Chapter 1091
Gray Garlic
The scene before them shattered the last shred of hope in everyone's eyes.
Yangyang Village, which they had hoped would allow them to rest and replenish their resources, was now nothing but a desolate expanse of black scorched earth and grotesque caves.
After a brief silence, panic and doubt spread like a plague through the ranks.
"Where's the village?! Old Zhou, what kind of hellhole have you brought us to?!"
"Did you lead us the wrong way? Or are you just messing with us?!"
"This is clearly the location on the map! How come there's nothing here?"
Several hot-tempered adventurers, who already disliked Old Zhou, immediately turned their attention to the short guide, their eyes filled with hostility.
The exhaustion from the long journey, the torment of the gray garlic, the fright from the nocturnal ghosts, and the disappointment of failing to reach their goal brought their emotions to the brink of collapse.
Old Zhou's face flushed red, both anxious and angry. Pointing to the surrounding terrain and the tattered but accurate map in his hand, he argued in a hoarse voice.
"This is it! The third slope west of Xianchi, five miles north of the Bitter Spring! Look at the map yourselves! I, Old Zhou, have been leading the way in this area for decades and have never made a mistake! I even brought hunters here last month, and the village is still there! It must be... it must be something that happened in the last two days!"
Looking at the arguing crowd and then at the barren, scorched earth before her, He Yu's eyes reddened further as she looked helplessly at Mo Fan and Fu Ye.
Mo Fan frowned, carefully compared the map and the surrounding environment, and examined the reference points pointed out by Lao Zhou, before speaking in a deep voice.
"Judging from the terrain and map coordinates, this should indeed be the location of Yangyang Village. The guide did not lead us astray."
His voice carried a hint of suppressed anger, not directed at Old Zhou, but at the mysteriously vanished village.
This means that Zhang Xiaohou's trail may have truly gone cold.
Fu Ye did not participate in the argument, but calmly looked at the scorched earth and caves.
Ultimately, with the mediation of the leaders, everyone reluctantly accepted the cruel reality that Yangyang Village had been completely wiped out by an unknown event.
But staying in this place is clearly not a wise move.
"The next nearest settlement that might still be inhabited is Luohua Village, about fifty li away. We must get there before nightfall tomorrow, otherwise..."
Old Zhou didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: without the protection of a village, they would certainly be in grave danger in the sea of the dead at night.
However, new problems have arisen.
Gray garlic.
Old Zhou had a limited amount of garlic he carried, and after distributing it to everyone, he didn't have much left for himself.
The journey just now has taken a toll on my energy.
If you have a long way to go, you may need to use Grey Garlic again to get through dangerous areas or deal with unexpected situations.
The existing amount of grey garlic is definitely not enough to sustain Luohua Village.
Left with no other choice, Lao Zhou instructed everyone to put away the remaining garlic they had on them, as it should not be consumed unless absolutely necessary.
This means that for the rest of their journey, they must rely as much as possible on speed and luck to minimize contact with the dead.
The team set off again, the atmosphere even heavier and more oppressive than before.
Without a clear target for repairs, and with a shortage of grey garlic, everyone was on edge.
At first, things went fairly smoothly; the aftertaste of the grey garlic was still lingering, and the undead encountered were few and sluggish.
But after walking about three or five miles, things started to go wrong.
The wandering spirits around them no longer seemed to "ignore" them as they had before.
Some of the skeletons stopped in their tracks, their empty eye sockets “gazing” in the direction of the procession.
The rotting corpses would let out even more frantic roars as they staggered toward them.
The odor in the air, emanating from grey garlic used for camouflage, seems to be waning.
"The effect of the gray garlic is fading; they seem to be able to smell our scent again!"
Old Zhou said nervously in a low voice. No sooner had he finished speaking than several nearby rotting corpses suddenly accelerated, roaring as they pounced!
Just then, Asha's attendant, who had been quietly following at the back of the group as if she were detached from the situation, suddenly moved.
He simply raised his hand, and suddenly several thick, sharp ice locks condensed in the air.
The ice lock, like a living venomous snake, precisely coiled around the several lunging corpses, instantly freezing and shredding them! Ice blocks and bone fragments scattered all over the ground, clean and efficient.
This is a mid-level ice magic spell, and its power far exceeds that of ordinary spells, possessing a peculiar penetrating and freezing property.
This sudden move instantly attracted everyone's attention.
After doing all this, the attendant retreated behind Asha'ruya with a blank expression.
"Ali, what mid-level magic are you using to deal with these servant-level undead? Be careful to conserve your soul power!"
Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on the girl in purple and black.
She still wore a veil, revealing only a pair of crystal-clear amethyst eyes.
"Miss, thank you for your help."
The leading monk hesitated for a moment before offering his thanks, while also expressing his curiosity.
The young woman and her entourage had kept a low profile throughout their journey, but the strength they were displaying now was not to be underestimated.
Asaria snapped out of her reverie, her purple eyes crinkling into a smile, her voice soft and melodious.
"No need to be so polite. My attendants can handle these minor troubles. Just call me Ye Meng'e."
She gave this pseudonym, which was clearly a spur-of-the-moment choice.
Many of the male members in the group, including Mo Fan, couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
Although the veil covered most of her face, her unique temperament and graceful figure were enough to amaze people.
In such a perilous situation, the allure of beauty is far outweighed by curiosity and vigilance regarding her strength and origins.
With Ye Meng'e's follower's intervention serving as a deterrent, the undead showed increased interest in them for the remainder of the journey, but did not launch an attack for the time being.
However, misfortunes never come singly.
Just as dawn was breaking and everyone estimated that they would see the sun rise in about an hour, without warning, cold rain began to fall from the sky.
The rain was light, a light drizzle, but it carried the chill unique to the ancient capital, quickly soaking everyone's clothes and hair.
Old Zhou's face instantly turned ashen.
"Oh no! It's raining!"
His voice trembled.
"This rain will wash away the smell of garlic that's left on us!"
As if to confirm his words, the spirits around him, who had been somewhat "curious" or "restless," suddenly froze in the rain.
Immediately, countless pairs of eyes, pulsating with eerie green flames, turned in unison towards the direction of the group!
It was a completely different kind of gaze.
It was no longer a sense of bewilderment, but a gaze filled with malice and greed.
"Roar--!!!"
A series of roars, more ferocious and thirsty than ever before, came from all directions!
Through the rain, the densely packed figures of the dead began to become clear. They stopped wandering and charged towards the group full of living beings with a clear objective!
The disguise of the gray garlic was mercilessly washed away by the rain.
They were completely exposed to the undead. (End of Chapter)