Ye Qingyu returned to surface and looked for the village chief of Northern Wall Village.

"Ah, my lord, you've. returned? That's great news," the village chief was surprised to see Ye Qingyu and said hesitantly, "I was so worried when you disappeared for more than twenty days after entering the crypt. These d.a.m.n electric slaves seriously deserved death for creating such a big mess. Don't worry, I've already locked all these cursed people up and they will be publicly executed this afternoon."

Ye Qingyu frowned slightly.

He figured out why the crypt was in such a state.

"Release them all," he said.

The village chief was stunned and immediately realized that he had wrongly predicted Ye Qingyu's reaction. He tried to justify his actions and hurriedly said, "My lord, these lowly electric slaves are in the wrong and almost put you in a dangerous predicament. If I let them go now, I'm afraid that I'll face opposition from the other lords in the city, I..."

Ye Qingyu could not be bothered to listen to this village chief's explanation and said, "Tell them to come to me if they have any objections... Let the electric slaves go now and tell your men to prepare some food. The electric slaves... the electric workers will need to rest and recuperate. I have an important mission for them to accomplish."

"Sure sure sure," the village chief stopped trying to explain himself.

The city guards rushed over at the first instance when they received word that their City Lord had returned. A while later, several n.o.blemen from the city and Eleven who was masquerading as the Young City Lord arrived at Northern Wall Village.

"I want you to commit my words to memory and you're forbidden from making any changes to them in the future," Ye Qingyu said as he looked at Eleven. "From this day on, Li Qing will be the village chief of Northern Wall Village and he will be responsible for providing food to all the black-haired Dark Ones. No one should stop him from carrying out his duties and I forbid anyone from questioning him or carrying out any investigations into his work. If anyone dares to openly defy my order, you must kill them all. You can't show any mercy, do you understand?"

"I do," Eleven quickly answered.

The tone of Ye Qingyu's message meant that Li Qing was now his trusted subordinate. Eleven decided that he should try to be on friendlier terms with Li Qing in the future to further understand how this electric slave managed to gain his master's trust so quickly.

"Also, I want you to elevate the status of the electric slaves from now on. Remove the word 'slaves' from their t.i.tle and they shall be known as 'electric workers' henceforth. They should all be given preferential treatment and provide them with food from Central City. I don't care if all the n.o.blemen in the city starve to death but not a single electric worker should die of starvation. If an electric worker is killed without reason, you must thoroughly investigate this issue and you must leave no stone unturned. Li Qing shall be in charge of selecting all future electric workers, do you understand?" he said, emphasising each word.

Eleven was slightly perplexed by Ye Qingyu's actions.

However, since Ye Qingyu's instructions were not too difficult to carry out, he immediately agreed to follow his instructions to a tee.

The n.o.blemen who gathered at Northern Wall Village after hearing the news all looked dismayed.

What did that mean?

Wouldn't this mean that the electric slaves would enjoy a higher status than them? The black-haired Dark Ones were so low-born that they were considered to be worse than slaves, so didn't this mean that they could now flaunt their newly elevated status even in front of the n.o.blemen and push them around?

"My lord, I object. This order is too absurd and our city could be suspected of flouting the laws of the Guardians. The black-haired Dark Ones are merely slaves and they are lowly, ignorant, underdeveloped and extremely weak, so how could they enjoy such a high status? As for us, the n.o.blemen, we are protected by the Guardians camp, so how could we be of a lower status than these lowly creatures? I..." a n.o.bleman who was as chubby as a meatball exclaimed loudly.

Ye Qingyu nodded and did not rebuke him.

He even looked kindly at the other n.o.blemen and said, "Is that so? Does anyone else have any other objections?"

The other n.o.blemen were slightly hesitant to voice their opinions, but when they didn't detect any anger on his expression, about four to five n.o.blemen rose to their feet and stood beside the chubby n.o.bleman.

"Lord Cheng He has a point."

"Yes, the black-haired Dark Ones are so lowly, so how could you grant them such a high status? These lowly creatures are ungrateful dogs and they are just a group of maggots."

"Yes, please reconsider your decision."

"If you insist on your way, we... will have to report this matter to the Royal City of the Guardians and request for them to take a decision on this. If we create such precedence, these lowly peasants will take advantage of us and this would be a huge blow to the Guardians' rule."

"A moment's negligence could result in irreversible damage."

Several n.o.blemen said and they were full of righteous indignation.

As they spoke, another three or four n.o.blemen of Central City rose to their feet and stood beside the n.o.bleman Cheng He who was as round as a meatball, declaring their stance.

There was a flash of prideful glee on that chubby n.o.bleman's face.

He was surprised to receive so much support and the wheels in his mind turned quickly. If Zhang Longcheng continued to go against the flow, he might even stand a chance.

Ye Qingyu looked very satisfied as he nodded and said, "Alright. I guess I must have been far too kind to all of you in the past which is why you've developed some kind of misunderstanding... Since you are all on Cheng He's side, then you shall die together with him."

Before his voice faded away—

Several white crystalline snowflakes appeared out of nowhere.

These snowflakes floated in the air and looked incredibly beautiful as they danced in the wind. They carved a pretty arc across the sky before anyone could react and landed on Cheng He's and the other n.o.blemen's brows.

They felt a bone-chilling iciness and Cheng He immediately realized that something was wrong.

He tried to say something but the next instant, the iciness exploded and he was instantly turned into a silver ice sculpture that gleamed prettily. All his flesh, blood and clothes were all turned into pure white ice and this sculpture was so clear and crystalline that one could see through him.

"My lord..."

"I..."

"My lord, please have mercy."

The other n.o.blemen immediately realized the severity of the situation and tried to plead for clemency, but Ye Qingyu did not show them any mercy. The iciness contained within the snowflakes exploded in a split second and ten crystalline ice sculptures appeared on the ground. These sculptures were crystal clear and looked extremely realistic. If the other had not witnessed the entire scene, no one would have connected these ice sculptures to the n.o.blemen who had been alive just moments ago.

Thump! Thump!

The other n.o.blemen who did not take a stance earlier were now so frightened that their knees buckled. They knelt on the ground and trembled in fear. No one else dared to express their discontent.

Zhang Longcheng was the City Lord of Central City and he was a t.i.tled n.o.bleman so his status was a lot higher than that of an average n.o.bleman. No one else dared to go against him at this point in time.

The others, including the village chief of Northern Wall Village, were so frightened that they shook in fear and lowered their heads, afraid of attracting Ye Qingyu's attention.

"I'll leave you to liaise with Li Qing in the future. You'll be in charge of the affairs in the city while Li Qing shall be in charge of the Dark Ones. I want you to work cooperatively and I don't want to see any infighting, do you understand?" he said as he looked at Eleven.

Eleven immediately agreed respectfully.

Ye Qingyu nodded and said, "You may go." Then, he stepped onto the airs.h.i.+p that would send him back to Central City and the n.o.blemen who were kneeling on the floor slowly rose to their feet unsteadily and trailed behind his airs.h.i.+p deferentially. They were extremely terrified and it was as though they were small boats in the middle of stormy seas.

The airs.h.i.+p rose into the air.

Ye Qingyu stood at the bow of the s.h.i.+p and said, "Cheng He and the others are guilty of attempting to rebel and went against my orders. Seize all their a.s.sets and confiscate ninety percent of their a.s.sets. The remaining ten percent shall be divided amongst his clan and they shall be stripped of their t.i.tles. If there are any other dissidents in the future, you may follow this example."

"Yes, my lord," Eleven said with a bow.

His master had once again shown how heartless he could be.

He knew that his master had employed such methods in order to establish Li Qing's position in the Luoshen Ridge and to show his resolution to elevate the status of the electric workers. Once the news spread later, no n.o.bleman nor black-haired Dark One would dare to challenge Li Qing's or the electric workers' status and Li Qing would not face any obstruction as he went about his work.

Eleven had already planned to weaken Cheng He's and the other n.o.blemen's powers since the hands of every n.o.bleman who took Cheng He's side today were stained with the blood of the Dark Ones and they were all secretly powerful slave masters, so they deserved death. He had no sympathy for them.

What was so special about this Li Qing and why was his master supporting this man so publicly?

Eleven's curiosity was piqued.

Moment later, Central City loomed ahead of them.

Ye Qingyu immediately entered a hidden room of the City Lord's residence after he reached the city.

The female Sword Immortal, w.a.n.g Jianru was cultivating inside the hidden chamber. She was almost done recuperating and her figure that had once been as elusive as white smoke was now extremely solid. A cloud of sword qi surrounded her and this was a sign that the eighth transformation of her [Nine Revolutions Sword Body] had reached Great Perfection. Her nirvana was almost complete.

Ye Qingyu did not dare to interrupt her cultivation.

He sat in a corner and waited patiently.

Three days and nights pa.s.sed.

Finally, the sword will mist that surrounded her wormed into her body, revealing her fair and perfect body and a white long robe immediately appeared and wrapped itself around her perfect body. Then, she landed barefoot on the ground.

Ye Qingyu had looked away and only turned to face her when she landed.

"Congratulations," he said with a smile.

The day she completed the eighth transformation of the [Nine Revolutions Sword Body] was also the day that she would need to return to the Unmoving City of Darkness. Her strength had skyrocketed yet again and even he couldn't even a.s.sess the extent of her strength, so it would definitely be safe for her to journey back to the Unmoving City of Darkness.

w.a.n.g Jianru smiled and retracted in her aura so she looked no different from an ordinary woman. After her sharpness had completely disappeared, she asked, "How long have I been cultivating?"

It has been one month since Nie Tiankong left," he replied since he knew what she wanted to know.

"Has it been a month?" w.a.n.g Jianru mused.

Her white robes hung loosely around her frame which made her look even more slender and graceful. Her sword body of the eighth transformation seemed to be perfect and flawless and exuded an exuberant charm. She slowly sat on the stone bench in the hidden chamber and lifted her fair and slender feet as she extracted a pair of white boots from her storage s.p.a.ce. She slipped them on gracefully and said with a smile, "It's about time now. Based on the efficiency of the Guardians' Royal City and with the influence that Nie Tiankong's family has, I believe that you will receive an order summoning you to the Royal City in another day or two. You must make the necessary preparations now that it is time for you to leave."

Ye Qingyu nodded and smiled confidently as he said, "I've already made all the necessary arrangements and I'm confident that there aren't any flaws."

w.a.n.g Jianru shook her head grimly and warned him, "Don't underestimate the methods of the Guardians' Royal City. After all, this is a place that had once produced countless ancient Emperors so they are extraordinarily powerful. You might be highly skilled at disguising yourself, but it would be impossible for you to completely escape detection; especially since it is rumored that there is an ancient Great Emperor who resides in the Royal City and he has the ability to see through anyone's disguises."

"Ah?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Is that possible?"

w.a.n.g Jianru nodded and said, "Once your ident.i.ty has been compromised, you would be in extreme danger. It would definitely be extremely hard for you to escape."

He thought for a moment, then smiled as he said, "Based on what you have shared, I can tell that you've already thought of a plan."

She wouldn't have brought this matter up otherwise.

"You're very sharp," she said with a smile, "You're right. There are several ways to do this. A plausible method that you could use is the obtain the true [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] since it would change your character and temperament as well. Once you succeed, even a Martial Emperor would not be able to detect your true ident.i.ty."

"The [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds]?" he shook his head, then continued, "It isn't as easy as you make it out to be. This is an Emperor weapon and is considered a supreme treasure of the world. How could I possibly get my hands on it?"

She smiled and said, "Didn't you take the [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] from Ye Chen?"

"That is only an imitation product, it can't be the real thing..." he said and shook his head. Then, his mouth fell open in shock when he saw a teasing glint in her eyes and stammered, "Could... that [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] be the real thing?"

"You've truly been sitting on a goldmine without realizing it," she shook her head and said with a smile.

In other words, the [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] was indeed the legendary supreme treasure.

He was completely astonished and said, "How could it be? I've studied it and the aura this armor exuded did not truly mark it as an authentic Emperor weapon. If Ye Chen had such a supreme treasure in his hands, how could I have killed him? This doesn't make sense..."

"That is because this [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] is incomplete and it is missing a core component," she said as though she had expected his reaction, "Ye Chen was extremely audacious and stole many treasures from the military a.r.s.enal of the Royal City. However, he must have been blessed with great luck since he actually managed to steal the [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds]. This is also the fault of the guards in charge of guarding the a.r.s.enal since they a.s.sumed that this incomplete armor was a fake Emperor weapon and stored it in a place that wasn't as closely guarded."

It made sense now.

The armor was not complete.

This explained it.

If the [Formless Armor of s.h.i.+fting Clouds] was incomplete, this meant that it was just a shadow of its former self. How could he rely on this armor to ward off the detection of a Martial Emperor if even he could break past this armor's defenses?

He looked at w.a.n.g Jianru in confusion.

w.a.n.g Jianru smiled and said, "I know why you're confused, but you've failed to realize that you're already in possession of this armor's missing core component."

He asked in astonishment, "What? Impossible, the things I have..." He suddenly stopped because he realized that he indeed had something that he had yet to figure out how it could be used. Now that he thought about it, it might just be the thing that the female Sword Immortal was referring to.

Had he truly been sitting on a goldmine without realizing it?