Monster Paradise

“I have one more question. After I cleared the 81st checkpoint on the Stairway Tree, I received an invitation from an organization called the Club. Were you the one who sent me that letter?”

“Yes, but also no. My host is a member of the Club. That invitation letter was the one and only invitation right that my host had.

“To be honest, the checkpoints on the Stairway Tree were not set by me. All I did was put the invitation letter on the top floor of the Stairway Tree. The eighty-one checkpoints were assessment requirements that were automatically set by the invitation letter based on its surroundings and environment. Whoever clears the checkpoints will automatically be eligible to join the Club.”

“Those assessments were all set by the invitation letter?!” Lin Huang’s face was filled with amazement. “But it just looks like a regular piece of card. There isn’t even that much energy fluctuation remaining.”

“It’s just an object created by a powerhouse who has surpassed lord-level, so it’d be weirder if you actually could sense any energy fluctuation from it,” Emperor’s Heart could not help but retort.

“Since your host is a member of the Club, you should know a few things about it, right?” Lin Huang pressed for information on the Club.

“I don’t really know that much about it. All I know is that after my host joined the Club, apart from receiving a few missions, my host has only met a total of three other Club members in the span of millions of years. The organization is very laid-back, and members practically have free rein. However, one thing that I can be sure of is the fact that rewards for their missions are extremely lucrative!”

His chat with the Emperor’s Heart lasted for almost an hour.

Many of Lin Huang’s doubts had been cleared, and the conversation was gradually coming to an end.

“Why haven’t you asked me who my host’s reincarnation is?” The Emperor’s Heart suddenly took the initiative to ask Lin Huang this question.

“Would you tell me?” Lin Huang raised his eyebrows. He did not think that the Emperor’s Heart would disclose such confidential information to him. After all, the host’s reincarnation definitely had not fully grown up yet. Logically speaking, from the Emperor’s Heart’s perspective, Lin Huang could potentially be a great threat to the reincarnated host.

Although Lin Huang did inquire about a lot of secrets, he still chose to avoid such questions out of a sense of propriety.

Hearing this rhetorical question, the Emperor’s Heart smiled and changed the subject. “When are you leaving the gravel world?”

“My original plan was to resolve the crisis in the gravel world, stay for two to three months at most, then leave after a short rest.” Lin Huang felt no need to hide his plans. “Now that there’s the matter regarding the Myriad Tribe Palace, however, things have become a little uncertain.

“Well, firstly, I’ll have to try and see if I can refine this piece of God Territory fragment.” After saying that, Lin Huang asked, “If I manage to successfully refine it, will there be any effect on my God Territory?”

“If the refinement is successful, the God Territory fragment will become a part of your God Territory. Once you’ve evolved into a True God, you could even keep it in the God Territory within your body and completely cut off the connection between the gravel world and the outside world. If that happens, even if the Myriad Tribe Palace were to reconnect the space tunnels with the original coordinates, all they would be able to find after teleporting is an empty void.”

“So, there won’t be any side effects?” Lin Huang pressed.

“No, there won’t. It’s essentially the same as accepting an incomplete inheritance, except the inheritance is neither a cultivation method nor a memory. What side effects can you possibly have from refining an inheritance fragment?” The Emperor’s Heart was a little speechless. He did not expect Lin Huang to be so cautious.

…

By the time Lin Huang was sent back to the Union Government’s headquarters by the Emperor’s Heart, more than an hour had passed.

In the conference hall, the crowd had not dispersed. Due to Lin Huang’s absence, they could not proceed with the main agenda of the meeting and could only discuss some minor issues as they waited patiently for Lin Huang’s return.

Everyone, that is, except Jiang Shan, who had been a little preoccupied with his thoughts. Due to the fact that the Emperor’s Heart and the Union Government were only tied by a partnership and were not constrained by a binding contract, his current worry was the possibility of Lin Huang and the Emperor’s Heart forming a contractual relationship and knocking the Union Government off its perch.

If that were to really happen, then Dynasty would not only have Lin Huang, but also True God reinforcements and control over the entire Heart Network.

With that, Dynasty would replace the Union Government’s current position in no time.

After being teleported back, Lin Huang headed straight toward the conference room.

When he pushed open the doors and walked in, all heads turned to look at him.

Noting the questioning look in the eyes of Mr. Fu and the two Sword Servants, Lin Huang gave them a slight nod to signal that he was okay, then strode back to his seat.

“Please excuse me. Let’s continue, shall we?”

The meeting continued soon after Lin Huang’s return.

It was not until past four o’clock in the afternoon that the meeting neared an end.

Yet, the various proposals that were brought up during the meeting were still not enough to relieve the crisis of the gravel world.

After thinking about it, Lin Huang felt that the only reliable solution was still the Emperor’s Heart’s.

However, it was impossible for him to bring up the matter regarding refining the gravel world in front of so many people. It was highly unlikely that everyone would agree to it; the Union Government, in particular, would definitely be firmly opposed to the idea.

Therefore, Lin Huang had no choice but to execute this plan secretly. After the refinement had been completed and the crisis resolved, it would no longer matter if other people found out—their objections would mean nothing by then.

At the end of the meeting, Lin Huang suddenly stood up.

“Chief Jiang, if I may be so bold, I have a request that I hope the Union Government will agree to.”

“Please go ahead, Your Majesty.” Jiang Shan became alert at once. He thought that Lin Huang was going to mention something related to the Emperor’s Heart.

“I hope that the cloning department of the Union Government will destroy all of my younger brother’s clones and genetic materials,” Lin Huang said and glanced toward Lin Xuan who was next to him.

Jiang Shan was confused for a moment. “Your younger brother? Do you mean Lin Xuan?”

“That’s right.” Lin Huang nodded with a serious expression. “I don’t care about the other clones, but for Lin Xuan’s, I wish for all of them to be destroyed!”

Jiang Shan traded glances with Dongfang Bai who was beside him, as if they were exchanging voice transmissions through Divine Telekinesis, before nodding. “Very well.”

With that brief interlude, the end of the meeting was ultimately declared.

Lin Huang was about to summon a portal to leave when he heard Jiang Shan’s voice calling out from behind, “Your Majesty, please stay back for a moment.”

Lin Huang paused and turned around. “Is there anything else, Chief Jiang?”

With an eye signal from Jiang Shan, Dongfang Bai and others all quickly left. Lin Huang also asked Mr. Fu to leave. Soon, Jiang Shan and Lin Huang were the only ones remaining in the conference room.

“Emperor Lin, did your talk with the Emperor’s Heart go well?”

“It went pretty well.” Lin Huang smiled and nodded. He had a general idea of what Jiang Shan was worried about. “We talked about a lot of things, and I also learned a lot of secrets.”

“That’s good, then…” Jiang Shan really wanted to press for more details, but he could not bring himself to say it out loud.

“Don’t worry, I won’t snatch the Emperor’s Heart away.” Lin Huang knew what Jiang Shan wanted to ask and could not bear seeing the man’s embarrassed look any longer, so he just told him the truth. “Its host has successfully reincarnated, so it won’t choose a second host.”

“Its host has been reincarnated?” Jiang Shan was taken aback. “Who is it?!”

“How would I know? I didn’t ask. If you guys want to know, just ask it yourself.”

After realizing he had probably sounded a little too desperate, Jiang Shan coughed twice before swiftly changing the topic. “Then, did it bring up any useful suggestions for our current crisis?”

“It did.” Lin Huang nodded, but did not bother to elaborate.

“Could you give me the specifics?” Jiang Shan immediately pressed.

“You wouldn’t want to know,” Lin Huang said, shaking his head firmly.