310: Chapter 310 The Silent Swamp

Jingwu Mountain, the pavilion in the back mountain.

Jiang Qingyao asked, "Actually, you planned to participate in that wager battle long ago, didn't you?"

Shen Xingchen didn't hide it. "It just happened to coincide with the opening day of Ruins No. 007, and the wager is also related to the opportunity for me to advance to the Xiang Realm."

According to Old Man Xue, our world lacks the primordial Qi required to advance to the Xiang Realm, and only a small amount of primordial Qi exists within special secret realms.

This is also why it is so difficult for peak ninth-tier martial artists to step into the Xiang Realm.

Jiang Qingyao asked, "You… are you actually already starting to consider advancing to the Xiang Realm?"

Shen Xingchen looked into the distance. "This dark era has lasted for 300 years. That's long enough, and I want to end it a bit sooner."

People living in a peaceful era cannot imagine the hardships of a wartime era.

Some people even look forward to war starting because they cannot make enough money in a peaceful era, hoping for a reshuffle so they can profit from it. How ridiculous.

On the other hand, the people of this world are truly pitiful. That was a war lasting 300 years… with neither an end nor any hope in sight.

Jiang Qingyao said, "I just don't want you to carry everything on your own shoulders; it's too tiring."

Ever since that veteran named Liu Hero sacrificed himself, Jiang Qingyao could sense that Shen Xingchen was holding back a breath of anger, and that wanting to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again meant nothing less than slaughtering all the demons.

Shen Xingchen nodded. "Alright."

Jiang Qingyao said again, "If you are tired, you still have me to lean on."

…

Snowfield Dragon City, conference hall.

Yu Juezhi and Jiang Shuo sat on opposite sides of the long table.

Jiang Shuo spoke first. "Are you sure you really want to go to that Wuxi Swamp? No non-king-tier expert has ever come out of there alive."

Yu Juezhi said, "You know as well that Youji's power has been transforming. Without sufficient power, Snowfield Dragon City will fall."

Jiang Shuo advised, "With your talent, in ten… at most fifteen years, you can reach the king tier purely on your own!"

Yu Juezhi said in a deep voice, "There isn't that much time left. I've searched through ancient texts all these years just to get the news that the Authority of Taotie might be hidden inside Wuxi Swamp. I must go and try."

Although he had already half-stepped into the king tier, there was still a chasm-like gulf between him and the king tier, making it extremely difficult even to withstand a single blow from the weakest king-tier expert.

Jiang Shuo fell silent.

Yu Juezhi continued, "Previously, because Senior Zhou Xinghe didn't have much lifespan left, I didn't dare leave Snowfield Dragon City for too long. Now it's different; your existence has given me enough time to pursue the authority and strive for the king tier."

"Very well." Jiang Shuo sighed helplessly.

Yu Juezhi said, "I have nothing to prepare; I will set off this afternoon."

Jiang Shuo asked, "At least wait until the wager battle is over."

Yu Juezhi shook his head. "The rule of the wager battle is below the Xiang Realm; it doesn't matter whether I'm here or not. If I can successfully return this trip, Huaxia will hold three authorities in its hands, which will be no less than the demons."

Jiang Shuo frowned at this moment. "That king-tier who wields the Authority of Reincarnation has appeared."

Yu Juezhi was startled. "Which race does that demon belong to?"

Although it was tacitly understood that the demons held the four major authorities of Reincarnation, Divine Oracle, Distortion, and Daydream, over the past two hundred years, they had only ever heard of king-tiers for the latter three authorities.

For a long time, they believed that the demons had lost the Authority of Reincarnation.

Jiang Shuo: "Previously, an entity suspected to be of authority-level appeared in Yumo City. At that time, his form strongly resembled a human, so I had always been puzzled. But recently, Shen Xingchen encountered that authority-level entity again within our borders… That was when I realized that person is none other than the Lord of Scarlet, a Royal Class of the Three-Eyed Demon Spirit race, and his authority is Reincarnation!"

Yu Juezhi's expression changed drastically. "There is a king-tier demon within our borders!?"

Jiang Shuo explained, "The special nature of the Authority of Reincarnation causes him to constantly remain in reincarnation, with an uncertain identity—sometimes he is a demon, and sometimes he is a human."

"Does he have a clear stance? Has he been engaging in slaughter?" Yu Juezhi first pursued the question, then exclaimed, "How on earth did this brat surnamed Shen run into such an entity right within our borders?"

Jiang Shuo said, "As the worshipped deity of the Crimson Church, the Lord of Scarlet is inherently an extremely evil existence, except that he has never personally taken action and has barely even shown his face."

"Are we just going to let him stay within our borders like this?" Yu Juezhi asked.

Jiang Shuo said, "There are space-based weapons targeting the king tier within our borders. If the other party truly wants to provoke the bottom line of the higher-ups, they will not tolerate him."

"Space-based weapons…" Yu Juezhi murmured.

Space-based weapons were deployed in space, covering all areas except the demon territory.

This was mainly because the skies above the demon territory were obscured by demonic fog, making even satellite communication difficult, let alone conducting satellite strike positioning.

However, the power of space-based weapons was terrifying; a single ray attack was comparable to a full-strength strike from a king-tier expert.

Of course, the price was also steep. If weapons of this level were used indiscriminately, one-third of the power systems within the borders would be completely paralyzed, so they generally wouldn't be mobilized unless it was a matter of life or death.

Yu Juezhi cursed angrily, "What are the array experts within the borders doing? After all this time, they still can't research a teleportation array capable of transporting king-tiers!"

If such a teleportation array could be established, the security of both inside and outside the borders could be balanced, and king-tier experts wouldn't have to bitterly guard Snowfield Dragon City all the time without even being able to return home.

Jiang Shuo said, "King-tier experts possess their own rule worlds. If a teleportation array wants to move us, it is equivalent to transporting an entire world. How could that be easy?"

Yu Juezhi sighed. "I'm just complaining; I know it's not easy for them either."

…

Shangjing University.

A few figures wearing military uniforms appeared within the school.

These were soldiers from Snowfield Dragon City who had come to give lectures to the students of Shangjing University, mainly teaching battlefield survival, battlefield killing techniques, and the latest mutant types of demons.

A wave of exclamations rose from the student crowd.

"Wow, so handsome, and every single one of them is full of killing intent. They're completely different from the boys in our school."

"They are at least tier six; they must be soldiers born from the Twelve Elite Armies."

"What are the Twelve Elite Armies?"

"They are the twelve strongest corps of Snowfield Dragon City, including the Yulong Army, the Yanwu Army, the Xue Family Army, and so on."

"You mean the Xue Family Army where the very popular Young Marshal Silver Fox belongs?"

"Right."

Shen Xingchen had originally come to watch Senior Brother Xiaopang's second challenge against Liu Su. Before the battle even started, he noticed the commotion in the distance.

It was a group of twelve soldiers with a unique and spirited appearance, forming a scenery of their own within the campus.

Shen Xingchen only glanced at them, and just as he wanted to turn his head away, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Wang Xian!

When Shen Xingchen first arrived at Yumo City, that was the older brother who guided him. He was a pretty good person and exceptionally patient.

Wang Xian also noticed Shen Xingchen, and a trace of excitement appeared on his originally calm face.