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Chapter 492: Chapter 488: Unbridled
Merit Reward Hall.
At this time, everyone here had been cleared out.
Even those with esteemed identities, the Special Level Demon Slayers, had been asked to wait outside.
Due to the blazing column of light that contained terrifying energy fluctuations which shot straight into the clouds just moments ago, the dissipating heat had not yet completely vanished, so none of the self-important Demon Slayers harbored any dissatisfaction.
It was only when they saw Hall Master Jin Fantian personally leading Gu Jinlai into the Merit Reward Hall that they began to whisper amongst themselves.
Those who were unaware of Gu Jinlai’s identity inquired about his background, questioning who he was that warranted such treatment by Jin Fantian.
And those who were aware of Gu Jinlai’s identity also found it somewhat unbelievable.
After all, in their eyes, Gu Jinlai was merely a Zone Leader; in terms of status, he was two ranks below one of the Four Great Giants, Jin Fantian. Yet, judging by Jin Fantian’s current attitude...
It was clearly one of equals interacting.
...
A few minutes later, Jin Fantian said with a smile, "The exchange of three thousand pieces of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold has been completed. However, due to the large quantity, we must wait for a commissioner from the Imperial Capital to deliver the Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold. If it’s quick, it will take a day or two; if slow, three to five days. At that time, someone will contact you through the Demon Slaying Order."
"Thank you, Hall Master Jin."
Gu Jinlai smiled and nodded his head.
He was familiar with the Demon-slaying Hall’s exchange procedures.
For certain valuable resources, indeed they had to be shipped from the Imperial Capital.
And while a single piece of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold might not be much, three thousand pieces...
The fact that the Imperial Capital could deliver them in three to five days was already quite efficient.
After all, the Holy Dynasty did not have a large-scale source of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold.
The amount of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold circulating on the market was only around five to six thousand pieces, and the non-circulating supply wasn’t much higher than this number.
In other words, the entire Holy Dynasty, including the collections of the major families and powers, had a total number of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold that would not exceed twenty thousand.
"By the way, Hall Master Jin," Gu Jinlai said with a smile, "I forgot to mention something to City Lord Zhao earlier. As the Zone Leader overseeing so many people in the Outer City District, my subordinates are clearly insufficient in number. I think it’s still necessary to elevate the status of the Zone Leader in order to recruit more manpower. Don’t you agree?"
Gu Jinlai spoke with a smile, "Could you pass this message on to City Lord Zhao for me?"
"You’re right, Ancient Martial Saint. Whether it’s the Inner City or the Outer City District, the rankings should be consistent. I will convey this to City Lord Zhao."
Jin Fantian nodded.
"Then I will leave it to you, Hall Master Jin."
Gu Jinlai clasped his hands together and quickly took his leave.
Jin Fantian watched Gu Jinlai, his mind filled with thoughts.
In the entire Wind and Rain City, the real strongest person was not Zhao Hua but him, Jin Fantian!
Zhao Hua’s own combat power was only equivalent to that of a Top Saint, relying solely on the might of a Divine Weapon to stand above him.
If he could become the City Lord, wielding the Divine Weapon...
His combat power would soar to rival that of a Seventh Rank.
In the past, Zhao Hua had brought together Wu Tianya, Cao Wudao, Zong Yan, Mu Changsheng, and Yue Qushan by leveraging shared interests, but the emergence of Gu Jinlai had shown him another possibility.
...
"Whoosh!"
Outer City District.
Gu Jinlai’s figure streaked through the sky like a flash of lightning, swiftly arriving at the Earth Car Shop.
His trip to the Demon-slaying Hall to process the Demon Slaying Order, to exchange for Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold, and even to kill Martial Saint Sect Yan, seemed lengthy, but in fact, the whole process took less than an hour.
At this time, those Martial Sects from Li Yang Cave Heaven who had followed him were just finishing up the seizure of the Earth Car Shop.
"Lord of the General District, the search and seizure of the Earth Car Shop is complete, we’ve confiscated various resources totaling 1.6 billion!"
As soon as he arrived, someone reported to him immediately.
"Good."
Gu Jinlai uttered, "Let’s move on to the next place."
By making an example of Martial Saint Sect Yan like killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, he believed that his subsequent moves to clean up the Outer City would no longer face any obstruction from the City Lord Mansion.
Moreover, it would greatly benefit his next plans.
By bringing ten million people from the Chi Long Territory to Wind and Rain City, he had undoubtedly exposed the city to the sight of Devils; it was highly possible that the Dragon Tears Demon Emperor would stir up a demon tide and assault Wind and Rain City.
Under such circumstances, he needed to borrow the force of Wind and Rain City to contend against the Devils.
And if he wanted to gain sufficient say, even authority, in this great battle, showcasing his strength was essential.
Just as Zong Yan seemed to have a hint from Zhao Hua to jump out...
He ended up becoming the target of Gu Jinlai’s assertion of power.
"I will need to borrow the power of Wind and Rain City to fight against the Devils, and during this process, I must be careful. There’s no way people like Zhao Hua and Wu Tianya would readily yield their power in their hands. In this situation, I need to watch out for them taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Devils to kick me while I’m down."
Gu Jinlai contemplated silently.
He diverted a portion of his attention to the spiritual world within him.
There, the number of Starlight had reached a staggering one hundred and thirty-six strands.
But...
Not enough!
He needed to raise the Chaotic Star Light Body to the brink of Perfection as quickly as possible.
That is, he was just short of replenishing enough Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold to make a breakthrough naturally.
Only in this way could he maximize the efficiency of extracting the power of the Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold.
He had previously estimated that it would take four to five thousand pieces of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold to bring the Chaotic Star Light Body to Cultivation Perfection, and this assumption was based on that foundation.
If he didn’t raise the Chaotic Star Light Body to the critical point of Perfection, the efficiency of absorbing the Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold would be slower, and the amount needed would surely be even greater.
Accordingly, if he were to infuse a few hundred more Starlights into the Chaotic Star Light Body once it approached Perfection, the amount of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold required could be reduced from four to five thousand pieces to between three and four thousand pieces, or even to the lowest threshold of three thousand pieces.
"Continue the purge of the Outer City District; for those guilty of heinous crimes, spare no one regardless of their influence or background," he ordered.
Gu Jinlai once again threw himself into the cleansing operation of the Outer City District.
However...
Even the Earth Car Shop had been uprooted by him, and Cao Tiangang, the Cao Family heir, had perished, meaning the remaining leaders of the great powers, no matter how prestigious they believed themselves to be, didn’t dare to claim they were of greater importance than Cao Tiangang.
As a result, each leader quickly abandoned their enterprises and fled to the Inner City as fast as possible, causing Gu Jinlai to hit multiple empty targets.
Seeing this, he shifted direction and headed straight for the Inner City.
...
Amidst the roaring thunder, he streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning, descending upon Fang’s Manor in the Inner City.
By then, Fang Yan had already learned about Gu Jinlai’s achievements at the Demon-slaying Hall.
Not even City Lord Zhao, wielding a Divine Weapon and fighting in person, could do anything to him; he watched helplessly as Gu Jinlai obliterated Martial Saint Sect Yan. Even though Fang Yan was exceedingly confident, he did not dare to claim that his strength surpassed that of Zhao Hua.
Therefore, sensing Gu Jinlai’s approach, the Martial Saint who had not taken him seriously before promptly came out to greet him, displaying a humble attitude, "Welcome, Ancient Martial Saint, to Fang’s Manor. If Fang’s Manor has bred any malignancy, please speak, and I, Fang Yan, will not tolerate it. I swear to disassociate from and fight to the end against any culprits that threaten the peace and stability of Wind and Rain City!"
He spoke hastily, preemptively blocking any avenue for Gu Jinlai to escalate the situation.
Gu Jinlai glanced at him and slowly said, "Numerous members of the Fang Family have acted recklessly in the Outer City District. I have a list with clear delineation of certain individuals’ crimes and corresponding evidence. Would Patriarch Fang care to hear it? Fang Luo, Fang Yunkai, Fang Qingge..."
He recited one name after another.
Fang Yan’s face twitched with each name read aloud.
Especially upon hearing his beloved youngest daughter, Fang Qingge, included among them, rage welled up inside him.
But recalling the fates of Martial Saint Lei Yuan of Hai Feng City and Zong Yan, his anger was forcibly subdued.
Maintaining an indignant expression, he immediately ordered the people beside him, "Bring them here; did you hear? With clear evidence, all of them shall be handed over to the Ancient Martial Saint for dispossession!"
"Yes," came the bitter acknowledgment from Fang Family members as they hurriedly obeyed.
Shortly afterward, no fewer than nine people were dragged out from Fang’s Manor.
Witnessing this scene, Gu Jinlai frowned.
The only people he had incriminating evidence on were these nine individuals.
But in reality, the truly wicked of the Fang Family numbered far more than these nine.
He personally knew of at least a dozen more, including the Martial Saint Fang Yan standing before him.
But...
He had no evidence.
Not even circumstantial evidence.
They had covered their tracks all too well.
Furthermore, the Fang Family’s cooperation was too prompt this time, unconditionally delivering people into his hands; he couldn’t even find an excuse to accidentally involve the "Red Name" and eradicate them in the chaos.
If he were to ruthlessly execute all of the Fang Family’s "Red Name" without discrimination, it would certainly provoke a full-scale backlash from the upper echelons of Wind and Rain City. Then...
Without waiting for the Dragon Tears Demon Emperor to lead the Devil army’s sweep, he and the people of Wind and Rain City would be forced to fight to the death.
Pondering this, Gu Jinlai took a deep breath and then, with a fierce wave of his hand,
"Boom!"
The skies echoed with a thousand thunders.
The Thunder Light Domain spread out, and nine bolts of electricity, like nine Thunder Swords cast down from the heavens, fell thunderously.
"Father, save me; help me, I don’t want to die..."
From among the nine of the Fang Family, Fang Qingge’s piercing screams could be heard.
Even though Fang Yan’s breathing fluctuated, he remained motionless at his spot, failing even to glance in the direction of Fang Qingge. He watched, eyes open, as the nine were annihilated to dust by the thundering light.
"Patriarch Fang, impressive resolve," Gu Jinlai commented.
With a forced smile, Fang Yan responded, "Ancient Martial Saint, the Fang Family have been very cooperative with your work. Are you satisfied? If you have further evidence against anyone committing crimes, I will not hesitate to hand them over to you for handling, even if that includes myself."
Gu Jinlai eyed Fang Yan and uttered indifferently, "For now, there is none. But if there is, I will come to find you."
"Is that so? Then Ancient Martial Saint, please leave, we will not see you out," Fang Yan said.
Gu Jinlai nodded and leapt away, heading towards Mu Family’s direction.
Many Fang Family members had hidden within their clan, and Mu Family was no exception.
The number of major family offspring with conclusive evidence in his hands was, indeed, substantial.
