The Demonic World I designed-Chapter 658 - 648: City of the Dead!

The Northern Territory’s entrance into the Central Plains lies in the land of Guanzhong, which throughout history has been a flourishing area.

The fertile lands of Guanzhong stretch for thousands of miles. As the nexus of trade between the north, south, and the Eastern Sea, it has always been a critical battleground for military strategists. Many of the Northern Territory’s family estates are located here.

Many families deeply regretted not fleeing eastward and out of the Northern Territory into the Central Plains during the year the python blockade took place. Instead, they retreated north along with the army, which led to their passive situation later on. Unexpectedly, they still found themselves back at this dreamed-of escape route.

However, as a group of excited people reached the city gates, the scene before them made their excitement plummet.

The city gates were still the towering structures they remembered, and there were even many familiar arrays laid out by the Sorcerer Families for defense. As a key stronghold against Northern Wasteland and Yundu, Zhijing Pass in Guanzhong had always been a place of heavy military presence. Even after the northern territories were recaptured, and many troops were dispersed back to the Northern Territory, the defenses here were never relaxed.

But what was the situation now?

The majestic pass was deserted without a soul in sight, with the gates surrounded by wild grass as tall as a person, deterring anyone from approaching.

About four or five hundred family members had come from Northern Yen City, all huddled closely together to guard against unpredictability. The desolation of the pass at that moment silenced the crowd. On the road, especially after leaving the northern borders, they had been enthusiastic. Even families that were mutually hostile at one time became close and shared everything without restraint.

But now... the large crowd was utterly silent.

As dusk approached, a tall elder walking at the forefront said, "Shall we... enter the city first?"

The elder who spoke was from a bloodline family, a powerful First Rank Warrior who had always looked down upon the so-called Sorcerer Families. But now, he looked towards the Sorcerer Elders behind him as if seeking guidance.

The Sorcerers stared somberly ahead. An elder spoke up, "Could those pythons... have already invaded Guanzhong?"

"It shouldn’t be..." The Warrior who spoke first shook his head, "The envoy who escorted us had mentioned that the Northern Territory pythons only inhabit the depths of the Northern Territory, so once we reached the edge, we really didn’t need to worry anymore. For the sake of safety, he still escorted us to the border area. At that time, I could feel that the terrifying aura from afar had disappeared, and the distinctive stench of the pythons was gone as well."

Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing that Warriors have a keen intuition for danger.

"Then in the grass..." An elder looked hesitantly toward the deep grass ahead. If pythons were lurking in it, it would be troublesome.

"It doesn’t seem like it, but to be safe, I suggest we burn it."

The suggestion was quickly approved, and soon a great blaze covered the wild grass at the city gates. The fire rose high, and it was clear that many strange things in the grass were fleeing quickly, not daring to directly attack them. But still, the mood did not improve.

Because after burning the grass, they saw what was hidden beneath: countless white bones!

The bones bore marks of being chewed on. Just below this mighty pass, in a field of tall, wild grass, the bones of at least ten thousand people had been gnawed upon by some lower demons, unnoticed by anyone...

Was this still the same Guanzhong of the past?

The hearts of the crowd grew heavier and heavier...

And this ominous feeling was soon confirmed upon entering the city.

The great stronghold was unguarded, with bones scattered outside the walls and no one to manage them. If it was like this outside the city, how could the inside be any better?

Indeed, it couldn’t be much better. Twilight was upon them, and by rights, this should have been a time for smoke from cooking fires and the lighting of lamps. But it was not. As darkness fell, they saw a vast city submerged in blackness, without a single light. The desolate cold wind made everyone feel even chillier than in the Northern Territory.

"This...."

Everyone swallowed nervously, cautiously searching for a place to spend the night in the city. Everywhere they looked, they could see some haunting green eyes. They had seen such eyes aplenty in the Northern Territory, belonging to domestic dogs that had turned into demons. Now, they watched from a distance, daring not to come close.

In Northern Yen City, whenever such a Serpent Demon appeared, the relatives would band together and kill it. But now, these demon dogs were patrolling everywhere. What did this mean?

If the demons that a larger group of people could handle were everywhere, there was only one possibility... this was a dead city!

How could this be?

Even in times littered with demons and chaotic with warring kings, this Guanzhong was bustling with people, a place of prosperity. There was no Serpent Demon invasion here, nor any traces of other large demons. How had it fallen into a dead city?

With their doubts, the group finally found an old man still hiding here in a residence with a cellar.

Seeing such a large group of people coming, the group of elderly men with a young child started to cry hysterically, as if they had seen their saviors.

It took the group a long time to console the terrified old man and bring him out from the cellar, and so as not to attract attention, they didn’t light the house up. They merely lit a small oil lamp.

"Old man, you must not be the owner of this residence, right?" A group settled in the main room, a seasoned Magician observed the old man and curiously asked.

The old man gave a wry smile, "This residence belongs to the Su Family. I was originally the Steward in charge of procurement for the Su Family’s back house."

"Oh?" Hearing this, many people’s eyes brightened. It was good to meet a local, who could provide information about what exactly had happened.

"In that case, where are the Su Family members? What happened to Luyang City? Where are the people of Luyang City?"

"They all ran away..." the old man said with a bitter smile. "The ones with money, those with able-bodied people in their homes, after being tormented for over half a year, whoever could, ran away. Those who couldn’t became food for those stray dogs. The few who remained, like me, hid in cellars at night, barely sustaining ourselves on some rice and wheat."

"Ran away?" Everyone was taken aback but then realized it made sense. Although there were many skeletons outside the city, Luyang City was a metropolis with millions of inhabitants, not to mention the surrounding villages and counties. If the city had truly been annihilated, there should have been more than just those few skeletons.

But... why run away?

It couldn’t be because of those animals that had turned into demons, right? With an effective government, people being vigilant, such things could be overcome. Why would they abandon their homes?

"Old man, why didn’t you leave?" Someone couldn’t help asking, puzzled.

The mention of this made the already pale old man show a flash of emotion, and it took him a long time to calm down before he slowly said, "The master of the house left early, moving the family to Jiangnan half a year ago. The reason they left me behind was to look after the ancestral home, with a promise that if the crisis passed, they would free me from servitude and support my grandson’s education..."

"I thought, with the amount of food stored in the cellar of the Su Residence, conserving it could last us three years, which seemed more likely to keep us alive than becoming refugees. Moreover, my eldest grandson is talented; he could potentially become a Scholar someday if freed from servitude. So I stayed behind with the master carpenter and my eldest son’s family to watch over the residence..."

As the old man spoke, his eyes grew redder, clearly indicating that things had not gone well. It was likely that his eldest son’s family referenced earlier was no longer present, possibly...

The group exchanged looks, feeling they had a grasp of the situation. If all the people had fled the city, the creatures that had turned into demons would have remained unchecked, and demons feed on humans. One could be consumed in an instant if not careful.

The decision to stay that the old man had made probably hadn’t accounted for the possibility that the city would end up completely deserted.

"What was the original cause that led the entire city to become a dead city?" The leading Warrior frowned and asked, "What about the city guards? The officials from the Provincial Government Office? This is an important fortification in the Northern Territory. How did it come to such a state? Didn’t Taiyuan Prefecture do anything?"

"Taiyuan Prefecture?" The old man smirked bitterly, "I’ve never been there, but I heard it’s much the same as here, deserted a long time ago..."

"What?"

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