304: Small pollution sources

The phoenix feather pattern on her ankle swayed slightly with her movement, her eyes rippling with a hint of casual charm.

"It's not that I'm in a hurry~"

Tapping her inner thigh, she said in a heavy voice, "My foundation is thin; the Underworld cannot afford a single failure. If we lose, we lose everything."

Xiao Si tilted its head and shut its mouth.

The hall suddenly fell silent, save for the occasional crackle of the candlelight. Shang Wan Ning gazed at the realm map, her phoenix eyes deep.

[The peak of the eighth rank is not enough, far from enough.]

The Outer God Sabrina is still watching from the shadows, and the threat of the Source Realm gods has never vanished. The Underworld must grow stronger faster.

Besides, Nether Crane does not look like a reliable god at all.

Shang Wan Ning withdrew her thoughts, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "Xiao Si, pull up the latest progress in the Demon Realm for me."

"Understood."

The system light screen expanded before her eyes, scrolling with the movements of the various tribes in the Demon Realm. Shang Wan Ning scanned it quickly, her fingertip tapping on the screen.

"Tell You Yu to speed up. Everyone on the primary list must be in custody within seven days."

"Also, inform Sister Meng to return to Jiaotai Palace once she's finished processing Zhu Yan's Demon corpse."

"I have other matters to discuss with her."

"Certainly, Host."

The system screen vanished. Shang Wan Ning stood up and walked to the palace entrance. The sky outside was still dark, and the faint sound of the Wangchuan River's flow could be heard.

She adjusted her phoenix robe, her eyes darkening.

[The road is long; I'll just take it one step at a time.]

Whether it was the prying eyes of the Outer Gods, the threat of the Source Realm, or the system's ambiguity, there was always a way to solve it.

The prerequisite was that she had to stand high enough and possess sufficient cultivation... Five days later, Shang Wan Ning had just finished reviewing the budget for the second half of the year. Sister Meng walked in carrying a jar wrapped in black cloth, her green robes stained with dark gold spots.

Upon entering, she set the jar down on the desk, the bottom clinking sharply against the jade surface.

"All done."

She wiped her face, unconcerned when her fingertips smeared some blood. "Zhu Yan's Demon corpse is mostly refined, and the source of pollution has been completely extracted."

"Only some bone fragments remain sealed in the jar. Throwing them into the Wangchuan River can reinforce the banks and suppress the resentment."

Shang Wan Ning glanced at the jar, noticing the wisps of cold air leaking from its mouth. "Sister Meng, are there any hidden risks?"

"Don't worry. When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred."

Meng Jiang sat on a nearby chair, grabbed the spiritual tea on the table, gulped down most of it, and said with satisfaction.

"I personally supervised the refining. If any trace of pollution dared to remain, I would have ground it into dust on the spot."

She paused, her divine sense sweeping over Shang Wan Ning. "Your Majesty's aura... you've reached the peak of the eighth rank?"

"Yes."

Shang Wan Ning tapped the armrest with her finger. "I used three Reincarnation Fragments."

Sister Meng frowned slightly. "Wanling, why such a hurry?"

"The fact that there's no movement from Sabrina Child is exactly why I'm on edge." Shang Wan Ning walked to the realm map and pointed to the western part of the Demon Realm.

"You Yu is purging Zhu Yan's remnants. I just received word that seven from the primary list escaped toward the western wasteland."

"The wasteland?"

Meng Jiang frowned and said, "That place is quite eerie. I went there once last year following Chen Yu. It felt like something underneath was gnawing at the space."

Shang Wan Ning's finger paused. "Gnawing at the space?"

"Yes. It's different from Zhu Yan's pollution method—wilder, like an untamed beast."

Meng Jiang leaned closer to Shang Wan Ning and drew a circle over the wasteland area. "I suspect there's a small pollution source hidden beneath. I didn't have time to deal with it before, but now I can clear it out on the way."

Shang Wan Ning's expression turned grave. "I'll have to trouble Sister Meng with this trip. Take several squads of fifth-rank Underworld Soldiers. Once you find the remnants, kill them immediately."

"If the pollution source is easy to handle, clear it. If it's tricky, mark the location first and come back."

"Alright."

Having exacted her revenge, Meng Jiang agreed readily. She turned to leave but stopped at the door.

"Oh, right. The White-Haired Loli asked me to ask Your Majesty when her bonus will be paid."

Shang Wan Ning: "..."

"Tell Chen Yu to find the Secretary-General for reimbursement from public funds. My private vault is about to be picked clean!!!"

(•́へ•́ ╬)

Meng Jiang chuckled and teleported out of Jiaotai Palace. "Fine, fine. Since Your Majesty is short on cash, I'll be generous and cover part of the public funds for you. Consider it sharing your burdens."

[Hmph, I am broad-minded and won't lower myself to the level of a wealthy sister.]

Shang Wan Ning shook her head helplessly and continued handling the Underworld's affairs.

However, before she could finish even a third of her work...

"Ding-dong!"

Xiao Si's notification sounded in her sea of consciousness: "Detected spatial fluctuations in the Demon Realm wasteland. The energy signature is somewhat similar to the Ancient Ruins in Country F."

Shang Wan Ning's eyes darkened. "Exact location?"

"Right in the center of the area Sister Meng is heading to." Xiao Si pulled up the light screen, where a red dot was flashing. "The fluctuations are weak but are steadily increasing."

[There's no smoke without fire. I want to see exactly what this thing is.]

Still uneasy, Shang Wan Ning grabbed the son of heaven sword from the weapon rack. "Xiao Si, notify You Yu. Tell him to take his men to the eastern side of the wasteland to block it off. Don't let the Underworld Soldiers or the Demon tribes near the central zone."

"Understood."

She strode out of the hall. Just outside, she saw Ling Qi walking toward her with a file folder.

"Is Your Majesty going out?" Ling Qi stopped, her gaze behind her glasses falling on the son of heaven sword in her hand.

"There's strange movement in the wasteland; I'm going to check it out." Shang Wan Ning didn't stop. "Keep an eye on the Netherworld for me, AQi. If there's an emergency, message me directly."

"As you command."

Ling Qi watched her Majesty's back disappear into the spatial ripples before looking down at the folder. Her finger paused on the name "Lin Ran."

She then crossed it out and replaced it with "Wasteland Anomaly Monitoring"... The demonic wind on the wasteland carried grit, clattering against the armor.

You Yu stood before a rift valley holding a long sword. The valley was pitch black. A faint "crunching" sound could be heard from below, like something chewing on stones.

"Minister You, something is moving down there."

A nearby Underworld Centurion shouted, his chains pointed at the rift, glowing with golden light.

You Yu waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back. He leaped to the edge of the rift and looked down.

In the bottomless darkness, countless tiny red lights flickered like scattered stars on the ground, yet they exuded a greedy, ferocious aura.

"This is a pollution source?"

He narrowed his eyes, condensing several sword qi on his fingertips. "This is clearly a..."

Before he could finish, the red lights below suddenly surged, and a black shadow shot up. Carrying a foul stench, it lunged straight for You Yu's face.

He quickly dodged to the side and swung his long sword back, slicing the black shadow into two.

The severed pieces on the ground wriggled a few times, turned into two puddles of black mud, and were soon covered by the wind and sand.

"Tch, like sticky phlegm."

You Yu shook his sword in disgust. "Everyone, stay sharp. There's more than one of these things."