BTTH: DISCIPLE CASHBACK SYSTEM

Chapter 209: Encountering Soul Hall Again!

Chapter 209: Encountering Soul Hall Again!

After searching through the few not-so-long streets, Gu He was disappointed to find that the small tribe did not have any maps for sale.

Shaking his head in frustration and about to ask someone for directions, a slightly overweight figure suddenly appeared in front of him, wearing a friendly smile.

"Are you looking to buy a map, sir? I noticed you asking around earlier," said the chubby man, smiling before Gu He could frown.

"Do you have one?" Gu He glanced at the stranger and asked indifferently.

"I'm a merchant who travels through the Black Horn Region, so naturally, I carry the most detailed maps," the man said with a smile.

"How much?" Gu He's voice remained unemotional.

He had already learned that in the Black Horn Domain, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Hehe, to be honest, even with a map, it's hard to find the correct destination in the Black Horn Region. The plains are notorious for their sudden black sandstorms, which render maps useless. Only those with experience can navigate out of these storms. But I guess, as a newcomer, you might not have this experience, right?" The chubby man shook his head, then continued.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. Seeing your strength at the tribe's gate, I thought of hiring you as a guard for my caravan. If you're aiming to cross the Black Horn Region and enter the inner Black Horn Domain, you could travel with me. However, as payment for guiding you through the plains, you'd need to lend a hand if my caravan runs into trouble. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing this, Gu He frowned slightly.

The Black Horn Region were indeed known for their black sandstorms, and the inexperienced could easily lose their way. It was said that some unfortunate souls had perished wandering in circles on the plains.

Traveling with an experienced merchant caravan would indeed save a lot of trouble.

Moreover, after traveling for so many days, Gu He also wanted to take this opportunity to rest.

"Hehe, our caravan's destination is 'Black Seal City' within the Black Horn Domain. There's going to be an annual auction there the day after tomorrow, so I need to strengthen our guard and hurry. Otherwise, I wouldn't have approached a stranger," the chubby man explained with a smile.

"An auction?" Hearing this, Gu He's interest was piqued. The Black Horn Domain was renowned for its astonishing items, and each auction attracted countless bidders.

After pondering for a moment, Gu He no longer hesitated and nodded in agreement.

"Pleased to collaborate with you. You can call me Ma Yi Cheng," said the chubby man, relieved, extending his hand to Gu He.

"Di Jia."

Gu He briefly shook the man's plump hand and replied indifferently.

"Di Jia? What an odd name..."

Ma Yi Cheng thought to himself.

...

The next day, on the dark plains, a caravan kicked up a trail of dust as it sped along, eventually vanishing at the horizon.

Sitting cross-legged inside the somewhat bumpy carriage, Gu He was facing Ma Yi Cheng, the caravan's leader.

The caravan's guards, as Ma Yi Cheng had mentioned, were not very strong, with the strongest only around a Five-Star Dou Shi.

Of course, the original chief guard was not pleased with Gu He's sudden inclusion. However, after being "accidentally" knocked off the carriage by Gu He during the journey, he became much more subdued.

And because of that display of strength, Ma Yi Cheng's enthusiasm towards Gu He increased significantly, eventually inviting him into his carriage for better treatment.

After all, having a strong individual in the caravan under such dangerous conditions was indeed reassuring.

Ma Yi Cheng was now spreading an old, yellowed map on the table in front of him, pointing to a red dot, "This is our destination, Black Seal City. According to our pace, we should arrive by tomorrow afternoon."

Gu He's gaze fixed on the map, particularly on the small dot of Black Seal City, then followed a route upward, eventually resting on a blue star at the center.

"This must be Jia Nan Academy, right?" Gu He asked nonchalantly, glancing at the blue star.

"Yes, that's the famous Jia Nan Academy of the Dou Qi Continent. My daughter studies there," Ma Yi Cheng nodded, his chubby face beaming with pride.

Gu He nodded silently, memorizing the route in his mind, then his gaze shifted back to the black areas surrounding the academy, divided into various sections of different sizes.

"The current 'Black Horn Domain' is essentially divided among several powerful forces. While they still fight over territory, there shouldn't be significant changes in the short term."

Seeing Gu He's gaze, Ma Yi Cheng, as a merchant, understood his confusion. Though he guessed Gu He was new to the Black Horn Domain, he didn't mention it, instead explaining with a smile.

"Our destination, 'Black Seal City,' is under the control of the 'Eight Gates.' They're an old power in the Black Horn Domain with immense strength. Their leader, Yuan Yi, is said to be in the top ten of the Black List in the Black Horn Domain. The upcoming auction is hosted by the 'Eight Gates.'" Ma Yi Cheng drew a small circle around Black Seal City, smiling.

Seeing no reaction from Gu He, Ma Yi Cheng assumed he hadn't heard of the Black List and continued, "Hehe, the Black List is like the ranking of strong individuals in some empires, but the competition here far exceeds those imperial rankings. Just in the past two years, the last three on the Black List have been replaced. Those replaced were also Dou King-level fighters," he said, shaking his head in amazement.

Gu He, however, was indifferent to this so-called "Black List." The strongest there were merely Dou Emperor's, nothing he couldn't handle with a flip of his hand.

"The first and second ranked ones are so mysterious that few people have seen them, so I don't know much about them. However, the third one is an extraordinary powerhouse. It's said that his strength has already reached the pinnacle of the Dou Emperor level, and he is also extremely proficient in the art of alchemy, acclaimed as the foremost alchemist in the Black Horn Domain. Therefore, most people respectfully refer to him as 'Alchemy Emperor Han Feng'," Ma Yicheng said thoughtfully.

"Han Feng..."

Hearing this name, Gu He felt a slight stir in his heart.

He remembered that this guy had a kind of Heavenly Flame on him.

Sea Heart Flame, perhaps?

This trip to the Black Horn Domain, he definitely planned to obtain it.

At this moment, Gu He suddenly sensed a commotion outside the carriage. Shouts of alarm penetrated into the carriage: "Everyone pay attention, a black storm is coming, hurry and prepare to stop the carriage! Mainly, do not scatter, to avoid losing direction."

"Black storm? Really unlucky, running into it again."

Hearing the shouts outside, Ma Yicheng's expression changed slightly, but he was not extremely panicked. He said to Gu He, "Mr. Di Jia, let's get out of the carriage first. As long as we are well protected, this not-so-huge black storm shouldn't pose too much danger."

Nodding, Gu He lifted the curtain of the carriage and jumped down, looking up to find that the sky, which had been clear just fifteen minutes before, was now completely obscured by a strange black fog.

Looking forward, his vision was severely obstructed. Only now did he understand why Doma said that encountering a black storm would render a map useless.

"Hehe, Mr. Di Jia, don't worry. I felt the wind direction; it's not very strong. This is a stroke of luck in an unfortunate situation."

Ma Yicheng said with a smile beside Gu He: "Although the black storm is the most depressing weather in the Black Domain Plains, compared to those brutal black bandits, it's much better. At least, with good luck in a black storm, you can still save your life, but facing those thousands of black bandit armies, you might just have to wait for death."

Gu He nodded slightly, about to say something, when the already dim sky suddenly darkened completely without any warning. Soon after, a howling gale swept down from the sky, causing some of the physically weaker people to sway in the wind, frightening them into grabbing onto anything nearby.

The black gale, sweeping down from the dark sky, was like a giant maw of a demon, devouring everything it encountered.

The interconnected carriages were arranged in a circle, end to end, with people hiding inside. Their weapons were firmly planted into the ground, securing their bodies like nails.

In the pitch-black darkness that enveloped everyone, amidst the howling wind, no one could feel the presence of others nearby.

Hearing the crackling sound of the wind against his body, Gu He's expression also changed slightly. He hadn't expected this so-called black storm to be so powerful, and this was just a small storm according to Ma Yicheng. If they encountered a larger one, wouldn't it directly sweep people away?

Of course, with Gu He's physical strength, he was able to face this storm directly.

He stood in the midst of the raging wind, unmoving, like an old tree with deep roots.

The darkness and the gale continued for an unknown length of time. Suddenly, Gu He in the darkness frowned and turned his head, glancing towards an indeterminate direction.

There, it seemed that several strange red glows were flickering, and vague sounds were also faintly accompanying them.

Sending his soul power towards that direction, Gu He immediately frowned and said coldly: "People from the Soul Hall, truly omnipresent."

What entered Gu He's field of vision was a strange red glow. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a phantom human figure emitting red light.

(End of chapter)

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