Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm

by Little Merger

Rejuvenation of spiritual energy, prevalence of martial arts, and extraordinary awakening, Jiang He said that he didn’t panic at all. With a farm system, farming can become stronger. What should I do if I practice too slowly? Don’t panic, plant some cucumbers to eat. Cucumber effects: clearing away heat and detoxification (relieving hundreds of toxins), strengthening the brain a

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Read Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm Chapter 167 - Feral Pythons Leaderboard online for free - NovelFull

Chapter 167: Feral Pythons Leaderboard

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

All of Jiangnan City was left in utter chaos, with traffic congestions, chain vehicle collisions, and civilians screaming without end after being struck by the sonic pulse. Every personnel from the Martial Arts Department had to be mobilized at the same instant, maintaining order alongside the military and public security outfits.

But as the confusion and discomfort from the sonic pulse faded, everyone looked up to the skies in curiosity.

There was at once shock, terror, and wonder…

The existence of Ferals was no longer a secret now, but civilians who had encountered Ferals were still in the minority. All they usually saw were videos and images on tv or the internet.

Now that a Feral had appeared before them, alive and kicking, how could they not be curious?

And it was one that was so powerful everyone was left palpitating.

Meanwhile, outside Hotel Caesar.

Jiang He was very nervous even if he looked out at the horizon.

Should he step forward and confess?

But what if he gets killed for it?

"Let's hold back and see how this turns out first…" He muttered, changing his mind right then. "Old Brother Lin, what's the story of that blue drake?"

Being a veteran rank-nine who knew a lot, Long Mountain Lin replied, "It's the Blue King Drake, one of the most powerful Ferals which ascended during the early days in the Revival of Qi. It's said that it was a tiny blue snake that lives in an old mountain forest and mistakenly ate some sort of treasure, hence evolving form snake to drake, becoming one the strongest Feral Kings in the Hua Nation with a single stroke."

Glancing at Jiang He, Long Mountain Lin then added, "Incidentally, the government has categorized and ranked the most powerful Ferals known across the world. The Blue King Drake ranks third amongst Feral Pythons, whereas the Black King Drake ranks at twenty-one."

Gasp!

Jiang He winced.

To think that the Blue King Drake was so amazing, yet only ranked third amongst Feral Pythons.

And before he could ask, Long Mountain Lin explained, "On top of the Feral Python leaderboard is the Nine-Headed Serpent, the Supreme Ruler of the Pacific Ocean. In second place is the Winged Serpent of the Amazon Rainforest, and in fourth place is the Titanoboa of the Atlantic Ocean."

"The Nine-Headed Serpent? I know about that one."

Jiang He said, "I think I read about it on the news that it attacked a certain island nation, even sinking one of its islands and inflicting up to three million casualties. Is the Nine-Headed Serpent really that amazing? To be fair, the Winged Serpent was a divine beast of legends, and if I'm not mistaken, the Titanoboa is also an abnormal ancient species, yes? That said, the Blue Drake King ascended from serpent to drake, and yet it's still weaker?"

"But of course!"

Long Mountain Lin replied. "The Nine-Headed Serpent ascended even before the Revival of Qi. It was deified by the citizens of the island nation since several hundred years ago, meaning that it had been alive for that long in the very least. That said, it only became even more terrifying following the Revival of Qi."

"…"

Jiang He was taken aback.

The Nine-headed Serpent was a god to the folks of the island nation?

A name surfaced on Jiang He's mind then: Xiangliu.

Xiangliu, another creature from mythology shared the same appearance: nine heads, devouring countless humans and leaving floods in its wake. It loved to devour soil and could eat nine hills on a single go, and the water it spat was more devastating than floods.

Incidentally, Xiangliu was also a divine creature that the folks of the island nation worshipped.

Jiang He sighed. "Almost destroyed by the god they worshipped… the folks of the island nation are quite something."

Long Mountain Lin grinned. "By the way, the human martial artist standing against the Blue Drake King is Pei Donglai, or Chief Commander Pei of Jiangnan Military Zone if you're feeling formal. He's said to be the top bladesman of the Hua Nation and is known as the Blade Sovereign, and one of mankind's most powerful divine-tier elites. Obviously, he had gained his own providence, since it's said he was just a normal human before the Revival of Qi."

Glancing at Jiang He, he could not help chuckling. "Don't worry. Your killing of the Black King Drake is lawful, and the Blue King Drake would never dare touch you… eh?"

Long Mountain Lin's gaze shifted eastward abruptly then, and Jiang He looked there as well, having sensed something.

Over on the east horizon, several vague auras of Ferals shot up to the skies, each of which were above rank-nine. One of them was particularly eye-catching as it was a bloody presence that permeates heaven and earth—an aura that did not lose out to the Blue King Drake.

It was not only the Blue King Drake that had come calling!

"Blue King Drake!"

Bellowing in rage, a blade radiance landed between Chief Commander Pei's fingers at a wave of his hand as Blade Qi overflowed. Though he appeared ready to fight at a moment's notice, he questioned the Feral solemnly, "Do you really want a war?"

The Blue King Drake seemed to smirk even as it spoke human tongue, "Give us the one who slew Black King Drake and we would naturally leave… humans are no longer the only ones ruling Earth now, Pei Donglai."

Pei Donglai sneered in return. "If a human elite had indeed slain a newly-ascended piece of trash, why would they stay anonymous? You claimed that my human elite had hidden their cultivation to blindside the Black King Drake, but what evidence do you have to show?"

"Evidence?"

The Blue King Drake's enormous body swayed up in the air as it coolly said, "Black King Drake wasn't alone on Chongming Island, and after it ascended as a Feral King, who else could kill it if it wasn't a human elite?"

"Noisy!"

That was when an even voice resounded up in the air. Though the tone was almost apathetic, the words echoed over a hundred miles like a thunderclap.

Blue King Drake's eyes narrowed as it looked out into the distance.

A figure had appeared over the horizon.

And while it was still far away at first, the figure covered a distance of almost a hundred miles. A profound might had descended from above just then, before the silhouette of a palm materialized out of thin air.

Boom!

The palm silhouette shot downwards, slapping towards the Blue King Drake.

Bellowing even as blue radiance shone radiantly over its body, the creature could not withstand the slap at all.

Pow!

Its gigantic thousand-meter long form was instantly left bloodied and bruised by the palm, and its body was sent falling down at Jiangnan City.

At the rate which it was falling, its enormous body would cause a massive earthquake throughout the city… but even before it could fall far, another massive hand materialized out of thin air again.

The hand, larger than the Blue King Drake, blanketed the skies and the sun—it easily caught the descending Feral with just two fingers, and then…

It threw the Feral.

Whoosh….

With that, the Blue King Drake was flung towards the direction where several auras of Feral Kings exploded.

Meanwhile, the figure had arrived.

It was Wang Hou in his Chinese tunic suit.

He looked downwards at Jiangnan and then at Pei Donglai, before stepping a single stride towards the distant wildlands.

Where he passed, the bodies of countless Ferals promptly exploded and died instantly.

"Wang Hou!"

The Blue King Drake roared furiously as it took to the air once more.

But no matter how one went about it, the roar was a tough face put out to conceal inner weakness…

"Wang Hou, give us the one who slew the Black King Drake and I will withdraw immediately."

Wang Hou smiled flatly in return. "Barked again and I'll crush you."

The Blue King Drake: "…"

Aggrieved but no more than a sheep in wolf's clothing, it retorted, "You were the one who set the agreement before, and yet you would renege upon it now? Your human elite had hidden his identity to kill the Black King Drake, and our brethren demand an answer for that."

Wang Hou frowned…

He had arrived in such a rush that all he knew was the Blue King Drake's rampage over the skies of Jiangnan… and did not understood the specifics.

But judging from the Blue King Drake's words…

The Black King Drake was dead?

Who had killed it?

Noticing the look on Wang Hou's face just then, the Blue King Drake sneered, "I knew you would renege on our agreement…"

Extending its talons and grabbing, it caught the rank-eight pangolin that had fled early in the battle, roaring as it said, "Use your spirit powers to project the appearance of that human elite who massacred Chongming Island last night. It's the evidence of the human elite hiding his identity to assassinate the Black King Drake."

Wang Hou twitched then.

Others notwithstanding, he was really keen on seeing which bugger had so much free time and ran off to kill the Black King Drake.

They didn't even give me a shout before they did it… really, it's like they aren't worried about me—eh?

Wang Hou did a double take then.

What the hell…

The pangolin had projected Jiang He's appearance up in the air with its spirit power.

Spirit powers were not solid and had no shape, but the pangolin's projection of Jiang He's appearance certainly could be seen by others in their spirit sense.

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Chapter 168: Do You All Have Something Against Me?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wang Hou had read Jiang He's file more than once—how could he not know what Jiang He looked like?

Still, he was beside himself in shock when he identified the figure that the pangolin drew with his spirit powers.

What the hell?

Jiang He?

When Zhou Yu returned, he had reported on Jiang He in detail: rank-seven, advanced, and extremely powerful in combat. But how could a rank-seven advanced slay the Black King Drake, a newly ascended Feral King?

Was that not just nonsense?

And in that instant of distraction, the Feral Kings started bellowing again.

"Give us the killer!" The Blue King Drake raged.

The other Ferals that were in hiding also unleashed a burst of their aura, all of them bellowing, "Give us the killer or it's war!"

The Ferals' roars echoed throughout the sky.

Wang Hou snorted then. His body's aura abruptly overflowed as his Void-tier cultivation exploded. A wild tempest billowed in a circle of a thousand meters around him—but upon a closer look, it was not a tempest but streaks of thin sword radiance, cutting waves out of thin air.

"A bunch of trash would dare to push me around?

"You dare frame a human prodigy with garbage as your evidence?"

"Want a war? I'll kill every last one of you today!"

Wang Hou reached out and slammed a palm at the direction of the pangolin, which shrieked shrilly even as it begged for the Blue King Drake to save it with spirit voice…

Even so, the Blue King Drake did not lift a finger.

That palm aimed at the pangolin was as powerful as it was brutal.

It would get hurt intercepting it.

Of course, while getting injured was not a big deal, Wang Hou could seize the chance to kill itself.

Hence, the pangolin was reduced to a pile of flesh. At the same time, the Feral Kings that had been hiding could no longer conceal their presence, all of them hence revealed—even though the fearsome aura emanating from their body was repressed considerably.

"Void!"

The Blue King Drake's gigantic eyes tightened as it growled, "Wang Hou, there is yet to be a Void-tier amongst our brethren! Don't try to twist the truth!"

Boom!

Wang Hou had slapped it down to the ground just as it spoke.

There was loud boom and the mountain forests beneath quaked.

Wang Hou sneered. "Bark at me again and you're dead, Blue King Drake."

"…"

Blue King Drake lay prone on the ground and did not move, whereas the other Feral Kings retreated backward by several hundred meters.

Withdrawing his aura, Wang Hou flatly said, "The person that the pangolin projected with its spirit is merely a rank-seven. How could a rank-seven slay a Feral King? Or are you trying to use this as an excuse to start a war?"

His tone had become even cooler and his attitude even more overbearing than before.

At the same time, all the Feral Kings could clearly sense a vague killing intent encircling them, and they felt as if they could die at any moment if they were being careless.

"I don't believe you!"

The Blue Drake King that was playing dead bellowed furiously at first, but it lowered its voice after it sensed the killing intent and spoke meekly, "Wang Hou, the rules is agreed upon between the elites of your race and the champions of our brethren. Do you think I would believe that your claims that a mere rank-nine would so subtly slay the newly ascended Black King Drake?"

Still, Wang Hou did not answer, merely whipping out his phone and dialed a number.

He was calling on Long Mountain Lin.

Wang Hou had immediately received word of Long Mountain Lin's recovery, since the old man was a top rank-nine elite who contributed to the nation. He even had a ten-minute long call with the man himself.

Naturally, he was aware that Jiang He had revived Long Mountain Lin.

"Minister Wang…"

Long Mountain Lin's voice could be heard from the other end of the call, while Wang Hou went straight to the point, asking, "Where is Jiang He? Please ask him to step out of the city."

"Minister Wang, Jiang He is with me…" Long Mountain Lin replied.

Even as he spoke, he turned to glance at Jiang He.

In response, Jiang He kept waving him off, exclaiming determinedly without even thinking, "I'm not going!"

'Have me come out of the city?

'Dream on!'

He could clearly feel the Ferals's aura at the wildlands outside the city, even thought he was a hundred meters away… what if he couldn't return?

Moreover, he had heard what Wang Hou said.

"…"

Wang Hou was silent at that. He obviously heard Jiang He, but he had to maintain his 'character' what with the Feral Kings encircling and staring at him. "It's fine," he said calmly, "Just come out. With me guarding you, not even the gods could touch a single strand of your hair."

Jiang He considered it, but decided that he was still too worried.

What?!

You, a rank-seven who actually dared to slay a Feral King?! Calling you daring is an understatement, and yet you are cowed now?"

Cursing inwardly, Wang Hou maintained his impassive look as he said, "Come out, I'll have someone escort you."

Hanging up, Wang Hou then turned to give Pei Donglai a look.

The chief commander was confused.

As a matter of fact, he did not really take notice of newer elites after he was stationed at the Jiangnan military zone.

Jiang He?

So, the person that the pangolin projected was called Jiang he?

Turning around, he flew toward Jiangnan City, where Jiang He was scowling and at a loss for words as he stood in front of Hotel Caesar.

"Was that Minister Wang, the one known as the First Man in our country on the phone? Wasn't he supposed to be overbearing? He could just kill off those Feral Kings, but he would still have a newbie martial artist like me risk myself…"

Beside him, Long Mountain Lin was actually speechless too.

He could hardly imagine it… how could a rank-eight be a newbie?

Nonetheless, Jiang He headed outside the city wobblily with a look of utter discontent, even stopping at the next streetlights and waiting for it to go green.

Outside the city, Pei Donglai was frowning….

He had waited more than ten minutes.

Reasonably speaking, Jiangnan was only that vast. Any martial arts elite who used a bit of their strength could cross it in ten minutes.

There was no helping it.

Rising up to the horizon, he released his powerful spirit to scan all of Jiangnan.

He had just 'seen' the image that the rank-eight pangolin projected and therefore knows what Jiang He looks like, and soon found him.

Right now, the kid was hugging a four-year old girl.

The girl was crying endlessly for her mother.

The chaos before had separated them.

His mouth twitching, Pei Donglai descended upon them and cut to the point, "Jiang He, I'm Pei Donglai of the Jiangnan military zone."

"General Pei!"

Delighted, Jiang He exclaimed, "You are a divine-tier champion, yes? Your spiritual strength must be powerful—quick, help find this kiddo's mother."

Unleashing his spirit, Pei Donglai soon located the mother, whereas Jiang He had a look of envy as he said, "You're awesome, General Pei. My spirit could extend up to eight hundred meters at best, and it would take a long time for me to reach your level."

"…"

Despite being a man of few words, Pei Donglai could not resist asking just then, "How many meters?"

His eyes were bulging at Jiang He in disbelief.

Up to eight hundred meters?

After all, even rank-nine individuals who almost gain perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills could only extend their spirit up to five hundred meters. A rank-seven martial artist like you whose spirit could radiate up to eight hundred, and you would still call yourself weak?

Hold one…

Rank seven?

Pei Donglai's eyes twitched.

How was the kid a rank-seven? What was Wang Hou playing at?

He was clearly rank-eight, and his physique was strong and his True Qi abundant, far surpassing any of his peer at the same tier.

An idea that even he did not dare to believe came to mind then—

"This kid really did kill the Black King Drake, didn't he?"

Hence, grabbing Jiang He and taking to the air, they soon landed at the wildlands outside the city.

"So powerful…"

Jiang He was stunned inwardly. Pei Donglai gave him the impression that he was more than ten times more dangerous than the Black King Drake, and could cut him down with a few blows in a fight.

Still, he was rejoicing a little.

Luckily, the Black King Drake yesterday was a newly ascended Feral King.

He had reached the beast at the right time. Otherwise, once the Black King Drake became familiar with its own power and could control the power of Feral Kings freely, Jiang He would be the one dying.

Once they landed, Jiang He looked toward Wang Hou.

The minister looked to be around thirties, and appeared quite tough in his Chinese tunic suit and inch-long hair.

Wang Hou looked toward Jiang He too.

Then, he blinked.

What the hell?!

What was going on?

Rank-eight pinnacle?

Didn't Old Zhou report that the kid was rank-seven advanced just two days ago? How long has passed since then that he's now rank-eight pinnacle???

And isn't that physique and True Qi too powerful? It felt like he was even stronger than the top rank-nines.

Most importantly…

"That faint, mystical energy… could the kid have grasped the Boundary of Wills?"

Wang Hou was twitching inwardly, but did not show it in his outward appearance. Pointing at Jiang He, he said flatly, "I've brought your killer here. See for yourself if he's one of our elites disguising himself."

All at once, streaks of brutal spiritual energies interweaved and swept toward Jiang He.

Jiang He put his hands over a certain spot by reflex…

What the heck?

With his body being scanned like this, how was it different from being stripped naked?

He frowned and said angrily, "Everyone, one look is enough."

Beside him, Wang Hou's spirit stirred.

Ooom.

The spiritual energies that shrouded Jiang He promptly crumbled and faded. Nearby, the Feral Kings all grunted, their massive bodies shuddering once.

"Rank eight?"

The Blue King Drake fumed. "Do you take us for fools, Wang Hou? A mere rank-eight, slaying the Black King Drake?"

Boom!

Wang Hou had moved even before it finished.

Striding forward with a single step, it arrived before the Blue Drake King's and slammed a fist into its body.

Standing at one-point-eight meters tall, Wang Hou was no different from an ant compared to the Blue King Drake's thousand-meter long body.

And yet, Jiang He felt something completely different from what his eyes was seeing in that very moment.

The aura from Wang Hou's body was as majestic as godly mountain of immeasurable heights.

And in a single punch—

Pow!

A hole was promptly punched into the Blue King Drake's body, the violent energy instantly crushing the life out of it.

The beast dropped into the dirt with a rumble as Wang Hou withdrew his fist.

"I told you to stop barking in my face." He said coldly. "But you never stop—did you take me for a clay doll?"

The other Feral Kings withdrew their aura even further.

Still one of them put on a strong front and said as peacefully as possible, "You've gone too far, Wang Hou. Are you not afraid that our brethren would wage war against your kind for slaying the Black King Drake?"

What the hell!

Jiang He jumped.

If a war really ignited because of him killing the Black King Drake, how many would die?"

Hence, he meekly asked, "About that… everyone, could you hear me out?"

Jiang He flinched from the many stares thrown at him, but clenched his teeth to speak regardless. "Actually, I did slay the Black King Drake… but I didn't do that on purpose, because I really did not know that it had ascended at the time…

"Moreover, I had heard of the rule you agreed upon.

"A rank-eight like me slaying a Feral King does not count as breaking the rules, doesn't it?"

At that, Jiang He mustered his spirit, puffing his chest as he spoke, "I didn't break the rules, and yet you Feral Kings would swarm us… do you all have something against me?"

Yes.

I didn't break the rules, and at worst, the loophole in the agreement was simply exploited.

The agreement did not mention that rank-eights and rank-nines were forbidden from slaying Feral Kings. If push comes to shove, you guys could send some rank-eight or rank-nine Feral to do in us humans' divine-tier elites.

We would be equal if you beasts could kill a human elite.

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Chapter 169: Killing The Black King Drake Was Really An Accident

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The scene was rather silent.

Every Ferals' gazes fell upon Jiang He, just as Wang Hou and Pei Donglai gaped at him.

In truth, Wang Hou had a hunch that Jiang He had indeed slain the Black King Drake when that Panjolin projected Jiang's He image with its spirit powers… but Jiang He's admission was still rather shocking.

"No way!"

On of the Ferals roared in fury. "How could a mere rank-eight slay the Black King Drake?"

"Your human elite must have played some trick!"

Upset, Jiang He's brow furrowed at that. Who did that beast think it's talking to?

"I had indeed slain the Black King Drake, and I must say that even if it had recently ascended as a Feral King, it was extremely powerful. I had to bleed as we fought to the death, tearing each other apart for a dozen minutes before I finally killed it."

Jiang He seemed to have some lingering fear at that, and he breathed a long sigh, saying, "I almost did not manage to come back!"

Those words were spoken out of the heart with no falseness at all!

If the Black King Drake was double its own strength, he would be the one dying.

"You!"

The Feral King who spoke—a giant black eagle that was circling the skies had a wingspan of a hundred meters, kicking up cyclones whenever it flapped its wings.

Its eyes were dark and golden and its talons vaguely golden too. There was also a circle of golden down over its head that resembled a golden crown.

Then, screeching shrilly, it abruptly gaped its maw, unleashing a golden radiance from on high.

Pei Donglai drew out his blade and was about to attack, but Wang Hou shook his head, stopping him.

Beside them, Jiang He's face fell.

He sensed tremendous danger from the golden radiance.

Still, he pushed his aura to its limit in virtually a split second!

Raging True Qi overflowed over Jiang He's body as the silhouette of five suns materialized, with the projections of a dragon soaring and an elephant trumpeting at the skies. At the same time, golden light shone from his body as a vein of Innate Qi shielded him.

Boom-crack!

Jiang He hence slashed out directly at the golden radiance.

The Third Fold of the Ninefold Thunderblade!

Buffed with thunder will, the power of the strike increased greatly, with the thirty-meter long thunder slash tearing through the air and striking the golden radiance.

Crack.

Though the thunder slash shattered immediately, the golden radiance cracked, its speed slowing slightly although it continued its descent.

Even so, after the first thunder slash struck, the second slash arrived, followed by a third, a fourth, and a fifth…

Jiang He unleashed nine slashes in quick succession, eventually shattering that golden radiance. When that was done, he coughed out a mouthful of blood, the recoil caused by the collision between his slashes and the golden radiance hurting him..

Naturally…

He was not really hurt.

And he felt much better after coughing blood.

There was a cold flash in his gaze as he looked up at the gigantic black eagle in the skies.

I'm never forgetting you now!

That eagle was the strongest amongst the Feral Kings—its aura equal to the Blue King Drake's.

On the other hand, there was a flash of surprise in the black eagle's gaze when its single strike was foiled, growling, "Wang Hou, this might settle the matter of the Black King Drake, but I will report your killing of the Blue King Drake to our emperors!"

Wang Hou looked up at and thundered a reply, "Your attacking on a rank-eight human breaks the rules too. Get lost, or I'll kill you too!"

Whoosh!

With that, the black eagle turned and left without a word.

It flapped its wings and soared at twice the speed of sound, disappearing without a trace in a flash.

The other Feral Kings turned and left too.

Within the mountain forest, Jiang he stared at the many Feral Kings that flew away, sighing in awe, "They are so quick…"

Wang Hou turned to look downward at Jiang He, grinning, "Feral Avians have always been adept at speed. As a matter of fact, the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle could reach up to three times the speed of sound—it's an innate gift, nothing to envy of."

Jiang He pouted.

'I'm not envious, just a little worried…

'What if I can't catch up to that bugger when I have to kill it in the future?

'Still, that bird's name—the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle was very cool.'

Pei Donglai walked up to them then.

With that, both top human elites studied Jiang He from head to toe, curiosity showing in their eyes.

Jiang He was a little speechless and embarrassed from the stares. "Chief Wang, General Pei… is there a flower on my face?"

"Kid…"

Wang Hou laughed out loud, saying, "Interesting. To think that a rank-eight actually possessed such impressive cultivation, and your blade technique is equally frighteningly devastating. Moreover, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, you've grasped the Boundary of Wills, did you not?

"That's at least thirty percent of mastery over thunder will."

He sighed in awe. "A rank-eight pinnacle individual, slaying the King-tier Black King Drake and nullifying a strike from the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle… your combat ability is almost at the level of divine-tier."

"Demonic!"

That was the only word Pei Donglai could manage in agreement.

"Demonic indeed."

Wang Hou said. "Jiang He, if I'm not mistaken, you must have inherited the legacy of an elite from the Old Martial Era. Now that chaos is upon us and there are crueler struggles to come, cultivate well, and reach divine-tier as soon as possible… because that is where cultivation truly begins."

Beside them, Pei Donglai's mouth twitched.

Divine-tier was the beginning of cultivation?

There was no telling how many people would die from frustration if those words spread elsewhere.

Jiang He, however, nodded in agreement.

They then had a chat.

Pei Donglai, who had kept quiet throughout finally could not help it and asked in curiosity, "Jiang He, I am acquainted with the Black King Drake. It was already very powerful before it reached King-tier, possessing endless strength and powerful defense. It's also both a venomous drake and capable of water manipulation, and normal rank-nines would lose their combat ability under a short time when they encounter it. The venom fog it breathes could only be even more lethal after its ascension, so how did you kill the Black King Drake?"

"Oh!"

Jiang He breathed a long sigh at that and said helplessly, "It was really an accident. I wasn't aware that the Black King Drake had reached King-tier, or I wouldn't dare to fight it even if you gave me a few more guts."

Nonetheless, with the curious looks from the two top elites, Jiang He forced himself to describe what happened last night.

"I've read online that the Black King Drake is one of the most powerful rank-nine Ferals and extremely intimidating. But since I was at Jiangnan by coincidence and got bored from having nothing to do in the evening, I went off to Chongming Island for a bit…

"You guys know the rest.

"I killed my way to the island, and after a bloody fight, slew the Black King Drake after much difficulty.

Jiang He then paused, feeling that the description was too short, and therefore added, "Of course, I was injured grievously too."

Pei Donglai was speechless at that.

'I was asking you how you killed the Black King Drake, but you're telling me it was 'a bloody fight'… does that mean I have to fill in the blanks myself?

'And how are hurt?

'In fact, where are you hurt?

'Why can't I see that?'

Wang Hou was taken aback as well, and murmured after some time, "Well, that's one way to ease boredom…"

Heading to Chongming Island just because he was bored, hence killing the Black King Drake? The beast might resurrect from sheer frustration if it heard that.

After some thought, Wang Hou then said, "Jiang He, don't spread the word of you killing the Black King Drake. By the way, I have a list of people permitted to enter the five Secret Realms, and those doors would be open soon. I'll have someone notify you then."

Jiang He remembered about the Secret Realms with a start, and asked, "Cheng Dongfeng spoke to me about that matter before, Minister Wang, that I would be sent to the Tantra's Secret Realm?"

"I wonder… could I go to another Secret Realm instead?"

After all, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna was a secret technique of the Tantra Sect, and Jiang He was afraid that he might cause a mess.

"Oh?"

Wang Hou appeared quite surprised, although he nodded and said, "Of the five sacred grounds, the Tantra Sect is nearest to the Western Xia Province… but it's fine if you want to go to another sacred ground—I'll arrange it for you."

Beside them, Pei Donglai said, "About the list, Minister Wang…"

"Don't worry, the military would be included in the list."

Pei Donglai offered him a fist-palm salute at that, "Thank you, Minister Wang. I shall bid my leave here, since there's much work to do back at the military."

He took to the air and left.

"I have a mess to straighten out too, so I'll be going first."

Wang Hou was about to leave as well and took to the air, when he heard Jiang He yell, "Hold on… Minister Wang, could you tell me some information about that Golden-Crowned Black Eagle?"

"Why would you need to know that?"

Wang Hou chuckled at first, but he then glared and bark, "Jiang He, that beast is a Feral King that ascended during the early days of the Revival of Qi. The Black King Drake is absolutely nothing in comparison—don't be reckless!"

Jiang He flashed an innocent smile and replied, "Minister Wang, I'm just trying to learn more."

"And I've already mentioned it… my slaying of the Black King Drake is just out of misunderstanding."

"I know my own weight very well, and I absolutely wouldn't bother that bird."

Yeap.

After all…

The Golden-Crowned Black Eagle was really powerful and quick. Jiang He knew that he would not fight recklessly without the confidence of killing it, not to mention that its single strike today left him coughing blood…

But that was no big deal.

The saying that 'bear with it, and the world is yours' was on point. He could afford to let the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle live for now, or if he acted recklessly and startled, how could he kill it if it fled at top speed and hid itself…

"The Golden-Crowned Black Eagle is the fifth top Feral King amongst the Feral Avians across the world, and could usually be found at Tianshan of the Western Border…"

"Oh?"

Jiang He blinked. "Tianshan? I thought the Feral King who rules that place is called the Violet-Crowned Golden Eagle or something."

"That's the Feral King of Mount Kunlun!"

Wang Hou then described the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle's powers, abilities, and top speed in detail for Jiang He, saying, "You're nearing divine-tier in ability now, but you don't stand a chance against that bird at all. Remember, keep calm and cultivate. Don't go starting troubles."

Jiang He nodded with a smile. "Well, about the Secret Realm, Minister Wang… I'll go to Tantra, it's fine… Oh, right…"

Calling out to Wang Hou again as the minister turned to leave once more, Jiang He asked awkwardly, "Can I have a little of that Blue King Drake's flesh, Minister Wang?"

It was a Feral King's meat after all.

Taste notwithstanding, it was a deposit if the farm needs Feral King flesh to level up next time, would it not?

Soon, holding a chunk of the Blue King Drake's tail that was over ten meters long, Jiang He cheerfully yelled at the skies, "Take care, Minister Wang… fly slow, and safety first!"

Up in the air, Wang Hou almost dropped out of the sky.

What the heck?

I'm flying, not driving… what do you mean by flying slow?

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Chapter 170: The Three Great Martial Clans of Jiangnan

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Over a dozen meters long… it should at least be two thousand catties, right?"

Jiang Nan stared at the Blue King Drake's snake tail and happily returned inside Jiangnan City.

Of course, calling it a snake tail was not exactly correct.

The beast had grown into a drake with horns and calls, and calling it a drake tail was more appropriate.

Still, that left Jiang He wondering…

"If a drake managed to pop up, wouldn't there be real dragons in this world?"

Others notwithstanding, that probability was really not small.

After all, there was an Era of Qi Refinists thought to exist before the Old Martial Era. And since immortals exist, would it not make sense that a mythological creature like dragons exist as well?

Meanwhile, it was utter chaos in Jiangnan City.

The Martial Arts Department (MAD), public security, and military were working together to restore calm and order.

Most of the glass on the towers that shattered from the Blue King Drake's roar—in fact, even the roar itself had inflicted many casualties, and everyone in the city was panicking. There were voices of debate everywhere, and fear toward the Feral Kings were overflowing.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, someone gasped in surprise as they looked at Jiang He, or more specifically, the Blue King Drake's snake tail, and could not help exclaiming in shock, "I-Isn't that the Blue King Drake's tail?"

"For real? I took a photo… what the hell, it's real!"

Jiang He immediately drew a crowd once he entered the city, and that number of bystanders were growing.

MAD personnel arrived immediately to disperse the crowd, afraid that there might be elements that would deliberately escalate the chaos already plaguing the city.

That was when the voice of someone clearing his throat echoed over the skies.

It was like a thunderclap, drawing everyone's gaze up to the horizon.

Up above was Wang Hou, standing on thin air and holding the Blue King Drake's thousand-meter long corpse, circulating his qi like thunder and speaking sonorously, "No worries, everyone. I've already slain the Blue King Drake—for any demons that dare to invade any human city shall be killed without mercy!"

Down below, Jiang He seized the moment to flee the crowd surrounding him.

Why did Wang Hou come back?

Did he pick up the Blue King Drake's corpse on purpose to motivate the citizens?"

"Well, his speech wasn't all that impressive. He should be more generous but also energetic, since that would stir the citizens' passion a lot better…" Jiang He complained inwardly.

Meanwhile, Wang Hou, walking over nothing out at the horizon, left while carrying the corpse of the Blue King Drake with a single hand.

Back in the city, people were shouting and bellowing to vent the emotion inside.

Jiang He glanced at the stirred crowd and could not help complaining again, "At least leave your name, Minister Wang. Just look at these people's flushed faces… but not knowing who they should be praising."

Hence, even as he slipped toward Hotel Caesar with the Blue King Drake's tail over his shoulder, he cried, "The one who slew the Blue King Drake is the top elite of our Hua Nation, the leader of the MAD—Minister Wang!"

At his words, everyone around him turned to stare at him.

"…"

Nervous under the stares, Jiang He forgot his line… what was he supposed to say next?

Minister Wang be praised?

Three cheers for Minister Wang?

Those felt weird, which was why Jiang He, pushing his qi like thunder cried again, "Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!"

Then, a youth who was particularly emotional shouted until his face was flushed," Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!"

"Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!"

"Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!"

Humans had always been a creature of blind conformation… after the first person started yelling, others echoed the silly chant, rapidly passing it through Jiangnan City.

By the time Jiang He reached the front entrance of Hotel Caesar, he could actually hear more than half of the several hundred thousand citizens all crying out in one voice—

"Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!"

Like a sound of thunder!

"…"

Jiang He was rather confused.

Wow…

Are the people of Jiangnan that simple-minded? I was just yelling simply, and several hundred thousand of you followed… I wonder if Minister Wang would hear it. Of course, even if Minister Wang could not hear it, the news and the internet would report it—won't the whole world be astonished when that happens?

On the other hand…

Wang Hou did hear the cheers.

His sharp hearing notwithstanding, a void-tier elite like him could clearly sense the world within dozens of miles around him, and he naturally knew what happened in Jiangnan City.

Wang Hou was at once astonished, and there was an exceedingly troubled look on his face.

Putting away the corpse of the Blue King Drake with a wave of his hand, he turned into a flash over the horizon as he flew rapidly toward Jingdu City, and at a quicker speed than the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle.

In just half an hour, he turned to MAD headquarters at Jingdu City.

Once he reached the building, he promptly found Zhou Yu.

"Contact Jiangnan at once, Old Zhou. Keep an eye on every media outlet, and no one is to be allowed to post any news without my agreement… and control the internet too!"

"What happened… Minister Wang?"

Zhou Yu was completely confused.

He knew that Wang Hou had headed to Jiangnan City because of the Blue King Drake's attack… but he knows nothing at all about what happened next, after the battlefield was moved to the wildlands.

Just ten minutes ago, he did contact Qin Fan, chief of Jiangnan's MAD to ask about the situation. In return, Qin Fan told him that the Feral Kings had retreated after Wang Hou slew the Blue King Drake…

Of course, Qin Fan did not mention a word about the chant of "Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy!" at all.

"Don't ask, just do."

Wang Hou did not explain, and barked, "Quick, hurry up. Go right now!"

He only breathed a sigh of relief after watching Zhou Yu leave, and he picked up his Thermos cup and had a sip of his caterpillar fungus plus wolfberry tea, relaxing.

But after several minutes, laughter could be heard from the next room.

It felt like someone was holding in the laughter at first, but it soon become louder, and eventually it was coupled with the sound of thigh and desk slapping.

The next room beside Wang Hou's office was naturally was the office of Zhou Yu, his deputy.

As Wang Hou's spirit radiated away, he saw Zhou Yu watching a video clip with his computer.

The clip showed countless Jiangnan citizens were shouting together, chanting thunderously in overwhelming passion and excitement.

Still, the chant was just a little too…

Hilarious.

Hence, Wang Hou rose to his feet and knocked on Zhou Yu's office.

The laughter stopped immediately in that moment, and Zhou Yu rose to open his door with a serious look, saying, "I've contacted Jiangnan, and the major media outlets had likewise submitted their own clips, Minister Wang. Would you like to take a look?'

At that, Zhou Yu eventually could not hold back a snicker.

Scowling and turning around, Wang Hou barked through clenched teeth, "Damn it, which fool started that trend?'

Such a chant was simply ill-fitting for the situation.

Wang Hou even wondered—could someone be out to prank him?

After Wang Hou left, Zhou Yu stared at the video clip on his computer and mused to himself.

He picked up his phone after a long silence, found a number and dialed it, saying, "Old Ma, you're the computer genius. I have a video clip that needs sound and image alteration—let's see what you could make of it."

"Of course, this matter must be kept secret!"

"If word gets out, your department budget is going to get a full cut next year!"

Jiang He was not aware of what happened at the MAD headquarters.

He had already returned to his hotel room.

The windows of his room were all shattered and would not be replaced anytime soon, and the hotel management was sending wines and gifts to every guest in apology.

"It's fine. It's all the Green King Drake's fault, nothing to do with your hotel."

With a wave of his hand, Jiang He promptly stuffed the window with a vein of his True Qi.

Still, he did not dislike the buffeting winds—the streets were simply too noisy, and the True Qi sealing the window was a much better insulator against the noise compared to glass.

The hotel manager was even more respectful toward Jiang He now.

The truth was that he was acquainted with Jiang He over half an hour ago when he carried the Blue King Drake's tail and sought him out. Leaving the snake tail with him, he asked for the tail to be cut into little pieces and packed.

"Mister Jiang, the kitchen had already started cutting, and the meat will be packed in around two hours."

Jiang He simply grabbed a Yuanbao and threw it to him, saying, "Many thanks, but I have to say this first: the Blue King Drake is a king-tier Feral and the qi in its flesh is too powerful. Ensure that your kitchen staff did not sneak a bite, or I'm sure that someone might die."

The manager became flustered, afraid of taking the Yuanbao. "Don't worry, Mister Jiang—I've specially arranged for my nephew to keep an eye at the kitchen. Absolutely no one would dare to touch your meat, Mister Jiang."

Eventually and under Jiang He's insistence, the hotel manager carefully put away the Yuanbao and left Jiang He's room respectfully.

"Oh…"

Jiang He sighed a little helplessly.

There was no helping it.

He only had twelve boxes in his System Backpack and nowhere else to put the meat. The dozen meter-long drake tail weighed over two thousand catties, and it won't be easy carrying it around. On the other hand, cutting it down to pieces and packing it would not be a problem.

Even if his car was small, stuffing two thousand catties worth of something was no problem.

Lying down on his bed after seeing off the hotel manager, Jiang He turned his eyes to the box where his System Backpack kept the Yuanbao.

There was an icon of the Yuanbao on the box, and there was a 'x9399' number below it.

"I only have ninety-three hundred and ninety-nine yuanbao?"

Jiang He did a mental calculation…

It seems that the number was correct. There should have been ninety-four hundred Yuanbao, and 9399 was left after he gave the manager that yuanbao.

"Each weighed one catty, and ninety-three hundred and ninety-nine is a little over four tons and less than ten thousand catties."

Jiang He frowned.

He was a little…

Poor.

It was said that the auction soon did not trade in currency but in gold and other treasures, and he wondered if that bit of gold he could afford him the stuff he liked.

Just as he worried about that, there was a knock on his door.

He opened it to find Long Mountain Lin and three unfamiliar middle-aged men standing outside.

Jiang He trained a confused look at Long Mountain Lin, who smiled and explained, "Brother Jiang He, allow me to introduce. Murong Buyi, Long Qi and Wei Zhishu, the current leaders of their respective clans."

The three clan leaders were all smiles and extended their hands, saying, "Sorry for bothering you without mentioning beforehand, Mister Jiang. We hope you may accommodate us."

Jiang He shook their hands and quickly smiled, "You're too kind, gentlemen. Please, come in."

Still, he was very curious.

The Wei clan, the Long clan, and the Murong clan?

Why would the three great martial clans of Jiangnan come to him?

Still, he understood soon enough.

Everyone knew that Wang Hou had slain the Blue King Drake, and many knew that Jiang He himself carried its tail into the city too—and there was naturally no hiding from the three martial clans with their influence.

That was why it made sense that they would visit him.

Clearly, they also know that he had revived Elder Lin since they came alongside him…

And though Jiang He did tell Long Mountain Lin about how he had killed the Black King Drake, the matter was kept secret for now and Long Mountain Lin naturally would not reveal it.

There was only one thing that surprised Jiang He however…

Were the three martial clans not supposed to have an extensive history?

Reasonably speaking, they should be cultured and well-read… so why were their names so random?

"Brother Jiang He, they insisted that I bring them here…"

That was when Long Mountain Lin communicated with secret acoustics, saying, "They might be interested in the Blue King Drake's tail and the floral spirit you saved me with, and want to make a deal."

And just as expected…

After a courteous preamble, Murong Buyi said, "To tell the truth, Mister Jiang, we've come today with a request. We are aware that you've obtained a part of the drake's tail…"

That was one someone else knocked on the door.

It was the hotel manager, leading in a group of kitchen helpers who brought in the filleted and packaged tail of the Blue King Drake.

"Mister Jiang, the Blue King Drake's tail was worth twenty-four hundred and eighty-eight catties, sliced into fillets of one catty as you instructed and packaged in food containers that could hold a hundred catties each… please have a look."

25 food containers were hence piled upon the floor.

Nonetheless, that left Jiang He quite bothered.

What the hell.

It was very different from what he imagined—could his sports car really carry so much?

He looked up at Murong Buyi then said, "Please continue, Chief Murong."

"…"

Meanwhile, Murong Buyi, Wei Zhishu, and Long Qi were all gaping and dumbstruck at the sight of the food containers, only coming to their after half a beat…

What the heck!

It was a vandalism of treasure!

Filleting the Blue King Drake's tail devalued it significantly.

Smiling, Murong Buyi quickly switched gears, "Actually, Mister Jiang, we are quite interested in the treasure with which you revived Elder Lin…"

Jiang He waved him off and cut to the point, "I know why you've come, gentlemen. What else would you want aside from making a deal with me? Even so, my egg—I mean, that floral spirit of mine had been finished, although I have some medicine which I developed myself. The effect is quite fine, so I wonder if you three gentlemen might be interested."

Jiang He brought out his first-aid kit amidst the three clan leaders' look of confusion, picking out a Bezoar Detox pill, one Amoxicillin capsule, and a Yunnan Baiyao Band-Aid!

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Chapter 171: The Wonderful Band-Aid

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There was a brief silence in the room.

The three chieftains from different martial clans—Wei Zhishu, Long Qi, Murong Buyi shared a glance, with Wei Zhishu smiling, "You're such a joker, Mister Jiang."

In fact, the trio did not immediately recognize the Strengthened Bezoar Detox Pills since it was slightly larger than normal Bezoar Detox Pills, but the Amoxicillin capsules and the band-aid was too obvious…

'This is self-made medicine?

'Are you joking?'

Jiang He, however, was rather displeased. "Did you think I was joking, gentleman?"

They traded looks, and Long Qi could not help asking, "Weren't you?"

He appeared to be the youngest amongst the tree, was wearing a black training uniform and white-soled canvas shoes. Despite his slight plumpness, he appeared rather imposing even as he smiled, "Mister Jiang, we came in good faith."

"Do you mean that I don't?"

How could Jiang He feel at ease when the things he planted with so much difficulty was being belittled? Turning towards Long Qi, he said, "Chief Long. Please lend me a hand."

Long Qi was rather doubtful, but he extended his hand regardless.

With a turn of his hand, Jiang He brought out his Dragon-Slaying Saber and chopped it.

What the hell!

None of the three chieftains expected that at all, with Long Qi bursting with True Qi in his great shock, and promptly drew back his hand, but he was just a fraction too slow—all he felt was agony on his hand as one of his fingers dropped to the floor.

"Jiang He!"

Long Qi exploded, barking, "What are you playing at!?"

Likewise, both Murong Buyi and Wei Zhishu unleashed their aura, glaring ferociously.

Long Mountain Lin quickly stood up and said, "Gentleman, please calm down…"

Then, he was unable to continue.

After all, it was not just the three chieftains who did not expect this scene—even Long Mountain Lin could not wrap his head around this.

They were having a pleasant business discussion, so why was a blade drawn out of the blue?

"…"

In fact, Jiang He was dumbstruck as well.

Blanking out for a second, he put away his Dragon-Slaying Saber and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Chief Long, I'm really sorry… I actually only wanted to cut a small gash over your hand and test my medicine, but you suddenly pulled away…"

Long Qi clutched at the stump where his finger was which was gushing blood like a fountain, and circulated his True Qi to block the artery. He scowled harder than a person who was forced-fed feces, unable to say anything in return.

So did that mean he only had himself to blame?

I was merely pulling back my hand, and that was still a mistake?

You could have just told me you want a cut. I brought my own dagger…

Drawing out a giant blade out of nowhere like that. I even thought you wanted to kill me!

Nonetheless, the three chieftains did withdraw their aura.

At the same time, Jiang He had already picked up the dismembered finger, saying, "Still, chopping it off is better. I could present a more direct performance of my medicine's effect… hmmm, patience, Chief Long. There's too much blood on the finger, so I'll wash it first."

He picked up the finger and went inside the washroom.

Soon, there were gushing sounds of water.

Washing it with normal tap water?

Was he not afraid that it would be washed down the sink?

Shaking with rage, Long Qi was about to storm in when Jiang He came out, staring at his hand as he said, "Wash your hand, Chief Long. How are you supposed to stitch the finger back in place?"

Even so, as the saying goes: 'one's fingers are connected to the heart'—having one cut off was extremely agonizing already.

Nonetheless, Long Qi withstood the pain and coldly seethed, "I'll see what you can come up with, Jiang He!"

He entered the washroom furiously, and more gushing water could be heard soon enough.

Then, after Long Qi had cleaned his hand, Jiang He held it by the wrist, picked up the dismembered finger and gestured with it, saying, "Actually, there's a lot of contaminants and bacteria in tap water, and it should not be used to wash wounds. Hospitals usually do their washing with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol to disinfect. So…"

Taking out an Amoxicillin capsule and splitting it, Jiang He poured the contents on Long Qi's finger. "We'll need this Amoxicillin Capsule for disinfection."

"I made this Amoxicillin Capsule myself too, and it's a strengthened version with strong anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, effectively curing various inflammation.'

After sprinkling the Amoxicillin Capsule, Jiang He then opened the wrapper over a band-aid.

At three times the size of a normal band-aid, the Strengthened Yunnan Baiyao Band-Aid resembled a certain item which women often use, though there was some difference in their specific appearance.

Long Qi's mouth twitched as he watched Jiang He cheerfully pasted the band-aid over his severed finger, unable to resist a jibe, "Isn't this a band-aid, Mister Jiang?"

"Is this thing even useful here?

"Please don't waste my time if it doesn't. I have medicine back home, and with surgery it could connect my finger without side-effects."

To tell the truth, Long Qi was rather shocked.

A band-aid connecting a dismembered finger?

Why did this feel ridiculous?

And though it was just a finger, his ability would definitely be affected if some residual effects remained, not to mention that it would affect him severely since the Long clan's specialty was palm techniques.

On the other hand, after wrapping the band-aid, Jiang He squeezed the dismembered finger a little, adjusting the angle so that it wouldn't be skewed.

Even as he adjusted, he smiled, "To tell the truth, this is the first time I used this. I won't know what the effect would be like—but don't worry, Chief Long, I'll take responsibility."

Blue with shock, Long Qi reached out and was about to tear off the band-aid, but paused when his fingers reached it.

He held his hand before his eyes, studying it carefully, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Being a rank-eight martial artist, his perception over his body was quite sensitive.

And in this very instant, Long Qi could clearly feel the flesh and bone where the stump was were wiggling and growing.

There was also a numbing itch where the finger was cut.

That sensation faded after around three minutes, and Long Qi attempted to move the finger… which moved freely.

Not quite relieved, he used it to pick its nose and could not help exclaiming then, "It worked?"

Promptly tearing off the band-aid, Long Qi studied the finger which was now as good as new, his eyes twinkling as he asked, "Does your band-aid have any other effect, Mister Jiang?"

Jiang He considered it seriously before answering, "it could fix any parts that it could be pasted on, curing blade wounds, broken bones, and the like."

It was not just Long Qi—both Murong Buyi and Wei Zhishu were getting excited too.

The band-aid… was divine!

Re-attaching fingers was actually no big deal. Even modern medicine could achieve that as long as surgery was performed in time, and such level could be reached if medicine was used as well.

But that takes a procedure.

Even if a martial artist's body was strong and regenerates quickly, it would take at least one month for the finger to recover up to peak condition.

So how on earth did the band-aid take mere minutes to get that done?

If wounded in a fight, one could slap on the band-aid and keep fighting as long as it was not a lethal wound, and they would recover soon enough. Of course, the condition was that your opponent allowed you the time to stick one on.

Meanwhile, Jiang He took a seat and grinned. "I don't have a lot, but I can spare some and sell them to you gentlemen."

Then, picking up a Bezoar Detox Pill, he added, "By the way, this pill cures all poisons… Chief Long, does your clan have strong poison to test this with?"

"It's fine, it's fine."

Long Qi quickly waved him off, saying, "Elder Lin has told me about it. It must certainly be extraordinary since it could cure the rank-nine Six-Eyed Desert Spider's poison!"

Still, there was a weirded-out look on Long Qi's face as he spoke.

The Bezoar Detox Pill…

Giving a pill of such wonder a normal name was really ill-befitting for its effect.

In fact, Long Qi had already made up his mind. When he got his hands on the Bezoar Detox Pills, he would rename it the 'Antidote Pellet of Wonders', repackage it and sell it as the pièce de resistance at the auction.

The trio traded glances then.

Murong Buyi smiled then. "Mister Jiang, I wonder how would you trade for this medicine?"

"By item exchange, of course."

Jiang He replied. "Weren't your clans planning for an auction? You must have some good stuff, so prepared an inventory for me to read through."

"Alright!"

Murong Buyi nodded, whipped out his phone and made a call.

Soon, a middle-aged man brought a catalogue.

"These are part of the collection we will auction, Mister Jiang. There's a total of seventy-eight items in this catalogue, including cultivation manuals, floral spirits, rare relics, combat suits."

Jiang He took the catalogue and studied it carefully.

There was a total of twelve cultivation manuals, including swordplays, blade techniques, boxing styles, and inner cultivation.

Even so, Jiang He shook his head in disappointment.

Those were too weak.

Most were inferior martial art techniques, and anything he made up himself would be better.

Then, there were the floral spirits.

In fact, a majority of the seventy-eight treasures were floral spirits. There were some that strengthened physique, while others improved cultivation and spirit… and what piqued Jiang He's interested was that a rank-nine Origin Fluid was available.

He then read the caption to find that it was extracted from a rank-nine locust tree.

"How much of this Origin Fluid do you have?"

Jiang He turned towards Murong Buyi, who turned to Wei Zhishu in turn, since that item was provided by the Wei clan.

Rising to his feet, Wei Zhishu said, "Mister Jiang, this Origin Fluid strengthens spirit, and was obtained two years ago after elites of my clan chopped down an old locust tree. We have around two thousand drops in store, and we would be selling five hundred drops at this auction."

Jiang He frowned at that.

Measured by drops?

The rank-nine Origin Fluid that improved spirit was higher in value than items that improve cultivation. For example, his Origin Fluid extracted from a willow tree was worth five hundred thousand dollars per drop, which makes this locust tree's around a million.

Still, it was very petty to measure the Origin Fluid in drops.

Or what, was he supposed to find a dripper that delivers Origin Fluids by drops when he wanted some Origin Fluid to quench his thirst?

"Chief Wei, how does the Origin Fluid taste? Is it delicious? I want everything if it is!"

"…"

Wei Zhishu did a double take.

'Delicious?

'Taste?

'You want everything if it's delicious… does that mean you don't want it if it wasn't?'

He was certainly unaware of Jiang He's lifestyle—why buy it if it wasn't tasty?

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Chapter 172: Torn Immortal Arts Script

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Well…"

Wei Zhishu did not know how to answer just then, and so asked tentatively, "Mister Jiang, should I have someone bring a drop over?"

"Sure."

Jiang He nodded, despite his many complaints in his head.

One drop…

The Wei clan was more or less one of Jiangnan's three great martial clans. Why so stingy?

That being said, having one drop would still be enough for Jiang He to know the taste.

After that, he continued flipping through the catalogue.

All he saw were weapons and combat suits.

What surprised Jiang He, however, was that most of the combat suits and weapons were not crafted from new alloys, but were 'Old Martial Armament', passed down from the Old Martial Era.

Still, compared to modern alloy armaments, both have their respective advantages, and neither type really came out on top.

"Are you interested in any of these weapons Mister Jiang?"

"Our clans had recovered all these items from one heritage site, which we deduce to be dated around the Song dynasty, making these armaments at least seven hundred years old. Given that they did not deteriorate after that long, one could see that the craftsmanship was exceedingly immaculate."

Murong Buyi walked up to him, keen on offering an introduction.

Nonetheless, Jiang He shook his head and replied, "Let me have a look."

To tell the truth, he really wasn't interested in the Old Martial Armaments, unless it was some sword or blade that elites had left behind. Those might have a lingering remnant of their will contained within, allowing him to gain certain insight.

All that was left were the rare treasures.

There were quite a lot of interesting items in this category, with some having been excavated out of heritage sites, while others took shape under the Revival of Qi.

There was even a spatial ring, too.

Even so, Jiang He's gaze fell upon a photograph in the catalogue.

It showed a tuft of flora.

It resembled aloe vera that grew just around thirty centimeters and had nine leaves, each of which were narrow and long like a sword, with tiny saw tooth growing on the edge of the leaves.

Two short and simple captions were written behind the photo.

[Sword Will Barrenwort]

[Users without sword will would gain certain chance of grasping sword will after consumption. Elites who grasped sword will may use it to improve their sword will.]

Behind him, Elder Lin stirred.

After he revived, he had been running around to gather funds for buying the Sword Will Barrenwort. Still, he would not protest if Jiang He wanted it, since Jiang He was the one who saved his life.

Even so, Jiang He appeared doubtful and puzzled. "A tuft of grass could help in the grasping sword will… is this for real?"

"Items that our clans would offer on the auction are naturally real."

"But…"

Jiang He seemed to be at a loss for words at that. "Does this thing count as a floral spirit? Those things generally improve cultivation, spirit, or physique. Helping in the Boundary of Wills… That's Illogical."

Long Qi's mouth twitched in response.

He turned by reflex at the piece of band-aid dumped on the ground, and thought, 'Illogical? Is your own stuff even logical in comparison?'

Subtly picking up the used band-aid, Long Qi stuffed it in his pocket with a straight face as he smiled and explained, "The reason that the Sword Will Barrenwort could help elites grasp sword will, is because it contains a strong sword will within itself.

"This treasure only grows in the heritage sites belonging to sword will elites, and our clans had was incidentally a sword will elite."

"Oh?"

Jiang He's gaze twitched.

He understood it somewhat now.

A sword will elite who could leave behind a heritage site was certainly not work—after all, their sword elite were so powerful that it might not fade even with their deaths, and some lingering sword will must have nurtured the growth of this Sword Will Barrenwort.

"Then how many of this Sword Will Barrenwort do you have?"

Jiang He closed the catalogue at that.

He has no need for the other stuff.

In return, Murong Buyi walked up and said, "We've found nine tufts in total at the heritage site. The Murong clan was allocated three, but we've already used up our stock."

In truth, it was not—Murong Buyi had saved one for himself.

Even so, he definitely would not hand this out.

After all, Murong Buyi was most adept at swordplay and had a certain extent of mastery over it. All he had to wait was to ascend up to rank-nine before consuming the Sword Will Barrenwort, and once he grasped sword will then, he would instantly become a top rank-nine elite.

"We, the Wei clan has one tuft, and it's the one being auctioned tonight."

However, Wei Zhishu laughed bitterly after some thought, "However, the Sword Will Barrenwort placed on auction is one of the most important auction items, Mister Jiang. Many sword will elites such as Elder Lin had come expressly for it…"

His meaning was clear: the Wei Clan's Sword Will Barrenwort was not for sale.

Aside from crossing a bunch of sword-will elites, selling it to Jiang He would be a breach of trust…

In fact, the auction the three clans organized had used the Sword Will Barrenwort to hype up the event. Selling it ahead of time would make the auction a laughing stock.

Meanwhile, Long Qi was quite pleased with himself after picking up the band-aid.

This little thing…

The medicine had yet to wore off entirely, and could be used a second time.

As for bacterial infection…

That did not really matter.

A rank-eight martial artist getting spooked by something like that?

And he had the Amoxicillin capsule too!

Nonetheless, he appeared taken aback after hearing what Wei Zhishu and Murong Buyi said, and exclaimed in surprise, "The Sword Will Barrenwort that we, the Wei clan was given is still around. How did your clans use it up so quickly?"

Both Wei Zhishu and Murong Buyi's mouths twitched.

The Long clan would use it for what?

Every last member of your clan are big, sweaty men who cultivated in either fist techniques or palm techniques—the Sword Will Barrenwort was useless even if they consumed it.

Nonetheless, Long Qi started to laugh out loud, appearing rather thrilled. "Allow me to trade with you, Mister Jiang. I have the Sword Will Barrenwort kept back home, and it costs us a lot to keep it."

"Sure!"

Jiang He smiled, his interest piqued. "I'll have all three tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort. How do you wish to trade, Chief Long?"

After some thought, Long Qi replied, "The value of the Sword Will Barrenwort is not equal to your average rank-nine floral spirits. One tuft could develop a top rank-nine elite grasping sword swill, so it won't be a problem if I ask for five Bezoar Detox Pills, five Amoxicillin capsules, and five band-aids, yes?"

"You're quite the businessman, Chief Long."

Jiang He smiled. "My spirit medicine can save a life in vital moments, and when it comes to value, one Bezoar Detox Pill would not lose out to the Sword Will Barrenwort.

Pausing, he then added, "But since Chief Long had spoken, let's go with the value you've set: three tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort for fifteen Bezoar Detox Pills, fifteen Amoxicillin capsules, and fifteen band-aids."

Delighted, Long Qi rose to his feet and strode outside. "Please wait for the moment, Mister Jiang. I shall return home personally to bring you the Sword Will Barrenwort."

Soon, the Wei clan's rank-nine Origin Fluid had arrived. It was a single drop, but it was put inside a porcelain bottle.

Levitating the droplet with True Qi, Jiang He opened his mouth and drank it.

He closed his eyes and tasted it carefully, feeling an icy sensation once the drop of Origin Fluid reached his mouth. A faint fresh sweetness also unfurled within, and while it was not as concentrated as the Origin Fluid of the willow tree, it was extraordinary on its own.

"Not bad, not bad. The taste is incredible."

Jiang He chuckled. "I'll take all the Origin Fluid you have, Chief Wei, and I'll stick to the deal Chief Long offered: five Bezoar Detox Pills, five Amoxicillin capsules, and five band-aids."

Delighted, Wei Zhishu exclaimed, "I shall leave right now to prepare the remaining fifteen hundred drops for you, Mister Jiang."

With that, only Murong Buyi was left of the three chiefs in the room.

He was rather disappointed that he did not get anything, and so left after offering Jiang He a fist-palm salute.

After that, only Long Mountain Lin and Jiang He remained.

The former could not help asking, "Brother, don't you think you are losing out with this trade?"

Jiang He smiled but said nothing.

Losing out?

No way…

How was he losing out by exchanging Bezoar Detox Pills, Amoxicillin capsules, and band-aids for Sword Will Barrenworts?

The stuff might be worth kingdoms for you lot, but it's no different from cold medicine to me.

Outside Hotel Caesar.

Murong Buyi climbed inside a black Bentley.

Right after he entered, he promptly whipped out his phone and dialed a number. "Notify every clan elder that we'll be having an emergency meeting in ten minutes!"

Being an ancient martial clan with centuries of history, the Murong clan was extremely affluent. However, being ever seclusive, they never present themselves to be ranked on rich lists, or the top ten richest people of Hua Nation would be replaced.

The clan also had a giant courtyard in Jiangnan city that spanned almost a hundred Mu like a massive park. There were garden, fake mountains, pavilions, and even a small artificial lake.

By the time Murong Buyi reached the clan conference room, there were over twenty people waiting for him.

They were all core hierarchs of the Murong clan, with two rank-nines, six rank-eights, and eleven rank-sevens amongst them. And without further ado, Murong Buyi went straight to the point and told them about the effect of Jiang He' spirit medicine.

The clan elders were left astonished.

"Having this medicine is equal to having saved a life. That is why I've decided to offer the clan's immortal art that we've been reserving in exchange for Mister Jiang's medicine."

"What?"

Many of the elders were stunned, with a rank-eight martial artist rising to say, "No way, brother! How valuable is the immortal art in comparison to some medicine?"

He felt many a stare shot at him right after he spoke, and he braced himself as he continued, "Dear elders, our clan's immortal art is obtained by our ancestor through sheer coincidence. He even wrote in his will that any who could grasp the art would definitely bring the Murong clan to new heights."

"Humph!"

One of the rank-nine martial artists snorted at that and barked, "Murong Bufan, I knew you've been holding a grudge against Murong Buyi ever since you lost the struggle for clan leader all those years ago. This, on the other hand, concerns our clan's progress—I'll cripple you if you dare to utter more useless crap!"

Murong Bufan's face went purple at that, and he snorted, sat down and but said nothing.

After all, that rank-nine martial artist was the strongest individual in the Murong clan and held seniority. He was the brother of Murong Buyi's grandfather, although he was now over a hundred and then years old and approaching the end of his life.

When it came to cultivation…

Lifespans would not be extended if one did not ascend up to divine-tier.

And now, he rose to his wobbly feet and said, "Everyone knows that the immortal art is a torn script and no one had grasped its contents even after centuries had passed. It is certainly a good thing that it could be exchanged for some miraculous medicine."

"Moreover, we have copies of that immortal art, and anyone who wants to cultivate it could use that."

Murong Buyi hence bowed and offered the elder a rank-nine salute, saying, "Second Grandfather, it's said that Jiang He also possesses a treasure that promotes longevity. I will definitely trade for it!"

The old man, however, shook his head and sighed. "Do you know how precious such treasures are? Don't waste it. I've already lived for a hundred and sixteen years and that's enough."

Nonetheless, Murong Buyi insisted, "I've asked Long Mountain Lin—that reassure improves both physique and extends one's lifespan by almost five years. Having grasped the Boundary of Wills with perfection, Second Grandfather, your body could gain youth and in turn strive for divine-tier."

Hence.

Twenty minutes later.

Murong Buyi returned to Hotel Caesar with a Venus Rosewood box and went straight to the point. "Mister Jiang. This is a torn script from an immortal art. I wonder if you are interested?"

Murong did not hold back from explaining that the immortal art was a torn page.

"The Murong clan's secret technique, 'Star Shift' was incidentally developed according to the torn script of this immortal art."

Jiang He's eyes twitched.

Star Shift…

Murong clan?

Could the Murong clan's ancestor be Murong Longcheng?

Jiang He did not ask.

His attention was all drawn to Murong Buyi's immortal art.

Being a torn script…

Did not matter.

I could just fill in the blanks and plant it. Voila, a complete immortal art manual!

Jiang He kept a straight face despite his excitement and smiled. "I did hear that an era of immortals might have existed before the Old Martial Era. Now that an immortal cultivation manual pops up, there seems to be some truth to it… well, I am interested in that cultivation manual, Chief Murong."

"But…"

Jiang He paused then and added, "To be frank, the torn script of an immortal art is not all that valuable. If I'm not mistaken, most of the Murong clan would have studied it as well, right? There is no way you would put it out on offer if they could grasp any of its contents."

Murong Buyi did not deny that.

Musing to himself for a moment, Jiang He said, "Still, it remains an immortal art and is valuable even as a collectible. So, fifteen Bezoar Detox Pills, fifteen Amoxicillin capsules, and fifteen band-aids."

Murong Buyi could not help feeling delighted!

That number was more than what he expected, but he did not quickly agree to it. He bowed respectfully with a fist-palm salute and asked, "Mister Jiang, I wish to exchange for a treasure that promotes longevity. If this torn script is not enough, I'm willing to trade with another treasure."

He spoke about his second grandfather's condition.

In response, Jiang He drew out a giant eggplant with a turn of his hand and passed it to Murong Buyi, saying, "I shall give you this one since you're such a devoted son."

Murong Buyi: "…"

Chapter 173: Somehow Grasping Sword Will

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"What? Do you have more requests, Chief Murong?"

Jiang He frowned, explaining, "Fifteen Bezoar Detox Pills, fifteen Amoxicillin capsules, and fifteen band-aids, along with an eggplant that promotes longevity and eases swells and stops bleedings… is that not enough for one torn script of an immortal art?"

Murong Buyi came to his senses and quickly said, "It's enough, Mister Jiang. You've misunderstood, I'm just…"

However, he did not know what to say right then with his eggplant in hand.

Beside them, Long Mountain Lin laughed. "Don't worry, Chief Murong. I've had the eggplant before, and it really does promote longevity by five years."

Only then did Murong Buyi exclaimed in delight and asked, "Mister Jiang, how do I use this eggplant?"

"It depends on personal taste. I usually go for stir-fry."

Jiang He answered truthfully. "Coleslaw is fine too—cook it, cut it into slices, and mix it with garlic and pepper powder. Add it with some coleslaw condiments, suitable portions of salt and vinegar and the texture would be good."

"The Murong clan would have a personal chef, right? If you don't mind the trouble, a coal-baked eggplant might be even better."

"…"

Murong Buyi blinked, feeling as if he could not wrap his head around it.

Why would such a valuable item feel no different from home-grown vegetables, with how Jiang He was describing it?

Then, Jiang He took out fifteen portions of Bezoar Detox Pills, Amoxicillin capsules, and band-aids to Murong Buyi.

"Good trade, Mister Jiang."

After shaking his hand, Murong Buyi shared a few more courteous exchanges with Jiang He, even offering to hold a feast in Jiang He's honor, although Jiang He turned him down.

"Well, Mister Jiang, the auction will start in an hour. I'll be going now."

Murong Buyi offered another fist-palm salute and left.

Beside them, Long Mountain Lin was subtly shaking his head.

It was no secret that the Murong clan had the torn script of an immortal art in the martial world—Long Mountain Lin had heard about it, at least. But was it possible to cultivate from a torn script?

Unless Jiang He was some heavenly prodigy like the Murong clan's ancestor and could develop a cultivation method that could match Star Shift, this deal was not definitely a terrible loss.

Of course, that was Long Mountain Lin's own opinion.

Jiang He would decide on his own where it was a profit or loss.

After around a dozen minutes, Wei Zhishu and Long Qi returned as well.

The former was holding a crystal bottle with 1500 drops of Origin Fluid.

Still, Jiang He was quite surprised.

Although 1500 drops sound like a lot, it did not even fill the crystal bottle.

"This little bit of isn't even enough for one serving. Whatever, the rank-nine Origin Fluid is a rare item anyway, and I could try planting it back home." With that, Jiang He took the crystal bottle and handed the Bezoar Detox Pills, Amoxicillin capsules, and band-aids to Wei Zhishu.

Drinking it whole at once was not very worthwhile.

When it comes to life, one should always set their eyes further into the future. If Jiang He really could plant the Origin Fluid, he could replace mineral water with it.

After having getting used to drinking rank-nine Origin Fluids, Jiang He could not bear to drink normal mineral water now.

"Mister Jiang He, here's the Sword Will Barrenwort."

Long Qi was holding a special metal box.

He opened it to reveal the three tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort inside. Jiang He picked one up for inspection and found that there was nothing out of the ordinary—it was perfectly ordinary and no different from roadside weeds.

However, the moment his spirit reached the Sword Will Barrenwort and sensed what was within, a sharp sword will grew within the dark space. It seemed that his spirit had triggered the sword wail, and in his spirit sense, Jiang He seemed to see a three-feet long blue edge sword cutting down at him.

Snikt!

The dark horizon was sliced in two by the sword.

Jiang He felt a throbbing pain on his head as his spirit seemed to recoil, and turned pale-white. He stumbled three steps back, clutching at the sofa with his fingers as his breath turned more rapid.

However, all his focus was placed on the sea of swords in his mind.

It seems that a single strand of weird energy now circled over the sea of swords.

Every single luminous sword in his mind seemed to become more radiant.

"Brother Jiang He!"

"Mister Jiang!"

Long Mountain Lin, Long Qi, and Wei Zhishu all quickly came to him.

Helping Jiang He stand, Long Mountain Lin asked with concern, "Are you alright, Brother Jiang He?"

"I'm alright."

Jiang He waved him off, saying, "My spirit merely suffered a little recoil from the sword will inside Sword Will Barrenwort, but it's not a big deal."

He sat on the sofa.

"Brother Jiang He… according to what I know, you were cultivating blade technique and not swordplay."

Long Mountain Lin chuckled bitterly at that and said, "You're not even rank-nine and your spirit probably isn't up to par. You would only grasp sword will when your spirit reaches rank-nine, and then use the Sword Will Barrenwort to refine your will and grasp the Boundary of Wills."

"Otherwise, you would only be counterproductive."

Elder Lin looked somber then and instructed, "If you wish to tread upon the path of the sword, I could teach you my clan's swordplay. Let's wait until you reach some extent of proficiency and ascend up to rank-nine, after of which you could try using the Sword Will Barrenwort again."

"Eh?"

Jiang He appeared surprised and asked in shock, "There are so many rules for using the Sword Will Barrenwort?"

Puzzled, he frowned and asked, "My spirit isn't that weak, is it? Still, you're right, Old Brother Lin… I've only had a little dip into blade will, and had never cultivated sword will before."

"Eh?"

Even before Jiang He finished, his gaze twitched, and his consciousness returned to the sea of swords in his mind.

That energy was becoming clearer, and Jiang He felt a curious sensation… as if he could control that energy.

Hence.

He extended a finger and pointed ahead—at a tea table and a 55-inch LED tv.

Whoosh!

A sharp Sword Qi shot out of Jiang He's fingertip, piercing the TV with a dull puncturing sound along with the wall behind it, ending up somewhere unknown.

"What the hell!"

A cry of surprise could be heard from the next room. "Who the heck shot me with Sword Qi?!"

Even so, Long Mountain Lin, Long Qi, and Wei Zhishu seemed to not hear the noise next door, all of their eyes widening at Jiang He as if they saw a ghost.

A little embarrassed from being stared, Jiang He chuckled and said, "Why those looks, gentlemen? I'm not some monster!"

"Right."

"Didn't you say that I can't grasp sword will? I felt like I did it already… weird, how did I somehow grasp it?"

There was a long silence in the room.

After a few seconds, Long Mountain Lin breathed a long sigh. "Rank-eights were never compatible with sword will, and yet you grasped one-tenth of it by just using a Sword Will Barrenwort once. Monster… no, genius! Brother Jiang He, you definitely are a genius in sword will!"

Long Mountain Lin's eyes twinkled at that and he exclaimed, "My clan's swordplay is passed down from Qingcheng Faction, one of the five sacred grounds for martial arts. While I've only cultivated a small extent in the Evil-Warding Sword Manual, but I'm confident that I'm amongst the best in swordplay alone. Brother Jiang He, if you want to cultivate in swordplay, I'm willing to teach you my clan's secret swordplay unconditionally."

Evil-Warding… Sword Manual?

Jiang He shuddered and quickly close his legs, saying, "No way, how could an outsider like me cultivate in a secret technique of your clan?"

When he saw that Long Mountain Lin was about to speak, Jiang He rose and said seriously, "Old Brother Lin, you don't have to say anything else. If you insist me to learn your clan's secret technique, I'll cut ties with you!"

He spoked with utter frankness!

Don't even joke about it!

When it came to the Evil-Warding Sword Manual…

Who would dare to learn it?

Come to think of it, to think that the ultimate technique of Qingcheng Faction is the Evil-Warding Sword Manual…

Jiang He glanced suspiciously at Long Mountain Lin, the image of Lin Tianzheng appearing in his mind.

The Evil-Warding Sword Manual was probably different from the one he knew. For one, the prerequisites for it were nonexistent.

How else would Long Mountain Lin have so many children and grandchildren?

Thud-thud-thud!

That was when a loud knock on the door could be heard.

Jiang He opened it and found a familiar figure: it was the bearded martial artist who he met when he relieved himself outside the city.

"Eh?"

The bearded martial artist clearly remembered Jiang He too, and asked in surprise, "Bro, is this your room?"

Jiang He nodded, and noticed that the bearded man was holding his shoulder with his hand, with blood flowing out between his fingers. "Bro, your shoulder…" He could not help saying.

"What the hell!"

Furious, the bearded man barked, "I was just taking a bath, and somehow a Sword Qi came shooting towards me…"

"…"

"Haha!"

Jiang He chuckled awkwardly, saying, "Really, misfortune descends from the heaves when you are sitting around at home… Come, bro, I actually know some healing technique. Let me take a look at your injury."

"It's fine. It's just a scratch that didn't touch bone."

"Well, allow me to put a band-aid on you."

With that, Jiang He pasted a band-aid on the bearded martial artist, who was quite gracious. Still, once he turned and left, he was mumbling and cursing at the person who injured him once again.

Jiang He pretended he did not hear that.

It was now past six and the auction would soon start. Being the co-hosts of the event, Long Qi and Wei Zhishu naturally would not stay here with Jiang He.

Long Mountain Lin would participate in the auction as well, whereas Jiang He replied that he would soon return to Lingzhou City.

Although he was still missing a portion of rank-nine Feral flesh to level up his farm, although in a previous conversation, Jiang He learnt that the Long clan had recently slain a rank-nine Feral—Long Qi had already arranged for someone to bring it to Jiang He over the phone.

In fact, not long after Long Mountain Lin, Long Qi, and Wei Zhishu left, a disciple of the Long clan had brought several hundred catties worth of rank-nine Feral flesh.

It was packed in another huge container as well.

Jiang He was rather helpless.

100 catties of Blue King Drake tail meat divided to 25 portions, and almost 300 catties of a rank-nine Feral meat… stuffing his sports car to the brim.

Squeezing into the driver's seat with much difficulty, Jiang He was about to lower his seat, only to find that he couldn't.

"Oh…"

"If I knew this would happen, I should have taken the Spatial Ring that was on auction."

He issued a voice command.

Just as night was about to arrive, Jiang He's sports car slowly drove out of Jiangnan City, heading northwest.

Aboard it, Jiang He was feeling rather bored.

He had slept his way to Jiangnan City and reached it without knowing, but now that he was on his way home he was not drowsy at all, not to mention that the road was bad and quite bumpy.

"What the heck?"

"Aren't Ferals supposed to be nocturnal? Why isn't there a single Feral attacking me?"

"If there're no Ferals, a few Sky Demon Cultists would do!"

While snacking on blended qi pellets and walnuts, Jiang He breathed a long sigh.

Others notwithstanding, he started to miss the Sky Demon Cult a little after hearing no word from them recently.

While he thought that the cultists were insane and bullies, he found them weirdly adorable now that he was bored. He even missed their fund times before, and how he could have gone looking for them to ease his boredom and when he had trouble sleeping at night.

"Whatever. I'll sleep, and I just hope I reach home when I wake. After leveling the farm, I will plant the Purple-Golden Sunflower immediately, and munching on sunflower seeds does help when I'm bored."

In this very moment, Jiang He was homesick.

After being away from home for days, he wondered how the little willow tree back home was, and had it obtained sentience yet?

Would Dumbo and Trumbo be starving after days of not feeding them?

And that cute, sexy little maid of his…

Wouldn't she be afraid, sleeping alone at night?

Report chapter

Second of October, around nine in the morning.

After a night of toil, Jiang He's sports car finally reached the front gates of his yard.

No one would know what Jiang He experienced over the night…

It was horrible!

When he finally fell asleep with much difficulty, the car stopped in front of a river before he had an hour of shut-eye—the bridge above the river was broken by some Feral.

Jiang He had to pick up his car with one hand and cross the river.

After that, Jiang He slept for a bit again when he ran into two Ferals that were fighting to mate in the middle of the road…

Jiang He had to cut them both down and throw them aside before continuing on his journey.

Then, the third Feral attack came…

Just as he got off, Dumbo and Trumbo came running, pleasantly wagging their tails in greeting.

Jiang He scowled and kicked out at Trumbo, barking, "You're a cat. Why do you keep wagging your tail and letting your tongue hang out like a dog?"

"Meow~~"

Trumbo mewed unhappily.

"Meow off. Get on the car and move the stuff out."

Meow~~

Trumbo mewed again, its body expanding as it turned into a muscle cat to move the stuff from the car.

"Master!"

Sora came to meet Jiang He as well, speaking with her lively, attractive voice, "You've had a long journey. Shall I prepare breakfast?"

"No need, I had a lunchbox last night after killing some Ferals. By the way, did anything happen in the house when I was away at Jiangnan?" Jiang He entered his mansion and sat on the sofa—understanding as ever, Sora went up to massage his shoulders.

"Miss Wang came yesterday, but left since you weren't around. She had me ask you to call her after that—it seems that she has something to discuss with you."

Her dainty hands had wonderful control over strength, loosening Jiang He's whole body.

Miss Wang?

Was it Wang Siyu?

Jiang He did not say a thing and continued enjoying Sora's massage.

After having rested a bit on the sofa, he then rose and left the mansion.

Outside, Dumbo and Trumbo had already brought out the food containers and the container that carried a rank-nine Feral's flesh. Both pets were now crouching over the ground, stainless bowl and spoon placed before themselves and staring impatiently at Jiang He.

Rewarding cat and dog with a few chunks of Leopard Python meat and five blended qi pellets each, Jiang He then picked up the rank-nine Feral flesh and headed to the yard.

As an idea came to him, he looked towards his System Panel.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank-Eight Pinnacle]

[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (), Blind Princess's Eight Practices (Second Practice), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Fifth Tier), Ninefold Thunderblade (Third Fold), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Fourth Tier)]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 3 (EXP 5000/5000)]

[System Backpack: 12 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 8300]

"Eh?"

Jiang He was left surprised at that, and exclaimed in surprise, "When did I improve my Dragon-Elephant Prajna up to Fourth Tier?"

He clearly remembered that his Dragon-Elephant Prajna was Second Tier a few days ago…

After thinking for a while, he realized the key.

With the improvement of his cultivation, and his grasping of thunder will and sword will, his physique was strengthened to some extent. And when it came down to it, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna strengthened physiques too.

It only made sense that it improved as his physique developed…

After all, Jiang He had grasped thunder will in tandem to Ninefold Thunderblade.

"Oh!"

"Such cultivation improvement unbeknownst to myself is really unpleasant."

Jiang He sighed, at a loss for words.

At least alert me when you improved. It feels so dry to be ascending and leveling somehow every single time, even miserable!

Then, he was left dumbstruck once again when he glanced at the conditions for farm leveling.

There on the bar it was written thus: 1 portion of rank-nine Feral flesh (100kg), 2 portions of rank-eight Feral flesh (each 300kg), Orirock x10.

"One portion of rank-nine Feral flesh and two portions of rank-eight Feral flesh??"

Jiang He only came to his senses after half a beat.

He remembered it wrongly?

Fine!

He must have, even though he still remembered the two portions rank-nine Feral flesh as clear as day… would he have gone through such lengths otherwise? He already killed one rank-nine Feral on Chongming Island after all.

But that was fine.

The flesh of a rank-nine Feral was amazing nourishment. Even if he did not really like those stuff now and it would be better to feed his pets with it, rank-nine Feral flesh was very valuable, with the Superpower Research Department willing to buy it at over a hundred million dollars.

Drawing out his Dragon-Slaying Saber, Jiang He cut off a piece of rank-nine Feral flesh, and took out the other two rank-eight Ferals from his System Backpack.

Slit!

With a flash of his blade, the rank-eight Feral flesh was sliced in two.

Jiang He unleashed a palm.

Boom!

A palm-shape crater instantly appeared over the ground.

He hence threw the single chunk of rank-nine Feral flesh and the two chunks of rank-eight Feral flesh into the hole. He did not consider whether the weight was enough—excess was fine, and he just had to ensure it did not come up short.

After that, Jiang He took out ten Orirocks and put it into the hole as well.

He then took a shovel and buried the hole, and a vein of special energy wafted out of the crater in the next split second, instantly spreading throughout the entire yard.

Under the influence of that energy, the soil within the yard changed drastically. The willow tree planted nearby had a growth spurt, whereas at the graves over at a corner of the yard, young leaves were sprouting.

Then, the walls around Jiang He's farmyard was actually being pushed rapidly outwards into the distance by that energy.

[Ding!]

[Your farm area is expanding…]

[Your farm soil quality is improving…]

[…]

[Farm expansion complete.]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully improved your farm level up to level 4. Additional rewards: Mysterious seed1, System Backpack box 6, cultivation manual planting x3]

[Ding!]

[Seeds are available to purchase at System Shop]

Jiang He was stunned by the consecutive System notifications.

He glanced at the System Panel again and found that his farm level had indeed improved from 3 to 4, and that his Owned land increased from 888m to 3 Mu.

In fact, being inside his farm, Jiang He directly felt his farm enlarging.

Even so, when he looked up, he found that his mansion, the walls of his neighbors, and their houses were still around.

Logically speaking, his yard was supposed to be a little over 2 Mu. Now that it was over 3 Mu, it should have occupied a part of his neighbor's yard and his own, but it did not.

Stepping out of his farm to look at the yard from the outside, and then leaping up to the top of his mansion to look down on it, he realized in surprise that his farm was still the same size at did not change at all!

"Well…"

Jiang He's gaze shifted as he came to a realization. "After I leveled up my farm, the inside becomes a separate space?"

That was the only possibility that explained such a change. Still, Jiang He was rather disappointed that his farm leveling up did not become a farming space that could be carried around as depicted in novels.

"Still, that might still be possible in the future even if it wasn't now."

"The leveling of farm and expansion of the interior proves that it has become a separate world. Perhaps, at level 5, it would become a mobile space!"

Jiang He leapt out of his mansion and returned to his farm.

A black seed appeared in his hand with a turn of his hand.

[Mysterious Seed]

Jiang He had received another Mysterious Seed from the monthly gift pack he received before, and he was speechless now that he received another from his System leveling up…

Couldn't you just make clear the type of seed or even function?

Why the mystery?

Putting away the Mysterious Seed, Jiang He kept it so that he would plant it last. After all, he had now accumulated a lot of good stuff that he won't finish planting soon.

Calling out to Dumbo and instructing it to dig holes, Jiang He's gaze shifted towards the willow tree at the center of the farm. Once three-meter tall, it had sprouted freely with the farm's level up, rising up to six feet tall, whereas its tree trunk looked as if it had grown for several decades.

Its many willow branches danced along with the wind, with eighteen of them flickering with crystalline emerald radiance.

Jiang He's eyes shifted, and he felt a faint stir of spirit energy from the willow tree.

It was very weak, but was slowly growing and strengthening.

"The willow tree would soon obtain sentience!"

There was a look of delight on Jiang He's face. The willow tree was now around rank-seven and about to develop awareness, which made it equivalent to having a rank-seven grandmaster watching the house… And with its eighteen branches, not even an average rank-seven grandmaster could survive a simultaneous barrage.

"Right!"

"I got a Mutated Boston Ivy the last time I went to the Martial Arts Department. That thing looked quite fierce, and if it's planted, it would be good for guarding the walls."

As the idea occurred to him, Jiang He took out the Mutated Boston Ivy.

The needles hidden beneath its leaves were as hard as they were sharp, and perfectly capable of piercing a rank-seven grandmaster's True Qi defenses. But when it was up against Jiang He…

Crack.

Several needles broke again.

Arriving beside the wall, he had Dumbo dig a hole and simply threw the Mutated Boston Ivy inside.

Then, he redeemed another pack of Mysterious Soil and poured in a fifth of its contents.

After burying the hole, Jiang He took out a crystal bottle with a turn of his hand.

Inside the bottle was the rank-nine Origin Fluid he got from the Wei clan.

Planting the crystal bottle into the hole Dumbo dug, he buried it as well, but did not add the Mysterious Soil.

It was a beverage to him after all.

What if he used the Mysterious Soil and the taste was altered after the fact? How was he supposed to drink it then?

Moreover, there were three more mineral water bottles worth of Origin Fluid from the willow tree before, and Jiang He planted them as well.

Then, right after he had planted the Origin Fluid, a vine had crept out of the ground and grew rapidly near the wall. It only had two buds at first, but an entire vine stem soon grew out, climbing up the wall and splitting into more stems, each of which grew into other wins and covered the wall that was over ten-meter-wide in no time at all.

That was when a sparrow, perhaps drawn to the greenness of the mutated ivy, arrived from afar and perched on it.

In the next instant…

Crunch!

An ivy tendril promptly shot up and devoured the sparrow.

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Chapter 175: Cloudscraper Vine, Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula

The sparrow was devoured by the ivy even before it could make a sound.

"But it's just a normal sparrow, and it couldn't reveal the power of the Mutated Boston Ivy."

Jiang He could not help remembering the Sky Demon Cult once again then, thinking, "What a shame, those cultists had become much quieter these days. If some of their elites would try to scale these walls to infiltrate my house, I could definitely test how powerful the ivy is."

"Still, I estimate that it would have no problems against a rank-seven… and though it might come up short a little against rank-eights, having those needles and spikes coiling them would be more than what they could handle."

As Jiang He stared at the Mutated Boston Ivy, a bunch of data appeared before his eyes.

[Cloudscraper Vine]

[Attribute: A mysterious fauna from space.]

[Abilities: Constriction, protection, evolution]

"What the hell!"

Jiang He was stunned at that.

Cloudscraper Vine?

'This really breaks the law of 'you reap what you sow'! I planted an ivy, and you give me a Cloudscraper Vine?'

"Cloudscraper Vine, Cloudscraper Vine… maybe it's a species of ivy?"

Jiang He was pensive.

That was possible, since pet cats and tigers were both felines despite being different species.

Still, Jiang He had a vague feeling that the Cloudscraper Vine sounded quite familiar, as if he had seen or heard of it from somewhere else.

Not bothered to think, he continued studying the Cloudscraper Vine.

It has nine vines now, each as thick as an arm and growing up to fifteen meters long. Its tender green leaves were identical to the leaves it had before it was planted, although it seemed a little greener and livelier.

Curiously, its needle spikes that were usually concealed between its vines and leaves were completely gone.

No.

It did not vanish, but was merely retracted.

When not attacking, the many needles of the Cloudscraper Vine could not be seen at all, but they would promptly show up once

"Constriction?"

"Protection?"

"Evolution?"

"Constriction and evolution are understandable, but what is with protection?"

Jiang He mused to himself for a moment as he extended his senses carefully, and suddenly found a connection between himself and the Cloudscraper Vine.

He reached out to put his hand on the plant.

Its tendrils began to approached him, affectionately rubbing itself on the back of Jiang He's hand.

Clearly, the Cloudscraper Vine had obtained sentience. However, it was just an 'infant' and no different from a newborn child, and did not know how to communicate.

And being the one who planted it, Jiang He was naturally its master.

Nonetheless, after a moment of rubbing itself on the back of Jiang He's hand, the tendrils suddenly crawled under Jiang He's skin.

He jumped, startled.

Still, he soon realized that he felt no pain at all. In fact, after the Cloudscraper Vine entered his body, he felt no sense of being bloated, whereas the friction when the tendrils entered his body caused a curious sense of comfort.

In moments, the entire Cloudscraper Vine had crawled under Jiang He's skin.

At Jiang He's thought, the green-leafed tendrils crawled out of Jiang He's hair pores and veins, forming a green vine armor over his body.

It covered even his thighs and head, exposing only his hands, feet, and eyes.

"Meow~!!!"

Trumbo cried out shrilly at that, the fur all over its body bristling in fright.

Yip!

Dumbo whinnied weirdly as well.

It had been digging a hole, and appeared to be shocked when it saw what happened to Jiang He, clutching at the iron shovel as it shook. After hearing Trumbo's shrieked, it flung away the shovel and huddled together with the cat, shuddering.

"…"

Jiang He scowled, at a loss for words. "The Cloudscraper Vine isn't eating me. What are you two afraid of?"

Upon hearing his scolding voice, both Trumbo and Dumbo sighed in relief and circled Jiang He, studying him curiously.

"Master, that look is very beautiful!"

Dumbo flattered him then.

"Cut the crap. Bring me a mirror!"

Upon Jiang He's orders, Dumbo opened its mouth and expelled a jet of clear water that converged in the air, forming a mirror.

Jiang He hence stood before it, studying himself.

The armor that the Cloudscraper Vine formed fit him… but the oily green hue was rather dazzling.

Returning the Cloudscraper Vine back on the wall, Jiang He smiled. "You're too weak now. You can't help me all that much if you can't stop a rank-nine's attack as an armor… by the way, since you could consume that sparrow before, you could devour Feral corpses too, yes?"

With a wave of his hand, Jiang He threw half the Leopard Python and a full rank-six Feral Wolf's corpse to the Cloudscraper Vine.

Its tendrils hence rapidly covered the flesh.

Jiang He had been having those meat for too long. Now that he had enriched the food stored in his System Backpack, it was time to change his palate.

Then, Jiang He turned towards the spot where he had planted the rank-nine Origin Fluid.

That single look left him utterly disconcerted…

After all, a giant crystal bottle had grown out of where he planted the Origin Fluid. It was two meters tall and one meter in diameter, and was filled to the brim with Origin Fluid.

Likewise, each of the three spots where he planted the mineral water bottles each had a large-sized mineral water bottle.

From what Jiang He could see from the volume of the bottles, each would contain as much Origin Fluid as there was in the crystal bottle.

Jiang He smiled begrudgingly, shaking his head…

This damned System.

It really forced people to work.

Can't you grow a tree that bears a few hundred tiny crystal bottles or mineral water bottles?

Now, Jiang He had to find a bottle and separate the Origin Fluid…

"That said, if I drink sparingly, this amount of Origin Fluid would last me a year and a half. After that, I could find myself better and tastier Origin Fluid."

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

"…"

Jiang He walked up and 'harvested' the three giant mineral water bottles and the crystal bottle, putting them into his System Backpack whilst earning himself a total of 4000 Farm Points and 400 EXP.

"I'll go to the city later to get myself some wholesale bottles, and have Sora pack them when I get back."

With that in mind, Jiang He flipped his hand again and took out a Venus Rosewood box from his System Backpack.

Inside of which was the torn cultivation arts script that Murong Buyi had provided him.

Jiang He opened the manual and read it in detail… though he had taken out his pen and was about to fill in the blanks, but after studying if for half a day, he realized that he did not understand a single word in the script.

It was all ancient text characters.

"I give up!"

Rather upset, Jiang He cursed and promptly threw the torn immortal art script into the hole, took out his pack of Mysterious Soil and poured in half before closing the hole.

"Since my farm is now at level four, I could plant three cultivation manuals, one more than last time. Still, I would have to use it sparingly… since improving to level five takes fifty thousand EXP."

Jiang He hence gave up on fabricating a cultivation manual like he did with 'Jiang-clan Beast-taming'.

There's no need to plant that staff since he was able to put it to use easily, and the black panther of Mount Helan was proof.

Now, Jiang He was staring hard at the spot where he had planted the torn immortal art script.

In truth, he was apprehensive…

He had thought about planting an immortal art before, but the System only showed his farm level, and he did not have the confidence that it could be planted even now.

Still, his worries were soon gone.

A mystical radiance emanated from the ground then.

At first, it was the size of a fist as it broke out of the soil and hovered at the heart of the farm, and soon it extended, radiating myriad colors as it grew rapidly.

And in just an hour, the fist-sized sagely light was now a ball of light that was almost two meters in diameter.

Inside the light, a jade scroll floated quietly.

Jiang He reached out and grabbed it, and the scroll fell in his hands.

[Ding!]

[10000 Farm Points]

The System Notification that jingled beside his ears made Jiang He do a double-take… a single scroll actually earned him 10000 Farm points?

He checked his EXP bar to find that he had gained a thousand EXP too.

"Is planting immortal arts that delightful?"

Jiang He could not help laughing as he came to his senses. "And here I was thinking that reaching level 5 for my farm needs too much EXP… now it seems that my worries were unnecessary."

Taking a deep breath, Jiang He turned towards the jade scroll in his hand.

There was no text on it at all.

Even so, Jiang He did not panic.

Such a thing was child play. After all, the jade scrolls containing cultivation techniques as depicted in xianxia and other fantasy novels could be read by injecting one's spirit.

Just like how mystic tools require refinement and recognized their masters through blood drops, that was common sense.

Hence, Jiang He slowly released his spirit into the jade scroll.

In the next instant, Jiang He felt the world spinning around him, and soon his spirit 'saw' a pitch-black space.

Abruptly, starlight arose within that dark space as stars popped up over the night skies. Their light interweaved like a beam of light in the night, forming a cultivation through their starry radiance.

"The Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula?"

Jiang He scowled when he made out the title.

Immortal physique?

Would he have to go along the path of body refinement until he expires?

Still, Jiang He soon understood.

When it comes to immortal physique…

What was not awesome about that?

His physique was strong in the first place, and after he gained mastery over Indestructible Diamond, wanting to improve his physical toughness was exceedingly difficult. Cultivating the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula would improve his physique up to the next level, and when that happened, even a Feral King's full power blow would not penetrate his defenses at all…

He was getting excited just thinking about it!

Be that as it may…

That was not all there was to cultivating immortal physique.

Jiang He looked closely, and soon noticed…

"One could pluck celestial bodies with mastery over the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula?

"Is it really that amazing?"

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Chapter 176: Planting a Premium Soul Item!

Jiang He's spirit retreated out of the jade scroll.

A System Notification jingled beside his ear then—

Ding!

[An immortal physique art: Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula had been detected in the farm. Consume 200 Farm Points to learn the First Tier?]

Learn!

Ding!

[-5000 Farm Points]

[Congratulations, Host! You have gained Mastery over the First Fold of the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula!]

Ooom!

Almost at the same instant that the System Notification jingled, Jiang He sensed the Universal Force around him abruptly changing. It seems that that the energy was being drawn towards him from several miles around him, all of it flowing through his various orifices into his body.

And up in the air, streaks of starlight were descending, engulfing Jiang He's body.

The view of starlight descending in the middle of the day may be a weird sight for most, but the truth was that starlight exists at any given moment, although the exceedingly bright shine of the sun concealed the radiance of the stars.

And right now, Jiang He could feel his body strengthening rapidly.

The veins of starlight were tempering his qi, muscles, skin, and even his bones, becoming crystalline.

Soon, the hardening stopped.

Jiang He promptly clenched his fist…

Boom!

The air rumbled.

Clenching his fist actually caused the air to burst.

"My physical strength alone had increased by a few hundred thousand catties, at minimum!"

"Even peak rank-nines would have a hard time penetrating my physical defense…"

Jiang He could feel how his body had changed with the barest of sensing, and he realized in surprise that his Dragon-Elephant Prajna had improved by a tier for some reason too…

"Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula!"

"Dragon-Elephant Prajna!"

"Indestructible Diamond!"

Suddenly inspired, Jiang He charged all three techniques at once, feeling like a godly soldier just then.

His body encircled with Nature Qi and emanating golden radiance, with winks of starlight visible underneath. The silhouette of a dragon soared over his head and an elephant trumpeted towards the skies, presenting Jiang He with the aura of a wild behemoth.

A tempest billowed, kicking up dust into the air.

Clenching his fists, Jiang He punched into the air.

Boom!

Even the air up in the vacuum was compressed and detonated by the punch, and thunder only echoed after Jiang He had punched out.

Retracting his aura in satisfaction, Jiang He withdrew his fist and said, "My physical strength is now enough to kill a rank-nine elite in a melee… at full strength, I would be slicing through them like vegetables!"

"My physical defense and regeneration had also strengthened significantly… if I'm up against the Black King Drake again, its tail whip would hardly break my bones now."

Of course, his ability did not increase by much overall speaking—a notch and some was not all that obvious.

Musing to himself for a while, Jiang He made a simple and definite plan for his path in the future.

He would mainly cultivate the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula to improve his physical strength. When his physical strength increase, his Dragon-Elephant Prajna would level up as well.

As for 'immortal qi cultivation', he could try to 'fabricate' one manual later. If he failed, he could try to ask around and find out if any martial clans like the Murong clan had them in store.

Before that, he would first cultivate in the Strengthened Nine Yang Technique.

In Jiang He's perspective, the Nine Yang Technique which he strengthened would not lose out to some of the rubbish immortal cultivation arts.

As for his blade technique, he would definitely not be abandoning the Ninefold Thunderblade.

After all it was connected to his thunder will. Perhaps when he could fully master it, he might gain a perfect grasp over his thunder will.

And a perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills is the key to reaching divine-tier.

"Perhaps I could get my hands on a swordplay to improve my sword will as well."

A lightbulb shone in Jiang He's mind, but he soon shook his head and chuckled. "Of course, this is a temporary plan. Why cultivate a swordplay if I somehow got my hands on an immortal qi cultivation manual? Wouldn't directly ascending as a qi refinist, golden pellet and true child be even more awesome?"

With a turn of his hand, Jiang He took out a halved fragment of a sword's edge.

The fragment was one of the gifts that the Martial Arts Department (MAD) had rewarded him, and it was said to be the fragment of a mystic item found by Wang Hou, from a heritage site above Mount Hua.

Of course, Jiang He had no idea whether it actually was one, and was not bothered to find out.

He would know just by planting it once.

Digging a hole, pouring in the remainder of his Mysterious Soil, he buried the sword and watered it.

He then checked the time—it was already time for lunch.

Jiang He returned home, and after washing up, Sora's steaming hot dishes were all served on the table.

Today, hand-torn noodles were on the menu.

Jiang He asked for less, which was why Sora only cooked a portion of stir-fried black wood ear over meat and a bowl of tomato egg soup.

Jiang He first had a spoonful of the tomato egg soup.

Beside him, Sora quickly asked, "Master, is the tomato egg soup to your liking?"

Hence, Jiang He had another sip and imitated the judges on cooking shows—closing his eyes to taste it, smacking his lips… but he felt nothing. It was just an ordinary tomato egg soup, and the taste was as likewise plain.

"It's alright, since both tomatoes and eggs are normal ingredients. I could plant some tomatoes when I have the time."

"As for eggs…"

"I'll try to catch a Feral Hen, but if there aren't any, I'll buy some hens and try to have them evolve. The eggs they would lay then would be sweeter and more nutritious."

But even as Jiang He continued having his lunch, he suddenly did a double take.

Having a hen lay eggs?

How troublesome is that? Moreover, rearing a chicken at home meant feces everywhere, and they would ruin the environment with their flying everywhere. Why shouldn't he just buy some chicken eggs and try planting it?

"I just might be able to plant it!"

"Moreover…"

"I need some high-grade rice and noodles to fit my standard as well."

Jiang He had an idea.

With his farm's expansion and thereby gaining space, he might be able to plant some paddy and wheat.

After his lunch, Jiang He was about to drink some Origin Fluid and have a break, but his expression changed even before he could take a sip.

He felt a sharp sword will abruptly exploding outside.

Rushing out of the mansion and looking above, he saw a sword's flash shooting out of his farm like a rocket up into the clouds, tearing it apart and fading right after.

What the heck?

Jiang He was at a loss for words.

He did not have to look to tell that his broken sword fragment had grown!

But did you have to make such a big deal because you were growing?

Can't you be subtler?

Once he remembered the profound sight of violet qi when he planted the Violet Flame Lingzhi, Jiang he could not help feeling a headache.

Duan Tianhe, Cheng Dongfeng, and the others guarding Lingzhou City would definitely see the sword flash.

To avoid them having to come running and ask after him, Jiang He decided to give them a call ahead of time.

Even so…

Jiang He did not know that neither Duan Tianhe nor Cheng Dongfeng saw a thing.

One reason was that the sword flash did not last long. And secondly…

Average grandmasters would not easily detect anything that reaches the Boundary of Wills, and Chen Jingzhou was not in town.

Nonetheless, Jiang He dialed Cheng Dongfeng's number.

After the dial tone rang for a while, Cheng Dongfeng answered, laughing, "Back from Jiangnan already, Jiang He?"

"Yep, I got back just this morning."

"How was it? It must have been very rewarding, was it not? Tsk, tsk… The Blue King Drake attacking the city, General Pei fighting and even Minister wang joining the fray later… I would have gone if I bleeding knew."

"Nothing too major, honestly."

Jiang He laughed. "But you know, I got a few tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort from Jiangnan."

"Then, just now, I accidentally grasped sword will and caused a little weird phenomenon. Did I startle you?"

Cheng Dongfeng, who happened to be in a discussion with Duan Tianhe at the MAD of Lingzhou City was left stunned.

He was using handsfree, which was why Duan Tianhe heard what Jiang He said as well.

All at once, both men were left staring at each other, unsure what to say.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Are you listening, Master Cheng?"

A little lost for words, Jiang He yelled over the phone and cursed quietly, "Whatever. I'm not calling them if anything happens next time. Aren't they deliberately leaving calls hanging halfway through?"

Thud!

Jiang He promptly hung up.

Well, as long as he gave them a heads up. It was now time to harvest his mystic treasure.

He strode into his farm.

At a corner of the farm, Dumbo and Trumbo were clutching each other and shaking, their jaws grating.

They promptly dashed towards Jiang He when it saw Jiang He come, and ran up behind him.

Cat and dog hence clutched at Jiang He's thigh, poking out their heads to look at the center of the farm. Dumbo even pointed with its paw, shaking as it spoke, "Master, what the heck is that? The Sword Qi high above almost scared dog to death!"

"Go away!"

Kicking away both Dumbo and Trumbo, Jiang He barked, "You two are such actors. Why didn't you run out of the yard if you were that scared? What are you staying here for?"

Oh, right!

Dumbo blinked just as he climbed up from the ground, its canine face showing a flash of a human expression as it slapped itself on the head, exclaiming miserably, "Oh, my dog brain. I'm so stupid!"

"Meeeeeooooow~~~"

Trumbo was clutching its stomach and rolling around on the ground, laughing weirdly.

Jiang He was quite amused.

Withdrawing his gaze, he turned towards the sword flash at the center of the farm.

It hovered up in the air, and Jiang He could feel the keen edge of its Sword Qi even from thirty meters away.

And at the center of the flash was an old, scarlet longsword.

Jiang He reached out and plucked the scarlet longsword.

Ding!

[10000 Farm Points]

A System Notification jingled beside his ears.

Jiang He was stunned… ten thousand farm points meant that the scarlet longsword was equal in value to the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula.

He focused his eyes, and a series of data slowly appeared over the longsword.

[Scarlet Flame Sword]

[Tier: Premium soul weapon]

[Warm reminder: offer a drop of blood before use]

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Chapter 177: Finger-Cutting Improves Control Over Strength

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Martial Arts Department (MAD) of Lingzhou City.

The chief's office, which had been silent for a long time.

"What the hell!"

Finally recovering his senses, Cheng Dongfeng exclaimed in shock, "For real? Jiang He… grasped sword will?"

"What do you think?"

Duan Tianhe, on the other hand, was much more composed. He promptly recovered from his brief shock and laughed out loud, "The kid must be joking with you. Sword will… sword will…"

"He's practicing blade techniques. Why would he grasp sword will?"

"Moreover, his cultivation is only rank-seven advanced. If he really did grasp sword will, wouldn't the rank-nine individuals who never grasped the Boundary of Wills for years have to end themselves?"

Clearly, Duan Tianhe had not learnt of the news that Jiang He had reach rank-eight pinnacle. It was no secret, however, since Jiang He had displayed his cultivation back in Jiangnan already.

Even so, it takes time for information to spread, and Duan Tianhe did not go out of his way to gather such information.

Putting aside his task, he lit himself a cigarette and went to stand beside the window, staring out at Jinyintan Village in the distance, chuckling, "Wasn't he asking you about the Boundary of Wills a few days ago? He might have thought of joking about it today."

"Grasping sword will, causing a phenomenon… it's all nonsense—eh?"

Duan Tianhe's eyes widened before he finished, almost choking on the puff of smoke when he breathed!

It was noontime, but the sun was not out, and the skies above was gloomy.

Even so, Jiang He noticed that the skies above Jinyintan Village seemed to have been slice through by a sword. Sunlight was descending from the opening in a beautiful golden glimmer.

Soon, however, the slice gloomy clouds converged as if nothing had happened at all.

Duan Tianhe blinked, and blankly turned his head, leveling his eyes straight at Cheng Dongfeng.

Feeling goosebumps from being stared at, he clutched his crotch by reflex, exclaiming, "Why are you looking at me like that, Old Duan? Didn't your wife just move here?"

"…"

Duan Tianhe withheld the retort that was on the tip of his tongue.

He only spoke after a long time, asking, "Old Cheng… what if Jiang He really grasped Sword Will?"

???

Amused, Cheng Dongfeng replied, "What do you think?"

"Whatever. Maybe I'm jumping at shadows."

Duan Tianhe shook his head, unwilling to continue on that topic. "Anyway, the Sky Demon Cult doesn't seem to be giving up on Lingzhou City."

"Information from the higher-ups indicate that a large group of elites had set of, with their First Elder and Right Sentinel both leaving their headquarters. Minister Wang had spoken to several old martial clans in Xibei, and they would send their own elites to guard Lingzhou City in the next few days."

"Old Cheng, have intelligence keep an eye out. The last villages and towns are moving here soon so we definitely must not be careless, and prevent the Sky Demon Cultists from infiltrating the city."

Cheng Dongfeng nodded in agreement and cursed, "What are those pests from the Sky Demon Cult up to?"

"Does our city really hold so much value when not even birds take a dump here? How dare they still show up after Minister Wang made a clean sweep of all five sacred grounds and coming to an agreement to them?"

Cheng Dongfeng, who never really liked to use his brain suddenly had a twinkle in his eye at that, "Could there be heritage site and treasure be hidden underneath Lingzhou City?"

Duan Tianhe facepalmed, blue with shock.

Cheng Dongfeng was a good person in many ways, aside from his greed for wealth!

Back in Jiang He's farm.

Dragon-Slaying Saber in hand, Jiang He was cutting his finger.

But something awkward happened.

He had cut himself three times, but that did not even break his skin.

After cultivating the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula, his physical defense had developed considerably. He would never cut himself if he used a slight bit of his strength, just as he was afraid of cutting a finger if he slashed too firmly.

Thought martial arts grandmasters have immaculate control over their own strength, Jiang He had improved too quickly to become accustomed with his own strength, and so had to use 'finger cutting' to master his own strength.

Jiang He sighed even as he cut his finger.

Was he not the one and only martial artists who trained by cutting his own finger?

"It's lucky my body is strong and probably would not get sick. Otherwise, if I'm going to need an IV drip, I would need a divine-tier nurse and S-grade alloy needles to inject into my veins."

After approximately a dozen cuts with increasing strength every turn… Jiang He eventually became irritated.

Boom-crack!

Jiang He slashed out, the Dragon-Slaying Saber sparking with bolts as a ten-meter thunder slash shot out instantly.

Snikt~

Finally, Jiang He managed to cut his finger.

Delighted, Jiang He quickly drew out his Scarlet Flame Sword and firmly squeezed out a drop of blood from the cut.

Ooom!

The moment the blood drop reached, the Scarlet Flame Sword flashed in crimson radiance. In the next instant, it turned into a streak of scarlet light and flew in between Jiang He's brows.

He used his inner vision.

Jiang He realized in shock then that the Scarlet Flame Sword had lingered over the sea of swords, and appeared to be resonating unusually with the luminous sword Jiang He himself had awakened, humming and vibrating without end.

The vibration lasted for over four minutes, before the luminous sword slipped within the Scarlet Flame Sword in a flash.

"What the hell!"

Jiang He was shocked.

My superpower… is gone?

And yet, when he glanced at the System Panel, he saw that Royal Sword was still there in the 'Ability' list.

"My superpower must have combined with the soul weapon."

Jiang He then had a thought.

Swish!

A crimson light shot out between Jiang He's brows, bursting against the wind and instantly turning into a fiery longsword, rolling and somersaulting in the air above his farm.

Pointing pretentiously into the distance, Jiang He cried, "Go!"

Whoosh!

The crimson light moved at his thought, stabbing out instantly before coming to a stop 800 meters away.

It was until the Scarlet Flame Sword stopped that the sharp burst of air echoed—because the weapon had moved too quick and far beyond the speed of sound.

The Scarlet Flame Sword returned with a wave from Jiang He's hand, returning to his mind's eye and charging.

"My spirit could only extend up to eight hundred meters… If my spirit could radiate away up to eight thousand or even eighty thousand meters, I might really be able to take a person's head from a thousand miles away one day."

Hence getting a good mood, Jiang He hummed a tune as he left the farm.

There still many stuffs yet to be planted, but there was no need to rush.

There must be balance between work and play, after all.

Having sowed crops for hours, he should have some rest.

Returning inside his mansion, Jiang He turned on his phone, and a news alert promptly popped up on his screen…

"Feral King Invades City: In the Direst Moment, The Finest of Hua Nation's Martial Scene Appears And Slays The Beast…"

His attention caught, Jiang He clicked on the article which had a reasonable description, which did hold truth for what had happened on that day. Still, after clicking on the article and its attached video clip, he could not help becoming bemused—

In the video, someone was punching the air in the chaotic city of Jiangnan and cheering at the direction of the horizon.

His cheers slowly spread, and in the end, almost everyone in Jiangnan city cheered together:

"Cheers to the Hua Nation, cheers to Minister Wang!"

"Cheers to the Hua Nation, cheers to Minister Wang!!!"

Jiang He recovered at that and muttered, "Aren't those voices post-edit synthetic?"

Wasn't "Minister Wang is awesome, Minister Wang attaboy" the slogan that was being chanted at the time?

Report chapter

Chapter 178: The Sky Demon Cultists Are Such Nice People

Darkness. Such evident darkness!

After complaining for a bit, Jiang He ignored the matter since it did not have much to do with him anyway.

Leaning on his sofa, he turned his System Panel with a thought.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank-Eight Pinnacle]

[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (), Blind Princess's Eight Practices (Second Practice), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Fifth Tier), Ninefold Thunderblade (Third Fold), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Fifth Tier), Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula (First Tier)]

[Owned Land: 3 Mu]

[Farm Level: 4 (EXP 2400/50000)]

[System Backpack: 18 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 18300]

Jiang He turned towards System Shop then.

When his System leveled up, it notified Jiang He had unlocked the seeds purchasing clearance. Indeed, there were many seeds now available for purchase, all of which were crops he planted before.

It was likely that he only had the clearance to purchase seeds that he planted, including cucumber, bottle gourd, and eggplant.

One cucumber seed sold for 100 farm points.

One eggplant seed sold for 500 farm points.

One bottle gourd seed sold for 500 farm points.

"…"

Rather speechless, Jiang He could not help complaining, "What are you doing, System? I understand why the cucumbers and carrots are available… but do you mean to have me plant seven more Bottle Gourd Brothers, making bottle gourd seeds available?"

As usual, the System did not reply.

Hehe.

Jiang He sneered.

If the System had remained silent aside from issuing necessary notifications, he would have the feeling that it was retarded.

That said, having seen the bottle gourd seeds in the System Shop, Jiang He finally remembered about the Bottle Gourd Brothers…

"I almost forgot about those seven little things."

Taking out the seven bottle gourds and blowing on them, seven puff of smokes with different colors landed on the ground and turned into the seven Bottle Gourd Brothers. Somehow, they now looked much smarter, or at least did not look as dimwitted as before.

All of them came to Jiang He, and together said, "Gramps."

"Sigh…"

Jiang He answered, all smiles.

It felt good after having gotten used to being addressed as gramps, the initial awkwardness notwithstanding.

Patting the seven brothers on the head, he chuckled. "Alright, now go play on your own."

The brothers all looked thrilled at that, and skipped along as they went out to play in the yard. That did not last long, however, as they each returned with an apple and munched away sweetly, squatting at the yard.

There were many other villagers who grew fruit trees, and now that it was October and the season for harvesting apples, the brothers managed to get many fruits after going out to play.

When Eldest Brother saw Jiang He step out of his mansion, he took out an apple from his bloomers and handed it to him, saying with a babyish voice, "Gramps, eat fruit."

Jiang He: "…"

He stared at Eldest Brother for three seconds.

Well, it made sense.

The seven brothers all wore bloomers under their dudou, and it seems that it was the only place to put the apple.

Nonetheless, waving him off, Jiang He said, "It's fine, save it for yourselves… Hold on…"

A thought occurred to Jiang He at that and he exclaimed in shock, "All of you could eat?"

The seven brothers all nodded.

In response, Jiang He clutched his forehead as he felt guilt of having 'abused children'.

Ever since he planted the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, he had never fed them.

Still, they never go hungry now that he thought of it.

After all, each of them is fat and white, and did not look like they ever starved.

Musing to himself for a long time, Jiang He asked, "Since you could eat, could you absorb energy from food to maintain your strength? Or develop yourself by eating?"

Jiang He had a general idea of the principle of charging energy by basking under the sun.

The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers sprung out of the bottle gourds… in the end, they were 'crops', so were they not undergoing photosynthesis under the sun?

Nonetheless, the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers shook their heads, with Third Brother saying, "We just thought that fruit is tasty, gramps."

"Oh?"

Jiang He pinched Third Brother's smiling face, chuckling, "Tasty, my foot. Gramps will get you some lollipops later… oh?"

Jiang He's facial expression changed even before he finished.

A lightbulb flashed in his head, and Jiang He could not help pondering.

"Crops?"

"Sunbathing?"

"Photosynthesis?"

Firmly slapping himself in the forehead, Jiang He laughed out loud, "I've got it! I know how to improve the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers' ability now!"

With a thought…

[Ding!]

[-700 Farm Points.]

Seven crystalline nitrogen fertilizers appeared in his hand.

Handing out one pellet, Jiang He smiled, "Come, Eldest Brother. Gramps got some candy for you.

Having neither seen candies nor nitrogen fertilizers, all Eldest Brother knew was that the pellet was sparkling and looked very nice. Extending his tiny hand, he took the nitrogen fertilizer and held it before his nose to sniff it, looking mesmerized and could not help salivating.

He opened his mouth and swallowed the egg-sized fertilizer pellet, crunching as he swallowed.

Jiang He's spirit radiated away at that, sensing even the most minute change in Eldest Brother's body.

Once the nitrogen fertilizer entered the kid's belly, it was instantly turned into nutrients that fused into his limbs and bones, and Jiang He could even distinctly feel wild energy slowly growing within Eldest Brother's body.

Hence, Jiang He distributed the other six nitrogen fertilizers to the other six brothers and continued observing them.

After Second Brother ate it, his eyes shone and he exclaimed in delight, "Grandpa, my eyes are even brighter and my hearing even sharper now!"

Likewise, after Third Brother ate it, his muscles, bones, and skin all strengthened to some extent. His original ability, [Body of steel, invincible against all weapons, had now become a little stronger.

Beside him, Fourth Brother opened his mouth to breathe fire and thunder, and was delighted at that as well.

Jiang He nodded in utter satisfaction. "Grandkids, be good, and I promise that you'll have fertilizers—candy every day."

Since the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were basically 'crops', consuming normal food naturally would not do.

On the other hand, nitrogen fertilizer is a fertilizer, which promotes growth and development of crops in the first place.

Even Jiang He was in awe of himself. Who else could have thought of this?

Hence, putting the seven bottle gourds under the sun, Jiang He said, "Go back inside the bottle gourds to cultivate when you're tired. I'm going out for a bit and would soon be back."

"Yes, Gramps."

The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers appeared very obedient.

Even so, once Jiang He drove off and left the farm, they turned into wildlings instantly and wreaked havoc on the farm, hitting Dumbo and Trumbo until they 'scampered'.

Being the most mischievous, Fourth Brother actually attempted to play with the Cloudscraper Vine.

Right now, having digested the meat Jiang He had fed him, its vines had thickened considerably. Each of its nine tendrils was now almost fifty meters long, and were slowly growing along the walls of the farmyard.

Whip!

One of the tendrils abruptly slapped out and sent Fourth Brother flying.

He broke out in tears, but after crying for seconds, he cheerfully went to climb the willow tree… and was left squealing by the shining willow branches in no time at all.

"Demon! You dare bully Fourth Brother?"

Furious, Eldest Brother promptly giantized and punched out at the willow tree.

In response, the willow tree's branches took to the air and whipped Eldest Brother, leaving him squealing in mercy… but when the branches pulled back, he became cocky again.

"Brothers, kill that tree!"

"Fourth Brother, burn it and hit it with your lightning!"

"Fifth Brother, drown it with your water breath!"

"Bow-wow-wow-wow!!!"

Dumbo barked, beside itself in worry as it cried out in its Xibei-Sichuan accent, "Stop, stop! Master would get angry when he gets back!"

Jiang He was not aware of what was going on back home.

He was folding his leg whilst munching on walnuts and blended qi pellets while 'driving' his sports car to Lingzhou city.

First, he stopped by at the seed market and bought some paddy seeds and wheat seeds.

The seed shop owner kindly reminded him, saying, "Kid, now's not the season for paddy or wheat. It's already October—it would be winter by the time they yield anything."

"Thanks for your heads up, boss."

Jiang He thanked him, but was not particularly concerned with the owner's words.

Winter?

It would be months until winter comes, just as the growth cycle of crops in his farms was shortened by over a dozen times. The paddy and wheat that could only be harvested after months could be taken in at ten days, at most.

Jiang he then went of to buy other seeds and chicken eggs before arriving at the entrance of the Martial Arts Department (MAD).

Still, he did not enter.

If he did and ran into any acquittanced, the long-winded conversations that ensue would take up a lot of his time.

He simply remained inside his car and dialed Wang Siyu's number, and she soon came out.

"Over here!"

Jiang He opened his door and got off.

Today, Wang Siyu was wearing a red body-hugging jersey which accentuated her form very well.

She smiled. "When did you return from Jiangnan? Did you run into any trouble on the way?"

"Just got back this morning."

Jiang He replied, before rearing his head, puffing and patting his chest. "With my ability, anyone I don't bother would have to offer devoted prayers in thanks. Who would come to trouble me?"

Wang Siyu blinked.

That indeed seemed to be the case.

"Right, the matter you asked me last time is settled. Your former neighbors said that they are giving you their houses for free after hearing that you want to buy it from them, and now that Jinyintan Village is categorized as wildlands and the government had bought houses for everyone, it would be hard on their conscience if they took your money.

Jiang He chuckled.

The villagers of Jinyintan Village were good people.

Still, he had a lot of money now…

With nowhere to spent over nine thousand catties of gold and having several hundred million in his bank account, the stuff was just left there for nothing.

Hence, after musing for a moment, Jiang He said, "How about this? I'll take every house in the village. Talk to your father's side when it's settled, and I'll pay around two hundred thousand dollars for each house owner. Money is just a number to me now."

Then, after a few more exchanges, Wang Siyu suddenly lowered her voice and said, "The Sky Demon Cult is up to something big lately, Jiang He. I heard someone mention that there seemed to be some heritage site and treasure here in Lingzhou City that keeps drawing them here—you have to be more careful since you are staying alone in the village."

"For real?"

Even so, Jiang He's eyes were sparkling.

That was astoundingly good news…

Still, he could not help sighing. "The Sky Demon Cultists are such good people. Just when I'm feeling bored lately, they came to add some joys to my life, huh?"

As an idea struck him then, Jiang He added, "Well, please talk to the others about buying their houses in my stead. Make it quick, too, since I could use their yards in the next few days!"

Jiang He already had a plan in mind.

When he gets back, he would make his house and farm invincible.

If the Sky Demon Cultists would dare to come…

They were never leaving!

Chapter 179: Planting Potatoes?

Wang Siyu was rather wary, and could not help asking, "Jiang He, housing outside the city are not worth a single penny now. Why would you buy them?"

"They are useful."

Jiang He answered mysteriously.

After saying goodbye and getting ready to leave, he remembered something just as he opened his car door and reminded her, "By the way, tell the villagers they shouldn't return to the village unless there is something important."

"Also, tell them to follow the main road even if they do, and don't run off."

Climbing back inside his car, Jiang He issued a voice command to return home.

After some thought on his way back, he took out his phone and dialed Duan Tianhe's number.

His general idea was to get the area around his house listed as a forbidden zone. Therefore, he was sending out a notice to the martial artists and Awakened leaving the cities to train and hunt Ferals so that they would not wander blindly into Jinyintan Village.

Causing friendly fire in the most unlikely of mishaps would not do.

Though confused, Duan Tianhe did not press Jiang He for information and simply agreed to it. His tone then shifted as he added, "I've just received word from higher-ups that the Secret Realm of the five sacred grounds will be opened on the seventh of October."

"The Tantras' Secret Realm is available to six people, and aside from you, the other five were selected from various military zones across Xibei and the Martial Arts Department (MAD). Minister Wang intends to have all of you gather at Lingzhou City ahead of time, and elites would escort you to the Western Frontier."

"Oh?"

Jiang He was rather taken aback, and he asked in surprise, "Anyone who could enter the Secret Realm would not be weak, would they? And yet they would still need an escort?"

"Precautions are necessary."

Ever cautious in dealing with people and matters, Duan Tianhe replied, "Our intelligence suggests that the Sky Demon Cult had mobilized a large group of elites and are up to something big."

"You mean…"

Jiang He's eyes brightened as he exclaimed in delight, "The Sky Demon Cult's elites would intercept us?"

"That's not necessarily the case, but safety first."

Duan Tianhe chuckled. "Every single one of you martial artists who have gained the right to enter the Secret Realm for cultivation are prodigies. Losing even one of you is a loss to the martial world of Hua Nation."

"How am I a prodigy?"

Jiang He remembered how he had cultivated for over a dozen minutes without any luck then. He had to rely on farming or resource hoarding to improve his cultivation, and never even felt it even when he improved in martial arts and cultivation or grasped the Boundary of Wills. Having felt no sense of accomplishment at all, he could not help saying, "I'm just a plain martial arts newbie. How could I be linked to prodigies?"

"…"

Duan Tianhe was silent for half a minute before saying, "You're being humble, Mister Jiang."

His tone seemed to be troubled.

Shaking his head, Jiang He said dejectedly, "You don't have to console me, Chief Duan. I know how my disposition is like."

Jiang He himself knew very well…

Compared to other prodigies, his innate talent really was nothing. At most, he was diligent and persevered through hardships, heading to the farm once he had the time to gain his present improvement.

And yet, Jiang He did not know…

Even the most demonic of martial artists cultivating in high-level techniques would never gain results in just ten minutes or so.

What the hell!

Duan Tianhe gritted his teeth, finding that he could not continue the conversation.

'What is with that dejected tone?'

Unwilling to continue tangling with Jiang He on that topic, he said, "By the way, be careful over the next few days. The Sky Demon Cultists hate you to the bone, and the large group of elites they mobilized might be gunning for you."

"Don't worry!"

Jiang He's mood instantly improved as he laughed. "I'm just afraid they won't come."

With that, he hung up.

At the same time, his car was slowly moving in Jinyintan village.

Unbeknownst to him, someone with a stunning figure had stepped out of the elm tree near the entrance of the village.

It was a bizarre sight.

The elm tree's leaves were in full bloom and its trunk had not been hollowed out. Even so, that fantastic figure had seemed to fused as once with the tree.

She was wearing a black veil, and her body figure was smoking hot. Her white bra could be vaguely seen underneath her clothes, and with the black veil on her face promoted an 'Indian-style' aesthetic, though her face was obscured and only her eyes were visible.

Even so, her eyes were milky and there were creases on the corner of her eyes, which was a complete mismatch against her fantastic figure.

She watched as Jiang He's sports car sped off into the distance, before her feet moved and she darted along the road.

After the villagers near the cities had been evacuated, the connecting roads were now very quiet. Once packed with vehicles, there would be a handful of cars passing at best.

Even though surveillance cameras and traffic lights still stood, they had long since broken down, and were no more than decorations with neither electricity nor connection.

In the first place, the Ferals wandering everywhere possessed a strong tendency for destruction, not to mention that the Sky Demon Cultists would not allow anything to stay untouched.

Meanwhile, the lady had made a turn at a crossroads a kilometer away outside Jinyintan Village, sneaking inside an abandoned factory building near the village entrance.

The factory was made to build coated steel buildings and coated steel plates, with many alloy bars and coated steel plates kept outside at the courtyard.

There were a few people out at the courtyard too.

"Dark Star!"

All of them turned towards the lady when they saw her hurry towards them.

The lady respectfully replied, "Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, Fourth Elder…"

This group was clearly all elites of the Sky Demon Cult. Amongst them was Sentinel of the Right, who had a gruesome blade scar over his face; Senior Elder, an old woman who was leaning on a crutch; and Fourth Elder, who was wearing mage robes.

There were three others as well, all of whom were Grands of the Sky Demon Cult.

The Sentinel of the Right frowned with his scarred face then and asked, "Where is the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, Dark Star?"

"The Holy Child…"

Dark Star gritted her teeth and knelt on one foot, answering, "Forgive me, Sentinel of the Right. Bent on slaying Jiang He, the Holy Child had led Sword Star, Speed Star, and six Heavenly Generals to infiltrate Jinyintan Village."

"I immediately returned to report once I found Jiang He returning."

Sentinel of the Right's eyes tightened, and the blade scare on his face squirmed like a worm fearsomely. Even so, he soon recovered and spoke, "Rise, for what are you guilty of?"

"The Holy Child is equal to elders in rank, and I know very well how the Flowing Cloud Holy Child's temper is like—ever arrogant and solitary. You would never have stopped him."

He turned his eyes in the direction of Jinyintan Village, stretching out his senses and said, "There is no fighting, meaning that the Flowing Cloud Holy Child had yet to attack. Dark Star, relay my orders to Flowing Cloud Holy Child, and tell him to return.

Dark Star nodded, accepting her orders.

In their Holy Faith, the two Sentinels outrank the nine Elders. Their power was overwhelming, being peerless rank-nines with perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills. No matter how arrogant the Flowing Cloud Holy Child could be, he would have to obey the orders from the Sentinel of the Right.

After all…

Becoming a Holy Child was not an assurance of an ascension to the Saint's seat, what with the Saint having groomed over a dozen Holy Children, implement a Darwinist policy—everything would only be decided at the very end.

Pacing around at the courtyard, the Sentinel of the Right mused to himself for a long time before speaking out, "The Saint's decree is that Jiang He must die… a rank-six who could slay a rank-nine must not be allowed to grow."

"But there needs to be a plan for that."

The mage robed Fourth Elder frowned and said, "Lord Sentinel, aren't we being overly cautious? No matter how strong Jiang He could be, he is below rank-eight…"

Clearly, the Sky Demon Cult was not aware that Jiang He was already rank-eight.

Despite their agent embedded amongst the hierarchy of the MAD, time was needed to deliver information.

In response, the Sentinel of the Right leveled an indifferent look at Fourth Elder and said, "Why don't you kill Jiang He then, Fourth Elder?"

Fourth Elder promptly shut his mouth.

'Are you joking?

'I'm not taking that risk.'

Though there was no telling how the brat did it, but Jiang He had definitely inflicted severe casualties upon their Holy Faith, and even Third Elder, who was Fourth Elder's superior had died by his hand—making it obvious that the brat was not easy to handle.

Soon, several figures entered the courtyard in tandem.

The one in the lead was a youth.

He appeared to be in his twenties and was wearing white traditional clothes, with a crystalline jade pendant hanging from his hip. His skin was fair and he had good looks, and there was a faint fragrance wafting from his body…

Of course, that was not his body's aroma, but the smell of the spice sachet that the Flowing Cloud Holy Child carried around.

There were two rank-eights behind the Holy Child: Speed Star and Sword Star. The former was a wind-type Awakened possessing great power and peerless speed, whereas the latter was an elite in swordplay.

Still, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child clearly displeased at being recalled by the Sentinel. Scowling but not daring to show it too much, he asked, "Lord Sentinel. Jiang He is alone in the village—why wouldn't you allow me to kill Jiang He?"

Sentinel of the Right's gaze darkened, and he asked in return, "Are you completely confident in killing Jiang He?"

"No."

"Then how are you supposed to kill him if you don't?"

Snorting coldly, the Sentinel of the Right then added, "The Saint himself has decreed that Jiang He must die. Now that we have so many elites here, there is no need to act recklessly and startle our prey."

"What do you mean, Lord Sentinel?"

Flowing Cloud Holy Child's gaze changed at that.

The Sentinel of the Right flatly said, "All of us shall attack together. Even lions hunt rabbit at full strength—we would not allow Jiang He any chance of surviving once we begin, and we shall strike like lightning to snuff him out!"

Then, looking around at the others, he added, "Our cardinal had now infiltrated Mount Dadong to negotiate with the Graywolf King about making its heritage site available to us. When we strike at night and claim Jiang He's life, it would draw the attention of elites in the Hua Nation, putting on a smokescreen for the cardinal."

"By the way, where are the Heavenly Generals you were leading, Flowing Cloud Holy Child?"

Flowing Cloud Holy Child ran his fingers enticingly through his hair, saying, "They are lurking near Jiang He's house and observing Jiang He's movements… Don't worry, Lord Sentinel. I've bestowed treasures that hide their presences, and Jinag He would definitely not find him… eh?"

Even as he spoke, Flowing Cloud Holy Child's gaze shifted and he whipped out his phone for a glance, smiling, "Lord Sentinel, the Heavenly Generals has proof… there are no elites in Jiang He's house."

"Aside from Jiang He himself, there is a maid, seven weirdly dressed children, a cat, and a dog."

The Sentinel of the Right nodded and asked, "What is Jiang He doing now?"

Flowing Cloud Holy Child sent a message to ask, and soon received a reply.

He could not help doing a double take, and only answered after a while, "It seems that Jiang He is… planting potatoes around his house?"

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Chapter 180: You're Already Here, Why Leave?

"Finally, it's all planted!"

Outside the farmyard wall of Jiang He's house, Jiang He dusted his hands, picked up his shovel and returned inside his mansion leisurely.

A hundred potato mines were all buried as a simple minefield formation across every direction—aside from the front gates.

It was both a challenge for his hands and his mind.

Jiang He did not dare to let the Bottle Gourd Brothers, Dumbo, and Trumbo help. After all, he really was not comfortable—if they ran everywhere after burying the potato mines, things would go south once they triggered one.

Picking up an iron shovel and returning to the farm and shooting at a glance at the seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, Dumbo and Trumbo whom he had punished by having them stand silently at a corner, Jiang He barked as his pent-up irritation burst out, "I was out for just two hours and you almost destroyed the house!"

Leaves from the willow tree and the Cloudscraper Vines were everywhere on the farm. Even the graves near the wall were almost dug out!

When both willow tree and the Cloudscraper Vines heard Jiang He's scolding, they retracted their branches and tendrils, cowering.

Meanwhile, the seven Bottle Gourd Brothers all broke into tears at Jiang He's 'fierceness', with Eldest Brother choking, "Gramps, don't be angry… Beat me if you must, it's my fault for not looking after my brothers."

"…"

Nearby, Dumbo was gaping and looking bewildered.

What the hell.

How was that little thing such an actor?

He was the loudest before, yelling 'Get him, brothers', 'Cut him down, brothers' and whatnot. Now that he started crying and confessed his crimes, it was as if it was all his brothers' fault.

Even Jiang He was speechless.

Whatever.

He did not nitpick with the brats.

After all, the brats had all been spanked—their arms and buttocks had been whipped a swollen red by the willow tree's branches and Cloudscraper Vines' tendrils.

Then, looking up and turning towards the willow tree, Jiang He appeared rather surprised. "You can use your branches as whips now? It seems that you had truly gained sentience… the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers are all rank-seven and you still managed to whip them to such state, so it looks like you're not weaker than rank-seven."

Seemingly able to understand Jiang He's praise, it extended two branches and rubbed them intimately on Jiang He's face, before quickly withdrawing.

Then, Jiang He arrived before the Cloudscraper Vine, and became even more shocked after observing it with his spirit.

How long had it only been?

And yet, the Cloudscraper Vine was now almost three times its previous size, each of its tendrils appearing thicker and stronger. Most importantly, the tendrils were growing longer as the Cloudscraper Vine's ability improved, and each of its tendrils was now over fifty meters long.

Moreover, it could attack within the area it could reach.

Even so…

"That's not enough."

"Fifty-meters is too small a range of attack. Now that my farm is three Mu, no thief would walk away alive with the Cloudscraper Vine covering the whole farm."

A thought occurred to Jiang He then.

The Cloudscraper Vine was evolving very rapidly.

It was only fed meat in the afternoon, but it had already bloated so incredibly by the afternoon.

After musing to himself for a moment, Jiang He waved his hand and promptly took out the complete rank-nine Feral corpse inside his System Backpack and threw it to the Cloudscraper Vine.

It was the thirty-meters long Feral that Jiang He killed on Chongming Island. Even though it had been dead for days, a fearsome aura still palpated from its body.

Now, the Cloudscraper Vine slowly reached out, covering the Feral's corpse with its tendrils.

The corpse visibly shrank at that, and was reduced to a pile of bones in just half an hour. At the same time, the tendrils extended over a dozen meters.

Jiang He continued the feeding by throwing the Cloudscraper Vine a rank-eight Feral corpse, but the plant did not move this time.

Clearly, it was full.

Putting away the corpse, Jiang He was all smiles. "The Cloudscraper Vine is quite impressive. If it evolved as it does currently, it won't be long before it would cover the whole farm. Even a peak rank-nine elite would have a hard time surviving when they got coiled."

And when it comes to Feral corpses, Jiang He had all that he needed, just as he could hunt for Ferals in the wildlands anytime he wanted when his stock was used up.

He then checked the time.

It was already past six—time for dinner.

Dropping the idea to continue farming, he glanced at the sobbing Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers and said indignantly, "Alright, shut up, all of you. Aren't your tears dried up yet after crying for so long?"

Redeeming another seven nitrogen fertilizers, Jiang He threw it at them.

All seven brothers started beaming immediately.

They really took the nitrogen fertilizers for sweets.

At the same time.

The Flowing Cloud Holy Child received another short message back at the courtyard of the abandoned coated steel factory.

The Sentinel of the Right asked beside him, "What does it look like, Flowing Cloud?"

The Flowing Cloud Holy Child ran his fingers through his hair.

There were many Holy Children in their Holy Faith, each holding their own factions. It was only too often that they would try to draw Heavenly Generals and Grands to their cause, and those six Heavenly Generals sent to spy on Jiang He was his faction.

That was why he held strong faith towards those Heavenly Generals.

Even so…

Their report on the current situation… surprised the Holy Child.

Still, upon the Sentinel of the Right's questioning, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child could only answer truthfully, "Jiang He had returned inside his mansion after planting his potatoes. He has a small orchard that has been walled, and the inside could not be seen. The Heavenly Generals did not approach recklessly just in case, although they could hear scolding, children crying, and a dog barking."

Pausing, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child then added, "According to the Heavenly Generals, Jiang He might be beating the children and the dog."

"…"

The Sentinel of the Right was speechless.

He could understand beating children. But why beat the dog?

No.

What did that have to do with him at all?

Looking up at the skies, he saw that night was coming. It might be just a little past seven, but darkness always came early during autumn.

Whipping out his phone for a look, the Sentinel of the Right then somberly said, "Let's take a break, and we'll move at eight-o'clock sharp. Remember… do not hold back. The brat Jiang He is too abnormal, and we must prevent him from getting away."

Despite his own words, the Sentinel of the Right had already sentenced Jiang He to death inwardly.

How powerful could a rank-seven elite be anyway?

The Sentinel of the Right was himself an elite who gained perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills and was just a step away from divine-tier, and even the Senior Elder paled slightly compared to himself. Moreover, he had the Fourth Elder—an Awakened with a power equal to a top rank-nine elite, as well as the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, six Grands, and six Heavenly generals…"

This assembly would destroy any individual beneath divine-tier, unless… Jiang He had power that could match individuals of divine-tier.

And was that even possible?

The Sentinel of the Right himself was amused by his own thought, and could not help shaking his head and sighing. "Though there was no telling how he did it, turning the tables against Sixth elder who started grasping blade will was already a great violation of common-sense. But a rank-seven wielding the ability of divine-tier? Not even the Holy Ones would have such a prodigy, would they?"

The Holy Ones!

The Sentinel of the Right looked up at the skies above then, a zealous gaze showing in his eyes.

The Sky Demon Cult address themselves as the Sky Sage Faith, and the extraterrestrial Sky Demons were the Holy Ones to them.

Clearly, the Sentinel of the Right knew a lot, being one of the hierarchs of their faith.

Looking up at the skies, he muttered to himself, "Now, the opening of the Stargate is upon us. Once it does, the Holy Envoy shall descend upon us, and the day of our reign and prospering would be at hand!"

His mind stirred, he whipped out his phone and barked after a glance, "It's time. Let's move!"

Whoosh!

Jinyintan Village was now pitch-black, and only the three-floored small mansion on Jiang He's yard was brightly lit. The Sky Demon Cultists had withdrawn their aura and quietly paused at the courtyard of a house four hundred meters away from Jiang He's house to rendezvous with the six Heavenly Generals.

"Remember, no mercy!"

"Kill anyone within reach!"

"Senior Elder, lead some of our group and storm the front gates."

"Fourth Elder, you will strike with the Flowing Cloud Holy Child from this direction, while I circle round to the back…"

The Sentinel of the Right swiftly made all arrangements, and the figures went their separate ways, vanishing into the night.

Inside the mansion.

After finishing dinner, Jiang He was sitting on the sofa in boredom and swiping his phone.

Around him, the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were focusing on the Peppa Pig program that was showing on the tv.

"Master!"

Sora spoke alluringly as she walked down from the stars.

Rising to his feet, Jiang He gave Eldest Brother a nudge on the head and instructed, "It's now past eight. Return inside the bottle gourds and sleep, latest by half-past-nine. Got it?"

Still, he felt rather weirded out.

The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers watching a cartoon?

Wonder what they would think if he showed them 'Bottle Gourd Brothers versus the snake monster'?

But just as he was about to go upstairs, dog barks could be heard from outside the mansion.

"Bow-wow-wow!!!"

Dumbo barked a few times, before yelling out loud, "Master, this is bad! Someone's coming… burglars are coming!"

Even as it yelled, it had already rushed inside the storehouse at top speed, and picked up the two boxes of Gatling Gun bullets.

Since the Gatling Gun was still kept outside, and Trumbo sprinted away, rapidly enlarging as it ran into a 'muscle cat', and proficiently loading the bullets.

At the same time, three figures abruptly appeared in the night.

The old woman holding a crutch was leading Sword Star and Speed Star as they advanced within the darkness, their bodies overflowing with killing intent… Even so, they were shocked by the sight they saw.

A dog and a cat…

Fiddling around with a gatling gun???

Brrrrrt!!!

Orange-red flames promptly streaked through the night air.

Meanwhile.

The mage-robed Fourth Elder, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, Dark Star, and six Heavenly Generals were slowly advancing towards the walls around Jiang He's house…

One of the Heavenly Generals went ahead light-footedly, laughing. "Holy Child, that brat planted the potatoes here… don't you think he's an idiot? Planting potatoes where weeds grow… Eh?"

Bang!

Even before he finished, one of the potatoes beneath his feet abruptly blew up, with the dozens of potato mines nearby following suit right after.

Boooom!

Violent flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the night.

The horrific shockwave instantly tore the Heavenly General into pieces, and behind him, the other Heavenly Generals were caught in the blast as well, all of them hence drowned instantly in the horrific explosion.

At virtually the same instant, the Sentinel of the Right stepped on one of the mines too.

He had circled around the back of the mansion, ready to charge inside Jiang He's house from that direction… but Jiang He had planted thirty potato mines there.

It was not actually Jiang He planning ahead of time. He simply had that much potato mines left at that point, which was why he simply threw them all in.

Once the Sentinel of the Right stepped on the potato minefield, he instantly sensed danger and unleashed a burst of True Qi to protect his body, darting backward while barking, "Back off! It's dangerous!"

Boom!

Flames burst forth.

A rank-eight Grand who was behind him was instantly torn into pieces by the violent explosion, and consumed by the flame that ejected out from beneath the soil…

Even Jiang he, who just ran into the yard, was left utterly bewildered by the chain of explosions!

What the heck…

What happened?

What was with the big commotion?

Still, he soon became excited and laughed out loud. "Sky Demon Cultists?"

He had been missing them for so long!

Then, he arrived at the front gates.

That was when he saw Sword Star. wielding an alloy longsword in the darkness. His weapon turning into a sword flash, it deflected every bullet as he cried, "Senior Elder, Speed Star—go, claim Jiang He's head!"

He strode forward, staunchly reaching just a few steps in front of the gatling gun despite its bombardment and laughed coldly, "Trying to stop me with just a machine gun…"

Pop!

A single bullet, triggering its 'armor-piercing' effect struck Sword Star squarely in the head then.

There was a look of utter disbelief in his eyes as he tumbled to the ground loudly.

But at the same time that he fell, the old woman and Speed Star had reached Jiang He.

Though the old woman looked sickly and weak, her sudden burst of strength was incredibly fearsome. Her crutch, that weighed up to a hundred catties was swung down right into Jiang He's face, kicking up a roaring wind as it swung down towards him.

If it hit Jiang He in the face, he would…

Definitely get a big swell on the head!

Without thinking, Jiang He promptly raised his hands and struck out with Mighty Dragon Shows Penance!

Rawr!

The silhouette of a dragon bellowed, knocking away the crutch before Jiang He punched out again, beating the old woman to death even as she reached him.

Behind him, the five silhouettes of five great suns arose as Nature Qi encircled around his body, golden radiance and starlight interweaving over his body while the dragon's roar and an elephant's trumpeting could be heard. With that, Jiang He promptly turned and raised his feet, kicking out at Speed Star as the Decan lunged towards him.

Pow!

Poor Speed Star was a wind-type Awakened, and his physique was even weaker than a rank-six martial artist. Hence, he was blown up by Jiang He's single kick.

Though the process required a lengthy description, the truth was that it took Jiang He less than two seconds to kill the Senior elder, Speed Star, and Sword Star.

It all happened too quickly that neither the old woman nor Speed Star realized what happened up until they were killed.

Jiang He's current ability was exceedingly power, and he was capable of instakilling any rank-eights and rank-nines… it was unless an individual was as peerless as a rank-nine like the Sentinel of the Right who gained perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills that they might survive several blows from Jiang He.

"Eh?"

Jiang He turned to look towards the back of his mansion, and couldn't help grinning. "Interesting, the Sky Demon Cult is quite generous this time… to think that they would send a real elite here."

Stretching out with his spirit, he promptly noticed the Sentinel of the Right as well as two Decans, and hence strode out to meet them.

After all, every visitor who came to his house was a guest.

As the owner of the house, it was only reasonable that he received them.

The explosions were slowly fading now.

Beneath the wall around the yard, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, the Fourth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult, and Peace Star all stepped out, still feeling spooked.

They had reacted quickly and evaded swift enough. Moreover, they were staying behind the six Heavenly Generals, which was how they managed to escape the brutal explosion of the potato minefield and survived.

Even so, the six Heavenly Generals were not so lucky. Only one amongst them was not blown to death right then and there, with half of his body rolling to the Flowing Cloud Holy Child's feet. Coughing and gurgling blood from his mouth, he roared, "For the Holy Faith!"

Then, he croaked.

"Damn it!"

Flowing Cloud Holy Child bellowed in rage, his eyes going red. "Didn't they say that Jiang He was only planting potatoes over there? Where did the landmines come from?"

The tremendous explosion had concealed the sounds of gunshots and the horrific aura Jiang He unleashed when he killed both the Senior Elder and Speed Star. Even so, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child knew that now was not the time to mourn.

Clenching his alloy combat blade, he bellowed, "Kill!"

"Kill Jiang He, and avenge the deaths of the Heavenly Generals!"

Spiriting forward, he promptly landed atop the wall of Jiang He's yard.

But even before he could finish the emboldening, passionate words—

Whoosh!

A single massive vine tendril had suddenly shot out and coiled around the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, dragging him down.

"No!"

The Flowing Cloud Holy Child yelled in fear and panic, "Dark Star, save me…"

He was so lucky that he landed squarely on the spot where the Cloudscraper Vine grew.

Outside the wall, the Fourth Elder was panicking as well and exclaimed in shock, "What on earth is that?"

"Boston Ivy!"

Dark Star's eyes tightened as she exclaimed somberly. "No, it's not a Boston Ivy… even a Boston Ivy that evolved and mutated into a floral spirit would definitely not possess such profound vigor!"

Being a wood-type Awakened, she possessed a unique innate affinity for plants, and she could even control plants to serve her purpose.

And yet, in this very moment as she extended her senses against the gigantic, frightening plant, Dark Star's only felt an inward horror.

Whoosh!

The Cloudscraper Vine's nine tendrils were thrashing around wildly in the air. Be that as it may, Flowing Cloud Holy Child was still a rank-eight martial arts grandmaster who had been groomed firmly by the Sky Demon Cult since a young age. His ability was so overwhelming that he once slew a rank-seven novice Feral all by himself when he was merely rank-six pinnacle.

And now, bursting out with all his strength, he struggled wildly, and it looked for a moment that he was about to shrug free from the constricting and strangling of the Cloudscraper Vine.

"Hold on, Flowing Cloud!"

Dark Star called out quietly, releasing her energy. All at once, emerald radiance exploded around her, with every single ray darting towards the Cloudscraper Vine, attempting to control the plant…

Her veil was torn apart by the energy, exposing a withered and aged face, and it was completely out of place in contrast to her body.

In that instant, that withered and aged face began to age along with her body, and Dark Star exclaimed, "Oh, no… Fourth Elder, save me!"

As a wood-type Awakened, she was adept at using her powers to control plants.

Even so, she clearly felt that the gigantic Boston Ivy was actually absorbing the supernatural energies inside her body right now… she tried to withdraw her power but could not do it at all.

Within seconds, the Dark Star's body dried up entirely.

Thud!

Hence, she dropped to the ground, without an ounce of vigor.

On the other hand, after having absorbed the wood-type superpower, the tendrils of the Cloudscraper Vine was shining magnificently in emerald radiance. The penetration power of each of its spikes seemed to strengthen considerably, and soon, the vigor on Flowing Cloud Holy Child's body began to dissipate amidst his anguished, terrible yells, his voice slowly fading…

At that, the look on the mage-robed Fourth Elder's face changed.

A poker card appeared in his hand with a wave of his hand.

The card hence turned into an archway, and Fourth Elder leapt inside, disappearing through the archway.

It was one of his abilities that kept him alive, and even the poker card was materialized thanks to his superpower. Nonetheless, before the archway could disappear, a single serpentine vine shot inside the archway with the whooshing sound of an airburst, pulling Fourth Elder back out just as he was about to escape.

After absorbing the superpower belonging to Dark Star, the Cloudscraper Vine had morphed and evolved again. Its tendrils were now over a hundred meters long, and once it coiled around the Fourth Elder, even an Awakened with abilities to match peak rank-nine elites like him was unable to fight back at all.

"Damn it!"

Behind the mansion.

The Sentinel of the Right's face dropped even after he escaped the potato minefield, and he cried out once again, "Run! Run away, now! Our intelligence is mistaken!"

Being an elite with perfect grasp over the Boundary of wills, his senses were not fully obscured despite the boom and rush of energy unleashed in the instant that the potato minefield exploded.

Within his senses, an immeasurably violent power was slowly brewing.

And that power…

Was far was beyond his own!

"Divine-tier!

"A divine-tier champion is guarding within Jiang He's house…

"Trap. It's a trap…"

Whoosh!

The Sentinel of the Right turned to leave, even ignoring the two Grands who were with him. One Grand had been blown to death in the instant that the potato minefield was triggered, and the other two were injured as well. How could he escape if he brought them along?

And yet, even before the Sentinel of the Right could run over 200 meters, he came to a stop on his own.

A scarlet blade radiance hovered in the air before him, blocking his path.

"Brothers of the Sky Demon Cult. Now that you're here, why leave in such a rush?"

"Many amongst your fellowship sleep on my farm. Don't you want to keep them company?"

Jiang He was slowly walking towards him, smiling coolly. "Moreover, are you really trying to escape when you're already here?"

"Jiang He?"

The Sentinel of the Right slowly turned, his eyes tightening when he saw Jiang He's face clearly, and he could not help exclaiming, "No, that's impossible… Jiang He, are you divine-tier?!"

"I get it now; I get it now!"

As if having lost his mind, the Sentinel of the Right was laughing in despair and muttering to himself, "There was never any 'genius' Jiang He. It's all a bait and a trap. Even so, why is a divine-tier champion like you acting so shamelessly?"

"…"

Jiang He frowned.

What was this guy saying?

Did he mean to say that Jiang He had always been a divine-tier elite, and had been playing the role of a young prodigy all along, drawing in wave after wave of Sky Demon Cultists to attack himself, hence ambushing and killing them?'

Such slander!

It was all bare-naked slander of his name!

Jiang He rushed ahead, bursting out with the Third Fold of the Ninefold Thunderblade and slashed out nine times at once, knocking the Sentinel of the Right to the ground as he cursed and yelled, "Why the hell are you Sky Demon Cults so utterly shameless?"

"All of you were the ones who provoked me from start to finish!"

"And yet, you would spit at me and slander me?"

"I, Jiang He am just a martial newbie who only started out for a month-and-a-half. How did I suddenly become divine-tier in your own words!"

Stab!

Nonetheless, Jiang He only came to his senses after stabbing the Sentinel of the Right to death with a single thrust of his blade. Slapping his forehead, he muttered in irritation, "Damn it, I couldn't hold back from killing again. Still, this fellow's not weak and must be a top ranker in the Sky Demon Cult. I could have kept him alive for some extreme interrogation."

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Chapter 181: Well Done!

The main entrance of Lingzhou City's Martial Arts Department (MAD).

Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng were standing on both sides of the entrance, with several other leaders of the MAD.

An off-road vehicle was slowly approaching, before stopping before the MAD building.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man who looked around forty wearing training robes stepped out.

Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng went forward to meet him and offered a fist-palm salute, addressing him as Grandmaster Ji.

Grandmaster was an honorific for all individuals rank-seven and above, which was why both rank-eights and nines were addressed so as well.

Incidentally, the middle-aged man before them was a rank-nine martial artist.

His name was Ji Dongxu, an elite of Xibei's Ji clan.

The Xibei Ji clan's base was in Old Xi'an, and it was rumored that the clan was linked to the Jiang clan of the Yellow Emperor's tomb, which was one of the Five Holy Grounds of martial arts. When it comes to their depth, the Ji clan was stronger than the Ji clan, Murong clan, and the Long clan, who were the three great clans of Jiangnan!

On the surface, the Ji clan was presided over by a divine-tier elite, and rumor even has it that there was a Void-tier elder still alive.

Wang Hou recently reached the void-tier, but was known as Jiang He's First Man, because he was the first Void-elite who ascended to void-tier. Moreover, being the highest authority of the MAD and considered a public figure, Wang Hou was well known to all citizens, martial artists, and Awakened.

The First Man of the Hua Nation has a certain extent of standard.

But as a matter of fact, Wang Hou was not the only void-tier elite in the Hua Nation.

For example, each of the five sacred grounds had more than one void-tier. Even Dong Haichuan, the founding master of the Eight Trigrams School was already void-tier, and since people of that level could live up to five hundred, no one could know if certain ancient schools or martial clans had such ancient monsters hidden behind their doors.

After some self-introductions, Ji Dongxu was more or less acquainted with everyone.

"Thanks for making the journey, Grandmaster Ji," Duan Tinahe said then. "I've got my people to prepare a banquet so that you may rest up, this way please…"

"Then I shall not hold back."

Ji Dongxu laughed out loud. "I like the hand-eaten lamb in Lingzhou city a lot. I've often come by to have it."

Duan Tianhe breathed a sigh of inward relief at that.

He had been worried that the disciple of an old martial clan sent to guard Lingzhou city might prove arrogant and difficult, but it seemed that his worries were excessive.

They were having a lively chat and about to get on a ride to the hotel when Ji Dongxu's eyes moved towards the direction of Jinyintan Village. Even from a dozen kilometers away, the dull explosion did not escape Ji Dongxu's notice.

And it was not just him—both Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng heard the explosion as well.

The trio traded a look before all of them leapt up to the top of the MAD tower and looked out, only to find flames rising into the air at Jinyintan Village.

Soon, a powerful aura burst out…

Ju Dongxu's scowled and somberly said, "Powerful… even from this distance, I could feel a strong threat. His ability is perhaps nearing divine-tier!"

"What?"

The look on Cheng Dongfeng and Duan Tianhe's faces fell at that.

"Could a divine-tier elite be attacking Jiang He?"

Then, in less than ten seconds…

Every commotion faded and the powerful aura also promptly disappeared, and Ji Dongxu sighed. "The battle is already over…"

"Damn it!"

Cheng Dongfeng gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, exclaiming tragically, "The Sky Demon Cult actually mobilized a divine-tier elite?! What are our nation's elites doing? How could they not notice? Jiang He… Is Jiang He alright?"

Neither Duan Tianhe nor Ji Dongxu spoke.

In their perspective, Jiang He was probably… gone.

Noting their silence, Cheng Dongfeng promptly leapt off the roof, intent on heading to Jinyintan Village to see what was going on. Even so, Ji Dongxu stopped him, and Duan Tianher gave chases as well, barking, "Don't do anything reckless, Old Cheng!"

"The situation at Jinyintan Village is unknown right now. It's too dangerous to dive in!"

After some thought, he whipped out his phone and said, "I'll contact Commander Chen and see if he could divert that military elite from Yuzhen…"

"Eh?'

Even before Duan Tianhe's finished, his eyes narrowed on his phone screen.

A call had reached him by coincidence.

And the caller ID actually showed 'Jiang He'.

He looked up at Cheng Dongfeng, and then at Ji Dongxu.

Ji Dongxu appeared puzzled.

To tell the truth, he had been cultivating in seclusion before, and after he stepped out, he was immediately sent here by his family, so he did not know who Jiang He was at all.

"Answer it, quickly!"

Cheng Dongfeng exclaimed in delight. "I knew the kid was alright!"

Duan Tianhe breathed a sigh of relief inside, but he kept a composed appearance, "What if a Sky Demon Cultist got Jiang He's phone?"

He answered the call and put it on loudspeaker.

"Hey, Chief Duan!"

Jiang He's voice spoke over on the other end, and before Duan Tianhe could speak, Cheng Dongfeng moved closer and laughed out loud, "Haha! Are you alright, Jiang He? I was just saying how the good never live long—so how could you die easily, kid?"

"…"

Jiang He did a double take even as he searched the corpses of the Sky Demon Cultists.

Was that a curse against him?

Cheng Dongfeng, however, added in curiosity, "What's going on, Jiang He?" Have you been attacked by the Sky Demon Cult? I could feel an aura that could match a divine-tier elite's… how did you escape from such an elite?"

"Escape?"

Jiang He laughed. "What do you mean, divine-tier? Sure, there were quite a lot of people who attacked me, and one of them was quite strong, but he was not that strong—just a little short of divine-tier."

After all, Jiang He had encountered divine-tier elites before.

Feral Kings were of that level as well, and he himself had slain a newly ascended Feral King in the Black King Drake, which was how he could know that much.

"Eh?"

Jiang He suddenly exclaimed in delight. "I found it, I found it…"

Over at the other end of the call, Cheng Dongfeng and Duan Tianhe had a lot of questions, and could not help asking when he heard Jiang He say that, "Found what?"

"Token plate!"

Jiang He replied. "I found the Sky Demon Cult elite's token plate… Hmm, it looks different from the decrees that Fiend, Decans, and Elders held."

After a careful look, Jiang He decided that the token plate was quite good looking.

The design was intricate and the craftsmanship excellent, with 'sage' inscribed behind and 'right' inscribed on its face.

"Sage?"

"Right?"

Duan Tianhe frowned in return and said, "I've never heard of such a token plate. Are you sure the ones you killed are Sky Demon Cultists, Jiang He?"

"I'm sure."

Jiang He replied. "I just found Decan Decrees from his buddies' corpses."

"What the hell!"

After Cheng Dongfeng pondered for a bit, he suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Sage… The Sky Demon Cultists call their religion the Sky Sage Faith, so that 'sage' would refer to that. As for 'right'…"

His voice shook a little, his Adam's Apple rolling as he muttered in disbelief, "Above the Sky Demon Cult Elders are the two Sentinels, the Sentinel of the Left and the Sentinel of the Right. Could this belong to the Sentinel of the Right?"

"The Sentinel of the Right?"

"That's it, that's it! I just heard one of the two Decans yell 'Lord Sentinel or something. Looks like this dude has to be the Sentinel of the Right…"

Jiang He sighed. "No wonder he was so strong, and it felt like he was not much weaker than a Feral that recently ascended as a Feral King… looks like an elite who had perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills."

He strode towards the front gates of his yard and found three more token plates from the corpses, saying, "There are three more corpses here: Speed Star, Sword Star, and one more…"

Speed Star and Sword Star were easy to identify since the back of their token plate were both their token plates were marked with Decans and the front marked with 'Speed' and 'Sword' respectively. And yet, after getting the old woman's token plate, Jiang He did a double-take and said hesitantly, "This is an Elder Decree, but a 'one' is written on the face. Could this granny be the Senior Elder of the Sky Demon Cult?"

Over on the other end of the call, both Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng were utterly shocked, unsure what to say just then.

Beside them, Ji Dongxu's blinked and could not help asking, "Who is this Jiang He? According to what I know, the Sky Demon Cult's Senior Elder is indeed a granny, but she is quite powerful and almost gained perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills!"

He then sighed. "Cutting down the Sentinel of the Right, the Senior Elder as well as several Decans… could he be a divine-tier elite?"

Ji Dongxu turned serious at that and said, "Chief Duan, Master Cheng. This is a little untoward of you. Since this Jiang He is a divine-tier elite in Lingzhou City, I should have visited him first."

"Who?"

Since Duan Tianhe's phone was on loudspeaker, Jiang He could naturally and clearly hear Ji Dongxu's words. "Who are you?" He could not help asking. "The Sentinel of the Right would smear me, and you would too?"

"Forget it, not bothered. Old Duan, send some guys here—I'm off to look elsewhere."

Beep!

Jiang He promptly hung up.

After all, the potato landmines had blown up certain corpses, leaving obscure puddles of flesh.

Jiang He did not want to dig graves for those because it was so disgusting—having Duan Tianhe send someone deal with it was best.

He headed outside the walls of his front yard and found it blown to a mess. Weirdly, however, the walls near the potato landmines were undamaged, whereas one torn corpse after another were blown across every direction.

Jiang He vaulted over the wall and back into the farm, beside the Cloudscraper Vine, where he found the Flowing Cloud Holy Child's shoes, clothes, and skeleton. "Huh?" He exclaimed in surprise, "Did you get rid of someone trying to slip inside my house from the wall?"

The Cloudscraper Vine that had retracted into itself shook a few times. It was stretching its nine thick tendrils leisurely, and at the center of the vines was Fourth Elder, who was being wrapped by the Cloudscraper Vine's tendrils and leaves into a dumpling.

His mouth was stuffed by several leaves, and he struggled firmly once he saw Jiang He, his whimpers muffled.

Delighted, Jiang He exclaimed, "There's actually one alive?"

"Good job, Cloudscraper Vine!"

Reaching out the plant's thick, firm tendrils, Jiang He encouraged, "After I torture and torment him a bit, I'll give you his corpse for nutrients!"

Pleased, the tendrils rubbed itself intimately on Jiang He's body.

"No, no, no… rubbing is alright, but don't come inside me… and stay in the yard unless I command otherwise!"

The Cloudscraper Vine was actually trying to enter Jiang He just then.

Scowling, he could not help gasping when he saw the tendrils that had thickened and elongated.

"Woah!"

"That's a hundred meter long now, is it not?"

"Could you still enter my body when you're so huge?"

The Cloudscraper Vine could creep under his skin, even forming a green, pollution-free armor. But could it still enter now that it was so thick and huge?

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Chapter 182: You Won't Tell The Truth Without Torture

It was night, and the crescent moon was as curved as a blade.

There was autumn coolness in the October night.

Several cars were speeding out of Lingzhou City's Martial Arts Department (MAD) under the night.

Duan Tianhe, Cheng Dongfeng, and Ji Dongxiu were all sitting in the same car, and it was rather silent inside.

Cheng Dongfeng only breathed a long sigh when the car left Lingzhou City, saying, "I'm so adorably foolish that I would be worried of the anomaly that is Jiang He… That said, did that kid really do in the Sentinel of the Right and the Senior Elder of the Sky Demon Cult?"

Duan Tianhe said nothing.

Beside them, Ji Dongxu could not help asking, "Chief Duan, what is the story with this Jiang He?"

He was very curious.

That person had killed the Sentinel of the Right, the Senior Elder, and several of the Grands single-handedly, something which the peerless rank-nines who gained perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills would never achieve… after all, the Sentinel of the Right was an elite of this same rank, and the Senior Elder of the Sky Demon Cult was not far from that as well.

And yet, through the call…

That 'Jiang He' who left him speechless claimed that he was not divine-tier…

Cheng Dongfeng continued the conversation then, and told Ji Dongxu about Jiang He's feats.

Once he was finished, he sneered, saying, "Didn't the Blue King Drake say that a human elite killed the Black King Drake two days ago when it attacked Jiangnan? Jiang He might be the one that did it!"

"That's impossible!"

Although Ji Dongxu had left seclusion for no more than a few days, he certainly knew about something so important. Shaking his head, he said, "The Black King Drake was already a Feral King, which is equal to a divine-tier human. Even if Jiang He is a peerless rank-nine, he would never surpass a divine-tier elite, let alone at rank-seven."

"Why not?"

Cheng Dongfeng sighed. "He killed rank-sevens as a rank-five, rank-eight as a rank-six. I've always thought that turning the tables against a rank-nine is impossible too, but didn't Jiang He kill them all the same?"

He was simply saying those words casually, but now, Cheng Dongfeng's eyes lit up.

The more he thought about it, the likelier Jiang He was the culprit.

"I've read an article about it, saying that the mysterious elite blew up and scattered over a thousand Ferals before crossing to the island…"

There was a twitch in Duan Tianhe's expression.

What the hell.

His eyes widened at Cheng Dongfeng.

Others notwithstanding…

Blowing things up for a bit before going to kill some big shot was absolutely Jiang He's style.

Most importantly, Jiang He was at Jiangnan in those two days. According to the feedback from the Jiangnan MAD, after the two elites Pei Donglai and Wang Hou had shifted the battlefield to the wildlands, and Pei Donglai had returned to Jiangnan City once to personally bring Jiang He to the wildlands…

Cheng Dongfeng had clearly thought of that and calmly said, "Old Duan, could that aura before belong to Jiang He?"

Nonetheless, they soon arrive at Jiang He's house.

The man himself was standing outside his front gates.

As everyone got down from the car and approached Jiang He, Duan Tianhe made the introductions, "Jiang He, this is Ji Dongxu, or Grandmaster Ji of Xibei's Ji clan, and he has now come to help guard Lingzhou city."

"Grandmaster Jiang!"

Ji Dongxu offered him a fist-palm salute, showing respect towards Jiang He in his words. At the same time, he was very curious and could not help casting Jiang He a few more looks while smiling. "I've heard of your fame, and it seems that the stories are true."

Jiang He returned his salute, and they had a little chat when Cheng Dongfeng suddenly exclaimed, "Are you rank-eight now, Jiang He?"

"Yes, I am. Rank-eight pinnacle, in fact."

"What the hell!"

Cheng Dongfeng was astonished. "Weren't you rank-seven just a few days ago?"

"A few days ago?"

Jiang he thought about it. To tell the truth, he had just ascended up to rank-seven on Mount Helan, which was around ten days since? Nonetheless, considering that his 'cultivation career' was just one month and a few days, ten days was a third of that duration and considered very long, was it not?

Still, following his shock, Cheng Dongfeng found that it made sense.

Did it not make sense if these sorts of things happen to Jiang He?

Cheng Dongfeng found that he had gotten used to it. If someone were to say that Jiang He could bring down the moon with a single swing of his blade, he would not be all that shocked.

Meanwhile, as Duan Tianhe instructed the other MAD personnel to handle the 'battlefield', Jiang He quickly said, "Don't go anywhere else. Just clean up the corpses and that's it—I still have landmines planted under other spots!"

The personnel all shuddered, afraid to even walk an inch.

Jiang He chuckled when he saw that, "Is there a need to be that afraid? Just don't go anywhere you like. The potato… the landmines I planted are very stable, and they won't detonate as long as you don't step in the zone."

"…"

Two amongst the personnel were Jiang He's acquaintances: one was the Liu Xue, the Awakened with superstrength and the other was Su Ze, a disciple of Cheng Dongfeng's fellow pupil.

Unable to decide if he should laugh or cry, Su Ze said, "Don't frighten us, Mister Jiang."

"Who's frightening you?"

Jiang He glared speechlessly. "The landmines I buried are very powerful, and actually blew up a rank-eight… whatever, I'll lead you."

Duan Tianhe and Ji Dongxu followed along as well.

They first went behind the mansion, where the Sentinel of the Right struck.

They saw a massive crater immediately.

The crater was up to three meters deep and over a hundred meters wide, and the edge of the crater was less than ten meters away from Jiang He's mansion. He did not notice it since he was preoccupied with murder and searching the corpses, and he could not help feeling frightened after the fact, wiping cold sweat off his bow even as he said, "Luckily, I did my best to keep the landmines far away when I buried it, or my mansion would be blown sky-high as well.

The scene was rather silent.

Woah!

Someone gasped and exclaimed in shock, "Heavens! Such devastation—could it be a W-35 nuclear mine?"

Nuclear landmines had already been developed years ago, and it was said that there were some with kiloton yields. It was so powerful as an anti-infantry and anti-tank weapon that there would be fireworks once it detonates.

Still, for a person like Jiang He who was uneducated about weapons, he would not know about the existence of such a weapon at all.

"What nuclear landmine?"

"Screw that. This is my homemade landmine. It's only so powerful… because I buried around thirty of them here."

Jiang He answered truthfully.

As for landmines or potato landmines…

The difference was just a single word, nothing to be obsessed about.

Soon.

Everyone had pieced together the broken pieces of the Sky Demon Cult's Decan. His Decan Decree had been blown quite far—Liu Xue found it three hundred meters away.

It had a 'Noble' written on it, indicating that he was Noble Star.

After that, Jiang He led the others outside the walls of his farms as well… and after some puzzle work, they counted five corpses.

Liu Xue was holding a small notebook and was writing at a corner, "Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, Noble Star, Sword Star, Speed Star, Dark Star, Grace Star, Balance Star, as well as four Fiends."

An utter look of astonishment showed on the face of the adorable loli as she gasped in surprise. "Brother Jiang He, you're so awesome! You actually killed so many in a single fight?"

Jiang He on the other hand frowned, saying, "Nope, there's a mistake. There should be six Fiends."

"Eh?"

Liu Xiu replied. "Could they be too damaged to be found? Hold on, I'll ask my colleagues at forensics."

Soon, she returned and said, "My colleagues did find some extra body parts."

She looked at Duan Tianhe who stood with Jiang He and asked, "Should we search for more Fiend Decrees, Chief Duan?"

"No need. What for? It's not worth any money!"

Jiang He spoked before Duan Tianhe could, adding, "By the way, Chief Duan, look at this token plate. I found it from another Sky Demon Cultist, although it looks a little weird—I've not seen any with such style."

Duan Tianhe took the token plate and studied it.

Unlike the Fiend Decree, Decan Decree, Elder Decree, and even the Sentinel Decree, this token plate was not made from alloy, but its material resembled jade and was white.

'Holy' was written on its back, and the front was two words: Floating Cloud.

Frowning, Duan Tianhe shook his head and said, "I've never seen a token plate like that either… What is his ability like?"

Clearly, he did not recognize the Holy Child Decree either.

There were many Holy Children in the Sky Demon Cult that were groomed at the beginning of the Revival of Qi, but none of them came out to the known world before. It was only recently that they came out to loiter around, and Jiang He actually killed one.

But that was not exactly true, since it was the Cloudscraper Vine that had done it.

Jiang He had not even met the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, which was why he shook his head when Duan Tianhe asked him about it, saying, "I don't know."

"Eh?"

Duan Tianhe asked, taken aback. "Didn't you say you killed him? How could you not know his ability?"

"I killed him, but did I kill him personally?"

"Doesn't my pets killing him equals to me killing him?"

Jiang He's eyes suddenly lit up even as he spoke. "Hold on, maybe someone knows what this token plate represents…"

He strode out of his farm, and soon dragged out the mage-robed Fourth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult.

Duan Tianhe, Cheng Dongfeng, and Ji Dongxu were all left taken aback, and could not help asking, "This person is…?"

"No idea."

Jiang He simply dumped Fourth Elder on the ground, saying, "My pet caught him, but he's quite strong and could match a rank-nine, so he's probably an Elder… Chief Duan, does the MAD have any torture tools? Loan me a few sets for now—I'm ready to interrogate him for a bit to see what I could find out."

Duan Tianhe shook his head.

Jiang He muttered 'what a pity', before suggesting, "How about this, borrow me that old blacksmith of yours. I'll design a dozen torture tools myself. I'll never believe he won't talk if we test it on this buster then!"

"…"

On the ground, the Fourth Elder who was playing dead finally could not bear it.

Opening his eyes, he seethed through his clenched teeth. "You might be young, but you are very vile, Jiang He."

???

"You weren't unconscious?" Jiang He exclaimed in surprise.

And was he not speaking the most terrified words with the harshest attitude?

Shaking his head, Jiang He said, "I would never believe you… You Sky Demon Cultists are all a bunch of brainwashed zealots who would scream 'for the Holy Faith' before you die, that the Saint would revive them and whatnot… would you tell the truth without my torture?"

Jiang He raised his hand and gave him an almighty slap, before drawing his Dragon-Slaying Saber and running it through Fourth Elder's thigh.

Only then did he say, "Alright, you can talk now."

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Chapter 183: Oily Green Grave Grass

"Argh!"

The Fourth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult screamed under the unprecedented brutality, yelling as he clutched at his thigh, "Mercy, Jiang He, mercy, I'll talk—I'll talk."

Jiang He pointed at the white jade token plate and asked, "Who does this token plate belongs to?"

"A Holy Child of my Holy Faith."

"It belongs to the Flowing Cloud Holy Child." Fourth Elder said after a glance at the token plate.

"And who are you?"

"I'm Liu Zhao, the Fourth Elder of my Holy Faith, once a famed master of magics overseas, but a moment of clumsiness and an unpatriotic comment reduced me to nothing. Awakening a superpower in my misery, I joined the Holy Faith by chance.

"This is my Elder Decree to prove my identity."

"…"

Beside them, Cheng Dongfeng was staring with a dumbstruck look at Duan Tianhe, and then at Ji Dongxu who was gaping. "Are the Sky Demon Cultists all scaredy cats?

"Could this Fourth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult be an impersonation?"

He remembered how things went when he himself had interrogated some Sky Demon Cultists who were captured alive. Even an average cultist would react ruthlessly, dying rather than yielding, and usually they would commit suicide by biting off their tongue or taking poison.

There were even some who were beaten half to death, but would still chant slogans like 'For the Holy Faith'.

The Fourth Elder, on the other hand…

Was he not too much of a coward?

At that thought, Cheng Dongfeng communicated with Jiang He using Secret Acoustics, asking, "Jiang He, how could Sky Demon Cultists yield so easily? Be mindful of tricks!"

But just as he finished his sentence, Fourth Elder yelled, "No, Jiang He, every word I say is true! There is absolutely no lie, and I promise that upon my dignity!"

Then, glaring venomously at Cheng Dongfeng, seething, "Why are you so toxic that you would treat a gentleman's kindness with pettiness?"

Shocked, Cheng Dongfeng exclaimed, "You could hear my Secret Acoustics?"

"Is it really that difficult?"

Fourth Elder said smugly. "So-called Secret Acoustics is nothing more than acoustics delivered through spirit, or by some resonating oscillation formed using True Qi. I'm an A-class pinnacle Awakened with powerful Spirit—a rank-seven spirit acoustic would never escape my senses. All I need is to grasp certain little tricks to determine the contents of your acoustics."

"Interesting."

Jiang He chuckled, before asking, "What other use is there for this little trick?"

"To determine truths and lies."

Fourth Elder said it as it is. "A person's spirit would twitch very faintly when they lie. It is instinctive and could not be concealed, although your spirit needs to be stronger than your target to a certain extent to succeed."

"Oh?"

Jiang He's gaze shifted, as he asked about the so-called 'trick'.

"It's actually not difficult. All you need to do is your spirit to identify your spirit's 'wavelength', and it's basically the same principle as the interceptions of wireless currents."

Jiang He tried it, and once again looked towards Fourth Elder, asking, "Speak. Why does the Sky Demon Cult keep coming after me?"

"I don't know," Fourth Elder answered reverently, "I'm actually not ranked high in the Holy Faith, and Sentinel of the Right was the one commanding this operation."

Slap!

Jiang He slapped Fourth Elder across his face, knocking off a few of his front teeth and drew his Dragon-Slaying Saber with a turn of his hand while laughing coldly. "Tell the truth!"

Fourth Elder quickly said, "You've sabotaged our plans, killing many of our elite disciples, Heavenly Generals, Grands, even Third Elder and Sixth Elder. The Holy Faith hates you to the bone to the point that the Saint had decreed us to destroy you."

He only realized something when he finished, and could not help exclaiming, "How did you know I was lying? No way… my spirit is equal to a rank-nine elite's with perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills… you could not have sensed it!"

Ji Dongxu's gaze twitched too.

On the other hand, Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng appeared composed.

What was there to it?

They've already guessed that Jiang He's spirit must be very strong.

As for how strong… that was unknown.

Jiang He did not bother to explain either, and merely asked coldly, "Why would you people keep sending wave after wave of your elites to die here at Lingzhou City, where not even the birds would perch?"

Die?

Who the hell wants to die? The problem is the illogical freak that is you."

"I don't know."

Stunned that Jiang He's spirit was stronger than his own, Fourth Elder did not dare to have excess thoughts as he answered, "I'm not sure. All I know is that this is the Saint's will."

Pow!

Jiang He raised his foot and kicked out.

Though Fourth Elder was an Awakened could match the best of rank-nines, his physique was equal to a rank-six martial artist. The single kick sent him sliding over the ground up to dozens of meters away and with two broken ribs.

Coughing a huge mouthful of blood, he exclaimed in anguished, "Why would you hit me? I wasn't lying!"

"I know."

Jiang He waved, and several Martial Arts Department (MAD) personnel went off to bring Fourth Elder back. Smiling, he said, "I'm just irritated from looking at you—Saint this, Holy Faith that, only to turn your back against them in the blink of an eye."

Holding his blade over Fourth Elder's throat, Jiang He turned to Duan Tianhe, "Anything you want to ask, Chief Duan? If not, I'm cutting him down."

"No!"

Fourth Elder cried out in panic, showing an incredible survival instinct. "Don't kill me, I'm still useful, I know a lot of inside information about the Holy—I mean, Sky Demon Cult! I've never hurt anybody since joining them, and this is my first time stepping out!"

Withstanding the pain of broken ribs and a stabbed thigh, he dived towards Jiang He, clutching at his thigh as he cried, "Don't kill me, Jiang He! I know magic… I know a lot of magic!"

Jiang He smirked as he kicked Fourth Elder down. "What does your knowing magic tricks have to do with me?"

"I can put on a show for you! When I was at the Sky Demon Cult, I've always put on magic shows for the Cardinals!"

Fourth Elder was about to lunge at Jiang He again, but paused when he saw Jiang He raised his foot. Still, his eyes lit up then as he added, "Yes, I know a lot of secrets about the Sky Demon Cult! I'm willing to offer that in exchange for my life!"

"Although the Saint did not say it directly, my guess is that he wants to claim Lingzhou City to receive the Holy Envoy representing the Holy Ones!!"

"What the hell does the Holy Envoy have to do with me?"

Jiang He fiddled with his Dragon-Slaying Saber, and yet Ji Dongxu's expression changed beside him. He knows that the 'Holy Ones' referred to the Sky Demons, and promptly growled, "Do you mean that the sky demons are coming?"

"Taking Lingzhou City to receive their envoy… perhaps the Stargate is close to Lingzhou City?"

The looks on Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng's faces changed drastically at that.

Jiang He was rather surprised too.

Extraterrestrials?

Descending on Earth?

And the location was close to Lingzhou City…

In fact, that piece of news startled him so much that he stabbed Fourth Elder to death.

Even when he was dying, Fourth Elder's eyes were ablaze with the will to live as he begged for mercy, "No, I'm still young, I'm just fortyish… I don't want to die, I know that the Sky Demon Cult's base is at…"

His head tilted at that and he croaked.

Jiang He: "…"

He was rather embarrassed, and he chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "I forgot to ask about that one. But it's fine, I'll just have to catch another one alive later for interrogation…"

Stunned by the news of the sky demons' coming, the trio was once again stunned by Jiang He's action, and felt as if the information just now was not all that astonishing.

Even Duan Tianhe could not help chuckling, "It's still a secret where the base of the Sky Demon Cult is, but he just might be mentioning it in passing. The MAD has undercovers that reached the hierarchy of the Sky Demon Cult, but hasn't identified where it is… of course, he might actually know where it is."

Still, now that Fourth Elder was dead, it didn't matter if they knew.

"Jiang He, news of the sky demons' arrival is urgent. I have to return to the MAD right now and report this to the higher-ups."

"I'll have someone take count of the merit points later, and credit it into your account."

Duan Tianhe paused and asked, "These corpses…"

According to regulation, the corpses must be moved.

Still, Jiang He was quite unique since he has the habit of keeping corpses. Duan Tianhe and Chengdongfeng had their theories but never really came to a conclusion—although they guessed that Jiang He was using the bodies to cultivate some demonic art, there were no signs of it on Jiang He's body.

Still, Wang Siyu had mentioned something about seeing some graves in Jiang He's yard. And with Li Fei having heard Jiang He spoke of raising a grave for Killer Star, they got the conclusion…

Jiang He was probably feeling guilty after killing people, which is why he buried the many corpses in peace and put his conscience at ease.

But since Jiang He would not explain himself, they naturally would not ask.

Glancing at the corpses on the ground, Jiang He then said, "Just leave the Sentinel of the Right's corpse. You may take the others."

After all, Jiang He was disgusted with mangled remains.

The Fiends and the Decans were too weak for Jiang He as he was now.

Moreover, he could not plant them at the moment.

And if he planted them, what use are they when his dog might be stronger than them?

Still, the Sentinel of the Right was quite strong and has some statues. Maybe he could find out about certain secrets after planting him.

And in truth…

Jiang He was not confident that he could plant a living human out of a corpse.

Nonetheless, Duan Tianhe and the others soon left with the corpses.

Holding up Sentinel of the Right's corpse with a single hand, he arrived at a corner of the farm.

"Dumbo, Trumbo, come dig graves… Eh?"

Even as he called out, Jiang He was left stunned when he looked up.

Grave grasses were growing out of the many graves, and each tuft of grass was different—some were tall, some were short, some were sprawled over the ground like vines, or even growing flowers and fruits.

Basically, it was all an oily-green field.

"What's going on?"

"According to my hunch before, my farm could plant corpses with three tiers higher than my farm, giving me cultivation manuals, superpowers, or even human…"

"Is my hunch wrong?"

Could the three-tier gap theory be wrong?

There should be some other condition for planting corpses.

Moreover…

"It seems that the possibility of growing a living human can be eliminated. I could try planting when my farm levels up again, but that's not an idea that can be put away for now."

Jiang He's gaze fell upon a grave at the edge.

If memory serves, that grave belonged to the Sixth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult—the unlucky fellow who was killed by Dumbo.

However, Trumbo basically clawed away the grave…

After all, the cat loved disco dancing and napping over it.

And now, a single tuft of grave grass was growing over that grave.

"Eh?"

Jiang He noticed mysterious that the grave grass was quite familiar. As a thought occurred to him, he took out a tuft of Sword Will Barrenwort and abruptly noticed it.

The grave grass was exactly the same as the Sword Will Barrenwort!

"The Sixth Elder of the Sky Demon Cult had grasped sword will… which is why a Sword Will Barrenwort grew?"

Jiang He only came to his senses after half a beat, and whipped out his phone to make a call.

"Chief Duan!"

"Bring those corpses back!"

"That's right, even the broken ones. Every corpse, everything—bring them all back!"

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Chapter 184: The Cat And Dog That Learnt Ucchusma Stonebreaker Palm

Although Jiang He felt that the corpses were completely useless before, he had realized their importance now. If he killed another one dozen elites who grasped sword will and planted more Sword Will Barrenwort, would his own grasp over sword will not be perfected?

[Ding!]

[2000 Farm Points]

He walked up and plucked the Sword Will Barrenwort, before turning to look at the graves nearby.

A three-feet tall tree was growing beside the grave.

It was a strange plant: its branches and trunk were green but it had no leaves, with two cherry-sized fruits hanging atop its bald branches.

The fruit was, in fact, green too.

"Tut, tut!"

Jiang He couldn't help laughing as he exclaimed, "What gods have the Sky Demon Cultists angered that all the plants growing their graves are green[1]?"

Even as he bantered, he pondered.

The graves had been buried for some time. Why did the grave grass suddenly grow out?

"Could it be because of the farm leveling up?" Jiang He felt that it was the only possibility—he had definitely felt a mysterious energy wafting in his farm in the instant that it leveled up. The willow tree he had planted shot up by two meters in no time at all, and it made sense that energy nurturing some of the grave grass.

Nonetheless, Jiang He became even more puzzled at that.

Why did it not catalyze into several living people?

He had planted Dumbo and Tumbo before, and both of them were Ferals—beings of flesh and blood. If they could be planted, why not human corpses?

Was his farm level too low?

Could there be some other conditions?

"A paper doll could be planted into a maid, so why not corpses?"

"Could I plant corpses when the farm levels up, reviving it?"

"Planting corpses now only gives me grave grasses, then… what is the rule? Surely I can't wait until the farm levels up after I plant the corpses?"

Jiang He mused to himself for a long time when he heard a car's honk from outside. Only then did he rub his temples and head out.

The Martial Arts Department (MAD) vehicle carrying the corpses had returned.

"Mister Jiang, where would you want the corpses?" Su Ze asked as he leapt off the vehicle.

The youth was now utterly respectful towards Jiang He, and was all smiles as he said, "Point me there, and I'll help carry it over."

"No need, just put them outside."

"Very well!"

Su Ze hence unloaded the corpses.

Meanwhile, Jiang He saw that Liu Xue was remaining in the vehicle, and grinned, "Liu Xue, come over for a bit."

"Huh?"

Despite being puzzled, Liu Xue jumped off the vehicle as well.

With a turn of his hand, Jiang He drew out a gigantic eel and handed it to her, saying, "Didn't you keep asking for an eel? I managed to pick one up when I was at Jiangnan, though it's a shame that it's dead."

Liu Xue: "…"

A look of shock flash upon her loli face.

Eel…

'When did I ask for an eel? You were the one who said on your own that you would catch me an eel for me to play with, please!

'All I wanted is a baby Feral…

'That being said, this eel must be rank-four, or perhaps a rank-five?

'Even a single corpse would be worth a lot of money, would it not?'

Receiving the corpse, Liu Xue smiled sweetly at Jiang He and said, "Thank you, Mister Jiang."

With that, she leapt back on the vehicle.

Soon, the corpses were put on the ground. Jiang He then called out to the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers who were watching Peppa Pig so intently that they were not affected at all by the explosions and the battle outside, saying, "Carry those corpses inside the farm… by the way, where's Dumbo and Trumbo? Tell them to come help as well."

The corpses were hence moved inside the farm.

As Jiang He tired himself out from instructing, Dumbo, Trumbo and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers also planted all the corpses and piled graves above them.

Rewarding each of the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers with a Nitrogen Fertilizer, Jiang He barked, "Alright, it's already ten. Staying up late is bad for your health, now get back inside the bottle gourds and sleep."

With that, the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers happily climbed back inside their bottle gourds with their 'candies'.

Then, glancing at Dumbo and Trumbo who were wagging their tails to curry favor, Jiang He thought about it before walking up and plucking the small tree growing beside the grave.

[Ding!]

[500 Farm Points]

Compared to the Sword Will Barrenwort, the grave grass earned Jiang He a lot less points.

Clearly, its value would be much lower than the Sword Will Barrenwort.

All at once, Jiang He lost interest.

Would I ever care for such rubbish?

Though fruits must be eaten… said fruit grew out of a grave, absorbing the essences of the corpse within. How could that not be disgusting?

Plucking two fruits, he rewarded Dumbo and Trumbo with one each.

Delighted, cat and dog stuffed the fruit down their mouths once they received it.

Crunch, crunch.

After several munching, they swallowed.

Oom!

In second, a curious surge of energy arose from Dumbo and Trumbo's bodies, just as a golden light flashed over their body, eventually converging on their paws.

"Ha!"

Dumbo, standing on his rear legs, assumed a horse stance and breathed a soft cry, clenching one of its paws by its hip while abruptly extending the other.

Boom!

The air rumbled.

A giant golden palm shot out, fading only when it was eight meters away.

"Meow!"

Trumbo followed suit, and also managed to fire a giant golden palm, although before the cat enlarged itself, its palm technique was two sizes smaller than Dumbo's.

"…"

Utterly shocked, Jiang He murmured in surprise, "Ucchusma Stonebreaker Palm?"

He remembered that palm technique very well.

After all, Killer Star had ambushed him with that technique back at Li Fei's farm, leaving him half-dead when his strike landed. However, after Jiang He turned the tables against Killer Star and killed him, he sold the cultivation manual for the Ucchusma Stonebreaker Palm that he found on Killer Star's corpse.

And now, the palm technique Dumbo and Trumbo used was that same Ucchusma Stonebreaker Palm. While less powerful than Killer Star, it was extremely horrific and would not be impossible to break stones.

Moreover, Killer Star was rank-eight, whereas Dumbo and Trumbo were only rank-six advanced at the moment—the gap in ability was simply enormous.

"What the heck!"

Dumbo exclaimed in surprise then and stared in disbelief at his canine paw, "I actually learnt martial arts now?"

"Meow!!!"

Trumbo shrieked several times as well.

Certainly.

No one would believe even if word spreads that there were Ferals that knew martial arts.

In the very least, of all the Ferals he had encountered so far, most of them attacked with their brute strength. Of course, there were also Ferals with superpowers, such as the Black King Drake that controlled water, but there really has not been any Feral that knew kung fu.

"Humans have legacies and the Old Martial Era, even an Era of Qi Refinist if we go further back in time… but what about Ferals?"

Jiang He suddenly had a weird idea.

Ferals…

Were monsters.

Do the monsters possess legacy?

There was a chance, but it would probably be rare, and there was no information about such a thing for now at least.

Looking at the excited Dumbo and Trumbo, Jiang He suddenly realized something.

His pets had awakened water-type powers when they ate the grave grass of the B-class water-type Awakened before. Now that they ate Killer Star's grave grass, they've learnt Ucchusma Tomb-Breaker Palm…

Jiang He then turned towards a grave which had a tuft of grass growing over it.

"Is this grave… Brave Star's?"

"No, wait. It might be Bound Star's…"

Jiang He was not sure.

Who would remember this stuff anyway?

After all, he was only responsible for throwing the corpse. Dumbo and Trumbo were both in charge of digging their graves.

Still, it did not matter whose grave it was.

The important thing is that this tuft of grass was unlike the Sword Will Barrenwort, the latter of which could be 'used' by merely extending his spirit into it, obtaining its ability or cultivation method. In contrast, the grass would need to be consumed to take effect…

There was no way Jiang He would eat such a disgusting thing, though it would be alright to feed his pets with it.

He walked up and plucked it.

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

A System Notification jingled in his head, and Jiang He promptly slapped himself in the forehead, saying, "I'm so stupid. I could check the stats since it's a plant… can't I tell what effect it has with just a look?"

Focusing his gaze, the data about the tuft of green grass showed up just as expected.

[Grave Grass]

[Attribute: A plant that grows over graves, possesses mysterious effects.]

"…"

What do you mean, grave grass?

What do you mean, mysterious effect? Would it kill you to put in one line to introduce the effect?

After complaining for a bit, Jiang He split the tuft of grass into two portions and handed them to Dumbo and Trumbo, saying, "Eat."

Trumbo took the grass and munched until green juices were flowing down the corners of its mouth, mewing in delight.

On the other hand, Dumbo hesitated and asked hesitantly, "Master, I'm a dog…"

And dogs don't eat grass.

Hehe.

Dumbo's whole body shuddered at Jiang He's mere chuckle, and it quickly said, "Master, I'll eat it, I'll eat it."

It opened its mouth…

And first used its water-type powers to clean the grass, before breathing flames to bake it.

As the grass cooked, Dumbo even went to the storeroom to get oil, pepper, and salt…

Jiang He gaped, and could not help laughing, "You dog. You've kept asking me for condiments… it seems that you have hoarded a lot now."

Trumbo froze where it was, immediately finding the grass in its mouth tasteless.

Meanwhile, Dumbo cheerfully put the baked grass inside its mouth, munch on it a few times before swallowing.

Ooom!

An earthen-yellow halation hence shot out from its body, and the same soon happened to Trumbo as well.

"Earth-type superpowers… it seems that this grave is Bound Star's."

Jiang He exhaled, looking rather pleased as he smiled. "That's right, I've thought before that you two are too weak that you wouldn't be able to watch the house. Now, it seems that there's still hope for you yet."

Jiang He was feeling rather positive.

If the cat and the dog continued to grow…

It would be too interesting if someone attempts to invade his house in the future.

Even if they could clear the two obstacles that were the Cloudscraper Vine and the willow tree, they would still have to face the kung-fu pets.

"Haha! I wonder what others would think if they saw my pets using Ucchusma Stonebreaker Palm, blade and sword techniques, or even awakening blade will and sword will?

Jiang He could not help laughing.

Meanwhile, deep within Mount Dadong.

The Graywolf King was lying sprawled on a mountaintop, while a figure stood facing him up on thin air under the night sky.

The figure was wearing black robes, and his body palpated a sinister coldness as he smiled. "Graywolf King, you oppose humans. Opening a heritage side alongside them… did you really think the Ferals serving you could gain anything by entering?"

The Graywolf King looked up at the black-robed figure.

It laughed coldly as it breathed human speech, "Human this, human that… are you perhaps not human?"

The black-robed figure laughed, black mist rising from his body as his eyes glimmered in pale light. He extended his hands that were rather deformed, saying, "I was once baptized at the Holy Lake and my body is now a body of the Holy Ones, not human."

"Amusing!"

The Graywolf King guffawed, saying, "I can open a heritage site jointly with the Sky Demon Cult, but only ten persons are allowed inside… and you must wait until the next full moon."

Its power was the strongest during full moons, and its power would not decrease by much even if it was weakened after the heritage site was opened.

In the end… it was worried about the Sky Demon Cult.

This bunch that was neither human nor demon had given up on being 'human' because of something vague and imaginary.

Who would know if that would blow up in their faces?

"Very well!"

The black-robed figure answered hoarsely, saying, "Full moon… the fifteenth of the ninth month in the lunar calendar, October fifteenth on the western calendar. I'll come with my people when the time comes."

Poof.

The black-robed figure turned into a puff of black smoke and disappeared from Mount Dadong.

Soon, the figure appeared at the entrance into Zhouchuan Village, approximately 70 km away from Lingzhou city.

He then stood outside the uninhabited village, waiting for half an hour.

Soon, a puzzled voice could be heard beneath the black robes, exclaiming, "What's going on? Has the Sentinel of the Right not succeeded yet? What happened to meeting here, and he still hasn't shown up?"

[1] Green (绿) is a metaphor often associated with cuckolds.

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Chapter 185: The Price Of Becoming Strong!

Setting aside the matter about a certain Cardinal who continued to wait impatiently for the Sentinel, Holy Child, Elders, Grands and Heavenly Generals of his cult.

Duan Tianhe had just finished a video call with Deputy Zhou back in his office at the Lingzhou City Martial Arts Department (MAD), which lasted one hour and twenty-eight minutes.

Hanging up, Duan Tianhe breathed forced laughter as he rubbed his temples.

Truly…

Such a kick in the head!

Right now, all he could do as the chief of the Lingzhou City MAD was logistics or relaying information and intelligence… there was no helping it since he was too weak.

How long had it only been?

A month?

But how many Sky Demon Cultists had been killed within his jurisdiction in that time?

Leaving aside those beneath rank-nine, there were 11 Heavenly Generals killed—12, including the one at Mount Helan who was killed by panthers.

And ten Decans who outranked them were killed too!

Moreover, of their nine Elders, the Senior Elder as well as the Third, Fourth and Sixth Elders all died by Jiang He's hand, basically halving their forces.

He even took down one of their two Sentinels!

As for Duan Tianhe himself, he had just reached rank-seven for about a month… but even the weakest amongst the dead cultist—the Tranquil Heavenly General would not lose to him…

Be that as it may, Duan Tianhe did not submit the usual after-action report over today's events. He had the feeling this must be kept secret, because if the sleeper agent amongst their ranks learned about such shocking news and it reached the Sky Demon Cults' leaders, they might send a divine-tier Sky Demon Cultists over by tomorrow morning.

Hence, he directly contacted Zhou Yu to give his report in secret instead. Even if the Sky Demon Cult knows that some elites had fallen at Lingzhou City, they would not act recklessly without knowing what's going on.

Tapping his desk with his fingers and having an assistant cook him some instant noodle with added ham, Duan Tianhe slowly relaxed.

Zhou Yu had already declared his position.

Aside from Ji Dongxu who was guarding Lingzhou City in the open, another divine-tier champion had been arranged to come in secret specifically to protect Jiang He and the city as well.

"At least we don't have to be afraid of Sky Demon Cult elites with a divine-tier elite watching."

Duan Tianhe muttered, and could not help laughing at that.

The Sky Demon Cult?

They might have been founded at the start of the Revival of Qi and causing trouble across the globe over the last ten years, the various nations' elites had less success culling them compared to Jiang He's effort alone!

The difference was simply incredible!

"I wonder how the Sky Demon Cult would react after learning what happened?

Late at night, back at the entrance to Zhouchuan village.

The look on the black-robed Cardinal's face slowly contorted after waiting for almost four hours.

Whipping out his phone, he dialed the respective numbers of the Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the Flowing Cloud Holy Child…

None of them answered.

Something must have happened!

In that moment, no matter how the Cardinal of the Sky Demon Cult would not believe it, he would still have to admit one thing… something might have happened to them.

"What's going on?"

"The Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, Fourth Elder, Flowing Cloud Holy Child, Six Decans and Six Heavenly Generals… is there any place in the world they could not strut, barring divine-tiers? Why would they be stopped in a measly town like Lingzhou city?"

"There aren't any elites in that city, are there?"

To be fair, the Decans and the Heavenly Generals could die for all he cared, and even Fourth Elder was expendable.

On the other hand, every Holy Child was groomed at great cost of the Holy Faith.

Even as a fighting force, the youth who already reached rank-eight in his twenties was exceedingly powerful!

Most importantly, Senior Elder and the Sentinel of the Right were also amongst the casualties…

"The Sentinel of the Right is rank-nine with perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills, and a step away from being permitted to enter the Holy Lake, converting to Holy Form and ascending to divine-tier. Even Senior Elder was not that far behind."

The black-robed Cardinal was rather fearful.

They were elite forces of the Holy Faith, and the Saint might flip out once he learned anything happened to them, and blame the Cardinal for it.

Taking to the air, he headed towards Lingzhou City, killing intent sharply flowing from his body in his desire to uncover the truth. And yet, he did not move more than fifty miles when alarmed blared in his head, and he promptly withdrew all his aura to land and hide in a village beneath him.

Whoosh!

A blade's flash was streaking forward from the horizon of the night sky.

Still, the flash was not actually from a blade!

The blade will which extends from the person flying up in the skies was so strong that it prompted such an illusion.

And that person was a middle-aged man with inch-long hair.

Despite being just one point seven meters tall, he gave others the impression of being very brawny. And right now, his eyes were scanning the ground beneath him with a frown, and he suddenly waved his hand, materializing a combat blade on his palm and swung it downwards.

Slash!

A gigantic air slash landed, and with a loud rumble, the village below was cut in two. Untold number of houses were split apart by the slash as Blade Qi billowed, causing more buildings to collapse.

The middle-aged man landed, flinging his sleeve to knock off the dust kicked up from the collapse.

He searched through the ruined village, and eventually paused in front of a pile of blood.

After staring at it for seconds, the middle-aged man eventually laughed, "With me standing guard over Lingzhou from this day forth, any shady elements who dare make trouble here shall be cut down where they stand!"

With that, he took to the air again and disappeared into the night.

It was a long time after the man left that the black-robed cardinal climbed out from beneath the ground under the ruined village. His black-robes had been cut to pieces by Blade Qi and he looked utterly stunned, a faint glimmer showing in his eyes as he said hoarsely, "Three Blades Lin…"

"Wasn't he supposed to stand guard over Mount Kunlun? Why did he come here to Lingzhou City?"

The Cardinal hence stared at the direction where Three Blades Lin disappeared, a wary look showing in his eyes before he turned around, giving up on heading for Lingzhou City.

Jiang He was not aware of all that.

It was two in the morning, but he was not asleep.

Having just had a bath, he had changed into his silk pajamas and was lying down on his soft Simmons bed while surfing the Internet on his notebook.

After browsing through the Warrior Home forums for a while, Jiang He wore a post about wanting to buy immortal arts.

On another note, the forum had completed public testing and was now officially online.

Now, martial artists and Awakened who cleared the MAD assessments could use their personal information or 'Warrior ID' to register, which was why the number of posts and users shot up instantly.

In fact, someone counted that there were now five hundred thousand registered Warrior Home accounts, and after adding in some unregistered martial artists and Awakened, there may well be more than seven hundred thousand warriors in the Hua Nation.

That might sound many, but when compared to the Hua Nation's one billion population, the ratio was 2000:1, not to mention that lower-tier martial artists and Awakened occupy a major part of that number."

"But now that martial arts are becoming widespread and even the education departments are implementing strong reforms, a nine-year compulsory martial arts education might come to be. As time passed, martial artists would certainly increase considerably."

Closing his computer, Jiang He mused to himself, "And if the Murong clan has a torn immortal art script, the other martial clans would definitely have it too… in fact, there might even be some in the possession common folk. Perhaps I should log in again or put up a news flash or something…"

Big fishes would only be caught by large nets after all.

Nonetheless, Jiang He was most looking forward to the Five Sacred Grounds of Martial Arts.

Each held an extensive history and was more than meets the eye, and it was very likely they possess immortal arts.

That left Jiang He a little impatient about visiting the Sacred Grounds.

"The Secret Realm of Tantra would be opened on the seventh of October… we have to get there by the sixth, don't we?

"It's already the second… no, wait, it's morning now, so it's the third."

Three more days until his theory was proven.

He was a little excited just thinking about it.

"I'll work hard on my farming starting tomorrow, and try my best to improve my ability up to five times before heading to Tantra. I'll at least feel more confident talking to their elites then."

On another note, the drowsiness he felt just now… was already gone?

"I did not sleep well last night, and yet I'm still not drowsy at all today."

Jiang He was rather surprised.

He remembered that it had been written in novels that sleep becomes inconsequential with the improvement of one's power, and many were fine with not sleeping for years…

It was so unsettling!

Jiang He felt a little scared then.

Is the price of becoming strong a serious lack of quality sleep?

Ouch!

"Whatever, I'm not sleeping then. Tomorrow I'll make a divine sleeping art or dream sutra to help with falling asleep, or plant some sleeping pills to ensure quality sleep."

Tossing around, Jiang He rose from the bed.

He wouldn't bother with sleep since he could not fall asleep anyway.

With a wave of his hand, he brought out two tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort.

He had four tufts at the moment, one of which he used back at Jiangnan, consuming much of the sword will it contained. Moreover, there was one other tuft that grew out of Sixth Elder's grave.

"This one which has halved sword will is an inferior seed if planted… might as well use it for cultivation."

"As for the grave grass that grew out of Sixth Elder… plants planted in the farm can't be replanted anyway. The night is long and since I'm not drowsy at all, I'll use them to cultivate sword will and to pass the time."

Oom!

His spirit extended, shrouding the single tuft of Sword Will Barrenwort.

In that instant, Jiang He could feel the pure sword will contained within the Sword Will Barrenwort.

The sword will clashed endlessly against his own consciousness, refining his sword will… Jiang He could feel his grasp over sword will becoming more thorough and sharper, and his spirit was growing slowly under the refinement too.

Snikt!

Jiang He's word will turned into a small sword then, whereas the sword will within the Sword Will Barrenwort were crumbled, the plant itself withering—a sign that the sword will within was empty.

Opening his eyes, Jiang He extended his senses.

"If the Boundary of Wills is measured in percentage, my grasp over Thunder Will is around thirty, and as for Sword Will…"

"Maybe twenty.

"Not bad, not bad, let's keep this going!"

After some time.

Snikt!

The second tuft of Sword Will Barrenwort was torn apart.

Jiang He frowned, muttering, "My grasp over Sword Will is around thirty percentage…"

"The first tuft helped me grasp sword will and master it around twenty percent, but the next one only added ten percent to it… such a huge diminishment of effect!"

Jiang He felt rather helpless.

Such was cultivation—the further you go, the more difficult it would be.

He sacrificed a night of sleep only for an insignificant amount of improvement in sword will…

"Sigh… life is hard."

Chapter 186: Creating an Immortal Art

Jiang He, however, did not expect that when he finally fell asleep when the sun rises, he eventually woke up naturally past five in the afternoon.

Sora came to him, asking sweetly, "Should I cook you lunch, master?"

Having lunch at this hour was not too appropriate, was it not?

"No need."

Jiang He waved her off with a smile. "Just cook a bit more during dinner… by the way, feed the pets with the meat in the fridge. I'm sick of Feral meat beneath king-rank."

Arriving outside, Jiang He threw the corpse of the Black King Drake on the ground.

The price of Feral Kings was actually not bad. He could also plant it now, and a creature would grow after his farm levels up.

The Black King Drake was not that powerful—grooming Dumbo and Trumbo was better than planting it.

And most importantly, what was he supposed to eat after he really planted the Black King Drake?

With a twirl of the Dragon-Slaying Saber in his hand and cutting down on it, Jiang He sliced off a meter-long portion of the 'drake tail' and scraped off the scales, before carrying it back inside the portion and leaving it to Sora.

Right now, Sora was already rank-two.

Her cultivation stopped there, however. There were no cucumbers left, and she could not consume qi pellets or blended qi pellets.

"I'll plant dozens of cucumbers when I have the free time for Sora to improve her ability. Otherwise, when I have a craving for ribs, she is not going to cut it because she's too weak."

Jiang He decided that for the sake of having delicious ribs in the future, he would first groom the maid until she was rank-nine. Only then would he think of something to help her grasp blade will to hone her cleaver then.

"Hmmm…"

"Blade will…"

"I might be thinking too far ahead. I myself hadn't learnt blade will."

Feeling vexed, Jiang He shook his head.

Wasn't the Sky Demon Cult supposed to have droves of elites?

Why hadn't he encountered any elites who grasped blade will amongst the many Sky Demon Cultists he had slain?

Unbeknownst to Jiang He, someone was quietly observing from 1500 meters away from his house.

It was Three Blades Lin, a blade technique elite.

Right now, he was staying inside another villager's house. Since there were too many of those abandoned in Jinyintan Village, he specifically chose a bright and spacious one, even preparing bedsheets and mattress.

His spirit was discreetly extending to observe Jiang He, and naturally saw him took out the Black King Drake with a wave of his hand.

"The kid has gained providence as expected… a spatial ring that stores the corpse of the Black King Drake clearly holds more volume than my own spatial ring." Three Blades Lin observed even as he sat crossed-legged on a heated brick common bed, drinking a small bottle of beer while munching on peanuts.

And yet, when he saw Jiang He carrying the slice of drake tail and handing it to his attractive maid to cook, he immediately felt the sweet taste of his peanuts fade.

'What the hell!

'Cooking a Feral King's meat?

'Isn't that a little too extravagant?'

"Eh?" Three Blades Lin's gaze twitched then, and there was a flash of astonishment in his eyes…

After all, he realized that his spirit could no longer 'see' Jiang He after he entered his 'yard'.

It was as if a grayness had shrouded his eyes, and something obscured his spirit.

"What's going on?"

"There's something weird about his farmyard!"

Three Blades Lin straightened at that, a bold idea suddenly crossing his mind…

"Wang Hou's theory is that the kid must have obtained the legacy of a heritage site… could that heritage site be underneath his farm?"

Still, even as his curiosity flared, Three Blades Lin resisted the impulse to go for a look.

"Forget it."

"It's his providence. How could a senior like me spy upon a junior's providence?"

"Moreover, Old Wang holds the kid in high esteem, even having me protect him in secret. So, let's not trouble him…" Three Blades Lin could not help becoming amused at that.

Coming to Lingzhou City to protect Jiang He was very much bliss. At the very least, it was infinitely better than having to stand guard over Mount Kunlun—there, he had to keep a close watch on the vermin that was the Violet-Crowned Golden Eagle, and had to fight its progeny every other day—life was so difficult then.

But from now on, all he had to do was eat, drink, and sleep. The kid could slay the Black King Drake, and the Sky Demon Cult had mobilized a grand taskforce only to have him turn the tables and kill them instead. Who else could handle him unless a divine-tier elite personally came?

All Three Blades Lin had to do was watch out for diviner-tier elites.

"Oh!

"What a shame…"

"The kid's spirit isn't too weak and I have to careful not to be found. Otherwise, what is there to not to be pleased about being in this quiet little village, especially if I got myself some wine, food, and gals?"

Jiang He was completely unaware that Wang Hou had sent an elite to protect him in secret.

Back at his farm, the grave grass before had all been harvested and the grave piles flattened in exchange for new graves. When it came to the grave grass, others are all useless aside from the Sword Will Barrenwort that grew out of the Sixth Elder's grave, and Jiang He was about to feed them to Dumbo and Trumbo.

Still, Jiang He felt a curious pressure as he stared at the sixteen new graves in a corner of his farm!

"Even the Sentinel of the Right had died by my hands. If the plot develops as it usually did with novels, next time the Sky Demon Cult would send a divine-tier elite after me!"

"Right now, I would never win against divine-tier elites, unless they were as weak as the Black King Drake!"

Jiang He thought about it.

He might be able to win if his opponent was a little stronger than the Black King Drake, since his ability had grown a little compared to the time when he slew the Black King Drake. Moreover, he had cultivated in the immortal physique Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula and the premium soul item Scarlet Flame Sword.

Moreover, he was not fighting at full strength against the Black King Drake…

Come to think of it, he would have had an easier time killing the beast by eating a pepper and gaining a burst of strength, and not have to fight a bloody battle that lasted over ten minutes.

"Scarlet Flame Sword, Scarlet Flame Sword…"

Jiang He sighed at that. "What a shame. I've only learnt immortal physique, and not immortal qi refining or Royal Sword… otherwise, I could cut down the trash that is Black King Drake with a single slash with the full power of Scarlet Flame Sword."

"Sigh…"

"Buying immortal arts is a shot in the dark too. There's no telling whether I could get one."

"I should mind my farm instead of thinking about this stuff."

Jiang He drew out two tuft Sword Will Barrenwort with a turn of his hand then.

That was when he froze.

"Hold on…"

"Immortal arts… if the martial arts I planted after copying them from online sources became real martial arts, what about immortal arts?"

Jiang He pondered.

There were too many immortal arts and fantasy cultivation available online.

The Heaven Eater Technique, Undying Form, Scripture of No Origin, all of those were cultivation techniques that could break the world…

"But those familiar techniques only have names not content. Moreover, I also think it couldn't be planted if it's too strong, and even if it was, even learning it at beginner level would cost at least a hundred thousand Farm Points…"

"Even if those awesome cultivation manuals can't be planted, isn't it awesome enough that I simply plant an immortal art?

Refining Qi within the Golden Cinnabar, surpassing calamity to rise above.

Riding Flying Swords…

Becoming the sword sage of legends stirred a yearning at the mere thought!

Report chapter

Chapter 187: Sword Sage Cultivation

"When it comes to immortal cultivation… it's best if I could cultivate as a Sword Sage!"

Holding his phone and typing in the keywords on the search bar, Jiang He browsed carefully, and actually managed to find a mnemonic chant called 'Sword Sage Cultivation'.

It was posted by a user called 'Don't Ask For No Reason' on Weibo.

Jiang He skimmed through it.

There were seven levels to this Sword Sage Cultivation, the first of which was 'Spin Shine', and it came with a mnemonic chant:

"Golden light splits the skies, heaven flame descends, igniting excesses, divine light hones the sword.

"A godly hurricane, abundant Spirit Qi, quenches thirst of the organs, wisdom and intelligence.

"Jade waters flows in springs, mystic ice lasts eternal, rising clouds and mists, ethereal seas of immortals… Alright, it's clearly nonsense. That user clearly made it up, did he not?"

Jiang He was rather speechless.

All sorts of geniuses could be found online.

Still, Jiang He never held hope in the first place. Were real immortal arts ever available online anyway?

Everyone could refine qi and become immortals if there were.

Still, Jiang He needed such fabricated immortal arts—one which you find mystical at the first glance, and realize that it's all nonsense when studied in detail.

All for that single, vague spark of inspiration amidst all that nonsense.

"Second level is illumination: Upon dawn at Mount Tai, light shines over ten thousand leagues; clouds pause and winds still, and the mind soars?"

"Third Level, fusion: over the vast sea of stars, the golden cinnabar sings and dances; mystical stars of divine constellation swirls within the mind, a divine raft that crosses the sea over the trails of Polaris… forget it. This mnemonic chant is too weak and doesn't leave any impression."

Jiang He clicked on the user's account then, and found that he had uploaded another called Mystic Daoist Sword.

"The Mystic Daoist Sword is passed down from days of yore, creating wonders with its fantastical principles."

"Binding Ying and Yang as one, birth of thousands of possibilities."

"Oh? This mnemonic chant is quite interesting. It's more profound and dramatic compared to the one before."

Jiang He's eyes lit up. Dramatic sense notwithstanding, the script being profound was on the right track.

And when it comes to immortal cultivation, who would believe it if sounds too modern?

"Sora… pen and paper!"

Ordering his maid to get him some stationery, Jiang He began copying. Even so, the mnemonic chant had over dozen thousands of characters, and Jiang He only finished copying the main text after copying several thousand words. That was when an idea occurred to him then, and he said, "Copying everything is too hard…"

"Whatever, I'll just pick out some of the nicer lines."

As he continued reading the mnemonic chants, Jiang He kept writing,

[Three thousand calamities once plagued the heavens, and the mortal realm over five hundred years.]

[The sharp sword on the hip sparks with auspicious thunder, and the pellets within the cauldron smoke from the fire.]

[A prodigy rides a white deer across the vast seas, striding over all obstacles into the Grotto-Heavens.]

[Minor characters fool around and chat idly, none of them aware that I am a true immortal.]

[Over the long years since gaining these tenets, never once did the flying sword claim a man's head.]

[Save for the Jade Emperor's dictation of destiny, that which is golden may remain in the mortal realm.]

Jiang He frowned. He had the feeling that the lines towards the end felt like the Seven Words Quatrains, with the line [Over the long years since gaining these tenets, never once did the flying sword claim a man's head] feeling especially familiar.

Even so, he never stopped copying.

[The drunkard dances and sings over the sea and the mountains, for the heaven carries the path ahead and the golden cinnabar.]

[Deep night, the crane weaves through the blue sky of the autumn, and the west wind that stretches over ten thousand miles is as cold as a sword.]

"Author: Lü Yan, style: seven-words, era: Tang…"

Crunch!

Jiang He broke his pen from accidentally putting in too much strength. He stared at the Mystic Daoist Sword for an entire minute before clenching his teeth and cursing, "I've copied up to five thousand words, only to find that it's actually the Seven Words Quatrains?"

He wanted very much to tear the cultivation manual into…

But then he changed his mind.

Why?

It was fabrication and make believe anywhere, and the quatrains were quick amazing in itself. For example, the lines 'three thousand disasters once plagued the heavens, and the mortal realm over five hundred years' as well as 'the sharp sword on the hip sparks with auspicious thunder, and the pellets within the cauldron smokes from the fire' felt quite sagely.

Moreover, the other line 'standing beneath the curves of Polaris, the sword hangs on the corner of the southern crescent moon; utterly intoxicated when I'm drunk, I know no worry then' was quite exquisite.

"It's already copied anyway. Why bother tearing it apart?

"I would have to find another cultivation manual to copy if I did, and waste my brain cells altering it."

Having decided on the cultivation method he would use, what next was the three essences of creating a cultivation method.

First: naming.

Second: techniques at different levels.

Third: adding special effects.

Getting another pencil and after putting in some thought, Jiang He's eyes shifted and landed on the line 'Three thousand calamities once plagued the heavens, and the mortal realm over five hundred years.'

He hence wrote down 'Three Thousand Calamities', which passed as a very good name.

"Not bad, not bad. This name is very awesome."

Jiang He nodded in satisfaction.

He was experienced in creating cultivation methods after all.

For one, there was no doubt that the name must be imposing—the 'Blind Princess's Eight Practices' was just the result of a beautiful mistake.

As he compiled the experience of creating cultivation manuals before, Jiang He soon had an idea.

"When it comes to styles, it would be best to do it like the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. That way, each style would cost the same amount of Farm Points, and the power of each style should grow with the individual's personal cultivation, without needing to worry that it could not keep up with the improvement of personal ability."

"Moreover…"

"There is no need for more than a dozen moves. Three is enough!"

"A prodigy rides a white deer across the vast seas… so, first style of the Three Thousand Calamities: White Foal Crosses The Rift. This move's specialty is in its quickness—moving so rapid that the opponent could not react in time, let alone stop it!"

"As for the second style… let's call it the Thunderflame Calamity. I've grasped sword will, thunder will and awakened fire-type powers, so it is fitting."

"As for the third style… I'll just call it Three Thousand Calamities."

After musing to himself for a long time, Jiang He began to add some colors and add on to the three sword styles.

"White Foal Crosses the Rift—quickness is key, and for special effects, let's have an overflow of Sword Qi. As the sword moves, Sword Qi overflows… and as individual ability improves, releasing Sword Qi up to thirty thousand miles would not be a dream."

As such, the second style had to be even cooler.

"Thunderflame Sword, Thunderflame calamity… the world shifts upon the release of this move, with thunder and fire descending from the skies as the sword unsheathes. How cool is that?"

"As for Three Thousand Calamities, it should be an AoE sword style. A single strike unleashes three thousand sword flashes at once, leveling cities and fortresses, flipping mountains and seas!"

"Oh, right… the three styles are only secondary to the Sword Sage Cultivation [Three Thousand Calamities, and it could be used for cultivation…"

Jiang He pondered again.

How should he go about fabricating a sword sage's cultivation path?

Swordsman, swordmaster, arch-swordmaster?

Tasteless!

"Let's stick to the standard tiers: Qi Refinist, Golden Cinnabar, True Child, Convergence, Sufferance, Mahayana, Heavenly Immortal, True Immortal, and Golden Immortal."

Thud!

Throwing his pencil on the floor, Jiang He shook the paper on which he wrote the Three Thousand Calamities in utter satisfaction, and could not help chuckling, "Awesome. Even I am impressed by myself… I've actually developed a Sword Sage technique that reaches all the way to Golden Immortal in a little over two hours."

Over at another corner, Dumbo had already dug a hole.

Spending 5000 Farm Points to redeem a bag of Mysterious Soil, Jiang He planted the Three Thousand calamities.

He emptied the whole bag in the hole.

After burying it and having Dumbo water it, only then did Jiang He say, "Dig a few more holes. I have more stuff to plant.

The two tufts of Sword Will Barrenwort!

The violet-gold sunflower seeds… he would plant all 25 after he munched on some!

As for the two Mysterious Seeds…

After some thought, Jiang He put away the Mysterious Seeds again.

Work and rest must be balanced when it comes to farming, and planting a tone of crops in a single go was too difficult. And since he did not know what the Mysterious Seed actually was, he could keep it for now and plant it later.

Most importantly…

The skies were already dark.

It was already eight—Sora had already made dinner and had been waiting for some time!

"I'll eat, and then come back. The cultivation manuals and violet-gold sunflower seeds would mature by then…"

Report chapter

Chapter 188: Immortal Cultivation, Perfect Qi-Refinist Tier!

"Not bad, not bad."

"The Black King Drake's meat is so fresh and tasty."

After taking a bite of braised meat, Jiang He closed his eyes and took small bites. He could feel the concentrated qi in the Black King Drake's flesh, and average humans would not withstand the power even within such a small chunk, and they would get sick even if they had such a tiny bit.

Not even rank-one or two martial artists could have much, or they would easily blow up.

"Feral King meat are real treasures. If a rank-five martial artist could eat it every day and sleep afterwards, they would not even need to cultivate to quickly reach rank-six."

Jiang He sighed in awe before glancing at Sora as she quietly pinched a piece, saying, "You're just rank-two, don't eat too much or you'll get sick."

Even as he spoke, he took a few more pieces for himself.

Delicious!

For Jiang He, it was not important whether the Feral meat was powerful—the taste takes precedent.

Why would pythons face extinction before the Revival of Qi despite being such a ferocious creature?

It was because their meat was delicious, and a single catty of their flesh could sell up to several hundred dollars.

As for the Black King Drake…

Though it had ascended as a drake, it was still a python in Jiang He's perspective.

Beside him.

Sora stood up and poured Jiang He a glass of rank-nine rose tree Origin Fluid.

A sweet aroma entered his mouth.

It was as outstanding as the meat of the Black King Drake.

Most importantly, it improves spirit while you enjoy the fine taste—it does not get cozier.

Having stuffed himself and took a seat at the sofa, Jiang He was ready to have a break before heading to the farm… after all, less than an hour had passed, and it was not yet time to harvest his 'crops'.

Leaning on the sofa, Jiang He took out his phone.

Back when he 'created' the Three Thousand Calamities, Lü Yan the Tang-dynasty poet who popped up piqued Jiang He's interest.

His poem was not bad—it had its own unique style and sounded very impressive, and logically speaking such a poet should have some degree of fame and be included in grade school, middle school, and high school textbooks. However, he had never even heard of him, even though the part 'Over the long years since gaining these tenets, never once did the flying sword claim a man's head' sounds quite familiar.

He keyed in the name Lü Yan on the search bar.

"Eh? It actually has a Baidu page…"

"Lü Yan, style name Lü Dongbin, the self-proclaimed Returner… Haha, that's quite an interesting nickname—Master Pure-Yang? Old Pure-Yang?"

"Hold on…"

Jiang He's eyes suddenly widened and he muttered to himself, "His style name is Dongbin? Last name Lü… Lü Dongbin?"

Jiang He kept reading: The leader of the eight immortals, an immortal Daoist, honorably addressed as Pioneer Lü, Pioneering Master Lü, Pioneering Immortal Lü or Pure-Yang Pioneering Master.

There was an online anthology of his sixty-two poems as well.

It was also stated that Lü Yan was a famed Daoist in the Tang era of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms… along with many divine myths concerning him

The reincarnation of Dong Mugong of the heavenly palace or whatnot…

The Pure-Yang Sword Sage…

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea and the like.

Jiang He rubbed his temples.

Are these legends recorded on the internet real?

Before, Jiang He would have been laughing, saying how could divine myths be taken for truths?

Even so, that might not be the case now.

While divine myths must never be taken at face value, they should not be completely disproved either since Jiang He was certain that the era of Immortals and Qi Refinists did exist in history.

As for why it eventually was lost… Jiang He had a hunch that it had to do with the environment.

For example, the Old Martial Era once prospered, but declined five hundred years ago… cultivation became more difficult, and that past glory only returned with the Revival of Qi.

"Could this be the Degenerate Age that novels often mention?"

"And is this Degenerate Age over with the Revival of Qi? Could the Era of Immortals and Qi Refinists rise again in the future?"

This possibility indeed existed.

With the many heritage sides of the Old Martial Era discovered, the moment when the residence of cultivators or heritage sites of immortals were found and immortal arts were uncovered, the nation would definitely promote it given their current stance.

"Forget it. I'm getting a headache just thinking about this stuff—I'll have a look at my farm for now."

Jiang He checked the time to find that it was already ten o'clock.

Leaving the mansion, Jiang He stepped out to his farm… and froze just as he entered it.

Since it was already ten in the evening and still days away from the full moon, a crescent moon hung above the night sky. Therefore, reasonably speaking, the farm ought to be pitch-black…

But it was still bright as day here.

After all, there were many suns that were hovering over the farm.

Jiang He could not help being amused at the sight.

How were those suns?

Those were just sunflowers, shining in brilliant golden radiance.

Jiang He had planted 25 purple-gold sunflower seeds which had grown into 25 sunflowers, each of them standing around 2 meters tall, with a sunflower that had a diameter of one meter at the tip.

The sunflowers were emanating veins of golden light, and really resembled a sun when seen from afar.

Jiang He was quite surprised.

"Back then, I could only plant ten gold bullion trees… how did I manage to get all these sunflowers at once from those twenty-five purple-gold sunflower seeds? Not even peppers, corns, and carrots had such limits before."

"Perhaps it was because the gold bullions were not normal 'crops'?"

Even as he thought about it, Jiang He walked up and plucked one of the giant sunflowers.

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

A System Notification jingled beside his ear.

Rubbing with his hands to remove the woolly stuff from the sunflower's disc, he plucked on sunflower seed and studied it closely.

The seed was much larger than the average sunflower and was purple-golden in color. It would even reflect a beautiful, crystalline purple radiance when illuminated by the radiance of the other sunflower discs.

Crunch.

Jiang He put the seed inside his mouth, gnawing at it.

The shell of the sunflower seed was thin but the inside ample, although having just one had a modest effect. Jiang He could not sense an improvement in spirit if he did not extend his senses on purpose, but the meter-wide sunflower disc floret had countless seeds, and the accumulation would absolutely and rapidly improve his spirit within a short period of time.

"Still, spirit growth comes second. I could kill time when I'm bored by munching on these sunflower seeds." Jiang He appeared delighted.

Before, he had been snacking on 'crops' such as qi pellets, blended qi pellets, walnuts, and carrots, and one always eventually gets sick of their snacks after having too much of it.

But that was not for the case of sunflower seeds.

Save for oral dryness or numbed mouth, the only other drawback of sunflower seeds was that the littering of its shells was unhygienic.

"That said, with eighteen boxes in my backpack, can't I just spare one for keeping sunflower seed shells? It stacks infinitely anyway, and I wouldn't have to worry that I have no place to put it even I snacked on sunflower seeds over ten thousand years."

Jiang He thought then, that the only observable shortcoming at the moment…

Was a lacking of taste and texture.

Nevertheless, as a young farmer tried and true, Jiang He was familiar with sunflower seeds—they are soft once plucked and tastes average when eaten then and there. It was only by drying it that it tastes good, after which it could be fried and cooked in various styles to be freely chosen from.

"With twenty-five one-meter wide sunflower disc florets, I'd get over a hundred catties of sunflower seeds."

"I'll pluck the flowers for now, and empty out all the seeds tomorrow, dry them and fry them with the five-spices."

Hence, Jiang He walked up and plucked the giant sunflowers.

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points]

[Ding…]

System Notifications jingled repetitively right beside his ear, with the 25 sunflowers earning Jiang He 25000 Farm Points and 2500 Farm EXP. Coupled with the harvesting of the Scarlet Flame Sword, grave grass, and the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula, he earned more than 6000 Farm EXP in just two days.

Moreover, he earned over 60000 Farm Points within the same period as well.

However, redeeming two packs of Mysterious Soil and cultivating the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula cost him a total of 15000 Farm Points, making it a grand total of over 20000 Farm Points spent if he counted in the other nitrogen fertilizers and composite fertilizers he used for farming, along with the nitrogen fertilizers he redeemed for the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers.

Initially, he had around 8000 Farm Points…

But as Jiang He glanced at his System Panel now, he realized that he had accumulated 52000 Farm points now.

Soon, he was surprised to found that after he had plucked the sunflowers, their stems did not crumble into ashes as usual, becoming withered instead.

Frowning, Jiang He said, "Dumbo, Trumbo, chop off those stems and burn them… let's help them since they won't turn to ashes themselves."

Having got their orders, Dumbo and Trumbo walked up, shovels in paws and began to root up the sunflower stems.

Clang!

However, Dumbo's shovel blade snapped off when it touched one of the stems, and it did a double take before cursing, "What the hell… is it that tough?"

It was not just Dumbo—even Jiang He was stunned.

Was the stem of the purple-gold sunflower supposed to be that tough?

He threw Dumbo his Dragon-Slaying Saber, and the dog rose to stand on its rear legs, clenching on the blade before slashing it down on the stem. But despite the dog's dozens of swings, the stem was not cut, and instead the dog ended up lying on the ground, poking out its tongue as it panted.

"Oh?"

Jiang He's interest was piqued at that.

He walked up, took the Dragon-Slaying Saber, circulating his True Qi, and slashed out—

Snikt!

The sunflower stem split instantly.

Nonetheless, Jiang He's eyes brightened and he chuckled. "Interesting. That swing could kill an average rank-nine martial artist, but I could feel slight resistance from this sunflower stem… this thing is as tough as an average rank-nine's True Qi guard."

Then, after he cut down all 25 sunflower stems, he put away his blade and instructed, "Put away that stuff. I'm bringing you two to Lingzhou City tomorrow and see if we can make you two some armor, and get a big wok to cook five-spices sunflower seeds and spicy lobster…"

Jiang He then turned to look at the Sword Will Barrenwort, and promptly scowled.

To be fair, the Sword Will Barrenwort did grow…

But contrary to what he imagined, their number did not increase and there are still two tufts.

The only difference was that the ones that grew out was massive and over two meters tall, just as their leaves increased by threefold—growing twenty-seven leaves each.

"How is this a barrenwort?"

Jiang He was rather speechless.

Still, there was no telling what the Sword Will Barrenwort effect would be like…

Wait, that's not quite right. It should be called 'Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass' now.

[Ding!]

[5000 Farm Points]

"…"

Jiang He's eyes lit up the moment he plucked the first tuft of Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass.

One tuft for five thousand Farm Points?

That value was quite high.

And when the value is high, the effect must be great!

[Ding!]

[5000 Farm Points]

Having plucked both tufts of Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass, Jiang He then turn towards the spot where he planted the Three Thousand Calamities.

No tree had grown, although there was a bundle of sagely light that took form over there.

Sword Qi danced within it, and sword will pulsed.

A single jade scroll hovered within the light.

Jiang He walked up, expectant and yet apprehensive, reached out with his hand and grabbed the jade scroll.

[Ding!]

[30000 Farm Points]

As the System Notification jingled beside his ear, Jiang He inhaled sharply and stared at the jade scroll in his hand.

Lines of data appeared.

[Three Thousand Calamities]

[Attribute: Sword Sage Cultivation, Heavenly Immortal tier, includes the three styles of White Foal Crosses the Rift, Thunderflame Calamity, and Three Thousand Calamities.]

After staring at the jade scroll for a long time, Jiang He suddenly exclaimed an expletive.

"Sh*t!

"What the hell is going on?"

"The cultivation manual I created was supposed to cultivate up to Golden Immortal-tier! How did it get reduced to Heavenly Immortal after planting it?"

But after Jiang He's complaints, Jiang He had to yield…

Heavenly Immortal-tier… so be it.

It was more or less acceptable.

There was no telling how many thousands of miles away from Heavenly Immortal he was now, and he could afford to wait until his farm levels up and directly create more cultivation manuals to Immortal Emperor or Saint tier then.

Still, since it was only Heavenly Immortal-tier, it meant that there would only be the eight levels of Qi Refinist, Golden Cinnabar, True Child, Convergence, Sufferance, Mahayana, and Heavenly Immortal, did it not?

[Ding!]

[Heavenly Immortal-tier Sword Sage cultivation: Three Thousand Calamities detected. Consume 20000 Farm Points to learn the first level?]

Jiang He: "…"

Both were immortal arts, but the immortal physique Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula only needed 5000 Farm Points.

So why would the Three Thousand Calamities need 20000? Was it supposed to be this shady?

But despite his complaints, Jiang He had already spoken cheerfully—

"Cultivate!"

[Ding!]

[-20000 Farm Points]

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained Mastery over the first level of the Three Thousand Calamities.]

Oom!

A unique energy instantly shrouded Jiang He at that.

In that very moment, Jiang He realized that aside from True Qi, a new energy was birthed in his cinnabar fields and ocean of qi…

Mana!

And it was getting increasingly stronger, until it actually surpassed his True Qi to reach great heights.

After a long time…

Jiang He cultivation concluded.

Reaching out with his senses, he realized immediately—

"The first level of the Three Thousand Calamity corresponds to the tier of Qi Refinist… so does that mean my mastery of the first level is a perfect grasp over Qi Refinist?"

He rose to his feet, circulating his mana before a horrific aura burst out of his body. He felt that he could easily slay the Black King Drake if he fought it now, and most importantly…

Whoosh!

The Scarlet Flame Sword shot out from between his brows as a scarlet radiance from the sea of swords in his mind.

Having cultivated mana, he could unleash the full power of the Scarlet Flame Sword!

Report chapter

Chapter 189: Martial Arts Newbie, Novice Immortal

The sword danced at Jiang He's thought, with the Scarlet Flame Sword hence turning into a scarlet sword flash streaking through the farm, causing a deafening air burst as it swished.

"Back!"

After playing with it for some time, Jiang He waved, and the Scarlet Flame Sword turned into a scarlet radiance and returned into the sea of swords between his brow.

Turning on his System Panel, Jiang He studied it carefully—

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Immortal Path—perfect Qi-Refinist; Martial Arts—Rank-Eight Pinnacle]

[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (), Blind Princess's Eight Practices (Second Practice), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Fifth Tier), Ninefold Thunderblade (Third Fold), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Fifth Tier), Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula (First Tier), Three Thousand Calamities (First Level)]

[Owned Land: 3 Mu]

[Farm Level: 4 (EXP 10800/50000)]

[System Backpack: 18 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 62000]

The System Panel had changed a little. For one, the 'Cultivation' bar which used to display martial arts proficiency had an 'Immortal Path' added under it.

His Farm EXP and Farm Points had bloated too. Three Thousand Calamities and the two extra-large tufts of Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass also earned Jiang He 40000 points and 4000 EXP.

"Mana, True Qi."

Jiang He couldn't help chuckling even as he felt the two energies coexisting within his body. "I'm now cultivating both martial arts and immortal arts at once, aren't I? According to usual novel plots, those who cultivating martial arts with immortal arts at once or mana with martial arts would usually fall apart aside from the protagonist… but though I'm just a plain martial arts newbie and a novice in immortal arts, I don't think martial-immortal cultivation is that difficult."

"I'll plant more stuff if necessary… and eventually cultivate up to the pinnacle.

How awesome does martial-immortal cultivation sound?

Of course…

Jiang He's main objective was to hide a trump card.

Foul deeds are afoot in the world at the moment, and Jiang He understood that profoundly over the last month. The Sky Demon Cult, for example, keep sending waves of their elites after him, staring from Cordo the rank-four martial artist to most recently, the Sentinel of the Right and his goons…

Next time, it would perhaps be some Cardinal or Saint who come personally.

He would have died dozen times over if he hadn't had some accomplishments in martial arts.

"From now on, I will focus on the immortal path, and martial arts comes second. However, I would only show my martial arts to others so that they assume I'm a plain and average martial artist… I would only cast my Royal Sword to kill in the right moment, bursting instantly and catching my opponent unawares!

"Now that I have perfect cultivation of the Qi Refinist level, I more or less count as a novice of the immortal path. Still, reaching that tier only would not do. I have to cultivate an immortal sword art to truly ascend from novice to newbie immortal."

Even as the thought occurred to him, a System Notification jingled beside his ears—

[Ding!]

[Consume 50000 Farm Points to cultivate the First Style of Three Thousand Calamities: White Foal Crosses the Rift?]

"Yes!"

[Ding!]

[-50000 Farm Points]

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained mastery over the First Style of Three Thousand Calamities: White Foal Crosses the Rift.]

Complex information poured inside Jiang He's mind then.

In that instant, Jiang He could sense that he had complete grasp over White Foal Crosses the Rift.

The reason he chose to cultivate it was because he thought that he was lacking when it came to a single-target damage… he did have to fight the newly ascended King Feral, the Black King Drake in a bloody battle over a dozen minutes, after all.

"Now that I've mastered White Foal Crosses the Rift, I could instakill trash like the Black King Drake with one swing of my sword, which reaches my goal of improving my ability by up to threefold."

Jiang He nodded in satisfaction.

That being said, improving his ability by up to threefold was not much, and barely acceptable.

White Foal Crosses the Rift was now his strongest single-target offensive move.

As for AOE attacks… He just had to keep cultivating the Three Thousand Calamities. For now, he could make up for that lacking with his pea bombs.

Jiang He sighed a little when he glanced at his System Panel again then.

Farm Points were so easily spent. In just ten minutes, only 12000 points were left…

"I'll start earning for now and stop spending. Martial arts cultivation will be kept as a guise and that's enough, barely passing since I'm rank-eight pinnacle now… I'll find a new way of earning Farm Points before improving myself in all aspects."

"Eh?"

Jiang He's gaze shifted at that thought.

Earning Farm Points…

Dollars and gold Yuanbao could no longer keep up with his farm level, but…

What about the Orirocks?

He had received fourteen of them from the Lin clan, used ten to level his farm, meaning that he has 4 left…

Jiang He gave Dumbo a look at that, and understanding his intention, the dog pointed a claw at the ground.

Oom!

An earthen-yellow halation materialized over the dog's body, streaming up to the tip of its claw and shooting into the ground.

The soil hence churned, and instantly formed a small hole.

Beaming, Dumbo chuckled in its Sichuan-Xibei accent, "Master, look, aren't I awesome?"

Jiang He narrowed his eyes.

Shuddering in fright, Dumbo promptly pointed again to 'dig' three more holes on the ground.

After Jiang He threw the four Orirocks into the hole with pinpoint precision, Dumbo pointed with its paw again. The soil hence squirmed, burying all four holes before the dog breathed out a jet of water to wet the soil.

With that, the four Orirocks were planted with utmost simplicity.

In fact, Jiang He was quite envious of those moves…

The combination of earth-type and water-type powers was a very convenient mechanism for farming. As a genuine farmer, Jiang He thought that he must think of something to awaken those powers too.

"It would be so convenient for farming if I really could awaken earth-type and water-type superpowers…

"It's said that consuming floral spirits holds a chance for awakening superpowers. I'll ask Mu Wanqiu and Duan Tianhe later to see if the Superpower Research Department or the Martial Arts Department (MAD) have such floral spirits. If there isn't, I'll just have to try my luck by putting up a post on Warrior Home."

Jiang He then checked the time.

It was almost midnight.

Returning inside the mansion, Jiang He had a bath and returned to his room, put on his silk pajamas and poured himself a cup of rank-nine Origin Fluid and a handful of sunflower seeds, the latter of which he baked with his fire-type powers as he resumed his dry, monotonous night life.

Those two items were treasures that improve spirit, and Jiang He thought that only him could be this extravagant on earth.

Getting his laptop, Jiang He then went online albeit with much difficulty.

"Damn it!"

"Why is the network connection suddenly so poor?"

Speechless, Jiang He called Duan Tianhe and asked him about it, only to learn that a nearby cellular tower had been destroyed for a Feral—incidentally, that was the cellular tower from which Jiang He's network received its signal.

As for fiber optics?

Jinyintan Village did have fiber optics before, but some Ferals who happened to have much time on their hands dug out the pipes holding them and pulled them apart.

"I can't carry my farm around with me, so I would have to stay in the farm for now… but having no internet would not do."

Jiang He was feeling a little gloomy.

His mobile phone works and he could make calls, but the lag was very serious once he tried to surf the internet.

"For phones, I heard the military has developed new satellite phones that gets signals and internet even in remote places. I'll have Commander Chen give me some of those when development is complete."

"As for internet… should I ask the MAD so that they launch a personal satellite for me? Hmmm… that's very embarrassing, although they could help me set up a personal cellular tower nearby."

That said, it was not nice troubling others.

"Forget it. I'll compromise with the hotspots from the satellite phone. The bandwidth would not be that bad, and it's not like I watch those shady videos."

As a martial artist…

Wait, that's not right.

As one involved in immortal-martial cultivation, it was not exactly right to call himself a martial artist—instead, it should be cultivator.

And as a cultivator, enduring hardship was a fundamental quality. Remembering how he had weathered the days of eating carrots and cucumbers every day, Jiang He decided that he just have to turn on his phone's hotspot before going online and bear with it through clenched teeth, and it counts as a refinement of his martial artist heart.

Unable to surf the web, Jiang He could only kill time by munching on the purple-gold sunflower seeds.

As he munched on, he would have a sip of Origin Fluid when his throat felt dry, which really hit the spot.

Hence, then plate of purple-gold sunflower seeds slowly decreased, and Jiang He started to feel drowsy and was about to doze off…

Ooom!

A curious surge extended throughout his body.

In that split second, the drowsiness that Jiang He accumulated with much difficulty instantly faded…

"Eh?"

As he reached out with his senses, Jiang He found that his spirit appeared to have reached a limit. His thoughts seemed to have become much transparent and conducive as a feeling of epiphany arose…

"My spirit is… ascending?"

"I could probably match… divine-tier elites now?"

Oh, hell!

Jiang He cursed, helpless.

Could that ascension not arrive at any other moment? Did it have to come when he was starting to feel a little sleepy?

How could he sleep now that his spirit was overflowing with all drowsiness gone?

"How could this be?"

Jiang He rose to his feet and put on his clothes, just as his eyes blankly viewed the night sky outside his window to find the sea of stars above while autumn chills billowed.

"Could I be too worried about the Sky Demon Cult's next revenge to sleep? That's what happened yesterday—I couldn't sleep until the sun had risen, and woke up before six… Hmmm…"

Jiang He withdrew his gaze, blinking.

He felt that his serious lack of sleep was key.

'After sleeping for an entire day, of course I won't fall asleep at night!'

It was all caused by a reversal between day and night—an irregular lifestyle.

And the cause of all of that was…

"The Sky Demon Cult!"

"If they didn't repetitively attempt their assimilations and ambushes that left me fearing day after day, my biological clock wouldn't have been that confused. All I would do everyday is peacefully mind my farm and punctually take a bath and sleep every evening."

Killing intent arose within his heart.

Jiang He decided that he would go on the attack and settle the score with the Sky Demon Cult after his trip to Tantra was over.

He was not about to wait for his death!

"Since I'm not falling asleep, I'll walk around the farm. Wonder if my Orirocks are fully grown yet."

Jiang He hence headed downstairs.

His spirit radiated—he was about to test how far his spirit could ascend after its ascension.

500 meters, 600 meters…

He reached his previous limit soon enough.

Even so, Jiang He did not feel an ounce of discomfort. In fact, it was quite leisurely.

Meanwhile, his spirit continued to extend: 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 1800 meters…

And that was the limit.

"Eighteen hundred meters… less than two kilometers. Are the spirit of divine-tier elites that weak?"

"Eh?"

Jiang He's gaze lit up abruptly then.

His spirit seemed to have picked up on something.

Meanwhile.

In the bright and spacious house approximately 1500 meters away from Jiang He's house, Three Blades Lin, who had been snoring away suddenly opened his eyes.

Report chapter

Chapter 190: Misunderstanding! This is a Misunderstanding!

Being a veteran divine-tier martial artist, how sharp was Three Blades Lin's senses?

For a person like him, a single look that held enmity from someone else would alert him even if he was sound asleep, let alone a glimpsing from spirit vision.

He instantly woke up, tossed around, and rose to his feet. Combat blade in hand and his aura bursting, the house around him exploded with a rumble just as he dashed toward Jiang He's house, his powerful spirit extending at the same time.

It was late at night and upon sensing the divine-tier elite's spirit vision, only one possibility crossed Three Blades Lin's mind—an elite of the Sky Demon Cult was attacking and trying to kill Jiang He!

That was why his first reaction was to rush toward Jiang He's, hoping to save him!

And yet, Jiang He saw the same sight with a different light.

A divine-tier elite suddenly popping up in the middle of the night with burning killing intent, even carrying a combat blade and rushing toward his house… there was no other possibility other than a Sky Demon Cultist coming to kill him!

"This is too much!"

"This is too much!"

Jiang He's eyes went red.

What do the vermin of the Sky Demon Cult want?

Do they take him for a softie, trying to get at him every other day?

The bodies of their Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, Elders, and Holy Child had yet to cool, and now they sent an even stronger elite already?

"Die!"

Growling quietly, Jiang He dashed out and landed in his courtyard with a single tap of his foot on the floor.

Boom!

Nine Yang True Qi and Dragon-Elephant Prajna bursting while his Indestructible Diamond remained charged, Jiang He's was displaying all his martial art special-effects. A sun shone behind his back while the silhouette of a dragon and elephants circled around it, their roar and trumpeting sonorous.

His Dark Golden Combat Suit also materialized, bathing him in golden radiance alongside golden shine from Indestructible Diamond.

There were also winks of starlight amidst the golden radiance, thanks to his Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula being charged.

After all…

The one who had come to assassinate him was a divine-tier elite and Jiang He must not be careless. Using an immortal physique technique without revealing his trump card of immortal arts was still acceptable.

And in the instant that Jiang He darted forward, he had already grabbed a chili and stuffed it inside his mouth.

His aura had another burst of overflow at that.

Though he was merely rank-eight pinnacle in martial arts, his aura now did not lose out to Three Blades Lin's as the latter hurried to the scene!

"Jiang He!"

Three Blades Lin yelled out loud, intending to wake Jiang He!

He had sensed the raging aura as well…

Still, it was weird…

That aura's tier was not that powerful, but why was it so fierce?

Even so, he could not care to think further. In his perspective, the Sky Demon Cult's elite must have found him, and threw all caution into the wind to prioritize killing Jiang He first.

"So he really is after me!"

On the other hand, Jiang He became even more furious at the sound of that yelling.

He darted out from his yard, stepping over thin air and stopping atop a house five hundred meters away from his. A figure boiling with killing intent was approaching rapidly in his vision.

With a crack of the Ninefold Thunderblade's Third Fold buffed by thunder will, Jiang He slashed out, swinging down a thirty-meter thunder slash down from above.

"Fine blade technique!"

Having the nickname 'Blade King', how sharp was Three Blades Lin's eyes?

Even if he knew that an enemy was right in front of him, he could not help exclaiming.

Slashing out with his combat blade in his hand, he crushed the thunder slash while he continued dashing toward Jiang He on top of the roof.

On the other hand, Jiang He did not stop after releasing one slash. Brandishing his blade, he continued his attack and instantly unleashed a flurry of nine slashes.

???

Even so, once Three Blades Lin reached him, he could not help exclaiming, "What the hell!"

He was just twenty meters away from Jiang He, and naturally had a perfectly clear view of Jiang He's face…

Jiang He?

Jiang He?

That was actually Jiang He?

In that instant, Three Blades Lin remembered what Wang Hou told him when he sent him to Lingzhou City to protect Jiang He…

"The kid is absolutely demonic. He's merely rank-eight pinnacle but he could fight with the power on the cusp of divine-tier—his future is inestimably bright, so nothing must happen to him!"

The cusp, my foot!

How far does that cusp even go?

The kid barely slashed out more than a handful of times, but wasn't each swing comparable to an average divine-tier intermediate-pinnacle?

All those thoughts crossed Three Blades Lin's mind in a split second.

Shifting to a defensive stance, Three Blades Lin used his blade radiance to shield his body, taking the brunt of Jiang He's nine slashes.

But not being adept at defense in the first place, he was sent flying backward by the nine slashes. As the terrible shockwave resulting from their Blade Qi unfurled, every building several hundred meters around them crumbled.

Even as he was sent flying, Three Blades Lin shouted, "Stop, Jiang He! I'm—"

"Die!"

On the other end, Jiang He kept charging toward Three Blades Lin with a raging roar.

His thunder slash was extremely powerful, even though he felt a feebleness inside…

Was he so weak without using immortal arts?

A random elite from the Sky Demon Cult could not be killed even after several slashes, even when he was using his cultivation to the max?

"Nonetheless, he gives me the feeling that he's not too strong to handle. If I cast my immortal cultivation and dashed forward with White Foal Crosses the Rift, he would have a hard time blocking…"

A puzzling idea occurred to Jiang He then.

Wasn't that person here to kill him?

He was quite powerful, so why was he just defending instead of attack?

Nonetheless, he continued to press his attack with thirty-meters thunder slashes in every strike.

In fact, right now…

Three Blades Lin was about to cry.

What the hell was this monster?

Rank-eight pinnacle bursting with divine-tier intermediate combat ability was already unthinkable… but most importantly, every strike was continuous and equally powerful, leaving Three Blades Lin unable to breathe as he guarded against slash after slash.

Clenching his teeth.

Three Blades Lin changed his blade stance, cutting out to shatter Jiang He's thunder slash and knocking him backward.

Boooom!

Another house crumbled.

Finally having a chance to breathe, Three Blades Lin leaped up high into the skies and exclaimed loudly, "Stop, Jiang He! I'm Three Blades Lin, and I mean no harm!"

Boom!

Jiang He's True Qi rumbled within the debris, knocking away the bricks and tiles that were covering him. Holding his Dragon-Slaying Saber, he could not help frowning as he looked up at the sky…

The man was at least sixty meters high.

His slashes would never reach him!

Sneering, Jiang He said, "I don't care if you're Three Blades or Five… trying to kill me? I'll cut you down, believe it!"

"…"

Three Blades Lin was rather speechless.

The kid had never heard of him?

Was his fame as the Black King that weak in the Hua Nation's martial world?

Chuckling bitterly, Three Blades Lin said, "It really is a misunderstanding, Jiang He. After Minister Wang had learned that you've slain a large number of the Sky Demon Cult's elites, he was worried that they would send a divine-tier elite after you. That is why I'm assigned here to protect you."

"Oh?"

Jiang He withdrew much of his killing intent at that.

He was seventy percent sure that it really was a misunderstanding now, but he must not let his guard down as long as he wasn't a hundred percent sure. Hence, he asked, "How could you prove Minister Wang sent you, and not the Sky Demon Cult?"

"Just now…"

"You were yelling my name as you came charging toward my house, with blazing killing intent."

Were you not trying to kill me?"

"I sensed a spirit's glimpsing, and thought that a divine-tier elite was trying to kill you… eh?"

Three Blades Lin couldn't help doing a double-take at his own words and gaped at Jiang He, exclaiming in shock, "Your spirit has ascended?"

On the other hand, Jiang He was not fully convinced, and took out his phone to call Duan Tianhe right in front of Three Blades Lin.

Duan Tianhe answered his call immediately, and it seems that he was utterly anxious, even asking loudly, "Jiang He, what actually happened? Did a divine-tier elite attack you?"

"Hide yourself right now—I sensed a burst of aura from a divine-tier elite, but Minister Wang had arranged for someone to protect you in secret…"

At the moment, Duan Tianhe, Cheng Dongfeng, and Ji Dongxu were huddled together.

There was no helping it.

They barely had a wink of sleep when they were jolted awake by the astonishing aura.

It could be felt with perfect clarity even from a dozen kilometers away.

Their first thought was that divine-tier elites were clashing, and it was not hard to reach the assumption that the Sky Demon Cult sent a divine-tier elite after Jiang He at that, only to be foiled by the elite Minister Wang sent.

"Huh?"

Jiang He chuckled over at the other end of the call and said, "Got it, Chief Duan… don't worry, the elite Minister Wang sent is very powerful and he wasn't hurt."

Hanging up and putting away his Dragon-Slaying Saber, Jiang He chuckled, "Three Blades Lin, was it? Haha… Brother Lin, why don't you greet me when you're already here? Thank goodness I was holding back, or wouldn't it be a huge loss if I really hurt you?"

"…"

Hoho…

'Holding back?

'Hurt me?

'You are really delusional, kid… a high and mighty divine-tier pinnacle elite like me would be hurt by your hands?

'Is my title 'Blade King' just for show?

'I am tried and true, and merely refrained from using my killing stroke because I recognized you.'

Nonetheless, Three Blades Lin descended from above.

Despite his many complaints, he could barely conceal the surprise on his face. Studying Jiang He from head to toe, he exclaimed in shock, "Unbelievable… Truly unbelievable. How did you cultivate such frightening combat ability when you're not even rank-nine?"

"What's more… your spirit had ascended past the limit of rank-eight pinnacle, reaching divine-tier levels… could this be a prodigious gift of legends?"

"No!"

Jiang He retorted seriously. "What does this have to do with prodigious gifts?

He knows what his talent was like.

His multiple attempts at cultivation had failed and he believed that his diligent farming was inextricably linked to how rapidly he improved. Over the last month, there was no telling how much he sweated in his diligent farming, and so he promptly said, "The reason I've gained some extent of accomplishment is mostly because I sweated more than others did."

Three Blades Lin nodded in return.

For Jiang He to gain such power and accomplishment at such a young age, he would have to train constantly and put in more than double the efforts compared to most people, no matter how much of a monster or what providence he gained.

Three Blades Lin could not help sighing at that thought. "Truly, young and dangerous!"

And yet, he suddenly noticed that Jiang He's condition was not quite normal, and so frowned as he asked, "What happened to you, Jiang He?"

"It's fine."

Right now, Jiang He was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Under the impression that another Sky Demon Cult elite was after his life, he had eaten a pepper before he fought.

And now…

The side effect of the pepper had kicked in.

Although Three Blades appeared rough at first, he was now very attractive.

As such, Jiang He quickly said, "Brother Lin, I think I'm quite safe here alone, and I don't need protection… anyway, I'm going back since I have something to do!"

Whoosh!

Jiang He promptly turned and darted away, his entire figure turning into a phantom as the casted Blind Princess's Eight Practices.

"Such an elegant physical art!"

Three Blades Lin couldn't help exclaiming in surprise, before sighing. "It seems that Jiang He's burst of power did not come without a cost… his state just now must be the recoil from using a certain mysterious art… but he's right. With his power now, who else could him unless the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult personally came?"

Taking up to the skies and glancing in the direction of Lingzhou City, Three Blades Lin's body moved once before disappearing into the night.

Meanwhile, Jiang He had already returned home.

He dashed up to the third-floor pool in a single breath, ready to bathe and 'lower his body heat'.

Nonetheless, footsteps could be heard from the outside just as he jumped into the pool…

Sora had arrived.

She had been jolted awake by the commotion from the battle before, and when she found that Jiang He ran here to bathe, she quickly came to help give him a massage.

As her soft, dainty hands stroked Jiang He's shoulders, the pepper's side effect inflamed.

Splash.

Sora gasped in surprise as she dropped into the pool…

Jiang He had dragged her inside.

In seconds, she exclaimed in coquettish shyness, "Goshuujin-sama… ah…"

After a long time.

Back at Jiang He's bedroom.

Jiang He breathed a long sigh even as he lay on his huge, comfortable bed, before glancing at the remote for the bed's vibration function…

He seemed to understand why the bed moved now.

Thud!

Jiang He flung the remote onto the edge of the bed, speechless.

Was the mansion he had planted that arrogant?

'It's not like I've got a bad hip… so why give me this gimmick at all?'

Report chapter

Chapter 191: Jiang He's Plan

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Sigh…"

His silk pajamas draped over him, Jiang He was standing beside the window as he lit himself a cigarette and look out towards the night sky, feeling dull and bored.

"The pepper may be powerful, but the side effect is just so horrible. Moreover, I can't bring my maid along when I'm outside… let's see if I could plant some crops that could replace the peppers."

After running around for most of the night, the sun was almost rising.

Since he was not falling asleep, Jiang He poured himself a cup of rank-nine Origin Fluid, and baked another plate of purple-gold sunflower seeds to munch on as well.

Soon.

It was already day.

Jiang He came downstairs to find that Sora had already prepared breakfast.

As he ate, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, I'll plant some cucumbers for you later. The willow tree Origin Fluid could improve your qi and cultivation too, whereas the rose tree one would strengthen your spirit."

"Eat and drink anything you need. Improve your ability, or you'll be falling apart before you get put through the grinder."

"Yes, master."

Jiang He returned to his farm after breakfast.

Since his cultivation was weak compared to others, he had to strengthen himself through hard work.

Nonetheless, once inside the farmyard, Jiang He's gaze was promptly drawn to two small weirdly shaped trees.

Both were around three meters tall but did not have many branches or leaves, with only several leaves dangling here and there.

Curiously, however, everything from the tree trunks to leaves were crystalline transparent.

Hexagonal Orirocks the size of a child's fist was dangling on the many branches. They swayed along with the branches amidst a gust of autumn breeze, colliding and making crisp, melodious clinging sounds.

"Master, master!"

Dumbo ran up to Jiang He with a look clearly currying for goodwill, saying, "I've helped you count—there are a total of fifty Orirocks on the trees."

50?

Jiang He extended his spirit and couldn't help chuckling, "It's clearly a hundred. How did it become fifty?"

"A hundred?"

Dumbo stood on its rear legs then and scratched its head with a confused look.

Not bothering himself with the dog, Jiang He reached out to pluck one of the Orirocks.

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points]

A System Notification jingled beside his ear.

A single Orirock actually earned Jiang He 100 Farm Points and 10 EXP.

"It's a little more than I imagined!"

Jiang He appeared delighted.

Since one Orirock was 100 Farm Points, the 100 on one tree meant he would get 10000 Farm Points.

Four trees meant 40000 Farm Points.

It was not much, but…

That meant he had a brand-new idea for earning Farm points.

"The only problem is that there are no markets for Orirocks, and not even most rank-nine martial artists could get them. They would use it for their own cultivation even if they did, so why would they sell it?"

Jiang He mused to himself for a moment before laughing.

No one would sell it.

But what if he exchanged it with his crops?

Others notwithstanding, the eggplants he grew extended one's lifespan by five years. The effect might not stack, but five years…

Was a very long time.

For a peak-rank nine elite like Long Mountain Lin, he could improve to the next level if he had another five years of life to him, breaking through his limits to reach divine-tier.

Once there, one would gain a lifespan of 200 years…

With such good stuff, did Jiang He had to be afraid he wouldn't get Orirocks in return?

"When I'm done, I'm off to write a post on Warrior Home, and commission a task at the Martial Arts Department (MAD) as well… I'll definitely get some Orirocks with that."

"Moreover… weren't Orirocks supposed to be found only in heritage sites and Secret Realms? I might try negotiating with the elites of Tantra when I get there."

Jiang He felt that as long as he had enough Orirocks to plant, he could swiftly accumulate Farm Points, hence rapidly improve his ability to become peerless.

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points]

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points]

[Ding…]

As System Notifications jingled repetitively, Jiang He swiftly harvested every Orirock on both trees, before glancing at the System.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Immortal Path—perfect Qi-Refinist; Martial Arts—Rank-Eight Pinnacle]

[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (), Blind Princess's Eight Practices (Second Practice), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Fifth Tier), Ninefold Thunderblade (Third Fold), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Fifth Tier), Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula (First Tier), Three Thousand Calamities (First Level)]

[Owned Land: 3 Mu]

[Farm Level: 4 (EXP 14800/50000)]

[System Backpack: 18 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 52000]

"Eh?"

"Did I earn so many Farm Points already?"

Jiang He thought about it…

Farm Points should be used when he could, and he could earn more when he's out.

Therefore…

"System, cultivate Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula to second tier."

[Ding!]

[Cultivation failed. Insufficient Farm Points.]

???

Jiang He's eyes widened at a loss for words. "Screw me," he cursed, "Fifty-two thousand Farm Points isn't enough to cultivate the Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula up to second-tier? Isn't this System getting more corrupt?"

Still…

Jiang He was soon relieved.

It seems that this was normal.

True, the immortal physique art Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula only strengthened the body, and might dull in comparison to the Sword Sage cultivation 'Three Thousand Calamities' which in turn means cultivating it might be easier…

Even so, the second tier of this skill corresponded to Golden Cinnabar.

Mastery of it at that level meant cultivating his physique to Golden Cinnabar too…

So, it would make sense that 50000 Farm Points was not enough.

"Right… if the second tier of the Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula corresponds to Golden Cinnabar, then… it should be equal to divine-tier in martial arts, would it not?"

The question suddenly occurred to Jiang He then.

If he really did cultivate Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula to second-tier mastery, his physical endurance would be enough to take a blow from a divine-tier elite.

When that happened, he might just feel hurt and get a swelling even if an average divine-tier elite's sword reached him.

On the other hand, the full-power blows from divine-tier elites might penetrate his defenses, would it not?

"Hmmm… maybe they might since the concept of piercing defenses is too general. Breaking my skin counts as that too, though I'm guessing only peak divine-tier elites could really harm me."

Jiang He felt his enthusiasm waning at that.

A mere martial arts newbie like him and a novice in immortal arts… how could he suddenly feel invincible?

Heh!

Jiang He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I'm actually advancing…"

Clearly, even his world view was changing.

"I'm cultivating immortal arts now, even obtaining a premium soul weapon in my flying sword… I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that a cultivator who lived over a thousand years."

Jiang He looked up at the horizon then.

Cultivators aside, the extraterrestrial sky demon would not be an easy opponent.

"Eh?"

And yet, another idea occurred to Jiang He when he remembered the Sky Demon Cult.

"If I remember correctly, that Fourth Elder wearing zebra-patterned mage robes mentioned that if the sky demon really were coming, it would be from the Stargate that's near Lingzhou City?

"So, if I could find the Stargate, I'll stuff hundred thousand tons-yield worth of nuclear bombs into it when the sky demons come… would that stop them?

"Hmmm…"

"Nuclear bombs might not work, since with the usual settings, stargates would cause a massive disturbance, and everything from electronics to nuclear bombs are rendered useless.

"But…"

"What if I could plant a crop which could compare against a nuclear bomb of a hundred-thousand-ton yield?"

Jiang He pondered.

Would it blow up?

Of course!

But the key here was how the heck would he plant a crop that had the might of a hundred-thousand-ton yield nuclear bomb?

"Forget it. Why think about that stuff?"

"I'll just have to stick to my farming, and I just might plant something like that by luck… even if I couldn't, I am still a novice immortal. Would it not make sense that I learnt something like sword array then?"

"I just have to lay my sword array over at that Stargate thing then."

Jiang He thought about many things.

There was no helping it…

It was already established that the sky demons were backing the Sky Demon Cult behind the scenes, and that he had now developed a grudge against the Sky Demon Cult. Therefore, the sky demons were definitely coming after him when they arrive. So, instead of having to be afraid of being assassinated, surrounded, or ambushed and being afraid day after day, why should he not plan ahead and kill everyone the moment they arrive? Would that not resolve the problem in its entirety?

He then looked beside him.

Dumbo was stretching its claws and counting…

"38, 39, 40… 50, 50, 50, 50…"

Jiang He was rather moved at the dog's look of concentration… no wonder Dumbo was smart enough to speak the human language even before it was rank-seven—everything was connected to its diligence and willingness to learn.

Trumbo, on the other hand, was still snoring away above the grave of the Sentinel of the Right.

But something was strange—why was Dumbo repeating 50 after reaching that number?

"Alright, wake up. You two are going to the city with me. Bring along the sunflower stems, we'll see if we could craft a weapon out of it."

Since Dumbo and Trumbo could learn martial arts, equipping them with weapons would definitely improve their fighting ability.

They were his pets watching his house anyway, which was why Jiang He intended to give them a fine grooming. He certainly couldn't do everything personally, could he?

When Dumbo and Trumbo's abilities improved, both cat and dog would easily get rid of the minions of the Sky Demon Cult or the sky demons.

Meanwhile, Dumbo carried a sunflower stem to Jiang He, who put it inside his System Backpack.

He stepped out of the farm and called to Sora, saying, "I'm running an errand in the city… by the way, I've already planted the cucumbers, and they'd be ripe when I get back. Also, you don't have to prepare lunch—let's have a giant prawn later."

After that, as Jiang He climbed into his sports car, Dumbo and Trumbo leaped up to ride shotgun.

Then, cat and dog almost started fighting for the seat!

"Shut up!"

Jiang He barked with a scowl, and both pets promptly became quiet. With that Dumbo rode shotgun, while Trumbo fastened the seatbelt over the dog before perching on top of its friend.

At Jiang He's voice command, the sports car soon sprinted towards the Lingzhou city MAD.

Jiang He headed straight to the old blacksmith's workspace, had a trifling conversation with the old man before saying, "Old timer, I've actually come to you today so that you help me forge a wok…"

"The wok must be heatproof, and it's best if it could withstand higher temperatures…"

After some thought, Jiang He then added, "And it must be large… is it possible to make it fifteen-meters wide?"

After all…

The giant rank-seven crab that he killed was around thirteen meters, and it couldn't be cooked if the wok was too small.

Report chapter

Chapter 192: The Seafood is Too Big For the Wok

"How wide?

"Fifteen meters?"

The old blacksmith stared at Jiang He suspiciously and asked in astonishment, "Why would you want such a huge wok?"

He repeated himself, suspecting that he was not hearing Jiang He correctly, and became speechless when he saw Jiang He nod. "A fifteen-meter wide wok… Are you cooking a cow? No, not even a cow would need something that big."

"I'm not cooking a cow. Why would I need such a huge wok to cook a cow?"

Jiang He chuckled. "I went to Jiangnan just a few days ago and got me a lobster and a crab. Well, as you would know, most marine life had evolved now, which is why those things are a little big…"

'A little big, when you are asking for a fifteen-meter wok?'

The blacksmith smiled. "Can't you cut them up before you cook them?"

"Sliced lobster and crab are soulless. Even king crabs are served whole—who on earth serves those things sliced?"

"…"

The old blacksmith had no retort to offer, and so thought about it before saying, "You want a wok that's so huge and want it to capable of withstanding extreme temperatures… the wok has to be thick, at least thicker than normal woks…"

"Fifteen meters large and five times the size of a standard wok… when that happens, it would need more oil and firewood to heat it up."

Jiang He laughed out loud. "It's fine. Don't worry and just smith it—I don't use firewood anyway. My pets have fire-type powers, and I just need them to breathe fire on the food."

Old blacksmith: "…"

After they discussed the design and details of the giant wok, Jiang He took out a sunflower stem with a turn of his hand.

Like its flower and seeds, the stem was purple-gold and appeared quite noble.

The old blacksmith received the sunflower stem and exclaimed in shock, "What is this? It' looks like a sunflower stem, but it doesn't feel that way to the touch…"

"It is a sunflower stem."

Jiang He grinned. "I passed by a land where it was growing when I headed to Jiangnan. I wanted to chop them down to use as firewood, but it proved too sturdy. It might have evolved somehow, so I wanted to try to make it a weapon."

"Wow!"

The old blacksmith's eyes lit up then, "I could try…"

It was a new crafting material for the old blacksmith. Having come from a family with generations of blacksmiths and inheriting his craft from them at a young age, even awakening a smithing hammer as a superpower, it was obvious that the old blacksmith really liked his line of work.

He was almost impatient to test the purple-gold sunflower stem—Jiang He gave him eight of those before showing himself out of the blacksmith's workshop.

Then, he saw that Dumbo and Trumbo were gone.

"Those two wretches!"

Jiang He clenched his teeth. Before he went to the blacksmith, he had them play outside the workshop and told them not to run around…

And now, they were gone in the blink of an eye.

Still, Jiang He was not worried that they would hurt others—he was confident on that much since he planted both beasts.

Even so this was the Martial Arts Department (MAD). With the many martial artists and Awakened working here possessing some extent of insight, they would jump when they found out that Dumbo and Trumbo were rank-six pinnacle.

Yes…

Both Dumbo and Trumbo were rank-six pinnacle now.

They had been munching on a lot of grave grass and blended qi pellets over the last two days, and aside from improved cultivation, Dumbo learned a blade technique while Trumbo awakened fire-type powers…

After all, one of the Heavenly Generals Jiang He killed was an Awakened named Earthen Savage or something…

Still, with a sweep using his spirit, Jiang He soon found Dumbo and Trumbo.

Cat and dog were playing chase and had arrived outside of the building for martial artist and Awakened assessments. There were a lot of people here, and aside from MAD personnel, there were martial artists and Awakened there to participate in assessments.

"Eh?"

Someone gasped in surprise then upon realizing how extraordinary Dumbo and Trumbo were, and exclaimed in shock, "Is that cat and dog Ferals? I actually sensed a dangerous aura from them?"

"I must be mistaken. As an Awakened with strong spirit, I could sense even rank-three or four martial artists that concealed their auras. How could I not sense it if that cat and dog are Ferals?"

A crowd started to form and surrounded Dumbo and Trumbo then. Exchanging glances, cat and dog were ready to leave when another gasp of surprise could be heard.

"Eh?

"Isn't that the dog in Mister Jiang's house?"

It was Su Ze and several colleagues who were passing by after having breakfast, coming by for a look in curiosity when they saw the crowd.

He immediately recognized Dumbo and Trumbo with his first glance and came to them with an outstretched hand, intending to pet Dumbo's head.

Dumbo glared at him instead.

"…"

Su Ze pulled back, even jumping a step back.

A colleague of his in intelligence asked in curiosity, "What is it, Su Ze?"

"No… it's nothing."

Su Ze suspected that he had it wrong then… but did that dog just roll its eyes at him?

"No way? Even if Jiang He's dog is a Feral and smarter than most dogs, it couldn't be that human, could it?"

Su Ze could not help chuckling at that thought, and took out a tea egg from his colleague's lunchbox and threw it at Dumbo, saying, "Here, have an egg. Go back to your master after you're done eating."

However, Dumbo shot the egg a look of disdain, and picked up the egg with its paw to throw it at Su Ze, barking, "Fool, why would this dog eat this rubbish?"

Tea egg[1]?

This dog eats rank-six and rank-seven Feral meat every day back home, and snack on blended qi pellets served in bowls. Would it even care for a tea egg?

Was Su Ze belittling it now?

With that, Dumbo stood on its rear legs, and spoke to a martial artist who was standing in its way, "Excuse me…"

Then, it strode off with a swagger along with Trumbo.

The crowd was left silent, with everyone gaping speechlessly and seemingly thunderstruck, frozen stiff where they were.

When cat and dog eventually vanished from sight off a corner, someone finally cried out in shock, "What the hell… human speech? Were those king-class Ferals?"

As the crowd erupted in an uproar, Su Ze remained where he was, holding the tea egg Dumbo had thrown back at him.

That was when Dumbo, who disappeared from a corner poked out its head and grinned at everyone.

The uproar faded instantly and everyone stared wide-eyed at Dumbo.

Laughing, Dumbo spoke with its Sichuan-Xibei accent, "Fools. What do you mean, king-class Feral? This dog is just rank-six pinnacle…"

"Are all Ferals that can talk king-class?"

"Starlings talk too, so they must be king-class."

"Damn it!"

The dog could not show its middle finger, or the effect would have been astounding.

In the distance, Jiang He almost broke out in laughter.

That Dumbo actually gave those martial-artist and Awakened the stink-eye… that said, the dog itself could give that crowd a beatdown, and the stink-eye seems reasonable.

When dog and cat returned to him, Jiang He said, "Stop running around. Come with me."

He led Dumbo and Trumbo back into the old blacksmith's workshop. The blacksmith was actually scowling and said, "Your sunflower stem can't be fashioned into weapons, Jiang He. It is sturdy, but it is still a plant and wooden. Still, I tried it and it really could be used as a club, and it would be a match for A-grade alloy weapons. You could also use it as a spear by adding a spear tip on it."

The image of Dumbo and Trumbo holding spears came to Jiang He's mind then…

It might look imposing, but neither of those beasts knew club or spear techniques.

Still, he wonders if the Sky Demon Cult has elites in those fields…

"Well, since that won't work, please forge my wok, old man."

Dumbo and Trumbo were clearly unhappy about that.

Scowling, Jiang He barked, "You're a cat and a dog. Why would you want to fool around with spears and clubs? I'll get you two a combat blade or a longsword later, and make it S-grade for you to play with."

Delighted, cat and dog ran off again.

"What the hell!"

At a loss for words, Jiang He quickly scolded them, "Get back here! Don't go running around without my orders."

Initially, Jiang He wanted to craft his pets some body armor, but considering that the old blacksmith's skill was still limited and he could not craft S-grade alloy amor, he decided to give up on the idea.

Hence, the old blacksmith started to forge the wok whereas Jiang He squatted outside, munching on sunflower seeds.

Soon, Duan Tianhe came by.

Clearly, he knew that Jiang He had come to the MAD.

He walked up and squatted beside Jiang He with a weird look on his face. After staring at Jiang He for some time, he breathed a long sigh, saying, "I heard from the Blade King about what happened last night. To think that you would grow from rank-four to such heights in just a month."

Jiang He sighed at the mention of the old days too. "Yeah. At the time, I still wondered how I'm supposed to kill rank-seven grandmasters, but now… I could poke them to death with my fingertip."

Duan Tianhe: "…"

Being a rank-seven grandmaster, he felt like his heart received a hundred-thousandfold critical hit.

"By the way, is there something you want to talk about, Chief Duan?"

Jiang He whipped out another handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and split half with Duan Tianhe.

Duan Tianhe had seen these purple-gold sunflower seeds before. Still, despite the familiarity, he did not pay much attention to it after a glance at the pile of sunflower seed shells in front of Jiang He.

Could he be munching on them like that if those really were purple-gold sunflower seeds?

It was a treasure worth up to millions per seed that improves spirit after consumption.

"Well, there is something."

Duan Tianhe said as he started munching on the sunflower seeds too. "The Tantra's Secret Realm would be opened on the seventh of October, and the higher-ups mean to transport candidates such as you there ahead of time… Things might have been unpleasant between Minister Wang and the Tantra sect when he went there to talk, and if Tantra elites challenge you, you might need to help interfere."

"That's it?"

Jiang He laughed out loud as he spat out a sunflower seed shell. "Don't worry, I actually have some ties to the Tantra sect. When the time comes, I'll just have to show some sincerity, and their elites would show me face."

Yeah…

Ties.

Jiang He believed that, at least.

Since the Dragon-Elephant Prajna was a secret technique of the Tantra sect, was it not a strong tie since he knows it?

"Good."

Duan Tianhe smiled, although he was puzzled inwardly…

Jiang He had ties to the Tantra sect?

Could his hunch before was on the money? That Jiang He's last name connects him to the Jiang clan of the Yellow Emperor's Tomb which was another one of the five Holy Grounds…

If that was the case, it made sense that there were ties between.

Duan Tianhe thought about it whilst continuing to munch on the sunflower seeds, when his body's aura suddenly shook…

Ooom!

His spirit seemed to have improved considerably?

Shock, Duan Tianhe stared wide-eyed at the remaining sunflower seeds in his palm and then at Jiang He, who said with a look of envy, "Ah… Chief Duan, you really are a lucky one, ascending your spirit by just munching some purple-gold sunflower seeds. I never had that, and who knows how many more years it would be before I ascend again…"

Jiang He realized that his growth rate had become infinitely slow after his spirit reached divine-tier…

Of course, it might be because he just ascended last night, and had not munched enough sunflower seeds or drank enough Origin Fluid yet.

[1] mm tea eggs are great though

Report chapter

Chapter 193: Going Forth, to Tantra

Hoho.

Duan Tianhe had been inwardly delighted after gaining ascension in spirit, but Jiang He's words left him feeling upset about it all.

In fact, he could not help feeling an impulse to fling every remaining purple-gold sunflower seed he was holding on Jiang He's face.

Still, he ended up putting it in his pocket after some thought.

The stuff was quite expensive. Would it not be a waste to throw them away?

Of course, the main reason was that he did not dare to throw it.

Rising to his feet, he said, "We'll be gathering at two in the afternoon tomorrow here at the Martial Arts Department (MAD), Jiang He. Remember to be punctual."

With that, Duan Tianhe left.

He did not want to continue his conversation with Jiang He because it really pricked his heart.

"It's only the fifth tomorrow, what's the hurry? Everyone is elite and quick on their feet, so heading to the Western Frontier would not take much time."

Jiang He complained… but the timetable was more or less on point, since he still had much to do after heading to the Western Frontier.

Meanwhile, the old blacksmith's progress on the wok was quite slow since the wok was huge, and he only finished at two in the afternoon.

Hence, Jiang He feasted his eyes upon the 15m wide wok. Though that number would not mean much, it was as tall as a five-story building if stood vertically.

Moreover, the wok was clearly embedded with new alloys and appeared shiny.

Jiang He said his things and put the giant wok in his System Backpack—having learnt about the spatial ring, he no longer had to be subtle about the System Backpack.

With that settled, he headed to the supermarket to buy some cinnamon, star anise, cumin, black cardamom, for those were necessary spices for frying five-spices sunflower seeds.

Moreover, he also bought cooking wine, ginger, soy sauce and other condiments to season his steam-cooked giant crab.

It was three in the afternoon when he reached home.

Standing just outside his yard, Jiang He took out the giant wok and told Dumbo, "Later, follow my instructions—make a cooktop on the empty ground outside."

Having gained earth-type superpowers, such work was exceedingly easy for Dumbo and Trumbo now.

And at Jiang He's instruction, a super large cooktop appeared on the vacant ground outside.

"The position to put the wok is a little smaller…"

"That's too large, make it smaller."

After putting the wok on the cook top, Jiang He took out a hose from his house, connect it to a tap and started washing the giant crab.

"By the way…"

"It says online that it takes over an hour for the crab to marinade beforehand if I steam-cook it… and it's now past three. Wouldn't it be time for dinner after it is marinated and cooked?"

After cleaning the giant crab, Jiang He mused to himself as an idea soon struck him.

He promptly took out a box of cooking wine and pour every drop into a huge steel basin. Then, he levitated it with True Qi and splashed it over the giant crab.

Though the crab's shell was as thick as an A-grade alloy, Jiang He had punctured many holes with his flying sword beforehand, so that the cooking wine could seep inside.

Moreover, to ensure that the wine streamed in evenly and quickly, Jiang He use a mild wave of True Qi to aid the circulation of the cooking wine.

With that, the marinating was done in around a dozen minutes, and to greater effect than leaving it to sook.

Jiang He sighed at that. "Truly, one must adapt. Martial arts do not only kill foes, but could be applied to daily life too."

He remembered a movie he once watched then, where people were using Taiji skills to knead flour, Wudang swordplay to trim trees, Iron Buckshot Palm to park cars, and Treading Over Ripples to evade banana skins. Such were the most distinct examples of applying martial arts to daily life.

"I'll need a cover to steam cook the crab… I forgot to ask the old blacksmith to make me one. Forget it then, I'll just use True Qi."

Pouring bucketloads of water into the wok, Jiang He directly conjured a net of True Qi over the water and kept the giant crab floating over the crab, before using True Qi as a cover as well.

That required precious control and utility over True Qi, and Jiang He naturally could achieve that easily.

Then, Dumbo and Trumbo came up and started to breathe fire beneath the wok.

At six in the evening, the crab was finally cooked.

Even so, Jiang He realized that although the steamed crab was good, it was not really to his taste…

Well, Dumbo and Trumbo would benefit from this anyway.

"Ah, I should have cooked crab extra-spicy instead…"

After having dinner, Jiang He started to roast the sunflower seeds, and a huge wok of five-spices sunflower seeds was soon finished.

Jiang He had one seed and nodded in satisfaction, smiling. "Not bad, not bad—it's really worth every penny, especially considering one seed is worth over a hundred thousand bucks. Now, it's a hundred times tastier than the average sunflower seed!"

The fifth of October.

Jiang He only woke up at noon.

After washing up and having lunch, he poured himself a cup of rank-nine Origin Fluid to clear his palate, and arrived at Lingzhou City's MAD at two o'clock sharp.

However, the others had arrived before he did.

The Tantra Secret Realm had permitted six entrants, one of which was taken by Jiang He and Cheng Dongfeng respectively, as well as Chen Jingzhou of the military.

Of the remaining three, one was dressed in military attire and appeared to be in his late twenties. His name was He Litong—and his cultivation was quite good: a rank-seven grandmaster.

Cheng Dongfeng walked up to him and introduced Jiang He, saying, "Jiang He, this is Commander He of the Sixth Recon Battalion in Xibei's Field Operations Division."

Even as he spoke, Cheng Dongfeng communicated with Secret Acoustics, "The man has a strong background—he's one of the founders of our nation."

Jiang He promptly felt dep veneration at that, and put fist to palm, saying, "Greetings, Commander He."

He Litong offered a fist-palm salute in return, smiling. "I have heard of your before, Grandmaster Jiang, and your reputation is certainly deserved now that I've met you."

Beside them was a youth with an alloy combat blade slung over his back.

He appeared to be just short of twenty and a sense of childishness still lingers on his face. He appeared excited after meeting Jiang He, even speaking gibberish as he walked up with a fist-palm salute. "Greetings, Grandmaster Jiang. I'm Yang Chengwu—our academy director often mentions you… a lot of people in the academy are your fans."

"Yo?"

Jiang He's gaze shifted to study the youth, and could not help grinning, "Are you a local?"

After all, the youth spoke fluent Lingzhou dialect.

Cheng Dongfeng grinned. "The kid is handpicked from Lingzhou City's

Martial Arts Academy (MAA), and also happens to be the heir of the Yang Clan School, led by grandmaster Yang Shipeng. He's young, but he's already rank-five pinnacle and a B-class Awakened with superstrength."

Rank-five pinnacle and a B-class Awakened with superstrength…

It meant that the kid's ability was on the upper end of Lingzhou city, even the Western Xia province. Moreover, it was also proof that when an heir from an old martial arts school had a head start compared to average people following the Revival of Qi.

Jiang He had heard of Yang Shipeng as well.

He was the creator of the Reverse Backblade, and there were records of him on the Warrior Home forums. He was a martial artist cultivated up to grandmaster during the Degenerate Age, and his future would have been inestimable if he cultivated in this age instead.

Being one of the Hui tribe, Yang Shipeng's Yang Clan School had a two-hundred-year history, and their disciples once formed the Tiger Battalions to rebel against the Qing-dynasty as well as civilian military force to fight the Japanese, and were worthy of respect.

Still, unlike Elder Master Dong who founded the Eight Trigrams School, Grandmaster Yang was not able to reach new heights, and died fighting for the country. Still, such individuals were not rare, since many martial artists started to show up during the days of the Republic.

Given that all of them were able to cultivate up to grandmaster during the Degenerate Age, they would take to the skies in one go if they cultivated now in the Revival of Qi!

The last person was a lady.

She was dressed in sportswear and carrying a stuffed gym back.

"Jiang He, this is Zhou Rui, the prodigy that Xi'an's MAD recommended. She's 23, and once a fencer at the international level. She's an A-class Awakened with Royal Sword—a very rare ability."

The lady came up and offered Jiang He a fist-palm salute as well.

Clearly… she did not know Jiang He.

Even so, she showed him respect once she heard He Litong address him as Grandmaster Jiang.

Jiang He slid her a few more glances.

Royal Sword was certainly rare as a superpower, and those who possessed it were very powerful. Even the weakest A-class Royal Swordsman was an equal match to a rank-seven martial arts grandmaster.

That being said, it was reasonable that Jiang He would slide a few more glances since they shared the same ability.

After greeting everyone, Jiang He started chattering with Chen Jingzhou and Cheng Dongfeng.

Even so, he was puzzled.

Yang Chengwu, He Litong, and Zhou Rui were all young and worth grooming. On the other hand, both Chen Jingzhou and Cheng Dongfeng were basically geezers now, and yet they were actually chosen to go to Tantra as well?

Be that as it may, Jiang He was not aware that Chen Jingzhou counted as a genius—top rank-nine elites who grasped sword will before 60 had a huge chance of reaching divine-tier in the future.

As for Cheng Dongfeng, he was once the Peerless Rank-six and truly deserving of that title, although he was eclipsed by Jiang He after coming to Lingzhou City. Even after he had ascended as grandmaster, he had overtaken Duan Tianhe who ascended to rank-seven before he did.

If he had been mediocre, there was no way Elder Master Dong would have placed so much importance on him and personally instruct him.

Soon…

Duan Tianhe, Three Blades Lin, and Ji Dongxu all arrived.

After greeting each other, Three Blades Lin cut to the point, saying, "Start preparing. We shall depart at five o'clock sharp—since the roads of Western Xia were devasted by Ferals, everyone has to go to Tantra on foot."

"This will be a long journey. It's over two thousand miles of wildlands full of danger. Ferals or even Sky Demon Cult elites might be sent to attack us… that's why everyone must be very careful."

Three Blades Lin was going to escort them in secret but he did not say that, since the 2000-mile journey could be used as training for the group.

After mentioning the red flags, Three Blades Lin asked, "Any questions?"

Chen Jingzhou and the others shook their heads, whereas Jiang He stood up and asked, "Well… where is Tantra, specifically? Is there a map? What if I alone can't find the Tantra Sect if we somehow split up?"

To tell the truth, Three Blades Lin did not think of that.

Still, he promptly answered, "I've already informed Chen Jingzhou where the Tantra Sect is so that the situation you spoke of would not occur, Jiang He. I would also have some people prepare the maps and give it to you before we go."

Jiang He mused to himself for a moment, before adding, "Old Lin, we're strangers to Tantra and I heard that Minister Wang had some squabble with them, and had to knock down their front door to get the list. What if we accidentally killed a Tantra Disciple if they came to bother us…"

Noting the fire in Three Blades Lin's eyes then, Jiang He's tone promptly changed and he laughed, "I'm joking, just joking… I'll watch myself when the time comes and hold back from killing."

Three Blades Lin: "…"

In truth, Jiang He had a belly full of questions, but he did not keep asking.

For example, could he deliberately lure Sky Demon Cultists to ambush their group?

And for a further example, would he pass by Mount Tian along the way to Tantra? If he did, would he cause trouble if he went up the mountain to kill that Golden-Crowned Black Eagle that attacked him last time?

"Forget it. The boss of the MAD himself secured this place for me… so I'll just go have a bask of that glory and nothing else. Asking too many questions is no good either." Jiang He thought then.

He was prepared… to adapt to the situation along his journey.

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Chapter 194: Jiang He's Mount

The fifth of October, ten past five in the afternoon.

The main entrance of Lingzhou City's Martial Arts Department (MAD).

Ji Dongxu, Duan Tianhe, and Three Blades Lin were standing in a group.

Jiang He, Cheng Dongfeng, and the rest of the six who were heading to Tantra Sect had already left ten minutes ago, and would probably have left the city by now.

"Escort… Escort my foot!"

Three Blades Lin suddenly barked. "I got an easy job for once, and not two days I'm running about for that bunch of brats."

Ji Dongxu said nothing.

Being an heir of an old martial clan, he had been at odds with Three Blades Lin before—the latter had risen to grandmaster before the Revival of Qi, and to achieve that, he had challenged every dojo alone with one blade, gaining fame for being a peerless rank-six and defeating untold numbers of rank-six elites.

A member of the Ji family happened to be one of the defeated then. His martial heart suffering a blow, he loafed around for most of his life and only started improving again following the Revival of Qi.

Beside them, Duan Tianhe chuckled. "You are truly powerful, Blade King-senpai. As the saying goes, 'Those who could work more'—with you on escort, they would not face any problems on their journey."

Heh!

Three Blades Lin shot Duan Tianhe a glare and barked, "I hadn't seen you for just ten years, and your flattery has improved… Back then… sigh!"

Three Blades Lin could not help breathing a long sigh at that.

He was old acquaintances with Duan Tianhe's master, but the man had died in a Feral Swarm.

Abruptly, Three Blades Lin's tone changed and he asked, "By the way, does Minister Wang know about Jiang He's current power levels? I think they would be very safe with him there… Xiao Duan, why don't you subtly send Jiang He a message and have him watch over the others?"

"…"

Duan Tianhe scowled and quickly said, "No can do, Blade King-senpai. Absolutely not. I know Jiang He… and though the group is plenty strong, any trouble they encounter would most definitely have to do with Jiang He."

Three Blades Lin was just mentioning his discontent in passing and was about to follow the group anyway. Still, he appeared taken aback at Duan Tianhe's reply, and asked, "What?"

In return, Duan Tianhe was about to list the 'stuff' that Jiang He had done when he suddenly blinked and looked up ahead.

Jiang He had returned to the crossroads at the end of the street.

"Old Duan, Old Lin!"

After greeting them, Jiang He said, "Me and my memory. I only remembered that I have a mount left in here after leaving the city."

He entered the MAD, and headed straight to the Superpower Research Department.

Soon, Jiang He came out, riding a huge black panther.

It was up to four times the size of an ordinary big cat, and its body was palpating a rank-seven advanced aura—it was the one that Jiang He had tamed back at Mount Helan.

Jiang He suddenly remembered it, after having left the feline here for research over some time…

After all, the road to the Western Frontier was quite far.

Hyah!

Abruptly slapping the black panther, the creature leapt away and bounded out of the city.

Three Blades Lin: "…"

"A rank-seven Feral?" He exclaimed in shock.

"Hadn't you heard, Blade King senpai?" Duan Tianhe replied. "Jiang He is also an Awakened with beast-taming powers."

Outside the city.

Zhou Rui frowned in displeasure, saying, "What is Jiang He doing? We've already left the city, and now he ran back for his mounts… is he going to ride a horse all the way through the wild forests along the way?"

"It's a two thousand-mile journey. There's not telling when he would actually make it if he rode a horse."

Clearly.

From her perspective, the mount was a horse.

Meanwhile, Yang Chengwu frowned.

As he had mentioned before, many students at the Lingzhou City Martial Arts Academy were fans of Jiang He—himself included.

At first, he had thought well of the lovely lady, but he promptly sneered at Zhou Rui's complaint of Jiang He, saying, "You could leave ahead of us. Did Bro Jiang ask you to wait?"

"You…"

Zhou Rui clenched her teeth and was about to retort when a roar could suddenly be heard, and soon a black blur reached and stopped before them.

Jiang He was seated on the panther and holding a map. After several glances, he said, "I've read the map, and there are over two thousand, four hundred and fifty miles to cover from Lingzhou City to the mountain gates of Tantra. There would also be various dangers on the way and it might delay us, so without further ado, let's depart."

"…"

Yang Chengwu, Zhou Rui, and Commander He were quite surprised.

On the other hand, Cheng Dongfeng and Chen Jingzhou appeared composed.

Nonetheless, the group hence moved and started darting in the direction of southwest. Everyone there was warriors and quite strong, which was why they could move rapidly.

Be that as it may… they slowed down after running over a hundred miles.

In the end, Zhou Rui was an Awakened. Despite having trained in martial arts, she was still the weakest physically in the group, and was falling behind a little.

On the other hand, Jiang He was feeling quite leisurely as he sat atop the black panther.

"Big Black, hadn't you gotten skinnier just days apart? Those spine bones of yours look quite scary sticking out …"

The black panther wailed at that, and communicated in spirit, "I beg you, take me back, master… That woman is mad!"

"Both my brethren already died because they couldn't take it… and she still keeps drawing my blood and cutting my flesh every day for experiments!"

"Master, I beg you, save me… if this continues, you're going to lose your adorable mount."

Jiang He: "…"

Was Mu Wanqiu really that ruthless?

Still, was there an experiment that does not require drawing blood and cutting flesh?

After a while, Jiang He said, "A promise is a promise. I agreed to let Mu Wanqiu take you for her experiments, so I'll have to follow through…"

"Moreover, I know the woman. She has boundaries and probably wouldn't kill you—it's fine even if she does, since I could revive you."

As the black panther kept wailing and complained, Jiang He scolded it and immediately silenced the creature, before spreading his map over the creature's back.

"Walk steadily," he instructed, "I'm studying the landscape…"

The path to the Tantra Sect of the Western Frontier was labeled with red lines.

Neary the red line was several red dots.

Those marked Ferals that the MAD has already spotted, the smallest of which were rank-sevens, medium being rank-eight and large being rank-nines.

And the largest of the dots were Feral Kings.

"Feral Kings, Feral Kings… there's actually three of them in the Western Frontier? Aside from the Violet-Crowned Golden Eagle of Mount Kunlun and the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle of Mount Tian, there's also one more… the Red Toad King of Lake Kanas."

"Huh…"

Jiang He realized in surprise that the red-line that marked the path clearly arced away when it was near Lake Kanas."

It meant that they would have to make a detour when upon approaching Lake Kanas.

A little detour was fine, but Jiang He also realized that Lake was really close to Mount Tian, and making a detour would only take them further away from Mount Tian?

Could this be fate?

Jiang He pondered.

Does the heavens intend for him to visit Lake Kanas?

"Still…

"Doesn't that mean intruding on the Red Toad King's territory? What if it intends harm upon us? Surely we can't strike preemptively to kill it?"

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Chapter 195: Rank-Nine Martial Artist

Soon, it was night.

They were on a rugged village road when Chen Jingzhou said, "According to the map, there's a mountain village around twenty miles ahead. We'll rest there for two hours before continuing!"

"Okay."

Everyone agreed, with Zhou Rui's eyes shining.

She was a little exhausted since her physique was merely equal to a rank-five martial artist after running over five hundred miles in a single go.

Soon, a run-down village appeared within sight, with signs of Feral rampage everywhere and most of the buildings reduced to debris.

The group hence looked for a relatively complete house, started a fire, took out food and water as they had their break.

Jiang He came to them while munching on sunflower seeds.

Whipping out a handful, he asked, "Anyone wants some?"

No one said a thing.

After all, they did not know that the sunflower seeds that Jiang He had been munching on over their journey were the purple-gold sunflower seeds worth over a million dollars each.

Jiang He sat down opposite Cheng Dongfeng, whipped out a bottle of 'water', grinning, "Want a drink, Old Cheng?"

Cheng Dongfeng eyed the mineral water in Jiang He's hand and shook his head, smiling as he whipped out a bottle of wine and had a few sips. "Jiang He, you may be stronger than I am, but when it comes to survival in the wild, no one here would dare claim first place even if I claim second…"

"Food and water are not actually necessary when martial artists are out in the wild. You just need more medicine, stuff like that."

"Most Feral meat are edible which resolves the food problem, and farming villages over here at Xibei has the habit of digging wells and water cellars. That's why a trip to any uninhabited village solves the water problem, just as you could quench your thirst at rivers and with wild fruits."

"Of course, you can pretend I didn't say that if there's a water-type Awakened among us."

Both Yang Chengwu and Zhou Rui looked enlightened, although Jiang He appeared thoughtful as he opened the mineral water bottle.

Inside was not actually mineral water but rank-nine Origin Fluid.

Jiang He had two variants of Origin Fluid: one from the willow tree of Mount Helan that improves cultivation and qi, whereas the other variant which he traded from one of Jiangnan's martial clan improves spirit.

And this bottle contained the Origin Fluid of the willow tree.

Its aroma was very sweet, and its aroma promptly extended once the bottle was opened.

Cheng Dongfeng was the closest; he could not help gaping.

The look on the others' faces changed too.

Jiang He seemed to not notice, and simply chugged down most of the bottle as he picked the bottle up, before he put the cap back on and the bottle way.

After cleaning his mouth, Jiang He smiled with a fist-palm salute. "Well, the ancients are right—if three people come together, one can be the teacher. Thanks for your guidance, Master Cheng. You do speak reason."

Cheng Dongfeng returned the salute and asked, "Jiang He, what was that you were drinking?"

"Origin Fluid."

There was nothing worth hiding about that, which was why Jiang He replied, "It's from that willow tree of Mount Helan. It insisted on giving me some Origin Fluid when I spoke to it."

"…"

What the hell!

Cheng Dongfeng's face turned green.

Rank-nine Origin Fluid?

Are you actually using a mineral water bottle to carry around such a precious item?!

And here I was thinking it was just mineral water…

If Cheng Dongfeng had known, he would not have put on airs when Jiang He took it out and promptly took it for a chug. Indeed, his cultivation might ascend by a whole notch after some sips.

Even so, Jiang He grinned and added, "Still, you were being one-sided, Master Cheng… for example, if a martial artist had a Spatial Ring and could carry a lot of things, he could bring anything he needed when he stepped out of the house."

Whoosh!

Even as he spoke, he brought out a grill rack, a box of coal, bottles of barbecue condiments, olive oil, oil brush, and the meat skewer that his sexy, adorable maid had cleaned and prepared.

Jiang He poured the coal into the grill rack and promptly used his fire-type powers. When the coal fire was more or less burning, he picked up the oil brush and elegantly oiled his meat, before grilling it.

As everyone else gaped, Jiang He chuckled. "It's not easy going on long journeys at the current age. Every little bit of enjoyment counts, and I believe grilling is definitely a part of camping… I mean, training in the wild: Beat up a Feral with fresh meat, raise a bonfire, have some beer and meat while enjoying the moon. How luxurious is that?"

The fragrant smell of meat spread in the darkness of the night.

Chen Jingzhou's expression twitched somberly. "Such fragrant meat scent might draw the attention of Ferals…"

"That's fine."

Jiang He waved him off, grinning. "I have experience with grilling out in the wild. You just have to pick your meat if you want to avoid catching any Feral's attention."

"Meat?

Yang Chengwu appeared confused and asked, "Bro Jiang, the type of meat matters too?"

"Of course."

Jiang He took out one of the skewers and had a taste. It was more or less cooked but needed a little salt, which he promptly grabbed a pinch and sprinkled it while he said, "For example, the meat I'm grilling now is the meat of the Blue King Drake, ranked third amongst all python-type Ferals in this world.

"The Blue King Drake is an elite amongst all Feral Kings, and even the burning scent of its flesh would probably intimidate other Ferals to some extent."

"…"

Cheng Dongfeng and the others traded glances—Zhou Rui, who knew nothing about Jiang He's background was especially staring in wide-eyed wonder as she stared at Jiang He.

The astonishment that Jiang He caused in a brief moment left them all breathless and a thousand questions in their mind, though they did not dare to ask.

"Come, come. The meat is cooked, everyone, get some…"

Jiang He generously shared the Blue King Drake's meat with everyone… but before he could finish several skewers, he scowled in embarrassment. "Damn it, are these Ferals trying to give me a slap?"

In the distant darkness of the night, Ferals were approaching after catching a whiff of the meat.

After all, the Feral King's meat was too alluring for them.

Ferals, especially weaker ones, could ascend and evolve after having a few mouthfuls of Feral King's flesh.

Cheng Dongfeng rose, sneering as he twirled his skewer. "Everyone, stay here. I'll get rid of those pests."

And yet, Jiang He stopped him just as he rose to his feet.

"Beware, Master Cheng."

"According to Chief Duan, the Sky Demon Cult's elites might ambush us, so I should go just in case."

Whipping another dozen of skewered meat and passing it to Cheng Dongfeng, Jiang He added, "The meat's almost finished, so I'm counting on you to cook more for the others… ah."

Jiang He took out another huge chunk of meat from his System Backpack, which was probably around four hundred catties.

He threw it straight at the Black Panther, saying, "This is a rank-eight Feral's meat I've killed a while ago, do eat more. How am I supposed to ride you when you're that skinny?"

With that, Jiang He turned and entered the darkness.

Soon, waves of explosions could be heard, with dazzling flames shooting up to the horizon.

Stunned, He Litong promptly sat up.

Likewise, Zhou Rui appeared somber as if she faced a great enemy, whereas Yang Chengwu whipped out his combat blade with a wary look.

Cheng Dongfeng, however, was handily twirling the meat skewers he was holding before sprinkling some cumin as he chuckled, "Don't panic, it's perfectly normal. Everyone, sit, and have a taste of Old Cheng's culinary arts."

Jiang He's nickname of Bomber Prince has started spreading at the Lingzhou City Martial Arts Department, which Cheng Dongfeng himself gave him.

Indeed, this was nothing, since he wasn't using the nuclear rocket launcher…

And soon, Jiang He was already back.

There was even a Fiend Decree in his hand.

As he sat before the bonfire, Jiang He simply flung the token plate on the ground, and muttered unhappily, "Damn it, I should not have attacked just now… there's no telling if I've alerted the Sky Demon Cult after accidentally killing one of their scouts."

What if the Sky Demon Cult did not attack because they were alerted?

Out in the night.

Three Blades Lin was standing on thin air looking down from afar with a dark look on his face.

What the heck!

Here I am escorting you lot, unable to relax for even a second, but not only are you people having a barbecue in wildlands, you're even playing with fireworks?

Rather vexed, Three Blades Lin hence discreetly descended from the skies, sought out the Sky Demon Cult elites hiding and diced them.

Wang Hou had intended for these Sky Demon Cultists to be allowed to assassinate those 'prodigies' heading to the Secret Realms, considering it training…

"Wang Hou wouldn't say anything because I killed them to ease my boredom, would he? Moreover, Jiang He is here, and how different would be five rank-sevens, three rank-eights, and one rank-nine from cannon fodder?"

Back at the run-down village.

After Jiang He finished his skewers, he took out the half-bottle of Origin Fluid left and finished it with a big gulp.

When the bottle was empty, he simply threw it away…

Cheng Dongfeng reacted instantly, and subtly hid away the bottle.

Jiang He was being so wasteful—there was still a little Origin Fluid left at the bottom, and he was actually dumping it…

That bit of Origin Fluid might not seem much, but there were at least dozens of drops in there… each of them of priceless quality.

Jiang He saw it but said nothing.

In spite of that, he was a little shocked.

Though it was often claimed that Cheng Dongfeng was very greedy, he did not believe it… until now: A mighty rank-seven grandmaster could make at least several million just by going out into the wildlands and kill a few Ferals, and yet here he was, picking up a bottle…

"Sigh. I guess I'll keep all my used bottles from now on and send them to Old Cheng—all families face hardships, and he might be going through a rough patch."

As he sighed inwardly, his expression changed.

His aura was becoming jumbled.

Chen Jingzhou, having the sharpest senses amongst them promptly looked up at Jiang He and ask, "What is it, Jiang He?"

The others turned towards Jiang He too.

His raging aura was suddenly bursting away from his body, and the silhouette of five suns arose behind him…

Soon, the sixth sun rose too.

His aura instantly overflowed, and he ascended from rank-eight pinnacle to rank-nine.

Even as he ascended, Jiang He had a blank look at first before becoming delighted while grinning. "It might be because I just ate a Feral King's meat and had some rank-nine Origin Fluid. Add that to the fact that I was nearing ascension in the first place, my cultivation and technique developed slightly as well…"

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Chapter 196: The Red Toad King Spits Venom?

Silence came at once, aside from the occasionally flapping of the bonfire against the wind.

Every pair of eyes were staring at Jiang He, unsure what to say just then.

It was only after a long time that Cheng Dongfeng grumbled, "What is Minister Wang thinking? Why would he have us travel along with Jiang He?

Was this not a blow to morale?

If this happened a few more times, Cheng Dongfeng felt like his martial heart would crumble.

Chen Jingzhou nodded, agreeing to it profoundly, though he soon chuckled, "Thankfully I've grasped Sword Will and strode up to the best amongst rank-nine, or Jiang He would have overtaken me."

A weird look appeared on Cheng Dongfeng's face at his words.

He glanced at Jiang He and then at Chen Jingzhou, eventually swallowing the words that were at the tip of his tongue.

It seems that Cheng Jingzhou did not know that Jiang He had grasped Sword Will and could trade blows even against the Blade King!

On the other hand, Jiang He's eyes lit up.

Having completed his ascension, he withdrew his aura. As the silhouette of six suns behind him faded, he walked up and said, "Commander Chen, I actually have some questions about cultivation that I wanted to ask you about… but I've never had the chance."

Chen Jingzhou smiled like an elderly upperclassman, saying, "Ask away. I'll tell you anything I know."

Jiang He thought about it before saying, "So, it's like this, Commander Chen—I've actually grasped Sword Will a few days ago by using a tuft of Sword Will Barrenwort… it's not much at just around thirty percent, but I since hadn't yet learned any swordplay, I want to ask—how could I infuse Sword Will into my sword techniques?"

Even as he spoke, Jiang He charged his sword will to demonstrate it to Chen Jingzhou.

Chen Jingzhou scowled at once, feeling as if he received a 100000x critical hit on his heart.

Grasping sword will without learning swordplay?

I've trained in the sword for almost forty years, stopping at neither rain nor snow… was it all for nothing?

Still, complaints were complaints. As Chen Jingzhou came to his senses, he did not hold back, and told Jiang He much about sword will.

"Grasping sword will without cultivating swordplay… even if you achieved that with the Sword Will Barrenwort, it is clear that you are the only one person with such talent for the ways of the sword!"

Indeed, Chen Jingzhou even looked expectant.

If Jiang He could learn swordplay, where could the limits of his future be?

"Learn swordplay?"

Jiang He shook his head, sighing. "I'm too busy recently, so learning swordplay would have to wait for now. I should complete my grasp over sword will instead, since grasping it perfectly would help improve my cultivation."

Chen Jingzhou: "…"

He felt a mysterious impulse to curse at Jiang He's ancestors.

What sort of a person is this!

Nonetheless, after so much excitement and food, the group did not even have the time to rest. Hence, Chen Jingzhou forced a smile, saying, "Alright, let's rest for a bit more, and we've continue moving at twelve."

The Ferals near the village had all vanished without a twice after Jiang He threw a handful of pea bombs. Moreover, since Yang Chengwu—the weakest amongst the group was rank-six pinnacle, there was no danger to be afraid of.

After that Jiang He packed up his grill rack, muttering as he did, "Not having water-type powers is such a bother out in the wild, since I can't clean up… eh?"

Even as he spoke, he turned towards Yang Chengwu and asked in surprise, "Why didn't you eat the grilled meat?"

The youth had left the skewers hanging in front of himself and smiled, "Bro Jiang, us Hui people don't eat snakes."

Only then did Jiang He remember that Yang Chengwu was the heir to Yang Clan School, famed for the Reverse Backblade.

He liked the kid even more now—what with him having such cultivation just a couple years short of twenty, as well as possessing remarkable talent and a fine mindset.

One must know that this was a pinnacle King Feral's meat, and even martial artists the likes of Cheng Dongfeng would benefit in cultivation from eating it. Even so, the kid actually resisted the temptation.

"G-grandmaster Jiang, I'll help you clean up."

Zhou Rui approached Jiang He voluntarily at that.

Her impression of Jiang He had now taken a hundred-eighty degree spin. Aside from her shock, she was even more curious about him…

The Blue King Drake?

Everyone knew that Wang Hou had slain the Blue King Drake since the media had been promoting that piece of news. But for Jiang He to get his hands on the creature's flesh… could he have a connection to Wang Hou?

Nonetheless, after putting the grill rack back inside his System Backpack, Jiang He stopped talking and went to a corner to sit cross-legged, closing his eyes to rest while he checked his own body.

He was now rank-nine.

His Strengthened Nine Yang Technique had also improved to the Sixth Tier, although it was not full mastery since it was not improved using Farm points.

Jiang He estimated that if he could gain mastery over the sixth tier, his cultivation would improve to rank-nine pinnacle too.

At that point, reaching divine-tier was a matter of time when he developed his sword will then.

"Somehow, a martial arts newbie like me is reaching divine-tier?" Jiang He was rather bummed out, since he did not really cultivate in any sense.

Even as he directed his True Qi's flow for some cultivating, he became bored in just minutes…

He opened his eyes to find others sitting cross-legged in meditation as well and adjusting their regenerative abilities. As such, Jiang He left the village for a leisurely stroll around it.

After walking in a giant circle round the village, he couldn't help frowning in confusion when he found nothing.

What the heck?

Before this, Duan Tianhe and Three Blades Lin mentioned something about being wary of a Sky Demon Cult ambush… and he had already blown a Fiend scout to death, meaning that the Sky Demon Cult indeed had plans for these six prodigies.

What the heck?

But…

Where were the Sky Demon Cultists?

Jiang He simply did not know that Three Blades Lin had gotten rid of the Sky Demon Cultists, and imitated his group by starting a fire and grilling some meat.

Even so, he spat everything out after taking a bite of what he cooked.

It was horrible.

After all, would there be any taste if he had no condiments?

Speechless, Three Blades Lin sighed. "I've learned, I've truly learned… I have a Spatial Ring too, so why hadn't I thought of bringing a grill rack and condiments?"

Soon, it was twelve, and Jiang He's group kept moving forward.

Even as he sat leisurely on the black panther's back, Jiang He munched on some Three Blades Lin while watching the others sprinted along, looking envious especially at Zhou Rui, who was physically the weakest and soldiered on through gritted teeth despite her look of exhaustion. "Well… I wouldn't have gotten a mount if I knew the journey would be so long and boring. Running along with you people would have been fun."

"Woah… what the hell!"

Cheng Dongfeng, who was following behind the black panther scowled. "Why don't you run a couple hundred miles too?"

"Forget it."

Jiang He shook his head, sighing. "It's better for me to sit on a mount rather than maintaining such a slow pace."

Everyone was gritting their teeth in frustration at his words, but they could not do anything about it.

With a burst of strength at his sole, Cheng Dongfeng ran until he was level with the black panther, asking as they advanced, "By the way, didn't you ignite the charcoal by shooting flames from your palm just now, Jiang He? Did you awaken fire-type powers?"

Jiang He glanced at Cheng Dongfeng.

How long has it been, and you only noticed that now?

Isn't your reaction time a little too slow?

Still, he nodded, whereas Cheng Dongfeng laughed and acted as if it was normal. "That's what I was saying… I could feel that the power wasn't a manifestation of True Qi. Guess I was right, you've awakened again."

Even so, he was bellowing inwardly.

Truly, comparing oneself to others always ends with frustration!

Awakened individuals were rare in the first place, and awakening superpowers was more difficult for powerful martial artists than your average joe…

There were many Awakened who trained in martial arts as well, but rarely would elite martial artists awaken—it was basically common sense.

And yet, common sense does not seem to apply to Jiang He.

Suddenly, Jiang He asked from atop the black panther's back, "By the way, could we slightly adjust the route to the Tantra Sect?"

"Eh?"

Puzzled, Chen Jingzhou darted towards Jiang He, saying, "The route marked on the map should be the safest since it avoids the territories of many powerful Ferals, even Feral Kings. That said, if you have something in mind, we could reroute—but under the condition that everyone's safety is assured."

"Assure everyone's safety?"

Jiang He looked at the others rather uncertainly.

He planned to reroute into Lake Kanas, and when the others take a break at that location, he would make time to head towards Mount Tian, which was merely several hundred miles away…

Be that as it may, Lake Kanas was a Feral King's domain. Even if no one would go near the lake itself, who would know if the Red Toad King would suddenly spring out and start some trouble?

Nonetheless, wouldn't everyone be safe if he got rid of the Red Toad King?

After musing irresolutely to himself for a long while, Jiang He then seriously said, "No worries, everyone. I'll ensure all of you would be safe."

Chen Jingzhou only grinned at that. "Very well, we shall reroute according to the path you decide on. Anything is fine as long as we reach the mountain gates of the Tantra Sect by nightfall of the sixth day."

"We are as unworried as we could be about you, Jiang He."

Despite not knowing the clash between Three Blades Lin and Jiang He, Chen Jingzhou was actually aware that Jiang He had actually slain the Black King Drake.

With his strength, as long as he did not go full suicidal and provoke a real Feral King… what difference was the wildlands to Jiang He's own backyard?

Even so, Chen Jingzhou started panicking several hours later.

As they continued onward, he identified their route and somberly said, "Jiang He, we would probably reach Lake Kanas in another two hundred miles from the path of our advance. It's a forbidden zone, as the Red Toad King had taken residence there. That beast is trouble—it ascended as a Feral King six years ago, and a Senior Commander of the military as well as a divine-tier elite stationed at the Western Frontier failed to take it down together!"

"Is the Red Toad King that powerful?"

Jiang He was rather shocked even as Chen Jingzhou smiled begrudgingly. "In terms of ability, it does not stand amongst the best Feral Kings, but it could spit venom that would injure anyone beneath divine-tier. In fact, divine-tier elites could be poisoned if caught off guard, their ability decreasing."

"Venom?"

Jiang He breathed a sigh of relief, grinning, "Well, there's nothing to be afraid of if its strongest power is spitting venom. I have a lot of Bezoar Detox Pills, which incidentally negates that."

"…"

Chapter 197: Unreasonable

"What's going on?"

In the wildlands, Three Blades Lin was staying behind Jiang He's group of six persons, frowning and looking confused. "Are they rerouting? They would soon reach the Red Toad King's territory if we continue ahead."

When it came to the Red Toad King…

Three Blades Lin was absolutely familiar with the beast.

He had been stationed at Mount Kunlun before, and had come to Lake Kanas a few times to fight the Red Toad King.

If the beast had come ashore, Three Blades Lin could give it a beatdown.

If it stayed inside its lake, Three Blades Lin would be powerless.

Still, that was a mere thought for Three Blades Lin.

After all…

It was already labeled on the map, and the six of them were no fools. Surely they would not provoke the Red Toad King for no reason, would they?

As long as they did run off to provoke the Red Toad King or go around Lake Kanas picking a fight, the Red Toad King would never attack Jiang He and the others on its own. Moreover, the rank-nine and rank-eight water monsters of Lake Kanas would never win against Jiang He and the others.

The first light had appeared over the horizon.

Day would soon arrive.

Jiang He whipped out his phone for a look—it was already eight in the morning.

The sun would have come up at eight back at Lingzhou City, but there was basically a two-hour difference between the Western Frontier and Lingzhou City, which was why the sun would only rise around nine and ten.

After checking the map, Jiang He then said, "Everyone, look lively and speed up—we'll take a break when we reach Lake Kanas."

Chen Jingzhou's face dropped at that and he exclaimed in shock, "Are we going to keep going straight? We're at best fifty km away now, and we'll reach the forbidden zone if we continue ahead. It's the Red Toad King's territory, and while Feral Kings would not attack martial art elites or Awakened beneath divine-tier, but intruding on its territory counts as provoking it."

The others appeared somber as well, with Cheng Dongfeng speaking out, "Jiang He, should we change our path? Just a hundred km more and we'd bypassed Lake Kanas."

Meanwhile, He Litong was silent.

All he did was kept his eye on Jiang He, studying him.

What was he trying to do?

On the other hand, both Zhou Rui and Yang Chengwei were panting heavily, after running over seven hundred km at one go, as well as encountering multiple Feral ambushes, the fights had certainly tired them with their cultivation.

"Hyah!"

With a shove using both feet, Jiang He hit the black panther on the rump with a branch that he snapped off a tree, driving the Feral ahead as he said, "We didn't rest for an entire night, so let's go fishing and rest on the shores of Lake Kanas. The Red Toad King would not be so unreasonable that they would fight us over that, would it?"

"…"

Chen Jingzhou and the others shuddered in utter astonishment and stopped right there, afraid of advancing.

What the hell!

If you run inside someone's house to catch fish, is it not absolutely logical for them to kill you?

Unreasonable?

Trying to reason with a Feral King… could you be that suicidal?

Jiang He: "Yu~~~"

Scowling, the black panther halted, convinced that it must now resist despite being Jiang He's mount.

Hence, it pleaded with its spirit voice, "Master, I'm a panther!"

It was unbearable with you going "Hyah" and "Yui" when I'm a panther, not a horse!

"What the heck? Don't I know that you're a panther?"

Jiang He slapped the black panther on the head, sneering, "Being a mount, you need the resolve of a mount. Another word out of you and I'll kill you for grilled me."

The Black Panther King shuddered.

Jiang He leapt off the panther then and walked up to Chen Jingzhou and the others, asking in surprise, "Commander Chen, Battalion Commander He and Master Cheng… Why aren't you guys moving?"

"Move, my foot."

Cheng Dongfeng planted his backside on the ground, grumbling, "I'm still young and unmarried, so I don't want to die. Let's change our route, Jiang He."

Jiang He did a double take.

He had assumed Cheng Dongfeng to be a widower all along, but to think that he was single…

And you're over forty, sir. Aren't you embarrassed calling yourself young?

Jiang He turned to Chen Jingzhou at that and asked, "What do you think, Commander Chen?"

"We can't take the risk, Jiang He!" Chen Jingzhou seethed through clenched teeth.

"Alright, then!"

Leaping atop the black panther, Jiang He firmly whipped it with the branch. Pained, the black panther promptly leapt forward.

Panther-type Ferals had always been adept at speed, and since the Black Panther King was a rank-seven advanced Feral, it was as quick as a rank-nine martial artist. It disappeared as a black blur into the mountain forest, even as Jiang He's voice could be heard from the distance, saying, "Commander Chen, wait here for a bit. I'll be right back?"

Cheng Dongfeng leapt up to his feet from the ground, staring at the direction where Jiang He disappeared while frowning, "Say… do you think that brat is really going fishing at Lake Kanas?"

"There's no way, is there?"

Chen Jingzhou forced a smile, not quite knowing Jiang He as well as Cheng Dongfeng. "Jiang He must be joking. Why would he provoke a Feral King on purpose, knowing that one is residing at Lake Kanas?"

Joke, my foot!

Cheng Dongfeng recalled Jiang He's deeds over the last month or so. With a shove of his feet, he chased after Jiang He from the direction where he disappeared.

Was there anything that brat would not dare to do?

If he said that he would go fishing at Lake Kanas…

He might really do it!

"Old Cheng!"

Seeing that Cheng Dongfeng was giving chase, Chen Jingzhou promptly used his form technique in pursuit as well, yelling, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to drag Jiang He back!"

Even so, with Cheng Dongfeng's speed and being in the forest, how could he speed match a black panther's?

Indeed, the black panther quickly covered the fortyish kilometers of road.

After traversing the mountain forest, a massive lake appeared before him.

The azure lake water was rippling beneath the brush of a breeze. Rocky peaks as well as many abandoned buildings stood on both ends of the lake—after all, Lake Kanas had been a 5A national tourist spot, a geographical park, a forest park, a natural preserve, a natural heritage, a low-carbon emission experimental tourist zone and was famous for being the most beautiful lake of Hua Nation.

For example, Lake Kanas was famous for its color-changing pool.

Located at the heart of Lake Kanas, the changing of seasons and climate would alternate the shade of the lake between different colors such as green-gray, azure, milky-white, black-green or emerald.

Jiang He estimated that his might be around the 'color-changing pool' presently.

Jumping off the black panther, Jiang He promptly strode towards the lake, walking over water for a dozen meters before realizing something—

"Hold on…"

"Since Chen Jingzhou and the others did not come, that Red Toad King would not go out of its way to attack them, would it? So, they safe now, and why would I waste my time fighting the Red Toad King?"

"Why shouldn't I save time and head straight to Mount Tian and kill that Golden-Crowned Black Eagle, and then hurry on to Tantra."

Jiang He returned ashore.

He was about to leave when he remembered an article he read on a magazine—Lake Kanas was famous for its lenok, burbot, arctic catfish, red bass, and other species of fishes.

Even as he stared at the water, Jiang He's spirit could sense the huge fishes swimming within the lake.

"All of you are swimming and seducing me here!"

Whipping out a handful of pea bombs and simply throwing it into the lake, he thought to himself, "The Red Toad King probably wouldn't mind me blowing up a few fish for a sumptuous meal, would it? Moreover, Lake Kanas is so huge, and it probably would not sense what's going on here if it stayed downstream."

In the next instant—

Booooom!

The pea bombs hence erupted under the lake.

The shockwave from the explosion kicked up huge waves, and the flames generated shot up into the air with the waves.

It was quite the sight.

"Most of the aquatic life here would have evolved into Ferals. I wonder if a handful of pea bombs could blow them up… but just in case…"

Jiang He whipped out two more handfuls of pea bombs and threw them into the lake as well.

He could not help chuckling upon hearing the rumble of explosions.

Back then, Lake Kanas was a 5A tourist spot and a national preserve. Fishing—let alone blast fishing was basically poaching.

He might be the only one who dared to do this.

Cheng Dongfeng and Chen Jingzhou were left dumbstruck when they heard the rumble of explosions, even as they gave chase from behind.

Up in the distant skies, Three Blades Lin was utterly stunned as well.

What the hell!

What was Jiang He doing?

Was he throwing bombs into Lake Kanas?

In the next split second, Three Blades Lin's face dropped as he looked downstream of Lake Kanas from afar…

A horrific aura was bursting out from the lake, and rapidly approached Jiang He's location.

At the shores of the lake.

Jiang He's face twitched as he stared out into the distance, unable to hold back his rage as he sensed the Feral King aura that was rapidly closing in from afar.

That vermin the Red Toad King was actually threatening and intimidating him with its aura.

Was that necessary? I'm just blasting a few fishes in your territory…

The Red Toad King… was rather unreasonable!

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Chapter 198: Displaying A Man's Gallantry

"Oh no, oh no!"

In the mountain forest, Cheng Dongfeng was beside himself in anxiety, muttering in regret, "I should have known—with Jiang He's usual attitude, how could he not start trouble since he was so keen on changing our heading to Lake Kanas?"

"It's over… Jiang He is definitely dead if he angers the Red Toad King!"

Beside him, Chen Jingzhou had yet to fully recover from the shock of hearing the chain of explosions and muttered as well, "Jiang He was merely rank-nine last night. How could he be so bold? Didn't he say that he just wanted to fish? Why would he blow up the lake?"

"Did you assume that he got his Bomber Prince nickname out of nothing?" Jiang He chuckled begrudgingly.

That was when a blade light landed.

Delighted, Cheng Dongfeng ran towards it, even shouting from the distance, "Blade King senpai, please help save Jiang He—it's not easy for a genius to come by Lingzhou City."

Chen Jingzhou ran up to them too.

From afar, He Litong, Zhou Rui, and Yang Chengwei were rushing towards them as well, and came to stand beside Three Blades Lin.

They were positioned higher up on a mountain slope, and even happened to have a clear view of Jiang He as he stood on the shores of Lake Kanas.

Three Blades Lin had a somber gaze, and appeared at a loss towards Cheng Dongfeng's request. "I want to help, but…'

"A while ago, Jiang He started some major trouble by killing the Black King Drake. In addition, Minister Wang slew the Blue King Drake as well in order to intimidate the other Feral Kings, which left them utterly infuriated. In fact, some of the other Feral Kings within the country is on the move, and war would ignite if I act now."

Right now, Three Blades Lin was between a rock and a hard place.

Taking a deep breath to calm his mood, he threw up his hands, saying, "Let's wait and see. Jiang He is not weak, and the Red Toad King would not be able to restrain him if he wanted to flee… by the way, why would he throw bombs into Lake Kanas for no reason?"

Three Blades Lin had ten thousand questions in his head!

Had Jiang He gone mad?

Beside him, Cheng Dongfeng offered meekly then, "Perhaps he wanted some fish. I did hear Jiang He mumble about getting bored of eating the meat of the Black King Drake and the Blue King Drake…"

"…"

Hoho.

Three Blades Lin sneered and seethed through clenched teeth. "Bastard. I'm letting the Red Toad King do him in!"

However, he had already made up his mind.

If Jiang He was really in danger, Three Blades Lin would step up even if he risked war. After all, the kid would not stay beneath Wang Hou if he continued to grow!

He must be saved!

Back at the lake, the shockwave from the explosion had already faded. However, the surface of the lake was churning and kicking up massive tides as a colossal toad that was over a dozen meters tall swam beneath, before it abruptly leapt and crashed out of the surface.

A tide arose beneath its feet, turning into a gigantic pillar that kept its gigantic body aloft.

On the shores of the lake, Jiang He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a calm expression on his face as he looked out at the Red Toad King that was a hundred meters away.

In spite of that, he felt slight surprise inwardly—

"Red Toad King, Red Toad King… I've always thought that it was a nickname. I didn't expect that its whole body is red!"

Aside from being around six-floors tall and being entirely scarlet, it did not look at all different from a normal toad endlessly enlarged. Its protruding eyes were a demonic red as well, and it had many orifices over its back that resembled miniature volcanoes.

On the way here, Jiang He had already read about the data on the Red Toad King.

That Feral had evolved from a 'red-eyed toad', a species of toad newly discovered ten years ago. A mutation might have taken place after it evolved, causing its whole body to become red.

"Toad… Can toads be eaten?"

The thought occurred to Jiang He's mind then… that thing was probably edible. One should not be obsessed with its ugly looks, but there were many spots on its body where one could pour in condiments. Still, it was poisonous and the cooking method is very specific, and one should not have too much or they would die.

And now, Jiang He was staring at the Red Toad King, and it was staring back at Jiang He too.

But for some reason…

Even as the thought of 'could the Red Toad King be eaten' occurred to Jiang He, the Feral King could not help shuddering in fear inwardly, although that was soon consumed by its endless fury.

"Human!"

The Red Toad King gaped its maw and thundered in rage, "You dare provoke this king, human?"

"Die!"

At the sound of the word 'die'…

Swish!

The Red Toad King abruptly shot out its tongue!

How quick did its tongue moved?

Five times the speed of light? Ten?

It was inestimable!

In the very least, all Jiang He felt was his vision blurring in that instant.

Without the time to react, the Red Toad King's tongue had coiled around Jiang He… and while its tongue shot out rapidly, it retracted even quicker.

Burp…

A dozen miles away and on that mountain slope, all Three Blades Lin saw from afar was the Red Toad King open its mouth, firing out its tongue and retracting it…

After that, Jiang He was gone.

"Jiang He!"

Three Blades Lin roared in rage, instantly turning into a blade light and rushed towards Lake Kanas.

Cheng Dongfeng and the others had weaker vision and could not even see much—all they saw was the Red Toad King open its mouth and close its mouth, after of which was Jiang He disappearing from the banks of the lake.

Amongst them, Chen Jingzhou was a top rank-nine and had better eyes.

There was a look of disbelief on his face, and his whole body shuddered before he went limp and fell on his knees, muttering, "Jiang He… was eaten by the Red Toad King?"

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, Three Blades Lin had covered the dozen-kilometer distance in the blink of an eye.

Three Blades Lin's blade swung down as he bellowed in rage, "Red Toad King, spit out that person you just swallowed—even if I don't slay you, Minister Wang would personally arrive and turn your Lake Kanas upside down!"

In response, the currents in the lake shot in the air, turning into jet streams as it deflected the blade light while replying, "So, it's the Blade King… you would allow a young human bombing my residence and break the rules, and now attack me? Are you really sure that our kind would not dare to attack your nation?"

"Wang Hou may be outstanding to outclass the Blue King Drake with a single stroke, but could he do anything to me if this king would leave?"

The Red Toad King was right about that.

It was an amphibian, and that was no exception even if it evolved into a Feral King…

No!

Feral Kings could fly, and now could reside in the skies, on land and beneath the water. If the Red Toad King headed towards the sea, nothing could be done against it.

And now, it was swimming towards the lake, laughing out loud, "Moreover, why would this king spit out what I devoured by my skill? It may merely be rank-nine and doesn't have much flesh, it's enough for a scrumptious meal for this king. Indeed, it should have been digested in this instant… What… Argh!"

Suddenly, the Red Toad King which swam to the center of the lake suddenly shivered and shrieked in agony.

Inside the Red Toad King's belly.

His Dark Golden Combat Suit equipped and added with a green layer of Cloudscraper Vine armor, Jiang He's face was a somber greenness.

How…

Embarrassing!

He was actually eaten by a toad?

Most importantly…

"I'm just afraid Chen Jingzhou and the others were looking from the distance. I, Jiang He, may have a legendary life, but it's all gone now to one mishap…"

Six silhouettes of suns appeared around Jiang He then. As his abundant True Qi shielded his body, it kept the Red Toad King's rapid-digestive gastric acid from reaching his body.

The goo that could instantly melt the True Qi of any martial artist's protective True Qi could not affect Jiang He at all.

"That goo is so disgusting!"

"Although it's fine for me to get hit with my current physique, and the Red Toad King would never digest me even if I sleep in its belly… would I be able to face the others if I'm all goo later?"

Jiang He was about to restore himself.

That 'restoration' was not to save his own hide—from where he stood, he would not face any danger against the Red Toad King that spat venom. The reason he was eaten was merely because that bastard was ruthless enough to spit its tongue at a moment's notice… and Jiang He wasn't prepared yet.

To put it in another perspective, the Red Toad King's devouring of Jiang He was not much different from suicide.

If he did not eat Jiang He, he only had a small chance of killing the Feral… the condition being having to use his soul weapon, the Scarlet Flame Sword.

It being Jiang He's trump card, Jiang He did not really want to use it now, since there were people watching him fight out in the distance.

But now that the Red Toad King had eaten him…

There's nothing stopping him.

After all, innards were extremely fragile, and Jiang He was confident in killing the Red Toad King even without using the Scarlet Flame Sword.

Firstly, Jiang He took out two handfuls of Strengthened Pea Bombs…

Whoosh.

And threw them all out.

At almost the same instant that Jiang He threw the bomb, he had already dropped down, clutching his head.

Boooom!

Up to eighty Strengthened Pea Bombs hence blew up inside the Red Toad King's belly.

The Strengthened Pea Bomb was not powerful in the first place, and it would hardly damage a rank-eight martial artist's protective True Qi.

Even so, the inside of the Red Toad King's belly was an enclosed space.

Moreover, Jiang He had thrown a lot of pea bombs…

Hence, the violent explosion that could not be vented anywhere else in that single instant began to shatter and bleed the various organs of the Red Toad King…

And yet, even before it bled, the organs were burnt and cauterized by the scorching, violent flames generated by the explosion.

Jiang He could even smell a sweet aroma of meat…

"What the hell…"

Having clutched his head and dropped to the ground, Jiang He felt the force of the explosion and exclaimed in shock, "So, this is how powerful eighty Strengthened Pea Bombs could be when detonated in an enclosed space…"

Beneath Lake Kanas, the Red Toad King's belly abruptly bloated because of the violent explosion, its red body turning to an even brighter crimson—just like a red-hot furnace.

Shrieking in agony, it kept breathing massive pillar of flames from its mouth each time it did, venting the fires within its belly.

It was crashing around under the lake, splashing waves that slapped on the cliffs of the lakes on both ends of the eggs and blowing it up.

Nearby, Three Blades Lin was astonished.

What happened to that Red Toad King?

What was that thunderous rumbling in its belly?

And why the hell was it breathing flames?

Was the Red Toad King not adept at water skills?

Boom….

Suddenly, there was a second 'thundering' in the Red Toad King's belly… even the Red Toad King's hisses had become powerless, just as its vigor began to decline.

And when the sound of explosions faded, there was a slicing sound as a thunder slash cut apart the Red Toad King's belly from the inside out.

Shunk!

The second thunder slash burst out, slicing open the Red Toad King's back.

After throwing a second round of pea bombs and slashing out twice, Jiang He put away his Cloudscraper Vine armor. Then, leaping into the air, he sliced a gaping gash over the Red Toad King's back. With his Dark Golden Combat Suit equipped, he was bathed in blood from head to toe, just as the silhouette of six suns rose to the air, shinning in faint golden radiance with faint starlight in its fold, even as a dragon's roar and an elephant's trumpeting echoed around him!

His 'special effects' going on full drive, he descended like a god upon the mortal realm before his feet rested atop the head of the dying Red Toad King, letting out a long roaring before he yelled, "Monster, how dare you attempt to eat me! Did you really think that I couldn't kill you?"

Hmm…

This feels very awesome.

Hence, Jiang He managed to 'restore' his personal image on his own.

After making short work of the Red Toad King to demonstrate his gallantry as a man, surely he could negate the infamy of being eaten by the Red Toad King, could he not?

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