Chapter 602: Sunrise at the Great Camp

Outside the city.

Xinglu arrived at the Great Banner with his people, and upon seeing the scene, he was greatly shocked.

He had originally assumed that under this Great Banner there would be one person, or a group of people waiting to accept newcomers, but he had not expected there to be a large camp.

This camp looked like a standard military camp; inside there were tents, outside there were fences, the four corners were equipped with arrow towers, and within the camp, the paths intersected, with all facilities complete.

"This... when was this built?"

Although Xinglu did not understand military affairs, he could tell at a glance that this was not work a layman could do. Throughout Wangliang Mountain, including those high-ranking manor lords who claimed to be ancient, noble, and had performed meritorious service in the wars of the past, not a single family had such capability, let alone those unreliable Abyss Envoys.

These were powerful outsiders who had crossed the river!

Thinking carefully about the timing, he had gone out of the city to make purchases just yesterday, and at that time, he clearly remembered that outside the city it was as usual, with nothing there.

In other words, this massive camp was built in one day... no, that was not right. The various manor lords, including his own Master, had only left the city this morning; if such a large camp had been outside at that time, how could they have failed to see it? They would likely have been clamoring about it long ago.

This camp was built within a mere few hours!

Thinking of this, Xinglu only felt it was incredible: what a grand undertaking this was! Even if there were a sword specialized in earth and wood, it would have to be at least a Sword Hero to accomplish this, right? Not to mention the abundant manpower filling the camp, people coming and going; besides the White-haired Swordsmen, there were many other outsider Sword Guests visible at a glance. This was truly an unfathomable organization.

This was truly... wonderful!

Xinglu thought the same as the others; the thigh he wanted to hug was, of course, the thicker the better.

Upon reaching the Great Banner, he saw a man standing there with a composed expression and an extraordinary momentum. Xinglu and his group stood at a distance neither too near nor too far, a bit afraid to go over.

Looking at that kind of unfathomable aura, one could tell that this must be a Sword Hero. He should be the leader of that mysterious organization. He wondered if he and his people were worthy of going directly to pay their respects?

While he was hesitating, a beautiful and tall woman came over and said with a smile, "Coming from the city? Which manor are you from?"

Xinglu hurriedly reported his affiliation, and the woman realized, saying, "Hmm, the second-rank Fuhu Manor. Not bad, you arrived very early; you are the nineteenth family to arrive."

Xinglu was shaken, both surprised and happy; he had not expected that so many manors had already arrived, this was indeed a great momentum.

As far as Xinglu was concerned, nineteenth was still a bit late; it would be best to be in the top ten to leave a deep impression on the leader, but Wangliang Mountain had three tiers and over a hundred manors, so nineteenth was still in the top fifth. Neither standing out too much nor being too slow, this order was also very good.

He asked respectfully, "This elder sister, may I ask if we small people can pay respects to the leader?"

As soon as he said this, he felt someone tugging at him, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xingwang signaling to him repeatedly. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: What is wrong? Did I say something wrong?

The woman said, "See the leader? Our leader has not returned yet. The one standing above is my junior brother; do you want to see my junior brother?"

Xinglu was stunned and said, "If it is possible to pay respects... ah!"

He finally understood what Xingwang meant and hurriedly bowed deeply, saying, "Sword Hero, sir! Please forgive this small person for being disrespectful!"

Although it did not mean that the senior sister of a Sword Hero must also be a Sword Hero, calling a Sword Hero 'junior brother' so naturally meant she was inevitably another Sword Hero. It was too rude for him to call her 'elder sister'. He blamed it on having too many things on his mind and being unsettled, which was why he failed to distinguish from her temperament that she was also a Sword Hero, and he had needed Xingwang to remind him.

The female Sword Hero smiled and said, "No matter. Since you have entered the camp, you are like-minded partners; there is no need for such formalities. Calling me 'elder sister' would be taking advantage; just calling me 'senior' is enough. My junior brother guarding the Great Banner here is also very important; whether you see him now or not does not matter. You go and get settled first."

She pointed the way, saying, "Go to the camp over there to register, and naturally someone will take you to get settled and explain the precautions to you. Do not be anxious; not everyone has arrived yet. The camp is fully equipped with food, clothing, housing, and transportation, so waiting a while longer is fine. When the time is about right, we will call everyone out to announce the major event."

Xinglu thanked her repeatedly and asked, "May I ask, senior, how should you be addressed? What is our organization called?"

The Sword Hero smiled and said, "My surname is Ling. This camp of ours is called the Sunrise Camp. As for our organization... it is not something to be told to outsiders. Do you want to join? If you join, I can tell you."

Xinglu hurriedly said, "I naturally..."

Sword Hero Ling said sternly, "Do not be in such a hurry to answer; you must consider it repeatedly before making a decision. Joining us has both advantages and disadvantages, all depending on your own consideration. Because the you of now is free."

Xinglu, in a daze, led his team to the camp entrance. On the way, he saw from afar a woman carrying a Golden Umbrella leading dozens of Sword Guests toward the Great Banner; he could tell at a glance that the leading woman was also a Sword Hero.

Sword Hero, Sword Hero, all Sword Heroes!

Xinglu was overjoyed to see this; usually on Wangliang Mountain, Sword Heroes were just legendary figures high above, but here he saw three at once, and he did not know how many there were in such a large camp, nor what kind of powerhouse that mysterious leader was.

Clearly so powerful, yet willing to save them—not only saving people, but also saving their hearts.

Truly a strong and great organization.

Xinglu felt a longing and made a decision: after this matter was over, he wanted to try to join this organization; this was his own free decision.

He was only afraid that he had no special skills and they would not want him.

When they reached the camp entrance, there was indeed a table, and a young man who looked like a clerk was registering people. This one was not a Sword Hero, but Xinglu saw that he carried a sword, so he knew he was a Sword Guest.

Look at their style; even the clerks were Sword Guests! It would be good if he could be a clerk after joining this organization.

After the clerk registered their information, he found someone to take them to their barracks.

This person was actually a White-haired Swordsman, and furthermore, an acquaintance of Xinglu.

"Xingxi! You really are here!"

This Xingxi was the one Xinglu had heard of before, one of the first batch of sword-slave Sword Guests to escape.

At that time, those Sword Guests had not had their shackles removed; there was only a message saying that if one found a certain place, they could obtain freedom. Forget about rabbits, there was not even a rabbit hair to be found, and a cautious person like Xinglu simply could not cast the hawk.

But there were still Sword Guests who chose to take the risk. They were all people who were bold, willing to take risks, or even had a bit of a gambler's nature, or perhaps their manor lord was particularly cruel, and in any case, it was a life worse than death.

Of course, in that batch of people, there were many failures and very few successes; they were the true pioneers.

Xinglu had heard of a few people he knew who chose to escape, and most had failed, with very miserable ends; only one had succeeded, and that was this Xingxi from Linghou Manor.

At the time, Xinglu was still lamenting: it should have been Xingxi. Even if it were a trap, as long as it was a legitimate opportunity, if one person could succeed, it should be Xingxi!

He was not very familiar with Xingxi, having met him at most a few times when two manors worked together, but he had always admired Xingxi, feeling that this person not only had talent and courage, but also a vibrant vitality, seemingly always looking for an opportunity to sprout, branch out, and bloom—that was something most sword-slaves had already lost before becoming Sword Guests.

It was as if Xingxi still had hope in his life.

When he heard that he had left and succeeded, Xinglu felt both happy and regretful: such a special person might never be seen again.

He had not expected to see him here.

Xingxi was also very happy to see an acquaintance; he led them into the camp, allocated them a large area of barracks enough for twenty people, and gave them a large pile of supplies, from clothing and food to daily necessities, all complete, and told them to take more when they ran out, as there were plenty of supplies to use.

Only one small bag was given to each person, and Xingxi handed them out to everyone one by one.

He said sternly, "Open the bags and look. Inside there is a tablet—"

He opened a bag and took out a Black Wood Tablet that seemed to be wrapped in gold thread: "This is the life of everyone present, including my own."

As he spoke, Xingxi pulled a thin chain on it and hung it around his neck, saying, "You must know that our current state of being relaxed for life and having our shackles opened is because a powerhouse used a Secret Art to shield the sword momentum of Wangliang, causing the Sacrificial Array that manipulates us to malfunction. But in fact, the hidden danger in our bodies has not been eliminated. This Secret Art can protect us for at most a few days and will disappear sooner or later. Only by carrying this tablet on your person can you continue to shield yourself and keep yourself safe. This can save your life indefinitely."

The crowd changed color one after another and hurriedly picked up the tablets to wear around their necks; when they took them, they held their breath involuntarily, not daring to breathe, until they had put them on, and only then did they let out a breath, as if they had just surfaced from the water and escaped death.

Someone saw that the chain was extremely thin, only thicker than a hair, and could not help but worry: "What if this chain breaks? Should we change to an iron chain?"

Xingxi smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, it cannot be broken. You all try; whoever can manage to break it, I'll count it as their skill."

Upon hearing this, the crowd all went up to pull, tug, and bite at it...

Sure enough, although the thread was thin, it was truly indestructible; no matter how they tried, they could not break it, and some even drew their swords to scrape it with the blade, yet it still would not break.

Seeing that some were about to unleash their Sword Art, Xingxi waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, testing is enough. Everyone has seen it; this thread is very sturdy, and the plaque is the same. That is why it can serve as a Life-Saving Talisman. However, no matter how good the plaque is, it is ultimately an external object. If you say it is still not safe, that is also correct. Because the root of the danger is always there."

He said with a serious expression, "If we want to thoroughly solve the problem, we need to draw the firewood from under the cauldron and completely sever the root that deprives us. That's right, it is to eliminate the Wangliang."

The tent was silent, and the faces of the crowd were filled with deep shock... and fear.

Opposing the Wangliang was something they dared not even think about in the past. Even if they suffered endless pain, it was already very bold of them to secretly hate their own slave owners in the dead of night; going any further, they didn't even dare to hate.

Just as people dare not hate the heavens.

Xinglu swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked, "Relying on... us?"

Xingxi said, "Don't dare? Is that it? Actually, I don't dare either, but fortunately, it is not needed. Because our strength is too meager. Having the courage is useless. There is someone in this Sunrise Camp who can deal with the Wangliang. We only need to follow behind him and charge up Wangliang Mountain together."

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

Xingxi raised his eyebrows and said, "However, we dare not touch the Wangliang, but can we not even touch those who bully us, insult us, and exploit us? They have no real strength; in the past, they only relied on the Wangliang to manipulate us. Once the Wangliang are gone, they are all paper tigers! As for me, not only will I move against them, I will smash them to pieces! For the suffering of these years, we shall repay grievances with grievances and settle debts with debts!"

He looked at the crowd, who were gradually becoming agitated, and said loudly, "Let us go together! On the day of the Sacrifice, it will be a day when the world is turned upside down! I may not have the axe to open up a new world, but to build a new world, I am willing to be a pillar!"