Chapter 764 - 785 Ambush
Bulger Village was a gloomy place, surrounded by a solid fence made of logs, as if there was some terrible threat lurking in the wilderness. Many dark chains dangled from the top of the fence, each ending with a black silhouette. As the group approached, they realized those were all reanimated zombies, emitting a pungent tar odor, wriggling under the not-so-bright light like worms on a hook.
Even though everyone was accustomed to grand scenes in the Abyss, this sight still touched a nerve.
"I don’t like this village," Bruto muttered, "even I can feel the evil inside..."
"This isn’t the place where Uncle Barrend is imprisoned," Kalalin spoke up, "Shall we bypass it? The terrain to the south is flatter, the horses should be able to ride over it."
’No! We must go in!’ an almost zealous female voice echoed in everyone’s mind, ’Evil must be purified!’
’Ignore her,’ another graceful male voice rang out, carrying the distinctive elegance of the Aira Celestials, ’I will properly educate her.’
"I don’t want to go in either," Lancelot gazed at the grim village, then turned to look at the hill to the south of the village, "It feels very wrong, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. Let’s set off and stay alert."
The group left the road and maneuvered through the wilds surrounding the village. Inside the fence were stone watchtowers, with guards grimly watching them from the top, making no move, perhaps because the Human Knight’s mount, a nightmare with fire blazing from its hooves, that iconic creature dismissed any foolish thoughts they might have had.
Lancelot soon understood why he felt so uneasy. The hill was scattered with numerous tombstones, and a fog began to envelop them insidiously, obscuring their view of the distance. Fortunately, this did not cause Lancelot to lose his way. As a Spiritual Cultivator at the High Rank of the Foundation Establishment Stage, he could sense a very faint but undisturbed Spiritual Field, which allowed him to accurately identify directions even with his eyes closed.
However, he still cautiously slowed down, letting his mount switch to a safer, slower pace, while carefully watching for any anomalies on the ground. Disconcertingly, most graves were dug up, the coffins half-buried in the ground, and many of the coffins were open and empty.