"Wake up! Wake up!"
Zhou Quan shouted as he shook him violently.
"W… what?" Jian Long muttered, his voice heavy with sleep.
"There's no time to explain—hurry, we need to get out. Follow me!"
Zhou Quan didn't wait for a response. He turned and rushed out of the tent.
The moment Jian Long saw him leave—
he dropped his head back down… and instantly went back to sleep.
A few seconds later, Zhou Quan realized he wasn't following.
He rushed back inside—
only to find him fast asleep.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a waterskin and dumped it over him.
Jian Long jolted upright, gasping for air.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Have you lost your mind?!"
he shouted, wiping water from his face.
"No time to argue—we're under attack! Move!"
Zhou Quan spoke rapidly as he grabbed his arm and dragged him outside.
Jian Long had only just woken up—his mind still foggy, barely processing what was happening—
but he followed anyway.
The moment they stepped out of the tent—
a sharp chill struck them both.
Spring had only recently arrived, and winter still held its grip—especially at dawn.
The air was heavy with moisture,
and morning dew clung to every surface.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, allowing only faint traces of dawn light to pass through.
And yet—
the place was bursting with life.
People ran in every direction, shouts and commands echoed everywhere, and the Gu Masters quickly began forming into organized battle lines.
Jian Long looked around, then asked sluggishly:
"What is this…? Are we under attack?"
Zhou Quan shot him a look filled with disbelief, as if questioning whether he was an idiot.
"Yes, we're under attack—from the Heavenly Birds. They attacked us just a day before you joined the caravan."
Jian Long yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"Heavenly Birds? What kind of bird is that? What does it look like?"
Zhou Quan pointed upward.
"Well… there's one right in front of you. Look."
Jian Long raised his head—
and saw a massive white bird, nearly nine meters long, soaring above them while devouring a human without mercy.
It had two pairs of wings—
large front wings and smaller rear ones, while its limbs had evolved to serve both walking and flight.
Jian Long observed it for a moment, then said calmly:
"Hm… it's actually quite a beautiful bird."
Then he added as he turned away:
"Well, I hope you manage to defeat them. See you later… if you're still alive."
He headed back toward the tent as if nothing had happened.
But before he could enter—
Zhou Quan grabbed him from behind.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To sleep, obviously."
"Can't you see we're under attack?! We need everyone's strength in this fight!"
Jian Long replied indifferently:
"And what does that have to do with me? Do I know you? Do you know me? I stayed with you for one day… and now you expect me to risk my life for the caravan?"
Zhou Quan's voice sharpened:
"Do you have no sense of honor?! Didn't we give you shelter?! Does that mean nothing to you?!"
Jian Long smirked coldly:
"That 'honor' you're talking about… shove it up your ass."
Then he added with clear annoyance:
"Do you even realize you woke me up from a very nice dream?"
Zhou Quan stared at him in silence.
"I was dreaming that I married a very beautiful woman… and I was just about to have a sex with her"
He paused briefly, then finished flatly:
"Then you woke me up… for this."
"…"
"Is this really the time to be talking about dreams? Listen—if the caravan leader finds out you didn't participate in the fight, you'll be punished."
"Let him. I'm not afraid."
If Jian Long were still at Rank 2, he wouldn't have dared to disobey orders so casually. But now that he possessed the strength of Rank 3, he knew his position had changed.
Besides—
these were Gu Masters he already disliked. Their deaths brought him joy, and helping them only irritated him.
Zhou Quan narrowed his eyes slightly, then changed his tone:
"So… does that mean you're not interested in making a lot of money?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
every trace of sleep vanished from Jian Long's face.
His attention snapped fully onto him.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know? In battle, anything you kill becomes your spoils. Parts of Heavenly Birds are used to refine many Gu worms—and also serve as valuable food for them. You can sell them to the merchants in the caravan for a good price."
Jian Long broke into a wide grin.
He even spread his arms as if to embrace him.
"Why didn't you say that from the beginning, brother?"
His tone turned lively in an instant:
"I'm with you—body and soul."
"Alright, good. Now follow me to the western side of the caravan—the attack is stronger there."
…
On the western side—
the scene resembled a true battlefield.
Around a hundred Heavenly Birds filled the sky.
The smaller ones, about three meters long, were comparable in strength to Rank 1 Gu Masters.
Those that reached six meters—
were at the level of hundred-beast kings.
And among them—
the fully grown birds, nearly nine meters long, loomed with terrifying presence, representing thousand-beast kings.
To face them, dozens of Gu Masters had gathered—
yet despite their numbers—
there was only a single Rank 3 Gu Master among them.
And here, one of the caravan's greatest weaknesses became clear.
It—
was not a unified force like a clan.
When an attack occurred, Rank 3 Gu Masters did not act together—
instead, each focused on protecting their own faction's assets within the caravan.
And so—
they became divided, and weakened.
After all…
why would anyone risk helping others while leaving their own possessions exposed to danger?
Even the Rank 3 Gu Master present there—
was not truly fighting at full strength.
In reality, his primary role was not offense…
but silent supervision.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, ensuring that no one even thought of fleeing.
Then he shouted loudly, trying to steady their morale:
"Hold on a little longer! Lord Yang San Mu—the caravan leader—will arrive soon to support us! Do not retreat!"
The mere mention of the caravan leader was enough to spark a bit of hope—
after all, he possessed Rank 4 strength, capable of turning the tide of battle with ease.
Usually—
he was the one who stepped in to resolve crises like this.
But…
that "soon" might take a long time.
And he might not come at all.
Especially since, at this very moment, he was engaged with a terrifying opponent—
the Heavenly Phoenix, fifteen meters long—
a beast of the ten-thousand-beast level.
Its mere presence was enough to pin the caravan leader in a separate battle.
And that—
was the real reason Zhou Quan had insisted on bringing Jian Long along.
Because if he had fought alone in this chaos…
his chances of dying would have been frighteningly high.