Clinging to the Witcher world to become a god of martial arts

Chapter 244 Remains of the Outer Wall

"There will be many similar minor troubles along the way. Try to conserve your energy before reaching the central observation tower in the City of Hope or the anomalous locations mentioned in the information provided by Cologne."

"Our real enemy is not these supernatural creatures corrupted by negative energy, but the formal wizards vying for the Mark of Death."

"Different wizarding factions such as Raven's Nest, Silver Scales, and Firefly Forest."

Estelle calmly explained, gesturing for Lorne to quickly leave the rubble-strewn slope, "The negative energy released when the Corrupted Tree Spirit died could very well attract similar creatures."

The two did not search for the dead, corrupted tree spirit; such a deeply corrupted supernatural creature would likely not have any valuable materials on its body.

They quickly left the foul-smelling slope, disappearing back into the sparse, twisted remains of dead trees, and continued their journey toward the edge of the ruined City of Hope.

The closer you get to the main ruins, the more eerie the surrounding environment becomes.

The dark gray fog thickened, almost forming a solid curtain, drastically reducing visibility.

The gray-black mud underfoot was gradually replaced by gravel and construction debris, and the concentration of negative energy particles in the air increased significantly, becoming so viscous that even breathing became difficult.

After his spirituality was enhanced, his mental perception became extremely sensitive, and Lorne only felt that the surroundings had become more noisy and chaotic.

Countless fragmented, painful, and malicious whispers came from all directions, attempting to invade the mind like undercurrents beneath the ice.

He had to consciously narrow his perception range and focus his attention on the tens of meters in front of him and the stable magical fluctuations around Estelle, so that he would not easily lose his way.

"According to the map, we are about to arrive at the outer wall ruins of the City of Hope."

Estelle stopped in front of a huge, abruptly raised stone wall riddled with wind-eroded holes.

The stone wall stretches to both sides. Although it is broken and has been eroded to some extent by the pervasive negative energy, the outline of the former city wall can still be vaguely seen.

"I never imagined that in just over ten days, the City of Hope would be reduced to ruins under the swarm of crows." Lorne sighed inwardly.

More than a month ago, the two passed through this city while transporting supplies. Although it was somewhat dilapidated, it was not as bad as it is now, with only ruins remaining.

"That's normal. Although the City of Hope was founded by three great wizards, decades have passed, and they may all have perished, just like Anglie."

"However, there are at least ten Archmages in Raven's Nest. Even if three Archmages, including Anglie, were still alive, they would not be able to withstand the onslaught of the swarm of crows if they went all out."

Estelle wasn't too surprised. Her pale blue eyes looked at the protective runes left on the stone wall, which had been blurred by negative energy and were etched on it like hideous wounds.

"From here on, we have truly entered the territory of the City of Hope. The source of negative energy and the areas where the imprints may manifest are all deeper inside."

She glanced back at Lorne, her pale blue eyes reflecting the dim light of the day: "Stay close to me. The internal structure of the City of Hope is simple."

"But after it turns into ruins, coupled with the pervasive negative energy and disordered energy field, perception will be more disturbed and deceived."

"Don't completely trust what you perceive, especially those that are too complete. Many wizards have the ability to create illusions."

Lorne nodded, his hand remaining firmly on the hilt of Shadowhunter's sword.

Through the gaps in the city wall, one could see deeper shadows and swirling, persistent gray fog inside.

The two passed through a gap in the city wall, and the scenery changed abruptly.

The interior of the City of Hope is not the flat ruins one might imagine, but rather a fragmented town with varying elevations.

The massive stone skeleton of the building jutted out toward the leaden sky, like the skeleton of a dead beast.

The stone-paved streets shattered into pieces, then were kneaded and lifted by some force, forming a bizarre, wave-like landscape, which, over a month ago...

The scene was completely different.

Dark, gaping entrances are scattered across the surface, leading to unknown depths, their interiors filled with a chilling, underground atmosphere.

What's even more striking is that the space in some areas seems rather odd.

Not only is the light distorted and the depth of field chaotic, but occasionally a translucent shadow flashes by, carrying a strong wave of resentment, yet it is not a physical undead.

The sudden intensification of negative energy forced Lorne to allocate a portion of his mental energy to form an invisible mental barrier to block the erosion.

He didn't need the potion to resist the erosion of negative energy yet, but his mental energy consumption had increased dramatically, so he took out a bottle of mental recovery potion and drank it.

The chill emanating from Estelle grew even more pronounced, and the frost magic spread rapidly.

Pale blue frost patterns appeared and disappeared beneath her feet; wherever she passed, the black mist retreated, and a thin layer of frost condensed on the ground.

"Those are spatial folds, the condensation of deathly resentment. It seems quite a few formal wizards died in the tide of crows," Estelle explained softly, her sharp gaze sweeping over the anomalies.

"The energy unleashed by the crow's nest is too immense, and the accumulation of negative energy within it has altered the rules of the local area. Do not approach it; getting caught in it will cause serious trouble."

She chose a relatively flat path, which was actually a dry ditch covered with gravel.

Such places are actually the least likely to be attacked during a wizard's escape.

Even without Estelle's reminder, Lorne, after his spiritual awakening, could see the negative energy fields of varying intensities lingering on or inside those obstacles.

Some are simply radiating malice, while others harbor a faint vitality, like a dormant trap.

Even if he enters, he doesn't really need Estelle's reminder to sense and choose a relatively safe place to land in advance.

The Nine Appearances of the Dragon's movement technique demonstrates amazing adaptability in this complex terrain. It can sweep past dangerous rocks like a wisp of smoke and move like a nimble ape using broken pillars for leverage.

Estelle continued to walk ahead, her approach more direct to prevent potential threats.

Every time you travel a certain distance, the frost magic will naturally extend and spread across the path ahead, freezing and hardening the surfaces of suspicious gravel, or icing and brittle the negative energy gathered in the ditches, creating a short, safe passage.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a relatively open square appeared ahead.

In the center of the square, a deep pit with a diameter of more than ten meters is clearly visible, with jagged edges, as if it had been violently blasted open from the inside by something.

The dilapidated buildings are no longer entirely the low, peripheral style of the outer perimeter; more stone bases with carved patterns have appeared.

The towering, broken columns...