Chapter 1109 - 368: Li Zai Tripod

Divine Land.

Military Department Command Center.

Yuan Longhan had obtained Qingchudong’s Peak Pill and severed Qingchudong’s infiltration into their territory. This battle was a complete victory.

Besides killing Peak Cyan Sickness and securing the victory at Jing Niao City, numerous hidden cancers had actually been uprooted from within various cities across the Divine Land. The Yangxiang Sect had deployed almost all of their elites for this battle. To coordinate with the Demon Slaying Altar, they had been forced to expose spies hidden across countless small cities.

To assist Qingchudong in threatening Nandou City, the Yangxiang Race had to sacrifice many high-ranking spies, including two Sixth-Grade Grandmasters. It couldn’t be helped, as such intricate schemes required precise setups. Even Qingchudong’s direct conversation with Yuan Longhan had come at the expense of Yangxiang Sect members lurking in the Divine Land. So far, the Divine Land had arrested over 7,000 Yangxiang Sect spies. The rest were currently wanted fugitives and would be apprehended one after another. These spies were hidden in every corner of the Divine Land, scattered across all walks of life. Clearing out such a massive number of them would significantly contribute to the peace and prosperity of the common people.

"Master Yuangu, although I must thank your Daoist sect for destroying the Extreme Dao Spiritual Cannon, I still have to warn you to keep your hands and feet clean when square dancing in the future. Otherwise, I’ll have the Investigation and Arrest Bureau detain you!" Yuan Longhan joked as he stood up.

Now that the war was over, he needed to step out for some fresh air. Being immersed in such a tense atmosphere for so long made it hard to breathe, even for a Peak expert like him. Of course, he didn’t forget to express his gratitude to the Daoist sect.

"It’s a pity that so many living beings were slaughtered!" Master Yuangu let out a long sigh. Although these alien races deserved to die, even sinful lives were still lives.

"Ruthless slaughter is necessary for peace and tranquility; this is the shackle of our era.

"Think back to a few centuries ago when this scene played out every day for the human race. Let alone killing a hundred million of the alien races, even if we killed a billion, not a single one would be innocent!" Yuan Longhan sneered.

"As expected, you are suited for war, while I am but a carefree spirit!" Master Yuangu nodded. He understood Yuan Longhan, but he knew he would never become someone like him.

"How is the exploration of the Third World coming along?" Yuan Longhan asked suddenly.

"We don’t have any leads for now. The Eight Races of the Wet Realm are also exploring it; we can only leave this up to fate!" Master Yuangu smiled bitterly, his face laced with guilt.

The Divine Land Government provided massive, unprecedented subsidies to the Daoist sect—so large that it might cause an uproar if ordinary Martial Artists found out. One reason for this funding was the Daoist sect’s heroic efforts to turn the tide in the distant past. However, the more crucial reason was the exploration of the Third World. The other four major countries on Earth were also researching the Third World. This time, Earth absolutely could not afford to fall behind the Eight Races of the Wet Realm again.

"It’s fine, take your time. The Divine Land remembers the sacrifices and contributions of the Daoist sect. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself!" Yuan Longhan nodded.

The sacrifices made by the Military Department were immortalized in the Heroic Spirit Mausoleums of various cities for future generations to mourn. In contrast, the sacrifices of the Daoist sect were only marked by spirit tablets within their own ranks. When their people died, it was like a lamp going out, fading away without causing a single ripple. Every person who sacrificed their life had their own untold difficulties.

"Rest assured, the Daoist sect will surely lead the globe and stay ahead of the Eight Races of the Wet Realm!" Master Yuangu’s eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. Through all dynasties and eras, the people of the Divine Land had never admitted defeat or allowed themselves to be conquered. The Divine Land would definitely seize the initiative in the Third World.

"An Yushan, you should head back and rest too!" Yuan Longhan said, turning to her.

"Marshal, the latest news just arrived from the Wet Realm!" However, An Yushan’s face was as pale as a wax figure, completely drained of color.

"What news?" Yuan Longhan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Did something unexpected happen to the Zhao Qi Corps? His and Master Yuangu’s gazes both locked onto the glowing screen of the Source Image Stone.

"The father and son duo, Su Qingfeng and Su Yue, have continuously slain three alien Ninth-Grade experts. They brought back three heads.

"Gang Yue, Fei Tianhong, and even Qiu Fenghai of the Four-armed Race couldn’t escape and were killed by the father and son!

"Now, the Zhao Qi Corps has mobilized its troops and is en route to conquer three Scattered Star Cities!" An Yushan reported, switching the footage to show the three corps on the march.

Conquering three alien cities simultaneously was a massive undertaking. Zhao Qian’en had ordered someone to report the situation to Yuan Longhan immediately.

THUD!

Yuan Longhan flopped down heavily into his chair. It was a miracle. The father and son duo, Su Qingfeng and Su Yue, had truly created yet another miracle for the Divine Land.

"Marshal, if the Zhao Qi Corps can flatten these three cities, the Eastern District Battlefield will be completely stabilized.

"In the future, even low-tier Martial Artists of the first or second grade will be able to go to the Eastern District Battlefield to cultivate and complete missions," An Yushan said, taking a sip of water. She had endured too many shocks today; even now, she felt as if she were in a dream.

In the Wet Realm.

The main enemies the Divine Land faced were the Scattered Star Cities scattered throughout the wilderness. Currently, the Shen Zhou Wet Ghost Tower suppressed nine major battlefields. Each battlefield faced roughly five or six Scattered Star Cities. Some had seven or eight, but very few locations exceeded ten.

Theoretically, as long as a Ninth-Grade Divine Elder stood guard, the human race and the alien races could only engage in skirmishes between low-tier Martial Artists, fighting over wild Spirit Medicines and mineral resources in the wild, while the Grandmasters kept each other in check. However, the complete eradication of all Ninth-Grade experts in a specific area of the Eastern District Battlefield signified that the Divine Land had officially entered an era of occupying the Wet Realm. From now on, the territory of the Eastern District Battlefield would entirely belong to the Divine Land.

One had to understand that once a Spiritual Spring was destroyed, it was incredibly difficult for the alien races to return. The reason low-tier Martial Artists willingly submitted was because of the Spiritual Springs in the cities. There, they could enjoy precious dry air, a relatively stable living environment, and access to large-scale pills and cultivation facilities. Without a Spiritual Spring, even a Peak expert couldn’t gather low-tier Martial Artists. Therefore, by destroying the Spiritual Springs, the Zhao Qi Corps was obliterating the foundation of the alien races’ habitation.

If they wanted to fight their way back, it would be harder than climbing to the heavens. Without any supplies, no one would be willing to lay down their life. In fact, the human race faced the exact same dilemma. Resupply was a major challenge, so low-tier Martial Artists could only operate near the Wet Ghost Tower. Once they ventured too far, they would face all sorts of dangers. After all, the Beast Selection Waist Bag was a treasure possessed only by a small fraction of Martial Artists; it was impossible for the Divine Land to issue one to everyone.

"Su Yue and Su Qingfeng have truly made a massive contribution this time!" An Yushan continuously marveled.

Yuan Longhan remained silent for a moment before standing up and dialing the Research Institute’s number. As for the process of the war, there was actually no need to pay attention to it. With the imposing Zhao Qi Corps and so many Ninth-Grade experts holding the fort, if they couldn’t even take down three cities lacking Ninth-Grade defenders, the Zhao Qi Corps might as well disband. Yuan Longhan had zero doubts about their success.

"Hello, this is Yuan Longhan from the Military Department," he said calmly once the call connected. "I’d like to ask about the recent progress on the Li Zai Tripod being researched by our Military Department."

A few minutes later, he nodded. "Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Professors!"

He hung up the phone. An Yushan looked at the Grand Marshal in surprise. During those brief few minutes, Yuan Longhan had barely spoken two sentences; it was likely the professor on the other end doing all the talking. Moreover, Yuan Longhan’s expression had shifted from his initial excitement to gradual solemnity, ultimately ending in a face full of disappointment.

"Is it still not working?" Master Yuangu asked nervously upon seeing this.

"No, the operation remains unstable. It likely requires a special material. If nothing unexpected happens, this material can only be found in the Eight Races Sacred Land. It’s incredibly scarce and heavily guarded by the Yangxiang Race!" Yuan Longhan shook his head.

"Is there nothing that can replace it?" Master Yuangu asked again.

"No!

"The Research Institute has attempted it thousands of times, and every single one was a failure!

"For the Li Zai Tripod project, the Research Institute has already burned through three trillion in funding. Now, many cabinet members are calling to halt it.

"If there’s no progress in a while, they might just have to declare it a failure!" Yuan Longhan said, taking a deep breath.

At the Research Institute, there was a massive number of money-burning projects. Among these projects, countless proposals were aborted before they even began. The Divine Land was the leading nation on Earth, possessing the most wealth on the planet, yet it still couldn’t ensure fairness for every Martial Artist or make everyone rich. The fundamental reason lay right here. There were simply too many places that required money. The catch was that low-tier Martial Artists were clueless about where this money went, the common people were clueless, and even the majority of Grandmasters were equally in the dark. Many low-tier Martial Artists cursed the government, but the government had no choice but to suffer in silence. These scientific research projects were all top secret.

"Marshal, what on earth has consumed three trillion in research funding?" An Yushan was startled. This was an astronomical figure. She was aware of some research projects, but she had never encountered anything on such a colossal scale.

"This project was initiated before you became the Chief of Staff. You didn’t have the clearance to know about it back then, and we didn’t specifically inform you later!

"You can think of this Li Zai Tripod as a mobile Spiritual Spring! As long as this project succeeds, the Divine Land can deploy a Spiritual Spring anywhere in the Wet Realm and construct fortresses belonging to the human race. Inside these fortresses, the human race can install fully automated defensive Sacred Artifacts, or even offensive Sacred Artifacts!

"This way, our Divine Land Martial Artists can set up camp, gradually arrange their troops, and push toward the Eight Races Sacred Land! If the Li Zai Tripod succeeds, our Divine Land’s Scattered Star Fortresses can be put on the agenda!

"The Li Zai Tripod is a spark. If successful, this spark can eventually spread like wildfire. The raging inferno of the Shen Zhou Martial Dao will definitely be able to surround the Eight Races Sacred Land.

"Unfortunately, it requires a special raw material. Unless the Divine Land can conquer the Eight Races of the Wet Realm, there’s absolutely no way to retrieve it.

"Now, this project has hit a dead end," Yuan Longhan explained, offering a bitter smile.

How could such a powerful Sacred Artifact be so easily perfected? After all, current Earth Martial Artists couldn’t even utilize wild Spiritual Springs. Researching the Li Zai Tripod was akin to a baby trying to run before learning how to crawl.

An Yushan, meanwhile, was jolted by yet another wave of shock. She had thought that killing Peak Cyan Sickness and clearing out all the alien cities in the Eastern District Battlefield was crazy enough. Little did she expect that the Divine Land Research Institute was developing something even more insane.

As everyone knew.

Because Divine Land Martial Artists were born on Earth, they inherently lacked any affinity with the Spiritual Springs of the Wet Realm. Therefore, Earth Martial Artists could neither activate Spiritual Springs nor utilize them to construct cities. Ultimately, Earth Martial Artists were forced to passively destroy Spiritual Springs. Whether they were occupied by alien races or wild Spiritual Springs, as long as the opportunity allowed, they would destroy every single one they found. A long time ago, Earth even tried having people give birth in the Wet Realm, but the children still lacked any affinity with the Spiritual Springs.

Building cities in the Wet Realm held immense significance. It all boiled down to the issue of supplies. Without cities suitable for survival to act as strongholds, even if the Wet Realm had no Scattered Star Cities, it would be impossible for Earth Martial Artists to fight their way to the Eight Races Sacred Land—the distance was simply too vast and the supplies insufficient. But if the Li Zai Tripod succeeded, Earth could gradually encroach upon the Wet Realm’s territory, like pieces advancing on a chessboard. At the same time, Martial Artists would be able to cultivate within the fortresses, taking advantage of the denser Spiritual Qi deep inside the Wet Realm. It was foreseeable that Divine Land Martial Artists would ignite yet another glorious era of Martial Dao.

Once the map of the Wet Realm was dotted with fortresses everywhere, the Eight Races of the Wet Realm would be utterly surrounded.

What a beautiful picture.

No wonder.

If it could genuinely succeed, a research cost of three trillion wasn’t high at all. Furthermore, the Divine Land could export it to other countries to earn massive amounts of capital.

How hateful.

They lacked the materials.

An Yushan was so furious she wanted to smash the table.