Shi Lang looked down at the great canyon and frowned. The place was flowing with thick, acidic water. The entire place was stinking, and he was thinking about how to locate the bandit village hidden in this place. The canyon was spread over a landmass of five hundred kilometers, and that was the only place humans have ever discovered.
At the end of the canyon was an inactive volcano. That place was the root from where the acidic swamp originated. That volcano was desolate. Forget about humans; even spirit beasts did not venture around it. The only thing capable of surviving in that place were the scattered stalks of black cotton orchids.
Shi Lang could not comprehend how this worked, but life was miraculous. This herb had no significant quality, and the people did not search for it. Black Cotton Orchid could leave a person paralyzed upon touching it. It was said that some ten-year-old orchids were so strong that they could stun a person from a twenty-meter radius.
Shi Lang walked along the dusty ledge, trying to think where he might find the enemy. After walking for several kilometers, he froze in his path. Before him stood a human skeleton tied up to a wooden pole. The terran frowned. This thing was left here on purpose. The bones had been carefully drilled through, and the skeleton was weaved with dexterous wooden rope.
Shi Lang was about to take down the skeleton and bury it when a loud snort echoed beside him. The terran was surprised. He did not expect someone to appear next to him without getting detected.
His sensory ability allowed him even to detect void tunnels, let alone this person. He turned to the side and found an old man standing beside him. Shi Lang could not sense any spirit fluctuation from this person and hurriedly cupped his fists.
He asked, “Senior, did I do something wrong?”
The old man waved his hand and said, “It is not you, lad. It is this bunch of bandits. They have been killing all the people who have ever crossed this skeleton. Many kind-hearted people have tried to bury the skeleton, but they will dig it up repeatedly.”
Shi Lang asked, “Why would they do something like this?”
The old man sighed and said, “It is said that this skeleton belongs to their ancestor. The person was the first leader of the Swamp Thorn Bandits. He did many dreadful things to protect his family from his enemies, and in the end, they were dubbed the Swamp Thorn Bandits.
However, the succeeding generations interpreted the necessary evil as a devil and began massaging anyone who would come close. Over the years, they have killed people brutally, and this skeleton has become a symbol of their cruelty. The current leader of the bandits thinks that if they are crueler to themselves, the world will fear them.”
Shi Lang clicked his tongue and remarked, “What a cryptic way of thinking. No wonder the head hunters hunt them.”
The old man sighed and replied, “I wonder if there will be a day to rest in peace.”
Shi Lang was surprised momentarily and then turned around to find that the old man was missing from his position. The terran sensed his hair stand up on its end. He looked back at the skeleton. 𝚘𝑽𝗅xt.𝗰𝓞𝓂
He mumbled, “No wonder you would call them cruel. To think they will do such a thing to their ancestor. I shall let you cross over now.”
Then he walked over to the wooden stalk and stood down the skeleton. He said, “Elder in my world, the deceased are burned, and their ashes are scatted in some holy river or place where they would like to rest. Since you bore the burden of darkness for your loved ones in this region, I shall only scatter your ashes in the valley.”
He used his spirit energy to burn the bones into ashes. He did not waste any time, and with a wave of his hand, the ashes were scattered into the canyon. He folded his hands and prayed for the peace of the departed soul. Shi Lang was not foolish enough to believe everything a human would say, but a ghost had nothing to hide.
Shi Lang had learned from the old ghost’s words that the bandits could sense if someone moved the skeleton. While taking the bones down, he found a few marks engraved on them. These marks prevented the bones from decaying or withering in the weather, and also a proximity array.
Since he had moved the skeleton, the bandits would come to check. They could not track him as the array was destroyed in the fire. Shi Lang spotted a huge boulder and hopped onto it. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.
This task was a silver-level task and did not have great difficulty. It was just tricky. The bandits did not have a high battle strength, but they roamed where the mental limits of the hunters were constantly challenged and gradually eroded.
The best way to kill the bandits was to draw them out. He was confident in his skills after waiting for half an hour. His sensory ability showed signs of movement. Shi Lang raised his brow and mumbled, “Interesting.”
He spotted seven people rushing toward him. They all had the same location, five meters from where he sat. However, the place before him was empty. Shi Lang used the sounds from the place to look at the scene. The three-dimensional map was something he used rarely. His ability was not invincible.
After looking at the three-dimensional map, he found that the people were moving underground. He could see the tunnel sections neatly spreading behind them.
Initially, he was going to interrogate the bandits. However, now, he just decided to end them. The tunnel will lead him to the village. He waited patiently as the bandits decided to climb, opened a hatch mechanism, and revealed their heads. Shi Lang counted seven of them.
He could sense killing intent radiating from them. It seems like these people have been killing at regular intervals. As for what they were killing, he did not need to guess. The seven people exited the tunnel and gazed at the empty wooden stalk.
They conversed with each other, and one of the bandits located Shi Lang said, “Did you move the skeleton here?”
Shi Lang did not hide anything and nodded. The bandits tightened their grips around the machetes and swords they were holding. The terran asked, “Do you want to kill me?”
The bandit said, “If you do not tell us where the skeleton is, I will remove your flesh and replace the skeleton with yours.”
Shi Lang smiled and jumped off the boulder before he said, “The skeleton has been turned to ashes and scattered to the winds. The old should rest well.”
The bandits were surprised that this guy confessed so easily. Shi Lang did not allow them the chance to react and said, “Now, do not worry. I am not so cruel. I will send you all to meet the ancestors.”
The bandits were shocked, but the next moment, they sensed warmth spreading from their necks and flowing down their skins. They did not even realize that Shi Lang had attacked them. They held their throats and opened their eyes wide as they fell.
The last thought they had was filled with shock and fear. The terran did not leave their corpses behind. He carried them in his space ring and jumped inside the hatch. He was surprised by the mechanical craftsmanship on display. Suppose he had not used the sensory ability. He would not have found this tunnel.
The people made this god-forsaken place to be their own. Shi Lang explored the tunnel and discovered why these people had such thick killing intent. The tunnels were crawling with rats and various spirit insects. They charged at Shi Lang, but the terran invoked lightning spirit energy.
The pressure from his body was enough to repel these critters. He walked into the tunnel and found that this place was not artificial. He scratched the surface of the wall and sniffed it. He frowned and mumbled, “Sulphur, is this a lava duct.”
He increased the pace and discovered many lava ducts connecting as he went deeper. On the way, he sensed human activity and dealt with them promptly.
Soon, he found himself standing in a tunnel thrice wider than he had initially entered. This place was artificially enlarged. Shi Lang could sense heightened heat in the air. He guesses that this place should be closer to the lava reserve.
He looked around for human traces and found a lot of them. His doubts were cleared. The bandits were living in these lava ducts. They survived on the spirit beast rats and insects. They lived like savages, so they acted like one, too. His task was to kill a few and bring back the proof. Now that he had located them, he did not know if he should kill or rehabilitate them.