ryethenovel Chapter 979 Canggu Mountain Range
Chapter 979 Canggu Mountain Range
After the six people left the council chamber, they all slowed down their pace in the corridor.
No one spoke, but their eyes met briefly in the air—both were assessing, both were testing.
The silence lasted for about ten breaths before the bald, burly man finally broke the silence. He turned to face the others and said in a gruff voice, "My name is Kuishan, and I've been in the arena for six years. Since we're going on missions together, we need to know each other's names, otherwise we won't even be able to call each other correctly."
"Shadow." The short-haired female butler announced her name, her words as concise as a blade slicing through the air.
"Cloud Hidden." The gray-haired, thin man still looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and his voice was lazy.
"My name is Qingya!" the boy said calmly.
Finally, everyone's eyes fell on Lin Qiye.
"Lin Qiye," he said, his tone flat.
"Lin Qiye..." Kuishan repeated the name, his gaze lingering on him for a few more moments, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "I've heard of you. The newcomer who killed Lei Sha, right? The whole arena is talking about you now."
Lin Qiye did not respond.
Kuishan didn't mind and continued, "Being able to kill Lei Sha shows you have some skill. However, this mission is different from the battles in the arena. In places like the Canggu Mountains, it's not just about strength, but also experience and judgment. Stay close to us and don't rush in alone."
These words sounded like a well-intentioned reminder, but the condescending tone was obvious to everyone. Lin Qiye glanced at Kuishan and nodded.
Seeing that he was relatively cooperative, Kuishan didn't say anything more and waved his hand: "Let's go, let's go to the North Gate to get the equipment first, and then set off."
The six men traversed the arena's many passageways and arrived at the north gate, where several stewards were already waiting. Six black backpacks lay bulging on the ground, clearly filled with a considerable amount of cargo.
Ying stepped forward to check everything, then turned back and said, "The supplies are complete: dry rations, water, tents, purification talismans, emergency medicine, and some climbing tools. One set for each person."
"Check your weapons and armor. Tell me if you need anything replenished now." As he spoke, Kuishan picked up his backpack, pulled out a folded piece of soft armor, unfolded it, looked at it, and then stuffed it back in.
After checking their equipment to make sure nothing was missing, the six of them set off from the North Gate and entered the vast and desolate Ash Wasteland.
The grayish-white, fluffy substances continued to fall silently from the sky, covering the entire land like snow that would never stop. In the distance, at the edge of their vision, the outline of a continuous mountain range appeared and disappeared in the grayish-white mist—that was their destination.
Canggu Mountain Range.
The six people walked in a line, steadily making their way through the ankle-deep layer of ashes. Their pace was neither too fast nor too slow, maintaining a rhythm that allowed them to sustain a long trek.
Kuishan led the way, his massive body leaving deep footprints in the ashes, creating a relatively solid path for those behind. Yunyin and Qingya stood on either side, keeping watch for any movement on the flanks. Ying walked second to last, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding terrain and environment. Lin Qiye brought up the rear, responsible for covering the rear.
This formation arrangement was clearly planned by Kuishan before departure. He didn't consult with Lin Qiye and directly assigned positions—putting a newcomer at the safest rear, which was both a form of protection and a sign of distrust.
Lin Qiye had no objection to this. Walking at the back made it easier for him to observe the entire group and keep an eye out for any followers on the way they came.
After walking for an hour, the outline of the arena had become a blurry gray dot on the horizon. The scenery ahead remained unchanged, still a vast expanse of grayish-white ash and scattered fossilized bones of giant beasts.
Qingya was the first to break the silence: "Kuishan, you've been in the arena for 20,000 years. Have you ever been to the Canggu Mountains before?"
"I've been here a few times. Three hundred years ago, I went on a collection mission to the outer edge of the mountains with a senior deacon." Kui Shan's steps did not stop, and his voice came from ahead. "That time, we didn't go too deep. We just circled the outer area, collected some crystal ore samples, and came back. But that place is really eerie. During the days we were there, we could hear some strange noises every night."
"What was that sound?" Qingya pressed.
"It sounds like... the sound of bones grinding together." Kuishan's tone lowered. "Very light, very faint, coming from underground, intermittently. The senior deacon said it might be the natural settling of ashes from underground, but I don't think so."
Ying, standing ahead, casually added, "The sound of natural settling wouldn't be so regular."
"Yes." Kuishan nodded. "I think so too. But that deacon wouldn't let us investigate further, so we could only pretend we didn't hear it."
Qingya's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he fell silent.
The group walked on in silence for a while longer.
Suddenly, Kuishan, who was walking at the front, stopped and raised his right hand, making a fist—a gesture of stopping and being on guard.
The people behind immediately stopped, gripped their weapons tightly, and scanned their surroundings.
Kuishan crouched down, placed one hand on the layer of ashes, and frowned slightly: "There's something ahead."
Ying strode forward, squatted down beside him, reached into the layer of ashes, and picked up a fist-sized object—a fragment of broken armor with jagged edges and dried, blackened bloodstains.
She turned the fragment over, her expression changing slightly: "It's standard armor from the arena."
"How long has it been?" Kuishan asked.
"Judging from how dry the blood is, it's been no more than three days." Ying tossed the fragment back to the ground, stood up, and looked into the distance. "There must have been a battle around here."
The alert level for the six people was immediately raised.
The appearance of gladiators from the arena in this wasteland is not normal in itself—this area has long been designated as the outer perimeter of the arena, and apart from the occasional gathering team and patrol team, very few gladiators would come here alone.
"Cheer up, everyone." Kuishan drew his greatsword from his back, his voice turning serious. "We might not be the only moving force on this wasteland."
He stepped forward again, and the six of them continued on.
After walking for about half an hour, they passed through an area that had been crushed by something. The layers of ashes there were flattened like a mirror, as if some extremely heavy object had dragged over them, leaving a long trail. The trail was several meters wide, and the layers of ashes on both sides had been turned over, revealing the dark brown rock layers underneath.
Qingya squatted at the edge of the mark, reaching out to touch the edge of the indentation, his face pale. "Kuishan... this mark, why do I feel like something burrowed through the ground and left it?"
Kuishan did not answer, but his expression grew even more somber. He walked a few steps along the trail, then suddenly stopped, crouched down, and picked something up from the ash layer.
That was a broken tooth.
It was dark yellow, as long as an adult's arm, with a trace of dried, dark red flesh still attached to its base. The tooth was shaped like the tusk of some giant reptile, and its surface was covered with fine cracks, inlaid with tiny fluorescent blue crystals.
Kuishan held the broken tooth, remained silent for a few moments, and then said in a deep voice, "It's a rock rhinoceros's tooth."
"A rock rhinoceros's tusk?" Qingya was taken aback. "Rock rhinoceros tusks aren't usually this big, are they? I've seen rock rhinoceroses in breeding farms, and their tusks weren't this big. This one is almost three times the size..."