Chapter 122: The Tall Grassland

A contingent of three thousand people moved rapidly across the wilderness. After some time, they successfully reached the flank of the mountain range. Their route was designed to follow the contours of the mountainside, as the flat, open terrain offered wider visibility and fewer places for monsters to lie in wait, unlike the dense mountains where danger could lurk anywhere. Along the way, they overtook many who had previously passed them.

As evening approached, they saw a large crowd ahead, stopped and gazing at a stretch of tall, human-height grass. Those gathered seemed intimidated by the tall grassland, with groups of acquaintances huddled together in hushed discussion. Lu Sheng and his party slowed to a halt. In total, there were five or six thousand people gathered there, mostly independent groups, with the exception of one larger faction numbering nearly two thousand.

"Brother Lu, please wait a moment. I shall go and gather some intelligence," Xiong Zijie said.

"Very well," Lu Sheng nodded. Xiong Zijie likely had contacts among the crowd, whereas he did not, so he waited. As Xiong Zijie left, their entire group stood by. The arrival of three thousand men immediately made them the focus of attention. Lu Sheng’s presence, in particular, was recognized by many who knew him as the figure who had been making waves in the wilderness recently.

Xiong Zijie rode his Cloud Horse toward the large group of two thousand. His father, Xiong Dabiao, accompanied him; as a faction leader, Xiong Dabiao would never let his son handle negotiations alone, as that would be seen as a sign of disrespect. The atmosphere between the two groups remained cordial, at least on the surface, with much laughter and polite conversation.

Soon, Xiong Zijie returned, though his father remained behind to continue the talks. "Things have become quite troublesome, Brother Lu," Xiong Zijie reported. "The grass ahead is too tall and infested with monsters. Those who ventured in earlier let out screams before falling silent. If we want to proceed, we must either find a way to clear this grassland or enter the mountains."

Lu Sheng frowned, puzzled. "Can we not use fire to clear the grass?"

Xiong Zijie gave a bitter smile. "It seems not. Those gathered here have already tried. You can burn a small patch, but the fire refuses to spread; it simply won't catch properly. Trying to clear the area this way seems impossible."

"So, it burns, but the fire won't consume the entire field," Lu Sheng mused. "Then why not just keep setting fires? Keep at it until it's done."

Xiong Zijie was speechless, wondering where Lu Sheng found such audacity. "Brother Lu, constant burning is no simple feat. If we use monsters, their energy will be depleted in no time, and they won't be able to produce fire. If we try to ignite it ourselves, it is highly inefficient and will only waste our stamina."

Lu Sheng realized the point. Not everyone could ignore energy consumption the way he could. *Could I not upgrade all my Flame Werewolves to the Fifth-Rank Perfection and form a bombardment squad?* he thought. *I could simply pave the way, burning the area section by section.*

He had one hundred and ten Flame Werewolves; upgrading them would not cost many Blood-Sucking Mosquito cards. He had plenty of those, and the number would only increase tonight. He decided he would not wait for the mosquitoes to mature; he could use the male mosquitoes already available to boost the Flame Werewolves' strength immediately.

"I shall clear the path," Lu Sheng said. "I will first observe the extent of the grassland. If it is not too long, I can finish it today. It is getting late, so have the men set up camp and rest here for the night."

Xiong Zijie hesitated. "Brother Lu, you cannot be serious? How could you possibly clear such a vast field?"

"Rest assured, I have my methods. Just do as I say," Lu Sheng replied. He summoned his White-Flame Blue-Scaled Bird and took to the sky to survey the area.

Below, the onlookers watched with envy. "It must be nice to have a bird and just fly over," one muttered.

Xiong Zijie felt a pang of jealousy as well. He could not understand how Lu Sheng, with such a humble background, possessed so many endless resources and methods. His own father, the leader of the top faction in District 21, found it a headache to cultivate him to the Fifth Rank, constantly complaining about the scarcity of resources. Yet, Lu Sheng could casually produce at least one Fifth-Rank monster, and after the battle at Tiantan Mountain, it was clear he possessed many Sixth-Rank ones as well.

Xiong Zijie sighed and ordered his camp to be set up. The location was decent; aside from the grassland in front, the other three sides were flat and open, making it easy to spot any incoming threats.

A while later, Xiong Dabiao returned with a smirk. Seeing his son working, he asked, "Where is Lu Sheng?"

"He flew off on his bird to survey the grassland. He plans to clear it," Xiong Zijie replied truthfully.

"Hah," Xiong Dabiao scoffed with disdain. "I just spoke with Zhuo Lei. This grassland stretches for ten kilometers and is filled with tentacle monsters. Anyone who enters dies. His desire to clear this place is nothing more than a pipe dream."

Lei Yan, standing nearby, overheard this and felt a surge of irritation. "My lord, how can you be so sure? I believe that if Lord Lu says he can do it, he will."

Xiong Dabiao shot him a look. "You are weak and ignorant of the heights of this world."

"I think, perhaps, you are the one who is blind," Lei Yan retorted, unafraid. Lu Sheng was his faith, and he would stand up for him against anyone, regardless of the difference in strength.

Xiong Dabiao grew angry. "Are you always this brave?" He prepared to teach the Second-Rank weakling a lesson, but Xiong Zijie stepped in to mediate.

"Father, stop. If we antagonize Lu Sheng, things will become difficult," Xiong Zijie warned quietly, pulling his father away. "Whether or not Lu Sheng is someone we should rely on, those six Sixth-Rank monsters he displayed at Tiantan Mountain are not to be trifled with. And look at how loyal this man is; he likely holds a significant position. If you crush him, our relationship with Lu Sheng will be ruined."

Xiong Dabiao grumbled but relented. "I’ve never had a Second-Rank brat talk back to me."

"Just let it go, Father. He doesn't know how powerful a Sixth-Rank is," his son reasoned. "What do we do next?"

"I discussed it with Zhuo Lei," Xiong Dabiao said. "The safest way is to enter the mountains, traverse the ten kilometers, and come back out. We cannot go left because of the swamps, so the mountains are the only option."

Meanwhile, high above, Lu Sheng observed the grassland. It was indeed vast, and during his low-altitude flight, tentacle monsters—"Multi-Arm Worms"—had tried to drag his bird down, only to be incinerated by the bird's Flame Domain. These were Third-Rank creatures with a weakness to fire.

Lu Sheng returned to the ground. His Flame Werewolves had been upgraded to Fifth-Rank Perfection. He was ready. Seeing the crowd gathering to watch, he ignored the skeptical stares of Xiong Dabiao and the others.

"If you are so confident, I shall watch your 'heroic' efforts," Xiong Dabiao mocked, inviting Lei Yan to join him.

"Gladly," Lei Yan replied with a smile, knowing his lord would not fail.

A large crowd followed, buzzing with anticipation, eager to see Lu Sheng humiliate himself. As they reached the edge of the grass, the atmosphere was tense. Lu Sheng prepared to summon his squad. He didn't care for the onlookers; he only cared about efficiency. With a flick of his hand, he prepared to turn the sea of grass into a sea of fire.