Bringing the Carp Demon along for this trip would have been too inconvenient, so they simply left it at home.
A few minutes later, Lu Ran and the others arrived at Netherworld City.
Although Netherworld City was a major hub, it was located deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
When Lu Ran’s group stepped out of the teleportation array, the entire city center plaza was completely deserted!
The ground was littered with dry branches and dead leaves, the air was humid, moss covered the stones, and even a few saplings had taken root nearby.
A desolate scene stretched out before them.
Even the instance hall not far away was empty and vacant, devoid of any adventurers.
The entire city was hollowed out; not a single soul could be seen on the main streets or in the narrow alleys.
Surrounding the city, they could see the layered, overlapping peaks.
The unique, heavy humidity of the Hundred Thousand Mountains hung in the air, casting a gloomy, murky pall over the sky.
“Such a large main city, and there’s no one here?” Lu Ran said, somewhat surprised.
“The environment in the Hundred Thousand Mountains is treacherous,” Liu Xinxin explained. “Newbies can’t survive out here, and if they venture out, they won’t last. High-level fighters have all moved to other main cities where life is much more comfortable. Over time, this place was abandoned. It’s one of the few abandoned main cities in Longxia.”
“So, does that mean there are no living people living here in the Southern Frontier at all?” Lu Ran asked, still puzzled. No matter how dangerous, could it really become completely uninhabited?
No wonder Liu Xinxin said this was the most suitable place for Lu Ran’s large-scale grinding.
“Not exactly,” Liu Xinxin replied. “The Miao villages have lived here for generations. However, they aren’t suited to the main city lifestyle. Instead, they form settlements in the wild, building stockades, existing in a tower-village structure.”
Just then, Ye Hongyi, who was standing nearby, opened her map to check their direction. “Follow me,” she said. “I contacted Wei Yingying in advance. We’ll go to the Miao village first.”
Wei Yingying? It was an unfamiliar name.
Lu Ran didn’t think much of it, but Liu Xinxin proactively explained. “Professional awakenings here are highly regional. The population itself is small, and when someone from the stockade awakens as a different class, they mostly leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains. However, a few special classes ultimately remain. The most famous one is the Southern Frontier’s signature class: the Gu Master.”
The Gu Master class isn’t considered a conventional class, nor is it exactly a rare or hidden class. It occupies a unique category.
Their skill and attack methods are completely different from other classes. There’s no fixed pattern; it’s somewhat similar to Onmyoji, where their role depends on the specific shikigami they control. For Gu Masters, their role is determined by the type of Gu they cultivate and manipulate.
“The adventurers of the entire Southern Frontier are managed by the contemporary ‘Grass Ghost Granny’,” Liu Xinxin continued. “The Grass Ghost Granny is herself a Gu Master, originating from the Miao stockades, but far more powerful. The current Grass Ghost Granny is Wei Yingying. She is the leader of the Miao stockades.”
If they wanted to operate in the Southern Frontier, it was best to notify Wei Yingying and, conveniently find out if any Gu Masters were training in the wild areas.
Then, Liu Xinxin looked at Ye Hongyi. “Your Sister Hong was born in a Miao stockade. However, she left at a very young age because of the class she awakened and has rarely returned all these years. She and Wei Yingying know each other.”
The group left the main city.
The official road outside the city was already overgrown with weeds, almost indistinguishable.
Low-level monsters that dwelled outside the city wandered all around.
Poisonous creatures like spiders and snakes were everywhere.
Moreover, most of the monsters here were relatively small in size. Some venomous insects were even smaller than a palm, hiding in the grass, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Lu Ran clicked his tongue in amazement.
And this was just the low-level monster area outside the main city. The deeper they went in, the more higher-level poisonous creatures there would be.
No wonder no regular adventurers were willing to live here.
Grinding instances was one thing, but you couldn’t just never leave the city. And once you stepped outside, this environment was downright creepy!
Before global datafication, this environment might have even been considered scenic. But after global datafication, the entire Southern Frontier became fraught with peril!
Lu Ran glanced back at the main city behind them.
“I still don’t really understand,” he muttered. “Main cities have protective barriers that prevent wild monsters from intruding. Since the Miao stockades are willing to live in the Southern Frontier, why don’t they live inside the main city instead of out in the wild, where they could be harassed by monsters at any time?”
Saying it was just ‘habit’ seemed a bit far-fetched?
“The Miao stockades have a long history and cultural traditions,” Liu Xinxin continued explaining. “Furthermore, the stockades aren’t just home to Gu Masters. The few special classes I mentioned earlier all live here. Among them, the Corpse Drivers, the Flower-Dropping Cave Maidens, and the Gu Masters are collectively known as the ‘Three Strange Phenomena of Xiangxi’. They are also the three most populous classes in the Miao stockades. The Gu Masters form the largest group, followed by the Corpse Drivers, and finally the Flower-Dropping Cave Maidens.”
Because of their different factions, even though they all originate from the Miao stockades, they don’t unite under one banner. In fact, friction sometimes occurs between them.
“The growth of a Gu Master requires integrating with wild poisonous creatures to upgrade their skills and the strength of their life-bound Gu,” Liu Xinxin said. “The Corpse Drivers all gather in areas with heavy Yin energy. As for the Flower-Dropping Cave Maidens, they have always been mysterious; only the Grass Ghost Granny knows their whereabouts. That’s probably the reason they don’t live in the main city.”
Even Liu Xinxin, who was well-versed in data, wasn’t entirely certain about the specifics here, as she herself had rarely visited.
Throughout this, Lei Tai was being unusually cautious, stopping every few steps to carefully scan his surroundings.
“Lei Tai, what are you doing skulking around like that with such ‘thief vibes’?” Ye Hongyi noticed his strange behavior and couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Poisonous insects! Damn, these things are just too disgusting,” Lei Tai grumbled.
Unexpectedly, the seemingly ox-strong, fierce, and iron-willed Lei Tai was actually afraid of bugs?
The sight of him, clad in heavy armor like a human tank, yet creeping forward cautiously and warily with strong ‘sneaky thief’ energy, made both Ye Hongyi and Liu Xinxin burst into laughter.
As for Lu Ran, he turned to look around.
He first cast out a Touch of the Undead, keeping it to a small area.
Within the covered range, all the venomous insects hiding in the bushes, on tree trunks, and in the grass were disturbed and triggered, revealing themselves.
Since they weren’t invisible, just hidden from view in the grass, Touch of the Undead could still trigger them.
Once triggered, as far as the eye could see, the area was densely packed with health bars!
And above almost every single health bar, without exception, floated the same three words: [Can Be Controlled]!
Just as expected!
Lu Ran’s eyes lit up. His gaze swept over the area.
Large swathes of the poisonous insects were controlled, retreating from the surroundings like a receding tide.
Ye Hongyi and the others watched with amazed admiration.
“See! The Southern Frontier, a deadly nightmare for everyone else, is literally paradise for you, kid!” Lei Tai exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing all the poisonous insects around them retreat, Lei Tai was the first to relax. The feeling of constantly having to be on guard against venomous insect attacks was extremely unpleasant!
It was like having a venomous snake watching you from the darkness, waiting for you to let your guard down to strike.
The fear of the unknown is what truly torments the human psyche the most.
