"What the hell is going on?!"
"What happened? Wasn't it supposed to be ten days from now?"
"Ha, pulling this shit on me? Profound dog bastard, you think you're playing at the art of war now, huh?"
It wasn't just Ji Jue who had been caught flat-footed; across the entire scheme, everyone was baffled and scrambling in disarray.
At this moment, on the agreed-upon barren island, outside remained a chaotic scene as the subordinates and attendants brought by each faction rushed to assemble and prepare.
Beams of fierce light descended one after another, accompanied by blistering accusations.
The Calamity Lord of Decaying Wind, the Myriarch of Blood Eye.
Including Du Luojia, who had been sitting in quiet meditation here all along, and even the Tyrant enveloped in black fog within a torn-open rift of darkness.
As they exchanged glances, amidst their shock and anger, a flicker of sudden understanding dawned in their eyes.
Finally, when their gazes settled upon that painted mask, a chill surfaced.
"Don't tell me this was your plan from the very beginning?" Du Luojia demanded.
From the very start, this fellow had never trusted a single soul.
Even the timeline he gave was false.
"A rare opportunity waits for no man."
Xiuyan sighed with helpless resignation. "There was no other choice. An unforeseen development... I just received word that the Voracious Ao, Charybdis, has fallen into madness and is already showing signs of relocating once more. Judging by its heading, it's very likely to pass right through the Seven Cities."
In an instant, the restless, furious atmosphere froze. Everyone's expression turned grave.
An Extinction-class calamity beast, even a heavily wounded one, possessed immeasurable destructive power. What was more, when it came to the havoc calamity beasts could wreak, 'heavily wounded' and 'utterly deranged' were hardly debuffs—they were outright buffs.
Beasts like that grew more unpredictable the madder and wilder they became.
If a starved-mad Charybdis tore across the Seven Cities and took a couple of bites along the way, nothing would be left!
"If we stick to the original plan and wait another five days, whether the Seven Cities will even still exist is up in the air," Xiuyan sighed, unfurling a scroll resembling a map. Within shifting inks, a symbol resembling a swirling vortex cloud was creeping along a dotted trajectory, inching toward the Seven Cities.
It looked so slow, yet anyone who made a rough estimation of the map's scale knew just how terrifyingly fast it was moving.
At this rate, it might be right over their heads tomorrow or the day after!
"..."
Within the churning black fog, the mangled Tyrant suddenly sneered, casting a sidelong glare at Xiuyan. "This wouldn't happen to be your doing, would it?"
"How could that be?"
Xiuyan spread his hands. "If I truly had the power to order around a titan like that, why would I need to rely on you esteemed figures to dismantle the obstacles in the Seven Cities for me?"
Ji Jue sneered inwardly, remaining silent.
Fair enough, the logic was sound. But logic was one thing; did the Profound ever care about logic? What was this old mongrel actually after, stirring up so much trouble in the Seven Cities for so long?!
Just to stockpile a mountain of explosives and set off a big firework display?
If that were the case, he'd be better off taking a page from Ji Jue's book and bringing misery to the Empire or the Federation. Weren't fusion bombs way more thrilling?
"The timing is too rushed."
He didn't dwell on the issue, speaking indifferently instead: "Preparations are not yet complete. To bypass the artisan and take Luo Island, I cannot guarantee absolute success."
"No matter. Whatever is lacking, everyone present can make up for," Xiuyan said, his voice carrying the hint of a smile. "As long as Your Excellency can break the workshop's suppression and sever the connection between the artisan and Luo Island, we will naturally sweep all before us."
"What's the plan?" the Myriarch of Blood Eye asked.
"First destroy Luo Island, then take Xiangzhou, and steamroll everything else after that. It isn't complicated."
Xiuyan warned solemnly, "Do not lower your guard too early. The variables surrounding that artisan are bizarre beyond measure. Even if the Seven Cities were completely in our grasp, so long as the artisan lives, accidents are inevitable."
"That Ji Jue you mentioned?" The aged Calamity Lord glanced over. "When did the Ring of Taiyi gain such a Master?"
"Not a Master. He holds only two Golden Ribbons,"
Xiuyan corrected. Before the Calamity Lord or the Myriarch could scoff, he cut in decisively, "Do not forget, the very artisan you hold in contempt is the one who stirred up storms within the Federation, soaring to prominence overnight and laying the foundation for Haizhou's current situation. Setting aside his ties to the Security Bureau, the Evil Transmutation Cult has suffered at his hands more than once. In the Mid-Continent, countless comrades perished on his account, while he stepped over their bones to single-handedly open up the situation for the White Nation. The White Nation Restoration Army has him backing them from the shadows—surely Blood Eye has suffered plenty from him, hasn't it? It has been less than two months since he arrived in the Seven Cities, yet two of the seven have already fallen into his grasp! If left unchecked, once the Blightwind passes, all the operations and investments you have built up here over so long will likely end up clenched in his fist! Back when Aquilino founded the Seven Cities, even as a Celestial-Human, every step was fraught with difficulty. Today, a mere artisan can summon the storm with ease, as if heaven and earth conspire to aid him... Must I emphasize how terrifying that is?! If such a menace is not eradicated promptly, in time, he may well become another Cast Plowman—another Grandmaster of Embers!"
For a moment, apart from Du Luojia, both the Calamity Lord and the Myriarch fell into stunned silence, incredulous that anyone could receive such an evaluation from Xiuyan.
Yet just then, doubt was voiced from the side.
"Isn't that inflating another's reputation while diminishing our own?"
Within the black mist, the Tyrant said coldly. "As I see it, this Ji Jue, troublesome though he may be, is nothing to fear!"
"..."
Xiuyan looked back, hesitating. He wanted to emphasize the artisan's threat again, but the moment he saw it was the Abyssal Lord speaking, he clamped his mouth shut.
*You Tyrants really have stubborn mouths!*
*If you hadn't nearly had your legs broken by Ji Jue just the other day, I might actually believe you!*
Beneath the black fog, Ji Jue's thoughts were a tangled mess.
*I almost forgot my persona!*
How to put it... a foe's contempt was cause for celebration, but a foe's deep respect—even if bad for future baiting—felt wonderfully gratifying to hear!
*Go on, talk some more!*
*I haven't even told you about my little adventures with the Holy Lord of Evil Transmutation...*
Still, setting that aside, he keenly picked up on an overlooked detail outside the plan: "Don't forget the Empire's fleet! The Holy Tree family's reinforcements are still in Dancheng!"
Xiuyan seemed to smile. "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I have my methods. Powerful though the Empire is, it will not stand in our way... They might even be glad to see it happen."
"And what of the Lighthouse?"
Du Luojia asked. "The Lighthouse pools the power of the Seven Cities, temporarily simulating a Tianyuan Domain. With such a constraint hanging over us, it may prove difficult to act."
"Be at ease, it has long been under my control," Xiuyan chuckled eerily. "The moment the operation begins, the Lighthouse will cease to be an obstacle."
*Bullshit!*
If not for the fact that Pucheng's Lighthouse was completely intact under the surveillance of Deus Ex Machina and numerous sensory extensions, Ji Jue might have actually believed him.
That blessed creation rooted in the ley lines had been built under Aquilino's leadership, funded by the resources of all Seven Cities and constructed by Masters hired from the Ring of Taiyi.
Once completed, it had essentially become coexistent with the Seven Cities.
As long as the Seven Cities stood, the Lighthouse would not fall.
Even if Luocheng fell, there was Xiangzhou; even if Xiangzhou fell, there was Ma Island. Unless the people of the Seven Cities were slaughtered to the last person, it was impossible for anything to go wrong with it.
If he truly had that kind of power, why would he even need foreign aid?
He could have rolled up his sleeves and beaten Ji Jue like a dog—why bother with all this fuss?
Checked and observed by various creations, the Lighthouse was undamaged, steadfast, and showed no trace of Great Sin corruption whatsoever...
Where was Xiuyan getting his confidence?
Amidst these racing thoughts, Ji Jue dove headfirst into the fierce verbal sparring and spoils-dividing contest.
Even real brothers settled accounts strictly, let alone scoundrels of the Great Sin beneath the Vortex. For comrades here, shooting a fellow traveler in the back was standard operating procedure. Even if Xiuyan had paid a deposit, who would work for free without benefits?
Moreover, he had moved the schedule forward—wasn't an expedited fee in order?
Even if nothing could be squeezed out, taking a few swings at the tree cost nothing. What if something dropped?
Blood Eye had rendered great service: grant them a Corpse Dwelling Temple!
Decaying Wind was walking the path of justice: take the Heat Death Frost Calamity!
The Tyrant was rallying his strength: keep Luo Island. Wulou Temple bore humiliation and heavy burdens: take the House God!
And Xiuyan, who lurked and endured with the greatest hardship: the Seven Cities are left to you!
Aside from these, there were countless other spoils.
From flesh, bones, and assets to souls... death reaped by Blood Eye, life dominated by the Tyrant, souls devoured by the House God, and civilization erased by Decaying Wind.
A banquet where everyone could feast to their heart's content.
And whatever they couldn't finish, they could pack up and take with them.
Even if verbally agreed and bound by contract, how much one could devour and take when the time came would still depend on one's own skill!
Yet just as everyone was bordering on satisfied, the Tyrant spoke up once more.
"Hold on!"
The Tyrant raised his hand. "This seat still has a question!"
In the sudden silence, as everyone looked over, Ji Jue stared at Xiuyan and asked solemnly, "What is it you truly want to do?"
Instantly, sharp gazes fell upon Xiuyan one after another.
Indeed, what about you?
Going to such great lengths, what do you want?
Surely you aren't doing charity work?
"Humble as I am, I merely carry out the will of Elder Zhen. What could I possibly ask for?"
Across Xiuyan's mask, the paints shifted, forming an exaggerated smile. He bowed slightly. From the void beneath his black robe, a small coin emerged.
The coin, forged from unknown material, gave off a dim golden luster. Right in its center, an uncanny flame relief flickered continuously, shifting yet immortal.
And on the back of the coin was a strikingly familiar emblem.
The imperfect overlap of a square and a triangle—the very emblem that had once appeared in the ruins of Haze Workshop, the mark of the Profound Grandmaster, Elder Zhen!
In this era when Elder Zhen was rapidly expanding and once again reigning over the Profound, holding this token represented only one identity:
A Profound Emissary!
Chapter 770