Chapter 389 - 172: "He... Why Isn’t He Running?

Chapter 389: Chapter 172: "He... Why Isn’t He Running?

Even though it was well-sealed, you could still smell that scent unique to the rainy season.

The High-speed Rail beneath them began to accelerate.

It tore through the torrential downpour across the Jiangbei Wilderness at an incredible speed. The train remained unshaken, impervious to the onslaught of rain, as it headed straight for Nameless Mountain.

It was like a silver-gray blade, tearing the Jiangbei Wilderness asunder.

"..."

Shao Qiu stood to the side, looking out the window with a complex expression. "Domain Lord... how did you all survive the rainy season two years ago?"

Just by standing inside the train car, he could clearly feel the terror of the rainy season. Before the Mortal Realm was founded, it had endured a rainy season with only nine people, nowhere near its current scale.

They had weathered that entire rainy season through sheer grit.

Only after that rainy season did the Mortal Realm truly rise, making a name for itself by slaying a Ghost King. It continued to grow into the behemoth it was today, spanning multiple regions.

"That time..."

Chen Fan gazed out the window, his thoughts drifting. After a long moment, he chuckled. "That time? We were just lucky."

The rainy season was here.

As darkness swept over the entire Jiangbei Wilderness, countless long-dormant Ghost Objects would reawaken, baptized by the torrential rain.

...

As the High-speed Rail slowly came to a stop within Nameless Mountain, the eternal night arrived right on schedule.

An incredibly viscous darkness swiftly enveloped the entire Jiangbei Wilderness. Deafening thunder began to roll, one peal after another.

Chen Fan stepped off the High-speed Rail and looked toward the Port.

Nameless Mountain blocked his line of sight, so he couldn’t see it.

But he knew the Celestial Pillar stationed there had already resumed storing energy.

In the darkness, the Jiangbei Defense Line began to move. No longer standing guard on the Jiangbei Coastline, it shifted to completely encircle Nameless Mountain, the Port, Xiyang City, Mortal City, and even Jiangbei City.

The 170-kilometer-long Jiangbei Defense Line was no longer tasked with defending Jiangbei, but with protecting the Mortal Realm.

It was the equivalent of using a cannon to shoot a mosquito.

No matter how numerous the Ghost Objects in the rainy season were, or how violently they rampaged, they couldn’t possibly do the slightest damage to the fully-equipped Jiangbei Defense Line. They couldn’t even trigger the altar’s activation.

If the Jiangbei Defense Line, which he had spent a full 800 million Ghost Stones to build, couldn’t even withstand an ordinary rainy season, then all his work would have been for nothing.

「After returning to Nameless Mountain.」

Chen Fan headed straight for the Wooden House to get some sleep. He had been exhausted these past few days. The other Mortal Realm Members were also unfazed by the rainy season, going about their business as usual.

In the past, the arrival of the rainy season would have been a major event.

But ever since they joined the Mortal Realm, the rainy season’s arrival... aside from heavier rain and colder weather, didn’t feel special at all.

He slept soundly that night. ℴ

Perhaps because he had nothing weighing on his mind, his thoughts on what he would do the next day slowly gave way to sleep.

...

「Meanwhile.」

「Jiangbei City.」

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!"

The Jiangbei City Wall was a cacophony of noise. Burly men in the attire of the ’Jiangbei Li Family’ were moving crates of Ghost Stones onto the City Wall in a chaotic yet orderly rush, preparing to fend off the rainy season just as they had before.

"The turrets over here still need Ghost Stones! Xiaoqi, you’re in charge of getting them refilled."

"Got it, Patriarch Li!"

Xiaoqi’s hurried voice rang out.

The man they called Patriarch Li, who was rather chubby, was currently patrolling the City Wall. The rainy season had arrived, and Jiangbei City’s City Defense Buildings had to be properly prepared.

He used to be the Pavilion Master of the Jiangbei Marketplace.

Later...

For reasons known to all, a stroke of luck led to him becoming the most powerful figure in Jiangbei City. He not only became the City Lord of Jiangbei City but also renamed his Jiangbei Marketplace to the ’Jiangbei Li Family’.

In one fell swoop, he had a family of his own.

’Such is fate.’

Just then, an endless darkness poured down from the heavens. The eternal night had arrived.

At almost the exact same moment, he felt the ground begin to tremble faintly. His expression changed drastically. He rushed to the edge of the City Wall and stared out into the pitch-black darkness, a darkness so complete you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The tremors were even more intense than the assault from the Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide two rainy seasons ago.

’The eternal night has only just fallen.’

’And there’s already this much commotion. I’m afraid this year’s rainy season will be a tough one to survive.’

An unknown amount of time passed.

The sky began to lighten. As the eternal night started to recede, Patriarch Li, his eyes bloodshot, stood dazedly at the edge of the city, staring into the darkness.

Given the earthquake-like tremors in the Jiangbei Wilderness last night, he had expected a terrifying Ghost Tide to strike.

But...

He hadn’t seen a single Ghost Object all night.

Not a single one.

During the rainy season, Ghost Objects were supposed to swarm the Ghost Fire. Yet he hadn’t seen a single one. Even the members of the Jiangbei Li Family who had stood guard on the city walls all night could only look at each other in bewilderment.

This was a situation none of them had ever encountered.

A sense of unease rippled through the crowd. ’Could the Ghost Tides of this rainy season be gathering their forces?’ they wondered. ’Waiting until their numbers are great enough to launch one massive assault?’

But soon, as the eternal night completely receded, that sliver of unease in their hearts vanished instantly.

In the far distance, they saw it. A series of City Walls, each a full 20 meters high, stretched out from the depths of the Jiangbei Wilderness like a great chasm, completely enveloping their entire Jiangbei City.

"*Phew.*"

In an instant, the unease in Patriarch Li’s chest evaporated. A wide grin spread across his face. "Rainy season? This is more like shower season!"

He finally understood why the Jiangbei Wilderness had trembled when the eternal night fell. And he finally understood why he hadn’t seen a single Ghost Object all night.

It would’ve been weirder if he *had* seen any.

The next moment.