Chapter 1588 - 54: Gate of Dawn Breakout Battle

Chapter 1588: Chapter 54: Gate of Dawn Breakout Battle

The wood in the fire crackled, occasionally sending up sparks. The four members of the Sunset Red Squad, along with Su Xiao, A Mu, Bubu Wang, and Meilodi, sat around the campfire.

The witch-hunting techniques of the Sunset Red Squad were quite advanced, resulting in only a brief battle at the end. Blood Bear had killed a Second Phase Witch with his bare hands, a feat unimaginable to other Witch Hunters, as witches are undoubtedly physically superior to the hunters.

"Who’s that captive?"

Su Xiao looked at the witch tied up next to the fire, questioning the necessity of keeping her alive. After all, it was unlikely that a wild witch like her would know anything about the Mud Altar and Mist Castle.

"It’s Gunte’s habit. After all, we’re already in the south, and we haven’t hunted witches here for years, so we’re unaware of the changes in this area."

As Carmen spoke, he glanced at Meilodi. Witches understood witches better, and even though bringing along a Black Witch posed risks, they needed to know the changes in the southern part.

"The original plan remains unchanged. We still head straight towards the Gate of Dawn, and split up once we get there."

"Agreed."

Su Xiao was pondering something, specifically the precise location of the Death Land. According to Carmen, the Mist Castle was built halfway up a mountain, but the location of the Death Land remained undetermined.

While Su Xiao was deep in thought, a loud boom erupted from the distance and a great fire blazed half a kilometer away.

Seeing this, Su Xiao hurriedly stomped out the campfire. Whatever was happening over there, he had no interest in finding out. This was the south, the territory of witches; avoiding unnecessary trouble seemed more important than curiosity.

Just as Su Xiao extinguished the fire, the four members of the Sunset Red Squad jumped onto their wagon, driving away in the opposite direction of the blaze.

Meilodi looked bewildered. Before she could react, Su Xiao had tossed her onto the wagon, while A Mu was busy burying the extinguished fire in a pit.

In less than half a minute, the group had driven away, leaving the distant fire behind. Their objective lay ahead: the Mud Altar and Mist Castle.

"Those flames, they’re at least from a Fourth Stage Witch."

Carmen sat atop the wagon, squinting his aged eyes.

Traveling through the night wasn’t wise, yet the group wished to avoid lingering long in the south. Mud sprayed up as the two wagons disappeared into the night.

Known as the Witch’s Country, the south was teeming with witches. By midday the next day, Su Xiao and his group encountered another set of witches, or rather, witches fleeing for their lives.

Faced with these coincidental witches, neither Su Xiao nor Carmen took action, allowing the trio of witches to escape into the distance.

Soon after, a crowd of a dozen witches appeared afar, heading directly for the two wagons. Upon seeing these iron-black wagons, the witches halted in their tracks.

"Are those... Witch Hunters?"

The leading witch seemed surprised, whispering something to another witch behind her.

Su Xiao’s hand rested on the handle of his blade. Although he could swiftly eliminate these witches, doing so might lead to unforeseen complications.

The wagons moved slowly forward, and so did the witches. When both parties were at their closest, the leading Third Stage Witch smirked.

"Why court death?"

Carmen glanced sideways at her as the witch’s avatar materialized...

One minute later, the lead witch lay face down on the blood-soaked grass, as the two wagons continued onward. It turned out that even if they didn’t provoke these witches, the witches wouldn’t remain submissive.

Three days later.

The Dokuns pulling the wagon growled as the metal wheels sank deep into the mud.

Su Xiao jumped down from the wagon. Observing the surroundings, it was clear they had entered the swampy area Carmen mentioned. Along the way, they indeed encountered numerous witches. Surprisingly, Su Xiao discovered that not all Black Witches were hostile towards Witch Hunters; most witches turned back upon seeing the wagons. For such witches, neither Su Xiao nor Carmen bothered creating trouble.

Su Xiao untied the harnesses of the three Dokuns at the lead of the wagon. The three looked at Su Xiao, bewildered.

"Woof."

Bubu Wang barked at the Dokuns, catching their attention.

"Woof, woof, woof woof..."

After a few barks from Bubu, the Dokuns ran off towards the edge of the swamp. They were now free from pulling the wagon.

"That... umm..."

Carmen hesitated on how to address Bubu Wang, calling him "that dog" seemed impolite, recognizing Bubu Wang’s high intelligence.

"Bubu, see if you can negotiate with those Dokuns as well."

Bubu Wang pranced over to the other three Dokuns, who only reluctantly left after a long farewell, having formed some bond with Bubu Wang.

Bubu Wang raised his head at a 45° angle, gazing at the sun, his expression clear: "Such is a dog’s life, always full of joys and sorrows."

"Woof!"

Bubu Wang barked loudly, signaling Su Xiao to head out. As he took his first steps, he promptly sank into the swamp with a plop, having gazed at the sun for too long, dizzy.

A Mu grabbed Bubu Wang by the hind legs, pulling him from the mud with another plop, freeing him.

Inside the swamp, patches of green grassland were visible, each surrounded by variously shaped water pits, interconnected and varying in depth.

Walking over the soft ground, mud splattered far from the edges of the grassland. This swamp stretched out endlessly, filled with hidden dangers.

This swamp was not one where a step would slowly swallow you; it might well disappear in an instant. Unlike water, no matter how good a swimmer, no one could swim through thick mud.

They lined up in a row, with Drunkard at the forefront, a rope tied to his waist. Should he sink into the swamp, Blood Bear would swiftly pull him out.

To ordinary people, this wetland swamp was nearly impassable. Yet for this group of seasoned Witch Hunters, it was hardly more than a mere inconvenience.

They traversed the swamp with surprising speed, and by dusk, large patches of dry land appeared ahead, signaling the swamp’s end.

Soon, a sheer cliff blocked their way. Upon seeing this cliff, Carmen let out a sigh of relief; they had reached the Gate of Dawn.

The so-called Gate of Dawn was actually a natural passage between mountains, resembling a towering archway at its entrance, giving it its name.

Standing before it, Su Xiao furrowed his brow. He couldn’t fathom why Carmen chose such a perilous location. Noticing Su Xiao’s confusion, Carmen smiled wryly.

"The Mo Yi Family directly manages this ellipsoid territory. For years, we’ve tried every possible entrance aside from the Gate of Dawn to access the area. Come on, the Mo Yi Family witches don’t permanently guard the Gate of Dawn."

"Wait."

Su Xiao patted Bubu Wang’s back, and Bubu faded into the surroundings, dashing into the Gate of Dawn.

A few minutes later, Su Xiao placed his hand on the handle of his waist-sheathed blade.

"Prepare to fight our way out."

"Hmm?"

Carmen and the others looked at Su Xiao in confusion. Though puzzled, they readied their weapons.

"Have we been exposed?"

"Unless the hundred-plus witches inside the Gate of Dawn are having a party, then yes, we’ve been exposed."

"Prophecy Witches..."

On the rocky slope inside the Gate of Dawn, Bubu Wang sat among several witches, his dog face nearing that of a young girl.

Suddenly, Bubu Wang deliberately detached from his surroundings.

Imagine the nerves of a girl lying in wait, ready to ambush an enemy outside the Gate of Dawn.

A dog face appeared abruptly before her, making her flinch so hard she almost lost her witch hat.

"Ah!"

The girl screamed as Bubu Wang vanished again. Her scream echoed through the air.

At that moment, you could hear a pin drop inside the path, as dozens of eyes turned towards the girl.

"I say, there was just a dog here, believe it or not."