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Chapter 17: Opening the Rift Together
The soldiers of Kuo Kou City were entrusted with such an honorable mission; they had to ensure that the High-Explosive Magic Circle would explode smoothly. If they failed, it would be nearly impossible to try again, as there would be no way to reconstruct the High-Explosive Magic Circle, and they had no magical tools left in their possession.
The High-Explosive Magic Circle consisted of four pieces of Black Iron. The shape of Black Iron was similar to a fire poker, measuring about the length of a palm. Each piece was adorned with special patterns, which were the detonation runes of the divine race. Such magical tools were not overly expensive, but commoners could not access them. Cities with a bit of wealth could possess these Black Irons, though their numbers were limited.
Some of this Black Iron originated from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, where some individuals secretly sold them outside. Others were purchased by amateur teams searching for relics. Eight pieces of Black Iron were hidden in a concealed corner outside the prince's palace; it would be difficult to notice that a High-Explosive Magic Circle was concealed there unless one was intentionally looking for it. Everything was prepared, and all the commanders hoped that no troubles or unexpected events would arise.
The soldiers from Qingyang City looked at the prince's palace with mixed feelings. Some soldiers couldn't help but wonder if the palace would truly be set ablaze.
Prince Huixin's team of thirty had already arrived at Qingyang Heights. Qingyang Heights was not located outside Qingyang City; rather, it was situated within the city itself. The city was built against a mountain, and many areas within it had elevated terrain. Qingyang Heights was the highest point in the city and was not a place where the poor resided. Gaoqiu housed a military camp, but currently, it was empty as the soldiers had gone to support within the city.
Everyone stood on the Watchtower of Gaoqiu when a thoughtful Commander quietly approached Prince Huixin. The Commander impatiently looked down and said, "Why is there still no movement?"
In contrast to the Commander's demeanor, Prince Huixin appeared calm. He replied, "Patience; haste makes waste."
The Commander nodded, suppressing his nervousness. He gazed toward another side; although there were still flickering flames in the outer city, several areas had already been extinguished. The Commander remarked, "It seems that dispersing the soldiers of the Crimson Rhino Battalion to assist has put pressure on those from the Hall of Malevolence."
There was an element of self-praise in the Commander's words. He worried that this might irritate Prince Huixin, but he felt compelled to say it anyway, as it would deepen Prince Huixin's impression of him. Prince Huixin certainly understood his implication but did not express any reaction; his face remained expressionless, leaving the Commander unable to discern whether he was pleased or troubled.
At that moment, Wei Deputy appeared at the entrance of Gaoqiu's military camp with a group of soldiers. Wei Deputy was covered in blood, with his arm wrapped in bandages. Anyone seeing him like this would surely be startled. A few guards came forward to open the door, but Wei Deputy found their movements too slow and shouted a few words at them before leading his team inside; the door was immediately shut tightly behind them.
Despite being injured, Wei Deputy walked with an astonishingly precise gait alongside his similarly wounded soldiers. He refused to show any sign of weakness in front of others and never forgot his identity; he needed Prince Huixin to know that even those elite troops from the Crimson Rhino Battalion were no match for him.
"Your Highness, how is the trap preparation coming along?" Wei Deputy asked as he lined up his soldiers under the Watchtower and ascended to pay his respects to Prince Huixin.
Seeing Wei Deputy return filled Prince Huixin with joy. He reached out to support him and said, "It's underway; you’re injured—no need for formalities. This Magic Circle will surely surprise them."
Ji Zichen sat cross-legged on the grass outside the Grass Hut, practicing the Sealing Technique. A crack of light appeared in his palm, and Kiko had already managed to maintain the crack for longer periods, as well as conjure it at will. With Kiko's growing mastery over the crack, he could see that, just as the Saint King had said, there were indeed other cracks hidden within it.
These cracks displayed colors of orange, yellow, green, and many other indistinct hues. Kiko thought to himself, "Those vague colors I see might be related to my level of proficiency. If I could become more skilled, perhaps I would be able to discern the colors of the other cracks."
As Kiko practiced the Sealing Technique, he realized that if he could coordinate well with Xia Lian, not only could he control his own fate but also help eliminate a great disaster threatening this world.
Kiko was unaware of the impending disaster looming over Qingyang City. Even if he did know, he would feel powerless to help since he was too far away from Qingyang City. Moreover, Kiko had no obligation to save it. Lin Chuyu stood beside Kiko, facing the direction of Qingyang City. She felt an inexplicable fear in her heart, sensing that a friend in that place might be in danger.
Lin Chuyu found this feeling very strange. If she hadn't lost her memory, she might have remembered Prince Huixin. But now, it was impossible for her to recall him. Xia Lian was also by Kiko's side. Thanks to the guidance of the Saint King, Kiko was able to learn the Sealing Technique in a short time, which made Xia Lian very happy.
"What are they doing? Why haven't they come out yet?" Flying Wolf was with them as well but perched atop the Grass Hut, gazing into the distance.
Xia Lian understood that Flying Wolf was referring to Canglin and the Saint King. Seeing Flying Wolf sitting alone on the roof, it seemed he didn't want to get too close to them. Xia Lian merely glanced at him without making any further comments.
"Flying Wolf, have you given up? Chasing someone until you become a captive yourself," Xia Lian remarked.
Flying Wolf did not respond to this comment. He leaped down from the Grass Hut and approached Ji Zichen. Kiko put away the crack and looked at Flying Wolf. "Why are you pleading for me?" Flying Wolf asked.
"I'm not pleading for you," Kiko replied. "I just don't want any conflict between Guzhao Clan and your village. If you die here, people from your village will harbor resentment towards Guzhao Clan. What we need right now is not more enemies."
"I won't thank you for this," Flying Wolf said tightly clenching his fists, seemingly embarrassed by receiving someone else's plea.
Kiko smiled slightly. "You don't need to thank me; you owe me nothing. I just hope that the issues between Zangda and you can come to an end."
"That's a problem between me and that Demon Beast; it has nothing to do with you," Flying Wolf said.
Ji Zichen forced a smile at Flying Wolf's reference to Chang Da as a Demon Beast, realizing that the rift between them had not yet closed. "You're still angry inside," Ji Zichen remarked.
Flying Wolf ignored the comment and did not respond.
Xia Lian glanced around; everything was silent, and there were no other Gu Diao watching them. "There's no one here now. This is the best opportunity for us to leave," Xia Lian said.
Lin Chuyu exclaimed, "Are we escaping? But we're not prisoners; if we want to leave, we should at least inform them."
Flying Wolf scoffed, "You may not be prisoners, but we are. If you want to go, no one will stop you. But for us to get out, it's not that simple." He turned to Xia Lian and asked, "How do you plan to leave? You don't mean to fight your way out, do you? If that's the case, we won't stand a chance."
Xia Lian hesitated but still shared his thoughts. "We had so many people fall to the Gu Diao before. Now it's just us; how could we possibly stand against them? I'm not suggesting we fight our way out."
Xia Lian looked at Ji Zichen and asked, "Can you see any other colored rifts?"
Ji Zichen curiously glanced at Xia Lian and replied, "You can see other rifts too?"
Xia Lian nodded. "Yes, the sealing rift is white, while the orange rift is like the Divine Rift or a Teleportation Array. If we work together to open the orange rift, we can escape through it."
Ji Zichen was taken aback and said in surprise, "So you're saying we can work together to open a rift and leave?"
Xia Lian nodded again.
Ji Zichen continued, "I've been inside the Divine Rift before. The paths within are intricate and interconnected. If we're unfamiliar with the routes, we could easily get lost in there."
Regarding this, she seemed to have a solution. Xia Lian said, "We don't need to wander aimlessly. We can enter the rift and head to the Spirit Immortal Realm. From the Spirit Immortal Realm, we can return to the village, right to the chief's house."
Flying Wolf, seeing Xia Lian so serious, urged, "What are we waiting for? Let's go now. Azure Frost Village has already established contact with the Great Palace Kingdom. I need to get back and check things out as soon as possible."
Xia Lian noticed Flying Wolf's urgency and reminded him, "I can't open the rift by myself."
Xia Lian's words were clear. Both she and Flying Wolf were looking at Ji Zichen. Ji Zichen got up from the ground and said, "I'm quite familiar with the Sealing Technique. I've already fulfilled Big Fool's last wish, so there's no reason for me to stay here. Wait a moment; I'll go say hello to Saint King."
Flying Wolf opened his mouth to say something, but Ji Zichen spoke first, "I won't sneak away."
Flying Wolf fell silent as Ji Zichen was about to leave for the secret chamber. At that moment, Zang Da approached from a distance. Ji Zichen called out to him, and Zang Da replied, "Are you leaving?"
Ji Zichen smiled slightly and asked, "Have you been nearby all along?"
Zang Da glanced at Flying Wolf and said, "We haven't detained you. If you want to leave, no one will stop you. You can go now without saying goodbye to Saint King; he and that person are not in the secret chamber."
Ji Zichen asked in surprise, "Where did they go?"
Zang Da shook his head. "I don't know." He looked sincerely at Ji Zichen and Xia Lian and said, "You saved my life; I, Zang Da, will never forget that."
Ji Zichen smiled and replied, "I won't forget either; we are friends now."
Ji Zichen then asked Xia Lian, "How do we open the rift?"
Xia Lian responded, "We just need to join our hands together and pull the rift open."
Ji Zichen and Xia Lian stood facing each other, their palms touching, creating a crack of light between them. They both stepped back a few paces, pulling out an orange fissure that stood as tall as a person.
"We should go," Xia Lian said.
Ji Zichen exchanged a glance with Zang Da, who said, "Goodbye, my friend."
Ji Zichen smiled and replied, "I'll come to see you when I have the chance."
The group stepped into the fissure.
-
Inside the Tribal Chief's Stone House, Yang Guizhi stood before the Water Wall and said, "I want to enter the Travel Path again, Xier."
Xi Zu was reluctant to hear this. "Mother, what do you want to go in there for again?"
"You may not know yet, but there's been fighting in the Desolate Central Plain," Yang Guizhi explained.
"Desolate Central Plain? That's so far from us," Xi Zu replied.
Yang Guizhi pressed her hand against the Water Wall and said, "The Desolate Central Plain may be far away, but the flames of war will soon reach us."
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