12dz Chapter 108 The Dead Zone on the Frontier
Chapter 108 The Dead Zone on the Frontier
In the southwest of Yunmeng Continent, the terrain gradually rises, with rolling hills stretching towards the horizon. The further west you go, the sparser the vegetation becomes.
The official road had lost its smoothness here; the stone slabs were cracked by wild grass, and withered yellow wormwood peeked out from the cracks, swaying uncertainly in the morning breeze.
A few old locust trees grow sparsely by the roadside, their branches twisted like ghost claws, their leaves covered with a layer of grayish-white dust, drooping half-dead.
Zhang Lin stood with his hands behind his back at the end of the official road, gazing into the direction of the Western Continent.
A layer of hazy clouds hung heavy on the horizon, neither raining nor clearing, just shrouding the sky, obscuring the sun into a pale, round shadow.
Beneath the clouds, a blurry ridgeline could be vaguely seen, like the back of a giant beast lying across the horizon; that was the border between Yunmeng Continent and Xiji Continent.
Baishi Town is located on the eastern foot of that mountain ridge.
He took out a jade slip from his sleeve, probed it with his spiritual sense, and confirmed the location again by comparing it with the map.
Heading west from here, after crossing two mountain ridges, you'll reach the patrol camp on the outskirts of Baishi Town.
Not far behind him was Zixia City, the only city in this vast area with a teleportation array.
After traveling several miles, an abandoned teahouse appeared by the roadside.
The wooden pillars were mostly rotten, a corner of the thatched roof had collapsed, and several wild birds flew in and out of the holes.
The flagpole in front of the tea stall stood crookedly, and the wine banners hanging on it were so tattered that only a few strips of cloth remained, swaying helplessly in the wind.
Zhang Lin did not stop walking; his spiritual sense had already swept over the inside and outside of the teahouse.
No one was there, but there were traces.
On the wooden table in the shed, which was missing a leg, sat a rough earthenware bowl. The bowl contained half a bowl of murky water, with a layer of ash floating on the surface.
The bench next to the table was overturned on the ground, with dark brown bloodstains on its legs.
It has been dry for more than a month, and its color is almost black, with irregular splatter patterns at the edges.
It wasn't something that slowly seeped out after the injury; it was something that splattered when a sharp weapon severed a limb.
However, the conflicts between mortals are none of his business.
He straightened up, and his spiritual awareness silently spread outwards.
Within fifty feet, there were no living creatures.
By the time we crossed the first mountain ridge, the sun was already setting.
The mountain ridge was covered with thatch grass that was half a person tall, the grass stems were dry and brittle, and made a cracking sound when stepped on.
Zhang Lin stood on the ridge and looked west. The second ridge was lower, and beyond that ridge lay Baishi Town.
He was about to go down the mountain when he suddenly stopped.
At the edge of his spiritual sense, he detected a strange aura—not spiritual energy, but death energy.
It is extremely faint, blending into the mountain breeze, and cannot be detected at all unless you deliberately try to distinguish it.
However, his spiritual consciousness had been tempered by the "Taishang Ganying Pian" (Treatise on the Response of the Supreme Being), making his perception of aura several times more acute than that of ordinary Qi-refining cultivators.
He closed his eyes and carefully discerned that the wisp of deathly aura came from the west, in the direction of White Stone Town.
Zhang Lin opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing across them.
The deathly aura drifted in from that direction; though it had thinned to this point, one can imagine the concentration at its source.
Before sunset, he arrived at the outpost's camp on the outskirts.
The camp was built on a relatively flat high ground, surrounded by a simple wall made of thick wooden stakes. A shallow moat was dug around the outside of the wall, with sharpened wooden stakes stuck at the bottom of the moat.
A torch was lit on each side of the gate, its light illuminating the wooden board nailed to the lintel, which bore the inscription "Patrol Office - Outpost of Baishi Town".
The gate to the village was ajar, and behind it stood two cultivators dressed in gray uniform robes, both at the late stage of Qi Refining.
As Zhang Lin approached, the two men simultaneously became wary.
One of them raised his hand to stop him: "Stop! This is a restricted area of the Patrol Division. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."
Zhang Lin took out the token of a disciple of Cuiping Peak from his sleeve and handed it over.
The man took the token and examined it carefully. He then took out a jade slip from his robes and compared it with the other two for a moment before nodding, handing the token back, and bowing, saying, "Excuse me, there have been many people coming these past few days, so I had to check carefully."
"A lot of people have come?" Zhang Lin put away his token. "Besides the Danxia Sect, who else has arrived?"
"Two people each from Biluo Palace and Zifu Immortal Sect arrived yesterday and are resting in the camp." The gatekeeper stepped aside. "Senior Brother Zhang, please come in. There are still a few empty tents in the camp. Please choose one yourself. Tomorrow morning, Deputy Commander Liu will gather everyone to explain the details of the mission."
Zhang Lin nodded and stepped into the camp.
The campsite was small, with a flat open space in the center paved with bluestone slabs, and several thick wooden pillars standing along the edge, with spirit stone lamps hanging on the pillars for illumination.
A dozen or so tents were scattered around the open space, made of thick canvas with waterproof patterns sewn at the seams.
Two people were sitting in front of a tent on the east side.
One person was dressed in a bright green Taoist robe with a lingzhi mushroom embroidered on the hem, the symbol of the Biluo Palace. The other person wore a light blue long robe with a token of the Zifu Immortal Sect hanging at his waist.
The two were talking in hushed tones when they saw Zhang Lin enter, and their eyes turned to him at the same time.
The cultivator in the green robe appeared to be in his early twenties, with a gentle face. He rose, cupped his hands, and smiled, saying, "Shen Qing, an outer disciple of the Azure Palace, and who are you?"
"Zhang Lin, an outer disciple of the Danxia Sect."
The disciple of the Purple Mansion Immortal Sect beside him also stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Chu Tianxing, an outer disciple of the Purple Mansion Immortal Sect, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Zhang Lin returned the greeting, his eyes flashing with silver light as he swept over the two of them. Shen Qing was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, his aura long and peaceful, clearly indicating that his cultivation method emphasized health preservation, which was consistent with the medical cultivation tradition of Biluo Palace.
Chu Tianxing was also at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, his aura was solid and condensed, and there was a hint of sharpness in his eyes, so he should be mainly engaged in metal-based magic.
"Only two people from Biluo Palace and Zifu Immortal Sect came?"
"Two of each have arrived, along with a senior sister and a senior brother. They went to patrol the outer perimeter earlier and haven't returned yet."
"Where is Deputy Commander Liu of the Patrol Division?"
"In the inner tent." Chu Tianxing gestured towards the largest tent deep in the camp. "They've been inside all afternoon, saying they'll give all the instructions once everyone arrives."
Zhang Lin didn't ask any more questions, and chose an empty tent on the west side to lift the curtain and enter.
The tent was small, just big enough for one person to sit in meditation.
A layer of dry grass was laid on the ground, and a piece of coarse cloth covered the grass to serve as a bed. A pottery jar filled with water was placed at the corner of the tent.
He sat cross-legged on the straw mat, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.
His spiritual senses had already quietly spread out, reaching out from outside the tent like threads. The faint sounds of Shen Qing and Chu Tianxing talking could be heard; they were discussing trivial matters of cultivation, nothing of great importance.
There was a spiritual barrier inside the tent. With his current spiritual strength, any attempt to force his way through would be detected.
He didn't try it; he only sensed the barrier from the outside for a moment and confirmed its existence.
A moment later, Zhang Lin withdrew his spiritual sense and opened his eyes.
As night deepened, the campsite quieted down.
Zhang Lin closed his eyes but did not fall asleep. His spiritual sense, like a snake moving in the night, slowly roamed around the tent, sensing every rustle of wind and grass.
The next day at dawn, before daybreak, there was already movement in the camp.
Zhang Lin got up, straightened his robes, and lifted the curtain to go out.
Several people had already gathered in the open space. Shen Qing and Chu Tianxing were talking with two unfamiliar cultivators, a man and a woman. The woman was wearing a green Daoist robe, and the man was wearing a light blue long robe. Both of them were at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining cultivation.
The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with delicate features and a calm demeanor. She had a blue token hanging from her waist, engraved with the three characters "Biluo Palace".
When she saw Zhang Lin come out, she nodded slightly: "Biluo Palace, Su Wan."
"Danxia Sect, Zhang Lin."
The man from the Purple Mansion Immortal Sect beside her also announced his name: "Meng Chen, Purple Mansion Immortal Sect."
The man had a thin face and sharp eyes. He lingered on Zhang Lin for a moment before looking away.