by Fang Xiang
Sun Bao and Ji Wei furiously nodded.
Ever since they entered the era of shen power, the use and value of jingshi continued to decrease. It was not something essential for people to cultivate. The biggest value of jingshi came from the ling power it contained. Yet in the era of shen power, the greatest pursuit was of shen power, not ling power.
Conversely, as a result of the fighting, the prices of materials had risen greatly.
Especially high grade materials. The prices grew so fast it seemed they had a new price everyday. If Zuo Mo and the others hadn't secretly moved everything out of Xuan Kong Temple's Dhyana Treasure Pavilion, and all of the high grade materials that Xuan Kong Temple had accumulated over thousands of years had ended up in his hands. He would not have been able to support Golden Crow Camp's terrifying expenses.
Most of the high level materials in Gongsun Cha's [City Destroyer] and Bie Han's [Arsonist] came from that.
The reason that Zuo Mo had not forged shen devices was not because he didn't have the ability, but he did not have the resources. Each shen device required a piled of high grade materials each that were worth cities.
After forging two shen device raiments, almost all of Mo Cloud Sea's high grade materials had been used up.
Even Kun Lun and Tian Huan did not dare to casually forge shen device raiments.
Shen device raiments were the ultimate weapon of this era. It represented the peak of forging for this era.
Zuo Mo had thought deeply about forging [City Destroyer] and [Arsonist]. A Gui already had a shen device raiment, that grey set of armor that Zuo Mo named the [Undying Ghost]. Zuo Mo also had the Anti Dragon Claw and the Three Thousand Thread of Worry. While the sum of them together could not equal a shen device raiment, they could compare to pseudo-shen weapons.
Also, Zuo Mo thought that [City Destroyer] and [Arsonist] were of greater use to Mo Cloud Sea.
However, four million seventh-grade jingshi was enough to forge a true shen device raiment!
The excitement the three felt when facing this number could be imagined.
"I will leave this matter to your care," Zuo Mo said.
Sun Bao jumped up and said excitedly, "Daren, do not worry, this subordinated definitely will not let even one of these four million pieces of jingshi walk away!"
Ji Wei nodded.
"En, en. I'm confident in your work. However, pay attention to keeping this a secret. Don't let people find out too early," Zuo Mo ordered.
The two hurriedly acknowledged this, and then impatiently bid farewell to leave.
It was impossible for others to be completely unalerted to a project of such scale. Mo Cloud Sea was filled with spies from all factions. While extermination was occurring constantly, these spies were like weeds that would never stop growing.
As long as this matter was not exposed too early, there was no great worry.
Watching the two leave, Zuo Mo's face unconsciously turned to that shen device part shaped like a tree branch.
His eyes flashed with emotion. As though she detected his emotions, A Gui silently appeared behind Zuo Mo.
The scars on A Gui's faces had disappeared. Her face was like the one that Zuo Mo had once seen in his memories. Her face was still expressionless and the mark on her brow was unusually clear.
Her undying shen power had become even more unfathomable.
"I'm fine." Zuo Mo turned to smile at A Gui and then rubbed her hair.
A Gui's empty eyes became gentler.
"Let's go to see." Zuo Mo pulled A Gui to walk towards the corner. The empty corner suddenly pit up and Zuo Mo and A Gui disappeared in the light.
Zuo Mo and A Gui appeared in a secret room.
There were many things stored in these secret room. Many of the items showed marks of being burned and damaged. They also looked old.
There was a helmet placed at the end of the room.
The helmet was dim. Dozens of thin and long bone spikes fanned out in rows behind the helmet. At the top of the helmet, there was a crescent thin blade coming out of the forehead that arched over top and wrapped around to the back of the helmet.
This was another part of the shen device raiment that his father had forged. It had been placed in Xuan Kong Temple's Dhyana Treasure Pavilion and then landed in Zuo Mo's hands. The things in this secret room were all things that Xuan Kong Temple had taken from his home in the past.
When Zuo Mo came near, the dim helmet suddenly lit up with a gentle light.
Zuo Mo stilled, and his mind moved. He took out that tree-shaped shen device part.
The helmet suddenly shook, the dozens of spikes trembling as it gave off a hotter light.
Zuo Mo suddenly felt pain on his hand and he instinctively let go.
The tree branch turned into a streak of light and flew to the bright helmet like a bird return to the nest.
Translator Ramblings: I know Fang Xiang skipped the ratios of upper grade jingshi but does someone want to estimate how many first grade jingshi Zuo Mo is making with this order?
Chapter 756: The Uninhibited Chao Xin
Zuo Mo looked at the strange thing in front of him and was greatly interested.
The forked tree branch part of the devices was now pointed downwards and the main trunk was connected to the back of the helmet.
It looked … …
Zuo Mo examined it for a while and found it increasingly familiar. He thought hard before he finally recalled what this was like. If the helmet was a person's head, then the main branch that led down from the back of the head, wasn't it a person's spine? And the forked branches that split off, weren't they like the small blood vessels and channels?
The more Zuo Mo looked, the more he felt it was like that.
Suddenly, Zuo Mo was extremely curious about his father. This kind of design was definitely unique. Even in this era where shen devices were constantly appearing, it still was unique. He was even more curious what the other two parts looked like.
What would the complete shen weapon look like?
What kind of power would the complete shen weapon have?
Zuo Mo suddenly had a feeling that his father was a great person. This shen device was too unique. Even though Zuo Mo had forged the [Angle Device Raiment], a pseudo-shen device, he still felt stunned by the incomplete two-part product in front of him.
There were no indications of how it was forged on its body. There were no shen glyphs or seal scripts. The tree like structure seemed to have grown naturally. The helmet was tightly melded and didn't show any signs of being forged. Those long strange antennae-like things were something that Zuo Mo still didn't know the use of.
He tried to pick up the newly merged shen weapon. It was unexpectedly light as though there was nothing.
A ball of light suddenly lit up at the end of the antenna. The light flashed to a certain rhythm that was hard to understand. The level of this shen weapon far surpassed the level of the present shen weapons that had appeared.
To an innocent man, wealth is a crime!
How could the Zuo Family which possessed such a shen device not be targeted by other people?
Zuo Mo sighed. He focused on the half shen weapon in front of him. After the two parts merged together, they seemed to come alive, and occasionally released light.
Zuo Mo tried to channel in shen power.
Boom!
He felt the surrounding scenery change. Information flooded into his mind.
Off guard, Zuo Mo's body froze, his vision turning black. He only recovered after an unknown length of time.
Pew!
He tasted sweetness and then spat out a mouthful of blood before his chest felt less congested.
He couldn't help but show a shocked expression.
In Zuo Mo's sea of consciousness, Wei would had been motionless all this time suddenly opened his eyes. Pu Yao also felt something and suddenly stood up.
"Don't try that again!"
Wei's words stopped Zuo Mo.
With
the warning, Zuo Mo put the incomplete shen weapon down with lingering fear. He didn't dare to try again. With his previous attempt, he had been lightly wounded, and almost seven-tenths of his shen power had been used up. His scalp pricked at this result. He hadn't even detected the loss of his shen power at all, and it was seven-tenths.
There was too much information inside the shen device, so much that it surpassed his tolerance and injured him. But no matter how he thought back, he could not remember a word.
This thing … …
However, Zuo Mo quickly noticed that Wei had woken up. He entered the sea of consciousness with a grimace, "Wei, you finally woke up."
When Wei opened his mouth,and started nagging. "A Zuo, I said that you have to be careful, why don't you listen? You're a leader now, how can you be so rash? You have to know, if your shen power was just a little bit weaker, you would have been sucked dry, your life would be finished … …"
Listening to Wei's nattering, Zuo Mo felt warm and a smile came onto his face.
Pu Yao impatiently interrupted him. "Enough, how come I didn't feel that you were an old woman before? You are the great gravestone armor, you have dignity, show your presence, don't be like an old woman!"
Wei stilled and then instinctively nodded. "That seems right." But he quickly reacted, "What about an aura like yours that isn't male or female?"
Pu Yao was furious. "Who are you saying isn't male or female?"
Wei said deviously, "Not me."
"I'll kill you!" Pu Yao smiled in anger, the black flames on his body shooting into the air. The black flames in the sea of consciousness exploded as well, Pu Yao rampaging in the sky.
Wei didn't have any fear at all, his expression was sunny but his mouth poisonous. "If you can't kill me, you are a renyao."
Zuo Mo almost fell onto his face. He wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. As expected, Wei was the more devious one.
Two tigers fighting would affect the bystander!
Without a second word, Zuo Mo silently slipped away.
Not long after he came out of the sea of consciousness, Zuo Mo received Gu Liang Dao's letter. After reading it, he guessed what the issue was but it was not for him to express opinions on this matter. Also, the favor Gu Liang Dao requested of him was a simple matter for him.
Gu Liang Dao wasn't willing to return to Xi Xuan and this was most likely because he saw that Xi Xuan was in difficult straits, the situation was not something that one person could change.
He shook his head and his attention turned back to Mo Cloud Sea.
The present situation was also a great pressure on Mo Cloud Sea.
With Xi Xuan's massive order, Mo Cloud Sea could enter a time of fast development. As long as they overcame the obstacle of materials, the powerful production abilities of Mo Cloud Sea would be able to be expressed.
For the present Mo Cloud Sea, if they worked steadily, if they finished accumulating in this time, their power would change.
While Zuo Mo had a good plan, other people would likely hamper is efforts.
———
"Xi Xuan and Mo Cloud Sea have established an alliance."
The report of the subordinate caused Lin Qian to raise his head. His expression was normal. "Is the information true?"
"This is intelligence from the spy inside Xi Xuan," the subordinate said respectfully. "We cannot get close to Zhong De and does not have direct evidence of this, but Zhong De took out the Zuo Family shen device part from Xi Xuan's stores. We detected traces of its movement."
"They are willing to pay a great price." The one that spoke was an elegant youth with red lips, white teeth, and ethereal long robes. His voice when he spoke carried an unique slowness. He was called Chao Xin and one of the members of Lin Qian's inner Sword Pavilion.
In the Sword Pavilion that Lin Qian had built, every position was coveted. Countless elders used their connections in hopes that they could arrange for their disciples to enter. Everyone knew that the Sword Pavilion would become the true core of power in Kun Lun's future. If they could enter, they would undoubtedly enter the true core of Kun Lun.
Yet Lin Qian had resisted the suggestions of the masses and picked an unknown disciple, Chao Xin. Chao Xin was born into poverty. While his parents were Kun Lun disciples, they were outer disciples. He appeared very poor in the eyes of the public. Also, Chao Xin's individual cultivation was stunningly weak. He entered the Sword Pavilion with zhuji cultivation. This was the first in Kun Lun's history.
What was also unexpected was that Chao XIn's ranking was high. The first person that Lin Qian picked was Xue Dong, the second was Chao XIn.
This unknown outer sect disciple immediately multiplied in value and was watched by countless.
Rather than shining like people had expected, Chao Xin gradually faded out of view and didn't seem to have any existence to speak off. Only the true higher levels of Kun Lun knew the great power this youth controlled.
"Yes," the subordinate hurriedly said, "this time, the envoy was Jian Jun. This person is not strong but skilled in diplomacy. He was promoted by Zhong De. It was the people from Abyss Jail that protected him on his journey. We could not discover what they discussed."
Chao Xin said casually, "Pay attention to the movement of their resources. Zhong De is careful, but he just came out of seclusion, and the power he wields in the sect is limited. These tasks are ones that he has to rely on the people below to do."
"Yes!" the subordinate acknowledged and then left.
Lin Qian didn't feel any displeasure at Chao Xin giving orders. He frowned and said, "If Xi Xuan and Mo Cloud Sea have allied together, it will affect us greatly."
Chao Xin took a sip of wine, and savoured it for a moment before speaking. "The most correct move that Xi Xuan has made up until now was to get Zhong De to come out. However, one cannot stand alone. Zhong De is strong but he is just a battle general. Our entry point should be Xi Xuan's sect leader. I looked at the reports on him. He became sect leader at a young age, but Xi Xuan has been controlled by the elders. One can imagine just how discontent he felt. A person like this will desire power far more than other people. Look at this move, he almost cleaned out all of the elders."
Lin Qian listened carefully. As he listened, he poured wine for Chao Xin. His movements were practiced. This was clearly not the first time he was doing so.
Chao Xin sipped happily, his expression uninhibited as he drawled, "Right now, Xi Xuan's power is concentrated in Zhong De's hands. He can tolerate this because the situation is severe. Only Zhong De can control the situation. He needs this knife. This is the common speculation. However, I feel that it is not so simple. It is not possible that Zhong De would not have thought of this. I investigated this person especially."
"This person is very interesting. On one hand, he values promises and friendship, on the other, he can do anything, be cruel and kill easily. Fifty years ago, his woman was pulled into an incident and died. He lost his passion and asked to guard the Abyss Jail. He grew up in Xi Xuan from a young age and owed the past sect leader. However, the past sect leader of Xi Xuan did not help him with that case. Therefore, Zhong De's emotions about the sect leader are slightly complex. However, no matter what, the matter of his woman is still something he thinks about. This can be seen from him immediately building a tomb after coming out. He cannot be loyal to the present sect leader but he still decided to come out, still helped the Xi Xuan sect leader finish the purging, this caused me to come up with a new theory."
"What theory?" Lin Qian was interested.
"He knows what the present sect leader is like, yet he still helped the other complete the purge, still came out of isolation, still had himself become a blade for the other, and take full control without any qualms. There are two possibilities. One, he wants to kill the sect leader and become the ruler of Xi Xuan. Or, he knows that he will not be a threat to the sect leader even if he does this."
Chao Xin's eyes were bright, his tone slightly excited. "If he wants
to kill the sect leader, the best time would have been when purging the upper ranks, with the loss of half of the sect leader's personal guard. The counterattack from the elders was enough for the sect leader, lacking protection, to die. And it would be something accepted and his reputation would not be stained. But he didn't do that. This is matching to his personality, while bloodthirsty, he has his bottom line. The other possibility is something worthy of discussing. He has such great power yet he is not a threat to the sect leader. That only occurs in one possibility, he knows he won't live long! A dead person will be of no threat to anyone."
Lin Qian changed expression.
Translator Ramblings: The Zuo Family, a simple case of having a powerful item and not being able to protect it.
Chapter 757: Danger
Leaving in the night, they avoided the armies stationed along the way, making a long detour, the Tangzi Battalion appeared near Eastern Spring Jie like ghosts. Because Zuo Mo had to have Hundred Energy Jie, they had spent more effort gathering information on the surroundings here than in other places. This allowed Tang Fei to easily avoid the enemies troops stationed here.
The Mo Marshal Alliance would never think that Bie Han would target Eastern Spring Jie. Unlike the other jie that were heavily guarded near Hundred Energy Jie, Eastern Spring Jie was just as guarded as usual.
"How long until we arrive in Eastern Spring Jie?" Tang Fei asked gravely. The long hair of the female blew in the sharp cold air. Her stern face was filled with determination and her tone firm and strong.
"According to our present speed, we will arrive at the outer defense line of Eastern Spring Jie at approximately tomorrow afternoon," the subordinate calculated before answering.
Tang Fei looked around. Seeing that everyone's energy was good, she nodded inside. The rest last night had been important. The recovery of the battalion's energy was in preparation for the battle tomorrow. Every soldier had been outfitted with a high grade mo steed . The cloud steeds that Chun Yu Cheng had bred were better, but their production was limited and not available to be distributed to the mo soldiers. The wealthy Zuo Mo decided to give them high grade mo steeds.