Over the next two months, Upheaval was in a state of constant change. It was fair to say that
It was fair to call it a complete overhaul of the organization. Quite a few higher-ups lost their positions, and over ten thousand gang members were seized and taken to Raging Flame City to await judgment.
“Your Excellency, here is a list of the accused.” Wei Jie and a group of Upheaval’s leaders stood within the meeting hall.
He passed the list to Ye Zichen, who looked over the dense collection of names then set it aside.”
“My management was too lax,” said Wei Jie. “These people have all brought shame to Upheaval.”
When he saw Ye Zichen set aside the list, Wei Jie hurriedly bowed and added, “That’s the list of offenders I’ve already dealt with. If I killed them all, it would appear too vicious, so I thought it best to punish them with manual labor. I’ve sent them far away to build new bases and perform service to make up for their crimes.”
“Alright.” Ye Zichen nodded slightly at Wei Jie, then said, “But for particular vicious offenders, there’s no need to worry about all that. Just kill them. Sometimes, the threat of death is far more effective than simple punishments like manual labor.”
“Understood.” Wei Jie nodded, then stepped aside.
Having cleansed the gang’s vermin, Ye Zichen turned his attention to the IT engineers he’d brought from the Lower Realms. “How are the results of your attempts to establish an information network up here?”
“Reporting to Emperor Ye.” A gaunt middle-aged man walked in from the sides, faced Ye Zichen, and cupped his fists. “According to my estimations, it ought to be possible to establish an information network here, but we’re too weak. We can’t do it with our current abilities.”
“Well then, how strong do you think you need to be?”
“Most likely, we’ll need to be at least earth supremes,” said the IT engineer.
“Starting today, Upheaval will place no restrictions on your resource allotment. We’ll provide medicines to boost your cultivations without any limitations. Your mission is to reach the earth supreme level as soon as possible.” Ye Zichen waved him away, and he left.
“If there’s no other news, you can all be on your way.”
Before long, everyone left the meeting hall save for Zuo Mo. Once everyone else had gone, she walked up to Ye Zichen and gently rubbed his shoulders.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’ve chosen him to lead your gang, so there’s no need to handle everything personally. You haven’t gotten any proper rest for the past few months.”
Ever since their encounter at Blue Qilin Village, Ye Zichen and Zuo Mo had ripped away that thin veil concealing their feelings for each other. They’d grown progressively more affectionate over the past two months.
Ye Zichen sighed and patted Zuo Mo’s hands, then smiled. “How are things going with the trade association?”
“There’s no need to worry about me. I was in business for a hundred years in the Lower Realms. Do you really doubt my experience?” Zuo Mo pressed her lips into a smile and gently kneaded his shoulders. “Just relax. Given sufficient time, I can guarantee that the Hundred Treasures Trading Company will become the largest trading company in the God Realm. If you have time to worry about it, you’d be better off resting.”
“Rest? I’m afraid that’ll be difficult.” Ye Zichen sighed inexplicably and shook his head.
Zuo Mo frowned instinctively. “What is it?”
“You know that I’m an earth supreme, right? Well, lately, I’ve clearly sensed that this place is starting to reject me. My strength is stagnating; I can’t advance any further here, and before long, I’ll have no choice but to head for the Divine Mountains.”
Ever since returning the God Realm’s Lower Lands, he’d sensed the world around him rejecting him.
At first, his strength was enough to suppress this process, but lately, it seemed as if the world were counterattacking; he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.
When Zuo Mo heard that, her expression darkened. She’d only just gotten closer to Ye Zichen, but he already had to leave.
Selfishly, she didn’t want to let him.
“Why is it just rejecting you? Based on my understanding, there are quite a few supremes in the Lower Lands. Your Yao-Sealing Pagoda has quite a few, but they’re all doing quite well down here.”
“The heavenly yao might be able to live here because of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. As for the local god race supremes…. I’m afraid they must have paid a heavy price to live here. According to my deductions, that price is most likely that they’ve abandoned any hope of future growth.
If the Lower Lands placed no restrictions on supremes, the lay of the land would undergo an earth-shattering change. Furthermore, there would definitely be a Master of the Laws here, too.
After becoming a supreme, cultivators absorbed the divine energy of heaven and earth, which was sparse to the point it might as well not exist in the Lower Lands. If he stayed here much longer, he feared he’d be stuck here forever.
Zuo Mo hesitated for a while but didn’t push any further.
She was Ye Zichen’s; she would support him, whatever he decided. Besides, she knew what Ye Zichen’s goal was.
Her expression darkened, but Zuo Mo soon forced a smile. “When do you plan to leave?”
“Half a month from now, I guess.” Ye Zichen had already planned this out. He’d spend the next two weeks doing everything he could to get his affairs in order, then ascend to Divine Mountains without distractions. This would save him from worrying about the gang after he got there.
“That fast!” A hint of bitterness flashed through Zuo Mo’s eyes. Her shoulders drooped, and she seemed to wilt.
Ye Zichen noted her despondency and took her by the hand. “Don’t be like that; it’s not like we’ll never see each other again. If it’s possible, I can come down and visit you, too.”
“There’s no need.” To his surprise, Zuo Mo shook her head. “I’ll ascend to the Divine Mountains and find you instead.
Half a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
A group of around a dozen people stood to the side of the ancient path outside Raging Flame City. All of them were here on account of Ye Zichen’s imminent ascension, and this was despite Ye Zichen deliberately hiding news of his imminent departure. If he’d revealed it openly, there would be far more people here now.
“I’ll leave Upheaval to you from here on out,” said Ye Zichen. He stood in the center of the group, and his gaze swept across Wei Jie and the elders.
“Your Excellency, we definitely won’t disappoint you,” said Wei Jie earnestly. The others nodded as well.
Ye Zichen wasn’t particularly worried about it. He’d left every yao at or beneath the immortal king level in the base and had left one of the first floor’s three leaders, Lei Zhen, behind to hold down the forth. Besides, the Parliament of Stars was watching out for them from afar. Upheaval’s development should continue without any major issues.
“Let’s skip the long goodbyes. Everyone, farewell for now!” If they carried on this conversation, Ye Zichen was afraid they’d go on for an hour or more. Instead, Ye Zichen actively cut them off, then cupped his fist in farewell. “See you on the Divine Mountain.”
The others looked back at him solemnly, save for Zuo Mo, who seemed disconsolate. Still, she forced a smile and wished Ye Zichen well. “See you on the Divine Mountain!”
