Chapter 668: Finding the Target

As they continued forward, he encountered some beasts. One of them was a group of spirit wolves that ran desperately through the forest, their paws kicking up clouds of dust as they crossed clearings and streams.

Another time, he encountered dozens of spirit boars advancing between the trees, their massive bodies crushing bushes and low branches. Later, he saw a group of giant snakes crossing a mountain, their scaled bodies shining beneath the sun as they slithered across rocks and cliffs.

But there was something strange. They were all heading in the same direction. And none of them were following the path of the people Kyrian had saved.

Kyrian frowned slightly.

"Perhaps they’re traveling toward the next city..." It was the simplest explanation.

The beasts had probably been attracted or controlled by something and were now advancing toward another inhabited area. But there was still something bothering Kyrian.

He had already encountered those black masses of hostility several times. The first had been near the little fox, Luz. And now... Once again, a horde was moving toward a human city.

Kyrian remained silent for several seconds.

’I really don’t know what these black masses are.’ His eyes narrowed.

’I don’t know what their objectives are.’

He also didn’t know where they came from. Much less how they were able to control the beasts. And there was an even bigger question.

’Why are they doing this?’

Kyrian didn’t understand. The black masses seemed to possess an absurd amount of hatred and hostility. They didn’t seem like ordinary creatures. It was as if their very existence was connected to negative emotions.

But that didn’t explain everything. Why attack human cities? Why control beasts? Why hide inside them? And, most importantly... Why did the blank book inside his mind react that way?

Kyrian became thoughtful. That was probably the part that interested him the most. Ever since he had obtained the book, he still didn’t fully understand its origin or purpose.

The book simply existed inside his mind. He couldn’t normally touch it. He couldn’t open it with his hands. He couldn’t remove it. But whenever those black masses appeared... The book reacted.

And when the black energy came into contact with it, it transformed into a special energy that strengthened his soul. At the same time, the limit of his special eyes disappeared. It was as if the black masses were some kind of food for him.

Kyrian didn’t know whether he should consider that a good thing. But... He couldn’t deny that it was extremely useful.

’As long as I know this, it’s enough.’

A small smile appeared on his face. He didn’t need to understand everything immediately. If those black masses appeared during his journey, he would simply absorb them. The more he encountered... The stronger he would become.

The stronger his soul became... The farther his eyes could see. And the more his eyes evolved... The more possibilities would emerge. It was quite a convenient cycle.

Kyrian naturally wanted to discover the origin of those beings someday. His curiosity had already been awakened. Especially because there was something familiar about the way the book reacted to them. But he had no clues at the moment. Therefore, there was no reason to keep thinking about it.

Kyrian looked ahead. The first time he had encountered one of those black masses... Had been around the little fox Luz.

He could still clearly remember that situation. The little creature had been completely different. The black energy had enveloped its body and changed its behavior. At that moment, Kyrian didn’t even know what was happening.

Now... He had at least a small understanding.

"If I find another one..." He murmured. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’ll try to find out more."

Arcon continued flying. Time passed. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Until the landscape ahead finally began to change. Kyrian noticed that the trees were becoming less dense. Then he saw an enormous cloud of dust on the horizon. He immediately became alert.

"There."

Arcon tilted his body and accelerated.

A few minutes later, Kyrian finally saw a city. Or... What remained of it.

His gaze froze. Red Swallow City had been completely destroyed. The walls had collapsed in several places, enormous sections of stone reduced to rubble.

Buildings had been reduced to piles of stones and burned wood. Large areas of the city were covered in blood, dark stains that stained the ground, the walls, everything. Some structures were still slowly burning, smoke rising in thin columns toward the sky. The scene below was completely different from what Kyrian had imagined.

He had expected to find a city in crisis. Perhaps people are fighting. Perhaps cultivators are trying to protect the residents. Perhaps some areas were destroyed. But that... It was a massacre.

Kyrian remained silent. Arcon continued flying over the city. Kyrian looked in every direction. Nothing. No people running. No cultivators. No screams. No active defensive formations. The city was dead.

"Descend."

Arcon immediately began lowering its altitude.

Kyrian flew slowly over the city. For half an hour, he searched for any sign of life. A hidden house. An injured person. A surviving cultivator. Anything. But he found no one.

Everyone who had remained had probably died. The few who had managed to escape were probably among the refugees he had encountered earlier.

Kyrian remained serious. Then he looked outside the city. There were deep marks in the ground. Fallen trees. Footprints. Blood. Everything pointed in the same direction. The horde had already passed through there. And it was heading toward another city.

Kyrian raised his eyes.

"Arcon."

The winged horse looked at him.

"Go up."

Arcon flapped its wings and began to rise. Higher. Even higher. The clouds began to fall below them. The wind became much stronger. Kyrian, however, remained completely motionless. When they reached an extremely high altitude, Arcon finally stopped ascending.

Kyrian closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them. His pupils seemed to change and rotate slightly. Deep blue appeared in his irises.

Small patterns resembling snowflakes appeared in his eyes. Kyrian breathed slowly. He didn’t need to look at every part of the forest. His objective was something else. He needed to find the horde.

Kyrian focused his gaze in the direction of the last beasts he could still see.