Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate
Chapter 774 - 711: Tremors

While Lin Rui was studying Martial Arts through the Battle Spirit Ring, Lin Hao's appointment as Regent of the Great Song spread rapidly across Sky Extreme Star and even throughout the Earth Federation.

When Yi Duxing received the news, he was aboard a warship in space, meeting with Zang Shaochen and Yang Lingxiao, Chairman of the Taiyi Group, to discuss the current situation.

Factionalism was rampant within the Longevity Association. The three of them, originally major power players, were now forced to unite under Lin Tianchen's relentless attacks and pursuit.

"Lin Tianchen is not much of a threat, honestly," Yi Duxing said calmly as he sipped tea brewed by the Dead-eyed Demon. "Though he wields the Abyss Divine Artifact and boasts Super Divine Envoy-level combat power, he is not without weaknesses."

"The truly terrifying ones are Lin Rui and his Twin Goddesses. The oppressive threat of these three siblings is gigantic, and their potential is equally daunting. The few Immortal Level figures aligning with them are undoubtedly raising a tiger to cause future harm."

With Lin Rui and the Twin Goddesses looming overhead, who would dare openly oppose Lin Tianchen?

The current situation was such that even the various factions within the Federation, no matter how much they wanted to secretly aid his enemies, had to carefully weigh their actions.

What's more, Lin Rui's talent truly inspired boundless dread.

At merely the Seventh Realm, he was already a "Senior Legislator" capable of going toe-to-toe with Divine Envoys.

What would happen when he ascended to the Eight Realms and implanted one or two types of Armament Bloodlines? That guy might very well break through to Super Divine Envoy-level.

"I've gone up against Lin Tianchen twice in combat. His so-called Super Divine Envoy-level combat power is overblown. He's not as formidable as claimed!"

Zang Shaochen furrowed his brows. "Lin Rui is the true enemy of the Longevity Association. I've heard that the Forest Freight Company recently put in a commercial retrofit order for two decommissioned battleships and four decommissioned cruisers in East Asia. Their escort fleet will soon scale up to two full squadrons."

"And then there's 'Firepower Mad Bear' Balder Martinez, who has formally joined the Forest Group as Deputy Director of Forest Freight Company and Head of Freight Land Operations. He even shared his contract on his personal social media—200 billion federal coins monthly salary plus stock dividends. I have no idea where Lin Rui is getting all this money from. His family doesn't own a bank!"

Zang Shaochen, after his jailbreak, had been forming his "Star Wolf Pirate Fleet."

He reclaimed three squadrons from the Evil Pirate Group and used his reputation, along with the Longevity Association's financial resources, to poach members from various pirate groups.

As of now, with the addition of two squadrons that defected from the Second Fleet Group, the Star Wolf Pirate Fleet had grown to eight squadrons.

This pirate fleet sounded powerful, but in reality, its strength came entirely from Zang Shaochen's personal savings and various grants from within the Longevity Association.

They merely had eleven battleships across their squadrons, were severely lacking in warships, and even more so in highly skilled combatants.

Hearing this, Yang Lingxiao couldn't help but internally sneer, thinking that Zang Shaochen, who was being relentlessly hunted by Lin Tianchen and forced into hiding in space, still dared to claim Lin Tianchen to be "not much of a threat."

Nonetheless, Lin Rui's rapidly growing power also weighed heavily on his mind.

The "Firepower Mad Bear" Balder Martinez was one of the three Legislators who signed a Divine Contract with Lin Rui to leave the Longevity Association. Perhaps he felt that since he was already going to accept employment with the Forest Group, and their treatment was fair, with decent strength, he might as well join them outright.

A monthly salary of 200 billion federal coins was indeed substantial—amounting to 2.4 trillion annually.

A 3 trillion market-capitalization company might barely make that in net profit, and that's without considering commercial risks or the burden of self-sufficiency.

Balder, also a Senior Legislator, was skilled at leveraging all kinds of high-tech equipment.

He was a Martial Cultivator focusing on the Conceptual Powers of "Unbreakable" and "Enhancement," which he could also apply to nearby Combat Robots. The more robots he had, the stronger he became.

Years ago, "Firepower Mad Bear" even had a duel with Yang Lingxiao that ended in a stalemate, matching the Divine Envoy-level strength of Yang Lingxiao blow for blow.

Yang Lingxiao couldn't help but worry. If not for the ceasefire agreement negotiated between the Longevity Association and Lin Rui before the Battle of Purgatory, he would have already moved his company headquarters to another Base City.

"And you say it's not sustainable? The Forest Group holds 150 ship plates under the Great Song Star Port, leasing out 50 and retaining 100 for themselves. Internally in the Great Song, the Hidden Crown Prince's faction provides him with a large amount of affordable goods."

"I can't confirm their exact revenue, but I estimate Forest Group's monthly net earnings to be around 200 billion federal coins. And that's based on their focus on consumer goods alone."

Yang Lingxiao let out a bitter smile. "The greater income earner is Rui Fang Group. Their skincare and wellness products were already smashing successes, and now their recently launched medicines are sweeping through the Federation. This month's net profit is likely to hit 930 billion."

"I can't tell if Lin Rui is a genius himself or if he just commands a top-tier pharmaceutical team. Regardless, the patents and drugs we pharmaceutical companies sold to Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals, they've managed to tweak and rebrand into miraculous products with massively improved efficacy."

"And then there's their Armaments. Rui Fang's Armaments gained credibility after being endorsed by the 'Divine Law Heavenly Girl.' In the Great Song's upper echelons, only Armaments provided by Rui Fang are considered acceptable."

"That high?" Zang Shaochen's expression transformed upon hearing this.

He had guessed Lin Rui's conglomerates were highly profitable but hadn't imagined their revenue would be on such a staggering level.

Neither Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals nor Forest Group publicly disclosed financial reports, but Zang Shaochen had no doubt about Yang Lingxiao's estimates.

Yang Lingxiao's Taiyi Biological Group operated across pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and logistics, and his deep connections and industry expertise ensured his projections carried weight.

Zang Shaochen looked perturbed. Even the internet companies, so beloved and hailed by the financial world, didn't grow as fast as Lin Rui's two conglomerates.

Confused, Zang Shaochen asked, "Are you just going to let Lin Rui's forces swell to this level? Can't you suppress his sales network or hospitals? I remember the Longevity Association had plans for this. Why were they abandoned so quickly?

Even if the ceasefire treaty binds the Longevity Association, surely there are other forces within the Federation? What about the Divine Light Army? And his armed transport fleet—are the Evil Pirate Group and Star Chain Pirate Group going to watch idly?"

"The Forest Group fleets have always operated in synchronization with the Tianhu Interstellar Trading Company. With Linghu Mingde personally overseeing operations, neither of those pirate groups can do anything. Now, Lin Tianchen, promoted to Commander of the Second Fleet Group, is providing dedicated protection for their fleets."

Yi Duxing kept sipping his tea. "Cosmetics and medicines are lightweight and compact, so Lin Rui simply entrusts Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals' goods to a few large East Asian logistics companies for transport."

"As for Rui Fang's sales network and hospitals, while they aren't profitable, Lin Rui continues to heavily invest in them. He even has them insured—for 120 billion federal coins monthly—by seven of the largest insurance companies in the Federation."

Zang Shaochen blinked in astonishment, then silently cursed under his breath.

The handlers of these seven major insurance companies were all Earth Federation magnates, at least Divine Envoy-level, with the weakest being someone like Yang Lingxiao.

To top it off, the "Financial Emperor" Yi Duxing himself had shares in several of these firms.

What made this even worse was that Lin Rui not only commanded such a massive distribution network but also wielded unprecedented influence over the pharmaceutical companies in Ninth Base City.

"Take a look at this."

At this moment, Yang Lingxiao placed a small, exquisitely designed porcelain bottle in front of them. "This is called 'Rui Fang Lifespan Pill,' a new health product from Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals. It's also considered a skincare product. If you haven't heard of it, you can check online."

Yi Duxing glanced at the bottle and chuckled bitterly.

He had already heard of the "Rui Fang Lifespan Pill."

Zang Shaochen ran an online search, and his expression darkened.

The "Rui Fang Lifespan Pill" was Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals' new health supplement. It improved physical functionality, extended lifespans, and eliminated ailments. It also enhanced skin health, making people radiant inside and out.

The health benefits only required usage every 3 to 5 months, but the skincare effects lasted merely five days. However, when combined with Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals' other skincare products, the results were enhanced.

This product had already become wildly popular in fourteen Base Cities. Due to supply shortages, its black market price had surged to 50,000 federal coins—more than four times its official price of 10,800.

"The entire financial sector is now hoping Lin Rui's two companies will go public. At this point, Lin Rui's power is nearly impossible to confront directly—"

Yi Duxing, however, was more concerned about Rui Fang Pharmaceuticals' Armored Biological Research Institute.

The institute had gathered countless top-tier biological talent, and in the past year alone, received nearly 2 trillion federal coins in funding from East Asia and the Security Bureau. It continuously acquired top-grade Armament materials from the market.

However, the institute was deeply embedded within the stronghold of the Forest · Rui Fang Group. Its security was airtight, guarded fiercely, and further bolstered by the Twin Goddesses. A forceful assault was out of the question.

Yi Duxing, along with many within the Longevity Association and agencies such as the Atlantic Federation Investigation Bureau, had dispatched elite forces to investigate and infiltrate Rui Fang's Armored Biological Research Institute. But this endeavor would take time.

Shaking his head slightly, Yi Duxing spoke with a somber tone: "Due to the limitations imposed by the ceasefire treaty, it's exceedingly difficult to target Lin Rui head-on. Such an approach would result in needless casualties. Instead of focusing on taking down Lin Rui, it may prove more effective to direct our efforts at Lin Hao—"

"Lin Hao?" Zang Shaochen pondered briefly. "Start by cutting off his wings and allies? It could work. The two of them currently support each other, forming a pincer strategy with Great Song Star Port trade to constrain the Federation's major freight operators. It's indeed problematic."

"The effort is supported by factions within Purgatory and endorsed by multiple Dynasties of Sky Extreme Star. The increasing profits from Great Song Star Port have alarmed all sides on Sky Extreme Star, especially Purgatory, which is willing to offer a hefty reward for intervention—"

Yi Duxing's words were cut short as his terminal bracelet buzzed with an emergency email.

He opened it and instantly his expression darkened.

Across from him, Yang Lingxiao too received information from his intelligence director. His face turned deathly pale: "Lin Hao of the Great Song has been appointed as Regent."

An hour earlier, Yang Lingxiao had already heard about Song Taizu's assault on Demon Suppression Forest and the rescue of the Undying Dragon Monster sealed within.

What he hadn't anticipated was that the East Abyss would endorse Lin Hao as Regent.

Zang Shaochen's expression also turned extremely grim: "Does that mean the Imperial Jade Seal of the Great Song has already fallen into Lin Hao's hands?"

This was undoubtedly catastrophic news.

Lin Hao, now not only in charge of Great Song's political affairs but also empowered by the Imperial Jade Seal's might.

The power of the National Treasure was immense. Even emperors of the Great Song with only Seventh Realm cultivation had Super Divine Envoy-level combat strength within the Luojing vicinity.

Their plans to undermine Lin Hao were crumbling even before they began.

Yi Duxing's brow furrowed deeply. The Longevity Association absolutely could not allow the forces of Lin Hao and Lin Rui to continue their unchecked growth.

But now that Lin Hao had been named Regent, many of their initial tactics were no longer viable. It was imperative they devise a new strategy.