Chapter 278 - 140: Precious Vein

Words : 1344 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

The Purple Gold Vein at the border of Great Zhou is known to few, even Yun Canglang had almost forgotten about it. Yun Canglang did not know how Ye Beiming had come to know of this news. In the past, Hou Qin and Tang Yuan formed an alliance and invaded Great Zhou mainly because of that mine. Due to the defeat back then, the mine was never exploited, and the exact location of the vein remains unknown. "Empress, do not meddle. As for the matter of the Crown Prince, I have my own judgment. Let everyone leave, and you... who did you say you were just now, and what is your relationship with Mr. Zongren," Emperor of Great Zhou, a sly old fox, felt that since the Crown Prince’s injury had already been treated by people from the Magic Temple, he could, for the moment, set aside the personal grudges of the royal family, which were less pressing than a priceless mine. Empress Qi dared not voice her anger, nor did she dare to oppose the Emperor of Great Zhou’s wishes, and could only fiercely glare at Zongren and Yun Sheng, who appeared out of nowhere, before leaving angrily with a group of Iron Armor Soldiers. "Your Majesty, this humble citizen is Yan Yun, the deputy captain of the Sky Expedition Hunting Corps, which was formed from the remnants of the Yun Family Army. General Yun’s desire to resign is also due to the Hunting Corps," Yun Sheng calmly presented his Hunter Soldier Badge and the Great Magic Director’s badge. "What Yan Yun said aligns with my thoughts. Your Majesty might remember that eight years ago, due to Hou Qin and Tang Yuan’s collusion, our Great Zhou Army faced defeat in the Southern Border City and lost an important Purple Gold Mine. When the ceasefire agreement was signed, it was agreed that neither of the three countries shall exploit the mine," Yun Canglang proceeded to explain. Purple Gold is a very precious ore, it is the main material used in crafting Wuji Purple Gold Coins, and it is also used in making various high-level weapons and magic artifacts. Throughout the continent, the supply of Purple Gold ore is very limited. Back then, it was the accidental discovery of a Purple Gold vein near Southern Border City that led Emperor of Great Zhou to order Yun Canglang to station troops nearby. Little did they know that spies from Hou Qin and Tang Yuan eventually got wind of the news. "Regarding the Purple Gold mine, I have indeed heard about it long ago, but since the Purple Gold mine is located at the tripoint of three nations, it’s difficult to mine. To avoid unnecessary disputes, the initial ceasefire agreement stipulated that none of the three nations should exploit it," Emperor of Great Zhou’s expression softened slightly. For Great Zhou, the benefits that a good Purple Gold mine could bring should not be underestimated. Even just incorporating a bit of Purple Gold into weapons could greatly enhance the army’s combat effectiveness. "Although that’s the case, according to the residents at the frontier, while Hou Qin and Tang Yuan outwardly abide by the agreement, in reality, they play it both ways. Over the past few years, spies from Tang Yuan and Hou Qin have frequently entered the border area. I fear they are also surveying the whereabouts of the Purple Gold veins," Yun Canglang expressed his deep concern. The tri-nation agreement only banned mining the veins, but if Yun Canglang investigates as a Hunter Soldier, it simplifies matters quite a bit. "His Majesty honors the promise, but Hou Qin and Tang Yuan are likely to break the alliance, allowing unofficial forces like the Hunting Corps to mine locally. Thus, Great Zhou cannot directly dispatch the army to suppress it. It is considering this that I transformed the Yun Family Army into the Hunting Corps and requested to resign from the general position, and secretly head to the Southern Border area," Yun Canglang was a wise man; reminded by Ye Beiming, he promptly had a strategy in mind. Yun Canglang immediately knelt down, stating his willingness to go to the Southern Border area as a Hunter Soldier to redeem the previous disgrace and reclaim ownership of the Purple Gold mine. "Although... the Yun Family’s Army has been reformed not long ago and its numbers are not many, can it truly compare with a trained Hunting Corps?" Emperor of Great Zhou still harbored some doubts about Yun Canglang’s words. The fact that the Purple Gold mine couldn’t be mined was always a worrying matter for him, but he hadn’t expected that Hou Qin and Tang Yuan would use the Hunting Corps to secretly survey the Purple Gold mine. Using civilian identities to seize the Purple Gold mine indeed was a good strategy. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, with Zongren and his Demon Beast around, unless the opponents have a Holy Beast Summoner or a Magic user of Sky Level or higher, we will surely retrieve the Purple Gold mine," Yun Sheng then winked at Zongren, who cleverly played along with him in a back-and-forth. "Cough cough, I originally did not want to concern myself with these trivial matters, but I agreed to assist the female mage who is a Summoning Emperor-level master on behalf of Vice Captain Yan. She has a good relationship with Yun Canglang; this time I shall do Yun Canglang a favor by helping you reclaim that Purple Gold Mine. However, I have one condition, after recapturing the Purple Gold Mine, I want fifty percent of the ore’s revenue," said Zong Ren, which shocked the Emperor of Great Zhou even more. His gaze towards Yun Sheng immediately changed. That seemingly merely over-ten-year-old beautiful female mage actually has a Summoning Emperor-level master? Such words, coming from anyone else’s mouth, the Emperor of Great Zhou would not have believed. But since the words came from Zong Ren, the impact was different. Who is Zong Ren? He himself is a Holy Beast Summoner, possessing a Commander-level Summoned Beast. If he wished, he could easily be ennobled and offered high appointments in any country, yet he willingly follows a mere girl. And this girl is just a newly appointed Deputy Captain of a Hunting Corps. Yet, he treats Yun Sheng with utmost respect, a hundred times more respectfully than he treats himself, the Emperor of Great Zhou. Thus, it could only be because that female mage has a Summoning Emperor-level master as her mentor. The Emperor of Great Zhou, though a martial artist with the backing of the Magic Temple, knows how terrifying a Summon Emperor is. Regardless of whether the female mage’s master belongs to the Summoning Court, the mere acknowledgment by Zong Ren as a Summon Emperor is already quite significant. A Summon Emperor implies a powerful Demon Beast army toeing behind. Together with Yun Bahe in the Martial Saint General Mansion, it means the Yun Family has the backing of both a Martial Saint and a Summon Emperor. The formidable Yun Family! In the heart of the Emperor of Great Zhou, his thoughts thundered tumultuously; today, if he does not allow Yun Canglang’s resignation, the Yun Family and that Summon Emperor would definitely be displeased. If he agrees to Yun Canglang, there’s still a chance of reclaiming the ownership of the Purple Gold Mine. But thereafter, he would lose control over the Yun Family, and if the Yun Family’s reorganized Hunting Corps grows powerful, it wouldn’t fall under the Great Zhou military system either. The Emperor of Great Zhou weighed his options repeatedly. But he is the supreme Emperor of Great Zhou after all, although perplexed, his decision was swiftly made. "Audacious! The minerals within Great Zhou all belong to me, the wealth of Great Zhou; you, a mere commoner who even inflicted severe injuries on the Crown Prince, I spared your life considering your talents. Unexpectedly, you dare make such outrageous demands here!" The Emperor of Great Zhou’s expression hardened as he flatly rejected Zong Ren’s demands.

Chapter 278 - 140: Precious Vein

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