"Let's go, we should head back. The legion commander must be waiting impatiently!"
"Heh heh heh, this battle was truly exhilarating! We killed so many demon beasts!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
...
The soldiers of the Vanguard Camp were excitedly preparing to leave.
Just then, footsteps could be heard from afar.
"Hmm?"
The Vanguard Camp soldiers frowned slightly. "Why are more people coming?"
"Who cares, we have things to do, let's head back first!"
Everyone waved their hands.
But in the next second, the footsteps rapidly approached, and then, countless demon beasts charged out from the depths of the forest, attacking madly.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, the faces of the Vanguard Camp soldiers changed. They immediately drew their weapons, preparing to fight.
However, the demon beasts' attack was too swift. In the blink of an eye, they surged into the crowd, tearing one Vanguard Camp soldier to shreds.
These demon beasts were fearless and ferocious. Ordinary cavalry were wary of them, as cavalry feared these desperate beasts the most.
As soon as these demon beasts emerged from the forest, they encountered the Vanguard Camp's ambush.
The Vanguard Camp originally intended to annihilate all these demon beasts.
But they didn't expect these demon beasts to dare to attack humans proactively. The Vanguard Camp naturally wouldn't be polite and immediately began a encirclement and suppression.
How terrifying was the strength of the Vanguard Camp?
Especially when combined with ranged weapons like crossbows, their destructive power was explosive.
In just a few minutes, five or six demon beasts were slain.
However, the remaining demon beasts remained fearless and continued to attack the Vanguard Camp soldiers furiously.
"Pfft—"
A Vanguard Camp soldier was hit on the head by a giant hammer, his skull instantly crushed, killing him on the spot.
"Bastards!"
Gao Shun cursed, grabbing a nearby soldier and throwing the bow and arrow from the horse's back.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"
Three arrows pierced the demon beast's eyes simultaneously, pinning it to the ground.
"Lord, this won't do. Ever since we occupied the mineral vein, demon beasts have been constantly attacking us. Although the Vanguard Camp is numerous, continuous combat will lower our morale."
Gao Shun reported to Zhou Yan. They had occupied this mineral vein for three days. During these three days, the surrounding demon beasts and异魔 (Yi Mo) had not stopped their attacks. Although they had collected a lot of materials, this continuous combat was not good for all the soldiers.
"Is that so?"
Zhou Yan opened the lord's page. The mineral resources of this mineral vein were relatively rich. In the past three days, the divine crystal ore vein and other elemental ores had already reached over a million in quantity, which was enough to build a basic camp around the mineral vein.
"Gao Shun, lead the Vanguard Camp to excavate a military base outside the mineral vein, divided into three layers. The outermost layer will have Dark Towers deployed in the jungle. Near the mountain range, set up three hundred Earthquake Towers. The requirement is that when the Earthquake Towers attack, they can cause the entire mountain range to shake together. The second layer will be a fortress structure, capable of both offense and defense. Currently, three hundred high-energy Gatling turrets will be set up to guard and snipe, covering the entire area around the mineral vein. As for the innermost layer, a hundred Plasma Nuclear Missile Towers will be placed in the underground core."
Zhou Yan had already summoned tens of thousands of craftsmen within his territory. With the number of craftsmen and the assistance of the Vanguard Camp, a military base would be built next to the mineral vein in less than two days.
"Yes!" Gao Shun received the order.
"Arrange for your subordinates to handle these matters. Secondly, take five hundred elites with me to explore the interior of the mountain range. There are many demon beasts here, and there might be hidden treasures inside."
"Your subordinate obeys."
Following that, Gao Shun led a thousand Vanguard Camp soldiers into the mountain range with Zhou Yan.
"Rumble!"
Zhou Yan cleared all the demon beasts encountered along the way in a lightning-fast manner. In less than half a day, they had penetrated dozens of kilometers.
"Lord, scouts have reported finding a palace ahead! It should be the lair of the demon!" Gao Shun said excitedly, looking at the huge palace in front of them.
"Oh? What a coincidence!" Zhou Yan was also a little surprised.
Zhou Yan did not believe this was a coincidence. After all, according to the map, even if there were no treasures here, there would definitely be some clues, such as the corpse of a demon king or the remains of some demon.
"Let's go!" Zhou Yan nodded.
Then Zhou Yan led the group to the front of this huge palace. The palace covered an area of over a hundred mu, magnificent and spectacular.
However, this vast palace had already turned into ruins, clearly destroyed by a fierce collision that had occurred previously.
"It seems this place has no more value."
Zhou Yan shook his head and said, "This place is too far from the Misty Forest, making it unsuitable for human settlement. Moreover, the demon beasts in this area are becoming stronger and stronger, and there are even some Saint-level existences!"
"Lord, since this place has lost its value, why are we still staying here? Let's retreat!"
A soldier suggested.
"Indeed, Lord, we must return to the territory as soon as possible!"
Zhou Yan looked at these soldiers and smiled, "Don't you want to see what's inside here?"
"Uh, Lord, what do you mean?"
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, these soldiers were stunned.
Zhou Yan's gaze fell on the ruins of the huge palace and then said, "Since we've come, let's take a look!"
Then Zhou Yan led these Vanguard Camp soldiers into the palace ruins.
"Lord, what are we doing? Didn't you say this place has no more value!"
A soldier couldn't help but ask. They didn't know Zhou Yan's plan.
"No, this place indeed has no more value, but it once had a dragon vein!"
Zhou Yan said with a faint smile. As a merchant who traveled through various worlds, he had this discerning eye.
"Dragon vein?"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing Zhou Yan's words.
"That's right, it's a dragon vein. The value of a dragon vein is not just wealth and power. According to legend, if one can find the place where a true dragon resides, they can obtain endless benefits. Moreover, it is said that dragon veins contain infinite energy. If one is extremely lucky, they might even obtain some dragon lineage inheritance!"
Zhou Yan explained the value of a dragon vein.
"Then aren't we making a huge profit!"
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's explanation, everyone's faces showed excited expressions.
"Hahaha, that's right. No matter what, this place is definitely a treasure. This trip was not in vain."
Gao Shun also said with a smile.
"Alright, everyone follow me closely. I want to see what good things are inside here!"
Zhou Yan led the group towards the palace. The giant palace was filled with a strong smell of sulfur, indicating that it was once a smelting plant.
"Lord, look!"
A Vanguard soldier suddenly shouted. Zhou Yan followed his gaze and saw a pile of messy iron blocks placed in a corner of the palace.