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Chapter 205: Midnight Ghosts Steal Crops, Soul-Binding Straw Puppets Awaken!
🕑 Added 2024-11-03 10:25:49 +0000 UTCAt the Hour of the Rabbit the next day, Long Xiao, who had been sleeping, suddenly felt something, and he abruptly shot up into the sky.
Zhao Xing, who had yet to rest and was still on the warship butchering turtles, saw Long Xiao's figure soar into the sky, flying directly into the layer of gales.
Zhao Xing activated the Heavenly Eye Technique, keeping an eye on Long Xiao's movements. Through the layer of gales, he could see Long Xiao rapidly ascending, soon reaching the three-thousand-meter level.
"So, that's what the great fortune was about?" Zhao Xing finally understood.
However, he wasn’t worried about Long Xiao’s breakthrough.
Long Xiao was a sword cultivator. Even without the support of national destiny, his breakthrough wouldn’t be as dangerous as it would be for an ordinary seventh-rank practitioner.
Cultivation was inherently going against the natural order, making it exceptionally challenging. Ordinary seventh-rank practitioners, when attempting to draw gale energy into their bodies, had to make numerous preparations, such as taking pills to protect their internal organs. And even then, success wasn’t guaranteed.
According to the ancient cultivation systems, breaking through was always described as a "nine out of ten chance of death." Of course, those with great talent or strong resources were exceptions.
By midday, Long Xiao had successfully broken through the seventh-rank barrier of the Earth Fiend Realm, drawing gale energy into his body and stepping into the early stages of the sixth-rank Heavenly Gang Realm.
But the breakthrough wasn’t finished yet. Long Xiao continued to ascend until he disappeared from the range of Zhao Xing's Heavenly Eye Technique.
"I can't see him anymore," Zhao Xing withdrew his gaze. "Even with the high-level Heavenly Eye Technique, I can only see up to three thousand meters through the gale layer."
At six past midday, Long Xiao finally descended from the sky.
Zhao Xing once again activated the Heavenly Eye Technique, and he could now see a small golden sword in Long Xiao's dantian — the Heavenly Gang Sword.
To transform gale energy into sword energy, and wield it for oneself — this was the key difference between sword cultivators and ordinary martial artists.
After his breakthrough, Long Xiao had already reached the middle stage of the Heavenly Gang Realm.
Zhao Xing then used the Qi Observation Technique.
A column of light hovered above Long Xiao’s head.
"His fate energy is about two meters high, entirely red without any trace of gray — that's a solid Derivation Two fate energy."
"His fate energy forms a pillar and doesn't dissipate, indicating that he just experienced a great stroke of luck."
"At the center, there's a hint of green light, showing signs of progressing toward Derivation Three, but he's still far from that level," Zhao Xing mused.
The Qi Observation Technique couldn't be used to observe oneself, but Zhao Xing had a system panel, so he didn’t need it to check his own fate.
"Your divination was spot on!" Long Xiao joyfully landed back on the warship, giving Zhao Xing a thumbs-up. "You told me yesterday, and today I broke through — right to the middle stage of the Heavenly Gang Realm!"
"It’s not that mystical," Zhao Xing smiled. "You were already at a bottleneck, ready to break through at any moment. I could only divine the luck, not where it would manifest."
He had only divined that Long Xiao had great fortune, but didn’t know exactly in what area it would come true.
"Can’t you divine specific events?" Long Xiao asked.
"I haven't tried yet," Zhao Xing replied. "Do you want to test it?"
Long Xiao thought for a moment, "Then divine the outcome of the Southern Barbarian War."
Zhao Xing: "…You want me dead, just say so."
"What? What do you mean?" Long Xiao was confused.
Zhao Xing pointed south and then north, "The imperial court has Fate Officers, Creation Disks, and Earth Mirrors, constantly deducing the heavenly secrets."
"In the Southern Barbarians' sacred mountains, there are ten shamans with nine pillars of heavenly divination, doing the same thing."
"At this moment, the fate of both nations is like two grinding stones... No, more like two turbulent rivers filled with whirlpools, constantly spinning."
"For a small fry like me to attempt to divine such grand heavenly secrets, I'd immediately face a backlash and die."
Long Xiao was startled, "Is it that serious?"
It wasn't surprising that Long Xiao didn’t know much about this. The art of fate was distant from the lives of most people.
"That's what the books say, and I don't dare to test it," Zhao Xing said. "Ask something simpler, like what we’ll eat tomorrow."
"Pfft, I don't need to divine that. I can just check with the mess hall," Long Xiao joked.
Zhao Xing shrugged. Being on the battlefield in the Southern Barbarians' land, there weren’t many safe things to divine.
The Turtle Coin Divination used spiritual turtles to bear the cost of the divination, but if Zhao Xing dared to divine the outcome of the Southern Barbarian War, even a first-rank spiritual turtle wouldn't survive.
"Well, that’s no fun," Long Xiao muttered, getting ready to leave the ship.
"When you meet with Old Chen, ask him to come by," Zhao Xing called out.
"How did you know I was going to see him?" Long Xiao asked, surprised.
Zhao Xing just smiled without answering.
Long Xiao had just broken through to the sixth rank, and given his personality, there was no way he wouldn’t go show off to his brothers. Of course, he’d visit Chen Shijie. And then there was Yu Ziqi, still stuck at the seventh rank — he’d definitely want to flaunt his progress.
After Long Xiao left, Zhao Xing went back to butchering turtles.
"I can't divine major events, but small things are fine."
Zhao Xing examined the cracks on the turtle shell.
At this point, the turtle shell no longer only displayed fortune and misfortune, but now also showed the hours and stems of time.
In Zhao Xing’s vision, the turtle shell expanded, filled with hexagrams.
"This hexagram is Zeshan Hexagram — ‘Within the mountain, there is a marsh, the mountain water exchanges emotions, the gentleman remains humble and receptive to others’ advice.’"
This was a divination from a seventh-rank turtle shell, asking about the outcome of negotiations between Liao Rulong’s forces and Nangong Ye’s troops.
The result indicated that Nangong Ye would be persuaded, and the negotiations would soon conclude.
The Turtle Coin Divination was derived from the Six Lines Scripture. Without the specific coins used by Fate Masters, Zhao Xing couldn’t be sure of its accuracy.
Seeing that the turtle shell was still usable, Zhao Xing asked about the subsequent stages, particularly how the alliance of six armies would fare in attacking Jishun Pass.
The question was broad, and it was only about a segment of the war, so Zhao Xing figured he could get a reliable answer.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
The cracks on the turtle shell widened, and a grayish hue spread through the fire.
"Bang!"
Finally, the turtle shell completed its divination and shattered entirely.
"Whoosh!"
Fragments of the shell scattered like blades.
Zhao Xing dodged aside as one shard grazed his shoulder, cutting off a lock of hair.
"Involving the Southern Barbarian battlefield, even for a local conflict, is still too much," Zhao Xing muttered, looking at his hand, which had just been cut, with a thin trickle of blood.
"The Yao Patterns shifted, transforming from the Zeshan Hexagram to the Mountain and Earth Peeling Hexagram, meaning villains take power, gentlemen lose influence, and danger lurks everywhere."
"Stopping in time will bring great fortune."
Zhao Xing's eyes flickered with thought. "Does this mean we should stop the cooperation after taking Jishun Pass? Who will disrupt our alliance? The Zhaoyuan Army? The Yuanhua Army? The Huangui Army? Or King Liang's faction?"
There were too many possibilities, and for the moment, Zhao Xing couldn’t discern which would come true.
"Zhao Xing, why did you call me here?" Chen Shijie flew in on a cloud, landing on the warship.
Seeing the burnt turtle shell fragments scattered on the ground, he frowned, "Are you really divining?"
When Long Xiao mentioned Zhao Xing divining his fate, Chen Shijie had assumed it was a joke. Now, he realized it was serious.
"I read a few odd books and decided to try it out," Zhao Xing said.
"You’re using a seventh-rank spiritual turtle, that’s not just playing around," Chen Shijie replied, concerned. "Don't get too caught up in this. The art of divination is a dangerous path to follow."
"Are you really worried I’ll get trapped?" Zhao Xing laughed. "You forgot what I once told you."
Chen Shijie relaxed at the reminder. Indeed, anyone who could declare, ‘My fate is my own, not the heavens’ back in Fire Dragon Mountain wasn’t someone who would become obsessed with such practices.
Seeing no cause for concern, Chen Shijie grew curious, "So, what are you divining?"
"I was just divining about the cooperation," Zhao Xing replied.
"Oh? And the result?" Chen Shijie asked.
"It’ll work out," Zhao Xing said confidently.
Chen Shijie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You really learned something, huh? I just came from the command hall — Nangong Ye, Qi Yuangjun, and Yi Yue have agreed to our cooperation."
As Chen Shijie spoke, Zhao Xing activated the Great Derivation Qi Observation Technique.
"The center of his fate is gray-white, with only a thin outer layer of dark red, marred with cracks. His fate is scattered, with red, gray, and white alternating, and sometimes the gray-white dominates."
"Chen Shijie’s fate is somewhere between Derivation One and Derivation Two, but it’s still a bit unstable for his current sixth-rank status, much weaker than Long Xiao," Zhao Xing thought.
Chen Shijie was the kind of man with a thin destiny and short life. If he hadn’t become an official of the Great Zhou dynasty, he probably would have died long ago. He wasn’t supposed to live this long.
"Give me a drop of blood, and I’ll divine something for you," Zhao Xing said.
Chen Shijie flicked a drop of blood from his fingertip.
Zhao Xing prepared another seventh-rank turtle shell.
This time, Zhao Xing not only planned to divine fortune and misfortune, but also Chen Shijie’s fortune for the entire coming year.
There were less than two months left before the 18th Year of the Jingxin Era began.
In March of that year, the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven would face a great calamity, and Zhao Xing wanted to know whether Chen Shijie would survive. He couldn’t directly divine the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven itself, so this was the next best approach.
"Rise!"
The turtle shell floated, coated in blood, and flames engulfed it.
"Crack~"
Faint cracks appeared, gradually spreading across the entire shell.
As the shell burned, Zhao Xing extended his fingers, aligning with the heavens.
The Five Fingers of Destiny Technique! Activated!
Zhao Xing immediately felt resistance.
The reason was that this time, he was divining further into the future.
Chen Shijie had the protection of Great Zhou's national fate, preventing others from easily divining him.
Though Zhao Xing’s Turtle Coin Divination and Five Fingers of Destiny could bypass this restriction, divining too far ahead still met with resistance.
"Boom!"
The seventh-rank turtle shell exploded.
"Hmm?"
Chen Shijie instantly grabbed Zhao Xing, pulling him aside.
"Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh~"
Sharp shards of the shell cut through the air, slashing both men in several places.
"Are you okay?" Chen Shijie asked, frowning at Zhao Xing.
"I’m fine," Zhao Xing hid his right hand in his sleeve. "The fire burned too hot, and I couldn’t complete the divination."
"This isn’t a legitimate path of cultivation, so better not practice it too much," Chen Shijie advised. The court had no official techniques for the art of fate, so he was worried Zhao Xing might accidentally follow some dangerous or illicit method.
"Alright, I’ll practice less," Zhao Xing nodded.
"I’m heading back, got military duties to attend to."
"Got it."
As Zhao Xing watched Chen Shijie leave, his expression turned grim.
He then pulled his hand out from his sleeve, revealing that all five fingers had been completely broken.
"Looks like Chen Shijie's calamity really is tied to the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven," Zhao Xing thought as he reset his broken fingers. "Kǎn Hexagram, Water over Mountain — an unfavorable journey to the north, and the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven lies in that direction. The treasured grounds there are either mountains or water. If Chen Shijie goes in, the challenges and dangers will be immense — his fate uncertain."
Of course, this was only a possibility. But combining it with his previous life's experience, Zhao Xing believed the likelihood was high.
"I still need to help this old brother accumulate a million battle merits as soon as possible. If he can receive a mid-term reward and rise to the sixth rank, securing a marquis title, it might strengthen his fate enough to get through the danger."
The way of fate was mysterious and elusive, but there were basic principles. Zhao Xing couldn’t bear Chen Shijie’s fate for him.
For example, if he simply told Chen Shijie, "Don’t go to the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven in March next year," it wouldn’t stop the calamity.
If Chen Shijie had a calamity in his destiny, avoiding the cave-heaven wouldn’t necessarily prevent his death. Worse, the calamity could then shift to Zhao Xing.
Even Derivation Three fate energy might not be enough to withstand the calamity in the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven. That was a disaster that could kill fifth-rank practitioners.
To resolve it, Chen Shijie had to strengthen his own fate.
Over the next few days, Zhao Xing stayed on the warship, slaughtering turtles and practicing the four new secret arts he had learned.
Progress in Five Fingers of Destiny was slow, but the Turtle Coin Divination, specifically the Turtle Divination Method, had reached mid-level perfection.
He had slaughtered all the two thousand or so turtles.
To advance further would be impossible without the Coin Divination Method, as the two methods had to merge to evolve into high-level techniques.
The Five Fingers of Destiny was also a mid-level technique, stuck at the seventh transformation, unable to progress due to Zhao Xing’s own limitations.
On the other hand, the Observation of Omens technique, possibly because it aligned with his natural talents, had advanced smoothly. In the constantly shifting climate of the Southern Barbarians, Zhao Xing had quickly mastered it, reaching mid-level perfection without much effort.
Time flew by, and soon it was October 19th.
By this time, Zhao Xing had already descended from Fire Dragon Pass with the army, arriving at a place called Tonghuo City.
Now, six armies were united.
Xia Jing led 18,000 from the Xuanjia Army. Liao Rulong and Wen Shaoyang led two forces of Shenwei Army totaling 70,000 men. Jiang Ming and Li Que from the Zhenhai Army led 50,000.
These numbers only accounted for the combat battalions; the logistics units were deployed along the route, building fortifications, farming the land, and prepared to reinforce as combat personnel. In total, the force remained around 100,000 strong.
Why had the number of logistics units grown so much?
It was the result of a joint decision. Nangong Ye, Qi Yuangjun, and Yi Yue had brought 8,000, 10,000, and 15,000 troops respectively, totaling 33,000.
Almost all of these troops were combat personnel. Their logistics staff barely accounted for a tenth of their forces, and that included Military Shennong and Mechanists who handled warships and machinery.
In other words, these three armies couldn’t supply their own logistics and would rely on the Shenwei, Zhenhai, and Xuanjia armies for provisions.
It was their first time cooperating, and they had to rely on one another. No one could operate independently. Only by depending on each other could the cooperation work. Otherwise, the three elite armies could have easily moved on without support after crossing Fire Dragon Pass.
This meant Zhao Xing, as the "logistics overseer," was under immense pressure.
Officially, he only commanded a mixed battalion of 3,000. But in reality, he was responsible for all the supplies of the entire army.
With pressure came motivation.
The performance of the eastern front was being closely observed by the Divine Court, and if Zhao Xing could ensure the supply of these six armies, his promotion to the sixth rank wouldn’t be far off.
"Tonghuo City is 50 miles east of a volcano, south of a river, and surrounded by vast plains to the north. Only the west is lacking, being a wasteland of sand and stones. I plan to make Tonghuo City the largest supply base for our six armies."
Zhao Xing stood before a sand table model. "Using Tonghuo City as the central point, we’ll distribute supplies to the three lines of troops."
"Han Bing, take Shennong Camps one through fifteen to the northern plains for planting. Follow the list of thirty-six types of supplies. That area will be our largest grain storage!"
"Yes!" Han Bing responded.
"Che Shi Hai, take 300 Shennong, head to the southern river, and use the Cloud Rain Orbs to collect rainwater. Work in shifts — make sure the northern plains have enough rain."
"Yes!"
"Wang Ji, there’s no need to set up a barrier around Tonghuo City. The farmland is outside the city, so a barrier inside won’t help. Go to the southern river and set up the Water Purification Primordial Array to guard against the Insect Shamans’ attacks."
"Also, set up the Earth-Concealing Primordial Array in the north, and the Zhaoyang Earth Fire Array to the east by the volcano."
"Especially the southern river — I’m planning to develop it into a herb cultivation base. Heartworm Grass and Blood Essence Fruit must grow by the water, and nothing can go wrong!"
"My 3,000 mixed battalion is at your disposal. You must protect the water source and defend against the Insect Shamans!"
Wang Ji’s expression turned serious, "Yes! If I fail, I’ll take my own head!"
"He Fengnian, Zhang Zhong!"
"You two will…"
Zhao Xing rapidly issued orders, and soon, warships and flying boats began to take off from Tonghuo City, with each battalion heading out to complete their assigned tasks.
As for Zhao Xing himself?
He boarded one of the Zhenhai Army's Seafloor Tower Ships and began inspecting the area around Tonghuo City from City 110 to City 135.
Tonghuo City was the largest supply base due to its geographical advantages, but there were many smaller cities around it.
Some had unique geographic features, others had access to water.
Managing the logistics for 100,000 troops was no small feat, and Zhao Xing was constantly on the move.
After several days, he was thoroughly exhausted.
There were simply too many issues to handle, with at least 10,000 pieces of information to process each day!
He wasn’t just dealing with logistics. He also had to keep an eye on the front lines and the overall situation in the war zone, ensuring he didn’t miss any major opportunities or encounter any catastrophes.
"I really need to go back and learn the Self Straw Puppet technique from Old Liu. I’m stretched too thin," Zhao Xing sighed.
With the Self Straw Puppet, he could operate hundreds of miles apart.
He would be able to get instant updates from various cities, saving him from running around constantly.
Even if he had to travel, it would be more efficient.
On November 4th, at the eastern front of Jishun Pass, in Luoya City.
The leader of Luoya City, named Morik, was a sixth-rank Warlock. Morik came from a noble tribe in the Holy Spirit Court. Despite his youth — under a hundred years old — he had already become a Soul Master.
In the Holy Spirit Court, warlocks associated with ghosts and spirits were divided into three ranks: Soul Servants, Soul Masters, and Soul Lords.
Those below the third rank were Soul Servants, who served and studied ghosts. They could borrow the power of ghosts but needed rare mediums, and the costs were steep.
Unless one came from a powerful family with strong ghost guardians, it was difficult to achieve anything significant, and there was always the risk of backlash.
Soul Masters could control powerful ghosts and even refine spirits. They had access to many strange spells.
Becoming a sixth-rank Soul Master before the age of one hundred had earned Morik great favor from his tribe's leader — though it probably didn’t hurt that the leader was his grandfather.
Luoya City, where Morik was stationed, had not yet been directly touched by war.
The six-army alliance had taken three separate routes to attack Jishun Pass, while Morik’s location was in a “wild zone.”
But Morik wasn’t the type to sit and wait. Today, he decided to take bold action — a surprise attack on the supply city of the six armies!
"Qiyuan Guardian, if I want to strike at the enemy’s supply city, where should I begin?" Morik asked the figure seated beside him.
The Xuantian Sect held a high position in the Holy Spirit Court. Although it wasn’t the state religion, it was still highly regarded by the royal family.
The Holy Spirit Court had sent its army to aid the Golden Feather Court, and to show their respect, they had dispatched many experts from the Xuantian Sect.
Qiyuanzi was Morik’s chief advisor.
"Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, Tonghuo City is the largest supply base. If we can deliver a devastating blow there, the Great Zhou’s three-pronged army would collapse instantly," Qiyuanzi said with a smile. "The repercussions from the Divine Court alone would be enough to force them to retreat."
"But Tonghuo City must be heavily fortified," Morik said cautiously. He was bold, but not foolish. If it were so easy to destroy, the Holy Spirit Court wouldn’t have sent elite forces to defend Jishun Pass.
"If destruction is impossible, we can still cause significant disruption," Qiyuanzi suggested. "Here’s what we can do…"
Morik’s eyes lit up as he listened to the plan. "Great, let’s give it a try!"
At the Hour of the Rat in Tonghuo City.
While reviewing reports in the City Lord’s mansion, Zhao Xing suddenly felt a tingling in his brow.
"Hmm?"
Without hesitation, Zhao Xing flew out of the mansion and shot into the sky.
At the same time, he activated the Heavenly Eye Technique, scanning toward the northern plains.
"The yin energy is murky and hard to detect. Could there be a ghostly troop sneaking toward Tonghuo City?"
With no obstructions, the Heavenly Eye Technique could see far.
Zhao Xing detected a faint presence of yin energy creeping in from the north.
"Zhang Yi!"
Zhao Xing immediately called out to Zhang Yi in the temple. "Zhang Yi, have you sensed anything unusual?"
In the temple, Zhang Yi opened his eyes. "Lord Zhao, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary."
Zhao Xing frowned. "Take 200 priests and head to the southern river immediately."
"Yes!"
Even though the yin energy was coming from the north, Zhao Xing sent Zhang Yi south because the water source in the south was too important to lose.
As for the north?
Zhao Xing wasn’t too worried. He had placed many Soul-Binding Straw Puppets in the northern fields.
At present, the Soul-Binding Straw Puppets were mid-level, ninth transformation.
They might not be able to handle a major threat, but they were more than enough for ordinary ghosts.
"The Holy Spirit Court’s Soul Masters wouldn’t use such subtle techniques… better go check it out." Zhao Xing activated his Mist Concealment Technique and quickly flew toward the northern planting area.
When he arrived at the northern fields and activated the Heavenly Eye Technique, the ghosts below had nowhere to hide.
But upon seeing their actions, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but feel speechless.
About 1,000 to 2,000 ghost soldiers had entered the fields and were now busy carrying away the crops that had ripened.
"Five Ghost Transportation Technique — this is a sect technique… Damn it, these sneaky Xuantian Sect members dare to steal my crops?"
Golden light coiled around Zhao Xing's fingers as he waited for the ghosts to fully enter the fields. Then, the light spread out in all directions.
"Soul-Binding Straw Puppets, arise!"
Swish swish swish swish swish~
From the dense woods surrounding the northern fields, four formations of straw puppets suddenly stood up.
The moment Zhao Xing’s spell was cast, the Soul-Binding Straw Puppets raised their heads, their eyes glowing with a soul-piercing light.
They quickly sprang into action, charging toward the ghost soldiers.
"Capture all of them for me!"
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