Chapter 24: Dark Cross Wanderer

The battle at the Vampire Underground Palace brought great gains. Not only was a power ful enemy eliminated, but the strategic buffer of the Lich Castle was pushed forward by several hundred miles, bringing all the resource points near the Vampire Underground Palace under control. After the war, Hu Feng did not stop his expansion; he led the Lich Legion to continue pushing forward until they reached the heavily guarded Mountain Fortress deep in the Cursed Valley.

The Mountain Fortress was the only barbarian castle in the Cursed Valley. Creatures like Goblins, Ogres, and Cyclops were each stronger than the last, and their numbers were vast. It was even said that a Fourteenth Step Behemoth was stationed there. For thousands of years, it had guarded the vital passage leading to the valley exit, and had always kept a mutual non-interference pact with the Undead Creatures deep in the Cursed Valley.

Only after expanding his sphere of influence to the edge of the Mountain Fortress did Hu Feng stop his expansion. He built military stations along the way to guard against barbarian invasions. After annexing the vampire forces, although the combat power of the Lich Legion had greatly increased, it was still far from the time to start a war with the powerful barbarians!

“Yisu, this team of Vampire Warriors will be under your command from now on. Closely monitor the movements of the Mountain Fortress, but more importantly, find out the situation deep in the Cursed Valley as soon as possible!”

After the massive expansion, the Lich Castle entered another period of internal construction. The Bone Tower used to summon Skeleton Soldiers needed to be upgraded, and the Underground Palace used to summon Vampire Warriors needed to be repaired and rebuilt, which would consume a lot of materials and energy. Hu Feng, who was wholeheartedly pursuing Cultivation to the Divine Domain Peak, was unwilling to spend too much time on these details. He distributed power among Arnold, Saratos, and Yisu. Yisu was calm by nature and cultivated the fastest, so she bore the greatest responsibility. When Hu Feng was away, she was the Grand Commander of the Lich Legion.

Castles stood in great numbers on the Wasteland; almost every day, new castles were built, and huge castles were destroyed into ruins overnight. Before possessing absolute power, Hu Feng prepared to keep a low profile and develop silently in the hidden Cursed Valley. At this time, compared to the vast world outside the valley, he was more interested in the resources and forces deep within the valley.

The legendary Dreadlord, who possessed boundless Magic Power—if one could refine a trace of his divine thought, or even devour his essence blood and Soul energy, what realm would one break through to?

Hu Feng was full of anticipation for the resource-rich end of the valley. Now was not the time to act; when the time was right, he would not hesitate to ride his Ferrari Chariot and flatten all the forces at the end of the valley to explore the legendary Underground Palace that imprisoned the Dreadlord. Only after ruling the entire valley would the Lich Castle truly rise!

“Yes!”

Yisu bowed to accept the order and turned to leave with Arnold and the others. Watching their figures disappear outside the Lich Great Hall, Hu Feng took out the Dark Magic Pen, burned a large amount of Crystals, and quietly sneaked back to the distant Monastery. Several days had passed; now, it was time to make a move to capture the energy-surging Holy Bead.

Upon returning to Wuhai Town, Hu Feng immediately noticed the difference in this Settlement.

Inside the fence made of wooden stakes, a circle of crude earthen walls had been hastily built. Teams of fully armed warriors walked back and forth nervously. The streets were empty; warriors with the strength of Magic Apprentices and above were all standing behind the earthen walls. The entire Settlement was shrouded in a tense and oppressive atmosphere, sharpening weapons and feeding horses, as if facing a great enemy.

“Hu Feng, where have you been training these past few days? Are you alright?” Seeing Hu Feng’s figure, Ophelia walked over quickly.

“I’m fine. I just hid in the Wasteland for a few days and killed a pack of Wind Wolves!” Hu Feng smiled, restrained the energy fluctuations in his body, and then asked, “By the way, Ophelia, what happened in the Settlement? Why has everyone become so tense all of a sudden?”

“The dangers deep in the Wasteland have likely spread rapidly to the outer areas!” Ophelia said worriedly, paused, and then continued, “Starting three days ago, no one has been able to leave Wuhai Town alive. Whether it was large merchant caravans or powerful Demon Hunter Squads, they were all wiped out after rushing out, and their heads were cut off and sent back. No one knows what kind of danger is hiding in the vast Wasteland outside the Settlement!”

Ruthless enough!

Hu Feng felt a chill in his heart. “With so many powerful Demon Hunters in the Settlement, has no one managed to sneak out to find out what’s happening?”

“They went, but they also never returned, dying without a whole corpse!” Ophelia’s face was pale as she tightly gripped the Magic Staff in her hand. “Hu Feng, Elder Akashic has urgently summoned all the nearby Faith-guarding Knights to prepare to escort the Nuns to Luoye City, a thousand miles away. We leave as soon as night falls tonight. Hurry up and pack your things; leave with us tonight!”

“Okay, tonight, I will definitely leave!” Hu Feng looked calm, but in his heart, he wanted to let out a long roar.

A heaven-sent opportunity!

After lurking in the Monastery for so long, he was waiting for this moment. The more chaotic this Settlement of Wuhai Town became, the easier it would be for him to make his move and capture the Holy Bead on the Crystal High Tower in one fell swoop. To escort the frail Nuns, the Monastery would surely have to transfer a large number of elite troops; by then, who would be able to stop his sudden attack?

Watching Ophelia turn and leave, Hu Feng smiled coldly. “It’s getting more and more interesting. Who is it that has actually set their sights on this crude Settlement?”

Looking at the warriors hurrying back and forth outside the Monastery, Hu Feng’s expression remained calm.

No matter what danger lurked outside the Settlement, for him, it was a good opportunity. The stronger the unknown killer was, the greater his chance would be. Once he got the energy-surging Holy Bead, he would fly far away, relying on his sense of the Soul Summoning Banner to quickly return to the distant Lich Castle. No matter how strong the killer was, they wouldn’t be able to hurt a single hair on his head!

After nightfall, the Monastery’s team began to move, and under the guard of a large group of Faith-guarding Knights, the Nuns evacuated urgently. Many forces had been waiting for a long time and followed the Monastery’s army; there were anxious merchant caravans, uneasy Demon Hunters, and stumbling civilians. After opening the heavy wooden gates of the Settlement, just as they were preparing to step onto the vast Wasteland in a mighty procession, the Faith-guarding Knights at the front suddenly changed their expressions.

In the darkness ahead, a group of fierce Wandering Hunters had appeared at some point, riding tall Unicorns and slowly approaching under the cover of night. The Wandering Knights riding the Unicorns had varied weapons and equipment; some were fully armed, some had disheveled hair, but they all exuded dense Killing Intent. Without exception, they all had a deep ‘cross’ carved on their foreheads, like two hideous scars.

Dark Cross Wanderers?

Seeing more and more Wandering Hunters emerging from the darkness, the Faith-guarding Knights felt their hands and feet go cold.

The Dark Cross Wanderers were a household name in the Western Wasteland. Among the many wanderer teams, their weapons were not the sharpest, and their numbers were not the largest, but they were definitely the most cruel. Any castle or Settlement that was looted by them was left with nothing but ruins. The young guards could not escape death, and women, the elderly, and even infants a few months old were not spared; they were bloodier than the magical beasts on the Wasteland!

It’s over, it’s completely over!

Turning to look at the panicked team and the gate that couldn’t be closed in time, the leading Knight Commander’s face turned earth-colored. Before he could even give an order, a sharp pain came from his chest, and he fell from his tall warhorse, clutching his wound. A crude bamboo arrow had directly pierced his heavy armor and accurately penetrated his heart!

Slaughter the city!

The Wandering Commander in the darkness smiled coldly, put down the longbow in his hand, and the scar on his face looked particularly hideous. With a wave of his right hand, the fierce Wandering Hunters beside him rode their horses and charged out, surging toward the crude Settlement like a tide. They whipped their horses to go faster and faster, whistling nerve-rackingly while shooting rocket arrows trailing thick smoke, attacking the defensive formation hastily assembled by the Faith-guarding Knights.