Chapter 2036: Falling Phoenix Pond

He Lingchuan knew that Nan Ronghe was subtly asking for help, so he casually assigned: "Bai Bang, take your men to Luofeng Pool and assist Nan Ronghe in capturing the monster."

Bai Bang was one of the leaders of the Dragon God Imperial Guard. He originally came from the Black Armored Army's Hook and Scythe unit, whose job during sieges was to scale walls with agile movements. He was more nimble than ordinary Black Armored Army soldiers and better at handling emergencies.

"Yes, sir." Bai Bang stepped forward, took 500 warriors, and departed with Nanrong family guards.

After resolving this interlude, He Lingchuan continued with his official duties.

Three hours later.

As the moonlight waned in the west, a brown-feathered night owl suddenly flew in, hooting as it landed on a perch inside the tent: "Urgent report, urgent report!"

Luo Xie casually took the small bamboo tube it spat out. Pulling out the note inside, his pupils contracted. "Lord!"

He Lingchuan took it and read it, his brows furrowing. This urgent report came from Luofeng Pool: Bai Bang had been killed while trying to capture the monster! Over a hundred of the five hundred warriors he brought were also casualties. However, before his death, he had severely wounded one monster. Everyone worked together to drag it out of the cave, hoping to use it to lure out its companion. As of the message, the other monster had not yet been caught.

Nan Ronghe's message asked if they should send this monster back to camp first while they continued to pursue the other. The two monsters were one large and one small; they had captured the smaller one. The larger one was even more ferocious. Luofeng Pool was over fifty li away. Transporting the monster back might encounter complications on the way. If it escaped, all their previous efforts would be in vain. Furthermore, there was still another one inside the cavern.

He Lingchuan pondered for a moment, then exited the main tent to assign several military tasks.

In the days leading up to the battle, the army was in a complete frenzy of activity. He had only taken a few steps when he encountered Elder Xutuo, who was idly wandering around.

"Where are you going, where are you going?" The old ox came closer, wagging its tail. "I'm terribly bored." The entire army was in a state of pre-battle tension and excitement. Those who needed to train trained diligently, those who needed to prepare prepared quickly, and those who needed to transport transported efficiently. Everyone was bustling with activity, yet this old ox was idle. It didn't need to train troops, and there was no battle these past two days. It just wandered around, munched on some young shoots, and scrounged a few radishes from the cooks, with nothing else to do.

"Hasn't Elder Liu arrived? Aren't you two catching up?" Liu Qingdao was a Grand Immortal of the Illusion Sect, usually in seclusion in Duo City. But with the decisive battle between the Dragon God Army and Yao State approaching, how could he continue to stay hidden in his cave? Even if he didn't directly engage, providing support would be fine. He knew very well why He Lingchuan had recruited the Illusion Sect. As a high-tier combatant himself, he absolutely could not be absent from such a historically significant battle.

The old ox pursed its lips: "My senior brother barely spoke a few words to me before settling in a cave behind the waterfall. How could he have time for me?" He could compress his cultivation and walk among humans like Granny Zhu; Liu Qingdao's cultivation was above his, but he didn't have this talent. After arriving, he had to set up a place to recuperate and gather energy. The concentration of spiritual energy in the human realm was rapidly rising, but it was still quite different compared to the Upside-Down Sea before the great war.

He Lingchuan was also aware of Liu Qingdao's situation, so he said: "Monsters have appeared at Luofeng Pool. They speak Demonic Tongue and have injured many of our people. I need to go there immediately." The army camp was full of talented people now, but they only knew how to fight. How many of them could understand Demonic Tongue? To interrogate the monster, he had to go himself.

Elder Xutuo's interest was piqued immediately: "They speak Demonic Tongue? Excellent, I'll go have a look too!" As an ancient immortal, he was naturally proficient in Demonic Tongue.

Afterwards, He Lingchuan set off with the old ox and 1,500 elite cavalry, heading towards Luofeng Pool. Catching two monsters didn't require an army of thousands, but his retinue was larger now, often exceeding a thousand people. In the past, two hundred would have been the absolute maximum.

This time, while traveling out of camp, they encountered an Imperial Dewfall, but it was only a light drizzle and ended by the time they reached Luofeng Pool. The air was filled with the fresh scent of the newly arrived spiritual rain, and its concentration briefly increased slightly.

The scenery here was beautiful during the day; one didn't need to get close to admire the waterfall cascading down the valley into the river below. On sunny days, there was even a seven-colored rainbow. That's why it was named "Fallen Phoenix."

However, it wasn't daylight yet, so everyone could only hear the roaring sound of the waterfall, which drowned out all other noises.

Past the waterfall, a detachment of about fifty soldiers was stationed ahead. Upon seeing He Lingchuan, they immediately saluted. "Where is General Nanrong?"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Nan Ronghe limped over from behind and saluted He Lingchuan: "My Lord, Nanrong is ashamed!" His shoulder was wrapped in white cloth, with a bit of blood seeping through; his left leg was also wounded, a monster's claw having nearly pierced his femoral artery.

He Lingchuan helped him up with one hand and asked, "Where's Bai Bang?"

"Brother Bai is here." Nan Ronghe led the way. Turning past the mountain pass, a hundred or so people lay neatly side by side on the ground. They were all fallen Dragon God Army warriors.

He Lingchuan spotted Bai Bang at a glance. His body was contorted at an odd angle, his face still swollen, and his eyes bulging. This was a good young man, one of the first warriors recruited by the Black Armored Army in the Glistening Gold Plains. He was diligent and responsible in carrying out tasks and grew quickly in battle. What a pity.

"How was he killed?" He Lingchuan knelt down to personally examine Bai Bang's body, finding several dislocated joints. In other words, Bai Bang was essentially torn apart alive, and he hadn't died yet, which was why his face was so severely congested with blood. What immense strength, what a ferocious monster.

"I didn't see it myself," Nan Ronghe said in a low voice, "but those who were behind him said he was dragged underwater by the monster and disappeared for over fifteen minutes. Then, then he floated back to the surface." He further explained, "Luofeng Pool connects to a massive cavern behind it, which has not only large and small openings but also underground rivers flowing through it."

"How large is the cavern?"

"Hundreds of acres, perhaps."

The people behind He Lingchuan exchanged glances. That large?

"It's essentially a hidden labyrinth carved out by the waters of Luofeng Pool inside the mountain's belly, with many twists, turns, and branching paths."

Everyone immediately understood why those two monsters were so hard to catch—this place was a labyrinth, further complicated by being divided into above-water and underwater sections, multiplying its complexity several times over.

"Are you very familiar with this cavern?"

"No," Nan Ronghe shook his head. "Before today, I only knew that there was an underground cavern here." He wasn't a water rat; why would he spend all his time exploring the cavern for no reason?

"Are there other exits to the cavern?"

"Yes," Nan Ronghe pointed towards the cave entrance. "There are four exits. Two of them have been completely blocked by us, but the other two are river mouths that cannot be sealed. I have already assigned men to guard them separately and set up formations that prevent escape through both water and earth."

As he spoke, He Lingchuan heard a furious roar from deep within the cavern. It sent shivers down one's spine.