NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 370: A Clean Sweep
Chapter 370: A Clean Sweep
Xu Lian arrived at the thirty-second layer and spent another half month touring the palace where the Goddess of Nine Heavens resided before finally leaving the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land and returning to the Qian Dynasty.
His vacation was over.
However, he had already decided to give himself a permanent vacation… After plundering the merged ultra-large exclusive cultivation resource zone, the Qian Dynasty would be left without a single rare herb or exotic beast needed to refine the Metamorphosis Elixir. Wouldn’t that be a permanent holiday?
“Light the fire, let’s refine some Metamorphosis Elixir!”
He pretended to start the refining process.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it wasn’t the right time to act. He had to wait for the right moment.
After refining for a whole day, the “furnace” entered a stable state, and night fell. The furnace could now be guarded by the apprentices.
Xu Lian returned to his residence with Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi.
Ning Meixue cooked a table full of dishes, and Xu Lian couldn’t help but admire her domestic skills.
Huangpu Shuyi, on the other hand, wasn’t as skilled. As a royal descendant, she was pampered and spoiled. Cooking was out of the question, but since Xu Lian held the title of Imperial Preceptor, he could keep her in line and ensure that she played her role as a proper lady.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they enjoyed their dinner.
Afterwards, they each returned to their rooms to cultivate.
As Dao’s companions for over a hundred years, they weren’t as clingy as before. Instead, their relationship was more respectful and harmonious.
Xu Lian waited until deep into the night, feeling that the time to act had finally come!
He traversed space, silently disappearing from his room and reappearing on a mountain.
“Hum!”
His divine power surged, shaking the entire ultra-large Exclusive Cultivation Resource Zone.
The five Quasi-Supremes, Chi Sui, Zhao Ming, six or seven alchemists, Ning Meixue, Huangpu Shuyi, tens of thousands of apprentices, and two to three hundred thousand gardeners were all caught off guard. Before they could understand what was happening, they were all forcibly expelled from the ultra-large exclusive cultivation resource zone by Xu Lian’s divine power!
“This is the moment.”
Xu Lian’s divine power swept through like a storm, collecting all the rare herbs and exotic beasts into his personal storage space. Even the blast furnaces were not spared.
Everything happened in an instant.
Then, he reappeared outside… as if he had also been moved out like everyone else.
Everyone was stunned. What had just happened? Why were they suddenly outside?
The five Quasi-Supremes quickly regained their composure, their faces turning pale.
“Not good!”
“The Ultra-Large Exclusive Cultivation Resource Zone has been attacked by thieves!”
“Quick, report to the Supremes!”
Frantically, they contacted the dynasty’s Supremes.
Soon, the two Supremes of the dynasty arrived together. When they opened the ultra-large exclusive cultivation resource zone to inspect it, they nearly fainted from shock. The place had been completely cleaned out… there was nothing left.
Everyone was stunned once again.
It’s over… the dynasty is finished!
Except for Xu Lian, this thought flashed through everyone’s mind.
It was important to know that Metamorphosis Elixir was an essential high-tier cultivation resource for sages to advance to the Supreme Realm. For any top-tier power, Metamorphosis Elixir was indispensable.
The dynasty had already suffered heavy losses when three of its exclusive cultivation resource zones capable of producing Metamorphosis Elixir were plundered. Now, with the merged ultra-large exclusive cultivation resource zone completely wiped out… the dynasty no longer had any rare herbs or exotic beasts to refine Metamorphosis Elixir.
This meant that from now on, the dynasty would be unable to produce a single portion of Metamorphosis Elixir.
In the short term, the dynasty could still rely on the two Supremes to maintain its position. But what would happen after the two Supremes passed away from old age?
Without the ability to advance, all the sages would also grow old and die. Once all the sages were gone… with the highest cultivation level in the dynasty being only at the Origin Tracing Realm, could it still be called a top-tier power?
Moreover, as the dynasty’s strength declined, it would inevitably lose control over its other exclusive cultivation resource zones, which would be divided among the other top-tier powers. This would create a vicious circle, leading to the dynasty’s gradual decline and fall.
The entire area fell into a deadly silence!
Everyone looked at each other, wide-eyed and completely confused.
One of the dynasty’s Supremes erupted, his Supreme Aura overwhelming. He furiously roared at the five Quasi-Supremes, “What happened? Why did you all come out?
The other Supreme’s voice was icy cold, “The protective barrier of this ultra-wide zone is something that even I cannot penetrate from the outside. If the five of you were inside maintaining the barrier, who could have broken through?”
The five Quasi-Supremes looked bitter.
“Reporting back to the Supremes, no one attacked from the outside. We were cultivating inside when an extremely powerful divine force forcibly moved us out”.
“There is a traitor among us, and they are at the Supreme level!”
Hearing this, the two Supremes of the dynasty felt a chill run down their spines and quickly distanced themselves… clearly worried about a sudden attack!
“…” Xu Lian almost laughed out loud. Indeed, the idea of a Supreme-level traitor lurking among them was enough to make anyone nervous, even the two Dynasty Supremes.
The two Supremes’ faces turned ashen, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they scanned the hundreds of thousands of people.
“Who dares to infiltrate our Qian Dynasty? To so brazenly plunder the resources needed to refine the Metamorphosis Elixir – are you declaring war on our dynasty?”
“Show yourself!”
Under the intense gaze of the two Supremes, the tens of thousands of apprentices and two to three hundred thousand gardeners couldn’t withstand the pressure. They collapsed to the ground like wheat being harvested, falling in waves.
In the end, only the five Quasi-Supremes, Xu Lian, Chi Sui, Zhao Ming, and the other alchemists remained standing.
Everyone was silent.
No one stepped forward.
The two Supremes grew more and more alarmed. Despite their Supreme cultivation, they couldn’t detect the traitor. How could they not be shocked?
Of course, it was also possible that the traitor had already left after succeeding… and wasn’t among the hundreds of thousands of people present.
What should they do?
The two Supremes exchanged a glance, their expressions darkening to the extreme. They couldn’t just kill all five Quasi-Supremes, the top alchemists, and the hundreds of thousands of people just to find the traitor, could they?
That would only hasten the decline of the dynasty.
One of the Supremes made a decision: “Everyone, go back inside. Until we find out who the traitor is, no one is allowed to leave. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor and executed on the spot!
The hundreds of thousands of people had no choice but to return to the ultra-large exclusive cultivation resource zone. Seeing the empty space, everyone felt awkward… Now that all the herbs and exotic beasts were gone, there was nothing left to do.
The two Supremes also entered, positioning themselves on either side, subtly keeping the hundreds of thousands of people under surveillance. If the traitor was discovered, they would strike immediately from both sides.
One of the Supremes ordered, “Qin Feng! You are the highest official here. Take a headcount and call out every name to see who is missing!”
Xu Lian acknowledged the order.
He first took a headcount, “The total number of people is 327,650. The actual number present is 31 short. Thirty-one people claimed to have personal matters and requested leave. I have indeed approved their leave.”
The two Supremes’ eyes gleamed like lightning as they watched, saying nothing.
Xu Lian took out the list of the 31 people who had taken leave and called out their names one by one. No one answered. “From this, it seems that apart from those on leave, the numbers match. Everyone is here.”
One of the Supremes said, “Continue.”
Xu Lian took out piles of registers and began to call out names one by one.
With hundreds of thousands of people, this was undoubtedly a huge task.
The two Supremes, however, had plenty of time and were willing to wait.
Xu Lian had no choice but to call out each name, and as each person was called, they stepped forward and walked past him.
The two Supremes stared intently at each person as they passed by.
This process continued for several days.
Every name matched the records.
The two Supremes were furious.
“From this, it seems that the traitor is among you!”
“How bold! To plunder all the resources needed to refine Metamorphosis Elixir and still remain here, so confident in your concealment techniques!”
Xu Lian wasn’t worried at all. As his cultivation continued to rise, the Divine Bone of the Divine Clan’s strongest being provided even greater concealment. Even the Supremes couldn’t see through it. There was no way they could detect him.