Asura in Arknights

In his previous confrontation with Xuan Cheng, Li Ang only demonstrated his strong physical abilities and combat experience. Now, he has used a completely new method, making it truly difficult to fathom where his bottom line lies.

“Magellan, the rest of the route depends on you,” Leon said to Magellan.

"Hmm... we should go in this direction."

By using drones to determine their exact coordinates, Magellan was able to find their next route on the map.

The only difficult part is the very beginning. Once you get around the Sami blockade, you'll return to the route left to Adele by her parents. That route has been traversed countless times by the Sami people and is definitely much safer than the other routes.

"and many more."

Just as everyone was about to set off, Xuan Cheng suddenly called out to them, saying, "I can use the Swiftness Talisman to speed up our movement and leave this place as soon as possible."

A talisman for traveling at a speed of swiftness?

Ah… Li Ang remembered now, wasn’t it the talisman that Xuan Cheng’s companion used when he escaped? The speed increased by 30% out of nowhere, there’s definitely something to it.

"A Swiftness Talisman? How many did you bring? What are the specific effects of this talisman?"

“I brought a total of twenty-four Swiftness Talismans, each of which can last for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea,” Xuan Cheng replied. “The Swiftness Talismans have different effects on each person. They may not work for people who are too strong, but for ordinary people, they can increase their walking speed to the level of a regular army.”

In other words, is it a fixed bonus instead of a percentage bonus?

That makes sense. If anyone could increase their speed by 30% by using it, Li Ang might even break the sound barrier, which would be terrifying.

"Can it be replenished whenever it runs out?" Li Ang asked the most crucial question.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Cheng shook his head.

“The environment required for making talismans is very strict. My master should be able to draw talismans outside, but I haven’t reached his level yet.”

"I see... then let's keep it for now, there's no need to waste it on something like this." Li Ang thought for a moment and replied.

It's better to save this kind of thing for when you're on the run.

They've only just left the city and haven't encountered any trouble yet. If it's just to get away from the Sami people's sight as quickly as possible, it's a complete waste. Li Ang can evade their search using his senses, although it's a bit more troublesome.

Xuan Cheng glanced at Jing Zhe, who nodded and said, "Until I explicitly express my opposition, all arrangements will be made according to his wishes."

Jingzhe did not step forward to vie for command of the team. Apart from the two Xue Si, Li Ang had three people on his side, while Jingzhe only had one. She did not have any advantage in numbers, and if a disagreement arose, her side would suffer.

Moreover, so far, Li Ang has not made any mistakes in his decisions. Jingzhe is not a person with a strong desire for control, and giving up the dominant position is not a big deal for her.

“I understand.” Xuan Cheng nodded solemnly.

He would obey whoever the Minister of Justice told him to obey.

Finally, apart from the Xue Si duo, everyone else received three Swift Travel Talismans. Xuan Cheng had already removed the restrictions on the talismans, and with just a little bit of Origin Stone Energy, the talismans could be activated smoothly.

Li Ang kept only one Swiftness Talisman and gave the other two to Adele. He didn't think these talismans would be very effective against him, but Adele wasn't very fast, so it was better to leave them for her.

Those two Snow Priests… Li Ang hesitated for a moment, but still took a Swift Travel Talisman from Xuan Cheng and handed it to Simone.

Guided by Magellan, the group avoided the roads built by the Sami people and ventured into the desolate mountains and wilderness, heading towards the Dark Mountains.

Even in places far from mobile cities, there were many Sami outposts, but Li Ang spotted them from several kilometers away and changed direction to continue his advance.

The first stretch of the road wasn't difficult, and while everyone was moving forward, they still had the energy to chat.

Li Ang was very interested in Xuan Cheng, or rather, in the talismans he possessed, so he casually started a conversation with him.

After some build-up, Li Ang casually asked, "By the way, could you tell me about your talismans? They're unlike any other Originium Arts I've ever seen."

Xuan Cheng was a simple-minded guy. Jing Zhe had told him to obey Li Ang's orders, which meant that Jing Zhe already trusted Li Ang. So he didn't think about the purpose of Li Ang's question and answered directly.

"Talismans? This is a unique skill that only our lineage and the Ministry of Rites can master," Xuan Cheng said with undisguised pride. "It is said that it was passed down from the immortals of Gray Qi Mountain..."

“Xuancheng”.

Jingzhe, who had been quietly listening to the two's conversation, suddenly called out Xuancheng's name in a cold voice.

Only then did Xuancheng realize that he had said a bit too much.

Although Jingzhe trusted Li Ang, he was ultimately not a citizen of Yan and was not qualified to know such high-level secrets.

"I'm sorry, this is a secret of our sect, and I can't say too much about it," Xuan Cheng said apologetically, lowering his head.

To cover up his earlier embarrassment, Xuan Cheng coughed lightly and then said to Li Ang,

"Should we get rid of that little tail following us now?"

Chapter Seventy-Four: Tail Chase

The topic of talismans was interrupted by Jingzhe, which Li Ang found somewhat regrettable.

Since this was a secret of the Great Yan Dynasty, Li Ang did not intend to inquire any further. If he continued, it might offend Jingzhe. Li Ang was still thinking about how to get the secret of the Thunder Technique from her.

However, the few words that Xuan Cheng accidentally mentioned when he let slip earlier did catch Li Ang's attention.

Gray Mountain, Immortal.

The former is a place name. Li Ang once saw this name in the travelogue of Yan Kingdom. If he remembered correctly, it should be within the territory of Gouwu City. The travelogue only mentioned it briefly and did not say that there was anything special about it.

According to what Xuan Cheng just said, their sect's talismanic arts were obtained from a certain being in Gray Qi Mountain.

But... an immortal?

This term doesn't seem to be a respectful title for the strong, but rather refers to a special kind of being. It's clearly recorded in that travelogue that the Yan Kingdom's respectful title for the strong is "True Person," while "Immortal" sounds like a level above "True Person."

Given Jingzhe's attitude just now, perhaps another destination will be added to the list of places for their future trip to Yan Kingdom.

I just don't know what the so-called immortals have to do with the 'gods' who have been slaughtered by the Great Yan Emperor.

These complex thoughts flashed through Li Ang's mind, and then his attention shifted to Xuan Cheng's last words.

"You noticed that little tail too?"

Li Ang was actually somewhat surprised. His perception range could extend to several kilometers away, so it was not surprising that he could find the little tail following behind him. But how did Xuan Cheng find it?

“Yes, someone was following us for about a kilometer. He touched the mark I left, which is why I was able to detect his presence,” Xuancheng replied.

As the last person in the group, Xuan Cheng was not idle along the way, leaving countless marks on the road as he moved forward.

From Xuan Cheng's perspective, it looked as if there was a glowing trail extending from outside Hammerford City to where they were now.

These markings not only mark their route but also serve as early warnings. If someone enters the area marked by the markings, an alarm will be triggered to Xuan Cheng. Although they can only determine the approximate number and strength of the people and cannot transmit particularly detailed information, it is sufficient for their needs.

The downside is that the mark doesn't last long; if no one triggers it, it only lasts for about a week.

"There's only one person with us, and... he seems to be just an ordinary person?" Xuan Cheng seemed even more confused at this point.

His method of reconnaissance was extremely covert. Anyone unaware of it would never be able to discover its secrets. Originium is ubiquitous in this world, and all he left behind was a tiny, insignificant amount of energy that could perfectly blend into the surrounding environment. In a small place like Sami, there would be absolutely no one who could see through such a method.

This means that the mark cannot be altered and the information fed back is genuine.

They were indeed just ordinary people, physically weak, with no trace of Originium energy in their bodies.

But the question is... why would an ordinary person go to such lengths to follow them?

They're not going to a good place; there's a constant risk of death. Ordinary people probably can't even withstand the low temperatures here. Why would they follow them to their deaths?

"Alright, I know who that guy is, we don't need to bother with him for now."

Besides Jonah, are there any other ordinary people who could be tracking them?

Like Xuan Cheng, Li Ang couldn't figure out what Jona was up to. Li Ang thought he was relaying a message for someone or some organization, but he didn't expect that the other party would actually follow him personally.

After careful consideration, Li Ang decided it was best to pretend he hadn't discovered anything for the time being. Whatever Jonah's purpose was, it would eventually be exposed as he made more and more small moves.

He was just an ordinary person, and if Li Ang wanted to, he could easily kill him from a distance of nearly one kilometer.

Ordinary people are far too fragile; even the slightest problem with their body can be fatal on the spot.

"Do you know the stalker?" Jingzhe frowned.

“That’s right,” Li Ang replied. “You should know him too, he’s Jonah, the geography teacher at that school. Didn’t you get your information from him?”

"It was actually him?" Xuan Cheng exclaimed softly.

He was the one who brought those materials back, but he never paid any attention to that geography teacher.

In his eyes, Jonah was just an ordinary person, nothing special, and there was nothing about him that was worth his attention.

As it turned out, he had misjudged the situation.

“Moreover, he deliberately told me about Simone,” Leon shrugged. “I don’t understand what he’s trying to do, and it doesn’t seem like someone is directing him.”

Upon hearing her name, Simone suddenly raised her head. She finally understood why Li Ang had been able to find her location; it turned out there was someone like this behind the scenes.

Since the failed mountain sacrifice ceremony a year ago, she has been hiding in that house and rarely comes out. Apart from a limited number of people, no one knows her whereabouts. Most people still think that she died in the previous ceremony.

After all, the Snow Maiden who presided over the ceremony had already sacrificed herself, so it's not surprising that she, a reserve member, died.

Unfortunately, it's too late now. Both Simone and Yuki, who is presiding over the ceremony, are no longer in control of their own destiny and don't know where these people will lead them.

"...Then let's do as you said and let him come along for the time being."

After hearing Li Ang's answer and thinking it over carefully, Jingzhe made the same decision as Li Ang.

Jonah, who has already been exposed, is not scary. Jingzhe can easily eliminate him. The more troublesome thing is to figure out his true purpose.

"We're not far from the first stop of the mountain ceremony. Let's see how he reacts then, and then make a final decision."

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Jonah, who was following behind Li Ang and his group, was completely unaware that his whereabouts had been exposed.

Jonah continued to follow at a distance behind the group, trudging through the thick snow with difficulty.

He looked up and glanced ahead, then couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, are those guys crazy? Why do they have to pick this lousy place?"

Chapter Seventy-Five, First Challenge

The path that Li Ang and his group chose might not be a big deal for them, but it's deadly for ordinary people. Jonah had to risk his life to keep up with them.

At this moment, Jonah was only wearing a thin cotton coat, which might be sufficient in the mobile city, but it would be extremely dangerous in the icy wilderness.

He had just slipped and fallen flat on his face, his cotton-padded coat was torn by sharp stones on the ground, exposing his slightly bluish skin to the air.

Jonah didn't feel any cold, which was one of the benefits of his physical changes. He was not afraid of any form of cold, which gave him the courage to follow behind Li Ang and his group.

Jonah left in a great hurry. He hadn't expected Li Ang to be so proactive. After meeting Simone, he went straight to the Yan people and left the mobile city without stopping.

When Jonah saw Li Ang and the Yan people hanging out together, he knew his little scheme had been exposed, but what did it matter? As long as they set off for the Dark Mountains, Jonah's goal would already be achieved.

The only thing Jonah hadn't expected was that they actually captured Xue Si, which was hard for him, a native Sami, to accept. The invincible Lord Xue Si had been defeated so cleanly and decisively.

This made Jonah even more cautious, extending the tracking distance to a full kilometer.

"...Is this the direction we're heading next?"

After closing his eyes and sensing for a while, Jonah suddenly changed his direction of travel. He could vaguely sense that Li Ang and the others, who were a kilometer away, had also changed direction and were climbing towards the other side of the mountain.

Since his body underwent changes, Jonah has developed an inexplicable connection with the snow in this mountain range. If he concentrates, he can vaguely sense what's happening around the snow.

What puzzled Jonah was that the only thing that could connect him was the snow in this mountain range. Although the snow in the city had some effect, it was far less effective than the snow in the mountain range.

As for the snow in other places, Jonah couldn't sense it at all. He didn't know if there was something wrong with the snow in the Dark Mountains, or if this mountain range was simply different from other places.

Jonah was just an ordinary teacher, and he himself was confused. It was too difficult for him to study the differences. As long as it was useful, he didn't want to ask too many questions.

The strength he possesses now is something ordinary people could never even dream of. If it weren't for the fact that the changes in his body are so bizarre and hard to believe, he would probably be laughing in his sleep every night.

Despite the apparent peace within the mobile city, it cannot be denied that it is a world where the strong prey on the weak, which is why the infected are feared.

Not only is Oripathy an incurable disease, but more importantly, those infected with Oripathy have a significant chance of awakening Originium Arts, and even the most rudimentary energy release can easily kill an adult.

Who wouldn't be afraid?

Jonah wanted to cure the strange changes in his body, but he also wanted to retain his considerable strength.

After following Li Ang and his group for most of the day, Jonah did not feel tired at all. He could now go a whole week without eating, drinking, sleeping or resting, which was also a result of the changes in his body.

Having traveled such a long distance, Li Ang and his group had bypassed the Sami people's blockade and returned to the correct path for the mountain sacrifice.

Soon, they will encounter their first major obstacle on the road.

Jonah had considered investigating the Dark Mountains on his own, but he hadn't gone very far before he ran into a brick wall and had to turn back empty-handed.

If Jonah isn't mistaken, that hellhole can't be solved by strength alone.

So... how should these people deal with this?

-------------------------------------

"Are we almost at the first location marked on the map?"

After reaching a cooperation agreement with Jingzhe, Li Ang did not keep anything to himself and contributed the map left by Professor Nauman.