Chapter 666

Chapter 666: The Test Approaches

Year 6132 in the Xia calendar

Lin Jiang took Small Shadiao to North Immortal Kingdom, located in the former You State region. It covered part of the North State area, with a vast territory but relatively few people due to the extreme cold. This made it unsuitable for ordinary humans to live in.

However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the number of demons in North Immortal Kingdom was much lower compared to other regions, making it easier to deal with the pressure of fighting them.

"This used to be the territory of Tianxuan Sect, right?"

Small Shadiao felt nostalgic revisiting the place, realizing that they had spent many years there.

"Yes, Xiaotian City used to be further north, but it’s now deserted as ordinary people couldn’t withstand the cold."

"Brother, why did you bring me here?"

"Nothing much, been in Huaxia for a while, came out to relax and explore for resources in North State."

Lin Jiang said that it had been thousands of years since he last visited here, he came to admire the beauty of the northern lands and witness the frozen scenery for miles.

The two kept heading north and soon reached a place covered in ice and snow all year round, where a few Demon Humans still existed. Upon seeing the two, the Demon Humans panicked and ran away.

The fate of the Demon Humans was very tragic. In the era of cultivating immortality, they were just a commodity. Finally rising to power for thousands of years in the era of decline, their destiny was ended by Lin Jiang’s technological advancements.

The two didn’t go looking for Demon Humans, instead they searched for the cave where they had once lived. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find it; thousands of years had passed, and everything had changed.

However, there were plenty of resources for cultivation. Lin Jiang found many rare treasures like profound ice and Extreme Cold Blue Flame. Since there weren’t many cultivators around and their activities were elsewhere, the two could gather as much as they wanted.

"Hehe, bro, with these things, can we buy a few androids?"

Small Shadiao’s eyes sparkled with excitement, knowing that these cultivation resources were valuable and could fetch a good price.

Lin Jiang ignored him and wandered around alone, feeling different from before. With a sigh, Lin Jiang eventually returned dejectedly.

When Lin Jiang arrived in the former Liang State region, he saw the Stone Monsters. The Stone Monsters were similar to before, just fewer in number. The Stone Monsters were not very aggressive because they didn’t need to eat flesh and blood to grow stronger. They absorbed the essence of the earth and sky and the energy of the sun and moon to increase their power.

However, the humans in this area wanted to eradicate the Stone Monsters. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. The Stone Monsters had strong defenses, impervious to firepower and water, making them unbeatable.

Lin Jiang and Small Shadiao stole two unformed Stone Monsters, which were basically big rocks. They were chased by one of the Stone Monsters for a long distance and had a hard time getting rid of them.

Going further west, there was a plateau area, leading to the western part of the Shen Continent. There were still over ten countries there, which were once colonies and vassal states of the Alliance Three Countries, now suffering from attacks by monster creatures.

Lin Jiang had seen enough tragedies in the human world and lost interest. He decided to head south back to Huaxia. Lin Jiang took Small Shadiao to see the sleeping Big Shadiao.

"Oh, my sister is not dead."

Small Shadiao didn’t know whether to be happy or worried. He didn’t fear many people now – not his wife, not his daughter. The only one he was afraid of was Big Shadiao.

"When Big Shadiao wakes up, I will help her advance to the fifth or sixth level. You’ll have to figure it out then."

Small Shadiao suddenly felt sad. He thought he might have to leave in the future. After all, being a spy didn’t necessarily mean staying in Huaxia. He might consider going to other countries.

Lin Jiang gave the unformed Stone Monster to the research institute and returned to Haigang City, where he met Cao Ying who was back on vacation. Now there are more awakened cultivators, so Cao Ying is not as busy.

"I heard you brought Small Shadiao home?"

"Yes, what’s up?"

"Is it trustworthy? Is it a spy for the demon race?"

"Yes, it’s a spy, but I believe he is reliable."

Lin Jiang nodded, he and Small Shadiao had a friendship of life and death, accompanying each other for thousands of years.

"Still, be careful. The demon race is growing rapidly and becoming smarter. They often come up with new tactics on the battlefield and are starting to use human technology weapons."

"Technology weapons?"

"Yes, like spear cannons. These things have a significant impact on low-level cultivators, increasing casualties."

"If they really develop technology, then there’s nothing to be afraid of."

Lin Jiang shook his head, the demon clan had no chance in technology competition, because technology is very complicated, it needs resources and talented people, which the demon clan lacks.

"Simply relying on technology, the demon clan will definitely lose. What we fear is that the demon clan might create nuclear weapons too. The technology for nuclear weapons is not very complex, it just needs resources. According to our investigation, the human tribe in the southern part ofk Penglai Continent was not entirely wiped out, at least a few tens of millions were preserved."

"Little Ying, it’s not that simple. The key to making nuclear weapons lies in resources, like electricity and so on, these are the crucial points. They can’t make it, and with the spiritual energy making a full recovery soon, when Demon Queen’s cultivation reaches the seventh level, the effect of nuclear weapons will be weak, and they will voluntarily give up."

Lin Jiang shook his head, thinking that Cao Ying was overthinking it. Although nuclear weapons were invented by Huaxia two hundred years ago, whether other regions can make them is uncertain. Even if they can, there is the issue of delivery capability. Lin Jiang is not worried about this.

At this time, it’s actually a transitional period of spiritual energy recovery. It’s only because the demon clan’s cultivation is not enough that they are thinking about these things. When their cultivation fully recovers, they won’t think like this anymore. At that time, individual strength will still be the main focus.

········

Ying Continent, Anlan Mountains

Li Qing is being besieged by three Demon Kings, all of whom have the bloodline of divine beasts, making Li Qing’s situation very dangerous. The other elders of the Wangxian Sect are also entangled by Demon Kings.

"Fire!"

Seeing this situation, Zheng Yi, who was commanding from the rear, immediately ordered to open fire. With one command, dozens of positions behind the defense line opened fire simultaneously.

Most of the weapons were conventional chemical firearms, but there were a few spiritual energy weapons, which were very precious because they couldn’t be produced domestically. Most of them were imported from Huaxia, and every loss was a big blow.

The fired firepower was all controlled by artificial intelligence, almost all targeting the demon clan, causing even the Demon King to suffer. Li Qing took the opportunity to break free from the entanglement and escape back behind the defense line.

Without the restraint of their own people, Zheng Yi ordered continuous fire, hitting some Demon Kings hard, causing them to scream and flee. The demon clan’s offensive was contained.

"Master, are you okay?"

Zheng Yi hurried over to check on Li Qing, who was the first to be ambushed by the demon clan.

"I’m fine, Elder Wu, how about you all?"

"We are also fine, these beasts have become more cunning."

"It’s definitely from Penglai Continent, I know a few Demon Kings there."

"The Demon Kings from Ying Continent don’t break through the fifth rank so quickly. Whoever has this ability must be from Penglai Continent. How many Demon Kings has the demon clan really awoken?"

Several elders spoke up. In the past few years since they arrived in Ying Continent, they have helped Ying Continent’s strength grow rapidly. They even ventured into Northern Ying Continent to hunt down fourth-rank Demon Kings. However, this time they were ambushed and almost failed, leaving them deeply resentful.

"The demon clan is starting to unite. This world is about to undergo a big change. If the spiritual energy fully recovers, with the current ten-plus Demon Kings from Penglai Continent, we won’t be able to hold them off."

Li Qing said, she is the highest in cultivation level in Ying Continent, at the Void Achieving Period, equivalent to the sixth rank of the demon clan. But there are many sixth-rank demons, and quite a few seventh-ranks are still alive, at least three or four.

"Master, what should we do? I have seen the information released by the Huaxia region. In at most three to five years, the spiritual energy might recover to the sixth rank. Within thirty years, it will definitely recover to the seventh rank. By then, we might have to face a Demon Emperor at the Tao Achieving level."

"Zheng Yi, how is the disciples’ cultivation going?"

"The highest level of cultivation has reached the late golden core stage, but within thirty years, at most, it will reach the Nascent Soul stage. It won’t go any higher, no matter how many spirit medicines we use."

"Then we still need to focus on technology. Are you confident about that?"

"No, it’s easy to train regular tech workers, but those top scientists need lots of knowledge and luck. It’s even harder than cultivating genius immortals. Plus, our basic tech development is lacking, we’re too restricted by Huaxia."

"Why is it like this?"

"That’s how the mortal world works. Take a Spiritual Cannon as an example. A finished Spiritual Cannon may seem simple, but it actually involves several industries. If one industry is restricted, the progress stops."

Zheng Yi said, responsible for managing the mortals of Ying Continent. The more he understood, the more he felt the difficulty. "Complete industry" is just four words, but it represents countless hardships behind it.

"Then let’s cooperate with Huaxia."

"Leader, we’ve been trying to cooperate with Huaxia. They are willing to share technology for light industries, but for core technology, they keep it tightly guarded. Even their old friends like Qingyun and Zhou Liao for thousands of years aren’t willing to share."

Zheng Yi said, those high-tech items are vital national assets. They wouldn’t easily share them.

"What else do we have to trade?"

"Other than some resources, we have nothing left."

"What else can we exchange for resources?"

"We are not sure about that yet, but we have nothing left to sell."

Zheng Yi once again pointed out a difficult truth for Li Qing to accept: the overall strength of the Ying Continent is weak, lacking any notable technological advancements, and there are not many resources to sell.