Chapter 72: Dark Moon Swamp
[Adventure Group Promotion Assessment has begun. The Hunter must undergo the following stages.]
[Initial Stage: During this stage, the Hunter will be pursued by a small force of Undead troops.]
[Survival Stage: During this stage, the Hunter will be besieged by an Undead army.]
[Inferno Stage: During this stage, the Hunter will be besieged by the Undead army while also encountering Undead clan elites.]
[Nightmare Stage: During this stage, while being besieged by the Undead army and Undead elites, the Hunter will also endure the rejection of the Primordial World. This is the final stage.]
…
If the main quest was exploration-type, then the Adventure Group Promotion Assessment was survival-type.
The mission evaluation would be determined by Su Xiao's subsequent survival time. Four stages, with difficulty escalating progressively. By the Nightmare Stage, it was highly possible that even drinking water could result in choking to death.
Nightmare Stage = Undead Army + Undead Elites + Invincible Enhanced Version of Final Destination.
If he could endure to this stage, the evaluation for the Adventure Group Promotion Assessment would be very high.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would be hunted to the ends of the earth by the Undead clan in the time to come. But he had another goal: to enter the Shadow of Law Destruction ruins.
Earlier, Su Xiao had obtained a very important piece of intelligence: the Undead clan could not enter the Law Destroyer ruins. If that was the case, as long as he could enter the Shadow of Law Destruction ruins, enduring to the Nightmare Stage would become much simpler.
Su Xiao looked down at the vast wasteland ahead. Behind him stood over a hundred human soldiers. Ostensibly, they were hosting Su Xiao, the Iron Hand, but in reality, they were waiting for orders from their superiors—specifically, to verify whether Su Xiao's identity as the Iron Hand was genuine. From their previous actions, it was clear they wanted to keep Su Xiao stable.
“Lord Iron Hand…”
The squad leader was just about to exchange pleasantries with Su Xiao when Su Xiao's figure suddenly vanished from his sight. The squad leader was stunned.
The moment Su Xiao disappeared, Bubu Wang and Amu leaped down from the God Wall. The soldiers on the wall rushed forward quickly.
“This…”
The squad leader was in a dilemma. He hadn't confirmed Su Xiao's identity yet, and letting Su Xiao enter Undead clan territory like this was clearly inappropriate. If Su Xiao was a spy, the squad leader would be held accountable. As for stopping Su Xiao, that could also cost him his head. If Su Xiao really was the Iron Hand, the squad leader would be obstructing the Iron Hand from executing the king's orders.
After hesitating for a moment, the squad leader ordered ballistae to be brought. Soon, three large ballistae were aimed at Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu below the wall.
“Prepare.”
The squad leader raised one arm high. The three large ballistae were drawn taut.
“Captain, do we really have to do this?”
A ballista operator swallowed his saliva. He knew very well what crime it was to attack the Iron Hand.
“Who told you to shoot the Iron Hand? Shoot near him. This is our God Wall garrison's ‘unique’ farewell ceremony.”
“Eh?”
The ballista operator was clearly a bit confused, but he still followed the squad leader's orders.
Twang, twang, twang!
Three metal bolts shot out. Below the wall, Su Xiao stopped walking, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
Mud splattered. The nearly three-meter-long metal bolts embedded themselves into the soil, a fair distance from Su Xiao. Clearly, these three shots were not aimed at him.
The squad leader on the God Wall waved his arms, looking very ‘enthusiastic.’ Obviously, this guy was quite clever. Unable to determine Su Xiao's identity at the moment, he fired a few shots below the wall.
If Su Xiao really was the Iron Hand, then everything would be fine. He would discreetly conceal some details and report to his superiors: ‘We have warmly seen off Lord Iron Hand, but Lord Iron Hand has urgent business and did not stay on the God Wall. This is a model for us all…’
If Su Xiao was a spy, the squad leader would say: ‘Your subordinate fought valiantly, but the villain broke through the God Wall. I fired three bolts, but the villain was too powerful…’
No matter which scenario occurred, the squad leader could save his own skin.
…
Within the Undead clan's territory, the capital of the Undead Empire: Dark Moon Swamp.
Gurgle, gurgle. Bubbles rose from the muddy water of the swamp. Above this vast swamp was a massive tangle of thick vines, some several meters thick.
The Undead clan named these vines Dark Moon Vines. Every night, on moonless nights, these vines emitted a green fluorescence, hence the name Dark Moon Vines.
Above the Dark Moon Vines, the Undead clan had trimmed them flat and built orderly, staggered houses upon them. Some houses were made of piled stone, others of wood. Do not think these houses were crude; on the contrary, they were built with exceptional artistry.
This was the capital of the Undead clan, even larger in area than the human royal capital. Combined with the vine layer below, it was a spectacle.
It was now noon. The Undead capital was quiet and peaceful. Because the Undead clan hated strong light, they were all at home napping or inventing some primitive yet intricately structured machinery at this time.
The manufacturing capability of the Undead clan was far beyond that of humans. This was due to their customs. Undead learned about various machines from a young age; it was their childhood entertainment.
At the city center, a machine at least a hundred meters tall was operating. Upon closer inspection, it was a very crude steam engine.
Countless pipes were connected to this crude steam engine. It was because of this device that the Undead clan could build their city atop the Dark Moon Vines. Over generations of Undead management, the Dark Moon Vines had merged with the Undead capital. The Undead clan's domestic waste was decomposed by the Dark Moon Vines, turning into nutrients, while the Dark Moon Vines produced fresh air, ensuring no foul stench in the Dark Moon Swamp.
At the very center of the city, a towering tree grew on the Dark Moon Vines. This tree was the heart of the city. Its roots had pierced through the Dark Moon Vines, deeply anchoring into the soil like an iron stake driven into the ground, making the entire city more stable.
Its canopy nearly covered a third of the city, providing shade for many Undead. This showed how vast its canopy was. The Undead called it the Babakana Tree, which translated into human language as the Shelter Tree.
On the trunk of the Shelter Tree was a small wooden door. Behind the door was a modest treehouse. Even the Undead King, Senmayel, was not qualified to live in this treehouse.
The treehouse was somewhat simple, with only a wooden bed covered in leaves and branches. An elderly Undead sat on the bed. His hair and beard were pure white, his white beard three meters long, even trailing on the ground.
“Hoo.”
The sleeping Undead elder exhaled a long breath. His eyes opened. Unlike other Undead, he had no green pupils—in fact, no pupils at all.