Chapter 0532: Riverguard City

After leaving the village, Li Luo and the squad hastened along their journey to Riverguard City.

The dark sky and gloomy fog depressed their spirits along with the neverending whispers in their ears that spoke to the uneasiness within them.

It was hard not to be tense in such an environment. It started with keeping one's guard up, and then soon it reached a state of constant anxiety. Before you knew it, you would be seeing knives in shadows, reaching a state of hysteria before your mind snapped and you became a walking zombie.

Fortunately, the three of them had trained in the Umbra Cave before. The First Princess was the strongest of them, and her wealth of experience made her a seasoned veteran against corruption. Jiang Qing'e had a ninth-grade light resonance, so corruption evaporated away before her like morning dew in sunrise.

The purification power of light resonant energy was indeed perfect to counter the corruption.

Li Luo was the weakest and most susceptible. Therefore, he had come up with the brilliant suggestion that Jiang Qing'e should hold his hand throughout the trip, to grant him the protection of light resonant energy.

Jiang Qing'e dearly wanted to ignore him, knowing that the rascal had light resonant energy within him in his secondary resonance. Although it was weaker than his water and wood resonances, it was enough to protect him from corruption.

He was suggesting hand-holding for personal reasons.

Still, she went along with it. This was an even more dangerous place than the Umbra Cave, so it was still better to err on the side of caution.

The two clasped hands as they traveled.

The First Princess was a little pained as they traveled.

“These two are really enjoying themselves out here, aren't they?”

The three passed by several more villages, also inhabited. Many of them were old and infirm, eking out a meager and precarious existence and praying that the harsh environment would not crush them.

It was a painful and slow death.

With the miasma of corruption constantly hanging over them and weighing on their minds, even the Resonant Master cultivators would turn irate and aggressive after a long time.

Larger and larger changes to personality would follow, until their reason was completely gone.

At that time, the person would still technically be alive, but they would be no better than a corpse.

Which was why when Li Luo and the others passed, it was like a ray of hope in an ocean of despair.

They were always immeasurably grateful when the cleansing objects were set, providing them reprieve from the corruption. They would no longer need to live in fear that they were all falling prey to corruption.

By the time the group reached the vicinity of Riverguard City, five days had passed.

They had obtained 65,000 points.

On a slope outside Riverguard City.

Li Luo and the squad were hunkered down, observing the large city from a distance.

Of course, it was significantly larger in terms of buildup, and the corruption was proportionately deeper here.

Where there had only been black mist previously, there were black clouds here that hung above the city, darkening the sky at a much higher altitude. Even from the distance that they were at, they could feel the concentration of negative emotions within.

The whispers that ate away at one's sanity and reason, testing one's mental fortitude.

"That's as dark as I've ever seen," Li Luo said seriously.

"There are many signs of Others here. It won't be easy to cleanse this city," the First Princess said. "Looks like we're in for a tough battle."

Jiang Qing'e looked as calm as ever. She turned to Li Luo. "What's our ranking now?"

Li Luo fished out his spirit mirror and checked. "Fourth. That's not too bad."

"First is... the Enlightened Sage College's Lan Lan's team, at 80,000 points. Hmm, seems like the point difference isn't that big yet. No one's met any tough fights so far."

"It's not surprising." The First Princess shrugged. "But I think the first wave of real tests will arrive any time now."

Li Luo nodded. They had all been cleansing some easy villages so far, where the Other levels were not high. From now on, they were moving one step deeper into the Red Clay Province, and places like Riverguard City would be more common.

More Disaster-class Others would appear as well.

Some of the weaker teams would be stopped here, and the point gap would widen.

"What should we do next?" Li Luo asked, looking at the two stronger girls.

The First Princess smiled at Jiang Qing'e. "Qing'e, what do you think?"

"The situation here is complex," she said neutrally. "We don't even know if the four-limbed demon-eye serpent is the only Heavenly Disaster-class here. I don’t think we should rush into things. I suggest we sneak into the city and scout for information. Act when we have a better grasp of the enemy’s size and disposition."

The First Princess nodded in agreement. "Wise plan. Information is always king, and will save us from greater problems later."

Li Luo swallowed hard. They really knew how to make tough decisions. There were black clouds blooming like a mining compound, and they were casually discussing a sneak-in as if it were choosing an inn for afternoon tea.

But since the two carries had decided as such, a little flea like him couldn't say much about it. He nodded obediently.

The First Princess pulled out three black talismans from her pocket sphere.

"These are cloaking talismans. When attached to your body, they can hide your presence even from Others," she said, handing them out to Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.

Li Luo examined the runic markings in wonder. "These are pricey things, Your Highness. Very generous of you."

"I have no choice but to break the bank when two eminent students decide to favor me by letting me join their team," she said teasingly.

The three shared a laugh as they attached the talismans. Immediately after, the resonant power aura around them was dampened significantly. Even though they could be spotted with the naked eye, resonant power-based senses would come up empty.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Preparations ready, the three set off again.

For Li Luo's safety, Jiang Qing'e and the First Princess flanked him, keeping him safe in the middle. They descended the slope together, then moved swiftly and silently along the broken-down road to a breach in the city wall, clearing the rubble and stepping into the corrupted Riverguard City.