I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  "Don't worry. We won't delve too deeply into the desert. You only need to bring us to places where demonic beasts can be frequently found so we can have some practice before you bring us back," said Xiang Shaoyun. "Naturally, you will be amply rewarded."

  After some hesitation, Ge Mote agreed, "Ok. But I need to make it clear that I'll only be in charge of showing the way. Also, you need to be in charge of my safety. I might have a decent cultivation level, but there are many Demon Emperors in the desert. We might even encounter Demon Sovereigns. I am definitely not a match for them."

  "That won't be a problem. Shall we depart?" said Xiang Shaoyun.

  Just like that, Ge Mote became their guide as they stepped into the Desert of Despair. This time, Xiang Shaoyun brought Vicious One, Two, and Three with him as well. These three birds had physiques granting them an affinity with the power of earth. Thus, they were extremely joyful when they arrived. It was obvious they loved the environment of the desert.

  Xiang Shaoyun allowed them to roam about in the sky freely. That way, they could also act as scouts and might prove to be useful on their way back later. They had not traveled far before they encountered trouble.

  Some rattlesnakes had suddenly appeared and attacked the Overlord Legion members. Individually, a rattlesnake wasn't strong. But there were too many of them, and it would be rather troublesome to eliminate them all.

  Zhuge Zhantian used this as the chance to command the Overlord Legion members to work together, clearing all the rattlesnakes around them.

  "What a surprise! There's actually a formation master in the legion? I truly can't look down on any disciple of the academy," praised Ouyang Chuanqi.

  "You're talking about Zhantian?" Xiang Shaoyun asked doubtfully.

  "Who else? That was a simple military formation, but he was able to use it like it was some powerful major formation. He is definitely an amazing formation master," said Ouyang Chuanqi. "Of course, if he is actually from that Zhuge Clan, it is understandable why he's so good."

  "Is the Zhuge Clan a big clan?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "Not really, but each member of their clan is someone the major organizations would fight to recruit. Because of that, the Zhuge Clan has a good relationship with many powerful organizations. Thus, their influence shouldn't be underestimated," explained Ouyang Chuanqi.

  "Looks like I need to have a nice chat with Zhantian. I don't know his background well," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Everyone has his own secrets. If he is unwilling to tell you, don't force it. If he is willing to tell, he won't hide anything."

  "You're right. I'll let it happen naturally, then."

  ...

  In the coming few days, the Overlord Legion was continuously attacked by demonic beasts, giving Zhuge Zhantian a great opportunity to drill the soldiers.

  Since Zhuge Zhantian held the position of butler, apart from the three commanders, he held the most influence. Hence, when he commanded the members in battles, nobody dared to disobey.

  Of course, these genius disciples were also people with keen eyes. After the battles, they discovered how amazing Zhuge Zhantian was. Often, after getting into a formation as commanded by him, they would be able to unleash a frightening might.

  They were confident that so long as they moved in accordance with Zhuge Zhantian's command, they could even cause some Sovereigns to flee at the sight of them. Now, Xiang Shaoyun and Ouyang Chuanqi were even more sure that Zhuge Zhantian was probably from the same extraordinary Zhuge Clan.

  The deeper the Overlord Legion entered the desert, the more they could feel how nasty the environment was. Apart from the high temperature, berserk winds would blow every now and then, creating a sandstorm that made it hard to even keep one's eyes open. It was hard for one to find one's way here, surrounded by sand on all sides.

  A regular person would probably either be burned to death or buried in the sand after entering this desert. Dying from dehydration was very possible as well. The Overlord Legion members knew the situation in the desert well. Thus, they had abundant water and food in their storage rings. Additionally, with their tough constitutions, they were able to survive the desert's vile environment.

  Of course, if they were made to stay here for an extended period of time, they would probably go mad.

  "Ge Mote, we have been traveling for several days. Where are you bringing us?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "You said you were looking for demonic beasts for training, right? Haven't we been encountering demonic beasts? Two more days of travel, and we can start heading back. I don't have the courage to go any deeper," said Ge Mote.

  Xiang Shaoyun was just about to say something when Tang Longfei said, "Overlord, I thought we were looking for bandits? Are we returning before seeing any of them?"

  Xiang Shaoyun glared at Tang Longfei and said, "This is not the place for you to talk!" He then looked at Ge Mote, "Ok. We will return after two more days. I thought there were powerful demonic beasts in the desert, but it looks like there is nothing special about this desert after all."

  Ge Mote's eyes flickered as he said, "In fact, the scariest beasts in this desert are the desert wolves and the sandpoison scorpions. They move in groups, and they have a considerable number of Demon Emperors among them. But to find them, you have to head deeper. I don't dare to go that far."

  "I see. How about this, bring us to a place nearby, and you can return first. We will continue forward and meet these powerful beasts ourselves," said Xiang Shaoyun with excitement.

  The others were confused. Weren't they here to hunt the bandits? Tang Longfei was also confused, but he thought it improper for him to say anything.

  Ge Mote appeared overjoyed. "Sure, sure."

  Just like that, Ge Mote continued leading them deeper into the desert. Three days later, they had delved deep. Nobody apart from them could be seen, and they were surrounded by boundless sand as far as the eye could see.

  Many disciples started sighing, but they did not dare to voice their concern. Only the earth cultivators were still in high spirits. After all, the earth energy was extremely thick, and the desert was an excellent cultivation spot for them.

  As they traveled, danger started closing in on them.

  Chapter 768: Desert Shadow Wolves

  "Head in that direction for two more days, and you will start encountering desert wolves. That is their territory," said Ge Mote as he pointed in a certain direction.

  "Ok. Here, I have100,000 mid-grade spirit crystals here and two stalks of emperor medicine. These are your rewards," said Xiang Shaoyun in a straightforward manner.

  Ge Mote was only a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. Thus, he was wild with joy with the rewards and quickly put them all away.

  "Goodbye, then," said Ge Mote as he prepared to leave.

  But Xiang Shaoyun called out to him, "Wait. How should we return? Point us the way. Otherwise, things will be bad if we get lost."

  "Hehe, not a problem at all. I'll teach you some tricks that will be useful for when you're finding your way back," said Ge Mote as he proceeded to teach them what he knew before leaving.

  He left in a hurry, as though he was afraid Xiang Shaoyun would keep him behind. Through voice transmission, Ouyang Chuanqi asked, "This person is behaving oddly. Do you want me to tail him?"

  "No. He is merely bait. Continue heading deeper. I'm sure he will be back soon," said Xiang Shaoyun with a snicker.

  He had long noticed that there was something off about Ge Mote. When they traveled, every now and then, desert eagles would appear in the sky above them.

  More importantly, the desert eagles had not bothered attacking Vicious One, Two, and Three. Xiang Shaoyun had also noticed that Ge Mote would leave secretly and get in contact with the desert eagles during the night. None of that had escaped Xiang Shaoyun's attention.

  ...

  After jogging a distance away from Xiang Shaoyun's group, a crafty look appeared on Ge Mote's face as he muttered, "So these are the so-c
alled geniuses of the Dragon Phoenix Academy? Do they actually dare to use us as training materials? Audacious!"

  He soon arrived at a certain place. There, he took out an item and pointed it at the sky.

  Bang!

  Dazzling fireworks bloomed in the sky. It was clearly a signal. The moment the fireworks were launched, an army appeared from all directions. They were all dressed in cloaks and veils that hid their appearances, only revealing numerous pairs of ruthless eyes. Every one of them was mounted on a desert wolf.

  There were at least 1,000 of them, and they were none other than the infamous bandit group plaguing the Desert of Despair, the Desert Shadow Wolves. Each of them reeked of blood. Their usual activity consisted of killing not only the demonic beasts but also the cultivators that were here to train. Additionally, the traveling merchants, and even the hamlets and towns at the desert border, were their targets.

  They would do anything for profit.

  "Greetings, deputy commander," Ge Mote greeted the group's leader respectfully.

  The leader was tall and sturdy, and his mount was also the strongest desert wolf among this group. It was a ninth-stage Demon Emperor. From that, it was obvious how strong he was.

  "Um. Where are the lambs?" asked the deputy commander.

  His name was Yu Rongxin, a peak Emperor that was only a tiny bit away from reaching the Sovereign Realm.

  "The lambs had entered the trap. They are currently at the territory of the sandpoison scorpions. If we rush over now, we will be just in time to capture all of them," said Ge Mote with a laugh. "However, these are all disciples of the Dragon Phoenix Academy. There are no fewer than 1,500 of them. If we take all of them, we will probably anger the Dragon Phoenix Academy. The consequences will be troublesome."

  "Don't worry about that. The Dragon Phoenix Academy has actually listed us on their Missions Hall. They clearly intend to wipe us out. It is only proper that we take our revenge on their disciples. In any case, that is the territory of the sandpoison scorpions. The academy will at most assume that the scorpions had killed the disciples. It won't have anything to do with us. In any case, we have been ruling this desert for hundreds of years. Even if the Dragon Phoenix Academy has many powerful experts, it will still be impossible for them to actually find us among this desert," said Yu Rongxin confidently.

  "That makes sense, deputy commander. Since the Dragon Phoenix Academy dares to let these disciples train here, they are probably ready to suffer casualties. We'll finish this big job and hide in the central desert for 10 years or so before coming back out," said someone beside Yu Rongxin.

  "I heard the Dragon Phoenix Academy's female disciples all have tender skin. They will definitely be fun toys to play with. It has been quite a while since I last touched a woman," said someone else.

  At that, the other bandits also voiced similar sentiments, their eyes filled with greed and ruthlessness. They started rushing toward Xiang Shaoyun's group. Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun's group had yet to enter too deeply into the desert.

  Since Xiang Shaoyun and Ouyang Chuanqi had detected Ge Mote's abnormalities, they had Shou Xie send a pangolin beast to hide underground and tail Ge Mote. At the same time, he split the legion into two groups and made them hide while he waited for Ge Mote's return.

  The others did not know what he was doing, but they obeyed readily. After one day, Shou Xie's pangolin beast returned.

  When Shou Xie heard the report from his pangolin beast, he informed Xiang Shaoyun, "Overlord, you guessed correctly. Ge Mote is really a bandit. A massive army is heading our way."

  "Um. Tell everyone to get ready. Today will be the first time we fight a team battle. We need to win a beautiful victory," said Xiang Shaoyun. He looked at Zhuge Zhantian, who was busy doing something not far away, and said, "Zhantian, is your formation ready? The bandits are closing in."

  "Almost done," replied Zhuge Zhantian. Soon, he finished the final touches. He returned and smiled, "So long as they come, they won't be able to escape even if they grow wings on their backs."

  "What if they don't choose to come this way?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "Lure them over," answered Zhuge Zhantian after giving it a short thought.

  "Oh? And how should we achieve that?" Xiang Shaoyun questioned.

  His question stumped Zhuge Zhantian. The bandits knew the desert very well. Thus, they could change their direction at any time. And if they did change their approach, the formation would be rendered useless.

  "Don't worry. They will come this way," said Xiang Shaoyun with a look of wisdom in his eyes.

  Chapter 769: Ambush

  Not only had Ge Mote used the desert eagles to trail the Overlord Legion, but he had also left some unique imprints on a few people, allowing him to ascertain their general direction. After all, Ge Mote was also afraid that his desert eagles would be discovered for hovering above the Overlord Legion too frequently. Hence, he made multiple backup plans.

  But before Xiang Shaoyun, who had unlocked the Light of Wisdom, all his tricks were as obvious as day. Xiang Shaoyun decided to beat Ge Mote at his own game and set up an ambush.

  At this time, all the Overlord Legion members were submerged beneath the sand. None of them could be seen. They were all Emperors. Hiding under the sand for a while was not an issue.

  Not far away, Ge Mote was approaching rapidly with the Desert Shadow Wolves. The desert wolves were the kings of the desert. They were extremely resistant to the heat and were capable of sprinting for an extended period of time.

  As they charged across the desert, clouds of dust were created, and their approach looked incredibly mighty. When they neared the Overlord Legion's ambush point, Yu Rongxin stopped everyone and said, "Stop."

  He then asked Ge Mote, "Ge Mote, check their position. Something feels off."

  "Yes, deputy commander," Ge Mote replied and sent his desert eagles out again.

  The desert eagles flew quickly, capable of rapidly identifying the situation ahead of them. After flying for a bit, the desert eagles flew back and informed Ge Mote that nothing was found.

  "What's going on? Where are your lambs? Have all of them vanished?" Yu Rongxin questioned, clearly displeased.

  Ge Mote was flustered as he quickly explained, "Deputy commander, th-they m-might have hidden themselves. The imprints I left with them are still there. They are not far from us."

  "Looks like you have revealed some clues for them," said Yu Rongxin with a hint of anger. "You guys, go scout ahead."

  At that command, several mounted bandits charged forward. But after rushing ahead for a certain distance, they vanished right in front of all the other bandits.

  Yu Rongxin's pupils constricted as he commanded, "There is indeed an ambush. Retreat!"

  Yu Rongxin was a veteran bandit. He had sharp intuition and was decisive when retreating. He knew very well there were over 1,000 genius disciples of the Dragon Phoenix Academy here. He only had about 1,000 people on his side as well.

  Either side had a chance at victory in the event of a battle, but the Dragon Phoenix Academy disciples would definitely possess a greater number of trump cards. Since they were waiting in ambush, they had naturally prepared well. A head-on battle at this point would be unfavorable for the bandits. Because of that, Yu Rongxin had decided to retreat.

  One ought to admit that Yu Rongxin had utilized his rich experience as a bandit and had saved his men from falling into a fatal ambush. The hidden Overlord Legion members noticed what Yu Rongxin and his men were doing, and at this moment, Xiang Shaoyun roared, "Activate the formation! Now!"

  The moment he received the command, Zhuge Zhantian activated the formation set not far ahead.

  The formation wasn't a dreadfully powerful massive formation. Instead, it was a combination of an illusory formation and an explosive formation laid on top of each other, allowing them to achieve an unimaginable effect.

  The illusory formation was what had caused the bandit scouts to vanish into thin air. In truth, they wer
e safe. But now, an explosion erupted suddenly, sending out a massive shockwave, shocking the Desert Shadow Wolves.

  The bandits all assumed that a dreadful formation had been laid, and they did not have the courage to stay and fight. Moreover, the explosion had scared their mounts, sending their ranks into a complete mess.

  Xiang Shaoyun shot out from underneath the sand and shouted, "Heed my command, kill these bandits!"

  "Kill these bandits!" roared the Overlord Legion members.

  Their advance was imposing and mighty, their killing intent ferocious.

  "Indeed, it's an ambush! Don't get bogged down. Retreat!" shouted Yu Rongxin, alarmed.

  They had not stepped too deeply into the formation and had merely been frightened by the cloud of sand thrown up by the sudden explosion. But just that one scare was enough to sink their ranks into chaos.

  Yu Rongxin's command to withdraw caused them to be even more nervous, giving them an impression that the enemies lying in ambush were extremely powerful. One could say that although Zhuge Zhantian's formation had not been able to hit them, it still worked excellently, putting the Overlord Legion in a favorable position.

  The Desert Shadow Wolves were in complete chaos, and not many had started fleeing, allowing the Overlord Legion members to catch up to them quickly.

  "Everyone, attack together and eliminate them!" Xiang Shaoyun commanded once again.

  At his command, the Overlord Legion members attacked together, raining attacks of numerous colors down upon the bandits.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  Instantly, the barrage of attacks landed, causing the bandits to be in even greater chaos. Sounds of wails rang out without stop.

  "Damn it! Retreat at full speed! Don't get bogged down!" Yu Rongxin roared again as he rushed away with a portion of the bandits.

  As bandits that had been able to survive in the desert, they had always worked on the principle of speedy retreat upon the failure of the first strike. They would never stay for a prolonged battle. That was not their style.

  Even after suffering losses, they would not stay and fight with their lives on the line. Instead, they would preserve their strength and wait for the next chance to make a move.