Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1427 - 456: Youth and Face-Slapping, the Secret of the Five Luminaries Tribulation Body, Dark Merchant Invitation, and Making the Rankings_5...
Previously on Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely...
What marvel is this?
Could the frigid expanse of the Ice Abyss serve as a crucible for humankind, or is it rather a cage designed for suppression? Perhaps, the true denizens of the Ice Abyss are not humans at all, but rather ferocious Cold Beasts and cunning, deceptive Monsters...
Xia Hong shook his head. His cultivation was merely at the mid-stage of Xianyang, and pondering such profound matters was clearly beyond his current scope.
"I have gained a comprehensive understanding of the two cultivation realms, Xianyang and Tribulation Body. I've also grasped the general circumstances within Cai Qiu, and the objectives I set for this visit are nearly fulfilled."
From the recent exchange with Cai Shiqi and observing his severed finger, Xia Hong could largely ascertain the overarching situation concerning the Nine Towns.
"Xuanling's direct intervention against Cai Shiqi signifies that Great Xia has already entered into open conflict with the forces from the vassal towns. My earlier counsel to her and Xia Chuan was to avoid openly provoking the vassal towns before the Nine Towns could forge an alliance. This implies the Nine Towns have likely succeeded in their alliance efforts. Judging by Cai Shiqi's demeanor, a plan of action might already be in motion, slated for implementation next year..."
With these thoughts crystallizing, Xia Hong merely shook his head, unburdened by any particular concern.
The formidable Bone-Eroding Path presents an insurmountable obstacle, preventing Cai Qiu from dispatching a substantial military force. A mere handful of Xianyang-stage cultivators venturing forth to harass Great Xia would be woefully insufficient, let alone the potential challenge posed by a united Nine Towns.
To speak plainly, even a seasoned expert at the Tribulation Body realm would struggle to utterly vanquish the Nine Towns Alliance. Moreover, considering Cai Shiqi's standing, securing the personal involvement of an individual at such a pinnacle of power is virtually unthinkable.
"Why trouble myself with such distant concerns? He won't even see the turn of the year. His arrival in Lin Chu County City is most likely to participate in next month's Blood Miasma Plain trial. I already hold an invitation from Cai Yunlan; all I need is to find a solitary spot and end his existence."
Xia Hong let loose two cold chuckles, his gaze then falling upon the recollection of the Blood Miasma Plain trial, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The paramount objectives for his presence in these vassal towns were threefold: to resolve his personal cultivation quandaries, to evaluate the martial prowess of the two vassal towns, and to ascertain the timeline for their impending southward campaign.
The initial goal has just been met. While he has only directly observed Cai Qiu, he can effectively infer Chen Cang's strength by extension through Cai Qiu. As for the final objective, his understanding remains incomplete.
Cai Qiu's inaction regarding a southern advance from Jinshan Town is directly attributable to the impediment of the Bone-Eroding Path. Recalling his own arduous passage through the Bone-Eroding Path last August, Xia Hong reasons that if Cai Qiu possessed the means to confront the formidable Black Wind General, he would have already exerted efforts to neutralize the threat.
The persistent lack of resolution, coupled with the necessity of offering living tributes with each passage through the territory to appease the Black Wind General, can only signify Cai Qiu's helplessness against this particular adversary.
Consequently, it can be surmised that Cai Qiu will be unable to launch any significant invasion into the Nine Towns via the Bone-Eroding Path for a considerable duration.
Thus, similar to Chen Cang, should Cai Qiu harbor ambitions of invading the Nine Towns Territory, his only viable avenue of approach would be through the Blood Miasma Plain region.
"Based on intelligence meticulously gathered over the past few months, both vassal towns have indeed deployed a considerable contingent of Town Guard troops to the Blood Miasma Plain area. Cai Qiu has even dispatched the esteemed Silver Scale Army, operating under Landgrave's command, and Chen Cang is likely to follow suit shortly. These two formidable forces, converging from the east and west respectively, are poised to execute a pincer movement. Their combined efforts are probably aimed at either pacifying the region or consolidating control over the entirety of the Blood Miasma Plain, all in preparation for a future southward expansion. It presents an opportune moment to utilize this trial as a means to observe their progress firsthand. Upon my return, I shall be equipped to formulate a suitable counter-strategy!"
His resolve to depart solidified, Xia Hong immediately commenced strategizing the allocation of his remaining time within the vassal towns.
Abruptly, a thought struck him, and reaching into his Yellow Mustard Bag, he retrieved an exquisitely crafted invitation fashioned from pure silver.
The face of the invitation bore five prominent golden characters that read: "Yang City Invitation," with two smaller characters, "Dark Merchant," inscribed above them.
"I had nearly forgotten about this!"
Xia Hong tapped his forehead, his gaze lowering to the script upon the invitation, his expression a mixture of surprise and astonishment.
This "Yang City Invitation" had mysteriously materialized within his chambers on the eighth day of the previous month.
As a temporary guest, Xia Hong did not regard this modest courtyard as his permanent abode. He kept his Yellow Mustard Bag in his constant possession, and with servants frequently entering and exiting his quarters, the unexpected appearance of new objects was not an entirely uncommon occurrence.
Yet, just last month, a sudden glimpse of this Yang City Invitation sent a jolt of shock through him. His unease deepened when, after a word with Su Jing’s four siblings and a discreet inquiry of the servants who had entered his chamber that fateful day, he confirmed that an unknown individual had indeed delivered it stealthily. This revelation left him profoundly unsettled. The terms 'Dark Merchant' and 'Yang City' first entered Xia Hong's awareness three years prior, in September of Daxia's seventh year. This was shortly after he had achieved the Xianyang level and embarked on his initial journey into the Beishuo Town territory. He vividly recalled an encounter back then with an elder named Zhu Yang, who held the position of Dean at the Beishuo Inspection Office and was at the Cold Resistance Level. Observing that the elder, despite possessing only Lower War Body Talent, wielded a combat prowess equivalent to 27 men, and considering that Great Xia had not yet perfected Dan Medicine to empower those at the peak of the Cold Resistance Level, Xia Hong took it upon himself to halt the elder and demand an explanation. The Dark Merchant organization, Moao’s Tenth Town, Yang City Invitation... These pieces of information were all gleaned from Zhu Yang. Xia Hong's initial conclusion was that this Dark Merchant entity must have been a fabrication, orchestrated by multiple of the Nine Towns working in concert, undoubtedly involving a considerable number of high-ranking officials from each town. However, the unfolding of subsequent events only served to deepen his perplexity. To begin with, it seemed as though this Dark Merchant had completely disappeared from the Nine Towns following the disturbance at Dajue Temple. Xia Hong, at first, presumed they were merely lying low. Thus, when Great Xia initiated its trade endeavors in July of two years ago, he promptly alerted Qiu Peng and Lin Kai to the existence of the Dark Merchant, imploring them to pursue it with unwavering resolve. Should they succeed in tracing and eradicating the organization entirely, that would be an even more desirable outcome.