Lord of the Desert

Chapter 400 Aggregation
July 9th, early morning.

The sunlight was bluish-white and cold, as if a layer of light white paint had been applied to the gray wall tiles.

After breakfast, Hong Fan, accompanied by others, watched the martial arts performance of the Red-robed Cavalry led by Hong Lie and Hong Bo.

Over the past year, thanks to the abundant supply of elixirs, the Hong family has gained six more people who have reached the Guantong realm, and the number of Red Robe Riders has increased to seventy.

Warhorse, black iron heavy armor, long spear and horizontal sword...

The equipment of the Red Cavalry was basically the same as before, the biggest difference was that everyone was equipped with at least one musket.

The combination of muskets and martial arts produced many changes that were beyond Hong Fan's expectations.

Apart from the standard flintlock rifles produced by Kaimingtang, many of the guns off the scene had obviously been customized and modified.

Especially for warriors who have mastered the middle and high levels, they often use short guns with extremely large caliber and charge, completely abandoning the speed of reloading to maximize the ability to make the final blow, and strive to find the opportunity in close combat to fire a shot that the opponent cannot dodge or defend against.

In terms of style, it is quite similar to the gun fighting techniques in Hong Fan's previous life's game.

In the afternoon, Hong Fan spoke in detail about the followers of the rebel army who were going north to Liangzhou, regarding their numbers, martial arts, treatment, and so on.

Many people in the Hong family were quite disapproving of this group of outsiders. Firstly, they believed that outsiders were not as trustworthy as family members, and secondly, they felt that there were not enough positions for these outsiders.

But Hong Fan had great prestige, and since he had made the decision, no one dared to express it directly.

At night, Chi Xinchi, Zheng Fuqiu and others held a grand banquet on the top floor of Tinghai Pavilion.

A dozen young people from Jinhai surrounded Hong Fan and urged him to drink, telling him all about his experiences over the past year.

Field battles, sieges, leading troops, and even digging holes through mountains, ambushes in valleys, magnetic field battles, etc., all made Hong Fan's mouth dry and he drank until late at night.

The tenth day of July.

The daytime schedule was also full.

In the morning, Hong Fan reviewed the clan's accounts, inspected various places, and gave speeches to young people. In the afternoon, he visited important institutions such as the City Defense Office, the Martial Arts Academy, and the Weaponry Bureau.

It was after 9 p.m. that he regained the tranquility of solitude in Asahi-in Temple and reviewed his gains of the past few days.

Compared with the main meridians and extraordinary meridians, the collateral meridians are remote and weak, and even if they are cleared with true energy, the process is slow.

Fortunately, the vitality captured by the destiny star did not need his own control. It kept breaking through the barriers day and night, and reached the critical point tonight.

Hong Fan locked the gate of the courtyard and meditated under the moon. After practicing for hundreds of cycles, he finally broke through the last piece of window paper, connected the foot Taiyang and foot Shaoyin, and broke into the realm of innate unity.

Under the Dragon Soul Tree, the accumulated vitality has been completely digested.

While Hong Fan breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but think of the purple eye that had grown in his brain and had been avoided for many days.

Apparently, that eye was the life star of a man called Sand World, growing in his pineal gland and feeding itself with nutrients obtained through killing.

As for the most respected star god among the crowd, he is actually more like a parasitic carrier - without external force, even the abnormality on the pineal gland cannot be discovered.

As Hong Fan understood, the rewards from killing other star gods only increased supernatural powers and authority, but were of no help to martial arts or lifespan.

After the death of the Star God, his body must be sent back to the capital for burial, just like the harvest after sowing.

Fortunately, Hong Fan’s situation was different.

Because of the Dragon Soul Tree, the spoils of the Destiny Star were intercepted and redistributed, giving him a speed of martial arts improvement that was incomparable to ordinary people, and this was also an important evidence of the difference in their status.

Thinking of this, Hong Fan felt relieved and started to look inward.

Inside the skull, the purple eye was still, like a colored crystal embedded in flesh and blood.

As Hong Fan's martial arts advanced to a higher level, the Dragon Soul Tree simultaneously loosened its suppression of the Life Star.

The purple eyes opened slightly to 5%.

At this moment, Hong Fan felt that his sand control ability had been significantly improved in both quality and quantity, and even more than that.

Coming out of his inner gaze, he summoned a handful of wild sand and held it in his hand. Under the influence of his mind, these tiny grains of sand actually stuck together and solidified into one.

Spread out your five fingers, and a thumb-sized stone will rest on your palm.

[Gravel is the weathering of rock, and I just reversed the process.]

Hong Fan thought with surprise.

Similar to controlling sand, the density, hardness, smoothness and other properties of the stones cast in the sand world are all related to the amount of true energy he invested, which also shows that this ability can continue to evolve like controlling sand.

[Before his death, Lord Jingsha's cultivation was higher than mine, but he did not have the ability to turn sand into stone, so not all the Star Lords of previous generations can obtain all the rights of the Fate Star.]

Hong Fan was thinking deeply while testing the limits of his current abilities.

The fineness of sandification is about ten microns.

The sand control range is about thirty meters, which is doubled compared to the power realm.

Physical ability is more difficult to assess.

The reason was nothing else but that there were no heavy enough instruments in the Hong Mansion.

In the end, he could only estimate his three major data proportionally through some small muscle group strength tests - his absolute squat strength was about twelve tons, and his true energy, physical endurance and recovery ability should be more than 20% when compared with a congenital warrior.

Hong Fan was well aware that his physical talent was only average to begin with, and the excess was obviously due to the enhancement of dragon blood.

During the mechanical testing process, more new ideas emerged in Hong Fan's mind.

Expand the area of ​​the sand wings and significantly increase the flight load.

Replica turboprop engine to enhance endurance.

Replica turbojet engine to increase top speed.

It can also improve and measure various aerodynamic shapes to optimize flight performance in different environments such as low speed, high speed, low altitude, and high altitude.

In addition to Sand Wings, firearms also have great potential.

Before, Hong Fan seldom used shooting at the enemy because the sand bullets would shatter if they went beyond the control range, and he couldn't get bullets at any time.

But now the aggregation ability of the sand world has unlocked this shackle. Once the bullet problem is understood, there are many more things we can do.

The more Hong Fan thought about it, the more excited he became. He lost all desire to sleep and took out a pen and paper to start writing at high speed.

This deduction lasted all night without him noticing, until dawn came stumbling into the city from the east. After working for a whole day, Hong Fan did not feel tired at all, and his heart was filled with satisfaction and joy brought by creation.

On the stone table was a pile of papers filled with writing and neatly stacked.

Hong Fan put down the charcoal pencil that was only a small piece left, faced the morning sun and breeze to stretch his muscles after sitting for a long time, and saw Mingshen leaning against the table.

Since he was promoted to the innate realm, the knife's most valuable innate fire spiritual energy control ability has lost its meaning to him. Its only function is now extremely strong and can shape flames.

Objectively speaking, Mingshen can still improve his overall combat power by 20 to 30 percent, but once the new killing methods are completed and he even switches to practicing top-level martial arts, its effect will inevitably be smaller.

[Since I have to go to Shenjing later, why not leave this sword in Jinhai. ]

Hong Fan thought about it and made a decision silently.

······
July 11, noon.

Jinhai City, Hong Family Ancestral Hall.

The cloud peaks are stacked in the sky like a school of fish, with the light blue sky visible in between.

In the hall, Hong Fan burned incense to his ancestors and bowed to the tablet of Hong Jian.

After the ceremony, gray smoke curled around the beams, thickening the fragrance of the sandalwood.

He turned around, looked at Hong Sheng, and walked out of the ancestral hall together.

On the long table at the side of the room, the two men's swords were placed horizontally.

Hong Fan picked up the Mingshen, but instead of hanging it back on his waist, he suddenly asked, "Brother, what do you think of my sword?"

"A magical weapon, it lives up to its reputation."

Hong Sheng was stunned for a moment, then replied.

Hong Fan said nothing, but drew his sword and held it horizontally.

In the sunlight, the dark blade looked like an inextinguishable piece of charcoal, waiting for flames at any time.

True essence is infused.

The fire knife ignited with a bang.

"War is the fiercest fire I have ever seen. A warrior in the realm of strength is just a bigger piece of firewood in it."

Hong Fan said.

"Only innate warriors have the power to change the situation of the battle."

"I practice both Fate Star Martial Arts and should be a leader in the realm of Heaven and Man, but when I meet any Innate, I can only delay with difficulty."

"Until I got this Mingshen..."

"His combat power increased dramatically, and he charged forward without hindrance, even suppressing the leader of the Earth-shaking Sect, Huang Yuzun, who was a master of the innate second combination."

He looked at Hong Sheng.

"But now this sword is less and less useful to me - Big Brother, I was meditating last night, and I made breakthroughs in both martial arts and authority, and have entered the realm of Xiantian Yihe."

"At the latest this year, I will be transferred to Shenjing as planned, so I may not be able to return in the short term. Considering the external threat of the snake people and the daily expansion of the tribe's industry, it is really worrying that there is no one with innate combat power."

After saying these words, Hong Fan sheathed his sword, making a clanging sound.

Hong Sheng seemed to have guessed something, his Adam's apple rolled and he swallowed.

"I asked you to come with me today because I wanted to give you this knife."

As Hong Fan spoke, he took out a white bandage from his sleeve and wrapped up the sword and sheath of Mingshen bit by bit, then handed it to Hong Sheng.

Hong Sheng took it with both hands, held the scabbard through the linen cloth, and felt the sudden taming of the fire aura around him, feeling a little intoxicated.

After the intoxication comes unprecedented responsibility and pressure.

Mingshen is the magic weapon that made Yuanci Grandmaster Liaoyuanhuo famous. It is no exaggeration to say that it is priceless.

But now the knife will belong to him.

Thinking of this, he was filled with excitement and knelt heavily on one knee: "I will not disgrace this sword, and I will not disgrace my mission!"

Hong Fan helped his brother up with both hands.

"A knife is a dead object. It is named after the person who made it. It has no honor or disgrace. And I have no mission to give you."

"I only hope that you can be like him, taking each step firmly and leaving no regrets in your life."

Of course, he was referring to Hong Jian.

Hong Sheng gritted his teeth and nodded. He stood up, gripped the straight knife tightly, and went into the ancestral hall again. He kowtowed three times in front of his father's spirit tablet before coming out.

"Use this knife as little as possible unless necessary."

Hong Fan gave another instruction.

"First, relying on external forces will inevitably hinder progress, and second, a man is guilty of possessing a treasure even if he is innocent."

"This knife is worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. It might attract the covetousness of outsiders."

Hong Sheng took note of what he heard.

"In addition, I also got Gong Zhengping's precious organs."

Hong Fan said again.

"After returning to Xijing, I will ask the Weaponry Supervisor for some money. I should be able to forge another quasi-second-grade divine weapon. Although it is definitely inferior to the Mingshen, it is enough for the clan to rely on. When the weapon is forged, I will have the Red-robed Cavalry escort it back and give it to Uncle Wu to use."

"Once both weapons are in place, even if I'm not here, you will be able to gather together almost two innate combat forces, so you should have nothing to worry about..."

He walked out of the ancestral hall while muttering to himself.

Hong Sheng followed behind him and saw the midday sun pouring down, soaking his second brother's shoulders and back.

It also flooded the entire Golden Sea.

(End of this chapter)