Chapter 56

In the evening, as the sun set, the Langya Mountain in the western suburbs of the imperial capital stood desolate.

Since the last eruption of the subterranean fire, the waterfalls, fountains, strange trees, and exotic plants on Langya Mountain had all been scorched and burned, leaving only a mountain of bare, grotesque rocks, which were extremely ugly and glaring. The residents of Langya Town originally relied on the beautiful scenery of Langya Mountain for their livelihood. Now that the beauty was destroyed, there were no more tourists coming to explore the mysteries, and they had lost their means of survival. Moreover, the volcanic eruption was so terrifying that no one knew if the subterranean fire would erupt again. Therefore, the residents of the town moved away one after another. In a short time, the once bustling Langya Mountain became a desolate wilderness, with no human presence for ten miles, and even a rat was hard to find.

Although Langya Mountain was destroyed and Langya Town was empty, the town was still located at the western gate of the imperial capital, and the only official road passed through here. The mountain was destroyed, but the official road remained.

Song Li lazily lay on the roof of a tavern, basking in the afterglow of the sunset, with a wine jar beside him, occasionally taking a sip, feeling extremely comfortable. Although the tavern was empty, this group of young men managed to dig out several jars of aged fine wine from the cellar, allowing everyone to enjoy it thoroughly.

"Boss, they're here!" Song Li had just taken a sip of wine when Pang Da warned him from the roof in front.

Song Li sat up, raised his千里镜 (千里镜 means "千里镜" in Chinese, which can be translated as "telescope" in English), and looked westward. He saw a group of armored soldiers with bright weapons marching along the official road toward Langya Town. Judging by their position, they were about five miles away from Langya Town and would arrive in about half an hour. A day on the Xingyun Continent has twenty-four hours, so half an hour was not long.

"The target will enter Langya Town in half an hour. Everyone, get into position and prepare to start the operation!" Song Li waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to get ready. He then crouched down and found a hidden spot to lie in wait, with a long, pitch-black rope beside him, the purpose of which was unknown.

It had been over a month since the plot of the Yellow Chancellor. During this time, the loyalists led by the Prince of Zhong had been very low-key. The political atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious, and the tension between the two factions that had existed before was almost gone. Song Li, of course, knew that this peaceful state was just the calm before the storm. The Prince of Zhong, after this blow, was certainly not afraid. His purpose in feigning weakness was to prepare for a more intense outbreak. The problems that Song Li could see, the Holy Emperor and Chancellor Wen also understood clearly. Everyone tacitly agreed, maintaining a harmonious surface while secretly rallying their supporters and expanding their influence to prepare for the next confrontation.

After Song Xinghai took over the three special task forces, he carried out a series of sweeping reforms, many of which were suggested by Song Li. Having experienced an era of information explosion, Song Li had a lot of knowledge to offer. He applied some advanced management practices from his previous life, slightly adapting them to the conditions of the Holy Lion Empire, and presented them to his father. Each time, his father was pleasantly surprised and applauded. The implementation of these management measures in the three special task forces was highly effective.

Even the Holy Emperor did not expect that Song Xinghai, who had never taken on such important responsibilities before, could manage the three special task forces so well. The entire organization was tightly knit, with unprecedented morale and cohesion. Of course, this was after a thorough personnel cleanup. Duke Kang had been deeply involved in the three special task forces for many years, and had placed many of his confidants there. Song Xinghai had to work hard to identify and remove these people. The new personnel were all drawn from the Golden Feather Knights, who were loyal to the Holy Emperor.

Under the Holy Emperor's instructions, the three special task forces had allocated a large portion of their forces to monitor the important officials of the Prince of Zhong. The three special task forces, being specialized intelligence agencies, had unparalleled capabilities in gathering information. During this period, they obtained a lot of useful information for the Holy Emperor, including the news that the tribute from the Western Kingdom of Angzang would arrive in the imperial capital in the next few days.

Due to Song Li's excellent performance, Song Xinghai no longer treated him as an ordinary child. He shared important information and discussed it with him. The news about the Angzang King's tribute arriving soon was told to Song Li by Song Xinghai.

The reason Song Li was in Langya Town was to intercept this batch of tribute.

If the tribute were to be directly delivered to the palace, Song Li would not have had a plan. After all, his family belonged to the Holy Emperor's direct line, and robbing his boss's property would not be honorable. However, the tribute from Angzang was always delivered to the Prince of Zhong's residence first, and then presented to the Holy Emperor by the Prince of Zhong. Song Li did not know how this custom had started, but it was a very frustrating situation. Since the tribute was for the court, why should the Prince of Zhong receive it on behalf of the court? He was not the Holy Emperor, so how could he represent the court?

According to his father, the relationship between the Angzang Kingdom and the Holy Lion Empire was rather delicate. They preferred to deliver the tribute to the Prince of Zhong, and the Holy Emperor could not strongly oppose this. Otherwise, it might lead to a military conflict, which would not benefit the country or the people. In the face of the bigger picture, the Holy Emperor tolerated this and did not make a fuss over it. Over time, it became a custom.

Since the tribute was to be delivered to the Prince of Zhong's residence first, Song Li did not need to be polite.

Through the telescope, Song Li could see that in the middle of the escort group, there were five large carts, each with deep wheel tracks, indicating that they carried a significant amount of valuable goods. Although Song Li liked these things, his main interest in the tribute was the "Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem," which was a century-old herb.

According to his father, the Angzang King's tribute this time included a rare treasure: the Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem.

The Snow Mountain in Angzang is the highest peak on the Xingyun Continent, and the summit is rich in black mud, which is covered by snow all year round. In the black mud at the summit, there grows a long, root-like herb, which is white in color. Its scientific name is "Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem," but it is actually a root, not a stem. It has its own stem, which can penetrate the snow and grow leaves and flowers in the air. The older the black mud stem, the thicker the root, and the better its medicinal effects. A century-old Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem is extremely rare.

The Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem is pure and white, like jade, and it blooms and grows leaves in extreme cold, making it a unique treasure of nature. A century-old Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem can be used as a medicinal ingredient to refine various elixirs, and if added to a Foundation Establishment Pill, it can increase the success rate of foundation establishment by thirty percent! This was the main reason that attracted Song Li.

In the past month, under Yun Lin's meticulous guidance, Song Li had made steady progress and was now capable of refining low-grade earth-level elixirs. His understanding of pharmacology, medicinal ingredients, and the changes in their properties when combined had far surpassed his previous knowledge. Yun Lin felt that Song Li was like a sponge, absorbing knowledge from her every day. Even as the daughter of a Holy Alchemist, who was well-versed and knowledgeable, she felt that she was almost being drained! Her son was learning too fast, and it often made her feel fearful! She had never heard of any alchemist with such a monstrous talent, and she could not predict what level her son would eventually reach!

Yun Lin's fear was a human instinct, a fear of the unknown. At least in her eyes, her son was an "unknown thing."

Since breaking through to the second level of the Qi Induction stage, Song Li's cultivation speed had slowed down significantly. The key issue was that after the Imperial Fire Seed consumed the primordial fire, its appetite had become much larger. Elixirs of the level of the Three Circles Reversion Pill could no longer activate it.

Without the energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed, Song Li's cultivation progress was much slower. The Qi Induction stage was already ten times more difficult to advance than the Body Tempering stage, and the amount of energy required for each level was enormous. Therefore, Song Li urgently needed the help of the Imperial Fire Seed.

The best way to activate the Imperial Fire Seed was to let it consume a primordial fire seed. However, primordial fire seeds were extremely rare, and one might not find one even after searching from childhood to old age. The most conventional method was to refine higher-level elixirs to serve as fuel to activate the Imperial Fire Seed.

Song Li estimated that he would soon be capable of refining mid-grade earth-level elixirs. Before that, he needed to gather the necessary rare and precious ingredients. A century-old Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem was a big catch that had come to him.

According to the intelligence from the Cat Eye Agency, after the Angzang King's tribute reached the Holy River, it was handed over to the guard team sent by Prince Jing. This meant that the current escort team belonged to Prince Jing. Song Li could clearly see through the telescope that the guard team consisted of about three hundred people, while he and his Justice Alliance brothers numbered only about thirty. The disparity in strength was too great, and they could not win by force; they had to use strategy.

Song Li focused his telescope on the face of the general in black armor and on a black horse in the middle of the group. Based on his knowledge of military uniforms, this general was likely a commander of a thousand soldiers, and he was probably the leader of the guard team.

The commander's expression was cold and stern, and he scanned the surroundings with a cautious gaze. Although they were not far from the imperial capital, he did not let his guard down and remained highly alert. It seemed that Prince Jing had entrusted this important task to someone capable.

From Song Li's perspective, he could see that the commander was also at the early second level of the Qi Induction stage, which was already considered a rare expert in the military. In a direct confrontation, Song Li had no guarantee of winning. They were at the same cultivation level, and the commander had extensive experience in life-and-death battles. Without the help of the Imperial Fire Seed, Song Li had almost no advantage.

Fortunately, Song Li did not plan to fight by force. He focused the telescope on the large flag in the commander's hand! The flagpole was much thicker than a regular one, almost as thick as a bowl, and at the top, a triangular apricot-yellow flag fluttered in the wind, with a large black "tribute" character embroidered in the middle!