Chapter 521: Ginseng Dragon Whiskers
The main army camp of Liangzhu Kingdom.
Three Generals Camp, Red Flower Camp, White Jade Camp… every army unit had been assigned its own encampment.
Cries of pain came from various camps.
The officers and soldiers were all performing the same spell to remove the Iron Skin Flesh Armor Art from their bodies.
The Iron Skin Flesh Armor Art was a demonic art—one that sought quick success but carried endless future troubles. Now that there was no enemy army pressing them, this was the best moment to remove this demonic technique.
At this time, the quartermasters appropriately provided spiritual liquid and medicinal pills. The former was used for soaking the cultivators, greatly loosening the connection between their flesh bodies and the armor. The pills were divided into seven types, taken together as a set, greatly increasing the success rate of removing this demonic art, reducing the cultivators’ pain, and preserving as much of their future combat strength as possible.
Without the pills, not only would the removal likely fail, but even if successful, the cultivator would fall into a long period of weakness.
Naturally, this was something none of the soldiers wished to see.
The great decisive battle had already been won. Although the Dragon Ginseng King was still alive, it had clearly been defeated, and its injuries were certainly heavier than Du Tiechuan’s.
Everyone knew that in the coming period, this military camp would become the center from which all armies would fan out in all directions to harvest military merit.
They had paid an enormous price and taken unimaginable risks to reach this stage. Now that great amounts of military merit were within reach, many might return in triumph, gaining titles and honors for their families.
At such a moment, no one would save money and allow themselves to remain weak, lowering their combat strength and reducing the military merit they could obtain.
Therefore, although the spiritual liquid and medicinal pills were expensive, the vast majority of soldiers still bought them while gritting their teeth.
Three Generals Camp.
Zhang Hei presided over the situation, protecting batches of cultivators as they soaked in spiritual liquid and consumed pills, continuously removing the armor growing from their flesh.
The expenses for these spiritual liquids and pills naturally all came from Ning Zhuo.
Meanwhile, Liu Er and Guan Hong had entered closed-door cultivation in their respective rooms.
Participating in the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains had benefited them immensely. They had gained profound insights and learned many things.
Thus, taking advantage of this period of recuperation, they immediately entered seclusion to review and comprehend their experiences.
Ning Zhuo was no exception.
However, his cultivation in the Military Strategist path was far inferior to cultivators like Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Mu Lan.
After a day and a half of deep contemplation, Ning Zhuo had not only gained a deeper understanding of the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains but had also greatly improved his comprehension of the Warrior Returns Art.
The improvement in the latter clearly benefited him more than the former.
Sun Lingtong was the same.
Although he had remained hidden inside the Puppet Dragon the entire time, he could still be considered half a participant. With his extraordinary comprehension, he had gained many insights.
However, the degree of his gains was far inferior to someone like Ning Zhuo, who had personally experienced the battlefield.
Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, officially ending this session of meditation.
“So war can be this fun,” Sun Lingtong said with excitement and regret. “If I had known earlier, I would have joined the army too!”
Ning Zhuo felt the opposite. “It’s terrifying. Over two thousand soldiers from our main army died.”
“Although the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains is powerful, pushing forward with overwhelming force all the way to the enemy’s main base…”
“As someone who participated in it, I was filled with heroic spirit and fearless of death while fighting. But now that I think back on it, I feel small and powerless—and deeply afraid.”
“In the end, I was only one among countless soldiers.”
“The reason I survived was simply luck. The Dragon Ginseng King’s dragon breath just didn’t hit me.”
After a pause, Ning Zhuo looked down at his Mechanical Ring.
“Even if the ring could warn me, in that situation I couldn’t freely change my position while under the state of Iron Flow Across the Plains.”
“So even if it warned me, it would have been useless.”
Sun Lingtong let out a sound of agreement. “That’s only natural.”
“Xiao Zhuo, think about it. We’re just small cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage.”
“Compared to beings at the Soul Formation level, we’re not even ants in their presence.”
“But with the help of military arts, national power, and other factors, we can gather everyone’s strength and unleash combat power at the Soul Formation level.”
“To achieve that is already incredibly difficult. If you also want guaranteed safety and survival, don’t you think that’s asking too much?”
Ning Zhuo fell silent for a moment and clenched his fists.
“In any case, after this battle, I’ve decided to take better care of myself and participate less in wars that far exceed my ability.”
“I should focus on improving my cultivation instead.”
Sun Lingtong immediately agreed with this idea.
The next day.
“Stop! That ginseng dragon whisker belongs to our army!”
“We were the ones who killed it! Your cultivators were despicable, stealing it while our troops were exhausted!”
Two Golden Core–level commanders were arguing loudly.
“Hmph. Your men had suffered heavy losses and already withdrew from the battlefield. Only then did our army move in.”
“By that logic, if you walk across the battlefield once and fight every ginseng dragon whisker before retreating, then all of them would belong to you?”
Their argument grew louder and louder, drawing the attention of many people.
In the end, both were summoned by a messenger cultivator to the Supreme Commander’s main tent.
The soldiers of Three Generals Camp were already growing restless.
The great decisive battle had ended, and Liangzhu Kingdom was the clear victor.
However, the main army had previously been busy constructing the camp and setting up defensive measures so that the army could recover and remove the Iron Skin Flesh Armor Art. As a result, they had little energy to clean up the battlefield.
But what remained scattered across the battlefield was an enormous fortune.
During the battle, the Dragon Ginseng King had been severed in many places—its ginseng whiskers, dragon blood, and more had fallen everywhere. All of these were precious materials. Although only the main body of the Dragon Ginseng King had reached the Soul Formation level, any whisker that fell onto the battlefield was at least at the Golden Core level.
Furthermore, the sword techniques and military arts released by Du Tiechuan had left deep marks on the battlefield. Even the faintest traces could reveal secrets of his cultivation, providing great inspiration for those with high comprehension.
“Most of the soldiers are still recuperating. Their bodies are weak and their combat strength at a low point.”
“But Golden Core–level commanders are not restricted by this. They can leave the camp first and sweep the battlefield!”
Ning Zhuo quickly grasped the situation.
Military Order—Clean the battlefield!
Soon, after handling the dispute between the two Golden Core commanders, the Supreme Commander’s tent issued a military order to the entire army.
The contents were very simple: military merit would be awarded based on the amount of spoils collected.
All spoils belonged to Liangzhu Kingdom. No soldier was allowed to hide anything privately—if discovered, they would be punished by military law.
After reading the exchange rules, even Ning Zhuo felt his heart stir.
“According to the military order, all my current military merit can be exchanged for military supplies.”
“Even if the supplies aren’t available, they can be reported immediately. Then the Royal Capital of Liangzhu Kingdom will periodically organize transport armies to deliver the rewards.”
That very afternoon, Ning Zhuo followed Liu Er and Zhang Hei out of the main army camp and entered the battlefield where the great battle had taken place.
The battlefield was vast and open. The nearest mountain peaks were more than ten li away. Even those nearby were mostly shattered—some mountains were broken in half, some had their peaks smashed into other mountains, and some were reduced to only their base.
Countless stones of all sizes covered almost the entire battlefield, mixed with huge amounts of plant debris and the corpses and remains of animals and cultivators.
After so many days, the corpses had begun to rot and stink, leaving a faint smell of decay lingering across the battlefield.
However, whenever the mountain wind blew, the stench dispersed, allowing the cultivators entering the battlefield to breathe fresh air.
One area of the battlefield looked different—it lay close to the body of Dragon King Giant Tree Mountain.
The soil there was yellow-brown. Although uneven, it was fertile exposed earth rather than piles of rubble, and it contained many pits and holes.
As for Dragon King Giant Tree Mountain itself, it had been heavily damaged by the earlier battle, leaving only sixty percent of the mountain intact. That remaining portion was still shrouded in divine light protecting it.
Liu Er and the other Golden Core cultivators kept their distance cautiously. No one knew whether the remnants of Dragon King Giant Tree Mountain might still produce another army.
Of course, unless the Dragon Ginseng King appeared again, the overall situation here would not change.
Ning Zhuo, Liu Er, and Zhang Hei moved across the battlefield and soon discovered a ginseng dragon whisker.
It was rooted within a pile of rubble, resembling a dull yellow python lying limply on the ground.
But when it sensed the aura of Ning Zhuo and the others, it immediately sprang upright.
Its entire body rose into the air, reaching a height of six zhang. Its aura surged powerfully—it possessed Golden Core strength and still carried a trace of Soul Formation–level divine charm.
Liu Er made the first move.
Holding the Primal Yellow Sword, he applied a military art to strengthen himself.
He approached carefully and cast two defensive spells in succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ginseng dragon whisker hammered down on Liu Er, producing a series of dull impacts.
Liu Er was enveloped in a mass of yellow light. His defenses were strong, yet before long he was smashed down into the rubble.
While defending, he also launched attacks.
A moment later, he returned to Zhang Hei and Ning Zhuo, breathing heavily with slight fatigue.
He had already probed the enemy’s strength.
This ginseng dragon whisker was far longer than it appeared.
Most of its body moved through the rubble, with the rest rooted deep in the soil to absorb nutrients and sustain itself.
The whisker did not possess many attack techniques. It mainly relied on smashing, sweeping, and constricting.
However, each strike was extremely powerful, and its instinctive reactions were very sharp. Even Liu Er, a body cultivator, found it difficult to close the distance.
Most crucially, its recovery ability was extremely strong.
Many wounds inflicted by Liu Er healed completely within a few breaths.
“Cutting down and harvesting a ginseng dragon whisker like this won’t be easy,” Liu Er sighed.
Zhang Hei cracked his knuckles. “Who cares? Let’s just kill it first.”
Hot-tempered as ever, he immediately rushed forward, wielding the Black Serpent Spear to battle the ginseng dragon whisker.
He possessed the talent Wild Python Tendons and cultivated the Black Wave Overheaven Technique. Combined together, the longer he fought, the more ferocious his strength became.
For a time, the ginseng dragon whisker and Zhang Hei’s spear clashed endlessly.
Watching the battle reflected in his eyes, Liu Er said, “If this continues, even if Third Brother wins, he’ll consume a lot of resources.”
That consumption included Zhang Hei’s mana, stamina, weapon durability—and also the ginseng dragon whisker itself.
They had come here to clean the battlefield.
But with such an intense battle, even if they eventually captured the whisker, its quality would drop greatly due to the depletion of its internal essence.
“In this situation, we’ll have to rely on you, Strategist,” Liu Er said with a smile, looking at Ning Zhuo. “You must have a solution, right?”
Although Ning Zhuo was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his combat strength surpassed most Golden Core cultivators. Liu Er had long treated him as an equal.
And ever since they had met, Ning Zhuo had consistently displayed astonishing performances. Liu Er had complete confidence in him.
Ning Zhuo had been observing the ginseng dragon whisker with his spiritual sense and using several detection spells.
“Hmm…”
“I’ll try first.”
He cast a Metal-element spell deep into the rubble, attempting to cut the lower portion of the whisker.
Metal restrains Wood.
However, Ning Zhuo’s Metal spells were only at the Foundation Establishment level, while the whisker was at the Golden Core level and even carried a trace of Soul Formation aura.
As a result, the spell only left superficial scratches.
One breath later, the damage healed completely.
Ning Zhuo remained calm. He was merely experimenting.
Next, he cast nearly ten different spells in succession, covering the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Watching from the side, Liu Er was secretly astonished and praised him repeatedly.
“Strategist, is your clan especially skilled in Five Element spells?”
“I’ve almost never seen any of the spells you just used.”
“It makes me wonder—how many Five Element spells have you mastered?”
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. He did not reveal that he had temporarily created the spells, simply saying Liu Er praised him too much.
Liu Er shook his head.
“Strategist, you’re too modest.”
Even while speaking, Ning Zhuo continued his work.
“Got it.”
After a moment, he stopped and showed a satisfied smile.
He cast three spells in succession—one Fire-element, one Metal-element, and one Earth-element.
After the spells were applied in rotation, the ginseng dragon whisker shook violently. Its movements stiffened, and its combat strength dropped drastically.
Liu Er’s pupils shrank.
“Just three Foundation Establishment–level spells… yet they suppress a Golden Core ginseng dragon whisker so effectively!”
“Ning Zhuo…”
Looking at the young man in white with the large head, Liu Er became extremely solemn.
In his heart he was certain:
“One day, Ning Zhuo will shine brilliantly. His mastery of Five Element spells alone guarantees him an extraordinary future.”
With its power suppressed, the ginseng dragon whisker was no longer as fierce as before.
In the end, Zhang Hei swung his spear and chopped it down.
Liu Er seized the opportunity and cast a spell to seal the ginseng dragon whisker.
“How much would a treasure like this sell for?” Zhang Hei asked excitedly.
Liu Er wasn’t sure.
Ning Zhuo stroked his chin and estimated a figure.
“Probably around three hundred thousand middle-grade spirit stones.”
Liu Er and Zhang Hei froze for a moment before excitement erupted across their faces.
“So much?” Liu Er exclaimed.
Ning Zhuo nodded.
“It’s mainly because this whisker is so long—the quantity alone is substantial. And with the Dragon Ginseng King’s reputation as a Soul Formation–level being, selling it in distant markets might even increase the price.”
“However, removing the residual divine will within the whisker will cost a considerable sum.”
Liu Er’s excitement diminished slightly.
“Indeed. The Dragon Ginseng King is not only a Soul Formation–level being but also follows the Divine Path. The will of a deity is extremely stubborn and enduring.”
Zhang Hei sighed regretfully.
“Too bad. None of these whiskers belong to us. We have to hand them all in.”
Liu Er comforted him.
“Exchange them for military merit. Then use the merit to obtain military supplies—that suits us better.”
Zhang Hei shook his head.
“If we exchange them for merit, they’ll definitely be valued at the lowest market price. I don’t even need to think about that.”
Ning Zhuo’s expression shifted slightly.
Liu Er looked at him.
“Strategist, according to our previous agreement, thirty percent of Three Generals Camp’s battlefield gains belong to you.”
“And this time, military merit can also be traded between people.”
“I’m ashamed. Only now can we finally repay you.”
Ning Zhuo waved his hand with a smile.
“General, no need to mind it so much. You know me.”
Liu Er laughed heartily.
“Meeting the Strategist has been a blessing in my life.”
Zhang Hei laughed as well.
“I feel exactly the same.”
For a moment, the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.
Afterward, Ning Zhuo followed Liu Er and Zhang Hei to eliminate two more ginseng dragon whiskers. Soon it was noon.
After carefully teaching the spells he had created to Liu Er and Zhang Hei, Ning Zhuo informed them that he would explore alone.
Within Three Generals Camp, Ning Zhuo held a special status. Zhang Hei had no objections, and Liu Er simply told him to be careful.
Entering the Puppet Dragon, Sun Lingtong said impatiently:
“Quick! It’s time for the Stone Dwelling Old Monster to make an appearance.”