Qi Suian’s silence gradually caused the storm of public opinion in the two nations to die down.
The secret lock on his Sacred Artifact didn’t disappear, but no one made a move.
Furthermore, both sides automatically avoided Qi Suian.
It was as if Qi Suian’s location was being completely ignored.
Then, after Qi Suian finished building an intercontinental missile, he finally set off.
So what if the enemy guessed the thirty-day creation cycle?
No one wanted to test the consequences.
Anyone with eyes could see the economic, political, and other related losses the Eternal United States suffered from the destruction of Haisi County.
Therefore, as long as Qi Suian’s actions weren’t too outrageous and didn’t affect the war’s trajectory, they would simply be ignored.
But they hadn’t stopped scheming. They were focused on gathering more intelligence for a single, fatal strike.
After failing many times, and with Qi Suian now possessing immense power, they certainly wouldn’t make another move that would only add to his initial capital.
Qi Suian only grew stronger with every fight. They couldn’t withstand his relentless bombardment.
They were large, which meant their losses were even more devastating. Not to mention, an enemy of equal size was watching them like a hawk.
Even if they managed to take down Qi Suian, their enemy would surely take a huge bite out of them in the process.
So, without absolute certainty, neither the Eternal United States nor the Xuan Empire would act rashly. They would focus on observation for now.
And with Qi Suian’s satellite projection in the sky, many things became much more convenient.
The smart brain, combined with the satellite, formed a wide-ranging information-gathering network.
It could now roughly predict the military movements of both sides.
Thus, he always steered clear of them, rarely getting into conflicts.
Having established his dominance, he had achieved his goal. As long as his enemies left him alone, he would refrain from killing until he got his hands on the divine will system.
Then, he traveled unimpeded to Longjing City, where the survivors were based.
The Tai Sui God’s Wind Master aviation system, combined with a miniature elemental particle accelerator and an Enchantment Array, made him incredibly fast.
Thankfully, he had added an extra shield module in advance. Otherwise, relying on a single, non-specialized shield layer, he might not have been able to fly so recklessly.
Now, with two layers of shields, the number of people in the Sacred Artifact World who could possibly injure him had dwindled once again.
That wasn’t to say there were none, but he was at least somewhat safer than before.
After all, he only fought in the big leagues. Small fry had no chance of ever facing him.
If they did, it would only be a slaughter. He wouldn’t even need his shields.
So the shields were for defending against either sneak attacks or powerful experts.
Mostly the latter. With the Tai Sui God’s reconnaissance module, a sneak attack was basically impossible.
When fighting an expert, however, if his shields could withstand just one blow, it would give Qi Suian a sliver of a chance at victory.
As for those who couldn’t even break his shields... what kind of expert would that be?
Shattering the Tai Sui God’s shields was the minimum qualification.
Qi Suian didn’t care how they did it—whether by strength, luck, or some external artifact. As long as they could do it, even just once, Qi Suian would acknowledge their power.
Don’t be fooled by how the Tai Sui God’s shields seemed to be made of paper-mâché in front of some people. On this entire planet in the Sacred Artifact World, there were, at most, six people who could accomplish such a feat.
The King and the Emperor of the two nations, along with the Sect Leader of the Dragon Whale Sect, took up three of those spots.
The other three were just Qi Suian’s conservative estimate, assuming each of the three major powers had a hidden pillar of support.
The moment he arrived in Longjing City, he immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The survivors didn’t know he was a violator, but they could guess his identity as the Iron Armor Man from his attire.
The Iron Armor Man’s exploits weren’t exactly a household name, but his reputation was certainly widespread.
Qi Suian only had a transformation module, not any for camouflage, mimicry, or stealth.
Infiltration was probably unrealistic, so he just swaggered right in.
"Wei Jiang of the Dragon Whale Sect, personal disciple of the Sect Leader. A pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency." A middle-aged man hurried over, announcing his identity with a raised hand.
His master, the Sect Leader, rarely handled sect affairs, spending most of her time cultivating. As her disciple, he was the one who carried the banner for the Dragon Whale Sect.
Despite Fan Fengfei’s youthful appearance, she was actually over eighty years old. Her powerful divine will was what maintained her youthful beauty.
"What’s this? The Dragon Whale Sect is supposed to be the main bastion for survivors, isn’t it? Is this how you treat a senior survivor like myself?" Qi Suian said mockingly.
Before, Wei Jiang would have been thrilled by Qi Suian’s arrival. If they could just capture him, they could force him to reveal everything.
Unfortunately, times had changed.
The Iron Armor Man had easily obliterated Haisi County. Under his unknown Sacred Artifact, Longjing City likely stood no chance of resisting either.
As soon as he spoke, the expressions of the other survivors shifted, and many began to communicate amongst themselves in secret.
How could they not understand his words? Qi Suian was practically laying his cards on the table.
"You are indeed a senior," Wei Jiang quickly retorted, "but you are not from Longjing City. You aren’t even from our world."
"As someone from another world, we don’t dare to completely trust you, Senior."
Of course, this was also a test.
He wanted to confirm if the man was from their world.
Hearing this, Qi Suian let out another sneer.
"Such parochialism. Forget it."
"I thought the Dragon Whale Sect, having established a foothold in the Doomsday World, would be a gathering of heroes."
"But now I see you’re nothing but a bunch of spineless cowards." Qi Suian openly admitted his origins, then turned to leave.
’It’s just my identity. So what if they know? I have no family or friends, I’m completely alone. How could they possibly target me?’
’Besides, I have an intercontinental missile at my side. How would they dare to underestimate me?’
So, Qi Suian was betting that they would call him back.
’If they don’t, that’s simple too. I’ll just circle back and start a massacre.’
’It’s rare for me to be this peaceful. If they refuse to cooperate, they can’t blame me for being ruthless.’
It didn’t matter if he couldn’t get the Quenching Method he wanted. As long as he had enough test subjects, he was confident he could reverse-engineer it himself.
’If I don’t know the proper path, I’ll just use quantity to create quality.’
’In any case, the ones dying would be survivors from the opposing faction. Why would I feel bad? I couldn’t wait for more of them to die.’
Seeing Qi Suian leave so decisively, Wei Jiang felt a sense of unease.
The Iron Armor Man was known by all to be arrogant, unrestrained, and vengeful over the smallest slight.
He had just publicly embarrassed the man. There was no way he wouldn’t retaliate.
Fortunately, his master, Fan Fengfei, was also monitoring the situation. Though she hadn’t appeared, she sent him a message through the Doomsday Game’s private chat.
’Let him into the city. Bring him to me.’
With those seven simple words, Wei Jiang’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.
If there was trouble, his master would handle it.
"Senior, please wait! My reception was inadequate."
"My master has prepared tea and is waiting to welcome you," Wei Jiang said hurriedly.
Hearing this, Qi Suian scoffed. "Heh, so you can’t even make your own decisions. Quit pretending to be a big shot."
"I have business with your Sect Leader this time, so I’ll let you off the hook for now."
"Next time, I think I’ll just chop you into eighteen pieces."
His words were completely devoid of courtesy.
Wei Jiang was clearly uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare say a word. He could only force a smile and dismiss his men.
However, it was precisely this attitude that convinced Wei Jiang he was facing the real Iron Armor Man, not some imposter.
’Without real power, who would dare be so arrogant?’
"This way, please. My master has been waiting," Wei Jiang said, leading Qi Suian into Longjing City.
He led him toward the most prosperous area in the city center, right up to the gates of the Dragon Whale Sect.
Many Dragon Whale Sect disciples were now glaring at Qi Suian like tigers watching their prey.
"I thought your lack of manners was just a personal failing."
"Now I see the entire Dragon Whale Sect is just a bunch of low-life scum."
"Is this how you treat your guests? No wonder you’re getting beaten so badly by the two nations that you can’t even hold your heads up," Qi Suian continued his taunts.
It wasn’t that he was being pointlessly aggressive; he was trying to see if he could bait out the story’s protagonist.
His words naturally provoked the indignation of the Dragon Whale Sect disciples. Every single one of them wanted to teach Qi Suian a lesson.
But with a single glare from Wei Jiang, the disciples could only swallow their anger.
"Our hospitality is lacking. Please forgive us, Senior."
"My master is just ahead. Please, go in. I will not proceed further." Wei Jiang escorted him to the entrance of a palace within the Dragon Whale Sect’s grounds and stopped.
Qi Suian was a little disappointed. It was a shame he hadn’t managed to bait out the protagonist; otherwise, he could have just killed him on the spot.
He paid Wei Jiang no mind, walking straight inside with an air of utter arrogance.
Meanwhile, Wei Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He couldn’t sense any aura from Qi Suian at all, as if the man were an ordinary person.
But was that possible? ’The only reason I can’t sense it isn’t because he has no power, but because he is on a level so far beyond my own that I can’t even begin to perceive it.’
"I never thought I’d see this side of you, First Senior Brother." A voice drifted over.
A young man walked out, his tone laced with amusement.
This made Wei Jiang’s expression darken. The newcomer was Li Yao, his master’s recently accepted Closed-door Disciple.
The favorable treatment Li Yao received was enough to make even him jealous.
He was a frivolous and improper person, who even harbored inappropriate thoughts about their master, Fan Fengfei.
It seemed he had aspirations of elevating himself from their peer to their elder.
This utilitarian and immoral ambition was despised by his other martial brothers.
The man himself called this behavior "romantic," but wasn’t he just a lecherous womanizer? Did he really think a different word would fool anyone?
On top of that, he would constantly hit on the young, pretty female disciples within the sect.
If you asked him to list his battle achievements, he’d draw a blank. But if you asked for the pet names of certain female disciples, he could rattle them off with perfect accuracy.
He did have one redeeming quality, though: he was completely thick-skinned. Even when ostracized and ridiculed, he always acted as if he didn’t care.
"I have matters to attend to. You should focus on your own cultivation, Junior Brother Li. Master will be testing you in a few days." With that, Wei Jiang turned and left.
Li Yao, however, paid no mind to his attitude. His gaze swept toward the palace.
’A violator, and you delivered yourself right to my doorstep. You’re really asking to die,’ Li Yao thought to himself.