Xia Qiming fell into silence for a long while before finally speaking again, "Did you not say your main objective was to find dungeons and replenish your forces?"
"Um, that is correct. Clearing those aristocratic clans was just something I did in passing. As the saying goes, sharpening the blade does not hinder the woodcutting. I was just asking the clans for the locations of the dungeons."
"I did not expect them to be so weak. Moreover, since they spent their days oppressing the innocent and preying on the people, I simply cleaned house while I was at it."
"In passing?" Xia Qiming switched to his message interface and reconfirmed the time of the message Chen Xu had sent that morning. "In less than a day, the entire South Realm? You call that 'in passing'?"
"Teacher Xia, does Daxia have any understanding of the strength of the South Realm's class-users?"
"Not much. We only know they are very lazy. In the past, they often requested help from Daxia to help them clear mid-tier or even low-tier dungeons."
"The most egregious part was that they often slacked off. Almost all the effort in the dungeons came from Daxia's people. Over time, we stopped providing them with assistance."
Xia Qiming recalled those days. Back then, he had been a member of the South Realm's aid force.
In his memories, there were only the figures of the Daxia team members. As for those young masters from the South Realm's aristocratic clans, they would only hide in the back, throwing jars from a distance, controlling voodoo insects, and harvesting monsters that had already been beaten to a pulp to steal the experience from the Daxia team.
"Teacher Xia, do you think it is possible that they were not lazy, but simply trash? They might just be genuinely weak and unable to clear those mid-tier dungeons."
"This... that cannot be right. The South Realm is a large territory after all. It should not be possible."
"I cleared four growth dungeons specific to the South Realm's classes today."
Upon hearing this, Xia Qiming fell into silence once again.
A growth dungeon? Xia Qiming had forgotten how long it had been since he last heard that term. The last time was likely when he went to a local academy to give an introductory lecture.
"I will notify the Archons and have them send people over. Is there anything else?"
"Actually, there is. Why don't you send some more investigation teams and academy staff? There is a dungeon invasion here in the South Realm."
"What! How large is the invasion, and how strong are the monsters? No, do not go in to investigate recklessly. Wait for me to send professional personnel."
Hearing the words 'dungeon invasion,' Xia Qiming immediately grew tense, subconsciously jumping up from his chair.
"The monster strength is not that great; in fact, it is quite pathetic. Teacher Xia, given the strength of the South Realm's class-users, a dungeon invasion here might not be as troublesome as the one in Mohai. It might even be a dungeon that you could clear solo."
"Uh, when you put it that way, it does seem to make some sense. Then be careful with your own investigation. I will have the investigation team set out immediately to support you."
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."
Chen Xu hung up the phone. Just then, the ghosts sent to scout the underground river had discovered their target. Moreover, there was not just one, but many.
Deep in the mountain forests on the western side of the South Realm, several dungeons had invaded Blue Star. However, precisely because they were in the middle of nowhere, there were no humans around. Aside from the forest insects and beasts, there was nothing else.
The monsters that emerged from these dungeon invasions had begun fighting each other, forming a curious dynamic balance.
The strange creatures that had appeared in the temple well in Liuqing City had come from one of these dungeons. Those odd tentacled shells were weaker than the monsters from the other dungeons, but they happened to be amphibious. They had followed the waterways to find a way out.
"To think such a thing exists. Interesting. Lead the way!"
Seeing the ghost's bizarre description, Chen Xu's curiosity was piqued.
He raised his hand to summon Sindragosa and mounted it. With a wave of his hand, he grabbed the ghost and told it to lead the way.
The ghost's form shifted from a humanoid shape into an arrow pointing west.
"Sindragosa, let's go."
"Wooo~~~"
Before long, Chen Xu arrived at this peculiar dungeon invasion site.
Looking down from above, the forest was divided into five distinct sections, each with a completely different terrain, all adjacent to one another.
In the very center was an oval-shaped earthy yellow swamp that constantly spat out massive gas bubbles.
To the west of the swamp was a patch of red arid land stretching for several kilometers. Nothing could be seen except for the earth; no plants or animals were visible at all.
Next to this dry land and south of the swamp was a massive mushroom forest. Large and small, yellow and white, in clusters or scattered, all sorts of mushrooms occupied the area.
To the north of the swamp, it looked no different from the surrounding forest at first glance. But upon closer inspection, one would notice that the ground was covered in dense rows of small mounds. Even the native old trees of Blue Star had basketball-sized white lumps growing all over their trunks.
The final area was a small river clinging to the mountaintop, flowing downward. This was the dungeon of the strange tentacled shells. The already narrow riverbed was plastered with shells. The land by the river had also become pitted and uneven, filled with pink eggs laid by the shells.
"Have you scouted what kind of creatures are in each terrain?"
Chen Xu looked at the ghost beside him.
Seeing his question, the ghost immediately nodded. It changed its form from an arrow into the shape of the central swamp. Then, it transformed into a strange long snake. It had the appearance of a snake, but compared to an ordinary one, it had a row of tiny centipede-like legs along both sides of its body.
Then, the ghost transformed into the red terrain of the west, followed by the shape of a massive coffin.
Next was the mushroom forest to the south. The ghost rapidly shifted into various mushroom shapes, essentially mimicking every type of mushroom below.
As for the northern mounds, the ghost turned into a hideous ant—a winged ant, at that. At the same time, the ghost imitated the ant's attacking motions, spitting out some mysterious liquid from its mouthparts.
In the river to the far east were the shells seen previously. However, the number of tentacles varied. According to the ghost's investigation, the tentacles ranged from one to ten; the more tentacles there were, the stronger the creature.
"What about their strength? Have you tested them?"
Chen Xu continued his questioning.
Although his mythic-tier mental strength did not sense any threat from below, this was still a dungeon invasion. There might be some special entities. The ghost, having actually engaged them, had more authority on the matter.
The ghost returned to its original form and grinned. It reached out its right hand, rolled up its sleeve, flexed its arm, and showed off its biceps. Then, it pointed to the five terrains below, clenched its right fist, and gave a thumbs down with a look of disdain on its face.
Alright, it seemed Chen Xu's guess and intuition were correct. The dungeon invasions in the South Realm were indeed just bottom-tier trash.
Since the threat was not significant, Chen Xu did not intend to deal with them. Instead, he noted the coordinates and sent them to Xia Qiming. This was the first instance in Blue Star's history of a dynamic balance in a dungeon invasion, and it might possess special research value.
After sending the message, Chen Xu rode Sindragosa away.
The ghost interrogation team had already concluded their friendly talks with the heads of the aristocratic clans. They had obtained the locations of many dungeons, fifty-three in total.
It was quite a number. If Chen Xu and his undead army went all out, they could probably challenge the world record for the most dungeons cleared in twenty-four hours.
Enjoyment was for the living; skeletons should work hard. He had just finished warming up with the South Realm, and entering dungeons now was the perfect state to be in.
Regarding this, not a single skeleton soldier in the Undead Kingdom objected. They all raised their bone blades and shields, ready and waiting.
Rate on N.U.
