Chapter 1131 - 375: The Domineering Vice President’s New Task

"Dad, my cultivation is finished. These items should be enough for your cultivation, right?"

Su Yue hurriedly handed the two bundles to Su Qingfeng, praying that no more unexpected trouble would crop up.

"Dad, why do you look so distracted?" Su Yue frowned.

Having dealt with Bai Zhiyong and prepared the materials for the Divine Return Tower, his father should be thrilled. Why the worried expression? It wasn’t normal.

"Su Yue, apart from the materials your father needs, take the rest back to your company. As for how the remuneration will be distributed, let your board of directors hold a meeting to sort it out later!" Yuan Longhan chuckled again.

"Wait...

"I brought back so many Star Cleansing Stones. So none of this counts toward my military merits?" Su Yue looked bewildered.

"Your company contracted this bamboo forest a week ago. You are the CEO. What do the items you bring back have to do with military merits?" Yuan Longhan asked deadpan.

"I... I..." Su Yue was speechless. In his moment of panic, he subconsciously pinched Zhu Zhihui.

Sure enough, he had stepped right into Yuan Longhan’s trap.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!

Zhu Zhihui suffered in silence, wondering why it was being pinched just because Su Yue had been outsmarted by a powerhouse.

"Forget it, I’ll stop teasing you.

"In the future, military merits might not hold much meaning for you anyway.

"Therefore, there’s no need to count these Star Cleansing Stones toward your merits!

"As for money, the dividends from the Ketone Trust Group will pay out far more than the Military Department ever could!" Yuan Longhan teased, before his expression turned solemn once more.

"I won’t need merits? Why?" Su Yue was utterly baffled. Was his comprehension lacking, or was Yuan Longhan just bad at explaining?

"Marshal, I don’t agree!" At that moment, Su Qingfeng, who had worn a worried look this entire time, suddenly looked up at Yuan Longhan and spoke with unwavering resolve.

"Dad, what do you mean you don’t agree? What are you guys talking about?" Su Yue frowned deeply. His instincts told him that this concerned him. Perhaps it was even connected to the Star Cleansing Stones.

"Su Yue, it’s time you knew a few things.

"The Divine Land has been researching a Sacred Artifact known as the Li Zai Tripod.

"The primary function of the Li Zai Tripod is to swallow an entire Spiritual Spring within an alien race’s city and condense it into a Spring Whale. As long as the Divine Land deploys a Spring Whale in the Wet Realm, we can build a brand-new city at any location.

"The Spiritual Qi contained within a Spring Whale will be even denser than the original Spiritual Spring. This way, the Divine Land army can set up camps in the Wet Realm, finally allowing our Martial Artists to enjoy a comfortable cultivation environment, just like the Yangxiang Race.

"Furthermore, when the Divine Land breaches a Wet Realm City in the future, we won’t be forced to passively destroy the Spiritual Spring. We can simply store it in the Li Zai Tripod.

"As for wild Spiritual Springs, Divine Land Martial Artists can also retrieve them using the Li Zai Tripod.

"Perhaps in a dozen years or so, as the Divine Land establishes more and more cities and fortresses in the Wet Realm, we could even launch a counterattack against the Eight Races Sacred Land.

"Unfortunately, the Li Zai Tripod has already cost the Divine Land three trillion in funding, and the research has currently hit a bottleneck. There’s a risk this project might be shelved!" Yuan Longhan sighed, his face filled with melancholy.

"The way to break through the bottleneck of the Li Zai Tripod is related to the Star Cleansing Stones, isn’t it?" Su Yue asked with a frown, though inwardly, he was quite shocked.

The Li Zai Tripod. If this artifact actually worked, then the Divine Land—and indeed, all Earth Martial Artists—would spread like a wildfire, completely setting the plains ablaze. By the time the Yangxiang Race reacted, they would be facing countless cities and fortresses, alongside an endless, crashing wave of human Martial Artists.

It made sense. The prophecy of the Bihui Cave seemed quite accurate after all. Divine Land Martial Artists truly were like Outer Realm Demons, beginning to encroach upon the lands of the Wet Realm. Once the invasion started, expelling them would be as difficult as scaling the heavens. In truth, the capabilities of the Divine Land Research Institute were as deep and unfathomable as a black hole.

"Correct.

"Inside a Star Cleansing Stone lies a Star Cleansing Ice Crystal.

"This Star Cleansing Ice Crystal can be forged into an ice crystal glove by the Research Institute.

"Only by wearing this ice crystal glove can one steal the precious Spring Fire from the Yangxiang Race.

"This Spring Fire is the very reason Earth Martial Artists cannot utilize Spiritual Springs. As long as we possess a Spring Fire, the final step of the Li Zai Tripod can be completed!" Yuan Longhan stared gravely into Su Yue’s eyes, as if gazing at a spark of hope.

"You want me to extract the Star Cleansing Ice Crystal from the Star Cleansing Stone, have the Research Institute make it into an ice crystal glove, and then wear that glove to infiltrate the Eight Races Sacred Land to steal a Spring Fire from the Yangxiang Race, right?" Su Yue voiced his guess after a few seconds of silence.

Su Yue was no stranger to Spring Fires. They were documented in detail in various historical texts about the Yangxiang Race. Within the eight races of the Wet Realm, a Spring Fire was an exceptionally high-tier sacred relic. Generally speaking, such items were guarded by Peak experts or their Direct Disciples. Cang Ji had guarded a Spring Fire for a period of time. When the alien races wished to occupy a Spiritual Spring, they would retrieve a cluster of Spring Fire. However, the procedures for doing so were incredibly complex.

The fundamental reason why humanity could only destroy Spiritual Springs instead of building cities over them was that they lacked the Spring Fire required to activate them. The Divine Land had tried countless methods to steal a Spring Fire, but all had ended in failure.

"Yes!

"You cracked open the Star Cleansing Stone, so you are the only one who can harness the power of the Star Cleansing Ice Crystal. To anyone else, it holds no special energy at all.

"The ice crystal glove is the only treasure capable of lifting a Spring Fire’s seal and extracting it intact.

"This mission is something only you can accomplish!

"Although it’s highly dangerous..." Yuan Longhan trailed off, looking at Su Qingfeng with guilt written all over his face.

Infiltrating the Eight Races Sacred Land meant facing danger at every turn—it was virtually a suicide mission.

"I won’t allow it!

"Marshal, I know I’m being selfish, but there’s almost zero chance of survival for this mission. I cannot let my son march to his death!" Su Qingfeng refused flatly.

"Marshal, can I negotiate terms?" Su Yue asked earnestly, his brows furrowed.

"You may!" Yuan Longhan looked at Su Yue in surprise.

"I want my dad released from prison. I want his freedom restored!" Su Yue stated his terms.

He finally admitted to himself just how naive he had been, thinking he could save his father through mere military merits. By the time he accumulated enough, who knew how many years his father would have languished in prison? He had to find another way. As for going undercover, Su Yue was already used to it anyway.

"I’m sorry.

"The uproar your father caused back then was far too severe. Almost everyone in the Divine Land knows about it. I have no way to acquit him and let him go free.

"Think about Bai Zhiyong just now.

"If Su Qingfeng sets this precedent, it will have devastating consequences.

"The Divine Land is massive, complex, and filled with a mix of good and bad people. Many would try to use your father as political leverage, which would spark societal chaos." Yuan Longhan shook his head with a bitter smile.

The sheer gravity of Su Qingfeng’s situation was likely difficult for someone of Su Yue’s age and experience to fully comprehend.

"Then I don’t agree," Su Yue shook his head with equal determination.

He didn’t really care about some military merits or money right now. He was just a student at West Martial, and he had no obligation to undertake such perilous missions. He was not a professional soldier.

"Right, we don’t agree!" Su Qingfeng nodded in staunch agreement.

"I cannot release your father, but I can offer you another reward...

"If the mission is successful, I can arrange for you to be... crowned a King ahead of time!" Yuan Longhan said.