280. The black-haired and black-eyed exorcist walks alone
San Luis Canyon.
Locals prefer to call it the Dry Rift Valley.
The intricate river-like canyon is blown by strong winds all year round. There are no water sources or oases for dozens of miles nearby, and the other end is surrounded by a narrow desert corridor.
In the afternoon, on a low rock, Lu Li looked into the distance.
The terrain here reminded him of hell.
There are some natural bridges across the canyon ahead. They have been weathered by wind and sun, and are strong enough - at least they will not collapse under a person's weight.
Some canyons were shaped like isolated islands, and some were dead ends with no bridges to other "islands". Lu Li had to look around every time he stepped onto an "island", looking for a way to connect deeper.
But before setting foot on the last "island", no one can be sure whether the road ahead is a bridge leading to the desert corridor or a dead end.
The strong wind blew across the bottom of the canyon, bringing with it a sharp and clear whistling sound.
The rope of trance is still affecting me.
Lu Li was vaguely aware of it.
Rather than crossing the Grand Canyon and the desert to reach the oasis where the Time of Silence is located, it is easier and faster to go to the coastal port and rent a boat from there to go directly through the river.
But obviously, it is more epic to go through many dangers, go through hardships, and finally come to the moment of silence.
But being aware doesn't mean you will resist.
The rituals imposed by the rope are not mandatory, but rationalizations.
It is reasonable to choose to go out to search for supplies when you are short of food.
It is reasonable to want to kill your enemy after a loved one is killed.
Susu——
As Lu Li stepped on the geotechnical bridge, sand and gravel fell, causing cracks to appear.
Lu Li quickened his pace and crossed the bridge before the cracks spread faster.
Almost as soon as I set foot on the "island", the bridge behind me collapsed and crashed into the bottom of the canyon dozens of meters deep.
The rising dust was blown away by the strong wind. Lu Li moved his eyes away and continued to observe the front.
The ritual of the God's Rope turned Lu Li into a tragedy, but at the same time it protected him towards the end.
Whether it ends with a hero or a tragic ending.
Three hours later, Lu Li stepped onto the desert corridor surrounding the canyon.
He found the only correct route in the St. Les Canyon where he could be trapped on an isolated island at any time.
The stretches of yellow sand form hills, canyons and the edge of the desert, almost blending into one, similar to the Gobi.
The wind blowing from the north carries the sand and gravel from the foot of the World Back Mountain Range to the southern coast.
Lu Li unfolded the parchment map. On the drawn map, the desert corridor was only twenty miles wide. Passing through the desert would be Lu Li's final destination, a flat plain of old rivers.
The essence is there in silence.
There were still two hours before dark, barely enough time for Lu Li to cross the corridor.
Lu Li took out a bundle of strings, tied his trousers tightly, pulled up his cloak to block the wind and sand, and walked into the desert.
The clouds in the sky made the desert easier to navigate, and the wind and sand covered his footsteps behind him, but the compass pointed the way forward for Lu Li.
During the period of silence, the evil spirit in his arms rang the bell, but this failed to stop Lu Li.
Two hours later, Lu Li arrived at the edge of the desert corridor, and the soft gravel was replaced by hard earth.
In the wilderness ahead, a village appears on the horizon.
On the parchment map, it was a village called Lantern Village.
Lu Li stopped two miles away from the town, stared at the obviously inhabited village for a moment, then crushed the stone badge to summon the merchant.
"Anna..." After a slight pause, Lu Li changed his words and said, "Has a new evil spirit appeared?"
"Seven hours ago it attacked the deputy city lord of Ke'andijingdian City, three hours ago it attacked a baron, and one hour ago she attacked a councilor in a nearby area."
"Are they all nobles?" Under the shadow of the cloak, Lu Li frowned.
"Um."
Anna has no hatred for the nobles.
Lu Li didn't think Anna did this out of hatred.
Maybe it's just a coincidence...
Anna was far away in the Main Continent. After thinking for a while, Lu Li walked towards the village in the distance.
Something is wrong with this village.
When he realized this, Lu Li had been spotted by the surrounding villagers. They stared at him with strange eyes and whispered to him.
"Look...he's so strange..."
"It's so pitiful. Is he deformed..."
"Maybe it's a monster..."
The local villagers talked about this uninvited guest.
They had slender necks that were almost as long as their arms. This made them all over two meters tall. When they were talking, their necks were stretched out, and their two heads were brought together, while they were whispering and looking down at Lu Li.
Lu Li saw a pair of lovers with slender necks intertwined and kissing passionately.
There are also villagers sitting in front of the door resting, their necks coiled up like snakes, with a bloated head on top.
Lu Li was incompatible with them.
At this time, it may be time to hurry up and leave the village. But it is getting dark, a strange fog is coming, and there is no shelter in the flat wilderness that can stay overnight.
It seemed safer to stay in the village.
It's just that Lu Li wasn't sure whether this was his own idea or the ritual imposed by the God's Rope was at work.
Although the strange-looking villagers criticized Lu Li's body, they were still relatively friendly and vacated a house for him.
The "strange foreigners" attracted the villagers, who gathered outside the wooden house, and the windows were crowded with peeping faces with slender necks on their heads, which was strange and terrifying.
Bang bang——
There was a knock on the door, the door opened, and a head poked into the house, connected to the neck at the back.
The village chief brought a basin of foul-smelling slime-like mucus to the dining table. He bent his neck, lowered his head, and looked at Lu Li at eye level: "Guest, please enjoy."
"What is it?" Lu Li looked at the wooden basin. Stone-like fruits were floating in the mud.
"The local silt fruit will cure your illness."
Lu Li raised his eyes slightly: "My disease?"
It reminded him of the rope ritual, but it wasn't.
"Yes, your deformed body can only be cured by silt fruit..."
This is just a weird fruit that makes Lu Li become just like the villagers.
"I don't need it," Lu Li said.
The village chief lowered his head and leaned closer to Lu Li, narrowing his eyes with a hint of menace: "This is the village's custom for outsiders."
Lu Li reached into his arms, placed a psychic gun next to the tub, and replied calmly: "This is my custom for things I don't want to do."
The village chief retracted his head, looked down at Lu Li, and his tone became cold and hard: "We will not force others... You can stay a little longer, but you must leave after dawn, and remember-"
The height gives the head a sense of pressure.
"Don't go out after dark, and don't look outside."
The village chief left with the wooden basin, and Lu Li hung up the door latch after he left.
The faces of the villagers outside the window were filled with disgust and resentment, and they gradually receded. Some unwilling young people gently hit the glass with their foreheads to vent their dissatisfaction.
The sky is getting darker and darker, and evening is coming.
Lu Li lit the oil lamp and drew the curtains to block the scene outside the street.