Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“That’s not exactly true. While Mount Dadong is the Graywolf King’s territory, but… could Ferals uncover heritage sites?”
Zhou Yu smiled mysteriously, and said, “According to what I know, there are elites who are now in negotiation with the Graywolf King. The only obstacle is that the Sky Demon Cult had made contact with the Feral earlier than we did.”
Jiang He’s eyes twinkled at that.
Negotiating with a Feral?
What did that even mean?
“What is there to negotiate about?” He could not help exclaiming. “Didn’t the Graywolf King ascend only recently? It shouldn’t be that strong, could it? Just send some elites to kill it, and all of Mount Dadong would be ours, much less the heritage site.”
“It’s not that simple. True, we could have killed it when it first ascended, but now… the Feral Kings of other domains would never agree to it, unless it attacked a city like that Ape King of Jinghong City.”
Jiang He understood then.
It must be some sort of tacit agreement or contract between the Ferals above rank-nine.
Moreover, Zhou Yu was not keeping that a secret from Jiang He, and even enlightened him about it in detail.
Right now, human elites and Feral Kings certainly had agreed that any individuals above rank-nine must not wage wars on a whim, or rampantly slaughter the weak, and otherwise…
…A divine human was capable of wiping out every Feral an entire territory, just as a Feral King could devastate an entire city.
“Ferals above rank nine are forbidden from slaughtering the weak? That’s such a human agreement!”
Surprised, Jiang He laughed out loud. “I’m rank-nine advanced, so I would be in the weak category. Doesn’t that mean the Graywolf King wouldn’t attack me if he went up Mount Dadong?”
Zhou Yu was rather speechless at that. Even if the Graywolf King really did not attack, how many powerful Ferals live in the uninhabited zone over hundreds of miles around Mount Dadong?
With murderous Ferals as far as the eye could see surrounding you, could a rank-seven advanced like you hope to survive?
1
“Eh?”
Zhou Yu’s eyes bulged at Jiang He and he exclaimed in shock. “What rank did you say you were again? Rank-seven advanced… Are you rank-seven advanced now?”
Beside them, Cheng Dongfeng was equally shocked.
Right after that, a feeling of being powerless struck him…
How many days had it only been?
He was now rank-seven advanced in the blink of an eye?
‘I ascended earlier than you did, but I hadn’t even stabilized my cultivation… are demons that could cause weird phenomena when he ascends really that horrific?’
On the other hand, Jiang He became embarrassed under their stares, and humbly said, “It’s nothing, just a little ascension in ranks. I’ve simply had the opportunity of getting rank-nine Origin Fluid and several Violet Lingzhi up on Mount Helan, incidentally developing my cultivation…”
When you are weak, you have to consider the logic of your excuses and whether others would believe him. But once you are strong, others would take your word for it even if they obviously knew that it was nonsense.
Moreover, what Jiang He told them was not all nonsense.
He did get Origin Fluid from Mount Helan.
And though he did plant the Violet Flame Lingzhi, he got the seeds from Mount Helan, so did that not indirectly mean that they got it from Mount Helan too?
Zhou Yu nodded.
He was aware that there was a rank-nine floral spirit up in Mount Helan, and he would not interfere since Jiang He had willfully chosen to keep the willow tree alive. Floral spirits couldn’t be moved anyway, and it would never threaten humans when it was deep within an old mountain forest.
The Violet Lingzhi that improved cultivation had been discovered before too, and he could only describe Jiang He as lucky for getting his hands on some.
Hence, he advised sincerely and heartfeltly, “Jiang He, there are too many powerful Ferals up on Mount Dadong. Moreover, it is the Graywolf King’s territory, and when you intrude within too outrageously, it’s no different from provoking it… so, killing it is within the rules.”
“Is that so?”
Jiang He was rather troubled
Even so…
All he wanted was several Orirocks. Was leveling up his farm really that difficult?
Still, Jiang He soon found inspiration again and said, “Deputy Zhou, I suddenly found a big loophole in that so-called agreement… since beings above rank-nine are not supposed to fight on a whim, what if a rank-nine would slay the Graywolf King? Does that count as going against the agreement?”
“That’s impossible!”
Zhou Yu said without thinking. “It is already extremely rare for a rank-six to turn the tables against a rank-seven in the martial world, but that is still achievable through gaps in different aspects, such as technique and experience. Even you had managed to kill rank-seven grandmasters as a rank-five.”
“But… it is absolutely impossible for a rank-nine to kill a Feral King!”
1
“The gap between the strongest rank-nine and the weakest Feral King is as far as the skies are from the earth… it’s simply two different existences.”
Jiang He became silent.
However, he did not believe that his idea was impossible. Why couldn’t rank-nines kill Feral Kings?
Still, he did not dare to say anything since he had not seen elites above rank-nine in action, just as he was unaware of what moves they have in store.
Soon, Sora had prepared lunch.
Jiang He, however, did not serve his guests with his crops—he had bought many ingredients in his last trip to Lingzhou City.
After their meal, Jiang He was seeing Cheng Dongfeng and Zhou Yu off, when Cheng Dongfeng mysteriously pulled him aside and whispered, “Jiang He, where did you hire that babysitter? Give me a contact method, I’m thinking about hiring one too…”
“Don’t you live at the employee hostel of the Martial Arts Department (MAD)? Moreover, I stumbled on her by chance when I was having a stroll.”
Jiang He shot Cheng Dongfeng a look of disdain. What a plebian—couldn’t he tell the difference between a maid and a babysitter?
Are babysitters that beautiful?
Would babysitters warm your bed?
Hence, Cheng Dongfeng sighed in disappointment. Cutting a sorry figure, he turned and left.
That was when he vaguely heard Jiang He mutter, “Almost forty and still looking for a maid, bleh… an old playboy.
1
His foot slipped, and he almost dropped to the ground.
1
He turned to glare at Jiang He.
‘ So what if I’m forty?
‘I’m still single. What’s wrong with getting a pretty maid?’
Taking the driver’s seat, Cheng Dongfeng drove out of the village.
In the backseat, Zhou Yu smiled and asked, “Old Cheng, what’s your impression about Jiang He?”
Cheng Dongfeng thought about it for half a day before offering an opinion which he thought to be fair. “The kid’s young and has a bright future ahead. He is powerful and possesses an almost demonic talent, and although sometimes there’s no telling what he’s thinking, he is still young. It’s normal for him to have a special way of thinking.”
Zhou Yu nodded but said nothing.
Almost no one was aware that aside from being an elite rank-nine, he was also an Awakened. The superpower he awakened was very unique too, and was identical to Wang Siyu’s, in fact…
Because it was mind-reading!
As a matter of fact, Minister Wang sent him here to scout out Jiang He’s depth.
1
Be that as it may, after chatting for almost two hours…
He found nothing.
He had used his mind-reading skill dozens of times, almost draining himself dry in spirit…
And his mind-reading was A-class.
Rarely anyone beneath rank-nine could avoid Zhou Yu’s reading. But for Jiang He to do so, it meant that his spirit was not weaker than a rank-nine.
***
Meanwhile.
The Tantra, the Western Border.
The Tantra had always been a quiet group. Their school kept to themselves in the mountains where other people rarely show up, and some Tantras like to call their own Holy Grounds the Diamond Realm.
At the same time, the Secret Realm of Tantra was known as the Womb Realm.
“Diamond Realm, Womb Realm…”
Wang Hou was standing on the limestone stairs over the mountain in a white jersey. As he climbed up, he couldn’t help chuckling. “It’s said that the Tantra is divided into two factions: one being the Diamond Realm and the other Womb realm, but now it’s clear that’s nonsense. Isn’t it just the respective names for their own school and the Secret Realm?”
At the other end of the stairs concealed by mists, obscuring the mountaintop.
Suddenly, an ancient figure appeared.
He was wearing a hemp cloth like a monk, although there were no vow marks on his head, only inch-long hair.
It was as if he walked out of thin air.
Then, holding a palm before his chest and bowing lightly at Wang Hou, he said, “The head monk knows why you’ve come, Minister Wang. Apologies, but please return.”
“Oh?”
Wang Hou laughed. His foot moved and he abruptly appeared right in front of the man, and slapped out one palm viciously.
Boom!
It was as if the sky would collapse.
The man felt as if heaven and earth were contracting and collapsing as it crashed down towards him. Nonetheless, charging what he had trained, golden light shone from his body… and yet, in the next split second, he was sent flying backward, puking blood as he returned to the mist.
Meanwhile, Wang Hou stood. As he sensed the veins of consciousness extending out of thin air to study him, he flatly said, “I’m here personally to visit, and you lot are turning me down?”
“Won’t I lose first??”
Then, he leisurely whipped out his phone and dialed a number.
“General Li, be prepared for bombardment. If something unexpected happens to me, flatten Tantra’s Diamond Realm before all else.”
“It’s fine. Is there anyone within hundreds of miles of this place?
“Moreover, don’t you know what the situation is?
“The Ferals are everywhere and plaguing humanity, while the demons from beyond the skies and other extraterrestrial factions are watching us. It’s either us or them, so what’s so terrifying about several nukes? Just wait for my orders…”
“Wang Hou!”
Someone bellowed in rage in the mist then. “You’ve taken this too far! Do you think the Tantra would fear an ignorant child like you, after having stood for a thousand years?”
Boom!
The mist split.
The one who spoke fell while puking blood, with Wang Hou pressing him into a mountain wall with one palm while holding his phone with the other, saying, “Alright, alright, I’ll hang up…”
“You’re a general. Why are you mumbling on like an old woman?”
“Like I’ve said, I’ve made a breakthrough with my cultivation. I might be able to subjugate Tantra alone without nuclear bombardment…”
Wang Hou hung up then, and his aura abruptly changed.
Stepping on thin air as he leapt high above, he sneered, “Tantra is within this country borders, and now that trouble has come, you lot are locking your doors and sealing the mountain. I may have spared your ilk before because I couldn’t win, and now… you are even going to turn down a meeting?”
