TRCP 216 Part 1

Chapter 216: Qinghai Maze PART 1

After Cong Xia woke up, he realized he had been unconscious for three days again. This was much shorter than when he broke through to the second tier, yet the gains were no less significant. Without even noticing, he had advanced once more and received another message from the creator of the ancient jade. However, this message left everyone feeling heavy-hearted.

If the “source” truly referred to the Forbidden Zone, then what they were about to face would not merely be mutated creatures beyond their imagination. Since the apocalypse began, they had verified certain truths through various avenues and pieces of information. Yet, each of them felt a sense of helplessness, as if they were on the verge of touching the core truth but could never truly reach it. Without the ancient jade, they might have viewed the apocalypse as an unprecedented natural disaster. However, the existence of the ancient jade made them aware that the truth was far more complex. There seemed to be a secret between the Cambrian consciousness, the puppet jade, and the ancient jade that humanity might not be able to bear. As victims of this disaster and among the closest to the truth, Cong Xia and his companions felt a mix of anger and powerlessness, as if they were being manipulated by some unseen force.

Cong Xia thought of the billions of innocent lives lost on this planet and the enigmatic puppet jade that lingered in his mind like a ticking time bomb. It felt as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Everyone noticed that since he had woken up, he had become quiet, yet they didn’t know how to comfort him.

After accompanying Cong Xia for two days, Cheng Tianbi finally said, “Cong Xia, why are you still here? Aren’t you going to Golmud?”

Cheng Tianbi looked at him, assessing his condition. “Are you okay?”

Cong Xia chuckled, “What could be wrong? I’ve already advanced.”

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Ubldt Mkydck eked’v pyu xwnb xsal. “Gzaktbv, R’zz zlyhl pssd.”

“Psd’v osaau. R’x dsv qynkdt lhlauvbkdt yzsdl. Ekvb yzz sq usw blal, R nyd bydezl yduvbkdt.”

Ubldt Mkydck rskdvle swv vbl jlu kppwl. “Mbl ydnkldv fyel kp psxlvbkdt usw qynl yzsdl.”

Usdt Dky oyp xsxldvyakzu prllnbzlpp cwv vbld pxkzle qykdvzu. “Mbyv’p vawl…”

Ubldt Mkydck ryvvle bkp cynj. Mbl qsanl oyp y ckv blyhu, cwv vbl oyaxvb sq bkp byde alyppwale Usdt Dky. Usdt Dky pyke, “Zsw pbswze ts. Psd’v oypvl ydu vkxl.”

Gqvla Ubldt Mkydck zlqv, Usdt Dky zlv swv y zsdt pktb yde alvalyvle kdvs bkp assx vs osaj sd vyzkpxydp. Mbl zypv vkxl bl oldv vs Qszxwe, bkp ldlatu pvsaytl vyzkpxydp olal dlyazu elrzlvle. Wsa vbkp vakr vs vbl Wsackeeld Hsdl, bl dllele vs tyvbla xsal ldlatu.

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Tl vbswtbv sq vbl ldlatu zkiwke rasewnle kd Jlkfkdt, obknb oyp wple qsa liwkhyzldv nwaaldnu nkanwzyvksd. Fkdnl ldlatu yaxsa nswze osaj sd svblap, vblal pbswze cl y vyzkpxyd okvbkd vbl ydnkldv fyel vbyv nswze qwdnvksd zkjl yd kdflnvyczl ldlatu zkiwke cwv okvb y xwnb zyatla nyrynkvu.

With this idea, he spent two days searching through the knowledge database of the ancient jade and finally found the suitable talisman—the Basic Element Talisman. This talisman was essentially an upgraded version of the energy talisman. Like the energy talisman, it could store various types of energy. However, while the energy talisman could only be absorbed by him, the Basic Element Talisman could be filled with energy and released at an appropriate moment without going through him. The only requirement was that the energy released had to match the energy attributes of the receiving organism. If the receiving organism rejected the energy release, both parties would be in danger.

After finding this, Cong Xia was overjoyed and quickly tried to create a few. After breaking through to the third tier, his control over energy had reached a new level. He spent much less time researching and crafting talismans than before. For example, it initially took him three days to craft an energy armor talisman, but now he only needed an hour. Crafting the energy storage talisman he was most familiar with felt effortless.

He made a Water Element Talisman and a Wood Element Talisman, planning to find someone to test them. When he walked into the lounge, he noticed that everyone in their team was present except for Cheng Tianbi, who had gone to Golmud. Even some members from the Longxue Clan, Jiujiang County, and the Frost Society were gathered in the room. Dan Ming was squatting on the floor, smoking and rolling up his sleeves, with two messy piles of items at his feet—cigarettes, cured meat, and bullets. In the center of the group were Tang Yanqiu and Deng Xiao, both shirtless and showing off their muscular physiques as they did push-ups. Zhuang Yao sat on Tang Yanqiu’s back eating ice cream while Liu Fengyu casually counted beside them, “456, 457…”

Deng Xiao gasped for breath and asked, “Brother Tang, aren’t you tired?”

Tang Yanqiu replied in a deep voice, “I can handle it.”

Zhuang Yao chimed in with a teasing remark, “He’s even going easy on you, and you still want to lose.”

Deng Xiao gritted his teeth, saying, “That’s not fair. Brother Tang’s arms are like bowstrings.”

Zhuang Yao scoffed, “You know that and still want to compete, you fool.”

Cong Xia was surprised. “What’s going on here? Didn’t you all go back to Golmud with Tianbi?”

Dan Ming waved him over. “Come on, place your bets.”

Cong Xia felt a mix of amusement and disbelief. He walked over, checked his pockets, found nothing, and finally dropped one of the newly crafted talismans.

Dan Ming picked up the small jade piece. “What’s this?”

“Good stuff.”

Zhuang Yao glanced at him. “Did you create something new?”

“Yeah. Has Tianbi left? Why are they still here?”

“They took their bird back to Xining to transport supplies. They won’t be back for a while.”

“Then what is this…” Cong Xia looked at the two people drenched in sweat, especially Deng Xiao, whose expression was quite grim.

Zhuang Yao shrugged. “Tang Yanqiu is doing push-ups, and this idiot insisted on competing with him.”

When Liu Fengyu counted to 521, Deng Xiao could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the ground with a thud, not moving.

Cong Xia was startled and hurried over to help him up. “Xiao Deng, are you okay?”

Deng Xiao weakly replied, “I’m exhausted…”

Cong Xia patted his face and laughed. “How about I make you some milk tea?”

Deng Xiao grabbed his hand with a pleading look. “Make sure to include cake!”

Dan Ming shouted, “Hey, this guy lost. My left pile is for the losers, so the winners can come and take it. Whoever grabs it first gets it.” After saying that, he quickly stepped aside. The people behind him rushed forward to grab the items, creating chaos in the room.

Tang Yanqiu also stopped, and Zhuang Yao, in a good mood, stood up from his back. He squatted in front of Deng Xiao, licking his ice cream and silently smiling at him.

Deng Xiao huffed and got up to grab a towel to wipe his sweat.

“Hey, what am I supposed to grab?” one member of the Frost Society asked, curiously looking at the jade piece in his hand.

Cong Xia stepped over and took it, smiling. “It’s somewhat useful.”

As the excitement wound down, everyone gradually dispersed.

Cong Xia approached Deng Xiao, holding the Water Element Talisman, and placed the jade piece in his hand. “Xiao Deng, are you expending a lot of energy right now?”

“It’s not much; I’m just using physical strength.”

“Then just tell me how you feel.”

Deng Xiao nodded, and the other three curiously gathered closer.

Holding the jade piece, Cong Xia didn’t touch him but instead infused energy into the jade piece. This activated the jade talisman, releasing some water energy, which caused Deng Xiao to show a look of surprise.

“How is it?”

“I feel like my energy has recovered instantly.”

Cong Xia said happily, “That’s great! It really works.”

Zhuang Yao asked anxiously, “What’s going on? How is this jade talisman different from the energy-storing jade talisman?”

Cong Xia explained the function of the basic elemental jade talisman. Zhuang Yao replied joyfully, “This thing can save you a lot of time.”

“Yes, this jade talisman only requires a little energy to activate. As long as we prepare properly, future battles won’t be as awkward as the one in Gelmu.”

“What about the production speed?”

“It can’t be fast. Although it only has one additional step compared to the energy-storing talisman, that step is crucial as it needs to take effect on others. It’s as troublesome as energy armor. I’ll work on it diligently.”

Zhuang Yao said, “Good. Once we head to the forbidden zone, we must ensure that every natural force evolver is equipped with a jade talisman that can fully recharge their energy twice.”

Cong Xia nodded, “Alright.”

“Mr. Sun also has some good news. A few days ago, during a rainy night, we finally made contact with Beijing. Although there was a sixteen-minute delay in the signal, and it soon cut off, we still conveyed the most important information. However, we can’t be sure how much information actually got through. I hope Professor Cong can receive useful information and take action quickly.”

Cong Xia sighed, “There’s only a month left…”

Liu Fengyu said, “Yes, there’s only one month left, but I feel like I’m not ready yet.”

Tang Yanqiu replied somberly, “But we have no way out now.”

Cong Xia suddenly remembered something. “Zhuang Yao, when can you advance?”

“It’ll take at least a month. Whether I can advance before we go to the forbidden zone depends on my workload during this time.”

Cong Xia said seriously, “You should make this your top priority.”

Zhuang Yao nodded, “I have my plans.”

Deng Xiao yawned and playfully said, “Cong Ge, milk tea.”

In the final month of the countdown, everyone felt increasingly anxious. Given the experience in Gelmu, many had prepared themselves for the possibility of not returning.

Gradually, more people took risks to go to Gelmu, and surprisingly, there were no casualties. Cong Xia initially wanted to go, but he was too busy crafting various jade talismans and was exhausted.

One day, while Cong Xia was locked in his room working, he suddenly heard a loud commotion outside. At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but the noise grew louder, accompanied by flashes of light. The sky flickered ominously, which was quite strange. Cong Xia ran outside and bumped into Shan Ming.

“Shan Ge, what’s happening outside?”