Chapter 999 Cooperation Between Giants
"That is a bit too exaggerated. However, I heard that the aristocrat that Uncle Thol had killed before he was punished was a great figure in a level-7 civilization! Uncle Thol is definitely not an ordinary person."
"A great figure from a level-7 civilization? Are you sure? Who did you hear that from?"
"…d.a.m.n, that"s what everyone is saying! Either way, I think that the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction is afraid this time! We have really sucked up to a great expert this time! In the future, our lives will be good!"
The shop owners on Heavenly Treasures Street were overjoyed, and their confidence in Mugthol increased as the days pa.s.sed. Even if there were a few people who were still worried, the situation now was completely different. The entire Heavenly Treasures Street wors.h.i.+ped him, to the point that they wished they could give birth to a few beautiful daughters to marry him.
"Uncle Thol! No need to pay, no need to pay! You are like our bread and b.u.t.ter. If you are thirsty, please eat a few fruits. Isn"t this what we should do? It"s like my parents eating my fruits and paying me back. It"s a slap to the face!"
"Uncle Thol, Uncle Thol! Where have you been the past few days? My daughters are all thinking of you. You can"t leave now. Let me bring my daughters to serve you!"
"Aiyo, Uncle Thol! I finally caught the Star Lake 1,000-Year Turtle that you told me about. I even specially invited a great chef from the Zagwe race. You have to visit us and give us your comments."
"Look, it"s Lord Crocodile G.o.d." A tall and beautiful spirit girl was lovestruck. "His pimple-filled face is so firm. He is so masculine! I feel weak just looking at him…"
Indeed, Mugthol was full of pimples. His face and back were filled with numerous green pimples, making him look as if he had the extremely hard skin of a crocodile. Meanwhile, Heavenly Treasures Street was lively and filled with clamor, as if it had finally recovered its vitality. In fact, Heavenly Treasures Street seemed even more prosperous than before.
Business at Old Cow"s flower shop went back to normal, and w.a.n.g Zhong was busy again. However, he did not fall behind in cultivation. He had grown half of his Loying Fruit seeds. However, his appet.i.te became more shocking, and he could now eat over twenty Loying Fruits a day like it was nothing. There was still energy in the fruits, but his level of power was evidently a world of difference from before. w.a.n.g Zhong felt as if he would only be able to eat Loying Fruit as snacks in the near future.
This was a necessary process. After all, if he could rely on just Loying Fruits to reach the top, the Void Masters in the divine territory would kill themselves. To w.a.n.g Zhong, the Loying Fruit was a supplementary resource. However, he had unintentionally created a rough technique, and the Loying Fruit became a major factor in his cultivation.
He had also been continuing with his improvements on the Devouring Heaven Technique. This technique that he had miraculously obtained was like a ma.s.sive treasure that occasionally gave him pleasant surprises and discoveries. Breathing was the most instinctual action to a human, and it was a coincidence that this was the entirety of the Devouring Heaven Technique. Unlike other absorbing techniques, it did not require the activation of various meridians in the body. Then why not integrate the Devouring Heaven Technique into his typical breathing?
When w.a.n.g Zhong thought about this, he started to try it out. At first, it was very difficult. When he could not maintain an absolute concentration of his spirit, he could not control his divine cells to absorb and release spiritual power at all. However, there was no theoretical obstacle to this, and it was simply a process of practicing until he perfected it. w.a.n.g Zhong continuously tried and consciously controlled his divine cells. After over a month of persevering and trying, it slowly became an instinct.
Even though he was breathing as usual, he was also cultivating the Devouring Heaven Technique. Of course, the spiritual influence that he could absorb through this daily breathing was relatively weaker. The results were definitely much weaker than when he concentrated on cultivation, but it was better than nothing. After all, many drops made an ocean.
Furthermore, and most importantly, cultivation was like sailing against a current. If he did not progress, he would move backward instead! No one could focus on cultivation at all times, even the most diligent people. There would be times when one had to rest, divert their attention somewhere else, or do other things. Thus, when one stopped cultivating, their cultivation would slowly fall back, like a boat sailing against the current. This was a severe wastage of cultivation that no one could avoid.
However, what if they could cultivate just by breathing? Then, there would be no gaps in cultivation, even if they were asleep. This would completely stop the natural wastage that occurred when cultivation stopped. With this, it would be difficult to even slow down the pace of cultivation.
This was probably what acc.u.mulating over a long period of time meant. At the same time, there was something important. The spiritual power absorbed through the Devouring Heaven Technique was useful and was innately different from the Loying Fruit. This meant that the technique could be adjusted according to his own body. The higher his level of power, the stronger the effects of the Devouring Heaven Technique would be. This was also the difference between relying on external forces and developing his technique internally.
w.a.n.g Zhong was doing his work while he sensed the changes in his breathing. Suddenly, he heard a clamor in the lively street outside.
"Someone from the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction is here!"
Old Cow was just in the shop. When he heard this, his expression changed. Then, he threw whatever he had in his hands and ran out, with w.a.n.g Zhong and Little Lost Fox following behind him.
At that moment, it was noon. All the surrounding vendors ran out of their shops, and the streets were filled with curious pa.s.sers-by who did not know what was happening and stopped to watch. Meanwhile, there was a large crowd dressed in black at the corner of the street.
A voice sounded from the crowd and continued to reverberate throughout Heavenly Treasures Street. "It is confirmed that the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction has purchased the Heavenly Treasures Street. All the merchants who are willing to cooperate, please come and sign the purchasing contract! We, the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction, will definitely give you a fair price and not allow anyone here to suffer."
"Old Cow, it"s Yin Jiao! He brought many contracts and is asking everyone to sign them!"
Someone from the Heavenly Treasures Chamber of Commerce came and shouted at him, "Someone has already signed!"
"Sign? Did they sign just because he told them to sign? They have been silent for over two months. Have they suddenly gone crazy?" Old Cow was slightly dumbfounded. As he ran over, he anxiously asked, "Who has signed?"
"Only a few people, but they are all not from our Chamber of Commerce. They"re definitely those who were already bought by the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction and are leading the pace."
"What about Uncle Thol?"
"I don"t know! He was still wandering on the streets in the morning, but I don"t see him now!" The person from the Chamber of Commerce frowned. "I think… Did Uncle Thol run away after seeing actual action?"
"Touch wood! Is Uncle Thol that kind of person?" Old Cow fiercely glared at him for a few seconds. In fact, he was also clueless. However, during times like this, they would actually predict that something had happened to Uncle Thol?! Couldn"t they think more optimistically? He definitely had to think positively. "He has definitely taken a walk. That"s why he didn"t hear this… Go, go go! Let"s go there and take a look first!"
A group of people hustled to the street corner, which was already filled with a sea of people.
Several darkness goblin disciples had pulled up a long table and placed a sign that stated "Heavenly Treasures Street Shop Acquisition Handling Point". Several shop owners whose shops had been purchased were busy signing thick stacks of contracts. However, other than these few people, the other merchants did not move. They simply looked on while chattering noisily.
There were countless people surrounding this area, including people from the Heavenly Treasures Chamber of Commerce, ordinary merchants, as well as tourists and pa.s.sers-by who did not know what was happening. There were several thousand people gathered in total, blocking half of the street. Buzzing noises reached everyone"s ears in an unending stream. Meanwhile, the darkness goblin disciples were straining their throats as they continued to shout. "The Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction had acquired the Heavenly Treasures Street. Merchants who are willing to cooperate with us, please come here to sign the contract! The Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction will definitely give you a fair price…"
The scene was messy and noisy. Meanwhile, Yin Jiao was standing beside the signature promotion stand. After two months, there seemed to be no change in him. However, there was a beautiful and young celestialoid girl standing beside him.
The young girl was dressed in blue muslin, and two silk ribbons floated behind her even though there was no wind. She was extremely pure, as if she was a celestial being that had descended to Earth. She calmly looked at the bustling street and ignored the crowd that had gathered in the street. There were no fluctuations of emotions on her face.
Yin Jiao, who was beside her, did not display the arrogance and pride he had once shown. Instead, he smiled, and his voice was gentle. "Miss Shannali, this street will quickly become the personal property of the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction and your Cloud Mist Faction. I believe that you will like this place."
The Cloud Mist Faction? Shannali? Was that person the princess of the Cloud Mist Faction, Shannali Cloud? Had the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction and Cloud Mist Faction formed an alliance? It was no wonder there had been no movement over the past two months. Back then, they had heard that Yin Jiao had attended the celebration at the Cloud Mist Faction, but no one expected that these two great factions would come together.
However, this was definitely not good news. In the Catanlyke District, the Cloud Mist Faction was definitely one of the top great powers and was even stronger than the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction. Their Young Lady, Shannali Cloud, was also a genius who was part of the Heavenly Gates array and had joined the array much earlier than Yin Jiao. Since the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction had been able to form an alliance with them, did they think that they could not take the Heavenly Treasures Street by themselves and wanted someone to share the street with? Facing the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction alone was scary enough, but they now had to face the Cloud Mist Faction as well.
Shannali Cloud smiled and maintained her solemnity and pride as an aristocrat. "But from the looks of things, they are not willing to move away."
Yin Jiao helplessly waved his hand. "I will explain to them. I believe that these people will understand. Furthermore, today"s price is the best. Don"t blame me if I talk business with them as a businessman in the future."
Although he did not speak in an aggravated tone, he did not speak in a soft volume. Thus, everyone in the street could hear him clearly. The shop owners around did not have a pleasant expression on their faces. Would there be no purchasing price after today? Did this mean that if they did not sign the contract, they would simply s.n.a.t.c.h their shops from them? Did they have a way to avoid the law enforcement squad?
In reality, this was not difficult for a great Faction to do, and they did not need to kill anyone either. Every day, they could send a large group of darkness goblins to block the front and end of the Heavenly Treasures Street. They could calmly form a line at those areas and not allow anyone to enter. Would the entire Heavenly Treasures Street do business with ghosts then? Even if one mentioned the law enforcement troops, the darkness goblins from the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction standing on the street was not an offense. With the stupid brains of the machinery race, who only knew how to kill and destroy, there was a 200% chance that they would not care. If they could not do business and make money, this bunch of shops would simply eat up their own fortunes.
This was simply a soft method. If they were to use a harsh method, they would have killed the bosses that led the Heavenly Treasures Street. They simply had to prepare a few scapegoats and fight to the death. Would a large faction like the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction care about the lives of a few bottom-cla.s.sed goblin disciples?
If a great power wanted to get rid of a group of merchants without any backing, there were countless ways for them to do so. The merchants could not fight back.
"Lord Crocodile G.o.d!"
At that instant, the entire street was silent. But suddenly, someone among the crowd shouted, "We have Lord Crocodile G.o.d, Lord Mugthol!"
"Uncle Thol will not allow the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction to have their way in Heavenly Treasures Street!"
"That"s right! Lord Mugthol will deal with you!" Once someone had started, the rest immediately erupted with shouts. They had accommodated Mugthol for two months just for today.
However, amidst this public enthusiasm, they could not see Crocodile G.o.d Mugthol anywhere even after looking around.
"Mugthol?" Yin Jiao smiled. His voice was vast and echoed throughout the entire street. "Is he suitable to be an enemy of the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction? Why don"t I see him anywhere? He must have been so shocked that he doesn"t dare to appear, right? He is actually rather clever and knows his place. If not, I will cut away his crocodile skin and make a leather bag for my girlfriend!"
The merchants in Heavenly Treasures Street looked at one another helplessly, while w.a.n.g Zhong could clearly see that Old Cow"s face was turning green. It was impossible for Mugthol to not have heard this ma.s.sive commotion. Was he really someone who had tricked them and eaten all day, only to run away when something was actually about to happen?
"Cut the skin of Uncle Thol?"
Just as the street was silent, they suddenly heard an explosive shout in the distant sky. Then, they heard a rapid whizzing, and a green light soared from the distance.
The green light was extremely fast, and was eye-piercing and conspicuous. Even Shannali Cloud and Yin Jiao could not help but narrow their eyes. The air current and wind that this extreme speed brought about faintly caused the gla.s.s in the street to tremble and shake.
Boom!
The green light suddenly stopped in front of Yin Jiao and Shannali. An intense air current and pressure surged from the two sides of this body, causing Yin Jiao and Shannali"s clothes to fly all over the place, producing a flapping sound!
"Hey! Young one, you speak big words but you"re not afraid to dodge either!" Mugthol had arrived suddenly and stopped suddenly. He looked down at them, full of might! At that moment, he sneered. "Don"t think that you can do much even with a girl from the Cloud Mist Faction. Since Uncle Thol has taken root here, I will not move! No one will deal with me easily!"
Mugthol"s voice was full of might and echoed throughout the entire street. Frankly speaking, when one reached the Void Core Realm, the laws would be completely different. The checks between Factions would be greater, while the restrictions by the law enforcement squad would be more relaxed. If one were to talk about playing with the rules, he was already a veteran even 50 years ago. After all, he was from a great Faction and had seen the world. Thus, he was not afraid of the power of the Cloud Mist Faction, let alone the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction. This was also the source of his confidence that allowed him to protect the Heavenly Treasures Street by himself.
The surrounding merchants were stunned and only regained their senses after a long time. A few merchants who thought that Mugthol had run away were so embarra.s.sed that their faces turned red. Meanwhile, Old Cow and the rest were so touched that their entire body was trembling. Then, they erupted in an instant!
"It"s Uncle Thol! He flew over. As expected of a Void Core expert!"
"HOHO! Uncle Thol is mighty! How handsome!"
The unusually quiet crowd instantly erupted. Various cheers echoed throughout Heavenly Treasures Street, as if they were about to overturn the entire street. It was not difficult to fly in the divine territory, as one could fly as long as they had acc.u.mulated their Core. However, he had flown so rapidly and freely. His strength was definitely not normal. What could they do?
There was a flash of amus.e.m.e.nt on Yin Jiao"s face. "You seemed to have misunderstood something."
"There is no understanding," Mugthol proudly said. "Now, lead your people and leave immediately. From now on, the Heavenly Treasures Street and the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction will keep out of each other"s affairs. If your darkness goblins have nothing to do, then don"t come here and wander about either. We don"t welcome you! If you can"t do that, I might pull up your old Jiuli Tree. At the same time, I will use your father"s Void Core as a ball to kick!"
"Grandpa Thol is mighty and tyrannical!"
"That"s right! The Heavenly Treasures Street doesn"t welcome you. Get out!"
The merchants on Heavenly Treasures Street were so excited that even their p.e.n.i.ses were trembling. It was much different when they had an impressive pillar of support. With this impressive expert, what could the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction do? What could the Cloud Mist Faction? Our Uncle Thol did not care for you!
"The misunderstanding I was talking about was her." There was not even the slightest hint of fear on Yin Jiao. He laughed cheerily as he looked at Shannali beside him. "Miss Shannali is simply a guest at the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction. I alone will be enough to deal with you."
"Ha ha ha ha!" Mugthol laughed out loud. "I heard that you joined the Heavenly Gates array? Young one, did you really allow this to get to your head? A fellow who has not even spent one year as a Void Core actually dares to…"
"Old fellow, you speak a lot of nonsense." Yin Jiao laughed scornfully and took a step forward. "I will give you a chance. If you can defeat me, the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction will retreat from Heavenly Treasures Street. We will definitely not talk about forcing our way through again. However, if you lose…"
"I will pack up and leave. Do what you want!"
"Okay!"
Both of them spoke extremely quickly, settled this matter in a few words, and then stopped speaking at the same time. Although they looked down on each other in their words, no matter whether it was Yin Jiao or Mugthol, it was evident that they both greatly valued each other"s strength.
One was a new star and a genius who had joined the Heavenly Gates array, while the other was an established expert from a large Faction. If either one dared to look down upon the other, there would not be good results.
Waves of murderous aura from the two of them filled the air as they looked at each other cautiously. Two great Void Cores were about to clash. Shannali from the Cloud Mist Faction floated away and stood on the roof of a nearby building to watch this with rich excitement on her face. The cooperation between the Factions was necessary. No matter whether it was the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction or the Cloud Mist Faction, they were no match for top powers. Their collaboration was also a turning point, and their qualifications to join the Heavenly Gates array was a stepping stone to their success. She also wanted to see what standard Yin Jiao was at.
Meanwhile, the crowd that surrounded them instantly retreated desperately from their shock at the murderous aura that filled the air. Putting aside the ordinary citizens of the divine territory, even the darkness goblins from the Sh.e.l.l Shade Faction with outstanding strength were so shocked that they did not even dare to keep their tables. They ran away from the area that was filled with murderous aura.
The crowd pushed one another, and there was no lack of people being stepped on. It was complete chaos. Old Cow used his burly body and blocked w.a.n.g Zhong and Little Lost Fox from the retreating crowd and managed to stand still after much difficulty. Meanwhile, Sister Ling, Uncle Sea, and a few other familiar faces squeezed together and observed the fight in the distance.
"w.a.n.g Zhong, w.a.n.g Zhong, I want to see too!" Little Lost Fox loved to watch the action, but it was a pity that she was slightly short, and the people in front blocked her view. She was so anxious that she started to stamp her foot.
w.a.n.g Zhong allowed her to stand on his shoulders. The battle between two Void Core experts could make up for his lack of knowledge in some parts. He had been looking forward to this. At that moment, his gaze was enthusiastic.
There was a large empty ground around the two experts. This was originally the public square in Heavenly Treasures Street. Other than a stone sign in the middle of the square with the words "Heavenly Treasures Street" engraved on it, the entire square was empty. There was enough s.p.a.ce to battle.
At that moment, the two of them looked at each other. Just the clash of their gazes caused faint electricity to crackle between them.
Terrifying goblin aura from the two experts filled the air and materialized, forming flames that engulfed their bodies. Yin Jiao"s goblin aura flames were white, while Mugthol"s was green. The flames burned on the surface of their bodies. Although they were not hot, they contained a terrifying power, as if two unparalleled beasts were confronting each other!