"Yes, I do know a little bit about the art of war. I heard that you used to lead the army at the border of
the territory all year round..." Rocky said. Esteban had bragged and droned on about Vivian. That was
how he knew so much about her.
"That's true, but I've never used an array," Vivian replied straightforwardly.
"You are brave and battle-wise. You don't require tricks like me." Rocky smiled.
"Don't try and flatter me. I only came here to inform you that Valeria has woken up. She is weak and I
don't think she will recover any time soon. But we can't stay here. I think we should follow our original
plan!" Vivian announced as she glared at Rocky.
"Give me one more day. If these guys can master my array skills, it will be very beneficial to us," Rocky
told her.
"Okay. Just one day." In the past, Vivian might have not agreed to that, but after the previous battle,
she trusted Rocky. Her gut told her that Rocky was more than a doctor. To her, he seemed more
experienced at leading an army on the battlefield than she ever was.
Meanwhile, Tobias, who had been ordered to stop Rocky and his team, was sulking because he had
failed to capture Valeria. Instead of reporting his loss, he left the valley and set up another ambush in a
spot that Rocky and his team would have to pass.
This time, he was determined to wipe out the whole joint guard team for good.
Although there were only seventy people left in Tobias' team, his confidence hadn't been affected. After
the previous battle, he discovered that Vivian was the only high-grade Spiritual Emperor in her team.
Now that Valeria was seriously injured, he would focus on getting rid of Vivian. That way, the joint guard
team of the Ghost Fief and the Flower Fief would lose their leaders. Then, he could defeat them without
even having to put his trump card on display.
Rocky's single day passed in the blink of an eye. He stayed awake all night, drilling his training into
soldier's heads. He was determined that the one hundred men would master the mysterious military
arrays before he ran out of time.
The next day, the joint guard team continued to move forward.
Although they were no longer faced with the problems that were brought on by the Primitive Fief, there
were still more dangers lying ahead. The habitats of the demonic beasts were scattered throughout the
valley. Therefore, their team could not walk through it peacefully.
Fortunately, Vivian was experienced at battle, so she managed to lead the team across the valley with
minimum loss.
About a day later, the joint guard team finally succeeded in passing through the valley and they
reached a deeper area of the Nether Fire Land.
This area was broken up by old, stone roads. Fire spurted from the ground at random times and could
reach a range of ten meters around. If the fire touched someone's skin, it was impossible to extinguish
it.
Therefore, the moment they arrived in the new area, Vivian ordered the joint guard team to set up tents
on the spot. Then, she deployed a reconnaissance team to explore the surrounding terrain and
determine a safe walking route. Of course, she also had to prepare her team for a potential attack from
the people from the Primitive Fief.
During this time, Rocky grabbed his group of soldiers and pulled them aside for more training.
When he was right in the middle of it, Valeria appeared at his side.
"What are you doing here?" Rocky frowned at her. The demonic aura that was in her body had been
expelled and she was recovering, but she still needed to rest because her meridians were not fully
healed.
"It's too stuffy in the tent. I needed some fresh air," Valeria replied after some hesitation.
"Okay. So how are you feeling?" Rocky asked, lowering his eyebrows.
"I'm fine. I just can't use my spiritual power. I still feel weak." He realized that her tone of voice was not
as hostile as usual. That was because she knew that Rocky had saved her. Now, she would have to
treat him with a little more kindness.
"Try not to use your spiritual power for a while. You should rest as much as possible," Rocky told her.
"Okay," Valeria answered with a nod. Then, she began to speak again in a hesitant voice. "Well..."
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Rocky glanced at her.
"I want to th..." Before Valeria could finish her words, Vivian walked out of her tent and shouted at
Rocky, "Odin, come here!"
"Miss Vivian is calling me. Please excuse me. I'll speak to you later," Rocky told Valeria. Then, he
walked straight into Vivian's tent and closed the flap behind him.
After he was gone, Valeria directed her gaze to the ground and she pursed her lips as if she had been
wronged. The whole time, she had been trying to thank Rocky, but she had missed her opportunity.
Before, she had been so mean to him, but Rocky had still saved her. That made her feel guiltier.
She wasn't falling in love with him, of course. She just wanted to thank him because she was not an
unreasonable person.
On the inside of Vivian's tent, Rocky saw Vivian and several Spiritual Emperors at the middle stage
discussing a topographic map.
As soon as Vivian saw Rocky enter, she pointed at the topographic map and said, "We have been
discussing our next moves. We all agree that you should be the one to choose which direction we go
in."
"You can do that," Rocky said, brushing her off. To be honest, he was a little surprised to hear her say
that.
"Don't pretend to be humble. Do you really think that I am unaware of your true intentions behind
training our members?" Vivian gave Rocky a reproachful look.
"Ha-ha! You're just overthinking it. I'm just training them in case we need their services one day." A
laugh rumbled up from Rocky's stomach.
"Fine. Just let us know what you think we should do." Vivian had no patience or time to be joking
around with Rocky.
Rocky nodded and peered at the topographic map. After thinking for a while, he said, "In order to stop
us from reaching the lair of the Nether Dragon King, the people from the Primitive Fief will continue to
attack us. Therefore, we will stumble upon more ambushes in this area."
"I've considered that. That's why I want to hear your opinion." Vivian nodded.
"If I were a member of the Primitive Fief, I would set up an ambush in this area. It has many gullies and
hiding places. It's easy to defend but difficult to attack. Ambushing us here would be their best option,"
Rocky opined, pointing at a small area on the topographic map.
"Then let's take a detour."
"No, this is a shortcut. If we take a detour, it will take a lot longer. The Primitive Fief's purpose is to
delay us. If we take a detour, we will fall into their trap. That's exactly what they want us to do," Rocky
said as he shook his head.
"But if there is really an ambush there, we can't throw ourselves into it!" Vivian frowned.
"That is exactly what we will do!" Rocky shot back as a look as realization crossed his face.
Everyone stared at him with slightly gaping mouth.
"What do you mean?" Vivian asked.
"We're going to give them a taste of their own medicine. If we don't defeat this group of people from the
Primitive Fief, they will harass us again and again, which will only consume our fighting power. We'd
better take the initiative..." Rocky explained in a serious tone.
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