Chapter 319: Energy Weapons Aren't Very Good, But the Energy Great Hand Seal is Excellent

"Let him grow stronger for a while longer? Aren't you afraid he'll get out of control?" The ancestor of the Jade Belt Gu Family rapped his knuckles on the table, his voice laced with impatience.

The purpose of today's meeting was to discuss how to carve up the big cake that was the Taiping Heavenly King Army.

And yet, someone actually had the nerve to suggest they wanted more.

Everyone present had seen how rapidly the Taiping Heavenly King Army was developing.

If this continued, it was only a matter of time before it came back to bite them.

They were indeed the ancestors of Mage Families, but it wasn't as if they'd never witnessed the fall of a Mage Family and the rise of a Jianghu Mage to create a new one.

The Taiping Heavenly King Army was already showing faint signs of slipping from their control.

If this went on any longer, they would be the ones getting devoured.

"Exactly. If anyone has a different opinion, we can assume they've withdrawn from this agreement," the ancestor of the Night Traveling Yang Family chimed in.

They were only supposed to be raising a pig. If it turned into a wild boar, things would get ugly.

It wouldn't be impossible for it to turn around and gore them all to death.

If that Taiping Celestial King were just a Middle-Grade Mage, it wouldn't matter.

But he was a Third-Grade Mage, same as them, which posed a significant risk.

With the two of them in agreement, the remaining family ancestors said nothing more, all tacitly consenting.

After all, this was just the appetizer. The real prize was in the division of spoils to come.

"In that case, my Guo Family will take..." the Guo Family ancestor began, immediately carving out a slice of the profits for himself.

Following his lead, the other family ancestors began to divide the entire cake according to their own preconceived plans.

Although there were some minor disagreements, they were quickly negotiated.

In truth, the division of profits had been decided long ago, back when they first invested. The benefits a family received naturally corresponded to the positions of power their dispatched scions held.

Thus, no unpleasant conflicts broke out.

"Well, there's one thing I don't quite agree with," Qi Suian spoke up. "My Taiping Heavenly King Army... on what grounds do you sons of bitches think you can carve it up completely, without leaving a single scrap for me?"

As Qi Suian spoke, a flash of light emanated from his hand, and the Guo Family ancestor was sliced in two.

The energy weapon formed by the Multi-state Energy Weaving Device killed the Guo Family ancestor instantly. Despite his immense power and tenacious life force, the energy Qi Suian wielded was a composite of multiple elements.

While not a specific counter to abilities like enhanced regeneration or self-healing, it was still more than capable of killing a Third-Grade Mage in a single blow.

This was especially true since Qi Suian knew a Mage's weakness was their Spiritual Root. A direct attack on the Spiritual Root with the multi-state energy meant instant death was no surprise.

"It's you, Taiping Celestial King! You dare to attack?!" The Yang Family ancestor reacted in an instant, his expression a mixture of shock and fury.

He was shocked that Qi Suian could instantly kill a fellow Third-Grade Mage and furious at the sheer audacity of his opponent.

To dare to barge in here.

Before he could even finish his sentence, the multi-state energy in Qi Suian's hand pierced through his heart.

Once the fight had started, Qi Suian saw no need for words.

At the same time, Fei, merged with the Mad Cathedral, smashed the entire courtyard to pieces and charged in.

'The AI still underestimated me,' Qi Suian thought to himself.

His lethality had skyrocketed, especially now that he was coordinating with Fei and the Tai Sui God and had this new close-combat weapon module.

He had already cut down two of the Third-Grade Mages before they could even launch an attack.

This act, naturally, terrified the remaining Third-Grade Mages.

Thoughts of retreat filled their minds. None of them had any intention of facing Qi Suian head-on.

The element of surprise, the initial show of force, and his overwhelming strength were enough to cow this group of Third-Grade Mages.

And now, it was time to pick them off one by one.

"Running? Heh." Qi Suian watched as the Third-Grade ancestors used various spells, intending to flee. He sneered and hurled the multi-state energy in his hand.

Though it was called a close-combat weapon, it was actually a controllable mass of energy formed by processing and compounding multiple elemental energies. Its various forms were created through different permutations of these elements.

Therefore, as long as Qi Suian had enough strength, he could use it as a ranged weapon.

The multi-state energy pierced straight through a Third-Grade Mage's head. Effects like armor penetration and true damage then flared up, instantly ending his life.

If these Third-Grade Mages hadn't run and had instead attacked him together, Qi Suian would have truly been forced to stick to his original plan.

But when were people's hearts ever that united?

It was a classic case of "better you die than I." None of them needed to outrun Qi Suian; they only needed to outrun the others.

A fine idea, and they were certainly fast.

Qi Suian indeed couldn't catch them all, but Fei wasn't just for show.

With its massive body, it formed a blockade.

It didn't need to hold the Third-Grade Mages for long. Thirty seconds was all Qi Suian needed to slaughter them all.

The multi-state energy was formless, yet it reaped the lives of the Third-Grade Mages with ease.

"Wait! You can't kill me! If you kill us, the Taiping Heavenly King Army will become the public enemy of every Mage Family!"

"Forget about achieving anything great! All the Warlords will turn against you and attack!" one of the Third-Grade Mage ancestors cried out in panic.

He was trying to save his own skin by laying out the stakes for Qi Suian.

But Qi Suian didn't even bother to reply. He just killed him.

Qi Suian had no patience for their gangster logic.

'You Mage Families want to take my Taiping Heavenly King Army, and I'm not allowed to resist? If I resist, I become the world's public enemy?'

If that was really how these families and Warlords thought, then Qi Suian would just kill them all and use them as fuel.

Qi Suian didn't operate on gangster logic. He had the much more useful logic of the King of the Western Regions and the Heaven-Reaching Grand General.

The former was an expert at massacres, while the latter specialized in "trampling the bones of nobles in the celestial streets."

Seeing that threats were useless and escape was impossible, someone finally fought back.

But there were too few of them. Before the resistance could even begin, one was struck by a slap from Qi Suian and died on the spot.

The slap was made of multi-state energy.

Qi Suian suddenly realized just how useful the Great Hand Seal was.

Especially when thrown to smash people. Combined with the effects of the multi-state energy, it instantly turned its victims into meat paste.

'It's fine if they're not in one piece. Meat paste can still be scooped up and thrown into the Melting Furnace.'

As long as they weren't completely vaporized like someone hit by a Floating Cannon or an ICBM, Qi Suian didn't mind how messy the death was.

"Great Hand Seal, Great Hand Seal, Great Hand Seal..." Qi Suian muttered as he attacked, forming massive slaps by wrapping his hands in multi-state energy.

This was way more satisfying than any sword, spear, or halberd.

He even made a point of slapping their faces. Even if he later encountered a powerhouse who could withstand the multi-state energy, he could still leave a series of neat handprints on their face.

The attack might not be lethal enough against a true expert, but it was definitely humiliating.

A few minutes later, every single one of the Third-Grade Mages present had been beaten to death by Qi Suian.

Next up was cleaning the scene.

Whether the corpse was intact, missing a head, or just a pile of sludge, Qi Suian took them all and stuffed them into the Melting Furnace.

"By the way, when are we going to liquidate the Taiping Heavenly King Army? I'm getting a little tired of managing a faction," Qi Suian asked the AI as he cleaned up.

Just look at this operation. Because all the power at the lower levels had been carved up, he couldn't mobilize his troops to attack other Mage Families like he did with the Sun Family.

Qi Suian had malicious intentions toward his subordinates, sure, but he provided for them, fed them, and paid them well. Yet they followed orders from the chain of command, not his direct summons.

[After you wipe out these families, use the time lag to sell the Taiping Heavenly King Army directly to a prestigious family that has a First-Grade Mage presiding over it.]

[Collect the payment, then find an opportunity to annihilate them too.]

[For example, during a payroll distribution on the training grounds, or you could just have Fei eat them.]

The AI had provided a solution. In essence: first, wipe out the families, then get multiple uses out of one "fish."

As for the long-term development plan, the AI had already abandoned it.

The outbreak of the Spiritual Root plague signaled the arrival of the apocalypse. The faction's ability to generate wealth had plummeted, turning it from an asset into a liability.

That was why Qi Suian couldn't be bothered to maintain it anymore and was thinking of uprooting the leeks entirely.

"Alright. When it comes to being ruthless, you've got me beat."

"I was just thinking of harvesting them directly, but you're planning to swindle a big fish first."

"But, will it work? Or rather, can the Taiping Heavenly King Army even last until we manage to sell it?"

"The annihilation of so many Mage Families... there's no way we can keep that a secret."

Qi Suian was worried that once the news leaked, no one would fall for the trap.

He couldn't care less about anything else.

[There is a certain risk of failure, which is why I already contacted a buyer three days ago.]

[We have already negotiated the price. Barring any surprises, the resources should be in our hands in two days at most.]

[It is possible to prevent the news from spreading for two days through methods such as control and targeted killings.]

[However, this transaction carries a high risk. After all, we have a prior record of annihilating the Sun Family.]

[Therefore, there is a chance the buyer will try to double-cross us.]

[But with your current strength, even a First-Grade Mage would have to pay a heavy price just to escape from you.]

[A Second-Grade Mage could only fight you to a standstill and would be unable to defeat you.]

The AI had naturally considered the consequences, which was why it chose such a plan.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

If Qi Suian absorbed these three sets of resources—from the annihilated families, the fraudulent sale, and the Taiping Heavenly King Army itself—it would be more than enough to perfect his Abyssal Form.

The fuel for the Tai Sui God would also be secured.

At a minimum, it would guarantee at least three evolutions.

"Ever since we left the Sacred Artifact World, you've become more and more extreme."

"But I like the returns. If there were truly no risks involved, I'd suspect it was a trap set for me."

Qi Suian approved of the AI's plan.

He was never on the same side as the natives and the survivors to begin with; it was only natural for them to be enemies.

Without their "help," how could Qi Suian grow stronger? He couldn't just magically become more powerful out of thin air. His only option was to target the natives and survivors.

As for peaceful coexistence... it was possible, sure, but how would he grow strong quickly?

He might be willing, but the doomsday game wasn't.

The later Doomsday Worlds were progressively more difficult. If he wasn't ruthless enough and his strength failed to keep up, death would be the only outcome.