Chapter 442: Special Gathering

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

In the South Palace Source Ore Workshop.

Source ores that had been opened could be seen everywhere on the shelves. Pieces of stones, waste paper, trash, and so on were scattered on the ground, and it was a mess.

On the flat ground of the shop, more than 10 corpses were arranged neatly.

From old to young, from male to female, they were all members of the South Palace Sect.

Other than the fact that they were all wearing custom-made robes, they had another distinguishing feature. A bloody hole half a finger long had been dug out between their eyebrows.

In addition, observing the condition of the victims, their faces were pale and their bodies were stiff.

Their remaining two eyes bulged out, and their expressions were filled with extreme fear, as if they had seen something extremely terrifying before they died.

At this moment, a man in a black uniform rushed into the shop with a serious expression.

There were also other men and women in black uniform standing in the shop. Only one of them looked different. His black uniform had purple stripes sewn into it.

He was the head of the Heaven Suppressing City’s patrol division, Cai Chen.

“Boss, I just received news that something has happened to the Illusion Source Ore Workshop,” the man in black uniform who had barged into the shop hurriedly reported.

“Hmm?”

Cai Chen retracted his gaze and turned around.

His figure was large, and his shoulders were wider than ordinary people. His eyes flickered, and when one looked at him, they would feel like they had been seen through by him.

The man in black uniform continued, “After the incident with the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop, the Pearl of Illusion was activated to prevent anyone from spying on them.”

“The people we arranged to monitor the situation suddenly realized that the white fog was quickly dissipating. After taking the risk to go in and investigate the situation, they realized that the Pearl of Illusion was severely damaged, and there was a strong smell of blood in the air.”

“In addition, I discovered in a corner that all the source ores had turned into dust. The essence energy should have been collected and taken away.”

When Cai Chen heard this, he frowned and fell silent.

In the Heaven Suppressing City, three source ore shops were facing problems all at once, accounting for almost half of the total number. This was something that had never happened since he became the head of the patrol division.

It had to be known that the factions behind the source ore shops monopolized the business of trading the source ores, which meant that they had an unimaginable amount of wealth. In the past, the factions behind the source ore shops would often offer large sums of money to hunt down their opponents. They had never suffered such a defeat.

“The reason for the incident with the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop is because they were exposed for secretly tampering with the rare source ores. The reason for the incident at the South Palace Source Ore Workshop is because its ‘Heavenly Eye’ attracted the attention of others.”

“What about the reason for the incident at the Illusion Source Ore Workshop? Since the Pearl of Illusion, a rare divine artifact, was destroyed and abandoned, it’s clearly not the reason.”

“Is their target only the source ores? However, they offended the entire Illusion Group for the sake of the source ores in one of their branches. If it wasn’t done by the Infinite Island Group, would it be worth it?”

The head of the patrol division narrowed his eyes, revealing a thoughtful expression. However, he was feeling a little confused. Something had also happened at the Illusion Source Ore Workshop, which severely interfered with the judgment of the case.

The Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop, the South Palace Source Ore Workshop, and the Illusion Source Ore Workshop all had different motives. It did not seem like it was done by one faction.

If it was simply blamed on the Infinite Island Group, outsiders would definitely think that the patrol department did not have the ability to find out the truth behind the case.

If they split up the incidents and investigated them individually, it would involve the factions behind the three source ore shops. In reality, the patrol division of the Heaven Suppressing City alone was not enough to deal with it.

In addition, the incident with the team from the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop was partly due to the fact that the Heaven Suppressing City had turned a blind eye to it. This made the head of the patrol division’s head hurt.

Night gradually fell.

However, the Heaven Suppressing City did not show any signs of relaxing. The Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop and the South Palace Source Ore Workshop were still surrounded by the people from the patrol division.

After understanding the situation, Chen Yiming temporarily gave up on targeting the other source ores.

What he did not know was that the fact that the team from the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop had been openly trapped and stopped by a barrier in Heaven Suppressing City, and the incidents with the other two source ore shops

were basically blamed on the Infinite Island Group due to the fact that it was impossible for the city’s patrol department to have the ability to find out the truth behind it.

If he had known that this was the case, he might have taken the risk of exposing his identity and collected enough essence energy to upgrade his talent, while letting the Infinite Island Group take the blame.

The people in charge of the other source ore shops in the Heaven Suppressing City were uneasy and could not sleep for a long night after hearing that something had happened to three source ore shops.

…

In the blink of an eye, a day had passed.

There was news from the Heaven Suppressing City that the ruler of the city would give an explanation to the public at the banquet today, explaining the reason for the incident with the team from the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop.

There was a heated discussion in the Heaven Suppressing City whether they had found out the truth or were just thinking of an excuse to cover it up.

Teahouses, restaurants, squares, and other places were filled with people discussing this topic. Some people were worried that if it was not handled well, the source ore shops would retreat from Heaven Suppressing City.

If that really happened, countless independent martial arts practitioners would have to move away.

After all, although there had always been all kinds of shady dealings in the source ore shops, without their presence, it was equivalent to losing the ability to gamble on the source ores. Even the transactions involving the source ores would be transferred to other large cities.

Chen Yiming walked along the street alone under his super perceptive state.

More than 10 streets away from him, a woman wearing a long red dress and with a pair of sharp eyes was walking along the street. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she was dressed seductively.

This woman was Wen Qi, whom he had been paying extra attention to. However, at this moment, Wen Qi’s entire body, including her aura, had undergone a drastic change.

If Chen Yiming hadn’t placed the space anchor back on Wen Qi after leaving the South Palace Source Ore Workshop, he wouldn’t have noticed this situation.

“Wen Qi’s performance in the forbidden death zone was only at the level of the inscription realm. However, now that her aura has changed from head to toe, it is clear that she is at the level of the star condensation realm.”

“At the level of the star condensation realm, due to the fact that one has an inner world in their body, their sensitivity to spatial fluctuations is far greater than those who have yet to embark on the path of gods.”

“Then could it be that Wen Qi had already sensed that something was amiss and was just pretending not to notice it?”

Chen Yiming cautiously maintained his distance from Wen Qi. In order to indirectly test her, he deliberately walked further away.

However, from the small field of view provided by the space anchor, Wen Qi had not changed her plan at all. She was still heading in the same direction.

Just like that, after crossing nearly half of the Heaven Suppressing City, Wen Qi arrived at a wooden house in a remote street. Soon, a servant opened the door to welcome her in and closed it.

Chen Yiming followed closely behind, keeping about 10 kilometers away from her,

which was still within the range of his super perception. Chen Yiming could see everything Wen Qi saw and heard with the help of the space anchor.

…

Viewing the scene using the space anchor, he saw that a total of 10 guards were standing in two rows behind the wooden door. Wen Qi walked through their formation.

Each of these guards emitted a powerful aura. They were actually all at the star condensation realm.

However, these 10 powerful auras were sealed within a strange barrier and were not revealed to the outside world at all.

“Wen Yan, you’re here.”

When Wen Qi crossed the stone path and entered the main hall, a young man who looked like a snakeman greeted her with a smile.

The skin revealed by his robe looked completely different from that of a human. Not only was it pale, but there was also a layer of fine scales on it. In addition, there was a cold aura from his eyes, and two pairs of wings that were gradually changing color were folded behind his back.

“Something happened. I was almost delayed.”

Wen Qi pursed her lips and smiled.

At this moment, her face revealed her mature and seductive appearance. Coupled with her red dress and seductive figure, she attracted the attention of many people in the hall.

Soon, Wen Qi walked over and sat down in an empty seat.

Chen Yiming used the view provided by the space anchor to see the general situation in the hall. It seemed like a special gathering was being held in this secret residence.

There were humans and alien species participating, with about 10 to 20 people in total. All of them were from the younger generation, and had proud expressions on their faces. Not a single one of them was an elder.

Furthermore, from the way these people did not hide their auras at all, they were all existences at the level of the star condensation realm. None of them were weak.

“A gathering of the younger generation?”

“Are they here for the banquet?”

“Or could it be that the corresponding factions, such as the Illusion Group and the South Palace Sect, have joined forces with many allies to come to Heaven Suppressing City to denounce the faction of the city’s ruler?”

In an instant, Chen Yiming thought of many possibilities. After all, there had to be a special meaning for them to meet at this time.

He decided to patiently gather information. Perhaps he could secretly obtain many secrets about the source ore shops through these young people.

With Wen Qi’s arrival, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to have warmed up.

For example, the winged snakeman went straight to Wen Qi’s side. Not only did he interact with Wen Qi, but he also took the initiative to bring the others into the conversation.

“When exactly will the banquet organized by the ruler of the city begin? A large source ore cave has recently been discovered on the Thunder Mountain in the forbidden death zone. It has already been targeted by many factions.”

“I heard about it too. Brother Zhao, I don’t think there’s any worth in participating in the city ruler’s banquet. Why don’t we hurry up and bring people to Thunder Mountain? We might be lucky enough to bring back a rare source ore.”

“Sister Wen, how have you been? It’s been a few years since we last met, but you’ve become more and more beautiful, and we can’t help but want to chase after you. Why don’t I be your male companion to attend the city ruler’s banquet later?”

“Brother He, you must be joking. It’s said that Gao Shuai is running around the south mountain range and has even come into contact with the factions behind the three source ore shops that have suffered heavy losses this time.”

“This Gao Shuai seems to have the intention to join forces with several factions from the source ore shops to deal with the attacks from the Infinite Island Group. I wonder if you can contact him?”

“This… Sister Wen is making things difficult for me. Even my clan doesn’t dare to have anything to do with Gao Shuai. How can a small young master like me dare to get involved?”

“I’ve long heard that the son of the ruler of Heaven Suppressing City has the potential to become a genius of a large clan in the galaxy. Do you think the tragedy at the South Palace Source Ore Workshop was actually caused by the ruler of the city?”

“Brother Ou, be careful with your words. The ‘Heavenly Eye’ is a manifestation of the South Palace Sect’s bloodline power. It’s already not bad if an outsider can only unleash 30% of its power after transplanting it into their body.”

“Among the geniuses, since it can only unleash 30% of its power at the same level, even the Heavenly Eye will be considered useless. It’s unlikely that the attack was made by the city’s ruler.”

“Brother Zhu, don’t panic. There’s a barrier here. As long as there’s no traitor among us, what we say won’t travel to the outside world. I’m just making a guess.”

“Besides, such a thing happened right under the nose of the city ruler’s faction. If you say that it has nothing to do with them, I don’t believe you. Perhaps the ruler of the city is helping someone else?”

All kinds of information entered Chen Yiming’s ears and he recorded them down in his mind.

Seeing that the gathering wouldn’t end soon, Chen Yiming found a teahouse on the street and sat down. He asked the servant to serve some hot tea and listened as he drank.

Other than the information related to the banquet, he had also paid special attention to the information about Gao Shuai. He seemed to have used his prophecy ability to see something and was about to cause a huge commotion.

From the fact that Gao Shuai had taken the initiative to contact the factions behind the source ore shops, Chen Yiming could roughly guess what he was up to.

If the factions related to the Infinite Island Group started a full-scale war with the factions behind the source ore shops, who would be their true enemy? Who would be their true ally? This was hard to say.

After all, like Chen Yiming, Gao Shuai’s goal in coming to the abandoned world was to get essence energy.

Now that Gao Shuai was involved with the factions behind the source ore shops, it was obvious that he was definitely setting up a trap. It was impossible for him to waste his time helping others for no reason.

“From the looks of it, the reason for this situation, including the fact that the Infinite Island Group made a big fuss about the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop, was because I uncovered the problem of the large number of rare source ores that were tampered with.”

“Gao Shuai also moved very quickly. From the bits and pieces of the conversation between those people, it’s not difficult to tell that Gao Shuai had gotten involved almost immediately. Now, he has already achieved a lot.”

Chen Yiming instantly felt that he had underestimated Gao Shuai’s special prophecy ability.

Previously, he had thought that at the level of the star condensation realm, his true combat strength could allow him to fight someone of a higher level, equivalent to the level of the jade star realm. How could a weakling at the fusion realm like Gao Shuai dare to predict anything related to him?

The space anchor talent allowed his pursuit ability to be amplified to the limit. If Gao Shuai dared to make a rash prediction, he would die tragically on the spot.

However, the truth was that Gao Shuai definitely had some tricks up his sleeve. For example, he could avoid meeting him directly during the prophecy, or he could gather indirect clues to find out the truth.

There was another important reason. Both of them knew very well why they had come to the abandoned world, which was to collect essence energy.

With the incident of Chen Yiming killing the ruler of a city and a genius of the Roc clan on the Flying Cloud Planet, it was very likely that Gao Shuai suspected that he was the one who had caused such a serious incident in the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop in Heaven Suppressing City.

At this thought, Chen Yiming calmed down.

Naturally, he had to think of a way to coordinate with Gao Shuai’s actions. The conflict between the Infinite Island Group and the source ore shops was also an opportunity for him to take advantage of the situation.

This way, he had to participate in the city ruler’s banquet.