Chapter 1402: Chapter 1402 - 1387: The Only Hope

"Lord, these are the battle reports from the captains of the eleven dispersed pursuit battalions, and the results are not... ideal!" In Shanyang County City, Military Commander Gao Xingji handed a stack of Jade Talismans to Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen did not even bother to look, nor did he connect.

In fact, when he ordered the troops to be divided for pursuit, Ye Zhen already knew what the results would be.

Because this is the true reason the water calamity cannot be eradicated.

The Great Zhou implements a policy of iron and blood, rewarding military achievements with titles and land, thus promoting a strong martial ethos and robust military preparedness. Although the county soldiers’ equipment is ordinary, military law is extremely stringent.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Water Demons are numerous, if they dare face off against the county soldiers of Great Zhou, even in victory, their casualties would be heavy.

The real trouble lies with those Water Demons who raid in scattered formations.

The quantity of Water Demons is vast, and each possesses formidable combat power. Facing these dispersed Water Demons, Great Zhou loses its advantage of concentrated force.

Take just the area of Shanyang County in North Sea County, where more than fifteen groups of over a thousand Water Demons have been found, with nearly a hundred groups of around several hundred.

As for those raiding groups consisting of less than a hundred or even dozens of Water Demons, there might be thousands in number.

However, the troop formations Ye Zhen dispatched numbered only eleven battalions, each with a strength of three thousand soldiers.

Of course, Ye Zhen could further divide the forces, with units of around five hundred soldiers as the smallest pursuit group.

Yet, facing the astronomical number of Water Demons, a pursuit group of five hundred would likely become prey for the Water Demons.

Moreover, the deluge-like rain slows down the marching speed of the Great Zhou soldiers, obstructing sight and perception, while the Water Demons thrive.

This subtraction and addition give the Water Demons even greater advantage.

If he had a choice, Ye Zhen would prefer the Water Demons to concentrate together and engage in a decisive battle with him.

Winning with fewer numbers is not really a difficult matter.

However, this is but a luxury; if it were truly possible to fight the Water Demons to the death, the calamity would have long been quelled.

Once scattered, these Water Demons exploit the torrential rains to pillage in all directions, spreading endlessly harmful influence, only retreating once the rain ceases.

This situation affects not only North Sea County but nearly every coastal county suffers from the water calamity.

The only distinction is that the military preparedness of other counties may be several times or even ten times stronger than that of North Sea County.

"There have already been casualties. Tell them to retract the line for the purpose of saving the populace and preserving strength!" Nowadays, the people of North Sea County are entirely Ye Zhen’s assets; no one wishes to see their wealth stolen by others.

Heavenly Patrol Divine General Feng Jiumo strode over, glanced at Military Commander Gao Xingji, and cautiously reported, "Sir, regarding Niu Er, there is currently no intelligence on the whereabouts of Dragon Prince.

However, what Niu Er can confirm is that this raid is indeed orchestrated by Dragon Prince behind the scenes, and he has already landed.

But specific whereabouts are unknown; all captured informants don’t know where Dragon Prince is!"

"A unique seedling in Ten Thousand acres indeed; it would be strange if we could easily discover his whereabouts!"

Murmuring lightly, Ye Zhen suddenly commanded, "Gao Xingji, execute plan number two!"

"Yes!"

....

In the drill grounds of Shanyang County City, the seemingly comatose Dragon Fish Water Lord lay as if dead, suddenly twitching, the belly adorned with Golden Scales slowly wriggling, then Dragon Fish Water Lord cautiously opened his large eyelids.

The instant he saw the dozing guard, Dragon Fish Water Lord appeared startled, quickly closing his eyes and continuing to play unconscious.

Later, Dragon Fish Water Lord carefully observed his surroundings and understood his situation.

His internal injuries remain severe and complete recovery requires time, but it poses no issue for fleeing.

Dragon Fish Water Lord found it might be human warrior negligence, or perhaps it was unfamiliarity with their critical weaknesses.

The chains heavily endowed with Talisman Patterns that ought to pierce his clavicle instead passed just below it, narrowly missing.

This delighted Dragon Fish Water Lord immensely.

He also discovered, perhaps due to guard negligence or lack of time, they hadn’t removed his Storage Ring.

This greatly increased his chance of escape.

Having some strategic insight, Dragon Fish Water Lord knew he was severely injured, and instead of fleeing immediately, he awaited a more opportune moment.

Currently, severely injured, the longer the delay, the greater his chance of escape.

Additionally, there seemed to be quite a few captives on the drill grounds, many of whom were his confidants and subordinates.

He planned to wait for their awakening, then rescue some along with him, greatly increasing his chance.

Time slowly passed, everything going as Dragon Fish Water Lord planned, several confidants taken captive with him were also instructed by him to wait for the right opportunity.

However, unease lingered in Dragon Fish Water Lord’s mind.

This discomfort originated from the depths of his Divine Soul Origin; upon waking, the soul pain was excruciating, seemingly with a swollen head. But the key was, something feared seemed added to his mind.

A gut feeling indicated some direction within Shanyang County City harbored an existence causing instinctive fear from the depths of his soul.

Dragon Fish Water Lord, possessing notable insight, vaguely sensed ominous premonitions; perhaps his soul had been tampered with.

Otherwise, even if the Blue-scaled Dragon King stood before him, it wouldn’t cause such instinctive soul-deep fear.

But from a logical standpoint, it’s absolutely impossible.

No forceful soul-capturing cultivation technique ever heard of, yet this feeling truly exists.

Dragon Fish Water Lord was extremely anxious, even somewhat frightened, contemplating seeking expertise after escape.

As this thought emerged, it was quickly dismissed.

Not to verify anything should such whispers spread; it would certainly bring tremendous trouble, likely causing nobody to trust him henceforth.

Dragon Fish Water Lord promptly made a correct decision — he would study and verify this matter privately, never seeking confirmation from others.

This would remain his secret never to reveal.

In such anxious thoughts, the eastern sky slowly brightened, with Dragon Fish Water Lord’s injuries somewhat healed.

At this juncture, Spirit Light exploded around Dragon Fish Water Lord, breaking the chains mistakenly missing his critical points, instantly transforming into a humanoid fish-headed form.

Lightning-fast, he unleashed several Spirit Blades, severing the bindings of already-awakened Water Demons at the drill grounds, roaring, "If not escape now, when, then!"

With that roar, Dragon Fish Water Lord’s figure ascended skyward, and fourteen other Water Demons also shot skyward as fast as possible, escaping with Dragon Fish Water Lord.

Upon Dragon Fish Water Lord’s immediate action, a watchful soldier tossed a red Talisman Communication as a warning.

Most soldiers slept, but patrolling soldiers on the walls reacted first, instinctively raising Wind-Fire Crossbows, aiming at fleeing Water Demons.

Instantly, several straggling Water Demons screamed miserably.

Ultimately, Dragon Fish Water Lord successfully escaped with seven of his Water confidants.

Yet, despite escaping alive, Dragon Fish Water Lord felt little joy.

He sensed leaving Shanyang County City, the terrifying existence causing soul-deep fear seemed distant, but that inherent fear was undiminished.

"Sir, why do you believe Dragon Fish Water Lord will seek the Dragon Prince at Blue-scaled Dragon Palace for help?" On the walls, observing the vanishing Dragon Fish Water Lord, Feng Jiumo inquired.

"He has no choice!"

"Among the Water Clan, survival of the fittest is their nature, especially since Dragon Fish Water Lord bears an officially recognized Water Monarch Seal signifying status.

To seize his position, one must kill Dragon Fish Water Lord to engrave one’s own Essence Blood onto the Water Monarch Seal again!" With that, Ye Zhen chuckled coldly, "Do you truly think the Great Zhou issued these titles merely to appease?"

"This specially made Seal requiring predecessor’s death before successor’s Essence Blood recognition, is an insidious scheme to incite self-destruction among the Water Clan!"

"Now, Dragon Fish Water Lord’s elite forces are gone, with over a third of Water Demons lost, others fleeing. Without an army or expert protection, he becomes juicy prey for strong Water Demons eyeing his position!"

"And that Dragon Prince is his sole hope for survival! Moreover, this fellow is our hope for eradicating the water calamity soon!"

As Ye Zhen spoke, he gestured, "Since he has escaped, the plan has begun, so we must move!

Our task isn’t just discovering the Dragon Prince’s whereabouts!"