Chapter 226: Mysterious Ancient City (I)
Lights seemed to be flashing in the distant gloom, like the eyes of wild beasts glowing in the wilderness. That was how it came across to Li Hao.
It was dead silent around them. They walked on hard stone blocks and traveled down an uninhabited alley. That was, uninhabited until faint breathing sounded next to them.
This was when Li Hao realized they were not alone. He tilted his head to see a very nervous Liu Long next to him. The man wasn’t in clear focus given the dark, but the eyesight of a Sunderer was very decent. He could make out most of the shapes he saw—being only slightly affected by noise and interference.
Liu Yan was also panicking on the other side and whipped her head to and fro. Having just set foot into late Sunderer, the deathly quiet was a bit stifling.
Footsteps seemed to sound by their ears, but it was like they were separated by another layer—they weren’t that clear. The trio thought it was the Night Watchers at first, then quickly realized that it wasn’t.
These footsteps rose and fell and continued without end, but they didn’t approach the trio. It was as if they circled around the group, but didn’t draw closer.
Yuan Shuo’s words echoed in their minds at this time. You will hear footsteps in the ancient city. When you hear footsteps, that means danger is upon you! But he’d also said that the footsteps sounded only in the last, innermost part of the city he’d penetrated. He’d entered through the city gates and explored his way further, almost reaching the inner city before hearing the footsteps.
“Gulp!” someone swallowed hard. Li Hao didn’t think it was himself, was it Liu Yan? Or... was it the captain? The captain was afraid?
To be honest, the young man was also a bit frightened. Where were the others? Where was the rest of the delegation? Based on Hou Xiaochen’s words, they should be together after entering the ruins. They should all be at the entrance. Why was there only the three of them at this place?
“Chief...” Li Hao called out softly. Echoes suddenly returned to their position. “Chief...”
The three jumped with shock!
Reality was rapidly proving that audaciousness wasn’t truly the middle name of martial masters. The three subconsciously drew closer to each other, wanting to draw warmth from their companions. This forsaken place was chilly and sinister, it was terrifying!
They felt a certain degree safer after establishing close proximity to each other, but the footsteps by their ears never stopped. They paused briefly when Li Hao called out “chief”, making the trio pale with horror. Had they been heard??
They looked at each other. Liu Long forced himself to snap out of his terror as he was the team leader and a Dominator, but he was cursing up a storm inside. I knew the ruins were dangerous, but I didn’t know that they’d be so scary right upon entering!
“Don’t be afraid!” he mumbled very softly. Only martial masters would hear him with their superb hearing. However, he didn’t speak with a lot of confidence. Thank goodness they were here together. If one person had suddenly appeared here by themselves, they would likely be petrified with fear.
Liu Long looked around—they were in a tiny alley. Tall walls surrounded them and some light could be glimpsed up ahead. The lights that were as if ghostly fire also came from the end of the passageway.
The three looked at each other. What should they do now? Do they wait or move forward? Both retreat and advancement were tough to decide. Li Hao was the bolder one in the end. There was no helping it, they were here already.
He’d felt the same way when scarlet shadows visited him everyday and he’d been the only one who could see them. While their current circumstances were more terrifying, at least there were three of them. He caught the other two’s attention and gestured to the front.
Go there!
They couldn’t remain here forever. This little alleyway wasn’t spacious. Once enemies were upon them and attacked from both front and back, there would be no place to run. They couldn’t see how tall the walls were around them and if the structures were easy to destroy. The trio didn’t dare mount brash attempts at this point in time, in any case.
Li Hao stooped and felt the ground. The durable stone felt cool to the touch, but a careful mental probing brought heart palpitations. These stone blocks... seemed to contain a terrifying power! Something brewed inside and there was no edge to be felt. The young man followed the block to the walls, his expression stiffening as he did so. They seemed to be one entity! There were no cracks between the ground and walls, it was like they were one whole!
His teacher had said to not haphazardly leave the ground. Li Hao swallowed hard. Who would dare leave the ground? It was terrifying! What kind of awful place was this??
The three didn’t make a sound; Liu Long was exploring as well. When he touched something that looked like a crack underneath, he realized that it wasn’t a crack. It might just be decoration to break up the smooth surface of the stone.
The three carefully picked their way forward, their movements so light it was as if they imitated cats. The sound of footsteps up ahead grew clearer and the light grew brighter as they approached. The sound was frightening them out of their wits. Each step seemed to stomp on their hearts.
When they approached the end of the alley, Li Hao nearly screamed to feel someone pinching his arm. He barely forced the reflex down and wanted to erupt with curses when he saw that it was Liu Yan gripping him!
What are you pinching me for at a time like this?! Go pinch Liu Long!
In actuality... he quickly discovered that she was pinching both of them. This woman was bold and killed without blinking, but she was truly terrified at the moment. She shook as she looked ahead, the men followed her gaze. They’d been too distracted by her pinch to notice, but they froze when they saw what she was looking at!
There was a humanoid figure pacing around in the patch of light up ahead. Footsteps echoed in their ears—it came from that figure’s feet! Yuan Shuo had said that the footsteps might belong to people in the darkness!
The ancients?
How was that possible?!
There was no possibility of living people here. This place had been sealed for countless eons. It was impossible for anyone to survive without food, drink, or knowledge. But their eyes defied that reality, and the figure seemed to sense something as well. It suddenly stopped at the end of the alleyway, casting a glance in Li Hao’s direction.
The trio’s hearts almost stopped in their chests! They were unafraid of a strong enemy, just of the unknown. They wouldn’t be fearful if the figure suddenly introduced itself and said it was a Solar or Nova. But the figure didn’t say a word!
That was the most horrifying part of the encounter. To suddenly find someone staring at them in the darkness of an ancient city sealed for eternity, and to be able to see that person... What kind of feeling was that?
I do not move if the enemy does not move.
The trio remained still as long as the figure didn’t move. Everyone seemed to be caught by a petrification art. After an indeterminate period of time, possibly one minute, three, or five minutes...
The three heaved a sigh of relief when the figure vanished and footsteps appeared again. It was suddenly much more relaxing to hear the sound of footsteps. When they suddenly vanished would be another source of fright.
The three advanced gingerly, hunched over and movements gentle as could be. A short distance took several dozen seconds to cover before they reached where the figure had paused. Li Hao poked his head out of the alley—his scalp immediately crawled with numbness and he stiffened in dread! Liu Long likewise stuck his head out when he felt the young man’s tension. His scalp also tingled with horror! Liu Yan was the next to carefully look outward, finishing off a trio of heads that didn’t dare move.
There was a large avenue outside the alley and many, many dark figures within it. To their left was the figure that’d just disappeared from their alley; there were many more of its brethren to be found on the right!
The three heads shot back into the alley. More footsteps were approaching them. The sounds were so uniform that they seemed to originate from one person, but the trio could tell that it was a small squad. It looked to be roughly eight figures—no one dared take a clear look.
The footsteps were growing closer. Li Hao wanted to retreat, but Liu Long pressed down on his arm with a slight shake of the head and held his breath. This was not a moment for action—it would too easily draw attention.
Three stiff Night Watchers waited on the spot in apprehension. A small team of black figures steadily approached. The trio was afforded their first clear glance of the figures when the first one passed by the alley.
Soldiers!
Shock shook their hearts. These weren’t random black figures, but soldiers dressed in black armor! Their armor was cast from a solid whole, even their helmets, and fully enveloped their wearers. Weapons hung by their sides.
It was a team of ancient soldiers! They moved along the avenue like wraiths, stepping forward in unison and passing by the alley. No one looked at the trio, no one noticed them, or perhaps no one discovered the three trespassers.
The footsteps continued in complete tandem. This was a highly trained squad of elites. They seemed to be on their usual patrols. Day after day, year after year!
Liu Long, Liu Yan, and Li Hao were so stunned that they could barely come back to their senses. Were these people alive? Patrolling soldiers?
It was hard to imagine—were there really large numbers of living people in this ancient city?
Li Hao’s expression shifted slightly and he shook his head. “They... don’t seem to be alive!” he murmured in a barely audible voice when the footsteps receded. The senses of martial masters were very keen. He couldn’t sense any breathing, heartbeats, or balls of light beneath the armor. What were these things?
Neither did the young man believe that anyone could survive in this completely sealed off city for so long.
“Puppets?” Li Hao offered after thinking it over. He’d memorized many old tomes and some recorded the existence of puppets in the ancient times. They were sometimes indistinguishable from real people—certain techniques and methods could create puppets that even had flesh and blood. The only thing they lacked was a consciousness.
Could that have been a team of puppets used to patrol the ancient city back in its day?
The trio didn’t know and couldn’t theorize an answer. The ancient civilization was too far removed from them.
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