Chapter 1416: 110 Million Source Points! Dilen Arrives!

Three hours later, Xu Jingming cleared the last cluster of demonic creatures.

It was already dawn; the star orbited by Iron Meteor Planet was rising from the west.

He hovered above a city.

Below, the demonic energy that had once surged had vanished completely, leaving only scorched, blackened earth washed clean by thunder.

A crisp wind blew, stirring his short black hair.

Xu Jingming closed his eyes slightly, gazing at the system interface in his mind.

【Source Points】: 110 million

This was his final harvest from this mission!

'These source points are enough to boost my strength significantly!'

Slowly opening his eyes, Xu Jingming's lips curled into an involuntary faint smile.

Yue Ying, standing gracefully beside him, caught that smile.

In the starlight, Xu Jingming's stern features softened slightly because of it.

Yue Ying did not know it was due to the source points; she assumed it was simply from absorbing enough demonic energy and feeling satisfied.

A faint, delicate smile also appeared on her cold, pale beauty.

'Let's go. We should return.'

Yue Ying's crimson lips moved slightly as she spoke softly, 'Lan Yu and the others are already waiting there.'

Xu Jingming nodded, calming his mind.

Golden lightning surged again around him, instantly enveloping both of them.

Yue Ying's flight speed was slower than his; only with the enhancement of Annihilation Divine Thunder could she fly faster.

'Let's go.'

As his words ended, the two became a brilliant golden streak of light.

They pierced the sky, racing toward the base.

Wind howled past their ears; mountains, rivers, and cities retreated rapidly beneath their vision.

When they returned to the villa base, Hughes and the others had already been waiting.

'Welcome back, Your Highnesses.'

Hughes hurried forward; behind him, Dilen had lost all his former arrogance.

Instead, he stepped forward with unprecedented reverence.

He bowed deeply to Xu Jingming, his motion precise to the point of exaggeration:

'Previously, I was blind to greatness and spoke disrespectfully—I beg Your Highness Xu's forgiveness!'

His voice was utterly sincere, even trembling slightly.

There was no choice—Xu Jingming's displayed power was simply too terrifying.

That thunder domain spanning hundreds of kilometers, the effortless slaughter of a Star Rank Seven Giant Demon—both sent chills through Dilen's heart.

Most crucially, Xu Jingming was only Star Rank Two!

Such terrifying combat power—even in Star Dome Academy—would place him among the absolute top geniuses!

Someone like this, with limitless future potential, was certainly not someone he could afford to provoke.

'What's past is past. I didn't hold it against you.'

Xu Jingming glanced at Dilen, his expression calm.

He had never regarded Dilen as worthy of notice from the start.

Naturally, there was no anger or disgust.

Of course, Dilen would gain no benefit from this mission whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Dilen felt a heavy stone lift from his chest and bowed again hastily:

'Thank you, Your Highness, for your magnanimity!'

Xu Jingming said no more and walked into the villa first.

The others followed closely behind.

Inside the villa's living room, the lighting was soft.

Everyone sat down; the main seat was naturally reserved for Xu Jingming.

He made no refusal and sat directly.

Yue Ying took the seat to his left.

'Everyone worked hard on this mission.

The crisis is now resolved, and I've already submitted the mission report.

Results should come soon—before then, let's divide the spoils we've acquired.'

At these words, the atmosphere instantly grew lively.

Lan Yu's eyes lit up; Yan Ji also wore an expectant smile.

Even the usually composed Hughes flickered a hint of delight in his eyes.

The spoils from slaying so many demons and demonic creatures would be an astonishing fortune!

Especially with the demons' space rings—surely holding many valuable items.

Yet after the initial excitement, Hughes hesitated before speaking:

'Your Highnesses, there is something I must bring to your attention.

While clearing the demonic creatures, I investigated some leads on the Holy Spirit Cult and uncovered something unusual.'

He paused, then continued: 'I suspect a large-scale demonic material trade may exist on Iron Meteor Planet.'

"Demon material trade?"

Xu Jingming raised his sword-like eyebrows and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"The Demon Clan, the Beast Clan."

"Their scales, bones, blood, and even certain special organs hold immense value across the universe."

"Especially the materials from high-rank demons, which are essential for forging weapons, crafting potions, and even certain special cultivation resources."

Hughes explained with solemn expression, "But within human-controlled territories of the universe, traces of the Demon Clan are exceedingly rare; acquiring their materials is not easy."

"So some people came up with the idea of capturing demons."

"Then deliberately allowing demonic energy to corrupt ordinary people, transforming them into demonic creatures."

"Once these demonic creatures reach a certain stage, they are harvested."

"Their materials are taken for trade."

"The advantage is, it provides a constant supply of demon materials."

"And avoids the risk of leaving human territory to venture into the frontier battlefields and fight demons directly."

"Moreover, the emergence of demonic creatures can be blamed on accidents or small-scale demon invasions, avoiding large-scale investigations."

At these words, the room fell utterly silent.

Isn't this exactly like the current situation on Meteorite Star?

Yueying's delicate face turned icy cold, her gray-jade eyes flashing with frosty light.

Her silver hair stirred without wind, radiating a chilling killing intent:

"There are such things?!"

As the Elf Clan's royal princess, she revered the Goddess of Life.

She naturally abhorred this evil trade that sacrificed countless ordinary lives.

Xu Jingming's gaze also grew slightly colder as he spoke: "Hughes, have you found evidence?"

"So far, only suspicion—I've noticed unusual signs of demonic creature harvesting."

"Some demonic creatures bear clear wounds from deliberate material extraction."

"But this isn't yet conclusive proof."

Hughes shook his head, then added:

"However, Your Highness."

"If my suspicion is correct, then the Gutan Demon—as a Star Level Seven high-rank demon—"

"And the source of all demonic creatures on Meteorite Star—"

"Its space ring likely contains related trade records, ledgers, or communication logs."

Hearing this, Xu Jingming immediately understood Hughes's meaning and nodded:

"Alright, I'll take a look."

He directly pulled out the Gutan Demon's dark red ring.

The ring's surface was covered in dense demonic runes, emitting a faint aura of demonic energy.

Xu Jingming's spiritual force surged, effortlessly shattering the original imprint left upon it.

Then his spiritual force probed inside, beginning a careful inspection.

The moment he did, his pupils contracted sharply!

Inside the space ring, the interior was vast—spanning at least dozens of square kilometers, with a height reaching four or five meters.

And now, this enormous space was densely packed with all manner of demonic limbs, organs, and bones!

Giant scaled arms, twisted and deformed organs, bones glowing with purple luster...

These materials were neatly categorized, some even labeled.

Marked with phrases like: "Starlight Level Three Scales," "Star Level One Bone Spikes," "High-Quality Demon Crystals."

In the corner of the space, dozens of thick ledgers and several communication wristbands lay scattered.

Xu Jingming's expression darkened instantly.

Hughes's suspicion was true!

Not only did demon material trade exist on Meteorite Star—it was far larger than imagined!

He withdrew his spiritual force and extracted all the ledgers and communication tokens from the ring.

"Boom—"

Dozens of ledgers thudded heavily onto the coffee table, emitting a dull thud.

Xu Jingming picked up the top one and opened it.

Inside, it was densely filled with records of transaction times, quantities, types, and trading partners...

The more he read, the darker his face became.

Yueying, Lan Yu, and others gathered around.

After seeing the ledger contents, everyone's expressions turned grim.

"These beasts!"

Yueying clenched her ruby-red lips between her teeth.

Behind every transaction lay the deaths of countless ordinary people!

And even more infuriating—according to the ledgers, this trade had persisted for centuries!

This meant countless lives had already been harvested as mere "materials"...

Just as the group was stunned by the filthy trade behind it all, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out from outside the villa:

"Your Highnesses from Star Dome Academy, greetings—I am Mo Lei, Lord of Meteorite Star."

Your esteemed guest has traveled a great distance, and I have not yet properly welcomed you—this is truly impolite.

Might I now have the honor to enter and meet with you all?