Longzang

Chapter 518 Hidden Corner
As night fell, Wei Yuan received new intelligence: the Xu family was secretly reinforcing Hanyang Pass, and had already amassed an army of over 300,000. Furthermore, the Xu family had dispatched more than ten small detachments westward from Hanyang Pass, their destination unknown.

Wei Yuan frowned slightly. The Xu family was truly persistent. However, the war with the Wu Clan was currently intense, and he couldn't afford to pay attention to the Xu family's petty tricks. With two national masters, Xuanjizi and Canglongshi, in Qingming at the moment, their prestige was extremely high and their connections were extensive. The Xu family probably wouldn't try anything funny at this time.

Even if Xu Wangu doesn't make any overt moves, we still can't let our guard down. Every immortal possesses extraordinary abilities; if you really think he's incapable of anything, you'll die without even knowing how.

Although the Wu tribe withdrew their troops this time, their offensive momentum has not diminished at all. They continue to dig canals towards Qingming, which are already extending for hundreds of miles.

At this moment, the Azure Netherworld has expanded significantly in all other directions, exceeding 500 li in each, but it has been severely compressed in the northwest, leaving only 400 li. Now the entire Azure Netherworld is shaped like a crescent moon with a gap at the top.

The vanguard of the Witch Clan has been deployed along a hundred-mile line and is spreading out to build defensive lines on the spot to intercept the Azure Nether Scouts. The power of heaven and earth in the Witch Domain has also increased significantly, blocking the spying, and now everything within three hundred miles is no longer visible.

Wei Yuan, on the one hand, deployed troops to strengthen the defense line, and on the other hand, he hurriedly built fortresses.

The experience of the past three major battles has shown that small, low-profile fortresses equipped with cannons are extremely effective defensively, often requiring the Wu tribe to pay three times the cost to capture one. Furthermore, they continue to pay a price after the initial assault. Since the fortresses are located in fixed positions, missiles can bombard them at maximum speed, wiping out any Wu tribe members who have occupied them.

However, Wei Yuan faced another serious problem: the gunpowder was being used up too quickly.

The previous three major battles consumed a total of 1.5 million catties of gunpowder, with the amount increasing in each battle. Now, less than a million catties of gunpowder remain in the region. At this level, a thousand missiles would be enough to use up all the remaining gunpowder.

This matter had been lingering in Wei Yuan's mind for a very long time, but there was no solution. The raw materials for gunpowder were limited; apart from spirit wood, which could be purchased at a high price, the rest were simply unavailable even if one wanted to buy them.

Wei Yuan originally thought that the gunpowder reserves were enough to fight four or five large-scale wars, but he did not expect the Rain Kingdom to launch a full-scale attack. Now the Witch Clan has suffered more than a million casualties, but they show no signs of retreating. On the contrary, they are constantly increasing their forces.

The Taichu Palace didn't have much stock left, mainly because the items Wei Yuan wanted were too niche and the quantity required was too large. The only thing the Taichu Palace had in relatively large quantities was spirit wood; Wei Yuan ordered a million catties in one go, which had already emptied the Taichu Palace's warehouse.

Sun Yu specially arranged for ten cultivators to test the new gunpowder formula, but this was not something that could be completed in a short time.

By the time Wei Yuan finished dealing with various military supplies and miscellaneous matters, it was already late at night. He was flying from a camp towards the main peak when a deep voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "Lord Wei, do you have time for a chat?"

Wei Yuan's heart tightened. This person was no ordinary person, as he was able to approach him during the war without alerting the other Imperial Realm experts to send him a telepathic message!
But being within the boundary, Wei Yuan was not afraid. Following the voice's guidance, he arrived at the edge of the boundary. Here, shrouded in mist, a figure hidden beneath a black robe stood atop a small hill, waiting for Wei Yuan.

Although he was completely wrapped in a black robe, his outline, visible from the outside, didn't quite resemble a human. However, the black robe was of a special material, with no trace of his aura escaping, and Wei Yuan's senses couldn't penetrate it to see anything inside.

"You are not human, are you?"

The mysterious figure in black robes said in a low voice, "Witch."

"What do you want with me?" Wei Yuan asked directly.

It made a series of incomprehensible gurgling sounds, then said, "Although I really want to eat you right now, you are still very useful. There is an adult who does not want to see you alive, but he does not want to see Hongye succeed even more. So, we will give you some help, and we hope you will not let the adult down."

"What kind of help?" Wei Yuan asked.

"The caravan from the Desolate Ancestor Tribe will arrive early tomorrow morning, bringing two million catties of Thunder Sand. It seems you really need this lately."

Wei Yuan was startled, but remained calm on the surface and said, "It is indeed very necessary."

The man in black robes made another series of gurgling sounds, seemingly unable to control himself.

It adjusted its voice several times before it became clear, saying, "The master said that if you want to weaken the Netherworld Witches, you must enter the Netherworld Realm. The master has erased the remaining karma related to the Netherworld Realm on your body, so you can go in now without disturbing the Netherworld Witches. This is the location of several Netherworld Witches from the Rain Kingdom in the Netherworld Realm."

It extended a slender finger from its black robe, and with a gentle touch, a strange map immediately appeared before it. It had no beginning or end, but there were three stars in the sky.

This is a unique map marking method in the Netherworld, using invisible stars in the sky as a reference for positioning. Generally, three stars are enough to determine location very accurately.

Wei Yuan didn't recognize any of these three hidden stars, but he figured they shouldn't be far away.

Wei Yuan memorized the map and said, "Please thank your master for me. What can I do for you?"

"The master said that as long as you hit Hongye with that magic weapon, it will be considered a repayment."

Wei Yuan nodded.

The black-robed witch clan member concluded, "If you have any further requests, you can speak with the Desolate Ancestor Tribe. They will provide appropriate support during this period."

Having said that, the man in black robes suddenly emitted white smoke from his entire body, and roared and trembled in agony before turning into a puddle of clear water. Wei Yuan stood there for a while before leaving.

The situation is becoming increasingly strange. It seems that some members of the Witch Clan do not want Red Leaf to become too powerful, so they have begun to intervene.

Wei Yuan's previous purchase of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of Thunder Sand from the Desolate Ancestor Tribe was impossible to hide from those who were interested. A simple test would reveal that Thunder Sand was a raw material for Qingming's new gunpowder.

Regardless of whether the black-robed witch clan's words are true or false, we'll know once we see whether the Wild Ancestor Tribe's caravan arrives tomorrow morning. As for the Netherworld, Wei Yuan also plans to put it back into the planning.

Qingming can only passively take hits now, unable to launch an attack from outside the realm, putting him in a very passive position in the battle. If, as that lord of the Witch Clan said, a counterattack can be launched in the Netherworld, it might be a way out.

Just as Wei Yuan was about to leave, he suddenly had a thought. The newly built Zhou Tian Star Array, enhanced by the Peerless Dao Domain, was much more effective, which made Wei Yuan notice something unusual.

Wei Yuan turned his head and saw a mysterious figure in black robes appear at the edge of the boundary and fall into the forest below.

There's another one in a black robe?
Wei Yuan concealed his aura, enhanced his concealment, boosted his luck, and used the Peerless Dao Domain to cover himself before flying towards the place where the mysterious man in black robes had disappeared.

The mountain valley is filled with countless large rocks, and a stream flows through the valley floor, eventually joining a small river at the valley's edge.

Among the rocks, a faint figure stood in the shadow of a boulder, appearing somewhat restless and unconsciously kicking pebbles.

The mysterious man in black robes landed on the boulder and came before the man, chuckling in a low voice, "I never thought we'd meet again."

The man was also completely wrapped in a cloak, so no clothing or features could be seen. He spoke in an ordinary middle-aged man's voice: "Why are you still looking for me? I can't help you anymore."

"Who says you can't help? You're quite useful. But if you dare to disappear again next time, I won't be so polite."

The man said coldly, "This ends here. This is the last time we'll meet. Don't ever appear before me again."

The man in black robes let out a strange and sinister laugh, and suddenly reached out a hand that looked like a bird's claw, grabbed the man's neck, and lifted him up!

His claws tightened, and the man struggled desperately but could not break free. In the blink of an eye, he lost consciousness.

The man in black snorted, threw him to the ground, and shot a wisp of black energy from his fingertip into the man's body. The man curled up in pain, trembling violently, but couldn't utter a sound.

The man in black robes waited a few moments before withdrawing his black aura, then said, "This is just a small lesson for you. If you dare to disobey again, I'll take you away directly. You have good talent; taking you back to breed with won't be bad. From now on, your descendants will be sacrifices generation after generation, slaughtered when they grow up!"

The threat seemed to work; the man slowly sat up and said, "What do you want me to do?"

"First, I need samples and formulas for gunpowder. Second, how did Wei Yuan create that magic weapon that can shorten one's lifespan, and what are its characteristics?"

“I can give you the gunpowder samples, but I have no access to the formula, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get it. As for that treasure, very few people in the entire realm know about it. If he hadn’t taken it out that day, I wouldn’t even have known it existed. I can’t do this, so just kill me!”

The man in black softened his tone and said, "I'm not forcing you to do something completely impossible, but you're so close to him, it's quite possible. If all else fails, use your body! I've heard that guy is very lecherous and loves to mate. If you mate with him more often, you'll naturally learn many secrets."

The man trembled slightly, seemingly filled with extreme shame and indignation, and said, "You might as well kill me!"

The man in black sneered and said, "If you don't agree, I'll take you back right now, and then you'll mate with many different things every day! Is that what you want?"

The man remained silent.

The man in black robes softened his voice and said, "We possess many treasures left behind by powerful human beings. Among them are three Tai Xuan Creation Pills, which can greatly refine and enhance the quality of your Dao Foundation. With your aptitude, consuming them will allow you to directly reach the pinnacle of Immortal Foundation. Don't you want them? After you finish this task, I will give you one first."

"You keep your word?" The man slowly stood up.

"Of course, you still have a lot to use. I have very high expectations for you, haha!"

The two parted ways and went in different directions.

In the night sky, Wei Yuan's figure emerged from nothingness, gazing thoughtfully in the direction where the other figure had disappeared.

(End of this chapter)