Chapter 214: Twelve Swords of Royal Power, Void Devourer!

"Your Excellency Pride. Your Excellency Lust," Yan Moxie said, stepping forward to offer a solemn greeting.

Su Mu nodded. "Where is the item?"

Yan Moxie slowly drew a rod-like object wrapped in black cloth from behind his back and offered it.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing tactfully stepped up to take it. He pulled back the cloth, revealing a pitch-black sword with no crossguard.

The weapon was straight as a rod. Both its hilt and scabbard were entirely black and perfectly smooth.

The moment Taoist Priest Xuanqing gripped the hilt, his expression changed drastically. "This sword is devouring my power?"

"This is one of the Twelve Swords of Royal Power, the Demonic Sword: Void Devourer," Yan Moxie said. "It possesses the unique ability to consume energy. This devouring effect doesn't just target external sources; it also drains the wielder's own power. Many past owners died this way, sucked dry into husks by the blade."

Yan Moxie's tone grew grave. "Furthermore, we suspect it is a living entity. It requires long-term feeding and must be allowed to eat its fill before every use. Otherwise, it won't attack the enemy—it will turn on its master first."

"It's that sinister?" Taoist Priest Xuanqing hurriedly grabbed the black cloth and threw it back over the Demonic Sword: Void Devourer. Only then did the draining sensation fade. Examining the fabric, he noticed it seemed to contain a transcendent formation designed to isolate energy.

"Your Excellency Pride, I have delivered what I promised," Yan Moxie said. "As for the photographs..."

"It isn't enough," Su Mu said coldly.

Yan Moxie's face darkened. "What is the meaning of this, Your Excellency Pride? We had an agreement."

"Because of this mission, Envy is dead."

Yan Moxie froze. "Her Excellency Envy... she died too?"

Su Mu nodded. "There's no need to pretend. The Revolutionary Army's intelligence network shouldn't be this slow. Every member of the Blood Clan in the Chiyan Empire has been purged by Supreme Heaven, including Envy. If it weren't for this mission, she would never have been exposed, let alone killed. Therefore... the price goes up."

Yan Moxie's eyes flickered, betraying a hint of guilt. He obviously already knew this. In truth, he had suspected early on that Envy would die, but he had kept his mouth shut, terrified of exactly this situation.

Strictly speaking, Envy's death really did have something to do with the Revolutionary Army. It was their joint operation with the Seven Deadly Sins that had exposed her identity as a member of the Blood Clan. However, the root cause was still Envy herself.

Who told her to be such a freak? She had refused to let anyone interfere in her battle, allowing Sikong Zhen to escape and pass the intelligence to the Chiyan Imperial Family.

"Your Excellency Pride, I am deeply sorry for Envy's death, but this exceeds the scope of our agreement..."

"Yan Moxie, I am not negotiating with you. I am informing you. Do you understand?" Su Mu's apathetic tone didn't shift in the slightest, yet anyone could hear his utter disregard for life. He clearly wasn't joking. "Either pay up, or go down and keep Envy company."

The atmosphere instantly froze. The Revolutionary Army members present grew visibly tense.

By the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, he's even squeezing the last drop of value out of the dead. As expected of the Divine Envoy! Taoist Priest Xuanqing marveled inwardly.

Yan Moxie's expression turned exceedingly ugly. He had known all along that the people of the Seven Deadly Sins were not to be trifled with. When the commander first proposed cooperating with them, he had opposed the idea. Seeking skin from a tiger would inevitably invite a vicious backlash!

"What does Your Excellency Pride want?"

"A Gold Grade Transcendent Tier Potion."

Yan Moxie drew in a sharp breath. "Your Excellency Pride, the Revolutionary Army does not possess a Gold Grade Transcendent Tier Potion."

"Lust, go make the photographs public," Su Mu ordered. "The Chiyan Empire suspected the Seven Deadly Sins were tied to the Blood Clan, so they mobilized Supreme Heaven to wipe out the Blood Clan. I am quite curious—once they learn we're tied to the Revolutionary Army, will they unleash Supreme Heaven again to wipe out the rebellion?"

"You got it, boss."

"Wait!" Yan Moxie clenched his jaw, the veins bulging on his face. "I am telling the truth! The Revolutionary Army has been hunted by the Chiyan Empire for years. How could we possibly sit on a Gold Potion and not use it? Forget Gold—even Silver and Bronze potions are consumed the second we get our hands on them.

"For us, desperately bolstering our strength is the only way to survive!"

"Hm." Su Mu nodded, sounding perfectly reasonable. "I deeply sympathize with your plight. Lust, why are you still standing there?"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing immediately broke into a stride, preparing to leave.

Yan Moxie hastily blocked his path.

"What? You want to fight, old man?" Taoist Priest Xuanqing sneered flippantly. "Don't forget how you lost last time. Want to try again?"

"Your Excellency Pride, I am willing to trade all the transcendent pathways the Revolutionary Army possesses!" Yan Moxie offered. "Can they substitute for the potion?"

Su Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. Transcendent pathways were a form of knowledge. Having a Transcendent Potion without knowing the subsequent pathway made blind advancement a doomed endeavor anyway.

"Acceptable."

Yan Moxie exhaled heavily.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Please wait a moment."

He turned and went into an adjacent office. He brought out paper and a pen and began to write. As a vice-commander of the Revolutionary Army, this esoteric knowledge was crystal clear to him, even if others were ignorant of it.

Soon, three transcendent pathways were written out.

Su Mu took the paper. The three pathways listed were the Gold Laws [Giant Demon], [Shadow Demon], and [Elemental Master]!

Beneath each Gold Law were their corresponding Silver and Bronze Laws.

This knowledge appeared simple, but it was worth a fortune. Such basic information was enough to completely stall the progress of most Transcendents. Aside from the Chosen Ones, any Transcendent relying on potions would be hopelessly stuck if they didn't know their subsequent pathway. Without knowing which potion to consume next, how could they ever hope to advance?

Consuming the wrong potion would trigger a transcendent clash, instantly causing their soul to collapse and resulting in death.

Among these three pathways, the one that interested Su Mu the most was [Giant Demon], because it was the advancement path for the Silver Law [Follower of Strength]!

Currently, he possessed two great Bronze Laws: [Great Force Bombardment Punch] and [Heart of Steel]. As long as he acquired [Ceaseless Recovery], he would have the necessary capital to advance to Silver 1.

This was a transcendent pathway he absolutely had to walk. Even though it was widely ridiculed as the most generic and common route, the physical enhancements it provided were undeniably formidable. It was the path that suited him best.

At this moment, Yan Moxie spoke up with heavy gravity. "Your Excellency Pride, I have given you what you asked for. We are now completely even."

His unspoken subtext was clear: this was the very last time. If Su Mu's insatiable greed led him to threaten them with the photographs again, the Revolutionary Army was fully prepared to fight to the bitter end.

Perhaps still feeling uneasy, he added one more sentence. "Strictly speaking, the Seven Deadly Sins and the Revolutionary Army are allies. Furthermore, if I am exposed, there's no telling who the Chiyan Imperial Family will use Supreme Heaven to eradicate first. After all, as things stand now, the threat the Seven Deadly Sins pose to the Chiyan Empire is clearly much higher than that of the Revolutionary Army."