CHAPTER 570: CHAPTER 561: ANNOYING!_1

By the small hill.

Qin Feiyang, Dongfang Wuheng, Murong Xiong, Lu Xingchen, and Dong Zhengyang gathered together.

Lu Xingchen swept his gaze over everyone and chuckled lightly. "It seems I don’t quite qualify to participate in your serious discussions."

Dongfang Wuheng looked at Lu Xingchen strangely and asked, "Junior Brother Lu, when did you become so modest?"

The Lu Xingchen of the past would strive for fame and fortune wherever he went, making his presence keenly felt. In the past, Lu Xingchen had never paid much mind even to Dong Zhengyang and Murong Xiong. But now, Lu Xingchen seemed to be shrouded by a veil, making it easy for people to overlook him.

Hearing Dongfang Wuheng’s words, Lu Xingchen shook his head and lamented, "I was too immature in the past. If I offended any of you Senior Brothers, please forgive me."

Dong Zhengyang and Murong Xiong exchanged glances. What is this fellow up to? they wondered.

Although Lu Xingchen had repeatedly claimed it was because he had "died" once and now viewed things more lightly, they felt it wasn’t that simple. The current Lu Xingchen was like an enigma, truly hard to fathom.

"Junior Brother Lu’s current enlightenment shows a significant transformation. Let’s forget about past matters."

"Now, I gathered you all to discuss the current situation."

"But before that, I want to formally apologize to Junior Brother Qin. My protecting Wu Yan and his companion earlier was something I couldn’t avoid. I hope Junior Brother Qin understands," Dongfang Wuheng said, cupping his hands in salute.

"I don’t really mind."

"However, a parasite will always be a parasite."

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are necessary, lest they drag everyone down with them," Qin Feiyang replied with a faint smile.

Dongfang Wuheng nodded. "Junior Brother Qin is right. If they dare cause trouble again, I will not let them off lightly."

Murong Xiong glanced at them and said impatiently, "Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Get to the point."

"Alright, let’s discuss the issue at hand."

"I’ve just done a rough calculation. From last night until now, we’ve lost more than fifty people."

"Combined with those who died initially, over a hundred of our fellow martial brothers have perished in the Netherworld."

"I believe you all understand very well the implications of this," Dongfang Wuheng said gravely.

Qin Feiyang and the other three nodded.

More than a hundred had died even before they entered the Swamp of Death. The danger here severely surpassed their expectations.

Dong Zhengyang suddenly spoke, "It doesn’t really matter. They were just cannon fodder, worthless anyway."

This was the first time he had spoken, and both his words and demeanor were filled with cold indifference.

Qin Feiyang and the others couldn’t help but turn their gaze to Dong Zhengyang.

"What’s wrong?"

"Am I mistaken?"

"You protect them so painstakingly—isn’t it just so they can scout the path ahead at critical moments?"

"So what’s the difference between scouting and being cannon fodder?" Dong Zhengyang sneered.

Dongfang Wuheng shook his head. "Dong Zhengyang, I don’t agree with that. I genuinely hope everyone can return alive."

"That’s somewhat hypocritical."

"There are only fifty spots for entering the Imperial Capital. Let alone the other eight prefectures, even our Spirit Prefecture doesn’t have enough to go around."

"If everyone returns alive, who will those fifty spots go to?" Dong Zhengyang countered.

"There are always ways to be flexible."

"Besides, I believe everyone here is reasonable."

"If we protect them and they survive, they will surely be grateful and voluntarily withdraw, not competing with us," Dongfang Wuheng said with a smile.

"Gratitude?" Dong Zhengyang said no more, but a hint of mockery flickered in his eyes.

"Actually, there’s no need to discuss this topic right now."

"We don’t even know what lies ahead. We might even die here ourselves, let alone protect them," Murong Xiong stated blandly.

Qin Feiyang nodded; That’s indeed the hard truth. "Senior Brother Wuhen, why did you call us together? Do you have a plan?" he asked.

"If I had a plan, I wouldn’t have needed to gather you for discussion," Dongfang Wuheng replied with a wry smile.

Everyone furrowed their brows in contemplation. After a few moments, Lu Xingchen began, "Actually, from last night until now, our casualties could have been reduced."

"How so?" Dongfang Wuheng asked eagerly.

Lu Xingchen raised two fingers. "Two words: coordination."

"While we were traveling last night, I was observing."

"I noticed that when fighting the skeletons, although everyone shared a common enemy, no one truly let down their guard against each other."

"This resulted in a severe lack of coordination."

"If everyone could set aside their reservations and truly unite, I dare say our casualties wouldn’t have been this high," Lu Xingchen commented.

Dongfang Wuheng immediately gave him a thumbs-up and smiled. "Junior Brother Lu, you truly have a keen eye and hit the nail on the head."

"Exactly."

"Our enemy now is not those skeletons, but ourselves."

"As long as we completely let down our guard against each other and unite as one, we can definitely overcome this crisis."

"What do you all think?" Dongfang Wuheng asked, looking towards Qin Feiyang, Murong Xiong, and Dong Zhengyang.

Murong Xiong and Dong Zhengyang immediately curled their lips, a sneer playing on them.

Although Qin Feiyang didn’t show it so obviously, he also didn’t believe everyone could achieve it. Everyone has their own selfish motives; true unity is harder than ascending to the heavens.

"I think there’s one more point to add."

"That is combat awareness."

"I remember when Wu Yan went to the rear with Brother Qin to cover the retreat, Brother Qin was flanked by skeletons several times. Wu Yan could have lent a hand, but he failed to notice."

"This might seem like a small thing, but it actually concerns the other person’s life and trust."

"Tell me, who would want to fight alongside someone like that?" Lu Xingchen added.

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Wuheng, Murong Xiong, and Dong Zhengyang finally understood. So that was why Qin Feiyang dared to drive Wu Yan away.

"To be honest, not just Wu Yan, but also Xui Yang and many others have poor combat awareness."

"This is another reason for the severe casualties," Dongfang Wuheng said.

All night, he had been clearing the path at the front with Wu Yan and Xui Yang, so he had a deeper understanding than others.

"How about this? We reorganize."

"From my observation, Shen Long and Jian Wei’s combat awareness is decent, and they are both Nine-Star War Emperors. How about letting them cover the rear or clear the path?" Lu Xingchen suggested.

Dong Zhengyang immediately objected, "No! If they leave, won’t our flanks be significantly weakened?"

"I also disagree," Murong Xiong stated.

Shen Long and Jian Wei had originally been with them, warding off attacks on the flanks. And this night of fighting had made them realize how important a teammate with good combat awareness was. So neither Dong Zhengyang nor Murong Xiong wanted to let Shen Long and Jian Wei go.

Dongfang Wuheng pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I think it’s feasible. However, Dong Zhengyang and Murong Xiong’s concerns are also valid. Moving Shen Long and Jian Wei will indeed significantly reduce our strength on the flanks. Therefore, I’ve decided to have Xui Yang and Wu Yan switch positions with them."

"Dongfang Wuheng, what do you mean by that?" Dong Zhengyang and Murong Xiong demanded angrily. "Leaving two useless individuals with us? Aren’t you just causing more trouble for us?"

Useless? Qin Feiyang’s face twitched. Even if Xui Yang and Wu Yan weren’t the best, they were still Eight-Star War Emperors. Were they really that incompetent?

"I also know this is somewhat unfair to you."

"But there are more people on the flanks, and the strength of Xui Yang and Wu Yan is still decent; they can support each other."

"The vanguard and rear guard only have two or three people each, so they need to be elites. I hope you two can understand," Dongfang Wuheng said, cupping his hands in a bow, his face full of entreaty.

With things said to this point, Dong Zhengyang and Murong Xiong had no choice but to nod and agree. Because Ren Wushuang had decreed that when Dongfang Wuheng made a correct decision, everyone had to obey. And Dongfang Wuheng’s current arrangement was indeed beneficial for the entire group.

Seeing them agree, Dongfang Wuheng was overjoyed and said to Qin Feiyang, "Then we’ll have to trouble Brother Qin and Fatty to cover the rear."

Qin Feiyang nodded.

After some further detailed discussion, they returned to the resting area and announced the decided arrangements.

"I object!" Wu Yan and Xui Yang immediately stood up to protest. "Why should we have to switch with Jian Wei and Shen Long?"

Fatty said contemptuously, "It’s obviously because you two are dragging everyone down. You can’t even figure that out? What a pair of idiots."

"Damn Fatty! Who are you saying is dragging anyone down?" Wu Yan and Xui Yang roared, instantly enraged. "Say that again if you dare!"

Seeing this, the faces of Qin Feiyang and the others couldn’t help but twitch. It’s enough to understand it in one’s heart; why say it so bluntly?

"AHEM!" Dongfang Wuheng put his fist to his mouth and coughed a few times, then looked at Wu Yan. "Don’t listen to Fatty’s nonsense. We made this arrangement after considering all factors."

"Don’t take us for fools," Wu Yan snorted coldly.

Ren Wushuang asked with a smile, "So, you two are not prepared to follow the arrangements?"

"I..." Wu Yan was about to explode, but when he saw the smile on Ren Wushuang’s face, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said, "I... I will obey."

"I will obey too," Xui Yang also nodded.

But inwardly, they felt extremely aggrieved and furious. Even a fool could see it; they were now like footballs covered in dung, repulsive to everyone, being kicked here and there.

Fatty walked up to them, patted their shoulders, and sighed. "Actually, we don’t look down on you. We just hope this will stimulate your fighting spirit and encourage you to strive for improvement."

"Get lost!" Unable to suppress their anger any longer, Xui Yang and Wu Yan shouted hysterically, their faces contorted with rage.

Fatty rubbed his ears, looked at them with disappointment, and shook his head. "Hmph, some people just can’t be taught!"

"Alright, alright," Dongfang Wuheng said, shooting Fatty a helpless look. "We’ve only just managed to get some peace; let’s not start another fight. Everyone, rest quickly. We’ll continue on our way in an hour." He then sat cross-legged on the ground to tend to his injuries.

But Qin Feiyang didn’t start to heal. He looked down at the ground, his brow tightly furrowed.

Fatty walked over to him curiously and asked, "Boss, what are you looking at?"

"I remember, last night when the blood sun set and the blood moon rose, that’s when these skeletons appeared."

"And today, as soon as the blood sun appeared, they burrowed back into the ground."

"I’m wondering if there’s some connection here," Qin Feiyang murmured.