Chapter 969: The Celestial Stalwart Spine
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Xia Fei lightly stroked his spatial ring, removing from it the Warpsea Lotus. In a tone that was a mixture of anger and bemusement, he said, “Here I thought that the Warpsea Lotus was truly untamable. Turns out that I chose the wrong moment. I just need to tame the Fringe Mountain Leaf first. Only when I gather six mystical armaments will the Warpsea Lotus be able to integrate with the others. This is truly unheard of.”
Radix chuckled. “The Warpsea Lotus is the least distinguished of the Seven Plants of the Cloudsea, but it’s almost the most important. It is the catalyst. Once you’ve gathered the other six mystical armaments, the Warpsea Lotus will play a decisive role by merging and converting the other six, ultimately forging a complete plant-type weapon. When the time comes, Peacock Blue probably won’t look the same and will take on a whole new appearance.”
Xia Fei was startled, looking suspiciously at Radix. “A whole new appearance? Will it turn from a plant to a type of metal? Radix, I feel like you’ve become a completely different being, understanding much more than before and possessing the demeanor of a master. What in the world is going on here?”
Radix frantically replied, “How have I changed? Didn’t that stranger say all of this earlier? I just took what he said and drew a few conjectures. If the Warpsea Lotus wasn’t a catalyst, why would it need to be fused last? It’s very similar to when you mix medicines. The last ingredient will often play a decisive role.”
Xia Fei smiled. “It makes sense, but you can’t trick me. You’ve definitely changed.”
Regardless, Radix refused to talk, and Xia Fei could not do anything about that. He put away the Warpsea Lotus and continued on his journey. His encounter with Hosu at the Hall of Theogenesis had taken him slightly off course. Thus, he sent a secret signal into the Dark Space to remind Little Goldie to follow him.
Just because Little Goldie had not shown itself did not mean that it was very far away. On the contrary, this loyal demon chrysalis had been following Xia Fei in the Dark Space this entire time. If Xia Fei needed it, Little Goldie could emerge any time!
…
The ship had not gone very far before the radar picked up a strange signal—one that came from neither the Dark lifeform nor the Law Realm.
“This should be a signal to assemble for the inhabitants of the border region, ordering them to gather at a certain place. Perhaps it’s for some sort of swap meet,” Radix said, glancing at the signal’s frequency.
Xia Fei was surprised, muttering, “The border people are opportunists who live between the Dark lifeform and the Law Realm. I wonder if there’s anything special about their swap meets? Should we go and take a look?”
Radix shook his head. “Your level is too high, and all of your equipment is incredibly powerful. The toys in the hands of these border people will have a hard time earning your attention. We should hurry up and get home. Up ahead is Tigerkill Pass. That place has never been peaceful. If we’re discovered, we’ll have to go through a massive battle. You just had to injure the Dark king’s daughter; the Dark lifeforms are now desperate to capture you.”
Xia Fei replied, “What will come will come. While the border people can’t be considered wealthy, they linger in the crack between the Law Realm and the Dark lifeform. This sort of turbulent region is easily overlooked, and the Skywing Clan may not have investigated it yet.
“All we’re lacking is the Fringe Mountain Leaf to get all the Seven Plants of Cloudsea, so we can’t let any clue pass. Even this border swap meet needs to be investigated.”
…
Decrypting the border people’s signal was not difficult, and the information that Xia Fei managed to obtain indicated that the swap meet was actually a very solemn holiday for the locals. It was called the Hongda Muda, and it was the way this society of people, who wandered the border, celebrated another year of survival.
It was not easy to live between the Dark lifeform and the Law Realm, and surviving here had its own sort of fortune. The Hongda Muda became a magnificent holiday on which the border people traded and celebrated together.
*Whoosh~*
The warship quickly brought Xia Fei to a planet that had faint signs of life. Xia Fei put away The Gemini, picked up Furball, and covered himself in a shabby veiled hat before striding onto the planet.
“The border people really know how to pick a place. As it’s in the middle of an asteroid belt, it’s very difficult to discover. Holding a meet here is somewhat safer,” Radix commented as he observed the surroundings.
Xia Fei replied, “It’s not easy for the border people to survive. Whether it’s the Dark lifeform or the Law Realm, either side can easily kill them. It would be impossible to survive here without some sort of smokescreen. Come on. Let’s go and look in that town up ahead.”
As they proceeded forward, they saw more and more ships anchored on the planet. The ships the border people used for transportation were mostly very shabby, with some of them even patched up with slabs of metal, appearing so fragile that a slight gust of wind might blow them to pieces. The border people used these crude transportation tools to sell the specialties of the Law Realm to the Dark lifeform in exchange for the metals and other such items that the Dark lifeform had, but the Law Realm did not.
At this time, a rather impressive fleet descended. They were about a dozen or so barges, all identically decorated, and also two cruisers to serve as escort.
“It’s probably from a Law Realm business that sells products in bulk. The border people smuggle goods out of the Dark lifeform, using the method of ants gnawing at an elephant to build up their stocks slowly. After which, these smugglers will come out and take all the goods at once. The price will also be driven very low, and if things go poorly, there may even be a fight breaking out. After all, these smugglers come from small-scale clans of the Law Realm and are much stronger than the independent border people,” Radix said.
Xia Fei paid little attention to these warships. He was more interested in learning how these people managed to get through Tigerkill Pass, so he asked, “The smugglers can get through Tigerkill Pass? Do the Dark lifeform guards at Tigerkill Pass not chase them away?”
Radix chuckled. “People in this profession naturally have their methods. There are many times when the relationship between the Law Realm and the Dark lifeform isn’t as bad as you think it is. It’s only some smuggling and not some army approaching the border, so a few bribes here and there to shut some eyes for a while can get one through.
“Also, the Dark lifeform has valuable types of metal, while the Law Realm produces intricate weapons. Both sides need each other, so neither side benefits from the smugglers and border people being annihilated.”
Xia Fei listened to Radix talk as he entered the town of the border people.
There were quite a lot of people here in a variety of clothes and shapes. As he was using Breath Control, Xia Fei was not conspicuous at all.
However, there was truly nothing in the town that Xia Fei wanted. He gave a waiter in a restaurant a little money to hear any rumors about the Fringe Mountain Leaf, but he did not learn anything useful.
“Since there’s nothing worthwhile here, let’s hurry up and get going,” Radix urged. He seemed to be looking down on this low-level border swap meet.
Xia Fei nodded. Just as he moved to leave the small town, he heard a huge clamor coming from the other end.
“A Celestial Stalwart Spine! A white Celestial Stalwart Spine!”
“Oh, who found this beautiful thing? That person’s probably going to be rich!”
“Haa! Why am I never this lucky? After so many years, I’ve never seen even the shadow of a Celestial Stalwart Spine.”
“Stop blaming the gods already. Let’s go over and look. Some of that luck might rub off on us.”
As the crowd chattered, it began to surge toward the other end of the town.
“A Celestial Stalwart Spine? What’s that?” Xia Fei asked.
Radix casually explained, “It’s not anything particularly great. It’s a bizarre kind of cactus that can be used to create a substitute for a warrior. A white Celestial Stalwart Spine is the highest grade. What’s interesting about it is that using the white Celestial Stalwart Spine to make a substitute won’t just create a good copy; if enemies attack the substitute, they’ll injure themselves, and the stronger the attack, the greater the damage! This is what they call damage rebound!
“Still, the Celestial Stalwart Spine isn’t useful to you. You’re already of a very high level. Unless this Celestial Stalwart Spine is a once-in-a-million perfect grade item that’s one meter tall, it can only serve as a display piece.”
Xia Fei nodded. He liked the ‘thorns’ ability of the Celestial Stalwart Spine. Returning an enemy’s attack in full was a very sinister sort of move.
“Let’s go and look. It won’t waste too much time,” Xia Fei whispered.
*Whoosh!*
Using the Law of Speed, Crafty Approach, and Breath Control, Xia Fei instantly flew through the crowd.
He saw a white cactus as tall as a man, so bright that it was almost blinding!
“Two meters tall! This is a Celestial Stalwart Spine that’s two meters tall!” exclaimed Radix in shock. “How bizarre! For a high-quality item to appear in such a desolate place, it’s truly absurd!”
Xia Fei felt a unique aura from the two-meter-tall Celestial Stalwart Spine as if two sharp eyes were staring at him.
This precious and powerful substitute had been placed in a large clay pot. Its owner was a rather old man accompanied by his granddaughter, who was in her early teens. Both of them dressed rather poorly.
The two had smiles on their faces, constantly talking about how the gods must be protecting them, for them to have found this Celestial Stalwart Spine. Both hoped that this ultimate-grade Celestial Stalwart Spine would help them escape poverty.
Radix carefully examined the cactus, and as he pointed at the milky white Celestial Stalwart Spine, he said, “This sort will take millions of years to form. If you use this miraculous plant as a substitute, it can retaliate a full-force attack from a Law Sage and make them see blood, and this is the most conservative estimate. If the price isn’t high, you should just buy it. It may be useful.”
Xia Fei was startled. Able to make a Law Sage bleed, and this was only the most conservative estimate?! Such was the power of the Celestial Stalwart Spine’s damage retaliation function; it could maybe even return a portion of a Law God’s attack!
“Old sir,” Xia Fei said, about to ask for the price and buy this miraculous Celestial Stalwart Spine, but at this moment, the crowd fell into turmoil as a loud shout came from the distance.
“Everyone, step aside! You think any of you beggars can afford a Celestial Stalwart Spine?!”
The crowd parted, and a dark-skinned fatty strode forward, surrounded by at least twenty guards.
This man clearly was not a border inhabitant. His armor was too flashy and clean, and both his clothes and expression exuded arrogance.
*Zing~*
Upon seeing the white Celestial Stalwart Spine of more than two meters tall, the dark-skinned fatty rushed over. His eyes erupted with light as he muttered, “Ultimate grade! A real ultimate grade! I’ve finally gotten lucky!”
With his eyebrows furrowing, he turned around and angrily grunted at the crowd, “All of you, scram! This Celestial Stalwart Spine is mine!”
