An Unyielding Wind Volume 1 Chapter 16 Part4

This chapter has been brought to you by me, and WanderingGummiOfDoom.

Last chapter recap: Aofeng embarks on her journey of becoming a bandit.

V01-S16-C04

Chapter Four – Death Corridor

When Aofeng said this, the members of the alliance agreed with tremendous zeal.

They held a grudge against the Lan Family, and Aofeng's request was one they all desired. There was no “help” to speak of. If possible, these people wanted to teach the Lan Family a lesson. However, the four families had great reputations and far reaching influence. Whether or not the alliance had the power was a secondary matter, if they wounded a main branch family member, and angered the family as a result, it would be troublesome.

However, stealing magic beasts was a different matter.

We didn't really wound anyone, we also swept clean the magic beast obstacles on the way for you. You should thank us, how can you attack us? Also, the magic beasts within Death Ridge don't belong to you. They belong to those able. We will do as we please! If you cannot get them, then it is because you do not have the ability. If you have the ability, come steal ours!

Just based on the Lan Family's goal, stealing their magic beasts would be more infuriating than fighting them head-on. The alliance was a collection of rabble and were not able to compete against the Lan Family directly. However, they saw hope with Aofeng, a regent beast tamer. If the fifty-plus magisters in the alliance all got new magus beasts, how could the four families beat them?

When they thought of this, their gazes became even more heated. All the magisters in the group forming a sacred beast army. A master beast tamer would need a lot of time to tame sacred beasts. Who, except a regent beast tamer, would dare to say they could create one quickly?

Aofeng confidently looked around, her black eyes bright as she shouted, “Steal their magic beasts, steal their dragon egg, and even the Candia Giant Dragon! Teach them that the Freedom Alliance is not one to be bullied!”

“Yes! We will not be bullied!”

“Grand Commander, we will follow you and rob them blind!”

The alliance's blood heated up as they raised their right fists in excitement and shouted.

Lei Yufeng looked in wonder and praise at Aofeng's confident appearance. A certain part of his heart beat rapidly. He admired Aofeng's ability to unite the people. Even he would not be able to get these people to follow him on such a mission so faithfully. Through a few words, Aofeng had stirred their spirits. He had to admire it.

From this moment onwards, the people in the alliance truly thought of Aofeng as the true commander of the alliance. The term “Grand Commander” would continue. No matter how famous Aofeng became in the future or how many other t.i.tles she received on the continent, the people who partic.i.p.ated in this operation always called Aofeng “Grand Commander.”

“Depart!” Aofeng smiled faintly and stopped adding fuel to the fire. She went forward first, leading people along the path from yesterday into Death Ridge. They began this dangerous journey.

Because everyone frequently adventured in the forest, experienced and strong, they were quick. No one fell behind on the path, not even the relatively weaker women. The road was as Aofeng said, no magic beasts had dared to linger after Oslin's super-divine beast aura. They pa.s.sed safely through.

As the sun set, they finally reached the entrance to the Death Corridor after a day of rus.h.i.+ng through the perimeter of Death Ridge.

Aofeng took a deep breath, her emotions surging. The scene in front of her was so vast and magnificent!

Two prominent cliffs formed an enormous arch with a wide path in the middle that stretched to the endless distance. The pa.s.sageway was so vast that people were like ants under this roar. When one looked towards the other cliff from the base of another cliff, the cliff was actually blurry.

This here was the core of Death Ridge. Pa.s.sing through Death Corridor lead to divergent mountain valleys that held all kinds of high level magic beasts. Some valleys were shallow, others deep. In one of the nearby large valleys was the giant dragon Candia's nest.

Usually, the deeper the mountain valley, the higher the level of the divine beast that resided in it. Even the Candia Giant Dragon who resided on the perimeter was seventh-star. Aofeng could not imagine how insane it was deeper inside. Tian Ya had once said magic beasts slightly weaker than Oslin desired to take over his position. Maybe there were also super-divine beasts. She did not have the ability to explore the depths at present.

Raising her head to look into the inky black sky where a bright clear moon hung, Aofeng said, “Let's set up camp here and rest. There is still a ways off to the dragon nest. Today, we should have caught up halfway to their group. Let's be on our guard night. Starting now, magic beasts will be appearing.”

“Yes, Grand Commander!” The adventurers of the alliance responded. The leader of each squad had at least a spatial ring for adventuring. They took out tents and other articles. The group set up camp with practiced skill and then spread a circle of giant dragon excrement around the camp. The excrement could ward against the attacks of some magic beasts.

At this time, the experience and quality of the adventurers shone through. They had prepared everything without Aofeng needing to say a word and scheduled a night watch. They were much better than the young masters and misses of the families who never really ventured outside their family compounds.

They didn't encounter any magic beasts in this day and travelled unimpeded. As the members marveled at this phenomenon, their admiration of Aofeng increased. All of the magic beasts in that area of the perimeter had been driven away. They didn't understand how this young grand commander had done it!

The other people set up camp while Aofeng, the three celestial ranks, and all of the spirit magisters and sacred swordsmen above seventh-sword and seventh-star gathered together to discuss their strategy for facing the magus beasts that would attach during the night. There were four spirit magisters, and two sacred swordsmen.

“I will have Tun Xiao stand guard tonight. The aura of a divine beast will stop most magic beasts.” Lei Yufeng released the Golden Winged Roc and had it stay in mimicry. He said cautiously, “But we have to be careful. I've explored the Death Corridor alone before. Divine beasts will appear here, not many, and not of high star status. While they cannot threaten me, if caught off guard some friends in the group are not a match.”

Death Ridge was the same as the Forest of Neversetting Sun. Home to many magic beasts, but of even higher strength. Divine beasts would even lead herds of sacred beasts. Therefore, even though Lei Yufeng had the Gold Winged Roc, he didn't dare to have it carry everyone to fly. If one was too arrogant in the sky, they might all die.

“Low star-level divine beasts are easy to deal with as most divine beasts move alone. Grand Commander, His Excellencies Lei Yufeng and Mo Nan are here, so they are not a threat. However, I'm worried about the nocturnal Vampire Bats and Blood-Feathered Owls.” Li Jie, a nine-sword spirit magister browned. He had some experience in Death Ridge. Aofeng had learned the names of most members after one day.

“While the former live together in large numbers, these spirit beasts have no intelligence. They are bloodthirsty and greedy. The aura of magus beasts are ineffective against them. The latter are high star level sacred beasts. They move together in groups of three to five, and they do not fear the aura of divine beasts.These two kinds of beings have concealment abilities and excel at hunting in the night , our people cannot guard against this with certainty and the two species frequently appear together. If they ambush us, our fatalities may be very high.”

Aofeng's eyes flashed when she heard this. She rubbed her smooth chin and said, “If we are prepared, will we have a problem facing them?”

Lian Cheng, an eight-star spirit magister said without hesitation, “No problems. Vampire Bats fear fire, and the owls' attack strength is average among sacred beasts. Grand Commander, you and their excellencies should be able to defeat them. If you fight them using their weakness, they are easier than other high ranking magic beasts, they can be said to be a free meal. However, they are skilled in concealment, and will not be easily found. They are a headache for many experts who come to Death Ridge.”

Expression easing, Aofeng laughed confidently, “That's good, concealment? There is nothing that can hid under my eyes! Notify everyone to be on their guard. When I give the order, the people on watch will wake everyone else. It's fine if the magic beasts don't come, if they do, we will eat the free meal delivered to us.”

The surrounding experts became alert and their eyes turned bright.

After being in contact until now, they knew that this young commander was not one to boast. Since the commander said this, the likelihood was high.

“Great! The blood inside the Vampire Bats' blood sacs can boost strength, and are effective for both swordsmen and magisters. Their wings and claws are also valuable. If we succeed, we will become rich.” The female seven-sword spirit magister and Lian Cheng's younger sister, Lian Ya said as she peeked at Aofeng with a slight blush on her face.

Aofeng's aloof and handsome appearance along with the power she displayed and her calm mind successfully won the hearts of all the female members of the alliance. This Miss Lian Ya wasn't an exception.

Lian Ya thought inside, while young, this “young man” is very strong! His personality was so cold, it was extremely exciting. She wanted to take him home!

“After this first battle, when we have added more sacred beasts to our group, it will become easier and easier. Grand Commander, wait. I will capture a sacred beast for you.” Liu Dong who had obtained a sacred beast had been excited the entire day. Hearing there was a fight to be had, he was more proactive than any other person.

“Stop showing off here!” The other spirit magisters laughed and shouted at him.

After the evening meal, the camp sank into silence. Regular breathing came from the adventurers' tents. This was the best time to rest.

Inside a tent, Aofeng controlled thirty two small ice mice using the mask that Xiao Bing turned into. She observed everything within four thousand meters of the campsite. No movement could escape her eyes.

In the cool night, the wind blew, and after the clouds gradually obscured the bright moon, pairs of blood red eyes flashed from behind a nearby mountain and reflected in the eyes of an invisible ice mouse.

“They are here! As expected, two species of magic beasts are acting together!” Aofeng counted through the eyes of the ice mouse. “One, two, three, four … … hm, that's … …” At the center of the Blood-Feathered Owls was a larger owl with a white beak and some snowy white feathers.

Aofeng took a deep breath and her eyes lit up. “Such an extravagant meal. Even a divine beast has come to us. If we don't take him, we will not live up to this brother's enthusiasm in travelling thousands of miles here … …”

Translator Ramblings: Is this acceptance just mob mentality or their entire culture so based on strength they accept Aofeng so easily?