Shen Luo snorted coldly, triggering all the mana inside his body. The green light on the surface of his body immediately lit up, forcefully dispersing a lot of the surrounding white smoke, and he continued to move forward.
However, there was a huge amount of this white smoke. One layer was no sooner dispersed than another one emerged. Every bit of distance covered cost him a significant amount of mana.
Luckily, his mana was vigorous after advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage. This degree of mana consumption didn’t mean much to him. If he was still in the Grain Avoidance Stage, his mana would not be enough.
When about one-fifth of his mana had been consumed, the white smoke in front of him suddenly vanished. He felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his body, and his speed increased substantially.
The very next moment, Shen Luo’s vision blurred before returning to normal.
At this moment, he was standing on an uninhabited hillock. Surrounding him were continuous hilly regions with sparse vegetation, making the place appear pretty desolate.
Looking back, he saw a high Fog Wall standing about a li behind him; it reached up and connected with the skydome, extending left and right without any visible end – it was a scene similar to what he had seen in Longevity Village.
The sky here was utterly blue, a stark contrast to the perpetually grey sky in Longevity Village. A few white clouds hovered above, and the Sun hung low in the west, casting a faint golden color on the nearby clouds.
The air outside seemed fresher compared to the inside.
These common scenes – the blue sky, white clouds, deserted hills all around – which were easily seen before, seemed remarkably beautiful at this moment.
Shen Luo composed himself and then took a serious look at his surroundings.
The place where he stood was a hilly region. A few low mountains stood far away, the terrain between the mountains seemed to be flatter.
He thought for a moment while touching his chin, but did not immediately return to Longevity Village. Instead, he moved, dashing toward the mountains in the distance.
Shen Luo ran straight for twenty or thirty miles. The terrain gradually became flat, and soon after, an expansive meadow appeared.
A lot of land here had been turned into farmland. However, many fields had been abandoned. In the distance, a few villages could faintly be seen. As dusk was approaching, a few strands of cooking smoke rose slowly from the villages, exuding a sense of life.
Shen Luo sighed in relief and continued rushing forward, soon reaching the village that was closest to him.
At first glance, the village looked larger than Longevity Village. However, the village seemed somewhat run-down, most of the houses being empty, and many had already begun to collapse- a scene of utter desolation.
“Which village are you from, boy? Running around so late, aren’t you afraid of getting caught by the wolves?” A voice came from the front.
Looking up, Shen Luo saw a middle-aged man in a grey robe. The man was roughly in his forties or fifties, holding a chopper in his hand and carrying a bundle of firewood on his back. He was looking at Shen Luo with curiosity.
“Sir, I am Shen Luo, I lost my way and I would like to ask how to reach my destination,” Shen Luo cupped his fist towards the man.
“From the outside? You are brave, boy! Even in these troubled times, you dare to travel far from home,” the middle-aged man put down the firewood from his back, gave Shen Luo a top to bottom look, and then said.
“I can defend myself with some martial arts. May I know your name, sir, and the name of this village?” Shen Luo asked.
“My surname is Tian. If you don’t mind, just call me Uncle Tian. Our village consists of only two surnames, Tian and Luo, so our village is called Tianluo Village,” Tian Da laughed loudly, seemingly someone with a very amiable personality.
“Uncle Tian, your Tianluo Village is quite vast, but why does it seem to be so sparsely populated?” Shen Luo asked curiously.
“What else can it be? It’s all because of those damn demons!” Uncle Tian said resentfully.
“There are demons ravaging here too?” Shen Luo asked with a flicker in his eyes.
“In these exceptional times, where wouldn’t you find demons? The demon wolves in the Eagle Beak Mountain to the west, and the Yellow Weasel Demon in Dragon Ridge to the east, come out of their mountains from time to time. Whether it’s catching cattle and sheep, ruining farmland, or even eating people; they are capable of everything! The capable people in the village have moved to Willow Post City. That place is guarded by Immortal Masters, and demons usually don’t dare to approach,” Uncle Tian gave a bitter smile, a trace of envy in his voice.
“Does this not mean the villagers who are left behind are even more endangered? If a monster comes, how will you withstand it?” Shen Luo asked, frowning.
“We naturally can’t resist at all. Luckily, those Immortal Masters come out at regular intervals to eliminate the monsters; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live. Even so, people or livestock in the village disappear from time to time. Enough about that, where are you heading to, boy?”Uncle Tian shook his head, and then asked.
“I am looking for a place called Longevity Village, has Uncle Tian heard about it?” Shen Luo asked.
“Longevity Village? Are you talking about the village which was swallowed up by a Sky Wolf hundreds of years ago? Oh no, you mustn’t go there!” Upon hearing this, Uncle Tian was startled for a while, and then his face turned into a shocked expression while frantically waving his hands.
“Uncle Tian, do you know where that place is?” Shen Luo immediately asked.
“I heard from the elders, it was a village located dozens of miles to the north, at the base of an Immortal Mountain. Hundreds of years ago, a black Sky Wolf descended and swallowed the whole of the Immortal Mountain and nearby Longevity Village. Now, the place is covered up by a layer of white demon fog. As soon as a person approaches, they can never come out again. Boy, you mustn’t go there!” Deep fear could be seen in Uncle Tian’s eyes.
“Since it’s inadequate to go there, I better head first to the Willow Post City you mentioned earlier. Can you tell me the way to get there?” Shen Luo nodded in agreement, and then asked.
“Willow Post City is located to the northwest of our village and is about seventy to eighty miles away from here. Once you leave the village and reach the official road, head straight towards the west, that’s the way to Willow Post City,” Uncle Tian pointed towards the village entrance.
“Thank you for your directions, Uncle Tian,” Shen Luo cupped his fists and thanked sincerely.
“Naw, it’s not a big deal. You should get going now. Although the demon wolves from the Eagle Beak Mountain haven’t appeared recently, many ordinary wild wolves already have begun appearing here and there. Especially in the night, it’s extraordinarily unsafe,” Tian Da kindly admonished, before turning around with the firewood on his back and walking towards the village.
Seeing Uncle Tian’s receding figure, Shen Luo snapped his fingers, a strand of mana flew out silently and plunged into Tian Da’s Xuehai Acupoint on the right leg.
Tian Da only felt a slight warmth near his right knee. A warm air seeped in, relieving the knee pain caused by years of heavy labour in an instant.
He stopped in his tracks and moved his legs. The pain was completely gone; both his knees felt warm and very comfortable.
Uncle Tian subconsciously turned back and looked, but Shen Luo, who had been standing there just now, was nowhere to be seen. He looked surprised.
“Oh no, could it be that I encountered a High Person? Was it an Immortal Master traveling from afar?” He suddenly remembered something and muttered to himself.
At this moment, Shen Luo had already reached the edge of Tianluo Village, a thoughtful look on his face.