The Value of the Statue

The city is magnificent, but the most eye-catching sight is the towering statue standing in its center!

That statue is glowing!

It radiates a brilliant, dazzling light, like a star, as if it were the sun itself!

Everyone arriving for the first time is captivated, and a fair-skinned, beautiful Shan girl with a large bust exclaims, "Is, is that the statue of Great Emperor Gulei?"

The statue of Great Emperor Gulei!

Anyone with even a basic understanding of the history of Gulei Planet knows the fame of Great Emperor Gulei!

He was the first Great Emperor of the intelligent life on Gulei Planet, and also the founder of Holy Mountain City!

The radiance he carries is something even the Great Emperors of later generations could not overshadow.

"It is said that this statue was carved for him by his followers at the time, using an incredibly rare metal that has never been seen anywhere else on Gulei Planet; all of it is right here!" a Winged Saint says, clearly moved. "Ever since it was built, this statue has stood tall, witnessing the history of Holy Mountain City!"

These Saints gaze at the glowing statue with expressions of reverence, their hearts filled with longing.

The scene is also visible from the spaceship.

"Master!" The avatar of the black-haired, beast-eared girl appears on the console screen, her small face serious. "I have an important report for you. The material of this indigenous statue appears to be Duoxing Stone from the universe!"

"Duoxing Stone?" Forgive Su Ke for his lack of knowledge, as he has never heard of it, but seeing the serious expression on the Smart AI, he knows this is no ordinary object. He immediately becomes alert and asks earnestly, "What is Duoxing Stone?"

"Master, there are countless metals in the universe, distributed across planets and space, but most are mediocre, failing to even reach D Rank, and have no mining value."

Su Ke nods; he knows this much. For instance, gold on Earth is considered an A3 rank metal, while blue gold from the moon is an A6 rank metal.

Over ninety-nine percent of life-bearing planets lack B Rank metals, which generally only appear on mineral planets.

Beyond natural metals, there are alloys, but with the current technology of human races, they can only manufacture E9 rank alloys. Anything above F Rank is a natural metal, corresponding to the Immortal level, and is incredibly valuable.

The black-haired, gothic-dress-wearing, beast-eared girl's face is filled with excitement. "And this Duoxing Stone is considered a rare metal in the universe; one ton is estimated to sell for 100 million medium-civilization currency!"

Su Ke freezes for a moment.

Wuyi Metal is considered a C Rank metal, worth 3,000 Jialan Coins per ton. Even a Universe Rank powerhouse would need to expend great effort to destroy something made of Wuyi Metal.

This Duoxing Stone can actually sell for 100 million Jialan Coins per ton! That is 33,000 times the value of Wuyi Metal! This must be considered a high-grade material even among D Rank metals.

"More importantly," the beast-eared girl on the screen continues, "through my detection, I have scanned that this statue is 113 meters tall and weighs over 100,000 tons!"

Su Ke's breath hitches slightly. 100,000 tons—if one ton is worth 100 million, then that's... 10 trillion?

10 trillion. You could buy ten life-bearing planets with that, or even a Universe Rank Tier 1 slave!

"This... this statue is actually worth so much..." Su Ke mutters. Looking at the statue on the screen, he suddenly finds it so dazzling, so adorable.

A robbery plan already forms in Su Ke's mind. No matter what, he must get his hands on this statue.

Ten trillion! Most planets aren't even worth that much! With this much money, he would have the cultivation resources he needs for after he reaches Stellar Rank, and his parents could also be helped.

For this, he wouldn't hesitate to strike against these indigenous people!

However, this is the holy land of the natives, and the statue is viewed by them as an object of faith. Taking it away right under the noses of these thousands of Stellar Rank powerhouses will not be easy.

Furthermore, Su Ke's spaceship isn't large enough; he would need to switch to a large transport ship to carry it.

Buying a thousand-meter-long transport ship is a minor matter; a B Rank ship would be more than enough. The real trouble is these natives.

Just as Su Ke is contemplating how to pull off a heist in the indigenous holy land, more and more powerhouses from various races continue to converge on Holy Mountain City.

Tall and beautiful Shan people, winged Winged people, Sea people with scales on their faces, tall and ugly Orcs, gray-skinned Stone people, and Snow people, most of whom are beautiful females...

Powerhouses from one race after another enter Holy Mountain City.

The Saints from Lyumila's faction of unaffiliated cultivators are also mixed into the city, vaguely ostracized by the major powers.

But the major powers are not united either; they are even more hostile toward one another!

Because unaffiliated cultivators have no territory or power and don't even care about race, many are lone wolves. But once a Great Emperor emerges from those major powers, expansion inevitably follows! They would occupy the territories and resources of other existing racial powers!

Therefore, some races would rather see a lone powerhouse become a Great Emperor than see another major race produce one.

Historically, it is precisely because of these various standoffs and stalemates that Saints from weaker races have had the opportunity to become Great Emperors.

It is a form of compromise: if I cannot have one, at least you cannot either.

Lyumila and the other peak Saints mixed among the unaffiliated cultivators begin representing this camp to negotiate with the major powers.

After all, no matter what happens upon entering the Stone Gate, only one person can become a Great Emperor. With one more person, there is one more competitor; no normal person would want that.

In the plaza where the statue stands in Holy Mountain City, there is a palace where peak Saints attend a meeting.

When Su Ke first probed the entire planet, he detected 57 Stellar Rank Tier 9s... but there are over 70 appearing here! Many are powerhouses who have lived in Holy Mountain City for years! They don't show their faces and focus on cultivation, and none of them are to be trifled with.

Compared to the outside, Holy Mountain City actually has a deeper foundation; many within have ancient origins, and some are even descendants of Great Emperors!

However, as time passes, the descendants of Great Emperors are left with nothing but a title.

Achieving the status of Great Emperor is too difficult. Historically, no one has been able to become a Great Emperor on their own, and countless have faded into obscurity as time went by.

The negotiations between the unaffiliated cultivators and the major powers begin, and the debate is intense.

The main issue is the number of people allowed to enter.

It is not just the unaffiliated cultivators; the number of people allowed to enter from every other faction is the key.

"What a noisy bunch." Watching the peak Saints, who held immense power and noble status in the outside world—many of them supreme rulers of nations or heads of clans—arguing incessantly, Su Ke leaned back in his chair, enjoying his tea and delicacies. With several beautiful Planetary Rank maids attending to him, he was no ascetic saint; at his core, he was still a worldly man who would indulge himself whenever he could.

"Hurry up and start fighting."

Races with existing grudges nearly came to blows right there at the meeting, ready to put on a live performance of a brawl.

As time passed, the meeting finally reached a conclusion under Su Ke's secret surveillance.

There were no restrictions for peak Saints; all could enter.

Each faction could send only three Tier 8 Saints.

Each faction could send a maximum of ten Tier 7 Saints.

A grand voice echoed out from the palace. "The meeting concludes here. Prepare to enter the Stone Gate starting tomorrow."