Chapter 5136 — The Center's Move

"What do we do? You tell me what to do!" Bing Wushuang gave a cold laugh, then suddenly brought his palm down and smashed the table to splinters. That a cripple like him could still muster such force showed plainly just how far the fury in his chest had piled up.

Utterly disheartened, ten thousand times unwilling—that was the truest state of his heart at this moment. And yet, even so, what good did it do?

"How about we go back?" Even now Xue Jianming refused to give up the last shred of hope. Even if Snow Sword Sect would not grant him a fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill, he was determined to find a way to beg one from his own father—otherwise his whole life would be finished.

"Do as you please, but think it through for yourself. Go back as a cripple and you will rank below the lowliest, most ordinary disciple—anyone can trample on you, especially all those you once offended." Bing Wushuang's face had returned to its usual expressionlessness, but his whole bearing had imperceptibly grown colder and more brooding. Plainly the blow had struck him hard.

"That..." Xue Jianming immediately faltered. He had been the so-called foremost of the Foundation Establishment stage, and backed by a father who was vice sect master, he had carried himself loudly and arrogantly for years, offending no small number of people up and down the sect. Just as Bing Wushuang said, to go back rashly now would be to rush forward and offer himself to be trampled—the outcome would be anything but pleasant.

Besides, if his father could obtain a fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill, then even if he stayed here it would surely be sent to him; if he could not, then returning would be useless anyway.

"Wait and see. Perhaps a turning point will come..." Bing Wushuang said in a low voice.

"And if no turning point comes?" Xue Jianming could not help asking. If he was to remain a cripple for the rest of his life, he simply dared not imagine such a fate.

Bing Wushuang glanced at him and said nothing.

The central headquarters of the secular world. A full month had passed since the launch of the Primordial Plan.

Having stayed so long, even as an peripheral researcher Brother Dafeng had gathered no small amount of valuable news and intelligence. The one thing that tied his guts in knots was that he had already tried every possibility, yet could never find a way to transmit the information out safely. That feeling of having a belly full of goods and being unable to move them could only be described in two words: constipation.

The conference hall was once again packed to the rafters. Brother Dafeng had long since lost count of how many routine meetings this was. Ever since the Primordial Plan began, large and small meetings had followed one another without pause, and he had long since grown numb to them.

"Everyone, progress this past month has gone even more smoothly than anticipated. Through the snowball effect of the Hunter Team, we have captured fifteen Foundation Establishment experts of the Primordial Alliance who were operating alone—a cause for celebration." Lan Xiaoru gave the opening remarks.

The room erupted in thunderous applause. Before the Primordial Plan was launched, everyone had been privately uneasy, always feeling the plan carried no small risk. But now that concern was gone entirely. This so-called Primordial Alliance—to the central headquarters, it was nothing more than this.

Of them all, none was more excited than Dr. Glasses. Although Lan Xiaoru was the highest person in charge, the entire Primordial Plan had been proposed and single-handedly driven through by him. Once it succeeded, he would naturally be the greatest contributor after Lan Xiaoru, and thereafter in the central headquarters of the secular world he would truly stand above ten thousand and below one alone.

"Not only that—thanks to the efforts of every doctor here, these fifteen Foundation Establishment experts have not only been thoroughly brainwashed by us, but each one's cultivation realm has been greatly elevated. Gathered together, these fifteen constitute a most formidable fighting force. They will play a vital role in our next steps under the Primordial Plan," Lan Xiaoru continued.

Thunderous applause broke out once more. Dr. Glasses was stirred with emotion, while Brother Dafeng, seated at the very edge, could not help breaking into a cold sweat. These fifteen Foundation Establishment experts had now all been incorporated into the Hunter Team. The weakest among them was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and the strongest had actually reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Once such a Hunter Team went into action, the very thought of the situation was enough to make one shudder.

"According to intelligence, we have by now captured nearly all the Foundation Establishment experts of the Primordial Alliance who were scattered across the secular world operating on their own. Even if one or two slip through the net, they are not worth our spending much more effort on. Therefore I announce that, effective today, the Primordial Plan formally enters its second phase," Lan Xiaoru said gravely.

"The second phase?" Everyone exchanged glances. Although they were all core members, this Primordial Plan was cloaked in the strictest secrecy, and even they did not know what follow-up operations were planned. Only Lan Xiaoru truly knew the whole picture—and Dr. Glasses, the plan's architect.

"Correct. Strictly speaking, every operation in the first phase was merely the prelude and groundwork for the second. Now that the lone small fry drifting about have been gathered up more or less, it is time for us to get down to real business. Our next target is Shennongjia," Lan Xiaoru said, a gleam in her eyes.

"Shennongjia?" Everyone was startled at these words, their expressions shifting. "You mean the concentration camp of those Primordial Alliance experts?"

"Correct. Everything is now in readiness; it is time to take a larger stride," Lan Xiaoru said with a nod.

"Dr. Lan, isn't this a bit too risky? True, we have fifteen Foundation Establishment experts on our side, but the Primordial Alliance has far more Foundation Establishment experts than we do, and they even have Golden Core experts leading them. Charging in rashly like this, I'm afraid we won't come out ahead," the others said, exchanging glances.

Though their understanding of the Primordial Alliance had been scant before, now that they had such a group of Foundation Establishment experts under control, all manner of information about the Alliance was naturally clear as day. Smooth progress was all well and good, but let joy carry one into too great a stride and one would pull a muscle.

Lan Xiaoru looked at them with a faint, ambiguous smile, thinking to herself that these doctors were indeed the cream of the crop in their respective fields, but if such people were to be put in charge of the overall situation, they would probably never accomplish anything in their lives. They were suited only to academia and research—after all, not everyone was as fiercely ambitious as Dr. Glasses.

"Shennongjia is only our general direction for what comes next. No one said we have to launch a head-on assault, did they? Everyone, we do things with our brains." Dr. Glasses stepped forward at once. (To be continued.)