Inside the top floor of the tallest skyscraper in the city center of Xichang City, sitting cross-legged, Liu Wen suddenly opened his eyes as a sense of crisis washed over him.
What is this? Liu Wen's expression gradually grew solemn; his spiritual power was warning him.
The sense of danger came from two directions—one from the Capital, and the other from the West. This meant that both the official authorities and the Western powers wanted him dead.
Is it the Eye of Blood plan that has those guys so wary? Liu Wen quickly recalled the events of yesterday.
The commotion back then had been too massive to cover up.
As Liu Wen sensed the impending danger, the thought of finding a place to lay low and develop in secret crossed his mind.
But immediately after, he felt a faint aura locking onto him—an aura he was all too familiar with.
“The Earth Mother... You really never let a grudge go, do you?” Liu Wen gritted his teeth.
This aura was not spiritual in nature, making it impossible for him to block. This meant there was absolutely nowhere for him to hide.
He looked toward the direction of the Capital, a sinister grin suddenly spreading across his face. “If the two of you join forces, it will indeed be difficult for my Liu family to hold them off. But that doesn't mean we will actually lose to you!”
With a mere thought, his phone sitting nearby automatically typed out a message and sent it to Liu Qi.
Beep! Beep!
In the suburbs outside Xichang City, a shirtless Liu Qi, whose figure was currently flickering in a state of afterimages, heard his phone's notification chime.
His figure instantly materialized on a rock a few meters away. He picked up his phone, glanced at it, and a cold sneer appeared on his face. “You bastards really are looking for death!”
Grabbing his clothes from beside the phone, he walked toward the airport.
Half a day later, inside the underground space of Fengcheng.
Ever since their first transaction with the Specter forces here, subsequent deals had been conducted between the Night Slaves and the local Specters.
Leading the way was still the same insectoid Specter from last time. The elderly face on its back now had its eyes slightly open.
Walking ahead, the insectoid Specter asked curiously, “Honored guest, I didn't expect you to come here in person. Is there some important business?”
Following behind it, Liu Qi looked at the tunnels, which were much wider than they had been a month ago, and replied casually, “You just need to lead me to your boss. Don't ask unnecessary questions.”
Hearing his words, the insectoid Specter didn't mind. It was just a minor guide anyway, and since their trade with the Liu family was currently stable, it couldn't afford to offend them.
One human and one Specter walked downward in silence.
This time, they walked for a full hour before reaching a depth of over a thousand meters underground.
A massive cavern appeared before Liu Qi, hundreds of meters high and several kilometers wide.
Inside, there was only a single ten-meter-tall stone throne. On the throne, the grayish-white humanoid Specter they had met last time had now grown to about fifteen meters tall.
Black-gold eyeballs had formed in its previously hollow sockets, and a hideous, grayish-white snake head had sprouted from its left shoulder.
Just looking at this Specter, Liu Qi felt an incredibly powerful sense of oppression radiating from its body.
He thought solemnly, What an incredibly fast growth rate. Last time we met, it was like a dead object, but now, its strength is probably not much weaker than the Elder's—it might even be stronger!
As soon as this thought arose, Liu Qi couldn't help but shake his head. How could that be possible? The Elder had become a supernatural being much earlier than this Specter. How could it be stronger than him?
“Guest from the Liu family, we meet again. May I ask what brings you here this time?” a flat voice sounded from beside the throne.
Liu Qi looked at the woman in the white dress leaning against the right side of the throne, whose left cheek revealed bare bone. “We've run into some trouble and want to ask for your assistance. Don't worry, we will pay you handsomely for your help this time.”
Hearing this, the right side of the woman's face—which was still human—revealed a faint smile. “Does Your Excellency not know that we are currently in a period of low-profile development? After all, if we were to expose ourselves, the humans on the surface probably wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully anymore.”
The number of Specters in Fengcheng had already reached a terrifying level. Essentially, the entire underground area a thousand meters below Fengcheng had been hollowed out.
Before Liu Qi could speak, a booming voice echoed from a corner. “Yo, yo, yo! I'd like to see what kind of benefits you're willing to offer. That red light on the internet is probably the source of your trouble, isn't it?”
Thud, thud, thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed, and an annoyed look crossed Liu Qi's face as he turned to look in that direction.
He saw a five-meter-tall muscular giant whose entire body reflected a silvery light.
He wore only a pair of silver briefs, and his face and eyes were filled with absolute confidence.
Hearing this, the woman in the white dress simply smiled. “This is our new companion. He's just a bit lacking in the brain department.”
Insulted by the woman, the silver giant didn't care at all. He looked at Liu Qi and said, “Human, Lady White Bone speaks too tactfully. I'll give it to you straight: even though we have a trading relationship, if you want us to make a move, you must provide enough benefits. Cut the crap.”
His words were incredibly direct, but Liu Qi wasn't one to waste words either. He held up a single finger. “As long as you help us repel this enemy, we will give you ten thousand eyeballs!”
Previously, they had only traded for a little over two thousand eyeballs across several transactions. Ten thousand was already a massive amount.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the silver giant was instantly tempted.
Although those things only provided a small boost to spiritual power, if there were enough of them, it could make up for his spiritual shortcomings. He might even develop some spiritual abilities during his evolution.
“Twenty thousand, plus one opportunity to request Liu Wen's assistance. After all, an existence that can make even your Liu family sense a crisis is probably not easy to deal with,” Lady White Bone spoke up.
She watched Liu Qi quietly, completely unafraid that he would refuse.
“That's a good deal! Twenty thousand, twenty thousand!” A greedy smile appeared on the silver giant's face.
Seeing this, Liu Qi reached into his pocket and pulled out a crimson eyeball. This eyeball was much more expressive and lively than those of other Night Slaves. “Elder, did you hear their demands?”
Liu Qi forced down a laugh. Twenty thousand eyeballs meant sacrificing only ten thousand humans, which was incredibly easy for them to manage.
It was also thanks to the Elder previously controlling the volume of the eyeball trade to create a sense of artificial scarcity.
The eyeball rolled slightly, and its spiritual power vibrated through the air. “The deal is struck. Come to Xichang City as soon as possible. I feel they will begin their move within the next few days.”
With those words, the spiritual power within the eyeball vanished.
“Gentlemen, my family's Elder has agreed. I wonder how many Specters and Evil Spirits you plan to dispatch?” Liu Qi looked at Lady White Bone.
Hearing this, a look of delight appeared in Lady White Bone's eyes. Twenty thousand... That's enough to sustain all our high-end Specters for a month or two. Plus, getting the highly powerful Liu Wen to make a move once makes this a highly profitable deal!
She looked at Liu Qi, her tone turning solemn. “Silver, you, Rot, and Tiangong will make the trip. As for the Specters and Evil Spirits, since they are giving us twenty thousand, we can't be stingy. Take ten thousand Specters and Evil Spirits with you. A hundred intelligent ones will suffice!”
Such a massive number of Specters would be enough to cause a devastating catastrophe even in a metropolis with a population of ten million.
“Understood!” Silver's face filled with confidence.
Silver then turned to look at Liu Qi. “Human, let's go. I'll take you to muster the troops!”
With that, he walked outward, and Liu Qi followed closely behind him.
Soon, the cavern fell silent once again.
Lady White Bone looked into the darkness behind her. “Silver, Rot, and Tiangong are three of our strongest Specters. Do you think this is secure enough?”
A figure stepped out from the darkness.
The colorful face of the Opera-Robed Puppet stared at the King of Specters sitting on the stone throne. “If they are no match...”
“Then it will be the perfect opportunity to test the King of Specters we've worked so hard to create...”
An operatic voice echoed through the cavern. Although the King of Specters was still a semi-finished product, its strength was already enough to stand at the very peak of the world.
Rate on N.U.
