Chapter 213: Midnight Ghost Stealing Vegetables, Capturing Soul Straw Man Rises

At dawn on the second day, Long Xiao, who had been sleeping, suddenly felt something, sat up, and flew into the sky.

Zhao Xing, who was still awake and slaughtering turtles on the warship, suddenly saw Long Xiao's figure soar into the sky, riding his sword directly into the Gale Wind Layer.

Zhao Xing activated his Heavenly Eye technique to observe Long Xiao's movements. Through the Gale Wind Layer, he could see Long Xiao continuously ascending, soon reaching the three-thousand-meter Gale Wind Layer.

“So this is what ‘great fortune’ meant?” Zhao Xing realized.

However, he wasn't worried about Long Xiao's breakthrough.

Long Xiao was a sword cultivator; even without the blessing of national destiny, his personal breakthrough wouldn't be as perilous as that of an ordinary seventh-rank practitioner.

Cultivation itself was defying heaven, incredibly difficult. If an ordinary seventh-rank practitioner intended to draw elemental qi into their body, they would need extensive preparations, such as protective pills for the internal organs, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed.

In ancient cultivation systems, breaking through to a new realm was invariably described as ‘nine deaths, one life.’ Of course, this excluded those with exceptional talent or deep family backgrounds.

At noon, Long Xiao broke through the shackles of the seventh-rank Earth Fiend realm, successfully drawing elemental qi into his body, and entered the initial stage of the sixth-rank Heavenly Gang realm.

But the breakthrough wasn't over yet. Long Xiao continued to fly upward and soon disappeared from the range of Zhao Xing's Heavenly Eye technique.

“I can’t see him anymore,” Zhao Xing said, retracting his gaze. “With the Gale Wind obstruction, even an advanced Heavenly Eye technique can only see about three thousand meters.”

Shortly after noon, Long Xiao flew down from the sky.

Zhao Xing reactivated his Heavenly Eye technique and could see that a small golden sword, the Heavenly Gang Sword, had appeared in Long Xiao's dantian.

Transforming elemental qi into sword qi for one’s own use – this was the difference between a sword cultivator and an ordinary martial artist.

After his breakthrough, Long Xiao directly reached the mid-stage Heavenly Gang realm.

Zhao Xing activated his Qi-Gazing technique to observe.

A pillar of light appeared above Long Xiao’s head.

“His luck pillar is two zhang tall, entirely red with no gray or white,” he mused. “This is a stable second-tier derivative of luck.”

“The pillar of luck is condensed and doesn’t dissipate, meaning he just experienced a wave of good fortune.”

“There’s a hint of green light at the center, a sign of developing towards third-tier derivative luck, but he’s still far from reaching it,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The Qi-Gazing technique couldn't be used on oneself, but since he had his system panel, he didn't need to use it to observe himself.

“Your divination was truly accurate!” Long Xiao delightedly jumped onto the warship and gave Zhao Xing a thumbs-up. “You only mentioned it yesterday, and today I broke through, even reaching the mid-stage Heavenly Gang realm.”

“It’s not that mysterious,” Zhao Xing chuckled. “You had already reached a bottleneck and could break through at any time. Besides, I can only divine good or ill fortune, not the specific events or their locations.”

He had only divined that Long Xiao would experience great fortune, but didn't know the specific event or its aspect.

“Can’t you divine specific events?” Long Xiao asked.

“Haven’t tried yet,” Zhao Xing replied. “Do you want to give it a try?”

Long Xiao said, “Then divine the outcome of the Pacifying Barbarians War.”

Zhao Xing: “...If you want me dead, just say so directly.”

Long Xiao asked, surprised, “What’s wrong? What do you mean?”

Zhao Xing pointed south, then north. “The imperial court has appointed officials, the Creation Disk, and the Earth Mirror, constantly divining heavenly secrets.”

“The Barbarian God Mountain in the south has ten Celestial Witches and the Nine Pillars of Heavenly Derivation, doing the same thing as the imperial court.”

“At this moment, the national destinies of both sides are like two millstones… no, like two long rivers full of swirling vortices, constantly turning.”

“If a small fry like me dared to divine such heavenly secrets, I’d immediately suffer a backlash and die.”

Long Xiao was startled. “Is it that exaggerated?”

It wasn't surprising that Long Xiao didn't understand; the profession of fate was far removed from their world.

“Anyway, that’s what the books say, and I wouldn’t dare try it,” Zhao Xing said. “Ask something else, like what we’ll eat tomorrow.”

“Hmph, why would I need to ask that? I’d just go to the mess hall and find out.”

Zhao Xing shrugged. Being in the Southern Barbarian battlefield, there weren't many things he could actually divine.

Although the Turtle Divination technique used spirit turtles to bear the cost, if he dared to divine the outcome of the Pacifying Barbarians War, not to mention a seventh-rank spirit turtle, even a first-rank spirit turtle couldn't withstand it.

“Alright, this is boring,” Long Xiao said, preparing to disembark.

“When you go see Old Chen, tell him to come here for a moment.”

“How did you know I was going to find him?”

Zhao Xing smiled without speaking.

Long Xiao had broken through to the sixth-rank. Given his personality, wouldn't he want to properly show off to his brothers?

He would definitely go see Old Chen, and also Yu Ziqi, his younger brother who was still at the seventh-rank. He had to show off before Yu Ziqi also broke through!

After Long Xiao left, Zhao Xing continued slaughtering turtles.

“I can’t divine major events, but minor ones are fine,”

Zhao Xing looked at the cracks on the tortoise shell.

The tortoise shell no longer only showed good or ill fortune, but also the heavenly stems and earthly branches for the specific hour.

In Zhao Xing's eyes, the tortoise shell seemed magnified, covered with hexagram positions.

“The main hexagram is Ze Shan Xian (Influence), meaning 'lake over mountain,' indicating interaction between mountain and water, and a gentleman with a humble, open mind who accepts others’ suggestions.”

This was a divination using a seventh-rank tortoise shell, inquiring about the outcome of the cooperation talks between Liao Rulong’s division and Nangong Ye’s division.

The result was that Nangong Ye would be persuaded, and the talks would soon yield results.

The Turtle Coin Divination technique was derived from the Liu Yao hexagrams, but at present, with only the tortoise shell and no special coins for fate masters, Zhao Xing wasn't sure how accurate it would be.

Seeing that the tortoise shell could still be used, Zhao Xing asked about the next phase: the situation of the six armies cooperating to attack the Soul Sacrifice Pass.

The question was vague, and it was only a local battle during the training phase, so Zhao Xing estimated it would be successful.

“Crack, crack, crack, crack!”

The cracks on the tortoise shell grew larger. A murky gray color emanated from the flames, as if encountering immense obstruction.

“Snap!”

At the last moment, the tortoise shell finally completed its hexagram manifestation, then completely shattered.

“Whoosh!”

The tortoise shell fragments scattered like blades in all directions.

Zhao Xing turned sideways, but a fragment grazed his shoulder, and a lock of his hair fell.

“Divining anything related to the Southern Barbarian battlefield, even a local battle, is incredibly difficult,” Zhao Xing mused, looking at his hand. It had been cut, and a trickle of blood seeped out.

“The lines have changed. Ze Shan Xian transformed into Shan Di Bo (Stripping Away), meaning villains gaining power, gentlemen losing influence, and dangers lurking everywhere.”

“Stopping at the opportune moment will bring great fortune.”

A flicker of thought passed through Zhao Xing’s eyes. “Does this mean that after we capture Soul Sacrifice Pass, we should cease cooperation? Who would sabotage our cooperation? The Zhaoyuan Army? The Yuanhua Army? The Phantom Shadow Army? Or the Prince Liang faction?”

There were too many possibilities, and Zhao Xing couldn't immediately grasp the outcome.

“Zhao Xing, why did you call me here?” Chen Shijie arrived on a cloud and landed on the warship.

He looked at the ground, covered in burnt tortoise shell fragments, and couldn't help but frown. “Are you really divining?”

Long Xiao had mentioned Zhao Xing divining for him, and Chen Shijie thought it was a joke. He hadn't expected it to be true.

“Just read some miscellaneous books and tried it for fun,” Zhao Xing said.

“You’re using a seventh-rank spirit turtle; this isn’t just ‘for fun’,” Chen Shijie said. “Don’t learn recklessly; the path of divination is easy to get lost in.”

“Are you worried I’ll get lost?” Zhao Xing chuckled. “Have you forgotten what I told you?”

Chen Shijie’s brows relaxed. Indeed, someone who could declare ‘My fate is mine to control, not heaven’s’ in the Flaming Mountains, Zhao Xing didn't seem like someone who would be superstitious about such things.

Since that worry was gone, Chen Shijie grew curious. “What exactly are you divining?”

Zhao Xing said, “I divined about the cooperation.”

Chen Shijie asked, “Oh? And the result?”

Zhao Xing said, “Of course, it’s been agreed upon.”

Chen Shijie raised an eyebrow. “You actually learned something useful? I just came from the deliberation hall; Nangong Ye, Qi Yuanjun, and Yi Yue have already left. They agreed to our cooperation plan.”

While Old Chen was speaking, Zhao Xing activated the Great Evolution Qi-Gazing technique.

“The center of his luck is gray and white, with only a dark red outer layer full of cracks. His luck is scattered, with red, gray, and white often intermingling, and occasionally gray and white dominating.”

“Old Chen’s luck is between first-tier and second-tier derivative luck, which is a bit strained for his sixth-rank status, far worse than Long Xiao’s,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Someone like Old Chen was someone with thin luck and a short destiny. If he hadn’t become an official of Great Zhou, he probably would have died long ago and shouldn’t have lived this long.

“Give me a little blood; I’ll divine for you,” Zhao Xing said.

Chen Shijie flicked a drop of blood from his fingertip.

Then Zhao Xing procured a new seventh-rank tortoise shell.

This time, Zhao Xing not only wanted to divine good or ill fortune, but also Old Chen’s luck for the coming year.

Because in less than two months, it would be the eighteenth year of the Jingxin Calendar.

At that time, the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven would face a calamity. He wanted to see if Old Chen would die in this calamity, and he couldn't directly divine the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven itself.

“Rise!”

The tortoise shell floated, smeared with blood, and a ring of flames enveloped it.

“Crack!”

Faint cracks appeared on the shell, gradually spreading across the entire surface.

As the calcination continued, Zhao Xing extended his five fingers, observing the heavens and earth within.

Five-Finger Heavenly Fate Technique! Activate!

Zhao Xing felt a trace of resistance.

This was because he was divining quite far into the future this time.

Chen Shijie was protected by the Great Zhou’s national destiny, which prohibited others from divining his fate.

Although his Turtle Coin Divination technique and Five-Finger Heavenly Fate could bypass this prohibition, divining too far into the future still caused him to feel this resistance.

“Bang!”

The seventh-rank tortoise shell exploded directly.

“Hmm?”

Chen Shijie immediately grabbed Zhao Xing and retreated.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The sharp tortoise shell fragments immediately cut many gashes into both their bodies.

“Are you alright?” Chen Shijie asked, frowning as he looked at Zhao Xing.

“I’m fine,” Zhao Xing said, subtly retracting his right hand into his sleeve. “I overheated it; the divination wasn’t completed.”

“It’s not a proper technique; you should practice it less,” Chen Shijie advised. The imperial court had no secret arts concerning the profession of fate, and he was worried Zhao Xing might have mistakenly learned some unorthodox methods.

“Alright, I’ll practice it less in the future,” Zhao Xing nodded.

“I’ll be leaving now; I still have military duties.”

“Mmm.”

Zhao Xing watched Chen Shijie leave, his expression turning grim.

He then pulled his hand out of his sleeve. At this moment, all five of his fingers were fractured.

“Old Chen’s calamity will likely indeed manifest in the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven,” Zhao Xing mused, resetting his finger bones. “The Jian (Obstruction) hexagram, Water over Mountain, indicates unfavorable travel north, and the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven is located north in that direction. The sacred land of the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven is either mountainous or watery. If Old Chen enters, it will be full of challenges and dangers, and his fate will be unpredictable.”

Of course, this was just one possibility, but combining it with his past life’s experiences, he felt this possibility was high.

“I still need to help Old Chen accumulate a million battle merits as soon as possible, so that he can be promoted to sixth-rank in the staged awards next year and earn a marquis title. If his luck increases, he might be able to weather this calamity.”

The path of destiny was profound and mysterious, but there were still some fundamental rules. In matters like this, Zhao Xing couldn't bear the burden for Chen Shijie.

For example, if he were to directly tell Chen Shijie, “Don’t enter the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven next March.”

In that case, if Chen Shijie truly had a calamity in his destiny, he might not die, but the calamity would fall upon Zhao Xing.

Even third-tier derivative luck might not withstand a calamity like that of the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, a calamity that could kill even fifth-rank practitioners.

To resolve it, Chen Shijie’s own luck would have to strengthen.

For the next few days, Zhao Xing remained on the warship, slaughtering turtles and practicing the four secret techniques he had recently learned.

Of these, the Five-Finger Heavenly Fate technique progressed moderately, while the Turtle Divination method within the Turtle Coin Divination technique had already reached intermediate mastery.

More than two thousand turtles were also slaughtered clean.

Further advancement was impossible, as the Coin Divination method was missing. These two methods had to be combined to evolve into an advanced technique.

The Five-Finger Heavenly Fate was also only an intermediate-level technique, stuck at seven rotations and unable to advance further. This was related to his own strength.

Conversely, the Divination and Observation technique, perhaps because it was related to his main profession and coupled with the unpredictable weather patterns in the Southern Barbarian region, Zhao Xing found it easy to practice. He reached intermediate mastery with little effort.

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was October 19th.

By now, Zhao Xing had followed the army past Fire Dragon Pass and was stationed at a place called Tonghuo City.

The current large army was a joint force of six armies.

Xia Jing’s 18,000 Black Armored Army, Liao Rulong and Wen Shaoyang’s two Divine Might Armies totaling 70,000, and Zhenhai Army’s Jiang Ming and Li Que, totaling 50,000.

The above only calculated the combat battalions of these three armies. Their logistics and supply battalions were deployed along the way, building and repairing cities, and farming, and could be called upon to become combat personnel at any time. Their combined strength remained around 100,000.

Why had the logistics battalions increased so much?

This was primarily the result of deliberations: Nangong Ye of the Phantom Shadow Army, Qi Yuanjun of the Zhaoyuan Army, and Yi Yue of the Yuanhua Army had brought 8,000, 10,000, and 15,000 troops respectively, totaling 33,000.

Almost all of these 33,000 troops were combat personnel. Logistics personnel accounted for less than a tenth of that number, even including the military farmers who also fought and the mechanical engineers who operated warships.

This meant that these three armies could not sustain their own logistics and supplies. They would have to rely on the logistics of the Divine Might, Zhenhai, and Black Armored Armies.

This was their first cooperation, so mutual reliance was essential; neither side could do without the other for the alliance to work. Otherwise, with the strength of the Zhaoyuan, Phantom Shadow, and Yuanhua Armies, once they passed Fire Dragon Pass, they wouldn't need anyone else.

This put a great deal of pressure on Zhao Xing, the ‘logistics supervisor.’

Nominally, he only led three thousand mixed battalions, but in reality, the supplies for the entire army were under his management.

There was pressure, but also motivation.

Because the military world would be watching all performances on the eastern front. If Zhao Xing could ensure the logistics for these six armies, his promotion to sixth-rank wouldn't be far off after the campaign.

“Fifty li east of Tonghuo City, there’s a volcano. To the south, there’s a river, and to the north, extensive plains. Only the west is less ideal, being a barren rocky wasteland. I plan to make Tonghuo City the largest supply city for the six armies.”

Zhao Xing stood before a sand table. “Using Tonghuo City as the central point, we will transport supplies to the armies along three routes.”

“Han Bing, you will lead agricultural battalions one to fifteen to the north for planting. Cultivate the thirty-six types of supplies on the list. This area will serve as our largest granary!”

“Yes, sir!” Han Bing responded.

“Che Shihai, you will take three hundred military farmers to the great river in the south. Use the Cloud Rain Pearl to collect rainwater, working in three shifts. You must ensure ample clouds and rain for the north.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Wang Ji, there’s no need to repair Tonghuo City’s barrier. The land is all outside, so whether the city has a barrier or not makes no difference. First, go to the great river in the south and set up the Clear Water Primordial Array to defend against attacks from insect shamans.”

“Then, you must also set up the Earth Treasury Rejuvenation Array in the north, and also construct the Earth Fire Three Extinctions Array base at the volcano to the east.”

“Especially the great river in the south, I plan to turn that into a medicinal herb base. Heartworm Grass and Blood Essence Fruit must grow by the water, and we absolutely cannot lose them!”

“My three thousand mixed battalions are all entrusted to you. You must secure the water sources and defend against the insect shamans!”

Wang Ji’s expression was solemn. “Yes, sir! If we fail, I’ll chop off my own head!”

“He Fengnian! Zhang Zhong!”

“You two will be in charge of…”

Zhao Xing rapidly issued orders. Soon, flying boats and warships took off from Tonghuo City, and various battalions began to carry out their assigned tasks under Zhao Xing’s arrangements.

As for Zhao Xing himself?

He boarded a Zhenhai Army’s Sea-Overturning Tower Ship and began inspecting the cities from Number 110 to Number 135 around Tonghuo City.

Tonghuo City was the largest supply city due to its excellent geographical conditions, but there were also many smaller cities around it.

Some had unique strategic advantages, others had water sources.

Managing the logistics and supplies for over a hundred thousand people, Zhao Xing was constantly busy, barely touching the ground.

After several consecutive days, he was utterly exhausted.

There were too many things to consider. He had to process at least ten thousand pieces of information a day!

Not only logistics matters, he also had to monitor the front lines and even the movements across the entire war zone, to avoid missing any great opportunities or encountering any major disasters!

“When I have time, I really need to go back and learn the Ego Grass Figure from Old Liu,” Zhao Xing couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m spread too thin.”

If he had an Ego Grass Figure, he could act hundreds of li away!

He would know the information from various cities immediately and wouldn't have to run around constantly.

Even if he had to move, he could at least do so with a plan.

November 4th, Soul Sacrifice Pass, eastern front, Luoya City.

The leader of Luoya City was named Morick.

He was a sixth-rank spellcaster. Morick came from a high-ranking tribe within the Sacred Spirit Royal Court. Though young, not yet a hundred years old, he was already a Soul Controller spellcaster.

Spellcasters related to male