Chapter 1207 You’re a Bad Son
Two minutes later…
“Phew…”
The male elf heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Elder Doman just quit jumping into the secondary s.p.a.ce. He will be here soon. Please wait for a moment.”
In less than three minutes, a king vessel approached and sent signals to Tricia’s king vessel.
Tricia steered her king vessel over and entered the parking dock.
This small king vessel was about five times the size of the Blue b.u.t.terfly. It was not big at all.
Tricia and Olien entered the main control room.
“Tricia, you’re back!”
Doman was an old elf. The wrinkles on his face showed that he was very old. He said warmly, “Tricia, Olien, welcome. You haven’t been back for years. Since you made it back, Felina must have succeeded. Where is she?”
“She is traveling with her friends.” Tricia got straight to the point. “Elder Doman, let’s catch up later. There’s something I need to tell you first.”
“What’s so urgent?” Elder Doman said, looking bewildered.
“Some people of the Gutuo Divine Temple died. They got killed in the place where I was trapped. They were very unlucky, but I think it’s good news. That Holy Son of the Gutuo Divine Temple wants to take away Felina’s Black Evil Seal. Humph, like he could make that happen. Even if he s.n.a.t.c.hed the Black Evil Seal and fled far away, I would not let him get away. We are here because we are worried about the Dark Elf Clan. Elder Doman, what I want to say is that you should all abandon your life in the Small Sky Dragon Region. The Gutuo Divine Temple may have already learned about the deaths of Gu Yi and the others. If you don’t leave now, you may be in danger.”
When Tricia got to the last part, her expression turned serious.
“That’s right.”
Olien nodded and echoed, “The Gutuo Divine Temple is very powerful. It’s a force that we cannot fight against. Gu Yi was an important member of its royal family. Now he is dead, the Gutuo Divine Temple would not let us elves off the hook. Gu Kun, the Holy Son, would not give up plotting to get Felina’s Black Evil Seal either.”
“Now that Gu Yi and some others are dead, how about we only hide Tricia and Felina?” Elder Doman asked with a frown.
The migration of the entire clan was a major affair. If they got caught, it would only aggravate the situation.
“It’s possible to let them go into hiding.” Olien sighed softly. “They will stop showing up in public as if they’ve disappeared. It’s okay for us. But I’m afraid that Gu Yi will spread some news. What will happen if something happens to them? The Gutuo Divine Temple can easily deal with you. Besides, Gu Kun, the Holy Son, is still in power. His men will pay also attention to the Dark Elf Clan. Given all the factors and the situation of the Small Sky Dragon Region, I think the best option is to go somewhere else.”
Doman fell silent. His eyes flickered as he was pondering over this.
Subconsciously, he muttered, “Moving the whole clan is a big deal. With their means, the Gutuo Divine Temple would notice it if we moved. Besides, in addition to the Heavenly Dragon Star Province, there are only a few Star Areas nearby. Are we going to flee to a place even more distant?”
“There is a place in the Sea Dragon Star Area called Chaotic Region. s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps can hardly fly in the secondary s.p.a.ce there. In the past, 11 families occupied the relatively safe planets there.”
“I’ve heard of the 11 families in the Chaotic Region.”
“Now, there are only three families left.”
“What?” Elder Doman was slightly taken aback. “It is said that the planets where the 11 families resided are protected by the Heaven-earth Formation. Moreover, the locations of those families are extremely good. If they’re in danger, they can retreat to the depths of the Chaotic Region, where their traces in s.p.a.ce can’t be tracked. That place is secured from the invaders. How could eight of the 11 families have been destroyed? Was it because of the s.p.a.ce Crisis in the Chaotic Region?”
“No, no, no. A single person destroyed the eight families at an extremely fast speed.” Olien showed an emotional look and said, “He is a freakishly powerful figure. Let’s talk about that later. Elder Doman, it is time to make the decision. We don’t have much time. If we don’t act now, it would be too late. The longer we delay, the greater the danger will be.”
“This…”
Elder Doman frowned. His expression was complicated.
This Dark Elf Clan had no king. The former king went out for adventures and never came back. He was missing, and n.o.body knew if he was dead or alive. He was a great king. From then on, the Dark Elf Clan no longer had kings. Just Doman and several other elders were managing the affairs in the clan.
At this time, Doman was a little undecided. If he chose to move the entire clan, there would be no turning back. Once the Gutuo Divine Temple discovered this and attacked… Just thinking about it made Doman’s scalp tingle.
“Elder, trust me,” Tricia said. “Even if you do not leave, you must make the choice.”
Elder Doman contemplated for moments and sighed deeply.
“Cancel the trip to the Heavenly Dragon Star Province and tell the other elders to come to the imperial palace in 15 minutes. I have something important to discuss with them.”
With that said, he boarded the small king vessel with Tricia and Olien. The king vessel flew through the s.p.a.ce station, came to the surface of the planet, and landed near the imperial palace.
Some of the elders were in reclusive cultivation. Some were making arrangements.
After receiving the message, they immediately set off.
Since Doman was summoning them all, he must have some important matters to discuss with them. At normal times, the elders could make decisions at their own discretion.
Soon, the five elders gathered together.
“Tricia?”
Upon seeing Tricia, they all seemed surprised and elated.
“We don’t have time. Let’s catch up later.”
Elder Doman sighed softly and said, “Tricia, tell them what happened.”
“Here is the thing…”
Tricia gave a simple account of what had happened.
After she finished, the other four elders fell into silence.
They were wearing different expressions.
But all of them felt was that facing the Gutuo Divine Temple was like a mountain bearing down on them.
“You advise us to immigrate the entire clan?”
“Even if we go to the Chaotic Region, how can our clansmen cultivate there? Where can we get new resources?”
“If we go to the Chaotic Region, we can’t really cut ourselves off from the outside world. We still have to fight for resources. Once we make an appearance, the Gutuo Divine Temple will certainly catch sight of us. When they send their army over, we won’t be able to fend them off anyway.”
“That’s right. I don’t think immigrating the entire clan is a bad idea. But the Sea Dragon Star Area is not a safe place either.”
The elders all voiced their opinions.
They each stated their worries.
When they were done talking, Olien smiled and said, “Let me tell you about how different today’s Sea Dragon Star Area is. First, you don’t have to worry about resources. A force has appeared in the Sea Dragon Star Area. They come from a mysterious unknown place. My daughter, Nina, has been there twice. In that place, sixth-tier treasures are nothing special. Fifth-tier and fourth-tier treasures are even greater in number. Now, they have started to tap into the Sea Dragon Star Area. More resources will gradually be transferred to the Sea Dragon Star Area.”
“No way. The Sea Dragon Star Area is a very barren place. How could it be possible?” someone refuted.
“There is nothing impossible,” Olien said. “Next, I’ll talk about the place where Tricia was once trapped. It’s the Domain of Seven Desolations. It’s a huge hidden planet in the depths of the Chaotic Region. In the Domain of Seven Desolations, there are supreme cultivators in the Void-refining Realm and even Taoist Lords in the Integration Realm. Numerous demons live there, and the Demon Clan dominates that place. The Sea Dragon Star Area is closer to the advanced world. I think the Domain of Seven Desolations shares some features with the place I just mentioned that the new force came from. It should also have plenty of resources.
“Third, if we live on the planets that used to be occupied by the eight families in the Chaotic Region, we will have room both to advance and retreat. This is an advantage.
“Fourth, the Dark Elf Clan has tens of thousands of members. Though it’s not a large clan, it can s.h.i.+ne in the Sea Dragon Star Area. It has been suppressed in the Small Sky Dragon Region for too long. Thus, you might as well abandon this place.”
After saying that, Olien took a deep breath before going on.
“In the past, the Sea Dragon Star Area was indeed barren and ordinary. But with the arrival of Zhang Hanyang, everything has changed. I even think that the Sea Dragon Star Area may supplant the Heavenly Dragon Star Province in the future and become the number one Star Province in the Astral Domain of Vast Heaven.”
“Well…” Doman’s pupils contracted slightly. “Are you sure what you said is true?”
The others were skeptical as well. Their eyes were filled with doubts.
They felt like this was just a tale.
It was too ridiculous.
They couldn’t believe it.
“How can I lie to you? I, Olien, swear to the Elemental Elf G.o.d that every single word I just said is true. I didn’t exaggerate anything. Elders, please make your decision,” Olien said solemnly.
Tricia, who had been silent for a while, remarked, “If you insist on staying, then we’ll leave. Felina and I will temporarily stay in the place where those families live in the Chaotic Region.”
“Princess Tricia…”
Doman shook his head and sighed. “Everyone, this matter is indeed urgent. It is time to make the decision. My view is that we should immigrate the entire clan to the Sea Dragon Star Area. Olien has persuaded me.”
“I agree.”
“Agreed.”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
The other four elders all nodded without hesitation.
“If that’s the case, let’s go make the arrangements. Send out all of our main vessels and corvettes. We’ll forsake them. Let the system control them and patrol our territory to confuse the outside world.”
Doman issued one order after another.
“Tell all clansmen to come to our major planet in groups. Everyone shall be here in five hours. Park three king vessels on the back of the planet, waiting for orders at any time. Hurry up and pack all the resources. Take the important ones. If some can’t be taken away, just leave them behind.”
“Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+”
All of them went out to make arrangements.
At the same time, in the Gutuo Divine Temple, Gu Kun, a magnate in the Small Sky Dragon Region had just finished practicing a series of martial moves in the arena.
Sweating profusely, he tossed the various objects that weighed thousands of pounds and were tied to his body aside and said to a maid behind him, “Is there any message from Uncle Gu Yi?”
“Holy Son, we haven’t heard from him yet,” the maid bowed and answered.
“This is odd. Uncle Gu Yi has merely gone to the Sea Dragon Star Area to pick someone up. Why has it taken so many days?”
The square-faced Gu Kun knitted his brows. This made him look a little ugly. He said, “Tell those in the Incense Hall to check on Uncle Gu Yi’s Life Lamp.”
“Yes.”
The maid nodded and pa.s.sed on the order.
Gu Kun walked toward his own palace, preparing to comprehend the secret skill he had recently learned.
Before he crossed the gate, that maid scurried toward him from behind in a fl.u.s.ter. While running, she yelled in a panic-stricken tone, “Ba-bad news! Holy Son, something bad ha-has happened to Lord Gu Yi! His Life Lamp has extinguished.”
“What did you say?”
Gu Kun’s countenance altered dramatically. He looked at the maid with sharp eyes and asked, “Uncle Gu Yi’s Life Lamp has extinguished?”
“Y-yes, Lord Kong is furious. King Gu is holding an imperial meeting.”
“Swoos.h.!.+”
Gu Kun flew away before the maid could finish her words.
In the imperial palace of the Gutuo Divine Temple…
This palace looked just like an ancient imperial palace.
Lord Kong’s name was Gu Kong. He was the younger brother of King Gu. Gu Yi was one of his subordinates of the direct line of descent.
The Gutuo Divine Temple had eight lords and one king, each of whom was a world-famous strong cultivator.
King Gu would usually cultivate in isolation if there was nothing else. He was a gray-haired old man dressed in a cloth gown. He had devoted his life to the pursuit of Tao and immortality. Therefore, he established the Immortal Hall and put the Life Lamps of the important members of the Gutuo Divine Temple there. The Life Lamps are similar to a family tree. Only the big wigs in the Gutuo Divine Temple can have a Life Lamp in the Immortal Hall.”
Nothing unusual had happened in the Immortal Hall for a hundred years. But today, one of the Life Lamps in it went off.
This meant that the owner of that Life Lamp, Gu Yi, had died. As Lord Kong’s direct descendent, Gu Yi was famous even in the upper cla.s.s of the Gutuo Divine Temple.
But now, he was dead!
His Life Lamp had gone off, which was solid proof of his death.
When Gu Kun arrived at the imperial palace, the king, the eight lords, and dozens of high-level officials were all there.
King Gu was sitting on the gold throne decorated with dragon patterns, while the others sat on his sides.
Lord Kong seemed a bit irritated. Some of the others were indifferent, while some were calm. Their expressions were all different.
“The kid named Gu Yi is dead. Who can tell me what happened?”
King Gu’s tone was calm and mild, revealing no emotion at all.
At this time, Lord Kong looked at Gu Kun and said, “Holy Son, you tell the story.”
…
Gu Kun nodded. He went to sit in a chair on the side and remarked, “Not long ago, I proposed to Felina, a princess of the Dark Elf Clan. She said she would marry me on one condition, which was to send some of our clansmen to pick up her mother with her. At that time, Uncle Gu Yi had just come out of the reclusive cultivation and had nothing to do at hand. Thus, he took a few others on the trip with him. But I didn’t expect that he would never come back. I think I’m responsible for this.”
“Where did they go?”
“Reportedly, they went to the Chaotic Region near the Sea Dragon Star Area.”
“Bam!”
Lord Kong stretched his right hand out and thumped the armrest of his chair, which produced a resounding noise. He laughed coldly and said, “You clearly know that there is s.p.a.ce Crisis in the Chaotic Region. How could you have sent our royal member there? Gu Kun, you asked a senior in our royal family to go to that dangerous place just for a princess of the Dark Elf Clan. What were you thinking?”
Gu Kun was rebuked on the spot. His pupils froze for a moment. He was angry inwardly, but he didn’t dare to show it.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “Father, I stepped forward to help Felina not merely because I wanted to marry her but also because I wanted the Black Evil Seal inside her. Felina is just a delicate female. If the Black Evil Seal were to be absorbed by me, my strength would increase by several times. She had said that she knew a safe route. I was also deeply pained by this accident.”
“What? The Black Evil Seal?”
The expressions of all the people present changed slightly.
“There is a pure royal member among the Dark Elves?”
“Absorbing the Black Evil Seal can increase one’s power significantly. It’s good stuff!”
“No wonder Gu Kun has paid so much attention to that underaged elf.”
Murmurs of discussion rang out.
Lord Kong frowned slightly and looked away from Gu Kun. “Gu Kun did this for the sake of increasing his strength. This is a good reason to justify his action.
“If he had done this merely for the sake of l.u.s.t, he would have no way to avoid being punished.”
“Lord Kong, you deal with this matter.”
After hearing these statements, King Gu seemed to have lost interest in this matter. He left in a flash.
The others also took their leave one after another. They had already told King Gu what they wanted to discuss recently. Some had even reported some private stories to King Gu with the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique.
Gu Kun had come over just to officially explain himself.
Just as Gu Kun was about to leave with the others—
“Holy Son Gu Kun, wait a moment.” Lord Kong calmly said, “Gu Yi died in a place you sent him to, so you should personally make a trip to the Dark Elf Clan to make an inquiry.”
Gu Kun grew a bit cross. “Make an inquiry about what?”
“Do you still need me to teach you that?” Lord Kong said with a slightly stern face.
It was clear that he didn’t think highly of Gu Kun.
“I see. Is there anything else, Lord Kong? If not, I’m leaving to handle this matter.” Gu Kun put on a fake smile.
However, Lord Kong ignored Gu Kun. He walked away even without sparing Gu Kun a glance.
Gu Kun clenched his teeth in anger.
After returning to his own palace, Gu Kun got on a medium-sized king vessel and headed toward the Dark Elf Clan.
Several hours later, Gu Kun came to the headquarters of the Dark Elf Clan. In the void, he saw a few s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps bustling in and out. The Dark Elf Clan seemed to be busy with something.
Gu Kun contacted the s.p.a.ce station and asked to see someone in charge.
But to his bewilderment, the s.p.a.ce station replied, “Our elder is hurrying back. Please wait a moment.”
Gu Kun was quite patient. He sat down and began to drink tea. After waiting for half an hour, he checked with the s.p.a.ce station again.
“Our elder is hurrying back. Please wait a moment.”
“Huh? How dare you make me wait longer!”
Gu Kun’s face darkened, “Tell them, if no elder comes in half an hour, we’ll bombard the s.p.a.ce station.”
The warning was issued.
Half an hour pa.s.sed in a flash. Still, there was no response.
“Holy Son…”
Gu Kun’s subordinate asked hesitantly, “Are we really going to bombard this s.p.a.ce station?”
Gu Kun waved his hand. His expression was rather aloof.
“Boom!”
The Energy Cannon fired. In an instant, the s.p.a.ce station was pulverized.
Surprisingly, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps that occasionally pa.s.sed by continued to fly toward the ruined s.p.a.ce station, rotate around it, then leave and repeat the process.
“Eh?”
Gu Kun was taken aback. “Send reconnaissance aircraft to investigate the pa.s.sing s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps and the surface of the planet.”
“Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+ Swoosh…”
Moments later, Gu Kun received the reports.
“The Dark Elves are no longer on the surface of the planet.”
“The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps coming and going are all unmanned.”
“Clatter!”
Gu Kun’s heart skipped a beat. Then, his face flushed with anger.
“They played me, didn’t they?
“Is there really something wrong with the Dark Elf Clan or… Felina has tricked Gu Yi and the others to death?”
In the Sea Dragon Star Area—
“Here we are.”
Yue Wuwei gazed at the Dragon Base Star that was a short distance away. The s.p.a.ce station there was twice as large as before.
He smiled and said, “This time, I think Mengmeng will soon reach the Elixir Realm. Then, she can control the pearl, and you guys can go in and out of the Sea Dragon Star Area at any time you want. Next time we go back, Lisa and I will open our shop in the secular world. You’ll have to travel here on your own.”
His imagination was beautiful, but the reality was cruel.
“Okay!” Yue Xiaonao said loudly, “We’ll come here by ourselves next time.”
Yue Wuwei was rather speechless.
“Naughty girl, I didn’t mean you could do that!
“If you’re here on your own, how can I continue enjoying myself in the secular world with ease?”
Seeing this, Zhang Han, Zi Yan, and the others couldn’t help laughing.
The fleet landed on the Dragon Base Star.
Though it had been just a few days, another building had been constructed next to Mount New Moon. It was circular. Its appearance was quite unique. This building looked like a hotel.
Li Mu ran over to welcome them. He said that this building had been moved here as a whole. There were formations on the foundation. It took thousands of Yuan Ying cultivators’ collective effort to move it here. This was another residence prepared for the people who lived on Mount New Moon.
If they were tired of living in the big manor that resembled Mount New Moon, they could go to live in the higher-up for a change.
There were several squares, musical fountains, and small forests. One could even see blue squirrels around.
“Oow, oow, oow!”
Dahei poked its head out of Mengmeng’s schoolbag and howled twice at a flock of squirrels in the distance.
Vicious might spread out.
“Squeak squeak squeak…”
All the squirrels instantly ran away.
“Ahem, Blue Tree Squirrels are particularly timid. Dahei, don’t scare them. There are Blue Trees here. They live in the Blue Trees. In the face of a minor shock, they’ll flee and then come back. But if there is a life-threatening crisis, they will never return to this place.”
Li Mu coughed lightly and reminded Dahei.
But his kind reminder caused Dahei to give him the finger.
“Oow, oow, oow!”
“Scram, kid!”
Dahei also shook its fist.
It meant to say, “Be careful, or I’ll beat you up.”
“Boss, Dahei picked on me,” Li Mu complained.
“Haha.” Zhang Han laughed and took no action.
Mengmeng even snorted and glared at Li Mu. “Who picked on you? Dahei was just greeting the squirrels. But you made it sound like it was bullying them.”
“Oow, oow, oow.”
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
Dahei nodded repeatedly with a very obedient expression on its face.
“Uh, okay.” Li Mu didn’t know what to say at the moment. He felt his scalp tingle a bit.
He thought Mengmeng was right, but there was something wrong with her statement.
“Let’s go to the villas first,” Zhang Han suggested.
Thus, the group headed for the villas. The manor here was called Mount Double Moons.
As the name indicated, at night, in this city, one could see a moon in the east and another moon in the west, which was a quite special scenery.
Zhang Han called the castle-like residence they would live in a villa. Anway, a castle and a villa were more or less the same. This place looked roughly the same as Mount New Moon, but there were obvious differences in the details.
“What are we going to do next?” Mengmeng grabbed Zhang Han’s arm and asked.
“Next, we will…”
Zhang Han thought for a while. Before he could say anything, Li Mu pushed a b.u.t.ton on his wrist and activated the system, which projected an interface.
“Look, this is the company’s Mission Hall.”
Li Mu said, “When people in the company are free, they can form a team to complete mission. For example, the first mission we released was to drive the blood-sucking ants that live in the depths of the forest on the Bluesand out of the marked area. If one can solve this problem, one can get 120 crystal stones as payment. This mission was taken in just two seconds after it was released.”
“What? This mission was worth merely 120 crystal stones. How come it had been taken so quickly?” Liang Hao asked in surprise.
“You think the payment of 120 crystal stones is too low? Because of this mission hall, countless people are trying their best to join the Heavenly Corporation,” Li Mu said, “It’s mainly to accept tasks from the Bluesand. Anyway, it’s not a big deal to earn the 120 crystal stones. The price is particularly high.”
“The missions update very quickly. These missions are released fast and are often taken in no time. We’ve just taken over those many planets. Managing the local population and the migrants is a very huge project. It takes time to get it done.” Li Mu showed admiration on his face.
Then, with a soft sigh, he said, “Uncle Liu’s means are more than a hundred times more efficient than our normal way of taking over the management. He is amazing. Many small forces running riot on the planets have tried to join in. They even ask their backers in our company for that. None of them have made trouble. Alas, the old places we control are not like these. Those small forces always come up with countermeasures in the face of our policies. Those rats are really annoying.”
“But now, we’re imitating Uncle Liu’s method.” Li Mu smiled again and said, “Now I’m in charge of the planets controlled by the Heavenly Corporation in the entire Sea Dragon Star Area. The missions update really fast. You can also check the missions to be carried out on specific planets. Every mission is graded at the head. The grades are marked as D, C, B, A, and S. To take missions, one needs to apply to join the law enforcement group. The members of the company have different positions. According to their positions, their ident.i.ties in the law enforcement group are also different. This system is sophisticated.
“Uncle Liu mentioned to me that perhaps Mengmeng, Xiaonao, and Nina would be interested in this.”
After Li Mu finished displaying the system, he turned off the projector.
“Huh?”
Mengmeng was stunned. She revealed a pensive look on her face.
“How did he know that I would be interested?”
“These missions are too easy, aren’t they?” Yue Xiaonao turned up her nose at Li Mu.
As soon as she said this, Li Mu put on a solemn look.
Then, he took a deep breath and said sanctimoniously, “No-no-no, don’t underestimate the missions. So far, the Mission Hall has been open for 15 days. In the Sea Dragon Star Area, 1,533 members of the law enforcement team of our company have died when carrying out their missions. This is not a small number. Many of the missions require you to face fierce spirit beasts or thugs.”
“Huh?”
Mengmeng and Yue Xiaonao were alarmed.
Nina, however, looked as calm as always. This was normal to her. Though the Roland Star did not have such problems, she knew that on some planets with highly developed science and technology, there were cities in disorder and were troubled by illegal immigration, smuggling, and other issues.
Hearing Li Mu’s words, Zhang Han and Zi Yan looked at each other.
“I think Uncle Liu’s suggestion is very good. Mengmeng also needs to explore the world by herself. This way, she can gain experiences and personal growth,” Zi Yan said.
“That’s right.” Zhang Guangyou sighed softly. “Han did the same when he was young. He learned cultivation by himself. I didn’t even know when he started cultivating. Now, my granddaughter is 14 years old. The Cultivation World is so big. Perils are everywhere. We can’t always keep an eye on her. In case something happened when we were not around her, she must learn some life-saving means to protect herself. After all, Han can’t follow Mengmeng all the time.”
“I can,” Zhang Han replied casually.
“Who said he couldn’t?” Mengmeng said almost at the same time as Zhang Han spoke. “Daddy will always be by my side to protect me.”
Zhang Guangyou was speechless.
He looked at Zhang Han with sharp eyes, and his face darkened a bit.
“You’re a bad son!
“Why do you always have to go against me?
“Though I don’t have the heart to tell my granddaughter off, I can certainly give you a right dressing-down!”