"So this is the Phantom-Eyed Sand Fox? It's quite beautiful."
A deep, muffled voice echoed through the room. The speakerâa massively obese womanâheld the level-seven lifeform in her chubby hand, making it squeak in distress. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Following the arm upward, one would see a mountain of a woman.
"Sister Bo, uh... be gentle. You're going to crush it to death," a man behind her pleaded, sweating profusely. He wanted to intervene but didnât dare, hovering anxiously instead.
"It's just a fox. So what if I crush it?" The woman snorted dismissively, shaking the fox in the air several times. The Phantom-Eyed Sand Fox visibly weakened under her monstrous grip, its struggles growing feeble.
"Vice-Chairman Li, this is something the God Hall requested. If you kill it, it wonât be easy to explain," said a man entering the roomânone other than Wen Yan, leader of Pin Palace.
The obese womanâBo Jieâglanced at him sideways and sneered. "Call me Sister Bo!"
Wen Yan was old enough to be her grandfather, yet he showed no offense. Instead, he nodded. "Fine."
Bo Jie ignored him, tossing the half-conscious fox to an underling before lumbering over to the only stone stool in the roomâthe rest of the seating being wooden chairsâand plopping down with a thud.
Wen Yan sat in the center, leisurely sipping tea before addressing Bo Jie. "Sister Bo, why didnât your chairman come?"
"Busy." Bo Jie had somehow procured a roasted pig leg and was gnawing on it messily.
"So you have full authority to make decisions on his behalf?" Wen Yan pressed.
"Yeah." Bo Jie gave a simple reply.
Wen Yan sipped his tea, deep in thought.
"Sister Bo, Iâd like to askâI once met your former Vice-Chairman Leng. How is he these days?"
"Dead."
The Soul Merchant, now allied with Pin Palace, could no longer maintain its usual secrecy. Many things had become common knowledge, like how their chairman was still referred to as "The Great Chairman," his true name unknown. The vice-chairmen were now Yang and this woman, Li Bo. But what happened to the previous vice-chairman, Leng Ran, who had once ranked among the top fighters in the country?
Dead? Wen Yan pondered. It was possible, but how? Did he clash with the Great Chairman? Or had the Great Chairman himself been replaced? Why else would two new deputies be groomed while the old ones were discarded?
Minutes later, as Wen Yan mulled over these questions, footsteps approached, and a disheveled old man entered.
Wen Yan immediately stood.
This man was not God Hallâs enigmatic Director, but their undisputed second-in-commandâa research prodigy on par with the Director himself.
With the Director shifting focus to cultivation over the past year, the God Hallâs scientific endeavors had fallen entirely under the control of this manâDr. Ziche.
As the Courtâs second-in-command, his word was law unless the Director intervened. His authority far surpassed Bo Jieâs in Soul Merchant. If Bo Jie claimed she could make decisions for the Great Chairman, Wen Yan had doubts. But if Dr. Ziche said the same? Heâd believe it without question.
"Dr. Ziche, please, have a seat."
The old man grunted but didnât sit. Instead, he walked to the center of the room, where the Phantom-Eyed Sand Fox and its symbiotic mutated buckthorn lay bound, listless despite having regained consciousness.
"A level-seven Phantom-Eyed Sand Fox with a level-seven symbiotic lifeform... barely acceptable."
Dr. Ziche muttered to himself, poking at the creatures with visible dissatisfaction.
Wen Yan watched, wonderingâWas a level-eight specimen what he wanted? But even if level-eight symbiotic pairs existed, capturing them would require the combined efforts of the Great Chairman, the Director, and himself.
"Old man, can you finally produce a stable level-eight product with these things?" Bo Jie asked between bites of her pig leg, utterly unconcerned with decorum.
Dr. Ziche squinted his eyes.
Yes, he was unkemptâmost people of his rank and evolution level wouldnât tolerate such filth. But every waking moment was devoted to research.
Yes, he was eccentricâhis status allowed him to disregard social niceties.
But that didnât mean he was stupid or would tolerate disrespect.
The two God Hall guards accompanying him scowled, warning Bo Jie to watch her tone.
Though Cloud Peak had also attacked God Hall, their losses paled compared to Soul Merchantâs. Their silence over the years was strategicâa reflection of their nature.
They looked down on Soul Merchant.
And now, this obese woman dared provoke them? Unacceptable.
"Fighting? Thatâs my favorite." Bo Jie tossed the nearly bare pig leg aside and stood, her massive chest heaving as she summoned two colossal round-headed war hammers from her spatial storageâeach the size of a desk. Even her enormous frame seemed dwarfed by them.
"Enough!"
Wen Yan snapped. Neither Bo Jie nor Dr. Ziche seemed to take him seriously. Their factionsâSoul Merchant and God Hallâdidnât hold Pin Palace in high regard either. The allianceâs recent joint hunt of a level-nine lifeform had ended with Pin Palace getting the short end of the stick.
Now, facing the two deputy leaders, Wen Yanâs pent-up frustration erupted.