Yu Ziqing walked past the path outside the village, standing amidst the heavy snow, slightly tilting his head to watch those precious fireworks blossom across the sky. At this moment, he really felt like smoking a cigarette, purely because the atmosphere was right.
Old Yang had said more than once that being a cultivator was a high-risk occupation, with a mortality rate much higher than that of mortals, and now Yu Ziqing had witnessed it firsthand.
Those who could use Escape Skills to fly high in today's wilderness were at the very least Third-tier Qi Refining cultivators. It was possible for Second Tier ones to fly with the aid of some special Magic Artifacts, but the consumption was too great. They wouldn't use it unless necessary, and certainly not to exhaust a large amount of strength to fly around during a fight.
The cultivators taking other paths weren't much different.
Oh, except for Body Cultivators, to be more specific, those who solely practice Body Refinement.
Body Cultivators who also practice Qi Refinement were similar to Qi Refining cultivators, but those who strictly focus on Body Refinement would need to reach at least the Fourth Tier before they could rely on some Magical Treasures to fly, and even then, their speed wouldn't be as fast as if they were running on the ground. Only when they reached the Sixth Tier might they possibly fly as well as those using Escape Skills...
The path of Body Refinement wasn't well-regarded, partly due to a sense of achieving strength in all areas.
Yu Ziqing had little obsession with flying; he always felt that powerful individuals flew because they had the confidence, whereas the weak flitting about in the sky seemed akin to moving targets, giving one a sense of insecurity.
After watching outside for a while, and when the fireworks display in the sky had finished, Yu Ziqing silently estimated that at most forty-eight cultivators of at least Third-tier Qi Refinement had Fallen in this exchange.
Furthermore, considering he could still see the fireworks despite the heavy snow, and taking into account the enhancement in his vision since he began Body Refinement, the location of the battle was likely within two hundred li of the mine.
It was very close.
Instead of continuing to be a weakling, he chose Body Refinement, and now, it seemed somewhat wise.
He couldn't bet that the battle wouldn't affect the village, nor could he gamble that in the increasingly chaotic situation, no one would target the village under the guise of confusion.
Turning around and walking past the Despair Abyss, a new cycle was just beginning. When Yu Ziqing brushed past that lure woman and the few Cannibals, a sudden irritability rose in his chest.
Moved by emotion, he threw a punch, and the Qi-Blood inside his body automatically surged, the intense Yang energy mixing with the irritability that arose in Yu Ziqing's heart, punched through one of the Cannibals.
In the past, they were all intangible illusions, untouchable, only watchable.
But today, Yu Ziqing distinctly felt that he actually touched something when he threw his punch.
The Cannibal he hit began to distort like it hadn't loaded properly, flickering in place and the operation of the entire Despair Abyss halted at that moment.
All the illusions stood still, motionless.
Yu Ziqing paused momentarily, then tried to punch another Cannibal. This time he felt nothing, his body passed through the illusion with no impact whatsoever.
Yu Ziqing looked down at his hands, recalling the sensation of that casual punch, tried a few more times to no avail, and could no longer reproduce the same feeling as that punch.
He turned to look at Cece on the hillside; she was standing still, unlike the illusions, which were stuck. She bowed to Yu Ziqing, wanting to say something but unable to speak.
"Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, I don't know how I did it either," Yu Ziqing said, his mood much improved, waving his hand from afar.
"Since there was a first time, one that could affect the operation here, there must be a next time, a stronger and greater impact. Who knows, maybe when I become stronger, I can punch through this place and rescue you."
After a few words, the stalled illusions began to move again, and everything returned to how it was before. Cece was dragged back into it, too.
Yu Ziqing walked out of the Despair Abyss, but his mood inexplicably improved a lot.
Even though he knew that the ability to affect the Despair Abyss probably wasn't largely related to his Body Cultivation, Yu Ziqing comforted himself anyway.
After all, other cultivators at the Second Tier surely couldn't do this.
...
Three days later, at a place one hundred li to the east of the village, the Fiery Flame Battle Riders of Dali were taking a tactical rest in a spot sheltered from the wind.
The muscular leader was gulping down flames-infused fierce liquor, glancing towards the west.
"If I remember correctly, aren't we not far from the Jinlan Mine?"
A young soldier beside him took out a scroll from his sleeve, waved it lightly, and the scroll unfolded, floating in the air. On the map, a light flickered, marking their current location.
"Sir, if we head west and slightly south, another hundred li and we will reach the Jinlan Mine. Do we need to make a detour there?"
The burly man glanced at his follower.
"Have your people from the Shadow Department found out what Daqian needs the Jinlan Ore for yet?"
The young officer, whose identity was pointed out, remained composed and said calmly.
"No, some of the new Magic Artifacts, talismans, Array Plates, Array Flags, and even some Pills made secretly by Daqian.
However, the people from the Lihuo Institute only found a small amount of Jinlan Ore in some low-tier Magic Artifacts. They found no trace of Jinlan Ore in higher-tier items.
They had long concluded that although Jinlan Ore was scarce, its unique properties meant it could only be used as a metal material for third-tier items, and only certain flying swords could benefit from a slight enhancement from it."
As the name implies, the Shadow Department was an organization established by Dali as an answer to Daqian's Jinyi Wei, just as the Lihuo Institute mirrored Daqian's Langya Institute.
This spy from the Shadow Department, who had been planted beside the muscular man, was a fact well-known to all. Now, being questioned, the spy promptly shifted the blame to the Lihuo Institute—a task of studying such matters wasn't the responsibility of the Shadow Department's personnel.
The muscular man understood all too well, and he curled his lip in disdain.
The Lihuo Institute might not compare to Daqian's Langya Institute, and that was a universally accepted truth. However, most of the time, the Shadow Department was considered nearly equal to Daqian's Jinyi Wei.
He was asking whether the Shadow Department had uncovered anything in Daqian's investigation. If nothing was found, that was just it. Why boast about achievements or pass the blame?
Places like the Jinlan Mine were not unique; it was just that this one was located in a particularly special geographical position.
Daqian was wealthy and powerful. Any material or item found would be taken back for research. If an immediate use was not found, or if there were better, cheaper, and more accessible alternatives, these would still be kept in reserve, never knowing what new discoveries might be made in the future.
But Dali didn't have such financial capabilities. Squeezed between Dazhen and Daqian, they were already struggling. Influenced by various internal and external factors over the years, the treasury was getting emptier by the day, and they could hardly afford to squander money carelessly.
Moreover, the argument that Dali should not follow Daqian's lead had become almost mainstream.
The muscular man largely agreed with these arguments but didn't quite approve of including the Jinlan Mine in them. The location of the Jinlan Mine was rather rare—a half-blessed land partially connected to the Wilderness and partially existing independently.
There were forces of Alien power breeding within, constituting a wasteland unsuitable for Cultivators to explore. Though such places couldn't be utilized, the materials produced were generally quite rare.
Even if the prices were higher now and the output was limited, only usable in some lower-tier Magic Artifacts, who could know whether there would be new discoveries in the future?
To give it up so readily, the decision-makers were truly foolish.
The muscular man could not help but feel dismayed, yet he knew he had little say in such matters. When it came to leading troops in combat, those above trusted him, but for anything else, his opinion didn't carry much weight. Voicing concerns would only invite mockery, and he couldn't well slay those who mocked him.
Glancing at the spy from the Shadow Department beside him, the muscular man pointed in the direction of the Jinlan Mine.
"Since we're passing by, and considering the timing, people from Daqian might be lurking nearby. Go scout ahead and see if there's anything to be found."
The task was merely to scout, and the spy had no ground to refuse. His infiltration was known to all, but officially, he was just an ordinary follower. When a commander issued orders, disobedience on his part could justly result in his death.
The scout, left with no choice but to comply, shrank his stature and gradually transformed into a phantasmal shadow that disappeared into the ground.
The muscular man's brow furrowed slightly; he really couldn't muster any fondness for these operatives lurking in the shadows.
"Let's keep moving and see if there's a chance to earn some military merit for the troops."
Moments later, as the troops moved on, wisps of phantasmal shadows rose from the ground, reconstituting the spy's human form. He emerged from the ground, took out a pen, and wrote in his notebook.
"General Gongze is especially concerned about the Jinlan Mine in the Wilderness, and as rumored, he harbors extensive discontent with our Shadow Department..."
After finishing his note, marking the time and place, the spy tucked away his notebook and once again turned into a shadow, heading in the direction of the Jinlan Mine.
He would note this down, but military orders still had to be followed…
Making his way near the Jinlan Mine, the spy suddenly stopped in his tracks from a distance. He peered out of the shadows with keen eyes towards the southeast.
A group of ghostly figures was moving silently across the snowy terrain, shrouded in a deathly aura. All were cloaked in white robes with hoods concealing their faces, and the one leading held a white lantern that floated three inches off the ground, guiding the group forward.
Suddenly, the group came to an abrupt halt. The white lantern in the leader's hand flared up, its slow rotation displaying a prominent "Settle" character, aligning with the direction of the spy.
The formerly deathly silent group seemed to come alive at that moment, their frenetic howls ringing out amidst the biting wind.
"As the Crimson Sun sets, the White Sun shall rise."
The howling blizzard seemed suppressed, and the bright white light from the lantern swiftly illuminated everything around, forcing the gloomy world to brighten suddenly.
At the same time, the shadows where the spy was hiding were also lit up, revealing his figure.
The ghostly figures, stepping through the wind and snow, quickly surrounded him.