Chapter 563 - 332: A God’s Scheme Forged, a Buddha’s Skeleton for Fuel

But Ye Jinghong was silent for only three seconds.

"Deal."

He took out a special seal from under the table and tossed it to Han Feng.

"From this day forward, all Divine Soul Crystals officially acquired by East Sea City will be sent to you for processing before they are warehoused and redistributed through the Merit System."

"I’ll also contact the representatives from the other Fortress Cities and do my best to bring their supplies over to you."

"I’ve already thought of an excuse. We’ll just say it’s to improve the crystals’ quality by running them through the Purification of the Military God Divine Realm."

Han Feng accepted the seal, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

’Now *that* was professional. Working with smart people made things so much easier.’

"Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your while."

Han Feng toyed with the seal. "The crystals I process will have fewer side effects.

This will be a good thing for the soldiers under your command who are eager to improve their strength."

With business concluded, the topic naturally shifted to the current military situation.

Ye Jinghong pointed to a large red area in the northwest section of the sand table.

"This is a map compiled from intelligence gathered over the past two days."

"This is the Silent Ridge, the core territory of the Negative Stele Tribe.

Ever since you forced back the Black Fierce Ape army, there’s been no movement from that area at all."

"But my reconnaissance drones show that the Gravity Field fluctuations around the Silent Ridge are getting more and more intense. Any electronic device that gets close malfunctions instantly."

"It’s a true forbidden zone."

Ye Jinghong sighed, his expression grave as he pointed at the Silent Ridge on the map:

"The situation is delicate... We’ve established a foothold, but the sword of Profound Prison is still hanging over our heads, keeping us pinned down."

"We can’t afford a prolonged standoff."

Han Feng cut right through his worries, changing the subject. "If we want to negotiate, we need the strength to go another round with that Qing Cang."

He stood up and walked to the sand table. His gaze didn’t fall on the northwest, which represented Profound Prison, but instead swept over the vast, unknown regions of the map.

"My battle with Qing Shan used up all my trump cards.

Having me face a Tier Four Late Stage being now... it’d be a one-way trip."

Han Feng frankly admitted his predicament, and then a bloodthirsty smirk played on his lips.

"So, before I go ’reason’ with that old turtle, you need to give me some time."

Ye Jinghong was taken aback. "What do you need?"

"To ’restock’."

Han Feng’s finger lightly tapped a remote corner of the map.

"Some powerful tonics that will let me recover my Primordial Qi, and while I’m at it... forge a new trump card."

Ye Jinghong was stunned. "Restock? What resources do you need? We still have plenty of Spiritual Materials in the storehouse..."

"Those aren’t enough."

Han Feng shook his head, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

"What I need are some *really* potent tonics."

"The kind that are alive and kicking. Preferably, ’Wild Gods’ with no powerful backers."

Ye Jinghong felt a chill run down his spine.

He finally understood. When this kid said "restocking," he actually meant hunting gods!

...

「Half an hour later.」

Han Feng left the Central Army Tent and went straight to a pond in a corner of the camp.

This was the area designated for the Split Tooth Tribe.

"Old Crab, get out here. You’ve got a visitor."

Standing by the water’s edge, Han Feng casually tossed a rock in.

SPLASH!

The water churned, and a giant crab surfaced, trembling.

It was the Void Ghost Crab.

It was now afraid of Han Feng to its very core.

Ever since swallowing that wisp of marked divinity, it knew it had tied its fate to a dangerous master and there was no escape.

"L-Lord, you were looking for me?"

The Void Ghost Crab waved its large pincers, its tone obsequious.

"Cut the crap."

Han Feng crouched down, looking at this giant crab that knew what was good for it.

"Got a question for you."

"Are there any other gods within a hundred li of here, besides that old turtle’s faction?"

"My standards aren’t high."

Han Feng counted on his fingers.

"First, they need to be loners with no backing. Taking them out can’t bring a bunch of old geezers down on my head."

"Second, their strength can’t be too high. Tier Four Early or Middle Stage will do."

"Third, and most importantly."

Han Feng licked his lips.

"Meaty, with plenty of blood, and brimming with Life Force."

"I’m feeling a bit drained. I desperately need to recharge."

Hearing this, the Void Ghost Crab’s great pincers trembled.

’Listen to this guy... Is he even human?’

’The way he talks about gods, you’d think he was picking out chickens at the market.’

Its beady eyes darted back and forth as it desperately racked its brain, reviewing the distribution of power in the area.

’I can’t just feed him some nonsense.’

’If I point this guy to someone too tough, it’d be one thing if he didn’t come back. But if he *did* come back, the first thing he’d do is cook me into a spicy crab dish.’

The Void Ghost Crab’s eight compound eyes swiveled rapidly as if weighing the pros and cons. Finally, it cautiously extended a pincer, pointing to the southeast.

"My lord, if we’re talking about a clean background and ’rich pickings,’ then there’s only one place."

Its voice held a trace of fear. "At the edge of the Cyan Miasma Swamp, there is a forbidden land called the Bone Decay Forest.

A Wild God calling itself the ’Rot Body Buddha’ makes its home there."

"That thing... its true form is a thousand-year-old Demon Plant. It later devoured the Golden Body of a Buddhist Vajra it found in some ruins and became this bizarre hybrid.

Its most terrifying ability is to drain the Life Force of any living being that enters its territory and convert it for its own use.

Its physical body is like an endless swamp of flesh and blood. No matter how grievously it’s injured, as long as its Life Force isn’t depleted, it can regenerate instantly."

The Void Ghost Crab added:

"Because of this, it has accumulated a massive amount of Life Essence. But because its Divine Soul is polluted by Buddha Nature and is a chaotic mess, its strength has been stuck at the Mid-stage Temple God level."