Chapter 481: Euphoria Iris

Chapter 481: Euphoria Iris

Xu Qing currently sat atop a big headless turtle that had a fist-sized barnacle on its tail. He made quite a strange sight, so it was no wonder the Smokewights noticed him. That said, there were all sorts of strange and unusual species on the wharf, so Xu Qing didn’t stick out very much. There were other cultivators who had mounts, including some who were riding skeletal creatures.

Humans weren’t as common nowadays in Sea-Sealing County. The various Swordsage Courts had issued the call to war, so most human cultivators were on the northern and western fronts defending the county. It wasn’t just the Spirit Trove and Void Returning cultivators who had been mobilized. Though they had left some forces behind, especially those who were supposed to be the future of their sect, the majority of their forces had been mobilized.

As Xu Qing studied the Daybreak Prefecture harbor, he saw mostly nonhumans. These people all lived in Sea-Sealing County, and had benefited for countless years from the protection of humankind.

Though that protection wasn’t necessarily critical to survival, such species hadn’t been expelled. As a result, this was their home.

When Xu Qing thought about how many of them had refused to join the war effort, he shook his head. In some ways he could understand that decision. They believed that the war wasn’t their fight, and that it didn’t matter to them who was in charge of Sea-Sealing County. Given that, why should they fight? From their viewpoint, it made sense. But Xu Qing was not some sort of saint that loved all species unconditionally. Given his perspective on the matter, he didn’t have much love for these nonhumans.

What was especially noteworthy was that Xu Qing had already spotted some Smokewights among the nonhumans. Smokewights didn’t just live in the desert. It was common for mist and fog to crop up in Daybreak Prefecture, and such things made the conditions perfect for Smokewights.

Their bodies were made from smoke, so unless you were extremely familiar with them, it wasn’t possible to tell which were male and which were female. In fact, you couldn’t even make out their facial features clearly. They looked like shadowy wisps of smoke that moved through the crowds on the wharf. They seemed to be searching for something. Also in their group was a type of special pitch-black puppet, with numerous cracks and crevices where the Smokewights could live symbiotically.

Xu Qing didn’t like Smokewights. They had treated him maliciously on his trip through the desert, which was what led to his big fight with Chu Tianqun in their major world fragment. [1]

After that incident, Xu Qing had done some calculations and come to the conclusion that he ran into Chu Tianqun only two hours from the county capital border. And two hours... was how long the Smokewights had made him wait.

Of course, he was on a secret mission right now, so he suppressed his killing intent and paid no attention to the Smokewights. He went down to the dock and sat atop the headless turtle waiting for this ship to show up.

The Smokewights looked him up and down, but didn’t find anything suspicious, and continued on their way down the wharf.

Xu Qing had no idea what they were looking for. However, after they had moved along, the surrounding nonhumans cultivators started talking. Thê ïñčëptïøn øf thïš çøntënt çån bë tråçëd tø n0v€1b¡n★

“The Smokewights have been searching for days now, although I’m not sure for what. I heard they’re not just searching here. They’re even out on the open water.”

“I heard someone say that they’re looking for the remains of the sun that perished here in Daybreak Prefecture. Except that happened years and years ago. Humans and other species have long since searched high and low. It’s been thousands of years since any new bits of flesh have been discovered.”

“They’re probably not really looking for the sun’s remains. I get the feeling they’re trying to prevent someone from getting into Daybreak Prefecture.”

Xu Qing looked thoughtfully at the distant Smokewights.

“We’re really lucky, exalted one,” a voice said. It came from the barnacle attached to the turtle’s tail. That barnacle was really the head from D-132. Eyes were visible on the barnacle as it stared out at the flower. “It’s a euphoria iris! Back in the day, that was my favorite type of flower.”

Xu Qing frowned. He had never heard of euphoria irises before.

Eyes gleaming with reminiscence, the head continued, “Euphoria irises are a special type of gruish plant native to Daybreak Prefecture. The stamens transform into women of varying species that entice passersby.

“If they succeed in getting someone to approach, they grab them and drag them down to the sea floor where they suck them dry, leaving behind nothing but a desiccated corpse. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would only last for four or five breaths of time. A Gold Core expert might last for a bit longer, but not that much. Only individuals like me with unique innate abilities can turn things around and experience the true bliss of a euphoria iris. Now, before you make some joke about that being reason I don’t have a body, let me clarify that—”

“Quiet,” Xu Qing said. The turtle and the barnacle said nothing further.

As Xu Qing remained in place cross-legged, he cast out his senses in the direction of the group of eight nonhumans. It seemed they were discussing the Swordsage Court.

By focusing properly, Xu Qing could hear their conversation.

“The whole world is falling apart! I heard that it’s only when the population drops in Daybreak Prefecture that these vile euphoria irises start blooming....”

“Things don’t look good for the humans. The Swordsage Palace is heading into a huge crisis. From what I heard, a lot of nonhumans and rogue cultivators are eyeing the Swordsage Court on Mount Daybreak.”

“I heard that rumor too. There’s somebody recruiting rogue cultivators, bandits, and criminals from all species. They’re preparing to strike at Mount Daybreak and loot the Swordsage Court there.”

“Things are really unstable. I’ve definitely seen a lot of strangers around lately. I think most are cultivators from outside Daybreak Prefecture.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with us. Let’s just get home. Who cares if the humans survive or not? But if they fall... then we should make sure to get a piece of the pie.”

“True. I heard the Swordsage Court has some serious treasure stockpiled....”

Xu Qing frowned, and his gaze turned cold. However, that was when he suddenly noticed something in the fog. He saw eight 30-meter-tall puppets, pitch black in color, emerging from the fog. Their eyes glowed red with malice as they looked at the leaf ship. It was a party of Smokewights.

Xu Qing’s eyes turned icier. As the Smokewight puppets approached, he assessed their cultivation bases and battle prowess.

Smoke emerged from the cracks and crevices in the puppets, which turned into Smokewights. They fanned out to surround the leaf ship. As for the puppets, they arrayed themselves in front of the ship so it couldn’t move forward.

The leaf ship’s four legs shivered but didn’t move. Meanwhile, the cultivators on board looked at the Smokewights with vigilance.

The three cultivators in green robes and ghost masks quickly got to their feet. The one in the middle stepped forward, looked at the Smokewights, and said, “How can I help you, Fellow Daoists from the Smokewights?”

1. Xu Qing’s distaste for the Smokewights began in chapter 459. ?