Chapter 236: Army Sets Off, Changes in Yanglu, Mid Cold-Resistant Realm [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

Does Da Xia Valley, Main Building Top Floor Hall

As usual, the head seat was empty.

But an hour ago, Xia Chuan, who was still at Yangyuan Peak, was now standing in the center of the hall, staring intently at the patterns on the Cold Ruins Tripod.

On both sides of the hall, Zhu Yuan, Zhao Hu, Zhao Bao, Lin Kai, and Lu Yang stood, their expressions all somewhat invigorated.

"Greetings, Lord Deputy!"

Huang Yong and Hong Gang, who arrived late, found six people already standing in the hall. After paying respects to Xia Chuan, they stood at the very back.

"My lord, only Qiu Si Zheng is missing!"

Zhu Yuan walked to the Cold Ruins Tripod and reminded Xia Chuan softly.

Xia Chuan withdrew his thoughts, turned to look at the seven people in the hall, his expression slightly invigorated:

"I just rushed back from the Pingxi Plain. I haven't rested much along the way. Time is tight, so I won't talk nonsense with you, I'll keep it short!"

From Yanglu to the Beehive, then through the Border Valley, crossing the Arrow Bamboo Forest, and finally arriving at Xia City—this distance was roughly over a hundred kilometers. Xia Chuan ran wildly all the way, but even so, it took a full half-hour.

"Qiu Peng is still notifying every hunting team member house by house, so he can't come for now. I'll give you the bottom line first..."

The seven people in the hall had just been awakened from their dreams by Qiu Peng, and they also learned part of the situation on the Pingxi Plain from Qiu Peng. Knowing that what Xia Chuan was about to say was very important, they immediately cheered up and listened carefully.

"On the night of April 25th, we successfully took the Beehive. Right now, a large number of captives have been sent to the Border Valley. There are over two hundred Earth-Digging Realm experts and four Cold-Resistant Realm experts, all imprisoned in the Border Valley, guarded by Yue Feng personally.

The Beehive's 700-plus square kilometers of territory and over 29,000 people now belong to our Does Da Xia. Because the number of people is too large, large-scale migration is not very convenient, so we only screened out a portion of the important ones and sent them to the Border Valley first. If nothing goes wrong, they will be sent back to the camp here one after another."

Wow...

As Xia Chuan's words fell, the seven people's gazes instantly condensed, and the already invigorated expressions instantly added a few more rich joys.

When Qiu Peng notified them just now, he only said Si Cheng won a great victory, but didn't tell them so specifically.

700-plus square kilometers, 29,000-plus population, plus four Cold-Resistant Realm experts, two hundred-plus Earth-Digging Realm captives...

The key was that this was just a rough harvest. As a giant camp, the iron mines, coal mines, and various other materials under the Beehive certainly wouldn't be few.

"Big harvest, big harvest!"

"Congratulations, Lord Deputy, on your initial victory."

"The twenty intermediate hunting teams didn't go in vain, hahaha!"

"Alright, no need to compliment me. This victory was possible, first, because the leader sent a letter in advance, allowing us to take the initiative, and second, because there were many coincidental factors that night. It didn't have much to do with Does Da Xia's strength!"

Xia Chuan raised his hand to suppress the cheers of the crowd, then his expression lifted, and he continued:

"You probably all know about the Longyou alliance. The Pingxi Plain is currently in civil strife. Twelve camps are surrounding Longshan and Zhaoyang, attacking and swallowing each other. We were able to successfully take the Beehive while taking advantage of the chaos, which is based on this point.

Because we were very fast when taking the Beehive, and the subsequent blockade of news was very tight, right now, the entire eleven camps of Longyou don't know about Does Da Xia's existence. Therefore, seizing this perfect opportunity to take more territory is Does Da Xia's most urgent task right now!"

The seven people present not only had the cultivation of the Cold-Resistant Realm, but they each also led an intermediate hunting team. Usually, leading teams to hunt and coordinating relationships between team members were extremely brain-consuming things. Compared to other people in the camp, their communication skills were naturally much stronger.

So after listening to this passage from Xia Chuan, they quickly extracted the key information.

Civil strife on the Pingxi Plain!

And, the remaining eleven camps of Longyou didn't know about Does Da Xia's existence.

This wasn't just a perfect opportunity; it was clearly the golden time!

Instantly, they realized why Xia Chuan was in such a hurry to rush back from the Pingxi Plain, and why he had Qiu Peng notify people house by house before it was even completely dark.

"There is no threat near Xia City, and the materials currently in the camp's inventory are enough for us to use for a long time. So I only left Zhu Ling to watch over here; Xu Ning is guarding Wuyuan, and Yue Feng is in the Border Valley.

Currently, Director Yu Wen Tao, Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, Hong Guang, Hong Tian, Meng Yi, and Zhao Long—seven people—are all over on the Pingxi Plain. You seven, plus Qiu Peng, make eight people. Including me, there are sixteen Cold-Resistant Realm experts in total. Basically, all the Cold-Resistant Realm experts in the camp have been dispatched;

The twenty intermediate hunting teams that were already transferred over, plus an additional twelve teams this time, and fifty elite low-level teams, totaling 2,600 people, are Does Da Xia's strongest power that can be brought out currently;

The leader is also on the Pingxi Plain, but he won't appear for the time being. He will most likely help in the dark, so everything has to rely on ourselves.

This time, whether Does Da Xia can stand firmly on the Pingxi Plain and participate in the subsequent battle for the hegemony of Longyou depends on you all!"

The seven people present were all shaken.

Especially hearing the anticipation contained in Xia Chuan's last sentence, Lu Yang was moved. He bowed to Xia Chuan and said invigoratedly:

"Rest assured, Si Cheng, Lu Yang is duty-bound to expand the territory for Does Da Xia!"

The other six immediately followed Lu Yang and bowed to Xia Chuan:

"We are duty-bound to expand the territory for Does Da Xia!"

"Good!"

Seeing the high morale of the crowd, Xia Chuan was full of approval. Turning to find that it was completely dark outside the hall, he quickly said: "Qiu Peng should have notified everyone. This time, 1,600 people are being transferred. Qiu Peng has already ordered people to transfer a large number of weapons, armor, and pills from the camp supply department. Additionally, I also notified Mu Dong to have the craftsman department work day and night to process weapons, pills, and various combat supplies. Below, I will start assigning tasks..."

The seven heard this and immediately stood straight, their expressions becoming a bit solemn.

Xia Chuan thought for a moment and immediately said: "Zhu Yuan, Zhao Hu, Zhao Bao."

"Subordinate is here!"

"You three, lead twelve intermediate hunting teams and forty-five low-level hunting teams, totaling 1,500 people. Only bring weapons, bows, and necessary pills. Depart from the outer city immediately with light equipment, take the Xia straight road to the Border Valley first. I will go to that side in advance. Once you arrive, we will continue to advance to the Pingxi Plain."

"Subordinate obeys!"

After Zhu Yuan and the other two bowed and replied, they immediately turned and left the hall.

"Lin Kai, Lu Yang."

"Subordinate is here!"

"You two go to the Border Valley first, notify Yue Feng, and have him arrange for the people in the Border Valley to clear a marching route in advance. You must let the army reach the Beehive at the fastest speed."

"Subordinate obeys!"

The two bowed and replied, immediately turning and leaving the hall, skimming toward the Border Valley.

"Hong Gang."

"Subordinate is here!"

"I have the specific location of the Beehive here. You go directly, notify Meng Yi and Hong Tian, and have them lead the army to rest well. Once I arrive, they will have to change defense immediately and go with me to attack other camps."

"Subordinate obeys!"

Hong Gang bowed and also turned and skimmed out of the hall.

"Huang Yong."

"Subordinate is here!"

"You assist Qiu Peng, organize the materials in the camp supply department, lead the remaining five low-level hunting teams, and send the military supplies to the Border Valley first. Taking the Xia straight road should be very fast. Once you arrive at the Border Valley, wait for my subsequent orders. By then, you two might need to send the military supplies to the Beehive, so it's best if you familiarize yourself with the route from the Border Valley to the Beehive in advance, so as not to make mistakes later."

"Subordinate obeys!"

Huang Yong bowed and also turned and walked out of the hall to find Qiu Peng.

In the empty hall, Xia Chuan looked at the Cold Ruins Tripod again. Not knowing if it was the reflection of the big fire in the tripod, firelight seemed to rise in his eyes.

"Chen Yingyuan, Chen Yingba, Wu Tianxing—these three can't make any waves, and most likely, they can only obey Does Da Xia from now on;

High-end combat power is controlled, and Earth-Digging Realm experts are only a hundred-plus left. The Beehive is already dead in name. Does Da Xia only lacks a flag-raising announcement;

On the Yanglu side, as long as Director Yu Wen Tao executes my orders, Li Xuantian definitely won't let it go. Those two idiots, Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli, since they like Yanglu so much, let them stand there and absorb Longshan's firepower;

Zhaoyang currently has the upper hand, so find a way to weaken them. After the main army goes over to change defense, the first target should be..."

Xia Chuan turned his head to look behind the golden chair on the high platform of the hall, at the giant "Does Da Xia Territory Map," which hadn't been updated for a long time.

The northernmost part of the territory map was currently the Border Valley.

Xia Chuan's gaze, however, gradually looked toward the northwest of the Border Valley. After seeing the location of the Beehive camp, he raised his gaze slightly to the north.

The 48th year of Longyou, April 16th, late at night.

"Report to the leader, 79 brothers died. Peng Bo killed 32, Li Xuantian and He Tu killed 40. Just now, seven corpses were found in a house nearby. They should have been killed when they sneaked into the camp."

"Report to the leader, we lost 28, all killed by Li Xuantian and the other two."

Outside Yangyuan Peak, Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli stood at the door. Hearing the casualty numbers reported by their subordinates, their expressions were extremely gloomy.

At their feet lay a corpse.

The head of the corpse had been smashed, making it impossible to identify, and there were two fatal sword wounds on the chest, one wide and one narrow.

"Lin Ye," standing beside the two, heard the Wu Shuang camp people say that seven corpses were found in a house, and his gaze flickered slightly. Seeing that Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli were both lost in thought, he hesitated for a moment, walked to the two, and bowed:

"Lin's strength is limited, actually letting Li Xuantian escape. I really feel sorry for the two of you!"

Seeing Lin Ye full of apologies, Wu Xiong immediately waved his hand to signal. Seeing the several wounds on his body cut by a spear, he comforted him softly: "What are you saying, Brother Lin? Li Xuantian has late Cold-Resistant Realm cultivation and a full ten manes of strength. Not being able to kill him, although a pity, is not a shameful thing."

Han Jiuli also nodded, kicked the corpse at his feet, and laughed: "Killing He Tu is also not bad. Losing a Cold-Resistant Realm expert with three manes, even for Longshan, I reckon they will feel heartache for a while. We can be considered to have made a profit!"

Hearing the comfort of the two, Lin Ye's expression finally improved a bit.

Wu Xiong's words actually made sense. Both were Cold-Resistant Realm experts, but due to the difference in combat body qualifications and cultivation levels, their strength was also vastly different.

Li Xuantian had a superior combat body, late Cold-Resistant Realm cultivation, and ten manes of strength;

Although they had five people on this side, Wu Xiong, Han Jiuli, and Lin Ye only had seven manes of strength, and the remaining Wu Ying and Wu Lin only had over three manes. Joining forces for the first time, the cooperation wasn't tacit. Defeating Li Xuantian wasn't difficult, but wanting to kill him wasn't that simple.

"Brother Lin, Chen Yingyuan's side shouldn't have any problems, right?"

Soon, Wu Xiong thought of something and immediately asked Lin Ye.

Han Jiuli on the side heard this and immediately turned to look at Lin Ye, his face full of worry.

They had already formed a blood feud with Peng Bo. Not killing Li Xuantian was already uncomfortable enough. If Peng Bo wasn't killed either, then it would really be losing the wife and the army. From now on, the two camps wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.

"Rest assured, two leaders. Peng Bo only has eight manes of strength, not to mention he's injured and carrying three drag-along children. If Chen Yingyuan and the others lose him, I will definitely report to the leader and punish these three severely!"

Hearing this, Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli's expressions finally relaxed a bit.

"Two leaders, forgive my bluntness. We first forced Chen Yingyuan to rebel, scared Peng Bo away, and killed He Tu. Li Xuantian escaped death. Longshan will definitely be furious when they get the news. The situation in Yanglu has basically been scouted by Li Xuantian just now. If you ask me, it's better to make preparations early. Otherwise, when the Longyou army comes, we will fight in a rush, which I fear will be unfavorable!"

Hearing this, Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli immediately looked at each other and nodded.

!

"Brother Lin's words make sense. Six days ago, we lost over four hundred people when taking Yanglu. Right now, the two camps only have over 1,400 left. Counting the 600-plus Earth-Digging Realm experts controlled in Yanglu, there are only over 2,000 in total. If the Longyou army comes, fighting in a rush, we really might not be able to hold it."

Hearing the Longyou army, Han Jiuli's expression became a bit solemn, and he nodded: "It's already night for a while. I'll go deploy now. The ravine around Yangyuan Peak must be guarded. Additionally, I've already sent Wu Lin to watch the drawbridge. Once there is any movement, send a letter immediately."

After finishing speaking, Han Jiuli left. Wu Xiong remained in place, also ordered a few words to the Wu Shuang people beside him, then turned to look at Lin Ye, showing a trace of hesitation: "Brother Lin, the Longyou army is too strong. We really might not be able to hold it by ourselves. How about you..."

"Rest assured, Brother Lin. After we took the Beehive, we already sent a batch of people to support you. They should set off after nightfall and will arrive here soon."

Hearing this, Wu Xiong finally showed a trace of relaxation on his face and said: "Then many thanks. I've already arranged a residence. Brother Lin, go rest!"

Someone immediately came up and made an inviting gesture to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye nodded, followed the person, and walked all the way to a house with better decoration on the outer perimeter.

Entering the room, Lin Ye immediately waved his hand to dismiss the person who led the way, then sat in his seat, a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

"Longyou army, it should be Longshan's elite. Afraid of two thousand people—this Longyou army is either too strong or too numerous..."

To tell the truth, being able to disguise until now, Director Yu Wen Tao was still a bit surprised.

He didn't know much about the situation on the Pingxi Plain, let alone Zhaoyang. Xia Chuan ordered him to disguise himself as Lin Ye, which was completely pushing him onto the duck shelf, just because there was no other suitable candidate besides him.

These two, if they asked even a little about the Zhaoyang camp, he would be exposed very quickly. But unexpectedly, until now, Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli hadn't doubted him.

"The lord told me to disguise as long as I can. Han Jiuli and Wu Xiong's strength is average. I only need to be vigilant about Zhaoyang people coming to expose me. Staying on the outer buildings, run if there is a situation. If there is no situation, I might really have to help these two guard Yangyuan Peak!"

Right now in Longyou, it was Zhaoyang and Longshan fighting. Although Zhaoyang currently had the upper hand, Longshan's strength wasn't bad either. If they were allowed to successfully take Yangyuan Peak, the pressure on the Beehive on the east side would naturally increase. So before his identity was exposed, Director Yu Wen Tao really had to help Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli hold Yangyuan Peak.

"Also, be wary of Wu Xiong and Han Jiuli sending people back to the camp to send letters, and even letters sent from the two camps—I must try my best to intercept them, to try my best to buy time for the lord's actions..."

Director Yu Wen Tao's gaze flickered, constantly calculating in his mind how to maximize his role.

The Longyou land, three hundred-plus kilometers north-south, four hundred-plus kilometers east-west, totaling over 13,000 square kilometers. If divided north-south, excluding Longshan on the far west, the rest could be roughly divided into three regions.

The Beehive, Yanglu, and Yucheng further west were all considered southern Longyou;

The Beehive's due north was the Hanqiong camp, considered the central region. Also in the central region were Wu Shuang, Changning, Songyuan, Xiling, and Bai Yuan;

And to the west of Hanqiong was the Wu Shuang camp. To the north of the two Wu Shuang and Hanqiong camps was the Zhaoyang camp, which had the largest territory. This was the northern region. Also in this area was only the Dongkang camp, located at the northeast corner of the Pingxi Plain.

While the Beehive and Yanglu in the south were fighting fiercely, the central and northern blocks were exceptionally quiet. Especially the Zhaoyang camp—ever since Hou Hu returned from Longshan on the night of the 14th, they had been feasting for two days, and the whole camp had fallen into an exceptionally celebratory atmosphere.

Zhaoyang Ping Valley, beside the main building of the camp, at the door of a house that was clearly more luxurious, two maids dressed in fancy clothes walked out quickly, with obvious panic on their faces.

"That lord is too hard to serve. I just touched him and was scolded several times. How can I seduce him?"

"Me too. Just now, I took off my clothes and went in while he was bathing. Before I even got close, I was scolded and told that he was cultivating and strictly forbade anyone from getting close."

"This is too hard. No way, can only think of other ways. Heard he is very strong, comparable to the leader. Such a person's determination must be very strong."

"No way, more than a dozen batches have been changed in these two days. You say, could he like men?"

"Go, don't talk nonsense. People are strong, be careful of being heard by him!"

On the second floor of the house, Xia Hong sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, with a twenty-centimeter-diameter iron tripod in front of him, with some residual medicine dregs in the tripod.

Xia Hong closed his eyes, his skin membrane surging, and fine pores were constantly emitting wisps of blood energy.

The blood energy became increasingly thick, covering his body, like the process of forming a cocoon, gradually condensing into an oval-shaped blood-colored cover.

Pop...

As the blood cocoon completely formed, Xia Hong's pores no longer emitted blood energy. Instead, the flesh and blood under his skin membrane began to bulge slowly and then contract slowly.

Starting from the top of the head, down to the face, neck, chest, back...

Until the soles of his feet, after repeating the process of expansion and contraction, Xia Hong opened his eyes abruptly.

Bang...

The blood cocoon collapsed suddenly. Xia Hong clearly didn't do anything, but his body seemed to be several times heavier out of thin air, directly crushing the wooden bed.

Xia Hong stood up from the ground, inhaled slightly, and the blood energy that had just collapsed actually gathered toward his nostrils and was inhaled back by him.

"The whole flesh and blood regenerated a round, and the strength increased by a double. This way, even if the skin membrane is broken, the flesh and blood can provide me with a certain defensive ability. As long as it's not hitting any vital parts, ordinary injuries can even be recovered during the battle by the self-healing ability of the flesh and blood. This is the mid Cold-Resistant Realm. And this is just the effect of the flesh and blood regenerating a round!"

Xia Hong felt the power of the flesh and blood in his body, his expression incomparably invigorated. At the same time, he sensed his strength by clenching his fist, and a flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes.

"Fifteen jin of Jade Bone, not only let me break through to the mid Cold-Resistant Realm, but the strength also increased to twenty-one manes. Looking at the whole Longyou, except for that Li Tianhua, no one's strength is above mine!"

Hou Hu kept his word. As soon as he returned to Zhaoyang, he ordered people to send the twenty jin of Jade Bone he had promised earlier, and five drops of Cold Apple Jade Dew, and the recipe for boiling Jade Bone was also sent together.

He even thoughtfully asked Xia Hong directly if he needed help boiling it.

This was completely treating him as one of his own.

Boiling Jade Bone didn't just require Cold Apple Jade Dew and Jade Bone; Zhu Yin Hua, Bai Shuang Grass, and eight other medicinal materials, plus a massive amount of coal stone—Zhaoyang was willing to pay, so Xia Hong naturally wouldn't refuse.

In two days, under Xia Hong's full supervision, fifteen jin of Jade Bone were all boiled according to the recipe.

Finally able to use Jade Bone for a proper Cold-Resistant Realm cultivation, Xia Hong took the boiled Jade Bone soup and couldn't wait to start his closed-door cultivation.

The first use had an unexpectedly good effect.

As he had guessed earlier, after eating Jade Bone, the biggest reaction was the flesh and blood in his body. It was just that compared to the way of inducing cold light into the body to destroy flesh and blood tissue and achieve regeneration through sunbathing, the flesh and blood regeneration effect after eating Jade Bone was simply a hundred times—no, I fear a thousand times more.

After eating the Jade Bone soup, the flesh and blood in his body immediately began to collapse, turning into wisps of blood energy seeping out from the skin membrane. Then, the powerful energy in the Jade Bone recombined with the collapsed flesh and blood in his body, forming pieces of newborn flesh and blood that were more powerful than before.

After consuming the Jade Bone Soup, the flesh and blood within the body immediately began to break down, transforming into wisps of blood Qi that seeped out from the skin-membrane. Subsequently, the powerful energy within the jade bones recombined with the broken-down flesh and blood in the body, forming new, even stronger pieces of flesh and blood.

Xia Hong had fought a high-level snow-mane before, and happened to break the flesh and blood on the other party's shoulder, so he knew very well the strength of high-level cold beast flesh and blood.

"If it weren't for the critical moment, I would go kill a few more high-level cold beasts, get more Jade Bone, and break through directly."

At the time of the great change in Longyou, Xia Hong had to put aside his cultivation. And right now, his strength, in a one-on-one situation, could basically walk sideways in Longyou. Cultivation instead became not so urgent.

Besides, hunting high-level cold beasts had too much uncertainty. He couldn't be too hasty alone.

"And, having Jade Bone alone isn't enough. Cold Apple Jade Dew seems to be even more important than Jade Bone. Currently, it can be determined that Longshan has a fixed output, and Hou Hu most likely has it too, but he is clearly wary of me, so it's not easy to get. Finding it myself is too slow. Still have to find a way to get it from these two camps!"

Xia Hong already knew the recipe for boiling Jade Bone.

Not to mention other materials, the four most important materials—Jade Bone, Cold Apple Jade Dew, Zhu Yin Hua, and Bai Shuang Grass—had a ratio of three jin, one drop, three plants, and three plants respectively.

Three jin of Jade Bone could be exchanged for one drop of Jade Dew. Although Zhu Yin Hua and Bai Shuang Grass were not as precious as Cold Apple Jade Dew, they weren't things that could be found casually.

"The cultivation method for the Cold-Resistant Realm has been found, but where to get the things is a problem. It seems I still have to think of a way from Longyou. Gave twenty jin of Jade Bone but only matched five drops of Cold Apple Jade Dew. Is this deliberately trying to fish me with Cold Apple Jade Dew? This Hou Hu, really has some thoughts..."

Xia Hong realized Hou Hu's little thoughts and showed a faint smile, thinking of the dozen batches of maids Hou Hu had arranged for him in these two days, his expression became even more strange.

"Five thousand-plus Earth-Digging Realm experts, but only about one thousand left in the camp. Counting the one thousand Blood Guard Army stationed outside, it means they have at least three thousand people missing. Most likely they moved against other camps. I don't know which one they found. Xia Chuan received my letter and should already be watching the Beehive. Does Da Xia wants to reach out, now is the best time. It's a pity I don't have time to notify Xia Chuan. Still have to find an opportunity to pass some news back."

Xia Hong pondered in the room for a moment, suddenly hearing footsteps outside the door.

"Lord Hong, the leader invites you!"

"Good, coming right away."

Although he held a great banquet for himself, Hou Hu never showed up and never looked for him. Today, he finally looked for him.

Xia Hong put away the blood energy that had just broken through and hadn't stabilized, gathered a part of his flesh and blood, confirmed there was no problem, opened the door, and walked out.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 237 =====

(End of chapter)