Chapter 1274 Charm

Chapter 1274: Chapter 1274 Charm

Morning arrived, but Hidden River Fortress was anything but peaceful.

The entire fortress had fallen into a state of chaos.

From the largest clans to the smallest street vendors, everyone was talking about only one thing.

Ross Oakley and his mysterious group.

The shocking events of the previous night had spread throughout the fortress like wildfire.

No matter where one went, discussions could be heard. Tea houses were packed. Markets were crowded.

Even cultivators who normally secluded themselves had come out to gather information.

Unfortunately, nobody seemed to know the truth. Rumors multiplied with every passing hour.

“They say the Ji Clan was wiped out last night.”

“I heard the same thing.”

A nearby cultivator lowered his voice.

“But where are the bodies? If an entire clan was slaughtered, there should be corpses everywhere.”

“Exactly!”

Another person nodded repeatedly.

“We searched around the Ji Clan’s territory this morning. The buildings are gone. The people are gone. Even traces of battle are gone.”

The listeners felt chills run down their spines. One of them swallowed nervously.

“The dead don’t just magically disappear.”

The group immediately fell silent. After a moment, someone forced out a laugh.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask Master Ross Oakley yourself?”

The speaker instantly turned pale.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

He hurriedly shook his head.

“I still want to live! I love my life very much!”

Everyone nearby immediately agreed.

The mere mention of Ross’s name caused many people to instinctively lower their voices.

Regardless of what had truly happened, one fact was certain. The Ji Clan no longer existed.

And Ross Oakley was the last person anyone wanted to offend.

A different group of cultivators nearby had their own discussion.

“I heard that many of Master Ross’s followers can’t even speak our language.”

“Really?”

“Of course. One of my cousins witnessed it personally. They were speaking a completely different language among themselves.”

The crowd became intrigued.

“A different language?”

“Could they be foreigners from another continent?”

“Or perhaps another realm?”

A middle-aged cultivator suddenly whispered a terrifying possibility.

“Could they be barbarians?”

The surrounding people immediately sucked in cold breaths.

Nobody knew whether that guess was true or not.

However, in times of uncertainty, fear often gave birth to even more frightening rumors.

Soon enough, the story spread throughout the fortress. Some claimed Ross had descended from the heavens.

Others insisted he was an ancient monster who had awakened after sleeping for millions of years.

A few even claimed he was the reincarnation of an immortal emperor.

Every retelling became more outrageous than the last. Yet strangely, no one dared dismiss any possibility.

After all, what ordinary person could erase an entire great clan overnight?

What ordinary person could make thousands of cultivators disappear without leaving behind a single corpse?

The unknown was often far more frightening than the truth.

As the rumors continued to spread, panic gradually took hold of Hidden River Fortress.

Many families packed their belongings before sunrise. Merchants hurriedly closed their businesses.

Entire caravans could be seen leaving through the city gates.

Thousands of people abandoned the fortress overnight. Some feared Ross would target another clan next.

Others worried that a war was about to erupt.

Many simply wanted to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the terrifying man whose name now dominated every conversation.

By midday, the roads leading away from Hidden River Fortress were filled with fleeing cultivators and mortals alike.

The once-bustling city had become noticeably quieter. Fear hung over the fortress like a dark cloud.

And at the center of it all was a single name.

Ross Oakley.

A man whom nobody truly understood. Which only made him even more terrifying.

The entire Hidden River Fortress seemed to be holding its breath.

Everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move.

Countless eyes were secretly focused on the enormous castle that Ross Oakley had seized the previous day.

Whether they were clan leaders, merchants, cultivators, or ordinary citizens, all of them wanted to know what would happen next.

The spies were especially busy. Many had occupied rooftops before dawn.

Others hid inside nearby buildings or disguised themselves as street vendors.

Some even used precious observation techniques to monitor the castle from afar.

Not a single one of them dared to relax.

They feared that the moment they looked away, they might miss something important.

The fortress was unusually quiet. Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for a reaction. Waiting for a confrontation.

Waiting for someone brave enough to approach the terrifying newcomer known as Ross Oakley.

When noon finally arrived, the waiting came to an end. A commotion suddenly erupted near the city gates.

“Look!”

“That’s General Lei Jun’s banner!”

“He finally came!”

“General Lei Jun is here for Ross Oakley!”

“This is going to be huge!”

The spies almost shouted in excitement.

After waiting for an entire night and half a day, the main event had finally arrived.

A massive procession slowly advanced through the streets.

At its center was a luxurious carriage adorned with golden decorations and military insignias.

Behind it marched ten thousand soldiers clad in brilliant golden armor.

The sight alone was enough to make spectators gasp. These men were not ordinary soldiers.

They were General Lei Jun’s personal guards. The legendary Golden Armor Legion.

Every member had survived countless battles. Every member had killed enemies upon the battlefield.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their footsteps sounding like thunder as they advanced through the city.

An overwhelming bloodthirsty aura radiated from the legion.

It was the aura of men who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Their iron will and thirst for battle were evident to anyone who looked at them.

Many cultivators watching from afar felt their hearts tremble.

Such an elite force was more than enough to destroy most clans within the fortress.

Soon, the procession arrived before Ross Oakley’s castle.

The streets around the area were already packed with hidden observers.

Nobody dared approach too closely, but countless pairs of eyes watched from every possible angle.