Deacon Water had been in high spirits recently. Though she’d been “expelled” from Five Ring Money, it wasn’t an actual falling out—with Director Tong’s backing, her ties to the organization remained intricate.
Five Ring Money took a pragmatic view of her independence as a commercial entity.
On the surface, it might seem like a split, but Five Ring Money had always operated as a coalition of five autonomous leaders. Deacon Water had simply taken that autonomy further.
In the rankings, Five Ring Money played up its “heavy losses” to emphasize neutrality, feigning a tragic decline in the next edition.
But in truth, they weren’t opposed to Deacon Water’s departure—it set a precedent. Perhaps others could follow, retaining the Five Ring Money brand while operating independently for even greater profits.
Moreover, with Cloud Peak now ranked first nationally and Deacon Water as their ally, maintaining this connection through her was simply good business.
The separation had gone smoothly, with no losses—only benefits. And thanks to her proximity to Cloud Peak, Deacon Water’s forces had claimed seven bounties: three five-star potions, two six-star, one seven-star, and… one eight-star.
Yes, Deacon Water had completed the second-ranked Beautiful Tea Zhu’an beak bounty!
This was a windfall for a newly established faction—even with her accumulated resources and Director Tong’s covert support. Previously, she’d relied on Ye Zhongming for equipment and potions. Now, her ranks boasted an additional eight-star and seven-star evolved, marking a qualitative leap. Her power would grow even if she traded the eight-star potion for other resources.
Commander Mu’s situation was less enviable. His bold rebuke of the Resistance Zone’s expulsion and founding of the Daybreak Resistance Army meant an irrevocable break with the other three zones. His enemies could now freely encroach on his territory—or attack outright. His fledgling force couldn’t withstand such pressure. He refused to squander his hard-earned assets.
This visit served two purposes: inspecting the equipment and negotiating relocation near Cloud Peak’s sphere of influence.
Relocating an entire zone was no simple troop movement—it was a logistical nightmare fraught with apocalyptic risks. His plan? Borrow Cloud Peak’s teleportation equipment to transfer critical personnel and resources first safely. He just didn’t know what price Ye Zhongming would charge.
Li Daqian remained the calmest. Though he’d claimed no bounties, he had no pressing needs from Cloud Peak. Thousand Beast Villa’s unique geography and its top-ranked battle beast, Chisel Tooth, made it virtually unassailable.
After he fed his war beasts the eight-star and nine-star flesh from Cloud Peak, many showed clear evolutionary signs—soon, they’d recover to pre-secret-realm strength.
Still, he hoped to negotiate for more high-level monster flesh… and visit his granddaughter.
Yet all three were disappointed to find themselves greeted not by Ye Zhongming but by Xia Lei.
“Where’s Zhongming?” Deacon Water had little fondness for this woman—inflexible and domineering, far less approachable than Ye Zhongming.
Commander Mu and Li Daqian were equally surprised. Ye Zhongming wasn’t one to stand on ceremony, even as the leader of the top faction. With equipment this powerful, wouldn’t he want to negotiate personally? Dealing with Xia Lei—notorious for her ruthlessness—was far less appealing.
“Seems I’m not a welcome sight.” Xia Lei smiled, gesturing for them to sit before taking the head seat.
After the secret realm battle, her position in Cloud Peak was unshakable. Her combat prowess inspired awe, and her decisiveness earned respect. Even her bloody reputation had softened.
“I had matters to discuss with him,” Deacon Water muttered just loud enough to be heard.
Xia Lei smirked. She knew Deacon Water’s aloof nature—this sudden girlish act wasn’t fooling anyone.
Ignoring the ploy, she waved her hand. Three items appeared on the table.
The trio’s gazes locked onto them instantly.
A white robe, a jade intertwined blue and red pendant, and a bronze mace.
“Relic Robe. Amplification Pendant. Resonance Mace.”
Xia Lei’s voice snapped them from their trance. Their breathing hitched.