Dragon's Origin

Chapter 201: National War (Part 2)

With a camp every twenty miles or so, anyone entering the Thousand Absolute Ground in the future would be guaranteed a relatively safe and comfortable campsite to rest in, provided they didn't make any mistakes.

Don't underestimate these seemingly simple camps. They were often built using local materials, such as wood and stone from the surrounding area. However, these camps all shared a common trait: they were sturdy and easy to defend, difficult to attack. They might not pose much of a problem for humans, but for demonic beasts, these camps became a barrier, preventing them from attacking the people inside.

Yu Baozhai had prepared so many supplies, a large part of which was actually for the journey. It was impossible to build a base inside the Thousand Absolute Ground and then require Wang Sheng to lead the way every time someone went in or out; that would be a laughingstock.

The newly built camps were simple, but each small camp had two sets of defensive formations. One was a small defensive formation with only one array stone, and the other was a large defensive formation composed of five array stones. The large formation was definitely better in terms of defense, but when there weren't enough people, the small formation could hold out for a while.

These two defensive formations greatly increased the defense level of the camps. The simple camps immediately became comparable to the cement bunkers Wang Sheng had seen on Earth.

With such a relatively safe camp, those entering the Thousand Absolute Ground could get adequate rest, avoiding constant vigilance and paranoia. With a refreshed spirit, their chances of survival would naturally increase greatly.

It could be said that Wang Sheng's actions were equivalent to opening a safe passage inside the Thousand Absolute Ground. In the future, as long as one followed the road, it could basically be described as smooth sailing. Even teams with insufficient cultivation or numbers could have a place to stay when entering and exiting the Thousand Absolute Ground.

While people inside the Thousand Absolute Ground were excitedly building along the way, the Song family was experiencing a different scene.

Due to Song Hongde's strong return, the Song family was subjected to a bloody purge. Even now, the Song family was still in a state of trepidation. Apart from the experts Song Hongde brought back, everyone lived cautiously, fearing that they might be purged one day.

However, Song Hongde's sudden illness calmed the Song family's upper echelons considerably. For a period of time, it actually allowed the Song family to quickly settle down.

Song Hongde, after taking the 'Tiger-Wolf Pill,' also keenly realized this problem. Given that he had at most one to two years left to live, Song Hongde adopted a more moderate approach. This wasn't a situation where he was strong and could last a long time; stability was the top priority.

However, Wang Sheng's sudden announcement that he would oppose them also forced the Song family to directly face the threats from other families. In response, Song Hongde secretly arranged for Song family death squads to sabotage Wang Sheng's camps, while also swiftly launching a war against the Dai family.

When internal strife is forcefully suppressed, finding a common external enemy to attract attention is the most useful method, capable of quickly uniting the internal forces to resist external enemies.

The reason for launching the war was simple: Dai Huan led people to forcibly break into the Song family's forbidden area, forcibly abducted the Song family's eldest daughter, and forcibly seized the Song family's Nine Stars Yuan Soul. Any one of these was enough for the two families to fight to the death. However, in the Song family's elders' council, from top to bottom, no one was willing to fight the Dai family to the death over these matters.

The only minor frictions that were later suppressed occurred when the Song family's elders' council learned that the Dai family had taken the Nine Stars Yuan Soul and forcibly demanded its return, leading to some pursuits. Even these minor frictions were quickly quelled. Both the Song family and the Dai family seemed as if nothing had happened.

No, it wasn't that both families seemed as if nothing had happened, but that the Song family seemed as if nothing had happened. The Dai family was different. Fourth Master Dai personally led people into the Song family, swaggering about to kill the Song family's eldest daughter and her fiancé, that adulterous couple, to avenge Dai Huan. Unfortunately, he ran into Wang Sheng and was headshot.

In the past, when facing pressure from other families, the Song family was like a shrinking turtle. A mere Fourth Level Dai family member could suppress the Song family so much that they didn't even dare to fart. While it was related to Song Hongde taking away the elite troops, this was by no means the real reason. The fundamental reason was that the elders' council was ambitious but incompetent, and they were also greedy for power and engaged in infighting.

Immediately after Song Hongde sent a final warning, demanding that the Dai family return the stolen Nine Stars Yuan Soul and that the Dai family's patriarch apologize, he had already gathered experts and prepared to take action.

While the Song family was preparing to fight the Dai family, the Song family sent goodwill to other families. The Song family's representatives all had the same message: the Dai family had bullied the Song family too much, but everyone had taken good care of the Song family, and the Song family would definitely repay them generously. If they were willing, the Song family could share their Thousand Absolute Ground training camp.

Song Hongde was also a man of vision, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to put everything down more than a decade ago and lead people into the Thousand Absolute Ground. Now that Wang Sheng was building a base to compete with the Song family, Song Hongde certainly couldn't allow his family's advantage to be lost. While preparing for a battle with the Dai family, he once again organized hundreds of Song family disciples, led by several experienced experts, and once again entered the Song family's camp in the Thousand Absolute Ground.

In any case, the Song family had a time advantage. Having been ahead for more than a decade, while the other side was still building, this side could already train the second batch of experts, all of whom were Song family members.

If the Song family's death squads could sabotage Wang Sheng's construction, it would mean that the Song family's time advantage could be further expanded. The only thing to be wary of was probably Wang Sheng, who carried a large number of man-eating ants. Therefore, the orders received by those death squads were to find an opportunity to put Wang Sheng to death at all costs.

Since the Song family was willing to share, the Yu Baozhai's camp under construction was not the only choice, and various parties began to consider whether to accept the olive branch extended by the Song family.

Just as the great battle between the Song family and the Dai family was about to break out, the royal family's representative directly approached the Song family, seeking an audience with Song Hongde.

The royal family had been studying the royal etiquette and establishing the Son of Heaven's enfeoffment system for some time. The royal family's intention in contacting the Song family this time was very clear: the royal etiquette had made some progress, and if the Song family was willing, the Son of Heaven was willing to confer Song Hongde as the Marquis of Song.

From then on, the Song family's territory would be called the Song Kingdom. And Song Hongde could, in the name of the Marquis of Song, mobilize troops to launch a war of annihilation against the Dai family.

Being able to mobilize troops was a temptation that immediately moved Song Hongde's heart. What would be the effect of a few hundred Song family experts killing their way over versus tens of thousands of Song family soldiers pushing straight through? Moreover, at this moment, he would be the ruler of a country, and no longer just the patriarch of a small family.

Song Hongde's ambition had never been so strong as it was at this moment.