Chapter 133: Waiting for the Arrival

Yangtze Dragon Clan Water Manor.

Ao Zhang glanced at the Winding River message before him, not paying much attention—just a dispute at Flying Cloud Crossing, nothing major.

If it weren't for its special location as the border between the Dragon Clan and the Kirin Clan, Ao Zhang wouldn't have even wanted to look; he merely replied acknowledging what he already knew and set the matter aside.

If those two small tribes were wiped out, to Ao Zhang it would have no impact; he might even feel it relieved a lot of trouble.

Ao Zhang spoke with a hint of complaint:

"The clan sent us out, yet you only bother me with these trivial matters every day, Turtle Chancellor. From now on, you can decide on such small matters yourself—no need to report everything."

"For a dispute like this between two small tribes, reporting it up serves no purpose other than wasting time."

"Rather than focusing on these, wouldn't it be better to consider how the flow of each tributary is? Whether there are any gaps in the water-vapor circulation? Aren't these more meaningful than such matters?"

The Turtle Chancellor beside him also felt somewhat helpless, and could only reply:

"Reporting to the Dragon Lord, because Yunmeng Marsh previously released water, from the Yangtze main channel to all tributaries there is currently no shortage."

"This matter involves outsiders; it's already the biggest thing recently."

"Moreover, the Dragon Lord just complained a while ago about being bored, telling me to report everything to you."

Ao Zhang heard this, blinked slightly, and said:

"It seems there was such a thing, but how could you refute me? I'll punish you by having you tally the income for this cycle once over and hand it to me before the year ends."

The Turtle Chancellor felt even more helpless, saying:

"Dragon Lord, this is your duty; moreover, I completed it ten days ago and submitted it in the memorial, which also includes the current distribution of living beings in the Yangtze basin and the resources to be handed over within the clan."

Ao Zhang pondered a moment, realized he himself had no urgent work to finish, and then spoke to let the Turtle Chancellor off temporarily:

"Is that so? Then I'll not punish you for now—just take note of it, and I'll punish you next time I have business. You may withdraw."

"Yes."

The Turtle Chancellor slowly withdrew from the hall; only after walking far away did he fiercely spit at a corner of the palace walls, straighten his sleeves, and then stride out of the Water Manor with head held high.

Flying Cloud Crossing.

After the great battle began, Qing only then realized he had caused a major disaster, bringing trouble upon his tribe, and hurried to seek the Wolf King, but all that awaited him was continual bad news from the battlefield.

"Qing, there's no need to blame yourself; if you truly feel guilty, go kill that brat named Baiyu—over the years I've heard plenty of complaints from the tribespeople about him."

The Wolf King didn't care about this skirmish; he had anticipated it for a long time, only regretting that previously both sides had exercised restraint, not daring to violate the rules set by the three clans.

In the Wolf King's view, regardless of the reason, at least Qing managed to drive the Crocodile Clan into a frenzy and provoke the war without breaking the rules—that is skill.

If this way of life truly continued, the Wolf Clan would likely not need ten thousand years before being forced to migrate, leaving Flying Cloud Crossing to seek survival elsewhere.

No matter where they went, conflict would be inevitable, and could even be more brutal than what lies before them.

The Wolf King's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, and his figure vanished on the spot.

Not long after, news spread that countless small tribes had been attacked by the Crocodile Clan, and all the beast tribes of Flying Cloud Crossing lived in fear.

On the other side, Baiyu relentlessly pursued two Wolf Clan members until he drove them into a dead end, only to hear his ruthless voice echoing continuously in the forest:

"Wolf pups, why stop running? Lord Baiyu hasn't had enough fun yet!"

The two Wolf Clan members now revealed their true forms, bodies covered in scale wounds; one gray wolf vomited blood foam, carrying away many internal organ fragments—clearly not long for this world.

"Heh, escape? I'd like to see who's going to run next!"

The other gray wolf spoke in human language, its wounds at this moment utterly insignificant, its ruthless gaze continually sweeping over Baiyu.

Only then did Baiyu notice how overly quiet this forest was; before his divine sense could even extend, he saw numerous pairs of green‑glowing eyes lighting up in the dark forest.

Under Qing's leadership, seventeen giant wolves surrounded Baiyu, a mysterious momentum enveloping the night sky and sealing off the surrounding area.

Baiyu tried to flee by flight, but found the air blocked by a barrier.

"Do you still think there's any hope of escaping now? Baiyu!"

Qing's voice issued from the lead giant wolf, filled with killing intent.

The wolf pack began to circle Baiyu at a slow pace; under this pressure, Baiyu directly revealed his true form—a giant crocodile over four thousand zhang tall, its scales shedding a blackish glow.

Without any warning, a single giant wolf launched an attack, and the giant crocodile could only struggle to parry.

In a moment of carelessness, Qing leapt onto Baiyu's body, his sharp fangs piercing the scale armor; the protective spiritual light seemed useless, and as Qing jerked, a large chunk of flesh was torn straight off.

The pervasive stench of blood excited the Wolf Clan members further; blood plasma dyed the ground red, and all that awaited Baiyu was more tearing and clawing.

By dawn, the forest held only fallen trees and blood-soaked earth, proof of last night's abnormality.

Qing tore off Baiyu's head, flung the bones into the Winding River, stripped his flesh and skin, and walked away.

"Brother Qing, this Baiyu is truly fat—enough to feed the tribe for two days!"

Qing wore a smile, listening to the tribespeople's flattery; his bloody scent not yet washed off, he led the tribe to find the Wolf King to claim credit.

Qi lay upon the clouds above, anticipating that the conflict here would intensify further.

"I don't know to what extent it must go before someone of sufficient stature appears."

Qi secretly thought it best if someone of special identity came—only then could they draw the attention of the three clans and the gaze of all primordial beings.

As for the Dragon Clan and Kirin Clan individuals heading to Flying Cloud Crossing next, aside from those few clan chiefs, Qi intends not to let anyone return alive.

"The power of Heaven and Earth truly is a strange force."

Qi's hands were surrounded by some intangible spiritual power; under its influence, he seemed no different from Flying Cloud Crossing itself.

Since Qi previously discovered the power of Heaven and Earth, in his continual study he has found many useful functions, such as gathering others' vital energy and then imitating it.

Qi formed a seal; as he moved, threads of spiritual energy exuding the aura of the Wolf and Crocodile clans danced in his hands.

Misty Mountain.

Kirin Yunqing frowned at the message before her, lacking any enthusiasm for such affairs; after a moment's thought, she tossed it into the fire pit.

An attendant beside her asked:

"Lady Yunqing, how should we handle the matter of Flying Cloud Crossing?"

Yunqing's posture was graceful; she paid no heed to onlookers' gazes, stretched her limbs a little, and then spoke.

Ignore it; the Flying Cloud Ferry Wolf Clan hasn't broken the rules set by the three clans, so as long as the influence doesn't expand, we'll leave him alone.

Thanks to group member Bai Yu's forced cameo.

(End of chapter)