Chen Xu was greatly surprised by Xiang Longwu's words.
Seeing Chen Xu's expression, Xiang Longwu raised his right hand, extended four fingers, and continued.
"Little Brother Chen, a competent team is generally made up of a few types of people.
The mountain-guarding tiger, the far-sighted eagle, the battle-hardened wolf, and the agile leopard.
Each fulfilling their duties and cooperating fully, they can achieve the greatest effect."
Then, Xiang Longwu raised his left hand.
"Admittedly, the world is full of talent, and there might be polymaths who are proficient in everything. But this is large-scale legion combat; it's impossible to place all the burden on one person.
Just like your left and right hands, you can't always punch with your right; you need to alternate to circulate your strength and push forward."
"So, we just wait here?"
"Not exactly. Once the main forces arrive, each of us will be responsible for overseeing a unit, ensuring their safety. For example, I'll be in charge of the Third Company, expanding northwards.
Once the teams are assembled, I'll set off with the others, leading my team north to rendezvous with Old Ye."
"What about me? Teacher Xia doesn't seem to have assigned me a task."
Seeing that everyone else had tasks but Chen Xu, he felt left out.
"You? You're probably the mountain-guarding tiger. With only you at mythic-tier, if you don't hold the center, who will?
Old Ye and I had some minor gains from the last dragon hunt and only broke through to legendary-tier a few days ago. The others probably rely on Heavenly Crafts' one-time items to boost their strength.
So, the task of holding the rear will likely fall to you."
As soon as Xiang Longwu finished speaking, Chen Xu's Soul-Inducing Token received a message from Xia Qiming, instructing him to stay near the dungeon entrance and not to leave with the others.
It seemed Xiang Longwu was right; Chen Xu was indeed being treated as the mountain-guarding tiger by Xia Qiming.
However, Chen Xu's eyes darted, and he came up with an idea.
"Snap!"
He snapped his fingers, summoning Xuan Shu.
"My Lord!"
Chen Xu pointed at Xuan Shu, looking at Xiang Longwu.
"Big Brother Xiang, when you set off later, please take him with you."
"No problem, but your black knight subordinate leans towards command, right? Last time, during the Hanyuan Siege Battle against the cold ghosts, I saw his command abilities, and I must say, they were top-notch!"
Xiang Longwu extended his hand, giving a thumbs-up.
"But you haven't assigned him any troops. Why would he follow us?"
"Heh heh, Big Brother Xiang, don't underestimate my black knight. He's legendary-tier."
The black knight's strength automatically increases with the Lord of the Undead's strength, only one tier lower.
Now, Chen Xu was mythic-tier, so the black knight was legendary-tier.
"Moreover, his main purpose is for me to control him remotely, allowing me to... oh no, allowing me to support you all at any time."
An hour passed, and Daxia's main forces had all entered the Flood of the Flood Dragon dungeon.
Ye Bufan and the others also brought back firsthand information.
About five kilometers north of the entrance, there was a human village. Further north from the village was a large city, with the characters "Huang Cang" displayed on its gate.
Further north, cities dotted the landscape, clearly indicating a vast kingdom, and a cultivator dynasty at that.
The constables on the streets and the officials in the mansions all possessed cultivation.
Ye Bufan's earlier guess was indeed correct. Even an ordinary butcher in the city had spiritual energy within him. A single laborer on the street could carry more than ten sacks of rice.
Not far south of the entrance, there were also a few villages, but the cities were small in scale and far less imposing than those in the north.
However, the southern region had many sects.
Ten kilometers west of the entrance lay a great marsh, teeming with yokai and rarely visited by humans.
As night fell, Xia Qiming, Ye Bufan, Wu Xiuyuan, Zhuge Xuanqi, and Chen Xu gathered.
"This place is called the South Xuan Region, and the surrounding cities all belong to one kingdom, the Huang Cang Kingdom.
According to the elders in a nearby village, a true dragon once emerged from the great marsh to the west, naming itself Huang Cang. That great marsh, being the starting point of the Flood of the Flood Dragon, was thus called the Yellow Cang Great Marsh.
And this Huang Cang Kingdom, heh heh."
Wu Xiuyuan chuckled twice, took a sip of tea to clear his throat, and continued.
"Back then, the Flood of the Flood Dragon was obstructed by the previous dynasty's emperor, who led an army to stop it, but unexpectedly, they all perished. The founding ancestor of the Huang Cang Kingdom then seized the opportunity to raise an army and claim the realm.
However, it was ultimately a spur-of-the-moment uprising with insufficient foundation, fearing an unstable throne. So, they borrowed the true dragon's name, fabricating a grand connection to it.
Strangely enough, that true dragon didn't refute it. Since then, the Huang Cang Kingdom has continued for ten thousand years."
"I've calculated that the Yellow Cang Great Marsh has a faint dragon aura, appearing and disappearing. I estimate this time's target also intends to use the Yellow Cang Great Marsh as a starting point, wanting to emulate their predecessors."
Zhuge Xuanqi interjected.
Wu Xiuyuan nodded, pulled an old, tattered map from his pocket, and placed it on the table.
"This is Huang Cang's Flood of the Flood Dragon route from back then, starting from the great marsh, passing through nine famous mountains, and finally entering the East Sea.
Nine is the extreme of numbers. Huang Cang, back then, dared to undertake the Flood of the Flood Dragon after only a thousand years, so he must have been exceptionally talented.
I just wonder if this time's target has such courage."
Xia Qiming looked at the yellowed, old map on the table, remained silent for a long time, and finally pointed at the map, saying.
"Teacher, did you go tomb raiding again?"
"Pah!" Wu Xiuyuan grabbed the tobacco pipe from his waist and tapped Xia Qiming with it. "This old man is 'unearthing dungeon information,' not 'tomb raiding'! You're a Daxia commander, don't you have any professional integrity? Don't you know what professional terminology is?"
Zhuge Xuanqi ignored the playful banter between his old partner and apprentice, and continued to share information.
"What's strange is that, with Huang Cang's Flood of the Flood Dragon route as the boundary, the recent actions of the people in the south and the north are completely opposite.
In the south, there are many sect forces, subtly overshadowing the imperial court. Many villages along the riverbanks and far from cities have been relocated by sect members.
The north, however, is the opposite. The Huang Cang Kingdom not only hasn't moved villages away from the riverbanks but has even relocated villages from other areas to the riverside.
This old man can't quite figure out why."
"Fate."
Ye Bufan, holding his spirit sword, suddenly spoke.
"'Fate?'" Zhuge Xuanqi's eyes widened. "Are you saying?"
"The Flood of the Flood Dragon is inherently an act of defying destiny, requiring the accumulation of momentum all the way, using immense force to break through bottlenecks. Mountains and rivers have natural power. And humans, when they die en masse, also generate a malevolent force.
Perhaps that flood dragon felt its talent was insufficient to break through the bottleneck, so it cooperated with the Huang Cang Kingdom, using the lives of its citizens to aid the flood dragon's transformation into a true dragon."
After hearing Ye Bufan's analysis, Chen Xu was puzzled.
"What benefit does a flood dragon transforming into a true dragon bring to the Huang Cang Kingdom that's worth exchanging so many commoners' lives for?"
Ye Bufan pointed his spirit sword at the south on the map.
"Sects. The sects are powerful, threatening imperial authority. To secure the throne, exchanging some of the lowest commoners for a true dragon capable of contending with the sects is absolutely a worthwhile deal for those in power."
"Brother Ye," Xia Qiming looked at Ye Bufan, "are you willing to go south and investigate the sects?"
"Me again?"
Ye Bufan blurted out, and the familiar words made Chen Xu involuntarily turn to look at him.
"Here, we have two old men—one who talks a lot and one who deals with the dead. No matter how you look at it, you, the dashing Sword Cultivator, are more suitable, right? After all, as a Sword Cultivator, even if you're a bit reckless, no one will suspect anything."
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