Chapter 416: Xixiao

Looking at the map, the Central Kingdom continent does not appear long and narrow, nor is it oddly shaped; it is sturdy and regular, with its east-west and north-south lengths being roughly the same. Yiguo is in the middle of the Central Kingdom continent, with only its southern side bordering the sea, though there are quite a few island nations overseas.

Xixiao is in the far east of the Central Kingdom, quite far from Yiguo. It had previously paid tribute to the Central Kingdom, back and forth, but it is not currently considered a vassal state of Dayi.

It is very chaotic here; politics are unstable, and changes in government are like flipping a book. The entire country is controlled by various people engaged in illegal trade. The military is either a mere formality or effectively the private army of certain individuals. Naturally, the people of such a country easily become obsessed with the idea of "life is but a dream, do as one pleases."

Followers of Cao Ci are everywhere here.

Interestingly, according to Zhang Suannai, there are actually not many core members of the Mengyue Sect here, likely on par with Yunlai. Many people have not gained any substantial benefits from believing in the Mengyue Sect and Cao Ci, and have not even come into contact with core members of the Mengyue Sect, yet they have spontaneously offered their faith.

Among them are the powerful and wealthy, those who have the capital to "do as they please" and have always been "doing as they please."

There are also the impoverished, who are the ones being "done as they please" to by others.

So sometimes, honest people are not necessarily truly honest; perhaps it is just that their abilities are limited, and they lack the qualifications to do as they please.

This also adds a lot of trouble to the clearing operations in Xixiao.

Because there are too many people, and some have committed no crimes at all, or their crimes are not punishable by death, which is a great challenge for Xixiao's education and prison systems.

I also wonder if the appearance of the fourteenth Square Body will make Xixiao even more chaotic.

In any case, Chen Shu's application to head to Xixiao was quickly approved, and he is now sitting on a military aircraft bound for Xixiao.

The military aircraft took off from Yunlai, flying at supersonic speeds. Before long, it arrived at the Yi Jun Jidi in Shengxian Shi, a coastal city in the southern part of Xixiao. When he stepped off the military aircraft, someone in military uniform was already waiting for him.

The other party gave a military salute and then said, "I am Staff Officer Liu from the Xixiao Command Post of the Collaborative Combat Command Center. Welcome."

"Chen Shu of the Spirit Sect, reporting to you."

"Please come with me."

"Alright."

Chen Shu followed Staff Officer Liu forward, while turning his head to look at the military aircraft parked at the base, focusing on the Hunter Aircraft.

They actually have "Hunter-34s" equipped here.

This is a Hunter Aircraft model that only had its maiden flight when Chen Shu was a freshman and only began mass production the year before last; it is also the strongest Hunter Aircraft currently in Dayi and even the world.

It seems they are even carrying Zhan Lue Wu Qi.

Is the combat readiness level this high?

It is not strange for Yiguo to have a military base here; Yiguo has military bases in many places around the world. However, this base is adjacent to the Eastern Continent Yaoguo. The Yaoguo has remained neutral for many years and has always had a good relationship with Dayi. Logically speaking, the defensive strength should not be this high.

"How is the situation in Xixiao right now?"

"No major battles, but a pile of small ones." Staff Officer Liu glanced at him. "With the recent excavation of the Square Body, I expect some people will come to fish in troubled waters. Plus, the Command Center discovered an Eighth Stage Mengyue Sect member here two days ago, so we transferred over twenty main Hunter Aircraft."

"Eighth Stage..."

"It's the one that once attacked the Frigate."

"It really is him. What did he come here for?"

"I don't know."

"And the result?"

"The Sword Master's third disciple from the Sword Sect fought him. The Sword Master's third disciple was seriously injured, but successfully killed him."

"I see..."

Chen Shu then understood; it looked like the Sword Master's third disciple had won, but in reality, the outcome was hard to determine.

Because a High-Tier Ming Sect Martial Cultivator possesses an Indestructible True Body, the one who came to fight the third disciple was likely just a clone. And even if it were the original body, as long as there was only one, it could by no means represent the true strength of that Ming Sect Martial Cultivator.

"So, please be sure to be careful when carrying out your mission. If you encounter a strong enemy, please call for support immediately."

"Understood."

"If you have any requests, feel free to bring them up."

"No requests."

"Do you have any acquaintances here? Fellow sect members, friends, or teachers and the like?"

"I have a friend named Zhang Suannai."

"Good."

"When will the Square Body be opened? Oh, I am actually a history scholar. When the Duqin Fangti was opened before, I went along with it—well, I went as a member of the History Expert Group, so I am very interested in this. Hearing that the Xixiao Cube had appeared, I specifically applied to be transferred here."

"We are currently only responsible for clearing out the Mengyue Sect. Perhaps we will ensure the smooth excavation of the Square Body later, but that depends on subsequent orders from the Command Center." Staff Officer Liu paused as he spoke. "It will likely be a while."

"Understood."

Chen Shu planned to tell the highest-ranking officer here later, requesting that if they were to excavate the Square Body, they must prioritize him. He would also take the opportunity to contact Professor Shi and Professor Liu, who were far away in the country, to ask if they would be coming; if they were, he would ask them to bring him along.

Chen Jiaoshou is far away in Yuanzhou; although he is quite famous, he is somewhat removed from the academic circle, so he might not necessarily have a part in this.

In any case, it is best if he doesn't come.

Half an hour later—

Chen Shu had finished communicating.

The commander of the Command Post promised to help him relay the message to his superiors, and Professor Shi, who had not yet departed from Yujing, also promised to bring him along when the time came—a double insurance. Chen Jiaoshou had avoided the pit of military industry only to step into the pit of medicine, and was currently distressed, so he was in no mood to come here.

Perfect.

Three figures were seen flying in from afar, landing in front of them.

Staff Officer Liu immediately introduced them: "The three of you, this is the new member of your team, Chen Shu."

Chen Shu nodded and greeted them.

Besides Zhang Suannai, the other two in the team also introduced themselves to him. Only Zhang Suannai said smugly, "I heard the news about the Square Body being unearthed and guessed that after you finished your business over there, you would most likely run over here!"

"Smart."

Chen Shu complimented her.

Zhang Suannai chuckled, feeling pleased with herself, and turned to the other two in the team: "This guy is alright. Although his strength isn't as high as mine, it's not far off. Plus, I know a thing or two about him; he's usually a bit of a dog, but he's reliable at critical moments."

The two of them also smiled.

"Let's go, time to eat!"

Zhang Suannai acted like a host for a moment: "The food in this base canteen is alright. We just finished a job, and the next one won't be so soon. We can rest for a while after eating to recover our Spirit Power."

Chen Shu followed behind her and asked, "I heard your Third Senior Sister fought an Eighth-tier Martial Cultivator a few days ago?"

"Third Senior Sister."

"Oh."

"Yes, she's still lying down now."

"How is your Third Senior Sister's cultivation?"

"Eighth Stage peak."

"Peak, huh..."

"Yeah, that guy is pretty tough too." Zhang Suannai also knew that it was likely just a clone. "I heard that he is a Personal Disciple of Cao Ci. There probably aren't many who can beat him at the same stage. If his true body and clones all came, my First Senior Brother would probably have a hard time too. It'll be about the same once I reach the Eighth Stage..."

"The Ming Sect is tough."

"So-so..."

"Do you know what he came here to do?"

"Who knows about him."

"Then how many Eighth Stage cultivators are here now?"

"Three more. One Eighth Stage from the Ming Sect, plus my Sixth Senior Sister, and Seventh Senior Brother came a few days ago too." Zhang Suannai frowned suddenly at this point, turned her head to stare straight at Chen Shu while still walking, and questioned, "What did you say to my Seventh Senior Brother? Why is he acting a bit brain-damaged?"

"Watch the road."

"I don't use my eyes to walk."

"Emmm..." Chen Shu thought for a moment, "Has your Seventh Senior Brother only been brain-damaged for these past two days?"

"That's true..."

Zhang Suannai realized it immediately.

The four of them soon arrived at the canteen.

The food for the Yiguo military was excellent, especially at an overseas base like this that had all three branches of the armed forces; there was plenty of meat and fish, and even seafood.

Zhang Suannai said while eating: "Let me tell you about the situation here..."

After a brief pause, she swallowed the food in her mouth: "There are no big battles here, but a pile of small ones. Don't look at us as being in one team; in fact, many times the two of them and I act separately. What you need to be careful of is that the Cultivators here love to use Illusion, which is very annoying."

"Mm."

"Aren't you going to ask how to deal with Illusion?"

"..."

Chen Shu understood immediately; this person was going to show off again. However, considering the little bit of care she had shown him as a newcomer, he still cooperated:

"How do you deal with it?"

"Your heart must be firm! You cannot be deceived by it!" Zhang Suannai said with a serious face, "If you get deceived, you'll be in trouble!"

"You mean to say your own heart is firm?"

"Does that even need to be said? I've never been trapped!"

"Anything else?"

"Also, you have to rely on Spiritual Sense. But you don't have that, so forget it." Zhang Suannai paused and added, "So if you get trapped in an Illusion Array, remember not to move or fight blindly. Just focus on self-defense and wait for Grandma to save you. The two of them have both been saved by me when they got trapped."

"Impressive..."

"?" Zhang Suannai's brows furrowed again, "Why does that sound so perfunctory?"

"This crab is good."

"Tch..."

Zhang Suannai rolled her eyes and kept talking while eating—saying everything was for his own good, that it was for the sake of being friends, that if he had an accident here she wouldn't know how to answer to Qingqing when she went back, and that if he didn't listen to Grandma he would suffer right before his eyes...

This person talked even more than he did.

Chen Shu simply acted as if he didn't hear her, eating silently while pondering the purpose of that Eighth Stage cultivator coming here.

There were two guesses.

One was to collect Original Fragments here.

Given the current global joint crackdown on the Mengyue Sect and the fact that the Secret Sect had such an overpowered commander, even with the Heavenly Human Mirror, it should be very difficult for Cao Ci to collect fragments through ordinary core members or believers anymore. He had to send his disciples out, and if pushed to the brink, he might even come out himself.

The second was the Xixiao Cube.

Although Chen Shu couldn't figure out what could be inside the Xixiao Cube that would be needed by a big shot aiming to become a god, Cao Ci held the Heavenly Human Mirror; perhaps he could learn through the Heavenly Human Mirror that there was something useful to him inside.

It was likely one of those two.

About two hours later, an order came from the command post.

Chen Shu tapped it open to see that it was for him and Zhang Suannai to reach a certain coordinate on the south shore of Mengong Lake at nine o'clock in the evening to capture two Seventh Stage targets.

"Mengong Lake..."

Chen Shu couldn't help but say it out loud.

This was the largest saltwater lake in Xixiao, the lake where the Square Body was discovered.

"Interesting..."

Chen Shu couldn't help but reveal a smile.