Free Web NovelChapter 5: Chapter 5
Even though Silver Willow Dynasty possessed a deep and ancient foundation and was far from lacking in Mortal Supremes, it might not necessarily be able to hold back a three hundred thousand strong army.
Once the capital fell, an Innate Realm cultivator like himself had no real guarantee of surviving the turmoil that would follow.
Seeing Oswin standing off to the side, eagerly eavesdropping on the gossip with an excited look plastered across his face, Adam quickly pulled him aside and asked, "Brother Oswin, what on earth is going on here?"
"Why is everyone suddenly saying the South-Subduing King is about to rebel?"
The joy in Oswin’s eyes didn’t dim in the slightest. Brimming with excitement, he said, "Brother Adam, there’s something you don’t know. Three days ago, a heaven and earth anomaly appeared right within the territory under the South-Subduing King’s jurisdiction."
"On Verdant Mist Mountain, countless rays of rosy light shot up into the sky. After an investigation, it turned out that a massive Spirit Vein had been discovered on the mountain. But the South-Subduing King concealed the truth of it and didn’t report it at all."
Oswin paused for a moment before pressing on, "Brother Adam, the sheer number of Spirit Stones held within that Spirit Vein is an astronomical figure. It would be enough to supply hundreds of thousands of troops with cultivation resources."
"Brother Adam, you’re a cultivator yourself. You ought to know just what this kind of Spirit Vein truly means!"
"Not only did the South-Subduing King cover it up, he even detained the secret envoys the imperial court dispatched. It’s obvious he means to monopolize this Spirit Vein all for himself. How is that any different from outright rebelling?" freeweɓnovel.cøm
Adam couldn’t help but nod. He understood the weight behind Oswin’s words.
This was, at present, the Dharma-Ending Age. The ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth had grown thin, making Spirit Stones extremely precious cultivation resources.
Take the body’s original owner as an example. After more than a decade of bitter cultivation, he was still nothing more than a rookie at the fifth level of Qi Condensation.
Beyond his lack of aptitude, another crucial reason was simply how thin spiritual energy had become in the world.
The Qi Condensation Realm was the practice of refining ambient spiritual energy and drawing it into the dantian. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
If spiritual energy were plentiful, there was simply no way the original owner would have remained stuck as a fifth-level rookie.
Spirit Stones, however, contained abundant spiritual energy within them and were of tremendous help to any cultivator in the Qi Condensation Realm.
The South-Subduing King commanded an army of three hundred thousand, and every single soldier among them was an existence in the Qi Condensation Realm, even if the overwhelming majority were only at the first level.
With a Spirit Vein this massive, however, the strength of those three hundred thousand troops would undergo an absolutely colossal leap.
No wonder everyone was saying the South-Subduing King was about to rebel. Among the eight Kings of Different Surnames, the South-Subduing King already wielded the greatest power of them all.
Now, with a Spirit Vein holding oceans of Spirit Stones in his grasp, it was simply like adding wings to a tiger.
For the steadily declining Silver Willow Imperial Family, this was without a doubt a bone lodged firmly in their throat.
So long as the Silver Willow Imperial Family weren’t fools, they would never sit back and tolerate the South-Subduing King keeping that Spirit Vein for himself.
And by revealing this attitude so openly, the South-Subduing King had made it clear that both sides had now completely torn off all pretenses. There was essentially no room left for reconciliation between them.
"Brother Oswin, is the current Emperor really just going to sit there and watch helplessly while the South-Subduing King grows stronger? Without doing anything at all?"
A rebellion from the South-Subduing King was not something Adam wanted to see. It wasn’t that he harbored any deep feelings for Silver Willow. When trouble strikes the powerful, it’s the innocent bystanders who get hurt.
At the moment, he was nothing more than an existence at the Innate Realm. If the capital itself was breached, he had very little confidence in his own ability to survive the great war that would follow.
And on top of that, he wasn’t alone. He still had Cecilia waiting for him back at home!
"Countermeasures!"
A trace of disdain rose into Oswin’s eyes. "The current Emperor is incompetent and muddle-headed. He’s allowed the eight Kings to grow stronger and stronger without doing a thing about it."
"The whole Silver Willow Imperial Family is declining further with each passing day, and their grip on the dynasty grows weaker by the year. What could the Emperor possibly do to the South-Subduing King now?"
A flash of something almost manic crossed Oswin’s eyes, and his words carried an unmistakable note of vindictive pleasure.
"Brother Adam, just watch. In a few months’ time, once the South-Subduing King’s three hundred thousand strong army has refined that Spirit Vein, the thousand-year-old Silver Willow Dynasty will be tipped over without a doubt."
"Surely it wouldn’t go that far?! The Silver Willow Imperial Family has ruled this land for a full thousand years, their foundation is fathomless. Just the number of Mortal Supremes they have on hand is no less than ten."
"Every one of those Mortal Supreme has the power to sweep away an entire army on their own. Overturning Silver Willow is easier said than done!"
Seeing how absolutely certain Oswin was, Adam revealed a flicker of doubt in his eyes and asked, "Brother Oswin, why are you so completely convinced that Silver Willow is going to capsize?"
