Chapter 602: Chapter 601 Joke Went Too Far
In three days, many from the Military Department arrived in the valley. They took positions inside and outside Yunwu Mountain. Without Qin Yanyang’s instructions, they turned the surroundings of Yunwu Mountain into a secret research base, setting up numerous covert and overt guard posts.
As the laboratory’s location was unknown, the Military Department’s personnel did not immediately start construction but waited for both Qin Yanyang and Yang Fei to emerge from seclusion.
While Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang were in dual cultivation seclusion, Hu Lizhong also locked himself in a room to attempt a breakthrough to the Innate Realm.
Hu Lizhong had a premonition that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
When an overwhelming and fierce aura soared into the sky, Hu Lizhong, who was cultivating in the room, suddenly felt immense pressure.
He felt a shiver in his bones, as well as an urgency one might feel when facing a supremely powerful being.
If he himself could be a bit more formidable, perhaps this dreadful aura wouldn’t have overpowered him.
Under the immense pressure, Hu Lizhong felt driven and spurred forward, finally stepping through the door to the Innate Realm, successfully making his breakthrough.
Thus, while the people in Yunwu Mountain Valley were still shocked by the powerful aura that had burst forth, another aura of a newly advanced Innate Realm followed.
Unfortunately, in the shadow of Yang Fei’s Foundation Establishment Stage presence, the aura of Hu Lizhong’s fresh Innate breakthrough was minuscule and went unnoticed.
This was supposed to be an opportunity for "showing off before others," but it was completely overshadowed by Yang Fei’s advancement to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
In the room, both Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang opened their eyes at the same time.
Qin Yanyang was overjoyed, "You made a breakthrough?"
"Heh, it seems so."
After uttering a single phrase, they both had a hunch and turned their heads to look in one direction.
Yang Fei smiled and said, "Old Hu finally made it through, truly not easy. He’s been at it for over ten days, even in a Cave Heaven Blessed Land like Yunwu Mountain, his talent is really something."
Previously, Yang Fei had mentioned helping Hu Lizhong improve his strength while patrolling the woods with Qin Yanyang, so she wasn’t surprised at Hu Lizhong’s breakthrough.
"Regardless, today is a day of double happiness for our Military Department," Qin Yanyang happily said.
Yang Fei laughed heartily, "That’s right, double the joy."
Sensing that some important figures from the Military Department were drawn out by Yang Fei’s Foundation Establishment pomp and were waiting outside, Qin Yanyang said, "Let’s go out and have a look."
Upon exiting the room, they saw a dozen or so people standing outside the dormitory building, led by Chu Tianshu, all looking towards them, Qin Yanyang and Yang Fei.
Chu Tianshu had previously learned from his cousin, Chu Que, that Yang Fei had reached the Divine Travel Realm. Thus, he held a lot of reverence for Yang Fei in his heart. Looking at the couple now, he couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim that they were truly a match made in heaven.
At the same time, recalling the terrifying aura previously emitted from that room, his heart sank again. With such a formidable presence, what exactly had happened?
With a thought, Chu Tianshu turned to Qin Yanyang and said, "Congratulations are in order. Minister Qin’s strength has increased again, truly a blessing for our Military Department and for Divine Continent Country."
Qin Yanyang smiled slightly.
Although she had been wholly devoted to helping Yang Fei establish his foundation during the past few days, it had indeed brought certain benefits to herself. For instance, many acupoints in her body had been tempered and completed. Up to now, she had finished the foundation for her limbs.
Thus, she gladly accepted Chu Tianshu’s congratulations.
"It indeed is a blessing for Divine Continent Country," Qin Yanyang responded lightly, glancing over everyone to shift away from the topic, and asked, "How are the surrounding defenses set up during my cultivation seclusion these past days?"
"Reporting to the Minister, hidden posts have been stationed around, and the entirety of Yunwu Mountain is now within our air defense," said the deputy officer, a woman named Peng Ling, in her thirties.
"And the materials we need, how goes the search?" Qin Yanyang inquired further.
Now that the location had been found, only materials for setting up the Spirit Gathering Array were needed.
Peng Ling said, "Most of the required materials have been found and transported here. However, there’s still one item we have not managed to locate."
"Fusang Wood?" Qin Yanyang asked with a frown.
"Yes," Peng Ling replied.
Qin Yanyang ordered, "Send more people to search for it, and the search area can be expanded."
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Tell Mo Yinpeng to have her people ask around in the Hidden Sects. Maybe they have Fusang Wood."
"Understood."
Peng Ling acknowledged and then added, "By the way, there was news from Mo Yinpeng the day before yesterday; someone from the Hidden Sects has come out."
"Oh? Who, and how many?" Qin Yanyang asked.
Peng Ling answered, "Three people. Based on the identity information they left, they should belong to the Loose Cultivators of the Hidden Sects. Our understanding of the Hidden Sect people is too limited to conduct a population census, so their exact identities are not certain."
Qin Yanyang nodded.
This was precisely the most troublesome part.
The Divine Continent Country’s blockade of the Hidden Sects was only temporary.
They had agreed to let them out before, but the condition was that they had to register.
But this registration was nothing more than a formality.
Those people could easily avoid using their real identities and names; even if they committed a crime, other than capturing the perpetrator, it would be difficult to investigate further.
Qin Yanyang had long reported the issue of managing the outings of Hidden Sect members to his superiors. The response from above was simple: although there were millions in the Hidden Sects, as long as they allowed population registration, were issued ID cards, and had their fingerprints and blood types verified, it would be easy to integrate them into the population of the Divine Continent people.
But would the Hidden Sects cooperate?
Definitely not.
So it was very difficult to control the movements of those from the Hidden Sects.
"Let’s not worry about them for now, three people can’t stir up a storm," Qin Yanyang said.
The crowd nodded in agreement.
As long as the Hidden Sects did not venture out in force, Divine Continent had the ability to control the situation. What worried them most now was if the Hidden Sects recklessly emerged into the world in droves. If war broke out, Heaven and Penglai would seize the opportunity to invade, and this land would once again become a living hell.
Qin Yanyang felt a sense of urgency.
She asked Yang Fei, "Is it impossible without Fusang Wood?"
Yang Fei said, "Fusang Wood is the best, but even without it, given the abundant spiritual energy here, we can still meet the minimum requirements to synthesize Genetic Liquid Medicine with the support of a Spirit Gathering Array, though the effectiveness might be much less, the yield would be low, and it would waste a lot of Genetic Fluid."
"We can’t be concerned about that now, let’s set up the formation and start production. Once we find the Fusang Wood, we can improve the Spirit Gathering Array," Qin Yanyang said decisively.
She then asked, "We can improve the formation later on, right?"
"No problem," said Yang Fei.
"Alright, that’s decided then."
Yang Fei said, "Let’s take a look at the other materials."
The so-called other materials were merely some precious jades.
Carving Array Runes on jade containing certain jade Qi could form the Array Foundation Stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array. The stones serve as the base, the Fusang Wood as the medium, thereby creating a Gathering Spirit force that accumulates nature’s spiritual energy.
Chu Tianshu and the other members of the Military Department were both curious and skeptical about the Spirit Gathering Array that Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang discussed.
Do such miraculous formations really exist in this world?
In the following half-month, Yang Fei secluded himself in his room, carving runes.
Qin Yanyang stayed with him the entire time, and when he had depleted a certain level of True Yuan within him, the two would perform Dual Cultivation for recovery.
Yet, after an entire half month passed, Yang Fei hadn’t even completed a single Jade Rune.
As a result, the others in the Military Department had lost faith.
Wasn’t it just carving some ’Ghost Talismans’ on jade? How could it take so many days without completion?
And it was also incredibly expensive.
Each piece of jade was a large, neatly cut block of top-quality, whole stone. Any of these stones, if put on the market, would be worth thousands of 10K.
And yet, such a huge amount had been wasted in just fifteen days.
In the room, Yang Fei’s complexion was rosy, and fine sweat beaded on his forehead.
He concentrated deeply, channeling his True Qi to directly engrave ancient runes on a piece of jade.
After an entire half month, he still hadn’t completed even one Jade Token, which was a major embarrassment in front of his wife.
To be honest, he had not expected that carving runes would be so difficult.
Could it be that what was recorded in the Taoist Formation scriptures were false?
This joke was getting far too big.