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Chapter 310: Chapter 307 Sky Mirage Pearl
In order to prevent the people of Lizhou State from getting the news and escaping, Gu Jinlai didn’t waste much time.
Xin Tianqi was responsible for capturing the prisoners while he himself led four thousand Demon God Guards and headed towards Lizhou.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhanxian, Liu Jingtiao, Fang Linghai, Leng Ningshuang, You Quan Ancestor, Ancestor Wu You, Three-Life Ancestor—the seven Primordial Spirit True Monarchs—along with Gu Xiliu and Gu Yunxin, respectively piloted hundreds of warships, leading thousands of elites, and even cultivator-formed battle squads, directly towards the nine major islands.
...
For ordinary people, a three-hundred-li sea region might seem insurmountable, but for Gu Jinlai, who once again controlled eight Mystic Bird Fighting Machines in True Spirit Possession state, it was merely a matter of one or two minutes.
Through the onboard radar scanning, Gu Jinlai soon detected the locations of various Refining God and Divinity Transformation individuals.
However, among these people, there was no sign of Primordial Spirit level Divine Thought reactions.
Additionally, there were intense battles taking place on Lizhou above, targeting other major forces in Lizhou.
This scene was somewhat surprising to Gu Jinlai.
Just then, energy fluctuations of a Primordial Spirit True Monarch level emerged.
Soon after, the telepathy from Lei Jie reached his ears, "Governor Gu, my apologies for the intrusion, please hear me out."
"Lei Jie?"
Gu Jinlai glanced in the direction of the Divine Thought fluctuation, "What more do you have to say?"
"I never intended to be an enemy of Governor Gu; it was just that the circumstances at the time didn’t offer me too many choices. If I hadn’t stood with the major powers, they would’ve joined forces with the Overseas Twelve Islands to oust me as the state governor. Participating in the allied forces was something I was forced into."
Lei Jie’s Divine Thought surged as he quickly continued, "You must know, Governor Gu, that even though the Lizhou State Governor Mansion was a member of the alliance, not only did I abstain from appearing, but I also only dispatched one or two Divinity Transformation Cultivators. These actions should be enough to show I had no intentions of being your enemy. Furthermore, I’ve clarified the forces involved in the attack on Gu Chifeng in Jiangzhou State. The Lizhou State Governor Mansion is willing to be a vanguard for Governor Gu, to bring them to justice and turn them over to you for sentencing."
Gu Jinlai listened without much change in his expression.
Lei Jie’s actions were merely hedging his bets.
However...
"You found out the identity of the attackers?"
"Yes, it’s Lizhou’s Ouyang family, Ding Family, Baofeng Sect, Tianhai Gang, and from the Overseas Twelve Islands, the Black Shark Island, Coiling Dragon Island, Floating Cloud Island, and Bibo Island—eight forces in total. The Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who took action were the Island Masters of Black Shark Island and Bibo Island."
Lei Jie showed no intention of using this intelligence to bargain with Gu Jinlai, reporting it right away.
He immediately added, "We have taken down the Baofeng Sect. If Governor Gu wishes, you can execute them now, to deter all other petty forces."
"Oh."
Gu Jinlai, piloting the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine, soon arrived above Lizhou.
With his observations...
Sure enough, the State Governor Mansion was engaged in a major battle with local forces.
Naturally, the State Governor Mansion did not have the capacity to engage several major forces at once, but the recent naval battle had wiped out the main forces of the Three Great Families and the two major sects, leaving behind some experts...
Although their combined strength was still above that of the State Governor Mansion, they were headless and panicked, unable to unite and defend against the State Governor Mansion’s onslaught.
With Gu Jinlai’s arrival in the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine above Lizhou, Lei Jie showed himself as a gesture of goodwill and respectfully saluted from afar.
Gu Jinlai looked at the Lizhou State Governor and contemplated for a moment before saying, "Although I know your true intentions, since you’ve shown sincerity, I do not mind giving Lizhou a break. Three hours from now, my men will land in Lizhou, to wipe out the Three Great Families and the two major sects. Prepare for their arrival."
The anxious Lei Jie immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew he had bet correctly.
"I will follow Governor Gu’s orders."
"Hmm."
Gu Jinlai acknowledged and controlled the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine to soar over the airspace of the Three Great Families and the two major sects.
Wherever a red light appeared in his vision, it would be mercilessly struck by an electromagnetic railgun.
And since the Red figures were mostly Hugging Pill, Refining God, and even Divinity Transformation Realm core figures...
With his nearly pinpoint, heaven-sent attacks, the upper echelons of the Three Great Families and the two major sects were killed in turn, making the City Lord Mansion’s advance incredibly smooth.
When four First-level Warships controlled by the Jiangzhou Navy reappeared in the port, most of the battles within Lizhou had been settled, with only some mopping up and looting left to be done.
Knowing that the Three Great Families and the two major sects surely held many benefits, Lei Jie still promptly ordered his subordinates to retreat promptly, showing an attitude of complete disinterest in these spoils.
...
On the warship,
Gu Jinlai disembarked, surrounded by the protective formation of Demon God Guards led by Gu Xiliu.
At the port, Lei Jie waited respectfully along with the key members of the State Governor Mansion.
Seeing Gu Jinlai disembark, he promptly stepped forward to greet him, "Welcome Governor Gu to Lizhou. With your arrival, Lizhou State will undoubtedly be able to easily end its chaos and restore order, allowing this major overseas state to regain its regulations, and likewise, it will spare the twenty million citizens of Lizhou the torment of harassment from the Overseas Twelve Islands."
"Governor Lei sure has a way with words."
Gu Jinlai looked at this top-ranking Monarch.
However, Lei Jie showed extreme humility, "What I’ve said is nothing but the sincere truth. In fact, from the very first time, I heard the great name of Governor Gu, I have been waiting for your arrival. I have always wanted to resolve the chaos in Lizhou, but lacking the ability, I could only barely ensure that I didn’t become mired with the Three Great Families and the two major sects."
After finishing his speech, he quickly added, "When Governor Gu instructed me a few months ago to investigate the prime culprits behind the Jiangzhou incident, I immediately had my nephew secretly delve into the matter, which is how we were able to strike a heavy blow at these forces while their leaders were away and even collapse the Baofeng Sect outright."
Gu Jinlai nodded slightly.
He granted Lei Jie this leeway because of this very reason.
"Gu Chifeng."
Gu Jinlai gave a nod.
Soon, the demoted Gu Chifeng, with a solemn expression, stepped out.
"Go, a blood debt must be paid with blood."
Gu Jinlai spoke directly.
Gu Chifeng bowed and quickly led a troop of Demon God Guards from the warship towards the cities of Lizhou State.
Owing to the sparse population, Lizhou State had only nine cities in total.
Six major powers each held a city, and there were three cities that served as public welfare ports.
Or rather, these cities were jointly governed and controlled by Lizhou State and the Eastern Sea Twelve Islands.
Since Gu Jinlai had already sent the Mystic Bird Fighting Machines to various places in Lizhou State earlier, targeting and single-killing the Divinity Transformation and Refining God Realm masters from the other five powers, excluding the State Lord Mansion...
Of course, there were inevitably some fish that slipped through the net, ones that concealed their presence well, but his Mystic Bird Fighting Machines were not yet called back.
As soon as they showed themselves, they would certainly be met with a lethal blow from the Mystic Bird Fighting Machines descending from the sky.
Additionally, since the State Lord Mansion had already clashed with the five powers earlier, and Gu Chifeng now leading a force of four thousand strong Demon God Guards, sweeping through the remnants of these five powers was more than sufficient.
"Governor Gu, please, this way..."
Lei Jie respectfully led the way at the front, bringing him to the State Lord Mansion.
There wasn’t a hint of the pompousness expected from a Primordial Spirit True Monarch.
Gu Jinlai was not surprised by this behavior.
After the conflict in Fish Dragon City, Xin Tianqi had dispatched many people to investigate the forces of Lizhou State, and even the Eastern Sea Twelve Islands, focusing particularly on those Primordial Spirit True Monarchs.
From these investigations, the character of Lei Jie was well known to everyone.
Describing him as fearing death and valuing life might not sound too pleasant, but it definitely wasn’t far from the truth.
At least, he was accustomed to considering every aspect of a situation and taking precautions in all his doings.
This was also why, despite the harsh environment of Lizhou State, this official State Governor could coexist with the Three Great Families, two major sects, and the Twelve Islands.
His two predecessors as State Governor, one of them a Primordial Spirit Monarch too, had both mysteriously vanished without a trace, leaving no corpse behind.
This kind of person didn’t differ much from the Three Great Families and the two sects.
They feared power but felt no gratitude.
It’s just that he was "smarter" than the others.
As long as Lingxiao City could maintain its dominance, this Primordial Spirit True Monarch would always retain his stance and act obediently.
...
Lei Jie, clearly understanding Gu Jinlai’s temperament, refrained from making grand arrangements for banquets or entertainment, leading him directly to the main hall inside the State Lord Mansion.
"Resources are relatively scarce overseas compared to the mainland, but occasionally, some remarkably stunning treasures are found. It’s as if the heavens knew that Governor Gu would come to save our Lizhou State; I found a treasure half a year ago when I was out," Lei Jie warmly opened a jade box.
Inside was a Treasure Bead emanating a faint glow.
The bead wasn’t large, only one centimeter in diameter, but it was covered in special Dao Patterns, and after he carefully perceived it for a moment...
He actually sensed a hint of space fluctuation within those Dao Patterns.
"Is this..."
Gu Jinlai seemed to think of something, his pupils contracting: "A Sky Mirage Pearl!?"
"Indeed, a Sky Mirage Pearl."
Lei Jie, though pained at heart, wore a full smile on his face.
Gu Jinlai stepped forward and took the bead out to examine it closely.
After quite some time, he arrived at a conclusion: "It really is such a treasure."
The Sky Mirage Pearl.
It was a special material left by an Innate Divine Beast known as "Mirage" upon its death.
Any creature bestowed with the name "Divine Beast" possessed divinity and abilities far beyond common imagination.
The leftover material from this "Mirage" Divine Beast...
Naturally harbored divine space attributes.
It was said the primary material of the fabled Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map was the Sky Mirage Pearl.
Containing a world within, forming its own heaven and earth.
"This is the main material for refining the legendary treasure—the Qiankun Ring," Gu Jinlai said.
The Qiankun Ring and Qiankun Bag were standard accessories for Immortal Cultivators.
However, there was no helping it, this was a lower Immortal World, and the value of the Qiankun Ring was not at all less than that of a Dao Artifact.
"Only an extremely rare few top Heavenly Monarchs, and perhaps the Creators themselves, could refine such a material, and in the Qiantian World, only Governor Gu is capable of doing so," Lei Jie said with a modest smile, "That’s why I said this treasure appeared in anticipation of Your Excellency Governor Gu’s arrival."
