novelraw Chapter 62 : The Kingdom of Corrosive Drool
Chapter 62 : The Kingdom of Corrosive Drool
Chapter 62: The Kingdom of Corrosive Drool
“An other-dimensional passage in the Sea of Death?”
In the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoming paced back and forth, still shaken by the news Wan Donglai had brought him.
“What kind of creatures exist beyond that passage?”
“Your Majesty, on the other side lies a foreign realm known as the Kingdom of Corrosive Drool. Its inhabitants… are grotesque beings, all with the heads of pigs and the bodies of men.”
“Pig-headed and human-bodied?”
Jiang Zhaoming raised his brows. Such a description was far too bizarre and absurd—almost laughable.
However, Wan Donglai’s expression was grave, without the slightest hint of jest.
“It is absolutely true, Your Majesty. If you wish to see for yourself, this time I happened to bring back several corpses of those Corrosive Drool beings.”
“Bring them here at once!”
A sharp gleam of inquiry flashed through Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes as he decisively gave the order.
Half a cup of tea’s time later—
The heavy courtyard door creaked open. Two soldiers, wrapped thickly in cloth that covered even their noses and mouths, entered. They wore coarse leather gloves on their hands as well.
They struggled to carry in a crude wooden coffin, which landed with a dull thud in the center of the courtyard.
Without hesitation, Jiang Zhaoming strode forward and looked down into the coffin.
The sight that met his eyes made even him—hardened by years of battlefield gore—narrow his pupils sharply.
Inside lay the so-called “Corrosive Drool being.”
A swollen, deformed pig’s head, hideously terrifying, oozed yellow-green pus from its festering flesh. Its broken tusks jutted out through the crooked corners of its mouth.
Below the head, the humanoid body was even more revolting.
The bloated torso was riddled with festering wounds, and the thick, stubby limbs ended in hands eerily similar to human fingers.
“Your Majesty, be careful!” Wan Donglai stepped forward in alarm. “The stench of these creatures is highly poisonous, and their blood can corrode metal and iron alike!”
Jiang Zhaoming covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, frowning deeply. “How powerful is this Kingdom of Corrosive Drool? Could it threaten Anxi Prefecture?”
Wan Donglai gave a bitter smile. “This general has fought them over a hundred times. Though I’ve slain several generals at the Myriad Phenomena Realm, their true strength remains unfathomable.”
“Myriad Phenomena Realm?” Jiang Zhaoming’s expression hardened. “Has this matter been reported to the imperial court?”
“I submitted memorials more than ten years ago,” Wan Donglai said helplessly. “Divine General Qin personally entered the passage to investigate. He discovered that the enemy possesses many Golden Body Realm experts stationed within—perhaps even some at the Profound Core Realm.”
Upon hearing that the Kingdom of Corrosive Drool might harbor Profound Core Realm experts, Jiang Zhaoming’s brows furrowed tightly. Then Wan Donglai went on.
“Most of the officials in court believed that, since we have Zhenlong Pass as a defensive line, we could simply abandon Anxi Prefecture and hand that passage to the Western Regions’ nations.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s chest tightened, nearly bursting into curses.
Since taking command of Anxi Prefecture, he had already been overwhelmed by rebel uprisings and the constant threats from Great Jin and Great Liao.
Now, out of nowhere, appeared an other-dimensional passage—one leading to a realm with Golden Body experts?
He drew a deep breath, forcing down his surging anger.
Seeing this, Wan Donglai spoke solemnly, “Your Majesty, please don’t be angered. Though dangerous, this matter isn’t without its benefits.”
Jiang Zhaoming looked up. “Oh? What insight does General Wan have?”
Wan Donglai nodded. “Divine General Qin set up formations on the other side of the passage, greatly reducing the chance of the Corrosive Drool beings discovering it.”
He paused, then took out from his robe a milky-white paste that exuded a faint fragrance.
“This substance is what the Corrosive Drool beings smear upon their bodies to prevent decay. But I accidentally discovered that when burned, its scent clears the mind and sharpens concentration.”
Jiang Zhaoming nodded slightly. The item was intriguing, though not of great consequence.
Seeing this, Wan Donglai drew out yet another object—a transparent crystal that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
“This one, however, is far more precious. It was taken from an elite commander of the Corrosive Drool. I named it Body-Tempering Demon Crystal. When soaked in water and drunk, it greatly enhances one’s cultivation speed.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s gaze sharpened. “By how much?”
“For ordinary soldiers, one to twofold,” Wan Donglai replied. “For those of exceptional talent, even threefold or more.”
“What!”
Jiang Zhaoming momentarily lost composure, but quickly regained it.
Then Wan Donglai asked in puzzlement, “Has Your Majesty not noticed the difference in the Anxi Army’s regular soldiers?”
Jiang Zhaoming thought back, and Xu Guangqi beside him reminded, “Your Majesty, over ninety-nine percent of the Anxi Army’s soldiers are above the Blood Refining Realm, and more than half exceed the fifth layer of that realm.”
Jiang Zhaoming was stunned. He had thought those soldiers were elite troops—never realizing they were merely the regular rank and file.
“Your Majesty, though the Body-Tempering Demon Crystals are miraculous, each crystal can only make a single pool of water—enough for ten thousand soldiers to train for one month.”
Even so, Jiang Zhaoming was deeply moved.
“How many of these crystals does the Anxi Army have stored?”
“Seventy-two remaining in the depot,” Wan Donglai answered respectfully, “but we acquired forty-seven more this expedition, for a total of one hundred and nineteen.”
Jiang Zhaoming asked again, “Then, General Wan, can you tell me in detail the true current strength of the Anxi Army?”
“Your Majesty, the Anxi Army now numbers two hundred seventy thousand soldiers, with only a small portion below the Blood Refining Realm, and fifty-six generals at the Divine Power Realm. The Yili Army has seventy thousand soldiers and nine Divine Power generals.”
Jiang Zhaoming exhaled slowly—not with relief, but with growing heaviness.
Ten years ago, the Anxi Army had six hundred thousand troops and seventy-two Divine Power generals; the Yili Army had a hundred thousand men.
Though their quality back then was far inferior to now—
In ten years, both armies had lost nearly half their strength. What kind of brutal war could cause such losses?
Even with their current might, they could not spare a single soldier to reinforce the prefecture.
What horrified him most was that since entering camp, he had seen fewer than twenty thousand stationed troops—and over thirty percent were wounded.
These Body-Tempering Demon Crystals were bought with the blood and lives of countless soldiers!
And even then, they only barely maintained the two armies’ stability. They had no strength left for more.
It was imaginable how terrifying the battles against the Corrosive Drool must have been—and how powerful their foes were.
The more Jiang Zhaoming thought, the heavier his expression became, his brows unconsciously knitting tighter.
Noticing this, Wan Donglai assumed he hesitated and immediately knelt on one knee.
“If Your Majesty requires them, this general is willing to offer up all remaining Body-Tempering Demon Crystals to aid Your Majesty’s army!”
To his surprise, Jiang Zhaoming slowly shook his head.
“Leave them to the Anxi soldiers. How could I, for selfish gain, endanger our frontier troops?”
A trace of inner struggle flickered in his eyes.
The temptation of such cultivation-boosting treasures was undeniable. Yet if taking them weakened the border army, leading to more soldiers dying in the sands—would that not be drinking poison to quench thirst?
Wan Donglai was moved at heart.
This young Prince of Anxi truly understood the greater good.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhaoming fell into thought again.
Though he had no intention of taking from the Anxi Army, that did not mean he had no interest in the Kingdom of Corrosive Drool’s wonders.
He had once glimpsed a divine item in the River of Fortune—the Vein-Purifying Crystal.
But the Vein-Purifying Crystal subtly altered one’s innate talent over time; it did not directly multiply cultivation speed.
To obtain more Body-Tempering Demon Crystals, they would have to slay more Corrosive Drool beings—which would, in turn, benefit the Anxi Army as well.
A cold gleam flashed in Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes.
“General Wan, where exactly is that other-dimensional passage?”
“Your Majesty, ten li south of our main camp,” Wan Donglai replied, pointing southward. “That is precisely why we established the camp here on this barren plain instead of the oasis behind.”
Jiang Zhaoming nodded slightly.
No wonder the Anxi Army chose to endure such harsh conditions.
This place was nearer to Ronglu County than to the western prefecture.
If the Corrosive Drool beings invaded en masse, Ronglu County would be the first to suffer, and soon the entire eastern prefecture would fall into ruin.
“I understand.”
Jiang Zhaoming gazed into the southern horizon, thoughts stirring.
Whether for the sake of the Body-Tempering Demon Crystals or to lessen the Anxi Army’s casualties, he had to act.
Perhaps the Sandworm Nest he had seen in the River of Fortune could finally be of use.