My starting summon is a small skeleton

Elder Mountain.

A grand celebration was taking place.

Celebrating the eradication of Lu Wu.

Lu Wu likely never imagined that one day, he would impact the entire world.

Although the manner in which he influenced the world was unexpected, he had indeed influenced it.

At Elder Mountain's celebration, Mr. Zhao, leading a few elders, wasn't completely immersed in festivity.

While Lu Wu's death was indeed a cause for their happiness, as elders, they maintained a level of self-discipline.

They were also well aware that Lu Wu was just one of the threats they faced.

Eliminating Lu Wu was indeed a cause for happiness, but it did not mean they could rest easy.

After all, in this troublesome world, no one could predict when another Pang Duddu might appear, wailing and wielding a fragment, charging toward Elder Mountain.

Thus, Lu Wu's death had not made Elder Mountain feel any safer.

They still absolutely recognized the vulnerabilities in their security.

And the method to resolve this vulnerability was something Lu Wu had left them from the beginning.

Previously, when dealing with Fei Yinghao, Lu Wu had modified the refinement procedure for the Gate Fragment and had demonstrated it to them.

The result was excellent, and the refinement was successful.

This, for both Lu Wu and Elder Mountain, was excellent news.

The experimental data that Lu Wu had not altered or destroyed was even more precious to Elder Mountain.

Now that Lu Wu was finally dealt with, they also had Zhang Chen, an Epic 3 Star powerhouse, in their hands.

They had the plans and the materials.

Without delay, amidst the celebratory atmosphere, they started a new round of refining for the Gate Fragment.

Zhang Chen was placed in the lab.

Various contraptions to limit his movements were applied to him.

Zhang Chen was bound in a cruciform, and one hundred and eight Legendary Quality steel needles were driven into his body, securing him firmly.

These needles not only served to hold Zhang Chen in place but also stimulated his mind.

Under these needles, Zhang Chen's mind was clearer than ever before, even much more so than usual.

Of course, this was not a good thing; it made Zhang Chen acutely aware of the pain he was enduring, which was indescribable.

But no one cared.

To Mr. Zhao and the others, Zhang Chen was just a tool.

They only cared whether this tool could function well, not whether it suffered.

Who would care?

"Let's begin!"

With those words from Mr. Zhao, the experiment officially commenced.

Elder Mountain had summed up Lu Wu's previous experiments involving Fei Yinghao.

They concluded that Lu Wu's experimental approach was broadly divided into three parts.

A plan, a Refiner, and a Guide.

The plan and the Refiner were self-explanatory, referring to Zhang Chen and the set-up left by Lu Wu. As for the so-called Guide, it basically was the role Lu Wu had played during the refinement.

Elder Mountain believed that the role Lu Wu played was crucial for the successful refinement of the fragment.

Thus, in this experiment, they also prepared someone to play this role.

However, they didn't start with this character.

Instead, they commenced the refinement first.

Only when Zhang Chen's spirit was nearly broken did the Guide appear.

And this so-called Guide was someone found by Elder Mountain who closely resembled Zhang Chen's wife.

Using Zhang Chen's deepest vulnerability as leverage was their inspiration taken from Lu Wu's last refinement process.

It couldn't be denied; Elder Mountain's group were indeed apt students.

Setting everything else aside, they were truly capable and earnest in their learning.

They had almost perfectly replicated the experiment previously conducted by Lu Wu.

In less than a day, Zhang Chen had successfully refined a piece of the Gate Fragment.

Although this fragment was much smaller than the one Lu Wu had refined.

But when it was successfully refined, the eyes of Mr. Zhao and a few other elders lit up.

"It's done, it's really done!"

"Not only have we refined the fragment, but, most importantly, we have mastered the technique of fragment refinement!"

...

Immense joy overwhelmed these elders.

This joy was even more intense than the joy they felt from killing Lu Wu.

After all, dealing with Lu Wu had merely eliminated a nuisance, but the successful refinement of the fragment could completely secure their safety and even offer them a future.

The four elders carefully passed around the successfully refined fragment.

The mysterious power flowing through the fragment, along with its mysterious allure, intoxicated everyone present.

"What a mysterious, what a mighty power this is!"

"You know, we really must thank Lu Wu. If it wasn't for him, we might not have been able to refine this fragment!"

"The point is not just the refinement of this fragment, which is quite small and its power isn't great; it doesn't fully ensure our safety since Tie Xiong still holds another fragment!"

"For our safety, we need more fragments!"

"That should not be a problem now that we have mastered the technique of fragment refinement. We can refine as many of these fragments as we want now!"

Old Huo and Elder Shui, two elders, couldn't suppress their smiles.

However, they didn't notice that Mr. Zhao and Zhang Mingrui didn't share much of their joy.

"No!"

"You are mistaken; we can't refine as many fragments as we want." Zhang Mingrui shook his head.

"Hmm?"

As Mr. Zhao looked toward Zhang Chen, who was now nearly lifeless on the cross, he said, "Because fragment refinement requires material.

Zhang Chen, as a material, has already been used once; although he can be used again, he would need a long time to recover.

Relying solely on him, refining the next fragment would take at least one to two years, or even longer."

Old Huo and Elder Shui were taken aback: "Then what do we do?"

Zhang Mingrui and Mr. Zhao exchanged looks, seeing what they needed in each other's eyes. Their lips curled slightly, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

This tension also affected Old Huo and Elder Shui.

Taking aback, they tensed up and quickly moved to stand behind their respective leaders.

One stood by Zhang Mingrui, the other by Zhao Xue'en.

As the sides were set and the atmosphere tensely charged, Zhang Mingrui and Zhao Xue'en suddenly turned and struck simultaneously.

"Thud"

"Thud"

Two crisp sounds echoed as Old Huo and Elder Shui widened their eyes in disbelief almost simultaneously.

They had always thought their opponents would be each other; never had they imagined that their own leaders, whom they had followed for decades and even centuries, would turn on them at such a moment.

Two loyal subordinates were thus taken down by their own leaders.

Elder Shui was heartbroken and silent.

Old Huo, on the other hand, was not yet ready to give up. He asked Zhao Xue'en, who was usually the most upfront at Elder Mountain, "Why… why…"

He wanted to know why.

Why his trusted leader would suddenly strike him down.

"Because we needed materials!"

After Zhao Xue'en stated this indifferently, he knocked Old Huo unconscious with a single move, while Zhang Mingrui likewise took care of Elder Shui completely.

After dealing with their two subordinates, the two leaders exchanged glances and smiled.

Their smiles, the similar way their lips parted, made it hard to believe these were old adversaries who'd been at odds for centuries. If someone said they were old friends, no one would doubt it; in fact, they really were.

From the very beginning, they were the best friends.

Their opposition was merely because they needed to appear so.

They needed to give the president an impression that they were not aligned, could not come together.

If not, one of them might have been killed by the president, as the Elder Council needed balance. Even though together they posed no threat to the president, they wouldn't want to see their powerful subordinates colluding.

Thus, they fought each other all these years.

Sometimes, they almost forgot that they were best friends.

"We have two more materials."

"These are not as good as Zhang Chen, but since they are not evil cultivators and are in good mental state, using them for refining fragments should be as effective as using Zhang Chen."

"That means, unless something unexpected happens, we should be able to reclaim two more fragments."

"But it is still too few."

"Then let's get more materials!"

"Great minds think alike!"

The two centenarians said this and shared another laugh.

The scene was, how should I say it? Somewhat painful to watch.

...

Area 4, the Dark Conference.

While the whole of Area 1 was celebrating, the festive atmosphere in Area 4 had faded a bit, but was still there.

After all, they had killed Lu Wu.

Moreover, Lu Wu was killed under their orchestrated plan, so naturally, the Dark Conference needed to celebrate.

The Dark Conference organized an event.

The event went on for a full day before it looked set to conclude.

However, just as the event was about to end, a distinguished guest suddenly arrived at the Dark Conference, bringing a new climax to the proceedings that were about to close.

This guest was Zhao Xue'en, the vice president of Elder Mountain.

Despite being in a sorry state in front of Lu Wu earlier, Zhao was still the vice president of Elder Mountain, an Epic 3-star powerhouse, ranked just below the top in the entire Alliance.

Even including the Zeroers, he was definitely a strong figure.

Such a strong figure's presence naturally required absolute attention from the Dark Conference.

Domok personally welcomed him.

Seeing Domok approaching, Zhao's eyes lit up. He approached and firmly grasped Domok's cold arm, saying earnestly, "This time, being able to take down Lu Wu, thanks to your efforts, I have come on behalf of Elder Mountain to express our gratitude.

Additionally, to give you the thing we promised before!"

Hearing this, the corners of Domok's mouth could not help but lift.

Honestly, Domok was an old man too, with a wealth of experience, having accomplished many notable deeds in his life.

But now, if asked what he was most proud of, it would undoubtedly be taking down Lu Wu.

He even felt that, a hundred years later, if there was anything that could be remembered about him, it would definitely include the killing of Lu Wu.

Especially after creating Demon Extermination Day in Area 1, Domok felt that his name would be remembered for ages.

For him, a top figure in Area 1, nothing else mattered more than this.

Not to mention, this operation not only brought him fame but also tremendous benefits.

Both Elder Mountain and Tie Xiong had promised him benefits.

Leaving Tie Xiong aside for now, as he was still on the run, Domok had almost no hope that Tie Xiong would fulfill his promise.

But Elder Mountain gave Domok a pleasant surprise; just look at how generous Elder Mountain was.

As soon as the job was done, Zhao Xue'en came over, and things started being delivered his way.

Domok's mood couldn't be better.

Of course, though he was eager to see the benefits, he was, after all, a high-ranking figure, needing to maintain decorum, so he had to show some courtesy.

"Mr. Zhao, you shouldn't have come all the way for such a trifle, I feel bad…"

"It's necessary, I wouldn't be at peace otherwise!"

Zhao Xue'en smiled warmly, shook Domok's hand firmly, and a surge of power shot directly towards Domok.

Domok's face changed, wanting to pull away, but it was too late.

As an Epic 2 Star, he had no chance of resisting against Zhao Xue'en, an Epic 3 Star, especially since he shook hands with Zhao to show closeness.

What did that mean? It was like putting his head on the muzzle of Zhao's gun.

Under such circumstances, how could he react when Zhao suddenly attacked?

Naturally, he was taken down by Zhao right then and there.

Domok, up until he was subdued, was still confused; he racked his brain but couldn't understand why Zhao would attack him.

"Mr. Zhao, is there some misunderstanding?"

Meanwhile, other heavyweights of the Dark Conference also noticed the situation, all with bewildered faces.

Amid their bewilderment, Zhao Xue'en smiled faintly.

"Misunderstanding? There is no misunderstanding. I simply wanted to invite you all to Elder Mountain to give each of you a Gate Fragment."

As he spoke, Zhao Xue'en expanded his domain.

His powerful domain instantly enveloped the entire Dark Conference.

Almost simultaneously as the Dark Council was subdued, a similar scene was unfolding in Area 2.

The only difference was that Zhao Xue'en was replaced by Zhang Mingrui, and the Dark Conference by the Science Alliance.