Chapter 100: The Pursuit Amidst the Mountains

Fourth Update, Chapter 100, Recommendations Welcome!

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“Blackie!”

After leaving the city, Xu Wen called out to the Black Wind Eagle he had been withholding for three days.

Thanks to the Beast Soul Pill, the little creature had been obediently self-cultivating during these past days. Now it was almost as tall as Xu Wen, with a wingspan of six meters. Although still a young beast with a high-level two-star cultivation, carrying Xu Wen was effortless for it.

Freed to soar under the open sky for the first time, the Black Wind Eagle was visibly excited, frequently letting out long, piercing cries that soared into the clouds and echoed far and wide, flying with exceptional vigor.

Xu Wen shared that feeling…

At this moment, he had completely and utterly broken free from everyone—Hodtonkline family, the Six Great Houses, Qingyun Academy. Within the radius of several miles, he was the sole presence.

Ah!!!

Man and eagle, howling freely in the sky!

Only when a series of towering peaks appeared on the distant horizon did Xu Wen calm his otherwise serene gaze, regaining clarity as he directed Blackie to dive toward the mountaintop.

At the summit, buildings stood in orderly clusters, yet utterly devoid of any sign of life. Even as man and eagle landed in the center of the structures, not a single living being seemed to be present.

This was the Joseph family territory…

Taking a quick survey of the surroundings, Xu Wen noticed faint, lingering traces of blood and death in the air and on the buildings.

He sighed inwardly. The Joseph family was akin to the Hodtonkline family in Blackwater City—a medium-sized clan wiped out overnight. No wonder the nearby hills had become so lifeless.

Despite two assaults, even with Kozeff personally visiting, the troubles here remained unresolved. Adventurers from nearby towns treated this place as a forbidden zone.

Retracting the Black Wind Eagle, Xu Wen summoned a small tiger nearly half his height and mounted it. Circling the summit leisurely, his mind pieced together the situation.

A one-sided massacre…

No signs of a fierce battle—this wasn’t the work of undead necromancers.

Xu Wen knew well the combat style of necromancers; they wouldn’t act this way. Besides, the Joseph family’s territory was vast; it was impossible to destroy everything individually.

Was it the El family? Or the Salem family? Or some other faction from the Dark Empire?

Frowning, Xu Wen entered one of the buildings and stored the small tiger away.

Standing inside the tightly sealed hut, Xu Wen took out a storage ring and swept it over the ground, revealing the corpse of a recently deceased adventurer.

This was another purpose of his solitary excursion.

A ghostly blue flame erupted, swiftly engulfing the body, dissolving flesh at an astonishing rate and seeping into the bones.

After half a minute of effort, the first skeletal warrior was completed and stood obediently to the side. Xu Wen dressed it in a set of heavy, one-piece armor laid nearby, including helmet and boots.

Once fully clad, the empty skeleton’s form was completely concealed beneath the heavy armor. Brandishing a broad greatsword, its imposing aura was elevated several notches.

But this was not the end…

Though the skeletal warrior’s terrifying exterior was masked, the pervasive aura of death remained undeniable. Xu Wen took a small porcelain bottle from his treasure belt, poured out a fragrant pill, and placed it directly into the dark, hollow helmet.

An ordinary Vitality Pill.

It bore no grade but was an invention from the undead scriptures, capable of emitting a strong life force that concealed foul odors—including undead energy—lasting up to three months.

After a while, the death aura around the skeletal warrior noticeably diminished, eventually replaced entirely by a faint, fresh fragrance.

Following the same method…

Three more skeletal warriors were successfully transformed by Xu Wen. Standing beside him now, one might mistake them for four enigmatic bodyguards.

The remaining nine skeletal warriors lacked sufficient equipment and could only be armed with weapons.

Having completed this major task, Xu Wen exhaled in relief, stored the skeletal warriors away, and without hesitation summoned Blackie to fly off the summit toward the location the green-capped youth had mentioned!

Taking a direct route meant crossing the Monster Mountains over Joseph territory…

Xu Wen wished to avoid trouble and instructed Blackie to maintain a safe altitude, skimming over the Monster Mountains.

“Huh?”

Beneath the Monster Mountains, bursts of frequent magical fluctuations and booming sounds caught Xu Wen’s attention.

Reducing speed, Xu Wen peered below. The forest echoed with continuous roars, powerful six-star level attack spells and magic interlacing amid the chaos. The battlefield shifted relentlessly, colossal trees crashing down and revealing the turmoil within.

Lightning-fast figures flashed beneath, disappearing only to reappear hundreds of meters away.

The intensity of the battle left Xu Wen silently admiring.

Here, in the Monster Mountains filled with beasts of at least five stars, people fought fiercely. And judging by the number of combatants above six stars, they were far from few.

“Let’s go!”

Xu Wen dared not pause. Tapping Blackie’s head, he ordered an acceleration!

Such a dangerous battlefield meant these two forces were either sworn enemies or competing for some precious treasure…

No matter the reason, Xu Wen had no wish to attract attention!

He couldn’t afford to provoke six-star experts yet, especially with some even at seven stars. If it was a treasure hunt, as a mere four-star novice, venturing blindly would mean certain death—no matter who won, secrecy would be ensured by silencing him.

The wisest choice was to leave this quarrelsome place as soon as possible!

In the forest, a pair of eyes watched as the tiny black dot soared into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon. Only then did the archer clad in specialized leather armor lower his bow, retract his gaze, and with a firm push off the ground, charge full speed into the chaotic battlefield ahead.

Seven were fleeing, chased relentlessly by thirteen pursuers. Leading the chase was a seven-star man enveloped in a radiance of intermingling gold and silver fighting energy. With ease, he deflected a barrage of magic from the front, laughing triumphantly:

“Wang Xiaoshuai, why fight so desperately? If you hand over that item and swear allegiance to me, I swear by the heavens to spare your lives! How about that?”

“Bah! I must have been blind not to see how shameless you are!” came a furious roar in reply. “Come and take it if you can! Even if it costs me my life and destroys this treasure, I will never let it fall into your hands!”

“Hahaha!”

A more arrogant laugh burst from the seven-star man’s lips.

“Just you? Destroy that treasure? If I could have, you’d be dead long ago, not still here! But this makes it interesting—haven’t played cat and mouse in a long time! Keep running, and I’ll… break you all one by one!”

His last words were slow and deliberate, the icy tone brimming with lethal intent, chilling the very air of the forest.