Chapter 142 Clearing Out the Enemy
Dark clouds gathered densely, and lightning struck down suddenly like a silver giant dragon, flashing as it plummeted to strike Baili Feihong.
A giant cauldron hovered above his head, rotating slowly, and as the silver dragon lunged, it was swallowed up instantly.
A sea of fire raged to burn the heavens, only to be swallowed by an invisible force.
Baili Feihong fixed his gaze and discovered a colossal warship carrying two white-haired elders standing upon it.
One held a magic staff, while the other brandished a massive sword.
Surging power radiated from their bodies.
One stood between heaven and earth, having already merged with the laws of the universe;
The other possessed a physical body capable of tearing the void apart, each movement unleashing thunderous might.
Both were top-tier experts of the Falla Empire.
They had been stationed within the military encampment to prevent a surprise attack on the Falla Empire's navy by the Black Sky Cult.
In just a few brief exchanges of blows, all of the enemy's attacks had been completely neutralized by Baili Feihong.
"Do you intend to violate the treaty?"
Baili Feihong used his spiritual sense to project his voice, piercing through the chaotic noise of the battlefield and landing directly in the ears of the two men.
The two Archmagi, possessing strength equivalent to the early Fa-xiang realm, along with the Holy Court Knight, stared with gloomy expressions at the young man before them.
Recognizing the familiar aura, they knew this was the formidable warrior who had ambushed the Black Sky Cult during daylight, shrouding the Southeast Asian nations in blood Qi to purge the dark aura.
The young man stood suspended in the void as cannonballs whistled past him; without even needing to employ his bizarre devouring power, he could simply ignore these attacks.
Tiangang Divine Ability: Standing Without Shadow.
This technique conceals one's form, moving through the sun and moon without casting a shadow, and because one hides within the void without a physical entity, all attacks are rendered ineffective.
This defensive divine ability belonged to the spatial category, possessing wondrous and miraculous properties.
Rockets, magic, and cannonballs passed right through him without inflicting any harm upon Baili Feihong.
"Your Excellency, it seems you were the one who initiated hostilities on this land first?"
The mage holding the staff locked his mental fluctuations onto Baili Feihong, triggering the laws of heaven and earth to seal off the vital energy surrounding him.
He severed Baili Feihong's ability to draw power from the universe.
The Domain of Law descended.
Experiencing a mage's domain for the first time, it proved slightly more powerful than that of the Black Fiend Arch-Prelate.
This was the advantage of the Falla Empire's magic cultivation system; it held greater superiority in channeling the power of heaven and earth compared to martial arts.
"Old age makes your glib tongue quite adept at inverting right and wrong. Cut the nonsense; if you wish to fight, I shall naturally accompany you. However, a word of advice: breaking the treaty will bring you no benefit whatsoever."
Baili Feihong surveyed the battlefield. The Falla Empire, allied with the navies of various nations, indeed held a numerical advantage over the Southern Suppression Fleet.
Yet, after a baptism of dragon-fire cannonballs, the Falla allied forces had already suffered heavy damage.
"Lord Finch, waste no more words with him. I will entangle this martial artist, and you must act swiftly to dismantle the enemy's naval forces for the empire's victory."
The other white-haired elder was a Holy Knight of the Falla Empire's Holy Court.
As a Holy Knight, he had traversed a hundred nations and had yet to encounter an adversary.
Divine power surged within him as a four-winged angel manifested behind his back, illuminating the sky with a sacred radiance whose falling light healed the wounded of the allied forces and instantly boosted their flagging morale.
The amplification halo of the Holy Court's Holy Knight was truly formidable.
Indeed formidable if deployed on land.
However, before both sides had closed in for engagement, the battle was primarily dominated by firepower and weaponry.
Yet the enemy's actions had violated the agreed-upon treaty: warriors above the third realm were forbidden from participating in mortal dynastic struggles.
Although this treaty held little binding force, it provided Baili Feihong with a pretext to make his move.
"I gave you a chance, but you failed to cherish it—a pack of fools ignorant of death."
His smile gradually faded, replaced by an expression of utter indifference as blood Qi surged like a tidal wave, instantly tearing apart Archmage Finch's domain.
The blood Qi rose, permeating every inch of space.
The soldiers below felt as though a powerful compressive force existed within the atmosphere, making even breathing difficult.
This was even with Baili Feihong withholding any killing intent, keeping the true nature of his blood Qi unreleased; otherwise, the crowd enveloped by the blood Qi would have been instantly burned to ashes.
The sacred radiance retreated step by step under the pressure of the blood Qi.
The thunderclouds in the sky grew increasingly dense, filled with purple-black lightning crackling with destructive energy.
This Archmage specialized primarily in the power of thunder.
Baili Feihong calculated that relying purely on his physical body to withstand the heavenly lightning would still result in injury.
Yet the Myriad Things Return to Origin Cauldron could plunder energy and transform the lightning into his own power, recharging himself.
Before the battle between the three powerhouses had even truly begun, it had already triggered massive anomalies in the celestial phenomena.
The morale of the soldiers on both sides remained unaffected.
The amplification of the sacred radiance provided a massive boost to the soldiers of the Falla allied navy, prompting them to steer their warships toward the Southern Suppression Fleet.
The commander directing this naval force understood that only through close-quarters combat could they prevent the enemy powerhouses from slaughtering their soldiers.
Clearly, at this stage of the war, both sides had sustained losses.
And the Southern Suppression Fleet led by Yan Fei held a greater advantage.
However, the secret weapon—the dragon-fire cannonballs—had been completely expended in a single salvo, and in narrow-strait artillery duels, the enemy's weaponry was superior.
The primary strategic objective of consuming the enemy's living forces had been achieved.
Next naturally came hand-to-hand combat.
Martial arts are invincible in close combat.
That was no joke.
Among cultivators of equivalent realms, the cultivation system of the Central Plains was the most powerful in this world.
The massive warships began closing in on one another.
"Holy Lord, grant me boundless divine grace."
The four-winged angel behind the Holy Knight possessed his body, and his power began to skyrocket.
Simultaneously, sacred armor draped over him, making him appear like a deity descended into the mortal world beneath the night sky. Light illuminated the realm, bestowing divine grace upon every Falla warrior and clothing them in sacred battle armor, their morale soaring.
Fighting for the god, fearless and undaunted.
"Divine Ability: Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers!"
Baili Feihong's eyes were like lightning, and a world manifested behind him, wherein countless heroic spirits of the Great Yuan seemed to be resurrected, their wills empowering the soldiers of the Great Yuan Empire.
Heroic spirits possessed them, augmented by national power.
The soldiers of the Southern Suppression Fleet burned with fighting spirit, a surge of righteous, unyielding power erupting from them as they instantly became immensely valorous.
The ninth tier of divine abilities—how terrifying was Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers?
Combined with the eighteen blood refining cycles, it slew gods upon meeting them and slaughtered ghosts upon encountering them.
Facing Baili Feihong, the two Falla Empire experts of the early Fa-xiang realm found the blood in their bodies boiling, accompanied by a powerful repulsive force that cast them out beyond heaven and earth. The vital energy of the universe was sealed, placing them inside a furnace.
"Six Paths Ultimatum, Fist Ultimatum!"
A single fist.
Aimed straight at the Holy Knight clad in sacred angel armor.
In a fraction of a second of brilliance, the youth clad in white python robes became the sole focus of heaven and earth.
A million miles of mountains and rivers manifested behind him, pressing down in suppression toward the target.
Let alone a four-winged angel, even if their god appeared before him, he would cause that god to fall.
Boom~~~
A single punch!
Shattering the void!
The terrifying divine ability directly purified the pristine Holy Knight as if he were a fiend.
Unstoppable!
In that instant, the Holy Knight seemed to catch a glimpse of a Saint's might within this young man.
A million miles of mountains and rivers grasped within a single fist; with the power of one strike, he suppressed and pulverized his foe.
Baili Feihong panted; executing Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers at full power consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
Even with a foundation like his, a sense of exhaustion welled up in his heart after unleashing it.
Archmage Finch had already evaded.
The martial will had not locked onto him.
Yet, facing this terrifying power, he still felt a shiver of dread.
"Semi-Saint?"
Gritting his teeth, he forced the two words out.
He had witnessed Semi-Saints before, yet none were as terrifying as this youth before him.
The Holy Knight clad in sacred angel armor had been unable to endure even a single move from this demon-suppressing officer, directly beaten to death by a single punch.
With no chance of ever resurrecting.
Chanting a curse beneath his breath, lightning flashed, and in a single thought, he teleported away from the battlefield, disappearing without a trace.
Baili Feihong ignored him.
The ninth-tier divine ability Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers was indeed formidable.
Yet a single punch had consumed a third of his blood Qi.
This divine ability was currently his ultimate trump card.
Even supreme divine abilities and ultimate techniques could not compare.
After all, those techniques had only been cultivated to the third tier.
Moreover, Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers could borrow national fortune, and even human ethnic fortune, to amplify one's own power.
It was truly deserving of being the premier divine ability of blood refiners.
Cultivating this divine ability to the ninth tier had also allowed him to touch upon a trace of the true mysteries of the human bloodline.
Enormous secrets were contained within the pure human bloodline.
A power capable of filling gods and demons with dread.
It was humanity's ultimate weapon to conquer demonic gods!
Floating high above, Baili Feihong launched no further attacks.
Instead, he began to cultivate. Starlight rained down from the heavens, moonlight showered upon his body, and the vital energy of the universe was plundered by him as he commenced recovering his power.
The benefits of opening the apertures of the Zhoutian manifested at this moment, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth at an extraordinary speed. Half an hour later, his power had been fully restored.
The war was also drawing to a close.
The moment he killed the Holy Knight, he had crushed the will and morale of the Falla allied navy.
The Falla navy proved exceedingly cunning, using the allied forces to stall the Southern Suppression Fleet while quietly retreating.
Even though only a third of the navy retreated, they had preserved the strength of the Falla naval forces.
Yet, after this battle, attempting to seize the Devil's Strait again would be utterly impossible without a decade of recuperation.
Baili Feihong did not remain with the Southern Suppression Fleet to savor the fruits of victory.
For him, the mission had already been accomplished.
From then on, the Southern Suppression Fleet would direct all its energy toward this land.
And Feiyuan Island would become the rear base of the Devil's Strait.
"Master, we have won."
Shangguan Zhen said excitedly.
As a resident of Feiyuan Island, he was well aware of the Devil's Strait's importance to the island.
"Yes, we have won for the time being. Next, the Ministry of War will dispatch personnel, and the Demon Suppression Division may also send personnel to establish a new Demon Suppression Division here in the Devil's Strait."
"Let's go, return to Feiyuan Island."
The Black Dragon warship began to turn around.
Glancing at his increased skill points, which had risen by over four million and were just shy of six million, he noted that even when others made kills, if he was nearby, he could acquire a tenth of the drop.
He grew even more certain that his golden finger was not some book of skills, but a book of slaughter.
Only through slaughter could one grow ever more powerful.
Whether through his own kills or the slaughter of others.
During the long night, many people were destined to lie awake.
Baili Feihong pondered the path of his future life.
Dongbin City was a place he must eventually return to.
"Upon returning to the island, I shall first study alchemy with Tefala."
Fighting and killing grew dreadfully monotonous.
Studying brought happiness.
Baili Feihong eagerly anticipated whether learning alchemy would enable him to create the world within his mind.
Scarcely had Baili Feihong departed the Devil's Strait when a spirit eagle from the Southern Suppression Fleet flew straight toward the imperial capital.
The recovery of the Devil's Strait was unquestionably a major event.
Yan Fei understood that whether he could forge a golden body depended entirely upon this instance.
Even if the crown prince lost the succession struggle and the new emperor wished to have him killed, he would still have to account for the will of the populace.
Meanwhile, inside Feiyuan Island.
Spies from various noble families were keeping a close eye on the Demon Suppression Division.
The Suppression Commander had led the Southern Suppression Fleet into battle; if they successfully took the Devil's Strait, the investments of many among them would pay off.
They would no longer need to worry about their assets on Feiyuan Island being affected, forcing them to retreat back into the borders of the Great Yuan.
The heads of many factions had already retreated into Great Yuan territory, yet their attention toward Feiyuan Island had not relaxed.
They had merely gone back to Great Yuan territory to seek refuge; if the frontline situation proved exceptionally favorable, they would also return to Feiyuan Island.
Doing business within the borders of the Great Yuan involved dealing with excessively complicated relationships, and their profits would be heavily exploited.
Accustomed to conducting overseas commerce unrestrained, all the money they earned went straight into their own pockets.
Although a portion was given as tribute to the Southern Suppression Fleet and the prefectural government on Feiyuan Island, the commercial environment was comparatively relaxed.
Late at night.
A large crowd still gathered around the Demon Suppression Tower, making no attempt to conceal their actions this time.
The Demon Suppression Tower was brightly lit, with everyone quietly awaiting news from the front.
The only thing still operating was the corpse-cremation furnace.
The corpses of Yuan-胎 realm and Divine Ability realm cultivators proved exceedingly difficult to burn.
Qin Tiesheng stood atop the roof, surrounded by a large gathering of people, gazing out toward the ocean.
Although they knew a battle could not conclude so quickly, they still gazed into the pitch-black sea with anticipation in their hearts.
Naturally, they were also remaining vigilant against threats from the sea.
Feiyuan Island's interior was currently devoid of strong defenders; once enemies struck, barring the reactivation of the divine ability golden figurine, it would be difficult for them to resist with their own strength.
The Black Sky Cult, the Falla Empire, and even the Sakura Nation thousands of miles away warranted vigilance.
Even more vigilance was required toward pirates roaming the seas who might catch wind of the situation and engage in opportunistic looting.
Tefala carried a wine bottle, slowly climbing the stairs to the rooftop.
His appearance surprised the crowd immensely.
Tefala took a swig of wine and said with helpless resignation: "Though I hail from the Falla Empire, my family all died at the hands of the Holy Court, and I am a wanted criminal of the Falla Empire to boot. If the Falla Empire wins, I shall have to resume my life on the run."
"Mr. Tefala, please rest assured, Lord Suppression Commander will definitely win."
Qin Tiesheng said with absolute confidence.
Whenever this genius pulled off some earth-shaking feat, nothing he did felt surprising anymore.
"I know the lord will definitely win, which is why I am drinking alone and catching the breeze up on the roof."
Tefala said with melancholy.
The Falla Empire remained his motherland, after all.
The others said nothing further.
Tefala's honesty caused them to drop their guard.
Within the Demon Suppression Division, Tefala held a very peculiar status.
He did not integrate into the collective, remaining solitary and independent, yet the alchemical items he manufactured had helped many demon-suppression officers within the division deal with newly spawned demons and ghosts.
Furthermore, his unique alchemical techniques, distinct from the Great Yuan system, interested many officers from the Feiyuan Academy who wished to learn his craft.
Yet alchemical knowledge was exceptionally unique; even when Tefala explained alchemy to them, they lacked the basic concepts for many of those ideas.
By comparison, practicing martial arts was far simpler.
After all, martial arts constituted a unique heritage built upon Central Plains culture, having already integrated into daily principles and logic. Cultivating them presented no conceptual barriers.
"There is movement on the sea."
Yang Chengfei held a telescope, gazing at the pitch-black horizon.
A single spark gradually grew larger.
Moving at a rapid pace.
"It's the Black Dragon warship!"
The hearts of the crowd tightened slightly.
The Black Dragon warship belonged to the Black Sky Cult, and until its identity was confirmed, they naturally remained wary of a potential attack by the cult.
"They're flying our Dragon-Python banner!"
Yang Chengfei exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"Lord Suppression Commander has returned."
Someone couldn't help shouting aloud.
Their voice carried a long distance in the wind.
"The Suppression Commander has returned?"
"Has Lord Baili returned?"
"Have we won?"
"Quick, look at the sea!"
The crowd gathered around the Demon Suppression Tower surged toward the coastline, pulling out pre-prepared telescopes to observe.
Qin Tiesheng wore a joyful expression, his heavy heart finally relaxing.
"Launch the rune illumination lamps to welcome Lord Suppression Commander's victorious return."
Qin Tiesheng shouted loudly.
The officers on the rooftop pulled out black artillery tubes and fired them toward the sky.
Streaks of light surged upward, exploding in the sky to form clusters of rune illumination lamps that lit up the sky above the Demon Suppression Tower.
Simultaneously, the crowds gathered along the shore also released rune illumination lamps.
Lamp shades ascending with glowing runes illuminated the lights of the entire eastern coastline.
The residents along the coast of Zhennan City welcomed the Suppression Commander's return in this manner.
It was also a celebration.
Hearing the commotion in Zhennan City, the residents of Baili City and Yongsheng City were not to be outdone and began launching rune illumination lamps as well.
Expensive rune illumination lamps, normally reserved for maritime emergency rescue operations, were treated like fireworks and fired into the sky.
Standing on the bow deck of the Black Dragon warship, Baili Feihong clearly saw that a hundred miles away, the lights of ten thousand homes had been lit up above Feiyuan Island.
A wave of emotion welled up in his heart.
When he first came to Feiyuan Island, he had acted with overbearing force.
Even the common folk had not accepted him at the start.
Yet now, as the people welcomed and celebrated his return in this manner, he suddenly felt that as a Suppression Commander, he had fulfilled his duty and earned the recognition of the populace.
"The lights of ten thousand homes—Master, right now the entire Feiyuan Island is celebrating your victory."
Shangguan Zhen spoke with reflected glory, puffing out his chest with a brilliant smile.
The accompanying demon-suppression officers also stood excitedly on the deck, gazing toward Feiyuan Island.
This was the place they protected.
This was the populace they guarded.
Even though they had not done much themselves, their hearts were filled with pride and emotion.
"Remember, these are the people we must protect from now on."
Baili Feihong suddenly spoke.
The Black Dragon warship abruptly accelerated, truly acting like a black dragon upon the sea as it cleaved through the waves and arrived at the port docks beneath the Demon Suppression Tower in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the entire personnel of the Demon Suppression Division stood in formation along the docks, awaiting their arrival.
Baili Feihong stood sternly on the ship, not stepping ashore immediately.
A massive crowd surged along the shore, watching him with bright, excited eyes.
"Congratulations to our Southern Suppression Fleet for achieving another sweeping victory and securing the Devil's Strait."
Baili Feihong's stern expression gradually blossomed into a smile.
He leaped forward, bounding up the steps of the dock.
The demon-suppression officers and soldiers of the Southern Suppression Fleet following behind him disembarked as well.
"Welcome Lord Baili back in victory!"
Qin Tiesheng shouted, dropping to one knee.
"Welcome Lord Baili back in victory."
The populace along the shore shouted, kneeling to the ground with profound gratitude.
The dark clouds hanging over Feiyuan Island had finally dispersed.
They no longer needed to live in fear.
From this day onward, these waters belonged entirely to the domain of the Great Yuan people.
Never had they felt such immense pride in being citizens of the Great Yuan as they did at this moment.
The roaring cheers rolled in wave after wave, spreading from the Demon Suppression Tower across the entire island.
A victorious return, desired by the hearts of the people.
Baili Feihong did not stop them; he could feel the spirituality within him growing richer.
His mind grew purer.
This was the empowerment of the collective will of the myriad people.
Even the divine ability Blood Suppressing Mountains and Rivers underwent certain special transformations.
"Qin Tiesheng, pass down the word and disperse the crowd."
Standing for a long while, Baili Feihong looked at Qin Tiesheng and spoke.
Then, he walked straight into the Demon Suppression Tower.
The crowd quickly rose to their feet, following the commander into the building.
Tefala quietly returned to the second basement level of the Demon Suppression Tower.
He now lived permanently within the Demon Suppression Division.
Once persecuted by the Holy Court, causing his family to be destroyed, he had manufactured a decoy using alchemy to fake his death and escape.
Following that, he began a long career on the run.
Displaced and drifting, wandering a hundred nations while evading the pursuit of the Holy Knights.
Finally, having consumed an invisibility potion, he hid in the cargo hold of a merchant ship and reached Feiyuan Island, completely escaping the sphere of influence of the Falla Empire.
He loved his homeland dearly and longed to return for a glance.
Yet he hated the Holy Court, and hated the Falla royal family even more.
Upon hearing that the Falla Empire had suffered defeat, he felt no sense of joy whatsoever.
This military defeat would not bring any loss to the royal family.
The ill consequences resulting from the military failure would be stacked layer upon layer and extracted from the populace.
The ones who suffered were still the common folk.
Such was the scourge of war.
After Tefala arrived on Feiyuan Island, the Southern Suppression Fleet had invited him to join, but he chose not to.
Later, when Qin Tiesheng invited him, he agreed.
Because the duty of the Demon Suppression Division was to slay demons and eliminate ghosts.
The scourge of demons and ghosts was like a vampire latched onto humanity and had to be purged.
Otherwise, its peril surpassed even the imperial court's exploitation of the people.
Exploitation merely made the common folk live hard lives, but demons and ghosts ate people and devoured souls.
If left unchecked, the scourge of demons and ghosts would spread like a virus, continually eroding humanity's living space until humanity faced ultimate extinction.
He had long since heard of the renowned Demon Suppression Division, so when Qin Tiesheng invited him to work there, he readily agreed.
The study of alchemy consumed vast quantities of materials, many of which could not be bought even with money.
Yet within the Demon Suppression Division, they could be acquired at will.
It was an organization independent of both political power and wealth.
It was his ideal utopia of peace and contentment.
"Mr. Tefala, it seems your mood is quite poor?"
Baili Feihong's words startled Tefala.
"My lord, I simply loathe witnessing the occurrence of war."
Tefala collected his thoughts, making no effort to conceal his distress.
"I too wish for peace in this world, but clearly that is a naive notion. Whether it is religion or demons and ghosts, none wish to see people living in peace and contentment. As for ambitious politicians, they are merely the group posing the least harm. Compared to the demonic gods behind religion and the demons and ghosts born from the foul energy that merged with heaven and earth after the gods perished, conflicts within human society stir up no great waves when faced with external enemies."
Baili Feihong's words served, in truth, to comfort Tefala.
If humanity began playing the fool among themselves, they could destroy themselves.
If true unity of all people had existed, the demonic gods and the spawned demons and ghosts—which had already been manifested and eradicated by humanity—would not have threatened and shaken humanity's very foundation.
To undermine humanity, one had to start from within humanity itself, driving mankind into a desperate plight where they were reduced to mere livestock for the demonic gods.
In this campaign to cleanse the lingering hazards left behind by the Black Sky Demonic God on the South Asian continent, Baili Feihong had contacted certain mystical tiers of power, realizing that demonic gods might not ultimately seek to destroy humanity.
Rather, they sought to seize everything from humanity and domesticate them.
Acquiring faith was, in truth, acquiring humanity's own mental and willpower, turning all of this into nourishment for them to ascend to higher realms.
Even human flesh and blood served as fodder to fill their stomachs, while souls were their appetizers.
Human infighting had not yet reached the stage of self-destruction.
Yet with external enemies circling, if left unheeded, living in the future would prove far more tragic than dying.
"My lord, the demonic gods have already been eradicated."
Tefala reminded him softly.
"Is that so? What, then, is the deity behind the Holy Court?"
Baili Feihong simply countered with a question.
Tefala fell silent.
"However, these are merely my speculations; you need not take them too much to heart. Once the war in the Devil's Strait concludes, this region will usher in a stable peace within a decade."
Baili Feihong said with a smile.
Tefala offered no response, choosing silence.
"Mr. Tefala, what must I pay to learn your alchemy?"
Baili Feihong suddenly asked.
"My lord, if you are willing to learn, I shall certainly impart everything without reservation. As for the price, the lord has already paid it."
In the eyes of alchemists, knowledge had a price.
Yet Tefala knew he was indebted to the Suppression Commander before him; if the other party wished to study his meager knowledge, he would never withhold it.
Alchemy was merely a niche path.
Compared to martial arts, alchemy was viewed by many as something heterodox and unorthodox.
"You teach me alchemy, and I promise you: you may remain in the Demon Suppression Division for as long as you wish."
Baili Feihong gave Tefala his word.
This man was internally fearful, highly vigilant of the outside world, and constantly harboring the desire to flee.
His lack of inner peace stemmed entirely from his experiences.
"From now on, you can steadily remain within the Feiyuan Island Demon Suppression Division, exploring the mysteries of heaven and earth, pursuing the true meaning of alchemy, and finding your own truth."
The utterance of the two words "the truth" caused Tefala's eyes to blaze with brilliant light.
Indeed, wasn't it precisely these two words that sustained his survival?
The Suppression Commander before him did not understand alchemy, yet he understood its ultimate purpose.
Perhaps by practicing alchemy, he really could find the legendary truth.
And parse everything in the world.
Tefala walked over to the cabinet and retrieved a heavy iron chest.
"The manuscripts inside were passed down by my teacher, and also contain my own research on alchemy over the years. If the lord wishes to learn alchemy, finish reading these books first, and then I will teach the lord how to conduct experiments."
Hearing Tefala's words, Baili Feihong broke into a smile.
These books were quite sufficient.
"Very well, I shall take this chest of books and return them after reading."
Baili Feihong did not stand on ceremony, waving his hand to collect the iron chest using the Pot-Heaven divine ability.
Tefala appeared quite interested in Baili Feihong's divine ability.
Yet after a moment of thought, he did not voice his curiosity.
It was marvelous beyond measure.
With a wave of the hand, items were transferred into a certain space.
If one could research this and formulate an alchemical equivalent, perhaps they could mass-produce the lord's divine ability.
Yet involving divine abilities, Tefala understood that such an important heritage must be extremely precious.
Baili Feihong turned and left.
His objective had already been attained.
In truth, his divine abilities were gradually entering the realm of mastery.
As long as he grasped the principles of alchemy and comprehended its foundations, he could use his divine abilities as aid to instantly elevate his alchemy beyond Tefala's level.
There was an even swifter method: continuously allocating skill points to push alchemy to its ultimate limit.
In the days that followed.
While the outside world remained chaotic, the Demon Suppression Division enjoyed an unusual peace.
New demons and ghosts were born on Feiyuan Island, but they remained weak. With Baili Feihong's capabilities, a single thought and a leakage of his blood Qi left those demons with no room for survival.
Yet he restrained himself.
He let the demon-suppression officers of the division handle them.
Officers who had not undergone the baptism of battling demons were unqualified.
In the future, if he departed and these demon-suppression seeds had not matured, how would they cope if a demonic calamity struck?
That would harm them instead.
Baili Feihong became absorbed in the study of alchemy. He read very slowly, applying his own thought processes to progress from shallow to deep, continuously deducing the alchemy recorded in the books while aligning with the mindset of alchemists, seemingly contemplating what alchemy truly was.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over a hundred manuscripts recording alchemy had all been thoroughly researched and completed by him.
He glanced at the skill book.
Alchemy: LV5 (8000/500,000)
This was a branch of learning.
Rather than a pure skill.
Yet the skill book had still recorded it.
Only the leveling expression differed from the others.
"My current alchemical knowledge seems even higher than Tefala's."
Such were the benefits of a powerful soul and a powerful mind.
Studying any knowledge became simple; once the basics were understood, one could innovate and explore the secrets of higher tiers.
Alchemy was a branch of learning exploring the supreme principles of heaven and earth, while martial arts were likewise a cultivation path of comprehending the universe and refining oneself.
The two seemed dissimilar, yet shared common roots.
Comprehending the supreme principles of heaven and earth and utilizing methods to manifest them.
At this time, numerous cargo ships docked at the port; after resting briefly, they set off once more for the Devil's Strait.
However, the people disembarking from the ships did not rush to the Devil's Strait.
Instead, they headed to a high-end restaurant in the city.
"Young Master."
An old man said respectfully.
Behind him followed a middle-aged man with a straight spine.
"This is General Wang Qianqiu from the Ministry of War."
The person standing before the old man was a refined young master—none other than Gongyang Yu.
Gongyu was also standing by his side at this moment.
The old man's gaze fell upon him.
Judging by their eyes, the two did not get along.
"Wang Qianqiu from the Ministry of War's Confidentiality Bureau pays his respects to Young Master Yu."
Wang Qianqiu bowed respectfully.
"What are your impressions all the way here?"
Gongyang Yu drank his wine and inquired.
"The people live in peace and contentment, full of joy and cheer. It appears the Southern Suppression Fleet has managed this place well. General Wang has come this time as a key official of the Ministry of War's Confidentiality Bureau precisely to verify the authenticity of the Southern Suppression Fleet's report of victory."
"Managed well? The Southern Suppression Fleet? Hmph."
Gongyang Yu snorted coldly: "You two failed to restrain your auras when coming to see this young master, exposing my identity. Consequently, every word we speak is under the surveillance of the Suppression Commander."
"The local Suppression Commander is truly extraordinarily bold."
The old man said angrily.
"Extraordinarily bold? It seems the Ministry of War is so busy with major affairs that it has forgotten to gather even the most basic intelligence. I solemnly introduce him to you: the local Suppression Commander is none other than Baili Feihong, ranked first on the Hidden Dragon Roll."
Gongyang Yu could have made his move earlier, but after landing on the island, Baili Feihong had remained constantly within the Demon Suppression Tower, giving him no opportunity whatsoever.
As a member of the Gongyang family, he understood the gravity of attacking the Demon Suppression Tower.
The Demon Suppression Division would certainly not let him off.
The nature of that differed from assassinating a Suppression Commander.
Hence, he had found no opportunity.
Instead, after making some inquiries, he was left utterly shocked.
Clearly, the Southern Suppression Fleet's capture of the Devil's Strait relied entirely on Baili Feihong's actions.
He had resisted the invasion of the Black Sky Cult, raided its lair, and driven the cult out of the Devil's Strait.
Furthermore, in the battle against the Falla allied navy, he had slain a Temple Knight and repelled an Archmage of the Fa-xiang realm.
This hidden dragon had already transformed into a true dragon.
He had spent half a month lurking on Feiyuan Island, constantly searching for an opportunity.
Now, as it turned out, the arrival of these two men had exposed his tracks.