Chapter 366: Chapter 223: Heavy Losses (Part 2)

This was, of course, provided by Liu Qianlan. Although it wasn’t perfectly accurate, the more important areas were marked on it, which was enough for Ling Changqing’s current needs.

’Hmm, for my next target, I might as well choose this smelting plant. I’ll just destroy it completely!’

Ling Changqing thought to himself. He could handle this alone; he didn’t even need help from Ling Qiyue and Luo Qingxuan in the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land.

After putting away the Jade Scroll, Ling Changqing nonchalantly exited the cave, got his bearings, and departed.

Half a day later, Ling Changqing appeared atop a mountain peak over ten thousand feet high. Spread out on the plain below him was the Qi Family’s Spirit Gold smelting plant.

Huge blast furnaces, shimmering with Spiritual Light, stood upon the plains, spewing plumes of thick smoke. Scorched by raging earthfire flames, molten Spirit Gold flowed endlessly through a network of long trenches. The intense heat was so overwhelming that even Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators would find it difficult to bear.

Spirit Gold Ore, transported from various mines, was brought here to undergo a series of processes: sorting, pulverizing, smelting, separating, filtering, and purifying. It was ultimately transformed into finished, high-purity Spirit Gold Ore Bars, which were then sent to the family’s treasury.

The primary uses for this Spirit Gold were to forge and refine various Magical and Spiritual Artifacts, lay out Arrays, construct cultivation abodes, and engage in trade, among other things.

On the ground below, tens of thousands of able-bodied mortals toiled endlessly under the shouted commands of the family’s disciples, like swarms of industrious ants.

A plant of this scale was naturally expensive to build, and the annual revenue it generated for the family was no small sum.

The Ling Family of the Changqing Continent currently had only one Spirit Gold smelting plant of a similar scale, with another still under construction.

It wasn’t for a lack of Spirit Stones; the main issue was that the Ling Family was currently short-staffed and couldn’t find enough Cultivators to manage operations.

Ling Changqing watched for a moment. As he silently channeled his Magical Power, dozens of massive Thunder Balls, crackling with electricity and exuding a terrifying aura, materialized and began to hover slowly by his side.

A few breaths later, with a light wave of his hand, the dozens of Thunder Balls went whistling down.

"Enemy attack!"

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Qi Family was the first to realize something was wrong. He looked up and was so terrified his soul nearly left his body, prompting him to roar in panic.

’This is the work of a Golden Core Master!’ He was only at Foundation Establishment; there was no way he could withstand such an attack. After shouting the warning, he summoned his Escape Light and frantically fled the scene.

BOOM! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

As a series of earth-shattering explosions rocked the area, the entire smelting plant was thrown into chaos. Amidst the billowing smoke, the massive furnaces collapsed one by one, sending sprays of molten Spirit Gold flying in every direction.

"You wretch! How dare you!"

A Pseudo Core Cultivator roared in fury, brandishing his Spiritual Flying Sword as he charged at Ling Changqing.

"Commendable courage!"

Ling Changqing chuckled. The Cloud Serpent Sword transformed into a thousand-foot-long streak of light, coiling downward like a soaring dragon. It tore through space and easily intercepted the charging Pseudo Core Cultivator.

The man was in a completely different league from Ling Changqing. He barely lasted a few exchanges before a single sword strike took his head, and even his Divine Soul was devoured by the Era Star Palace.

This Pseudo Core Cultivator was the Qi Family member with the highest Cultivation in the area. With him dead, the rest were nothing more than small fry, not even worth mentioning, and Ling Changqing slaughtered them all.

Next came cleaning the battlefield and collecting the spoils. Ling Changqing was an old hand at this, and he went about it with practiced ease.

A moment later, thoroughly satisfied, Ling Changqing departed on his Escape Light.

He had, of course, disguised his appearance and physique, as had Ling Qiyue and Luo Qingxuan. Thus, even if a few Qi Family disciples managed to escape, he had no fear of his identity being exposed.

Over four hours later, a furious and exasperated Qi Songshou finally arrived with reinforcements. By then, however, the entire smelting plant had been reduced to ruins, leaving behind only rubble and the mutilated corpses of his family’s disciples.

By this time, Ling Changqing had already reached one of the Qi Family’s Spirit Gold Mines. There, he repeated the process: killing the defending Cultivators, looting the spoils, and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake before departing.

For the next twenty-odd days, Ling Changqing employed guerrilla tactics, striking once before moving to a new location. He was now locked in a campaign against the Qi Family.

The numerous important targets across the family’s territory—mines, workshops, Spirit Field Medicinal Gardens, ports, and cities—were all ’visited’ by him in turn and utterly destroyed.

All told, Ling Changqing had killed one Golden Core Master, four True Pill Cultivators, nineteen Pseudo Core Cultivators, and hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

As for the Qi Family disciples at the Qi Cultivation Stage, the number was so great that Ling Changqing couldn’t even be bothered to keep track.

This was to say nothing of the astonishing financial losses the Qi Family suffered from the destruction of these important assets. It would likely take them decades to recover.

Meanwhile, the Qi Family Patriarch, Qi Songshou, could only lead his reinforcements on a futile, endless chase, always one step behind Ling Changqing but never able to catch a trace of him.

One Elder proposed setting an ambush at one of the important targets to lure the attacker into a trap, but this, too, was to no avail.

With Ling Changqing’s mastery of the Celestial Secret Technique, it was all too easy to track the movements of the Qi Family’s leadership. He was always able to avoid their traps in time, instead choosing to strike where their defenses were weak.

"...Bastard! That goddamned bastard! Is there really no way to deal with that cursed fiend?!"

In the middle of a devastated pearl fishery, Qi Songshou was livid. His face was flushed crimson, and he was on the verge of losing all reason.