Archfiend

Chapter 127: Preparations (1)

No one knew whatsoever that Xu Yangyi grasped in his hands the sheepskin scroll and the Animus Armament. Moreover, none were aware… that he had once personally gone there! He had walked across the thousand-meter-long enormous demon body! And moreover even returned alive!

The myriad streams returned to the ocean. Presently, all clues pointed towards the lotus sea, yet it was possible that it was located in Longsu Province’s Danxia Temple Colonnades, within one of the eight great deadlands! Over yonder, there was a secret buried below and hidden by an emperor in the past. That place concealed the Millennium Grudge which Ming Guangzong wanted to tell him of.

Xu Yangyi’s gaze coolly looked towards Zhao Wuye. The eight great deadlands were awesomely terrible and mighty, however, never was it capable of curbing cultivators’ explorations. Til now, it was unknown as to how many geniuses were buried in these eight places. Nonetheless, each year there were countless of cultivators that came to fill void left by their comrades as usual.

Going there would be an unparalleled danger, so one simply couldn’t rashly set out without careful consideration. 

“I’ll give you a mailbox.” Eventually, Xu Yangyi said indifferently: “Tonight, I hope to see all details pertaining to the Zhao Clan’s operations in this mailbox. That includes squadron personnel, configurations, equipment, and so on. Should you contact me later on, do it through this mailbox.”

Zhao Wuye took a deep breath: “Sure, no matter whether our collaboration succeeds or falls through, I won’t speak a word about you having this item.” He understood this was the prerequisite of him leaving here alive today. 

Concerning his discreteness, Xu Yangyi nodded, and the corner of his mouth soon curved up imperceptibly. Right now… the Zhao Clan didn’t know who he was… If a true decision were to be settled and the deadland of Danxia Temple charged through, when the time came, what kind of face would the other party have upon seeing the Xingtian Legion?

Who Zhao Wuye desired to cooperate with was behind Xu Yangyi, the Xingtian Legion! Only as this legion truly became powerful would it then become something that Xu Yangyi could truly rely on! 

In this twinkling, Xu Yangyi made a firm resolution without the slightest hesitation. Now was the time for the Xingtian Legion to flash its fangs towards the cultivation world.

“Mr. Gao, may I take my leave first?” Zhao Wuye probed.

“Alright.” Xu Yangyi nodded noncommittally. 

Zhao Wuye left swiftly, and Xu Yangyi stood in place for a short moment. He then departed the small house.

Peony had long since been standing where she originally was, anxiety coloring full her face. Just as she saw Xu Yangyi, she immediately bee-lined: “Commander, are you okay? Didn’t an explosion just occur? What happened?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Xu Yangyi shut his eyes and rested: “Li Zongyuan, drive the car back to Panshan City at once. Peony, notify Mao Ba’er, Cheng Jianfeng, and Zhou Tingting to enter the conference room right away and prepare.”

“Yes!”

Silent, after several seconds passed, Xu Yangyi’s voice quietly rang out: “The Xingtian Legion is ready to convene our Legion Inauguration Meeting.” 

Peony’s gaze twinkled again and again, and the blood in her heart boiled hot. It even made her face start to flush. In the same vein, Li Zongyuan’s gaze flashed, and his hands ferociously gripped the steering wheel! 

Two years… Two whole years! The Xingtian Legion was at long last intending to get ready and set out! Legion inauguration was a rather complicated task mired in many details. There were all kinds of registrations, form replies to subordinates, legion insignia establishment, and the creation of a team objective. In no way could an A-rank legion band together a few so-called “experts” and say they were established. Perhaps they had no sense of shame, but Xu Yangyi still wanted to save face.

“Is there a chief objective? Commander?” Peony’s ample bosom faintly heaved up and down, and she pursed her lips as she looked at Xu Yangyi: “I-I can go make the preparations immediately!”

Of course there’s an objective… Xu Yangyi beared a sliver of a smile as he closed his eyes in recuperation. It’s just that I don’t want to frighten you guys too badly with this goal...

With a decision resolved to, just do it.

The Eternal Alchemy Canon was his greatest trump. In order to completely unveil this card, Xu Yangyi was willing to brave the danger of conducting the first probe. After several hours, he appeared in the legion conference room for the first time. This location was within the Featherwood Guard branch. Several major A-rank legions had their own meeting rooms. Naturally, it wasn’t necessarily that these rooms couldn’t be set up in other places. Merely, Xu Yangyi presently didn’t find this need essential.

As he walked into the meeting room, everyone was sitting there within. Mao Ba’er, Peony, Zhou Tingting, Cheng Jianfeng, and Li Zongyuan. This was all the current personnel of the Xingtian Legion.

Assistant: Peony. Financial Coordinator: Mao Ba’er. Legionnaires: the remaining three people. 

Xu Yangyi’s expression was as usual, but he didn’t speak straight away. His gaze swept through everyone, and in his heart, he inwardly nodded. Although not a single one of them were at the middle stage of Qi Condensation, their cultivations had grown. This demonstrated that in these two years, they hadn’t lazed about at all.

At the moment, everyone’s gazes were akin to torches, brightly burning on him. The two words of legion inauguration were spoken easily, but after this founding, Xu Yangyi would truly possess his own power! A banner to be pulled belonging to himself! A voice to make the cultivation world listen to him!

A legion was the aggregate of cultivators contesting for resources. The greater the fame, the greater the number of media interviews, the investment endorsements of each major corporation in the cultivation world, and an unending stream of resources to support each person’s cultivation!

“I believe everyone already knows.” Xu Yangyi laughed: “Starting from today, the Xingtian Legion will be joining the recruitment process of legion inauguration.”

As far as the eyes could reach, Zhou Tingting and Cheng Jianfeng’s breathing began to turn rough and heavy.

“C-Commander!” Cheng Jianfeng’s excited voice somewhat trembled: “We’re finally beginning to formally recruit?”

“The legion..” Zhou Tingting was also stirred to excitement, a tad unable to control herself: “Maybe… Maybe we’ll be able to walk like the other legions, a hundred answers to a single call! How many people will request us to take missions…”

The crook of Xu Yangyi’s mouth faintly perked upwards. Maybe? No. Definitely! With the support of the Eternal Alchemy Canon, I am the last pill master in the End of Days! Since none can accomplish this, the spirit stones will be smashing out! In such a case… even if I expose the Emperor Armament someday, who would even dare raise a hand against me?

His heart staunched once again. The legion was capital that he could firmly speak of!

“Commander!” Peony was evidently quite rational, yet a sliver of crimson had likewise graced her face. Pushing on her glasses as she stood up, she bowed respectfully: “As your assistant, once the legion inauguration process has begun, you need not concern yourself with anything else. However, there are two matters of business that I am compelled to remind you of.”

Xu Yangyi nodded and pursed a teacup to his lips: “Please.”

Peony was unrestricted and looked at everyone, her voice bright: “Originally, each province’s paragon joins an A-rank legion as an A-rank legion seedling. In themselves, they can enlist students of the same graduation. Heavens Law’s Qualifier isn’t only a competition, but moreover to make the paragon aware of who is worth recruiting and who is not worthy. But…” 

“But my situation is special, so I have to do the recruiting myself?” Xu Yangyi laughed.

“That’s right.” Mao Ba’er followed up: “Spud, I wanted to remind you of this, too. It’s really expensive for a legion to nurture people! Especially all kinds of advanced equipment purchases for awesome legions. For example, Beijing’s Soaring Serpent; not only do they have various types of state-of-the-art apparatuses, but they moreover have their own R&D team. I roughly planned—granted with your starting capital—enough to outfit ten senior legionnaires to the teeth. As for these so-called senior legionnaires… like me for example?”

This was truly an unbelievable twist! [1]

Xu Yangyi paid no heed to Mao Ba’er: “That’s to say, my current funding can only recruit ten fully armed legionnaires?”

“Yes, this is related to the second issue I want to talk about.” Peony smoothed her lips: “Before the legion starts recruitment, in light of process, there has to be a formal inauguration ceremony. Sir, your participation is compulsory. The judgements of the outside world’s various units concerning the Xingtian Legion’s evaluation will also begin here. Here within, you can still request me to handle things. Sir, although your situation is special, you slayed a successor of God Ming and were the paragon of Nantong Province five years ago…”

“I will do it myself.” Before she even finished speaking, Xu Yangyi indifferently cut her off.

“Alright, I have faith that our Xingtian Legion will be booming in business…” Peony spoke halfway through and suddenly stopped, looking at Xu Yangyi in shock: “Commander… you just said…”

“I will personally campaign for the legion.” Xu Yangyi seemed as natural as if he was talking about just eating breakfast in the morning.

Gosh, a proper appearance and adorable… No! Adorable aside, this isn’t your area of expertise! Isn’t it fine if you just serve as the Xingtian Legion’s core and assume the attractiveness index? What the heck are you doing fighting over my job? Peony was speechless, unable to find the right words.

“Is there a problem?” Xu Yangyi asked.

“Of course… there’s no problem…” Peony said, tongue in cheek: “However, commander, I think that maybe… concerning getting into touch with all the cultivation world’s parties, I’m a bit more familiar… What’s up with you guys?”

Her words were yet to finish, but at this instant, Mao Ba’er and Li Zongyuan both looked like they had eaten the wrong medicine. The light of their eyes scarlet red and their breathing rushed and labored, they stared unwaveringly at Xu Yangyi.

Xu Yangyi had a hidden ace! Both of them knew! In this wink of time, the duo understood why Xu Yangyi wanted to do it himself! Because he had the certainty to do things a hundred times better than Peony! No… Ten thousand times! This was fundamentally un-fucking-related to familiarity or unfamiliarity!

“I…” 

Xu Yangyi fiddled with a cigarette, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a voice interrupt him and shout: “Don’t you talk!”

“Don’t talk! Don’t open your mouth!” Mao Ba’er pressed down on his temples with his fingers, as if he were saying: I want peace. I only wish for peace. Don’t ask who peace is! It’s only an eskimo dog! [2]

“What?” Peony said suspiciously. Zhou Tingting and Cheng Jianfeng were also stunned. What the heck had happened?

“Commander has to do it! He HAS to!” Li Zongyuan had already stood up at his position, rigidly clenching his teeth as he looked at Xu Yangyi, his lips somewhat chapped: “A titanic chance… A titanic chance!”

“You guys…” Zhou Tingting looked oddly at them, unable to make heads or tails: “What the heck…?”

Xu Yangyi naturally understood what they were talking about. An auction… The Xingtian Legion’s auction! An auction to bellow towards all of China’s cultivation world: My Xingtian Legion has come! The legion of I, Xu Yangyi, has come! There could be no better way!

Indeed… this was an opportunity seldom come across once in a thousand records! In the End of Days, the Dao of Pills had come into being again! Merely this headline was sufficient to give to rise to countless sensations and stirrings!

“I have my own plan.” Xu Yangyi said, not batting an eyelid: “First go do the statistics. Peony, I need you and Mao Ba’er to consider the legion inauguration budget in detail.”

Peony didn’t answer straightaway. Instead she looked at Mao Ba’er and then Li Zongyuan and blurted all of a sudden: “Something has happened, and I don’t know?”

Of course something has!!! Inwardly, Li Zongyuan was holding in his breath until his face turned blue! Commander! Wealth and honor won’t come like in Braveness of the Ming! There’s no point in playing being awesome! What are you hesitating for? What are you worried about? Pick up the pace and use the medicinal pill to beat these country bumpkins black and blue! When the Xingtian Legion holds the auction, there’ll be simply no need to think of reputation! [3]

Mao Ba’er didn’t speak and narrowed his crafty canine eyes. After his excitement, he understood the reason why Xu Yangyi had pushed it back. Pills were important, but in the End of Days, the last pill master was even more important! In a situation that couldn’t guarantee absolute security, and given Spud’s cautious nature, in no way would he hastily make a move.

“Of course something has happened.” Xu Yangyi smiled and diverted into another topic: “Before you do the budget, I MUST tell everyone our primary objective this time.”

At the mention of this business, everyone zipped their mouths. Even Li Zongyuan who was scratching the wall at this moment settled down. Xu Yangyi looked at everyone, and the shred of a smile at corner of his mouth slowly vanished bit by bit.

“This time, we’ll be engaged with the worst plan.” His gaze studied the bamboo in his teacup: “The Xingtian Legion’s first objective: “Longsu Province’s Danxia Temple Colonnades.”

“It will be done so with the best standard criterion and the budget of ten legionnaires.”

The scene was suddenly a domain of deathly silence, devoid of a single sound.

[1] Unbelievable twist. This is actually a net slang for Chinese internet users. The actual wording here can be translated as “Godly Twist”. 

[2] So, I’m not exactly sure what Mao Ba’er is going on about here, but there is a play on words. In Chinese, the word for “peace/calm” is 静静 or phonetically “jing2jing2”. It just so happens that this kinda sounds like a pet name? A little on the feminine side? Maybe this is one of Mao Ba’er’s girlfriends. LOL

[3] Braveness of the Ming is a Chinese drama. It is based off a book by an author named Yue Guan. Literal title in Chinese is “brocaded clothes night walk”