Rise Of The Worm Sovereign

Wang Xiong's words echoed in the ears of all those were present and quickly incited their interest.

"Truly!?"

"Are you sure Chief Disciple Wang Xiong?"

"Please tell us!"

They all erupted anxiously, wanting the answers.

"Yes…" Wang Xiong nodded his head. "I'm cannot so this with a hundred percent certainly, but it can be confirmed quickly."

"Tell us what you think." Patriarch Bing prodded him on.

"I think the method through which the blight is spreading is the natural aquifers. If I recall correctly, the cotton fields of the White Loom Kingdom are irrigated by the Southern He river?" Wang Xiong spoke.

"You are correct, Chief disciple. Our lands are indeed irrigated from the water of the Southern He river." The king of the White Loom kingdom replied.

"Then, do you know where the river goes after the water passed through your lands?" Wang Xiong asked.

"The Southern He river splits into multiple tributaries and streams before flowing into the lakes that are located alongside the mountains on our border." The king of the White Loom Kingdom replied.

"Exactly. And where do you think the water from the lakes goes? It seeps into the ground and forms an underground aquifer. It should have no problem passing through the mountains and reaching the other side.

There is a vast swamp located on the other side, which exists due to the constant feeding from the underground springs. It is also this same water that reaches the Peony Plains kingdom and then the Zhan Kingdom." Wang Xiong explained.

Hearing this, the kings and elders had a sense of realization. All of them were thinking of different reasons, but the cause was right in front of them the whole time. They hadn't thought that water would be the cause, since the animals and humans that drank the same water had no issues.

"That makes sense. After all the fields of the White Loom kingdom that were affected first were also located downstream." One of the elders spoke.

"Indeed. The flow of the river might also be why the White Loom Kingdom wasn't affected on the same scale as Peony Plains kingdom. If the blight had started from the upstream, all the crops would have been affected just like the others." Wang Xiong stated.

"Hmm… so if we take water as the medium though which it spreads, we should be able to chart out the spread radius." Patriarch Bing spoke after thinking.

"Why don't we check it right away?" One of the elders said before standing up. "The map is already open here."

In the air above them all, an illusory map formed due to a formation was present. Several lines and sections were marked in it, showing the different powers and their territories. This included both the kingdoms and the sects that were within them.

The elder who had spoken waved his finger and first drew out an outline of the Southern He river. He then traced the areas that were affected by the blight and referenced them with the water sources.

Five minutes later, a new map was present in front of them. The map showed the way the blight had spread and could even show the potential paths it would take to spread further.

"This… the next location it would spread is Juhe Kingdom!" They realized.

"Patriarch! We need to act quick and isolated the lands."

"Yes! We need to send people right away."

The elders urged the patriarch to act.

"Wait! We should also ensure that our information is correct. Please send out your people in your respective kingdoms to check this." Wang Xiong suggested.

"We shall do this then." The kings agreed and took out their communication jade slips, quickly sending out orders.

Now all they needed to do was to wait, till they got the response from their kingdoms. Wang Xiong too contracted his subordinates that were located outside the sect and asked them to gather some information.

The Juhe kingdom was the kingdom located closest to the Frozen Cloud sect. The only thing separating the two was a forest. If the blight ever reached the Juhe kingdom, it would quickly reach the Frozen Cloud sect too.

After all, there was no natural barrier like a mountain range to slow down the spread. Not to mention, there was not one but three rivers that passed through the Juhe kingdom and the Frozen Cloud sect's territory.

These rivers crisscrossed across a large span of land before turning to the east and entering the ocean there.

They would have never thought that the same rivers which were the reason for bounty would one day become the harbingers of disaster for them.

Two hours passed like this before the first reply came.

"It is just like Chief Disciple Wang Xiong said. My people went and inspected the lakes in the mountains and used some of the grains to test it. And just as you said, the grains showed signs of blight just a few minutes later after coming in contact with the water." The King of the White Loom Kingdom stated.

After his answer, more replies came in just a few minute intervals. All of them were the same and confirmed Wang Xiong's guess. Though it only served to make the kings and elders anxious.

They had seen how the Blight would spread in the future.

"What do we do now? Even if we block the rivers and isolate our crops, we can't keep on doing that." One of the kings said.

"Yeah, we will only be able to protect the crops that are already ripe. Without water, the next yield would only perish." The king of the White Loom Kingdom agreed.

~Sigh~

"What can we even do… our efforts at searching for a solution in old records have all failed. Even the spirit herb experts are unable to resolve this blight." A high elder said in despair.

The other kings too felt like the solution they had was not enough. If anything, it only slowed their deaths.

"We might not have a solution, but I know someone who should have one!" Wang Xiong said out loud. "The Millennium Forest Kingdom!"