137: Shadow Blades Gather, the Future of the Federation

As the Shadow Blade leader finished speaking, the holographic image before them suddenly switched, displaying several blurry surveillance footages.

The Family Heads of the Lei Family, Situ Family, and Nangong Family were conversing in low voices in a hidden reception room.

In the corner of the screen, the bodies of two Shadow Blade members lay in a pool of blood, clearly having met an unfortunate end during their surveillance.

Su Lei's gaze instantly turned cold.

The other party's voice resonated again, carrying a chilling frost.

"As Shadow Blades, we must eliminate all threats to the Federation."

"If these Three Great Families are truly conspiring something..."

The sentence was unfinished, but the coldness and resolve within it were self-evident.

Su Lei remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Understood."

"I will arrive in the Imperial Capital by evening."

...The special plane sliced through the clouds, landing at a hidden airport on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital under the cover of night.

A black sedan without license plates had been waiting for a long time, taking Su Lei to the Shadow Blade headquarters in the city center.

Inside the conference room, both sides of the long table were already filled with people.

The air was so thick it felt like it could be wrung out, and everyone's eyes subtly flickered towards the doorway.

"Click—"

The sound of the door being pushed open was exceptionally clear in the silence.

Su Lei stepped in, and in an instant, countless gazes shot towards him like sharp arrows.

Curiosity, scrutiny, apprehension, inquiry... Although most people were seeing this legendary newcomer for the first time, his deeds had already spread throughout the entire organization.

He had infiltrated the west alone, uncovering the military's shocking conspiracy,

and allied with the Xiao Family, repeatedly thwarting the Lei Family's schemes in the Kunlun Secret Realm.

The two major accomplishments achieved in such a short period were enough to shock anyone.

However, when everyone tried to sense his strength, their expressions instantly froze.

Unfathomable!

They couldn't detect any specific information at all.

Even more terrifying, the moment their eyes briefly met Su Lei's, a shiver involuntarily ran deep into their Souls, as if being gazed upon by some supreme existence.

Su Lei's gaze calmly swept across the room.

On both sides of the long table, each person was a high-ranking Shadow Blade executive, renowned in their own right.

Silver Owl, the head of the Huaxing City branch and his former superior, was also seated among them.

Their gazes briefly met in the air, and Silver Owl gave an imperceptible nod, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

The others, however, averted their gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Sit."

The Shadow Blade leader's voice suddenly broke the silence.

Su Lei nodded slightly.

With his seating, this meeting concerning the future of the Federation officially began.

"The purpose of this meeting is how to resolve the issue of the Three Great Families."

The Shadow Blade leader's voice echoed in the conference room, and as they watched the holographic projection, everyone's expressions instantly became solemn.

Just one Lei Family was enough to cause a headache; if the Three Great Families joined forces, the threat to the Federation would be incalculable.

As Secret Realms were continuously explored across various regions, the news of the impending second catastrophe was no longer a secret.

The Three Great Families had clearly also received this intelligence,

and their decision to band together at this critical juncture had a clear intention—

to seize the opportunity amidst the chaos to replace the Federation and reallocate all resources.

And the consequence of doing so would be only one: civil war!

"Are they mad?"

"To still cause trouble at this critical moment!"

A representative from the northern region slammed his hand on the table, his eyes burning with fury.

The leader raised a hand to signal for quiet, his expression more serious than ever before.

"Everyone present here is a backbone of the Shadow Blade, having rendered great service to the Federation, so I won't hide anything."

"The President and several other top powerhouses are in seclusion, striving to Breakthrough to the Great Grandmaster Realm."

"So now, only we can handle this matter."

"The bottom line is—we absolutely cannot allow a civil war to erupt. We must minimize the impact as much as possible."

The conference room fell into a dead silence.

"How is this possible!"

Finally, someone couldn't help but speak, "Lei Mietian alone is troublesome enough, plus the Situ Family and Nangong Family..."

"The Shadow Blade's strength simply isn't enough!"

A chorus of discussions rose and fell, and everyone's faces were extremely grim.

The leader gently tapped the table, his gaze turning to Su Lei, who had been silent all this time.

"Before formulating a plan, we need to confirm one thing."

The discussions gradually subsided, and everyone followed the leader's gaze towards Su Lei.

"Su Lei, can you tell us, what level has your strength truly reached?"

"Regarding that battle in the Kunlun Secret Realm, we need a more detailed account."

Su Lei nodded slightly: "One punch."

"What?" The leader frowned, seemingly not hearing clearly.

"One punch shattered his Protective Aura and killed Lei Jinghong."

Su Lei's tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Someone unconsciously swallowed, while others' eyes widened.

The entire conference room fell into dead silence once more.

After a long while,

"According to intelligence..." The leader's voice was a little dry, "Lei Jinghong had already stepped halfway into the Great Grandmaster Realm."

"You were able to kill him with one punch..."

"Could it be... you have already reached Lei Mietian's level?"

"Not yet." Su Lei shook his head, "It's just the advantage of my Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill."

A hint of disappointment flashed in the leader's eyes, but Su Lei's next words made him sit up straight immediately.

"However..."

"However what?"

Su Lei said indifferently.

"This Kunlun Secret Realm has given me a lot of Harvest."

"I need time to recover from my injuries and fully digest these gains."

"How long?" The leader asked impatiently.

"Within two months."

"Two months..." The leader murmured, his gaze sweeping over every member present.

He could clearly see the complex expressions on everyone's faces—there was doubt, worry, but more than that... hope.

"Since its establishment, the Federation has weathered a hundred years of storms." The leader's voice suddenly became aged, "That catastrophe back then almost destroyed human civilization. It was our ancestors who built a defense line with their flesh and blood, in exchange for today's peace."

He took a deep breath, scanned the crowd, and slowly said.

"I will recommend to the Federation's high-level officials to suspend all actions against the Three Great Families."

"Until..."

"The day you officially become a Great Grandmaster."

The conference room fell silent again.

Everyone understood what this decision meant.

The Federation currently possessed hundreds of thousands of troops, over a thousand Martial Masters, twenty Grandmasters, and six Peak Grandmasters.

The top four were only a step away from the Great Grandmaster.

They also commanded cutting-edge technology capable of killing Grandmasters, as well as the forbidden weapon "Heavenly King."

This was also why Lei Mietian, despite being a Great Grandmaster, dared not openly break ties with the Federation.

Even if they couldn't kill him, the Federation had the ability to make all other members of the Lei Family perish with him.

Once a full-scale war with the Three Great Families erupted, regardless of who ultimately won or lost, humanity would no longer be able to cope with the impending second catastrophe.

To return to those miserable years a hundred years ago... The leader made this decision out of consideration for the greater good.

However, suspending actions against the Three Great Families meant that the Federation would have to temporarily bow to them, cede resources, and contract its defenses.

During this period, the power of the Three Great Families would inevitably expand wildly.

If Su Lei was unable to Breakthrough in time, the Federation's strength would only continue to weaken, eventually losing its ability to resist.

This was undoubtedly a huge gamble—

Pledging the entire Federation's future on Su Lei!

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