Chapter 827: Ruthless (1/2)

The great wilderness was uncivilized territory, full of mountains and unruly countryside, wastelands and deserts. There wasn’t a proper path to be found in any of its expanse; everyone had to make do with the most primitive method to determine direction.

Referencing the stars, moon, and sun in the sky.

Qingqiu Mountain was situated in the east of the great wilderness, and Wei River to its southwest, putting it in the center of the land. It was now well into autumn with yellowed flora as far as the eye could see. Chilly breezes swept across the land, leaving hints of desolation in their wake.

The Ning Village entourage swung southwest with great fanfare. The further south they went, the warmer the days became and some greenery dotted the withered grass and trees along the way. Ferocious beasts abounded upon their route, all of them exotic and strange. Some creatures that only existed in myths and legends also appeared more than once to Lu Yun’s shocked eyes.

However, given that their retinue boasted of a pixiu constantly flaring with a savage presence unique to a divine beast, the feral beasts were always scared off before they approached the group of humans.

Lu Yun wasn’t in a good mood these days.

Three days into Ning Village’s migration, they’d come across more than one completely decimated village. The same fate had also befallen some of the larger tribes. Corpse-strewn grounds hemmed in rivers of blood, and wild beasts had already scavenged most of the bodies.

With the advent of winter, hungry animals prowled desperately for food. Humans were weedy and fragile, born without great strength. In the great wilderness, humans were the lowest on the totem pole.

“This is the great wilderness.” Jiang Ti was quite used to sights like these. “If it wasn’t for Ah Jin by my side silently keeping watch over the village, Ning Village would’ve been razed to the ground a long time ago.”

He read sympathy and anguish in Lie Shan’s eyes—which astounded him. That kind of look shouldn’t appear in a human’s eyes, because the race was long used to this kind of lifestyle.

“In my homeland, though humans aren’t the strongest race beneath the heavens, they absolutely have the right to be on equal footing with other life forms…” Determination flashed through Lu Yun’s eyes. “Humanity shouldn’t be like this…”

“Is big brother Lieshan’s homeland Nephrite Major?” Ah Bao sidled up to him.

“Mm.”

“Shan’er, humans are different from the others,” Jiang Ti sighed. In his eyes, Lie Shan must be a great expert from an unknown tribe. Only those who wielded great combat arts could contend with the heavens and fight off fierce floods and savage beasts.

“Ordinary humans don’t have sharp claws or agile bodies. We’re powerless in front of the mighty monster spirits and vicious beasts. The cultivation methods that our tribute spirits pass on help us grow stronger, but cultivation itself is too difficult. Very few pureblood humans reach its peak, to a level where they can match true powerhouses like the Tushan.”

Jiang Ti sighed, and Jiang Ba looked downcast as well. The Yan Tribe was one of the greatest human factions and possessed its greatest expert, but they were still nothing compared to the Tushan clan of Qingqiu Mountain.

Lu Yun remained silent. For humans, the great wilderness was far too harsh.

……

After seven more days, their surrounding vegetation turned green and the temperature grew warmer.