Luoyan Mountain.
Lin Zhao, Xu Zhi, Mu Gua, Chu Yu, and others stood on the mountaintop, gazing eastward. Amidst the clouds, soaring sword lights flickered, and the faint sounds of artillery fire could be heard. A fierce battle had erupted there, intense yet short-lived. Soon after, a rain of fire descended from the sky, as if something was falling from high above.
"So, what happened?"
Lin Zhao could only see the spectacle from afar, unable to sense any changes in energy.
Xu Zhi, possessing the highest perception among them, pursed her red lips and said, "A very familiar aura, that of the commander of the Tenth Demon Tribe, Feng Quan, a twelfth-realm sword cultivator. There was also the aura of an eleventh-realm human sword cultivator, and the rest were from the Middle and Lower Five Realms. It seems Feng Quan intercepted a human spirit ship, which then triggered a battle."
"What was the final outcome?"
"Both sides suffered heavy losses."
Xu Zhi frowned, "That eleventh-realm human sword cultivator was injured, and about fifty to sixty human cultivators died. Feng Quan was also severely wounded in order to destroy that spirit ship. Now, those human cultivators have gone to the place where the spirit ship fell, and Feng Quan's aura has disappeared. If nothing unexpected happens, he should have returned to Panyun Mountain."
"This is not good..."
Lin Zhao looked into the distance, constantly deducing all possibilities in his mind. "Has there been a precedent for human spirit ships patrolling the north?"
"No."
Chu Yu shook her head. "Spirit ships are extremely precious artifacts. They must be forged using the bones of ancient spiritual beasts. The price of each spirit ship is quite astronomical. The Great Shang Dynasty has always been content in the south; why would they be willing to deploy such treasures to patrol the north? For the Great Shang Dynasty, these spirit ships hold greater significance as a deterrent to the Four Northern Tribes, much like the Immortal Slaying Tower in Tianji City. Although it stands in the north, the Xuanyuan Bow on the Immortal Slaying Tower has been drawn only a handful of times."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "This means that this spirit ship of the Great Shang Dynasty was not heading for the demon race. Their original intention was not the demon race. They were most likely coming for us. Baidi City must have already known about the existence of this large spirit stone mine, and therefore dispatched this spirit ship to negotiate, or rather, to contend for this spirit stone mine. Coincidentally, they encountered the twelfth-realm Feng Quan."
Xu Zhi smiled. "That makes sense, but what was Feng Quan doing heading south?"
Lin Zhao pondered. "Most likely, it was also for this spirit stone mine. Nearly half of our troops stationed at Xueyu Tianchi have been deployed. The demon race would not have been unaware of this, so Feng Quan headed south to investigate. The existence of this spirit stone mine should no longer be a secret. Both the demon and human races already know."
"Unfortunately, Xiao Jiu'er has just returned to Changming Mountain," Chu Yu said.
"..."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Changming Mountain is far to the south, and we don't have Xiao Jiu'er's Flying Fish Transmit Seal. There's no other way; this time, we'll have to rely on the strength of the northern human race."
As he spoke, he silently recited in his mind, "Aunt?"
"Yes, I'm here."
Lin Xingchu's voice rippled in his mind. "Don't worry, Aunt has been keeping an eye on Luoyan Mountain."
"Good!"
Lin Zhao silently called out again, "Miss Lin Wanhua?"
"Mm."
At this moment, the young girl standing on the battlements of Fusang Great Wall in the bitter cold under the moonlight nodded gently. "I understand. If the demon race goes to Luoyan Mountain, I will definitely go."
"Alright, thank you!"
"Remember to treat me to a drink."
"No problem!"
Lin Zhao looked at Luoyan Mountain and took a deep breath. He still felt that the defensive strength was insufficient, but there was nothing he could do. This was all he had. Thus, he returned to Xueyu Tianchi and moved all his possessions to Luoyan Mountain. Five Demon Binding Ropes, a pile of Demon Suppressing Crossbows, and a bunch of mechanical birds in his pack were all prepared. Now that he was wealthy, he wouldn't hesitate to use mechanical birds as cannon fodder if necessary.
Xu Zhi stood by, watching Lin Zhao busy himself, and secretly smiled. He was still the same as a hundred years ago, worrying tirelessly to defeat the demon race.
...
Panyun Mountain.
A gentle breeze blew into the commander's tent, transforming into Feng Quan in a white robe. However, at this moment, his white robe and armor were stained with blood, and a sword gash on his face was very conspicuous. He entered the commander's tent without ceremony, sat down next to Shi Jungang, picked up a pot of wine, and gulped down a large mouthful.
"It seems things didn't go smoothly?" Shi Jungang asked.
"Mm."
Feng Quan said in a deep voice, "It has been confirmed after investigation. There is indeed a spirit stone mine deep within the ten-thousand-zhang cliffs of Luoyan Mountain. It is at least a medium-sized spirit stone mine, and there is a high probability it is large. Otherwise, the human race would not have gone to such great lengths to dispatch a Flood Dragon Boat crafted by the Mohist ancestral hall to the north."
Bai Ye was startled. "Lord Feng Quan, does this mean your injuries... are due to the Flood Dragon Boat?"
"Mm!"
Feng Quan said in a deep voice, "The combat power of the human Flood Dragon Boat is indeed extraordinary, comparable to a twelfth-realm peak sword cultivator. If Lord Shi Jungang had not lent me the Wolf Fang Hammer treasure, I might not have been able to destroy that Flood Dragon Boat."
"Destroyed?"
Shi Jungang revealed a smile. "Congratulations, Lord Feng Quan, for making a great contribution. According to the intelligence from our demon spies, the Great Shang Dynasty only commissioned two Flood Dragon Boats from the Mohist ancestral hall in total. Both were assigned to the jurisdiction of the Shanhai Division. The one destroyed by Feng Quan should be one of them. This meritorious service is comparable to killing a twelfth-realm human sword cultivator!"
"I am ashamed..."
Feng Quan pursed his lips. "The combat power of the Flood Dragon Boat far exceeded my expectations, and the human cultivators on the spirit ship were also very tenacious. Therefore, my injuries are quite severe."
Shi Jungang laughed. "It's alright, Lord Feng Quan has already made a great contribution. I will naturally petition for your honor at the Ancestral Mountain. By the way, where is my Wolf Fang Hammer?"
"It's here..."
Feng Quan took out a still-smoking fragment of the Wolf Fang Hammer and placed it on the bronze table. "This battle, the Wolf Fang Hammer played a crucial role. Without it, the outcome might have been different. Lord Shi Jungang, thank you. Do you still want this Wolf Fang Hammer?"
"..."
Shi Jungang's expression was complicated. "Forget it, keep it as a memento, Lord Feng Quan..."
She felt anger in her heart but could not express it. The Wolf Fang Hammer was a treasured artifact personally refined by the Demon Ancestor and was the inherited item from her master, Ning Yuansheng. She had originally planned to use the Wolf Fang Hammer to flatten Xueyu Tianchi with one blow. Frankly speaking, the value of a Wolf Fang Hammer alone was comparable to half a Flood Dragon Boat. Was this deal truly profitable? It was unlikely she had gained much. It seemed that Feng Quan's true form had lost one golden innate feather from its wings. Considering this, the account was at most breaking even.
Most importantly, why did Feng Quan go to fight the Great Shang Dynasty? Shi Jungang's primary target was Lin Zhao, Xueyu Tianchi. Those spineless wretches of the Great Shang Dynasty could be dealt with after destroying Lin Zhao.
Although she wore a smile, she was practically bursting with anger.
"Sister Shi, what do we do now?" Bai Ye asked.
"How about this..."
Shi Jungang stood up. "Lord Feng Quan will remain to guard the two camps. Lord Bai Ye will return with me to the Demon Ancestral Mountain to mobilize troops. This time, we must capture this spirit stone mine. Our demon race cannot continue to endure in the spiritually impoverished north forever. This spirit stone mine is the first step for our demon race to advance south!"
"Good!"
Bai Ye stood up, his face filled with excitement. He could finally unleash his killing spree. He had been bored to death these past few days.
...
South of Xueyu Tianchi, in Ye Zhi Valley.
Wisps of green smoke rose. Although the fire on that Flood Dragon Boat had extinguished, it was still smoking. A group of cultivators unloaded all the supplies from the Flood Dragon Boat. It seemed there was nothing else to be done.
Lin Xuanzhi sat on a dead tree, holding a freshly roasted pheasant, but had no appetite. His expression was dejected. This incident had caused too much trouble. The crash of a Flood Dragon Boat involved too many things.
"My lord."
A cultivator in the Xinghe Realm stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said respectfully, "We have inspected it. The propulsion array of this Flood Dragon Boat is severely damaged, and it has completely lost power. It is impossible for it to take off again. Furthermore, even if we were to repair it, it would require a major overhaul, and we have no way to transport this incredibly heavy Flood Dragon Boat back to Baidi City."
"Forget it."
Lin Xuanzhi took a large bite of chicken. "Every man for himself. We are all doomed for losing a Flood Dragon Boat. Perhaps I, an eleventh-realm cultivator, might be spared by the higher-ups who value talent, but most of you will likely lose your heads."
"My lord..."
A group of cultivators in the Middle Five Realms knelt down. "We have also fought to the death against the great demons. We implore you to speak well of us to the Division Lord. We... do not deserve death!"
"I understand, don't rush."
Lin Xuanzhi glanced at the distant jungle and sneered. "If the Great Shang only had the Shanhai Division in charge of important matters, then there would be no issue. We have fought against a twelfth-realm great demon and have done our best. I only fear that the news of our defeat has already been relayed to Baidi City by those from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If Prince Jinan is enraged, we will all suffer. I will lose my position, and you will lose your lives."
The crowd turned pale with fear and kowtowed repeatedly.
Lin Xuanzhi waved his hand. "Get up, everyone, and eat your fill."
"Yes, yes, my lord..."
A group of people holding food were about to start eating when Lin Xuanzhi said again, "Eat your fill before you go on your way."
Instantly, the crowd lost their appetite.
"Lin Xuanzhi."
A fourth-realm young sword cultivator was unfazed by his words and called out his name directly. "Don't scare everyone anymore. Tell us, since you're not taking everyone back to Baidi City, why are you staying here? Are you waiting for Cao Ying of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to frame us for being defeated and not daring to return to court, intending to exile yourselves?"
Lin Xuanzhi turned and gave him a thumbs up. "You are indeed the smartest. Let's wait a bit longer. Going back now will truly mean death. Staying here and seeing what can be done. The storm is about to brew anyway."