However, they ultimately failed to find any trace of Long Haochen's group of seven. After that, the Demon Clan began a major operation unseen in a century.
They traveled at full speed. Since they had prepared enough food and water, they avoided Demon Clan cities whenever possible and took only small wilderness paths. Guided by the map and the sun, they traveled day and night toward Andu Province in the northeast.
Just as Moon Night had once explained, the farther east one went in Demon Clan territory, the looser the defenses became, though the population also increased. The eastern coast was one of the Demon Clan's lifelines. Without the abundant food brought by coastal fishing, the Demon Clan would likely have been unable to resist launching a full-scale assault on the Temple Alliance long ago.
Their journey went fairly smoothly. Whenever they encountered members of the Demon Clan, their Moon Demon Clan disguises allowed them to pass without incident. They spent most of their time traveling through the wilderness, where their speed was even greater. However, for safety's sake, they did not use their spiritual wings.
After a full fifteen days, they finally entered Andu Province. The Gloomy Swamp lay in the northern part of the province, so they still needed to continue north.
Although everything had gone smoothly, Long Haochen's mood remained heavy because Cai'er showed no sign of improvement.
She had become even quieter than when she had first awakened, and she was even somewhat dazed. Every day, she simply followed silently at Long Haochen's side. Only when she encountered something novel would she take a look. Long Haochen often saw helplessness in her eyes, and whenever that happened, his heart ached so badly he could barely breathe. Yet he did not dare show too much concern for