The City Lord's Mansion, backyard.
Two men in black walked in, then respectfully bowed to the strong figure by the pond.
"Greetings, City Lord."
The strong figure slowly turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two. His square face was adorned with a messy beard, and his right eye was covered by a black eye patch, leaving only his left eye visible.
"What, has the front line urged the Beast Suppression Army again?"
"Indeed, a message came last night, asking our Huanghai Road to speed up. The front line should be making a big move soon."
Feeling the strong figure's gaze fall upon them, the two men in black lowered their heads. The tall, thin figure among them respectfully said.
In the entire Huanghai Road, the strong man before them was the uncrowned king. In fact, throughout Northern Yan and even Southern Qi, probably no one was unaware of the name of Hanhai City Lord Xiahou Qi.
A genuine Grandmaster, among the Grandmasters in Northern Yan, he was definitely one of the top-ranked.
"Is that so? They're quite urgent."
Xiahou Qi chuckled softly.
"Since that's the case, then just speed up. Lu Mei, you two can handle this kind of thing yourselves."
"Your subordinates obey, but during this period, many small and medium-sized forces have noticed something is amiss and are trying to band together with Sea Moon Sect and Nine Stars Gate, so your subordinates..."
Lu Mei spoke with some hesitation.
"Sea Moon Sect, Nine Stars Gate?"
Hearing this, Xiahou Qi scoffed.
"Don't worry about it, just go directly and demand them. Tell those two old fellows that it's my intention, and to dispel any improper thoughts as soon as possible, otherwise I don't mind making a trip myself."
"Yes, your subordinate understands."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mei immediately nodded in agreement, a relaxed expression appearing on his face.
"During this time, has anything noteworthy happened in Huanghai Road?"
Xiahou Qi suddenly asked.
Lu Mei seemed to have anticipated this question and quickly replied.
"There was a tidal surge in Shuidong Prefecture, and two coastal counties suffered significant damage. Someone saw the figure of Cangming Bony鳌 appear. Additionally, in the far ocean waters of East Sea Prefecture, a Yao Beast that hasn't been seen before seems to have appeared, likely attracted by some suicidal merchant fleet."
"Oh, another Yao Beast has appeared? Is it a Dragon species?"
Xiahou Qi seemed somewhat interested and asked.
"This, according to the intelligence your subordinate received, it should not be a Dragon species Yao Beast." Lu Mei shook his head respectfully, though his heart was somewhat uneasy.
He knew very well that the City Lord was always quite interested in Dragon species Yao Beasts. Among the Yao Beast-level sea beasts that had appeared in Huanghai Road over the years, almost all those with Dragon Bloodline had been captured by him.
"It's not? What a pity."
Hearing that it wasn't what he wanted, Xiahou Qi immediately lost interest.
"Alright, since there's nothing else, you may go."
He waved his hand, signaling that the two could leave.
"Your subordinates take their leave."
Lu Mei and the other man bowed again and were about to depart, but they were stopped just a few steps away.
"Wait."
Lu Mei and the other man immediately stopped, turned around, and returned.
Xiahou Qi had, at some unknown point, acquired a vermilion little bird in his hand, which he was gently stroking in his palm.
The little bird seemed to be greatly enjoying it, its two jewel-like eyes narrowed.
It kept chirping crisply.
The moment they saw this little bird, Lu Mei and the other man's hearts stirred, wondering what this little bird represented.
This was a Scarlet Blood Sparrow, a special communication Spirit Beast cultivated by Tianhong Pavilion.
It was basically only used by Tianhong Pavilion and the front lines. Its appearance here at this time clearly indicated that something had happened.
"Oh? Dark Star? Have these rats jumped out again?"
Xiahou Qi had a faint smile on his face, teasing the little bird, listening carefully to its crisp chirps, his gaze falling on Lu Mei and the other man who had returned.
"Lu Mei, you two have the dark agents investigate whether Dark Star has made any moves recently. Don't let any slight disturbance go unnoticed, especially check the Crimson Crystal Mines in various prefectures."
"Yes, City Lord."
Although Lu Mei and the other man were somewhat confused, they nodded without hesitation and hurried away.
There was no significant delay, and after only half an hour, Lu Mei had already hurried back.
"City Lord, during this period, Crimson Crystal Ore has indeed been secretly mined. It's the Crimson Crystal Ore from East Sea, Heluo, and Shuidong Prefectures."
"Interesting. It seems these rats are getting bolder and bolder." A cold glint flashed in Xiahou Qi's single eye.
"Put the Beast Suppression Army matter aside for now. Find out the whereabouts of these Crimson Crystal Ore for me. As for those rats, leave none alive."
"Your subordinate understands."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mei's heart tightened, and he immediately responded.
To be prioritized above the Beast Suppression Army, it was clear that this matter was very unusual.
Watching Lu Mei disappear into the courtyard, Xiahou Qi toyed with the little bird in his hand, his single eye flickering, as if deep in thought.
Then he sneered.
"How audacious. It's been a long time since I've moved, so this seat will make a trip. It's time to teach these rats a lesson..."
As his voice fell, his figure had already vanished from the courtyard, and along with him, the strange sea snake in the pond also disappeared.
Outside Hanhai City.
Xiahou Qi's figure was like a ghost, taking one step and spanning a hundred meters. In just a few breaths, he was far from Hanhai City.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he was already a thousand li away from Hanhai City.
In a dense forest, Xiahou Qi's rapidly moving figure suddenly stopped.
A playful smile appeared in his single eye, and he sneered.
"Since you're already here, why hide? Are you rats so afraid to be seen?"
"As expected of the Hanhai City Lord, it truly couldn't be hidden from you after all."
A deep sigh came from the dense forest.
Two figures slowly emerged.
A middle-aged woman dressed in green robes, holding a whisk, resembling a Daoist nun, and a strong, imposing man with a Dragon-like stride and Tiger-like steps.
The two stood side by side, blocking Xiahou Qi's path.
"Yu Mian Chan, and Luo Yin, tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect it to be you two."
Seeing the two who suddenly appeared, Xiahou Qi's gaze lingered on the middle-aged Daoist nun for a moment, then fell on Luo Yin.
"It seems Xiang Kong is truly foolish, still waiting in Tiannan Prefecture to catch a turtle in a jar, not expecting that people have already arrived here..."
"If not for that, how could we have hidden it from you, Long Mo Xiahou Qi..."
Luo Yin stood with his arms crossed, smiling at the strong figure opposite him. On either side of him, fierce blood Qi Tigers and giant elephants had already materialized, seemingly ready to charge out at any moment.
"I've long heard of your reputation and have always wanted to experience the rumored Heavenly Gang Demonic Technique..."
"It seems the news is true then, colluding with Southern Qi. Unfortunately, you'll only burn yourselves in the end. The two of you aren't qualified enough to keep me here..."
Xiahou Qi tilted his head, looking at Luo Yin with interest, and spoke indifferently.
"Indeed, we don't have the confidence to keep you, but merely repelling you will be enough..."
The middle-aged Daoist nun, Yu Mian Chan, who had remained silent, spoke coldly.
The whisk in her hand slowly unfurled, and the formidable aura of a Transforming Void Grandmaster emanated from her.
Seeing this, Xiahou Qi stretched his neck. From within his wide sleeves, three strange sea snakes emerged, circling around him.
"Dragon Beard Teng Snake? Xiahou Qi, these three worms are useless against us."
Yu Mian Chan saw the strange sea snakes and felt an indistinct sense of unease, frowning.
"They are indeed useless against you, but I wonder if they will be useful against your Blazing Star Envoys, and if I'm not mistaken, your Essence Transformation seeds?"
Xiahou Qi's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
The next moment, the three sea snakes had already shot into the sky, their speed so fast that they were completely on par with a Divine Transformation Realm.
"No good, stop them!"
Yu Mian Chan quickly realized something, her expression slightly changing. The whisk's green threads in her hand surged, shooting towards the three sea snakes.
However, they quickly slowed down. Xiahou Qi's body emanated a nearly tangible crimson Qi, almost engulfing the entire dense forest. The whisk's green threads moved sluggishly within the crimson Qi, as if deeply mired in a swamp.
Roar--
The crimson fierce tiger and giant elephant phantoms beside Luo Yin lunged out.
But they were also blocked by Xiahou Qi. A crimson Dragon-shaped phantom emerged behind him, blocking the fierce tiger and giant elephant.
Xiahou Qi's smile widened. He tore off his black eye patch, revealing a crimson vertical pupil in his right eye.
"Come on, let me see what you're capable of."
As his voice fell, large crimson scales had already appeared on his body, making him look like a half-Dragon, half-human monster as he charged towards Luo Yin and the other man.
In an instant, he was upon the two, his terrifying attacks continuous like a surging tide.
Yu Mian Chan and Luo Yin's expressions were somewhat grim, but they had no time to spare for anything else. They could only watch helplessly as the three sea snakes disappeared from sight.
*
*
East Sea Prefecture.
Towering mountains stretched endlessly.
On the rugged mountain roads, carriages sped by.
The tall, thin figure leading the way had a cold expression, constantly surveying his surroundings. It was Shui Zhi, and beside him was Bai Can, wearing a smile.
At this moment, the original horned horses beneath the two had disappeared, replaced by black-striped Vicious Beasts resembling wolves and tigers, emanating the formidable aura of high-grade Spirit Beasts.
Not only them, but the horned horses of the carriages behind them had also been replaced by slightly smaller black-striped Vicious Beasts.
From their aura, they were not as powerful as the Vicious Beasts ridden by the two, but judging from the aura they emitted, they were definitely among the top initial-grade Spirit Beasts.
They moved lightly and swiftly through the mountain paths, making no sound.
Even the wheels of the carriages they pulled had been specially treated, so they didn't appear particularly bumpy even on such rough mountain roads.
Inside the central carriage, Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes and let out a heavy breath.
His clothes were already soaked with sweat, and at this moment, his body was limp like mud, slumped in the carriage.
However, in a few breaths, his body gradually swelled, as if his limp body had found support again, quickly returning to normal.
His somewhat pale complexion also quickly regained its rosy hue.
With a surge of Qi and blood, his clothes instantly dried.
As he stretched his neck, a series of crisp bone cracks immediately emanated from his body.
"Bone crushing, bone crushing, what a 'crushing' word..."
After a long while, Lin Sheng finally muttered to himself.
For the past two days, he had basically been cultivating Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange, and the frequency was much higher than before.
At this moment, ninety percent of the impure blood in his bones had been removed, and he was only one step away from complete removal.
However, this last step was also the most difficult. According to his estimation, it would require crushing his bones over a hundred more times.
Although he had been enduring intense pain these past few days, the gains were not small. The wisp of pure energy coiled in his Dantian had also grown much stronger.
With just one last step, the bone-crushing stage would be a complete success.
After the bone crushing was complete, it would be the second stage, bone tempering.
This step involved digesting that wisp of pure energy and reshaping the bones.
Completing the bone tempering would mean successful bone exchange, and his physical body would receive another boost.
As for the extent of the improvement, he didn't know, but judging from the improvement in the Yi Pi Realm back then, the second Realm, Bone Exchange, would definitely be no less, and likely even greater.
Lin Sheng's face showed a hint of anticipation.
After eating a few pieces of Spirit Beast jerky and resting, he didn't immediately resume cultivation. Instead, he stepped out of the carriage to look at the continuous mountain ranges outside.
"Where are we now?"
"Young Master, we have already reached the border of East Sea Prefecture. This should be the Lesser Yuan Mountains."
"Across these Lesser Yuan Mountains is where Nanli Prefecture is located."
Outside the carriage, Nong Yu respectfully said.
"Are we already reaching Nanli Prefecture..."
Looking at the dense forest speeding by, Lin Sheng felt a little emotional.
Nanli Prefecture was already considered the front line of the war.
He could say he had heard its name for a long time, and originally thought it would be a long time before he came here, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
"I heard that within Nanli Prefecture's territory lies the Yuan Qi Mountains, the largest mountain range in both countries. How far is it from here?"
Lin Sheng suddenly asked.
"The Yuan Qi Mountains should still be very far from here, and I heard Senior Bai say before that this trip, following the border, should not pass through the Yuan Qi Mountains."
Nong Yu was a little puzzled by Lin Sheng's question, but still told him what she knew.
"I see, I understand." Lin Sheng nodded, saying no more.
He had always kept in mind this rumored mountain range, which was said to contain many Yao Beasts.
There were even rumors that there were terrifying existences beyond the Yao Beast level, significantly stronger than the Congyun Mountains of the past.
The variety of exotic beasts within was as numerous as ox hairs, and similarly, it was incomparable to the Congyun Mountains.
Lin Sheng was basically certain that the Yuan Qi Mountains contained the mental and sensory Yao Beasts he needed.
"Yao Beasts..."
He murmured softly.
His current strength was much greater than when he was in Tiannan Prefecture, and he was completely unafraid even of a Late Stage Divine Transformation Realm.
If he were to encounter Gongsun Yuanzhou again, he was fully confident he could suppress him.
These Yao Beasts, which once seemed unattainable, might not be that strong to him now.
Yao Beasts correspond to Divine Transformation Realms, but Yao Beasts are generally stronger than Martial Artists of the same rank. Some exceptionally talented and powerful Yao Beasts even possess strength comparable to a Transforming Void Grandmaster.
However, those are a minority; most Yao Beasts only have the combat power of a Divine Form level.
High-grade Spirit Beasts were already somewhat insufficient for him now.
"It's also time to find some Yao Beasts."
Lin Sheng made up his mind. After this mission was completed, he would begin searching for Yao Beasts.
And that Phantom Demon Beast, the shock it gave him the first time he saw it was still fresh in his mind. However, from his current perspective, this Phantom Demon Beast was not considered very strong among Yao Beasts.
At that time, this Yao Beast was quite obsessed with him.
"After returning this time, perhaps I should first subdue this beast..."