Chapter 85 - 85, Black Veil Mountain Range
The next morning, dawn was breaking.
At the entrance of Spirit Creek Village, deputy chief Lu Cang led many villagers to bid farewell to Lu Yun.
After the incident at Sky Wind Stronghold, the villagers of Spirit Creek Village were profoundly grateful to Lu Yun.
The children were filled with admiration and respect, their gazes towards Lu Yun shining brightly.
“Lu Yun, Spirit Creek Village will always be there for you. If one day you are weary and do not wish to climb further on your martial arts journey, Spirit Creek Village and the villagers will always welcome you,” said Lu Cang, looking at Lu Yun with a serious tone.
Even though he knew it was almost impossible, he was ready to make the promise.
This was the commitment of all the villagers of Spirit Creek Village.
All because Lu Yun had saved everyone during a critical moment, preventing a massacre in Spirit Creek Village.
All because of Lu Yun’s potential to slaughter a Meridian Passage Realm peak martial artist, despite his young age.
“Xiaoyun, you are the pride of Spirit Creek Village, as well as the pride of me and Lu Yu. We’re waiting for your name to be known throughout the world.” Lu He patted Lu Yun’s shoulder, laughing out loud, his eyes full of pride.
“It won’t be long,” Lu Yun said with a smile, glancing at Lu Yu by his side.
Lu Yu, who had grown taller, was only half a head shorter than Lu He.
She tiptoed, affectionately ruffling Lu Yun’s hair. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and love. She pressed her lips together, trying to say something, but she could not find the words.
After a long time, her eyes began to fill with tears, and she finally managed to choke out, “Xiaoyun, I know you have great talent and strength, but I still need to remind you, be careful when you are outside.”
Although she had only received education for a short period, she knew that her brother was destined to soar. A small village like Spirit Creek Village could not hold him back. Only a place that was bigger and further could truly be his stage.
What she could do was to silently support him, watching him grow and take flight.
Looking at the proud Lu He, and the tearful, reluctant LU Yu, Lu Yun’s normally placid mood was greatly stirred. He wanted to stay, to enjoy the warmth of his family, and the peace and tranquility of Spirit Creek Village.
But he immediately disregarded this dangerous thought.
The peacefulness and tranquility of the weak were temporary and vulnerable.
Once a powerful external force intervened, everything would be shattered in an instant.
Just like the attack from Sky Wind Stronghold. If Lu Yun had not arrived in time, Spirit Creek Village would have been a river of blood.
Only the truly strong can last.
Only absolute power can be eternal.
With these thoughts in mind, Lu Yun’s determination to leave was further strengthened.
“Sis, eldest brother, I’m leaving.”
With these words, Lu Yun glanced at the people who had come to see him off, smiled and nodded, then resolutely mounted his horse.
“Go!”
With a harsh shout, the pure-blooded black horse suddenly accelerated, turning into a black shadow, quickly disappearing from the entrance of the village.
Lu Tianhu stared at the distance, the place where Lu Yun had disappeared. He clenched his fist and muttered to himself.
“Lu Yun, the gap between us is getting bigger and bigger, but 1 will never forget our promise.”
His voice was very soft, so soft that it was drowned out by the gradually rising wind.
Leaving Spirit Creek Village, the sun began to rise.
The golden morning sunlight spilled down, casting a golden hue over the entire land.
A man and horse were racing across the golden land, their long shadows chasing after them.
“I’ve been delayed in Spirit Creek Village for so long, I wonder if there have been any changes to the task.”
Initially, he had planned to stay in Spirit Creek Village for a short period before leaving. But things didn’t go as planned, and he ended up staying a whole month.
“The task doesn’t have a time limit, and according to the steward, the Demon Beast shouldn’t have left. Delaying for a month or two probably doesn’t matter too much.”
With these thoughts, Lu Yun felt much more relaxed and his speed also slowed down.
Passing through the official road, mountain paths, and small roads, Lu Yun appeared outside a dilapidated village late in the evening.
Standing at the outskirts of the village, one could see the wild grass along the village roads flourishing and the wheat in the fields thick and healthy, forming a stark contrast with the decrepit-looking village from a distance.
According to the task, when the authorities found this place, the villagers had all perished, with no survivors.
Moreover, this was the last place where the Demon Beast was seen.
“This being a mission from the Martial Academy, and only this village being mentioned in the description, indicates that the Demon Beast is near this village.”
“However, there are no human settlements for tens of miles around this village, where could the Demon Beast be?”
Lu Yun did not enter the village. Instead, he found a place with a clear view and observed the surrounding terrain.
Just as he expected, the vast space to the southwest of the village was pitch-black.
With a grin, Lu Yun spurred his horse and headed in that direction.
About an hour later, a dark mountain range appeared in the distance.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Demon Beast must have fled into this mountain range.”
Murmuring to himself, Lu Yun made his way swiftly towards the mountain range.
“The Black Veil Mountain Range is currently in lockdown and is off-limits to unauthorised personnel.”
Just as Lu Yun was about to enter the mountain range, two martial artists dressed in black armour suddenly appeared and stopped Lu Yun.
“Oh, so this is the Black Veil Mountain Range.” Lu Yun thought, while scanning the two men.
Both men were in the late stages of the Enter Martial Realm, dressed in black armour with resolute expressions, unlike ordinary martial artists. Curious, he asked, “Who are you people, why are you blocking my way?”
“I’ll say it once more, unauthorised personnel are not allowed to enter,” one of the men in black armour coldly repeated.
“What if I must enter?”
“Two outcomes: one is death by my blade, or death in the mountains.”
Lu Yun was taken aback, “What makes you say that?”
The other black armoured martial artist, who looked friendlier, explained, “We are members of the Black Tiger Army under the command of Wang Junhao, tasked with guarding this area to prevent local villagers from entering the Black Veil Mountain, and to prevent the Demon Beast inside from causing harm.”
“I can see that you are somewhat skilled, but I advise you to return where you came from to avoid losing your life.”
A spark of understanding flashed in Lu Yun’s eyes, and he continued to probe, “Why don’t you go into the mountains to eliminate the Demon Beast entirely so that you don’t have to guard here for a long time?”
The man in black armour replied, “It’s an order from our superiors, we cannot defy it.”
“I see.”
“Impudent child, you’ve asked enough. If you don’t wish to die, go back.”
Lu Yun ignored the man, and said to the other one, “Since you’re just idle here, help me take care of my horse for a while.”
With those words, Lu Yun moved. He jumped off his horse, and leaped over the two men before touching foot on a distant tree and disappearing into the woods in a blink of an eye.
The two men in black armour looked at each other, their gazes moving between the horse Lu Yun left behind and the tree where he had disappeared. “This is at least ten meters, right? No run-up, no borrowing strength, he just jumped over.” The man who had been scolding Lu Yun looked shocked.
“Give it a try then, see if you can jump that far.” The amiable black armoured martial artist retorted sarcastically, “That was clearly a jump, but it felt more like flight..”