The Southern Barbarians Had Shamans, and Heaven's Wrath Descended

The flood season of the Canglan River is from April to July, and it is divided into major and minor floods.

Zhao Xing left Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven at the end of February, crossed the river on the seventh day of March, and came to Cloud City after the Awakening of Insects.

After that, he spent another Heavenly Timing reporting Shao Wanjie, this scourge, and then enjoyed himself at Shao Wanjie's residence for three more days.

The Prefectural City's Inspection Department sent people to deal with Shao Wanjie, and the whole process took only two days.

Xia Jing and his group of martial artists arrived in Cloud City on March 16th to assume their posts.

The Mechanism Master, Agricultural Official, Priest, Ritual Cultivator, and physicians were recruited in batches, and by March 21st, they were basically all present.

As for the Seventh Grade officials in each department, they were all appointed by March 18th.

The list of chief officers of each department is as follows:

They are Duan Ren, the Cloud City County, Official Seventh Rank, Lower.

Xia Jing, the Cloud City County, Lower Seventh Rank, Junior.

Shen Mingyu, the Priest of Cloud City County, Official Seventh Rank, Lower.

Zhao Xing, the Waterways Magistrate Cloud City, Lower Seventh Rank, Junior.

Wang Ji, the Director of Works in Cloud City, Lower Seventh Rank, Junior.

Yuan Yang, Physician of Cloud City County, is a temporary Official Eighth Rank official.

In addition to the chief officials, the above Five Offices also have several Assistant Official of the Eighth Grade Ninth Grade ranks who were either appointed or replaced.

Among them, Shen Mingyu, the chief official of the temple, was not transferred, so his rank was not temporary.

Duan Ren was not from the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, but was transferred from elsewhere by the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture.

Those who were temporarily appointed were basically reserve personnel within the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

From March 16th to March 19th, Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji, Yuan Yang, and others held banquets. The purpose wasn't for eating, drinking, or entertainment, but primarily to network and make connections.

Because there were more than two thousand officials from various departments sent this time, even if the chief official was familiar, there were many others whom he did not know. Therefore, these past few days, meetings have been held under the guise of meals.

On March 20th, the four chief officials, Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji, and Yuan Yang, met again, bringing with them their Assistant Official, such as Han Bing, Che Shihai, Zhang Jie, Chen Fang, Hu Bing Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi, Cao Shuang, and others, all of whom were of the Eighth Grade.

There were fewer people this time, but most of the bigwigs in Cloud City, except for Duan Ren and Shen Mingyu, were here.

Previous banquets were all within their respective departments, but now Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji, and Yuan Yang have met, and they've even brought along the Eighth Grade Assistant Official, so it's clear they want to discuss how to proceed from here.

Zhao Xing planned the agenda in advance, and Zhang Yi, the Ceremonial Official, presided over the meeting.

This method of deliberation is rather unique, but those present are generally used to it, because Zhao Xing conducted large-scale drills in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven in this way, with meetings of principal officers, expanded meetings of Assistant Official, and main procedures for deliberation, which is quite efficient.

Zhang Zhong, Jiang Xi, He Fengnian were also brought over by Zhao Xing. They found it quite novel to see so many officials gathered together, and that it was Zhang Yi, an Eighth Rank Priest, who spoke first. They immediately perked up their ears and listened attentively.

"... The specific tasks of each of the Five Offices are different, but the general direction is the same."

"The only ones with the highest number of missions are the officials who originally had first-class treatment in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven. There are forty-six of them in Cloud City."

"There are many missions in the ring, and the intelligence from the Military Realm is more detailed. I have compiled all this intelligence over the past few days. You can open the first document on the left side of your desks and take a look to see if there are any problems or omissions." After Zhang Yi finished speaking, he returned to his seat.

As Zhao Xing requested, the first item on the agenda was the collection of intelligence from personnel in each department and the sharing of task details.

Warriors, Agricultural Official, Mechanism Master, Ritual Cultivator, Priest each have different tasks.

People have arrived, but if they can't work together as a team and their goals are not aligned, then there's no point in talking about sticking together for mutual support.

Zhao Xing also picked up the document to examine it. Although he had done similar missions in his previous life, it was not certain that this one would be the same.

However, after browsing through it briefly, he felt relieved.

Although the specific tasks for each profession differ in the Third Ring Mission, the assessment standards and mission direction are all related to war and pacification of barbarians.

"Brother Xia, Brother Chen... you need to kill thirty Eighth Grade barbarian soldiers to pass the third round with an A-level rating?" Zhao Xing first looked at the tasks of Xia Jing, Chen Fang, and other Grade A geniuses.

"Hmm," Xia Jing said, "To get the highest rating, among these Eighth Grade, at least 50% of the alien races must be at the mid-stage or late-stage of the Spirit Bridge."

"We from the Azure Dragon Office can take on a hundred enemies single-handedly, so killing a certain number of enemies isn't actually that difficult," Chen Fang said. "A qualified Grade C rating is killing two Spirit Bridge Realm. What's so difficult about that? The main problem is not being able to kill them all."

Zhao Xing nodded.

Yes, right now it's just war preparedness. At most, both sides are just doing some military drills and testing each other. The real challenge is that there hasn't been a large-scale conflict and not that many people have been killed.

Although Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture is located south of the Canglan River, this buffer zone is still quite far from the defense areas of the Southern Barbarians Kingdoms.

To kill the enemy, you either need to penetrate deep into enemy territory or rely on luck.

If you're lucky, you might complete the task quickly without going deep into the field; if you're unlucky, you might not encounter it for up to six months.

"Our tasks as doctors are a bit more complicated," Yuan Yang said. "The Third Ring Mission is scored based on the number of casualties suffered by both officials and civilians in combat."

"I must treat the wounded officials and civilians in Cloud City who have been injured in the battle. The more casualties I suffer, the lower my evaluation will be."

Cao Shuang looked at the doctor's assignment and was completely confused. "If no battle occurs and no one dies, wouldn't you be able to get the highest rating just by lying down?"

Yuan Yang said, "A doctor's ideal is to have medicine gathering dust on the shelves, but in reality, that's impossible."

"The Southern Barbarians barbarian tribes occupy the upstream area, and they will launch natural disasters against the downstream Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture. The diseases brought by the natural disasters are terrifying. Even if the officials can withstand them, the common people cannot. At that time, I will have a lot more to live."

"Besides, it's impossible for you martial artists not to go into battle and kill the enemy."

Wang Ji touched his shiny bald head. "The Heavenly Craft Workshop has a lot to do, such as repairing and replacing defensive and siege equipment, building Magic Array, sigh... The most difficult thing is the work assigned by the Agricultural Supervisorate. Cloud City is such a mess, it hasn't been repaired for many years, I'm afraid my head is going to go bald again."

The Agricultural Supervisorate's workload is enormous, as flood control is of paramount importance. Most of the Third Ring Mission that Wang Ji encountered revolved around the Agricultural Supervisorate's flood control plans.

Zhao Xing smiled and cupped his hands in apology, "Sorry, Wang the Engineer, I'll have Yuan Yang prescribe some more hair growth medicine for you another day. Just tell me what you'd like to take, and I'll get it for you!"

"Could you get Wang the Engineer a woman from the Southern Barbarians?" Hu Bing joked. "Wang the Engineer mentioned this idea before."

"Get out!" Wang Ji said, his face flushed. "When did I ever say that? You were watching Zhang Jie take a dump before, weren't you?"

"Wang the Engineer!" Zhang Jie exclaimed anxiously. "Why are you bringing this up out of the blue!"

"Hahahaha!" The small living room was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Silence! You've all gone off-topic!" Zhang Yi sternly slapped the table. "The meeting continues. Let's begin the second agenda item."

The first issue is determining the direction; everyone's mission direction is consistent.

The second issue is where to begin.

Zhao Xing spoke first, saying, "Cloud City is located by the Canglan River, with many tributaries flowing through it, so water management should be of paramount importance."

"We must keep our enemies out of the country, so we cannot let the Southern Barbarians steal our homeland."

"If a natural disaster strikes Cloud City and causes significant damage, then everyone's mission, including Cloud City, will be ruined. Therefore, preventing and controlling Cloud City is the top priority. Do you all agree?"

"Agreed." Xia Jing was the first to express his opinion. Zhao Xing's Third Ring Mission was to deal with the flood season of the Canglan River and natural disasters. If the Agricultural Supervisorate was not available, Xia Jing would never dare to go into Phoenix Cry Mountain to fight the barbarians without leading the Military Sima Nong.

Without Zhao Xing, the Military Sima Nong, what would they eat? Even if we take a step back, Xia Jing, the county magistrate, also has the responsibility to protect Cloud City, so of course he would support it.

"Agreed." Yuan Yang was the first to express his opinion. If the natural disaster could not be prevented, his Third Ring Mission would also be ruined. After the natural disaster, there would be widespread epidemics. If Cloud City was really hit by the natural disaster, he could pack his bags and leave.

Wang Ji naturally agreed, because his task was closely related to Zhao Xing's task, and putting Zhao Xing's task first was the same as putting his own task first.

"Agreed." The others echoed in agreement.

Zhang Yi expressed his concerns. "I am not the chief official of the Divine Temple, Shen Mingyu is. Liu Jingwen is not the county magistrate either. If he and I join forces with our subordinates to sideline Shen Mingyu and Duan Ren, it would be against the rules and might lower our reputation."

All eyes turned to the young man sitting upright below, wearing a tall hat and scholar's robes.

Liu Jingwen was a military strategist, a member of the Ritual Cultivator faction. He wasn't particularly outstanding during training, not even receiving a Class B rank in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, only a Grade C. However, during the final large-scale exercise, he accompanied Zhao Xing and Xia Jing. The Ritual Cultivator faction sent many people, but Liu Jingwen was the only familiar strategist they knew.

Zhang Yi, however, entered the Four Priest's Four Saints Courtyard at the end of the training.

However, both of them must follow the "rites" in their path. Zhao Xing and Xia Jing can be bold and reckless, but they cannot. If they do anything out of line, the power of their magic will decrease. Going against the rites in their hearts can even lead to a regression in their cultivation in serious cases.

"This is a minor issue," Xia Jing said. "Just let the two of them entrust all government affairs to you two."

"Will they?" Liu Jingwen asked hesitantly. "Shen Mingyu is one thing, but he was negligent in the Shao Wanjie case. He can forget about doing anything in Cloud City. Duan Ren was just transferred here to take office."

"I said I would, and I will." Xia Jing chuckled. "I forgot to tell you all that Duan Ren was a clerk in the 241st year of the Renovation Era Calendar. He was promoted to Ninth Grade magistrate in the first year of the New Splendor Era Huangyan County. He was not allowed to the Ranked Realm for the previous five years, but after serving in Huangyan County for three years, he was quickly promoted to the lower Eighth Grade and transferred to another place."

Everyone was confused, so Xia Jing continued:

"Huangyan County is my father's fiefdom."

Everyone: "..."

"Damn it, Brother Xia tricked me!" Chen Fang slammed his fist on the table.

"Brother Xia, why didn't you say earlier that Duan Ren was once Vassal of your family?"

"I'm reporting someone for cheating!"

"Brother Xia, you don't need a protector, so you're bringing him along?"

"Well, you knew you'd be a county lieutenant, and with a county magistrate in tow, you can quickly seize military and political power wherever you go."

"This child cannot be allowed to linger!"

"Brother Xia should be punished by eating a stone of Numbfish Fruit!"

"Ugh... Zhang Jie, I really want to tear this mouth apart!"

"Oh my god, it wasn't me who said it, it was Chen Fang imitating people! You know that kid got a perfect score in his language class."

"Quiet!!"

Zhang Yi banged on the table and used his magic to quiet everyone down.

Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Why did he want to recruit Xia Jing? Because Grade A geniuses often have protectors or mentors.

Given Xia Jing's background, he has a wider range of options. If Xia Jing weren't the Marquis Manor Heir, he wouldn't have been able to arrange a transfer like Duan Ren so Wishful.

My father, Xia Hou ... These words carry weight wherever Pinghai Province goes!

Just as Zhao Xing was discussing the grand plan for Cloud City.

Three thousand miles to the south, somewhere in the Phoenix Cry Mountain Range.

The clouds dispersed, and light shone down on a cluster of massive stone buildings below.

In the center of the complex stands an exquisitely carved stone palace, outside which are placed two statues of human figures with animal heads, holding staffs, exuding a solemn aura.

The palace exudes a sense of grandeur, while beside it are numerous military tents made of animal hides. Many strong barbarian soldiers patrol with sharp weapons, and the camps also house many strange beasts whose roars echo throughout.

People dressed in totem robes with mysterious patterns painted on their faces occasionally wandered among them, bowing their heads and chanting incantations.

Whenever these people passed by, the barbarian warriors on both sides of the road would stop and bow, their expressions full of respect.

Because these people are the most respected 'shamans' in the tribe.

As the wizard manipulated the power, a faint light emanated from beneath their feet, and lush green grass and trees suddenly sprouted from the barren ground.

Soon, barbarian soldiers came to harvest the grass and feed it to the beasts.

One of the young wizards was dressed in a black satin robe, wearing a helmet decorated with feathers, and a black cloak matching the robe was tied behind his back.

He exuded an air of nobility as he entered the central stone palace.

As he walked through the passageways of the megalithic building, the entire space seemed to breathe, presenting a wondrous and ancient charm.

A moment later, the young wizard arrived inside the palace. The interior was spacious, containing only a throne that shimmered with Purple Light, upon which sat a colossal figure.

The young wizard bowed respectfully. "Greetings Azure God Envoy."

"Zhao Ke." The figure on the Purple Light throne spoke, his voice booming like a bell. "The Sacred Mountain has decreed that the shamans of your 'Hana' tribe are responsible for the descent of divine might in the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture area, and must complete this task within one month."

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light shot out from the handle of the throne, and the Purple Light condensed into a map. The phantom of the map flashed before Zhao Ke's eyes.

"Did you remember?"

"I've got it." Zhao Ke looked up and carefully examined the map, then patted his chest and bowed his head again. "The Hana Tribe will certainly not fail the divine messenger's command."

"Whoosh~" The purple figure transformed into a streak of light, flying out of the passage along with the throne, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Ke quickly copied the map and then compared it with the map of the Great Zhou Dynasty's Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture. His gaze then fell on a certain spot on the map.

"Cloud City," Zhao Ke murmured. "The target area for launching the natural disaster strike is right here."

The second update is guaranteed to be around 12:30.