Chapter 102: Confrontation of the Strongest

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Confrontation of the Strongest

Divine Revelation Hall, main conference room.

The atmosphere in the conference room, which had been plagued by gloom just a few days ago, was now exceptionally relaxed.

Because the Godslayer Guild had flawlessly cleared the special dungeon, Blue Star had obtained 100 Divine Demon Medals as a world reward, instantly alleviating much of the pressure for the next submission cycle.

"We really owe it to that kid, Yu Zhun, this time," Ji Ruoxu smiled. He had already learned from Ji Xiaoyu exactly how Yu Zhun cleared the Red Moon Tide.

It had to be said that analyzing the plot was only a fraction of what was required to clear this dungeon; absolute strength was the core necessity.

Did truly no one ever think to intentionally trigger the red name mechanism while simultaneously giving up the Azure Pearl?

That was unlikely.

However, they simply didn’t dare to do it.

Even a standard, heavily armed dungeon team would struggle to survive against a Red Moon Golem with all its attributes boosted by 100%. Without the Azure Pearl to provide an early exit, it would be a complete dead end.

Not to mention the fact that lurking behind the Red Moon Golem was an even more terrifying hidden boss—a clone of the Deep Red Demon Lord.

Special dungeons were incredibly unique. Fundamentally, they served as punishments meted out by the mysterious forces maintaining the Divine Revelation World against Divine Demons who had committed offenses.

To mitigate their punishment, the corresponding Divine Demon would max out the dungeon’s difficulty as much as the level restrictions allowed.

This was blatantly obvious from the skills possessed by the Deep Red Demon Lord’s clone.

Of course, sore losers like the Deep Red Demon Lord were a rare breed even in special dungeons. Generally, penalized Divine Demons still cared a little about their pride.

Regardless, if it weren’t for Yu Zhun this time, the Red Moon Tide would have likely remained unconquered.

Losing a special dungeon was a trivial matter, but failing to gather a sufficient number of Divine Demon Medals at such a critical juncture would have been disastrous.

"Indeed, we have him to thank this time." Zhu Xiuming nodded with a smile, looking down the table at a quietly seated, gray-haired man. "Palicoen, apologies for stealing your granddaughter away."

The gray-haired man merely gave a slight nod, his expression unchanging.

"What’s there to apologize for? This guy is probably secretly thrilled!" Tang Yulong scoffed, then shook his head with a soft sigh. "It’s a pity that the Godslayer Guild only has a few members, and they already have enough Priests."

"You still haven’t given up, have you?" Ji Ruoxu let out a dumbfounded laugh before his expression gradually grew serious. "However, clearing the Red Moon Tide this time has indeed exposed some glaring issues. Those civilian guilds have been stepping out of line a bit too much."

"We were indeed somewhat negligent in that regard," Zhu Xiuming nodded slightly. "When we formulated the Universal Light plan, we practically didn’t factor in the issue of civilian guilds at all. This time, they only questioned the decision of the Divine Revelation Hall and tried to stop the Godslayer Guild from entering the dungeon. But if we continue to foster this trend of resisting the Divine Revelation Hall, the situation may soon spiral out of our control. We need to nip this in the bud."

"Agreed." Ji Ruoxu nodded slightly. Then, as if recalling something, a conflicted look crossed his face. "Sorn..."

"Hmph!" Hearing that name, Zhu Xiuming’s expression immediately darkened. "It’s highly likely that he orchestrated this entire fiasco from the shadows."

Ji Ruoxu opened his mouth to speak but ultimately closed it in silence.

"We will discuss how to overhaul the civilian guilds at our next meeting," Zhu Xiuming said as he slowly stood up. "I’ll go figure out a way to gather the remaining Divine Demon Medals."

The meeting concluded, and the Strongest experts left their seats one by one.

Zhu Xiuming was the last to walk out of the main conference room. After shutting the door, he strolled down the red-carpeted corridor.

Suddenly, his footsteps ground to a halt. His sharp, falcon-like gaze focused, and a chilling, murderous aura erupted from his body as he locked eyes with a man who had silently appeared at the far end of the hallway.

It was a man with blood-red hair and a cynical, devil-may-care expression. The hem of his crimson robe trailed along the floor, blending seamlessly with the red of the carpet. As Zhu Xiuming’s oppressive aura bore down on him, an equally formidable killing intent surged from his own body, effortlessly neutralizing the pressure.

After a brief silence, the red-haired man chuckled.

"Long time no see, and this is how you welcome me?"

"The Divine Revelation Hall doesn’t welcome you," Zhu Xiuming replied coldly. "If you’re here to plead leniency for the civilian guilds, you can save your breath."

"How heartless, Captain," the red-haired man shook his head. "And here I was, bringing a special gift just for you."

With a casual toss, a small pouch flew swiftly toward Zhu Xiuming. Catching the small bag, Zhu Xiuming’s pupils constricted slightly.

Inside were...

Divine Demon Medals.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zhu Xiuming demanded in a low voice, his eyes locked onto the red-haired man.

The red-haired man didn’t answer directly. Instead, he smiled. "The guild leader of the Godslayer Guild is the owner of Open and Aboveboard, yes?"

"Sorn!" Zhu Xiuming’s eyes instantly darkened. An earth-shattering murderous aura enveloped the entire corridor, and his hideous scars twitched like a wild beast preparing to devour its prey. "What are you trying to do?"

"It’s not about what I’m trying to do; it’s about what you’re trying to do," Sorn said, lifting his gaze. "I merely have differing opinions from the Divine Revelation Hall. It’s not like I’m selling my soul to the Alien Races. Why are you guarding against me like this, Zhu Xiuming? No matter what, I am still one of Blue Star’s nine Strongest. Do you really think I don’t want a tenth Strongest to emerge on Blue Star?"

Zhu Xiuming gradually calmed down, slowly retracting his aura, though the look he directed at Sorn remained hostile.

"The guild leader of Divine Strategy City’s Four-star Guild, Holy Law Celestial Horse, has already been executed by me," Sorn stated in an impassive tone. "After being expelled by the Divine Revelation Hall, he tried to leak the identity of the SSS-rank Talented to the Alien Races. I caught him right in the act.

"The Holy Law Celestial Horse Guild is disbanded effective immediately. As for all the guilds that clashed with the Divine Revelation Hall and obstructed the Godslayer Guild during the clearance of the Red Moon Tide dungeon, they have a one-month deadline to dissolve and merge into other guilds. All exclusive dungeon strategies in their possession must be surrendered to the Divine Revelation Hall."

In just a few sentences, Sorn sealed the fates of two Five-star Guilds and several Four-star Guilds.

"Is that enough of an explanation for you?"

Zhu Xiuming stood rooted to the spot in silence, but the icy glare in his eyes was slowly thawing.

"Hmph." Sorn let out a low grunt, turning around to leave.

"Why... why did you leave the Divine Revelation Hall back then?" Zhu Xiuming asked in a deep voice as he stared at the man’s retreating back.

"Why?" Sorn’s footsteps paused slightly, but he didn’t look back. "Zhu Xiuming, you are Blood Rainbow, the man who terrified countless Alien Races in 4A dungeons and dominated the top spot on the Red Name List for decades... But do you even remember the last time you actually entered a dungeon?"

With those parting words, Sorn lazily waved a hand over his shoulder before his figure vanished down the corridor.