Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Killing Two Birds with One Stone (2)
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The news that the long-term research at the Heavenly Net Observatory had succeeded spread like wildfire throughout the entire Cultivation Alliance.
People everywhere erupted in excitement.
By the time the hope, passed from mouth to mouth, swept across the South Continent, the Heavenly Net Observatory was already calming its excitement and seeking solutions.
The senior researcher spoke.
“Five hundred li underground—this has to be a volcano, right?”
The institute director nodded.
“That’s a reasonable guess. There’s no way such a massive amount of fire spirit energy would gather without cause. A volcano makes sense as the origin.”
Seoran, who had been listening quietly from the side, asked.
“How dense is it?”
The senior researcher, rifling through the data, replied.
“Compared to a typical secret realm, it’s about seven times denser. And that’s a conservative estimate—it might even be close to ten times.”
Seoran turned to an expedition member nearby.
“At seven times, is spirit root generation possible?”
As expected from the think tank, an immediate answer came.
“If the right timing arrives, a secret realm’s spirit energy amplification is just under fivefold. At seven times, we wouldn’t even need to wait for the fire spirit energy to peak. We could generate fire spirit roots right away.”
The reason Seoran had sought a spirit root through the Fire Immortal Domain was purely to hasten her ascension.
Whether through a secret realm or the Immortal Domain, the end result was the same.
There was no reason not to change plans.
Seoran issued orders.
“We’ll provisionally halt the Fire Immortal Domain search operation. Instead, prepare the secret realm ritual. I’m a layman in this field, so I’ll leave it to you all.”
“Don’t worry.”
The expedition included experts from every field.
Thanks to that, they could handle the sudden request to prepare a secret realm ritual without issue.
It was a moment when the joint command’s preparedness shone.
The institute director chimed in.
“Request cooperation from the Cultivation Alliance’s formation research institute as well. The South Continent’s cultivation world has long emphasized efficient cultivation alongside formations. They’ll surely be helpful.”
“The South Continent has more advanced formations than other continents?”
“Hmm, well... It’s hard to directly compare which is better. I’ve never visited other continents myself. Still, it’s true that formation research has been quite active here overall. In the past, you could find formations just about anywhere in the mountains and rivers. Not anymore, though...”
Seoran asked with a puzzled look.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen many formations since arriving on the South Continent. Just a few near the Cultivation Alliance.”
“It’s because the South Continent’s heaven and earth spirit energy is unstable. In an environment that changes constantly, structures like formations that are so sensitive to surroundings inevitably fell out of use. Quite a few practical techniques were lost in the process.”
“You know a lot about it.”
The institute director nodded.
“I used to be a formation master myself. I was in charge of the formation research institute until two hundred years ago. I transferred here after the previous Heavenly Net Observatory director passed away.”
“So you’re an expert.”
“After becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator at twenty, I spent six hundred years on formation research, so it’s not wrong. But how did we get onto this topic? Oh, the cooperation request.”
And so, the South Continent Guardian Corps was formed.
The Heavenly Net Observatory, the formation research institute, and Seoran’s expedition that had crossed the perilous seas.
With average experience exceeding centuries, it was truly a gathering of the foremost scholars.
No puzzle could stand in their way.
Diplomacy, however, was another matter.
*****
The Giant Race was particularly averse to mingling with other species.
No one knew if it was because they were shy, or for some other reason.
Their inherent reclusiveness left no way to find out.
This isolation manifested in two main ways.
The first was relatively passive.
The deep-sea giants encountered on the East Continent were a prime example.
When disputes arose with other species, deep-sea giants usually just relocated themselves.
A hassle-avoidant attitude of dodging rather than confronting.
The second was far more aggressive.
The desert giants of the South Continent fit this mold perfectly.
When disputes arose with other species, desert giants resolved them with the Giant Flesh Law.
An exclusionary stance of “avoid us if you don’t want to die.”
Compared to their deep-sea giant cousins, the desert giants’ tribal exclusivity was astonishing.
Yet despite that exclusivity, desert giants rarely showed aggression.
Without opponents, aggression loses meaning.
The desert giants’ habitat lay in the heart of the desert, deep within perpetual sandstorms.
Rumors even said that venturing deeper brought gravel storms instead of sand.
Naturally, no other species would want to live in such godforsaken land.
Only desert giants called it home.
In typical circumstances, the desert giants’ exclusivity posed no issue.
Their habitat preferences were starkly opposed.
But now was a special case.
The South Continent Guardian Corps’ target—the source of the anomaly—lay smack in the middle of desert giant territory.
*****
The Cultivation Alliance dispatched an envoy to the desert.
The goal was permission for the investigation team to cross borders and conduct research to resolve the anomaly.
They figured paying sufficient compensation would let an unarmed group through.
It was underestimating the desert giants’ exclusivity.
Seoran heard unbelievable news.
“What? The envoy was chased off? Without even a chance to speak?”
An expedition member who had accompanied the envoy replied.
“Yes. The first words from the desert giant we encountered inside the sandstorm were: ‘Leave this land immediately. This is your final warning.’”
“What happened next?”
“The envoy leader tried to say something, and that’s when they attacked. It really was the final warning. Unable to risk conflict with potential negotiation partners, the envoy had no choice but to retreat.”
Seoran said, looking incredulous.
“No, does that even make sense? Maybe that particular desert giant was just extra exclusive?”
“The envoy thought the same at the time. So they tried contacting desert giants at several other locations. But the results were identical.”
That was the full story of the envoy’s empty-handed return.
Just because words could be exchanged didn’t mean communication happened.
The desert giants were refusing communication outright.
The entire South Continent Guardian Corps was convened.
“Forcing our way in with strength isn’t an option, right?”
“Start a war with the Giant Race? Letting the natural disaster run wild would cause fewer casualties.”
“Don’t desert giants lack flight? We could just use flying artifacts and attack from range.”
“Director, they know offensive spells too.”
“What about sneaking in? They can’t guard their entire vast border, surely.”
“The Giant Race’s eyes rival dragon eyes—peerless spirit eyes, Thousand-Mile Eyes. They can spot a cultivator’s spiritual power from a thousand li away.”
“No, even crossing the border isn’t the end. We still have tons of investigation and research left for resolving the anomaly. It’s impossible without giant cooperation.”
“What do we do? Send another envoy?”
“Even if luck lets us start talks, it’s a problem. Giants are long-lived species. An already exclusive race with lifespans over thousands of years. How many years until they let an investigation team cross? A hundred? Or a thousand?”
Words wouldn’t work. Fists wouldn’t either.
They were stuck in limbo.
The meeting room grew increasingly chaotic.
That was when the smuggling expert Seoran spoke up.
“I have a good idea.”
The institute director asked.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. It won’t take long, and no worries about clashing with the giants.”
“Oho, what’s the method?”
Seoran said.
“The method is simple: illegal entry.”
The senior researcher said, looking flustered.
“Illegal entry? Were you listening to the meeting? Giants have Thousand-Mile Eyes. How do you plan to evade them?”
“Thousand-Mile Eyes just see far. They don’t pierce all things like dragon eyes. We just ride inside a giant puppet and stroll right in.”
“A giant puppet? You mean that Grand Peng bird puppet out there or whatever?”
Seoran nodded.
“Yes, my Stone Mountain Grand Peng. Tweak the exterior a bit, and it’ll look like a giant demon beast with spiritual power. Of course, we’ll need perfect mimicry abilities too. While we’re remodeling the interior, add sensory organs. Expand the living space to fit all the researchers aboard.”
The senior researcher asked.
“No, really, is this okay?”
Seoran said nonchalantly.
“As long as we don’t get caught. If we don’t get caught.”
And so, the illegal entry operation began.