Chapter 1080: Chapter 378: Astonishing News, Strategic Deployment, Excitement and Encounters, The Importance of Acting First
The eighth year of Great Xia, April 28
Just after the first hour of daylight, Xia Hong, along with Li Xuanling, carried Xiang Fuhai back to Lower River Village.
"Greetings, Lord!"
"Lord, are you injured?"
"Greetings, Lord!"
In the main building of Lower River Village, Xia Chuan and others, who had arrived earlier, saw the wound on his back and immediately became tense.
"Itâs nothing!"
While gesturing with his hand, Xia Hong took the main seat without delay and quickly turned to give direct orders to the crowd:
"Xia Chuan, notify the Cloud Dragon Army to set out eastward immediately and occupy Hongguan Camp as swiftly as possible. Drive away anyone who comes; also, send someone back to Wuyuan at once to have the seven armies there prepare quickly and head to Hongguan to join the Cloud Dragon Army after night falls."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Shi Ping, there should be few survivors left in the three villages of Qinghepu and the two villages of Jinbi Dragon Valley. Draw people from Wuyuan to take over these places, gather the remaining survivors, and handle the subsequent arrangements."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, Luo Yuan, your main forces havenât arrived yet, but head off with the Cloud Dragon Army to assist at Hongguan."
"Yes, my lord!"
Upon hearing Xia Hongâs deployments, the crowd in the hall was instantly exhilarated.
They had just returned from Bashang City, and despite Xia Hongâs significant injury, the fact that he returned with Xiang Fuhai, using that fiery red spear which they recognized belonged to Yan Long Master, was telling.
Connecting the dots with his three orders, it was clear to everyone:
Dajue Temple must be gone.
This meant that Great Xiaâs eastward path had officially begun!
"Commander, I will lead the troops out immediately!"
Liu Yuan, the Vice Commander of the Cloud Dragon Army, standing in the hall, directly sought permission from Xia Chuan after hearing Xia Hongâs command.
Xia Chuan nodded in agreement, waiting until Yuan Cheng and the others had all left, before turning back to Xia Hong to relay everything he had heard upon returning to Lower River Village.
The focus, of course, was on the demon dragon at Chilong Lake and the words exchanged during the battle between the Xianyang Level group of Eight Towns and the demon dragon.
While Xia Hong had anticipated Dajue Temple leaving some cards behind in Qinghepu, the news of a thousand-zhang-long Red Blood Demon Dragon slumbering beneath Chilong Lake still shocked him greatly.
"Even the dragon body controlled by Dajue Temple can wield such power?"
Xia Chuan nodded, not looking much more at ease than Xia Hong when he heard Wang Yuanâs account after returning to Lower River Village.
"Zhu Xing was too far to see clearly, but he reported many words from the conversation between the demon dragon and Master Wu Sheng, thanks to their loud voices. The dragon is currently in the Dragon Shedding Period, and the one controlling it stated that this period lasts a minimum of a hundred years. According to Qinghepuâs legends, the demon dragon came to Chilong Lake over forty years ago, implying that it needs at least another fifty years for full revival."
Dragon Shedding Period!
While not fully understanding the term, one could infer from the words that it meant something akin to evolutionary transformation. Given that the dragon body could already exhibit such power while dormant and controlled, its fully awakened strength would be exceedingly terrifying.
"Zhu Xing said that in the end, the thunder dissipated, and fifteen of the Eight Towns fled, with the demon dragon retreating back into Chilong Lake."
Xia Hong, initially in a decent mood after returning from Bashang, found his spirits weighed down considerably upon hearing this.
The entire Qinghepu was now essentially under Great Xiaâs domain, including Chilong Lake, and discovering such a massive ticking time bomb within was a heavy burden on his mind.
"We can only hope the claims of Dajue Temple hold true. If it indeed takes more than fifty years to awaken, then we neednât worry too much for now..."
Upon hearing Xia Chuanâs words, Xia Hong furrowed his brows but ultimately nodded in reluctant agreement.
"Big brother, how is the situation in Bashang City?"
Xia Chuan finally couldnât resist asking about Bashangâs specific circumstances.
Hearing his question, Xia Hong temporarily set aside the worries brought by the demon dragon, and from his bosom, he took out a small cloth bag. Slowly unveiling the bag, he revealed a heart, liver, and lungs, which had returned to their normal blood-red color.
Seeing the three organs still pulsating eerily, Xia Chuanâs face showed a hint of horror, and he looked at Xia Hong in shock, asking, "What is this...?"
"The powers of the three Masters - Yan Long, Wu Sheng, and Vajra - originate from these three organs. If Iâm not mistaken, over the years, Dajue Temple collected the organs of six-year-old children, likely with the intent of this ghastly purpose, though Iâm not sure of the exact method. But it must be extremely bloodthirsty."
Xia Chuan immediately understood, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the sinister organs.
"Itâs a pity we only killed three of them; Yang Zhun got Hei Ming Masterâs kidney, while Wuchuan Lord Qin Feng acquired Master Ju Yuanâs spleen, giving these two a bit of an edge, but thereâs nothing we can do!"
Xia Chuanâs face fell with a touch of shame, "We have burdened you, big brother. If we had another Xianyang Level warrior in Great Xia, these towns wouldnât have gained at our expense."
"Thatâs not it; in the grand scheme, our gains are still the greatest!"
In the past, Xia Hong was often the one picking up the scraps; now, having others benefit from his efforts felt somewhat irksome.
Of course, that was from his own perspective.
Xia Hong could also guess that upon learning he had acquired all three major mastersâ organs, Yang Zhun and his companions, especially that empty-handed Jinshan Town Lord Shangguan Yang, were likely quite vexed, even throwing fits right now.