Chapter 970: Happy Cultivation (IV)

Silver Moon, Silver City.

Director General Zhao had come in person to Silver City. It was still raining; the rainwater of the extreme north should be icy cold and even solidify into ice as soon as it touched the ground. However, there was no ice to be found through all of Silver City.

The rainwater here was still rainwater when it landed. The faint arctic chill within it was replaced by a bloodthirsty taste.

Director General Zhao tilted his head back toward the sky and frowned slightly. The rain of Silver City was very peculiar as it encompassed only the city. Its range was quite small.

The director general was aware that the local rainwater was special. Red Moon had chosen to conduct their previous murders of the other eight families during the rainy season.

“Only during the rain can they make a move against descendants of the eight families and strip away their bloodline power...” Director General Zhao looked at the sky and shot into the air, rising higher and higher.

The rainwater didn’t come from the regular gathering of clouds; it wasn’t water vapor. He flew until he reached the end of the sky and a massive pressure prevented him from flying higher. Despite that, he couldn’t locate the source of the rain.

This was not regular rainwater!

He looked around the void and permitted the drizzle to drench him. The bloodline power in his body stirred to life. As a member of the Zhaos, he possessed the bloodline of the eight families too.

“What is this rain?” frowned the man. Also, was there a connection between Ying Hongyue and this rain? What did it mean for Silver City to start raining again? He could also sense that energy was fluctuating wildly in a very active fashion throughout the city.

Strange!

Was something else at Silver City apart from being the site of the Star Gate?

Where is Sword City? Further up in the void?

Director General Zhao suddenly whipped his head around. A figure stood not too far from him; the director general raised a brow. “You’ve got some nerve, Ying Hongyue!”

The latter stood with his hands behind his back and looked at the sky, ignoring the other.

“Do not come here again,” Ying Hongyue suddenly said after a moment. “None of those from the eight families should set foot here!”

“......” Director General Zhao sneered, “and why is that?”

“There is a seal here that keeps something under control. That something could be a person or an item. Whatever it is, it’s uncanny. This rain strips away our bloodline power and melds it into the water, bringing it back to the seal so whatever it is can be freed! The Li bloodline is the most potent of all!

“Tell Li Hao to not return to Silver City if he can help it, particularly when it’s raining. Otherwise, he won’t be the only one who dies once the seal is undone!”

“Are you sure?” Director General Zhao’s expression shifted slightly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Ying Hongyue snickered.

“There’s another use for this rainwater!” the director general said instead. Ying Hongyue looked at him. “It erodes at the barriers between the eight families and is conducive for melding bloodlines together. Ying Hongyue, I think you’re the one who should stay away. This place is not suited for you!”

“You want to stop me?”

“What do you think?” Director General Wang vanished. Ying Hongyue didn’t say a word; he simply cracked his whip and broke the void. He didn’t want to fight this guy, but the old man had arrived before him.

Ying Hongyue did indeed need the power within the rain to help him further assimilate the bloodlines. Who knew that would further weaken the seal?

A bark of laughter rang through the air as the whip traveled through the void.

“Hahaha, I’m over here, Ying Hongyue!”

Ying Hongyue frowned and spun with a punch. Director General Zhao briefly appeared from the massive rumble, then disappeared again.

“Hahaha, I’m over here!”

Ying Hongyue frowned again, a keen light dawning in his eyes. He looked around him, but suffered countless attacks in succession. He punched back again and again, breaking the void with all of his moves. He was so strong that it made no sense!

And yet, laughter continued to echo in his ears. It was quite the irritating sensation. He abruptly shattered the void with a punch; the director general showed himself with a mischievous grin.

“Alright, I’ll stop playing with you. It won’t make much of a difference for you to keep fighting me. Why don’t you do as you did before and stay outside to conduct your nefarious business? I need to look after Silver Moon!”

“I need this rain to meld my bloodlines together!” Ying Hongyue frowned.

“You’re so smart, you’ll find other ways,” chuckled the director general. “How are you afraid of being out of ideas? You may assimilate your bloodlines here, but the rainwater will also strip part of them from you and incorporate them into the void to undo the seal you speak of. That’s not good. Be a good boy now and go elsewhere!”

“Zhao Shuguang, do you really think you have the better of me?” A dangerous light danced in Ying Hongyue’s eyes.

“Of course not!” chuckled the merry Director General Zhao. “It’s just that... do you believe me when I say I can summon almost one hundred Apexes with a single command? They’ll appear in a split second and slaughter you!”

“Trying to fool me with that?” Ying Hongyue snorted.

“Looks like you don’t believe me...” laughed the man. “In that case, come out, everyone! Kill him!”

Figures hovered into view around them, each of them with a domineering presence. Ying Hongyue’s expression shifted drastically and he immediately disappeared.

“You’re playing with fire, Zhao Shuguang!”

“Not as much as you are!” Director General Zhao continued to laugh until the reverberations of Ying Hongyue’s voice died out. He looked at the shadows that’d appeared around him and smiled. “I was just scaring him, seniors. Please go back to what you were busy with. There’s no need to stick around here or take action at present. It will easily be the death of you.”

“Director General Zhao,” one of the shadows spoke with an aged voice that whispered of the eons he’d witnessed. “We are but core origin replicas, it doesn’t matter if we die. We are just confused why you would bring us out at this time. What kind of motives and goals do you have?”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“None in particular,” smiled the man. “Don’t misunderstand, seniors. It’s just as good to have your replicas come out for a breath of fresh air if your primary bodies can’t leave. According to the agreement we reached, I just need the seniors to help me with a small matter!”

“Speak of it.”

“There is a nation on the other side of this mountain, a group of savages lives there. I would like the seniors to take a trip through that nation and come back a while later. How about it?”

“...savages? Do you mean those Initial Martial descendants?”

“Initial Martial descendants?” blinked Director General Zhao.

“Mm, a group of Initial Martial descendants once came to this land,” the wizened voice sounded again. “There weren’t many of them, so the Human King tolerated and didn’t mind them. The Sword Sovereign didn’t expel them either. Have these people built a nation?”

“Pro... bably?” Director General Zhao wasn’t sure either. “There have been some disturbances at Ash Mountain lately, these guys keep wanting to cross it to probe the lay of the land. I’ll have to trouble the seniors.”

The shadows looked at the director general for a while. “We can render this assistance, but you should give us a deadline!”

“The seniors can return before the second awakening begins!” smiled Director General Zhao. “This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. I’ll do my best for the seniors’ revitalization to come.”

There wasn’t a sound forthcoming from the figures.

“New Martial does not accept threats,” someone said after a long moment of silence. “You better not continue in this fashion, Zhao Shuguang. We can partner for joint benefits, there is no need to be so extreme. Your ancestor was an extreme person. To think that the Zhao family would still be thus thousands of years later...”

“Now now, how am I extreme?” The director general couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m doing this out of self preservation. The seniors are so strong that I cannot permit you to run around freely, can I? It’s not a threat if I’m just outlining my requests, is it?

“This is something that we long agreed to. Everyone could’ve just stayed in the ruins if an agreement hadn’t been reached. Now that you’re out, you think of me as extreme. Is this appropriate?

“We can coexist peacefully,” Director General Zhao sighed. “We don’t have much conflict of interest. This is a new era and a new beginning. If the seniors are unwilling... then you can go back right now and wait for the second awakening to emerge. I’m not stopping you, neither am I able to stop you!”

“Zhao Shuguang, you might pay one day for what you’re doing!” someone grunted before all of them vanished on the spot.

Director General Zhao burst out laughing when the ancients were all gone.

Pay? Pay what? This was a cooperation that was mutually beneficial, why do they not understand that? Not to mention, who can I go to if you guys beat me to death after you leave the ruins? Of course I’ve got to levy some restrictions on you!

My requests are completely reasonable!

Stay inside the ruins if you don’t agree to the terms. But here you are, in the outside world, yet saying that all of this is unreasonable. You guys are so difficult to work with!

Director General Zhao chuckled and waited further.

I’ll leave when this rainfall is over. Did Ying Hongyue come here for no reason just to assimilate his bloodlines? Or did he have another goal in mind?

The director general sighed. Those Silver Moon bastards were having the times of their lives outside. None of them were willing to return to the province! Apparently, the nine ministries and City of Supernaturals had been captured.

So what?

They were just on one island! Silver Moon was the heart of the world, what the hell did they know??

Look at this, I can gather a few random core origin replicas to beat the crap out of you!

“The world is growing ever more stable, who the hell is behind it? The second awakening will take place before long if this continues—it’s too fast!”

Director General Zhao sighed to himself, then suddenly thought of someone. Was that little bastard Li Hao behind all of this? Why else would the world stabilize so quickly?