266 THE TRACES
The independent association’s expedition was aimed at inspecting one of the inhospitable areas within the Taiwan mountains. Due to the immense amount of danger within the mountain range, the association decided to invite outside help for a good price. They decided to invite Qi generals and above level practitioners for this expedition.
The martial path was filled with instances where the expenditure of resources was unnatural. It was difficult for independent practitioners to grow on their own and hence this offer enticed a lot of people. Hordes of Qi general and even Qi Kings rallied within the association’s assembly grounds.
Soon after a middle-aged man stepped forward:
“I sincerely thank every brother who has decided to take up arms with us on this expedition. I would be lying if I said that this would be a safe trip. I couldn’t even predict the number of people who might be able to return from this expedition.”
“But all of you have gathered here after taking into account the serious threats which lie ahead of us. A quarter of the reward will be paid before the expedition, and the rest will be handed over to you once you return. The aim this time is exploring one of the dangerous locations within the Taiwan mountains.”
“The location is situated in the south-eastern region of the mountain. The area is well populated with fire elemental beasts, some even of the advanced level Qi King. The orders are to be followed without any hesitation and you are not allowed to continue on a personal mission of your own.”
“The group will move in from the eastern region and travel through the outer borders to the entry point which lies mid-way. This is also the safest part of our journey. The real danger will start once you start entering the inner regions. The inner regions are densely populated with fire-elemental beasts, among which flame wolves and raging bears are the most common.”
“engaging directly is prohibited unless the beast attacks you of its own violation. In that case, participants will be taking care of it in groups. Singular fighting is not appreciated as the mortality rate would immensely increase.”
“The next problem which lies ahead of us is related to our aim this time. While the danger is immense, those who have managed to acquaint themselves with the area, roam these regions freely. I am talking about the bandits in this region. Our spies have reported a huge amount of activity in this area and hence we are commissioned with the task t inspect it.”
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“You will be divided into three groups who will be verifying three different areas. Each of the groups will be led by one intermediate Qi Kings, and the rest will follow. The bandit’s strongholds would be hidden from natural sites in the most absurd areas. You are requested to be on high alert all the time.”
“The area would also be laid with traps, and thanks to our friends in the associations, we will be having help from the formation engineers. Any beast which would be killed has to be divided equally among the participants of the group. ”
“If the bandit stronghold is found and a confrontation takes place, the rewards would be increased by 50%. Besides, you will all have a part in the seized treasures from the bandits.”
The leader of this expedition proceeded to divide the practitioners into various groups. Three avatars of Long Tao were participating together. Li Meng, who had masked his aura with the help of the Crimson lord artefact, represented himself as an initial Qi King. He was appointed as one of the vice-leaders for this expedition.
The other two avatars were Qi generals and left with the other two groups. Soon enough the expedition began.
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One day later-
The group of martial artists were finally about to arrive at the entry point to the inner regions. It was time for them to separate into the pre-designated groups and follow their leaders to evaluate the area.
The outer borders of Taiwan’s mountains had mostly been cleared by the sects around for easy access, and the differences were startling when compared to the inner regions. Once he steps foot in the border area, he can feel the fire energy increasing in intensity. Although it wasn’t up to the level which was visible to the naked eye, they could feel the increasing temperatures and Qi density.
As the group entered deeper and deeper into the region, the intensity. Some even started to practice in the resting camps set up by the group. During the night meeting of Li Meng’s group, another briefing took place:
“The whole group would be divided into smaller teams of two who will be in charge of inspecting the area designated to them. While Qi generals are requested to take the major burden of searching the area, the Qi Kings would be in charge of overall safety and security, while inspecting the nearby regions.”
“Every team will be provided with a flare signal and you are requested to use it in time of danger, be it bandit or beats related. The nearby teams and the in-charge Qi king will rush in to provide support. Let’s hope that every single one of you can return alive from this expedition.”
The meeting was adjourned with dinner, and the group went back to practice in the area. No one wanted to waste the opportunity to practice in such a dense fire Qi environment. The qi had the potential to fasten their cultivation speed by a huge margin. The next morning soon dawned upon the group, marking the beginning of the search.
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Crimson Lord world-
“I could feel the intense fire energy raging from the nearby region. The veins are nearby. You just to inspect the nearby area and I would be able to pinpoint the location of the Qi veins. Who knows, we might just get a glimpse of the location we are searching for.”
“I need to separate from these group which is to be assigned to me. The only way to do that is when the two-man team is finally formed. Li Meng shouldn’t have a problem in that respect, but the other two could only strike out their partners after the division.”
“The veins here might even be as potent as the one on the Jiao country border. Who knows, we may even get a vein which is stronger than that one. This might just be the perfect location for improving the quality of the artefact.”
“We can think about the prospective growth area later. Just how many Qi veins of the level of Jiao country do you require to reach the yellow tier weapon level.”
“The requirement is going to be around three to four.” Long Tao’s eyes couldn’t help but shrink with apprehension because of such high demand.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes. IF it were a mere practitioner, just two veins would be enough to push him to the peak, but this is an artefact which we are talking about. It requires much more power. We would also be able to gain a good location based on the placement of veins.”
“The region where the common veins intersect is sure to give rise to Qi fluctuation phenomena on a huge scale. Such a region is the best option to go with during your break-through to the QI King level. I would also recommend you to connect with a set of weapon laws in here, as they would garner the least discernible fluctuation.”
“Why not go with the elemental laws which I could establish last time?”
“I suppose you want Lu Ming to set a fire elemental law base in front of the first elder. If our theory is correct, then he would already have a fire elemental base by the time he rushes into the Qi King level. Don’t you think it would prove to be absurd for such a phenomenon to occur?”
Long Tao nodded his head after understanding the possible consequences of a successful experiment. He didn’t want to try out the weapon laws until every last moment where he had connected with all the elemental laws, but he had no choice.
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Thunder Academy-
“We managed to find a similarity between the recently issued Qi King missions and the Qi emperors missions undertaken by the three seniors.” The leader of the spy group spoke up.
Thunder-child opened his eyes with a glad smile. “Which person is it similar to?”
“The lunatic. He had undertaken a mission with the Taiwan mountains and the eternal rain-forest. The mission is to collect exotic herbs and kill Qi Emperor level criminal who is hiding within the Eternal Rainforest. A similar task has been issued in the intermediate and advanced Qi King levels.”
“The tasks are related to a bandit stronghold wipe-out and a task to gather some resources.”
“Are there no other similarities?”
“There were, but these two struck me as the best options. According to the mission hall, it wasn’t a mission which was present for a long time, but rather something which was recently issued by someone higher-up. The time of issue is similar to the appearance of Li Meng. Hence I think these two are the probable locations.”
Thunder-child couldn’t help but commend the mind of the spy leader. This was also a close comrade of his with comparable strength to himself. It was time to start a hunt for Li Meng.
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