Chapter 195

Because of the appearance of the colorful aura phenomenon, even before "The Journey to the West" was serialized in the Great Zhou Literary Gazette, it had already ignited a sensation in the capital.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting the serialization of "The Journey to the West."

People were hyping "The Journey to the West" as something miraculous, and Lu Fang's reputation had reached its zenith.

They said this youngest Marquis of Literary Excellence had boundless potential—he might break the millennia-old barrier and become the first Saint in history, and perhaps the youngest ever to achieve it.

Marquis of Literary Excellence's Mansion.

After seeing off wave after wave of visitors, Lu Fang slumped wearily over his desk, took a deep breath, picked up the brush beside him, and began writing the story of "The Journey to the West."

As before, each stroke was excruciatingly difficult; from yesterday until now, he had written only a dozen or so characters.

This time, writing "The Journey to the West" was far more difficult than before.

With every character he wrote, Lu Fang felt as if he had expended all his strength—he learned from the spirit of the Ink Brush Realm that Heaven's Dao had imposed restrictions on both him and it.

That was why every character he wrote was so agonizingly hard.

Truly, fortune and misfortune are intertwined!

When he first obtained "The Journey to the West," Lu Fang had been ecstatic—never expecting it to turn into this.

If things continued like this, he might take a very long time to finish writing "The Journey to the West" and claim the reward for completion.

But Lu Fang had thought deeply about it: no matter how difficult, he would write "The Journey to the West" one character at a time—perhaps someone who read even the early chapters might awaken the book's transcendent power.

Just one transcendent power could greatly enhance his strength.

…

Scorched Earth Region.

The sky, glowing like auroras, felt as if he were dreaming.

Two figures appeared—Lu Fang and Lin Chong. Unable to finish "The Journey to the West" anytime soon, after much deliberation, he ultimately chose to venture deep into the Scorched Earth Region.

It wasn't that he absolutely needed to seek out the aura of Punishment; his main goal was to first drip blood onto all one hundred and eight clay figurines.

If he wanted to establish his own power base, where would be best?

After much thought, Lu Fang decided the unclaimed Scorched Earth Region was ideal—he could find a place here, seize a mountain, and declare himself king.

As long as he didn't do anything too outrageous, even the most powerful faction, Luo Sha Nation, wouldn't interfere; the region was already filled with many factions, so adding one more wouldn't draw undue attention.

Moreover, in such a place, Lu Fang could recruit followers faster—he didn't even need to show his face. One hundred and eight sixth-rank, third-tier beings, each with transcendent powers—if he still couldn't establish a foothold, then he had no recourse.

Thinking this, Lu Fang began dripping blood into the clay figurines to infuse them with literary aura. For safety, he also activated his transcendent power: Conceal Heaven and Cross Sea.

For an entire day, he poured literary aura into them.

Before him now stood exactly one hundred and eight figures, just as he'd expected—each possessed a transcendent power, and each power was different.

Mo Xin laughed heartily: "Excellent! With such a powerful force deep in the Scorched Earth Region, you can carve out your own territory. You're connected to Shen Kangbo of Great Zhou, right? Get him to send you supplies—within a few years, you'll have your own army."

Lu Fang sneered inwardly, scanning the one hundred and eight heroes before him, and said: "Lin Chong will be your leader; Wu Yong, the Strategist of Many Plans, will be your military advisor. You will establish your own power here."

"Safety is your top priority during this time."

"Also, build an intelligence network—investigate every faction, big or small, in this vicinity."

"You may recruit followers as you see fit, but remember: all of this must be done in secret. Do not overstep."

Lin Chong and Wu Yong stepped forward, bowed, and said: "We obey, my lord."

Lu Fang nodded slightly, pulled out several storage pouches, and tossed them to Lin Chong: "Inside are some materials, crystals, and Ten Thousand Dao Stones—not much, but you should need them for now."

"There are also many message talismans—if you're unsure about anything, use them to contact me."

"If I'm not deep in the Scorched Earth Region, make your own decisions."

"I have only one order: prioritize growth. Avoid unnecessary risks. Can you two do this?"

Lin Chong and Wu Yong exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

In their eyes, Lu Fang's orders were absolute—mere execution was all that mattered.

Seeing this, Lu Fang was momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He'd assumed Lin Chong and Wu Yong would complain about the difficulties.

Now it seemed his words carried even more weight than he'd imagined.

This was perfect—he trusted that with the strength and intellect of these one hundred and eight generals, establishing power here would pose no problem.

After all, the Scorched Earth Region was riddled with uncontrollable factors.

If danger arose, their strength should be sufficient to handle it.

As long as they didn't provoke those they shouldn't, no one would bother them.

Lu Fang nodded in satisfaction, pulled a stone from his storage pouch, and tossed it to Lin Chong: "This is a type of rock found beneath the Scorched Earth Region. Keep an eye out for it—whenever you find any, save it for me."

Lin Chong nodded: "As you command, my lord."

Beside him, Wu Yong bowed and said: "My lord, rest assured—I will discuss this with Commander Lin Chong and form a team dedicated to searching for such stones."

Lu Fang couldn't hold back—he hadn't been asked, but he still had to remind them:

"Don't rush the search for the hard stones."

"Your priority now is to find a secluded, hidden location suitable for setting up camp—ensure food and water are secure before doing anything else. Do not rush."

After speaking, Lu Fang handed Wu Yong the "Small Binding Array Flag," since Wu Yong's transcendent power was the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams—he was the most suitable to wield this array.

"This is a Small Binding Array. Once you've chosen your campsite, use it to conceal the surrounding area."

"Even if a powerful entity appears, the array can trap them long enough for you to attack or escape."

After giving his instructions, Lu Fang still felt uneasy: "Wu Yong, you may test it now—if you don't understand, I'm still here to teach you."

What Lu Fang hadn't expected was that he'd underestimated Wu Yong.

Wu Yong fiddled with the Small Binding Array Flag for a moment, formed a hand seal, and the flag instantly split and embedded itself into the ground around them, forming a misty array in an instant.