Everything was actually a coincidence.
The five organizations that had planned all of this never expected Cloud Peak to find Liang Chuyin so quickly, nor did they anticipate that Ye Zhongming would personally intervene and kill the eight-star assassin from the Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches as easily as if he were killing his own son.
The probing plan had failed.
But who could have guessed that the spies they had planted would come into play now?
Thus, an operation to probe Cloud Peak turned into an attempt to assassinate the King of Cloud Peak.
When Ye Zhongming stood with Red Hair by his side, Xia Bai behind him, a vicious dragon flying in the sky, and Yellow Ball lying at his feet, surrounded by the core members of Cloud Peak and over a hundred thousand warriors, no one dared to challenge this young man who was not yet thirty.
But what if none of these people were around, and only the King of Cloud Peak stood alone?
An eight-star terror, if faced with only a hundred or so evolved, none of whom were of the same level, these people would kneel and submit at his feet.
But now, with three people of the same level present, could they attempt to kill this king?
Greed, amplified countless times by the apocalypse, becomes uncontrollable at certain moments.
After the initial shock, fear, and myriad of thoughts, the three members of the Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches calmed down, their killing intent now barely concealed.
This was no longer the peaceful era before the apocalypse. Back then, people had to hide in the shadows like rats and cockroaches, afraid of being exposed to the light. But now, they had the right to stand in the sunlight, even if their actions were even more despicable than before.
They wanted attention, admiration, worship, and power. They wanted to control life and death through commands, not daggers.
Heaven Chou had clearly betrayed them, but Heaven Zi and the others realized that things might not be so bad… as long as they killed the King of Cloud Peak.
Through exchanged glances, many things were communicated and confirmed. Even those in the room who had previously leaned towards Cloud Peak reached a consensus with these people.
Kill Ye Zhongming!
The hundreds or so people around them slowly spread out, not to let Ye Zhongming escape but to prepare for the attack, forming as complete a formation as possible based on each person’s job and abilities.
Two of the three Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches members stood still while the other stepped back. They needed to maintain pressure on Ye Zhongming to keep him from acting rashly.
Once everyone was in position, the hundred or so people visibly relaxed.
They were truly afraid that Ye Zhongming would break through while they were still getting into position. If that happened, those in the direction of the breakout would suffer heavy casualties.
Everyone wanted the fame and benefits of killing Ye Zhongming, but no one wanted to pave the way for others.
“Mr. Ye, have you always been this confident?”
Heaven Jia, seeing that these people were at least somewhat coordinated and that no one was leaving or hesitant, felt more at ease and relaxed.
“Perhaps he is just that confident.” Heaven Zi, seeing Ye Zhongming calmly look around at the people surrounding him without saying a word, felt a surge of anger.
Even in the apocalypse, there were hierarchies. Undoubtedly, Ye Zhongming was among the top tier. He was a nationally renowned figure, in peacetime; this was similar to ranking in the top five on the wealth list, with a vast enterprise and many employees.
Even if his personal assets were the same as Ye Zhongming’s, he was still an invisible tycoon, his overall strength and status vastly inferior.
Ye Zhongming’s calmness and indifference struck a nerve with Heaven Zi, hitting this top assassin’s pride.
“You’ll find out soon enough. What surprises me is your confidence. Are you so sure that you can kill or capture me today?”
The King of Cloud Peak spoke, his tone filled with disdain.
“Confidence will be known once we try.” Heaven Zi’s hands lit up. The metal spikes on his gloves extended about ten centimeters, turning them into terrifying claws.
“You’re right; we’ll know once we try.”
With Ye Zhongming’s words, the atmosphere immediately became tense. Everyone’s heart was in their throats. Even eight-star evolved like Heaven Jia and Heaven Zi were facing a super-strong opponent of Ye Zhongming’s caliber for the first time.
Big words were easy to say, but their hearts were still uneasy when it came to actual combat.
No one thought the King of Cloud Peak was a mere figurehead.
“I may be alone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have help.” Ye Zhongming suddenly chuckled, taking out the Demon Nurturing Bee Hive. Two ice birds that had evolved to level seven immediately displayed their massive forms in mid-air, letting out piercing screeches as soon as they appeared.
The appearance of two seven-star mutant creatures made the anti-Cloud Peak forces tense up. Who could have expected that without Yellow Ball or Yangos, Ye Zhongming still had such high-level battle beasts?
Apart from the three eight-star evolved from the Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches, this was the highest level among the rest.
“Not done yet.” Ye Zhongming smiled maliciously, faint black patterns appearing on his face as his bloodline was activated. With a wave of his hand, a tall lightning sand monster materialized, electricity crackling around the horns on its head.
Then, the Wind and Lightning in his hand disappeared, replaced by a gray, seemingly decaying long blade.
The Undead Sand Moon Blade.
Seeing Ye Zhongming summon three helpers instantly, the people around him felt extremely frustrated. This undoubtedly made killing or capturing Ye Zhongming much more difficult.
It seemed this person in the top five of the country ranking was indeed super-strong, his combat will and methods far beyond those of ordinary evolved.
Heaven Jia had already drawn two arm blades from behind, stacking them on his arms. He glanced at Heaven Zi, and the two nodded slightly, launching their attack together.
“Don’t rush, there’s more.” Ye Zhongming leaped back lightly, one hand holding an ancient, beautiful metal disk with dozens of small light beams, each containing a lifelike wooden puppet.
As the array disk appeared, Ye Zhongming gave it a slight shake, and the small wooden puppets fell to the ground, growing in the wind to become robust wooden puppet warriors.
These puppet warriors were not arranged randomly but formed a strange formation.
The Ruins Formation Disk’s Charge Formation was activated.