Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard”

Chapter 651: Traitor!

Second Frontline.

City after city linked together.

They formed an indestructible Great Wall, holding back the Scavengers’ assault.

Beyond the Great Wall, wave after wave of Scavengers surged forward, as if endless.

Behind those Scavengers, some powerful Scavengers directed the attack.

Among them, there were as many as ten Seventy-Two Rank Scavenger elites. Their eyes were clear; unlike lower-rank Scavengers they did not seem dull, but displayed independent consciousness and firm will.

One humanoid Scavenger spoke, “The Chaos Dominators’ defensive formation has developed a flaw. It looks like it has reached its load limit. Victory for our Nothingness Dominators is already within sight!”

“Exactly! Those Chaos Dominators always mock us by calling us Scavengers. How hateful. Nothingness is our territory by right. They are the tumor of Nothingness, the invaders,” said another, an angelic Scavenger with wings growing from its back.

“It’s time to sound the horn of counterattack!” a Scavenger grinned.

“Let the traitors within create chaos! Those hidden forces can strike at any time!” the humanoid Scavenger leader declared.

Twenty of them smiled. These Nothingness Dominators were no fools; they had planted traps for the Chaos Dominators as well.

The Scavenger leader sent out a signal, initiating the internal agents’ action and increasing the Scavengers’ attack intensity to put pressure on the Second Frontline.

Elsewhere.

Inside the Seventh Speaker’s official residence.

The Seventh Speaker, who had been handling official business, halted abruptly. He raised an eyebrow and flipped open an order token.

A few characters shimmered on the token.

“You may act.”

A strange gleam passed through the Seventh Speaker’s eyes.

He checked the logistics situation in the military camps.

“Supplies have started to go missing.”

The Seventh Speaker smiled faintly. This was precisely the outcome he had engineered.

He oversaw logistics and had supervisory responsibility over the artificers, alchemists, and so forth within the Second Frontline.

Over the years he quietly eliminated many promising artificers and alchemists. Gradually, the Second Frontline’s resupply resources began tightening—this was the fundamental reason the Second Frontline had started to weaken.

His actions were extremely covert and spread out over a long time. Until now, no one had noticed his methods.

“If I receive the Nothingness baptism, I will surely be able to break the Seventy-Two Rank barrier…”

The Seventh Speaker’s resolve was ironclad. To him, whether someone was a Chaos Dominator or a Nothingness Dominator meant little; they were merely different attributes of power. Only one thing mattered: cultivation realm.

He had reached the upper limit of the Seventy-Two Rank; his Dao foundation constrained his growth, and the Alliance’s fate-changing opportunities could not fall to him. Naturally, he had to seek another path.

This was not betrayal, he told himself, he was rational.

“In the army, Dominator Artifacts are consumed the most. Even if one miraculously revives after self-destruction, the Dominator Artifact remains on the battlefield and must be reacquired. Pills and the like are consumables anyway; a single battle never carries that many, so shortages won’t be severe!”

The Seventh Speaker understood clearly that the most crucial logistical matter was replenishing Dominator Artifacts; in almost every battle, if defeated, a large number of Dominator Artifacts would be lost.

So he secretly eliminated many artificers and also tightened various visible and invisible restrictions on artificers, making their advancement extremely difficult.

“Since we’re about to act, arrange for them to strike. Once the current master-level artifact crafters are eliminated, Dominator Artifact resupply will immediately halt. The Second Frontline’s collapse will be a done deal!”

The Seventh Speaker smiled.

This would be a great achievement!

He would be like the most skilled surgeon, striking at the Second Frontline’s lifeline!

Dominator Artifacts determined victory or defeat, and he planned to remove that key.

The Seventh Speaker quietly activated a secret order.

In an instant, the message spread to every corner of the Second Frontline.

Chaos Dominators across the front received the signal.

Some of them had been drinking in taverns, some were in long-term retreat, some worked in camp logistics, others were merchants.

Upon receiving orders, they immediately began to inch closer to the locations of those Artifact Refining Masters and master-level artificers.

These artificers were all registered with records and their locations were crystal clear. After years of monitoring, their movements were tightly controlled.

Now that a wipeout operation was imminent, targets could be locked down instantly.

An inexplicable undercurrent surged through the cities of the Second Frontline.

First Speaker Ying Wenzheng was contemplating a secret method when his brow suddenly knit and his gaze turned outward.

“Finally moving? Who the hell is it? This time, I will drag them out!”

Ying Wenzheng’s face darkened. He had noticed that someone within the Alliance had betrayed them, but he could not yet identify who!

He sent out a message.

Third Speaker Xie Tingfeng arrived.

“Tingfeng, that person should be ready to act!” Ying Wenzheng said in a low voice.

Xie Tingfeng’s face turned grave. “Is it Old Seventh?”

Ying Wenzheng shook his head. “Not sure yet. Aside from confirming it isn’t you, I can’t single anyone else out.”

Xie Tingfeng’s expression thickened. “If someone truly betrays us and the hidden hand strikes, we will be severely wounded. Coupled with the loss of high-tier fighters, how can our Second Frontline hold? Can we call for aid from the First Frontline?”

Ying Wenzheng shook his head. “The First Frontline has already entered its most critical battle state; they have no manpower to spare. We must rely on ourselves! Once we spot a clue, we move together to take that person!”

“All right!”

Xie Tingfeng nodded.

Time passed slowly.

One by one, shadows—some faint, some visible—appeared beside various artificers.

But those artificers detected nothing unusual.

Those preparing to act were far too professional. Many had been lying in wait for countless kalpas; some had even become friends with the artificers they targeted.

They behaved as they always did. How could they arouse suspicion?

Outside Qi Wuhui’s workshop.

A young attendant was entertaining a Seventy-Two Rank master.

This man was one of Qi Wuhui’s friends.

“Old Qi still hasn’t come out of seclusion? I have urgent business with him!” the cultivator said to the youth.

The youth replied helplessly, “Master is researching a Dominator Artifact. As you know, once he enters a state of contemplation, no one is to disturb him!”

“Oh? Researching a Dominator Artifact? That shouldn’t be anything urgent, right? Go and notify him for me!”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll send a message to Master!”

“Hurry!” The cultivator glanced at the time. Not much remained before the operation began.