flstandardbreds Chapter 301 The Immortal Mountain Falls
Chapter 301 The Immortal Mountain Falls
After the little silver dragon dragged the mermaid into the sea, it did not go deep. Instead, it stayed close to the surface of the water, waiting for Ning Xiaoxi to land on the surface before returning to the cave.
Ning Xiaoxi, clinging to the invisibility grass, ran directly towards a small island ten miles away. She ran ten miles across the sea in one breath, and only when she stepped onto the bare, rocky island did she finally exhale the breath she had been holding.
[How many units are there in the Spirit Guard? From the western desert to the Ten Thousand Mountains, and now even these overseas islands are all Spirit Guards. Where did they get so many people?] Ning Xiaoxi was speechless. What kind of mess is this?!
Tuanzi appeared beside Ning Xiaoxi with a serious expression. [The King is a suspicious man, and he wants to eliminate the millennia-old demonic threat while he's still on the throne. Therefore, from the day he ascended the throne, he began expanding the Spirit Guard and the Shadow Guard. In thirty years, the number of external Spirit Guards alone exceeded the total number of soldiers in the entire dynasty. And that doesn't even include the Spirit Guards and Shadow Guards hidden in the shadows.]
[Wouldn't this be considered keeping a private army?]
His king.
Yes, he is the king, the whole world belongs to him, how can his soldiers be considered private soldiers?
Isn't maintaining an army very expensive? Besides, are those powerful families willing to spend so much money to support an army that only obeys the king?
[It's said he spent thirty years expanding it. Initially, they certainly wouldn't have allowed it, but he bided his time, increasing it little by little. The ministers didn't notice anything amiss at first, but by the time they did, the king's military strength had given him enough power to act unilaterally.]
Ning Xiaoxi smiled wryly, "Isn't it a bit too hasty? Judging from the state of those Spirit Guards just now, they've been at sea for quite some time. With several battlefronts being launched simultaneously, can His Majesty handle it?"
[The more soldiers you support, and the longer you support them, the more terrifying the losses without actual combat become compared to the burden of actual combat.]
"So, he's using conquest to deplete his own army?" Ning Xiaoxi exclaimed in admiration. "What a brilliant move! This is truly the most incredible 'once-in-a-lifetime' series I've ever witnessed."
After this commotion, they probably won't leave easily. What should we do?
Ning Xiaoxi glanced at the quiet cave. The two demons had returned to the dragon mine without a sound, not even showing their faces. She knew it wasn't just those two causing trouble; the Spirit Guards and demons were sworn enemies, a fight to the death. After a moment's thought, she decided, "Going now is definitely not an option. I'll wait until later. If I can't come openly, I'll have to sneak in."
Ning Xiaoxi then noticed that she was still holding the little mermaid. The little guy was obediently hugging her neck, his little face resting on her shoulder, not moving at all.
Ning Xiaoxi tightened her arms and carried it into the small stone island.
This rocky island is not large, only about twenty or thirty miles in circumference. There is a rocky mountain with scattered shrubs and moss. There are no tall trees or fresh water. The surrounding area is full of stones of different sizes. Even the beach is a pebble beach instead of sand. It is truly a barren little island.
The sun was already high in the sky, its intense heat radiating onto the bare stones, making them scorching and sweltering. Ning Xiaoxi had no doubt that if she cracked an egg onto that smooth, reflective stone surface, it would cook instantly.
When Ning Xiaoxi turned around, she was startled because she couldn't see her own shadow. How could she not have a shadow under such a bright sun?
【You're still hiding behind the invisibility cloak!】
Ning Xiaoxi then realized, "Oh, so this invisibility grass can even hide your shadow."
Just then, Ning Xiaoxi saw a boat sail out of Wangxian Mountain and head straight for the small island.
[Has this been discovered?]
No, it should be called a screening.
[Are they really that arrogant? How many people do they have here? How dare they send people out to investigate like this?] Ning Xiaoxi found it outrageous. This is at sea, not on land. They should just investigate their own island. Why are they extending their investigation to other areas?
At this moment, Ning Xiaoxi saw three more boats sailing outwards from other directions of Wangxian Mountain. Opening the map, she unsurprisingly saw a small island about ten or twenty miles ahead in each of those three directions.
Ning Xiaoxi released her senses. Previously, because the map was so useful, she had always followed its instructions and rarely used her spiritual energy-consuming senses. This time, she was completely provoked by the Spirit Guard's extravagant gesture.
Wangxian Mountain spans over a hundred miles, with overlapping peaks and towering summits covered in snow. There are hundred-foot waterfalls, exotic flowers and rare herbs, birds and beasts running about, and even a few demon beasts with demon bloodlines, but they show no signs of having awakened their intelligence or formed a pill.
On the east side of the island, there is a flat area nestled between the mountain and the sea, with makeshift wooden houses and spirit guards coming and going. In the middle of the wooden houses, there is a luxurious tent, guarded by two spirit guards.
To the east was a huge enclosure surrounded by wooden fences, resembling a large tent for a circus performance. It was covered by a heavy black curtain with silver stabilizing and sealing runes, obscuring what was inside. Two spirit guards stood watch outside the enclosure.
Ning Xiaoxi increased her senses and probed into the curtain, where she saw three black iron cages, each containing a strange and beautiful demonic beast.
On the left was a phoenix-like demon beast, its body as white as jade. Its feathers seemed woven from thin gauze, faintly emitting a soft blue light, each feather tip shimmering with tiny starlight, like countless dazzling gems. The phoenix's eyes were lively, like deep blue lakes, its surface rippling with fear and resentment. Its long neck was gracefully curved, and even bound, it could not conceal its innate noble temperament, its body surrounded by a faint, ethereal mist.
In the center stood a qilin-like demonic beast, its body tall and robust. The scales covering its body were not of ordinary hardness, but rather translucent, within which flowed a dazzling, ethereal liquid, like burning, multicolored flames. Its single horn was long and curved, radiating a mysterious aura; each line seemed to record the vicissitudes of time and ancient secrets. Though it no longer struggled, its deep roars still occasionally echoed, the majesty and power contained within causing the surrounding air to tremble, demonstrating its indomitable spirit as a powerful demonic beast.
Both cages were made of black iron, engraved with intricate sealing runes, which prevented the trapped beasts from using their demonic power and weakened them. The demonic power within these two beasts was almost completely exhausted.
To the right was a cage covered by a silver curtain, and Ning Xiaoxi's senses were unable to penetrate the silver curtain to enter.