Lin Gui piloted his flying vessel, racing across the sky at extreme speeds.
The earth below was undergoing a transformation.
He had set out from Shield City one day ago.
Soon, he caught up with the demon tide that had evacuated from the city-states and was gathering toward the borderlands.
It was no longer a concept that could be described as a "tide."
It was a black ocean.
The demons surging from the direction of Shield City interwove with the torrents converging from other regions.
Together, they formed a force powerful enough to alter the very geography of the land.
Lin Gui’s flying vessel navigated the airspace above this ocean.
It was like a tiny leaf, liable to be overturned at any moment.
Below, the tide composed of countless powerful demons trampled vegetation and leveled mountains.
Forests that had stood for millennia were reduced to dust under the demons' feet.
Towering hills were shattered by the demons' massive bodies and ground into flat plains.
The roar was deafening, completely drowning out the sound of the flying vessel cutting through the air.
Lin Gui did not choose a route through the Silent Sea.
Instead, he took the conventional path.
He bypassed Black Reef Bay from Shield City and entered the borderlands through Giant's Canyon.
This was the same route Barna had taken when coming from the Carter Royal Capital.
His speed was incredibly fast.
However, his mana was ultimately limited.
Without a priest to provide him with a continuous supply of energy, he could not maintain the nearly non-stop acceleration he had employed in the past.
Whenever his mana was half-depleted, he had to stop and rest.
As a result...
He and the demon tide arrived almost one after the other at the border between the Blackwater Corridor and the borderlands.
Giant's Canyon.
Lin Gui reached the canyon first.
To prevent being trampled to death by the demons, he deliberately parked the flying vessel atop the high peaks on either side of Giant's Canyon.
He spent every second he could to recover his mana.
Not long after, the demon tide also stepped into this canyon, which had been created by a previous Dark Tide.
The peaks on both sides collapsed under the impact of the demons; giant boulders tumbled down, only to be crushed into fragments by the feet of even more demons.
The canyon floor was gouged open by countless sharp claws, leaving deep, intersecting trenches.
Standing at the summit of one peak, Lin Gui watched the black torrent surge through below.
He watched as the canyon turned into a field of ruins before his eyes.
A sense of urgency pricked his heart like a thorn.
Once the call of the Demigod demons ceased...
He could not imagine the horror of these demons if they were to go on a rampage.
Lin Gui did not linger.
He piloted the flying vessel and continued to accelerate.
The demons were becoming more numerous.
With every stretch of distance he covered, new torrents converged from all directions.
Demons arriving from even farther away joined this black wave in a steady stream.
Then, they galloped toward the Withered Rift.
Ultimately, this tide split before the mountains that cradled the Carter Royal Capital.
The Carter Royal Capital was not the destination for these demons.
Their destination was the Withered Rift.
Seeing this, Lin Gui breathed a slight sigh of relief.
By the time Lin Gui reached the Twilight Fortress, it was already the third day since he had left Shield City.
He looked down from the flying vessel and saw what the fortress had become.
Nothing remained but rubble and debris.
The mountainside next to it had been stripped bare, looking like a skeleton gnawed clean by some gargantuan beast.
Lin Gui felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He raced past in his flying vessel.
One after another, the fortresses marked on his map had been leveled by the demons.
Some were mere crumbling ruins; in others, even the foundations had been dug out, leaving nothing but deep pits.
Amidst this somber sight, countless doubts also arose in his mind.
How had the Carter Royal Capital survived in the face of such a natural disaster?
Without a single Epic rank expert, were they relying solely on those two Legendaries?
As a transport hub, the Carter Royal Capital was massive in scale and economically prosperous.
But in terms of military power, it truly could not hold a candle to the others.
Forget Shield City—even the magic academy of the City of a Thousand Towers could likely obliterate the place.
And yet, such a city-state had managed to survive a demon riot?
Lin Gui could not understand it.
He sat in his flying vessel and crossed over several leveled fortresses.
Finally, he arrived at the site of the last fortress where he had once met the North Wind caravan.
Here, no trace remained of the massive fortress that once stood.
The remnants of Freya’s Legendary magic had long since vanished.
Only a few bricks deeply embedded in the earth served as proof that the fortress had ever existed.
To increase his speed, Lin Gui had broken his own self-imposed rule of maintaining at least half his mana after leaving Giant's Canyon.
As a result, he had quickly outpaced the demons galloping toward the Withered Rift.
At the same time, however, his mana had been rapidly consumed.
Upon arriving here, he had less than one-seventh remaining.
Lin Gui decided to take a temporary rest here.
Since the mountain was still standing, it acted as a natural barrier, blocking the large-scale migration of demons.
Aside from the occasional sky demon gliding across the dark heavens, there were essentially no other demons in sight.
It was a perfect spot for recuperation.
Lin Gui piloted the flying vessel and landed slowly in a corner of the ruins.
He stowed the vessel away and found a hidden spot among the debris, sitting down with his back against a surviving boulder.
Closing his eyes, he downed a mana restoration potion and began to restore his energy in peace.
The earth was vibrating slightly.
This was the commotion caused by the demon migration very far away; the tremors traveled through the ground, wave after wave, like a distant earthquake.
Lin Gui kept his eyes closed and immersed himself in meditation, slowly recovering his mana.
Then...
Another sound mixed into those tremors.
It was the sound of hooves.
Very light.
Very distant.
But it was definitely the sound of hooves.
The sound of hooves???
Lin Gui’s pupils contracted sharply.
In a situation like this, how could there be horses coming??
Without any hesitation, he flipped his body and rolled toward an exposed gap in the mountainside.
His movements were as light as a cat's, making no sound at all.
Leaning against the cold rock, he held his breath.
His Demon Eyes activated; his vision pierced through the darkness, gazing toward the direction the sound was coming from.
Simultaneously, the Eyes of the Netherworld emerged in his eye sockets, preparing to judge the strength of the newcomers via their soul states.
In the past, this had always been Theia’s job.
Now, he only had himself.
However, before he could see anything clearly, Shadow Blade Lynn’s voice abruptly sounded in his mind.
“Quick, use that magic.”
She paused.
“The opponent has a Legendary.”
Shadow Blade Lynn’s tone was somewhat odd.
A demon riot meant death for all, with no chance of survival.
Yet, here near the center of the Dark Tide, there was the sound of hooves.
Were there living people coming through from over there?
Upon hearing Shadow Blade Lynn’s warning, Lin Gui did not hesitate.
The power of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night instantly enveloped his body.
His figure vanished from the spot.
Lin Gui silently watched the direction the sound was coming from.
Soon, figures appeared in his field of vision.
It wasn't just one or two.
It was an entire troop.
Emerging from the direction of the Carter Royal Capital, the figures of a knight order appeared one after another.
They were fully armed, their armor gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the dim light.
The warhorses beneath them were moving at a fast pace, as if they were fleeing for their lives.
It wasn't just knights.
Following behind them were numerous extravagant carriages.
Those carriages were exquisitely decorated, their panels carved with complex heraldry, and their wheels were reinforced with refined steel; they were clearly of immense value.
The curtains of some carriages were half-drawn, and one could vaguely see figures sitting inside.
They wore opulent clothing and appeared to be members of noble families.
Even further back were several transport vehicles.
Pulled by packhorses, they were fully loaded with supplies.
There was grain, trunks, and rolled-up tents.
There were also goods covered by canvas, though it was unclear what they were.
The leader was mounted on a pure white warhorse and wore a silver-gray cloak.
He was a middle-aged man with a resolute face and a neatly trimmed beard.
He wore no helmet, revealing short, graying hair.
His armor bore no unnecessary decorations, save for the image of a lion with outspread wings carved upon the chest.
Sitting atop his horse, he shouted urgently, commanding them to pick up the pace!
Lin Gui recognized him.
He was a Guardian Knight of the Carter Royal Capital.
Duke Lister.
Rate on N.U.
