Chapter 653 – Old General He Si Ji
Translated by: Berrrybunz
Edited by: TN and DeAndreR
This was Yang Zi Qing’s second time to the Shang Continent. When he arrived, he coincidentally witnessed the strange fleet entering the Shang Continent.
He Si Ji standing beside him stared and observed, He Si Ji was the Vast Star Continent’s Military Chancellor, and was the Continent Lord’s right hand man alongside Yang Zi Qing. Yang Zi Qing was in charge of the internal affairs, while He Si Ji was well versed with military matters. When he was young, he was a famed general with colorful military successes, and as he grew older, his body became weaker, disallowing him from going back to the front lines, thus he started to guide talented young people in the continent. 75% of the silver grade generals of the Vast Star Continent were groomed by him, the rest all received guidance from him, and thus his reputation is second only to the Continent Lord.
He Si Ji had a pair of blue eyes and a eagle sharp nose that made him look extremely cold. He stood up straight, the military years never escaping his body. He did not portray happiness or sadness, an emotionless expression on his face like a statue.
All of his attention was focused on the approaching fleet.
Yang Zi Qing’s expression revealed fatigue, the Vast Star Continent was in a state of unrest, causing him to be both mentally and physically exhausted. His arrival this time was to be able to form an alliance with the Shang Continent. Relying only on the Vast Star Continent’s strength itself was unable to shake the eyes of the wolves around them.
That was the reason of He Si Ji joining him, the Shang Continent’s military strength could not be hidden in front of the old general. Their main task this time was for the old general to a.s.sess the Shang Continent.
Yang Zi Qing did not disturb him, He Si Ji was much older than him, and even he had to call the old general “Master”.
Yang Zi Qing also looked at the fleet curiously.
The fleet did not have anything worth mentioning, but his attention was captured by the soldiers who looked extremely tired. He was somewhat surprised, all of them were extremely skinny, face covered with dirt and dust, their clothes were also tattered and torn, as though they were a troop of beggars going around asking for sc.r.a.ps.
Yang Zi Qing had never seen such poverty-stricken army before.
~Could it be that the Vast Star Continent was actually beaten by a group of beggars?~ Yang Zi Qing was in disbelief, he felt that it might be probable that the fleet was an army recruited by Shan Continent.
But he quickly frowned, he had fought with Bing before, the cunning and crafty man would definitely not make such a mistake. And there was Crane, a quiet and calm young man, who had n.o.bility flowing in his veins, he was also not one to make such a mistake.
Then what was the reason?
Very quickly, Yang Zi Qing came back to his senses, he self mocked himself, ~What am I thinking so much for? I have Master He Si Ji by my side, the only one who can see through all of this.~
He turned and was about to speak to He Si Ji, but he noticed the surprise on He Si Ji’s face.
For some reason, Yang Zi Qing’s heart jumped.
Master He Si Ji was a respected old general who complied with tradition, and never showed his expressions. Even in the most dangerous of situations, he would never show fear, Yang Zi Qing had conversed with him so many times and had never seen any fluctuation in the old man’s face.
There was even some time where Yang Zi Qing secretly thought that Master he Si Ji had once injured his face, causing his muscles to be crippled and thus unable to portray any emotions.
When Yang Zi Qing saw Master He Si Ji revealing shock, an intense surge of curiosity and unease crept up his heart.
~What is it that can make this steel face old man reveal such a look of shock?~
Just then, the old man sighed.
Yang ZI Qing sharply sensed the disappointment in the old man’s face.
“We were defeated without injustice.” He Si Ji regained his usual expressionless face: “The other party’s strength far exceeds ours.”
Yang Zi Qing spoke with caution and curiosity: “Master, I hope you can guide me, Zi Qing is unable to understand, I cannot see any peculiarity amongst that group of people? Their equipment is so terrible, and they looked as though poverty have struck them.”
He Si Ji was extremely familiar with Yang Zi Qing, and was not afraid to speak his mind: “Exactly the opposite. If this old one did not guess wrong, this troops must have definitely just recently gone through a long and difficult journey. No, it should be inside the Sea of Energy, where they underwent training on foot.”
Yang Zi Qing revealed a look of shock: “Master, you are saying they trained in the Sea of Energy on foot?”
He thought that he had heard wrongly, the Vast Star Continent had organised a few trainings in the Sea of Energy before, but that was in ships. How could one train in the Sea of Energy on foot? If not for Yang Zi Qing’s respect towards He Si Ji, he would had definitely snorted in disbelief.
What kind of place was the Sea of Energy? A place filled with danger anywhere that could take lives at any time. Energy corrosion occurred everywhere, with the unstable chaotic flows, even warships that travelled in the Sea of Energy could meet with mishap.
~Training in the Sea of Energy on foot? Are they tired of living?~
Only a few strong martial artists could conduct such training. But even these powerful martial artists could easily lose their lives in the Sea of Energy. It was the first time for Yang Zi Qing to hear that an army would be training in the Sea of Energy, wasn’t that seeking death? Won’t the soldiers rebel?
He Si Ji noticed Yang Zi Qing’s expression, but was not angry. Even his initial reaction to his own guess was “impossible”.
He did not explain further, it was only a guess.
“They have three armies.” He Si Ji said, he knew that his a.s.sessment was extremely important to Yang Zi Qing’s judgement, so he decided to explain everything that he saw, to provide clarity to Yang Zi Qing to consider.
“The first army, is a typical standard army. You can see their method of advancement, and, notice the energy flow around them.” He Si Ji said.
Yang Zi Qing squinted his eyes, and asked with uncertainty: “There seems to be a flow around them?”
“Yes, they are training their synchronization frequency.” a light aura flickered in He Si Ji’s eyes: “From the way the energy flows, their synchronization is at an extremely scary level. Seeing the scars on their clothes, there should be a doctor with them. And from the looks of their broken equipment, it seems the time they had spent training in the Sea of Energy is definitely not short. The military general in their ranks is experienced, and has obtained the schooling of the standard military school, and has an extremely solid foundation in it.”
Yang Zi Qing nodded his head, He Si Ji was truly a seasoned old general that has groomed out many silver grade generals. His foresight was far stronger than what Zi Qing could compare to, he could infer many things from even the smallest things.
“The second army should be a hired army.” He Si Ji continued.
“Hired army?” Yang Zi Qing was startled: “What do they want to do with a hired army?”
The strength of a hired army far lacked as compared to a standard army. Comparing equal silver grade armies, a silver grade standard army could easily wipe out a silver grade army for hire. Regardless of quality, training or equipment, an army for hire can never compare to a standard army. Even the famous army for hires have lacking qualities as compared to a standard army.
~Why would they have an army for hire? Are they lacking in manpower?~ Yang Zi Qing was suspicious.
He Si Ji shook his head: “Don’t look down on them. The things they practise are for special purposes. Their small scale infiltrations and intersecting attacks are extremely sharp. Their commander should be planning to make them into an army proficient in guerilla warfare, it’s an extremely brilliant idea!”
He Si Ji continued to praise.
Yang Zi Qing was still suspicious: “They can do that?”
“They should be able to.” He Si Ji continued: “as long as you train them with specific planning and tactics, and raise their individual strength. This method has many uses. Look at them, they no longer have the slippery aura of mercenaries, but instead giving off the air of elites. They might look scattered, but in truth they are in a profound formation, that should be one of their specialized tactics. Their commander is extremely powerful.”
He Si Ji was extremely sharp to the aura of armies.
Yang Zi Qing then pointed to the group that was obviously smaller: “Who are the ones behind them? They seem to be few in numbers.”
Suddenly, he realised something, and his face immediately became unnatural: “Shi Sen! That’s Shi Sen!”
Shi Sen’s betrayal was initially not something huge, he was just a commander of a cannon fodder army. But the silver grade general Sun Jie died because of him, causing an uproar, and thus the first time the name Shi Sen entered the ears of the higher ups in the Vast Star Continent.
He Si Ji’s expression became serious: “Those are Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts.”
“Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts?” Yang Zi Qing was startled for a moment, but immediately snorted: “No wonder! The Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts are not to be trusted, they are all indecisive people!”
The reputation of the Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts was extremely bad, other than being difficult of being distinguished, they also had the bad reputation of murdering their employers, thus Yang Zi Qing revealed the look of disgust.
“No, they are the real Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts.” He Si Ji revealed a rarely seen look of remorse, the Vast Star Continent actually had the real Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts but he himself did not know.
“Real Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts?” Yang Zi Qing was once again startled.
He Si Ji knew that Yang Zi Qing was not clear on such matters, and explained: “There are many bogus Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts in the market, overflowing all around. But there are very few of the real Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts, because of their extremely strict tests, they are also very powerful. To be able to find up to 500 of the real Underworld Continent’s Demonic Mounts, that is truly difficult! Do not look down on that number, they have terrifying fighting ability. They should be the last group of Demonic Mounts, and are longing for glory, so you can never underestimate them!”
Hearing He Si Ji’s high appraisal of the Demonic Mounts, and knowing it was them who let the big fishes go, Yang Zi Qing felt immense regret.
This subject made him feel uncomfortable, so he continued: “What about those people behind with light auras all around them?”
“They are not any army.” It was He Si Ji’s first time revealing an unsure tone: “They could be strong martial artists.”
“Strong martial artists?” Yang Zi Qing was dumbstruck.
Those extremely densely packed light auras floating around the boats, numbered to a few thousands. ~A few thousand strong martial artists? Impossible!~
Even He Si Ji felt that it was impossible to have so many strong martial artists, and spoke with hesitation: “Their individual strengths are not too bad, but their coordination is terrible, no, they completely have no coordination, like a patch of loose sand, that is why I say that they are not any army. The light around them is extremely miraculous, and there are so many of them with it…..”
He Si Ji did not know how to continue.
Instead, Yang Zi Qing calmed down: “Seems like they are truly powerful.”
“Very!” He Si Ji confirmed.
The two of them looked at each other, with a look of excitement and worry.
Chapter 654 – Descend into the Savage Continent
Translated by: Berrrybunz
Edited by: TN and DeAndreR
At the extreme north of the Savage Continent, there was a huge war occurring.
Over 100 tribes were clearly separated into two large armies, standing opposite each other on the vast snow plain. In the Savage Continent, the frequency of battles occurring was far more than any other place in the Sacred Saint Galaxy. The general atmosphere of the harsh lands was that they revered strength, causing every tribe inside to partic.i.p.ate in never ending battles.
Located in the Aba Mountains of the South was the Steel Mountain King Court, and located in the Vast Snow Plains was the North Blizzard King Court, who were always in conflict. Finally, both parties lost patience and brought all of the tribes that belonged to them to the fight to the death.
This war had greatly influenced the structure of the northern part in the Savage Continent.
At the forefront of both parties, there were many altars of different sizes placed all over. The raging flames caused the pots inside the houses to release fragrant smoke, all sorts of various beast meat cooked in the iron pots, blood mist congealed inside the pots, squirming around.
On the different altars, there were the witch doctors of the various tribes, all of them dancing with the bone staffs in hand, looking seemingly fanatical as though they were truly insane.
In both King Courts, they had over a hundred tribes, each tribe worshipping different totems, thus their offerings were all different to each other. Worship sacrifice before battle was the most commonly seen tradition of the Savage Continent, as it could greatly increase the strength of the soldiers.
This was why the other continents believed that the Savage Continent were not civilized.
Bizarre power surged out from each other altars, converging in the air above the snow plains.
After half an hour, the Sovereign King of both parties suddenly raised their heads at the same time, a look of surprise flashed past their eyes.
The Savage Continent revered strength the most, and every King Court would be held by what they call Sovereign King. Every Sovereign King was a powerful martial artists. In the desolate land, purely relying on wits and intellect was unable to establish a King Court.
Steel Mountain Sovereign King Tie Ji, North Blizzard Sovereign King Ah Si Ming were such strong martial artists, their sensitivity towards energy far exceeded any ordinary person.
But at that moment, their faces were gloomily watching the sky, sensing something amiss.
In such big wars, offering sacrifice at the frontlines was extremely common, both parties had their sacrifice ceremonies churning up in the air, or it should be reasonable to say that the power from both sides were fighting in the air, but that was just the prologue to the battle.
But, the sacrificial power from the various tribes were actually gathering and merging in the air, not differing between enemies.
They had never encountered such a strange situation before.
Very quickly, the witch doctors on their altars also sensed that something was wrong. There seemed to be an invisible vortex in the air, frantically absorbing their strength, they could sense that the power from their altars were quickly surging into the air.
Buzzzzz.
One of the tribal warriors suddenly realized that the weapon in his hands was trembling slightly, as though it was struggling free from his hands.
He was shocked, he immediately turned his head to look, and in his eyes, all the weapons were trembling.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz!
The sudden appearance of the tide of buzzing sounds caused their skins to go numb.
Tie Jie and Ah Si Ming’s faces changed, there was a power converging in the sky, and in a short span of time, it had swelled into a terrifying hurricane. The all powerful Sovereign Kings felt their heart jumping.
~What’s happening?~
The sky was suddenly cut by countless of light scars that resembled shooting stars, which was the friction between the high speed energy flow and the air, producing light auras, they were gathering from all angles, rushing towards the invisible vortex above the snow plains.
Tens of thousands of light scars gathered to form a dazzling vortex.
The vortex became increasingly bright, the terrifying undulation was like a humongous wave that rumbled outwards.
The powerful force caused everyone’s hearts to tremble, and all of the valiant tribal warriors felt overwhelming shock. Plop, someone’s knees went weak and knelt on the ground, as though the ripple had forced him down. In the two large armies that were about to face off, the soldiers started to kneel, all of their faces were buried in the snow, their hearts filled with revere and fear.
On the snow plains, only the two sovereign kings stood strongly, both of them fighting against the powerful force.
The numbing sound suddenly disappeared, causing the land to become silent.
The bright vortex stopped revolving, forming a light door in the sky.
Suddenly, the eyes of both Sovereign Kings opened widely.
A figure slowly walked out from the light door, followed by another, and then more and more figures walked out, waves after waves of figures walked out.
~Heroic Spirits!~
~There are actually so many heroic spirits!~
The two Sovereign Kings watched in shock, blankly looking up at the sky.
Apart from the Savage Continent, everyone else called them Spirit Dyads, but in the land of brute and barbarians, they were hailed as Heroic Spirits. Heroic Spirits were seen as the protection a.s.sistance of the ancestors, people who were able to obtain heroic spirits would be able to receive the protection of their ancestors. Tie Ji and Ah Si Ming were more knowledgeable than the other people, they knew that the Heroic Spirits were in fact strong martial artists that harbored strong emotions before they died, thus forming the Heroic Spirits. Like any other place, Heroic Spirits were like Spirit Dyads and could be bought.
But……
All the Heroic Spirits had the same attire, with a rigid formation, they were obviously an army.
~An army of Heroic Spirits……~
In the Savage Continent, to form Heroic Spirits, there were two criterias. One was to have an intense desire, the other was to be powerful enough when they were alive. In the Savage Continent, only the Sovereign Kings who died had the possibility of forming Heroic Spirits.
~An army of Heroic Spirits……that means if they were alive, wouldn’t it be an army of Sovereign Kings?~
The Two Sovereign Kings were completely shocked, one after another of Heroic Spirits walked out of the light door quietly, they surged on and on, as if behind the light door, there were an unlimited amount of Heroic Spirits.
The scale of the Heroic Spirits Army before them made the two Sovereign Kings numb.
Suddenly, a dark green figure walked out of the light door, stunning the two Sovereign Kings.
In the air, a young lady dressed in Military attire, Wearing the Perseus Crown, her long black hair fluttered with the wind, she looked down on the great land.
Tang Tian’s party’s arrival intimidated everyone.
Ji Shan and the other spies all quieted down, all of the soldiers released an intimidating killing aura that caused them to be fearful. When the fleet entered the Shang Continent, the spies discovered warships that had Xu Ji Worldwide Commerce and the Bai Family Emblem, causing their faces to change.
Hearing that Tang Tian was going back, Xu Jin and Bai Yue chased up halfway.
Xu Ji Worldwide Commerce was one of the most powerful weapons business under the sky, while the Bai Family was a powerful family with deep roots in the Southern Region, just a mere Shang Continent actually had relation to the two powerhouses, no one would dare to do anything without thinking.
Ji Shan and Lei Meng tacitly stopped discussing about plans to seize the Shang Continent. At the very second that they could, they reported all the intell back to their superiors, and with ease they went back to the hard bitter work.
“Master!” Tang Chou greeted Bing.
“Well done!” Bing puffed out a smoke ring and nodded satisfyingly: “If you continue like this, i reckon it will not be long befor you to surpa.s.s me!”
Tang Chou remained serious: “This subordinate will surpa.s.s Master!”
“Then you must work hard!” Bing laughed out loud, he was not angry at all.
Xie Yu An and the rest did not dare to breath, in their hearts, Tang Chou was already a G.o.d of war. They never thought that the seemingly ordinary looking spirit dyad in front of them was called “Master” by Master Tang Chou, this birthed a stifling pressure inside their hearts.
~Boss’ power is truly unfathomable.~
The Sword Forest Stronghold had undergone a complete change, and was revamped to look completely different.
Crane accompanied Xu Jin and Bai Yue as they toured Sword Forest Stronghold. Born of n.o.bility, Crane was meticulous when meeting people, thus such matters were left to him.
“Unique craftsmanship!” Bai Yue kept on praising: “I have seen many strongholds before, but this is the first time for me to encounter such a uniquely crafted stronghold. I wonder who is the creator of this Stronghold?”
Xu Jin who was standing beside Bai Yue was still in a daze, he had not recovered from the shock when he saw the desert covered in black. The black stones were endless, which meant the amount of wealth was endless. Even though he never lacked in money, he still got enchanted by the sea of Black Gold.
Bai Yue was equally shocked, but he was not shocked because of the amount of black stones, but by the Sword Forest Stronghold.
Crane laughed: “It was by our chief mechanical master.”
Bai Yue thought about it, by saying the word “Chief”, it meant that they did not only have one.
“I wonder if we can meet this person?” Bai Yue said with respect: “Such a high level grandmaster, if I am able to learn a thing or two from him, I can die without regrets.”
“My apologies, she is not here.” Crane said with an apologetic look.
“That is truly a pity.” Bai Yue was filled with remorse, his heart still thinking of all sorts of ways to try and meet with such an intellectual person.
From the start, Bai Yue saw something in Meng Nan, and thought that he had the potential to become an ally of the Bai Family. But as time went on, Meng Nan kept giving him more and more surprises, and gradually revealing his strength, causing Bai Yue to constantly re-examine the relation between them.
He had also seen the transformation of Xie Yu An and the others.
Bai Yue himself was a famed grade general, but it was still the first time for him to witness such a cruel and harsh training. And what he never thought was that Xie Yu An and the rest would actually persist on.
Meng Nan, was a fearsome tiger, with his teeth and claws fully grown.
Bai Yue suddenly felt pity for the Vast Star Continent, with a tiger right beside them, they would never be able to sleep and eat in peace.
Bai Yue’s guess was right, Yang Zi Qing and He Si Ji were already restless, and found out how much they have underestimated the Shang Continent. All the answers that Yang Zi Qing had prepared prior to coming here were all overthrown because old general He Si Ji had clearly told him that the Shang Continent was stronger than the Vast Star Continent.
The Vast Star Continent was like a house with many leaks all over, being pushed and pulled by the wind and rain, while the Shang Continent was full of vitality, soaring with power and momentum.
It was Yang Zi Qing’s first time meeting Tang Tian, the true ruler of the Shang Continent.
~Too Young!~
Yang Zi Qing exclaimed in his mind, but he dare not look down on the other party. To be able to become so tyrannical at such a young age, who had the qualifications to look down on him?
His eyes gleamed with light, as he glanced at Bing who was puffing away beside Tang Tian. In front of him, there were no meaning to try any fancy moves. Yang Zi Qing had experience with him, and knew that Bing was hard to handle.
“We hope to form an alliance with the Shang Continent, I wonder what Continent Lord thinks about it?” Yang Zi Qing did not try to play at any angle, and went straight to the point. To the current Vast Star Continent, time was the most important, to waste time probing here and there would prove to be a huge loss to them.
“Alliance? Sure we can!” Bing puffed smoke rings, and continued: “We have to see what price your continent is willing to pay.”
~The feeling of cheating rich people was the best feeling.~
Yang Zi Qing had made preparations prior, and without hesitation: “We are willing to gift Continent Lord the Pontoon bridge in the Sea of Light.”
Tang Tian and Bing were both startled, they had thought that the Vast Star Continent would be willing to fork out a huge amount, but they never thought that the Vast Star Continent was prepared to fork out such an extravagant price.
That was the Pontoon Bridge of the Sea of Light, the one and only Pontoon Bridge.
Chapter 655 – Respective Plans
Translated by: Berrrybunz
Edited by: TN and DeAndreR
If someone had to ask, what was the most valuable thing of the Vast Star Continent, the answer would definitely be the Pontoon Bridge inside the Sea of Light.
In the Sacred Saint Galaxy, to travel from continent to continent, they had to go through the Sea of Energy. Each continent was like a bubble scattered inside the vast Sea of Energy. In some of these “Bubbles”, there existed a unique type of energy belt, these energy belts are extremely stable in nature, and are able to isolate the “water” of energy, and that would be the Pontoon Bridge of the Ssea of Light.
Going inside the Pontoon Bridge was the same as being inside a continent.
Although civilization already knew how to construct warships to travel inside the Sea of Energy, they still had to bear the danger and the high costs. The dangerous Sea of Energy held countless of unknown dangers, and numerous fleets die inside the Sea of Energy every year. To the Sacred Saint Galaxy people, their history had always been fighting against the Sea of Energy.
Going via the Pontoon Bridge not only meant that it was safe, but it was even faster, and the cost was low.
The Southern Region had a total of three Pontoon Bridges in the Sea of Light, which were the main highways for the Southern Region. The Pontoon Bridge that belonged to the Vast Star Continent was the longest, connecting 24 continents.
Thus it could be said that the Vast Star Continent held the most important bridge, connecting the Ming Continent, Yuan Continent, Li Hai Continent, all of which were in their prime. These three continents were the large continents in the top 20 of the Southern Region, adding the Vast Star Continent, the four continents that were connected, that value was undoubtable.
That Vast Star Continent was able to acc.u.mulate its wealth due to the Pontoon Bridge. In other words, the Pontoon Bridge was the foundation of the Vast Star Continent, so when Tang Tian and Bing heard that they were willing to give the bridge as the price, they were stunned. The two of them wanted to make Vast Star Continent feel pain, but did not even dare think about asking for the Pontoon Bridge, but who knew the other party would initiate handing it over to them….
Tang Tian and Bing looked at each other, they could see the suspicions in each others eyes.
When Yang Zi Qing said those words, he somehow felt extremely relaxed, so when he saw the two of them looking at each other, he raised his eyebrow: “Could it be that your Sire thinks that the price is not high enough?”
Bing regained his composure: “We were just surprised.”
Yang Zi Qing laughed bitterly: “If we do not give it to you, we will not be able to hold it for ourselves either. Not hiding anything, recently, the Pontoon Bridge has suffered from a few attacks, and we are soon unable to defend it. If your n.o.ble side is willing to form an alliance, then we need to be fast, because we do not know how long we can hold it for. Our conditions are very simple, to exchange the Pontoon Bridge for the Flying Edge Continent.”
“Freely access other continents?” Bing immediately understood the other party’s intentions, and sneered: “Your side did plan it well, give up the bridge that you are already unable to protect, so we have to do the heavy lifting, to withstand the pressure of protecting the bridge, and by using the Flying Edge Continent as a strategic guard post, you will truly be invulnerable to attacks.”
The Vast Star Continent was too open and thus the most difficult part to defend was the area of connection with the Pontoon Bridge. Although the Vast Star Continent had painfully cut off its meat, but because of that, they would obtain protection. Whoever accepted and took over the Pontoon Bridge in the Sea of Light would immediately face the problem of how to guard and protect it, and would not have time to find trouble with the Vast Star Continent.
The Flying Edge Continent is a small continent like the Shang Continent, guarding the other channel into the Vast Star Continent. But as the Vast Star Continent was more reliant on the Pontoon Bridge, they rarely used that channel, thus the Flying Edge Continent had never been regarded as important, and thus it was occupied illegally by a group of pirates.
If anyone seized the entire Flying Edge Continent, they just needed an army to be positioned and stand guard inside Flying Edge Continent, and attacking Vast Star Continent would become much easier, thus becoming a bigger threat.
Tang Tian then realized, the one who planned it out was smart and powerful, but the Vast Star Continent’s Continent Lord, who had his hands tight, decided to firmly go through with it, which made Tang Tian feel respect for him. It was a beautiful piece of meat, but if they wanted to swallow it down, it could choke them instead.
“The Pontoon Bridge in the Sea of Light is worth the effort.” Yang Zi Qing did not give way, and he spoke honestly: “Although it is bound to be lost, but if not for this alliance, your n.o.ble side will definitely not be able to obtain the Pontoon Bridge. To your n.o.ble side, this is the one of a lifetime opportunity to obtain the Pontoon Bridge.”
“What do we need the Pontoon Bridge for?” Bing sneered: “For money? Do you think we are lacking in funds?”
Tang Tian glanced at Bing and thought, ~He truly acts really well, lacking in funds? Who is the first one always asking for money when we meet?~
Yang Zi Qing was steadfast: “Although this is the first time I am meeting Continent Lord, but I know that Continent Lord has ambitions and high aims, I believe that Continent Lord will be able to make the right decision.”
“I want the Pontoon Bridge.” Tang Tian suddenly spoke: “But that continent that you want, you have to take it for yourself. It will not be easy for us to protect and guard the Pontoon Bridge. I believe you will also want us to be able to defend against the other continents as well.”
“Great!” Yang Zi Qing immediately agreed, the Flying Edge Continent was just a small figure, as long as the Vast Star Continent pulled back the army that was protecting the Pontoon Bridge, they would have sufficient power to attack and take over the Flying Edge Continent.
Only after Yang Zi Qing and He Si Ji were satisfied did they leave.
Walking out, Yang Zi Qing was somewhat distracted: “I never thought they would really agree to it.”
“As long as the benefits are sufficient, people will naturally embrace the danger.” He Si Ji said emotionlessly.
The two of them were filled with worry, to the Vast Star Continent, losing the Pontoon Bridge in the Sea of Light meant they would lose their main source of wealth, and in the long run, they would have to live frugally. What made them even sadder was that in the blink of an eye, the strong and glorious Vast Star Continent was on the road to poverty.
Yang Zi Qing took a deep breath: “We made the right choice!”
He Si Ji’s eyes lit up with fire: “It is our only choice. Let Meng Nan and them go and fight, we will live in seclusion. While we recover, they will be exhausting themselves. And when the time is right, we will once again take back what belongs to us.”
“That’s right!” Yang Zi Qing regained his determination: “We will take back the Pontoon Bridge!”
The two of them looked at each other and laughed.
It was the old general that thought about the plan, after going through his meticulous thought process, he realized that although the Shang Continent was strong, but the long drawn perimeter defense would stretch their army thin, and he foresaw that the battle between the Shang Continent and the other continents would continue for a long time, exhausting both sides.
And by losing the burden of the Pontoon Bridge, drawing back from the perimeter, the Vast Star Continent would instead become more stable. All the years of acc.u.mulating their wealth, they would be able to recover to their peak state, and maybe become even stronger. At that time, they would not need to use so much effort to seize back the Pontoon Bridge and trample on the few continents.
In the room, Bing laughed bitterly: “It is truly good meat, but it’s too fat, we cannot swallow it.”
The Pontoon Bridge in the Sea of Light was not just a means of travel, but a path into the cities, the important and strategic cities, where there were large populations. To the continent now, manpower was equally as important.
There were many benefits, but there would also be problems, the long defense perimeter is a huge burden to any powerhouse. It would seem as though the Vast Star Continent lost to Tang Tian, but looking from another angle, they were pulled down by the Pontoon Bridge as well.
“What if we don’t swallow it?” Tang Tian asked, surprising Bing.
“Not take it?” Bing was startled.
“What are we doing in the Sacred Saint Galaxy?” Tang Tian asked: “We are not here to make money or gain territory, we are here to defeat our enemy, the Honorable Martial Continent. Since it is so, why should we swallow it for ourselves? We can take it out and share it with everybody, so everyone will be as one, we can even supply treasures and what not, as long as they help us defeat Honorable Martial Continent, since they hate them too.”
Bing looked at Tang Tian in shock, and after a long time, he spoke: “That was what you were thinking?”
“Yea!” Tang Tian said as a matter of factly.
“You are starting to understand things.” Bing praised as he laughed, but he had to admit to himself that it was a good idea. He became alert: “That’s right, an alliance, we need to build up an alliance, this Pontoon Bridge in the Sea of Light is difficult to swallow by ourselves, but if we share it with everyone, it would become much easier, that’s right, that’s right, good idea! But we need to find a mediator with weight, so that other continents can trust them.”
“The Bai Family and White Sands Continent.” Tang Tian said: “As long as we give them a share, they will definitely agree to it.”
Bing looked at Tang Tian as though he had seen a ghost.
“What is the meaning of your expression?” Tang Tian said unhappily.
“Did something possess you?” Bing walked around Tang Tian in a full circle.
“No, I thought for a long time, to finally come to this conclusion.” Tang Tian used his fingers to count: “How many men do we have? Even if we pull all the people from Ursa Major Constellation over, they will only be a slighter bigger continent, and still far lacking as compared to the Honorable Martial Continent. So how long must we wait, for us to beat down every continent one by one to strengthen ourselves?”
“So, what do we do?” Bing asked.
“So, we buy everyone.” Tang Tian said elatedly: “I spent only a few billions to defeat the Golden Rose in White Sands.”
“What?” Bing’s eyes grew round with rage, and he erupted in anger: “A few billion? Here I am, frugally living with poverty, and you actually spent a few billion just to destroy a few hoodlums! You p.i.s.s me off!”
“You don’t have to care about this small matter.” Tang Tian laughed: “I was thinking, why not use the same method to defeat the Honorable Martial Continent? Many people hate them anyway. If money can’t buy them, we can use other things to bribe them, let’s say the Pontoon Bridge! If we can get everyone on board, the Honorable Martial Continent will not be able to do anything.”
“If we can bribe them, the Honorable Martial Continent can do it too.” Bing said.
“No they won’t.” Tang Tian shook his head: “For example, we can use the Pontoon Bridge, but can Honorable Martial Continent do so? Their ambition is to take over the entire Sacred Saint Galaxy, and thus they are naturally the enemy of all the continents. They have to subdue the others and make them into subordinates or slaves, and take their wealth. But we don’t have to. We do not any ambitions for the Sacred Saint Galaxy, we just want to be their friends. I give my friends some benefits, and I will get help from them. If I give them a bit of benefit and make them into my servants, they would not be willing.”
Seeing Bing’s dumbfounded expression to the point that he had forgotten about smoking, Tang Tian felt extremely good, and said with elation: “So? Don’t you think I am very powerful? You have guided me to improve, but don’t use your old eyes to look at me. Shave off your blockhead to see properly, understand!”
(TN: This entire sentence is a play in the chinese proverbs, which makes no sense in english, thus I tweaked it to make the conversation flow better.)
Bing sneered: “This sort of conduct, what are you being proud for? I will shave you first!”
Suddenly, Tang Tian ‘eh-ed’ out loud.
Bing who was about to place the cigarette in his hand back to his mouth asked casually: “What?”
“There’s news from Three Spirits City, Screw is awake.”
Plop, the cigarette in Bing’s hands dropped to the ground.