Chapter 11: The City Lord’s Co-conspirator

The wave of Black Gold Rank Soul Force, though not the overwhelming power of a Legend, slammed through Glory City with the weight of absolute authority.

Ye Zong had located the source of the spiritual maelstrom.

The time for subtlety was over, but the urgency was now perfectly matched to the city’s top defender.

Ao Yetian gave a sharp, decisive nod to Yang Xin, who was still reeling from the energy spike.

"Contact my middleman. Have him immediately deliver the remaining forty million Spirit Coins to the City Lord’s Mansion as a 'surprise goodwill dividend' from the Alchemist Association. Do it now."

It was a distraction, an offering of immense wealth designed to confuse Ye Zong and buy Ao Yetian ten crucial minutes.

Ao Yetian then turned to his own cultivation.

He pushed his Profound Energy to its limit, cloaking himself in a powerful, dense shroud that masked his unique energy signature and made him feel like an ordinary, powerful Black Gold Rank expert.

While his true power surpassed Ye Zong's, he knew the City Lord's fighting experience and political control were unmatched.

He was going to meet the City Lord on necessary terms.

Ao Yetian didn't wait for Ye Zong to find him.

He moved with impossible speed, reaching the majestic, heavily guarded walls of the City Lord’s Mansion within moments.

He didn't sneak in.

He simply appeared on the highest watchtower, projecting a single, controlled wave of his disguised energy.

Ye Zong arrived instantly, his face a mask of iron fury, his powerful Black Gold aura radiating lethal intent.

He had seen the disturbance in the mountain range—a wound in the very soul of the city’s defense, far too powerful for any known guild or family.

"Who are you?!"

Ye Zong roared, his hand already gripping the hilt of his weapon.

"Explain the desecration in the mountains, now! I will not tolerate any threat to Glory City!"

Ao Yetian stood calmly, meeting the City Lord's gaze without flinching.

"I am Ao Yetian. And I have come to save your city, Lord Ye Zong, from the fate you already know is coming."

The words sliced through Ye Zong's anger. The fate you already know is coming.

Only the deepest echelon of the noble families, those who had reviewed the ancient scrolls, knew the true despair of the impending Snow Wind Demon Beast horde.

"You speak insolence!"

Ye Zong countered, but the certainty in his voice had fractured.

"Insolence is clinging to obsolete knowledge,"

Ao Yetian corrected, stepping closer.

"Tell me, Lord Ye Zong, what is the highest success rate you have ever achieved for a Grade 5 inscription?"

Ye Zong stiffened, thrown by the sudden technical shift.

"If meticulously crafted, twenty percent."

"I offer you a Grade 6 Inscription with a ninety percent success rate, already sold to the Alchemist Association,"

Ao Yetian stated, the confidence in his voice absolute.

"I offer you a cultivation technique for your daughter that will instantly stabilize her life and push her toward the peak of Black Gold Rank. And I offer you a truth: The Demon Beast Horde is not the greatest threat to Glory City. It is time itself, and the traitors within."

He played his ultimate card.

"The chaos you detected in the mountain range is not an attack. It is the beginning of an industrial effort to extract the vast, raw spiritual essence of the fallen beasts, which is needed to fuel a protective array that can secure this city against threats that dwarf even the Snow Wind Demon God."

Ao Yetian didn't mention multiversal travel or the CEO card's drain.

He presented the operation as a monumental, desperate measure of defense that only he could manage.

"That chaos,"

Ao Yetian pressed, leaning in.

"Is the cost of your city’s survival."

Ye Zong was a warrior, a protector, and a deeply shrewd man.

The evidence was compelling.

The unprecedented wealth pouring into the city from the Alchemist Association, the undeniable secrets of cultivation Ao Yetian possessed, and the direct, terrifying connection to his daughter.

Ye Zong knew he and the other Black Gold experts were not enough.

"If your goal is protection, why the secrecy? Why the chaos?"

Ye Zong demanded, lowering his aura slightly, though his eyes remained sharp daggers.

"Because the city has traitors,"

Ao Yetian explained, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"The Sacred Family is hoarding resources, operating independently, and preparing to betray Glory City when the horde strikes. If they learn of this vital energy source, they will seize it. We must work in the shadows."

Ao Yetian now offered the ultimate temptation—the true carrot for the devoted City Lord.

"I propose an alliance: I will use my advanced inscription knowledge to permanently cripple the Sacred Family’s financial and military power in the shadows, making them irrelevant. In exchange, you will become the Protector of the Extraction Arrays—you will personally patrol the mountain range, using your Black Gold Rank power to disguise the spiritual anomalies and eliminate any other interference, all in the name of 'routine patrolling' to hunt the growing number of high-level beasts."

Ye Zong stood in silence for a long, agonizing minute.

His duty warred with his honor. Working in the shadows, hiding the truth—it went against everything he stood for.

But losing Glory City... was unimaginable.

Finally, he nodded, the decision etched in the deep lines around his eyes.

"The chaos stops. And if you ever endanger my daughter, or the city, I will tear you apart, regardless of your strength."

"A mutual understanding, Lord Ye Zong,"

Ao Yetian smiled, a dangerous, victorious expression.

"From this day forward, every resource you acquire, every beast you kill, and every secret you keep will be for the security of Glory City. You are now a partner in the shadow."

Ao Yetian had successfully lured his greatest obstacle into his scheme.

The City Lord was now an active, high-level logistical asset—a Black Gold Rank bodyguard for his spiritual fuel supply.

Ao Yetian was now the shadow ruler of Glory City, using his power to solidify his emotional and strategic hold over his assets.

He met with Ning'er and Ziyun to demonstrate their newfound 'shared mission' with the City Lord.

"Your father now understands the necessity of my work,"

Ao Yetian told Ye Ziyun, earning her beaming approval.

"He is actively protecting the project."

This instantly validated Yetian in her eyes, cementing her belief that he was the city's heroic, albeit secretive, savior.

Her gratitude deepened the genuine, protective feelings Ao Yetian held for her pure nature.

Meanwhile, he leveraged Yang Xin's financial acumen to begin the slow, methodical erosion of the Sacred Family's wealth.

He provided her with advanced financial inscription techniques designed to be sold cheaply to the competition, thereby undercutting the Sacred Family's monopolies.

Ao Yetian watched his system hum with terrifying efficiency.

He had three beautiful and capable women, each a high-purity anchor for his system, and the city's strongest man now protecting his fuel source.

His personal feelings for the women were deepening—a genuine fondness rooted in shared secrets and co-conspiracy—but his twisted mind interpreted this affection as the validation of his supreme ability to manipulate and protect his valuable assets.

He knew this situation was temporary. He still needed a permanent solution to the card's drain, one that didn't involve the risk and inherent moral ambiguity of relying on the women.

His feelings were growing genuine, but the cold, logical imperative of his amnesia and the card's demands would always come first.

The need to find a sustainable power source was critical before his genuine affection for his "anchors" clouded his judgment too much.

Ao Yetian is the shadow ruler of Glory City, but his ultimate goal remains to find a sustainable, permanent energy source.