Chapter 1417

Moray?

Hearing the voice outside the door, Xu Jingming's eyes instantly turned cold.

I haven't even gone to find him, and he's come to me himself.

The Gutan Demon has been active on Meteorite Star for centuries, with countless demonic materials traded away.

He doesn't believe this planetary lord, who holds dominion over this region, could be unaware of it.

If those mountains of ledgers had no tacit approval—or even active cooperation—from the highest local authority,

how could such operations have proceeded so smoothly, hidden so deeply?

Worse still, this lord, Moray, is one of the masterminds behind these filthy transactions!

Now that he'd guessed the man's identity, Moray's reason for coming was obvious.

He simply wanted to beg for mercy.

"I'd like to see how this lord intends to explain himself."

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes and called out to the door: "Come in."

The villa's door opened, and a figure stepped inside.

The visitor was none other than Moray, planetary lord of Meteorite Star.

He appeared to be around forty, with a square face and luxurious attire.

A perfectly polished, smooth smile hung on his face.

As soon as he entered, his gaze swept the room.

When he saw the unhidden fury and revulsion on Yueying and the others' faces directed at him,

his heart sank—he realized the secret of the Gutan Demon had been exposed.

Since it was out, Moray abandoned his false smile and spoke bluntly:

"It seems Your Highnesses already know nearly everything."

"Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining further."

His gaze settled heavily on Xu Jingming and Yueying—he clearly recognized them as the leaders.

"You completed your mission, reported the demon's extermination and the cleansing of the demonic disaster—no issue there.

That's your duty, and your merit. I won't obstruct you; I'll even assist actively."

Moray paused, then intensified his tone:

"But regarding the demonic material trade—

I ask you to keep it silent.

Not a single word to the Eternal Star Alliance's authorities, and absolutely no mention in any official report."

At these words, the temperature in the parlor seemed to drop several degrees further.

Yueying's silver hair fluttered faintly with rage, her gray-stone eyes fixed coldly on Moray.

Xu Jingming remained expressionless, merely tapping his fingers lightly on the sofa arm, waiting for more.

Seeing this, Moray continued:

"If you can do this,

I and those behind me

guarantee each of you here a reward of S1-class cultivation resources.

The value of S1-class resources—surely I don't need to elaborate, do I?

Enough to stir the heart of any Stellar-tier, even Cosmic-tier cultivator."

S1-class resources!

When Moray finished speaking, Xu Jingming and the others showed no reaction.

But Hughes, Sya, and Dillen all flinched, pupils contracting sharply.

Their breathing quickened involuntarily.

They knew better than anyone what an S1-class resource meant.

It was a treasure capable of drastically boosting a Stellar-tier cultivator's power—and even offering a glimpse into Cosmic-tier mysteries!

Why had they stayed on Meteorite Star for so long?

Wasn't it to complete missions, earn points, and buy resources?

You know, according to the normal procedure.

They'd need to complete at least five hundred years of missions to accumulate enough points to purchase just one S1-class resource!

And now, all they had to do was agree to his terms—and it was theirs for the taking!

But the horrific scenes of countless beings turned demonic still burned before their eyes—how could they possibly conceal this?

Moreover, Xu Jingming hadn't spoken yet; they couldn't make a decision on their own.

Moray observed everyone's reactions, his brow slightly furrowing.

Hughes and the others' reactions were expected—but Xu Jingming and the rest showed almost no emotional shift, which was unusual.

Even for geniuses of the Star Dome Academy, an S1-class resource was no trivial matter, was it?

The only possibility was that these individuals were among the absolute elite even within the Star Dome Academy.

They possessed vast resources already; an S1-class resource held little appeal for them.

But even if they wanted more, he had nothing else to offer.

Realizing this, Moray knew he had to change tactics.

Soft words had failed—time for a "hard" reminder.

He turned his gaze to Xu Jingming, his tone growing layered, edged with a faint, unspoken threat:

"Your Highnesses, S1-grade resources may not catch your eyes.

But you are all young, with boundless futures ahead — in whatever you do, you still need to think things through carefully and weigh the pros and cons.

I can offer you a small reminder: the force behind me is no ordinary one.

If this matter is truly exposed and spirals beyond control, in the end it will be you yourselves who suffer for it."

"Oh?"

Xu Jingming's deep, dark eyes fixed on Mo Lei: "I'd actually like to hear it — what backing do you people have?"

Talking about backing in front of a disciple of the Supreme Sovereign — wasn't that just asking for a laugh?

Of course, if he could squeeze more intelligence out of Mo Lei, that would be even better.

Yet Mo Lei, a Star-Rank Five powerhouse across from him, was actually made uneasy by the gaze of Xu Jingming, who was only Star-Rank Two.

But thinking of the mountain behind him, his back straightened a few degrees more.

A faintly proud look crossed his face, and he said, word by word:

"It won't hurt to tell you — the one standing behind us is Lord Colt!"

Seeming afraid that Xu Jingming and the others didn't understand, he added:

"That Lord Colt of your Star Dome Academy!

He is the personal disciple of the Sovereign of Time — a true disciple of the Supreme!"

Colt?

Xu Jingming was taken aback for a moment; he hadn't expected to hear that name here.

Still, Colt was, after all, a peak Eternal God.

He shouldn't be stooping to such petty tricks for such trifling gains, right?

One had to know —

Deliberately summoning demons and demonizing ordinary humans —

across the entire human race of the universe, that was an absolute bottom line that must not be crossed!

Once violated, it would be investigated thoroughly and treated as a traitor to the human race!

But on second thought, Xu Jingming immediately understood the reason.

As a peak Eternal God, Colt's own clan was unimaginably vast.

It was only too normal for one or two scoundrels to appear, waving Colt's banner while doing their dirty work.

Colt himself probably didn't even know about this.

"Angering Lord Colt is the same as offending the dignity of the Sovereign of Time!

When that time comes, don't say you're merely students of Star Dome Academy —

even the heirs of some great clans probably couldn't bear the consequences.

I urge you all to quit while you're ahead, take your share of resources, and forget this matter — it's better for everyone."

Mo Lei was still talking, but Xu Jingming simply spread his hand wide, five fingers gripping the void toward him!

Boom—!!!

Without the slightest warning, a burst of dazzling, violent dark-gold thunder erupted from his palm!

That lightning did not scatter its attack; in an instant it condensed into a giant palm formed entirely of Doushen Shenlei.

Bearing an aura of annihilating everything, with the speed of a thunderbolt, it came crashing down on Mo Lei's head!

The lightning's speed had reached the extreme, and the destructive laws it contained even twisted and made space itself wail.

Mo Lei was merely a Star-Rank Five cultivator, his strength not even equal to that of the Giant Demon.

Before Xu Jingming's casual strike, he didn't even have time to react!

"You...!"

Mo Lei only managed to let out a short, sharp cry of shock.

The rapidly enlarging giant palm of Lei Guang was reflected in his pupils, and boundless fear instantly swallowed him whole.

He couldn't make sense of it! Why?

Why — even after invoking Lord Colt and the name of the Sovereign of Time —

the other side showed not the slightest scruple, and instead struck directly?!

Weren't they afraid of the Sovereign's wrath?!

"Colt? The personal disciple of the Sovereign of Time?

Sorry, I've already turned him down once — dragging him out won't hold me back."

As if he had read the confusion in Mo Lei's eyes, Xu Jingming said calmly.

Crack!

Then, the giant palm of Lei Guang suddenly closed.

It didn't crush him; instead, it formed a cage of lightning, tightly imprisoning him within.

The violent force of Lei Ting seeped into his body, instantly sealing off every circulation of his elemental energy — he couldn't move so much as a finger.

An intense numbness and searing pain swept through him, making his whole body convulse, yet he couldn't even scream out, enduring endless torment.

Against a beast like this, such measures were perfectly fitting.

As for the follow-up investigation, Xu Jingming couldn't be bothered to think it through — letting the people of the Eternal Star Alliance handle it would do.