Chapter 35: The Second Wave of Raiding Parties, an Assembly of SS-Rank Elites!

Two hours after Li Yao and his group entered the dungeon.

At the entrance of the Primal Dungeon, all onlookers had been dispersed, leaving behind almost exclusively members of the Dragon Kingdom’s military. Several elderly men in military uniforms sat in a circle, while four young professionals stood behind them, each wearing different expressions.

"Has Yucheng not arrived yet?" the man in the lead asked with a slight frown.

"General Wu, it takes time for Zhang Yucheng to travel from the capital," an adjutant-like middle-aged man replied, checking his watch before adding, "He will certainly be here in seventeen minutes."

General Wu nodded. The Dragon Kingdom had always been cautious regarding Primal Dungeons appearing within its borders. The four young professionals present were top-tier prodigies from across the nation. Including those who had changed classes early several years ago, the Dragon Kingdom currently had seven awakened SS-rank professionals. Three of them were already present!

And that was not even counting the one who had yet to arrive—the man known as the "Little Sword Saint" of the Dragon Kingdom, Zhang Yucheng of the Zhang family. With such a lineup, even if this Primal Dungeon were truly a Purgatory-grade challenge, General Wu had absolute confidence in clearing it.

However, unlike the stern General Wu, the four young professionals present seemed somewhat distracted. The difficulty of a Primal Dungeon lay in the unknown. Historically, most Primal Dungeons were cleared by the very first group of professionals to enter; after all, those daring enough to challenge the unknown were rarely weak. They were only here as a precaution and likely would not even get the chance to act.

"I heard that among those who went in, there’s an SS-rank professional from the Sakura Country?" one of the youths, a sturdy man with red hair, remarked idly, knowing they had to wait for another ten minutes.

"Someone from the Sakura Country? What are they doing in the Dragon Kingdom?" another youth scoffed immediately. "Can't they stay in their island nation? Do they dare come to the Dragon Kingdom to try and grab a piece of the pie?"

The enmity between the Dragon Kingdom and the Sakura Country was irreconcilable. Qin Xuehou, the son of the Northern Territory’s Great General and a descendant of a family that had served the military for eighteen generations, harbored a hatred for the Sakura Country that went far beyond the norm.

"Young General Qin, times have changed," a beautiful woman in a qipao said with a smile. "Ever since the Sword Saint entered the Sakura Country and casually executed two sixth-transition professionals, the people of the Sakura Country haven't dared to breathe a word against the Dragon Kingdom. If not for the backing of the Eagle Kingdom, they likely would have surrendered to us long ago."

"And your point is?" Qin Xuehou glanced at her coldly.

"Don't be so fierce," the woman chuckled, unfazed. "I heard that this SS-rank professional is the young princess of the Kujo family—a beauty of legendary proportions, hailed by the Sakura people as a beauty who appears once every two thousand years. How about it, Young General Qin? Do you want to kidnap her and make her your bride?"

Qin Xuehou remained silent. However, the red-haired youth blinked, clearly intrigued. "The Kujo princess? I've heard of her, but why is she in the Dragon Kingdom?"

Yang Yingying, the only S-rank professional among them, finally found an opening. "My father told me she seems to be here looking for Li Yao."

"Li Yao? That Summoner who soloed a Nightmare-grade dungeon?" the red-haired youth said dismissively. Dungeons varied in strength, as did Nightmare-grade difficulties. Coming from the capital, he naturally looked down on dungeons in such backwater regions. However, he had volunteered for the second wave of the dungeon clearing team specifically for the Purgatory-grade dungeon that Li Yao had triggered. *I’ve come to the Southern City to help you clear the Primal Dungeon, surely it’s not too much to ask to clear one of your Purgatory-grade dungeons?* Even if it were a trash dungeon, a first-clear of a Purgatory-grade was worth the trip.

"That's right, that's the one," Yang Yingying said, noting his disdain and playing along. "I heard that if it weren't for Kujo Mase's connection, my two cousins wouldn't have let Li Yao enter the dungeon at all. A Summoner—I can't imagine what use he could possibly have in a dungeon other than leeching rewards."

*Li Yao... he should be dead at the hands of my two cousins by now, right?* Yang Yingying thought to herself. Yang Junfei and Yang Feng had planned to kill Li Yao inside the dungeon and then lead the younger generation of the Yang family to conquer the Purgatory-grade dungeon. That was the plan her family had devised. But now, it seemed like there might be complications. Her face remained plastered with a fawning smile, but she felt deeply agitated inside. Apart from Qin Xuehou, who might genuinely be there for the Primal Dungeon, Yan Gaojie and Shang Zijin were clearly there for the Purgatory-grade one. The Yang family had no right to refuse them.

*Damn it!*

Ignoring Yang Yingying's fawning, Yan Gaojie asked in confusion, "You're saying Kujo Mase came here for Li Yao..."

At these words, the three SS-rank professionals’ eyes lit up simultaneously. Without any blood ties or existing relationship, they could think of no reason for Kujo Mase to travel thousands of miles to find someone other than professional reasons.

Shang Zijin mused, "I was wondering about that. As a 'Whispering Witch,' Kujo Mase is hailed as the strongest support class. Yet, she wasted her energy seeking out an S-rank Shikigami summoning skill..."

Qin Xuehou cut to the point: "Shikigami summoning is ultimately just a conceptual summoning skill; what is summoned is merely a projection. In that case, the Whispering Witch's greatest ability lies in her augmentation of monsters. Coincidentally, the summoning skills in the Sakura Country are almost all Shikigami-based. Hmph, true to the Sakura people, the classes they change into are always such devious, crooked paths."

The three were among the top prodigies of the Dragon Kingdom, and their vision had long since extended beyond its borders. Now that they had the chance to analyze the abilities of foreign prodigies, they felt more confident in future resource disputes.

As they spoke, jealousy grew in Yan Gaojie's eyes. Was a sewer-tier Summoner worthy of being sought after by such an ice-cold beauty? "I'd like to see if his augmented summoned beasts are still just fragile trash that can be crushed with a pinch."

"I only hope... he realizes where his loyalties should lie," Qin Xuehou said, his gaze cold and deep as he stared at the entrance of the Primal Dungeon. "If I discover any act of treason, regardless of whether he cleared the Primal Dungeon or what contributions he made, I will kill him."

...

Meanwhile, inside the Primal Dungeon.

"Li Yao, if you keep holding back like this, I will kill you!" Yang Junfei roared, beside himself with rage.

"Oh? Is that so?" Li Yao looked innocent. "I'm a Summoner. What do you expect me to do, rush in and beat people with my staff?"