Chapter 236: Barrier Pokémonfication
As soon as Lu Li arrived in the hall, he saw Bao Bao and Wei by the fireplace.
Yao Yifei was just on the phone, seemingly contacting someone.
Seeing this, Lu Li quickly grabbed his phone to check.
Judging by the multiple missed calls on his phone, Lu Li’s expression instantly turned grim.
Yu Lili’s name was among the missed calls.
Without even bothering to call back, Lu Li walked directly to the fireplace and asked, “What’s with this sudden cold air?”
Wei said, “Sister Yao said this cold air is coming from deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range, and the secret realm there must be having problems.”
At this moment, Yao Yifei also hung up the phone and walked over to explain, “The secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range is having problems.”
“What kind of problems?” Lu Li quickly asked.
Yao Yifei said, “According to reports from Alliance investigators, the entrance to the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range has been frozen over, and the culprit is suspected to be a Master Level Pokémon.”
Lu Li: “???”
A max-level boss spawned next to the beginner village? Is this for real!
Lu Li asked dejectedly, “Was it a wild Pokémon or a trainer?”
Yao Yifei: “Preliminary investigations suggest it was caused by a wild Pokémon. This year’s attributes are likely Ice and Dark, but further investigation is needed for specific details.”
Across the nine generations, there are only two Pokémon with the Ice/Dark attribute combination.
The normal Pokémon Weavile and the legendary Beasts of Calamity, the Ancient Sword Leopard.
“If it wasn’t a trainer commanding a Pokémon, then there’s only one culprit.”
With a guess forming in his mind, Lu Li felt completely dumbfounded.
As everyone knows, wickedness is the nature of Dark-type Pokémon, and it’s easy to distinguish between good and bad Pokémon. Pokémon that like to harm other life forms for no reason are bad eggs.
The Ancient Sword Leopard is a prime example of this.
As one of the Four Beasts of Calamity, the Ancient Sword Leopard can be said to be innocently wicked.
What evil intentions could the Ancient Sword Leopard have? It simply likes to play happily by manipulating snow and playing in the snow.
So, the question arises again.
Why did a Beast of Calamity spawn in the secret realm in the Qingyun Mountain Range? This thing shouldn’t be in those ice and snow secret realms, right?
He’s been to the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range before; the main terrain there is definitely not ice and snow, but mountains and forests.
The current situation is that the Ancient Sword Leopard has frozen the entrance to the Qingyun Mountain Range. The good news is that those inside can’t get out, and those outside can’t get in.
The bad news is that he still doesn’t know if the Ancient Sword Leopard is inside or outside.
If it’s inside the secret realm, it’s manageable; at least the real world won’t be in danger. If it’s outside, then the people in the Southern Region will suffer greatly.
Awkwardly, if the people in the Southern Region are to suffer greatly, he might be among the first victims.
The thought of it made Lu Li’s scalp tingle, and he even felt an urge to move.
Lu Li asked with a dark expression, “So what’s the Alliance’s attitude on this?”
Hearing this, Yao Yifei’s expression instantly became even more dejected than Lu Li’s.
Yao Yifei gritted her teeth and said, “The Alliance wants me to investigate.”
“You’re going to investigate a Master Level Pokémon?” Lu Li looked at Yao Yifei in disbelief.
What’s the difference between this and sending a Magikarp to kill Sun Wukong?
Knowing she couldn’t refuse anymore, Yao Yifei tried to find some humor, “It’s just an investigation, surely we won’t be so unlucky as to run into the main culprit, right?”
“What about inside the secret realm?” Lu Li asked.
Yao Yifei said, “Of course, we’re not dealing with that. The ice left by a Pokémon that has entered the Divine Realm is harder than diamond, and the cold energy is also corrosive. Unless a Pokémon that has also entered the Divine Realm intervenes, the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range can only remain sealed forever.”
Lu Li nodded.
For the Alliance, it doesn’t matter whether the Qingyun Mountain Range secret realm is open or closed; they can’t exploit it anyway. However, families in Qingfeng City, including the Yu family, might suffer heavy losses.
For example, the Yu and Jin families; a significant portion of the supplies in the Qing Mu Black Market comes from the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range.
Now that this path is cut off, it will be difficult for the Qing Mu Black Market to continue operating.
However, there is also some good news: the Psychic Type Heavenly King might also be trapped in the secret realm and unable to get out.
“Sister Yao, I suggest you look around the vicinity. If you don’t find that Pokémon, then forget it; let’s not get involved in this matter,” Lu Li advised very seriously.
A Master Level Pokémon and the Ancient Sword Leopard are two different concepts, especially since the Ancient Sword Leopard has no pack.
This means that the Ancient Sword Leopard might possess divine duties and authority.
As everyone knows, having divine duties and not having them are two different concepts.
Yao Yifei nodded and comforted him, “Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish.”
A familiar ringtone suddenly sounded.
Seeing the caller ID, Lu Li answered the call directly.
“Lu Li, are you okay over there? I heard that the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range is having problems, and even the climate here is being affected,” Yu Lili asked nervously.
Lu Li comforted her, “I’m fine for now, it’s just a matter of wearing an extra layer of clothing.”
As autumn arrives, the weather gets cooler, and the average temperature has been maintained around 20-25 degrees Celsius, but now it’s different.
The temperature here has dropped by more than 10 degrees, with the average temperature directly falling below 10 degrees Celsius.
This is about the temperature of winter here. The Ancient Sword Leopard only froze a secret realm entrance, yet it directly affected the weather within a radius of thousands of kilometers.
Regarding this, Lu Li could only say that the power of divine beasts is terrifying.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Yu Lili said, relieved to hear that Lu Li was fine.
Lu Li also asked with concern, “My affairs are fine. Now that the Qingyun Mountain Range secret realm is closed, what will your Yu family do?”
“My mom and Aunt Liu Li have discussed it. Now we can only make a drastic decision. We’ll contract our forces and auction off the family’s real estate to make a living.”
“We’ve calculated carefully; as long as our Yu family doesn’t suffer any major losses, our family’s resources will be enough to support me until I reach Gym Level,” Yu Lili said with a forced smile, trying to comfort him.
Lu Li was a little surprised to hear this. Was it that serious? When Yu Zhonggang died, the Yu family didn’t even resort to selling off family assets.
Lu Li sighed, “Is it that bad?”
Yu Lili also sighed and explained, “There’s no other way. While we suffered heavy losses, other families in Qingfeng City also suffered greatly, especially my maternal grandfather’s family; their losses are even more severe than ours.”
“The reason my mom and Aunt Liu Li are contracting their businesses is that they are worried the Jin family might use our Yu family to offset their losses.”
Lu Li nodded and comforted Yu Lili further before hanging up the phone.
After Lu Li hung up the phone, Yao Yifei sighed softly beside him, “It seems like your little girlfriend’s family isn’t doing well either.”
“What I’m more worried about now is us. With the sudden cold weather, the farm is probably not doing well either,” Lu Li finally remembered his own losses.
“What are your losses? At worst, you can just switch to cold-resistant seeds,” Yao Yifei said, giving Lu Li a sideways glance.
“Wait!”
Yao Yifei suddenly appeared in front of Lu Li, her face full of worry, “Will the garden be alright?”
It’s not just crops that are affected by temperature; flowers are too!
“Don’t worry, as long as the temperature doesn’t drop to zero degrees Celsius, the Gracidea Flowers will be fine,” Lu Li reassured her.
“But the problem is, it’s only autumn now. If it really gets to winter…” Yao Yifei still looked worried.
Hearing this, Lu Li’s expression also became serious.
Extreme weather doesn’t just affect Gracidea Flowers; eventually, even the orchard will be impacted.
Lu Li asked nervously, “Do you have any Pokémon that can use Sunny Day?”
With a bitter expression, Yao Yifei shook her head, “Weather Skills aren’t that easy to learn.”
Lu Li: “…”
Are Weather Skills difficult to learn?
Lu Li didn’t think so.
In the cultivation world, there are also many precious Ganoderma lucidum that are very delicate, such as those that cannot adapt to high or low temperatures.
So, the Spirit Farmers of the past researched a very outrageous spell – the Constant Temperature Technique.
The Constant Temperature Technique itself is not outrageous; what’s outrageous is its higher-level spell – the Weather Technique.
The most outrageous aspect of the Weather Technique is its ability to change the climate of a certain area, transforming it into any climate.
Whether it’s snowing or sunny, even hail and twisters are possible; its main characteristic is being outrageous.
Such a heaven-defying spell like the Weather Technique, of course, cannot be Pokémonfied, at least not by him currently.
However, the Constant Temperature Technique is quite simple. This spell can be considered a minor spell, and its difficulty is even lower than the Spirit Infusion Technique.
Even the Constant Temperature Technique can only be a temporary fix, and a temporary fix at that, as he can’t stay home all the time, nor can he use Constant Temperature Technique on the garden and orchard every day.
The duration of a Constant Temperature Technique is only seven days, and it also has a range limitation. Given the area of the orchard and garden, one Constant Temperature Technique can last at most three days.
When spells are ineffective, Pokémon skills must step up.
Charmander, Tropius, your trials from the organization have begun!
As is well known, Charmander and Tropius cannot learn the weather move Sunny Day.
As for whether they can learn it or not?
Lu Li stated that one must believe in the wisdom of companions.
“I’ll go check on the orchard first,” Lu Li said, and then left the villa with Charmander’s Poké Ball.
As soon as he arrived at the orchard, Lu Li saw Tropius hovering in the sky above it.
It was circling anxiously in the sky, and Tropius, who had already started self-studying berry cultivation, was already worried about the impact of the sudden drop in temperature on the orchard.
Upon seeing Lu Li arrive, Tropius acted as if it had seen a savior.
“Tro~”
（ Trainer, you’re finally here.）
Understanding immediately what the other was worried about, Lu Li comforted it, “Don’t worry, these fruit trees can’t be frozen to death for now.”
“Tro~”
（ It’s not the temperature. This cold current is mixed with deep malice, which will definitely affect the quality of the fruits and vegetables.）
Lu Li: “…”
Hearing about this kind of impact, Lu Li was also stunned for a moment.
The title “Beasts of Calamity” was truly not undeserved for the Ancient Sword Leopard.
Any natural disaster that can harm crops is a terrifying disaster for humans.
Lu Li stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The first thing Lu Li thought of was that miraculous Energy Field Shield. That thing could definitely block the cold current and that so-called malice.
But that thing is a money burner, and he can’t afford it now, not even the lowest-grade Energy Field Shield.
“So, the problem to solve now is not just the temperature, but also resisting the malice in the cold?” Lu Li mused, looking at the orchard before him.
If it were before the Grand Festival, he would definitely be at a loss for how to deal with such a situation.
But now.
It’s time to let this world witness the power of cultivation!
He definitely couldn’t set up high-level barriers; he didn’t have that level of skill.
However, if it’s just about setting up a barrier to resist some simple malice, he could manage.
But before that, he still needed to advance his studies.
After comprehending simple space runes, he had only focused on making talismans and space rings, and he hadn’t deeply researched barriers.
However, with previous experience, he could quickly research a simple space-shielding barrier.
Having made up his mind, Lu Li first comforted Tropius, then cast Constant Temperature Technique on the orchard and garden, and only then did he rush back to the basement.
Barrier technology Pokémonfication activated!
Barriers, put simply, are another type of formation, or even a downgraded version of formations, so researching them is quite simple.
Seeing Lu Li rushing back and diving into the basement again, Yao Yifei and Wei exchanged glances and then shook their heads.
Lu Li was always so busy, as if something was chasing him.
Lu Li certainly couldn’t tell them about this feeling.
It was like a treasure vault was right in front of him, but he could only take out one gold coin at a time. At this point, any normal person would know to speed up the pace of collecting gold coins.
Barrier research began!
Just as Lu Li was about to delve into his research, a cross-regional call disturbed him.
Big Goose… No, it should be called the Extreme Ice Empire now.
Knowing it was Ekaterina’s call, Lu Li answered.
Ekaterina asked with certainty, “Lu Li, did something happen on your end?”
“Yes.”
Lu Li nodded.
Qingfeng City already had spies from the Extreme Ice Empire, so Ekaterina being able to know about this so quickly must mean someone reported it to her.
Ekaterina didn’t beat around the bush and confessed directly, “Listen to me, the Pokémon in the secret realm deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range is not a Master Level Pokémon, but an Evil God with divine duties and authority. If possible, you should leave the Southern Region as soon as possible.”
Lu Li frowned slightly, feeling puzzled.
How did Ekaterina know? Even if she had spies in Qingfeng City, it couldn’t be this outrageous, right? This was something even the Alliance didn’t know yet.
“Trust me! I’ve seen Him before. At that time, He had just revived and his strength was only Heavenly King Level, but it’s uncertain now,” Ekaterina said with utmost seriousness.
If possible, even an Evil God, their Yekaterina Family would want to get involved.
The problem now is that the secret realm is too far from the Extreme Ice Empire, and it’s still within the Jiuzhou Region.
With the commotion that had erupted, the news was almost impossible to conceal. If the Jiuzhou Alliance investigated this matter deeply, they would be able to uncover the truth.
Rather than clinging to this secret, it was better to quickly urge Lu Li to move.
