Night Without End
Chapter 218 - 140: The Edge of the World_2

Chapter 218: Chapter 140: The Edge of the World_2

Zhou Tao responded, "Who says that people at our level do nothing? Do you think the spirit meat we eat daily comes from nowhere? Without taking the field ourselves and ensuring plentiful food and clothing, we elders will also run out of supplies and eventually fall into poverty."

A young disciple informed that the main issue was that the border line left over from the last Great Exploration was simply too long. The territory they were in, including the surrounding cities, could only be considered a small corner.

Therefore, the stacks of documents and blood cases had accumulated quite thickly, and the people from various roads and schools were short of hands.

The most critical point was that the trespassers were just small fry, slipperier than eels, while the real masters were all watching the deeper parts of the Yewu World.

Hence, the higher-ups had been considering an expansion campaign in recent years, wishing to directly flip the table and strike forcefully.

However, the unknown territories were boundless, and even the Ancestor Masters of various roads had no confidence in what lay at the forefront.

Previous large exploration campaigns had been quite smooth, yielding immense benefits.

But who could tell about the future? What if they encountered the Divine Kingdom or the Demon King Court? The joy would be immense, and it was bound to be quite tragic.

A group of young people were studying those documents involving blood cases and tragic events, which were not few, some so horrific they caused one’s chest to feel tight and congested.

In the quiet room, Zhou Tao instructed a few disciples to allocate territories to a group of young people according to their strength.

He warned, "Everything must be done according to the rules, without overstepping, no crossing the red line. Do you understand?"

Several young people nodded, showing they understood.

Zhou Tao said, "Mutants will likely become our core disciples. They need to be well-trained. I will personally arrange it, give them some pressure, so they do not take the Six Imperial Ancestor Court’s assessment as child’s play."

Having said that, he took the young mutants’ information and went through it carefully.

"Rest here for tonight. Each of you will go your own way tomorrow, to resolve those blood cases, which is also considered as defending the territory and quelling unrest. If you think you are powerful, you can go for a small exploration, which will be fairly reflected in your evaluation!"

Zhou Tao admonished them, strictly forbidding infighting. Anyone who dared to attack their fellow travelers would be disqualified from the assessment and might even be executed.

"Can I fight back if someone secretly attacks me? Would that be considered infighting?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Not fight back? Have your blood and vigor all worn away! It’s merely self-defense," Zhou Tao replied and then distributed some scripture papers.

He added, "This is a very high-level secret technique called Bright Light Force, most suitable for honing while slaughtering monsters. Consider it a gift for you. Those who excel, even if it’s just their preliminary assessment, will be allowed to contemplate a more powerful cultivation technique in the Six Imperial Enlightenment Land upon their return."

The next day, a group of young disciples set off!

Qin Ming was a lone traveler and had not teamed up with others. He was assigned a territory nearly a hundred miles from the county town. Following the map and referencing the road signs, he moved swiftly through the nighttime.

"The seventh rebirth and a small exploration, here I come!" He was truly eager to see the original appearance of the unexplored world.

But he calmed down again, reminding himself to be cautious, to not carelessly capsize during the assessment.

He set out early and moved very fast. Before Shallow Night had completely fallen, he was already near his destination.

Luo Family Village, with smoke curling up from the kitchens, the villagers had just started preparing breakfast.

The place was rather bright, and a village with a population of several hundred people actually had a Second Level Fire Spring. Indeed, with vast lands and few people, the resources were abundant.

Outside the village, the vast Fire Fields were full of life, irrigated by the radiant Second Level Fire Spring, the crops grew exceptionally well.

Further off lay a dense forest.

This territory, governed by several cities, rarely saw high mountains; it was part of a vast plain, either covered in Fire Fields or dense woods.

The peaceful morning was soon disturbed by crying.

Some villagers were very nervous and scared, bolting their doors shut.

A woman was weeping, "My lord, you... you’ve come again. We’ve already lost a child, please don’t strike again. Choose one of us, the husband or wife, if you must."

Qin Ming immediately rushed over silently and saw within an open courtyard a Big Green Wolf standing on its hind legs, towering at two meters tall.

It wore a Confucian robe, bared its wide, bloody maw, and, shockingly, spoke in human tongue, "Breakfast should be hearty. I found your child quite tasty, so I came back for more today."

Kneeling before it were a husband and wife, willing to die in place of their child, begging for mercy, while behind them, two children under ten years of age were wide-eyed with terror.

Just yesterday, they had lost an older brother, and today it was going to be their turn.

"Beast!" Qin Ming had never imagined that one of the bloodbaths would be so vile and tragic. What did this big green wolf think this place was?

It regarded a villager’s child as its breakfast, and this was already its second time doing so!

Even though the other bloody incidents were excessive, none made him as furious as this one, his eyes nearly shooting fire.

In the past, he had always been calm, but now he was livid, unable to contain his rage.

Qin Ming charged into the courtyard, his gaze icy as he stared down the bizarre big green wolf, his intent to kill unmasked.

"Hmm?" The big green wolf was highly alert and immediately recoiled. It was prepared to kill if it could, and if not, it was ready to escape.

It smiled with its mouth wide, revealing shiny fangs, "Brother, I know you’re on a quest. Could we possibly step back from this confrontation? If so, I’ll leave right now. I am one of the Silver Wolf King’s followers."

"Who’re you calling brother?!" Qin Ming made his move, his body surging with Heavenly Light Force, his left fist and right palm both bursting with a blinding radiance.

The green wolf was swift, but it was still cornered, forced to fight back. Its large paw swung, slicing through the air, and the massive wolf’s head lunged forward in an attempt to bite.

The upright green wolf howled in agony as its left paw exploded, then another limb was torn off by Qin Ming, blood splattering everywhere. Simultaneously, with a loud bang, half of its head shattered.

"A creature that’s mutated six times," Qin Ming assessed, his anger slightly abated.

Behind him, the family was stunned, and then overjoyed, realizing their children would not be eaten.

The family thanked Qin Ming profusely and wanted to kowtow, but he quickly stopped them.

Qin Ming noticed that, after their joy, the family again showed signs of worry.

Soon, the head of Luo Family Village arrived, both excited and concerned. Resolving the issue with the big green wolf was good, but in the dense forest, there was a place called Wolf Ridge which was home to at least six more evil wolves.

Qin Ming learned more details from them and immediately set out towards the so-called Wolf Ridge.

In the dense forests of the vast plains, mountainous areas were often occupied by creatures as their nests.

Half a two-hour period later, Qin Ming found his destination and ascended the ridge.

"Who’s there?"

"Friend, we’re followers of the Silver Wolf King. What do you need? We can sit down and talk," a white wolf and a gray wolf spoke in turn, both surprisingly fluent in human speech.

These wolf demons were very vigilant, sensing ill intent from the visitor - a young man who dared to appear alone in this place probably should not be provoked.

"Have you been to those villages and towns, eating people?" Qin Ming asked.

"Misunderstanding, we occasionally smell of blood, we restrain ourselves..." the gray wolf began.

With the ring of steel, Qin Ming couldn’t listen any longer and drew his sword decisively, radiating a dazzling light, and with one sweep, severed a huge wolf head.

"How dare you strike at the followers of the Silver Wolf King?!" The other evil wolves were menacing yet apprehensive; after a brief hesitation, they attacked in unison.

In an instant, the sword gleamed brightly, and Wolf Ridge was splattered with blood as the evil wolves were either beheaded or split in two.

Qin Ming left with several wolf teeth, making his way back down the mountain.

"A human swordsman has come to our neck of the woods for a hunt?" In the dense forest, a weasel as tall as half a man, carrying a sword, blocked the path, its eyes shimmering purple, its body oddly enshrouded in faint lightning.