Chapter 239: Heroes of the Wild, Dragon Knight, and Data Plug
In the sky, two groups of Black Abyss troops flew swiftly toward the southern region of the Northwest Continent. Leading the charge were Lu Bu, Yang Hao, and Ling Quan, each riding a Four Winged Unicorn as they paved the way for the squad.
Xiao Xun'er traveled with the troops behind them, maintaining her position near the formation's core. The Black Abyss troops moved in tight formation, and should any trouble arise, they could instantly assemble into a battle formation, pooling their power to unleash maximum strength.
Lu Bu lightly stroked the sleek body of the Four Winged Unicorn he was riding. Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to the Black Abyss Army's steeds, assuming these beasts were just tools for transportation with limited use in battle. However, now that he was riding one himself, he realized there was more to these creatures.
The Four Winged Unicorn wasn't just a means of travel it was also capable of joining combat. The one Lu Bu rode, for instance, was a fifth tier magical beast with considerable strength.
This creature had jet black fur and resembled an ordinary horse, except for its silver white horn adorned with intricate patterns on its forehead. Electric arcs occasionally danced along these patterns, and its two pairs of wings radiated a faint green glow representing wind elemental energy. Clearly, this beast excelled in wind and lightning, as well as speed.
Despite their exceptional talent and battle prowess, Four Winged Unicorns lacked the intelligence of many other magical beasts that could rival humans. Lu Bu found this odd but quickly deduced the reason after some thought.
The answer was simple: Four Winged Unicorns were standard mounts for the Black Abyss Army, a unit composed of the young men and women of the Gu Clan.
Imagine this young adults with immature minds spending all their time with their personal, beautiful mounts. They ate together, fought together, rested together, celebrated victories with their "horse companions," and sought solace in these steeds during moments of despair.
Honestly, if nothing went wrong, that would be the real surprise!
In the Dou Qi Continent, relationships between humans and magical beasts weren't forbidden. On this subject, Lu Bu currently a wild rogue hero and a future Dragon Knight had plenty of experience to comment on.
If there had been smartphone like beings capable of transforming into beautiful girls, Lu Bu would've already become a "data plug"!
Ahem… back on track. If it were any other group, this might not matter, but the Gu Clan was one of the ancient imperial clans and placed great importance on maintaining the purity of their bloodline. Allowing such interspecies relationships to develop would be unacceptable.
Thus, the Gu Clan elders had sealed away the Four Winged Unicorns' intelligence, ensuring that while they could understand basic commands, they wouldn't gain human like intelligence.
This decision might seem cruel, but it ensured the younger generation of the Gu Clan upheld proper values and didn't tarnish the purity of their bloodline.
After all, human desires are limitless, and sometimes, people's choices in this regard can be… surprising.
"Where's our destination?" Lu Bu glanced at Yang Hao and Ling Quan beside him as he asked.
"The Tianfeng Mountain Range, in the southwestern region of the Central Plains," Yang Hao replied. "We've had some friction with the Soul Clan there, and we're currently looking for an opportunity to deal with them."
"Wow, really treating me like a laborer, huh? Your Black Abyss Army doesn't need a small time Dou Huang like me," Lu Bu said with a smirk.
Behind them, Xiao Xun'er seemed oblivious to his comment. Her veiled face revealed nothing of her expression.
Yang Hao's mouth twitched. Small time Dou Huang? What kind of "small timer" beats me up and hangs me out to dry?
I'm a proud third commander of the Black Abyss Army! Forget Dou Huang; I'd even face off against peak Dou Zong experts without hesitation! Yet you, a so called "small time Dou Huang," defeated me in a few moves. That's what you call small time?
"Ahem… Lu Bu, what do you think of our Four Winged Unicorns?" Ling Quan coughed lightly, trying to change the subject.
"They're pretty impressive," Lu Bu admitted. He genuinely admired the Gu Clan for their wealth and power. Breeding and raising a specialized magical beast for an entire army? That was no small feat.
If Lu Bu had this kind of support behind him, he'd probably already be a nine star Dou Sheng by now!
"Hehe, Lu Bu, do you know why these exceptionally gifted unicorns lack the intelligence of other magical beasts?" Ling Quan asked with a chuckle. Ever since his face got acquainted with Lu Bu's dragon fist, he'd been much more amiable.
"I can guess the general idea," Lu Bu replied with a knowing smile.
"Lu Bu, you're truly wise," Ling Quan said in admiration. "Our clan's strength lies in the hundreds of thousands of descendants with traces of Dou Di bloodline. Although the bloodline is extremely thin practically negligible it occasionally mutates, producing prodigies within a short time.
"I'm one such individual, having risen from the ranks of the commoners."
"Oh, so that's how it is…" Lu Bu nodded thoughtfully, giving Ling Quan a strange look before teasing, "No wonder you're both humble and arrogant. If I hadn't knocked you down a peg, you'd probably be running wild by now."
Ling Quan's face twitched. If I could beat you, your mouth would've been sewn shut already!
"Ahem, back to the topic," Ling Quan hurriedly continued. "The Dou Di bloodline is formidable but easily diluted. The main way this happens is through marriage or reproduction with outsiders.
"That's why the Gu Clan strictly forbids core members from marrying or having children with outsiders…"
"Oh, I see where you're going with this," Lu Bu interrupted, smirking. Clearly, Ling Quan was indirectly warning him not to get any ideas about Xiao Xun'er. Feigning a sigh of resignation, Lu Bu added, "Ling Quan, your topic is a bit heavy bloodlines, racial preservation, all that. It's not really my thing."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Lu Bu scratched his head, his pale face reddening slightly as he awkwardly asked, "Does the Gu Clan have any ladies who don't want marriage, love, or children?"
Ling Quan: "…"
Yang Hao's eye twitched. Is this guy really a Taixu Ancient Dragon?
Behind them, Xiao Xun'er's shoulders trembled, and she nearly fell off her Four Winged Unicorn.
After traveling at high speed for some time, the group arrived at a spatial wormhole in the southern part of the Northwest Continent.
Their destination the southwestern region of the Central Plains was far away. Flying there would take at least a year, so naturally, the Black Abyss troops chose to use the spatial wormhole, which would shorten the journey to about a month.
It was Lu Bu's first time seeing a spatial wormhole, and though he found it intriguing, he didn't pay much attention to it.
At the entrance to the wormhole, two Black Abyss elders, Lin Lao and Guan Lao, who had been keeping a low profile, finally revealed themselves. They each took out palm sized space ships and tossed them into the wormhole.
In an instant, the tiny ships expanded into massive vessels dozens of meters high and nearly a hundred meters long. The luxurious design rivaled that of modern cruise ships.
Lu Bu raised an eyebrow in surprise. In the original story, the space ships Xiao Yan used were only a few meters long, and even Lin Yan's ship from the Wind Lightning Pavilion was much simpler.
"You don't seem too shocked," Xiao Xun'er commented, noticing his calm demeanor. The first time she saw these ships, she hadn't been nearly as composed.
"It's alright. I've seen a few things," Lu Bu replied modestly, waving her off.
In a previous life, during his college years, Lu Bu went on a trip with his girlfriend. Their destination was Yinchuan, known as the "Jiangnan of the Northwest." There, they saw a real naval surface warship.
That ship was much larger than these so called space ships. Standing before it, one could feel an overwhelming sense of awe. So now, while Lu Bu was somewhat impressed by the two giant space ships in front of him, he managed to keep his composure.
As for why they went there… it was his girlfriend's idea. She said Yinchuan was famous for its goji berries and wanted to pick some high quality ones to help Lu Bu "rejuvenate."
Enraged, Lu Bu had been fuming all day but made sure to prove his vitality that night. Although his name was Lu Bu, he had never fallen victim to indulgence in wine or lust!
"Let's go, board the ships!" Lin Lao and Guan Lao, the two Dou Zun elders, gave the order. The Black Abyss troops lined up with their Four Winged Unicorns to board the ships, while the two elders personally took charge of controlling the vessels.
On the one hand, these ships were massive, and only Dou Zun level experts could handle them perfectly. On the other, they were responsible for ensuring the safety of these young soldiers.
"How long will it take to get to the southwestern region of the Central Plains?" Lu Bu asked, rubbing his chin.
"About a month inside the spatial wormhole, plus a few days of flight after that. Why do you ask?" Xiao Xun'er replied, puzzled.
"Oh, nothing important!"
With that, Lu Bu unceremoniously followed Xiao Xun'er onto the same ship, promptly claiming the best training room for himself. Locking the door behind him, he announced that he wouldn't be disturbed until they reached their destination.
This act left Xiao Xun'er trembling with anger. She suddenly felt that bringing Lu Bu along might have been a terrible mistake.
Inside the training room, Lu Bu set up an array and flicked his fingers, summoning a large quantity of medicinal herbs around him. His face turned solemn.
Despite how easily he had defeated the Black Abyss commanders earlier, his strength was increasingly insufficient. Dealing with Ling Quan, the seventh commander, and Yang Hao, the third commander, had been manageable. But what about the first commander, Gu Yao? Or Gu Qingyang, Gu Hua, and Gu Xing, the three chief commanders?
These were all core members of the Gu Clan, likely as powerful as Xiao Xun'er herself, each trained in heavenly level Dou Techniques and cultivation methods.
Just thinking about it gave Lu Bu a headache, not to mention the fact that he would soon have to face the experts of the Soul Hall and the Soul Clan. His strength urgently needed improvement.
Initially, he had considered directly absorbing the powers of Mu Gu or the Star Reaching Ghost Elder, but he decided against it too risky.
Lu Bu wasn't planning to reveal the existence of the Devouring Ancient Symbol anytime soon. At least not until he reached Half Saint or Dou Saint. If Void Swallowing Flame or a malicious Dou Saint discovered it, things could get troublesome.
Although such a possibility was slim, Lu Bu couldn't take the risk. He couldn't afford to gamble.
In fact, he didn't even plan to enter the Gu Realm during this journey it was too dangerous. He couldn't guarantee that those Dou Saint level experts wouldn't get any ideas, and he had no means to counter them at his current level.
"Time to train hard…" Lu Bu took a deep breath. With a flick of his hand, black devouring threads shot out from his palm, wrapping around the surrounding herbs. Immediately, a torrent of medicinal power surged toward him.
Closing his eyes, Lu Bu focused as a faint black glow appeared at the center of his forehead. The Devouring Ancient Symbol began to move, refining and absorbing the immense medicinal power.
Thanks to the wealth of herbs from Mu Gu's belongings, Lu Bu had no shortage of resources and could indulge in reckless cultivation.
On the other ship, Ling Quan and Yang Hao exchanged a glance as they looked into the endless spatial passageway. Grinning, Ling Quan chuckled, "Gu Yao, Gu Zhen… You guys are going to get beaten soon. Heh heh…"
Jia Ma Empire
From the southeast, a streak of light sped across the sky like lightning. The visitor didn't conceal their aura, and the powerful figures of the Jia Ma Empire quickly sensed their presence and flew out to investigate.
"The Eight Winged Black Serpent Emperor?" Medusa raised her eyebrows slightly as she noticed the approaching figure. Not only the Eight Winged Black Serpent Emperor but also the Snake Spirit Tribe's Lü Man was present.
On the serpent's back sat a young girl Qing Lin.
"Medusa…" The Eight Winged Black Serpent Emperor's face twitched upon seeing her. He had only recently managed to reach the peak of Dou Huang after enduring relentless training from the tribe elder and the palace lord.
But now, looking at Medusa, he didn't even know what her current realm was, let alone trying to catch up to her.
"Qing Lin, why are you here?" Xiao Yi Xian asked in surprise. She, Medusa, and Zi Yan had met Qing Lin before when Lu Bu visited the Heavenly Snake Mansion to refine pills, and they knew of her connection to Lu Bu.
"You two can leave; I have something to discuss with my sisters," Qing Lin said to Lü Man before leaping into the air, her Dou Qi wings unfurling as she flew toward the group.
Nearby, Zi Yan bit her finger nervously. "It's only been a little over a month, and Qing Lin's strength has increased again…"
Last time they had parted, Qing Lin was only a three star Dou Wang. Now, she was already at six stars. Meanwhile, in the same timeframe, Zi Yan had only managed to break through one star, reaching two star Dou Huang.
"Call her sister!" Medusa scolded, rubbing Zi Yan's head. "She's much older than you."
"No way!" Zi Yan made a face, crossing her arms smugly. "I've known Lu Bu for much longer than she has."
Medusa couldn't help rolling her eyes. If she wanted to be technical, Qing Lin had known him even longer than she had.
"Master sent me a letter. I was worried, so I decided to deliver it myself," Qing Lin said softly as she approached the group.
"Lu Bu's letter?" Yun Yun's eyes lit up. "Let's go inside and talk, Qing Lin."
"Okay… Yun jiejie," Qing Lin hesitated for a moment before nodding, following Yun Yun into the Black Mountain Palace.
Behind them, Medusa and the others couldn't hide their joy. If Lu Bu had sent a letter, it meant he had dealt with the Soul Hall pursuers and was now safe.
"He's amazing… Truly worthy of being my man!" Medusa's eyes sparkled. Even as a Dou Huang, Lu Bu had managed to fight off multiple Dou Zongs and high tier Dou Zongs an unbelievable feat.
Inside the palace, the four women gathered around Qing Lin, eagerly watching as she retrieved the letter.
"My teacher gave Master an offering token before we last parted. This letter was sent five days ago from the Tian Snake Mansion's branch in Wanxiang City," Qing Lin explained as she unfolded the letter.
"Wanxiang City…" Medusa, Yun Yun, and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged glances. They had heard of it it was in the southern region. It seemed Lu Bu had truly lured the Soul Hall experts out of the Northwest Continent.
Unfolding the letter, Qing Lin read aloud:
"'One gravely injured, one's physical body destroyed. I am safe. Don't worry. Traveling with the Black Abyss Army to battle the Soul Clan. Focus on your cultivation as usual. See you in the Pill Tower one year later!'"
The familiar handwriting brought a wave of relief to the women. Their tense faces finally softened into smiles.
"That's great he's safe!"
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