Why could “the dying” drive away spectral demons?
The first time Lin Gui heard of this from the scholar Evan, he had questioned it.
Later, when he arrived at the City of Bounties and asked Blackbeard for information, he had asked again.
The answers he received were largely the same.
What the spectral demons feared was not the elderly person themselves.
Rather, it was what the elderly person would “summon” after death.
An existence that lived only in fairy tales and ancient legends—
The messengers under the Death God, the “Netherworld” that guided departed souls.
Only those who passed away from natural aging with intact souls...
...could summon the Netherworld messengers to guide their souls to the Netherworld Sea.
And these Netherworld messengers who escorted souls...
...were by nature the absolute natural enemies of all wandering spirits and spectral bodies.
Including those whose bodies were constructed from soul power—
...the spectral demons.
It was recorded in their long, almost instinctive memory of fear.
While the Netherworld messengers took away the deceased, it was highly likely they would “conveniently” do something else.
They would seize these lingering souls that should not remain in the living world.
And they would drag them into their eternal destination together—the Netherworld Sea.
This was the true secret of the “guide”.
And it was the root cause of why spectral demons avoided them like the plague.
Of course, these were all merely unproven speculations.
After all, no one had ever truly seen the legendary “Netherworld”.
But now, it seemed this speculation was highly likely to be true.
This was because of his magic that could see through souls.
It was known as 【Eyes of the Netherworld】.
Just now, the moment he activated the Eyes of the Netherworld, something incredible happened.
Those spectral demons had fled in wild panic as if they had seen a ghost.
It was as if they had truly seen the legendary Netherworld messengers.
Eyes of the Netherworld, Eyes of the Netherworld...
This was an ability that did not exist in any known soul magic system.
Could it... really be related to the legendary Netherworld Sea?
Lin Gui tried to ask the system in his mind.
But as always, he received no response.
He was not surprised.
Aside from task-related matters, this system basically ignored him.
Thinking about how the Eyes of the Netherworld could actually disperse spectral demons...
...a strange feeling arose in Lin Gui's heart.
The Clarity spell had resolved the deadly mist.
The Eyes of the Netherworld had bypassed the invisible demons.
These two major threats had struck terror into the hearts of countless hunters.
Yet, he had bypassed them in a process he hadn't even fully realized.
They had been resolved almost “by coincidence.”
The same went for the previous forbidden zone, the “Silent Sea”.
These two renowned death traps had been passed by him.
To him, they had actually been navigated without any real danger.
They were not even as dangerous as the perilous lands he had crossed in his early years, which were famous for their sheer number of demons.
At least back then, he had truly almost died.
It seemed as if the system had sensed the doubts in his heart.
The system in his mind actually spoke up of its own accord for once:
【The route planned for the host is the optimal solution based on the host's abilities.】
【That is: the safest explored route.】
【The prerequisite for triggering tasks is also strictly limited within the scope of the host's abilities.】
Lin Gui frowned.
The safest route?
But this long-term commission had required him to cross the Wall of Sighs right from the start.
If he hadn't completed the Hero's dying wish task back in the Carter Royal Capital...
...and hadn't obtained the Eyes of the Netherworld or drawn the Clarity spell...
...then the Wall of Sighs would have been a place of certain death for him.
How could it be called “the safest”?
The system added flatly:
【The “guide” method that generations of bounty hunters forged with their lives was effective.】
【It was also sufficient to allow the host to safely reach Blackwater City—the nearest safe point to Avalon.】
【As for the Wailing Corridor...】
It paused, as if it could see right through Lin Gui's thoughts.
【In the host's heart, besides crossing directly, isn't there another “safe” method?】
【It is just that it would take quite a long time.】
Lin Gui's mouth twitched, and he replied in his heart.
Ah, I really suspect you've installed a mind-reading device in my brain.
Indeed, besides crossing directly, Lin Gui had indeed thought of another way.
It was a crossing method he had already considered back when he didn't have the flying vessel.
It was a “dumb method” that might be feasible solely for the Wall of Sighs.
He wasn't sure if Blackbeard or the Dwarven Royal Court had thought of it.
Or perhaps they hadn't hired a suitable master of the soul domain to verify it.
In fact, if they only wanted to cross the Wall of Sighs and open up a safe passage...
...what they should have done most was perhaps not dispatching hunters to scout the way in the traditional manner.
Instead, they should have utilized their race's specialty.
They could dig a deep underground passage that ran through the Wall of Sighs.
They could have dug a tunnel.
Unlike other forbidden zones...
...due to the influence of “The Silent End,” all demons within the Wall of Sighs had perished.
This included those that were good at digging and active underground.
The concerns of traveling underground in other forbidden zones basically did not exist here.
As for the spectral demons...
Lin Gui recalled the soul study texts he had read in the Magic City.
He remembered it was explicitly mentioned in them.
No trace of spectral demons had ever been found underground.
Among demons related to souls, only soulless corpses and buried undead had been discovered.
Some scholars speculated that the deeper one went underground, the closer they would be to the Netherworld Sea.
It was a domain they instinctively rejected and dared not approach.
If he didn't have the flying vessel, Lin Gui really would have considered digging a tunnel.
Having maxed out his Soil Loosening spell, tunneling wouldn't be a difficult task.
It was just that the time required... would probably be very long.
He controlled the flying vessel and activated the Eyes of the Netherworld.
He accelerated toward the skeleton marker on the map.
Behind him, Theia hesitated for quite a while.
Finally, she couldn't help but lean against his back and speak in a low voice:
“Um... shouldn't you explain a bit?”
She looked around, noting that the hair-raising sighs from earlier had ceased.
They had all vanished.
It was exactly the same as when they had entered with Ryan's team before.
But... they didn't have a guide right now.
Recalling the bizarre retreat just now, her heart was in her throat.
She knew Lin Gui had done something.
But what could he do? Could it be that he was also about to...
Theia couldn't help but look at Lin Gui's profile with a worried gaze.
Sensing her gaze, Lin Gui smiled.
“It's very troublesome to explain.”
“Just assume that I've discovered a second method to drive away spectral demons.”
He paused, his voice calm.
“A method that... probably only I can use.”
Theia blinked, her silver hair swaying gently.
“Like that spell of yours that can see through souls?”
Lin Gui nodded.
Theia tilted her head and pressed further:
“So... is this the reliance that makes you dare to cross the Wailing Corridor?”
“No.”
Lin Gui shook his head.
“I also only just found out that this magic has this function.”
“My true reliance—”
He patted the control lever of the flying vessel, making a soft tapping sound.
“—is this, combined with the inherent characteristics of the spectral demons themselves.”
Theia was puzzled: “What characteristics?”
From the back seat, Eve, who had been listening quietly all this time, spoke softly:
“It's speed.”
Lin Gui nodded: “Yes.”
“Because of their spectral, incorporeal nature, they move very slowly.”
He turned his face to look at Theia.
“Didn't you notice? From the moment the sighs sounded to the actual attack...”
“...there was a full ten-plus seconds in between.”
“If it were an ordinary land demon, it would have pounced right in front of us long ago.”
Theia immediately retorted:
“But what we have to cross is the territory of an Epic demon!”
“The difference in rank is so huge, how can they be compared?”
“You're right.”
Lin Gui agreed, but then changed the subject.
“But besides that, do you remember what Blackbeard said—”
“—about how Shadow Blade Lynn crossed the Wailing Corridor?”
Theia was taken aback.
Lin Gui slowly revealed the answer:
“That is... absolute speed.”
Theia couldn't help but sarcasm:
“That is a High-tier Epic assassin! One of the fastest assassins in Akara!”
“I admit your little flying vessel is ridiculously fast.”
“But do you think it can compare in speed to Shadow Blade Lynn?”
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Theia looked at the slight curve of Lin Gui's lips and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Her mouth twitched, and her face showed an expression of having her worldview completely shattered.
“No way... that's a High-tier Epic!”
“The speed of the very highest rank of living beings!”
Behind them, Eve's voice sounded softly, carrying a hint of strangeness.
“Actually, the 'fastest speed' record of the Akara Continent...”
“...was not set by an assassin.”
Theia: “Huh?”
Eve continued, her tone carrying an indescribable meaning.
“Rather, it was a mage—the Wind Tower Master of the City of a Thousand Towers.”
“At the time, he used a... very peculiar method.”
“In a race, he defeated the person who was universally acknowledged as the fastest at the time.”
“A High-tier Epic assassin, the Grand Instructor of the Assassination Hall, titled Death God—Hugh.”
“I was actually present at that match.”
Eve's voice carried a hint of distant memory.
“At that time, I was still studying light magic at the Holy Chantry.”
“It was a study hall established by the Holy Church of Light in the City of a Thousand Towers, specifically for clergy members to study magic theory.”
“At that time, almost all the students from the magic academy went to watch that rare wager.”
“No one believed that a mage could defeat a pinnacle assassin in pure speed.”
“Assassins, in terms of explosive speed, even far surpass rangers and scouts.”
“Until—”
She paused, as if she were seeing that absurd yet shocking scene once again.
“Until everyone saw the Tower Master tie himself to the stern of a skyship with iron chains with their own eyes.”
“Then, he activated the Legendary wind magic—【Hurricane Propulsion】.”
“The wind pressure that erupted in that instant directly collapsed an entire brick high-rise next to the viewing platform.”
“Everyone was engulfed in the roaring collapse and dust.”
“By the time they came to their senses and looked up again—”
“At the target point in the distance, on that iconic earth mage tower...”
“...the shattered wreckage of a skyship had appeared.”
She let out a soft breath.
“Meanwhile, that 'fastest speed' Legendary assassin...”
“...had only just taken a single step.”
“It is said that after that, the Tower Master laid in bed for a full half-year.”
“And afterward, the Grand Instructor also admitted that the Wind Tower Master's speed at the time had far exceeded his own.”
“At least, he could not achieve crossing a straight-line distance of at least ten kilometers in three seconds.”
Eve added, a helpless smile in her eyes.
“Hurricane Propulsion! Isn't that—!”
Eve nodded: “Yes. The magic Captain Freya used to accelerate the train is indeed 【Hurricane Propulsion】.”
“That is the unique creation of the Wind Tower Master, just like the Shroud of the Gloomy Night is to Lin Gui.”
“Miss Freya was precisely the proud student of the Tower Master back then.”
She recalled the scene of the train tearing through the sea wind on the Black Reef Sea.
She couldn't help but chuckle softly:
“Now it seems Miss Freya learned the essence.”
“If the Tower Master knew, he would probably be very gratified.”
Theia was speechless.
Recalling the train's heart-stopping acceleration, she had to admit—
—that kind of pure speed was probably something even an Epic assassin could hardly match.
And comparing Lin Gui's unscrupulous flying vessel wild speed run all the way here to Freya's legendary acceleration...
...unexpectedly... it seemed the flying vessel was still faster...
And not just twice as fast.
Eve covered her face, still finding it hard to believe.
The speed of this tiny flying vessel could surpass a High-tier Epic assassin?
This was like asking her to believe that a wild dog on the side of the road could solo-kill the Legendary Gorn.
In front of them, Lin Gui smiled understandingly.
His calm voice drifted back:
“Actually, rank doesn't necessarily represent an absolute advantage.”
“Just like how I also didn't expect... that those who could cross the Red Clay Desert would be...”
He paused.
“...a blacksmith, a gardener, a bricklayer who builds houses for others for meager pay, a lady who washes dishes, and a little girl who sells flowers.”
Theia asked curiously: “What? The Red Clay Desert? Didn't you cross it alone?”
Lin Gui smiled bitterly.
“On the way back, yes, but not on the way there.”
“At that time, I was only a High-tier Mid Rank mage. How could I have the courage to challenge such a death trap?”
His voice grew quieter.
“If I hadn't met them... I'm afraid it would have taken me another year to reach the Magic City.”
“Them? Those artisans and such you just mentioned, are they Legendary experts?”
“No, they were just ordinary people. They didn't know magic, nor did they forge battle qi.”
Theia asked strangely: “How... did they do it?”
Lin Gui gazed at the churning gray mist ahead, as if seeing distant memories.
“Just like what I said before.”
“When crossing certain forbidden zones, weaker people actually have an easier time.”
Theia couldn't help but complain:
“If you send an unarmed commoner into a forest, they'd get solo-killed even by an imp.”
“So—”
Lin Gui's voice was very soft.
“Always have wood ash and dirt ready, and bathe often.”
“Before entering a forbidden zone, disguise yourself as part of the grass.”
“Don't let them 'see' you.”
“Do not attract any attention.”
“That was... their way.”
“It seems you had a pretty good relationship with those people.”
She was just speaking casually.
But Lin Gui fell silent.
He paused for a long time, so long that the flying vessel passed by another twisted, withered forest...
...before he spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a trace of suppressed bitterness:
“Yeah... it was really good.”
Behind Theia, Eve seemed to have noticed something.
Looking at Lin Gui's straight yet slightly stiff back, she let out a soft sigh.
She did not know Lin Gui's past; she had only pieced together a fragmented history from the brief words of past Holy Saintesses.
As for the city-state that sat at the entrance of the Red Clay Desert leading to the City of a Thousand Towers...
...it had been completely slaughtered as early as two years ago.
Not by demons, but... by human hands.
Everything had been put to the torch.
Warriors, commoners, children, nobles, street urchins...
Everything associated with it had become corpses under the iron hooves of the army, all because of a single show of hands on a resolution by the Alliance Council.
Rate on N.U.
