Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 713 - 692: Self-Interest

It’s alright, more peaceful than expected, at least...

The slum in the left front suddenly exploded, with two Innate Martial Artists engaged in a pursuit and battle between the low shanty houses.

Those simple houses could be smashed even by ordinary people; under the fists of Innate Martial Artists, they were like paper.

Rows upon rows of simple houses collapsed.

In the wake of the Innate Martial Artists, rubble flew and iron shards burst.

For the majority, who were ordinary people and Qi Nourishing Martial Artists, these things were comparable to bullets, causing injury upon contact.

Not long after, the two rushed towards the distance.

On the ground, besides the broken pieces of buildings, there were many people injured by mistake.

The living stood up, bandaged wounds, and reconstructed their homes.

Others cried and wailed, carrying their family members’ bodies away.

Most people’s expressions were calm, as if they had just encountered an ordinary typhoon.

No one would come to manage or resolve it.

When the time came, Zhou Leng walked to the hotel’s café and sat in an empty corner, looking out through the glass wall.

Nearby, clean and tidy roads, well-dressed pedestrians coming and going, occasionally some rickshaws.

Skyscrapers blocked the view of the slums, only glass curtain walls reflecting light and buildings filled with Elephant Country cultural flair could be seen.

Before long, a man with Elephant Country features approached, deep-set eyes, curly hair, chocolate skin, sat opposite, and placed an anti-eavesdropper device on the table.

They spoke the password to each other, nodding gently.

"Hello, Xin River, I am Wangu."

"Hello, Wangu, I am Xin River."

The two shook hands lightly and then separated.

Wangu looked around and said in a low voice, "I received news that you are a Grandmaster elder, it’s your first time involved in related actions?"

"Yes."

"Even though you are new here, you should be able to tell that this place is quite different from Dragon Country. Many moral laws from Dragon Country don’t work here at all. To avoid accidents, I hope you will follow the organization’s rules and not do anything too outrageous."

"Are you Innate?"

"Yes."

"Rest assured, the mission comes first, I will cooperate with you as much as possible," Zhou Leng said.

"Do you speak Elephantese or Bird Language?"

"I only know a little Bird Language but have hardly used it."

"Then you will have to play mute and need to disguise again, since your Dragon Country appearance is too obvious."

"No problem."

The two exchanged some details, returned to the room together, where Zhou Leng slowly changed his appearance to look more like an Elephant Country person.

After preparing everything, Wangu began to explain. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Tonight, we will attend the first banquet, and you will act as the Innate bodyguard I hired..."

"My current identity is a mid-level officer of the Elephant Country Demon Worship Sect, responsible for screening guests from various countries and eliminating potential spies..."

"Elephant Country people are indeed a bit... clumsy, so I could easily reach this position. Moving higher is impossible because my caste isn’t sufficient..."

"Three days later, the International Conference officially starts, and both you and I will participate."

"Our goal is simple, gather enough intelligence, and then send it back to the homeland. But, this conference is very critical, and the Demon Worship Sect’s screening is extremely stringent; our chances of exposure are quite high..."

"Therefore, we must be ready to escape at any time. The most important reason is..."

"The Demon Worship Sect’s internal strife is severe, initially the vice president above me was assassinated, losing my major support. Although I am also aligning with others, my foundation damaged, some want to seize my position..."

"So, if someone targets me, you should avoid direct action as much as possible, do it covertly if necessary. If you feel aggrieved, after the conference ends, after the intelligence is transmitted, do whatever you wish..."

Wangu continued, his face revealing complex emotions, "In Elephant Country, the Grandmaster’s privileges far exceed your imagination. Even if you kill thousands or tens of thousands, as long as a sum of money is paid, it’s not a crime. The families of Grandmasters here, regardless of male or female, consist of hundreds or even thousands, directly seized, but those seized, are all willing..."

Zhou Leng asked, "I heard that each Martial Saint in Elephant Country has their own town?"

Wangu nodded, "Indeed. Other things we can discuss on the road. Come, let me introduce you to my people, prepare for tonight’s banquet."

Zhou Leng followed Wangu out of the hotel, sitting in Wangu’s car, chatting over various topics on the way.

Under the night sky, Shuizhou Demon City was quiet.

On a small hill, Wang Boxiong and Tong Tianxia stood side by side, gazing into the deep darkness ahead.

"Zhou Leng has already been transferred to Elephant Country, he will soon complete the task, then cut off all communication, and contemplate under the Bodhi tree, after which it’s a path of Martial Saint Battle Road. We have timed it so that when he loses contact with outside, we take action to avoid our actions disturbing him," Wang Boxiong said.

Tong Tianxia said, "What are the odds of him ascending to Martial Saint?"

"One hundred percent."

"Should we wait till he ascends to Martial Saint and join him for action?" Tong Tianxia turned to look at Wang Boxiong, his gaze profound.

"The Demon Prison Lords want to promote Zhao Hao to ascend, or rather, ascend to Demon. We are out of time."

"He can join early, with him our chances of success are greater."

"I don’t wish for him to be disturbed before ascending to Martial Saint."

"If we fail, he will get the news and still be affected."

"After walking the Martial Saint Battle Road, he will receive an unprecedented spiritual baptism, by then, if he still loses his mind, it indicates he cannot ascend to Martial Saint. That means he is insignificant, whether he comes or not doesn’t matter."

Tong Tianxia said, "You simply do not want him to join the battle."

"Oh." Wang Boxiong responded nonchalantly.

"Chen Shouhu never knew you were the mastermind behind this affair."

"With his dog brain, of course he doesn’t know."

"Do you think you can keep this from Zhao Hao?"

"Definitely not."

"Then why are you still pushing for this?"

"As long as we take action, victory is certain. This is an unstoppable open strategy. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, we will become the torchbearers that light up the night sky, nailing him to the pillar of shame. That pillar is already crowded with them."

"Seems like you have no confidence in this battle."

"Seems like you’ve spent too much time with the Demon Worship Sect and can no longer understand what a short-term goal is versus a long-term goal."

"I don’t want our people to die in vain. You weren’t at the Huang Meng Sect, you don’t know what we’ve been through."

"In the history books, every poignant and bloody word is upheld by a pile of bones. Since ancient times, there has been no such thing as dying in vain."

"History is written by the victors."

"We will be the victors."

"Not necessarily."

"If we aren’t the victors, then this world will surely collapse; for us, a mutual loss is a kind of victory."

"You’ve picked up too many bad habits at the Martial Mansion, only seeing numbers and ignoring human lives; focusing on the current ledger, unable to see the future ledger."

"You’re not wrong, but unlike them, I’m also part of these numbers."

Tong Tianxia sighed lightly, "This time, it is too important. Not just for us, but for the Hell Knight Order and people from all over the country. I can sacrifice myself, even my whole life has been a preparation for that day, but for them... I can’t bear it. Just like Zhang Xiaoxiao, she’s still so young, yet..."

Wang Boxiong quietly gazed ahead, his fierce appearance contrasted with a soft gaze.

"We will definitely win; a future for humanity is always beckoning us. I can always see it."

Tong Tianxia said, "I can see it too. It’s just... are you sure you want to fight personally? Your child is still in elementary school, right?"

"He will understand when he grows up."

"What if he doesn’t understand?"

"Doesn’t matter, someone will surely understand."

Tong Tianxia lit two cigarettes, handing one to Wang Boxiong.

The two long-time friends silently gazed at the distance through the swirling smoke.

Eventually, Tong Tianxia tossed away the cigarette butt, lightly stamping it out with his foot.

"We have too many burdens from the previous generation’s battle at Shang Ganling piled upon us; we cannot continue to place this burden on the shoulders of the next generation."

"You and the Huang Meng Sect must have other plans, right?"

"You figured that out too?"

"I suspected it when you targeted Rucheng... during the incident."

Mountain winds swept through, dispersing Wang Boxiong’s words.

The two exchanged a glance, nodded lightly, and turned to leave.

Elephant Country’s National Capital, Five Xin Deli City.

In a massive estate, a white Baroque-style castle towered, fountains gushing, lights aglow.

Long tables were set across the lawn, with guests from various places arriving, seated at different locations.

Zhou Leng and Wangu wore tuxedos, walking quietly.

Wangu occasionally glanced at people at the banquet, occasionally exchanging nods with some.

Zhou Leng remained expressionless, his face a shade of chocolate, following Wangu like a cold-blooded bodyguard.

Throughout the walk, many familiar faces were seen.

High-ranking officials of Elephant Country, famous singers, international movie stars, supermodels, and high-ranking officials from various countries, making it momentarily feel like being on Demon Island of the Demon Worship Sect.

After a few steps, Zhou Leng saw a familiar face.

Current Patriarch of the Trup Family, Jax.

His presence was like that of the moon surrounded by stars, even high-ranking officials of some countries maintained a low profile.

Even though the Eagle Alliance was weaker than Dragon Country, it was still an entity revered by all other nations.

Not to mention, the Trup Family had regained its glory, and Jax had even hinted at learning from his ancestors to eventually run for Grand Commander.

He was already preparing to run for the next governor of Fuzhou, gaining experience.

Zhou Leng glanced at Jax, unexpectedly finding him well-off while he himself had become someone else’s bodyguard.

Suddenly, Wangu approached and whispered, "An adversary of mine is here, I’ve mentioned it to you before, the guy named Singer, be extra cautious."

Zhou Leng scanned the man, whose skin was slightly lighter than the average Elephant Country citizen, bearded and jovial, walking over and smilingly greeting Wangu, nodding while speaking.

Wangu nodded along.

Although Eagle Language was no longer a mandatory course in Dragon Country, it was the world’s second most common language, and Zhou Leng had studied basic Eagle Language.

Initially, Zhou Leng’s Eagle Language skills weren’t sufficient to understand the conversation between the two, but after learning the Divine Text, language abilities were greatly enhanced, coupled with memory recall, he could manage to understand about half of their conversation.

The two simply exchanged pleasantries about today’s matters and then parted ways.

Wangu whispered, "He won’t dare act recklessly, but someone secretly informed me he’s definitely looking for an opportunity to target us; stay vigilant."