Chapter 718: Cang Xu Converges
Ice Sculpture Capital.
In the Ten Millenia Ice Lake.
Through a gigantic floor length window, Cang Xu observed the ice lake outside of the alchemy laboratory.
It was a quiet world. The ice layer was a natural barrier, cutting off the clamor and ruckus from the capital on the surface. During the day, the sunlight shined through the ice layer, filling the entire lake water with blueness. The light reflected on the cracks and bubbled air, creating a glittering sight, like a submarine aurora borealis.
During the night, without the sunlight suppressing them, organic glimmer prevailed. All kinds of moss, aquatic plants, as well as winter fish and other animals emitted organic light, converging into a mild green that contaminated the entire ice lake from bottom to top.
This was a similar world full of vitality. Amid each layer of ice, lake water slowly circulated. Surrounded by this unique ecological system, those organisms that survived and reproduced here not only had to resist the extreme cold but also had to be miraculous too.
Cang Xu knew that this was the aftermath of Time divinity radiation.
Just the organisms here could be studied by magicians for countless years, and the water and the ice layers were of even greater research value than that. Cang Xu infiltrated this place with Jian Gui, constantly receiving outside information, he already knew of the Ice Cube Red Wine business, and heard about all sorts of novel things occurring in the capital, naturally this included the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Jian Gui quietly waved Cang Xu over, his tone faint, “Stop your observations, Lord Teacher Si Ling has summoned us.”
Cang Xu followed Jian Gui into the center of the alchemy laboratory, and paid his respects to Teacher Si Ling.
Teacher Si Ling looked mentally exhausted.
After entering the alchemy laboratory, he used the laboratory’s alchemy module to continue observing the environment outside.
He mainly focused on the newly built royal family engineering project – the Millenium Dragon Super-formation.
It was quite an achievement.
“This super-formation’s construction cost frightens the heavens, and it has a strong connection with the Time God Dragon’s corpse.”
“The formation hasn’t been activated yet, and is currently in the process of testing, at most only 5% of it will be active.”
“When it officially activates, the formation can conduct powerful detection scans of every layer of the Ten Millenia Ice Lake. This undoubtedly will assist the Ice Sculpture Royal Family enormously in their control over this super-resource point.”
“This is an unprecedented achievement that took the Ice Sculpture Kingdom several millennia!”
“After the formation is completely active, it seems it can mold an ice sculpture of the Time God Dragon that possesses unrivalled divine might.”
How much divine might it had was undeterminable to Teacher Si Ling.
The formation had other functions, but Teacher Si Ling couldn’t explore them for the time being.
“The Millenium Dragon Formation has a few formation pillars still below. My alchemy laboratory was only built on the century ice layer.”
The Ten Millenia Ice Lake was divided into a few layers.
The surface was the ten year ice lake, and it had been reinforced over the countless years through numerous magic formations to become tenacious and sturdy.
Above the ten year ice layer was the Ice Sculpture Capital. Below the ice layer was the flowing lake water. First there was frozen lake water from several years ago, then below was from a dozen years ago, below that was from tens of years ago. A hundred meters below the ten year ice layer was the hundred year lake water. The deeper the lake water was, the older it was.
Beneath the century old lake water was the second ice layer – the century ice layer.
The vast majority of alchemy laboratories were set up on this ice layer.
Under the ice layer was the centuries year lake water
The lake water reached a millennium and the ten millennium ice layer.
Beyond the millennium ice layer, the lake water would grow older, several millennia would accumulate, attaining an age of ten millennium.
Here, one would arrive at the bottom of the ice lake – a gigantic ice layer covering silt.
This was the core essence – the ten millennium ice layer – according to legend, a Time God Dragon fell down here, and it was precisely because of this divine dragon falling here that the Ten Millenia Ice Lake was a super-resource point.
“I have to examine this Millenium Dragon Formation to the best of my ability!”
“By the time this super-formation officially activates, it will be too late. I won’t be able to so effortlessly investigate it again.”
Teacher Si Ling had heard rumors and gossip about this super-formation, but this truly significant secret had been stringently guarded by the Ice Sculpture Royal Family.
Without a doubt, this super-formation would become Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s most important trump card!
“My current investigation has already reached its limit.”
“If I want to investigate more, I have to penetrate deeper into the millennium ice layer.”
“To completely understand the formation, I fear I have to get to the lake bottom’s millennium ice layer!”
Requirements to build an alchemy laboratory on the millennium ice layer was far stricter than on the century ice layer. The century ice layer had almost no magician towers on it, but the millennium ice layer had many built on it.
In the ten millennium ice layer, you could count the number of magician towers there with your hands, but each one was towering. There were also religious temples, the largest of which was the Glacier God temple. These temples were not the main temple, but each one had formidable combat strength and were created through a concerted effort of every large church in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, a powerful measure to suppress the ice lake’s bottom.
Teacher Si Ling had naturally snuck into the Ice Sculpture Kingdom and deep into the ice lake because of a heavy duty.
As a long term plan, he already decided to explore the ins and outs of the formation, thus, he summoned Jian Gui and Cang Xu.
But Teacher Si Ling didn’t openly say he wanted to leave this place and go deeper into the ice lake, instead he said, “For the past few days, I’ve done my best to activate the alchemy laboratory and observe the Ice Sculpture Royal Family’s Millenium Dragon Formation and noticed something very special about the super-formation’s base, it actually seems to be the ice sculpture guardians scattered across the capital.”
“Normally, magic formation bases are fixed, but the base of the Millenium Dragon Formation is mobile.”
“However, the ice sculpture guardians the royal family have accumulated over the millennium are mainly made from the ice lake’s ice chunks, and barely anything else. Based on their origins, they are indeed an integrated whole with the ice lake, and it is feasible to use them as a formation base.”
“I also don’t know which magician had such an exquisite design that figured out this marvelous magic formation.
“It seems only such a design has the ability to allow the full strength of this formation to temporarily mold the millennia ice into a Millenium Dragon Ice Sculpture Puppet.”
“When that happens, testing the capital’s ice sculpture guardians will also increase our understanding of the Millenium Dragon Formation. You two will take my place in this matter.”
Jian Gui and Cang Xu glanced at each other, both of them immediately expressed that they would aid Lord Teacher Si Ling; it was their honor.
Jian Gui inquired on how he should do it, what kind of ice sculpture guardian to target and steal, and what channel he should use to return to the alchemy after the theft.
Teacher Si Ling replied, “You don’t need to return, wait in the capital.”
By the time he penetrated deep into the millennium ice layer, there was a risk of being discovered. If he was discovered, the Ice Sculpture Royal Family might follow the vine to get the melon and find their way to this alchemy laboratory.
Therefore, if the two remained here, they wouldn’t be safe.
Teacher Si Ling t hen said, “Our Undead Orthodoxy doesn’t just have one alchemy laboratory in the capital.”
“Use these two addresses to find the other laboratories.”
“There is no need to take risks, go grab an ice sculpture guardian. The current Warm Snow Cup Grand Contest is underway currently, and it just so happened that the exam question wants master alchemists to team up and work together to refine an alchemy puppet that can defeat a silver level ice sculpture guardian.”
“During this operation, you will swap identities to that of former year Warm Snow Cup competitors. According to the Warm Snow Cup rules, you can join this competition and participate in the second exam.”
“Thus, you will be able to openly study an ice sculpture guardian.”
Jian Gui carefully listened and committed Teacher Si Ling’s words to memory.
Cang Xu was secretly overjoyed, “Based on this plan, wouldn’t I be able to get in contact with Zi Di?”
These days, although he had been residing in this alchemy laboratory, information was not inaccessible, he could get it through the Undead Orthodoxy’s means and heard a lot of news in real time. It naturally included the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ Magician Yao Ma (Zi Di) participating in this year’s Warm Snow Cup and that she performed excellently in the first exam.
After Teacher Si Ling briefed them on their mission, he gave Cang Xu and Jian Gui disguise magic and also time to tidy up their stuff and adjust their state.
After some time, the two used a teleportation arrangement to leave.
After Teacher Si Ling sent the two off, he modified much of the alchemy laboratory’s data, then adjusted the alchemy laboratory to an inoperative state, then he snuck away and infiltrated into the ice lake.
As a result, just as Teacher Si Ling snuck close to the millennium ice layer, he triggered an alarm.
The Millenium Dragon Super-formation immediately erupted with golden flowing light.
Teacher Si Ling hastily went into hiding. More scared than hurt, he successfully concealed himself, his heart nipped with chill, aware of the activation level of the Millenium Dragon Formation.
The deeper he got, the greater the detection and defensive capabilities of the Millenium Dragon Formation.
Gold light surged, and wherever it went, ice shattered into flakes, mixing into the kilotons of ice lake water.
This kind of large activity spread out from the millennium ice layer, and in a hidden alchemy laboratory, Yuan Ci too observed it.
“More of the royal family’s super-formation is activating.”
“I can’t stay here any longer!”
“I must open the Wisteria Cache as soon as possible.”
Yuan Ci clenched his teeth, feeling immense pressure.
Of everyone, only Yuan Ci knew where the Wisteria Cache was hidden in the Ten Millenia Ice Lake. But knowing where it was wasn’t enough, five level zero wisteria secret orders were needed too.
Yuan Ci calculated, “I have one, Jiu Jin has one, Gui Teng has one, Shi Liu has one, and Cong Mang has one, that’s all five.”
“After Bing Yang lost, Shi Liu smoothly became Ice Prison’s recommended duelist.”
“Why hasn’t Cong Mang made landfall yet?”
Yuan Ci had received the latest information, which showed that Cong Mang led his pirate group against the First Navy detachment, defeating it, and he had also captured the detachment’s commander Bei Jia alive, he then arrogantly sent the First Navy Fleet a ransom message.
Yuan Ci fumed with rage. He was unable to understand why Cong Mang was sojourning on the ocean, when obviously, the Wisteria Cache was more important.
At that point in time, when the royal family’s super-formation completely activated, the entire ice lake would be tightly monitored and wanting to acquire the Wisteria Cache then would be almost impossible!
Yuan Ci didn’t know Cong Mang was already in the Ice Sculpture Capital.
Zi Di had the equivalent of three level zero orders, Fei She had one, Jiu Jin had one, and Cong Mang had one, there were already six on hand.
But Zi Di at the moment wasn’t thinking about the Wisteria Cache.
On the one hand, she didn’t know about the super-formation, and on the other, she had more important business to rush to.
According to Elder Jiu Jin’s recommendation list, Zi Di set out to contact many master alchemists personally.
But of these master alchemists, some refused to meet, some said no to her face, and some asked for a high price.
One of them during conversation with Zi Di, exposed a flaw, and under close questioning, told a secret – the Li Jian Clan’s people had gone searching for him and offered a high price if he refused to work with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
The situation Zi Di was worried about appeared.
The Li Jian Clan, the Jing Xiang Clan, and even the Alchemy Guild were all exerting themselves to “encircle and subdue” the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Despite having two tentative promises to work with Zi Di, she was very worried and hesitated, unable to sign a magic contract.
What if these people who promised were actually bought off by the three powers? Then wouldn’t she be showing the wolf into the house?
The more people Zi Di saw, the more dispirited she became, and she began to doubt if her operation was worthwhile or not.
“If I can’t use a special method to truly break my predicament, it is unjustified to talk with more alchemists.”
As this notion got stronger, the bell of a door Zi Di rang swung up.
“You finally came, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?” Cang Xu let out a breath and secretly transmitted.
“You are?!” Zi Di was astonished.
Cang Xu had been disguised by Teacher Si Ling, and his appearance had changed a lot, Zi Di didn’t recognize him at all.
After confirming his identity, Zi Di was pleasantly surprised, she never thought that under these circumstances, she would converge with Cang Xu.
Cang Xu sighed, “I didn’t think that after Teacher Si Ling’s many teleportations, our final destination was to be the Ice Sculpture Capital.”
“I heard you were targeted and encountered a predicament.”
“I originally planned on looking for you, but I was worried it would trigger suspicion; therefore, I chose to wait for you to pay me a visit.”
“It just so happens that Teacher Si Ling has given me a mission, let’s work together on this.”
Unexpectedly, Zi Di wanted to say yet, but hesitated, “If I’m remembering, your alchemy attainment is worse than mine?”
Zi Di was looking for expert help to team up with.
Cang Xu smiled, “Miss Zi Di, don’t look down on me. For this exam question, I can contribute far more than most of the competition.”
Zi Di suddenly understood somewhat, “Are you thinking of drawing help from the undead alchemy methods?”
Cang Xu replied, “For now, don’t speak of that. I want to meet the Lord Commander first, I have to speak with him, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is in a terrible situation.”
“It isn’t that bad?” When the dragonman youngster was brought up, Zi Di couldn’t help but be proud, “After the Lord Commander returned, our situation has been overturned, sky and earth has been twisted on its head!”
“Now we are actively cutting ties with the Li Jian Clan, the Lord Commander is strong enough to protect the mount potion benefits.”
Cang Xu shook his head, deeply sighing, “In short, let me see the Lord Commander before further discussion.”