https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-707-Paranoia-and-Overthinking-Enemies-Everywhere/12852756/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-709-Seventeen-Years-Later-the-Crown-Prince-Ascends-the-Throne/12852758/
Chapter 708: You Want to Unite with the Emperor of Drying to Fight the Lord of the Endless Abyss?
Chapter 708: You Want to Unite with the Emperor of Drying to Fight the Lord of the Endless Abyss?
"Is this Shi Xi up to something again?" Qin Muye looked at the letter sent to him through certain channels, unsure of what to make of it.
The letter's main content was that Shi Xi wanted to switch sides and join the light. He claimed that although he was a snake-person, his heart was with the human race. He also revealed to Qin Muye that there was a hidden force called the Endless Abyss in this world, a force with grand ambitions, even daring to challenge the Snake Father.
He himself was deeply involved in this, but he endured the humiliation and gathered a large amount of intelligence for Qin Muye, all to help Qin Muye eliminate the Yousi territory and the Endless Abyss.
"He can't be planning to use me to kill and then reap the benefits, can he?" Although the sincerity in the words made Qin Muye feel that this person was talented, if Shi Xi wasn't part of the Endless Abyss, he might have been deceived.
"So, through what channel did this letter come?" Qin Muye asked.
"Shi Xi bought a merchant caravan on the surface and remotely controlled it. Although he was very secretive, our people still caught them, and all members of the caravan have been detained," the Evangelical Imp, the voice transmitter, read out the intelligence and results verbatim.
"Alright, these merchants are willing to serve other races as long as they get paid. Handle it, and let the imp take over to see what Shi Xi is up to." Qin Muye narrowed his eyes; he didn't mind playing along with Shi Xi for a while.
Judging from the situation, Shi Xi must want to use the power of the Drying Empire. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to him, as Qin Muye's current position was very stable.
A month ago, Shi Xi used the signal jammer provided by Qin Muye to successfully hold a ceremony. Of course, the embarrassing and power-grabbing scenarios he had imagined did not occur. Instead, everything went smoothly, and the High Priest even resigned and fled, which was completely different from the subsequent events Shi Xi had imagined in his suspicious mind.
This left Shi Xi, the snake, thoroughly confused, disrupting his subsequent plans.
However, the subsequent recovery of power was also very smooth, and the position of High Priest of Yousi remained vacant. Shi Xi likely planned to keep it vacant, ensuring no snake-person would obtain this position.
The former High Priest of Yousi was not a foolish snake-person; he saw the situation clearly. Power had already been monopolized by Shi Xi, and the Snake Father was pressuring him. So, he might as well resign directly. Otherwise, what would he achieve by opposing Shi Xi? Even if he wanted to, he needed the strength to do so.
The Snake Father had not bestowed Shi Xi's strength upon the former High Priest, making him weak. Shi Xi, on the other hand, had the forces Qin Muye lent him. Any intelligent person would know what to choose. Shi Xi didn't kill him out of caution; if he remained in the position of High Priest, it would be no different from signing his own death warrant.
This is why Shi Xi was able to recover power so easily, as the former High Priest had willingly stepped down.
"Do you want to reply, or should Black Hand write the response?" the Evangelical Imp asked.
"Let Black Hand write it. He has experience with this. Also, have the Xuanjing Department investigate to see if there are any other forces serving the snake-people. I don't believe Shi Xi only bought off one merchant caravan; there must be more hidden secrets."
Qin Muye had noticed that, although the issue with the other races had been ongoing for two years, its impact on regions outside the capital was not significant. Some places, despite knowing about the propaganda, did not have strong reactions.
After all, the distance was too great, and there was no direct impact.
If such a thing happened in the capital, anyone caught collaborating with the other races would likely be beaten to death on the spot.
As a firsthand witness, although two years had passed, the memory was still fresh.
The center of the other races was in the capital, and the impact outside was mainly due to the barbarian tribes' invasion of Drying. However, because the Iron Blood Army had effectively cleared the area, only the regions with many scholars and literati suffered, while other areas were relatively unaffected.
Living in a more remote area, the sense of belonging to the Drying Empire was not strong, even though conditions had improved over the past two years. One couldn't ignore the past just because things were better now. After all, a few years ago, corruption was rampant everywhere.
"Alright, but this will be difficult to investigate. Most of the Xuanjing Department's personnel lack the necessary professional skills and rely more on brute force," the Evangelical Imp relayed Black Hand's words.
Most of the people in the Xuanjing Department were decent outlaws, the kind who barely managed to rob the rich and help the poor, the best among the worst. Although they had undergone training, their primary role was to maintain regional balance. This often involved sending a skilled and well-connected constable to an area, initially offering amnesty to the bandits. If they refused, they would be cut down.
Currently, the Xuanjing Department operates this way, working with local personnel to maintain law and order.
Given the vast territory of the Drying Empire and the limited number of Xuanjing Department personnel, their performance is already commendable. Otherwise, how could they possibly sweep the nation in three days? That would require supernatural beings.
"The Xuanjing Department's operational capabilities need improvement. In fact, the operational capabilities of the Four Pillars of the Drying Empire all need improvement. Consider the Astronomical Supervisor, whose main function is now to provide cover for others, which is completely off the mark. Although we have the 'Spectrum of Ten Thousand Races' with martial arts techniques, the only remaining alien race is the snake-people. If they had something more useful, they wouldn't be sent on missions outside," Qin Muye remarked.
The martial arts realm in this world is still somewhat underdeveloped. After only two years, it's already impressive to have a martial artist reach the Fifth Realm.
The difficulty will only increase, and Qin Muye has only deduced the Sixth Realm, which is the reversal of the postnatal to the prenatal. While it might seem a bit off that the Innate Realm follows the Master Realm, it doesn't matter since he set the rules. If anyone has complaints, they can come to him, and he guarantees not to kill them.
Wang Kai, the Astronomical Supervisor, has a long way to go to achieve the reversal of the postnatal to the prenatal. Even in a world with nine stages, logic still applies. Unless Qin Muye helps, Wang Kai would need at least twenty years to reach the Fifth Realm through his own cultivation.
From the Fourth Realm onward, martial artists have already transcended the ordinary, able to draw upon the elemental energy of the world with their every move. Wang Kai managed to smoothly enter the Fifth Realm after two years of advanced training in the Primordial Dragon Plan, otherwise, the qualitative leap from the Fourth to the Fifth Realm would take at least a decade.
The remaining three members of the Four Pillars of the Drying Empire still struggle to grasp the Fifth Realm, the Master Realm. It will likely take them a considerable amount of time to achieve it.
The foundation is to innovate, to develop their own martial techniques and arts, breaking away from traditional martial arts and forging their own path. Only then can they be called masters.
Fortunately, Qin Muye doesn't need the martial support of the Four Pillars. After all, the martial arts are still in their early stages, and apart from the snake-people, there are no significant threats.
"The necessary training has been provided. Once they are on the job, they will have to rely on themselves. We are not their nannies," the Evangelical Imp continued Qin Muye's thought.
While most of the power is concentrated in the hands of the imps under Qin Muye's command, they are also consciously training the next generation. The training is limited to preparation, and they are not responsible for follow-up. Once the training is complete, what the trainees achieve is on them. After all, they can't be expected to carry them all the way.
Even if he were to carry them, it wouldn't be for ten thousand miles but to send them quickly to the afterlife.
"Alright, let Black Hand keep a close eye on it," Qin Muye said, then returned to his research on the imperial system. The data collection is nearly complete, and he estimates that in one to two years, a comprehensive project can be implemented for experimentation.
The research on this system is challenging, given its ability to influence the ninth stage and even suppress a ninth-stage death entity, making it extremely powerful.
If the imperial system had been in the Magic Continent server, the Mother of Races would never have been able to resurrect and would have remained in the realm of death.
Qin Muye mused that if he were to enhance the imps, perhaps stacking enough of them could injure a ninth-stage entity. However, that would only be an injury, and nothing more. How else could an eighth-stage entity injure a ninth-stage entity without challenging the fundamental principles?
If it were truly possible to kill a ninth-stage entity with a lower stage, the imperial system would never have been so easily destroyed by the alien races.
However, if modified by Qin Muye, the outcome could be different.
After all, imps have the potential to reach the ninth stage, but only if Qin Muye becomes stronger. After all, the imps are his creations, not his cheats.
(End of Chapter)
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