Bam!
In the wilderness, the Rank-5 martial artist who was battling Qin Fengqing wore a bewildered expression on his face. Despite being on the brink of death, he forced himself to turn around for a glance.
Fang Ping’s fist had punctured his back and shattered his internal organs. “My Lord, Monster Wood City has joined forces with the martial artists from the Land of Rebirth; please don’t blame me,” he said with a smile.
A look of disbelief appeared in the long-haired martial artist’s eyes. Immediately after that, his neck slumped sideways and he breathed his last.
Qin Fengqing immediately started searching the body. “You have a black heart!” He scolded.
Their opponent was already on the brink of death, and this fellow still tried to confuse him; he was black-hearted beyond measure!
Fang Ping chuckled and said, “But I am indeed a Monster Wood City martial artist. Was I lying?”
“You...”
Qin Fengqing gave up.
The man was already dead; had Fang Ping become too caught up in his acting?
Despite that, Qin Fengqing did not slow down in what he was doing and proceeded to quickly gather all the loot, stuffing everything into his large pockets.
This did not bother Fang Ping. Unless Qin Fengqing had a Storage Ring, he would not be able to hide all that loot when they returned. Letting him do the menial work first amounted to the same thing.
After killing the Rank-5, Fang Ping lamented, “The Catacombs’ martial artists are so pure. I said I was from Monster Wood City and they believed me. A few shouts of ‘my Lord’ and these fellows took it seriously; what an IQ...”
Qin Fengqing replied wearily, “You posing as a Rank-3—who wouldn’t believe that? As a Rank-3 martial artist, what sort of shenanigans could you possibly pull off?”
It was not surprising for a Monster Wood City martial artist to show up here
.
Currently, both cities were at war with Hope City, and Monster Wood City martial artists were beginning to enter the eastern side.
If Fang Ping had been a middle-rank martial artist, these people would have still have been wary. However, since he masqueraded as a Rank-3 martial artist, the Rank-5 was confident that even if Fang Ping wanted to try some scheme on him, Fang Ping would not be able to pull it off.
In the end, the Rank-5 had been over-confident and Fang Ping had been able to lead him to Qin Fengqing’s whereabouts. When the Rank-5 swooped in for the kill, it had never occurred to him that Fang Ping might launch a sneak attack from behind.
Killing an early-stage Rank-5 martial artist with a sneak attack without the victim suspecting anything—that was exceptionally easy.
Qin Fengqing also could not care less about Fang Ping’s black-heartedness. The man had already been killed; all that mattered was the loot.
After calculating his share, Qin Fengqing stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, “I was wondering if we should lure over a few Rank-6s and try to kill them; these people are way too poor.”
“Can you handle it?” Fang Ping snapped, “A Rank-6 martial artist might not die from a single punch. If we can’t kill him, there’ll be a big hue and cry.”
“Forget it, we’ll do it on the way back. Let’s head over to Hedgehog Ridge first.”
As he spoke, Qin Fengqing continued forward cautiously.
Right now, Fang Ping felt no stress. He made no attempt to hide or take cover but strode forward carelessly. He was a martial artist of the Catacombs, and unless a compatriot decided to launch a surprise attack at him, there was no need to worry about human martial artists.
It was rare for human martial artists to venture into this area nowadays.
Monster Sunflower City was not located due East, but this area was considered deep within its hinterlands, and human martial artists currently would not set foot here.
Qin Fengqing, who was still moving stealthily, stared enviously at Fang Ping who was swaggering through the wilderness.
That must be such an awesome feeling, unlike himself, who was being extra cautious since this was considered the hinterlands of the Catacombs’ fort.
Even though there were few Monster Sunflower City martial artists here, if they encountered a Rank-6 powerhouse, he still had to be careful in order not to be killed by a single blow.
...
A few hours later.
Fang Ping smiled beatifically as he clamped a Rank-4 powerhouse’s head until it burst open. He sighed. “We practically became brothers after chatting for so long; I almost couldn’t bear to kill you.”
Qin Fengqing scurried out once again and started to search the body.
As he searched, he criticized Fang Ping, “What the heck were you doing, chatting for more than half an hour with a Rank-4, when you could have just killed him with one strike!”
Fang Ping laughed and replied, “What’s wrong with a casual chat? Might as well gather some intel while we’re idling around. This fellow was really something; he wanted me to be his vassal—even going so far as to make me his captain of the guard. Bloody hell, I was actually thinking of following him and straightaway entering Monster Sunflower City.”
Qin Fengqing felt weary. He had to hand it to Fang Ping.
Fang Ping might have laughed, but he continued, “The chatter wasn’t for nothing though. He didn’t have any qualms about talking to someone on the same side. This fellow still spilled plenty of info.”
Fang Ping scanned around with his Mentality. After no incoming presence was detected, he continued walking and said, “That sunflower in the city does indeed have seeds. Each year more than ten seeds are produced; they’re bestowed on some of the powerhouses in Monster Sunflower City to increase their Mentality...no, that’s not right, they call it ‘divine power’ instead.
“However, using just one or two has only a limited effect.
“If more of them are used, the result should be pretty good.
“Take a guess—how many high-ranked powerhouses are in Monster Sunflower City?” Fang Ping asked.
“How many?” Qin Fengqing enquired.
“19!”
His eyes shining, Fang Ping continued, “19 is what this fellow knows. It seems like Monster Sunflower City is much stronger than the several other forts I know of.
“And that’s not even counting the Sunflower Monster or the City Lord.
“The enemy has very few Rank-8 venerables—just 3, in fact. They also have 14 Rank-7 chieftains. This is the only fort I know of with such high numbers!
“Those sunflower seeds must have something to do with it, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many of them,” Fang Ping surmised.
“So many...”
Qin Fengqing’s heartbeat quickened with excitement. He said in a low voice, “Fang Ping, a Rank-9 like you might not be able to snatch some after infiltrating the city, but those martial artists who had seeds bestowed upon them...”
“Most people would use the seeds immediately after receiving them. Do you think anyone would actually store them?”
Fang Ping shook his head. Only a fool would store much-needed treasures like these and not use them.
If Fang Ping came across something beneficial to him, he would most certainly use it.
That is unless that resource could not be used right then or else already had very little effect on him, then there was a possibility it might be stored.
Those sunflower seeds were probably useless for the Rank-9 powerhouses, so they were bestowed upon martial artists so they could advance to the high ranks.
However, those who received the seeds were mostly Peak Rank-6 martial artists. Under these circumstances, any remaining seeds would be few and far between.
Qin Fengqing thought about this and had to agree. “Then things will be somewhat difficult,” he lamented.
The House of City Lord should probably still have some stowed away.
Some large clans and sects might also have some reserves.
However, these people would be hard to deal with.
Even if Fang Ping managed to blend in, the level of strength in those communities would make it extremely difficult to remain calm and collected while stealing some seeds back.
Fang Ping ignored him and continued, “What’s more, I’ve gotten a clearer general picture of the situation in Monster Sunflower City. It’s pretty much the same as our human society.
“Power is distributed between the sects, the clans, and the House of City Lord—no, we also have to include civilian martial artists.
“The majority of opponents we’ve encountered so far were actually forces from the House of City Lord and conscripted civilian martial artists. Hardly any martial artists from the sects and clans have joined the battle.
“It hasn’t come to that yet. Otherwise, the City Lord would be their god; if he asked them to fight, nobody would dare to refuse.
“What’s more, Monster Sunflower City’s army has been expanding. Their forces are even larger than Sky Gate City’s troops—close to 300,000 soldiers. That puts Monster Sunflower City’s total population at around 3 million; the city is full to bursting.
“Soldiers taking up one-tenth of the population—these forts in the Catacombs are pretty insane.”
Of course, not all of the 300,000 soldiers were martial artists. It would be frightening if there were actually 300,000 martial artists, but the ratio between them and the regular soldiers was not so low either.
Previously, Gigantic Willow City did not have a large number of troops; their soldiers probably numbered mere tens of thousands.
Over at Magic City, the small number of troops was probably caused by many years of war.
Qin Fengqing was unconcerned. “What’s the point of knowing all these things?”
Fang Ping laughed mockingly and replied, “You don’t know anything; this information might seem pretty useless, but that’s not necessarily the case. Without taking other things into account, Hope City might not even have this intel that I effortlessly teased out.
“Do you think Hope City would know there were 19 high-ranked powerhouses?
“Not necessarily!
“They wouldn’t know for sure as some high-ranks don’t go to war. Certain high-ranked powerhouses from clans and sects in the Catacombs don’t always go into battle.
“Sky Gate City only figured out the actual situation after a long battle,” Fang Ping explained.
“That’s true, who knows how much this information could be worth...” Qin Fengqing mused.
Upon hearing his reply, Fang Ping said with irritation, “Am I that kind of person? Info like this would be given for free of course; how could I collect a fee for it?”
Qin Fengqing shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Up to you. We had better pick up the pace or it’ll be dark when we reach the place.”
“Of course we’ll have to take action when night falls. Don’t tell me you’re going to mine in broad daylight?”
After Fang Ping retorted, he suddenly lowered his voice, “Besides these facts, there’s also a bit of news which is pretty interesting.”
“What?”
“The Catacombs’ forts and Houses of City Lords will hold an annual contest for young martial artists. Those who perform well and those who have prestigious backgrounds will have a chance at achieving a really high rank... That fellow didn’t know much, but according to him, he had a brother or relative who won that slot. He was sent to a secret place for cultivation and still hasn’t come back yet.”
“A restricted area?”
Qin Fengqing had also arrived at that guess. He raised his eyebrows and said, “So in other words, the Catacombs’ geniuses aren’t even here?”
“Didn’t you figure it out earlier on?” Fang Ping was not surprised. “Say, if I were to join that contest and won that slot, would they send me to the restricted area?” he muttered with interest.
“Cut it out. You think you could actually fool a Rank-9?”
Fang Ping might have gotten very skilled at curbing his aura and condensing the energy particles outside his body, but a high-ranked powerhouse would still be able to call his bluff.
Fang Ping chuckled and pointed out, “That’s hard to say. They might not be able to detect anything unusual. However, for matters like this, you would need to have a clean record and my identity certainly would not hold up to an investigation.”
Not only that, but the Catacombs’ restricted area would most certainly be full of dangers. He had no intention of going there at present; there would be problems if he went and was unable to return.
As they were speaking, Fang Ping raised his brows. “Someone’s coming again. You better leave first.”
Qin Fengqing did not delay and departed swiftly.
...
A while later, Fang Ping straightened his clothes and sighed. “Rather unfriendly, that one. I said I was prepared to be his vassal but he looked down on me, a Rank-3. He deserves to be beaten to death!”
By now, Qin Fengqing could not be bothered to give a reply.
However, he was thinking to himself—since they were so successful at baiting all these victims, they could try doing the same to several Rank-6 martial artists on the way back. Fang Ping was the main combatant anyway, so he could just watch from the side.
Right now it was nearly dark.
After Qin Fengqing had continued walking for a while, he suddenly exclaimed, “We’ve reached Hedgehog Ridge!”
Fang Ping looked ahead for a moment. “I thought it would be a small hill. Turns out it’s actually a huge mountain range!” He remarked in some surprise.
Ahead of them, the lofty, majestic mountain range stretched and undulated across the land. It was much larger and more magnificent than he had initially expected.
This location was already five or six hundred li from Hope City.
“Qin Fengqing, why did you think of coming here?”
Qin Fengqing smiled beatifically and replied, “If I said I came for an outing, would you believe me?”
“Get lost!”
Qin Fengqing grinned, showing his teeth. He continued, “Actually we’re here to search for some treasure. Treasures in the Catacombs are either in the mountains or the large forests. Other places have long since been depleted of anything good.
“Hedgehog Ridge is close to the Catacombs, so it’s slightly safer. Very few people explore this area, so if there’s anything good, this place should have quite a bit of it.
“The eastern side wasn’t too dangerous before the war with Monster Sunflower City started.
“I came over to see what sort of treasures might be here. I’ve heard people say somebody discovered a Hundred-Honing Fruit at Hedgehog Ridge.”
Upon hearing that, Fang Ping lifted his brows and asked, “Is that true or false? Don’t keep repeating hearsay. If it was really true, do you think there would be any left for you to find?”
“Anyway, that was what someone told me. That’s a very good item.”
Qin Fengqing laughed and continued, “The Hundred-Honing Fruit is specifically used to hone internal organs. When I was a Rank-3, do you think I hadn’t made preparations for becoming middle-ranked? If I do find one of those, who knows—I might be able to swiftly level up to a middle-stage Rank 5.”
From Rank-4 to middle-stage Rank 5, the vital organs were continuously honed.
Sculpting the veins took place at upper-stage Rank-5 and sculpting of the body at Peak Rank-5.
An energy fruit like the Hundred-Honing Fruit had milder opposing energies, similar to Life Essence energy. It provided better results for the internal organ-honing process.
“How did you eventually find out about the mineral vein?” Fang Ping asked.
Qin Fengqing suddenly buttoned his lips and said nothing mored . He was the excavation expert after all; he was not going to tell Fang Ping.
At the time he had tried searching all over but had come up empty-handed—and then he had been unfortunate enough to encounter a middle-ranked monster.
He had no choice but to randomly find a hiding spot, digging a hole while he was at it...and had unearthed up a mine rat.
This little creature was called a mine rat because it only lived around energy mines—and not just any other lousy mine. Mine rats were not strong but that did not mean their demand for energy was low. They were rather picky, and if there were no high-purity level energy stones available, no mine rat would linger around.
After digging up the mine rat, Qin Fengqing naturally knew that there would be an underground mineral vein.
He had initially planned to continue digging, but after doing so for a while, he had experienced breathing difficulties and realized that a high-ranking monster was around.
He was prepared to give up everything to gain strength, but not to the point of giving up his life. As soon as he felt the pressure, he had memorized the location and bolted.
Noting Qin Fengqing’s silence, Fang Ping did not question him any further. He released his Mentality and his expression changed slightly. “There are many monster auras in the mountain. For you to have survived, it must not have been easy,” he quipped.
“Cut the crap. I don’t know if Old Huang is here already or not.”
Qin Fengqing looked around. Currently, both of them had not yet gone into the mountains.
At this point, he did not bother to hide or take cover anymore. “After we go in, proceed straight ahead. When we’ve crossed 4 small hilltops, there will be a large canyon,” he instructed.
“The mineral vein is located at that canyon. You’ll only need to dig around there to find the exact spot.
“As for that high-ranked monster’s whereabouts, I’m not sure myself. Just be mindful and don’t dig into its lair. If you die, just stay dead and don’t take revenge on me.”
Fang Ping laughed mockingly and replied, “If you didn’t die, do you think I would?”
After speaking, Fang Ping exhaled and said, “Alright, I’m going in. You can wait outside.”
“I’m going in too.”
Fang Ping frowned. “You’re still worried even now? If you go in without curbing your aura and get sniffed out, it will only cause more trouble.”
Qin Fengqing thought for a moment and rubbed his head. “Then I’ll go search in another area to see if I can find a Hundred-Honing Fruit or some other treasure. When you and Old Huang are done, send a signal...I’ll come and find you.”
He was not solely entering the Catacombs just to lead the way; finding some valuable things to aid his cultivation was another good reason to do so.
Right now, he was much stronger than he had been previously.
“That’s fine, you just be mindful and don’t cause a ruckus...” Fang Ping told him.
“Do I look like I need your advice?”
Both of them did not waste any more time in idle talk but quickly parted ways. Qin Fengqing ran toward another mountain top, while Fang Ping headed in the direction of the canyon that Qin Fengqing had pointed out.