High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, Han Feng awoke from twelve hours of deep sleep, feeling completely refreshed and full of energy.

His Cultivation at the Meridian Passage Realm Seventh Layer had made the Sword Essence within his body even more condensed, with the total amount stabilizing at 1,200 drops.

After quickly washing up, he went to the villa’s dining room.

The butler, Old Liu, had already prepared a sumptuous breakfast infused with Spiritual Power, its aroma filling the air.

"Sir, have you seen today’s news?"

Old Liu said as he served Han Feng his food. "The city’s been bustling lately. There are unfamiliar faces everywhere, and prices have even gone up by twenty percent."

"Oh?"

Han Feng was a bit surprised.

He had been spending all his time either in the hangar or in the sky, practically becoming a hermit. He really had no idea what was happening in the outside world.

He activated the holographic projector on his personal wrist terminal.

A bold, red headline dominated the front page of the East Sea City intranet news.

[East Sea Council Official Announcement: New Sky Mist Area Named "Dragon Abyss Mist Sea," Immediately Designated Top-Priority Strategic Resource for Project Kindle!]

There were several related stories below it.

[Demon Hunter Guild Issues S Level Joint Mission: Explore the Outskirts of the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea and Map Safe Routes. Reward: 500,000 Contribution Points!]

[City Guard Army Expeditionary Corps Issues Conscription Order: Urgently Recruiting Martial Artists Below Tier Three with Extensive Wilderness Survival Experience to Explore a New World!]

[Celestial Craft Group and Star Sea Technology Jointly Announce a 20% Discount on Equipment Maintenance and Supplies for All Certified Adventuring Teams Entering the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea.]

The entirety of East Sea City, like a colossal war machine, began to whir into a frenzy, all centered around the newly appeared gear of the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea.

’It seems Vice Dean Chen and the others are getting desperate.’

Han Feng closed the news, lost in thought.

...

At the same moment Han Feng saw the news, the entire East Sea Fortress City was plunged into a state of frenetic excitement.

Wharf District.

The normally spacious port was now packed to the point of bursting.

Dozens of massive Long-range Transport Ships and military Wavebreaker Level Landing Craft were being loaded with supplies by towering cranes.

Prefabricated housing panels, high-energy generator units, portable defensive turrets, crates of Compressed Nutritional Paste and ammunition...

An engineering corps of unprecedented scale was assembling. Their objective was an isolated island fifty nautical miles from the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea.

Their mission: to establish a fully functional forward outpost in the shortest time possible—Dragon’s Fang Port.

Demon Hunter Guild Hall.

The place was more boisterous than ever.

Mercenaries, bounty hunters, and Lone Rangers from all corners of the world packed the massive, circular hall to the rafters.

"Insane! This is insane! Five hundred thousand Contribution Points just for a scouting mission?"

"What do you know! This is the first crack at it! Whoever gets in first, wins big!"

"I heard that crew from Jiangbei City showed up too. They got into it with one of our City Guard Army patrols out in the eastern seas. Almost came to blows!"

"Forget Jiangbei City! You’ve got the ’Windwalkers’ from Celestial Wind City.

The ’Rune Knight Order’ from Valhalla.

Even the Divine Shield Federation sent an observation team of ’Genetically Modified People.’ The Dragon Abyss Mist Sea is the focus of the entire Alliance now!"

A Mercenary who had just come back from outside shared the intel he’d gathered, his face flush with excitement.

The mission list for the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea on the central holographic screen refreshed every few minutes, each update triggering a wave of gasps and a mad scramble to sign up.

Everyone understood what a completely unexplored New Sky Mist Area signified.

It meant countless Spiritual Materials, Demon Beast Inner Cores ripe for the taking, potential Ancient Ruins, and a golden highway to wealth, power, and a higher tier of existence!

Under the shadow of a ten-year doomsday clock, an opportunity like this was enough to drive anyone into a frenzy.

...

East Sea Fortress City, Central Parliament Building.

The atmosphere in the circular conference hall on the top floor was grave.

Chen Beixuan, Li Tiecheng, Lin Guodong, and representatives from all the major consortiums and factions were present.

Speaker Ye Daoyuan stood before a holographic star chart, his expression grim.

"Everyone, according to the Science Academy’s latest projections, the spatial barrier of the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea will completely dissipate in eighty-one days."

"That’s even sooner than we predicted."

"I’ve decided to shift the entire focus of Project Kindle to the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea.

All resources and personnel will be prioritized for the front."

"We must ascertain the situation inside, establish a stable foothold, and wring every last drop of value out of it in the shortest time possible!"

Ye Daoyuan’s voice was resolute, leaving no room for argument.

"This is an opportunity for our East Sea City. It may also be the only chance human civilization has to catch its breath and grow stronger in the coming decade!"

"I agree!" Li Tiecheng was the first to slam his hand on the table and stand.

"The military can swear a formal oath: within three months, we will establish a firm foothold in the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea!"

"The Su Family is willing to donate three Spiritual Energy Transport Ships and will cover thirty percent of the forward base’s energy consumption."

The Su Family’s representative, old master Su Zhen, immediately voiced his support.

The Lu Family, Celestial Craft Group, and other factions quickly followed suit.

In the face of immense potential gains and a shared crisis, everyone was more united than ever before.

The meeting concluded in a charged atmosphere.

After everyone dispersed, Chen Beixuan stayed behind.

"Old Ye, you’re being so aggressive. Aren’t you afraid you’re moving too fast?" he asked with some concern.

"The dangers inside a brand-new Sky Mist Area are a complete unknown."

"If not aggressive, then what? We just wait to die?"

Ye Daoyuan turned, a flicker of exhaustion in his eyes.

"Ten years. We only have ten years. We don’t have the time for a slow and steady approach."

He walked to the window, gazing down at the city below—still prosperous, yet roiling with hidden currents.

"And... besides... we’re really running out of time."

A profound sense of helplessness laced Ye Daoyuan’s voice.

He took an ancient-looking Jade Scroll from his pocket, stroking it gently.

"This is top-secret intelligence we received from the Void Watchers this morning."

Chen Beixuan’s pupils contracted slightly.

The Void Watchers were a band of true madmen, stationed year-round at the edge of the Sky Mark, dedicated to studying the very nature of the mist.

Their intelligence was known to be frighteningly accurate.

"What did they say?" Chen Beixuan asked, his voice low.

"They detected an extremely regular tidal fluctuation of Spiritual Power at the center of the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea."

Ye Daoyuan passed the Jade Scroll over.

"It doesn’t look like a natural spatial convergence. It’s more like... a giant Array being activated by someone."

Chen Beixuan took the Jade Scroll and probed it with his Divine Sense. His expression instantly soured.

The Spiritual Power waveform recorded in the Jade Scroll rose and fell in an orderly fashion, carrying a cold, unnatural rhythm.

"Not only that," Ye Daoyuan’s voice grew heavier, "our deep-space probes also picked up a faint signal in that area of the sea."

"The signal’s encryption method is ninety-three percent similar to the psychic communication frequency used by a Child of the Mist squad we wiped out in the Death Swamp three years ago."

Chen Beixuan snapped his head up, his eyes wide with shock.

"You’re saying... the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea is a trap? A scheme set up by the Child of the Mist?"

"It’s a possibility," Ye Daoyuan didn’t deny.

"Then why did you still...!" Chen Beixuan grew agitated.

"And so what if it is?" Ye Daoyuan shot back, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Do we have a choice? Even if we know we’re charging into a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, we have to do it! Because behind us is a thousand-fathom cliff!"

"The resource deficit for Project Kindle is too great. If we rely solely on the output from around East Sea City, what will we use to fight Tier Six Life forms in ten years?"

"This Dragon Abyss Mist Sea... even if there’s only a ten percent chance it’s a real opportunity and a ninety percent chance it’s a trap, we have to take the gamble!"

Chen Beixuan fell silent.

He understood Ye Daoyuan’s grim resolve.

This was no longer a choice; it was the only path to survival.

"I understand."

Chen Beixuan let out a long breath. "I’ll make sure that kid, Han Feng, is fully prepared."

"Mm."

Ye Daoyuan nodded and looked back out the window.

"Send word to double the construction speed of Dragon’s Fang Port.

Also, tell Li Tiecheng to intensify patrols in the surrounding waters. Any suspicious vessel, regardless of faction, is to be impounded on sight."

"It’s time these waters got an early taste of East Sea City’s resolve."

...

At the same time.

Thousands of kilometers from East Sea City, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on the edge of the Sky Mark.

A bizarre island, formed from countless twisted shipwrecks and black reefs, was perpetually shrouded in a dense, grayish-black fog.

At the island’s center, within a Divine Hall built from the skulls of colossal beasts, eerie blue flames flickered in bronze lamps.

A figure in gray sacrificial robes, their face hidden by a swirling bone mask, knelt before a pool of water that churned with a blood-red mist.

Suspended in the center of the pool was a fleshy, head-sized tumor covered in countless eyeballs.

With every pulse of the tumor, the fog throughout the Divine Hall roiled in unison.

"Lord Saint Heir, everything is ready."

A Cultist, also wearing a mask, appeared silently behind him and reported respectfully.

"The coordinates for Dragon Abyss have been disseminated through the Void Whisper."

"Those fools from the three major alliances took the bait, just as expected."

The one called the "Saint Heir" rose slowly. He didn’t turn around, his voice a hollow, bizarre chorus, as if countless voices were speaking at once.

"Fish always follow the scent of blood."

"They think it’s a treasure trove, little knowing it’s merely the graveyard we’ve prepared for them."

The Cultist behind him bowed his head in a fanatical display.

"Praise the Weaver! Praise the great Holy Infant!"

"Lord Saint Heir,"

The Cultist raised his head, a hint of doubt in his voice. "Far too many people are gathering this time. Should we perhaps..."

"Pay them no mind."

The Saint Heir’s voice was flat, without a trace of emotion.

"More sacrifices will only make the Ghost Mother’s awakening all the more perfect."

He reached out a deathly pale hand, devoid of any color, and gently caressed the pulsing tumor in the pool.

The countless eyeballs instantly swiveled toward him, radiating greed and desire.

"Go."

The Saint Heir withdrew his hand and turned to face the endless darkness in the depths of the Divine Hall.

"Relay my order. Activate the Siren’s Song."

"The banquet is about to begin. We must use the most festive music to welcome our... guests."

"As you command!"

The Cultist’s figure silently melted into the dense fog.

The Saint Heir by the Blood Pool slowly removed the mask from his face.

Beneath the mask was a young and handsome face, but his eyes held no trace of life—only a bottomless, swirling Nebula.

If Han Feng had been there, he would have recognized the face instantly.

It was none other than Li Wei, the Blood Feeding Sect puppet he had personally slain in the Secret Realm.

No, to be more precise, it was some High Level existence that had taken over Li Wei’s body.

"Han Feng..."

The "Saint Heir" murmured the name, a strange smile spreading across his face.

"This time, you won’t get the chance to shatter my Divine Soul."

"I look forward to seeing the expression on your face when you realize how laughable everything you take pride in is before a true God."

He placed the mask back on his face, his figure gradually vanishing into the churning, blood-red mist.