Chapter 371 - 169: Eternal Night Calendar, Year 380, Early July

Chapter 371: Chapter 169: Eternal Night Calendar, Year 380, Early July

So, he had another plan for the second half of the year.

The plan was to cover the Guandong Plain with High-speed Rail lines and Signal Towers. This way, if anything happened, he would know immediately. It would prevent a situation where the entire Guandong Plain fell while he remained clueless back in Jiangbei.

He didn’t want to only realize the Guandong Plain had fallen when the Ghost Tide surged out from Jiangnan.

There were many factions in Guanxi. ℯℯ𝑙.

And with no threat from the Ghost Tide, laying down High-speed Rail lines would require making an example of someone.

But it was much simpler in the Guandong Plain. When the No. 7 Defense Line fell last time, the population had been decimated, with less than thirty percent surviving. Of the remaining survivors, most had fled, and those who hadn’t joined the No. 7 Defense Line.

No one would bother him.

He could do as he pleased in the Guandong Plain.

...

Chen Fan looked down at the Ghost Map in his hands.

The distance from the northernmost part of Jiangbei to the southernmost tip of the Guandong Plain was several thousand kilometers.

To the west of Jiangbei was Jiangxi.

Jiangxi connected to the Guandong Plain. Starting from Jiangxi and stretching all the way to the Guandong Plain, the westernmost coastline, thousands of kilometers long, was protected by a natural barrier of continuous mountain ranges, making a defensive line unnecessary.

This region of theirs.

The area encompassing Jiangbei, the Guanxi Plain, and the Guandong Plain formed a large peninsula at the very edge of the Eternal Night Continent.

It was surrounded by sea on three sides.

Normally, mountain ranges couldn’t stop a Ghost Tide, but the Nodes in those areas hadn’t shattered, so the Ghost Tide couldn’t make landfall there. The Nodes in Jiangbei and the Guandong Plain, however, had completely shattered.

The Ghost Tide could only invade their region from these two directions.

In other words—

He only needed to build up the Jiangbei Defense Line and support the No. 7 Defense Line at critical moments to ensure everything was foolproof.

As for the east?

The area east of the Guanxi Plain?

That was the heartland of the Eternal Night Continent. If a Ghost Tide came from that direction, it would mean the entire continent had fallen, leaving only their small peninsula holding out. At that point, what would be the use of defending? Death would be certain.

Calling it a ’small peninsula’ wasn’t quite accurate.

It made it sound like their peninsula was a tiny part of the Eternal Night Continent. Their region wasn’t in the heartland, but on the fringe. He wasn’t sure exactly how large it was in proportion to the entire continent.

But it was probably about the size of a turtle’s head.

A turtle’s head, surrounded by sea on three sides.

"Guandong... Guanxi..."

Chen Fan’s gaze shifted to the ruins, and he muttered to himself as he studied the wreckage nearby. He didn’t quite understand why they were called the Guandong Plain and the Guanxi Plain.

Geographically speaking...

If Zhen Ghost Pass was the dividing line, they should have been called the Northern Guan Plain and the Guannan Plain.

...

Blocked by a burly man, Xiao Er gave an awkward smile. But when his eyes fell on the Banner fluttering atop the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage, he froze, a look of horror and panic flashing in his eyes.

"Mor... Mortal Realm?"

His voice wasn’t loud.

But the surroundings fell silent in an instant. Many people subconsciously looked over, and when they saw the Banner fluttering in the air, they froze on the spot, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Even though they were at the southernmost edge of the Guanxi Plain, they had long since heard of the Mortal Realm.

After all, the news that the Heaven-Hating Sect, one of the largest factions in the Guanxi Plain, had been annihilated in a near-instant, crushing defeat had become the talk of the town. It wasn’t just spreading among the major factions; it was circulating among the common folk as well.

...

Chen Fan glanced around. ’I’d really like to stay at the inn for a night, have a hot meal, and get some rest.’ But he still turned and climbed back into the carriage. The Mortal Realm Member in the driver’s seat cracked the whip, and the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage passed through the ruins in front of everyone, heading straight into the depths of the Guandong Plain.

’Might as well get it all done in one go. I can rest properly once I’m back in the Mortal Realm.’

Originally, laying High-speed Rail lines in the Guandong Plain had been a low priority in his plans. He couldn’t bite off more than he could chew. By extending his reach so far, if something went wrong, the Mortal Realm wouldn’t be able to respond in time.

But Shao Qiu had sent back news that there weren’t many people left in the Guandong Plain.

In that case, it wouldn’t be a problem.

He would lay down the High-speed Rail lines across the Guandong Plain in one fell swoop, then return to the Mortal Realm for a long rest.

...

...

As the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage entered the Guandong Plain, Chen Fan laid down the Copper Pipe while lifting the carriage curtain to look outside, his brow slightly furrowed. In the Guanxi Plain, he had seen Farmland everywhere, with vast amounts of crops being grown.

But he saw none of that in the Guandong Plain.

From what he knew, the Guandong Plain was supposed to be an even more fertile region than the Guanxi Plain.

As far as the eye could see, countless wisps of gray mist, of unknown origin, drifted through the air like an aura of death hanging over the entire Guandong Plain. On the ground, the Farmland showed faint signs of decay, having been utterly destroyed by the Ghost Tide.

Just then, the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage passed by a city.

The city’s City Wall had been reduced to ruins, with no pedestrians in sight. It had clearly become a dead city. The stench of rotting corpses hung in the air; no one had collected the bodies or cleaned the city, making it uninhabitable.

A large flock of vultures circled above the city.

Their harsh cries pierced the air.

At that exact moment—

His pupils contracted. A Ghost Object burst out from within the city, stumbling toward him. It looked extremely weak and, at its current speed, had no chance of catching the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage. Although he already knew this would be the case, it was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.