章節 340: Chapter 310: Fallen Ones Jumping into the River?
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In Shura Town No. 3.
After leaving Spirit City, Tang San and his group took a week to arrive here, mainly to accommodate the speed of the fifteen Spirit Elders. Otherwise, they could have arrived faster.
The local Spirit Hall personnel had already surrounded the area within a fifty-kilometer radius, centered on Shura Town No. 3.
This place was quite close to the Infinite Desert. Walking another ten kilometers ahead, one would see yellow sand.
"Greetings, Holy Son. Greetings, Lords Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan." The head of the local Spirit Hall branch came forward to welcome them.
"No one has left this area in the past few days, right?" Yu Tianheng asked.
"No one." The branch head shook his head. "We have cooperated with the local city lord to seal off this fifty-kilometer area. If anyone leaves, we will know."
"Moreover, since the incident in the Slaughter City, the passage from Shura Town No. 3 to the Slaughter City has been blocked with various materials. Unless they can burrow underground, it's impossible for them to enter the Slaughter City."
Yu Tianheng nodded. "That's good..."
While Yu Tianheng was getting more details from the branch head, Dugu Yan asked Tang San about another matter: "Tang San, since the Slaughter City has been abandoned, what will the Spirit Hall do with captured fallen ones in the future?"
"Kill them directly."
This is the current attitude of the Spirit Hall towards evil soul masters.
Previously, the Spirit Hall sent fallen ones to the Slaughter City to let them kill each other and attract other fallen ones to enter voluntarily. This was a measure against the fallen ones, although it was not well-known. Perhaps it also provided fresh blood for the Hell Road, since if someone in the Spirit Hall wanted to pass the Hell Road and obtain the Slaughter God Domain, the first step was for the Slaughter King to sacrifice most of the fallen ones.
Now that the Slaughter City has had an incident, and the Spirit Hall is flourishing with rapidly growing manpower and resources, they can no longer send the fallen ones to the Slaughter City.
Instead, they will conduct public trials across the continent, convict the fallen ones, and execute them publicly.
This greatly enhances the Spirit Hall's reputation.
"Indeed, killing them is the best solution, once and for all." Dugu Yan didn't think as much as Tang San did. Her idea was simpler: those who commit unforgivable crimes must pay with their lives.
"What kind of place is the Slaughter City?" Gu Yuena, who had been silent, suddenly asked. The name seemed familiar to her, as if she had heard it while her main body was asleep, and it even caused her spirit to instinctively feel uneasy and have a nightmare.
"It's the inheritance place of the God of Shura," Tang San said, transmitting his voice to her without Yu Tianheng and the others hearing. He added in a slightly teasing tone, "Did your Silver Dragon God's inheritance mention what kind of deity Shura is?"
"Yes!"
Gu Yuena gritted her teeth.
How could she not know about the God of Shura?
The one who severely injured her with a single sword strike... No wonder the name seemed familiar; it was the place where that bastard left his inheritance in this world.
Though she hated it, she understood that it would be better not to enter the Slaughter City. If she did, the God of Shura would definitely notice her.
That bastard might be looking for an excuse to descend to the lower realm.
"It seems the relationship between the Silver Dragon God and the God of Shura isn't very good." Tang San smiled and then turned to Yu Tianheng, who had approached him. "What's the situation?"
"The fallen ones are within this fifty-kilometer area," Yu Tianheng said. "Additionally, there's an important piece of information: this area has an underground dark river. Though the entrance is very hidden, the evil soul master team might escape through it. This dark river is said to lead to the core area of the Infinite Desert."
The branch head added, "If they enter it, that would be the best scenario. The dark river has only one exit, located in the heart of the Infinite Desert. There are no exits along the way, and the river's flow is extremely rapid. Even a Spirit Saint cannot withstand it for long. The distance from here to the core area of the Infinite Desert is nearly ten thousand miles."
In other words, if the fallen ones entered the underground dark river, they would be torn apart by the currents, leaving no remains.
Dugu Yan shook her head. "They've been pursued by us for more than two years and have extraordinary determination. They won't commit suicide by jumping into the dark river after being trapped for a few days."
"That's not necessarily true. The fallen ones think differently. They might believe they can withstand the river's current." Tang San, considering the perspective of the evil soul masters, offered a different suggestion. "Moreover, we can't let them enter the dark river. If they carry poison and contaminate the water source, this area will face a severe water crisis."
"What?"
The branch head panicked. This place, close to the Infinite Desert, was hot and had scarce water resources. If the dark river were polluted, the local people would suffer greatly.
Water being more precious than gold was not unheard of near the Infinite Desert.
"Take us to the dark river's entrance quickly!" Yu Tianheng urged.
"Yes!"
Understanding the severity of the situation, the branch head personally led Tang San, Gu Yuena, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others to the entrance of the dark river.
The entrance was not within Shura Town No. 3 but in a natural cave located over ten kilometers outside the town.
When the group arrived at the cave entrance, they were greeted by the gruesome sight of over a dozen Spirit Hall knights lying in pools of blood. Their faces contorted in various expressions of terror, rage, laughter, and tears.
"The guards stationed here have all been killed!" The branch leader panicked. "Why didn't they send a signal? I had ordered them to use the soul tool communication device at the first sign of trouble!"
"They were likely mentally compromised and didn't have time to send a signal," Tang San said, crouching down to inspect the bodies. Using his mental power to investigate, he discovered that their brains had turned to mush.
A mental attack!
Before their actual deaths, they had probably been trapped in a mental illusion.
"Have the bodies cremated and properly buried, and ensure their families receive ample compensation," Tang San instructed the branch leader as he stood up.
"Yes, Holy Son." The branch leader immediately began organizing the cleanup of the bodies, then asked, "Should we send someone inside to investigate?"
"We four will go in. The rest of you stay here and guard the entrance, making sure to monitor all other possible exits. The fallen ones might be using this as a diversion to draw us away," Tang San said, then led Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Gu Yuena into the cave.
As they moved deeper inside, the air grew more humid, and the ground was pocked with puddles. They could even hear the faint sound of water.
Gu Yuena, carrying a soul tool lantern, sniffed the air and said, "I smell blood. Faint, but it was left about ten minutes ago. There's also a foul odor mixed in—undigested food and feces. It's quite repulsive."
"You can smell that?" Yu Tianheng was shocked. If he didn't know Gu Yuena's martial spirit was of the true dragon type, he would have thought it was some kind of canine or wolf.
Considering the heavy moisture in the air and the constant flow of the underground river, the blood scent should have dissipated quickly!
And he, a Spirit Emperor, hadn't smelled anything.
"It's just a natural ability of true dragon martial spirits," Gu Yuena said casually.
Yu Tianheng: "..." By her logic, his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit wasn't a true dragon?
As they walked another kilometer, taking a few turns, they finally reached the entrance of the underground river.
In the light of the soul tool lantern, they could see the river stretching nearly a hundred meters wide, its turbulent waters surging and frothing. The walls on either side were smooth from constant erosion by the water, making them as hard as silver alloy.
Aside from the platform they were standing on, there was nowhere else to stand.
"With the river this turbulent, even if fallen ones think differently, they wouldn't be stupid enough to commit suicide by jumping in, right?" Dugu Yan muttered, doubting that the fallen ones would be that foolish.
These people had no faith or purpose other than pursuing power by any means necessary.
"But what about the blood scent Gu Yuena detected?" Yu Tianheng asked. "All the dead guards are accounted for. No one is missing."
Although infighting among fallen ones was common, losing even one member in a situation like this would weaken their strength... Wait, were they trying to consume their companions to gain power?
Yu Tianheng couldn't help but think of the bloodsword, Norman.
Tang San, despite his strong mental power, couldn't recreate the scene from ten minutes ago given the current environment. He looked to Gu Yuena for answers.
Gu Yuena, sensing his expectation, proudly lifted her chin and said, "Based on the scents, there were twelve people who came here."
"Yes, that fallen ones team should have only twelve people left. Originally there were over thirty, but after two years of us hunting them down, their numbers dwindled, except for the Soul King who can 'revive'," Yu Tianheng acknowledged Gu Yuena's keen sense of smell, feeling excited. "Did they leave after entering?"
"Judging by the scent, they all jumped into the river. Five of them were killed before jumping—likely their bellies were slit open," Gu Yuena analyzed, her expression turning peculiar. "It seems these fallen ones are really like beasts, eating raw flesh and internal organs."
This behavior was common among beasts and soul beasts under ten thousand years old. Those above that usually consumed prey whole.
Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan furrowed their brows.
Cannibalism?
The fallen ones were inhumane and killing them was no surprise. But why would they eat here?
For the cool air?
"Maybe they wanted the stomachs of those five," Tang San speculated, staring at the turbulent river. The thought that crossed his mind made him shiver...
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