Chapter 178 - 152: Star Hijack Plan

Chapter 178: Chapter 152: Star Hijack Plan

For two days straight, Yan Jiulin didn’t assign any tasks to Zhang Ji and Kong Jue, but he came by every day to ask if they were settling in and things like that.

Zhang Ji almost thought he was here just to be an honored guest.

But it was obvious the Ascetic Order didn’t see him as mere hired muscle.

That night.

Yan Jiulin finally came to Zhang Ji and Kong Jue to talk business.

"Lately, the factory’s been running short on raw materials, and the production lines are about to halt. If this keeps up, it might get difficult to sustain the Ascetic Order..."

Yan Jiulin grumbled while sipping on Spirit Brew.

Zhang Ji’s expression remained unchanged. Beside him, Kong Jue just kept eating, looking as if he were watching a performance.

"We need a large quantity of Star Sand, but Eternal Steed Immortal Ship Technology has monopolized the supply. Their price is five times higher than the market rate. If we buy from them, there’s no profit margin for us at all..." Yan Jiulin put on a troubled expression and continued, "If we can’t get any Star Sand by next month, several of our production lines will shut down. For the sake of the Ascetic Order’s survival, I think... we need to take action. To be honest, I’ve never liked that the Ascetic Order has to resort to this kind of struggle. But alas, the Celestial Dao Alliance and those big corporations are pressing us too hard. As the underdogs, we can’t even sustain ourselves just by running a legitimate business..."

As Yan Jiulin spoke, he looked as if he was about to cry.

He perfectly acted out the pain of being caught in the middle, forced into a corner as his ideals clashed with reality.

Although his performance wasn’t entirely an act, it clearly didn’t move Zhang Ji, who knew him inside and out, or a darkly selfish person like Kong Jue.

"Cut the act," Kong Jue said. "Get to the point. Time, place, operational details, and the reward for when it’s done."

"Sigh." Yan Jiulin reined in his emotions. "I know that since you’re new, you still have some misunderstandings about us. But I believe everything will be proven in time."

Despite saying this, Yan Jiulin was already transmitting the relevant operational details to Zhang Ji and Kong Jue directly via a coded message.

Zhang Ji received the information through his Telepathy Device and began to review it carefully.

The operation would take place on the Nineteenth Heaven, [Shunjin Tian].

The operation’s code name was [Project Star Heist].

And the objective was to steal the Star Sand stockpiled by Eternal Steed Immortal Ship Technology.

The location of the Star Sand, information on the relevant security personnel, the position of the great Array—all the details were in there.

Zhang Ji’s section of the information detailed his assignment.

His outstanding strength had him assigned to the vanguard, where he would fight alongside Yan Jiulin against any security forces that might arrive.

As for Kong Jue, his task was to destroy the array core of the great Array outside the warehouse.

That protective Array was a Tier Four great Array. Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator attacking with their full power couldn’t necessarily break it in a short time. They had to rely on this specialist.

Once the Spirit-Devouring Ants were released, they would destroy the Array’s Spirit Patterns, instantly disabling it.

Everyone has their specialty.

Don’t underestimate these little ants; when it came to breaking Arrays, they were second to none.

As Zhang Ji read the information, a few things clicked into place in his mind.

Star Sand’s primary property was to block Spiritual Qi. It had several uses, the most famous of which were making Array Plates, acting as Spirit Resistance Switches in critical locations, or serving as a Spiritual Qi insulator.

For the Ascetic Order to need such a large quantity of Star Sand, there was only one possibility.

They were going to forge the [Spirit-Suppressing Needles]!

A type of item that, when inserted into an array core, could directly disrupt the entire Array’s operation.

According to the original history, it was precisely 107,693 [Spirit-Suppressing Needles] that led directly to the destruction of the [Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations].

The required quantity was simply too massive, so they couldn’t purchase it through legitimate channels. They could only steal it.

The raid on the Eternal Steed Immortal Ship Technology warehouse was a major historical turning point.

After this event, the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order was officially designated by the Celestial Dao Alliance as a terrorist organization that had to be severely cracked down upon, and the true campaign to eradicate them began.

Zhang Ji hadn’t expected to be involved in such a momentous event so soon after joining.

’He would definitely go, but he had to make sure he got his fair share of the benefits.’

"Gentlemen, once this is done, I will submit a report of your merits to the Blood Chief and guarantee that your rewards will not be lacking," Yan Jiulin said.

"You’re too kind, Mr. Jiulin," Zhang Ji said with a faint smile. "By joining the Ascetic Order, we have become members. It’s only right that we do our part for the Order."

"I’m not as noble as he is," Kong Jue said. "Don’t short me a single coin of what I’m owed."

He wasn’t as worldly as Zhang Ji and preferred to be direct.

Yan Jiulin didn’t mind. As long as they were on board, it wasn’t an issue.

...

Time passed quickly, and the day of the operation arrived.

The relevant members of the Ascetic Order had all gathered.

Yan Jiulin, Huo Chuan, and the others were all in place. There were a few others Zhang Ji didn’t recognize, but they were all cultivators of at least the Golden Core realm.

It could be said that their entire core fighting force was here.

Yan Jiulin viewed this operation with great importance, as did the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order.

After all, if they failed this time, there might not be a next time.

It was directly tied to the success or failure of the subsequent Sky-Collapse Master Plan.

The group put on simple disguises and each carried a small-scale disguise Array Plate, which could mask their cultivation to appear as if they were all in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Inside an Eternal Steed Immortal Ship Technology Immortal Ship, docked at [Duobao Tian] for resupply.