thenovelthief Chapter 1149 - 442: Seven Virtues - Justice
Chapter 1149 - 442: Seven Virtues - Justice
Land of Lust, southern border.
Here there are mountains, a continuous stretch of them.
However, there are no plants on the mountains, aside from jagged rocks and the monotonous brown earth.
As far as the eye can see, it is desolate.
What the ear hears is nothing but loneliness.
If one were to define it as "barren," it could not be more fitting.
"Here, there used to be a village."
"Unfortunately, it was abandoned for reasons unknown, the people vanished..."
Ye Liuying stood atop a mountain rock, looking down.
On one side of the barren mountain, she spotted the concealed remains of several crumbling stone huts.
Her Contracted Spirit Fond Spirits, the Dark Demon King and the Assassin Witch, were conducting a meticulous search throughout the vicinity.
The Meteorite Giant too was within sight, digging into the mountain rocks, searching for hidden caves.
—Nothing.
Nothing at all.
This village had long been deserted, with nothing but decaying rubbish inside, and no human remains to be found.
The inhabitants were certainly still alive, but they had moved their base of operations elsewhere to survive.
"Snap!"
Ye Hanjun marked an "X" on a location corresponding to the current area on the map GuaGua had drawn.
Then, he erased the traces left during their search, boarded the small wooden boat, and directed Lieyang Mushoucong towards the next coordinate.
...
New Era, Second Epoch, year 1610.
After trekking through mountains and rivers, Ye Hanjun reached the second coordinate.
Just as he approached, he heard the cries of cold crows, a group of Ice attribute "Crow Demons," hovering in the sky, nearly forming a deep blue cloud mass.
Below the cloud mass, a sand attribute Defensive Array was protecting a village of about a hundred people.
"Shasha shasha..."
Sand flew, and grass fragments danced in the air.
In perfect coordination, the Crow Demons first used "Ice Feces Throw" to wear down the core energy of the array.
Then they used "Strangling Ice Fog" to corrode the foundation of the village.
Within a short time, the barrier made of sand was reduced to a thin layer.
The clever Crow Demons immediately became excited, a murderous gleam appearing in their blue pupils, just waiting for the moment the defense completely collapsed to rush in and slaughter massively.
"Siss!"
A dark shadow dove sharply from the sky.
It flung open a deep black cloak, flapping it in the wind, the daytime becoming a silhouette of memories, the night thick like ink, a single drop of which could dye the entire sky.
"Ah! Ahhhh!!"
The excited Yamo instantly became alert, abandoning the posture of oppressing the weak and scattering in panic.
The Dark Demon King did not let them escape; darkness in its hands wove into vines, a casual wave was enough to devour one or two Crow Demons.
One after another, the sky was stripped of its coldness, the groups of falling Crow Demons resembling plummeting meteors.
At that moment, Ye Liuying, who had softly landed, wearing a windbreaker, resembled a righteous heroine among men.
She visited the village with a smile, but when she emerged, she shook her head at Ye Hanjun:
"The residents here are all elderly, living in poverty."
"They have heard of the Seven Virtues and worship them highly, unfortunately, they have never seen them."
Ye Hanjun nodded, his face showing no disappointment as if he had anticipated this.
He knew when he set off that capturing the remaining six virtues would not be easy.
Even with coordinates to guide them, they had to proceed gradually, as haste would accomplish nothing.
"Let’s go, next stop!"
GuaGua, bursting with excitement, couldn’t wait to dive into the small wooden boat.
The entire map’s search for the Seven Virtues and Seven Devil’s Tools was nearly akin to a treasure hunt.
If the treasure was obtained too easily, without any difficulties and dangers on the way, it wouldn’t be much fun.
It’s best to have some challenges, even small threats to life.
That way, when the fruits are finally harvested, there will be a corresponding sense of achievement.
...
In the blink of an eye, another twenty years passed.
New Era, Second Epoch, year 1630.
Ye Hanjun and his group had long left the Land of Lust, truly entering a treacherous and evil-filled place.
According to the map carried by "Restraint," this was the seventh coordinate point, with three large mountains nearby.
"Kek-kek-kek..."
Though the mountains were not high, barely five thousand meters, they could be surpassed by stacking four or five Savage Holy Beasts.
And the mountains were home to wild Fond Spirits, mostly phantoms.
For Ye Hanjun, it was as if he had returned home. The chilling laughter of the Evil Ghosts and the playful banter among lost souls didn’t seem sinister or dreadful to him; rather, he felt a sense of kinship.
"Land of Darkness, where aggrieved spirits gather, your and my combat power doubles here."
"But... would humans live in such a place?"
"Could it be, they follow the survival principle of ’the more dangerous the place, the safer it is’?"
A very comfortable Ye Liuying, freely moving through the night, was more agile than even a swimming shrimp.
In contrast, Ye Hanjun seemed more like a ghost, almost instantly appearing in the shadows of towering trees in a flash.
"Nothing... nothing..."
"This direction too, nothing..."
Ye Hanjun, who murmured to himself as he looked, perceived almost half a forest’s miniature image in his sensory organs.
As a Saint attuned to darkness and lost souls, being in this area was like having supreme awareness.
Yet, he never detected any valuable life fluctuations.
The strongest individual he could find was merely a Glorious Perfection "Savage Ghost Cavalry."
"It looks like another wasted trip."
"When we wrap up later, let’s catch some game to eat; I suddenly want to eat hand-torn tiger."
Ye Liuying pointed to her rumbling stomach, showing none of the reserved demeanor expected of a lady.
Perched on Ye Hanjun’s shoulder, GuaGua’s eyes brightened, immediately raising a small hand, excitedly shouting: