Chapter 226: Mysterious Ancient City (I)

Chapter 226: Mysterious Ancient City (I)

Lights seemed to be flashing in the distant gloom, like the eyes of wild beasts glowing in the wilderness. That was how it came across to Li Hao.

It was dead silent around them. They walked on hard stone blocks and traveled down an uninhabited alley. That was, uninhabited until faint breathing sounded next to them.

This was when Li Hao realized they were not alone. He tilted his head to see a very nervous Liu Long next to him. The man wasn’t in clear focus given the dark, but the eyesight of a Sunderer was very decent. He could make out most of the shapes he saw—being only slightly affected by noise and interference.

Liu Yan was also panicking on the other side and whipped her head to and fro. Having just set foot into late Sunderer, the deathly quiet was a bit stifling.

Footsteps seemed to sound by their ears, but it was like they were separated by another layer—they weren’t that clear. The trio thought it was the Night Watchers at first, then quickly realized that it wasn’t.

These footsteps rose and fell and continued without end, but they didn’t approach the trio. It was as if they circled around the group, but didn’t draw closer.

Yuan Shuo’s words echoed in their minds at this time. You will hear footsteps in the ancient city. When you hear footsteps, that means danger is upon you! But he’d also said that the footsteps sounded only in the last, innermost part of the city he’d penetrated. He’d entered through the city gates and explored his way further, almost reaching the inner city before hearing the footsteps.

“Gulp!” someone swallowed hard. Li Hao didn’t think it was himself, was it Liu Yan? Or... was it the captain? The captain was afraid?

To be honest, the young man was also a bit frightened. Where were the others? Where was the rest of the delegation? Based on Hou Xiaochen’s words, they should be together after entering the ruins. They should all be at the entrance. Why was there only the three of them at this place?

“Chief...” Li Hao called out softly. Echoes suddenly returned to their position. “Chief...”

The three jumped with shock!

Reality was rapidly proving that audaciousness wasn’t truly the middle name of martial masters. The three subconsciously drew closer to each other, wanting to draw warmth from their companions. This forsaken place was chilly and sinister, it was terrifying!

They felt a certain degree safer after establishing close proximity to each other, but the footsteps by their ears never stopped. They paused briefly when Li Hao called out “chief”, making the trio pale with horror. Had they been heard??

They looked at each other. Liu Long forced himself to snap out of his terror as he was the team leader and a Dominator, but he was cursing up a storm inside. I knew the ruins were dangerous, but I didn’t know that they’d be so scary right upon entering! This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

“Don’t be afraid!” he mumbled very softly. Only martial masters would hear him with their superb hearing. However, he didn’t speak with a lot of confidence. Thank goodness they were here together. If one person had suddenly appeared here by themselves, they would likely be petrified with fear.

Liu Long looked around—they were in a tiny alley. Tall walls surrounded them and some light could be glimpsed up ahead. The lights that were as if ghostly fire also came from the end of the passageway.

The three looked at each other. What should they do now? Do they wait or move forward? Both retreat and advancement were tough to decide. Li Hao was the bolder one in the end. There was no helping it, they were here already.

The three heaved a sigh of relief when the figure vanished and footsteps appeared again. It was suddenly much more relaxing to hear the sound of footsteps. When they suddenly vanished would be another source of fright.

The three advanced gingerly, hunched over and movements gentle as could be. A short distance took several dozen seconds to cover before they reached where the figure had paused. Li Hao poked his head out of the alley—his scalp immediately crawled with numbness and he stiffened in dread! Liu Long likewise stuck his head out when he felt the young man’s tension. His scalp also tingled with horror! Liu Yan was the next to carefully look outward, finishing off a trio of heads that didn’t dare move.

There was a large avenue outside the alley and many, many dark figures within it. To their left was the figure that’d just disappeared from their alley; there were many more of its brethren to be found on the right!

The three heads shot back into the alley. More footsteps were approaching them. The sounds were so uniform that they seemed to originate from one person, but the trio could tell that it was a small squad. It looked to be roughly eight figures—no one dared take a clear look.

The footsteps were growing closer. Li Hao wanted to retreat, but Liu Long pressed down on his arm with a slight shake of the head and held his breath. This was not a moment for action—it would too easily draw attention.

Three stiff Night Watchers waited on the spot in apprehension. A small team of black figures steadily approached. The trio was afforded their first clear glance of the figures when the first one passed by the alley.

Soldiers!

Shock shook their hearts. These weren’t random black figures, but soldiers dressed in black armor! Their armor was cast from a solid whole, even their helmets, and fully enveloped their wearers. Weapons hung by their sides.

It was a team of ancient soldiers! They moved along the avenue like wraiths, stepping forward in unison and passing by the alley. No one looked at the trio, no one noticed them, or perhaps no one discovered the three trespassers.

The footsteps continued in complete tandem. This was a highly trained squad of elites. They seemed to be on their usual patrols. Day after day, year after year!

Liu Long, Liu Yan, and Li Hao were so stunned that they could barely come back to their senses. Were these people alive? Patrolling soldiers?

It was hard to imagine—were there really large numbers of living people in this ancient city?

Li Hao’s expression shifted slightly and he shook his head. “They... don’t seem to be alive!” he murmured in a barely audible voice when the footsteps receded. The senses of martial masters were very keen. He couldn’t sense any breathing, heartbeats, or balls of light beneath the armor. What were these things?

Neither did the young man believe that anyone could survive in this completely sealed off city for so long.

“Puppets?” Li Hao offered after thinking it over. He’d memorized many old tomes and some recorded the existence of puppets in the ancient times. They were sometimes indistinguishable from real people—certain techniques and methods could create puppets that even had flesh and blood. The only thing they lacked was a consciousness.

Could that have been a team of puppets used to patrol the ancient city back in its day?

The trio didn’t know and couldn’t theorize an answer. The ancient civilization was too far removed from them.