C23 The Bowl Is Full

Zhang Lieh was well aware of their thoughts, yet he remained unfazed.

In a typical scenario, he wouldn't even be considered a suspect by the Six Great Families.

Accusations against him would be futile. No one would believe that a bottom-tier king could steal Super Soul Jade right from under the Six Great Families' noses without detection.

For Zhang Lieh, his mission for the evening was successfully completed.

To him, the outcome was perfect. But for the Six Great Families, it left much to be desired.

They had the misfortune of running into the formidable Black Iron Vanguard Army while attempting to slip away, and found themselves cornered at the remnants of the waterfall in the Purple Poison Forest.

These individuals had arrived overnight, clearly aiming to get ahead of the game. Unfortunately, they missed their chance and didn't even get a taste of the spoils.

Upon encountering them, inquiries were inevitable. Even the Six Great Families wouldn't dare to provoke the crowd at such a time.

A skirmish was the least of their worries, especially with a deadly ancestor lurking beneath Moonlight Pool. One wrong move could unleash a catastrophic bloodshed.

Thus, the Six Great Families had no choice but to explain and persuade with great patience.

Of course, Zhang Lieh was no longer concerned with the happenings in the Purple Poison Forest. He had already made it back to the base and was unconcerned with the fates of others.

Black Iron Base, Black Gold Tavern.

The difference in their names was slight, marking the line between official and private establishments.

The Black Iron Tavern, a joint venture between Holo-Brain and the federal government, was renowned as the safest hotel on the base.

However, with Wang Xiaohua's presence attracting undue attention, Zhang Lieh wisely opted not to stay there.

The Black Gold Tavern, on the other hand, was a lavish creation funded by the three major conglomerates. It boasted opulent decor and stood as the premier tavern in the entire base.

Needless to say, such luxury came at a steep price. But for Zhang Lieh, with his newfound wealth, the cost was inconsequential.

The betting pool had turned his 30,000 points into a staggering 3.6 million, solidifying his status as a financial heavyweight.

Feeling jubilant today, Zhang Lieh decided to indulge himself a bit. With the attentive service of three or four maids, he enjoyed a luxurious bath before getting down to the business of sorting through his recent spoils of war.

The bounty from the last four days and five nights had been staggering—dozens, perhaps hundreds of times greater than what he had amassed over the previous three months. And this didn't even include the points he had won from betting; he was indeed brimming with success.

First on the list was the Soul Jade. Qin Xiaotian and his group had amassed over thirty pieces, but most didn't catch Zhang Lieh's eye. He listed the majority for sale on the trading platform, opting to trade them for points or other items, making the most of his resources.

Beyond that, he had the unexplored herbs from the Purple Poison Forest and the Super Nether Scorpions he had intercepted. In total, there were about a hundred herbs, with the most precious being the Main Medicine for concocting the second batch of Limit Medicine and those capable of suppressing certain gene creatures.

This effectively accelerated Zhang Lieh's process of refining the second Limit Medicine, as some of these herbs were quite perishable.

Once he had organized the herbs, Zhang Lieh finally turned his attention to the Super Purple Poison Nether Scorpion. The creature was small, its shell and tail fitting in the palm of his hand, yet its entire body shimmered like a peculiar crystal.

Dealing with it meant extracting the Gene Points first. Luckily, Zhang Lieh's room was of the highest quality, complete with all the necessary amenities. He took the Super Scorpion into the kitchen with him.

Scorpion gene creatures were not uncommon in the Void Realm, and frying was the usual preparation method. Zhang Lieh decided to go with the flow and began preparing this deep-fried delicacy. However, given the Super Nether Scorpion's potent venom, he first had to remove its poison sac and then concoct a herbal medicine to neutralize the blood's toxicity before it was safe to eat.

Otherwise, Zhang Lieh risked becoming the first to die from poisoning after consuming the flesh of a Super Gene Creature for its Gene Points.

But of course, for someone as seasoned as Zhang Lieh, none of this posed a challenge.

As he expertly worked, Zhang Lieh removed the poison sac from the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion. After marinating it with a special blend of medicinal powders, he proceeded to deep-fry the delicacy.

The kitchen filled with the crackling sounds of popping oil as Zhang Lieh fried the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion, simultaneously exploring the capabilities of the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion Soul Jade within his Soul Sea.

The Soul Jade of the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion was a deep blackish-purple, with a stream of purple sword shadow flowing through it, confirming it as a weapon-type Soul Jade. This discovery brought a slight smile to Zhang Lieh's face.

His Gale Sword was adequate against mutated creatures, but it fell short when facing super creatures. This new sword would significantly enhance his ability to take down super creatures, effectively shoring up one of his weaknesses.

Before long, the aromatic fried scorpion was ready. Zhang Lieh used points to exchange for a special tool, which he then used to meticulously clean the scorpion meat.

The taste of the fried scorpion meat exceeded his expectations; it was not at all unpleasant but rather reminiscent of crispy shrimp or crab, with a delightful texture.

With each bite of scorpion meat, the voice of the Void's will echoed within him:

"Devouring the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion, absorbing Super Gene +1, current Super Gene Count: 11."

"Devouring the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion, absorbing Super Gene +1, current Super Gene Count: 12."

"...Absorbing Super Gene +1, current Super Gene Count: 18."

After finishing the last morsel of scorpion meat, Zhang Lieh had amassed a total of 18 Super Gene points.

All that remained on the table was a neatly dissected scorpion shell.

Undeterred, Zhang Lieh did not waste the opportunity; he gathered some additional ingredients and used the scorpion shell as the main component to stew a rich broth.

Drinking the entire pot of broth, he gained another Super Gene point.

Typically, a Gene Creature, no matter how intact, could only yield a maximum of 10 Gene Points.

In practice, fully consumable Super Gene Creatures like the Silver Liquid Jade Worm King were exceedingly rare.

More often than not, after hunting a Super Gene Creature, one would fail to absorb the full 10 Gene Points.

Take this Super Nether Scorpion, for example; with its poison sac removed and some blood loss, reaching 9 Gene Points was likely the upper limit.

With that, Zhang Lieh's Super Gene Count had reached 19 points.

After fishing the scorpion shell out of the pot and cleaning it meticulously, Zhang Lieh stowed it in his Devil Frog Pouch as if it were a prized possession.

This shell was indeed valuable; neither frying nor slow-cooking had compromised its integrity. The only change was that the meat trapped within its horns had been stewed until it fell away.

The shell remained incredibly tough. Although it was only the size of a palm, it was still an exceptional material for crafting.

Having secured the scorpion shell, Zhang Lieh couldn't resist activating the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion Soul Jade within his Soul Sea.

A sinister, light purple dagger materialized in his right hand.

Though termed a dagger, its length was just shy of a standard long sword, which typically measured around 100 cm.

Zhang Lieh's blade was approximately 70 cm—neither notably long nor particularly short.

The hilt was a deep black-purple, crowned with an exquisitely detailed Purple Poison Nether Scorpion, its tail arched menacingly, exuding a malevolent vibe.

Holding the dagger, Zhang Lieh immediately sensed the extraordinary energy it possessed.

In an instant, his body vanished from the room, blending seamlessly with the environment in a manner reminiscent of the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion's escape technique.

Even the gentlest breeze would now mimic the same environmental patterns around him.

Unless he made any sudden movements, not even a detection expert like Chu Feng could penetrate such a disguise.

But the dagger's capabilities didn't stop there. Beyond its superior camouflage and invisibility, it also harbored a potent mix of scorpion venom.

As its wielder, Zhang Lieh was now immune to this venom and most others that were less potent.

Given that the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion was a Gene Creature with a diet of toxins, he could even use the blade to extract poisons from others, making it a tool as effective for harm as it was for healing.

"The blade forged from the Purple Poison Nether Scorpion Soul Jade shall be named the Purple Poison Nether Sword," Zhang Lieh chuckled to himself as he retracted the dagger with a sense of satisfaction.

After tidying up his spoils of war, Zhang Lieh had no further thoughts and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

He had been quite busy throughout the night and was now thoroughly exhausted.

Thankfully, the ultimate reward was so satisfying that he fell asleep with a smile on his face, a testament to his contentment.

However, not everyone shared his happiness.

Take Qin Xiao, Wang Xiaohua, and the Zhou family, for instance.

Having narrowly escaped the clutches of the Black Iron Base's vanguards, Qin Xiao, who had passed out among the Qin family's team, was now in dire straits, nearly fainting once again in frustration.

Initially, when he was cornered and interrogated by the base's hunters, he had caught wind of some rumors. Apparently, Zhang Lieh, the notorious underdog, had come forward to expose Wang Xiaohua.

As the conflict escalated, all evidence increasingly suggested that Qin Xiaotian's death at the hands of Wang Xiaohua was far more likely than Zhang Lieh being responsible.

Moreover, Qin Xiao had previously thrown Zhou Qian under the bus to save his own skin, leaving him and the entire Qin family in a precarious position, besieged on all sides.

"What? What did you say? Xiaotian's body hasn't been found?" Qin Xiao's eyes bulged as he bellowed at Qin Feng before him.

Qin Feng replied solemnly, "That's correct, Young Master. We've turned that pit inside out, and there's no sign of the body, not even a shred of armor."

"I can stake my life on it, Wang Xiaohua is definitely lying!"

"Wang Xiaohua!" As the image of her delicate face flashed through his mind, Qin Xiao's heart thundered with rage.

In that moment, everything clicked for Qin Xiao.

It was all a damn setup, a trap specifically crafted by the Wang family for the Qin family.

They had used Wang Xiaohua to lure Xiaotian with her charms, then intentionally stirred up conflict, using it as a pretext to murder Xiaotian and take the Soul Jade he possessed. They then pinned the blame on the unfortunate Zhang Lieh.

Next, they manipulated the leaders of the Six Great Families at the base into hunting in the Purple Poison Forest. Meanwhile, they secretly snatched the ultimate prize and, in the end, summoned the Moonlight Flood Dragon to finish him off.

This series of strategies was intricately linked and exceptionally malicious.

It was a grand scheme, one that targeted not only the Qin family but also the entire Black Iron Base, as well as the major strategies of the other powers.