All-Class Anti-Mage - Chapter 53 - Crystal Core Substitute

Second Thought is a legacy passed down by the leader of the Orcs, and it shouldn’t normally be taught all at once to three people like Yang Zhen is doing. However, the young man has his own ideas: if Sword Saint Guli can pass on Second Thought to a non-Orc like him, then the bounds must be broken.

Only in this way can the Orcs truly rise. If they can conquer Borge Gorge, Yang Zhen will fully disclose the three major cultivation principles-Guli, Wuli, and Buli-to the Orcs. As for who should be the leader, that’s simple: the one with superior cultivation should take charge.

Second Thought consists of four major realms: Spontaneous Thought, Steadfast Thought, Dual Thought, and No-Self No-Thought. While Yang Zhen has mastered the highest realm, No-Self No-Thought, like other magic principles, he still needs to comprehend it as his own.

The teaching process is also a learning experience for Yang Zhen. The sword techniques in his memory need to be traversed from the most basic to the profound in order to be understood as his own. Additionally, he can organize his own different perceptions based on Sword Saint Guli’s understanding of Second Thought.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, during which Yang Zhen refined Second Thought and presented it to Pipi. This naturally suited sword technique for the Orcs posed no complexity for Pipi; it was entirely reliant on skill’s accumulation.

During this time, Yang Zhen also met with the other elders scattered across the Beast Language Forest. There were a total of thirty-four tribes, no wonder the fallen orcs collaborated with the Blue Moon Legion. On their own, they simply lacked the manpower to completely eradicate the orc tribes hiding in the forest.

It’s no surprise that Babala, upon returning, had to fulfill reconnaissance orders. Traveling on a pterosaur proved to be highly efficient for scouting the Beast Language Forest. Upon witnessing Yang Zhen’s No-Self No-Thought realm, all thirty-four elders bowed and prostrated, with even a couple fainting from excitement.

This puzzled Yang Zhen. Could it be that they were all his fans? Didn’t Lan’er say that only fans would exhibit such emotional reactions? She fainted from excitement for him. But those two fainted elders were not fake.

The thirty-four tribes combined barely numbered less than ten thousand orcs. It is said that there are only about twenty thousand orcs who still follow the Beast God, and gathering them all would take some effort. With such limited manpower, how could they possibly conquer Borge Gorge? After all, there are sixty thousand fallen orcs inside.

With a three-to-one deficit, even a fool would know the outcome. Additionally, the fallen orcs are well-trained and significantly stronger in combat than ordinary orcs. This was clear from the foul odor emanating from the thirty-four elders; they must not have bathed in at least a decade.

The last time was a minimum of forty-three years ago, when one elder, in his youth, earned fame by chopping off a pinky finger of a member of the Wuli elite warrior team. Yet, from the thirty-four tribes, only a little over a hundred orcs qualified to learn Second Thought.

The plan to counterattack Borge Gorge-aborted!

The situation became even more severe with the upcoming joint operation between the fallen orcs and the Blue Moon Legion. Yang Zhen received the basic plan of the Blue Moon Legion from the straightforward Babala, and after combining it with the current power of the fallen orcs, he arrived at a shocking conclusion.

Once the joint operation commenced, the twenty thousand Orcs would have no chance of survival! With the hundred thousand strong army of the Blue Moon Legion supported by the more familiar fallen orcs, they would comb through the entire Beast Language Forest like a thorough search. Even if the Orcs dug deep and hid three meters underground, the joint army would uncover them!

“They absolutely must not unite!” After analyzing this alarming outcome, Yang Zhen realized this was the only solution to avert the crisis. The Blue Moon Legion’s collaboration with the fallen orcs stemmed from their financial difficulties, as they urgently needed the crystal cores of magical beasts to fund their military operations.

There were only two ways to make them abandon their plans. One was to directly offer them money to persuade the Blue Moon Legion to withdraw, but even if Yang Zhen were wealthy, it would be impossible to sustain an army of one hundred thousand indefinitely; this would merely be a temporary and ineffective solution. The other way was to develop a crystal core substitute. Once this technology was available, the Blue Moon Legion would abandon their plans voluntarily without needing any financial incentive from Yang Zhen.

However, Yang Zhen needed time. The Blue Moon Legion would soon launch their offensive against the Beast Language Forest due to financial reasons, while the crystal core substitute was still just a preliminary idea. Therefore, he had to pursue both methods simultaneously to resolve the crisis facing the Orcs.

As for the future of the Blue Moon Legion, Yang Zhen could think of other ways with the financial support of the Bidel Mage Guild. And the counterattack on Borge Gorge… that could wait until after the immediate crisis was dealt with. But who could he send to ask Roland for funding for the Blue Moon Legion? The green-skinned orcs were not suitable; they had barely exited the Beast Language Forest before being attacked by humans, making it impossible for them to travel long distances.

Yang Zhen couldn’t leave the Beast Language Forest himself; he was now the backbone of the Orcs. If he left before resolving the issue of the fallen orcs in Borge Gorge, it would lead to great chaos. That left only one person.

“Sigh…” Yang Zhen let out a soft exhale. He believed this person would be willing to go, but it also deepened his feelings of guilt.

Yang Zhen stepped out of the cave, greeted with respect by the Orcs as he made his way outside the tribe. His selected hundred elite troop, under Pipi’s leadership, was diligently practicing Second Thought. Babala was joining in the excitement as well; after nearly every set of sword techniques, Pipi would spar with the barbarian.

When Yang Zhen arrived, he caught the two of them in a friendly competition. Regardless of how sharp Pipi’s two-handed sword technique was, it was consistently countered by Babala’s sticky, stubborn style, rendering Pipi unable to gain any advantage. The barbarian also found it challenging; in Babala’s view, dealing with Pipi was more exhausting than handling dozens of fallen orcs.

“Let’s stop. Your sword technique is too impressive! Yang Zhen Guli is incredibly strong; for me, it’s like reaching for the stars. From now on, you’ll be my idol and the goal I strive for!” Pipi’s boisterous voice nearly caused Yang Zhen to stumble; it seemed this Orc had a habit of frequently changing idols.

“Long live Guli!” Upon seeing Yang Zhen enter the training ground, the hundred elite troop knelt in unison. Yang Zhen waved for them to continue before walking up to the barbarian.

“That sword technique you just demonstrated was taught by the Blue Moon Legion, right?”

“Yes, Babala is quite slow; it took him ten years to learn it.”

Yang Zhen nodded. The sword technique was clearly designed for group combat. Babala would hold the enemy in place while other soldiers specializing in offensive techniques would strike. If he wasn’t mistaken, Babala was likely the soul of the combat team, and this method of fighting might be the Blue Moon Legion’s signature tactic.

“Tell me, do you miss your comrades?”

“I do! They might only be eating one meal a day now, but Babala can eat his fill all day long here.”

For the barbarian, his concerns were straightforward and practical; as long as his comrades had enough to eat, he was content.

“If you return to the Blue Moon Legion, will you join them in attacking the Beast Language Forest?” This was the question Yang Zhen was most concerned about; he wanted to know if Babala’s position would change after their time together.

“Babala doesn’t know. The Orc brothers are also great. But my comrades are hungry; that makes Babala conflicted.” After more than half a month of interaction, some feelings had developed. Moreover, the Blue Moon Legion previously focused solely on hunting magical beasts and rarely interacted or clashed with the Orcs. Without interaction, the barbarian naturally had no way of knowing whether the Orcs could become his friends.

You’re right to feel conflicted; I feel the same way. Yang Zhen smiled, shook his head, and gently patted the barbarian’s cheek, saying, “If I had a way for your comrades to be well-fed and for the Blue Moon Legion to not attack the Beast Language Forest, but it required someone to go out and do something for me, would you be willing?”

“Babala is willing!” the barbarian immediately nodded joyfully. For him, every extra minute here was another minute of torment. If he could contribute to solving the problem, even at the cost of his life, the barbarian would do so without hesitation!

“Well done, thank you!” Yang Zhen gave him a fierce hug, so fierce that the barbarian began to cry out in pain, showing how strong Yang Zhen was in his happiness.

Of course, Yang Zhen couldn’t just let Babala walk out on his own; not to mention whether the fallen orcs along the way would agree, he himself would not agree. What does a legion commander fear? He fears that the simple Babala might be deceived by cunning humans, which is why he assigned Lulu to him, to minimize human contact.

On this matter, Yang Zhen and the legion commander were in agreement. Thus, he needed to find another mode of transportation for the barbarian, one that could fly. The Beast Language Forest was not short of such means, but Yang Zhen had high standards. Under the careful selection of a beast taming grandmaster, a ninth-tier magical beast, a thunderwing bird that enjoyed traveling, was chosen.

However, the thunderwing bird, just one step away from becoming a saint beast, seemed to look down on Yang Zhen, leading to the following episode.

“Looking at your puny frame, you’re hardly enough to stick between my teeth. Why should I obey your commands and even sign a soul contract with a barbarian who has muscles for brains? Dream on!” said the thunderwing bird.

“So, what would make you agree?” Yang Zhen asked.

“The Orcs are in peril, I know, but I don’t believe you’re the Leader Guli. Don’t bother demonstrating your stick-fighting skills; the real Leader Guli’s strength is immense, as long as you…”

“Snap!” Yang Zhen grabbed the thunderwing bird by the neck and slammed it against a large tree big enough for five men to encircle, “How about now?”

“No… no problem.”

The onlooking Orcs were stunned, thinking Yang Zhen Guli must be incredibly bold to physically confront a ninth-tier magical beast, and yet the creature was subdued!

Yang Zhen had his own plans and thoughts; such a foolish bird wouldn’t lead Babala astray. He could have instantly cast an eighth-level thunder magic and turned himself into roasted meat with electricity, yet he chose to compare strength. If that’s not a foolish bird, what is?

Moreover, it liked traveling, knew the location of Prague, and was familiar with the Mage Guild’s buildings. This saved Yang Zhen a lot of trouble as the thunderwing bird could directly deliver Babala to Prague, assuming Roland was at the Prague Mage Guild at the time.

Watching the thunderwing bird carry Babala towards Prague, Yang Zhen silently prayed for the barbarian’s safe journey. The fate of twenty thousand devout Orcs who still revered the Beast God now entirely rested on Babala.