chsdbacks Chapter 222 The Feathered Serpent God, Successor of the Thunder Saint, Returns to the Desert
Chapter 222 The Feathered Serpent God, Successor of the Thunder Saint, Returns to the Desert
Chapter 222 The Feathered Serpent God, Successor of the Thunder Saint, Returns to the Desert
Li Xijun's calm words brought Yae Hisakura, who had been lost in thought, back to reality.
The priestess took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the various emotions in her heart, looked at Li Xijun with a complicated expression, and nodded solemnly:
"Mr. Li Xijun... no, Mr. Li. Please rest assured, I will truthfully report the merit of slaying the Sakura Dragon and eliminating the source of 'Calamity'. The three drops of [Baxia Spirit Blood] and the due rewards will be delivered to you as soon as possible."
Her tone carried an unprecedented level of respect.
Strength is always the most direct way to earn respect.
Li Xijun nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to Ye Ningxue beside her.
But they found that the usually aloof silver-haired girl was slightly lowering her head, her hand unconsciously gripping the broken hilt of the Miao sword, her eyes filled with an undisguised sense of loss and resentment.
She gave it her all, even nearly losing her life, but ultimately gained nothing and ended up owing Li Xijun a debt of gratitude for saving her life.
Li Xijun instantly understood her thoughts.
He hesitated for a moment, then a subtle mental transmission entered Ye Ningxue's ears:
"Student Ye, after we leave, I'll exchange the two 'Azure Water Crystals' I got from Hyōdō Castle for two rare wood-type flowers, how about that?"
Ye Ningxue's delicate body trembled slightly, and she raised her head in surprise to look at Li Xijun.
Azure Water Crystal is a top-grade spiritual object for water-attribute cultivation, which greatly benefits her cultivation techniques and is generally much more valuable than most spiritual flowers.
Li Xijun continued to transmit his voice:
"Furthermore, Hyōdō Castle's memories contain the exact locations of several water-type treasures in this world, not far from the exit. With your strength, you should still have time to go and reap some rewards. The coordinates are..."
He accurately relayed the information about several water resource points from Hyodo Castle's memories to Ye Ningxue.
Now that he has killed the 'Calamity' Sakura Dragon, he will immediately obtain three drops of the water-attribute treasure, [Baxia Spirit Blood]. He no longer cares much about the little thing in Hyōdō's mind.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ningxue's cool eyes widened slightly, and the disappointment in her eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.
She never expected that Li Xijun would not only be willing to exchange precious water-based treasures with her, but also share such important information with her free of charge.
She subconsciously pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just said to Li Xijun in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "...Thank you."
The fleeting hint of girlish shyness that flashed through her eyes was a stark contrast to her usual icy demeanor.
Li Xijun nodded slightly and said no more.
…………
The three-day deadline was fast approaching.
When the spatial rift stabilized again, members of both the Great Xia and Sakura Kingdom teams emerged from it one after another.
Although the members of the Sakura Kingdom team were weak, they all wore expressions of relief after completing their mission. Meanwhile, the members of the Great Xia Kingdom team had all reaped considerable rewards, their faces beaming with joy.
In front of everyone, Yae Hisahiro directly guaranteed Li Xijun's slaying of the Sakura Dragon in her own name as a priestess.
The crowd, who were already used to Li Xijun's outrageous combat power, didn't react much. They were just surprised that Yagami Hiyori seemed to be somewhat respectful towards Li Xijun, and they didn't know what had happened.
Meanwhile, the Sakura Kingdom was abuzz with discussion, with people saying how incredibly powerful the Sakura Dragon was, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
But with Yagami Hiyori's testimony, they fell silent after their discussion.
Although both sides were curious about what had happened in the core area,
Seeing that Li Xijun did not bring it up and Yagami Hiyori remained silent, they tacitly refrained from asking further questions and simply arranged for everyone to board the return flight as soon as possible.
It's unclear whether it was due to Yae Hizakura or something else.
Almost on the evening of the same day that the Great Xia Kingdom's team was recuperating at the Sky Keep Pavilion, a special person came and delivered the agreed-upon [Baxia Spirit Blood] to Li Xijun.
So far,
This training exercise at the National Palace of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom has officially come to an end.
Early the next morning,
The aircraft, which had been waiting at the castle tower for a long time, flew directly to the port.
The large cruise ship carrying the Great Xia Kingdom's delegation was already waiting here.
Just as Li Xijun and his group stepped off the aircraft and headed towards the port to board the ship...
Contrary to everyone's expectations,
Hiyori Yagami appeared here alone, seemingly to see him off.
She was still dressed in her standard red and white shrine maiden outfit, her black hair cascading down her back, and her expression had returned to its usual aloofness, but the look in her eyes as she gazed at Li Xijun remained complex.
This caused almost every one of the extremely perceptive members of the Great Xia Kingdom's team to look at Li Xijun with subtle expressions.
Especially Wei Ying, the way she looked at Li Xijun was as if she were looking at a scumbag.
Meanwhile, Yagami Hiiro bowed deeply to Li Xijun, who was about to board the ship:
"Mr. Li, thank you for your help this time. I also look forward to... facing you again at the Global National Championship."
A crimson flame seemed to flicker in her eyes.
This setback did not discourage her; instead, it fueled her even stronger fighting spirit.
She believed that once she fully mastered the power of the divine artifact, she would definitely be able to catch up with Li Xijun.
Feeling that he hadn't done anything wrong, yet his reputation seemed to be getting worse, Li Xijun could only nod slightly in response.
"I also look forward to meeting the shrine maiden again."
A moment later
The luxurious steel behemoth's engine roared deeply, cutting through the waves and speeding away at a speed far exceeding its arrival, quickly leaving the coastline of the Sakura Country behind.
The cruise ship's luxurious and comfortable meeting rooms
Professor Xu gathered all the team members.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next destination is—the Americas, Panama."
Professor Xu adjusted his glasses and began to explain.
"The strength of the national team there is relatively low compared to other countries in the world. With your current strength, any one of you could easily win the competition."
"But that's not why the higher-ups assigned you there."
He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious:
"In fact, Panama, including Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, belonged to the same kingdom a hundred years ago, when the mythical world had just begun to emerge. Its name was: the Kingdom of the Feathered Serpent."
"At that time, a vast mythical world descended upon Mesoamerica."
"However, the ruler of that mythical world, the feathered serpent god who is suspected to be an emperor-level being, did not choose to destroy and devour the human race like other creatures in the mythical world."
"On the contrary, this being with unique wisdom chose to rule over the vast land and the people of many countries, and made everyone there build various altars and artifacts to worship daily."
"And it also protected countless peoples in Central America for almost a century."
"One day it suddenly chose to leave, but not to return to the mythical world. Instead, it flew out of the blue planet and into the universe. Some even speculated that it passed through that space wormhole."
This news captivated everyone who heard it.
Even Li Xijun perked up and became somewhat expectant.
Su Nianying, who was standing to the side, then chimed in:
"Therefore, the mythical world where the feathered serpent god once existed has been explored by the human race. Almost every few years, someone would bring out some unexpected and strange treasures from it, and some people even used them to soar to the sky."
Panama's official control is too weak, with almost no strong figures.
Therefore, it is a place where all sorts of people mingle, gathering adventurers and outlaws from all over the world. Every year when the mythical world opens, a large number of people try to enter by smuggling or even by some small spatial rifts connecting to the world of the Feathered Serpent God.
Therefore, your exploration of that world is primarily for you to experience combat against various desperados and other human martial artists.
"Before we arrive, everyone must remain vigilant, seize the time to digest what we've learned, practice diligently, and ensure we are in peak condition!"
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
as time flows,
This time, the cruise ship was unusually quiet.
After all, almost everyone has received a lot of good things from the [Land of Dragon Origin].
During this period, they have mostly been consuming various rare and precious herbs in their respective cultivation rooms.
Similarly, after the meeting, Li Xijun found Su Nianyi, who was in her room organizing the harvested spiritual herbs.
"Nianyi, this is for you." Li Xijun handed her a warm, smooth jade bottle.
Su Nianyi took the bottle with a puzzled look, opened the stopper and took a gentle sniff. Instantly, a powerful and gentle life energy rushed towards her, making her spiritual power more active.
The purple-haired girl's beautiful eyes widened instantly, and she looked at Li Xijun in surprise: "Xijun! What... what is this?"
Although she didn't know the true value of this thing, she was certain of its pure and wondrous medicinal power.
However, her body instinctively knew that this was definitely a top-tier treasure, possibly even more powerful than the [Baxia Spirit Blood].
"A significant portion of the medicine's potency has been lost, resulting in a somewhat weaker effect."
Li Xijun said, "But it's perfect for you. Now that you've accumulated enough of your artistic conception, you can use this great medicine to break through to the mortal realm in one fell swoop. Breaking through to the early stage of artistic conception will give you more assurance for your next operation in Panama."
Su Nianyi looked at Li Xijun, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears:
"This thing is so precious that even if I gave you all the treasures I had found, it wouldn't be enough."
"hope Jun. I will still use my own..."
"Knock knock knock!" A loud knock on the door precisely interrupted the girl's words.
at the same time,
Su Nianying pushed the door open and entered.
"Ahem, Nianyi has reached the pinnacle of her transformation. Breaking through to the Intent Realm is no small matter. I will personally protect her tonight until she completes her advancement."
As the tall, mature woman spoke, she walked directly towards Su Nianyi.
Unexpectedly, just as her sister, who was so unruly, was about to say something, she was grabbed and pulled into the secret room in an instant.
Li Xijun silently looked away and returned to her room to begin her daily cultivation.
Several days later
The cruise ship arrived at the port of Colon, Panama.
Similar to their time in the Sakura Kingdom, a pre-arranged aircraft picked up the Great Xia Kingdom's delegation and flew directly to the capital, Panama City.
Onboard the aircraft, Professor Xu briefly explained the situation again:
"The Panamanian government is relatively weak; their main team members are probably only at the initial stage of the Intent Realm. Our main objective is not the martial arts competition, but rather the mythical world within their country known as the 'Abandoned Nest of the Feathered Serpent.' As is customary, after completing the basic sparring, we will qualify for entry."
Everyone nodded in understanding. Having experienced the trials of the Sakura Kingdom, they no longer took this kind of "perfunctory" competition too seriously.
The aircraft landed at a dedicated airport in Panama City.
However, when everyone got off the plane and prepared to go to their pre-booked hotel, they encountered an unexpected incident.
The Panamanian official who came to greet him looked somewhat embarrassed, rubbing his hands together as he spoke in slightly broken Chinese:
"Dear friends of Great Xia, I am very sorry... the 'American Tower' Hotel that was originally prepared for you... has encountered some unforeseen circumstances."
Jiang Qiyue, being the most impatient, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Situation? What situation?"
The official, sweat beading on his forehead, stammered, "It's...it's like this...the French National Government team from the Western Alliance...they arrived early yesterday and won the competition. Now they are waiting for the opening of the [Abandoned Nest of Quetzalcoatl] in three weeks."
However, in their group... there is a personally trained disciple of the esteemed Lord Lei Sheng... You know, Lord Lei Sheng is almost as revered as the Light Saint in the Americas and the Western Alliance...
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already quite clear.
The French National Team, relying on the fact that they had a disciple of a prominent figure within their team, forcibly occupied the hotel that originally belonged to the Great Xia National Team.
"A disciple of the Thunder Saint?" Wei Ying frowned. "So, they can disregard the order of arrival? What kind of logic is that!"
Cai Meng'er was also somewhat indignant: "That's right, we booked it first!"
The Panamanian official looked troubled and whispered:
"Everyone, I'm so sorry... We... Panama is too far from Great Xia, and we dare not offend France or Lord Lei Sheng. We have arranged another hotel for you, 'Heart of the Rainforest,' which has a very nice environment. Please understand..."
He adopted a very humble posture, clearly not wanting to offend either side, but obviously more afraid of the reputation of the French side.
Everyone looked grim, but it wasn't enough to warrant such a tantrum from the host from a small country.
Professor Xu remained calm, adjusted his glasses, and said to the official:
"It's alright, let's do as you arrange. Take us to the 'Heart of the Rainforest'."
"Thank you for your understanding! Thank you very much!" The Panamanian official felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly bowed to lead the way.
The atmosphere was somewhat somber on the way to the new hotel.
Although none of the group really cared about the quality of their hotel accommodations,
However, when faced with such a situation, everyone felt a bit angry.
Professor Xu spoke slowly, his voice steady:
"Our priority is to complete the tournament and qualify for the 'Abandoned Nest of Quetzalcoatl'."
"The French National Team is quite strong, especially that disciple of Lei Sheng, who is at the late stage of the Intent Realm and is widely recognized as the strongest among the younger generation of the Western Alliance. If we fight on the outside, it will be easy to expose the trump cards of both National Team members."
"but."
His gaze swept over the crowd, and he said, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally:
"As I said on the cruise ship before, the mythological world of Quetzalcoatl is always flooded with people who try to sneak in and smuggle themselves in every time it opens. In that kind of chaos, it's hard to say what someone might do."
Su Nianying added from the side:
"Although when you enter that kind of world, you and the opposing Nationalist team will usually have a teacher accompany you to ensure your safety, as long as no one dies, there shouldn't be any other problems."
Of course, aside from the opposing Nationalist team, those stowaways and desperados can be killed at will; it'll be a good opportunity for them to hone their courage.
Upon hearing this, everyone understood.
Li Xijun nodded slightly, though with some regret, as he had already reached the pinnacle of his cultivation of the [Lifeless Killing Sword - White Tiger Seven Killing Style].
Otherwise, in such a nice place, you might be able to have a good time killing people.
"Hmm, the 'White Tiger Seven Killing God Manual' should also be put on the agenda." He started to think about it again.
Soon, the convoy arrived at a hotel called "Heart of the Rainforest".
Although not as luxurious and modern as the "American Tower", it is full of tropical rainforest style, with a quiet environment and a relatively abundant spiritual energy, making it a good place for cultivation.
After everyone settled down and finished packing, Panamanian officials reappeared, bringing news that the Panamanian National Team had conceded defeat.
This left the members of the Great Xia Kingdom's team speechless.
But since the other side had conceded defeat outright, they didn't care. After reporting the results, they all focused on their cultivation in the training room, waiting for the events in the mythical world three weeks later.
Li Xijun, after consolidating his cultivation for a day and confirming that the environment was suitable,
Once again, we returned to the desert of the martial arts world.
"Let's check out that most suspicious oasis first."
"We absolutely must obtain the cultivation technique this time!"
Recalling the map in his mind, he transformed into a black shadow and sped into the depths of the desert.
(End of this chapter)