CH 72

Within the boundless expanse of spatial rifts, thousands of warriors clashed with the Stonekin, the sounds of slaughter echoing ceaselessly in the silent void. Five hundred members of the Divine Clan, along with five thousand Dragonkin and Soul Clan reinforcements, surged forward at the forefront. With their immense power, they relentlessly ground down the Stonekin, wave after wave, to dust. Especially the five hundred Divine Clan members – scattered across the battlefield, their every gesture spelled doom for swaths of Stonekin.

In the recuperation area aboard the massive ship, two wounded soldiers gazed fervently at the distant battlefield.

“Truly worthy of the Divine Clan! With them, our Three Thousand Worlds are secure!”

“Hahaha, indeed! The Divine Clan is the strongest race in the Three Thousand Worlds. With their collective intervention, who could possibly stand against them?”

“Look at those clueless Stonekin, relying solely on brute force. They crumble like nothing before the might of the Divine Clan. It’s truly satisfying. If only we could wipe them out entirely – I wouldn’t have any objections.”

“Hahaha, who wouldn’t feel the same? But what is Meng Lan looking at from the prow? Why isn’t Meng Lan getting involved?”

“Who knows? The thoughts of someone of her stature are beyond our grasp.”

…..

Meng Lan’s gaze swept across the battlefield, the existence of the colossal Stonekin among the Divine Clan wasn’t a secret, yet it remained unknown to anyone outside the Divine Clan. During the past battles, the Stonekin proved helpless against the Divine Clan’s assaults. However, when the Stonekin’s forces were crumbling, the colossal Stonekin appeared. With its own strength, it withstood attacks from hundreds of Divine Clan members. Although it ultimately escaped with the remaining Stonekin, its intervention thwarted the Divine Clan’s plan to annihilate the Stonekin.

Now, the battlefield presented a one-sided situation with the Stonekin suffering heavy losses. Would the colossal Stonekin reappear?

Meng Lan’s gaze, like a burning torch, scanned every corner of the battlefield. This time, she was determined to witness the entire process of the colossal Stonekin’s appearance. During the previous battle, the colossal Stonekin’s sudden appearance on the battlefield, with such an imposing size, had caught everyone off guard. Yet no one saw how it appeared, and its sudden disappearance left everyone baffled. While its figure hadn’t appeared in the temporal battleground for years, its existence remained a thorn in the Divine Clan’s heart.

“Leader!” Meng Lan’s deputy approached, “Four squads have engaged the Stonekin in combat under the reinforcement’s arrival, but the colossal Stonekin has yet to appear. However, something has happened to the squad where Ji Lan is located—”

“What happened to Ji Lan?” Hearing Ji Lan’s name, Meng Lan immediately turned her attention to her deputy.

Under her intense scrutiny, the deputy hesitated before speaking, “The squad led by Ji Lan has lost contact. The current situation is unclear.”

“Impossible!” Meng Lan refused to accept this, “Ji Lan’s strength far surpasses mine. How could she lose contact? Could it be that the colossal Stonekin appeared where she was?”

“No, I don’t know.” The deputy nervously moistened his lips, “The messages we sent to Ji Lan’s squad have received no response. The latest message stated that they had arrived near the Orc Realm and were preparing for battle. After that, our subsequent messages vanished into thin air.”

Taking the communication device from her deputy’s hands, Meng Lan examined the communication logs and fell into contemplation. After several seconds, she spoke, “Quickly send a message to Feng Ye. I can’t leave here, so have Feng Ye find a way to establish contact with Ji Lan.”

“Understood.”

…..

When the expected arrival message from the fifth Divine Clan reinforcement team failed to materialize, Feng Ye knew that something was amiss. The team without any incoming messages was dispatched to support Ji Lan’s location near the Orc Realm. Meanwhile, the messages he had sent to Ji Lan had also gone unanswered.

At that moment, someone entered the room. In a solemn tone, they reported, “Clan Leader, our testing equipment placed into the spatial rifts has discovered chaotic magnetic fields millions of kilometers beyond the Orc Realm. As soon as the equipment enters, it malfunctions. Therefore, we have no clear understanding of the situation inside. Preliminary speculation suggests that the loss of communication might be caused by the disorder in the magnetic fields.”

“Do you know the reason behind the magnetic field disorder?”

“Currently, it’s under investigation. However, the lab team finds it difficult to pinpoint the cause. We can’t place the equipment deep enough inside to gather feedback from within.”

“Have Feng Ran investigate the situation. Bind a Dragon Tendon around his waist. If anything happens, he can use the Dragon Tendon to return immediately.”

“Understood.” The person bowed their head and exited the room. Dragon Tendons were an annual offering from the Dragon Clan – rare in quantity and impervious to elements. Even the Divine Clan would struggle to sever one. By sending Divine Clan members, even if they were trapped in the spatial rifts, they wouldn’t perish due to the loss of space and spiritual energy. Coupled with the robust Dragon Tendons, Feng Ran’s safety was highly guaranteed.

…..

On the Three Thousand Food House side, Bai Xianzhi didn’t wait for the remaining dozen employees; instead, he encountered Ye Man and his siblings. Watching the five of them eat heartily, Bai Xianzhi asked, “Xiao Man, what exactly happened?”

Ye Man took a sip of water, swallowed what was in his mouth, and began explaining the current situation with the Stonekin, their mission, and what they had encountered in the spatial rift.

After listening, the faces of everyone in Three Thousand Food House were filled with worry. Even if they were prepared to fight, they needed to be well-fed to do so. Right now, the warriors had no supplies to keep up their strength, except for the Divine Clan. Everyone else in the spatial rift would perish within a certain time due to the lack of spatial energy. How could they possibly engage the Stonekin under such circumstances?

“We do have plenty of food in our restaurant, enough to supply around four to five thousand people, but it would only last for two or three meals,” Bai Xianzhi pondered aloud. With the expansion of Three Thousand Food House, the restaurant had accumulated a substantial food reserve.

“That should suffice,” Ye Man quickly replied. “There are a total of only four thousand people on the warship. Providing two or three meals should buy us a couple of days as a buffer. By then, there should be some action from the outside.”

“But…” Bai Xianzhi looked troubled, “how do we deliver it?”

Indeed, while there was enough food, figuring out how to deliver it was a challenge. Even the Dove Clan youth with special navigation skills had gotten lost. How could others find the right direction to reach the massive ship?

Suddenly, Zhuo Long said, “I have a solution.”

All eyes turned to him as he unabashedly exposed the grotesque scars on his face, his eyes gleaming with determination…

…..

“I can’t hold on much longer. I’m already struggling to breathe. In another hour, my spatial energy will be depleted. When that happens, I won’t need the Stonekin to act; I will die.”

“Hehehe, I thought I’d meet my end on the battlefield, but who would have thought I’d suffocate to death due to the depletion of spatial energy? What a ridiculous way to die!”

“Don’t, stop talking. Speaking less can reduce the loss of spatial energy. Every moment counts. Who knows, Lady Ji Lan might return with supplies,” someone whispered weakly.

“It’s impossible. The journey from here to the Orc World takes less than half an hour for Lady Ji Lan. But it’s been almost two hours, and she’s still not back. Something must have happened,” another voice replied.

“Speaking of which, the Ye brothers who went to the Orc World to request supplies haven’t returned either.”

“Maybe they’ve already escaped. Facing so many Stonekin, it’s understandable. Not everyone can set aside life and death. Escaping might give them more time to live. There’s a saying, ‘Dying well is better than living poorly.'”

“Shut up! The Ye brothers aren’t like that. They absolutely wouldn’t flee as cowards! I vouch for them with my own head!”

“How do you know? People’s hearts are inscrutable. Anything can happen in the face of life and death.”

“Enough, don’t insult them. They saved my life. They’re definitely not cowardly little people!”

“Stop arguing. There’s no point in discussing these matters now. Even though the Stonekin haven’t attacked us yet, we’re draining ourselves to death. It’s pointless to talk about these matters. Let’s save our energy and wait for rescue.”

Ji Lan’s deputy looked at the weakened warriors on the massive ship, his brows furrowing deeper. Lady Ji Lan hadn’t returned yet, and the backup reagents on the ship were only a thousand units. Now, only five hundred remained, and they were depleting rapidly. At this rate, soldiers would start dying within another hour.

The Stonekin not far away remained motionless, but no one knew when they would strike. If they attacked while Lady Ji Lan hadn’t returned, their few thousand soldiers in their weakened state might be easily routed, suffering heavy casualties.

The situation was indeed dire, both internally and externally, but internal troubles were even more severe than external ones. The deputy took a deep breath, and his guards hurriedly approached with concern, “My lord, use one reagent. You’re also running out of strength.”

The deputy waved them off, “No need. I can hold on. I’ll use it when I really can’t hold on any longer.”

…..

Another hour passed, and the five hundred reagents were exhausted. The deputy used half of one reagent, and the other half he gave to a guard. Most of the soldiers on the ship hadn’t even had half a reagent. They were lying extremely weakly in the ship’s hold, waiting for the moment when their spatial energy would be depleted.

“We’re close to death. I never expected Wang Dahua, who used to be so majestic, to die today for such a ridiculous reason. Hehehe.”

“Wang Big Brother, I haven’t even gotten married yet. My girlfriend is still waiting for me. She said we’d get married next time I had leave. It seems she won’t be able to wait for me. I’m sorry, for her.”

“I don’t even have a girlfriend, I’m all alone. If I die, there won’t even be anyone to collect my body.”

“Tch, do you think there’ll be someone to collect our bodies if we die here? We fought side by side for so many years. It’s okay to leave together.”

“Hahaha, Lao Liu was killed by the Stonekin yesterday. He can’t have gone far. Let’s go find him.”

“Right, let’s go find Lao Liu. Even if we die, we’ll still be a team. We’ll be brothers in our next lives.”

“Good, it’s settled. Brothers in our next lives!”

Several soldiers who were once part of the same team leaned against each other. Their words conveyed a sense of indifference to life and death. Just then, Wang Dahua noticed a figure faintly approaching in the distance. His head was spinning, and he asked dizzily, “Who’s that coming?”

The others weakly glanced over. One of them gave a feeble chuckle, “It’s a young lad. What’s he doing here? Is he looking for death?”

But just as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened in disbelief, “Wait, what’s he holding in his hands? Two big bags, is that food?”

“Impossible! Who in the spatial rift would bring so much food, especially the Stonekin?”

“Even if it’s food, what’s the use? We lack spatial energy. Eating that won’t help. We might as well close our eyes and wait for death.”

…..

“Sir, there’s a young man outside. He says he’s from Three Thousand Food House and has brought food for us. He also says Three Thousand Food House is willing to provide us with food and wants to discuss with you!”

“What?!” The deputy stood up abruptly, swallowing hard. “Are you telling the truth?”

The guard’s face lit up with joy. “Absolutely, he’s right outside!”

Taking a deep breath, the deputy strode out of the hold. Sure enough, he saw a young man outside. The youth had an extremely long scar on his face. Under normal circumstances, the deputy would have taken a second look, but now his gaze slid right past the youth’s face, focusing intensely on the two large bags the young man was carrying.

“What… what is this?” The deputy’s voice quivered.

Zhuo Long immediately opened one bag, revealing boxes of tightly wrapped food. “This is Three Thousand Food House’s food. There are a hundred boxes in total. Each box is infused with spatial energy and spiritual energy. Three Thousand Food House is offering these boxes for free to all the warriors.”

It was indeed from Three Thousand Food House, and the food contained spatial and spiritual energy. The deputy’s lips trembled. The Three Thousand Food House employee continued, “I hope this esteemed lord can send some soldiers to come back with me to Three Thousand Food House. We’re in the midst of cooking and need many hands to transport the additional meals.”

“That… that’s certainly fine, no problem!”

The deputy immediately had a hundred boxes of food distributed to those in most need. He selected forty people to go with Zhuo Long to collect the boxes. Watching the resolute departure of the forty individuals, the deputy’s eyes grew moist. Their warriors were saved!

However, they had a total of four thousand soldiers. Would Three Thousand Food House’s food be enough?

Some soldiers from Zhuo Long’s side also posed this question. Zhuo Long smiled and replied, “Of course, Three Thousand Food House’s usual customer flow is in the thousands. So, providing food for four thousand people is something we can manage.”

“Great! Fantastic! Now no one has to die!” The soldier who had asked the question exclaimed with excitement, and the others were equally delighted. They had been among those closest to death just moments ago, but now a burning hope had reignited within them. Wang Dahua and his group were among them, and Wang Dahua, full of energy, shouted, “Zhuo Long, you folks from Three Thousand Food House are truly good people!”

Zhuo Long smiled but didn’t say anything. One of Wang Dahua’s team members asked, “Zhuo Long, how did you find us? Our leader and the team sent out to find supplies had all lost contact. How did you locate us?”

“Well,” Zuo Long looked ahead, “it’s a secret technique unique to Three Thousand Food House. Others can’t use it.”

“But rest assured, you won’t lose contact if you follow me. I can find the way!”

The soldiers weren’t concerned. “Good! We’ll follow Zhuo Long!”

So, how had Zhuo Long found this group of soldiers?

In fact, it was quite simple. Three Thousand Food House employees were divided into eight directions from the Three Thousand Food House as the center. They searched for these soldiers and, if found, they returned. If they hadn’t found them and the spatial energy was about to run out, they’d eat something before returning.

For them, there was no possibility of getting lost. Three Thousand Food House was like a lighthouse in the darkness, emitting a constant, bright light. Plus, with Three Thousand Food House snacks, as long as they didn’t encounter the Stonekin, they were safe.

Zhuo Long had used this method to locate these soldiers. Now, he just needed to remember the direction relative to Three Thousand Food House from where they were. Even though the piles of broken stones on the road kept changing, as long as he maintained the right direction, he could find these soldiers again

Author’s Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solutions between 2020082815:15:16~2020082915:00:38

Thanks to the little angel who dropped landmines: White Peach Oolong Duck – 1 landmine.

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated me with nutrient solutions: Shadow Grass – 15 bottles, Rathcesia9310 – 10 bottles, Pickled Vegetables – 7 bottles, Dawn Starry Sky – 3 bottles, Shi Tian, Rgmau – 1 bottle each.

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”