But if they didn’t leave, war would inevitably break out in the Ancient An Country, and it might even be ruled by the Filth Earth Organization in the future.
In an instant, the wealthy and powerful people of Ancient An began looking for ways to leave the country and immigrate elsewhere.
But the majority of Ancient An’s citizens still lived in a state of panic, lacking the means to emigrate with their entire families.
Just then, various rumors began to spread among the populace, all of which glorified the Defiled and vilified the Lin Hua Country’s government.
"The Defiled aren’t as terrifying as the authorities claim!"
"Becoming one of the Defiled is a shortcut to a higher level of existence!"
"The Filth Earth Organization wants to turn the Ancient An Country into its base, not destroy it. For those who stay, this could be an opportunity."
"When a dynasty changes, opportunities are everywhere. It’s a chance for ordinary people to rise."
"The Sovereign Country doesn’t care if the people of its six subordinate countries live or die! The Peninsula Country is the best example!"
"For hundreds of years, the Ancient An Country has been the strongest of the six subordinate countries, yet the Sovereign Country has offered little support. If not for the Sovereign Country’s exploitation and suppression, Ancient An would be even stronger, and might have even produced its own Legendary-rank expert by now!"
The rumors were so rampant that they actually convinced many citizens of Ancient An to stay. After all, neither leaving nor staying seemed like a good option, so they might as well just pick one.
These rumors were undoubtedly spread by the Filth Earth Organization. They had operated in the Ancient An Country for many years, even controlling its government, and their influence was deeply entrenched.
...
Su Ze returned to Dongli. First, he placed the Supreme-grade communications base station at the Limin Association Headquarters, then he summoned all the Dongli Guardian Gods for a meeting.
As for Pulamon, Su Ze ordered it to burrow underground to keep it from stinking up the place.
With Su Ze’s current strength, even including the Dongli Saint Envoy, Lian Yongchang, he was without a doubt the number one person in Dongli.
At Su Ze’s call, all eight of Dongli’s Guardian Gods, including Su Ze himself, gathered in less than half a day.
The Dongli Saint Envoy, Lian Yongchang, was not invited to this meeting. Strictly speaking, the Dongli Saint Envoy was not a Dongli Guardian God, but a member of the Blue Star Party.
In the meeting room, all eyes turned to Su Ze, waiting for him to speak.
Although Su Ze was the youngest person present, he had already subtly replaced Gu Chengguang as Dongli’s leader.
’Of course, I have no desire to be Dongli’s top dog,’ Su Ze thought. ’It’s too much of a headache. I’ll just leave that job to Gu Chengguang.’
He only needed to step in at critical moments.
"I’ve gathered you all here for one reason," Su Ze began bluntly. "I want to ask... who here is confident they can break through to the Supreme rank within ten years?"
The meeting room fell silent.
"What about within twenty years?" Su Ze asked again.
Amidst the silence, Gu Chengguang spoke up. "I can give it a try."
Zhou Wenshan hesitated for a moment before adding, "If there’s a suitable psychic-type extract, I can also make an attempt."
Ning Yushen gritted her teeth and said, "If you two old geezers are going for it, I can’t let you look down on me! Count me in!"
The others remained silent.
These three were Dongli’s veteran Overlords. Li Fayi had only become an Overlord a few years ago, and Zhang Tai had just reached the rank a short while ago.
As for Mrs. Yun and Mr. Ya, they had already received a telepathic message from Su Ze, so they kept quiet.
In truth, if Su Ze hadn’t brought back a vast amount of high-level resources for Dongli, none of the Guardian Gods present, except for Mr. Ya, would have had any hope of attempting their fifth evolution in this lifetime.
But even with the help of these resources, these Guardian Gods were all getting on in years. Their potential was limited, and a breakthrough in a short period would be difficult.
So, Su Ze planned to use Bloodline Crystals to "speed them up."
He took out two Bloodline Crystals, placing one in front of Gu Chengguang and another in front of Ning Yushen. He then said to Zhou Wenshan, "Mr. Zhou, neither of these Bloodline Crystals are psychic-type, so I won’t give them to you. I’ll keep an eye out and get you a psychic-type Bloodline Crystal or a Tier 5 extract next time."
Zhou Wenshan was stunned. ’Actually... I could’ve made do with a non-psychic one.’
He felt a pang of regret. ’Why did I have to open my big mouth? What did I just miss out on?’
But he quickly came to his senses, smiled in acceptance, and nodded.
Gu Chengguang and Ning Yushen, however, both refused. "Su Ze, this is too valuable. You should keep it for yourself."
"You are Dongli’s hope!"
Su Ze smiled and shook his head. He explained that both Bloodline Crystals were Star God-grade, something beneath his notice.
The Guardian Gods exchanged glances. ’Good heavens, he’s already getting picky about Bloodline Crystals?’
Su Ze had a total of four Star God-grade Bloodline Crystals. He had already set aside one each for Mr. Ya and Mrs. Yun, so he gave the remaining two to Gu Chengguang and Ning Yushen.
When it came to resources like this, Su Ze naturally prioritized those closest to him. That’s why, even though Mrs. Yun ranked low among the Dongli Guardian Gods in both strength and potential—a seemingly hopeless case—he still saved one for her.
If Liou Wenxin weren’t currently too weak to even use it, Su Ze would have set one aside for her as well, no matter what.
"Mr. Gu, Ning Yushen, now that you two have the Bloodline Crystals, don’t talk about ten or twenty years anymore," Su Ze said with a smile. "Becoming Supremes within five years shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Gu Chengguang and Ning Yushen both gave wry smiles. They felt the pressure, but they nodded and accepted.
It looked like they would have to join the Swan Dance Ensemble soon.
They were already old, yet Su Ze was forcing them into a competitive grind.
Both of them were Overlords. Normally, they would need to absorb a Tier 5 extract as a stepping stone. But now, using the more effective Star God-grade Bloodline Crystals—which surpassed even a Tier 5 S-rank extract—was like accumulating a deeper foundation. It boosted their potential, increased their chances of a successful evolution, and accelerated their path forward.
With the help of these Bloodline Crystals, if they still failed to evolve, they would have no excuse.
Next, Su Ze set aside a portion of the resources he had just acquired and donated them to the Dongli National Treasury.
These resources were also converted into contribution points and deposited into Su Ze’s account.
The number of contribution points in his account was now astronomical; he could probably buy the entire Dongli Kingdom.
Finally, Su Ze explained that he was heading into the wilderness for a while, and told everyone not to worry if he was out of contact temporarily.
...
After the meeting ended, Su Ze, Mr. Ya, and Mrs. Yun returned to the villa at Dongli University.
Liou Wenxin had already prepared a meal and was waiting for them. The four of them ate together, and Su Ze knew that opportunities like this would only become rarer in the future.
’When I get the chance to leave Blue Star in the future, I wonder if I’ll be able to bring Mrs. Yun and the others with me.’
Su Ze left a large amount of high-level resources that Mrs. Yun and Liou Wenxin could use. With the supply of Su Ze’s numerous precious resources, Liou Wenxin finally broke through to the Butterfly Stage.
Early the next morning, Su Ze and Mr. Ya said their goodbyes to Mrs. Yun and Liou Wenxin, and the two of them left Dongli University.
Pulamon also emerged from the ground and followed behind them.
They headed west, their path taking them through the Great Desert Kingdom and the Desolate Desert to reach the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.
As they were about to enter the Great Desert Kingdom’s territory, Su Ze remembered he had a "dear friend" there: Prince Atago.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t contacted this friend of his in a long time... not since he no longer had any use for him.
Prince Atago had invited Su Ze to be a guest at his home many times, but for one reason or another, Su Ze had always put it off.
He kept putting it off until he became an Overlord, and after that, the two of them barely kept in touch.
To think that now, on his first visit, he was already a Supreme. Moreover, the purpose of this trip was also to put Prince Atago’s old man in his place.
’If your old man doesn’t know what’s good for him, you might not be a prince for much longer...’ Su Ze took out his phone and sent a message to Atago: *My dearest friend, how have you been?*