YM778.TV Chapter 89 - 18 The State Government in Action 1
Three hundred miles west of Dongting, over a hundred individuals dressed in black were rapidly moving through the torrential rain.
Apart from the three cultivators in the lead who were at the Qi Transformation Stage, the rest were all at the Essence Refining Stage, each carrying large waterproof backpacks as they followed closely.
In this terrifying rain, visibility had reduced to the minimum, making it difficult even for those at the Essence Refining Stage to see through the curtain of rain.
Moreover, the heavy rain had ravaged everything, leaving behind holes washed out by floodwaters everywhere. Carelessness could potentially lead to one tumbling down a slope or falling into one of these holes.
Occasionally, someone would trip or fall into a hole, but no one turned back to help. Instead, they would just continue to follow the three strong Qi Transformation Stage cultivators at the front closely.
Those at the Essence Refining Stage who had been left behind either followed after breaking free from their predicaments, or retreated in the face of injury, all without a word throughout the process.
They were the most elite soldiers selected from the Zhennan Army with the purpose of embarking on a mission to Fubo Pond.
In this frightening downpour, every second could potentially bring an unknown disaster, leaving no room for carelessness or error.
Leading the way were Liao Yuan, the governor of Qing Province, and Yu Changliu, the village head of Yunmeng Village.
Though Governor Liao Yuan was nearly fifty, he was quite accomplished in cultivation, having reached the Qi Transformation Stage and becoming one of the strongest figures within the provincial government.
Yu Changliu personally going to the provincial government to report the actions of the Fubo Dragon Monarch seemed like an absurd joke.
However, in conjunction with his formidable strength at the peak of the Qi Transformation Stage, this quickly drew Liao Yuan’s full attention.
After analysis by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Liao Yuan confirmed without delay that Yu Changliu’s report was accurate and that the heavy rain was indeed greatly associated with the Fubo Dragon Monarch.
Considering the rain had destroyed even the roads, and widespread landslides and floods made it impossible for modern mechanized units to reach Fubo Pond.
As for the air force of the Great Xia’s Imperial Court, even the most advanced fighter jets could not survive this rain.
What was shocking was that typically, the altitude at which a jet flies is higher than that of rainclouds, thereby allowing it to avoid the downpour.
But this three hundred miles wide rainstorm defied this common knowledge. Regardless of how high the jet flew, it could not avoid the rain or the clouds, as if the entire sky and the rain cloud were one inseparable entity.
The most advanced modern techniques had become utterly useless in this rainstorm.
Scientists and high-level officials of the provincial government who have always believed in the supremacy of technology over all other forces were nearly on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Liao Yuan stepped forward.
He promptly picked the most elite soldiers from the Zhennan Army stationed in the provincial government and ordered them to take large quantities of ammunition and move out towards Fubo Pond.
The Inspector of Qing Province, Liu Yu, would be left in charge back in the provincial government office. He, along with Yu Changliu, would join directly on the battlefield as commanders of this operation.
A high-ranking official engaging in frontline work sounds absurd, but Liao Yuan had his own calculations.
Given the situation, he suspected that someone in the provincial government office was willingly keeping him in the dark. Therefore, Liao Yuan trusted no one except those on the battlefield.
Moreover, he possessed the only storage equipment within the provincial government office. This allowed him to bring heavy weaponry that, under the control of the elite soldiers, could effectively limit the Fubo Dragon Monarch.
If necessary, he could even call for long-range missile strikes, even small-scale nuclear strikes on the frontline to completely eliminate the disaster caused by the Fubo Dragon Monarch.
To kill the Fubo Dragon Monarch, he had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Unnoticed, he gently stroked his ring, his expression grave as he asked,
” How far are we from Fubo Pond?”
Yu Changliu, now half-transformed into a dragon and undeterred by the heavy rain, looked through the rain at a distant mountain peak and said,
“Lord Governor, we are approximately fifty kilometers away from Fubo Pond.”
“Good! Let’s all pitch in and finish off this final fifty kilometers!”
Liao Yuan, waving his hand to boost the morale of the elite soldiers behind him, was met with a look of disdain from Liu Yi, the last Qi Transformation Stage powerhouse in the team who was sent by the Liu Family to “aid” the battlefield.
As a senior member of the Liu Family, he was well aware of the deal between his family and the Fubo Dragon Monarch.
The heavy rain had been pouring for several hours, and the Fubo Dragon Monarch was already in a dominant position, so he did not believe that the Qing Province Governor could do anything about it.
Once the Fubo Dragon Monarch took control of Lake Dongting, everything would be settled.
Even if the Great Xia’s Imperial Court was dissatisfied, they would not willingly create a conflict with a figure like the Dragon Monarch of Dongting; they would merely have to swallow their pride and accept the situation.
“The opportunity for my Liu Family to rise seems to be just around the corner…”
Just as this thought surfaced, it was interrupted by a stern reprimand from Yu Changliu.
“Who are you?”
Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound, only to see human silhouettes appearing in the rain not too far away.
Given their proximity to the Fubo Pond, everyone immediately went on alert.
“I am He Yao from ChunyangCounty, and I have just escaped from the Dragon Sovereign’s banquet held by the Fubo Dragon Monarch!”
Yu Changliu and Liao Yuan exchanged glances, then noticing the scattered individuals emanating the aura of the Essence Refining Stage, they stepped forward to investigate.
In the pouring rain, He Yao, with a look of disarray on his face, was carrying several packages. The strong fluctuations of Spirit Energy elicited a few sideways glances from Liao Yuan, the Qing Province Governor.
The other young cultivators also carried some fluctuation of Spirit Energy, but all of them combined wouldn’t compare to the energy emitted from the items in He Yao’s packages.
“He Yao, I’ve heard your name.”
Liao Yuan, who knew a little about He Yao due to his status as one of the few self-awakened prodigies who had declined recruitment from the provincial government, couldn’t help but ask:
“Did you truly escape?”
“Sir, every word I say is nothing but the truth!”
Although He Yao did not know that the middle-aged man in front of him was in fact the Qing Province Governor, he was certain that he was a high-ranking official of the Great Xia’s Imperial Court, seeing as this man had the aura of a Qi Transformation Stage cultivator and was followed by hundreds of cultivators. As such, He Yao promptly explained:
“We fell into Liu Yao’s trap and attended the Dragon Sovereign’s banquet, nearly falling prey to a demon…”
“Nonsense!” Liu Yi interrupted He Yao, reaching out with an enraged expression in an attempt to strike him.
“You dare to slander my Liu Family. I bet you’ve already defected to the demons.”
However, before he could land his slap, a hand covered in scales gripped his right hand tightly, its golden vertical pupils glowing coldly.
“Lord Liu, are you planning to silence him in a hurry?”
Liao Yuan frowned as well and said in a cold voice: “Let him continue.”
Knowing that the person trying to strike him was also from the Liu Family, He Yao upped his voice and began to narrate:
“Liu Yao lured us, geniuses of the Human Clan, to the Dragon Sovereign’s banquet. He aimed to use the pressure of the Fubo Dragon Monarch to force us into signing contracts with the Liu Family. However, his secret plan to steal the Natural Spirit Pool was exposed and he was killed by the Fubo Dragon Monarch.
It’s thanks to Friend Shen who killed the Fubo Dragon Monarch with a single sword stroke that we were saved.”