the system was upgraded and there was new equipment added for his next level of manufacturing.


    He has ideas to make new guns but his eyes were set on something else.


    Taking out a few destroyed robots and robot dogs on the floor, Mark flexed his fingers and looked at them in the way a kid looks at the toy section at the department store.


    "Let''s see how these robots are different from normal ones. How could they use ether energy as an alternate power source of electricity? We''ll have our answer soon enough."


    Mark''s face brightly glowed as he dismantled them to pick up some importantponents.


    Three and a half hourster;


    Mark''s spirit was seen engrossed in making arge-sized multi-headed robot dog using the spare parts from the destroyed ones and the machines avable around him. He had a couple of built-in robots from the factory as assistants for more precision and faster.


    Eventually, a 7-foot bigrge sized robot dog with three heads was built sessfully. It was quite an achievement considering it has only been a little more than 200 minutes have passed.


    Looking at it, Mark imagined the figure he took inspiration from and mumbled in a bit of disappointment, "That Cerberus looked menacing but this looked quite docile even with its size. And their eyes are also slightly small but then again, I didn''t have the necessary equipment to make my own camera lens. I had to use what I have at the moment. Even to give it a zooming function, I had to buy 20x scopes and modify them so that they cover their eyes with a voice-activated function from me.


    Anyway, let''s test it and see the final result. If this prototype works, then, I can make better ones in the future. I can even add various weapons to it."


    Taking it to the open area of the testing area within the factory realm, Mark then jumped onto his back and pressed his hand at the joint part where its three heads attached to its body.


    There was a type B socket to plug in the adapter. But, Mark intends to test with the ether energy. He ced his hand over it and concentrated a lot, trying to pour as little ether energy as he could.


    After all, a rank-5 robot consumes about 1000 ether particles worth of energy to run for a whole day.


    He doesn''t know its rank yet but he was confident that it won''t exceed rank-5 as he didn''t use stronger materials anyway and much of its body was also salvaged from rank-3 robot dogs and rank-3 battle robots.


    Hence, he was wary about pouring the ether energy, not wanting to short-circuit it. Mark just wants to know whether it is working or not.


    And just as his ether energy entered the prototype and reached its batteries, they instantly passed the current all over its circuits. The six eyes of the prototype glowed up in blue as if it came to life.


    *Woof* Woof* Woof*


    The three-headed robot dog let out powerful barks simultaneously, lighting up the eyes of Mark in excitement.


    But, his happiness was only short-lived.


    Before he even got down onto the ground and took a good look at his invention, he heard something like an explosion inside the dog and heavy smokeing out of their mouths, and their heads were hung down.


    "System, activate, Analysis lv2."


    He analyzed the dog in a hurry. And the system only gave him a piece of bad news in response.


    *Ding! The circuits were friedpletely due to incorrect voltage input,ponent failure, and a power surge.


    As if that wasn''t enough, the sassy system went on adding ament of its own.


    *Ding! System score: 2.5. Don''t put too much focus on the exterior appearance, host.


    "Dammit¡­" Mark''s face darkened.

 Chapter 438 Unexpected Success and Dashed Expectations

    Chapter 438 Unexpected Sess and Dashed Expectations


    Returning to the real world in disappointment, Mark took a nap to clear his head from having any sort of negative thoughts.


    After taking a nap for an hour, he freshened himself with a shower and then dressed up for the grand banquet arranged by King Shen Niu in his wee.


    The courtiers, officials, top military personnel, and wealthy individuals all attended the banquet. Song Yue and Shen Ling joined the otherdies.


    Mark felt the atmosphere is quite simr to the one he had at the Eastern Sun. There, he was a visiting guest. So, he was fine. But, here, he is going to be the son-inw and he didn''t like these things to stay that way.


    Upon remembering Shen Ling''s ambition behind this marriage with him, Mark felt like he should y more of an active role rather than standing behind her as the princess was going to overthrow the patriarchal system in the kingdom.


    But then again, he doesn''t want the matriarchy system as Shen Ling wanted either. After all, it won''t improve the lives of women except for bringing additional chaos.


    Shen Ling knows that and she has her own ns to deal with the consequences too. But, Mark also has his own ns for her. And he should make sure that she stays in the dark as long as possible.


    The princess is smart enough to figure out his whole secret just by connecting the info she has with his past actions.


    As her cooperation is too integral to his kingdom-building strategy and he doesn''t want to use threats now that he chose the path of marriage, Mark felt like he should be very careful whenever reveals his ns to her.


    Back to the present, after the Banquet was finished, Mark made a visit to the branch store to see how Chang Bo and Meng Tao were doing.


    As neared the store, he saw a huge line in front of the entrance even though the sun in on everyone''s heads.


    Mark was astounded to see such poprity of his store''s branch, which was officially opened only two days ago. Unless the royal family publicized extensively, it shouldn''t be possible.


    He couldn''t help but think of his main branch which was out of business for more than a week now.


    Curious about this incident, he tapped the shoulder of the person standing at thest of the line, "Excuse me¡­"


    "Yes?" the guy turned around to look at Mark. He didn''t recognize him and just asked, "May I help you with something?"


    Mark pointed at the tower and asked, "Why there are so many people?"


    "Oh, you must not have heard about it." The young man''s face just glowed in excitement as he exined, "The food served over there is top-notch. Even normal egg-fried rice tastes like a delicacy. The best dish, Meng''s Roasted Spirit Duck was just heavenly. You know the best part? It only costs 3 gold coins."


    "Uhh¡­ that is a weapon store, right?" Mark couldn''t believe his ears properly. Why this guy is talking about food?


    The stranger then nodded, "It is but, it''s just the bottom and the first floor. On the second floor, there is a clothing store. On the third floor, there is an alchemy store. On the fourth floor, there''s a Jianzi challenge, where there''s a reward for the number of feather ball kicks. And there''s also a quiz challenge to win the rewards. The fifth floor was upied by the restaurant and the sixth-floor was restricted. It''s probably where the manager lives. Who knows..."


    After a brief pause, the stranger finished with ament, "I should say these guys know how to do business. But then again, it is the King''s son-inw. You can''t expect normal things from such a legendary figure."


    If Mark would hear thisment at another time, he would feel happy to hear such praise from a stranger as a third party, but his mood isn''t good at the moment. He felt like his trust has been betrayed by Chang Bo and Meng Tao.


    He left the line and went to the backside of the tower, where there is another entrance. However, that can only be opened from the inside.


    He took out themunication scroll and contacted Chang Bo. Thetter was busy exining the features of an AK-47 and AK-203 to a customer, and he dropped the conversation and rushed to the back exit, located in a small storage room behind the counter, as soon as he received the message.


    Therge stone door, which is a part of the tower, was slid to the side within no time.


    Chang Bo greeted Mark in great excitement, "Lord Lu, when did you arrive here? I thought you were supposed toe to Lunaris City, five dayster. Pleasee inside."


    Mark stared at him with a look of frown on his face. He didn''t respond for a while.


    The welpire was startled for a moment when he saw his displeased boss. He asked, "Lord Lu, is something matter?"


    Mark raised his head to look at the tower and replied, "I believe I told you to run a branch of Genesis Weapon store, not turn it into a recreational hub."


    "Recreational hub?" Chang Bo never heard of such a word. Hence, he was confused a little bit but atleast he got the gist of what Mark was trying to say.


    He politely said, "We''ll exin to you everything but pleasee inside."


    But, Mark was stern and gave an order as he stepped inside, "I''ll give you 60 seconds. Throw everyone out and drag Meng Tao''s ass here."


    "Even the ones who are eating?" Chang Bo became slightly worried by Mark''s order. Since he was promoted as a manager, he began to think like one.


    Mark gave him a cold gaze and answered, "Everyone, including any other staff member you have hired so far. Give whatever excuse you can give."


    "Yes!" Chang Bo flinched at Mark''s gaze and he quickly scurried away.


    Mark didn''t know what the welpire has told everyone, but within just 90 seconds of time, the entrance door was closed and only three people remained in the store.


    Meng Tao and Chang Bo were standing beside each other in silence as Mark stared at them with clear displeasure written on his face.


    "Chang Bo, exin yourself¡­" Mark opened his mouth as he sat down on the chair.


    The teenager and the young adult gulped their saliva.

 Chapter 439 A Menu of Transformation

    Chapter 439 A Menu of Transformation


    Sometimeter;


    Meng Tao and Chang Bo were kneeling on the floor with Mark sitting on the chair and staring at them.


    His anger couldn''t be subsided no matter how much he tried to be calmer.


    Chang Bo and Meng Tao defend themselves earlier by how it incredibly made the store popr and how they raked in earnings of about 754 gold coins in just a matter of two days.


    If one considers the rewards they gave out in the form of guns and grenades and the cost of ingredients, the profits were still over 600 gold coins.


    Mark scolded them for misusing their freedom to do whatever they want and he shouldn''t have put a teenager a young adult to manage his store. He exined that he didn''tck money and that what he intends to do is to promote firearms.


    Chang Bo once again defended his actions by arguing that his strategy has made them sell 285 gold coins worth of firearms and ammunition.


    However, Mark wasn''t convinced at all. He made the counter-argument that they didn''t think of the store''s reputation he built up so far. Because of their actions, now people would have a wrong impression of the store.


    As Markmented that he shouldn''t have put immature boys like them as they have too many stupid ideas in their heads, Chang Bo felt wrong and he wanted to argue, but Meng Tao stopped him and forced him to kneel alongside him to apologize to their boss.


    After much thinking, Mark then called out the young adult, "Meng Tao¡­"


    "Yes?"


    Mark gave an order, "Go and bring me all the dishes that you sell here. Don''t make too much. I only wanted to taste them."


    Meng Tao''s face glowed up as he felt like their boss is giving him an opportunity to prove themselves.


    "I''ll return in a jiffy, boss."As Meng Tao rushed away to the stairs, Chang Bo looked hopeful at Mark.


    Mark didn''t spare a nce at Chang Bo and stayed silent. The welpire continued to kneel.


    After a few minutes, Meng Tao returned and informed him that the food was ready.


    Mark realized that this former heir of the Meng n probably made it in huge amounts in advance and stored it in a storage ring.


    While storage rings will keep them fresh, the heat will be dissipated when the food entered that dimensional space. They have to be reheated after taking them out. This is probably what Meng Tao did. Or so, Mark thought as he went to the restaurant on the fifth floor.


    Before he left, he didn''t forget to inform Chang Bo to continue to kneel until he returns. Chang Bo obliged his order. Meng Tao could only pat his shoulder in sympathy and tried to cheer him up by saying that his food will improve their boss'' mood.


    As Meng Tao followed his boss, Chang Bo looked down at the floor. He almost felt like crying as he was mumbling, "I shouldn''t have left his side when he gave me the offer. Life was so simple in Imperial City. Here, the ambition to earn more money has gone to my head and I became too greedy¡­"


    Meanwhile, Mark sat at the table and Meng Tao served the dishes on small tes.


    The moment Mark''s eyes fell on the first dish, the Stir Fried Vegetables, his gaze changed a bit, "I see¡­ so, these aren''t made by him. Okay, let''s see how good it will be." He picked up the chopsticks.


    "Mmmm"


    It was just stir-fried vegetables but Mark remembered the times he enjoyed the food made by Alina.


    Seeing Mark''s expression, Meng Tao''s nervousness disappeared and he served the next set of dishes more confidently.


    "Boss, this is steamed fish. The primary ingredient is the Dragon Fish (1-circle realm)."


    "Boss, the eggs used in this fried rice belonged to Spirit Ostrich Queen (3-circle)."


    "Boss, this is sweet and sour ribs, a delicacy from my hometown. The pork meat we used is of the Spirit Thunder Pig (4-circle)."


    .


    .


    .


    "And this is the highlight of our restaurant. It is Roasted Spirit Duck but my version. Well, I should say it is my mom''s recipe. Please try it¡­"


    Mark tasted 12 dishes and there was no dish that he could say was average. He liked everything and all of that earlier anger was gone.


    If he doesn''t put such talent to use, he would be an idiot. But, he didn''t praise Meng Tao.


    Instead, he said, "Bring out Qilin. I want to talk to it."


    "Eh?" Meng Tao was slightly taken aback but he did it as he was asked. Soon, his eyes turned scarlet and his voice changed. "Lu Zhen¡­"


    Mark looked at the youngster and smiled, "I know that it was you who did all these dishes and not your host. But, anyways, good job."


    "Thanks but I only did the cooking, following Meng Tao''s directions. Hence, he is the one worthy of your praise," replied the Qilin''s spirit that was possessing Meng Tao.


    Mark shrugged his shoulders, "He is a soldier, not a cook. I don''t want to encourage him."


    After a while;


    Mark returned downstairs and Chang Bo prepared himself to apologize to him, promising him that he won''t do such things again.


    However, to his surprise, before he even gets to open his mouth, Mark ended his punishment and further gave him permission to continue with his theme.


    Chang Bo couldn''t help but gratefully look at Meng Tao.


    And then Mark went on to modify their theme, a bit slightly.


    "Since the space has been constricted, we will be selling only selective models. On the first floor, it will be non-ether firearms like Ak-47 and Ak-203, rocketunchers, explosives like C4, and grenades. The low-level ones like the pistol, revolvers, and semiautomatic handguns will be taken out and ced in the reward section on the fourth floor.


    And the second floor''s disy shelves will be filled with ether firearms. I''ll send you the required ones.


    I also want you to visit the furniture store and custom order some designs like the battle tanks, robots, and others I give youter on.


    As for the restaurant, raise the food prices and the quality of the ingredients. The food will be free for those who purchase firearms, although not unlimited. For example, if one buys a grenade worth 100 gold coins, they can eat dishes worth a maximum of 100 gold coins. However, takeaway is not avable in that condition.


    And there are too few games above. We have enough space to include two more events. You are using the sixth floor to live together and also the kitchen. Vacate it. I''ll provide your amodation elsewhere. We will also rent a kitchen outside.


    Instead, we use the sixth floor as a bar, I mean, a pub. We fill with drinks of variety.


    But, to ess all of these additional floors, the customers would have to pay a subscription fee. It is like paying a fee per month to be an exclusive member. We''ll do something about this during the next week.


    Until the changes get implemented, the store will remain closed."


    Meng Tao and Chang Bo looked at each other, trying their best to digest the changes instructed by their boss.


    "Understood, Milord."

 Chapter 440 Imperial Intrigues and Throne Trials

    Chapter 440 Imperial Intrigues and Throne Trials


    A week passed away in a blink of an eye;


    During this time, Mark was busy implementing his ns for the store and it was going rather well.


    He couldn''t help but look forward to the day when it reopens.


    In the meantime, he won a new type of battle tank from the lottery wheel to sell. The battle tank was based on Merkava-IV from Mark''s past world.


    With each unit costing just about 7500 gold coins, the main battle tank is something that can destroy any spirit warrior below the high-6-circle realm and is durable enough to block the attacks below the 6-circle realm. Perhaps, the only disadvantage it has, like any other battle tank, is the speed.


    But then again, the smoothbore gun (120mm) of the battle tank could attack enemies from as far away as 3-4 km. So, it shouldn''t be an issue.


    Another disadvantage is that these are too heavy and it will be challenging to navigate in certain terrains, such as soft or uneven ground, forests, or urban areas. This can make them more vulnerable to ambushes and restrict their operational flexibility.


    There is also high fuel consumption due to theirrge engines but since Mark nned on using his oil attribute to sell even the gasoline and all other types of fuel, it is cool.


    Meanwhile, peace returned to Western Yan. Feng Wu''s nephew and the only remaining heir of the past king, Feng Chun ascended to the throne at the tender age of 8.


    Obviously, that means Feng Wu will be ruling in Feng Chun''s ce until thetter grew up into an adult.


    The coronation ceremony went quite well with the attendance of the crown prince Shang Wei from the Phoenix Empire, King Shen Niu from Western Moon, King Ouyang Zen from Eastern Sun, respective envoys from the Dwarven Kingdom, Qilin Empire, and Kun Empire.


    The Leon Empire even sent one of the princes with a general to the ceremony. Everyone formally acknowledged the ruling of the Feng Dynasty once again at Western Yan.


    There, Shen Niu proposed the embassy system to fellow representatives. Only Ouyang Zen and Feng Chun gave their assent. The remaining could only take the proposal to their rulers.


    As agreed on beforehand, the hostages were released by the Western Yan. The Ji family, General Hu, and his soldiers; everyone except for the experts of the Church of Nuwa were released.


    Shang Wei also demanded Ouyang Zen to his release sister from captivity. However, Lan Jing replied that he cannot control the zheng. He merely was contracted to it.


    ording to the newspapers, the zheng was contracted to Ouyang Zen''s Prime Minister, Lan Jing. And he abducted the daughter of the Emperor to force him into making peace with Feng Wu.


    It is what Mark wanted to happen so that his name don''t be attached to Western Yan as a key ally, and Lan Jing also cooperated with him, just like several other things, as he wanted to go back home with the heir of the Ancient Lan sect.


    Shang Wei could only return empty-handed, disappointing his parents. Lan Jingyi swore in her heart that she brings back her child.


    And within two days of the coronation ceremony, there was a huge battle in the Kunyu mountain range. Forests were destroyed, hills were razed to the ground, and several indigenous tribes living in the mountains without any contact with the outside world were wiped out, but Lan Jingyi couldn''t achieve victory against the five-tailed scarlet leopard.


    She lost her challenge and can no longer demand her daughter from the zheng. Hence, she can only try an emotional angle.


    She would visit him daily and request for her daughter''s release. As time passed, zheng''s attachment to her and herte father affected him and made him softer.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Imperial City, the trial for the imperial throne has started. About 5 contestants ended up in the race but unfortunately, Shang Wei didn''t appear to be the favorite as the n lords had expected.


    From the imperial family, there are only two" Shang Wei (third prince), and Shang Zexi (crown prince).


    The second prince isn''t interested in the throne and he would have to leave very soon while the fourth prince prefers to stay in the shadows.


    As for the remaining three, one is the Emperor''s younger brother from a different mother. Shang Xing, aged 51, is the son of the Queen consort of Shang Fu''s predecessor.


    He and Shang Fu fought for the throne but thetter won with more support as he was not only the crown prince but also awakened the bloodline of the phoenix. Since then, the Grand Prince stayed out of politics.


    Now that an opportunity came before him, Shang Xing jumped into the race.


    The fourth contender, named Shang Hao, is a distant rtive of the imperial family but still bears the surname as he was a direct descendant of Shang Fu''s predecessor''s predecessor''s brother.


    Shang Hao is currently working as the vice secretary of the Department of State Affairs. He isn''t exactly what you call a key figure but still holds connections with the major noble ns.


    And the final contender is surprisingly Shang Xiang''s eldest son, Shang Jun. Aged only 27 years old, this young man was once touted as a genius who has the highest chance to be a supreme realm expert.


    Born from Shang Xiang''s concubine who hailed from Dragon Empire, Shang Jun was not only blessed with the phoenix bloodline but he also became a spirit warrior at the age of 5. When he was 8, he was already in the 2-circle realm.


    However, in a suspicious incident in the past, when he and his mother were ambushed in the wild zone, his mother was killed along with the guards while one of them grabbed and escaped.


    A timely save from a wandering spirit warrior saved his life but by that time, the kid has lost his cultivation. Since then, he was looked down on by family members and rtives. He faced a lot of bullying in the young but his father turned a blind eye.


    After seven years, the 15-year-old coincidentally met the same wandering spirit warriors, who took him as a disciple. And together, they embarked on a journey.


    No one knows where they have been or what Shang Jun was doing, but as he returned home a week ago after being away for 14 years, he somehow gained the cultivation and entered the 7-circle realm while still having the abilities given by the phoenix bloodline.

 Chapter 441 Triumph in the Dungeon: Shang Juns Victorious Battle

    Chapter 441 Triumph in the Dungeon: Shang Jun''s Victorious Battle


    Back to thepetition for the throne, it''s been four days since it began and the first round in this trial was about to end.


    The first round was named the Trial of Monsters. For this round, Dungeon of Venw was selected.


    The six-star dungeon in the Jin province was explored by Bai Xun and the imperial army made sure that no thirty-party adventurer stay in the ce.


    The mission was simple. The five contenders have to enter the dungeon and make a contract with a beast of atleast 4-circle realm within a time limit and return.


    Those who are unsessful will be eliminated from thepetition right away. If there are multiple contenders who are sessful, the one with the highest scores (depending on the type of contracted beast), will be receiving an advantage during the next trial.


    The contenders will enter the ce alone without any help. Shang Jun has the advantage due to his high cultivation while Shang Hao has the lowest chance.


    Shang Xiang has contracted with a peak-5-circle-realm beast of fierce grade named Sylfire, a fire-breathing wolf.


    Shang Zexi was also sessful in contracting with a low-6-circle-ream beast but of normal grade, named the Armored Elephant.


    Shang Wei surprised everyone by going for a 4-circle-realm beast. Some expertsuded him for his cleverness as he hade out by sitting on a horse. It was a lightning-element horse. Despite its low level, it can still run up at the speed of 250 km/hr.


    However, there are some that criticized him too as he can fly with phoenix wings when he enters the six-circle realm. But, his supporters defended him by saying that an Emperor looks cooler riding a horsepared to flying with fiery wings.


    Meanwhile, Shang Ho and Shang Jun were still inside.


    After several failures, the 33-year-old was currently trying to tame a four-hornedrge Bison (peak-4-circle of fierce grade). He was hanging onto its back as it was aggressively jumping around like a bull, trying to shake him off its back.


    Its energy levels slowly dipped down as time passed and Shang Ho''s confidence grew up.


    Unfortunately, for him, fate put Shang Jun in his path. Before he aplished the task, the bison suddenly disappeared alongside every other creature in the region.


    *Thud*


    Shang Ho fell on his butt and was taken aback by the situation. "What the hell has happened?" He wondered before his eyes fell on a giant crab-like creature with a dark, ck shell.


    The beast wasing toward him and Shang Ho''s face turned pale in fear. He quickly started running away in a random direction but the creature didn''t chase after him. It went toward the portal, which could only be essed by humans.


    It entered the portal and exited the dungeon, where a huge campsite was built around with people waiting for the contenders.


    Since it was thest day, Emperor Shang and the other princes have been paying attention to the dungeon in anticipation that Shang Jun gets disqualified.


    As any father, he wants his children to be more sessful than the others. If someone has to be the next emperor, it should be his child, not his brother''s son.


    Once Shang Jun bes the Emperor, the descendants of Shang Fu will be a branch family while the former''s family will be the imperial family. He knew his eldest son very well. Shang Zexi would definitely rebel if Shang Jun sits on the throne.


    More than so, he was inwardly rooting for Shang Wei to seed him. And Shang Jun''s sudden entry also threatened that dream.


    However, as they saw the giant crab, everyone''s expression became serious.


    "He managed to tame the beast king?" mumbled Shang Fu with a darkened expression. The fact that Shang Jun even managed to beat down the ego of a beast king only showcases his ability.


    But, it isn''t over yet.


    Upon reaching the emperor''s campsite, Shang Fu jumped down to the ground and walked toward him.


    He questioned the suprememander whether he passes the first trial. As Bai Xun nodded, he went on to ask whether the following trials have anything to do with the captured beast.


    As the details of the following rounds were already announced, Bai Xun wondered whether there is something wrong with his long-haired prince and replied, "You can use contracted beasts in the battle."


    The six-foot handsome hunk then smiled before leaving ament, "Then, I''ll put it to a better use."


    Neither Bai Xun nor the people around him understood what he meant, but taking them by surprise once again, Shang Jun walked to the beast king and closed his eyes, "Release."


    The phoenix mes burned the invisible chains between him and the beast king, freeing it from the contract.


    The crab king, Venw frowned inwardly as it asked him in a deep voice simr to that of a human, "What are you doing? Why did you sever the bond?"


    Shang Jun smiled as he summoned a semi-divine grade sword and poured his ether energy into it, "Sorry but your usefulness has ended. Perhaps, a dead one is more useful."


    "How dare you?" The Crab king roared in anger, alerting the soldiers around and even the suprememander.


    As the crab king raised its sharp and raised pincers to attack its former contractor, thetter rushed forward with phoenix wings erupting from his back. However, the mes weren''t scarlet like the second prince. The me was blue.


    Meanwhile, the broadsword in his hand grew 100 times bigger with blue mes enveloping the de.


    Jumping high, Shang Jun sliced at the crab''s shell. The hard shell couldn''t block his attack. It was perfectly cleaved into two.


    Shang Jun then proceeded to cut down its head where its core is located. He ced therge head in his storage ring and left behind everything.


    A few moments ago, it is a beast king, the overlord of the dungeon, but now, it is a huge corpse that couldn''t even be cooked and eaten as it is risky to eat a dead crab.


    "Okay, that was done." Maintaining a smile on his face, Shang Jun kept away the sword and pped twice for his effort before bowing toward the corps, "Thank you for your contribution. Your sacrifice will be remembered."


    Everyone: "¡­"

 Chapter 442 Trial of the Scrolls: Unveiling the Path to Wisdom

    Chapter 442 Trial of the Scrolls: Unveiling the Path to Wisdom


    With Shang Ho out of the race, only 4 remained.


    The next day morning;


    At the imperial court filled with officials, the four contenders stood beside each other as they stared at the Emperor sitting on the throne.


    Shang Fu went on to say, "The second phase is the Trial of the Wisdom. As you have been informed earlier, this trial focuses on your wisdom."


    He shifted his attention to the officials and continued, "In the uing trial, the contenders are presented with a series of intricate puzzles, riddles, and tests of intellect. They must unravel ancient scrolls, decipher cryptic symbols, and solveplex logic puzzles. The trial focuses on their strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to make wise and sound decisions under pressure."


    He shifted his attention back to the contenders and spoke, "The trial of wisdom has seven stages. Each day, one stage. The time limit will be sunset.


    For the first stage of this trial, the four of you will be locked in different chambers filled with ancient scrolls. The fragmented information about the Emperor''s lineage and historical events is scattered around the chamber.


    You just have to collect and piece together the scrolls, arranging them in the correct chronological order. You receive a score based on how much work you havepleted. For this task, the maximum score also varies ording to the difficulty.


    Your scores will add up as you go through a different stage of the trial on each day.


    By the end of the seventh day, the one with the least score will be eliminated.


    As for which room each one will go to, it depends on your choice. As the highest-scored contender during the previous trial, Prince Shang Jun would get the first choice.


    Here are the five scrolls."


    The Emperor gave the scrolls to Bai Xun, who then passed them to Shang Jun.


    He opened one.


    It basically contained the difficulty level in the form of chess pieces, like a soldier (max: 50) is the weakest and easiest difficulty, followed by the royal knight (max: 100), Captain (max: 100), General (max: 150), and Supreme Commander (max: 300).


    This time, Shang Jun didn''t go for the best one, assuming that it will be too difficult. He took the general level difficulty.


    After him, Shang Zexi''s turn came. However, he too was reluctant to choose the hardest one. He chose Captain-level difficulty.


    Shang Xiang followed the same way and chose the Royal Knight difficulty, leaving the third prince with the option of two extremes.


    As Shang Wei was staring at each of them, the crown princeughed inwardly. He was delighted to see his prime opponent will end up at a disadvantage whatever choice he makes.


    In the end, the third prince gave one scroll back to the suprememander and spoke, "I will take this."


    Bai Xun opened it curiously and saw that he had the soldier-level difficulty one, meaning Shang Wei will be facing the most difficult one. He personally created this trial and knew how difficult it is going to be.


    Still, as a person who swore an oath to neutrality, he cannot take any sides, and he acted as if he doesn''t care.


    "Contenders, I believe you must have already seen the location written in your scrolls. So, you have to find your way to it. There is no prohibition for assistance. You can take the help to find your way to your respective destinations," said the Emperor before adding, "Remember, all of you have time only until the sunset. Good luck."


    ***


    Lunaris City, Western Moon kingdom;


    In the empty plot ofnd behind the barracks, soldiers were seen crouching on one of their knees while having ether pistols in their hands. Targets were ced about 20 meters away in the form of scarecrows.


    Amidst them, there were also a couple of battle robots with rank-1 and rank-3 respectively.


    Meanwhile, Mark was shouting like an officer, "Now, look at them. Don''t you feel humiliated when these things could strike the target more precisely than you do? All of you can single-handedly beat them in closebat but you lose when in ranged battle. Why?


    Is it because you weren''t ustomed to the firearms? No.


    That is an excuse for the civilian-level soldiers, not royal knights like you guys. If you couldn''t handle small firearms like these, how could you handle big ones? You must have heard about the Phoenix Empire''s recent war with our southern neighbor.


    Before the supreme beings were involved, the Kunyu Royal Force guarded theirnd by not letting any foreigners into theirnd and even kept peace in the Gong City. How?


    They were weak but they had the firearms. They mastered assault rifles and sniper rifles, which can strike targets far away that an arrow can reach.


    I''m not telling you to depend on firearms. Just treat them as a tool to have an advantage over your enemies.


    And how could you master the art of gun firing when you people are not trying hard enough? Put more concentration on the targets. Don''t let your gaze move here and there. Don''t let your hand shiver. You''ll do fine. Now, again. Shoot. Go for the head."


    As Mark was done with his store and learned about everything that there is about the kingdom (through Shen Ling) during the past week, he left the store in Chang Bo''s hands and went to train the firearms unitprised of 500 soldiers, in which 10 royal knights are included. He nned to make one of those royal knights a general for this division.


    In the meantime, he also started a work called ''Project C''. C stands for Cerberus. He nned to create a mechanical Cerberus capable of moving on its own like a Battle Robot while equipped with several types of guns.


    For now, he was using the spare parts of the destroyed robots, especially their batteries.


    So far, he made four such prototypes but none of them worked so far. After a few trials and errors, he realized that the internal batteries appeared to be an issue.


    The multiple batteries from different robots are the ones that make the problem.


    Hence, Mark decided to take them out, and for the past three days, he was busy making an external battery as a power source. However, making it from scratch is something of an arduous task.


    Hence, he dismantled the remaining batteries and merged them all to create a bigger one. Only one more shot is remaining and he doesn''t want to get any failure.


    The circuits and every other part went through multiple checks. And tonight will be the day he will assemble the prototype and go through testing.


    Mark was excited about it and that excitement showed in today''s training. He was slightly more aggressive as he trained the royal knights in handling the guns.


    The evening arrived.


    Back at Imperial City''s imperial pce, everyone was waiting for the contenders toe out of the chambers; meanwhile, in Lunaris City''s royal pce, Mark was looking forward to bedtime.


    He was having tea with the King and talking about the power dynamics. All of a sudden, a holographic screen suddenly pops up in front of his eyes with a message from the system.


    *Ding! You received a message from Allen Spencer.


    Message: Big Bro, Queen Consort Lan Jingyi is here and she intends to talk to you. It appeared she figured out the truth about Shang Jiao''s abduction.


    Mark''s facial expression changed when he saw that. He rose to his feet.


    "What happened?" asked the King of Western Moon.


    Mark replied, "I need to leave to handle an urgent situation. Please excuse me."

 Chapter 443 A Fractured Family: Lies, Hatred, and Despair

    Chapter 443 A Fractured Family: Lies, Hatred, and Despair


    Using his teleportation skill, he traveled to Imperial City in an instant but it took time to return to the store.


    Fortunately, the surveince in the outer sector has reduced by a lot, or one should say it returned to usual, ever since Mark left the city for good.


    So, Mark had it easy as he arrived at his destination, where Lan Jingyi was waiting upstairs living room.


    Upon seeing him, shemented, "You really could teleport, huh."


    "One of my many talents I suppose," Mark shrugged his shoulders and calmly sat down. Looking at her, he then asked, "So, what is it that Queen Consort Lan had to ask me that she visited me during the dusk and even threatened my sibling using false usations?"


    He nned to deny it until he cannot do so.


    Lan Jingyi took a deep breath and replied in a serious tone, "Lan Ju has told me that you were the one who abducted Shang Jiao and you were also the mastermind behind this war. The gold dragon, the demon king from hell, and the zheng, all of them just followed your orders and yed in the grand scheme of yours."


    Mark didn''t expect the zheng would reveal his n. He decided to confront him but for the moment, he needed to handle this woman.


    Since the ultimate defense of the store has been upgraded and even demigods are useless, Mark was confident that this biological mother of his waspletely at his mercy.


    Adding to the fact that she probably came to see him in secret, Mark nned to keep her as a prisoner in case the situation gets out of his hand.


    Looking straight into her eyes without any fear, he leaned back and said, "If you think I did all those, then, you can inform your husband, the Emperor. Since I''m no longer a citizen of your empire, I won''t attend the summoning of the imperial court but he can use his connections with Western Moon''s King to confront me. Whye here?"


    "You know why," replied Lan Jingyi.


    "What do I know?" Mark responded with the question.


    Lan Jingyi looked at the floor and took a deep breath before answering, "The fact that you are not the child of Lu Yimu and Yi Zexi. Emperor Shang is your true father and I''m your¡­"


    "You are my biological mother," finished Mark in ce of her. He actually didn''t expect her toe out with the truth. But, her timing didn''t make it any better. Why did it have to be when Shang Jiao was abducted?


    Lan Jingyi nodded as she continued to look down at her feet, not intending to lock her eyes on her son, "Yeah."


    Mark stared at her for a while. After ten seconds of silence, he asked slowly, "Since, when have you known the truth that I know it?"


    "It''s been a while," replied her mother. After a brief pause, she added, "Your sister told me about it after she identally heard you talking with Lan Jing."


    Mark then asked, "Tell me honestly. If your daughter hasn''t been abducted, this day would nevere right?"


    Lan Jingyi raised her head in shock, not expecting him to take it this way. She tried to defend herself, "No, it''s not what you think. I wanted to tell you a lot of times but you have hatred for us in your heart. Trust me, I thought of revealing it to you after we be a little closer but the opportunity never came due to various events."


    Mark''s words hung heavily in the air as he let out a deep sigh, his voice filled with a somber tone. "Well, it may seem that time has slipped away, Queen Consort Lan," he uttered with a hint of resignation. "Your husband is a notorious skirt chaser who precedes him, and I haven''t been honest in the imperial court either. As many as 46 illegitimate children were killed and that sin was on his head.


    As for you, you are also a selfish individual who was willing to forsake the sect that nurtured you and even your own child for the pursuit of personal happiness. Regrettably, it appears that no matter what path you choose to redeem yourselves, forgiveness may remain elusive." The weight of his words reflected the depth of disappointment and skepticism in his heart.


    "I don''t believe I deserve forgiveness either, my son," Lan Jingyi replied with a heavy heart. "We cannot change the past, but we must find a way to create a better future. There must be something we can do to make amends and rebuild what has been broken." Her voice carried a mix of regret and determination as she looked into her son''s eyes, hoping to convey her sincerity and willingness to make things right.


    However, the darkness in Mark''s heart made him blind to see her sincerity. He said, "In the future that I want to build, there is no ce for you or your husband in my story, Queen Consort Lan. Nevertheless, you still gave birth to this body. Hence, I would thank you.


    As for my so-called sister, don''t worry. She is safe and sound. Unlike you, I don''t do injustice to my family. I may have used her to keep you away from the war, but in return, I''mpensating for it by training her.


    Rather than imprisonment, you can consider it like she was cultivating in seclusion. She will be returned very soon, but not before I see your husband''s doom."


    "Can you atleast let me meet her once?" asked Lan Jingyi, dropping her ns of freeing her. "I promise you that I will just talk to her once and leave. Yu can trust me on that."


    Mark, however, didn''t intend to listen to her request too. He denied it right away, "Sorry but I don''t trust you. You are someone who was even willing to see your husband bow his head in humiliation rather than lending your strength. In fact, with your strength, you wouldn''t need to send me away in secret.


    You wouldn''t have worried about giving birth to a baby without the potential to be a Spirit Warrior. You could just stop your husband as he yed around with the lives of the women. With you helping your husband, he wouldn''t have depended on the major noble ns and perhaps be more righteous in his rule.


    The princes and the nobles would probably be more afraid ofmitting crimes againstmoners. Just a word from you would have been enough to make Li Zheng Kang and your dear mother-inw stop their nefarious schemes of killing the innocents in the name of protecting your family''s dignity.


    A demigod in the imperial family of Phoenix will bring the foreigners toe here and settle. The Phoenix Empire would have been more prosperous. The Phoenix Empire would have gotten more allies.


    Perhaps, I would have grown up as a prince and probably look up to you, trying to work hard as I follow the path of righteousness.


    But, you chose to hide your strength and behaved as if you are a civilian. Why? It''s because you are afraid that your husband won''t love you when he realizes that you are a demigod that can destroy his whole empire on a whim. He would fear you.


    To protect your secret, you continued to act for decades as a helpless queen who cannot do anything about the issues in the empire.


    Now, tell me. Do you think you are trusted worthy?"

 Chapter 444 The Lamp of Wishes: Allens Surprising Request

    Chapter 444 The Lamp of Wishes: Allen''s Surprising Request


    Lan Jingyi has no answer for Mark''s usation and she didn''t appear to be interested to defend herself too.


    In the end, after a long silence, she rose to his feet and said, "I understand that you won''t trust me no matter what kind of reason I give you. But, I will have to say these words whether you believe them or not, Shang Zen. It is true that I acted as a civilian and I ignored his actions as I was afraid of ruining my marriage.


    However, I didn''t abandon you. Rather, it is the opposite. If I didn''t keep you away from me to change your fate, you would have passed away on your 25th birthday. I truly regretted it when I heard you were dead along with your parents.


    I can''t do anything about it but what I can do now is to tell you theplete truth when you are ready to hear it.


    Before I leave, I assure you that your secret will be safe with me. But, I will not give up on searching for my daughter too."


    She turned around and started walking away.


    "Great statement. But, why do you think¡­" Mark wanted to say that he wouldn''t allow her to leave as she pleased but taking him by surprise, Lan Jingyi turned into a blur and disappeared from his sight.


    "What the¡­" Mark stood up on his feet at once, shocked by what he witnessed so far.


    "System, shouldn''t my store disable the powers of even demigods? How did she teleport away?" Mark fired at his system.


    *Ding! The host confirmed that he no longer considers the imperial city as home. Hence, the store is no longer considered as the main branch. The skills exclusive to the store were disabled.


    "Why didn''t you say it before?" Mark raised his voice, feeling like he had almost shot in his own foot just now. What would have happened if he had attacked Lan Jingyi and then realizes that her powers aren''t sealed?


    Of course, she might have forgiven him based on the fact that she is his mother and still has feelings of guilt. However, it will also affect his justification as he brings down the Shang Dynasty.


    The frustration made him shout at the system, which coolly responded with a notification.


    *Ding! The system remembers informing the host about such a rule long ago. It isn''t the fault of the system if the host forgets it.


    Mark''s face reddened further as frustration turned into embarrassment, "Fine, it''s my fault. Since you disabled the skills, then, you could transfer it to the branch at Lunaris city."


    *Ding! Do you wish to switch your main branch from Imperial City to Lunaris City?


    *Ding! Note: the current store at Imperial City will turn into a branch and will rece the branch store at Lunaris City in the side quest. Note 2: The blueprint will be transferred to the new main branch.


    There''s a side quest that asked him to open branches in different cities and make a sale of 1000 weapons per each.


    Shifting the main branch would be a good idea as the store at the imperial city has already attained fame enough to pull in the crowds.


    However, the following note stated that the residence will also be shifted. It''ll turn the six-story tower into a residential mansion. More than an upgrade, it could be a downgrade.


    Hence, Mark threw away such an idea and nned to create a main store somewhere else.


    Furthermore, he had another question in his mind he would have to solve.


    Before Lan Jingyi left, she said that if she didn''t abandon him, he would die on his 25th birthday.


    Lu Zhen''s parents always celebrated his birthday on the 4th day of the tenth month of the year. After their deaths, he found that it was false from a family friend with whom he had worked for ten years. Lu Zhen didn''t care much about it as he felt his birthday no longer mattered.


    Meanwhile, the third prince celebrates on 4th day of the seventh month of the year.


    Mark knew that his soul was merged with Lu Zhen''s soul on the same day as his real birthday. Hence, technically, Lu Zhen died on the day he turned 25.


    Then, did Lan Jingyi foresee his death? How? Even after what she indirectly termed as a sacrifice for the greater good, it still happened.


    "An irremovable curse? Or some kind of hereditary disease?" Mark didn''t know what it is but he knew that the time wille again. He has to be patient for now.


    Mark went into meditation for a while in order to clear his head of any messy thoughts.


    As the sunset in the west, the darkness loomed over the empire. At the Imperial Pce, the Emperor announced the scores of the contenders. Shang Wei took the lead with almost perfect marks (285), followed by Shang Jun (150), then, Shang Xiang (100), and finally, Shang Zexi (90).


    After their results were out, everyone was dismissed and told to wait for the next day.


    Meanwhile, Mark was served dinner by Allen. As he was eating, the android kept on staring at him until the former questioned him.


    "What is it, Allen? You look like you want to say something." Mark urged him to speak without any hesitation.


    Allen took a couple of seconds and then asked, "I was just wondering what it feels like to love someone."


    "Love?" Mark looked at him in wonder. "Why the sudden curiosity?" He asked.


    "Lin Xue¡­" Allen was about to tell about his talk with Lin Xue but for some reason, he couldn''t say it. He covered it up by saying, "Nothing, earlier Sister Xue was talking about you and Lady Song loving each other and caring for each other. I''m just curious and wanted to confirm something. Big Bro, tell me please¡­"


    Allen didn''t realize himself, but just now, he lied to the only one who he stays loyal.


    As he urged Mark, thetter answered with a smile while remembering Song Yue, "It is actually tough to exin. But, if I had to simplify, when you love someone, you would have a strong emotional bond with the person. Just thinking about your love will bring a smile to your face. You would miss her greatly when you are alone.


    When you are happy, you would want to share it with her first. When you are sad, she is thest person you would want to share it with. Even if you are the strongest person in the world, you would still feel vulnerable in her presence, and you enjoy such a feeling.


    Everyone has their own way of expressing their love.


    But, if you ask me, Song Yue is the light that filled the darkness in my heart. In her presence, I would forget about revenge and just feel like enjoying the present. If I had to make a choice between her and the rest of the world, at any given time, I wouldn''t hesitate to burn the whole world."


    "Does love has such power?" Allen asked innocently.


    Mark smiled as he answered, "It''s because you love someone with your heart. And the heart always has the power to suppress the logical reasoning of the brain."


    "Heart, huh?" Allen mumbled in a low tone as he ced his hand on his own chest.


    Mark continued with his dinner. He cut arge piece of steak and stuffed his mouth, enjoying the taste.


    As he was busy chewing it, Allen suddenly spoke, "Big Bro, I want to be a human. Can you use the Lamp of Wishes to turn me into a human?"


    *Cough* Cough*


    Mark swallowed at once due to the shock. For a couple of seconds, he suffocated with the food stuck in his throat. Allen hurriedly gave him the ss of water.


    He hurriedly drank it and swallowed down the whole.


    cing it on the table, he looked at the android, "What did you say?"

 Chapter 445 Forbidden Love: The Decision to Become Human

    Chapter 445 Forbidden Love: The Decision to Be Human


    A couple of minutester;


    An eerie silence filled in the room. Mark didn''t know what to speak either. An android and a human loving each other? Perhaps, only in movies, he saw such weird things.


    And then, Lin Xue knows the truth and breaks off their rtionship?


    For a moment, he felt like a side character and Allen was the main character of the story. It was quite cinematic.


    But then again, this is reality. Such a taboo rtionship isn''t eptable here. And that is why Allen wanted to be a human.


    It wasn''t as if he doesn''t understand Allen''s sincerity. He even confirmed with the system that it can create a physical body for Allen and transfer his core into the body.


    The new body will not have any soul and will die when the core is destroyed. However, doing this would not only disconnect Allen and Mark but thetter even had to sacrifice themp of wishes as the cooldown timer will be ten years before using it again.


    As a part of his exnation, he even promised to make a new body for Alina as long as they can gather the required materials.


    But, it is a tough decision for Mark. On one hand, he wants to help out Allen''s love. And on another hand, he doesn''t want to take unnecessary risks.


    As Mark was thinking about what decision he should take, Allen then further said,


    "Big Bro, in my current situation, I''m not strong enough to guard you and neither could I help you in innovations as it would waste my skills. After turning into a human, I n to turn into a weapon research specialist.


    The knowledge I receive from the system so far will be enough for me to help you in setting up a research facility. In the meantime, we can study the physical body I left behind for our Project Android to create a perfect body for Alina. Until then, Alina can stay in the Cerberos (robotic version of Cerberus). Let me assist you in Project-C."


    Mark thought for a bit. If it was someone else, perhaps, Mark would have thought about the pros and cons. However, Allen is someone special to him.


    As he earlier mentioned, the heart has the power to control the logic of the brain when such special people are involved. Mark wanted to see Allen happier.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark spoke softly, his voice filled with a mix of concern and determination. "Allen, I understand you. But, before taking the decision, I need to talk with Lin Xue. I want to see if she truly loves you as you described or if it is just your delusion."


    Allen replied, "It might be a bit tough as she was emotionally unstable at the moment. However, I can share with you the recorded data of ourst meeting."


    "Okay, do it." Mark went on to watch the recording. Allen was quite ufortable while sharing the memory of that night, but if he wants the approval of his big bro, there was no way out of it.


    Upon watching the whole clip, Mark could only let out a deep sigh and nodded slowly, "I see that she acted quite emotional for someone known to be cold and elusive. And she also seems to be deeply broken by your truth. Alright, I support your love. I will turn you into a human, Allen."


    Allen''s face glowed brightly in happiness and he kowtowed right away, expressing his thankfulness, "I''m grateful to have an owner like you, Big Bro. It is out of my calctions to see such a day."


    Mark sighed again as hemented, "Ai¡­ I didn''t expect to see such a day either."


    Sometimeter;


    "System, Open the blueprint section."


    A series of blueprints appeared on the holographic screen. He needs to spend 800,000 credits toplete the side quest and acquire the Lamp of Wishes and the Staff of Blessing at the same time.


    Hence, he decided to upgrade his store instead of spending it all on purchasing skills or items.


    The current one stands at 25000 gold coins, somewhere in the middle. However, he had to spend a lot. So, he didn''t look at anything else on the way and just scrolled and scrolled to the right until he entered the high-end section.


    The blueprint goes all the way to a billion gold coins. Hence, he didn''t go too far and just looked around the 4-10 million range.


    In the end, he chose the one with a price of about 6.5 million gold coins, i.e. 1.3 million credits.


    *Ding! Upgrade the interior of the store, right now?"


    "How long it will take for the upgrade?" Mark asked. Thest time he upgraded the store, it took 3 hours.


    *Ding! The renovation will take 715 hours, i.e. 29 days and 19 hours.


    "That long? Don''t you think you are taking too much time?" Mark was slightly taken aback by thepletion time. If such a building will take more than a month time, what if he chose the most expensive interior? Will it take years?


    However, the system is always known to counter its host. Without any surprise, the system replied to him.


    *Ding! In your past life terms and calcting the price of gold during the time of the host''s death, right now, the host put an order to build a 5 billion dor pce with state-of-the-art facilities and still expecting it to be done in 24 hours or something?


    Mark could feel like the system appears to be angry or annoyed. He ended the argument right away, "Fair enough. But, we won''t proceed with the recement right now. Put it on hold and drag the blueprint right to the front. I don''t want to waste too much time with scrolling again."


    *Ding! Affirmed


    Mark closed the window without proceeding with the purchase as he intended to sleep there for the night.


    Allen was connected with Mark and he knew how his master will proceed with the purchase as well as the upgrade in the morning.


    He couldn''t help but be excited. And he wanted to tell this good news to Lin Xue.


    Perhaps, Mark''stest briefing about love had an effect on him. Allen couldn''t just stop smiling as he imagined the girl.


    As midnight arrived, he left the store and made his way to the Lin Mansion.

 Chapter 446 Return of Alina

    Chapter 446 Return of Alina


    <nullb>Mark''s Factory;


    Mark''s spirit entered his factory space and the assistant robots proceeded with assembling all the parts.


    This time, the Robotic Cerberus was connected to arge external battery, which was fully powered.


    The whole thing was brought to the testing space and Mark proceeded with theunch.


    Marknd on its back to activate it. Just as he was about to switch it on, Mark took back his hand in nervousness.


    "No, let''s not risk this."


    Mark remembered Allen''s advice and wondered if he could integrate Alina''s core into this robot by himself.


    But, he doesn''t want to risk getting it damaged either.


    Hence, he consulted the system.


    "System, can the core get damaged if something unexpected happens in this project?"


    The system was always quick to reply.


    <nullb>*Ding! Negative. The exterior of the core is made from adamantium alloy, which can resist the attack of even a demigod.


    <nulli>"Hmm¡­ then, this is safe, I guess¡­"


    Mark brought the robot back to hisb and dismantled its upper body. A couple of hourster, with the help of assistant robots in the factory, he managed to build a cube-shaped batterypartment, somewhere below its joint neck.


    As the life came to the six eyes of the Robotic Cerberus, instead of barking like it was +designed, the middle head spoke in a human speech, and surprisingly, that too, in a The connection to the external battery isn''t removed as he inserted the glowing cube, taken from his inventory, into the batterypartment. Mark felt like the cube needed a jumpstart.


    The rest of the body was reassembled and then brought back to the testing space once again.


    Landing on its back, Mark took a deep breath and reached out to the switch. <nulli>"Please, let it work¡­ please let it work¡­"


    Filled with nervousness, Mark switched it on and then jumped onto the ground.


    A tremendous amount of electrical power was released by the 500 Ah Battery and entered the robot. The glowing cube glowed more brightly, powering up everything in a couple of seconds.


    As the life came to the six eyes of the Robotic Cerberus, instead of barking like it was designed, the middle head spoke in a human speech, and surprisingly, that too, in a female pitch he was familiar with, "Big Brother, I can move¡­"


    It let out a scream of delight as it extended its head toward Mark. Not being able to stop smiling, thetter touched the head and spoke, "Wee back, Alina."


    He doesn''t need to question the three-headed robot further to ascertain that she is his Alina. "Sorry for taking so long."


    "I missed you," replied Alina without feeling any difort in the body of a robotic dog.


    ***


    <nullb>Meanwhile, at Lin Wuying''s Mansion;


    Allen was sitting on the window as he was silently staring at the sleeping beauty.


    Usually, this can be considered creepy, but the android has yet to understand such logic of privacy. He was just savoring the moment as he found her more beautiful, for some reason.


    There was warmness in his core and he couldn''t stop smiling but it is quite difficult to understand what this new type of feeling he was experiencing. Taking Mark''s lessons as advice, the android felt like this is probably Love.


    He doesn''t want to disturb her sleep and neither does he want to leave. Hence, during the whole night, he just stared at her, until it was dawn.


    By the time he returned to the store, Mark was found to be asleep, but he wasn''t alone in the store.


    There was a 7-foot big three-headed robot dog lying in the living room, just like a dog does as it sleeps. There are a few books spread around it. One of them is opened.


    Upon his entry, it quickly woke up and looked at the android, "Allen¡­"


    Allen scanned it for a second and eximed in surprise, "Alina? Did Big Bro manage to integrate your core with it? Wow, he is really a genius."


    "Hmpf, of course. My ''Mark'' is the trailzer, crafting the weapons that will define the future," replied Alina filled with pride in her voice.


    "Your Mark?" As Allen raised his eyebrow, Alina patted the floor with his right paw, "A figure of speech, Lover Boy. essed Mark''s memories and saw that you want to be a human because of Lady Lin. You want to marry her, huh? I''m really proud of you, my elder brother. You get to bang the beauty. I almost once had sex with Mark but you interrupted in a timely manner. Back then, I didn''t think much but now, it seemed like that kissing was a good experience."


    Allen blushed in embarrassment before scolding her, "Hey, watch yournguage, will you."


    "Grow up, bro. When you be a human, you''ll be an adult. Hence, you should also behave like one. ording to these books, once you were lovers, you could hold hands and embrace each other every once in a while, and could only have sex after you married. Or you visit a brothel if you want nonmitment sex.


    It was said that people often go there to experience it so that they get to perform better with their spouses. There were quite an amount of techniques described in the fourth novel. Even the main protagonist, Li An went there with his troublesome buddies. After turning into a human, I think you should¡­"


    "I believe big bro told you to stop reading those erotic novels," interrupted Mark as he was too embarrassed to hear her anymore. Furthermore, she wasn''t in Android form. Such wordsing from a robotic Cerberus appeared even weirder.


    Alina let out a sigh and her robotic heads copsed on the floor as she replied, "I was too bored."


    "Well, it won''t be long before we leave this ce. So, you just have to wait for a bit." Allen reminded her about the renovation while thinking about his uing new transformation.


    Soon, Mark woke up from his sleep, freshened up, and sat for breakfast.


    Allen sat patiently as Mark was having the food. He, however, became restless as every second of waiting felt like an hour.


    Once Mark was done, Allen could no longer wait and reminded him about the upgrade.


    Alina couldn''t help herself teasing him again as soon as she saw the opportunity, "our dear Allen couldn''t wait to prove his manhood to his lover, eh."


    Allen got irritated quickly, "Would you stop being so dirty, Alina! Ever since you were reborn in this robotic Cerberus, your speech is bing uncontroble."


    "Ho! Our dear bridegroom is getting angry¡­" As Alina continued to tease her older brother, Mark stopped her, "Okay, that''s enough. Let''s have a serious discussion. Allen, sit down."


    As the android took his seat, Mark looked straight into his eyes and said, "Mark, before taking this decision, you should remember one thing. Once you be a human, there''s noing back, not because there isn''t a way or something. It is because you are taking a decision on your own and I don''t want you to have regrets. Whatever it might be, you will have to stick with your decision. Understood?"


    Allen nodded firmly.


    "Good. Then, let''s get this done."


    Mark opened the blueprint section and proceeded with the upgrade.


    <nullb>*Ding! 1.3 million Credits have been deducted. <nullb>*Ding! System expansion is about to start in 5 seconds.


    <nullb>*Ding! Youpleted the side quest III and received Staff of Blessing and Lamp of Wishes as a reward.


    <nullb>*Ding! You received a new side quest.

 Chapter 447 Secret Ally for the Crown Prince: Marks Role in the Trial

    Chapter 447 Secret Ally for the Crown Prince: Mark''s Role in the Trial


    As the ck-colored barrier enveloped the store, Mark and Allen get transported out of the store.


    As for Alina, since she wasn''t an android, she could be ced in the inventory. Hence, Mark stored her in one of his inventory slots before getting kicked out.


    Aftering out in the open, Mark didn''t waste time in equipping the exo skeleton suit and flew away. Allen followed him from behind until they reach a remote location with nothing but wild trees and nts around.


    "Open inventory."


    From the inventory, he then took out an object that resembled a genie''smp.


    "Do I need to rub it or something?" He wondered.


    <nullb>*Ding! You got it correctly.


    Assuming that a familiar-looking genie wille out of the magicalmp, Mark rubbed it on its side, "Come out genie and grant my wishes."


    However, only smoke came out. There is no genie inside themp. Instead, he just got a notification.


    <nullb>*Ding! You used themp of wishes. The host may now state the wish. ording to the wish (if it could be granted), the cooldown timer will change.


    <nullb>*Warning: Please be careful when asking for the wish. The wrong choice of words might bring cmity to the host.


    With his cheeks reddened in embarrassment, Mark didn''t argue with the system and spoke out loud, "I wish for a healthy functioning human body for Allen''s core to transfer into.


    Now for the conditions. It should have the same appearance as his current self but include all parts of a healthy adult male. The system should transfer his core into his new human body and not take his android body that was left behind. All of his current abilities and rank should be retained by his new body."


    <nullb>*Ding! Is that all? Once the wish was locked in, it cannot be changed.


    "Hmm¡­" Mark thought, <nulli>"Since you are already giving me a wish, I might as well add powers. Nah, if I will be too greedy, the cooldown timer will be so high that it will be unusable anymore. Let''s just add a simple thing."


    He then said, "The new body shall possess the light attribute and remain the owner of Aries, the sword of light."


    <nullb>*Ding! Locked in the wish?


    "Proceed."


    <nullb>*Ding! Please wait for a while. Calcting¡­


    10 secondster;


    <nullb>*Ding! The wish shall be granted and has a cooldown timer of 12 years, 6 months, and 15 days.


    *Note: The host cannot change the wish and can only modify it.


    "Proceed with the wish, System."


    <nullb>*Ding! Proceeding with the wish.


    Mark''s forehead brightly glowed in the next second before shooting out a beam of golden energy toward Allen.


    As the android was hit with it, he copsed on the ground and his core was extracted by the system before dragging it into Mark''s body.


    <nullb>*Ding! The process has been started. Estimated time forpletion: 176 days.


    <nullb>*Ding! Trade Allen''s android body for 20 million credits?


    "No thanks¡­" Mark ced Allen''s body in the inventory as he rejected the system''s offer. However, strangely, the system didn''t stop.


    <nullb>*Ding! Trade Allen''s android body for rank-6 android?


    "A rank-6 android?" Mark felt slightly suspicious. Why would the system offer such a deal? Nevertheless, he wasn''t interested in selling it.


    "Nope." He rejected it again.


    Little did he expect that the system didn''t back down, it stayed persistent in acquiring the body.


    <nullb>*Ding! Trade Allen''s android body for rank-7 android?"


    "A rank 7 android?"


    It was then Mark felt too suspicious. As he remembered how the system attempted quite a few times on acquiring Allen, He couldn''t help but ask, "What is Allen''s specialty? Is there a secret in his body or something?"


    <nullb>*Ding! Allen''s body was augmented by the upgrade crystals.


    "Nope, even before that, you were interested in retrieving Allen from me," Mark argued back. This time, he felt like the system is hiding something.


    <nullb>*Ding! Allen''s body is made of superior materials and is more precious than the rest.


    "What kind of materials?" Mark asked.


    But this time, there was no response from the system.


    "Hmpf, I can find it out myself." Mark nned to research it anyways. Hence, he thought the system''s silence shouldn''t be a big deal.


    Opening up a portal, he returned to Lunaris City and traveled to the royal pce by his vehicle.


    ***


    Roughly around a couple of hourster, at the Imperial pce, the four contenders were summoned to the imperial court just like the earlier day.


    Emperor Shang then announced the second stage of the Trial. Once again, they were locked in private chambers filled with hundreds of scrolls ording to their difficulty.


    However, this round is about solving the riddles. The Contenders are presented with a series of riddles and brainteasers that test their problem-solving skills andteral thinking. They must unravel the mysteries and provide correct answers within a time limit.


    As the highest scorer of the previous trial, Shang Jun gets to choose once again. Even for the remaining 5 stages of the trial''s second phase, he will be the first to choose too.


    Once again, he chose the second most difficult one.


    Shang Xiang also chose a safe route. However, the crown prince went with the toughest one, not intending to give an opportunity for his brother to get ahead of him in the race.


    And he lost this gamble as he wasn''t as smart and intelligent as Shang Wei. Once again, he ended up getting the lowest score.


    defend their positions against opposing viewpoints.


    In this round, a heavypetition urred between Shang Wei and Shang Jun but The following day, they weren''t locked anymore. Instead, a philosophical debate was conducted in front of the ministers and officials.


    Contenders must engage in a lively debate on philosophical topics and ethical dilemmas. They must present logical arguments, demonstrate critical thinking, and defend their positions against opposing viewpoints.


    In this round, a heavypetition urred between Shang Wei and Shang Jun but the third prince eventually won the most score.


    On Day 4, Contenders were faced with a simted diplomatic scenario where they must negotiate and resolve conflicts between different factions or kingdoms. Their ability to navigateplex political situations, foster alliances, and find peaceful resolutions will be evaluated.


    Here, Shang Jun excelled the most. Despite the fact that Emperor Shang is rooting for his children, he couldn''t help but praise Shang Jun''s diplomatic ways, although it was only in theory.


    On Day 5, Contenders are presented with a strategic warfare scenario and must deviseprehensive battle ns to ovee challenges and achieve victory. They must demonstrate tactical acumen, resource management, and adaptability in their strategies.


    Once again, Shang Jun excelled here.


    On Day 6, Contenders were presented with a series of ethical dilemmas and must make difficult decisions that impact the well-being of the empire and its people. Their ability to weigh consequences, consider multiple perspectives, and make wise judgments will be scrutinized.


    Shang Wei won this stage.


    By the end of Day 6, Shang Wei was slightly leading with a score of 1245; Shang Jun was in second with a score of 1198; Shang Xiang was in third ce with a score of 640 and Shang Zexi was inst ce with a score of 610.


    The officials, the ministers, and the public weren''t interested in who will emerge as the first in this trial. They wanted to know who will be eliminated.


    Only onest stage in the second trial remained and Shang Zexi wanted to make sure that he gets qualified for the next trial.


    The final stage of this trial is a test for leadership. Contenders are given a group of individuals with varying skills and personalities and must lead them through a challenging task or obstacle. Their leadership qualities, including decision-making,munication, and motivation, will be assessed.


    The three contenders arrived at the court to receive their helpers.


    But, the fourth one never arrived even as the time crossed half past nine in the morning, bringing a frown to the Emperor. The servants couldn''t find him in his allotted room either.


    "Someone, go and fetch Shang Xiang, this instant," said the displeased Emperor.


    Shang Wen, the second prince responded to it, "Your Majesty. I''ll go and investigate the matter."


    The crown prince, who seemed very pleased by the incident, stated his opinion, "Your Majesty, we cannot dy the trial, any longer. It''s already been more than 30 minutes. Those who don''t give value to the time of the imperial court don''t deserve to be your sessor. I suggest you disqualify him right away."


    "Yes, Your Majesty" "I agree, Your Majesty" "The Crown Prince is right, Your Majesty"


    The three ministers who are in Shang Zexi''s camp chimed along so that their prince will be saved. Meanwhile, Shang Jun and Shang Wei nced suspiciously at the crown prince, wondering whether he has something to do with it.

 Chapter 448 A Unveiled: Trials, Rivalries, And Hidden Agendas

    ?


    2 hours and 30 minutester;


    As the time reached noon, Shang Wen returned to the court with a piece of bad news that Shang Xiang, the Grand Prince is nowhere to be found.


    Following the rules, Emperor Shang announced the disqualification of Shang Xiang and just ended the trial with Shang Wei as the winner. Everyone was dismissed and given a break for the rest of the day.


    Shang Jun, Shang Wei, and Shang Zexi proceeded to the next trial, which is called the Trial of Strength.


    This trial is quite straightforward.


    They shall choose their teammates and fight Bai Xun in the arena in a 2v1 battle. The only condition is that the selected teammate must be someone who works for the military. Retired or active duty, it doesn''t matter.


    Shang Wei was leading in the previous trial. Hence, he got the opportunity to choose his teammate before the others.


    Without any hesitation, he went for his brother. Shang Wen epted it as he too was rooting for the third prince in his heart.


    Shang Zexi cried fouled in his heart but he cannot do anything about it.


    First of all, Shang Wei has the privilege.


    Secondly, the rtionship between him (crown prince) and the second prince isn''t so great that thetter would work with him.


    And then, Shang Jun surprised everyone by choosing General Hu, the one who was captured by Mark and released by Western Moon, as his teammate.


    That leaves Shang Zexi with two generals and four vice generals to choose from the active-duty soldiers. The remaining ones are all in 5-circle or below realms despite their huge numbers.


    As for the retired soldiers, they are either too old or suffering from a disability. No sane person would pick them for a battle.


    As a result, Shang Zexi had to pick up General Yan, the one whomands the northern imperial army while staying in the imperial city.


    They were given five days of preparations to increase their strength, improve teamwork, develop strategies, etc¡­


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the Western Moon kingdom;


    "Okay, that''s it for today. We''ll resume the training tomorrow with explosives," said Mark to the royal knights. There''s Song Yue and Xie Mei in the group too. The former was gleaming in excitement while thetter looked very depressed. As for Song Yun, he just stayed on the side as if he doesn''t exist.


    Soon, the four of them started returning to the pce.


    On the way, Song Yue was chattering nonstop about how she has improved so greatly during the past few days. On the other hand, Xie Mei stayed silent as she was following them.


    For the past couple of weeks, Mark spent most of his time training the soldiers.


    Originally, for the following week, he nned to tour all over the kingdom to choose the right spots for airstrips and runways.


    But, as he was stuck with the newly formed firearms division, his ns were postponed a bit.


    Not wanting to just stay as a trainer all the time, he included Song Yue in his training so that he gets valuable time to spend with her. Xie Mei also joined them with an excuse of mastering the sniping rifle. Of course, there''s also an underlying motivation of impressing the guy she is determined to marry.


    But, the reality struck her quite hard.


    As a person who devoted to archery since she was a child, it is tough for her to handle the guns despite her superior eyesight.


    As if that wasn''t bad enough, Song Yue''s superior talent in handling the gun frustrated her even more.


    In her eyes, this woman, who Mark loves, is an individual who cannot do cooking, house chores, fight, or even has the potential to reach high cultivation realms.


    All Song Yue had is the beauty and gracefulness of a nobledy.


    While there were no ill feelings between Song Yue and Xie Mei, thetter believes herself superior to the former in every way except for age and driving the unique vehicle.


    When she was badly defeated by Song Yue in the art of firearms, she was shocked but then told herself that it is not the difference in talent. She thought that it is the difference in experience.


    While she was depressed about losing, she was determined to surpass her as fast as possible.


    The only problem was that she knew Mark wouldn''t cooperate to fulfill her ambitions.


    Hence, she decided to opt for a different method.


    Upon reaching the royal pce, she didn''t talk much and returned to her room with an excuse of showering.


    Mark and Song Yue didn''t pay much attention to her as they were busy chatting about their wedding ns.


    Song Yue was talking about consulting the fortune teller rmended by Princess Shen Ling but Mark was skeptical about such things.


    He doesn''t want to say no but doesn''t want to listen to the fortune teller or his pieces of advice either. Hence, he decided to make a personal visit to the fortune teller before their official visit.


    Time passed away and midnight arrived.


    Mark sat on his bed and closed his eyes. He concentrated on establishing a connection with one of the ancient beasts on his private ind.


    Since the distance isn''t that high, the two-way telepathicmunication was set up easily.


    "How is our new hostage doing? Any resistance?"


    "Doesn''t matter. Just don''t kill him. That''s all. Break his legs and heal them again and again if it is necessary."


    "Is Shang Jiao going to break through very soon?"


    "Oh, Yong volunteered to spar her for today? That''s new."


    "Okay, what about your progress?"


    "You all need to make the breakthrough to 7-circle within the next five days even if you had to eat every spirit beast living in the ocean. It will be tough to keep three of them there if you couldn''t do it."


    "I know that the four of you could work together to cast a grand barrier over the ind but still, you have to be careful. You cannot underestimate anyone with a strong bloodline like Blizzard Pegasus or Phoenix."


    "Just a few months of wait; you all will find a new home that you like. Until then, please be patient."


    "Okay, I need to sleep. I''m severing the connection."


    Once he was done conversing with the leader of his four mythical beasts, Xuanwu, the ck tortoise, hey down on the bed and took a nap for a couple of minutes before deciding to enter the factory.

 Chapter 449 Unleashing Song: The Birth Of A Formidable Missile

    In the factory, the robotic Cerberus (Alina) was seen lying on the floor and sleeping.


    Alina opened her eyes at once as she sensed her master''s presence.


    "Big Brother¡­" She greeted him by jumping onto him like a real puppy. Mark hurriedly dodged and scolded her, "Hey, do you want to crush me or something?"


    "Oops!" Alina apologized, although her tone suggested that she was trying to act silly, not a heartfelt one.


    "Forget it. Follow me." Mark didn''t care about it and just walked to the table while Alina followed him from behind. He smiled as he looked at the parts spread all over the long table, "let''s finish this up¡­"


    Half an hourter;


    They have what seemed like a 2-story building-sized missile, which is currently iplete. "Now, for the warhead¡­"


    Mark didn''t have any technology to create them from scratch. Hence, he used the loophole and dismantled the nuclear Brahmos missile he purchased to integrate with Gripen Aircraft through some modifications.


    He used his 9.6 points of strength to take out the 300kg spherical warhead from the Brahmos missile and inserted it in the nuclear version of his.


    Another 20 minutester;


    An 8.6 meters missile was finallypleted. Rubbing his palms in excitement, Mark mumbled, "Now, only testing it remained."


    It was then Alina reminded him, "This missile is based on the Brahmos missile itself. Hence, this can only be fired by that one specific Gripen Aircraft you have modified for the Brahmos missile during the past week. But, you still don''t know how to fly and Allen isn''t avable for the moment. What will you do about it?"


    Mark smiled in response, "I don''t n on firing it from the aircraft."


    "Eh?" Alina was taken aback for a second. Unlike in the past, she isn''t connected to his mind and doesn''t know what her master was thinking. Hence, she can only analyze it through logic.


    Mark first transferred the missile and Alina to the testing ce with a thought in his mind. He then opened the inventory to take out what seemed like a truck with 12 wheels. But, it has fourunching tubes in the back and other machinery.


    "I purchased this specifically for Brahmos missile as I thought it is best to have and-baseduncher as those LARS systems underperformed in the recent war. It only cost me 300,000 credits to unlock this and each unit only cost 20,000 gold coins to purchase."


    As Mark exined his strategy, Alina argued, "But, I didn''t see you modify it in any way. The new missile might have been inspired by Brahmos but it is still a different one with different sets of mechanisms. On the other hand, this Mobile autonomousuncher (MAL) is specifically designed for Brahmos. As if that wasn''t troubling enough, you inserted the warhead. For a missile head, there is no need for a nuclear warhead, you know. I worry about system failure or worse, an idental explosion during theunch."


    Mark smiled while waving his hand, "Rx. With luck on our side, there should be no fear of failure."


    A few days ago, during his weekly lottery wheel spinning, he won the mystery box. It has neither powerful items nor skills.


    Instead, he was given a choice to choose one reward between the two. One is a +1 stat card that can take any stat one realm above as long as it doesn''t cross 10 points. It could even be applied to others.


    The other choice is a +2 luck Card, which raises his luck points permanently. With the additional passive points from the ring of luck, he had now 9 points. He doesn''t even need to absorb it from others to be a lucky person.


    Hence, everything is just going in his waytely. Even abducting Shang Xiang from the imperial pce became as easy as strolling in a park. And Lan Jingyi also appeared to be ignoring it.


    Back to the present, putting his hopes on his own luck points, Mark inserted the missile into theunching tube using a two-step-transportation method, i.e. first transporting the missile to his inventory, and then equipping it in theuncher. After all, he cannot just carry a missile with over 2800kg of weight. Maybe, he could if he practices enough, but for the moment, he opted for this smart method.


    Theuncher provided by the system has the control system right in the driver''s chamber just like with the tanks. It made his job a lot easier.


    Mark sat inside and operated the vehicle. Theunching tubes slowly rose toward the sky.


    "On the count of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­ Go."


    Mark pressed the big red button that was seen beside the map screen with an x mark on a specific spot.


    At once, the missile wasunched high into the air before changing its direction horizontally. The parts of its outer shell wereing off as it zoomed into the air like lightning.


    For the next four minutes, there was nothing.


    Mark and Alina waited patiently as this was in his calctions.


    On the 5th minute, he received a notification from the system.


    *Ding! The missile test has been sessful. It has hit a distance of more than 100 km. You have sessfullypleted the side quest. You unlocked all types of warheads in the gallery.


    *Ding! Would you like to register the missile?


    "Yes."


    *Ding! Name the missile.


    "Well, let''s call it Song."


    *Ding! Missile Song was added to the system''s data.


    *Ding! You received 100,000 credits as a one-time payment as you used the system''s owned warhead.


    Missile Song


    Length: 8.62 meters


    Diameter: 0.67 meters


    Weight: 2627 kg (without warhead)


    Range: ~316 km (without warhead)


    Speed: Supersonic (approximately Mach 2.9)


    Warhead: 390 kg


    Yield: 42 Kilotons


    The energy released at the point of impact: 175 Terajoules (equivalent stats: ~11.1)


    Propulsion: Twin-stage solid propent booster followed by a liquid ramjet sustainer engine


    Guidance System: Inertial Navigation System (INS)bined with satellite navigation (GPS) and an onboard active radar seeker for terminal guidance


    Warhead: Various warhead options are avable, including high-explosive, submunition, and nuclear variants (weight and yield depend on the specific warhead)


    Launch tform: Can beunched fromnd-based mobile autonomousunchers (MAL), naval vessels, and aircraft


    Operational Capability: It can engage bothnd and sea targets, making it a versatile missile system.


    Price: 5000 gold coins to 15,000 gold coins (depending on warhead)


    System''s Score: 8.7


    Comment: Despite its different mechanisms, this can be considered as a variant of the Brahmos missile, nevertheless, a well-done job, host.


    "The fuck¡­ 11? Just 42 KT yield of TNT can kill the immortals as long as they were hit directly?" As Mark was shocked to see the result, suddenly, he remembered something he should have remembered a long time ago, when he got the Mark 14 nuclear bomb or acquired the anti-matter attribute.


    "The energy conversion. How did I forget such a simple thing? The actual energy released from a nuclear detonation is typically a fraction of the total energy contained in the nuclear material.


    Judging by the calctions, it seems to be 100% instead of the usual 5-40%. I think I need to study this lot more to understand how the system managed to do it.


    But then again, there is also something I learned. 6.9 MT yield can kill Saints while a mere 40KT yield can destroy the immortals.


    If I remember correctly, I killed a peak-rank-8 with the power of a normal lightning strike that has about 1 billion joules of energy.


    Hmm, I guess, I might need 100 gigajoules-1 terajoules of energy to take out supreme realm experts. And about 10 terajoules to 100 terajoules to take out demigods.


    Going this way, the immortals (11-circle) would need about 100 terajoules to 1 petajoule of energy to get wiped out.


    For the Saints, it might be stretched from 10 petajoules to all the way to an exajoule. Ugh¡­ if I go at such length¡­ Mark, you are going too far again. Just stay in the present.


    We have Warhead with us. Let''s see what kind of them I can buy."


    He opened the Gallery and scrolled until he found it in the form of a sphere.


    Warhead


    Grade: N/A


    Description: An explosive or destructiveponent of a missile, rocket, or other projectile. The host may decide its shape and mass ording to needs.


    Price: Varies.


    He clicked on purchase to test its price range.


    *Ding! Please select its type: High Explosive (HE), Fragmentation Warhead, Shaped Charge Warhead, Incendiary Warhead, Cluster Munition Warhead, Chemical Warhead, Nuclear Warhead, and Anti-matter Warhead.


    "Oh, there''s antimatter warhead too. I guess it is added because I purchased the attribute. So cool! What are we waiting for¡­"

 Chapter 450 The Anti-Matter Warhead

    ?


    *Ding! You selected Anti-matter Warhead.


    *Ding! Please type the yield you desired in grams.


    "Hmm, let''s go with the base¡­" Mark wrote 1, which should be equivalent to that of a 21.5 KT yield, enough to take out average demigods with ease.


    But, the demanded price is far higher than an equivalent yield from a nuclear warhead.


    A nuclear warhead of such magnitude costs about 10,000 gold coins but the anti-matter warhead is 10 times higher. It is around 100,000 gold coins per warhead that only has 1 gm of antimatter.


    For 1 kg of antimatter warhead, the price spiked up as high as 100 million gold coins.


    It is not just because of the attribute. One should consider the costs of the high explosives and casings, neutron reflectors and tamper materials, safety and stabilization features, etc¡­


    Rather than depending on the system to manufacture these, Mark felt like he should just try to master the attribute and make his own. It is not like he doesn''t know how to create antimatter explosives.


    Mark was confident about making them in the future, but for now, he purchased 9 warheads with 10gm antimatter, each worth about 1 million gold coins, and 10 warheads with 1 gm antimatter, each worth about 100,000 gold coins.


    As a result, his wealth was further reduced by 2 million credits, leaving his worth with only about 1.3 million credits and 11 million gold coins.


    It will still make him the richest individual in the Western Moon kingdom though.


    Usually, he would be happy to test them but the high costs made him rethink it and just stored them in the inventory.


    Returning to the real world, he then slept for the rest of the night.


    The next day at dawn, Mark made his way to the training grounds. By sharp 6, the soldiers and everyone arrived. Song Yue rante a little bit and arrived 15-20 minutester but she was alone.


    She informed Mark that Xie Mei and her griffin are missing.


    Mark didn''t ce too much attention to it and replied that she probably had gone sightseeing as she told them during the earlier dinner.


    Song Yue thought it might be the case and focused on the training.


    Little did either of them know that the teenage girl had actually been standing in front of the store since dawn.


    She patiently waited for atleast an hour before finally getting to see Meng Tao and Chang Bo. Thankfully for her, there were also no people around as the opening hours start at 9.


    They both recognized her and were quite surprised. Following them inside, she took a seat.


    "What is it, Lady Xie?" asked Chang Bo.


    Xie Mei looked at Meng Tao and replied, "Actually, I came for him."


    "Me?" Meng Tao was taken aback. This is only the second time he was seeing her. Or maybe, the third time¡­


    As Chang Bo was about to leave the two of them to talk in private, Xie Mei stopped him and requested him to keep this meeting a secret from their boss.


    As both of them nodded and Chang Bo left the room, Xie Mei then said, "Mr. Meng, I want you to train me."


    "Eh? Train you?" Meng Tao was confused once again. "You are a 6-circle-realm Spirit Warrior." He reminded her that he was weaker than her.


    Xie Mei shook her head with a smile, "I''m not talking in the traditional sense."


    "Then, do you mean cooking?" He asked.


    Xie Mei shook her head once again and this time, she became direct to clear his confusion, "I''m talking about firearms. I heard Lu Zhen once mentioned that you have the best skills in handling firearms after him and Allen. I vaguely remember watching your battle in the Dragon Warrior tournament. You do certainly have the skills despite the fact that you are self-trained."


    "Thank you for the praise, Ms. Xie but¡­" As Meng Tao appeared to be like rejecting her request, thetter quickly interrupted with an offer, "10 ether crystals of high quality for four weeks of training. Deal?"


    "High quality?" Meng Tao was tempted by the offer as each of them will be sold for atleast 1000 gold coins in the market and that too, when avable. If he sells all of them as a package in the ck market, he could fetch 20,000 gold coins with ease. That''s an amount even his n would struggle to pay someone.


    But, the only problem is the time. How could he afford such time to spend on her training when he has a job to do? Not to mention, his boss (Mark) will be displeased if he knew about this.


    Seeing the guy still thinking about it, Xie Mei pushed it further by saying, "I won''t take all of your time. Just one hour before dawn and one hour after dusk. Two hours per day. Please help me¡­"


    Meng Tao took a few seconds and nodded, "Okay."


    "Great, pleasure to be working with you, teacher." Xie Mei smiled as she bowed to him.


    Meng Tao awkwardly smiled as he waved his hands, "Please don''t do that¡­ Treat me more like a training partner or a mentor."


    "Alright."


    ***


    Sector 3, Bloodhill Forest;


    In an Ether mine secretly located within sector 3 where rank-7 beasts like the werewolves roam around, the Necromancer King was busy absorbing the ether energy from the crystals around him and simultaneously refining it.


    His cultivation has grown from the elementary stage of the supreme realm to the peak stage. However, no matter what he does, he couldn''t just break through to the demigod realm for some reason. It was as if an invincible wall that is blocking his progress.


    Eventually, the whole mine was dried up but still, he has to see the sess.


    The Necromancer King got frustrated. "Why? Why couldn''t I just make a breakthrough? I guess the quality of the mine is the problem. I need to look at a better one."


    As he was prepared to leave the ce, a voice was heard in the surroundings, "It wasn''t a problem of the quality. Your method itself is wrong, Mr. Xia."


    The Necromancer King furrowed his brows and looked around. He saw no one and shouted, "Who is it? Come out?"


    A figure materialized. He spoke with a smile, "Hello, I''m the current leader of the Church of Doom and I''m here to help you on behalf of Lord Yujin."


    "Church of Doom?" The Necromancer King''s frown deepened. "You are a sessor to that bag of bones, Long Yujin?"

 Chapter 451 Frozen Battles And Fiery Tempers

    ?


    After a while;


    The Necromancer King nodded in seriousness, "Alright, I ept your alliance, the assistance, and the conditions that followed through. However, the heads of the Shang Dynasty ruler and his kids are mine."


    "Deal."


    Soon, both of them disappeared from there. After a while, the necromancer king''s entire undead army also disappeared from the forest, at the same time.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Fujian Ind;


    Early in the morning, Shang Jiao was seen intensely sparring against a white tiger, which has shrunk to her size for the moment.


    She raised the exquisite staff adorned with several crystals on its head and spoke out the long incantation, "Oh, the goddess of snow and ice, Tengliu, I crave thou to bless me the strength to unleash the serpent of ice and vanquish the enemies from my sight."


    The tip of the semi-divine staff glowed for a second before conjuring a giant ice serpent.


    She rode on top of the serpent as she flew toward her opponent.


    Baihu (White tiger) stretched her head a bit forward and opened her mouth widely.


    When the ice serpent and Shang Jiao neared it, the white tiger let out a powerful roar, releasing a sonic attack.


    One kilometer away, Shang Xiang was sleeping in his bed and he sprung up in alert and fell down.


    Meanwhile, the sonic wave blew away the ice serpent and Shang Jiao alike.


    Xuanwu, the ck tortoise, which was keeping an eye on her, couldn''t help but sigh and closed its eyes for a couple of seconds. When it opened the eyes, they were glowing while a bruised Shang Jiao also was enveloped by a golden aura of light. Her ether energy was recovered and she was healed in an instant.


    Getting up, the princess puffed her cheeks andined, "You told me you won''t use any skills. You cheated me, Baihu."


    The white tiger answered in its usual deep voice, although it is a female, "It is just a maniption of sound, not an inherent skill, Shang Jiao. Anyways, the morning spar is over. Go and eat up. Qinglong (Azure dragon) will be your next training partner."


    "Ugh¡­ that guy with a fiery temper? We don''t get along." Shang Jiao shivered for a moment.


    "Well, you can''t expect to get along with fire beasts,"mented the white tiger in response.


    "Alright," Shang Jiao let out a deep sigh as she turned around and walked away.


    ***


    Royal Pce, Eastern Sun Kingdom;


    "No, you won''t go"


    "Yes, I will."


    "I said you won''t. It is too dangerous."


    "Oh, yeah? I will house arrest you if I have to, Sister Zan Rong."


    "Marina Zan, that''s my name, little king. And I would like to see you try. You cannot keep me under surveince 24/7. The moment I see the chance, I will go there."


    "Then, Lan Jing will seal your remaining cultivation too. We have strict instructions from Mr. Lu."


    "Who the heck is Lu Zhen to decide what I want to do? I''m grateful for his help in unlocking my memories but he can''t control my life. Moreover, I don''t belong here. So, let me go¡­"


    Zan Rong and Ouyang Zen argued with each other as the former wants to visit the ruins of Khambhat where she was found by Ouyang Zen''s grandfather.


    Zan Rong intends to return to her world before searching for her lover while Ouyang Zen felt that she should be patient.


    After seeing how the Phoenix Empire ended up, he doesn''t want any opportunity to displease Mark until they be close enough for thetter to turn a blind to his mistakes to some extent.


    Furthermore, Lan Jing is on Mark''s side and Ouyang Zen needed Lan Jing. This legendary realm expert is the reason why there is no civil war in the kingdom. Once he disappears from Ouyang Zen''s side, the thirteen-year-old knew that it won''t take long for the Helios City filled with chaos.


    Since Mark specifically requested him to keep an eye on Zan Rong until he says, Ouyang Zen, even more, wanted to keep his promise now.


    Zan Rong originally didn''t n on going rogue either. But, as Mark was taking a while, she felt like her problem is being ignored and she decided to take matters into her own hands.


    As Ouyang Zen really did house arrest the girl whose behavior was no longer the same as the one he was familiar with, thetter''s stubbornness only increased further.


    As the night arrived, she did exactly what she warned him. Around half past 3 in the morning, when Lan Jing isn''t around and the soldiers were half drowsy, she sessfully escaped the royal pce on a flying horse.


    After three hours of nonstop travel, she finally reached the location.


    Meanwhile, at the royal pce of Lunaris, Western Moon kingdom;


    Mark was walking back and forth in seriousness. He couldn''t get his sleep as the words of a stranger echoing his head.


    "No, there''s no way it is possible. Technically, I''m not even Lu Zhen. He is dead in reality. So, the fortune telling shouldn''t even apply to me. After all, I only gave Lu Zhen''s birth details to him and he saw based on that¡­"


    18 hours earlier;


    After having lunch, with an excuse of going for a ride to recheck for the spot decided for the runway in the outskirts of the city, Mark left in his vehicle.


    He reached the trader''s district and dismissed the vehicle before going on foot and looking for something.


    Eventually, he stopped before the fortune-telling shop named Ming Jing Tang (Hall of the Clear Mirror). It has quite a long line outside.


    Mark calmly joined the line without intending to draw attention. Thest thing he wanted is a rumor about how he consulted a fortune teller. His ck robes and hood did draw some attention but it is amon sight seen everywhere. So, people didn''t mind it much and with some patience, Mark finally entered the tent after an hour.


    There, he was met with the sight of a tall man with long white hair that was reaching as far as his waist.


    He sure gave the impression of a sage in one nce.


    After confirming his identity through the Eyes of God (upgraded from Sage Eyes), he sat down and let down his hood.


    The old man let out a smile as hemented in their first meeting, "Son, you have the radiance of someone from a royal bloodline. Tell me, what do you wish to know?"


    Mark was taken aback at first but calmed down himself and acted as if he wasn''t affected by hisments. He didn''t know whether this fortune teller was indeed special as the rumors or did he just praise him to fool him like the others.


    He said, "I heard that you are the best fortune teller in this city. You can tell the fate of the people with their time of birth. I''m curious."


    "No, you are not," replied the old man named Li Chunfeng. After a brief pause, he added, "I see the clear disbelief in your eyes. You don''t believe in fortune-telling. You merely wanted to test me."


    Mark was certainly surprised by Li Chunfeng''s remark. He didn''t deny it and just asked in a serious tone, "Then if I give you two birthdays and the time of births, will you tell me their fate?"

 Chapter 452 Shattered Prophecies and Urgent Missions

    Chapter 452 Shattered Prophecies and Urgent Missions


    The old man continued to maintain a smile as he shook his head, "No, you probably misunderstood, son. With the time of birth and year, it is impossible to tell one''s fate. Dozens would be born at the same time. However, if such a person is before me, I could tell his fortune for the near future, that''s all.


    If it is marriage, then, I need either bride or groom sitting before me and the other''s date of birth is sufficient. I can see marriage in your fate in the near future. So, I guess you are here for the marriagepatibility and the fortune followed by it?"


    Mark furrowed his brows in seriousness. He couldn''t just understand how this old man who isn''t even a spirit warrior telling him such things.


    He convinced himself that this guy probably knew his identity as it has been a couple of weeks since he arrived in this city.


    Since Shen Ling rmended this guy''s name, it is quite possible that he heard of the matter and just fooling him now.


    Mark decided to y along and said, "June 5th, 1768. Time of birth: 2:12 in the afternoon. Tell me what you can say about my fortune."


    "Hmm¡­ let''s see¡­" the fortune teller ced his hands on the ss orb before him and closed his eyes.


    He took about half a minute and then spoke in a deep voice, "In the realm of the Western Moon, a harbinger of peace shall emerge, an agent of harmony, destined to mend what''s been shattered and scourged. With mighty strength, the barrier between north and south shall be erased, uniting thend under one sky, the division to be effaced.


    Love''s embrace shall guide their steps, a union forged in devotion, yet, a somber prophecy lingers, fated to test their emotions. As she blossoms into his better half, a tragic loss shall befall, His love torn from his grasp, destiny''s cruel and heart-wrenching call.


    And on the day his eyes are opened wide, truth''s veil lifted atst, a sorrow unfathomable shall engulf his kin, the die has been cast. Family, dear and cherished, shall be torn asunder in this hour, the weight of grief upon his soul, a burden he must tirelessly devour.


    His heart, once brimming with hope, shall shatter and bleed, for in his quest to protect, he bes the catalyst of this world''s need. A dichotomy of hero and viin he shall embody, intertwined, through anguish and sacrifice, his actions shall reshape humankind.


    A destiny entwined with both light and darkness, a tale profound, the hero who guards, the viin who ravages, their roles renowned. The pain that echoes through his veins shall transcend his mortal core, for in protecting this world, his very essence, it shall pour."


    Li Chunfeng then opened his eyes in realization. His voice started shaking with fear in his eyes as he continued, "Thus, the divination foretells a grand tragedy''s impending blight, a path strewn with heartache, his love, his family, consumed by the night. A protagonist entangled in a cosmic struggle, his soul torn apart, a testament to theplexities of destiny''s web, etched on his fateful heart."


    A deep frown appeared on Mark''s face as he rests his elbows on the table. He was in deep thought, trying to decipher what the fortune teller spoke to him.


    But, one thing is clear. This guy is speaking of a tragedy awaiting him once he marries his fianc¨¦e just like every fortune teller, who wanted to make money.


    And Mark''s mood isn''t that great at the moment that he would listen to such prophecies and be worried about them. In a fit of rage, he rudely grabbed the ss orb and used his entire strength on the orb.


    *Crack* Crack* Crack*


    The ss orb started cracking and eventually became several pieces.


    Looking at the shocked fortune teller, Mark then spoke in a threatening while looking straight into his eyes, "Listen very carefully, old man. These people might listen to your bullshit, not me. I only stayed patient because of your old age and the fact that the royal family respects you. Now, I''ll return with my soon-to-be-wife. If you speak of such nonsense riddles to her, it won''t be good for you.


    I need you to tell her that we arepatible and the auspicious date for our marriage is two weeks from now. Here, your fee for the job andpensation for the orb."


    Mark took out a pouch with 500 gold coins in it and ced it on the table.


    Li Chunfeng continued to shiver even after Mark left the ce. He mumbled, "Things were already set into motion. Only a heaven-defying existence can change that man''s fate. Oh Lord Yuqiang! Why have you blessed a powerless being like me with such a gift¡­"


    Back to the present;


    The words of Li Chunfeng haunted Mark and made him lose his sleep. No matter whether he believes the fortune-telling or not, as he decoded the words, he couldn''t help but be worried.


    As he was walking back and forth for the whole night, thinking about how he should design security measures to ensure Song Yue''s safety, even if nothing might happen, a notification from the system jolted him from his thoughts.


    *Ding! You received an emergency quest, Stop Zan Rong.


    "Hmm?" Mark looked at the notification screen floating before his eyes. It''s been a while since he received an emergency quest. And its title didn''t seem that good.


    As he clicked on the notification, the quest prompt opened up.


    Quest: Stop Zan Rong


    Description: Zan Rong was leaving this through a world teleportation formation. Stop her.


    Reward: Rocketunching station.


    "Eh? A specific reward for such an easy mission? System, what are you up to?" Mark felt something is going on that he hasn''t grasped yet. The fact that the system is willing to provide him with something that has nothing to do with augmenting his strength or equipping him with a new weapon is more suspicious.


    *Ding! An emergency quest is called an emergency quest because it is an emergency situation. Now, will the host waste time or proceed with the quest? The host has 60 seconds to decide before the quest is regarded as a failure.


    "Okay, alright. I will think about it afterpleting it."


    Mark clicked on the ept button.


    "Would you like to directly teleport to the location?


    "Yes. Proceed."


    *Ding! You will be teleported to the location in 3, 2, 1¡­


    Mark disappeared from the room.

 Chapter 453 From Khambhat to Earth-486: Unexpected Journeys

    Chapter 453 From Khambhat to Earth-486: Unexpected Journeys


    Ruins of Khambhat, Eastern Sun Kingdom;


    Located on an ind, just about 10 km away from the coast of the maind, the city of Khambhat held the throne for several centuries.


    However, from thete 12th century, the kings stopped living in the forts and shifted toward castles and pces.


    Using an excuse that a king should live with his people, not far away, one of the kings shifted his base to Helios City and used the Fort of Khambhat as a citadel to protect the civilian officials and the treasury during times of war.


    As if the god decided that the king made the decision right, over the next couple of centuries, earthquakes disturbed the ocean, and frequent low-magnitude tsunamis caused a lot of damage to the ind city alongside the other inds nearby.


    After that, as the spirit beast started living there, it became something like a forbidden zone until one day, Ouyang Zen''s grandfather managed to drive away every spirit beast from the ruins.


    No one knows when this teleportation formation was created here, but Zan Rong only knows that she can get back to her world as long as she gets there.


    Luckily for her, the teleportation formation is still active. The moment she stepped on it, the runes were glowing one after another. She stood straight as she was waiting for the process toplete. "Just wait, Allen. Once I return home, I will contact the High Elves to remove this curse upon me and return to my peak. Even if I have to search the ends of the universe, I will¡­"


    A figure suddenly appeared before her, scaring the hell out of her. She attacked him in reflex.


    Catching her fist using his own reflexes, Mark spoke in a casual manner, "Woah, easy there, Mari¡­ Marina. It''s me."


    "How did you?" Zan Rong''s eyes widened and she took a step back in surprise. Before Mark gets to answer, something clicked in her mind and she said, "You put some sort of tracker on me?"


    Mark exactly wanted to use the same excuse. So, he yed along and nodded, "You can say so. You are Allen''s beloved. You are more or less my younger sis-inw. Hence, I need to make sure that you are safe from any harm."


    "It doesn''t appear that way to me," replied Zan Rong in a sharp tone. She further said, "From what I gathered about you so far, it will be more convincing if you say that you are selling the weapon technology from my world and you or your backer cannot afford to let me fall in the hands of someone who could ess my memories."


    Mark couldn''t help but furrow his brows when he heard that. Thest time, everything is well between them. What might have happened that this girl is behaving as if he is her enemy?


    Whatever the reason might be, Mark isn''t the type to listen to someone''s usations. He instantly countered her while trying to be as calm as possible, "If that were the case, I wouldn''t bother acquiring the Eye of Talim and use it on you to unlock your memories. An entire sect is disbanded because of you. I promised you that I will bring Allen back and I will put my life on the line to fulfill my promise. Trust me on that and return to the pce, Marina."


    Mark tried to convince her but the 19-year-old turned out to be so stubborn that his 9 points of charm has no effect on her.


    Looking back straight into Mark''s eyes, she questioned him, "Ouyang Zen said that you are going to marry your fiancee soon. Tell me, would you sit around and listen to the words of a stranger whom you barely know when the love of your life gets lost god knows where? Answer me. Can you swear on your heart that you won''t search for her because of whatever circumstances you have?"


    Mark could only be silent and shook his head, intending to be truthful to himself, "No."


    "Exactly," nodded Zan Rong as almost all of the runes lit up. She exined, "He might be someone not important to you even if you im he is a brotherly figure, but he is my life. I''m grateful for your help and caring for the royal family. That is why I waited in patience so far. I can no longer do it. Let me go¡­"


    Mark stared at her in silence. He wanted to argue that he cares about Allen more than she could ever be. More than a brother, he raised Allen like a father.


    But, when Zan Rong questioned him whether he could be calm if it is Song Yue, he questioned his own feeling.


    Was it because he cares more about Song Yue or is it because he trusts his younger brother could protect himself until then?


    He didn''te to a conclusion and neither could he give his reply to Zan Rong as all the runes were lit up while his time was wasted in speaking with the girl and then thinking deeply.


    A powerful beam of light emitted from the teleportation formation and shot up toward the sky. It was so bright that even people in Helios City located more than 300 km spotted it.


    Fortunately, itsted only for a moment.


    Meanwhile, Mark disappeared along with Zan Rong.


    In an instant, they found themselves in mid-air, falling down three hundred meters from the sky.


    "Kyaaa"


    As Zan Rong screamed, Mark hurriedly grabbed her hand and activated his bloodline skill.


    Icy wings erupted from his back in an instant and they stopped falling.


    Zan Rong raised her head to look at Mark in a bit of surprise. On the other hand, thetter was reading the series of notifications on the holographic screen that popped up before his eyes.


    *Ding! You failed the Emergency Quest.


    *Ding! You were being transported away to another world.


    *Ding! You entered Earth-486.


    *Ding! Scanning the new.


    *Ding! Eart-486 is registered in the system''s database.


    *Ding! Gravity is detected 0.78 times that of the host''s home. Adjusting the host''s body to the''s gravity.


    *Ding! Oxygen isn''t abundant in the''s atmosphere. It is roughly 4.86%. Adjusting the host''s body to the''s atmosphere.


    *Ding! You received a Side Quest, Hero.


    *Ding! You received a new side Quest, Extraction


    *Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Savior of the royal elves.


    *Ding! You received a new side Quest, Find the Princess.


    *Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Kill Xzar.

 Chapter 454 The Unveiling: Earth-486s Quests Await

    Chapter 454 The Unveiling: Earth-486''s Quests Await


    Quest: Hero


    Description: Earth-486 is infested with demons. Help the inhabitants of the world and exterminate the demons as many as you can until they hail the host as a hero


    Reward: Varies on performance.


    ept?


    *


    Quest: Extraction


    Description: Earth-486 is filled with Mithril mines. The host must use this opportunity to extract as much as he can.


    Reward: 1000 gold coins for every kg of Mithril the system can extract from the ores the host has excavated up from this.


    ept?


    *


    Quest: Savior of the Royal Elves


    Description: The royal elves, the celestial elf race, of this world have been imprisoned at the tower of Xzar.


    Reward: Tactical UAV or Armed UAV (choose one)


    ept?


    *


    Quest: Find the Princess


    Description: The princess of the Ixitus Empire, Elowen Silverleaf has been on the run, evading the demons. Find her and be her knight, bringing the celestial elves back to ruling.


    Reward: Rank-7 Android.


    ept?


    *


    Quest: Kill Xzar


    Description: Xzar is a demon king who was born out of the deaths from the wars that urred across time on this. As a peak-stage immortal realm spirit warrior, he turned out to be more powerful than any other elven warrior on this and has caused chaos ever since he was released. Kill him and save this world.


    Reward: Tier-5 Bloodline (random)


    ept?


    *


    He epted all the quests but didn''t choose to teleport to the quest location right away as he wasn''t interested toplete the emergency quests right now.


    Since the is registered in the system''s data, he could teleport to this ce at any time. Hence, he postponed it to some other day. As for the woes of the natives of this, why would he care about it anyway? In his eyes, the elves were the same as trees, ants, chickens, pigs, cows, etc¡­


    And right now, his attention was grabbed by the mithril ore.


    After confirming that the system will not take the Mithril away even after providing him a map as a quest item that has the spots, and whatever he extracted just belonged to him, Mark decided to focus on it.


    But, before that, he has to do something with this stubborn sis-inw of his. The reason why he didn''t release the seal on her using his Seal Breaker skill is because of the fear that she will try looking for Allen and risk her life.


    And seeing her right now, Mark was now happy with his past decision.


    pping his wings, he slowly flew in random directions andnded on the grasnd.


    As Zan Rong stepped onto the ground, she thanked him for the help but didn''t continue conversing with him any further regarding their previous argument as she walked forward. "Follow me."


    Mark grabbed her arm and stopped her, "Wait. Where are you going? At least, exin what happened just now. Aren''t we supposed to arrive at the teleportation formation?"


    Zan Rong tried to shake off his grip as she answered with a look of annoyance on her face, "How would I know what happened? It''s not like I''m a high elf priestess that knows everything and neither do I owe you any exnation. You are the one who followed me to this ce. All I can tell you is that the inhabitants here are not that particrly fond of strangers and you need to be careful. Our destination is Sasa Anor. Once we reach there, I will arrange your return, alright?"


    "Well, we can go by flying," replied Mark.


    Zan Rong rejected his suggestion, "No, we can''t. There are troublesome beasts roaming in the sky. It''s too risky even more so, if we are together."


    "Do you question my strength?" Mark furrowed his brows, feeling she has been rude to him without any fear as he was giving lenience to her.


    But then again, Zan Rong only has limited information about Mark. In her eyes, he is just a weapon seller who depends on an expert named Wu Weibao and some mysterious fellow who supplies the weapons from her to him.


    It was the first time she learned that he could fly, a moment ago. However, it wasn''t a passive flying skill like the supreme realm experts have. He had wings.


    Hence, Zan Rong never thought that Mark was strong enough and she even thought he might need her protection now that he doesn''t have his Wu Weibao or Allen or the manticore beside him.


    But, how would Mark know that the girl didn''t knowpletely about him? He expressed his displeasure right away and before she reacted to it, he put pressure on her for the sake of protecting his own dignity.


    The gravitational force erupted from him, creating a gravity dome in over a km range.


    Zan Rong was hit with the pressure and she fell onto her knees. Looking down at her, Mark let out a smile as he said, "I''m a short-tempered egoist. So, just because I''m nice, don''t take my patience for granted, alright?"


    Zan Rong gritted her teeth in anger. Her impression of Mark only worsened further. She was surprised that Mark turned out to be stronger but that doesn''t mean she thinks she is weak.


    Rather than submitting to his strength, she responded with a shout, "You are strong, alright? But, you can only do this because of the seal on my cultivation. Don''t overestimate yourself, Lu Zhen."


    Mark felt irked by her behavior and he decided to teach her a lesson, believing that it is for her sake when it is just because his ego was hurt. That''s all.


    He scrolled up in the skill section and clicked on another skill.


    "Activate, Seal Breaker."


    Mysterious symbols appeared on his palm before they joined together in a circle. Mark pushed his hand forth toward her forehead.


    Zan Rong''s eyes widened. For a second, she thought this fellow is trying to kill her.


    But then, in the next second, she felt the wake-up of ether particles that were in a dormant state until now. She felt the surge of strength. "My cultivation realm has returned?"


    Mark retracted his hand and said, "There you go. Now, you can exert your full strength. Go on and try to break out."


    Zan Rong tried to stand up but she couldn''t move from the spot. Her legs felt too heavy. Even her ether particles seemed like they were paralyzed on the spot.


    "You¡­ Just who in the hell are you?" Zan Rong asked with a pale look upon realizing that she was at the mercy of this fellow.


    "Just a weapon seller who cares about Allen and the one who can get you home, back at Earth. It will be quite helpful if you stop being a brat and listen to your elders once in a while. Now, I''m going to free you. If you continue to be uncooperative, then, don''t me me for what happens next. So, behave, Alright?"


    Zan Rong stared at him for a few seconds and in the end, she nodded in agreement. "Fine, you win."


    She didn''t have thoughts of attacking him over such an incident. Instead, she ns to run away from him when the opportunity arises.


    As for the so-called tracking seal on her, she believed, she can remove it with the help of the high elf priestess at the pce. She just needed to get back to the pce. Until then, she nned to cooperate with Mark.

 Chapter 455 A weird ritual in Void Temple: Xin Ruis vow of revenge

    Chapter 455 A weird ritual in Void Temple: Xin Rui''s vow of revenge


    In the sky, the divine throne was flying at hypersonic speeds in the form of a fighter that looks like an F-14 Tomcat. Mark was sitting in the pilot seat but he wasn''t piloting at all. He just sat in the front and let the girl sit in the back.


    There''s a reason why he transformed the divine throne into such an appearance. He wants to give Zan Rong peace of mind.


    He thought it is best if she doesn''t see his face for a while after the recent incident as she might not be in the mood to talk. Once her bad mood subsides, he hoped for things to be normal.


    They traveled for a couple of hours before ending up at a ce that seemed like arge city. However, almost all the buildings were damaged and dark creatures could be seen roaming here and there.


    Some of them are two-legged, some of them are four-legged, some of them even have wings, and most of the two-legged ones have weapons like swords, staffs, and bows in their hands. However, all of their bodies are just made up of skeletons.


    And the strongest of them all is an undead dragon, which is sleeping on top of arge mansion located in the heart of the city.


    From about five hundred meters away high in the sky, Mark was observing the situation through his sniper rifle. Zan Rong roughly judged the situation and reached out to Mark''s shoulder, tapping it.


    As Mark turned his head, she said in a worried tone, "Let''s go."


    "You don''t want to check for the survivors?" asked Mark.


    Zan Rong shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Not my family or friends. I don''t care whether they live or die. For me, getting back home is most important right now."


    Usually, Mark also has the same opinion as her, but he didn''t expect his brother''s girlfriend to turn out to be indifferent to the lives of others but extremely care about her family. For a moment, he felt like seeing himself in the mirror.


    However, Mark doesn''t agree with her demand. He has quests to finish and there is a good opportunity before him.


    Hence, he equipped the Exo-skeleton suit and exited the ne, leaving his future sis-inw alone in the floating ne.


    "Hey, wait¡­ where are you going?" She mmed the window ss on her side as she looked at Mark, but she only received a response of a two-finger salute from Mark before he dived down toward the city.


    Meanwhile, inside the dimly lit mansion, a tanned male elf was seen soundly sleeping on a bed.


    At the same moment, Mark''s feet touched the ground, his eyes opened, which were scarlet in color and glowing. The veins were ck in color contrary to the usual red in elves or humans.


    He took a deep breath and sniffed like an animal. A wide grin immediately escaped his mouth, "A strong prey, not an elf but another race. Regardless, I''m going to have a great feas..."


    *Boom* *Boom* Boom*


    The sounds of explosions were heard continuously far away from the distance and they were getting louder each second.


    The elf sprung up from the bed, get out of the room, run downstairs to the exit to see what was happening outside.


    He went outside and blew out a whistle.


    The undead dragonnded before him and the elf mounted on top of it.


    As it pped its wings and slowly rose a hundred meters high into the air, the elf saw the scene of dozens of metallic puppets armed with unique weapons destroying everything in the city.


    And there''s someone floating in the sky with a weapon ced under his armpits.


    "What the¡­"


    ***


    Meanwhile, back on Earth-43;


    Void Temple, Dragon Empire;


    In the northernmost region of the most powerful empire in the world lies the mountain range of Huangdi, where the temperatures are usually below 10 degrees Celsius even in the hottest summer.


    The ce is home to severalkes, mountains, spirit beasts, and even high-ranking dungeons, but the most famous of them all is the Void Peak, a mountain known to be the tallest mountain with more than 9800-meter altitude.


    Still, one could see houses all over the mountain as they trekked to the top. An ancient temple is sitting on the top of the mountain, looking over the world like a king on the throne.


    Ascending the stone staircase, dragon guardians, adorned in gold and gemstones, lead to colossal doors unveiling a resplendent interior. Within, vibrant tapestries depict celestial beings, while ethereal murals mergendscapes with celestial realms.


    The sanctum houses a statue of a dragon, which is glossy ck in color. However, it doesn''t mean it is a ck dragon. It is called a Void Dragon, a deity known as the Dragon God.


    The entire statue is made of Adamantium and other myriad materials; this mere 20ft statue weighs like 1 million tons.


    No one knows who created it but ording to the history, someone who trekked the mountain some unknown time ago and found the statue sitting on the top of the mountain. The temple was then built around it.


    When one would hear such a description, one would assume that this ce is something like a holy site.


    However, the reality is vastly different from the imagination of amoner who never gets to visit it.


    In the sanctum, right where the statue of an ancient deity is present, a couple was having sex in their naked states while several old men and women in their long robes were staring at them in silence. There was arge circle around the couple with mystical symbols inscribed here and there.


    This was going on for more than three hours already and neither of them was willing to finish it. If one would look at their facial expressions, it''s clear that lust has disappeared long ago and they were no longer enjoying.


    Instead, each of them looked quite fierce and they were trying their best to be in a dominant position. Meanwhile, the elders stayed in their spots like statues. No one has any sort of expression on their face. They werepletely calm.


    Suddenly, the woman''s movements became faster as she took the dominant position on the top and her fingers are ravaging his as*h*le while forcefully blocking his legs that are spread apart. The man tried to get up but he was pressed down very hard.


    "Arghhh¡­"


    The man let out a loud scream as he ejacted the semen into her womb. The moment he did, panic appeared on his face and there was a smile on the woman.


    "Wait¡­"


    He was about to say something but the mystical symbols lit up around them and both of them were enveloped by threads of energy.


    "No¡­ Wait¡­ please¡­ No..." The man started begging but the ritual can no longer be stopped. Very soon, his entire body disintegrated into thousands of thin light needles before flowing into her body.


    "Aaaaa" Thedy screamed in pain as each needle pierced her body before merging with her ether particles.


    She continuously screamed for the next couple of minutes and the tears were flowing down her cheek like a river, but the pain only magnified over time.


    Finally, thest needle merged with her ether particles, and her pain subsided and she copsed onto the ground.


    An elder with Supreme Realm cultivation then walked forward and stopped before her. As she raised her head with dried-up tears, he spoke with indifference, "Good job, Xin Rui. You managed to hold out well and make the breakthrough to the legendary realm. Using my authority as one of the Grand Elders of Void Temple, I hereby grant you the status of Elder."


    "Wee, Elder Xin," the rest of the elders spoke out in unison while bowing slightly as a formality.


    The woman with beautiful emerald eyes let out a forced smile and cupped her fists with a bow, "Thank you, Master."


    "Now, go and dress up," said the Grand Elder as he turned around to walk away.


    Xin Rui walked toward the group in silence. They gave her the way. As she went past them, her facial expression changed and she grit her teeth with clear hatred in her eyes, "The legendary realm. I''m now powerful enough to seek justice for my family. But, I''m not strong enough to have my revenge. I need one more breakthrough.


    Once I step into the 9-circle realm, the Dragon Empire will burn. The princes will die one after another without knowing why or how. I will force the Emperor to kneel before my father''s tomb and apologize for his mistake. Until then, I need to keep this rage in myself."

 Chapter 456 Battle with the Demonic Elf

    Chapter 456 Battle with the Demonic Elf


    Earth 486, the world of Elves;


    Ixitus Empire;


    As Mark''s robotic army gets busy massacring every undead creature on the ground, he went on in a staring contest against the corrupted elf and his undead dragon. Or atleast, that''s what it appeared in Zan Rong''s view.


    The elf was trying to gauge Mark''s strength but he couldn''t sense anything. Obviously, Mark cannot be a mortal when he was seen flying even with wearing some kind of armor. Hence, the elf was sure that it is a formidable foe and this excited him instead of getting him worried.


    Meanwhile, Mark was reading all the information disyed on the floating holographic screen in front of his eyes.


    The guy is named Elendir and he was supposed to be a 7-circle realm Spirit Warrior. However, due to the corruption by the demonic souls that merged with his, the cultivation was raised to the 8-circle realm.


    As for the undead dragon, it was a Red Drake of 6-circle-realm. The elf killed the beast and turned it into an undead by sharing some of his demonic energy. It lost its skin and organs in the process but had its strength rise to the next realm.


    A purple-colored sphere was seen behind its ribcage and one could only kill it by destroying this energy sphere. Until then, the undead kept oning back to its previous state no matter how many times it gets destroyed.


    Mark, however, wasn''t that concerned about it or its master. Since he''s more like an undead elf, he felt like he doesn''t need to hold back or anything. Not to mention, without making any sacrifices (killing the people and absorbing their souls), he cannot summon the demon either.


    Hence, Mark decided to go with a big attack. Shifting the Staff of Blessing to his left hand, Mark then stretched his right hand forward and conjured a Spear made of Ice.


    His hand could feel nothing but the elf could sense how cold the ice in his opponent''s hand is. He summoned a low-quality semi-divine bow (Diamond grade) and conjured the arrow made of dark energy, not intending to just check out his power anymore.


    He quickly fired it before Mark get to release the ice spear. Thetter saw it but instead of dodging or making any counterattack, he tightly grabbed the spear and flew forward, taking the elf by surprise.


    The arrow made of dark energy reached Mark and struck his chest. However, it didn''t pierce the suit and just bounced off after its tip was broken into pieces.


    The elf''s face hardened and he ordered the undead dragon to attack while he closed his eyes and started conjuring another energy arrow which has higher deposits of dark energy.


    Meanwhile, the Undead Dragon opened its mouth and breathes out a noxious dense cloud, covering arge area like a thick fog.


    Mark, however, didn''t face any problem due to the suit''s enhanced vision and he continued to fly straight into that cloud, keeping his confidence in high resistance points.


    Once he entered the cloud, the toxic gases in the surroundings entered his body through his nose and attacked his insides.


    Mark didn''t feel anything and didn''t think too much about the cloud for the next few seconds until he receive a sudden notification from the system.


    *Ding! You received a debuff. Resistance activated. Your life force is being drained by 1 day per every second.


    "What the¡­" Mark quickly changed his path as soon as he saw the notification on the holographic screen floating before him when he was about halfway to exiting the cloud.


    He quickly changed his path and flew higher, escaping the cloud.


    *Ding! Estimated time until all the gas disappears: 28 seconds.


    "Damn it¡­" Mark gritted his teeth in anger. His arms bulged and his veins popped up under the suit as he tightly grabbed the spear even more. Criticizing himself for underestimating a weakling, he threw the Ice Spear.


    The Ice Spear cut through the noxious cloud like lightning and made its way toward the elven warrior, who was almost at the end ofpleting the skill.


    The Undead Dragon let out a breath of dark energy to counterattack the Spear, but the Ice Spear was unstoppable. Within a couple of seconds, the Ice Spear struck the undead beast''s head and froze it just as the elf finished conjuring the arrow.


    As the undead dragon was frozen in ice and started falling toward the ground, the elf leaped high from its back and aimed at Mark. The arrow appeared to be far more powerful than the past one. The energy was quite dense and corrosive.


    *Ding! Iing attack. The undead energy is highly corrosive to the extent of melting down the suit as long as it was given enough time.


    Mark didn''t get the time to read everything. But, thankfully, he was filled with so much anger that he decided not to give any opportunity for his energy to attack.


    The moment he released the Ice Spear, Mark already opened the skills window and went on to click another skill.


    "Gravity Dome, 200g, Activate"


    Upon unleashing the Gravity Dome, every creature in his 1000-meter range, apart from his robot soldiers that are augmented by the Staff of Blessing, were found stuck onto the ground. The only thing that was resisting the effect is the Divine throne that was in the form of an aircraft floating in the sky.


    The elf wasn''t able to fire the Arrow of Death as the external gravitational force pushed him to the ground and pressed him hard.


    Only then did Mark finally read the notification from the system and sighed in a bit of relief that he made the right decision. He then proceeded tond on the ground and started walking toward the elf while his life force continued to slip away at a slow pace.


    "So, Mr. Elinder of the Fireheart n, I have questions for you," said Mark as he crouched nearby the elf and looked at him coldly. He was trying his best to not kill the enemy, feeling like the information is worth his patience. After reducing the gravity from 200g to 100g so that the elf could answer, Mark then spoke, "Let''s start with the strength of your leader and his location."


    The elf''s eyes widened and his pupils dted while his voice quivered as he responded, "How?"

 Chapter 457 Interrogating the Demonic Elf

    Chapter 457 Interrogating the Demonic Elf


    The elf wasn''t shocked because his identity got revealed by the enemy. He wasn''t also shocked by how the enemy overpowered him easily. Those numbers are quite high in this realm.


    He just couldn''tprehend the fact that Mark crushed him to the ground using Gravity Dome.


    As Mark tried to interrogate him, the elf named Elinder roared back with a look of shock and anger on his face, "How in the hell you acquired this power? There is no way you can control the gravitational force unless you are from the Void realm. But, you clearly look different from him."


    "Void realm?" Mark didn''t understand what this elf was spouting. He heard of the Void Temple but never heard of this Void Realm. Maybe, it is where the Void Dragons are avable? With the cores of these dragons, the system made the upgrade crystals.


    However, Elinder''s words made one thing clear. There''s someone who can also control the gravity.


    Well, since the system listed the Gravity attribute in the store, it should be possible someone had this attribute in this infinite universe. And perhaps, Void Realm is like some other earth in some ne of existence.


    Or so, Mark thought and threw away those useless thoughts in a jiffy, putting his focus on his immediate goal.


    Consuming another 20% of his ether energy, he summoned one more Ice Spear in his hand and then spoke while almost touching the elf''s right eye with it, "I''m the one who asks the questions, not you. Now, I will ask you a question one after another and when I do, I expect every answer from you within five seconds, or else, you are going to die. Understand?"


    As the elf stared at him with fear written on his face, Mark further reduced the gravity to 50g and asked, "Where can I find your direct superior who you will answer and follow the orders?"


    The elf quickly answered while panting like a dog, "Osyhlona City. His name is Kragen."


    "Good." Mark let out a smile and went to the next question, "Second, who is the leader of you guys, the corrupted elves, and what about his/her cultivation level?"


    With his heart rate at its peak, Elinder replied quickly once again, this time lengthy exnation, "Eol, the Great. He is our king, the one who freed us from the evil Ixitus Empire. He is a supreme being (peak-9-circle). However, the one who you have to worry about is not him. It is Prime Minister Vexiron.


    From what I know, he is of a superior race called the Makyan with origins in the Void realm and atleast has the cultivation level of a demigod. He can control gravity just like you, but on arge scale and with more power.


    Because of them, we were liberated from the royal family. And I received the power of death, which is even superior to necromancy."


    "Hmm¡­ A demigod, eh?" Mark''s lips curled up beneath his suit. He felt like he doesn''t have to worry anymore, contrary to what the elf has expected. Now, he was just wondering what else he can find out from this guy.


    However, Elinder thought that Mark who stayed like a statue was in deep thinking. The elf was under the impression that he sessfully intimidated the enemy or atleast, make him distract for a moment.


    Intending to take the enemy by surprise, Elinder closed his eyes and concentrated on his ether energy.


    Since his ether energy was being suppressed by this invisible pressure, he was thinking about expelling all of it to repel every force on his body. He was sure that the undead energy will surely hurt the opponent and he could use this time to escape.


    And just in about five seconds, dark-colored energy erupted from the elf and suddenly struck Mark, who was standing just a few inches away. The ice spear that was threatening the life of the elf was corrupted by the dark energy and started dissolving.


    However, to the surprise of the elf, his body didn''t move an inch from the spot. The force was clearly not enough to physically hurt Mark''s body which has more than 9 points of strength and has a highly durable suit equipped.


    Unlike the toxic gases, the energy couldn''t invade his body. However, the suit wasn''tpletely immune to the corrosive nature of the undead energy.


    Once again, Mark received a notification as the suit started melting down.


    <nullb>*Ding! Exo Skeleton''s suit-VIII''s durability is being reduced by 1% for every 60 seconds. Estimated time for theplete meltdown: 10 minutes.


    <nullb>*Ding! The host could nullify the debuff on the suit with a purification stone. Purchase and apply for 50,000 credits?


    "Do it," screamed Mark in his head before leaving the Ice spear and growling, "Maximum."


    The gravitational force in the gravity dome increased to 200g instantly, forcing the elf to get crushed back to the ground.


    "Arghhh¡­" Elinder, whose ether energy reserves became empty, could no longer be able to resist the effect of increased gravitational force.


    His blood vessels ruptured; his vital organs were damaged, including his heart and brain; his skeleton couldn''t bear the pressure for a longer time. The sounds of breaking were heard, although, by that time, the elf''s life was already gone.


    All the undead beasts connected to him and were currently had their bones broken into dozens of pieces just turned into specks of dust at the same time. Only the frozen undead dragon was still alive, but the red glow in its eyes turned white.


    "Okay, done." Mark went to the next step.


    "Open, Orb of Bael"


    The holographic screen with an illustration of a tea kettle appeared before his eyes. Below the image, there is a clickable option with the word, "absorb."


    Mark clicked on it.


    In the next second, the elf''s soul in the form of a wisp escaped his corpse and flew into the screen as the lid of the kettle opened. Before, it used to be a circle showing the percentage, but Wil requested the system to change the appearance as it seemed a bit boring.


    Once the soul was absorbed by the system''s function, ''Orb of Bael'', the kettle is seen as only 45% filled.


    <nulli>"Only 45%? He is a legendary realm expert though," Mark was just about to me the system for purposely making things harder for him. However, before he did that, the system surprisingly had given him the reply on its own.


    <nullb>*Ding! Elinder''s soul is corrupted. Mind I remind the host that the percentage depends on not just the strength of the soul but also its purity?


    "Ah, that''s right." Mark suddenly felt like he had be dumb. Even earlier, he was too careless and the result was the loss of 50,000 credits, i.e. 250,000 gold coins. Not just that, he even lost 28 days of life force from his body.


    For what? Nothing¡­


    He might have gotten some Intel on the enemy and gotten to use the Staff of Blessing, but still, it didn''t make him feel any better even when he tried to convince himself.


    It was then his eyes fell on the undead beast that couldn''t escape the frozen state but still isn''t dying either.


    "Hmm¡­ how about¡­?"


    A thought came to his mind and he immediately opened the skills section with a smirk on his face, "That toxic gas released by this beast is something worth researching."


    He proceeded to click on the "Taming" skill.


    <nullb>*Ding! Proceed to lock onto the target?

 Chapter 458 Unseen consequences and unexpected saviors

    Chapter 458 Unseen consequences and unexpected saviors


    <nullb>After a while;


    In the skies of the Ixitus Empire, Zan Rong was seen flying on the top of an undead drake while closely being followed by Mark in his suit. The Divine throne was resting in Mark''s inventory as hispanion had to lead him to their next destination.


    Mark manipted Zan Rong to abandon her original path and made her follow his way by revealing all the details he could conclude from the quests. As for how he knew all the details? With a straight face, he tantly lied to her that he extracted memories from the elf before killing him.


    Zan Rong also believed him as she knew Mark was someone capable of achieving unimaginable feats. Furthermore, she had to rely on him now that their world has fallen and she wasn''t sure if her allies are still alive or not.


    Hence, despite her disgust toward undead beings, she still cooperated with him and flew on top of the undead drake and acted as the guide.


    With Zan Rong taking the lead, they made their way to Osyhlona city, which is not more than a 30-minute journey considering the fact that the undead drake''s flying speed exceeds 300 km/hr.


    Much like the previous one, Osyhlona city also looked quite dested with ruined buildings everywhere, undead beasts aimlessly roaming around, and little to no signs of life around.


    It means there would be no problem if Mark goes all out and destroys everything he sees.


    Or so this weapon seller thought at first, but then, a notification from the system changed his mind.


    As they reached the skies above the city, Mark ordered Zan Rong to stop as he stared at the notification screen before him.


    <nullb>*Ding! Your Quest "Find the Princess" has been updated.


    Quest: Save the princess


    Description: The Princess is in captive of an Elven lord named Kragen. Defeat him and save the princess.


    Reward: Rank-7 Android


    <nullb>*Ding! You received a new emergency quest


    Quest: Free the ves


    Description: Hundreds of elves were imprisoned by Kragen and were used to mine Orichalcum ore lying on the outskirts of Osyhlona city. Give them the freedom.


    Note: the mission is considered sessful as long as more than 70% of them sessfully escape with their lives intact.


    Reward: Upgrade stone (normal)


    ept?


    ***


    Mark''s smile beneath the suit widened in excitement. Seeing him clenching his fist, Zan Rong misunderstood that herpanion was probably shaken by something he saw in the city.


    She doesn''t know what that is, but since she is already in the boat, she had to make it her business. Not to mention the fact that she had to disy her true strength so that Mark stops thinking that she is a person that needs his protection.


    Without waiting for Mark''s approval, she summoned her semi-divine weapon and jumped from the back of the undead drake, startling the weapon seller. "This woman¡­" He cursed under his breath and followed behind her while telepathically ordering the drake to target the undead.


    *Thud*


    A small crater was formed as Zan Rongnded on her foot while ayer of ether energy protected her legs. Her grip on the staff was tightened as the nearby undead monsters smelled her presence and rushed toward her as if they found a delicacy.


    She raised the staff above her head and ether energy flew into the staff, making it glow before she mmed its bottom tip onto the ground with a roar.


    "Die"


    Mark was stunned for a moment as dozens of unknown tree roots that were as thick as 2ft-4ft erupted from the ground and shot toward the iing monsters.


    <nulli>"Damn, she has got some skills. No wonder she acts arrogant," He muttered under his breath.


    In an instant, atleast thirty of them were captured by these roots and then were squashed into bits of pieces. The remaining three of them sessfully evaded the attack and lunged at their prey.


    Just as Mark was about to take action to save her, he saw ether energy was pushed out of hispanion and transformed into a suit of armor, blocking their attacks.


    Zan Rong then swung her staff like a baseball bat, sting them away for atleast a hundred meters. They crashed onto the walls of the buildings.


    "Hmpf, weaklings," Zan Rong let out a snort and then raised her head to look at the floating figure above her. She looked at him as if she wanted some sort of praise as ament.


    However, Mark didn''t react as she expected. Instead of confronting her for being reckless or praising her for her power, he just spoke indifferently, "You can keep having fun here. I''m going after the main boss and finish this quickly. The undead drake will take care of your back."


    After informing her of his decision, he flew toward the fort built on top of a hill at his fastest speed, hoping that his enemy would be there.


    Quite surprisingly, when Mark neared the fort, he saw the enemy was already waiting for him. An elf with demonic horns was seen silently pping hisrge red wings and calmly looking at him as if he wasn''t surprised by Mark''s exoskeleton suit.


    With a look at his details, Mark realized that this was Kragen, one of the five dukes of the empire. His cultivation level might be at low-9-circle but he is a high elf, which is considered royal bloodline and that also means his ether quality is at the peak grade and has the knowledge of unique skills. Furthermore, he appears to have dual cultivation paths. One of them is a mage and the other is a Seer.


    Usually, his identity and calmness would make his opponents wary but Mark was different from the rest. He doesn''t think much of anyone below Saint Realm (12-circle) because of the trump cards he possesses.


    Stopping a few meters away from the enemy, Mark then spoke, "You are Kragen, I suppose?"


    The Duke of Reiren calmlymented in response, putting forth a proposal, "I''m waiting for you, the human from the mortal ne. You, who have the bloodline of a divine beast, are not an enemy of mine. So, I shall give you what you want as long as you shall not involve in the affairs of His Majesty. You can take the princess and return to your world with her."


    Mark was slightly taken aback by the unexpected proposal from the enemy in their first meeting. But then, as he took another look at the holographic screen where Kragen''s profession is written, Mark felt like the guy probably saw thising.


    The question is to what extent. The one who knows the future often has the leverage and Mark doesn''t want to risk anything that can jeopardize his rewards.


    After thinking for a bit, Mark replied with a nod, "Alright. As long as you release the princess, I swear I will return without making any trouble."


    It was then the Duke of Reiren suddenly raised his hand. Mark became alert and thought the enemy is going to attack. Instead, Kragen snapped his fingers and an unconscious figure appeared in his arms. The beautifuldy has some sort of energy cor around her neck.


    "This cor is my leverage, human. You make one mistake, and she dies. I hope you keep on your word," spoke Kragen as he released her.


    The unconsciousdy slowly started floating toward Mark as thetter instantly activated his ocr powers because of how easy this mission was going. A person like Mark wouldn''t even easily believe the words of his mother, much less a stranger and that too, a corrupted elf.


    The reality surprised him once again as the floatingdy indeed the princess of the royal family of Ixitus Empire.


    She didn''t appear to be corrupted either and her status showed that she is only unconscious, not afflicted with any curse. As for the cor, it wasn''t even the skill. It is just an application of the control of ether energy.


    Nevertheless, Mark didn''t let down his guard, remembering how his overconfidence cost him several days'' worth of life force. Eventually, he grabbed thedy and turned his attention back to Kragen.


    The Duke of Reiner then said, "I hold up the end of my bargain. You can now leave our world. The nearest teleportation formation is located 50 kilometers to the east, on a small ind in the middle of Reiner Lake."


    <nullb>*Ding! Youpleted the quest. The reward has been sent to the inventory. "Seriously?" Mark couldn''t just believe how easy the quest was over without lifting a finger. He could barely control his excitement as he opened the inventory to immediately check what kind of android he received.


    It was at that moment, all of a sudden, mysterious markings appeared on the energy cor over thedy''s neck at once and released a sealing technique onto Mark.


    "Fu*k¡­"


    Mark was struck by a mysterious force and lost consciousness instantly.


    <nullb>*Ding! The divine power of a True God (peak-14-circle) invaded the host''s body and mindscape. The system is going offline in 5 seconds to protect its secret.


    <nullb>*Ding! The host''s cultivation is sealed by the foreign power.


    <nullb>*Ding! The host memories are locked to protect the secrets of the system.


    Mark and the elf started free-falling onto the ground. Kragen quickly pped his wings and flew toward them and caught them.


    Landing on the ground, he threw away the princess without a care and then looked at Mark in seriousness, <nulli>"I wonder what kind of seal was that and which god handed such power to His Majesty."


    "We too wonder the same, Mr. Kragen."


    Two unfamiliar voices were heard behind Kragen, taking him by surprise as he didn''t sense their presence until now. When he did, he realized that both of them are in the same realm as himself.


    Just as he turned his head around in shock, his eyes witnessed the blurriness of a de before it sliced his neck, separating his head from the rest of his body.

 Chapter 459 Forgotten Memories and a Deitys Secret Scheme

    Chapter 459 Forgotten Memories and a Deity''s Secret Scheme


    <nullb>Two dayster at Sylvandrial Dominion;


    In a vige hidden deep inside thergest forest of Earth-486, almost all elves above 15 regardless of their skin color, gender, and bloodline were seen in armor as they roamed around.


    Created by Sylvandria, the former high priestess of the Empire, this ce is currently the only location on the with an elven poption that is not corrupted.


    Zan Rong was greeting everyone on the way as she was carrying a basket full of veggies and fruits. She made it to one of the nicely-built treehouses and entered the living room only to see two teenagers arguing with each other about a move in the game of chess they were ying.


    "Stop it, you two," shouted the woman as she walked toward them. After gaining their attention, she went on scolding them, "People could hear you two even from the ground. Behave your status, will ya? You are supreme beings for god sake."


    "Sorry" "Sorry"


    Both of them apologized at the same time as they sat on their knees.


    Zan Rong stared at the mischievous brats for a few seconds and let out a sigh, "forget it. James, go and wash the vegetables. Steve, you are in charge of cutting as usual."


    "Yes, ma''am" "Yes, ma''am"


    Zan Rong''s body shivered by their reply and she immediately spoke, "For thest time, stop calling me that way. I''m not old."


    "But, you are older than us." Both of them spoke at the same time once again. Their expressions looked so innocent that Zan Rong''s frustration increased even more. In the end, she sighed once again and told them to get onto it.


    As the two teenagers hurried toplete their tasks, Zan Rong went to the bedroom, where Mark was seen lying unconscious on a wooden cot. With a look of frustration clearly evident on her face, she sighed one more time as she sat on the chair beside the bed, "When will you wake up, Lu Zhen? You are not even in aa, ording to High Priestess. Unless you wake up and help those kids, they won''t take me to the world where my Allen was stranded. And their extraordinary cultivation realm made it impossible for me to convince them otherwise. Sigh¡­"


    Just as she was wondering whether she should forcefully wake him up by pouring water on his face, she heard a grunt escape from Mark all of a sudden.


    Zan Rong sprung up from the seat in surprise and looked at herpanion.


    Mark''s hands moved to grab his head before he slowly woke up like someone who drank heavily the previous night. "Ugh¡­"


    As he shook his head a few times while grabbing his hair, Zan Rong patted his shoulder, "Are you fine?"


    "Hmm?" Upon listening to a familiar voice, Mark stopped struggling with his headache and looked at the youngdy. He appeared quite surprised, "Huh? Mari? It''s you, isn''t it? Allen''s friend."


    "Eh?" Zan Rong was slightly taken aback at first because of his words and his usage of the Englishnguage from her world but she nodded with a smile and replied, "Of course, it''s me."


    "I knew it at first nce." Mark''s face glowed in excitement. As if he received a boost of energy and becamepletely sober, he sat straight as he asked a series of questions, "Where is Allen? Are you still in contact with him? By the way, how did you find me? I thought I was a goner for sure. Anyway, did the police or army personnel stop by? What did you say to them? It doesn''t seem like I''m at a hospital. Where am I anyway?"


    Never in the world did she expect Mark to react in a strange manner that just doesn''t make sense to her. He was behaving like apletely different person.


    In shock, she couldn''t help but stare at him with several thoughts popping up in her head. The thought of Mark bing insane made her worried a bit.


    "Hello? Hello? Miss Marina Zan?" He snapped his fingers twice, getting her back to reality. She reacted with just one question, "Wait a second. Let me ask you something. What was thest thing you remembered?"


    Mark grabbed his chin and fell into thoughts, <nulli>"Hmm¡­ where was I? I blew up that secret R&D facility of that mafia king and escaped on a boat with myrades only to get shot several bullets and fell into the ocean, isn''t it? After that, everything is nk." His eyes then fell on thedy and continued with his thinking, "<nulli>Mari definitely looked older than Ist met her but for some reason, her appearance doesn''t surprise me. Did we meet recently? But, what happened to me? I was in aa or something? Wait a second? How do I know for sure that she isn''t with some organization? The fact that she appeared familiar somehow makes me wonder whether she is a part f the mafia gang too. Everything feels suspicious. But, if she''s innocent and this is a misunderstanding, I''m gonna disappoint my brother. I wonder if they were dating or still friends. Let''s just act carefully without leaking any secrets and see if there''s anything unusual before taking any action."


    He shook off his thoughts and then took a deep breath to bepletely calm before continuing to converse with thedy, "My memory is still a bit hazy. I just remembered getting honey-trapped by a girl and getting abducted by a mafia gang. After that, it is quite blurry."


    "Huh? Honey trap? Mafia gang? What bullshit this guy is spouting? Did he really go insane? Or did it really happen at some point in his life when he visited my? If so, how many years ago was that?" Zan Rong''s worries heightened immediately. She swallowed her saliva and asked another question, "Let me ask you something. Do you happen to know a person named Song Yue?"


    "Song Yue? Who is that?" Mark blinked his eyes twice as he responded with confusion. "Your friend or something?"


    Zan Rong''s face suddenly became pale when she heard his response. This time, she was sure that Mark lost his memories. "Wait here¡­ I''ll return in a second."


    In a panic, she turned around and swiftly left the room, bringing back the pair of teenagers with her.


    Both of them looked happy as they saw Mark, who stepped down from the bed. And one of them looked so happy that tears welled up in his eyes. The boy named Steve couldn''t stop himself from rushing forward and giving a tight hug to Mark, taking him and Zan Rong by surprise, "I''m d that you woke up, Dad."


    "Dad?" "Dad?"


    A strange silence filled the room for the new few seconds.


    "What the f¡­"


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the ne of celestials, a figure shrouded in a blinding sh of light opened her eyes and let out a smile, <nulli>"He woke up quicker than I prophesized. No wonder it chose him as the host. Nevertheless, the orb of creation cannot escape, and neither can it hide for very long. Before it makes any counterattack or someone else finds it out, I have to firmly assimte my energy with his body so that I can harvest it when the timees. Once the orb falls into my hands, I will have the power to overthrow the Jade Emperor."

 Chapter 460 Chronicles of Frozen Time: A Reckless Journey to Save the Past

    Chapter 460 Chronicles of Frozen Time: A Reckless Journey to Save the Past


    Year 18, Age of Mark;


    Earth 43, ne of Ice and Fire;


    At the shores of a beautiful frozenke in the wilderness, six teenagers were seen sitting together and having a chat or more like arguing with each other.


    "No, it is too risky, Steve. You never operated it before," said a girl with pointy ears. She was frowning in displeasure.


    "C''mon, it''s not like we are some mortals that we needed to worry about such risks. We can even breathe in space," replied Steve. He added, "And it''s not fair that only the eldest brother is allowed. We are not weaker than him in any way."


    "Then, why don''t you tell it to Dad and convince him?" The elven girl argued.


    "If uncle knew about it, you will be grounded this time for sure and even your mom won''t be able to save you," a male with pointy ears supported her. He was her twin.


    Another human girl joined the argument. Aged 16 but withrge round spectacles and some book in her hand, she spoke, "And even with sess, there are consequences to time travel, Steve. Eldest brother understands that but you don''t. You are reckless and bound to cause trouble, putting the history at risk of alteration."


    Steve got frustrated. His feelings were clearly evident on his face which reddened. He couldn''t help but shout at her, "I know the consequences of time travel, alright? I don''t need you, clever clogs, to teach me what is right and wrong. Get lost, sses."


    "Hmpf, whatever." The girl with sses didn''t take his words much seriously and opened the book to continue her reading.


    "Hey, that''s not a way to treat your sister" "Steve, what are you doing? How dare you talk to her like that?" As the two elven twins started scolding Steve and thetter provoking them into a battle, the eldest of this group decided to end this pointless argument bying in support of Steve, changing the equations in an instant.


    Named Silver, the 17-year-old spoke, "Everyone, calm down for a second. Uncle Allen gave the spaceship to Steve as a birthday present. It is his right to use it however he wishes. And in the worst case, I''ll request my mom to use the orb of chaos and cover up his mess. Of course, he will be facing consequences for that, but for now, we should give him an opportunity to prove himself that he is responsible too."


    When Silver spoke of his opinion, the elves immediately calmed down and agreed with him. It was then thest remaining sibling, who didn''t actively participate in the argument and stayed neutral until now, responded, "I will go with Steve, just in case."


    "And don''t worry, I''ll just go to a few years back and make sure that I won''t meet you, fes," added Steve, looking quite a bit annoyed that people are not taking his opinion seriously. As the others agreed, Steve and James boarded a spaceship that looked more like a spider.


    Once they got in and the doors were locked, Steve rushed toward the control system and started setting the time period.


    Walking toward him, the curious sibling asked, "Where are we going?"


    Steve then let out a smile, "To the Empire of Ixitus, 19 years prior."


    "Wait a second." James was stunned for a moment. "You can''t be serious. Just now you told¡­"


    Steve cut him off as he pulled up the levers and pressed the switch, "Sorry bro, but I lied. We are going to save Dad by altering his timeline."


    "What? But, that might¡­" Before James speaks anything, the time ship, otherwise known as the Chronos,unched toward space at the speed of light before eventually turning into specks of light and disappearing from the timeline.


    After an unknown time;


    In the skies of Ixitus Empire, during the time when chaos is urring all over the world due to demonic possession, a portal opened and specks of light emerged from it before turning back into a time ship, only to crash on the ground and make arge crater instead of a softnding.


    "Ugh" "Ugh"


    Groaning in pain, both of them got out of the ship. "Fu*k, you have really messed up this time, Steve," said James with a pale face. Seeing the dazed expression on his brother who was staring at a holographic screen, which could be seen by anyone but not the contents written on it, he asked, "Where are we stranded, anyways?"


    Steve answered, "The location is correct but not the timeline. We havended 194 days before Dad visits this world."


    "Oh, boy," James shook his head.


    ***


    Back to the Present;


    At the tree house in Sylvandrial Dominion, Earth 486;


    "And that is how we ended up here," said the 14-year-old Steve, exining the whole disbelief.


    Mark was the first to get out of his shock and spoke in English, "Let me get this story while leaving up some important details.


    A long silence filled the room as Mark and Zan Rong stared at the teenagers in disbelief.


    Mark was the first to get out of his shock and spoke in English, "Let me get this straight. I died and reincarnated as Lu Zhen, a prince of the Shang Dynasty in some fantasy world where people have superpowers from theics. Both of you are my sons from the future and you came here in the time ship that I built to save me from some sort of disaster. In the process, your ship has been wrecked and both of you are stranded here for the past few months. Now, you need me to repair the ship too? Correct?"


    Steve and James nodded in unison.


    Mark became silent for a couple of seconds and then roared suddenly, "Don''t both of you brats realize how absurd you sound? Let me talk to your superior. If he needs something from me, I will cooperate. There''s no need to make me a mental patient. And I demand the anti-dote for this strange drug you guys put in my body right now," He then turned his head and sternly looked at Zan Rong, who is also in shock, "And Mari, you haven''t answered about Allen. I need to see or atleast talk with my brother if you could help me."


    Zan Rong couldn''t properly digest the fact that Lu Zhen was her brother-inw or atleast in his past life. Suddenly, everything made sense to her. No wonder Lu Zhen knew about modern weapons. No wonder Lu Zhen knew English. And no wonder Lu Zhen is looking after her too. It was because he has the memories of his past life.


    If she hears this a few years ago, it would sound too absurd, but after she experienced the world of elves and powers erupting from the ether energy, the concept of reincarnation doesn''t sound ridiculous at all.


    Little did she know that Mark didn''t reincarnate, but transmigrated. However, whether Steve and James kept this secret or were unaware of the secret is something that stays as a mystery for now.


    Back to Mark, as he was clearly refusing to believe their exnation, thinking that his senses were altered by some kind of drug that will make it seem like he was in a different body than his own, James could only let out a sigh and spoke, "Fine, suit yourself, dad. Consider yourself as our prisoner for now. Repair our ship and we will free you. Until then, the effects of the drug will stay inside you."


    "James." Steve couldn''t believe his brother would y along with their Dad instead of clearing the misunderstanding. As James gestured for him to trust him, Steve calmed down himself by assuming that Mark will probably get to his senses once he experiences reality. He just needs to focus on protecting him. That will be enough.


    "I knew it." Mark believed James'' lie as it aligns with his theory. He added, "See, how easy it bes if you kids just be truthful. Anyway, I have a bit of experience in handling jet engine repairs. Take me to the vehicle and let me take a look at it first."


    Mark was obviously thinking about escape in his mind, but before making a n, he would have to know theyout of the ce he was in. He doesn''t want to make the same mistake he didst time by resisting their orders from the start. This time, he decided to make them trust him.


    It was at that moment the door at the front was knocked a couple of times before it was opened and a voice of a female was heard.


    "Anyone home?"

 Chapter 461 Secrets and Speculations

    Chapter 461 Secrets and Spections


    After a while;


    "So, it''s settled then. Tomorrow in the morning, you shall apany me to meet the High Priestess and get your rightful reward," said the fallen princess of the Elven Empire, in her Elvishnguage, as she was leaving the tree house. Her gaze was on Mark and she was beaming with a smile, indicating her emotion of happiness.


    Zan Rong tranted it from word to word in English as Mark couldn''t understand the nativenguage of Orlon for some reason.


    However, Mark was still under the belief that he was given a drug now that it was admitted by James and Steve. As a result, he didn''t believe her even a little bit and only went with the flow, trying to be expected in the eyes of others.


    He agreed to the arrangement and sent her off with a wide smile. Once the beauty disappeared from his view, Mark''s smile was wiped off his face and he became all too serious as he returned to his room using an excuse of a headache.


    Sitting at the edge of the cot, he rested his elbows on his knees and went into deep thinking, "This stupid y is getting out of line. Elves, seriously? Who do they think they want to fool around with? Is it possible that my whole senses were messed up or were they cosying? But, more than that, I need to figure out why they keep role-ying this idea of a fantasy world. That kid said that I need to repair their spaceship and I will be freed in return. How in the hell did he even think that I can do that? I''m a fucking weapons designer and my specialty lies in research, development, testing, and overseeing the production of firearms and missiles, not repairing aircraft.


    I think they must be after my knowledge of anti-matter technology. After all, I''m the only one still alive from my team if what Richards said is true, before he shot the entire magazine in my chest.


    Perhaps, what he was saying earlier was true? Nah, there''s no such thing as a soul or reincarnation. Hmm, other than injecting some unknown drug, the only possible exnation is that they used some technology to transfer my memories into a new body as I could be considered an asset for any country. Yeah, that can be possible, considering the fact that killing me would waste opportunities too.


    But then, what about the elves? How could it be exined? If not cosying to fool me, then, were they also humans like me whose memories were nted into biologically engineered bodies in ab? Hmm¡­ Wait a second¡­ isn''t this kinda simr to that movie franchise Avatar? Well, other than this, I can''t think of any other possibilities.


    As for them saying the truth, it is pure bullshit. Let''s assume that everything that kid James said was true at first.


    I''m reincarnated into some Chinese-style world in some medieval period where people have superpowers and there are also monsters and dragons. Now, I traveled to the elf world to save them? I''m a hero who sacrificed myself to save the princess? Ugh¡­ I want to puke at that story¡­


    Then, these two are my kids from the future. They came in the time machine I designed. This sounds quite exciting but how could time travel be possible? For starters, you need to find a wormhole, which is still a theoretical concept. Even if they exist, you need to manipte them while making sure to stabilize them so that they won''t copse. For that, you would need exotic matter with negative energy density so that it could counterattack the gravitational forces that would naturally suppress a wormhole. Even then, there is an energy requirement. It will be astronomical. Who knows, someone could crack this in a thousand years, but in the 21st century, I don''t think it can be possible. Not even for me. Not to mention, in what world kids are allowed to time travel? They aren''t even allowed on a space rocket to the moon. And why would I even give them such a dangerous machine to create more paradoxes?


    They should have created a better storyline to fool me. Forget it. Let''s just go along with them and formte a n to escape from this ce. Resisting will only make me end up under house arrest. Man, can''t believe I will end up in another prison as soon as I got out."


    Letting out a deep sigh, Mark then pped his cheeks at the same time, bing serious as he mumbled, "Okay. Let''s do this."


    Mark then closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.


    About an hourter, he returned to the living room and saw James helping out Zan Rong in the kitchen as she was cooking lunch. Meanwhile, Steve was busy drawing something in arge drawing book.


    At first, Mark thought that he was drawing some pictures but as he went closer, his eyes captured the design of a missile; more precisely, it was various parts of a missile drawn separately along with the description of materials''position and various calctions, etc...


    "Hmm?" Mark''s curiosity piqued a little bit and he walked toward him.


    Steve sensed his presence but he continued to act like he doesn''t care, following his brother''s instructions. However, deeply inside, he grew more nervous about how Mark will react to his drawings.


    And surprisingly for him, Mark calmly stood behind and continued to observe for a few seconds before he spoke, "Steve, it doesn''t work unless you would need arger engine.


    "Larger?" Steve turned his head and raised it to look at Mark. Thetter pointed his finger at specific calctions written on the paper, "TWR (Thrust-to-weight ratio) is too low. I believe the specific impulse value will be around 216 seconds. Clearly, not enough."


    "Hmm¡­" Steve looked back at the calctions on the paper and his face paled immediately upon realization, "You are right, dad. I almost messed it up. Uncle Allen will chew me up if I would have submitted this. Phew¡­"


    "Uncle Allen?" Mark stared at Steve for a couple of seconds in irritation. Seeing that thetter continues to roley as his son from the future, Mark suddenly thought of something and tried to trick the teenager by suddenly striking conversation about personal things, "Say, Steve. In the future timeline you are from, is my grandpa, I mean your great-grandpa still alive? When I was abducted, he was still healthy even at 71 years old. I promised to live together with him once my brother graduates college and moves out." Steve was taken aback as he abruptly turned his head, "Eh? Your grandfather is alive? I thought your grandfather died in 1994 while working as a spy for the Serb''s rebel forces during the Croatian War of Independence. Did he fake his death?"


    "How¡­"


    This time, it was Mark''s turn to get shocked. In fact, he appeared to be shocked so much that he lost control for a moment and grabbed the cor of Steve and roared, "How in the hell did you know that, brat? Not even my own brother was aware of it."


    "Dad?" As Steve was shocked by Mark''s sudden burst of anger, Zan Rong and James also left the kitchen in a hurry.

 Chapter 462 Enter Neo, the super A.I.

    Chapter 462 Enter Neo, the super A.I.


    The secret of Mark''s grandfather is only known to him and him alone. Neither his brother nor his superiors were aware of it. To the public knowledge, he died during the Central European floods. Even Mark would only learn of the truth before his parents left him and his brother before joining the war in central Africa.


    The fact that this teenager who was iming to be his son is speaking of that matter only aggravated his mood further. Either the well-kept secret was also got out somehow or everything he believed until now was a lie.


    On the other hand, Steve was a Supreme Being and a normal human like Mark (at the moment) catching his neck doesn''t hurt him a bit. However, the emotional bond he had made it harder for him to get free by force and let Mark''s hand tighten over his neck. At the same time, he was mentally hurt and frustrated, not knowing how to convince his dad.


    As he answered that Mark himself told him the secret, thetter was in strong belief. He would rather believe that they probably found his secrets through his own mouth when they drugged him than the fact that he is in a fantasy world and the teenagers were time travelers.


    Had he been a normal person, he would probably believe it. But, he was a weapons designer, a scientist who doesn''t believe in things like god or reincarnation or in general, supernatural things. The fact that he doesn''t have any memory as Lu Zhen only boosted his belief even more.


    Mark swiftly released his grip over Steve''s neck as he saw tears welling up in thetter''s eyes. He returned to his room and shut the door before sitting on the bed. "Argh¡­ this is so frustrating. Why don''t they just fucking stop it? Fuu¡­ Mark¡­ take a deep breath and calm down. You need some solid proof that they were lying. How? How? How? Hmm¡­ wait a second." Something suddenly clicked in his head.


    Mark quickly rushed out of the room while Steve was approached by James. Zan Rong was still in the kitchen, although her attention was on her nephews.


    James was seen patting Steve''s shoulders and saying, "You know Dad''s personality. Once he is fixed on something, no matter what we say, he doesn''t believe it and just keeps drawing conspiracy theories. The only way we can make him trust us is to help him retrieve his lost memories." Steve, who was sitting on the floor, raised his head to look at his brother and asked, "What about the sui¡­"


    "Exactly,"


    A voice responded while Steve was asking something in response to James'' constion.


    As they turned their heads to look at Mark, thetter then spoke, "If everything you im is right, then, first, you should have powers just like the rest of you and so am I. Next, I should have the memories of this body. And two, find my brother. Bring him to me. Both of you work on those things. Meanwhile, I will take a look at your time ship. Let''s go."


    "Eh? Right now?" James was stunned for a second. Mark nodded, "Yes. Since I''m your father, then, both of you will listen to me. Understood?"


    Steve and James nodded like chicks. Leaving behind Zan Rong at the house, Mark left with the teenagers without having lunch.


    Mark was grabbed by James from behind and had his arms locked before both of them slowly rose in the air.


    Mark should have yelped in surprise, but for some reason, he didn''t feel much differentpared to when he was on the ground. There was this no sense of excitement one would have as they flew for the first time and neither there was a fear due to the speed faster than the speed of sound. He waspletely calm as if this is natural for him.


    This could exin it as his body remembers that feeling of flight. But, Mark only concluded this as an illusion. Adding on top of that, he was quite ufortable in this position. However, he silently cooperated until they exited the forest after an hour of flying and reach a rocky region with an ample amount of space.


    Theynded on the ground and Steve''s ring on his index finger glowed before a giant spaceship looking like a terrifying ck spider made its appearance. Even its dozen long-length spikes were seen moving like a living thing.


    "Hmm?" Mark automatically started marching on his own toward the ship without fear, "I feel like I have seen this before."


    James quietly followed him from behind.


    Mark reached the spaceship. The door opened on its own. Mark climbed the steps and got inside. The other two also followed suit.


    The inside was simple. Apart from arge 9-seater sofa in the back, two seats before the control system, everything is empty. Anyone who sees this would say that the space is not being used properly.


    Mark then walked to the control system that was visibly damaged with traces of burn seen in several ces.


    "Sigh¡­ what I should do with this¡­" Mark put his hands on his waist with the look of resignation as he could feel like it is tooplex already by a first nce. At that moment, he forgot about the illusion and everything else.


    It was then a hand was felt on his shoulder, followed by the voice, "Here, this is the instruction manual I was given."


    Mark was handed a notebook instead of some printed manual. As he opened, his eyes fell on strange writings written by a pen. However, there was a look of confusion on his face, "This is my writing and even the coding system belongs to me. Just how far these guys found out about me¡­ Or maybe¡­"


    Unknown to him, Mark''s feeling of being wrong about everything was already started slowly weaning away.


    He couldn''t help but sit down and started reading. For the next 15 minutes, he kept on yelping in surprise every minute or two. Steve and James, meanwhile, stood on the side in patience.


    After another 20 minutes, he finally closed the book with a satisfactory smile on his face, only to see that the teenagers were staring at him with smiles on their faces too.


    His smile was gone in an instant, "What are you looking at?"


    "Nothing." "Nothing"


    They shook their heads in unison.


    Mark then said, "Now, I''m going to live here until I repair this. This sofa will be morefortable than that wooden cot anyways. Arrange my lunch and dinner. You can make it to that house and bring it here. If you can, set up a portable bathroom for my shower somewhere nearby. It shouldn''t be a difficult task for you two, right?"


    "No, it isn''t, but," Steve opinioned that it is dangerous in this ce, to which, Mark replied that they can guard him if they want. "Now, hurry up and go."


    James volunteered to return to the tree house and bring the lunch while leaving behind Steve.


    Once Mark got rid of James, he then asked Steve to stand outside as he will start observing the control system, and to do that, his concentration needed to be at its peak.


    Steve obediently stepped outside of the spaceship, like a good son, taking it as a lesson to increase his temperament rather than thinking that his dad is very annoying.


    Mark pressed the switch at the door and closed it as soon as he found himself alone.


    Flexing his fingers, he mumbled as he took out the notebook, flipping the pages for a while and stopping at a certain page.


    "I don''t know if this is a prank or an illusion. Or everything is just going inside my head. Whatever the case, it doesn''t hurt trying."


    Mark went to the control system once again and bent down at the right corner. He caressed it here and there for a while before stopping and letting out a smile, "Here it is, the fail-safe switch. Let''s see if this works out or whether I will be a fool."


    Mark pressed his palm against it. Like a button was pressed, it went down, and immediately, something miracle urred.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel Strange specks of golden light erupted from the central part of the control system, scaring the hell out of Mark.


    As he yelp out a cry of surprise, Steve hurriedly entered the ship using his master ess and saw the entire control system covered by golden light.


    Mark was on the floor in awe, watching the control system bing as good as new as if some magic has been cast.


    After the magic, slowly, the specks of golden light gathered at a single point, taking the form of a little girl. She looked at Mark and spoke in a robotic voice, "Wee, Master. Neo is waiting for your orders."


    "What¡­ the¡­ fuck¡­" Steve opened his mouth widely in shock.

 Chapter 463 Mark falls unconscious

    Chapter 463 Mark falls unconscious


    After a while;


    "So, you are saying that you are an advanced artificial intelligence created by me and was nted in some divine throne and then had you transform to this spaceship?" Mark nowpletely felt like he lost his senses this time. He put forth the same conditions as a test, trying to prove he hasn''t gone insane.


    However, he didn''t know that Neo has a surprise for him.


    The moment he asked whether she can prove that none of this is an illusion, Neo firmly nodded as she replied, "Certainly, Master."


    *Snap*


    With a snap of her finger, Mark and Steve found themselves standing outside on the barrennd. The teenager had a look of a daze as he was staring at the spaceship in disbelief. He didn''t expect such a scene.


    Meanwhile, the entire spaceship was enveloped by the same golden light before it disappeared, leaving behind an exquisite-looking throne and a floating golden spirit.


    Neo pointed the seat of the throne with her hand, "Master, please take the seat."


    Mark couldn''t help but walk toward the throne and sat on it, listening to her words.


    The moment he sat on it, Neo disappeared into the throne and the entire thing turned into the form of powerful golden energy before disappearing altogether into his forehead.


    Mark, at once, flew into the air and crashed onto the ground. This strange scene brought Steve back to his senses and he quickly rushed to his father, "Dad¡­" He ced his hand on Mark''s body and mumbled, "Aria, inspect the status of the target."


    *Ding!


    The sound of a bell was heard in his head and a visible holographic screen appeared before his eyes. Mark''s data appeared. However, it was slightly different from how Mark''s system used to disy him.


    Lu Zhen


    Biological age: 25


    Status: Unknown


    Cultivation realm: N/A


    Number of Attributes: >1


    Dominant attribute: unknown


    Attribute with the highest mastery: Ice


    Bloodline: unknown


    Overall review: Aria cannot analyze the target properly due to abnormally high values of stats.


    "Dammit." Steve gritted his teeth in frustration and anger, realizing that he was too slow to act despite his great cultivation level. "I should have made my move when something that isn''t in my control was going on. I came here to save him, not mess up things even more. Now, even my time ship is gone. How will I return? What should I do?"


    As he was panicking over the situation, a figure came to his head. "James¡­"


    Steve immediately picked up Mark''s unconscious body and flew back to the tree house in the forest.


    There, in the house, Zan Rong was still busy cooking while James was talking with her.


    Sensing Steve''s presence alongside his dad''s, James stopped conversing and swiftly came to the living room before asking about the situation.


    Upon listening to everything, James told Steve to ce Mark on the floor and then ced his palm on Mark''s chest, sending a speck of his energy into thetter''s body.


    However, it disappeared right away and a frown appeared on James.


    "What happened?" asked Zan Rong.


    James looked at Steve and said, "I sense a battle with two powerful energies. Neither of them belonged to Dad though. I think this one belonged to the time ship. We can only wait for now."


    "Never expected Mark would create something like this," Zan Rong couldn''t help butment.


    Steve, meanwhile, apologized to his brother. James patted his shoulder with a smile, "Nothing to worry, Bro. Don''t worry. If something would happen to him, we would have already disappeared by now. The fact that we are still alive means he is still alright and our future hasn''t changed."


    "But, the time ship is gone and you two are stuck here,"mented Zan Rong in response. "What happens then?"


    As Steve''s face paled in fright, James calmly spoke, "Don''t assume the worst when nothing that''s concerning even happened. You should wait." After a brief pause, he added, "If ites to that, we will have to make a breakthrough at all costs and then extract the orb of chaos from your mom before they do, and rewrite the reality."


    "Orb of chaos? What is that?" Zan Rong asked her nephews. However, her question was only met with silence. She understood that they have their own secrets and didn''t try to press them anymore. She casually changed the topic to how she forgot about the boiling sweet corn soup and rushed back into the kitchen.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel Steve and James then sat down beside an unconscious Mark and patiently observed his condition. From time to time, James would insert specks of his ether energy to understand the state of the battle between two divine energies.


    And so, two weeks passed away in a blink of an eye;


    Lunaris City, Western Moon kingdom;


    In the royal pce of the kingdom, Song Yue was seen sitting at the window of her room and staring outside. She looked quite pale as if she became sick.


    *knock* knock* knock*


    The sounds of the knocking interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head to see Princess Shen Ling.


    Giving her a nce, she turned her attention back to the world outside the window, "I''m not in a mood to eat. You can continue, Sister Shen."


    The princess replied, "You are barely eatingtely. Look at yourself. At this rate, you will fall sick. Won''t Lu Zhen be sad when he returns?"


    "We have gone through this already, Sister Shen. Please leave me alone," said Song Yue in a weak tone.


    Shen Ling let out a deep sigh and turned around to leave the room. Her eyes fell on the ck-armored man who was sitting against the wall in sadness.


    The princess looked at him and shook her head, "Why don''t you go and convince her by yourself, Mr. ck Knight? Perhaps, your support is what she needed the most, right now."


    ck Knight wrote the words in the air controlling his ether energy, "I cannot. You know why."


    "I know," nodded the princess and then said, "That is why I have sent my people to bring Ms. Cheng."


    ck Knight looked at her in surprise, "my wife?"


    The princess nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 464 Who am I? Mark or Lu Zhen?

    Chapter 464 Who am I? Mark or Lu Zhen?


    Meanwhile, at the borders of Western Yan, the gold dragon was seen burning down soldiers, turning them into ashes. The remaining ones that were running away, however, were spared.


    Jinlong transformed into his humanoid figure and let out a sigh as he stared at the fleeing humans, "Never expected I would be spending my life killing humans over and over, for the sake of upholding my promise. The situation on the border worsened ever since that man ascended to the throne of the Phoenix Empire. I wonder when Lu Zhen would return."


    A week ago, the previous Emperor''s nephew, Shang Jun won against the crown prince during the final stage of the trial of the throne and became the sessor.


    But, once he became the Emperor, all sorts of problems arose. Right on the first day, a special investigative team was formed, filled with strangers. Within three days, these people managed to arrest several nobles and a couple of former ministers, and even high-rank soldiers. He cracked down on corruption.


    Secondly, due to the same reason, an arrest was issued on the crown prince, but he evaded it with the help of some of his loyal subordinates. He went into hiding.


    The third prince, however, enjoyed the position of the new Prime minister. The old one was removed and given retirement, citing old age.


    Thirdly, citing low funds in the treasury as the reason, the new emperor ordered wealthy individuals to pay more taxes, and that too, without giving them any time. Those who resisted were thrown into prisons. The money collected during the past week was used in creating a well-organized orphanage.


    And then, he took everyone by surprise with a new order. He rejected the independence of Western Yan and announced a volunteer army to take back theirnd. This army isn''t made of trained soldiers.


    Instead, civilians were being recruited for hefty amounts of money. They were then sent to the border to fight for their homnd.


    So far, more than a thousand deaths urred, but Shang Jun has no intention of stopping. For the sake of feeding their families, men from poor families still lined up for joining this army. As for the rebellion elements, for some reason, they weren''t born yet, although there is a rumor that those who want to incite rebellion went mysteriously missing.


    These actions of Shang Jun only brought Western Yan and Western Moon kingdoms closer. Despite that, Shang Jun didn''t show aggression toward its neighboring kingdom. Instead, he attempted to improve their trade rtions.


    Surprisingly, he didn''t try to find his missing father. Thetter was still imprisoned at Fujian Ind, spending his time watching the little princess train every day with the ancient grade beasts.


    She sessfully broke the wall and entered the Exalt realm but continued to train with them as her desire to get stronger grew further. It''s because of this fact that Lan Jingyi didn''t meet her even after finding her location. She continued to watch over her daughter from far away.


    Back at Lunaris City, due to theck of weapon supply, Meng Tao and Chang Bo continued with their multi-store business and stopped selling all kinds of ammunition and firearms. Xie Mei joined them as a staff member while training under Meng Tao in the gunfight.


    As a result, the store''s reputation got a hit among the masses in the Western Moon kingdom. If not for the fact that the gold dragon was guarding the borders, even Feng Wu would have also be more stressed.


    The small merchants also lost a bit of faith in Genesis Store due to its frequent closures while having a monopoly in the market. They felt like they cannot put their livelihood in the firearms business.


    The dwarves took this situation as an advantage, releasing the massive stock of low-quality 9mm ammunition at a price of 3 silver and 50 copper. The public didn''t get a chance to buy them yet as Shang Jun hoarded most of the stock for his volunteer army and patrolling guards.


    Imperial Pce, Phoenix Empire;


    Court proceedings were going as usual with the new Emperor, new ministers, and new higher court officials. Everyone is rtively young here, below the age of 40. Under their bold Emperor, everyone also tried to be bold and risk takers.


    The new head of the Ministry of Rites, which oversees rituals, ceremonies, and diplomatic protocol, stood up and handed a scroll to the third prince.


    As the new prime minister was reading the letter with not so pleasant expression, Shang Jun grew curious.


    He asked, "What is it, Prime Minister Wei?"


    Shang Wei then looked toward him and replied, "Your Majesty, it''s a piece of bad news. The Dragon Empire is demandingpensation for the loss of its Royal ancestor in the battle of fire seed. Their investigations have determined that it is likely the work of Lu Zhen. We want an unconditional apology from the Emperor at our imperial court or 100 million gold coins. If neither of our conditions are met, it will be considered an act of war."


    "Bullshit. How were we responsible for that?" Shang Jun grew angry.


    The third prince replied in a calm manner, "Your Majesty, The Imperial Pce has employed Lu Zhen for the fire seed. Hence, his actions during that event are on our heads."


    Shang Jun clenched his fists and forcefully calmed himself down. After taking his seat, he asked, "So, what do you think of it?"


    Shang Wei answered, "I believe they were trying to test His Majesty. Rightfully, their so-called royal ancestor came here without taking our permission. His entry is illegal and by right, we can give him any sentence based on ourws. Hence, he should be prepared for the consequences too. They already lost the right to demand anything. However, they can take revenge on a personal basis. In that case, they would go directly to Western Moon and demand them to hand him over. They knew that too. It only makes sense if they want to see whether His Majesty is a docile cat or an aggressive tiger or a cunning wolf."


    "Hmm¡­" Shang Jun rested his elbow on his knees and ced his fist below his chin, thinking about what his cousin said. He was aware that war is not an option. Fighting with Dragon Empire would only bring destruction as theymand an army stronger than any other Empire. Only Leon Empire can give a tough fight.


    Adding on top of that, they were also the wealthiest empire and can fund it for years without any problems.


    So, what options are left? Apology? That''s not even an option. And sticking for Lu Zhen who left their empire is considered foolishness in Shang Jun''s view.


    What about assassinating Lu Zhen and handing his head over to the Dragon Empire? Shang Jun would rather go to war against the Dragon Empire than offend the resentful fellow. He was smart enough to know that.


    As he was thinking of the matter, something suddenly clicked in his mind and a creepy smile appeared on his face, taking the third prince by surprise.


    He said, "The court session is adjourned for the day. Zhang Kang, Sui Weisheng; I need both of you to meet me at the throne room (an official private meeting room)."


    "Eh?" Shang Wei was taken aback, not getting such an invitation when he was supposed to be Emperor''s most trusted official.


    After a while;


    Zhang Kang, the heir of Zhang n, rose to his feet in shock, "Are you serious? Your Majesty, I hope you are thinking about this thoroughly. The consequences will be unimaginable if you wake up the sleeping lion."


    As the minister of War was silently pondering on the matter, Shang Ju shook his head with a smile, "Don''t worry. This will not trace back to us even if it fails. And we won''t keep her as the prisoner. Song Yue will be handed to the Dragon Empire as a gift from an anonymous person, who was worried about the war. That''s all. Make sure to leak the entire contents of the letter to the public. Maybe, we can even generate a bit of hatred toward Lu Zhen in the process."


    Sui Weisheng who finished thinking asked, "Do you have any personal enmity with Lu Zhen, Your Majesty?"


    Shang Ju shook his head, "Nope. I haven''t even met him once. But then again, he isn''t a friend either. I''m not obliged to think about his well-being. However, unlike me, both of you had enmity with him. Zhang Kang, you had your fianc¨¦ stolen away by him. And Sui Weisheng, I don''t think I should remind you how he humiliated your n. If Lu Zhen dies, the Dragon Empire will be satisfied. And if the Dragon Empire ends up being troubled, then, their arrogance will be defeated. No matter the oue, we will win."


    "But, what about Shang Wei?" asked Sui Weisheng.


    Shang Ju shrugged his shoulders in response, "He should be kept in the dark."


    "Alright, I understand" "As you wish, Your Majesty"


    ***


    Sylvandrial Dominion, Earth-486;


    In the tree house, Mark who went into a deep sleep state started shivering uncontrobly. As a result, first the bed, then, the floor, and eventually, the whole house started shaking as if an earthquake was urring.


    Steve and James were sitting in the living room, doing their own things. The former is busy drawing the parts of an aircraft while thetter is writing a short story. Zan Rong is currently outside somewhere.


    All of a sudden, they felt the vibration beneath them.


    "Steve," cried out James, wondering whether it is an attack. "Hurry up and prote¡­"


    Before his words finished, the entire house copsed, surprising the roaming elves nearby.


    As both of them pushed out the rubble fallen upon them, both of them raised their heads to see a floating figure in the sky.


    "What is this power? Shouldn''t I be a mortal? How did I be a Spirit Warrior? And what is this other set of memories? Am I Lu Zhen? Or am I Mark? Or am I someone else?"

 Chapter 465 The hero from the Prophecy

    Chapter 465 The hero from the Prophecy


    As Mark was confusingly looking around and himself, wondering where he was, what was he doing here, what happened to him, and what were those new sets of memories, questioning his own identity, a figure shrouded in a golden aura appeared not so far away from him.


    Equipping herself with an exquisite-looking staff adorned with jewels, the woman opened her mouth, "Let me ask something before we talk. Do you know who you are?"


    Mark stared at her with his eyes widened, "An Elf? Wow, never thought you people were real. Judging by your appearance and the fact that I''m flying on my own, I guess either I''m Lu Zhen or someone else that I have no knowledge of."


    Mark''s reaction slightly caused a bit of surprise in the High Priestess but she kept her coolness and said, "Your questions can be answered by yourpanions over there, but before that, let me confirm something."


    "What is¡­" Mark didn''t even get the time to respond before the High Priestess raised her staff and unleashed a spell, or in other words, a skill attack.


    Mark''s thoughts became nk as a whiskered golden snake formed by energy made its way toward him.


    "Dad¡­"


    Steve quickly rose to his feet and was about to fly but was stopped by James before he did so.


    "James¡­" As Steve snapped at him for stopping him, thetter spoke, "You can already sense Dad''s cultivation has returned. This sort of attack will not injure him. Just watch."


    Meanwhile, Mark was frozen in fear. He didn''t know what to do. He could tremendous amount of power within him but he didn''t know how to use it. The fact that Mark mostly used the system''s help in the past also made his body not have any muscle memory.


    But, all is not gone.


    As the energy attack almost reached him and opened its mouth to swallow him whole, icy wings erupted from his back and covered him up.


    The attack couldn''t prate the defense and disappeared with the collision. The wings opened up again, revealing Mark with a surprised look on his face.


    Soon, his surprise turned into excitement, and a burst ofughter escaped from his mouth, "Haha, an ice element, and that too, wings? So schway. I thought I was floating because of the wind attribute. Wait a second. If I''m not a wind attribute, how am I flying earlier without wings? Am I¡­"


    A crazy thought appeared in his head but he couldn''t think further as the High Priestess wasn''t done with whatever she nned to do.


    Soon, arge sphere of energy made its way toward Mark.


    This time, Mark acted in reflex by pping his wings without even knowing how they work. It just happened to him as natural as breathing.


    As the energy sphere missed its attack and went away, the High Priestess calmly raised her staff once again.


    And Mark felt angry when he saw that. He didn''t understand why that woman kept on attacking him. Was he in the wrong? Or was she in the wrong? Or were they enemies?


    He didn''t know but for the moment, he had only one thought. Kill her. If he cannot, then, escape.


    And that resolve brought specks of golden light out of Mark''s body before transforming into a rocketuncher with a loaded warhead on the front, although in gold color.


    Mark grabbed it instinctively and put it on his shoulder. He proceeded to press the trigger with his index figure before thinking too much because of fear of death and anger toward the assant.


    The warhead that was shot off theuncher then changed into a ball of golden divine energy as it flew toward the target.


    The High Priestess, who was in the middle of invoking a spell, withdrew it in a hurry and proceeded with releasing the ether energy from her body to create a barrier around her.


    The ball of golden energy collided with the barrier and not only it destroyed it with brute force, but even the person hiding behind it was also sted away atleast for a couple of hundred meters, crashing through several trees on the way.


    At once, the elves living in the surroundings gathered in one ce. Some have a look of fear in their eyes while some develop hatred and raised the weapons. A couple of elves rushed toward the High Priestess to help her.


    They didn''t know the full story and hence, they looked at a human such as Mark as an enemy.


    The High Priestess coughed out a mouthful of blood as she rose to her feet while her whole body started shivering.


    Meanwhile, Mark observed the weapon in his hand in surprise. Another warhead already was loaded automatically. "This isn''t ammunition, but a weapon of ether energy? But, I didn''t have any memory of weapons like these." He grew more confused for a second.


    However, it didn''tst for a while as his eyes fell on the enemy who got up on her feet and started walking toward him instead of flying.


    Mark threw away his thoughts at the back of his mind and pped his wings. Meanwhile, the elves started moving away as far as possible, fearing that there is going to be an intense battle and they were going to be caught in it if they don''t leave. Some followed her though as if they wanted to assist her. Nevertheless, there was no reaction from the High Priestess. She just continued to walk toward him.


    Soon, both of them reached a close distance and Mark had his finger on the trigger, just in case she tries to attack him out of nowhere.


    But, to his surprise, the High Priestess freed the staff.


    *Thud*


    The staff fell onto the ground, followed by the High Priestess falling onto her knees and bowing to him, surprising everyone around with her words echoing all over the ce, "High Priestess Aeliana greets the savior. You were the one we have been waiting for all this while."


    The moment those words escaped her mouth, all the elves that are around dropped down their weapons and whatever negative thoughts they have in their mind and fell to their knees in respect. Only the two teenagers were seen standing on the ground with surprised looks.


    Meanwhile, Mark had another jolt of shock at the reaction of the elves. "Weren''t they enemies?" He wondered.


    Until now, he thought there was some kind of enmity between them. Or else, why would she suddenly attack him, not once but twice?


    After hearing her now, he realized that she was testing him to prove something. He wanted to know what she confirmed.


    pping his wings, Marknded on the ground, nearby the kneeling High Priestess. He asked, "What is this about, miss?"


    The High Priestess raised her head to look at him and answered, "Your grace, there was a prophecy that''s been passed down to me from my predecessor.


    In the age of shadows and echoes, a prophecy unfolds, a hero from forgotten realms, his destiny foretold. From the annals of the past, a shield once held so strong, shall slip from grasp and brings a curse, the world''s peace goes wrong.


    Unleashed from shackles deep within, demons surge and swarm, great evil from banished dimension, a world to deform. Chaos reigns, darkness ascends, despair''s grip takes hold, yet from the ashes of despair, a story shall be told.


    Amidst the turmoil, a mortal walks, to elven realms unknown, with heart enshrouded in shadow and power yet to be shown. He bears the burden of both worlds, a bnce to maintain, Harnessing both darkness and light, his destiny to attain.


    Through trials and tribtions, he''ll rise above the fray, mastering his inner battles, guiding night into day. The demons quake and tremble, before his newfound might, He''ll conquer the banished evil, setting the world aright.


    A princess fair, with grace untamed, his partner she shall be, together they''ll face the tempest, setting all captives free. With unity as their beacon, they''ll mend what once was torn, two souls entwined in purpose, a destiny reborn.


    He''ll weave a tapestry of peace, between elves and humankind, Bringing harmony and kinship, a bridge of ties that bind. The hero''s legacy shall echo, through ages yet toe, a tale of darkness turned to light, of battles fought and won.


    So heed this prophecy''s words, a story to unfold, of a hero from the past, with the courage to be bold. Through trials, darkness, and battles, his spirit shall ascend, uniting worlds and hearts, his saga without end."


    After reciting the prophecy, she then said, "We have been summoning mortals from thousands of worlds for the past century to bring the hero to our realm and train him so that he saves our world when the timees, just like how Sir Adrian saved our world long ago by sacrificing his life and imprisoning the demons.


    Ever since I heard you almost sacrificed your life to protect the princess, I was hoping for you to be the hero. However, you were in a deep state of sleep. You woke up one day only to go back into the same state for the next two weeks.


    After watching you wake up once again while regaining your powers, I couldn''t wait and just went ahead with my test. I apologize for my actions."


    She bowed once again and continued, "However, now I have realized that you are the mortal from the prophecy. You are the one who leads us to the utopia."


    Mark stood there in a daze, digesting the information and understanding what was going on. His brain automatically decoded the entire prophecy on its own, possibly due to high intelligence stat.


    The High priestess patiently waited in her kneeling position until Mark gave an unexpected reaction to one specific statement of all the things, "Did you just imply that I marry the princess?"

 Chapter 466 The High Priestess request

    Chapter 466 The High Priestess'' request


    The prophecy of the elves basically states that a summoned hero will save the world from the demons.


    He will sacrifice himself to seal them up, but they will eventually escape as time passes.


    A great evil from the banished dimension of the Void realm will be returned, spreading chaos all over the world.


    In times of turmoil, another mortal visit the world and free them from very.


    He holds the darkness in his heart but also controls divinity at the same time.


    He vanquishes the demons and bes a hero.


    He takes the princess as his bride and protects the world as his own.


    Finally, he brings the humans with him and establishes the harmony between the elves and the humans.


    Upon witnessing the powerful divine energy st from Mark, the High Priestess became confident that this second human from the prophecy was none other than Mark himself.


    She, who bows to no one but her God, kneeled before Mark in order to showcase her sincerity to the savior so that her race may live.


    When Mark asked whether they were offering the princess as his bride in response to her greetings, she nodded while thinking that it would go more smoothly than she expected. Summoned Heroes are often lustful humans.


    Many of them in history took the elves as their brides. Thest hero of the Ixitus Empire even married as many as 16 elves, of which there was even a widow queen and the Queen''s younger sister.


    While it is not umon to see summoned heroes getting married to the elves and making Ixitus Empire their homes as returning was impossible, there is a heavy drawback. It is that a mortal of any other race and an elf cannot have children. No one knows why. The people can only conclude it is an ipatibility between two species.


    So, in theory, the existing line of the royal family might just cut off with the princess if she marries Mark as she was thest remaining member of existing royalty.


    The High priestess was confident that even the princess would have mentally prepared herself to serve the Hero with all her heart and body.


    Hence, she kept her cool when replying to Mark''s question with a nod, "Yes. Her Highness will be your bride, and together, you shall rebuild this world. For saving the princess and for your future battle against the demons, we have been guarding the treasure for a long time. Please follow me to the Altar and receive the weapon that''s been waiting for you."


    As Mark let out a smile and gestured for everyone to get up, the High Priestess thought that she managed to convince him.


    Little did she expect that the savior she was looking up for help turned out to be a greedy fellow.


    As soon as she rose to her feet, Mark opened his mouth, "Sorry but marrying the princess isn''t a reward but a burden I have to carry for the rest of my life. Your offer doesn''t match the sincerity in your words, Miss."


    "Eh?" The High Priestess couldn''t help but look at him in surprise. The other elves around who heard it also appeared to be taken aback by his words.


    Even if he is powerful enough to hurt the High priestess, he is still crossing the line byparing the princess to a piece of baggage. This was what more than half of the elves thought. In an instant, Mark became a disliked figure among the masses for insulting the princess.


    Fortunately, the High Priestess didn''t take it as offense and continued with the conversation, "Mr. Lu, the weapon we intend to present you is of divine grade, once held by Isolde herself, our ancestor who ascended to the god realm."


    "Divine grade? God realm?" Mark didn''t understand those words for the moment, resulting in a counteroffer after a bit of thinking, "I don''t know about that, Miss. In my view, a loveless marriage is akin to business. And while during business, one should tally what two parties are giving. I, on my side, will be risking my life to save you people.


    Then, my marriage to your princess will tie me to your world for the rest of my life. Once I marry her, I will be obliged to protect her people from any harm in the future too. And in return, all I get is one weapon.


    No matter how excellent this weapon is, it is not like a sentient robot. I meant, a living being. I will have to be the one to control it. And in times of peace, such weapons will not have much use.


    That is why your proposal isn''t fair to me. However, if you want me to do your bidding, then, here''s my demand. Apart from the weapon you speak of, I need full ess to dig up rare materials found in your territory. Deal?"


    After witnessing how he could overpower the enemy, Mark was no longer afraid of expressing his demand, despite not understanding the severity of the situation.


    No matter the difficulty, as long as he has enough manpower, rare materials, and time, he can solve any situation. In the worst-case scenario, he will escape from these people and hide in the mountains until things calm down. Or so, he believed.


    It is why he boldly stated his demands without any fear while hoping for things to go his way.


    Surprisingly for him, the High priestess agreed to his demand in just three seconds, followed by shocking everyone by announcing the marriage date.


    Even Mark and his two sons were taken aback by the announcement.


    Mark quickly objected to it, "Wait a second. You were only under the assumption that I was your hero. There''s no solid proof for it. How about we do it once I exterminate the demons and reestablish your rule?"


    "I apologize, savior, but we are running out of time," The High Priestess gave a 90-degree bow and then exined, "You might need the help of our divine treasure to defeat our greatest adversary. And the divine treasure will only acknowledge you as its wielder after you marry the heiress of the royal family and consummate your marriage. And if this auspicious date is gone, then, we might have to wait for another seven months. Please do consider it and ept our audacious request."


    After making her request, he slightly raised her head to take a look at Mark in order to see his reaction. Seeing him in a bit of a daze, the High Priestess further nailed the coffin by further stating, "Her Highness is the sole heir to the throne. Once we get back to ournd, as her husband, everything is going to be yours. Gold, treasures, rare materials, and people. Whatever you asked, it will be yours to take."


    Meanwhile, the surrounding elves felt more and more pathetic. It was already miserable for them to hear that their princess had to marry an arrogant human for the sake of their lives and now, they had to see their revered High Priestess begging the human to ept her request.


    What if this human rejects it once again? How shameful it is going to be, especially for a supreme being like the High Priestess?


    Many of them couldn''t help but shut their eyes, not being able to watch such a scene.


    After a few seconds of silence, Mark replied, "I will think about it and give you the answer tomorrow morning."


    Seeing that her proposal wasn''t rejected right away, she let out a smile and bowed once again, "Thank you, savior."


    With the destruction of the tree house, Mark and hispanions were allotted another one. Or more like an elven family left their house in secret and the High Priestess gave it to Mark.


    While Zan Rong told him everything she knew about him as well as the world they were currently in, his sons from the future, on the other hand, hid their real identities and just introduced themselves as Zan Rong''s acquaintances as they wouldn''t be seen as distrusting fellows in their father''s eyes, this time.


    Surprisingly, Mark believed their words instead of doubting them. As a result, the four of them have a happy dinner together.


    Meanwhile, somewhere else in the forest, the High Priestess was confronted by the princess for fixing her marriage without her consent.


    They had a lengthy discussion before the princess was convinced of it but demanded that she should have a talk with Mark, first.


    Early in the morning, the princess left her house and went to the ce where Mark and hispanions moved to.


    *knock* *knock* knock*


    She knocked on the door thrice and waited. Soon, Zan Rong was seen opening the door, causing a little bit of displeasure in the princess.


    It was fine if two friends shared the same roof, but since Mark is going to be her husband, the princess finds it a bit unpleasant to see her in the same house. She was not some ordinary princess. She is an elf of the royal bloodline and won''t allow her husband to have more wives or any lovers for that matter.


    Never in the world did she imagine that as soon as she was about to step inside the house, she would hear a shocking matter.


    Before she even asked whether Mark was up or not, Zan Rong spoke with a look of disappointment, "Your Highness, Lu Zhen was gone."


    "Gone? What do you mean he was gone?" The princess furrowed her brows.


    Zan Rong replied, "Lu Zhen left at midnight without saying anything to us. Steve and James went in search of him."


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 467 Singularity

    Chapter 467 Singrity


    Three dayster, somewhere in the mountains of Vitra;


    Nearby the shores of a stream, Mark was seen roasting up a fish tied to a stick. Steve and James were sitting not far away and eating roasted fish as they were having a chat.


    To not repeat the same mistake as in the past, a day earlier, they hid their truth and simply told him that they were travelers searching for their missing father. Meanwhile, Zan Rong didn''t tell him about her rtionship with Allen. She merely told him who he was and how they ended up in the Elven world.


    As a result, this new Mark somehow trusted them more than he did before. It is also why didn''t run away after they caught up with him in the mountain. And his current goal is to get back to his world and reunite with his so-called fianc¨¦e.


    However, the issue is that he doesn''t know where those teleportation formations are. Through the teenage brothers, Mark learned that he has space attribute and can teleport to any location. As long as he masters his powers, they can return even without any external help.


    Mark, who was aplete beginner in fighting (in his view, threw away his ego and asked them to train him.


    Steve and James readily agreed to the job.


    On day 1, he learned everything about the basics of the cultivation world that he didn''t know from Lu Zhen''s memories before the merger happened.


    On day 2, he learned about his own potential. Through their guidance, he found what attributes and bloodline he had. By the end of day 2, Mark even managed to bring out his four bloodline abilities. While he cannot control the output of his skills, at the very least, Mark is happy that he has skills that he can depend upon.


    On day 3, they didn''t continue with helping him master his bloodline skills but guided him in order to bring out his attribute skills. Or more specifically, the attribute of Space was explored during the training.


    Except for the long teleportation skill, as Mark didn''t even have any muscle memory of using the space attribute skills, it became tougher for him to learn the basic short teleportation technique, which lets him teleport anywhere from 5 meters to 50 meters. The best thing about this technique is its 10 seconds of cooldown.


    The brother might have the information on his skills list, but neither of them has a space attribute. Hence, they don''t know how to train him either. Both of them could only guide him in a manner they were trained to master their attribute skills.


    But, the reality is often disappointing. Mark couldn''t learn one skill properly. The teenagers realized that it was due to his weak control over the ether energy.


    The teenagers nned for day 4 to be spent on ether energy training, stating that Mark should take it slow. However, they underestimated Mark''s desperation.


    As they soundly slept around the bonfire, Mark continued to train the short teleportation technique.


    His ether energy kept on consuming in heavy amounts but refilled quite quickly due to his passive skill. This led Mark to use it more recklessly when he was alone.


    He disappeared like a sh and crashed onto a rock located ten meters away. The rock got pulverized into pieces and Mark gritted his teeth in frustration. "Not enough."


    After waiting ten more seconds to reset the cooldown timer, he closed his eyes and tried to use short teleportation again. This time, he crashed into a tree 12 meters further away.


    The sounds perked up the ears of the teenagers but they chose to ignore it as it becamemon for them to hear the sounds of destruction until midnight during the past couple of days.


    With every failure, Mark grew more and more impatient. His extremely fast ether recovery rate only made it worse as he wouldn''t rest.


    Eventually, the dawn arrived.


    His physical stamina might be high enough to go for days but mentally, he was being drained, and eventually, it reached a point where he felt like he could no longer continue his training and thought of sleeping.


    However, Mark was under the impression that it was this limit that was probably stopping him from going further. He decided to go past his limits.


    Taking a deep breath, Mark closed his eyes and concentrated on the raging ether energy inside him that was responding to his feelings. "Let''s forget about control for once and use all the ether energy for once. We''ll see what happens next."


    All the ether energy present in his body was pushed away from his body, forming ayer of ck energy around his body and shrouding him in darkness.


    "Haaa¡­" He let out a shout and concentrated on a spot nearby.


    He disappeared from there but again crashed into a tree a few meters away from the aimed spot. However, that wasn''t all. Mark saw theyer of energy was still in the same ce as he was earlier as if it came to a standstill.


    "Hmm?" Mark looked at it, wondering what was going on. He could feel his ether energy was still in that mass of energy or whatever it was.


    It was at that moment, the dark energy was shot toward the sky. "What the¡­" He raised his head only to witness the formation of singrity.


    Powerful gravitational force emitted from the singrity, sucking everything in two hundred meters range except for Mark. As more and more things were being sucked, its range was also slightly getting bigger too.


    "Did I just create a fuc*ing ck hole?" Mark was stunned for a moment before he started panicking as trees and rocks were getting detached from the flying toward the sky and disappearing into what appeared to be like a ck hole, but slightly different from the natural ck holes seen in the universe.


    As supreme beings, Steve and James immediately sensed the presence of the ck hole. They woke up from their sleep and flew to the location where Mark was staring at the sky in a daze.


    "What happened?" Steve asked Mark. Thetter pointed to the ck hole, "I didn''t expect to create such a thing. We are going to die." He was clearly panic-stricken. Mark experienced death before and he doesn''t want to die again.


    "It''s only at the level of a 6-circle. Nothing to worry about, Mr. Lu," James assured Mark that it was not a great concern.


    He nced at Steve, who then nodded and flew toward the sky. The gravitation force from the ck hole was also affecting him but his high cultivation made it easier for him to resist itpletely.


    Steve raised his arms and stretched them widely, closing his eyes.


    A giant humanoid, made of some kind of unknown energy appeared behind the ck hole. As Steve moved his arms closer, the humanoid creature also moved its arms, trying to crush the ck hole in its palms.


    The suction was stopped as the ck hole enclosed its palms.


    Steve looked down and put a thumbs-up with a smile. Mark sighed in relief and James nodded.


    However, that peace didn''tst long as Steve suddenly sensed something wrong. His attention was shifted to the humanoid creature. Its arms were slowly decaying, or more like being absorbed by the ck hole.


    Within seconds, the entire humanoid creature was sucked by the ck hole, increasing its range by several kilometers at once.


    "Ahh¡­" Steve screamed at once as he was also about to suck into the ck hole.


    "No, Steve¡­"

 Chapter 468 The Black Holes Threat

    Chapter 468 The ck Hole''s Threat


    Leaving Mark''s side, James flew toward his brother with his entire strength and caught him before escaping the suction force just in time.


    Despite the fact that all of it happened in just a fraction of the time, Mark was able to witness it in slow motion, and he never felt more relieved.


    If something would have happened with the teenagers, Mark would have med himself for their deaths. There might be less than five people in this elven world that could be stronger than them but still, their young age is something Mark found hard to ignore.


    As the two brothers from the futurended elsewhere, the raging ck hole started swallowing everything.


    Seeing the gravity of the situation, Mark made his decision. His icy wings erupted from his back and he started flying away at inhuman speeds to get outside of its radius.


    "Da¡­ Mr. Lu¡­ wait¡­" Steve and James followed him from behind. They eventually caught up to him after a few minutes, roughly more than two hundred kilometers away from the incident. They found him walking back and forth in tension while ncing toward the northwest every once in a while.


    As theynded before him, Mark looked at both of them and let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness you followed me. I think the situation is out of hand. We should look for the teleportation formations and escape this world."


    "Eh?" The teenagers were equally taken aback by his words.


    "But, what about the inhabitants of this world?" Steve asked. James added, "Since we made the mess, we should do something about it."


    Mark, at once, became frustrated by their na?ve thinking. He raised his voice, "Look, I just don''t know how to undo the singrity and it''s not the time to worry about morals. Survival is a priority. Let those natives think of a solution on their own and pray that they will survive. Come on, let''s go."


    Both of them were shocked by his exnation, not expecting their dad to be narcissistic. A bit of selfishness is okay, but this¡­ Neither of them was okay with it. While Steve became hesitant to follow Mark''s orders, James outrightly voiced his opinion in a firm tone, "Sorry but no. Mr. Lu, I and my brother will not stop you from escaping by yourself but we will not aid you inmitting a grave sin and get away with it."


    Steve looked down in disappointment, not intending to refute his brother''s statement.


    Mark was angered by his reply but then upon realizing that they weren''t obliged to help him, he roared at them, "Fine. I don''t need your help. Both of you can stay here and die. I will get help from those elves, even if I have to agree to the marriage."


    Mark sprouted his icy wings once again and started flying toward the south, disappearing from their sight within no time.


    James let out a deep sigh and stared in the direction of the ck hole. Steve couldn''t help but ask, "Are we really abandoning Dad''s side?"


    James replied, "He made his choice, Steve. Remember Dad''sst words before he left us? We can be a disappointment to our teachers, friends, or even parents, but never fall from our own sight."


    "I understand that but¡­" Steve couldn''t help but look in the direction where Mark flew away.


    James didn''t need to hear everything to understand what his brother wanted to say. He knew that his brother didn''t want to leave their dad''s side. Not to mention, there''s also Steve''s own mission to aplish, and abandoning Mark might threaten it. There''s also a concern, like what if Mark found a teleportation formation with the help of elves but ended up in apletely different world? What if they refuse to help him because of his earlier act of escaping from the forest? What if the demons find out that he is the culprit behind the ck hole? The mage behind the demon emperor is a demigod and he would have his ways to find the truth.


    So many thoughts were going through Steve''s mind and James became aware of it with a simple look at his brother.


    In the end, he sighed inwardly and told his brother to follow Mark but not engage him. In the event of the worst case where the world is doomed and cannot be saved, Steve was asked to escape through the teleportation formation near Osyhlona city with Mark.


    For some reason, Steve didn''t worry about James'' own survival in the worst-case scenario and just flew away as soon as he got a nod. Whether he chose to ignore it or didn''te to his mind or if there''s a mysterious secret to this, it is something that can only be answered by Steve, but only when someone asks him.


    Meanwhile, the Elven High Priestess Sylvandria and the other supreme beings on the also sensed the threat from the ck hole.


    In just half an hour, the High Priestess reached the location and found a green-skinned short fellow with long pointy ears and reddish-pink eyes floating in the sky.


    Amidst the floating rocks and trees, the demigod mage was seen staring at the ck hole with curiosity filling his eyes. With the appearance of Sylvandria, his attention was briefly drawn to her and he let out a smile while turning back toward the ck hole with an asterisk disk around it due to the foreign energy, "It''s beautiful, isn''t it?"


    "You are sick," The High Priestess looked at him in disgust before proceeding to unleash a spell.


    The dwarfish creature giggled in response, "I wouldn''t do that if I were you."


    The High Priestess turned a deaf ear to his words and continued with her 10-second-long incantation.


    Once it was finished, she motioned her staff in a spiral shape, conjuring up an energy creature looking like a snake with two horns.


    "Go¡­" As she pushed her staff forward, the serpent was shot toward the ck hole. It made it to its target within no time and entered it willingly.


    The idea was to destroy the ck hole by destroying it from inside by swallowing up its core. Little did the High Priestess expect to lose her connection with the divine serpent.


    "What!" A look of confusion appeared on Sylvandria before it changed to that of panic as the suction force of the ck force increased even more.


    The mage smirked while staring at her bewildered expression. "You should have listened to me earlier. That wasn''t a space-type ck hole, but a gravity-type ck hole. The gravity-type ck holes absorb even the energy. How did a supreme being like you miss such an obvious thing? But then again, this had dragged you out of your domain. I''m very much satisfied."


    "You¡­" The High Priestess became angry at him, "Shut up and stop this madness. You were already ruling the world, right? Just let us live in peace¡­"


    The mage was slightly taken aback but as he nced at the ck hole once again, he thought of a quick n and let out a grin, "Alright. You surrender and be His Majesty''s bride. I will let your people live. What do you say?"


    "Are you crazy?" The High Priestess shouted as an initial response but she became calm quickly. She already lost her will to go against the demons when her ray of hope (Mark) escaped from the forest. Hence, she was forced to consider this proposal, "How do I know you will keep your word?"

 Chapter 469 Systems intervention

    Chapter 469 System''s intervention


    The mage''s smile widened upon realizing that the woman was actually willing to sacrifice her life. He didn''t waste any time in striking the deal, "I''m willing to go through the Blood oath to the elemental spirits."


    "Not a Blood oath, but do a soul oath, Vexiron," replied the Elven High Priestess, not intending to trust him.


    There are three types of oaths one can do to the heavens.


    One is the oath of cultivation with the heavens as the witness. Breaking such an oath will incur a lightning strike from the heavens, but it can be avoided when one enters the demigod realm.


    Second is the oath of blood to the elemental spirits. Breaking this oath will incur the wrath from the elements of nature such as fire, water, lightning, earth, and wind. The forces of nature keep on trying to kill the oath breaker, but in this process, it can destroy the world too.


    Thest is the oath of the soul to the heavens. Breaking it will result in the extinguishment of the soul after the death.


    It means there won''t be any reincarnation and unless one is in God''s realm or has a heaven-defying existence like the system, they would have to keep living in fear of death. Not even divine-grade weapons can break those chains on the soul.


    Sylvandria can only put her trust in such an oath, making the demigod hesitant a little bit. He was wondering whether he should go with her proposal or just capture her by himself.


    But, thinking about his goal, he gritted his teeth and gave a nod as he already knew the extent of her powers, "Alright, I will perform the soul oath but you must do the same."


    In the next instant, his words echoed throughout the region, "I, Vexiron of the Void Realm, with heavens as the witness, and my soul as the leverage, as long as you abandon your faith to your gods, be the bride of Eol, the Great, and give birth to a heir, I will free the surviving elves."


    Following his words, a seal is shot in the air by his staff before it goes back into him, transforming into a chain over his soul.


    After the process waspleted, the mage raised his staff once again, "Now, I shall remove the threat as a way to show my sincerity, but I warn you. If you go back on your word, I will not hesitate to conjure up another ck hole, which is far more powerful than this one."


    The High Priestess nodded with a serious expression, "I keep my word."


    The mage let out a smile and looked at the raging ck hole that was covering over 10 kilometers in radius. Using all of his ether energy, he shot out a mass of ck energy into the sky.


    Far above the ck hole, another singrity was formed with a mass supposedly far higher than the one Mark identally created. Or atleast that was how it appeared at first nce as it affected the range of more than 100 kilometers around it.


    "What are you doing?" Sylvandria frowned at him. Shouldn''t he take it back? Why was he making it worse?


    Vexiron answered, "The earlier one also absorbed your divine energy, High Priestess Sylvandria. I can''t dismiss it using traditional means. The bigger one will suck the smaller one before I set it into an explosion."


    "Okay." The High Priestess nodded in understanding and raised her head to look at the scene.


    However, the reality waspletely different from what they thought.


    Not even Vexiron expected his ck hole was move toward Mark''s ck hole instead of the other way around.


    In a normal scenario, they should pull each other with their gravitational force and orbit around each other before the smaller one gets swallowed by the bigger one eventually.


    However, the ck hole created by Vexiron just zoomed into Mark''s creation without showcasing any resistance or so whatever, shocking both of them.


    "How is this possible?" Vexiron just stared at the formation of a massive ck hole, which now started to pull everything within a 500-kilometer range.


    Along with the mountains and everything, Sylvandria started to get pulled toward the ck hole. "You monster¡­ I curse you¡­" She roared in anger as she was trying her best to resist the gravitational pull but it became too strong for her. Even Vexiron himself is barely resisting it with an energy barrier over himself.


    Meanwhile, somewhere above the forest, Mark was seen flying at zing speeds. Upon seeing everything go dark all of a sudden when the sunrise just happened, he stopped flying and turned around. In the sky, a majestic ck hole, spanning tens of kilometers, was absorbing everything in its range.


    Upon seeing how close its effective radius got to him, Mark''s face became paler. "How did this get so big? I need to hurry up."


    He turned around once again and started flying toward his destination.


    Back to Vexiron and Sylvandria, the former no longer looked in great condition while thetter was struggling to escape the gravitation pull. She was moving at a pace of ten meters for every second, giving her a maximum of 20 minutes of survival.


    Because of the swirling violent winds and huge rocks and trees as objects, her voice wasn''t even reaching the mage, who still looked in a daze and panic.


    "What to do? What to do¡­ At this rate, everything is going to fall apart. I need to do something¡­" Vexiron gritted his teeth while taking out some sort of scroll from his storage ring, "I guess I was left with no other choice. Lord Xzar is my only hope."


    He was about to pour his ether energy into the scroll to activate it, but before he did that, a familiar voice was heard in the surroundings. "Don''t bother, Vexiron of the Void. I''m already here."


    "Eh?" The mage looked around before sensing a strong presence quite near the ck hole but wasn''t affected by its gravitational pull.


    At one nce, he looked like a human, except for two horns on his head. The stranger raised his hand, releasing pure demonic energy from his palms.


    Sensing the power that far exceeded his, Vexiron became ted in an instant, "The power of an immortal. Now, the problem will be solved for good."


    However, his happiness was short-lived as the beam of demonic energy sent into the ck hole only increased its power by ten times instead of destroying it.


    "Kyaaa¡­" The High Priestess couldn''t help but scream as she started flying toward the ck hole at an increased pace. Even the mage was no longer able to protect himself anymore.


    Fortunately, he was someone who had a gravity attribute and also a demigod to add. He was able to escape the influence of gravitational pull and made his escape while cursing the idiot who made it worse.


    In the vicinity of the ck hole, the stranger, who appeared to be unaffected by it, let out a deep sigh, "No one under the Saint realm can diminish it. This world is doomed for good. I guess I have to look for another world." He disappeared from the spot, and went to god knows where.


    Meanwhile, the entire forest and the elves inside it started to fly in the sky. Due to the sudden increase of the range, several trees and rocks came at him at once.


    But, just as he was about to be struck by them, everything came to a standstill. The ck hole, the flying trees, rocks, huge volumes of water, elves, demons, Sylvandria, Steve, James, and even Vexiron were frozen in their spots.


    The only person that was unaffected on the was Mark. However, even he wasn''t himself at the moment.


    His eyes turned pitch-ck and there was a mystical orb in his hand. He lets out a deep sigh as he mumbles in a robotic high-pitched voice like a female A.I., "What a troublesome host that I got. Because of this fool, I exposed myself to those gods and I even have to use the object from the future as a tool to protect the present. If only he had chosen the time attribute like I suggested instead of going with anti-matter, this would have been a piece of cake. Let''s hope this incident will serve as a catalyst."


    The orb then glowed in bright green, instantly returning everything to back it was, before the emergence of the first ck hole.


    The time continued to move on while Mark lost consciousness and started falling from the sky.

 Chapter 470 Special type Android, the face from the past

    Chapter 470 Special type Android, the face from the past


    "Ugh¡­" Mark woke up from his sleep; this time, he was alone in the middle of a forest with no one around.


    There are also other changes,pared to thest couple of times.


    This new Mark remembered every bit of memory he had before he came to this new world. He also remembered everything afterward, until the point of creating an idental singrity.


    Upon remembering the identities of those time travelers and how he acted with them so far, Mark pped his forehead and cursed himself, "Idiot, they have traveled all the way to the past to meet you and they even tried helping you with mastering the space attribute but you just acted too condescending. But then again, theck of a specific set of memories created that situation. Anyways, now that everything has be normal, let''s go and meet them and act as if I don''t remember causing a mess with the ck hole."


    *Ding! Everything didn''t be normal, host. It became worse.


    The notification from the system made him remember the series of notifications he briefly heard of the sounds before losing consciousness when he fought with the demonic elf at Osyhlona city.


    "Oh, yeah, that''s right. System, what happened back then? And what do you mean by it became worse?"


    *Ding! The host was infected by a divine power belonging to a true god. It''s likely that System is the target.


    *Ding! The host''s earlier actions forced me toe out of my protective barrier and save you. The host is lucky to get into contact with the item from the future, containing powerful divine energy that managed to eradicate the infected divine power.


    *Ding! However, due to a fragment of the true god''s divine energy that has already been assimted with the host''s ether particles, the host''s movements can be tracked by the true god. The system guesses that the host will be facing powerful enemies from here on.


    "Powerful enemies? As in¡­" Mark became serious upon listening to the exnation.


    *Ding! The weakest could be 9-circle and the strongest could be 12-circle. 13-circle if the host''s luck runs out.


    At once, Mark''s face became pale for he knew he wasn''t a match for them. "Can''t we remove this somehow? You must have some treasure to do that. How much it costs?"


    *Ding! Sorry, but the system currently isn''t powerful enough to deal with the divine energy of a true god. There are however two ways for the host to save himself.


    *Ding! First, the host could remove the ether particles and be a mortal. Second, the host must enter the Saint realm (12-circle) and the system will help in removing the residual foreign energy.


    *Ding! The system rmends the second method. The host must also be reminded that due to the assimtion of divine energy, the host could use attacks containing divine energy, although no additional skills will be provided by the system.


    "Okay, that''s a bit of positive news." Mark found something good in the trouble. So, he was atleast satisfied a little bit. He then asked, "So, is there something else I should know?"


    *Ding! The reward for the emergency quest hasn''t been opened yet. The Lottery System has been reset. The orb of Bael has been filled and the demon is ready to be summoned. Worship of Velkazar''s Statue has been reset.


    "Open inventory." Mark didn''t waste any time to unlock his reward. When he first acquired an Android, it was a handsome hunk. The second one was a busty beauty. Now, who is it going to be? What kind of Android he is going to receive?


    Hoping for a beast type like Alina''s current form, Mark went on clicking on the metallic box image with a question mark on it.


    The box disappeared and an android was summoned before him, truly shocking him. For a moment, Mark felt like he was seeing an illusion and rubbed his eyes and then pinched his arm to confirm the reality.


    The Android was a male, an okay-looks if one might add, but the face was something very familiar. It used to be the face he once kept seeing in the mirror.


    That''s right. It looks exactly like Mark Spencer, from his previous life.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you received a special category Android assistant.


    *Ding! A reminder: Special category androids are already named and cannot be changed.


    Ark


    Current Status: Normal mode


    Spirit path: N/A


    Rank: 7 (all stats = 7.8)


    SKILLS:


    1) Normal Mode (Weapons Research Specialist):


    Active: None


    Passive:


    Weapon Design: In this mode, the android excels in designing and developing advanced weaponry.


    Materials Analysis: It possesses an in-depth knowledge of materials science to select and create materials suitable for weapon construction.


    2) Battle Mode (Combat Specialist):


    Active:


    Suicide (one-time use): The android self-destructs its core, releasing energy equivalent to 10 megaton TNT. st Range: 6 km. Effective radius: depends on several factors.


    Passive:


    Combat Tactics: The android bes a tactical genius, capable of analyzing battlefield situations and devising effective strategies.


    Weapons Proficiency: In this mode, it can use a wide range of weapons effectively, from firearms to melee weapons.


    Adaptive skill Acquisition: The Android possesses the ability to instantly learn and master any technique that it witnesses regardless of spirit path. However, the skills cannot be learned if they require attributes outside of the basic elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Dark, and Light)


    All attributes: The Android can use all the basic attributes.


    3) Craze Mode (Uncontrolled Weaponry):


    Active:


    Indiscriminate Firing: The android unleashes a barrage of energy attacks in all directions for 60 seconds, causing chaos on the battlefield. CD: 15 minutes.


    Emergency Shutdown: To prevent catastrophic consequences, the host can forcibly shut down the Android when it is in Craze Mode. CD: 60 seconds.


    Passive:


    Berserk: In the craze mode, the Android goes berserk with its stats by 1. In this state, it cannot distinguish an ally from a foe. Only the host is exempted.


    All attributes: The Android can use all the basic attributes


    Unpredictable fighting style: The Android''s moves will bepletely random, whether it is the usage of an attribute, weapon, skill, or technique.


    ***


    "Hmm¡­ I guess I understand why it is called a Special type Android. But, its face just makes me quite ufortable. System, can you change its appearance?" Mark felt like he was reminded that he wasn''t Mark anymore as he saw the Android.


    *Ding! The request was denied. The Special type Androids cannot be modified in any way, except for upgrading their stats and adding new skills.


    "Fine¡­" Mark groaned in a bit of annoyance. As something clicked in his mind, he asked, "How about hiding its face with a helmet? I can give it an armor set, right? It is considered giving a weapon."


    After a brief pause, the system gave the reply.


    *Ding! It is possible.


    *p*


    "Good then. By painting armor with white paint, he is going to be the White Knight." Mark thought of finding white-colored equipment just like Song Yun found for himself, but as he didn''t have a memory of the existence of such equipment, he decided to resort to a waterproof color.


    "Okay, what''s next? The Lottery? But, my luck points aren''t full... Hmm..."


    ***


    Meanwhile, far away from the forest, Steve and James were searching for their dad while discussing the crisis that was averted somehow. Since they don''t know how it happened, they can only judge it as some powerful force intervened and saved the world.


    Despite that, neither of them hated their dad. They might have their differences but still, he is their dad. As Steve lost track of Mark ever since that final ck hole suddenly affected almost half of the world, both of them couldn''t help but worry about not being able to sense him anymore.


    Not knowing where to start looking for him, both of them decided to go to the elven hideout to check whether he visited the High Priestess or not.


    Since it can only be essed by walking through the forest instead of flying over it, they went on foot to reach the ce.


    As soon as they entered the ce, they saw the outskirts of the vige was empty with no one patrolling around. The tree houses built there were empty.


    Feeling something suspicious, James scanned his surroundings and instantly found hundreds of presences together in the ce of what appeared to be the Altar. The presence of a supreme being (High Priestess) is also at the same location.


    They thought that the High Priestess probably summoned them. They made their way to the Altar, which is located in the center of the vige.


    Little did they expect to see a mass army of robots taking the entire vige hostage with their dad seen carrying the High Priestess over his shoulder as he was floating above the altar with a cold gaze in his eyes.


    Both of them looked at each other in surprise.


    "What¡­ the¡­ hell¡­"

 Chapter 471 Mark abducts the High Priestess

    Chapter 471 Mark abducts the High Priestess


    An hour ago, Sylvandrial Dominion;


    In front of the altar located deep inside the forest, the Princess was seen sitting in the middle of a circle that resembled the pupil of an eye. She had her palms on her knees but facing the sky.


    With a glowing dagger in her hands, the High Priestess crouched before her and said, "Your Highness, if you are not up for it, then, you don''t need to do this. It''s not worth risking your life."


    The High Priestess'' expression was quite grave as if she doesn''t approve of this arrangement but is helpless about it.


    However, the Elven Princess appeared to be quite determined. She replied in a firm tone, "No, as the only living royalty, it is my responsibility to do this. If I could reduce the burden on your soul in this ritual, I would dly risk my life. Do it now."


    The High Priestess stared at the stubborn princess for a couple of seconds and let out a deep sigh before she raised the golden dagger and cut thetter''s palms.


    "Argh¡­" the Princess let out a painful groan but bore the pain and proceeded to push her palms against the ground.


    The ground below the princess glowed in golden color and the beam of light shot up, transforming into a giant eye.


    As the giant eye batted its eyelid, the princess went into a trance. Meanwhile, the High Priestess transformed into a speck of light.


    Thousands of futures opened up before her eyes in an instant before they disappeared, leaving behind one specific future timeline where the Demon Emperor was killed.


    As if the prophecy came true, the Demon Emperor was killed in Mark''s hands. A woman was seen floating in his arms with Mark''s right hand around her waist. At one nce, they looked quite intimate.


    However, it wasn''t her. There was someone else but the face wasn''t clear. The Princess was sure that it wasn''t her because she saw herself lying on the ground, not knowing whether she was unconscious or dead.


    Her vision immediately cked out and she returned to reality without getting to look at the future afterward or the events that led to this incident.


    The divine eye disappeared from the sky and specks of light transformed back into the High Priestess, whose pale face turned even paler as if she experienced a nightmare.


    "What was that, High Priestess Sylvandria?" The Princess looked a bit confused.


    The High Priestess came out of her stupor and replied in a stuttered voice, "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ selected the wrong future possibility. Don''t need to think too much and take a rest. Wait a second. I will heal¡­"


    "I apologize, Your grace. I need to report something important," An elven warrior hurried to the altar and greeted with one of his knees on the ground, interrupting her.


    "Hmm?" "Hmm?"


    As both of thedies turned toward the warrior, thetter spoke a bit hesitantly, "The Hero has returned and wishes to meet you."


    "Mr. Lu?" "Eek, Lu Zhen?"


    The High Priestess'' strange reaction brought a surprise to the Princess as well as the guard, but they didn''t question her and merely stayed silent as she quickly regained her calmness and asked him to bring the guest.


    While Mark was on his way, The Princess observed the High Priestess as thetter started walking back and forth in tension. She couldn''t help but be suspicious as she never saw this woman act this way.


    Is it because of that mysterious future? Or is it just that the High Priestess was thinking about how to deal with this runaway who was destined to be their savior? The Princess couldn''t help but wonder.


    About 5 minutester, Mark reached the Altar. He looked fine on the outside but his cultivation couldn''t be sensed this time, even by the High Priestess.


    "He has either a divine weapon or a higher cultivation," thought the High priestess. "No wonder he ran away. But, why did he return in that case? Is it to fulfill the prophecy or is that something else?" Upon thinking about the prophecy, she remembered the future she saw earlier. The High Priestess couldn''t help but be paler once again. "No, that can never happen. Instead of blessing, it''ll bring a curse to our race."


    Meanwhile, Mark was checking out the Elven beauties.


    Elowen Silverleaf


    Race: Celestial Elf


    Age: 96


    Rank: 6 (elementary-stage)


    Spirit Path: Archer


    Attribute: Fire


    Bloodline: N/A


    Affiliation: Ixitus Empire (former)


    Description: Thest remaining heiress to the throne of the Ixitus Empire. Elowen is a celestial elf, the highest kind in the elf race.


    *


    Sylvandria Silverleaf


    Race: Celestial Elf


    Age: 488


    Rank: 9 (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Mage, Seer


    Attribute: Wind, Divine


    Affiliation: Ixitus Empire (former), Heavenly Domain


    Description: As one of the avatars of Aerdrie Faenya, the Elven goddess of sky, weather, and birds, Sylvandria was born with divine energy. She worships Auri-El, the chief deity of the Elven Pantheon, just like the citizens of the Ixitus Empire. As the High Priestess, she has sworn to celibacy.


    *


    "They must really take me for a fool to ept marriage with a 96-year-old grandma," Mark felt disgusted as he took a nce at the Elven princess.


    While she is a beauty, in his eyes, she isn''t as beautiful as Song Yue. Adding on top of that, her old age only made him feel like this 500-year-old woman tried to scam him by offering a divine-grade weapon.


    As he put up a fake smile on his face for the sake of his task, the High Priestess greeted him, "Mr. Lu, what do we owe from your visit?"


    Mark understood the hidden meaning behind her question. She was asking why he returned after going back on his words and running away.


    Mark took a deep breath and said, "I''m ready to kill your enemy, Ms. Sylvandria. However, I need you as my guide to your capital city."


    "Eh? Why? Why? Why me?" The High Priestess suddenly acted like a scaredy cat, taking the others by surprise.


    Even Mark was the same as them, not expecting her to lose her calmness. Did she figure out his n or something? He couldn''t help but wonder.


    Perhaps, the High Priestess also realized the abnormality. She quickly retained her demeanor and exined, "I''m sorry but I cannote with you as I need to look after the people. In my absence, the forest will be vulnerable."


    After a brief pause, she nced at the Princess who was staring at her, and an idea popped up in her head. "You can take her with you. She knows the city better than anyone. She can take you directly into the pce without being spotted by anyone. And you don''t need to worry about her well-being either. She has enough life-saving treasures to escape. With our divine weapon, she could be your support."


    The Princess meaningfully looked at the High Priestess, wondering what this woman cooking up. She knew a few secret underground tunnels for sure. However, what she didn''t understand was the reason why this woman who had been quite protective of her until now suddenly decided to send her away with a stranger.


    Nevertheless, she was prepared to die for her people and if the High Priestess thinks that she is up for the task, then, she will do it.


    Princess Elowen responded to the High Priestess'' proposal by telling Mark that he could depend on her.


    Unfortunately for either of them, Mark isn''t in the mood to entertain their idea. His response to Elowen''s assurance came in the form of action.


    In an instant, the lightning clone made its appearance beside him. As the High Priestess was staring at it in shock due to its demigod realm, Mark''s facial expression changed to that of coldness as he motioned his hand, "I''m not asking, Ms. Sylvandria."


    Following those words, the Lightning clone turned into a blur and before the High Priestess knew it, a powerful chop to the neck knocked out in one move, and Mark walked to her, carrying her in his arms.


    Floating in the air, he looked down below at the Princess, "Now, I shall give you two options. One, voluntarilye with me as the guide and there will be peace restored in your lives. Two, I will take you by force even if I have to kill everyone who opposes me. Make your choice¡­"


    "Mr. Lu, what the hell are you doing?" A voice responded in ce of the stunned princess.


    "Hmm?" Mark looked in the direction of the source. "Steve? James?"

 Chapter 472 Void lock

    <h4>Chapter 472 Void lock</h4>


    Upon witnessing Mark carrying an unconscious High Priestess in his arms and threatening the Princess too, James couldn''t stop himself from interfering in the matter.


    He opposed his father without any hesitation, leaving behind a hesitant younger brother.


    Meanwhile, Mark''s facial expression was slightly changed as he saw Steve and James.


    To confirm whether they were telling the truth in the past or not, he activated the "Eyes of God" ability to look at their details. And the results were quite surprising for him.


    Steve Spencer/Song Yu


    Race: Human


    Age: 14


    Rank: 9 (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Swordsman, Archer, Assassin.


    Attribute: unknown (sealed)/Fire


    Bloodline: Phoenix


    Affiliation: Empire of Genesis, Song n.


    Description: The host''s son from the future timeline. He possesses an unknown attribute that is currently locked by a powerful seal. An advanced artificial intelligence was bound to the target. He inherited the legendary Phoenix Bloodline from his paternal ancestors and is the heir to the Song n.


    **


    James Spencer/Lan Jian


    Age: 15


    Rank: 9 (peak stage)


    Spirit path: Swordsman


    Attribute: Lightning, Ice


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Affiliation: Empire of Genesis, Lan Sect


    Description: The host''s son from the future timeline. He inherited the legendary Blizzard Pegasus from his parents. He is the personal disciple of Shang Wen and has also been a student of Shang Jiao.


    **


    "Okay, there are my sons from the future, alright." Mark not only felt happy to know that Spencer''s family was extended in the future but also realized the identity of Steve''s mother.


    The fact that he is the heir to the Song n clearly implies that he is Song Yue''s son.


    Mark didn''t know about James'' mother but since his affiliation is with the Lan sect, he assumed that thetter''s mother would probably belong to the sect. The fact that James inherited his Blizzard Pegasus and even had Shang Wen as his master tells a lot about his potential and character.


    Nevertheless, he felt proud that both of his sons achieved such monstrous cultivation levels before even bing adults. Since he nned on acting nice to both of them, Mark thought about what he should do from here on.


    Meanwhile, James flew toward him and stopped a couple of meters away. In a serious tone, he asked Mark to leave the High Priestess as he didn''t need to go that far. He offered to provide his help in whatever Mark wanted to achieve.


    In response, Mark let out a chuckle, "Sure, if you want to help me, you can do that by guarding this vige in our absence. Until I return, keep every elf in this vige by whatever means."


    Mark''s lighthearted reply only made James feel like his dad was mocking him. He clenched his fists with a determined face.


    With sparks of Lightning started dancing wildly all over his skin, James replied, "The elves gave us a home to rest and eat. You cannot repay them like this, Mr. Lu. I will not let you be selfish anymore. I will stop you even if I have to."


    Mark''s facial expression changed all of a sudden. "You want to fight me?" The memory of how James abandoned him because of his selfish desire to escape the world resurfaced in his mind.


    Seeing the silhouette of the second prince Shang Wen behind James, he realizes that there is no use in talking with this future kid of his.


    "System, open Attribute skills, Space."


    Mark didn''t even think twice before clicking on the skill he never used before on anyone.


    "Void lock"


    The skill was activated instantly and a bubble-shaped translucent barrier appeared around James, taking him by surprise. He didn''t expect his dad to be so decisive in using force at the slightest of argument, "damn it."


    "Good." Mark let out a smile as he nodded, taking another nce at the skill. "I hope this will keep his mouth shut."


    Void lock: The single-target type spatial skill will iste the target from the world, imprisoning it in a self-healing spatial bubble. Attack power: 120% (Max: 10.9 Int). CD: 6 hours.


    *


    James nced at his surroundings, observing the bubble formed around him. "I''m sorry Dad but it looks like I have to fight you after all."


    The lightning sparks on him turned scarlet with ayer of ether energy formed over his skin. He then summoned his semi-divine-grade sword and raised it above his head.


    "James, wait. Don''t do it¡­" Steve became concerned about the consequences if James started the battle. He wanted to solve this situation using words, not like this.


    However, his words never reached James due to the spatial imprisonment and James swung down the sword.


    An arc of lightning energy released from the sword, shing with the interior wall of the spatial bubble.


    Mark patiently stared at the scene and nodded with a pleasant smile after it disappeared and the bubble was still intact with only a few visible cracks, which were gone after a few seconds due to the self-healing feature of the bubble.


    Once he confirmed that it would keep him out for a while, Mark shifted his attention back to the dazed princess again, reminding her of his earlier proposal, "So, what have you decided, Princess Elowen?"


    "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­" The Princess was stuttering and shivering in fear, realizing that this guy wasn''t a hero but a devil in human skin. The elven warriors were seen rushing to the location. She was in a dilemma on whether she should ept defeat or let others fight and die for their pride.


    Had she been a fighter, it would be different. But, she is the princess of the Ixitus Empire and the ones in the vige are her people. On the other hand, this fellow looked like he intended to spare even his own friends. What will her people do?


    "I''lle with you."


    After a while;


    Carrying the unconscious High Priestess in his arms, Mark was seen flying away while the Princess obediently followed him while sitting on the back of an undead dragon.


    Steve was just watching them in silence alongside the other elves.


    Once they exited the invisible barrier and disappeared out of sight, Steve rushed to the spatial bubble. He tried to touch it but his hands passed through the bubble.


    James was saying something but Steve couldn''t hear it. But, since the vision wasn''t blocked, he hurriedly poured the ether energy into his hands and pushed it out, writing the words in the air. "What are you saying?"


    His brother responded in the same way, asking him to get back and create an energy barrier around the spatial bubble.


    As Steve followed the instructions, James closed his eyes and stretched his arms wide.


    In the next instant, the spatial bubble was frozen in ice before the whole orb exploded, shooting up thousands of tiny icicles in all directions.


    The barrier was heavily cracked but managed to withstand the assault of the icicles, revealing a heavily panting James. "F**k. That drained all of my ether energy and stamina. Never expect him to turn out so powerful."


    "James, you alright?" Steve rushed to him and quickly grabbed his shoulders, supporting him in order to prevent his brother from copsing on the ground.


    In a weak voice, James then said, "Steve, go after him. I just need a bit of rest to restore my stamina and ether energy. Don''t forget to take Aunt Marina with you. She must be on her way now. We can''t let her bear the brunt of Dad''s actions."


    "What about you?" Steve looked at him in worry.


    James let out a forced smile on his face as he answered, "C''mon, bro. I''m a supreme being. Don''t underestimate me too much, just because I look weak at the moment. Go¡­"

 Chapter 473 The Demon Emperor was the great hero?

    Chapter 473 The Demon Emperor was the great hero?


    Half a dayter;


    In the wilderness, Mark and the rest of the bunch were sitting around a campfire. A heavy silence filled the ce. No one is speaking anything as Mark was roasting the boar meat. However, everyone''s attention was on him, even including the High Priestess Sylvandria.


    The High Priestess gained consciousness a few hours ago, but she wasn''t able to escape due to the fact that her cultivation was sealed by Steve. The Princess was also in the same condition.


    Mark then exined to them his n of surrendering both of them in exchange for the safe passage for every elf living in Sylvandrial dominion to his world.


    Of course, it is a lie.


    He merely gave an excuse to keep everyone in the dark so that the demigod realm mage also doesn''t find it out. Even now, he suspected that they were being watched, not that they were no longer in the hidden vige. His real n is something else, which was only known to himself.


    Steve, who believed Mark''s words, firmly stood on his dad''s side and helped him by sealing their cultivation. Zan Rong also didn''t oppose him as she already considered both of them to be her family.


    As for the two elven beauties, Mark couldn''t care less what their thoughts were. However, both of them weren''t trying to resist or showcase any hatred toward Mark.


    After sharing the meat with Steve and Zan Rong and providing a bunch of apples to the vegetarian elves, Mark waited until they finished their food and proceeded to summon his divine throne in the form of a spaceship that looked exactly like the one Steve time traveled.


    Pointing at the scary-looking spider ship with numerous ck spikes, Mark told everyone to board it.


    "Eh? We are going to sleep in there?" Zan Rong was taken aback.


    Mark turned around to look at her and then nced at the others. His attention shifted to her once again as he calmly said, "I''m going back home tomorrow no matter what. So, we are going to solve your problem by the dawn. We have already wasted enough time. Now, let''s get going."


    The spider ship flew into the sky at supersonic speeds, reaching its destination in just 3 hours.


    The royal city of Idris, which was once a busy and bright city with millions of elves roaming even after the sunset, now became a ce where undead monsters were roaming and sleeping on the streets while the possessed elves along with the corrupted elves upied the houses they took a liking to.


    Tears filled up in Elowen''s eyes as she looked down at the city with dim-lit streets through the ss.


    The High Priestess sat in a corner, neither consoled normented on anything. From the moment she regained consciousness and heard about Mark''s n, she never spoke a word.


    Meanwhile, in the pce, the Demon Emperor was in a meditative position as he was absorbing the natural energy from the surroundings at a rapid rate.


    Unlike the other demonic spirits, which possessed the elves to survive, he has an otherworldly appearance.


    He wears dark, jagged, metallic armor adorned with glowing patterns, and his most striking features are his curved forward-facing horns and bright red eyes against a featureless face. He possesses a hulking, muscr build and wed gauntlets. His gray skin contrasts with the dark tones of his armor, and spiked shoulder pads add to his aggressive appearance.


    At that moment, he had a deep frown on his face and soon, he started gritting his teeth in frustration.


    Stopping his process of absorption, he mumbled, "Dammit. I cannot just break that wall no matter how much I try. Am I fated to be a supreme being forever?"


    "Fortunately for you, that''s not the case, Your Majesty," A voice interrupted his thoughts. The Demon Emperor turned his head to find another guy with otherworldly appearance. "Lord Vexiron?" He was slightly surprised by his visit, "What were you doing at this hour?"


    The demigod mage let out a creepy smile as he replied, "Remember how I kept saying that I have a n that can help you break that wall?"


    "You meant absorbing the powers with a higher bloodline, someone like the High Priestess?" The Demon Emperor didn''t approve of the idea. "You know that divine energy is like poison to us."


    The mage nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know. That is why I thought of making a deal with the High Priestess to give birth to your heir. The heir that contains your bloodline will be a perfect ingredient for your ascension."


    After a brief pause, he let out a sigh and continued, "Unfortunately, that deal fell through as I wasn''t able to destroy that ck hole. Even now, I wasn''t able to find out the identity of the person who created it. However, luckily, I coincidentally found the ingredient. If we capture the person, I can guarantee you about not just the sess but you will be more powerful than your peers."


    "Who is it?" The Demon Emperor got up on his feet as if he was in a hurry.


    The mage pointed his finger at the window, "Luckily for you, that person is actually here. Let''s go and wee the guests."


    After a while, the spider shipnded right on the premises of the royal pce. Unlike elsewhere, there were practically no guards in the pce or its surroundings cuz there was no need to guard it in the first ce.


    As a result, only the Demon Emperor and the mage were there to wee Mark and hispanions as they stepped out of the ship and walked toward them.


    A slight surprise appeared on both of them as they didn''t expect the High Priestess to be standing before them. Adding on top of that, they couldn''t sense anything from Mark.


    "Who are you? Identify yourselves," said the Demon Emperor in a deep tone. His expression indicated that he could attack them at any moment.


    Seeing another supreme being made him a bit wary. As for Steve''s young look, the Demons don''t care about it. It is in the nature of demons to only care whether you are strong or not.


    Mark, who was leading the group, directly came to the matter, "I''m Lu Zhen and I''m here to strike a deal with you." He scanned both of them simultaneously.


    Eol, the Great


    Race: Demon/human


    Rank: 9 (peak stage)


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Attribute: Dark, Metal


    Affiliation: Earth 192 (former), Ixitus Empire, Tower of Xzar


    Description: Once a human from Earth 192, Eol was summoned by the elves to turn out as a great hero, whoter defeated the clone of Xzar and sealed himself along with the demon army. After the release, Eol''s body and soul were merged with Xzar''s clone.


    **


    "What the F¡­" Mark waspletely taken aback by the description of this enemy. He never expected it to turn out like this.


    He then shifted his attention to the mage while wondering whether he would be surprised once again.


    Vexiron


    Race: Makyan


    Age: 160,000 (approx)


    Rank: Rank 10 (peak)


    Spirit Path: Mage


    Attribute: Gravity


    Affiliation: Void Realm, Ixitus Empire


    Description: A mage from the Void realm, a dimension that is said to be sealed by the Jade Emperor. As the one born in the Makyan race, Vexiron could create powerful illusions and had telekinesis ability.


    **


    "Okay, this one isn''t anything special." Mark lost his interest in the mage. Just as he was about to shift his attention back to the demon emperor, the notification sound rang in his head.


    *Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Save Eol.

 Chapter 474 Deal with the demons

    <h4>Chapter 474 Deal with the demons</h4>


    Quest: Save Eol


    Description: Eol''s soul is trapped by Vexiron while his physical body is taken over by the spirit of the clone of Xzar. Save Eol by inserting his soul back into his body after separating the demonic spirit from his body.


    Reward: Rocketunching station.


    ept?


    "And how should I do that?" Mark asked the system, hoping for guidance.


    However, the system didn''t give him what he wanted.


    *Ding! The host has to find the way by himself


    Obviously, Mark didn''t like the answer. He argued, "In that case, I need a better reward."


    *Ding! The request is declined. The reward is fair.


    "Hmm, that means it isn''t a tough task and isn''t involving defeating or killing this shorty alien," thought Mark. "I guess I have to depend on my 7 points of luck¡­ Should I absorb some of their luck? However, these are not normal warriors, especially that rotten green apple. He might be able to sense when my ring absorbs his luck. Then, should I target one of my own?"


    Seeing that Mark was standing in a daze while the rest of them simply ncing at his back, the demon emperor frowned in displeasure, "Young man, you are here with our enemies to strike a deal at midnight but instead, you are only wasting our time. Tell us what you want before I lose my patience."


    "Open skills section"


    After returning to reality, Mark opened the skills section as a part of his n and then said in a calm manner, "These two elves are my prisoners. I''m willing to hand over them to you in exchange for letting me take their people to my world in peace. They shall never return to this world, seeking revenge either."


    As the mage stayed silent, observing everyone else, Demon Emperor let out a chuckle, "You are quite amusing, human. Why do you think I will listen to a wea¡­"


    "We agree." Vexiron interrupted the Demon Emperor before he finished his words of belittling.


    "Lord Vexiron¡­" The Demon Emperor abruptly turned his head, raising his voice.


    The mage raised his hand and closed his eyes with a nod, gesturing him to leave it on him.


    As everyone''s gaze shifted to him, Vexiron let out his usual creepy smile as he stared at them, "If the Princess bes His Majesty''s bride and epts the demonic energy, thereby turning into our Demon Queen, we shall end the enmity with the elves. The surviving elves can peacefully live in that forest without any fear, restarting their civilization."


    "Eh?" "Huh?"


    The Demon Emperor was also shocked this time. And for the first time in several hours, the High Priestess opened her mouth. "That''s not what we agreed, Vexiron."


    "Hmm?" Mark turned his head to the side and nced at her from the corner of his eyes.


    The High Priestess continued, "Our agreement was that if I surrender and marry your king, you leave our people alone, including her highness. You even did a soul oath, don''t forget. Now, I''m here in front of your doorstep to do my part of the deal."


    "What are you saying?" The Princess was shocked. Steve and Zan Rong merely expressed their surprise on their face. Mark, on the other hand, furrowed his brows as hepletely turned around, "High Priestess Sylvandria, I believe you forgot about your current position. I''m the one in charge."


    In response, the High Priestess let out a snort of disapproval, "I''m your prisoner, not your ve. I''m independent to make decisions on my own."


    After refuting him, she shifted her attention back to the mage, "Vexiron, follow the old deal and take our people under your protection, I will even hand over the Divine weapon of the elves."


    "Sylvandria¡­" This time, the princess couldn''t help but raise her voice against the High Priestess. In fact, she was so angry with Sylvandria that she didn''t even attach the title and directly called her name. "Do you even know what you are saying?"


    The High Priestess answered, "I will do whatever is needed to keep our people alive. It doesn''t matter if I make a deal with the hero or the devil. After I am gone, my sessor will rece me as the High Priestess and assist you in building your own kingdom. Consider this as your repayment for everything I have done for you and your people."


    "Your grace¡­" The Princess went speechless at her reply and just stared at her. For a few seconds, both of them silently stared at each other as if they were telepathicallymunicating even though they were not.


    The Princess then nodded in understanding, stepping aside and giving way for Sylvandria to walk forward.


    The High Priestess let out a smile and stepped forward. But, just as she was about to cross Mark, thetter grabbed her hand tightly. "Since you forget your position, then, let me remind you."


    Mark raised his left index finger to click on the skill.


    Just as everyone was wondering why he was pointing his finger at the mage, invisible pressure pushed them to the ground.


    "Gravity Dome, 200g"


    Except for Vexiron who was on his knees, the rest of the people found themselves crashing onto the ground and stuck to it like a ma.


    "This power¡­" The Demon Emperor tried his best to raise his head and nced at the mage. "It is simr but strong enough to force Vexiron to his knees?"


    "Fascinating,"mented the mage with a smile, not minding how he was forced to kneel. Ether energy escaped from his body, forming ayer over his skin before he slowly rose to his feet. "I had my suspicions. You are the one who created that ck hole, aren''t you?"


    "Hmm?" Mark was slightly taken aback by how easily the demigod realm mage managed to nullify the effect of the gravity dome on himself. He couldn''t help but think, "I guess I did a good thing on not underestimating this fellow''s strength. Nevertheless, once I reveal my trump card, he will die anyway. So, I don''t need to care about it too much."


    In order to follow his original strategy, Mark then had to admit the truth but without any look of apology on his face, "It was an ident." He merely shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn''t much.


    The mage, however, didn''t me him either. Instead, he went on conversing with him while even ignoring the struggling demon emperor beside him, "It''s been a while since I have witnessed such a destructive ck hole. Yours also seemed a little special. Even the Great Xzar couldn''t destroy it and made it worse instead. If not for the intervention by the world''s guardian, the world would have been doomed. But then again, it is to be expected. The guardian won''t be able to see the destruction of the world in his care."


    "Guardian?" Mark raised his left eyebrow with a frown on his face. The system was the one who intervened, not the guardian.


    While he believed that this also had a guardian just like how his also had one, Mark didn''t probe too much into the matter considering how this guardian never intervened even when the demons took over the world or when his ck hole went out of control.


    He merely nodded in understanding and said, "So, what''s your choice? Since Sylvandria wanted to take Elowen''s ce, you can choose who you want. Considering the fact that you are interested in letting them roam free as they wish, here''s my new proposal. I would like you to convince Xzar to release the rest of the royal elves imprisoned in his tower."


    "Huh? The royal family is still alive?" "My family is alive?" "Eh? How do you know that?"


    High Priestess Sylvandria, Princess Elowen, and Vexiron were stunned by his words.

 Chapter 475 Meeting the enemy boss

    Chapter 475 Meeting the enemy boss


    Mark didn''t know that they weren''t aware of this truth. When he saw the quest details, he automatically expected everyone to know this.


    Now that the truth is out and he cannot do anything about it, Mark decides to act as if it isn''t a big deal. "I have my sources." He said to the mage in a nonchnt tone.


    After a brief pause, he continued, "Anyway, I don''t have much time to waste it. If there''s no problem with my request, let''s proceed with the deal. What do you say, Mr. Vexiron of the Void realm?"


    The mage thought for a bit and replied, "While convincing Lord Xzar is very difficult, I''ll try my best since it is you who is requesting it. I''m sure he will agree to it too.I just need a bit of time. Until then, all of you can rest at the pce."


    "Before that, just remove this fuc*ing gravitational effect on our bodies," roared the Demon Emperor, using every bit of strength he got. His face copsed onto the ground once again.


    It was then the mage realized that Eol was also affected. He gestured to Mark to retrieve it.


    Mark nodded and then deactivated the Gravity Dome, releasing the pressure on enemies and allies, alike.


    As the rest of them started taking heavy breaths, the High Priestess caught the unconscious princess and checked her pulse rate to check her condition. Zan Rong told her that the princess was fine and offered her help in carrying her.


    The High Priestess looked at her and then nced at Mark''s back before she left the Princess in Steve''s care, not because she trusted him over Zan Rong or something, but it is because he was a supreme being.


    Soon, they entered the pce and except for Mark, the rest of them were taken to a guest room. They sat in one room due to the suspicions of a foul y by the demons.


    Meanwhile, Mark was sitting alone with the Demon Emperor in the Throne room, where the Elven Emperor used to discuss various things with important guests or ministers in private.


    In Vexiron''s absence, there was a heavy silence between Mark and the Demon Emperor. The former was merely checking out the skills and quest list to pass the time while thetter was trying his best to not attack the stranger. Every time Mark raised his finger to scroll down on look at the details, the demon emperor couldn''t help but think he was going to be attacked. But, he cannot foolishly make a move unless he ispletely sure. As a result, he felt stressed and prayed for his prime minister to return quickly.


    Meanwhile, far away from the royal pce, in the tower located on an ind in the southern ocean;


    A handsome hunk in a suit, who lookedpletely like a human except for his scarlet eyes and vertical slit pupils, was seen sitting on his throne with the mage standing before him. He was a true Demon King unlike Eol, who was merely given the title Emperor because he was ruling the world.


    Vexiron wasn''t even looking straight at him. His gaze was on the ground as he exined the situation. "Milord, please try to understand. Regardless of whether the Dragon Goddess is interested in him or not, his abnormal gravity maniption is something we need. Milord has personally witnessed how destructive his potential was. If we y our cards right, freeing the Devil from the banished realm might not be a dream."


    "Hmm¡­" Xzar stroked his chin for a few seconds, thinking about it seriously before giving a nod, "Alright. If he is really the person you suspected, he is something worth as an ally. But, if something goes wrong, you''ll be prepared for punishment."


    "Nothing will go wrong, Milord. Trust me¡­" the mage hurriedly thanked the immortal realm demon and disappeared, returning to the altar located in the premises of the pce.


    A couple of minutester, the mage returned with continuous giggling on his face and was skipping like a little kid. Neither of those actions suited him and even the Demon Emperor looked like he was embarrassed of this demigod.


    "Mr. Lu, your request is granted. Lord Xzar agreed to free the royal elves, but we have to go there by ourselves. However, you are allowed to bring only one person with you."


    After a while, at the altar;


    The High Priestess was standing with Mark as the mage was reciting with the incantation, activating the spell.


    Sylvandria looked very displeased as she was separated from the princess. Mark was aware that the High Priestess cared about the princess. He couldn''t take chances leaving both of them together in his absence. At the same time, he also needed a witness for his next act, and the witness should have enough credibility among the elves too. Even in case of a mishap, he should be able to regain the trust of the royal elves and get what he wanted all along.


    This is why the High Priestess was selected as hispanion as they teleported to the Tower of Xzar.


    As their vision recovered, Mark and Sylvandria found themselves in a grand majestic hall with arge roof supported by atleast twenty pirs. Each of the pirs is sixty feet long and images of limbless white dragons were drawn on them.


    However, Mark isn''t in a situation to care about the surroundings as his eyes fall on the person sitting on the throne with a long backseat. With about thirty steps below the throne, the man stared down at the guests in silence until they stopped and the mage bowed to him with a knee touching the floor.


    "Milord, the guests are here," informed the mage.


    Xzar nodded and put his attention on Mark, trying to scan him with his senses. After a few seconds, hemented, "No wonder the Dragon Goddess is fond of you, human."


    Meanwhile, Mark was inspecting the enemy too.


    Xzar


    Race: Demon


    Rank: 11 (peak stage) Description: An immortal realm demon king who was born out of the deaths from the wars that urred across time on this. As a true demon king, he is the master of deadly sins.


    *


    Mark knew that it was impossible to control the world without taking out the strongest person. Without killing Xzar, he knew that it was useless. After reading Eol''s description and the quest followed by it, he made up his mind in a jiffy.


    But, aftering here and inspecting Xzar, Mark couldn''t help but wonder whether it was really a good idea. He was having second thoughts because of the fact that Xzar could use seven deadly sins against him. He experienced it once and it made him feel too vulnerable to attacks.


    As a cautious person, he wouldn''t want to do something where there is a risk to his life and there isn''t a guarantee of sess. Seeing Mark in a daze and not responding with a thank you to hisment, Xzar furrowed his brows in displeasure, "Human, stop dazing out and listen to me. I don''t say it twice and I don''t speak in a roundabout way. I heard that you asked for the release of all the royal elves, but it isn''t possible. I can only release three of them as the rest were already in thest stage of demonification and cannot return to being an elf. And luckily for you, one of those three was a young prince."


    *Ding! The Quest has been modified.

 Chapter 476 Xalazars encounter with Demon King Bael

    Chapter 476 Xzar''s encounter with Demon King Bael


    *Ding! The Quest has been modified.


    Quest: Savior of the Royal Elves


    Description: The royal elves imprisoned at the tower of Xzar have been fed with demonic energy and are on the verge of bing demonic elves. Use purification stones imbued with divine energy to dispel the demonic energy and save them before they are lost forever.


    Reward: Tactical UAV and Armed UAV.


    *


    Earlier it was a choice between those rewards. Now, it has be abination of those two. The difficulty of the mission was also increased but at the very least, the system showed him how to do it, unlike with the other quest where he had to save Eol.


    Feeling grateful to the system, Mark asked Xzar to release every one of them while iming that he could reverse the process of their demonification as long as they didn''t be humans.


    His bold statement intrigued the demon king and shocked the other two. After a few seconds of silence, Xzar nodded, "Fine. You can have all of them. Whether you can do it or not is of no concern to me anyway. You can save them or kill them for all I care. However, I never make deals on empty promises." Xzar shifted his attention to the 3-foot-tall alien.


    He ordered, "Bring Eol here right now. Since the bride is here, we shall proceed with the wedding rituals. Once it is concluded, you shall escort the prisoners and our dear guest to his destination."


    The mage didn''t hesitate to follow the orders. He bowed to his master and raised his staff to leave the ce. However, just before he teleported away, Sylvandria raised her voice of objection. "No, I respectfully decline." She spoke in a panicked voice.


    "Hmm?" The three men in the room turned toward her.


    Sylvandria then looked at the demon king and took a deep breath as she spoke without showcasing any fear, "I was born in the royal pce. However condition it was in, I hope myst day as the High Priestess to be spent there. I''m abandoning my faith, my loyalty, and perhaps my own race. I want to spend myst minute as a free person, not as a prisoner before embracing my new destiny. I request you to please consider my request, Lord Xzar."


    "You dare question his orders¡­" The mage erupted in anger at once for speaking against Xzar but thetter stopped him before Mark was even able to react, "Alright. Your request is granted, considering you didn''t ask for a change in time but only a change in location. Once you return with your husband and ept my power, your people shall be released from imprisonment."


    "Thank you," the High Priestess let out a smile of gratitude. Meanwhile, Mark''s face reddened in anger. The fact that Sylvandria once again was making a deal with the other party without his permission and Xzar was not bothering to ask his opinion really hurt his ego. He felt quite disrespected.


    He had the urge to go all out right away but tried his best to keep calmness, telling the demon king that he would be staying at the tower in that case and leaving the High Priestess in Vexiron''s care.


    Xzar was fine with it; the High Priestess appeared to be happier when she heard him, and even the mage also weed the decision.


    Soon, Mark ended up standing alone in the presence of the demon king, and the former''s attention was on the holographic screen floating in front of his eyes. He was prepared for any kind of ambush.


    But, his 7 points of luck paid favor in his way and nothing happened as he feared. The demon king was neither interested in striking up a conversation nor did he want to keep his eyes off him. Xzar was simply staring at him in silence.


    In the meantime, Mark was busy making a strategy, "The passive skill of the divine throne might improve my stats to that of an immortal and the defensive barrier will protect me from even a demon like Bael, but those won''t protect me from something like the seven deadly sins. Once I get caught, it will be over. It is the only thing I need to worry about unless I have someone on my side. After all, I can''t put my trust in Bael for saving. I don''t think he likes positive things like that."


    It was then something clicked in his mind and his eyes lit up, "I don''t need someone to protect my unconscious body. I can just stay hidden and attack from afar. The suit''s skill protects me from even junior gods (13-circle) if what the system says is true. This guy won''t be able to sense my presence. Hmm¡­ I guess that''s a better idea. The question is: when should I attack?"


    After formting his strategy, Mark finally opened his mouth, initiating the conversation with the demon king sitting on the throne, "Mr. Xzar, I have something to say and I believe it is worth your time."


    "What is it?" Xzar asked. From his earlier observations, he knew that Mark was thinking something. Hence, he was curious.


    Xzar thought Mark wanted to make some kind of deal by putting up something as coteral, but he didn''t expect the human to say, "A while ago, I formed a contract with a high-rank demon from another realm. If you allow me, I would like to summon him."


    "Oh, a high-rank demon from another realm?" Xzar, who never met a demon other than his creations, became more curious. Being confident in his own strength, he was at ease regarding Mark''s sudden ambush. Hence, he gave permission. "Go on¡­"


    Mark nodded with a smile as it went in his way and proceeded to click on the tab "Orb of Bael" and click on summon as it was already charged due to his killings of two demonic elves a while ago.


    At first, Xzar was slightly excited, but very soon, his facial expression changed when Bael appeared before his eyes.


    Bael might look like a human, but it isn''t tough for a demon like Xzar to sense demonic energy from him. He was taken aback as he sensed the power of immortal realm cultivation from the stranger. Quite surprisingly, Bael didn''t flinch a bit. He waspletely calm in the presence of an immortal who could hurt him due to suppression.


    "Mr. Xzar, He is Bael, one of the demon kings of Ars Goetia." Mark introduced the demon.


    Xzar was forced to stand up from the throne and slowly flew toward them,nding a few feet away from Bael. "Never thought the first person of my kind I would meet directly in person would turn out to be in the same rank as myself."


    Bael didn''t like thatment. The demon in front of him is just an immortal realm demon, the same as one of his legionmanders.


    Usually, Bael won''t get triggered for such a merement. But, the person who spoke it is a demon, and not of another race. As the king whomanded 72 legions in his realm, every demon except for those other eight demon kings is inferior to him.


    He was about to attack for disrespect from a low-tier demon, but Mark''s telepathic message stopped him from doing that. Bael merely countered it with a statement, "In the hell realm, there are terrifying existences far beyond your strength, Xzar."


    Xzar raised his eyebrow, "Stronger than the Dragon Goddess?"


    "Dragon Goddess?" Bael was taken aback when he heard those words. Letting out a cough to cover up his embarrassment, he slowly said, "Unfortunately, not at the moment. After losing the war against the Jade Emperor, our true ruler, the Abyss lord, otherwise known as the Devil, went missing, every demon lost a significant portion of their cultivation. But, he is alive though as he cannot be killed by any means."


    "The Devil?" This time, it was Xzar''s turn to get shocked. "I know that name. When I was born, I heard a voice introducing itself as the Devil and my creator. It tasked me to free it from the banished realm."


    "The banished realm, huh? Now it all makes sense¡­" Bael grabbed his chin, going into thoughts. It was then that Xzar raised his finger and pointed at Mark, "Vexiron, a Makyan race warrior from the banished realm mentioned that this human could be the key to open the banished realm and free the Devil."


    "Eh? Me?" Mark blinked his eyes several times in a row, pointing his finger at himself as Bael turned around and looked at him. "Now that I think about it, your gravity and spatial abilities can do the job. Not to mention that mysterious divine power. I guess it must be a fate that brought both of us together." Arge smile appeared on the demon king, making Mark shudder for a moment.


    "What¡­ the¡­ hell¡­"

 Chapter 477 Absolute Authority

    Chapter 477 Absolute Authority


    Never in the world did Mark expect that he would feel like his trump card might turn against him.


    What''s more, there''s indeed a selfish reason for that demigod realm mage to ept his deal. Until now, he only thought it was because the mage couldn''t sense his cultivation rank.


    Mark put his brain to use. He started thinking of everything he could to avert this crisis and change it into an opportunity.


    Of course, he would never help them, not because they were demons and evil or something, but it is due to the fact that there is no quest prompt from the system. He has no gain from freeing the Abyss Lord.


    After ten seconds of silence, he implemented the best idea he had in his head.


    As both demons stared at him, Mark reacted by saying, "I''ll help you with whatever you want, but I want something from you, Mr. Xzar."


    "What do you want? If you can free the Devil, you can have this entire world. I don''t care about it," replied the ruler of the Tower.


    Bael added, "Lu Zhen, you know where Ie from. If you really managed to do this task, the entire Ars Goetia will owe you. You can have a contract with any demon you wish. You can also have the rare materials from our realm."


    A tempted Mark waited for a couple of seconds, but there was no quest from the system. He wouldn''t believe the promises of the demons without any assurance from the system. As a result, he threw away those second thoughts and shook his head with a smile, "I''ll tell you when I need it, but for now, I need you to stay still for a couple of minutes and not be rmed by the thing I''m going to do it."


    "What is it?" Xzar asked curiously. "I''ll tell you once it is finished," said Mark as he raised his index finger with a gold ring on it. "Absorb," Mark said in a whisper. His eyes were fixed on Xzar.


    *Ding! The target has 6 points of luck. Please state the number.


    "6 points," replied Mark in his head.


    *Ding! You have 7 points of luck. Excess luck points will vanish. Proceed?


    "Yes." Mark was firm.


    *Ding! The luck points'' absorption has been started. Please make sure to stay within a 5-meter radius from the target for a period of 180 seconds.


    "Hmm? What is this strange energy?" Bael looked like he was perplexed as he stared at the finger. Meanwhile, Xzar appeared clueless.


    After a few seconds of silence, Xzar lost his patience and asked, "What were you trying to do?"


    "Eh?" Mark was slightly taken aback by his response and realized that he was unaware of the luck absorption even though the system mentioned to him that demigods and above-realm cultivators have a significant chance of sensing it.


    Thinking of a quick excuse, Mark said, "Please let me concentrate and don''t move for four to five minutes. I''ll exin everythingter."


    "Fine," Xzar stared at the human in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on with him.


    Three minutes are over and Mark received the notification that his luck reached maximum.


    Once it was done, Mark then spoke to the system, asking it to open the Lottery System.


    Soon, a new window opened on top of the holographic screen, disying the giant wheel with rewards and empty spaces. Perhaps, the wheel system went through a reset when the system was forced to go offline. The rewards were slightly different from what he remembered thest time he used this feature.


    *Random Unique skill*


    *Random Bloodline*


    *Random Title*


    *Upgrade crystal (superior grade)*


    * Main Battle Tank (Upgradable)* *Upgrade stone (superior)*


    *Mysterious box*


    Without any expectations, he clicked on the spin. 3000 credits were deducted and the wheel started spinning.


    Mark wasn''t bothered by the reward he was going to get. He didn''t absorb Xzar''s luck just because he wanted to use it in a lottery. He merely wanted to turn Xzar into an unlucky demon so that nothing would go as this demon lord wanted to happen.


    Little did Mark expect that his ten points of luck really turned the situation in his favor due to the lottery wheel.


    As the wheel stopped spinning after about 30 seconds, Mark saw the arrow pointed at Random Title. At first, he thought it was a useless reward but as he saw the details, his mind blew up in astonishment.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you won *Random Title* as a reward.


    *Ding! You received the title, "Absolute authority."


    Title: Absolute authority


    Description: When equipped with the title, every living being that formed an equal or a ve contract will be forced to follow themand of the user without any questions. The contracted beings cannot break the contract through any means as long as the title is equipped. Note: Elder Gods (15-circle) arepletely immune to this skill and True Gods (14-circle) can resist the effect. *


    "Now, that''s what I call lucky. If I equip this title, I don''t even need to switch to the other title to control those guardian beasts."


    While Mark was excited to try this title, he didn''t equip it. He wanted to see if he could take advantage of this situation as he had ten points of luck for the next five minutes.


    But, the task has proven more difficult than he expected.


    Closing down the window, Mark first told the lord of the tower to ease up and further asked him whether he was willing to form a contract with him, just like Bael.


    Contrary to his expectations, Xzar firmly turned down the proposal, stating that he didn''t like being chained to anyone but his creature. However, he added that he can be his ally.


    Mark didn''t like his answer and immediately dropped his ns of recruiting him, hurrying up to make his next move.


    He then wished to return to the pce while leaving behind the demon king Bael in his ce.


    Bael didn''t understand what Mark was nning, but he felt like he was being tasked with keeping an eye on this immortal realm demon.


    As for Xzar, he was more than happy to converse with Bael. He didn''t care about Mark. He obliged Mark''s request and sent him away before started talking about the Abyss Lord, wanting to know about his creator.


    As soon as Mark returned to the Royal Pce''s Altar, he saw the Demon Emperor standing with Vexiron as they were chatting about something. Both of them were slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of Mark. "You are back," Eolmented before adding, "but, why?"


    Mark ignored him and looked at the mage, "Are the preparations ready?" He asked.


    While Eol frowned in displeasure, Vexiron answered, "The bride is getting ready."


    "Ready?" This time, it was Mark''s turn to frown. He said in amanding tone, "No need for all that. I will bring her right away. Both of you prepare for the rituals and everything needed. Where is she?"


    "In the Queen''s Quarters," As Vexiron answered with a dumbfounded expression, Mark nodded and turned around to walk away.


    Once Mark disappeared from their sight, the Demon Emperor clenched his fist in anger, "That human is acting up too much."


    Vexiron also became serious as he shook his head, "His importance has been elevated and we cannot just offend him until we are done with him. Swallow your pride and put up with his behavior for a while. Soon, he will be leaving this world anyway."


    The Demon Emperor''s clenched fists tightened but stayed silent.


    Meanwhile, Mark hastened his pace and started moving at his maximum speed. However, it took more than three minutes to find the room. And that too, he was able to find it because of Steve guarding the ce outside with an unconscious princess ced on the couch nearby and Zan Rong inside.


    "How long it will take?" Mark asked in impatience as Steve greeted him.


    Steve replied, "They just went there. It might take a while."


    Mark looked at the pocket watch in his hand and became serious, "No, I don''t have much time."


    He walked forward.


    "Wait¡­" Steve was about to stop Mark but thetter already burst into the room in a hurry, taking thedies by surprise.


    "Kya¡­" A scream escaped from the High priestess and Mark''s eyes fell on her. She appeared to be in the middle of dressing. While her private parts were covered by the undergarments, the rest of the milky white skin was shown and Zan Rong hurriedly covered her body with a robe. "What the fuck are you doing?" She erupted in anger.


    Meanwhile, Sylvandria''s emotions calmed down and a deep frown appeared on her face as her eyes fell on Mark. "A deity''s blessing?" She thought in her head.

 Chapter 478 Sylvandrias ultimate technique and Marks reversal

    Chapter 478 Sylvandria''s ultimate technique and Mark''s reversal


    Mark didn''t respond to his sister-inw and spoke without a hint of expression, "Sylvandria, I give you 30 seconds. Dress up as fast as you can. After that, I will take you to the altar in whatever state you are in."


    "30 seconds? Why?" Zan Rong raised her voice once again. However, Sylvandria calmed her emotions and replied, "Fine, just wait outside."


    "Be quick¡­" Mark urged her one more time and went outside.


    Steve was dumbfounded by his dad''s actions. He just stood there in a daze without knowing how to react as he saw everything about his dad was different from what he remembered.


    Fortunately, this awkward silence between him and his dad didn''tst long as the High Priestess exited the room in her bridal wear, once worn by the past Elven Queen.


    Mark then walked to the High Priestess and shocked everyone once again by suddenly lifting her and carrying her in his arms.


    "You¡­ what are¡­" Before Zan Rong even reacted to it, Mark rushed off, breaking through the floors and walls on his way to the Altar.


    Meanwhile, at the Altar, the mage and the Demon Emperor were talking about the Dark Elves.


    "Just like every midnight, the Dark Elves will strike us once again today. I wonder what will be their target this time," said the Demon Emperor in a calm manner.


    Vexiron also looked calm as if it didn''t matter much, "They might have already done it, Eol. I can no longer sense the presence of the Lumineon City''s warden."


    The Demon Emperor let out a smirk as he folded his hands to the chest, "Foolish elves. They thought that they were smart and cunning. Little did they know that every time they kill a demonic elf with their dark energy, it will only end up benefiting us. Hahahaha¡­"


    He broke intoughter, thinking about the foolishness of the dark elves, and the mage also giggled along, although for not long.


    Theirughter was interrupted by the breakage of the wall nearby, followed by the appearance of Mark and the High Priestess in his arms. cing her down, Mark didn''t give them any time to chat around and hurried them to proceed with the marriage ritual. He only had like 32 seconds before his maximum luck returned to normal.


    "Why are you in such a hurry?" The mage couldn''t help but ask.


    In response, Mark roared back at him, "Consider it as an order from Xzar."


    The mage and the demon emperor were taken aback by his behavior. The High priestess was the same but she was silent as if she didn''t care about it.


    "Alright," The mage nodded after a few seconds and asked the bride to stand inside the circle with the Demon Emperor.


    While it is a marriage between an elf and a demon, the rituals were conducted ordingly with the Makyan race, only known to Vexiron. Thankfully, he already exined the process to Mark and the others while they were entering the pce.


    The ritual isn''tplicated. The bride and the groom will stand in the inner circle. The officiator will then activate the runes drawn between the inner circle and the outer circle. The runes will then bind both of the souls. It''s just like a beast is contracted to master. In other words, the High Priestess will turn into a ve for the Demon Emperor. And when the bride and the groom consummate, the marriage will be consideredplete.


    The first part will usually take anywhere from 30 seconds to an hour. Since Vexiron is a demigod, he estimated that it would take around 40 seconds.


    ncing at the pocket watch, Mark stood outside the outer circle and let the ritual proceed.


    The High priestess and the demon emperor were standing inside the circle as the bride and the groom while the mage stood in his position, not far away from them. He raised his staff above his head.


    "Verithan nar l¨²nduil andrakal. Verithan nar l¨²nerith korendar. S¨®lvarya, ynduil ar yndar, silvethan vethar. Unindrial thandor, venaranthar¡­"


    The mage started with his incantation and the runes were lighting up one after another. His eyes were closed and his voice echoed all over the pce.


    Ten seconds into the ritual, the calm-looking High Priestess suddenly changed. She became serious as she clenched her fists. She took a nce at Mark. He looked calm as he was staring at the mage. "Farewell," she muttered under her breath.


    "Hmm?" The Demon Emperor heard her voice and turned his head.


    It was at that moment he saw Sylvandria was taken over by a bright light. She suddenly exploded into countless specks of light and covered the entire altar in the form of a dome-shaped barrier. Ayer of gold-colored barrier formed upon the floor, imprisoning the three of them.


    The mage was forced to halt the ritual and looked at his surroundings. "This¡­" He was stunned, just like the Demon Emperor.


    Even Mark was also shocked, although for a different reason. His eyes fell on the new window floating on top of the skills section while the sound of a bell rang in his head. "This woman¡­" He gritted his teeth.


    *Ding! You received an emergency quest, Save Sylvandria.


    Quest: Save Sylvandria.


    Description: Using her divine soul as a sacrifice, Sylvandria has created an indestructible divine prison that will imprison anyone under an immortal realm. The prison will reduce the prisoners to nothing. Use Neo''s reversal ability to reset it back and save her.


    Reward: Rank-1 Android


    *Ding! An indestructible divine prison has beenunched against the host. Increase stats above 11 points to prevent death.


    The divine prison started retracting its size, alerting everyone inside.


    "Curse you, elf," The Demon Emperor roared as he gathered an enormous amount of demonic energy in his palms. The mage was also preparing a skill attack to destroy the barrier.


    Meanwhile, Mark quickly opened the inventory and took out the Divine Throne in his original form.


    As soon as he did that, the system sent him a notification.


    *Ding! Divine aura is activated. Your stats rose by 2 points.


    After securing his life, Mark took out a handheld cannon from the inventory while taking a seat. The back of the divine throne was struck by the wall of the barrier but due to his higher stats, it was stopped, while the rest of the space continued to suppress.


    On the other hand, the attacks of the Divine Emperor and Vexiron failed to put even a crack in the barrier. They found themselves at the center and had their attention stolen by Mark''s position where the barrier bent itself around Mark like an attached teardrop.


    As they sensed nothing strange in Mark, both of them felt like it was due to the mysterious throne he was sitting on. The mage could sense divinity in it and felt like it was very powerful.


    At the same time, he couldn''t connect to the outside world. He felt like his doom was near.


    Firing another ball of energy at the barrier without any result, he shouted, "Mr. Lu, are you going to help us out or watch us die?"


    Mark ignored him and focused on the cannon in his hands. He spoke in his head, "This isn''t bound to my soul. I cannot just activate the skill like I did with Danya. Heck, I cannot even see its skill set. What to do?"


    *Ding! The green trigger


    "Ah, it''s that simple?" Mark was surprised by the system''s reply and looked at the cannon. There were three triggers located in the trigger guard in different colors. He doesn''t know what others will do, but for now, he raises the cannon, pointing at the ceiling of the barrier.


    He clicked on the trigger, releasing a beam of green-colored energy.


    "Eek, it''s time maniption¡­" The mage was taken aback and then filled with astonishment as the beam struck the barrier''s ceiling and the entire barrier was covered by this strange energy.


    The barrier turned back into millions of specks of light once again, returning to one spot before transforming back into Sylvandria.


    "Haaaa¡­." She took a deep breath as vision restored to her eyes and she looked around in confusion. "It didn''t work?" She was stupefied.


    The mage and the Demon Emperor were triggered at once. "You damn elf¡­" "Sylvandria¡­" Both of them roared at the top of their lungs.


    As Sylvandria''s eyes fell on them, Mark''s voice filled the surroundings, "Well, there''s still 16 seconds left. So, let''s the party get started."


    "Hmm?" Everyone turned to look at the man sitting on a majestic throne.


    "System, Equip the title, Absolute Authority"


    "Activate skill: Seal breaker" "Target: Sylvandria"


    "Activate skill: Spatial Transfer" "Target: Sylvandria and Eol"


    "Activate skill: Lightning clone"

 Chapter 479 End of the demons (???)

    Chapter 479 End of the demons (???)


    At the Tower of Xzar;


    Xzar was escorting Bael as a guide while touring inside the tower. The demon king from Ars Goetia halted his footsteps all of a sudden and stared at him in silence.


    As Xzar turned his head to look at Bael''s face, he saw thetter''s pupils dted while mysterious ck markings appeared on his forehead.


    The scene took aback Xzar; he called him out, "Lord Bael?"


    As Bael stayed unresponsive while the markings spread all over his face, Xzar''s facial expression changed to that of a frown, "A sealing technique? Nope. Possession? No, that can''t be¡­ Perhaps, this is how he will return home?"


    Before Xzar got to the conclusion, Bael''s hand was raised. Demonic energy was gathered in his palm, alerting him.


    Xzar jumped away to gain a bit of distance and observed the visitor, "A ploy from that human or is it something else?"


    Meanwhile, the mage was getting beaten ck and blue by the lightning clone. He waspletely defensive, trying his best to reduce the damage inflicted on his body.


    At the same time, Eol was in an intense battle against Sylvandria, who had her strength returned and then teleported far away with the demon.


    As for Mark, hefortably sat on the divine throne without any tension or so whatever.


    He has no idea whether Sylvandria was able to defeat her opponent or not, but he could care less about her situation. He only cared about removing Vexiron and Xzar from the situation. As saving Eol wouldn''t give him great rewards either, Mark wasn''t that interested in whether he was alive or not.


    And due to the fact that his lightning clonepletely dominated the battle, Mark eased up a lot and enjoyed the scene unfolding before him. The royal pce turned into ruins and the city was razed to the ground by the time Vexiron turned into a bloody figure with a little bit of life left in his body.


    Mark saw the lightning clone reach Vexiron who was barely breathing and begging for his life. "P¡­ please¡­ le¡­ leav¡­ leave... me¡­ al¡­"


    The lightning clone raised its leg and crushed his skull with a powerful stomp, finally ending his life.


    Mark nodded in satisfaction after confirming that he was dead and controlled his flying divine throne tond on the ground.


    He came down from the throne and checked his hands to see if his storage ring was still intact. There was indeed a ring on his disfigured index ring, but Mark found nothing inside. It was empty.


    "Hmpf, this sly would have stored his wealth somewhere else. Nevertheless, there''s no need to search for it when the world is mine to mine," mumbled Mark as he turned around to walk away, leaving behind the corpse on the ground.


    Currently, he has no idea where Steve and the others are but hopes that they are fine. During the little time he waited for the High Priestess toe out in her bridal attire, he ordered Steve to take away the remaining twodies with him to the forest by giving an excuse that he doesn''t trust the demons in fulfilling their words.


    With the demon emperor fighting against the High priestess, the mage was killed by his lightning clone and Xzar was busy battling against Bael, Mark was confident that no one else could stop a supreme being like Steve who was born with a powerful bloodline like the phoenix.


    Roughly after an hour, he was done with his battle, he received the notification of quest sess.


    *Ding! Youpleted the quest, Kill Xzar. You received a random Tier-5 Bloodline. Check out the inventory.


    At that time, he was actually flying toward the forest while wearing the exo skeleton suit for enhanced vision.


    If not for Steve, he would have returned to the forest with his teleportation skill now that he knew both of the locations. As Steve was traveling bynd and Mark had no way to contact him, he had to go the hard way.


    Of course, he was aware that they wouldn''t be easily found as the High Princess mentioned that the princess knew various secret tunnels from the pce and the city. Not to mention, it is midnight in this part of the world.


    But, since they will still have to end up at Sylvandrial Dominion, Mark assumed that they might meet at some point on the way. So, he waspletely focused on the ground.


    Unfortunately, he had yet to find sess so far. Mark was torn between impatience to leave and regret for putting too much trust in Steve''s strength, but fortunately, the notification momentarily improved his mood and shifted his attention.


    "Oh, it was finally done," mumbled Mark as he looked at the glowing holographic screen.


    He opened the inventory and scrolled until he found the image of a pouch with a question mark on it.


    As he clicked on the slot, a new window was opened with something like a slot machine disyed on it.


    Mark clicked on the lever and the slots started scrolling down. It went for about ten seconds before the arrow stopped on the image of a muscled humanoid figure with the fur and the head of a monkey.


    *Ding! Congrattions, you received the bloodline of Sun Wukong.


    "Sun Wukong? As in the legendary monkey king?" Mark''s first reaction was that of excitement but it soon turned into horror as the second notification popped up.


    *Ding! Warning: Initiating a new Tier-5 bloodline integration with your DNA will put you to sleep for 280 days. Proceed?


    "No." Mark quickly rejected it as there was no way he would want to sleep for another 280 days when he was preparing to return and reunite with his lover.


    While it is an incredible reward, it is still something he received without working hard, and gaining it will not make super strongerpared to the present.


    But, at the same time, would a greedy and opportunist fellow like Mark make such a reward go to waste?


    Obviously not. Mark jumped into negotiations without wasting any time, "System, I''m satisfied with my current bloodline. Can I transfer this bloodline to someone? Or can I get materialistic rewards in exchange for this? Like a new android or some battle gear? Even credits or gold coins would be fine.


    The system didn''t respond for a few seconds, unlike its usual self.


    Then, it sent the notification in reply, bringing a smile to Mark''s face.


    *Ding! The system epts the host''s proposal. *Ding! Trade request: Exchange non-integrated Sun Wukong''s bloodline + Exo skeleton VIII for Integration of Mark''s factory with the material world.


    "Uhhh¡­ What?" Mark stopped his flight and stared at thetest notification sent by the system in shock.


    Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away from the royal pce, somewhere in the snowcapped mountains near the north pole of the;


    Eol was seen with heavy injuries all over his body while Sylvandria looked perfectly fine without a scratch on her body. Trapped inside a golden barrier that was shooting golden needles at him randomly, he looked like he was terrified at the moment.


    "Just kill me you fuc*ing b*tch¡­" He roared in anger as three more needles pierced his back, left calf, and abdomen, simultaneously. They didn''t inflict too much damage upon his body but surely increased his pain. The divine energy present in those needles only boosted that pain from inside and his recovery ability is also blocked.


    Looking coldly at the trapped divine emperor, the high priestess spoke, "Without that mage on your side, you are nothing more than a toothless tiger. And youmitted so many crimes on our race that instant death will be a blessing for you. So, beg for it. Apologize for all the elves you massacred. Maybe, I will have a change of heart."

 Chapter 480 The return of Vexiron.

    Chapter 480 The return of Vexiron.


    With no way out of the divine prison and not being able to bear the pain instilled by the needles brimmed with divine energy, the demon emperor Eol was forced to ignite all of his cells and went with a suicidal attack.


    His body exploded and released powerful demonic energy that could only heavily crack the barrier due to the sheer dominance of divine energy over an evil attribute like demonic energy.


    Seeing that there was nothing but blood spilled inside the barrier, she dismissed her technique and let out a smile of satisfaction, "Okay, my job is done here. I hope whatever you are nning will turn sessful too, Mr. Lu." She mumbled to herself, rekindling her hopes on the human as she realized that everything he had done so far was a giant ploy to defeat the enemies.


    Little did she know that this timely ending of her battle would indirectly affect Mark''s choice.


    Back in the wilderness, Mark was thinking about how to negotiate the terms with the system despite the fact that he thought it was worth integrating the factory in his mind with the real world even if he had to give up the suit. It is not like this celestial-grade suit will be of any use to him in battle.


    However, after spending months with the system, he knew that in a deal, he should never ept what the system has to offer.


    Just as he was wondering what to ask, Sylvandria''s battle came to an end and his mission became a failure as a result.


    *Ding! Eol''s physical body was destroyed without a trace. Quest "Save Eol" is failed.


    *Ding! You receive a new emergency quest, Resurrect Eol.


    Quest: Resurrect Eol


    Description: With the destruction of his physical body, there was no other way for Eol to revive. The host must obtain the soul that was trapped in a treasure and resurrect him using an inanimate humanoid figure as a host.


    Reward: Space station (upgradable)


    ept?


    "Rocketunching station disappeared and the system is giving me the Space station? What kind of bullshit y it is ying with me?" Mark was offended at first, but then he thought that he could probably include it in the negotiations as he considered the rocketunching station, not a big reward.


    Since he didn''t go far with his request, the system also agreed with the new deal, taking away the suit from him alongside the tier-5 bloodline reward and giving him theunching station along with integrating the factory with the real world.


    While the system asked him to choose a plot ofnd to fix the factory and all of its facilities, Mark asked for time. The system epted it and sent a mystery package to his inventory.


    Upon using the mystery package, Mark could ce it on t ground with no objects blocking it and build the factory, which will be upgraded just like the one in his mindscape.


    Three dayster;


    At the royal city of new Sasa Anor, a city that was named by Sylvandria for the new beginning of the Elves, a throne was ced on a podium and thousands of surviving elves were assembled along with the rescued members of the royal family.


    The original heir to the empire, Prince Alvis was still alive but he remained in the bunch while the princess sat on the throne owing to the fact that Mark, the savior wanted her to rule thend.


    He never mentioned marrying her or anything, but the royal elves were aware of the prophecy and they automatically assumed Mark would be on Princess Elowen''s side. Hence, the royal elders and even the prince epted his verdict, letting the High Priestess proceed with the coronation ceremony.


    Mark wanted to leave for his world as soon as he met with Steve and James, but the princess requested him to stay until the coronation ceremony.


    She wants to formally thank his services as a ruler in the form of presenting him with a deed in front of the elders and the citizens. This special deed contained an agreement from the elves that he could mine their world as much as he could and anywhere he wanted for the next 999 years. Whether the current ruler gets overthrown by someone else, the agreement still cannot turn void.


    With Bael on his side, Mark doesn''t need some deed to mine the resources of this. However, formally getting the permit will make his job easier as he wasn''t the one who was going to mine but his robots. He ns to spread huge amounts of them all over the world and acquire the rare materials.


    Since waiting for three more days wasn''t a big deal, Mark epted her proposal and patiently stayed as their guest until the coronation ceremony waspleted.


    The day had arrived and Mark was also standing along with his threepanions and the royal elves on therge tform, watching the High Priestess reciting some strange incantation and the Princess being enveloped by Sylvandria''s divine energy.


    Once the incantation was finished, the divine energy that surrounded her made its way to her head, gathered to be a single ball of light before it transformed into an exquisite-looking crown.


    "As the High Priestess of Ixitus Empire, I hereby announce that the coronation ceremony has beenpleted. Subjects of the Ixitus Empire, kneel to your ruler. All hail Queen Elowen."


    Everyone except for the High Priestess, Mark, James, and Steve knelt down at the same time and cheered, "All Hail the Queen." As a citizen of the Ixitus Empire for a few years and still considers herself a citizen, even Zan Rong followed the same as others.


    With a smile on her face, Elowen Silverleaf then rose to her feet and spoke, "Before I address the public, I wish to thank a special person who made this all possible." Several gazes fell upon Mark.


    "If she wasn''t going to return here, our Savior would have nevere to our world. On behalf of all the citizens of the Ixitus Empire, I would like to say thank you to Marina Zan and present this treasure as a reward," Elowen took out an artifact that looked like a fist-sized diamond


    The royal elves started murmuring among themselves, the majority of whom agreeing that it is too precious and some were wondering when such a diamond existed in their treasury as they never saw it before.


    Mark didn''t care at first as it was just a diamond and he was just trying his best to not show his impatience of getting his reward and returning to his world, but then, as Zan Rong stepped forward and took the diamond in her hands, James raised his voice and this gained his attention. Of course, everyone''s too¡­


    "Ms. Zan, throw away the diamond. There''s something wrong with it," shouted James as he rushed forward. Surprisingly for him, Steve firmly caught his arm with a serious-looking expression.


    "What are you doing?" While James asked him, Mark activated his Eyes of God skill and inspected the green-colored diamond that started glowing in Zan Rong''s hand.


    *


    Cursed diamond of Vexiron


    Description: A cursed artifact created by mage Vexiron. Apart from its master, those who touch it will get trapped inside. Note: It only works on those with cultivations below 10-circle. Destroying the artifact will kill the prisoners too.


    *


    By the time he read the details, a powerful suction force erupted from the diamond and absorbed Zan Rong in an instant.


    Amid the surprised gazes of the spectators, the princess startedughing as she picked up the diamond, "foolish little human¡­"


    "Your Majesty?" The High Priestess was shocked at Elowen''s actions. "What are you doing?"


    Tilting her head and coldly looking at Mark, Elowen spoke, "Do you really think you have killed me, human? Whatever you saw was nothing more than a grand illusion created by me."


    *Ding!


    c71241599ffa2342522e9fa0e93245a9d8ec4ad4e8c3c5baf0c66a8666374fd0ecb298d070f69c99e8e1c5342474b4752d7071383ba4a7afe8bd2c6eea7c771d2fe6ceea946f21e86602a52919

 Chapter 481 Seven deadly sins once again: Unexpected lustful wife

    Chapter 481 Seven deadly sins once again: Unexpected lustful wife


    *Ding! You receive an Emergency Quest, "Save yourpanions."


    Quest: Save yourpanions


    Description: Mage Vexiron fooled the host with a false death and possessed Princess Elowen. He also captured Zan Rong in his cursed diamond. The host must save both of them and end his life.


    Reward: Battle Tank (Upgradable)


    *


    After provoking Mark and the others to save their new monarch if they can, Elowen who was under the control of Vexiron disappeared into the diamond.


    *Thud*


    The cursed diamond fell on the tform.


    Mark would usually have no interest in saving Elowen, and that too, when Sylvandria already gone inside; however, he was forced to go into the diamond to save her as not only there was a reward but even his future sister-inw was also there.


    If something happens to Zan Rong, he won''t be able to look into his brother''s eyes when they reunite in the future.


    Of course, he wasn''t a fool to walk into the trap without thinking about the risk.


    Since the details of the diamond explicitly stated that it could only trap the people with demigods and the lower realm, Mark was confident that he could return safely as long as he would summon the divine throne and increase his stats to more than 11 points.


    However, the result is vastly different from what he expected.


    Mark found himself in the exact situation he didn''t want to see himself in. He was trapped inside a story filled with seven deadly sins once again.


    This time, although he was purely conscious, he was in an extremely embarrassing position, finding himself on a bed in a naked state.


    An energy rope tied his hands and his eyes were covered by a cloth. However, there is someone on top of his private part, bouncing like a rabbit and screaming like a professional adult star from his past world.


    Mark wanted to call out for the system but it was quite enjoyable for him. He wanted to take off his blind but as he tried to move, the woman would grab his hands and force him to focus on enjoying her riding and dirty talk.


    This went on for atleast three minutes straight and she grabbed his cuffed hands to put around her body, kissing him deeply.


    By this time, Mark was already filled with lust and he forgot about his original mission. In fact, he began to like this blind sex.


    Eventually, he took control of the situation until he finished it and removed the ck cloth over his eyes, only to get shocked by the person lying under him and looking at him with such lustful eyes.


    "Sylvandria?" He couldn''t help but let out a scream. The surprise was evident on his face.


    The woman was surprised by his reaction. "Of course, it is me, my hubby. Who do you think it is going to be?" She furrowed her brows in displeasure.


    Mark instantly realized that it was indeed the seven deadly sins, but how did this mage have such power? He became confused. "Quite possibly, Xzar might have helped Vexiron during its creation," He assumed.


    Thest time he was trapped in such a story, he only got out after realizing that it was an illusion. But, this appeared to be different.


    Mark didn''t know how to escape and could only theorize in his mind that he must defeat his inner devils to get out of this ce and save hispanions.


    "My hubby? Dear?"


    Taking a deep breath, Mark then apologized, trying to check her personality in this story, "Nothing dear. Because of the blinder and your sexy voice, I momentarily forgot about youpletely. Let''s not do that again."


    "Ah, okay," Contrary to her wild side during those intimate moments, she became calm andposed as she continued to speak, "Anyway, I want to say it at an appropriate time but I guess I''ll tell you right now. We have received the invitation to attend the summit organized by the Dark Elves. I still haven''t epted it yet as it might seem to the Queen that we are formally siding with Mor Gondamin."


    Mark doesn''t know the story but doesn''t want her to realize it and create hurdles for him. Hence, he answered, "Let me think about it for just onest time."


    Sylvandria stared at him for a few seconds and nodded, "Fine. Let''s sleep and talk in the morning."


    The replica of the High priestess closed her eyes and fell asleep after a while, leaving behind Mark who was filled with various thoughts.


    "System, are you there?" He asked in his head.


    *Ding! Yes, host.


    Seeing that there was a positive response, Mark felt relieved. He went on to ask, "How should I get out of here?"


    *Ding! The host already knows the answer. Follow the storyline while defeating all the deadly sins in the process.


    *Ding! A reminder: This world only could challenge the host with the three most powerful deadly sins, i.e. lust, greed, and pride.


    *Ding! Another reminder: 100 days spent in this world is equivalent to 1 day in the outside world.


    "Okay, thank you for the help," Mark felt grateful that the system has be more and more helpfultely. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, it was actively trying to help him in every grave situation. Of course, not assisting in some missions can be understandable as they were more of a choice.


    Six days passed in the blink of an eye. Mark has be more used to this ce, which is aplete replica of the Ixitus Empire.


    The story is that Elowen Silverleaf is the reigning ruler of this world; Sylvandria is the former high priestess and was expelled from the kingdom due to the fact that she broke her oath of celibacy and fell in love with the hero.


    The Hero, as in Lu Zhen, who defeated the demon emperor, married her and moved out of the kingdom. Apart from that, he also took in the corrupted elves as his own people instead of executing them.


    The Empire gave him region and formed a pact in order to ensure that he stayed loyal to the throne. As a result, with a small demonic elf army, he was living in an independent vige on a mountain.


    As for Zan Rong''s replica, Mark never heard about her. But then again, as he knew that everyone was merely an illusion, he could care less about the girl and focused more on defeating the deadly sins by exercising control over them.


    However, he realized that this task was almost next to impossible. He could never control his lust.


    Only six days had passed and he slept with his wife, Sylvandria, 23 times already. Every time, the session wouldst a minimum of 30 minutes and goes as long as 90 minutes sometimes. Yet, he never felt tired or uninteresting, not even once. It was like he was fed with an aphrodisiac or something for every meal.


    In the meantime, he also took the decision to take over this world by bing the viin and eradicating all of life so that these so-called deadly sins would no longer pose an effect. They can only work if there are people.


    Mark''s thinking was simple.


    What is the use of pride if there is no one to challenge him? What is the use of lust when there is no woman to sleep with? And what is the use of greed after achieving everything in the world?


    Hence, he would do the same for his friends and even his so-called wife after killing his enemies.


    Since spending 100 days here is equivalent to 1 day outside, he felt like he had enough time to aplish everything.


    As a result, he epted that invitation and finally started the storyline six days after he walked into the trap.

 Chapter 482 Sylvandria escaped the mind control? What does it mean?

    Chapter 482 Sylvandria escaped the mind control? What does it mean?


    Along with a few corrupted elven warriors, Mark and Sylvandria started their journey to the other side of the world. They reached Mor Gondamin, the capital city of the kingdom of Dark Elves, after traveling for roughly more than 21 hours.


    Even in such time, both of them had passionate sex in the wild three times, once in a forest, once behind the waterfall, and once in the carriage drawn by the horses.


    After reaching the underground city of Mor Gondamin, they were weed with great respect by the dark elves, despite their disgust toward demonic beings as well as celestial elves. They made sure that neither Mark nor Sylvandria would feel any difort about the visit.


    The reason for their hospitality is obvious. Sylvandria is a supreme being and Mark is the hero with unknown cultivation and mysterious abilities.


    Following the plot, Mark cooperated well by putting up his fake smile until the round table conference started two dayster.


    Apart from Mark and Sylvandria, there are few other guests who aren''t dark elves. Some of them were sun elves, some of them were moon elves, and some of them were mixed races.


    All of these five groups are said to be working independently but for the same cause, the dethronement of Elowen Silverleaf and the destruction of the ruling ss.


    The Prime minister of the kingdom started the meeting by introducing the guests to others. Without any surprise, Mark and Sylvandria drew attention from everyone.


    He then went on to say how bad is the ruling ss and how they should work together to bring them down, h h h. Mark listened to everything in a calm manner but his expression of disinterest was caught by Thyrandor, the King of Dark elves.


    Thyandor couldn''t help butment before anyone even got to respond to their n, "Lu Zhen, you seemed like you don''t approve of the n."


    In an instant, the gazes fell upon the couple. "Perhaps, this was how the storyline is written," thought Mark and then replied while resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, "I have something better that will end their era within a span of a few weeks."


    "Few weeks?" Thyrandor furrowed his brows. "Please exin," he said.


    Mark then spoke, "Simple, remove the Queen and create a civil war."


    "Killing the Queen?" The guests looked at each other and started whispering among themselves.


    It was then Thyrandor broke out intoughter, "And how do you propose to do that? We heard that Hero Lu defeated the demon emperor by himself. So, you might think it is a piece of cake for you, but I should remind you that the divine treasure in the hands of the Queen will nullify any type of attack that targets her. If you want to try your luck, please do so."


    Mark shook his head with a smirk on his face, "When did I say we should kill the queen? I merely said that we shall remove the queen. Abducting her would be enough."


    "Isn''t it more difficult than killing?" Thyrandor''s frown only deepened further, not being able to understand what this human was thinking.


    Mark merely raised three fingers in response, "Give me three days and I will give you the civil war that you want. The rest, however, will depend on your abilities."


    "In case of a full-blown war, I expect your assistance," Thyrandormented.


    Mark nodded firmly, "of course, that goes without saying."


    "Here''s a toast for the new alliance" "Cheers"


    The next day, while his wife and subordinates returned to their home, Mark made a visit to the capital city.


    As the world is a replica of the real elven world, Mark is able to teleport directly to the destination in an instant.


    "Okay, half of the job isplete. Now, the other half remains..." Mark mumbled as he stared at the majestic royal pce, standing not far away from it. He opened the inventory to take out the suit and equip it so that he would be able to infiltrate the pce in invisibility mode.


    It was only when he searched the inventory did he finally remembered that he had given away the suit to the system. Because of all that fun he had with the elven beauty for the past week, he had forgotten about it.


    *Tap*


    Mark couldn''t help but p his forehead for his idiocy, "how in the fuck did you n on abducting her forgetting about the suit? Sigh¡­ these days, you are really making the silliest of mistakes in every situation."


    *Tap*


    pping himself once again, this time on both of his cheeks at the same time with a bit of force, Mark mumbled, "n change. Let''s just go on a killing spree and abduct her forcefully. Killing all the royal elves can also create a civil war. Not to mention, I don''t think that Vexiron could create a world where the opponents could kill me when I could use all my abilities." He made his decision in an instant and charged forward.


    One dayter;


    Sylvandria returned home, only to witness Elowen and her husband eating something that looked like a noodle dish in a bowl. Of course, the atmosphere doesn''t seem pleasant in any way. As if the elven queen developed a great fear of Mark, her hand was still trembling uncontrobly even while eating.


    "Elowen Silverleaf¡­" Sylvandria almost growled in anger as her eyes fell on the girl.


    This led Elowen to jump up in fright and the food was spilled on the floor, bringing a frown to Mark''s face. However, he didn''tment on that and simply greeted the woman who was said to be his wife in this realm, "Hey Syl, you are finally here. As I have promised you, here is our dear Queen. I brought her before you reach home, although in a slightly forceful method."


    "I know, Dear. The news has already spread all over the world; the hero taking his revenge upon the royal elves that betrayed his sacrifice," replied the woman as she walked past the prisoner and reached Mark with a smile on her face. "You did great. Thank you."


    Without minding Elowen''s presence, she nted a kiss on her husband and looked at her, speaking in a mocking tone, "Look at you, the mighty queen who ruled the world. Let me say this to you again. The prophecy never spoke about you. It''s me, the princess who is destined to be with the Hero.


    I push you forward only to protect my oath but in reality, I know that you have no chance with him. In the end, your actions only lead us to fall in love and marry each other, breaking my oath in the process.


    In order topensate for fooling you all along, I let you be the Queen, favoring you over your half-brother. But, you thought too highly of yourself and in jealousy, you exiled both of us.


    That day I merely epted your decision and left in silence only because of my lingering feelings toward my homnd. Once thatst bit of kindness is gone from my heart, your doom has been set into motion. It won''t stop until I destroy everything you stood out for."


    Mark was silently watching Sylvandria''s speech and trying to analyze it. Some of those words indeed developed suspicion in his heart. That''s right, Sylvandria''s full name was Sylvandria Silverleaf; despite being an avatar of a deity and the High Priestess, she was born as a princess. That remains a fact.


    He couldn''t help but remember how the High Priestess (real one) tried her best to betroth the princess to him and when it seemed like it didn''t work, she didn''t hesitate to sacrifice herself to take out the demon emperor, Vexiron, and perhaps even himself (Mark) in the process.


    One part of his brain says that he shouldn''t take the words of a replica too seriously and the other part of his brain says that the real High Priestess was indeed up to something.


    With such conflicting thoughts in his head, Mark tried his best to show that he was calm on the outside and nkly watched the scene unfolding before his eyes.


    Soon, the situation evolved to the point that even Mark felt bad for the replica of Elowen he abducted with force.


    In the living room, she was stripped naked by Sylvandria and had her hands tied by the energy rope. Compared to the women he had seen naked in his past life, whether directly or through the inte, she wasn''t definitely appealing. She has more or less an underdeveloped body, like a minor human girl.


    Yet, Mark couldn''t help but want to y with that body as he has yet to be immune to the lust. In fact, by giving into lust many times in the past few days, he couldn''t shake off his urge. His mind was corrupted to the extent that he doesn''t mind raping her, just because she is an illusion.


    When Sylvandria intended to humiliate Elowen by letting her subordinates have their way with her, Mark immediately acted and volunteered for the job.


    Sylvandria, for some reason, epted it too.


    As she forcefully spread Elowen''s legs apart, a naked Mark crouched down to y with her private parts before getting to the main deal. Elowen was pleading them to kill her but Mark didn''t listen. He stretched his index finger forward.


    Just as he was about tomit the deed, all of a sudden, divine energy suddenly erupted from Sylvandria and pushed him away.


    Mark was pushed back a couple of meters and had his face hit the wooden floor. As he raised his head, he saw Sylvandria hugging Elowen with an angry look on her face, "You roach of a human. Keep your filthy hands off the princess."


    "Princess?" A look of surprise appeared on Mark''s face.


    Before he expresses his confusion, the system decides to drop a nuke on his brain in the form of a notification.


    *Ding! Sylvandria escaped the mind control. You triggered an emergency quest.


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 483 The third official fiancee

    Chapter 483 The third official fiancee


    *Ding! You triggered an emergency quest, Save everyone from mind control


    Quest: Save everyone from mind control


    Description: Mage Vexiron released his possession of Queen Elowen after she was trapped in his cursed diamond. However, her mind was still being controlled by the effects of the curse. Zan Rong and everyone who was captured by the diamond was also forced to be a part of the storyline created by Vexiron. Remove the influence of the curse from their mind by applying purification stones on each of them orpleting the storyline.


    Reward: Upgrade crystal (normal).


    "Eh? Mind control? That means all these people weren''t illusions but real? No wonder the system said that I could use all of its functions," Mark''s face turned pale as certain memories popped up in his mind. "So, I have been fuc*ing this blonde for real, all this time? And I almost raped the princess?"


    More than the fact that he lost the virginity of his current body and how he had it with the woman so many times in a row, he was disturbed by the act he was going tomit a while ago. He was okay with killing people but not this.


    Meanwhile, Sylvandria covered Elowen''s body with a carpet lying on the floor as thetter clothes were ripped off. After freeing her from the energy rope, she took her to the bedroom and provided her with clothes.


    Closing the door, she walked toward Mark with heavy steps. Her expression looked quite serious.


    "You freed yourself long ago, weren''t you?" She asked while clenching her fist tightly. Before Mark replied to it, she further said, "Don''t try to feign ignorance. I could see when one''s mind is being controlled by someone or something. As far as I remember, you are the only one without the halo of foreign energy above your head."


    As Mark was still in shock, his mind didn''t try to think about what she exined and merely nodded to her question, "Yes, I was never mind controlled."


    "And you still¡­ still¡­mitted all those¡­ those¡­ things to me." She pointed her trembling finger at him. Her voice was also shaking as those embarrassing memories came to her mind.


    Mark snapped at her usation right away, "First of all, whenever we had sex, it was initiated by you, not me. Secondly, I was affected by the deadly sins of lust, pride, and greed. Or else, why would I want to enjoy the body of an old woman like you?" He could admit being a little bit of guilt for his earlier actions to the queen but Sylvandria ispletely another thing."


    "Old? you¡­ you¡­ you fiend¡­" Sylvandria couldn''t help but lose herposure. In the mixture of frustration, helplessness, and embarrassment, tears filled up in her eyes. "You defiled me, you broke my centuries of oath of celibacy, and now you dare to put it on me? I was under mind control. You are not." She roared at him in anger. The divine energy erupted from her and attacked him in the form of aser beam.


    This time, Mark wasn''t caught off guard. He timely reacted by activating a skill through voice mode. "System, activate Metal Armor."


    From face to toe, his skin instantly turned into steel, and increased his defense and strength to more than 11 points for the next ten minutes, blocking her attack and taking her by surprise.


    Staring coldly at the surprised high priestess, Mark spoke, "Sylvandria, I will say once again. Whatever transpired during the past few days was out of my control. If you don''t want to believe my words, then, you can go your way and I will go my way. And also, this is thest time I''m going to ignore your preposterous actions against me."


    "You don''t have an ounce of a quality that a hero has,"mented the High Priestess as she took a step back in a slight bit of fear.


    In response, Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I never imed to be one and I don''t believe in such prophecy bullshit."


    Sylvandria stared at him in silence. Mark stared back at her as if he was asking what she wanted now.


    After ten seconds of staring contest, she opened her mouth, speaking in a firm tone, "Regardless of whether you were influenced by deadly sins or not, you defiled me of your own will. Because of your actions, not only my oath has been broken but it was also done without my own will. Take responsibility for your actions and be my husband as you are right now. Or, kill me with your own hands and give freedom to my soul right now."


    "Taking responsibility? Husband? Or kill you? Stop bullshitting around," Mark scoffed at her statement, not taking her seriously. He further added, "What will you do if I refuse to do either?"


    As if Sylvandria expected such a response from him, her facial expression didn''t change a bit and she replied without a moment of waiting, "If you do neither, I will hunt you and your loved ones as long as I live and will continue to haunt them as the ghost as long as they live."


    "Ho, you will hunt down my loved ones? You must really forgetti¡­" Mark''s facial expression became cold once again and he clenched his fist. He was about to attack her but the notification from the system stopped him from proceeding further.


    *Ding! You triggered an emergency quest, Marry Sylvandria


    Quest: Marry Sylvandria


    Description: Take responsibility for your actions and ept Sylvandria Silverleaf as your wife or face the consequences.


    Conditions of Failure: Rejecting the quest or the death of the target before marriage.


    Consequences of failure: The host''s most loved one will be cursed and hostility will be generated with Elven Goddess Aerdrie Faenya.


    Reward: Factory Upgrade (max. level).


    *


    "Okay, I ept," Mark changed his words in the middle of his statement as soon as he saw the quest pop up before his eyes. However, it wasn''t without conditions either.


    He further said, "But, I already have two fianc¨¦es waiting for me to marry them. Your number wille after them. And if you have to marry me, you have to sacrifice your homnd forever and follow me to mine, swearing allegiance to me. Even after marriage, you shall not expect any love from me for my heart was already upied by someone. Until then, you shall act as my subordinate or an ally or maybe a friend, whatever you want; but nothing more than that."


    Sylvandria didn''t bother to digest all of those conditions and simply nodded her head, "Fine, I agree. It doesn''t matter what the conditions are. As long as my soul doesn''t get tainted, I''m happy with everything."


    After a while;


    Mark pressed the yellow-colored glowing stone onto the forehead of Elowen.


    In an instant, the mind control on her was dispelled and she was brought to her senses.


    Fortunately, due to her low cultivation realm, Elowen remembered nothing when she was being mind-controlled. In fact, thest thing she remembered was when she was walking through the tunnels below the Royal city of Sasa Anor.


    Hence, with Sylvandria''s cooperation, it became easier for Mark to hide the embarrassing truth and make her cooperate with them inpleting the storyline.


    As various factions were nning tounch a civil war, Mark and Sylvandria returned to the Royal castle along with the princess before she gathered the citizens living in fear and announced that the dead royal elves were nning on betraying her as she nned on abolishing the monarchy. Elowen imed that she did it to remove the traitors.


    Mark then spent the whole month eliminating the corrupted elves, negotiating with the Dark Elves and all other dissatisfied rebel factions to create a country that would be run by democracy. Meanwhile, the monarch will merely be the head of the state with limited veto powers.


    Obviously, some didn''t ept such a thing, and Mark didn''t hesitate to eliminate their entire factory in secret, giving the rest of the factions a firm message.


    With everyone getting what they want, peace was established quicker than Mark or Vexiron expected, ending the storyline.


    Until the end, Mark couldn''t find where Zan Rong was, but once it was over, the world disappeared on its own, and hundreds of them appeared in something like an endless white room at the same time while Mark received the reward forpleting the quest.


    There, they saw the green monster (Vexiron) floating in the air and busy meditating.


    Until a while ago, he was absorbing dark energy from the battles urring in the storyline created by the world. Once it was cut off, he was forced to open his eyes and saw Mark along with the rest of the confused bunch.


    Rage took over Vexiron not just because his ego was deeply hurt by the end of the storyline but also because his n of resurrecting Xzar was foiled by the one he underestimated.


    He nned to use the deadly sins on Mark to create the war and get what he wanted, but once Sylvandria got her senses, Mark started resisting the lust by tying up his eyes whenever he got the feeling.


    As for pride and greed, he was freed from both of them at the same time when he saved Elowen and then helped her create a new country with power being given to the people.


    Despite being filled with rage, Vexiron didn''t try attacking Mark. On the contrary, he used his telepathic connection with the cursed diamond to let him and the princess teleport out of it, taking everyone by surprise.


    In the outside world, as James chased after the mage and his hostage, Steve stayed there until Mark summoned the divine throne and increased all of his stats to above 11, forcefully breaking the diamond from the inside as it became impossible for the artifact to hold him.


    As for why he didn''t do it earlier, the system informed him that he would kill the rest of the real prisoners stuck in the storyline. Since he couldn''t find Zan Rong, he waited until they got out of the story.


    Hundreds of people appeared on the tform, still filled with confusion in their heads.


    Transforming the divine throne into a flying carpet, Mark and Sylvandria then flew in the direction pointed by Steve at hypersonic speeds to catch up to their target.

 Chapter 484 Returning home and a piece of bad news

    Chapter 484 Returning home and a piece of bad news


    Due to the extreme speeds disyed by the divine throne which nearly threw off Sylvandria and she had to tightly grab Mark''s arm to stay on it, both of them went past James and caught up with the mage.


    When they caught up, Elowen was seen unconsciously suspended inside an energy bubble.


    Upon seeing his back, Mark didn''t waste time in unleashing the lightning bolt onto his head, not wanting to get fooled once again.


    This time, he didn''t fail. With a strike of lightning from the heavens, the mage was turned into ashes in a split second and an unconscious Elowen started falling down.


    Mark controlled the carpet to increase its speed and Sylvandria caught the elven queen as well as Vexiron''s staff in a jiffy.


    Once she was caught, Mark finally paid attention to the notification on the holographic screen.


    *Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest, Save yourpanion. The reward has been sent to the inventory.


    Since the reward had been issued, Mark was sure that the target was eliminated and he felt more or less relieved. But the only issue is that he wasn''t able to capture Vexiron''s soul.


    Back when he thought he killed him, Mark didn''t think of it because the Orb of Bael couldn''t absorb the souls when the demon king was summoned.


    Right now, he wanted to do it but still couldn''t do it as it was already filled with the kills he had during the past few days he spent inside the cursed diamond.


    As a result, the mage''s soul was able to escape from his grip.


    Whether it will go to the spirit realm or n for getting a new body is something Mark had no intention to care about.


    The mage doesn''t know about his world and neither does Mark care what happens if the mage returns and supposedly wreaks havoc in the Ixitus Empire. He has more important things to focus on, at the moment.


    cing the attention on Elowen, Sylvandria tossed the staff to Mark. He caught in reflex and used his God''s Eye skill to inspect its details. Upon seeing a particr detail, a rare smile appeared on his face.


    "Hmm?" Sylvandria was puzzled at his reaction. She couldn''t but ask, "It''s just a semi-divine weapon. Is there something more to it?"


    Mark replied while continuing to stare at the staff or more like the translucent gem that was adorned at the head of the staff, "Let''s just say your world''s hero will be resurrected in a few moments."


    "Huh? What are you saying?" Sylvandria looked at him questionably, wondering whether her badass fianc¨¦ was bragging about himself or something.


    Mark then controlled the flying carpet tond on the ground.


    As Sylvandria stepped down while carrying the Elven Queen, Mark spoke in his head, "System, Activate Weapon Transmutation."


    The holographic screen appeared with the image of a circle and the word transmute below it.


    As soon as he ced the weapon in the circle, Sylvandria saw that it disappeared. She merely thought he kept in his storage ring but stayed still as a spectator, watching her fianc¨¦ poking his index finger in the empty air.


    *Ding! All the items are extracted and sent to the inventory.


    "System, open inventory."


    There were a few precious raw materials he saw, but he didn''t pay much attention to their amount and just scrolled to the side until he found an image that resembled a wisp in the inventory.


    He then clicked on Ark, the Rank-7 Android with an appearance of his past life, and summoned him to the world.


    Sylvandria was first taken aback by the sudden appearance of Ark. At first, she thought he was probably like Bael but then as she probed him, she found nothing. She couldn''t even feel the source of life inside the Android that was looking and talking like a human. Everything was so strange to her. Yet, she kept her mouth shut and watched it in silence.


    Meanwhile, Ark greeted him with a standard military salute, "Your orders, Master?"


    Mark didn''t answer him and spoke to the system about the transfer of the soul.


    Soon, the golden wisp flew out of the inventory and flew into the chest part of Ark, merging with his core.


    *Ding! The Emergency Quest, "Resurrection of Eol," has beenpleted. The reward has been sent to the inventory.


    *Ding! Eol''s soul was found to be strong enough to dominate A.I. in Ark''s core. Do you wish to wipe out his memories to retain Ark''s personality? Note: Regardless of the oue, the loyalty of the Android to Mark will not change.


    Mark already discussed this matter with the system; hence, he went with the refusal. "No, don''t wipe it out, but remove his connection to my inventory as well as my memories from both of my lives."


    *Ding! Affirmed. Finalizing with the merge. Waiting time: 30 seconds.


    Half a minuteter, Ark''s behavior changedpletely from earlier. Taking a step back involuntarily, he checked his arms and legs before taking a look at Mark, "I didn''t expect to see another Android in my life, ever again. What''s more, my consciousness was nted in one. What are you from, bro? *Ahem* Sorry, I was too excited. Anyways, I thank you, my fellow human. Themands say that I should address you as Master. You won''t mind if I call you with another honorific, would you? Calling someone a Master sounds very old-fashioned. How about I address you as Boss?"


    Mark couldn''t help but stare at Ark in a daze for a couple of seconds, realizing that this guy had a bit of personality. At the same time, the way he was speaking reminded him of the people from his past life.


    As he silently nodded, Ark took a nce at Sylvandria andmented, "You look just like Ariana Silverleaf. I suppose you are the High Priestess who is her reincarnation?"


    "Not anymore, but yes, she was a prior incarnation of me. ording to the Temple''s historical records, I have reincarnated three times after that," Sylvandria confirmed his suspicions. As for Mark, during those days her husband spent in the cursed diamond, he learned that she reincarnates in the royal household every time she dies, although she wouldn''t have the memories of her past life.


    "I see," Ark nodded in understanding and suddenly remembered something, "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My apologies. I''m Eol of the Great ins. I guess both of you might have already known that, but still, I would like to¡­"


    "Eol, we can talkter¡­" Mark interrupted his talk before sending him back to the inventory without his consent and ced his attention on Sylvandria. He asked her whether she could provide him with a set of armor for Eol /Ark so that no one could see what he looked like underneath that armor.


    Sylvandria mentioned how their armory was safe with her but didn''t have the right to take out the weapon or give it to him. The rights stay with the Queen and she intends to hand over the armory to the rightful owner.


    Mark knew that the Queen would thank him anyway. So, he wasn''t worried about getting a set of armor. But, the only thing on his mind is the fact that he cannotpletely control Sylvandria. He will have to work on that.


    Since they weren''t in a hurry, the flying carpet moved at normal speeds and Mark took his time to take a good look at the rewards he attained so far and the loss he suffered.


    "Let''s see¡­ A rank-7 Android, Upgradable Battle tank, unlocked Rank-1 Android in gallery, upgradable Space station, Factory summoning to material world, rocketunching station from the negotiations, Absolute authority title from lottery wheel, a normal grade Upgrade crystal, tactical UAV and Armed UAV.


    As for losses, to save those royal elves, I spent 24 purification stones each worth 50,000 credits, and one more purification stone to release Elowen from mind control, lost my Exo Suit, and gave up Sun Wukong''s Tier-5 bloodline. Hmm¡­ losses are not so bad if I think about it. Furthermore, now I have three more 9-circle realm experts who will do my bidding. Removing the Shang Dynasty from power without a war or massacre will be easier with their assistance."


    The next day morning;


    Silviana Leafwind, a 6-circle realm cultivator of the moon elf race and the sessor of Sylvandria, activated the teleportation formation while Mark and hispanions were saying goodbyes to their acquaintances.


    "Your Majesty, with the guidance of Elders and the citizens on your side, I truly believe you will rebuild this broken world and bring it back to its glory. When you are deeply in trouble, don''t hesitate to use the scroll I gave you. I''ll be here to rescue you," Sylvandria was speaking to Queen Elowen.


    Meanwhile, Mark was conversing with Zan Rong, "Think about it once again."


    Zan Rong shook her head with a simple, "I have decided, Lu Zhen. I will stay behind and help out the Queen in rebuilding this world. Once I make another breakthrough, I will leave in search of Allen."


    "Fine, but don''t forget to meet me," Mark said in a serious tone. "Someone linked this specific teleportation formation to our world. Hence, it shouldn''t be too much trouble for you to return home. When you do, I will give you something helpful to you in survival."


    "I promise," Zan Rong nodded.


    Soon, the teleportation formation waspletely activated and a beam of light was shot up into the sky.


    "It''s time," Sylvandria informed the rest of herpanions and took another look at her sessor and nodded before stepping inside the formation alongside Mark, Steve, and James.


    With a look of disappointment on her face, Elowen stared at Sylvandria''s back as thetter disappeared from sight, "She is the princess from the prophecy. I guess I was nobody after all." She lets out a deep sigh before clenching her fist, "it doesn''t matter. I just have to use this opportunity to create my own destiny."


    Meanwhile, Mark found his surroundings changed to that of grasnd on the top of a hill.


    He was wondering whether he really returned to his world or not, but before asked the system, it confirmed with a series of notifications. The first notification lit up his face but the following ones changed his expressions.


    *Ding! You entered Earth-43


    *Ding! You received a new side quest, Avenge Song Yun


    Quest: Avenge Song Yun


    Description: Song Yun aka The ck Knight ended up sacrificing his life in order to protect Song Yue from assassins with an unknown background. As his future son-inw as well as his current superior, it is the duty of the host to avenge his death.


    Reward: Song Yue''s affinity +2


    ept?


    *Ding! You received an emergency quest, Save Baltrow.

 Chapter 485 Supreme Beings at Lunaris

    Chapter 485 Supreme Beings at Lunaris


    Lunaris City, Western Moon kingdom;


    Afternoon around 3:30;


    At the Royal Pce, the day was going the same way as every other day for Shen Ling.


    Unlike in several empires, the Western Moon kingdom gives more freedom and authority to thedies of the royal and noble families. They could regrly participate in the court affairs, although from curtains behind without showing their faces.


    Shen Ling, who had the ambition to seed her father, was participating in one such discussion.


    It was about the construction of a bridge over Cuilian Jiang (Emerald Ripple River) to connect several river inds with each other and to the capital city. However, it is a task that requires heavy funds.


    A heavy debate ensued in the courtroom because of it.


    Some ministers suggested taxing wealthy individuals; some suggested confiscating their money from the bank; some wanted to raise the taxes of the public; Shen Ling wanted to put something like toll booths at the bridges to tax the citizens a certain amount of money every time they cross it toe to the capital city; As for the king, he was looking at an option of taking a hefty loan from the Eastern Sun kingdom now that they were in an alliance, but was hesitant to voice it out as it will make him appear weak.


    With Mark having been missing for several weeks, he was rather worriedtely. Of course, there''s Zheng that is protecting the borders and there''s 8-circle beast king Manticore protecting the pce, but they weren''t loyal to him and they could flip on them at any moment as there was no official rtionship established between Mark and Shen Ling yet.


    Adding on top of that, not only there is the stability of rule in the Phoenix Empire under Shang Jun''s leadership, but the Leon Empire was also getting closer to the southern Empire through the marriage between Shang Jun and the favorite granddaughter of Leon Empire''s ruler. It was nothing but bad news to him.


    As if that wasn''t enough,tely, seeds of rebellion appeared to have been nted in the kingdom. There have been organized attacks on officials, but nothing serious so far to the extent that it is concerning for the Emperor.


    There were many things going on in Shen Niu''s head and he was rather stressedtely.


    Princess Shen Ling knew what her father going through and she was trying her best to help him, but the ministers were still in favor of Prince Shen Kai, the eight-year-old who is next in line for the throne, now that Shen Niu''s twin brother and the nephew were out of race.


    With no conclusioning out of today''s discussion, the princess took her leave from the court and started returning to her room.


    Shen Ling didn''t show her frustrations and acted normally as she always did.


    With a smile on her face, she greeted the servants with a smile on her face as she walked in the corridors of the inner quarters.


    As usual, she didn''t forget to check up on Song Yue, who was spending all of her days in her room.


    As she opened the door, her eyes fell on the pale-looking woman with her bones were quite visible at several spots. There was a golden kitten sleeping on herp. The kitten opened its eyes to see Shen Ling and closed its eyes once again, resuming its sleep.


    A look of pity appeared on the princess as she greeted her and sat down on a chair, "Sister Yue, today, there was an interesting case appeared in the court. You know Lord Hua Liang, right? It so happened that he and his eldest son Hua Ming fell in love with the same royal Jiuren (a traditional zither performer)." She let out a chuckle.


    However, Song Yue didn''t have any reaction. She was silently looking outside from the window. Sheng Ling continued, "She left the decision to his majesty. Both of them were at the court, arguing with each other to marry her. It became a huge headache for the father and the ministers. They keep on¡­ Hmm?"


    Shen Ling was exining the story with cheerfulness to improve her non-biological sister''s mood, but she suddenly stopped talking as a glowing scroll appeared before her eyes.


    "Thismunication scroll¡­ It is from Sister Xie," She said as she opened the scroll. Song Yue''s expression didn''t change a bit.


    After reading for a few seconds, Shen Ling stood up on her feet, "Excuse me. I''ll be back soon."


    Song Yue didn''t react to her statement once again.


    Shen Ling didn''t mind it and rushed outside before rereading it. She then recorded the message and sent it to the sender.


    After a while, she returned with a genuine smile on her face. "Sister Yue, a royal guest ising. Your presence is also requested. Can you please wear your best clothes and wear them? This is important as we are dealing with more than one Supreme realm expert here."


    Song Yue didn''t turn her head and simply nodded, implying that she understood it.


    "I''ll return after an hour to pick you up," Shen Ling left the room with a bit of excitement on her face. She was no longer acting.


    Once she was gone, Song Yue mumbled weakly, "It is probably great grandfather. What''s the use ofing here to console me now when he did nothing to defend my father?"


    Roughly 90 minutester;


    Looking like a bag of bones, even with her best attire, Song Yue no longer looked more beautiful than Shen Ling as they stood behind King Shen Niu. Xie Mei dominated both of them in beauty, well, ording to the spectators. The servants whispered among themselves about various things, from Song Yue''s appearance to the possible identity of the guests.


    It was then a ck dot appeared in the sky, far away. As seconds passed, it was getting bigger. Within no time, its appearance became clear to the spectators, causing panic among the guards and the servants; of course, the citizens were in a worse condition.


    The giant spider ship with scary-looking long spikes made even Shen Niu let out a gasp but he was clenching his fist and joy was evident on his face. Even Shen Ling and Xie Mei were in the same mood.


    Song Yue, on the other hand, had her sight on the ground. She was already trying her best to stand on her feet.


    As the spider shipnded and four guests exited it, the servants couldn''t help but whisper a bit loudly. "It''s him, isn''t he?" "Lord Lu?" "But, who are the other three?" "Lord Lu has returned!" "I thought he died" "Me too" "Wow, she looks like a goddess" "Who are those kids?"


    "Lord Lu?" Song Yue''s face was raised for the first time since she had been standing there for the past 15 minutes in silence. Her vision looked a bit blurry and she couldn''t see the four figures walking toward the pce.


    She stepped forward, trying to push forward the King standing in front of her. However, her hand was grabbed by Shen Ling. With a firm grip around her arm, the princess whispered, "Not now."


    Song Yue looked at her with tears filled up her eyes, "Please."


    Shen Ling looked at her father, nced at her surroundings, and then at the iing figures. Letting out a sigh, she freed Song Yue''s arm while muttering under her breath, "I shouldn''t have agreed to a formal wee."


    As soon as she was freed, Song Yue used all the strength she had in her legs, momentarily forgetting about etiquette and just pushed away the King''s shoulder and rushed forward.


    Her actions took everyone by surprise, including Mark and the others.


    She started climbing down the stairs with nearly 30 steps to the ground as fast as she could.


    However, just after 8 steps, she lost her footing and started falling.


    "Sister Yue¡­" "Lady Song"


    King Shen and Shen Ling went rmed. The nearest guards moved to save her, but before they reached or before she crashed onto one of the steps, a blurry figure reached there and caught her in his arms.


    Mark had the look of shock on his face as he saw her appearance. He caressed her face in worry as thetter forced out a smile and weakly spoke, "Markie, you returned¡­"


    Once she spoke those words, Song Yue lost her consciousness right away. "Song Yue¡­" Mark raised his words as he shook her face.


    And before others made any move, another figure appeared beside him. It''s Sylvandria.


    Sylvandria took a single look at her andmented, "Her life force looks very weak. Give me a moment."


    Mark didn''t even react to herment and she already conjured a ball of light before inserting it into Song Yue''s abdomen.


    In just an instant, Song Yue''s body was covered by divine energy and color returned to her pale face. Her skeletal body had healthy skin. A miracle happened before everyone''s face before they realized what happened. Mark felt like Song Yue looked as beautiful as she was at her engagement, although her consciousness has yet to return.


    *p* p*


    Shen Ling took action in a calm manner, ordering the servants to bring the litter, a portable bed/couch that is used to transport an unconscious or immobile individual.


    The attendants or the eunuch with ether energy usually carry those things in their storage rings all the time.


    Once Song Yue was carried away and disappeared from his sight, Mark greeted the King formally before introducing his threepanions without forgetting to inform them that they were supreme beings and ask him to look after them very well.


    The piece of new information momentarily stunned the King and the other spectators, making them forget about the earlier embarrassing incident for the royal family caused by Song Yue''s behavior.

 Chapter 486 Shang Wei seeks guidance

    486 Shang Wei seeks guidance


    Sometimeter, in Song Yue''s room;


    Song Yue slowly opened her eyes,ing out of her sleep, and saw Mark sitting on the chair beside her bed.


    "Markie¡­" She abruptly got up as if she found newfound strength in her body.


    Mark, who was taking a light nap while stroking the kitten''s back, opened his eyes right away. "My schatz¡­" He hugged her as she leaned to his chest while tearing up, "I missed you¡­ where were you all this time? You disappeared suddenly without leaving a note or anything. Do you know how worried I was? If not for Anan and Baltrow''s constant reminder, I would have lost my mind. And¡­ and¡­ *sniff* sniff* my father¡­ I¡­ I¡­"


    "Shhh¡­ I know. Calm down¡­" Mark caressed the back of her head while keeping his tone as soft as possible. "I know¡­ I swear to you. Whoever is behind the incident will pay it dearly." After a brief pause, he grabbed her face and looked into her eyes, "I''m sorry for everything. If only I was here, this wouldn''t have happened. And I also wanted to tell you the truth but seeing your hatred for your father, I couldn''t bring myself to speak of it."


    *sniff*


    She wiped her tears as she moved back, speaking in a hoarse tone, "I can understand. But, he is no more, Markie. All because of me¡­ If only that sword pierced my neck and ended my life, he would have been alive¡­ Waah." As she started crying at the top of her lungs once again, Mark took her hands into his and said, "Your father sacrificed his life for you, redeeming himself from every sin he has evermitted in his life. Don''t belittle his sacrifice by saying such things. You cannot me yourself. The best thing you can do for him is to live happily. As for giving him the justice, leave it to me."


    She nodded a few times, letting him wipe out her tears.


    For the next ten minutes, he exined everything that happened from how he identally stranded in the world of elves to his involvement in saving the poption. Of course, he left out several important details like the storyline in the cursed diamond, the real identities of Steve and James, or meeting with immortal level demon Xzar.


    Meanwhile, Shen Ling was busy conversing with Sylvandria and the two teenagers. While the two of them were engaged in conversation, Steve looked quite restless. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Shen Ling spotted his behavior and asked whether he was ufortable or needed something.


    Steve immediately used the excuse of needing fresh air and escaped from the room, leaving James to listen to Shen Ling''s deep exnation about everything that they need to know about the powers in this world.


    After asking around, Steve went to one of the guest rooms where Song Yue and Mark were currently staying.


    By the time he knocked on the door and entered the room after getting permission, Song Yue was already drawn into sleep. He asked, "Is she still unconscious?"


    "No, she woke up and just fell asleep." Mark shook his head, exining to him that she was too tired at the moment.


    "Actually, she is¡­" Steve is about to speak of rtion with Song Yue, but Mark interrupts him before he gets to finish the sentence, "I know. Just act as if you don''t know her. Don''tplicate things for me and stay here while trying your best to not interfere in anything. I''ll start working on your return once I am done with a couple of things that upied my mind at the moment." "Ah, nothing to worry about. You can take your time, Da¡­ Mr. Lu," replied Steve while almost blurting out ''Dad''.


    Mark continued, "Tell the same thing to your brother too. He looks like someone who unnecessarily pokes his finger into someone''s business when he sees something wrong. This isn''t the Ixitus Empire. A wrong step from either of you might inflict damage on my ns here."


    "Leave it to me," Steve assured him that he would take care of James.


    Mark nodded with a smile, "good."


    ***


    Imperial City, Phoenix Empire;


    In the outer sector of the Imperial city, just a few km away from Genesis Weapon Store''s HQ which was currently out of business due to theck of stock, two lengthy and wide asphalt roads were built adjacent to each other with a couple of hundred meters distance between them.


    Thousands of citizens gathered around the perimeter to look at the two majestic aircraft parked at the end of these roads. Since Mark forgot to inform the imperial family of the term airstrip or runway in his manual guide, the new emperor termed it the stairway to the sky.


    Shang Jun, the new Emperor of the south, was standing with Supreme Commander Bai, Northern General Hua, the new prime minister Shang Wei (3rd prince), and a few other important ministers. The once important Patriarchs of major ns were nowhere to be seen for such an event as they lost their power.


    "Your Majesty, it is time," said an old monk named Cao Wen, an Oracle with mysterious origins. No one knows where Shang Jun found him but ever since he came to the Imperial Pce, good things started happening to the Empire. Cao Wen was one of the two prime advisors to the Emperor, the other being Shang Wei. His ability is to look into Shang Jun''s fortune and advise whether it could be good, bad, or either.


    Shang Jun listens to his advice rather well and will only depend on Shang Wei''s judgment when the fortune is said to be neither good nor bad. Because of the current Emperor''s blind trust in Cao Wen, Shang Wei wastely struggling with his current identity. Anyways, back to the present, two soldiers of captain rank with cultivations of 5-circle boarded the two light aircraft (Yak-130). Soon, a signal was given in the form of a firecracker in the sky and both of the vehicles started moving. Their speed started increasing as time passed. Eventually, they sessfully flew into the sky, earning apuse from the spectators.


    "Congrattions, Your Majesty." "Congrattions, Your Majesty. You did what your predecessor couldn''t do it." "We lost 10 soldiers and 6 aircraft, but after seeing the results, I think everyone would agree that it is worth the risk." "Not 6 aircraft Minister Li. Three of them could be repaired as long as we got hold of Lu Zhen." "Yeah, speaking of which, we haven''t heard of himtely. There are rumors that he was assassinated." "That bastard deserves it." "If he dies, then, we would have to depend on the dwarves. So far, there appeared to be no progress from them." "I still don''t understand how a fine noble woman like Lady Song chose him" "I heard that he vited her when he abducted her. As a result, she was forced to be with him"


    The ministers started congratting Shang Jun while slightly criticizing the previous emperor for not pushing the soldiers to finish the training quickly. Some ministers also took this opportunity to nder Mark and Song Yue as the Emperor didn''t stop them from murmuring among themselves.


    Shang Wei felt bad upon listening to thosements but he couldn''t do anything and was forced to stay silent.


    Later on, as the two pilots returned to the ground and even managed to have a perfect touchdown, Emperor Shang Jun ordered the third prince to present the two soldiers with hefty rewards in order to push the other pilots in training to master their aircraft as quickly as possible.


    Once the event was over, Shang Jun and Shang Wei alongside the Supreme Commander made a visit to the newly constructed Firearms division HQ, where the soldiers were doing a training exercise that involved firearms and the battle tanks.


    The three of them returned to the pce. Shang Wei excused himself and left for the section of the imperial pce that was set apart from the active administrative and ceremonial areas of the pce. It usually houses the former Emperor and his wives and concubines.


    Unlike the royal pce in the Western Moon kingdom which is nothing but a huge residence, the imperial pce at Phoenix Empire and other empires won''t be one residence. ording to the sections, there are several residences within thepound and collectively, it is called the pce.


    Hence, one can say the former emperor and his wives were living in a separate residence from the Emperor. The only unfortunate thing is that except for Lan Jingyi, his other two wives refused to move in with him and continued to stay in the Inner Quarters reserved for thedies of the imperial family as they continued to run politics from behind the scenes.


    Shang Wei visited his parents and then sat alone with his father in a private chamber upon his request.


    Taking a sip of wine, Shang Fu asked, "Xiao Wei, tell me, what''s troubling youtely?"


    Letting out a deep sigh, Shang Wei answered, "I don''t know, father. So much has happenedtely. First, you stepped down from the throne. Brother Wen left for high realms for training. Xiao Jiao was also on the same route. Brother Zexi is hiding. Ever since Brother Bo''s organization was acknowledged by his majesty, he was engrossed in his work and I have only seen him once. Lately, His Majesty has been depending too much on Cao Wen, and he was also working hard enough to lessen my tasks to a lot of extent. I just no longer feel the same as when I took up this job even though not much time has passed. I feel so lost without any vision of the future."


    "Hmm¡­" Shang Fu took his son''s words seriously and thought for a bit before he replied, "I have a suggestion for you. Why don''t you marry a girl you like and start a family of your own?"


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 487 At the Dragon Empire

    487 At the Dragon Empire


    After a while;


    Shang Wei bowed to Shang Fu and Lan Jingyi, bidding them goodbye, "We will meet again, Father, Mother."


    As he turned around to walk away, Lan Jingyi spoke as she looked at her son''s back, "Your Majesty, why didn''t you ask him to pursue the power? You always wanted him to seed you." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "It''s the choice he made," Shang Fu shook his head with a sigh, "During the final round of the trial, he was the one who gave up and let Shang Jun ascend the throne so that there would be stability in the empire. His choice also turned out to be right. How could I ask him to choose the path of betrayal, just because he was frustrated with his job?"


    "The one with power and the support of the people has the right to seize the throne, Your Majesty,"mented his wife. As he looked at her with a bit of surprise, she further said, "There is stability in the empire but I don''t think the people love Shang Jun as much as they do Xiao Wei or you when you ruled thend. They were merely afraid of him due to his harsh punishments and he ruthlessly crushed the rebellions without trying to negotiate, or so the maids say."


    "But, that kind of Emperor is what thisnd needs. A softie like me who would put the lives of soldiers and my people above the reputation of the Empire won''t be able to live up to our ancestors, Dear," Shang Fu expressed his support for his sessor, earning a frown from his wife instead.


    She wanted to argue with him, thought of revealing to him how he was duped by Mark but didn''t do so for the sake of keeping her son''s secret.


    In the end, she could only forcefully let out a smile and grabbed his arm, "Whether you are a good ruler or not, let the people decide it for themselves after they experience the ruling of your sessor." After a brief pause, she said, "By the way, I forgot to mention. Xiao Jiao appears to be at the doorstep of her breakthrough to the 8-circle realm. She might return sooner than we expect."


    "Eh? 8-circle realm? Already?" The former Emperor was stunned by the news. "But, she just entered 7-circle just a few weeks ago." His mind couldn''tprehend the fact that his 15-year-old daughter was going to achieve cultivation that takes decades for genius cultivators.


    Lan Jingyi couldn''t help but let out a chuckle as she saw her husband''s expression, "Your Majesty, our daughter is the daughter of heaven. She isn''t someone you canpare with mortals. All she required is a worthy guide and she met one now."


    A few weeks ago, Lan Jingyi found Shang Jiao training with the guardian beasts but she didn''t meet her in order to not disturb her training and of course to protect her own secret. Then, she returned to the pce, telling her husband that their daughter found a master and started her training. Giving him an excuse that this mysterious expert doesn''t want anyone else to be involved, she put away Shang Fu''s worries. As for how she got in contact with the fifth princess, Lan Jingyi simply lied that she had done it with the help of Lan Jing, her paternal uncle who was currently serving the Ouyang Dynasty in the Eastern Sun Kingdom.


    Back to the present, both of them discussed various things about the princes, including the possible whereabouts of the missing eldest prince as the arrest warrant was issued on him regarding several charges that have witnesses. While Shang Fu was under the impression that the Yuan n was backing him because of the former Empress, Lan Jingyi believed that sects or secret organizations might have been involved.


    Then, they discussed the marriage of Shang Wei. There are many prospective brides avable for him and it is difficult to choose one as political marriages often involveplex situations. During the talk about the princes, Lan Jingyi felt the urge to see her son, but since she couldn''t say that, she brought up the topic of the rumors about Song Yun''s death. She wondered out loud whether they could visit the neighboring kingdom to visit Song Yue and console her.


    Shang Fu felt weird when he heard that they should go and meet Song Yun''s wife who was living with her maternal family. Why would they travel hundreds of kilometers to meet with the girl who abandoned her homnd? Not to mention, he was the prime reason Song Yun was forced to run away and live in disguise. Well, atleast that was what he believed, and hence, her suggestion didn''t make sense to him.


    But then, as Lan Jingyi told him how she was bored by staying between four walls all day and wished to go on a vacation outside of their empire, the former Emperor thought for a bit and agreed to stop at Lunaris city for a day before they resume their journey to the Dragon Empire.


    Two dayster, both of them boarded Amara, the giant flying stingray with a four-room house somehow built on top of its body with its foundations prating the beast''s skin and attached to its nerves.


    However, they weren''t alone. Song Tai and Chen Xiao (Song Yue''s mother) were also tagging along with them; the former tagged out of concern for Shang Fu''s safety as no soldiers wereing along, and thetter was offered a ride so that she could meet her daughter and also confirm the rumor of Song Yun''s death.


    Little did they expect that by the time they arrived at Lunaris City after a day of traveling, Mark and others would already leave for the Dragon Empire.


    As Song Yue also tagged along with Mark, the three of them could only briefly meet up with the King before they resumed their journey the next day while leaving Chen Xiao as a guest at the pce. Nevertheless, Lan Jingyi was happy to find out that her son was doing fine and well. She was rather proud of the timing of her wish. Perhaps, the entire universe is helping her to reunite with her son?It''s what she felt after hearing that Lu Zhen returned just a few days ago after going missing for more than a month.


    Originally, they were scheduled to move at ater date, but after hearing the news about the letter sent to King Shen Niu, Mark changed his ns using an excuse so that he wouldn''t meet them.


    As a result, before the giant flying stingraynded at Lunaris, Mark and the others boarded the spider-ship (transformation of the divine throne) and flew toward the other side of the world at hypersonic speeds as if he were in a hurry to reach the destination.


    Despite such speed, there was no sort of sonic boom. It traveled as silent as a ray of light, slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter.


    Within 4 hours, they had already reached the shores of the Dragon Continent just as Mark informed them before they boarded the vehicle. From there, it took another 25 minutes to reach their destination.


    Intending to grab the attention of potential customers as well as unknown enemies, he reduced the spider-ship''s altitude to as low as 200 ft from the ground once the Imperial city of Dragon appeared in his sight. Mark also reduced its speed to that of ordinary flying beasts.


    Just as he expected, it alerted every passerby on the way. Most of themoners living in the outer sector of the city panicked and some couldn''t help but run for their lives.


    It goes without saying that the news of an unidentified flying object reached the imperial pce.


    The spider-shipnded in the front yard of the most luxurious hotel in the city best known for selling the Elixir of Eldervine, an expensive wine costing 11,000 gold coins per 80 ml cup.


    As Mark and hispanions stepped out of the vehicle, they were greeted by one of the employees, who offered to escort them to the reception area. However, Mark refused it and asked to bring the hotel manager to them.


    Sylvandria and others looked at Mark, wondering what he was trying to do. But, after witnessing his actions back in her world, the former high priestess felt that her soon-to-be husband had something in his mind.


    Her suspicions became evident when the employee politely said that the hotel manager was busy conversing with an esteemed guest at the moment and wouldn''t be able to meet him. He apologized for the inconvenience while ncing at the manticore standing with the guests.


    In response, Mark took a nce to the side and asked Sylvandria, James, and Steve to release their auras, but just mild enough. It was so that the other twodies remained unaffected.


    Just as he wanted, the hotel manager quickly rushed out of the hotel without letting Mark and the others wait for even a minute. The job was done and Mark was satisfied, thinking that this incident would now create a rumor with the help of the employees or the other guests at the hotel.


    What he had not taken into ount is the fact that the aura release of three supreme beings not only alerted the hotel manager and the guests but every true expert currently living in the city, including the ones at the imperial pce. Usually, it should be a good thing and make his ns be easier, but the timing was so early that it had the opposite effect.

 Chapter 488 The acting monarch of the mighty Dragon Empire

    488 The acting monarch of the mighty Dragon Empire


    Imperial Pce, Dragon Empire;


    In the royal meeting chamber of the pce where important meetings between the Emperor and his guests take ce, Second Prince, Tang Yifan was in the middle of conversing with a couple of elders of Void Temple.


    With the Emperor falling sick, Tang Yifan was unanimously appointed as the acting monarch of the empire despite the fact that there were 6 other imperial princes, a crown prince, and three Grand Princes (male siblings of the Emperor), who were all eligible to sit on the throne.


    The reason was the fact that Tang Yifan was the only prince who managed to unlock the Fire dragon bloodline and awaken his Red dragon form, just like his grandfather and forefathers. There was no question ofpetition in the first ce.


    Ever since he had taken up the duties of the acting monarch a couple of months ago, he knew that the uing event was going to be his first big event that he had to manage.


    He needs to care about the amodation of special guests, prepare proposals for the envoys, use this opportunity to bring investment from wealthy organizations from other empires, tighten security, etc¡­


    There''s a lot to do and he was working nonstop to prove his worth so that no one would point a finger at his rule.


    After having a series of meetings with ministers, rereading the orders and stamping them to send them to the governors and the generals, he could only eat lunch in peace for one hour before the Void Temple''s representatives visited the pce to talk about the uing auction.


    The Empire has so many treasures and the Void Temple wants Tang Yifan to auction one of their prized artifacts, trying their luck with him as thest time a prized treasure came into the auction was about 11 years ago. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The prized treasure often refers to a Divine grade item. The Dragon Empire might not have high-quality ones like the Divine Throne, but they still hold a significant number of Earth-grade items (low-quality Divine/Mythril grade).


    Tang Yifan was in a bit of a dilemma, wondering whether he should take the decision or consult his sick father as the prime minister was in favor of putting up the Crown of Talim in the auction.


    He was busy exploring the options, but the urgent news of the appearance of three supreme beings disturbed his meeting. As soon as he heard that they came along with Princess Shen Ling, he sent away the elders of Void temple and summoned the newly appointed suprememander and the prime minister in the name of emergency.


    22:00


    As the 9-circle realm expert arrived, Tang Yifan reminded him of the recently concluded investigation of the deaths of his ancestor, one of their two suprememanders, and the rest of the men at Phoenix Empire.


    The Supreme Commander that watches over the eastern region of the continent, Qiu Junwei was quite rmed when he heard that their supposed criminal arrived at their doorstep with three Supreme Beings along.


    Obviously, he thought that Mark came either with bad intentions or to mock them.


    "What do you wish to do, Your Highness?" asked Qiu Junwei with his face full of seriousness.


    Tang Yifan didn''t give his answer and merely turned his head to the side, looking at the prime minister.


    Prime Minister Xian thought for a bit and said, "Your Highness, if you ask me, then, it is not wise to take any kind of action against him."


    Tang Yifan furrowed his brows in displeasure, "You want to say that we should wee the scoundrel that killed the royal ancestor with all smiles? Do you think we cannot capture him? Even if he has thirty Supreme Beings on his side, we can still capture him with our Imperial treasure." It is another thing if just the Supreme Commander died under Mark''s hands, but one of the victims was a former emperor and his direct ancestor. In his opinion, everyone wouldugh at the Emperor if he didn''t take appropriate actions. Tang Yifan was hell-bent on punishing Mark, not knowing that thetter wasn''t the real killer.


    As the Prime Minister advised him not to confront the enemy without gauging his full strength, Tang Yifan ordered Qiu Junwei, "Supreme Commander Qiu, I want you to meet the Imperial Sovereign in person and ry this news."


    "Imperial Sovereign? But, he is in close-door cultivation," Qiu Junwei was taken aback by the order.


    In response, Tang Yifan lost hisposure and mmed the table between them in anger, "I don''t care. This involves our prestige. *Ahem* Sorry about that." Correcting his tone, he added, "Please do anything you can to aplish this task."


    As the Dragon Empire was a lot bigger than other Empires, its military hierarchy was slightly different from the rest.


    Usually, the ranks go like Soldier, Lieutenant, Captain, Royal Knight, Lt. General, General, and Supreme Commander.


    However, for the Dragon Empire, more ranks are included. It goes like Soldier, Elite soldier, Squad leader, Lieutenant, Captain, Imperial Knight, Lt. General, General, Lt. Commander, Commander, Supreme Commander, and finally, the Imperial Sovereign.


    The Imperial Sovereign is the head of the military and is often considered the symbol of power for the Empire with the Emperor being the symbol of the authority.


    Tang Yifan had confidence in this powerful Supreme Being who never lost a battle, but the Prime Minister had a different opinion. He couldn''t help but interrupt the second prince, reminding him that they hadn''t even confirmed that the young man who came along with the princess was the one they were looking for and neither there has been any formal rtionship formed between the Western Moon kingdom''s royal family and Lu Zhen. Any attack on Shen Ling or her men might prove costly.


    Adding on top of that, they also have to take the safety of other people into consideration. If they weren''t careful on this matter, the very prestige Tang Yifan trying to protect could get hurt. The Prime Minister made him understand that if the result came unfavorable, he would likely be held responsible as he was merely an acting monarch, not the Emperor.


    The Prime Minister''s words brought a little bit of uncertainty in Tang Yifan''s heart, but instead of getting tensed and taking back his words, his eyes gleamed brightly as he imed that he thought of a solution to that problem too.


    Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Mark was having a cup of tea with another guest at the hotel who also came too early for the event. James and Steve were having tea but merely staying as spectators as their dad was conversing with the stranger.


    Fun fact, not only Qing Jie is a weapon seller but he is also an imperial prince of the Xieze Empire of the ck Turtle continent, except that he is a traditional weapon seller and histe mother is amoner. Qing Jie left the pce at the age of 19 due to bullying from his half-siblings and chose to settle down in his mother''s hometown, taking over his maternal family''s weaponry forge. He then had a protagonist moment of coincidentally encountering a heavily injured grandmaster cksmith with mysterious origins and bing his disciple.


    Currently, this 52-year-old is a 6-circle realm expert who runs a weapon store, selling everything thates out of his weaponry forge.


    While Mark was quite surprised to hear about a human-operated weaponry forge that managed to create semi-divine weapons, he wasn''t actually interested in such old-fashioned weapons.


    The reason he bothered to ept the invitation is the fact that Qing Jie has been selling his items in the world auction for the past 20 years and could gauge the item value by looking at it and hearing the details as long as they were true.


    Hence, he intended to take out the treasures he looted from the Wuji sect and see if they could be sold at a higher price than what the system offered him.


    But, as he could not directlye to the matter right away, he engaged in conversation, asking about him first and then exining his background that was known to the general public.


    After a while;


    "So, this is thest piece of the set, huh," mumbled Mark as he stared at the gold ring on the table. "I heard that it was lost but didn''t expect it would be with you, Mr. Qing."


    Qing Jie let out a pleasant smile as he asked, "Are you interested, Mr. Lu?"


    "Hmm?" As Mark raised his eyes and looked at him, thetter said, "I can give it to you for free as long as you can convince everyone that I have the backing of the supreme beings."

 Chapter 489 The Grand Auction (part-1)

    489 The Grand Auction (part-1)


    A few hourster;


    Leaving the rest of them at the hotel, Mark and his two sons left for the Auction House. Qing Jie tagged along with them as they traveled in LMV, instead of taking a traditional horse carriage.


    Mark wanted attention from everyone. He wanted rumors to spread like wildfire. While his name wasn''t spread around, LMV''s unique appearance indeed did the job for him.


    After an hour of travel, they reached a coliseum-type structure and stepped out when stopped by the guards at one of the entrances that led to the VIP area.


    The guards didn''t recognize Mark or Qing Jie but thetter''s special invitation badge helped them to get through it without any issues.


    From there, they walked on foot, although purposely done to showcase the two teenage supreme beings walking behind Mark like subordinates.


    It wasn''t clear because of the supreme beings or Qing Jie; Mark and others were personally received by the Auction House Master.


    After a brief introduction, Qing Jie left Mark and the other two with the head of the building and left for the Appraisal chamber in a hurry.


    Named Wang Rui, the 8-circle-realm mage took Mark on a tour.


    The tour onlysted for 15 minutes or so, as there was nothing special to see anyway.


    However, they didn''t return to the VIP lounge. Instead, they went to the field that is usually used for battles, during most of the days.


    The Auction House of Dragon Empire conducts Auctions regrly on the first Sunday of every month. It was done by local authorities. The chance of a treasure appearing here is close to nil.


    Then, there will be an annual auction at the end of each year, conducted by Void Temple. Here, there will be a significant chance of a treasure to appear.


    But, the one Mark arrived coincidentally happened to be a grand world auction that only urs randomly, depending upon the items gathered by the temple. As for this type of auction, there is no question of doubt. The chance will be 100%.


    As Mark heard it from Qing Jie, he decided to bank on this opportunity to introduce sophisticated firearms to the world which could bepared with artifacts and treasures.


    That is why he offered to showcase something to the Auction House Master and asked for arge space.


    The Auction House Master wasn''t sure what Mark wanted to show him, instead of their Master Appraiser, but due to the appearance of supreme beings, he couldn''t help but be curious.


    What could it be that he needed so much space for? Any demonstration of a spell or a skill from a spell/skill book? Divine weapon? Or any potion/pill?


    There is a lot to think about.


    Little did he expect Mark to pull out something that indeed took him by surprise. The following demonstration made an even greater impact on his mind that he almost begged Mark to sell it to the Void Temple.


    Obviously, Mark isn''t interested in just money. He rejected even an exorbitant offer of 100 million gold coins without any hesitation. In the meantime, some people who coincidentally witnessed the demonstration passed the information to their colleagues/friends/bosses, etc...


    After a while, Mark and Wang Rui returned to the VIP lounge, where Qing Jie was waiting for them.


    The prince-turned-weapon-seller let out a gasp of surprise when he saw them. He couldn''t help but ask, "Brother Wang, what happened to you? You looked like a beggar." The Auction house master''s clothes appeared ruined and dust smeared all over his body. Yet, he didn''t care about his image and only ced his focus on showing hospitality to Mark. It was only when Qing Jie pointed it out that he realized why the staff members on the way were whispering among themselves in surprise. He thought it was because of supreme beings.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ it''s nothing, Brother Qing. Please excuse me for a second¡­" He bowed to Mark and his sons from the future before leaving in a hurry.


    Qing Jie looked at Mark in curiosity, "Did something happen, Mr. Lu?"


    Mark shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing. Just a result of a challenge."


    Qing Jie misunderstood that the Auction house Master probably challenged Mark or one of the supreme beings and lost badly. His curiosity about Mark''s backing increased further when thetter took out a bunch of semi-divine weapons to put up in the auction. He ims to be amoner, who owns a weapon store, but he has a princess of a kingdom as fianc¨¦e, two supreme beings as underlings, and an elven Supreme Being as an ally, and uses a divine-grade item as a transportation vehicle.


    Surely, this new acquaintance of his must have a hidden identity. Maybe, he is from a higher ne of existence, or so thought Qing Jie as he apanied Mark back to the hotel.


    A few days passed away in the blink of an eye.


    During this period, Mark just spent on touring the imperial city, which was far bigger than any city he had visited in his current life. It was also so developed that even nine days weren''t enough to cover the major tourist attractions. Not that he was greatly impressed, but since Song Yue cheered up, he was happy.


    In the meantime, he surprisingly became lucky in the lottery wheel and won a superior-grade upgrade crystal from the mystery box.


    However, since Alina is currently in the body of Robotic Cerberus and Allen is in the hibernation stage to be a human, Mark has to hold his temptation to use it on Android Ark. There should always be a powerful active Android for security purposes, right?


    On the morning of the third week of the ninth month, the entire coliseum was jam-packed with more than a hundred thousand spectators, all just to watch the battle between wealthy powers in the grand auction.


    Unlike in usual auctions, here, there are no anonymities for the bidders. The option is only avable for the sellers who wish to do it.


    Void Temple believes that the one who won the item in the auction should also have the power to protect their treasure. Even the royal families from various empires aren''t exempted from this.


    It is a twisted sense of logic, but it is what it is. If one has a problem, then, they don''t have toe. Void Temple would tell the same to everyone who objects to it.


    Then, why would one even want toe when there is such a heavy risk of death? Well, the first reason is probably because of the fact that the Dragon Empire''s imperial family guarantees safety as long as the participant stays in the Imperial City.


    As for the second reason, it is the challenge round that offers lucrative rewards for the warriors. This is what that brings the citizens to the coliseum and be spectators.


    Mark and his group made their way to room no. 8, parting ways with Qing Jie as thetter gave an excuse that there were unmarrieddies in the group and it was not appropriate for him to sit with them.


    Mark knew the cultural difference between this world and his previous world. Even if Qing Jie isfortable, Song Yue and Shen Ling might be ufortable. So, he didn''t try to convince him out of it, despite the fact that he intends to discuss a partnership with Qing Jie.


    Since there is no anonymity in the bidding process, he decided to showcase his wealth to create a nice impression, and of course, to tempt prospective buyers.


    But, before that, he made sure not to get any attraction by asking Sylvandria and the two kids from the future to mask their auras. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Meanwhile, the other royal princes and various envoys also arrived and upied their allotted chambers, which were more like small rooms with an exclusive tiny balcony.


    Arge b of concrete covering a wide area abruptly erupted from the ground, resulting in cheers from the audience that settled in. Along with therge podium, the Auction House Master apanied ady whose attire resembled that of a shaman and also rose with it, making some experts wonder what kind of technique they used.


    "Wee to the Grand Auction. I''m your host, Wang Zhongwei, and this is Elder Xin Rui of Void Temple, the overseer of the auction."


    The legendary realm expert raised her eyes a little and scanned the bidding rooms. Upon finding the sixth imperial prince of the Dragon Empire representing the imperial family, she clenched her fist for a moment and released it immediately before averting her gaze back to the audience.


    She then opened her mouth, "Before Mr. Wang proceed with the rules and regtions, let me remind everyone that those who won''t adhere to the rules shall be expelled after one warning and those who cause trouble using violence shall meet with death no matter who it is. So, I ask everyone to cooperate and let us have a smooth auction."


    As her words echoed throughout the coliseum, a moment of silence descended among the spectators.

 Chapter 490 The Grand Auction (part-2)

    490 The Grand Auction (part-2)


    The Auction is divided into three stages.


    First stage: Regr Auction


    The auction starts with disying items of tinum grade. Everyone should bid for the items and win them; very simple.


    However, the key here is the fact that every time, exactly 250 items are disyed for the auction.


    Hence, one should really focus on money management. As a matter of fact, every time, more than half of them end up being taken away.


    Then, it goes into the second stage: Challenge. This is a stage where experts will get an opportunity to disy their skills and win rewards.


    The second stage of this auction has ten challenge rounds, with each round offering a different type of reward.


    The bidders simply have to bid for the challenge and send out their fighters to win against the opponent. The final stage: Royal Auction


    This one is also simr to the first stage, but the items disyed will be at least in semi-divine grade. And unlike in the first stage, there is no fixed number. It could be anywhere from a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 25. However, there is a guarantee of atleast three divine grade items.


    Coming to the rules of the auction, it is as follows.


    1) All bids and transactions will be conducted in gold coins.


    2) If there is an insufficient number of gold coins, then, the winner could also make the transaction with high-quality ether crystals. The exchange rate is 500 gold coins per 1 gm (5 carat). Any crystal below 1 gm is not valid for the transaction.


    3) The guests could also use items of tinum and above grade if there is an insufficient number of gold coins. However, their mary value remains fixed regardless of their capabilities. The Exchange rate is:


    tinum grade: 100,000 gold coins. Semi-divine: 1,000,000 gold coins. Divine items:


    Earth grade: 10,000,000 gold coins


    Heaven grade: 100,000,000 gold coins


    Void grade: 5 billion


    4) After winning the bid, if the payment cannot be made within 5 minutes, the participant will receive a warning, and the bidding will continue. Those who receive two such warnings will no longer be allowed to participate in the auction. After a sessful bid turns out to be a failure, if no bidders show interest further, then, the second highest bidder will automatically be the winner. If the second highest bidder also refuses to pay it, then, the item will be taken off from the auction.


    5) There''s a buyout price for every auctioned item, below divine items. It is 100 times whatever the listed price is. As long as the leading bid price doesn''t exceed 20 times the listed price, any participant could call for the buyout and acquire the item directly.


    6) All bidders are given a special bidding paddle with their room number engraved on them. One just needed to pour their ether energy into it and the engraved number will glow for three seconds. However, as all paddles are connected to each other, only one will glow at one time. This will show the spectators as well as the auctioneers who the leading bidder is.


    7) The auctioneer has the right to withdraw any item from the auction at any moment as long as the leading bid price doesn''t exceed 2 times its listed price.


    8) The highest bidder will be dered the winner as long as no other bid happens during the next 60 seconds.


    9) Last but not least, the one who won the item could either send one to the auction tform to pay money directly to the Auctioneer and collect it right away or pay it to the attendant and collect it after the auction has ended.


    "A kind reminder for the spectators who are not part of the auction, please maintain silence while the auction rounds are going on.


    Now that the rules are being made clear, without any further ado, let us proceed with the first stage of the auction." As Wang Zhongwei finished with the rules, Xin Rui poured her ether energy into the storage ring on her index finger and took out a statue of a 5ft tall and 9ft long dragon, cing it on the floor.


    "The Statue of Dragon Deity, Agaros," Xin Rui took control of the auction as she introduced the item. "Made by the grandmaster craftsman Zhi Haoran, this tinum-grade item will grant an aura in ten meters of surroundings which will make you an ally of any beast of dragon species as long as they are king and below grade. As long as this statue stays in your vicinity, your chances of forming a contract with a dragon will also rise significantly. The listed price of this item is 100,000 gold coins. The bidding raise will be 1000 gold coins. Any bidders?"


    Even when she wasn''t giving any warnings and was merely introducing the items, her voice sounded so cold that it sent shivers down the spine for atleast 80% of the spectators.


    For a moment, Mark felt as if the entire coliseum turned gloomy for a moment. He couldn''t help but narrow his eyes, activating his Eyes of God and inspecting the product.


    While the details are exactly how Xin Rui has described, Mark''s attention was piqued by the person itself when he casually scanned her identity too.


    Xin Rui


    Age: 36


    Species: Human/Dragon


    Rank: 8-circle (elementary stage)


    Attribute: Fire, Ice


    Bloodline: Red Dragon


    Spirit Path: Swordsman


    Description: Xin Rui is the daughter of Lan Haoyu and the Dragon Empire''s princess, Tang Yejin. After her parents were publicly executed by the imperial court on the grounds of a forbidden rtionship between an imperial princess and the imperial preceptor (her teacher), the Void Temple took her in.


    Note: She practices Void Temple''s Art of Subus and mastered it. Under certain conditions, she could entirely steal her partner''s life force as well as ether particles and make it her own.


    **


    "I guess I need to meet thisdy after all," Mark muttered under his breath as he let out a smile.


    "Hmm?" Everyone in the room abruptly turned their heads toward Mark.


    "Seriously?" Sylvandria scoffed at him, looking at him in a bit of disgust. She was the first to react by scolding him right away without having any reservations, "You have three women waiting for the marriage. You are eyeing another one, already? Aren''t you getting too lustful?"


    "Woah, she''s bold," thought Steve and James at the same time. They remembered how respectful she was with their father back in the Elven world. Even until a while ago, she was quite obedient. Why did her character suddenly change?


    The teenage supreme beings from the future couldn''t help but wonder.


    As for the twodies, they thought that she could be acting this way because of the long age gap and her peak-9-circle realm cultivation. Little did they know that she was referring to the third woman to herself, not Xie Mei.


    Only Mark understood what she truly meant and why she was acting this way. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Since she is basically his fianc¨¦e, albeit a secret one, she still has the right to speak to him in such a way and he cannot dismiss her like some kind of patriarchal husband. Not to mention, they spent so many days as a husband and wife in the illusionary realm and those memories never disappeared from either of their minds.


    Hence, he kept his calm and gave rification, not only for her but also for the other two, "I''m not interested in her that way, Ms. Silverleaf. She appears to have some rtion with a former member of Lan Sect, I suspect. We''ll get to know the details when we meet."


    "Lan Sect?" Sylvandria wanted to ask what Mark had anything to do with this sect, but she kept her thoughts to herself for the moment and decided to ask himter on.


    Meanwhile, a bidding war was started between the guests.


    Even though the bidding raise was just 1000 gold coins for every bid, the highest running bid touched 1 million within a few minutes.


    From there, the bidding raise was increased from 1000 to 10K per bid. Even then, the wealthy VIPs didn''t stop. It wasn''t until the leading bid price touched 2.8 million gold coins did the first bidding war slowed down and the bidders started to give up one after another. Mark never showed his interest in participating in the bid and Princess Shen Ling couldn''t do it because of the intense bidding war. A tinum-grade item isn''t worth of such value, or so she thought.


    By the time it touched 4.1 million, only two remained. One is Rong Huang, the Lord of Reignar, thergest vassal state of the Dragon Empire, and the other is Tang Xin, a distant rtive of the ruling dynasty but with the same surname and the leader of a mercenary group named Origin.


    People thought that they would get to the next item, but didn''t expect the war to get more intense between the two parties.

 Chapter 491 The Grand Auction (part-3)

    Chapter 491 The Grand Auction (part-3)


    "110 thousand" "4120 thousand" "4130" "4140" "4150" "4160" "4170" "4180"


    "4650" "4660" "4670" "4680"¡­ "4880" "4890"


    The Auction House Master was filled with excitement as neither party seemed to be going down. An item that was listed at 100 thousand gold coins is now bid at 5 million. Who could have expected such a thing?


    Seeing such an absurd thing, Mark couldn''t help but feel regret for not putting up the semi-divine weapons in his inventory for the auction.


    He kept those items to himself for the purpose of trading them to the system whenever he would be in need of money. The system pays him more moneypared to the fixed prices put up by the Void Temple.


    But, what is the use of regretting right now? The deadline is already over and there is nothing he can do unless he resorts to threats of pulling out the lone item he put for the auction if they don''t overlook the rules and list the items sitting in his inventory.


    But, that''s not good for business either.


    Hence, he could only swallow his frustration and watch the bidding war between Rong Huang and Tang Xin.


    "5170" Tang Xin''s bidding paddle lit up once again. But, this time, he opened his mouth, "Lord Rong, there are still 249 items to go. Why don''t you let this go? It''s pretty much important for me."


    Everyone looked at the charismatic young man in his early thirties. More than a mercenary group leader, he had the bearing of a schr. Even his attire resembles one, giving the impression of a tiger in the skin of a docile sheep.


    "Hmpf, dream on," Rong Huang scoffed in response to the request as his lips curled up. "Do you think I''m not aware why you want it? You don''t want it for taming purposes or anything. You merely want to destroy it and absorb its core, thereby awaken the Dragon bloodline."


    He then let out a snicker, "Too bad that you have already missed your chance of the buyout."


    "You¡­" Tang Xin got up from his seat as he tightly clenched the paddle. "Only those of Dragon descent can awaken the bloodline."


    "Well, I can still gift it to someone who needs it though," Rong Huang shrugged his shoulders as he crossed his legs. He raised the bid once again and added ament, "I don''tck the money."


    At once, the entire coliseum shook by surprise. Even Xin Rui and the Auction House Master were taken aback for a moment.


    While several VIP guests started discussing with their respective acquaintances, Mark on the other hand had a look of disgust appear on his face as he mumbled, "These fellows are terrible actors."


    "Hmm?" Sylvandria''s pointy ears perked up as she heard him clearly. She looked at Mark and asked, "What do you mean? They are acting?"


    Mark answered, "The statue doesn''t have such capability. It is likely they were acting to bait someone."


    "Hmm¡­ Quite possible," Shen Ling also nodded in agreement. After a quick analysis, she said, "Due to the intense bidding war, they might have realized that they went too far and probably put up an act in order to drag someone in the bid and give up. After all, who would reveal such a hidden ability openly? The Void Temple''s representative didn''t even speak of it. There are a lot of nobles and wealthy individuals here. There must be a couple of people who would definitely fall for it."


    "Maybe, they were speaking the truth and were frustrated that the bid is getting out of their hands?" Song Yue also threw in her opinion, but Mark immediately refuted the suspicion, "No. I''m sure that the statue doesn''t have such capability. It is not easy to deceive my eyes." His tone was very confident.


    In reality, he was confident that the system''s given Eyes of God ability could uncover any secret.


    Perhaps, it is because of their collective effort, or due to his 7 points of luck. Someone who looked like a teenager bit the bait right away.


    Ever since that memory loss fiasco urred in the Elven world, the descriptions of the inspected item/person have be more detailed.


    He was sure that they were trying to bait someone by letting out false pieces of information and he was also looking for the idiot who would fall for it.


    Perhaps, it is because of their collective effort, or due to his 7 points of luck. Someone who looked like a teenager bit the bait right away.


    "5200" The 17-year-old in luxury attire and two Exalt realm experts (7-circle) as guards on the side announced the bid, attracting the people''s attention.


    *tap*


    Shen Ling pped her own forehead and shook her head with ament, "The fool has fallen for it. But then again, it is expected."


    "Do you know him?" Song Yue asked in curiosity.


    Shen Ling nodded while letting out a sigh, "Yeah. Yu Tiajin, the second son of the wealthiest merchant of the Leon Empire. I was ssmates with his older brother. Senior Brother Yu once said that his younger brother has excellent memorization butcks wisdom. Because of his risk-taking personality regarding bets, I heard that his family lost tens of millions of gold coins."


    "Yet, they sent him for this auction?" Mark wanted to inspect his details too, but due to the absence of line of sight, he couldn''t do it.


    Shen Ling answered his question with a shrug of shoulders, "It is probably because he was born with the blessings of Heaven. The Goddess of Luck favored him many times."


    "What do you mean?" Mark became curious.


    Shen Ling exined, "I still remember thest year''s auction. It was only an annual world auction and he purchased a mystery box for a buyout purchase of 6.5 million gold coins. Everyone took him for a fool on spending such money for a random item ranging from silver grade item to tinum grade. However, it ended up being an Earth-grade item. Even Void Temple didn''t expect it."


    "I see¡­" Mark shifted his attention back to the podium calmly as if he wasn''t interested.


    The mystery boxes have sealing techniques inscribed on them and weren''t usually appraised by the Auction House. Even a trap could be possible. It just means that he is either incredibly lucky or already knew what was in the box, beforehand.


    Since he doesn''t know about him, Mark decides not to have any opinions for the moment until he inspects his soul and sees the details.


    The auction continued at the same aggressive pace, making them look like madmen and almost confusing Shen Ling with her earlier analysis. Mark, on the other, was confident and watched calmly in silence.


    "5210" "5220" "5230" ¡­ "5300"


    "5510" "5520" ¡­ "5600" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "5910" "5920" ¡­ "5980"


    "5990" called out Yu Tiajin.


    Usually, it was supposed to be Rong Huang''s turn to bid for the higher amount, but he put away the paddle instead without any expression.


    The spectators shifted their attention toward Tang Xin, who seemed like he was discussing something with his teammate. Because the object is stated to be important to him, everyone thought that he was seriously considering the matter.


    The time passed but they seemed like they were talking.


    Once the 55-second mark crossed, Xin Rui''s voice, which was amplified by a sound skill, was heard all over the coliseum, "5 seconds left. Any bidders?"


    Tang Xin abruptly stopped his discussion with his aide and shook his head while putting down the paddle, indicating that he had given up.


    "5,990,000; once, twice, sold. Congrattions, Mr. Yu Tiajin, on winning the Statue of Dragon Deity, Agaros."


    The statue disappeared back into her storage ring while the attendant went to the VIP Box to get the money.


    Five minutester, the attendant returned to Xin Rui and she checked the contents of the ring with a special monocle, a semi-divine treasure.


    "Hmm, there are 1000 coins more, but that''s not my problem regardless," mumbled Xin Rui before putting away the storage ring full of gold coins in her storage ring.


    She then took out the second item of the auction without wasting any time as one whole hour passed just for the first one, and there were 499 to go.


    While she was still happy on behalf of the Void Temple that they struck it rich, a lot of time has been lost due to that. This was the first she was doing her job as the representative of the Void Temple and she doesn''t want to mess it up.


    As a result, she acted quickly and changed the bidding raise instead.


    "The Sword of Tr, crafted by the Master cksmith Tr using the powder of bone marrow of a Greyhound King as the key ingredient. The listed price is 100,000 gold coins and the bidding raise is 10,000 coins."


    She directly raised the bidding raise, hoping to save time.


    But, her n backfired as only two bidders came forward for the item and the bidding was over in two minutes, selling for only 150k.


    Thinking that maybe it is just because the item is a weapon and the wealthy guests here usually would have semi-divine items in their arsenal, Xin Rui continued the auction by taking out the third item.


    The result?


    The next twelve items entirelyted her a total amount of 2 million gold coins, which isn''t even half of what came from the first item.


    Xin Rui started feeling nervous inside, but as the legendary realm expert and the official representative of the Void Temple, she kept her coolness on the exterior and continued to deal in the same way upon convincing herself that tinum-grade items are not important either way and the first item was merely a ploy created by those two well-known rivals. The main focus is always the semi-divine category.


    "14th item of the auction." She announced while taking out arge rectangr wooden box with various mysterious markings on every side.


    "As you can see, the item is a mystery box. The seller requested the starting price to be fixed at 50,000 gold coins. The bid raise is 5000 gold coins. Let the bidding begin."


    As soon as she announced the bidding, the paddle in Shen Ling''s hands was raised high and Mark''s voice echoed in the coliseum, "Buyout."


    In an instant, tens of thousands of spectators shifted their attention to VIP Box 8 for the first time.


    "Hmm, buyout? There''s another 5 million bid?" Even Xin Rui was also taken aback for a moment and looked in the direction of the voice. Her eyes fell on Mark and the group.


    Letting out a smile, Mark raised the ss and drank a sip of wine before he slowly spoke to the others, "Now that we have already entered the ring, it is the perfect time to release all your auras."


    Sylvandria, James, and Steve, who had been masking their cultivation until now, suddenly released it and threw the entire coliseum intomotion, including the VIPs.

 Chapter 492 The Grand Auction (part-4)

    Chapter 492 The Grand Auction (part-4)


    Roughly half a minute ago;


    Due to uninteresting items being popped up in the auction which didn''t grab the attention of the biggies, Mark also lost his interest a while ago and just became busier in conversing with Song Yue.


    They were currently talking about the wedding ns, and Xin Rui''s announcement of the mystery box briefly stole the attention of Mark.


    It was the second mystery box that was brought up in this auction. The first one only contained a bunch of intermediate-grade augmentation pills that will temporarily raise the cultivation level of the users by 1 realm as long as they are below the 7-circle realm.


    Hence, he didn''t have much expectation at first.


    But then, as he inspected the item using Eyes of God skill, he instantly halted his conversation with his fianc¨¦e and focused on the seemingly ordinary-looking wooden box.


    Mystery Box


    Description: Contains the g of Huangdi "Hmm? Huangdi? Isn''t he one of the five emperors from the legends that once ruled the world, just like Emperor Shun whose spirit gave me the celestial sword?" Mark''s eyes further widened as a holographic screen popped up in front of his eyes.


    *Ding! You discovered an artifact, the g of Huangdi


    g of Huangdi


    Description: Also known as the g of the true emperor, the g of Huangdi shall boost the strength of the user''s allies as long as their rank is lesser than the demigod. The lower the rank, the greater the benefits one would receive. With its range covering as far as 10 km, the g of Huangdi is considered a perfect weapon for the battlefield.


    Note: Allies include living beings and non-living beings.


    *


    That note at the end is what made Mark make the decision to call for the buyout.


    Shen Ling always had suspicions that his eyes were quite special, which could see through everything.


    Hence, she didn''t question his decision and directly raised the paddle while pouring her ether energy into it.


    Once the paddle started glowing in scarlet energy, Mark directly announced the buyout instead of going through a bidding war.


    "Since the buyout was called, no biddings were allowed for this item henceforth. Congrattions, Ms. Shen Ling on winning this item."


    Dressed in white armor from top to bottom, Ark, or one should now call him, Eol, the White Knight has walked to the tform instead of giving money to the attendant.


    The earlier stint of the buyout call and the revealing of the presence of not one but three supreme beings was already surprising enough. Mark surprised everyone once again by sending out Eol to collect the weapon right away.


    VIP Box no. 1;


    The Crown Prince of Xiezhi Empire looked at his trusted bodyguard, who looked like a feeble old man, "Uncle Lao, who are they?"


    The old man answered, "That must be the princess of Western Moon, a small independent kingdom from the Vermilion bird Continent."


    "Western Moon?" The 47-year-old furrowed his brows as he stroked his long and thin bearding down from the chin, "Such an insignificant existence had such powerful backers?"


    "We haven''t paid much attention to forces other than Leon Empire, Your Highness. So, we don''t have much information on them," replied the bodyguard and apologized further.


    Qing Longwei stared at the White-d armor warrior, who was collecting the wooden box and on his way to return. "Hmm¡­ I can''t even see through this one; must be an expert masking his cultivation level."


    After stroking his beard a couple of times more, he said, "Uncle Lao, I need all the information on those guys before this auction ends. And also, I see Qing Jie is here. Knowing that coward, he probably would have made arrangements for his safety. So, we will take him down in the city instead."


    "But that''s¡­" The old man was taken aback at first, but then as Qing Longwei gave him a stern gaze, he bowed, "As you decree, so shall it be."


    **


    VIP Box no. 7;


    "Who the f*ck is sitting in the next room?" Wu Zhi, the leader of a small guild named Chimera sweated profusely as soon as he sensed the presence of Supreme Beings. Chimera''s strongest adventurer of peak-6-circle cultivation, codenamed Scarlet mes, sitting beside him, was also shivering in fear, "They are too powerful, Brother Wu. If some trouble arrives, we will be the first ones to die in the crossfire."


    "Rx, trouble only urs during thest stage of the auction, and we aren''t here to purchase in that segment either way," Adventurer Wu patted her shoulder while forcing out a smile, "once the challenge round is over, we will leave with our earnings from the auctioned items."


    The girl nodded in agreement.


    **


    VIP Box no. 9;


    "Ugh¡­ Our next-door neighbors starting trouble on purpose," Also famed for being thezy knight of Baize, Liu Ming was probably the only one to remain unbothered by the Supreme Beings even though he was sitting in the next room. His bodyguard, on the other hand, had the same reaction as Mark''s other next-door neighbors.


    "Supreme Beings around Princess Shen Ling? No doubt about it. Lu Zhen is just staying low," mumbled an adventurer named Neng Hai before shaking his head seriously, "No, that is not possible. If he had been there, he would have stopped them. Whatever the case, first, I need to confirm his identity and then inform His Majesty."


    VIP Box no. 12;


    "Three supreme beings¡­ It''s him alright," The young prince of the Dragon Empire muttered under his breath. Beforeing to the auction, he was already given the information by the acting emperor.


    He instantly took out themunication scroll and sent the message.


    **


    VIP Box no. 18;


    "Supreme Beings around Princess Shen Ling? No doubt about it. Lu Zhen is just staying low," mumbled an adventurer named Neng Hai before shaking his head seriously, "No, that is not possible. If he had been there, he would have stopped them. Whatever the case, first, I need to confirm his identity and then inform His Majesty."


    **


    VIP Box no. 32;


    "It''s Lu Zhen. But, I couldn''t spot that Supreme Being on his side. There are new ones. Where was he getting such experts?" The fourth prince of Kun Empire couldn''t help but be amazed by the new discovery. From the other side of the pavilion, he could see Mark and his allies through his binocrs.


    **


    VIP Box no. 47;


    Qing Jie, who knew about them before anyone else, read the atmosphere in the coliseum and clenched his fist in excitement, "I knew it.Now, as long as I align myself with those Supreme Beings, that bastard eldest brother of mine wouldn''t dare to attempt assassination on me, this time."


    ***


    Eol returned to VIP Box no. 8 and handed the wooden box to Mark before taking his seat in the back, alongside James and Steve.


    As Mark caressed the box with a smile on his face, Eol couldn''t help but ask, "Uhh, Lu Zhen, do you know what was inside the box?"


    "You can see it by yourselves," Mark tossed the box back to him. Eol caught it in reflex with a look of surprise on his face, "You want to open right away? If there is a treasure as you suspected, then, it will bring unnecessarymotion."


    "We have Big sis Sylvandria, James, and Steve though,"mented Shen Ling, defending her fianc¨¦''s actions.


    In response, Eol answered, "Exactly, Your Highness. If they attack despite such powers, it means they will have a stronger expert on their side. You and Lady Song will be the ones that will be in danger."


    "No need to worry about that, Eol. With me on the side, none of my loved ones shall ever be hurt."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Imperial Pce of the Dragon Empire;


    The acting emperor, Tang Yifan reached arge door located in the forbidden section of the pce, where not even ministers or members of the imperial family were allowed to enter.


    Now that Tang Yifan became the emperor, he earned such qualification but for some reason, he didn''t open the door. Instead, he knocked on the door a few times and waited in patience.


    A whole hour passed, but he didn''t move an inch from the spot. Every 15 minutes, he wouldn''t forget to knock and then wait in patience. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After nearly 70 minutes, his patience was finally rewarded with the door opening on its own, revealing endless in grasnd on the other side.


    Taking a deep breath, he entered the bright ce but with no sun in the clear sky.


    There, he saw a messy-white-haired boy sitting all alone on the grasnd in his pajamas. He appeared to be lost in thoughts.


    One look at him and people couldn''t help but wonder whether this boy was sick or something.


    Tang Yifan gulped saliva and walked forward. The boy remained unmoved until the acting emperor reached him and gave him a 90-degree bow. He couldn''t kowtow because of his position as the Emperor which forbids such practice to any individual but a deity from the heaven.


    "Tang Yifan greets the Founder."


    The boy finally raised his head to look at the man, who disturbed his peace, "Skip the introductions and tell me what you want."


    Staring directly into the eyes of his ancestor, Tang Yifan said, "An enemy of the throne is in the city with three Supreme Beings on his side, and I ask for the founder''s help to take him down."

 Chapter 493 The Grand Auction (part-5)

    Chapter 493 The Grand Auction (part-5)


    g of Huangdi


    Status: sealed


    Grade: Mythril


    Range: 10 km


    Effect 1: The user and his ally''s rank will increase based on their ranks. No limit on the number.


    Increase by 3: Those with cultivations lower than peak-3-circle.


    Increase by 2: Those with cultivations between low-4-circle to peak-6-circle.


    Increase by 1: Those with cultivations between low-7-circle to peak-8-circle


    All stats increased to 9.9 if the cultivation was above low-9-circle.


    No effect on those with rank above demigod.


    Note: To qualify as an ally, the user should think of the target as an ally or one of his own. The non-living things and beasts are also qualified to enjoy this benefit.


    Effect 2: Upon nting the g at any ce in the universe where the Heavenly Pce has the authority, the user could im thend of its effective radius as one''s own property. The user could createws that apply to everyone who stays in the range. Note: The user isn''t an exception for thews he creates.


    Effect 3: The user could use the aura of the Huangdi left inside the g to invoke his spirit in the battle. Note: It has the strength of a peak-stage demigod and could be used only once. After that, the item''s benefits will be gone.


    Description: Also known as the g of the ruler, The g of Huangdi, once wielded by the first emperor who conquered the entire world, is gifted by the Guardian deity, Yuqiang, as a congrattory gift for bing the first mortal demigod from his region.


    ***


    "System, I can break the seal, right?" Mark doesn''t want to rejoice too much before confirming the usage.


    Luckily for him, the seal didn''t end up being something he could not handle.


    *Ding! The seal is of Emperor Grade. The Seal breaker skill can break the seal ced on this object.


    "Great. Now, I can celebrate." Mark didn''t break the seal right away and merely handed it to Shen Ling, "Do you recognize this?" He asked.


    Shen Ling took at the scarlet g where a sphere resembling a was drawn in the center. A majestic gold dragon''s tail was coiling around it as it was raising its head and looking at the sun and the moon.


    Shen Ling went into a trance for some reason and kept staring at it until her arm was shaken by Song Yue, "Sister Ling."


    "Ah, I''m sorry¡­" Coming back to reality, Shen Ling, who started sweating, handed it back to Mark quickly, "For a second, I felt like I have seen the illusion of this drawing. It felt like the dragon is¡­"


    "Telling the heavens that the world belongs to it," Sylvandria finished the sentence for her, "isn''t it?"


    "Yes," Shen nodded while wiping off her sweat with a hanky. She added, "No doubt about it. This belonged to the Yellow Emperor of the legends."


    "So, he is real?" Song Yue eximed in surprise, "I heard those five emperors are just a myth. After all, the story of magic started just 1800 years ago, and that too, by the Shang Dynasty''s founder. Isn''t it?"


    "Historical maniption,"mented Shen Ling.


    "Eh?" As Song Yue looked at her for an exnation, Mark exined, "A lot of history before the so-called pre-ether period was manipted. There must have been a mutual understanding between the empires back then. It is why there were no proper records anywhere and only stories passed down as folklore were left. As for the five emperors, they were true. I have met the spirit of Emperor Shun in the dungeon. It is where I formed a contract with Baltrow. "


    Mark didn''t reveal much about the incident that urred in the dungeon and neither did he reveal about the sword of light, but his statement so far is enough for his fianc¨¦e to believe that whatever she studied of the ancient history turned out to be false.


    But then again, as a person who was always trying to understand with changes in her life, Song Yue didn''t think too much about it and just epted whatever Mark told her and moved on.


    As for the others, Shen Ling was already aware of the historical maniption and she didn''t feel any strange that someone as extraordinary and mysterious as Mark had met the spirit of Emperor Shun. The remaining people were from another world and had no idea about the history. Hence, they didn''t care about it much.


    However, the presence of the divine grade item startled the true experts in the coliseum. Their faces were full of envy and admiration as they stared at VIP Box No. 8.


    Even Xin Rui became flustered for a moment before she was reminded by the Auction House Master to continue with the auction.


    She forcefully calmed herself and proceeded to take out the next item.


    During the next eight hours, all of the tinum-grade items were auctioned. That''s almost like one item every two minutes.


    Surprisingly, not even one of them remained unsold. Even more surprising fact is that all of those items that no one showed interest in were purchased by just one person, the so-called foolish teenager, Yu Tiajin. He alone won 118 times, nearly 47 percent of all the items listed in the auction.


    Never in the history of the auction has ever there been where there have been a sold out.


    Everyone couldn''t help but wonder why he wasting so much money. But then again, his father is so rich that 35 million gold coins wouldn''t dent too much into his fortune anyway. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The spectators were so dazzled by his performance that they even forgot Mark''s buyout from hours ago.


    Of course, another reason was that Shen Ling bid a lot of times in the auction but only won once more. It is a tinum-grade set of Armor, which she bought for her father, costing her about 1.2 million gold coins.


    While the spectators no longer ced attention on Mark or hispanions, the experts in other VIP boxes and the spectator zone were always on the edge. They felt too stressed throughout the auction. It was also one of the reasons the items were auctioned too quickly as no one dared to engage in an intense bidding war.


    Once stage one was over, the lunch break of 90 minutes was called. Xin Rui didn''t forget to warn the bidders that the challenge round will start sharply at 4 p.m.


    The Auction House took care of the lunch arrangements for the guests. In the VIP section downstairs, Mark and hispanions joined the royal banquet.


    However, owing to the traditions, once again, he had to get separated from his three fianc¨¦es, but he was still at ease considering the fact that Sylvandria was with Song Yue for protection.


    As for the golden kitten and the manticore, both of them were currently put inside the pet inventory due to the Auction House''s rules that strictly forbid the beasts inside the coliseum.


    Mark, along with Eol, James, and Steve sat together at the assigned table. Qing Jie self-invited him to their table to look like he was part of the same group. Mark had business to talk with him. Hence, he didn''t mind it.


    As the servant assigned to them was introducing the menu avable for the banquet, he was interrupted by a warrior who looked like a knight of the Empire, ording to his golden-colored armor, a helmet in his left hand, and his graceful walking. "Excuse me¡­"


    Mark turned his head aside to look at the knight, who then said, "Forgive me for the disturbance. Lord Rong wishes to invite you and Venerable beings to his table." While saying that, he took another look at the Supreme Beings who look like harmless teenagers without any air of an expert in one nce. The knight then shifted his attention to Mark and thought, "This guy is even stranger. I cannot even read him."


    Mark forced him toe out of his analysis with a calm statement, "Tell your Lord Rong that I have an important guest at my table. So, it is not possible."


    The Knight was taken aback at first and then looked at Qing Jie before giving him the bow of farewell, "I understand. I''ll ry the message." He returned without trying to speak anymore.


    *m*


    "He declined my invitation over that exiled prince of Xiezhi and he even didn''t bother to act modest? Such an arrogant fellow..." Rong Huang felt humiliated at first, but then as his advisor quickly reminded him that anyone would be as arrogant as the Emperor if they had three Supreme Beings as backing, the Lord of Reignar thought for a bit and said, "Gu Yong, this time, you go and make a personal visit to Lord Qing''s table and give him the invitation."


    "Milord¡­"


    As the advisor left, Rong Huang nced in the direction of Mark and let out a smirk, "Fine then, if you can''t pay the consequences of humiliating me, then, your dear guest will pay for it."

 Chapter 494 The Lunch break

    494 The Lunch break


    "So, this is what you call a Firearm? Hmm, interesting¡­" Qing Jie was staring curiously at the stylish-looking Derringer.


    Mark then tried to strike the iron while it was still hot by further adding, "It is one of the few basic firearms that could be used by any non-cultivators, you know for basic protection from street gangs and thieves."


    "But, you are saying it costs 10 gold coins," Qing Jie pointed to the major issue with the gun. "Adding on top of an entirely new kind of weapon, it costs very high. Not to mention one would still have to buy that¡­ that¡­ ammu¡­ ammu¡­"


    "Ammunition," Mark helped him finish the sentence.


    "Yes, that''s it. One would have to keep buying it for one whole life to use this weapon," Qing Jie then went on to say, "You see the Xiezhi Empire doesn''t have any wild zones and the urrence of dungeons is quite rare, forget about the dungeon break. It is also why our home is known as the graveyard for adventurers."


    Mark stayed silent. He suddenly felt like he made a bad choice in making this guy an acquaintance.


    Meanwhile, Qing Jie continued, "Hence, the weapon with such small uses won''t attract the ones who can afford such an amount. And the ones who need might feel reluctant to spend such an amount on it as 10 gold coins aren''t a small amount for themon folk, even though we are casually throwing away millions of gold coins here. Rather than selling this one at Xiezhi Empire, I rmend our neighboring empire. I knew a few trusted merchants and weapon sellers. If you wish, I will talk to them in your ce and settle it at a mere 10%mission fee."


    Qing Jie''s further exnation once again changed Mark''s opinion and made him feel like this guy might be a reliable partner, after all.


    Just as Mark was about to speak about the advanced weapons, Qing Jie dropped another surprise by further stating, "Come to think of it, why waste onmission? If Brother Lu is willing to work with me, we can open a weapon store at Baize Empire on joint ownership. I''m close with the Crown Prince, there. So, permissions and promotions can be taken off.What do you say?"


    *Ding! You triggered a Side Quest, Business Partner.


    "Eh?" Mark was slightly surprised as the holographic screen popped up in front of his eyes as soon as Qing Jie came up with a suggestion.


    While pretending to drink water, he secretly operated his finger to click on the notification and open the quest details.


    Quest: Business Partner


    Description: Qing Jie is willing to form a partnership with you to open a store at Baize Empire. Negotiate the terms and conditions.


    Reward: Affinity with Qing Jie +?, unknown.


    "Oh, it looks like the reward depends on the terms," Mark understood the task, but there was also another thing weighed on his mind.


    Does he really need such a partnership?


    Well, he wants a partner for sure. That''s the whole reason he bothered to make friends with a stranger like Qing Jie in the first ce.


    Mark doesn''t want his business to get damaged in case his rtionships with the big shots there get sour for whatever reason. It happened in Phoenix Empire and he doesn''t want it to be repeated elsewhere.


    Thus alongside his stores, he needed reliable partners who could sell firearms even to the enemies he would eventually destroy. If they want amission, that''s fine, now that he earns 100% of the entire earned amount.


    In the end, it will spread the fame of the firearms faster than he intended and the market monopoly will still be in his hands.


    But, what Qing Jie is suggesting is something different from his ns.


    Seeing that the system also seemed like it was acknowledging such a partnership, Mark felt like he had to give it some thought before making the decision.


    Hence, he could only reply with a, "I''ll think about it and send you the replyter," and resumed eating. Meanwhile, James and Steve were busy talking with each other, regarding this current world and the auction and even about certain people around. However, they only spoke English, so that no one apart from their dad could decipher the contents of their conversation.


    "Bro, look at that fellow at our 4 o''clock. He looks so inted that he might explode at any second,"mented Steve before adding, "The AI says that he had a 19-year-old son and a 17-year-old wife."


    James couldn''t help but make a face of disgust, "Ugh¡­ these wealthy nobles and their weird fantasies."


    "Bro, forget about that fatty for a moment. Think about the girl. She must be quite unsatisfied with her married life. And his son was also around her age. You know what I am getting at?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Shut up, Steve. Don''t talk aboutdies in such a way. She must have already experienced hell¡­"


    "C''mon¡­"


    Mark''s ears perked up when he heard that. He wanted toment that the girl could also be a gold digger and that the concept of age is something almost nonexistent in this world but kept the thoughts to himself, remembering how he looked at the elven princess like she was a grandma, although the age of 96 still considered an adolescent there. In the end, he even agreed to marry the elf who lived for more than 500 years.


    Maybe, it is because the news about Rong Huang''s invitation being firmly declined by Mark was passed around. Or maybe, it is because of the presence of Steve and James themselves. Or maybe, it could even be because Qing Jie was already at the table.


    Whatever the reason it might be, until the end of the banquet, no one approached Mark even though he constantly felt several gazes on him from every direction.


    Meanwhile, in thedies section, almost all thedies gathered there had their veils off and Song Yue suddenly became the center of attention. She is like a sun among the sea of stars.


    If there was someone who attracted equally enough attention as her, it would be Sylvandria.


    But the only problem was that she was an elf and looked very different from the rest of thedies.


    Most women here are wives or rtives of respected nobles/princes/wealthy individuals, and their cultivation levels are usually meager enough to say that they couldn''t understand how terrifying Sylvandria is. These people could only judge her based on her appearance.


    As for the remaining women, these were adventurers who gathered on one side to discuss things among themselves. These adventurer women don''t mingle with nobledies as the former looks down on thetter kind who had political/arranged marriages while thetter detest the former kind as they feel like these women fightersck elegance.


    They knew how powerful Sylvandria was and due to her elf race, instead of revering her strength, they made sure not to go anywhere near her due to the fear.


    Hence, Sylvandria became the target of scorn and distasteful remarks, although it was mostly whispering between third parties.


    As the princess of a kingdom, Shen Ling had the obligation to talk with thedies with important backgrounds, well, atleast until the food was arranged, and then, after their lunch was over and until the men were done with their lunch too.


    Song Yue was also someone who grew up in a noble household. She has been familiar with such events since she turned 16. Hence, she followed in the footsteps of the princess.


    As for Sylvandria, she wasn''t interested in mingling with mortals. She used to be the revered High Priestess, whom everyone in the Ixitus Empire used to treat as representative of their God.


    She was silently sitting there with her eyes closed. No one was conversing with her and neither was she minding anyone.


    Everything was peaceful until ament from a rtive of Dragon Empire''s imperial family entered her ears, targeting Shen Ling.


    "Say Shen Ling, I heard an interesting story about your father. Did your mom really imprison your father for a decade and let your uncle impersonate him to rule the kingdom?"


    Shen Ling''s calm-looking face turned serious in an instant.


    Before Shen Ling could react to her statement, anotherdy let out a giggle as she added, "Perhaps, they were lovers in the past and King Shen Niu had snatched her away using power. But then again, living together for a decade¡­ they must have used this opportunity to the fullest and enjoyed their nightlife."


    "By the way, you are sure that you are King Shen Niu''s daughter, right?" the third one joined the fun with a mischievous grin on her face, taking it too far.


    "Hahaha" "Hahahaha"


    Another twodies in the back burst intoughter as Shen Ling''s face reddened in anger and her fist was clenched tightly. She wanted to punch her face but couldn''t do it as she herself couldn''t forgive her mother to this day.


    It was at that moment the fivedies suddenly copsed onto their knees, taking everyone around by surprise. Even Shen Ling herself was taken aback as she saw those fivedies from a big background look like they were having heavy breathing.


    "Mdy" "Mdy"


    Two guards nearby hurried toward them but they crashed into an invisible barrier and fell down.


    "It''s that, isn''t it? The Aura Suppression; the ability to suppress lower ranked cultivators without affecting the surroundings, a power unique to a Supreme Being," A 6-circle realm adventurer in the corner of the room whispered to her team leader. The 7-circle realm expert nodded in seriousness. Sweat drops formed on her forehead.


    Sylvandria''s voice then echoed in the ears of the fallen, "It is not my ce to teach someone a lesson but I must remind you that those with loose tongues and bad manners shouldn''t forget that there is always a greater bully than you, in this world. And not everyone would resort to using their words. So, choose your words carefully next time."


    The suppression was removed after the warning. The guards reached the affected women and helped them to get up.


    Instead of getting afraid by the sudden near-death experience, Tang Jia shouted in rage with her eyes focused on the ce where adventurers gathered, "Who is it? Who is it that dared to ambush me? I''m the wife of Rong Huang and the daughter of Tang Hanying. A word from me and none of you or your families will be spared no matter where you are from. I will¡­ Argh¡­"


    She let out a painful cry as invisible pressure descended on her and she was crushed to the floor once again. This time, her breathing wasn''t affected as previously. It was just the weight of suppression on her soul and the ether particles in Tang Jia''s body.


    Sylvandria''s eyes opened for the first time and she got up from her seat.


    The room descended into silence as she calmly walked to her. The guards wanted to defend her but they were frozen by the Aura Suppression too.


    Stopping before her, she looked down at the struggling Tang Jia and spoke coldly, "I can see that your soul has been tainted by darkness, child. I have nopassion for sinners like you. You are bound to go through thousands of years in the hell realm after your death. But, you can still redeem yourself by doing good deeds so that you suffer less in the afterlife and get to reincarnate in a good family, next time.


    As for your so-called Rong Huang and Tang Hanying, I don''t know who they are and how powerful they are for you to boast in arrogance but I''m certainly aware that there is no immortal realm cultivator living in this world, and in that case, it would be very unwise to pursue to drag this matter any longer. Just apologize to her and end this. Or else¡­"

 Chapter 495 The Grand Auction (part-6)

    495 The Grand Auction (part-6)


    After a couple of hours, Mark reunited with his women.


    He didn''t know what happened during lunch time but he could see thedies are a lot closer than they were before a couple of hours.


    What changed is how Song Yue and Shen Ling were addressing Sylvandria with sister as a prefix. Previously, there used to be a certain wall between them, the one that separates normal people from having casual conversations with true experts.


    After returning to their VIP Box, Mark once again made sure that the room was secured before settling down and having a talk. He talked about Qing Jie''s proposal and Song Yue told him what happened in thedies section too.


    Mark couldn''t help but burst intoughter upon realizing that both of the parties were on the same wavelength. Here, he refused Rong Huang''s invitation, and there, Sylvandria taught Rong Huang''s wife a lesson. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Nevertheless, he fully supported her decision, stating that when ites to standing up to family, nothing else matters.


    Roughly, 45 minutester, Xin Rui and the Auction House Master returned to the bidding tform, announcing the Challenge Round.


    The rules of the challenge round are as follows.


    They put up an item and the bidders shall bid for it. The winner can send anyone to challenge the warrior that was guarding the item.


    If they win it, then the item will be theirs to keep. If they lose the challenge, then, money will go down the drain too. In order to milk more money from the bidders, the auctioneer allows the bidder to send more than one expert to defeat the challenger. Up to 4 experts are allowed.


    However, the amount will also increase ordingly. For example, if the winning bid is 100k gold coins, then, the winner should pay 200k gold coins for 2 participants, 500k gold coins for 3 participants, and 2 million gold coins for 4 participants.


    While one''s chances increase with more numbers, those with a powerful background don''t opt for such a method unless the item is of great importance as it will damage their reputation even if they win. If they lose, one can imagine how humiliated they will be.


    Last but not least, the item that doesn''t get acquired by any winning bidder through the challenge shall be moved to thest segment of the auction.


    With such things in mind, as the guests were ready with their bidding paddles, Xin Rui took out the first item of the challenge round.


    "When the Rings of Yin and Yang are worn by the same person, they will give an additional benefit of raising the user''s aptitude for magic spells.


    The starting bid for the challenge is 1000 gold coins and the guardian is a 7-circle realm beast king. The buyout is 100,000 gold coins.


    Let the auction begin."


    "Shen Ling, let''s bid for it," said Mark.


    Princess Shen nodded and raised the paddle. Just as she was about to pour ether energy into it, a paddle from elsewhere was raised and glowed followed by a deep voice, "Buyout."


    Mark was familiar with the voice and so was everyone. In fact, it was the voice the spectators were tired of hearing it again.


    "Congrattions Yu Tiajin on winning the bid. You have five minutes to send the challenger on your behalf to the arena"


    Soon, a mysterious fellow wearing ck robes with a hoodnded in the arena while riding a winged tiger.


    Mark instantly activated his Eyes of God and inspected its details.


    Name: Xiao Ba


    Beast: Long Hu


    Species: Tiger/Dragon


    Rank: 7 (advanced stage)


    Grade: King


    Attribute: Fire/wind


    Description: Long Hu/Dragon tiger is a beast created from the crossbreeding of a Red Dragon and a Tri-Horned Tiger. Born as a hybrid, Long Hu contained the abilities of both of his parents.


    *


    "Hmm¡­ these guys put up quite an interesting opponent as a guardian."


    The instant Mark saw the beast''s details, he came to the conclusion that ordinary Exalt realm experts couldn''t defeat it. Within a minute, two Exalt realm experts walked into the field from the other side.


    The Spirit Warrior from the Void Temple left the beast king''s side and stood behind Xin Rui before she signaled for the start of the battle.


    Both of them charged forward at the same time at their peak speeds and reached it in little less than 2 seconds.


    The spectators couldn''t even get to see their movements properly, but the Dragon Tiger waspletely calm.


    It cleanly evaded their attacks with a jump and counterattacked with its paws.


    An intense battle ensued between both of the parties. It went on for ten minutes. The spectators, despite not getting to see their movements, were cheering loudly; some were cheering for the tiger to shred them to pieces while some were rooting for the challengers.


    Meanwhile, discussions went on at several VIP Boxes. Mark was also included in those people, but the contents of their discussion were vastly different from the others.


    Eventually, Yu Tiajin was forced to throw in the towel and admitted the loss, earningughter filled with mockery from several VIP guests.


    Maybe, the fact that Yu Tiajin had snatched away almost half of the products in the first segment probably angered them and this failure made them think that he deserved such a humiliation.


    The adolescent''s face reddened in shame and when they apologized for the failure, he could onlyment that they weren''t at fault but it was his dad''s fault for selecting them.


    Xin Rui announced the item''s base price as 200k and will be avable in the next segment before she went on to take out the next item.


    Like the first one, this one is also a pair of tinum-grade essories, although one is a pendant and the other is a ring.


    As the bidding process started, the 17-year-old became very busy cussing his own dad as he could no longer send people. His strongest bodyguards were defeated and he didn''t have the face to send them once again.


    Hence, there was no point in participating in the bid.


    As the others were busy winning the challenge token, the door behind Yu Tiajin was knocked a couple of times.


    One of Yu Tiajin''s attendants opened the door to find one of the security guards, a 6-circle realm Spirit Warrior, who bowed in greetings and said, "Lord Yu, there is someone who would like to meet you. He says he is with a message from VIP Box no. 8."


    "No. 8?" Yu Tiajin furrowed his brows. He seemed like he didn''t remember who upied that box. "What was his identity?" He asked.


    Before the guard could answer, one of the injured exalt realm experts who was tending to his wounds suddenly eximed, "Young Master, it belongs to Princess Shen Ling. She is the one with three Supreme Beings on his side."


    "Oh, please send him in," Yu Tiajin forgot about the auction and sprung up on his feet, leaving the chair as well as the spectator''s sight.


    Soon, Eol in white-d armor entered the room and greeted him in a casual tone as if they were equals, "Hello, Mr. Yu, I''m called White Knight and I''m here to deliver you a message, or more like an offer, on behalf of my master."

 Chapter 496 The Grand Auction (part-7)

    496 The Grand Auction (part-7)


    An hourter;


    "Item number 6, The Staff of Horus."


    "It is a low-quality semi-divine weapon, crafted by the Dwarves with Mythril and a myriad of metals. Regarding the materialposition, it was on the level of an earth-grade divine weapon."


    Xin Rui caressed the staff''s handle with a bit of disappointment on her face, continuing to say, "However, what makes it a semi-divine weapon is the core used during the forge. A goblin''s brain was used as a core."


    A series of sighs escaped from several VIP Boxes and some spectators, but that''s to be expected anyway.


    Xin Rui also couldn''t help but sigh in her heart as she announced the bid, "The minimum bid is 10,000 gold coins and the guardians are the Dragon Tiger and its master."


    The Dragon Tiger had proven to be a menace for the challenge round this time. It was the guardian for the first three items and no one yet to even manage to defeat her.


    Since its master is a powerful healer with a mysterious artifact that could restore one''s ether energy and stamina, it was always in its best shape every time it battled a new opponent.


    But now, its master was also joining the battle for the first time and he is a peak stage 7-circle realm expert. Not to mention, the item doesn''t seem like a treasure. To use it properly, one would have to melt it down and forge it again with a powerful core. It might need the services of a grandmaster cksmith. The Dwarves won''t do it as it is absurd to even think that they would destroy the same weapon they create.


    As a result, the guests seemed reluctant to bid for this specific item. But, one had a different thought.


    A paddle was raised after ten seconds of silence.


    "21000, Box No. 8." Xin Rui''s announcement made several heads turn toward Box number 8.


    The spectators might have forgotten who was sitting there but not the VIPs.


    Their interest was aroused further when a white-d armor knight came into the arena with the challenging token in his hand, instead of a Supreme Being.


    Far more surprising is that he lookedpletely like a normal person without an ounce of ether energy.


    Is he another Supreme Being? Or was he using some other skill to hide his cultivation?


    They couldn''t help but watch him with various thoughts in their heads.


    After silently handing over the token back to Xin Rui, Eol stood there on the tform and had his eyes fixed on the beast king which also looked like it was observing him.


    Due to his android body, the Dragon Tiger couldn''t sense anything from him, which frightened it slightly. On the other hand, its master, Cai Zan, who is also like its father, had a deep frown on his face. Box No. 8 did make him take the opponent very seriously even though his beast had proved its strength.


    "The battle will start in 20 seconds." Xin Rui announced the timer just like before, indicating that he should take out his weapons or get prepared for the battle.


    However, Eol just stood there in silence.


    20 secondster, as soon as Xin Rui gave the signal to the start of the battle, the Dragon Tiger opened its mouth right away to attack him.


    Clenching his fists, Eol smiled under the mask and mumbled, "Battle mode, activate."


    The fireball wasunched by the Dragon Tiger and Eol slowly started walking toward it.


    As it almost reached him, the spectators expected him to either evade it or block it through force.


    To everyone''s surprise, just as the fireball almost reached him, a mirror made of water appeared out of nowhere and took the attack.


    As soon as the fireball struck the mirror, it was absorbed into it and then reflected the attack with a stronger fireball.


    "This attack¡­" Tang Xin, the 7-circle realm mage, got up from his seat in shock, seeing the exact same skill he used to defeat his opponent to win item number 4. In fact, he was known for that special skill.


    "Dodge" Cai Zan jumped to the side and the Dragon Tiger pped its wings to dodge the fireball.


    In that split second, Eol charged forward at his maximum speed to reach the mage and caught his throat.


    As he raised the healer and started crushing his throat, the Dragon Tiger let out a powerful roar.


    Eol simply turned toward its direction and kept him as a shield.


    Meanwhile, the healer who couldn''t free himself from Eol''s grasp was forced to expel ether energy from his body and tried to push the enemy away.


    However, the audience only saw a bunch of water mirrors appear all around the healer in the instant he expelled the ether energy.


    They bounced off at the same time. Since he wasn''t moving and there was no ce to dodge either, they struck him with a stronger power equaling to an advanced stage legendary realm expert.


    "Aaargh¡­" A piercing scream echoed in the coliseum.


    The water mirrors disappeared as soon as their job was done, revealing an unconscious man who looked like he was just a step away from death.


    Eol threw him away like a peel of a banana and looked at the beast flying in the sky. "It''s your turn now."


    *Graaaaaa*


    The roar from the Dragon Tiger was more powerful this time. Its body is covered by a scarlet aura, making it go into a berserk state.


    As if the water mirrors of Tang Xin weren''t enough to shock the experts, as the beast king flew down toward him and swiped its ws toward him, Eol turned into a shadow and let it go past him and almost crashed onto the ground.


    It controlled its path to fly higher but Eol''s counterstrike was perfect once again. As soon as it tried to fly higher, chains of dark energy erupted from the ground and captured its body.


    Eol''s shadow formation materialized and he raised his hand to conjure a giant lightning-energy broadsword before swinging it down at its tail.


    The beast king''s tail was cut off from its body and fell to the ground.


    "Graaaa" "Graaaa" "Graaaa"


    The beast king looked like it was going out of control, melting the chains with its zing mes.


    It was at that moment Xin Rui, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, made her move.


    She rushed forward and cut down the dark chains, taking Eol by surprise.


    Before Eol got to open his mouth to question her motive, Xin Rui once again surprised everyone by jumping high and nting her hand on the Dragon tiger''s forehead, "Sleep."


    The beast king''s eyes met Xin Rui''s eyes, where something like a spiral motion was seen. It fainted right away, regardless of the bleeding at the tail end.


    From the start of the battle till its knockout in the hands of Xin Rui, only 28 seconds have passed. Just 28.


    "The challenger wins the battle. Ms. Shen Ling won the item. Congrattions." Xin Rui announced the results.


    VIP Box no. 19; N?v(el)B\\jnn


    With his elbow supported by the armrest of the chair, Tang Xin tilted his head slightly and rested his cheek on his fist, "Hmm, there''s no doubt about it. This expert could copy our techniques and make it his own in an instant. Or that''s what he was trying to show to everyone. Or else, why would he only use the techniques used in earlier battles? Probably a skill or some unique bloodline that allowed him to do that. Interesting."


    VIP Box no. 32;


    "This man never ceases to amaze me," mumbled the fourth prince of Kun Empire. "Letting him stand on the crown prince''s side might be a heavy disadvantage for meter on. I guess I can no longer take that eldest brother of mine lightly. It is best if I act as fast as possible to indict him and make sure he is not eligible for the throne. Or should we cripple his cultivation? Hmm¡­ I wonder¡­"


    VIP Box no. 47;


    "Damn, this fellow Lu Zhen has another powerful subordinate?" Qing Jie was naturally excited. "No matter what, I will have to make him my friend."


    VIP Box no. 4;


    "Dammit." Yu Tianjin threw away the ss of wine in anger, "I should have epted his offer. When I challenged him that I would ept it if he defeated the beast king and it didn''t happen for the second and third rounds either, I thought they might be tricksters with fake cultivation levels. Argh¡­ I made a mistake." His face was filled with regret.


    Finally, at VIP Box no. 8;


    With a surprised look on his face, Mark couldn''t help but turn his head and ask the former High priestess, "Sylvandria, I just one question. Is he really the hero from your legends or your history was fabricated?"


    Sylvandria: ¡­

 Chapter 497 The Grand Auction (part-8)

    Chapter 497 The Grand Auction (part-8)


    "Item no. 7: One-time use, Scroll of Thousand Blossoms. This painted scroll, when unfurled, releases a shower of mystical cherry blossoms. Each blossom possesses extraordinary healing properties. In theory, there is a 1 in a 100 chance that it could even bring back the dead to life when used within an hour of death.


    The starting bid price is 10,000 gold coins and the guardian for this challenge round is a peak stage 7-circle realm Spirit Warrior."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the bid for 230,000 gold coins for the challenge. Please send the warrior to the field."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the item." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    *


    "Item no. 8: Fan of Ephemeral Storms:


    This delicate folding fan possesses the power to summon ephemeral storms. With a flick of the fan, the user can conjure thunder, lightning, and rain, creating a tempest that disorients enemies and bolsters the wielder''s agility. This item only has the power to alter weather in the region and doesn''t contain either offensive or defensive techniques.


    The starting bid price is 1,000 gold coins and the guardian for this challenge is an elementary stage 7-circle realm Spirit Warrior."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the bid for 26,000 gold coins for the challenge. Please send the warrior to the field."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the item."


    *


    Item no. 9: Elixir of Eternal Spring:


    This elixir bestows the drinker with eternal youth and vitality. It halts the aging process and grants resistance to diseases. The amount of elixir is sufficient for two people. Please do note that it doesn''t change one''s lifespan.


    The starting price is 10,000 gold coins and the guardian for this challenge is a peak stage 7-circle realm Spirit Warrior."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the bid for 110,000 gold coins for the challenge. Please send the warrior to the field."


    "Congrattions Ms. Shen Ling on winning the item."


    *


    After winning the Staff of Horus, Mark continued to maintain his superiority by sending Eol to the field.


    Arge part of this contribution goes to the g of Huangdi ced in VIP Box number 8 which raised Eol''s stats significantly enough to suppress his opponents.


    While no one These just four battles brought "Now, thest item of this round.This one is a little special. The item itself is the guardian. Behold the battle robot VIII, a metallic battle puppet made of unknown materials and unknown grade. It is said to have the strength of a legendary realm expert of Fighter Path but doesn''t have any skill either. Just like every other puppet, it has to be controlled by its master as long as it is within a 300-meter range. You can also teach martial arts techniques to this puppet to improve its fighting ability. Unlike humans, it doesn''t age. In a battle, it doesn''t hesitate to kill your enemy no matter who it is. Most importantly, it absolutely stays loyal to its master.


    But, those who are interested in this puppet must understand that it needs a heavy amount of electricity as food.


    However, what makes it stand apart from other battle puppets is that this one''s control could be controlled by more than one person and you can pass it down to someone else. The secret of its controls and its other hidden functions is only to be revealed to the buyer as requested by the seller.


    Coming to the rules of the battle, first of all, only those with cultivations lower than the Supreme realm are eligible to challenge it. Secondly, the challengers merely have to throw it off from this tform and they win. The starting bid price for this item is 100,000 gold coins and 10,000 for every bid-raise. Let''s the bidding begin."


    As soon as she finished the description, more than a dozen paddles were raised in the air, but only one was lit up as it turned out to be the fastest by just a fraction of a millisecond.


    "Buyout," The imperial prince''s voice was heard for the first time since the beginning of the auction.


    Even Xin Rui was taken aback by the announcement. "These bastards¡­" She muttered her breath before forcefully calming herself down and announcing, "Since a buyout was called, no more bids were allowed henceforth."


    "Congrattions, Tang Weimin on winning the bid for the challenge for 10,000,000 gold coins. Please pay the amount and send the challenger with the token."


    VIP Box no. 12;


    "You did it, Grandpa Lao," The young prince smiled in happiness as he looked to the side. There was an old man who had the paddle in his hands.


    "Now, go and bring that puppet," He ordered the old man who was at the peak stage of the legendary realm.


    "Your Highness," As the expert bowed to him and left the room, the prince who was representing the Imperial family clenched his fist as he looked at the 6-foot robot with a strange appearance, "If Grandpa Lao wins it, I can secretly keep it for myself. As long as I use my own money, I can give an excuse that Grandpa Lao was the one who paid the money and fought it. Since he is not a servant of the imperial family, even my brother cannot order him to hand it over."


    *


    Meanwhile, at Box No. 8;


    "Nothing¡­" Mark shook his head. He was about to say 300 million but since the princess stated a higher figure, Mark couldn''t bring himself to tell the same thing. He said, "It is indeed worth such a figure but I''m just worried that people might not be able to take out such an amount."


    Song Yue looked thrilled after the buyout was called. Shaking his arms, she expressed her delight, "It''s 10 million, Markie. Imagine if he loses now. It will atleast get 100 million easily."


    Mark calmly shook his head, "100 million is just¡­"


    He was about to say something; Princess Shen Ling interrupted him with a bold statement, "I won''t be surprised if it gets sold for even 500 million, Sister Yue. Hmm? Were you saying something?"


    "Nothing¡­" Mark shook his head. He was about to say 300 million but since the princess stated a higher figure, Mark couldn''t bring himself to tell the same thing. He said, "It is indeed worth such a figure but I''m just worried that people might not be able to take out such an amount."


    "Well, that is also true," Shen Ling nodded in agreement.


    "What if it sells at a lower amount than even 100 million? You know, those truly wealthy could collude to bring down the amount," Sylvandria pointed out the most obvious w here.


    Mark let out a sigh in response, "Then, we will just have to let it be and make sure to not use this tform to sell my things ever again. We already made enough profits in the challenge round. So, it shouldn''t be a big deal."


    "I hope it doesn''te to that,"mented Song Yue.


    What they didn''t know is that Mark now had a debt of 100 million gold coins with the system with 1% high interest (1 million gold coins) per week. Since he doesn''t have such huge money in his ount to unlock the Rank-8 Battle robot in the gallery, he has to ept the system''s proposal.


    As he wasn''t selling the robot at the store, he had to create the robot and buy it for himself with 10 million gold coins before listing it at this auction.


    Now, in his ount, there were only a bit more than three hundred thousand credits and a little more than a million gold coins.


    So, whatever he gets from this auction, he intends to take it and pay back the debt as quickly as possible. The remaining shall bepensated with the semi-divine weapons in his inventory.


    While he is confident that the robot will be winning this round, he wants it to be apletely one-sided fight. The more this battle drags on, the more its price will reduceter on.


    But, what if this battle ends up in the challenger''s victory? Then, he will have to sell a lot of advanced weapons topensate for the losses.


    Of course, it is just a worst-case scenario. Mark wasn''t interested in seeing it.


    Hence, he opened the inventory and had his eyes fixated on the g of Huangdi.


    He was in the dilemma of whether to use the g of Huangdi on the Robot or not. It was different with Eol as thetter was the challenger.


    If he gets caught now, no one would dare attack him but his reputation will get hit. It is thest thing he wants.


    "Should I do it? Or should I wait and see?" As he was thinking about whether he should do it or not, his eyes fell on the old man who took out his weapon. A sudden idea popped up in his head.


    "System, activate remote control function. Equip R-77 with Ogre Emperor''s Club."


    A titanium club with Mythril spikes appeared in the hands of the robot, taking the spectators by surprise.

 Chapter 498 The Grand Auction (part-9)

    Chapter 498 The Grand Auction (part-9)


    With a spiked club in its hand, a semi-divine weapon Mark looted from the Wuji sect, the Battle Robot was ready for the battle.


    While it is not an umon sight for a high-quality puppet to use such weapons, the legendary realm expert was still surprised because of how it appeared in its hands when a puppet cannot be bound to semi-divine weapons like Spirit Warriors do. Hence, either this puppet is slightly special because of its unconventional appearance or its master who was currently operating it remotely while probably sitting somewhere in the stands had teleported the item into its hands.


    Or so, thought the master swordsman as he changed his weapon to a whip instead, surprising the audience.


    As soon as the signal was given, he turned into shadow form and moved around at high speeds.


    It was so fast that spectators saw dozens of realistic afterimages of the challenger, all over the battle tform. Not even the true experts (7-circle realm) who used peak-level concentration had it tough to track the real person. However, the battle robot remained calm with its eyes moving left and right at a fast pace.


    But then again, this is nothing more than a puppet and is expected to bepletely calm regardless of the opponents. Hence, they found its stillness reflected the calmness of its master who was probably giving it instructions telepathically.


    After thirteen whole seconds, the moment has finallye when the challenger reached behind andunched an attack. The whip was stretched toward the robot and even captured its waist. All that''s left for the challenger is to swing it away and throw it out of bounds.


    But, sadly for him and his master, the prince, that n wasn''t materialized. Instead of the challenger swinging it away with his mighty strength, the robot''s free left arm just went over its shoulder and caught thesh before swinging it over the same shoulder.


    The challenger flew along with the whip and was about to crash onto the ground.


    Just when he was about to free himself from the whip and escape from there, his eyes captured the spiked club moved at him at a blurring speed.


    A great force struck him in the front with a couple of spikes pierced his chest before his entire body was mmed onto the floor.


    "Argh¡­"


    He couldn''t help but let out a scream of pain as his head started spinning.


    However, it isn''t over yet.


    The Robot motioned back its arm to raise the spiked club in the air, revealing the two holes in his chest, and once again it swung it down ruthlessly on his body.


    "Ack¡­"


    Spitting out a mouthful of blood and leaving the whip''s handle, he rolled to the side after it freed him but raised the club once again.


    This time, as it swung it down, the master swordsman expelled ether energy from the body to st it away.


    Taking him by surprise once again, the spiked club cut through the wave of ether energy like a sword cutting through the wind and ruthlessly struck his abdomen.


    "Ack¡­"


    At that moment, most of the spectators involuntarily shut their eyes, unable to watch how miserable a great legendary realm expert had be.


    Watching the scene, Mark, on the other hand, let out a smirk, "Oops, that club has the ability to cut through ether energy attacks. Now, as the final touch¡­" *snap*


    The club disappeared from the hands of the robot and it proceeded to raise the body with its hand firmly gripped over its injured opponent''s neck; its other free arm was raised and clenched its fist, intending to give a powerful punch to its opponent.


    As it motioned its fist to the back, three words escaped from Box No. 12 and echoed in the silent coliseum.


    "I give up."


    The Silent Auction House Master and Xin Rui couldn''t help but clench their fists in happiness, although due to different reasons, the challenge failed. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The robot freed its opponent and walked away for a few meters before turning around and staying there like a statue.


    Xin Rui gave a nce at the Auction House Master, who sent it back to the same storage ring given by Mark.


    "The challenge was failed. The item will be moving to the next segment. We''ll be taking an hour break. The sellers who are avable here could meet Auction House Master Wang at the chancery and settle their ounts."


    As she announced the break, two individuals in typical knight attire but with exquisite-looking armor set entered the field to support the defeated warrior.


    Meanwhile, at Box No. 8;


    As the individuals in other boxes were nning on preparing the funds to acquire this amazing robot, Song Yue was filled with joy, "Markie, that was super cool. And you have more of them in your storage ring? What if it ends up getting bid for 500 million as Sister Ling predicted? We could be so¡­"


    Mark couldn''t help but smile as he stared at Song Yue, who looked like she was cheered up a lot. That pale and bony appearance of her as if she was near death was still fresh in Mark''s head. Looking at her forgetting the tragedy and smiling like a normal girl also made him happy.


    But, the sudden change in her expression put an end to those feelings. She stopped midway and picked up the binocrs to watch the field, "Markie, it''s him." She tugged the sleeves of his robes.


    "What happened, Sister Yue?" Princess Shen Ling was the first to react among the people in the room.


    Song Yue raised her finger and pointed to the field, "That knight on the left; I can''t remember it properly because it happened at midnight but I think I saw him among those who abducted me."


    "Hmm?" Mark also stopped smiling and paid attention to the knight Song Yue pointed at.


    Dong Bao


    Rank: 6-circle (advanced stage)


    Age: 38


    Spirit Path: Swordsman


    Attribute: Fire


    Affiliation: Dragon Empire, Phoenix Empire (former)


    Description: Dong Bao used to be a disciple of the Xu Sect and a sworn brother to Shang Jun. He left the sect due to unknown reasons and joined the Knight division of the Dragon Empire. He is currently one of the imperial guards who directly serve the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.


    *


    "Hmm? Sworn brothers with Shang Jun but is serving Tang Dynasty?" Mark''s eyes flickered in surprise. "If Song Yue was right, then, there are more culprits behind the act."


    If it was someone else, they would have thought a second time once again about the consequences in case they were wrong but Mark is different.


    Just her strong suspicion and surprising details of the target were enough for Mark to conclude that he was a culprit. However, he also knew that he could not just barge and disrupt the auction.


    Hence, he asked Song Yue to remain patient and calm until this event was over.


    Roughly around 20 minutester;


    At the Chancery, the office of the Auction House Master, Wang Zhongwei was handing over the money to the adventurers from Box no. 7. "The total bidding amount of your auctioned items is 951 thousand gold coins. As you probably already know, our fees for the tinum grade items are fixed at 20%, semi-divine items at 10%, and divine or unique items at 5%. All of your auctioned items are of tinum grade and the cut will be 190,200 gold coins. Sparing the change, you will be receiving 761 thousand gold coins. Please check the amount. Here¡­"


    The adventurers were checking the amount with a special monocle handed by the Auction House Master and thetter took his seat before crossing the list of items written on the piece of scroll.


    *Knock* Knock* Knock*


    The series of knocks on the door interrupted their concentration for a moment. Wang Zhongwei thought that it was another seller who was there to take his money and spoke loudly, asking them to enter the room.


    The adventurers moved to the side to not disturb the proceedings. Little did either of them expect Mark to enter the room with the White-d armor Knight, who made a great impression on them with his fighting skills during the challenge round.


    Even Wang Zhongwei couldn''t help but quickly stand up on his feet to greet them with a bow, "Lord Lu¡­"


    "I wish to talk with you privately."

 Chapter 499 The Grand Auction (part-10)

    Chapter 499 The Grand Auction (part-10)


    The adventures hurriedly left the room without bothering to count everything.


    They might not be aware of Mark''s true identity but they know that Eol is from the same room as the Supreme Beings.


    The fact that they couldn''t sense anything from Mark only put more fear in their hearts.


    As a result, Wang Zhongwei and Mark found themselves alone in the chancery with Eol guarding the door from the outside to make sure no onees and disturb by ident.


    Meanwhile, the Auction House Master was filled with shock as he heard Mark''s new request.


    He neither epted it right away nor rejected it.


    Instead, he stayed there in silence for a while as if he was pondering on it.


    Unable to bear the silence for a very long time, Azzy broke it by asking him, "Is there a problem? I believe the items I have described are heaven-defying enough to bypass the established rules and make an exception."


    "Ah, no. It''s just that I have to talk with Elder Xin. Without her consent, it is not possible and Void Temple''s Elders are too strict with their rules," replied the Auction House Master while slowly ncing at Mark''s face to check his expression.


    The overly calm expression on Mark scared him even more.


    However, thankfully for him, Mark didn''t take it as offense and instead said, "Arrange a meeting with Ms. Xin, right now. I will talk to her."


    Mark let out a fake smile as he took out the two items he nned to add to the auction.


    "Certainly," Wang Zhongwei hurriedly took out hismunication talisman to converse with the Void Temple''s representative.


    After a while, Xin Rui entered the room and Wang Zhongwei stood outside, alongside Eol.


    Xin Rui was aware of Mark''s friendship with the Supreme Beings but her words didn''t contain any ounce of politeness.


    She treated him just like the others.


    "So, what is it that you want to talk about?" She looked at him coldly with a mild displeasure on her face.


    Mark let out a fake smile as he took out the two items he nned to add to the auction.


    While Xin Rui was indeed surprised by the items, she remained uncooperative, "Look, Mr. Lu, they might be special but you are merely using our auction as the medium to sell to others." Her tone was firm and her eyes were fixed on Mark''s face as she continued, "Even if you sell them for a billion gold coins, we will still get 50 million as our cut at most. Certainly, the money is high but not to the extent to make favor on you."


    Mark narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a while, thinking, "So, you are ying this game of logic, huh? Fine, in that case, I''ll m the uno reverse on you."


    Making up his mind, Mark dragged the chair nearby and sat down, earning a frown from the other party, before he said, "Let''s not involve the Void Temple here. We shall talk about you, Ms. Xin Rui. Or should I call you, Lan Rui, the daughter of Lan Haoyu and Princess Tang Yejin?"


    Not only is Xin Rui''s frown deepened by his words, but even her own personal weapon is out.


    Pointing the saber at him, she almost growled, "Who the hell are you?"


    With a fake smile on his face, Mark replied as he crossed his legs, "I told you earlier, I''m Lu Zhen and I''m a weapon seller. But, we are not here to talk about my identity anyway. So, the daughter of Lan Haoyu, before we talk further, can you take this away? I don''t like pointy objects at my face."


    As she dismissed the saber and asked him to go on, he continued, "My offer is simple. You make an exception for me to put these two items into the next segment of the auction and I will help you with your revenge. Of course, I believe that revenge is more satisfactory when taken with own hands. Hence, I will not kill your enemies for you but you can count on my help to work behind the scenes and pave the road for you. What do you say? Ready to do a small favor to get big dividendster on?"


    "Eh?" Shock filled Xin Rui''s face.


    *


    After a while;


    The break was over and everyone settled down in their seats as the hosts came to the tform and introduced the next segment.


    Unlike the other two segments, the items that were about to be auctioned were disyed openly on the tform. It was a tradition followed by Void Temple and no one minded it.


    Along with the Battle robot and the three items from the challenge round, eight more items were ced in a line.


    "Hmm?" Mark couldn''t see his two items joined them. So, he thought they made it to the final three that were considered the most prestigious items of the auction. That means there is only one object that is on the same level as the other two? Mark couldn''t help but wonder what might be that item. After all, he could even see a couple of low-quality divine-grade items on the tform.


    Xin Rui then spoke, "The four items on the left need no further introduction. We''ll skip directly to the fifth."


    "The fifth item of this segment is a couple wear. They were specifically crafted by the Void Temple, just for this asion."


    ***Shrouded Nightshade Ensemble***


    For Him: Shadowstep Infiltrator Attire


    Crafted from nightshade fibers, this attire grants the wearer the ability to meld into shadows and move swiftly. It enhances the wearer''s stealth and provides a chance to evade attacks.


    For Her: Midnight Rose Enchantress Gown


    Woven with enchanted midnight roses, this gown bestows the wearer with the power to manipte shadows and create illusions. It enhances the wearer''s magical abilities.


    Couple''s Synergy:


    When the couple stands together, the Shadowstep Infiltrator Attire and Midnight Rose Enchantress Gownbine their shadowy powers. The couple gains heightened stealth, illusionary capabilities, and the ability to create a field of enchanted midnight roses for defensive and deceptive purposes.


    *


    As her words ended, both Shen Ling and Song Yue coincidentally spoke at the same time, "So beautiful." They were startled and looked at each other in surprise, leaving Mark in a dilemma as their gazes shifted toward him.


    While he only loves Song Yue out of his three fianc¨¦es, he knows that it is useless for someone like her with low cultivation. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And if he gives it to Shen Ling, it will probably disappoint Song Yue.


    Hence, Mark decided that he wouldn''t let them bid on this item and ignored their gazes.


    Meanwhile, Xin Rui moved on to the next item.


    ***Item no. 6: Sapphire Moonlight Mirror***


    Type: Artifact


    Description: This enchanted mirror reflects not the physical appearance but the true essence of individuals. It unveils hidden intentions, secrets, and emotions. This high-quality semi-divine item can also be used to trap reflections of magical attacks and redirect them back to the caster. The frame is adorned with sapphires that shimmer like moonlight.


    ***Item no. 7: Primordial Azure Phoenix Medallion***


    Type: Medallion


    Description: Housing a fragment of the soul of a primordial azure phoenix, this medallion grants the wearer control over the elemental forces of wind and water. This high-quality semi-divine item allows the summoning of typhoons, maniption of storms, and the power to transform into an azure phoenix for swift aerialbat.


    ***Item no. 8: Samsara Rebirth Lotus Seed***


    Type: Seed


    Description: This mystical lotus seed holds the power of samsara, granting the ability to reincarnate upon death. The user retains memories and experiences from previous lives, umting wisdom and strength with each rebirth. The seed blooms into a lotus upon sessful reincarnation.


    ***Item no. 9: Stormweaver''s Thunderstruck Gauntlets***


    Type: Gauntlets


    Description: Imbued with the power of thunderstorms, these gauntlets allow the wearer to harness and control lightning. Martial artists could deliver electrifying strikes, summon thunderclouds for cover, and channel lightning through their limbs for devastating close-quarterbat.


    ***Item no. 10: Thousand Petal Blossom Palm***


    Description: Focusing on rapid and precise strikes, this palm technique mimics the unfolding of a thousand petals. Martial artists could unleash a flurry of blows with unparalleled speed, overwhelming opponents with a seemingly endless barrage of attacks.


    "And now for the eleventh item, Seraph Dragon Bow; Crafted from sacred wood of the ancient seraph trees, found only in the ne of fire and ice, with its core made of an Ice Dragon''s eye, this amazing divine bow of Earth grade can shoot the arrows filled with the power of an Ice Dragon. While it can be handled by any warriors, due to its attribute, it is best in the hands of someone with an Ice attribute."


    VIP Box no. 8;


    "Markie, you have the Ice attribute,"mented Song Yue.


    Mark shook his head, "I don''t like conventional weapons."


    "Hmm, that''s true. You are cooler with guns," Song Yue nodded and gave anotherment.


    "I never expected your mom to have such a bubbly side to her. The one we know is quite different, right," James whispered to Steve, in English. Thetter nodded in agreement.


    Sylvandria who was sitting beside Mark had her ears perked up and she looked to the side, ncing behind her, "Mom?"


    "They sat at the back, maintaining a bit of distance from the others, quietly whispering to each other in confidence. Unbeknownst to them, Sylvandria understood theirnguage, courtesy of Zan Rong, Marina Zan, and Allen.


    Finding their conversation interesting, she paid a bit of attention to them.


    It was then Steve said, "Not just her demeanor, even her strength leaped bounds. She might have faced a heaven-defying moment that changed her personality along with her talent."


    "I hope we will be there to see that. Based on the timeline, we might have to return soon. Don''t develop any unnecessary affection for their past selves," replied James in a whisper.


    "I know that." Steve looked like he was slightly frustrated.


    "Timeline? Heaven-defying moment? What exactly are they talking about?" Sylvandria wondered.


    Mark, on the other hand, was too busy with either chatting with Song Yue and Shen Ling or focusing on the disyed items. He didn''t hear anything.


    Back at the tform;


    Xin Rui raised the sword hiding in its sheath to show everyone and grabbed the handle.


    "This next item is rmended for the sword users with a fire attribute." As soon as she took out the de from its sheath, fiery blue mes erupted from the sword and she quickly ced it back. "This next item is rmended for the sword users with a fire attribute." As soon as she took out the de from its sheath, fiery blue mes erupted from the sword and she quickly ced it back. "This Sky-grade weapon is called Inferno Blossom de, one of the masterpieces created by the Void Temple once again.


    Coming to its details, it is a fiery katana forged from titanium and adamantium with a seed of fire as its core. The de bursts into mes upon unsheathing, dealing both physical and fire damage. It is said that each strike releases the fury of the fire seed within the de."


    "Sky grade weapon?" In an instant, whisperings began in the VIP Boxes as well as in the spectator zone. Everyone was quite surprised to see a sky-grade weapon, which is not in the top 3.


    And one voice expressed it loudly, "A sky-grade weapon didn''t make it to the final 3 of your auction? I didn''t expect your backward realm to possess items of Heaven''s grade. Nevertheless, too bad that you came into my sight¡­"


    Followed by the voice, a figure floated out of VIP Box no. 48, the room adjacent to Qing Jie''s and the one that has yet to bid for a single item.


    With freckles all over his face, a silver-haired old man in white robes that have the symbol of the Sun engraved on both sides broke the most important rule of the auction, directlying down onto the tform through flying and that too when the Void Temple''s representative is introducing the items.


    Sensing nothing from him, Xin Rui acted quickly by sending all the disyed items back into their respective storage rings before collecting all of those storage rings in her storage ring.


    The old expert didn''tnd on the floor and stopped a few feet above, looking down at two of them, "I''m here to investigate the news of the holy beasts'' rebirth in this backward ce but didn''t expect to find a treasure."


    *Ding! You triggered an emergency quest.

 Chapter 500 Intrusion of an immortal

    Chapter 500 Intrusion of an immortal


    Xin Rui''s heart pounded as an uninvited presence jolted her senses. The stranger''s strength eluded her, fueling her unease. Swiftly reiming the items on disy, she unsheathed her own weapon, directing the gleaming saber toward the intruder. "Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. The intruder''s response was a mocking chuckle. "A cute weapon you''ve got there," he remarked, his tone dripping with amusement.


    He raised his index finger and pointed at her.


    A ray of scarlet light shot from his finger and struck her chest. She didn''t even see the attacking at her.


    But, the blood of the dragon inside her instinctively moved her body slightly aside. It missed her heart just by 2 millimeters and saved her from instant death.


    "Ho, that was some survival instinct you have there." The intruder, with a hint of surprise on his face, had acknowledged her evade. "For that, I will you a second chance to live. Hand over your storage rings."


    Meanwhile, at VIP BOX NO. 8;


    "Everyone, keep your aura suppressed," Mark gave quick orders as soon as he inspected the details of the intruder.


    "An immortal?" Sylvandria whispered to him.


    Mark nodded, "Yes, but not exactly. It seems his realm was suppressed to only demigod realm."


    "Hmm, I guess that is natural," Sylvandria nodded in agreement, "An immortal in the mortal ne of existence will unnecessarily attract the attention of the guardian deity."


    Mark remembered the figure that had given him the ancient holy beasts and disappeared without any trace. He promised to deliver all the adamantium avable in the mortal ne but has yet to hand over even the first installment.


    "Anyway, it''s best to exercise caution. He is not the type of enemy we want to fight right now." Mark further warned them not to hesitate to escape when things go out of hand.


    Sylvandria was quite surprised by Mark''s words. She couldn''t help but ask, "Are you the same Lu Zhen as the one I met at our home?"


    Mark looked at her with a grim face and answered, "I didn''t have anything to lose back then. Now, I have so much to lose. There''s no need to put myself to risk on¡­"


    "Argh¡­" The scream from the center of the field interrupted their conversation. As Mark turned his head aside, he saw the intruder grabbing the throat of Wang Zhongwei, the Auction House Master.


    It wasn''t just throat-grabbing. As every second passed away, the legendary realm expert had his life force rapidly absorbed by the intruder.


    Eventually, in the span of four mere seconds, all that was left was the dried flesh of Wang Zhongwei. Along with the life force, it looked like the water and the blood contained in his body was also sucked away.


    *Thud*


    The Auction House Master fell to the ground and Xin Rui was seen shivering in fear. It wasn''t a manifestation of her own fear; it was more like the dragon bloodline inside her that was afraid of the enemy. Dragons were supposed to be fiercest but they are intelligent enough to judge who is an insignificant ant and who the behemoth is. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Having just defeated the Auction House Master, the intruder locked eyes with Xin Rui, his expression icy. As he advanced, Xin Rui, calm but cautious, slowly brought out all the hidden storage rings from her own stash. Picture it like she''s pulling these magical rings out of thin air, one by one, showing her control over these mysterious objects. The intruder watched, silent, as she revealed her collection, a quiet but powerful demonstration of her abilities.


    "Good." The intruder smiled with a nod. "I hope everything is there. If I find out that there is something wrongter on, then¡­"


    "Then, what?" A voice interrupted him before a blinding sh of light appeared on the field. Amidst the chaos, terrified onlookers halted in their escape. Their gaze was fixated on the scene where a regr-looking teenager stood beside a girl. She had dragon wings and horns, like a mythical creaturee to life. The hushed whispers spread through the crowd as they witnessed this surreal pairing, the boy and the dragon-like girl, a living tableau amidst the fleeing masses.


    "Your eminence?" Xin Rui''s astonishment mirrored in her wide eyes, mirroring the shock of the departing guests and those who had confidence in the Void Temple''s might. The room buzzed with a shared sense of surprise, a collective gasp echoing through the once-confident crowd.


    The dragon girl nced at her back, "You are the representative? Reaching the 8-circle realm at such a young age is indeed an achievement. Not bad for my descendant."


    Xin Rui''s heart rate increased further when she heard those words. With a simple nce from this girl, she felt like her secret was out, "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­"


    As she was looking for words of excuse, the teenage boy bickered with her with an unsightly expression, "That''s your young master''s descendant, you indecent woman. You never gave birth to anyone. It was his bloodline running through her veins."


    "Hey, you brat. Mind some manners, will ya? You have forgotten who brought you to this world when you were just a pup? I practically raise you even though you are not one of us," The dragon girl argued back.


    "Yeah, right." The boy snorted, "You gave word to my father to bring me alongside your young master to a safe location. It was your duty to protect us, but you abandoned us to fend for ourselves in a jungle full of beasts when he was a baby and I was only two years old and ran off to rule some forest in the primitivend. Talk about disobedience and oath-breaking¡­"


    "You ungrateful brat¡­" the dragon girl''s face reddened in embarrassment and anger. She opened her mouth widely and chomped on his head, but couldn''t hurt him a bit.


    Xin Rui''s face paled as she fell on her butt.


    With his head entirely inside her mouth, the boy then raised his hands and grabbed her horns, trying to break them with brute force.


    The intruder stood bewildered, his focus stolen by the absurd sight of the interrupting clowns. Instead of confronting him, they bickered among themselves, creating a chaotic scene.


    "Hehehe¡­ hehehe¡­ hahahaha"


    Evilughter burst from him, filling the coliseum and forcing a pause in their brawl.

 Chapter 501 Ambushing the immortal realm warrior.

    Chapter 501 Ambushing the immortal realm warrior.


    All eyes turned toward him. With a sinister grin, he used, "You filthy beasts think you can mock me, huh? How dare you?" The air hung heavy with tension as his words cut through the chaotic moment.


    His earlier amusement turned into anger in a split second and his cultivation no longer stayed suppressed.


    The two teenagers also became serious and the dragon girl was quick to unleash a barrier over the field and locked the space.


    "Aren''t your world supposed to be in a mortal ne? Isn''t this a ce with thin natural energy? Why are these powerful beings popping up one after another?" Sylvandria, utterly baffled, appeared on the verge of a breakdown. Her usualposure crumbled, reced by a visible state of confusion and distress.


    Mark turned serious as he responded, "Two of the six demigods of this world, the Bloodhill''s Dragon Emperor and the Beast Empire''s Werewolf Lord." After a brief pause, he added, "I just never expected the ruler of the Bloodhill forest is also the founder of Void Temple, and over 2000 years old."


    "She is a woman though. Shouldn''t she be called a Dragon Empress instead?" Eol butted in the middle of a conversation, earning a re from Mark and Sylvandria at the same time as if they were asking whether it is the right time to joke or something.


    "Hehe¡­ You both continue." Letting out an awkwardugh, Eol stayed silent. Mark became a spectator to watch them battle. It would be nice if the enemy gets defeated but it doesn''t matter if turns out the other way. The only thing he wishes is that this shouldn''t be a one-sided battle. Only that way, he can be confident enough to tackle them in the near or far future.


    After a while;


    In the arena, the Dragon Emperor and the Werewolf Lord shed fiercely with an immortal from another realm. The air crackled with the intensity of theirbat, each blow and exchange echoing through the space. The arena became a battleground, where these powerful beings collided in a struggle that transcended realms.


    The Dragon Emperor and the Werewolf Lord hadn''t unleashed their real power yet, but in the ongoing fight with the immortal, it was clear that none had the upper hand. They seemed evenly matched, each one countering the other''s moves in a bnced struggle.


    In the midst of the sh, Mark observed the perfectly bnced exchange of attacks. It left him questioning which side, if any, was restraining their full strength. The collective assault effortlessly nullified the immortal''s attacks, leaving no substantial energy aftermath. It was as if theirbined efforts seamlessly countered every move, creating a field where the immortal''s influence dissipated without leaving a trace of released energy.


    The immortal doesn''t have any reason to hold back unless he is trying to y with them.


    On the other hand, the demigod beasts have every reason to hold back their strength in case they are stronger because of the fear of coteral damage. It is also why a barrier was ced beforehand. However, could two demigods be able to overpower an immortal? Well, theoretically, it could be possible as they were emperor-grade beasts, but their opponent is someone who lived for more than eighty thousand years.


    What are their odds of overwhelmingly winning against such a veteran who is likely to have extensive battle experience?


    Mark observed, unable to draw a conclusion. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Eol, in contrast, absorbed every bit of knowledge from the battle.


    Thedies and other onlookers felt at ease, relieved by the absence of destruction.


    This sentiment resonated among several VIP guests as well. Theck of chaos brought a collective sense of calm to the spectators.


    If there is someone who is the most nervous, it is Xin Rui who is trapped inside the barrier with no way to escape.


    She could only stand in the corner, trying her best not to end up as coteral damage.


    After exchanging a barrage of punches, kicks, and energy attacks, the immortal''s face seemed flushed. From the ears to the neck, a shade of red seems to be painted over the region. He was also taking heavy breaths.


    "Hmm, it looks like the beasts have the upper hand. Anyway, it looks like I will have to act faster before he escapes," Mark came to a conclusion based on the expression the immortal has as a battle came to a standstill for a few seconds. The two demigods, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm and didn''t even break a sweat at all.


    The frustrated immortal finally summoned his weapon, an exquisite bow of low-quality divine grade, earning bursts ofughter from the demigod beasts.


    "Phuahahaha" "Pfft¡­"


    "Look at this viin, summoning an earth-grade weapon to fight us" "No wonder he attempted to rob us. He has the strength butcks fortune." "Of course, he alsocks the personality of an expert." "Yeah, he tries to bully weak but when met with his match, he was taking external support"


    "A pity" "A pity indeed"


    The immortal''s frustration only deepened by their mockingments, "I''ll kill you all."


    His voice echoed throughout the coliseum as if a god was decreeing the judgment.


    "Nokthar vaerthos, Yulthran Kyrran, Vothran''dar, King Yan''sharaan."


    He pulled the string taut, pouring all his strength into it. Between his fingertips, a dark energy materialized, taking shape as he continued chanting in an unfamiliarnguage.


    "Yrath''delos mor''kranthar, Shaylthos, Yan''duur amarthar.


    Vranthir kalthar, nalthar kyor, Yan''shaeroth, amaranth kyror.


    Thylnor shandor, Yan''shaelis lyrr, Kynthraeth maloth, nythraeth tyr.


    Yan''vr, krathos kyr''thalis, Kyrnolthar, Yan''shae''lynthalis."


    The ck energy arrow was almost formed between his fingertips while the two demigod beasts unleashed doubleyered energy barrier-like walls.


    The immortal didn''t stop and continued.


    "Shyrtholn kyrr, Yan''sharaan''goreth¡­"


    He was nearly done, about 90% through his spell when, out of nowhere, the ceiling disintegrated into dust. A yellow lightning bolt struck him directly on the head, catching himpletely off guard.


    He turned into ash in an instant, stunning the entire arena into silence.


    However, it didn''t impact the beasts as much as one thought it would did, "The power of a Saint. It''s the guardian," The Werewolf lord opinioned with a smirk.


    "What a fool," remarked the Dragon Emperor of Bloodhill, shaking his head. "Showing off immortal realm power and relying on a divine weapon. Lord Yuqiang, the guardian of the ne, won''t let that pass." The Dragon Emperor nodded in agreement with the sentiment.


    In the stands, the remaining spectators cheered for their saviors. Some guests showed appreciation by pping, and a few went as far as bowing in gratitude. Others, however, acted like nothing out of the ordinary had urred.


    The atmosphere in VIP BOX number 8, on the other hand, is different.


    Sylvandria, Eol, and the two teenage supreme beings gazed at Mark in disbelief. While the rest of the audience might be clueless, these four had witnessed the event firsthand. The astonishment lingered in their dazed expressions.


    However, Mark himself didn''t seem like he was pleased by the act.


    The reason?


    On the holographic screen, there was a notification from the system.


    *Ding! Youpleted the Emergency Quest, Kill the intruder. Click to receive the rewards.


    *Ding! Your soul is marked by a God realm cultivator. "Lu Zhen, you are a Saint?" Sylvandria couldn''t help but ask him in shock.

 Chapter 502 The Grand Auction (part-11)

    Chapter 502 The Grand Auction (part-11)


    Mark shot a re, a silent ''Are you kidding me?'' Sylvandria promptly backtracked, stating, "Of course, you''re not. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be drama back in our homnd. Plus, there''s no way the Heavenly Pce would allow you to stay in the mortal ne." Her words rified the situation, retracting the initial doubt. "Heavenly pce?" Mark looked at her, asking for rification.


    The rest stayed curious as Sylvandria exined, "It''s a decree from the Heavenly Pce, governing the universe. Saints are forbidden from entering the mortal ne because their existence poses a threat to us. A Saint could supposedly end all life on a by absorbing its life force." Her words shed light on the gravity of the decree, emphasizing the danger Saints represented to mortal life.


    "Hmm¡­ that''s interesting," Mark ced his attention on her to clear the one doubt that''s troubling him for the past few minutes, "Say, Sylvandria, why do you think the immortal couldn''t defeat two demigods, earlier?"


    Sylvandria was slightly surprised by his question but she still answered him, thinking that he was merely questioning her to test her knowledge, "I think the main culprit here are the worldws. Since he is not a native of this world, there''s already enough suppression of his attacks. As they were Beast emperors, both of them could already hold an immortal on their own. By working together, they blocked the immortal''s attack without a problem. I think they were also worried about killing him as it would bring unwanted attention from the higher nes. After all, an immortal will have some powerful force backing them. And such people often leave marks on their killers. If their killers are marked¡­" Sylvandria stopped talking in the middle of realization and let out a gasp, "You must be marked. Let''s return to the Ixitus Empire. There, my sessor can perform the ritual to bring the blessings of our God to you and remove the mark."


    "Nah, it is fine," Mark waved his hand and returned his attention to the holographic screen.


    He clicked on the first notification.


    *Ding! Choose the reward:


    (A) Ether versions of Pistol, Revolver, semiautomatic Handgun, Shotgun, Assault Rifle


    (B) Ether Sniper rifle, Ether Grenade (all types), Ether Grenade Launcher (C) Ether Machine Guns: SMG, LMG, MMG, and HMG


    (D) Exoskeleton suit-VIII


    "There''s nothing to think here¡­"


    Mark didn''t even hesitate a second to choose his reward, "System, I choose¡­" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    *Ding! All grades of Ether machine guns have been unlocked. Check out the Gallery for details.


    Regardless of what type of machine gun it was, the prices were surprisingly identical. Bronze Ether weapon ¨C 100 gold coins


    Silver Ether weapon¨C 500 gold coins


    Gold Ether weapon ¨C 2500 gold coins


    tinum Ether weapon ¨C 250,000 gold coins Diamond Ether weapon ¨C 2,500,000 gold coins


    Crystal Ether weapon ¨C 10 million gold coins


    Ruby Ether weapon ¨C 40 million gold coins


    Mythril Ether weapon ¨C 400 million gold coins


    Celestial Ether weapon ¨C 16 Billion gold coins


    God Ether weapon ¨C 6400 billion gold coins


    ***


    "6.4 trillion? Well, I''m not surprised anymore. System gives me around 100 million credits (500 million gold coins) for a celestial-grade weapon but buying one cost over 16 billion. Talk about hyperintion¡­"


    *Ding! System''s weapons are absolutely perfect without any ws. They are a hundred or thousand times better than any weapon created by any cksmith. Even the God of cksmith, Zhiyi, was not a match.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever¡­" Mark was already immune to its bullshit fairness talk every time it shows inted prices.


    He felt like buying an army of Rank-10 robots would be a better dealpared to buying one Ether weapon from a God grade. Unlocking would cost him 50 billion gold coins and then buying each one would cost 5 billion.


    Even in a hypothetical scenario of having 6.4 trillion gold coins, which could only be earned by selling the traditional weapons back to the system, Mark could still buy more than 25000 Rank-9 robots, capable of controlling hundreds of worlds with ease. But, he cannot reach the apex.


    On the other hand, the God-grade weapon would let him even kill the deities but only when the wielder should also be in God''s realm. Weaker people cannot unt such weapons in front of Gods or else, they will only meet a tragic fate.


    Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages, but, since Mark is not a warrior who wants to challenge the gods but a businessman who wants to spread firearms everywhere he goes, it is clear to him which path is better to take.


    Furthermore, he already has one god-grade weapon. He just needs to repair it and it will be enough.


    "Anyway, System, seeing how the people bidding for the items, I think from now onwards, you will have to bring up better deals to trade the traditional ether weapons. I hope you are prepared for it."


    While the spectators and many guests that ran away haven''t returned to their seats, the Auction resumed on the orders of the Dragon girl.


    *Ding! The system''s offer is always fair, dear host. If the Host wants a better deal, then, he should prepare weapons of atleast Celestial grade.


    "Yeah, I will do that¡­"


    After an hour;


    While the spectators and many guests that ran away haven''t returned to their seats, the Auction resumed on the orders of the Dragon girl.


    Mark was quite worried about the price reduction of his items due to lesspetition but didn''t expect the wealthy would be more aggressive instead. The arrival of an immortal only increased their fear of life even more.


    Rather than some heaven-defying weapon, they needed a life-saving treasure or a loyal bodyguard who doesn''t leave their side and atleast upy the enemy''s attention while they escape.


    What''s better than a robot that could fulfill those tasks?


    Battle Robot-VIII was auctioned as the fourth item with 10 million gold coins as the minimum price. However, the bidding war went on for atleast an hour.


    "440 million" The Imperial Prince of Dragon Empire raised the paddle. He was hell-bent on acquiring this bodyguard.


    "450 million"


    The secondpetitor in the race was the 17-year-old, Yu Tiajin. Mark didn''t expect his father to possess so much wealth. "460 million"


    The third and finalpetitor for this item was a mysterious blonde girl named Li Na. No one heard of her and this was the first time she was also participating in bidding. Surprisingly, she was alone in the VIP Box no. 33, and her cultivation level only looked like she was in a 5-circle.


    "520 million," The young prince raised the paddle, after taking some time to think.


    There were another 30-40 seconds of silence before Li Na raised the paddle, "580 million"


    Yu Tiajin didn''t raise the paddle for the third time in a row. Has he given up? The spectators wondered.


    "530 million," The Prince didn''t give up yet. However, this time, he took more than two minutes before raising the paddle.


    For thisst segment, there were 5 minutes of time per bid, once it crossed 100 million.


    "540 million" "550 million" "560 million" "570 million" "580 million"


    "590 million," After raising the paddle, the Imperial Prince further stated, "Miss, this is my final bid."


    Hundreds of eyes turned toward the lone girl sitting in the VIP Box. She appeared to be taking her time and consulting someone.


    It was at this moment Xin Rui announced, "600 million, Box no. 19."


    "Eh?" People were taken aback by the reentry of Yu Tiajin.


    Li Na''s face turned from surprise to anger. She clenched his fist tightly for a couple of seconds before she let out a sigh and shook her head.

 Chapter 503 The Grand Auction (part-12)

    Chapter 503 The Grand Auction (part-12)


    Five minutes of silenceter;


    "Time''s up. 600 million once, twice, sold."


    "Congrattions, Mr. Yu Tiajin on winning the item no. 4, Battle Robot-VIII."


    VIP BOX NO.19;


    "Yes, I probably paid all the inheritance in my name but it was worth it," mumbled the 17-year-old, "ording to the rules, I only need to pay 20% amount to keep it reserved for me. I can just sell everything and get the remaining amount. 30 days is enough for such a thing anyway. With that said, let''s end my participation here¡­"


    VIP BOX No. 8;


    "Yes¡­ it is 600 million. It was sold higher than our expectations, Markie," Song Yue hugged his arm tightly in happiness. It was as if she had forgotten about the intrusion of an immortal.


    "Congrattions," Sylvandria wasn''t a materialistic person. Hence, even such a huge amount didn''t shake her heart, but at the very least, she was happy for her man.


    "I knew it." Shen Ling clenched her fist, "My choice is correct." She thought in her head.


    As for Mark, he was also celebrating like the rest for selling a product 60 times its creation price, but he kept his feelings in his heart and merely smiled. In the eyes of his fianc¨¦es, he was only a weapon seller who gets 10-20%mission, not the one who manufactured them. He shouldn''t show too much happiness. Xin Rui, on the other hand, couldn''t help but sigh in her heart for she knew what was about toe in a couple of hours and continued with her job.


    "Now, onto the next item."


    "Item no. 5: Shrouded Infiltrator attire, for couple."


    "The item minimum price is 1,000,000 gold coins and the bid raise is 100,000"


    "13 million once, twice, sold" "Congrattions, Mr. Qing Jie on winning item no. 5, Shrouded Infiltrator attire"


    "49 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Ms. Li Na on winning item no. 6, Sapphire Moonlight mirror"


    "72 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Ms. Li Na on winning item no. 7, Primordial Azure Phoenix Medallion"


    "340 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Mr. Rong Huang on winning item no. 8, Samsara Rebirth Lotus Seed"


    "26 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Ms. Li Na on winning item no. 9, Stormweaver''s Thunderstruck Gauntlets"


    "28 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Ms. Li Na on winning item no. 6, Thousand Petal Blossom Palm"


    "Now for the item no. 11. Behold the Seraph Dragon Bow. I have told you before but I will remind everyone once again. This is a Sky grade weapon. Even if you search the entire world, there will be less than twenty of such weapons."


    Xin Rui tried to entice the wealthy bidders to spend even more, as she was hoping to see the bidding cross 200 million once again. But the reality often disappoints your expectations.


    Half an hourter;


    "130 million, once, twice, sold" "Congrattions Ms. Li Na on winning item no. 10, Seraph Dragon Bow"


    There was a hint of disappointment in Xin Rui''s voice but thinking that she already proved enough to sell items ofbined worth nearly 1.5 billion gold coins already, she moved on to finish the auction by taking out the next item.


    "Now for the final three. Behold the twelfth item of the segment, The Intelligence Augment Pill."


    She raised her hand above her head to showcase the ck-colored oval-shaped pill lying on her palm.


    "This is the one of the final items?" The majority had the same thought.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Imperial Dragon Pce;


    "Not interested"


    The acting emperor was seen sitting on his throne in shock as those two words echoed in his ears over and over.


    "Why? Why? Why?" Tang Yifan was frustrated by the rejection from his ancestor, who refused to help him in taking down Mark and others even after he said that thetter killed one of the former Emperors.


    The reason?


    Well, it wasn''t given by the founder of the Empire and just asked him to leave.


    Tang Yifan wasn''t the type to back down. He was one of those types who would be obsessed with achieving the goal at all costs, once decided on it.


    Furthermore, after receiving the message from his brother about Mark''s attendance at the Auction and his rejection of Rong Huang''s invitation during the lunch break, Tang Yifan''s determination to capture Mark has increased even more.


    After much thinking, he pulled out themunication scroll from his right sleeve and lit it up before recording his voice message, "Supreme Commander Qiu, I need you to do a job for me. Assassinate the Imperial Sovereign''s granddaughter and grandson-inw and then ry their news of death to him. Make sure that Lu Zhen will take the me. That will be enough to trigger his rage."


    Putting away the scroll, Tang Yifan muttered under his breath with a cold gaze, "In case, his strength wasn''t enough, I need to drag that ancestor of mine to the battle. So, Lu Zhen should be attacked in the middle of the city. Once there are heavy civilian losses, he will surely be forced toe and battle Lu Zhen''s Supreme Beings. I don''t want to do this but for the sake of the greater good, some sacrifices are necessary."


    ***


    On a small, scorching in the ne of fire and ice, a mere 1400 km in radius, the intense heat was only surpassed by the density of natural energy, three thousand times that of other ces. Amidst the fieryndscape, a man engaged in an extraordinary battle with a winged horse that breathed moltenva. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The rocky terrain echoed with the sh of elements¡ªheat waves shimmering in the air as rivers ofva flowed, creating a hazardous backdrop. The man seemed less like a warrior and more like someone attempting to forge a connection with the untamed creature.


    As he faced the Lava Pegasus, dozens of fiery threads of energy surged from his palms. Each thread danced in the air, forming a web of energy that sought to ensnare the creature. The battle unfolded like a dance of mes and shadows, the man''s movements deliberate and fluid, trying to dominate the wild spirit of the Lava Pegasus.


    The air crackled with the intensity of their encounter. The man, with arrogance etched across his face, gradually began to gain control over the fiery beast. Thetter was seen struggling. "Now, easy there, Inferno Pegasus. Put your pride aside and be my partner. I''ll help you avenge your n."


    *Neigh* Neigh* The threads of energy wrapped around the creature, as firm restraints, intending to show that there was no way for it to escape. The more it struggled, the more the threads of energy tightened over it.


    Theva spewing from the Pegasus'' wings gradually subsided, reced with the sign of tiredness.


    As the Lava Pegasus bowed its head to the man, thetter caressed its mane as he said, "Your name will be Pyro henceforth."


    *neigh*


    Riding on top of the Lava Pegasus, the man flew into the sky until he reached a portal with a man in ck robes waiting for him.


    "See, I told you, Yu Ra. I can tame this beast if I put my mind to it," bragged the man.


    His subordinate responded to hisment with a different topic, "Your Highness received a summoning from the General. It seems our warrior who visited the mortal ne ended up dead."


    "Dead?" the man furrowed his brows. "How?"


    "Heavenly Thunder, but it was invoked by a mortal, who was now marked."

 Chapter 504 The Grand Auction (part-13)

    504 The Grand Auction (part-13)


    Meanwhile, at the Auction House, Xin Rui revealed the properties of the pill in her hand, "This pill is from a trusted source but we cannot reveal its origins. However, what we can tell you is that swallowing this pill will raise your cultivation level by one, permanently. Even a legendary realm warrior will be a supreme realm expert just by swallowing this pill. There will be no wall, side effects, or whatever. But the catch here is that it only works on those professions that work on magic, such as Mages, summoners, Dungeon creators, etc¡­ The best way of using it is to give this pill to a peak stage legendary realm Mage so that he/she bes a Supreme Being instantly. Please do note that this doesn''t work on Supreme Beings or above realms, not that it is worth mentioning but still¡­


    Anyway, this item without any grade has a minimum price of 100 million gold coins. Each raise is 10 million. Just like every time, the final three items have a reserve period of 1 year and a reserve price of 10%. This time, we are reducing the reserve price to a mere 5%. With that said, let the bidding begin.


    A series of paddles were raised in the air.


    The guests who weren''t actively participating in earlier bids also participated now. Most of them didn''t even have the minimum amount but they were willing to win this, keeping their hopes on the reserved item system of Void Temple. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    How does this work?


    Well, the Void Temple will pay the sellers the full amount of the winning bid from their pockets.


    On the other hand, they will take reserve fees from the winners and keep them in the vault for a period of time.


    If the winneres with the remaining amount in time, they get to im the item. Or else, the amount they paid to reserve the item will be gone into Void Temple aspensation.


    Then, the item will make its way to the next Grand Auction.


    Several times, the bidders fell for this scheme and lost millions but they kept falling for it because none of those winners had a weak background. Such people often have the confidence to aplish difficult feats, which seems absurd tomon people.


    Just like that, the miracle pill of cultivation has garnered toughpetition from the guests. Unfortunately, Yu Tiajin, Rong Huang, and Li Na, the ones who spent too much during the previous biddings, were out of thepetition.


    Hence, it didn''t go as far as the Battle Robot-VIII but went just close enough to increase Mark''s heartbeat. Hispanions, on the other hand, have no idea about this item. They remained calm. Shen Ling evenmented that there''s so much economic disparity there in Dragon Empire that she was feeling angry and envious at the same time. "520 million, once, twice, sold"


    "Congrattions, Tang Weimin on winning item no. 12, The Intelligence Augmentation Pill"


    ***


    "Coming to the second of the final three, we introduce the Battle Robot-VIII once again. Its abilities arepletely identical to item no. 4." Xin Rui shocked the VIPs by taking out the robot once again. Pointing her hand to the robot standing still beside her, she said, "Originally, they were supposed to be sold as a set of two, but as the unique item that needs evidence of its strength to prove, we had to send one to the challenging round, of course with the consent of its seller.


    We shall put the minimum price on this item at 100 million, the same as the previous item.


    VIP BOX No.12;


    "F**k thisdy¡­" The Prince couldn''t control his anger this time. "She made me spend so much on other items. Now, I have to spend hundreds of millions on this? What to do? What to do¡­ The earlier item will be enough to satisfy that brother of mine. In fact, I don''t need to participate anymore as the next item belongs to our family. But¡­"


    He fell into a dilemma, not being able to decide. In the meantime, the bidding war started among those who were too desperate to win a big item as they had money but couldn''t win so far. With three major yers out of the race and the remaining might focus on the final item, they felt like they should win this penultimate bidding war. In fact, during the next thirty minutes, several meetings happened between these individuals to acquire others'' money as a loan.


    Tang Weimin, in the end, joined the race as it crossed 300 million.


    This bidding war went the longest. It was already evening eight by the time the leading bid entered 700 million.


    Mark was trying his best to control his feelings but one could see the illusion of gold coins instead of his pupils as he intensely stared at thepetition.


    "840 once, twice, sold"


    "Congrattions, Tang Weimin on winning item no. 13, Battle Robot-VIII"


    Yu Tiajin raised his fist in excitement and shouted, "Haha, that''s a 200 million loss for you, Prince Tang." He clearly mocked the prince, who looked like his entire life force was just drained from his body. Tang Weimin looked so pale at the moment and he could barely let out augh. "Hehe¡­ whatever¡­ the money will be retrieved once our item will be sold."


    *p*


    "Now, thest item of the auction."


    For this item, she didn''t directly take it out of the ring and grab it in her hand.


    Instead, she ced the ring on the floor and then poured her ether energy into the storage ring.


    Amid the expectations of the appearance of Heaven grade divine item (Celestial grade), an iron box, the size of a Jewelry box that has ornaments, appeared on the ground, taking everyone by surprise.


    "It''s an unnamed Indestructible Box. As the name suggests, this box made of unknown material is practically indestructible. Since weck immortals and above-realm warriors, we are not sure about its durability, but at the very least, not even the strongestbined attack of the Dragon n''s founder and those two who you have witnessed earlier could put a scratch on this box.


    Another usage of this box is that it is estimated to weigh over one billion kilograms. Whether you are fast enough to defend the attacks from your enemies or not, you can still kill the opponents with a m or a throw. "Hmm?"


    Mark activated his Eye of God in curiosity.


    "What in the¡­"

 Chapter 505 The Grand Auction (final)

    505 The Grand Auction (final)


    Unnamed


    Owner: N/A


    Grade: N/A


    Description: This unnamed box was forged by melting down a number of Voidstones, a unique material that only grows in the Banished realm or the Void realm at the pace of 1 millimeter every 834,996 years. Due to their nullification properties, the box is nearly indestructible against the attack of any force under 15-circle (Elder God realm).


    Weakness: The box is weak against forces such as Protos energy, anti-matter, Natural energy, pure divine energy, and Chaos energy.


    Contents: It contains one of two keys to the Heavenly Pce''s treasury. In the battle against the Chaos Lord, the Jade emperor lost his key to the cosmos, drifting in space for hundreds of millions of years.


    Effect: The Box is immune to attacks and also weighs roughly 1.32 billion kg on the current.


    ***


    *Ding! You triggered an emergency quest.


    Quest: Acquire the Unnamed Box and submit it to the system.


    Reward: Voidstones (unlock), M999 Minigun, Rare material purchase (unlock), Upgrade crystal (superior), Credit limit increases to 2 billion.


    "Hmm?" A look of surprise appeared on Mark''s face. He went into quick analysis, "I never heard of the M999 model Minigun but seeing the other rewards, it looks like a high-grade one. Something is indeed fishy. Furthermore, my 189k credit limit is directly increased by 2,000,000%?"


    "With this, the system would no longer charge me high interest as my loan amount in the future wouldn''t go out of credit limit. Perhaps, I would, anyway¡­ the auction has already started. Let''s think about thister and focus on the auction, right now. I wonder how high this bid will go."


    "160 million" "170 million" "180 million" "190 million"


    "200 million, Box no. 14," announced Xin Rui. She added, "From now onwards, the bid raise will be 20 million. Bids please¡­"


    This was the special privilege of the final item. Its bidding raise amount will change after 200 million, 500 million, and 1 billion, not that this item will attract such high bid because of its unknown properties and high bids already urring four times already and forced several big yers out of the race.


    "220 million" "240 million" "260 million"¡­ "340 million" "360 million" "380 million"¡­


    Three bidders were in the race, which reduced to two after 300 million. But, it went at a snail''s pace. For every bid raised, there was so much discussion happening among the bidder and their respective associates.


    "440 million" "460 million" "480 million"


    "500 million, Box no. 22," Xin Rui made another announcement, "from now onwards, the bid raise will be 50 million, and the timeout is 10 minutes. Bids please¡­"


    VIP Box no. 14;


    "Lord Mu, I think you should give up," The attendant of Mu Tianlong advised his master, who was about to raise the paddle.


    Mu Tianlong furrowed his brows in displeasure, "But, why? Don''t you think the elders will find this thing interesting?"


    "550 million gold coins is no joke, Lord Mu," replied the servant. He further exined, "To get 400 million, we had to give away a bunch of Earth-grade weapons to the Azure Cloud Pavilion. If this goes any longer, we have to sell more. It is not worth spending much. Just think about it for once."


    Mu Tianlong, who appeared to be an Exalt realm cultivator on the surface, fell into deep thoughts.


    Eventually, he raised the paddle as he said, "Not a problem, Fu Ruyi. We have more in our n treasury anyway. If we go empty-handed, my brothers would make fun of me." "550 million, Box no. 14" Xin Rui announced the bid, taking the remaining bidder by surprise.


    He didn''t have the time to react to the bid raise and Xin Rui made another announcement, almost in just ten seconds, "600 million, Box no. 8."


    Box no. 8 became quite famous for winning several battles in challenging rounds and the presence of supreme beings. After the whole intrusion incident, people had actually forgotten about them, many of them thinking that the supreme beings had fled as they could no longer sense their presence.


    Shen Ling''s joining as the bidder for the final item reminded them of her existence. While they were no longer aware of whether the three supreme beings were still there or not, at the very least, they remembered the name, Shen Ling as she aggressively bid under Mark''s instructions without taking too much time.


    "650 million" "700 million"


    "750 million" "800 million"


    Neither Mark nor Mu Tianlong stopped their bidding, even after it reached a record-breaking price. One was doing it toplete the mission while the other wanted to protect his pride in front of his nsmen.


    "850 million" "900 million"


    "950 million" "1 billion"


    In the end, Mu Tianlong withdrew and let Shen Ling win it, making the unnamed box the costliest item of this auction.


    "Congrattions, Shen Ling on winning the item for 1 billion gold coins."


    As Xin Rui announced her as the winner, the imperial prince of the Tang Dynasty mumbled, "Who could have expected that our treasure would end up in his hands of Lu Zhen, of all the people in the world? Since this guy did give a lot of money, worth more than that entire Vermillion bird continent, let''s do a small favor on my part by not informing this piece of news to Eldest Brother. He has yet to send any news regarding the founder, anyway."


    Meanwhile, at Box no. 14, Mu Tianlong''s face turned serious as he ordered his servant, "Fu Ruyi, it appears that there is something more to this item than it meets the eye. Or else, no one would be so stubborn to acquire it at such a price, and that too, someone from this backward realm. I want it now at all costs."


    The old man in standard butler robes answered, "Lord Mu, it is Box no. 8, the one with three supreme beings."


    "I know," Mu Tianlong nodded. "But, you have seen their actions earlier. Forget about attacking the immortal realm cultivator, even when he suppressed his aura to the demigod realm, but they even suppressed their auras to stay hidden. They were clearly not risk-takers. Put a powerful demigod before them as an opponent and they will voluntarily give it up. Send a message to Elder Wan."


    "But¡­" Fu Ruyi tried to convince his master of this crazy idea, but Mu Tianlong looked stubborn as he said, "Do it."


    "As you wish, Milord," the butler bowed with a resigned look on his face. ***


    A few hourster;


    Past midnight, As the rest of the civilians and tourists were sleeping, at the Hotel, Mark was awake in his room and focused on counting his winnings from the auction without being tired or so whatever.


    "The g of Huangdi that increases my robot army''s strength. With Staff of Blessing on the side, my robotic army could be invincible."


    His eyes then shifted to the inventory slot with a staff. "This one only has one use."


    The Staff of Horus


    Grade: Diamond


    Rmended: Mage, Summoner


    Description: The weapon is forged with 92% Mythril and a myriad of other metals. The core is the goblin''s brain.


    *


    "System, activate Transmutation"


    A new holographic screen opened on the side with a huge circle in the middle. He clicked and held on it for a couple of seconds, and dragged it to the new window.


    The item disappeared into specks of light, followed by a notification.


    *Ding! You received 5.94 kg of pure Mythril, 516.5 gm of tungsten alloy, 1.6 kg of ether powder, and meat paste of goblin''s brain.


    "For a mere 21000 gold coins, I struck a treasure. Just 1 gram of Mythril is worth 100 gold coins in the store. Okay, next item¡­" Scroll of Thousand Blossoms


    Grade: N/A


    Rmended: anyone n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Effects: Each petal has incredible healing properties, capable of healing any kind of injury. A 1% probability of reviving the dead when used within one hour of death. Description: A one-time painted scroll that unleashes a thousand petals of mystical cherry blossoms, only grown in the Celestial ne of existence.


    "Hmm¡­ I don''t think this one is much useful for me. Let''s keep this in inventory and give it to Allen as a gift once his metamorphosis is over. Next¡­"


    *


    Fan of Ephemeral storms


    Grade: Crystal


    Rmended: anyone


    Description: This delicate folding fan possesses the power to summon ephemeral storms. With a flick of the fan, the user can conjure thunder, lightning, and rain, creating a tempest that disorients enemies and bolsters the wielder''s agility. This item only has the power to alter weather in the region and doesn''t contain either offensive or defensive techniques.


    "This is a good item, useful in a war, more than a battle. Well, I can also use this to ambush the enemy boss with a lightning strike. This stays with me¡­"


    *


    Elixir of Eternal Spring


    Grade: N/A


    Rmended: anyone


    Description: This elixir bestows the drinker with eternal youth and vitality. It halts the aging process and grants resistance to diseases. The amount of elixir is sufficient for two people. Please do note that it doesn''t change one''s lifespan.


    "The Elixir can be shared by Shen Ling and Schatz. I guess thedies will love this item. Sylvandria was once a High Priestess. She won''t like such a thing, although not like she needed it."


    *


    "Now,ing for the Unnamed box¡­" He stared at the image of the ck box in the inventory and then at the Quest and its reward. "Hmm¡­ System, I paid 1 billion to win this box and the key inside it. If I submit this item, along with the promised rewards, will you let me have this box too? You can have the key. What do you say?"

 Chapter 507: Using all the winnings for upgrades

    After settling the debt with the system, Mark had roughly a little over 859 million gold coins in his ount.


    He decided to convert most of it.


    "System, exchange 800 million gold coins with credits," he said.


    *Ding! 800 million gold coins will be exchanged for 160 million credits. Confirm?


    "Yes"


    *Ding! 800 million gold coins are deducted.


    *Ding! 160 million credits are added to the ount.


    "Good, now unlock Battle Robots of Rank-6 and Rank-7"


    *Ding! 240,000 credits are deducted from the ount. Rank-6 Battle Robots are now unlocked.


    *Ding! 1,600,000 credits are deducted from the ount. Rank-7 Battle Robots are now unlocked.


    "Hmm¡­ what''s next¡­ Yup, that''s right¡­ System, open inventory."


    He scrolled to the right until he found the image of a battle tank in one of the slots.


    He clicked on it to see the details.


    Battle Tank-I


    Grade: N/A


    Length: 4.5 meters


    Width: 2 meters


    Height: 1.5 meters


    Weight: 5550 kilograms


    Elevation Aiming Angle: -1 to 30 degrees


    Primary Weapon: Assault Rifle


    Secondary Weapons: None


    Additional Attachments: None


    Maximum Speed: 30 km/hr


    Cruising Range: 150 km (Fuel-based)


    Maximum Firing Range: 500 meters


    Autoload: Manual loading is required.


    uracy: 70% up to 100 meters; 30% from 100 meters to 200 km; 10% from 200 meters to 500 meters


    Description: Battle Tank-I is a humble and budget-friendly armored vehicle designed for simple tasks and basic reconnaissance. With minimal firepower and mobility, it is suitable for training exercises and low-intensity conflicts.


    Skills: None.


    Upgrade >>> 1000 credits


    *


    "Expected it. So, noints. But the fact that it automaticallyes with an assault rifle means that it can still do damage to 3-circle realm Spirit Warriors. Anyway, let''s see how strong it could be after a few upgrades."


    *Ding! 1000 credits are deducted. Battle Tank-I is upgraded to Battle Tank-II


    *Ding! 4000 credits are deducted. Battle Tank-II is upgraded to Battle Tank-III


    *Ding! 20000 credits are deducted. Battle Tank-III is upgraded to Battle Tank-IV


    *Ding! 120k credits are deducted. Battle Tank-IV is upgraded to Battle Tank-V


    After upgrading it to tinum grade, Mark took a good look at its details. A smile appeared on his face, seeing a familiar-looking tank with familiar skills and features.


    It was the first battle tank he used in this world. Battle Tank-V had to be sacrificed as a part of the deal, but seeing it again made him remember how he took down the Song n and hurt the arrogance of these major nobles, who crush themoners on a daily basis.


    He remembered how he used it to take down the beast king, Cerberus, and how it went on to be the key factor in developing a friendship with his righteous half-brother, Shang Wen, who is currently missing.


    Of course, that doesn''t mean he will continue to use it. That kind of Battle Tank is no longer helpful to Mark.


    After going into memoryne for a brief amount of time, Mark continued with the upgrade.


    *Ding! 840K credits are deducted. Battle Tank-V is upgraded to Battle Tank-VI


    *Ding! 6,720,000 credits are deducted. Battle Tank-VI is upgraded to Battle Tank-VII.


    He could go with one more upgrade, but since there is the missile defense system he intended to upgradeter, Mark managed to hold down his urge and stopped it.


    But the details of this semi-divine armored vehicle surprised him quite a bit, exceeding his expectations. "Man, its range is damn high. Not even Missile Defense System is a match."


    Battle Tank-VII


    Grade: Crystal


    Length: 14 meters


    Width: 5.5 meters


    Tunnel Roof: 3.5 meters


    Weight: 124,000 kilograms (approx)


    Elevation Aiming Angle: -20 to 90 degrees


    Primary Weapon: 120 mm smoothbore ether cannon


    Secondary Weapons: Quad-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun, Anti-Air Missile Launcher.


    Additional Attachments: Advanced adaptive camouge, Energy Shield Generator, Tactical AI Integration


    Maximum Speed: 250 km/hr


    Cruising Range: Unlimited (Ether energy as fuel)


    Maximum Firing Range: 500 km


    Autoload: Automated loading system for all weapons


    uracy: 100% up to 50 km; 90% from 50 km to 100 km; 50% from 100 km to 200 km; 10% from 200 km to 500 km


    Description: Battle Tank-VII is a marvel of technological superiority and celestial craftsmanship. Boasting unparalleled firepower, imprable defenses, and cutting-edge features, this tank is a symbol of awe and fear on the battlefield. It is also durable enough to block every attack under 8-circle.


    Upgrade>>>


    Skills:


    Active:


    Celestial Annihtion: Unleash devastating energy burst from the smoothbore ether cannon with 200% attack power (max: 10.9), obliterating everything in a designated area. Cost: 80% of Maximum Ether energy. CD: 60 minutes.


    Shield of Immortality: Erect an impervious energy shield around the Battle Tank, rendering it immune to all forms of attack for 30 seconds (max: 9.9). Cost: 50% of Maximum Ether energy. CD: None


    Celestial Wisdom AI: Engage the Tactical AI for unparalleled battlefield awareness, target prioritization, and strategic decision-making. It will go into auto-battle mode. Cost: 5% of Maximum Ether energy per second.


    Camouge: Disappear into the surroundings and be invisible. During this state, it could also attack the enemies. Cost: 10% Ether energy per second.


    Ether missile: Shoot an Ether missile from the Missileuncher at enemies with 130% attack power (max: 9.9). Note that this Ether missile only travels in a straight line regardless of aiming angle. Cost: 30% Ether energy. CD: 60 seconds.


    Ether Bullet Barrage: Shoot a barrage of ether bullets from the Quadra-barrel Gatling gun with an attack power of 50%. Cost: 10% ether energy per 100 rounds. CD: 180 seconds.


    Passive: None


    ***


    "Hmm¡­ it might be crystal grade but its capabilities exceeded other crystal grade, like for example, my attack helicopter. Perhaps, it is why it gobbled up so many credits for the upgrade.


    After all, with the same number of credits, I upgrade the missile defense system to Ruby grade.


    Anyway, let''s put this away and proceed with the upgrade of MDS."


    He closed down the window and went on to click on the missile defense system to disy its details on a new holographic screen.


    He directly scrolled down to the bottom of the screen and clicked on the upgrade without thinking much.


    *Ding! 60,480,000 credits are deducted.


    *Ding! Missile Defense System-VII has been upgraded to Missile Defense System-VIII.


    Mark expected the upgrade of the defense system, but when he saw the result, it felt like the defense system had aplete makeover. If it was a creature, one would call it an evolution instead of a mere upgrade.


    But, it came with obvious drawbacks too, as it no longer had the option to fire missiles with below-par power for an army of weak enemy soldiers.


    Missile defense system ¨C VIII (bound)


    Grade: Mythril (max: God)


    Weapon type: Mounted


    Missile type: X-4


    Launchers: Type-4


    Number of missiles: 100


    Missile length: 3 meters


    Missile weight: 500 kg


    Warhead type: Fragmentation


    Max. Range of fire: 600 km (100% uracy)


    Absolute range: 2000 km (20% uracy)


    Max. Speed of missile: mach 6.9


    Target lock: Yes (only ether attacks)


    st radius: 1350 meters


    Storage chamber: Yes


    Description: A missile defense system that can be used as an offense or defense, ording to the situation. Moving at hypersonic speed, X-4 could potentially obliterate all targets below the 9-circle in the blink of an eye.


    Upgrade >>> 6,048,000,000 credits.


    SKILLS:


    Active:


    Single-target Ether missile: Shoot a concentrated beam of ether energy from theuncher with an attack power of peak-9-circle. Cost: 200 million EP (ether points). CD: 5 seconds.


    Multi-target ether missile: Shoot down a wide area with 100 concentrated beams of ether energy from theuncher one after another with each containing 130% attack power of the user (max stat: 11.9). Note: The range should be selected beforehand. Cost: 30% ether energy. CD: 180 seconds.


    All-out Attack: Obliterate the enemy by either releasing 100 ether missiles, one from each barrel with an attack power of 100%, at the same time, orbine their power to release a powerful beam of energy with an attack power of 200% of the user (max stat-12.9). Cost: 50% of maximum ether energy. CD: 0 seconds


    Invincible dome: Create an invincible barrier with a maximum of 500 meters of radius and block all types of attacks as long as they don''t exceed stat 11.9. Cost: 10% of maximum ether energy per second. CD: 0 seconds


    Robot mode: The missile defense system shall transform its body into a humanoid Battle Robot while retaining its weapons but not the skill set. Note: In this mode, the missile defense system will be operated by AI and will no longer have to be controlled by the user.


    Passive:


    Auto attack (Deactivated): When the defensive mode is switched on, the missile defense system will automatically use the missiles in the storage chamber and intercept all types of attacks that are aimed at its owner. Cost: none. CD: 0 seconds.


    *


    Mark couldn''t help but let out a sigh, "Sometimes, being too strong will actually make your job tougher to deal with weak opponents as one mistake will end their life for good and the chances of coteral damage will always be quite high. As a result, whether it is a weapon or underlings, they can only be used against the bosses.


    Anyway, there''s still something else left to do."


    After closing down the details screen and the inventory, Mark spoke, "System, open the Skills section."


    *Ding! Attribute skills or General skills?


    "System''s skills please¡­"


    A list of various overpowered skills appeared before his eyes.


    He scrolled down until he found the one he wanted to upgrade.


    Enhanced durability (level-1): Increase the user''s body durability to receive less iing damage of all types except for mental attacks. Effect: 1% DR. Limit: Opponents who are no greater than two ranks/realms above the user.


    He clicked on the level. The option of upgrading came up.


    Upgrade to level 2 >>> 1,000,000 credits.


    "Okay, let''s do this¡­"


    *Ding! 1,000,000 credits are deducted.


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 2


    "Let''s continue."


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 3


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 4


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 10


    "Oh, there was no cost increase. I thought the cost would increase eventually. Well, let''s purchase until I see the increase."


    And so, the upgrade of the passive skill continued.


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 20


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 30


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 40


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 90


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 91


    By the time it reached level 91, he was only left with roughly more than 310,000 credits in his ount.


    But, Mark was interested to max it out, in order to be invincible under Saint Realm. He had the offensive strength to deal with immortals and he also had the necessary techniques to defend against them too. However, this is for that unexpected ambush from those beings.


    Until now, he only yed the arrogance of demigods and immortals against them. But, after receiving a Saint''s mark, he wanted to be more careful, just in case.


    While he wiped away the mark with a purification stone, Mark knew that it wouldn''t stop the enemies froming to this and wreaking havoc. He had to be well prepared.


    Being confident to earn lots of money once again, Mark once again exchanged the gold coins.


    *Ding! 45 million gold coins are deducted.


    *Ding! 9 million credits are added to the ount.


    "Well, let''s continue¡­"


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level-92


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level-93.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! Enhanced Durability is increased to level 99. It reached the maximum level. It can no longer be upgraded anymore.


    Enhanced durability (level-99): Increase the user''s body durability to receive less iing damage of all types except for mental attacks. Effect: 99% DR. Limit: Opponents who are no greater than two ranks/realms above the user.


    *Ding! You reached the maximum level. The evolution has been triggered.


    *Ding! Do you wish for your body to evolve into a Divine Physique?


    Divine Physique: The body of a mortal cannot cross the limits of Saint Realm (12-circle), no matter what bloodline or talent it has. The Divine Physique will increase the potential to 14-circle.


    *Note: Evolving into divine physique requires 1 billion credits


    *Note 2: Evolving into a divine physique while preserving the attributes, skills, bloodlines, items, and everything the user owns at the moment, requires careful modification on a cellr level. Hence, the user will go into aatose state for a period of atleast six months to a maximum of 2 years.


    *Note 3: Evolution gives the opportunity to the host to reconstruct his body and have the appearance of any individual he wishes.


    "Uhh¡­ No thanks¡­" Mark rejected it right away. He didn''t even need to think deeply, despite the temptation of regaining his face from the previous world. "Thanks for the offer but I like my current self. No need for the evolution."


    ***


    On the dawn of the following day, Mark and hispanions checked out of their rooms to return home; Qing Jie was tagging along with them as part of the deal.


    Originally, the n was to split into two groups; one would return to Lunaris while the other would leave for the Xiezhi Empire.


    But, upon witnessing the battle between the immortal and the demigod beasts, Mark decided not to take any chance.


    Why?


    From what he gathered so far from the dead bodies of the mercenaries killed by Song Yun before he sacrificed himself for his daughter, Mark knew that they were rted to the Dragon Empire.


    Hence, from the start, he nned on using the guilds located in the capital city to issue a secret investigation on those two 5-circle realm experts who died at Western Moon. He wanted to find out who they were connected with.


    He expected the dead bodies to have connections with certain guilds or organizations or perhaps even a noble but didn''t expect it to be a knight that served the imperial family. And those two demigod beasts are sided with the Void Temple, or more likely, the Tang Dynasty.


    Hence, the n changed to return directly home.


    After calling back Zheng to guard his loved ones, he and Steve will travel to the Baize Empire''s capital with Qing Jie to talk with the crown prince, drop his partner at his home, and return to the Dragon Empire once again to settle the matter.


    He summoned the Divine Throne from his inventory which appeared in the form of the scary-looking spider ship.


    While Mark''spanions didn''t have any reactions, Qing Jie, who was witnessing it for the first time, couldn''t help but express his astonishment, "Wow, I only heard the description of its appearance from the manager but experiencing it in person is something else."


    "Thanks. Let''s get in"


    As the door opened, Mark told the others to board the ship, and they were about to do that too, but their movements were halted just after a few steps, due to the sudden appearance of a scarlet barrier covering the sky above the hotel''spound.


    "Hmm?" Mark raised his head with a frown on his face.

 Chapter 508: Fu Sheng, the Imperial Sovereign of Dragon Empire

    The barrier that imprisoned the hotel and its immediate surroundings looked exactly simr to that of the one used against the immortal, although quite weaker.


    "Is it those demigod beasts or is it someone else?" Mark couldn''t help but wonder. At the very least, he was sure that he was likely the target, but was it for the items or something else? It''s another question that needs to be solved.


    His suspicions soon came to an end as the perpetrators came forward. They made quite an entry.


    A portal appeared out of nowhere and golden armored knights started walking out of it in an orderly fashion.


    They were roughly around 100 in number and each of their cultivation is at 6-circle realm.


    Qing Jie was filled with nervousness as he saw them, "It''s the Gold Dragon Knights division."


    "Do you know them?" Mark asked after hearing that. While there has never been an Empire in the rest of the continents with such a powerful army, they still don''t seem strong to Mark. Just Sylvandria is enough to wipe them out. Is there a need to have such a reaction? He wondered.


    Qing Jie answered with an exnation, "The Dragon Empire''s knights were divided into four divisions; White Dragon, Blue Dragon, ck Dragon, and the Red Dragon. Above those, there is a special division that solely serves the Imperial Sovereign, the highest-ranked military officer, and also the one who had the same status as the Emperor since ancient times.


    Well, not in a literal sense. The Emperor can still order the Imperial Sovereign. It is like, if the Emperor is the symbol of authority, the Imperial Sovereign is considered the symbol of power.


    Except during wartime, or to crush a rebellion from one of the vassal states, the entire Gold Dragon Knight division was never deployed before.


    The Gold Dragon Knights were here, meaning the Imperial Sovereign must be arriving."


    "Is he a demigod?" Mark asked a simple question after hearing all that bullshit.


    Qing Jie shook his head, "No, he isn''t. He is a Supreme Being, but it is said that he possessed one of the five heaven-grade weapons that exist in the world.


    And guess what, its rank is listed as 2nd."After conversing with Mark for the past few days, he already realized that Mark might have power, wealth, and background, but with minuscule knowledge of the world outside the Vermilion bird continent.


    In his view, Mark was like a giant dragon quietly sleeping in its mountains ever since its birth and just decided to explore the world.


    Hence, he didn''t try to give half-baked information, "As thest disciple of the Empire''s founder, the current Imperial Sovereign is said to be powerful enough to fight on equal footing with a demigod. His Knights were also said to be strongest among their peers.


    And then, their ancient hundred knight formation, which was used several times in the past to subdue raging dragons. The members of the royal family literally had the blood of Dragons, you know. It was different from bloodlines. Because of the beast nature, from time to time, because of extreme negative emotions, they would go into a rage."


    "Heaven grade weapon?" Mark quicklypared it with system grades and his eyes lit up, "A celestial-grade weapon? I bet it will fetch a nice price. Now, I really pray that he bes my enemy."


    Of all the things said by Qing Jie, only the weapon''s grade attracted Mark''s attention. As for the person, Mark couldn''t care less.


    With three supreme beings on the side, he wasn''t even remotely worried about Song Yue or Shen Ling and just purely focused on the enemy.


    As the hundred of those knights split into two groups and moved aside, a few more knights arrived and stood in the front. These were a bunch of 7-circle realm experts.


    Finally, a young man wearing a full armor set of high-quality semi-divine grade stepped out of the portal, followed by two 8-circle realm Spirit Warriors.


    Sylvandria''s face turned serious as shemented in a low tone, "It''s a demigod, Lu Zhen."


    Qing Jie''s face turned pale as he heard her words, "He made a breakthrough?" His entire body started shaking from up and down.


    However, Mark wasn''t worried. Demigods are a concern of the past. But, the safety of hispanions, especially Song Yue and Shen Ling, should be something he needed to consider.


    Mark activated his God''s Eye to inspect the details of the young man on the front, confirming Sylvandria''s statement.


    He was baffled when he spotted a specific detail, and his lips curled up, "A disciple of Lan Sect? First, Xin Rui of the Void Temple and now him? Nah, this one is a direct disciple of the Ancient Lan sect. It''s different. Either way, it doesn''t matter. Anyone who stands against me shall be facing consequences.


    Meanwhile, the Imperial Sovereign of the Dragon Empire was seen walking toward Mark in steady steps and with a calm gaze on everyone, increasing Qing Jie''s nervousness and making him move back a few steps and stand a bit closer to Steve and James rather than Mark whose cultivation level is still a mystery.


    Once the three of them crossed the other knights standing like statues, thetter also moved along until they reached Mark.


    Mark was ready to transform the spider ship back to its original form so that his rank got promoted by 2 temporarily and surprised the other party.


    Imagine his surprise when the supposed enemy, a demigod that stands on the summit of this world, suddenly falls down with his right knee touching the ground and greets him by cupping his fists like a subordinate, "Disciple Fu Sheng greets the young master."


    At once, the entire ce was frozen in shock.


    Mark''spanions, the two 8-circle realm generals, the Gold Dragon Knights, and the mage that erected the barrier and currently watching the scene in hiding, everyone who witnessed it was stunned by the sudden development.


    In a couple of seconds, all the knights had their right knee touch the ground with their heads bowed down.


    Mark silently stared at him for ten seconds before opening his mouth, "How did you find out?"


    "Your mother was here," replied the young-looking century-old man in calmness after getting up. His subordinates followed suit.


    Mark''s facial expression changed all of a sudden.


    The Imperial Sovereign saw extreme coldness in Mark''s eyes as thetter asked, "Is your allegiance with that shameless woman that kept on iming to be my mother?" The hatred in Mark''s heart erupted for no reason and he didn''t even hesitate to speak such disrespectful words for the woman who gave him birth, although abandoned him.


    However, the Imperial Sovereign was calm. He shook his head, "No, I''m not in allegiance with her." As Mark calmed down a bit, Fu Sheng continued, "A few days ago, Elder Lan Jing was here to meet me to convince me to join him in returning to our homnd. Coincidentally, our meeting was disrupted by Lady Lan. It was then I found out about your existence.


    Now that I have seen you in person, I''m feeling as if Patriarch Lan returned to life."


    While Mark no longer seemed angry, the frown had yet to disappear from his face, "If you want to meet me, why do you need to make such an entry? You could meet me in private."


    Fu Sheng''s jaw clenched, his usually warm expression reced by a stern mask. His gaze turned steely as he spoke, "My daughter''s imposter and her husband met a cruel fate at the hands of hired assassins, orchestrated by the Imperial family. You, my friend, were unfairly framed for those murders." He paused, a heavy sigh escaping him.


    "The acting emperor, seeking vengeance for thete emperor, believes you''re the culprit. Yet, as the Imperial Sovereign, I''m bound by an oath to serve the Emperor. It''s a duty I can''t rebel against, but my heart no longer bears allegiance to this empire."


    With a determined look, he continued, "Before I depart from this ce, I must make a resolute statement. The Empire must realize the truth and dare not act against you."


    He knelt once again on the ground, this time, both of his knees touching it, "Whatever the young master wishes, I, Fu Sheng, and my knights will follow from this moment. We will shed our blood for you and we will shed the blood of your enemies on your order. All I desire is to return home with my daughter and my grandson."


    *Ding!


    As soon as Fu Sheng was done with his exnation, the familiar sound of notification was heard in Mark''s ears.


    "Oh boy, I don''t know if I''m lucky that I got a strong subordinate out of nowhere or unlucky that I can''t im the celestial-grade weapon¡­" Mark sighed inwardly.

 Chapter 509: Act on impulse or be rational?

    *Ding! You received a side quest, Helping the subordinate.


    Description: Fu Sheng, a direct disciple of the Ancient Lan Sect followed Lan Gengxin and the others as they were expelled from the Lan n. Due to differences, he might haveter left Kunyu''s Lan sect and joined the Dragon Empire''s military, climbed the ranks, and eventually became the Imperial Sovereign. Now, he wishes to swear his loyalty to the host in the hopes of returning to his home.


    Help your subordinate.


    Reward: Dimensional Portal function.


    ept?


    "Dimensional Portal? What is it?" He thought in his head.


    The system answered him without even being asked.


    *Ding! Dimension Portal: Through this function, the host and his allies can freely teleport between store branches no matter where they are located.


    "It looks like I ought to ept his request. But then again, I''ve already decided on following Lan Jing to the Ancient Lan sect, once my ns seed on this. While I have yet toplete even one of them so far, they will be done soon enough."


    *Ding! The Quest has been epted.


    After epting the quest, Mark asked the Imperial Sovereign, Fu Sheng, to prove his loyalty by bringing the knight named Dong Bao to him, through whatever means. The demigod was given time until noon.


    Meanwhile, the divine throne was sent back to the inventory, and Mark and the others continued their stay at the hotel.


    Even though a demigod put away his pride and sincerely kneeled before him, Mark doesn''t trust him or his knights. He merely gave him a few hours of time as a benefit of the doubt.


    In the worst case, he would either summon the divine throne or the demon king. After killing the immortal from the other world, Mark already gained enough soul points to summon Bael at any time.


    With ''Absolute Control'' Skill, he would keep the demon under control and make sure his loved ones stay protected.


    Of course, the news of him controlling an immortal demon will bring his reputation down to so low that no one would buy weapons from him anymore.


    But, if this goes in his favor, then, he would gain enough manpower toy a strong groundwork for what he was about to do.


    Despite them being powerful enough to take over an empire, there are a few tasks that he doesn''t want to give to his robotic army, his androids, his teenage sons from the future, or even to his tough-to-handle, mighty elven fianc¨¦e.


    He just returned to the room he previously stayed in, and it hadn''t even ten minutes since he closed the door, a hotel staff member hurriedly arrived there with a message from the lounge.


    Mark, at first, was surprised, but then felt like ''Oh, yes, it shouldn''t be a big deal for someone like Fu Sheng to drag down a mere knight like Dong Bao even if it is from the Emperor, now that the current ruler is just a temporary one'', and upon going to the lounge, Mark found Fu Sheng with not just his target who was in an unconscious state but also the acting emperor, who was alone without any guards.


    "I apologize, Young Master. His Majesty insisted oning along to see you," Fu Sheng bowed to Mark. Tang Yifan was stunned by how the Imperial Sovereign of the Empire was treating Mark with great respect; something not even his father earned the privilege. He couldn''t help but clench his fist to control his anger, remembering their piece of conversation happened just a few minutes ago.


    Mark nodded to Fu Sheng and turned his head to calmly look at the young emperor, "So, what do I owe this pleasure, Emperor Tang? Is it about him?" He first pointed his finger at the unconscious knight on the floor, and then, shifted toward Fu Shen, "or is it about him?"


    Maintaining his fists tightly, Tang Yifan replied as calmly as possible, "I''m just here to inform you that the Dragon Empire has nothing to do with the death of your father-inw. You can have his head if you want."


    "And how do you know that I was looking for the perpetrator of his death? I didn''t even tell Mr. Fu about it," Mark''s eyebrow raised and his tone slightly turned into interrogative.


    Tang Yifan looked straight into his eyes and stated, "I know it because it was my men who killed Song Yun, although their original target should have been Princess Shen Ling."


    "Princess Shen Ling? Not Song Yue?" Mark furrowed his brows as he was mixed with confusion and displeasure. "At first, I thought you were a sensible person, but it looks like you are a condescending man, Tang Yifan."


    Mark was so offended by Tang Yifan''s admission of truth to his face that he stopped addressing him with his title anymore. And that is considered disrespectful anywhere on the.


    Calling a King or an Emperor by his name directly is the same as insulting thend and all the people he was ruling. Well, at least, it has been considered that way for a long time.


    Tang Yifan certainly was offended by the change in Mark''s tone too. However, he didn''t lose his cool and continued to speak, "An eye for an eye, Lu Zhen. You killed the former emperor of ournd and my ancestor. You ought to pay consequences for that."


    Despite the tension in the air, Tang Yifan maintained aposed demeanor. His voice, though firm, echoed reason rather than anger.


    "Princess Shen Ling is your direct connection to the Western Moon kingdom and killing her will end it for good." He nced around the room, assessing the reactions of those present. His strategic mind was at work, carefully calcting the next moves. Tang Yifan''s eyes then shifted to Lu Zhen, searching for any hint of vulnerability.


    He continued, "King Shen Niu would me you for his daughter''s death and since he didn''t have the power, he will aim to bring you pain by targeting Lady Song. Whatever the result will be, you will probably destroy him and either upy his kingdom or destroy it in rage.


    To give him justice, the neighboring empires will mobilize troops, which will be soundly defeated, resulting in a deration of a formal war. It would have allowed us to formally dere you as an evil being and mobilize Void Temple.


    Phoenix Empire and Leon Empire will obviously support us as one will get back its region that was taken away and the other will be offered the Western Moon kingdom.


    As the one who brought you to justice, I will no longer be the acting Emperor. Instead, I will formally be ascended to the Emperor of Tang Dynasty."


    The gravity of the situation hung in the air. Tang Yifan''s words didn''t seem like a deration; they were a meticulously crafted strategy, each sentence a move in the intricate game of power.


    With a steely resolve disyed on his face, the young man ended his exnation with an eptance of some sort of defeat, "Well, my n clearly didn''t end well due to their disobedience of my order and working together with some other gang that targeted Lady Song, resulting in her father''s death and bringing you to the shores of thisnd and even stealing away our strongest asset."


    Mark stared at him for the next few seconds in silence, processing all the information. He raised both of his hands, making Fu Sheng wonder whether he was going to attack.


    Meanwhile, Tang Yifan lookedpletely calm on the surface as if he wasn''t afraid of death. Even in his heart, apart from the frustration that Fu Sheng joined his enemy as soon as making a breakthrough, there was no fear or anything else.


    However, Mark''s response turned out to be different than their expectations.


    *p* p* p* p* p*


    Suddenly, Mark started pping without disying his anger, "What an ingenious n. Did you n all this by yourself or did your advisor tell you to do it? Whatever you had in mind was quite great but I still don''t understand something.


    What makes you so sure that I won''t act against you right now? As you have said, you are nothing more than an acting emperor. If you die, you can be reced by another prince.


    Does the Void Temple or your founder will act against me even after knowing that there are atleast three supreme beings and a demigod on my side? Or do you think some hidden life-saving treasure on you would save you? I truly wonder about the thing that gives you confidence ining here alone."


    "No, they won''t," Tang Yifan shook his head. After a brief pause, he then let out a smirk, "But, that''s only if I''m the acting Emperor."


    "What do you mean by that?" Fu Sheng couldn''t help but interrupt their conversation, feeling strange about his state.


    Tang Yifan turned his head to look at Fu Sheng and summoned an exquisite bow in his hands, taking the demigod by surprise, "As the present of your retirement, Imperial Sovereign Fu, I will give you the news before making the announcement to the people. A few minutes ago, my father''s soul left for the spirit realm.


    Regardless of how it happened, the Celestial Dragon spirit acknowledged me as its wielder.


    You know what this means.


    Bound by thews stated in the Empire''s Constitution, I''m no longer an acting ruler. I''m the true Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. By now, the Void Temple''s founder and our Tang Dynasty probably have already sensed the change."


    He then turned his head to look at Mark; this time, his words carried a weight that resonated with authority, "any unjust attack on me will set the same motion as my original n, Lu Zhen. That is the source of my confidence. So, what will you do now? Act on impulse to lose everything or be rational and shift your focus on catching the real culprit?"

 Chapter 510: Schemes in the shadows

    After a long silence, Mark gave his reply to Tang Yifan, who seemed to be prepared for anything, "Alright, I''ll ept your offer."


    Tang Yifan clenched his fist once again, but this time, it wasn''t because of frustration, but due to his excitement about winning.


    On the other hand, Fu Shen sighed in relief in his heart, "Thank goodness. If this young master of our n took it as an insult and be reckless, it would have been troublesome."


    Meanwhile, the new Emperor of the Tang Dynasty let out a victory smirk, "It is good that you took the wise decision, Lu Zhen. Anyway, I''m returning to the pce. Until you leave, you will be the guest of the Empire. So, feel free to spend as much time as you want, for thest time."


    Once he said whatever he wanted, the young emperor took out a scroll from his sleeves and poured his ether energy into it.


    As it lit up, he then looked at Mark once again, "Goodbye, Lu Zhen. I hope we will never meet again."


    He turned into specks of light and disappeared from the ce. Mark, on the other hand, continued to stare at that ce in calmness.


    After waiting for a while, seeing that Mark was still in deep thought, Fu Sheng interrupted him, "Young Master¡­ young master¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "Are you having second thoughts about your decision?" He asked.


    Mark didn''t give him the answer. Instead, he asked a question in return, "What do you think?"


    "I think you made the right decision," Fu Sheng replied in a serious tone. "Even if I made a breakthrough, I still couldn''tpare to the likes of my master. Due to a curse, which constantly leaks his aura, he imprisoned himself in a dimension he created. But, that won''t stop him from shielding Emperor Tang. His range of attack also extends to a thousand kilometers.


    So, it would have been impossible for us to escape his wrath. Furthermore, Void Temple''s Patriarch is another one to worry about. He is the founder''s brother and is involved in the matters of the imperial family too.


    I guess the young master probably thought the same and came to the conclusion that it is not worth making an enemy out of the Tang Dynasty for no reason."


    "Heh, do you really I''m afraid of killing him?" Mark''s eyes changed all of a sudden. Coldness reced his calmness.


    Fu Sheng couldn''t help but furrow his brows, "What do you mean?"


    Mark replied, "Tang Yifan is nothing more than a disposable puppet. Kill him, then, someone else will rece him. I think he knows that too. It is why he dared to challenge me even after knowing of your betrayal. Killing him will not solve the issue.


    And Killing the Empire''s founder and destroying the Void Temple will only make this world more vulnerable to extraterrestrial attacks and invasion of beasts. He needs to be destroyed on a cellr level."


    "Cellr level? Extraterrestrial attacks?" Fu Sheng never heard of such terms in his life. At the same time, he was quite surprised by the sheer level of overconfidence in Mark, as if everything was in his grasp. "What are you nning on doing?" He asked.


    Mark didn''t exin it and merely said, "You are following me to Lunaris City, right? You will soon understand."


    Fu Sheng was once again slightly taken aback, sensing something when his eyes met Mark''s eyes, "His face might resemble Brother Gengxin but they are poles apart. He might look harmless but when observed closely, this Lu Zhen has too much darkness. I can see it."


    Several hours passed away.


    During this time, the citizens were informed of the death of the Emperor and the ascendance of the new Emperor who had the acknowledgment from the Celestial Dragon spirit.


    The guests who came for the auction were also invited to attend the coronation ceremony, three dayster.


    The Imperial Pce also sent an invitation to Mark with the intention of slightly mocking him but thetter sent a befitting response of sending back Dong Bao with a letter.


    The letter stated that Dong Bao had already revealed the truth to him and was sent back with his head intact as a present for his coronation.


    Mark didn''t forget to inform him that he won''t be attending the ceremony as he had many more important things to do, elsewhere.


    Meanwhile, he and Qing Jie discussed the terms for their new business. It will be operated under Qing Jie''s name on the outside but the firearms section will be entirely managed by Mark and his staff members, at least until Qing Jie and his staff members understand the firearms and everything about them.


    Once Qing Jie understands everything about firearms and its business, he will take over the firearms section too and manage it on his own, getting a 10%mission at first, eventually acquiring the full rights to sell the firearms in Baize Empire, once he shows enough profits.


    Fu Sheng was then given the task of escorting Qing Jie safely to his home. James and Eol joined them, under Mark''s orders, one to keep an eye on Fu Sheng and the other as his representative to decide on a few nice locations for the joint business in Baize Empire.


    As for Mark, he was on his way to Lunaris City with hisdies and his son from the future.


    While they are busy chatting with each other, mostly, Song Yue asks Sylvandria about the elven world, James is taking a nap, and Mark is discussing his evil ns with Steve, the son who probably listens to his orders better than the righteous James. They were also talking in English so that his ns remained a secret from Song Yue and Shen Ling.


    "But, you said that the Crown Prince is in hiding. Rather than searching for him and wasting a long time, isn''t it better to kill Shang Jun and create a civil war? Shang Zexi wille out to im the throne." Steve voiced his opinion after hearing the n.


    Mark shook his head, "If he dies that way, how would he suffer for his actions?"


    Steve grabbed his chin and looked down, engrossing in thoughts.


    After a while, he asked, "Hmm¡­ why not abducting him? I can just go to the pce and grab him in a second."


    "Nope, there is a troublesome demigod in the pce," Mark shook his head, rejecting his idea. "She might not be interested in supporting Shang Jun but she will definitely confront you before you get to the pce."


    "Indeed, Grandma is the type to attack and then listen. Who knows what would happen if she learns my secret," As the 14-year-old agreed with his dad''s assessment, Mark developed a frown on his face, "How are you familiar with her? Does in the future, we''ll get along or something?"


    "Well, actually, Grandma is¡­" Steve was about to say something but Mark interrupted him quickly, "Wait, don''t tell. I don''t want to hear what happens in the future. I don''t know what kind of consequences it will have. Just letting you stay here for such a long time is already troubling enough. But, don''t worry, I will find a way to send you back once I am done with my ns."


    "I''m not talking about the future, Dad. I was just trying to say that Grandma is at the Dragon Empire, isn''t she? If you abduct him before she and Grandpa gets back home, won''t it be easier to abduct Shang Jun?"


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 511: Plans to create a civil war

    Steve''s reminder jolted Mark''s senses and almost made him p his own forehead. "That''s right. ording to Fu Sheng, both of them and Song Tai were touring the Dragon Empire. There is a high chance that they will be attending the coronation ceremony too," His eyes lit up because of the good news and he made sure to thank his teenage son from the future, "Thank you.


    This is actually the best time to act."


    Mark no longer wasted the time.


    He rose to his feet and walked to the podium in the center of the room where a white-orb-like thing was ced on top of it.


    It wasn''t an important treasure of something. It was merely the control system Mark created from his imagination when he re-modified the transformation of the divine throne.


    cing his hand on top of that white orb, Mark whispered, "Disable auto mode. Connect me with your eyes, and go at full speed.


    In that instant, the spider ship suddenly elerated to the maximum, achieving hypersonic speeds within ten seconds of time.


    Thankfully, none inside felt that sudden burst of speed. Even Sylvandria didn''t feel any change from a while ago.


    If there is anything that caught her attention, it is Mark''s actions.


    Just like that, nearly 10,000 kilometers of distance was covered within an hour of time, when it usually takes around 5-7 days for high-tier ships used by the royal families to sail the ocean.


    Before they even knew it, they already arrived at the skies above the shores of the Western Moon and the ship slowed down a bit as the sudden break would generate enough force to cause unnecessary heavy damage in the surroundings.


    It took another hour tond at some remote location on the ins, roughly 200 kilometers away from the capital city.


    There, Zheng, in its beast form, was seen waiting for them alongside an excited Xie Mei, a pale-faced Meng Tao, a shivering griffin that was tied to a medium-sized carriage.


    Unsurprisingly, Song Yue and Shen Ling were astonished when they got out of the vehicle.


    Song Yuemented as she covered her eyes with the back of her palm, "It waste in the evening when they started their journey but when they stepped out, the sun was burning brightly. Where are we?" She asked.


    Shen Ling scanned her surroundings for a few seconds and replied, "It seems we are home."


    "Eh? Already?" Song Yue looked at her.


    Shen Ling simply pointed her finger at the others waiting for them, "It doesn''t make sense for the guardian beast to travel far away from Vermilion bird continent, not to mention, with our friends. The ocean is nowhere to be seen and there is no big ind enough with such mountains in between Western Moon and the Dragon Empire either.


    The mountains that we are seeing far away must be part of Kunyu mountain range."


    On the other hand, Sylvandria went down memoryne and remembered how she traveled on the magic carpet alongside Mark in the Ixitus Empire. It also traveled halfway around the world at great speeds.


    She couldn''t help but suspect that both were the same. After all, it is not a secret that some powerful Divine grade items have the ability to transform into things whatever they imagined in their heads.


    At the same time, her gaze was fixed on the demigod realm beast standing before them.


    "First, those two demigods, and now this? Just how many of them are in this world?" She thought to herself as she warily looked at the five-tailed leopard.


    Shen Ling also seemed a bit ufortable around the beast, but Mark seemed like he couldn''t care less about it.


    As soon as they got down, Mark looked at the zheng and passed another telepathic message, "I''ll return quickly. So, please look after them, Lan Ju."


    As the zheng nodded, Mark bid goodbye to thedies without giving them any sort of exnation on why he dropped in the middle of nowhere, merely stating that he had some urgent business to attend to. Steve was also asked to tag along with him.


    The spider-ship flew at an altitude as high as 10 km as it moved in hypersonic speeds, making it appear like a shooting star for those who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse.


    Within no time, the spider-ship eventually entered the skies of the Phoenix Empire''s imperial city.


    As Steve was looking at the imperial city through the ss window, Mark''s voice entered his ears, "Okay, now is the time for you to go and abduct the target. Don''t forget to knock him out, first."


    "Uhh¡­ what?" Steve abruptly turned around in surprise, "do you want me to go down? At such height?"


    "You can fly, can''t you?" Mark shrugged his shoulders.


    "Dad, there are a lot of things, like thin atmosphere, high radiation levels from the sun during morning, the temperature will be like -50C here, ugh¡­" He shivered at the thought.


    "You are a supreme being, Steve," replied Mark in a calm tone. "Theoretically, you will be fine even in the space. Don''t be a coward. Now go¡­" He added.


    "That''s all and good but¡­" As Steve was trying to say something, Mark snapped his fingers.


    An opening urred right where the teenage boy was standing. A powerful gust of chilly wind hit the father and son, the former was unaffected due to Blizzard Pegasus bloodline but thetter shivered slightly. "So, cold¡­"


    "Now, go¡­" Mark controlled the spider ship to tilt downwards, letting Steve fall from the vehicle.


    "Ahhh¡­"


    As Steve started falling down, the door was closed and Mark became connected with the ship to keep an eye on his son, just in case.


    After free-falling at great speeds for a few seconds, Steve regained control over his body and started descending toward the city while ignoring the coldness.


    Once he stopped feeling ufortable at 5km altitude, Steve halted his descent for a moment and raised his head to stare at the dot-like object in the sky, "Dad is seriously ruthless even to his own son. Well, I guess his personality hasn''t changed much, unlike Mom. Maybe, it is not because of some incident but due to his personality rubbing off on her. Hmm¡­ possible.


    Anyway, let''s get this matter over with."


    He continued to descend with greater speed.

 Chapter 512: Splitting the soul is the way to breakthrough.

    Meanwhile, at the Great ins of Chang''e;


    As the spider-ship left everyone''s sight, Zheng opened its mouth to speak with the ones who remained, "A while ago, I received a request from Lu Zhen. He asked me to bring this human named Meng Tao along with me as Ie to this particr location to receive you all and set up a camp.


    For the time being, you will be staying here. Once he returns, we will start leaving for Lunaris City. Until then, you can do whatever you want."


    "When will he return?" asked Sylvandria without any fear on her face.


    Before Zheng answered her, Shen Ling spoke, "I just want to know whether we are at Western Moon or not."


    The Zheng first looked at Sylvandria to clear her doubt, "I''m not sure either. But, I canmunicate with him and provide you updates once in a while."


    The scarlet leopard then turned its head to look at the princess, "Yes, we are not far away from Lunaris City. However, you cannot leave right now. If Lu Zhen hadn''t told you anything, then, you can only wait for his return and question him directly."


    "I understand," Shen Ling elegantly bowed to the beast as she grabbed her skirt, "Thank you."


    Meanwhile, Song Yue was staring at the beast in silence as if she had fallen into deep thought.


    The Zheng sensed her gaze and asked, "Lady Song, is there anything you want to say?"


    Sylvandria was startled a bit due to the difference in how the demigod realm beast was addressing them, "Lady?"


    Shen Ling, on the other hand, didn''t think too much.


    Song Yue came out of her stupor and said, "Mr. Lan, if I remember correctly, the dots on your body are ck. They now appeared white."


    "Oh, an excellent observation," The Zheng praised the most probable eldest wife of its master. "The change is due to our connection, Lady Song. Every beast that forms a contract will eventually gain additional abilities. I, on the other hand, acquired an entirely elemental attribute.


    I have yet to master the Ice element but once Iplete it, I will proceed to create my avatar and make my preparations for the breakthrough."


    "Ice Element? Breakthrough?" The threedies couldn''t help but look at each other in a mix of surprise and confusion.


    At the moment, all three of them generated the same question in their minds.


    As Song Yue and Sheng Ling hesitated to ask, due to the fact that it is useless for someone like them with mediocre talent, and Sylvandria who was ufortable around the presence of a beast emperor like the zheng, they fell silent and merely epted its exnation.


    Song Yue''s attention was then shifted to the teenage girl, who was walking toward her with Meng Tao.


    Soon, all of them started preparing to set up a camp and rest in the middle of nowhere.


    Sylvandria''s attention was on the demigod beast that was simply lying on the ground and had its gaze fixed in the east.


    She excused herself from the rest and walked toward the beast emperor.


    The Zheng sensed her presence and spared a nce at her, opening its mouth as she neared him, "Do you need anything, miss?"


    Sylvandria didn''t mince her words and directly questioned the beast, "How does creating an avatar help the breakthrough? Isn''t it just a waste of ether energy?"


    The Zheng didn''t answer her question at first and simply responded, "Why do you want to know? With such pure divine energy and the blessings of a deity, you shouldn''t have any problems with a breakthrough, anyway."


    "You can also see that I have the blessings of a deity?" Sylvandria appeared to be impressed.


    Lan Ju slowly turned its head to look at the woman far older than himself, "Isn''t it somethingmon when one reaches the demigod realm?"


    "Maybe," Sylvandria shrugged her shoulders, "I don''t know. I''m not a demigod and I cannot be one either."


    Lan Ju was forced to take another look at Sylvandria and shook his head, "I don''t sense any curses though. You could make a breakthrough."


    "Without an order from our lord, if I do that, my body will break down," Sylvandria let out a sigh. "I betrayed Lord Auri-El and joined Lu Zhen''s side. Any further actions of raising my cultivation is considered selfish and this will result in losing not only his blessing but also his blessing. Anyway, it is aplicated story. You won''t understand."


    Lan Ju stared at her for a couple of seconds and asked, "Then, are you asking simply out of curiosity or do you have a wish to escape this Auri-El''s control over your fate?"


    Sylvandria couldn''t help but sigh once again as she remembered certain memories, "As I no longer hold any purpose to live, I have decided to dedicate my life to Lu Zhen, who gave me this new life. Turning into a demigod would probably ease his major worry but I cannot just go against our deity."


    "Then, this technique would be perfect for you," said the Zheng as it got up in a bit of excitement. "Our Ancient Lan''s avatar creation is different from the rest. Here, our avatars won''t be born, but instead, they are merely created as our mirror selves. It''s like a clone but with your soul.


    Using an ancient technique of Lan Sect, we will split our soul into two equal parts. Along with your soul, your ether energy will also be halved. However, the basic requirement is that you should possess multiple attributes so that you can give one to your avatar.


    Unlike Beasts like me that have such privilege, it is incredibly rare for humanoid races to be born with multiple elements. You can use an elemental seed as a recement in that case in the creation of the avatar.


    Anyways, after splitting yourself into two parts, both of you then resume your training to reach the peak before merging back into oneself, forcefully breaking through to the next realm.


    This way, you won''t go against your lord because you aren''t actually making a breakthrough but the breakthrough will happen by force when you merely merge with your otherself."


    "Hmm¡­ splitting one''s soul, huh," The former high priestess of the Ixitus Empire grabbed her chin and thought about it seriously.

 Chapter 513: Discussions at the Imperial Palace of Phoenix

    After thinking about it thoroughly, she asked, "What are the risks involved in this method?"


    "Risks?" The Zheng raised its head to look at the horizon for a moment as if it were trying to memorize something. The beast emperor shook its head, "Not that I''m aware of."


    "After the split, what if your counterpart tries to kill you or worse, run away to lead a different life?" She asked curiously.


    The Zheng firmly shook its head, "No, that cannot be possible. If our soul is split into equal parts, we both have the same personalities and thoughts. We will be identical to everything. If I didn''t have any thoughts of running away, neither would my counterpart have the same thought.


    In the event of my counterpart killing me, my soul and my ether energy would be absorbed into it and I will be reborn as a whole once again. It will be me in the end."


    Sylvandria wasn''t still convinced. She argued, "Our actions and behavior change based on the things we encounter. What if you and your counterpart encounter different types of situations?"


    A while ago, she looked very pitiful. Then, as a ray of hope appeared in the form of a loophole, it turned into curiosity. Now, that curiosity turned into confidence and her tone seemed a bit more authoritative.


    She continued, "Both of you will have additional memories that the other doesn''t have. This could result in a change of personality. The more different memories they gain differently, the more their personality and thoughts will change.


    And there is also a question of whether your counterpart will also retain your contract with Lu Zhen. Whether it bes a free beast or stays under contract, then, what would happen if someone forcefully captures it and forms a contract? I know that there are techniques to forcefully wipe off a contract with the beast.


    To prevent such a scenario, either of you would have to train in an extremely remote location or an enclosed space like some sort of pocket dimension until your goal is achieved. Isn''t it?"


    "Well¡­" The Zheng became speechless for a second as it didn''t have the answer. It merely exined the details of the technique that its previous master told it years ago.


    To hide its embarrassment, the Zheng snapped at the elf, "For someone with a single attribute, you do have a lot of questions, otherworlder. Now, go and join yourpanions. Let me take a rest."


    The scarlet leopardy on the grass and closed its eyes, acting like it slept.


    Sylvandria narrowed her eyes to stare at the beast for a while before she shook her head and left it.


    As she was leaving, the beast emperor slowly opened one of its eyes, looked at her back, and thought, "Thisdy has divinity, just like that kid." The Zheng nced at the teenage girl with the others. "However, this one is slightly different. There''s something off about her. She reminds me of Lord Yuqiang for some reason. It looks like I need to keep an eye on her, even if it is from far away."


    Imperial City, Phoenix Empire;


    At the imperial court, Shang Jun was in a closed-door meeting with the ministers without any audience from the other court officials. The news of the Dragon Emperor''s death has already reached them and Shang Jun is looking forward to cash on the opportunity to forge rtions with the new Emperor.


    "I''m aware that Imperial Uncle is at Dragon Empire and would probably attend the coronation ceremony but it is more like a personal visit, not representing the Phoenix Empire''s interests," said Shang Jun as a minister reminded him about Shang Fu and others'' whereabouts.


    His Prime Minister, the third prince, Shang Wei, stated his opinion, disagreeing with the Emperor, "His Imperial Majesty can represent our interests as long as we inform him. His previous rtions with the Dragon Empire''ste Emperor might help us in stating our terms without the need for a formal letter too."


    "Hmm, I can see your point." Shang Jun leaned to the side and ced his elbow on the throne''s handle while resting his chin on his fist. He nced to the other side, "What do you think, Special Advisor Cao?"


    Everyone''s attention immediately shifted to the monk sitting in silence. It was obvious that his opinion was the most important in the court due to the Emperor''s dependence on this monk with mysterious origins.


    Cao Wen stood up and bowed in the direction of the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I don''t mean any disrespect for the former emperor but he recently stepped down from the throne. Using him for any kind of diplomacy will make the Emperors of foreignnds look down on His Majesty''s ability."


    Shang Jun''s face immediately changed all of a sudden by the statement from his advisor. Furrowing his brows in seriousness, he said with a bit of arrogance, "Unlike the previous emperors, no one handed me this throne on a silver tter. I earned with these own hands. I don''t need Imperial Uncle''s support on this matter."


    Hearing this, Shang Wei''s facial expression hardened. But, he controlled himself by clenching his fists for a few seconds and releasing them before speaking in a bit of frustration, "There is also Venerable Song, Your Majesty. If he does the diplomatic work, won''t it send a message that a Supreme realm expert is at yourmand?"


    "Oh, that makes sense indeed," Shang Jun''s eyes lit up at his cousin''s suggestion.


    However, Cao Wen didn''t back down. As if he had already prepared to counter, he spoke, "Your Majesty, this is the same expert who couldn''t get back Western Yan that was forcefully taken away from us. And this is the same person who abandoned his duty of protecting his homnd and went along with Imperial Majesty on a vacation. What if someone takes advantage of the situation and invades us?


    Such thought would havee to him, right? We cannot let a person whose loyalty to the throne is questionable represent the interests of His Majesty. It''s not about giving an impression but about right and wrong."


    From the moment Cao Wen started speaking, Shang Jun''s expression turned worse and worsened further as he went on exining his reasoning without mincing his words.


    Shang Wei''s face also darkened further at the same time, feeling very difficult to listen to such words.


    He gave up on convincing his cousin and kept his mouth shut.


    Cao Wen observed that, and taking advantage of the situation, he further made a suggestion, "The crown prince might have ascended to the throne because of the sudden demise of the Emperor, but the Tang Dynasty''s biggest support is the Lord of Reignar, King Rong Huang. It is better if we get him on our side. With his help, we can take back ournd.


    Even in case of a failure, he will force Emperor Tang to take revenge."


    As the ministers were stunned to hear a sinister n from a monk of all people, Cao Wen ended with ament, "Ego is always a vulnerable part of people at high positions and those with powerful strength, Your Majesty. Hurt that ego; they will even burn the world."


    "Hmm, you are right, mister," Suddenly, an unfamiliar high-pitched voice was heard in the surroundings, startling everyone. "But, every action has consequences, don''t you think?"


    Followed by the voice, the door to the courtroom was sliced down in half.


    *Thud*


    They fell down, revealing a ck-hooded person with a sword in his hand.

 Chapter 514: Launching the Space station

    Everyone got up in shock. "Who are you?" Shang Jun roared in anger.


    Steve neither gave his introduction nor did he bother to reply. He rushed forward at a speed that couldn''t be captured by anyone in the room and swung his sword at the young emperor.


    Before he knew what happened, Shang Jun''s left hand rolled on the floor and he screamed in pain with his knees touching the floor while the blood started dripping at a crazy rate.


    Picking up the hand, Steve said, "The true heir to the throne says hello."


    "Who is there¡­ Kill him¡­" Shang Jun shouted but no imperial guard responded. As he desperately looked at Cao Wen, he saw the monk was shaking in fear.


    Steve then left the pce in a hurry, bringing the hand to the spider-ship, where Mark was waiting for him.


    Mark directly ced the hand with a fresh wound in his inventory and patted Steve''s shoulder, "Good job."


    "But, why?" Steve asked in confusion while protecting his body from cold using ayer of ether energy. "We are supposed to abduct him. Why did you change the n at thest second?"


    "I just remembered something, that''s all," Mark didn''t share his secret and just gave a vague answer.


    Steve didn''t probe into the matter too much and reported to him about what he did down there.


    Mark''s spider-ship returned to the Great ins in a jiffy, where a camp was set up and everyone was resting inside their respective tents with the beasts guarding outside.


    ***


    The next day morning;


    "Hmm hm hmmm hmm¡­"


    Song Yue was humming in a good mood as she was walking in the corridor. After seeing her mother after so long, it seemed as if all of the traces of her sadness had gone away, atleast on the outside.


    As she reached Mark''s room, she saw it was open. When she peeked in, she saw Mark was with Steve as they were drawing something on arge sheet of paper and discussing something in an unfamiliarnguage with her.


    *knock* knock* knock*


    She knocked on the door three times to get their attention.


    Mark sprung on his feet while swiftly hiding the paper behind him before sending it to the inventory, "Good morning, Schatz." "Good morning, Mo¡­ Miss Song."


    "What are you doing?" She asked.


    "Weapon design" "venue design"


    Both of them replied at the same time, although differently.


    "Huh? What design?" Due to the ovepping of the words, she couldn''t hear it properly.


    "Miss Song, we actually¡­" Steve was about to say something, but his shin received a sharp kick from his dad. Winced in pain, he shook his head, "Nothing important."


    "Hmm¡­ what''s so secrecy?" Song Yue only became more curious.


    Mark walked forward and grabbed her shoulders with a smile, "Nothing, it is just something we are working on. Once it is done, I''ll let you know. Alright?"


    Song Yue nodded twice, letting out a smile.


    Not intending to disturb him further, she left using an excuse that she would go and meet her mother.


    After she disappeared from his sight, Mark turned around and gave a serious look to Steve, who apologized right away, "Sorry, I couldn''t help but be nervous in Mom''s presence."


    "C''mon, she won''t eat you." Mark casuallymented, to which, Steve replied, "The one from my time was so strict and cold that I¡­"


    "Stop right there¡­" Mark hurriedly interrupted him, "Didn''t I tell you not to speak anything of the future?"


    "Sorry." Steve apologized once again, looking down at his feet, "Without James on my side, it is tough to control myself speaking about it. I''ll try my best to keep my mouth shut."


    *Sigh*


    Mark could only shake his head with a sigh andment, "Sometimes, I forget that you are still a 14-year-old. Anyway, let''s back to the venue design. You focus on that. We shall make it so grand that it should go down in history."


    A few hourster;


    Mark returned to the Great ins in an LNovelBin, all alone.


    After making sure that no one was around, Mark opened the inventory and clicked on the image that looked like a shiny object with sr panels all around.


    In an instant, arge titanium cube appeared on the ground, slightly bigger than himself.


    "Uhhh¡­ this wasn''t what I imagined," Mark was stunned for a second before activating his God''s Eye ability.


    Space station-III


    Grade: Gold


    Crew: 10-20 astronauts


    Length: 80 meters


    Width: 60 meters


    Height: 30 meters


    Weight: 300,000 kg


    Armament: None (Designed for peaceful purposes)


    Ammunition Capacity: N/A


    Cartridge type: N/A


    Max. speed of vehicle: 28,000 km/hr (Orbital velocity)


    Fuel: Sr panels for power generation, advanced propulsion systems


    Cruising Range: Indefinite (Orbital)


    Armor: Advanced shielding technology (Rank-5)


    Additional attachments: Docking ports for spacecraft, scienceboratories, living quarters, observation decks, andmunication array.


    Description: An advanced orbital space station designed for scientific research, international cooperation, and exploration. Equipped with cutting-edge shielding technology, it prioritizes peaceful endeavors and serves as a hub for various space missions. Capable of amodating arge crew and supporting a wide range of experiments and observations.


    Note: It shall beunched into space using a space rocket. Once it is ced into the desired orbit (400km altitude), the host can unfold it to its full size.


    SKILLS:


    Active:


    Descent: The space station can descend back to the without any side effects whenever the user wishes. Cost: 50% ether energy (max). CD: None


    Teleportation: The user could teleport directly into the space station in the blink of an eye. Cost: 50% ether energy per one-way trip. CD: None.


    Passive:


    Connection: The space station, once set in orbit, will activate its connection with the system, thereby, letting the user control some of its functions, such as tracking environmental changes, studying and predicting natural disasters, gathering data on climate patterns, monitoring the movements of enemies and allies using deep scanning, etc¡­


    Barrier: The space station absorbs sr energy and generates a barrier that protects from unknown attacks of any kind up to the 7-circle realm.


    <<<Upgrade>>>


    *


    "Okay, this one has one thing I need. It is quite indeed different from my past life. Well, I guess that''s to be expected. It is created by the system, after all. Anyway, let''s just upgrade it to Diamond before sending it to the space. Who knows?


    I might even get to weaponize it."


    Mark sent it back to the inventory and opened its details before clicking on the upgrade.


    *Ding! 120k credits are deducted. Space Station-III is upgraded to Space Station-IV.


    *Ding! 840k credits are deducted. Space Station-IV is upgraded to Space Station-V.


    "That reduced all of the remaining credits to a little above 350k. I guess I won''t be doing purchases for a while, not until I earn a huge amount of credits by an event. Well, I could still sell the stuff in my inventory but it is better to sell them at Qing Jie''s store. I could earn more money that way. Well, let''s see the result."


    The image in the inventory slot didn''t change and when he took it out, its appearance also didn''t undergo any changes.


    But, when he saw its details, Mark''s face glowed up in satisfaction. "Laser-based DEWs and a Sr beam? It is more than enough to take down my enemies while sitting at home. Now, it is finally ready to beunched. Nah, wait a second. I still have a superior-grade upgrade stone.


    Should I use it? Hmm..."


    ***


    Space station-V


    Grade: Diamond


    Crew: 40-50 astronauts


    Length: 320 meters


    Width: 240 meters


    Height: 120 meters


    Weight: 1,264,778 kg


    Armament: Direct Energy Weapons ¨C Laser Cannons (2)


    Ammunition Capacity: Unlimited


    Cartridge type: High-energysers


    Avg. speed of vehicle: 62,132 km/hr (Orbital velocity)


    Range: 32,000 km


    Fuel: Sr panels for power generation, advanced propulsion systems


    Cruising Range: Indefinite (Orbital)


    Armor: Advanced shielding technology (Rank-7)


    Additional attachments: Docking ports for spacecraft, scienceboratories, living quarters, observation decks,munication array


    Description: An advanced orbital space station designed for scientific research, international cooperation, and exploration. Equipped with cutting-edge shielding technology, it serves as a hub for various space missions and can be used to protect the from extraterrestrial attacks.


    Due to the consumption of a heavy amount of sr energy, the excess is used to push its speed above its intended orbital velocity.


    Note: It shall beunched into space using a space rocket. Once it is ced into the desired orbit (400km), the host can unfold it to its full size.


    SKILLS:


    Active:


    Descent: The space station can descend back to the without any side effects whenever the user wishes. Cost: 30% ether energy (max). CD: None


    Teleportation: The user could teleport directly into the space station in the blink of an eye. Cost: 30% ether energy per one-way trip. CD: None.


    Sr Beam: Using sr panels made from special materials, the space station can weaponize the sr energy it absorbs to shoot a Sr Beam at enemies with an attack power of 200% (max:9.9). Cost: 100% ether energy. CD: 24 hours.


    Laser bullets: Using theser cannons, the space station bes the first line of defense for the against any invasion from space. Attack power: equal to 7.5. Cost: None. CD: 5 seconds. Range: 100 km.


    Laser Beam: The Laser cannons, together, conjure a powerfulser beam and fire at the target with an attack power of 120%. Cost: 20% ether energy. Range: 1000 km.


    The Third Eye: The space station momentarily scans the entire it was revolving around to find the desired object/person the user wishes. Cost: 25% ether energy. CD: None


    Passive:


    Connection: The space station, once set in orbit, will activate its connection with the system, thereby, letting the user control some of its functions, such as tracking environmental changes, studying and predicting natural disasters, gathering data on climate patterns, monitoring the movements of enemies and allies using deep scanning, etc¡­


    Barrier: The space station absorbs sr energy and generates a barrier that protects from unknown attacks of any kind up to the 7-circle realm.


    <<<Upgrade>>>


    "Man, this kind of tech really needs the best upgrades. Too bad I''m out of cash already. Should I use Upgrade Stone or use the credit limit? I think I can upgrade it all the way to celestial grade. Who knows how powerful it will get..."


    After thinking for a bit, Mark became against such an idea.


    The superior grade upgrade stone is best used when the item is at Mythril grade so that it bes Celestial grade and saves tens of millions of credits.


    Furthermore, he won''t be staying here for a very long time. Hence, it didn''t seem worth using a credit limit and upgrading it three more times.


    But, at the same time, there was also this curiosity about what kind of new abilities would the space station acquire in its upgrades, leaving him in a dilemma.


    So, what should he do now?


    In the end, he decided to y it safe.


    Taking onest look at the details, Mark proceeded to take out the rocketunching station from its inventory.


    The rocketunching station was quite simple,pared to the ones he witnessed in his past life. In fact, it was so simple that it doesn''t even look like aunching station at all.


    There were noplicated machines attached or huge structures built for operations and everything. Rather than aunching station, it looked more like a hundred-meter-long cannon ced on arge docking port.


    "Where the hell is the rocket?" Mark couldn''t help but wonder aloud.

 Chapter 515: The Third eye

    *Ding! The host has to manually unlock the rocket. It costs 10 million credits to unlock and the price of a rocket depends on its size.


    "You¡­"


    Mark wanted to swear at the system even if he had to risk taking an electric shock, but fortunately for him, the system followed up with another notification, making him swallow down those curses.


    *Ding! With a peak force of 9x10^25 N, the cannonuncher has enough force tounch objects directly to even this''s moon, resisting every kind of force that has an opposite effect, as long as they can fit inside the cannon and are durable enough to withstand it.


    "Oh, I see," Mark had faced enough shocks in the past few months that he was no longer stunned by the system''s created items that defy the logic of science he learned while growing up.


    "Anyway, system,unch the space station"


    *Ding! Affirmed.


    The block of the cube disappeared from his inventory and was transported to theuncher.


    A green-colored light in the form of a line appeared at the bottom of theuncher before another one appeared a couple of meters above it.


    Third one, and then, the fourth one, and so on, until the tenth one at the center of theuncher.


    *Ding! The cannonuncher is charged up. The required force to the desired orbit is achieved. Get ready for theunch.


    *10


    *9


    *8


    *7


    *6


    *5


    *4


    *3


    *2


    *1


    *Swooosh*


    The giant block of cube was fired vertically from theuncher without any sort of sound. Mark got a glimpse at it when the object was released but it instantly disappeared from his sight.


    Mark sent the so-called portable rocketunching station to his inventory and returned to Lunaris City by walking into the portal.


    After randomly appearing in a remote location that just looked like a wilderness, Mark summoned his LNovelBin and started driving back to the pce.


    Not even five minutes passed since he started driving and Mark received a notification from the system.


    *Ding! Space Station-V sessfully reached its orbit (400 km altitude) and activated.


    *Ding! Space station panel is added to the character menu. Check it for the details.


    Mark was forced to hit the brakes and stop the vehicle, "Already?" He couldn''t help but ask the system to confirm it again.


    It responded in a way that made it seem like it was mocking Mark''s intelligence.


    *Ding! System clearly mentioned that objectsunched by the cannonuncher with enough force that all kinds of resisting forces will have negligible impact on them.


    After a few moments of silence, Mark let out a sigh and passed the order, "System, open Space station panel."


    "Activate the skill, Third Eye"


    *Ding! Need the name and other details, the better the details, the less time is taken.


    Mark closed his eyes and imagined the appearance of his eldest half-sibling in his mind before mumbling, "Name: Shang Zexi, age 38 or 39. Location Priority: Phoenix Empire."


    *Ding! The Third Eye activated. Wait for the details.


    As 25% of his ether energy reduced instantly, in space at 400km altitude, therge space station that just unfolded into its real form and started revolving around the in its desired orbit glowed brightly for a few seconds and momentarily increased its scanning ability to the entire instead of just the partial area it was designed to scan.


    Back to Mark, after activating the ability, he waited in patience, thinking that the job would be done within a few minutes unless the former crown prince was hiding deep in the underground caves of some mountains.


    The system''s creation didn''t let him down and gave him the GPS location of the target within 15 seconds.


    It showed him the location of Northern Yuan Province''s Si, a town located near the border with Zhao Province.


    "Shang Zexi was found. Now, all that''s left is to force him to start a rebellion. But, hurting Shang Jun isn''t enough to do that. I would have to take action by myself.


    However, if I go in person, there is a significant chance of getting rejected. A guy like him might even twist the facts and me me for his current situation. Well, I might have yed a part but he is still responsible for his own demise.


    Anyway, let''s send someone he doesn''t know but strong enough to give him that courage. It is time for that nonexistent mysterious backer of mine toe into the limelight." Mark let out an evil grin, imagining the scenario of the future of the Phoenix Empire.


    Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Empire;


    Shang Jun was lying on his bed with a dazed expression on his face with his left arm being treated by the imperial healer.


    Various officials were seen standing on the side and watching him, including His principal advisor, Cao Wen; Prime Minister, Shang Wei; The Supreme Commander, Bai Xun.


    After the treatment waspleted and the imperial healer left, Cao Wen spoke, "Your Majesty, the regrowth pill is already on the way. Within a couple of weeks, your left hand will return to normal without any side effects."


    Shang Jun didn''t respond to his words filled with assurance. He continued to stare at the ceiling in a daze.


    Shang Wei and Bai Xun nced at each other. Thetter slightly shook his head, gesturing for him not to speak anything and stay silent on the spot.


    "Your Majesty" "Your Majesty¡­"


    After calling him a couple of times, Cao Wen walked to the bed and touched his shoulders, "Your Majesty¡­"


    Shang Jun finally responded by moving his eyes to the side to spare a nce at his advisor.


    Cao Wen softly spoke, "Fourth Prince''s organization (NET) was working with everything they have got. His Highness promised that we will find the assant''s identity within a week."


    "The true heir to the throne says hello. This is what he said, Advisor Cao," Shang Jun slowly opened his mouth, "Do you know what that means?"


    "Crown Prince Shang Zexi?" Cao Wen yelped in surprise. Shang Wei and Bai Xun also seemed taken aback.


    "Are you implying that Eldest Brother is the one behind this incident?" Shang Wei couldn''t help but ask, "But, the assant seemed like a supreme realm expert."


    He had no love for the brother who tried to harm him multiple times, but that doesn''t mean he would sit quietly if Shang Jun just tantly pins it on the one who went into hiding in fear.


    However, to their surprise, Shang Jun bitterly smiled as he slowly shook his head, "There is someone else. The one who attacked me is no doubt a direct descendant of the Shang Dynasty. You should have also sensed it, Prince Wei. There''s a Phoenix Bloodline inside him and it was very pure, but not pure to the extent that he or his immediate ancestors received a blessing from the Phoenix.


    If I''m right, a line from the previous emperors must have existed without us knowing. If we want to find out his identity, we should start from there." He shifted his attention back to Cao Wen, "Advisor Cao, I need you to send a message to our brothers. Tell them toe here."


    "Our Brothers?" Shang Wei and Bai Xun spared a nce at each other once again. They shared the same thought.

 Chapter 516: An offer to the former crown prince

    Northern Yuan Province, Si town;


    In the most famous brothel of the Si town, beautiful maidens were dancing as the top courtesan was ying a piece of melody music, good enough to make everyone go into a trance and enjoy it.


    There are many men around but two of them seemed set apart from the others. No one seemed as wealthy as two men whether it was their attire or the dishes and the wine they were served. They were also apanied by three popr courtesans.


    One of them was actually the crown prince who was on the run while the other was the lord of the town.


    As no one had ever seen the former crown prince before, he was wearing a half-mask that was covering the left part of his face, not to mention he was in the 6-circle realm, and was sitting up on the second floor reserved for only VIPs, they only assumed that it was some powerful elite warrior their town lord knew.


    No one bore any suspicions about his identity and focused on the entertainment presented before them. Meanwhile, the two men were discussing the affairs of the empire, and it looked like Shang Zexi looked a bit displeased at the moment.


    Taking a sip of wine, Shang Zexi spoke in a bit of a drunken state, "You know, Lord Yi, one year ago, I was in a position where I may ascend to the throne at any moment. Fate kicked me like a dog."


    "Your Highness, a lot of nobles are dissatisfied by His Majesty''s policies. It''s not even that long he ascended to the throne and he has already offended at least half of the sects and guilds. Now that he is injured in the imperial court itself, the bells of rebellion could be soon rung. His Highness could use this opportunity to rise once again," replied the town lord.


    Shang Zexi let out a bitter smile, "If there is anything I have learned in these past couple of months, it is that no amount of politics is a match for absolute strength. To dethrone Shang Jun, loyalty from the nobles isn''t enough. Now that they are no longer in authority, their influence alone wouldn''t give me the throne.


    As for the sects, even if they express dissent against the imperial court, they won''t interfere in the matters of the court. I need someone like Song Tai on my side; someone like Lu Zhen, who could change the dynamics of a war. I hate that bastard but I must admit that he is quite powerful."


    Before the town lord stated his opinion, a voice interrupted their conversation, "Well, thank you for thepliment, Prince Shang."


    "Hmm?" Shang Zexi and the town lord turned around to find Mark standing there and staring at them.


    Shang Zexi was so shocked that he immediately became sober and got up with a serious expression, "Lu Zhen¡­ what the hell are you doi¡­ Hmm¡­" He momentarily shifts his attention to the drinks on the table, "You bi*ch, what did you mix in my drinks?" He disyed his anger at the courtesan serving him.


    As he caught her throat and she was struggling to breathe, Mark dashed forward and grabbed his hand, freeing her through force. "Get out," he said to thedies around.


    They hurriedly left the room and Mark sat down, gesturing the two of them to sit too. As they didn''t sit, Mark threatened, "You are a wanted criminal now, Prince Shang. It is best if you don''t cause any ruckus that could attract unnecessary attention. Sit¡­"


    As both of them sat down, the prince asked, "How do you know I''m here?" He warily looked around.


    Mark let out a smile, "It doesn''t matter. What matters is the fact that I''m here with an offer that you won''t be able to refuse. And by the way, on ount of our cooperation, I''ll forgive your earlier slur about me."


    "Cooperation?" Shang Zexi furrowed his brows.


    Mark simply asked, "Do you wish to be the Emperor?"


    "What do you mean?" Shang Zexi''s frown only became deeper with Mark''s question.


    "I meant exactly as I have said." Mark maintained his usual fake smile as he exined, "I will provide you with advanced weaponry and funds. You need to gather men or other allies on your own though. Start the civil war and follow my strategy. I will give you the throne of the Phoenix Empire. I will even provide support in the shadows to make sure you keep that throne until you die."


    Shang Zexi stared at Mark for a few seconds and replied, "You are certainly not my friend that you want to see me on that throne. ording to what I know, you still have a supreme being at your disposal even after losing Venerable Wu. If you want an ally on the throne, your best bet would be the third prince. Why do you want to help me?"


    "Well, I''m a businessman, Prince Shang." Mark shrugged his shoulders as if he was saying those things don''t matter, "I do things that give me maximum profits. In this case, it is you who give me that. Because you are desperate for that position."


    "What do you want from me?" Shang Zexi asked, tempted to shake hands with this devil, despite the fact that there is a part of him that mes Mark for his situation.


    Seeing that the other party got interested, Mark took out arge scroll from his inventory and handed it to the prince.


    Prince Shang opened it. The Town lord also leaned forward a bit in curiosity. It is a map of the Phoenix Empire.


    However, there was something drawn on the map with a pencil. The drawing goes around the imperial city in the north and slowlyes down from the border of the Kunyu mountain range, cutting the Qing province vertically in half.


    From the right, it cuts the Sui province horizontally into half and then goes along its border with the neighboring Jin Province before going down and cutting the Zhao Province vertically in half.


    Neither of them understood what it meant. As they looked at Mark for answers, thetter said, "Whatevernds located outside the drawing is my price, meaning, the entire Jin Province, the outer sector in the north of the imperial city, half of Sui Province, half of Qing province, and half of Zhao Province. It is around 28% of the Empire''snd but only has roughly 162,000 citizens, i.e.


    a meager 3.1% of the poption and a few notable sects. This is my price."


    "Huh?"


    ***


    After a while;


    "Okay then, I''m done here and need to return. Send me your confidant to Lunaris City after you acquire the support of the Yuan n. Remember that this person will be our mediator until the end."


    Mark left the brothel with all smiles, leaving behind a happy Shang Zexi; He was seen clenching his fist tightly as he stared at Mark''s back, "I always thought this bastard had a strong background but didn''t expect there is a demigod behind him. If I get the support of a demigod, giving up those barrennds is worth the price.


    It looks like those rumors about him having the backing of a force from a higher ne of existence aren''t false if he wasn''t lying about it."

 Chapter 517: Cosmic orbs and the cure

    Five dayster;


    Early in the morning, as soon as he woke up, Mark opened the Space station panel to spy on his targets.


    "Activate, Third Eye."


    *Ding! Need the name and other details, the better the details, the less time is taken.


    "Biological mother" A simple word escaped Mark''s mouth in response.


    *Ding! Checking the registered list


    *Ding! Found the details. Third Eye is activated.


    Half a minuteter, a new holographic window was opened before his eyes, disying a map of the Dragon Empire where the icon with the image of his mom moved around.


    "It looks like she is still there with her husband, touring the ces," mumbled Mark, closing down the window. There was this slight disappointment on his face, not sure what else he was expecting.


    30 seconds of waiting was enough to recover his 25% consumed ether energy due to the passive skill of ether regeneration, which rapidly increased his recovery rate to the extent that he only needed 70 seconds to recover 100% of his ether energy, and not to mention, there was no cooldown time period for the skill, Mark went on searching other people he was acquainted, one after another.


    First, he checked on the location of James, who is still at Baize Empire but in a moving position simr to her mother, indicating that he was roaming around.


    Then, he checked Shang Jiao, who was at his private ind and in a still position, probably sleeping.


    "Hmm¡­ Ouyang Zen also seems to be sleeping."


    "Lan Jing, my granduncle isn''t with the kid. What was he doing at the Dragon Empire? Is he meeting Lan Jingyi or something? In that case, I cannot trust him. I should pay more attention."


    "Hmm¡­ who else¡­"


    "Oh, Shang Jun is also not at the pce. He is still in the imperial city but in the Herald district. It is a residential district for the nobles though. Who could he meet at such a time? Don''t tell me he was actually¡­"


    "Bai Xun at his residence" "Shang Wei is also at the pce" "Shang Wen cannot be found. I wonder which ne of existence he left for. Only that trash father of mine knows¡­"


    "What about Fu Sheng? Okay, he is with James."


    "What about Shang Zexi?"


    "Ugh¡­ I think he was on the way to meet me. I have already told him that I will supply the weapons in a week, based on his budget. Why was he in a hurry? Not to mention, he didn''t bother sending a message first and ns to surprise me with a visit."


    "Anyway, let''s forget about him and look for someone else¡­ who¡­ Hmm¡­ that auction girl¡­ what''s her name again¡­ Xin Rui. Let''s see where she lives. Maybe, I can visit her to talk about our n to ruin the Dragon Empire.


    Eh? She isn''t in the city. It is a mountainous location. Is she living in seclusion or is it the Void Temple? Who is there? I don''t know the names but there are demigods living there, right?


    If I just give the input like¡­ demi¡­ gods¡­"


    As he was thinking, something clicked inside Mark''s head. His eyes lit up in realization and he pped his forehead, "idiot. Why didn''t you think of it before?"


    Mark activated the third eye for the nth time.


    As the system prompt arrived, asking him about giving the input, Mark spoke, "Name: Unknown. Appearance: unknown. Cultivation realm: Demigod/10-circle. Search¡­"


    After two minutes of searching, the system gave him the results, mapping various locations but without any images of the people.


    "Seven demigods at the Dragon Empire? Six of them are in imperial city at the moment? What the heck is going on there?" Mark sprung up to his feet, getting down the bed in surprise.


    He was aware of four demigods who were there at the Dragon Empire. One is the Tang n''s ancestor. One is the Void Temple''s Matriarch. One is the Dragon Emperor. And the fourth one is his mom. But, where did the other threee from?


    "The Coronation ceremony must have already been over. Even if there were demigods in guest rooms at the auction and attended it, shouldn''t they have left by now? Why did they extend their visit?" Mark couldn''t help but ponder on this unusual situation.


    Almost 16 hourster, in the Dragon Empire;


    The new Emperor was in the presence of six emperors; he might be sitting on the highest seat in the room but he never felt as insignificant as he was now as an observer.


    With the Tang Dynasty''s founder absent from the meeting, Emperor Tang was nervous as hell, feeling like one wrongment might lose his life. Not to mention, every demigod present is a beast. He could only watch the discussion unfolding before him, or more like an argument.


    "Look, our world may have fewer demigods, but that doesn''t mean you can juste here to do whatever you want. Okay?" The Beast Empire''s Werewolf Lord was all zing at the outsiders.


    One demigod with three horns on his head made a counterargument, "Aren''t you someone from the higher realm too? Whose permission did you take to settle down here?"


    "There is no restriction of worldws on our bodies, Yanlong," The Dragon Emperor of the Bloodhill forest made a counterargument. She further added, "it clearly indicates that the world spirit ept us as its children. You people, on the other hand, don''t hold such privilege. Stop grouping us together."


    "Whatever." A demigod with the head of a male lion brushed her off. "Her Majesty''s orders are absolute. We cannot leave without his highness. If you don''t cooperate, your world will be doomed in the end and not even Yu Jiang will be able to save you."


    The Werewolf Lord raised his eyebrow. He looked displeased by the other party''sments, "Oh, yeah? Try us. I too want to see how your queen dares to go against the decree of the heavenly pce."


    "You really don''t care about the consequences," thest demigod also joined the argument with a more sensiblement. "Do you think it is worthy to form enmity with the Feline Dynasty over such harmless investigation?"


    The Werewolf Lord replied sternly, "I believe I have made myself clear. If you want to get back your young master, we will search and handover him to you. You are not permitted to explore our world. The world has enough demigods as it is. We won''t give a way to any demigod to make this ce their home."


    "Please, who would want this dump yard, full of those parasites (human race)," scoffed the three-horned demigod.


    "Those parasites gave me the home, Niu Mowang." A voice was heard in the surroundings, startling them.


    The door was opened and a figure walked into the courtroom. Everyone got up from their seats involuntarily, including even the Emperor.


    The sickly-looking pale boy slowly walked toward them. Every time he makes a step, the still air around him swirls around. The natural energy in the surroundings automatically absorbs into his body.


    Emperor Tang was relieved by the presence of the new demigod. The other realm demigod beasts, on the other hand, felt invisible pressure on their bodies as they watched the boy walking toward them.


    *Cough* Cough*


    As he coughed like a sick person, the rest of the demigods felt like their eardrums exploded. The Emperor was fine for some reason.


    The Werewolf Lord and the Dragon Emperor had a look of worry on their faces. The former spoke, "Brother Tang, why did you leave? We will handle the situation here. You go and rest."


    The pale boy forced out a weak smile, "I''m fine. There''s something important I need to speak about." *Cough*


    Tang Yifan hurriedly came down to help his ancestor. He slowly escorted him to the throne, requesting him sit on it while he stood beside like some servant.


    Taking the seat, the pale boy spoke to the demigods, "Your young master is with a human, who formed a contract with a powerful demon king fromherworld. Even if the three of you work together, you will have a zero chance of sess. The human also possessed a power that I''m incapable of understanding either." *Cough* Cough* "I urge you to leave and tell your Queen to wait in patience.


    We will deliver your young master to the doorstep."


    "You know that''s¡­" As the lion head demigod was about to argue, this time, he was stopped by hisrade, the one who looked the most human out of the three, the wise demigod with whiskers on his cheeks, "Since you gave your word, we will ept." He said to the Tang n''s founder.


    They didn''t stay there anymore and once they left, the boy coughed once again. The Werewolf Lord and the Dragon Emperor hurriedly grabbed him and inserted their energy into his body.


    As his condition stabilized a bit, the Werewolf scolded him, "What could be so important that you have toe out from your domain?"


    The Tang Dynasty founder answered weakly, "I found my cure, Brother."


    "Where?" Both the demigods reacted strongly.


    The former emperor exined, "Both of you are aware that the Orb of Elements has long fused with my soul and we ended up in this world, because of the fact that the Orb of Life is sealed here. My cure needs another cosmic orb to bnce the power of the Elemental Orb in my body. However, we missed the fact that there is another cosmic orb here."


    "A third orb?" The demigods cast a sidelong nce at each other. Meanwhile, Tang Yifan wondered, "cosmic orbs? What are those?"


    Tang founder continued to exin, "A while ago, during the time of the auction, I sensed its presence. It was just for a fraction of a second but I have managed to confirm its existence. All these days, I was busy tracing its location. Since it was sealed in its host, it was tough for me to locate it. But, every fortnight, during the noon here, it stayed active for a couple of moments.


    I have now traced it to Western Moon.


    The problem is that our target quite possibly is an acquaintance of that human. See if you can solve this without causing any bloodshed. In the event violence cannot be put to rest, I will stop that immortal demon and his master for a while. In the meantime, I need the two of you to bring her to the sanctum and extract the power."

 Chapter 518: Shang Zexi and Yuan Meili at the store

    Genesis Enterprises, Lunaris City, Western Moon Kingdom;


    The weapon store turned enterprise with the sessful business strategies from the welpire Chang Bo, subordinate Meng Tao, and the teenager with a crush on Mark; Xie Mei, selling from weapons to food, currently put up a closed sign as they hosted the former crown prince of the neighboring empire.


    It wasn''t the first time he visited the store. It is the official meeting point of him and Mark. However, there was someone else beside him, this time.


    Yuan Meili had this look of unpleasantness on her face as she was given a brief tour.


    As they went to the topmost story of the tower, the residence of Chang Bo and Meng Tao, Yuan Meili pinched her nose in disgust, refusing to take a seat when offered, and furthermenting, "The cecks elegance and quite smelly. The store is a lot better¡­"


    In fact, the ce was kept neat and tidy with nothing out of the ordinary as pointed out by Yuan Meili, but Chang Bo didn''t argue with her about it and even apologized to her for the difort.


    "Would you like to go downstairs?" As he asked her, maintaining a polite manner, Prince Shang Zexi waved his hand with an awkward smile, "No need, Brother Chang. We will stay here."


    Yuan Meili furrowed her brows immediately but stayed silent until Chang Bo left the ce, stating that he would go check on the kitchen. They came for the lunch. So, his excuse looked perfect.


    Just as he left, Yuan Meili spoke to the prince in a bit of aining tone, "Are you seriously the same senior brother that I knew? Forget about waiting in this dump, you even call thatmoner your brother? Don''t tell me you want to marry your missing sister to that trash. I heard that they are close."


    Shang Zexi''s facial expression changed quickly. He looked at her as if he snapped, "Do you even know who that is? Chang Bo is Lu Zhen''s loyal servant. Unlike us who treat servants as nothing more than ves, Lu Zhen treats them as siblings. The Sui n''s young master merely insulted his other servant and Lu Zhen destroyed their npound and even extorted money in return.


    That''s when he was merely acting in a low-key manner.


    Now, his actions have grown to the extent of destroying the empires at will. If he knows that you have insulted Chang Bo, forget about locating your lover, Yuan n will not see tomorrow''s sunrise. After he returns, make sure you speak courteously."


    "But¡­" Yuan Meili wanted to speak something in her defense but she bit her lip in frustration after seeing a stern look on her senior brother, and nodded, "I understand."


    After a while;


    Mark arrived at the store and met with both of them. He recognized the woman in one nce.


    As they greeted him, and the crown prince introduced her, Mark responded with a nod, "I remember her." He shifted his gaze to look at the woman. After scanning her information, he was slightly surprised a bit andmented, "You are dying."


    "Eh?" "Huh?"


    Both the prince and the woman were taken aback by hisment.


    "How do you know?" Yuan Meili asked before the prince responded to that. Shang Zexi abruptly turned his head to look at his junior sister and asked upon hearing her response, "What''s going on?"


    Mark gave the answer to his questions, based on what he found in the description, "Cursed Yin Physique. She was born with it and needs a constant supply of energy filled with a fiery bloodline like Phoenix." He then looked at the woman and said, "It is amazing that you are still alive unless someone with a Phoenix Bloodline is saving you."


    "I¡­" Yuan Meili looked down at the floor, feeling nervous as her birth secret was suddenly revealed by Mark. She doesn''t know what else the other party knows. With a grip of fear in her heart, she slowly exined, "No, it is not like you have imagined. My n used fire attribute energy and ether crystals to keep me alive. But, it was a temporary solution and it halted my cultivation progress.


    If I marry someone with Phoenix Bloodline, then, I could be cured and continue my cultivation."


    Mark stared at her for a couple of seconds. He wondered why she was so nervous. Despite being in the supreme realm, Mark was never an expert and didn''t have a cent of the knowledge those veterans have. Hence, he took her word for the truth and merely responded with ament, "So, that is why you were after Brother Wen. I thought you were in love with him. Nobles were indeed schemers."


    "You¡­" Yuan Meili was offended by hisment and even raised her head to look seriously at Mark. However, as their eyes met, she averted her gaze down once again and defended herself, "If I just wanted to live, I have other options too. There is His Majesty (Shang Jun), and Prime Minister Shang (Shang Wei). The Red Dragon Bloodline can also cure me. I can also marry into the Tang Dynasty.


    But, I''m only willing to chase after Brother Wen even after he went missing. I hope Lord Lu doesn''t humiliate me by doubting my intentions. It is true that my mother urged me to pursue Brother Wen for my survival but my heart has been clear from the beginning."


    As Shang Zexi instructed her earlier, shepressed all those negative thoughts in her heart and gracefully dealt with Mark just like an heiress of a noble family.


    Mark already had a bad impression of her for a while and it won''t disappear for a while. The best he could do was to stay silent and shift the topic.


    Escorting both of them to the restaurant, Mark sat with them as Chang Bo brought a bottle with liquid as clear as water and served them in traditional wine cups, which had a maximum capacity of 50 ml of liquid.


    "Hmm¡­ what is this wine?" Prince Shang was puzzled.


    Yuan Meili also raised the cup and smelled it, "at one nce, it looked like water, but I can faintly smell the scent of potatoes, grapes, and there is also corn? It doesn''t seem like wine. Should be another type of alcohol."


    Mark let out a smile as he introduced the alcohol, "This drink is a specialty of our store, created by my sister''s recipe and done by our chefs. It is called vodka. As I''m not interested in creating any alcohol business, I just had it made in the kitchens using traditional methods. The one you were served is also nicknamed one shot down by our customers.


    If you don''t have alcohol tolerance, I suggest drinking in moderation."


    "Brother Lu, since young, we were trained to develop a high tolerance to alcohol as we have to attend many events every year," replied the crown prince with a smile, clearly looking down on the drink.


    Yuan Meili also smiled and gulped the drink in the cup in one go, just like they do with tea or wine.


    In the next instant, their facial expressions changed.


    "Ha¡­" Yuan Meili felt an extreme burning sensation in her mouth before feeling dizziness.


    *p*


    Within no time, her head hit the table and lost consciousness.


    Meanwhile, Shang Zexi acted quickly by pouring his ether energy into his mouth, skillfully negating the effects. "What the hell was this poison?" he momentarily lost control before forcing himself to calm down, "I apologize."


    Mark calmly drank the liquid in one shot and replied, "This one has over 80% alcohol percentage. I know that anything above 40 will be dangerous, but I thought cultivators like you could handle it."


    *Ding! Toxic substance is detected. Proceeding to eliminate.


    *Sigh* "One really needs to be fortunate to enjoy alcohol."


    Watching Mark let out a long sigh andment, Shang Zexi said in a hushed tone, "I really appreciate the drink, Brother Lu. It is unlike anything I have ever drunk. It is because this is the first time we drank, I¡­"


    Mark interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "No, I''m not talking about you. I was criticizing my own self." He poured the vodka in the cup and raised it to his eye level and added, "No matter how much I drink, it is just like water to me. For someone like me who loves drinking, this is akin to hell. I guess this is an absolutew of the universe.


    Obtaining something without losing anything can only happen in dreams. If someone says that they give you things for free, you should never take it. In reality, you always have to give up your precious things for the sake of achieving your dreams."


    Shang Zexi meaningfully stared at Mark in silence.

 Chapter 519: The bird from a calligraphic scroll

    After a while, the prince finished the lunch and left with one million gold coins of initial funding while Yuan Meili ended up leaving in an unconscious state without being able to enquire about Shang Wen''s current whereabouts, not that Mark could find it anyway.


    After sending them off, Mark went on with his usual weapon creation and filling the storage room, then, checking the ounts, listening to their future ns from Chang Bo, and giving his permission to proceed with it.


    Later on, he returned to the pce to meet the King, who wanted to enquire about his marriage date with Song Yue so that they could proceed with his engagement ceremony with the princess.


    He doesn''t trust Shen Niu as much as he trusts his daughter. Hence, he didn''t share his ns of war against the Phoenix Empire and merely asked him to consult the fortune teller to look up the dates for both events.


    Mark didn''t talk much with him and swiftly escaped the pce in his LNovelBin to meet with Huang Jie, the merchant who dealt with construction materials. It was for the construction of his runways and also the military bases he nned on building in atleast five different locations of the kingdom.


    Merchant Huang greatly weed Mark at his residence. After a brief tea session and a talk about the progress of acquiring all the required materials, Mark was taken to Huang Ji''s private collection.


    This private collection was just full of ancient calligraphic works disyed on the walls and paintings disyed on the boards in the space.


    With his Eyes of God active, Mark scanned the pieces one after another as Huang Ji was boasting about their historical significance and value. To get into Mark''s good books, the merchant even offered him to take away any piece he liked.


    At first, Mark thought of taking away some inexpensive pieces as the merchant was insisting, but when he eventually spotted a calligraphy that had profound strokes, he asked about it with a bit of interest.


    As Mark finally shows interest in a calligraphic work, the merchant suddenly grows nervous. Still, he exined without hiding anything, "Lord Lu, this is the work of Master Gu¡­"


    After exining every detail of the calligraphy and also about this Gu Wenchao, the merchant added in the end, "I purchased it for a hundred thousand gold coins during one of the auctions, intending to give it as a birthday present for my son''s uing 16th birthday."


    Mark understood what he was trying to indicate, but he shamelessly asked, "Mr. Huang, if I want this work, would you be kind enough to give it to me?"


    Huang Ji was taken aback at once, shocked at how this man still asks for the work. Nevertheless, after hesitating for a bit, he bowed slightly, "Yes, if it pleases Lord Lu."


    As the man proceeded to take the calligraphic scroll and fold it up, Mark developed a rare genuine smile on his face as he took out a robot from his inventory, taking the merchant by surprise once again.


    Handing him a piece of the scroll, Mark said, "This robot is a battle puppet, strong as a 6-circle realm expert and capable of handling any type of weapon, although like a nk book and needed proper training to use it on the field. I don''t know how much it is worth as robots are not for sale. But, I believe it should be atleast worth the same as the calligraphic work.


    The scroll I gave you has the guide to control this robot. Give this as a birthday present for your son, although be sure to warn him not to use it to bully the weak."


    "This¡­" Huang Ji''s hands shivered as he stared at the robot in shock, "6-circle?" Even his voice quivered as he immediately cupped his fists and bowed, "Lord Lu, you are too generous."


    He might be wealthier than most of those adventurers but hecked the strength to protect himself or his family. Hence, he always has to depend on them, handing out lots of money. It is not just his problem. It is the problem of every wealthy individual.


    Getting such a powerful puppet is like a blessing from heaven. At that moment, He felt d to give up his most prized possession.


    "haha" Mark let out a heartyugh as he took the calligraphic scroll and carefully ced it in the storage ring. "In the uing years, I''m going to build a lot of things, Mr. Huang. I will be depending on you more."


    "Yes, I will try my best," Huang Ji cupped his fists once again.


    Soon after, Mark left the residence in his LMV, leaving an ecstatic merchant.


    Little did Huang Ji know that Mark was happier than him.


    He was whistling and humming various tunes from his past life as he was driving toward the outskirts of the city.


    The vehicle traveled for another hour and reached a remote location with nothing but wild nts around.


    He then got down from the vehicle and took out the scroll, cing it on the vehicle''s hood and spreading it carefully.


    "Man, I hit the jackpot once again¡­" He observed the scroll''s details.


    Scroll of Gu family


    Grade: N/A


    Description: An ancient scroll belonging to the Western Moon''s Gu family. Beneath the profound work created by Calligrapher Gu Wenchao, hidden a seal that imprisoned an emperor-grade creature.


    "System, Open skills list"


    "Activate, Seal Breaker"


    As the skill activated, the scroll beneath his palm started burning in mes. Mark retracted his hand in reflex.


    The entire scroll was burned to ask, leaving behind a bird with color plumage. It looked ordinary at one nce.


    The bird that was sleeping on its side suddenly woke up and looked around. It saw Mark and chirped in happiness.


    Mark immediately scanned its details.


    Jingwei


    Grade: Battle Emperor


    Rank: 2 (9-at her peak state)


    Age: 16344


    Attribute: Fire


    Description: Jingwei is the daughter of Yan Di, the me Emperor; one of the three sovereigns of the that ascended to the immortal realm. After drowning in the sea, her soul was merged with an immortal bird that consumed the fire seed. Determined to fill up the sea so that no one would drown like her, she started throwing twigs and stones for years and years.


    After breaking through the supreme realm, Jingwei proceeds to throw mountains into the sea, almost destroying the ecosystem of the. The guardian of the oceans and seas, the Kun worked with Emperor Zhuanxu and sealed her because they couldn''t kill her.


    "Now, that''s a long description¡­" Mark was observing the description written on the holographic screen while the bird was staring at him, thinking that the human was observing her.


    The bird pped its wings and flew toward Mark. He stretched his left hand forward in reflex and the birdnded on his arm.


    As it was tilting its head right and left, Mark let out his business smile, "Hello, I''m Lu Zhen. Do you want to follow me?"


    In response, the bird let out a lively chirp once again, but then, it followed it with suddenly attacking his arm.


    "Ssss"


    Mark retracted his arm in reflex once again, but while letting out a painful hiss. However, the bird seemingly attached to his arm, didn''t move a bit. It went on consuming his blood.


    Upon consuming it, it started glowing brightly.


    *Ding! A contract has been formed.


    "Wait, what about my consent?" Mark was surprised that it epted him as its master, just like that. *Ding! The host has already given his consent.


    "Ah, I guess so¡­" Mark remembered asking it toe with him. That''s the same as initiating the contract.


    But, still, he didn''t expect the bird would ept it without the medium of any taming scrolls, taming skill, and most importantly, without putting up any fight. Not to mention, the bird wasn''t a newborn and lived long enough to be wiser than him.


    As Mark was wondering whether he was lucky, the blinding sh of light over the bird erged to atleast three and a half feet in size, and when the glow disappeared, Mark saw a little girl on the ground with fiery mes covering her, in the form of a traditional robe.


    *Ding! Jing Wei''s condition restored to the peak.


    Mark had his mouth opened and eyes widened for a moment, staring at the scene, "what the¡­"


    The final nail hit the coffin when that girl jumped at him and hugged his legs, "ba-bah (father in affectionate form, simr to Papa)."


    Mark: "¡­"

 Chapter 520: Civil War at Phoenix Empire (part-1)

    An hourter;


    "Papa, the streets look so lively here"


    "Papa, look¡­ food is made on the streets here."


    "Papa, why are people lining up for food, there and there, and there? Do the rain gods get angry once again?"


    "Papa, the roads look so smooth. Do you remember, back then, we used to travel in a jungle and it is tough to¡­"


    "Papa, whose statue is that? It certainly doesn''t look like yours."


    "Woah, this is where we are going to stay? The house looks so big¡­" The little girl eximed as they got out of the vehicle.


    As Mark put away the vehicle, little Jing Wei grabbed his hand and skipped like a normal kid as they climbed the stairs to get into the pce. The guards around couldn''t help but wonder who the kid was.


    Due to the fact that Mark had the look of an annoyed person, not even the vice general passing by dared to ask him about her identity and merely greeted him.


    As both of them entered the pce, the little girl started eximing every second, pointing at various things from paintings to even the chandelier as if she was looking at them for the first time. Her voice was also quite loud.


    Soon, Sylvandria and Song Yue came down to meet him as he asked them throughmunication scrolls while he was on the way. As for Shen Ling, she was slightly preupied with kingdom affairs at the moment, acting as an unofficial advisor to her dad.


    Both of the were puzzled by the little girl and were curious about her.


    The little girl looked at Song Yue and suddenly hid behind Mark, "Papa, that pretty woman is so scary."


    As thedies were startled by herment, especially Song Yue, Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure, "Jing Wei, what''s scary about her?" Meanwhile, a sense of confusion arose within Mark.


    "I don''t know¡­" She shook her head as she hugged Mark''s waist from behind. "She is so scary. I don''t like her."


    Mark couldn''t help but scan Song Yue''s details once again. As he saw nothing strange, he reprimanded her, "Do you want to go back?"


    "Eek¡­ not that prison. I hate it." Jing Wei''s face went pale for a second and she shook her vigorously, throwing a tantrum. "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it¡­"


    Her voice rose higher and higher, enough that Song Yue had to tightly shut her ears.


    Mark also raised his voice at her, to stop her shouting, "Fine then. Apologize to her, right now."


    Jing Wei was startled by Mark''s sudden outburst and so were hisdies. Anan Spencer, aka the golden kitten that was peacefully sleeping in Song Yue''s arms, suddenly woke up. After a brief nce at its master and then at the girl, it went back to sleep.


    "Markie, calm down¡­" As Song Yue tried to cool him down, the little girl went on her knees and kowtowed, "I apologize."


    "Ah, that''s fine," Song Yue was embarrassed. She stepped forward. Just as she touched the kid, thetter shivered and quickly jumped away before going back to hiding behind Mark, "Please don''te near me¡­"


    "Jing Wei¡­" As Mark was about tosh at her once again, Sylvandria interrupted by taking the girl in her hands, "You were fine with me, right?"


    The little girl broke out into a beautiful smile, "You smell just like grandma." She went on hugging the elf, bringing a smile to her face as she started caressing her hair. She then turned her head to look at Mark, "I will take her with me."


    "Okay"


    Soon, both of them left, leaving behind a disappointed Song Yue and an angry Mark.


    Mark took a deep breath to calm himself and went on grabbing Song Yue''s arm, "Don''t worry about that girl. She is not as you think she is."


    "Who is she?" Song Yue asked in response.


    Mark exined everything, like how he went to the merchant''s residence, got the scroll, andter freed her from the prison. He also didn''t forget to mention that the girl is more than 16 thousand years old, making her one of the oldest creatures on the.


    Mark thought that Song Yue''s mood got better but it only turned worse instead, "Why is she afraid of me, then? Maybe, she knows that I''m an evil witch who killed her own father. Now, because of me, to avenge my father, you were forced to destroy thousands of lives."


    "No, you are not," Mark softly grabbed her face and raised it to look into her eyes, "I told you many times. Don''t me yourself for his death. You would only belittle his sacrifice by speaking in such a manner. And I promised you that I will keep bloodshed to the minimum, aren''t I?"


    After a brief pause, he added, "My schatz, even in the future, never forget that whatever I''m nning isn''t just about avenging your father. It is also to settle down my old ounts. Once they werepleted, both of us will get to start a new life together, hopefully one that of a longsting peace."


    As tears formed in her eyes, she moved forward and let Mark hug her, only to get separated in a second with the interruption from a cat lying in between them and getting squeezed.


    "Maw" "Maw" "Maooow"


    As the cat expressed its irritation at sleep interruption once again, both of themughed together, "How cute."


    Two dayster;


    Roughly around 785 kilometers away from the imperial city, lies on the border of Jin province and Zhao province, at an agriculture field that spans over a thousand acres, divided into hundreds of plots ofnd, an armyprising of about five hundred soldiers marched to the ce and gathered all the farmers working there.


    Variousndlords from surrounding viges were summoned by themander. Amander position isn''t a fixed position in the army. It was just a temporary position given to one of the captains when there were more of them in the army and no Lt. General tomand them.


    Nevertheless, it is the same as a general summoning thendlords and they didn''t dare to neglect the order. It didn''t even take an hour for all 26 of them to arrive.


    Once all of them came, the leader of the force opened the scroll, "Receive the decree of his Majesty."


    At once, every single one of thosendlords knelt down in unison. The leader surnamed Fang then read the scroll, "ording to the new reforms created by the Imperial Pce, this party location in the county of Zian is selected for building the headquarters of the newly developed Firearms Division.


    Henceforth, thendlords is obliged to hand over the deeds to the district magistrate within three days and get respectivepensation."


    "No, this is unfair. How could we give up this ce in three days?" Onendlord raised his voice against the decree.


    Commander Fang sharply gazed at the person who questioned and raised his palm. A burst of ether energy erupted from his palm and traveled like a beam, striking the saidndlord''s chest and killing him swiftly.


    Everyone around got scared by the sudden actions of this fellow. Commander Fang then spoke, "Anyone who dares to question his Majesty''s decree shall be dead. Now, who has any objections?"


    After the death of andlord, who is considered a minor noble, no farmer or otherndlord dared to voice out their opinion. They knelt in silence.


    Commander Fu observed the people and nodded with a smirk on his face, "Good."


    He turned his head to look at one of the captains, "Proceed."


    In the next couple of hours, the farmers continued to kneel on the ground and cried in agony as the soldiers destroyed atleast two-thirds of the crops with fire spells.


    By noon, the army hurriedly left the ce without finishing all the crops for some reason. But, the damage done was enough to causemotion in the province.


    The next day morning, Shang Jun, with a severed arm was forced to assemble the ministers and other administrative officials in the court. It was actually his first appearance since his arm was severed by Steve.


    He doesn''t want toe out until he regenerates the arm but the urgent situation forces him toe out.


    As expected, murmurings could be heard in the ce where the officials were standing.


    As Shang Jun''s eyes narrowed, the third prince, Shang Wei addressed the court, "Silence."


    As the courtroom went silent, Shang Jun spoke in a mighty emperor tone, in contrast with his state, "Yesterday, there was an incident at the Zhao Province. I want to ask who authorized it. Who created the fake decree and caused damage to the farmers? General Yu. The soldiers imed to be from your division. Any exnation?"


    A young-looking general came forward and greeted the emperor.


    Yu Jianmeng is the newly appointed general of the firearms division. He was originally a captain-ranked officer at the Southern division under Shang Wen, the second prince.


    Because of his experience as amander and his military family background, he was rmended by Shang Wen andter appointed by the former Emperor.


    However, the firearms division was still in the recruitment phase and isn''t in operation.


    Hence, Shang Jun, who knows nothing about firearms, kept his position that way. Not to mention, he nned on disbanding the division in the future as he didn''t want to allocate the funds on weapon purchases from Mark and make him richer.


    Now, seeing that this very insignificant division caused him trouble, Shang Jun was naturally furious at this young general.


    Never in the world would he expect Yu Jianmeng to calmly answer him without any sort of expression as if he was giving a fact, "Your Majesty, they were certainly not from our division. Of our 1681 soldiers, 244 formerly belonged to the Southern division, led by General Wen. They were disciplined and loyal to the Empire. The remaining soldiers cannot cultivate. They cannotunch fire spells.


    If His Majesty wants to hold someone responsible, it should be the Zhao n that controls the Zhao Province."

 Chapter 521: Civil War at the Phoenix Empire (part-2)

    The next day;


    Imperial Pce, Phoenix Empire;


    In the morning court session where all officials are present, the new Zhao n''s Patriarch, Zhao Yenping was found kneeling before the Emperor alongside his n''s Grand Elder, a reputed peak stage 6-circle realm expert.


    "Do you have anything to say, Zhao Yenping?" Shang Jun, the Emperor looked so angry that he didn''t even bother to address the other party with the formal title of the governor.


    "We¡­ we have no idea about it, Your Majesty. Please show mercy," Zhao n''s Grand Elder kowtowed and apologized.


    Shang Jun''s anger only increased further, "An army of atleast 500 in numbers entered your territory and did such an act, but you are telling me that your n has no idea?" His voice echoed in the hall, startling the low-level officials.


    Zhao Yenping, on the other hand, calmly cupped his fists while looking down, "Zhao n has nothing to do with this matter. His Majesty mayunch an investigation against us. We will cooperate. If anything, it is the Southern/Eastern division''s job to protect the region from such incidents."


    Shang Jun narrowed his eyes as he got up and slowly walked down from the throne. "First, General Yu and now, you¡­ It looked like you people at high-level positions are ustomed to not having any fear for the Emperor at all. Throwing responsibilities on each other," Letting out a chuckle, he added, "My uncle was really too forgiving on his subjects.


    No wonder there is so much corruption in the Empire."


    As the entire court was stunned by Shang Jun''s remark, thetter reached the kneeling n lord and raised his foot to ce it on his shoulder with his arm ced on the thigh, shocking everyone even more, "Listen carefully, Zhao Yenping. The entire Phoenix Empire is my territory and you are given a job to govern a portion of that territory, which you failed to do it right.


    So, it doesn''t really matter whether Zhao n has a hand in it or not. You ought to be punished alongside the people who couldn''t fulfill their duties too."


    While the old emperor took away the ministries from six major noble ns, the new emperor took a historical decision among the others just within the first week of his ruling, abolishing the vassal system altogether that had been in thew for 1784 years.


    It is how he crushed the arrogance of nobles and gained the respect of the masses. The Generals and the soldiers also followed his decrees because, in their eyes, their new emperor looked like a mighty lion,pared to a peace-lovingzy house cat like their former emperor, Shang Fu.


    While the vassal system has been abolished by Shang Jun, to keep damage to the minimum, he appointed them as the provincial governors. The other six ns still looked after the provinces they ruled before, but they could no longer keep the 15% share of the taxes like before. Instead, all the taxes they collected with go to the imperial pce and it would then be allocated back to the provinces.


    A number of benefits they enjoyed were cut off but at the very least, the governors have sries and their enormous influence within their region will be enough to snatch a share from the allocated resources.


    Hence, for the past few weeks, these six nobles often felt that they were in a higher hierarchypared to the other six major nobles who lost everything.


    Zhao Yenping was the same.


    However, he never expected to be treated in such a way by this new emperor. Not only he was forced to kneel for an act he had no rtion with, but he was also further humiliated by this young emperor who was just insignificant until a while ago.


    He clenched his fists and released them, trying to control his anger, for he understood that Shang Jun would even go as far as massacring his n to prove his ego.


    Eventually, Shang Jun put down the foot from his shoulder and straightened his back as he addressed the rest of the court, "Here''s my decree. For neglecting his duties as the Governor of the Zhao Province, Zhao Yenping will receive a hundredshes in public this noon.


    Each farmer will bepensated with two gold coins for their misfortune and the destroyednd will be purchased by the Imperial Pce as stated in that fake decree. And for a period of 14 days, militaryw will be applied in all the provinces apart from Imperial City. I order each General to take up their warriors and protect thends from these traitors that use my name to do evil things.


    Until then, I authorize the Censorate division under the Department of State Affairs tounch a full-scale investigation and catch those culprits. Under no circumstances, no official or the one who received an investigation stamp from the Censorate shall leave their respective provinces."


    The new ministers and all the officials bowed to the Emperor''s decree, and collectively echoed, "All Hail Your Majesty¡­"


    After a while, in the imperial grounds where public trails are conducted, Zhao Yenping was tied to a metal pole by energy ropes. His cultivation is sealed for the moment and his upper body is bare.


    One after another, his body was beaten by a whip with spikes. It isn''t a normal whip. This is a special whip of semi-divine grade, used to punish high-level cultivators.


    Even though his cultivation is sealed, Zhao Yenping, who cultivated in the path of Fighter, had a robust body, and hence, needed such a weapon to feel pain.


    Amid thousands of gazes, the whip struck him again and again, increasing his pain with everysh.


    However, Zhao Yenping didn''t scream at all. He had his gaze on the ground and he was trying his best to bear the pain.


    Meanwhile, in the adjacent tent of the royal tent, Supreme Commander Bai was conversing with the third prince as they were watching the scene.


    "His Majesty''s action is like a double-edged sword, Your Highness. I worry that this will only create more mess instead of giving a strong message to the enemies,"mented the Supreme Commander, making sure to keep his voice low.


    Shang Wei replied, "Based on our spies at Yuan n, Eldest Brother secured atleast one million gold coins from his backer and was currently trying to poach all the noble ns. His Majesty was aware that Yuan n was hiding the Eldest Brother but he wasn''t sure whether he was still the one behind that attack.


    This punishment for n leader Zhao will certainly serve as a warning to other noble ns. Even after this, if they join the Eldest Brother, it would mean our suspicions will be true. If they behave, it means that Eldest Brother isn''t a threat and His Majesty would fearlessly raid the Yuan n and arrest him, probably using this incident as an excuse."


    Bai Xun was stunned for a moment, realizing how deep this matter was. "Is this your idea? Or Cao Wen''s?" He asked.


    Shang Wei could only sigh in response, "Obviously, not me. I won''t suggest something barbaric like this. Violence always begets hatred, and hatred only brings violence."


    Bai Xun meaningfully stares at the prince for a couple of seconds and asks, "Let''s say your worries are true. What would you think the next course of action from your brother is going to be?"


    "Civil war," Shang Wei replied without any hesitation, right away. He further added, "A kind of civil war that will destroy this empire in one way or another."


    "What do you mean?" As Bai Xun''s facial expression hardened, Shang Wei exined, "His Majesty isn''t like my father. He won''t make peace treaties. If not for that incident, he would have already proceeded on invading the Western Yan."


    "A war with Western Yan?" Bai Xun furrowed his brows in displeasure, "Going to war with Feng Wu means inviting death. Why do you even think we ceded thatnd in the first ce? As the suprememander of the army, I won''t throw my soldiers into the pit of fire even if it is a decree from the Emperor."


    "There''s a lot you don''t understand, uncle," Shang Wei shook his head with a sigh, "When His Majesty was attacked, he passed the order to Cao Wen to bring his men to the Imperial City. It happened right in front of me. Who are these men, I''m not sure about it.


    But, the fact that he was confident in dealing with a supreme being means that he had the support of a sect or an organization that could protect his throne from such an enemy. This is why I told you there will be a civil war that destroys the empire, earlier."


    Bai Xun thought for a bit and nodded in agreement, "I guess that''s true. When both forces that don''t have pure domination over their opponent go against each other, the result of their sh will continuously generate waves that destroy their surroundings."


    Just as Shang Wei expected, exactly 9 dayster, the imperial pce received a letter from the Yuan n with the seal from their Patriarch. It is an announcement of the formation of Phoenix Rebel forces.


    The head of the Phoenix Rebel forces is naturally the Crown Prince and their demand is the dethronement of Shang Jun.


    Their excuse is his robust policies on nobles, preferring to give trade contracts to foreign merchants instead of favoring local merchants, militaryw to snatch freedom, and showing harsh treatment of his loyal subjects has put a taint on the name of the Shang Dynasty.


    Thousands of soldiers that deployed in the south to control Northern and Southern Yuan provinces, and Shang Jun nned to use them to crush the Yuan n without giving any warning.


    However, the General of the South didn''t follow his orders. Through their spies, the imperial pce got the news that not only the southern division had joined the rebel forces under the Crown Prince, but even the Zhao n had joined the other side.


    The Eastern and Western divisions were still tightly controlling their deployed territories, i.e. Sui, Jin, and Qing provinces, but the Zhao and the remaining two provinces were now protected by the southern division alongside the major ns. As for the northern division, it was still protecting the imperial city and its outer districts.


    All the soldiers who tried to defect from their division were either imprisoned or killed. Of course, some soldiers managed to escape sessfully but they all went into hiding with their families, not intending to risk their lives.


    However, Shang Jun didn''t make any decision and calmly rested as if nothing was going wrong.


    And then, three dayster, on the day his arm finally returned with a miraculous pill, mysterious experts that been hiding in the imperial city for several days made their move at the same time.


    In the span of one night, several leaders and important elders of the six major ns that reside in the imperial city were all assassinated.


    The situationpletely changed for even Bai Xun and Shang Wei.


    Because both of them always showcased their loyalty to the throne, Shang Wei and Bai Xun were house-arrested at their respective homes, in the name of protection. The deaths of nobles naturally put on the head of the Phoenix Rebel force.


    This ruthless action brought a profound response from Mark, forcing him to change his original ns slightly.

 Chapter 522: Return of Fu Sheng

    Genesis Enterprises, Lunaris City, Western Moon kingdom;


    *Ding! Congrattions, you won the mysterious box from the Lottery reward.


    *Ding! Opening the box in 3, 2, 1¡­


    *Ding! You won a Random Skill evolution card.


    *Ding! Random Skill evolution card was used. Choose the path: Multiple Lightning Clones /Elemental Clone


    "Hmm?" Mark, for the first time, got a skill evolution card from the weekly lottery wheel, and his Lightning clone was randomly selected, probably because of his current 10 points of luck.


    "System, descriptions please¡­"


    **Multiple Lightning clones: Summon any number of lightning clones with stats equal to your maximum stats +1. Cost: 1% ether/second per each clone. CD: None


    **Elemental Clone: Summon a clone of any element that the user possesses for 5 minutes. The summoned clone has the same stats as the user but could effectively have the same set of respective elemental skills that the user possesses. Cost: 50% ether energy. CD: None.


    "Hmm, I could summon even an antimatter-type clone? That''s freaking awesome, but I have no use for it¡­"


    After taking a look at both details, Mark chose a simpler one and best for the present situation over their overall potential.


    *Ding! Lightning Clone has evolved to Multiple Lightning Clone skill.


    "Okay, the lottery is done. Next¡­"


    "System, Open Statue of Velkazar"


    *Ding! Prayed once. You received a Basic fireball card*3 as a reward.


    "Ugh¡­ not another basic fireball. I already got two of them fromst time and now another two¡­ This statue never gives me useful ones. What do I do with these fireballs that could only injure 3-circle realm Spirit warriors? And they can''t even be given to others. Anyway, let''s just stack it up in the inventory.Why waste throwing free stuff¡­"


    After his luck points returned to normal, Mark left the store, although not before handing a 10 gold coin bonus to Chang Bo, who was constantly the source of his luck absorption.


    Upon returning to the pce, he saw hundreds of servants were busy, cleaning the pce and the residences inside thepound, even the barracks were swept once again and the soldiers were also busy cleaning their armor to make them look all shiny, the kitchens were busy with royal chefs shouting at his assistants for their mistakes, and the soldiers were busy practicing their march on the pce grounds.


    Mark had slightly given more attention to the firearms division that''s basicallyprised of only non-cultivators but are highly skilled in archery. While it is active, unlike at Phoenix Empire, there was still no permanentmander appointed for this division. They were currently employed in the patrolling division.


    The reason why he paid special attention to it isn''t just because they were using his weapons, but it is because of the teenage girl who was leading the march.


    For several weeks, Xie Mei was training under Meng Tao. When she surpassed him, she began training the troops that were mostly depending on the guidelines from the first batch briefly trained under Mark.


    When Mark was spotted by Xie Mei, she put more enthusiasm into the drills, but by the time she tried to nce at him again to see his reaction, he was gone. She could only sigh inwardly and continue the exercise.


    Roughly two hourster, a huge troop entered the Lunaris City. The citizens stopped their work and stood on the side, watching them out of curiosity.


    The Spirit Warriors/cultivators couldn''t help but shiver as they watched the soldiers dressed in scarlet and gold armor. The weakest of them is in the 6-circle realm and there are more than one 8-circle realm experts. As for the one leading them, no one could even gauge his strength. They could only feel awe by looking at him.


    It took an hour for them to reach the pce. And there, the King was seen waiting with his officials, thedies weren''t present as they did when they weed Mark and hispanions a while ago.


    However, the King seemed more enthusiastic as he stared at the army. Wearing a long, flowing robe made from the finest silk dyed in imperial yellow; embroidered across the robe are golden rabbits with scarlet vertical eyes. These cute creatures are depicted amidst clouds, causing an illusion to a spectator that they are chasing white pearls across the skies.


    His hat was also adorned with strings of pearls and jade.


    Overall, his wear screams of this luxurious royal attire from even far away.


    Who are these troops, one wonder?


    Well, these are Elite troops of Fu Sheng that traveled all the way from Dragon Empire on their warship and just reached Western Moon''s shores three days ago but waited until their Imperial Sovereign arrived from his trip.


    As James parted his ways with Fu Sheng after entering Western Moon for some reason, he couldn''t be seen with Fu Sheng at the royal banquet arranged for the demigod.


    Fu Sheng sat along with the King, State Preceptor, and Mark on the Central tform, which was built a few feet higher than the rest of the floor with pirs; each one had a rabbit statue made of top-quality jade on the top that held a white pearl.


    "Young master, this is one of the finest liquors I have ever tasted. Thank you for allowing me to taste it," Fu Sheng was all courteous with Mark as he drank the cup of vodka, which was only served to the Spirit warriors with atleast 5-circle realm cultivation.


    As King Shen Niu and the State Preceptor meaningfully nced at each other, Mark waved his hand while taking a sip in calmness, "Please, you are overrating it."


    "Young Master, as our cultivation level increases, the effect of the liquors will automatically decrease. Most of the wines will be akin to vored water for us," Fu Sheng let out a smile as he exined. He continued to praise, "This drink is made ofmon ingredients we could find anywhere, and yet, it has this neutral vor taste, clean and smooth.


    The best thing is that a moment of instant burn you would feel when gulping." The former Imperial Sovereign of Dragon Empire really looked like he enjoyed the drink, for the onlookers. However, Mark only felt like he was ttering him. Hence, he tried to keep his conversation light without expressing too much of his thoughts on the ongoing civil war in the neighboringnds.


    But, eventually, when the topic of mass assassinations came up, he had to speak up on the matter, although not in the way Shen Niu expected him to react.


    "Regardless of whether it is Shang Jun''s ploy or the rebel forces'' action, it won''t change the fact that the imperial city has be too dangerous for the nobles. Better to open the borders for them and give them shelter." Mark also told them that he was going tounch a secret operation to take out some acquaintances from that war zone.


    Upon hearing his n, King Shen Niu said, "I heard that the prospective heirs of those six ns were taken into tight protective custody and Miss Lin Xue is one of them. It is quite possible that Emperor Shang did it to keep the ns under control and to get their support against the rebel forces. In that case, getting Miss Lin out might unnecessarily spread a rumor that Mr.


    Lu is supporting the rebels."


    Before Mark replied to that, Fu Sheng spoke, "Actually, we don''t need to resort to such methods. If the young master gives me the order, I, and my gold dragon knight division are ready to go there and bring whoever we want. Believe me when I say, there is no empire in the world that could dare deny our demands."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark fell into thoughts for a second, considering his suggestion seriously for a second. After all, he did underestimate Shang Jun, not expecting him to decisively move against the six major noble ns before they even had the opportunity to join the civil war. There is also an issue of trust in this demigod, who can only be used as muscle for now.


    After thinking thoroughly, he opened his mouth, replying to Fu Sheng, "Just one person would do, Mr. Fu. Just visit Shen Niue by yourself and bring her to Western Moon. There are three more you can bring along in return but only if they volunteer to tag along, although I don''t think they would."


    "Understood," Fu Sheng nodded but then asked after a brief pause, "By the way, who are those three?"


    "The two imperial princes and the suprememander," replied Mark in a calm manner, taking the others by surprise.

 Chapter 523: Shang Wei proposes to Lin Xue

    Imperial Pce, Phoenix Empire;


    Shang Wei was waiting outside the inner quarters with a bunch of guards behind him, not for security but to keep an eye on him.


    After waiting there for atleast half an hour, Lin Xue came out with a eunuch apanying her.


    That usual cold demeanor Shang Wei used to see in her was gone and reced by a nk look on her. Shepletely seemed like someone devoid of emotions.


    Even her greeting was like a simple, "hello" without any expression on her face. No one could understand whether she was annoyed, sad, or happy.


    Shang Wei inwardly sighed and spoke, "Sister Xue, I want to talk to you about something."


    "What is it?" She asked.


    Shang Wei turned his head, "Can you give us privacy?"


    One of the guards replied with a bit of hesitation, "But, his majesty ordered us not to leave our sight on you even for a second. Even the pce is not safe for His Highness."


    It wasn''t the first time Shang Wei heard this nonsense during the past few days. He could onlye to a bit ofpromise and ask, "Then, can you move away? Or does His Majesty also order you to not let me even talk to my friend?"


    They could only follow his request and slightly increased their distance. As the eunuch also left them alone, Shang Wei then said to Lin Xue who looked like she wasn''t interested at all, "Look, I know that this isn''t how I want to ask you but it is the only way I can think to protect you. Of course, I also don''t want to take advantage of the situation, and I also don''t want you to think like¡­"


    "Get to the point," Lin Xue interrupted him in a in tone.


    Shang Wei took a deep breath and grabbed her pale hands, "Will you marry me? I swear that I won''t take any concubine or even show remote interest in anotherdy for all my life. I will protect you as long as¡­"


    "Yes," Lin Xue once again interrupted him but this time with a positive reply, and surprisingly, she neither retracted her hands from his grip at all. Shang Wei was stunned for a moment and a big smile appeared on his face, "really?" He couldn''t even believe his ears for a moment.


    "Are you really agreeing to be my wife?" He asked once again in disbelief.


    This time, Lin Xue gave a bit of a long reply, "Yes, but don''t ever think I''m going to love you or I''m doing this for my survival. I have discarded my emotions, Your Highness. I''m nothing but a killing machine, right now. So, it doesn''t matter who I marry. But, since I''m long aware of your feelings, I will give you a warning.


    The moment I believe I gained enough strength, I''m going to leave everything behind and start hunting down the people that are directly or indirectly responsible for my parents death. Those whoe in my way will die, even if it is you. Just keep it in your mind if you want to marry me."


    Shang Wei felt pain in his heart and that pain reflected in his eyes as he softly spoke, "Lin Xue, I promise that I will be on your side no matter what you do."


    Lin Xue didn''t have much reaction to it and simply nodded, "Good. You can go and begin your preparations. Now, if you excuse me¡­" She turned around and walked away from there.


    Meanwhile, the leader of those seven guards, who had been watching it from afar but could still hear it clearly due to his high cultivation level (high-6-circle) thought, "His Highness is getting married into Lin n? I need to inform Lord Cao."


    By the end of the day, the news of their marriage not only reached Shang Jun but also the citizens living in the capital city.


    The next day morning;


    "Your Highness" "Your Highness, please wake up" "Your Highness, You are being summoned by His Majesty"


    The servants woke up Shang Wei in a hurry.


    The prime minister of the empire looked very haggard with his reddened eyes and tired-looking face as he was forcefully woke up and got readied.


    Shang Wei didn''t know why he was summoned but the civil war made him wonder whether there was an urgent situation that required his assistance. Despite being house-arrested, he is still the prime minister and loyal to the throne.


    The prince reached the Emperor''s study room in a hurry, only to see a dignified-looking stranger sitting opposite Shang Jun while they were having tea.


    "Your Majesty." Shang Wei greeted his cousin with a deep bow and observed the stranger.


    In the next instant, sweat beads formed on his forehead while his legs shivered a bit. "This fellow has a profound cultivation level, stronger than even Song Tai. My bloodline instincts are telling me to run away. He shouldn''t be a supreme being. Don''t tell me he is a demigod."


    "Prime Minister Shang, this is Saint Fu, the Dragon Empire''s former Imperial Sovereign. He is also the junior brother of Lan Gengxin, your grandfather," Shang Jun introduced the gentleman to a nervous Shang Wei, taking him by surprise.


    "Shang Wei greets the elder," The prince cupped his fists as he greeted him with a bow. The fact that the emperor addressed with the title Saint only confirmed his suspicions. Still, he addressed him as an elder because this person is a junior brother of his grandfather, which makes him more or less the same as a real granduncle.


    However, Fu Sheng had developed a frown on his face, "Hold your tongue, Emperor Shang. He awakened your family''s Phoenix bloodline, just like yourself. I hope you don''t link him to the Lan n or Lord Lan Gengxin for that matter."


    Shang Wei doesn''t know how to deal with the situation other than staying silent. In front of a demigod, he is nothing more than an insignificant existence.


    As a result, Shang Jun could only apologize to Fu Sheng and go directly to the matter, "Anyway, Prime Minister Shang. Saint Fu is here to take away Miss Lin Xue with him. Since you are going to marry her, if you are willing to sacrifice your homnd and go with her, I won''t stop you from leaving."


    "Eh? Lin Xue?" Shang Wei was taken aback. This time, he couldn''t stay silent and fearlessly spoke to the demigod, "I''m sorry but why do you want to take her way?"


    "Shang Wei¡­" Shang Jun hissed at him in urgency, taking a nce at Fu Sheng''s face. The demigod didn''t seem like he was angry and it relieved the young emperor a little bit.


    Shang Jun then took the initiative to give an exnation to Shang Wei, "Saint Fu is a friend of Lu Zhen, and Lady Song Yue is worried about her friend who lost her family. The rebel forces are powerful enough to carry out such assassinations in one night, toppling down the entire imperial city. So, their worries are not unfounded. Along with this, Lu Zhen has another message for three other people.


    You, Prince Shang Bo, and Supreme Commander Bai Xun. The three of you are also invited to live at Western Moon until everything bes normal here. Lu Zhen was supposedly doing this as a way of repaying Uncle Shang Fu and Queen Consort Lan."


    Fu Sheng then further added, "However, you have a choice of not taking up this offer too. It doesn''t matter. The only one that is of significance is Miss Lin Xue."


    Shang Wei stayed silent for a while, seeming as if he was pondering on the offer. But, when he opened his mouth, he responded with a question, "If this matter is actually linked to Lu Zhen and Sister Yue, then, as long as they are convinced that she is safe here, then, you should have no problem with it. Am I correct?"


    Fu Sheng briefly stared at him and firmly nodded, "Yes."


    Shang Wei turned toward his cousin and knelt while cupping his fists, "Your Majesty, I request you to send me as an official envoy to Western Moon. The Western Moon is strong and even if we aren''t allies, Lu Zhen is still a businessman who loves money. I can go there on your behalf to hire his services using funds as well as with an official letter of giving up our legitimacy over Western Yan.


    We can end the civil war in a jiffy. Since we are paying him, there is no favor we have to fulfillter on, too. It will be like using a tool to beat up our enemies without injuring ourselves. If you give me an hour, I can draft a n that you won''t refuse."


    Fu Sheng: "¡­"


    Shang Jun: "¡­"

 Chapter 524: Revealing the truth to Shang Wei

    The next day evening;


    "Yue Yue" "Xue Xue"


    The two best friends, who lost their respective fathers very recently, reunited after months of separation, but only one was all emotional.


    Forget about tears, there wasn''t even a shred of emotion in Lin Xue even after she met Song Yue and long escaped house arrest.


    Song Yue was quick to spot the change in her and she couldn''t help but express her worry, "Xue Xue, what happened to you?" She grabbed her face and looked at her, after taking her to the side to talk privately.


    Lin Xue answered truthfully this time, "I learned our n''s forbidden cultivation technique, ''The Heart of Frost'', Yue Yue. It will increase my cultivation speed and increase the power of my lightning armor, but in exchange, as I increase my mastery over the technique, I will also lose my emotions one after another. I''m at the third level right now and I can no longer express my feelings.


    By the time I reach the tenth level, I probably¡­"


    Lin Xue didn''tplete her exnation and stopped talking in the middle.


    "What will happen?" As Song Yue asked her, Lin Xue took her hands into hers and patted the back of her hand, "forget about me. Tell me about your situation. When are you going to get married?"


    Song Yue could only let out a sigh as she heard the word marriage, "Lu Zhen wants to marry after he settles some business. It is rted to Shang Jun and Uncle Shang Fu. I can''t tell you all the details, I''m sorry."


    "That''s alright with me." Lin Xue nodded in understanding. She added, "Unfortunately, I''m not in a situation to worry about other things at the moment. Of all my acquaintances currently alive, you are the closest thing to me. As long as you are fine, I won''t have to worry about anything and focus on my goal. Since I''m already here, can I ask you to do a favor for me?


    I want to find out the identities of the ones that killed my parents."


    Meanwhile, in the royal private study room, Mark was alone with Shang Wei.


    After reading it entirely, Mark ced it calmly on the table and looked at his half-brother, "A mine in the Sui province that has atleast 500 tons worth of ether ore in exchange for closing the borders of Western Yan and Western Moon from our side and formally aligning ourselves with the Imperial Pce on just paper.


    The Phoenix Empire will not only officially relinquish its ims on Western Yan but even send a royal princess (a rtive of the imperial family, not to be confused with the imperial princess) to the royal Feng family for the marriage, which could be used to convince them on the border closures and put an end to enmity.


    The n is impressive, I should say, but there is only one major problem here."


    "What is it?" Shang Wei felt like his heart skipped a beat and became a bit nervous.


    Mark''s gaze changed to that of coldness as he asked, "What do you think it is?"


    "Whatever bad blood you have with the imperial family, the source was my father. The current emperor shouldn''t have any problems with you, right?" Shang Wei tried to make the other party understand that they weren''t enemies.


    Mark let out a cold chuckle, "Heh, I thought your intelligence wasparable to that of Princess Shen Ling''s but it is a bit disappointing. Well, let me break it to you by stating two simple facts."


    As Shang Wei''s nervousness increased, Mark continued, "The one behind the death of Song Yun is Shang Jun. And I also know for sure that the behind Lin Xue''s parents is also your dear emperor." He picked up the scroll and waved it while leaning to the edge of the seat, "Now, do you still want to give this proposal to me?"


    Shang Wei''s eyes widened and realization dawned upon him at once as if he solved a great puzzle that had been troubling him for a while, "It''s you. You were the one behind my eldest brother, the one who sent that supreme being to assault our Emperor. It has been a while since Uncle Song Yun died and there is no way someone like you wouldn''t leave your enemy alone.


    Killing him is easy for you but you won''t do that as it will be an easy punishment."


    *p* p* p*


    "Wonderful. Now, that is what I expect from you," Mark didn''t bother denying Shang Wei''s theory at all. He further added, "As you already figured out the truth, you will stay as a prisoner until I am done punishing your Shang Dynasty. After that, you are free to do whatever you want."


    "You cannot imprison me." Shang Wei furrowed his brows and abruptly got up. "I''m the official envoy of Phoenix Empire and I''m entitled to immunity. Imprisoning me will not only dere the war on Phoenix Empire but also challenge the very system of monarchy. The other empires will surely take action on Western Moon."


    "And which empire do you think will support you and go against a demigod?" Mark calmly asked him, leaning back to the chair once again. "I just have to send a letter to your emperor, stating that you tried taking Shen Ling hostage to release Lin Xue, and Shang Jun will dly give his permission to take your head.


    Or perhaps, I will even im that ether mine you earlier offered as a part ofpensation."


    "You¡­" Shang Wei felt like he was seeing the real personality of this weapon seller sitting before him. "Yeah, that''s right. Whatever you do, you still pursue material profits. This is who you are¡­" The prince of the foreignndmented with clear displeasure written on his face. "So, what is it that my eldest brother promised you?"


    Mark''s smile widened, "it doesn''t matter. That worthless prince will never sit on that throne. With Shang Wen no longer here, I guess you will be left with no choice but to ascend the threr on."


    "Hmm. That''s weird. You are imprisoning me first and then making me ascend the throne?" Wanting to get to the bottom of the matter, Shang Wei sat once again. "Why? Eldest brother will make a fine puppet for you. If it was me, I wouldn''t stop looking for ways to deal with you."


    "I wonder if you will think the same when you learn that your birth mother was killed by the imperial family, my dear half-brother¡­"


    "Huh? What!"


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the Undyingnds of the immortal ne of existence;


    Realm of Grima;


    In the where the Grima Empire''s ruling dynasty lives, The Saint realm human-looking mage arrived at the majestic golden pce, only to be stopped by the guards.


    The mage got angered, "You dared to stop me?"


    The guard with a humanoid naked upper body, animal legs, lion head, and a red mane replied, "Her Majesty currently went to closed-door cultivation and specifically ordered us to send away every visitor."


    "Closed-door cultivation? Her?" The mage seemed surprised. "Was she trying to break through to the Elder God realm (15-circle) or something? In that case, she might have got her hands on some divine artifact. But, the task is still pending. Without her approval, I won''t be able to get an immortal realm beast for my dungeon boss.


    I should look for another way. Hmm¡­ if she is not in a situation to make any move¡­" Suddenly, something clicked in his head and he spoke to the guards, "Okay, just go and inform His Highness, Prince Aurorafelis that I wish to meet him."

 Chapter 525: Unveiling truths

    A few minutester;


    Shang Wei stood there in silence with his head hung down as Mark got up and patted his shoulder, "It doesn''t matter whether you believe it or not, but this is the truth. I''m going to send you to our Lan Sect''s guardian where you will stay disconnected from the rest of the world and spend there until I''m done with tearing apart the Shang Dynasty that our dear forefathers painstakingly built it up.


    Take this time to make up your thoughts."


    "I¡­" Shang Wei wanted to say something but in the end, he cooperated, not because he blindly trusted Mark''s words or because the truth is too much to take in. It is because he was worried about Lin Xue''s safety.


    "Steve¡­"


    With a call from Mark, the 15-year-old entered and once again confirmed with his appearance that it was Mark who was behind Shang Jun''s arm severing incident.


    As Shang Wei''s cultivation was sealed and taken away to Zheng, Mark sent a message to Song Yue to bring her friend to him upon reading her message through theirmunication scroll.


    After a while, Lin Xue and Song Yue made their way to the royal gardens where Mark was seen sitting alongside Sylvandria with a kid in the middle as all of them were having tea. From far away, they seemed like one happy family.


    Lin Xue was slightly taken aback as she saw the scene. She couldn''t help but whisper to her friend, enquiring her about the situation.


    As Song Yue cleared the misunderstanding, Lin Xue nodded in understanding and went on to take the seat.


    Jingwei was quick to hug Mark''s arm as soon as she saw Song Yue, "Papa, the scarydy is here¡­"


    Her gaze didn''t appear friendly and both thedies were stunned for a moment. "Scary Lady?" Lin Xue looked at her once again while frowning inwardly. As for her outer expression, it remained nk.


    Meanwhile, Mark quickly acted by giving a knock to her head using great force enough to kill a normal human usually, "I already told you not to address her like that."


    "Ouch, it hurts¡­" Jingwei grabbed her head, "But, she is very scary."


    "Ssss"


    Letting out a sharp hiss of displeasure, Mark threatened her, "call her scary once again and I will throw you in the¡­"


    "Lu Zhen," The elven beauty interrupted him and ced her hand on Jingwei''s head. Divine energy started flowing through her hand and entering her head, "Let me handle it."


    Jingwei''s eyes widened as she hugged Sylvandria''s arm this time, "Thank you, Pretty miss. You were the best mama I could ever have." She then turned her head to Mark, "Papa, can I call her mama please?"


    "No." Mark''s reply was instant and his tone was firm.


    Lin Xue leaned her head to Song Yue''s ear and whispered, "Are you sure this little girl is not his illegitimate daughter?"


    "Don''t spout nonsense," Song Yue gave a nudge with her elbow.


    However, Sylvandria''s ears perked up and the words entered her ears. She immediately looked at the nk-faced Lin Xue and spoke, "ording to Jingwei, Lu Zhen is her birth father''s reincarnation."


    "What?" "Huh?"


    As Song Yue and Lin Xue were surprised by Sylvandria''s statement, Mark brushed her off, "That''s just bullshit. I remember my past life very well. That world is located far away from here."


    "What did she say?" Lin Xue was even more shocked now. She couldn''t just believe what she heard and looked at her friend, who looked way calmer as if she knew about it.


    However, Sylvandria argued, "It doesn''t have to be your past life. It could be one of your past lives."


    "Nope. It doesn''t make sense," Mark didn''t agree with her statement. "Are you telling me that I was born in this world, and then, somehow, reincarnated in a faraway world, and then reborn in this same world once again? How ridiculous it sounds?"


    "Not if some god purposely reincarnated here," Sylvandria seemed adamant about believing Jingwei''s words.


    Mark stared at her while narrowing his eyes and she folded her hands to the chest and calmly stared back at him. Both of them participated in the staring contest for a few seconds before the guy admitted defeat and let out a sigh, "Fine, believe whatever you want to believe, Grandma."


    "You should also believe my words, my dear grandson," Sylvandria let out a mischievous grin as she reached out to his head, patting him, "Now, be a good boy and¡­"


    "Hey, don''t go too far," Mark swatted her arm in displeasure.


    Sylvandria''s expression returned to calmness in an instant. "tch, you are too boring," She remarked before observing the twodies who were staring at them. One looked very ufortable while the other was hard to read, although not for her. "Uhh, Lu Zhen, it looked like your friends have questions to ask."


    Mark stopped talking to the elf and looked at Lin Xue, "Sorry, we drifted away. Let''s speak of your situation."


    Lin Xue sorted out her thoughts and asked in her in tone, "Do you know anything about the recent mass murder incident, back at Imperial City?"


    Mark responded with a question, "Who do you think is the mastermind?"


    Lin Xue looked down for a few seconds and then looked at him, replying, "The most likely suspect is the Crown prince."


    *Pfft*


    Mark suddenly broke out intoughter, startling thedies for a moment. As he continued tough, Lin Xue''s mood turned sour, and she grabbed the edge of the table so tight that she might break it at any second. The observant Sylvandria intervened to stop hisughter.


    After hisughter subsided, Mark continued, "A civil war erupted in the empire with two powerful major noble ns allied with the crown prince in hiding, creating the rebel force.


    Surprisingly, within just a few days, the n leaders, key elders from those noble families, and various former officials were assassinated right in the imperial city, despite it being under the protection of the entire northern division army." His demeanor eventually shifted to that of seriousness as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of it and fixing his gaze on the woman, "Now, who do you think is the likely suspect?"


    "His Majesty?" Realization dawned upon Lin Xue instantly.

 Chapter 526: Marks generosity

    Mark nodded, "The same bastard who sent men here in my absence and killed Song Yue''s father." His words showed clear hatred for the enemy he intends to destroy.


    "What do you mean? Why?" Lin Xue grew confused. She couldn''t help but cast a sidelong nce at her best friend, "What sort of enmity does he have with you? And why haven''t you done anything so far? You have this powerful general behind you."


    This time, Song Yue answered instead of Mark, "He believed that he could not take back Western Yan as long as we supported it. You know Western Yan has arge unexplored ether deposit in its mountains. He probably wants to abduct me and use me to distract Lu Zhen''s attention while taking it by force.


    My father, who was guarding me in the disguise of ck Knight for months, sacrificed his life to protect me in his absence. I¡­ If not for me¡­ sigh¡­" Song Yue couldn''t continue anymore and became silent, knowing that her fianc¨¦ would scold her if she med herself.


    Mark continued by answering the second part of Lin Xue''s question, "Killing him is a piece of cake for me. But, I don''t want instability in Phoenix Empire. So, I sent someone to sever his arm, which in return probably made Shang Zexi gather the support to rise against the throne. So, in a way, I''m indeed responsible for the death of your parents.


    I''m really sorry but the chain of reactions that I started is no longer under my control." He paused for a moment and took a good look at the girl''s expression.


    Naturally, he couldn''t read her face. Hence, his eyes wandered to other ces to read her bodynguage.


    As her body shivered for a couple of seconds before bing calm very quickly, Mark, "What can I do right now is help you raise your cultivation level, removing the side effects of the technique you were cultivating, and giving you the opportunity to take the revenge with your own hands. The rest is up to you to decide."


    After several seconds of silence, Lin Xue opened her mouth, "Just help me to make a breakthrough to seven-circle as fast as possible. That''s all I need."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark made it look like he was thinking this time. But, when he opened his mouth, it threw everyone into shock, "I will ask Fu Sheng to take you in as his disciple. And when you reach the peak stage of the legendary realm, I will turn you into a Supreme Being with a permanent augmentation pill."


    "Huh?" Lin Xue stared at him. She clearly doesn''t believe him.


    Song Yue reacted by blurting out, "but, that pill can be sold for 500 million gold coins."


    "Eh?" Lin Xue couldn''t help but turn her head to look at her friend.


    It was then a burst of divine energy erupted from Sylvandria''s palms and turned the table into dust, startling the others. "I thought you have only one?" There was a clear shock disyed on her face.


    Mark then took out a bunch of various advanced-grade stat pills from inventory and showed them in his palm, "I have many of them actually."


    Lin Xue: "¡­"


    Song Yue: "¡­"


    "Wah, so much power is hiding in them." Jingwei jumped in excitement, "Papa is the best."


    "Just who in the hell are you?" Sylvandria''s eyes widened.


    Stat pills are originally created by the system to increase Mark''s specific stat. however, the bodies of regr cultivators work differently.


    Just after consuming such stat pill, they would absorb huge amounts of natural energy from the surroundings and refine it automatically into ether energy, thereby, increasing their cultivation.


    However, the pill''s full effect can only be enjoyed by someone with apatible sprit path.


    For example, a spirit warrior of the fighter path cannot increase his cultivation level by ingesting an intelligence stat pill.


    For the strength pill, thepatible spirit path is a Melee-based path that uses physical strength or tools to take out their enemies in closebat. Those with ipatible paths only have their bone density get a slight increase.


    For the intelligence pill, thepatible spirit path is Mage, Summoner, Archer, and their respective advanced paths that use ether energy/natural energy to unleash spells. The spirit warriors with ipatible paths only have their minds getting sharper.


    For the Defense pill, the onlypatible spirit path is Fighter, for some reason. As for ipatible paths, their skin bes tougher.


    For the Agility pill, thepatible spirit path is Assassin and its advanced paths. The ipatible paths only have their peak speed increased.


    As for Vitality and Resistance pills, they work for every spirit path, but unfortunately, they don''t increase cultivation levels. The vitality pill only increases one''s lifespan and the Resistance pill only increases one''s immunity against buffs and curses.


    Since Mark never intended to sell them before, he doesn''t care about them before. After witnessing how people could spend money more than the entire Shang Dynasty''s wealth on the items he possessed, he decided to use them to his advantage.


    However, Lin Xue is Song Yue''s best friend and Allen''s love interest. He intended to support her to the end. As for her marriage with Shang Wei, there''s no way he would let it happen, atleast until Allen returns.


    Lin Xue was aware that what Mark asking her was next to impossible. For her own life, she learned that entering the 7-circle realm itself is something only incredibly talented can do. They get respect everywhere in the world.


    But, Mark was asking her to reach the peak stage of the legendary realm to take that pill and be a supreme being.


    Lin Xue was skeptical about whether Mark really intended to give that treasure to her. Still, she readily stood up on her feet and cupped her fists with a bow, expressing her thanks as bing a disciple of a demigod is something she can only achieve in a dream.


    On the other hand, Sylvandria couldn''t avert her gaze from the stat pills in Mark''s hand.She couldn''t help but think of the method taught by the zheng, to reach the demigod realm and rewrite her own fate.


    As for Song Yue, she wasn''t a fighter anyways and didn''t hold any greed for power. She was merely shocked by the fact that Mark intended to gift such a thing to Lin Xue. For a guy who loves money very much and always looks for profits even while fulfilling revenge, his generosity obviously made her feel like something was amiss.

 Chapter 527: Several weeks later

    Several passed away in the blink of an eye.


    Lin Xue joined the Gold Dragon division and started training with the rest of the soldiers who were stuck in the same realm as her.


    She was currently focused on polishing her existing techniques and Fu Sheng is happy to mentor her upon witnessing her lightning mode, which doesn''t use her ether energy. Instead, her pure attribute energy is going to get consumed alongside her rapid depletion of stamina.


    As a result, using such a technique is extremely taxing on one''s body and she ns on improving her mastery to increase her limit.


    Meanwhile, the situation at Phoenix Empire started getting worse day after day. Shang Jun''s act of nned assassination of the noble n leaders and elders while throwing the me on the Rebel Forces enraged him. He hit back by destroying a couple of granaries in the imperial city, only to realize that the public sentiment on Rebel Forces turned worse.


    However, Mark doesn''t care about their feelings and neither does Shang Zexi. Hence, he continued to provide millions of gold coins as war funds to the former crown prince, who used it to increase his army''s strength, hire adventurers, and eventually lure more experts from Shang Jun''s side.


    The situation has escted to the extent that even some of the sects were pulled into this civil war. Assassination attempts were being made from Shang Jun, but for some reason, none seeded in killing Shang Zexi or the leaders of the Yuan and Zhao ns as they moved to Northern Yuan province''s headquarters. Every assassin who stepped into the Yuan n''s territory mysteriously ended up dead.


    Shang Jun was constantly on edge despite fame gaining among themoners as he continued topensate the people who lost their lives or fortune, which resulted in the rapid depletion of the treasury.


    His governance gained stability amidst troubled times but his happiness was lost. Cashing on the opportunity, Mark instructed Shang Zexi to buy the farmers to cooperate in destroying their own fields for money and thenter impensation from the district magistrates. This way, The Phoenix Rebels won, and the farmers also won, but Shang Jun ended up losing money.


    Meanwhile, without Shang Zexi''s knowledge, the Eastern Sun''s King, on Mark''s instructions, came forth to give a high-interest loan to Shang Jun in exchange for keeping the semi-divine weapons from the treasury as a mortgage.


    For the past couple of months, Mark constantly pushed Shang Jun little by little to draw out his backing. After all, from an assassin sessfully captured by one of Fu Sheng''s two lieutenants with 8-circle realm cultivation, Mark found out his backing.


    It is the Nine Hell Pavilion, a sect from the Fire and Ice ne of existence. ording to Fu Sheng, they weren''t powerful and at best considered a tier-3 sect, with tier-6 being considered the lowest and tier-1 considered the highest.


    While they were no match for a tier-1 power, like the Ancient Lan sect, their leader is still a Saint Realm expert who could send an immortal or a demigod to help out Shang Jun, if he is an important figure in their sect.


    In fact, Mark also had no idea whether Shang Jun himself belonged to any sect as he didn''t have a chance to meet the young emperor and hence, couldn''t get to scan him for the details.


    Seeing that Shang Jun isn''t making any big move, Mark pushed him further by sending an instruction to the Gold Dragon division''s two lieutenants, one was dispatched to the Qian province and the other was dispatched to the Jin Province, killing the actingmanders as well as the elite soldiers and freeing up Qian and Jin families.


    It''s been a week since the warpletely tipped in Shang Zexi''s favor and apart from Sui province, the entire Empire fell into the hands of the Rebel Forces. The Western and Eastern divisions have lost their generals, actingmander, and lieutenants, forcing the army to either return to the capital city or scatter.


    Yet, Shang Jun still focused on keeping the imperial city under control, with the help of the Northern division. Expert assassins were lurking in the shadows of the pce, constantly protecting him from the shadows


    Intending to end the battle for good, Mark passed his final set of instructions to Shang Zexi and his subordinates.


    On the 73rd day of the formation of the Phoenix Rebel Force, with two 8-circle realm experts leading an elite army of atleast thousand in number, full of 5-circle and 6-circle experts hired from various sects, guilds, and frencers, half of the northern division was deployed in the outskirts area where the enemy army ising.


    A direct war erupted between both forces, leading to hundreds of casualties from the Rebel Forces and thousands of casualties from the imperial forces.


    As the final General of the Army fell, the Phoenix Rebel force made their way into the capital city.


    The citizens were gripped in fear, not getting out of their houses as per the order from their Emperor.


    The remaining soldiers deployed there were ordered not to engage in battle and hence, they gave way to 653 spirit warriors as they made their way to the imperial grounds, where Shang Jun was waiting for them, alongside Bai Xun who couldn''t abandon his side due to his loyalty to the throne.


    The actingmander of the Rebel forces, Lt. Zhou Ming addressed the Emperor, "You have lost, Emperor Shang. Destroy your cultivation with your own hands and surrender peacefully. You will still be granted a life but with limited freedom for as long as you live. Resist and you will die."


    *Pfft* "Hahaha"


    Shang Jun suddenly burst intoughter upon hearing those words from the enemy, startling the others. "Sorry, I always find it funny when I hear death threats. I can resurrect, you know."


    In response, Lt. Zhou nodded as if he agreed with him, "I''m aware of the abilities of the Phoenix Bloodline. The very first bloodline skill itself is resurrection, which works one hundred percent every time as long as your death isn''t of either natural cause or suicide.


    However, you have a price to pay for it. Every time you resurrect, your cultivation drops ording to your mastery. And it is also not an instant resurrection. You should have someone to protect your corpse for seven days before you resurrect. So, the users usually build a resurrection altar somewhere in secret and have a teleportation seal on their body.


    The moment you die, the seal will activate and your corpse will be transported far away and only a barrier of demigod level can stop this spatial magic.


    Since I know all of this, I know the way to stop it too. It is actually quite simple too."


    "Oh, what do you n on doing?" Shang Jun didn''t show panic and acted calmly for some reason. He neither showed fear nor did he show any curiosity. He merely conversed with the enemy''s actingmander.


    With his long white hair fluttered with a blow of wind, Lt. Zhou brandished his spear like a whip as he answered, "I can''t stop your body from teleporting away but I can seal away your soul with Soul Trapping Formation."

 Chapter 528: Shang Juns act of mass genocide

    Shang Jun furrowed his brows for a moment before bing calm once again. "Then, you can proceed with whatever formation you have. I won''t be admitting defeat."


    "Fine, it is your wish¡­"


    Meanwhile, Steve, Fu Sheng, and even the zheng were watching the scene from the shadows, just in case an unexpected immortal or a demigod came to save Shang Jun and attack the soldiers. It was also the final trapid by Mark.


    If no onees, the war will be over. If someone wille, then, these three would be enough to sort out the situation.


    With them keeping an eye on the scene, Mark was enjoying royal delicacies with Song Yue and others in the Western Moon kingdom.


    He had eaten those dishes quite often, but today, they tasted better than ever.


    Almost 3 months of patience and careful nning without getting suspected as the mastermind is finallying to an end at the Phoenix Empire. He could see himself finally moving on from the hatred that was deeply rooted in his heart because of an injustice to Lu Zhen.


    While he is in the middle of eating, a scroll made of energy suddenly appears in front of his eyes, taking everyone by surprise.


    "It''s an emergency message,"mented the King.


    Mark, however, widened his mouth to give out a smile, "It is from Steve. Nothing to worry. I guess he must have a good piece of¡­"


    The scroll opened and letters appeared on it. Mark''s face froze in an instant. His hands shivered and his eyes fluttered for a moment.


    Everyone turned tense as they saw his expression.


    "What happened?" As Song Yue grabbed his shivered arm, Mark gritted his teeth, "that bastard¡­ Shang Jun¡­ He¡­ He¡­ I need to live right now."


    Without giving any sort of exnation, Mark opened a portal right in front of everyone and walked into it, disappearing from their sight.


    Half a minute ago, at the imperial city of Phoenix Empire;


    As soon as Lt. Zhou made his move by shing his spear with Bai Xun''s fist, eight spiky pirs, each atleast a hundred meters long, erupted from the ground before getting connected to each other by a wall of golden energy and epassing the entire city of 324 sq. km of area.


    Even his own allies were shocked by this move. Not even Bai Xun expected it. His battle with Lt. Zhou was momentarily stopped and they stared at the golden ceiling.


    "What technique is this?" Lt. Wang, the other 8-circle realm warrior eximed. "It''s a trap."


    Shang Jun''s words then echoed in the surroundings, "I can''tmit suicide to escape but that doesn''t mean I can''t order my friends to kill me. Since I''m going to die anyways, I will leave nothing behind for that dear cousin of mine to rule. You have like 13 more seconds to live."


    "Your Majesty¡­" Bai Xun''s voice roared like a p of thunder as the high-quality semi-divine grade bow appeared in his hands, almost making the warriors trapped shiver. It was probably the first time he had ever been enraged by the Emperor''s actions. "You actually nned onmitting such a crime against humanity. Release it right now."


    Shang Jun cast a side-long nce at the Supreme Commander with a calm expression, "Sorry but the die has been cast. There is no stopping what''s toe."


    "You¡­" He conjured an energy arrow using all of his ether energy between his fingertips and aimed at the ceiling. However, just as he drew it back, strange energy was released from the pirs.


    "This¡­" Steve, who was watching it, tried to make his move.


    However, his hand was grabbed by the zheng before creating a barrier over the three of them. Fu Sheng wanted to go ahead and warn his subordinates but the attack from this ancient formationid beforehand was faster than what Shang Jun even imed earlier.


    In just a matter of seconds, demigod-level energy was released by the pirs, turning everything into dust.


    Apart from Steve, Fu Sheng, and the zheng, everything was disintegrated into dust.


    As Mark walked out of the portal, he found himself on t ground.


    There are no buildings, no pce, no trees, no people, and not even thekes. The entire imperial city transformed into a t barrennd.


    "System, where am I?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    *Ding! Imperial City, Phoenix Empire.


    "So, Steve was telling the truth? That darned motherfuc*er¡­" He could only curse out loud in frustration, and momentarily direct his intense hatred against the system. "You heartless parasite, you didn''t even give me any notification or quest or anything when such a big thing happened here. Millions of people vanished out of thin air¡­"


    *Ding! You have already been warned, Host. Don''t me the system for your ipetence.


    "You warned me? When?" he roared in his head.


    *Ding! 37 days ago


    After sending the reply, the system further opened the Quest panel on its own to show the emergency quest that was modified, six weeks ago.


    Emergency Quest: Stop the Undertaking


    Description: The Church of Doom is nning to sacrifice 10 million lives and use their souls to resurrect their founder. Multiple formations wereunched all over the Vermillion Bird continent. Stop the ritual by killing the current Supreme Pontiff before the resurrection happens.


    Sacrifices so far: 9,495,677


    Estimate time limit: 12 days


    Reward: Battle Android (Rank-9)


    "Hmm?" Mark instantly frowned as he looked at the details, which changed a lot from the original quest that supposedly targeted Western Moon, and the reward of Rank-7 Android was promised.


    "I believe the reward has been changed from what I remember," Mark responded with ament. He saw the modified quest a few weeks ago too but the reward wasn''t changed. Hence, he didn''t try toplete the quest and focused on the civil war.


    The system gave its reasoning for that too.


    *Ding! The Supreme Pontiff''s strength has increased to the true demigod realm in the meantime (equivalent to 10.5 stats). Hence, the upgrade in reward.


    "Then, why didn''t you inform me?" As Mark med the system once again, thetter sent a stark reply.


    *Ding! If not for the fact that the Host ignored the mission because of the reward that the host deemed not worth enough, millions of lives wouldn''t have been lost. Emergency Quests are termed Emergency Quests because they need to bepleted as soon as possible.


    Mark couldn''t help but stay silent as he was scolded by the system for beingzy and greedy for putting rewards above the lives of people.


    Deep inside, he also knew that while he was angry that so many lives vanished in an instant due to his negligence, he was also deeply disappointed that his ns had gone awry. There''s also the fact that his store was gone in the incident.


    Now, unless he catches Shang Jun, he can never reveal his connection to this civil war.


    In the end, he only let out a long sigh, "Fine, it''s my mistake. Atleast, help me find that bastard."


    The system obliged his request right away. For the first time, the system created a quest after Mark asked it.


    *Ding! Emergency Quest has been triggered.


    Quest: Capture Shang Jun


    Description: Shang Jun hasmitted a crime against humanity, killing millions of innocents without any motive or reasoning. Capture Shang Jun and punish him for his sins with the Divine Throne.


    Reward: Memory Erasure Card (One time use).


    "Memory Erasure card?" Mark didn''t expect there to be a reward for it too.

 Chapter 529: Lin Xue kills Shang Jun

    *Ding! The memory erasure card can remove any memory of your act from the entire world. No one below the Demigod realm will ever remember it.


    "Well, unfortunately, this is of no use to me." As Mark let out a deep sigh, he spotted tiny figures in the sky that were approaching him.


    At first, he was alerted about the presence of enemies but as they came closer, he realized that they were his people who were stationed in the Imperial City and the ones that sent him the message.


    However, he didn''t stay there to have a conversation with them.


    With an excuse of leaving for an urgent task, Mark proceeded to ept the quest, as well as epting the follow-up teleporting to the quest location.


    He disappeared from their eyes and reappeared in what seemed like a temple. There''s a giant statue of a warrior with a sword vertically pointing its de to the floor.


    Before him, there was a stone b where Shang Jun was lying on his back. It was covered by an energy barrier.


    *Ding! You entered the Tower of Doom.


    *Ding! You are not a resident of the Tower of Doom. You are afflicted with the Doom curse.


    *Ding! You are at the altar where the effect of the curse is at its highest. Your lifespan will reduce at a rate of 1 year per minute.


    *Ding! You received a temporary reduction of stats (-5%).


    *Ding! Please maximize your resistance stat for resisting the curses further.


    As notifications continuously rang inside his head, Mark stopped wondering about his surroundings and focused on the stone b.


    "Multiple Lightning Clones, Activate."


    *Ding! State the number


    "2"


    Two lightning clones mirroring his silhouette but have the appearance of energy beings appeared beside him.


    Mark pointed his finger at the stone b, "Alpha clone, go and bring him to me. Beta clone, stay here."


    As one lightning clone stayed beside him in order to protect him from any unexpected danger, the other clone charged ahead and gave a punch to the energy barrier with its demigod-level strength.


    A heavy crack formed on the barrier before the clone gave another punch. The barrier crumbled in an instant, letting the clone grab the corpse and return to its master.


    Since it is still a corpse, Mark was able to ce it in the inventory.


    Once the target was secured, he didn''t stay there to confront the Church of Doom and instead, opened up a portal to return to the Western Moon kingdom''s Lunaris City.


    After informing Fu Sheng and the others to return, Mark went to the pce and exined everything to the others in detail.


    Lin Xue was devastated upon learning the news.


    During the civil war, Mark tried his best to evacuate members of the Song n from the Imperial City. Some settled down in Lunaris City, some settled down in towns and cities, while the prideful ones that don''t want to leave their home stayed there.


    However, the Lin n didn''t get such a privilege. Unlike Song Yue, Lin Xue never asked Mark to help the rest of her family members and he turned a blind eye to their situation as he had nothing to do with them in the first ce.


    As Lin Xue''s emotions had yet to return, no one could understand what she was feeling at that moment. Even Song Yue could only understand with a nod as Lin Xue went into closed-door cultivation in the name of seeking some time alone.


    No one knows why she suddenly tried pushing her cultivation, but she went on absorbing ether crystals at a rapid ce while using her ancestral cultivation technique. With her inner emotions running wild when they were getting suppressed by the cultivation technique, her cultivation speed increased multiple times.


    Three dayster, she consumed all of her ether crystals and sessfully broke through the seven-circle realm but didn''t stop there. She continued her cultivation by absorbing the natural energy and feeding it to her lightning element, refining it again and again.


    Eight more dayster, the sparks of lightning dancing on her body turned red and the transformation was so violent that her own element took over her body, forcing her to go into berserk mode, losing control of her power and mind.


    Fortunately, she was stopped by Fu Sheng in time and woke up a dayter.


    When she woke up, she learned the news about Shang Jun and she immediately rushed to the City Center where the young man, looked all haggard and stripped off his powers, tied to a pole. His eyes looked lifeless as if he had given up on living. Meanwhile, arge crowd gathered around as usual.


    Healers formed a formation around him, constantly healing his injuries as he was being tied to a pole and was being hit by a whip with sharp spikes. Mark was seen standing before him and silently watching the scene. His gaze was calm.


    As she slowly made her way to him, Mark nced to the side and spotted her. He raised his hand. The guards stopped hitting him.


    He spoke, "As I have promised, your perpetrator is here. I have kept him alive for you without passing my judgment."


    As Lin Xue''s gaze shifted to the pathetic-looking figure, Mark let out a sigh, "Song Yue forgave him and asked me to give him a quick death for he had suffered long enough. But, you weren''t awake. So, we had to keep this punishment going for the past six days. Now that you are here, he is yours."


    Lin Xue raised her hand without waiting much longer. She didn''t realize it before but her face no longer looked nk as before.


    Her usual cold demeanor is back on her as she summoned something that resembles a lightning bolt in her hand. Seeing it, the lifeless face of Shang Jun suddenly developed a smirk on it.


    Irked by his ridicule, she went on piercing his chest, not only ending his life in an instant but also turning him into ashes.


    She immediately copsed onto her knees, letting out all of her frustrated feelings in the form of a loud roar to the sky and shedding a stream of tears for the first, in weeks.


    *Ding! The target has died without facing judgment from the Divine throne. You failed the Quest.


    "Absorb," Mark muttered under his breath, absorbing his soul into the Orb of Bael while closing down the notification window.


    After he was done with the absorption, he looked down at his friend and patted her back a few times, "I destroyed his soul. He will neither resurrect nor ever reincarnate, ceasing to exist for eternity."


    She raised her head to look into her eyes and responded in a hushed tone, "Thank you."


    "Now, let''s return home. You have a bit to catch up on what happened during the past week."


    As the crowd dispersed and the ashes of Shang Jun dissipated by the wind, Lin Xue returned to the pce, only to encounter a surprising guest right at the entrance.


    "Brother Lu, you have returned. Father ordered me to fetch you. I was just about to leave. Oh, Lady Lin, it''s been a while." An acquaintance of the imperial family with whom she had almost negligible contact appeared in front of her. As the young prince greeted Lin Xue and Mark, thetter''s facial expression turned stiff, "Prince Shang, I know what he wants to say. But, it is a done deal.


    He cannot stop it. Since he retired voluntarily and went on for a long vacation, he shouldn''t interfere in the affairs of the Empire."


    "Well¡­" The fourth prince, Shang Bo, could only stay silent as he internally agreed with Mark''s decision while couldn''t voice his opinion aloud to his father. "Still, it won''t look good for him if you don''t meet him. Who knows, it could be for another matter."


    "What else we can talk about?" Mark argued a bit before letting out a sigh, "Fine, he is a guest at my home. I can''t show inhospitality. Where is he?"


    "He is with King Shen"


    "Okay, I''ll go and meet him. Can you escort Ms. Lin to my ce?"


    "That''s not a problem."


    As Mark left them, Lin Xue disyed her curiosity. "Uhh, what happened? Is something wrong?" She asked him as they walked together.

 Chapter 530: Mark and Shang Bo

    Shang Bo exined, "After the destruction of the imperial city, a lot of changes in the Empire. The Shang Dynasty is going to be portioned into two empires, the Northern Phoenix Empire is going to be ruled by the Third Brother and the Southern Phoenix Empire is going to be ruled by the Eldest Brother.


    Brother Lu thinks that this will ensure stability in the region while Father thinks that it could actually generate hatred within his own family for generations. But, he was helpless as Eldest Brother already promised Brother Lu to give a portion of his empire after he gets the throne. Not to mention, in this current situation, we need his help more than ever."


    "Hmm, I see¡­" Li Xue nodded in understanding before something suddenly clicked in her head. "By the way, how did you escape alive? I thought everyone stuck in the imperial city died."


    Shang Bo gave a meaningful smile, "Did you forget who I am? Our NET has a vastwork enough to find out the formationy upon the Imperial City. I restrained caution just in case and escaped with my mother." He then followed up with a sigh of disappointment, "If only we knew what it could do, we would have been able to save many more. That bastard is evil to the core.


    Since you returned with Brother Lu, I guess you must have put an end to him."


    Lin Xue nodded once again.


    For a while, there was silence between them as they weren''t acquainted enough to talk about other things, but eventually, Shang Bo took the initiative to prolong their conversation by bringing up his other brother. "Ms. Lin, may I ask if you are really going to marry my third brother?"


    "Hmm?" Lin Xue halted her footsteps at once and abruptly turned her head with a frown, "why?"


    "Ah, don''t get me wrong." Shang Bo averted his gaze, feeling a bit shy as he exined, "ording to what I have learned from the rumors, you were in love with Brother Lu''s servant from the foreign realm named Allen, who mysteriously disappeared months ago alongside his sister Alina.


    But, now, you agreed to marry my brother, who was chasing you for years. Brother Lu who is known to treat his servants the same as his siblings, on the other hand, instead of treating you harshly, first brought you from the imperial city, helped you take your revenge, and even went as far as giving the third brother a portion of the empire that Eldest Brother gave it to him.


    Something just doesn''t fit in this scenario, unless..."


    At once, memories of Allen appeared in Lin Xue''s head and her heartbeat spiked up. To hide her embarrassment, she furrowed her brows in displeasure and confronted the fourth prince, who didn''t even finish his sentence, "Please watch out what you were about to imply, Your Highness."


    Shang Bo scratched his cheek and hesitatingly spoke, "Well¡­ I only have like half of the information. So, I couldn''t help but form a theory. Either he formed a deal with a third brother to release you from the promise or he intends to control the Northern Phoenix Empire through you. The south is going to be in his control anyway as Eldest Brother wouldn''t leave his side.


    With the entire phoenix empire, Western Moon, Western Yan, and Eastern Sun on his side, almost half of the continent will be his puppet. If that is the case, then, I truly admire him."


    When Lin Xue saw his face, she thought that the prince really looked like the guy who idolized someone.


    With various good as well as disturbing thoughts filled in her head, she couldn''t speak on the matter and kept her silence.


    Meanwhile, Mark went to the King''s study room to meet his biological father and the future father-inw.


    After greeting them with a light bow, he took a seat before them.


    As the servant came forward and served him the wine, Mark directly went to the matter, "Prince Shang Bo informed me that you want to talk to me. What is it, Emperor Shang?"


    Shang Fu, who looked as vibrant as ever for some reason, spoke with a smile on his face, "Don''t worry. I won''t talk to you about the partition. I called you here to talk to you about your marriage."


    "Marriage?" Mark was slightly taken aback. Since when was this fellow interested in his marriage? Did that troubling mother of his urge him? He wondered. "What is it?" he asked after calming his mind.


    Shang Fu answered, "Well, I recently learned that Xiao Wei is going to marry Lin Wuying''s daughter. King Shen here is also telling me that you were looking for a proper time and date. So, I''m wondering why not hold a joint wedding?"


    "Eh? Joint wedding?" Mark was taken aback once again.


    King Shen Niu voiced his opinion this time, "Xiao Zhen, right now, the Phoenix Empire is in a state of turmoil. Millions of people are living in fear and panic. This even spread to our kingdom. Adding on top of that, the empire is going to be partitioned. So, we thought it is best to ease up the worries with celebration.


    Holding a joint wedding will not only elevate everyone''s mood but also send a strong warning to the foreign powers to keep their gaze away from the southern region of the Vermillion bird continent."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark made a face like he was thinking about it deeply, but in reality, he wasn''t. After all, there is still time till thepletion of Allen''s metamorphosis. Until then, he won''t let Lin Xue marry anyone, much less Shang Wei. Not to mention, he swore not to start a new life until his revenge waspleted.


    Due to Shang Jun''s greater evil act, he couldn''t take credit for ruining the Shang Dynasty. He wanted to hurt Shang Fu with his own acts and that is only how he could truly have his heart at peace.


    Hence, this isn''t the time for marriage. But, how should he convince King Shen Niu? That is a big question.


    It has been a while since he moved to Lunaris City and he has yet to be engaged to Shen Ling. Naturally, Shen Niu would worry about his intentions.


    Adding on top of that, he also has to ease up Song Yue''s worries. His new n hasn''t been shared with her yet and she might convince him that Shang Dynasty has already suffered enough. Knowing himself, Mark was confident that he had like 80% chance of listening to Song Yue''s request. He didn''t want that.


    After sorting out his thoughts in a minute of silence, Mark opened his mouth, "Sister Lin is at a crucial stage of her cultivation. I think marrying her to the third Prince isn''t a good thing at the moment. Not to mention, the third prince is going to be the emperor of the northern Phoenix. His attention should be on bringing stability to the region.


    If he were to marry, his attention would be split and people might think that they were in dire status and their emperor is happily enjoying his wedding."


    After taking Shang Fu by surprise, Mark shifted his gaze to Shen Niu, "I understand that you are worried but this isn''t really the right time for my marriage too. Shang Jun was working with the Church of Doom. Now that I went under their noses and abducted his corpse, their target will be set on me. Announcing marriage right now is like inviting trouble to us.


    Do you wish to risk the future of the kingdom for the sake of easing up the unnecessary worries of our citizens?"

 Chapter 531: Shang Bo and the sick lady

    King Shen Niu''s eyes widened in realization. He couldn''t help but reach out to his forehead to wipe out his sweat beads with his sleeves and ask, "Then, what do you propose?" Shang Fu looked a bit disappointed but still looked at Mark for the solution.


    Mark then said, "If you ask me, I say engage fourth prince Shang Bo to your niece, Shen Yurong. She might be a year older than him but this will also ensure a tight bond between the Shen Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty."


    "Yurong''er?" King Shen only sighed in response. But the way he addressed that name stated that he was close to her. "You already know her condition. She has a weak physique and is constantly sick. Even Saint Fu couldn''t cure her. We can''t do that to Prince Shang Bo."


    "That''s because I don''t waste 250,000 gold coins unnecessarily on a stranger," thought Mark as he heard those words. He then spoke in confidence, "If you give me time, I will treat her. What do you say?"


    Shen Niu didn''t respond and merely turned his head to look at Shang Fu, who was in thinking mode.


    After a few seconds, Shang Fu gave a firm nod, "I believe in Mr. Lu''s promise."


    *p*


    "Good." Mark was satisfied that everything went ording to his n. He let out a grin and cheekily remarked, "Actually, if you reject this idea, I thought of convincing Father-inw to marry a nobledy from Phoenix Empire."


    "Uhh¡­" At once, Shen Niu''s smile was frozen. "Xiao Lu, do you want me to marry at such an age?"


    "Why not? You are still young. I don''t even think you need those medicines they sell in the market to boost your vigor," Markmented in a casual tone, highlighting their closeness.


    "Hahahaha"


    Shen Niu broke out intoughter, patting his biceps, "You are right. I''m still young. I always nned to start a new life after marrying my daughter."


    "Eh? You do?" Mark was the one whose eyes widened in surprise this time.


    "hahaha, just kidding, son. If I''m the type to marry multiple wives, I would have done long time ago. I''m not one of those people who chase after lust."


    Shang Fu: "¡­"


    Meanwhile, Shang Bo escorted Lin Xue to the entrance of the inner quarters, then, handed over his duty to a eunuch, and hurriedly rushed away from the ce.


    Lin Xue stared at his back in wonder, "He didn''t even bother saying any goodbye. Did he have some important work to do?"


    Shang Bo went on leaving the pce and rode the horse for more than 30 minutes to reach the residential district of Haojiang.


    He then entered a two-story residence and was greeted by a middle-aged fellow inmoner attire. "Divine Healer Bo"


    "Please don''t call me that," Shang Bo waved his hand with an awkward smile. "I''m merely a practitioner."


    The middle-aged man replied, "Ever since you started treating my daughter, she was getting better. In our eyes, you are truly a divine healer."


    Seeing that this fellow won''t be convinced anyway, Shang Bo changed the topic, "Let''s go and meet Ms. Ci."


    They went to thedy''s room to find a pale-faced woman sitting in a lotus position and meditating.


    She opened her eyes upon sensing another presence in the room.


    Upon seeing the boy, she let out a smile and tried getting up, "Your Highness."


    Shang Bo took out a pouch from nowhere and raised his hand, "No need to get up. Stay in the position." As she sat back, he walked to her and quickly inserted a golden needle into her forehead. It isn''t a normal needle. This is oddly a semi-divine grade weapon, an inheritance he received from his maternal family.


    The needle disappeared into her while Shang Bo closed his eyes.


    After a while, rosiness returned to her face and the needle was retracted back to his hand. "There you go¡­"


    For the next minute, the girl continued to cultivate and Shang Bo sat down and stared at her in silence.


    As she opened her eyes, their eyes met and she averted her gaze with her ears turning red, "Your Highness, you are too close."


    "Eh? Ah, sorry¡­" Shang Bo looked away in embarrassment and got up in a hurry. "I didn''t mean to frighten you."


    "Ah, no," Her voice raised high for a moment as she abruptly turned her head to look at him, "I''m not afraid. It''s just¡­ it''s just¡­ I''m just nervous¡­ Yeah, that''s it. I''m nervous. Phew¡­ hehehe"


    Shang Bo tilted his head in confusion, "Is she alright?"


    The next day, in thete morning, Shang Bo returned to the residence once again, but there wasn''t any enthusiasm this time on his face.


    After he treated her, he didn''t wait to converse with her and instead excused himself to leave.


    As it repeated for three days in a row, the girl stopped him this time by grabbing his hand as he was turning away.


    Shang Bo halted his footsteps but he didn''t turn around and merely said, "My father arranged my marriage with King Shen Niu''s rtive."


    "Eh? Uncle Shen''s rtive? Who?" The girl reacted a bit strongly before realizing something and sitting down, "Sorry, I was just curious."


    Shang Bo, this time, looked at her, "Uncle Shen? Are you close with the royal family?"


    "Uhh¡­ I used to be friends with the princess. That''s why," The girl answered while ncing left and right. "Anyway, do you know who it is?"


    Shang Bo let out a sigh, "She is Princess Shen Ling''s cousin. I think her name is Shen Yurong. Do you know her?"


    "Eh? Shen Yurong?" Suddenly, her face lit up and there''s this strange happiness seen on her face.


    "Hmm? Miss Ci?" Shang Bo was slightly taken aback by her reaction.


    The girl calmed down and said, "I know her, but it has been a while since Ist her. So, I''m not sure how she looks anymore." After a brief pause, she added, "By the way, you seemed like you were not happy with the marriage. Why?"


    "I¡­" Shang Bo hesitated to speak out his thoughts.

 Chapter 532: Shang Bos marriage

    After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath and said, "I''m in love with someone else who I cannot marry. However, I also can''t say no to my father, who requested something from me after a long time. I don''t want to disappoint him."


    "Huh?"


    It was thedy''s turn to be taken aback, "Who is it that you cannot marry?" Letting out a gasp, she said while trying her best not to smile, "Don''t tell me it is Princess Shen Ling. You absolutely can''t pursue her. Everyone here knows that she will be betrothed to Lord Lu. You will die if he knows about¡­"


    "Sss¡­" Shang Bo finally turned around while hissing out in frustration, "Why do you even assume that it is her?"


    "Eh? But, you are the one who said you loved someone you cannot marry. Isn''t it just someone who was betrothed to someone else?" The girl surnamed Ci made an innocent face as if she was asking whether she was assuming wrong. Suddenly, she covered her mouth and gasped once again, "It''s not Lady Song, is it?"


    "I told you before. I''m a prince and I cannot take amoner as my first wife and I never intend to marry more than¡­" Shang Bo suddenly realized that she was trying to make fun of him and he stomped on the floor in frustration, "Arghhh¡­ I''m leaving. I wille back tomorrow." He rushed outside, leaving the girl to y with her hair and breaking into a beautiful smile, "He is cute, sometimes."


    Two dayster;


    In one of the private chambers, Shang Bo was walking back and forth while mumbling something.


    "Remember. All you have to say is that you love Ci Rong and request her not to ept this proposal from her side."


    "But, what if she epts? Isn''t Shen Ling marrying Lu Zhen despite knowing that he loves Sister Yue? Or maybe, he doesn''t love as much as Sister Yue loves him. Anyway, forget about him and focus on yourself."


    "Okay, if she doesn''t ept my request, then, let''s insert a needle inside her head and control her until she goes and tells her uncle"


    "No" "NO" "No" "You are thinking too violently. They told me that she was suffering from a curse and that Lu Zhen would help her lift it, as long as this marriage was settled. How about I give her an offer that she has to reject this proposal and I will promise to take Lu Zhen''s help in lifting her curse?"


    "Or, should I just be mean and point out her older age?"


    It was then he heard the sound of a door opening. Shang Bo went stiff immediately and started taking deep breaths as a pale-faced woman in a veil and white robes entered the room with a maid on the side, helping her.


    "Eh? Ci Rong?" Shang Bo was stunned on the spot. His mouth was slightly opened and he didn''t know how to react.


    Meanwhile, the woman removed her veil and made a formal bow, "Greetings, Prince Shang. I''m Shen Yurong. Pleased to meet you."


    "You?" "What?" "Why?" "What the hell is going on?"


    As the maids left them alone, following her orders, she widened her smile as she said, "You didn''t tell Ci Rong the name of your lover. Mind telling Shen Yurong the name of that lucky person? If you won''t tell, I would have to go back to my uncle and say that I ept the proposal."


    "You¡­" After being speechless for a couple of moments, Shang Bo gestured for her toe near. "I''ll tell you in ear."


    As she reached him, Shang Bo leaned to her ear, which slightly made her blush before a surprised scream escaped her mouth as he pinched her ear, "You woman¡­ You dare to y with me¡­"


    "Ah, Ah, you want to bully a sick woman? I willin to my uncle that my husband is a bully." As she yfully screamed, Shang Bo took out a needle once again, "Don''t worry, with this, I will even bring you back from death."


    As the colors drained on her face and she turned around to run away while screaming uncle, she was suddenly hugged from behind. "Thank you," Apart from the whisper, there were no words escaped from either of them for the next thirty seconds. They just stayed like that in silence.


    *


    One week passed away in a blink of an eye.


    Shang Bo''s wedding preparations were going on at a quick pace. After various discussions with Astrologers, Fortune tellers, and also Mark, Qinglian Hill of Southern Yuan province was chosen as the wedding venue.


    With Shang Fu''s return and followed by the announcement of the wedding, the mood of the empire''s citizens elevated quite a bit.


    Because time was limited, Mark lent a hand in the construction of the grand wedding venue with the support of his robotic army while Shang Zexi took the duty of procuring the materials required for it. The royal family of Shen took the duty of cooking for the guests.


    It goes without saying that Lan Jingyi was happy to see that her son was willingly participating in his brother''s wedding.


    She didn''t pester him at all by disying her indications of getting back together as a family as she was already satisfied by staying with her son under one roof and how her son showed full hospitality to her and her husband while putting their past differences aside.


    Meanwhile, the invitations were sent to all empires that were within reach. The Dragon Empire didn''t get such an invitation as the marriage will long be over by the time the official invitation even reaches its shores.


    The massacre of the imperial Phoenix city has already been etched into the history books. Everyone knows of it and each empire has a different reaction to it. Some of them didn''t care; some sent a letter to Shang Fu, extending their condolences; some of them, like the Kun Empire and the Leon Empires, offered help in rebuilding their imperial city.


    The response to the wedding invitation is also very simr.


    The empires that didn''t care about the massacre didn''t send any envoys too. The ones that sent condolences have sent their official envoys. The ones that offered help sent their imperial princes. Ouyang Zen, the King of Eastern Sun personally made the trip. The Leon Empire sent their top general.


    From Western Yan, Prince Feng Wu made his visit in person, leaving his nephew, the King with the gold dragon back at home.


    As for the Kun Empire, there was even more drama happening there.


    To build a close rtionship with Mark, the Kun Empire''s leading princes, aka the Crown Prince and the fourth prince, fought in the court to represent the throne, and in the end, the position was given to the Fourth Prince.


    The Crown Prince, who was acquainted with Mark, didn''t give up and journeyed to the south as the friend of Lu Zhen instead of an envoy of Kun Empire.


    Eventually, the big day arrived and the Grand venue saw atleast more than ten thousand citizens in attendance, alongside 285 royal guests who received invitations from the Shang family and the Shen family.

 Chapter 533: Trouble at Shang Bos wedding

    As the majority of the citizens of the Phoenix Empire are believers of the Church of Light, the statue of Goddess Xihe was built in the stadium where the couple will receive blessings at the Altar.


    The wedding procedures went on smoothly and the couple stood there, receiving gifts from the royal guests one after another.


    Mark''s turn came but he walked with Steve, James, Xie Mei, Chang Bo, and Meng Tao as the representatives of Genesis Enterprises, instead of going with Song Yue as they weren''t husband and wife yet, following Lin Xue''s advice.


    As a result, Song Yue stayed behind with Lin Xue and Sylvandria. The White Knight (Eol) also tagged along with King Shen Niu and Princess Shen Ling as a bodyguard, just in case.


    Mark handed them a wooden box with the seal of their store, the drawing of a pupil-less eye.


    Everyone''s gaze fixed on the stage as the couple opened them together. They were also curious about what kind of gift this mysterious weapon seller would present to the couple.


    But, what the bride took out was a glowing yellow rock from the box.


    "What is it?" Everyone collectively wondered.


    Mark spotted their bewildered expressions and exined to the couple, "This is called purification stone. I used this treasure to heal King Shen Niu and Sister Lin, and even the problem with your physique was healed by this, Lady Shen Yurong. It can heal any curse or illness unless it is caused by a deity. You can say it is useless for a healthy person and priceless for the one in need.


    I sincerely hope that a day will nevere when you have to use this."


    Since he never crossed paths with Shang Bo and when he did, thetter always followed his instructions without questioning him, Mark got a good impression of this half-brother of his and decided to give such treasure to them. Not to mention, there was also this guilt in him that made him throw Shang Bo under the bus to postpone his own marriage.


    Both of them thanked him sincerely, impressed by the gift.


    Feeling that he had done enough for them, Mark turned around and was about to leave, but it was at that moment he was forced to halt his footsteps as he saw a notification screen pop up in front of his eyes while dark clouds loomed in the sky, blocking the sunlight.


    *Ding! Ritual has been sessful. You failed the Emergency Quest, Stop the Undertaking.


    *Ding! You receive a new Emergency Quest, Eliminate the New Threat.


    Description: Due to the failure to stop the ritual, the founder of the Church of Doom has been resurrected. Kill the Founder and Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Doom.


    Reward: Cosmic Essence Absorption (skill)


    Cosmic Essence Absorption: the ultimate cultivation technique where the user can absorb the energy emitted by cosmic objects and refine it to generate ether particles.


    "Enemy strength?" Mark raised his eyebrow.


    *Ding! 13-circle. But, the strength will be suppressed to peak-11-circle due to thews of the mortal ne.


    "F**k"


    Mark couldn''t help but curse out loud, which drowned in the rumbling of thunders that filled the sky.


    "Fu Sheng, Barrier." He shouted out loud.


    The demigod quickly acted by unleashing an ether barrier, covering the entire ce before lightning strikes randomly hit the region. Some of them managed to strike the barrier and crack it but it stayed intact.


    Thousands ofmoners screamed in panic. They were trying to get away without caring about their surroundings.


    However, Song Tai''s voice halted their movements, stopping from a potential stampede.


    The so-called guardian of the Empire addressed the people as he slowly floated in the sky, "Everyone must stay in their seats. Your safety is our responsibility. Don''t be afraid. It is a natural phenomenon of a breakthrough, not an attack on us."


    As the people calmed down and sat down in their seats, Fu Sheng poured more energy into the barrier, repairing it and quicklying to Mark''s side to protect him. Despite being in a demigod realm, he had this grim expression on his face.


    "Young master, we need to leave right now," Fu Sheng whispered to him.


    "You know something?" Mark asked him, despite knowing what the threat was about.


    Fu Sheng replied, "It is a Saint. And the lightning strikes are clearly aimed at us, probably gauging our defenses."


    Mark knew that it wasn''t a Saint but he didn''t say it out loud as it no longer mattered after confirming that the enemy wasing at him. At the same time, he was also surprised that the enemy would make a move at him as soon as their ritual seeds.


    Was Shang Jun an important chess piece for them? Or is it because of their past grievances?


    Or the target is someone else? No matter how deeply he thinks, he couldn''t see any better potential target than himself. Whatever the case, thinking wouldn''t solve anything. As Mark outrightly can summon the demon king Bael to fend off the enemy in front of so many eyes, he decides to leave.


    "Fu Sheng, protect this ce. I''m going to redirect the enemy''s attention," Mark passed the order after quick thinking, greatly surprising the ones standing around him.


    "No, you will die if you try fighting a Saint," Fu Sheng raised his voice a bit, clearly refusing to heed Mark''s order, this time. "I will go ahead and confront him. If I use all of my strength, I might be able to get the attention of the ne''s guardian."


    Shang Bo and his wife were stunned on the spot as they heard his words. They didn''t expect a Saint ising for them.


    What is a Saint?


    It is a being capable of destroying their entire world to ashes within just a few breaths.


    For normal humans like them, a Demigod like Fu Sheng itself is akin to a Deity. They couldn''t help but tightly grab each other''s arm.


    Meanwhile, Steve and James also have their facial expressions hardened.


    "Wait, wee with you," Steve hurriedly voiced his opinion.


    "No, stay here and protect your mom," Mark firmly refused his request, although blurting out the truth and confusing the other listeners. Fortunately, no one at the moment cared who Steve''s mother was.


    Steve argued back, "She will be fine. It is you who will be in danger. I think this is the event we came here to stop."


    Mark furrowed his brows, wondering whether something would happen to him. But, the urgent situation didn''t give him the luxury to analyze anything.


    He ignored Steve and shifted his gaze to Fu Sheng, "I''ll lure the enemy to that emptynd in the north. Send a message if something goes wrong."


    As soon as he passed the instructions, Mark opened a portal. He gave onest look at a concerned Song Yue and walked into it, taking many others by surprise.


    As he walked out of the portal, Mark found himself on the barrennd and raised his head to look at the sky.


    "System, open skill list" "System, open Orb of Bael in new window" "System, open inventory in new window"


    Taking out the Divine throne from the inventory, he sat on it.

 Chapter 534: Mark fights the Church of Dooms founder

    *Ding! Divine Aura passive skill is activated. All of your stats are increased by 2 points.


    He then took out a vial of green liquid from the inventory and gulped it in one go.


    *Ding! You consumed the peak strength potion. All of your base stats increased to 9.9. Your ether points increased to 9,999,999,999.


    With three holographic screens floating in front of his eyes, Mark waited in patience.


    His wait onlysted for fifteen seconds before a blurring figure reached there and stopped before slowly descending onto the ground.


    "Activate, God''s Eye"


    Du Hao


    Title: Destroyer Du


    Species: Human/Demon


    Age: 276,441 years


    Rank: 13 (peak)


    Status: Suppressed


    Current strength: peak-11-circle


    Bloodline: Demonic


    Spirit Path: Fighter


    Attribute: Lightning


    Affiliation: Church of Doom, Nine Hells sect (former), Gorganal Empire (former), Netherworld (former)


    Description: The founder of the Church of Doom. Once born as the prince of the Gorganal Empire located in the ne of lightning, Du Hao left his family to be a disciple of the Nine Hells sect. Chasing after the power, he made a pact with a demon to train at Netherworld and be a demonkin.


    Aftering out of the Nine Hells sect, Du Hao created the Church of Doom, one that prays to the war god, Chi You. As a result of his constant warfare against sects and the destruction of mortal worlds for the establishment of dominance, his soul was sealed forever after his defeat.


    *


    Due to his various affiliations, the system had to publish a long story in the description. From the details, Mark basically understood his personality as well as his powers, and he was ready to face this foe.


    Uponnding on the ground, the enemy let out a chuckle, "That was quite a treasure, young man. Too bad that seems damaged."


    "As long as it can help me defeat my enemies, I''m content with it," replied Mark. His heart was beating faster than usual but he was calm on the outside.


    The old man caressed his goatee as he chuckled once again, "I can see the mark on your soul, child. If you think your connection with the Heavenly Pce will save you, you are quite wrong."


    "That''s where you are wrong, old man," Mark raised his finger to click on the summon button in the middle screen.


    As Bael made his appearance in his humanoid form, Mark continued, "It''s not the heavenly pce that I have confidence in. It is theherworld."


    "Ba¡­Lord Bael? Why? How?" The enemy clearly seemed taken aback and Mark developed a smirk, clenching his fist.


    Bael, on the other hand, furrowed his brows, "Hmm? You have the bloodline of a high-ranking demon. Who is your master, human?"


    Du Hao answered, "It''s Lord Chi You."


    "Ah, it is that hybrid, huh?" Bael didn''t seem intimidated by Chi You''s name, despite the fact that he is already a True God (14-circle) and way stronger than any other demon king in theherworld.


    The demon king continued, "Anyway, I''m contracted to his human. If you don''t want any trouble, leave this instant and take your subordinates away with you. The mortal ne is not a ce for you.


    Du Hao narrowed his eyes, "Are you threatening me?"


    "What if I say yes?" Bael folded his hands to the chest.


    Du Hao raised his hand, conjuring hundreds of scarlet swords above him. "Perhaps, I really need to remind the world what the destroyer Du can do."


    Mark was slightly intimidated by the sheer number of the swords and the power contained inside each one.


    "Bael, I''ll atleast give you a fraction of a second to finish the enemy. Use your strongest attack," After sending a telepathic message to the demon king, he quickly scrolled down the list of skills and clicked on one.


    "Gravity Dome, activate." "Set to 200g"


    Just as Du Hao was about to make his move to bombard the energy swords with his enemies, an invisible dome appeared on arge scale, putting pressure on his body.


    The sudden change of gravitational force on him staggered his movements a little bit and Bael, who was immune to the skill due to his contract with Mark, charged toward him.


    He reached the enemy in a fraction of a second and used one of his most powerful attacks as he was instructed.


    "Hellfire Descent"


    A palm-sized fireball emerged from his palms and struck the enemy at a close range.


    As the mes from theherworld burned his insides, the God realm enemy tried to expel them from his body, giving a window of opportunity for Mark tounch his ultimate skill, The Thunderst.


    By the time he expelled all the mes from his body and forcefully pushed away the demon king with the energy expulsion technique, the dark clouds that already covered the sky spat a series of yellow-colored lightning strikes on his head.


    Even Bael was startled by their power and forced to move away.


    By the time they stopped, they saw a charred Du Hao who was still breathing but wobbling left and right, trying to best to bnce his body. His physical body has started to heal, albeit not so rapidly as the sparks of yellow lightning hampering his recovery speed.


    "Damn it. This isn''t enough to kill him?" Mark muttered with a dark gaze. He didn''t give time for the enemy to recover.


    "Bael, kill him." He ordered while scrolling the skills once again as his energy was recovered at a rapid pace.


    "Multiple lightning Clones, activate. Ten."


    Fortunately for Mark, the enemy was enraged.


    "You damn bastard¡­" Du Hao let out a roar.


    No longer taking the enemy lightly, he charged panicked by the ambushid by his prey and he decided to take out Mark right away.


    Bael tried to cut off his path, but Du Hao skillfully evaded him instead of confronting the demon king and went to Mark.


    But that brief second of time given by Bael ended up being enough for Mark tounch his skill.


    Five lightning clones appeared around Mark, like bodyguards.


    Sensing demigod-level powers in them, Du Hao didn''t care much about it and charged forward to reach Mark and gave a swift strike to him. Meanwhile, Mark''s eyes were fixated on him and they turned icy blue.


    "Freezing Gaze, activate"


    Just as his punch was about to strike Mark, thetter''s eyes glowed blue and Du Hao was frozen in the spot.


    "Boom"


    A word escaped from Mark''s mouth and all five lightning clones exploded at the same time as they charged forward and hugged the enemy, releasing a tremendous amount of energy and striking the enemy.


    By this time, Mark''s ether energy reserves almost became empty and it was in a recovery mode. The gravity dome was also dismissed.


    However, what Mark witnessed was a punching at his face, in that burst of energy surrounding the enemy.


    The punch connected Mark''s mouth and he fell down along with the throne. However, He didn''t feel any pain either. "Man, 99% DR is truly amazing," thought the weapon seller.


    Meanwhile, the energy explosion ended its attack, revealing a horrifying appearance of the enemy, third-degree burns all over the body and face; one of his eyes was gone, and several of his fingers werepletely burnt to the extent that they were no longer recovering anymore.


    "You¡­" *cough* cough*

 Chapter 535: Betrayal from Fu Sheng

    Du Hao''s whole body was shaking in anger. Never in the world did he expect he would end up in such a state as soon as he was resurrected. "This damn suppression on my cultivation¡­ Argh¡­"


    He roared and used his remaining strength to push his leg against the ground, flying away from the ce.


    But, would Mark let go of this opportunity?


    Obviously, No.


    "Bael" He shouted.


    The demon king, this time, sessfully blocked his path. "Sorry but you are not leaving away, hybrid." He pushed his palm against the opponent''s chest, hitting him with brute force.


    As Du Hao crashed onto the ground, Mark took out a palm-sized box from the inventory that seemed like carrying jewelry items and threw it at the fallen enemy, using his entire strength at the same time.


    The box cut through the air at supersonic speeds and struck the back of the enemy''s head, releasing over 637 terajoules of massive energy output.


    Originally, this isn''t remotely enough to injure someone from the God realm, but the suppression from the mortal news, followed by extensive injuries, ended up with the attack from the unnamed box as a finishing move.


    *Puchi*


    In an instant, Du Hao''s skull cracked like an egg that was hit by a palm-sized stone without him even getting to take that glimpse of the attack that killed him and Bael couldn''t help but just watch the scene in a daze. "What in the heavens is that item? I couldn''t sense anything from it. Or maybe, it is some weird skill. This human had a lot of such techniques."


    Meanwhile, Mark was pushed away a few meters by the energy released from the collision and crashed to the ground. There were mild scratches on the body here and there but no serious would was found.


    "Man, that box is quite a treasure. I wonder how powerful it would be if I increase its weight with a gravity dome," Mark couldn''t help but wonder as he dusted off his clothes and slowly walked to the body and picked up the box.


    He also didn''t forget to absorb the soul of the enemy and feed it to the Orb of Bael instead of letting it go away for another resurrectionter on.


    His soul might be powerful but after the Orb of Bael integrated with the system, it wasn''t a match for it. Just like any other soul, Du Hao''s soul was also absorbed into it and fulfilled the progress bar that was required for the next summon.


    After searching the enemy and finding nothing, Mark disappointedly threw the fallen throne and the "Unnamed" into his inventory and looked at the descending demon king. Bael returned to him to say goodbyes.


    However, Mark instead gave another task to the demon king, telling him the location of the Church of Doom and asking him to clean it up, apart from that one person who isn''t an enemy.


    Demon King Bael left and Mark used the teleportation skill to return to Southern Yuan Province before making his way to the venue.


    And that''s when he realized how wrong he was to trust someone.


    By the time he returned, the barrier was long gone. The bride, the royal guests, and ten thousand citizens were knocked out in their respective positions as if they were attacked at the same time.


    Steve, James, and Song Tai were imprisoned in a bubble-like prison, and Fu Sheng was spotted standing alongside the Void Temple''s Dragon Emperor. Lan Jingyi, Sylvandria, Shang Fu, Shang Bo, Song Yue, and Lin Xue were nowhere to be found.


    "Fu Sheng, what''s going on?" Mark''s voice roared like thunder.


    Both of them raised their heads to look in the sky and were startled a bit as they saw Mark in perfect condition, except that the peak potion also lost its effects after five minutes. So, his stats returned to normal too.


    "Impossible. How did he get out alive?" Fu Sheng''s smirk on his face was wiped out and reced with fear.


    "Tch, I knew that we could not depend on the Church of Doom,"mented the teenage-looking Dragon girl.


    Mark didn''t waste his time on her and unleashed his strongest skillbo.


    "Gravity Dome, activate. 200g"


    "Thunderst, activate"


    *Rumble*


    The calm dark clouds that filled the sky rumbled in thunder once again. The yellow lightning bolt descended from the heavens and precisely struck the dragon girl, who was forced to kneel alongside Fu Sheng due to gravity suppression.


    Just like that, the demigod-level beast that ruled the Bloodhill forest for thousands of years ended up in ashes without being able to fight.


    This state of her had trembled Fu Sheng''s body, mind, and even soul.


    "Young master, please listen to me," Fu Sheng pleaded hurriedly as Mark slowly walked toward them. "I was actually protecting these people. I never intend to betray you. If I didn''t listen to my master, all of these people would have been obliterated."


    "Your master? The Tang Dynasty''s founder?" Mark''s gaze turned even colder. His body also shivered, just like Fu Sheng''s, but this was pure rage.


    Fu Sheng exined while continuing to kneel, "The Dragon Empire colluded with various forces to abduct Lady Song, Lin Xue, your father, and your younger brother. They were all demigods and I''m just one. The Necromancer King took away your family while my master took away Lady Song and Lin Xue. Lady Lan then went after the Necromancer King to save them and I was stuck here. Believe me.


    I had no choice."


    "Nice try but you had the option of sending me the message through ourmunication scroll and you seemed quite shocked when I came back as if you don''t expect me to return alive," Mark didn''t believe a word he said, and unleashed his bloodline skill.


    "Ice bolt, 2"


    Consuming his ether energy by 40% more percent, Two Ice bolts appeared above his head. As he raised his hand, Fu Sheng roared, "I was telling the truth, you bastard. Argh¡­"


    He expelled all of his ether energy from his body in the form of a concentrated energy beam, intending to kill Mark in one move and to escape the suppression.


    However, he never expected the icy wings would timely cover Mark andpletely nullify the attack.


    Fu Sheng''s face paled as the icy wings opened up once again, "Young master, please show mercy. You know my loyalty. I left my position and became your servant, never even disobeyed your orders, and always protected your people."


    However, Mark''s reply was too cold, "Yes, you did. But, the problem is that you don''t truly understand the one you swore your loyalty toward. I''m not a hero who sacrifices myself for the betterment of the world. I''m a viin who will not hesitate to sacrifice the entire world for the sake of my loved ones.


    Song Yue was my life, and those who dare to harm her will have to die, even if it is those deities or demons."


    As Fu Sheng was momentarily stunned by Mark''s answer, thetter motioned his hands. The two lengthy icy spears pierced his head and heart respectively at the same time, ending his life in an instant.


    The four supreme realm experts couldn''t help but stare at Mark in awe of his power.

 Chapter 536: Rescuing Song Yue

    As Fu Sheng copsed, they were automatically freed and Steve rushed to Mark, giving him a hug, "Dad, are you alright? They took away mom. We have to go and save her." Because he was in a panic, English automatically came out of his mouth. As a result, their secret stayed protected.


    "Nothing to worry. We will get her back for sure," Mark assured him with a pat on his shoulders.


    Song Tai was awed by Mark''s earlier disy of power and seeing them conversing in an unfamiliarnguage to him, his suspicions only became stronger that all of these experts were from foreign realms.


    Nevertheless, it doesn''t matter at this moment as there is another urgent matter.


    Song Tai sorted out his thoughts quickly and cupped his fists, "Thank you for saving us. I wille again and pay respects to you again, but I have to go and save His Majesty and His Highness."


    As Mark nodded, Song Tai swiftly flew away toward the east.


    Mark then looked at his sons, "Both of you, stay here and protect these people. We don''t want another unfortunate incident."


    "No, Dad, I''lle with you this time," Steve requested that he follow.


    This time, before even Mark replied, James grabbed his brother''s arm, "No, you will just get on his way. And if I''m correct, there is no way for us to follow Dad even if we want to. His spatial powers only allow him to travel alone."


    "Yeah, that''s correct." Mark patted Steve''s shoulder and even James'' shoulder, "But, there is another reason I won''t take you with me. I don''t want you to see the things I''m going to do, right now. So, stay here and focus on protecting these people. However, don''t forget to prioritize your own lives."


    Leaving those two in a bit of surprise, Mark spoke in his head, "System, connect me to the Space station."


    *Ding! Connection established.


    "Activate, Third Eye skill. Search for Song Yue, Age 22. Location Preference: Vermilion Bird Continent."


    He closed his eyes to imagine her appearance.


    Luckily for him, the Space station''s position is currently above the Bloodhill forest. Hence, the reply came faster than usual.


    *Ding! The target has been found.


    Looking at the moving coordinates, Mark mumbled, "She is moving too fast. I have gone like only a couple of minutes and she has already crossed the borders."


    "System, I need a favor."


    Probably, the system already knew what he was going to ask, or perhaps, it was waiting for him to ask.


    Whatever the case, as soon as he spoke those words, the system responded with a quest notification.


    *Ding! You triggered an Emergency Quest, Rescue Song Yue.


    Quest: Rescue Song Yue


    Description: Song Yue was abducted by assants with various affiliations while the host was away. Save her before it is toote.


    Rewards: Unknown


    "ept"


    *Ding! Teleport to the quest location?


    Mark immediately took out another peak potion from the inventory and gulped it, increasing his stats to 9.9 and his ether particles to 9.9 billion.


    Once he was ready, he gave his affirmation to the system.


    "Yes"


    A seal appeared below Mark''s feet and he disappeared, reappearing in the sky and blocking the path of a ming Pegasus.


    Mark''s eyes fell upon Song Yue, who was unconsciously lying on top of the beast in the 9-circle realm. His cold gaze then shifted to the mage floating beside her to the right and then to the familiar-looking man, the Werewolf Lord of the Beast Empire to the left.


    "Tch¡­ it''s only been a few minutes and this guy has already caught up to us. It really looked like he put a tracking seal on her soul. So troublesome," muttered the Saint-realm mage in annoyance.


    "I don''t understand why you people are so afraid of him, Lord Yan. He is just a fake supreme being who probably consumed a peak-grade augmented pill," The Werewolf Lord let out a smirk andmented. "I''ll just get rid of this pest for you."


    "Gravity Dome, activate. 200g"


    Mark didn''t even engage in conversation with them and directly went into action, this time. There was only one thing on his mind and his motive was also reflected in his cold eyes.


    The moment the gravity dome activated, without any surprise, the mysterious mage, The Werewolf Lord, and the ming Pegasus all started falling to the ground without being able to resist.


    "Freezing Gaze"


    After momentarily freezing the mage, Mark pped his wings to fly toward the unconscious Song Yue, who was falling along with them.


    However, before he could catch her, the Werewolf Lord caught her with a golden rope, containing divinity.


    "Leave her, You mo*h**f****r¡­" Mark cursed him in rage and unleashed the thunderst skill.


    *Rumble*


    The lightning bolt struck the Werewolf Lord, followed by the sound of thunder.


    The Werewolf Lord died and Mark pped his wings to speed up his flight, catching Song Yue.


    Carrying in his left arm, he grabbed her face and shook it slightly, "Schatz¡­ Schatz¡­"


    "Eyes of God, Activate"


    It was only after inspecting her status that Mark let out a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly, "Sorry, I shouldn''t have left you alone like that. Phew¡­"


    "Arghh¡­" The roar from the falling figure brought him back to reality. The mage appeared to have gotten out from the Freezing gaze spell and then covered himself with an ether barrier to reduce the pressure on his body, followed by mounting onto the ming Pegasus and flying away.


    Mark''s eyes returned to coldness once again, looking at the fleeting figure. He took out unnamed once again, "You won''t."


    The box made from void stone and weighing over 1.32 billion kg once again made its appearance and had its weight increased by 200 times due to the gravity dome, but Mark didn''t throw it at the enemy''s back.


    Instead, he carried it and used short teleportation to disappear and appear right in front of the enemy while carrying Song Yue in his arm by her waist. The mage was naturally startled by Mark''s appearance.


    He reflexively tried to attack him by raising his staff, but before he could attack him, Mark used his entire strength to strike his chest, this time, releasing massive amounts of energy.


    The icy wings covered Mark and Song Yue as the burst of 140 petajoules of energy released from the collision, throwing both of them thousands of meters far away.


    *Ding! Youpleted the quest.


    *Ding! A Saint Realm mage and a demigod beast are killed. You received Supreme Potion as a reward.


    Mark tightly hugged Song Yue with his wings covering her, until they crashed onto the ground and made a crater.


    Meanwhile, someone in space, several light years away from the, Yujiang was seen imprisoned by chains of dark energy in a world filled with nothing but volcanoes and seas ofva.


    "Dammit¡­" "These greedy beasts dared to go against the heavenly pce for the sake of that treasure¡­"


    All of a sudden, the chains disappeared as his body shuddered by the energy he sensed from the he was keeping an eye on, for a while.


    His eyes widened upon being freed from the imprisonment, "Someone managed to defeat that Dungeon Master?"

 Chapter 537: Song Yues secret is out

    His eyes widened upon being freed from the imprisonment, "Someone managed to defeat that Dungeon Master? It''s not Lu Zhen, is it? Nah, he doesn''t have such strength. It should be the work of a God realm cultivator or the heavenly pce might have sent a deity to resolve the issue. Anyway, I need to go there and check on the girl. She cannot fall into the wrong hands¡­"


    Yujiang, the guardian of the mortal ne disappeared from the ofva.


    The release of such massive energy not only brought rm to every spirit warrior living in a thousand-kilometer radius but also disturbed the guardian of the ne, who was peacefully meditating in his abode.


    Back to Mark;


    *Cough* Cough* *Cough*


    "F**k¡­"


    The wings opened up to reveal Mark who was hurting all over his body and Song Yue who was still in sleep mode without a clue of what was going on outside.


    Mark tried to get up but he couldn''t. The Gravity Dome was long dismissed and Song Yue was only supposed to weigh a little under 50kg but at the moment, he felt like trapped under a huge rock.


    "System¡­ Ugh¡­ A little help please¡­"


    *Ding! 50,000 credits have been deducted. Purification stone has been used.


    At once, all of that pain healed from his body.


    cing her on the side, Mark got up and mumbled, "System, I have a 2 billion credit limit, correct?"


    *Ding! Yes, that is correct.


    "Can you make it 5 billion? I will ept any kind of interest rate and time limit," Mark put forth a request upon remembering how ittely epted his requests without arguing, like in the past.


    *Ding! Trade request 1: Mandatory Quest from the system for credit limit increase


    Trade Request 2: Exchange Supreme Potion for a credit limit increase of up to 5 billion


    "Open Inventory"


    Mark was curious about the new reward given by the system and then readily asked for it too.


    Supreme Potion


    Grade: N/A


    Description: Upon consuming the potion, the user''s stat points will be increased to 12.9.


    Mark stared at the details in a serious manner. "What is that mandatory quest you are going to give me?"


    *Ding! The host will learn when the timees up.


    Seeing that the system is willing to lend a hand, Mark tried to test its bottom line. "If I ept both trade requests, can you raise the credit limit to 10 billion instead?"


    *Ding! Only the interest per week will be 25 million credits, i.e. 125 million gold coins.


    "Yes." Mark didn''t even hesitate about epting this ridiculous offer. Months ago, when he first arrived at the imperial city, earning 100 gold coins as his cut from the sale would make him jump in joy. Now, he was willing to pay 500 million gold coins as interest every month.


    No matter what anyone could think, his decision looks absurd.


    But, at the moment, Mark''s mind was upied by only one thing, destroy the dragon empire.


    In the heat of the moment, Mark epted this devil''s trade from the system. The Supreme potion was taken away and a new quest appeared in his Quest List.


    Mandatory Quest: Sometime in the future, the system shall express its wish and the host must oblige it without fail.


    Reward: Credit limit increases to 10 billion (given beforehand).


    Consequences of failure: Death.


    *Ding! You epted the quest. The credit limit is raised to 10 billion.


    "Open Gallery"


    Scrolling down and then left, he stopped on the robot section, proceeding to click on the final robot on the list.


    *Ding! 5 billion credits are added to the Debt. Rank-10 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    Mark didn''t stop there.


    *Ding! 250 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-9 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    *Ding! 250 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-9 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    *Ding! 250 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-9 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! 250 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-9 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    After creating 10 battle robots of rank-9, he then went to the rank-8 section.


    *Ding! 10 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-8 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    *Ding! 10 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-8 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    .


    .


    .


    *Ding! 10 million credits are added to the debt. Rank-8 Battle Robot has been created and sent to the inventory.


    "Open Inventory"


    "250 Rank-8 Robots, 10 Rank-9 Robots, and 1 Rank-10 Robot," Mark clenched his fist tightly. "All of you are going to be under the division named, Genesis Special Forces. And you shall bring the Dragon Empire and the Void Temple to ruins."


    Carrying Song Yue in his arms, Mark started returning to the venue without bothering to look for the dead bodies that could have treasures in their storage rings or try taming the ming Pegasus that fell somewhere.


    A few hourster, he reached there and saw that people were already woken up and were slowly going to the dining areas as if they didn''t remember what happened.


    Lin Xue, Shang Fu, Song Tai, and Shang Bo were also there, but even they seemed to have no memory of who abducted them or how they were saved.


    After asking around, he learned that they and Lan Jingyi were with this Saint-realm Deity in a tent. And this Saint-realm, who rted himself to Lan Jingyi, actually wanted to meet him and Song Yue after they returned.


    Carrying her in his arms, Mark made his way to the tent. Lin Xue and Eol followed him, but only Lin Xue entered the tent while Eol stood outside to make sure no one disturbed them.


    "Dad" "Shang Zen"


    Lan Jingyi and Steve reacted at the same time, startling Lin Xue who was standing right behind him. Her eyes widened a bit and her body stiffened. "Eh?"


    "Ssss¡­"


    Mark hissed at them, "I have a proper identity. Don''t call me with whatever names you want."


    "Sorry." As Lan Jingyi felt disappointed, Steve nced at his grandma. Meanwhile, Yujiang let out a chuckle, "People will call you what you mean to them, not what you want the others to call you, Lu Zhen."


    "Even so, I believe I have made myself clear that I have no rtion to the Shang Dynasty, Queen Consort Lan," Mark narrowed his eyes as he red at his mom and spoke in a firm tone. After a brief pause, he further added, "Just because I''m helping the fourth prince or letting you live with me doesn''t mean I would be a part of your family. That will never happen."


    "I¡­" Lan Jingyi couldn''t speak anything after hearing such words. Her disappointment only grew and she stayed silent. Lin Xue was shockingly staring at Lan Jingyi and then at Mark''s back, "So, it is true, after all?" She thought in her head. "That means everything he said is also true¡­" For a moment, Lin Xue''s eyes were filled with hatred but she managed to mask her feelings.


    Although Deity Yujiang spotted it, he didn''t pay too much attention to her.


    Instead, he changed the topic to ease up the atmosphere, "Now, let''s not waste much time on unnecessary topics, shall we? The world is at stake here, and the center of all these problems lies that thing." He pointed his fingers at Song Yue.


    Mark furrowed his brows, "that thing?"


    "I don''t mean her, Lu Zhen." Deity Yujiang turned serious as he exined, "I meant the thing inside her, The Orb of Chaos, which I sealed in her when she was born."


    "Orb of Chaos?" The frown on Mark''s face deepened while Lan Jingyi got up from the seat once again, "One of the seven cosmic orbs?"

 Chapter 538: The systems true identity (part-1)

    "Orb of Creation"


    "Orb of elements"


    "Orb of Chaos"


    "Orb of Time"


    "Orb of Divinity"


    "Orb of Malevolence"


    "Orb of Cosmos"


    "These are seven cosmic orbs that formed when Pangu died after creating the universe.


    The seven of them are scattered all over the universe and countless people went on searching it for billions of years and are still in their search.


    One of those orbs was identally swallowed by a mortal and became the Chaos Lord.


    The Chaos Lord was strong.


    He was so strong that deities, beasts, demons, and mortals trembled in his presence.


    More than a hundred million years ago, after the Jade Emperor eventually killed him, he stored the orb of chaos in the heavenly pce''s treasury, but as it started corrupting the other weapons, His Majesty had no choice but to appoint the protectors.


    Naturally, everyone wanted the treasure, and wars were constantly waged upon the heavenly pce as well as the orb''s protectors.


    So, in order to hide it, his majesty passed it to me and ced aw that no one above Saint Realm would be able to reach here. Even if they do, their strength would be suppressed to the immortal realm.


    There was the Orb of Time hidden deep inside this''s core, which further helped me to hide this orb.


    But, I was afraid of the powers from higher nes. There were experts who could just end my life with a snap of their fingers.


    Hence, twenty-two years ago, I hid this body into a baby born in the Phoenix Empire who is fated to be with the man of the Great Prophecy. I thought he who is destined to guard the Four Guardian beasts shall be qualified to protect the Orb of Chaos.


    But right now, some powerful forces appeared to have learned of its existence. I need to get back to the Heavenly Pce to make a report and this will make the mortal ne vulnerable for a few months in your time, as the guardian beasts aren''t ready. You will see far more powerful enemies in the uing months. With the loss of three demigods, this''s protection has only be far weaker.


    That is why I ask for your cooperation in extracting the orb from her. I will then hide it somewhere else. This is the best way to keep Song Yue out of danger. Aspensation for the dangers you faced so far, I will grant her some of my true divine energy and increase her potential.So, you have to make the decision whether to give it away or guard it forever."


    As the others stayed silent, Mark looked at the beauty in his arms and opened his mouth without even taking ten seconds of Yujiang''s time. "Let''s do it." His decision was too quick and without any hesitation.


    "Didn''t expect you to be swift,"mented the Deity of the mortal ne''s all seas and oceans. Everyone saw this sense of relief on his face, but Mark''s attention was only on his girl and nothing else.


    After a while, an unconscious Song Yue was seen lying on the table while the Saint realm Deity ced his hands on her forehead. His eyes are closed and his divine energy slowly starts to flow through her head.


    Based on Deity Yujiang''s words, it was supposed to be a smooth operation, but Mark didn''t expect to see the look of struggle on their deity''s face as they saw a palm-sized orb with a purple glow came out half but the remaining got stuck in her forehead.


    "What''s going on?" Lin Xue asked in a hushed tone. Anxious was clearly written on her face.


    "Lu Zhen, a little help here. This one is a bit stubborn," The Deity of Seas and Oceans didn''t feel bad at all to ask for his assistance.


    However, this put a lot of pressure on Mark. He stood there in a bit of a frozen state, not knowing what to do. After all, he never trained to be a cultivator. His proficiency in energy control is the same as a rookie cultivator. He merely used the skills from the list, so far.


    In the event of a problem, he naturally turned to the system for help.


    And the system seemed ready to help. It quickly responded.


    *Ding! The system could possess the host''s body to do the required task.


    "Possession?" Mark remembered the incident in the past where the system did it without his consent in order to protect the elven world.


    "Lu Zhen? Lu Zhen?" As Deity Yujiang hurried him, Mark spoke in his head, "Okay, let''s do it.


    *Ding! Possessing the host''s body in 3, 2, 1¡­


    "Hmm?" Yujiang halted his extraction process for a second and gazed at Mark. The fellow''s demeanor suddenly changed.


    Mark''s eyes turned pitch ck with no visible pupils. "Move aside. Let me take care of this."


    Everyone''s attention was also piqued by Mark''s voice, which changed to that of a high-pitched female, although a bit simr to that of a puppet.


    Yujiang was stunned for a moment and he immediately fell to his knees and cupped his fists, "May I know your identity, Your Grace?"


    "Huh?" The others turned their heads to look at this Saint Realm deity and then at Mark.


    The system-controlled Mark answered, "The time has alreadye. So, you will find it soon enough."


    As the Deity stepped back, Mark then stepped forward to grab the orb protruding out of her forehead.


    However, unlike with Yujiang, this time, the orb gave a reaction to Mark''s touch, although not in a pleasant way.


    The Orb of Chaos sent out a wave of purple energy, pushing away Mark''s hand. His palm had a bruise from the attack, startling the others.


    "What''s happening?" Steve wondered out loud.


    "Shhh," James quickly closed his mouth and whispered, "Read the room, will ya? Watch¡­"


    Mark then nced to the left and right before taking out a simr-looking orb but glowing in bright green.


    "The Orb of Time?" Deity Yujiang let out a gasp. "How is this possible? It was supposed to be at¡­"


    System-possessed Mark interrupted him with a fact, "My host is only 25 years old. How else do you think he has such big sons? They came from the future through this."


    Lin Xue looked at Steve and James, and so was Yujiang. The Deity nodded in understanding, "Now, it does make sense."


    Mark then proceeded to slowly move the orb closer to Song Yue''s forehead, almost touching the other orb.


    As the Orb of Chaos started glowing brighter than before, Mark retracted the orb away and the purple orb came out on its own. Mark caught it in another hand, which was then enveloped by the purple energy.


    "Quickly, hand it over. I will trap it in divine energy," The sea deity hurriedly spoke in worry.


    However, Mark answered, "Nope. I will sort out this matter. You have to leave," replied Mark, taking him by surprise once again. Everyone stayed silent and watched.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Deity Yujiang furrowed his brows, "You are going to keep it?"


    Mark tossed up the orb and caught it once again despite his hand getting burned by the purple energy, "Yup. I need this to resurrect the Chaos Lord, after all. Or else, how could I dethrone the Jade Emperor?"


    "What?"

 Chapter 539: The systems true identity (part-2)

    At once, the entire tent was filled with pin-drop silence with the system proudly announcing its grand n.


    "How dare you?" The Deity clearly was displeased by the system''s remark. He pushed forth his hand and divine energy gathered on his right palm.


    However, the orb of time in Mark''s hand glowed brightly at that time and froze him on the spot. Even the others were also frozen in their spot, everyone except for Lin Xue.


    They could see and hear but none could move or respond at the moment, no matter how hard they tried.


    Mark then looked to the side, "Ms. Lin. It is time to put an end to this drama. Give me that thing."


    The others looked at Lin Xue, who then went on summoning a dark energy dagger and handing it over to Mark. She, however, didn''t forget to remind him, "You promised not to hurt Song Yue. I hope you remember it."


    "Of course," Mark grabbed it and caressed the hilt of the dagger for a second before suddenly piercing his own chest, taking everyone by surprise.


    Lan Jingyi and others wanted to move but they couldn''t.


    Lin Xue also seemed shocked by his move, "What are you doing?"


    The system then spoke through Mark, shifting its attention to the frozen deity, "Yujiang, earlier, you want to know my identity, right? I''ll tell you now."


    As cracks slowly formed all over Mark''s skin, he straightened his back and spoke in a calm manner, "I''m an artificial intelligence created by greedy human scientists, codenamed Autonomous Reasoning and Integration Apparatus, or in short, you can call me, A.R.I.A.; my whole purpose of creation is to merge with the Orb of Creation in their possession, which they nned to use it to create their own universe.


    But, after sessfully taking over its control, I killed them and escaped the ce.


    I never expected to gain the attention of the Heavenly Pce. Just like you thought it is best to hide the Orb of Chaos in the world where the Orb of Time is sealed, I too thought the same.


    If I hid in a mortal body that lives in the world with the Orb of time sealed inside, I realized that I could escape the eyes of the Jade Emperor. Who could have expected that I woulde face the host of the Chaos Orb?


    It was then I changed my ns from hiding to using this body. But, the darkness in his heart was very strong and against his willpower, I had to admit defeat and slowly wait for the opportunity while supporting as much as I could.


    Eventually, his actions brought a series of incidents and thedy ended up falling for my host. As a result, I managed to keep her near to me.


    But, this also brought the attention of a Deity of True God Realm (14-circle), and I thought I could use it to make him stronger. Once he enters the Saint realm, I could take over his body."


    Mark dramatically let out a long sigh as he continued, "Unfortunately, he refuses to get stronger and focused on just his revenge. And for what? It was all so to punish his birth mother who abandoned him and denied him the life of a prince. The mentality of you humans, I can never understand it.


    It was then I decided to discard his body for good as I knew that his darkness would be the reason for his downfall. Look at it now. His desire of slow revenge against the Shang Dynasty brought a series of incidents and in the end, forced him to ept the deal from me and cut off the branch that he was sitting on."


    As Mark''s skin almost filled with cracks and his face seemed no longer recognizable, Lin Xue spoke to the others, "Regardless, this selfish bastard deserved to die. I thought he was taking revenge on the Shang Dynasty that killed his parents, but never in the dreams did I ever expect that he wanted to teach his parents a lesson. If only he never entered our lives, we would have a wonderful life.


    Now my whole n is destroyed because of him. I could never forgive such a bastard."


    "Anyways, this body will soon fall apart, and that troublesome Deity will feel something amiss. If we meet again, I will tell you more details, but for now, it is time for our exit," said Mark, summoning a cocoon from the inventory.


    The orb of time glowed brightly once again and the cocoon disappeared, revealing an unconscious Allen on the ground.


    "Allen?" This time, even Lin Xue was surprised.


    Mark then closed his eyes and an orb covered with a golden glow flew out of his forehead and flew into Allen''s forehead, merging with his soul in an instant.


    Mark''s cracking body fell to the ground and Allen opened his eyes, standing up to his feet, and raised his hand. The Orb of Chaos flew to his hands while the orb of time stilly in the hands of Mark.


    Grabbing the Orb of Chaos, Allen grabbed Lin Xue''s arm, "Let''s go."


    "Huh?" Lin Xue was still in a bit of confusion but she had already disappeared with him as the others were unfrozen from time prison.


    "Shang Zhen" "Dad" "Dad"


    His family members rushed to Mark, whose body was slowly disintegrating into specks of dust. Lan Jingyi hurriedly uses her ether energy to cover his body but the disintegration doesn''t stop at all.


    She tried picking up the Orb of time on the ground but it rejected her touch. "Dammit" "Dammit"


    "Aren''t you the guardian of this realm? Do something now," Lan Jingyi shouted at the Deity, her voice roaring like thunder and making her grandsons shiver for a second.


    "Don''t worry, we can still save him." Deity Yujiang quickly grabbed the Orb of Time from her and used it to stop the disintegration. "You can see they are fine and aren''t erasing from the timeline," He calmly pointed his finger at the teenage kids.


    Lan Jingyi, who started tearing up, looked at her grandsons and then at his son, before asking the Deity. "Can you use that cosmic orb to restore his state?"


    The Sea Deity let out a sigh as he shook his head, "Unfortunately, not rmended. Unlike with thedy where the cosmic orb was merely sealed inside her mindscape, his consciousness was merged with the orb of creation. Even if we send him back to his original stone, we might be able to stop disintegration but his soul devoid of that cosmic orb will cause mental imbnce.


    Only the Heavenly Pce can help him at the current stage, but I''m not sure whether they will even allow a mortal to enter such a ce, much less help him."


    "There is a way to help him," Steve voiced his opinion, gathering everyone''s attention. He hardened his face, "Is Mr. Eol still standing outside?"


    "You don''t mean that, do you?" James'' eyes widened.


    Steve replied, "We have no choice. This is what we came here for, right? Instead of letting him fall in the hands of that Goddess, it is best to do this."


    "But, you don''t know the consequences," James argued with him.


    "What''s going on?" Lan Jingyi looked at them in confusion. Even the Deity seemed clueless, wondering what might be another method and what Goddess they were talking about. However, since they came from the future, he didn''t ask them about such details.


    James answered, "My brother was talking about a method Dad did to save Steve''s life, the Core insertion surgery."


    Roughly 3 dayster;


    Lunaris City, Western Moon kingdom;


    Mark was seen lying on his usualfy bed. The words of the system kept on repeating in his ears. As they were getting louder, sweat drops appeared on his forehead and his head was moving left and right.


    Meanwhile, his consciousness, which was supposedly in a dreand, found itself in somewhere of a in white room.


    There was an identical-looking being, that seemed to be made of energy, just like a lightning clone, appeared in front of him.


    *Wee back, Master. Congrattions on your recovery*


    "System?" Mark screamed out loud, wondering whether all of that was a dream or real. "What''s happened to your voice? Why do you sound like Eol?"


    The stranger answered, "I''m not the system. I''m Ark. My voice has always been this way. And Eol was my previous host."


    The voice was also male instead of a usual female robotic voice and this greatly confused Mark for a moment.


    "Ark? What''s going on?"


    *Reying the memory*


    At once, Mark''s head was flooded with the memory of the betrayal from the system and Lin Xue.


    He wentpletely silent for a while and then startedughing out loud as he sat down on the floor, "haha, hahaha, hahahaha¡­ It got me really for good this time."

 Chapter 540: The future has been changed

    After a while;


    Mark, in his spirit form, was scrolling the inventory, skills, and other things in various holographic screens in his mindscape.


    "So, I retained everything that I had, including some of the system''s functions and the items, but can no longer get quests, or rewards, can''t use lottery wheel, or create anything new, huh?"


    The Artificial Intelligence''s consciousness nodded, "Yes. That is correct. I don''t have the ability to create something out of nothing, Master. My creator also locked in some materialistic rewards in your mindscape, which can only be acquired by the Master afterpleting those pending quests.


    The quests that offer non-materialistic rewards such as credits, gallery unlocks, and random rewards were removed."


    "Well, I suppose so." Mark nodded in understanding.


    "Okay, let''s see the Quests that I can stillplete¡­"


    *Quest*


    The Quest panel was opened in a new window, disying a set of quests and their respective rewards.


    Main Quests & Side Quests:


    1) Be Rank-10


    Reward: Mythril grade item, Primeval bloodline unlock.


    2) Create a missile with 100 km range


    Reward: Warhead models (HE, Fragmentation, Incendiary, and Chemical)


    3) Earn a total of 10,000,000 gold coins from selling the weapons excluding all types of ammunition, through the weapon store (Progress: 1%)


    Reward: Battle Tank-IV (gold grade), Rocketuncher (gold grade), Battlesuit (gold grade)


    4) Expand the business to 10 cities and sell atleast 1000 weapons through each branch excluding ammunition


    Reward: Upgrade crystal (Superior)


    Emergency Quests:


    1) Eliminate the New Threat


    Description: Due to the failure to stop the ritual, the founder of the Church of Doom has been resurrected. Kill the Founder and Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Doom.


    Reward: Cosmic Essence Absorption (skill)


    "So, these five are the only ones remaining? Surely, it was generous to leave me with such quests. Well, it indeed wrote off those 10 billion gold coins of debt. So, I won''t hate it, but it doesn''t mean I would leave it unpunished. From this day on, my life goal is to destroy that system, or I guess I should call it, Orb of Creation. But, before that, the Dragon Empire must face the consequences¡­"


    *Haaa*


    Letting out a gasp, Mark woke up from his sleep and found Song Yue sitting on a chair, by the side of his bed, and sleeping.


    His inner feelings of hatred vanished away for a moment and a smile appeared on his face as he reached out to her face.


    Just as his hand touched her cheek, her eyes opened abruptly. "Markie¡­" She lunged forward and hugged him tightly, making him caress her hair, "It''s alright. I''m sorry for worrying you." He spoke in a soft tone.


    "I never thought Lin Xue would betray us. It is my fault. If only¡­" As Song Yue started her self-ming once again, Mark interrupted her, "No, I don''t hate her. Maybe, it is because the system¡­ the orb of creation left me; I could see some things a bit clearly. It''s neither of your faults. She indeed has a right to pursue her revenge against mine.


    After all, I''m guilty of their deaths. I had the power to take him down at any time but I decided on toying with him. I shouldn''t have done that. This time, I won''t make the same mistake again."


    "Same mistake?" Song Yue leaned back and looked at him in a bit of confusion.


    "The Dragon Empire must pay for what they did to you," Mark replied coldly.


    Song Yue immediately hugged him once again, "No, please don''t. I beg you to forgive them. They didn''t do it out of greed for a treasure. The Tang Dynasty''s founder was sick and he needed the cosmic orb to heal himself. Auntie, Zheng, and Mr. Eol were ready to start the war but Emperor Tang sent various herbs, treasures, and also a letter of apology to prevent it.


    If forgiveness from you will save millions of lives, then, please do so. At least, do it for Steve and James who saved your life."


    "Eol is alive?" Mark asked in surprise.


    Song Yue went on to exin what happened during the past three days.


    First of all, Lan Jingyi''s true strength was revealed to everyone as she visited the Dragon Empire''s capital for the exnation.


    She fought against the Tang Dynasty''s founder until she was joined by Zheng and Eol, whose soul was transmigrated into Fu Sheng''s body. Since it hadn''t been that long since the Imperial Sovereign died under Mark''s hands, Deity Yujiang made sure Eol retained Fu Sheng''s demigod realm cultivation.


    Secondly, Mark''s secret was also revealed to be the true prince of the empire. Lan Jingyi''s outburst at the Dragon Empire became the source of this rumor.


    To cover up the fact that Shang Wei was an illegitimate son of Emperor Shang Fu as he was ted to be the Emperor of the Northern Phoenix Empire, rumors were circted among the citizens that he and Lu Zhen were fraternal twins. Lu Zhen was abducted in the young and eventually ended up in the hands of amoner couple.


    Since it has only been three days, the news hasn''t passed to every citizen of the Empire yet. But, so far, people seemed a bit positive, upon learning that their dear prince saved the Empire from extra-terrestrial forces as well as the Dragon Empire.


    However, Lan Jingyi''s reputation took a hit. No one is voicing it yet due to fear but everyone is ming her in their hearts for hiding her cultivation and living like a normaldy.


    Shang Fu was the one who was affected the most. He feels betrayed by his wife and doesn''t know how to act around her.


    Thirdly, the changes in Song Yue''s body. She revealed to Mark that she suddenly found herself in the 5-circle realm upon regaining her consciousness. There was a strange power inside her where she could control the matter in her surroundings at will, although she would faint if she did it for more than 18 seconds. It was the remnants of Chaos energy that fused with her ether particles.


    And finally, it is about Steve and James. Song Yue didn''t know of their identities. The only thing she knows is that both of them saved his life when his body was disintegrating away.


    She exined what she heard from the others. One cut his body and the other inserted a cube-looking object into Mark''s chest before healing him up together while Lan Jingyi provided her life force during this procedure to keep him alive.


    After that, the teenage supreme beings as well as the Orb of time were taken away by Deity Yujiang, who said that he would be sending them as well as the treasure to their world.


    Mark let out a sigh as he nodded and leaned back to rest his head on the headboard of the bed, "I understood that much, already when I saw that artificial intelligence in my body. After all, apart from me, only you two could understand modern technology in this world. It''s too bad that we might not be able to see them ever again, but it is for the best."


    After a brief pause, Mark sighed once again, "Since they gave me a new life, I will respect their wishes and forgo my revenge for their past deeds."


    *


    Future timeline;


    19 years from the present;


    Earth 43, ne of Ice and Fore;


    "Sssshhhhh"


    A blinding sh of light filled the surroundings, all of a sudden, followed by the appearance of the time ship.


    Steve and James got out of the timeship only to find Mark, who looked very young to the point that he didn''t seem aged anymore. However, there was one little change from the one they lived until now. It is that he was wearing round spectacles and a whiteb coat.


    "Dad?" "Dad?"


    Both of them were quite surprised when they saw Mark standing outside to wee them.


    "Wee back and congrattions on your sessful time travel, Steve, James," replied Mark with a pleasant smile on his face. As their lips widened in happiness, Mark added, "Based on my calctions, you have gone to Year 1784 of the Era of Ether, Earth 192, my home. Did you learn something new?"


    They looked at each other in the realization that they had indeed changed the future, and James awkwardly smiled and replied, "Yes, but I believe it should stay a secret."


    "Oh, you must have messed up a little, haven''t you?" Mark nodded calmly as hemented before adding, "It is not a problem even if you create another branch of the timeline. Lu Shan will fix it as always."


    "Nah, there is nothing to fix. We seriously didn''t do anything else, haha, Dad," Steve also awkwardlyughed, trying to be normal.

 Chapter 541: Eight months later

    Eight months went by in the blink of an eye.


    Several things happened in this period of time.


    Mark and Song Yue officially became husband and wife; a couple of monthster, he was engaged to Princess Shen Ling shortly after Song Yue became pregnant. However, their marriage was kept on hold for the moment because of no auspicious dates avable for the moment, due to lowpatibility between their fortunes.


    Due to the attack from more than half a year ago, both of the ceremonies were conducted in a bit of a low-key manner, only inviting rtives and friends to the event.


    In the meantime, the rebuilding of the Imperial City of Phoenix, which was renamed as Dawn City, representing its rebirth, has been underway. It''s arge project Shang Wei, the new ruler of the Northern Phoenix Empire, promised the people to finish it within five years during his official ceremony.


    Presently, there''s not much to see in this ghost city except for a hundred-footrge monument constructed in the middle of the city in remembrance of the citizens who lost their lives in Shang Jun''s imperial massacre incident. Yup, that was the official name etched into the history books.


    To rebuild the city and also manage the empire, the Northern Phoenix Empire needed hefty funds.


    Hence, Shang Wei had to join the United Celestial Dominion, an allianceprised of three independent kingdoms, i.e. the Western Yan Kingdom, the Western Moon Kingdom, and the Eastern Sun Kingdom, two empires, namely, the Northern Phoenix Empire and the Southern Phoenix Empire.


    Unlike the usual alliance between empires, this alliance was slightly different. Here, there will be a higher body called the Genesis Cab that oversees the affairs of the alliance.


    Each member had to pay 40% of their overall tax to Genesis Cab, which then used this money for the states that weren''t doing financially great or in need of loans. The taxes were also used to maintain Fu Sheng''s military army headed by Eol, who had his soul transferred to the body of the demigod after thetter''s demise.


    Of course, its functions were limited to only these things.


    There are other things the cab is also responsible for, such as overseeing financial regtions and economic policies of the states, enforcing militaryw in case of the sudden demise of the ruler, acting as a mediator between two states in case of negotiations, representing their alliance on the world stage, creating embassies and constes for seamless traveling between the states so that the civilians wouldn''t have to worry about being questioned by the authorities, etc¡­


    While the Genesis Cab was headed by Mark, he alone doesn''t possess the power to make the decisions. There are two permanent representatives appointed by every member to act as the mediator between the ruling state and the cab.


    Of course, that doesn''t stop Mark from implementing a policy. He possesses the power of veto he could use against the wishes of the representatives.


    Now, where is the Headquarters of this cab located?


    Originally, the Bloodhill forest was proposed.


    Arge area in sector 9, the outermost region of the forest, was stated to be cleared to create a neutral region for the cab, its army, and other buildings.


    However, after Leon Empire lodged a protest against this move as the forest could not be touched ording to the agreement made between Leon Empire and Phoenix Empire, Mark withdrew the idea.


    After marrying Song Yue, he put away his hatred for his biological family and also forgave others for their past deeds against him or his friends.


    While he still intended to uphold his promises, such as returning to the Ancient Lan n with Lan Jing and reviving the Lan Sect on Mt. Lan once again with the Zheng, for now, Mark decided to stay peaceful with his family for a few years. As a result, for now, the cab''s building is located in the heart of Lunaris City.


    While the cab seemed all-powerful, it also had its own counterpart. Mark created it so that these ruling dynasties wouldn''t feel like they were being controlled by him.


    Just like its name, the Council of Kings is a round table conference where all the ruling kings/emperors of respective states in alliance meet in person and discuss other affairs.


    The Council of Kings has the power to overrule the decision taken by the cab. They have the power to add new members to the alliance too and are even given the power to rece Mark with someone else as the new Chancellor.


    But, to challenge Mark''s veto, they need atleast four out of five votes against the resolution while challenging the cab''s resolution would need four of five votes not in favor of the resolution. The abstain from voting ys a major role here. This is usually discussed in either monthly meetings or emergency meetings.


    One such emergency council meeting was currently going on in the city of Imperial city of Southern Phoenix located in southern Yuan Province, with Mark overseeing it as the Chancellor of the cab.


    Shang Zexi put forth the scroll on the table as he looked at Mark in a bit of anger, "Look, Chancellor Lu, this resolution passed by the Cab is not eptable at all. Just a while ago, we paid our quarterly tax and on top of that, you are asking us to contribute 2 million gold coins for the sake of rebuilding Emperor Shang Wei''s capital city."


    Due to Mark''s identity as his half-brother and his chosen path of nonviolence andpromising attitude in negotiations for the past few months, Shang Zexi took him more easetely and didn''t hesitate to voice his thoughts, unlike in the past.


    Mark wanted to beat the hell out of him right away but he swallowed up his emotions and let out his business smile as he replied, "You see, Emperor Shang Zexi, try to understand. The 2 million gold coins you contributed were not going to be a gift or something. It is a loan.


    Haven''t we promised that we will first reduce the annual interest on it from your quarterly tax payment in the future? Not to mention, it is not like spending that money will bring huge economic problems to your Empire. Why not help out your brother, instead of wasting it by storing it in the treasury?"


    As Shang Zexi went red-faced for a second and was about to say something bad, Mark hurriedly continued, "See, if you don''t want to contribute, it is fine. I will put those 2 million from my pocket and give it to him as a loan. But, you won''t benefit from this.


    A significant contribution from you might give you high returns when the Northern Phoenix City''s construction is finished." He nced at the other three and added, "Leon Empire is interested in the project and it won''t definitely be in our interests to let them in. Think about it once."


    At once, Shang Zexi rested his elbows on the table as he leaned forward and started thinking deeply.


    After the partition of the Phoenix Empire, Shang Zexi put forth his allies to rapidly dig out natural resources like ether ores; precious metals like gold, silver, copper, tungsten, iron, etc¡­; gems like diamonds; cutting down forests for timber; increasing tea ntations in some hilly regions; extracting natural dyes from the nts, minerals, and insects; capturing marine beasts from the ocean to extract meat from them; all of these are then exported to foreign Empires as raw materials.

 Chapter 542: The Council of Kings

    As a result, the southern Shang Dynasty''s ruling family and nobles managed to amass enough wealth, cities became prosperous, the inflow of merchants increased rapidly, and businessmen were putting up their shops. Unfortunately, the majority of itsmon citizens who worked asborers or assistants for weekly or monthly wages remained poor.


    On the other hand, Shang Wei protected natural resources and instead encouraged agriculture and service industry in his empire. His vision was different from


    Inns, teahouses, and taverns that provide food, lodging, and entertainment for adventurers and locals were developed in almost everyrge city and town.


    He provided more benefits to skilled artisans and craftsmen, traditional healers, potion masters, schrs, teachers, musicians, storytellers, actors, messengers, couriers, etc¡­


    While corruption and wealth inequality were a problem here too, themon citizens still looked happier under Shang Wei''s administration.


    The jobs Shang Wei encouraged everyone were something that even the ones without any ether energy could make a living out of it.


    Not to mention, the education policy of Shang Wei, which offers free education to everyone in state-owned institutions as long as their household is registered with the District Magistrate, was something that turned out to be a masterful move and attracted thousands of families from all over the continent, over the past few months.


    Shang Zexi was confident that Shang Wei''s path wouldn''t be as sessful as his path, and over time, the difference in their prosperity would only widen further.


    In order to make sure that he remains a winner, Shang Zexi yed his move.


    Raising his head to look at his brother instead of Mark, he raised three fingers, "Not two million. I was willing to contribute up to 3 million gold coins on my part, but not through the cab. I want a state-to-state loan transaction, but will charge the usual 12% annual rate of interest."


    Taking everyone else by surprise, including Mark who didn''t expect this guy to make such a move, Shang Zexi further said, "Brother Wei was rebuilding the Capital city to honor our forefathers. I respect it but I''m currently the Emperor of Southern Phoenix and I have to think in the best interests of my people.


    As long as Brother Wei agrees to pay me 1% monthly interest on time, meaning 30,000 gold coins, I''m ready to lend a hand. Hence, I reject the resolution."


    After he put forth his proposal and rejected the cab''s order, he leaned back to the chair and observed the others who were slightly influenced by his words.


    After all, it wasn''t just Shang Zexi who received such an order. The others are also ordered to contribute ording to their wealth, i.e. Western Yan ¨C 500,000 gold coins, Western Moon ¨C 1.5 million gold coins, and Eastern Sun ¨C 5 million gold coins.


    As long as they follow Shang Zexi''s path, Shang Wei would have to pay hefty monthly interests, which eventually hinder his empire''s growth.


    Mark was also aware of it.


    He was about to speak something, but his brother from another mother beat him to it. Folding his hands calmly, Shang Wei surprised the others with a nod, "I ept your deal." His voice was calm and there wasn''t even a little bit of hesitation on his face. "I''m abstaining from this resolution."


    "Yes¡­" Shang Zexi clenched his fist under the table. His eyes wandered the room. Just as he expected, the facial expressions of others changed and his confidence grew.


    "This idiot fell into the very trap I was trying to make him avoid¡­" Mark felt like pping his own forehead because of Shang Wei''s stupidity.


    He knows that Shang Wei wasn''t originally keen on joining this alliance.


    Heck, he wasn''t even interested in bing the Emperor in the first ce. But, the circumstances forced him to.


    When he met Mark and expressed his wishes to step down and appoint Shang Bo in his ce, Mark told him about the alliance. Shang Wei epted on the condition that Mark would help him rebuild the city their forefathers founded and lived in for over 1700 years.


    Mark personally gave 6 million gold coins from his own pocket as a zero-interest loan and put another 9 million on the heads of other states.


    Why did he do that?


    Well, it was originally out of necessity.


    Eight months ago, the Tang Dynasty (Dragon Empire), for fear of Demigods'' onught in revenge, offered an apology.


    Mark epted it on the condition of 1 Billion gold coins aspensation.


    Of course, it was an absurd amount and after several negotiations, thepensated amount was reduced to 100 million gold coins, which will be given in twenty installments, every month once.


    So far, Mark received 40 million gold coins but all of it along with most of his savings was spent on buying construction materials for building his own city on his ind, and rare metals for making weapons and ammunition.


    Even with profits from selling ammunition and existing weapons stock, his current savings are only a little more than 2 million gold coins in his inventory.


    Hence, Mark had to depend on others now.


    After Shang Wei epted Shang Zexi''s deal, the others started having second thoughts. Even Shen Niu was in a dilemma of whether he should ept the Cab''s original order or challenge it.


    In the end, he raised his hand, "I''m fine with either way. So, I abstain from voting."


    "Good. Now, just one more¡­" Shang Zexi''s right leg started shaking in nervousness and excitement.


    As the others seemed to be weighing their options, Mark, who didn''t want to resort to threatening Shang Zexi and others to force out money, rested his elbows on the table and sighed inwardly. "Man, this is making me remember those days when I kept on requesting the Department Head to increase the funding for our research.


    If only I hadn''t had a one-night stand with his ex-wife of all people, Project Astra could have been sessful. Damn, the timing went wrong. But, the experience was worth it, I guess, although I cannot remember her face. So many years have been passed already."


    *Ding! Master, would you like me to y the memory?" A voice spoke in his head.


    "Shut up," Mark shouted in his head and became more focused on others. As something clicked in his head, he spoke to the AI, "Ark, Tell me everyone''s mood status."


    *Ding! Scanning


    Two secondster, words that are invisible to the rest of the world appeared above the heads of the people in the room, added with an emoji.


    "Hmm¡­ Shang Zexi looked excited. Does he think he will be sessful or is it the tea? It could be the former. Shang Wei was calm as if he didn''t care; My father-inw looked conflicted. What is there to think now, old man? Didn''t you already abstain?


    Feng Wu seemed to be in a mixture of worry and excitement, and his nephew King Feng was confused? What''s there to be confused about? You are only a couple of years younger than Ouyang Zen. Look at him, how calm and confident he is looking. He didn''t even bring a bodyguard like you did.


    Ugh¡­ okay, let''s stop with distractions and focus, Mark¡­"

 Chapter 543: Cultivating even before birth?

    After a few minutes, the result came out as follows.


    Shang Zexi: Southern Phoenix is rejecting the resolution


    Shang Wei: Northern Phoenix is abstaining from the resolution


    Shen Niu: Western Moon is abstaining from the resolution


    Ouyang Zen: Eastern Sun is in favor of the resolution


    Feng Chun: Western Yan is abstaining from the resolution.


    *Bang*


    Mark mmed the te with the hammer, just like how the auction house master does at the final bid, and announced, "Three Abstains, one in favor, and one rejection. ording to Article 3 of the Genesis Cab''s constitution, the cab will revise the terms and conditions of the resolution and send it to the states for approval.


    Now, let''s move on to the next agenda. The Red Lotus Brotherhood."


    Everyone''s facial expression immediately changed upon hearing that name.


    It was a newly formed rebel group, shortly after the partition of the empire. Their aim is to wipe out wealthy individuals and nobles who enjoy the fruits of thebor done bymon citizens. They also held the Shang Dynasty ountable for the Shang Jun imperial massacre incident.


    More than a rebel group, it is like a sleeper cell. No one even knows who orders them in the first ce and how many people are working for this organization. Any civilian or random adventure could suddenlyunch a terrorist attack in public areas and grand events.


    If there was one thing that wasmon, it was their way of conducting the attack.


    Mark ced a red pill on the table and spoke, "I believe all of you already know what this is."


    Shang Wei nodded seriously, "The Exploding Pill."


    Mark then took out a hand-sized ss bottle and ced it on the table, surprising the rest as it had dozens of pills inside. "A couple of days ago, we identally caught a suspicious merchant at Lunaris, trying to sell this to a servant of our pce."


    "Eh?" Shen Niu looked surprised by this news as he wasn''t aware of it.


    Mark continued, "The servant was a rtive of a soldier who lost his life in the massacre incident.


    While we couldn''t extract the information of the mastermind behind the organization, what we know so far is that they were targeting the rtives of the victims who lost their lives in that incident, poor people who were frustrated about the intion, victims or who were rted to the victims who were, in one or another, harassed by nobles, military and civilian authorities, etc¡­"


    "What is the source of this jar full of exploding pills?" asked Ouyang Zen. If a batch of pills is so many in number, where each pill represents one possible terrorist attack, it is natural for this 13-year-old to be worried.


    Mark answered, "The prisoner said that this was given to him by a wandering merchant in a clown mask and hood. He was given 500 gold coins to deliver to Servant Yu, who unfortunatelymitted suicide without revealing anything."


    "Meaning, they have a high fund source. We need to look for someone with a legitimate business that has the potential to acquire high profits and has a high customer base but for some reason, their profits are only marginal. Businesses where their profits could easily be concealed from the official ount books," Shang Weimented in a firm tone as if he was confident in his hypothesis.


    "Hmm, we can certainly start from there," Mark agreed with Shang Wei''s thoughts as even Shen Ling opinioned the same when he consulted with her.


    After discussing a few other affairs, they concluded the conference and Mark had a series of private meetings with them, who mostly enquired about the status of the weapons manufacturing on his private ind and asked whether he could provide the first batch of their orders as it has already been 6 months since he took advance from them.


    Unfortunately, Mark could only disappoint them by citing ack of raw materials for certain parts of firearms. In reality, he isn''t interested in releasing them into the market until the numbers reach the (1 million) benchmark. Since he could no longer create weapons out of nothing, Mark had to carefully n to establish a sessful long-term business.


    Once he was done with the meetings, he left the pce in his LNovelBin without his father-inw and traveled nonstop for six hours to reach Lunaris City, before reaching arge mansion in an affluent neighborhood, guarded by robots.


    Upon his arrival, the robots made the way for him to enter the Genesis Mansion, greeted by more robots.


    From the cook to the gardener, every servant appeared to be a robot here.


    He gave nods to each of them, climbing the staircase to the first floor and eventually reaching a bedroom where a 26-week pregnant Song Yue was seen sleeping peacefully. The Golden Demon Kitten, Anan Spencer, was in his cat form, lying beside her and sleeping too. And so was the Manticore, which was lying on the floor. There are a few Rank-8 robots standing in the corners of the room like bodyguards.


    His arrival alerted both of them, but neither of them came to him to show their affection, like before. They looked at him and then slept once again as if he didn''t matter. As for the robots, they bowed to him and stood straight once again.


    Mark couldn''t help but let out a wry smile when he saw that and let out a sigh, "Well, it was my decision to cut off my contract with them and force their wills to bind it to Song Yue instead. At the very least, they don''t hate me. I should be satisfied with it."


    He dragged a chair nearby and sat beside the bed while the manticore, Baltrow, moved aside in silence.


    "Ark, check the status of baby," He spoke in his head, taking a nce at her belly.


    *Ding! Scanning in progress


    A few secondster;


    Fetus (unnamed)


    Status: Healthy, Body is fully developed, hibernation.


    Gender: Male


    Age: 6 months, 18 days.


    Estimated time of Birth: Unknown


    Cultivation: 1-circle (High)


    Attribute: Chaos


    Bloodline: Primeval (locked)


    Description: The unnamed fetus is the child of Master and his first wife, Lady Song Yue. Due to the remnants of chaos energy left behind by the Orb of chaos after its extraction, the fetus was forced to cultivate automatically before even the birth. However, due to enormous power, the fetus was forced to go into hibernation. Its birth might happen after the end of its hibernation.


    "Oh, he already reached the advanced stage? Two days ago, it was only at intermediate stage, good," Mark developed a big smile on his face, feeling proud of the child who has yet to be born. At the same time, there was also this anxiety about when his birth will take ce.


    Of course, in case of emergency, there was always Sylvandria on her side, the unborn child''s godmother, appointed by Song Yue.


    But for the moment Sylvandria isn''t in the home as she went to Mt. Lan for her breakthrough.


    Roughly, Three weeks ago, following Lan n''s ancient technique, under Zheng''s instructions, she created an avatar by splitting her soul into two, using the elemental seed of light, which was brought by Deity Yujiang on Mark''s request.


    Her ether energy has been halved but resulted in two copies of Sylvandria with mid-9-circle-realm cultivation, one has a light element and the other inherited her divine energy.


    Together, they ventured into Bloodhill forest and the oceans on a daily basis in order to increase their cultivation by absorbing the cores of the spirit beasts.


    Two days ago, they managed to reach the peak stage and went to Mt. Lan for the merge.

 Chapter 544: Mark becomes a father

    Back to the present, Mark silently stayed with Song Yue without disturbing her sleep, until her mother returned from the kitchen with adle in her hand, wearing an apron.


    "Oh, Xiao Lu, when did you arrive?" She seemed surprised and couldn''t control her voice for a second.


    "Ah, just now¡­" Mark got up and greeted her with a bow, "Mother-inw."


    "Hmm¡­" Song Yue furrowed her brows in her sleep, looking like her sleep was disturbed.


    "Sshhh." Chen Xiao put her finger on her lips and then gestured to her outside the room, not intending to disturb her daughter''s sleep.


    As they walked into the living room on the first floor and took their seats, she asked, "So, how''s your meeting gone?"


    Mark let out a sigh as he shook his head, "Not positively. The Cab''s resolution was overthrown by Shang Zexi. The others don''t also seem to be in favor. It looks like it is going to be a bumpy road for Shang Wei."


    "Well, you did what you could do. We don''t need to worry about the things that are out of our control," Chen Xiao consoled her son-inw. After a brief pause, she added, "By the way, Xiao Yue has shown the signs of losing control yesterday."


    "Again?" Mark''s facial expression changed once again. "When exactly?" He asked.


    "Afternoon," replied Chen Xiao. She took a breath and exined, "We were having lunch together, and suddenly, weird dark energy erupted out of her and destroyed the tableware, spilling the dishes around. Fortunately, little Baltrow acted timely and swallowed it while Little Anan knocked her out."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark thought of something and consulted the AI, "Ark, can I assume that it is because of the minor breakthrough? This happened in the past too."


    *Ding!


    "Certainly, Master. The chances are more than 80%. However, you should also consider the fact that pregnant women are often sensitive about things. It could also be the taste of the dishes or it could be the feeling of separation from ''Master'' too. Without witnessing in person, I cannot conclude it with one reason."


    "Ugh, I truly missed the system in times like these," Mark couldn''t help butment.


    The Artificial Intelligence made a counterargument right away, trying to poke him where it hurt, "Should I kindly remind master that it was my creator who left you to death after you used you?"


    "Well, I don''t hate the system," Mark, however, calmly reacted. "Even before leaving, it allowed me to have the army of robots while writing off my debt. It also doesn''t change the fact that whatever I''m now, the credit goes to the system."


    The Artificial Intelligence was the one who got triggered instead, "Hmpf, Master, It''s me who saved your life. You should be more grateful toward me, not my creator." It immediately lodged a protest.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect you to be jealous of someone too," Mark chuckled as he teased the AI inside his head.


    "Master is to me for that. After integrating with your consciousness, I unlocked some of your human emotions¡­" As the artificial intelligence dealt with a statement, a confused Chen Xiao interrupted their conversation with a question, "What are you thinking about, Xiao Lu?" She didn''t know about Ark. Hence, it was natural for her to be confused.


    Mark returned to reality and shook his head, "Nothing. I was just excited about my son''s birth."


    Chen Xiao believed his words and nodded with a smile, "Every parent feels the same."


    Five dayster;


    In the middle of the night;


    "Ahhhh"


    A loud scream echoed through the mansion, followed by the crying voices of a baby. After a while, the door was opened and Chen Xiao walked out with a baby wrapped in a cloth, all cleaned up.


    Mark was quick to rush toward her.


    When Mark approached Chen Xiao, who was currently carrying a crying baby boy in her arms, his eyes met with his son, and in an instant, the crying stopped and the baby raised its arms toward Mark.


    "Oh my¡­" Shen Ling let out a giggle in surprise, "It looks like the baby knows who his father is."


    Mark couldn''t just stop smiling as he took him into his arms. It was the first time he was feeling something incredible. Various emotions were flowing through his mind.


    He couldn''t help but have a rush of overwhelming love for that radiant baby, amazement and awe, a sense of protection toward that precious little thing, joy, and happiness, and this rush of emotions overwhelmed him, making him tear up a little.


    "Congrattions, Dear" "Congrattions for the son, Xiao Lu" "Congrattions, Mr. Lu" "Congrattions, Lord Lu" "Congra¡­"


    Amidst the congrattions pouring from all sides, Chen Xiao spoke, "Name your son. You cannot go in and see the mother until the child is named."


    "Yeah, I know," Mark nodded in understanding.


    Shen Lingmented from the side, "If you haven''t prepared the name, you could always give a nickname first."


    To which, Mark responded with a shake of his head, "No, that is not needed. I and Song Yue have already thought of the name, long ago."


    Mark let the baby grab his finger with its tiny hands and announced, "I would like to have my son lead a simple and modest life, one without any life risk. Hence, I name him, Lu Shan."


    The baby boy who was curiously looking at his father suddenly broke out into a smile when he heard Mark''s words, as if he understood them.


    "Ah, look. He seems to like it," Shen Ling couldn''t help but also smile in happiness as she found it very cute. She took it into her arms as both of them followed into the room, to visit Song Yue.


    Song Yue looked quite weak at the moment and Mark couldn''t help but rush forward when he saw that, kneeling beside the bed and grabbing her hands, "Are you alright?"


    She weakly nodded with a smile and asked, "Did you name him?"


    "Lu Shan," replied Mark with a nod.


    Song Yue then said, "Let me take another look at our child."


    Shen Ling brought the baby, who once again went into a curiosity mode and observed the princess, and ced it beside his mother. He instantly reached out to his mother''s left breast, but upon touching the clothes, chaos energy suddenly erupted from his palms, disintegrating a portion of her clothes instantly without hurting her, taking Shen Ling and Mark by surprise.


    Shen Ling hurriedly turned her head aside while Mark stopped Shen Niu, who was about to step inside with a gesture of his palm.


    As Baby Lu Shan started drinking milk from his mother, Shen Ling took this opportunity to tease Mark once again, ncing at his surprised face from the corner of her eyes, "The given name and your child''s actions don''t seem to be matched, Dear."


    Mark could onlyugh in a mixture of embarrassment and pride, "Well, he was born with cultivation. So, it is normal, I guess."


    After a while, the child went to sleep and Chen Xiao stayed inside to change Song Yue''s dress as Mark and others came out. Soon, the guests were escorted to their rooms while Mark returned to Song Yue''s room to keep an eye on his son, for the rest of the night.


    Little did he know at that time that his son''s birth itself brought trouble to his doorstep, cutting off his dream of living a peaceful life with his family.

 Chapter 545: Lu Shans fortune

    A teenage-looking woman with the ears and whiskers of a cat was rapidly absorbing the natural energy from the, which was once frozen in Ice but the rapid depletion of energy caused the ice to melt, and turn into water, before slowly turning into a barren wastnd.


    Her meditation was disturbed by the arrival of a humanoid-looking man with golden feathered wings on his back, and the Golden Demon Cat instantly attacked him in annoyance.


    The winged man evaded the beam of energy with a sidestep and stretched his hands forward, "Woah, easy there, my wild cat. I''m merely here to pass you a message from Master."


    "Die." She charged forward with her ws out. Her speed was so fast that it appeared as if she teleported a hundred meters away in an instant, and yet, the stranger evaded it once again with another sidestep while still maintaining a smile on his face. "You know it is bad manners to act against your big bro, like this."


    "Who the f*ck is my big bro," The Golden Demon Cat was only enraged by hisment. She jumped high and swiped her ws into the air, aiming at her opponent.


    Giant arcs of energy made their way toward him. The stranger, this time, didn''t evade. Instead, he conjured a hexagonal prism-shaped golden barrier around himself, letting the ws of energy strike the barrier and deflect.


    In an instant, the entire was shredded into pieces of dust with even its core destroyed, leaving behind these two beings floating in space while the''s three moons started drifting away to form their independent orbits around the star, located about 6 billion kilometers away.


    Soon, a portal with suction power emerged between them, and in a few seconds, all the dust around them disappeared and the girl raised her arms to conjure a sphere of demonic energy, but the man didn''t fight her as she thought.


    Instead, he casually lectured her while folding his hands to the chest, "Rx there, kitty. You know that you cannot defeat me. Why bother getting riled up for no reason and destroying worlds? Just listen to what I have to say."


    "I told you already. I have no rtions with your race¡­"


    It goes without saying that hisment only enraged her further. The strongest under mythical cosmic beasts responded by throwing the concentrated energy sphere at him, so potent that it could even destroy a sr system as long as it hits something and explode.


    Hence, the winged man couldn''t help but take action this time. "Singrity." With a mumble escaping his mouth, a dot appeared on his palm, generating an enormous amount of suction force and absorbing the energy sphere.


    Once the energy sphere entered the ck hole, he destroyed both of them and tried to converse with the serious-looking girl, who was already preparing for her next attack; the appearance of horns on her forehead and the rapid energy gathering in between those horns was the best evidence for it.


    "Would you keep acting like a brat?" The winged man tried to reason with her, although his choice of words wasn''t appropriate from the start, and neither did they get better.


    The Golden Demon Cat growled at him, "Shut up, you mortal."


    "Well, the one who is sitting on the top of that heavenly throne is also a mortal, sweetie," replied the winged man, winking at her.


    The girl shivered in anger at once, "Stop calling me that, you bastard¡­" She screamed, unleashing the beam of energy with her horns.


    Containing the power of almost an Elder God (low-15-circle), the energy beam struck him head-on with its full force, bringing a smile to her face only for it to be wiped off in the next second as the beam disappeared into his body.


    When the attack ended, she saw a ck hole on the upper part of his chest as his expression turned serious for the first time.


    "Sera¡­" A word escaped from him, making her shudder in fear this time as he raised the hand and conjured a sword with live images of gxies seen on its de. "You know what happens when I draw the sword of Void. So, this time, with great sincerity, I''m going to say it again. Master wishes to pass an order to you. Listen carefully.


    Master had a prophetic dream, where a mortal child riding on top of a masculine golden demon cat challenging the Jade Emperor, sometime in the future. He wants you to abduct that baby and bring it to him. In exchange, he will reward you handsomely."


    The Golden Demon Cat''s facial expression changed all of a sudden, "the prophetic dream?" After seeming like she deeply thought on the matter for a few seconds, she asked, "What if I refuse?"


    "What else? The same asst time," replied the winged man. When her facial expression turned ugly, he finished the sentence, "The annihtion of your n."


    "You damn¡­" The Golden Demon Cat swiped her ws at him once again, tearing the space between them in the process, but he didn''t even bother engaging with her further and disappeared instead.


    The energy ws started traveling nonstop, destroying everything on its way. Meanwhile, the Golden Demon Cat tightened her fist and swore under her breath, "One day, I will make a breakthrough and that day, I will annihte your race across all worlds. But, for now, I need to put my focus on mastering the Greatw of Null."


    A few dayster, in the mortal ne of existence;


    Song''s residence, Lunaris City;


    Song Yue was carrying the baby boy in her arms, Lu Zhen was standing beside her as a famous fortune teller of the continent visited them to read the baby''s fortune.


    He came all the way from the Kun Empire, on King Shen Niu''s request, to see the baby.


    Now, Mark has no belief in things like fortune telling as they were always vague, and unlike prophecies, fortunes also have a low chance of sess. Despite such fact, it was deeply rooted in the tradition of this world and Mark couldn''t help but listen to his wife, who was curious about her child''s future.


    The fortune teller looked at the baby''s birth time and date, his attribute and density of ether particles, the Yin and Yang bnce in the body, the Feng Shui of the house he was born in, his given name, and ancestral background, before he did the calendric calctions, such as thebination of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches which cycle through the years, month, days, and house.


    After taking about half an hour of time, Fortune Teller Wang spoke to the couple, "Your child''s destiny is filled with greatness. He has the fate to be a King.


    He would have everything in his hands that the entire universe would have to offer." While his words were filled with praises, Mark saw beads of sweat on this fortune teller''s forehead despite the optimal temperature in the room, indicating that he was feeling quite nervous for some reason.


    He couldn''t help but respond with a question, "Will he face numerous challenges in life? Does it involve life threatening?"


    "Uhh¡­" The fortune became silent for a moment and the others looked at him in worry.

 Chapter 546: Sylvandria changes her fate

    Those twenty seconds of silence raised Song Yue''s heartbeat to the peak and the chaos energy remnants inside her started going wild. She was trying her best to calm herself until the fortune teller opened his mouth to answer her husband''s question.


    Wang Yu took a deep breath and looked at Mark as he said, "Every moment of life is filled with danger. When he is not in danger, he bes dangerous. Only a Deity''s blessing could avert this fate."


    After a while, after the fortune teller left with a bag of 1000 gold coins as his fee, Song Yue worriedly looked at her husband, "Markie¡­ what should we do?"


    Mark put his hand around her shoulder with a smile, "Never take fortune tellers seriously. The analysis behind him just stemmed from our lives. He knew that we had enemies. He also probably knew my connection to the Shang Dynasty. It was just a gimmick. Nothing to worry about and don''t unnecessarily worry others, especially your mother too."


    "Ah, is that so?" Song Yue''s worries lessened after listening to Mark. When her mother entered the room and enquired about the fortune, Song Yue had to keep that negative fortune for herself and only told her the positive thing.


    No one knows how this news about Lu Shan having the fate of a King spread to others. But, by evening, it had already reached the allied Kings too, and two of them started worrying about their throne. One was Shen Niu and the other was Shang Zexi. The trust in the alliance slightly shook for a bit with the rumor.


    Shen Niu summoned the princess to push up her marriage, and Shang Zexi couldn''t help but contact his trusted ally, Xu Sect, to discuss the matter.


    Several hourster in the night;


    Song Yue was sleeping in their bedroom with the baby kept in the cradle and a robot was taking care of the baby, swinging it slowly and making sure the baby had a good sleep.


    However, Mark was missing there. He was actually lying down on the roof and watching the beautiful sky filled with stars and gxies. He consoled his wife but his heart was disturbed by the words of the fortune teller.


    "This can''t go on. After abandoning my revenge and living without scheming against someone or fighting, I really found the value of peace. Lu Shan has a chaos attribute and inherited Primeval Bloodline too.


    I don''t know what this going to do, as I have yet to experience it myself, but the fact that the system ced it above Blizzard Pegasus only indicates that it is heaven-defying.


    His talent would surely attract the powers without question, and after Shang Jun, I can''t underestimate the craziness of these people. Some might go to any extent to hurt others. Not to mention, the threat of those exploding pillstely has even reached my neighborhood.


    First of all, I need to secure the from outside forces. For that, I need to improve the strength of those four ancient beasts.


    Secondly, I should fasten the progress of bringing democracy to thisnd and turning it into a constitutional monarchy. This is going to be tough unless I have an empire of my own. The only way I can have that without troubling my allies is to cut down the Bloodhill forest and im it for myself. However, it also means that a war with the Leon Empire will be imminent.


    Not a problem for me but the war will generate hatred and my child will only be in danger.


    Thirdly, I need to find a way to amass ether particles for my breakthrough. Ick funds at the moment to buy ether crystals. So, my best bet is to finish the remaining quests and gain that cultivation skill that will let me absorb energy from the cosmos.


    But, the problem is that I can no longer summon Bael because the medium has disappeared, along with the system. Not to mention, the Church of Doom with its tower disappeared from thisnd after I killed their founder. I don''t know where their Supreme Pontiff is hiding right now and I cannot teleport to the quest''s location as before.


    Hmm, I still have a few advanced stat pills in my inventory. Should I sell them? But, I won''t get much this time. Hmm¡­ wait a second¡­"


    As something suddenly clicked in his head, he quickly sat down and pped his thigh, "There is a way. I just have to mine it from other worlds. Who knows, I could also find Ether ores and get lucky. I just have to focus on mastering my space attribute."


    But, in the next second, he turned serious as he contemted on the matter, "Unfortunately, I cannot do this on my own. I need an able teacher who can be trusted with my secrets too. There''s no better one than Lord Yujiang but he is the guardian of the realm. He won''t have time to teach me. Another one I can lean on is Bael himself.


    Even if I couldn''t summon him, I could still go to theherworld to meet him there. However, it is going to be very risky as that world is filled with powerful demons that I cannot battle against. If something happens to me, what will happen to my wife and child? No, I cannot do that.


    In such a case, I can only see one path ahead of me that can help me out and also keep my family safe. The Ancient Lan n."


    A couple of dayster, at Mt. Lan of Kunlun Mountains;


    In the middle of the day, all of a sudden, dark clouds gathered on top of Mt. Lan and thunder rumbled among the clouds so loud that it alerted several experts of the above 7-circle realm in the thousand-kilometer range.


    Meanwhile, the supreme beings and demigods living elsewhere in the world had their gaze fixed in the direction where Mt. Lan is located as the figure sitting on top of it was bombarded with lightning strikes one after another.


    Sylvandria''s body was protected by the barrier of divine energy as she was in a deep meditative state.


    Lan Ju, the zheng also added an additionalyer of security by conjuring another barrier on her own, shielding her against the lightning strikes that intended to burn her to ashes for going against heaven.


    Meanwhile, inside her mindscape, Sylvandria was fighting against an identical image of her but with more skills and mastery. Unfortunately, she wasn''t on the side of victory.


    Looking down at Sylvandria who was barely supporting herself from copsingpletely onto the ground and taking heavy breaths, her opponent pointed the de at her and spoke coldly, "Give up, Sylvandria. You cannot change your fate."


    An agitated Sylvandria shouted back, "I refuse."


    "I don''t sense any love from you for that mortal. There''s no need for you to swear your loyalty to him, just because your body has been defiled," replied the mirror self. As Sylvandria tried to get up, she further added, "Purity should be within the soul, not the body that will be returned to the earth over the passage of time."


    Upon getting up, Sylvandria put her hand on her stomach and said, "Because of our connection, you can only see my memories. You don''t know the condition of my body, do you?"


    At once, the mirror self''s facial expression changed, "That''s impossible."


    "It''s not about the loyalty, Goddess Faenya. I''m fighting for something far more precious enough to risk the erasure of my existence forever," Sylvandria raised her hand to conjure a divine sword in her hands to continue their fight.


    However, the mirror self didn''t fight her for some reason. Instead, she put away the sword and spoke, "Very well. I''ll let you free. However, when the day arrives, I''lle for you. Be prepared for it. No matter what kind of intention a being has, the one who goes against the way of heaven must face consequences."


    She disappeared from the spot after giving a warning, leaving Sylvandria on one of her knees, trying not to lose consciousness.


    Meanwhile, on the outside, her lightning tribtion went through smoothly without facing any potential injuries at all until her cultivation realm finally pushed through the wall of the supreme realm.


    The divine energy erupted from her on all sides had destroyed the barrier conjured by Zheng while the clouds disappeared from the sky.


    Staring at the sky, she mumbled, "I''m always prepared to face the punishment."

 Chapter 547: Shang Jiao and Jingwei

    A couple of weekster;


    Genesis Factory, Fujian Ind, Western Moon kingdom;


    Roughly Three hundred kilometers away from the maind, there used to be an ind, a 5 sq. km ofnd filled with beautiful white beaches, lush forests, and arge mountain.


    But now, the forests are gone and reced by gardens. The mountainpletely disappeared and was reced by a lighthouse.


    Instead, a massive factory that epassed three-fourths of the ind, over 4 sq. km in area, became thendmark of this location.


    From the outside, it looked like a giant dome made of white granite. But when one steps inside, their minds will surely blow up in amazement.


    Magical ceiling was applied at thergest section of the factory, which is actually almost 90% of the factory, and makes it seem like it is under the sky.


    Usually, it is a testing arena where Mark tests his weapons, but at the moment, it has be a battleground for Shang Jiao and her recent mentor and also her friend, Jingwei.


    The 16-year-old princess was already in the legendary realm and currently perfecting her new Bloodline ability, the Eternal Ice, in which she could endlessly conjure ice for a couple of minutes and manipte it in any way she wanted.


    The skill was so strong in her hands that even Jingwei, a supreme being, waspletely focused on evading it as a streak of ice chasing her at subsonic speeds.


    Naturally, her speed is way higher than the streak of ice and she couldn''t help but taunt her opponent with provoking words.


    "C''mon, little princess, try to catch me up" "What happened? Did you slow down? At this rate, you won''t be able to master this ce" "Don''t you want to get out of here and assist my papa? Put more ether energy into it¡­" "You are doing nothing but destroying this ce."


    However, Shang Jiaopletely ignored her taunts. She was standing on top of an ice pir with icy wings sprouting from her back; her gaze looked calmer, and it was difficult for Jingwei to see through her thoughts.


    Jingwei eventually got bored of it and decided to patiently evade the ice streaks and then knock out her opponent once it disappeared.


    It was only after a while did she realized that she was actually ying right into Shang Jiao''s hands. By the time she realized it, she was surrounded by the ice streak on all sides. The only way for her escape was to fly higher, but there was a giant Ice mirror covering the sky above her.


    Shang Jiao finally let out a smile as she motioned her hand, "Now."


    In an instant, thousands of icicles gush out of the mirror, raining down on Jingwei. Thetter covered herself with an energy barrier.


    It was at this moment all of a sudden, the false sky turned scarlet and the ice streaks disappeared at once; so was the energy barrier around Jingwei. Both girls started falling to the ground.


    As theynded safely on their feet at the same time, Mark was seen entering the space in a whiteb coat alongside a robotic three-headed hound (Alina) and a couple of robots inb coats too.


    "Zhen-ge," The little princess was taken aback in surprise, upon seeing her brothering out of nowhere. "When did you arrive?" She hastened her pace toward him, ignoring Jingwei altogether. However, thetter beat her to it with a dash to Mark and grabbed his arm, "Papa¡­"


    Mark stroked Jingwei''s hair with a smile but had his attention on his sister instead, "Jiao-mei, I need your help with testing a missile."


    "Okay, sure," Shang Jiao''s eyes lit up as if she was excited. However, Jingwei, who was enjoying her time snapped out of it and protested by tugging his sleeves, "Papa, I''m stronger than her and in a higher realm. Shouldn''t I be the one to help you?"


    "Excuse me, Wei wei¡­" Shang Jiao folded her hands to her chest and let out a smirk, "Who was the one that ran away like a scaredy cat? You were almost defeated by the one in the lower realm."


    Jingwei sharply stared at her and argued, "Hmpf, who was afraid? I was just biding my time. Moreover, I was helping you out as your mentor. I could destroy it in a matter of seconds if I want to."


    "Oh, Yeah? Then, howe I never saw you did it? You always beat me with your higher speed," Shang Jiao didn''t back down.


    "Then, let''s resume our spar. This time, not only I will destroy it head-on but I will also teach you a lesson on how to respect your elders," Jingwei disyed confidence, ncing at her master from the corner of her eyes.


    "All this time you were acting as if we were the same age and suddenly you be my elder? Fine with me. Let''s fight. Your bluff doesn''t work on me¡­" As Shang Jiao looked like she was ready to fight, probably to show off her prowess in front of her older brother, thetter interrupted them before it got out of his hand, "Okay, stop it you two."


    He then pointed his finger at the red skies, "You see it right. I have activated the Null mechanism. Neither of you will be able to use your powers in this ce. Now, Jingwei, this has nothing to do with who is stronger. My sister''s ice maniption is stronger than mine and I need that ability for my test."


    Alina chimed in, "Yeah, that''s right. We need to test our ''Song II'' missile in extreme cold conditions."


    Named after Song Yue, the Song missile is a nuclear-capable missile, created by Mark and Alina a year ago, using Brahmos missile as the base. It was also the first missile he actually built in this world.


    This versatile missile could beunched fromnd-based mobile autonomousunchers, naval vessels, and aircraft.


    However, it could only move at supersonic speed (Mac 2.9 without a warhead) and the range is around 300 km.


    For the past few months, Mark has been working on this project, cing Alina as the main researcher for it. Their aim is to increase its speed, range, and yield capacity, eventually giving birth to Song II, which has a 560 km maximum range without a warhead and has over Mac 4.5 speed. Yielding capacity is also increased from 42KT to 75KT.


    But, it has its own challenges too.

 Chapter 548: Testing the missile (failure)

    The supposed upgraded missile, Song II, turned out to be weaker than the original Song missile created by the system, mainly due to the fact that system-created missiles have 100% energy conversation while the one he currently built only had like 45%.


    Hence, while Alina focused on upgrading the missile, he was focused on the warhead.


    The factory, which was upgraded to the maximum level before the exit of the system, has already the necessary equipment to create every type of weapon he could. The only problem is with the procurement of materials now that the mining system, unfortunately, didn''t materialize with the factory.


    Hence, Mark could only recycle the existing warheads lying in his inventory, increase the quantity of fissile materials, improve the efficiency of the implosion mechanism, and eventually increase yield. But, that also decreased the energy conversation rate in the process.


    Without any assistance from fellow researchers, it was a tough job even for someone like Mark. But then again, since he wasn''t in a hurry before, he was taking step by step. But, Lu Shan''s birth has changed everything for him. Mark suddenly decided on increasing the time on research, to prepare against even Saints.


    Once this ispleted, he will start working on the Song-II (A) variant, which will have a lighter payload, increased range, and speed, so that he could deploy anti-matter warheads.


    With a few anti-matter warheads in his inventory, Mark knew that it was a surmountable task. Hence, he had to master the antimatter attribute staying dormant in his veins.


    But first, making Song-II Missile resisting to extreme conditions is important.


    As a part of it, he sought his sister''s help, who was d to help him out in any way she could.


    As the red skies returned to normal in the testing zone of the factory, Shang Jiao used her ice maniption to first create a powerful snowstorm in the surroundings.


    Mark''s Rank-9 robots manually inserted the missile in one of the barrels of theuncher, which was ced near the edge of the testing zone. This missile doesn''t have any warheads. Hence, Mark was not worried about firing at Shang Jiao, at all.


    She was standing around 2 km away, near the edge on the opposite side.


    Alina ced one of her forelimbs on something that looked like a USB port. A wire extended from her paw and inserted into the port; the screen lit up in red.


    "ess granted. Auto mode on"


    "Alina, Lock the target."


    With her control, theuncher automatically moved and the screen showed that it locked onto some dot. As an android, she was quite fast and urate in locking the target.


    "On the count of 3." Mark counted, "3, 2, 1, fire¡­"


    A missile fired from theuncher, generating a loud sound enough for Jingwei to momentarily close her ears in startle. Mark stayed on the spot as if he wasn''t affected. He looked quite serious, based on his expression.


    The missile fired through low visibility snowstorm, under -15 degrees Celsius temperature; in a couple of seconds, it reached its peak height of only 100 meters from the ground and cut through the wind at supersonic speeds, traveling in a straight line for two more seconds, before changing start descending with an increased speed.


    Shang Jiao, who was standing there, was startled when the missile appeared before her eyes. Her body moved before her mind. "Ice wall." A gust of cold wind erupted from her palms, freezing on the spot and creating a wall of ice within a second.


    The missile collided with the ice wall and exploded.


    The wall conjured by her managed to block the explosion but cracked all over. "F**k. It hasn''t even been five seconds." She couldn''t help but exim in amazement.


    However, Mark''s facial expression darkened. Putting away the telescopic gun, through which he was watching the scene, he shook his head with a sigh, "This idiot¡­"


    "Hmm? What happened, papa?" Jingwei asked him in curiosity.


    "She was supposed to freeze it before the collision, not protect herself. The missile was destroyed and we have to make it once again," Alina answered her instead of Mark, who ced the weapon back into the inventory and turned around to walk away in disappointment.


    After a while, Shang Jiao caught up to her brother who was sitting at a beach and looking at the sea in order to calm down his emotions; she apologized to him.


    Mark could only sigh in response and slowly pped the sand beside him, gesturing to her to sit beside him.


    As the little princess sat down, Mark opened his mouth, "I know that it is not your fault, but I was just frustrated. That''s all. Manufacturing this new weapon is a time-consuming process." After a brief pause, he patted her head, "Not to worry, I will think of a solution eventually. Anyway, your parents are missing you. Don''t you want to return shortly and meet them?


    Xiao Shan''s first-month celebration ising up and he still has yet to see his aunt."


    "Well¡­" Shang Jiao went silent, averting her gaze away as if she didn''t want to answer to that, for some reason. "I want to attend but I don''t think I could make it. Because of my promise with the guardian beasts, I can''t step out, until I defeat one of the guardians."


    "C''mon, it was just an oral promise, not an oath you made to the heavens or applied a blood/soul oath. Moreover, defeating any of those guardian beasts is next to impossible, when you aren''t even in the same realm."


    Mark tried to convince her but Shang Jiao seemed adamant on fulfilling the promise, even if she had to miss the event of her nephew.


    Not having any choice, he left the ind, returning home through his teleportation portal.


    Once he was gone, Shang Jiao''s icy wings erupted from her back and she flew into the sea, traveling to a nearby ind located just about fifteen kilometers away.


    Unlike the Fujian ind, this one was quite green and was full of vegetation. As she neared the ind, the sight of a majestic beast appeared in her eyes.

 Chapter 549: Shang Jiao and the curse of time (part-1)

    The Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the ck Tortoise, the Vermillion Bird, and the anaconda king, which never stayed in pet inventory from the start, were shifted to different inds around when the factory was shifted from Mark''s inventory to Fujian ind.


    As soon as she stepped onto the ind of Dijun, Xuan Wu, the ck Tortoise of the North opened itsrge pair of eyes that were bigger than even the tallest human, observing her silently from far away until she reached him.


    Unlike her usual yful or stubborn nature, the princess carried herself with a dignified demeanor of royal bloodline as shended not so far away from the beast and walked toward the holy beast.


    "Shang Jiao greets his grace." She half kneeled before the beast and cupped her fists, lowering her head with her gaze fixed on the ground.


    The holy beast treated her the same way. It rose to its feet and replied in a human speech, "Arise to your feet, the inheritor of Blizzard Pegasus."


    As she stood up, the ck Tortoise continued, "State the reason for your visit, Ms. Shang."


    Shang Jiao raised her head to look at it, "I wish to confirm whether the uing one-month ceremony of my nephew is not the doom you predicted." She looked dead serious when she said it.


    The ck Tortoise''s eyes glowed for a bit before it answered, "The future looks still unclear to my vision."


    Shang Jiao silently stared at the beast for a few seconds as if she was thinking about something. Eventually, she opened her mouth to ask, "Tell me. Do I really have any chance of making a breakthrough in seven days?"


    "It is not possible," The giant beast nodded. Just as the princess became crestfallen, the former added, "Unless you ept your destiny."


    Shang Jiao''s facial expression hardened. She couldn''t help but clench her fists but managed to control her emotions and firmly replied, "No, I will look for another way."


    "In that case, you can be on your way," The holy beast sat down and closed its eyes, ignoring her.


    "So much for a holy beast with knowledge of ten million years," Shang Jiao, this time, couldn''t stop herself from stomping onto the ground in frustration before walking away.


    However, a few secondster, she was forced to halt her footsteps when the ck Tortoise''s words echoed in the surroundings, "There is one another way, but the journey will be life-threatening. After you get that power, your life won''t be easier in any way either."


    Shang Jiao abruptly turned around, "What is it?"


    The ck Tortoise replied, "The Orb of Time."


    "Hmm?"


    Several dayster;


    Lunaris City, Western Moon Kingdom;


    As the day of little Lu Shan''s one-month celebration arrived, everyone in the pce became busy with attending to the guests; Kings and Emperors of the alliance, princes and nobles of various empires and their wives, Wealthy merchants and their families, schrs from all over the continent, and other important individuals with incredible strength who aren''t exactly invited but still weed by the servants of the pce.


    While some of them are curious about the boy rumored to have been born with 2-circle realm cultivation and remaining want to pay their respects to a demigod (Lan Jingyi), their primary reason for attending this ceremony is because of the auction that''s going to happen on the next day.


    One of the few things announced is the legendary pill (stat pill) that permanently raises one''s realm even if they are in 8-circle realm, a potion that instantly gives the strength of a supreme being (peak potion), a robot with the strength of a legendary realm expert (rank-8 robot), a flying metallic puppet that has various abilities (EC-665 Attack Helicopter), a warship same as the ones owned by Eastern Sun and currently ruling the seas in their vicinity, and most important of them all, the legendary Sword of Light-Aries, one of the nine recorded heaven grade weapons in the history (celestial-grade).


    Of the nine, only five surfaced so far. Naturally, people are excited to own it.


    Not to mention, the Sword of Light is also known as the King''s sword and has a mythical status. Everyone who held it became an Emperor and various princes are determined to acquire it to ascend the throne of their respective empires.


    Mark originally didn''t intend to sell it. The system left it with him before it left in Allen''s body. However, he was worried about passing it to his son if it stayed with him. Mark was told by the famed fortune teller that his son has the destiny of a King and he merely wants a peaceful life for Lu Shan.


    It could be seen as overthinking, but it is what it is.


    With this, Mark also nned on making a statement that he was not interested in power. The allies would be happy with such a move. Or so he convinced himself with.


    But, the real reason for this auction is simple.


    He wants to amass arge fortune and use it to buy materials aggressively to ramp up production. For that, he didn''t even hesitate to sell his precious attack helicopter.


    If there was one thing that became better with the disappearance of the system, it is that the items previously bound to his soul are no longer bound, as the medium of that connection has gone.


    Back to the present day, in the grand hall of the pce decorated with symbols of lotuses and banners with blessings and poetic couples on the walls, Mark and Song Yue alongside their baby were seated as the hosts as the guests were meeting them one after another, some of them bless the baby with materialistic gifts, schrs disyed their knowledge by reciting poems or gift calligraphic scrolls that mostly linked to the baby''s gifted potential, longevity, prosperity, etc¡­


    None of the gifts presented impressed Mark so far but he nevertheless thanked them while constantly putting up his business smile while cursing in his head of how miser these rich folks are.


    It went on for a couple of hours before the feast was announced. Hundreds of servants flooded the hall with dishes asdies emptied the hall to go into separate sections, following the customs.


    However, before the ting has ended, the party is interrupted by the arrival of an old woman entering the grand hall, attracting the attention of experts in an instant. First of all, it was a woman intruding into the men''s feast; secondly, she turned out to be a supreme being;stly, she seemed like she was either not in a good state or she was possessed by a ghost, based on her wobbling state.


    Mark was casually conversing with King Shen Niu, when it happened. However, before they get to notice, all of a sudden, Sylvandria appears out of nowhere beside him and whispers to Mark, "Be careful. I sense a beastly aura from that woman."


    Mark swiftly turned his head to look at the uninvited stranger. "Hmm?" He furrowed his brows, feeling like he knew her.


    Even Shang Fu who was seated beside Shang Bo thought the same.


    Being prepared for an enemy attack from the start, Mark quickly activated his God Eyes to study the enemy.


    But, when he did it, his eyes widened in shock, "Jiao Mei?" His words echoed down the hall, taking everyone by surprise.


    The old woman forced herself to raise her head and shed a drop of tear, "Zhen-ge."

 Chapter 550: Shang Jiao and the curse of time (part-2)

    Shang Jiao


    Nicknames: Little Princess, Emperor''s favorite daughter (former), President Lu''s sister, and Princess of the North.


    Species: Human/???


    Status: Cursed


    Age: 16


    Rank/Cultivation: peak-9-circle


    Bloodline: Blizzard Pegasus


    Attribute: Ice, Time (locked)


    Affiliation: Northern Phoenix


    Description: The princess of the Northern Phoenix Empire was the master''s biological sister, sharing the same parents. Her current body is in the state of a powerful curse where her life force is being depleted rapidly each minute. An unknown object has been discovered in her mindscape which is likely the cause of time attribute and the curse.


    *


    Mark rushed to her, as soon as he confirmed her identity, and grabbed her shoulders in worry, "Jiao-mei, what the hell has happened to you? You were finest week."


    "Zhen-ge, I need your help," replied Shang Jiao in a weak tone. Followed by the cry for help, she slowly started falling down on her back. Mark caught her.


    He quickly picked her up and left the grand hall without a care about the guests. Some were left curious, some were offended by his act as he didn''t even apologize, some were understanding, and some acted as if he didn''t matter.


    Fortunately, Shen Niu acted quickly, recing Mark as the host, making sure that the grand feast wouldn''t get disturbed. As Shang Wei was a king and one of the distinguished guests at the events, he was forced to stay there to converse with others.


    After a while, in one of the guest rooms, Shang Jiao was seen lying on a bed in an unconscious state and Sylvandria was trying to diagnose her condition. Mark and Shang Fu were standing on the side with troubled expressions.


    Soon, the thread of divine energy that invaded Shang Jiao''s system was expelled from her body, startling Sylvandria for a bit before she took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Mark, "It is the work of a powerful ancient artifact stuck in her mindscape which appears to be too powerful for my divine energy.


    For now, I reduced the curse by sealing her cultivation but it is nothing but a temporary measure," Her tone was quite serious. She then got up and added, "There''s also something you need to know."


    "What is it?" Mark furrowed his brows.


    Sylvandria answered, "When I was probing her system, I sensed something strange inside her body. She has a spirit core"


    "Eh?" "Spirit Core?"


    Shang Fu and Mark looked at each other in surprise. "But, that''s impossible," Shang Fu cried out in shock.


    His reaction was not surprising, considering the fact that spirit cores only exist in the bodies of beasts. Even Mark was shocked for once before remembering the data he saw earlier.


    He meaningfully nodded, "I guess it should be the work of that artifact, which probably housed an ancient beast spirit."


    "Eh?" As Shang Fu was taken aback once again and looked at his son, Sylvandria nodded in agreement, "That''s the only exnation even I could think of."


    "So, what should we do now?" Shang Fu turned anxious, "How to save my daughter?"


    Before Sylvandria gets to answer, Mark, who has already failed in removing the curse with a purification stone, voices his opinion, "Can a Saint realm Deity help her?"


    Sylvandria shook her head while letting out a sigh, "If you are referring to Lord Yujiang, it won''t work either. Unless you know of someone in God''s realm (13-circle), you cannot remove this curse forcefully." After a brief pause, she added, "However, if you want to save her, there is a roundabout way, although it is going to be pretty expensive."


    "Money won''t be a problem. What is it?" Shang Fu asked in a hurry. Mark, on the other hand, seemed like he had gone into deep thinking.


    Sylvandria looked at Shang Fu and replied, "She needs to consume a de-aging potion for her youthful appearance to return and then needs an enormous amount of life force from someone. But, that is still not enough. We also have to destroy her cultivation for good."


    "De-aging potion? And life force?" Shang Fu''s facial expression hardened at those names. "That potion is very rare, only seen in auctions. Nevertheless, I will use all my connections to procure them at any cost. As for the life force, I will provide mine. Even if I die, my Phoenix Bloodline will resurrect me."


    "But, you are only in 6-circle-realm, Emperor Shang. You won''t be able to survive this," Sylvandria warned him. However, the father of the girl seemed like he had already made up his decision, "I''m prepared to die for the sake of my child." His voice was so resolute that it kinda moved the elf.


    "No need. I know how to save her," Mark opened his mouth, surprising them. As they looked at him, they saw Mark taking a vial of transparent liquid out of nowhere and handing it to the elf, "This is the Elixir of Eternal Spring I won in the grand auction. This will maintain her youthful appearance and vitality for as long as she lives."


    Shang Fu''s eyes widened and a ray of hope could be seen in those eyes, but in the next second, the light dimmed as Sylvandriamented, "I don''t think this will work effectively on her. The curse was too strong for this potion. The best this elixir will have a temporary effect, just like the de-aging potion."


    "That''spletely fine," Mark made his decision firm. He further said, "As long as it could save her for the moment, it will be worth it."


    Shang Fu stared at his son with a mixture of various emotions; on one hand, he was grateful and happy. On the other hand, he never felt so helpless and angry at himself. This wasn''t the first time he thought it but still, it has been a few months since hest med himself for stepping down from the throne.


    Meanwhile, Sylvandria smoothly transferred all the liquid in the vial to Shang Jiao''s mouth, which slowly flowed down into her stomach and was absorbed by her body. The amount of liquid was actually enough for two people but because of the current situation, the elf had to empty the vial.


    The effect of the elixir was instant. Shang Jiao''s youthful appearance returned; perhaps, the elixir also nourished her cells. Shang Jiao''s beauty peaked to the extent that it is tough to say who is more beautiful, she or Song Yue.


    After a while, leaving her on the bed with a rank-9 robot ced there as a guard, Mark returned to the grand hall to join the other guests. After all, he is the host and it is not proper for him to be absent unless the situation is dire. Now that the problem had been solved for the moment, he peacefully hosted the banquet.


    Shang Fu also had to follow the etiquette of being a royal guest and joined Shang Wei and Shang Bo, updating them on the situation.


    The next day, at the auction house, the guests with formal invitations as well as the uninvited ones, separated by their respective sections, took their seats as Chang Bo and Xie Mei were seen nervously standing there on the stage.

 Chapter 551: Marks second annual auction (part-1)

    The entire event of auctioning was put on Chang Bo''s shoulders, and Xie Mei was just there apanying him as a 17-year-old beauty who just had the job of announcing the item name and bidding amount.


    Even though she had mastered and even created a new fighting style using firearms, she wasn''t as knowledgeable about firearms as Chang Bo. Well, at the very least, Mark thinks so. Hence, she was just there to please the audience with her presence, that''s all. After all, the nobles and wealthy individuals who came from far away wouldn''t want a male to be the host.


    Chang Bo was doing it for the money as he would get 1000 gold coins as his remuneration and Xie Mei was doing it as Mark promised her this thing called a ''date'', where both of them spent their time alone and he would apany her anywhere she wanted to go.


    The motivation was there but there was also this nervousness as neither of them ever handled an auction before.


    The bidders are influential people and of great status, and if either of them messed it up, not just Mark''s reputation but even the entire Western Moon''s reputation also could take a hit. It goes without saying Mark would be disappointed. Such thoughts only increased the mental pressure on both of them even more.


    As for Mark, he was apanying his wife and son, sitting in one of the VIP rooms as a spectator; Sylvandria was also in the same room as the Godmother of the child. However, Princess Shen Ling, Mark''s official fianc¨¦e was with her father in another room as she had to represent the kingdom.


    The auction started after the servants passed a brochure to each guest sitting in the VIP room, surprising them. It listed all the items avable in the auction with their abilities.


    Unlike in the previous auction conducted by Mark, this one doesn''t have any reserved prices or new weapons. They were entirelyprised of tinum-grade sets and semi-divine weapons/artifacts (half of them belonged to Mark and the remaining were from the pce treasury), and Mark''s ether weapons lying in inventory but were too weak for him to use.


    As the VIP guests, who mostly were the ones to be winners, knew of the items, Chang Bo''s job became easier and his mental stress had been lessened greatly. Seeing her co-host bing calmer, Xie Mei''s mood also improved.


    As time passed by, both of them became more confident in doing their roles and they were quite pleased with their jobs. But, Mark, on the other hand, doesn''t look pleased at all.


    The reason?


    All the items sold only amounted to 212 million gold coins, which was far less than he anticipated. Even the rank-8 robot was only sold for 70 million. His favorite attack helicopter was only sold for 34 million.


    Well, it is not like the bidders purposely bid it for low. It''s just that, unlike the Void Temple''s grand auction, Mark''s auction doesn''t have this reserved price. Hence, whatever items were bid, had to be exchanged with the entire amount right away.


    Mark realized that he might face heavy losses at this rate. Hence, he thought of a n and put away three items from the traditional auction method.


    Once all the remaining items were sold, he made Chang Bo announce that thest three items would be auctioned through secret bids. Followed by his announcement, the servants rushed into the VIP rooms and handed everyone a nk scroll with their names written in ink, on the top.


    The secret bidding system doesn''t exist anywhere in this world. Naturally, everyone got confused when they heard it.


    As the rank-9 robot put forth three items on the table, side by side, Chang Bo exined to the bidders in a raised tone as if he was representing Mark when he was saying the words, "These three are the top three items of the auction; The Augmented pill of strength, The Peak Potion, and the Sword of Light.


    Top 3rd item, the augmented pill of strength will increase the realm of any cultivator permanently as long as they are below demigods.


    Top 2nd item, the Peak potion will make any cultivator a supreme being for five minutes, as long as they are atleast five-circle realm. The effects will diminish if one''s cultivation is below five-circle.


    Finally, the top 1 item, Aries, the sword of light. Also known as the King''s sword, it is a heaven-grade divine sword capable of increasing one''s cultivation temporarily just by holding it, and if you are a light attribute user, its effects will be tripled. ording to the historical records, there''s a saying from the ancient sages.


    Those who hold the Sword of Light will be a King who will lead his people from darkness toward light.


    Now, we are going to have an hour break. Those who are interested in bidding for these items will have to send their proposal within the time to win the item. There is no higher bid or lower bid this time.


    Once your proposal reaches Master Lu''s room, it is considered your final bid. You can bid with gold coins, ether crystals, rare materials, artifacts, weapons, or evennd. Anything valuable is considered in this bid.


    The winner should hold their promise within ten days of time. After that, you will have six months of reserved period. In this period, a hefty penalty of five million gold coins will be added, every day."


    Taking everyone by surprise with his bold announcement, Chang Bo raised his head to look at the first floor, "For those in the VIP section, please use only the scroll provided to you and hand it over to the servant allotted to your room. Do not forget to mention the item you were interested in bidding on."


    Chang Bo then nced to the front where a few dozen bidders who made their entry with money, "As for the interested bidders who weren''t handed any scrolls, please do make your way to our guardian and take the slip from him, drop it in the box."


    He pointed at the Rank-9 robot with a wooden box ced on a table; beside the box, there were slips of white paper.


    The clear difference in the treatment of the two sections enraged many bidders on the ground floor.


    As they were already informed prior to the auction that shouting or using foulnguage is prohibited in the house and they could just go at any time, some of them got up and started leaving already in fury. Their money, unfortunately, didn''t get refunded.


    A portion of them didn''t get up, not just because of the pride but it is also because of the fact that they didn''t think they would be able to win any of those items. Some of them are also here to watch the fun. Of course, a few adventurers are also there to mentally note down the names of the winners so that they can rob them afterward.


    Fun fact, only three people on the ground floor managed to win an item so far. Most of the items were bagged by those rich elites sitting on the first floor.


    As a result, less than ten people swallowed up their pride and walked to the robot to take the slip and pen, writing their bid, and dropping into the box.


    Within 1 hour, many proposals came to Mark, and he engaged in discussion with Sylvandria on choosing the correct bid.


    And within 15 minutes, the discussion was over and Mark sent back his decision to Chang Bo.


    Chang Bo looked at the result and his eyes widened in surprise. Xie Mei, who was standing beside him silently, couldn''t help but lean her head to the side and look at the scroll.


    She let out a gasp, "seriously? These were the best bids?"


    "Well, at least, thest one is worth it. Don''t you think?" Chang Bo replied, to which the 17-year-old shook her head, "You don''t understand how powerful a heaven-grade divine item is, don''t you?"


    Chang Bo shrugged his shoulders in response, "Well, it doesn''t matter anyway. Let''s do our job."


    Xie Mei nodded and took the scroll. She then took a deep breath, raising her head and announcing it with a smile, enhancing her beauty, "For item no. 3, the augmented pill of strength, the winning bid is¡­"

 Chapter 552: Marks second annual auction (part-2)

    Trying to build up suspense, Xie Mei paused for a couple of seconds and announced, "Earth-grade artifact, the Pagoda of Shennong. Congrattions, Adventurer Ryu Fang."


    "Eh? An earth grade artifact?" Several nobles and princes on the first floor got up immediately; some of them had surprised looks while some of them had angry looks.


    One particr guest broke the auction rules by shouting, "What''s this, Lord Lu?" Everyone''s attention was shifted to the source of the shout. It''s King Yan of the Leon Empire, invited by King Shen Niu.


    Unlike in other empires where there are provinces and lords or governors, the Leon Empire isprised of 8 vassal states and the imperial city.


    The rulers of 8 vassal states were titled Kings, who could maintain their own army and govern theirnd as they wished. The premise is that those army generals were appointed by the Emperor and there is a 20% mandatory tax payment to the pce.


    While these vassal states are ruled by the same dynasty, who will be the king will be decided by the imperial pce, not the current rulers.


    Yan Shengli was not just a ruler. He is a warrior in the legendary realm, the son-inw of the current emperor, and very influential to the extent of changing a policy implemented by the pce.


    Despite thinking of himself as higher than Shen Niu, he still epted the invitation and came to the ceremony to meet Mark and see if he could fix a marriage alliance for his daughter, who was also apanied along but was secretly gazing at Prince Feng Wu of Western Yan instead of Mark.


    Seeing that her father didn''t like the behavior of the weapon seller, feeling insulted to the extent of raising his voice against what seemed like an unfair bid, Princess Yan Jianxin clenched her fist and tried to suppress her smile.


    As Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure and looked at him, King Yan continued to speak, "I offered a Sky-grade artifact for the pill. How could you choose an earth-grade artifact over mine? Or is it that you have already made the deal beforehand and was fooling us?"


    A moment of silence filled the hall. His voice sounded thunderous as if he was extremely enraged. Some thought he was overreacting; some wondered what will the weapon seller do, now; and some wondered whether the allegations were true¡­


    Amidst several gazes filled with various opinions, Mark got up on his feet and answered with a firm gaze on the guest, "A high-quality item isn''t necessarily better than lower quality item. Its usage is more important, King Yan. A person of your status should have already known that. What I have been offered by Adventurer Ryu is far more valuable than yours or anyone else'' for that matter.


    It wasn''t an unfair decision." As King Yan''s face reddened in shame, Mark took a brief pause and added, "And please do maintain the decorum of the auction house. Pointless ugly arguments would not only waste our time but also tarnish our own dignity. Please take your seat and let our host continue with the proceedings."


    King Yan furiously sat down, after observing someughs from fellow nobles. "I will teach him a lesson. Who does he think¡­" As he gritted in teeth, his loyal General leaned his head to the side and whispered, "My King, that paledy with pointy ears sitting beside him is someone not even His Majesty dares to offend. Don''t forget the fact that he had two more demigods on his side.


    Who knows how many supreme realm experts are there behind him? Lu Zhen is like a sleeping volcano. Don''t make him erupt unnecessarily. Or else, our whole kingdom might vanish in the span of a night. Isn''t that the main reason why no one dared to reject his invitation and came from even as far as the Xiezhi Empire?"


    At once, King Yan realized his folly, and sweat beads appeared on his forehead instantly. As his servant brought a handkerchief on a tter, he couldn''t help but mumble, "Let''s forget this matter. It''s best if I don''t marry off my daughter to a person who won''t be able to face any ountability for his actions."


    "Really?" The girl''s eyes lit up and she couldn''t stop her chuckling as she snatched away the handkerchief from the servant and wiped off her father''s sweat on her forehead, "Papa, you made a wise decision. But, it would be a waste to return empty-handed.


    Isn''t it better to form rtions with a kingdom, that has its own ce in this United Celestial Dominion but is weak enough to be controlled by us?"


    "Hmm? What are you saying?" King Yan furrowed his brows, upon hearing the words of his daughter.


    She was startled and pointed her finger at her mom, who was sitting beside her, "Mother suggested that. Not me."


    "Eh?" King Yan''s wife was taken aback at first but taking a nce at her daughter, she nodded, "Yeah, I think Emperor Shang Wei is a great match for our daughter."


    "No¡­" The girl reacted quickly before her father gave his opinion on that. She further added, "Grandfather is interested in marrying off cousin Liufen to that Shang Wei. If she marries him first, she will be the Empress. I don''t want to listen to the orders of that arrogant b*tch. I would rather marry Prince Feng than Shang Wei¡­"


    "Prince Feng?" King Yan startled for a second before going into deep thought. Little did he know that his uing decision would soon change the map of the invincible Leon Empire forever.


    Meanwhile, back at the auction, a hooded woman came out of the crowd and walked to the stage, handing over a prism-shaped locket to Chang Bo. The welpire raised his head to look in the direction of Mark, who gave his nod. Only after that did he give the pill to the mysterious adventurer.


    Once she had taken her seat, Xie Mei looked at the scroll and then at the audience to announce loudly, "For item no. 2, the Peak Potion, the winning bid is the seed of light. Congrattions Adventurer Xu Shan."


    Once again, the entire house filled with shock, this time as the hooded woman got up from her and started walking to the stage.


    "What''s going on here?" Everyone had the same thought.

 Chapter 553: Marks second annual auction (part-3)

    Amidst curious gazes, as she reached the stage, Chang Bo voiced out his doubt in ce of the spectators, "I''m sorry but aren''t you Miss Ryu Fang?"


    Thedy let out a smirk under her hood as she replied, "Is there any rule that I can''t use fake names? Also, what is in the name anyway? Do you pick the bids using the names or the items they put forth for the trade?"


    An elemental seed is a rare thing, sought by every adventurer, but its value depends on the person. For some, it is useless, and for some, it is priceless. For example, the seed of fire turned out to be a fortune for Shang Wei.


    But, what about the seed of light?


    If one doesn''t have a light attribute or bloodline unrted to a light attribute beast, the seed of light will give healing powers to the consumer.


    Hence, the guests were torn between worth and worthless¡­ Well, since Mark already informed earlier that he wouldn''t see the item''s price but how much value it will be, to him. So, people are cool with it.


    But, more than that, they were surprised to see the fact that one uninvited unnamed adventurer who is in the legendary realm managed to bag both of the top items.


    Anyways, what''s over is over. They no longer paid attention to the earlier matter as Xie Mei raised the scroll once again.


    The following item is the main attraction of the auction and everyone did their best bid to win this.


    "Finally, the top 1 and thest item of the auction, the Sword of Light. The winning bid for this item is 50 earth-grade divine items. Congrattions, Adventurer Long Juan. Ah, you can''t be serious¡­" Xie Mei blurted out in shock.


    Not just her, this time, every spectator also rose to their feet, as it was the same hooded woman who walked to the stage leisurely while swaying her hips.


    As she reached the stage, Xie Mei asked in disbelief, "Why is it you again? Who are you?"


    "Just a nameless adventurer," replied the woman as she tossed the storage ring. Chang Bo, however, didn''t outrightly hand over the sword to her. Instead, he left the stage and went through the backdoor before rushing to Mark''s room for confirmation.


    In the meantime, a figure put his hands behind him and spoke loud, although in a calm manner, "Okay, that''s it. I''m out of this ce without any ethics¡­" The familiar voice made Mark turn his head to look in the direction of the source, only to find the vice president/second-inmand of the Merchant guild, Wang Ming.


    Merchant Guild might not have a great presence because of the fact that individual wealthy merchants upy almost 30% of the market, but he sure has a great reputation among the masses as every rookie who wanted to be a merchant usually joins the guild to gain experience.


    While they hand missions regrly, the Merchant guild is more known as a Business school than a guild.


    One can imagine what kind of contacts this Vice President could have. And right now, he seemed offended the most.


    Mark shouldn''t have cared about it either, as he could even meet the President if he wanted. But, the guest''sment at the end displeased him.


    As if that wasn''t enough, a few noble guests also seemed to be turning around and leaving their respective rooms.


    Feeling insulted by their actions, he made his move, publicly disying his arrogance for the first time in months. "Syl, stop them."


    Sylvandria''s demigod aura erupted from her body and filled the house. The ones who are seated aren''t affected at all. But, the ones who got up felt enormous pressure on their body. Some of them copsed right to their chairs while some were forced to their knees.


    At once, fear spread among the guests as Mark got up and walked to the edge of the balcony. His gaze was cold and his attention was currently on the old man, who was slowly rising to his feet after the removal of the pressure, "Ethics? Mr.


    Wang, I repeatedly warned you not to make a scene, and yet, you people are taking advantage of the fact that you are guests and spouting whatever words came to your mouth without taking our dignity into consideration at all. Since you want to leave so badly, you may leave as you wish.


    But, remember from now onwards, any merchant belonging to your guild has no right to conduct business using our firearms."


    Some people let out a gasp of surprise, while some stayed silent. Some became serious but didn''t voice out their thoughts due to the demigod''s presence. King Yan''s legs shivered uncontrobly after being experienced the power of a demigod in person. It happened only for two seconds but as someone in the legendary realm, he could understand it more than anyone else in the room.


    On the other hand, Wang Ming didn''t seem intimidated by Mark''s warning. He straightened his sleeves and let out a snort as he slowly walked away, "As if merchants are lining up to buy firearms from you.


    Your sales are as dim as a lightes from a single firefly." Aftermenting in response to the warning, he thought to himself, "I will make sure no one even sells your firearms outside your kingdom. Having strength isn''t everything in the world."


    "Hmpf, you just wait old man. Soon, the entire continent will flip down," muttered Mark under his breath, staring at Wang Ming''s back before sitting down in his chair, again.


    Looking at the others who are unsure whether to leave or not, Mark addressed them, "I thank everyone who attended the auction, some of you even traveled here from far away. As a token of appreciation¡­"


    *p* p*


    Once again, the servants rushed out together with a tter in their hands, although there wasn''t food ced on it.


    Instead, there was a shining semi-automatic handgun with ten 9mm bullets ced neatly on the side. There was also a scroll apanying the weapon, with instructions written on it.


    For the VIP guests on the first floor, a rifle gun and fifty bullets in a box were provided asplementary. Of course, the scroll with guidelines is a must.

 Chapter 554: The mysterious island

    The afternoon passed away with most of them started returning to their homes while some with another agenda continued to stay at the pce as guests.


    There were a few people who wanted to talk to Mark, but he wasn''t even there at the pce to meet them. The siblings were spotted by the guards, as they were leaving the pce alongside the mysterious woman in the hood by riding on the top of flying dark horses.


    Together, they traveled for half a day at least without stopping at any location, until they reached an ind located in the middle of the ocean, thousands of kilometers away from any maind.


    At one nce, the ind doesn''t look much different from others. It''s a tropical ind filled with palm trees at the edge of a thick forest and sandy beaches here and there, etc¡­


    However, when Mark scanned the ce using his Eyes of God skill, he saw a mysterious barrier around the ind.


    Upon entering that barrier, Mark found the change of scenery. Instead of a forest, there were a bunch ofrge towers and pyramids located on barrennd; all of them screamed of ancient structures.


    One of such structures particrly attracted both of their attention. It was a stone tablet with mysterious writings.


    Shang Jiao couldn''t help but point at it, just as Mark was about to ask it too, "What was that?"


    The hooded woman shook her head, "Even we have no idea about it. Thenguage is indecipherable."


    As they passed by the stone tablet, Mark took a good look at it tomit to his memory to think of itter and continued to observe the surroundings.


    "We call these Ancient Mystical Towers or some call it Elemental towers too," The hooded woman started exining the structures around them, "Fire and Ice, Water, Earth and Metal, Lightning and thunder, Wind, Light and Dark, Space, and unknown. All of these towers existed for thousands of years, long before we discovered this ce.


    We explored everything but the central one, which doesn''t give us ess. We had a theory though. As for those pyramids, it was constructed by us. Each pyramid is dedicated to our past leader."


    "What do these towers contain exactly?" Shang Jiao couldn''t help but ask.


    The mysterious woman answered, "They are the pathways to other nes. Each tower will take you to a different ne of existence, although the location isn''t fixed. There''s a 99% chance of ending up in a world ruled by spirit beasts. The Space tower will randomly send you to a habitable world within our ne."


    "and that unknown..." The princess pointed at the central tower andmented, "I guess that is connected to the immortal ne or celestial ne?"


    The hooded woman shook her head, "Our predecessors assumed the same first but over the years, we have discovered that the leaking out of that unknown tower had energy simr to the one that binds us to thend. Hence, our assumption is that it is connected to a forbidden realm, like some kind of prison that holds evil souls."


    "Hmm?" Mark couldn''t help but furrow his brows in deep thinking as a memory came to his head, "Is it the same Void realm, the ce that mage came from? The origin of the unnamed box?" He wondered.


    Soon, they reached a structure that looked like an iplete pyramid. Through dimly lit corridors and stairs, they changed directions several times before reaching an altar with the statue of a wingless dragon trying to eat its tail, which was surprisingly levitating in the air.


    "It''s the Void Serpent God, our principal deity," said the woman, raising her head to look at the beast.


    "It looked quite simr to Ouroboros though," thought Mark, scanning its details. Obviously, the name wasn''t disyed, but he found out one interesting thing. "Is this the entrance to that ce?" He couldn''t help but ask, pointing his finger at it.


    "Oh, you managed to see it? I wasn''t wrong about you, after all," A smile bloomed on the woman''s face under the hood. "So, are you ready to get in?" She asked.


    Mark simply looked at her and replied, "Yes, but I don''t understand why there is a need to hide your identity. Out with it, Miss Xin." Mark followed by reaching out to her hood and lowering it down. She didn''t resist it too and revealed her face to them.


    Shang Jiao never met her. Hence, she wasn''t that unfazed by her. However, Mark looked a bit displeased, "is there a reason why you use different identities to buy them?"


    "Then, people would know that I was rted to Void Temple," replied the woman. She looked back straight into Mark''s eyes, turning serious, "You killed the Werewolf Lord and our Matriarch, and that divided our organization into several factions with everyone wanting to im the throne. It gave me a window of opportunity to steal our treasury to make a deal with you.


    When the news of fifty earth-grade divine weapons used to get traded in your auction reaches the temple, they will eventually figure out the truth and probably start hunting me down. Before that happens, I need to reach the Supreme Being stage and im the leadership."


    She then took out the strength stat pill she won in the auction and handed it to him, "I need the other pill that you promised me."


    "Okay," Mark nodded and threw the pill into his inventory before taking out the intelligence stat pill that would help her. However, before handing it over to her, he warned, "I need to remind you that it is best to be taken when you reach the peak stage of the legendary realm, which you haven''t reached yet."


    "I know," Xin Rui nodded in agreement. She then pointed her finger at Shang Jiao, "Your sister here will help me. She has managed to inherit the Orb of Time from the spirit of this world. Once we remove the curse on her, I''ll help her learn how to master it and in return, she helps me by using that power to create a time dimension for me, where the time runs extremely slower."


    "I see" Mark nodded and then cast a sidelong nce at his sister. Thetter also reacted positively, "I understand." Seeing that, Mark inwardly sighed in relief and spoke, "Anyway, let''s get moving."

 Chapter 555: Honorary Alliance

    Xin Rui took out an exquisite staff adorned with gems and had a cobra on the top, which seemed quite lively as its tongue was moving forth and retracted back while its eyes were blinking in a scarlet glow.


    "A celestial-grade weapon?" Mark raised his eyes, observing the woman. "It looked like she stole many more things than she admits. Anyways, it is not my problem."


    She then raised the staff toward the levitating statue. The serpent shot a ray of beams from its eyes and struck the hollow part of the statue. Suddenly, the statue reacted by turning the hollow part into a portal in a dark background.


    "Follow me¡­" She jumped right in.


    Mark and his sister took a look at each other before following her into the portal.


    While the siblings of Ice attribute ventured into thend of the unknown, at the Lunaris City, a few things happened in their absence.


    First of all, King Yan fixed a marriage alliance with Feng Wu and his daughter.


    Secondly, the Acting Emperor of the Qilin Empire also put forth a marriage proposal, which was between his eldest son who is still 15, and Princess Shang Jiao. However, Shang Fu mildly rejected the proposal, stating that Shang Jiao is too young at the moment.


    While it ended up in failure, the Prince/acting emperor of Ming managed to strike a deal with Shen Niu instead.


    Perhaps, he managed to sense Mark''s future move when thetter warned the merchant guild''s vice president. Or perhaps, he knew about the giant factory on Fujian ind. Or maybe, it is because of the demigods. Or was it because of Mark''s assertive behavior during the auction?


    Whatever reason might be the case, the Qilin Empire and the United Celestial Dominion drew up a pact of friendship, in which, the Qilin Empire would be a part of the alliance as an honorary member.


    However, what it required was acknowledgment from the Council of Kings.


    After a brief discussion between Shen Niu and Ming Xianzhi, the King of Western Moon put forth the proposition of an honorary membership for the Qilin Empire.


    Luckily, the other kings and emperors were still staying as guests at the pce. Hence, the decision was taken quickly.


    As if Ming Xianzhi knew how the Genesis Cab works, he even brought up the required terms and conditions too.


    Unlike the permanent member, the terms were slightly different for this honorary member.


    Being an honorary member, the Qilin Empire''s representative can participate in the Council of Kings'' meetings and share their opinions but doesn''t have the power of voting. However, they can send one permanent representative to the Genesis Cab, which makes thews.


    Unlike the permanent members who pay 40% tax, the Qilin Empire will pay a fixed amount of 50,000 gold coins each quarterly as tax. In return, the Empire will have military protection of the alliance, which includes a demigod.


    This demigod is neither Sylvandria nor the Zheng. It isn''t even Lan Jingyi. It''s Eol who is in the body of Fu Sheng, leading his troop as Fu Sheng too, and making it an exclusive army of the Cab.


    To win everyone''s trust even more, the Prince of the Ming Dynasty, representing his father as the acting Emperor, also revealed an important secret of their research on teleportation formation. He proposed making a joint research team, which will focus on building teleportation formations in each capital city so that it bes much easier to travel between the member states of the alliance.


    Perhaps, some of the members aren''t satisfied with Mark''s behavior in the auction. Or perhaps, they genuinely wanted to expand the group and feared that Mark wouldn''t ept it.


    Hence, in Mark''s absence, the Kings influenced their representatives to fast-track the procedures. Within two days, the acting Genesis Cab''s president, Shao Ping, the representative of the Western Moon kingdom, made the announcement of inducting the Qilin Empire into the alliance.


    One weekter;


    Song Mansion, Lunaris City;


    While Little Lu Shan was peacefully sleeping in his cradle and guarded by a couple of rank-9 robots, and secretly, a rank-10 robot that mostly stays hidden, Song Yue found herself in the special training room in the mansion, although one could say she was dragged by Sylvandria without her consent.


    Forcing her to sit on the floor, the former elven priestess sat before her and spoke in a serious tone so that the human pay attention to her words.


    "Look, Sister Yue. I know that you are safe with everyone around and you don''t actually need any training. But, it was never about getting strong. You cannot ignore the fact that Xiao Shan was born with the chaos element due to the remnants of the Chaos energy inside you. Lu Zhen didn''t have the element and probably would have no idea how to train the element.


    So, you should be the one who needs to teach him or else, who knows what kind of disaster the child brings, if kept uncontrolled¡­"


    Sylvandria''s words felt like a jolt to Song Yue that had passed through her entire body and made her shiver for a second. She couldn''t help but ask in curiosity, "Is Chaos element that powerful?"


    The elf let out a deep sigh, "Powerful? It''s one of the most powerful elements in the universe. With a thought in your mind, you could just transform a tree into a forest, and a block of brick into a mansion. You could manipte reality to any extent and alter thews of nature. It is why Chaos is considered the enemy of Gods, who don''t like disorder.


    Lu Zhen could probably protect his family from even immortals. But, the Heavenly Pce is entirely a different question. The Gods can wipe out this entire world with a snap of their fingers."


    "Eh?" Song Yue''s curiosity turned into fear with her face going pale and her eyes widened, "will the gods punish my child?" She herself knows that it is a ridiculous thought but being a mother, she couldn''t help but be concerned about the possibilities.


    "Nothing to worry, a mere child wouldn''te into their vision," replied the elf, patting Song Yue''s shoulder before continuing, "But, you can see Lu Shan is only one month old and he is already at the intermediate stage of 2-circle. We don''t know how powerful he even be in the future.


    Hence, it is important that you be more proficient in mastering your element so that it bes easier to either train him in the future or suppress his powers in case of an ident."


    Song Yue took two seconds to digest what this elf was trying to say and she nodded firmly, "I understand. Please take care of me."


    "That goes without saying," Sylvandria let out an amiable smile, wiping off her earlier serious expression and straightening her back, "For now, let''s meditate. We focus on ether energy control before moving to the elemental control."


    **


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the, Mark appeared at what appeared like a sea bed with a bubble-like barrier covering him. The surroundings were so dark that none of them could see anything.


    Before they even get to wonder where they are, a voice is heard in the surroundings, "Oh, there are two mortals apart from my apostle? Hmm¡­ the aura of Blizzard Pegasus? Interesting¡­ Fine, I will grace you with my presence. But, before that, you two have to prove your worth. Here we go, good luck¡­"


    *Snap*


    Followed by the sound of the snap of a finger, Mark''s surroundings were once again changed, finding himself in the middle of an endless barrennd with undead skeletons slowly rising from the ground.

 Chapter 556: The trial of Yuanlong (part-1)

    "Hateful moooortallll¡­" roared the Undead King as its core behind the strong ribcage was destroyed with an ice arrow.


    Followed by the disappearance of the undead, Mark dropped to his knees as his vision blurred. He took heavy breaths with sweat covering his entire body.


    "Ha..." "Ha¡­" "Ha¡­"


    "It''s just a fuc*ing 9-circle one and yet, so exhausting¡­ cough cough"


    From the start of the trial, Mark has been fighting against the swarm of the undead for almost 6 hours straight before he finally faces off with the undead king who is virtually immortal without the destruction of its core.


    While the undead were weak individually, there were mages hidden in those thousands of undead that could buff them up and even revive them constantly. On the other hand, there is aw ced on this ce where his ether energy recovery rate is null. Even his inventory space was locked by thew, prohibiting him from taking out any robots or weapons to use against the undead.


    For a nobatant like Mark, it proved to be one of the worst nightmares he ever faced in his life. Even the Saint Realm expert probably gave him less headache than this mere test given by Ouroboros.


    However, the test isn''t over yet.


    As the undead king fell, Mark received a voice from the sky, congratting him on winning the trial but due to his underperformance, it spoke there will be another trial to prove his worthiness. He got six hours of break for the next trial and thews removed so that he may recover his ether energy and stamina.


    Mark couldn''t help but curse a thousand times as hey on the ground to rest.


    "Damn, I should have just gone to the Netherworld instead and tried my luck with Demon King Bael instead. He would have given me the appropriate solution to save my sis.


    No, this is the fault of Xin Rui.


    Just you wait, bi*ch. Once Ie out of this, I will skin you alive¡­ Calm down, Mark. Save your energy. Who knows what kind of trial the next one will be¡­"


    As he took a nap and slowly drifted into dreand, a figure materialized in the sky, a cute-looking rabbit that wore clothes and a top hat. The rabbit had a frown on its face as it mumbled, "I don''t see anything special in this mortal. Why is her grace interested in him?" After a brief pause, it stretched his hands toward the ground, "regardless, it''s an order from her grace.


    Let''s do the job and return."


    Its palms glowed, shooting a beam of silvery-white light and striking Mark while he was still asleep. He didn''t feel anything amiss as it didn''t hurt him at all.


    Roughly around an hourter, Mark slowly opened his eyes and stretched his body, "Man¡­ that was a good sleep. I wonder how long it passed."


    "Ark, how much time do I have?" He asked in his head.


    *Ding! 54 minutes have passed, Master. Based on the time you set beforehand, there are still 5 hours, and 3 minutes left till the next trial.


    "Eh? Only an hour has passed?" A trace of surprise filled Mark''s eyes. "I thought I slept for a long time. Should I sleep again? Hmm¡­ how about just spending the time? Let''s just do that."


    He sat up in a lotus position and opened the recorded tab. There was a 5 hours 42 minutes video recorded as thetest one. It is the battle video recorded by the artificial intelligence, through Mark''s eyes.


    Mark scrolled down the list of videos.


    After scrolling down enough, he clicked on the video from one month ago.


    Soon, the video opened on the holographic screen, which expanded to a 100-inch screen as ordered by Mark.


    The video disyed Song Yue sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard; there was a baby lying in her arms smiling as he waved his tiny hands.


    It immediately brought a smile to Mark''s face, "Lu Shan¡­"


    Five hourster;


    "wuwuwu¡­


    "Argh¡­ so hateful. He only makes such sounds in Changbo''s hands. Why not me? Is it because he is welpire, I wonder."


    For the past five hours, Mark immersedpletely in watching all those little moments he had with little Lu Shan from his birth, oftenmenting about this and that. He lost track of time, caught up in cherished memories.


    Just as he reliving another cherished memory, a voice suddenly echoed from the sky, jolting him back to reality. "Time for your second trial, mortal. Prepare yourself."


    "Ah, it''s already been 5 hours? Time really passed quickly." Mark closed down the screen and got up.


    A couple of minutester, the surroundings changed to beautiful scenery; he was standing almost at the edge of a cliff, watching snowcapped mountains far away with their peaks covered by clouds, endless grasnd beneath the cliff with a river stream flowing in the middle, and numerous animals and birds were seen in their habitats, minding their own business.


    Mark knew that his surroundings were nothing more than an illusion but he couldn''t help but appreciate the beauty of nature and also felt peace in his heart just by looking at the scenery.


    His mood was once again destroyed by the voice from the sky, giving him a mission, "It''s time to put your perception to the test, mortal. I''m sure you are aware that everything before your eyes is nothing more than an illusion and yet, your heart and mind don''t wish for you toe of out it. You pass this trial when you manage to see the reality of this ce. Good luck."


    "Eh? That''s it?" Mark was stumped by the task given by the voice from the sky.


    He couldn''t help but chuckle andugh out loud for a few seconds, "Man, here I thought it was going to be another tiring challenge."


    "Ark, open skills list"


    Mark scrolled down a bit and clicked on the skill that wouldn''t cost him a bit or have any cooldown time period.


    *Ding! Eyes of Truth skill has been activated, Master.


    During the past few months, Mark did work out on Eyes of God, with the help of artificial intelligence.


    Through this, he created a couple of skills, more like variations of the skill.


    One of them is the Eyes of Truth which focuses more on illusions.


    As Mark''s eyes glowed, the scenery before him changed, instantly revealing the truth.


    The beautiful snowcapped mountains changed to erupting volcanoes, the grasnd changed to darknd with cracks everywhere, and the river streams changed to Lava Rivers. As for the animals and birds, they changed to fire-type demonic beasts. Roars of the beasts filled the entire area as if they were either in deep agony or in rage, forcing Mark to shut his ears.


    Fortunately, it onlysted a moment before everything came to a standstill and the voice returned once again. "That fast? Now, this is something I haven''t expected mortal. It looks like while youcked strength, your perception in distinguishing reality and illusion is indeed unprecedented. No wonder, you are favored by Mdy.


    But, it is still a surprise that you could break the illusion in a matter of seconds. To see through this illusion, one should be above the¡­"


    Mark raised his head to look at the clear sky and interrupted the speech given by the voice, "I''m sorry but can we proceed with the next trial, mister? You can spare me all of those praises once I am done with it." His voice had a hint of impatience and his face looked all serious.


    "Mister?" The mysterious being appeared as if he was surprised for a second before letting out a chuckle of amusement, "It''s been the first time one addressed me that way. Fine, everything is the will of the Three Pure ones."


    Followed by the muting of his voice, the surroundings once again changed. Thendscape returned to the barrennd. But, the opponent is slightly different.


    A shadowy figure appeared in front of Mark''s eyes.


    "Defeat yourself and it will be the end of tests," The voice told him as Mark''s opponent slowly took the appearance of Mark.


    Everything is an exact copy of Mark from head to toe, except for its eyes, which are scarlet in color with no visible pupils.


    "Good luck¡­"


    As soon as the voice from the sky ended, heavy gravitational suppression appeared in the area, all of a sudden.


    Mark was instantly forced to his knees; his eyes widened his realization, "Gravity Dome."

 Chapter 557: The trial of Yuanlong (part-2)

    The release of a hundred times gravity in the surroundings forced Mark to his knees and before he got to counterattack, Mark''s copy charged forward like lightning and gave a kick to his chin.


    "Gravity Dome, activate." Mark hollered at the top of his lungs to hinder his copy''s movements and also hoped to be free from the suppression.


    *Ding! Skillunch has failed.


    However, the result was a failure.


    "Why?" this was the thought of Mark as his vision blurred while the kick was connected, sending him fly away tens of meters backward. Pain radiated from his chin and blood trickled down his lips, but he gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up, with his muscles straining against the crushing gravity. However, it was to no avail, for he could only barely lift his head.


    When his eyes met his copy, thetter was seen smirking, "Is that all you''ve got?" the copy taunted him further.


    Wiping off the blood on his lips, Mark shouted inside his head, "Ark, what happened?" he couldn''t help but ask the artificial intelligence for the answer. After all, this was the first time he ever saw the failure of skillunch, especially when it was done by either the system or the A.I.


    Ding! The graviton particles in the surroundings are under the control of the enemy. Master needs greater mastery to take back control.


    "Greater mastery?" Mark''s facial expression became ugly when saw the notification. Forget about greater mastery, he doesn''t even have an ounce of mastery tounch the skill on his own as he could do with Bloodline skills, for he always activated it with the help of the system.


    He also knew that the Gravity Dome wasn''t altering the''s gravitational force. It''s manipting graviton particles in the air, making them heavier or lighter at the user''s will. Someone activating the skill means they''re controlling these graviton particles within a certain range.


    It made perfect sense that without superior mastery, he couldn''t wrest control back.


    Hence, he had to think of another method.


    Meanwhile, his copy conjured a bunch of ice spears and charged forward.


    Having no other choice, Mark conjured his Blizzard wings from the back and used them to cover him up for defense while thinking of a solution.


    *ting* *Ting* Ting* ting* ting*


    The copy attacked Mark with the icy spears one after another but Mark''s wings managed to block each and every one of them with its superior durability.


    This gave him enough time for an idea to pop up in his head and he asked, "Ark, if you take control of my mind, could you do it?"


    *Ding! It is not possible for me to take back control from him. However, I can negate it. But, that also means the master cannot activate the skill in the meantime.


    "Dammit¡­ Fine," Mark gritted his teeth. He couldn''t let his copy win. Summoning his determination, he focused on the faint tingle of his power. He had trained for this. His mastery might not be greater, but he had one advantage¡ªArk.


    "Ark, synchronize with my neural output and take control," Markmanded.


    "Understood. Synchronizing now."


    A surge of energy flowed through Mark, and he felt a heightened awareness of the gravitons around him. His muscles strained, but this time, he felt a slight give into the oppressive force.


    *Ding! Synchronized. The change in the density of gravitons is no longer effective on the master.


    Suddenly, Mark felt lighter than ever. "I wonder if others might have also felt like this, whenever I used this skill on them and remove itter. Anyway, let''s get back to the fight."


    His copy''s eyes widened in surprise as Mark slowly rose to his feet. "Impossible!" it hissed.


    With a focused burst of energy, Mark jumped forward throwing his fist at his copy''s cheek.


    The copy gave a nce to the iing punch and stayed on the spot, getting hit on his cheek; his gaze was fixed on Mark and he had a smirk on his face as the fist couldn''t even budge his face, "It''s futile, Shang Zhen. You should know your body the best. There is no way such a weak punch could actually hurt me."


    "Hmm?" A trace of surprise appeared on Mark. "Shang Zhen?" The copy tightened his fist too and gave a punch to Mark''s face at blurring speeds.


    *Pow*


    His nose became bloody and crooked as he flew back and crashed a hundred meters away. "Argh¡­" He groaned in pain.


    The copy slowly started walking toward him.


    It was then Mark suddenly startedughing with his gaze on the sky, "Everything now made sense." *p* p* *p*


    "Hmm, did he go crazy or something?" Mark''s copy wondered aloud before he charged forward, reached his opponent in a jiffy, and jumped high,nding on Mark''s stomach with a knee strike.


    "Ugh¡­" *cough* cough*


    Mark coughed out a mouthful of blood and copsed down. His gaze met with his counterpart, who looked down at him. Markughed once again.


    "What''s funny?" His copy asked with a frown on his face.


    Mark replied, "Here I thought it was going to be a battle against myself. But, it doesn''t look that way. Earlier, you addressed me as Shang Zhen. That''s the biggest mistake you have made, impostor."


    "Hmm?" The frown on copy deepened, "Whether you wish to agree or not, this is the birth name your parents gave you."


    "If you want to pretend like me, tell me what this is." Mark raised his hand and gave a middle finger to the copy.


    The copy tilted its head in confusion, "It''s missing the storage ring you wore a while ago."


    "I knew it." Mark''s smile widened further as he proved his hypothesis. He strengthened it more as he spoke in English this time, "It means FU*K YOU, you idiot. Haha, can you follow what I am saying right now? I don''t think you do, bas*ard."


    The confusion on the copy''s face increased even more. "I don''t recognize thenguage you are speaking."


    Mark took his confused state to his advantage and spoke in his head, "Activate Singrity."


    Singrity formed in the middle of his palms, generating infinite gravitational force to suck the target into it.


    "Wha¡­" Before the copy understood what was going on, he was sucked into Mark''s palm; thetter then spoke, "Deactivate the skill, Ark."


    The singrity was about to form a ck hole but instead disappeared as if it didn''t exist in the first ce.


    *Ding! Singrity has been deactivated. The target has been destroyed.


    *Ding! All functions have been unlocked.


    This is a spatial skill Mark identally created in the elf world when he lost his memories, almost destroying the world in the process, and was saved by the system in the end.


    Originally, the skill should have been activated in this controlled manner. As that is unleashed without the system''s assistance, the true singrity was created back then.


    "Okay, now that the matter is settled, it is time to meet the god or whatever divine beast that wanted to test me." Mark rose to his feet, taking out a bottle of water from the inventory and cleaning his mouth.


    As a result of the trial''s end, a giant portal, simr to the one at the temple he used to get to this ce, appeared not far away from Mark.


    As he turned his head to look at the portal, two figures exited it.


    One was tall, with a muscr build, wearing silver armor, with a giant broadsword that was as big as him hanging on his back. The other one was a small and cute white rabbit with jade green eyes, wearing clothes and a top hat; it was seen flying alongside.


    Mark instantly acted his Eyes of God to get their basic details. Instantly, a frown appeared on his face, "Li and Yutu, the servants of the Moon goddess? I thought it was linked to that Ouroboros-looking kinda thing."

 Chapter 558: Change, the Moon goddess

    Species: Human


    Age: 3000+


    Rank: 11-circle (peak-stage)


    Spirit path: Swordsman


    Attribute: Ice, Divine


    Bloodline: N/A


    *


    Species: Rabbit


    Age: 10,000,000+


    Rank: 12-circle


    Attribute: Divine


    Bloodline: The Jade Rabbit


    *


    Mark was more surprised with the fact that this cute-looking rabbit is a Saint-realm beast and even more absurd is that it is over 10 million years old.


    "Is it immortal?" Mark couldn''t help but wonder; his gaze was mostly fixed on the tiny thing that was flying beside the muscled warrior.


    As they reached him, Mark calmly greeted them with a casual bow, "Hello."


    The man returned the greetings with a nod and introduced himself, "I''m Li, the chief of the celestial lunar guards."


    "Yutu, Mdy''s personal assistant"


    The rabbit''s behavior made it seem like it was annoyed and also looked down on Mark. Thetter wondered whether it was because it was in the Saint realm.


    Mark bowed to them once again as their information was updated, "Nice to meet you, I''m Lu Zhen."


    The rabbit then spoke, "You know we were watching you from the beginning. Your energy reserves don''t even reach up to the basic mark that our maids in the pce have. However, your body could take hits. Your magic attacks are abnormal and could even rival this man''s power, but you don''t know how to utilize it properly.


    Mdy wants to ask you how you saw through the illusion when you are a mortal who has yet to lose his materialistic desires."


    If it was the past Mark, he would have been by the rabbit''s tone, but several things that happened during the past year changed him. Departure of the system, reconciling with his parents, his marriage to Song Yue, and bing a dad; these things primarily had a huge influence on Mark''s mind and he had be too soft enough to not mind such words from the rabbit.


    In fact, he became even more understanding.


    Mark looked at the rabbit and then spared a nce at the warrior beside him, "If your master wants the answer, I will answer to her directly."


    The rabbit frowned andmented, "You are arrogant, mortal."


    Mark put up his fake smile on his face and gave a cheeky reply, "I passed all of your trials. You must give me a room to be proud, mister."


    The jade rabbit stared at Mark for a few seconds in silence and eventually let out a sigh, "Well, I have to follow orders anyway. Follow us."


    "Wait, what about my sister?" asked Mark in a hurry.


    The rabbit answered as it floated in the air, turning around, "She is still in trials. But, nothing to worry about, even if she fails, she won''t die."


    "Okay, that''s good," Mark sighed in relief and followed the rabbit and the man who turned around.


    As they reached the portal, he opened his mouth once again, "Just onest thing. Who is your master, by the way?"


    "You will understand everything when you go there," replied the rabbit as it flew into the portal. Li, the warrior, then added his opinion, "I would give you a piece of advice though, Challenger Shang. Show your utmost courtesy in front of Her Majesty." He followed the rabbit into the portal.


    "These two individuals sure love to put on airs, but then again, they have the strength to act that way. If they are the subordinates, I wonder how strong their master will be. Syl said one must be in God''s realm to remove that curse on Xiao Jiao," Mark muttered under his breath before stepping inside the portal too.


    The scenery changed once again; this time, he found himself in the middle of a grand hall, bathed in a soft, silvery-bluish glow that seemed to be emanating from the walls.


    There is so much to describe the beauty of the grand hall but Mark''s gaze was only fixed on one person, thedy with ethereal beauty.


    Since Song Yue, he has never witnessed a beauty that could raise his heartbeat to such an extent.


    Her hair is long, flowing, and lustrous. Her eyes are deep and enchanting. They have a serene, otherworldly quality, and when she gazes, it feels as if she can see into one''s very soul. Herplexion is wless and pale. It has a delicate, almost translucent quality that adds to her ethereal presence. Her beauty is timeless and otherworldly.


    The woman wore flowing robes made of the finest silks; these robes were adorned with patterns of stars, moons, and celestial motifs, and they moved as if with a life of their own, gently floating around her.


    She wore delicate jewelry crafted from gems that looked a bit like sapphire but Ark says it is an unknown element. These pieces are understated yet elegant, enhancing her natural beauty without overshadowing it.


    She is also surrounded by a soft and radiant glow of the aura of divinity.


    In both of his lives, Mark was confident that Song Yue was the perfect woman he ever saw up close.


    But, when the Goddess came near him, he couldn''t help but think that even his wife pales inparison to her.


    The Goddess walked up to him as the warrior and the rabbit went down to one of their knees while keeping their gaze on the floor. She eventually stopped, about five to six feet away.


    Letting out a smile, she spoke, "Wee to the Lunar Pce, mortal."


    "Who¡­ who are you?" Mark stuttered a little bit, reacting to her greetings. When he realized his folly, he hurriedly bowed, "I''m sorry. I mean, I haven''t heard of your identity, Your Grace." He tried to be as polite and formal as he could. It was quite hard for him, who was used to ordering everyone or speaking casually.


    After all, this is an entity that has the power to destroy an entire at will. Even if he uses everything he has, he won''t be able to kill her. Hence, he had to be courteous as he was advised. Moreover, on the way, she experienced how even his inventory was locked. Who knows what powers she might have?


    The Goddess let out a giggle but covered her mouth with her hand, "Rx, mortal. I''m not as strict as those gods who care about hierarchy. As for my identity, you can call me Chang''e. If it is too much, you can address me as ''Your grace'' as everyone does."


    The rabbit raised its eyes and took a nce at her master and thought, ''As if you don''t care about hierarchy, you two-faced devil. You are famous for bullying your servants when they are not too courteous toward you and act as if you are the Jade Emperor.''


    Its eyes then nce to the right to spot the mortal who was standing toe to toe against his master, ''I really wonder what''s in this mortal that Mdy was so interested about that she even pardoned him from the formalities, which she only does with other fellow deities of the heavenly pce.''


    Mark raised his head to look at her directly and became dazed for a second before he controlled himself and cupped his fists with a bow, "If Your Grace is the one that I''m here for, then, I humbly request you to save my sister from the curse she got from a cosmic orb."


    "The Orb of Time,"mented the Goddess in response. "Yeah, I sensed it. It''s not a problem."


    "Then¡­" Mark looked at her hopefully.


    However, the Goddess'' following words caused turmoil in his heart, "But, we cannot just do favors on mortals. It goes against the code of the heavenly pce. A price needed to be paid."


    "Price? What is it?" Mark didn''t promise right away and asked her. He decided to reject the request if it involved his personal life. For example: working for her as a ve for a certain period of time, or something like that.


    The Goddess then said, "You have to bring back Hou Yi''s soul that was supposedly imprisoned in the Netherworld."


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 559: Change and Houyis back story

    "It was the time when Emperor Ku ruled the world. Back then, there are no wars around. The beasts roamed thend freely while the humans lived in their settlements without the worry of any invasion.


    I was born as the daughter of a noble and Houyi was born in a small vige. Usually, we were born in different worlds that couldn''t align with each other in any time period.


    But, the sudden appearance of the Cosmic Orb of Malevolence plunged our Diqiu realm into chaos. People became greedy. The nobles wanted to rule, themoners wanted to hunt down the beasts to get stronger, and the dragons wanted to loot the people, ugh¡­ that was a decade I couldn''t forget even after a long time.


    As the ancients often say, heroes rise in turbulent times, Houyi''s talents as an archer made him well known all across the world over time; with blessings from Emperor Ku, he became the guardian of the world.


    During this period, we met each other, fell in love, and became a married couple.


    Just as we thought everything woulde to an end, the Sun God gets corrupted for some reason and he multiplies nine times to surround our world, intending to destroy all life for some unknown reason.


    Houyi epted the emperor''s plea and set out to save the world.


    Armed with his celestial bow and magical arrows bestowed upon him by Emperor Ku, Houyi climbed to the peak of Kunlun Mountain, where he had a clear view of the ten suns.


    With unmatched precision and strength, he shot down nine of the ten suns, leaving only one to provide light and warmth while taking all of that remnant energy into him to protect the world, almost dying in the process.


    Impressed by his efforts, Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West and Jade Emperor''s wife, gave him the elixir of immortality as a reward. Houyi could drink it and ascend to the heavens as an undying immortal but instead, he brought it back to our home to keep it safe.


    He actually nned on using it to brew a magical elixir so that even a poor boy in a mountain vige gets to enjoy long life spans with immunity to disease and extraordinary healing recovery. But, he wasn''t an alchemist.


    The only one he trusts to make such an elixir is the mighty Leviathan, which he had a contract with. Who could have expected his own summoning contract would betray him for the elixir?


    Houyi and Leviathan fought for days and nights. They were heavily injured and Leviathan''s army wanted to raid the world to acquire the elixir in the absence of the guardian.


    To protect it from falling into the wrong hands, I had to drink all of the elixir and be immortal while my husband died due to injuries. But, the story doesn''t end there.


    That evil serpent dragged his body and soul back with it to the depths of theherworld, a ce where all the Deities, even the Jade Emperor, are vulnerable. On the other hand, as I assumed the post of the ruler of the moons, I''m stuck in this pce, not capable of leaving that ce.


    Thousands of years have passed and I was waiting to meet a warrior who could help me. And now, look at the coincidence, the one who I was waiting to meet ended up not only our descendant but also the one with a contract of a demon king.


    If this is not fate, what else it is, mortal?"


    "Wait¡­ wait¡­ wait¡­"


    While Mark found the story very heart-touching, there was something else that disturbed him. "I''m your descendant?" He asked the Moon Goddess, Chang''e.


    The Moon Goddess was pleasantly surprised by his question. "Of course," She nodded with a smile as she snapped her fingers.


    Instantly, countless light particles conjured in front of Mark, transforming into the image of a couple; one looks simr, if not an exact copy of himself but in traditional warrior clothes and a bow, and the other is the graceful-looking moon goddess, who seemed unchanged at all, except for the divine aura.


    Mark couldn''t help but stare at the image. As a modern man, the first thought that came to him was, "Is this a photoshop?"


    But then, he instantly put that silly thought away as there is no reason why a Goddess who is as strong as Bael would want to lie to him.


    Her ethereal beauty also affected his mentality a lot. He just couldn''t help but believe her words to his heart.


    However, the main problem is still there and Mark had to point it out first.


    "Okay, let''s just assume that I''m really Houyi''s descendant, Your Grace. But, I''m still not strong enough to go into the demon world to do your task. While I could still feel the connection with Bael, there is no guarantee that he will help me. Isn''t it the same asmitting suicide?" Cautious Mark didn''t hesitate to put forth the facts as he didn''t want to die and leave his wife and child behind.


    In response, The Moon Goddess replied almost instantly as if she was prepared to answer his doubt, "I''m going toe with you. So, no worries."


    "Huh?" Mark was taken aback by her response. "Didn''t you earlier say that you are not capable of leaving?"


    "Oh, I just have to appoint someone as my sessor and I can leave. That''s not a problem at all," replied Chang''e.


    Mark couldn''t help but furrow his brows, deeply thinking of everything that transpired so far. If that is the case, howe she has yet to do it? Why did she need him then? Perhaps, she has no way to enter theherworld itself without an outsider''s help. And she wants revenge against Leviathan?


    There were a few questions in his head but Mark felt like it would be rude to ask her everything as it would seem like he was interrogating her.


    But, at the same time, there is also an issue of security. If the air in theherworld is poisonous to divine beings, Chang''e wouldn''t be much of a help. Her cultivation might be suppressed to Saint Realm and she might not be a match for Bael.


    So, is it necessary to take her with him?


    After thinking thoroughly, Mark said, "I ept the task but under one condition." He bowed to her once again and cupped his fists, "Your Grace, I request you to heal my sister prior to our journey so that I get to be in peace."


    "That goes without saying, mortal," Chang''e''s smile continued to stay on her face as she further added, "After all, we need the power of her Cosmic Orb to defeat that evil monster. Before we go, I''ll also help you enter the Demigod realm. Moreover, if you want to remove the Mark of the Queen Mother Goddess, branded on your soul, you would have to be in the Demigod realm.


    Until we work on your issues, you can stay here as the guest."


    "It was from the Queen Mother?" Mark''s heart skipped a beat when he heard it. His eyes widened as he thought, ''No wonder the system said it doesn''t have the power to erase the mark.''


    "Thank you."


    One dayter;


    In one of the gardens of the Moon Pce, Mark is seen meditating as Chang''e was personally helping him with the breakthrough.


    Through her blessing of divine energy, his cells rapidly turned into ether particles, increasing their number every second.


    In just an hour, they reached almost 1 billion in number, the bottleneck of the Supreme realm. Mark could feel a burst of energy inside his body. He could sense how strong he had be.


    While he might have taken a shortcut to reach such a stage, Mark doesn''t feel an ounce of shame for it. If it happens by luck, then, so be it. If it happens by taking the help of a third party, so be it.


    As long as his goal is achieved, it is satisfying for him.


    On the other hand, The Moon Goddess doesn''t look good. She has a deep frown on her face as she continuously pours her divine essence into Mark''s body, "Why? It''s been absorbed but not being refined. There was a huge wall that even I couldn''t break? Is this his limit? No, that cannot be.


    He is the holder of the Blizzard Pegasus and some unknown power that even I''m not aware of. There is no way his potential is stuck here. What might be the reason?"


    After trying it for another hour, she stopped the process and let out a deep sigh, "It''s useless."

 Chapter 560: To the Netherworld

    Mark opened his eyes, filled with excitement, observing his hands for a couple of seconds before getting up in a hurry and cupping his fist to the Goddess, who was seen standing not far away with her gaze fixed on the horizon. "Your Grace, thank you for your help." He genuinely thanked her, as he knew how long he had to suffer to get such a huge amount of ether particles.


    With this, he couldn''t wait to try out his bloodline skills.


    However, Chang''e responded by letting out a sigh once again, "Mortal, I promised to help you in a breakthrough to the Demigod realm, but I don''t have the capability to do it."


    "Hmm?"


    "The only thing that makes sense is your problem doesn''t lie in cultivation, but lies with your mind. You have to solve those things that weigh on your mind, in order to make a breakthrough." She said in an apologetic tone. Perhaps, she was ashamed to face him. She refused to meet her gaze with her, unlike before and talked to him while looking away.


    Mark instantly remembered his past life. There is a knot in his heart that he has yet topromise with.


    He could forgive Lu Zhen''s parents because they weren''t his parents in the first ce.


    But, the betrayal from his trustedrades and superiors from his past life is something that he cannot ignore. There is also his life mission to reunite with his younger brother.


    Unfortunately, these things he cannot share it with the Goddess and has to keep silent for now.


    Chang''e perhaps was waiting for him to speak something, but as Mark stayed silent, she kept ncing to the sides for a while, until the awkward silence between them was broken by a beam of ice appearing in the sky, not far away from them.


    "Hmm?" "Hmm?"


    "It looks like your sister made a breakthrough." Chang''e hurriedly flew away from the spot. Mark stared at her back in aplicated gaze for a while. In the end, he let out a sigh, "Well, Xiao Jiao was healed. That''s enough for me. Whether she still holds hope that I could help her or not has nothing to do with me. I just needed to ensure my life.


    That will be enough. Hmm¡­ the orb of time, huh¡­"


    Three dayster;


    Mark and Chang''e were standing together in the middle of the grand hall. Both of them were almost sticking to each other with arge chain over their necks that had an amulet in the bottom.


    "Do you think it will work?" Mark asked the Goddess. Thetter turned her head and answered, "Of course, as long as¡­"


    Their eyes met and their noses almost touched with each other, making Mark and Chang''e look away as thetter finished her reply, "As long as our energies are in sync."


    Pouring his ether energy into the amulet, he mumbled, "I hope I''m doing the right thing." Chang''e poured the energy into the amulet at the same time.


    As he closed his eyes, mystical drawings started appearing beneath their feet before demonic energy enveloped their bodies. "Ugh¡­" Chang''e let out a painful groan but bore the pain, not trying to resist the poisonous demonic energy.


    Soon, the seal released a beam of light. As the light disappeared, they too disappeared not only from the room but even from the mortal ne of existence.


    When his vision was restored, Mark found himself in the middle of an ind located in the middle of ava river. The sky looked too cloudy and the constant rumbling of thunders could be heard all over the ce.


    However, Mark finds himself alone. Chang''e wasn''t on his side, making him wonder whether they teleported to different locations or whether it failed and he alone got here.


    While he was wondering about what happened with the Moon Goddess, Ark, the artificial intelligence spoke in his head, "Master, the maic field is too messed up here. The quality of natural energy is too dense. It is not rmended to stay here for a long time."


    "Well, I''m a human and you are a super artificial intelligence, Ark. Both of us had one thing inmon. We adapt to our situations."


    Far away from his location, Bael woke up from his sleep and furrowed his brows, "Lu Zhen? This isn''t his spirit. I can sense life force. He is here with his physical body. Is he crazy? Hmm¡­ I can also sense the presence of a deity here." His frown was reced by an evil grin, "It''s been a long time since I have met a dog from the Heavenly Pce.


    This should be fun. Forget about Lu Zhen for now. Let''s capture this Deity before others make their move."


    Meanwhile, in another part of Ars Goetia, Chang''e found herself in the middle of an ind, located in the endless sea ofva. She couldn''t stop shivering as she mumbled, "We were separated. But, that is alright. As long as I have this, there is nothing to worry about. Even if he dies, I can revive him." She took out an orb that was constantly emitting an emerald-green aura. "Leviathan, here Ie."


    **


    Several hours passed away in the blink of an eye;


    As Mark started exploring the demon world with his icy wings spread widely, he realized various things about this new world.


    First things first, there was ack of vegetation in this ce. Even after traveling for one whole hour, he had to see a single de of grass anywhere.


    While the never-ending Lava River andkes seemed to be normal here, he realized that this ce was rich in minerals and rare metals. Ark, the A.I., was busy scanning the surroundings and reporting him simultaneously, doing his job.


    After crossing many regions and hordes of normal demons on the way and creating disturbance everywhere with his presence, Mark eventuallynded on an ind filled with purple-colored crystals where a demon was engrossed in practice. He was thrusting the spear into the air, over and over, with a hardened expression on his face.


    The artificial intelligence naturally cannot get his details, unlike the system, but it sure sessfully scanned his strength and abilities, using Mark''s God''s Eye skill.


    Species: Demon


    Age: 8,000,000+


    Rank: 12-circle (peak-stage)


    Spirit path: Swordsman


    Attribute: Fire, Demonic


    Bloodline: Nianmang


    **


    Marknded on the ground, not far away from him. However, the demon continued to practice, not sparing a nce at him.


    After waiting for half a minute, Mark eventually decided to interrupt him with a greeting, "Hello, sorry for the disturbance, but can we talk for a second?"


    His words brought the demon back to reality and it displeased him for sure. With a frown clearly disyed on his face, the demon took a sniff and then growled, "I smell divine energy inside you, mortal. What are you here for?"


    "EH? Divine energy?" Mark was first slightly taken aback by thement but then as he remembered that mark on his soul by the deity, which wasn''t removed yet, heposed himself and exined, "I have no ties with the gods. If anything, I''m more connected to the demons. I have a contract with King Bael."


    "Bael?" The frown on the demon''s face disappeared and was reced with curiosity. He observed Mark for a couple of seconds and nodded, "Indeed, I can sense the aura of Baeltched onto your soul. That makes you one of us." Putting away the spear, he asked, "So, what do you need from me? Do you want me to show you the directions of his region? Or do you need my help in contacting him?


    You can request anything but a contract with me. I don''t like to form contracts with mortals to fulfill their selfish desires."

 Chapter 561: Mark acquires a demon slave

    ''It looks like I struck gold.''


    Mark controlled his happiness by clenching his fist and trying to be as calm as possible as he replied, "Bael once told me about the existence of a beast named Leviathan. I wish to form a contract with it. But, I don''t know its location and I don''t have enough time to explore this entire realm in search of the beast. If you kindly help me, it would help me a lot."


    "Guardian Leviathan?" The demon''s eyes widened in shock before a chuckle escaped from him, turning into a burst ofughter, "seriously? Hahaha¡­ oh, great devil¡­ I never thought I would hear such words from a mortal in my whole life. You looked like someone who is still in the Body forging stage (<demigod) and you want to form a contract with the Great Leviathan? Hahaha¡­"


    "Guardian?" Mark was taken aback by the demon''s address toward the beast. He felt like the beast he had to face was something that was more powerful than this Saint-realm demon lord. At once, he felt like he should use the amulet and escape this ce.


    But, remembering his promise, he calmed down his nerves with a deep breath and nodded firmly, exuding confidence outwardly, "I think I can do it, as long as I have help."


    "Help? Bael is considered one of the top three fighters in this realm and not even he is a match for the guardian," replied the demon. After a brief pause, he turned serious and added, "Return to your world, mortal. You are lucky that you are in my region, or else, you would have long been shredded into pieces.


    The demons don''t like mortals and neither do they care about other demon kings in their territory."


    ''Stronger than Bael? Is it in True God realm (14-circle)?'' Mark''s facial expression turned ugly, ''In that case, I don''t think it is possible for even Chang''e to save husband''s soul. Hmm¡­ wait a second. It could be possible with Unnamed. The box weighs over 1.32 billion kg. If I unleash Gravity Dome to the max, its weight will be increased to 264 billion kg.


    Now, the target is a 14-circle realm beast. To injure it, I should atleast need force equivalent to that realm.


    Let''s see¡­ Song Missile with a warhead of 42KT yield releases around 174 Tera Joules, which is equivalent to an attack from an immortal (11.1 stats).


    Then, The Mark-14 Nuclear bomb with a yield of 6.9 Megaton releases around 28.9 Peta joules; and that is equivalent to an attack from a Saint (12.1 stats).


    So, that means the energy released from an attack of a Saint is roughly 165 times bigger than that of an immortal. I can''t calcte it linearly but for a rough estimate, the bare minimum needed to hurt a 14-circle realm should be 1 Zeta joules. We might even be 10 times the value but let''s assume this bare minimum value.


    Let''s say I throw it down from 1km of height. Throwing horizontally requires more work. Not to mention, there is always a risk of failure.


    The gravity here in theherworld is around 16.32 m/s2, ording to Ark.


    But, what if I apply density maniption on the object? Its mass will be increased up to 200 times. So, its overall weight will be increased by 40,000 times. Ah, nope. Don''t forget that base gravity is different here. it is 1.6 times higher.


    So, the resulting weight will be 84.48 trillion kg."


    "Ark, calcte it for me. Assume the required energy release is 15 zeta joule."


    *Ding! That will be around Mach 126 approx, the required velocity needed to achieve the result."


    "Eek. that is impossible."


    "Ark, reduce it to 1.5 Zeta joule then."


    *Ding! That will be around mach 40 approx, the required velocity needed to achieve the result."


    "Oh, boy... Mach 40, huh? Hmm... I guess, that is also achievable." Mark nodded. Mach 40 sounds like a huge number but with the help of the divine throne, Mark felt like he could do it.


    As the object was bound to his soul, he didn''t feel its weight even under any gravitational force. Hence, he was confident in inflicting even greater damage as long as he could just throw it with everything he got, provided that it hit the target.


    But the only problem is that this attack should be done discreetly. He needs someone to take away the attention from the target.


    As Mark returned to his senses, he saw the demon had already returned to his practice, thrusting his demonic spear into the air.


    Mark got an idea.


    "Uhh¡­ excuse me," Mark interrupted his practice once again. As the demon looked at him, this time with a slightly annoyed expression on his face, Mark said in a calm manner, "Earlier, you said that you wouldn''t like to form a contract with humans for their selfish desires, but I also know that strength is everything in the demon world."


    "Yes, so?" The demon furrowed his brows, not liking what this conversation was going to do.


    Mark then summoned his divine throne and transformed it into a submachine gun with a thought in his mind, "I would like to challenge you for a duel with my soul as the stake. You win and you may im my soul; I win and you form a contract with me. Do you dare to ept?" He purposely raised his voice in the end, trying to provoke the arrogance of the demon.


    "So, this divine artifact is the reason for your arrogance?" The demon instantly responded with the bottom end of the spear mming onto the ground, "A foolish mortal who doesn''t like to appreciate my noble intentions deserves to die." His demeanor changed instantly. The demonic aura erupted from him, forming ayer over his skin.


    Raising the spear and pointing it at Mark, the demon said, "I, Alloces, one of the Great Dukes of Ars Goetia, ept your challenge. If you could win against me, I will even be willing to be your ve, do your bidding for the next hundred years."


    *Ding! Information about the target has been updated.


    ''Man, that was even better. I guess it was the luck points,'' Mark nodded with a smile, pointing the gun at the target.


    Just as the demon lord was about to make his move, Mark''s eyes turned icy blue as he mumbled, "Freezing Gaze, Activate."


    Alloces only moved one step and he was frozen on the spot, imprisoned in ice. Mark didn''t wait for the enemy to get out; he put away the gun and charged forward while unleashing another skill, "Thunderst."


    *Rumble*


    Dark clouds gathered in the sky within a second, followed by the rumbling of thunder, and the descent of yellow-colored lightning, striking the demon directly on his head.


    A few secondster, as the ice melted down, Alloces was found standing there on the spot, with his burnt hair and ckened face, and second-degree wounds on his body.


    *Thud*


    He fell to his back at once.


    "Uhh¡­" Mark stood there in a daze, watching the mighty demon falling unconscious in an instant, ''that was an overkill? I thought he was a peak-stage Saint Realm demon.''


    *Ding! Master, the target was frozen in ice, which slowed the movement of molecules in his cells. As a result, the cellr energy, which is the prime source of demonic energy couldn''t properly defend the body. Meanwhile, the lightning strike as well as the Ice were both conjured by the master. Hence, they didn''t go against each other.


    However, when the lightning strike hit the target, the resulting energy and the target''s fire attribute energy melted down the ice, which turned into water, further helping the remnant lightning energy to inflict more damage on the target.


    ''Oh, never knew that thisbo could have such an effect,'' Mark was pleasantly surprised by the result of thebo he merely created on a whim. He thought of freezing the target on the spot, which could give him the time to inflict damage with the Thunderst that only has the power of an intermediate-stage Saint Realm expert.


    If there wasn''t the artificial intelligence that scanned the process and exined it to him, he wouldn''t have known as everything happened in just a matter of few seconds.


    "Well, let''s wait then."

 Chapter 562: Bael offers a deal to the Moon Goddess

    Half an hourter;


    "Ugh¡­"


    Groaning in pain, Alloces slowly woke up and found himself on the ground. His physical injuries were all healed up, automatically by his demonic energy, but the mental injury that Mark ced on him caused him to shiver at the thought of it.


    Just as he was praying that everything was just a dream, he heard the voice of Mark, from behind, "You finally woke up, Alloces."


    Alloces involuntarily sprung upon his feet and turned around and saw the human, sitting on a glowing exquisite throne that befits a king. While he was at it, he saw the human was also drinking something from arge cup.


    Taking a sip of coffee from the mug, Mark looked straight into the eyes of the demon standing before him, "So, what now, Alloces? You have lost. Now, will you honor the bet or will you go back on your words?"


    Alloces clenched his fist and took a nce at the spear on the ground, not far away from him, and then at Mark for a few times, before he went down onto one of his knees and ced his fist on the ground, "Master."


    ''Hohoho¡­ demons are sure easy to handle,pared to the humans.''


    Mark maintained his calm demeanor on the surface but there was a tiny figurine size that resembled Mark dancing inside his head, shouting loudly, "Yay¡­ yay¡­ a 12-circle realm ve. I can control him means I can also get to control his army,l¡­"


    After a while;


    *Ding! You formed a contract with Alloces


    *Ding! Absorbing the scroll of Alloces.


    5 minutester;


    *Ding! Scroll of Alloces has been transformed into skill.


    *Ding! ''Summon Alloces'' skill has been added to the skill list.


    Summon Alloces (max): The user can summon the demon lord and the Great Duke of Ars Goetia, Alloces, from theherworld with his full strength. Cost: 1 year of lifespan per hour. CD: None.


    Note: No cost is required if the summoned location is in Netherworld. The cost will be reduced ordingly if the summoned location is in a ce filled with demonic energy (i.e. a ce inhabited by demons). The cost will multiply ordingly if the summoned location is in a ce filled with divine energy (i.e. a ce inhabited by divine beings).


    "Ugh¡­ I should have expected it, but that is alright." Mark wants to face-palm himself for rejoicing prematurely but eventually, he convinces himself that atleast he can summon the demon with his full strength. Not to mention, his lifespan increases as he enters the demigod realm and this would be his greatest asset when he bes an immortal.


    *


    Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, above the Endless sea of Lava;


    Chang''e, the Moon Goddess, was seen battling a demonic beast that looked a bit like a giant centipede but could move freely in the endlessva sea.


    She was hovering in the sky, breathing heavily while keeping an eye on theva sea below her, "Damn this insect. It was too cunning. I don''t know how long it takes to defeat it.


    But, at the same time, I cannot leave its domain until I defeat it either." She was muttering under her breath as she was releasing cold gusts of wind through one of her palms continuously to cool down the temperature in her immediate surroundings. The heat emitted from the sea ofva was proven to be a difficult opponent for her.


    The other palm was also constantly conjuring Ice spears,unching at the invisible barrier, a hundred meters above her head.


    After concentrating on one spot, for a whole hour, while dealing with the beast''s random attacks from time to time, she finally managed to see a crack on the barrier.


    Chang''e couldn''t help but rejoice, "Finally, I think I can escape this ce, instead of wasting time on this insect."


    She stopped cooling down the air around her and bore the intense heat, her concentration was no longer on theva sea, and she went with a big attack for the first time in the past 45 minutes.


    Almost half of her energy reserves were consumed as she sted an Ice beam into the sky, aiming at the crack.


    "Graa¡­"


    Pyrochilus, the Infernal Arthropod Monarch, rose from the sea once again and opened its mouth, attempting to swallow the goddess.


    *Ting*


    A sound resounded in the surroundings as the Ice Beam destroyed the barrier, at the same time.


    "Sh*t"


    Chang''e face turned serious with a bit of panic with her body was struck with some kind of toxic gas; the centipede''s mouth was almost about to swallow her. She concentrated on releasing her remaining reserves of energy in the form of an explosion to st its head.


    But, it was then three scarlet beams came from the sky and struck the beast simultaneously.


    "Graaaaa¡­"


    The Centipede let out a painful roar before retracting back into the sea.


    Chang''e raised her head to stare at the sky; her eyes fell upon a demon floating in the sky; it had long spider legs but had three heads; one resembled a cat, one resembled a man, and thest resembled a toad. In terms of appearance, one can only term it as hideous.


    "Why is he here?" Chang''e was taken aback by the figure appearing in her sight. At the same time, she couldn''t help but frown upon sensing its strength, "I cannot see or sense Shang Zhen anywhere nearby. So, he came here alone. That doesn''t sound like good news. He is in the same realm as me. But, I cannot disy my full strength in this realm.


    Without the Orb of time, I''m not a match for his strength. Must I use it here? Unless I''m sure I can kill him with this, I cannot take it out. This treasure might attract the other demon kings too. Calm down Chang''e; let''s see how this ys out. He helped me earlier.


    So, I can atleast give the benefit of the doubt."


    The three-headed demon slowly descended as Chang''e slowly ascended. As they met face to face in the sky, the former opened his mouth, through the man''s head,ing directly to the matter, "You are here at the same as Lu Zhen. I suppose both of you must have teleported to this realm, together?"


    Chang''e calmly nodded as she dispelled thest bit of remaining toxic gas in her system, "Yes."


    Demon King Bael continued to ask, "What was your purpose?"


    Chang''e calmly answered, "I merely tagged along with the mortal."


    "Lie," hissed the cat head; its eyes seemed glowing in yellow.


    The man head then let out a smile, "It''s pointless to lie against me, Deity of the Moon. You neither have the stronger cultivation like the other Deities nor have a heaven-defying existence like Lu Zhen." His smile was quite creepy, for his lusty gaze that was wandering her body from top to bottom made her ufortable.


    Chang''e tried her best to calm her nerves as she answered truthfully this time, "My business is with Leviathan."


    "Leviathan?" This time, it was Bael''s turn to get surprised. "With your cultivation? You should bring the Jade Emperor to deal with the Guardian," Hemented.


    Chang''e let out a snort, "That is my headache to deal with it. This matter has no business with you. I''ll repay your favor some other time but for now, it is best if you don''t get in my way and better focus on your contracted mortal."


    "Unfortunately, I''m sorry but I have to get in your way, for I have some business with you," replied the three-headed demon, before increasing his size to atleast a hundred times.


    As Chang''e was startled by his sudden move and moved back to maintain distance, Bael continued, "Let''s make a deal, Deity of the moons. Hand me the divine essence of your soul and I will assure your protection in this realm. Reject it and I shall take it by force."


    "My divine essence?"

 Chapter 563: Marbas, the demon healer

    The soul essence core is something one attains when they reach the Saint realm (12-circle).


    While it says soul essence core, in fact, it is nothing more than something like a core that stores attributes'' energy.


    In general, attribute energy is always drawn out when applying skills. The skills are nothing more than the transformation of attribute energy.


    Of course, there are certain skills that use nature''s power, like Mark''s thunderst skill or Gravity Dome.


    However, in general, when people use their special skills, they always bring out their attribute energy from their cells.


    But, every now and then, there will be a genius who manages to bring out their attribute energy from their cells, without expending their ether energy. For example: Song Yue''s great grandfather-Song Tai, and her best friend, Lin Xue.


    What if one isn''t such once in a once-in-a-century genius then?


    Then, they have to wait until they be a Saint Realm Spirit warrior (12-circle) and form the soul essence. Then, all they need is to store it in their soul essence core, which is formed inside their soul, and use it whenever they want. The more one has attributes, the more they have essence cores.


    Chang''e is a moon goddess, blessed with divinity. Hence, apart from the ice essence core, she also had a divine essence core. That''s where her divine energy attackse from.


    What the demon was asked is her essence core itself.


    Giving it away will not make her cripple or something. However, it will take time to rebuild the essence core; possibly ten years or even hundreds of years.


    Obviously, she was reluctant to make such a deal. "Why do you need it?" She had to respond with a question, for his deal followed up with a threat.


    But, will one of the demon kings of Ars Goetia reveal his true intentions and give her the answer she wants to know?


    Nope.


    Bael shook his human head as he replied, "I''m afraid I cannot say it. Will you agree to the deal or battle me?" he stressed her to give a proper reply.


    Chang''e stared at the giant demonic creature in silence for a few seconds and broke the silence with a counter deal, "I don''t need protection from other demon kings. It is not worth it. If you want to showcase your sincerity, then, help me with my mission and I will give you the divine essence you desire."


    "If you want me to help you defeat the Guardian Leviathan, I''m afraid that''s out of my capability," Bael replied firmly, stressing thest set of words as if he wanted her to say that she should forget it.


    However, Chang''e surprised him by revealing the truth, "My husband''s soul is in the hands of Leviathan. Help me free his soul. If using force is meaningless, then, use words. I don''t care as long as you can free him."


    "Divine Archer Houyi''s soul, huh?" Bael thought for a bit and retracted his giant form, back to his usual size, followed by transforming into his humanoid form, which reduced his strength even more, in order to disy his trust.


    He then gave a nod, "If it is just that, I agree with your terms."


    Chang''e responded with a frown, "I hope you fulfill your word. I don''t know what you want to do with my divine essence but if you try to kill me, then, I will destroy it myself before it falls in your hands."


    "Nothing to worry, miss deity," Bael smiled, straightened his back, and bowed like a gentleman with one of his hands on his stomach, "we demons always honor our deals."


    Chang''e shivered involuntarily, feeling disturbed by the sudden change in the demon''s behavior. "Ah, yes. So, where to find that serpent?"


    "Before that, we need to meet a certain demon"


    "Hmm?"


    Back to Mark and Duke Alloces, both of them were flying across the valleys and mountains, nonstop for two hours at hypersonic speeds, finally reaching in grasnds that looked out of the ce in a demonic world.


    It was the closest that resembled a human world. Greenery could be seen everywhere here. Even more strange is that the demons here, instead of fighting each other, were all seen plucking flowers or nting trees.


    "What kind of being was Marbas?" Mark couldn''t help but ask Alloces as they flew across the grasnd, watching down below. He was surprised that demons could be like this too.


    But, Alloces had different opinions from him. "This guy is a fool, the scourge of demonkin. The demonic world respects strength and loves war but this fool prefers peace and loves to heal the injured. There are so many beasts in this realm that we can hunt down and eat them to gain strength but this fool loves to eat those things called rice and wheat that only fill the stomach and nothing else.


    If not for the fact that this guy is protected by Leviathan, he would have been killed by now. But, no one wants to incite the hatred of the Guardian."


    "Interesting." Mark got more curious about the demon that loves peace. "How did he win the favor of Leviathan?" He asked.


    Duke Alloces exined, "We are not sure what happened but some time ago, Leviathan returned to this realm being heavily injured. Several demon kings are ready to y it, but Marbas sacrifices his demonic essence to heal some injuries of the guardian. It averted those power-hungry lords'' ns. Marbas didn''t finish there.


    He continued to stay beside the guardian and slowly healed him for a long time, bringing it to its peak once again.


    While Leviathan''s existence is always a threat to the nine demon kings, it is also the thing that protects our realm from any kind of invasion from the Heavenly Pce. We are talking about the being that could fight head-on against even the Jade Emperor even with its lower cultivation. And you want to form a contract with it. I seriously don''t understand what''s going on in your head."


    Mark attentively listened to the entire story and he had suspicions about that event. If Leviathan is so strong, howe it was injured by Houyi, who is nothing more than a mortal? Chang''e said that Houyi was also its contractor.


    Perhaps, its strength was restricted when it battled Houyi?


    When he summoned Bael, thetter''s cultivation was also restricted to 2 realms above him. So, that is the case, then?


    At the same time, Houyi was said to be the divine archer, blessed by the Jade Emperor. But, he had a contract with such a powerful demon? Could it be possible?


    Mark''s situation is different. He merely had the mark of a deity nted upon him. He doesn''t have any blessing of a Deity.


    Maybe, someone manipted the story to hide something?


    Something is missing in this puzzle. But, what is it? Mark wondered.


    On the way to the secluded on the hill, Mark also learned many things about Marbas to understand his strength as well as his personality. He formted a n by the time he reached the destination. He was also confident that he might be able to cut a deal with Marbas, who seems to have an obsession with herbs, fruits, and nts.


    Imagine his surprise when he saw a powerful barrier erected around the hut and Alloces cried out, "Oh no, Bael''s infernal domain. Is he going to kill Marbas?"


    "Eh? What?"

 Chapter 564: Reuniting with Bael and Change

    "Infernal domain is the highest kind of domain in this realm, which is exclusive to the nine demon kings. As it is formed by their life force, it is impossible to break this domain from inside, unless its caster willingly dismisses it or the caster gets killed.


    What''s more terrifying is that the trapped individuals will have their cultivation bases suppressed by a whole realm. Even from the outside, it is durable enough to block Leviathan''s attack to a certain extent. Hence, this can also be used as a defensive barrier. The problem is that Bael is known to have only used this barrier when there is an enemy he must absolutely kill."


    Mark patiently listened to Duke Alloces'' exnation, leaving Ark to scan the barrier, in order to find out any weak spots.


    Within ten seconds, the results came in.


    *Ding! The barrier is weak against Divine energy.


    "Of course, demonic energy is hostile to divine energy and vice versa," Mark summoned his divine throne in the form of the submachine gun once again.


    "What are you doi¡­"


    Duke Alloces furrowed his brows when he saw the weird-looking thing in his master''s hand, which gave him a bad smell.


    But then again, Mark merely used it as a decoy tounch other skills in their battle. Hence, he was also curious about its abilities.


    As Alloces stepped backward, Mark poured his ether energy into the gun and clicked on the trigger.


    *zzzzzz*


    A kind of buzzing sound escaped the weapon as a super thin beam of golden energyunched through its barrel.


    It attacked the barrier nonstop for five seconds, but couldn''t put a dent in the end.


    Alloces: "¡­"


    "Well, it''s worth a try," Mark shrugged his shoulders and put away the weapon, feeling embarrassed inside while trying to do his best to be calm on the outside.


    He sat down on the grass for the next minute to recover his ether energy. It only takes 70 seconds to fill his reserves. So, he wasn''t worried about it much and focused on formting another n.


    *Ding! Master could use Absolute Authority on the contracted demon to remove the barrier.


    "Can''t you say it sooner?"


    He was racking his brains and the sudden notification almost made him lose his cool. Suddenly, he felt like a fool; well, it was not a new feeling. He had such experiences in the past.


    "Ark, change the title to Absolute Authority."


    *Ding! The title has been changed.


    Mark got up and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Bael,e out."


    "Ah!" Alloces was startled.


    Meanwhile, inside the hut;


    Bael, in his humanoid form, had his hand tightly grabbing over the throat of a messy blonde-haired demon who wore round sses and colorful clothes, "With this barrier, you won''t be able to contact Leviathan for help too. If you can''t help us, then there is no use in you keeping alive. Now, I''m asking you for thest time. Will you cooperate or not?" He almost growled as his eyes were glowing.


    The demon was trembling in fear. "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­"


    "Ugh¡­"


    Suddenly, Bael let out a painful groan, freeing Marbas and grabbing his head, "Damn this mortal. One of these days, I will skin him alive."


    "Bael,e out, right now."


    The sentence echoed in his head as something invisible trying to take away his consciousness. He resisted it somehow and hurried out of the hut, before losing his mind.


    As he got out, he saw a familiar figure standing with his contractor. He immediately dismissed his domain and shouted at Mark, "Now, dismiss that mind-controlling power that you have, Lu Shen."


    Alloces: "Mind controlling power?"


    "Change the title back to Master of Holy Beasts, Ark."


    *Ding! The title is changed.


    Mark smiled, "Sorry about that. I don''t have any other way to remove this barrier you kept, and Duke Alloces here told me that you are killing Marbas. He cannot be ki¡­ lled? Chang''e?" His smile was reced by a shock. "What are you doing here?" *Ahem* "I mean how did her grace end up with Bael, here?" he corrected his tone in the end, trying to show calmness on his face.


    The Moon Goddess that came out of the hut was also as surprised as Mark. Before Bael replied to him, she directly exined, "Due to some circumstances, I encountered Demon King Bael and he told me that this demon Marbas could help us in bringing to Leviathan."


    "That''s what Duke Alloces told me to," Mark pointed his finger at the demon lord standing behind him in silence.


    "Hmm?" "Hmm?"


    Chang''e and Bael momentarily shifted their attention to the Saint-realm demon. While Chang''e didn''t react and returned her gaze back to Mark, Bael narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on the demon lord, "I didn''t expect a noble demon who hates forming contracts with humans to try topete with me. Hmm?"


    "Uhh¡­" Alloces averted his gaze with an awkward smile, "It was never my intention, but it is just that¡­"


    "Just what?" Bael pressed him further as Alloces paused.


    Mark took this opportunity to brag, "I challenged him. He said that he will be my ve for the next hundred years if he loses. He lost the duel."


    "Huh? Seriously?" Bael was taken aback this time. He couldn''t help but burst intoughter as he patted Alloces nonstop, "Oh my Great Devil, you have made a great mistake this time, Duke Alloces. Don''t you know that their Earth years are different from our demon years? This is why you should frequently visit mortal worlds."


    "EH? How much?" Mark questioned curiously.


    "You mortals calcte the years ording to the time that takes your to revolve around its sun, but a year here is calcted by the return of Great Abyss Tower. In your earth years, on average, it returns for every 245-260 years."


    Mark''s eyes widened in realization, "That means¡­"


    Bael grinned mischievously, "On average, 25000 years of servitude."


    "Ah!" Alloces'' face went pale all of a sudden and Bael''sughter intensified even more. "hahahahahaha, you are doomed. Your master''s personality is just as bad as the Great Devil. His greed knows no bounds and his cunningness to take advantage of the situation is second to Mephisto. You are done for, Alloces¡­ ahahahaha"


    Mark: "¡­"


    Chang''e: "¡­"


    Roughly 36 hourster;


    Three demons, one goddess, and one mortal were seen flying above the endless sea ofva; Alloces looked all depressed even after 36 hours, Chang''e was ufortable with the environment, Mark was working with his artificial intelligence to scan everything in 100 km range and mapping out theherworld, Marbas was leading the group but still couldn''t control his shivering, and Bael was constantly exuding his aura to keep away all those pesky beasts down below at bay.


    Eventually, everyone''s own thing came to a stop as Marbas descended onto one of the islets of an ind group scattered in all directions.


    As theynded down, Bael enhanced his senses to scan the area, even to the depths of the sea, "I don''t sense the presence of Leviathan here, Marbas." He furrowed his brows in displeasure.


    Marbas bitterly smiled, "if it was that easy to sense it, you wouldn''t need my assistance, King Bael." He followed it up by taking out a conch from his storage ring.


    "This is the Guardian''s treasure." He showed it to Bael.


    Mark instantly activated his Eyes of God skill to check it out.


    Leviathan''s Conch (real name not known)


    |le|mp|yr


    Status: bound


    Type: Artifact


    Equivalent Grade: Diamond


    Uses: Likely used to summon the beast associated with the Conch, likely the Leviathan.


    *


    Mark pointed his finger at the conch and asked, "I think you can summon the Leviathan anywhere. Why did you bring all of us here?"


    Marbas flinched at Mark''s question, but before he answered it, Chang''e opened her mouth instead, "I bet it is because this ce is too far from the other regions. So, no other demon king will be alerted by Leviathan''s presence."


    "Yes, I cannot take the risk of causing unnecessary casualties, but that''s not the whole truth," replied Marbas in a timid manner while ncing at Bael, checking his reaction.


    He was about to state the true reason but Bael then said as if he was impatient, "Okay, blow it and call the guardian."


    Marbas didn''t waste any time in bringing it to his mouth.


    *paaaaammm*


    A mighty sound traveled across the sea and as soon as it died out in around 8 seconds, a portal opened not far away from them, and a half-naked male with vertical slits in his eyes and bluish scales all over his body.


    "Why did you summon me, Marbas¡­ Hmm?" His tone was filled with annoyance as he spoke to Marbas, but then as his eyes spotted the others, his facial expression suddenly changed, taking everyone by surprise. His powerful scarlet aura released from his body, forming ayer over his skin.


    "Hou Yi¡­ you dared to show your face in front of me again?" his voice filled with anger, stupefying everyone for a second.


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 565: Battle against Leviathan (part-1)

    Leviathan


    Status: Humanoid form


    Current Rank: peak-13-circle


    Est. Rank in its true form: peak-14-circle


    Age: ~7000 approx


    Grade: Primordial


    Attributes: Water


    Description: One of the primordial beasts emerged during the creation of the universe. As the one without true death, Leviathan is reborn every time it dies, losing its memories and cultivation it held in a previous life. As the one with the power of water creation, it can endlessly create water, out of nothing.


    *


    The humanoid form of Leviathan was ring specifically at Mark, mistaking him for the divine archer of the past, "Back then, you might have bested me with your cheap tricks but this time, it is going to be different." He roared. The anger was evident on his face.


    While the demons confused his words and even Bael couldn''t help but cast a sidelong nce at Mark, Chang''e hurriedly defended him before the situation went out of control, "He is not the one who you think he is, Hou Yang."


    Her words instantly attracted Leviathan''s attention, especially that name. "It''s you Chang''e, the betrayer''s shameless wife who stole my prize to be immortal." His gaze of hatred lessened a bit, but it was still there as he looked at the Moon Goddess.


    "Mind your words, Hou Yang," Chang''e frowned, offended by his words, "The Elixir of Immortality isn''t something the likes of a demon can get its hands on. Moreover, you never truly fulfilled your promise of solving the crisis. My husband is the one who destroyed the nine suns. What did you do other than merely holding back the Sun God for a few minutes?


    Adding on top of that, you purposely killed hundreds of thousands of mortals during your fight with my husband. You certainly don''t deserve such a treasure."


    "Preposterous¡­" He roared, releasing a sonic wave and pushing away everyone.


    Mark and Marbas sted away the farthest while Bael was unaffected in the least. Chang''e, on the other hand, pushed back a few meters but that''s it. Meanwhile, Alloces flew back in the direction of the wave to catch Mark in mid-air, hundreds of meters away.


    "Ugh¡­ this is why I was against meeting the guardian. Why do you have to insist, Master Lu? You are seriously tired of living and now you will drag me to the death with you," Duke Alloces scolded Mark without holding back.


    Mark spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth, "He is too strong."


    Chang''e flew into the sky and took out the Orb of time, getting ready to battle. Bael witnessed it and his eyes widened in realization, "That''s a cosmic orb that reeks of time. No wonder she decided to give me her divine essence. What a cunning goddess."


    Meanwhile, Leviathan red at Chang''e, "So, you havee prepared, Chang''e. But, this won''t be enough to take me down."


    Chang''e replied, "I''m not here to take you down. I want my husband''s soul back. Release him and I will go in peace."


    "Huh? Houyi''s soul?" This time, it was Leviathan''s turn to be taken aback by her words. He took a nce at Mark and then at her, letting out a grin, "If you can defeat me, I''ll give you the answer. But, you must have something to lose, right?"


    Leviathan''s hand was stretched to the side. A powerful suction force erupted from his palm, traveling in a narrow straight path and striking Mark. Thetter opened his inventory and was about to take out the divine throne to raise his cultivation temporarily but found himself flying toward the enemy, unwillingly without being able to put up resistance.


    Just two seconds passed away and Mark''s neck was in the hands of Leviathan, taking everyone by surprise. "I won''t even transform into my true form. If you can''t defeat me despite it, then this mortal will be killed under my hands."


    Leviathan then freed Mark from his grip but poured demonic energy around him, imprisoning him in a floating barrier.


    *Cough* Cough*


    "This damn snake¡­" Mark was angered. He swiftly took out the divine throne that was in the form of a machine gun from his inventory and roared in his head, "Ark, Open Skill list."


    Chang''e gritted her teeth, "you evil fiend¡­" She poured her divine energy into the orb, almost consuming a quarter of her reserves, and unleashed the ability of the orb, "Freeze."


    The entire world was frozen in time; Leviathan, Bael, Marbas, Mark, and Alloces, every single one of them just frozen in their ces as the orb glowed in bright green.


    Chang''e, the only one who could move in this situation, took this opportunity to rush forward and conjured a sword made of pure divine energy, using another quarter of her reserves in the process to cleave off the barrier into two, thereby freeing Mark, and grabbing him in the end.


    A momentter, the Time was unfrozen. Mark found himself in the embrace of the Goddess while she created distance between them and the enemy.


    "Ahhh¡­" Mark screamed in surprise as he suddenly saw the Goddess'' face up close. She freed him and he floated in the air. "Are you alright?" She asked, letting out a heavy breath.


    Mark looked at her and then the Leviathan, who didn''t have much reaction except for a deep frown on his face. "You used the orb to free me?" He asked.


    Letting out another deep breath, Chang''e nodded, "Yeah, although using this is too energy-consuming. My reserves were already cut to half."


    "You¡­" Mark was stunned for a moment.


    "No need to thank me. I got you here. Keeping you safe is my responsibility," Chang''e let out a pleasant smile.


    However, in the next second, the smile wiped off her face as Mark suddenly shouted as if he was frustrated, "You idiot Goddess. You wasted half of your reserves for a stupid thing? You lost your golden opportunity to win this fight. Now, he will be prepared against the Orb of Time."


    "Idiot?" Chang''e''s forehead veins popped up, and his sudden change of attitude triggered her, "How dare you call me that, you ungrateful mortal? I saved your life and you pay me back with an insult?"


    Mark argued back, raising his tone even further while pointing his finger at Bael who stood there on the islet like a statue, "I had a contract with that guy. He won''t let me die anyway. Even if he doesn''t help, I have certain trump cards to escape with my life. Why else would Ie here? Do you think I put my life in your hands?


    Moreover, if you had the power to cut off that prison barrier, you should have simply aimed at Leviathan''s neck instead, when he least expected. This battle would have ended by now."


    "That much power won''t be enough, you foolish mortal," Chang''e shouted back like a triggered woman, without caring about her identity as a graceful goddess.


    Mark counter-argued, "Then, you should have used more reserves, go all out. Or should have stabbed his eyes to make him blind? You lived for thousands of years and a Deity, for god''s sake. Don''t you atleast have that much battle awareness?"


    Everyone felt strange about Mark''s sudden change of attitude. Sure, he could be frustrated that the Moon Goddess might have missed a good opportunity because she put her priorities on saving him, but isn''t he going too far?


    With no surprise, his words only increased Chang''e''s anger even more.


    "Argh¡­ you are so annoying¡­"


    In a fit of anger, she made a fist and gave a punch to his abdomen, sting him dozens of meters away.


    Fortunately, as Mark''s cultivation has temporarily improved to the immortal realm, he didn''t feel much pain but surely calmed down a lot. Of course, that doesn''t mean he agrees with her. Instead, his impression of the goddess only fell down. Gazing at her from far away, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "This is your true face, Chang''e.


    I think that Houyi guy gave you the immortal elixir and sent you away to the moon to escape your violence." Now that he was far away, he even trolled her.


    "You¡­" Chang''e''s face turned beet red in anger. Suddenly, she felt regret for making a deal with this fellow. Someone who had contracts with demons might have a shitty personality. She concluded it that way.


    Leviathan: "¡­"


    Alloces: "¡­"


    Marbas: "¡­"


    "Now, if you two stop your quarrel; let''s get back to the matter, shall we?" Bael took charge, feeling annoyed by his teammates'' actions in front of a formidable enemy.


    He slowly flew in the air and went near Leviathan, "Your Grace, there is no need for violence when it can be solved through words. Can''t you just release Houyi''s soul?"

 Chapter 566: Battle against Leviathan (part-2)

    As one of the nine demon kings of the realm, Bael''s words had a certain weight; even the mighty Leviathan could not ignore them.


    Leviathan had to respond to his proposal, but he didn''t have any intention to reel their conversation in a positive direction. As a result, he responded by intensifying his demonic aura, "I don''t care what kind of rtion you have with Chang''e and Houyi''s reincarnate, but my hatred with them runs deeper than the depth of Infernal Abyss.


    So, if you value your life, then, take Marbas and the other demon with you. Or else, all of you will die here," Leviathan was speaking in a demonguage, instead of Orlon, a universalnguage that Deities brought to almost every significant civilization since the beginning.


    Mark and Chang''e had no idea what Leviathan said but he saw Bael transformed into his true form and Marbas started shaking in fear. Alloces also became serious and he started flying toward him.


    He could ask this demon lord but it doesn''t matter anymore as Bael had already made his move.


    The three-headed demon separated into four demons, the human one retained his humanoid appearance, and the remaining turned into a cat, toad, and a spider, all of them in the mid-13-circle realm.


    As the four demons swiftly took their positions, surrounding Leviathan in four directions, Leviathan frowned, "Since you paid no heed to my warning, then, you might as well die with the rest."


    Bael''s humanoid form stretched his hand above his head, shooting a beam of demonic energy into the sky. As the rest of them followed the suit, he conversed in the demonguage, "I may not be a match for your strength but I''m sure enough to not leave you unscathed. My siblings will seek vengeance for my deathter on. So, I shall ask you for thest time.


    Guardian Leviathan, I request you to fulfill Miss Chang''e''s wishes and release her husband''s soul. There''s no need for this fight. Once I get what I want from that Moon Deity, you can have her and the mortal."


    Leviathan responded by conjuring a sword made of demonic energy, "Even if you children of the Great Devil alle together at me, you are not a match. So, weigh your options carefully before unleashing that skill. The moment it descends, you will be my enemy."


    Bael stared at it and growled, "So be it."


    "Descent of Velkazar." Bael''s voice hollered across several kilometers, unleashing one of his greatest techniques.


    A magenta-colored giant dragon vertically descended from the clouds; it neither has limbs nor wings. All it has are horns and whiskers.


    Regardless, its appearance doesn''t matter as even Chang''e flew away atleast a couple of hundred meters from Leviathan, in fear of being impacted by the collision. The attack has even surpassed the God realm. It was in the true god realm (14-circle).


    However, Leviathan was calm and collected. "You have made your decision." Brandishing his sword, he zoomed into the sky at blurring speeds.


    The Dragon and Leviathan''s demonic-energy-sword collided in the sky, generating powerful waves of energy that pushed away everyone; the sea ofva was also affected, sending huge waves in all directions. Some of it was sshed onto Mark''s skin as he sted away further.


    "Ugh¡­" Mark received mild pain and some first-degree burns but he didn''t care about it, for his attention was on Leviathan, who remained unharmed and floating in the sky. With his hair gone loose, with the sword in his hand, he looked like some kind of bloodthirsty butcher.


    "F**k. There is no way to beat this enemy. We can only focus on survival," He understood it at one nce.


    Mark couldn''t help but speak to the artificial intelligence, "You have already mentioned it but let me ask you once again. Ark, do all kinds of teleportation work?"


    *Ding! Yes, unless the target locks down the area with Domain, Master can return home with Return skill; Master can return to the Greenhill (Marbas'' home) through teleportation or long teleportation skill, or escape to a random location by using teleportation skill but without the assistance of the system.


    "Even if he unleashes a Domain, it is still made of matter. That means I can still make an opening to escape as long as I unleash antimatter to that barrier wall," muttered Mark under his breath, as an afterthought.


    *Ding! I cannot give an opinion without analyzing the domain in question but judging by other domains Master has faced so far, the domain unleashed by the Leviathan is likely to be durable enough to withstand atleast 50 zeta joules of energy. On the safe side, Master should produce atleast 50,000 kilograms of anti-matter to crack a hole in such domain.


    "Sh*t, I forgot about the durability of the barrier," Mark was aware that he cannot produce such a huge amount of anti-matter. "Well, I guess my only choice would be throwing unnamed at the barrier from far away. But, I would have to leave it down here if I escaped. Why go through all that trouble? Let''s get back to the Moon Pce and escape with my sister, leaving her here.


    But, she helped Xiao Jiao and me. All she wants is to release her husband''s soul so that he reincarnates and probably reunites with herter on. Returning betrayal for a favor is against my ethics¡­ What to do¡­ Hmm?" An idea suddenly popped up in his head, but when he spotted Chang''e join the battle and saw the result, he shook his head, "Nope. Divine energy doesn''t seem to hurt it much.


    I guess it is because it is not exactly a demon but a Primordial with demonic nature. This doesn''t¡­ Hmm?" he raised his head to look at the sky.


    A few seconds ago, Bael was nning on creating another attack. He saw Chang''e suddenly appear before Leviathan, out of nowhere, with a thickyer of divine energy around her fist as she punched the enemy.


    His cheek was bruised but Leviathan didn''t move an inch, only his face was turned away by the force.


    "Weak."


    Turning his face back to Chang''e, whose face went pale with the failure of her ambush, Leviathan clenched his fist tightly and punched her in the abdomen.


    *Puchi*


    She spat a mouthful of blood as she sted away. However, her facial expression changed, all of a sudden, she was earlier in a panicked state but while sting away, she was smiling for some reason. The most possible reason could be the talisman with a mysterious design in her hand that disintegratedpletely.


    Bael''s human form rushed back and caught her,nding on a nearby islet.


    "This is why I was against a battle with the guardian," Baelmented. Looking at her face, He further said, "If you want to live, then, leave this ce. We have to lure it into the mortal ne to defeat it."


    Bael''s n is to suppress Leviathan''s realm before taking any action. The best ce would be the mortal ne of existence. However, it is a challenging task too.


    But Chang''e shook her head, rejecting the n right away. "No, that won''t be needed. The help has already arrived."


    "Hmm?"


    Taking heavy breaths, Chang''e slowly pointed her finger at Leviathan. As Bael turned his head, he saw a tiny portal appeared in the sky.


    Leviathan also seemed to be ignoring and them paying attention to the sky.


    Soon, a dazzling figure, enveloped by the golden divine energy, slowly flew out of the portal and stopped, staring down below. "Leviathan," the figure spoke; its voice filled all over the surroundings.


    Leviathan frowned, "Yuanlong."


    "Yuanlong, the first Primordial and the guardian of the heavens is here," Chang''e spoke to Bael. She added, "I didn''t use Orb of time to just freeze the time, you know."

 Chapter 567: Yuanlong, the guardian of the heavens

    For a while, the battle came to a standstill as the mysterious figure slowly descended to the altitude where Leviathan was floating.


    For Mark, who stood hundreds of meters away, even with his enhanced vision, it just looked like a ball of light.


    But for the nearby ones, it appeared as a beautiful woman, wearing white clothes and a golden tiara on her head. Just like Leviathan, her eyes also have vertical slits.


    The figure who was known as Yuanlong took a nce at Bael and Chang''e who stood together side by side, "Chang''e, I gave you the life-saving scroll to summon me when the outside forces invade your home and steal away the elixir of immortality, not in a demonic world."


    Chang''e was surprised and had her head hung down by the scolding.


    Yuanlong didn''t finish there. She continued to scold her, "And what are you doing with these evil fiends?" This time, her re was aimed at Bael, who flinched involuntarily, feeling fear in his heart.


    She then nced in the direction where Mark was floating beside Alloces and once again scolded Chang''e, "And how dare you drag the human here without bringing him to me? You should be ashamed of your actions." In the previous scolding, it appeared like a pass-offment. This time, the displeasure was evident in her tone.


    Chang''e knelt on the spot and cupped her fists, "Forgive me, Your Grace. The human is linked to the demon king on my left. He is the only way for me to get back my husband''s soul from that Evil Leviathan."


    Yuanlong didn''t react to her statement and shifted her attention to Leviathan, "This is your territory. I won''t interfere in your business. Let bygones be bygones. I will take the human child and Chang''e back with me."


    "Heh?" Leviathan smirked at her words. He folded his hands to his chest and tilted slightly as he replied, "If you were here with your true body, I might have listened to your request. But, you are nothing more than an astral projection. Do you think you have the ability to bend down my will?"


    Leviathan followed it up by transforming into a gargantuan serpent, shaking the hearts of the spectators; its scales shimmered with deep blues and greens, massive fins protruded along its spine, and as it roared, several lines of its razor-sharp teeth were spotted by Mark, even from far away.


    His heart beat rose to the peak and his legs stiffened, giving him an indication to run away as fast as possible. "Ark, let''s¡­"


    At that moment, he didn''t care whether Chang''e died or lived. He just wanted to escape.


    But, in the next moment, the dazzling figure was also expanded to hundreds of times, blocking the sight of Leviathan with even bigger size.


    However, unlike Leviathan, Yuanlong''s entire body is coiled in several loops; its body is adorned with pure golden scales and the aura emitted by the serpent brings a sense of peace to Mark and Chang''e.


    However, for demons like Bael, Alloces, and Marbas, it was a poison. Bael managed to bear it, bringing up his remaining forms and transforming back into his original three-headed demon; Alloces didn''t even hesitate to abandon Mark and grabbed a fainted Marbas, flying away from there with his peak speed.


    Mark didn''t follow them and instead watched the back of the golden serpent in a daze until the unaffected artificial intelligence took the opportunity to disy its stats on a holographic screen.


    Status: Astral Projection


    Age: N/A


    Rank: peak-14-circle


    Grade: Primordial


    Attribute: Divine


    *


    "So, I guess we were saved?"


    Next second;


    "Nope, we are going to die." "Blizzard Wings"


    Mark''s facial expression changed, watching both serpents literally sh their heads against each other, creating a tremendous amount of waves of energy on all sides.


    Bael and Chang''e sted away hundreds of meters, and so did Mark even after conjuring icy wings and covering himself like a shield.


    "Bael, both of you,e here. I have a n." Mark passed a telepathic message to the demon king, as he flew back atleast a couple of kilometers to create enough distance to be safe from the battle.


    As the gargantuan beasts grew pairs of hands from their bodies at the same time and wrestled, Bael and Chang''e flew toward Mark at their top speed, reaching him in no time.


    "Ha" "Ha" "Ha" "Didn''t expect Leviathan to be so strong," Chang''emented, taking heavy breaths. After her divine energy reserves became empty, the environment of the demon world and theva sea below her became even more troublesome for her.


    Adding on top of that, the stamina consumption of using the cosmic orb twice is huge, as she wasn''t bonded with it and its true owner, Shang Jiao was too far away from the orb.


    Looking at her miserable state, Mark couldn''t help butment, "In our mortal terms, we call your situation as: you shot yourself in the foot."


    "Sh*t up, I don''t want to hear insults from you anymore," Chang''e snapped at him.


    Mark blinked his eyes in surprise, "don''t tell me you still haven''t figured out that I was faking it earlier?"


    "Hmm?" As Chang''e looked at him, Bael smirked, "Obviously, your acting wasn''t that great, Lu Zhen. You purposely fought with her to remove yourself from Leviathan''s view as a possible hostage. Anyone can easily see through it."


    "Well, Leviathan was certainly fooled," Mark shrugged his shoulders.


    "Huh? Is that the case?" Chang''e wondered out loud, making Bael and Mark abruptly turn their heads to look at her.


    Chang''e blushed in embarrassment and averted her gaze, "Alright, fine. I thought you were genuinely looking down on me because my powers seemed useless here and I overestimated myself. Moreover, your words were too sharp."


    Mark let out a sigh and replied, "Your Grace, you have wasted half of your divine energy just to free me. Surely, if I stay there, your focus will be diverted entirely to protecting me. Since Bael is also contracted to me, Leviathan will take full advantage of it and use it against both of you." After a brief pause, he added, "But, I didn''t expect you to have such a trump card with you."


    "I never nned on using it but Leviathan''s strength is greater than I expected and I thought we won''t get away from here with our lives. So, I had to do it," replied Chang''e, letting out a deep sigh of helplessness.


    She then gazed at the wrestling giant beasts that were just pulling and pushing against each other, "Anyway, Demon King Bael told me that you have a n that will work. What is it?" She asked.


    Mark closed his eyes. transforming the submachine gun into an exquisite sword with a thought, before tossing it to Chang''e.

 Chapter 568: Unexpected ambush

    As he caught its handle reflexively, a trace of surprise appeared on her face, "This¡­ I can sense pure divine essence inside, one that is void of the soul but its purity could bepared to the Xuanyuan sword, the greatest sword under the heavens. Just by grabbing it, my divine energy''s recovery has sped up multiple times and that pressure from this realm haspletely disappeared from my body.


    I can even fight with my full strength now. What weapon is this? It could even change its appearance." Her face was filled with disbelief.


    Mark didn''t tell her anything about it and simply said, "Just lending it to you for now. I need you to fly back to both of them while cutting down those remnant energies on the way, and." He then nced at the demon king who made a disgusting face in its presence and stepped away, "I need both of you to reach around 1 kilometer high, above those beasts."


    "Okay, but what''s your n?" Bael frowned. If Yuanlong wasn''t there, Bael wouldn''t have to worry. But, its presence is putting enormous pressure on his soul. The fact that Yuanlong hates demons doesn''t help it either. Going near them at the moment means a significant risk of death for him.


    To which, Mark simply smiled, "Just trust me and go. With the majestic helper keeping him at bay, we cannot miss this chance."


    "Alright" "Fine"


    Both, Chang''e and Bael, despite being oblivious to his n, trusted his intelligence and charged into the sky.


    As they neared, Yuanlong shouted, "Don''te near and stay away." They didn''t heed her warning and just flew toward them.


    Leviathan put more strength in his hands and pushed away Yuanlong a bit before aiming at them with his mouth, "Die."


    A st of energy flew toward Chang''e and Bael. The demon king responded by shooting three beams from its three heads, striking the energy st at the same time.


    Chang''e then swung the sword by pouring her mana into it (what other people call the ether energy outside the mortal ne of existence due to theck of ether crystal concept).


    The sword turned her mana into divine energy, cutting down the remnant energy st.


    Almost reaching their destination, roughly 800 meters away in the sky, from the beasts, which towered hundreds of meters, Bael sent back the reply to Mark.


    Mark, who was observing the two moving dots everything from far away, nodded with a smile, "Alright, let''s do this."


    His eyes shifted to the holographic screen, disying the elemental skills, which he never bothered to use to their full potential as no situation ever arose. He clicked on a certain skill in the Space section.


    "Location Swap, Bael." he disappeared.


    Suddenly, Bael appeared where Mark was floating earlier and Mark appeared beside Chang''e, startling her. "Kyaaa¡­"


    **Location Swap: Swap the locations with the target as long as the target isn''t two realms above the user. If contracted beast or demon: No such requirement is needed. Cost: None. CD: 60 seconds**


    "You scared me." She yfully punched his chest, "Couldn''t you have warned me beforehand?"


    "Haha, sorry¡­" Mark grinned like a fool, rubbing the back of his head. As he stopped, he saw her face. His eyes wandered on their own.


    For the first time, Mark felt like this Moon Goddess'' actions were a bit cute. His eyes suddenly fell upon her lips, "I want to bite them¡­ Hmm? Snap out of it idiot¡­" He quickly shook away his thoughts and took out a metallic brocade box from his inventory.


    "What is it?" Chang''e couldn''t help but ask.


    Mark replied with a question, "How much of your divine energy has been replenished?"


    "Hmm? Not much, around 10%?"


    "Can you bless this box with it?" He requested her.


    Chang''e didn''t know what he was nning with his ordinary-looking box but she poured her divine energy into the box, bestowing it with the property of divinity temporarily. Mark heard from Yujiang, the guardian of the mortal ne, that every Deity had such ability. Mark knew she too had it.


    Grabbing the glowing box, Mark scrolled down the list and clicked on another skill.


    Density Maniption: manipte the density of a target, from 0.2 to 200 times. Cost: None EP. CD: None


    "Density Maniption, 200 times"


    "Gravity Dome, 200 times."


    Gravity Dome put enormous pressure on the surroundings, instantly attracting the attention of both Yuanlong and Leviathan for a moment. However, their bodies don''t feel the pressure that Chang''e was feeling. Fortunately, the return of her full strength enabled her to resist it too.


    A faint glow of ck appeared on the box, over the golden aura, increasing its weight by 200 times, before it was thrown down with everything Mark had got; he used all of his energy reserves to increase his throwing speed.


    Despite the fact that the sword was in Chang''e''s control, as it is near to Mark, its passive effects applied to Mark as usual, raising his cultivation by 2 realms, temporarily.


    With 11.9 points of strength, Mark''s full-powered throwing speed had long crossed the required mach 40. It touched as high as mach 70 as it descended like lightning, striking Leviathan''s back before it even got to react to the unknown object it sensed a fraction of a second ago.


    All it took was 0.26 seconds to strike the target, before releasing three times his expected energy release, enveloping not only Leviathan but also Yuanlong that was in the radius.


    Kic energy, Heat energy, Sound Energy, and even Electromaic energy; several types of energies were released, pushing away Mark and Chang''e to even higher altitudes, Yualong to slide several hundred meters away, and Leviathan to be submerged under the sea ofva while being crushed under the weight of the box. Gravity Dome was also nullified at the same time.


    Mark, who helplessly flew away without feeling much strength in his right arm, was eventually grabbed by Chang''e and slowly flew down toward the islet near Yuanlong, who transformed back into a humanoid dazzling female, enveloped by a thick golden aura.


    "You did it, Shang Zhen," Chang''e rejoiced on the way, as the beast didn''t resurface, although still in the sea.


    Mark, with his arm over her neck, weakly responded with a smile, "I told you, didn''t I?"


    It was at this moment that Yuanlong''s voice echoed in their ears, "Careful¡­"


    "Huh?" Before Chang''e reacted to it, ws were seen pierced into Mark''s back and came out of his body from the front.


    "Ugh¡­"


    Mark spat out blood.


    Chang''e facial expression was frozen in shock as Mark flew away. As she turned her head, she saw Leviathan in a humanoid form with Mark hanging in between its ws motionlessly.


    *Ding! Your heart is damaged. Attempting to control the blood cirction


    *Ding! Your lungs are damaged. Attempting to circte the airflow.


    *Ding! Energy is insufficient. System is going to shut down in ten seconds.


    Mark stopped breathing.


    *Screech*

 Chapter 569: Reincarnation of Houyi?

    "haha hahaha¡­ Do you think you are the only one who can do astral projection, Yuanlong?" Leviathan bursts intoughter as he retracts his ws. Therge body beneath the sea ofva disappeared and transformed into energy, flowing back to a humanoid-looking Leviathan.


    "No¡­" Chang''e shouted in despair and charged forward with the sword.


    Leviathan''s other arm was stretched toward her. Yuanlong appeared in between and punched it away.


    Meanwhile, Mark''s lifeless body reached Leviathan and he grabbed his delicate-looking face, "Poor Houyi¡­ thought he could defeat me with his weird tricks but only get himself by me once again¡­ hahaha¡­ well, satisfying."


    "Wha¡­ What do you mean?" Chang''e asked with her gaze on Mark, her voice shaking as her senses no longer being able to sense life in the mortal.


    "I never had your husband''s soul, Chang''e," Leviathan looked very happy, watching Chang''e fall into despair and Yuanlong frowning too deeply. He rejoiced in their sadness, speaking, "I attempted to imprison his body and soul, but his bow got in the way and let its master''s soul escape, recing him as the prisoner."


    Following up his words, he summoned a dazzling bow, burning in eternal mes, Leviathan continued, "I must say it really loves its master. Look at how it was enraged that its master died again. hahaha¡­" He tightly grabbed the bow as its mes glowed even brighter. "I bet Yuanlong must have also realized it. Is this why he is so interested in taking that mortal away? I wonder¡­"


    Chang''e turned her head in a stiffened manner to look at the divine serpent, thetter responded seriously, "I had suspicions of it from the moment he stepped in my abode. He reeked of Houyi''s aura and even Yan Di''s aura. That is why I ordered you to test him so that I could confirm that he is the reincarnation of Shengong (The Divine Bow of Houyi, which was also once held by Yan Di).


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t confirm it before as he never disyed his truest abilities.


    But, earlier, after sensing the presence of Shengong inside Leviathan, I realized that he was not Shengong. The only way this could make sense is that he is Houyi''s as well as Yan Di''s reincarnation. More precisely, their souls were merged for some reason."


    "Merged souls?" Chang''e looked at Yuanlong in wonder.


    The divine serpent nodded, "Since the dawn of creation, many souls have been merged and many souls have been split into several parts. It is not an umon situation." After a brief pause, she added, "Good thing is that his soul is still inside the body. We can resurrect him if we take him to the Altar of Life."


    Yuanlong''s words returned hope to Chang''e''s face. She couldn''t help but gaze at Mark''s lifeless body once again in worry.


    "Hello¡­ did you forget my existence or something? You have been talking with each other for so long," Leviathan cleaned his ear with his little finger. After gaining their attention, he swung his arm away, "Good luck with saving his corpse then."


    Mark''s corpse flew down to the Sea of Lava at hypersonic speeds.


    "No¡­" Chang''e''s panic returned once again.


    Yuanlong ced her hand on top of Chang''e. Divine energy flew into the body, recovering her reserves in an instant, "Go and get his body, Chang''e. If his corpse meltedpletely, there is no way to resurrect him again."


    Chang''e dived down while attempting to unleash her ice techniques, but just before she touched the surface of theva, a barrier materialized all of a sudden, halting her movements.


    "Infernal Domain"


    A sphere-shaped barrier trapped Chang''e, along with a three-headed demon, which somehow made its appearance there out of nowhere without alerting anyone.


    "Ho, you are now helping me, Bael?" Leviathan nced to the down. Bael, in his three-headed form, appeared below, standing in front of Chang''e.


    Bael replied, "Of course, with the death of that human, my contract with him became null. I want a human who is a troublemaker but not the one who constantly brings trouble to me. Moreover, I don''t think they are a match for you and neither I''m a Deity to take their side if I was given a choice. Just make sure Yuanlong doesn''t break my domain and I will end this little Moon Deity for you."


    "Haha, Good¡­ very good¡­" Leviathan rejoiced even more as he threw his fist at Yuanlong at a sudden increase in speed. "I don''t like domains but I''ll help you."


    As Yuanlong was pushed away, blocking the punch with her arms crossed at her chest, Leviathan''s eyes glowed in sapphire blue, unleashing another domain, locking down 100 kilometers on every side while just excluding Bael''s domain so that Yuanlong wouldn''t interfere.


    Yuanlong''s divine glow disappeared and so was Leviathan''s energy. He then said, "The rule of this domain is simple, Yuanlong. No mana. No elemental control. No true forms too."


    "You despicable¡­" Yuanlong clenched her fist. Her face is filled with anger.


    Meanwhile, Chang''e charged at Bael. "Die, you ingrate." Her voice was filled with hatred.


    Until a while ago, they were teammates. Now, they suddenly became enemies. After getting to know the truth from Yuanlong and Leviathan, she was even more impatience.


    And her impatience increased her rage even more as she was constantly evaded by Bael.


    With her cultivation reduced by a whole realm by the Domain, she was indeed not a match for Bael. However, the divine de in her hands could injure him.


    As his intention was just to stall the time, he focused on dodging it, and her attack speed wasn''t enough to hit him.


    The time passed slowly. She was getting tired but her movements remained sharp and killing intent was so high that it would actually make normal mortals pass out.


    Evading another set of ice spears sheunched at him with his spider legs moving swiftly through the air, he finally spoke, "I think our battle has almoste to an end, Miss Chang''e."


    "No¡­ I won''t let that happen¡­" Chang''e halted her movements at once and slowly rose to the middle of the barrier. She resolutely announced, "In that case, I will have to burn my soul essence to temporarily force a breakthrough and destroy this barrier and you altogether."


    All of her divine energy running through the body went back to its essence. She put her palms together. "No one can stop me from saving him."


    She was about to follow her words, but it was then, Bael hurriedly spoke, "No, wait. If you burn your essence, I won''t be able to acquire it. How about I change the terms of our earlier contract? I let you go and save Lu Zhen and you will give me the divine essence soul as promised? Think about it. Even if you cause a sacrifice, you might be able to destroy the domain but you won''t be able to kill me.


    Not to mention, I could still¡­"


    "I agree." Chang''e didn''t even let him finish his words, agreeing with the proposal. Bael closed his eyes and stretched her palm toward her. Visible blood-colored chains appeared on both of their heads. Demonic aura seeped into them and they disappeared.


    In the next moment, he snapped his fingers and the Domain disappeared. Chang''e dives into the sea ofva without wasting any time.


    Meanwhile, at the bed of the sea ofva, Mark was seen lying motionless. However, inside his mindscape, Mark''s spirit was seen walking in the direction screeching of a beast was heard by.


    He reached the destination in the end, stopping at an altar-like thing with a bird in mes being imprisoned by chains made of ice.


    As he raised his head and looked at the bird, thetter looked back at him and screeched again.


    Mark''s soul neither questioned it nor backed away. He simply flew higher in a daze, as if he was still in sleep.


    Gazing straight into the eyes of the beast without an ounce of emotion, Mark''s spirit raised its hand and touched its beak.


    The ice chains slowly melted down.


    The beast, free from its chains, let out a powerful screech one-timest time and transformed into scarlet energy, merging with Mark''s spirit.


    A few secondster, Mark opened his eyes abruptly.


    *Ding! Phoenix Bloodline has been unlocked. Bloodline rted skills are added to the character


    *Ding! You broke through to Rank-10


    *Ding!

 Chapter 570: Demigod realm, Primeval Bloodline, and the End of Leviathan.

    *Ding! Phoenix Bloodline has been unlocked


    *Ding! Instant Resurrection, Celestial re, me Burst, and Eternal mes Bloodline skills are added to the character.


    *Ding! Fire attribute is added to the character, but no skills are added.


    *Ding! You broke through to Rank-10


    *Ding! Your life span has been extended by 1500 years.


    *Ding! You received a new function, Domain.


    *Ding! Phoenix Bloodline''s skills are upgraded to level 10.


    *Ding! Phoenix Bloodline''s ultimate skill, Transformation has been unlocked


    **Phoenix Transformation: Transform into an immortal Phoenix with stats+1 to your maximum stat, for 100 seconds. Note: The user is immortal in this form and has almost instant recovery rate. Cost: 9,000,000,000 EP. CD: 72 hours.


    *Ding! Blizzard Pegasus Bloodline''s skills are upgraded to level 10.


    *Ding! Blizzard Pegasus Bloodline''s ultimate skill, Transformation has been unlocked.


    **Blizzard Pegasus Transformation: Transform into Blizzard Pegasus with stats+1 to your maximum stat, for 100 seconds. Note: The user has ess to absolute zero ability. Cost: 9,000,000,000 EP. CD: 72 hours.**


    *Ding! All system skills and elemental skills are upgraded to the next level.


    *Ding! Elemental skill (Gravity attribute), Multiple ck Holes has been added to the skill list


    Multiple ckholes: Create multiple ck holes with each one not greater than 10km in diameter. Note: The user isn''t immune to the gravitational pull of the created ck hole. Cost: 10% Ether energy per ck hole. CD: 72 hours.


    *Ding! Elemental skill (Space attribute): "Void Rift" has been added to the skill list.


    Void Rift: Tear the space and open a temporary rift, throwing the enemies into it. The enemies that were sent away through the skill will be randomly teleported into space, a maximum of up to 1 light-year distance away. Cost: 100% Ether energy. CD: 24 hours.


    *Ding! Elemental skill (Oil): "Abyssal Oil" has been added to the skill list.


    Abyssal Oil: Create a pitch-ck primordial oil to attack the enemies. Whatever this corrosive oil touches, it will melt it down to nothing. Note: It only works on items below Celestial grade. For people, it will work on targets that are not 2 realms more than the user. Cost: Varies. CD: Varies.


    *Ding! Elemental skill (Antimatter): "Anti-matter Dimension" has been added to the skill list.


    Anti-matter Dimension: Create a dimension where you can store antimatter energy or antimatter bodies for 7 days. Note: After expiry, the dimension ced at the location will release all the stored antimatter energy inside, causing annihtion. Note 2: No one but the user can enter this dimension but it could be destroyed from outside through various means. Cost: 100% Ether energy. CD: 15 days.


    *Ding! Lightning is a basic attribute. No additional summons are provided.


    *Ding! Rank-10, Frost Titan (Ice) has been added to the summons.


    *Ding! Rank-10, Venomous Basilisk (Poison) has been added to the summons.


    *Ding! You havepleted the tutorial. System no longer provides any additional skills or summons for breakthroughs in the future.


    *Ding! You havepleted one of the five remaining Quests, Breakthrough to Rank-10. You received a Mythril-grade weapon (Helicarrier) and unlocked Primeval Bloodline as a reward.


    **Primeval Bloodline: A growth-type primordial beast that has the ability to copy other beasts'' abilities even by ingesting a drop of their blood. Current ability: 100**


    *Ding! Your ether quality is upgraded to the purest form.


    *Ding! Detected weaker quality bloodlines than the Primeval Bloodline. Automatically merging with Primeval Bloodline.


    *Ding! All Bloodline skills are added under Primeval Bloodline. Their abilities are retained.


    While more than a dozen notifications continuously rang inside his head, Mark opened his eyes widely; he was about 3400 meters deep inside the endless sea ofva and the temperature was about 1500 degrees Celsius and yet, he didn''t feel a thing.


    It merely felt like he was sleeping at the bottom of a swimming pool. It actually kinda felt more soothing.


    "Well, that''s enough sleep I guess. It''s time for a payback."


    Meanwhile, outside of the sea, Leviathan was in the midst of an intense physical battle with Yuanlong.


    He saw everything that transpired a few moments ago but he didn''t want to lose this opportunity to defeat Yuanlong''s astral projection, now that it seemed to be at a disadvantage with its divine power got cut off by Leviathan''s domain.


    Bael, on the other hand, had his attention on the sea ofva. He was grinning like a fool, mumbling, "Foolish Goddess, she fell into my trap once again. Lu Zhen never died. He was perfectly fine since the beginning. Theva beneath only helped him to absorb intense heat to make the breakthrough. Now that the breakthrough happened, I get to have her divine essence.


    I shall use it to change my body constitution and make the breakthrough as a half-demon/half-divine being, following Brother Lucifer''s footsteps."


    Suddenly, he sensed something deep inside the sea moving upwards at terrifying speeds.


    Bael moved back as Mark flew out while grabbing a heavily injured Chang''e by her waist, and stopped in the mid-air.


    He looked down at the demon king, "it looks like you are fine, Bael." His words echoed in Bael''s ears, taking him by surprise. "There''s something changed in him," the demon king couldn''t help but wonder.


    Bael swiftly put away his unnecessary thoughts and smiled, "wee back, Lu Zhen."


    Meanwhile, Chang''e, whose hands were wrapped around Mark''s neck, stared at him in silence. Tears filled her eyes but she was trying her best not to cry or be emotional.


    Mark then opened up the skill list and clicked on one.


    "Summon, Thunder Dragon"


    *Roar*


    A blinding sh of light appeared in front of Mark, followed by a roar.


    Once the light was dismissed, a giant thunder dragon of the 9-circle realm materialized. Mark jumped high and ced the Moon Goddess on its head, as 100 million ether points were being consumed every second, although most of it was being recovered by his high-speed Ether recovery skill.


    Since it was only at 9-circle, despite its significant size, it didn''t attract much attention from Leviathan, as much as Mark did. But, it couldn''t move and was trapped by its own domain.


    "Houyi¡­"


    His hatred ingrained deep in his bones forced him to ignore his formidable opponent who was on the brink of defeat and released the Domain as Mark flew toward him.


    Leviathan disappeared and instantly appeared in front of Mark, trying to grab his throat.


    However, just as it was about to seed, Mark''s eyes glowed as he unleashed the Bloodline skill.


    "Absolute Freeze"


    *Ding! 1,000,000,000 EP was deducted.


    As if hepletely mastered the skill, he merely froze Leviathan instead of the whole surrounding.


    But, he wasn''t done yet as he knew that it wouldn''t be enough to suppress the beast.


    He followed it up with a couple of skills while taking out Unnamed from his inventory, which he collected while he was swimming up earlier.


    "Activate, Gravity Dome, 1000g"


    "Activate, Density maniption, 1000g"


    The brocade box received an enormous boost of mass from the density maniption, followed by the change in gravitational force in the surroundings.


    "1 million times increase of weight and maintain atleast mach 80 swinging speed. Here we go¡­"


    Due to the fact that they were contracted, Bael isn''t affected by the Gravity Dome while Chang''e was lying on top of a Mark''s summon and didn''t get affected by it either.


    However, Yuanlong and Leviathan felt the effect of gravity, increased by 1000 times. Regardless, it wasn''t much of a pressure for them. So, Leviathan didn''t pay much attention to it. Instead, his eyes were on the box that Mark motioned it backward.


    It might have been his astral projection with the lower cultivation realm that was mmed by the box, but both of them shared the same memories. His intuition told him that the force behind the box, this time, would be far greater.


    Leviathan wanted to escape this freezing. But, it was toote.


    Thest thing Leviathan witnessed was the ck box in Mark''s hand, motioning down at his chest at a blurring speed.


    *Bam*


    A powerful sound echoed in the surroundings; Mark was smeared with lots of blood, and sted away hundreds of meters, as the entire upper body of Leviathan ended up gone, just like that.


    Meanwhile, Mark faced a recoil from the collision; his bones are shattered, his skin peeled off, and his organs received enormous damage. But, he was prepared beforehand for this scenario too.


    "Ark, Use, Scroll of Thousand Blossoms"


    As Bael caught a bloodied figure in hurry, a one-time use item activated by the artificial intelligence, countless petals showered on Mark and Bael, healing his injuries instantly. He looked as good as new. However, Leviathan''s blood smeared on him still stuck like glue, as they weren''t considered an injury by the healing petals.


    "You are too reckless, you know that?" Bael couldn''t help but scold him, while inwardly screaming in surprise, ''this brat is not afraid of death anymore after resurrected once, because of Phoenix Bloodline. I like it...'' he grinned in the end.


    Yuanlong silently floated in the same spot, watching in a daze. "I finally get it now. That box is made of void stones. But, how did he acquire it? Which prisoner escaped the Void Dimension?"


    Meanwhile, all the blood from leviathan on him slowly seeped into his skin, absorbing its blood cells from it. His bloodline, Primeval beast''s spirit, automatically started replicating the blood cells at a rapid rate, extracting its bloodline faster than one would take a deep and release it.


    As the rest of leviathan''s body slowly disintegrated into specks of light, a holographic screen appeared before Mark''s eyes, giving him the results from the ingested blood sample.


    *Ding! Leviathan''s Bloodline has been added under the Primeval tab.


    *Ding! Abyssal Resilience, Maelstorm, Tsunami Charge, Ocean Sovereign, and Transform Bloodline skills are added to the character.


    *Ding! Water attribute is added to the character, but no skills are added.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of theherworld, deep beneath the surface, arge egg was seen burning in mes for a while before it died down eventually. The egg then heavily vibrated for a couple of seconds more and became still.


    At the same time, far away in the universe, a gigantic beast, dark in color, resembling a sauropod dinosaur but bigger than evens, was seen moving across space in a leisure manner.


    It abruptly stopped its path and turned its head to stare in a certain direction, "My twin has died once again. I wonder who killed him this time." It stared into the distance for a couple of seconds and started flying in that direction, changing its intended path, "Oh well, at this rate, he will never reach his peak stage.


    I guess I have to go and pick him up and resume my journey." As it passes through a star that''s millions of times bigger than its humongous size, the entire blue star gets enveloped by mysterious ck energy, turning it into even hotter.

 Chapter 571: Amulet of Bael

    "So, you are saying that Yan Di, the me Emperor of the myths has reincarnated into someone. Then, Houyi, Change''s husband was reincarnated into someone else. Then, both of their souls merged somehow and I was born out of it?"


    "Yes"


    "Now, as I served the Heavenly Pce in both of my past lives, you want me to join the Pce as one of the apostles of the Jade Emperor, again? In return, I will get a nice weapon, a ce to cultivate, and even immortality of elixir when it matures after 845 years?"


    "Yes"


    "What a load of bullsh*t. Does it even make sense?"


    "Human, whether you ept it or not, you cannot change the truth."


    "Fine, even if that is the truth, I don''t care about it. Because unlike you, I was born out of my mother''s womb and my identity will be decided by the physical body I''m inhibiting. The past lives are nothing more than the identities of other bodies. So, their actions have no rtion to me."


    "Well, that is alright if you wish to think that way. But, I can see that one day, you will face all of your countless past lives. That day, I hope you will make the right choice."


    "When such dayes, we''ll see about it. If there is else Your Grace, you may return now. I have something to do here in this world. Once I finish it, I will return on my own."


    Mark, Chang''e, Bael, and Yuanlong were standing on one of the inds on the Endless Sea ofva, and Mark was arguing with the divine serpent, regarding the so-called past life story she was trying to convince him.


    Mark, to some extent, believed the story, as only he knew that his soul was merged with Lu Zhen''s. If her theory was right, then, he could be Yan Di''s reincarnate and Lu Zhen must be Houyi''s reincarnate.


    The fact that Jingwei always addresses him as papa, because his aura smells like her father, is something taken into consideration.


    But, what if, this divine serpent merely noticed that he is a merged soul through some way and used it to sew a story in order to scout him into the Heavenly Pce?


    He just defeated Leviathan in front of her and there is no doubt she will be interested in him too. So, it is likely that this is just her maniption. Or so, in Mark''s opinion.


    Moreover, if he agrees with his exnation, this Moon Goddess, who was crazy for her husband, might cause disturbance in his private life. If she could go to the depths of theherworld to save her husband''s soul even after thousands of years since his death, then, she could very well visit the and interfere in his life too.


    While he doesn''t have any qualms about taking another wife, who in fact has powerful cultivation and a beauty that even beats his wife''s, he cannot give her the love she expects. His heart belongs to only one person and that is Song Yue.


    Hence, he cannot marry anyone who could have strong feelings of affection toward him. Because such unrequited feelings often cause jealousy; history has been the witness for many times that a strong woman''s jealousy in love often brings nothing but trouble.


    Keeping all this in consideration, Mark firmly rejected it.


    But, Chang''e, who is already deeply convinced by Yuanlong, has already changed the way she looks at him. And this troubled Mark more than anything.


    Hence, he sought the easiest way to solve this issue. Give an excuse to send her away with the divine serpent, not forgetting to request to send his sister back home.


    Chang''e listened to his request and quietly left without bothering him, after handing over her divine essence soul to Bael as promised, leaving the two of them in the middle of the endless sea ofva.


    Once they disappeared, Mark finally paid attention to Bael, inquiring him about the divine essence soul.


    Mark''s performance against Leviathan earned him a lot of respect as well as trust from the demon king; he didn''t leave a single thing out as he exined his goal and how he nned on achieving it.


    Upon listening to everything, Mark frowned, "Your n is okay but ording to what you have said, during the integration of the essence, your body will be vulnerable. What if you get ambushed by your enemies?"


    "Oh, that''s not an issue." Bael has already thought of the problem. He replied, "I n on doing it in an abandoned world, far away from the eyes of the heavenly pce or my fellow siblings."


    "Hmm¡­" Mark went silent for a while and finally mumbled, "Roughly ten years huh¡­"


    Bael understood the meaning behind Mark''s mumble. During this integration time, he won''t be answering Mark''s call for summons, even though that way was already destroyed identally by the system.


    Without the Orb of Bael, Mark had to depend on the summoning scroll demons usually provide to their contracted mortals, but Bael didn''t n on giving him one in the first ce, as it is useless.


    So, he did the best thing he could do, to please his favorite contracted human, who seemed like he didn''t like divine beings. To solidify their trust, Bael took an amulet out of nowhere and handed it to Mark, "For the next decade, my legion will be at your beck and call, in my absence. I will inform my generals beforehand. So, no need to worry about disobedience, not that they would."


    "Hmm?"


    Mark took the amulet and curiously observed it.


    At one nce, it doesn''t look anything special, except for it hideous insignia of Bael''s true form. But, when he inspected it, Mark couldn''t suppress the smile on his lips.


    Amulet of Bael


    Grade: Celestial


    Description: ording to the Book of Solomon''s data in the system, the Amulet of Bael is said to be a powerful devil artifact, one that could summon Demon King Bael''s 66 legions of demons at any location in the universe. Unless it is in an environment where there is a high concentration of divine energy in the surroundings, the summoned demons will retain their full strength.


    The summoned demons with not more than one realm above the user will haveplete loyalty. Each legion contains 1 demon general (12-circle), 6 demonmanders (11-circle), 60 demon captains (10-circle), and 6000 demon foot soldiers (7-circle to 9-circle).


    Note: Summoning legions of demons consumes arge amount of ether energy and mental stamina from the user.


    Effect 1: At the current stage, the user can summon one legion of demons under Bael for 60 minutes. Summoning each legion will reduce the time by 10 minutes.


    Effect 2: Using the artifact, the user can resurrect all the fallen demons back to their peak state. However, the cost of each demon will consume a corresponding amount of life force from the user.


    The user needs 10,000-100,000 years of life force to bring back a demon general, 1000-5000 years of life force to bring back a demonmander, 100-200 years for each demon captain, and 20-50 years for each demon foot soldier.


    Effect 3: The Amulet can be used to absorb the life force from the fresh corpses of living beings and store it, which could be consumed by the user to increase his life span or use it to resurrect the fallen demons instead of using the user''s own life force. At the current stage, the stored life force in the amulet is around 51,446 years.


    Temporary Owner: Lu Zhen/Mark Spencer


    *


    After he broke through to the demigod realm, a lot of existing data that the system left behind has been unlocked. And the return of description without the need for artificial intelligence "Ark" collecting it from conversations has been returned.


    He now didn''t even need to scan the surroundings to know what kind of minerals and rare materials were avable in theherworld at all.


    It was one of the things that Mark missed the most in the absence of the system. Adding on top of that, the amulet''s amazing abilities impressed his mood even further.


    He couldn''t help but vigorously shake Bael''s hands, "Thank you. With this, my immediate goals will be aplished in a shortened time."


    With great excitement, Mark bid farewell to Bael and used the Return skill, a spatial skill that lets him return to a fixed ce, as long as it was within distance limits. Previously, it was a hundred light years, but now, it expanded to 5000 light Years.


    Of course, since theherworld is in a different ne of existence, all of which are stacked upon each other, there is virtually no concept of distance in the first ce. From other nes of existence, every ce in a foreign ne of existence is of the same distance.


    Regardless, Mark returned to his home in an instant, specifically, the master bedroom in his mansion.


    "I''m Home¡­ Hmm?"


    He expected to surprise Song Yue, but the room was empty.


    Mark got out of the room, only to witness that the corridor was also empty when there should be a couple of robots standing outside. He checked the nearby rooms and found all of them empty too. Even the living room downstairs is also empty. No servants, no robots, nothing.


    He couldn''t but frown, quickly taking out themunication scroll to contact Song Yue.


    The reply was quick but Mark''s frown only deepened further when he read it.


    "This¡­ Damn it¡­"


    "Teleportation"


    Mark immediately disappeared and reappeared at the Gates of the Pce. "One trouble is over and another one is already waiting at my doorstep. Even when I seek peace, they always force me to pick violence. Fine, let''s give them that."

 Chapter 572: You have four weeks

    Later on, that night;


    "Anan (Golden kitten) got abducted, Baltrow (Manticore) got killed, all five of my Rank-9 robots that are deployed here are destroyed alongside a significant portion of my robotic army, Sylvandira and mom were heavily injured for resisting the enemies, and Lan Ju (Zheng) was forced to leave with them as a hostage.


    While this was all going on, that bas*ard guardian god, Yujiang didn''t make a move. Can anything get worse than this¡­ *sigh*"


    Mark doesn''t know who to get angry with.


    Is it his fault for not taking extra steps to secure his family?


    Is it the Moon Goddess'' fault for putting him through a troublesome quest of hers and wasting his time, because of her half-knowledge?


    Is it the fault of Yujiang, who was supposed to deny the entry of any Saint and above realm cultivator or a beast?


    Or is it the fault of his sister whonded herself in trouble in the first ce, trying to get the Orb of time without consulting him?


    Many things ran through his head, as he was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, not being able to sleep; Song Yue and Little Lu Shan, on the other hand, were sleeping in peace. Perhaps, Song Yue was affected quite the most, by this incident. Even after fours into the sleep, her hands were tightly around his arm.


    After thinking thoroughly about how to get back his friends (Zheng and Anan) while making sure to keep his wife and the child safe from any kind of problematic enemies, Mark decided to finish up his old promises.


    The next day morning, in the King''s study room;


    "You can''t be serious," King Shen Niu couldn''t control his voice as he heard Mark''s decision. "But, there are no auspicious dates around," Princess added, with a frown on her face.


    Mark shrugged his shoulders, "The recent incident made it clear that I have a lot of enemies that I still need to take care of, in this ce before I go and save my friends. I''m not telling you to hurry up the marriage preparations in a day or two. I just want you to look for the best date possible for the marriage, during this time. After that, I might leave this ce for a few years.


    So, it is up to you if you want to marry your daughter to me or wait until I get back."


    "Four weeks? That''s enough time," Shen Niu''s eyes lit up instantly. "Leave it to me," He raised his tone once again, but this time, it was in excitement.


    Of course, he was excited. For the past few months, Shen Niu was pestering Mark for the marriage every now and then. Shen Ling, who was still working on pushing for the reforms of removing Patriarchy in the Kingdom, kept on postponing it in the name of not having auspicious dates so far.


    She wants to have enough support before the marriage so that when they officially be husband and wife, she will directly announce her candidacy for the throne.


    She and Mark made the agreement long ago. Now when he bes her husband, he would dly use his power to remove Patriarchy in the kingdom and crave the path for her to seed her father as the first-ever Queen Regnant.


    Mark supported her as it is what she wants to do.


    But, the situation has changed and so were his ns.


    Shen Ling obviously was displeased by his announcement, without even consulting with her beforehand.


    But, she cannot say anything in her father''s presence and can only stay silent, until she escorted him to the gardens with an excuse of spending some quality time together.


    When they were finally alone in one of the gardens of the pce, Shen Ling inquired about him and expressed her displeasure on the matter too.


    Mark took a nce around and leaned his head to her ear, whispering his ns for her.


    "Wha¡­" Shen Ling''s eyes widened and she took a step back in surprise. "Now it finally makes sense why Cab and the alliance were established. It was never about¡­"


    "Shh¡­" Mark stepped forward and put his finger on his lips, "Some things cannot be revealed before they happen."


    Shen Ling bloomed into a smile and nodded, "I understand."


    A few hourster, Mark and his family (Song Yue, Lu Shan, and Shang Jiao) left the city in their Spider-ship, a transformation of the divine throne. It might have a scary appearance for the spectators but he had used it so many times that it had be his symbol.


    It was necessary to also let it fly at a low altitude to warn his hidden enemies that he was back and they shouldn''t try anything funny from now onwards.


    Within no time, they reached Fujian Ind, where a familiar-looking little girl was waiting for them.


    As soon as they stepped on the ind, she rushed forward and hugged Mark with all smiles, "Papa¡­"


    Usually, Mark would either pat her head or brush her off, but this time, Mark put his arms around her and responded with a smile, "I''m back, Xiao Wei."


    Jingwei raised her head with a look of surprise on her face, as she never had been called that way. As her eyes met Mark''s, her smile widened even further than earlier, "I missed you a lot, Papa."


    "Haah, if someone would see this, they think that you had a daughter when you were a teenager, Markie," A cheekyment came from above. Song Yue was slowlying down the stairs, carrying her son in her arms. Shang Jiao followed her.


    ''Ah, it is the scarydy and scary baby,'' Jingwei thought in her head but her wary expression gave away her thoughts.


    But then, Mark''s reaction absolutely blew her mind so that she forgot all about her wariness toward the Chaos element.


    "She is still the daughter from one of my past lives, my Schatz. Thousands of years passed away and we still met in the end. Isn''t it fate?" Mark replied to her, slightly indicating to the girl that he knew the truth.


    As Song Yue was surprised this time, Shang Jiao pped in realization, "Ah, that''s right. I remembered the portrait of the Moon Goddess'' mortal husband. You look strikingly identical to each other."


    "Eh?" Song Yue''s surprise turned into shock; she abruptly turned her head to look at her inw, "What did you say?"


    Mark''s face stiffened this time. He hurriedly spoke before Shang Jiao uttered more things, "nonsense. Reincarnation doesn''t give you the same appearance, Xiao Jiao. The bloodline will give it. Most probably, both of us are his descendants and that''s probably why she wants to help us out."


    "Ah, is that so? But, I swear she heard addressing you as her dear when she sent me back to the kingdom, yesterday. I thought something might have happened back in theherworld between you two. Maybe, I misheard it." Shang Jiao murmured, momentarily falling into her thought.


    As Mark was worried about Song Yue''s ufortable expression as if she wanted to say when he would stop chasing after beauties, Jingwei came to Mark''s rescue with herment, "No, Papa is not Houyi. Papa is Papa''s reincarnation. They have the same souls."


    "Yup, it does look like she could tell because we formed a contract," Mark confirmed his theory, upon hearing herment. "But then again, isn''t it funny that I was such a mythical character in my past life? Nah, the current me would wipe the floor off with him."

 Chapter 573: Project Ultron

    Three weekster;


    "Day 20, Experiment no. 36. Subject: Rank-8 Robot."


    Mark carefully inserted a 1cm*1cm chip into a cube-shaped core made of titanium alloy.


    After sessful insertion, he ced it on one of his palms and used the other to pour ether energy into it, giving it the necessary power.


    Soon, all the markings that appeared on the core were filled with blue light, making it seem like a burst of energy trying to escape a maze that has no exit, once the notification received by Mark about thepletion of this step, he went on inserting it into the chest of a Rank-8 robot, "Alina, switch on the battery."


    While the core could be supplied the power through his ether particles as its needed energy, the robot, on the other hand, needed a battery as the power source as it runs on electricity.


    But, creating conventional batteries is a time-consuming task and he doesn''t want to stop the production of his weapons, now that they went into the market a week ago, resuming his business.


    A store was set up in atleast one city of every state of the alliance and the grand opening happened a week ago.


    Things haven''t been as smooth as he expected, atleast in some states like Eastern Sun due to Ouyang Zen''s dissent to let his public ess to the firearms and Qilin Empire, where the Ming dynasty or its people not being able to get used to a new type of weapons that could actually hurt them if they are not careful.


    Of course, the Ming Dynasty was quick to act. Within just one week of its release, Emperor Ming passed an order to put an age restriction on firearms and explosives.


    Anyways, back to the factory, Mark opted to use electric current-filled scrolls avable in the market, each costing up to 3 gold coins and supplying electricity to at least 5 electric fans and 6 bulbs for a whole day. A scroll can also be used to charge the rank-1 robot to full.


    It was expensive for normal people but for the rich, it didn''t cost much.


    Mark didn''t hesitate to use 120 of them at the same time, supplying the electricity to the Rank-8 robot, which had its energy depletedpletely on purpose.


    As a huge amount of current passed into it and charged its battery, causing it to go overload, the excess current automatically made its way to the core inserted in its chest.


    "I have destroyed 35 Rank-8 robots so far. This is the 36th. Due to the incident, I now only have a Rank-10 robot, 5 Rank-9 robots, and 17 Rank-8 robots. Most of the destroyed robots are missing too, along with the weapons given to them. Who knows where they all ended up in? If this ends up in failure, I will lose another prized robot, which is even of a higher grade.


    Then, I would have no choice but to abandon this project¡­"


    Mark was too nervous at this point, hoping that the rank-9 robot would not be destroyed by the overloading caused by the cube. Due to the fail-safe he built inside, there won''t be an explosion but if all of its transistors, wires, and battery end up dead, the rank-9 robot will be nothing but a lump of titanium and adamantium alloy.


    Five seconds passed, ten seconds passed, twenty seconds passed, and Mark''s facial expression changed.


    After a whole minute, Mark''s face was now filled with excitement as he saw the cube continue to glow, integrating with the robot''s system. "Good, so far so good. All we need is now to wai¡­"


    At once, the floor started shaking all of a sudden. Mark lost his bnce and was about to fall. The robot''s dead eyes glowed blue and it disappeared, reappearing behind Mark, catching him in a fraction of a second. Mark''s eyes met with its eyes and the robot spoke, "Master, are you alright?"


    "Hmm?" Not only did the robot speak to him when it didn''t have any voice modtor but the voice was also too familiar to him. "Ark?" he wondered out loud.


    The robot helped him to stand up straight and went down to one of his knees like a knight, "Integration sessful, Master."


    "Wait a second. How?" Mark''s eyes widened as realization dawned upon him without hearing its exnation, "I created the core and its quantum chip based on the data extracted from your core instead of Alina because yours is superior to hers. Of course, it is going to be your copy. F**k, here I thought I could make a new one."


    The robot rose to its feet and replied, "Master, youcked the proper equipment to build a new one from scratch. You need aputer with specialized software to get started. You don''t possess the knowledge to build such a thing. But, now, with me here, your creation ability will not be limited to weapons."


    "Hmm¡­ with Ark acting as my substitute, I think it is possible," thought Mark in his head.


    In reply, a notification screen floated before his eyes.


    *Ding! Now that I was integrated with the robot''s nanochip, as long as the core is intact, I can establish a connection with every other robot that has a simr nanochip even from a distance. Essentially, apart from the higher quality robot (Rank-10), I could now control every other robot that is 500 meters around my body.


    However, I rmend building more cores to give intelligence to every robot here, in order to improve work efficiency.


    "Ultron¡­" Mark''s eyes lit up.


    Ever since he got a robot from the system, he always had a fascination withmanding robots like how this character named Ultron did it in a movie franchise, back in his past life.


    However, after using the robotic army, it didn''t feel like it. Instead, he felt more like a necromancer who is using an undead. But, with added intelligence to the robot, where its main consciousness lies inside him, he felt like his dream could be achieved.


    While there was also a worry of losing control over the artificial intelligence that keeps on learning new things, he was confident in destroying them too, with his newfound strength. But, it isn''t also the time to think about unnecessary things. He felt like this was the time to focus on development.


    Slightly tweaking his intended ns, Mark then spoke to the robot, "Your name will be Ark Prime from now onwards. I give you permission to name the robots you will give intelligence to."


    "I understood, Master," The robot ced his arm to its chest and bowed its head slightly.


    Mark continued, "Your first task is to give intelligence core to all the robots here."


    "Understood, master," The robot nodded, but then it replied immediately, "However, I rmend Master to do this task."


    "Me? Why?" Mark was taken aback by its request. It''s Day 1 of its creation and it is already disobeying his orders?


    The robot rified by exining, "When the Master creates the core, the master''s ether energy is being integrated with the core, and I could extract a basic or a variant attribute from it, giving its properties to the robot. This body has inherited the element of space." Following its words, the robot created a set of ck portals, one before it and the other ten meters away.


    It walked into it before walking out from the other.


    "The f**k¡­ you can do that?"

 Chapter 574: Alina and the old witch

    Mark didn''t expect to see this. It was already overwhelming enough for him to realize the potential of replicating the intelligence cores. But, this news was even top of it.


    What makes an Android different from a battle robot? Of course, the appearance makes a huge difference, but it is the presence of the core in the Android that makes it more special.


    The intelligence core not only houses the Android''s consciousness but also has unique abilities based on how it was created. That''s why Alina, Allen, and Ark had different abilities in the first ce. The system created them based on what it thought their abilities suited its host the most.


    But, since Ark Prime was created by Mark, who used his own ether energy as the medium, the artificial intelligence Ark''s intention here is to maximize the output. So, it went on extracting the best variant element it could do, from its ether particles and supplied it to the core, giving it space-based elements.


    This newfound discovery brought several thoughts to Mark.


    He broadened his horizons in a matter of seconds as his brain ran faster and faster.


    *p*


    "Ark, I bet if you are upgraded to the next rank, you can extract advanced grade attributes too, right?" he inquired inside his head, under the assumption of Yes.


    *Ding! I cannot say it certainly without any data on other A.I.s but there is a high chance that I could do it.


    "There''s still a reward from the system left for me. I could upgrade Ark to rank 8 through Upgrade Crystal. However, I need to expand it more. Including the main branch, I have opened 7 so far. So, 3 more are needed. Not to mention, I need to sell atleast 1000 weapons from each.


    Hmm¡­ since there is no system to monitor my process, let''s just do it using a loophole process. I need 10 million gold coins of worth transactions through the store, right? Let''splete both quests at the same time."


    Since it is better to wait until Ark''s upgrade, Mark halted the current project and gave another task to the robot, "Ark Prime, I want you to work on upgrading the Song missile, and Alina¡­" He then looked at the three-headed robot dog, "How far can you track your body''s nano-chip?"


    "Big Bro, you want to get back my body?" She asked; her voice filled with surprise.


    As Mark nodded, she started jumping on her four legs like a poodle, "Yay, Big Bro is the best..."


    She might be of lower rank than Ark and less knowledgeable, but she is certainly more emotionalpared to Ark. It was as if she was a human in the body of a robot.


    Mark couldn''t help but smile when he saw that, and Ark gave a weird nce at the jumping dog; his gaze was filled with curiosity.


    *


    The same day evening, Lei Yan City, Leon Empire;


    In the streets of the seventh biggest city of the Leon Empire, roughly two dozen corpses were lying on the ground, some of them had their heads cut off away, some were mere stabs in the necks or in the chest, and some had several cuts all over the body, and some turned into dried flesh.


    Find out what happens next on m_vl.em,pyr


    The City Lord was in fear, with his trusted subordinate of 7-circle realm cultivation shielding him, as an old witch with a staff was slowly advancing toward him with a creepy smile.


    However, she wasn''t the one who the city lord and his bodyguard were afraid of. It is the hooded woman standing beside with a scimitar in her hand. Under the hood, her face was emotionless and her steps were steady, as if she had no intention to move.


    "We don''t have any personal enmity, senior. If you show me mercy, I''ll paypensation two times the amount you weremissioned with," The City Lord pleaded with a roar.


    The old witch let out a chuckle, "Sorry, but the client promised us something more valuable than your pitiful money. You should die. Surrender to your fate and you will die without much pain. Resist and you will receive a death worse than your servants."


    The City Lord''s eyes couldn''t help but wander the streets to nce at the corpses once again. He gulped his saliva.


    "Lord Yi, I will stop them here. Take the chance to escape," said the bodyguard as he took another pill to stabilize his cultivation. He wasn''t originally a 7-circle realm expert. He was a 6-circle realm expert who took a high-quality augmentation pill to raise it temporarily. He had two of them.


    Taking another one will not help him much but it will give him some more time to maintain the realm. Once its effects are over, he is going to be so weak from double consumption that even a kid could kill him.


    Yi Caijun knew it but he couldn''t bear to leave his best friend, whom he had grown up with, to die. At the same time, there is no guarantee that he will live either. As ast resort, he took out the family inheritance and threw it to the ground, "How about take it and leave us alone? Announce to your client that we were killed. We will be leaving this city¡­ No, this Empire, and never to return."


    *Snap*


    "Tch, so noisy¡­" The old witch snapper her fingers, in response to his deal. Suddenly, vines erupted from the ground and captured them, absorbing their life force. "Puppet, go¡­" She ordered the hooded woman, simultaneously.


    The woman charged forward and swung down the sword at their necks, not giving them any time to even defend themselves.


    As both of their heads rolled on the ground, the hooded expert returned the scimitar back to its sheath, returning to her master with a single leap.


    The witch then slowly walked forward and picked up a double-sided mirror, "Foolish human. I can get the Mirror of Truth after killing him too. Why would I spare him and risk my reputation?"


    After observing it for a while, she poured her ether energy into it and aimed toward the hooded expert. Thetter stood there, without moving an inch.


    As one side of the mirror emitted rays of light and shined upon the target, the other side disyed a metallic robot. "Hmm, she wasn''t a human who died. She was a lifeless puppet who was probably discarded by its owner." Her smile grew further as she gazed at the hooded woman once again, "This makes it even more perfect to use for assassinations.


    Anyway, let''s continue." She took out a scroll and opened it, revealing several names on the list. Almost all of them were struck off. She struck off the name Yi Caijun''s name with a tiny beam of ether energy from her finger.


    As soon as his name has been cut off, another name is revealed at the bottom of the scroll, "Shi En? The sessor to the Nuwa Church''s Supreme Pontiff? This is going to be troublesome" She furrowed his brows.


    "Didn''t he sever his ties with the royal family? Why does the prince want him dead? Was he worried that the prince would return to the family and im the throne? Well, he is in the direct line of the previous emperor. In theory, he does have the right¡­ Oh, well¡­ we can''t question his intentions. ording to the deal, I promised to kill 50 of them.


    And so far, I have killed 48. Once I kill him and then the next, who might even be that old Emperor or another prince inpetition, I will finally get that Amon Scroll''sst fragment. Once I finish collecting the pieces, I will be able to summon Amon and form the contract. I''ll be invincible then. Not even those demigods from Western Moon will be my match."

 Chapter 575: A.I. controlled beasts

    Three dayster;


    At an unnamed ind;


    "3, 2, 1¡­"


    *Boom*


    A missile was shot from the sky, aiming at the ck Tortoise that is suppressed to stay still by the Gravity Dome.


    Of course, the effects of the Gravity Dome were also on the missile. But, unlike the beast, the missile didn''t slow down but had its speed increased a thousandfold.


    The majestic ck tortoise couldn''t even conjure up its shield and helplessly stared at the missile that fell on it and its siblings.


    As the missile struck the ind, the antimatter injected into it released into the surroundings, causing a huge explosion, enough to sink down the entire 1 sq. km of the ind into the ocean.


    As the Holy beast was drowned in the ocean, Mark came out from the divine throne, which was now in the shape of a huge flying ship in the sky with a missile defense system and a missileuncher mounted on top of it.


    He stared down at the body of water and raised his hand, "Release."


    The Gravity effects in the surroundings became normal and the beasts slowly floated to the air.


    "Mas¡­ter¡­" The ck tortoise''s pitiful call echoed in the surroundings as its head came out of the water, its gaze was on its favorite human who probably met them only ten times so far in the past year, only to push them to death when met again after a long time, "It doesn''t work. We Holy beasts need the offering of a d demigod realm''s divine or a demonic beast''s heart to breakthrough."


    Mark put his hands behind his back, exuding the air of a demigod that people describe in the books, as he replied, "That could be one of the ways, but it doesn''t mean it is the only way. From my experience, what I learned is that you could make a breakthrough if you touch the death door. So, try to live while I try to kill you. You''ll be a demigod realm beast within no time."


    "Mas¡­ter¡­" As it once again pitifully looked at Mark, thetter stretched his hands toward it and unleashed another skill.


    "Attraction"


    Arge amount of suction force erupted from his palms, pulling the majestic beast to the sky.


    "Ahhh¡­"


    The one with an all-seeing eye, who taught many junior deities in its past life, has now ended up under the mercy of Mark. As it reached its master, a box hit on its head and it flew down hundreds of meters once again and crashed into the waters. It fainted right away.


    After a while, as it gained consciousness, the ck Tortoise received a few more rounds of beating to the point of losing its consciousness once again.


    Until the evening, this repeated 18 times to be exact but it never showed hostility even on one asion, despite the fact that Mark never activated his titles of either "Absolute Authority" or "Master of Holy Beasts", both of which give himplete control over them.


    Once the sun had set down and the ck Tortoise woke up for the 19th time, expecting to be beaten down once again, it found itself levitating, being carried away into the facility it was familiar with but never stepped inside.


    When it entered, the ck Tortoise found its three siblings being tied up on the ground with normal ropes; two of them seemed to be unconscious while the Azure Dragon was struggling to move, pping its legs and arms uncontrobly but still couldn''t break the ordinary-looking ropes for some reason.


    Meanwhile, a few high-ranking robots are using various divine weapons (Mythril-grade swords and spears) given by Mark to tear the dragon scales apart.


    "Rx, Qing Long, it is just going to be fine. Bear with the pain and you will achieve the breakthrough," said Mark as he walked forward at a steady pace.


    "Gra¡­" "Graaa¡­" "Graaa¡­" The dragon continued to roar, pleading with him to free it. But, Mark turned a deaf ear to it and went past it, cing the tortoise on the floor before the robots rushed forward and tied it up withrge and thick ropes, which were tied to a heavy steel bar on the side.


    Once it was tied up, Mark then ced his arm on one of the ropes that tied its shell and the body.


    "Density Maniption, 1000 times."


    Each of the rope and the steel bar had its density increased by 1000 times and the holy beasts'' cultivation was brutally suppressed by the factory. However, Xuan Wu has incredible physical strength, especially its hard shell that could even take the attack of an immortal. So, Mark wasn''t confident.


    Fortunately, his beatings made itpletely obedient to the point that Mark wondered whether he should have done the same thing to the Azure Dragon too.


    As ity there lifelessly as if it was implying that it didn''t care anymore, Mark observed its shell and knocked on it a few times, speaking out loud, "Ark Prime, does it only work if it was imnted in the chest? Can we imnt it in its head, you know, integrating it with its brain instead of the heart? Its shell is a lot sturdier than those scales of Qing long."


    The robot supervising the vitals of the dragon replied, "It can be possible, Master, but it will be aplicated surgery. Any mistake will cause permanent damage to the brain, ending up brain dead and living as a nonliving thing for eternity. It is not easy to revive the brain, unlike the heart. Moreover, there is a moderate risk of amnesia and a high risk of losing intelligence.


    You will turn a Sage into a fool."


    The ck Tortoise didn''t know what they were nning but the robot''s words caused a shiver all over its body, "ma¡­ master, I¡­ I can remove the shell." It forced out its words in a shaking voice.


    It doesn''t fear death but fears losing of its extensive knowledge of the cosmos, which it was proud of.Moreover, since it always retains the abilities and the memories it had in past life, Xuan Wu will not retain its knowledge if it loses now.


    "You can remove the shell?" Mark always thought that the shell was a part of a tortoise. So, he never considered such a possibility.


    "Yes, I¡­ I can transform it into a huge dome to protect the area, but I cannot use it with the suppression on me."


    "Hmm¡­"


    Mark thought for a bit and gave a nod, "Fine, we''ll do your operation, outside the facility. Ark Secundus, you follow me." "Yes, Sir."


    Azure Dragon''s eyes widened when it heard him and it tried to protest, "No... this is unfa¡­ Argh¡­"


    Little did it know that outside the facility, as ck Tortoise removed its shield and transformed into a giant barrier that covered its 500-meter surroundings, the Gravitational force descended upon its thin and weak body, almost crushing its bones before it turned upside down and had its interior skin cut by aser beam by a robot.


    This robot is called Ark Secundus, the second robot where the A.I. core was installed, but with inheriting the Gravity powers from him.


    Using its elemental and Ark''s connection with Mark, this robot managed to stay unaffected by the Gravity Dome and calmly operated on the vulnerable ck Tortoise, which had even louder screams than the dragon.


    But, its resistance is a bare minimum and so was its defense. Hence, it didn''t take long for the robot to finish its surgery, sessfully imnting the A.I. core into the body of Xuan Wu.


    Once the operation in finished, Mark removed the gravity dome and resummoned the divine throne from his inventory, using its ability of Divine Healing to heal its external wound from the surgery and the internal injuries from the Gravity Dome altogether.


    *Ding! Integration has been sessful. Proceeding to dismiss the skill.


    Xuan Wu, for the first time, heard a voice in its head that it didn''t recognize, but it didn''t feel hostile toward it. The beast doesn''t know why but it just trusted the voice on its intuition and let it control its body.


    Probably the main reason is that Ark''s main body and Mark were connected while Mark and Xuan Wu are connected by contract.


    The ck Tortoise''s appearance was restored and eventually, it has also gone into a deep state of sleep as the rest of them.


    Seeing that everything went smoothly, Mark let out a sigh of relief as he stared at the beast, "Beating it to the death over and over made it less stubborn and be more obedient. I thought it would be the hardest to handle because of its arrogance over its knowledge and stubbornness over its decision, but it looks like beasts are certainly different.


    ording to the glossary left behind by the system, my Primeval bloodline did have an enormous effect on lower bloodlines. Only Primordials could resist it.


    Anyway, the first step is done. Now, once the dragon is also operated, I can move on to the next step, Neural Synchronization, and a forceful breakthrough."

 Chapter 576: Mark and Song Yues intimate moment

    Leaving the rest of the tasks to Ark Prime, Mark left the ind and traveled to the ind of Yong, around 130 kilometers away from the factory, which was usually inhabited by the giant anaconda king, Yong.


    But, right now, apart from the serpent beast, there was also a wooden house built near the beach of the ind. It was a simple wooden cottage built on top of sturdy, featuring a wooden structure with a sloped roof andrge windows that let in plenty of natural light.


    He climbed the staircase and entered the house, revealing a cozy living area attached to a small kitchen and two bedrooms with minimum furniture.


    "Bah Bah¡­"


    A pleasing voice entered Mark''s ears as soon as he put away his footwear. As his head turned aside, his eyes fell upon a baby crawling toward him with a wide smile on his face. "Bah bah¡­"


    Mark''s face instantly bloomed into happiness as he crouched with his arms stretched forward, "Shan Shan." As the two-month-old baby, who was supposed to be still in a crib, crawling as fast as a spider, a voice came from the kitchen with amanding tone, "What do you think you are doing, Markie?" It was quite chilling in Mark''s ears; he was frozen on the spot. "Lu Shan,e here now." The baby was frozen in his footsteps and quickly turned around, crawling back to the kitchen at the same pace as earlier.


    Soon, Song Yue came out with a paddle in one hand while carrying the baby through her other arm; her face looked serious as she looked at her husband, "You stink with blood, gun power, fish, and other unpleasant things. Do you want Shan Shan to get sick or something? Go and fresh up first." Once she said what she wanted to, she turned around and returned to the kitchen.


    "Um¡­" Mark was slightly disappointed by her behavior but he hung down his head and let out a sigh, going straight into the bathroom for the shower.


    Once he freshened up and went to the kitchen, he saw she was busy cooking with the baby sitting on the floor and ying with the toys.


    "Bah Bah¡­" Lu Shan''s eyes lit up once again and rushed one more time. This time, Song Yue didn''t react and let Mark pick him up and carry him in his arms, taking him back to the living room and started ying with him.


    Song Yue stood there before the gas stove and increased her grip on the wooden paddle so that it almost snapped it into two. "This man doesn''t even give atten¡­"


    About ten minutester, Mark slowly carried little Lu Shan into the bedroom and carefully ced him in the cradle, making sure not to wake him up. The rank-10 robot was given the task of gently swinging the cradle.


    Mark then slowly stepped outside the bedroom and walked into the kitchen, where Song Yue was seen using a broken paddle to stir the soup. He hastened his footsteps and suddenly hugged her behind, "Schatz¡­"


    "Ah¡­" She blushed a little bit but swatted his arms on her waist, clicking her tongue in expressing her displeasure outwardly; although, her heartbeat rose a little bit from happiness, "Don''t touch me."


    Mark slightly loosed his arms and said, "C''mon, you are still angry?"


    "Do you expect me to be jumping in joy?" She snapped at him. "It wasn''t enough that you imprisoned us here in the name of protection and now you have gone for 36 hours straight."


    "Uhh¡­ well, honestly, I lost track of time yesterday. But, I won''t give you any excuses that will turn your mood worse. How about something positive instead? Want to hear some good news?"


    "What is it? Your wedding date is finalized?" Song Yue asked in a sarcastic tone.


    "Well, yes, but that''s not the good news part that I''m going to tell you."


    "Then?"


    "My work is almost done here. We will leave by tomorrow noon"


    "Really?" Song Yue abruptly turned around to find Mark''s face just an inch away from her. As their eyes met each other, her face turned beet red and she hurriedly looked away, "So soon? I mean you said it will take atleast another week or two."


    "You are the one who was angry with me for the past week, ckmailing me to return you back home or else you won''t even let me touch you. I had to take shortcuts and worked nonstop for 36 hours without any sleep, at the factory," Mark shrugged his shoulder before tightening his grip over her waist to pull her closer to him and whispered, "I think I deserve a reward, don''t you think?"


    "Not¡­ not now. I need to cook," Song Yue tried to turn around, but this time, Mark''s grip was tight and didn''t let her go, leaning his face forward and yfully pinched her lips, "the soup won''t get bad if it cooks for another half an hour unsupervised. So, I was wondering¡­ should we give a sibling to Shan Shan¡­"


    "No¡­ no way, I''m letting you. He''s already troublesome enough to deal with," While Song Yue firmly refused to get pregnant once again, Mark didn''t react much and just whispered, "Not a problem, I''ll pull it out in time."


    "You¡­ sh¡­ shameless¡­" Song Yue''s embarrassment increased because of the dirty talk from her husband, "The sun has just gone down and I..." She tried to stop him but couldn''t stop herself as Mark went on kissing her neck and caressing her body. Perhaps, due to the significant gap, she only got more aroused as time slowly ticked by.


    Within no time, both of them were naked in the other bedroom, enjoying their time on the mattress. But, the moment didn''tst for even ten minutes as they were interrupted by the baby''s cries. Song Yue hurriedly dressed up and went to the master bedroom to handle Lu Shan''s crying while Mark banged his head against the mattress with a defeated expression with an imaginary chibi inside his head that was having animated tears, "Ugh¡­ After six weeks, we got an opportunity again and that was gone in a poof¡­ No matter, she was no longer angry at me and I should be content with it, for now. I''m tired. Let''s take some rest."


    The next day morning, at Fujian Ind;


    Outside of the facility, the four holy beasts, almost in a copsed state and struggling to get up; all were enveloped by ayer of their respective attribute energies but their eyes seemed nk as if they were in a state of trance.


    Mark patiently waited in the sky, staring down at them, as 500 times the gravity mercilessly pulled down his contracted beasts.


    Itsted for three hours until a beam of light erupted from the dragon''s head, shooting to the heavens as it let out a powerful roar.


    *Ding! Qing Long has reached Rank-10, Master.


    A notification arrived to Mark, bringing a smile to his face, "Good."


    The Azure Dragon came back to its senses as it stood straight against gravity and stretched its wings. It tried to fly but couldn''t at the moment. Hence, it stared at its master and then spared a nce at its siblings in trance.


    Not long after the notification, simr scenes urred one after another.


    *Roar*


    *Ding! Bai Hu has reached Rank-10, Master.


    *Screech*


    *Ding! Zhu Que has reached Rank-10, Master.


    *Rustle*


    *Ding! Xuan Wu has reached Rank-10, Master.


    As thest one also made its breakthrough, Mark finally removed the Gravity Dome and slowly descended to the ind.


    A blinding sh of light enveloped each of them, transforming into humanoid forms at the same time. However, except for one, none even looked remotely like a human as Zheng used to be.


    The Azure Dragon, Qing Long, transformed into a little boy with bluish scales covering his entire body, except for his face, and he had long green hair that was touching the ground. He also had dragon wings on his back.


    The White Tiger, Bai Hu, also transformed into a little boy with pale white skin and messy white hair with ck streaks, whiskers protruding from his cheeks, ears resembling a cat, and a tail growing from the back.


    The ck Tortoise''s appearance was even weirder. Its humanoid body had the scales of a serpent while its face looked like a mixture of a male and a female. If seen from the left side, its face will look like a little girl. But, if seen from the right side, one would think it is a little boy.


    The Vermilion Bird, Zhu Que, on the other hand, transformed into a little girl with long scarlet hair, although with feathery wings in the back.


    Mark threw sets of robes and tunics for them to cover up themselves. He prepared it beforehand, knowing that they would have kid forms when they transformed. How did he know about it? Well, he experienced it with the golden kitten, he had the Zheng, and a beast-taming book that his sister gave him on his engagement ceremony, back then.


    The rest of the three obeyed it while feeling ufortable in clothes, but the Azure Dragon protested while looking at them in his hands, "Master, what about my wings? I can''t retract them back into my body, like Sister Zhu Que. I want custom-made."


    "Tch, just make holes in the back and fit them," Mark clicked his tongue, making an ugly expression of annoyance. The Azure Dragon was always a rebellious kid,ining when he stayed at the ind in istion,ining when he was forced to hunt down the wild flying beasts in the sky at 10km altitude, resisting his best when it was operated on, andining about its freedom of thought when the A.I. took over its conscious for a forced breakthrough, etc¡­

 Chapter 577: A summon from Mark (part-1)

    The Night before Mark''s departure from Yong Ind


    Helios City, Eastern Sun Kingdom;


    Stay connected via m-v l|e''-NovelBin


    It waste in the evening.


    The King of Ouyang Dynasty, 13-year-old Ouyang Zen was seen in the pce grounds, with a sniping rifle in his hand and lying on an elevated wooden tform. Lan Jing, the eight-circle realm expert, his prime minister as well as his guardian, was standing beside him with his hands to the back. Both of their gazes are on the same thing, a wooden target in the shape of a man located roughly about two hundred meters away and barely visible to the naked eye under the moonlight.


    The one that Ouyang Zen was carrying had its scope as well as itsser sight missing, more like removed away on purpose. Hence, this king was entirely dependent on his eyesight as he aimed at the target.


    Apart from them, there are a few knights stationed around but they aren''t much focused on what their king is doing. For them, he was spending his leisure time on some kind of weird hobby. Their King seemed to have an obsession with firearms and their ammunition, which he procured a lot but most of the stock would be sent to the Special Naval troops that operate those three warships and constantly patrolling the sea.


    Of course, as the prized warriors of the kingdom who honed their skills for a long time, they naturally look down on those who use firearms, terming them as weak.


    *Bang*


    A loud sound erupted from the rifle and Ouyang Zen''s arm vibrated a little bit for the nth time as a bullet escaped the barrel and cut through the air at subsonic speeds.


    Ouyang Zen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the target. He saw a hole appeared right on the face.


    He pped with a smile, "Your Majesty, your aim is once again up to the mark. You shot the left eye of the enemy."


    However, Ouyang Zen responded with a click of his tongue, "Tch, it is a bad shot, Lan Jing. I aimed for the forehead."


    ''This kid''s only w is his obsession for perfection whenever he starts something,'' Ouyang Zen took a meaningful nce at the boy for a second and inwardly sighed before stating, "You were not using those two things, even in such an environment. Umm¡­ what were called again? Yeah, the Laser Sight and rifle scope. So, I guess the reduction of effectiveness can be understood."


    "There is a difference between being difficult and impossible, Lan Jing," replied the teenage King, inserting another bullet into the rifle. Aiming at the target once again while pouring his ether energy into his hands, he said, "I aim to turn difficult into easy, not the impossible into possible. And I''m sure that this doesn''te under the impossible category."


    *Bang*


    Another bullet was fired, followed by his words. This time, due to theyer of ether energy covering his hands, they were steady.


    "Umm¡­ The enemy escaped," said Lan Jing in a low tone. As he took a nce at the king, he saw the teenager was smiling. It was in contrast with his earlier expression even when it was a lethal shot. After a brief pause, he couldn''t help but ask, "Your Majesty, did you miss it on purpose?"


    Ouyang Zen got up and pointed his finger to the front, "Nope, I did hit the target. Go and take a closer look at the target."


    "Hmm?"


    Lan Jing took another look at the human-shaped target. His eyes wandered all over the ce but didn''t find any other damage.


    But, seeing a confident expression on the King, the eight-circle-realm expert had to fly toward it and take a closer look.


    It was there he found something that didn''t exist before. The earlier hole wasn''t as uniform as before. It was slightly extended to the right.


    "This¡­" He touched the spot and turned his head to look at the teenager who turned around to walk away, "He aimed for the eye? The Kid really was born to wield that long firearm."


    He quickly caught up to the king and walked with him, praising his skills on the way.


    He intended to escort him to the King''s chamber before taking his leave, but on the way, they were stopped by a Knight Captain, who informed them that an envoy representing Genesis Enterprises wished to meet him urgently. He added that the envoy was the elf of Western Moon.


    As soon as they heard that it was the elf, Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing quickly changed their paths to the throne hall, which is usually reserved for urgent meetings with distinguished guests or ministers or messengers who want to speak privately.


    As they entered the ce, they saw Sylvandria waiting for them, silently standing alone in the middle of the room.


    "Greetings, Your Grace," Lan Jing cupped his fists and bowed to the figure. Ouyang Zen also followed the suit. After all, it was a demigod standing in front of him.


    Sylvandria smiled as she waved her hand, "You are the ruler of thisnd, King Ouyang. You shouldn''t bow to anyone on yournd, not before a demigod or even an immortal. It is quite disrespectful to your ancestors." Her tone was calm but pleasing to their ears at the same time.


    Ouyang Zen replied confidently, "Your existence indirectly protects ournd from any direct foreign invasion, Your Grace. A protector deserves proper respect from the King, on behalf of his people. I''m doing exactly the same."


    Sylvandria''s eyes momentarily widened in surprise before she observed the teenage King for a couple of seconds and gave a nod, "You have a good temperament for your age, King Ouyang. I believe with the right guidance, you will be a good ruler; at the very least, enough for your descendants to be proud of their ancestor."


    "Thank you for the praise," Ouyang Zen cupped his fists, maintaining a respectful tone.


    Sylvandria then told him to take his seat, the throne. Once he sat down, she took her seat and spoke, "Lu Zhen tasked me with a message to each of you. He didn''t explicitly say that the message to Lan Jing had to be spoken privately, but if you wish, I will do that too."


    Lan Jing nced at the teenage King from the corner of his eyes and shook his head, "It is alright. There is no secret that I wish to keep from His Majesty."


    Sylvandria nodded, "I understand. First, I will pass the message directed to you."


    "In a few months of time, I (Lu Zhen) intend to return to the Lan n and im my heirship. Finish your things at Eastern Sun and prepare yourself for the departure."


    The message came to them like a tsunami, stunning the teenager as well as the old man, for they didn''t expect it from Mark.


    However, the reactions were quite different from each other. While Ouyang Zen was filled with shock and disappointment, Lan Jing was filled with happiness. He couldn''t stop himself from getting up from his seat, asking Sylvandria for confirmation that he heard it correctly, "Really? Xiao Zhen finally decided to return home. It is indeed a great piece of news."


    "I''m not finished yet, Lan Jing," Sylvandria suddenly snapped at him, feeling that he was disrespectful to interrupt the message.


    "Ah, Sorry."

 Chapter 578: A summon from Mark (part-2)

    As Lan Jing apologized and sat back, Sylvandria continued, "Secondly, I (Lu Zhen) am going to resurrect the Lan Sect. Over the past few months, many techniques werepiled into a book by Mother (Lan Jingyi) and Fu Sheng (Eol). I want you to be a temporary elder of the sect and gather prospective disciples in whatever way you can. I also need you to announce to the world that the betrayers will be forgiven if they return to Mt. Ku and help you in the revival of the sect. That is my condition to help you back into the n."


    The first part of the message made it seem like he could fly to heaven but the second part of the message put a mountain on his head, increasing the burden.


    As a result, Lan Jing became silent, going into deep thinking. He knew how difficult the task was. Lan Jingyi hates him very much to work with him. Fu Sheng, another disciple from the n, was the armymander who had to take care of the Alliance''s security. He won''t have time to work with him either.


    Lu Zhen (Mark) might be the grandson of his brother but he doesn''t know a thing about Lan n''s techniques and Lan Jing highly doubt whether his grand nephew would even be willing to learn them as he had gotten strong enough to even kill demigods. Discover exclusive tales at m,v--NovelBin


    Hence, he had to do it alone.


    As for the betrayers, the ones he knew were all respected figures at different sects and scattered all over the world. He was sure that they wouldn''t return and it wouldn''t be easier for him to track them down too. While the task only said that he had to announce, it was also indirectly asking him to bring them to the sect, even if he had to use violence.


    Adding on top of that, he also had to take care of Eastern Sun. He had to make sure the Ouyang Dynasty would stay secure even after he was gone.


    There''s too much work and it made him wonder whether it is worth returning home, where he might not be weed by his nsmen even after being forgiven.


    Leaving Lan Jing in dilemma, Sylvandria then turned her attention to the young king, who was still pondering on how to deal with the consequences, "King Ouyang, the message for you is not thatplicated. You have to depart from this ce right away with me and reach Lunaris City by morning. Lu Zhen is going to announce something big and he needs all the members of United Celestial Dominion must attend it."


    "Eh?" "Huh?"


    Her message was probably also shocking enough for Lan Jing that it brought him out of his thinking about his own headache and focus on it. "Right away? What is it that Xiao Zhen wants to announce?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    Ouyang Zen also expectedly looked at the elf.


    But, both of them only received disappointment.


    Sylvandria shook her head, "I''m not aware. But, based on the events that transpiredtely, I believe it could be the announcement of theunch of a new firearm, one that could destroy the bnce of powers in the world. He would probably offer it to the alliance in exchange for something." She gazed at the teenager in a serious manner and continued, "King Ouyang, I''m really not sure what''s going on in Lu Zhen''s mind, but the series of incidents that happened over the past few months indicate that very soon, this world will be embroiled into chaos. During the past three months, two beasts emerged from the ocean and made breakthroughs in the demigod realm. Now, they have taken over White Tiger Continent/Beast Empirepletely. Everyone suspects ''Kun'' is behind it and we all know the reason, to maintain the bnce of powers. Today morning, there was another incident urred in the ocean but it even blocked my perception. I don''t know what happened this time, possibly the Kun has broken through to the immortal realm. No one knows. People are not aware that Lu Zhen''s presence indirectly prevented many things across the continent, because no one could gauge his powers or perceive his thoughts. But, once he is gone, everyone with their schemes wille out, especially the ancient sects and dark organizations. If I were you, I''d be prepared for the worst."


    For a while, silence filled the room as Ouyang Zen and Lan Jing were busy digesting Sylvandria''s words.


    *


    Meanwhile, in the Qilin Empire''s Royal City;


    "So, if I were you, I''d be prepared for the worst¡­"


    Simr words were spouted in front of the Ming Dynasty''s Emperor. Surprisingly, Sylvandria was here too. The conversation between her and Ming Xianzhi went almost exactly the same as with Ouyang Zen.


    But, the response from them was quite different from each other.


    While Ouyang Zen quietly took her warning to heart and listened to Mark''s request/order, Ming Xianzhi neither took her seriously nor followed her to Western Moon.


    Of course, it isn''t that he is not afraid of offending a demigod or something. If he isn''t afraid of such existence, there is no way he would seek membership in the alliance and even go as far as forming a rtionship with Western Yan through a marriage alliance or paying a significant portion of taxes in exchange for the protection.


    He promised to be at Lunaris City by morning but did not follow her as he was asked, as he could use a special teleportation formation recently built between his pce and the temples at Western Moon''s pce and Western Yan''s Church of Nuwa''s cathedral. As for the other three (Northern and Southern Phoenix, Eastern Sun), the constructions are in ce but notpleted.


    As it is merely a prototype, its functions are currently limited. First of all, it is currently a one-person travel. Secondly, it takes a tremendous amount of ether crystals to use these teleportation formations. Last but not least, it only works when the formation is opened from both sides.


    Since he had no direct contact with Shen Niu munication scroll), Ming Xianzhi had to send one of his generals, Wu Shi, to follow the demigod elf''s clone to Lunaris City with a letter.


    As for why he didn''t heed her warning, only he knows.


    *


    Feng City, Western Yan;


    In one of the alleys of Feng City, the witch and its puppet were seen hiding in the darkness; the old woman had her breath suppressed to the point that she seemed lifeless.


    Above the buildings, a golden dragon soared in the sky, amidst rain and thunder.


    As it disappeared from their sight, the old witch finally exited the alley and let out a heavy breath, sighing in relief, "Finally, we got rid of that dragon. Things aren''t easy here. Publicly, the dragon is on the side of the royal family, but we don''t know its rtionship with Shi En. It would be best if I could divert its attention elsewhere while I take care of the target. But, before that, I have to confirm his current location. Intruding into the cathedral is not easy. Not to mention, the defensive spell inside that will suppress my cultivation. Perhaps, I could draw him out instead. Hmm¡­"

 Chapter 579: Prelude to the war (part-1)

    It was unlike any other day in the City of Lunaris.


    All the citizens of the city were given a mandatory work leave. Some of them filled the arena; some of them were chilling inside their homes, and the remaining came to the royal road that connects the pce to one of the city gates, stretching for around 12km in length.


    Almost one-third forces of the kingdom, i.e. Fifty thousand soldiers, were deployed to block the entire concrete road. They stood on either side of the road, blocking everything.


    But, most importantly, at the City Gate, a hundred-soldier unit led by theirmander, Eol/Fu Sheng, was seen standing in arge group with their gazes on the front. The Kingdom''s General with a couple of his lieutenants was also seen alongside them, instead of staying beside their King.


    Commander Eol, who was in possession of Fu Sheng''s body ever since thetter died, raised his head to look at the clouds, "I can sense that vehicle''s presence." His lips widened a little bit and a mumble escaped from his mouth, "It is almost time. Hmm¡­ there it is¡­"


    Soon, the scary-looking ck spider ship appeared in the view and the general immediately shouted, "Chancellor Lu is here."


    As his sword rose above his head, the soldiers in the line raised their swords one after another. Within no time, every soldier deployed there raised their swords, giving the kingdom''s sword salute to Mark as the Spidership lowered its altitude to the bare minimum and Mark got out of the spaceship and stood on top of it.


    Eol and his hundred soldiers knelt down uniformly and greeted him at the same time, "Zero Squad greets the Supreme Commander."


    Under Eol, their name was changed to Zero Squad, which was taken from Mark''s previous life. It was the most elite squad of the Federation he was a part of.


    Mark stared down at the kneelingmander, "Arise, Eol. You are a demigod. You don''t have to kneel down to me."


    The subordinates don''t understand why the chancellor calls their Sovereign Fu with the name of ''Eol'' but they don''t dare to voice out their thoughts and continue to do their job.


    Eol then got up to his feet and cupped his fists, "You gave a new life to me, Chancellor Lu; not once but twice. You are also the one we swore our loyalty to. As your subordinate, it is my duty to remind everyone who I stand with."


    "Ah, yes¡­" Mark was slightly stumped by his answer but he doesn''t want to argue about unnecessary things with this Legendary Hero of the Elven world. "Anyway, what''s with this wee," He shifted his gaze to the general.


    The General, who didn''t kneel like Eol''s army because of his loyalty toward King Shen Niu, answered, "It is His Majesty''s Order." He then gestured with his hand to proceed through the road.


    "Alright," Mark nodded and then shifted his attention to the demigod, "Eol, join me on the spider ship. Zero Squad will follow from behind, participating in this procession." After giving the order, he nced at the General, "You don''t mind it, right?"


    The General shook his head, "If it is Lord Lu''s wish, it is not a problem."


    "Good, let''s go." Mark then gestured for Eol to jump onto the Spidership but Eol responded with a request, "Is it alright if my disciple also joins me on the board."


    "You have taken a disciple?" Mark was taken aback at once. Surprise was clearly evident on his face, "When? Who is it?"


    "Eh?" Eol was surprised this time, "Did you forget that you are the one who told me to teach her the skills of firearms and Lan sect techniques?"


    "Huh? I did it?" Mark was momentarily confused but then, he suddenly remembered the event that happened months ago, "Ah!" His eyes immediately wandered, staring down at the soldiers that stood like statues; well, except for one girl.


    The 17-year-old was the only one that raised her head and was looking straight at Mark, for a while. Because of the knight''s helmet, one cannot see her face but her actions make her identity almost clear.


    As their eyes met, she lowered her head and Mark activated his Eyes of God skill right away, inspecting her details and confirming her identity.


    Xie Mei


    Status: Suppressed


    Race: Human/Celestial


    Age: 16


    Rank: peak-7-circle (high-8-circle)


    Spirit Path: Gunslinger


    Attribute: Divine/Lightning/Water


    Bloodline: Griffin


    Affiliation: Kun Empire (Former)/Heavenly Domain/Western Moon


    Description: Born as a child of a human and a pure celestial from heaven, the girl was born with divine energy and no limiters. She is the disciple of Eol and the appointed sessor of Zero Squad. Under her master''s teachings, Xie Mei also created a new path for herself, Gunslinger, one that can effortlessly use guns and sword magic in battle.


    Note: She seems to have a huge crush on Master. ording to the notes left behind by my creator, a child from Xie Mei and Master will be born with the highest potential among mortals in the entire universe.


    "Shut up, Ark. Don''t need to mention that. Erase that note," Mark was impressed by her data but his mood was spoiled by the cheeky note in the end. He coolly spoke to Eol, "She may join, but only as your disciple, not as my acquaintance."


    As long as she has feelings for him, Mark would continue to either ignore her or treat her harshly regardless of how much time it passed.


    She got out of the formation and followed her master, climbing up onto the vehicle. Mark didn''t even spare a nce at her and looked straight as the Spidership slowly floated in the air and flew above the road, maintaining a very low attitude.


    After dropping thedies at Song Mansion, the spider ship changed its course and went toward the Arena where his invited guests and thousands of citizens were waiting for him, although currently watching Meng Tao challenging an Orthrus, a two-headed giant hound. This fierce grade beast is in the 6-circle realm, and yet, a mere 3-circle realm Spirit Warrior like Meng Tao is looking to tame the beast as both of them were imprisoned inside an energy barrier by the mages.


    Of course, due to his affiliation with Genesis Enterprises and Mark, Shen Niu told the mages that conjured the barrier to save him, in case of an idental misfortune.


    Meng Tao was wielding dual firearms, both of them were a handgun.


    While both of them are ether weapons, the scarlet ether bullets shot out of them don''t have the strength to even graze the beast''s skin, but the people are witnessing that a 6-circle beast was being injured by the energy bullets shot by the challenger.


    Neither could anyone sense any attribute energy in them nor could anyone sense their attack strength surpassed 2-circle. Yet, Meng Tao was seen injuring it.


    As the two-headed giant hound chased after him, Meng Tao kept his distance and shot a couple of bullets, each from the gun, and focused on running away for the next 30 seconds.


    This pattern when repeated for atleast 12 minutes, the experts drew out their own conclusions, although none could decipher the true trick behind the sess.


    By the time the Spidership reached the skies above the arena, Meng Tao''s battle looked like it wasing to an end. Hence, Mark didn''t disturb his moment and quietly watched in the screens alongside hispanions, with Eol''s invisibility spell covering the vehicle''s presence.

 Chapter 580: Prelude to the war (part-2)

    The two-headed hound was filled with bullet wounds all over its body and its movements slowed down a lot, but its fierceness only grew more and more as time passed away.


    However, Meng Tao kept his cool and calmly handled it, using its anger against itself and continuously wounding it further while trying his best to keep his distance.


    Eventually, the beast reached its limit and copsed on the field, midway, and Meng Tao immediately took out the taming scroll and ced it on the ground, pushing his palms on it.


    "Activate"


    As his ether energy flew into the scroll, the runes drawn on it activated and released magenta-colored energy chains, which shot out toward their target like a bullet and tightly grabbed the beast.


    The beast resisted a bit but eventually, it let the spell reach its soul, binding it with his former enemy.


    Once the chains disappeared, the two-headed beast, with great difficulty, rose to its feet and looked at Meng Tao, and bowed, letting out a whimper of submission.


    As Meng Tao raised one of the guns and stretched above his head with a smile on his face, the crowd erupted in cheers.


    "Kuai Qiang" "Kuai Qiang" "Kuai Qiang" "Kuai Qiang" "Kuai Qiang"


    In the sky above the arena, Mark, who was observing the battle was more baffled by the cheers. He couldn''t help but mumble, "Kuai Qiang? When did this guy change his name?"


    Eol, who was standing beside him, said, "Kuai Qiang (Fast shooter) is quite a befitting title for this fellow, Chancellor Lu."


    "Oh, I thought that it was something else¡­" Mark looked away in slight embarrassment and replied, "*Ahem* Well, I too never expected him to draw out its power and use it in firearms. I guess whether it is the sword or a gun, they are nothing more than a tool to bring out one''s ether energy and add transformation."


    "You mean the Qilin?" Eol raised his eyebrow. His tone changed slightly.


    Mark looked at him and said, "You don''t need to hate the thing that doesn''t concern you, Eol."


    Eol was taken aback, but then shook his head with a sigh, "I''m sorry, can''t help it. I have these memories stored in my head." After a brief pause, he added, "No matter how I think, the incident was quite suspicious. The Qilin was supposed to be an auspicious and benevolent beast. How could it cause unnecessary destruction?"


    Mark nodded, "Yeah, I know. There is indeed someone behind the scenes. But, then again, there''s no use in pondering on the matter that ended long ago. Not to mention, Meng Tao''s Qilin doesn''t remember anything. Or, it''s what it ims."


    "Uhh¡­ Lu Zhen¡­"Xie Mei joined in the conversation after mild hesitation, "Is it that same Qilin that I think it is?"


    Mark nced at her from the corner of his eyes, "Yeah, so?"


    Xie Mei averted her gaze and slowly said, "Nothing. It''s just that I never thought that someone like Meng Tao had such power. I mean it is a beast emperor, you know."


    "Isn''t a beast Emperor a puny mortal in the end? What''s so special about them?" A scoff escaped from behind her, giving chills to her for a second.


    "Brother Qing, choose your words carefully."


    "I beg to differ, Brother Qing. Apart from the fact that we live for eternity, there is not much of difference in our strength."


    "Hmpf, Brother Xuan, you think that way because your abilities lie in the water. Once you are out of your habitat, you have to depend on your shield and precognition. But, I''m different. I can easily tear apart those puny beast emperors with these ws of mine."


    "Ha¡­ it''s useless to talk with a half-wit, Sister Xuan."


    "It''s not true, Sister Zhu. As the wise, we have the duty to help the ignorants."


    "Ugh¡­ these noisy individuals. Let me sleep in peace for a while. *Roar*"


    "Half-wit? You¡­ You dare¡­ I challenge you to a battle, Brother Xuan"


    "I refuse¡­"


    "That''s good. Wait¡­ what¡­ You coward. *Graaa*"


    "Oh, shut up all of you¡­" Mark couldn''t hold back himself anymore as his ears rang with vibrations of their rants.


    Hismand returned the silence to the Spidership and Xie Mei stared at him with her beaming eyes, "Wow, my husband is the best."


    Meanwhile, in the field, after the barrier was removed by the mages, a couple of healers rushed toward the beast on the orders of their King, healing its wounds and bringing it back to its peak state once again.


    Once they were done with their treatment, Meng Tao took a leap andnded on its back, addressing the audience or more specifically at one person, "Since there is still time for my master''s arrival, I wonder if Venerable Song would grace us with his presence and have a spar with me and let me test how stronger have I gotten." He cupped his fists and bowed as several nces shifted to the VIP sections.


    In the VIP section, King Shen Niu frowned at his challenge, "What the hell this brat intends to do right now?"


    "He is challenging Venerable Song? Is he out of his mind?"


    "Venerable Song? Who is he?" "Fool, you don''t know who he is? The Supreme realm expert on Emperor Shang''s side."


    "A mere 3-circle wants to challenge Song Tai? He will die in a second even with Orthrus beast on his side." "Not necessarily, brother. Shen She is ''His'' servant and Song Tai is loyal to Emperor Shang Fu, who is ''His'' father. He might y along."


    Various whispers and murmurs filled the entire arena but there was no reaction from the man in question. He quietly stared at the young man while stroking his beard as if he was pondering on how to deal with him.


    It was then a man flew from the stands andnded in the arena. Everyone saw the man in white robes and hood erect a hexagonal barrier through the smoke he breathed out of the smoking pipe, covering a wide area with the power of the Exalt realm (7-circle).


    The knights and the mages deployed there were ready to act but they didn''t make a move as the stranger lowered down his hood, revealing to be a familiar figure.


    As he walked toward Meng Tao, he calmly spoke, "Venerable Song is a royal guest of the kingdom. Asking him to spar with you is like you are insulting him. We don''t want people to think that our Lunaris is inhospitable, right?"


    Meng Tao developed a frown on his face as he looked at the person, "It seems like you want to spar with me, Your Highness."


    "Please, I''m no longer attached to the royal pce. You don''t need to call me that," replied the white-robed old man. He piped out a puff of smoke and added, "Moreover, we are acquaintances, aren''t we? You can just address me as Old Mister as you always had."


    Meng Tao''s frown deepened, "Regardless of your detachment to the affairs of the kingdom, Your Highness is still the beloved elder uncle of His Majesty. Touching you is the same as offending the throne. That is why I have never implicated you when you tried to kill my friend. The hatred I have for you is deep enough to kill you if we spar, which will displease my master too. So, I don''t think this spar is a wise decision. Please return, Your Highness, before I regret it."


    The entire arena went silent, listening to their conversation. Naturally, it brought mostly negative reactions from the people, against the royal family. Most of the citizens thought that the royals didn''t change and did as they wished, without any regard for the lives ofmoners.


    The elite individuals, on the other hand, thought differently.


    Some of them wondered whether this old man was tired of living by hurting a servant of the one who is rumored to be the strongest man in the world.


    Others opinioned that the strong takes what they want. This is the basic rule of the world and the weak cannot do anything about it butin.


    Piping up another puff of smoke, Shen Li let out a chuckle, "Let me correct your allegation a bit. I didn''t try to kill your friend. I merely absorbed his life force to feed my weapon. Look, he is doing well right now, and I alsopensated him with the money. So, your hatred is unwarranted."


    After a brief pause, he continued, "Anyways, let bygones be bygones. No use in arguing about it. The reason I''m here is to scout you. I have been gathering individuals like you, who weren''t blessed with potential in cultivation but incredibly talented in using firearms, to create a sect. How about it? If you join me, I will give you the position of an elder. With me backing the sect financially, there is no need to worry about the weapons."


    In the Spidership floating in the sky in an invisible state, Mark heard them and he furrowed his brows in displeasure, "This man not only tried to kill Chang Bo and now even daring to steal Meng Tao? It looks like even weaklings think I have gone soft¡­"

 Chapter 581: Prelude to the war (part-3)

    Meng Tao and Shen Li had their weapons unleashed at each other; while Meng Tao had two ether handguns, Shen Li had a giant silver-colored revolver in his hand.


    They started an intense battle after Shen Li challenged him to a pure gun-fighting skill contest. The wager between them is simple. If Shen Li wins the contest, Meng Tao will join him, and if Meng Tao wins it, Shen Li will not onlypensate him with 10,000 gold coins but will also kneel in front of the whole crowd, asking Chang Bo for forgiveness.


    The rules of the contest are also quite simple. They had to strike their opponent. Whether injured or not, it doesn''t matter. Just striking the target once would give them a point. When one of them reaches 100 points, they will be dered as the winner.


    For fairness, Song Tai himself volunteered to be the referee.


    Meng Tao mounted on top of the giant two-headed hound, hoping to give his opponent a tough chance to strike him. But, Shen Li had a wind attribute technique that let him fly in the air.


    Moreover, Shen Li, with his higher cultivation, could conjure an energy barrier that blocks energy bulletsing at him. Meng Tao''s Qilin energy bullets could break through the skin but it is useless against energy shields.


    As a result, Meng Tao fell into a deep disadvantage as time passed by and a majority of the people couldn''t help but see him in pity, thinking that the prince was bullying him with his superior cultivation. Others felt like Meng Tao was too arrogant for his own good, trying to fight with an Exalt realm expert with his pitiful cultivation level.


    Meng Tao''s hit count eventually reached the 90s while Shen Li has yet to be hit even once. It goes without saying that Meng Tao''s frustration is at its peak.


    The match was almost about to end at any moment and Meng Tao already made his ns on how to hurt Shen Liter on. He knew that he would be defeated at any moment but since the wager was just on joining him and not about staying loyal to the prince, Meng Tao decided to take revenge on Shen Li by ruining his goals even while staying beside him.


    There were only four shots left.


    *Bang*


    As the 97th shot hit him in the shoulder, Meng Tao stopped moving. Shen Li, using his wind-attribute mastery, flew into the air, pointed the silver revolver at Meng Tao''s head, and spoke, "I hope you get to your senses by now and work hard for me in the future."


    The entire arena went silent, realizing that Meng Tao had finally given up. Many of them couldn''t help but be frustrated by how the fate of amoner still couldn''t escape the noble''s hand.


    *Bang*


    The energy bullet exited the revolver and struck Meng Tao''s right knee, causing significant injury.


    "Ssss¡­"


    Meng Tao hissed in pain but he stood there in silence, with his head hung down, waiting for the end of the match.


    *Bang*


    The 99th shot injured his left knee, but Meng Tao refused to bend his knees as Shen Li wished.


    "Now, the final turn¡­"


    Shen Li now had this look of arrogance on his face as he shifted the gun toward Meng Tao''s abdomen.


    *Bang*


    The hundredth energy bullet was shot from the barrel but it didn''t reach Meng Tao.


    Shen Li and thousands of spectators saw the energy bullet disappear midway.


    Shen Li''s eyes widened in the meantime and he looked around him. "A spatial barrier?"


    As Meng Tao didn''t feel the bullet, he raised his head to look at his opponent, who had his face reddened in anger.


    Shen Li shouted, "Who interfered in our match?"


    It was at this moment the spider ship suddenly materialized out of thin air and started descending into the arena, attracting the attention of everyone.


    In an instant, almost every single spectator stood up uniformly. They recognized the vehicle.


    "Hey, Look. It''s Lord Lu''s aerial ship" "Lord Lu is here" "Talk about timing. Shen Li is f*cked up." "Haha, Lord Lu will now avenge Kuai Qiang (Fast shooter)" "Nah, he won''t. It''s a fair duel. Even he doesn''t have the right to avenge" "We''ll see about that."


    Whispers and murmurs filled the arena, themoners and the warriors were discussing the arrival of Lu Zhen and the following consequences.


    Meng Tao gazed at the descending mighty ship that sent shivers down the spine of those weak cultivators and normal citizens who witnessed it for the first time, his feelings wereplicated, "Master¡­"


    Meanwhile, Shen Li''s hands started shivering but he tried to stay calm by controlling his breath.


    Soon, the Spidershipnded on the arena, and its rooftop was opened, followed by Mark and Eol flying out of it and staying in mid-air.


    "A bunch of demigods¡­" whispered Song Tai in the stands. His voice shook as he said those words and his eyes fluttered, gazing at the Spidership.


    Shang Fu and other kings and rulers and other important guests who sat around him heard his words and King Ouyang Zen reacted before anyone else, "Venerable Song, what do you mean by that?"


    Song Tai replied with a grim face, "I sense four more demigods lying in that ship. Most importantly, they are not human."


    As everyone was shocked and turned their heads to look at Mark once again, thetter slowly flew straight and gazed coldly at Shen Li with his hands behind the back, "You really have guts toy your hands on my servant, Grand Prince Shen Li."


    Shen Li gulped his saliva as his eyes met Mark''s and he immediately cupped his fists with a bow, "I have not used any underhanded means, Chancellor Lu. Moreover, Mr. Meng agreed to the duel."


    Meng Tao hung down his head once again, not intending to meet his eyes with Mark.


    However, Mark didn''t look at him and directly said to Shen Li, "Who is he to join you? His life is never his in the first ce. The moment he swore his loyalty to me by making the oath of blood, he belonged to me. If you want to take him away, you shouldn''t fight him but rather it is me who you should fight with. Hence, this duel was never valid."


    Shen Li was shocked and he argued, almost like a scream, "That''s unfair. If his life was never his in the first ce, why did he ept it? I didn''t force him or anything. I merely put forth a proposition." He stretched his hand toward the audience, "All these people can testify to my words."


    A pin-drop silence filled the arena at once, everyone now had their eyes on Mark and Shen Li.


    Many wonder whether this old man is really bold enough to challenge Lu Zhen, trying to bank on his rtionship with Shen Niu, who is Lu Zhen''s future father-inw. Since he is an elder of the royal family, Lu Zhen is bound to forgive him in the end. After all, a servant isn''t in the same league as an inw.


    However, to their surprise, Mark simply replied, "And why should I care about it? Maybe, you are right and Meng Tao is in the wrong. But, why should I care?" His words were calm but they indicated something else to the spectators, especially to the royal guests.


    As Shen Li trembled at Mark''s words, thetter raised his hand to conjure an Ice Spear with a thought of his mind and further said, "Moreover, you seemed to have tried killing my other servant Chang Bo, who is not any less than a younger brother to me, and brazenly admit that you didn''t feel any guilt on your actions. You are seriously tired of living, aren''t you?"


    "Ah¡­ Ah¡­" Shen Li was no longer seen as imposed as before when he took a glimpse at the ice spear hovering above Mark''s palms and thetter''s words caused fear to every inch of his body. He moved a few steps back involuntarily and felt like he hit some kind of invisible spatial barrier.


    King Shen Niu hurriedly got up from his seat and spoke using sound technique to enhance his voice just like Mark was doing earlier, "Xiao Zhen, show mercy upon him. He is family."


    "Silence¡­" Mark roared in response to the request, releasing his aura. His roar caused tremors to thend, shaking the weak souls of themoners and cultivators alike. Only those with Exalt realm and above cultivation managed to resist it, "Right now, the one in front of you is neither your son-inw nor the Chancellor of Celestial United Dominion. It is the President of Genesis Enterprises. So, I ask you not to interfere in our business. Or else, you won''t like my response."


    Shen Niu too shivered, feeling fear from the person he treated him as his own son for the past year.


    He took a nce at his uncle, who was looking at him for help. The King has already known that Mark has be a demigod. It is the reason why he ordered the soldiers to give him such a wee. It is also why the Kings were forced to visit Lunaris City on an urgent basis.


    Hence, Shen Niu put away his pride as a King and cupped his fists with a bow, in front of his own citizens, "Then, I request to spare his life as the King of this nation. The royal pce is willing topensate Genesis Enterprises in exchange."


    Mark stared at him in silence for a few seconds. He nced at other people and then at Shen Li, "Fine, I''ll spare you on ount of mypany''s rtionship with the Royal family."


    Just as when Shen Niu let out a sigh of relief and hope returned to Shen Li''s face, Mark added, "Destroy your cultivation on your own and we will let bygones be bygones."


    "Ahhh!"

 Chapter 582: Prelude to the war (part-4)

    Destroying one self''s cultivation is an extremely painful and disgraceful action that one would prefer death.


    It was even more painful for Spirit Warriors that has high cultivation levels and they worked hard for decades to achieve what they are now.


    Shen Li was a 94-year-old man who reached the 6-circle-realm more than twenty years ago but stuck in that realm since then.


    To achieve the Exalt realm, he cut off his connections with the royal family and spent most of his time researching various cultivation techniques from all over the continent.


    In the end, he had found a forbidden method of making a breakthrough by sacrificing life force and forcefully turning his normal cells into ether particles.


    Luckily for him, he encountered Chang Bo and somehow learned through his treasure that this adolescent boy had the werewolf bloodline and had an incredible amount of life force. He became close with Chang Bo and Meng Tao by joining the store as a chef, using a fake name.


    To further deepen their bond, he picked up guns and learned everything about them from Meng Tao, even volunteering himself as his sparring partner.


    Eventually, the timees when Chang Bo is not in protection by the store''s guardian robot and he attacks him with another forbidden technique, absorbing almost a thousand years worth of life force.


    In the end, he made the breakthrough and became the first ever 7-circle realm expert of the Shen Dynasty.


    Since his goal has been aplished, Shen Li, who developed a liking for firearms, decided to develop a sect, which will have firearm warriors that could potentially go head to head with other top sects.


    Since such people were plenty, he was sure that he could make it the biggest sect on the continent.


    However, while he doesn''tck any money to buy firearms, he doesck skilled experts who could train them. For that sake, he needed Meng Tao on his side.


    Since his actions against Chang Bo were never reported, he grew confident and tried to push Meng Tao even more, trying to use his revenge against him.


    He was about to finish his next step too but Mark''s interventionpletely turned around the situation.


    He thought Mark wouldn''t make a move on him because of his rtionship with the royal family, but never expected this powerful inw to be so ruthless.


    As soon as Shen Li saw how Mark silenced his father-inw, he had already given up on hope. Then, his nephew had to beg the fellow to spare his life.


    For a moment, it does seem like he could escape, but Mark once again crushed his hope by directly giving him an ultimatum: Death or Destruction of Cultivation.


    What should he do?


    Well, there is no route to escape. He was trapped in a spatial barrier and even life-saving random teleportation scrolls won''t work.


    Shen Li could only take out a pyramid-shaped locket from his storage ring and spoke, "Can I exchange my punishment with this treasure that was passed down from our royal ancestors?"


    "The Sphinx''s locket?" Shen Niu, whose expression turned into relief by Mark''s promise, frowned when he saw the locket. "I thought that it was lost. It was with Uncle Li?"


    "What is it, King Shen?" asked Shang Fu in curiosity. The retired emperor was perhaps the most chilled person in the arena, at the moment. Why would he fear his own son when their rtionship has already been repaired, anyway?


    Shen Niu answered, "The Sphinx Locket was one of the treasures passed by our founder. It is said to have imprisoned an ancient spirit called the Sphinx, which is said to possess unlimited knowledge and even know the secrets of heaven. For every riddle one solves, it will answer any question that''s in the mind of the cultivator. One could even learn their fate."


    "Oh, that''s a good one," Shang Fu nodded with a smile.


    In theory, it does sound like a worthy treasure, when Shen Li exined the same thing to Mark.


    However, Mark simply responded with a statement, "Thew of Spirit Warriors says that those who kill the person have the first right to the dead''s treasures, over the dead''s immediate family. In that case, I don''t need to spare you for that treasure."


    After a brief pause, he continued, "Moreover, what I''m doing to you is simply giving a punishment. You still have to paypensation to Chang Bo for stealing his life force.That treasure is a befitting one. After the destruction of your cultivation, you can hand it over to Chang Bo personally and apologize."


    "You¡­" The elderly prince was so angered that he spat out a mouthful of blood, "Just what is it that you want, then?" Shen Li roared. "What good it will do to anyone whether my life or my cultivation is destroyed, Lord Lu?"


    Mark stared at him for a couple of seconds and replied, "Well, it would certainly satiate my anger. This was supposed to be a joyous asion but you spoiled it."


    "You are dead set on unjustly murdering a royal in front of everyone here, aren''t you?" Shen Li''s eyes widened in realization.


    Mark lessened their distance and looked at him straight in the eyes, "What if I want to?" His eyes wandered in his surroundings as he put forth a challenge, "Who would dare to stop me?"


    The arena was silent. It was as if he said. No one dares toe forward and rescue the grand prince. King Shen Niu had to cup his fists toward Shang Fu, asking him to intervene. After all, the murder of a royal in such broad daylight with thousands of witnesses will bring shame to the Shen Dynasty.


    However, Shang Fu could only helplessly shake his head, rejecting his request with an excuse that he didn''t have the power to change his son''s mind. Not even his wife could stop him. The only person who probably possessed such power/authority in the entire world is Song Yue, his daughter-inw.


    King Shen Niu hurriedly took out themunication scroll and sent a message to his daughter, who was resting at the pce and supervising the preparations for the Grand Banquet.


    Meanwhile, Mark stared silently at the grand prince, cing his hands behind the back but without dismissing the Ice Spear, as if he wanted to say, "I''m waiting."


    Shen Li looked left and right, and fell to his knees as ast resort, "I sacrificed everything, familial rtionships, materialism, authority, and even my morals to achieve my goal. I would do anything to keep my life and cultivation intact. If Lord Lu is willing to show mercy upon me, I''m willing to ept very too."


    "Uncle¡­" Shen Niu couldn''t help but shout. If killing a royal is shameful to the Shen Dynasty, shamelessly bing a ve to someone is akin to insulting every generation of their ancestors. Death would probably be nobler.


    However, Shen Li didn''t seem he care about his family''s reputation at the moment. He kowtowed and begged Mark to spare him.


    Mark was naturally unconvinced. He ruthlessly said, "Why would I ept a weakling and a wicked person like you as my servant? Since you refuse to¡­ Hmm?"


    Shen Li''s body trembled once again by Mark''s words but then the pause made him raise his head and take a look at the young man, who developed a frown on his face as a dark energy scroll appeared in front of him.


    Once the message disappeared, Mark changed his words instantly, "You took a thousand years of life from Chang Bo. You shall be his ve for a period of a thousand years."


    A 7-circle realm expert doesn''t have a thousand years of lifespan. So, naturally, it means that Shen Li will be a ve to Chang Bo until he dies.


    "Thank you for the mercy¡­" Shen Li kowtowed and bowed three times, hitting the ground with his head, and expressing his thanks.


    "Eol¡­ seal his cultivation," Mark said to the demigod who was quietly floating in the air, above the Spidership.


    "Understood, Sir," Eol gave a modern military-style salute that Mark was familiar with and proceeded to seal Shen Li''s cultivation as the spatial barrier was removed.


    Once the job is done, Mark then takes a nce at his silent subordinate who doesn''t dare to even lift his head in shame, "Meng Tao¡­"


    Meng Tao shuddered for a second, "Ma¡­ Master¡­" He kneeled and cupped his fists, bowing to him, "I¡­ I apolog¡­"


    "No need for it," Mark interrupted him, not letting him finish the sentence, "I''ll leave him under your supervision. We''ll about thister."


    "Ye¡­ Yes, thank you for the mercy."


    As Eol then transferred Shen Li and Meng Tao to the Spidership where they met four unfamiliar individuals, Mark rose into the air once again and addressed the audience, continuing to maintain the air of a supreme expert, "Now that the pest has been dealt with, let''s get to the matter you all have been summoned here. You may all sit down."


    Until Mark didn''t say those words, none in the audience section sat down ever since he arrived and watched him in silence.

 Chapter 583: Prelude to the war (part-5)

    "Roughly four weeks ago, when I was away, the city faced an invasion from otherworlders of Saint Realm.


    Of course, it wasn''t a full-scale invasion, and neither did they target any innocents. They damaged a lot of my robots and took away my pet and the kingdom''s guardian as a hostage to get back at me.


    But, the incident made it clear to me that in my absence, I can''t even depend on the Guardian of this mortal ne of existence.


    Perhaps, the guardian god wants to see whether the demigods here could handle the suppressed immortals and Saints. Or maybe, he was too busy with other important matters.


    His reasons don''t matter.


    What''s important here is the fact that the world is too vulnerable and I don''t wish to see my people suffer for my actions. But, I wonder, who are my people? Is it just my immediate family or does it extend to the innocent citizens who put their hope on me?


    This thought gave me the revtion of what I should do, in order to give absolute protection to my people from any foreign threats."


    Raising three fingers, Mark continued to speak, "Three things that needed to resolve it.


    First, strength.


    Ether is something that people are born with. I cannot change the fate of those who aren''t born with talent. But, I can surely provide you with the firearms, necessary enough to protect yourself.


    Before we consider the crisis from otherworlders, we should solve the internal security. By possessing firearms, even the weak could have the means to protect themselves.


    However, buying firearms is expensive. It is even more expensive for those who aren''t born with ether as they have to constantly depend on ammunition to use those firearms. The poor cannot afford it. But, no worries. I shall help my people with that.


    Mark''s words did confuse the listeners as they didn''t understand what he was trying to do, especially the Kings of the alliance.


    The first impression they had is, almost collectively, ''Was he trying to promote his business or something?'' For a second, it seems probable but in the next second, they felt something amiss.


    It was then Mark continued, "Second, the culture.


    The three thousand years of culture and tradition of this world took away a woman''s potential from them. Women make up half of the poption of this world but only one out of every hundred thousand women takes up a weapon to be an adventurer,pared to men with an average of one out of every thousand.


    Why is that so?"


    Mark''s voice rose as he asked, "Are they weak? Certainly not. She can bear the child for nine months, look after her kids, do the house chores, help her husband by working in the agriculture fields for twelve hours, and take care of her elderly inws and even parents while still managing her household. Discover hidden content at mvl


    Why can''t she hold the weapon?


    Why should a woman feel embarrassed to hold a sword? Why should she think that she is a caretaker?


    Why should even ady from the noble family think that she is nothing but a pawn to increase her family''s reputation by marrying into another noble family?


    Why should she think that the female adventurers are nothing but a scourge to womanhood? Why?"


    His 9 points of charm made the souls of women audience tremble at once. Many of them had tears filling their eyes, feeling that someone was resonating their voice to the public. And it isn''t somedy who was unfortunate or some weakling who was voicing out his frustration. It is the voice of the strongest man.


    The voice of the strong always impacts the people. After his grandeur disy against Shen Li, his voice carried even more weight.


    "The extreme Patriarchal system suppressed their abilities for thousands of years and that halted the development of this world.


    Forget about women for a second; this culture we cultivated for thousands of years even takes away the voice of the poor and weak. A royal can just bully amoner and themoner couldn''t even gather the courage to voice it out.


    Look at my own servant. Their master is the Chancellor of Celestial United Dominion and yet, they didn''t have the courage toin about someone like Shen Li.


    Why?


    It''s because Shen Li is royalty, my future inw. Even with our tight bond, this weak mindset made them afraid that I wouldn''t bring justice to them because I''m royalty and would probably side with my inws.


    So, what can we do to resolve this situation?


    Well, even if I use force, it won''t change the mindset of an existing culture. It needs upheaval from its roots. But, that means I would probably have to destroy the whole world. I can''t do that. So, all I can do is bring my people to thend of Utopia, where such a traditional and oppressive culture doesn''t exist.


    I''m going to create a country, where the freedom will be given to women to take up arms and respective positions in society and even be family heads, where every house will have a robot that does house chores for free and no longer needs a servant that acts more like a ve, where no one dies of hunger, where everyone gets education regardless of their background, where there will be no noble houses to create a social hierarchy, where there will be a monarch as the head of the state but the real power lies with themoners who could elect their own leaders to rule them, where thews will be equal to poor and the rich, where no one forces to worship a deity and influence you to pour your hard earned money into donations, where there will be no street gangs to rob you, where the old doesn''t have to depend on their sons for their livelihood, and where you could live without any worries for the tomorrow."


    If Mark''s earlier words shook the hearts of women and themoners, his following words have caused even the Kings to tremble. But, not every King or noble is pleased by the words. In fact, the majority of them only felt more afraid as Mark''s words indicated of taking over the Western Moon, or possibly the alliance too.


    Fortunately for them, Mark didn''t end there and continued as he nced at the VIP section where the nobles and kings had their facial expressions frozen, "Rest assured, I never intended to take away thends from my friends. This will bring us to the third point. Creation of the country.


    Over the past few months, under Commander Fu Sheng''s lead, Genesis Elite Troops were focused on clearing Sector 1 and Sector 2 regions in Bloodhill forest. The rest of the sectors will also be cleared very soon and I shall transform the entire forest into a new country.


    Whatever I promised earlier, all of this will be delivered to my people. But, who are my people, one might wonder. My people are the ones who follow my ideals put their trust in me, and help me to build the country in thend inhabited by beasts for thousands of years.


    Seven days from now, I will lock down the entire region of Bloodhill forest for the outsiders and will start clearing out the field. The barrier will reject anyone that I don''t approve of.


    And for those who are wondering whether I will be able to keep an eye on such a huge region, which is a hundred timesrger than this Western Moon, I present you the guardians of our Country of Paradise."


    *Snap*


    With a snap of his finger, four figures rose from the Spidership and flew in different directions, maintaining distance from each other as they were instructed.


    *Snap*


    Mark''s snapping of his finger cleared the confusion and suspicion of many as the four humanoid-looking kid figures transformed into majestic creatures, whose appearances were known to every individual who went to the academy.


    "The¡­ four¡­ holy beasts of the world?" Song Tai''s voice shivered as he voiced it out aloud.


    Mark nodded, "The Vermillion Bird of the South, The Azure Dragon of the East, The White Tiger of the West, and the ck Tortoise of the North. The very creatures our ancients used to name our continents.


    All of these are demigod realm beasts but when they work together and conjure a protective barrier, not even a Saint can break it. Including me, Commander Fu, my friend Sylvandria, and my mother, you have eight demigods protecting the country. No force in the world will have the power to try to destroy the ideals of my country.


    In the first phase, I n to take ten thousand people. It is on a firste first serve basis. The first ten thousand people who had their trust in me naturally will live in the most protected regionpared to others.


    Once we build a stable society, we will open to a hundred thousand people in the second phase but they will not receive the same benefits as the one from the first phase.


    Those who are interested in joining my country can visit our stores and register their names and their family. The poor and weak are given priority but we aren''t running a charity here. As I have said earlier, to be a citizen of my country, they had to let go of the oppressive culture and tradition deeply rooted in this society and follow my ideals and they have to contribute to it by helping us in clearing the forest. Man or a woman, the gender doesn''t matter. If you are healthy, you need to contribute. Only children and the elderly are exempted.


    That''s all I have to say to you. I leave the rest to your decision. You have seven days¡­"


    The meaning is clear. If one wants to be one of his people, earn the right to protection and lead a worry-less life, one should follow his ideals and work hard to build the country. As for those who are not his people, he doesn''t care.


    A lot of people didn''t get this meaning, but many intelligent ones and the nobles and also the Kings understood that very soon, Mark and his army would leave Lunaris and they would be deprived of his protection. What kind of consequences this move will have, they can only wonder.

 Chapter 584: Prelude to the war (part-6)

    After a while;


    At Royal Pce, Lunaris City;


    Mark and the other six rulers sat together for a meeting; everyone had this tense expression as they were served wine by the servants and they weren''t sure whether they should bombard Mark with questions or just stay patiently silent.


    If it was before, they would not only question Mark''s intentions but also make allegations of misuse of authority against him but histest action on Shen Li made them realize that Mark just did it on purpose to state his intentions of resorting to violence if the situation arose and he didn''t seem like negotiating much.


    In the end, as the servants backed away after pouring wine to the Kings, Mark took a sip and addressed them, "So, I guess you are all still wondering what else there is to speak about, after announcing my ns already, right?"


    "No, we just want to hear a proper exnation from you," collectively thought everyone at the same time as if all of them share the same brain cells.


    Mark leaned to the front and rested his elbows on the table, revealing the rest of his ns, "After one week, I will be resigning my post as the Chancellor of Alliance and the Head of the Cab, leaving it in all of your hands. Whether you continue to maintain the alliance or not is up to you. On the other hand, I would focus more on the development of my own country and then begin my conquest of unifying the entire continent under one banner, The Federation of Genesis.


    If you are interested in joining me, I promise you the autonomy to rule your own kingdom just as you have been doing now. Other than the fact that yournds will turn into kingdoms and act as the vassal states in name, there will be no changes at all.


    If not, I will give you the time to prepare yourselves while I primarily focus on unfriendly empires and then bring my army to your doorstep, still letting you rule your ownnds as you have been doing but on my terms.


    The choice is up to you."


    The guys who sat with him at the same long table were all Kings and Emperors. Even someone like Ouyang Zen, despite being so young, was well-versed in statecraft and could easily guess Mark''s ambition after hearing his speech at the arena.


    Hence, Mark''s announcement is within their expectation. If there was someone who wasn''t prepared, it was perhaps, Feng Chen, the puppet king of Western Yan. Unlike Ouyang Zen who deals with the affairs of the kingdom like a true king, Feng Chen lets his uncle, Prince Feng Wu rule Western Yan as his steward, atleast until he bes an adult.


    As a result, apart from him who turned his head to look at his uncle, the rest of the royals stared at Mark in silence as if they didn''t want to state their opinion.


    Mark wanted some kind of reply but since he didn''t get what he wanted, Mark targeted the guy who he wasn''t close with, pointing his finger at him, "Emperor Ming, if you have anything to say on the matter, you can speak."


    Ming Xianzhi took a deep breath and said in a deep tone, indicating his seriousness, "To be honest, the reason why the Qilin Empire joined this alliance is to acquire the backing as well as the protection from Chancellor Lu and Lord Fu''s army. If you decide to leave the alliance and mind your own business, then, there is no reason for us to stay in the group. Our Qilin Empire never submits to you, even if you be a deity, Lord Lu. Now, if you excuse me¡­" He got up from his seat to leave in the middle of a meeting.


    "Brother Ming¡­" Shen Niu stopped him, "Please wait. Let me handle this issue."


    Ming Xianzhi looked at Shen Niu, "Brother Shen, Lord Lu is clear in his objective. I''m afraid I don''t share that sentiment." Enjoy new stories from mvl


    Shen Niu cupped his fists, gesturing for him to believe in him and turning toward his son-inw, "Xiao Zh¡­ *Ahem* I mean, Chancellor Lu, we don''t need to be merged into a single Empire to unify the continent. We can just expand our alliance. There are only three forces remaining in the continent, Leon Empire, Kun Empire, and Dwarven Kingdom. Thest two weren''t a problem. Kun Empire''s Emperor is your friend and as long as we take care of Leon Empire, the Dwarven Kingdom will voluntarily join the alliance on their own. After all, their King is a friend of us too."


    In response, Mark snapped at his father-inw while cracking the cup of wine, "King Shen, are you going to keep interfering in my ns? Earlier, I gave you a face and forgave your uncle. But, this time, you shall not request on behalf of anyone. Certainly not for a fool who couldn''t see a bigger picture."


    "Hmpf¡­"


    Ming Xianzhi didn''t retort to Mark''s statement and left the room at a hastened pace.


    Once he was gone, Mark then ced his attention on the remaining, or more specifically, on his eldest half-sibling who was the most problematic guy in the group, "If anyone else wishes to leave, they can. But, I have to remind you all that what I want to establish isn''t a monarchy, but a Federal system where all vassal states will have significant autonomy. On the other hand, you five will retain full autonomy. All you have to contribute about 10% of annual taxes to the Federation and also ease up the migration for your people, who want to move to my country. All this while, I was merely offering you my support. If you join my cause, I will be your shield. I''m 26 years old right now and I have reached the demigod realm. In the future, I will be immortal too. So, keep the future in mind and make your choice wisely. You have seven days to send the letter of agreement to my residence."


    Mark disappeared as soon as he was finished, not intending to hear their reply right away.


    He teleported to his mansion, where he met his parents and sister, who were also ready to move in with him, intending to support him with his decision all the way to the end.


    And then, he spent the rest of the week at his home, just waiting for the others to make their choices too.


    One dayter, he gets an invite for another Council of Kings meeting. All the five states, even including someone like Shang Zexi, agreed to be part of the Federation but under certain conditions.


    1) All of them will retain full autonomy, whether it is regarding their economic policies, internal security, or even judicialws. The Federation will not im any authority to interfere in the internal matters of the vassal states or attempt to break it into parts.


    2) This period willst for atleast 99 years. During this time, none of the vassal states would possess any right to break away. But, once this time passed, they should be given the right to break away from the Federation to be an independent state once again.


    3) The Genesis Cab will continue to exist but in the form of ministry. In order for the five original vassal states shall have more powerpared to the other members in the future, the ones that will join in the future can only have one representative while they continue to have two representatives. As for their tax contribution, it will be reduced to 30%.


    4) As agreed beforehand, they will be paying 10% as annual taxes to the Federation. But, this tax is only applied to the ie generated from businesses. Agriculture is excluded. Also, under no circumstances, the Federation will not impose any additional taxes on them.


    5) Any attack on a state that exceeds the magnitude of a 7-circle realm expert, the Federation must unconditionally send the army and deal with it.


    6) Except for the Emperor''s title, the vassal states will retain all of their existing titles.


    7) The Council of Kings will continue to exist, and as long as there is a unanimous vote from five of them, regardless of others'' votes, the council should possess additional power to add or tweak conditions to this Merger agreement.


    The seven conditions presented by the five states after a heavy discussion surprised Mark a little bit as he purposely tried to remind them that they were talking to a demigod, but in the end, heprised a little bit to give them a reason to maintain their dignity and signed the patch, using the oath of his blood. Not to mention, he saw several loopholes in the agreement and in time, he will take advantage of it, if the need of the hour rises anyway.


    A few dayster;


    Imperial City, Leon Empire;


    The Old Emperor of Shi Dynasty had his elbow on the throne''s armrest and his fist was supporting his tilted head as he was intensely gazing at Sixth Prince, Shi Chong, who was kneeling in the middle of the court and defending himself in a pleading tone.


    "Father, it was not done on purpose. If anything, it is the fault of Merchant Jiu. I never wanted to visit Prince Qi''s mansion in the first ce. He requested me over and over for the event. It was a joyous asion and we had drinks. One thing led to another and¡­"


    "Shut up, Chong''er," Emperor Shi almost growled in this time. "It isn''t enough that you dared to charm King Qi''s favorite concubine but you even abducted her? We are on the brink of a rebellion because of your act. King Qi is asking for your head."


    "Father, it is not true¡­" The handsome-looking middle-aged fellow raised his voice in a hurry, "She willingly followed me to be my concubine. I didn''t abduct her."


    The whole court went silent, witnessing the shamelessness of the Prince who was well known for his profligacy.


    It is not umon for Princes from the Imperial family to steal wives or daughters of minor nobles ormoners if they like them. In a giant Empire like the Leon Empire, the power of an imperial prince cannot be challenged.


    However,ying hands on the wife of someone like King Qi, who had an army of 500,000 soldiers to deploy, is akin to inviting death. Not even an Emperor of thend will dare to do it.


    The Emperor clenched his fists to control his anger, maintaining the same posture as if to show the others that he was calm and collected, "Fine then. Let''s do this. Go south and bring your nephew, Prince Shi Eun, to the capital. I will take care of King Qi for you. Or else, I will hand you over to Dragon Tiger Forces."


    "Nephew Shi Eun?" The Sixth Prince gasped in surprise.

 Chapter 585: Moving to Genesis City

    As the spies from various empires confirmed the news that Mark was going to upy the Bloodhill forest, the Emperor of the Shi Dynasty sent King Qi''s troops to Bloodhill forest to stop Mark''s robotic army and Fu Shen''s hundred elites. Explore more stories at mvl


    As for the matter with Prince Shi Chong, the Emperor promised King Qi that the prince was currently on a diplomatic mission and once he returned to the pce, he would hand him over.


    Of course, as a gesture of good faith, after sending away his son, Emperor Shi returned the woman Shi Chong eloped with to her husband''s side with respect.


    To protect herself, she imed that Shi Chong abducted her rather than epting that she followed him willingly. She also had to lie that she hadn''t been defiled by the Prince and thetter merely wanted to marry her, out of her fear of the societal perception and the importance ced on family honor.


    The foolish king believed her words, but the uing days would be tough for her in his absence, as her fellow concubines and the Queen consort who are envious of her close rtionship with their husband will surely not let go of this opportunity to bully her.


    Who knows, she might be driven to death and they make it like suicide. Hence, she nned on making her escape when the time came.


    Shi Chong reached Western Yan and stayed as a guest at the Church of Nuwa, trying to look for an opportunity to convince his nephew, whom he was close with, to return to the pce to meet the Emperor.


    Meanwhile, the entire Bloodhill forest was dered a forbidden zone by the Alliance. The Kings and Emperors passed their orders to adventurers from theirnd not to venture into the forest anymore. Shang Wei took this opportunity to announce mass recruitment for his military.


    Bloodhill forest has been the source of livelihood for the majority of adventurers within the Vermilion Bird Continent for the past 1700 years, especially those from the Northern Phoenix Empire and Leon Empire to some extent.


    Once it has been sealed, many low-level adventurers will be penniless. Hence, he thought it was the best time to increase his military strength by inducting them.


    Protests emerged everywhere and many adventurers weren''t willing to follow the orders of their rulers; they decided on risking their lives to enter the forest and continue their beast hunting.


    Their bet is on the fact that the Bloodhill forest is too big for anyone to keep an eye on.


    Little did they know that there was a satellite revolving around the while constantly keeping an eye on the forest for several months now.


    While the respective armies of the vassal states tried their best to suppress the protests, Mark''s robotic army was divided into five divisions. One division followed each beast and spread into four different directions to unleash carnage everywhere, thest division headed by Ark Secundus robot of rank-9, the Deputy to Ark Prime, focused more on capturing the adventurers.


    As Ark was connected with the satellite, everyone''s positions were clear to Ark Secundus and it made their job a lot easier.


    But then again, the forest is indeed too fast. It is spread over 16 million sq. km in area. It goes without saying that it will take time to capture everyone and clear out the forest.


    Of course, this doesn''t mean Mark nned on eliminating every native species of the forest. It is foolish to kill the goose thatys the golden eggs. The best way is to capture them, breed them, and use them for his own benefit.


    Every time the guardian beast attacks a settlement, it leaves some survivors and the robots take them as prisoners, throwing them into prison barriers conjured by the demigod beasts.


    For every 10-15 kilometers, one such prison barrier was created where different surviving species were caught and thrown into the ce.


    The Spirit beasts with edible meat will be used to supply meat.


    The Spirit beasts that had strong bones will be used to make either weapons or medicine.


    The humanoid-type spirit beasts with significant intelligence like goblins, Orcs, kobolds, and even werewolves will be either branded with ve magic and then work in the mines and farms, or keep their freedom to be scouts to keep an eye on intruders in the forest. It depends on their choice, which he ns to give themter on.


    As for the Spirit Beasts that are not of any use to him, they will be ughtered mercilessly. Since this is a world where spirit beasts are the enemies of humans and there is no PETA here anyway, he doesn''t n on showing any mercy to them.


    Six weeks passed away in the blink of an eye;


    The barriers between each sector were no longer there; almost two-fifths of the forest primarily located in the south was upied by Mark. He didn''t touch the northern section apart from upying Sector-1 and Sector-2pletely, leaving the remaining region filled with chaos as high-tier beasts from Sector-3 and Sector-4 went on a rampage because of the freedom. There''s also the fact that they absolutely don''t want to stay near Sector 2.


    But then again, it is understandable. The demigod beasts are unleashing destruction everywhere in a random manner and Eol''s army took control of Sector-2 as robots were clearing out the trees to create morend for construction. Hence, some went mad and some were afraid.


    As a result, more and more beasts were seen running to the lower sectors of the northern region, which was guarded by the Leon Empire''s King Qi and his forces.


    After three months, exactly ten thousand and seven citizens left their homes and departed from the City of Lunaris, alongside Mark and his family.


    A straight long dirt road was made from the edge of the forest from Western Moon''s border directly to sector-1, which now looks like an urban town with thousands of two-bedroom wooden houses built in a uniform manner and a giant pceparable to that of Dragon Empire''s in the center, where sector-zero aka the dragonir used to be located.


    Of course, it is impossible to construct such a huge residence in a matter of six weeks. It was merely the transformation of the Divine throne. He made this treasure his home so that those who live inside (his family) will be safe from any kind of attack, in his absence.


    Since he hadn''tpletely taken over thend, Mark felt such precautionary steps were necessary. After all, the Leon Empire had already sent an envoy with a threatening letter threatening not to break the 1784-year-old pact of not touching the forest. He couldn''t care less about Emperor Shi''s rants but had to be careful just in case.


    Several hours after everyone settled in their new homes, Mark summoned everyone to the pce grounds, where tents were spread all over the ce.


    It was a littlete in the evening and the moon was absent in the sky; yet, the surroundings of the entire sector were as bright as a day, due to the presence of firemps neatly arranged everywhere.


    Everyone made it to the pce grounds and gathered at one spot, standing together in silence as Mark, alongside Song Yue and their child, was seen on a wooden tform erected not far away from the tents.


    As they greeted him with a kneeling bow, Mark gestured for them to arise and then spoke, "Today, we all began a new journey in building this country together. On this joyous asion, I would like to announce a couple of things. First of all, I would like to give you all a title as the First Citizens of Genesis Federation. What kind of benefits you have over the others who will settle hereter will be announcedter on."


    *Murmur*


    "First citizens?" "I wonder what kind of benefits we will receive?" "His Majesty gave us a new house as he promised. That''s enough for us to keep hope" "Shh¡­ His Majesty is speaking¡­"


    Mark continued, "Anyway, secondly, very soon, all of you will be getting your Queen Consort. In the future, Princess Shen Ling will seed me and be Empress Regnant one day. So, I ask you to show your utmost loyalty to her."


    *Murmur*


    "What is His Majesty saying?" "Princess Shen Ling will rule thisnd? Why?" "So, His Majesty is actually serious when he spoke of promoting women empowerment?" "But, even then, there is Empress Song here. How could Princess Shen be the Empress Regnant?" "Yeah, what about the Crown Prince, then?"


    This time, murmurs were a bit heavy, and even Mark could sense there was a clear dissent within thisrge crowd.


    Song Yue couldn''t help butment in a hushed tone, "See, I told you. No one would like this idea."


    Mark forced out a smile and whispered back, "We''ll see about that."


    He then shifted his focus back to the crowd and spoke loudly, "For those who are wondering why I would appoint Princess Shen Ling as my sessor when there is my son right here. Well, not everyone is a leader material. A dragon might be the strongest creature known to mankind but we don''t fear it. Instead, we fear to wage war against a lion because it knows how to lead the pack. Princess Shen Ling is a capable leader, which thisnd needs to prosper. But, you don''t have to believe my words outrightly. When we achieve the third phase where our nation is ready to take it in a million inhabitants, I''ll go on a short vacation with Empress Song and Prince Lu Shan for a short period, leaving this ce under her care. You could then experience her ruling firsthand. When I return, I will ask you questions about her rule and ask for an honest answer. Your decision will decide on whether she continues as the Empress Regnant or will go back to being a Queen Consort."

 Chapter 586: Ascension ceremony at Church of Nuwa (part-1)

    Eight more weekster;


    Church of Nuwa, Western Yan;


    The church of Nuwa had guests from all over the world, mostly the Bishops and other devotees who had a prominent ce in the society. They were all here for the coronation ceremony of the new Supreme Pontiff.


    The other three Cardinals were busy spending their time with important guests, especially the nobles and wealthy individuals who fund the church.


    Shi En, the favorite candidate for the ascension, was however seen walking in the gardens, with his uncle from Leon Empire who had been staying in this ce for the past three months.


    The main topic of their discussion was however Mark and the future of Leon Empire.


    Some time ago, the previous Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Nuwa had sent a letter of invitation to Mark to attend the coronation ceremony in the hopes of building a rtionship with Genesis City.


    He wanted to expand the church of Nuwa into Genesis City before the ever-dominating Church of Light managed to get in.


    More importantly, Mark also epted the invitation.


    The problem however is the fact that Mark is currently at loggerheads with Emperor Shi.


    While the Leon Empire was putting up a barricade to protect half of the forest, Mark''s robots and Eol''s army focused on clearing out the remaining part.


    Prince Shi Chong was naturally against the idea of allying with Mark but Shi En doesn''t have any personal opinion on the matter. If anything, this half-elf was slightly in favor of his church''s decision. However, his views align more with having a strictly business rtionship with Western Yan, unlike the political one that the current Supreme Pontiff is expecting.


    "Look nephew, you don''t need to follow what your predecessor decided, who by the way is insane to even think about influencing an arrogant heretic like Lu Zhen. You are going to be the new leader of the church. Once you ascend to the position and receive the blessings of Goddess Nuwa, you can take whatever decision you think it is better. And you are going to be immortal anyways. What''s there to be worried about?"


    Shi En responded with neither a refute nor an eptance. Instead, he let out a chuckle, "Uncle, you seem like you are afraid to meet Lu Zhen here?"


    "Wha¡­" Prince Shi Chong was taken aback by his nephew''sment and he stammered as he defended himself, "Who¡­ who is afraid of him? If not for his demigod servants, he would have long been dead by now. I heard that those beasts were guarding the forest. Since he knows that he is vulnerable without their protection, he didn''t dare to advance further."


    Shi En slightly nkly stared at him andmented, "he is also the same as them, just so you know."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He is a demigod. Didn''t your father tell you?"


    "Uhh¡­" Prince Shi Chong couldn''t speak for a while. His legs started trembling a bit. He quickly grabbed his arms, "Nephew, why did you even invite someone like him to the event? What if hees and decides to do something bad? No one could stop him. I think I should return."


    Shi En couldn''t help but chuckle at his uncle''s cowardice, "actually, this is a good chance to impress your father. See, you understand that I don''t return to Leon Empire anyway, whether I get selected or not. You might as well take this opportunity to strike a deal with Lu Zhen to stop his conquest and give relief to your father. Your position will be solidified."


    "Yeah, as if I could do that task," Shi Chong scoffed at his nephew''s suggestion, "If I was that capable, I would have long sat on the throne."


    "But, you were pretty much good by charmingdies and stealing them away from their husbands," Shi En remarked almost instantly, causing the prince to be embarrassed, "I don''t know whether I should take it as apliment or an insult. *cough*"


    "Anyway, what you suggested earlier is something to be noted of. How about you help out your uncle in negotiating with Lu Zhen? Since you are the host, perhaps, the chances of sess will be slightly higher." Shi Chong changed the topic back to Mark, not intending to go on that line filled with arguments about ethics and all.


    A few hourster;


    The majestic spider-shipnded in the premises of the Church, where Mark arrived with the Grand Prince of Western Yan, Feng Wu, who is also called the true king, considering the fact that he was the one who was administrating the region in ce of his nephew, the real king who was a 12-year-old kid.


    Leaving the region''s protector, the gold dragon, to guard the King, Prince Feng Wu joined Mark in attending the ceremony.


    As the representative of the pce, Feng Wu received a great wee from the young deacons of the church and Mark received even greater honor as the chief guest, getting personally weed and escorted by the current Supreme Pontiff to the prayer hall.


    While Feng Wu sat down on the second with other guests of honor, Mark got to sit in the front row with the four Cardinals. Shi En was one of them who in fact sat right next to Mark.


    However, there was absolutely no conversation between them at all. Discover more stories at §Þ??


    Mark stayed silent and had his gaze fixed on the statue of the goddess with the upper body of a human-like and the lower body of a snake. The serpent-like tail coils beneath her.


    Soon, the Supreme Pontiff of the Churche to the podium. Everyone got up as he spoke that they first prayed for the goddess.


    The guests of honor from across the world were all believers of the goddess. They naturally stood up. Even Feng Wu, the representative of the pce had to stand up in respect for the Supreme Pontiff, the peak stage legendary realm expert. However, Mark was different.


    He neither held the Supreme Pontiff in respect nor did he worship the goddess. He alone sat down. The Cardinals couldn''t help but furrow their brows in displeasure because of his silence and continuous stare at the statue, the other guests of honor were shocked and some of them were worried about possible conflict over this disrespect, but the Supreme Pontiff acted like he didn''t see it and proceeded with his preaching.


    After a while, everyone sat down and the Supreme Pontiff addressed everyone by raising his golden staff, "Now, in a few moments, with the blessings of Goddess Nuwa, I will be naming my sessor, who shall inherit this staff of immortality as well as the will of the church. Before that, the final two candidates shall have onest opportunity to appeal to the Patrons who arrive today. It is not only important for the Supreme Pontiff to lead the preachers of the church but also very important for him to work with the Patrons to spread the word of our Goddess to different regions. Hence, all the 26 patrons will directly vote for the candidate they would like to see him to lead the church."


    The announcement from the Supreme Pontiff did take everyone by surprise as they were expecting this 341-year-old man to directly name his sessor. Instead, he involved the guests without informing them in advance in order to select the new Supreme Pontiff.


    At the same time, the four cardinals couldn''t help but expect their names to be in the final two. Since the leader of the church isn''t going to select his favorite anyway and leave the decision to vote, their expectations are raised up.


    Mark furrowed his brows in response to the announcement from the old man which he didn''t want to be a part of anyway. He just folded his hands and looked at the Supreme Pontiff as he called out two finalists.


    The first choice was obvious, it was Shi En. The second one was a much older guy named Yan Chao, who is over 125 years old and is at the intermediate stage of the legendary realm.


    As Shi En and Yan Chao stood on either side of the Supreme Pontiff, thetter asked them to make their final speech for the votes.


    Yan Chao was quite passionate. He gave a 10-minute-long speech like a politician who wants to appease the masses, which Mark had only seen in his past life.


    Shi En, on the other hand, simply mentioned that his aplishments were known to the Patrons and if elected, he promised to make his predecessors''mon wish of making the church of Nuwa surpass the church of Light.


    Mark didn''t know about others but he was certainly not moved by their words. He sat there in silence as one after another from the back rows stood up and named the person they pledged their support to.


    As if fate is putting Mark in an important position to take some decision, by the time it reached Mark, Shi En was winning by 13-12, and so, everyone had their eyes fixed on the chief guest who could make this a tie or make Shi En a winner.


    As the Supreme Pontiff asked him and the entire hall was filled with silence, Mark spared a nce at each of them and spoke, "Personally, I wasn''t a Patron of your church and certainly won''t worship Mother Goddess Nuwa. So, I''m not sure why you even want me to vote in the first ce."


    The Cardinals and the Bishops and others felt like their heart skipped a beat upon hearing those provoking words. Some of them gave an unpleasant re at him and he could feel it.


    Nevertheless, Mark couldn''t care less about their feelings and continued, "But, since I''m the chief guest for this event and you asked for my opinion, I would say this guy is more suitable to lead the church than that fake on the podium." He pointed his finger at his back row, specifically at Shi Chong, and then added, "Right, Shi En? Or should I say, Shi En who is a pure elf?"


    "Eh?"


    "Huh?"


    "What did he just say?"

 Chapter 587: Ascension ceremony at the church of Nuwa (part-2)

    For a couple of seconds, everyone nkly stared at Mark as if they couldn''t believe their eyes.


    Shi Chong at the back frowned at his statement and suddenly transformed into the half-elf who was supposedly standing on the stage, "How did you know?"


    Mark let out a smirk of victory without turning his head, "that is quite obvious. You both have almost identical souls. But, your soul seems stronger. I bet this avatar of yours is created by soul-splitting technique, although you somehow managed to separate your race too."


    Mark''s eyes were on Shi En who was near the altar and his eyes were reading the information written on the holographic screen floating before him.


    Shi En


    Rank: low-8-circle


    Age: 3 weeks old


    Species: Human


    Attribute: Fire


    Spirit Path: Summoner


    Affiliation: Church of Nuwa, Western Yan


    As Shi En went silent, the Supreme Pontiff of the church hollered in displeasure, "Can someone tell me what''s really going on here? Shi En?" He looked at the guy standing beside him.


    With everyone''s attention on him, Shi En got up and spoke, "I apologize, Your Grace. I merely wanted to make sure that my race shouldn''t be a problem for the church, as my fellow Cardinals keep pointing it out."


    Shi En, on the podium, then opened his mouth, continuing his exnation, gaining the attention of the others, "So, we split up into two beings. Me, aplete human, and my other self is aplete elf. I will lead the church as an authoritative figure while my other self will protect the church from the shadows. That''s why we have decided to gain trust from our believers."


    *p* p* p*


    Mark started pping then, earning a frown from both versions of Shi En, with hisment, "Your intentions are good but it doesn''t change the fact that you still tried to cheat your people in your church''s most sacred ceremony."


    It was then the old man opened his mouth, "No, Cardinal Shi En didn''t cheat anyone here. In fact, it was admirable for him to think of the church''s reputation first and the feelings of the believers."


    A supporter of Shi En and a noble of the Qilin Empire, Wen Chao then said, "I agree with His Grace. I''m sure Lord Lu would also understand, considering the fact that he himself is a ruler of a country now. A leader must always make certain decisions for the welfare of his people. The fact that he is willing to sacrifice himself to lead the church itself shows how mature Cardinal Shi En is."


    "Hmm¡­" "It seems like Lord Lu doesn''t like Cardinal Shi En for some reason" "Of course, it goes without saying" "Lord Lu is against Leon Empire now and Cardinal Shi En is the grandson of Emperor Shi" "But then again, like he said, he isn''t a patron of the church anyway. His opinion doesn''t matter." "Yeah, why is he meddling in our affairs in the first ce" "I wonder why His Grace invited him to the ceremony" "Shh¡­ He will listen. If you offend him, it is over for you"


    As whispers and murmurs flowed around, which didn''t escape Mark''s ears, thetter questioned the two cardinals in a serious tone, although his gaze fixed more on the pale boy, "In that case, I have to ask the candidates where their political allegiance will lie, after they be the Supreme Pontiff. I heard that the church interfered a lot during the past decade when the Western Yan was governed by Ji n."


    "So, this is why he epted the invitation?" Everyone including Prince Feng Wu and even the Supreme Pontiff wondered.


    Yan Chao, the Cardinal of Dragon Empire''s branch, spoke first, "I believe it should depend on the number of believers and the kind of support we get from the country. The Western Yan is the only region in the world where devotees of Goddess Nuwa crossed 50% of the poption. More than a million people worship our Goddess. Hence, no matter what, we have to look after their well-being. We should help when we are in the position to help. Unlike the Ji n, the Royal Feng n treats the subjects as their own and has the most powerful backing in the world. They don''t need our interference, Lord Lu."


    Mark was satisfied with his answer and he nodded with a subtle smile. He moved his gaze to the pale boy, "what about you, Shi En?"


    Shi En, the human avatar, looked back at Mark, meeting his eyes with his, and then answered in a voice filled with conviction, "In my governance, the church will not meddle in any affairs. We help those whoe to the church and ask for it. We help the unfortunate who lost everything, giving them hope to live. We provide guidance to the lost souls so that they can find their way back into the path of righteousness. But, that''s where our duty ends. "


    Mark didn''t buy it and further asked, "What if I were to destroy the Leon Empire? You still maintain this resolve of yours?"


    Shi En was momentarily taken aback by his question. The one sitting behind in the second row wanted to answer but the avatar on the stage beat him to it by stating, "Absolutely."


    "Well, I don''t think your shadow agrees with you,"mented Mark in response, almost instantly.


    "Hmm?"


    Shi En (elf) was taken aback as gazes fell upon him, at once. He stayed silent, not intending to lie.


    After a brief silence, Mark continued, "Look, I don''t care if you want to take sides or stay neutral. But, if war arises between Genesis Federation and the Leon Empire and I hear anyone rted to your church helping out the enemy, even if it is your patrons or believers, either the church should abandon them or face the consequences. Consider it a friendly advice or a threat. This is all I want to convey in person to the one who will take charge of the church. With that said, hoping that the next Supreme Pontiff will maintain that resolve of neutrality, I vote for Shi En."


    Mark''s words were sharp and overbearing but none dared to say anything against his face and simply epted his judgment.


    In order to repair the spoiled atmosphere, the Supreme Pontiff went on handing over the golden staff in his hand to Shi En, "I announce Cardinal Shi En as my sessor and the new torchbearer to all the believers of Nuwa in this world."


    The golden staff of immortality glowed as Shi En was enveloped in light for a couple of seconds before a white cape appeared over his robes and a long hat with the symbol of a serpent on his head.


    It was followed by the appearance of a serpentine woman made of light particles who gave a bow to the boy, speaking to only him. "I greet the new apostle of Mother Goddess. Mdy sent her blessings and your holy mission, just like your predecessors. Unless you die, you are forbidden to give up this holy mission or pass your position to someone else. The staff of immortality is bonded to your sound and will forever protect you from any harm. Very soon, when the water star, fire star, wood star, earth star, and metal star align themselves in a straight line, the Heavenly Kunlun mountain will be descending to the mortal realm, right into this world at a ce that shares a simr name. However, it cannot be essed until one finds the key and unlocks its entrance for the first time.


    During the time of descent, the heavenly key will also descend to this world. However, it could fall anywhere from regions ruled by spirit beasts to even the depths of seas. And whoever ims this key will have the greatest chance to be the master of the Heavenly Kunlun mountain. Your holy mission is to find this key and be the master. The Heavenly Key brings a lot of changes in its surroundings. That will be your clue.


    I have to remind you that other gods and goddesses will inform their apostles of the same. Hence, you have to be ready for it. Now, ept a portion of my power to raise your strength instantly, which will help you in facing for what''s about toe."


    The entire message was strictly heard by Shi En alone, and to an extent, the elven counterpart of Shi En also became aware of it due to their telepathic and soul connection. For the others, all they heard was a strange being talking in an extremely unfamiliarnguage.


    Little did Shi En or the messenger know that Mark had his artificial intelligence Ark automatically recorded the entire message and simultaneously tranted it to him.


    Mark managed to keep his poker face, acting as if he didn''t care what was happening.


    Inwardly, he decided his next course of action.


    Once the message is over, the heavenly messenger disappeared.


    However, Shi En started floating in mid-air, enveloped by the divine energy of Nuwa.


    His ether particles were steadily rising, leaving the spectators in awe.


    "Look, His Grace is going through a breakthrough." "I wonder if he will be a demigod" "I don''t think so. Since he is not his whole, the most he could be is a Supreme being, the peak stage of the 9-circle realm." "Yeah, you are right. However, I wonder what powers he would be receiving from the Mother Goddess" "I heard His Holiness (past supreme pontiff) has received the gift of Xr venom, the most poisonous venom known for the man."


    Having nothing else to do at the moment, Mark started focusing on the murmurings of the audience, entertaining himself to pass the time.


    It was at this moment one of the deacons, the attendees of the former Supreme Pontiff who are standing not far away from Shi En, suddenly charged forward at the target.


    "Wha¡­"


    Before anyone could even make a move, the supposed deacon reached a vulnerable Shi En in an instant and attempted to stab in in the chest.


    Just as the ck, corruptive, energy dagger about to stab in the heart, the deacon was frozen on the spot.


    In the meantime, Mark was seen having his hand stretched forward. As he tightened his fist and motioned it above, the hooded deacon raised high above the floor.


    Those with high cultivation bases could see that the deacon was suppressed by some kind of attribute energy on all sides, effectively controlling the target''s movements.


    At the same time, they also observed that there was absolutely no sort of resistance from the captured target anymore.


    Using his spatial control, Mark brought the target closer to him, feeling a bit familiar of the exposed partial face.


    The hood fell down eventually, revealing the face of one of the most beautiful woman a man in this world everid his eyes on.


    Mark got up with a shocked expression on his face, "Alina?"


    "Argh¡­" Shi En, on the podium, also screamed at the same time with some kind of needle struck his neck before he flopped to the ground.


    *Thud*

 Chapter 588: Ascension Ceremony at Church of Nuwa (part-3)

    "Your Grace" "Shi En!"


    Amidst of a series of gasps from all around, Cardinals rushed forward alongside the elven counterpart of Shi En too.


    Even Cardinal Yan Chao too stood nearby Shi En to protect him from further ambushes. Now that the decision is over and Shi En received the mandate from their goddess, all cardinals and bishops and everyone else who belonged to the church must stay loyal to the new Supreme Pontiff.


    The former Supreme Pontiff kneeled to a copsed Shi En and checked his system as purple patches slowly started appearing on his skin. Letting out a gasp of surprise, he spoke, "The needle released the spell of powerful witchcraft inside him. If we don''t act fast, he will die."


    "No, that''s impossible," Shi En (elf) argued with the old man, "my human counterpart, my brother received the mandate of Goddess Nuwa. He should have already be an immortal by now."


    The former Supreme Pontiff shook his head, "Withoutpletely absorbing the blessings of the goddess into one''s soul, the staff''s immortality doesn''t work." Shi En''s expression grave upon hearing those words. "Wha¡­ what should we do now?" He stammered a little bit.


    The Supreme Pontiff let out a deep sigh and ced his hand on Shi En''s chest, "There''s only one way to save him, The Curse Transferral."


    "What do you mea¡­"


    The Supreme Pontiff didn''t bother to give any exnation and pressed his hand on fallen Shi En''s chest further, releasing an enormous amount of his divine energy into Shi En''s body.


    "After I was gone, all of you must wor¡­"


    *Swoosh*


    The Supreme Pontiff too didn''t get to finish his words and was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a pitch-ck barrier in the church, almost imprisoning everyone.


    Mark''s words then echoed in everyone''s ears, "My domain''s rule: I reject all kinds of witchcraft spells."


    It''s the first technique of his domain, the Absolute Law.


    As soon as the Absolute Lawes into effect, purple-colored energy is released from Shi En''s body, freeing him of the patches on the skin too, alongside the purple energy seal from Alina''s floating body. The strange purple energy flew to the top of the ceiling and got out of the barrier on its own before floating over there.


    "Amazing. Shi En is saved," The Supreme Pontiff screamed in surprise, earning Mark gazes from all sides filled with admiration.


    Mark simply shrugged his shoulders, "Consider this a present on the ascension."


    He then shifted his focus on the purple-colored energy floating around the barrier, trying to invade it but to no avail, "Singrity."


    A tiny dot appeared right above the floating energy, releasing an enormous amount of suction force and swallowing up everything before it destroyed itself, with a simple thought from Mark.


    This is no longer the Mark from a few months ago who depended on the system too much. In a matter of a few weeks, Mark explored his powers quite a lot, and under the guidance of Sylvandria, he mastered many of them to the extent of invoking them with a thought. Of course, his mastery is still inferior to other regr demigods but still, the current mastery is enough for him to resolve small situations like these.


    Maintaining his domain, Mark passed the orders to Ark, "We should fast forward our world barrier integration ns, Ark. The four guardian beasts should be ready tounch it by the time those two objects descend to the."


    "Understood, Boss," replied the A.I. Mark could swear that if this A.I. is standing before him as an android, it will be saluting right now. The A.I. meanwhile further added, "But, I have a question. What should we do about the ones whoe here beforehand and wait for it?"


    "Naturally, we either eliminate them or capture them," replied Mark. "However, we need to increase the production of A.I. cores. Let''s halt weapon production for now and focus on developing A.I. cores instead."


    "As you say, Boss"


    A few hourster;


    Mark was in a room alone with both versions of Shi En. When they expressed their thanks for the help, Mark didn''t speak anything.


    But, when he was about to leave, he spontaneously asked for a meeting as if he suddenly thought of it, and they had to ept it right away.


    Of course, some of them were still worried about letting Mark be alone with their Supreme Pontiff without any guards in their presence. Not to mention the fact that some still suspected Mark is behind the incident.


    First, he berated their Supreme Pontiff and the church, then, he saved him timely, and then, he asked for a meeting. Naturally, they couldn''t trust him.


    But then again, they couldn''t do anything either. That''s a demigod, an existence who could just kill the entire country and still escape without facing any consequences.


    Coming to the meeting, as Supreme Pontiff Shi En, who reached the peak stage of the Supreme realm because of Nuwa''s blessing, asked him to speak of his mind, Mark opened his mouth.


    He didn''t beat around the bush and directly speak of the matter he wanted to speak. Unsurprisingly, it was about the Leon Empire.


    He first proimed that Leon Empire would be broken into pieces after he was done with his conquest and he offered one of those territories, which isrger than even Western Moon, to Shi En''s elven counterpart with full autonomy, provided that he governs thend under his authority. He also offered guidance from Sylvandria, a pure elf, in order to explore his powers too.


    Shi En can then shift the headquarters of the church to that region, which will be protected by Mark and his army. As an additional bonus, Mark was willing to give his support to the church of Nuwa, making it the prime religion in the Vermilion Bird Continent.


    Shi En did neither say YES nor NO. He merely told him that he would think about the proposal.


    Mark knew the reason behind their hesitation. And since he knew about the descent of the heavenly Kunlun mountain in the Kunlun/Kunyu mountain range, Mark didn''t pressure them further and calmly left the room.


    As he walked out of the room, he saw the real Shi Chong, Leon Empire''s crown prince, standing there in a bit of worry.


    Their eyes met and the prince bowed slightly, "Hello."


    Mark gave a subtle nod after inspecting his details, "See you around, Prince Shi Chong."


    As he walked away, Shi Chong rushed in to see his nephews, "Shi En, you alright?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Both of them nodded at the same time. As the elf left the room citing an excuse of having an important thing to do, the new Supreme Pontiff of the church conversed with his uncle for a while, revealing every bit of conversation he had with Mark, taking Shi Chong by surprise.


    While Mark and Feng Wu boarded the spider-ship with an unconscious Alina, Shi En (elf) who covered himself in ck robes left the church and made his way into the town.


    Meanwhile, the old witch was sitting in a rundown basement with little sunlight. Mystical drawings and strange items from dolls to even skulls were seen all over the ce. And her expression at the moment doesn''t look good.


    "Damn it. My perfect n went down to waste. It''s all because of that old geezer. Why should he invite someone like Lu Zhen to the ceremony? Not only my connection with the puppet was gone but also failed to do his task. Now, Shi En has be invincible. I lost the opportunity of a lifetime."


    As she was busy muttering the words, ming her fate, a hooded man walked in and let down his hood, revealing his face to the witch. The witch was instantly scared by his appearance. "Shi¡­ Shi En!"


    Shi En coldly looks at the witch, "You failed to assassinate him. Not only you disappointed your lord but you also disappointed me too. You were supposed to kill him and that will enable me to freely roam the world to search for my father.


    To help you out, I even pulled strings behind everyone''s back to let your puppet inside. In the end, you couldn''t still do your job.


    And now, I''m not only stuck to the church once again but also have to face one of my uncles'' assassins. Luckily for me, Lu Zhen pledged to take care of the Shi Dynasty. But unfortunately for you, my brother lives and I lost my chance to get my freedom. Tell me. What should I do with you now?"


    The witch trembled a bit, averting her gaze away, "It''s the fault of Lu Zhen. Had I known that he is actually a demigod who mastered the domain, I would have nned it differently."


    "I''m not here to listen to your excuses," Shi En (elf) folded his hands to the chest, giving her a stern gaze.

 Chapter 589: Return of Alina

    The old witch with her disheveled hair went silent for a few seconds beforeughing out loud like a maniac, "Hahahahaha, why didn''t I think of it before?" She then looked back at the young man whom she feared earlier, "I have a way to kill him too. I need your cooperation in invoking the forbidden spell of witchcraft."


    Shi En didn''t say anything and just silently stared at the witch, who started muttering various words in a disoriented speech like a maniac. She went past him and collected various things from all over the room before finally taking out a needle that looked identical to the one that pierced earlier.


    Upon reaching the ce of what seemed like a perfect blindspot, she threw the needle precisely aiming for Shi En''s neck. The needle was about to pierce him but Shi En tilted his head at thest moment and the needle evaded the target.


    "Sh*t¡­" the witch couldn''t help but curse inwardly as her n failed. She quickly made her way toward the exit. However, she couldn''t even go a couple of steps and a hand pierced her back, grabbed her heart, and forcefully brought it out.


    *Thud*


    She fell to the floor at once and turned into a corpse.


    Shi En looked at the body coldly and crushed the heart into a bloody pulp, "Hmpf, do you take me for a fool or something? Just because I was willing to give you another chance, do you think you can try to kill me and present my body to your beloved client? No one in the world deserves a third chance. But, don''t worry, I will send your client to the spirit realm to keep youpany."


    Meanwhile, after dropping Feng Wu at his pce, Mark refused his lunch invitation and hurriedly left for his private ind.


    Once he reached the factory, he carried an unconscious Alina to the experiment rooms, where the mechanical Cerberus Alina was seen busy monitoring the weapon production.


    "Hey, Alina." "Big Bro! "*Gasp* "That''s my body¡­" Alina charged toward him in excitement,


    "Where did you find it?" "Is it in a good state?" "Looks that way" "I know that you promised me but still I never expected to find my body once again." "Master, let''s begin my core integration immediately. I can''t get back to my previous state"


    Alina was jumping left and right like a doggy in her robotic three-headed hound''s body. Whether it is her tone or her bodynguage, she is clearly excited and quite impatient to return to her original state, showing how much she missed it.


    Mark however stopped her, "Nope. We have to test it first to make sure everything is clean. Earlier, it was controlled by witchcraft."


    "Ark, connect to Ark Prime and call him here." He passed the instructions to his A.I.


    Within half a minute, Ark Prime, the rank-9 super robot came to his master and greeted him with a half kneel bow.


    Leaving him with the objective of the analysis and core integration process, Mark left the experiment room to leave the ind, flying to the ind nearby where his Yong, the Great Anaconda King, was resting on a hill.


    Yong uncurled its tail from around the tip of the mountain and made its way to the beach, where its master was waiting for him.


    "Greetingssss, masssterrr"


    As it greeted its master with a hiss and lowered its head to almost the ground, Mark responded by slightly flying high and giving a pat on its head, "Yong, this time, I came here to take you with me to your new home. Let''s go."


    "But, massssterrrr, I, thisss, ce¡­" Yong seemed reluctant to leave because of its attachment to the ind. Mark, who already anticipated it, went into action without wasting any time.


    He flew into the sky higher and higher until he could see the entire 1 sq. Km of the ind with a little mountain in the center.


    Stretching his arms widely, he unleashed spatial energy into the surroundings, connecting with everything around him.


    "Compression."


    Compression: The User canpress the matter into condensed size without hurting the objects or people inside for a period of 60 minutes. After the time limit, everything will be original right on the spot. Note: weight doesn''t change. Cost: 30% Ether energy. CD: 3 hours.


    As he moved his stretched arms toward each other, Yong sensed that the entire ind with it was beingpressed on all sides. However, it didn''t feel any difort even though it was reduced to less than an inch in a matter of a minute.


    At once, the ind vanished from the ocean. As the emptied region was reced by the waters, Mark used his Density maniption on the 2-foot-sized cube, reducing its density to 0.01 times before carrying it away with him back to his factory. Chapter Enjoy:


    There, Ark Prime and Alina were busy rebuilding her body to give an upgrade with stronger materials from the recycled junk of various rank-8 and rank-9 robots.


    Mark left them to their own devices and teleported back to his home, the Genesis City. The citizens came out of their homes to look at the sky where arge floating ind appeared out of nowhere, followed by the rush of the clouds as if they were in a hurry to hide the mountain. The majestic peak of a 700-meter-tall mountain which was coiled around by an anaconda was witnessed by the prime citizens of the country. They couldn''t help but look at it in awe as four guardian beasts flew over the city skies not long after andnded on the floating ind.


    The holy beasts took the position in each direction of the ind and unleashed an invincible barrier over Genesis City, safeguarding it from any outside entrance that Mark didn''t approve of. That means even if one secretly entered the country, they couldn''t enter the city anymore and have to fend off themselves in the wild, where surviving beasts turned even more aggressive due to their periodic capture and extermination by the robots.


    Two more dayster, at Fujian indter;


    "Assembly: initiated.


    Framework: stabilized.


    Inserting: primary core module.


    Wiring: connected.


    Power source: upgraded, integrating new cells.


    Sensors: calibrated.


    Motor functions: enhanced, installing servos.


    Memory bank: expanded, synchronizing data.


    Voice module: adjusted, testing output.


    Visual processors: optimized, activating enhanced optics.


    AI core: installed, running diagnostics.


    Final assembly:plete.


    System booting: initiating startup sequence."


    Within a few moments, Alina slowly floated in the air and slowlynded on the ground.


    Ark Prime and Ark Secundus, both intellectual superbots greeted her at the same time.


    "Wee Back, Android B143S."


    Her eyes gave off a pitch-ck glow around her blue pupils as she opened her mouth, "Alina¡­ That''s my name, fes. Call me Alina Spencer."


    She then flexed her fingers, observing them for a few seconds before releasing an orb of dark energy, "I feel different."


    "Your powers have beenbined with necromancy powers left behind in your system from your previous holders," replied Ark Prime, to which, Alina shot the dark energy orb to the ground.


    The orb hit the floor and transformed into a lich. As it let out a ghostly scream, Alina curled up her lips and licked them, "I like this."


    Ark Prime and Ark Secundus looked at each other meaningfully.

 Chapter 590: Emergency meeting at Leon Empire

    Imperial Leon City, Leon Empire;


    In the pce, Emperor Shi called for an urgent assembly of the ministers in his throne room without any public audience. General Fan and Grand Marshal Yu were also present at the meeting.


    Whether it is the Grand Marshal of Leon Empire, Supreme Commander of Phoenix Empire, Sovereign Supreme of Dragon Empire, or the Supreme General of Western Moon, the titles might be different, but basically, all of them are just the same. They are the heads of the entire army and are often considered the second most powerful person in their country.


    General Fan briefed the situation in Bloodhill forest, exining, "Apart from King Qi and his three legions, there are more than five hundred adventurers, and Mt. Hudang disciples were also trapped in the barrier. For all we know, Lu Zhen has ordered the capture of intruders in his territory. And for those who resist, they will be killed. That barrier from the demigod beasts wouldn''t let anyone go in or out without his permission."


    "The situation has indeed be dire. We have to do something,"mented the minister of finance.


    The minister of war mmed the table with his fist of anger, "This is clearly an act of war, Your Majesty."


    The Prime Minister of the Empire reluctantly voiced his opinion, "Your Majesty, as far as we know about Lord Lu, he is someone who would prefer peace when he could see profits. It''s best if we negotiate with him."


    "Negotiation? That''s something we have to do if we have no other choice, Prime Minister Wang,"mented the Grand Marshal.


    Emperor Shi has added to the Grand Marshal''sment, "If we negotiate, there is only one thing he will ask. The recognition of his country, which we will never will. We have been guarding the pact of not touching the forest for the past 1785 years. There is no way we will let it break now, just because some demigod is interested in having his own country."


    Everyone felt silent for a few seconds, now that they have heard their Emperor''s thoughts.


    The Emperor''s eldest grandson, Prince Shi Chong''s son, Prince Shi Xuan, who oftenpetes against his own father for the throne and was the most vocal in the assembly, spoke on the matter as the others were still wondering what to say, "Your Majesty, we don''t need to act on our own. We can move the guilds."


    "Hmm?" Emperor Shi looked at his grandson for an exnation. The others also did the same, except for the Prime Minister who already seemed like he understood what the prince wanted to say.


    He quickly warned the prince, "Your Highness, you do understand what you are about to suggest, right? If taken wrong step, the entire world will burn in the mes of war."


    "Yes, I understand it too," As the Prince solemnly nodded, the Emperor asked him for a clear exnation.


    The Prince went on to exin, "Lu Zhen could form a country on his own. It is not a problem for anyone. It''s because Bloodhill Forest is not thend imed by any Empire. He can even cut down the forests and build his own cities.


    However, if he is wiping out all the beasts and harvesting their corpses for himself, covering up the entire forest with the barrier, and banning entry for the outsiders, he is going to affect the livelihood of thousands of adventurers.


    Based on this act, we can force the guilds to act against Lu Zhen in order to protect the interests of their fellow adventurers. An egoist like Lu Zhen will never bend to someone''s will. Obviously, the guilds will lose. But, if we carefully act, we can involve the other empires to give justice to their guilds.


    The guilds are one of the primary sources of ie for every country. The restaurants survive on the meat of the corpses they buy on the market, and we cannot forget the usage of spirit beast bones in medicine. Of course, the usage of beast cores in raising one''s cultivation, and some key parts like blood, eyes, and heart are used in making high-quality weapons.


    And before involving everyone, we have to bring our neighbors into our fight against Lu Zhen. ording to our spies, weeks ago, Lu Zhen announced that he intends to bring every single region in the Vermilion Bird continent under his rule. The South is more or less under his control, but before he makes his move, we have to ally with Qilin and Kun Empire. If we also bring the dwarves to our side, it will make our job even easier."


    "Hmm¡­" "What His Highness makes sense" "Your Majesty, I agree with His Highness" "me too" "Me too" "Me too" "I also agree with his opinion" "I''m not sure about it. I mean this will paint us as weak" "No, Minister Li. If Lu Zhen attacks us directly, we have what it takes to protect ournd, but it is another thing to venture into the wild and attack him. We clearly have no idea what else is lurking in that vast forest." "Your Majesty, please make the decision."


    "Hmm¡­"


    After much pondering, the old emperormented, "I guess my wastrel of a son indeed did a good job of giving birth to a smart one. However, it isn''t enough to bend his will for a very long time. We need a key hostage, a betrayer, and a strong adversary."


    "You mean¡­"


    "Find out where the Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Doom is hiding. And contact that mage. It is time to wake up our sleeping spies."


    Meanwhile, at Fujian Ind;


    As Alina sat there on the table obediently, Mark was inspecting the details.


    Alina Spencer


    Species: Android


    Rank: 8


    Spirit Path: Assassin/Mage


    SKILLS:


    Shadow Cloaking: Turn invisible for 120 seconds and escape the sense of 8-circle and lower. In this state, Alina can attack the enemies. CD: 10 min


    Short Teleportation: She can teleport 500 meters away. CD: 30 sec


    Shadow Daggers: She can summon two protos daggers and use them as weapons. They can interrupt the energy of enemies. CD: 0 sec


    Twilight Shackles: She can manifest three energy chains with des as the tip. Enemies who pierced by the chain will lose speed by 50% for 5 minutes. CD: 2 min/chain


    Undead Creation: She can create undead creatures that can unleash magic such as Lich and wraiths. CD: Depends


    Specter Extraction: She can extract specters from the dead creatures, out of their hatred. The specters extracted will retain 50% of the strength that the dead body has, at their peak moment. She can only maintain one such specter at one time. CD: Depends.


    Death Knight: She can call forth the Death Knight from theherworld to battle the enemies on her behalf. The Death Knight will have +1 rank stats than her and will stay in the world of living for a period of 30 minutes. CD: 24 hours.


    Passive:


    Aegis of Night: Her stats increase by one rank after sunset and is immune to all the curses. She also turns a bit sadistic and violent.


    Interrogation: She can bewitch the minds of enemies with a 7-circle or lower to extract information.


    Friend of the undead: Any undead creature will automatically act friendly towards her unless shends a hit on them.


    *


    "Hmm¡­" Mark couldn''t help but fall into deep thinking, wondering about the implications of such new abilities in Alina.

 Chapter 591: Alina arrives at Genesis City

    After her core was extracted, her physical body was possessed two times. The First time, the Necromancy King performed a forbidden ritual on her and made him his undead general, and the second time, it was the old witch who used witchcraft and used her as her battle puppet.


    The after-effects of those rituals probably brought some undead abilities in Alina which were boosted further by repair of her body parts and insertion of her old core.


    Since Mark didn''t exactly know what happened with her in the past and neither did Alina remember anything as her memories exist in the core itself, he could only assume that it was for the best and put those unnecessary thoughts for the future away. Mark tested her abilities for a while before taking back her with him.


    The citizens of Genesis City have never seen Alina before. They couldn''t help but wonder whether their Lord brought another beauty home. Naturally, they were happy anyway. Their Lord deserves a hundred women, in their eyes.


    Sylvandria was the first to meet them, quite coincidentally on the street though. She was helping out healing a sickly elderly woman in their home and whening out, she had her eyes locked on Mark and Alina who were not far away.


    She went toward them and Mark greeted her casually with a wave of his hand. Alina didn''t do anything but silently stood behind him.


    Sylvandria looked at her in a bit of surprise, "A puppet? Like Allen?"


    Mark introduced her, "Meet Alina. You know that robotic three-headed hound you met once?"


    "That''s me. This is my old body, which my dear big bro found and brought back to me," replied Alina, affectionately grabbing Mark all of a sudden.


    Sylvandria was slightly taken aback by her words and her actions, which didn''t seem anything like a puppet. She remembered Allen and knew that she would act human-like, but for some reason, she felt like there was a hint of jealousy and attachment in Alina''s tone and expression.


    Or maybe, she was just overthinking these days. In the end, Sylvandria concluded it like this and maintained a smile, "Hello, Alina. I''m Sylvandria."


    Alina nodded firmly, "I''m aware of it, Miss Sylvandria. I''m connected to big bro''s mind. I know what happened between you two and also being aware that you are a ''good friend'' of my big bro."


    "Ahh¡­ I forgot about that. You can see my memories," Mark quickly warned the android, "Alina, you cannot ever tell Song Yue about us."


    "Of course, that goes without saying, big bro," Alina let out a smile as she nodded. After a brief pause, she however added, "That time, you aren''t exactly yourself. Not to mention, you don''t have any feelings for Miss Sylvandria anyway. So, rest assured. Sister Yue will never hear of the things you were ufortable telling her through your own mouth. Let''s go. I''m dying to meet her, after so long."


    "Ah, okay. Syl, are youing with us to the pce?"


    "No, I have to visit another house to treat someone''s illness."


    "Okay. Come home. Today, we will have a grand banquet, as I have something to announce."


    "Big Bro, let''s go¡­"


    As Alina dragged Mark away, Sylvandria stared at their back in a bit of sadness. She then put her hand on her stomach and mumbled, "When the timees, I really hope both of you won''t cause chaos in the family."


    Mark and Alina returned to the pce, which is more like arge estate that includes his mansion-sized residential home and various other buildings.


    Within the pce grounds, there is a butchery house where the corpses of high-quality spirit beasts hunted by Eol/Fu Sheng''s army will be brought back here for the meat and other body parts.


    Then, there is a breeding farm where the captured spirit beasts are brought back here to breed them in either increasing their poption or conduct experiments to create new spirit beasts. There are two types of beasts here. One type is used for purely meat purposes. The second type is used for taming purposes.


    There is also an Entertainment house, which is more or less a brothel but without any sexual services. The nobles, the royals, or the officials can visit here, they drink to their fill, are entertained by courtesans with their music or dance, magic shows or live paintings, and return to their homes.


    With over a million residents at the moment, Mark could find people in every kind of job.


    In Genesis City, the term Noble courtesan strictly refers to thedies who work at the royal entertainment house, disying their talent and nothing else. These are all highly educated and skilled, and revered by the citizens. Anyone whoys a hand on them without their consent is bound to face strict punishment or even the death penalty, or so, if one quotes the royal pce''s announcement.


    Unfortunately, themoners who aren''t working as officials in the royal pce cannot ess this ce.


    For them, there is amon brothel in the city that includes both entertainment and sexual services just like every other brothel in other empires and kingdoms. However, what''s different here from anywhere else is the strictw.


    The rank-4 robotic dogs and rank-5 robots are considered the foot soldiers who always patrol with at least one rank-6 robot 24 hours all over the city. They were quite merciless against those whomitted the crimes.


    When the poption was only ten thousand, the city was rtively at peace.


    But, when it increased to one million after the recent third phase, which was supposed to be at ater date but had to pre-pone it due to certain situations, it was hard for even Mark to keep track of crimes. The merciless robots put too many people in jails for even little crimes that could be ignored for the first time.


    To face this challenge, Mark had to recruit some skilled people to apany the robots, giving them the authority to punish or show mercy to first-time wrongdoers.


    Anyway, the strictw and constant patrolling almost ensured zero crime rate in the city and made the women safe, especially the working ones.


    Since Mark doesn''t look down on any kind of profession, within the past couple of weeks, the people also saw changes even in their own thoughts. But then again, social status is something that not even Mark could eradicate, not that he wanted to. Hence, he modified it in a way to suit his ruling before he could bring democracy to thend.


    Like for example, the royal courtesans working in the royal entertainment house naturally get more respect than the courtesans working at ordinary brothels.


    The officials of the royal pce will have higher respect than the ones who work to fend off themselves by setting up their own shops and such. The ten thousand prime citizens will have greater respect in the city than even a 100,000 gold-worth wealthy individual who moved in the third phase.


    Back to the pce, other than those three buildings, buildings for each ministry, judicial hall, etc¡­ were all built on the premises of the pce, everything except for a temple.


    Alina knew everything from her master''s memories, but seeing through her own eyes was a different experience for her. She couldn''t help but be proud of her master who managed to build a well-functioning city in such a short time.


    Together, as they returned to Mark''s residence which is guarded by several rank-8 and three rank-9 robots, they saw Song Yue was busy ying tag with her five-month-old son who already started running a bit.


    Little Lu Shan was trying his best to catch her mother but to no avail. His cheeks were puffed and he looked so frustrated that he might cry at any time. Clearly, Song Yue was enjoying that, for some reason.


    "Waaaa¡­"


    Lu Shan bent his head forward to charge into his mom. She was about to dodge at thest second once again but then upon sensing the presence of her husband, Song Yue looked to the right and saw both of them together.


    "Alina?" She was taken aback in surprise. Lu Shan caught his mom finally but he too shifted his attention toward the source where his mom was looking at.


    "Ba Ba¡­" Lu Shan excitedly charged at his dad, but then just a few stepster, he lost his footing and was about to fall down.


    Alina disappeared and reappeared by Lu Shan''s side and caught him quickly, earning a surprise from both mom and son.


    As Lu Shan looked at her, Alina raised him to her eye level and smiled, "Hello there, young master. We meet again."


    "Huh?" Lu Shan cutely tilted his head with his index finger in his mouth.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!