Zombie Bodyguard

Chapter 2052: Chapter 2049: Mirage

Zhang Lingyu dispelled the Barrier and continued on their way; the task of carrying Shangguan Hongyue on his back naturally fell to Lin Tian. As for her injuries, they could only be treated temporarily for now; further treatment would have to wait until they found a safe place.

However, her body was much tougher than a human’s; she wouldn’t die for a while yet. When Lin Tian checked her wounds just now, using his x-ray vision he discovered that her bones, muscles, and internal organs were all stronger than a human’s.

"Lingyu, Xuanxuan, do you regret coming along? If you’d stayed in Fengdu City, you could be strolling the streets, doing some shopping or whatever, instead of coming here to take risks." Walking side by side with the two girls in the thick fog, thinking of all the dangers along the way, Lin Tian couldn’t help asking.

Zhang Lingyu glanced at him and said very calmly, "What’s there to stroll in Ghost City? You want us to go out and watch a parade of a hundred ghosts at night or something?"

Xiao Manxuan also rolled her eyes at him, smiling faintly as she said, "Exactly. Staying in Ghost City we’d still have to face Hei Xin’s disgusting face. It’s better to come out. If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known Little Zi was this powerful."

"Sigh, I’m really heartbroken. I thought you two great beauties came along for my sake. I was already thinking about offering myself in gratitude." Lin Tian deliberately let out a sigh, looking very hurt.

The two girls rolled their eyes at him in unison. Xiao Manxuan smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "Hehe, don’t even think about hitting on us. You’d better set your sights on Shangguan Hongyue. You saved her; she might just offer herself to you."

"Cut it out, I’m an honest guy." Lin Tian said with a completely serious face.

Hearing this "big pervert" call himself an honest guy, both girls burst out laughing. With Lin Tian’s interruption, the heavy, terrifying atmosphere immediately lightened up.

Maybe it was the mood affecting Shangguan Hongyue, or maybe Lin Tian had jostled her wound while walking. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on Lin Tian’s back.

She fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "You didn’t leave me behind..."

"Ah? You’re awake. Why would we leave you behind?" Xiao Manxuan was very surprised, and very puzzled as well.

A hint of confusion appeared in Shangguan Hongyue’s eyes; it was unclear whether she was gathering strength to speak or recalling something. Only after a long while did she speak: "Everyone thinks Soul Hunters are mysterious, cool, and powerful, but who knows how brutal this line of work really is."

"It’s not just because Soul Hunters always walk with danger. More importantly, in extremely dangerous situations like this, if someone is gravely wounded, there’s a high chance they’ll be abandoned by the team. Otherwise, the heavily wounded will become a burden and could cause the entire team to be wiped out."

"And the wounded who get abandoned won’t hold a grudge either, because from the first day they become Soul Hunters, they know this is the Soul Hunters’ law of survival." Shangguan Hongyue recounted calmly.

This kind of survival rule really surprised Lin Tian, but he still couldn’t accept it. "It sounds very reasonable, but I don’t buy that crap. If it were me, even if I died in battle, I wouldn’t abandon my comrades."

"Which is why you’re not Soul Hunters." Shangguan Hongyue didn’t try to argue too much, and said seriously, "But still, thank you."

Lin Tian smiled faintly. "No need, it was just lending a hand. If it were your big sister Shangguan Ao Yue, would she leave you behind?"

"She wouldn’t." Shangguan Hongyue answered without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Tian was slightly surprised; that proud woman was actually someone with feelings and loyalty. Still, having such a cruel survival law yet managing to maintain trust between teammates—he had to admit, Soul Hunters were a strange existence.

"I heard your Shangguan family is also a great clan. You should be living much better than others, so why push yourselves this hard?" Xiao Manxuan asked curiously.

This was also something Lin Tian found strange. Just like in the Human Realm, it was understandable for rich heirs to experience a taste of hardship, but they would never do something purely suicidal.

"Do you know the secret for a great clan to remain prosperous for a long time, or even grow stronger?" Shangguan Ao Yue’s voice was flat. Without waiting for the three of them to answer, she continued, "If the younger generation is strong, the clan is strong; if the younger generation is weak, the clan declines."

"Whether a clan can flourish and pass on its legacy depends critically on the younger generation. So strengthening the young generation is an iron rule of the Shangguan family. Training as Soul Hunters is just one of the forms of cultivation." Shangguan Ao Yue’s tone was utterly calm, just like when she held a dagger and killed enemies.

"This kind of life-and-death training is a bit cruel, but I have to admit, it’s very effective." Lin Tian agreed with the Shangguan family’s approach, and Zhang Lingyu could relate even more.

Although the Zhang Family didn’t require trials as brutal as those of Soul Hunters, slaying demons and exorcising devils was no easy task either, and also carried the risk of death. The Zhang Family had likewise passed down for thousands of years, standing unshaken.

As they were talking, Xiao Manxuan suddenly said, "The fog up ahead is gone..." Her voice carried a note of surprise.

Little Zi was controlling the monster scouting ahead. The fog disappearing meant they might have walked out of the great fog covering the wasteland.

Lin Tian was also delighted and quickened his pace. After another ten-plus minutes, the fog abruptly vanished with no transition zone at all. Looking back, he saw that at the boundary there seemed to be some kind of force preventing the fog from spreading.

A completely different scene lay ahead—not a shattered stony wasteland, but a vast stone forest. Stone peaks jutted straight up within the stone forest; the tallest stone pillars were dozens of meters high, and the shorter ones were still several meters. There was also a strange plant growing within the stone forest, its entire body bright red. From a distance, it was hard to tell whether those were flowers or leaves.

"Where is this?" Lin Tian asked, naturally directing the question to Shangguan Hongyue on his back.

"The Blood Sea Stone Forest. Once we get through this stone forest, we’ll reach one of the Netherworld’s forbidden grounds—the Blood Sea." Shangguan Hongyue said solemnly.

"The Blood Sea?" The three of them, Lin Tian included, were overjoyed, because their destination was not far now.

But Lin Tian then frowned slightly. "Still no sign of Mu Yun. Looks like she’s still in the fog zone."

"You mean that First-class Impermanence? I’ve seen her." Shangguan Hongyue said, puzzled.

"You’ve seen her? Where is she?" Xiao Manxuan asked anxiously.

Shangguan Hongyue thought back for a while before saying, "The scene was very chaotic at the time. I seem to have seen Mu Yun charge into the battlefield, like she was helping us. But I left right after that, so I don’t know what happened to her afterward."

The three of them, Lin Tian included, all widened their eyes in shock. "No way, she went to support you? When she left, she did it without a sound, like she vanished into thin air. How did she know you needed backup? And why didn’t she say anything to us before leaving?"

"I’m not too sure either. But I heard that when fog rises over this wasteland, a kind of strange beast called Mirage Demon appears. Mirage Demons can create illusions. Maybe you were caught in an illusion at the time." Shangguan Hongyue said hesitantly, clearly unsure herself.

"Mirage Demon? You said a Mirage Demon?" Zhang Lingyu exclaimed.

"What kind of thing is a Mirage Demon?" Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan asked almost at the same time. Zhang Lingyu seemed to know something.

Zhang Lingyu steadied herself and said solemnly, "Have you heard of Mirages over the Sea? This phenomenon has been recorded since ancient times. Legend has it that those Mirages over the Sea are illusions created by Mirage Demons."

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