Chapter 645 - 354: Northern Mountain

A massive convoy was advancing across the gray wilderness.

The convoy was not small, numbering in the tens of thousands, spread across nearly a thousand Beast Vehicles of various sizes. The Wild Oxen pulling the carts were quite strong; just two of them could pull a ten-zhang-long carriage. Even fully loaded with people and goods, they seemed to do so effortlessly.

On the convoy’s periphery were riders on Horned Horses.

The riders were all young cultivators, both men and women, clad in armor. They were responsible for patrolling the perimeter, using Magical Artifacts or relying on Spiritual Beasts to detect threats for the convoy in advance.

On the lead Beast Vehicle, an elderly man in lavish robes and a Jade Crown stood leaning against the railing. He stared at the thick, lingering fog ahead, his brow furrowed in worry.

He was the patriarch of the Wunan Wu Family, Wu Renxun.

The Wunan Wu Family had once been a Foundation Establishment Clan.

But no one could have expected that the foundation built over a thousand years and several generations would collapse due to a single disaster. After the clan’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators fell in battle one after another, he was the only one left.

The Wu Family convoy’s current destination was Qingbu Square in Wunan Prefecture. This square was a survivor’s camp. With Soul Loss Syndrome ravaging the Northern Mountain region, it was the closest Sanctuary to the Wu Family. It was said to be guarded by a Golden Core Master, offering essential security.

Just then, a young man in fine clothes walked up from behind, cupping his fist and bowing.

"Reporting to the Clan Leader, I’ve used the Star-Seeking Disc to determine the convoy’s exact location. We are still a thousand li from Qingbu Square. At our current speed, I’m afraid it will take another two days to arrive. Clan Leader, should we find a safe place to form a defensive circle with the wagons for the night, or should we travel through the night to reach the Workshop Market?"

"Travel through the night?" Wu Renxun shook his head.

With Soul Loss Syndrome rampant, disaster had struck all across the Northern Mountain region. Countless cities and Immortal Pavilions had been destroyed, and the wilderness was filled with wandering Soulless. Encountering those converted from mortals wasn’t a major issue; even if they numbered in the tens of thousands, it would just be a bit of extra work.

But if their luck was bad and they encountered a Soulless converted from a High-level cultivator, its terrifying power would likely be the end of the entire Wu Family.

Besides, whenever night fell, those exceptionally vicious Ghost Cultivators would also become active. Loving darkness and hating light, they would emerge from their daytime hibernation to seek out flesh and blood to fuel their Cultivation Techniques.

"We’ll travel for another half an ancient hour. If we don’t find a suitable campsite, we’ll form a defensive circle right where we are."

"Yes!" The young man in fine clothes nodded.

The convoy continued onward and came across an abandoned mortal Dock Fortress. After clearing it out and killing the Soulless inside, the Wu Family decided to make camp there for the night.

Although the mortal Dock Fortress was merely built of earth and stone, it had the advantage of being protected by thin walls and a shallow ditch.

In contrast, the wilderness offered no cover whatsoever.

If they encountered Soulless, there would be no buffer at all.

As the Wu Family Patriarch, Wu Renxun naturally knew which choice to make.

At Dusk, twilight fell and darkness slowly crept across the land.

As was their routine, once the Silence and Concealment Prohibition was laid over the Dock Fortress, the Wu Family Members, who had been silent throughout the journey, began to climb down from their vehicles. Some started fires to cook meals, while others gathered in small groups, talking freely to relieve their pent-up stress.

"WHOO! WHOO!" A whistle sounded.

Atop the Dock Fortress gatehouse, Wu Renxun, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, snapped them open at the sound. He immediately looked toward the source and saw the cultivator who had blown the warning whistle pointing at the stone-paved road in front of the fortress. A figure in black was slowly walking toward them.

Wu Renxun’s heart went cold.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was well aware of the dangers of the night.

Now, with the Soulless rampant and Ghost Cultivators growing ever more audacious, he, who still had some ability to protect himself during the day, became prey at night.

But now, he was seeing someone walking alone in the dark!

Such an illogical sight made Wu Renxun deeply suspicious.

’Is this a living person, or a Ghost Cultivator?’

’But no matter what it is, it’s probably not something the Wu Family can afford to provoke.’

’Huh, he’s not attacking!’ Wu Renxun relaxed slightly, thinking it might be a living person after all.

Based on past observations, both High-tier Soulless and nocturnal Ghost Cultivators attacked the living on sight. They wouldn’t wait quietly below the gatehouse for contact, as this person was doing.

A glint appeared in Wu Renxun’s eyes as a thought occurred to him.

He then turned to look behind him, his gaze sweeping over the Wu Family cultivators. After meeting their eyes one by one, he said in a low voice, "Guiyun, go down and see if a senior has arrived."

"Yes, Clan Leader!" The one who had been called was a sickly-looking middle-aged man with a cultivation at the Qi Refining Third Layer.

It should have been the prime of a cultivator’s life, but he now looked like a consumptive ghost, with a pale face, abnormally purple lips, and a hunched posture, coughing from time to time. This was because he had recently been struck by a Ghost Cultivator’s Magic Skill, which had drained most of his Life Essence Qi.

Wu Guiyun didn’t hesitate for a moment, leaping straight down from the fortress wall.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid to die, but that he knew he had no other choice.

As a member of a branch family of the Wu Family, his status was already lower than that of the main lineage. Now that he didn’t have long to live, if he wanted his wife, children, and parents to survive, he had no choice but to obediently follow orders.

When he was just over ten zhang from the edge of the Prohibition, Wu Guiyun subconsciously stopped. After a moment of hesitation, he glanced back at the gatehouse.

Thinking of his family, he gritted his teeth and continued forward.