Chapter 61: The Ice Tide
“That’s both right and wrong.”
General Qin smiled. “How the Great Wasteland came to be is lost to history, but when our Yan Kang Kingdom was founded, we received a divine oracle. It said the Great Wasteland is a land forsaken by the gods, and those abandoned by them must remain there, never to leave. If any forsaken one tries to escape, they are to be killed without exception. I’ve heard that other kingdoms received similar oracles as well. But it’s not just the natives of the Great Wasteland living here—some desperate and vicious criminals also choose to enter it for refuge. In my view, these people are even more dangerous than the forsaken ones!”
The Seventh Young Master asked curiously, “I saw merchant caravans going in and out of the Great Wasteland at the border. Why does our Yan Kang Kingdom trade with the forsaken ones here?”
“Young Master, you may not know this. Though the Great Wasteland is barren, it’s rich in resources—countless rare treasures and precious materials. We only need to trade cheap goods like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar to obtain these treasures and valuable beast hides. Why wouldn’t we?”
General Qin continued, “Over the years, the border has exchanged goods with the Great Wasteland, earning immense wealth to support our military. That’s why our Yan Kang Kingdom’s army is strong and far surpasses other kingdoms.”
The Seventh Young Master asked, “What if some forsaken ones sneak through the pass? Wouldn’t that be disastrous?”
“Along with the divine oracle, several treasures called Vision Mirrors were passed down. They hang on the great passes leading into Yan Kang. Any forsaken one from the Great Wasteland will be revealed by the mirror. The National Teacher suspects the forsaken ones might have a different bloodline, but when he examined their bodies, he found no difference.”
General Qin laughed. “Every year, those great passes catch many demon folk trying to flee into Yan Kang. Some are executed on the spot, others are sent to the mines. If they survive a year or two, that’s considered good fortune.”
The tower ship gradually sailed away. Qin Mu stood on the cliff and praised, “That man is formidable—his eyesight is incredible. No wonder he became a general so young! He’s mapping the geography of the Surging River. Does Yan Kang plan to wage war on the Great Wasteland?”
He felt a bit puzzled. The Great Wasteland was clearly a barren place, full of dangers, and darkness invaded every time the sun set. He didn’t think Yan Kang’s campaign would succeed.
If Yan Kang sent too few troops, they wouldn’t even fill the teeth of the Great Wasteland’s monstrous beasts. If they sent too many, where would those soldiers hide when night fell?
Because the Great Wasteland was so perilous and treacherous, no one could truly rule it.
Yan Kang couldn’t either.
If Yan Kang invaded, they’d only suffer a crushing defeat!
Suddenly, Qin Mu recalled something and quickly said, “Big guy, go back to the Town Center Palace immediately and destroy the map of the Great Wasteland on the wall!”
The demon ape grabbed the Dragon Elephant, let out a roar, and jumped onto its back. The Dragon Elephant immediately bolted away.
“Yan Kang has already started mapping the Surging River’s geography. If they find that map in the Town Center Palace, it’ll be like adding wings to a tiger.” Qin Mu’s expression shifted uncertainly.
Destroying the map was a pity, but he had already memorized the geography of the Great Wasteland deeply—he wouldn’t forget it.
Before long, the river surface suddenly turned pale red. Qin Mu was startled and looked upstream. The water flowing down was even redder than downstream!
“Young Master, there are corpses on the river!” Fox Linger suddenly screamed.
Qin Mu saw the corpse too but didn’t say anything. He looked upstream and saw more bodies drifting toward them. Beneath the water, large fish and river beasts churned the surface, splashing as they feasted on the corpses. It was quite a scene.
Qin Mu activated his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye and saw the face of a head bobbing in the water. His body trembled slightly. These corpses were the travelers who had passed by Jade Cloud Valley earlier!
The river surged, the blood red deepening, even staining the floating ice.
This couldn’t be the work of just a hundred corpses!
The Surging River was vast, over ten miles wide, with a swift current. The blood of a hundred people couldn’t dye it red.
Qin Mu’s expression froze. He saw a tide of corpses surging downstream!
It wasn’t just a corpse tide—it was a tide of ice and bodies, thousands of corpses mixed with chunks of ice!
These people must have been the experts who ambushed that general. They came in large numbers, heading upstream to set up an ambush, but were all slain by him!
The formation of an ice corpse tide meant their deaths happened almost simultaneously!
They died at nearly the same time, killed by that general or the experts on the tower ship!
Qin Mu steadied himself. This was the first time he had seen such a gruesome scene—even more brutal than when he was a child and followed Granny Si to deliver a baby in another village, only to find the village massacred!
Back then, he was so terrified his soul left his body, and Granny Si had to retrieve it. Now, though he was a martial artist, seeing this still shook his soul.
Too tragic.
That young Yan Kang general was so powerful and ruthless. If Yan Kang’s iron cavalry came to the Great Wasteland, what a shock it would bring to this barbaric land!
Qin Mu shook his head to dispel the unease and said to Fox Linger, “Don’t go out drinking these days. Tell your sisters to stay low and not go outside.”
Fox Linger nodded repeatedly.
Though she was a demon, the scene before her terrified her too.
“Linger, go back and find your sisters. I’ll go down and check—I don’t want these corpses piling up into a thousand-corpse barrier lake!”
With that, Qin Mu leaped down, ran along the cliff to the river below, and then strode across the water.
The corpses and floating ice swept along, gathering more ice as they went, surging downstream. Qin Mu quickly caught up to the ice corpse tide. It was growing larger, with ice chunks colliding and cracking, while the corpses were crushed into dismembered limbs floating on the ice.
He ran dozens of miles along the river. The floating ice had formed an iceberg, hung with mutilated corpses—a terrifying sight.
The ice tide and iceberg grew heavier and taller, moving slowly, even blocking the incoming river water. The water level behind them rose higher and higher.
Qin Mu frowned. The Surging River was still flowing straight now, but when it reached the oasis where Wu Nu lived, it would turn. The floating ice would get stuck there, forming a barrier lake. The water would keep accumulating, the ice would pile up, eventually reaching a hundred feet high!
When the ice tide and iceberg could no longer bear the pressure, they would collapse and shatter. A great flood would sweep everything away, engulfing all people and livestock in its path!
Many villages in the Great Wasteland were built along the river for easy travel. If the flood burst, countless villages would be devastated!
“Granny Si and the others are still downstream clearing the river. They probably don’t know about the impending barrier lake. Only the village chief is left in the village, and he can’t move easily. Who else can help me deal with the ice tide?”
Qin Mu racked his brain. The ice tide had already passed by the Wrecked Village, the ice chunks clattering. With his strength, he couldn’t solve the ice tide.
At the village entrance, the village chief sat leisurely, suddenly widening his eyes as he watched Qin Mu and the ice tide drift past. He shook his head with a smile. “This rascal, causing trouble again…”
The water was already lapping at his feet. Just then, primal energy surged from the village chief’s severed leg, forming two legs. He walked into the air, sat down, and gazed into the distance at Qin Mu.
These legs were formed from primal energy, looking no different from real ones. When his primal energy dissipated, the legs would vanish too.
“Right, go find Wu Nu!”
On the river, Qin Mu’s eyes lit up. He quickened his pace, leaping across the river, jumping onto an iceberg, and then launching himself forward, leaving the ice tide behind as he sped away.
He ran at breakneck speed and soon reached the oasis in the river’s center. The oasis was like an isolated island, with a temple on it that suppressed the old demon Wu Nu.
Qin Mu climbed onto the oasis in a few steps, rushed to the dilapidated temple, and barged straight in.
Inside the temple, the little girl with three braids was idly swinging her feet, waiting for prey to come. When she saw Qin Mu burst in, old grudges flared. But the little girl immediately jumped down from the Buddha’s hand and hid behind the statue, glaring at Qin Mu with hostile eyes.
“Wu Nu, I mean no harm!”
Qin Mu spoke rapidly. “An ice tide is about to arrive here. I need your help to break it apart!”
The little girl came out from behind the Buddha statue, jumped back onto the Buddha’s hand, and said listlessly, “Not interested. This ice tide comes every year. The Buddha statue protects me here—the flood won’t reach me.”
Qin Mu’s eyes flickered. “I can cut your chains and free you!”
Wu Nu’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again. She shook her head. “If your elders at home came, they might cut the chains. You can’t.”
Qin Mu’s primal energy surged, unsheathing the Young Protector Sword from his back. He pointed and slashed down!
Clang—
A thunderous sound rang out. One of the chains binding the Buddha was deeply cut, leaving a gash. Strangely, the gash began to heal on its own.
Without hesitation, Qin Mu channeled his primal energy and swung the sword again!
Clang, clang, clang—a series of crisp sounds rang out. Soon, one chain was severed by Qin Mu!
Wu Nu was stunned, a mix of shock and joy rising in her heart. But at that moment, the bronze Buddha suddenly opened its eyes and thundered, “Wretch! How dare you disrupt my cultivation and ruin my merit!”
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