Chapter 1290-1291
Chapter 1290 – Tunnel
When Liu Zhen heard Yuan, he couldn't help but gawk. Then he said, "Hao Donglai? You met that Old Mouse? And he dared to go into our territory to steal? His guts are surely big."
Yuan smiled and said, "Rest assured, Little Hai has already killed that mouse and turned him into Undead. In fact, it was Old Mouse Hao's subordinate who discovered you being attacked." Liu Zhen nodded. He wasn't startled that Zhao Hai was able to kill Hao Donglai. If Zhao Hai could block two Nascent Soul Experts, then killing a Core Formation Demon Mouse wasn't anything surprising.
Liu Zhen was also a bold and courageous person. When he heard Yuan, he thought for a while before saying, "Since we have nearly 100 people here, then we should go visit the Demons and make some noise. Let's return the favor."
Yuan nodded and said, "That is also good. I wouldn't have dared to go too far before this, but now that we have Little Hai we can finally be noisy."
Although they looked like formidable elders, Yuan and Liu Zhen actually had hearts of fiery youths. After resting for some time, the group left towards the Demon Race's territory.
Yuan was still being extra careful along the way. Although they knew that Zhao Hai was strong, they knew that one couldn't be careless in the Six Realms Battlefield. Yuan and Liu Zhen were famous characters from the Machine Field. People from the other realms couldn't wait to eat them up. And if there was a chance to get rid of the two of them at the same time, then that would be best.
Although there weren't any battalion-sized troops in the Six Realms Battlefield, it wasn't impossible for a battalion-sized army to be mobilized just to get rid of the two. Yuan and Liu Zhen were also cautious people, otherwise they wouldn't have survived this long in the Six Realms Battlefield. Yuan was famed for being unafraid of death, but he would still give himself a chance to escape whenever he fought. It was said that Yuan went into deadly battles without any fear of dying, but in reality he would only fight such battles if he was sure that he would survive.
There were experts everywhere in the Six Realms Battlefield. Core Formation experts were as common as dogs in a city. Yuan was also at Core Formation-level, not Nascent Soul. If he really didn't care about his life and only knew how to fight, then he would have already died a long long time ago.
Liu Zhen was also the same. The two were the kinds of people who planned before making a move. And whenever they decided to move, they would go all out. Bit by bit, this strategy earned them their nicknames in the Six Realms Battlefield. And this also made the other realms stop underestimating the Machine Field.
Lu Zhen's weapon was a long blade engraved with 1000 offensive formations, making its strength extraordinary. On the other hand, Yuan had a long hammer that was extremely heavy. The weapon was engraved with 1200 formations, making its might not any less than the Cultivation Realm's magic artifacts. Although they couldn't control their weapons to fly, their sword qi could reach 100 miles. Moreover, their attacks were very strong.
The Six Realms Battlefield was very rich in resources. Because of this, the Machine Field also invested heavily in their holdings in this subspace. All the weapons used by their practitioners here would surely be the best.
The same was true for the other realms. Everyone was willing to invest in the Six Realms Battlefield because the resources inside it were just too valuable. And the more you invest, the more profits you would gain. If you equip yourself well, then you can rob others. Because of this, no realm chose to be stingy when it came to the battlefield.
However, there were some exceptions to this and that was the Demon Realm. Because they were extremely diverse, they had difficulties in refining weapons for each other. But they still had their own methods. Once they develop intelligence, they would choose a body part and refine it into their own artifact. It was like the Sprite's life source spirit but instead of their soul the Demons used their body parts. The strength of these artifacts could contend with a life source weapon of a Cultivator, it was even possible for it to be stronger. After all, the weapon was a part of the Demon's body. Demons generally call this specially trained body part as their Origin Weapon.
Hao Donglai also had his own origin weapon and that was his front claws. Almost all Mouse Demons make their claws as their origin weapons. Since Mouse Demons use their claws to dig the earth, then they would need sharp claws. Therefore, making their front claws as their origin weapons was a natural move.
Because of this, whenever someone from the Machine Field like Yuan kills a Demon, they would send its corpse back to the Machine Field. And then the Machine Field will process the Demon's parts to make weapons and armor.
The Demon Race was composed of different types of races whose true bodies were animals and plants. And because of their long period of Cultivation, weapons and armor made from their body parts were very high-grade items.
However, there was a rule in the Six Realms Battlefield. Not only would your merit be recorded when you kill an enemy, all things from the one you killed will belong to you. Therefore, when Hao Donglai and his team were turned into Undead by Zhao Hai, Yuan and the others didn't say anything.
The group slowly moved forward. Even if they ran into people from the other realms, Yuan didn't make a move in fear of alarming the Demons. Because of this, the group took four days to arrive at the area that was partially controlled by the Demon Realm.
Since this place could be considered to be the land of the Demons, Yuan became even more careful. Yuan had come here before so he knew the surroundings well. Instead of attacking the Demons immediately, the group found a place in order to rest well.
The place that Yuan found was actually a tunnel. It was so covertly placed that most people wouldn't notice it. Moreover, there were no important resources around it.
The tunnel was quite spacious. Moreover, it was very dry and clean, causing Zhao Hai to be surprised. Upon sizing the tunnel up, Zhao Hai turned his head to Yuan and said, "Captain, did you discover this place? It's very good."
Yuan smiled and said, "I once led a team to hunt in the Demon territory. At that time, we were met with trouble causing most of my team to be killed. After being pursued all over the place, I was able to discover this tunnel. Not only was this place hidden, its walls could also block spiritual force." Zhao Hai nodded. He also tried to scan the place using his spiritual force before and discovered the tunnel's ability to block any spiritual force scans.
Zhao Hai carefully investigated the tunnel and couldn't find any traces of artificial excavation. In other words, this tunnel was created naturally, making it even more unusual.
While walking through the tunnel, Zhao Hai collected some stones and then sent them to the Space. Upon entering, the Space issued a prompt saying that the stone can block spiritual force. And that more of these stones were being added to the Space.
However, Zhao Hai wasn't happy about this. The stranger this place was, the more formidable the creator of the Six Realms Battlefield would be. For Zhao Hai, this wasn't good news.
Naturally, Zhao Hai's actions were seen by Yuan. Feeling confused about what Zhao Hai was doing, Yuan asked Xiong Li, "What is Little Hai planning to do with those stones?"
Xiong Li smiled and said, "Little Hai likes to research things. He's a very strong refiner. The weapons we use were all made by Little Hai."
When Xiong Li mentioned this matter, Yuan began to remember something. Then he looked at Xiong Li and said, "Now that I think about it, your weapons look like those used by the Cultivation Realm. So are you also practicing cultivation methods?"
Xiong Li smiled and said, "All of this is because of Little Hai. In addition to our weapons, Little Hai also gave us our cultivation methods. Back when we attended the Six Realms Beginner Competition, Little Hai killed some Cultivators to snatch their cultivation methods. This allowed us to cultivate those methods."
Yuan frowned and said, "That's not right. Cultivation methods of the Cultivation Realm are sealed inside jade slips. If one breaks those seals forcefully, then the information inside the jade slip will be erased. How did Little Hai get those methods?"
Xiong Li shrugged his shoulder and said, "Who knows, Little Hai has a lot of skills. You'll get used to it soon. Right, Captain, you're using an ordinary Machine Field weapon. If there's some time, you can ask Little Hai to refine your weapon. I can guarantee that Little Hai could make your weapon easier to use and more powerful."
Yuan looked at Xiong Li in confusion. Then Xiong Li just smiled as he took out his chained hammers. This pair of chain hammers weren't the ones he was using. Their hammers were the ones given to him by his family. He handed the hammers over to Yuan and said, "Captain, look at this. This is the weapon I used before. It's a pure Machine Field Weapon. It might not be equal to the Cultivation Realm's weapons, but its strength will certainly surprise you."
Yuan received the chained hammers and felt their weight in his hands. Then he used them to strike the ground. The ground of this tunnel was very special, even Yuan's strength couldn't do anything to it. However, when the hammers hit the ground, the earth shattered immediately.
The stone didn't even splinter and directly turned into dust. A casual swing of these hammers caused an area of about a square meter to turn into sand.
Yuan as well as the nearby people from the Machine Field were startled. They didn't expect Xiong Li's weapon to be this strong.
One must know that Yuan's weapons were refined in a way that would increase the range of their sword qi. As for close combat, they could only be used like ordinary weapons. If such weapons were also tailored for close combat, then the Machine Field's Warriors would increase their combat prowess by about three layers.
Every person in this tunnel was a true elite from the Machine Field. They knew clearly well what this type of weapon could do. In an instant, everyone's eyes focused on the weapon on Yuan's hands.
Yuan raised the weapons and tried to inspect it. However, since he wasn't an expert in refining, he wasn't able to understand anything about it. So he turned his head to Xiong Li and said, "This is the weapon that Little Hai refined for you?"
Xiong Li nodded and said, "Right, Little Hai helped us to refine it. Actually, there's nothing else special about this weapon besides the addition of a magic formation. Little Hai added the weapon shattering formation that mechs generally use."
Yuan stared, "Weapon shattering formation? Those formations used by Mechs and Battleship? But I heard that it couldn't be used in weapons?"
Xiong Li smiled and said, "This is Little Hai's skill."
At this time, Zhao Hai walked over towards Xiong Li and Yuan. Naturally, he was able to hear their conversation. In any case, Zhao Hai wasn't planning to hide this information for long. After all, these weapons would have a direct impact to the strength of the Machine Field. He didn't intend to take this secret to his grave.
Seeing Zhao Hai walking over, Yuan immediately said, "Little Hai, can you help us refine our weapons? If we have weapon shattering, then our strength will definitely increase."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "That's not a problem. I'll help you refine them after we head back. Actually adding weapon shattering to weapons isn't that difficult, it could even be mass produced by the Machine Field. However, even if I only made a small modification to the formation, its specific arrangement is very important. If it isn't arranged properly, then even if it could increase a weapon's power, it would also reduce the weapon's lifespan. And because everyone used different weapons, mass production of this formation hasn't been ideal."
Yuan nodded and said, "We don't need it to be mass produced. After returning, we'll hand our weapons over to you. No wonder Xiong Li and the others were able to face the spirit of a Nascent Soul Expert. Xiong Li and the others are clearly Foundation Establishment-level. With their strength, not to say five, even ten people wouldn't be able to contend with a Nascent Soul Expert. It seems like their weapons contributed a lot to their strength."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he smiled and said, "Right, this formation is very useful in fights. I'll find time to refine your weapons when we head back. If others want their weapons refined as well, they can just look for me. No matter what, we're all allies. I'm more than happy to help everyone."
Yuan didn't say anything else and just patted ZhaoHai's shoulder. Then he turned to everyone and said, "Alright, let's take a rest for two hours before making trouble with the Demons." Everyone simultaneously nodded. But this time, the way they looked at Zhao Hai has changed. It was now filled with admiration.
Chapter 1291 – Ironwood Demon and Blood Gold Mine
In the Six Realms Battlefield, people admire those who have strength. However, this property only benefited the strong person and not others. If you were strong, then you would be able to kill more enemies and in turn gain more spoils. All of these achievements would be yours and wouldn't benefit others. Therefore, in addition to admiration, people would also feel envy. They wouldn't necessarily treat you as one of them.
However, a good crafting master that could make great weapons and wasn't stingy in helping others was something that everyone wanted to be in a good relationship with. Zhao Hai's refined weapons could improve their survivability in the battlefield.
Weapons and armor were a fighter's second life, this was something that everyone knew. At this moment, the people from the Machine Field were inferior compared to the Cultivation Realm. One of the reasons for this was because their weapons were inferior.
Although it was said that when confronting the enemy one shouldn't let go of their weapons, people from the Cultivation Realm were able to let go of their weapons and have them attack by themselves. Moreover, one person can operate several weapons at the same time.
However, the people from the Machine Field didn't share this advantage. Even if the Warriors could release sword qi, the close combat capabilities of their weapons were still worse than the Cultivators. Most importantly, since they only have two hands, Warriors could only operate two weapons at most.
Xiong Li's hammers have the weapon shattering formation engraved in them. People from great families weren't clueless about the weapon shattering formation. This was a formation specially used by Mechs and Battleships mainly to pierce armor. This armor piercing ability was used to deal with other Mechs and Battleships. After all, internal conflicts were still present within the Machine Field, and there were also the space pirates. Mech battles and Battleship engagements caused people to research ways to deal with their enemies much more easily. The result of this research was the weapon shattering formation. The ability of this formation to pierce everything was first-class. It was just a pity that it couldn't be used in weapons used by Warriors.
Although there were plenty of magic formations inside Warrior weapons, their general attack was very monotonous. To be honest, Warriors in the Machine Field were quite similar to Sword Cultivators. Sword Cultivators focus on the sword to break ten thousand obstacles. Meanwhile, Warriors also focus on destroying ten thousand obstructions, but they don't have the appropriate weapon to do so.
Therefore, among all other realms, the Warriors from the Machine Field had the most intense desire to get their hands on a good weapon. And Xiong Li's hammers were the definition of a good weapon.
Because of this, the position of Zhao Hai in everyone's heart had increased. Everyone wanted to be on good terms with him and flatter him. How intense their feelings about this was something that Zhao Hai didn't expect.
After resting for two hours in the tunnel, Yuan gathered the group and then took out a map. This map showed the partially controlled territory of the Demon Race. This map was something that Yuan would never give to others.
Yuan pointed at a position on the map and said, "We're not far from this area. This is a special place for the Demons, the Ironwood Demon Forest!"
Upon hearing the words Ironwood Demon Forest, everyone couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. This was because Ironwood Demons were famous Demons. The original body of these Demons was the Ironwood Tree. These trees were slow-growing but had bodies that were as strong as steel. Even their saplings were as firm as fine steel. These saplings were also heavy and might even be mistaken as weapons.
Despite these great qualities, Ironwood Trees had very high chances to become Demons. Moreover, after becoming Demons, their fighting strength wasn't something to scoff at. They were the main strength of the Demon Race.
Liu Zhen looked at Yuan and said, "Old Yuan, are you sure you want to face those Ironwood Demons? From what I heard, that forest has several Nascent Soul Demons. Although Little Hai is strong, it's not good for us to go there."
Yuan smiled and said, "I'm not planning to go there, I'm not that crazy yet. Those Ironwood Demons are strong. After all, they're the main fighting force of the Demon Realm. Going to that forest will just be courting death. Moreover, moving the Ironwood Demons will bring trouble to the Machine Field. The gains don't justify the trouble."
Everyone laughed and agreed. This Ironwood Demon Forest was very famous in the Six Realm's Battlefield. It was originally a hill with rich spiritual qi. Afterwards, Ironwood Demons began grouping up there before it slowly formed into a forest.
The influence of the Ironwood Demons was very strong, it even extends to the World of Cultivation. Therefore, nobody easily provoked them. And as time went by, the Ironwood Demons became stronger and stronger.
Yuan continued, "We're not going to the Ironwood Demon Forest. We're going here." Then he pointed towards a place not far from the Ironwood Demon Forest. It's one of the rare barren mountains in the Six Realms Battlefield.
However, this barren mountain was also famous in the battlefield. This was because this barren mountain produces soft gold. Soft gold was a malleable metal with strong metal-element energy. Moreover, it can be melted at a very low temperature, making it a good material to fuse with other metals as it could also increase the metal element in other metals. It's an excellent resource for crafting.
A place like this was strictly controlled by the Demons. And they would make sure that the other realms couldn't take advantage of it. However, because soft gold was very easy to use, it was impossible for the Demons to completely take control of the mountain.
Originally, the Demon Realm had a garrison on this mountain. However, the other realms united and harassed it for the soft gold. In the end, after the Demons suffered serious casualties, they withdrew the garrison, giving the other realms the opportunity to mine the resource.
Of course, the Demons wouldn't just let the other realms mine in peace. It can be said that the soft gold mine was one of the places where people die the most in the Six Realms Battlefield. This also gave soft gold the name Blood Gold.
With the Ironwood Demon Forest close by, it can be said that the Demons were making the Ironwood Demons take care of the soft gold mine. Relatively speaking, the Demons still have the majority of the mined soft gold.
The Demons have the majority, but this didn't mean that they had complete control over the mine. One could imagine the chaos in this mine. The region was seen as the best turbid water to catch small fish. Naturally, this place was teeming with sharks hungry for prey.
At first when Yuan pointed towards the mine, everyone gawked. Then after some time they laughed. Then Liu Zhen said, "Yuan, you're really cunning. Good, the soft gold mine is a good choice. Although there are a lot of Demon Experts in that place, powerful experts are very rare. I heard that the realms had reached an agreement to not send powerful experts in that place. The strongest person allowed should be a Nascent Soul Expert, and those Nascent Soul Experts act alone. With Little Hai's protection, we can guarantee our lives. Also, the mining tunnels stretch in all directions. Even if we don't win, at least we can retreat easily."
Yuan nodded and said, "Exactly. We can go there to bring trouble. Not only can we deal with the Demons, we might even be able to take some soft gold back. And since Little Hai can refine weapons for us, we can exchange his services for soft gold. After all, we cannot make Little Hai work for nothing." After Yuan said that, everyone laughed. Then they looked at Zhao Hai and teased him for a bit. Zhao Hai chatted with everyone for some time, making the atmosphere very warm.
After some time, everyone stopped talking. Then Yuan said, "Although we don't have to worry much, we still need to be careful. After all, the soft gold mine isn't far from the Ironwood Demon Forest. If those Ironwood Demons discover that something isn't right, then we will be unlucky."
Everyone nodded. Zhao Hai looked at everyone and thought for a moment before he said, "Everyone, back in the competition, I was able to get some good loot. Let me share it with you all." Then he waved his hand and took out a pile of things. This pile consists of walnut-sized pale orbs. They weren't very good looking.
However, Yuan and the others were able to recognize what it was. These were yin lightning mines. Yuan's eyes shone. One must know that yin lightning mines were very rare in realms other than the Devil Realm. He didn't expect Zhao Hai to have this much.
Yuan carefully inspected the yin lightning mines, then he nodded and said, "Great, these really are yin lightning mines. Little Hai, how did you manage to get all of these?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "The Devil Realm's Tu Mietan wanted to kill me using these things. However, I was able to kill him before he was able to use them, so I took them as my spoils. I reckon these would be useful to us at this time. With these mines, everyone' safety will be even more guaranteed.
Yuan and the others were moved. One must know that because of the yin lightning mines' rarity, those who have them would hesitate to make use of it. But now, Zhao Hai took them out for everyone. Everyone couldn't help but feel more intimate with him.
Yuan wasn't polite, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, then everyone should take one for themselves." Everyone knew that being polite at this time would just alienate themselves. Therefore, they each took one yin lightning mine for themselves. The remaining ones were taken by Yuan and Liu Zhen.
Zhao Hai won over everyone with this move. He planned to do this because he knew that forming a connection with these people would benefit his position in the Machine Field. These people weren't from External Halls but were Core Members of their respective families. Their words hold weight in their own families.
These people belong to powerful Mage and Warrior families. And in a place like the Six Realms Battlefield, the relationships they forge here would be stronger than usual. As long as they establish a friendship in the battlefield, then they would definitely be a great help for Zhao Hai in the future.