B4C15: Nosedive

In a secret place that they have found,

Qin Yu is sitting with legs crossed quietly refining his jindan.

This late jindan contains a great amount of energy. It even has more energy than his body. Fortunately, he does not eat it directly like ordinary demonic beasts at all. Instead, he refines it using the Stellar Flame and in the end only absorbs the pure essence of it.

In Qin Yu’s dantian,

The Stellar Flame is continuously burning one strand of jindan energy after another. After a strand has been burnt to the utmost, the small amount of essence left of it is swallowed up directly by the swirling nebula in his dantian. The silvery grains contained in the many layers of the nebula then absorb this amount of essence.

……

Days have passed. By now the silvery grains in the nebula inside Qin Yu have become much larger than they were at the beginning. Suddenly --

A silvery grain unexpectedly splits in half like a broken stone. Afterwards, the other silvery grains start to split in two one after another as well. In only a short while, all of the silvery grains in the nebula inside Qin Yu have split in half.

Immediately, the silvery grains in the nebula in the dantian have doubled in number and their density in each layer of the maelstrom has increased by 100% too.

“The middle phase of the Nebula stage!”

At the moment there is a burst of ecstasy in Qin Yu’s heart because he has finally reached the middle phase of the Nebula stage. At Lei Mountain House, he entered the early phase of the Nebula stage right after succeeding in practicing the Stellar Transformations. But if he had kept practicing normally from then on, it would have taken him at least over 100 years to reach the middle phase of the Nebula stage.

However, on this journey, Qin Yu has fought quite a few demonic beasts and killed quite a few Jindan-stage demonic beasts. Because he had absorbed a good few jindans’ essence previously, after absorbing a portion of a late jindan’s essence just now, he has suddenly broken through the early phase of the Nebula stage and reached the middle phase.

The swirling nebula inside Qin Yu’s body now is densely filled with the silvery grains, each of which is moving in a circle. But Qin Yu keeps refining the energy of the jindan and absorbing its essence.

After an indefinite amount of time, Qin Yu finally opens his eyes.

“Xiao Hei has reached the middle phase of the Jindan stage too.” He looks at Xiao Hei, who is still refining a jindan. He is in no hurry so he sits with legs crossed quietly waiting. The more formidable a demonic beast is, the longer it will take for it to reach the next level in practice. However, demonic beasts’ true power cannot be judged by their appearance alone.

During the fight against Shen Yu, Xiao Hei was only at the early phase of the Jindan stage, but relying on his special skill -- the Flaming Lightning Attack -- he was able to beat a late Jindan Black Wind leopard directly. With his hereditary memories, Xiao Hei is really a very powerful demonic beast.

“Big brother,” Xiao Hei now has woken up. His voice, which rises in Qin Yu’s mind, sounds extremely excited too.

Qin Yu’s and Xiao Hei’s improvements in power have been very similar to each other and now they both have advanced one step almost simultaneously as well.

“Xiao Hei, let’s go. We’ll continue with the journey. I wonder how many demonic beasts there will be ahead of us.” Qin Yu and Xiao Hei leave this place of practice immediately and resume their journey. By practicing in the Wilderness, they have really progressed much faster than they would have by practicing in the habitable part of the Qian Long continent.

However, at the same time, the Wilderness is also much more dangerous. For example, if Wu De and Wu Xing encountered those 2 late Jindan Black Wind leopards, they would probably be done for. Moreover … there are demonic beasts even more formidable than Black Wind leopards in the Wilderness!

______

In Eternal House of the Imperial Palace in Ba Chu County,

“Master, everything is going just as you have planned. This time 200,000 armored cavalry troops of the Xiang clan have carried out several tens attacks. Various other army units have helped and cooperated with them. By now they have already defeated 3 cities of Lei Xue County.” Mister Lan says respectfully outside the beaded curtain.

On the glistening jade bed behind the beaded curtain, a vague silhouette is sitting with legs crossed.

“Oh, very good, from now on things must be done step by step. Don’t aim too high. How is the plan for the 2 Northern region counties going?” The Great Ancestor’s voice comes out. It obviously sounds very calm.

Mister Lan says respectfully: “Master, we’ve found a child of the Shangguan clan. This brat is totally obedient to us. The next step will be to kill Zhuang Jun.”

“Yeah,” the Great Ancestor responds indifferently inside. He then says no more.

Suddenly --

A green silhouette rushes in extremely fast from outside. At the same time, he says loudly: “Master, things have taken a nosedive. Master, things have taken a nosedive!” This green-clad middle-aged man is also a disciple of the Great Ancestor like Mister Lan.

“Don’t lose your nerve. Behave properly!” An ice-cold rebuke comes out from behind the beaded curtain.

The green-clad middle-aged man immediately stops then says hurriedly: “Master, things have taken a nosedive. Shang Que County has been defeated. Shang Que County has been taken!!!”

Bang!

A terrifying force surges out from behind the beaded curtain. In an instant, the curtain’s strings are all broken and its beads are sent flying outwards. An old man with flowing long black hair has already flown out from inside the room without any movements of his body. Eternal House is now put under a huge pressure.

With eyes glittering with coldness, the Great Ancestor stares doubtfully at the green-clad middle-aged man. Due to this, beads of cold sweat continuously appear on this man’s forehead.

“Tell me what happened again!”

The green-clad middle-aged man hurriedly says in a terrified voice: “Great Ancestor, we’ve just received the news that Shang Que County has been taken. Several hundred thousand troops of the Qin clan have completely stormed Shang Que County from the Southern region. Its few defending troops were basically too powerless to hinder them a bit!”

The Great Ancestor’s anger starts to surge. The air in his entire vicinity seems to begin vibrating.

“What was the Mu clan doing all that time?” The Great Ancestor asks coldly.

The southern part of Shang Que County is next to the Mu clan’s 3 Southern region counties and therefore it was only defended with 30,000 troops, which means it was almost totally defenseless. Who would have thought that there would be such a huge mistake in this apparently safest place?

“Mu clan? The Mu clan has switched allegiance to the Qin clan!” The green-clad middle-aged man says at once.

The Great Ancestor’s entire body shakes. In the blink of an eye, his face changes color several times. A faint smile then appears on his face: “Ha-ha … it’s quite something, this Qin clan. Our Xiang clan told the Shangguan clan to pretend to lean on it, but it had unexpectedly asked the Mu clan to pretend to sell out to us earlier!”

In almost a moment, the Great Ancestor understands everything.

This most loyal Mu clan must have sworn allegiance to the Qin clan sometime in the past. At the most crucial moment to the Xiang clan, it suddenly rebelled and breached Shang Que County’s defense at one stroke then entered this county.

Originally, with the support of the Mu clan, the Xiang clan also had control over 6 counties and half of the kingdom’s military power so it was still possible for it to fight back against the Qin clan. However, now the Mu clan has switched sides all of a sudden and has even thrown open the defensive gate of Shang Que County.

Thus, the Xiang clan is currently at an absolute disadvantage.

The Xiang clan basically does not know how many troops of the Qin clan there are in Shang Que County at the moment. This time, the forces that have stormed this county included 300,000 Black Water troops and 300,000 troops of the 3 Southern region counties so there were 600,000 troops altogether. With unstoppable momentum, these 600,000 troops have swept away all obstacles. All cities on their way have either surrendered or been defeated very quickly.

At the same time in the 2 Northern region counties, a 600,000 strong army group made up of the Qin clan’s 300,000 troops and 300,000 troops among the Northern region’s original 400,000 troops has started to attack Zhen Yang County.

“Ha-ha … Qin clan, you’re quite something. I admire you. But this has forced me to use the last move!” The Great Ancestor laughs out loud. Then, with a wave of his large sleeve and his robe fluttering, he soars directly into the sky from Eternal House.

Mister Lan and the green-clad middle-aged man exchange a look.

“Could it be Master wants to use absolute force?” The green-clad middle-aged man says in astonishment.

Mister Lan looks at the fading silhouette of the Great Ancestor and slowly nods: “When things have come to this pass, it’s basically hopeless to rely on the Xiang clan’s army. We can only rely on Master’s world-shaking power. I wonder what power level he has reached after nearly 1000 years. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.” His eyes flash with fervor.

“Master is getting into action, then …” The green-clad middle-aged man’s eyes are also filled with expectation.

……

Standing in midair, the Great Ancestor, who is dressed in black, suddenly calls down: “Your old friend has arrived, Wu De. Why haven’t you come out to meet me?”

The door of the house below him is pushed open. After looking up, blue-clad Wu De immediately flies into the sky like a meteor. He then comes up to the Great Ancestor’s face. After looking at the Great Ancestor carefully several times, he says emotionally: “Brother Xiang Yang, we’ve been friends for nearly 1000 years. Originally you were just a peak Xiantian expert while I had already reached the early phase of the Jindan stage. But now you’ve already reached the Yuanying stage while I’m only a peak Jindan expert.”

Xiang Yang is the West Chu Conqueror Xiang Yu’s son. When Xiang Yu died in battle, Xiang Yang took over the Chu dynasty. Afterwards, he became the de facto 1st emperor of the Chu dynasty. During his reign, he managed the Chu dynasty neatly and turned its kingdom into the number 1 country of the 3 countries on the Qian Long continent.

Xiang Yang has even more potential for martial arts than his father Xiang Yu did. While governing the kingdom, he also practiced. Later, he reached the early phase of the Jindan stage just like his father. He then abdicated to focus on practice in Eternal House. After so many years, he has already reached the early phase of the Yuanying stage.

In the hearts of the Xiang clan’s members, in terms of status, Xiang Yang, the de facto 1st emperor who made the Chu dynasty thrive, is even superior to his father, the West Chu Conqueror Xiang Yu.

“On the path of practice, each has his own good luck. Brother Wu De, maybe you’ll be able to break through the Jindan stage to reach the Yuanying stage soon. When this matter has been dealt with, I’ll give you some experience of my reaching the Yuanying stage, okay?” Xiang Yang says smilingly.

Wu De’s eyes brighten.

To reach the Yuanying stage from the Jindan stage, a Xiuzhenist must have some intuitive enlightenment. It is even more difficult to break through the Yuanying stage to reach the Dongxu stage. Every time he has to make a breakthrough, if he is not instructed by at least a senior, it is very unlikely that he will succeed by himself.

Wu De has left his school to practice alone so it is difficult for him to make a breakthrough. If he can obtain Xiang Yang’s instructions, things will naturally be much easier for him.

“Oh? Then I have to thank you, Brother Xiang Yang. I wonder what your matter is. If I can help you, don’t hesitate to tell me about it.” Wu De also knows that Xiang Yang cannot give him a benefit for no reason. Moreover, Xiang Yang is more powerful than him so it is impossible for him to refuse his offer either.

Xiang Yang slightly nods. At the same time he turns his head and looks to the east. His eyes flash with coldness. The cold air around his body starts to expand.

Wu De is secretly startled: “What does this abnormal fella want to do? His killing intent is too strong already.”

“Take a trip to the east with me. I want to have a nice chat with that Qin De. I’ve heard that he has just reached the early phase of the Jindan stage, right? An early Jindan fella and a middle Jindan stage Fengyuzi, humph humph …” There is a note of disdain in Xiang Yang’s tone.

An early Yuanying expert is on a totally different level from an early Jindan practitioner so naturally he looks down on Qin De a lot.

“Since you’ve asked me to, I’m certainly willing to accompany you on this trip,” says Wu De with a smile. Is it not only Fengyuzi? Going together with Xiang Yang, why would he still have to fear 2 midget Jindan Xiuzhenists?

Xiang Yang slightly nods to Wu De: “Then let’s go!”

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Yang and Wu De flies eastwards extremely fast side by side. Their black robe and blue robe flap in the winds. The 2 super experts are rushing east directly!

______

In the Wilderness,

Qin Yu and Xiao Hei are going extremely fast through the Wilderness. On the way, many relatively weak demonic beasts basically do not dare to approach them. They have successively been attacked by a late Jindan Violent-Eyed bear and a late Jindan Blood-Red wolf but have handled these demonic beasts with ease.

After resting for a night, Qin Yu and Xiao Hei continue to hurry on their journey.

“Xiao Hei, this prairie is so big.” Qin Yu suddenly stops and looks ahead. A huge prairie has appeared before him. He has never seen such a huge prairie, which seems boundless at first sight.

Xiao Hei is also amazed.

“Big brother, no matter how large it is, let’s just go on.” Xiao Hei says while looking at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu nods: “Let’s go!”

The 2 of them instantly start to go through the prairie. Even though it looks like they are running on it, in fact they are flying, only that the distance between them and the ground is only about a half meter. The prairie’s local grass is very high and the feeling of going on it at high speeds is really not bad.

“This prairie’s demonic beasts are pretty strong.” Qin Yu’s holy sense totally covers the area within several tens kilometers of him.

“They’re just so-so. After such a long time we’ve only seen an early Jindan demonic beast. It also ran away before coming close to us.” Xiao Hei says via his holy sense. Obviously he feels a lot of scorn for ordinary demonic beasts.

The longer Qin Yu and Xiao Hei fly, the more they marvel at the enormousness of this prairie. It must be at least several thousand li in length.

They have been going for a very long time without any misgivings. The feeling of flying 1000 li without a break is not bad indeed. Suddenly Qin Yu’s face changes color. He says urgently using his holy sense: “Xiao Hei, there’s something strange. There’re no demonic beasts within several tens kilometers in front of us!”

He stops abruptly. Xiao Hei also stops.

“Big brother, I have a bad feeling.” Xiao Hei has also noticed that there are no demonic beasts in front of them. There are not even any common wild beasts. It is really too strange that such a thickly grassy prairie as this one unexpectedly has a large area which is devoid of demonic beasts.

Qin Yu frowns and says: “There’re only over 10,000 li left before we can leave the Wilderness. If we go around this prairie to return, since it seems boundless at first sight, who can say how much further we’ll have to travel? Plus, this place isn’t deep in the Wilderness so there shouldn’t be any overly tough demonic beasts here. Why should we worry?”

“That’s right. Why should we worry? We’ve even run into a Yuanying Golden Flame eagle. What’s there to worry about?” Because of his innate pride, Xiao Hei does not care about danger in the slightest.

“All right, let’s go!”

Qin Yu and Xiao Hei continue to stick to the prairie. They start to go ahead through that demonic-beast-free area of it.

End of b4c15.