CHAPTER 265: ENTERING THE FOREST!

"Ahem, then I’ll also take my leave to discuss with my subordinates." Yedu Wuyan, hiding his embarrassment, left to converse with his group.

He called them his subordinates because he had already been announced as the successor to the patriarch of the Yedu Tribe.

Qin Feng didn’t speak, and instead, with a silent nod, he left, returning to his group.

Fanrong also took a deep breath before turning around to approach her own group.

In front of the various accomplished King Realm experts of her tribe, she informed them of the discussion she just had with the leaders of other tribes.

"Everyone, we will follow the same rotation formation as always to traverse this dense forest. Our goal is to reach the center of the forest, where the treasure is waiting for us."

She paused, taking a breather before continuing:

"We will enter the forest after fifteen minutes. I will now tell you the plan we will follow to fight when it is our turn.

When we encounter an opponent, Lord Huan Shou will take charge of the vanguard with his two lion spirit beasts."

Fanrong glanced at Huan Shou to see if he had any objections; however, she was surprised to notice that Huan Shou wasn’t even looking at her.

His gaze was fixed on Ashen with an expectant expression.

It was only then that she noticed that Huan Tian wasn’t alone. Almost all the prefecture lords looked at Ashen with the same expression.

She couldn’t understand what was going on as she, feeling disrespected, angrily asked, "W-What are you all doing?? Why are you all looking at Lord Huan Tian when I’m talking?"

Hearing her shout, even other groups glanced over to see what was going on.

Ashen also noticed their gazes; however, he didn’t react to them till now.

It was only after Fanrong mentioned it so openly that he had no choice but to acknowledge their gazes.

To answer her question, Huan Shou stepped forward:

"Forgive us, Princess Fanrong. We were only looking at Lord Huan Tian in hopes that he would lead us.

Since we have fought against him in the Conqueror’s Battlefield. We want to experience fighting on the same side as him.

I feel that our group will benefit more if Lord Huan Tian acts as the leader."

The prefecture lords had witnessed Ashen’s leadership abilities. They wanted to experience the same feeling that Lang Zhen and Cheng Tao had been bragging about for days.

Who wanted to fight themselves when you could obtain an overwhelming victory simply by following Ashen’s orders?

They knew Fanrong would only order them to fight in a traditional way.

They wanted to experience something different, like how Ashen used formations in battle.

It would also give them a chance to brag in front of other tribes.

However, even though their feelings weren’t inappropriate, they still hurt Fanrong.

It was as if no one wanted to follow her.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t get a chance to prove her abilities.

If Ashen acted as the leader, how would Fanrong appear in the eyes of others?

Only a few moments ago, she represented her tribe in front of Mei Xueyao and other leaders.

If suddenly she were removed from the leader position, she would be too embarrassed to carry on with this expedition.

However, as if luck was on her side, Ashen refused outright:

"I won’t be acting as the leader."

"But why, Lord Huan Tian?" The prefecture lords whined.

"Because I am the trump card that you show in dire circumstances." Ashen replied indifferently.

However, his reply was enough to calm the prefecture lords down.

So he will reveal himself when the time calls for it?

Nice. At least we can now rest assured that if anything goes wrong, Lord Huan Tian has a plan.

The morale of the group rose as their worries were put to rest by Ashen.

However, unbeknownst to them, Ashen’s plans might become the very reason for them to worry.

"Alright. We will follow Princess Fanrong’s arrangements." The prefecture lords spoke in unison.

However, this short scuffle was enough to let Fanrong know that the prefecture lords weren’t following her because of her own abilities; it was all because of Ashen’s support.

Fanrong still calmed herself and acted as the leader to not embarrass her tribe in front of others.

"With Lord Huan Shou as the vanguard, Lord Kui Long and Lord Lang Zhen will support him from the sides..."

She finished explaining her plan, giving each prefecture lord a role in the battle except Ashen.

She then glanced at him and requested politely, "Lord Huan Tian, I ask you to be in charge of our rear. If the other tribes betray us and attack from behind, only you are strong enough to stop them."

Ashen silently nodded, displaying his agreement.

Soon, it was time to enter the forest.

"Let’s enter, everyone!" Yedu Wuyan yelled. "I will take the lead!"

His group was the first to enter, followed by Qin Feng, Mei Xueyao, and lastly, Fanrong.

The Zhuji tribe’s group was the largest due to the number of beasts they had in their group.

Ashen also brought the core-formation realm tigers, which numbered over three hundred.

Taking the rear was a better choice for such a large group.

On the other hand, Mei Xueyao, Qin Feng, and Yedu Wuyan all wondered about Ashen as they glanced behind at different intervals.

Is he the successor of the Beast Sovereign?

Not only has he enslaved Tiger-type spirit beasts, but they are in such a large number.

He should be the one who appeared in the Zhuji tribe and helped Fanrong become the deputy leader.

I should keep an eye on his movements.

Judging from the previous scuffle, he is more favored by the other King realm cultivators than Fanrong.

The spies should’ve sent more information on him.

Though the information traveled slowly, most of the higher-ups in other tribes were already aware of the successor of Beast Sovereign appearing in the Zhuji tribe thanks to the spies they had planted.

However, the information about Ashen was scarce; not much was known about him.

The expedition groups had been warned about him; however, not much was known of him.

They could only remain vigilant and keep an eye on Ashen.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)