Chapter 218: Seven Blood Eyes' Secret

"Captain, why are you trembling?" they were in Deer Horn City, located in the eastern part of South Phoenix Continent, standing on the teleportation array.

As the teleportation light flashed, Xu Qing and the Captain appeared.

Xu Qing habitually concealed his appearance, while the Captain, familiar with the routine, was disguised as a middle-aged man. However, as he stepped off the teleportation array, his legs were clearly trembling.

Xu Qing was surprised.

"'Trembling? Impossible, Xu Qing, you're mistaken,' the Captain said, coughing and forcefully patting his legs."

Xu Qing remained silent. He didn't need to guess; he knew the Captain must have done something significant at the main sect, and it was clearly no small matter. Given the Captain's usual recklessness, he wouldn't still be trembling even after arriving here.

Since the Captain offered no explanation, Xu Qing didn't press him. After stepping out of the teleportation array, he gazed at Deer Horn City, a place that felt both familiar and strangely new. A memory surfaced: the day he teleported from this exact spot after burning down the Vajra Sect.

Lost in thought, Xu Qing walked forward.

Though this was a branch city of the Seven Blood Eyes, its remote location and harsh environment made it far dirtier and more chaotic than the main Seven Blood Eyes city. Foul-smelling decaying matter was visible everywhere on the ground. Emaciated figures sat in street corners, their gazes mostly fixed blankly on the sky.

A pervasive sense of oppression hung over the entire city.

Xu Qing continued walking in silence. He encountered no one foolish enough to provoke them. While the people in these desolate and harsh lands could be volatile, those who survived there were rarely simple-minded.

They instinctively knew who could be bullied and who should not be provoked. Xu Qing and the Captain clearly fell into the latter category.

"'Xu Qing, aren't you truly curious?' the Captain asked, unable to contain himself as they reached the city gate of Deer Horn City. He pulled out an apple and took a bite, showing little concern for their surroundings, yet great curiosity that Xu Qing could refrain from asking."

"'I am curious,' Xu Qing replied without turning back. After leaving Deer Horn City, he gazed into the distance at the forbidden zone, the place where he had lived for seven years, now a ruin after the divine eye opened."

Deer Horn City was not far from the small town where he had once lived.

"'You don't look curious at all... Alright, alright, seeing as you were once my teammate and owe me 50,000 spirit stones, I can reveal a little.'"

"'The Old Ancestor is playing a grand game! I can't say more; if I do, he'll likely skin me alive!' the Captain whispered, glancing around nervously."

Xu Qing simply uttered an 'Oh,' and his body shifted as he accelerated forward. He had no intention of returning to the ruined city; there was nothing left for him there. Moreover, his previous encounter, being pursued by the Vajra Sect's Old Ancestor, had settled his karmic ties with the eerie elements of that place.

There was no point in going back.

Xu Qing's destination was the Scavenger Camp.

The Captain walked beside him, observing the surrounding wilderness. It was early spring here, and traces of snow still occasionally dotted the ground. The wind, though not freezing the earth, carried little warmth, still chilling those exposed to it.

"'Let me tell you, Xu Qing, Sixth Lord... he's quite the old schemer. On that day on Starfish Island, he put on quite a performance.' The Captain, seeing Xu Qing still not pressing for details, felt an uncontrollable urge to boast about what he'd witnessed, yet he dared not reveal everything."

Xu Qing nodded.

"'Oh, Xu Qing, I really must criticize you. This attitude of yours is quite poor,' the Captain said, a bit helpless, taking a large bite of his apple."

"'I can't possibly know what I saw in the Sixth Peak; it was too shocking, too unexpected. This is a monumental game of chess!'"

"'Indeed, the older one gets, the more cunning. Every single one of those old veterans from our Seven Blood Eyes can effortlessly manipulate others.'"

The Captain took a deep breath, filled with emotion.

Xu Qing frowned, still not fully comprehending what he heard, but he gathered that the Captain's major undertaking was likely connected to the Sixth Peak. Remembering the Captain's glowing eyes when he previously saw the Sixth Peak's mountain, a thought struck him.

"'Captain, you didn't go and blab something at the Sixth Peak, did you?'"

The Captain raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure on his face.

"'What do you mean, "blabbed something"? Vice-captain, I must remind you, that's no way to speak to your superior!' 'I am the head of the Felony Division,' Xu Qing stated calmly."

"'I am your senior brother!' the Captain retorted, finishing his apple and picking up a pear, as if he'd anticipated Xu Qing's words. 'I haven't formally taken a master yet,' Xu Qing replied."

"'And why aren't you coming to pay respects to the Grand Prince!' the Captain declared, lifting his chin and looking proudly down at Xu Qing."

Xu Qing fell silent, realizing he couldn't win this argument with the Captain. He feigned deafness and continued walking. At his current speed, it would take him merely half an hour to reach the Scavenger Camp from Deer Horn City.

Even as they spoke, he had already scaled the mountains and could dimly see the Scavenger Camp below, along with the dark forest in the distance.

From their vantage point, black mist enveloped the forbidden forest, laced with streaks of lightning that occasionally struck within, producing rumbling sounds.

The Captain's gaze swept over the distant forbidden zone, a hint of surprise on his face. "This forbidden zone is vast, and there are divine fluctuations within!"

Xu Qing nodded. In the past, his cultivation had been too weak to detect divinity. Now, standing here again, he clearly sensed the spread of divine fluctuations from the distant forbidden zone.

Soon, Xu Qing looked away, gazing intently at the Scavenger Camp below. It remained a chaotic scene, from which he could faintly hear unbridled laughter.

Xu Qing looked away and walked forward. The Captain coughed beside him.

"'Little A-Qing, your senior brother has always indulged you, but don't be discouraged. This matter is too immense for me to tell you.'"

"'The truth is, this matter affects the battlefield. You wouldn't believe it, but the moment I entered the Sixth Peak and saw what was inside, I was utterly stunned.'"

"'Furthermore, I believe the future development of the Seven Blood Eyes, under the guidance of such a group of cunning elders, should be quite promising...'"

"'Aren't you truly curious? How about this: say a few things I'd like to hear, and I'll risk being skinned alive to tell you. What do you say?'"

As they descended the mountain, the Captain, despite holding the secret, incessantly tried to pique Xu Qing's curiosity. Ultimately, his own eagerness to show off made him more impatient than Xu Qing himself.

Xu Qing remained silent, not uttering a word as he entered the Scavenger Camp.

The sight that greeted him was much as he remembered: the ground was covered in filth, everything around was dilapidated, and scavengers in fur coats were either covered in grime or had faces marked with scars.

The arrival of Xu Qing and the Captain gradually quieted the noisy Scavenger Camp. Most of the scavengers retreated slightly, their expressions showing deference.

But Xu Qing knew that beneath their deference lay a calculation: could they be robbed?

Xu Qing's gaze swept over them, disregarding them entirely. He saw no familiar faces; after all, two years was practically a lifetime for most scavengers.

It wasn't until Xu Qing reached the dwelling where he once lived that he paused. The house was now occupied by others.

After a long moment, Xu Qing sighed softly and turned to leave. The Captain, too, glanced at the dwelling, understanding it was likely Xu Qing's former home. As he walked beside Xu Qing, preparing to leave, the Captain suddenly spotted a tent.

A feather hung from the tent.

Unlike Xu Qing, who grew up in such places, the Captain clearly didn't understand the significance of a tent with a feather in the Scavenger Camp and slums. However, when he soon saw someone emerge from it, pulling up their trousers, he found his answer.

"'So that's what it is, similar to a brothel, but the Scavenger Camp uses feathers as a signboard,' the Captain mused, a sudden realization dawning on him. He was about to look away when his gaze lingered on the feather, then shifted to Xu Qing."

"'Xu Qing, back on Mermaid Race Island, after you saw I'd lost half my body, you said you'd give me a feather...' The Captain's eyes widened."

Xu Qing glanced at him, pulled out an apple, took a bite, and continued walking away.

The Captain snorted, glanced at the feather again, then turned and scurried over. It was unclear how he communicated, but by the time he caught up to Xu Qing, he had acquired seven or eight more feathers.

"'These are good finds. I'll give one to Zhang San when we get back.'"

Xu Qing exited the Scavenger Camp and headed towards the forbidden zone, glancing at the feathers in the Captain's hand. As they approached the forbidden zone, he suddenly asked,

"'Captain, what did you see inside the Sixth Peak?'"

A smile spread across the Captain's face; he had been waiting for Xu Qing to ask that very question. Having held it in the entire way, he no longer held back. After putting away the feathers, he looked around and spoke in a low voice.

"'Before I tell you the answer, first recall the sect's war strategy this time.'"

"'First, the Seventh Peak chose the Mermaid Race Island as the site for the grand competition, which then attracted the Sea Corpse Race. The Old Ancestor suddenly appeared, having already achieved a breakthrough... Following that, the Mermaid Race Island was fortified into an impregnable frontline command post.'"

"'Then, war was declared on the Sea Corpse Race, and the conflict spread incrementally, occupying the sub-islands until now they are attacking the Sea Corpse Race's homeland.'"

"'In this way, a strategic line was formed on the Forbidden Sea, bringing the Seven Blood Eyes, originally quite distant from the Wanggu Continent, much closer to the Wanggu Continent on the Sea Corpse Race's home territory.'"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

"'So, what exactly is the sect's ultimate goal? Is fighting the Sea Corpse Race the entirety of it? Is it possible that battling the Sea Corpse Race... is merely a step towards a deeper strategic objective?'"

The Captain spoke softly.

"'Inside the Sixth Peak, I saw a statue that belonged neither to the Sea Corpse Race nor to any of the nine Corpse Ancestors. That statue is the true power source of the Sixth Peak's war fortress.'"