CSMCDB - Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Mid-September.
In nearly two months, Wen Yuncheng completed 33 bounty missions. Adding the bonuses from eliminating the mountain bandits and the "Heart of a Victor" mission she received for her victory, she accumulated a total of 20,250 experience points!
Host: Wen Yuncheng
Race: Human
Age: 19
Class: Mechanical Overlord
Level: 45
Experience: 695/37000
Points: 4795
After nearly two months of painstaking work and travel, she had only leveled up once. Wen Yuncheng sighed. Still, at this rate, she was certain to reach the Star Spirit rank next year. Thinking of it that way, her progress seemed exaggerated once again.
Just as Wen Yuncheng was about to accept another bounty, she suddenly heard that the Beast Tide in the Demonic Beast Great Forest had erupted ahead of schedule. In September, demonic beasts were already launching massive, frenzied attacks on cities.
Before this wave could even settle, and as the Empire was just managing to dispatch troops to defend the cities, news came of a great earthquake in the north. The Western Desert had even experienced a monstrous flood, which directly submerged the towns near where the Xuanhuang Tomb had appeared last year.
It seemed like a natural disaster, but in reality…
Wen Yuncheng's first reaction upon hearing the news was: "This is definitely a plot by Fu!"
But the question was, why would Fu create such a huge commotion? Causing a massive earthquake should be easy enough, but how did they manage a monstrous flood? Flooding a desert… only they would think of something like that.
The Beast Tide in the Demonic Beast Great Forest had erupted early and violently. Now, such disasters were also occurring in the Western Desert and the Northern Border… Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Fu was trying to drain the Empire's resources and divert its attention? This was an overt scheme. What was Fu trying to do? By creating such a huge disturbance, what were they after…?
Wen Yuncheng would soon find out what they were after.
Wen Yuncheng was summoned by the First Princess, who told her not to run around for the time being and to just stay put in the Imperial Capital.
"Your Highness, has something happened?"
The First Princess was initially reluctant to say more, but remembering that Wen Yuncheng had encountered Fu during last year's Beast Tide, she reconsidered and said, "Only Protector Chu Han remains to guard the Imperial Capital. The other two Protectors have already rushed to Dragon Island."
"Dra-Dragon Island?! Fu created such a huge commotion on the continent just to go to Dragon Island?!"
"Dragon Island has always maintained a peaceful coexistence with our Empire, with neither side interfering with the other. The dragons do not leave Dragon Island. However, the Dragon and Human races are not without their conflicts." The First Princess sighed. "Every part of a dragon is a treasure, and the concentration of Star Power on Dragon Island is extremely high day and night, making it a sacred land for cultivation. Dragons are born incredibly powerful. To say they are content to live on Dragon Island for generations without any interest in the entire continent would be a lie."
"In ancient times, dragons weren't confined to Dragon Island; their presence could be found all over the continent. Otherwise, demonic beasts like the Dragon Apes and Green Flood Dragons wouldn't exist in the Demonic Beast Great Forest." The First Princess spoke calmly, as if telling a story. "The Human race gradually developed and grew stronger. Although we don't have the thousand-year lifespan of dragons, when it comes to potential and reproduction, the Dragon race cannot compare to us."
Wen Yuncheng nodded. In the settings of many novels, dragons always had difficulty reproducing. Despite their immense power, their numbers were few.
"The Human race grew progressively stronger, conquering the continent's territories and forcing the demonic beasts to retreat again and again, which eventually led to the formation of the Demonic Beast Great Forest. As for the Dragon race, our ancestors initially worshipped them and maintained good relations. Later, however, a newly born Dragon King grew ambitious. He wanted the Human race to completely submit and become slaves to the dragons, seeking to dominate the continent. This led to a great war. Over thirty Star Emperors fell, several dragon elders were killed, and the Dragon King was beheaded."
"Both sides suffered heavy losses and took a step back. The dragons retreated to Dragon Island, and the humans took control of the continent." The First Princess glanced at Wen Yuncheng, who was listening with great interest, and added, "And that is the situation we have today."
"Then it's a balanced situation. With Fu's strength, they shouldn't be able to break this balance-" As soon as the words left her mouth, Wen Yuncheng realized Fu's plan. True, with their own strength, it was naturally impossible for them to break the balance between the Human race (the Empire) and the Dragon race (Dragon Island). After all, their main base had been wiped out by the Empire, and they had been hiding like rats in a sewer ever since. But what if another plane was involved?
-The dragons couldn't be that stupid, could they? When another plane enters their own, that other plane is an invader, an enemy that all living beings on the continent must resist together! Otherwise… under an invasion, how could anyone survive unscathed?
Thinking this, Wen Yuncheng understood the Empire's move to send Star Emperors to Dragon Island. It probably wasn't just the two Protectors. Some sects also had reclusive Star Emperor experts, but these experts were old and mostly stayed out of worldly affairs. Faced with a continental crisis, they had likely gone to Dragon Island along with the Protectors.
After developing for so long, had the Empire truly not produced anyone who reached the Star Saint level? Perhaps there were, but they just hadn't revealed themselves.
With most of the powerful experts gone to Dragon Island, then… if Wen Yuncheng were to run around, the members of Fu who were interested in her would likely take advantage of the chaos to… kidnap her?
If other small-fry from the Fu organization wanted to cause trouble, now would also be the perfect time.
Leaving the Imperial Palace, Wen Yuncheng felt a heaviness in her heart. It wasn't because she couldn't go out to do bounty missions, nor was it because she had to level up in the Dueling Arena again. Gazing at the clear, boundless blue sky, she inexplicably felt the suffocating pressure of an impending storm.
The other plane was a great mountain looming over her. After the Xuanhuang Tomb incident, although Wen Yuncheng continued to level up, she hadn't constantly kept herself on alert or reminded herself of this threat. She wasn't the type to enjoy being oppressed, nor did she like the feeling of immense pressure suffocating her. She tried her best not to dwell on these things, but that only brought temporary freedom. When Fu once again showed signs of a new plot, she knew that even if she tried not to think about it, what was coming would come.
With a long sigh, Wen Yuncheng checked the details of the disasters happening in various places, then turned and headed for the Dueling Arena. When Lin Jinyu came out of the secret realm, she would probably learn about all this too…
What could she do right now? What could she do for this continent? Level up? At nineteen years old and a Star Lord 2nd Layer, no one on the entire continent could say she hadn't worked hard for her rank, nor could they deny her talent.
[Stop, stop!] 1947 clearly sensed that its kid's mood was off. It shouted twice in Wen Yuncheng's mind. It watched as Wen Yuncheng, in a daze, had Number One knock her opponent off the stage, then went into the rest area without mentioning the next match. The old dad sighed, rummaged through its database, and finally found the suona audio it had saved last time, playing a tune for its kid.
"What are you doing!!!" In the rest area, Wen Yuncheng was nearly sent to the afterlife by 1947's stunt.
[Whether it's an opportunity or a crisis, when it truly arrives, it gives you no chance to prepare. All you can do is your best. When you are weak, you do simple things. When you are strong, you do what the strong do,] 1947 consoled her. [You have to trust the Protectors, trust the Empire. The First Princess didn't tell you these things to make you despair. She was willing to tell you about Fu, but she didn't tell you about the existence of another continent. This means she wants you to focus on Fu as your target, not to burden you with a bigger, more distant mission.]
[Everyone has different responsibilities at different stages of their lives. Right now, you only need to shoulder what you must. In the eyes of the Protectors, you are one of the youth, the future hope of the Empire. What you need to do is to keep getting stronger, keep growing, and… just surviving is enough.]
Wen Yuncheng remained silent, not saying a word. She just quietly registered for the next match.
The continent descended into chaos, with disasters erupting everywhere. The Dragon Tiger Guard, local garrisons, and various sects all contributed to rescue efforts and helped settle the populace. It would be a lie to say there were no losses. Many academy students also spontaneously organized rescue and fundraising activities.
Wen Yuncheng looked at her Star Stone card and donated ten million Star Stones to the Empire's relief agency, doing her small part.
Protector Chu Han was so busy during this time that his feet barely touched the ground. He had to oversee the safety of the Imperial Capital while also personally handling and pacifying the unrest in the surrounding towns.
This time, the young disciples from the academies and sects did not participate in the autumn Beast Tide at all. With the Demonic Beast Great Forest in chaos, the Empire would not risk its future pillars.
In mid-October, a torrential rain suddenly fell upon the continent. That night, several stars fell from the sky, streaking across the heavens before vanishing into nothingness. The people of the continent were terrified. Chu Han came forward to reassure them, explaining Fu's troublemaking and the conflict on Dragon Island. He announced that all of the Empire's Star Emperor experts had rushed to Dragon Island to handle the crisis.
It was at this time that Lin Jinyu emerged from the secret realm.
Lin Jinyu had never expected that in the short time she had spent cultivating in the secret realm, the situation on the continent would become so tense again.
"I will enter seclusion again for a while to digest my insights and attempt to break through to the Star Spirit rank." After coming out of the secret realm and briefly consolidating her cultivation, Lin Jinyu learned what had happened and eagerly came to the Imperial Capital to meet Wen Yuncheng. She briefly explained her upcoming plans. "If there's a crisis, you can come to the Flowing Cloud Sect. No matter what, our sect's protective formation is not so easily broken."
Thinking of the crisis, Lin Jinyu's first instinct was to find an escape route for Wen Yuncheng. Wen Yuncheng had been gritting her teeth and spending her nights in the Dueling Arena, becoming much thinner. This made Lin Jinyu extremely worried. "Don't push yourself too hard in your cultivation. Getting stronger is a gradual process; it can't be rushed."
"The Empire is not that weak, and it doesn't just have three Protectors. The position of Protector is rotational; the previous generation of Protectors are all still alive. The seniors give opportunities to the younger generation. The Empire is very strong. Even the major sects have many Star Emperor experts watching over them; it's just that the seniors don't often show themselves."
"If the Dragon race and the demonic beasts were really so eager to go to war with the Empire, they wouldn't have coexisted peacefully for so long. Even with Fu stirring things up, the situation won't change completely overnight."
Wen Yuncheng acknowledged her. "I understand what you're saying, and I'll pay attention to balancing work and rest. After all… no matter how anxious I am, I can't become a Star Emperor in a single day. But what about you? Won't forcing a breakthrough to the Star Spirit rank have side effects?"
"This time, I will only try my best to break through. If I can't, then so be it. I'll just treat it as consolidating my realm," Lin Jinyu explained. "You don't need to worry too much. Perhaps in a few days, those seniors will return."
"After so many years of peace, neither side will be happy to break it. There might be conflicts and sacrifices, but complete opposition… it's not that easy."
Just as Lin Jinyu had said. At the end of November, Protectors Di Feng and Mo Dingtian returned, bringing back four dragon corpses. The continent was shocked, and the Empire held a banquet to celebrate.
Comments
Post a Comment