Zhang Cong, Lin Zhan, Jiang Zheng, and Zhang Haoming, a group of four, sneaked towards the depths of the great swamp once more.
Zhang Cong removed his shirt, revealing the tattoo of Emperor Gonggong, and held the Water God's Halberd, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.
"Actually, the social structure of lizardmen is similar to that of gnolls; they gather in tribes and clans. The deeper you go into the great swamp, the more powerful the lizardmen tribes become. At the very depths are the ten great clans of the lizardmen."
Zhang Cong explained to Lin Zhan as he observed his surroundings.
"Although Old Jiang is the young master of the Sixth Army, he truly has no experience fighting lizardmen. As for us Zhang family disciples, because we are of Emperor Gonggong's bloodline, we have been fighting lizardmen in this area since childhood."
"Our current location is the outskirts of the great swamp, surrounded by small lizardmen tribes. The strongest lizardmen in these tribes are only Gold-ranked. I'll take you to slaughter a couple of tribes later so you can see how strong the lizardmen are."
Lin Zhan carefully observed Zhang Cong and turned to Jiang Zheng, saying:
"Old Jiang, have you noticed? Old Zhang has become increasingly formidable. It's obvious he's had his way with Li Yaoyao, otherwise, how could he be so tough? I think you should find someone soon too."
Zhang Cong glared at Lin Zhan and turned to Jiang Zheng, saying:
"Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran, those two blockheads, are impossible to find. But Old Jiang, you're different."
Jiang Zheng said helplessly to the two of them:
"Brothers, we are currently scouting the enemy's situation. Can we please not discuss these matters? Besides, I already have someone I like. Old Zhang, you're already married, why are you still so unreliable?"
Zhang Cong pouted, "With a leader as unreliable as Lin Lao Hei, do you expect your brothers to be any better? Who is the girl you like? Bring her for us brothers to see one of these days."
"She's not a niece of some noble family; she's just a little maidservant from my household. She grew up with me and is a bit younger than me," Jiang Zheng said with a look of embarrassment.
"Holy cow, a child bride, childhood sweetheart, young master of a noble family, and a loli maidservant's love story. From now on, we can't call you Old Jiang anymore, we have to call you Jiang Hui Wan (Jiang who knows how to have fun)," Zhang Cong said with a lecherous grin.
Before Jiang Zheng could speak, he heard the voice of the young Taoist: "Brothers, let's be careful. This is where I fell into the water. It's not easy to go further."
Zhang Cong surveyed the surrounding terrain and said to the three of them:
"Another 20 kilometers ahead, and we'll see a small lizardman tribe. Let's target this tribe."
Then he said to Lin Zhan, "Old Lin, release Little Gold. You guys ride Little Gold, otherwise, the great swamp is too difficult to traverse."
Lin Zhan nodded at this, waved his hand, and a miniature Little Gold appeared before the four of them.
Lin Zhan looked at Little Gold with a pained expression, saying, "Brother, what's the meaning of this? Not the Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon, but a mini little snake?"
"Isn't it to make the enemy underestimate us when we appear like this? Then we'll launch a surprise attack. Boss, you didn't really call me out to be a mount, did you?"
Little Gold said with a sly grin.
"What do you think? Hurry up and change back. We're preparing to raid the lizardman tribe ahead."
Little Gold shook his head and said:
"I'll be your scout, exploring the surrounding routes and checking the water levels of the great swamp. Boss, call out Hei Zi and Xiao Ji. Let Xiao Ji scout from the sky for you. You guys ride Xiao Hei. A mere 20 kilometers is just a sprint for Xiao Hei."
"Yeah, how could I forget Xiao Hei? With Xiao Hei's speed, he's faster than most things that fly. He's truly a magical turtle," Zhang Cong said, slapping his forehead as if struck by sudden realization.
Lin Zhan waved his hand and summoned Xiao Hei and Xiao Ji. The three little ones gathered together and exchanged a few words.
Xiao Ji then soared into the sky and flew towards the distance. Little Gold also reverted to its true form, a golden dragon python over 50 meters long, and dived into the great swamp.
Xiao Hei also transformed into a behemoth 40 meters long. Among the little ones, Xiao Hei was the largest.
"Boss, when do we leave? A distance of 20 kilometers can be covered in three to four minutes. No need to rush."
Lin Zhan felt a sense of awe every time he saw Xiao Hei. He patted Xiao Hei's shell and said, "Hei Zi, what have you been eating again? Why do I feel like you've grown bigger than them?"
"Boss, this is nothing yet. Xuanwu the Great is our ancestor. I am his direct descendant. Our ancestor, when he transformed into his true form, could support the heavens with his four limbs, and his shell could cover the great wilderness. So, our turtles naturally grow bigger than other turtles," Xiao Hei said proudly to Lin Zhan.
Lin Zhan nodded and said, "Hei Zi, don't worry, my brothers. Boss will ransack all the myriad races in the heavens and earth to evolve your bloodlines to their peak."
Xiao Hei chuckled and said, "Boss, there's no need for us brothers to say anything more. When the time comes, we brothers will go and ransack all the myriad races in the heavens and earth together. In terms of professional ability, we brothers are professionals." Soudan Novel Network.
"Hahaha, let's go, first let's rob the lizardmen ahead." Lin Zhan and the others jumped onto Xiao Hei's shell.
With a flash of shadow, Xiao Hei, carrying the four of them, disappeared from their original spot.
Lin Zhan said while sitting on Xiao Hei's back, "Hei Zi, we'll charge straight in. Xiao Ji has sent word that there's a Platinum-ranked lizardman inside. The entire tribe has over 600 people. Leave a few alive to gather intelligence, and kill the rest."
Xiao Hei instantly activated its rune armor and charged into the lizardman tribe ahead.
The group jumped off Xiao Hei's back and began their slaughter of the surrounding lizardmen.
Lin Zhan, wielding the Chengying Great Saber, immediately engaged the Platinum-ranked lizardman.
"Brothers, don't kill them all. Let one Gold-ranked escape to call for reinforcements."
Lin Zhan did not use the Lin family's Overlord Blade or skills, only relying on the Lin family's saber techniques to fight the Platinum-ranked lizardman.
The Platinum-ranked lizardman was about 3 meters tall, with a 2-meter-long tail connected to its spine, and its body was covered in thick scales.
Its fingers had sharp claws, and it wielded a crude spear, wearing a simple leather and iron armor.
Lin Zhan used 50% of his strength to deliver a vertical slash towards the lizardman.
The lizardman parried Lin Zhan's saber with its spear, then quickly twisted the spear and thrust it towards Lin Zhan's chest.
Lin Zhan did not dodge; instead, he blocked the spear with his saber and continuously changed his moves, slowly probing the lizardman.
Lin Zhan was not fighting the lizardman with his full strength but was gradually increasing his power while observing the lizardman's endurance.