For the past three or four days, Ji Xia had been keeping to his daily routine of handling state affairs, while spending the rest of his time secluded in his chambers, studying scriptures and diligently cultivating. Occasionally, he would spar with Ji Qianqing and Po Xian, both of whom had recently entered the realm of Divine Passage.
After a few days of solidifying their newfound strength, although neither Ji Qianqing nor Po Xian had yet inscribed divine seals on their spirit wheels, their power had already become formidable. Their spirit wheels were brimming with spirit essence, and under the operation of their wheels, the overwhelming flow of energy greatly enhanced their combat abilities.
What surprised both Ji Qianqing and Po Xian was that even though Ji Xia had not yet broken through the Heavenly Barrier, and his spirit wheel was still incomplete, his spirit essence was no less impressive than theirs. Thanks to the Great Snow Mountain, his cultivation seemed to be on par with theirs, if not stronger.
After ascending to the Divine Passage realm, a practitioner's spirit wheel would begin to manifest spiritual consciousness, even without divine seals. This allowed for heightened sensitivity of the five senses and quickened awareness, which were of great help in battle. But even with the advantage of spiritual consciousness, Ji Qianqing found that in combat, she could only barely hold her own against Ji Xia.
During their sparring, she discovered that not only was Ji Xia's spirit essence incredibly thick, but his physical body was also extraordinarily resilient, with immense stamina and strength. If she made even the slightest mistake in her swordsmanship, and allowed him to close the distance, she risked being defeated.
Po Xian had it even harder. His cultivation was focused on his palm techniques, which meant he had to fight Ji Xia in close combat. When Ji Xia struck him, it was as if the force had no effect on him, but every time Po Xian was struck by Ji Xia, he was sent flying several feet away.
Despite these challenges, the three of them were eager to continue their training sessions, as they could clearly feel their strength growing rapidly in the presence of such a peer.
After a long sparring session, just as they were about to leave the training grounds, Jing Ye arrived, accompanied by a black-clad soldier.
The black-clad soldier appeared travel-worn, with dirt covering his shoes, indicating that he had been away for a long journey.
"Your Majesty, General, the emissary sent to investigate Zhou Qing has returned," Jing Ye said, bowing first, with the black-clad soldier following suit.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia's expression immediately turned serious, and he asked, "Did you discover anything?"
The black-clad soldier kneeled on one knee, his head lowered as he replied, "Your Majesty, we have made a significant discovery. The three of us, under General Ji's orders, crossed over the Cangqing Mountains and quietly followed the main road toward the Chiyan Mountain. Before we could reach the mountain, we encountered many refugees fleeing south from Zhou Qing. They were dirty and looked numbed by fear. There was no military presence to maintain order. Under the cover of night, I captured one of the refugees. According to him, a heavenly punishment struck Zhou Qing City, destroying half of the city!"
"Heavenly punishment?" Ji Xia raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.
"Yes, Your Majesty. These refugees, as survivors, are terrified that another heavenly punishment may fall and are heading to the southern plains of Zhou Qing to seek shelter."
The black-clad soldier continued, "Why would heavenly punishment strike? It has destroyed half of Zhou Qing City."
Ji Qianqing, upon hearing this, couldn't help but feel confused. Although Zhou Qing City was not as vast as Taicheng, it spanned several miles. For half of it to be destroyed by some force must have been an incredibly terrifying power.
"According to the refugee, a large stone fell from the sky and leveled half of Zhou Qing City. Afterward, the stone mysteriously vanished," the black-clad soldier explained.
Immediately, Ji Xia thought of the scene recorded in the Great Fu Jade Tablet, where seven powerful Fu cultivators used their spiritual artifacts to manifest a giant rune hammer that crushed hundreds of three-headed beasts.
"What happened next?" Ji Qianqing asked, sensing that the black-clad soldier had more to say.
The soldier's face turned pale with fear, and he swallowed nervously before replying, "Your Majesty, General, after that, I split off from the other two soldiers and headed to Zhou Qing City, while they went toward Chiyan Mountain. I rushed as fast as I could and finally arrived at the outskirts of Zhou Qing City, where I saw…" His face grew even more terrified.
Ji Xia furrowed his brows and snapped, "What did you see?"
The black-clad soldier shuddered before saying in a trembling voice, "I saw three people dressed in black, controlling a giant octopus-like spider the size of a mountain. Under the moonlight, it was devouring the corpses scattered throughout the ruins of the city!"
"Half of Zhou Qing City had already collapsed. Countless debris, rubble, and dust were covering the bodies of Zhou Qing's people. The giant spider swung its sharp legs, which were covered in bristles, and struck with lightning speed. Every time it moved, it brought a few corpses out from the ruins…"
"Blood was flowing into the ground, forming a small river. The moonlight turned the spider's bristles red, and the scene looked horrifying!"
The black-clad soldier seemed to be on the verge of panic, his voice cracking, "I didn't dare approach any closer. I left immediately and returned here, hoping Your Majesty and General will forgive me!"
Ji Xia looked at the soldier, who had turned pale from fear, and shook his head. "You have done well bringing back this information. You have earned your reward. I will grant you three days off. Go to the Apothecary's Hall and get some calming herbs, then rest at home."
The black-clad soldier quickly withdrew.
Ji Qianqing and Po Xian exchanged glances. Ji Xia's expression was pensive.
Ji Qianqing glanced around and asked suddenly, "Your Majesty, we haven't seen Lord Meng for the past ten days. Has he been dispatched on a mission?"
Ji Xia glanced at her and asked, "Do you know anything about the giant octopus spider that was the size of a mountain?"
Seeing that Ji Xia was unwilling to answer, Ji Qianqing stopped pressing the issue and shook her head.
Po Xian also shook his head, then hesitated before saying, "The only major force involved with Zhou Qing recently is Great Fu. Could the giant spider be their doing?"
"Zhao Qu has told me much about Great Fu," Ji Xia replied. "Although Great Fu is known for massacring weaker races on a whim, the act of consuming corpses doesn't seem to align with their usual methods. They don't practice evil arts, and few of them keep demon beasts."
He rubbed his brow and added, "However, the massive stone that fell from the sky must have been caused by a Great Fu expert. Zhou Qing must have angered them in some way."
Ji Qianqing nodded in agreement. "It's not uncommon for upper-tier races to wipe out weaker ones as if it were nothing. Zhou Qing's population was decimated by Great Fu, but they didn't dare protest. Maybe they moved their troops stationed in the Cangqing Mountains to expedite the mining of Chiyan Stones to appease Great Fu."
The cruelty of the Endless Wilds was evident. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered, their bodies left to rot, yet the rulers of Zhou Qing dared not voice any complaint, only to scramble in an attempt to please Great Fu.
"No matter the reason behind Great Fu's anger, the deal between Zhou Qing and Great Fu that once weighed heavily on Taicheng is most likely void now. Given the nature of these great nations, if they're offended, wiping out Zhou Qing is their mercy. Zhou Qing won't dare to demand the promised reward anymore," Po Xian analyzed coldly, a tinge of lament in his voice. While Taicheng and Zhou Qing were enemies, the two nations were of similar strength, and seeing one fall so easily at the hands of a stronger power stirred some sympathy.
Ji Xia exhaled a long breath and said, his tone turning from somber to lighter, "No matter the cause, that dark cloud hanging over Taicheng from Zhou Qing and Great Fu has now dissipated because of this event."
Ji Qianqing gave him a deep, thoughtful glance. "I wonder what secret lies behind Zhou Qing's provocation of such a colossal force."
Ji Xia's expression remained unchanged. "Perhaps."