Entering the Catacombs Again

December 12th.

Eight in the morning.

Su Yi brought a change of clothes, made sure he had his pills and weapons, then headed out to meet up with Fu Yinghao.

By the time Su Yi arrived at Haven, Fu Yinghao had already been there for a while.

Seeing Su Yi brimming with vigor, Fu Yinghao smiled. "Looks like your Battle Art training has gone well."

"Not bad."

Su Yi casually raised the sword in his hand.

Over the past five days, his swordsmanship had reached Minor Achievement, significantly increasing his combat strength. His heart had also begun its tempering.

He was still carrying the same C-rank Dragon Abyss Sword as before. The newly customized A-rank weapon was far too conspicuous, so he had left it in his storage space.

He was wearing the inner armor and boots, though.

He had also collected 11,000 Credit Points—10,000 awarded by the Ministry of Education for reaching Fourth Grade, and 1,000 from the school.

He now had nearly 27,000 Credit Points.

It looked like a lot, but compared to the Heavenly Treasures listed in the Illustrated Guide, it was still somewhat lacking. He still had some Life Essence left, so Su Yi did not waste another exchange opportunity.

"Then let's go."

Su Yi nodded, and the two headed toward the South District. This time, they took the South District passage.

The South District was not small, covering more than 5,000 mu.

It was vast, with few buildings. The rest was an endless stretch of coastline.

Yet those buildings were the very essence of Magic Martial Academy.

The last building was the underground entrance from Magic Martial Academy into the catacombs.

At the catacombs entrance.

Su Yi stopped in his tracks. The catacombs—he had returned.

Compared to his unease the first time, he was far more composed now.

At the moment, there was only one gatekeeper present. Su Yi still remembered his name: Zuo Gang.

When Zuo Gang saw Fu Yinghao and Su Yi approaching together, he was slightly surprised. Smiling, he asked, "Planning to form a team together?"

Ever since Fu Yinghao's team had disbanded, he had always traveled alone. In his own words, the places he went were too far and too dangerous; ordinary people could not keep up with him.

As far as Zuo Gang knew, Fu Yinghao was not joking. He often ventured more than a hundred kilometers deep into the catacombs, coming and going like the wind. Some busybodies had even nicknamed him the Gale Swordmaster because he cultivated the Gale Sword.

And Su Yi was no pushover either. On his first trip into the catacombs, he had caused such an uproar that he slaughtered his way through the Meat Grinder until the catacombs began offering a bounty for him.

Now that these two had gotten together, they were probably about to make some big moves.

Zuo Gang admired them both. As martial artists, daring to enter the catacombs and daring to kill the enemy already made them good men.

"Yeah. Being alone ultimately has its limits."

Fu Yinghao said with a smile. If he had teammates like before, they could divide the work and cooperate, allowing them to accomplish more.

"That's true. With a teammate, there'll be someone to look after you if you get hurt."

Zuo Gang nodded with a chuckle. Back when Fu Yinghao had teammates, he was often carried back on their backs. After the team disbanded, things must have been quite hard for him. He could only hide in the catacombs to recover from his injuries.

Turning to Su Yi, he smiled. "Su Yi, you'd better be careful this time. It seems there are still Abyss Warriors around the Meat Grinder searching for you in groups of three or five."

"Let them look. I dare to kill them—do you think I'd be afraid of them? If they find me, I'll just keep killing!"

Su Yi was rather unconcerned. He had killed so many Abyss Warriors that it was only natural for the catacombs to want him dead.

"What spirit! That's exactly right—they should be slaughtered without mercy!"

Zuo Gang's smile grew even brighter as he praised him with narrowed eyes.

Clearly, Su Yi's words were very much to his taste. Those catacombs brats—if they were not killed, were they supposed to be kept around for the New Year?

Su Yi nodded and looked at Zuo Gang, asking softly, "Where's the other uncle?"

"Old Chen? He went home for a visit. He should be back in the next couple of days."

Su Yi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Though he was not familiar with the Tall Martial Artist, they had met before and exchanged a few words.

Seeing this, Zuo Gang said with amusement, "That guy won't die so easily. He still plans to live to see the day the catacombs are pacified."

Pacifying the catacombs?

Su Yi shook his head inwardly. He remembered that the gatekeepers in the future were not these two. Perhaps they had been transferred away, or perhaps they had died.

A transfer was unlikely. They had probably died.

But in this era, who could guarantee that they would not die?

"Alright, get in there. Fu Yinghao, don't get too wild. Be careful, both of you."

Fu Yinghao looked relaxed. He did not think he was being wild. They were just catacombs—what was there to worry about? He had ventured deep inside so many times, yet hadn't he still lived just fine?

Without replying, he waved a hand and entered the Alloy House with Su Yi.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at Passage Plaza.

Drawing on his experience, Fu Yinghao first asked the Military Department guards about the situation over the past few days—whether a major war might break out.

Every year, Heaven's Gate City launched military operations against Hope City—sometimes more than a dozen times, sometimes only three or five.

And every time, it was a bloody battle!

If war was about to begin, their operation could only be shelved.

In the Abyss, whenever a major war broke out, the martial artists in the city had to obey mobilization orders.

The Military Department guard was not surprised. Many people's first question upon returning was about this. Looking at Fu Yinghao and Su Yi, he said, "There are signs of it. The friction has been escalating these past few days, and there have already been several small-scale battles.

"According to estimates, Heaven's Gate City may launch a major war in five days."

He had already recognized Fu Yinghao and Su Yi. Their reputations in the Abyss were no small matter, and he was not worried that they would back down after hearing the news.

Fu Yinghao had already taken part in several major battles against Heaven's Gate City. As for Su Yi, on his very first trip into the Abyss, he had killed so many Abyss powerhouses.

After receiving the information, the two found a place to stay and began discussing their plan.

Su Yi was the first to ask, "A major war is expected in five days. Should we cancel this operation and wait until some time after the war to head deeper in?"

Once they went ten kilometers beyond Heaven's Gate City, they could run into Abyss Warriors or small Abyss military units at any time.

With a major war approaching, the chances of encountering them would be much higher. Experts of the fifth or sixth rank, and even High Rank powerhouses, might appear.

Fu Yinghao frowned and began to think. Their intended destination was more than three hundred li away. If nothing unexpected happened, they could accomplish their goal within three days.

Five days was only an estimate. Normally, major wars began two or three days after the predicted date. He had participated in four such wars and knew this well.

"We're going. We'll go fast and return fast. The sooner we gather resources, the sooner we can join the coming war. At our speed, we can reach the destination in just a few hours.

"We'll rest up, gather the resources as early as possible, and come back early."

They still had to take part in the war between the two cities. As for the village they had chosen, Fu Yinghao was confident that the two of them could deal with it quickly.

The strongest there was only at the Fifth-Rank High Stage. Even if they could not swallow it whole in one bite, it would not take more than a few days. They would still have ample time to join the war.

Besides, that village lay within Heaven's Gate City's territory. Killing more of them could also ease the pressure of the coming war.

"Then let's go."

Su Yi did not waste words. They just had to be more careful on the way. The village Fu Yinghao had mentioned would not put much pressure on them.

As they spoke, the two rose to their feet, left their lodging, and headed for the north gate.

Outside the north gate, the two looked back at the city wall before setting off.

For dozens of li around Hope City, the danger level was not high.

As they neared the range of the Meat Grinder, they slowed their pace and raised their vigilance to the limit.

When they had traveled roughly three hundred li from Hope City, Fu Yinghao stopped. After carefully inspecting the surroundings, he said solemnly, "Be careful. This is the area I told you about before—the one with a village that has two Fifth-Rank Peaks.

"They have warning devices set up around their village. Last time, my teammates were discovered by accident. They were chased a long way, and one of them even died."

Warning devices?

Su Yi's footsteps grew even lighter as he asked softly, "Which direction is that village?"

If they were discovered, with two Fifth-Rank Peaks and a whole group of mid-rank martial artists, they could only run.

"Cross this mountain, then go about two kilometers due north. The village we're heading for is a little northeast of there, roughly another forty or fifty li away."

Cross the mountain, then two kilometers due north. Su Yi silently committed the location to memory. He would go there once he had enough confidence.

Right now, they did not have the strength to swallow that village.

Not long after, the two finally arrived near their destination.

They had set out early in the morning, and it was already afternoon by the time they got here.

"There are still three or four kilometers to that village. Let's discuss the battle plan first. I already scoped it out when I came last time. There's one Fifth-Rank High Stage expert, five at the initial stage, and three at the middle stage.

"That makes nine fifth-rank martial artists in total, and probably more than thirty fourth-rank ones."

"There are a bit too many. First, tell me about the surrounding terrain. We need to decide on an escape route."

Su Yi voiced his thoughts. Nine fifth-rank martial artists and more than thirty fourth-rank ones—if he were surrounded and attacked, even he would not be able to endure it.

Fu Yinghao nodded. He had come here quite a few times and had explored the surrounding peaks and forests in depth.

"The village is about three or four kilometers ahead. To the north and east are mountain peaks, while to the west is a forest. There's a troop of monkeys on the eastern mountain. The central area has many fruit groves, and there are around a hundred monkeys. The Monkey King should be at the Fifth-Rank Peak, and there are quite a few mid-rank ones as well.

"I explored the northern mountain last time. It isn't too dangerous—the strongest there are only several fifth-rank Demon Beasts.

"There are many snake-type Demon Beasts in the forest, and they are extremely skilled at ambushes. I think it's best not to go there. I don't know much about how potent their venom is."

"Then we'll go to the northern mountain."

Compared to the other two places, the north was safer. If they established a Stronghold there, it would be easier to act.

Fu Yinghao nodded, and the two headed toward the mountain peak.

Fu Yinghao led Su Yi around to familiarize him with the paths across the peak, pointing out the Demon Beasts in every direction. He had not cleared out any of them, fearing that he would be unable to finish them off quickly.

Demon Beasts possessed far greater defensive power. If he could not kill them swiftly, it would soon draw the attention of the village's strong warriors.

After finding a suitable spot, they began digging a Cave.

Both were martial artists, and they worked quickly. Before long, they had dug out a deep pit.

After concealing the outside, the two hid inside together. The place was too far away; although they had set out early, once they reached the Meat Grinder, they slowed their pace, staying alert for ambushes that might come at any moment. It would not be long before night fell in the Underground Cave.

Nights in the Underground Cave were far from peaceful.

Many Demon Beasts came out at night, making it extremely dangerous.