by Fang Xiang
A red sword energy flashed.
Vast sword essence charged!
Boom!
The sky seemed to shake. The water in front of Wei Sheng immediately disappeared, and a ruler-straight passage that was dozens of li long appeared.
In the five zhang wide chasm, there wasn't a drop of water. The black rock at the bottom of the ocean was exposed to the air. The walls of water on the two sides of the passageway were five hundred zhang tall and as smooth as glass.
The chasm stretched into the distance. The octopus was fully exposed. There was a straight red blood line through the middle of its body.
Pia!
The enormous body of the octopus fell from the air to the bottom of the chasm in two pieces. Poof, the blood that should have gushed and sprayed instead exploded into a mist.
Wei Sheng's blood sword shook. The blood mist was drawn into the blood sword and turned into a pillar of blood as it was absorbed.
There wasn't a drop of blood left in the octopus.
At this time, the walls of water started to crumble. The ruckus was like tens of thousands of horses galloping at once.
Everyone, including Zuo Mo, was stunned by Wei Sheng's strike!
Eldest Shixiong … … really … … really … … was too much of a freak!
Suddenly, Zuo Mo shook, the octopus!
Little Mo Ge's eyes were immediately taken over by countless jingshi. He appeared like lightning next to the octopus corpse. Without a second word, each of his hands pulled on one half of the octopus. Golden scripts appeared on his body, his shen power rippling, his eyes wide, his muscles tensing, he breathed and shouted, "Ah ah ah aaaaaaaaah! Rise!"
Under the motivation of jingshi, the power that Zuo Mo displayed far surpassed his power when he had been fighting Xiao Ru Jian. Zuo Mo seemed to be possessed by a god, an ancient monster. His tendons bulged, he panted as he pulled the two enormous pieces and slowly rose. He finally pulled them up onto the transportation ship before the water passageway collapsed.
Wei Sheng who had just finished his strike saw this, and the devoutness and concentration on his face disappeared. His mouth was open wide, the muscles in his face frozen, he looked dazedly at Zuo Mo's superhuman action.
The blood sword in his hand couldn't help but tremble.
Everyone was stunned.
In this moment, the entire place was silent. There was only the sound of Zuo Mo panting like the bellows of a furnace. He collapsed and leaned against the two mountains of meat, completely out of energy, with a dumb smile on his face.
———
"Did you find their origins?" The sect leader of Thunder Sound Temple said.
"We are not sure." The disciple responsible sweated. Looking at the unhappy expression of the sect leader, the disciple hurriedly added, "From the present clues, it is very likely they come from Mo Cloud Sea."
"Mo Cloud Sea!" The sect leader's expression turned grave.
"But it is not easy to determine their true identity. They did not fight, and we could not prove that Lao De Guang was on their ships. We searched through their fleet and did not find him. But then when we closed the transportation formation, they flew into the Black Sea Flying Route, they are highly suspicious."
The sect leader remained silent.
A long time later, the sect leader spoke, "This matter will end here."
The disciple responsible stilled, and then had a surprised expression. The sect leader seemed to not see it and said, "You may leave."
The disciple shook and reacted, bowing hurriedly. "This disciple bids farewell!"
After the disciple left the hall, a youth with an impressive presence walked out from behind the drapes. If the disciple that had been here before saw this, they would have been greatly surprised.
Yang Yuan Hao!
The best battle general of the Nine Great Dhyana Sects, Yang Yuan Hao!
No one knew that Yang Yuan Hao had sneaked back to the sect without anyone's knowledge.
"Sect Leader, are you worried about Mo Cloud Sea?" Yang Yuan Hao also had some surprise on his face and asked.
The sect leader's gaze was deep. Seeing Yang Yuan Hao, he had a small smile. "Yuan Hao, you do not understand?"
Yang Yuan Hao shook his head. "Mo Cloud Sea will be our ally for a long time. However, we have not discovered if they are from Mo Cloud Sea or not … …"
"They could go through the Black Sea Flight Route, ha!" The sect leader huffed a laugh. "They aren't just Mo Cloud Sea, they are most likely Wei Sheng's group."
Yang Yuan Hao thought of another problem. He frowned. "Mo Cloud Sea knows our situation very well, how long has it been since the ruins appeared? They have already learned the news!"
For any battle general, it was a taboo for one's enemies to know too much about one's situation. [1]
The sect leader shook his head. "It may not be the case. Do not forget the matter regarding Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect, Mo Cloud Sea are not timid people."
Yang Yuan Hao nodded. "Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect did a stupid thing."
The sect leader said, "What is the situation on the front lines?"
"Kun Lun has been very silent recently, it is slightly unusual." A hint of worry flashed through Yang Yuan Hao's eyes.
A hint of cold flashed through the sect leader's eyes. "Silent? It probably was them in the shadows creating the storm right now. Some people are always short-sighted. When they see that there is nothing to be worried about at the moment, they will want to make a fuss. I summoned you back here because I wanted to ask your opinion."
Yang Yuan Hao had been thinking on the way back. The sects had been very active recently which had affect the unity of the Nine Great Dhyana Sect. A divided Nine Great Dhyana Sects would not even hold against one enemy attack.
He suddenly thought of Mo Cloud Sea that was just mentioned. His eyes lit up. "Maybe we could borrow some power."
Editor's note:
[1] Yang Yuan Hao is implying Mo Cloud Sea discovered information about the ruin through an established information network. This implies that Yang Yuan Hao has made a mistake by assuming Zuo Mo's group did not discover the ruins by coincidence. This in turn suggests that Mo Cloud Sea's spy network as infiltrated the Nine Great Dhyana Sects to a large extent.
Also, has anyone else noticed how FX has already subtly introduced the 3rd faction in the Yao Elder Council?
Translator Ramblings: Even a sword tens of thousands of years old is intimidated by Zuo Mo's lust for jingshi.
Chapter 777: Mountain of Meat
They had really profited this time!
Looking at the two mountains of meat in front of him, Zuo Mo felt as though he was in dream. This gift from Kun Lun really was too valuable. Ancient beasts like this were rare and irreplaceable!
If the Kun Lun disciples hadn't used the Soul Luring Fragrance, Zuo Mo guessed that even all of them working together would not have been able to defeat this terrifying large thing. It would be a problem if they would be even able to escape alive.
He had really not expected this profit. Kun Lun were really good people!
Everyone moved around the two mountains of meat in curiosity. It was rare to see such a large ancient beast. They basically only existed in legends.
Because they were worried about encountering other strong beasts on the Black Sea Flight Line, the fleet did not dare to move around randomly on the route, but quickly flew towards their destination according to the steward's instructions.
Only Zuo Mo could butcher the monster. He was the only one here skilled in forging. Only he knew what was useful or not.
If the conditions allowed for it, Zuo Mo wanted to put the two mountains of meat into his ring and then take it back to Mo Cloud Sea. That would allow it to express its greatest value.
However, even though Zuo Mo's ring was top tier, it could not hold two such enormous mountains of meat.
Zuo Mo worked hard for three days.
The one responsible for guiding his hand was Wei.
While it had been many many years since he had last dismembered an ancient beast, he was the only one that was familiar.
This octopus was treasure, profit, great profit … …
Zuo Mo hummed a tune, his movements happy and rapid. The octopus was made up of treasure. Zuo Mo carefully gathered its slime. This was a rare treasure that could absorb enemy shen attacks.
What was greatest about it was that it could absorb shen power attacks upto a certain degree. Zuo Mo tested it, and it was so. Only when the shen power reached a certain level of purity and the shen technique reached a certain level of skill would the effect be overcome.
In reality, it was the first time Zuo Mo had heard of a material with this property. Just this one trait determined its value. In the entire process, Zuo Mo was on high alert and fearful that he would miss a drop.
He decided when he would forged his new shen raiment, he would brush on this astounding shen liquid, one coat after another, one hundred times!
Kun Lun shen power? Tian Huan shen power? What of it? They wouldn't even create sparks when they hit his armor. The more he thought, the happier Zuo Mo felt.
Kun Lun was a good child, a good good child … …
Zuo Mo started to hum again.
Other than this, the octopus' eyes were dried and turned into two black beads [1]. However, these two beads were a bit large, about the same height as Zuo Mo. He didn't know the use of the black beads but he had tested it with shen power. Zuo Mo found that when shen power entered, it seemed to disappear.
It could absorb shen power!
This was the only attribute that Zuo Mo had discovered up until now. The time did not allow for him to slowly examine it. He could only throw it into his ring. He had a feeling that this definitely was something good.
The skin of the octopus was hard. Normal flying swords could only leave behind a faint mark. In the end, it had been Wei Sheng with his God-Killing Blood Sword that was able to cut it.
Undoubtedly, the grade of this octopus skin was astounding. Zuo Mo guessed that it should be top level. For the great majority of shen device raiments, high level hide was essential. A Gui's [Undying Ghost] was a rarity in its composition.
Most importantly, the surface area of this hide was almost unimaginable.
Even if it was not able to be all used in shen device raiments, if it was used to forge shen equipment, they would be higher in grade than normal. Thinking about if he gave every one of the core members a pseudo-shen device, and they were all outfitted, the offensive ability of Mo Cloud Sea would skyrocket!
The teeth and bones of the octopus were all of extraordinary quality and could be used to forge shen equipment.
What made Zuo Mo feel was unique was the dense suckers on the tentacles. The largest of these suckers were the size of a person, the smallest just the size of a thumb. There were twelve hundred thousand of them.
Zuo Mo was very interested in the suckers. They had an unique effect. Once they came into contact with something, they would instinctively absorb the power and life-force of the target.
It was very devious and terrifying.
The bigger the sucker, the stronger its absorption ability. Zuo Mo knew that the suckers only had a lingering effect because the octopus was dead. If the octopus was alive, this ability would be much stronger. He thought about the many suckers. Everywhere they passed, all life was stolen, all of the blood, flesh, and energy was suched into the octopus.
This octopus had lived for tens of thousands of years. He didn't know how many lives it had consumed.
So terrifying!
Zuo Mo rejoiced. If there wasn't Kun Lun's Soul Luring Fragrance, the possibility that the fleet would have survived would have been low.
There was a kind of pattern that Zuo Mo had never seen before on the suckers. Zuo Mo suspected that it was this pattern that allowed the suckers to have such an unique ability.
Zuo Mo decided to spend some time to study it. He put all the suckers away in the ring. They piled together into a little mountain. Zuo Mo knew that this was something good but he didn't have a complete idea on how to use it.
Everything that was useful was harvested and put away.
But there was still a mountain of meat left in front of them. This was truly a mountain of meat, all of it was left behind after cutting up the octopus. The blood of the octopus seemed to have been completely sucked dry by Wei Sheng's God-Killing Blood Sword. There wasn't even a drop of blood left, all of it was clean meat. Piled up there, it did not reek of blood.
What to do with the meat? Zuo Mo felt stuck. There was just too much!
"Eat it!" Wei suggested. "In the ancient era, if such a monster was killed, the entire tribe would divide it up and eat it. Each piece of flesh of such a monster that has lived for tens of thousands of years has been refined for countless years by shen power. They contain astounding power and will be of great help to you if you use it!"
"Really?" Zuo Mo had a suspicious expression.
"Won't you know after eating?" Wei was discontent.
Zuo Mo tried to use fire to roast a piece of meat. When he took a bite, his eyes widened. He felt an extremely faint thread of shen power spread into his body.
Good thing!
He pointed at the mountain and said through a full mouth, "Eat eat eat!"
The other people saw this and started to act. They used different methods but when the meat entered their mouth, they all became alert!
Shen power!
The meat actually contained shen power and they could absorb a portion of the shen power. This discovery caused everyone to turn crazy.
Right now, other than Zuo Mo, Wei Sheng, and A Gui who were special exceptions, the other people only had one path to increase shen power - cultivation!
This was the first time they encountered another way to increase shen power.
The meat mountain in front of them caused everyone to have a feeling they were smashed by happiness.
Without needing Zuo Mo to call them over, everyone started to eat furiously.
Yet they found quickly that while they ate at as fast as possible, it was nothing compared to the three hundred zhang mountain of meat in front of them.
They could not eat all of it!
The greatest tragedy in life was when you find that eating meat could increase shen power, and there was a lot of meat like this in front of you, but you could not finish it!
Most of the people with Zuo Mo had grassroot origins, of impoverished backgrounds, they had endured many great hardships and hated wasting anything. How could they allow such a tragedy to occur?
The group cursed the world. All of them had the same thought. No matter what, before they reached Lotus Sutra Temple, they had to finish consuming this meat mountain!
Therefore, they started to think of solutions.
In order to increase their appetite, they started to expend their shen power, fighting, furiously cultivating, practicing … …
They invented all kinds of methods. If other people saw this, they would feel as though "people's intelligence was limitless."
For example, Wei Sheng quickly created a highly efficient method. He used the God-Killing Blood Sword to absorb the shen power inside the meat, and then pass it into his body. The speed of absorption was high. However, the God-Killing Blood Sword was only interested in blood, and not at all in the meat. This caused Wei Sheng to have to search for beast to feed it blood and coerce its cooperation.
Zong Ru's method seemed much gentler. He summoned all kinds of buddhas to absorb shen power and then merged it in his body.
Zuo Mo was undoubtedly the brightest superstar of eating meat. All the little ones around him had extraordinary appetites, and there was still the glutton Black Gold Seal Soldier. Zuo Mo was inspired by the suckers and his rate increased greatly. When the meat entered his stomach, the energies and shen power would spread in threads into his body.
Yet even so, when they flew out of the Black Sea Flight Route, they just bar
ely managed to consume this enormous mountain of meat.
All of them felt as though they had finished a difficult mission. Even composed people like Wei Sheng and Zong Ru smiled. More of them felt lingering trepidation.
In a very long time after, when any person mentioned the words "eat meat," they would be attacked unanimously by everyone around them.
It was like a war.
Even a glutton like the Black Gold Seal Solder felt fear at hearing "eating meat".
Yet everyone's strength had increased enormously.
The shen power contained in an octopus that had lived for tens of thousands of years was enormous and terrifying! While they could not absorb all of it, and it was divided among so many people, for these people that had just started cultivating shen power, this increase was still astounding.
Nothing excited people more than strength.
They were full of anticipation about the upcoming trip to the ruins. Even though they knew that they would likely face experts from Kun Lun and Tian Huan, they did not feel any fear.
As expected, they would have meat if they followed Boss!
They looked at Zuo Mo with admiration. Some of the more honest people looked around as they travelled, muttering, "Another one … … another one … …"
As the fleet came closer to the ruins, they could clearly feel the number of xiuzhe increasing in the surroundings, including experts.
Yet what no one know was that Zuo Mo who was hiding in the ship had made a new discovery.
[1] Previously stated as a one eyed octopus.
Translator Ramblings: Eat until you burst.
Chapter 778: Bie Han! Madman!
"Ma Fan's battle was beautiful!" Shi Dong said with admiration. Winning a difficult battle was a great aspiration for any battle general.
Also, this victory raised Ma Fan's fame and place him in the ranks of the first-class battle generals.
There was competition among the battalions of Mo Cloud Sea as well. Shi Dong and Ye Ling's Grey Camp was not the top ranked among the many battalions. Shi Dong was exceptional, but in Mo Cloud Sea, which was full of talented people, he was not the strongest.
