Chapter 232 - 209: Return
"Ah~"
Cheng Lixue got a fright when she saw the figure suddenly appear out of nowhere in the room; only after she realized it was Tao Yu did she let out a sigh of relief. Then, she patted her chest and stammered,
"I noticed your room hasn’t been cleaned in days, so I came to tidy up."
Tao Yu glanced at her, smiled, and said nothing to burst her bubble. This female hero was always sticking to her role-playing, and Tao Yu had no intention of calling her out on it.
"I’ve returned late by several days; those kids haven’t caused any trouble, have they?"
Zhang Hao had already entered Shaolin, and with the blessing of a Chosen One, the monastery had confined him to commence his monastic life.
Although it had been made clear that, as a Chosen One, he could improve by slaying Yuan Force creatures,
the foundation Zhang Hao had was simply too weak. He still needed to transform the inner strength in his body. Once all of it was converted into Shaolin’s True Qi, he would be accompanied by a senior monk from the Bitter Generation of Shaolin heading north to hunt Titans, so there was no need to worry about him anymore.
As for the students of the Training Corps, they were provisionally managed by Cheng Lixue, who distributed Shaolin’s food to the refugees.
Having already learned some spoken language in Xiangyang, they muddled through along the way. Now, their broken language combined with gestures was becoming more and more proficient.
After all, they were only fifteen or sixteen-year-old kids, so they were quick learners.
Before Tao Yu left, they felt quite a sense of achievement about these matters.
Plus, Cheng Lixue seemed to have the natural ability to command respect among these young ones. Even the most unruly few were duly subdued, not daring to meet her eyes directly, so there were no incidents during this period.
However, it seemed Cheng Lixue thought of something as she stroked her hair and said,
"Though, a Shaolin monk recently mentioned that the Yellow River has entered its dry season, and some Titans have already crossed it from the north. They seem to require no rest and do not tire."
At this point, Cheng Lixue herself felt worried.
Having previously witnessed the terror of the intelligent Titans, despite being effortlessly handled by Tao Yu due to his advanced martial arts skill,
to ordinary people and even martial artists, Titans were like a nightmarish specter.
"What’s the situation with the grassland armies now? Any news?"
Tao Yu inquired.
"It seems they’ve scattered, but they said that the group which came to Shaolin for food might be heading for Zhongnan Mountain."
Hearing this, Tao Yu also fell into deep thought.
The grassland armies of this era were undoubtedly a bug.
Even facing such creatures as the Titans, they had managed to hold their ground on the grasslands for a while, and it seemed they had retreated in separate directions.
Some may have headed west, some went south.
Having always been unable to do much against Xiangyang, they were on the retreat from the start. With their forces dispersing, they were bound to be firmly contained within the Central Plains.
And now, with some Titans already crossing the Yellow River, the space for their movement would inevitably be further compressed. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"At our current pace of Titan hunting, we likely can’t keep up with the speed at which they are coming."
Tao Yu pondered, realizing that to solve the problem once and for all, he would need to rely on Eren, trying to ensure that Eren would advance by slaying Titans.
However, Tao Yu, who had only watched two seasons of the anime and some commentaries, was somewhat clueless about how to awaken Eren’s Founding Titan power. It seemed in the show that Titans could suddenly summon smaller Titans to help during their battles.
Maybe all Eren needed to do was keep slaying Titans to improve, right? If it’s a different world, perhaps he needs to kill even more?
But Tao Yu soon stopped pondering this matter and decided to try it out without further speculation, realizing that overthinking would not reveal the unknowns.
"Since we’ve entered the dry season, more of them are bound to appear, let’s go, we’re heading to Zhongnan Mountain."
Tao Yu immediately made the decision for their next destination.
At Zhongnan Mountain, in addition to the Precelestial Skill and the Jade Maiden’s Sutra, Tao Yu was also very interested in something called the ’Celestial Pole Big Dipper Formation.’
With the treasure-laden old master, Pharmacist Huang, providing knowledge on Qimen Dunjia, Tao Yu had already checked out some of his remaining materials, which were still somewhat abstruse and he had yet to grasp.
The ’Celestial Pole Big Dipper Formation,’ on the other hand, could be practiced by a group of seven for a combination attack, as well as a more powerful version comprising ninety-eight people for mass combat.
Such coordinated attack techniques were very valuable.
Furthermore, since a main force from the grasslands had gone to Zhongnan Mountain, it was possible for him to find Dalba or Dharma King Jin Lun there. They were both practitioners of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, which could save Tao Yu a lot of time. This operation was set to be far more efficient.
"Traveling really takes too much time. When can I get one of those hoverbikes like the rich kids have?"
Tao Yu pondered, yet the price of such a gadget was still too steep for him now. He needed to find a way to digest all the gains from this world first.
There was also the Great Shift of Qiankun waiting for him; he hoped it could solve the issue with the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
"Ah, Kunlun Mountains, that distance is truly..."
Tao Yu rubbed his head with some headache.
It reminded him of the story of the Six Major Sects besieging the Bright Summit in his past life.
While not as exaggerated, the current state of the roads meant that even with horses, the journey would take at least a month.
"Fang La is upraising around Suzhou and Hangzhou, yet the Ming Cult is in that godforsaken place, true love indeed..."
Fortunately, Tao Yu had prepared a large amount of Nutrient Paste. He could maintain his cultivation during the journey and not waste time.
But now, heading to Zhongnan Mountain was relatively closer, and it was conveniently on the way to Kunlun Mountains...
...
Giddy up~
Fifty riders dashed through the pipeline, the refugees nearby densely scattering to both sides, not daring to hinder the sharp advance.
Encountering stray soldiers from the prairies along the way, Tao Yu killed them effortlessly with a flick of his divine power, taking their horses as reserves for changing mounts and continued his journey toward Zhongnan Mountain.
"Young Master Tao, we’ve been encountering those prairie barbarians more frequently lately. There might be a large army stationed up ahead; should we be more cautious?"
Cheng Lixue rode beside Tao Yu, voicing her concerns.
She looked even more radiant now.
Tao Yu had reciprocated kindness; he taught her the Muscle Changing and Bone Forging Scripture and the Big Dipper.
However, Cheng Lixue had yet to grasp the Big Dipper; even with a foundation in Inner Strength cultivation, she found this Taoist Divine Skill difficult.
Tao Yu wasn’t as erudite as Huang Yaoshi, so some explanations might not be so comprehensive.
But given time, she would inevitably learn it.
Cheng Lixue was a Chosen One, and Tao Yu didn’t want to waste her potential. After much consideration, the Nine Yin True Scripture seemed the most suitable for her in this period.
The Jade Maiden’s Sutra would have also been a good match for females, but it definitely wasn’t suitable for Cheng Lixue, who could easily become possessed and experience qi deviation.
"No worries, I’ve brought some extra bullets this time. They won’t last until I run out of them."
This time, besides stuffing Wino with Nutrient Paste, Tao Yu’s backpack and the remaining space on Wino were packed with bullets and spare firearms.
With two AT200s and thousands of rounds, even the bravest of the current prairie armies wouldn’t be able to withstand such casualties without falling apart.
The second western expedition of the prairies, reaching the Danube River, consisted of only a hundred and fifty thousand warriors. Now, scattered and fleeing in parts after the onslaught of the Titans, it was difficult for their numbers to exceed ten thousand.
"In that case, we’ll rely on Young Master Tao."
Cheng Lixue was still very polite.
However, the trainees from the Training Corps behind them were becoming increasingly obedient.
All around fifteen or sixteen years old, Tao Yu had casually taught Eren, who could transform into a Titan, the ’Shaolin Basic Breath Control’ and had him slowly pass it on to others.
Brimming with the excitement of learning such magical Inner Strength for the first time, they all maintained high spirits.
They would even dare to charge and slash at the Titans in front of them.
"Hmm?"
Tao Yu raised his eyebrows when he saw the refugees frantically fleeing towards them.
He also spotted what was causing the refugees to run.
A Titan, about twelve meters tall with eerie speed, chased the crowd from behind. It could grab a rider with a single reach, then stuff the catch into its mouth.
There was a small group of prairie people on horseback ahead of the Titan, leading it towards the refugee crowd as if mad. It seemed they were trying to use them to divert attention so they could escape by the power of their horses...