Chapter 139: One Man, One Army

In District 13, a major faction typically has at most a dozen Tier 6 experts and perhaps one or two at Tier 7.

Lu Sheng, on his own, was already more powerful than any major faction. He could even wipe out any of the large factions in District 13 whenever he pleased. Of course, Lu Sheng wasn't so deranged as to hunt down an entire major faction for no reason.

Led by the Wild Boar Man leader, Lu Sheng successfully arrived at the Wild Boar Man tribe. He then proceeded to slaughter every single Wild Boar Man in the settlement. Looking at the devastated tribe, the leader showed no excess emotion. In fact, he even revealed a secret.

"Master, there is a totem pole in the center of the tribe. It allows passage between the Blood Moon World and this world."

"Oh? Does this thing have any limitations?" Lu Sheng asked, puzzled. If it allowed free passage between two worlds, why were there so few people in the Wild Boar Man tribe? If even such a relatively small faction possessed an item for inter-dimensional travel, why didn't other tribes have them?

"This object was formed after we were pulled into this world. The limitation is that it can only be used by beings from this planet," the leader explained, resolving Lu Sheng's confusion.

"I see. Tell me, how did you come to this world, and give me an overview of the power dynamics in the Blood Moon World," Lu Sheng said while walking toward the center of the camp.

"We did not come to this world willingly. We were forcibly sent here by the rulers of the Blood Moon World. The only purpose for our arrival was to cause destruction. The rulers told us of the various benefits to be gained from ravaging this world—gaining strength, improving quality, and increasing our potential."

"Even if we didn't want to come, once we confirmed those benefits were real, we all chose to destroy this world. The entire Blood Moon World lives under the rule of the Blood-Sucking Bat Tribe. To survive, one must obey their commands."

Seeing the leader fall silent, Lu Sheng continued, "How big is the Blood Moon World? Is there no more information?"

The leader thought for a moment. "I cannot speak for the entire Blood Moon World, but I know that aside from the Blood-Sucking Bat Tribe, five other great races are very powerful: the White-Haired Monsters, the Frost Werewolves, the Giant Oxen, the Flying Snakes, and the Poison Toads. These five races are either vast in number or possess immense strength."

Lu Sheng frowned. It seemed the leader didn't know much after all; it would be difficult to learn about that world through him. He already had a White-Haired Monster in his possession, and it didn't seem particularly strong.

"Are the White-Haired Monsters a powerful race because of their numbers or their strength?" Lu Sheng inquired.

"Because of their vast numbers, and they do possess Tier 10 experts," the leader explained.

Lu Sheng nodded. By then, they had reached the center of the camp. He saw the pillar the leader had described. It was covered in mysterious incantations, and when Lu Sheng touched it, he felt a powerful suction. He could clearly perceive that if he did not resist this force, he would be pulled into a completely unfamiliar place—presumably the Blood Moon World the leader spoke of.

Lu Sheng wasn't sure if he wanted to enter that world just yet. With a forceful tug, he uprooted the pillar from the ground and stowed it away. He would use it whenever his strength grew sufficient. For now, it was his only known channel for invading another world.

***

Lu Sheng took out the map of District 13, intending to hunt monsters according to its markings. However, he knew that with the massive influx of monsters, he would likely encounter them along the way. They might not all be Tier 6, but he didn't mind killing any Tier 6s he happened to cross.

Looking up at the floating continent suspended over District 13, a strange glint appeared in Lu Sheng's eyes. He didn't plan to touch that thing yet. He didn't know what was up there, but he knew his current strength wasn't enough. At the very least, he wouldn't explore it until he fulfilled the conditions to resurrect a blue-quality monster.

Mounting the White-Flame Blue-Scaled Bird, Lu Sheng set off in his chosen direction. Only from the air could he see the situation on the ground. To his surprise, there weren't as many monsters as he had imagined. The ground was barren, devoid of even a shadow of a monster—even more desolate than before the light beams had descended.

Lu Sheng was initially confused, but upon seeing the desiccated corpses scattered on the ground, he understood. These were the work of his Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes. No wonder Xiong Dabiao had been complaining to him earlier; it seemed there wasn't a single low-tier monster left within a wide radius of their camp.

*Does that mean the ones left alive are all Tier 6?* Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up. He could hunt for Tier 6 monsters right here instead of traveling to his intended destination. He was only going there to kill Tier 6s for Law Stones, after all.

He decided not to leave, choosing instead to circle the area to see if any monsters remained. Anything alive here had to be Tier 6, as his orders to the mosquitoes were to kill anything below Tier 6 and leave the rest alone.

Before long, he found a lone monster wandering the wilderness, looking around with a confused expression. Lu Sheng descended and summoned three Tier 7 Wild Boar Men. Before the monster could react, the three Tier 7s struck, killing it with their spears in seconds. It dropped a non-elemental Law Stone.

This confirmed his theory. His Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes were unexpectedly useful for filtering targets. Honestly, Lu Sheng had no desire to waste time killing masses of low-tier monsters; the effort wasn't worth the negligible returns. Only the Law Stones dropped by Tier 6 monsters interested him.

He continued scouring the barren land for more Tier 6 monsters. Soon, he spotted one, but he also saw Xiong Dabiao and his group surrounding it. Lu Sheng hesitated, then decided not to swoop in and steal their prey. He couldn't bear the thought of Xiong Dabiao's aggrieved look.

However, before he could fly away, he saw a cavalry unit galloping straight toward Xiong Dabiao’s position. Lu Sheng frowned. *Could this be that same band of horse bandits from yesterday?*

Although it was just a guess, it was almost certainly them. "Hmph! Looks like they want to make a move on Xiong Dabiao and his people." Realizing their intent, Lu Sheng urged his mount toward the scene. He was still some distance away, and the bandits would reach the group first. He wasn't too worried; Xiong Dabiao had enough strength that he wouldn't be wiped out so easily.

Xiong Dabiao, currently busy surrounding the Tier 6 monster, saw the dust cloud in the distance and frowned, ordering his men to pull back. He soon recognized the riders as the bandits from before. Seeing their orderly formation, his heart sank. He didn't have his usual reinforcements with him. He couldn't run even if he wanted to; the bandits' horses were too fast, and they were already upon him.

Biting the bullet, he stood his ground, hoping they wouldn't escalate things. He felt a pang of regret as he watched the injured Tier 6 monster flee, but with a strong enemy before him, he had no choice.

Qin Tong and his men stopped in front of Xiong Dabiao. "Hahaha!" Qin Tong laughed arrogantly, looking down at him. "I've finally caught you."

"What does this mean?" Xiong Dabiao retorted coldly. "Do you dare to attack? You won't be able to stop me from leaving, and you should fear our retaliation."

Qin Tong sneered. After years of banditry, they were experienced. "You might be able to run, but your men certainly can't."

Qin Tong knew exactly what Xiong Dabiao was worried about. He had seen it countless times before.

Xiong Dabiao gritted his teeth, his temper flaring. He wanted to curse, but he knew they had a Tier 7 among them. Provoking them would only lead to disaster, so he suppressed his rage.

Qin Tong laughed again. "Nothing much. My brothers are just a bit poor and don't have any storage cards. So... you wouldn't mind lending us yours, would you?" He looked at Xiong Dabiao with a mocking glint in his eyes.

Xiong Dabiao refused without hesitation. "Impossible. I advise you to leave now, and I can act as if nothing happened." Handing over their storage cards meant losing everything they possessed; he would never agree to that.

Seeing Xiong Dabiao's defiance despite being in a weaker position, Qin Tong grew irritated. "I suggest you look at the situation clearly. This is your last chance."

As they bickered, neither noticed a figure quietly closing in on their position. Qin Tong and his men didn't just want their goods; they wanted their lives too. They just couldn't strike immediately, or else Xiong Dabiao would surely try to bolt.