Chapter 1097: The Master of the Sky Crystal

“Surely you can’t figure it out either…”
Kai Xin wasn’t surprised by Bai Xiaosheng’s reply. After all, it was an item involving direct interests—something Master Zhou Yi surely couldn’t get his hands on. He immediately crushed the letter in his hand, let out a sigh, lowered his head in thought, and wrote another letter to send to Bai Xiaosheng via pigeon:
“It doesn’t matter if I can’t figure out the Sky Crystal. Just help me determine the locations of three NPCs…” At the end of the letter were the names of a sect leader and the heads of two prominent families.
It didn’t take long before Kai Xin received Bai Xiaosheng’s reply!
In the world three years ago, the three master-level figures who first came into contact with the Sky Crystal were: one in seclusion in the Nan Gong family’s backyard, another teaching at the Han Tian Fortress of the Bei Lie family. But the Sword Sect’s leader wasn’t at his own sect’s headquarters—he had gone to the Tian Shan Mountains, thousands of miles away.
“It’s you.”
His pupils constricted. Kai Xin quickly crushed the letter in his hand, convinced that the Sword Sect’s leader was the true holder of the Sky Crystal—just as it was in the world three years ago. Back then, the Sword Sect’s leader had attached a tracking device to the Sky Crystal. If not for him interfering with the leader’s plans during a mission, the Sky Crystal would undoubtedly have fallen into the leader’s hands.
But…
The task initiator in this world clearly wasn’t that careful, allowing the Sky Crystal to end up in the Sword Sect’s leader’s possession—otherwise, it wouldn’t be in the Tian Shan Mountains!
“He still hasn’t left Tian Shan after all this time. It seems the leader of the Tian Chi Sword Sect, the owner of the Purple Bamboo Forest, has posed a significant challenge to him.” Kai Xin gradually pieced together many things in his mind. Feeling somewhat relieved, he also felt a flicker of excitement:
“What if I directly challenged and killed the Sword Sect’s leader? What would the outcome be… No, even the leader of the Tian Chi Sword Sect wouldn’t allow me to kill one of their leaders on their territory. Besides, I’ve never had any dealings with the owner of the Purple Bamboo Forest in this world… Time is running out. It’s not the right time to create more trouble. I need to think carefully about the Sky Crystal issue.”
In an instant, Kai Xin thought of many things, but ultimately decided not to seek out the Sword Sect’s leader right away. First, the round trip would take over two days, and it wasn’t certain he could defeat a sect leader. Even if he managed to get the Sky Crystal, he would need the leader of the Tian Chi Sword Sect to trigger the task before he could use it once. Lastly, Kai Xin really didn’t want to pin his hopes of defeating the Evil Emperor on a one-time-use Sky Crystal.
Yue!!!

The horse neighed loudly and sped forward toward the main altar of Jinxiu Huashan, which was faintly visible in the distance.
…
Upon arriving outside the main altar of Jinxiu Huashan, one could already see crowds of people coming and going everywhere, with laughter and chatter filling the roads.
At this sight, Kai Xin suddenly thought of the main altar in Baokang County from another world. Every time he returned there, it felt like coming home.
But here…
Though prosperous, Kai Xin knew that everyone was merely temporarily gathered together as a resistance alliance. Although they shared the same goal, it was far from the sense he had when the Mu Family was first established.
When the Mu Family was founded, even though no one was physically present, there was a sense of closeness and connection to everyone…
It was precisely because of this sense of closeness and connection that countless brothers and sisters organized the grandest wedding in the martial world for him. He didn’t even need to give many suggestions, yet Yinhu and the others brought him unexpected satisfaction and pride.
Thinking of this, a gentle warmth filled his heart…
His mount seemed to sense the owner’s hesitation as well. It slowly slowed down and stopped. The man and horse stood on the high slope, gazing into the distance at the scene of the buildings below.
…
The main altar of Jinxiu Huashan was built on an open plain not far from Guiwu.
He remembered that when it was first established, it was just an ordinary mansion of modest size. But as more than seventy branch altars were built around the capital one after another, this mansion gradually expanded into a town-sized complex, with its area increasing by more than ten times. Its walls were very high, making it look like a small town—truly magnificent and imposing—thanks to the special treatment given to altars built outside the city.
Altars built outside the city not only had stronger defenses than those inside the city, making them harder to destroy, but their foundational elements were also extremely durable.
What pleased Kai Xin the most was that the altar built near Guiwu, where no one else dared to build one, was most convenient for conducting guerrilla warfare against Yipin Tang. With Guiwu as a barrier, more people could be hidden there to train. If Yipin Tang made any large-scale moves, they could respond promptly!
It was not only a training site but also a good shelter…
As long as the main altar remained intact, they could counterattack at any time!
This was Jinxiu Huashan’s greatest strength!
…
“Tomorrow is the critical moment to determine the winner. I wonder what the outcome will be.”
Noticing that his mount was restless, snorting anxiously and pacing around, Kai Xin couldn’t help but smile self-mockingly:

“Heh… Since when have I become so sentimental?”
“Feelings are forged through struggle; those who have shared life and death become brothers…” His tone shifted as he turned to the distant main hall, suddenly uttering with boldness, “Though I may not be able to give you as much glory as the Mu family, I won’t let you regret joining Jinxiu Hexian.”
With that, he slapped the horse’s rump with his hand!
“Go!!”
The horse galloped forward, speeding down the slope like an arrow and heading toward the distant main hall.
…
As time passed, many things happened in the Central Plains in just two days!
Jinxiu Hexian’s expansion had spread from the vicinity of the capital to the Yangtze River region, with the number of branches soaring from around seventy at the start of the Revenge Fund initiative to 137.
Its forces also grew from over 400,000 to 670,000, most of whom were concentrated in the area around the capital, north of the Yangtze River!
The affiliated gangs of Yipin Tang had a tough time during this period—almost pitiful, in fact. The 50 billion yuan in the Revenge Fund vanished by over 20 billion on the first day. Although it dropped to just over 13 billion on the second day, the many lone warriors in the Central Plains were enraged, costing Yipin Tang and its affiliated gangs over 300,000 lives…
As Jinxiu Hexian’s influence expanded, the Revenge Fund soared to 100 billion yuan. This abundant funds acted like a guillotine hanging over Yipin Tang’s head. Not only were all their affiliated forces north of the Yangtze River forced to retreat into cities to avoid confrontation, but attacks on Yipin Tang’s men also occurred frequently in the areas south of the river. Even members of the Wild Wolf Organization suffered attacks and casualties.
The situation in the north was favorable!
The Southern Phantom also breathed a sigh of relief—admittedly, the Revenge Fund inspired many people and effectively ignited the struggle against the Wild Wolves and Yipin Tang, reducing the pressure on Xifeng Tower.
…
On the seventh day since the Evil Emperor was imprisoned, at noon, a subtle change finally occurred in the atmosphere of the capital!
Walking on the streets of the capital, many players could notice that the Yipin Tang forces and their affiliated gangs, who had been hiding for a week, now appeared frequently in the streets—some in a hurry, others gathering to whisper. Most of them wore expressions of long-suppressed excitement and determination.
Compared to earlier, when they were either drinking to drown their sorrows in restaurants to avoid public scrutiny or idly wandering the markets, there was a significant change. It was precisely because of this change that hidden currents began to surge through the streets of the capital.

Those who noticed this change all knew: The Evil Emperor was about to be released from prison! The First-Class Hall and its numerous affiliated gangs, which had been suppressed for a whole week, began preparing to counterattack and avenge themselves. … To others, the Evil Emperor’s release would determine the future landscape of the Central Plains and whether the Wild Wolves Organization would continue to expand its influence there—despite a temporary pause. But for a certain group of people, none of this was that important! For Ji Feng, he had just emerged from the most desperate moment after his gang’s destruction and stepped into the most glorious period of his career in the martial world. Although he was no longer a gang leader, the establishment of Jinxiu Heshan gave him a glimpse of an organization with boundless potential and growth prospects—rising from his own hands! For Jinxiu Heshan, he was more dedicated and energetic than ever, spending 20 out of 24 hours online, working on selecting a location for the headquarters, gathering lists and information on the First-Class Hall’s forces in various cities, and trying to identify capable members—almost without pause. The rapid rise of Jinxiu Heshan gave those who had once been at their wits’ end a sense of happiness and security as if they owned the whole world. They had always relied on the strength of the Xifeng Tower to resist the First-Class Hall! But since the establishment of the Revenge Fund, Jinxiu Heshan, which they helped build, now had the strength and legitimacy to confront the mighty First-Class Hall—and also possessed the greatest influence in the Central Plains! All these hard-won achievements made them cherish them even more and willing to do anything to protect them! “Gang Leader Ji.” “News just came in from the capital—members of the First-Class Hall, the Blood Alliance, the twelve major capital gangs, including the Wild Wolves Organization, have started to emerge from the capital one after another.” “I already know.” Ji Feng nodded in admiration. Although Jinxiu Heshan had never taken action against the First-Class Hall’s forces in the capital, it was because many Mythical Realm experts from various organizations were stationed there, making it dangerous to go in and never return. But that didn’t mean Jinxiu Heshan didn’t have spies in the capital. On the contrary! Jinxiu Heshan had at least 50,000 disciples in the capital, scattered throughout the streets and alleys, so any slight movement there would be reported back to the headquarters immediately. “How do we fight?” The man came over excitedly, shaking his fists. “I couldn’t find anyone from the First-Class Hall to fight against all day—now we can finally have a big fight!” But Ji Feng replied calmly, “Fighting isn’t my responsibility.” “Huh?” The man was stunned.

“The sect leader happily ordered it yesterday; he said I’m not suited to plan attacks and should just stay here to defend…” Ji Feng said casually, “He’ll take care of arranging the attacks.”
“What about our branch temples?” the visitor persisted.
“Branch temples aren’t important at all. One million taels of silver is enough to build one. Besides, our gang’s warehouse is basically empty, and special structures like the prison haven’t been opened either, so there’s no need to defend them… The leaders of the branch temples have already received orders. Once the First-Class Hall takes action, we just need to watch and see how they handle it this time.”