Start by conquering the world with unlimited job opportunities.

Chapter 247 She's a drought demon, then who is Jiang Wei?! (Updated 45 times out of 2 words)

Fang Qingyu took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and began to calmly examine the skill set he currently possessed:
In terms of hard skills, there are two techniques: the Nine Tribulations Body and the Nine Tribulations Azure Dragon Body.

There are three attack methods: Thunderous World-Burning Slash, Nine Hells Breaking Limit, and Abyss Mountain Dragon Edict.

One style of movement technique: Thunderclap and Shadowless Escape.

There are also exclusive Dragon Fist Master skills, Dragon Transformation and Dragon's True Meaning.

hiss--

After looking at the panel, Fang Qingyu's initial excitement was suddenly dampened, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

So, according to this calculation...
Excluding visualization and qi and blood techniques, I still have a total of 8 skills that need to be upgraded.

The current second-tier techniques require a full 10 skill points to upgrade.

Currently, this seemingly enormous 73 points are only enough to upgrade the seven techniques, excluding the Nine Tribulations Azure Dragon Body which has not yet been mastered, from beginner to minor mastery.

"Seventy-something points... still not enough."

Fang Qingyu thought to himself, the sense of urgency that had just eased up tightened around his heart again.

But anyway.

These seventy-odd skill points are enough to significantly boost my current strength.

Something is better than nothing.

Fang Qingyu took a deep breath and began allocating skill points.

In less than a moment.

A full 70 skill points vanished in an instant!

Skill Points: 3

All seven methods were simultaneously advanced to the Lesser Accomplishment stage!
Fang Qingyu's aura fluctuated violently in the quiet room.

Like a dormant volcano gathering power, its body surface faintly glowed with purple and blue lightning, while dark gold calamity fire and majestic dragon shadows intertwined and flickered.

But soon, all these strange phenomena were forcibly suppressed by a powerful force.

When all the insights and torrents of power subsided.

Fang Qingyu slowly opened his eyes.

Night had fallen, and the unique tranquility of this blessed land was enhanced by the starlight filtering through the window lattices.

Feeling the power surging within his body, far stronger than before, and the various martial arts techniques becoming clearer and more profound in his mind, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Small success. Not enough. But at least you've taken a solid step forward."

Fang Qingyu clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking slightly, exuding power.

Push open the door of the quiet room and walk into the courtyard.

Under the lights, Jiang Wei remained quietly seated on the stone bench, slowly sucking on a lollipop, intently watching the tablet in her hand.

And there were three figures standing next to her, seemingly out of nowhere.

Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan.

The three seemed to have been there for a while, and did not make a sound to disturb them.

Wei Banmeng was holding a cup of tea, gazing calmly at the plants and trees in the courtyard. Lu Jiuyuan crossed his arms, closed his eyes to rest, his breathing steady. Chu Kuanglan, on the other hand, seemed somewhat restless, his eyes occasionally glancing in the direction of Fang Qingyu, his curiosity and inquiry barely concealed.

As Fang Qingyu stepped out the door, all three of them immediately focused their attention on him.

Wei Banmeng's cold eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Fang Qingyu, then a clear look of surprise flashed across her face.

She put down her teacup, her delicate brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Wei had just said that Fang Qingyu was "breaking through," but the Fang Qingyu standing in front of them now seemed a bit too "ordinary."

It's not weakness, but rather a calm, still state, like a deep, ancient well.

The sharp edge and fierce aura that had been so prominent before, like a sword drawn from its sheath, as well as the occasional ferocious dragon might that had been revealed during the battle, had all vanished without a trace.

Fang Qingyu stood there, like a silent mountain, or a piece of warm, ancient jade.

All the energy was perfectly contained deep within the body, not a single trace leaking out.

If one didn't know this, one might even think that it was just an ordinary person with no cultivation.

This is definitely not the unstable aura or surge of power that one should have when breaking through to a higher realm.

This clearly demonstrates an extremely high level of control over one's own power.

He was even more unfathomable than Fang Qingyu, whom they had met before.

Lu Jiuyuan also opened his eyes, his sharp gaze also filled with surprise and doubt as he looked Fang Qingyu up and down, trying to find some clue, but to no avail.

"Captain?" Chu Kuanglan couldn't help but speak, breaking the brief silence, his face full of confusion. "You're all better already? Didn't Jiang Wei say you were breaking through? How come you don't seem to have changed at all?"

Fang Qingyu looked at his three teammates, especially Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan, whose eyes held undisguised confusion, and understood.

She smiled slightly, stretched her muscles which were a little stiff from sitting for so long, and made a soft cracking sound: "Hmm, all done. What brought you all here? Have you had a good rest?"

The voice was calm, and there was nothing unusual about it.

Wei Banmeng suppressed her surprise, shook her head, and said in a cool voice, "No. We were called over by our master. We wanted to ask you to come with us, but Jiang Wei said you were busy, so we waited here for you to finish."

"Sect Master Yan wants us to come over?"

Fang Qingyu's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

He then nodded, "Let's go then, don't keep the senior waiting."

The four of them stood up, and Jiang Wei also put away her tablet, jumped off the stone bench, and naturally walked to Fang Qingyu's side.

The grotto-heaven was quiet and peaceful under the cover of night, with only the chirping of insects and the sound of a few people's footsteps.

Chu Kuanglan walked beside Fang Qingyu, his gaze seemingly glued to him, scanning him back and forth, the probing in his eyes almost tangible.

Fang Qingyu felt quite uncomfortable under his gaze, and turned his head to ask helplessly, "Do I have flowers on me? Or is there something on me?"

Chu Kuanglan seemed to be startled awake. He scratched his slightly messy short hair, chuckled, leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked with great curiosity, "Captain, did you really break through? That feeling just now was a bit strange! It was like you had returned to simplicity! Jiang Wei said you were breaking through, but your aura didn't fluctuate at all!"

Since forming the special team and going through several life-and-death situations together, their way of addressing Fang Qingyu has gradually changed from "God Fang" to the more intimate "Captain".

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu nodded frankly: "I suppose so. I've made some progress in martial arts, and my control over power has become more refined."

His tone was very calm, as if he had just completed an ordinary reflection.

Upon hearing this, Chu Kuanglan's lips twitched, and he gave her a "I'd be a fool to believe you" look.

He gestured exaggeratedly: "Slight gains? Captain, tell me honestly, do you really have some kind of 'get stronger through battle' cheat? How come you seem to get stronger every time you finish a tough battle? This rate of improvement is too unreasonable!"

This was half a joke and half the truth.

After all, Fang Qingyu's growth rate was simply too incredible.

Fang Qingyu listened, shaking his head and chuckling.

This was clearly Chu Kuanglan's style of joke and吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or sarcastic remarks).

Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan, who were walking ahead, also heard Chu Kuanglan's strange cry, and they both rolled their eyes in unison.

Wei Banmeng's cool voice drifted over: "Senior Brother Chu, stop reading those nonsensical novels. The captain is a product of years of hard work and has extraordinary talent."

Lu Jiuyuan also chimed in, unusually, "Yeah, comparisons are odious."

Chu Kuanglan choked for a moment and awkwardly shut his mouth, but his eyes were still full of amazement at Fang Qingyu's "inhuman" abilities.

Soon, the four people and one child arrived at the quiet and elegant residence of Senior Yan Shouzhen.

Although it was late at night, the study in the courtyard was still lit.

Upon seeing the group, a disciple standing at the door bowed respectfully and gently pushed open the study door.

Inside the study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Senior Yan Shouzhen was not resting; he stood with his back to the door, in front of the large desk, writing with a brush in hand.

Hearing the door open and footsteps, he didn't turn his head, but calmly said, "Sit down first, the last word is coming right away."

The old man's voice carried a calming power.

Fang Qingyu and the others sat down quietly on the prayer mats nearby as instructed.

Jiang Wei sat down next to Fang Qingyu, her face expressionless.

The only sound in the study was the soft rustling of a brush gliding across rice paper.

Yan Shouzheng's brushstrokes are steady and powerful, flowing like dragons and snakes.

A moment later, with a slight lift of his wrist, a powerful and vigorous character was completed.

The old man gently put down his pen, picked up the seal beside him, and stamped it at the signature.

After doing all this, he slowly turned around.

Yan Shouzhen's gaze first fell on Fang Qingyu.

Those deep, unfathomable eyes lingered on Fang Qingyu for a good two or three seconds, as if carefully sensing something.

Then, a very complex expression appeared on his face, as if he were surprised, or perhaps he understood, which finally turned into a shake of his head and a wry smile with a touch of emotion:
"Ha, I, an old man, still misjudged him."

That's completely nonsensical.

Fang Qingyu and the other four subconsciously raised their heads, their faces showing clear question marks.

Did I misjudge? What did I misjudge?

Did they misjudge Fang Qingyu's talent, or was there something else?

Yan Shouzheng, however, did not offer an explanation.

Instead, he picked up the calligraphy he had just finished writing, rolled it up gently, and placed it in a corner of his desk.

Then, he glanced at the five young people present, his expression becoming serious and solemn.

"Do you know," Yan Shouzhen began slowly, his voice deep and powerful, "where did those special teams from the Hidden Dragon Project go after completing their Ghost Festival duty?"

The moment this question was posed, the atmosphere in the study froze.

Wei Banmeng hesitated for a moment before answering first: "We will rush to various parts of the Federation to deal with more dangerous cases involving ghosts, like firefighters, going wherever we are needed."

This has always been her belief, and it's also the common speculation from the outside world.

Lu Jiuyuan and Chu Kuanglan nodded in agreement. Yan Shouzhen nodded slightly, then slowly shook his head: "Firefighting, that's right. But not within the Federation's territory."

"Not within the Federation?"

Wei Banmeng frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

The federation is now unified.

There are also quite a few sections within the Federation!?

Lu Jiuyuan and Chu Kuanglan also showed expressions of astonishment.

Fang Qingyu thought to himself, "They're here."

Yan Shouzhen did not answer directly, but walked to the other side of the desk and picked up a rolled-up map made of animal hide with a special texture.

He walked to the center of the study and slowly unfolded the map on the floor in front of everyone.

The map was huge, covering a large area in front of us.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dense cluster of city outlines drawn with black lines at the bottom of the map. These cities vary in style; some are simplified representations of modern metropolises, while others possess a distinct classical or exotic flair, and they are densely packed together.

However, as you move your gaze upwards, past these city clusters, the map's tone suddenly changes.

Occupying more than 80% of the area at the top of the map is a cold, pure white expanse.

At the edge of this boundless, cold white area, near the black city cluster below, a long, winding line, outlined in thick, inky black, stretches out conspicuously like a coiled dragon.

This black line is full of twists, sharp edges, and reinforced node markings.

Even Wei Banmeng, who was the most knowledgeable among them, frowned, her eyes filled with confusion.

The map's style and markings were extremely ancient and unique, unlike any modern or ancient map she knew.

The black cities at the bottom of the map are, in a sense, simplified versions of modern cities.

However, its distribution and combination, as well as the black line stretching across the edge of the ice field, exude an indescribable sense of eeriness and heaviness.

“Master,” Wei Banmeng couldn’t help but ask, her voice filled with inquiry, “What kind of place is this map? The bottom seems to show the distribution of modern city clusters, but the white area above, and this line, I’ve never seen such markings before.”

She voiced everyone's question.

Yan Shouzhen's gaze fell on the winding black line, and he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The Arctic Front"

"front?!"

Wei Banmeng and the others were taken aback.

The frontline battles of the Fate Demons are fought in cities and the wilderness, aren't they?
There's another front line in the Arctic!?

Yan Shouzhen ignored their astonishment and pointed his finger at a point in the black area at the bottom of the map, near the northwest.

"This story begins more than a hundred years ago."

The old man's voice was deep and somber. "At that time, the Federation had not yet achieved unification, and the world was in chaos. This region corresponded to the heartland of a major Western power at the time."

He tapped the mark with his finger.

“A ghost of fate, from the depths of the dimension where the ghost of fate resides, somehow broke through the barrier of space and descended into the real world.”

"Upon its arrival, it displayed a terrifying instinct to devour and a capacity for growth. It lingered there like a source of plague, and in a short period of time, it devoured an entire city with a population of several million!"

"Millions of people?!"

Chu Kuanglan's voice changed, filled with disbelief and horror.

The lives of a city were devoured alive by a monster.

The mere thought of this scene sends chills down one's spine.

"Yes, the whole city."

Yan Shouzhen's voice was filled with sorrow, "Millions of lives became the flesh and blood foundation for it to step into the 'Abyss Corpse Level,' which is what we call the third-tier Life Ghost!"

"From that moment on, the war between humanity and this monster began."

"At that time, the remaining major forces, including some ancient and secret traditions, realized its terrifying threat, put aside their prejudices, and invested countless manpower and resources to organize countless encirclements and suppressions."

The old man's finger traced across the map, as if retracing the brutal encirclement route of yesteryear.

"However, the terror of this Abyss-class creature far exceeded the understanding of humankind at that time."

"It entrenched itself in the north, its power almost merging with that region, forming a nearly indestructible 'nest domain.' Every attempt to annihilate it has come at a heavy price: grandmasters have fallen like rain, cities have been reduced to scorched earth. Yet, it has never been able to be completely destroyed, and even severely injuring it has been extremely difficult. Like a maggot clinging to a bone, it has drawn its own prison in the northwest, constantly devouring everything around it, and its power is still slowly growing."

"This desperate tug-of-war lasted for two or three decades. Until..." Yan Shouzhen paused, pointing to a point on the map below, near the east, where a simplified fist-shaped symbol appeared to be marked.

"Until the Federation initially completed the great task of unification, integrating resources and power. And until that person appeared."

"A middle-aged man whose path to martial arts seemed almost extinct at the time. He only started learning martial arts at the age of forty, which can be described as starting very late."

Yan Shouzhen's eyes revealed deep admiration. "However, this man's talent, perseverance, and belief are unparalleled throughout history! He seems to have been born for battle! In just twenty years! In a mere twenty years! He has broken through the barriers that countless people cannot reach in their entire lives."

"Ascend to the realm of Martial Saint!"

"A Martial Saint?!"

Wei Banmeng and the other two were once again shocked.

From an ordinary person to a martial saint within twenty years?!

This is simply a myth!

“That’s right, a Martial Saint,” Yan Shouzhen affirmed. “After ascending to the Martial Saint realm, he single-handedly shouldered the heavy responsibility of annihilating that Abyssal Corpse Ghost. He did not choose to launch a direct attack on its lair, but instead relied on absolute strength to advance step by step, like driving away a entrenched ferocious beast. He fought for every city and territory, one punch and one kick at a time, forcefully driving that Ghost step by step from its lair territory, which it had cultivated for decades, northward!”

On the map, Yan Shouzheng's finger begins at the fist-shaped symbol.

Heading north, it traced a long and arduous path.

"Then," Yan Shouzhen's eyes brightened, "the current Director-General of the Divine Management Bureau appeared out of nowhere! In the end, after paying an unimaginable price, he successfully drove away and expelled the terrifying abyss that had been entrenched in the Northwest, devouring millions of lives."

The old man's finger pressed heavily on the edge of the boundless, cold white area above the map.

Before that long, winding black line!
"Within the Arctic Circle!"

"From then on, the Arctic Circle became the last stronghold of that cursed creature, and the forefront of the flesh-and-blood defense line that humanity had painstakingly built! That black line."

Yan Shouzhen's finger traced the black Great Wall on the map. "That is the 'Arctic Great Wall' that we built on the edge of the ice field with the blood, bones and iron will of countless generations! It was to lock that ghost of fate, and the endless army of ghosts of fate that it later gathered in the Arctic Circle, within the far north ice field! To prevent them from moving south."

The study was deathly silent.

Only Yan Shouzheng's voice echoed.

Wei Banmeng, Lu Jiuyuan, and Chu Kuanglan were completely shocked by this cruel and grand truth. Their faces were pale, and they even had difficulty breathing.

After all, everyone was risking their lives.
They were doing everything in their power to stop the ghost from causing spatial fluctuations.

As a result, they are now told that an army of ghosts has been assembled in this world.

This would be hard for anyone to accept.

"Can't you kill them?"

With a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in her voice, Wei Banmeng asked the most crucial question.

Since the Director-General and that Martial Saint are so powerful, why not completely eliminate them?

Yan Shouzhen's expression of regret deepened. He shook his head with a bitter smile, his smile filled with helplessness and heaviness.
“Kill? How could I not want to kill it? For over a hundred years, I’ve wanted to grind it to dust every single moment! As long as I can kill it, even if it’s a one-for-one trade, even if it’s the Director-General’s life, given his personality, he wouldn’t even bat an eye.”

The old man's voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute determination:
"Because once it dies, the army of demons entrenched in the Arctic Circle will lose its strongest core and source, and will become a disorganized mess! We humans can then rely on our defenses to advance step by step, divide and surround them, and wipe them out little by little."

"But!" Yan Shouzhen's tone plummeted again, filled with a sense of powerlessness.

"It's unkillable! I've tried countless times and made countless sacrifices, but I just can't kill it!"

Chu Kuanglan listened anxiously, his voice booming with frustration and disbelief: "What kind of ghost is that? It's so hard to kill?! Even the Director-General isn't confident?!"

The last trace of a smile on Yan Shouzhen's face vanished completely.

Instead, there was a deep-seated solemnity and apprehension.

His gaze swept over the five young and shocked faces before him, and slowly, deliberately, he uttered that name, a name that seemed like a taboo, containing endless calamity and terror:

"Its name."

"You've probably all heard of it."

"Hanba."

"Hanba?!"

Chu Kuanglan repeated in a terrified voice, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Lu Jiuyuan clenched his fist.

Wei Banmeng's face turned deathly pale instantly, clearly recalling some records about this name.

Jiang Wei, who had been sitting quietly next to Fang Qingyu, was also present.

The moment I heard the words "drought demon".

Her small body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

The lollipop in my hand, which I'd only licked a few times, and the hard little plastic stick.
There was a soft "click" sound.

She unconsciously pinched it into two pieces.

Fang Qingyu was deeply shaken.

Drought? !
On the Arctic front, there lurks a terrifying Abyss-level Life Demon that has entrenched itself for a century and devoured millions of lives.
Its name is Drought Demon?!
Fang Qingyu's gaze unconsciously and very quickly swept towards the top of Jiang Wei's head beside him.

[The reincarnation of Nüba]

The ancient and vigorous golden title was clearly visible, like a brand.

female demon, drought demon
It's just a difference of one word!
One is the reincarnation of a god, the other is a world-destroying demon that humanity can only banish to the far north ice plains despite all its efforts!

Between the two.
What exactly is the connection?!

At the same time, an absurd, terrifying, yet uncontrollable thought began to frantically grow in his mind.

If the other side of the Arctic is a drought demon.
Sitting beside me now is this quiet little girl, sucking on a lollipop, who holds the title of the reincarnation of the demon Nüba.
Who is it again?!

(End of this chapter)