Chapter 370 - 367: Entering the Cloud Mist Mountain Range
"The Cloud Mist Mountain Range is treacherous. I hope you will all be extremely careful."
Zhou Huai'an's gaze swept over the members of the Seven Sects as he spoke with gravity.
"The Court will dispatch three thousand elite County Army soldiers, personally led by the Garrison Commander, General Yue, to enter the Cloud Mist Mountain Range with the Seven Sects for the cleansing operation."
He turned to the side, looking at Garrison Commander Yue Zhan beside him.
Yue Zhan stepped forward and gave a slight bow with clasped hands to the members of the Seven Sects.
Just by standing there, he naturally exuded a convincing and steady aura.
'The Garrison Commander is leading the troops himself...'
Fang Han's gaze fell on Yue Zhan, his thoughts stirring.
'For this Garrison Commander to personally lead the army shows how seriously the Governor's Mansion is taking this matter. It's clear the Cloud Mist Mountain Range is the absolute priority in this encirclement of Demons.'
Once the tasks were assigned, the various factions left the Governor's Mansion one after another.
The members of the Qingxuan Sect returned to the Qingxuan Villa. After briefly packing, they prepared to depart.
Chen Wanjun gathered Fang Han's group of eight, along with the dozen or so Stewards on this trip, into the main hall and distributed topographical maps of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
"For this operation, each of you will lead a squad. Each squad will be assigned several disciples, and you will spread out to conduct the cleansing."
"According to the intelligence from the Governor's Mansion, the Demons in the outer regions of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range are relatively weak, mostly at the level of the Lower Three Grades. But the deeper you go, the stronger the Demons become."
Chen Wanjun's expression was grave.
"Especially in the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. It's rumored that top-level Demons of the Upper Three Grades are entrenched there. If you encounter one, do not act rashly. Immediately signal for help."
"Yes."
Everyone answered in unison.
"You are the squad leaders. Not only must you slay Demons, but more importantly, you must ensure the safety of your disciples."
Chen Wanjun nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the twenty-plus people, including Fang Han, as he spoke in a low voice.
He paused, his tone carrying a note of caution.
"Also, within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, danger comes not only from Demons but also from the grudges between the various sects. You must remain vigilant at all times while traveling there."
Everyone exchanged a look, a chill running through their hearts.
They all understood the meaning behind his words.
The Seven Sects had numerous entangled grievances. In these deep, old mountains, if someone were to harbor ill intentions, it would indeed be impossible to guard against.
"Alright, go and prepare. We depart in half an hour."
Chen Wanjun waved his hand.
Everyone exited the main hall and went their separate ways to prepare.
Fang Han returned to his own quiet, private courtyard. He strapped the Cloud Splitting Sword to his back, took out several vials of Elixirs for healing and restoring Inner Qi and secured them on his person, and finally slung his pack over his shoulder with one hand.
Just as he was about to leave, footsteps approached from outside his courtyard gate.
"Senior Brother Fang."
A clear, cold voice sounded out.
Fang Han looked up to see Yun Qianyue and Li Feng standing at the gate.
Yun Qianyue was dressed in a light cyan disciple's uniform, her face still veiled in purple gauze, her temperament cool and detached.
Li Feng cradled a long saber, his expression stern.
"You've come at a good time."
Fang Han smiled slightly and walked over to greet them.
"You two have been assigned to my squad. Did you get the news?"
"We received the news," Li Feng said.
"Good."
Fang Han nodded.
'Their being assigned to the squad I'm leading is probably not a coincidence, but a deliberate arrangement. After all, he was familiar with Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, so they would naturally coordinate with better chemistry.'
"Let's go. We'll assemble at the plaza first."
The three of them left the private courtyard and headed for the plaza of the Qingxuan Villa.
In the plaza, over a hundred figures had already gathered.
Disciples belonging to their respective squads were converging with their leaders. Besides Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, there were three other disciples in Fang Han's squad.
One was a burly youth with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and dark skin. He carried a heavy Ghost Head Saber on his back and looked simple and honest. His name was Shi Hu.
Another was a slender youth with delicate features, but his eyes were extremely sharp. A long, thin sword hung from his waist. His name was Lin Xiao.
There was also a young woman with a lovely face. She wore her hair in a neat ponytail and was dressed in a fitted uniform, dual sabers hanging from her waist, giving her a valiant and heroic air. Her name was Liu Qing.
When the three saw Fang Han, they quickly bowed in greeting.
"Senior Brother Fang!"
Fang Han nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the other three members of his team, besides Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, committing their appearances and auras to memory.
Judging by his perception of their auras:
Shi Hu's Cultivation was around the Middle Stage of Seventh Grade. His aura was deep and heavy, clearly indicating he was a Martial Artist who specialized in strength.
Lin Xiao was at the Early Stage of Seventh Grade. His aura was sharp and fierce; he must specialize in the Sword Dao.
Liu Qing was also at the Early Stage of Seventh Grade. With dual sabers at her side, her movements should be quite agile.
'Adding Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, two at the Late Stage of Seventh Grade, the strength of my squad should be considered quite impressive among all the teams.'
"Depart."
Chen Wanjun's voice rang out.
Everyone boarded the prepared carriages. The Cyan-hoofed Deer set off, pulling the carriages smoothly out of the Qingxuan Villa.
They rendezvoused with the people from the other six sects within the Commandery City and headed toward the city's north gate.
After exiting the north gate, they joined the three thousand soldiers of the County Army. The massive procession made its way toward the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
...
「Three days later, at the outskirts of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.」
The Seven Sects and the County Army split up, preparing to advance into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range from different directions.
The carriages of the Qingxuan Sect stopped at the foot of a mountain. Everyone disembarked one by one, faced with a vast, verdant forest.
Ancient trees reached for the sky, vines hung down, and a thick mist permeated the woods, limiting visibility to no more than a few dozen yards.
The air was filled with the damp smell of rotting leaves, mixed with the faint, foul stench of wild animals.
"This is the outer edge of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range."
Chen Wanjun's gaze swept over the crowd as he spoke in a low voice.
"Next, the cleansing operation will begin. All squads, prepare. In half an hour, you will enter separately."
Chen Wanjun's voice rang out.
Fang Han's gaze turned to the five people in his squad.
The expressions of all five were calm. Although they had never participated in an operation like this, they had taken on many missions over the years and were no strangers to combat.
"Is everyone ready?" Fang Han asked.
"Senior Brother Fang, I've been ready for ages!"
Shi Hu gave a simple, honest smile and patted the heavy Ghost Head Saber on his back.
The others all nodded.
"Good."
Fang Han gave a slight nod.
Half an hour passed quickly.
A total of over twenty squads, under the watchful eyes of Chen Wanjun and the five Elders, disappeared one after another into the vast mountain forest.
Fang Han's group of six spread out in a fan formation, each about a few dozen yards apart. This way, they could support each other without being so close as to hinder their search efficiency.
Within the mountain forest, ancient trees reached for the sky, their branches and leaves lush and dense.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of rotting leaves, soft and silent to step on.
The air was filled with the damp smell of rotting leaves, mixed with the fragrance of various plants and the foul stench of wild beasts.
BUZZ—
Fang Han activated the Spirit Smelling Technique, using his Great Success mastery of it to perceive everything around him.
Under the power of the Spirit Smelling Technique at Great Success, no living creature within the surrounding dense forest could hide.
A bobcat lay dormant in a tree hollow, its breathing slow and steady.
A few wild boars were rooting for grass in a thicket several hundred yards away, letting out heavy snorts.
Farther away, he sensed the aura of a muntjac, light, nimble, and alert.
The Cloud Mist Mountain Range had been a place rarely traversed by humans since ancient times, with high mountains, dense forests, and numerous wild beasts.
The beasts discovered so far were still in the category of "beast" and had not yet become "Demons."
True Demons had already undergone a physical transformation, and their strength was not something an ordinary beast could compare to.
No matter how ferocious, ordinary beasts were ultimately just beasts. They could threaten ordinary people, but not Martial Artists.
But Demons, even the weakest of them, were enough to give a Martial Artist a headache.
As Fang Han's group of six went deeper, they began to encounter wild beasts.
An enormous wild boar burst out of a thicket, its foot-long tusks whistling through the air as it charged straight at Li Feng.
Li Feng didn't even bat an eye. He simply sidestepped slightly, and the boar brushed past the corner of his clothes.
In the next instant, a flash of saber light appeared.
PFFT—
The boar's massive body crashed to the ground. A deep gash on its neck gushed with blood, staining the withered leaves on the ground.
Li Feng sheathed his saber without breaking his stride, as if he had just swatted away a bothersome fly.
Fang Han's gaze swept over the dead boar.
Their mission was to eliminate Demons, not to hunt beasts. As long as the beasts didn't attack them first, they couldn't be bothered to deal with them.
Li Feng had only acted because the boar had been foolish enough to charge at him.
The group of six continued forward, encountering a few more waves of wild beasts along the way.
A spotted giant leopard nearly ten feet long pounced down from a tree, its claws slicing through the fetid air, aiming straight for the back of Liu Qing's neck.
Liu Qing didn't even turn around. With a simple backhanded slash of her blade, the giant leopard was sliced in two mid-air. Blood sprayed everywhere, and its entrails spilled onto the ground.
A pack of gray wolves trailed the squad from a distance, seemingly looking for an opportunity.
But when Fang Han casually glanced back at them, the wolves scattered like startled rabbits, not daring to approach again.
The instincts of a beast are sometimes sharper than a human's.
They could sense that every single person in this squad was an existence they could not afford to provoke.
As the sun climbed higher, the mist in the forest dissipated slightly.
Fang Han's group of six had already ventured several miles into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
'An aura different from that of a beast!'
Amidst the fragrance of plants and the damp, earthy smell of the soil, Fang Han sensed several auras that were completely different from ordinary beasts.
The auras carried a sinister cold, yet faintly exuded a scorching heat—a contradictory and bizarre combination.
'It's the aura of Demons. And there's more than one. There's one aura about three hundred yards to the left. Two more are farther to the right. And three are straight ahead. None of the auras are particularly strong, just at the level of an ordinary Demon.'
"Be careful. There are Demons ahead," Fang Han spoke, warning the other five.
"Finally, some Demons."
At his words, the spirits of Yun Qianyue and the other four all lifted.
They had been in the mountains for half a day, and until now, they had only encountered wild beasts. They were finally about to meet some Demons.
Fang Han took the lead.
After passing through a dense thicket of bushes, a relatively open patch of forest appeared ahead.
In a clearing, three enormous Demons were gathered together, gnawing on the corpse of a muntjac.
They were three wolf-like Demons, several times larger than ordinary wolves. They stood half a man tall at the shoulder, with gray-black fur and eyes that glowed with a faint green light.
The most eye-catching feature was on their foreheads, where a single horn—something a wolf would never have—grew. It was about a foot long, dark red in color, and seemed to shimmer with a faint light.