Volume 7 Chapter 5: The True Reason

There was no way this Yunqin military officer could know what was behind the Great Desolate Swamp. That was why while he was a bit absent-minded, he couldn't help but use the most direct words to dispel his shock and confusion. "What is behind the Great Desolate Swamp?"

"You are quite strong, and along with the fact that you can lead this type of Yunqin elite troop, your status is definitely not low." The bright moon-like ring wielding delicate woman didn't immediately respond to his question, instead looking at him and asking, "What part of Yunqin are you from, what is your status in the military?"

This Yunqin military officer's eyes sunk, becoming momentarily silent.

"If you reply to my question, I can tell you my background." The delicate woman stopped the surrounding cave barbarians' restlessness with a look, coldly saying this.

The Yunqin military officer gave this delicate woman's green eyes a look, nodding and saying, "Yunqin Immortal Academy's Guo Qiudong, Dragon Snake Army's major fifth rank Nomadic Officer."

The delicate woman remained silent for a moment, and then calmly said, "Last year near wintertime, your Dragon Snake Army deeply infiltrated Blackwater Swamp, ambushing Ancient Guard Pastureland. The high-ranking military officer of that Dragon Snake troop was named Di Choufei?"

This Yunqin general stared blankly for a bit. He suddenly felt like this woman's appearance and the words she just spoke definitely had some connection.

"It was indeed General Di." He nodded. He felt like he was getting closer and closer to the truth Dragon Snake Border Army and himself were always searching for, his brows inadvertently furrowing.

"I know you all always wanted to know why these tribes changed so much compared to before."

The delicate woman looked at this Yunqin general, and then after remaining silent for a moment, slowly said, "I can tell you a story."

This high ranking Yunqin military officer took a deep breath. "I'd like to hear the details."

"Behind the Great Desolate Swamp, is Green Field City."

The delicate girl turned around to look at the gloomy world behind her, slowly saying, "Green Field City was established by cultivators in the beginning, just like your world. However, what is different from your world's cultivators is that we hold the natural in esteem, we pursue harmony with all living things in the world. Further east of the Green Field City we live in is the endless Vast East Sea. Meanwhile, between this Great Desolate Swamp and our Green Field City, there is also an extremely ancient mountain forest."

"We aren't fond of the forest and the Great Desolate Swamp environment, which is why none of us came to this Great Desolate Swamp... However, one day, a little girl from our city made her way through the ancient forest, arriving in the Great Desolate Swamp. Then, she encountered many cave barbarians living inside. These cave barbarians who lived here, despite looking fierce, treated her extremely well."

"She became their friend... for her, this was a rare journey in her life. It was because we still don't like the environment here, yet we still have to return from the Great Desolate Swamp. However, your Yunqin's great army suddenly slaughtered their way into our Ancient Guard Pastureland, attacked the people who lived in this underground cave region. After the great army passed, not a blade of grass grew, the old, young, women and children, not a single one was left behind."

"That young girl who came from Green Field City full of curiosity also eternally remained behind." The delicate woman looked at the Yunqin military officer, saying with a clear and cold voice, "For your Yunqin great army, she might be insignificant, perhaps your great army didn't even notice that there was someone among them who wasn't a 'cave barbarian'. However, for us, she represents a completely different meaning."

"Even more of us came to Great Desolate Swamp... Originally, we only wished to seek out revenge against the General Di who was in charge of that massacre, but after experiencing so many battles and dangerous situations ourselves, we already couldn't maintain the most simple love and hate, unable to remain uninvolved. You all are our enemies, starting from the general who commanded the massacre, because of your Yunqin."

The Yunqin military officer only listened without moving, but his heart became more and more ice-cold inside.

During this half year, this Dragon Snake Border Army and even the entire empire were searching for the true reason behind why Dragon Snake's border was so strange, but who would have thought that what produced this irregular change, what triggered the sacrifices of so many Yunqin soldiers was all because of a little girl no one noticed during last year's Ancient Guard Pastureland's great victory?

"How many members does your Green Field City have, how many cultivators are there?" He looked into the boundless world behind this delicate woman with a bitter expression, asking this.

"Green Field City, for your Yuqin, is only a small tribe. The number of people who entered Great Desolate Swamp isn't great either." The delicate woman looked at this Yunqin military officer and said coldly, "However, you all know nothing about us, while we have the absolute trust of the 'cave barbarians' you all speak of. That is why from the moment we arrived, there is no way you all can continue like before, able to use your intelligence and superior gear to easily slaughter them."

"Slaughter?"

The Yunqin military officer's grim face produced a bitter smile.

During the past few decades, Yunqin's troops had killed countless cave barbarians, but they could never figure out just how many cave barbarians there were in the Great Desolate Swamp.

Moreover, apart from a few glorious victories, when the two sides fought, the casualties would still more or less remain on a one to one ratio. Whenever a cave barbarian fell, there would always be a Yunqin soldier's blood that scattered across the great earth. When had they ever easily slaughtered the other side?

The appearance of these powerful cultivators not only gave these cave barbarians direct military support, they also directly granted these cave barbarians culture. That is why the future struggles between the empire and these cave barbarians would become increasingly difficult.

"You are quite strong, the most powerful opponent I've faced up until now." The delicate woman turned around, facing this Yunqin military officer and saying, "The reason I am telling you all of this is because I wanted to ask you if you want to continue living."

When he heard this sentence, this Yunqin military officer knew that his time had come.

He turned around, looking towards the mist shrouded Dragon Snake Mountain Range behind him, towards his own homeland. He took a deep breath, and then raised his green long blade again.

He didn't say anything more, only erupting with the soul force within his body, pouring all of it into the already cracked green long blade in his hands.

His body released a faint glow, while the green long blade in his hands became even more dazzling than before.

Then, his entire figure leapt into the air, hacking out with the most ferocious and most decisive blade strike, bringing his blade down towards the delicate woman in front of him.

The delicate woman's cloak fluttered about like an expanse of green duckweed.

The ring in her hands also became a bright moon.

The dazzling green comet and bright moon smashed together once more.

The delicate woman's body moved backwards like a plow, drawing out a deep grove on the ground.

This Yunqin military officer who just delivered the most powerful strike of his life but was still blocked was sent flying outwards.

The long green blade turned into an expanse of green brilliance. Five or six shockingly long spears stabbed viciously into his body.

The world before his eyes became red, but this military officer who came out of one of Yunqin's three great academies revealed a proud smile, saying, "Yunqin's soldiers never have the word surrender in their hearts."

The delicate woman's body finally stood still in the deep grove.

She looked at the Yunqin military officer who was fished high up into the air by several giant lizard riders' spears, momentarily not saying anything.

Her hands and body were both trembling slightly. This Yunqin military officer's rank wasn't the highest of those she had faced, but his strength was the greatest. His final attack also delivered her quite the considerable damage.

Only when this Yunqin military officer died, after the spears were withdrawn and his body turned ice-cold, did she say quietly towards this Yunqin military officer, "There is... it is just that you don't know about it yet."

This delicate woman whose green cloak also started to produce rips didn't even know that the moment the Yunqin military officer's body was pierced by five or six spears, fished into the air, within a shrubbery extremely far away, there were two entirely black-armored and black-clothed soldiers who only had two eyes exposed. They now moved for the first time, lowering the single lens Hawkeye in their hands, silently giving that Yunqin military officer an extremely solemn military salute.

Then, these two soldiers withdrew into the forest behind them in an extremely careful and swift manner, quickly disappearing.

...

Yunqin's North Grain Cave Town was a gathering place full of caravans, fugitives, rogues and gold panners who were trying to get rich overnight.

This place only had a simple and crude border trade marketplace made from rain canopies, as well as several dozen restaurants and taverns scattered about the mountains.

It was precisely because there was no lack of caravans, runaways and scoundrels here that they didn't hesitate to risk their lives in fetching some medicinal herbs, spices, unique soul weapon materials, popular decorative beast skins and bones, delivering them to various parts of Yunqin. That was why the massive empire usually adopted a one eye opened, one eye closed attitude towards this type of gathering place.

What was prohibited wasn't always prohibited.

Astonishing profits would always attack at people who took risks out of desperation. Moreover, Yunqin empire also needed these people who took risks out of desperation to import goods.

There were no stationed troops because there was no lack of merchants who were scared of the empire discovering their special channels. Moreover, danger was a source of profits to begin with.

That was why this type of place almost had its own set of laws, a small chaotic corner within Yunqin's territory.

In this chaotic small corner's westernmost mountain depression was an old-fashioned wine shop.

After following the muddy and manure covered narrow crushed stone path and ascending five or six flights of stone stairs, one would reach a pair of thick wooden doors covered in blade marks. At the two sides of the wine shop were two stone sculptures, both of them soldiers holding swords, but these soldiers were both female soldiers with large chests and full bottoms, the stone blades also aimed diagonally at their own lower bodies, this scene exceptionally thought-provoking.

Inside the two thick wooden doors, hot wine fragrance wafted about, the inside of this wine shop able to hold a hundred people.

Resting against the wall furthest inside was a liquor cabinet, many gorgeously dressed women were currently laughing loudly behind this liquor cabinet.

There were more than ten female cave barbarian-like soldiers dressed in extremely exposing leather armor that only covered some important areas, large amounts of snow-white skin exposed, who were wandering around red-faced men. From time to time, excited men would toss a few silvers into these women's chest armor. Following the women's lovable cries, they would lift them up, move aside the wine shop's back door curtain, and then walk towards the courtyard filled with stone rooms in the back with large steps.

The thick wooden doors were opened again. Three youngsters dressed in green silk clothes walked in.