Chapter 353 - 167: The Jiangbei Defense Line Takes Shape

Chapter 353: Chapter 167: The Jiangbei Defense Line Takes Shape

Indirect influence.

"This won’t do."

Chen Fan’s brow furrowed. After a long moment of thought, he said, "We have to make an example of someone. It’s time to flex our muscles. Otherwise, the High-speed Rail lines we’re laying across the Guanxi Plain will be sabotaged by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. We need that show of force to keep the other powers in line."

"We must find our target within a month."

Only then did he stretch and walk down from the City Wall, intending to wash up and go to sleep. He was rather tired today and decided to turn in early.

’I wonder how Shao Qiu is doing over there.’

His Jiangbei Defense Line was already taking shape.

His back was covered by the Guandong Plain’s defenses. He hoped there was an actual defense line there, and not just another lingering aura left behind by that person. If it was the latter, he’d have no choice but to laugh.

If the Undersea Ghost Tide from the north made landfall, his Mortal Realm could hold it back.

But if a Ghost Tide landed from the south, well, that was someone else’s problem. He certainly wouldn’t be able to stop it.

If that happened, he would just pull back the Jiangbei Defense Line to protect the Mortal Realm and look out for themselves.

If worst came to worst, they would just retreat to the New Continent.

And start over on a new continent.

If Jiangbei was the only breach on the Eternal Night Continent, and the Eternal Night Frontline was too strained to send reinforcements, his Mortal Realm could hold its own. But if the Eternal Night Continent was riddled with holes, with breaches far beyond just Jiangbei, then it was game over...

Might as well just give up.

...

「New Continent.」

Night had fallen. A Sea Ship sailed slowly into the Port. Several Mortal Realm Members, reeking of the sea, walked along the Ghost Fire Passage formed by Copper Pipes, heading toward New Continent Base One.

There were no Ghost Objects in the darkness of the New Continent.

But no one would dare venture into the perpetual night anyway.

For one thing, there was the psychological trauma. Even with no Ghost Objects here, the ingrained fear from all those years made them unwilling to step into the darkness.

For another...

Visibility in the perpetual night was absolute zero.

It was easy to get lost.

If you lost your footing and fell into the sea without managing to climb back ashore immediately, you were as good as dead.

"What’s the situation today?"

Lame Monkey, standing atop the wall, looked toward the returning party.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, nothing happened today. The Thunderstorm Sea Realm shows no signs of collapsing."

"Mm."

Lame Monkey nodded lightly and waved them into the city. The Mortal Realm had specifically dispatched a Sea Ship to keep a constant, daily watch near the Thunderstorm Sea Realm. If any signs of its collapse were discovered, they were to report immediately, giving the Mortal Realm time to react.

He then looked up toward the distant darkness, his thoughts beginning to drift.

’It’s been so long since I’ve seen the Young Master.’

’I wonder how the Mortal Realm is developing on his end, and whether the Jiangbei Defense Line is finished. In all this time, under my management, the New Continent has run without a single hitch.’

Incidents like people secretly hoarding Ghost Stones had also become rare.

For the crime of hoarding Ghost Stones, a first offense earned a warning; a second meant beheading. As for the organizers of such schemes, they were beheaded on their first offense.

New Continent Base One operated like a tireless, sleepless machine.

As this machine ran, vast quantities of Ghost Stones, Ghost Bones, and other materials were shipped to the Mortal Realm daily through the Undersea Tunnel. More than two months had now passed since the end of the rainy season.

’I’m starting to miss the Mortal Realm.’

...

「New Continent.」

"..."

On a Flying Ship suspended in mid-air, Wang Mazi stared at the Ghost Map in his hands, his brow deeply furrowed. He had spent the last few months exploring the New Continent. After crossing the Deep Pit, he had started seeing more and more...

Fissures.

They spread out from the very core of the New Continent.

And he wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but...

He had the vague feeling that the fissures were constantly expanding, though at an extremely slow pace. For the past few days, he had been tracing them back to their source, determined to find out what they were.

Night fell.

He turned and entered the ship cabin. He would get some sleep; the rest could wait until morning.

...

「Guandong Plain.」

On a plain in the southern part of the Guandong Plain, Shao Qiu was staying in a city inn with some members of the Dark Pavilion. His expression was grim. He had been away from the Mortal Realm for two months now.

Yesterday, he had reached the southernmost edge of the Guandong Plain.

The location was extremely far from the Mortal Realm.

It was even farther than the distance between the Mortal Realm and the New Continent. Even traveling day and night, it had taken him a full two months to arrive. And there, he had seen it: the No. 7 Defense Line.

The City Wall was high and covered in bloodstains.

It was taller than the City Wall of the Mortal Realm’s Rainy Season Defense Line—a Level 6 City Wall. The entire 97-kilometer-long defense line was made of uniform Level 6 City Walls, sitting like a natural chasm on the southern plain’s coastline. It looked indestructible.

But in reality...

During the rainy season more than two months ago, the No. 7 Defense Line had almost completely fallen.

That’s right.

The Guandong Plain had fallen during the rainy season!

It was shocking news that surprisingly few people knew. Information was just too siloed.

A massive Ghost Tide had broken through the No. 7 Defense Line and rampaged across the Guandong Plain. Now, less than a third of the population remained; the death toll was unimaginable. And just as the No. 7 Defense Line fell and the Guandong Plain was on the verge of being completely lost...

The Eternal Night Hall had sent people who, at any cost, managed to contain the Ghost Tide’s spread. They held out until dawn and then quickly repaired the No. 7 Defense Line, which was how they managed to survive the rest of the rainy season.

If the Eternal Night Hall had arrived even a moment later...

They...

Their Mortal Realm would likely have been wiped from existence.

That Ghost Tide would have pushed north until it was right on the Mortal Realm’s doorstep.

For a Ghost Tide to completely conquer a region, it has to slaughter every human within it. Although many had died on the Guandong Plain, it hadn’t been completely conquered, merely left in a state of semi-occupation. A few Ghost Objects could now survive in the sunlight—a reward for the victors.