Chapter 207: Midnight Ghost Steals Vegetables, Soul-Collecting Straw Man Rises! (6K)

The next day at Mao hour, Long Xiao, who was sleeping, felt a sudden intuition, jumped up, and flew into the sky.

Zhao Xing, who had not yet slept and was butchering a turtle on the warship, suddenly saw Long Xiao's figure shoot skyward, directly riding a sword to charge into the layer of violent winds.

Zhao Xing activated the Heaven Eye Technique to monitor Long Xiao's movements; through the layer of violent winds, he could see Long Xiao constantly ascending, quickly reaching the three-thousand-meter violent wind layer.

"So Great Auspiciousness is this?" Zhao Xing realized.

However, he was not worried about Long Xiao's breakthrough.

Long Xiao was a sword cultivator; even without the support of national fortune, breaking through on his own, he would not face the dangers typical of ordinary seventh-rank cultivators.

Natural cultivation is inherently going against the heavens, with extreme difficulty; ordinary seventh-rank cultivators intending to draw violent qi into their bodies must make many preparations, such as Organ-Protecting Pills and Viscera-Protecting Pills to guard their five organs and six bowels, and even then, success is not guaranteed.

In the ancient method system, descriptions of breaking through realms are invariably 'nine deaths for one life.' Of course, those with great talent or deep family resources are another matter.

At Wu hour, Long Xiao broke through the shackles of the seventh-rank Earth Fiend realm, successfully drew violent qi into his body, and entered the sixth-rank Heavenly Fiend Initial Realm.

But the breakthrough was still not over; Long Xiao continued to fly upward, quickly disappearing from the range of Zhao Xing's Heaven Eye Technique.

"Can't see anymore." Zhao Xing withdrew his gaze. "Blocked by the violent winds, even high-level Heaven Eye Technique can only see up to three thousand meters."

At Wu hour, sixth mark, Long Xiao flew down from the sky.

Zhao Xing reactivated the Heaven Eye Technique and could see a small golden sword in Long Xiao's Origin Dantian—the Heavenly Fiend Sword.

Transforming violent qi into sword qi to be used by oneself; this is the distinction between a sword cultivator and an ordinary martial artist.

After breaking through, Long Xiao immediately reached the Heavenly Fiend Mid-Realm.

Zhao Xing activated the Qi-Gazing Technique to take a look.

A light pillar appeared above Long Xiao's head.

"Fortune is two zhang high, entirely red with no gray or white; this is solidly Derivation Two fortune."

"Fortune forming a pillar, condensed and not scattered, means he just experienced a wave of good luck."

"There is a point of cyan light in the center, a sign of developing toward Derivation Three, but he is still far from Derivation Three fortune." Zhao Xing thought silently.

The Qi-Gazing Technique cannot be used on oneself, but he has a panel, so he does not need to use the Qi-Gazing Technique to observe himself.

"Your divination was really accurate!" Long Xiao happily jumped onto the warship, gave Zhao Xing a thumbs-up, and said, "You finished yesterday, and I broke through today, even reaching the Heavenly Fiend Mid-Realm."

"It's not that mysterious." Zhao Xing smiled. "You had already reached the bottleneck and could break through at any time. Moreover, I can only calculate auspiciousness or inauspiciousness; I don't know exactly where it will manifest."

He had only calculated that Long Xiao had Great Auspiciousness, but did not know the specific matter or which aspect it would apply to.

"Can't you calculate specific matters?" Long Xiao asked.

"Haven't tried yet." Zhao Xing said. "Why don't you try?"

Long Xiao said, "Then calculate the outcome of the Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians."

Zhao Xing: "..." If you want me to die, just say so.

Long Xiao asked in surprise, "What's wrong? What do you mean?"

Zhao Xing pointed south and then north: "The imperial court has appointed officials, has the Creation Plate, the Earth Mirror, and is constantly deducing heavenly secrets."

"The Shenshan of the Southern Barbarians has the Ten Heavens Witches and the Nine Pillars of King Tianyan, doing the same things as the imperial court."

"At this moment, the national fortunes of both sides are like two millstones... no, like two long rivers full of whirlpools turning."

"A small shrimp like me dares to calculate such heavenly secrets? I would immediately suffer backlash and die suddenly."

Long Xiao was startled: "Is it that exaggerated?"

It was no wonder Long Xiao didn't understand; the Fate profession was far removed from them.

"Anyway, that's what the books say; I dare not try." Zhao Xing said. "Ask something else, like what to eat tomorrow."

"Pfft, do I need to ask that? Just run to the kitchen camp and find out."

Zhao Xing shrugged; being on the Southern Barbarian battlefield, there were actually not many things he could calculate.

Although the Turtle Hanging Method used a spiritual turtle to bear the cost, if he dared to calculate the outcome of the Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians, not to mention a seventh-rank spiritual turtle, even a first-rank spiritual turtle could not withstand it.

"Let's go, this is boring." Long Xiao intended to leave the ship.

"When you go to see Old Chen, ask him to come over."

"How did you know I was going to find him?"

Zhao Xing smiled and said nothing.

Long Xiao had broken through to sixth rank; with his personality, wouldn't he have to go show off in front of his brothers?

He would definitely go see Old Chen; additionally, there was Yu Yu Ziqi. The little brother was still at seventh rank; wouldn't he have to show off while he hadn't broken through yet!

After Long Xiao left, Zhao Xing continued butchering turtles.

"Too big matters cannot be calculated, but small matters are still possible."

Zhao Xing looked at the cracks on the turtle shell.

At this moment, the turtle shell no longer showed only auspiciousness or inauspiciousness; instead, the hour and heavenly stems appeared.

In Zhao Xing's eyes, the turtle shell was magnified, covered with divination positions.

"The primary hexagram is Lake over Mountain: Xian. A lake within a mountain, mountain and water interacting; the gentleman is humble like a valley, accepting others' suggestions modestly."

This was a divination cast using a seventh-rank turtle shell, asking about the result of the negotiations for cooperation between Liao Ru's Long Division and Nangong Ye's Division.

The result obtained was that Nangong Ye would be persuaded, and the negotiations would yield results immediately.

The Turtle Coin Hexagram originated from the Six Lines Classic; at this time, there was only the turtle shell, without the coins specialized for Fate Masters, so Zhao Xing did not know how accurate this was.

Seeing the turtle shell could still be used, Zhao Xing asked about the follow-up: the situation of the six armies cooperating to attack the Soul-Immolation Pass.

The question was very general, and it was only a local war in the training phase, so Zhao Xing estimated it would be successful.

"Crack crack crack crack~"

The cracks on the turtle shell widened; a grayish color emanated from the flames, as if it had encountered great obstruction.

"Snap~"

At the very last moment, the turtle shell finally completed the hexagram presentation, then completely exploded.

"Shhh~"

The turtle shell splattered outward like razor blades.

Zhao Xing sidestepped, and the shell sliced across his shoulder, sending a strand of hair tumbling down.

"Involved in the Southern Barbarian battlefield—even a localized war is unbearable," Zhao Xing stared at his palm; he had just been sliced, and tiny threads of blood seeped out.

"The Yao patterns shift: Zéshān Xián transforms into Shāndì Bō, signifying petty men seizing power, gentlemen losing influence, danger lurking everywhere."

"Only by yielding and halting can great fortune and prosperity be achieved."

A flicker of thought passed through Zhao Xing's eyes. "Does this mean we must end our cooperation after the Sacrificial Soul Trial? Who would sabotage it? Zhaoyuan Army? Yuanhua Army? Huanyou Army? Or the Liang Wang Faction?"

Too many possibilities—Zhao Xing could not yet determine the outcome.

"Zhao Xing, why did you call me here?" Chen Shijie descended on a cloud, landing on the warship.

He stared at the charred fragments of turtle shell scattered on the ground and frowned: "You really were doing divination?"

Long Xiao had told him Zhao Xing did divination for him; Chen Shijie thought it was a joke, but now he saw it was real.

"I read some miscellaneous texts—just playing around," Zhao Xing said.

"You used a seventh-rank spiritual turtle shell—that's not 'playing around,'" Chen Shijie said. "Don't dabble carelessly; the art of divination easily traps you."

"You think I'd get trapped?" Zhao Xing laughed. "You forgot what I told you."

Chen Shijie's brow relaxed—he was right. The man who had declared, "My fate is mine, not heaven's," amid the Flames Mountain could not possibly be superstitious about such things.

With that concern gone, Chen Shijie grew curious: "What exactly were you divining?"

Zhao Xing said: "I divined about our cooperation."

Chen Shijie asked: "Oh? What was the result?"

Zhao Xing said: "Of course, it was settled."

Chen Shijie raised an eyebrow: "You actually learned something? I just came from the Council Hall—Nan Gongye, Qi Yuan Army, and Yi Yue have already left. They agreed to our cooperation plan."

While Chen Shijie spoke, Zhao Xing activated the Great Expansion Aura-Viewing Art.

"The center of his destiny aura is gray-white, with only a thin outer layer of dark red, riddled with cracks. The aura is chaotic, with red, gray, and white constantly intermingling; occasionally, gray-white gains dominance."

"Chen's destiny aura hovers between Yan Yi and Yan Er—barely sufficient for his sixth-rank position, far inferior to Long Xiao's," Zhao Xing thought silently.

People like Chen were born with thin destiny and short life—if not for his post in the Great Zhou, he would have died long ago; he shouldn't have lived this long.

"Give me a drop of blood—I'll divine for you," Zhao Xing said.

Chen Shijie flicked a drop of blood from his fingertip.

Then Zhao Xing retrieved a fresh seventh-rank turtle shell.

This time, Zhao Xing didn't just seek good or bad fortune—he sought Chen's fortune for the coming year.

Because less than two months remained until Jingxin Calendar Year Eighteen.

At that time, the Ten Yang Cave Heaven would face a calamity; he needed to see whether Chen would die in it, but he could not directly divine the Ten Yang Cave Heaven.

"Rise!"

The turtle shell floated, coated in blood, then engulfed in a ring of flame.

"Crack~"

Faint cracks appeared on the shell, spreading across its entire surface.

As the burning continued, Zhao Xing extended his five fingers and turned inward to observe heaven and earth.

Five-Finger Heavenly Fate Art! Activate!

Zhao Xing felt a faint resistance.

Because this divination reached further into the future.

Chen Shijie was protected by the Great Zhou's destiny aura, forbidding others from calculating his fate.

Though his turtle-shell divination and Five-Finger Heavenly Fate could bypass such prohibitions, calculating too far ahead still triggered this resistance.

"Boom!"

The seventh-rank turtle shell exploded outright.

"Huh?"

Chen Shijie immediately seized Zhao Xing and pulled back.

"Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh~"

The sharp fragments of turtle shell slashed open numerous wounds across both their bodies.

"Are you alright?" Chen Shijie frowned at Zhao Xing.

"Fine," Zhao Xing subtly tucked his right hand into his sleeve. "Burned too long—didn't get a reading."

"It's not a legitimate art—practice less," Chen Shijie said. The imperial court had no secret methods for fate professions; he feared Zhao Xing had stumbled upon some heretical path.

"Alright, I'll practice less," Zhao Xing nodded.

"I must go—I still have military duties."

"Mm."

Zhao Xing watched Chen Shijie depart, his expression darkening.

He then pulled his hand from his sleeve—his five fingers were all fractured.

"Chen's calamity will likely manifest in the Ten Yang Cave Heaven," Zhao Xing mused, resetting his broken bones. "Jian Hexagram: Water over Mountain Jian—unfavorable for northern travel. The Ten Yang Cave Heaven lies directly north of this direction. Its sacred ground is either mountain or water—Chen entering it means constant challenges and peril, fate uncertain."

Of course, this was only one possibility—but combining it with his past-life experience, he judged this likelihood high.

"I still need to get this old man to rack up a million battle merits quickly. Next year, when the phased rewards come, he'll be promoted to sixth rank and granted the Marquis title—boost his destiny aura, maybe he'll survive."

The Way of Fate is profound and mysterious, yet basic laws still exist—in this matter, Zhao Xing could not bear the burden for Chen Shijie.

For example, if he directly told Chen: "Don't enter the Ten Yang Cave Heaven next March."

Then, if Chen's fate truly held a calamity, he might not die—but the calamity would fall upon Zhao Xing instead.

Yan San's fortune might not withstand the calamity of the Ten Yang Cave Heaven—that's a calamity that kills even Fifth Rank cultivators.

To resolve it, Chen Shijie's own fortune must grow stronger.

In the following days, Zhao Xing remained on the warship, slaying turtles and practicing the four new secret arts.

His progress with Five Fingers Destiny was mediocre, but the Turtle Divination method within the Turtle Coin Divination had already reached Mid-Stage Perfection.

More than two thousand turtles had been slaughtered clean.

Further advancement was impossible, for he lacked the Coin Divination method—these two arts must be combined to evolve into High-Stage techniques.

Five Fingers Destiny was merely a Mid-Stage art, stalled at the Seventh Turn, unable to progress further—this was tied to his own strength.

On the contrary, the Divination of Weather Patterns, perhaps due to its connection with his duties and the erratic climatic shifts of the Southern Barbarian lands, came naturally to Zhao Xing. He reached Mid-Stage Perfection without spending much time.

Time passed, and before he knew it, it was the nineteenth day of the tenth month.

At this time, Zhao Xing had followed the army past Huolong Pass and established camp at a place called 'Tonghuocheng'.

The current army was a coalition of six forces.

Xia Jing led eighteen thousand Xuanjia Troops; Liao Ru and Wen Shaoyang commanded two Shenwei Troops totaling seventy thousand; Jiang Ming and Li Que led the Zhenhai Troops totaling fifty thousand.

These figures count only the combat battalions of the three armies; the logistics and supply battalions were deployed along the route to build and repair fortresses and cultivate land, and could be reassigned as combat personnel at any time. The total size remained around one hundred thousand.

Why had the logistics battalions increased so much?

Primarily due to agreement: Gongye Ye of the Huanyou Army brought eight thousand, Qi Yuanjun of the Zhaoyuan Army brought ten thousand, and Yi Yue of the Yuanhua Army brought fifteen thousand—totaling thirty-three thousand.

These thirty-three thousand were almost entirely combat personnel; logistics staff numbered less than one-tenth, even counting the military agronomists and warship mechanics.

That is, these three armies could not sustain their own logistics—they relied entirely on the supply lines of the Shenwei, Zhenhai, and Xuanjia Armies.

This was their first collaboration; they had to rely on each other, for none could survive without the others. Otherwise, with the strength of the Zhaoyuan, Huanyou, and Yuanhua Armies, once they crossed Huolong Pass, they would have no need for anyone else.

As a result, Zhao Xing's pressure as 'Logistics Director' became immense.

Officially, he commanded only three thousand mixed battalions, but in reality, the entire army's supply fell under his charge.

There was pressure—and motivation.

Because every performance on the Eastern Front would be watched by the Military Circle; if Zhao Xing could guarantee supply for all six armies, his promotion to Sixth Rank would not be far off.

"Fifty li east of Tonghuocheng lies a volcano; to the south flows the Dahe River; to the north lies vast flatland; only the west is poor—a wasteland of sand and stone. I intend to make Tonghuocheng the largest supply city for all six armies."

Zhao Xing stood before a sand table: "From Tonghuocheng as the center, supply lines will extend along three routes to the armies."

"Han Bing, lead Agricultural Battalions One through Fifteen to the north to sow crops. Cultivate the thirty-six specified supplies according to the list—this region will become our largest granary!"

"Yes!" Han Bing replied.

"Che Shihai, take three hundred agricultural personnel to the southern Dahe River. Use Cloud Rain Pearls to collect rainwater in three shifts—ensure abundant cloud and rain for the north."

"Yes!"

"Wang Ji, there's no need to repair Tonghuocheng's barrier—the land lies outside; whether the city has a barrier or not makes no difference. First, go to the southern Dahe River and set up the Water Clarity Primordial Array to prevent attacks from Insect Shamans."

"Then, establish the King Di Zang Return Primordial Array in the north, and construct the Earth Fire Triple Extremity Array foundation on the eastern volcano."

"Especially the southern Dahe River—I plan to turn it into an herb base. Xinzhongcao and Xueyuan Guo must grow beside water; they cannot be lost under any circumstances!"

"I entrust my three thousand mixed battalions to you—protect the water source and hold off the Insect Shamans!"

Wang Ji's expression turned solemn: "Yes. If I fail, I'll cut off my own head."

"He Fengnian! Zhang Zhong!"

"You two will…"

Zhao Xing issued orders rapidly, and soon, flying vessels and warships within Tonghuocheng lifted off, each battalion beginning its assigned tasks under Zhao Xing's direction.

As for Zhao Xing himself?

He boarded a Fuhai Tower Ship of the Zhenhai Army and began patrolling the cities numbered 110 through 135 around Tonghuocheng.

Tonghuocheng was the largest supply city due to its superior geography, but many smaller cities surrounded it.

Some possessed unique geographical advantages; others had water sources.

Managing logistics for one hundred thousand men left Zhao Xing utterly swamped.

After several consecutive days, he was thoroughly exhausted.

Because so many matters demanded attention—he had to process at least ten thousand messages daily!

Not only logistics matters—he also had to monitor the front-line battlefield and even the entire theater's movements, lest he miss a great opportunity or encounter a major disaster!

"I really need to go back and learn the Self-Grass Doll from Old Liu—there aren't enough of me." Zhao Xing sighed.

With a Self-Grass Doll, he could act hundreds of li apart!

He could receive instant updates from every city without traveling back and forth.

Even if he had to travel, he could at least plan his routes.

November 4th, Eastern Front of Jihun Pass, Luoya City.

The leader of Luoya City was named Molike.

He was a Sixth Rank sorcerer, born into a noble clan of the Shengling Wang Ting. At less than a hundred years old, he had already become a Yu Hun Sorcerer.

In the Shengling Wang Ting, sorcerers related to yin spirits were divided into three ranks: Shi Hun Sorcerer, Yu Hun Sorcerer, and Wan Hun Sorcerer.

Those of the lower three ranks were Shi Hun Sorcerers—they served spirits, understood them, and could borrow their power, but required precious mediums and bore heavy costs.

Unless born into a great family with powerful yin spirits already guarding them, it was difficult to achieve anything, and they risked being possessed.

Yu Hun Sorcerers could already control powerful spirits and even begin cultivating souls, mastering many strange arts.

To become a Sixth Rank Yu Hun Sorcerer before the age of one hundred, Molike was deeply favored by the clan chief—not because his grandfather was the chief.

Luoya City, under Molike's command, had not yet been directly touched by war.

Because the Six-Army Alliance attacked Jihun Pass via three routes—upper, middle, and lower—and Molike's position lay in the 'wild zone'.

Molike was not the type to sit idle. Today, he decided to do something major—launch a surprise attack on the six armies' supply cities!

"Qi Yuan Protector, I intend to ambush the enemy's supply cities—where should I strike first?" Molike asked the Taoist seated beside him.

The Xuantian Sect holds a very high status within the Wang Ting; although it is not the 'State Religion', it is deeply valued by the royal family.

The Wang Ting dispatched an army to support the Jin Yu Wang Ting, and to demonstrate their regard, they also sent many experts from the Xuantian Sect.

Qi Yuanzi was Morik's chief advisor.

"According to the intelligence, Tonghuocheng is the largest supply city. If we can inflict a devastating blow on this city, the three great armies of the Great Zhou will collapse directly," Qi Yuanzi said with a smile. "Even the punishment from the Military Realm alone is enough for them to endure; they must retreat."

"Tonghuocheng is probably heavily guarded." Although Morik had a burst of impetuosity, he was not stupid; if it were so easily destroyed, the elite of the Wang Ting would not have been sent to guard the Jihun Pass.

"Even if we cannot destroy it, we can still cause some damage," Qi Yuanzi said. "We can..."

Hearing Qi Yuanzi's words, Morik's eyes immediately lit up: "Good, we can try it!"

Tonghuocheng, the hour of Zi.

Zhao Xing, who was reviewing intelligence in the City Lord's Mansion, suddenly felt a movement in his brow.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing immediately flew out of the City Lord's Mansion and soared into the sky.

At the same time, he activated the Heavenly Eye Technique and gazed toward the north.

"The yin qi is obscure and hard to discern; is a team of yin souls sneaking toward Tonghuocheng?"

Without obstruction, the Heavenly Eye Technique can see very far.

Zhao Xing could detect a faint yin qi spreading in the north.

"Zhang Yi!"

Zhao Xing immediately shouted toward Zhang Yi in the temple: "Zhang Yi, have you perceived anything?"

Zhang Yi in the temple immediately opened his eyes: "My lord, I have not felt anything abnormal."

Zhao Xing frowned: "Quickly take two hundred priests and go to the Dahe River in the south."

"Yes!"

The yin qi came from the north, yet Zhao Xing ordered Zhang Yi to take people to guard the south, because the water source in the south was crucial.

As for the north?

Zhao Xing was actually not worried; he had placed many Soul-Binding Straw Men squatting in the northern fields.

The current Soul-Binding Straw Men are of the Mid-Grade Nine Turns.

They might not be able to swallow a big fish, but dealing with ordinary yin souls is no problem.

"The Soul-Controlling Sorcerers of the Wang Ting would not use such an obscure technique... let's go see." Zhao Xing cast Mist Concealment and flew at high speed toward the northern planting area.

When he arrived at the northern planting area and activated the Heavenly Eye Technique, the ghosts below immediately had nowhere to hide.

However, after seeing their actions, Zhao Xing could not help but feel speechless.

One or two thousand ghost laborers entered the planting area and began moving the mature crops within it.

"Five Ghosts Moving Technique; this is a sect spell... damn it, this old schemer from the Xuantian Sect dares to steal my vegetables?"

Zhao Xing's fingers were wrapped in Jin Guang; after waiting for them to all enter the planting area, the Jin Guang scattered in all directions.

"Soul-Binding Straw Men, rise!"

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish~

In the dense forests scattered throughout the north, four formations of straw men lay in ambush.

When Zhao Xing's spell command arrived, the Soul-Binding Straw Men immediately raised their heads, their eyes flashing with a soul-stealing light.

They leaped out quickly and charged toward those ghosts.

"Bind them all for this old master!"