Chapter 192 - Distress Signal

The cold wind violently howled, carrying with it a sweeping sandstorm that veiled the sky.

All travelers found themselves coated in a thick layer of yellow sand, depicting the harsh ground situation in the northwest.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Although it was already March, the region retained a wintry atmosphere, with occasional heavy snowfall.

Like a cold knife, the biting wind sliced through the air, capable of piercing the protective primeval qi of martial artists.

The northwest climate was arid, offering only a landscape of yellow soil, sand, and earthen hills. In the distance, sporadic bare trees trembled in the cold wind, and jackdaws cawed, intensifying the prevailing desolation.

“Ptooi!” Mu Chen spat, his saliva freezing instantly in the chilling wind, producing a cracking noise upon hitting the ground.

“The weather in the northwest is too damn bad. The sandstorm is so fierce that even my spit turns to ice. If not for our profound cultivation, we might have frozen to death. I wonder how the locals endure such winters," remarked a Spring Autumn Inner Sect disciple, interrupted as the sandy wind invaded his mouth, prompting him to spit out the grit in frustration.

The appearance of bloodsucking bandits in the northwest, practicing demonic cultivation techniques and terrorizing the common people, led numerous sects in the Great Chu Empire to issue eradication missions. Many disciples, driven by this cause, had journeyed to the region.

Mu Chen, Lu Yun, and Wei Rufeng were on friendly terms. They found two more inner sect disciples to join their group and came to the northwest, braving the air full of sand.

About two hours after Mu Chen’s group of five left, Chen Fan also appeared. Contrary to their complaints and disheveled states, Chen Fan appeared remarkably composed.

A protective layer of qi enveloped him. The membrane was fending off the sandstorm and biting cold, so not a speck of dust marred his clean attire.

Other individuals at the first or second level of the Yuanfu realm couldn't do something like this.

Although they could circulate their qi to shield themselves, they couldn’t bear to waste their primeval force and exhaust it as recklessly as Chen Fan.

Observers might deem his actions reckless and him an inexperienced cultivator.

Out on a mission, conserving primeval qi for potential encounters with formidable adversaries was of paramount importance.

Wasting primeval force to shield off some wind, sand, and cold was simply suicide.

Chen Fan, seemingly indifferent to the conventional wisdom, maintained his stance. After all, his primeval force reservoir was exceptionally robust, far surpassing his peers.

Even in the Qi Gathering realm, he had ten times the primeval qi others had. Now that he had advanced to the Yuanfu realm, his primeval vessel was also much larger than others.

The primeval force within him was several times that of his counterparts, rendering the use of a small amount inconsequential.

“Hmm? There’s the smell of blood ahead. Seems like there's trouble!” Without making contact with the ground, he swiftly propelled himself forward, navigating through the sandstorm. He soon vanished into the distant, cold wind, covering over ten miles in moments.

Arriving at a town, he furrowed his brow in deep concern.

Comparable in size to Zhuxian Town, this town bore a haunting atmosphere as its lifeless inhabitants, men, women, the elderly, and even infants, lay strewn across the streets.

Dark red blood painted the ground.

The entire town's resources had been mercilessly plundered.

The dry corpses strewn all over the ground all had grim expressions. Some of them were clutching something, their bodies curled up, seemingly having suffered greatly before death.

Wild wolves roamed the town, feasting on the bones of the deceased, creating an eerie symphony of crunching sounds that mirrored a hellish scene.

Chen Fan sucked in a breath of cold air.

He went up to check on the corpse of a man in his prime. He discovered a wound on its neck, which appeared to be a bite mark.

This man had died from having his neck bitten and his blood sucked dry.

One could only imagine what kind of grueling pain this person suffered before his death.

The chilling wind whistled like the cries of ghosts in this town full of dry corpses, making Chen Fan’s heart twitch.

The wolves howled at the sight of a living person, planning to pounce on Chen Fan. He dealt with them effortlessly with a flick of his finger.

“What a cruel method of sucking blood. These evil martial artists are simply heartless, to turn an entire town into hell on earth and not even spare babies," Chen Fan remarked, anger flashing in his eyes.

“If we don’t exterminate these blood-sucking bandits quickly, who knows how many more people will be harmed.”

Crouching down, Chen Fan blew away the yellow sand, revealing bloody hoof prints leading into the distance.

He touched the bloodstains and muttered, “They passed through here ten to twelve hours ago. The cold froze the blood. So many hoof prints... There are likely a few thousand of them. They swept through this town, killing off the population in less than an incense’s worth of time.”

Chen Fan stood up, looking ahead, and narrowed his eyes slightly. “If I follow these hoof prints, I can probably catch up to those damnable blood-sucking bandits.”

Immediately, Chen Fan vanished from the spot as he rushed out of the town, following the hoof prints on the main road.

The northwest region was dull and gloomy, with sand dunes everywhere. Some civilian residences could occasionally be seen between the sand dunes, but they were all in ruins.

Rumors had it that the northwest region was flourishing thousands of years ago. It housed the prosperous Loulan Ancient Kingdom.

However, the sandstorm gradually swallowed up the place. It led to neglect and decay. Many inhabitants abandoned the region, and the once-mighty Loulan Ancient Kingdom succumbed to natural calamities and human misfortune.

Chen Fan continued his journey deeper into the northwestern lands, encountering remnants of towering cities left behind by history.

Chen Fan traveled for several hundred miles after leaving that town.

The sky was turning dark. As an adept cultivator, he possessed night vision, allowing him to discern details even without daylight.

Overhead, dark clouds loomed, hinting at an impending snowfall.

"There's a ruined ancient city ahead," Chen Fan noted, his sharp gaze piercing through space to identify city walls standing ten miles away. His eyes narrowed as he said, “Those bandits should be resting in this ancient city. There are even Yuanfu realm experts among them. I have to be careful.”

Despite his confidence in his strength, caution weighed on Chen Fan.

These bandits numbered several thousand, with even Yuanfu realm experts among them. If they were to surround him, he would be in danger since he couldn’t possibly fend them off alone.

In the unpredictable world, vigilance was paramount.

The ancient city sat in the cold winds of the night. The ruined city walls recorded the vicissitudes of thousands of years.

Chen Fan withdrew his aura and quickly approached the ancient city.

However, when he reached two to three miles from the city, a flare shot up into the sky, exploding into vibrant fireworks that spelled out the words "Spring Autumn."

This wasn't just any distress signal—it had come from Spring Autumn Sect disciples.