Chapter 499: Chapter 499: Incident in Xiangfan City
Yes, Xuanming Country has chosen the dragon as one of the Twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, how could it be just a false totem?
The other eleven zodiac animals are all real animals, and with so many animals to choose from, how could they possibly choose a mythical dragon?
Yang Xiao also knows that there’s a lot of controversy about whether dragons exist, and various unofficial historical documents prove that dragons once existed.
However, at the moment, the silver monster dancing in the distant clouds in the sky may indeed be a dragon.
Monk Ben Yin said:
"Yang Xiao, have you thought about something?"
"What?"
"Looking at it now, whether the monster dancing in the distant sky is a dragon or not, it definitely possesses extraordinary combat power. Do you still plan to approach and observe?"
Yang Xiao was startled; this question really tested him.
Initially, when he decided to come here, he thought it would probably be a Mutant Monster like a giant python or serpent. With his Bronze Divine Sword, it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with, but now he himself wasn’t sure; heaven knows what divine skills this monster possesses? At the very least, its ability to rise on clouds seems extraordinary.
"We surely can’t just throw our lives away out of curiosity, right?"
Ben Yin looked at the monster dancing in the sky in the distance.
Yang Xiao was startled and said:
"So we just return empty-handed?"
"How can it be considered empty-handed? We’ve hunted so many monsters along the way, and now we have seen a monster in the sky that might be a dragon, it can’t be said that this trip was in vain, right?"
Yang Xiao hesitated and said:
"Let’s do this, we’ll rest on this mountain peak for a few days, observe and see what exactly this so-called dragon is. Our current location is very far from the distant lake, it won’t notice our presence."
Ben Yin nodded.
Thus, Yang Xiao and Ben Yin sat on the mountaintop watching the monster in the clouds above the distant lake.
The monster danced in the clouds for over half an hour, then suddenly dived down into the lake and disappeared.
...
While Yang Xiao was observing the dragon, an intense conflict was occurring in Xiangfan City.
As Yang Xiao had guessed, after Xue Dong’s death, his former subordinates quickly split into factions, roughly dividing into three groups. The faction led by Cai Yang, who was Xue Dong’s right-hand man, advocated holding onto the territory of Xiangfan City and declaring themselves as kings.
A group led by Dai Peng advocated surrendering to Yang Xiao, as everyone was stunned by Yang Xiao’s displayed divine skills and combat power. Key was - surrendering to Yang Xiao could potentially help them leverage Yang Xiao’s strength against threats from the City King of Han City, and continue to access evolution resources from Shenlongjia.
The third group, represented by Zuo Yun, advocated for surrendering to the City King of Han City and then join forces to attack Yang Xiao and reclaim Shenlongjia.
The leaders of these groups weren’t very harmonious normally. While Xue Dong was alive, he could mediate the conflicts between them using his authority, but now with Xue Dong’s death, the conflicts surfaced openly and the disputes became fierce, no one could persuade the others.
Zuo Yun made the first move, colluded with the City King of Han City, Lu Sun, and opened a Transmission Array in Xiangfan District that connects to Han City.
Lu Sun and Zuo Yun were high school classmates, which is why Zuo Yun aggressively advocated for surrendering to Lu Sun, the City King of Han City.
Presently, Lu Sun’s cultivation has reached the Advanced Peak of the Enhanced Gene and, like the late Xue Dong, he is looking for ways to rapidly break through to King Level. After receiving information from Zuo Yun, he immediately led five thousand elite soldiers through the Transmission Array into Xiangfan City.
Zuo Yun led his three thousand subordinates to join forces with Lu Sun and engage in fierce battles against Cai Yang and Dai Peng’s gangs.
Seeing the overwhelming situation, Cai Yang had no choice but to surrender to Zuo Yun.
Only Dai Peng refused to submit, bringing three thousand men through the transmission channel to Fengyan Town on the outskirts of Shenlongjia, personally leading dozens of followers to the gateway base of Shenlongjia Scenic Area, requesting to meet Yang Xiao.
Gong Yu was in command there, immediately welcomed Dai Peng inside, listened to Dai Peng explaining the purpose of his visit, and after a moment of contemplation, Gong Yu asked:
"Has it been confirmed that Xiangfan City has been occupied by Han City’s City King, Lu Sun?"
Dai Peng nodded and said:
"It all happened too suddenly; we didn’t expect Zuo Yun to switch sides and join Lu Sun so quickly, even opening up a transmission channel directly from Xiangfan to Han City. Lu Sun marched straight into Xiangfan City and caught us off guard."
"How many men have you brought out?"
"About three thousand, including three high-level Enhanced Gene warriors and over a dozen intermediate-level and hundreds of primary-level Enhanced Gene experts. They are all my reliable brothers on normal days."
Gong Yu was taken aback; this was indeed a powerful force.
"How many troops are there in Xiangfan City now?"
"Zuo Yun and Cai Yang each have three thousand elite guards, and together with the five thousand people brought over by Lu Sun, there are more than ten thousand people."
"That means if we were to attack Xiangfan City, we would clearly not be a match for them in terms of overall strength."
Dai Peng nodded and asked:
"Where’s your boss, Yang Xiao? This matter requires his quick decision."
Gong Yu smiled and said:
"Our boss is busy with urgent matters and has delegated the full authority to handle the affairs of Shenlongjia to me."
Dai Peng was taken aback. He had personally witnessed Gong Yu’s prowess in killing Xue Dong that day and admired him greatly, and said:
"Since Brother Gong is in command, I wonder how you plan to make a decision."
"If we launch an attack on Xiangfan City, we won’t stand a chance. However, if we temporarily defend at Shenlongjia, they also won’t be able to defeat us.
Since Brother Dai is willing to collaborate with us, we’ll definitely not mistreat you. Once we recapture Xiangfan City and stabilize the situation, Brother Dai, you’ll have a major role, and I ensure you’ll be like a half City Lord.
Why don’t you temporarily have your men stationed in Fengyan Town? We could establish mutual support through the Transmission Array, ready to attack or defend. As long as we manage to hold Shenlongjia for now, it would count as a victory."
Gong Yu knew that he didn’t possess Yang Xiao’s exceptional combat abilities, and with Lu Sun having seized Xiangfan City, his only option for the moment was to defend Shenlongjia until Yang Xiao returned to make decisions.
Zuo Yun aligning with Han City’s City King to seize Xiangfan City was indeed unexpected.
Dai Peng considered it and felt that it was the only feasible option for now. They agreed upon some details of the cooperation, after which Dai Peng took his men back to Fengyan Town.
Inside Xiangfan City, Lu Sun convened a meeting with Zuo Yun, Cai Yang, and others, firstly confirming Zuo Yun’s position as the City Lord of Xiangyang City and appointing Cai Yang as the Deputy City Lord to assist Zuo Yun, effectively buying Cai Yang’s loyalty.
Cai Yang had no other options but to accept this arrangement.
Lu Sun had long coveted Xiangfan City, aiming naturally for the resources of Shenlongjia. Now, having almost effortlessly seized control of Xiangfan City and unexpectedly gaining five to six thousand elite troops, he was exceedingly pleased.
"Brothers, let’s rest for a day, and tomorrow we will march towards Shenlongjia, drive away Yang Xiao and his people, and reclaim Shenlongjia."
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