by Fang Xiang
Zuo Mo turned to stone.
“See, it won’t just exercise your body, it can also exercise your consciousness and your ling power. Where else can you find such a good chance?”
“A little city that can hold ten thousand people, it really is too small. At the beginning, I had assumed you were building a little city that could hold one hundred thousand people at the very least. That way, you will be exercised even more. Shall we expand the city?”
“Don’t you want to kill that jindan? Your little life is the most important! The harder you work, the more powerful you will be. If you sweat more now, you will spill less blood later … …”
Hearing Pu Yao nag into his ears, Zuo Mo received a great fright. His eyes rolling back, he fainted.
* * *
Translator Ramblings: Pu Yao and Zuo Mo verbally sparring again in this chapter. Zuo Mo’s qualities has evidently infected Pu Yao through mental space sharing.
The stage equivalents Pu Yao mentioned in this chapter are not incorrectly matched up. While the xiuhe, yao and mo all have seven major stages in cultivation, the stages do not match up in power exactly.
Chapter 251: Crazy Zuo Mo
Even a person as unconcerned with worldly affairs as Chun Yu Cheng had heard the news.
“Is there really nothing wrong with Shixiong?” Looking at a half-naked Zuo Mo that appeared like a maniac, he asked with worry and uncertainty.
Gongsun Cha shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
“I heard that he’s going to build the city by himself?” Chun Yu Cheng carefully asked. He looked with slight sympathy at Zuo Mo. Shixiong was normally a fanatic, but had the pressure recently been too much , and caused him to become abnormal?
“Yes,” Gongsun Cha also responded carefully in a small voice as well, “I even asked Shixiong a few days ago if we should sweep some more xiuzhe over. Shixiong said he was going to build the city by himself.”
“So the news is true!” Chun Yu Cheng gave a long sigh, and looked again. He sighed, “As expected. I just knew that Shixiong isn’t the average person!” He looked in sympathy at Zuo Mo, then turned and left with his hands behind his back.
“Shixiong isn’t normal, as expected!” Gongsun Cha gave the same exclamation as before, also turning and leaving.
———
Yuan Jiang’s heart trembled as he forced himself to say, “Boss, this … … this foundation, it needs to be dug deeper to work.”
Zuo Mo turned around his face, his eyes gleaming like that of a wolf.
Yuan Jiang’s face paled. Luckily, Zuo Mo only glanced at him before turning back to furiously start to dig the foundations. He jumped into the pit, his hands dancing as the soil flew. The earth hole quickly increased in depth and size with a speed visible to the naked eye.
Yuan Jiang furiously swallowed from the side, his face filled with fear. To be in the position of supervisor like this, he was to be pitied. Every time he saw Boss’ twisted features, it was as though there was an ancient wasteland beast in front of him that could open its jaws and swallow him at any moment.
He would be so frightened by Boss’ gleaming gaze to the point of forgetting to breathe whenever he pointed out areas where Boss had not met the specifications.
This world was crazy!
The frightened Yuan Jiang felt everyday was full of darkness, so black that there was no light. He could not understand what sickness Boss had that he would suddenly want to construct a city by himself.
Yes, this city was really quite small. A new city that could hold ten thousand people, the smallest of small cities, but it was still a city! As grown-up as he was, oh, please forgive him for incoherence, it was slightly dubious for Yuan Jiang who was over eighty years old to say this. However, in his eighty years of life, he had never seen, nor heard of a xiuzhe who built a city by themselves.
What made him feel helpless was that Boss was serious!
As a supervisor, Yuan Jiang thought that Boss was a very exceptional constructor. Look at that blinding speed. If someone had such a good worker under them, any supervisor would laugh. However, if the situation was changed and there was only this one good worker, then they would cry.
With Boss’ present speed, Yuan Jiang felt hopelessness about building the city.
What made him feel the greatest lack of hope was that the other was his boss!
———
Zuo Mo felt every piece of muscle in his body was trembling uncontrollably. He seemed to have lost control over his body. He opened his mouth like a fish that was thrown onto land, his body motionless. This body cultivation was really through. Zuo Mo felt even the insides of his head were trembling. All of his power, no matter if it was physical power, ling power or spiritual power had been completely consumed in this extreme labor.
In the plans for the city, the foundation was to be twenty zhang deep!
Zuo Mo had to use his bare hands to dig out the entire foundation!
Pu Yao was very devious … …
Zuo Mo weakly cursed Pu Yao inside. After resting for a moment, the lingdan he had shoved into his mouth earlier started to release their medicinal power. The Black Processing Meditation mat under his body continuously guided ling energy into Zuo Mo’s body. At this moment, Zuo Mo’s body was like a parched desert that was greedily sucking in any drop of medicinal and ling power.
After a while, Zuo Mo recovered some energy and struggled up. The sun above his head was slightly blinding. He turned to glance at the half completed ditch.
Taking in a deep breath, he jumped back into the ditch.
The abnormal state of Boss had long ago passed through the entire camp. Everyone had been discussing it in secret. They couldn’t understand what Boss intended to do.
Zuo Mo mechanically waved his arms. His speed was very fast. His consciousness was continuously released and reflected every detail of the dirt around him.
Pu Yao had been right. If he could build up this city by himself, his strength definitely could breakthrough to a whole new level. But this was such a perverse plan!
Zuo Mo tightly pressed together his dry lips, pushed his head down and dug crazily.
He started to learn how to use his consciousness to inspect the surrounding dirt, how to use the structure already present in the soil to save energy. He started to understand how to frugally use ling power. Before this, he had never thought there would be a day where he would use ling power so stingily. He started to understand how to move his hands as he absorbed earth energy at the same time … …
———
Three days later, a square shaped hole twenty zhang deep appeared on Sky Star Peak.
Zuo Mo looked like a mud person. Only his eyes were revealed. After laughing soundlessly, he sat down and crossed his legs.
Yuan Jiang was at the side, gaping as he looked at the twenty zhang deep foundation, a foundation that had completely met the specifications. It was not just him that was gaping. The entire camp was shocked.
Those xiuzhe that had had slightly mocking attitudes were so shocked they could not speak when they saw this twenty zhang deep ditch. Who could believe this was something a xiuzhe had dug with his bare hands? However, they had seen the entire process with their own eyes. Those people that had watched in order to laugh at the joke now only felt admiration.
———
In the sea of consciousness, Pu Yao stared at the gravestone and said, “I now understand why you chose him.”
“You,” he paused after each word, “are similarly stubborn.”
The gravestone was still silent, the black clouds slowly moving around it.
———
Gongsun Cha looked thoughtfully at the meditating Zuo Mo and turned back to return to the camp. He ordered the xiuzhe in a low voice, “Tell Ma Fan and the others to distract some more. They need to slow them down. We need more time.”
“Yes.” This xiuzhe took out a paper crane, wrote down a secret code on it, and lightly channeled ling power. The p
aper crane flapped into the sky and instantly disappeared. Before, Ma Fan and the others left, they had left behind their impressions. These paper cranes could follow the impressions and find Ma Fan and the others.
Little Mountain Jie was not large. It was convenient to use paper cranes.
“What about us?” Another xiuzhe couldn’t help but ask. Other than Ma Fan and the others had each taken a platoon with them, there were still many battle xiuzhe at the camp.
The figure of Shixiong completely covered in mud appeared in Gongsun Cha’s mind. His steps slightly paused before recovering. “Naturally, we can’t be idle as well.”
———
Ma Fan scanned the battlefield. More than a dozen corpses laid askew on the grass. Large holes could be seen everywhere. The plains that appeared to extend without end had been torn to pieces. The ling power was lingering in the air. It almost was possible to smell the viciousness of the battle moments ago.
The enemy had all been destroyed, but one of their own had also died.
The platoon leader ‘s expression was slightly sorrowful. This was the first time that a fatality had occurred under his command. The remaining xiuzhe were silently cleaning up the battlefield and gathering the spoils. The victory had turned melancholic due to one of their own dying.
Ma Fan looked at his slightly dejected fellows and was somewhat shocked but also proud. In any group that he had stayed in before, the morale would have never dropped after a victorious battle due to one of their own dying.
Maybe, these were true fellows. Ma Fan thought idly. Just at this time, he raised his head. A paper crane flew through the sky. He held out a hand, and the paper crane flew in.
Unfolding it and reading, he muttered, “Trouble!” He then handed the paper crane to the platoon leader behind him.
“What does Head mean?” The face of the platoon leader was filled with puzzlement. There was no explicit orders on the paper crane, just telling them to try their best to delay the enemy.
Ma Fan did not reply. Noticing the cleaning of the battlefield was almost done, he adjust his clothing, and lazily said, “Get everyone to prepare. We need to leave here. The enemy will probably quickly find this place.”
“Where should we go?” The platoon leader asked with curiosity.
“Let’s go south.”
The platoon leader jumped in fright, “Isn’t that Nan Sheng Village?”
“Yes,” Ma Fan said absentmindedly.
As his understanding of sword essence deepened, his original personality started to gradually show. After the reorganization, he did not need to act as the core, and his entire person seemed to instantly have relaxed, and resumed his lazy attitude of the past.
“Why are we going there? To attack Nan Sheng Village?”
Ma Fan looked at the platoon leader like he was looking at an idiot. “We only have this tiny amount of people. Attack Nan Sheng Village? Do you want to die?”
“Then why are we going south?”
Ma Fan did not look at him. He plucked a stalk of green grass and held it in his mouth, mumbling, “Killing midway.”
The sound of the whistle was like knives!
———
Zuo Mo opened his eyes, the light in them bright. He had meditated for three whole days! How long had it been since he had such a long meditation? Zuo Mo thought back in his mind, his heart filled with joy.
He could feel the change in his body.
Jade Metal Head, ranked fifth of all captain physiques. As expected, it was extraordinary!
He didn’t seem to use strength, but his body seemed to be pulled up by an invisible rope, and he stood up. Metal skin and jade bones. He had not experienced the benefits of these jade bones, but the benefits of this metal skin had started to clearly show.
The muscles of his body had been as hard as metal in the beginning with astounding flexibility. When he dug the foundation, every piece of muscle in his body seemed to have been reforged again. The space between the muscles decreased, and the muscles became tighter and more dense. These minuscule changes increased his strength by three-tenths.
He did not need to use ling power or earth energy to easily push his hand into the bluestone.
Looking at his body covered in mud, he wasn’t angry and snickered. The Little Art of Cloud and Rain instantly appeared above his head. The rain vented and in a short while, all the mud on Zuo Mo’s body had been washed away.
Zuo Mo discovered that his skin seemed to now show a strange black sheen that seemed slightly metallic.
As he marveled, Zuo Mo took his eyes away.
Yuan Jiang, who had fallen asleep as he stood guard, was awoken at this time, and opened his blurred eyes. When he saw Zuo Mo, he instantly shook, and the drowsiness disappeared. He seemed to jump off the ground and rapidly flew next to Zuo Mo. “Boss!”
“Let’s continue! What do we do next?”
Zuo Mo looked at the deep foundation. Bravado suddenly flooded into his heart!
Come on!
* * *
Translator Ramblings: So Zuo Mo starts on the foundation. Once again, twenty zhang is about 66 meters. Poor Yuan Jiang, your subordinate is also your boss.
Ma Fan is heading down to Nan Sheng Village… … and Gongsun Cha is also heading out.
The more relaxed a chapter is, the more I like to translate it. If it is a tense chapter, and especially when it’s a fight, I like to procrastinate. Pu Yao and Zuo Mo’s interactions are some of the easiest and most enjoyable parts to translate and then I would say it would be those chapters that describe Zuo Mo’s cultivating process and thinking.
Chapter 252: Fire Paper Method
He Xiang released a breath in the side. Twelve hours before the final deadline, and he had finally found the enemy! As long as he found the enemy, he had the time to sort them out. The feeling of living after near death filled his body. He couldn’t help but want to exhale, but when he saw the hint of disappointment in the eyes of Second Elder, he forced himself to keep it in.
A hint of darkness flashed across the deepest part of his eyes. He did not want to show his weakness in front of his opponent.
“I’ve said it before. As long as they are in Little Mountain Jie, how can we not find them?” He pretended to be calm and said with a smile, “Tell us the situation.”
He looked as though he had expected all this.
“Chief Elder, our people had encountered the enemy on the plains in West River. A small platoon of sixteen people, our people were completely defeated.”
“West River Plains?” He Xiang mused, “Let Yu An take some people and make a trip. The other side has four people that have comprehended sword essence, and a dhyana xiu that has an abhinna. We cannot underestimate them.”
“Yes!” The subordinate hurriedly complied.
“Go quickly. Report anytime there is news.” He Xiang waved his hand.
The subordinate was perceptive and left.
“No wonder this group dare to be so presumptuous. They do have some ability.” He Xiang smiled as he spoke to the other elders. “A little troop just disappeared like this without a sound.”
“Chief Elder is wise,” an elder agreed. “However, if they want to work against our Clear Sky Sect, they obviously do not know their own limits, and are asking for their death.”
The other elders all nodded.
As to the little troop that had all died, no one was concerned. What did it have to do with them? The Outer Hall did not lack for people.
———
Below their feet were patches of clouds that spread into the horizon like a sea of clouds. Flying above the cloud layer, the sky was perfectly blue. Without any cover, the sunlight was abnormally poisonous. If one did not have their ling armor activated, they would be unknowingly corroded with a thread of fire poison contained in the sunlight.
There would rarely be xiuzhe who would fly so high. The strong wind at high elevations and the fire poison in the sunlight would increase the consumption of li
ng power in flight.
A troop of about three hundred people howled across the sea of clouds with astounding speed.
“Boss, where are we going?” the subordinate asked Gongsun Cha.
Gongsun Cha was sitting on a large green sword. There was an egg shaped ling shield around the big sword, blocking out the sharp wind and poisonous sunlight. Inside the ling shield, it was as warm as the spring and unusually silent. This big sword that was about one and a half zhang long had been forged of an entire block of fourth-grade Wind Ling Wood. Peerlessly light, it was an extremely fine flight flying sword. However, it was sumptuous to use such a big piece of Wind Ling Wood to make a flight flying sword. This was a spoil of victory.
This flying sword was called [Green Cloud], and had become Gongsun Cha’s personal flying sword. Because this flying sword could hold seven or eight people at the same, the person sitting on the point of the flying sword was the xiuzhe who was controlling Green Cloud. With Gongsun Cha’s zhuji cultivation, he basically could not move Green Cloud.
“Don’t you feel that we are too few in number?” When Gongsun Cha asked this, he seemed very much like a young and confused youth.
Of course, the people sitting here had become immune long ago.
“Not too few. We have six divisions now.”
“But this city can hold ten thousand people.” Gongsun Cha’s voice seemed slightly childlike.
Everyone sweated. It seemed Lil’ Miss’ sense of humor was increasing.
However, Gongsun Cha’s words made everyone’s hearts shake. The implication of Lil’ Miss’s words were clear. They couldn’t help but feel a thread of sympathy for the xiuzhe in the surrounding area.
“Then which place are we going to fight this time?” the subordinate asked carefully.
“One by one.”
Everyone shook again.
Gongsun Cha moved his mouth and another xiuzhe took out a jade scroll, channeling ling power inside. A light flashed and an illusory landscape of rivers and mountains appeared in front of them.