Chapter 285: Two Clans in Turmoil—What Does White Dew Gu Want to Guard? (Part 3)
By the end of April, after the situation in Longyou settled down, the Great Xia never stopped exploring the environs around Wushuang. Now, more than two months have passed, and the details of the map have naturally become more intricate.
The key is, in the past half-month, Liu Yuan wasn't just accompanying the troops in training within the Long Mountain branch; his Reconnaissance Camp had long ventured into the territories of the White Abyss and Song Yuan families, thoroughly surveying the situation within both domains.
What Xia Chuan was unaware of was that Xue Ping, who had been taken to the guest room, now had a heart filled with both apprehension and astonishment.
The cause of his apprehension was obviously Xia Chuan's lack of trust in him.
Xue Ping wasn't foolish; he was acutely aware of why Xia Chuan wanted to keep him there. Only after five days, when the two pieces of information he brought along are verified, would he have been considered to have passed this round of trials and gained Xia Chuan's true trust.
The cause of his astonishment was,
"I've seen the Longyou Army train before. At most, they would just push step by step against the Cold Beasts along the periphery of Long Mountain. The Great Xia... actually uses the Beast Tide for training. I didn't see incorrectly; it's the Beast Tide. How did they manage to create the Beast Tide? This... this... this is... too crazy!"
......
Above a large tree in the Yanglu Realm, in the southern part of Wushuang.
Xia Hong, dressed in black, stands atop the treetop, with Chen Yingyuan and Peng Bo standing behind him, all three moving in unison, gazing far westward.
The treetop position where the three stood was about over two hundred meters above ground, and below the tree was a thick, dense white mist. The mist was so dense that even the tree trunks in mid-air were completely obscured, with the ground entirely invisible.
It must be noted that in Pingxi Plain, there's not much tree cover, so even at night, the visibility is extremely high. The sky had already turned gray at this moment, yet the visibility remained so low, indicating the density of this white mist.
Roar... Roar...
Within the White Mist Zone under the tree, the beast roars almost never ceased.
Anyone with a bit of hunting experience could tell, upon hearing this dense beast roar, the Cold Beast density here was terrifyingly high.
"The reason for the disappearance of the Beast Tide in the Arrow Bamboo Forest has been found. So many Cold Beasts in Redwood Ridge have actually all rushed into the Yanglu Realm."
Upon hearing Chen Yingyuan's words, Peng Bo nodded and continued, "In three days, we have only ventured ten kilometers inward, encountering three groups of Cold Beasts, four Advanced Cold Beasts, with countless scattered Cold Beasts. I've hunted in Redwood Ridge for so long, but have never encountered such a situation."
"It should be that the Cold Beasts from the depths of Redwood Ridge have all rushed over here; this White Mist Zone is the reason, isn't it, Leader?"
After Chen Yingyuan spoke, he and Peng Bo both looked toward Xia Hong ahead.
Upon hearing this, Xia Hong nodded, turned his head towards the packs on the backs of the two, and asked:
"How much Solidified Fire Oil do you have left on you?"
If someone were nearby, they would see the three completely covered in a layer of dark grease, resembling three people scorched by fire.
However, the grease on their bodies was continuously eroding under the infiltration of the white mist, evidently showing that the mist contained exceptionally strong deceitful monster energy.
"I still have twenty-seven blocks on my side."
"I have thirty-one blocks."
Xia Hong furrowed his brow slightly; since departing from Wushuang, he had told the two to each carry a hundred blocks of Solidified Fire Oil, but in just three days, two-thirds had been used, with them only pushing ten kilometers inward.
"Peng Bo, how far is it from here to Yangyuan Peak?"
Peng Bo, brow slightly furrowed, observed for awhile before answering, "Should be more than twenty kilometers."
More than twenty kilometers, the Solidified Fire Oil is definitely not enough.
"So many Cold Beasts have gathered here, yet we haven't seen them colluding to attack the surrounding human camps. It seems they simply like staying in this thick fog area. Having lived for fifty to sixty years, I have really never seen such a situation."
After Chen Yingyuan spoke, he took a piece of Jade Bone out of his backpack, saying:
"The Cold Beasts we've killed along the way, whether low-level, intermediate, or advanced, didn't show any signs of being manipulated. The Beast Meat, Beast Blood, and even the Jade Bone are all in normal condition. Leader, do you really think the gathering of these Cold Beasts here is related to that White Dew Gu at Yangyuan Peak?"
Xia Hong's determined expression was equivalent to answering Chen Yingyuan's question.
In fact, from the moment they saw the Yanglu Misty Area three days ago, Xia Hong had already concluded that the White Dew Gu definitely wasn't dead.
The reason was quite simple; the white mist area in Chen Peng's eyes was clearly a region covered by fiery red substances under his Eye of Truth.
He had previously seen those fiery red substances on Wu Xiong, controlled by the White Dew Gu, when Hanqiong was eradicated.
From this, he could almost confirm that Wu Xiong, slain by him that day, was merely a puppet controlled by the White Dew Gu.
Not only was that White Dew Gu not dead, it had become even stronger.
From its ability to create a dense fog area extending tens of kilometers and attracting so many Cold Beasts to gather here, this could be inferred.
"Leader, shall I go back to fetch some Solidified Fire Oil and continue to venture inside?"
Peng Bo was eager to return to Yangyuan Peak, likely worried that Xia Hong was unwilling to continue exploring inward, so he initiated the suggestion.
Xia Hong stood in place, pondering for a moment, then said: "You and Chen Yingyuan should bring the Cold Beasts we've hunted in the past three days back. I'll keep exploring further inside to see just how dense the Cold Beasts get."
"Leader, this..."
Chen Yingyuan was probably concerned about Xia Hong's safety; Peng Bo, on the other hand, evidently wanted to follow him further, yet hesitated due to the limited Solidified Fire Oil, unable to make a decision.
"Alright, let's settle this like so. Judging from the Cold Beast density in just the outer ten kilometers, I predict we'll be forced out by the Cold Beasts before reaching Yangyuan Peak. You two head back first!"