NOVEL NEXT Chapter 238: Investigation
Inside the General Mansion of Feiyun Pass, Xu Tiecheng respectfully saluted the white-haired Daoist, "I have seen Daoist Qingyu."
"No need for such formalities," Qingyu waved his hand and said, "Wang Yuehe and his fifty thousand elite troops are still on the way, but I have come ahead of them."
"General Xu, you are an old acquaintance of mine. When I first came to Feiyun Pass, it was you who personally escorted me to inspect Feiyun Pass. Now, I ask you, do you have the determination to give your life for His Majesty and me?"
"With a single command from the Daoist, your subordinate would not hesitate to die a thousand times," Xu Tiecheng replied, kneeling on one knee.
"Not hesitate to die a thousand times, then I hope you remember your words today."
A dark green Sword Qi burst forth from Qingyu's hand and flew into Xu Tiecheng's brow. The most yin and evil Sword Qi quickly transformed Xu Tiecheng's physique, making it more compatible with the Sword Qi.
Compared to the other hosts who received the Sword Qi, Xu Tiecheng's strength was far greater, and the time required was longer. Of course, the power he could unleash would be greater by then.
"This is the power I bestow upon you. From now on, you shall diligently collect essence blood for me."
As he spoke, Qingyu suddenly turned his gaze northward, "There's a presence from the Divinity Realm approaching; it seems that someone wants to scope out the situation at Feiyun Pass first."
Feiyun Pass had swallowed over a hundred thousand of the grassland's great army in the last major battle, making it a significant enemy of the grassland. With Northern Zhou initiating an advance into the grassland, the Golden Wolf Han Court would certainly not remain unresponsive.
The movements of Wang Yuehe's fifty thousand elite troops could not be discreet, and the grassland spies must have been aware of them early on. To counter Northern Zhou's rare initiative, a warrior from the Divinity Realm would surely be present.
And this was precisely Qingyu's aim.
'If I could obtain the essence blood of a Divinity Realm warrior, at the very least it would allow my main body to grow to eight or nine years old.'
A mile outside Feiyun Pass, a robust figure stood suspended in the air, gazing down at the deep pit below.
This was the pit created by Qingyu's experiment with the Hidden Dragon, and also the main reason for this figure's visit to the area outside Feiyun Pass.
"Hidden Dragon, is it truly destroyed?"
He Fengsa closed his eyes, the images of more than a hundred thousand people wailing and dying before him seemed to have never left.
The Hidden Dragon, Northern Zhou's secret weapon, was a nightmare that the grassland people couldn't easily forget. Though those in the Divinity Realm feared not this weapon, there were few who reached the Divinity Realm.
If one could just tie up all those in the Divinity Realm, then Hidden Dragon could kill all other enemies without restraint.
"The spies report that those Daoists who developed the Hidden Dragon are now shut away in the Divine Capital researching new weapons. I wonder how the power will compare to the Hidden Dragon," He Fengsa muttered to himself.
In truth, with the Shamans of Shamanism exploring water sources everywhere, even if the Hidden Dragon still existed, it could not be activated again. But the higher-ups of the Golden Wolf Han Court were still not at ease, so they had sent He Fengsa to investigate.
Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years; the grassland people dread that another weapon like the Hidden Dragon might be hidden in Feiyun Pass. The Golden Wolf Han Court couldn't afford to lose another army of a hundred and fifty thousand.
With this thought, He Fengsa soared into the deep pit, his figure slowly enveloped by darkness.
There was a fluctuation of Earth Qi in the last attack of Hidden Dragon, hence according to the Great Shaman's speculation, if Northern Zhou had other weapons similar to Hidden Dragon, they would utilize the Earth Qi as their mode of attack.
Such weapons must be hidden underground; if one were to trace them through the underground waterways, some clues might be uncovered.
"Did he enter the ground?"
Qingyu's figure flashed in midair, looking at the breath that disappeared into the depths of the pit.
Since there was a Divinity Realm warrior coming to scope things out, how could Qingyu miss the opportunity to meet him? Should he manage to kill this warrior, his trip would not be in vain.
"Is he going to check on the existence of Hidden Dragon?" Qingyu couldn't help but smile wryly.
Even he had given up using Hidden Dragon inland, yet the grassland people still harbored such deep fear for this weapon, even sending a Divinity Realm warrior personally to investigate underground.
Qingyu did not know that the grassland people feared not only the Hidden Dragon but also the weapon using Earth Qi, which the Great Shaman had speculated about.
If he knew, Qingyu might have had an even bitterer smile.
Earth Qi was not as easy to utilize as water currents; without Qingyu's personal involvement in the research, creating an Earth Dragon would take at least five years or more.
For some time now, the development of the Earth Dragon had been stuck at a bottleneck that caused Gu Chen and others much frustration, almost pulling out their hair in distress.
The grassland spies thought that since Gu Chen and the others were shut away researching, they must have made significant gains. In reality, most of the time, Gu Chen and his colleagues were scratching their heads in tough contemplation, almost scratching all their hair off.
"Perhaps this is fate."
Ultimately, Qingyu flew into the pit with this thought.
Fate decreed that this Divinity Realm explorer would die here.
Deep within the Daqian Six Gates, in a delicately designed small garden.
Qin Xihai paced back and forth anxiously in front of a small pavilion in the garden, occasionally glancing worriedly at a small hut not far away.
There, Ning Wuming was in closed-door cultivation. He had been in seclusion for half a year.
Recently, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the small garden had begun to move strangely, converging towards the hut. But today, the Primordial Energy fluctuation suddenly dispersed, causing those concerned for Ning Wuming to become uneasy and come to investigate.
But they dared not enter directly. What if they rashly entered and found Ning Wuming at a critical moment?
Though the hut appeared normal, it was shielded with more than a dozen Arrays inside and out, with added protection. To force one's way in, the Arrays had to be broken, which would surely affect the inside of the hut.
The more Qin Xihai thought about it, the more anxious he became. He stopped pacing and turned to the big man in the pavilion who was pretending to be asleep: "Brother Leng, what should we do?"
Leng Kuangtu opened his eyes and reassured him, "Stay calm. Right now, the only one Wuming can rely on is himself. Our anxiety is of no use."
Indeed, anxiety was of no use. To break through to Divine Communication, one either lived or died; no one else could help.
"Now my foster father has gone to Ji Province to assist in quelling the turmoil. Otherwise, we could ask him what's going on. I..."
Just as he was speaking, an odd breath suddenly emerged from the hut. Although the Arrays should separate the inside from the outside, Qin Xihai could still feel that flawless aura.
"Wu Que, he's returned..." Leng Kuangtu murmured.
"Creak—"
The Arrays abruptly deactivated, and the door to the cabin slowly opened, revealing a young figure stepping out.
This young figure was naturally Ning Wuming, who had been in seclusion, but calling him "Wuming" seemed a bit inappropriate now.
Just because those eyes, previously dim and lifeless, were now shining brightly, filled with the vibrancy of life.
Upon ascending to the Divinity Realm, the True Pill and body merge, granting martial artists a chance to reconstitute their body. Clearly, Ning Wuming had used this opportunity to heal his eyes, regaining his sight once again.