The next day, as the sun hung high in the sky, the flood dragon Qing Cang emerged from its cave and took to the heavens.
From high above, it looked down upon the great marsh.
Five thousand years. A full five thousand years had passed. Time was ruthless, and the little yokai of this great marsh had changed generation after generation. Aside from the catfish yokai, there were few old monsters who had followed it from the very beginning.
Today, Qing Cang would finally take that step. If it succeeded, it would shed its mortal coil and become a true dragon. If it failed, its blood would be spilled into the rivers, returning to heaven and earth.
"Roar!!!"
Qing Cang let out a long howl toward the sky. Its resonant voice spread throughout the great marsh and echoed across the entire South Xuan Region.
Then, Qing Cang plunged into the marsh. In an instant, undercurrents surged beneath the surface, and a mysterious intent emerged. Above the flood dragon's head, the faint image of a true dragon's head appeared.
"Lads! Follow your king for a stroll!"
Qing Cang took the lead, swimming into the river channel, followed closely by a horde of little yokai.
Human emperors possess the merit of following the dragon. Yokai do as well. The Flood of the Flood Dragon is a trend that defies heaven to change destiny. Those who follow the dragon can share in its fate, achieving a meteoric rise.
Qing Cang's first target was Kuya Mountain, one of the ten famous mountains of the South Xuan Region.
To the north, in the capital of the Huang Cang Kingdom.
Inside the imperial palace, the current Emperor of Huang Cang looked toward the west.
"Grand Attendant."
"Your servant is here."
"Since that old flood dragon has begun its move, we shall lend it a hand. I command you to lead the East Factory internal guards to assist the flood dragon's journey. During this period, if you encounter any trouble, you may act on your own discretion."
"As you command!"
To the south, at the Lihuo Sect. As the leader of the sects in the South Xuan Region, all the sect representatives were gathered there at this moment.
When the dragon's roar echoed from the marsh, everyone present looked toward the west.
"Everyone, that evil flood dragon has begun its journey. Let us act according to our plans.
This is our last chance. That evil dragon has signed a soul contract with the Lord of Huang Cang. Once it becomes a true dragon, it will surely help the sovereign sweep away our sects.
I hope everyone will put forth their full strength to intercept that creature."
"Sect Master Li, rest assured. This time, the southern sects are all grasshoppers on the same string. We share in glory and in loss. We will surely give our all."
"Indeed, indeed."
Among the crowd, Ye Bufan blended in with the rogue cultivators, quietly sending a message to Xia Qiming to inform him of the southern sects' arrangements.
...
"Stop sleeping, it's time to work!"
Xia Qiming threw open Chen Xu's tent and shouted at him.
"Teacher Xia, do you even have any professional integrity? This is meditation, not sleeping."
Xia Qiming ignored Chen Xu's complaints. "Hurry up. Ye Bufan sent a message. The first target node for the Flood of the Flood Dragon is Kuya Mountain."
"Wasn't that the location we settled on with Old Man Wu yesterday? Aren't Big Brother Xiang and the others already there?"
"Ye Bufan says all the southern sects have been mobilized. At Kuya Mountain alone, five sects are heading there. I'm afraid Xiang Longwu and the others won't be able to hold out if something unexpected happens. It'll be safer if you go."
Chen Xu yawned and spoke casually.
"Don't worry, I already arranged for a black knight to follow Big Brother Xiang. I can control the black knight remotely. If there's a problem, I can use Spirit Descent to go there directly."
Hearing this, Xia Qiming felt relieved.
"Then pay attention and keep a constant watch."
"Relax, I've got this handled. No problem."
After Xia Qiming left, Chen Xu immediately narrowed his eyes. His soul left his body and descended directly onto Xuan Shu.
Although he told Xia Qiming he would only use Spirit Descent if a situation arose, staying in the camp at the entrance was too boring. It was better to just go there and join the fun.
On Kuya Mountain, Xiang Longwu noticed the aura of the black knight beside him suddenly change, so he spoke to test it.
"Little Brother Chen?"
Chen Xu rolled his neck, slightly adjusting to the black knight's body.
"It's me, Big Brother Xiang. Did Teacher Xia tell you? The southern sects have moved. Five of them."
"Yeah, Old Xia told me. However, the dog-leg lackeys of the Huang Cang Kingdom are much faster than the sects."
Chen Xu looked in the direction Xiang Longwu pointed and saw a large army gathered nearby. Their momentum was grand and their killing intent pierced the sky, seemingly bolstered by a battle array.
"Heh, they are an army, after all. With strict discipline, their efficiency is bound to be higher than the sects. But the terrain of Kuya Mountain is treacherous and not suitable for an army charge. Unless they occupy the strategic points in advance, they'll only be able to use seventy or eighty percent of their strength."
Xiang Longwu shook his head at Chen Xu's words.
"Those troops aren't here to attack the mountain. The eunuchs on the other side are the main force for the assault."
Chen Xu turned to look the other way and indeed found a team of eunuchs already at the foot of the mountain, preparing to ascend.
"In that case, what is the purpose of that army?"
"To kill, to cause disaster, to gather malice, and to build momentum."
"Are you saying the army is there to massacre the villages along the riverbanks?"
Xiang Longwu nodded and then looked at Chen Xu. "The spirituality of humans is the highest in the world, yet the malice of humans is also the highest. Sometimes, killing one's own people is much easier than killing outsiders."
"Then don't we need to help the villagers along the banks?"
"We are. People have already gone. Wait, didn't Old Xia notify you?"
"Huh? My business again?"
"Of course. It's to build momentum for your Kunpeng. The commoners along the banks are the source of faith. They've already dressed up in costumes, acting all divine and ghostly, just to fool the commoners.
By the way, Old Xia told you the Kunpeng's honored title, right?"
Chen Xu nodded, reluctantly spitting out a sentence. "He did. The Great Sovereign Emperor of the Northern Dark Vast Sea, Compassionate Universal Deliverer. Heh, why are they so good at coming up with such domineering names now?"
In his mind, Chen Xu compared his own nickname with the Kunpeng's and let out a silent sigh. A man is not as good as a Kun, not as good as a Kun!
Inside the Inverted Sea, the Kunpeng was leisurely floating on its back, swimming lazily. Suddenly, it felt a whim, as if someone was badmouthing it.
At the level of a god, no premonition was without cause. Thus, the Kunpeng sent a message in the Undead Kingdom group chat, complaining to Chen Xu that Sindragosa was insulting it.
Then, it sent another message to Sindragosa, blasting it.
Sindragosa lay on its throne, completely ignoring the Kunpeng. A big dummy is a big dummy. Even if it had good luck and gained divine power, it still couldn't understand the situation.
It, Sindragosa, was the exclusive mount of the Lord of the Undead. Did it not understand what 'exclusive' meant? Did it not understand what status was?
...
At the foot of Kuya Mountain, the East Factory guards gathered.
"Director, we have scouted it. There are people on the mountain."
Wei Jinzhong's expression remained unchanged as he glanced at him, saying coldly, "Who doesn't know there are people up there? That fist intent is about to pierce the heavens. This one stays by His Majesty's side, but this one also rolled through piles of corpses in his early years.
What this one wants to know is who is on Kuya Mountain—those southern sects or rogue cultivators. In short, this one wants accurate numbers and names. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes. I will go scout again immediately."
The little eunuch remained bowed, retreating cautiously until he was ten steps away before turning sharply to run up the mountain.
But just as he leapt onto a tree branch, a silver thread flew past. In an instant, his head was separated from his body, and blood splashed everywhere.
Wei Jinzhong put his hands behind his back and walked step by step toward the little eunuch's corpse.
"This time, it concerns His Majesty's grand plan. Everyone in the East Factory, including this one, must give their all until their dying breath.
I do not wish to see a second instance of such foolishness. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Director!"
Wei Jinzhong looked up through the leaves toward Xiang Longwu at the mountain peak.
"Ascend the mountain."
With a single command, the guards moved one after another, using all their skills to rush up the mountain.
To the south, people from the five great sects had also reached the foot of the mountain.
"Sect Master, the fist intent of the person on the mountain is so overbearing. But I've never heard of such a master within the Huang Cang court."
"Who knows? A ten-thousand-year dynasty has terrifying foundations. It's not surprising if they've secretly trained death soldiers."
"Death soldiers? Such a domineering intent within the fist is not something a death soldier could comprehend."
"Everyone, talk is useless. Let us ascend the mountain."
Thus, the southern sect teams also advanced toward the summit.
"Big Brother Xiang, why did you reveal your fist intent? Isn't that exposing our position?"
At the summit, Chen Xu looked at Xiang Longwu, who was stimulating his intent, and voiced his question.
"We have to fight both sides anyway. Huang Cang in the north interferes with your collection of faith. The sects in the south interfere with our final harvest of the true dragon.
Since that's the case, it's better to just set the stage and use them for fist practice."
"Huh? Aren't you afraid that if both sides attack you together, you won't be able to win?"
"Not win? Don't I still have you, the mythic-tier mountain-guarding tiger?"
"So I'm the one cleaning up the mess again? No way. Since you want to play, Big Brother Xiang, then I'll play too."
With that, Chen Xu also revealed his aura.
A noble, dark, yet extremely domineering aura spread out, enveloping the entire Kuya Mountain.
The East Factory guards and sect members currently ascending the mountain were all affected by this aura, and they stopped in their tracks.
But before long, they moved again, continuing their rush toward the summit.
"Big Brother Xiang, how about we take one side each?"
"Fine. Then I'll take the south, and you take the north."
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