Chapter 497: Dark Clouds Suppress Immortals; the Immortals are Furious (part 1)
The northwest of Sea-Sealing County had four prefectures.
To the far west was Tranquility Prefecture, which was also the location of the western front. To the north was the icy Tidefall Prefecture, which was the other main front line of the war.
Squeezed between those two prefectures was Rainfield Prefecture.
Water that drained into Rainfield Prefecture from the melting tundra to the north ensured that the place had a lot of water. However, it also had subterranean volcanic flows that caused mist to rise up from the ground year-round. That mist would then turn into rain, which was why the prefecture was named the way it was.
In the spot where Rainfield Prefecture neared the county capital was the fourth of the northwestern prefectures, which was Enlightenment Prefecture. The name of the prefecture came from the very famous mountainous region called the Enlightenment Highlands.
Mountainous regions and mountain ranges are different. The latter generally stretch out in a specific direction. They’re composed of easily distinguished mountain peaks and valleys. Their clear geography and vast range distinguish them from mountainous regions. A mountainous region doesn’t have such obvious terrain features, and might even contain volcanic belts. There might be countless mountain peaks interspersed with vast stretches of flat land. All of those unique features merge together to create something like a ‘family’ of mountains.
The 50,000-kilometer Enlightenment Highlands were just such a mountainous region, and they were the home to the Fullspirits.
The Fullspirits were a tall people. Normally speaking, they stood at a height of about fifteen meters, and specialized in body cultivation. In line with the common traditions in Revered Ancient, because they were so closely allied with the Demi-Immortals, they had been gifted with some of the blood of that species. That had provoked some changes in their own bloodline, and caused them to grow wings. However, due to the size of the Fullspirits, those wings didn’t make them capable of true flight. They were more for show.
The reason the Demi-Immortals were so fond of the Fullspirits was that they were exceptionally skilled in alchemy and equipment forging.
The Enlightenment Highlands were filled with many equipment and alchemy workshops. Some were independently operated by individual Fullspirits, while others were much larger operations. All in all, there were hundreds of thousands of such workshops there. The clanking of tools and the fragrance of medicinal pills filled the highlands year-round. What was more, the volcanic flows under the ground ensured that the place was always warm. It could well be said that the Fullspirits were constantly producing medicinal pills and magical devices to be put onto the market. There were some off-limits areas set aside for the maturation of medicinal pills. The number of such locations was staggering. The presence of so much ‘earthflame,’ plus the species’ innate abilities, allowed them to produce the highest-quality pills and equipment imaginable. And they were usually very expensive.
That said, even if they charged more than they usually did, it didn’t make sense for a medicinal pill that normally cost twenty spirit stones to suddenly cost a thousand.
They had never charged such outrageous prices before the war, as no one would have paid them. And normally speaking, a dharmic decree from the Swordsage Palace was enough to get shipments of supplies flowing from them.
Although they were close with the Demi-Immortals, the Fullspirits were generally reasonable, and wouldn’t risk offending humans over something as trivial as supplies. Therefore, they knew exactly what they were doing when they responded to the Swordsage Palace’s most recent request.
At the moment, the branch chiefs of their Four Branches were meeting secretly in the Fullspirit ancestral mountain temple. They were all dressed in luxurious outfits, and were festooned with all types of jewelry and fancy magical devices.
“We have to charge these prices to make our stance clear to the Demi-Immortals!”
“War is here, and it seems highly unlikely the humans are going to maintain control of this particular administrative district.”
Two statues were enshrined in the temple, one in the front and one in the back. The statue in the front resembled a Fullspirit, while the one in the back was much more amazing. It resembled an immortal flying into the sky. It was, of course, the original ancestor of the Demi-Immortals.
Each statue had a collection of thousands of items in front of it, including precious spirit fruits and high-quality medicinal pills. The strong spirit energy from those items filled the temple. That showed how important this temple was to them.
Any one of the spirit fruits and medicinal pills was something that could be urgently used on the battlefield. After all, casualties had been severe so far in the war to defend Sea-Sealing County. It might be an exaggeration to say that each item could save a life, but to say that ten could save a life would be completely reasonable. That said, the four branch chiefs couldn’t care less about the humans dying on the battlefield. All they cared about was how their own species would fare going forward.
“For the sake of Marquis Yao, we should at least send some supplies. Over the past few hundred years, Marquis Yao has helped us out a lot. We should make sure all the other species know that we Fullspirits know how to properly repay favors.”
“That’s fine. So we ask for extremely high prices for most of the products, to make our stance clear to the Demi-Immortals. At the same time, we send a small amount to boost our reputation as a species. And finally, we’ll offer a tiny bit for sale at a discount to prove we’re not being hostile.”
“Truth be told, this is what our species in general wants. Before coming here today, I did a little survey, and everyone I talked to agreed that we should charge high prices. After all... humans have plenty of money.”
“My branch feels the same. In fact, some people I talked to even suggested that we use this as an opportunity to get rid of all our defective products that we would normally destroy. Although, that might be pushing things a bit too far.”
“Since we’re all in agreement, then we’ll follow through with this plan. One branch will support the humans, one branch will cooperate to repay previous favors, one branch will do nothing in public but will secretly contact the Holytides to curry favor, and the last branch will be responsible for maintaining the status quo with the Demi-Immortals!”
“If we want this act to seem realistic, we should pretend to be debating the matter for a few more days....”
Chuckling, the four branch chiefs rose to their feet to end the secret meeting. However, it was at that exact moment that a terrifying pressure suddenly weighed down on all of them from above, causing their hearts to lurch.
To the shock of the branch chiefs, the ground quaked, and a deep rumbling sound erupted within the Enlightenment Highlands. From a distance, it was possible to see that the sky above the Fullspirit’s ancestral mountain temple was glittering with red light.
A massive, 30,000-meter three-headed bird emerged from the clouds, with both of his massive claws pointed directly toward the temple. The bird ignored the mountain’s defenses. He ignored the temple’s defenses. He ignored everything. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as the temple and the two statues inside of it exploded.
The huge bird’s claws then latched onto the mountain, and as he flapped his wings, he wrenched the entire ancestral mountain out of the ground and into the air! Boulders fell like rain, trees and plants showered down, and massive clouds of dust billowed everywhere.
All Fullspirits present to witness what was happening were dumbstruck. That was especially true when they noticed that someone was standing atop one of the bird’s heads.
That person wore a white swordsage uniform, and had long hair that seemed both black and violet at the same time. He was consummately good-looking, but his expression was ice cold. For a good ten breaths of time, all people could do was look on in shock.
As Qingqin lifted the Fullspirits’ ancestral mountain into the air, his claws tightened, and cracks started spreading out across the mountain. Then it exploded!
Blood sprayed out of the mouths of the four branch chiefs, and they backed away looking both shocked and furious. When they saw their ancestral mountain destroyed, they looked at the terrifying, strange bird, and Xu Qing perched atop it, their hearts seething with rage.
“Qingqin!?”
“A swordsage??”
“Senior Qingqin, what’s the meaning of this? Why did you destroy our ancestral mountain temple??”
The four branch chiefs were all in the Spirit Trove level, but none of them had completely formed their first secret trove.
In the Spirit Trove level, powering up the secret troves was usually a slow and difficult process. Because of that, the majority of Spirit Trove cultivators were actually at this same point. It was only after the first secret trove took the shape of a world, and also had a heavenly dao, that it could truly be considered a secret trove. That said, even when still in the process of powering up the first secret trove, such cultivators would still be able to crush any Nascent Soul enemy.
As the four branch chiefs howled in rage, several dozen nearby mountain peaks trembled, and the lake they bordered was suddenly filled with massive waves.
The water all flowed in the same direction as a pair of eyes as big as the lake itself suddenly opened inside of it. They were looking at Qingqin.
“Fellow Daoist Qingqin, why have you done this?”
As the eyes opened and the voice rang out, a 24,000-meter-tall giant slowly stood up. The dozens of mountain peaks came with it, as they were actually spikes sticking out of its body. It even had spikes growing out of its head.
This figure was the Fullspirits’ only Void Returning patriarch.
He had dao lineaments in his eyes, and had numerous projections of himself superimposed upon each other. He also had a number of minor worlds that were on the verge of being complete. He was in the great circle of the second stage of Void Returning, and was half a step into the third stage. Though he seemed calm, the truth was that inwardly he was feeling very flustered.
“CAW!” said Qingqin disdainfully.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing, who stood atop the right head, looked down coldly. “Over the past 800 years, the Four Branches of the Fullspirits have violated human law a total of 18,931 times. The most recent was the refusal to comply with the palace lord’s demand that Spirit Trove and Void Returning cultivators join the war effort. I’m here today to punish all of the criminals who perpetrated those crimes over the past 800 years!”
His voice echoed through the Enlightenment Highlands, and the hundreds of thousands of Fullspirits there looked up angrily at the huge bird in the sky.
Meanwhile, the massive giant standing there with energy and blood seething seemed incredibly intimidating.
“Our species is allied with the Demi-Immortals. And we haven’t violated any part of our agreement with you humans. For a swordsage to come here and wreck our ancestral mountain is a clear breach of our alliance!” For the first time, that giant’s gaze came to rest on Xu Qing. “Are you really trying to cause chaos in Sea-Sealing County right now, in this moment of crisis on the front lines of the war?”
Face expressionless, Xu Qing turned to Qingqin, clasped hands, and bowed. “Senior Qingqin, please take action and exterminate this species!”
Qingqin’s eyes glittered with excitement. It had been a long time since he wiped out a species, a point which had caused him to sigh many times in the past. He was supposed to be a fierce beast, so the fact that he hadn’t wiped out many species seemed like a betrayal of his own bloodline. Beyond that, it had been a long time since he had eaten any meat. He spent all his time absorbing water and mist, making him feel like he was starting to fade from existence.
That said, he had always restrained himself. After all, the humans had long since kept things peaceful in Sea-Sealing County, and he didn’t feel inclined to cause trouble and disturb the status quo. Besides, his most revered Eldest Brother from the continent of South Phoenix had told him to be a little less fierce, and not follow the path of his ancestor. He wasn’t supposed to go around slaughtering people, especially humans. He was supposed to make more friends. That was the way to stick around for a long time.
However, the little bro his Eldest Brother had entrusted to his care had just made a very reasonable request. Considering that he was also a swordsage, there didn’t seem to be any reason to refuse.
As for why his Eldest Brother had become bros with a human didn’t really matter. He just knew that his Eldest Brother had always treated him so well that it didn’t seem like it would be possible to repay the favor in this life. Therefore, he didn’t want to do anything to lose face for his Eldest Brother.
And thus, it was with an excited caw that Qingqin bristled with rage and prepared to shoot toward the Fullspirits.
“Hold on!!” the Fullspirit patriarch blurted.