Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

They maneuvered the airship to a partially collapsed residential building.

Lin Gui and his two companions landed quietly.

The moment my toes touched the dusty stone slabs, a small cloud of dust rose up.

Blackwater Ruins serves as a crucial safe zone within the Wall of Sighs.

Lin Gui planned to use it as a base before advancing towards Avalon.

The location of Avalon has been confirmed.

It is only about 50 kilometers away from Heishui City.

But Lin Gui didn't intend to just barge in like that.

the reason is simple.

The location of Avalon, as predicted by Eve, falls precisely on the path that Shadowblade Lin pioneered back then.

Shadowblade Lin's team is fundamentally different from bounty hunters like Ryan.

Their goal is to completely cross the Wailing Wall.

In exchange for this, they would receive the divine artifact "Heart of Mount Wei" promised by the dwarves.

To complete the journey, one must rely on a guide to avoid an astonishing number of demons.

For top-tier epic masters, even extraordinary soul demons, once their numbers accumulate, can be quite a challenge.

Therefore, in order to avoid demons gathering in large numbers, and also to make the most of the guide's fading life.

Shadow Blade Lin and the others chose the shortest, but also the most dangerous, route.

During the journey, they traversed a total of 13 legendary and epic lairs of spirit demons.

While a dying person can avoid most spirits and demons, it is not absolute.

For Soul Demons who have reached the Legendary Upper Rank or Epic Rank...

The guide is of no use.

That's why Ryan and his men took a roundabout route inside the walls.

Instead of crossing directly to reach Blackwater.

And somewhere they had passed earlier, near a forest stream at a bend in the road.

It is only 10 kilometers away from the selection test site.

And to this day, no one dares to cross those 10 kilometers.

Because an epic-rank high-level soul demon dwells there.

The Death Whisperer, Serafina.

Its existence made that area a forbidden zone for the living.

Once, Shadow Blade Lin led three titled experts in an attempt to force their way through that place.

As a result, the most resilient and defensively robust barbarian tribe, the "Bloodslayer"—Woodlow—was defeated.

He lost an arm there.

The other two titled experts in the team emerged covered in blood.

In the continent of Akara, the Epic rank is the pinnacle for mortals.

But for the Wailing Wall, teeming with demons, especially those of the Soul Lord rank...

It's still not enough.

The area where Avalon is located is deep within that treacherous road.

Apart from Shadowblade Lin's team, no other bounty hunters have come near.

Therefore, Lin Gui could only use Blackwater City as his base.

They forged their own relatively safe route to that place.

He took out a map and laid it on his lap.

My gaze fell on the point that was surrounded by countless red crosses and skull marks.

That is the prophetic location of Avalon.

Lin Gui smiled bitterly to himself and shook his head.

What kind of city-state would choose such an outrageous location?

Who knows, one day, some epic spirit demon might go out for a "stroll".

Did you stumble upon it by chance, and then casually turn the entire city-state into a "lunchbox"?

Since Blackwater City has been chosen as our base...

Lin Gui and his men needed to find a place to stay.

In this ghost town, there is no shortage of empty houses.

However, before that, Lin Gui still needs to do one thing.

He needed to figure out what Ryan and the others were afraid of.

Once he finds Avalon, he will need to retrace his steps.

He didn't want what Ryan feared to become an obstacle on his way home.

The airship, supplies, and temporary accommodations were transported.

They were placed in a relatively intact abandoned house.

Lin Gui instructed Xia and Eve to stay behind and keep watch.

He then rode his staff alone and quietly ascended into the air.

Heading towards a faint light that had been spotted earlier from a high vantage point.

It flew away silently.

He remembered the location of the firelight; it was in the central area of ​​Blackwater City.

Inside a dilapidated cathedral with a pointed spire.

Lin Gui had heard Hei Xu mention it.

Many bounty hunter groups remain in the various abandoned city-states within the Wailing Wall.

Most of these deaths are due to the guide dying along the way, and being pursued by evil spirits.

Forced to retreat to these "safe havens," they are unable to leave because they lack new guides.

A guide can only lead a maximum of five people safely across.

The more people involved, the greater the uncontrollable risks.

Therefore, once the guide dies, the extra team members are left trapped there.

They waited for the other bounty hunters to arrive with their guides and then leave.

Under the protection of the veiled night, Lin Gui quietly arrived at the dilapidated archway of the cathedral.

The interior of the church is more spacious than it appears from the outside.

Several large holes were torn in the high dome, letting in a few slivers of light.

A large bonfire crackled and popped in the open space in the center.

The firelight illuminated more than thirty swaying figures.

Some people sat around drinking, while others wiped their weapons, making a lot of noise.

Most noticeable was a bard holding a lute, singing softly with his eyes closed, by the campfire.

She was playing and singing a solemn epic.

Beside the campfire, the bard strummed the strings of his lyre.

He sang in a hoarse yet strangely captivating voice:

"He rose from humble beginnings, sword in hand—"

"Standing alone as the Kuroshio Current sweeps across the fields."

"Seven times I ventured deep into the Demon Realm and slew the false descendant of the Demon God."

"The king bestowed upon him a crown, and a vow was made amidst the ruins..."

The song echoed in the empty church, mingled with the desolation and bravery of a collapsing era.

The hunters sitting in the circle fell silent for a moment.

Someone lowered their head and took a big gulp of wine.

Someone stared at the firelight, their gaze drifting into the distance.

The poet paused, and the music turned low and somber.

"As long as the Demon God lives, the Black Tide will never cease..."

"The final battle, the rift valley turned into a graveyard..."

"The heroes are buried, the royal capital is reduced to ashes..."

The singing faded, turning into a long sigh.

The chants of bards are extremely captivating.

Inside the church, the hunters, both men and women, were immersed in that tragic epic.

His eyes were unfocused, as if he could see a distant battlefield through the firelight.

No one noticed the commotion outside the door.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Lin Gui stopped hiding.

He boldly pushed open the half-closed, dilapidated door and went inside.

The boots made a soft sound as they stepped over the gravel on the ground.

However, the crackling of the campfire and the poet's music drowned out everything else.

He walked straight to a dark corner away from the firelight.

I calmly sat down on a dusty bench.

Throughout the entire process, not a single person looked up at him.

……No.

One person noticed.

The bard playing the lute.

Her singing continued, and her fingertips continued to pluck the strings smoothly.

But those lowered eyes lifted up almost imperceptibly.

He quickly scanned the direction Lin Gui had entered, his gaze lingering on him for a moment.

A clear hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, which then turned into a deeper meaning.

She didn't make a fuss, but the melody at her fingertips subtly changed.

The lyrics also subtly shifted, as if in response to the arrival of this uninvited guest.