Chapter 718 - 543: Taking Office: Speaker of the Alliance Supreme Council

"???" Gao Neng looked beside him.

Shen Ning’Er was looking at him.

’Keeping a beauty stashed away in a golden house?’

So, was Shen Ning’Er jealous?

"What, scared to admit what you’ve done?" A faint smile was hidden in the depths of Shen Ning’Er’s eyes, but the corners of her mouth were pursed ever so slightly.

It was a purely feminine display, but on Shen Ning’Er’s face, it held a captivating, soul-stirring charm.

And it wasn’t the least bit contrived.

Gao Neng instantly felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart.

’Who could possibly resist this?’

Without another word, Gao Neng simply reached out and pulled Shen Ning’Er into his embrace.

Shen Ning’Er didn’t resist.

She let him wrap his arms around her waist.

"I’ll add another gold mountain. What do you say to four?" Gao Neng looked into Shen Ning’Er’s eyes, his arms unconsciously tightening around her slightly.

"Deal!" Shen Ning’Er broke into a smile. Then, she muttered thoughtfully, "As for Yi Qinglian... how many more are you planning on adding?"

"Uh..." Gao Neng was speechless.

"And me! Don’t forget me!" Suddenly, a small head poked in, and its owner stuck her tongue out at Gao Neng. "Sister Ning’Er, there’s my part in this too! Make him add a few more!"

"Shut up!" Gao Neng shot a scornful glance at Fang Tangtang as she sidled up to them.

’Couldn’t she read the room before trying to get in on the action?’

Gao Neng completely ignored Fang Tangtang’s antics, his gaze returning to the cold pool.

Before long, Gao Xiaomeng leaped out from within.

At that very moment, the Queen of the Dark Elves, Wu Dingxiang, and all the surrounding members of the Dark Night Elf Clan dropped to one knee.

Not a single one dared to raise their head.

Their submission was total.

"I can spare Wu Dingxiang’s life. The condition is that she must serve by my mother’s side for one year. In addition, the Dark Night Elf Clan must offer me a gold mountain," Gao Neng said slowly.

"..." The Queen of the Dark Elves.

What could she say?

There was nothing she could say!

...

With the Dark Night Elf Clan subdued, Gao Neng naturally partook of the Spring of Life once more, and immediately felt a surge of energy within him.

The boost wasn’t that significant.

It seemed the effects were not as potent as the first time, a case of diminishing returns. Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang had experienced the same thing.

However, it didn’t matter much.

After all, there were other races on the Eastern District Battlefield.

Gao Neng did a quick mental calculation. Last time, on the Northern District Battlefield, he had broken through directly from the Seventh Rank to the Ninth Rank, relying solely on drinking evolutionary energy.

Of course, the Golden Tree Heart was partly responsible for that.

But it was an undeniable fact that evolutionary energy allowed him to rapidly break through to new levels of power.

And now, the evolutionary energy of the Eastern District Battlefield was once again within his grasp.

’If he drank evolutionary energy after subjugating each race, could he break through from the Ninth Rank and become one of the Strongest?’

Gao Neng looked up at the sky. ’One of the Strongest!’

The battle in the Eastern District.

Although he had injured the Beast Race Sword Saint, it was only an injury. Besides, there had been all sorts of special circumstances at play; on his own, he wasn’t actually a match for the Sword Saint.

So, the most urgent priority was still to improve his own strength.

The gap between the Ninth Rank and the Strongest was a massive hurdle.

But if he succeeded, his power would enter a whole new realm.

The West and South Districts still had at least forty of the Strongest.

Among them, there were likely even Peak Ultimate Powerhouses like the Beast Race Sword Saint and the Six-winged Great Angels. The battles ahead would still be grueling.

’If he could break through and become one of the Strongest!’

’The outcome would be completely different!’

Gao Neng was confident that once he became one of the Strongest, he would be truly invincible.

’In that case, what was he waiting for?’

’Time to start feasting!’

"Next target: the Celestial Race!" Gao Neng pointed his long blade forward and strode ahead.

The Celestial Race, one of the strongest races in the Eastern District.

Even without the Six-winged Archangel Tianzang and the Great Angel Corps, the might of the Celestial Race was still beyond compare for most other races.

Of course, with twenty-eight of the Strongest backing him, resistance was futile for the Celestial Race, even if they wanted to try.

"Move out!"

"SWOOSH!"

Silhouettes shot into the sky, one after another.

In an instant, they vanished.

The Queen of the Dark Elves rose to her feet, her gaze fixed on the horizon. A look of resignation washed over her face before she seemed to recall something.

"Ding Xiang, did Gao Neng...?"

"No!" Wu Dingxiang immediately shook her head.

"No?" The Queen of the Dark Elves was stunned for a moment. She studied Wu Dingxiang seriously, a sense of relief rising in her heart, but mixed with that relief was a hint of regret.

So complex, so contradictory.

...

「Three days later.」

「At dawn.」

「Before the Eastern District Fortress in the City of Hope.」

Wu Qingjing and Qin Jianfei stood waiting before the fortress, each leading their respective contingents: all the councilors of the Supreme Council and all the commanders of the Military Department.

Just then, a line of figures appeared on the horizon.

They quickly descended and landed.

Wu Qingjing and Qin Jianfei immediately went to greet them.

"Did everything go smoothly?" Wu Qingjing asked, extremely tense. The West and South Districts had been far too quiet over the past three days.

"It went well enough," Gao Neng nodded.

There had been some resistance during the subjugation of the Eastern District Battlefield, but overall, it had been relatively low-level. It never reached a point where he had to annihilate an entire race.

Furthermore, collecting the energy from the various sources of evolution had also gone smoothly.

There were no signs that they had been moved or hidden.

Gao Neng was quite satisfied.