In the northwestern part of the inner region of Baiyun City, the Cao mansion stood at the end of the street, which was slightly desertedpared to other parts of the inner region.


    As a declining n, they could only hold onto this secluded area.


    Inside the Cao main hall, Cao Meng and the n elders sat, looking at the handsome young man in white with creased brows.


    They had all agreed for Cao Meng to follow the powerful ns, hoping for any lucky chances in the barrennd.


    Unfortunately, instead of encountering a fortuitous chance, they witnessed something they shouldn''t have, putting their n at the mercy of this young man.


    Cao Jun, the only supreme elder of the Cao n, was the first person to speak.


    "We''ve all heard what happened on the Southern Sea, and we''re grateful for sparing our people."


    Su Yen looked at the old man and said casually, "I don''t need all this useless talk. I want all of you to work for me; otherwise, why do you think I kept them alive?"


    Listening to Su Yen''s brutally cold truth, the Cao n''s elders were displeased, but no one uttered a word.


    "I heard the city lord is the strongest in the city?" Su Yen asked.


    "Yes," Cao Jun nodded. "No one knows his cultivation, but thest time he battled, he was at the peak of Foundation Building realm."


    "Besides, no one knows if their n has more powerful cultivators," he added.


    "I''m just asking; it''s not like I care about his power or n," Su Yen said in a dismissive tone. "Let''s get to the real business." His voice became serious.


    Su Yen began to exin their n to the Cao elders. The more they heard about the absurd n, the more their expressions turned unsightly.


    Cao Jun exchanged subtle nces with Cao Meng, with a look of confusion etched on his face.


    However, Cao Meng only shrugged. This was his n, not hers; whatever they wanted to do, they could do it as long as it didn''t affect her n.


    After finishing exining his n, Su Yen looked at the stunned expressions on the faces of the Cao n elders and asked, "How long will it take for all this to be ready?"


    For a couple of seconds, the hall was silent like a graveyard. They were trying very hard to wrap their heads around the massive scale of the project.


    He wanted to have a store at every major section of the city, from both the core region down to the outer region where the mortals lived.


    Topare Baiyun City in terms ofndmass and poption, it was three times bigger than the biggest city in the barrennd, and its poption reached as high as hundreds of millions of people.


    Apart from that, the scale of business conducted in Baiyun City was ten times much more than the barrennd city.


    With such a scale, the government couldn''t cover the whole city.


    There were some areas under some powerful ns and gangs.


    Also, the major hegemonic power apart from the city lord n was the Crimson Jade Pavilion.


    The Crimson Jade Pavilion controlled the busiest street in all three regions of the city, making them the sole dominator of the market.


    Apart from that, their strength was unfathomable.


    Now, Su Yen was nning to go against such hegemonies all at the same time.


    If not for him being an unfathomable expert, they would have called him crazy.


    Clearing his throat, Cao Meng spoke first. "It''s not impossible as long as we got the resources to back it up. Everything can be done in a week."


    "Good. Get it done. If you need money, don''t hesitate toe to me," Su Yen announced seriously.


    Realizing Su Yen was dead serious about his absurd business n, the elders could only sigh and y along.


    Quickly, the elders left with shock still lingering in their minds.


    However, no matter how absurd the n was, they had no choice but to follow the order.


    Inside the main hall, two people were left. Su Yen looked at Cao Meng and said with a solemn expression, "I want you to help me find some people."


    "Who?" she asked.


    "My parents."


    He told her everything about the disappearance of his parents and when it all happened.


    Cao Meng listened with rapt attention and responded, "Leave it to me; I''ll get on it right away."


    Meanwhile, in the core region of the city inside the City Lord mansion, a middle-aged man sat behind an old furnished table, reading some scrolls.


    Whoosh!


    Out of nowhere, a silhouette appeared with a mask covering his face.


    "What have you learned?" The City lord asked without raising his head from his reading.


    "All the ns went to the Southern Sea toward the Barren Lands but never returned," the masked man responded.


    Hmm!


    The City Lord knitted his brow and raised his head from his reading for the first time.


    He looked outside the window and asked.


    "Are you saying, the Wang n, Liu n, Chen n, and the others had been killed on the Southern Sea?"


    The masked man didn''t respond immediately. "It seems so. If they didn''t meet their end at sea, the three main ns won''t stop at anything for the Crimson Jade Pavilion''s heir or heiress race."


    "Should I send my men to find out what killed them?" he asked.


    "No," the City Lord shook his head. "Since they''re gone, let''s leave it like that. It means less trouble for us. How''s their n holding up?"


    "It''s in chaos. But they are nning to send people to look for them. If those people are really dead, it would weaken all the ns, and it won''t be long before other nsy their hands on them."


    "That''s not of our concern


    . Monitor the movement of the Crimson Jade Pavilion. I know they won''t sit still. But we can''t miss this chance; send our people to pressure the pavilion; maybe they can cough up a couple of things they''re greedy for."


    "I''m on it."


    With that, the silhouette disappeared from the room.