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Chapter 188: The Goods Are in Hand! Open a Volcano!
🕑 Added 2024-10-31 16:42:38 +0000 UTCXia Jing?
Chen Shijie and Long Xiao were stunned. They certainly knew Xia Jing, the most outstanding son of Lord Xiahou.
However, Yu Ziqi didn’t recognize Xia Jing and had never heard of this genius. He was even more absorbed in the sword path than Long Xiao, rarely paying attention to such matters.
Still, Yu Ziqi was highly obedient. When told to stop, he immediately halted. His flying swords stopped just millimeters from Xia Jing’s nose, throat, chest, and even his lower region, barely avoiding piercing through him.
Xia Jing was utterly terrified, especially the sword aimed at his lower body, which had already pierced through his armor and grazed his skin. Had Zhao Xing called off the attack just a second later, Xia Jing might have found himself destined for palace service.
“Xia Jing? Are you really Xia Jing?”
“Yes, it’s me,” Xia Jing replied, frozen in place with four swords pointing at him.
“What was the first food I gave you to eat?”
“Ugh~”
“Alright, you don’t need to say it. It’s really you.”
“Hurry, let’s find somewhere to hide and talk.”
Everything had happened so fast—an exchange between two seventh-rank cultivators in the blink of an eye.
This wasn’t the place to chat. The six of them quickly retreated to the fourth-level area and found an abandoned mine to hide in.
“Brother, what are you doing here?” Zhao Xing handed Xia Jing a healing salve. “And why are you in this condition?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Xia Jing retorted.
“My Shenwei Army is stationed on the eastern side of the Fire Demon Tribe, but your Xuanjia Army is supposed to be in the north, right?”
“It’s a long story,” another Fire Demon Tribe member interrupted. “Actually, it’s somewhat related to you, Brother Zhao.”
“Eh? And you are…”
The Fire Demon Tribe member touched his ear and reverted to his original appearance.
“Guan Junyang?” Zhao Xing was surprised. “So it’s you.”
“You wound me, Brother Zhao,” Guan Junyang said bitterly. “You recognized Xia Jing by his voice instantly, but it took you until now to figure out who I am.”
Zhao Xing awkwardly cleared his throat. It wasn’t entirely his fault. His relationship with Guan Junyang wasn’t particularly close. In the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven, Guan Junyang had been in the Tianshi Academy, so they hadn’t interacted much.
“Didn’t you mention Earth Fire Lotus to me once?” Xia Jing explained. “I went back and researched it, and I found out that it only grows in the Southern Barbarian Fire Mountain.”
“Later, when we were preparing to attack the Fire Demon Tribe, I realized the Earth Fire Lotus was a highly valuable resource, so I decided to come and steal some fifth-rank seeds.”
Zhao Xing had indeed talked about the Earth Fire Lotus. At the time, he’d been working on his advancement task in the Soldier Realm and had shared some of his discoveries with Xia Jing, Zhuang Zhiqing, and Cao Shuang.
Advancement tasks in the Soldier Realm required a massive amount of resources—too much for one person to handle alone.
So Zhao Xing had shared his findings as a goodwill gesture, a favor that few could repay. After all, not just anyone could complete advancement tasks; it required significant strength.
But Xia Jing was different. Not only could he handle such tasks, but he also had the guts to act on them.
“So you came here just for that?” Zhao Xing asked. It made sense, given that the Xuanjia Army had experts who could cultivate Earth Fire Lotus.
“There’s more to it than that.” Xia Jing hesitated for a moment but didn’t hide the truth. “My father once planted a spy within the Fire Dragon Pass.”
“Although I’ve made significant contributions within the Xuanjia Army, if I want to command an entire army, I need a standout achievement.”
“The Earth Fire Lotus is just a side objective. My main goal is to uncover the military defenses of the Fire Dragon Pass.”
A military spy?
Zhao Xing exchanged a glance with Chen Shijie.
The latter shook his head. The Shenwei Army had shallow roots and had even been disbanded a few years ago. They had only recently reformed, so the idea of planting spies was out of the question. There simply wasn’t enough time.
“How did you get in?” Long Xiao asked curiously. “Did you sneak in as well?”
“Sneak in?” Xia Jing was puzzled. “What do you mean sneak in? Did you actually make it through all the underground formations and traps?”
“You can’t be serious. You made it through the Fire Dragon Pass’s underground defense system?” Guan Junyang was equally shocked.
“So how did you get in?” Yu Ziqi asked.
“We had someone help us,” Xia Jing explained. “We entered through the southwestern section of the Fire Mountain with the help of a spy. We hid in the mountains for half a month before coming here.”
“That long? How did you manage?”
“I have a top-tier fifth-rank fireproof suit. Don’t you?”
“…”
Chen Shijie, Yu Ziqi, and Long Xiao were speechless.
Comparisons were infuriating. Xia Jing was only at the seventh rank, yet he was already equipped with a top-tier fifth-rank suit.
And it wasn’t just one. He also had a complete Thousand Changes Transformation set, whereas Zhao Xing’s group only had the headpieces.
The headpieces alone provided about eighty percent of the effect, but Xia Jing had the financial backing to strive for perfection.
As the Xuanjia Army’s top talent and Lord Xiahou’s son, Xia Jing’s infiltration of the Fire Dragon Pass was almost like playing on easy mode.
How did he get in? Simple, find a spy to open the door.
It sounded so effortless.
“The spy who got you in must have quite the position,” Zhao Xing remarked.
“He does,” Xia Jing confirmed. “He handles personnel transfers, but he’s not very high-ranking. I didn’t expect that the fifth-rank area would require a passphrase. We almost died at the hands of our own people because of that.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Zhao Xing said. “And when did you learn to ambush people like that? You didn’t use to be like this.”
“When the situation calls for it, who cares about honor?” Xia Jing chuckled. “Isn’t that what you told me back during training?”
The fact that Xia Jing, a noble son, was becoming more cunning—and that Zhao Xing might have had a hand in it—left Zhao Xing feeling a little conflicted.
“Alright, enough small talk,” Chen Shijie interjected. “Tell us the situation. Did you get any results from the fifth-rank Earth Fire Lotus area?”
“No,” Xia Jing said, shaking his head.
“No?” Yu Ziqi huffed, pointing to the crates they carried. “Then what are these? We’re not after your loot; we just want to know what’s going on.”
Xia Jing didn’t argue. He opened the crates he and Guan Junyang had brought.
Inside were fourth-rank seeds.
“How did this happen? You’ve just gone in circles,” Zhao Xing said, confused.
“I’d like to know that too,” Xia Jing sighed. “I saw the Earth Fire Lotus, but I just couldn’t touch it.”
“I think it might be a Mountain Sealing Spell,” Guan Junyang speculated. “The fifth-rank Earth Fire Lotus lake is within the Fire Mountain, and it seems to be sealed by this spell.”
A Mountain Sealing Spell?
Zhao Xing remembered the time they opened the East Lake Mountain. The spell referred to sealing methods that could make flora and fauna invisible, uncatchable, or untouchable.
The Fire Mountain and East Lake Mountain were different cases. The Fire Mountain wasn’t sealed by divine forces but purely by high-level spellwork.
Mountain opening and sealing spells in the Fortune Dynasty involved divine powers, so even a ninth-rank Shennong could manipulate them at lower levels.
But here, the South Barbarians relied solely on powerful spellcasters for this kind of sealing magic.
“This is troublesome,” Zhao Xing frowned. “Chen Shijie, can you break the seal?”
“I don’t know,” Chen Shijie replied. “Each sealing spell is different. I’d have to take a look. Even if I can break it, doing so would definitely alert the person who cast it.”
“Xia Jing, can your escape route accommodate four more people?” Zhao Xing asked.
He had originally planned to avoid detection by slipping in, getting what they needed, and leaving unnoticed.
But if they wanted the fifth-rank seeds, they would inevitably alert the guards.
And once that happened, escaping the way they came would be nearly impossible.
Xia Jing pondered the situation. If they made too much noise, his father’s spies might be exposed.
Xia Jing had already convinced the Xuanjia Army’s commander to send him an elite force to attack the Fire Dragon Pass. He needed those spies to remain in place for when the time came.
If they were exposed now, would it be worth it?
“Brother Zhao, I can get you out, but it’s best if we avoid stirring up the guards. The fifth-rank Earth Fire Lotus isn’t a must. We’ll need those spies when we attack the Fire Dragon Pass.”
“The Xuanjia Army can work with the Shenwei Army,” Xia Jing added. “We can share the spoils when we take the pass and push forward.”
After some consideration, Zhao Xing relayed the plan to Chen Shijie through a secret communication technique.
“I think Xia Jing has a point. What do you think?” Zhao Xing asked.
“It’s a win-win situation. I can convince the general to collaborate,” Chen Shijie agreed. “As for whether to take the fifth-rank seeds, that’s up to you. You’ll be the one growing the Earth Fire Lotus.”
“I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” Zhao Xing decided. “If we stir up too much trouble, we might not make it out. Anyone capable of casting such a high-level mountain-sealing spell is a formidable enemy.”
“Then let’s retreat.”
With that decision made, Zhao Xing turned to Xia Jing.
“Brother Xia, we’ve decided not to steal the fifth-rank seeds. We’ll retreat for now. You can find us in Zhiyou City later to discuss cooperation.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Xia Jing asked.
“No, adding four more people might strain your spy’s cover. Since we haven’t alerted the guards yet, we’ll have a better chance of making it out if we go the way we came,” Zhao Xing explained. “Guan Junyang, do you know any underground movement techniques? You could come with us if you do.”
Leaving Xia Jing’s spy network intact would be crucial for the upcoming battle. The Shenwei Army had no such resources.
“I don’t,” Guan Junyang admitted awkwardly.
Guan Junyang was from the Tianshi Academy, and his underground movement skills were mediocre compared to Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie’s advanced techniques.
While they could carry another person with their movement spells, it would exponentially increase the energy consumption.
For safety, it was better if everyone took their own paths.
“Take care, Brother Xia.”
“You too.”
With that, the six of them split up.
Zhao Xing’s group retraced their steps. First, they left the molten caves and returned to the ruins outside.
Then, they re-entered the underground passages.
Thousand Changes Transformation activated, turning them once more into the forms of Lobatu, Xuba, Huowei, and Lahe.
They casually returned to the caves, switched shifts, and used their movement spells to quietly leave the Fire Dragon Pass.
Thirty miles out, Zhang Ying and Xu Quan were still waiting in their underground hideout.
Whoosh~
The two earth magic cultivators immediately became alert.
“Don’t attack, it’s us,” Chen Shijie called out.
“Brother Chen, you’ve returned!” Zhang Ying and Xu Quan smiled in relief. “How did it go?”
“It’s hard to say,” Chen Shijie replied. “Let’s head back first.”
“Zhao Xing and I are nearly drained of energy, so we’ll need you to guide the way.”
“No problem.”
Zhang Ying and Xu Quan resumed their movement spells, carefully navigating the group through the underground passages.
Once they were a hundred miles away from the Fire Dragon Pass, they resurfaced and boarded their airship to head back.
Phew~
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
This mission had been dangerous, after all. Fire Dragon Pass wasn’t an easy place to infiltrate, and leaving without raising alarms was just as difficult.
If they had been discovered, it would have been nearly impossible to escape with so few people.
But with Zhao Xing’s knowledge of the pass’s defenses, they had managed to avoid most of the danger.
Ironically, the biggest threat had come from Xia Jing and Guan Junyang, who almost led to them killing their own allies. Had that happened, it could have drawn unwanted attention from powerful enemies.
Zhiyou City.
Whoosh~
The airship descended from the sky, and Liao Rulong and Pu Zhong had been waiting for a long time.
“Brother Chen, how did it go?”
Liao Rulong rushed forward, full of anticipation.
“It wasn’t a complete success, but we came close,” Chen Shijie explained.
“What do you mean?” Liao Rulong asked anxiously. “Did you succeed or not?”
“That depends on whether Zhao Xing can cultivate a fifth-rank Earth Fire Lotus,” Chen Shijie replied. “We only managed to retrieve fourth-rank seeds.”
“The Earth Fire Lotus is a fifth-rank wonder, and its growth conditions are stringent. If Zhao Xing can’t make it grow, it’s not his fault.”
Chen Shijie made sure to lower expectations so that Liao Rulong wouldn’t hope for too much.
Failure was the norm with this kind of endeavor, but success would be a pleasant surprise.
“Of course, of course,” Liao Rulong said, rubbing his hands together and turning to Zhao Xing. “Young Zhao, you focus on cultivating it. Whatever you need, just ask. I’ll even assign Chen’s entire regiment to assist you.”
“If that’s not enough, I’ll pull more Shennong from the supply cities to help.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Zhao Xing bowed respectfully. “I’ll plant the seeds first and let you know how it goes.”
“Great, great! I’ll wait for your good news!” Liao Rulong said, clearly eager, but he didn’t linger, giving Zhao Xing the space he needed to start working.
“Is there an active volcano near Zhiyou City?”
“No, the Fire Mountain Range on the Fire Demon Tribe’s territory causes an earth vein effect, which prevents volcanic activity within a hundred miles of here. Even the Wolf God Tribe’s land is free of active volcanoes.”
“Where can we find one?”
“There’s an active volcano near City No. 32, under the jurisdiction of the Lieyang Army,” Chen Shijie mused. “But our relationship with the Lieyang Army isn’t great. I’m not sure they’d be willing to share.”
To mass-produce Earth Fire Lotus, they needed a volcano. It would drastically reduce the difficulty of cultivation and speed up the process.
Zhao Xing didn’t need one for himself—his Origin of the Moment could nurture fourth-rank Earth Fire Lotus seeds into fifth-rank.
Once the fifth-rank plants matured, they would yield fifth-rank seeds.
At that point, other Shennong could plant them without worrying about the usual limitations, as the seeds would already be fifth-rank.
But without ideal growing conditions, those seeds might downgrade back to fourth or even third rank.
That’s why having a volcano was essential. Others wouldn’t be able to cultivate the Earth Fire Lotus without one.
If the army wanted to produce enough Earth Fire Lotus battle robes for the entire force, Zhao Xing couldn’t do it alone.
“Who commands City No. 32?” Zhao Xing asked. “They wouldn’t refuse a simple request to borrow a volcano, would they?”
“The Earth Mirror now shows that many of the advancement tasks in the Soldier Realm require fire-attribute plants. Active volcanoes have become resources.”
“If that doesn’t work, can we find somewhere else?” Zhao Xing asked.
“The only other option is to go back to the border of Anping Prefecture and cultivate the plants in the Fengming Mountains,” Chen Shijie replied. “But with all the troops occupying the region, it might be difficult to secure a volcano there.”
“If worse comes to worst, even a dormant volcano would suffice,” Zhao Xing said. “I know volcanic techniques. With a dormant one, I could awaken it and make it an active volcano.”
“But if there isn’t even a dormant volcano, we’ll face significant delays.”
While Zhao Xing’s volcanic techniques were advanced, they were only at the third transformation level—just enough for basic mastery. Awakening a dormant volcano wasn’t a quick task; it would take at least ten days to half a month.
Half a day later.
Liao Rulong rushed back to find Zhao Xing.
“I’ve got it! We’ve found a volcano!”
“There’s a dormant volcano near the Wolf God Tribe’s Dongshang City,” Liao Rulong said, his excitement evident.
“And the situation?” Zhao Xing asked.
“It hasn’t erupted in over a hundred years, but there’s still smoke rising from it, and it’s emitting heat,” Liao Rulong replied. “Can it work?”
“Sir, I can only say that it’s worth a try,” Zhao Xing responded respectfully.
“You go ahead and give it a try,” Liao Rulong said, feeling a little guilty. “It’s my fault for not thinking ahead about securing a volcano.”
In truth, this wasn’t Liao Rulong’s fault. Who would have thought beforehand that they would need a volcano as a resource?
But as soon as Zhao Xing began planning, volcanoes had already become a scarce resource. The armies fighting the Fire Demon Tribe were all vying for such resources, causing the demand to skyrocket.
“If this doesn’t work, do you have any other options?” Zhao Xing asked.
“The dormant volcano near Dongshang City is under the control of Jiang Ming from the Zhenhai Army. I’ve already reached out to him,” Liao Rulong explained. “He’s willing to let you use the area, but on the condition that, once you succeed, their Shennong experts will also be allowed to plant crops there.”
“That won’t be an issue,” Zhao Xing nodded. “Time is of the essence, so we should head out immediately.”
After a brief moment of organization, Zhao Xing and his team set off toward Dongshang City, ready to test the dormant volcano.
The cooperation with the Zhenhai Army presented an opportunity, but if the volcano’s condition wasn’t right, Zhao Xing had already considered the next step: using his volcanic techniques to awaken it.
As they moved out, their determination remained strong. Success here would mean the ability to mass-produce Earth Fire Lotus, equipping the army for future battles against the Fire Demon Tribe.
Though the road ahead was uncertain, they were prepared to face the challenges that awaited.
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