CSMCDB - Chapter 158
Chapter 158
"…" Wen Yuncheng was dumbfounded. She hadn't even said anything yet! Why?!
[Perhaps the image you've cultivated in Lin Jinyu's mind is too profound,] 1947 said with a sigh. [After all, this isn't the first time you've used your disguise to run wild.]
Wen Yuncheng protested. That wasn't the right way to use that phrase! She hadn't relied on violence or done bad things without restraint. Everything she did was a good deed, carrying out justice on behalf of the heavens!
Wen Yuncheng looked at Lin Jinyu, her eyes filled with sincerity. "Jinyu~ You know how important that fortress is to the Huanling side."
"The Huanling Continent is invading us, yet instead of using the passage to launch continuous attacks, they built a fortress and established a base to create a stalemate with the Empire. That's already very strange. It looks like they're stalling. I don't know what they're preparing for, nor do I know why the Empire hasn't sent our seniors to crush the fortress directly… Perhaps the Empire wants to keep its trump cards hidden, too. But I've already been exposed." Wen Yuncheng's eyes were full of earnestness as she grabbed Lin Jinyu's hand. "Jinyu… I want to give it a try. Blowing up the fortress might disrupt the rhythm of the Huanling invasion and force them to reveal some of their plans ahead of schedule. That would be beneficial for the Empire."
"You're only at the Star King rank," Lin Jinyu said, staring at Wen Yuncheng. "Any random Huanling general could crush you with ease."
"I have backup plans. I can swap positions, and I can send out Number One, Two, and Three. I won't get bogged down in a fight, really."
"…" Lin Jinyu looked at Wen Yuncheng. This girl was courting death. If she died now, she couldn't even be properly buried in the Flowing Cloud Sect's cemetery. Lin Jinyu felt a growing sense of regret. "I really want to tie you up and take you back."
Wen Yuncheng's expression changed. She stared at Lin Jinyu in shock. What was wrong with the Little Ice Mountain? To think she would hear such words from her mouth?! This… this… "Bondage… play?"
"What?" Lin Jinyu looked bewildered, then a little annoyed. She was trying to discuss something important with Wen Yuncheng, but Wen Yuncheng was spouting nonsense.
"Ah, nothing, I misunderstood." Wen Yuncheng waved her hand before speaking seriously again. "Even if you tied me up and took me back, I might just sneak away. Jinyu, I'm a coward. I won't treat my own life like a joke."
They remained at a stalemate for a while. Wen Yuncheng tried everything from acting cute to cuddling up against her, but her attitude remained resolute. Lin Jinyu sometimes felt that Wen Yuncheng was incredibly stubborn; once she set her mind on something, no amount of persuasion could change it. In the end, it was always Lin Jinyu who was worn down by Wen Yuncheng's persistence until she had no temper left.
"…Go. Just come back safely. I'll be watching you, too. If you die, I won't run away either." Ground down with no other choice, Lin Jinyu sighed internally and finally relented. She thought to herself that Wen Yuncheng had always been shameless in battle, and she was just as shameless now when trying to sweet-talk her. The worst part was, she fell for it every time, completely wrapped around Wen Yuncheng's finger.
"I won't, I won't, don't you worry," Wen Yuncheng said repeatedly, hugging Lin Jinyu's waist. "So, are you still mad at me?"
"…If I stayed mad at you all the time, I'm afraid I would have died from anger long ago."
Wen Yuncheng hadn't expected the Little Ice Mountain to say something like that; she was clearly utterly exasperated with her. Wen Yuncheng felt a little embarrassed. She didn't want to be like this either, but the matter of the fortress… she was clearly the variable. "So, you're not angry anymore?"
"No. Let go a little," Lin Jinyu said, patting Wen Yuncheng's back. Now that Wen Yuncheng had made her decision, they needed to plan properly and at least reach an agreement with the Star Emperors over there.
"Then kiss me again. Give me two kisses and I'll let go."
"…"
The matter of bombing the fortress naturally had to be discussed with the Empire. Wen Yuncheng's strength and unique abilities were already exposed, so there was no need to hide them. Her Star Power was extremely special; although she was only at the Star King rank, the impact she could have far exceeded that of an ordinary Star King.
Since the last fortress had been successfully destroyed, the Empire's higher-ups weren't worried about Wen Yuncheng's capabilities. They were, however, concerned that the Huanling side and Fu would not let her succeed so easily again. This fortress… would likely not be so easy to bomb. Having five Star Emperors guarding one stronghold seemed insufficient if they were to protect Wen Yuncheng properly.
The five Star Emperors guarding the Demonic Beast Great Forest originally had a new mission. The Empire had intended to send them, along with a contingent of other Star Emperor experts, to Dragon Island for negotiations. However, after Wen Yuncheng proposed her idea of bombing the fortress, the Empire's leadership held a meeting and decided to have those five Star Emperors protect Wen Yuncheng instead.
As for Dragon Island…
The Empire had already prepared for the worst.
The Dragon Race—proud and arrogant creatures. It was a mystery how the Huanling side had managed to convince them to cooperate. Then again, it made sense. The Huanling Continent was another world, and its rare treasures and strange stones were likely a huge temptation for the dragons. Plus… if the Empire fell, the Dragon Race could seize control of the continent.
In truth, while Huanling was using Fu and Dragon Island, weren't Dragon Island and Fu also using Huanling as a weapon? None of these factions were easy to deal with.
Meanwhile, on Wen Yuncheng's side, having the Empire's support put Lin Jinyu much more at ease.
Wen Yuncheng looked at Protector Chu Han, who was accompanying them. Speaking of which, this Protector had protected and helped her many times. It was a pity that Wen Yuncheng had nothing in her system store that could serve as a gift for him. Giving him only food seemed far too cheap.
Wen Yuncheng committed the debt to memory. She couldn't repay it now, but there would be opportunities in the future. Once she became stronger, perhaps she would be the one protecting Protector Chu Han. With this thought in mind, she thanked each of the five Star Emperors. Then, she examined the map and decided to head for the fortress in the western desert first.
"The environment in the desert is harsh, so let's deal with that one first," Wen Yuncheng said to Lin Jinyu. "Your sword formation is highly effective in large-scale battles. Perhaps you can try to control the Huanling soldiers to the greatest extent possible with your ice sword qi, and then unleash your sword intent to finish them off."
Wen Yuncheng thought Lin Jinyu was absolutely incredible. That ice sword qi was an excellent control and interference ability, and she also possessed an explosive sword intent. The combination of the two was a perfect weapon for killing enemies above her level.
Hmm, it would be even better if the Little Ice Mountain was willing to just use her ice sword qi for control and leave all the kills for me to harvest. However, since this was a battlefield, Wen Yuncheng wouldn't say such a thing. She was afraid Lin Jinyu might actually do it, and if she failed to finish them off in time, it would be terrible if Lin Jinyu was put in danger.
"The strongholds… were all annihilated? Not a single survivor?" In an attempt to track Wen Yuncheng's movements, Fu had tried to contact some of their hidden strongholds within the Empire, only to find they couldn't get through at all. They later sent people to investigate and discovered that the strongholds had been wiped out by the Empire.
"…No, that's not right. If the Empire wanted to wipe them out, they wouldn't have waited until now. Besides, the movements of those Star Emperors are obvious. A Star Venerate? A Star King?…" The Fu leader in charge of this matter was puzzled. He pondered for a moment, then remembered that there had been no news of Wen Yuncheng for a long time. The timing of when they lost contact with the strongholds perfectly matched the period right after she had destroyed the fortress. "Could it be… Wen Yuncheng again?"
The more he thought about it, the more he suspected Wen Yuncheng. His expression gradually darkened—that girl was truly a menace! Damn it, he had to urgently contact the remaining strongholds and warn them to be on high alert. If anything happened, they could temporarily flee to the border.
However, just a few days after he sent out the message, he received news that Wen Yuncheng had appeared in a town in the western desert.
That girl… after taking out the strongholds, she was now targeting the fortresses?!
The Fu organization had a long-standing grudge against Wen Yuncheng. They had previously chosen to lie low and endure for the sake of the Huanling Continent. But now that the Huanling offensive had begun and the fortresses were temporarily tying down the Empire, the Fu organization was growing increasingly annoyed with this young cultivator who had provoked them time and again. And then there were Wen Yuncheng's recent actions…
After some discussion, the Fu leadership dispatched three Star Emperors to deal with Wen Yuncheng. Among them was the high-level member Liu Bolong, the very same person who had strongly argued for eliminating Wen Yuncheng during their first meeting. This high-level member was already at the third layer of the Star Emperor rank. Although he had yet to touch the threshold of a Star Saint, he was considered extremely powerful within the Fu organization.
He chose to take action personally to ensure that this mission would be foolproof.
So what if those five Imperial Star Emperors were busy dealing with the Huanling generals? When that young woman saw that the Fu organization had sent three Star Emperors to capture or kill her, he wondered if she would feel exceptionally honored!
Back on Wen Yuncheng's side, she had no idea that Fu had already begun to move. But even if she did, she wouldn't be too concerned. After all, she was now an important figure with five Star Emperors as bodyguards.
So what if her level was only 60+ for now? She had 80+ bodyguards! Five of them!
On the way to the western desert, Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but ask Chu Han a number of questions out of curiosity, such as what the legendary "Star Saint rank" was all about. She had been cultivating on the Starry Sky Continent for so long, yet the Empire seemed to have never revealed anything about Star Saints. Although this level was extremely rare on the Starry Sky Continent, in her system, it was only level 90, not even the max level of 100.
Lin Jinyu also wanted to know the answers to Wen Yuncheng's questions. Thus, the two young people looked at the ever-amiable Protector Chu Han with serious, obedient expressions, eager for an explanation.
"The Star Saint rank, you ask…" Chu Han smiled. There was no harm in telling these two little ones. After all, their talent was exceptional; they were already Star Kings at such a young age. It wasn't impossible for them to reach the Star Emperor rank before the age of forty. "Our Starry Sky Continent does have one Star Saint, but his whereabouts are unknown, and even the Empire can't contact him. He has been… missing for a very long time."
Before the Huanling Continent launched its offensive, the Empire could still occasionally receive news from that senior. But now, they couldn't find him no matter what. The Empire had its own speculations about this, but they were just speculations, and they couldn't be certain.
"The level of a Star Saint is completely different from that of a Star Emperor. We Star Emperors can already use Star Power as we please, even unleashing greater power. We can easily sense our Stars and borrow their power. But at the Star Saint level… it's probably no longer just about borrowing the power of the Stars." Even Protector Chu Han couldn't help but show a look of longing as he spoke of this. According to some information revealed by that great figure, a Star Saint can freely connect with their own Star, and even use their Star in battle. Such a concept sounded fantastical, but it was something countless Star Emperors yearned for.
Unfortunately, establishing that connection was not so easy. Otherwise, the Empire wouldn't have so many Star Emperors and only a single Star Saint.
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