.....
In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the Crooked-Mouth Old Man flew away.
After he completely disappeared,
the Heavenly Perception members from the Holy Land Church said, "What should we do now?"
"Losing the burial shroud is a major incident."
After pondering for a while,
"Clearly he's from Great Han, yet he claims to be from Tai Island. The key is we have no evidence to prove he's from Great Han, and we've never heard of such an outrageously powerful figure before."
"This... sigh..."
"The burial shroud probably won't be coming back."
"Then are we just going to let this go?""Let it go?"
One Heavenly Perception member sneered coldly.
How could they possibly let this go just like that?
They couldn't afford to provoke Great Han without evidence, but they could certainly handle the unsubstantiated accusation against Tai Island.
Especially since Tai Island was suffering continuous defeats on the battlefield.
"If we just let this go, wouldn't our loss be one hundred percent?"
Someone nearby seemed to understand his meaning a little.
"What do you mean?"
"Since things have already happened, we need to minimize our losses. Let's go back and prepare - we're going to demand an explanation from Tai Island!"
If I can't squeeze the hard persimmon on one tree, can't I find a soft one to pinch?
When many attack few, everyone dares to make a move.
Beating a drowning dog was something they were professionally suited for.
But just as they turned around,
guess what happened.
The Crooked-Mouth Old Man returned.
Hovering right behind these people, pretending to have his back turned.
Acting like he hadn't heard anything.
The situation immediately became somewhat awkward.
Finally, the Crooked-Mouth Old Man couldn't stand the atmosphere and said, "Ahem, that thing, you did well, actually not thinking about revenge against me. Here, take this."
With that,
the Crooked-Mouth Old Man tossed out an artifact that required some skill to operate.
Of course,
he still had nine more like this.
All made when he was bored while confined in the underground palace.
After this forced transaction, the Crooked-Mouth Old Man didn't wait for them to speak, turning around and flying away again.
The remaining Heavenly Perception members from the Holy Land Church looked at each other, then looked at the artifact.
When they channeled spiritual energy into it,
that powerful feeling instantly made their eyes widen in astonishment.
Of course, no matter how surprised they were now, they didn't dare speak carelessly, as no one knew if the Crooked-Mouth Old Man might come back again.
But overall, they didn't lose out, or only lost a little.
Because what the Crooked-Mouth Old Man gave was truly good - this was the genuine value from 'artifact forging'.
At this moment, the Crooked-Mouth Old Man was flying toward his next destination.
Meanwhile, on Lu Ding's side...
This broken place called Wei Gao wasn't very big to begin with.
The destruction of Diancang Sect and the pacification of the Shen Family in Pingshou Prefecture - these two events struck like a heavy blow to the heads of Wei Gao's other powers.
And the one wielding the club was none other than Lu Ding, though currently our Grand Duke Lu was using the ID of White Eagle officer 'Clark'.
Once this news spread,
the impact became enormous.
What stage were they at now?
Wei Gao and Tai Island were leading a group of small countries in war against Great Han.
Most of the domestic elite forces had been deployed elsewhere.
Hardly any Heavenly Perception members remained.
One could say that after these Heavenly Perception members went off to war, the other powers were actually quite similar to Diancang Sect and the Shen Family.
Now that both Diancang Sect and the Shen Family had been wiped out,
the others could somewhat sense that feeling of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold"
along with a preliminary understanding of Lu Ding's lawless nature.
This wouldn't do - with Diancang Sect and Shen Family destroyed, who knew if they would be next?
Eh!
Just as people were panicking,
new information emerged~
News came to stabilize people's hearts: the destruction of Diancang Sect originated from Kim Gyeong-joo avenging her mother.
This was unquestionable - anywhere, the word 'filial piety' had to come first.
As for the Shen Family, the story going around was that they had some grudge with Kim Yeon-ju.
When 'Clark' came knocking, unpleasantness erupted.
Whether it was true or false didn't matter.
As long as it was believable, it temporarily stabilized the others.
But it also let these people know that now, the two sisters Kim Yeon-ju and Kim Gyeong-joo were under the protection of this fierce man 'Clark'.
Well!
If we can't afford to provoke, we can afford to hide.
Since you have both means and background, solutions left and right, utterly fearless - you're the boss, we'll retreat.
And so, under this strange tacit understanding, the other powers began their temporary retreat retreat retreat.
This allowed Kim Gyeong-joo and Kim Yeon-ju's development to proceed with fierce momentum, smooth sailing all the way.
Their industries and territories continuously expanded.
Of course, quiet criticism was inevitable.
People said they were lucky dogs riding on coattails.
In this situation, even a dog could succeed if put in their position.
But criticism aside, what needed to be done still had to be done.
And so.
A large crowd came buzzing in to present gifts to Lu Ding.
Not saying they were particularly good.
But definitely serviceable.
Where quality was lacking, quantity made up for it.
In the evening, Lu Ding sat in a room glittering with jewels and treasures.
Holding the gift inventory list in his hand.
Ptooey!!!
He began checking items.
[Hovering Grass, Hundred-fold Flower, Golden Dendrobium, Iron Mountain Aged Tangerine, Hundred-year Old Tree Sprouting New Buds, Unique in All World, Thousand-year Iron Tree Bearing Fruit, Old Man Getting Son Late in Life]
[Top-quality Golden Light Topaz from the North, Premium Cinnabar Root from the South]
[Unwithering Wood nurtured through three generations, simply called 'excellent']
[Cold-blood Plum hanging high on six-thousand-meter snow mountain, rated as 'marvelous']
There were Wei Gao specialties, as well as foreign curiosities from other countries.
Though they couldn't compare to the immortal herbs and spiritual roots produced in Great Han's vast lands, they could still enhance cultivation and be further refined into miraculous medicines.
Lu Ding looked from beginning to end; the gift list was neatly written with tidy handwriting. Only when he held it up to the light and looked through the gaps
could he faintly make out two lines of text.
Left line:
'I sent gifts, please don't mind'
Right line:
'See carefully who didn't send'
With a horizontal line in the middle:
'We are good citizens'
Lu Ding tossed the gift list aside: "What do they take me for, really."
Grabbing a heavenly treasure from nearby and taking a fierce bite.
"Trying to test an officer with this? What officer couldn't withstand such a test?"
Saying this,
Lu Ding tossed the remaining heavenly treasure into his mouth whole.
Adding:
"Anyway, I 'Clark Kent' can't withstand it."
Even introducing himself with full name.
After working so hard all this time, didn't he deserve to enjoy himself?
This was exactly the effect of beating the grass to startle the snake he wanted.
Time to feast!!!
Chewing large mouthfuls without sugar, Tai Sui impersonates Superman's strength.
Kicking apart chaebol souls, knocking over Wei Gao people, they still have to come present gifts, smiling and saying 'hehehe, officer, we're on the same side'
Just this comedic value alone could make Lu Ding eat several more pounds of heavenly treasures.
Quite fragrant indeed.
Hand seals formed.
Breakthrough!!!!
With rumbling muffled sounds, the Sin Dragon carried spiritual energy through his meridians.
The radiance brought by the medicinal properties spilled across the land.
Watching the earth dragon turn over, arching its back into ridges, Earth Observation fourth level breakthrough achieved effortlessly.
Immortal music floated, immortal mist hazily shrouded, with lotus flowers swaying within, tender and delicate, Earth Observation fifth level grasped easily.
The remaining medicinal power gathered together, guided by Lu Ding, the Black Prison of Death's Body directly reflected the Great Wall, winding and coiling upon the earth.
Earth Observation sixth level was nothing special.
Although these heavenly treasures weren't of the best quality, they were still above Lu Ding's usable standard, and with so many powers contributing, many small amounts accumulated into something substantial.