Chapter 429 - 28: Cooperation, a Clear Path Forward

"Mr. Zhu!"

"Mr. Zhu!"

Beads of sweat formed on Cao Youche’s forehead as he chased Zhu Ju’s hover car, shouting:

"I swear, I knew nothing about today’s assassination! And it absolutely wasn’t an order from the council."

"Mr. Zhu!"

"Please, stay and let me explain..."

Watching the car recede into the distance, Cao Youche, who was only a Martial Artist, had no choice but to stop.

"Now we’re in trouble."

Qin Shengnan’s figure appeared beside him, her delicate features set in a serious expression.

"Mr. Zhu... he’s actually a Martial Saint!"

"We should have guessed." Cao Youche seemed completely unsurprised by her appearance. He sighed and said:

"That Boss Jiao was a Grand Martial Master to begin with, and he had received the Evil God’s blessing. On his own turf, his power was comparable to a Martial Saint’s."

"The only one who could kill him would have to be a Martial Saint, too."

Qin Shengnan shook her head.

Martial Saints weren’t a dime a dozen. The requirements to become one were exceedingly harsh; it wasn’t something you could achieve just by popping pills.

There were many powerful and influential families in Funeng City, the Qin Family among them, yet only two had a Martial Saint watching over them. It had been this way for hundreds of years, which just showed how difficult it was.

If ’Mr. Zhu’ wasn’t a Martial Saint, then no matter how strong he was, the council would be confident in their ability to suppress him.

But a Martial Saint...

That meant negotiation was the only path left.

But now, it was clear the other party was no longer willing to talk.

"What do we do now?" Cao Youche turned to face his supporter and partner.

"Did the Qin Family hire him?"

"You’re overthinking it." Qin Shengnan rolled her eyes.

"The Qin Family might not want to see the Underworld become a monopoly, but we have no need to hire assassins."

"After all..."

"What Mr. Zhu has done doesn’t have much of an impact on the Qin Family’s businesses."

"Then who could it be?" Cao Youche scratched his messy hair.

"The Wang Family? Someone else on the council? The Black Dragon Association?"

"The Black Dragon Association!"

The two of them exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them.

"Ahem!"

Cao Youche coughed lightly and asked:

"Are you sure Mr. Zhu is a Martial Saint?"

"Positive." Qin Shengnan nodded.

"A Martial Saint’s Physical Body is stronger than a Grand Martial Master’s, but it still can’t stand up to certain special Mecha. However, compared to Mecha, a Martial Saint’s Physical Body possesses immense Spiritual Power. This power is extremely strong. Just now, when the poison gas corroded Mr. Zhu’s head, it was this power that annihilated the poison particles."

"That is something only a Martial Saint can do."

"Then..." Cao Youche took a deep breath and said in a grave tone:

"Is he one of the Evil God Followers?"

"No!" A smile appeared on Qin Shengnan’s face.

"That’s good news, isn’t it?"

"Yes!"

Cao Youche nodded.

As long as he wasn’t an Evil God Follower, making a few concessions for the stability of Licheng District was acceptable.

...

「The Black Dragon Association.」

Unlike other Underworld factions, the Black Dragon Association had its own office building.

"President Qin!"

"This way, please."

BZZT—

The heavy electromagnetic doors slid open to either side, and Cyan Dragon, the Black Dragon Association’s second-in-command, led Qin Shengnan into Black Dragon’s office.

"Boss."

Cyan Dragon smiled charmingly.

"President Qin is here."

"Hmph."

Black Dragon put down the documents in his hand and looked up.

"President Qin, you’re a rare guest. Why aren’t you accompanying that esteemed patron of yours today?"

According to legend,

the boss of the Black Dragon Association was a powerfully built man with dragon horns, capable of breathing world-ending black flames, and his methods were formidable.

In reality, Black Dragon looked like an ordinary person, but his methods were anything but.

Otherwise,

he couldn’t have built such a massive enterprise from scratch.

"Are you talking about Councillor Cao?"

Qin Shengnan sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs.

"I was the one who proposed we support Councillor Cao’s election together. You were the one who insisted on choosing that man surnamed Zhou. Now that he’s lost the election, you have only yourself to blame."

"Hmph!" Black Dragon snorted coldly.

"Cao Youche is a political star groomed by your Qin Family. I wouldn’t have gained much even if I had supported him. Just look at Boss Jiao—what did he get for making tens of thousands of people vote for Cao Youche?"

"He still ended up getting killed in his own den, and the Public Security Bureau didn’t even dare to make a peep."

"Heh..." Qin Shengnan pulled out a cigar, twirling it between her fingers as she asked slowly:

"The assassination attempt on Mr. Zhu today—was that you?"

"Assassination attempt?" Black Dragon froze for a moment, then shook his head.

"It had nothing to do with me."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands lightly. The wall behind him lifted upward, revealing a trove of valuable supplies.

"In the Underworld, the strong are revered."

"I know the Black Dragon Association is no match for Mr. Zhu. That’s why I prepared these gifts and was planning to pay him a visit. As long as Mr. Zhu agrees to stop, the Black Dragon Association is willing to cooperate with him in the future."

"Oh?" Qin Shengnan raised an eyebrow.

"A wise choice."

"However..."

"It’s too late!"

"What do you mean?" Black Dragon frowned.

"This afternoon, Mr. Zhu was targeted by a sniper at the Yinying Theater. It’s suspected to be the work of the Legendary Assassin, Shadow," Qin Shengnan said.

"And upon investigation..."

"It was the Black Dragon Association that put the hit on Mr. Zhu. Which makes you a wanted criminal."

Hmm?

Black Dragon’s eyes narrowed.

"Men!"

Cyan Dragon shouted.

CLATTER—

More than ten fully armed guards rushed in, each of them carrying Source Energy Weapons.

"Do it!"

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

As flames erupted from the muzzles, a net woven from dozens of Heavy Energy Dum-Dum Bullets shot forward.

BOOM!

Black Dragon’s body was thrown backward, slamming heavily onto the ground amidst the wreckage.

"Cyan Dragon!"

He gritted his teeth and roared in fury.

"You betrayed me!"

The guards hadn’t fired at Qin Shengnan, who had come looking for trouble. Their target was Black Dragon, the leader of the Black Dragon Association.

Caught completely off guard.

Even Black Dragon, a Grand Martial Master wearing Micro Armor, was blasted to the ground and severely wounded on the spot.

"I’m sorry."

Cyan Dragon’s beautiful eyes narrowed.

"If you don’t die, Mr. Zhu won’t let the Black Dragon Association off the hook. So... Boss, please rest in peace."

"Enough chit-chat with him." Qin Shengnan flashed forward and slammed her palms out in front of her.

"Die!"

Vibrating Wave!

Visible ripples erupted from her palms, encompassing everything within a hundred meters in front of her.

The bizarre sound waves shrieked, pulverizing the bulletproof glass and solid floor alike.

"AHH!"

Black Dragon roared as his skin and flesh split open, revealing the dark red energy core where his heart should be.

SWISH!

Cyan Dragon thrust a hand forward. Her slender arm rapidly extended, her five fingers plunging like steel needles into Black Dragon’s chest.

At the same time,

the guards rushed forward, frantically pulling the triggers of their guns.

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

「A short while later.」

The smoke cleared.

"Black Dragon’s body was modified. Nearly eighty percent of it was mechanical. If the energy source in his heart had been activated, it would have been like a high-energy hydrogen bomb exploding—enough to blow this entire building to smithereens."

Cyan Dragon said with a giggle, toying with the energy core in her hand.

"It’s all thanks to you, President Qin. Your Vibrating Power happens to be Black Dragon’s nemesis. Otherwise, we would never have succeeded so easily."

"Just mutually beneficial." Qin Shengnan waved her hand dismissively.

"From now on, sister, you’re the head of the Black Dragon Association... or should I say, the Cyan Dragon Association?"

"Hee hee..." Cyan Dragon pursed her lips.

"The Cyan Dragon Association!"

"That name should be much more popular than the Black Dragon Association."

*

*

*

THUD!

A huge glass coffin was lifted from a vehicle and brought before Zhu Ju.

"It’s Black Dragon of the Black Dragon Association."

Qiann Lan glanced at the corpse inside and said:

"Councillor Cao said he was the one who hired the assassin. They’ve sent the body here for you to vent your anger."

"Besides Black Dragon’s body, the Cyan Dragon Association also sent some expensive gifts. This is the gift list."

"Black Dragon?" Zhu Ju said noncommittally. He took the gift list, glanced at it, and casually set it aside.

"Mr. Zhu," Qiann Lan began cautiously.

"I feel that Councillor Cao is being very sincere. And there’s no need to completely swallow up the new Cyan Dragon Association."

"Many people have their eyes on us now. Continuing to expand our territory might just escalate the conflict."

"Heh..." Zhu Ju chuckled lightly.

"Is that all?"

"What?" Qiann Lan was taken aback.

"Tell them," Zhu Ju instructed.

"I can drop the matter of the assassin, but I require a batch of Advanced Gene Potions, one hundred slots for officially certified Demon Hunters, and the construction rights for the underground tunnels..."

"Yes." Qiann Lan noted down all the demands, then paused and added:

"The other things are negotiable, but most of the Advanced Gene Potions sold on the market come from the Lin Family. They probably won’t give them away for free."

"They don’t have to be free." Zhu Ju shook his head.

"I can pay for them!"

"However, I need a stable purchasing channel, and the potions’ effects must be consistent."

"If they agree to these demands, then I’ll back off."

"Yes." Qiann Lan nodded.

"I’ll get on it right away!"

After Qiann Lan left, Zhu Ju looked at the glass coffin before him and, with a wave of his long sleeve, stored it in his Storage Ring.

Black Dragon’s corpse was quite valuable. It could be exchanged for a good number of Source Crystals, so of course, it couldn’t be wasted.

"Mr. Zhu."

"Lunch is ready."

"Mm." Zhu Ju stood up.

"What are we having?"

"Armored Fish," a voice replied.

"You said to make this dish a few more times over the next couple of days."

"Bring it up." Zhu Ju nodded. He’d had a flash of Spiritual Light while eating the other day, but it hadn’t appeared since. He had ordered the dish again in hopes of recapturing that spark of inspiration.

Looking at the steamed Armored Fish placed before him, Zhu Ju was about to pick up his chopsticks when he suddenly stopped, a smile on his face.

’How foolish of me!’

His eyes were complex, his sigh filled with a peculiar sense of emotion.

’The answer was right in front of me, yet my eyes were blind to it!’

The Great Dao had collapsed, the path forward was blocked. The Immortals of the Ancient Era were the first to be affected by this.

Immortals!

Beings of eternal life, boundless wisdom, coexisting with the Dao itself—if even entities like that couldn’t find a solution, how could he possibly have deluded himself into thinking he could find a path to the heavens through the legacies left behind from the Ancient Era?

’How ignorant!’

’How arrogant!’

In truth, the Immortals of the Jade Void Sect had already provided the answer.

The Physical Body!

The Ten Thousand Spirits Body Forging Technique!

The Cultivation Methods of the Ancient Era—where one comprehended the Great Dao, merged with the Great Dao, and eventually controlled the Great Dao—were all paths of the Primordial Spirit.

But now...

the path of the Primordial Spirit was a dead end.

Any Primordial Spirit would inevitably be affected by the collapsed Dao.

Only the Physical Body could remain unaffected, or at least be affected so little that it could bypass the Dao Poison.

’In the Ancient Era, there were also methods for cultivating the Physical Body, but they also relied on Magical Power and the Primordial Spirit; they weren’t purely for tempering the body itself.’

’But the seniors of the Jade Void Sect destroyed the Ten Thousand Laws and left behind only the Ten Thousand Spirits Body Forging Technique. They already pointed the way forward.’

Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up. He extended a finger, activating the Six Passes Alchemy Dao. As a Source Crystal shattered, his ’wisdom’ soared.

’The Armored Fish, the legends of galactic heroes... they all point to the same principle. When the old road is blocked, you don’t just keep ramming your head against the wall. You find another path. It may be a path without a guide, but it holds infinite possibilities.’

’The Nascent Soul...’

’I won’t cultivate it!’

As his thoughts turned, countless Cultivation Techniques surfaced in his mind.

’The Physical Body! Genetic evolution!’

’The Treasure Manual!’

’The ultimate treasure of the Human Race, with its infinite gene pool... the legendary Treasure Manual that guides the evolution of all living things!’

Closing his communicator, Zhu Ju was lost in thought.

’The Treasure Manual can actually help me perfect my Cultivation Technique. It seems my arrival in this world was no mere coincidence.’

「A short while later.」

Zhu Ju pressed his communicator.

"Tell Councillor Cao I need a supervisor slot at the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association. I recall the Qin Family has shares in the association, so it shouldn’t be difficult to arrange."

"Yes."

Qiann Lan replied.

She didn’t know what Zhu Ju wanted with the slot, but since he had given the order, her job was simply to carry it out.