The struggle between humans and devils had endured for eternity, and the Life-Death Line was a microcosm of those long years.
Jing and Mu had fought devils for a thousand years and had long since established an effective demon-hunting system. Lone hunters, small squads, and great armies each had their own methods of battle. Magical instruments, medicines, formation patterns, and military formations designed for devils came in endless varieties. Many of the adventure tales in Mu Kingdom's beast-mask operas featured demon hunters as their protagonists.
Jiang Wang relied on none of those scattered demon-hunting tools. He traveled with only his sword.
The map Yuwen Duo had prepared was exceptionally comprehensive. Where Shadow Demons were more numerous, where safe resting places could be found... everything within a thousand li north of the Life-Death Line was broadly and clearly marked. Beyond a thousand li, Demonic Beasts surged everywhere, with no fixed spheres of influence at all. Even the Devil Race themselves could not make sense of it.
Jiang Wang did not follow the map by the book either. He simply traced a straight line, walked his own path, and pressed onward.
For this five-day demon-hunting journey, he had reserved half a day for the return trip. With the remaining four and a half days, he wanted to see just how far into the desert he could venture on his own.
As everyone knew, every thousand li deeper one ventured into the Border Wasteland, the danger multiplied. Beyond three thousand li, every hundred li was a hurdle. Jing and Mu regarded that distance as a "forbidden zone of life," and in principle did not advise anyone to enter it alone.
For many years, the armies of both nations had conducted most of their demon-hunting sweeps within three thousand li of the Border Wasteland.