Chapter 281 - 164: Frozen (2)
These vines, infused with a large amount of Spiritual Energy, moved incredibly fast, were impervious to weapons, and would occasionally swallow a few patrolmen to replenish their energy.
Their rampage forced the Xiong Family Cavalry to a halt. The cavalrymen didn’t dare to intervene, mainly because they feared the vines might just swallow them whole if they charged in.
As the vines continued their rampage, Yuan Xiaobo stepped out from the crowd. Xiong Da saw him and immediately hurried over.
"Lord Yuan, what’s the situation?"
"You went to rescue the others?" Yuan Xiaobo asked, ignoring Xiong Da’s question.
"That’s right. All the lords who weren’t infected have been brought back. We can be almost certain the rest are all parasitized."
"Good. Now we can attack without holding back!" Yuan Xiaobo motioned for Xiong Da to look toward the main camp.
The Druids within the Magic Array began to cast their spell as planned.
A rain cloud silently gathered over the entire Northern Expedition Legion. SPLASH! Fat raindrops began to fall. The ceaseless downpour quickly soaked the grounds of the legion’s encampment.
Rainwater from the mountains on both sides formed into rivulets, flowing down into the camp at their base.
Before long, pools of water began to form throughout the Northern Expedition Legion’s camp.
Inside a command tent, Mei Yuan was meeting with the other lords. All the lords who had remained in the main camp had been parasitized and were now under the control of the Eye Demons. With time, they would gradually switch their allegiance, eventually becoming lords who, like Mei Yuan, belonged entirely to the Eye Demon clan.
The rules for this month allowed lords of different factions to enter the continents of other factions through randomly spawning Spatial Gates. This meant they wouldn’t be forcibly teleported back to Eye Demon territory over their change in allegiance. This was precisely why Mei Yuan had waited until December to officially launch the northern expedition.
Before this month, the Eye Demon Ah Pu, parasitizing Mei Yuan, had merely taken advantage of his host body to subtly influence Mei Yuan’s consciousness.
Once December began, and after Mei Yuan had made his announcement on the world channel, Ah Pu finally seized complete control, forcing the body to officially switch factions and become a lord of the Eye Demon clan.
This was a level of total control that Eye Demons rarely used. Once an Eye Demon completely controlled a host, they would fully merge into a single being, sharing the same life and death. The Eye Demon would also lose its ability to absorb the host’s flesh and blood to make an escape.
If the benefits of controlling a lord hadn’t been so immense, Ah Pu would never have initiated a complete fusion.
However, as for Mei Yuan’s domain, he couldn’t take anything with him besides the Territory Core. Therefore, he abandoned everything except for the Lord Core. Before he left, he only placed seals on the Eye Demon-related structures and the Lord’s Mansion to prevent them from being destroyed.
The lords he had recruited as his core followers had also completely switched their allegiance.
Once the hundred-plus lords in the camp had all fully converted, he would take them back to the Eye Demon clan’s territory, where he was certain to receive a great reward.
Ah Pu listened to the reports from the lords in the camp, all the while fantasizing about the wonderful life that awaited him. He felt utterly delighted.
SPLASH~ SPLASH~
Suddenly, the sound of rushing water came from outside the tent.
Mei Yuan instantly shot to his feet. To the astonishment of the others, he ran outside the tent.
The moment he stepped outside, Ah Pu heard the drumming of heavy rain.
"What’s going on? Just a moment ago, the sky was clear and bathed in moonlight. How did it suddenly start raining?"
Ah Pu was a bit dumbfounded. He hurried to find Bess and ask for details. Bess had been silently observing from the sidelines, taking no part in any of his decisions, and had a clear view of the entire situation with the Northern Expedition Legion.
"Lord Bess, what’s happened out here?" Though he used an honorific, Ah Pu’s tone was anything but polite.
"Heh heh, don’t call me ’Lord.’ Once you return, Lord Ah Pu, *you’ll* be the esteemed lord. I’m just a humble Invisible Sentinel; I can’t bear you calling me ’Lord.’"
Ah Pu immediately changed his tone, his voice dripping with flattery. "Lord Bess, please don’t take it to heart. I just got a little carried away, didn’t I? You’re a veteran among the Invisible Sentinels. When we get back, I’ll need you to put in a good word for me!"
"When I get back, I’ll be sure to send you resources to help you break through to the Heroic rank."
Satisfied with Ah Pu’s promise, Bess finally began to speak. "The rain started suddenly. I took a look around. Only our Northern Expedition Legion’s camp is under this rain cloud; it isn’t even raining over at the battlefield."
Ah Pu was instantly on alert. He looked at the intensifying rain and the rising floodwaters pouring into the camp.
"Everyone, we have an emergency. Halt the war council for now. It’s pouring outside, and it seems there’s a problem with our camp’s location. We’re at risk of being washed out by a flash flood. We need to evacuate immediately."
To ensure all the lords would evacuate, Ah Pu didn’t mention his suspicion that the rain felt unnatural and might be the enemy’s handiwork. Instead, he told a well-intentioned lie.
Sure enough, after hearing his words, the lords filed out of the tent. Seeing the heavy rain outside and the water pooling within the camp, they believed Ah Pu and began to retreat toward the surrounding mountains.
However, seeing their slow, leisurely pace, as if they were out for a stroll, made Ah Pu extremely anxious. Of course, he understood how his kinsmen, who had only just become lords themselves, must be feeling.
At the same time, he was deeply worried about this sudden downpour, fearing that at any moment, the enemy would turn the rain into a shower of blades.