sinovels Chapter 963 Black Mountain Forbidden Zone
Chapter 963 Black Mountain Forbidden Zone
The following evening.
Mo Yuan finally got up to take his leave.
"Lord Lei Sha, I've troubled you all day, I should head back now." He patted non-existent dust off his robes, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Lei Sha, and said, "I'll come find you for a drink another time."
"Take care, Steward Mo." Lei Sha remained seated, not rising to see him off.
Mo Yuan didn't mind, smiled, turned around, and strode out of the hall.
His footsteps faded into the distance in the passageway, eventually disappearing completely.
The hall fell silent.
Lei Sha remained seated, silent for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, until he was certain that Mo Yuan's aura had completely left the arena's perimeter, before slowly speaking:
"Let Moro in."
The servants at the door acknowledged and withdrew.
A moment later, Moro strode in and knelt on one knee: "My lord, you wanted to see me?"
"Speak," Lei Sha uttered only one word.
Moro raised his head, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement: "My lord, Lin Qiye has left the city. This morning, he left the arena through the east gate and headed towards the Bone Ruins."
Lei Sha's eyes suddenly lit up.
The light was brief, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, before being swallowed by the clouds. He tapped his fingers twice on the armrest, then stopped, then tapped twice more.
Mo Yuan had just left when this kid went out of the city.
If he had just left and Lin Qiye died outside the city, everyone would have guessed it was him. Although it was said above that it was "just a suggestion," suggestions are sometimes more troublesome than orders—if you listen, nothing will happen; if you don't, it will be your crime when something goes wrong.
Lei Sha's fingers stopped on the armrest.
But his leaving the city doesn't mean his people can't leave the city.
"Is Hattie still in the arena?"
"Yes, sir," Moro replied immediately. "She has been waiting for your news."
"Have her come to see me."
Moro acknowledged the order and withdrew.
A moment later, a tall figure walked in through the doorway. Hattie wore dark red light armor, a slender curved sword at her waist, her steps swift and silent. She walked to the center of the hall and knelt on one knee: "Lord Lei Sha, you summoned me?"
"Lin Qiye has left the city and gone to Bone Ruins." Lei Sha's voice was deep and steady. "You know what to do."
A ruthless glint flashed in Hattie's eyes: "Understood."
"Remember, he's not simple. Be careful!" Lei Sha's voice turned cold. "The black market people are greedy, understand?"
"Yes," Hattie replied, bowing her head.
"Go." Lei Sha leaned back in his chair, his eyes behind the mask glowing with two cold, eerie lights in the dim light.
……
Ashes Wasteland.
After Lin Qiye walked out of the east gate of the arena, he did not stop and headed straight towards the Bone Ruins.
The hood was pulled low, almost completely covering his face, and the gray-black cloak was not conspicuous on the wasteland.
You can find all sorts of clothes on this wasteland; as long as you're not wearing the standard gladiator armor, no one will give you a second glance.
His steps were neither fast nor slow, his boots sinking into the ankle-deep ashes with a soft thud.
The grayish-white, fluffy things in the sky continued to fall silently, like snow that would never stop.
He walked for an hour, and the arena behind him had become a blurry black dot on the horizon.
Then he stopped.
He didn't turn around, but stood there quietly for a few moments.
The wind howled softly across the empty wasteland, swirling up dust of ashes that flew close to the ground before falling limply to his feet.
The three trackers were well hidden—or at least they thought they were well hidden. They were hiding behind a pile of bones about five hundred feet away, using the half-buried ribs of a giant beast as cover. Their entire bodies were buried in the grayish-white ashes, with only half of their heads showing, peering in his direction from afar.
But he doesn't need to see with his eyes.
The Blood Demon's power was far more sensitive to life force than ordinary Origin Qi. He could clearly detect the breathing rhythm, heart rate, and subtle disturbances in the flow of Origin Qi of the three people. The three people were spread out, forming a triangular encirclement, but they were not in a hurry to get closer, clearly waiting for the main force to follow.
Underneath Lin Qiye's hood, a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Lei Sha did indeed send people. These were the most common expendable items in the arena—people who sold their lives for money. These people weren't afraid of death, but they were afraid of dying without meaning.
He withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward, the ashes beneath his feet still emitting a dull "plop" sound. He didn't intend to act now—those three scouts were just scouts; killing them wouldn't solve the root of the problem, but would only alert the enemy. Since they dared not approach, he would let them continue to follow.
The place he is going to is their burial ground.
Without hesitation or changing direction, he walked straight toward the gray-white mist-covered area at the edge of his vision.
There, the silhouette of a black mountain is slowly rising from the horizon, like the spine of a sleeping giant.
He was heading to the Bone Ruins, and the fastest route required passing near that mountain. The last time he passed through there, he encountered the rampaging crystals and that terrifying behemoth; but this time, he knew the area well and knew which places to avoid.
More importantly, he knew what that place meant for most gladiators.
Behind the pile of bones five hundred feet away, three figures wrapped in gray-white cloaks lay like moles in the ash layer, only their bloodshot eyes visible.
The scout in the middle bobbed his Adam's apple and said in a very low voice, "Boss, the direction he went..."
He didn't finish speaking, but all three of them understood what he wanted to say.
That direction is the most dangerous area outside the Bone Ruins.
There is a black mountain there, said to be inhabited by an ancient guardian beast. Even the veteran high-ranking deacons of the arena dare not easily approach that area. The old stall owners in the Bone Ruins call it the "Black Mountain Forbidden Zone."
But Lin Qiye insisted on walking in that direction.
"Boss, should we continue?" The thinner scout on the left asked, his voice tense. "That area is too dangerous. Last time, a second-class deacon from the arena passed through that area, and apparently he was killed before he could even scream."
"I know." The scout in the middle, known as the leader, spoke in a deep and calm voice. His gaze was fixed on the gray-black figure steadily moving across the Ash Wasteland ahead, his eyes bloodshot, but his gaze was still as sharp as a hawk's.
His name was Tie Ji, and he was a junior leader in Lei Sha's scout team. Having worked in the arena for so many years, he had tracked at least a hundred gladiators, including many high-ranking deacons, but none of them had ever made him feel so uneasy.