Chapter 1559: Lan You

“There’s no need to consider them.” Ye Zhongming’s response was resolute. Seeing the stunned expressions on Old An and the others, he continued, “During the wall construction period, the mutated lifeforms won’t launch attacks—at the very least, there will definitely be no large-scale assaults.”

The people of Black Dragon City exchanged glances, unsure how to proceed with the decision.

They didn’t dare question Ye Zhongming. As the number one in the nation, he wouldn’t speak carelessly. If he said so, there must be a reason. They just didn’t understand the specifics and lacked confidence—after all, this was no trivial matter.

“Mr. Ye, even with Cloud Peak’s assistance, building a city wall is no small project. It involves everyone in our city. We can’t stake our future on the unknown.”

Old An was rational. He didn’t yield just because Ye Zhongming made the request, but did his best to voice his thoughts.

It couldn’t be denied that constructing a wall here would greatly benefit Black Dragon City’s evolvers. However, how to build it, the methods, the duration, and other details involved many complexities—it wasn’t something Ye Zhongming could simply decide here.

Ye Zhongming’s sudden proposal after his return was inherently ‘suspicious.’

They feared the might of Ye Zhongming and Cloud Peak, but if it truly came down to survival, the people of Black Dragon City wouldn’t hesitate to fight to the death.

Ye Zhongming smiled, understanding their concerns.

“The reason I proposed this suggestion is, first, because it offers immense benefits to you—something you don’t deny, right?”

Even though they were baffled by Ye Zhongming’s proposal, the leaders of Black Dragon City had to admit that it would indeed be a tremendous advantage if such a wall were built.

“I can guarantee the mutated lifeforms won’t attack. First, because I’ve reached an agreement with the Snow Wolf King, it won’t attack Black Dragon City for the next three months. Additionally, I’ll dispatch some Cloud Peak warriors here to assist in defense during the wall’s construction. Second, aside from the Snow Wolf King, the other mutated lifeforms around Black Dragon City have lost most of their leadership and are now scattered, posing no threat to you.”

As he spoke, Ye Zhongming gestured to Xiao Peng, who had been stationed in Black Dragon City. Xiao Peng stepped forward and, with a wave of his spatial equipment, dumped a pile of corpses onto the open ground outside.

The leaders of Black Dragon City took one look and felt their hearts tremble.

These corpses were all Level 7 and Level 8 beings. The Level 7 ones aside, there were over a dozen Level 8 creatures alone.

Among them were some they were very familiar with—old acquaintances, so to speak. For example, that annoying mutated weasel, the flying mutated moth, and the mutated musk ox that had once left a massive scar on Hai Dayu.

These were all overlords of Black Dragon City’s mutated lifeform-controlled zones. And now, they were just lifeless corpses on the ground.

The leaders’ jaws dropped.

They weren’t surprised by the killing of Level 8 lifeforms—hunting such creatures was their primary task now.

But how did they usually hunt Level 8 lifeforms? First, they had to locate one, then observe and gather intel, devise a plan, and execute it through ambushes, traps, poison, or lures.

Typically, it took at least twenty days to a month from discovery to kill.

Even now, with occasional cooperation, they could only kill two or three Level 8 lifeforms a month. If they exceeded four, it was considered a bumper harvest.

That was why Black Dragon City currently had only a handful of Eight-Star evolved.

Not every faction was like Cloud Peak, where any random Level 8 being could solo others of the same tier.

Now, Cloud Peak’s people had gone out for a stroll—yes, judging by the time, it really was just a stroll—and returned not only unharmed by the level nine lifeform but also having struck a deal with it. On top of that, they’d cleared out Black Dragon City’s mutated lifeforms.

This…

At this point, the people of Black Dragon City had to admit the vast gap between them. Cloud Peak’s casual gains surpassed their months of effort.

Old Long walked over to inspect the corpses and nodded to his companions.

They had already noticed something odd about the wounds. Most of the fatal injuries seemed to have been inflicted by canine lifeforms. Upon closer examination, this was confirmed, with clear traces of ice elemental energy in the wounds.

What did this mean? It meant the Snow Wolf King’s pack had killed most of these lifeforms!

After all, Yellow Ball wasn’t an ice-type lifeform.

It also indirectly proved that Ye Zhongming had indeed made direct contact with the Snow Wolf King, and the agreement was likely genuine.

They couldn’t fathom how humans and a Level 9 lifeform could coexist peacefully.

“Mr. Ye, if this is truly the case, then the wall construction proposal is indeed feasible. But this old man still doesn’t understand—why are you doing this?”

Old An took a deep breath. Knowing that Ye Zhongming had proposed this and resolved all their concerns, the matter was as good as settled. Since that was the case, he had to ask for the reason. He didn’t believe the nation’s number one was some saint here to help Black Dragon City with construction.

After taking a sip of tea brought by Xia Bai, Ye Zhongming replied, “Naturally, since I’m helping Black Dragon City, I hope Black Dragon City can help me in return.”

The leaders exchanged bitter smiles. Once this top expert spoke, they had no choice but to comply.

“I hope this place can become a friendly city to Cloud Peak. Cloud Peak wishes to set up shops here, establish a teleportation array, and also hopes you’ll allow Cloud Peak to station troops here temporarily when necessary. Rest assured, we won’t compete for hunting grounds—Cloud Peak warriors will never appear within your designated zones.”

This… The leaders nodded reluctantly. Though uneasy, they agreed. After all, Cloud Peak could have simply come here to do business or hunt without asking. Did Black Dragon City really want to declare war on Cloud Peak? That would be like an egg striking a rock.

Once they mentally agreed, they quickly realized the mutual benefits.

Cloud Peak could sell their products here, opening a new market to earn huge profits while collecting materials, magic crystals, ores, and other essentials. Meanwhile, Black Dragon City could purchase Cloud Peak’s signature weapons, equipment, potions, and even demon crystal weapons or gene warriors.