Chapter 54: Dawn Gate Breakout Battle
The firewood in the campfire crackled, occasionally sending up a few sparks. The four members of the Sunset Red Squad sat around the bonfire with Su Xiao, Amu, Bubu Wang, and Melody.
The Sunset Red Squad's witch-hunting methods were highly effective, with only a brief battle erupting at the end. Blood Bear had single-handedly killed a second-stage witch, something unimaginable for other witch hunters. Witches far surpassed witch hunters in physical fitness—there was no doubt about that.
"Is this the captive?"
Su Xiao looked at the tightly bound witch beside the fire. There was clearly no need to take her alive now, and such wild witches were unlikely to know about the Mud Altar or Mist Castle.
"That's Gunter's habit. We've already entered the southern region, and it's been years since we last hunted witches. We don't understand the changes here."
Carmen glanced at Melody as he spoke. Witches understood witches better. Though bringing a black witch along with their squad carried risks, they needed to know the changes in the south.
"The original plan remains unchanged—head straight for Dawn Gate. Once there, we split up."
"Agreed."
Su Xiao was pondering one thing: the exact location of the Death Ground. According to Carmen's description, Mist Castle was built on the mountainside of a high peak. As for the Death Ground, he couldn't yet determine it.
As Su Xiao was thinking, a sudden roar echoed from afar, and blazing flames erupted half a kilometer away.
Seeing this, Su Xiao stomped out the campfire with a few kicks. As for the distant battle, he had no interest in knowing what was happening there. This was the south, the witches' territory. Avoiding unnecessary trouble was more important than curiosity.
Just as Su Xiao extinguished the fire, the four members of the Sunset Red Squad had already jumped onto the carriage, driving it in the opposite direction of the flames.
Melody looked utterly bewildered. Before she could recover, Su Xiao had tossed her onto the carriage. Amu was digging a pit to bury the extinguished fire.
Within half a minute, the group had driven far away. As for the distant flames, it had nothing to do with them. Their goal was the Mud Altar and Mist Castle.
"At that flame height, it's at least a fourth-stage witch."
Carmen sat atop the carriage, his old eyes narrowing.
Traveling at night wasn't wise, but the group didn't want to linger in the south. Mud splashed as the two carriages vanished into the night.
The south was known as the Witch Kingdom, so the number of witches here was predictable. By noon the next day, Su Xiao's group encountered a second group of witches—or rather, a group of witches fleeing for their lives.
Su Xiao didn't act against these chance encounters, nor did Carmen and the others. They simply let the three witches escape into the distance.
Not long after, over a dozen witches appeared in the distance, heading straight for the two carriages. Seeing the iron-black carriages, the witches stopped in their tracks.
"Are those... witch hunters?"
The leading witch looked visibly surprised. One of the witches behind her whispered something.
Su Xiao's hand rested on his sword hilt. He could eliminate these witches quickly, but doing so might cause unforeseen trouble.
The carriages moved forward slowly, and the witch squad did the same. When the distance between them was at its closest, the leading third-stage witch curled her lips.
"Why seek death?"
Carmen glanced at her sideways. The witch's manifestation materialized...
One minute later, the leading witch lay sprawled on the blood-soaked grass. The two carriages continued on. It turned out that even without provoking these witches, they wouldn't stay peaceful.
Three days later.
The draught beasts pulling the carriage let out a low roar, their metal wheels sinking deep into the mud.
Su Xiao jumped down from the carriage. Judging by the surroundings, they had entered the swamp Carmen had mentioned. They had encountered quite a few witches along the way, but Su Xiao noticed that not all black witches were hostile to witch hunters. Most of the witches they met turned and fled upon seeing the two carriages. Su Xiao and Carmen didn't bother those witches either.
Su Xiao untied the harnesses of the three draught beasts in front of the carriage. The three beasts stared blankly at him.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked at the three draught beasts, and the three dull-witted creatures all looked at him.
"Woof, woof, woof..."
After a few barks, the three draught beasts ran off toward the swamp's edge. They no longer needed to pull the carriage.
"That one over there... uh..."
Carmen didn't know how to address Bubu Wang. Calling him "that dog" seemed rude, as he had already noticed Bubu Wang's high intelligence.
"Bubu, negotiate with those draught beasts too."
Bubu Wang trotted over to the other three draught beasts. These three lingered reluctantly for a while before leaving, seemingly having formed some bond with Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang tilted his head up at a 45-degree angle, gazing at the sun. His expression clearly said: "Such is the life of a dog—always full of partings and reunions."
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang barked loudly, signaling Su Xiao to move out. He took a few steps, then with a *plop*, sank into the swamp. Staring at the sun too long had made him dizzy.
Amu grabbed Bubu Wang by the hind leg and pulled him out of the mud. Another *plop*, and Bubu Wang was free.
Entering the swamp, the view was filled with patches of green grass, with irregularly shaped puddles nearby. These puddles were interconnected, some deep, some shallow.
Stepping onto the soft grass sent muddy water splashing far away. The swamp stretched endlessly, teeming with hidden dangers.
This kind of swamp didn't slowly swallow you up; you could vanish in an instant. Mud was different from water—no matter how good a swimmer you were, you couldn't swim in thick mud.
The group formed a single line, with the drunkard at the front tied to a rope. If he sank into the swamp, Blood Bear behind him would pull him out as fast as possible.
For ordinary people, this wetland swamp was nearly impassable, but for this veteran witch-hunting squad, it was just a minor inconvenience.
The group moved through the swamp at a decent pace. By dusk, a large patch of dry land appeared ahead, signaling they were almost out of the swamp.
Not long after, a cliff blocked their path. Seeing this cliff, Carmen let out a long sigh. Dawn Gate had arrived.
So-called Dawn Gate was actually a narrow sky passage between mountains. The entrance to this passage resembled a massive arch, hence the name Dawn Gate.
Standing before Dawn Gate, Su Xiao frowned. He couldn't understand why Carmen had chosen such a dangerous route. Seeing Su Xiao's confusion, Carmen smiled helplessly.
"The direct territory of the Moye family is oval-shaped. In previous years, besides Dawn Gate, we tried every other possible entrance to that area. Let's go. The Moye family's witches can't be stationed at Dawn Gate year-round."
"Wait."
Su Xiao patted Bubu Wang's back. Bubu merged into the environment and quickly ran into Dawn Gate.
A few minutes later, Su Xiao placed his hand on the sword hilt at his waist.
"Prepare to fight our way out."
"Huh?"
Carmen and the others looked at Su Xiao in confusion, but despite their doubts, they all unsheathed their weapons.
"Have we been exposed?"
"If the hundred-plus witches inside Dawn Gate aren't here for a party, then yes, we've been exposed."
"Prophecy-type witch..."
On the cliff wall inside Dawn Gate, Bubu Wang sat beside over a dozen witches, sticking his dog face close to a young girl.
Suddenly, Bubu Wang actively disengaged from the environment.
Imagine how tense a young girl lying in ambush, ready to strike, would be—especially with the enemy already at Dawn Gate's entrance.
A dog face suddenly appeared before her eyes. Her body jolted, nearly sending her witch hat flying.
"Ah!"
The girl screamed. Bubu Wang vanished from before her eyes again. The shout echoed.
At that moment, the narrow passage fell silent. Dozens of eyes all turned to the girl.
"I said... there was a dog here just now. Do you believe me?"