Chapter 149: Soul-Split Crystal

Qingjin thought to herself: It seems I will have to train them rigorously from now on; otherwise, whenever they get caught by Qing Xiaohu, it never ends well.

In the end, Qing Hu did not let the glowing finches and the little cat off until the finches' wings were too heavy to lift and the little cat's legs had gone stiff. However, she did have Jiuquan and Qingquan prepare a medicinal bath for the little ones.

Therefore, early the next morning, both the little birds and the little cat were still able to stand before her, trembling slightly.

Qing Hu nodded in satisfaction.

"Good children must see things through to the end, and exercise cannot be given up halfway. We will continue the training today."

The little birds and the little cat were moved to tears, whimpering softly without daring to make a sound.

Could one be excused from training just by crying? That was impossible.

Only this time, the ones supervising their training were Bird Dad and Cat Dad.

At last, it was not the Demon King Hu. The little ones let out a collective sigh of relief.

It was terrifying!

...

The Gray Elephant caravan traded two carriage loads of goods with the Fire-Tailed Pheasant clan, entirely through barter. They loaded up on a large amount of fire cotton, packing the two compartments almost to the point of bursting.

Caravans in the Eastern Wasteland were always like this. They brought goods along the way, and as they passed through various tribal settlements, they would trade a portion of their cargo with the local tribes. Barter was the universal method here; who on earth would circulate purple gold coins across the vast expanses of the Eastern Wasteland?

They were too heavy and had low value. Even spirit stones were unpopular; goods were preferred. When they finally reached their destination, they would dump a massive quantity of goods all at once. A single trading expedition could yield a profit of ten times, or even dozens of times, their original investment.

Running a caravan in the Eastern Wasteland was truly immensely profitable.

The problem was that weaker tribes had no way to venture out and trade.

Take human caravans, for instance; at best, they could only tag along with powerful caravans. The protection fee alone required a massive fortune or precious treasures.

If the Gray Elephant caravan made a fortune, the other smaller, weaker caravans traveling alongside them would at best earn five or six times their profit.

Even that was substantial, driving countless people to fight for a chance to join or desperately form their own caravans.

Alas, the mortality rate of Eastern Wasteland caravans was simply too high. Take Zhou Canghai, for example: his grandfather, biological father, grand-uncle, uncles—so many family members had died on the road while leading trade expeditions, and even their corpses could not be recovered.

Zhou Canghai was only in his forties, yet he had already escaped five or six fatal disasters. On one occasion, the entire caravan returned with only him as the sole survivor.

Both his biological father and eldest brother had perished in that trading crisis.

The Gray Elephants began setting off one elephant at a time. His fifth son trotted up to his side and whispered, "Father, I saw it clearly. Those three reside in elephant carriage number thirty of the caravan."

At that very moment, another elephant carriage began to move, bearing two snow-white characters painted on its rear cabin: "Thirty".

This carriage was somewhat more exquisite than the others, with delicate gauze curtains hanging from its wooden windows.

"Father, the Gray Elephant clan is extraordinarily respectful to the three Shen siblings, treating them as if they were revered ancestors. They are provided with delicious food and fine drinks for three meals a day, along with all sorts of fruits and snacks. Even the high-ranking officials of the Dao Court do not enjoy such luxury.

Before that carriage departed, I saw two members of the Gray Elephant clan carrying two large baskets filled with numerous spiritual fruits such as fire berries, fire apples, and fire crow fruits, delivering them straight to their cabin."

The boy speaking was only fifteen or sixteen years old, sharp, endearing, and well-spoken. He was one of Zhou Canghai's most trusted sons.

"It seems that old man Zhou Kang didn't lie to us after all. Those three bear the surname Shen and are descendants of gods," Zhou Canghai said with mixed emotions, recalling what Zhou Kang had told him during their voice-transmission barter for the fire cotton.

"Achoo—" Zhou Canghai's eldest son, well over thirty years old and usually a very steady person, couldn't help but spit out in shock upon hearing his father's muttering.

"What? Descendants of... gods?"

"Correct, they are divine descendants. If they weren't descendants of gods, why would the Gray Elephants treat them with such reverence? And how else could a casual word from them secure us the fifth position? This spot is exceptionally favorable; I don't know how many caravans further back are green with envy."

"Yes, yes, Father is right. As long as we hold a top-ten position, we can avoid losing many lives and lose fewer goods," Zhou Yuanlang said.

"Indeed, we are merely riding their coattails for a windfall this time," Zhou Canghai remarked. In past years, even when traveling alongside the Wooden Bear caravan, they had suffered heavy casualties and lost plenty of goods. The main reason was that they always brought up the rear; whenever trouble struck, they were invariably the ones to suffer.

"However, we must still remain highly vigilant and even more cautious. The Gray Elephants are not Wooden Bears; they are far too overbearing, plowing straight ahead through everything in their path. The routes they take are not paths ordinary caravans dare to tread. Following them means we will encounter greater dangers.

I heard that previously near the Blood Bone Grasslands, some stragglers at the very back had their blood drained dry by blood-sucking mosquitoes and perished."

"There are simply too many caravans and stragglers tagging along this time. There are around fifty caravan groups alone, and the stragglers reportedly number five or six hundred. Those stragglers have no one to organize them; they swarm about all day like headless flies.

Furthermore, they are at the rear and haven't paid any protection fees. They are bound to meet their doom sooner or later," Zhou Yuanlang said.

According to the rules of the Eastern Wasteland, stragglers were exempt from protection fees.

If you wished to walk, you walked; if you did not, you stopped. The leading caravan would not care whether you lived or died.

"Pay them no mind. We just need to take care of ourselves," Zhou Canghai said coldly.

"Yet some stragglers frequently wander over to our section of the caravan. They seem acquainted with the people from the Dao Court, and perhaps they are Dao Court members themselves. I notice them constantly coming over to hitch free rides and ordering the caravan's hired hands around."

"The next time they cause trouble, hand the wagons over for them to drive themselves. If they can keep up with our main group, fine; if they can't, consider it their own bad luck." Who could survive running a caravan in the Eastern Wasteland without being ruthless?

Especially someone like Zhou Canghai, who had seen all kinds of eccentric and burdensome people.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuanlang looked slightly hesitant. "Will the Dao Court hold a grudge against us?"

"If the people they cultivate are useless, what does that have to do with us?" Zhou Canghai said indifferently. "Besides, there are so many people in the Dao Court; what does it matter if a few die in the wilderness?"

Zhou Yuanlang couldn't help wanting to laugh at that.

The Gray Elephant caravan advanced rapidly all the way. Where there was no road, they simply trampled out a highway, traversing mountains and ridges. Even when encountering strange black mists or green mists, they plowed right through them.

The giant elephants possessed monstrous physical enhancement, and once those massive feet came down, what could possibly remain?

The Gray Elephant alien race cared not whether what lay beneath was a tomb or some other bizarre entity. They simply flattened it with their steps.

After a few heavy footsteps passed, the ground instantly transformed into hard earth suitable for carriage tracks.

Trampling all the way like this, any miasma, venomous insects, malevolent ghosts, or fierce beasts' lairs vanished—all of them completely gone.

Wherever the giant gray elephants trod, strange and perilous forbidden zones instantly transformed into smooth, wide thoroughfares.

For ten consecutive days, they marched rapidly by day and camped to rest by night, leaving ample time for everyone to recover.

However, continuously utilizing physical giantization and trampling also had its drawbacks: it took a toll on the elephants' foundations. While outsiders couldn't tell with the lead giant elephants, Qing Hu saw through it at a glance—their bodies seemed hollowed out and depleted.

It seemed their bloodlines were mediocre, and continuously operating divine abilities day after day was indeed unsustainable. These ten elephants had not only damaged their foundations but even shortened their lifespans. If left unattended, these elephants would be fortunate to live another three to five years at most.

Little Brother Ji obviously realized that this leading batch of elephants had reached their limit. He immediately instructed his clansmen during camp to relocate them from the lead position of number ten down to the tail of the elephant train.

They would let them recuperate first, and if that proved ineffective, these ten elephants would simply have to be abandoned.

Since the elephants were so hardworking and enduring, how could Shen Qing Hu have the heart to let them suffer a loss?

Thus, seeing the Gray Elephant tribesmen unhitch the elephants from the front carts and lead them toward the rear,

she immediately leaped down from her own elephant carriage and waved at the elephant walking past her.

"Lady Shen?" Little Brother Ji saw her dismount and wait for the elephant to walk toward her, so he hurried over as well.

By this time, the first large mother elephant had approached Shen Qing Hu.

*Trumpet!*

This elderly mother elephant seemed delighted to see Shen Qing Hu.

Qing Hu waved at it, then said, "Open up." Immediately afterward, a speck of golden-yellow radiance was tossed by Qing Hu into the mother elephant's mouth.

*Trumpet, trumpet, trumpet, trumpet!!*

The mother elephant cried out joyfully, appearing as though it wanted to stand upright, its eyes filled with an unprecedented clarity and brightness.

*Trumpet, trumpet, trumpet,* it cried out and knelt down once more. This time, it was a gesture of submission and loyalty.

"Why so polite? This is what you earned through your hard work. Go to the back and properly refine the divine crystal in your belly. It will be of immense benefit to you."

*Trumpet, trumpet, trumpet...*

Hearing Qing Hu's soothing words, the mother elephant trumpeted gleefully.

"Off you go, hurry along. We give one to each elephant, perfectly fair and square." Qing Hu smiled and waved, signaling the elephant to leave quickly.

The mother elephant walked away obediently with a renewed spirit, rubbing its trunk against Qing Hu's skirt just before departing.

"Hurry up and leave, don't tug at my skirt. What kind of terrible habit is this?"

At this moment, Little Brother Ji's face was etched with pure astonishment.

"Milady, you actually took out divine crystals to feed them?"

"They've been working hard for days, why shouldn't they have a bite of a divine crystal?" Qing Hu thought to herself that to avoid any mishaps, she had even refined a divine crystal anew, purged the impurities and violent energy, and divided a single crystal into ten pieces.

Each elephant only received a piece the size of a fingernail.

"Well, yes, I suppose so." Little Brother Ji forced a wry smile. *Good heavens, Milady, you actually fed divine crystals to our domesticated elephants. Shouldn't you have handed them over to us Gray Elephant tribesmen instead? Aren't we much cuter, more diligent, and harder-working than elephants?*

*Milady, we even brought you plenty of delicious food and drinks. Can elephants bring you those?*

Taking advantage of the moment, Qing Hu fed a divine crystal to another elephant.

The elephant that ate the divine crystal instantly lit up in the eyes. It playfully swung its trunk around Shen Qing Hu, attempting to lift her up.

Qing Hu: *I never expected you to be that kind of elephant.*

It also looked several sizes smaller than the previous mother elephant.

This must have been a young bull elephant that had just reached maturity, quite playful and mischievous. Having been rebuffed by Qing Hu, it still stubbornly tried to turn its head and wrap its trunk around her again.

Qing Hu dodged aside.

What a troublesome little elephant, completely devoid of situational awareness.

"Work hard; once we reach my home, I certainly won't treat you unfairly," Qing Hu said with an encouraging tone as she looked at Little Brother Ji. Anyway, once she managed to open her private treasury, divine crystals would be as abundant as she wanted.

Little Brother Ji smiled. "Very well, very well. We follow Milady's every instruction."

Since she could casually reward a herd of domesticated elephants with a divine crystal, what reason did they have to worry about lacking good treasures?

All ten elephants had each received a divine crystal. Upon reaching the end of the train, they didn't even need to carry cargo anymore; they simply followed their beaming handlers to find a designated spot and rest.

The ten newly replaced elephants looked full of energy and bright-eyed from the start, lifting their handlers' spirits as well.

When the previous batch of elephants had been demoted to the rear, the handlers had felt a sense of shared sorrow, assuming their own elephants would be the next victims.

After more than ten days of continuous trampling along the way, anyone handling the elephants could clearly see that this was exhausting the animals' foundations and vitality to unleash divine abilities.

Though they didn't know why their young master insisted on doing this, it was impossible for them not to harbor some secret resentment. Why ruin good elephants like this?

Why must they constantly use giantization all the way?

Couldn't they just walk quietly for a stretch?

As it turned out, every cloud has a silver lining; that divine descendant lord had taken pity on the elephants' toil and bestowed a divine crystal upon each of them.

Good grief, that was a divine crystal!

If the elephants refined those divine crystals, they might even evolve into divine-blood creatures.

And of course, if the Gray Elephant tribesmen refined the divine crystals—cough, cough—there was still a sliver of a chance they could awaken divine blood and become divine descendants.

Refining a divine crystal turned a sapient race into divine descendants, and a non-sapient race into divine-blood creatures.

Once the elephants refined the divine crystals, their bloodlines and combat prowess would experience a massive leap forward. Divine crystals could bring about a transformative metamorphosis for them.

Having distributed the divine crystals to the ten elephants, Qing Hu clapped her hands and returned to her carriage.

However, the camp outside immediately erupted into a commotion.

Divine crystals—those were divine crystals.

The crucial question was: whose supply of divine crystals was so abundant that they could afford to feed them to domesticated elephants?

Even the Gray Elephant alien race wasn't that extravagant.

Little Brother Ji was promptly summoned away by his own father.

"What is the meaning of this? I assigned you to follow that lord and serve her, not to encourage her into feeding divine crystals to the domesticated elephants. Even fragments are far too wasteful." Little Brother Ji's father was a high-level expert stationed to guard the caravan.

He ignored all routine administrative matters of the caravan, devoting his heart and soul solely to cultivation and guarding the group.

His son was responsible for managing all mundane affairs of the caravan.

Therefore, his father's questioning was entirely justified.

"How could I possibly control that lord? She is a divine descendant lord; she naturally does as she pleases. Seeing that the elephants had worked hard and wishing to spare them from death, she distributed a few divine crystal fragments. However, each fragment was at least the size of a fingernail, which is more than enough for each elephant to undergo a metamorphosis.

Perhaps once these elephants refine the divine crystal fragments, their weak divine abilities can advance even further," Little Brother Ji said with a grin.

"An elephant remains an elephant. If our clansmen had refined those divine crystal fragments—like you, or your old man—wouldn't we grow faster and have a greater future than elephants?" Little Brother Ji's father retorted. He looked strikingly similar to Little Brother Ji, resembling an older version of him.