Chapter 289: The Centipede Dragon's First Move |
In the blink of an eye, over a month had passed.
On this day, in the Training Room, Su Chen opened his eyes. The flame and thunder light lingering all around abruptly converged into his body, his skin glowing with fluorescence.
Opening the panel to take a look, the Development Progress had already been pulled up to 80%.
"I reckon I can max it out in another month. At that time, I'll take a trip to the Fortune Bronze Core. It is said that the time flow rate inside the Fortune Bronze Core can be pulled up to a maximum of 1:10."
"That is to say, the half-year tempering time will only take me half a month to complete. Strictly speaking, the World-Reflecting Thunder Ember is only missing this Heaven-Forged Item now, however..."
Su Chen's eyes shifted slightly. After briefly tidying up, he walked out of the Training Room and arrived at the Port.
After waiting for not too long, a Flight Vehicle swayed and drifted over, connecting to the port track with a clatter as its cabin door opened.
Ding Fan walked out briskly carrying a slender Metal Case, looking overwhelmed by the unexpected favor: "Oh my, Your Excellency, why are you still waiting for me here? It's my fault, my fault, I should have notified you after I arrived."
"Deacon Ding is too polite," Su Chen smiled, his gaze falling upon the slender Metal Case in Deacon Ding's hand.
The surface was lingered with red light of thunder and fire, presenting an interwoven state of dark red and bright yellow, constantly flashing and flowing as if electric currents were darting within it.
The surface was covered in potholes and protrusions, with some areas having sharp metallic nodules.
"This is a Heaven-Forged Item?" Su Chen was quite amazed. "So fast."
Deacon Ding smiled mysteriously: "Our logistics has channels with the various Merchant Guilds and factions. I let the word out, used a bit of a premium, and managed to gather it."
"You've gone to great trouble," Su Chen said sincerely.
Deacon Ding repeatedly waved his hands, closing the case and handing it to Su Chen: "Think nothing of it."
However, after seeing Su Chen accept it, a look of hesitation surfaced on his face. "However—"
Seeing this, Su Chen sensibly picked up the conversation: "Rest assured, I will pay the Star Credits used for the purchase. Roughly how much is it?"
"Roughly five hundred million Star Credits. There's no rush for this; you can also pay with Contribution Points, or you can wait a bit." Having said that, Deacon Ding lowered his voice again, "Your Excellency should be a bit careful recently."
"What news has Deacon Ding heard?" Su Chen couldn't help but ask seeing him act so profound.
"That Your Excellency Qin Guang seems to have his eyes on you," Deacon Ding said somewhat helplessly. "When this item was being delivered, it was almost intercepted by him. Fortunately, I had been keeping an eye on it the whole time and got ahead of him by a step."
"However, he was quite smart too. He went to logistics and clamored to exchange for this item. But our Department Head is one of our own people, so he scolded him for a bit and told him to get lost."
'Qin Guang, this guy again—' A cold glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes.
After speaking, Deacon Ding added helplessly: "It's also my fault for being careless. After I left your place last time, I had people start searching for it. Someone with the intention could slightly investigate and trace the connection to this Heaven-Forged Item."
"You're being too serious. An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against; you don't need to blame yourself either," Su Chen shook his head.
He knew Ding Fan's thoughts; it was nothing more than wanting him to remember this favor again. This was also understandable; when doing something for someone, you always had to let the person involved know.
"However, this is all he can do; he wouldn't dare go too far," Deacon Ding then comforted him.
Su Chen remained noncommittal, turning to ask: "Deacon Ding, I have thirty Mother Stones here. I wonder if they can offset the account?"
"Thirty Mother Stones?" Deacon Ding's eyelids twitched slightly. He had known for a long time that this Star Seed would occasionally bring out a Mother Stone to exchange for Contribution Points.
But bringing out 30 pieces at once still left him quite shocked. For a moment, he even suspected whether these were Mother Stones belonging to the sect internally.
But he snuffed out this thought. He himself was one of the logistics deacons; scarce resources like Mother Stones had always been strictly guarded.
If it was some veteran families, it might be possible to resell them, but although Su Chen's status was high, his foundation was very shallow, and without enough manpower, he couldn't pull this off.
"Could it be that you found all of these in the Nether Realm—" Deacon Ding inquired cautiously.
Su Chen smiled faintly but didn't say more.
"Hmm..." Deacon Ding pondered briefly and said, "The sect is lacking Mother Stones, so they naturally can offset it. I'll count them as four hundred million Star Credits for you."
He actually didn't care much about where these things came from, as long as they didn't flow out from inside the sect.
Thinking of this, he still decided to go back and find someone to do an inventory check together, just to make sure before anything else.
Su Chen then took out thirty Mother Stones and handed them to Deacon Ding, "I happen to still have some Contribution Points; it should be enough."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and Su Chen watched the other party leave.
"Qin Guang—Qin Guang—truly sticking like a dog-skin plaster."
Su Chen looked up at the Firmament. The three Satellite Cities had stalled because a new Satellite City was being established, which required adjusting the Gravity System.
Looking as far as the eye could see, one could even faintly make out some metal frameworks.
"This guy isn't qualified to reside on the Bronze Core; he lives in the Qin Family Compound on Cloud Dragon Star—"
"I definitely don't need to take this risk—" Su Chen withdrew his gaze and walked toward the Nether Tower. He already had a rough idea in his mind of how to handle this.
"To actually appear twice in a row..."
Lan Hao looked at the figure appearing in the Nether Mist, his heart sinking slightly. Last time he was made to gather news; what was he preparing to make him do this time?
"I didn't expect to be able to see you twice in a row." A flattering smile surfaced on his face. Such a smile would absolutely—
never have appeared on his face in the past, but now it was commonplace.
"How is the news I asked you to gather?" Su Chen cast a glance at him and asked.
"Regarding Qin Tianlin, I did indeed find some clues," Lan Hao said. "The people he has been seeking out are all guys who used to be in the Top 100 of the Saint Rankings but had their path of professional advancement cut off due to various reasons, whether it be injury or indulging in pleasure."
"These people usually aren't paid much attention to within the sect. Several of them have already gone to the Qin Family Compound, but there has been no news coming out as of now."
'The old, weak, sick, and disabled—' Su Chen's eyes shifted. 'What exactly is this Qin Tianlin doing?'
"You did well." Su Chen looked at Lan Hao: "Now there is another matter to entrust to you."
'I knew it—' Lan Hao's heart sank further, faintly perceiving that the eerie aura on the other party seemed to have deepened. He could only bite the bullet and respond: "Please speak."
"Take this item—" Su Chen stretched out his hand. In his palm was a transparent round bead, only the size of a fingernail, profound, dark, and crystal clear.
"Deliver it to the side of a person named Qin Guang."
"Qin Guang?" Lan Hao abruptly raised his head. Although he didn't know what function this thing had, it definitely wasn't anything good.
He hesitated, harboring resistance in his heart as he said, "Your Excellency, Qin Guang is Qin Yun's son, and Qin Tianlin's father; the implications are massive—"
"Right." Su Chen interrupted his words, "Since you completed my request, I haven't bestowed a blessing upon you yet."
"A blessing?" Lan Hao froze. Before he could react, he saw a dense stream of crimson mist suddenly rush out from the body of the person before him, abruptly sinking into his body.
"What the heck is this?" He was startled inwardly. Just as he was about to make a move, his eyes trembled, and he couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "This—how is this possible?"
He suddenly had a feeling that one of the requirements for one of the Rank-6 Main Classes he was preparing to complete had actually been vaguely more than half fulfilled.
This—this—this was the ability of an Evil God?
Although he had heard that Evil Gods possessed all sorts of unpredictable abilities, to him, the guy before him was the first Evil God Cultist he had ever come into contact with, so he didn't really have any concept of it.
But this was way too unimaginable...
He was shocked inwardly. No wonder there were so many people actively or passively falling into the embrace of Evil Gods.
That requirement had been quite tricky to begin with, necessitating the mobilization of massive amounts of manpower and material resources. But right now, a major half of it had been directly completed.
The time and energy required had equally been shortened by more than half. What a true blessing!
Estimating that it was a good result based on Lan Hao's reaction, Su Chen understood clearly in his heart.
Although he could manipulate Divine Power to influence the Pseudo-Spiritual Perception attached to a Professional, thereby reaching the point of influencing profession requirements, this kind of influence was too uncontrollable.
Although he used Crimson Divine Power, which the panel judged capable of reducing difficulty, he couldn't be certain of the result either.
But looking at it now, Lan Hao's luck seemed pretty good.
This was good too, saving him from having to use other ruthless methods.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" Su Chen reached out his hand, and the transparent round bead in his hand drifted over.
Lan Hao's mood was mercurial as he looked at the small, transparent bead before him.
Originally, he had nearly decided to go back and confess, but this once again made him hesitate.
"If it's only Qin Guang, the problem shouldn't be too big. Although the implications of this person are massive, he himself isn't highly regarded. Moreover, he's greedy for wealth and lustful, often accepting various good things. As long as I'm careful, I shouldn't be discovered..."
"If I can obtain similar blessings afterward, then the speed at which I advance to the 6th-tier will be greatly shortened, perhaps even my future—"
His heart palpitated. He gritted his teeth, accepted the black round bead, and nodded: "I understand."
"Very good." Su Chen nodded in satisfaction. "You will not regret today's decision."
This was precisely the method he had thought of. This transparent round bead was named the [Erosion Realm Orb], created by consuming a portion of high-tier Divine Power of the Faceless Ghost. Its primary function was to guide the Centipede Dragon.
The Faceless Ghost was extremely adept at Concealment. Producing it using his Divine Power could try to avoid its premature discovery as much as possible.
Having Lan Hao deliver this thing to Qin Guang's side and letting the Centipede Dragon make the move meant he would have zero connection to it throughout the entire process.
As for Lan Hao... if he was discovered, then he was discovered. He'd have to suffer through three years for the Undying Bird's fourth sequence anyway.
In the short term, he couldn't expect to obtain a fifth class.
Besides, he didn't really have a good impression of this guy either.
Several days later, on Cloud Dragon Star, within the Qin Family Compound, patrol soldiers wearing Heavy Combat Armor were everywhere.
Inside a brightly lit building deep within, Qin Guang, his expression mercurial, walked through the corridor and arrived in front of a metal door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking.
"Enter." The voice inside the room was cold and indifferent.
He walked in and whispered, "Tianlin, everything is ready."
In the room stood none other than Qin Tianlin, his expression indifferent and cold.
"Then let's go." Qin Tianlin didn't even look at him, walking straight toward the door.
"Tianlin!" Qin Guang suddenly called out to him, hesitating as he said: "Isn't it a bit too risky? Although their current status isn't very high, they are ultimately a part of the sect. In the one in ten thousand chance someone investigates—"
"So what if someone investigates?" Only at this moment did Qin Tianlin look at his father. His gaze was piercingly cold, and deep within his pupils, a profound purple glint flashed by.
A chill ran through Qin Guang's heart. For some reason, he always felt that ever since his son was defeated by Su Chen, he had undergone world-turning changes.
"Risks that should be taken must be taken," Qin Tianlin's tone was indifferent. "Otherwise, acting like you, carefully staring at those few lackeys, or threatening others not to do things for Su Chen... do you think that's of any use?"
"You..." Qin Guang's face turned green and red. Although Qin Tianlin hadn't shown him a good attitude in the past, he also wouldn't be as mocking as he was now. He was Qin Tianlin's father, after all. But before he could finish his words, he met Qin Tianlin's indifferent eyes, and the words of reprimand were swallowed back into his stomach.
Just as he was about to say something, he saw that Qin Tianlin had already walked out.
Walking down step by step along the Metallic Steps, they arrived in front of the Cellblock at the very bottom of the building. Identity verification confirmed, the hydraulic doors opened, and the matte-gray Composite Armor Plating spread along the ground.
Deep blue energy patterns were embedded at the seams of the walls, and lining both sides of the main passage were individual Metal Cages.
"Just what exactly is your Qin Family trying to do?"
A fierce roar suddenly sounded from one side. It was an Emaciated Man with severed arms, having condensed arms of crimson flame. Gripping the metal fence, it emitted hissing sounds. His face was ferocious as he gritted his teeth and roared fiercely.
In the surrounding prison cells, there were quite a few people similar to him.
Some roared fiercely, but others pleaded: "I am also a member of the Qin Family! Nephew Tianlin, why are you locking me up?"
Qin Tianlin walked to the center expressionlessly, ignoring the wailing sounds all around. His eyes narrowed slightly, and blazing Purple Flames burst open from all around his body, violently exploding and sweeping in all directions. Passing through the cages, they wrapped everyone inside.
In an instant, wails sounded one after another.
"You will die a horrible death! Your Qin Family will die a horrible death!"
"The sect will not spare you!"
Qin Tianlin was expressionless. These flames didn't burn their flesh, and their clothes were even perfectly intact, but the pained ferocity on their faces seemed as if it touched the essence of their souls.
Accompanied by the wailing sounds, wisps of substances invisible to the naked eye seemed to be torn out from this group of people, gradually converging onto Qin Tianlin's body.
Qin Tianlin's body trembled violently, his pupils covered in bloodshot veins, yet irrepressible excitement shone in his eyes. He extended a finger, tapped it into the void, and a white, phantom Long Spear gradually condensed into shape.
"This is the Saint Lancer. To think—to think it actually can be plundered!"
"I naturally would not deceive you," a hoarse voice that only he could hear sounded in his ear.
"Hahaha—" Qin Tianlin suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily, accompanied by the wailing sounds all around.
"What exactly is this situation?" Outside the hydraulic doors, Qin Guang staggered backward. He could see it clearly through the monitors on the screen.
Within the Purple Flame, that Qin Tianlin who seemed on the verge of madness was absolutely not his son.
He felt anxious and apprehensive inwardly. A tremendous fear arose, to the point he actually didn't dare face Qin Tianlin directly. He hurriedly ran back to his room, his face pale.
"What is going on..." He walked to the table at the side and sat down. Several metal boxes were placed on it, all gifts from others.
Although there were people who could give him attitude everywhere on the Bronze Core, outside, he was still the son of a Venerable, the father of a Divine Dawn Grade.
"Ever since he lost the Top Ranker spot, Tianlin has become quite off. That damn Su Chen, if it weren't for him—"
Qin Guang cursed inwardly, but suddenly discovered a transparent substance spreading out on the table.
"What leaked out?" Qin Guang locked his brows, looking at this pile of metal boxes before him. Just as he was about to check, he abruptly felt a chill in his body.
That transparent substance spread to the entire room in an instant, and within the covered area, wisps of grayish-white mist rose up.
"Not good!" Qin Guang realized something was wrong, but it was already too late. His pupils trembled violently, and his body froze in place, as if locked down by something, completely unable to move.
In the space around him wrapped in the transparent substance, fine, water wave-like patterns surfaced, forming regular rings of ripples.
A massive, grayish-white, ferocious dragon head forcefully pushed its way out from the distorted space. Its scales were coarse and mottled, and grayish-white mist entangled the rugged bony protrusions of the dragon's head.
The Centipede Dragon's grayish-white pupils fell upon this terrified man before it; this was him.
"Someone wants to see you, come with me."
Mental fluctuations poured into Qin Guang's brain, simultaneously accompanied by the Centipede Dragon opening its large mouth, inside which there was no trace of blood, only pitch-black gloom.
'Someone wants to see me? Who? And they can actually drive Nether Realm Creatures?'
Qin Guang was horrified inwardly, exerting all his strength trying to make himself move. However, facing the Centipede Dragon, an Eighth-Tier Nether Creature, it was completely useless. He could only watch helplessly as he was swallowed.
His vision went dark, and Qin Guang's body collapsed limply.
The Centipede Dragon's head retracted back into the Nether Realm. The last thing it saw was the exploding room door, along with the several fierce roars that followed.