Chapter 1224, Three Spots

Translator: Silavin

  

This silhouette was unmistakably old. Wrinkles furrowed across its face like the channels of a dry riverbed. Yet beneath that air of age and frailty, Qin Yichen sensed something distinctly dangerous.

 

This Elder was, without question, the Saint he had perceived.

 

“Jin Xianduan pays his respects to Young Master Ran!”

 

The Elder stepped forward and bowed respectfully towards Jin Ran.

 

“You have worked hard, Elder Duan.”

 

Jin Ran gave a slight nod and spoke in an unhurried tone.

 

“And this is?”

 

Jin Xianduan’s gaze turned towards Qin Yichen, a note of curiosity in his voice.

 

“His name is Qing Chen, a Fellow Brother I met along the way.”

 

Jin Ran gave Qin Yichen a small nod and said, “This is Senior Jin Xianduan, the one our Race has stationed within the Myriad Beasts War Domain.”

 

“Qing Chen greets Senior.”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly. A Saint, residing within the Myriad Beasts War Domain for extended periods simply to keep watch here. The Golden Flame Race’s foundations were truly formidable.

 

And by Qin Yichen’s estimation, the Golden Flame Race almost certainly had more than just the one Saint capable of holding dominion in a place like the Myriad Beasts War Domain.

 

“Heh heh, the young friend carries himself with considerable bearing. No wonder Young Master Ran is willing to befriend you.”

 

Jin Xianduan studied Qin Yichen for a moment before smiling.

 

From the manner in which Jin Ran had walked alongside him shoulder to shoulder, it was not difficult to deduce that the young man possessed considerable strength. If he were merely as strong as he appeared on the surface, Jin Ran would never have treated him so.

 

“We simply got along well, nothing more.”

 

Qin Yichen replied with a composed smile, neither fawning nor distant.

 

“Young Master Ran, there are some matters I would like to report to you in private.”

 

After exchanging pleasantries for a short while, Jin Xianduan’s expression grew slightly grave as he turned to Jin Ran.

 

“Are those few fellows kicking up trouble again?”

 

Jin Ran asked in a mild tone.

 

“Mm, and furthermore…”

 

Jin Xianduan paused, his gaze flickering briefly towards Qin Yichen before trailing off.

 

“Brother Qing, please go and rest first. I will come and find you later.”

 

Jin Ran frowned slightly and addressed Qin Yichen.

 

“En.” Qin Yichen gave a nod, and under the escort of those Martial Ancestors, he swept off towards the city below.

 

In truth, he could already piece together a fair sense of what they wished to discuss.

 

Saints, though hardly rare in the outside world, were in the Myriad Beasts War Domain the very pinnacle of combat strength, capable of dominating entire territories.

 

Granted, some of these Saints had broken through only because certain Top Tier Races had bestowed upon them their grace and resources.

 

Perhaps, in the beginning, such experts harboured genuine gratitude. Yet as their standing rose sharply, how many of those who now ruled over a territory would be content to remain someone else’s chess piece?

 

Even if they feared those Top Tier Races and dared not oppose them openly, covert defiance and silent resistance were almost certainly common.

 

Moreover, Qin Yichen knew that those special locations where Myriad Races War Souls could be found required Saints to lead the way. A single moment of carelessness in such a place carried the very real risk of death, even for a Saint.

 

The Top Tier Races that controlled those special territories would periodically venture inside, and each time they did, they would summon the Saints under their command.

 

Yet every haul gathered from within would belong solely to the Top Tier Race.

 

To risk one’s life entering such a place, to toil through it, and then have all the gains claimed by someone else.

 

Even if one began with gratitude, after enough such excursions, or after witnessing fellow Saints fall within, resentment would inevitably take root.

 

And such resentment was far from uncommon.

 

In fact, several such locations across the Myriad Beasts War Domain had already been seized by Saints who had turned on their former masters.

 

None of this was Qin Yichen’s concern, however. The Golden Flame Race had maintained dominance over these experts for so long that they clearly had their own methods of keeping them in line.

 

He had come simply for the chance to witness a Myriad Races War Soul for himself.

 

Under the escort of those Martial Ancestors, Qin Yichen made his way directly to a grand hall at the centre of the city and settled to rest.

 

There, with no one to disturb him, he cultivated quietly on his own, waiting for Jin Ran to come and find him.

 

This state of affairs persisted for a full half a month before Jin Ran finally appeared at his hall.

 

“Brother Qing.”

 

When they met again, Qin Yichen’s keen senses detected at once a thread of anger, buried deep beneath Jin Ran’s otherwise calm expression.

 

“What is it? Is there something I can help with?”

 

Qin Yichen took in every nuance of his expression without showing it.

 

“Brother Qing, I had originally intended to bring you inside. However…”

 

Jin Ran let out a quiet sigh and hesitated briefly before continuing.

 

“What is it?”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly. His entire reason for following Jin Ran here was the Myriad Races War Soul. If he could not get in, had he not made the entire trip for nothing?

 

“Brother Qing may not be aware, but the spots available to enter that place each time are limited. Beyond the Saints, only three spots are available per entry.”

 

Jin Ran’s brow creased. “*Hmph.* Those two shameless individuals have actually put forward the demand that each of them be permitted to bring one person inside.”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, genuinely not having anticipated such a development.

 

Three spots. Jin Ran’s two so-called ‘shameless individuals’ were almost certainly the Saints who held dominion in their own territories, and the last spot naturally belonged to Jin Ran himself.

 

“Brother Jin, how has this typically been divided in the past?”

 

Qin Yichen could not help but ask out of genuine curiosity. If those Saints were being allowed to develop their own forces at will, they might well use the Myriad Races War Soul to cultivate new Saints of their own. Surely the Golden Flame Race would never allow such a thing to happen?

 

“We are the ones who set these spots.”

 

Jin Ran paused, his expression carrying a flicker of embarrassment, followed swiftly by irritation. “If not for that fool Jin Mi getting himself killed, with countless clansmen now squabbling over his position, would I have come here alone this time…”

 

Upon hearing this, Qin Yichen had to fight the urge to react. Jin Mi’s standing within the Golden Flame Race had not been low. While it was not his hand that had struck the killing blow, Jin Mi had been gravely wounded by him first before someone else finished the job, so by any reckoning, the matter was not entirely unrelated to him.

 

“Heh heh, Brother Jin, if one brings dead weight along inside, the only ones who suffer are ourselves, are they not.”

 

Qin Yichen adopted a suitably aggrieved expression and spoke with great feeling.

 

“Does Brother Qing have any ideas?”

 

Jin Ran’s brow lifted. He naturally understood the terrifying nature of the Myriad Races War Soul, and the last thing he wanted was to see those Saints’ subordinates benefit from it.

 

“Let them bring their people. Then simply kill them. Would that not resolve it?”

 

Qin Yichen let out a quiet laugh and said in an easy tone.

 

“Brother Qing is suggesting…”

 

Upon hearing this, a peculiar light flickered through Jin Ran’s eyes.

 

With Qin Yichen laying it out so plainly, a plan had already taken shape and begun to turn in Jin Ran’s mind.

 

“Ha ha! Brother Qing, when they arrive, I shall leave it entirely to you!”