Chapter 840: Eastpart City (1)
The world was spinning.
It was as though one was walking through the river of time itself. Darkness and light twisted and warped everywhere.
With a flash, Su Yu opened his eyes again. But everything around him seemed to have changed. The sky above was dotted with countless stars. It was neither day or night.
In the Allheaven Battlefield, night and day could be hard to differentiate. No sun had ever graced the sky above the Allheaven Battlefield. Rather, the sky was eternally adorned by countless twinkling stars.
Standing on the formation, some of the people were throwing up. Those who had visited the Allheaven Battlefield before were better off as this sensation wasn't something new for them. Su Yu was also doing fine as the teleportation wasn't able to put much pressure on his body.
While everyone was still blanking out from the sudden change of scenery, a voice rang out, "Line up and get your papers ready. Those who are here for military purposes will be prioritized."
Su Yu calmed himself and looked up at the starry sky. What a beautiful sky. He then scanned his surroundings, but he couldn't see anything apart from a seemingly endless sea of barracks. Countless armored soldiers could be seen patrolling the area.
Su Yu and the group of newcomers were all standing atop a massive formation resembling a trigram. To the front of them were several Mountainseas. These Mountainseas were the soldiers in charge of inspecting all the visitors. When traveling between the Human Realm and the Allheaven Battlefield, one would be subjected to double inspection. This was a precaution against any intrusion by the myriad races.
Su Yu could also feel countless waves of Sunmoon willpower sweeping through them. These Sunmoons did not perform a detailed scan on any of them, but even a surface scan was enough for a Sunmoon to notice anything suspicious.
"Are the Invincibles not inspecting us as well?"
Su Yu was unsure. It wasn't like his Perception Jade could detect the prying of Invincibles. At the moment, his Perception Jade was in a chaotic state as there were simply too many experts involved in the inspection. The jade was filled with so many dots that it might as well be completely useless.
Furthermore, the experts inspecting them were standing right in front of them. What was the point of looking at the jade?
Each of the experts conducting the inspection was clad in armor and a metallic helmet with a red feather on it. One of them loudly said, "Since some of you are here for the first time. I will give you a simple introduction.
"Most of the people coming here here can be grouped into three main categories. Firstly, they are deployed here to join the army by their respective prefectures. If you fit this criteria, report to your army directly after this. Do not run off somewhere else. Secondly, they are here to try their luck and gather some resources yet they are also too weak and lack the courage to travel alone. If this is you, go to the Allheaven Office later. There are plenty of people like you waiting for suitable team members over there. Of course, when you're there, the military will charge you a fee for the protection provided to you. At wartime, the military also has the right to conscript you into the army.
"Thirdly, the unaffiliated cultivators. The lone travelers. If you are one of them, you are not allowed to stay on the military base for long. There are some rest stops out there for you to rest, so you can make use of those places. You are not allowed to enter any military base without permission. Any trespasser will be killed."
At this point, the expert's tone turned cold as he said, "This is one of the headquarters of humanity in the Allheaven Battlefield. This place is mainly for the military. You are not allowed to stay here for long. Not far ahead of this base, there is a small city. There, you can rest, buy, or sell. None of you are allowed to set up camp near the headquarters. You may enter the city if you need rest."
After listing a long list of rules, an intense burst of light erupted from the eyes of the expert as he scanned the crowd of newcomers. H coldly said, "And lastly, you are not allowed to fight among each other here. It doesn't matter if you are enemies. If you really want to kill, go beyond the front lines. Once you're out of our territory, you may do whatever you want. Beyond the Vanguard Regiment's encampment, even if you kill each other, nobody will care."
After going beyond the Vanguard Regiment's encampment, they would officially step out of the territory under humanity's control. Humanity would no longer have any say there as the other races would be the ones in control outside the human territory.
Naturally, despite laying claim over the entire eastern sector, the eastern sector was still too large for humanity to effectively control. After spending some time listing out the rules of the place, the soldiers continued the inspection.
Su Yu focused but couldn't sense anyone examining him in detail. He wondered if Great Qin King was simply not around or if weaklings like them were simply not important enough to warrant the king's attention. There was also the possibility that he had simply failed to sense anything when Great Qin King was scanning the newcomers.
In any case, Su Yu had not felt anything. Great Qin King was supposed to return to the headquarters today to reward some soldiers. Su Yu wondered if Great Qin King was already here.
Coincidentally, someone among the crowd softly asked, "Sir, I heard Great Qin King will be inspecting the headquarters today. In fact, we have chosen to come today just so we can witness his splendor..."
With the metallic helmet the military official was wearing, one couldn't see his expression. But from the tone of his voice, one could tell that he had brightened up considerably as he said, "Do you think that Great Qin King will walk around shining like the sun when inspecting the headquarters? Perhaps he's already in here. You have simply not noticed him."
The crowd felt somewhat regretful. They really wanted to take a look at the renowned Great Qin King. That was someone who had watched over the entrance to the Human Realm for nearly four hundred years. He had never stopped guarding humanity since a connection was established between the Human Realm and the Allheaven Battlefield.
The other Invincibles would be rotated in and out of the Allheaven Battlefield, but Great Qin King wouldn't. His presence was so important that just by leaving, he could cause the army morale to drop. One could say that he was the most respected Invincible of humanity.
Su Yu was also regretful, but at the same time, he was also relieved. The absence of an Invincible would benefit him the most. Of course, he still wanted to see this legendary figure for himself. After all, this was the biggest pillar of humanity.
Unfortunately, Great Qin King was not strong enough to suppress all the other human Invincibles. Otherwise, humanity would have been united long ago and all those troubles in the Human Realm wouldn't have happened. Great Qin King was considered strong even among the Invincibles, but he wasn't strong enough to suppress everyone alone.
Before long, it was Su Yu's turn to be inspected. Those in front of him had yet to leave. All these people would be split into different groups. After the inspection, they would all be led away together.
The Mountainsea official started checking his papers.
After a moment, the official said, "Cui Lang, first-stage Cloudbreach, a weaponsmith from Great Ming. Not bad at all. The army is currently lacking weaponsmiths. Are you interested in joining the army?"
Su Yu shook his head, "No. I prefer my freedom. I still wish to travel more and see the world."
Since he was facing a weaponsmith, the official was quite friendly. He said, "Travel and see the world? Be careful lest you lose your head while sightseeing. You might not have your freedom in the army, but at least safety will be guaranteed."
At this time, someone else softly reminded the official, "Sir, Master Cui is on the cusp of the earth grade. Not long ago, he forged a weapon with seventy-two golden stripes."
"Hmm?"
That information was not available in the papers he was checking. Here at the Allheaven Battlefield, they wouldn't receive the latest news in the Human Realm immediately. Thus, the Mountainsea was quite surprised. So this was a pseudo earth weaponsmith.
This was the type of talent they urgently needed!
He hurriedly said, "If you're interested in joining the army, you may visit the Recruitment Office at any time. Even if you don't want to fully join the army, you can still freely accept some weaponsmithing missions from the Missions Office. This way, you can still contribute to humanity without joining the army. Naturally, you will be paid fairly for your work."
"Thank you. I will keep that in mind."
After going through the rest of the documents, the Mountainsea said, "This is not your first time here, but it has been a few years. You might not know how things are currently. The places that are safe back then might not be safe anymore. Before leaving, I suggest you spend some time in the city and gather more information."
Su Yu nodded again. This was a reminder given out of kindness, so he was more than happy to accept it. Furthermore, the truth was that he had never been here before. Cui Lang was the one who was here before, not him.
After thinking about it, Su Yu asked, "Is Prince Zhu Hongwen of Great Ming here as well? Do you know his current location, Sir? I wish to pay him a visit."
"Him?" The Mountainsea thought about it and said, "I'm not sure about that. You can try to ask around in the city. We aren't informed about the arrangements of the various armies here."
That was understandable as that was the type of information only the higher-ups would worry about. Furthermore, it was actually very rare for someone to come here just to pay some important individual a visit. Thus, most of the regular soldiers would not pay too much attention to the whereabouts of these important individuals.
Su Yu had not realized that even Cui Lang, someone whose identity he was borrowing, was actually quite an important person as well. He was a student of a Sunmoon and a weaponsmith. In terms of status, he was far above a large number of cultivators.
"Alright. Thank you again, Sir."
Su Yu said nothing else and joined the group waiting to be brought away. This was the group for all the lone travelers. They would all be brought into a city near the military base they were currently in. That city was known as the Eastpart City.
Leaving the city would be the same as leaving the main headquarters, or to be precise, the area labeled as the main headquarters. That was also when one would be officially considered to have departed the Human Realm. Thus, that city came to be known as the Eastpart City.
After leaving this military base, these people would not be allowed to enter again unless they were returning to the Human Realm. They also needed to go through a series of inspections before they would be allowed back. Back when Hong Tan was on his way back, this was where someone had attempted to stop him. Orıginal content can be found at novel⟡fire.net
Su Yu was unaware of that. Then again, he probably wouldn't feel anything if he found out about that. Mountainsea? What was so special about that? This place was filled with Mountainseas.
Nobody knew he would harbor such a thought. But he had seen and experienced too many things. He had met Sunmoons and even Invincibles before. And he had also seen a lot of Mountainseas before. Thus, his perception had skewed considerably, thinking that Mountainseas were nothing special. But the truth was that any Mountainsea would be among the strongest experts around everywhere.
There were only so many Mountainseas here because this was the headquarters and the location where the portal to return home could be found. In fact, as a weaponsmith in the Cloudbreach, most people would also consider Su Yu a top expert.
It was worth noting that there were even Infinite Strength cultivators in their group. A majority of them were Skysoars, and only a few of them were Cloudbreaches.
Chapter 841: Eastpart City (2)
While Su Yu was waiting to be brought to the Eastpart City.
Great Qin King had appeared in a nearby hall that was spacious and majestic. He was there to confer some awards to the soldiers who had excelled in their tasks. At the moment, Great Qin King was not as cold and strict as he usually was.
Clad in a green robe with his long hair, he managed to squeeze a smile out of his stern face. When facing these meritorious soldiers, he would always try to smile as a form of encouragement. Of course, most of the time, these soldiers wouldn't even have the courage to look him in the face. Most of the time, their minds would have nothing except excitement when they were in his presence. Thus, none of them had ever noticed Great Qin King's smile.
Earlier, Great Qin King had just finished conferring the awards when his eyes flickered. He looked behind him in the direction of the portal. Yes, there were numerous walls, objects, and formations in the way, but his gaze could pierce through all those obstructions. The scene before the portal appeared in his eyes.
He noted that a batch of newcomers had just arrived. That was no big deal as this was quite common. At times, Invincibles would inspect these newcomers when they were feeling like it, but they wouldn't do it for every batch of newcomers. They would only pay attention when the portal itself was shaking, signifying that an expert was passing through it. And for Invincibles, one needed to be at least a Sunmoon to qualify as an expert.
Great Qin King was only looking over due to curiosity after noticing a unique ripple in the many aura there. After scanning the crowd, his gaze landed on Su Yu. First, Cui Lang's face appeared in his eyes. But in a split second, Cui Lang's face warped to reveal Su Yu's original appearance.
"..."
Great Qin King was curious. A mere Cloudbreach was actually brazen enough to come with a disguise even though an Invincible might be present. As the strongest human Invincible, Great Qin King was able to easily see through Su Yu's disguise.
He listened to the ensuing conversation and saw Su Yu's papers. He thought about it and instantly realized something. Su Yu! How gutsy! Was he getting bored with the Human Realm? Was that why he was here?
Well, this might not be a bad thing. He had been getting into conflict after conflict in the Human Realm. It was time for him to leave the Human Realm and take a look at the real world. If he continued staying in the Human Realm, it would only be a matter of time before his mind became twisted.
Soon, Great Qin King tossed the matter to the back of his mind. If the kid was here, so be it. He wouldn't do anything different just for that kid. Here in the Allheaven Battlefield, geniuses had their own path to walk, just like how weaklings had their own path to walk. Invincibles were too important to be wasting their time protecting just one person. In fact, even Sunmoons were too important for such a job.
If one was so afraid of death, one should just stay in the Human Realm forever. Great Qin King also noted a vague golden radiance around Su Yu's body that was almost undetectable. He raised his brow. Was that...a treasure or something?
A key of inheritance? A treasure from a ruin?
Great Qin King pushed his gaze deeper. With a flash, the golden radiance turned into a steele. Seeing that, Great Qin King raised his brow and laughed with amusement. What a brazen kid.
Wasn't that the Character Technique Stele? Just how easygoing was Great Xia's multiple character faction to hand this stele to this kid? If Xia Chan was still alive and learned of this, he would probably end up dying from sheer anger.
They had actually handed such a valuable item to a Cloudbreach. And the Cloudbreach in question had actually brought it to the Allheaven Battlefield. Suddenly, Great Qin King frowned. He saw that something seemed to be resting atop the stele.
"I—"
Even Great Qin King had the sudden urge to give that damn kid a kick.
"That's...a soul devourer? Someone from the ancient race?"
Great Qin King's head started aching. He recalled that hundreds a year ago, a massive translucent furball had appeared out of nowhere during a battle between Invincibles. In a flash, a divine Invincible discovered with great indignation that all his characters had vanished. Even his sea of willpower had vanished. Everything had been eaten by that damn furball.
And next, that helpless divine was killed. That was probably the most miserable death an Invincible had ever suffered.
"Am I seeing things?"
Unfortunately, he couldn't push his gaze deeper as that would probably alert Su Yu's sea of willpower. There was no need to take such a drastic action.
"Sigh."
Great Qin King really wanted to kick that damn kid back to the Human Realm. How audacious. Why was he carrying that stele around when he was leaving the Human Realm? And why was someone from that ancient race here?
"Did Hong Tan catch this thing back then?"
That was very likely. That damn Hong Tan had the habit of capturing any random creature without any fear.
"It's probably fine. This little fellow must have run off a while ago. If the parents were going to search for him, they would have done so long ago. But there is no news of their appearance as of late."
After thinking about it, Great Qin King concluded that this wouldn't be too dangerous. This little fellow must have run off after the portal of his home opened accidentally. Then again, Great Qin King was personally not too afraid of this race.
He was a warrior, not a cultural researcher. He was a top warrior who could be ranked among the top even in the Allheaven Battlefield. He was confident he could defeat the big furball even if that fellow decided to show up.
But he was still feeling quite speechless. Su Yu was still so young, but during his first venture out of the Human Realm, he was actually carrying something so dangerous. After a while, he decided to remove his gaze from Su Yu. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel~fire~net
But after a short moment, he recalled something and looked at Chen Long, one of the soldiers in the room with him. He squeezed an awkward smile onto his face and said, "General Chen Long."
"Yes, Lord." Chen Long hurriedly replied with a look of admiration on his face, "This subordinate is here!"
"Relax. Don't be so stiff."
Great Qin King tried to flash a friendly smile, but it felt too awkward. He sighed inwardly and decided to stop smiling instead. Just look at the Sunmoons around him. None of them dared to look at him when he was smiling. All of them were constantly trying to look away from him.
When Great Qin King returned to his regular cold and strict expression, the atmosphere in the room seemed to have turned a lot lighter than before. The Sunmoons were busy grumbling inwardly that Great Qin King should really stop smiling in the future.
For some reason, his smile was one that could cause others to shiver. They much preferred his strict and cold expression. As someone who was bad at smiling, he looked exceptionally scary when he was smiling.
Despite his cold expression, Great Qin King's voice wasn't too cold. He said, "General Chen, over the years, you have performed outstandingly well in the military. You have also earned a lot of merit. From a regular soldier, you climbed into the position of a general in only about ten years. The current chief commander of the Devil Subduing Army is going to retire. Great Xia wishes to nurture Huang Teng into the next chief commander. I am not going to get involved in that. He can get the overall command, but I suggest that you try to get the position of head general. You are still better when it comes to actually fighting on the ground level alongside the other soldiers."
Chen Long said, "I'll try. My cultivation is still too low, but I'll definitely try my best. Huang Teng is very talented, but to be honest, we're also quite worried about handing the fate of so many brothers to him."
Many of the people in the room laughed upon hearing that. These warriors were all straightforward individuals. And Chen Long was right. Huang Teng might be strong, but he might not necessarily be good at leading and commanding soldiers. Just because one was talented in cultivation did not mean that one would know how to conduct wars properly.
Great Qin King smiled, but the smile vanished before anyone saw it. He said, "A pseudo earth weaponsmith seems to have arrived at Eastpart City. For your outstanding performance in your previous mission, I hereby grant you the permission to recruit this weaponsmith to your army. With him around, you will be able to provide better weapons to the soldiers under you."
"Pseudo earth weaponsmith?"
Chen Long's eyes lit up. He hurriedly said, "Lord...can I go now? Those bastards stationed at the portal will notify their respective teams soon. If I wait, a lot of competitors might appear."
Great Qin King laughed and nodded, "Sure. Go ahead. It's time for you to get an earth weapon for yourself as well."
"Thank you, Lord!"
Chen Long was overjoyed. Earth weaponsmiths were too rare. A majority of them would remain in the Human Realm. Only a small number of them would travel all the way to the Allheaven Battlefield. After all, each earth weaponsmith was regarded as a treasure of humanity. These people wouldn't be dragged to the Allheaven Battlefield rashly. All in all, there were less than twenty earth weaponsmiths split among the various human armies.
Less than half of the thirty-six prefectures had an earth weaponsmith serving them on the battlefield. For example, Great Xia only had a single earth weaponsmith. That sole earth weaponsmith would naturally not be serving in the Allheaven Battlefield. Even if Senior Chen wanted to come, Marquis Xia would not allow it. If the soldiers in the Devil Subduing Army needed weapons, they had to apply for them before waiting for their weapons to be sent over.
Of course, there were also several unaffiliated earth weaponsmiths in the headquarters. But those bastards would always charge a terrifyingly high price for each weapon they forged. But now, a pseudo earth weaponsmith had appeared.
In his joy, Chen Long even forgot his excitement at seeing Great Qin King. After taking his leave from the people in the room, he rushed out, hopped onto a large sky horse, and sped off.
After he left, someone said, "Lord, Chen Long is only a Mountainsea. I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the weaponsmith. Perhaps I should go as well?"
"You?" Great Qin King said, "Heavenly Forge's second student is serving in your army, right? Why do you want more weaponsmiths? The Devil Subduing Army is not too well-equipped. If they can get an earth weaponsmith, their combat power will increase. But what will an additional weaponsmith do for your army? Are you going to put him on an altar and simply worship him like he's your ancestor without giving him any work?"
"..."
The Sunmoons were left somewhat speechless and awkward upon hearing those words. What a pity.
One of them asked curiously, "Lord, who is it? Pseudo earth weaponsmith...is it the eighth student of Heavenly Forge King?"
"No." Great Qin King did not give much explanation. He said, "I'll be taking my leave. Cultivate hard. I hope to see all of you again in the near future for more great contributions to the human race."
After saying that, he vanished into thin air.
The people in the room finally exhaled in relief after Great Qin King left. One of them muttered, "Did Great Qin King smile earlier? I didn't dare to look at his face. I heard he's very scary when he smiles."
"Yeah. I didn't dare to look at his face as well. My leader was very bold, though. Previously, he was here to receive an award from Great Qin King and he actually looked at Great Qin King's face. He claimed that Great Qin King smiled at him. But I didn't even dare to raise my head earlier..."
"Same here. He even patted my shoulder once. I am going to mail this shirt back without washing it. I'll show my son how incredible his old man is. This shirt of mine is probably worth a thousand...no, I won't sell it even for ten thousand merit points!"
"How about twenty thousand merit points?"
"Sure."
The Sunmoon commanders laughed in amusement when they heard the conversation of these common soldiers. This was a bunch of crude individuals.
But these Sunmoons did not mind their behavior. They did not dare to say anything about Great Qin King, but it still felt quite good to hear others talk about Great Qin King. These ordinary soldiers would be fine as Great Qin King was very tolerant toward these soldiers who had rendered meritorious services.
After a while, one of the Sunmoons sighed and said, "There is one thing I don't understand. Since a pseudo earth weaponsmith is here, all of us should be allowed to compete fairly for him. Why did Great Qin King give Chen Long that advantage over us?"
"He might not succeed. Everyone, why don't we go and take a look? The number of skirmishes has increased as of late. We don't even need new weapons from this weaponsmith. Just having him around for maintenance and repairs would be helpful enough. As a pseudo earth weaponsmith, he's probably good enough to repair and maintain earth weapons, right?"
"That should be fine."
They left together. It wouldn't hurt to take a look. Perhaps they might even get lucky!
Chapter 842: Eastpart City (3)
Restore scroll position
At the same time.
Su Yu and about twenty other individuals were led away by a few soldiers. Since Su Yu was a pseudo earth weaponsmith, the Cloudbreach leading the soldiers was very polite. He maintained an amiable conversation with Su Yu as they walked.
"Master Cui, are you from Great Ming?"
"Yes." Su Yu flashed a wide smile and looked around before saying, "This place has changed since my last visit several years ago."
"Yeah, things have changed." The Cloudbreach said, "Things are a lot more strict as of late since the battlefield has been rather chaotic recently. Things are not that bad here in the headquarters. But further ahead in the frontlines, a lot of skirmishes have been happening. I heard that dozens of experts from the Vanguard Regiment perished not long ago. If you intend to go out, I advise that you don't stray too far from the headquarters. It's too dangerous out there."
"I'll keep that in mind." Su Yu nodded, "Sir, I heard that some new minor realms have appeared recently. Do you know where these realms can be found?"
"That...is something for the higher-ups to worry about." The Cloudbreach said, "Master Cui, I don't know. But the Heavenly Wave Army of Great Song that I'm serving at seems to have discovered a minor realm recently. Maybe you can take a look at the area our army is guarding? I can make the arrangements if you're interested."
Su Yu laughed, "Brother, this recruitment pitch of yours is quite unique. I only asked a random question, but you actually tried to send me straight to your army through that question."
"Hahaha!" The Cloudbreach laughed and said, "Master Cui. Since your identity as a pseudo earth weaponsmith has been exposed, more people will try to recruit you soon. Due to my low position, I won't be able to give you a good offer. But the various armies are urgently in need of more weaponsmiths recently. You can consider our Heavenly Wave Army if you wish to join one."
Su Yu nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. But I need to settle down first. I will probably be staying here for a bit before returning to the Human Realm."
"I'm glad to hear that." The Cloudbreach was relieved. Since there was a pseudo earth weaponsmith in front of him, he had to try his luck. Even if this weaponsmith was only willing to forge some profound weapons and do nothing else, it would still be very helpful for them.
***
At that point, Su Yu stopped talking and started openly looking around.
The Allheaven Battlefield was illuminated only by the countless stars in the sky. Due to the absence of a sun, it wasn't too bright here. But it wasn't too dark either. They were walking a special passage to the city, so he couldn't see too much here.
They walked for more than ten minutes at a rather fast speed before they exited the army base. Outside the walls, a small city could be seen about a dozen kilometers ahead of them. That was none other than the Eastpart City. It wasn't exactly a metropolis, but it looked rather prosperous. Even from about a dozen kilometers away, they could hear the hustle and bustle in the city.
Outside the base, Su Yu looked around again. He saw numerous roads leading to numerous different directions. A large number of pedestrians could be seen on these roads, and most of them were soldiers. Some injured soldiers who were returning from the frontlines could also be seen on these roads.
Earthdragons were everywhere, acting as the main transportation method for the people here. An earthdragon was the most practical mount one could get in the Allheaven Battlefield. One could also drive a car here. One could power a car just with source qi. But that was pointless as these vehicles were too slow and too easily damaged.
Su Yu also noticed some communication stations in the area. These were different from the regular communication stations in the Human Realm. The stations here worked for voice transmissions rather than digital communicators. Without these stations, voice transmission talismans wouldn't work here.
After a while, Su Yu nodded. At the very least, these stations showed that there was still a reliable communication method in the area occupied by humanity. The group went into a large carriage pulled by an earthdragon. They started moving toward the Eastpart City at a rapid speed.
In only a few seconds, the city was near. The city was akin to a boiling cauldron of voices. The city gate was bustling with activity.
"Victorious Battle Army, a second-tier army of Great Zhou is recruiting! Those at the Skysoar Realm and above are encouraged to apply! We provide excellent benefits to all our soldiers! Cultural researchers will be prioritized. Weaponsmiths, pillmasters, beast tamers, and talisman masters will all receive preferential treatment."
"Great Ming's Heavenly Dao Army is recruiting. If you think you can fight well, join us!" Fresh chapters posted on novel·fire·net
"Great Shang's elite army, Profound Fire Army is recruiting. If you're not afraid of death and are willing to obey military commands, join us!"
"The Devil Hunt Company is recruiting! We will go deep into the frontlines and hunt for devils. Is any warrior with at least 108 acupoints and 18 body forgings interested in joining? We don't accept weaklings."
"The Divine Butcher Company is recruiting. We will be hunting for divines and devils on the frontlines. We need warriors capable of unleashing the strength of five thousand acupoints or more. Anyone weaker than that need not apply."
"..."
All sorts of voices could be heard. Everything was new and interesting for Su Yu, but he continued maintaining a look of indifference, as though nothing could impress him. Right at that moment, someone riding a white sky horse sped over from behind them.
The moment the person on the horse noticed the carriage, he said, "Chen Long of Devil Subduing Army is here to draft Cui Lang into the Devil Subduing Army under Great Qin King's order!"
"..."
Su Yu was stunned. Someone from the Devil Subduing Army?
The Cloudbreach from Great Song who was leading the way heard that as well. His expression changed as he started scolding, "General Chen Long, don't run around with fake military orders. Great Qin King will never issue a forced conscription order."
That interaction attracted countless eyes from the surrounding people. Chen Long maintained the same expression as he loudly said, "Don't misunderstand me. Great Qin King said that the equipment of Devil Subduing Army was in bad condition. Thus, he sent me here to request for Cui Lang's help. This is not a forced conscription. But since Great Qin King has spoken, please come with me, Master Cui."
"..."
Some of the people around them started cursing under their breath.
Bullshit!
Suddenly, someone behind them laughed and said, "Chen Long, Great Qin King only told you to rope in Master Cui. But you're actually using his name to boss people around? How brazen."
Chen Long's expression did not change. He looked at the people in the carriage only to finally start feeling troubled. Which of them was Cui Lang? He didn't know Cui Lang.
And the people in the carriage were all quite weak. Excluding the soldiers who were leading the way, even the strongest among them was a Cloudbreach. And that Cloudbreach was none other than Su Yu.
Was that him? But that was way too young.
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. Someone from the Devil Subduing Army! He was worrying about how he should get in contact with his father. But now, someone from the Devil Subduing Army was right in front of him!
Also...he did not overlook the fact that this order came from Great Qin King! Numerous thoughts rose in his mind. Did Great Qin King send someone from the Devil Subduing Army his way because the king had seen through his disguise? Perhaps the king even knew who he was.
Su Yu had no choice but to think this way. After all, this was too coincidental. He had just arrived, but the king had sent someone from the Devil Subduing Army to him right after. Why was it not someone from a different army instead?
Of course, Su Yu did not reveal any of his emotions on his face. He replied lazily, "I'm not interested in joining an army. General Chen, please move on. I have something else I need to do."
It would be suspicious for him to agree so easily. After all, he hadn't even met anyone from Great Ming yet.
He smiled at the Cloudbreach from Great Song, and said, "I wish to take a rest in the city first. I'll be troubling you, Sir."
The Cloudbreach said nothing and hurriedly drove the carriage into the city. He had to first find a place of residence for Cui Lang. Chen Long was left behind with a gloomy expression. He turned to look at the newly arrived Sunmoons. These bastards!
He was already on the verge of success when these people interupted! Damn it! Now, he would probably need to pay a high price to recruit that weaponsmith. More importantly, he was poor! Great Xia was poor! The Devil Subduing Army was poor as well.
Despite his bad mood, he still rushed into the city. No matter what, he had to give it a try. Also, that weaponsmith was still so young. Was that really a pseudo earth weaponsmith? He decided to first look into Cui Lang's background and try to find out if Cui Lang needed anything. That might help in the recruitment.
The Devil Subduing Army had its own base of operations in the Eastpart City. The senior official stationed in this base of operations was none other than his big brother, Su Long. He was recently appointed to this position. He had applied for it himself since he was getting bored of staying in the military base doing nothing.
"I can take this chance to pay Big Brother a visit."
He went straight to the base of operations. As for the recruitment of Cui Lang, he would do it after gathering more information.
***
Meanwhile, Su Yu's heart was thumping rapidly.
Devil Subduing Army...and his father. Was his father in the military base? How should he arrange for a meeting with his father?
A year had passed. How was his father now? What about his cultivation level? Sigh. He used to be an Infinite Strength cultivator with only thirty-six acupoints. Even if he was already a Skysoar, Su Yu could defeat such an opponent with one punch. This was such a dangerous place for his father.
Chapter 843: Reunion (1)
The Eastpart City was bustling with activity.
After entering the city, the people of the group split apart. The Cloudbreach from Great Song followed Su Yu and politely asked, "Master Cui, where are you staying? Great Song has several houses in the city. The environment there is quite good. If you don't mind, you can take a rest in one of our houses."
Su Yu smiled, "Sir, you're too polite. Honestly, I might not have the time to forge any weapons during this visit. I can simply take a rest in Great Ming's place." The source of this content ɪs ⓝovelFire.net
The Cloudbreach felt regretful. He said, "In that case, let me send you over. It has been a few years since your last visit. A lot has changed. You might not be able to find that place easily."
"I'll be troubling you, then."
Su Yu did not reject the offer. The earthdragon started pulling the carriage toward their new destination. He could see numerous signboards hanging on the sides of the road.
Great Zhou Consulate. Great Qi Consulate. Great Xia Consulate.
All thirty-six prefectures had their consulates in the city. These consulates were meant to serve the lone travelers from their respective prefectures. Before long, they arrived at a large compound.
Great Ming Consulate.
It was massive and magnificent. Two golden dragon statues could be seen right in front of the main entrance. These were the sculptures of Zhu Tiandao's personal mount. In fact, each consulate here had its own unique characteristics.
But the term unique was no longer suitable to describe the Great Ming Consulate. This building looked more like the residence of a local tycoon. It was massive, magnificent, and surrounded by wide roads. In fact, just its main gate was already double the size of the other consulates.
Compared to Great Ming Consulate, Great Xia Consulate seemed more like the residence of a beggar. Basically, one was a building in the upper-class area while the other was a building in the slums.
Two soldiers stood guard in front of Great Qin Consulate. But outside Great Ming Consulate, eight soldiers were standing guard. They looked incredibly impressive. A more ignorant person would probably thought that Great Ming was actually the strongest prefecture of the Human Realm after seeing all these consulates.
Even the Cloudbreach from Great Song couldn't resist being shocked. He said, "Great Ming is truly...What can I say? When I came here a few days ago, this place wasn't this big. Why did they expand their consulate again? It's not like they get a lot of visitors here. Don't they need money to keep expanding the place?"
He was speaking the truth. Great Ming Consulate did not get a lot of visitors because the people of Great Ming loved staying at home instead of coming to the battlefield. For them, this was a place only warriors should visit.
As for warriors, they would be attached to the military most of the time. Very few of them were lone travelers. Meanwhile, Great Xia Consulate welcomed a lot more visitors, but it was actually much smaller than Great Ming Consulate.
Su Yu laughed. He wasn't surprised. He asked curiously, "Is the land here expensive?"
"Yes." The Cloudbreach explained, "This place is near the main headquarters yet is not a military base. It is also protected by the Invincibles due to its proximity to the military base. It basically offers a high degree of safety and freedom. Most long-term travelers of Allheaven Battlefield want to get a place of residence here, but the price of land and property here is terrifyingly high. A small building of about three hundred square meters is worth no less than three thousand merit points."
Basically, one would need to fork out at least ten merit points per square meter. Was that expensive? That was excessively expensive. One needed to kill three early-stage Cloudbreaches on the battlefield to earn three thousand merit points. But that would only be enough to buy a small building in the city. And without enough money, one could forget about getting a place of residence here.
The sight of the consulate left Su Yu quite speechless. This place was probably tens of thousands of square meters in size, right? Yeah. That was most likely the case. This whole building had probably cost them hundreds of thousands of merit points.
Including the other expenses, they must have spent millions on this building alone. Great Ming was truly rich.
No wonder Zhu Tiandao was always so generous when talking about money. He was completely unlike Marquis Xia who was eternally stingy. If possible, he would probably split a single merit point into two before using them, pretending like each half of the merit point was actually one merit point.
Right after the carriage stopped, one of the guards in gold stepped forth and asked, "Which lord is visiting? Do I need to notify the consul?"
Su Yu had a gentle smile as he replied, "I'm Cui Lang. Is Senior Brother Liu still the consul here?"
The guard appeared rather confused when he heard the name. But soon, he reacted, "Are you the recently advanced peak profound weaponsmith, Master Cui?"
The Great Song Cloudbreach said with an envious tone, "Master Cui forged a weapon with seventy-two golden stripes a few days ago. Your information is outdated."
This guard had only received news about Su Yu's advancement during his time in Great Xia. That was old news.
Su Yu did not even need to say anything else. The large gate swung open as a chubby middle-aged man walked out. With a hearty laugh, he said, "Is this Junior Brother Cui? Your name has been spreading widely as of late."
The chubby man wore a wide smile on his face as he said, "Junior Brother, it has only been a few years, but your transformation is truly shocking."
This was a Mountainsea, but he was acting very amicably.
Su Yu hopped off the carriage and said, "Senior Brother Liu, are you still the consul? During my previous visit, you promised to provide me with a divine beauty. I still remember that promise."
"Hahaha...cough, cough. Uhm...that was a joke! A joke! Don't take it seriously. If I were capable enough to get you something like that, why would I stay here as a consul?"
This chubby man with the surname Liu came from the Great Ming Cultural Research Academy. He had graduated many years ago. Five years ago, he advanced into the Mountainsea Realm. His current cultivation level was unknown.
Su Yu had asked Cui Lang about the Allheaven Battlefield before leaving. According to Cui Lang, he had a friendship with Consul Liu, but the two weren't close. After all, he was only a Skysoar back then. The only reason the two could befriend each other was the fact that both were the students of Sunmoons. But that was how things were.
Cui Lang was now a Cloudbreach and a pseudo earth weaponsmith. Consul Liu had heard of that, so he was exceptionally polite in Cui Lang's presence. "Junior Brother, you should have told me in advance about your visit. I would have sent someone to welcome you right in front of the portal. How could I let a stranger escort you here?"
"You're too polite, Senior Brother." Su Yu turned to face the Great Song Cloudbreach and said, "Thank you for everything, Sir. I will be staying in the Great Ming Consulate for several days so you can look for me if you need any help with your weapons. You only need to come with the materials. I might have some trouble with earth weapons, but profound weapons won't be a problem. I can forge you a profound weapon if you're interested."
The Cloudbreach was overjoyed as he hurriedly said, "Let me thank you in advance, Master Cui. If you need to go to the headquarters, feel free to contact me!"
After a short chat, the Cloudbreach took his leave.
Consul Liu said, "Junior Brother, you're too generous. Normally, a weaponsmith will charge at least hundreds of merit points to forge a profound weapon. At times, the price can even go as high as thousands of merit points. All he did was show you the way here..."
Su Yu indifferently said, "It's fine. That's no big deal. For me, forging a profound weapon is the same as casually swinging my hammer a few times."
Consul Liu couldn't help but raise his thumb upon hearing those words.
"You're truly different nowadays, Junior Brother. I'll be relying on your care from now on."
"No!" Su Yu lazily said, "Stop joking with me. Senior Brother, you must have profited greatly after so many years here. Just look at how big your waist has grown. Be careful lest I report you to the prefect."
"Please don't!" The chubby man laughed and said, "I didn't earn that much. In fact, I never took any of the funds allocated by the prefect. Just look at this place. All the money was spent here. Which consulate can compare against ours?"
Su Yu nodded and started walking inside while talking, "Yeah, yeah. I understand. This place is so big and nice. You can probably earn tens of thousands of merit points per year secretly renting some of the rooms out. Why would you need to resort to something as stupid as corruption?"
"..."
An awkward expression appeared on the chubby man's face. He switched to voice transmission, "Please, Junior Brother! Please have mercy! I didn't take any of the funds allocated by the prefecture! It would be a waste to let these rooms remain empty, right? In this compound alone, there are thirty-six buildings. I spent millions of merit points building this place up. I have never stolen from the prefecture. Nobody is as clean as me!
"I'm only renting twelve of the buildings out. I only earn about twelve thousand merit points per year, but I still need to take care of maintenance, wages for the staff here, and receiving important guests. After all those expenses, I don't even have much left for myself. In a good year, I would only have about two or three thousand merit points left."
Su Yu laughed, "Why are you using voice transmission? It's not like nobody is aware of this. Even the prefect knows this. He has merely been keeping silent about it. In fact, he even praised you before for being smart. Since all those rooms are going to remain empty, you might as well rent them out. I only found out about this from my teacher. I didn't notice anything during my previous visit."
"Heh..."
Consul Liu laughed. That was great to hear. As for whether he would really only earn thousands of merit points per year, well, Su Yu was sure that the real number was bigger. But he wasn't too bothered about it. He said, "Senior Brother, you need to get me a nice place to stay. There are no guests as of late, right?"
"Nope. Excluding the renters, me, and the staff here, there is only a Mountainsea here. He arrived several days ago on official business. He's an elder from the war academy. Do you want to meet him?"
"No. It's fine." Su Yu said, "Since he's here on official business, I won't be disturbing him. By the way, I heard Prince Hongwen is here. Where is he?"
"He's inspecting the army at the Heavenly Dao Army's encampment. He will be here in a few days."
The two conversed cordially.
The Great Ming Consulate was massive. They were within the Allheaven Battlefield, but there were actually elegant pavilions and gardens in this compound. There were also elegant bridges, streams of water, and fountains all over the compound. Even Su Yu couldn't resist cursing when he looked around. This was way too luxurious.
No wonder people were willing to fork out over a thousand merit points per year to rent a house here. In fact, the demand was actually higher than the supply. If Consul Liu did not put a limit to it, he could probably rent the entire consulate out. What a good businessman.
In comparison, Great Xia and the other prefectures seemed quite brainless. They only needed to invest several million merit points and they could easily earn the money back in about two or three decades.
For cultivators, that wasn't a long time at all. It was basically the same as getting someone else to pay for the place.
Chapter 844: Reunion (2)
After a short chat, Consul Liu said, "Junior Brother, I'll hold a welcome feast for you later. It's rare to see you here."
"No thanks. I'm tired from the long journey here." Su Yu shook his head, "I need to rest and recover. I also need to meet some people. I'm here for my advancement into the earth grade. I also need to gather some materials for my personal cultural weapon. I was so envious when I saw Teacher Zhao Li's weapon. That's an embryonic heaven weapon!"
"Sure. No worries." Consul Liu said, "Do you need me to stop the stream of guests that will be coming to see you? They're all broke so they won't be able to pay much for your services."
"No, don't do that. I will try to ask them for the materials I need." Su Yu said, "Don't look down on anyone. Some prefectures might be poor in cash, but they probably have a lot of treasures in their pockets. After all, these prefectures are a lot more active in wars."
"True." Consul Liu nodded as he listened. He was a Mountainsea expert, but he was incredibly humble. It was understandable as Cui Lang was currently extremely famous. And the moment he completed his advancement, not even Consul Liu would be qualified to act tough in front of him.
Consul Liu said, "Our very own Heavenly Dao Army and Iron Cavalry might come to see you as well. It would be awkward to say no to them since they're from Great Ming as well. Do you want me to deal with them for you?"
"It's fine. I'll decide when I see them since we're from the same place."
"Alright. Enjoy your rest, Junior Brother."
He brought Su Yu to a massive three-story building surrounded by flowers. There was even an elegant lake beside the building. Outside the building, he grinned and said, "Junior Brother, I don't have any divine beauties here, but I can get some beauties from other races for you. Are you interested? It would still be a new experience."
Su Yu had a look of disdain as he said, "Forget it. I am not interested in something like this."
"True. Only the geniuses from the divine, devil, and immortal races are worthy of you, Junior Brother."
He might be saying that, but he was cursing inwardly. Holy shit! When Cui Lang visited a few years ago, he was not as picky. But he seemed to have gotten picky after the elevation of his status.
What a lucky kid. How did he even manage to become a pseudo earth weaponsmith?
If he wasn't a pseudo earth weaponsmith, there wouldn't be a need to fawn at him like this. Sigh. It was indeed true that specializing in one thing and being good at it was better than being average at everything.
After a short chat, Su Yu entered the building while Consul Liu left. After entering the building, Su Yu couldn't help but shake his head. He had thought that he would need to suffer a lot of hardships on the Allheaven Battlefield, but look at this living environment. This place was even better than some high-class villas in Great Xia.
Consul Liu wasn't good at anything else, but he was excellent at running this consulate. The only weak point was the lack of solemnity and the excessive opulence.
"That Chen Long from the Devil Subduing Army will come again, right?"
Su Yu was unsure. He wanted to say yes right away, but it was unfortunate that he couldn't do so. That would only bring suspicion to his disguise. After all, he was a pseudo earth weaponsmith. He couldn't be so agreeable.
"Could I come across my old man through Chen Long?"
Su Yu had no answer. His father would only be a Skysoar at maximum. Meanwhile, Chen Long was a Mountainsea. It was possible that the two didn't even know each other. He might not get the chance to meet his father even if he went to the Devil Subduing Army.
This was too difficult. He really hoped that he could see his father. It had been more than a year. He was really starting to miss his father.
***
While Su Yu was worrying over his father.
Great Xia Consulate.
This place was incomparable to the Great Ming Consulate. It was small, with only several small and dilapidated buildings in the compound. Then again, the people of Great Xia didn't really mind. They only needed a place to rest. They didn't care too much about anything else.
Su Long had an independent building all for himself. At around a hundred square meters in size, it wasn't too big. He only had a building for himself due to his unique identity. Otherwise, even Mountainseas would find it hard to get an entire building for themselves here.
Suddenly, someone pushed the door open. Chen Long walked in and laughed, "Big Brother, are you cooking? What are you having for dinner?"
"Dinner my ass." Su Long looked out of the kitchen beside the courtyard and frowned, "Are you so free? Why are you here every few days?"
"What are you talking about?" Chen Long grinned and said, "I'm here for serious business. Great Qin King personally gave me my award. Hehehe. Big Brother, am I amazing? If everything goes smoothly, I will take over the second legion after I return to the army."
He was the deputy general of the second legion in the Devil Subduing Army. After accumulating enough contributions, he was in line for a promotion. The Devil Subduing Army was currently in the middle of reorganization. It had five legions, with a hundred thousand soldiers in each legion.
Previously, the Devil Subduing Army was only a second-tier army. A Skysoar could become a 1000-man commander, a Cloudbreach could become a 10000-man commander, and a Mountainsea could lead a legion. Chen Long was also a Mountainsea. With the ongoing reorganization, it was very likely that he would be promoted to the top leadership position in the second legion.
That would make him a general.
"Great Qin King..." Su Long looked surprised. He said, "You? Awarded by Great Qin King?"
"Yes!" Chen Long said, "Big Brother, I'm a Mountainsea. With enough contributions, what's so surprising about me receiving an award from Great Qin King?"
Su Long said nothing and returned to the kitchen. He was feeling slightly envious. Damn it. A little brother of his from back then was going to become a general soon. This little brother had even received an award from Great Qin King himself. Meanwhile, he was here doing nothing but cooking for himself.
If he knew this was going to happen, he might as well return and cook for his son instead. After spending more than a dozen years serving as the chef of his son, he was reduced to a chef here in the Allheaven Battlefield as well. Su Long felt quite gloomy when he thought about that.
Chen Long was aware of what Su Long was thinking. He said, "Big Brother, stop being jealous. When I become the general, I can appoint you as my deputy general."
"Piss off." Su Long cursed, "What am I? A beggar?"
But he looked up and asked curiously, "Are you even qualified to appoint a deputy general?"
"..."
Chen Long laughed awkwardly and said, "It was a joke. Don't take me seriously. I can't do anything about your position."
"Piss off! Scram!"
Su Long lost his patience. Damn this fellow! If he couldn't, why mention it? This little rascal was getting more and more annoying lately. Was this bastard not aware of how troubled he was recently?
After spending some time cursing, he asked, "Do you have any news about that little bastard of mine?"
"No. He has been in seclusion after his fight with Shan Xiong. That nephew of mine seems to have sustained a serious injury."
"What bullshit are you saying?" Su Lang shouted, "He's definitely fine. He's only in seclusion to break through."
"Yes, yes, yes. You're right, Big Brother." Chen Long nodded and said, "By the way, a youngster came from Great Ming recently. He goes by Cui Lang or something like that. I heard that he's a student of Principal Niu of Great Ming Cultural Research Academy. And that nephew of mine is also in the Great Ming Cultural Research Academy, right? Maybe they know each other."
"Great Ming?" Su Long's eyes lit up. He ignored the dish he was cooking and ran out of the kitchen. After wiping his hands on his apron, he asked, "Where is he? Can I meet him? He knows my son?"
"Big Brother, that is only a possibility. I just grabbed a set of information about that youngster from the consul. Let's study the information together. This fellow is not a nobody. He's a pseudo earth weaponsmith. He's a big deal. In fact, he's a bigger deal than me unless I can become a general. He might completely ignore me if I contact him without doing proper research."
"A big deal? Isn't he a youngster?"
"He's in his thirties, so he can be considered young."
"My kid will definitely be better at the same age."
Chen Long laughed and said, "Of course. In fact, he's already comparable to that Cui Lang fellow now. Isn't my nephew an honorary elder? His status is just as high as Cui Lang. Of course, he's definitely weaker since Cui Lang is already a Cloudbreach."
Su Long said with an envious tone, "My kid will be there soon!"
"Yes, yes, yes. Definitely!"
Soon his ass! That kid had just entered the Skysoar Realm not long ago. Then again, that kid was truly impressive. He probably had the combat strength of a Cloudbreach.
Chen Long grumbled inwardly before flashing Su Long a smile, "Big Brother, you need to get back to your dish. It's going to burn. Let's continue our conversation over dinner. We can take this chance to go over his information. We can visit the Great Ming Consulate either later tonight or tomorrow."
"Can I go as well?"
"Why not?" Chen Long said, "It will be fine. You're not leaving the city, right? You're not a prisoner. They are only restricting your freedom for your safety. A visit to the Great Ming Consulate will be fine. Perhaps we can even take this chance to form a relationship with him. I only hope that he doesn't have a bad relationship with my nephew. That would be troublesome."
"My kid is a good kid. He never makes enemies."
Su Long was full of confidence as he made that declaration. What nonsense. His son was not one to deliberately make someone his enemy. On the rare occasions that he did manage to get some enemies, he had mostly taken his revenge on those people. Since Cui Lang was still alive, it was very likely that this was not an enemy of his son.
Chen Long responded with a laugh. When Su Long was done cooking, the two sat down and ate while checking the information about Cui Lang.
After a while, Su Long cursed, "What a bastard. Shameless. He ran and hid himself after sleeping with the lady! A man like this should be castrated!"
Chen Long was somewhat speechless. He said, "Big Brother, it's fine to be saying this here, but don't say it outside. Eight out of ten people from Great Ming are like this. According to your requirements, we would need to castrate half of the people in Great Ming. Also, that's not the main point here."
"This is the main point." Su Long said, "My son is definitely not a friend of garbage like this."
"It's hard to say. Perhaps that nephew of mine has also learned from Great Ming." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel fire.net
Su Long thought about it and nodded, "It won't be bad if he gets himself three or five wives."
"..."
Chen Long decided to shut his mouth. Amazing. It would be fine if it was his son. What double standards. This was too much.
They continued reading the information. Chen Long suddenly laughed and said, "This fellow is quite amazing. And his background is quite strong. He has a seventh-stage Sunmoon as a teacher and a ninth-stage Sunmoon as a grandfather-in-law. He's also a pseudo earth weaponsmith himself. This...will be a hard person to deal with. According to the information, he does know my nephew. He himself made that claim not long ago."
"He really knows Little Yu?" Su Long was overjoyed. He stopped complaining about Cui Lang's character and said, "Let's meet him!"
Chen Long said, "Don't be in such a rush, Big Brother. It's dinner time. We can go after the meal. This is so difficult. If I could get a pseudo earth weaponsmith for the second legion, my chances at promotion would be much higher. But I don't know if I can pay the price required to recruit him."
Su Long also had an anxious look as he said, "It depends on how close he is with Little Yu. Maybe we can use Little Yu as an excuse to build a relationship with him. Everyone is saying that Little Yu is very important for Great Ming, right?"
"Let me see if that's true. If he's really so important to them, even as a pseudo earth weaponsmith, Cui Lang needs to show my kid some respect. I'm only afraid that the rumors are fake. Maybe they are all keeping my son prisoner and treating him as a golden goose."
He was no fool. He had merely been trying to not think about some possibilities. Was Great Ming really treating his son well or was Great Ming imprisoning his son? Who could be sure about that? Perhaps he could make his judgment through Cui Lang's attitude.
"Big Brother is wise." Chen Long laughed, "Sure. Let's visit him later. That fellow is very proud. When I told him I'm from Devil Subduing Army, he didn't even give me a second look. Sigh. We might have barely advanced into a first-rate army recently, but everyone still views us as a second-rate army. The gap between us and those old first-rate armies is still too big."
Su Long rolled his eyes, "Just be content with your situation. You're already a Mountainsea at a young age. What can you complain about? As a young Mountainsea, others will still show you a certain level of respect."
Chen Long had just reached forty. He was a few years younger than Su Long. In the military, he was quite popular as a young expert.
Chapter 845: Reunion (3)
Restore scroll position
Chen Long shook his head, "No, Big Brother. Compared to those geniuses, I am someone suitable to serve as one of those experts they slay with a lower cultivation level to make their name. I guess things aren't that bad for me. Back then, a lot of Mountainseas would advance with only 72 acupoints. Nowadays, those fellows are casually opening 144 acupoints and forging their bodies 27 or 26 times. Meanwhile, I've only forged my body 18 times. How am I supposed to compete against them?"
He sighed. Yes, he had risen rapidly in the army. In about a dozen years, he grew from the Great Strength Realm to the Mountainsea Realm. He was quite well-known among the various armies of humanity. But it wouldn't change the fact that he was a commoner. Even as a Mountainsea, he might not be stronger than those truly powerful Cloudbreaches.
Su Long also felt regretful when he heard those words. After a while, he said, "Don't be disheartened. It will be fine. That kid of mine is the one to blame. If he released the Source Soul Acupoint Opening Art earlier, you would have been able to break through with over a hundred acupoints as well. It's still not too late. You can open more now."
"It's too difficult for a Mountainsea to open more acupoints." Chen Long shook his head, "I will have to rely on my luck. If we were lucky enough to conquer a minor realm in the future, I could try to search for a heavenly source qi holy land there. With such a place, there might be hope for me. Otherwise, I won't be able to open too many acupoints."
"Who knows? Maybe it will work."
Su Long comforted his friend, "Don't lose heart...fuck! You're already a Mountainsea. Why are you getting a Skysoar like me to comfort you? I'm only a 36-acupoint Skysoar."
Su Long's expression turned gloomy when he recalled that. Why was he the one comforting his friend? Did his friend even need this?
Chen Long laughed again. They continued eating. When the sky turned completely dark, the two cleaned up and left for the Great Ming Consulate.
Several Mountainseas and a Sunmoon followed them from the dark. Or to be precise, they were following Su Long.
Chen Long frowned, but he said nothing. This wasn't a bad thing. They were here to protect his big brother. Sure, they were in Eastpart City, but who could promise that things would never go wrong here?
But it was also quite annoying to have people tailing them at all times. Fortunately, his big brother was unable to sense those hidden experts. He would have gone crazy otherwise.
When they reached the Great Ming Consulate, both of them were left speechless. How rich. These people were tycoons! After giving their names and stating the purpose of their visit, Consul Liu personally came out to welcome them. This was due to Chen Long. He was currently a rather famous military official.
In truth, very few people looked down on Chen Long. He was a Mountainsea who had climbed his way up from the bottom of society. He might not be the strongest Mountainsea around, but he was definitely impressive in all other aspects apart from his raw strength. In fact, even Invincibles might be keeping an eye on him.
Chen Long might even get a chance to enter the holy lands and reforge his body. But that was still not a done deal for now. Consul Liu's gaze landed on the person beside Chen Long.
At first, he couldn't remember who this was. But soon, he recalled something. His tone turned even more polite. This was Su Yu's father! Not many people had seen Su Yu with their own eyes, but everyone in Great Ming knew him. And everyone knew that he wasn't someone to offend.
Ignoring everything, thanks to the inexpensive price of his Source Soul Acupoint Opening Art in the military, a lot of soldiers viewed him as a great and respected scholar of a generation. His contribution in allowing everyone to cultivate quality cultivation methods had gained him considerable prestige.
Sure, Su Yu was in Great Ming while his father was still in Great Xia. But they were still father and son. If the consul slighted Su Long here, it would be hard for him to face Su Yu in the future.
Su Yu's name had a lot more prestige attached to it compared to Cui Lang's. After all, Cui Lang was someone who had only made his name recently. Even if he could become an earth weaponsmith, he might still remain below Su Yu in terms of status.
After exchanging some conventional greetings, Consul Liu invited the two in. As they walked inside the compound, Chen Long and Su Long looked around enviously. In comparison, the Great Xia Consulate was nothing.
The gap between them was basically as big as the gap between a palace and a shack in the slums. Previously, Su Long had been quite happy with his small house. This was something many people in Eastpart City dreamed of having. But after seeing the Great Ming Consulate, his house was only slightly better than a toilet. Great Xia was simply too poor. No, a toilet here could very well be better than his house. The more he saw, the more inferior he felt.
Chen Long was starting to despair before even reaching Cui Lang's residence. Was he even capable of offering something that could move these Great Ming tycoons?
Right as they arrived outside Su Yu's residence.
A voice rang out from inside, "I am not interested in joining an army or forging anyone a weapon. Sure, thirty or fifty thousand merit points are nice to have, but I can't guarantee success when it comes to earth weapons. Even if I manage to make one, it is far more profitable to forge more profound weapons than forging one earth weapon with my current skill level. General, we'll talk again in the future."
"Master Cui, if you're willing to join our army, Great Shang is willing to increase the offer..."
"No. It's fine." Su Yu replied indifferently, "I still have other guests to meet, so I won't be seeing you out. It's not like there are no other earth weaponsmiths in the Allheaven Battlefield. You should try your luck with them, General."
"Master Cui, the people outside are from Great Xia's Devil Subduing Army. They are so poor they can't even afford to wear any armor anymore. Don't waste your time with them. Why don't we talk more about this?"
Chen Long's face turned green with anger as he cursed, "Shang bastard! Get your ass out here! Who do you think you're talking about?"
A general walked out. He was a Mountainsea as well. When his gaze landed on Chen Long, he snorted before turning to face Su Yu again, "Master Cui, please do consider my offer. I'll see you again next time."
He didn't even deign to give Chen Long a reply. There was no denying that they were poor. What was wrong with speaking the truth?
This wasn't that bad. The moment Cui Lang heard Great Xia's offer, he would realize how generous Great Shang's offer was. Great Xia would only serve as the contrast to showcase their generosity.
Meanwhile, Su Yu was blanking out when he saw Su Long. Even his aura turned chaotic for a split second. He was able to recover immediately. He smiled and said, "We'll talk again in the future."
Then, he returned his gaze to his father. He noticed that his father's hair was already starting to turn white. Grief welled in his heart and he even had the urge to cry. It was at this moment that he was finally acting his age. He was only nineteen years old. His father was standing right in front of him, but he couldn't reveal himself to his father.
Nobody noticed the change in Su Yu's eyes. When Su Long met Su Yu's gaze, he blanked out. Those eyes...were so familiar. Nobody knew Su Yu better than him. They had spent every day together for eighteen years.
Even though the young man in front of him looked nothing like his son, he still wanted to shout that this might be his son.
While Su Long was blanking out, Su Yu regained his calm. A Sunmoon was observing their every action.
Father and son were standing less than five meters apart, but he couldn't even greet his father. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Nove1Fire.net
Countless thoughts emerged in Su Yu's mind. He turned and walked back into the building. With an indifferent tone, he said, "Come on in. Also, is someone out there monitoring me? This is a tad bit too excessive. Senior Brother Liu, how dare someone monitor me when I'm right inside the Great Ming Consulate?"
Right after those words were said, Consul Liu's expression changed as he demanded, "Who's spying on us? This is the Great Ming Consulate. Are you challenging Great Ming?"
He was quite surprised. This junior brother of his was quite sharp. He only had a vague feeling that there were some other people around, but he didn't think too much about it. It was normal for Su Long to be under constant supervision.
Su Yu acted like he was unaware of Su Long's special status. With a cold snort, he said, "Piss off while you still have the chance. I don't care if you're Mountainseas and Sunmoons. Since you can move around freely in the Eastpart City, none of you are a nobody. Don't force me to tell on you to the Invincibles."
The hidden experts were feeling very helpless. This was what they feared most. It was not an easy thing to monitor a pseudo earth weaponsmith.
Someone sent Su Yu a voice transmission and said, "Master Cui, don't misunderstand. We are here on a mission. We do not mean any offense."
Su Yu replied indifferently, "Leave. Things will be fine inside the Great Ming Consulate. If anything bad happened, Senior Brother Liu would lose his head. There is no need to worry about security here. Leave. Don't force me to call for help."
The hidden experts felt even more helpless. After a conversation through voice transmissions, someone sent Chen Long a voice transmission, "General Chen, we will have to trouble you for a bit. We will wait outside."
It wasn't a good idea to offend a pseudo earth weaponsmith of Great Ming inside Great Ming Consulate. It would be fine if the weaponsmith had not said anything. But since the weaponsmith did not welcome them, they could only leave.
They hurriedly retreated.
Su Yu said, "Senior Brother Liu, there is no need to be too polite to those people in the future. This is the territory of Great Ming. How can we let any random person come in and out as they please?"
"Yes, yes, you're right. I was too neglectful." Consul Liu said, "Please go on and have your conversation. I'll talk to them. How dare they intrude upon the Great Ming Consulate. Don't worry. I will give you a satisfactory answer for this."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Su Long and Chen Long had completely different thoughts as they listened to the conversation. Chen Long was envious of the prestige this person had. He was only a Cloudbreach, but he could freely run his mouth against a Sunmoon. And the Sunmoon could only take it silently.
As for Su Long, he was still busy wondering if this was really his son. Those eyes were too familiar. This wasn't right. Why would his son be here? Wasn't his son supposed to be in seclusion?
Cui Lang was a weaponsmith, but his son wasn't a weaponsmith. Also, his son wasn't that strong, right? This person was already a Cloudbreach. But during that one moment earlier, those eyes resembled his son's eyes too much.
Su Long stared at Su Yu's back blankly. This rear profile and this gait when walking were also very familiar to him even though it was not the same as how his son would walk in the past. He couldn't stop feeling a sense of familiarity with the person in front of him.
Su Long remained silent. He entered the building silently. Once inside, none of his attention was on the luxurious decorations inside the room. He also ignored the wasteful action of making tea with source qi liquid. All his attention was on Cui Lang.
At this point, even Chen Long noticed that something was off about his big brother. His head ached. Could his big brother hold back a little? Meanwhile, Su Yu maintained the same smile on his face. He glanced at Su Long and was quite pleased with what he saw.
Why was his old man staring at him? Was his old man awed by his grandeur when he was scolding those experts? Was his old man stunned by the sheer charisma he was radiating?