Chapter 792: Battle Fortress

The person who came to question Tang Zhao was a young man, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, wearing leather armor covered by a thick leather coat; at a glance, he looked like a stag charging over.

Tang Zhao knew this was the standard attire for residents of the Taiyin Domain. The days in the Taiyin Domain were short and the nights long, the temperature was on the low side, and the heavy Yin Qi made the physical sensation quite unpleasant, so the common folk generally dressed very thickly. Looking at the leather coat on this man, the texture was extremely thick and tough, incomparable to the hide of ordinary wild beasts; it was likely the hide of a Fierce Beast. In the Human World, this would be a precious material, but here, it should be commonplace.

Seeing the other party approaching aggressively, the Tang Zhao of years past might have felt somewhat flustered and scrambled to explain, but after many trials, the current Tang Zhao had gained experience. He remained calm and unhurried, taking out the lantern of the "Taiyin Court," and said politely, "Greetings, fellow countryman. I am not a bad person, but have just arrived from afar to find something here. I have already been verified and have absolutely no ill intent." He explained in detail for a few more sentences, mentioning that he wanted to find a guide, his attitude very gentle. Coupled with his demeanor and his face, most people would not harbor any hostility.

Upon hearing the words "Taiyin Court," the man's expression became complex, showing clear relief but also some disgust. Evidently, although the Taiyin Court was legitimate and noble, it was not popular. At the very least, villages that flew white poles were very resentful of the Taiyin Court's increasing inaction, its inability to resist, and even its collusion with the Tianmo Jie, which could be called a "traitor to humanity" organization.

The man looked at Tang Zhao and said, "Young man, are you carrying a sword?"

Tang Zhao was startled, then drew his sword from his sleeve. The blade was bright as if sunlight were flowing over it. He said, "Does the fellow countryman wish to confiscate my sword? I am afraid I cannot comply with that; the sword stays with the person."

The man looked at the sword and seemed a bit happier, saying, "I don't want you to surrender your sword; how could a Sword Guest surrender their sword? It just proves that you are still a Human Realm Swordsman. It seems you really are a true Sword Guest, not a Tianmo in disguise, nor a lackey who has defected to the Tianmo. Fine, you said you wanted to find a guide, but that must be approved by our Elder. Wait here for a moment." Having said that, he returned to the team first.

Tang Zhao waited to the side. He was not in a hurry, feeling that the residents here were a bit friendlier than he had imagined. In such a perilous environment, having this kind of attitude was already not easy.

The team walked all the way to the settlement, and only then did Tang Zhao see clearly: everyone in the team was wearing thick furs and looked robust, like a herd of migrating wildebeest. In the back, some were carrying several dead Fierce Beasts, and as they walked, those Fierce Beasts kept emitting black smoke. That was evidence that the Fierce Beasts had just died and the Yin Qi was escaping from their bodies.

The Fierce Beasts here seemed easier to preserve than those in the Human World. In the Human World, Fierce Beasts would rapidly decay upon death; the longer they had been infected by Yin Qi, the more severe the decay. If one killed a beast that had just become fierce, more than half of the flesh could remain, though the body would become extremely foul-smelling; however, eating it could increase one's strength, something Tang Zhao had suffered from when he was training in his youth. If they had been fierce for a long time, they would turn into black smoke the moment they were killed, leaving not even a hair behind.

Yet here, the Fierce Beasts were still emitting black smoke even after being brought this far, showing that the degree of their transformation was already very deep. However, their bodies were still intact and could be brought back as complete trophies. Clearly, the change in the environment here was certainly not friendly to humans, but for the Fierce Beasts, this place was a paradise.

When the team reached the front of the fort, an extremely concealed door opened. It was actually a revolving door that would automatically close after opening, requiring it to be pushed again; thus, such a long team entered very slowly. This design was safe for those inside, as the exit could be sealed at any time, but if people outside were being chased by enemies and wanted to return home quickly to hide, it would be very troublesome. This should be a consideration for survival, prioritizing the safety of the people.

The group entered the fort, and Tang Zhao waited a while longer, seeing the Micro Light on the horizon getting brighter; it was clearly early morning.

At this moment, next to that door, a smaller door opened. An old man and two sturdy men wearing deerskin came out and said, "Greetings, Great Hero. This old man is Dian Li, the Elder of Dian Fort. You wish to go up the mountain and are looking for a guide?"

Tang Zhao said, "Exactly. I need to go to the mountain in the south to find something—" He thought for a moment, using the light in his hand as a brush to sketch the terrain in the air. Although rough, because he had some foundation in painting, it was clear and understandable.

The little old man was stunned to see this, then immediately smiled and said, "So that is how it is. Since you are an outside guest and a Sword Guest, you are certainly an honored guest. Come inside to rest for a moment, and we shall discuss the matter of going up the mountain." The two sturdy men beside him were slightly surprised by the Elder's decision, but they did not object and led Tang Zhao in through that small door.

Tang Zhao could still squeeze through the door, but his Six Dragon Carriage could not enter no matter what, so he had to put the carriage away. Seeing him swipe his hand and have such a large carriage disappear, clearly a spatial item, both sturdy men showed looks of envy.

Inside the fort, it was generally similar to a village in the Human World, except that the roads were winding and the houses were built very squarely with distinct edges, yet they were arranged very irregularly. It gave the feeling that this place was full of bunkers, as if they were ready to fight a street battle at any time.

Tang Zhao followed them into the house and saw a group of young men and women outside running around the village. One look and it was clear they were exercising. Compared to the sturdy men outside wearing thick animal skins, these youths were dressed very thinly; it must have been intentional training.

Watching these young faces running earnestly, Tang Zhao suddenly thought of a place he had passed through a few years ago: the Chai Family Fort in Lingzhou, that village that stayed out of trouble in a place full of bandits. At that time, the youths in the village were also all practicing martial arts for self-defense. Thinking about it, the situation of the people in the Taiyin Domain and Lingzhou was somewhat similar. However, the youths here were stronger.

Yes, the youths here were strong, much stronger. Just looking at their muscles and agility, they were not inferior to those Knight-Errants of the Human World. Those Knight-Errants started practicing martial arts from childhood, eating meat and supplements, and tempering their muscles and bones, taking decades to have a body like "Steel-Reinforced Iron Bones," yet every youth here had it.

Although there were such geniuses in the Human World, with outstanding innate roots where one year of cultivation equaled ten years for others, that was very rare. Could it be that in this tiny settlement, everyone was a genius?

Could it be that the environment had created the difference?

The little old man led Tang Zhao into the room, poured him water, and then asked where he came from. Tang Zhao explained that he came from the outer domains. The little old man said with some longing, "The outside must be much better than here, right?"

Tang Zhao said, "Actually, it is just average. Nowadays, there is fighting everywhere, and no one dares to say they can safely see tomorrow's Sunlight. It is an ancient truth that it is better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos. Not to mention..."

Not to mention the legendary end of the world.

Hearing this, the little old man immediately said, "Is there still unceasing fighting outside? Isn't that better than here?"

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "That is true."

The little old man sighed, "You don't know, even if we wanted to fight here, it is difficult. When I was young, I volunteered to go to the Qianxian to participate in the war, killing Tianmo without falling behind anyone. But as the Qianxian suffered defeat after defeat, not only were there fewer and fewer soldiers, and the world became more and more broken, but in the end, there were fewer and fewer people organizing the fighting. The Tianmo became more and more numerous, and they even brazenly occupied our territory. As a result, the higher-ups not only ignored it but even indulged them. We were not convinced, but no one cared about us, so we had to protect ourselves."

Tang Zhao said, "As far as I know, at least in name, the Taiyin Domain has not accepted a ceasefire, let alone peace talks."

The little old man said, "Yes, in name, there is still a battle line. But that is just a verbal denial. As long as there is even a slightly plausible excuse, the Tianmo can walk swaggeringly in our hometowns. The people in the cities not only do not eliminate them but even protect them, and instead forbid us from approaching, saying we are radical. These years it has become increasingly blatant; they even built a Tianmo village next to our village and wanted us to tolerate them. We were not convinced, and as a result, the first ones to fight us were those traitors who acknowledged the Tianmo, saying we had ruined the big picture. Haha!" He laughed twice at the end, but it was not out of happiness; it was out of anger and a sense of absurdity.

Tang Zhao said, "I did see that there are yellow dots in our Luse area on the map..."

The old man said angrily, "What Luse area? Green means surrender. Do you think we are all people who surrender?"

Tang Zhao hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I was just talking about the markings. There are Tianmo settlements in the rear. It seems there are also human settlements on the Tianmo side."

The old man was even more furious, "What Tianmo side? Is this world not ours? How can the Tianmo have their own place? Their lair is in the Tianmo Jie. Every inch of land here is occupied from us, and of course, we must fight to the end. If you want to live and work in peace, you might as well go back to your old home. Do you not agree? Which side are you on?"

The old man was quite irritable. In fact, his strength could not compare to Tang Zhao's, so according to the prevailing rules, he was not qualified to speak loudly to Tang Zhao. But Tang Zhao was not angry; instead, because of the old man's words, he thought of a song.

"We are all sharpshooters, every bullet eliminates an enemy... We have grown up here since childhood, every inch of land is our own. If anyone wants to seize it, we will fight them to the end!"

This was a song Chen Zong had taught him. To him, it felt a bit distant, and many concepts were things he had never encountered; he only remembered it because the melody was catchy. At this moment, however, he found resonance in another region. He could not help but hum a few lines softly and said, "You are right. The Tianmo are invaders. Whether in the Suiyu or in the Human World, not an inch of land is theirs. Even if there comes a day of ceasefire in the future, the battle line must be pushed into their homes."

The old man nodded slightly and said, "There will be such a day. We do not have the ability to push back. At most, for the sake of survival, we just want to sweep the evil spirits and heretics in the mountains around us clean."