Chapter 433: Chapter 433. Illegal Crossing

Zou Zhe told Amon to move by following him step by step. This was because they were entering the area affected by the giant formation overseeing the border.

He told Amon he had studied this formation for a long time. He knew a crack in it so as not to trigger it. One wrong move, and the rocky terrain around the place would shift and lock them in. Fleeing from the sky was not an option since the formation would exude a strong gravitational force that pulled most illegal flyers down. Additionally, the nearby army would be notified, both from Echos and Farghous’ sides. So, they would be swarmed by the authorities from the two countries.

While they moved, Amon noticed words of power marking the path they passed through, which contradicted the words of power filling most of the surroundings. Rather than a crack in the formation as Zou Zhe mentioned, it was more like they used this path to mask their presence from the formation protecting this border.

They stopped after sneaking for two hours. Zou Zhe told Amon to stay still while he conducted something.

He activated some invisible words of power hidden in that place. From his actions, Amon concluded that Zou Zhe was an experienced engraver and formation sage. The hidden words of power started to glow. The glow lit up and formed a gigantic wall ahead of them. Amon surmised that this must be the energy wall powered by the border formation to prevent people from trespassing. Under normal circumstances, the wall was invisible.

Amon’s Mystic Sense detected the invisible wall during their approach. He now sensed a change in the wall composition directly ahead of them.

The glow that lit up the wall lasted only a second. It soon shrunk and formed a tunnel ahead of them. The words of power Zou Zhe activated created a small hole in the wall.

Amon was impressed. If Zou Zhe was the one who engraved the words of power creating this tunnel, that would mean his expertise was very high, but Amon doubted it. Most likely, a different expert was hired to engrave this enchantment. Zou Zhe only activated an existing enchantment.

“We need to move fast now. This tunnel only lasts one hour. We must get past this wall before the hour expires,” Zou Zhe said.

“I can move faster than you. You just move as fast as you can. I will stay behind you,” Amon said.

Hearing that, Zou Zhe didn’t hesitate. He dashed through the lit-up tunnel. After running for a while, he wondered if Amon was still behind him. He couldn’t hear anything from behind. He turned back and was startled to find Amon very close to him.

His surprise caused him to slip and almost fall outside the tunnel. Amon caught him before he did.

“Aren’t we in a hurry? Stop wasting time,” Amon reprimanded.

“Uh… sorry,” Zou Zhe uttered. He resumed running.

He glanced back slightly as he ran. Amon remained close behind him, yet there was no sound at all. Amon was like a ghost. He shivered at the thought. If Amon had bad intentions for him, he wouldn’t know what hit him until he was hit.

Amon combined his Shadowless Sprint with his mystic ability to float. He lightly stepped on the ground to give him sufficient gliding velocity to match Zou Zhe’s speed. Since he had minimal contact with the ground, there were fewer frictions and, thus, less sound.

On the way, Zou Zhe suddenly took out something. It was a message talisman. It was flashing and vibrating, telling Zou Zhe that he had received a message. Zou Zhe read the message without slowing down but suddenly halted after finishing reading.

“Get down! And stay quiet!” Zou Zhe exclaimed as he threw himself flat on the ground.

Amon followed his move.

Zou Zhe then did something to the words of power on the ground. The lit tunnel dimmed until it was gone altogether. Amon felt the energy forming the tunnel still existed. It was just very weak. As long as they remained motionless, this weakened tunnel camouflaged them from the border formation.

Amon didn’t ask Zou Zhe why they stopped. He stayed silent following Zou Zhe’s instructions.

Not long after, his keen eyes caught something moving past the sky above. They were two figures moving slowly in the sky. From their flying speed, Amon estimated the two were Intermediate Mystic Stage cultivators. Those two were too far away to sense their presence.

After some time, the two finally went out of sight.

Zou Zhe reactivated the words of power on their path. The tunnel again lit up.

“Fuck!” He cursed. “I didn’t expect there to be an unscheduled patrol. Luckily, I place sentries. Otherwise, we would have been caught… Fucking hell! We are running out of time. We only have ten minutes left before this tunnel runs out of juice. We must hurry!”

Zou Zhe ran forward again. He was faster than before, but not by much.

“Can we make it?” Amon asked.

Zou Zhe gritted his teeth instead of answering Amon.

“Hey! I ask you whether we can make it with this speed?” Amon asked again.

“Ugh! I’m not sure. It is going to be close,” Zou Zhe replied.

Hearing that, Amon decided to take matters into his own hands. His speed increased. He went past Zou Zhe, grabbed his arm, and pulled him. The two whizzed along the tunnel at a speed almost double from before.

Zou Zhe screamed out of shock and pain from his pulled arm. Amon ignored his scream. He continued to dash forward.

Zou Zhe stopped screaming after some time. His other hand was holding Amon’s pulling arm, reducing the pressure on his arm. He himself was no longer running. His feet didn’t touch the ground due to Amon’s speed. He was as if flying.

After some time, he yelled, “Stop! Stop! We are nearing the end!”

When Amon didn’t slow down, he shouted, “If you crash through the exit at full speed, this tunnel enchantment will crumble. The formation in this border will immediately detect us…!!”

Only after hearing that did Amon slow down before coming to a stop.

“Are we safe with normal speed now?” Amon asked.

“Yes, we are,” Zou Zhe said. He pulled his arm from Amon’s grip. Amon let him go. He lifted the sleeve that covered his arm and saw the skin underneath was all red.

“Damnit! You must be popular with women,” Zou Zhe cursed sarcastically. He walked past Amon and took point again.

After half a minute, he stopped. He looked around. His sight stayed the longest in the direction where the two Mystic Stage patrols had gone. After ensuring no one was around, he operated the words of power on the ground.

The same thing as when they entered the tunnel happened, except in reverse. The light that formed the tunnel spread along the invisible wall. As it did, Zou Zhe came out of the tunnel and urged Amon to do so. The two exited the tunnel before the glow illuminating the wall was gone.

Despite successfully crossing the border wall, Zou Zhe warned Amon to continue to stay close. They were not out of the woods yet. The formation still covered a large area around them. The two sneaked under the darkness until they came out into swampy terrain.

“We are already in Farghous territory,” Zou Zhe informed. “I heard you are interested in going to Changxiu City?”

“I am,” Amon confirmed.

“Go East from here,” Zou Zhe pointed in a direction. “You will run into a mountain range spanning from North to South. Follow that mountain range to the North. At the end of the mountain range, you will see a settlement in the distance. That is Changxiu City.”

Amon nodded. He already knew the city’s position from the map provided by Zong Hua, but getting a more detailed direction didn’t hurt.

Zou Zhe pointed in a different direction. “Southeast of here is the Wulun Town. It is roughly a half-day travel. If your business is done, go to that town. Look for an inn called Welfare Inn. Stay there. I, or my associate if I am not available, will get in touch with you. We will then bring you back to Echos.”

“Did Zong Hua mention how long I will be here?” Amon asked.

Zou Zhe shook his head.

“I might be here for a while, but should not be longer than a year. Will you or your associate still be in Wulun Town by then?” Amon asked.

“I have been in this business for almost ten years,” Zou Zhe replied. “Yes, we will be there.”

“Good.” Amon gave a bag of aer stones to Zou Zhe. “Your payment,” he said.

Zou Zhe accepted the bag and opened it. His eyes lit up after seeing its content. Amon gave him slightly more than the agreed fare. He said with a smile, “Thank you, Sir. It’s nice doing business with you. I hope you accomplish what you come here to do.”

Amon nodded. He floated into the sky. Two large knives came out, and they flew under him. His two feet rested on the knives. They then sped up. Amon rode his Alpha Flying Knives and flew away from there, leaving Zou Zhe, who stared in amazement.

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