Chapter 192: Becoming Famous
The war between Seven Blood Eyes and the Seazombies had been going on for about half a year. The scope of the war only continued to get larger, as more allies joined in the fighting. The war wasn’t just being fought on the front lines. Other areas in the Forbidden Sea were affected. Nonhuman allies on both sides of the conflict played a part, and eventually, small-scale military operations were being carried out in various locations near and far. It was a given that a huge war like this would attract the attention of all sorts of peoples.
However, no event in the war to this point caused a greater stir than the change to the Seazombies’ bounty list. Virtually overnight, countless species in the Forbidden Sea suddenly started paying very close attention to that list.
To countless nonhumans and human-like species, Chen Erniu and Xu Qing were now household names. Everyone was talking about them.
There were many people who were enticed by the large reward being offered by the Seazombies. There were even experts in Seven Blood Eyes whose hearts were moved by the thought of that much profit. After all, according to the description, anyone could claim the bounty, even a disciple from Seven Blood Eyes. As long as they accomplished the task, they could earn the reward. In fact, the Seazombies even added a clarification that whoever completed one of the missions could be zombified, and thus join the Seazombies.
As a Seazombie, they could then join the king’s echelon as part of their reward. It almost seemed lopsided in terms of how amazing of a reward it was. It was enough to turn just about anyone’s eyes bloodshot with desire. The only downside to consider was the success rate of the Seazombie’s zombification process; it wasn’t guaranteed to be successful every time.
However, given the rewards, it was a risk worth taking. After all, members of the king’s echelon were like crown princes, and were generally called ‘dao child’ on a day-to-day basis. Vastworld, whose face had been disfigured, and who now hated Xu Qing down to his bones, was a member of the king’s echelon. In fact, to date, he was the only member.
From that it could be seen how unprecedented this reward was. It also made it clear how furious and determined the Seazombies were. It was absolutely clear that they wanted Chen Erniu and Xu Qing dead. In fact, going forward, it would be difficult for the two of them to travel the Forbidden Sea, as they would find enemies no matter where they went. That was more the case considering that such enemies would hide their true motives, making them difficult to identify.
It would also make cultivation very difficult for Xu Qing and Chen Erniu, as they wouldn’t be able to trust anyone, and would constantly have to remain on guard.
That said, Xu Qing was used to living like that....
Right now, Xu Qing was inside his bluegreen dragon on the way to the Merfolk Isles, and he had no idea what was going on outside. The only way to get information about the outside world was through his identity medallion, and he had strayed so far beyond the Merfolk Isles that the medallion wasn’t working properly. Because of that, he was completely focused on recovering from his injuries. Over twenty days later, Xu Qing could tell that most of his wounds were healed. After some thought, he decided not to leave his bluegreen dragon. His dharmaskiff was destroyed, therefore, using the dragon was the most convenient option for travel. It would save him both effort and worry.
I wonder what things are like out there. Did the Captain make it out? What has the Seazombie response been like?
When he was about a week out from the Merfolk Isles, he looked in the direction of the isles and thought, In the future, I can’t do anything crazy like that again. Every single time, I end up seriously injured... One of these days, the Captain will drag me into something that he survives, but I don’t.
Looking down at himself, and then thinking about everything he went through, he sighed. He just wanted to stay alive in the brutal world in which he lived. Maybe improve his life just a little bit. To do that, he needed to put everything on the line occasionally to get stronger. They were two different philosophies that he had no way to reconcile.
I’m still too weak.
When he thought back to that Seazombie chosen Vastworld, and his four life flames, Xu Qing’s heart filled with a sensation of danger. That was his first time facing someone with four life flames.
The Captain had revealed some of his aura when being chased by that Gold Core expert, yet Xu Qing was still convinced that there was more to the Captain’s cultivation base than he was letting on.
But Vastworld was different. There was no question that he was a four-flame cultivator.
People like that weren’t exactly very common. That said, when Xu Qing thought about how big the Revered Ancient mainland was, and how many countless peoples and species were there, he had the feeling that four-flame cultivators were probably less rare than he imagined.
Thinking back to the fight, Xu Qing realized that he had definitely worked hard to gain the initiative in the fight. Add in his shadow, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior, and the fleshly body power of Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits, and he had managed to crush his opponent.
But if he met Vastworld again, he would need to be completely on guard, and also be prepared from the beginning. Crushing him in the same way wasn’t going to be easy. From what Xu Qing could tell, though, it also wouldn’t be easy for Vastworld to come out on top.
Four life flames....
Anticipation flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes. He was now in mid Foundation Establishment. With his life lamp, he could easily crush three-flame cultivators, and when he added in Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits, he could hold his own against four-flames. With battle prowess like that, he was already at the peak of what Foundation Establishment was capable of. What was more, his ability to escape from a Gold Core expert wounded but alive was something few people could accomplish. Yet Xu Qing still wasn’t happy.
I still have 25 dharma apertures to open before I can get my third life flame.... When that happens, I should be able to crush anyone in Foundation Establishment, with the exception of someone else who has a life lamp. At that point, I should be able to live life a little bit more at ease. And that means that it will take too long if I just follow the same routine to open dharma apertures.
All of a sudden, he found himself hoping that the Captain came back sooner rather than later.
The Captain was absolutely crazy, and if Xu Qing could participate in more missions like this zombie ancestor statue event, then it might not be that hard to get to his third life flame.
Once the Captain’s back, I’ll go ask him what other places we can hit.
Xu Qing’s decision was made. As far as his previous decision to not do anything crazy, he tossed it aside.
I have no choice. My cultivation is going too slow. If I want to open more dharma apertures, then I have to find opportunities. Once I have enough dharma apertures open, then I won’t take any more risky chances.
With that, he nodded his head decisively.
Five days passed. Now he was only about three days from the Merfolk Isles, and that was when his identity medallion suddenly vibrated.
Xu Qing took it out and saw the same old mission list, with the missions constantly updating. At a glance, nothing looked out of the ordinary. However, something caught his attention; at the very top of all the missions was something called the Hero Rankings.
He was generally aware of the Hero Rankings; they basically correlated to the Seazombies’ bounty list. It contained a list of all the bounties the Seazombies had put on Seven Blood Eyes disciples, including the rewards. However, it cost money to check the list, so Xu Qing had never bothered looking at it.
This time, he hesitated. Though he was convinced that he and the Captain hadn’t done anything incredibly amazing, it still seemed possible that they might have been added to the bounty list. After closer inspection, he realized that it cost a hundred spirit stones to check the list, and that just didn’t seem worth it.
Just as he made his decision to not check the list, his bluegreen dragon got close enough to the Merfolk Isles that his identity medallion started vibrating like crazy.
Messages were coming in, one after another, from just about everyone he knew.
“Elder Brother Xu Qing, are you back yet?”
“You are so amazing, Elder Brother Xu Qing!!!”
Stunned, Xu Qing started going through all the messages.
“I think you might miss this message, Elder Brother Xu Qing, considering you’re probably getting tons of other messages. Anyway, I’m so excited! After I saw the news about what you did, Elder Brother, I couldn’t sleep for days. But I’m also worried about you. There’s so many things I wish I could say. If you want to know the gist, look at the first word, the fifth word, and then the third word of my first sentence.”
That message came from Ding Xue.
Xu Qing checked the words she mentioned, but didn’t notice anything particularly unusual about them, probably because he was distracted.
By this point, he was coming to realize that the Seazombie incident was apparently bigger than he realized. As he went through the rest of his messages, he found that everyone was asking about the same thing.
Finally, he unhesitatingly paid the one hundred spirit stones to check the Hero Rankings. As soon as he opened it and saw his own name in the #2 spot, his pupils constricted. Then he looked at the #1 spot.
“Chen Erniu?”
It was obvious that Chen Erniu was the Captain, and the name left Xu Qing feeling a bit stunned. It was only then that he realized the Captain had never told him his real name. Perhaps it was because his name sounded so unsophisticated.
After thoroughly examining the Hero Rankings, Xu Qing took a deep breath and frowned. Finally, he looked back at the nose in his bag of holding. During his travels, he had thought deeply about everything that happened, and the reaction of the Seazombies seemed to confirm that... it was almost entirely certain that Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits had created the instability which led to the explosion. Furthermore, the Seazombies’ divine likeness obviously had not repaired itself.
It seemed unbelievable.
Maybe after I left the Captain did another crazy thing?
Regardless, the fact that his name was being spread far and wide left him feeling unsettled. He didn’t like making a scene. It didn’t conform to the way he had learned to live from a small age, and it also was not appropriate considering the traditions in the Seventh Peak and Seven Blood Eyes in general.
It’s all the Captain’s fault! I should have just backed out when I realized he wanted to do something like that!
As he studied the Hero Rankings a bit more, he came to realize how furious the Seazombies were. Obviously, they really, really wanted him dead. Forget other people. Even Xu Qing himself found his heart beating at the reward being offered for Chen Erniu. If he had that reaction, others would have an even stronger reaction.
Why do things never go smoothly for me? Going forward, I’m going to have to be on guard against everyone. The sect won’t be safe anymore. That said, it’ll be better than the outside. Given how big of a deal this is, anyone with malicious intentions won’t be quick to reveal them in the sect.
He continued to analyze the ups and downs of the situation over the course of the following days. In order to be as careful as possible, he had his shadow mask the fluctuations of his identity medallion.
As he got closer to the Merfolk Isles, he used his previous methods to disguise himself.
Obviously, there was no choice but to go to the Merfolk Isles; reaching Seven Blood Eyes any other way would simply take too long. That said, the matter of the bounty list ensured that he kept his head bowed as he flew onto Emiche Island.
Not pausing for a second, he headed straight to the teleportation portal. There weren’t a lot of disciples present; just about everyone was on the battlefield. Therefore, Xu Qing didn’t attract much attention. It didn’t take long to reach the portal.
Once there, he glanced at the Fifth Peak disciples in charge of the portal, then quickly flashed his identity medallion. After the spell formation confirmed his identity, the teleportation started.
Around then, the Fifth Peak disciple in charge happened to look at the portal stone, and noticed the name of the traveler on it.
At first he stared, and then his eyes went wide. Turning, he looked at the teleportation portal and gasped, “Xu Qing!”
Right then, the teleportation light wrapped around Xu Qing and he disappeared.
***
In the Seazombie ancestral land, in a jungle of bare, rotting trees, was a giant in a suit of armor, his flesh rotting as he sat there cross-legged in meditation. Even in a sitting position, he still was about 1,500 meters tall, making him far bigger than the surrounding trees.
On his head sat a young man in an imperial robe.
He was none other than Vastworld. Half of his face was withered and disfigured. Apparently, it wasn’t possible to restore it to its previous condition. His ear was still missing. Gone forever were his good looks and noble demeanor; now he looked vicious and fierce.
Kneeling in front of him was a young woman in a beautiful gown of purple and cyan. Keeping her face averted, she softly said, “Your Highness, none of our healing items can counteract the corroding effects that caused your wound. Only the king and the marquises have the power to heal you. Except, the king... well, he said you created this problem, so you need to fix it. Kill Xu Qing, and the king will treat you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vastworld snapped. “Back when you bullied the Spiritjade people and plotted against me, you didn’t enforce any such rule. Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to Chen Erniu and Xu Qing, and want to zombify them? You Seazombies are a bunch of shameless bastards. Screw off!!”
Vastworld’s vicious expression caused the woman to tremble and back away.
After she was gone, Vastworld sat there, his eyes bloodshot and filled with killing intent. He felt humiliated from head to toe. He was the dao child of the Seazombies. He was in the great circle of Foundation Establishment. He was a four-flame chosen. Yet he had been bested by some random nobody, and had also been disfigured horribly.
“Xu Qing, we’re not done with each other. I won’t rest until I’ve killed you!!”