It is now the period when monsters and beasts are recuperating, which is the period when practitioners and hunters are most active. The daily throughput of people in the defense gate can reach tens of thousands. This data may be nothing compared to other prosperous towns, but you
You know, this is at the border, and leaving the border means leaving the territory of the dynasty.
These people scattered into the hundreds of thousands of mountains, just like water drops falling into the sea. Some people returned home with their loads loaded, while others simply disappeared.
Of course, water droplets will also meet each other. No matter how vast the Hundred Thousand Mountains is, the entrance line is only so big after all.
There were four people in the group, all males. Some of them wore costumes embroidered with dark red lines or animal skins, and wore ferocious warrior helmets on their heads. Without exception, they all had a big black helmet pinned to their waists.
There was a cloth bag, a long knife behind him, and one in his hand.
Judging from his age, he seems to be in his twenties. He is tall and burly. Even the thinnest among them is much stronger than Cao An.
"Friend, it's getting late and good land is hard to find. Can our brothers rest nearby here tonight?" The one who spoke was the 'skinny' man who looked more in line with the aesthetics of some Central Plains hinterlands. It could be seen that he should be like this.
The decision-maker in a team of four.
"This place doesn't belong to anyone. I just arrived earlier than you guys. You can just work on your own." Cao An responded with a smile, tied the donkey up, and put the bundle of grass cut earlier next to the donkey. It was getting dark.
Now, it's not the time to herd the donkey. The donkey is not spiritually aware, so if it is left untied at night, there will be problems.
"You raised this donkey so well! It's better than the best master in our village." Looking at this magical donkey, the man did not hesitate to praise it.
They took out the dry food they brought with them, which is a kind of meat that has been dried and air-conditioned. It is purple-black in color.
"My name is Bayan, and these three are brothers from our same village, Batuo, Bachuang and Balin." A few people came over and sat on the floor like Cao An. The 'skinny' Bayan introduced, and the other three were simple and honest.
Nod and smile.
"My name is Cao An!"
"Are you from the Central Plains? Is this your first time coming to our southern territory? I have met many people from your side, and few are like you. Their cultivation level is at least three scenes or above."
After Bayan finished speaking, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly explained: "I'm not saying that your cultivation level is low, I just mean that this is not common among you. You are not like us, who have been dealing with monsters all year round.
No matter your age, no matter your level of cultivation."
"I understand what you mean, are you the aborigines on the southern border?"
"Yes, ours is the second walled city. There are a total of 108 walled cities along the entire southern border. It is said that the veterans who established the walled city back then did not know how to name them, so they just ranked them by number, all the way up to the number 1.
One Hundred and Eight Walled Cities.”
It was rare to meet local people, and the four brothers surnamed Ba were simple-tempered. Cao An had a great time chatting with them, and learned about the distribution of monster species outside Shiwanda Mountain. But unfortunately, the information he learned from Bayan was:
In the entire periphery of Shiwanda Mountain, there are almost no fixed ethnic groups’ residential divisions.
"When we went into the mountains, we wanted to hunt a tiger and treat Ada's illness."
This has the same purpose.
"Can I follow you? In this hundred thousand mountains, it would be a very lucky thing for me to be with someone who is familiar with this place."
Bayan grinned, "What's wrong with that? But, can you keep up?"
Following Bayan's gaze, Cao An saw that he was pointing at his donkey. Forget about old dogs, there were also hounds in their stronghold. These dogs went up the mountain and were even more powerful than ordinary warriors, but the donkey...
"Should be able to keep up."
After a short chat, everyone took a rest. Cao An sat cross-legged and meditated, and the old dog lay at Cao An's feet. The Ba family brothers took out their big cloth bags, put them on the ground, put their hands around their abdomens and fell asleep.
In the dead of night, the old dog raised his head and glanced at the donkey next to him with disgust.
"Forget it, I haven't developed my spiritual wisdom. I can't even control my instincts. I'm just a lump of flesh. It's a pity that it's useless." It thought to itself, imitating Cao An's example and meditating with Cao An.
This was not the first time that the old dog had sat in the lotus position. Cao An himself knew that during this period of time, he could clearly feel that the rich demonic energy on the old dog's body had melted away, and its fur had become shinier.
Nothing happened overnight. The monsters in the surrounding area have been ravaged by the human race, and now it is difficult to see even the small beasts. Early in the morning, a few people packed up, replenished their physical strength, and headed directly towards the Shiwan Mountain.
"Bato, you remember the route, you take the lead."
"Okay, Brother Yan." After the words fell, Ba Tuo stepped out and walked to the front of the team.
The long knife in this hand can not only be used to defend against enemies, but it is also the best tool to clear the way. After walking for half a day, I didn't even see the fur of the monster, but it was enough for a few people to browse the first hilltop along the way.
.
The road became increasingly difficult to walk, and Cao An had no choice but to throw away the heavy things on his donkey's back and travel empty-handed in order not to delay his journey. It didn't matter who he was traveling with. The Shiwan Mountains were just like that. There were almost no ready-made roads.
, it’s the same no matter where you go.
"Although we have climbed over a mountain without encountering even a single monster, when the monster tide day comes, you will see an almost endless stream of monsters on the entire defense line.
The clan elder said that it seems that there are more and more monsters every year, and there is no telling where such a large number of monsters are hidden."
Listening to Bayan's narration, Cao An smoothly expressed his suspicion, "Could it be that the high-level demons deliberately protect their own kind? Let these ordinary demon beasts gather back to live in the inner area?"
"The clan elders also have this guess, but it is actually unlikely. You may have never lived in the military. A team of a hundred people living together, training, eating and drinking alone consumes a huge amount of resources, not to mention
There are hundreds of millions of monsters, and the possibility of them all gathering together and living inside is too low."
Cao An nodded and said no more. The strongest one in the team, Bahrain, was already sweating profusely. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the trees were towering, almost completely blocking the sun. If people were among them, if they stayed for a long time, they would feel a burst of gloom.
It's cold and damp, and Bahrain is sweating profusely now, so that's totally exhausting.
Even Bayan began to breathe unsteadily. On Cao An's side, a two-jing warrior, not only did he not fall behind at their speed, he could breathe steadily, not blushing, and looked like he still had enough energy to spare.
The donkey didn't even fall behind.
Bayan couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Friend, you are really powerful. I don't know how you can practice with such a small body. You are much better than the average Erjing martial artist. No wonder you dare to enter alone."
One hundred thousand mountains.”
‘Small body shape?’ Cao An feels that he is still 180 cm tall, just a little thinner. Why do you call him a small body shape?
"I may have better endurance."
Bahrain took two big breaths, "Oh, I understand, just like our ponies in the south, their short-distance sprint speed may not be as fast as those of the tall horses in the north, but in terms of toughness and endurance, they are far faster than those tall horses.
The horse is much stronger."
This metaphor made the old dog couldn't help but raise his head and widen his eyes.
Cao An smiled and said, "It can also be compared like this."
"But we are from the south, and you are from the north." Ba Chuang said something inappropriate. Everyone was silent for a moment, but Bayan spoke up to ease the embarrassment.
"Let's rest first. Bator can't stand it any longer. We'll switch to Bator later. We're still two hills away from our destination. We'll encounter monsters in the rest of the journey. Please keep your strength up."
The Bas brothers all agreed.
Cao An bent a tree vine and sat on it. The donkey, being humane, also lay down. Such a mountain road was not very friendly to it. Fortunately, Cao An had some foresight and replaced it in Nanjing Village.
A new pair of palm nails, otherwise, this journey will be more difficult.
At this moment, the old dog suddenly raised its ears, its smart eyes were full of alertness, sniffed the air with its nose, and whistled at Cao An.
Cao An, who was sitting just now, had already held the iron sword in his hand at some point and stood there, his body tense.