Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 214 Encountering the Spiritual Being Again

The people of Yilong City, with their families, young and old, slowly moved south.

Yu Xiucai and Zhao Tieshan led three thousand soldiers on both sides of the column, while sword-wielding mantises circled in the air as a watchful eye.

The black-horned cattle led the herd at the very back, carrying a small amount of food and supplies.

Zhu Ge stood atop the city wall, watching the entire group disappear into the morning mist.

"Master, when do we set off?" Liu Jianjian squatted on the city wall, wary of the strange dragon in the distance.

"That's about enough, let's go now." Zhu Ge flipped off the city wall: "Let's head to Fenshui City."

Fenshui City is located about 300 li northwest of Yilong City.

"The Mighty Monkey used to live near Fenshui City," Liu Jianjian said. "It said that the city lord of Fenshui City had made an agreement with it to keep to itself, but later the Plague God Sparrow ordered an attack on the city, and it had no choice but to go."

"Now that we've subdued it, we don't know what's going on in Fenshui City."

"Let's go and see how it goes," Zhu Ge nodded.

With the mighty Monkey King as an inside man, recapturing Fenshui City will not be difficult.

Zhu Ge was thinking about how Liu Jianjian could collect more monsters.

And the training of his soldiers.

Of course, he didn't neglect his own cultivation either.

During breaks from marching, Zhu Ge would practice the water-based cultivation of the "Great Sun Lapis Lazuli Body" in a wooden tub.

Each time it lasts no more than twenty seconds.

After each cultivation session, Hua Liusha would apply medicine to him.

However, as he cultivated, his physical abilities also became stronger.

Zhu Ge only stopped body tempering when Fenshui City came into view in the distance.

"What a beautiful view."

The city of Fenshuicheng was built at the confluence of two rivers, hence its name.

The city wall is not high, but it is very thick. It is made of bluestone from the bottom of the river. Over the years, it has been washed by the water and its surface is as smooth as a mirror.

But at this moment, there was no one on the city wall.

The city gates were wide open, and inside was deathly silent.

"Something's not right." Zhu Ge frowned. "It's too quiet."

He signaled to the people in the mechanical passage to release several scout puppets to fly into the city and investigate.

A moment later, the scout puppet reported back that no one was in the city.

"Nobody here?" Zhu Ge's heart skipped a beat. "Has everyone in the city disappeared?"

"The puppets detected no signs of life." Liu Jianjian's expression changed as well: "Master, could it be—"

"Let's go into town and take a look."

Zhu Ge took the lead and charged into the city.

Fenshuicheng was smaller than he had imagined, with narrow streets and low houses.

But every room was empty, without furniture, clothing, or food; even the pots and pans had been taken away.

"It wasn't a massacre." Zhu Ge squatted down and touched the stove with her fingers. "The stove is cold, but it's very clean. The ashes have all been swept away, so someone evacuated in a planned manner."

"But where can they retreat to?" Liu Jianjian asked, puzzled. "The surrounding area is all demonic beast territory. Where can they go?"

Zhu Ge pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"Mighty Monkey said that the city lord of Fenshui City is a smart man. It made an agreement with the city lord to keep to itself, but it had to obey the orders of the Plague God Sparrow."

"Perhaps—the city lord sensed something beforehand and led the people to relocate." Zhu Ge frowned: "In the wilderness?"

Liu Jianjian was also curious: "But where can we move to? The nearest city is Yilong City, but Yilong City is about to fall."

"Could it be Mengzi City?" Hua Liusha also asked.

"There's a possibility that Yilong City won't be able to hold out, but Mengzi City will." Zhu Ge nodded. "If the city lord of Fenshui City is smart enough, he should lead the people to move towards Mengzi City."

"That mighty monkey is very clever; it might even escort you all the way there."

"Then we missed out?" Liu Jianjian asked in surprise.

"It's alright if we miss it." Zhu Ge shook his head: "Can you sense the location of the Mighty Monkey?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jianjian closed her eyes, a strand of hair on her head fluttering up. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and shook her head.

7

It's very far.

"Then let's just leave it at that." Zhu Ge smiled. "I reckon it really was the Mighty Monkey escorting them."

Liu Jianjian nodded, pulling back the stray strand of hair that had been floating by. "So, where do we go now?"

"Green Spring City." Zhu Ge took out a map and pointed to a city in the south: "The thirteen cities of Red River Prefecture, including Yuanyang, Jianshui..."

Mengzi, Laoying, Yilong, Fenshui, and Lüchun are the last seven cities still in human hands.

"We have already helped the first six directly or indirectly, and only Lüchun is left."

"Green Spring City is to the south, and you have to cross a large swamp called Misty Swamp." Liu Jianjian looked at the map, her eyes shining. "It's said that several third-realm demonic beasts are hiding there, so it's not easy to travel."

"You've become addicted to collecting from the three realms, haven't you?" Zhu Ge glanced at her. "Lvchun City is the last city in the south of Honghe Prefecture that hasn't fallen yet. If it can't be defended, the demonic beasts in the south can easily advance and threaten Mengzi City and Jianshui City."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Liu Jianjian jumped up, very excited.

The team regrouped.

"Master, there are fewer people, but more demonic beasts." Liu Jianjian patted her hair: "I can release tens of thousands of demonic beasts at any time now, enough to give those three realms a hard time."

"Don't underestimate the enemy." Zhu Ge mounted his horse. "The Misty Swamp is not like the Strange Dragon Swamp. The monsters inside have been entrenched for many years, and the terrain is complex. If you can go around it, go around it; if you can't, then fight."

"Okay!" Liu Jianjian readily agreed.

So they continued marching until the Misty Marsh came into view.

This swamp was several times larger than the Yilong Marsh, and the surface of the water was covered with a milky white mist that was so thick it was impossible to dissipate.

A low growl occasionally came from within the mist, but it was impossible to tell what kind of monster it was.

Zhu Ge stopped the group at the edge of the swamp.

The further south you go, the more marshes you'll find.

Not only are there many monsters, but there are also many snakes, insects, rats, and ants.

Especially those poisonous insects, which are very annoying.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go scout ahead." Zhu Ge used the Incense-Lighting Movement Technique to land silently.

He then rushed straight inside.

After walking for about half an hour, the fog ahead suddenly dissipated, revealing a wide expanse of water.

Dozens of enormous lotus flowers floated on the water, their petals a deep purple, and their stamens emitting a faint glow.

"A spiritual object!" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow. "At least a high-grade spiritual item!"

He didn't rush forward, but carefully observed his surroundings.

The water was eerily calm, without a single ripple. Not even aquatic plants grew around the lotus flowers.

Zhu Ge glanced at it and decided to turn and leave.

Although the spirit items are important, it's not too late to collect them here after we've taken over Green Spring City.

So he continued to explore the route, and surprisingly, he did not encounter any danger along the way.

There are only some first-realm demonic beasts, and very few second-realm ones.

The three realms didn't sense anything at all.

Zhu Ge then returned to the team.

"Let's go! We don't know where the Mighty Monkey is, let's go to Green Spring City."