Worth a billion. Jiang Ke’er couldn’t understand why a discovery on the Island of Nine Small Islands was worth a billion.
That amount of money was enough to found a nation. Even though Lord Li had ascended the throne and become the top leader of Shenzhou, he couldn’t possibly be that extravagant, could he?
It had only been a little over three months since she last saw him. Where did he get so much money?
Using the Underworld Province Cauldron as cover, Jiang Ke’er slipped into the outskirts of the Royal Palace.
The palace was equipped with detection artifacts aimed at things like the Underworld Province Cauldron, so she couldn’t advance further.
Fortunately, Lord Li happened to be in the Inner Court, and he was walking out of the palace with a stern expression.
“These ancient relics absolutely cannot have a single mishap. Keep a close eye on those Historian Cultivators. If any more relics go missing, I’ll hold you accountable!”
“Understood, understood!” The official beside him broke out in a cold sweat.
“Tell them to speed up their research. This matter concerns the fate of the Great Tang, and even the development of the entire Shenzhou!” Li Yuan’s body trembled slightly as he looked at the sky.
“If they research it well, using these star charts and the Celestial Monitoring Instrument to open a passage to foreign domains, as a hub for inter-domain exchange, Shenzhou’s civilizational development would more than double in speed!”
“But if they research it poorly and inadvertently open a disaster gate, that would be a catastrophe for Shenzhou!”
“Yes! The finest Historian Cultivators from all over Shenzhou have already been summoned for intensive research! And right now, the Hanlin Academy is as impregnable as a fortress!”
“The most trustworthy powerhouses in all of Shenzhou are gathered there, backed by several thousand layers of Formation Arts. Even if seven or eight Immortals came to attack, it would take them ten days and ten nights to capture it!”
Jiang Ke’er: “…”
What a display of extravagance!
This was probably no less vigilance than during the epidemic period!
Jiang Ke’er felt immensely grateful that she hadn’t entered the Inner Court. With the Inner Court’s current defensive formation, she would probably have been dragged out the moment she stepped in.
From what Lord Li said, he planned to use the star charts Qiao Xiaoxian discovered, with the assistance of the Celestial Monitoring Instrument, to open a trade route to an unknown Void.
Hearing that, even Jiang Ke’er felt her scalp tingle.
The silk road of the universe!
No wonder he had so readily rewarded Qiao Xiaoxian with a billion. If such a trade route could truly be established, what was a billion in comparison?
The change it would bring to all of Shenzhou wasn’t merely about a prosperous people and a powerful nation. It would be a leap forward for the entire civilization of Shenzhou!
Everything she knew was developing in a plausible yet altered direction because of the introduction of cultivation power. Jiang Ke’er suddenly found herself filled with anticipation for the future again.
She didn’t know what would happen to this modified Great Tang, but she knew that after enduring countless hardships, Shenzhou had already undergone many changes.
Under the leadership of someone so bold and daring, yet mindful of the people’s welfare, Shenzhou’s future was bound to be spectacular.
It was just that…
Was the current Great Tang truly ready to come into contact with other civilizations?
Perhaps Lord Li had his own judgment on that.
“In ancient times, our ancestors once opened this passage, bringing unprecedented prosperity to Shenzhou,” Li Yuan sighed softly. “But it also brought disaster… I wonder what I will bring.”
“His Majesty is the True Son of Heaven—”
“Cut the crap. My life was won by my Demon Race brothers, not granted by heaven.” Li Yuan kicked the flattering minister. “Learn from Wei Zheng!”
What’s so good about a foul mouth… The minister grumbled inwardly. He had no desire to be like Wei Zheng, dancing on the edge of losing his head every single day.
Only that hothead dared to yell at his direct superior all day long.
“One slip! Several items have already gone missing. If any more are lost, I’ll have your head! Go, inspect the Hanlin Academy again. There can be absolutely no mistakes!”
“As you command!”
“Oh, right. Were the items recovered?” Li Yuan suddenly asked again.
“Uh… although the thief was captured, he said the items had already been sold off as junk at the Black Market. The Black Market is a tangled web, so recovering them may prove difficult…”
“Junk…” Li Yuan’s mouth twitched. “Keep looking!”
There was truly nothing to be done about such an ignorant thief.
Hanlin Academy.
Xu Chen, Chief of Jiexian Hall, dressed in flowing white robes, drifted lightly into the Hanlin Academy.
To be sure, the defenses here were formidable, but since they had failed to stop him around the Celestial Monitoring Instrument the first time, they wouldn’t stop him this time either.
Using nothing more than an ordinary invisibility spell, he made everyone around him see nothing at all.
Because every detection item and detection formation here… were originally created by him. How could they possibly stop him, their Master?
And since no one here could see him, he walked right in openly.
But this time, he wasn’t here to cause trouble. He had come to find something.
He walked into the storeroom and began searching leisurely right under everyone’s noses.
He searched carefully, searched, and searched again.
“How strange…”
It was supposed to be on the island of the Taixu Clan. Logically, that object should have been placed on the Taixu Clan’s island.
Since everything on the island had been excavated and brought to the Hanlin Academy, it naturally should have been brought here too.
But he couldn’t find it…
“AAAAH!”
Xu Chen clawed frantically at the air around his neck.
Where’s my head???
If only they knew how he felt when he saw the island completely empty.
For thousands of years, no one had ever discovered the territory of the Taixu Clan, and yet out of nowhere, he got Ganked right in these nine days.
Fine, so you’re treasure hunting… but why did you have to take the brain I hid away?!
He was losing his mind!
The secret to Xu Chen’s immortality was that he had hidden his brain in advance and remotely controlled his body through signals.
But a brain has no sense of touch, sight, or hearing, and is completely defenseless, so it needed a safe place to hide.
And yet, an island that no one had discovered for thousands of years happened to get ransacked right when something happened to him!
Villain Points.
His mentality shattered at that moment, and Jiang Ke’er received a hundred thousand Villain Points.
“Where’s my head??? Where’s my head???”
Just then, he overheard a conversation between researchers outside the Hanlin Academy.
“I heard the thief who stole the items was already probed with the Soul-Searching Technique, but even he doesn’t know where the items went?”
“Among the stolen items, I remember there was a strange brain.”
“Yeah, it was still warm, twitching and trembling. That thing was the last one he sold.”
“Why?”
“Because it looked too disgusting!”
“R-right… it really was disgusting! I wonder whose brain it was, ugh…”
“So how did he end up selling it after all?”
“I heard some Sichuan Person bought it for two Spiritual Dust, planning to take it home to dip in hotpot.”
[Received 100,000 Villain Points from Xu Chen. Converted to Vouchers.]
Jiang Ke’er: “…”
Xu Chen was completely beside himself.
You bastards are using the brain of Shenzhou’s number one Genius for hotpot?!
Look at those dense wrinkles all over the cortex. Don’t you realize that’s a higher life form you could never even hope to look up to?
Even though his mentality was utterly shattered, Xu Chen had no time to complain right now.
If he didn’t hurry up and find it, his brain would be boiled through with flavor.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.