Chapter 402: A Shocking Scene

Time passed quickly, and the two Knight Orders of Wushan Castle had already arrived at Wushan Town and Cuican City, respectively.

Those nobles, great and small, who had learned of Lulansi's recovery through Mawen and Weituolinuo, also sent out their own troops one after another, each and every one clamoring to fight side-by-side with the Marquis.

Luoning felt this scene was quite interesting.

When Weijinsi had originally issued the mobilization order, many nobles had appeared reluctant; even during the campaign against the Bolante Bandit Group last year, many had held the mindset of just joining in for the excitement.

Now, Lulansi had not issued a mobilization order, nor had he even said a single word to the outside world, yet this group of people had volunteered to join the great army for the campaign against Heimang City.

There were likely two main reasons.

One was, of course, that Lulansi had recovered and the Thunder Marquis had made a powerful return; they needed to show their loyalty.

The second was Heimang City itself; this Border Count territory occupied a significant area. If Aosen were stripped of his Count title and territory, his vassals would theoretically also lose their land and rights.

In this way, with so much land becoming vacant, others would have the opportunity to vie for it.

Due to these two reasons, the nobles were behaving very actively.

Compared to the bustle of Wushan Town and Cuican City, the situation over at Heimang City seemed very desolate.

Over this past half-month, not only had Aosen not sent anyone to negotiate, he hadn't even sent scouts to gather intelligence, as if the blade of Wushan Castle's army was not pointed at Heimang City at all.

Luoning could not understand this behavior for a moment and could only guess whether the other side had something to rely on, so he rode his dragon to see whether Aosen had actually made any preparations.

This Border Count's territory possessed large plains; it was not only a major producer of horses but also the third-largest grain-producing region in the Wushan Territory.

Luoning could clearly see many people working hard in the fields, as well as horse farms of various sizes.

These people did not seem to realize that war was imminent, and they did not display any atmosphere of panic.

However, as Luoning arrived above Heimang City, the scene he saw changed.

Everyone in the city was gathered around the castle, looking like devout believers gazing up at the deity they worshipped.

Luoning frowned, "Is Aosen planning to drag all the commoners onto the battlefield?"

A lord did indeed have the right to drag commoners onto the battlefield, but these militiamen who had not undergone much training would have very limited utility in battle, especially since Heimang City was facing the Knight Orders of Wushan Castle, the Magicians of the Magic Chamber of Commerce, and the Knight Squads of various nobles.

Dragging so many militiamen out in this situation, Luoning's first thought was whether Aosen was grasping at straws in his desperation.

"Master, there is a scent here that I hate!"

Kaierluosi transmitted via soul, his tone filled with disgust.

Luoning was stunned for a moment; this dragon of his thought mostly about eating and sleeping every day and rarely expressed opinions on his affairs—this was the first time.

"The scent you hate..."

Luoning immediately thought of the Mysterious Valley in the Wubei Territory, and then his heart skipped a beat, "Are you saying that Natalia's scent is here?"

"Yes, Master. This scent makes me want to vomit; I don't want to stay here for even a moment!"

The time spent imprisoned was a nightmare that Kaierluosi could never escape; every time he recalled it, his dragon body and dragon heart felt extremely uncomfortable.

Having received a definitive answer, Luoning thought again about Aosen's recovery.

Lulansi and Milosilafu had both felt that Aosen had recovered on his own due to the Soul Devouring Surge having a limited duration.

But now, after Kaierluosi's reminder, Luoning instead felt it possible that someone like Natalia, who could control Witch Soul power, had healed Aosen.

"Witch Soul Clan, Witch Soul power... could it be that remnants of the Witch Soul Clan are hiding in Heimang Castle?"

Based on the memories of Ruidar, Aierlong, and Maiken, the Soul Devouring Surge on Natalia and Lulansi was a manifestation of the Witch Soul Clan and Witch Soul power.

Back in the Flame Canyon, it was the so-called Shadow Lord, Elliot, who had wiped out Ruidar's Flame Expeditionary Army.

But in that battle, Ruidar and the others had also eliminated the opponent, effectively perishing together.

If there really were people from the Witch Soul Clan in Heimang Castle, where did they come from?

"Let's go down and take a look."

Although Kaierluosi was unwilling, he still tucked his wings slightly and lowered his altitude, while the Curved Light Refraction Magic also covered his entire body; the commoners below could not discover his tracks at all.

As the altitude dropped, Luoning saw the expressions of the people surrounding Heimang Castle clearly; their eyes were listless, as if they had lost their souls.

Even though there were layer upon layer of these people and their exact number was unknown, they had no communication with one another; apart from the hoarse sounds coming from their throats, there was not a hint of speech.

Luoning's heart tightened, and his expression turned grim: "Could it be that this group of people have all become part of the Witch Soul Clan?"

He recalled Ruidar's introduction: although the Witch Soul Clan looked exactly like humans, their characteristic was that strange dark energy would surge within their bodies, which could be sensed by anyone with Mental Power at the level of a Mage.

Luoning quickly closed his eyes, his Mental Power spreading out to envelop the crowd below.

At this moment, his perspective was like the Detection Wind; in his sensing, this group of people was entirely wrapped in a special dark energy, connected into one piece, like a pitch-black sea of ink!

No wonder Kaierluosi could sense the scent he hated; with so many "Natalias," it would be difficult for him not to sense it.

Luoning opened his eyes, looking at the many people gathered around the castle, a flash of pity in his eyes.

They were all commoners, yet they had been transformed into these things that were neither human nor ghost and had lost their sense of self; how truly deranged the person behind this must be!

The pity in Luoning's eyes turned into anger, but immediately following that, he realized something, and a bit of panic set in.

"Ruidar said that the Shadow Lord Elliot possessed the ability to transform ordinary people into the Witch Soul Clan; could there be a so-called Shadow Lord in Heimang City?"

As this thought surfaced, his expression changed drastically.

A Shadow Lord was a Legendary Mage.

Back then, Ruidar and his Blazing Sun Knight companions, plus several Silver Moon Knights, had only managed to kill Elliot and her subordinates at the cost of perishing together; if an existence of that level had appeared in Heimang City, what would that mean?

"A Legendary Mage's Mental Power is incomparably strong; if such an existence were truly here, they should have discovered me and Kaierluosi. There is no movement in the castle yet, so I must be overthinking it."

Luoning suppressed the pity, anger, and panic surging in his heart, regaining a slightly calmer mind.

If there were truly a Legendary-level powerhouse here, by virtue of the opponent's super-strong perception, he and Kaierluosi should have been exposed.

Since they hadn't been exposed, it meant there were no Legendary powerhouses here.

However, although Luoning's worry was somewhat redundant, it was undeniable that the situation in Heimang City had exceeded his expectations.

He thought of the scene where he had killed Natalia and the others in the Wubei Territory; the Witch Soul Clan were like zombies, not fearing ordinary sword wounds.

To kill them, one must either decapitate them so they could not move, or "inject" an excessive amount of Magic Power or Battle Qi into their bodies, triggering the Elemental Power and Witch Soul power to clash, thereby killing the opponent.

The methods to win existed, but it was clear that the difficulty of the war had increased.

"No, I need to notify everyone about this matter in time."

Luoning signaled for Kaierluosi to take flight, "Also, just in case, we must have Ruidar come over."

As the only Blazing Sun Knight, Ruidar's presence could provide Luoning with a full sense of security.

Inside the castle, Mofisite frowned slightly.

He had just seemed to sense a subtle energy fluctuation, but by the time he sensed carefully, this fluctuation had vanished.

"What are you leaving for?"

He rubbed his brow; having been busy for over twenty consecutive days, even he was finding it hard to endure, but fortunately, everything was ready.

A faint smile hung on the corner of Mofisite's mouth, "Let me give the Noble Allied Forces of Wushan Territory a little shock!" (End of chapter)