Inside Ming Yuan's office, Zhang Wen continued speaking.
"Inside these bottles, there are approximately four hundred thousand antidote pills. All of them are Earth Grade. I used nearly all the resources from the Cloud Trading House to refine them. I significantly lowered the quality of the pills in exchange for nearly doubling the quantity."
He paused briefly before continuing unhurriedly.
"My people and I, dozens of us, refined them throughout the entire night without rest. Right now, I will keep two hundred thousand pills with me. The remaining four hundred thousand pills will be entrusted to you. Their properties and quality are exactly the same."
Both Ming Yuan and Kang Hao, who was listening from another location, paid close attention, their expressions turning solemn.
"After this, the citizens of the city will fall ill with a strange disease."
Zhang Wen spoke bluntly.
"Do not panic. It is my poison. To remove this poison, it requires either a Half-Emperor or an Emperor-level alchemy master to personally perform the treatment. Even then, there is still a chance of failure, though perhaps a small one."
Zhang Wen transmitted his voice toward Kang Hao while allowing Ming Yuan to hear it as well.
"I will have you declare a state of emergency and send my people to help disperse the rain clouds. The operation will succeed, but some Saints will become infected by the poison, and they will attempt to expel it but fail."
Zhang Wen's voice remained completely calm.
"At that moment, Kang Hao, you must act shocked. As for the rest, my people will handle it."
Ming Yuan began to fully grasp the entire scheme. His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
"After that, the citizens will fall into fear when they witness that even Saints cannot resist the poison."
"At that moment, the Cloud Trading House, which I control from the shadows, will announce the sale of antidote pills at an extremely high price."
Zhang Wen paused before continuing, his eyes calm and emotionless.
"After selling them for a period of time, Ming Yuan, you must approach Kang Hao and expose that the poison is secretly hidden within the antidote pills themselves. Kang Hao will then confirm that truth and lead my people to investigate the source of the medicine."
"After that, Kang Hao will raid the Cloud Trading House, reveal the entire truth about the poisoned medicine, and a battle will occur. Your side will emerge victorious."
"Finally, the White Dragon Trading House will appear as the savior, releasing the four hundred thousand antidote pills to sell and rescue the citizens."
Zhang Wen paused briefly before continuing.
"During that time, Kang Hao will discover the truth that the poison can also spread into various raw materials. At that moment, you must declare another emergency alert to every trading house. In truth, the poison has already been planted within the goods of the top nine trading houses from the beginning, so no matter how they investigate, they will find it."
"At that moment, we will observe the situation and decide what conditions to impose when collecting those contaminated materials. It may be forcing them to sell at extremely low prices, or simply gathering the materials after they abandon them."
"There are still many details left in the actual execution. This is only a rough framework. When the operation truly begins, I will personally control everything."
Zhang Wen took a deep breath as he looked at Ming Yuan's silent face, then spoke in a voice filled with chilling calmness.
"I know this method is filthy. It is even disgusting. We were once good people. We once held firmly to the word justice."
On the other side, Kang Hao stroked his chin and let out a soft laugh.
"Well… you flatter me too much."
Zhang Wen's voice immediately followed.
"Not you…"
Kang Hao: (˶°ㅁ°) !!
Zhang Wen continued in a steady tone.
"Deep in your hearts, you may not accept methods like this. But remember this. We were not born from some heavenly realm, nor did we crawl out from any abyss of hell."
"We are merely ordinary people."
The gaze in his eyes slowly grew more unsettling, his tone shifting as he spoke.
"I am not asking you to become heartless monsters. However, this world does not have enough space for everyone to succeed."
"In every competition, there will always be winners, and there will always be losers. Every acceptance exists alongside rejection. Beneath the light of someone's victory, there will always be another person crushed beneath their shadow. Therefore, every success you achieve will destroy someone else's life, one way or another."
"So prepare yourselves. Use the failures of others as the bricks that allow us to step upward and stand at the highest peak."
Everything fell into an eerie silence.
…
….
….
Suddenly, Ming Yuan's body trembled violently, as if he had been awakened from a long slumber. The spiritual energy within his body erupted uncontrollably. The sky above instantly distorted as dark clouds spiraled and layered over one another.
Light burst from Ming Yuan's body. His skin glowed as though carved from jade. In that instant, several tiny stars appeared around him. Each star revolved in perfect order, connected by faint threads of energy, resembling a newly drawn celestial map.
His cultivation surged madly. Body Integration Second Stage was torn apart in an instant. Nirvana. Heavenly Cavern. Each realm flowed through his body like a raging river. Nothing blocked him. No resistance existed.
Zhang Wen watched the scene calmly. He raised his hand and took out a Phoenix Emperor Flame Pill. With a squeeze of his palm, he crushed it into shimmering crimson-gold powder, then flicked his hand, sending it directly into Ming Yuan's body, merging it with him completely.
What unfolded before him was enlightenment. A fragment of comprehension was opened, yet that fragment alone was enough to shake the very foundation of his existence, allowing his cultivation to surge as though all chains binding him had been shattered.
At the same time, inside the City Lord's Mansion, Kang Hao had entered a similar state, yet his was far more intense and profound. His body remained perfectly still, his eyes tightly closed, yet the energy within him circulated with flawless precision, like a river that had known its path since the very beginning.
What Kang Hao possessed beyond others was comprehension. He did not rely on a special physique. He did not depend on a sacred bloodline. He did not wait for blessings from the heavens. Comprehension alone was enough to allow him to step into the Saint Realm.
His cultivation surged violently. Saint Level Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Each stage was shattered one after another without the slightest pause.
The sky above the mansion immediately fell into chaos. Sacred energy erupted upward like pillars. Terrifying pressure spread across the entire area. Fragments of a small world born from the laws of life and death began to condense, merging together in unstable harmony.
Zhang Wen sensed everything that was happening. He frowned slightly and flicked his finger.
Bang!
The rain outside suddenly intensified hundreds of times over. The roaring downpour drowned out all sound. A dense curtain of water blocked all sight. Even spiritual perception could not penetrate it. The entire city became isolated from the outside world. The citizens could only remain hidden inside their homes, completely unaware of what was unfolding beyond their shelters.
Zhang Wen warped Ming Yuan out of the trading hall before instantly transporting him to the City Lord's Mansion.
Here, the forces of death and life collided and fused with terrifying ferocity. An overwhelming pressure bore down upon Kang Hao, who was condensing fragments of a small world, as well as Ming Yuan, whose enlightenment had yet to conclude. Both of them were being watched by the heavens due to their black fortune.
Zhang Wen waved his hand once more. Four droplets of water floated into the sky. Inside each droplet, the unconscious bodies of Mu Ling, Ye Xin, Ye Chen, and Huang Ran lay suspended. Their lives were used as shields, forcing the heavens to halt its movements momentarily.
The atmosphere instantly calmed, as if the heavens had sheathed its blade and retreated one step, allowing the two to continue forward.
Kang Hao successfully condensed a black-and-white fragment of a small world. The miniature world rotated steadily as the powers of life and death merged in perfect harmony. Yet his enlightenment had not ended. His cultivation continued to soar without pause.
Saint King Level One
…
…
Saint King Level Four
…
…
Saint King Level Seven
At the same time, Ming Yuan successfully broke through into the Saint Realm, but his enlightenment had yet to reach its conclusion.
Zhang Wen took out eight more Phoenix Emperor Flame Pills. Without hesitation, he crushed them instantly and sent all of their power directly into Ming Yuan's body.
Ming Yuan's power erupted once more as his cultivation surged upward.
Saint Level Two
…
Saint Level Three
…
Saint Level Five
…
Saint Level Seven
…
Saint Level Nine
After reaching Saint Level Nine, the stars revolving around Ming Yuan's body shone even brighter before gradually calming down.
When everything finally settled, both Kang Hao and Ming Yuan spent time consolidating their foundations and refining their power amidst the relentless storm of rain that continued to pour without end.