Chapter 497: Dark Clouds Suppress Immortals; the Immortals are Furious (part 1)
The northwest of Sea-Sealing County had four prefectures.
To the far west was Tranquility Prefecture, which was also the location of the western front. To the north was the icy Tidefall Prefecture, which was the other main front line of the war.
Squeezed between those two prefectures was Rainfield Prefecture.
Water that drained into Rainfield Prefecture from the melting tundra to the north ensured that the place had a lot of water. However, it also had subterranean volcanic flows that caused mist to rise up from the ground year-round. That mist would then turn into rain, which was why the prefecture was named the way it was.
In the spot where Rainfield Prefecture neared the county capital was the fourth of the northwestern prefectures, which was Enlightenment Prefecture. The name of the prefecture came from the very famous mountainous region called the Enlightenment Highlands.
Mountainous regions and mountain ranges are different. The latter generally stretch out in a specific direction. They’re composed of easily distinguished mountain peaks and valleys. Their clear geography and vast range distinguish them from mountainous regions. A mountainous region doesn’t have such obvious terrain features, and might even contain volcanic belts. There might be countless mountain peaks interspersed with vast stretches of flat land. All of those unique features merge together to create something like a ‘family’ of mountains.
The 50,000-kilometer Enlightenment Highlands were just such a mountainous region, and they were the home to the Fullspirits.
The Fullspirits were a tall people. Normally speaking, they stood at a height of about fifteen meters, and specialized in body cultivation. In line with the common traditions in Revered Ancient, because they were so closely allied with the Demi-Immortals, they had been gifted with some of the blood of that species. That had provoked some changes in their own bloodline, and caused them to grow wings. However, due to the size of the Fullspirits, those wings didn’t make them capable of true flight. They were more for show.
The reason the Demi-Immortals were so fond of the Fullspirits was that they were exceptionally skilled in alchemy and equipment forging.
The Enlightenment Highlands were filled with many equipment and alchemy workshops. Some were independently operated by individual Fullspirits, while others were much larger operations. All in all, there were hundreds of thousands of such workshops there. The clanking of tools and the fragrance of medicinal pills filled the highlands year-round. What was more, the volcanic flows under the ground ensured that the place was always warm. It could well be said that the Fullspirits were constantly producing medicinal pills and magical devices to be put onto the market. There were some off-limits areas set aside for the maturation of medicinal pills. The number of such locations was staggering. The presence of so much ‘earthflame,’ plus the species’ innate abilities, allowed them to produce the highest-quality pills and equipment imaginable. And they were usually very expensive.
That said, even if they charged more than they usually did, it didn’t make sense for a medicinal pill that normally cost twenty spirit stones to suddenly cost a thousand.
They had never charged such outrageous prices before the war, as no one would have paid them. And normally speaking, a dharmic decree from the Swordsage Palace was enough to get shipments of supplies flowing from them.
Although they were close with the Demi-Immortals, the Fullspirits were generally reasonable, and wouldn’t risk offending humans over something as trivial as supplies. Therefore, they knew exactly what they were doing when they responded to the Swordsage Palace’s most recent request.
At the moment, the branch chiefs of their Four Branches were meeting secretly in the Fullspirit ancestral mountain temple. They were all dressed in luxurious outfits, and were festooned with all types of jewelry and fancy magical devices.
“We have to charge these prices to make our stance clear to the Demi-Immortals!”
“War is here, and it seems highly unlikely the humans are going to maintain control of this particular administrative district.”
Two statues were enshrined in the temple, one in the front and one in the back. The statue in the front resembled a Fullspirit, while the one in the back was much more amazing. It resembled an immortal flying into the sky. It was, of course, the original ancestor of the Demi-Immortals.
In the Spirit Trove level, powering up the secret troves was usually a slow and difficult process. Because of that, the majority of Spirit Trove cultivators were actually at this same point. It was only after the first secret trove took the shape of a world, and also had a heavenly dao, that it could truly be considered a secret trove. That said, even when still in the process of powering up the first secret trove, such cultivators would still be able to crush any Nascent Soul enemy.
As the four branch chiefs howled in rage, several dozen nearby mountain peaks trembled, and the lake they bordered was suddenly filled with massive waves.
The water all flowed in the same direction as a pair of eyes as big as the lake itself suddenly opened inside of it. They were looking at Qingqin.
“Fellow Daoist Qingqin, why have you done this?”
As the eyes opened and the voice rang out, a 24,000-meter-tall giant slowly stood up. The dozens of mountain peaks came with it, as they were actually spikes sticking out of its body. It even had spikes growing out of its head.
This figure was the Fullspirits’ only Void Returning patriarch.
He had dao lineaments in his eyes, and had numerous projections of himself superimposed upon each other. He also had a number of minor worlds that were on the verge of being complete. He was in the great circle of the second stage of Void Returning, and was half a step into the third stage. Though he seemed calm, the truth was that inwardly he was feeling very flustered.
“CAW!” said Qingqin disdainfully.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing, who stood atop the right head, looked down coldly. “Over the past 800 years, the Four Branches of the Fullspirits have violated human law a total of 18,931 times. The most recent was the refusal to comply with the palace lord’s demand that Spirit Trove and Void Returning cultivators join the war effort. I’m here today to punish all of the criminals who perpetrated those crimes over the past 800 years!”
His voice echoed through the Enlightenment Highlands, and the hundreds of thousands of Fullspirits there looked up angrily at the huge bird in the sky.
Meanwhile, the massive giant standing there with energy and blood seething seemed incredibly intimidating.
“Our species is allied with the Demi-Immortals. And we haven’t violated any part of our agreement with you humans. For a swordsage to come here and wreck our ancestral mountain is a clear breach of our alliance!” For the first time, that giant’s gaze came to rest on Xu Qing. “Are you really trying to cause chaos in Sea-Sealing County right now, in this moment of crisis on the front lines of the war?”
Face expressionless, Xu Qing turned to Qingqin, clasped hands, and bowed. “Senior Qingqin, please take action and exterminate this species!”
Qingqin’s eyes glittered with excitement. It had been a long time since he wiped out a species, a point which had caused him to sigh many times in the past. He was supposed to be a fierce beast, so the fact that he hadn’t wiped out many species seemed like a betrayal of his own bloodline. Beyond that, it had been a long time since he had eaten any meat. He spent all his time absorbing water and mist, making him feel like he was starting to fade from existence.
That said, he had always restrained himself. After all, the humans had long since kept things peaceful in Sea-Sealing County, and he didn’t feel inclined to cause trouble and disturb the status quo. Besides, his most revered Eldest Brother from the continent of South Phoenix had told him to be a little less fierce, and not follow the path of his ancestor. He wasn’t supposed to go around slaughtering people, especially humans. He was supposed to make more friends. That was the way to stick around for a long time.
However, the little bro his Eldest Brother had entrusted to his care had just made a very reasonable request. Considering that he was also a swordsage, there didn’t seem to be any reason to refuse.
As for why his Eldest Brother had become bros with a human didn’t really matter. He just knew that his Eldest Brother had always treated him so well that it didn’t seem like it would be possible to repay the favor in this life. Therefore, he didn’t want to do anything to lose face for his Eldest Brother.
And thus, it was with an excited caw that Qingqin bristled with rage and prepared to shoot toward the Fullspirits.
“Hold on!!” the Fullspirit patriarch blurted.