Killing another level-nine, especially a marine lifeform in its own territory, spoke volumes about its overwhelming power.
They had agreed to target a level-nine lifeform, feeling it was time to aim higher. But setting their sights on the Armor King, the top-ranked level-nine in the nation? That seemed overly confident.
Why not target a newly ascended level-nine lifeform? Or even one of the other top-ten level-nine lifeforms in the nation? Why the Armor King?
As the creator of the country rankings, Deacon Water knew more about the Armor King’s capabilities than anyone else. She and the others stared at Ye Zhongming, waiting for an explanation.
“Our battlefield will be in the secret realm.”
Ye Zhongming’s words calmed Deacon Water’s anger somewhat.
Everyone knew Ye Zhongming controlled a Secret Realm—it was no secret. He was, in fact, the only person in the nation to have fully controlled a secret realm.
Others who had opened secret realms had either been wiped out or were barely holding on, too afraid to venture deeper.
The idea of entering such a place and witnessing the wonders of another world was enticing to the leaders. Perhaps this journey into the secret realm would also reveal the secrets of Cloud Peak’s control over it.
“It’s hard to explain right now,” Ye Zhongming said, disappointing everyone. “Our target will be an injured Nine-Winged Crow or an injured Armor King. That won’t change.”
The atmosphere grew awkward and silent. Everyone felt uncertain. Facing the Armor King, even with all of them combined, seemed like a long shot.
“Like I said, if anyone feels it’s too risky, I won’t force you,” Ye Zhongming said. “But please believe me. None of us are the type to throw ourselves into danger recklessly. If I hadn’t had some confidence, I wouldn’t have organized this operation so publicly.”
“One, injured, level-nine lifeform. If it’s not, everyone can withdraw. How about that?” Ye Zhongming punctuated each word, bringing the conversation to a close.
As for how the three factions present would decide, that was up to them.
If even one of them agreed, Ye Zhongming was willing to give it a try. The information he could reveal at this point was limited. Cloud Peak’s interests would inevitably be affected if he explained too much. Once they knew the details, these people would undoubtedly want a share of the spoils. Ye Zhongming wasn’t about to let that happen.
Even if it meant Cloud Peak had to bear some risks, it was worth it.
The banquet ended, and the leaders returned to their accommodations, but none could sleep.
Back in her room, Deacon Water paced for a while before calling someone in. She wrote a note and had it delivered to the Cloud Peak guards outside.
A moment later, the note returned. Deacon Water opened it to find two additional words:
Feasible.
The woman, who harbored ambitions of establishing her own faction, sat down and thought for a long time before finally relaxing.
“I’ll trust you this once. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take over your goods!” Deacom Water shook her fist at the air, trusting the person who had written those two words.
With her decision made, her attention turned to the plate of exquisite fruits on the table, kept fresh by the ice in the layer below.
She picked one up and popped it into her mouth. The sweet and tangy juice immediately burst, and Deacon Water closed her eyes, savoring one of the rare moments of relaxation since the apocalypse began.
Meanwhile, Li Daqian had also returned to his quarters. Unlike Deacon Water, he didn’t do anything else. Instead, he calmly sipped the fine wine Ye Zhongming had prepared for him.
“Daqian, what should we do? It sounds… unreliable.”
A cousin who had come with Li Daqian asked uneasily.
No matter what others thought, he felt Ye Zhongming’s plan had too many holes and should be cautiously approached.
The others also looked at Li Daqian, waiting for his final decision.
Li Daqian smiled.
“You all, like me earlier, are making the mistake of underestimating him.”
The group looked puzzled, exchanging glances but failing to understand.
Li Daqian tilted his head back, drained his glass, then poured another, adding ice and savoring it slowly.
“We’ve all seen Ye Zhongming’s strength. When we arrived today, you saw Yellow Ball and the dragon in the sky. Xia Bai goes without saying. The only top-tier figure in Cloud Peak we haven’t seen yet is the mysterious Red Hair.”
Everyone listened, waiting for the leader to continue.
“What’s confirmed is that five of Ye Zhongming’s closest companions are currently evolving to eight stars. Once they wake up, Cloud Peak will have twelve level-eight beings, including humans and battle beasts.”
Hearing this number, the group instinctively shuddered.
“And don’t forget, the Nine-Winged Crow is likely a lifeform from the secret realm. The secret realm isn’t just home to level-nine lifeforms—it also has native inhabitants who are at least friendly even if they haven’t allied with Ye Zhongming. Among them, there are at least several level-eight beings.”
“In other words, Ye Zhongming alone could muster twenty level-eight beings! Add in his combat teams, crystal weapons, and gene lifeforms, and I’d say Cloud Peak could handle one level-nine lifeform on its own. Any objections?”
The others nodded repeatedly. They couldn’t deny it. They hadn’t done the math before, but now that they had, it was terrifying. Had Cloud Peak really grown this powerful?
They had been confident, even when facing Ye Zhongming and Cloud Peak because they had the nation’s top-ranked battle beast, the Spotted Giant Bear, Li Daqian, and a massive battle beast army.
But compared to Cloud Peak, they seemed to fall short.
Li Daqian sighed softly, perhaps lamenting the gap he had long been aware of.
“Now, with us, Deacon Water, and the S1 Zone, we have five or six more level-eight beings, plus three powerful combat teams and Ye Zhongming’s hidden trump cards. So why not take on two level-nine lifeforms? Why not target the top-ranked level-nine in the nation?”
The group suddenly understood. Thinking about it, it made sense.
“Let’s just wait for the big show,” Li Daqian said, swirling his glass before downing it.
This wine really was excellent.