Chapter Eighty-Eight: Flight for Survival

Ying Yan gathered the earth crystals from the earth-vein milk with great satisfaction and put them all away.

These crystals were the purest essence of the earth, incomparably hard and unimaginably heavy; even a grain the size of a sesame seed weighed as much as a million stones, and they possessed countless marvelous uses.

Forged into sorcerous treasures, they made those treasures so heavy that only a high-ranking shaman could wield them with ease. Weapons and armor refined from ordinary five-metal essence would be shattered to dust at the slightest touch of a sorcerous treasure made from earth crystals. Their power was overwhelming.

If the crystals were crushed and mixed with spiritual springs of heaven and earth, then scattered over soil, a single crystal as large as a human head could turn a thousand-mile expanse of land into extraordinarily fertile spiritual earth, perfect for cultivating rare flowers, strange herbs, and all manner of medicinal plants.

Of course, the most important use of earth crystals was as the core of certain special shamanic formations.

For example, near the palace of Ying Yan’s former master, there would certainly be a terrifying flight-forbidding formation set with earth crystals. The crystals contained an immensely powerful magnetic force of the earth; once arranged into a formation, even a Shaman Emperor would be unable to fly through the air and would be forced to walk obediently on the ground.

These manifold marvels gave earth crystals tremendous value on levels Jiang Hao had not yet been able to touch.

This time, Ying Yan had taken ninety-nine percent of the earth-vein milk and obtained so many earth crystals besides. The gain was comparable to everything he had accumulated in his entire life. So Ying Yan was grinning from ear to ear, the pores of his face practically blooming with delight.

Ji Hao awoke in a daze and slowly moved his body where he lay on the ground.

Ying Yan did not notice that the earth crystal beneath Ji Hao had already been completely devoured. After refining a crystal as large as a human head, Ji Hao’s physical strength had increased by only about a hundred thousand stones, but his bodily constitution had become stronger by more than a hundredfold.

Using his soul power for inner sight, Ji Hao was pleased to see that every meridian, blood vessel, bone, and even every internal organ in his body emitted the special crystal glow of earth crystals. His meridians, in particular, were now vast as great rivers, more than ten times broader than before. Their interiors were immaculate, every obstruction and barrier worn smooth as a mirror by the thick, dense essence of the earth.

Mang Mang’s dozen guards also stood up one after another, stretching their bodies with contented smiles.

The pool of earth-vein milk had been drained to the last drop, and the guards in the Shaman realm had reaped enormous benefits as well, each one glowing with health and joy. They kicked one another and punched one another; blows that would have crippled them in ordinary times now only made their bodies sway slightly. Their greatly strengthened shaman bodies easily withstood force that had once been beyond them.

“Stop gawking! If you’ve gotten your share, then hurry up and help me carry these gems back!” Mang Mang shouted from the side, snatching up a handful of glittering jewels and hurling them over. They smashed into the guards with sharp cries of pain.

During the time Ji Hao and the others were absorbing the earth-vein milk, Mang Mang had already commanded the mountain spirit to gather the largest and most lustrous gems in the cavern, piling them into a small mountain three to five zhang high.

Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, tourmalines, and many other multicolored gems whose names Ji Hao did not even know were heaped together, their dazzling brilliance too bright to look at directly. Mang Mang sat triumphantly atop the pile, swinging her little legs with a cheerful laugh.

“Hurry up and carry them back. These are all mine, all Mang Mang’s!” she said smugly. “These gems are so pretty and colorful. I’ll take them back and set them into my palace to enrage them with envy!”

She glared hard at Ying Yan and snorted, “Old Flame, your little granddaughters are so dull-headed. I have to make them drool with envy before it counts.”

Ying Yan’s grin vanished in an instant. He looked at Mang Mang pitifully, as if he might burst into tears.

They hauled several giant beasts from the forest, skinned them, and packed the gems that Mang Mang had carefully selected into more than a dozen large bundles. Ji Hao and the others each slung a beast-skin bundle over their shoulders and left the mountain spirit’s nest.

Mang Mang led the way with exuberant energy, using an enormous banana leaf as an umbrella while humming an unfamiliar tune in high spirits.

The mountain spirit followed beside her with heavy steps, being bossed about by Mang Mang like a spinning top. One moment she ordered him to climb a tree and fetch bird eggs, the next to dig out a hive of poisonous bees from a tree hollow, and then to lift up a great slab of ground and turn over a mass of tender tubers fit for use.

The mountain spirit had a simple mind and endless strength; he let Mang Mang direct him in a daze, leaving the forest in their wake in complete disorder.

Looking at the delighted Mang Mang, Ji Hao could not help but sigh in admiration. “Mang Mang is truly so happy.”

Walking beside Ji Hao, Ying Yan heard this and gave a helpless wry laugh. “Too happy, really... so happy that the other little mistresses all get headaches from her, which is why they tricked her into coming to this side palace...”

Ji Hao looked at Ying Yan in surprise.

Ying Yan hastily covered his mouth, slapped himself lightly, and lowered his voice with an awkward chuckle. “Well, haha, what fine weather today.”

Ji Hao raised his head and looked at the leaden sky. Thick rain clouds churned overhead, sheets of torrential rain lashed down with howling force, and several mountains suspended in midair were blown by raging gales, skimming swiftly from one side of heaven to the other like fallen leaves.

“Such lovely weather,” Ji Hao said with heartfelt emotion. “In two more months, when the weather is really fine, there will be delicious mushrooms to eat.”

Ying Yan nodded at Ji Hao with exceptional approval. This child knew how to speak; he had tremendous promise indeed. He said with genuine feeling, “Yes, in our Southern Wasteland, aside from other things, the produce of these mountains and forests is abundant beyond measure. Ah, fresh scarlet-skirt mushrooms, stewed together with plump young multicolored-wing parrot chicks—that rich broth, oh, just thinking about it...”

Ji Hao and Ying Yan quickly became fervent devotees of cuisine, chattering back and forth about all manner of delicious mountain delicacies.

Mang Mang bounced along and led the group back to the palace. She leaped onto the mountain spirit’s shoulder and made him carry her slowly up the steps.

Ji Hao shouldered the massive bundle of gems and, laughing and talking with Ying Yan, soon climbed the steps as well and arrived at the square before the palace.

Beneath the archway, Mang Mang looked around in confusion. “Where have these lazybones gone? Old Flame, drag them out and give them a proper flogging. Do they think they need no watch in a rainstorm? Give them a beating so they remember. It’s nothing if it’s here, but if Father catches them abandoning their posts, their heads will be cut off!”

Ying Yan’s expression also changed. He rolled up his sleeves in anger.

Sure enough, the guards beneath the archway were nowhere to be seen. Not a single one of the dozens of soldiers was present. Ying Yan knew all too well how strict his master’s rules were. Abandoning one’s post was no small offense; losing one’s head would be the light punishment, and sometimes it would even drag down the entire tribe.

Ji Hao frowned and scanned the surroundings. He did not believe the soldiers had truly deserted their posts.

Suddenly, within his soul-space, a blizzard of white mist gathered rapidly, and the towering form of the phantom appeared out of thin air. Its voice boomed like thunder: “Run!”

The shout struck Ji Hao so hard that every hair on his body stood on end. He suddenly felt the invisible, savage, and murderous intent that had surrounded them from all sides.

“Run! It’s an ambush, run!” Ji Hao cried out, then sprang into the air, seized Mang Mang from the mountain spirit’s shoulder, and dragged her with him as he darted back down the steps.

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