Chapter 110: The Failed Sneak Attack of the Earth Rank Mid-Grade
After successively refining Chu Huai, Ning Zhuo, and Ning Ruirui, Mo Lin swept the Earth Vein Yin Marrow clean, while also swallowing down all the other treasures inside this room.
Profound Fiend Iron, Sinking Star Sand, Thunderwood Ore... very quickly, every item in this not-too-big, not-too-small “Yisi” room was emptied out by Mo Lin.
Although it was difficult to calculate exactly how many treasures he had devoured in such a short span, this was the first time in many years that Mo Lin felt his belly swelling, even giving rise to the sense that he could no longer swallow anything more.
Mo Lin understood well that this was because he had swallowed far too many treasures above his grade in one go.
Even with his devouring talent, it was hard to completely digest them all at once.
He even felt as if his skin was creaking under unbearable strain.
His body was rapidly expanding.
After devouring treasures and Earth Rank experts in succession—such as the Golden Circlet, Jingchen, the Nether-Tailed Profound Fish, and Chu Huai—Mo Lin was finally about to step into the Earth Rank Mid-Grade.
Though his belly was uncomfortably bloated, Mo Lin still greedily intended to check out the other resource rooms.
He had finally made it into the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce, and who knew if there would be such an opportunity again in the future? If he could not leave fully loaded, wouldn’t that be far too regretful?
Even just by peeking a few times while hidden in Ning Zhuo’s sleeve earlier, Mo Lin knew how vast and astonishing the resources of the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce truly were.
The “Yisi” room he had eaten through was merely a tiny portion.
Perhaps if he swallowed a bit more, he could evolve into Earth Rank Mid-Grade.
However, just as Mo Lin’s heart began pounding with anticipation, the sound of footsteps came from the doorway:
“Chu Huai? Brother Ning Zhuo? Are you still not done? Where are you?”
It was none other than Lin Rui, who, after seeing that Chu Huai and the others had been gone too long, grew suspicious and entered the storeroom to investigate.
“Where have you all gone off to?”
Seeing no one come out after such a long time, Lin Rui had already become wary.
It was not that he suspected Chu Huai and the others had all been killed, but rather that he doubted whether Chu Huai, upon seeing that Ning Zhuo had retrieved an Earth Rank High-Grade Demonic Core, had failed to resist his greed and killed Ning Zhuo before escaping.
But even this reasoning did not hold.
As a guard of the resource storeroom, Chu Huai had seen treasures even more precious than a Demonic Core.
And even if he had given in to greed and stolen the Demonic Core, once discovered, there would have been no way he could escape the Chamber of Commerce.
As a storeroom guard, Chu Huai should not have been the sort to risk everything for so little.
Regardless, the prolonged silence had made the gatekeeper Lin Rui fully alert. In his hand, he clutched a small round magical tool.
This was the storeroom alarm device.
No matter what happened inside the resource storeroom, once the alarm was triggered, the culprit would have no chance of escape.
Mo Lin, hiding inside the Yisi room, saw the magical tool in Lin Rui’s hand through a crack and began weighing his options.
Lin Rui was already suspicious—should he retreat now, or take the gamble?
If the gamble succeeded, he might devour even more treasures. But if he failed, the danger would be dire—the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce would never let him go.
By reason, Mo Lin had already emptied an entire storeroom.
Even if he were given another one, his bloated stomach meant he would be like a “useless husband”—able to see, but unable to eat.
And yet, he was unwilling to give up. He felt he could still take another shot.
Back in Ning Zhuo’s chamber, Ning Zhuo had told him a great deal about the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce.
According to him, as the largest Chamber of Commerce in Yongzhou, one of the Thirty-Six States of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Yongzhou Chamber possessed no fewer than ten Earth Rank experts.
But of course, not all of these ten experts were stationed at headquarters—this was only natural, since there were always places needing to be guarded, and certain missions could only be carried out by Earth Rank experts.
Thus, the headquarters typically housed only eight Earth Rank experts, with Earth Rank Low-Grades rotating to guard the resource storerooms.
The Chairman was Earth Rank Low-Grade, and the Vice Chairman along with two Worshipped Elders were Earth Rank Mid-Grade.
Now that Mo Lin had already slain one Earth Rank expert, the headquarters should still have seven left. Among them, the Vice Chairman and two Worshipped Elders were figures on the same level as the Prince of Jiyang.
And if one included the many defensive treasures that had been accumulated over the years, not even an Earth Rank High-Grade could confidently come and go unscathed within headquarters.
Only Heaven Rank experts could truly walk freely in the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce.
For an Earth Rank Low-Grade, it was far too dangerous.
Mo Lin thought it over, then took out that Earth Rank Demonic Core and carefully examined it.
After Ning Zhuo returned to the Chamber, since Dong Li had completely lost the Demonic Core, he no longer concealed the truth and revealed that it had come from an Earth Rank High-Grade Sea Dragon Louse—and it possessed the ability of “Water Manipulation.”
Earlier, in order to deceive his way into the Chamber, Mo Lin had refrained from swallowing it. But now, it had no further use.
Mo Lin swallowed it in one gulp.
Though his stomach was already swollen painfully, the Sea Dragon Louse’s Demonic Core melted instantly in his belly.
Perhaps because compared to ores and resources, or even human flesh, Demonic Cores were inherently more compatible with Mo Lin.
Closing his eyes, he felt the Demonic Core’s changes within his body.
Perhaps an incense stick of time had passed, or perhaps only a few seconds, before Mo Lin opened his eyes and twisted his body.
Moments later, a translucent snakeskin, dozens of meters long, lay before him, while his body suddenly swelled to a hundred meters.
The Yisi room, not too big nor too small, was stuffed nearly full by his massive body.
Earth Rank Mid-Grade!
After swallowing the Earth Rank High-Grade Sea Dragon Louse’s Demonic Core, Mo Lin had decisively crossed the threshold and stood firmly in the Earth Rank Mid-Grade.
Determination shone in Mo Lin’s eyes.
Yes—he had decided to risk it all once more.
Now that he was Earth Rank Mid-Grade, his paper strength matched the strongest experts of the Chamber. Even if discovered, he would still have the strength to fight.
Besides, it was not certain that he would even be discovered—so long as he killed Lin Rui quickly enough.
Having advanced to Earth Rank Mid-Grade, Mo Lin no longer hesitated.
He lightly knocked on the door, producing a faint sound.
Hearing this, Lin Rui, who had been searching for Ning Zhuo and the others, cautiously approached:
“Chu Huai? Brother Ning Zhuo?”
He moved step by step toward the Yisi room, magical tool in hand, ready to trigger it at any moment.
“Creak—”
The door to the Yisi room slowly opened from inside, but no one came out.
Lin Rui leaned forward and peeked into the room.
The next instant, a massive serpent shadow shot out from within!
Startled, Lin Rui nearly released the magical tool in his hand.
But “Spatial Imprisonment” had already been cast upon him as a preemptive strike, causing his motion to loosen his grip to slow.
Mo Lin’s hundred-meter-long body crashed down onto Lin Rui, smothering him entirely—he could not even stick his head out.
Earth Rank Mid-Grade power suppression, speed suppression from striking first, and the sheer weight of a hundred-meter body—despite Lin Rui’s vigilance, he was unable to withstand Mo Lin’s swift kill.
With one gulp, Mo Lin swallowed Lin Rui whole.
As long as that magical tool entered his belly, his devouring talent would prevent it from sending out any alarm.
But then Mo Lin noticed something—the dead Lin Rui’s fingers had slackened around the magical tool.
The next moment—
“Woooooo!!!”
An ear-piercing alarm shrieked throughout the storeroom, making Mo Lin’s expression turn ugly.
Not good!
He had killed Lin Rui swiftly enough—but he had overlooked one thing.
That alarm tool in Lin Rui’s hand was not triggered by pressing down, but by releasing!!!
“Woooooo!!!”
“Enemy attack!!!”