The speed and seamless coordination with which Snowfield Continent and Flame Emperor Continent supported Lin Hua Continent’s actions convinced Su Ze that the true power on those two continents must have also fallen into the hands of the Nian Race.
Otherwise, there was little contact between the three continents. Such perfect coordination, as if they were joined at the hip, would have been impossible.
However, the leader of the Filth Earth Organization wasn’t coming; only Pulamon would be arriving. For Su Ze, this was good news.
Still, Su Ze was curious about what kind of trouble Lin Hua Country had actually run into.
Before Su Ze could even ask, Chen Suifeng had already taken the initiative to send him the latest update. He knew Su Ze was currently undercover within the Filth Earth Organization, so he always shared new intelligence with him at the earliest opportunity.
It turned out that just last night, a massive army of aberrant beasts, led by two sixth-rank beasts, had approached the borders of Lin Hua Country.
The beasts didn’t attack, but their presence exerted immense pressure on Lin Hua Country. It was a silent threat; if both Jiang Pingle and Deng Sui were to leave, the aberrant beasts would almost certainly attack the cities at once.
Left with no choice, Jiang Pingle ultimately decided to stay behind and defend Lin Hua Country, sending Deng Sui to Ancient An Country alone.
"I didn’t expect... The Filth Earth Organization is actually in league with the aberrant beasts," Su Ze said, surprised.
"What’s so strange about it? Defilers don’t like to absorb extracts from aberrant beasts; they prefer human extracts. Meanwhile, aberrant beasts are constantly being hunted by humans. They have a common enemy," Chen Suifeng replied. "Besides, it’s not just Lin Hua Continent that’s being threatened by aberrant beasts. The same thing is happening on Flame Emperor Continent and Snowfield Continent."
Su Ze hadn’t realized that the night before, the two sides had already begun a strategic chess match, despite being thousands of miles apart.
The Alien Party had colluded with its allies on Flame Emperor Continent and Snowfield Continent. They acted in concert to pressure the Filth Earth Organization, successfully tying down its leader and preventing him from reinforcing Ancient An Country.
Not to be outdone, the Filth Earth Organization retaliated by colluding with hordes of aberrant beasts. They applied pressure to all three continents simultaneously, tying up their forces and significantly relieving the pressure on their own organization.
Su Ze didn’t know the situation on the other two continents, but at the very least, Lin Hua Continent’s sovereign, Jiang Pingle, was now pinned down and unable to come to Ancient An Country.
All in all, this was good news for Su Ze; the fewer powerhouses who showed up, the more opportunities he would have.
If a group of Legendary Powerhouses broke into a chaotic brawl, it would be difficult for a mere Venerable Powerhouse like him to interfere, and getting involved would drastically increase the danger.
However, if only one or two Legendary Powerhouses were to clash, he would have plenty of room to maneuver.
’When Pulamon arrives, I’ll ambush him if the opportunity presents itself. If there isn’t a good opening, I’ll hold back. Then, I’ll wait for him and Deng Sui to engage, find the right moment to jump in, and try to kill Pulamon and grab his storage item.’
Su Ze finalized his initial plan.
With his current strength, he might not be a match for a Legendary Powerhouse in a direct confrontation. But if he joined a fight that was already underway between two of them, he could easily tip the scales of victory.
...
That day at noon, Mr. Kang led a group of elders from the stronghold out to welcome Pulamon.
Although Bai Guishou’s strength had declined, he was still an elder, so Su Ze, in his disguise, was also summoned to join them.
He followed Mr. Kang and the others, standing at the very back of the formation, which was fitting for his current status.
A short, slender black man descended from the sky, followed by four Venerable Powerhouses from the Filth Earth Organization.
For a Legendary Powerhouse—and perhaps it had something to do with his build—one couldn’t sense much of an imposing aura from Pulamon. He looked more like some second-rate street rapper.
"Greetings, Grand Elder!" the group said, bowing slightly.
In truth, within the Filth Earth Organization, all Venerable Powerhouses were referred to as "Grand Elder," and there were several such members present.
However, the organization previously only had one Legendary Powerhouse—the leader. Pulamon, as a newly ascended Legendary, hadn’t yet been assigned a new title, so for the time being, they could only address him as "Grand Elder."
A vicious glint flashed in Pulamon’s small eyes. His gaze wasn’t human; it was more like that of a cold-blooded animal. He swept his eyes over the crowd and said nothing for a long moment.
’What the hell is this guy posturing for?’ Su Ze thought. Surrounded by a group of high-level Defilers, the stench was so bad he was about to vomit.
The stench of the Defilers was unique; you couldn’t block it just by holding your breath. The foul odor seemed to seep into your very pores, even invading your soul, making its presence felt. It was utterly pervasive.
Pulamon, in particular, reeked with such intensity that it made even Su Ze feel physically ill.
The higher a Defiler’s evolutionary level, the worse they smelled. This was Su Ze’s first time experiencing the stench of a Legendary-level Defiler.
’If this was a Divine-level Defiler, could they kill a Saint-level powerhouse with their stench alone?’ Su Ze griped internally.
Finally, having postured long enough, Pulamon gave an expressionless nod.
Su Ze breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least Pulamon hadn’t seen through his disguise.
Mr. Kang quickly stepped forward to lead the way for Pulamon, guiding him into the base.
With so many people surrounding Pulamon, Su Ze obviously couldn’t find a good opportunity for an ambush. He would have to look for another chance.
But just then, a streak of blue light shot across the distant sky, finally resolving into the form of a heroic-looking young man.
He hovered in the air. From Su Ze’s perspective, he was just an insignificant black dot against a blue canvas, utterly minuscule.
And yet, his overwhelming aura seemed to merge with the sun above, making his presence impossible to ignore.
His lips parted, and words emerged one by one. He didn’t scream himself hoarse, yet his voice boomed like thunder, echoing across all of Ancient An Country.