Chapter 135 Military Base
As He Jianzhu smiled softly, her plain black dress gradually faded and drifted away.
Xia Feng instinctively reached out to grab it but caught nothing, watching as the spirit particles in his palm continued to overflow.
"Third, and most importantly, be careful of Mu Qingtong." Her smiling face slowly vanished, leaving only a faint whisper lingering in the air.
The giant octopus in the distance also disappeared as He Jianzhu dissipated.
Xia Feng focused his thoughts, and the hundreds of people trapped within the octopus's head were immediately expelled from the disaster realm, returning to the real world.
After obtaining authority over the disaster realm, Xia Feng became aware of the outside world. Four military personnel stood in the far distance. It seemed appropriate to hand over these long-isolated survivors to the authorities.
Though he had saved them from the disaster realm, Xia Feng did not personally accept their gratitude. For these people, leaving the disaster realm might not necessarily be a good thing.
In the end, how the authorities handled them—whether imprisoning them or pardoning them due to the disaster realm's rules—was none of Xia Feng's concern.
Only Mu Qingtong remained in the space, and she approached Xia Feng.
"Your mother's spirit just dissipated. Is she dead?" Xia Feng asked, somewhat confused.
The woman in the black dress shook her head. "She has many clones. It's not easy to kill her."
"I didn't ask whether it was easy to kill her. Did you hear my question?"
"Mr. Xia, you seem to have a favorable impression of He Jianzhu?" The woman in the black dress tilted her head slightly, her quiet face staring at Xia Feng with clear eyes.
Xia Feng shrugged. "At the very least, she seems to have great goodwill toward me. She even wants to help me obtain the holy solution. Do you know how difficult it is to get the holy solution?"
He blinked and then asked, "The relationship between you two seems strained. May I ask why?"
Mu Qingtong pursed her lips and did not answer. Instead, she whispered, "Mr. Xia, I'll only warn you once—be careful of He Jianzhu. She is very dangerous."
"Why?"
"No reason."
Xia Feng was speechless. One told him to be wary of Mu Qingtong, the other warned him about He Jianzhu, yet neither gave a proper explanation. Were they playing riddle games with him?
"Forget it. Let's not dwell on this for now. We should leave."
Even with temporary control over the disaster realm, Xia Feng couldn't stay for long before its rules reshaped themselves.
Sensing multiple exits within the Seven-Eye Disaster Realm, he located one farther from Far-River Town.
The two stepped out of the disaster realm.
Next, Xia Feng sold Mu Qingtong three second-level Spirit Storage Fruits and ten Spirit Infusion Fruits.
Since both fruits were rare in the market with no fixed price, Mu Qingtong proposed 200 million imperial coins per second-level Spirit Storage Fruit and 300 million per Spirit Infusion Fruit.
Xia Feng found the total of 3.6 billion imperial coins unrealistic and asked when she intended to pay.
Mu Qingtong calmly stated she would owe it for now and let him set the interest.
Xia Feng was stunned. This woman had an unshakable confidence in repaying the debt—was she planning to rob a bank?
However, he didn't press further. Money wasn't his main concern. He simply wanted Mu Qingtong to eat well, sleep well, and train diligently every day.
So he agreed to the price and generously waived the interest.
The transaction was settled smoothly and fairly.
Before parting, Mu Qingtong mentioned she had consumed too many Spirit Storage Fruits recently and needed time to stabilize her spirit particle structure.
Xia Feng supported the idea, saying he would do the same and surprise the "weak Miss Mu" when they next met.
They temporarily went their separate ways.
Of course, Xia Feng didn't return home. Instead, following He Jianzhu's guidance, he headed to the outskirts of District 51.
The guidance provided a vague sense of the holy solution's location—specifically, 50 ml of it.
The closer he got, the clearer the sensation became.
The materials required for the holy solution included 100 ml of holy solution liquid, the Path of Life-Revealing, and 100 obsidian stones of the original attribute.
The list was extensive, but gathering 100 ml of holy solution liquid would grant him a brief experience of the holy solution's power. He already had 40 ml—if he secured another 50 ml, he'd be close to his goal.
Soon, he arrived at the edge of a forest.
Two rows of dense shade trees lined the path, their dim canopy stretching toward an unknown end.
Xia Feng stood at the entrance, where a white-painted sign with bold red letters stood out:
[Military Stronghold Ahead—No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel]
....
Meanwhile...
"Square? Club?"
A subordinate behind the White Dragon Walker adjusted his glasses, looking up in surprise. "You're saying the two from the Peach Organization introduced themselves as Square and Club? Are you certain?"
At the outskirts of the mountain, the survivors from the calamity realm were being questioned by the military. The one being questioned by the military was one of the five surviving spiritualists from the disaster.
The man nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. I heard them introduce themselves that way when speaking to the two fourth-level leaders."
"Were they wearing masks?"
"No."
"Oh?" A woman in military uniform stepped forward. "Then can you draw their appearances?"
"Of course! I'm actually quite skilled at drawing," the spiritualist replied eagerly.
"Speaking of which, ma'am, are they really from the Peach Organization? They were incredible!" He continued sketching excitedly before sighing regretfully. "If I'd known, I would've worked up the courage to ask for a photo with them!"
Since the Peach Organization's rescue of District 51, they had gained significant fame and numerous online fans. Clearly, this spiritualist counted himself among them.
"Focus on your drawing," the military woman said coldly.
The spiritualist quickly completed portraits of a man and woman.
The faces were ordinary - completely unremarkable, and likely not their true appearances. After examining them, the military woman shook her head and turned to the middle-aged man. "Master White Dragon, the Peach Organization has two new members. Their strength is unfathomable, and they appear connected to He Jianzhu. Should we report this immediately?"
The middle-aged man squatted on a rock wearing flip-flops, puffing on a cigar stub. His disheveled appearance bore no resemblance to a sixth-level venerable.
"Interesting," he mused between smoke rings. "This Peach Organization seems to be making life difficult for those powerful fools behind District 51 lately."
Exhaling slowly, he gazed thoughtfully at the distant mountainside where an entire section of the thousand-meter cliff face had vanished - as if some giant creature had taken a massive bite out of the mountain.
This was the aftermath of the collapsed disaster realm.
"Send a report to the local Holy Ministry," the middle-aged man said, brushing off his pants as he stood. "As for our side, I'll deliver the report personally to determine if we need to dispatch additional investigators."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Xia Feng stood before the "No Entry for Outsiders" sign, deep in thought, when suddenly he sensed violent spatial fluctuations.
Reacting instantly, he activated both his Concealment ability and the Qingtong Mask to vanish from sight.
"Whoosh—"
The sign's surface rippled as a one-meter-tall eye materialized and narrowed instantly. A man covered in filthy blood tumbled out from the eye in panic, collapsing to the ground.
Simultaneously, a powerful yet weakening voice echoed through the air: "Forced escape from the disaster area requires excessive energy expenditure. I must enter dormancy for recovery. You're on your own now."
(End of this chapter)