Fogfall Returns! Evil Tiger Stronghold!

He had been out hunting for quite some time already. Finding bandits was far harder than killing them.

During that time, Wu Yu had turned into a bottomless stomach, wolfing down "Exquisite Food" while imprinting ordinary little stones into items bearing the [Bi Fang Sigil].

"I'm stuffed. The fog's coming soon anyway... time to rest!"

He let out a long breath, leaned against a large boulder, and gazed into the distance.

Since he had come out to hunt bandits, Wu Yu naturally would not enter an area about to be swallowed by fog. He was currently within the safe zone of the inner ring.

Very soon, the countdown ended!

The clear sky was shrouded by oppressive clouds and mist. Gray fog spread through the mountains at a visible speed, growing denser by the second.

Before long, the gray fog had become so thick that it was impossible to see what lay within.

Yet strangely, the gray mist seemed blocked by an invisible dividing line, splitting the forest in two. Not a single wisp crossed over.

"This fog is probably something only Tower Climbers encounter."

Wu Yu's expression turned grave.

No matter how he looked at it, this "fog" was extremely dangerous!

For one, the [Map] panel had previously warned that the fog would deal damage, even if the fog damage in the [Newcomer Secret Realm] had been reduced by eighty percent.

For another, the existence of evacuation points meant that the Mysterious Tower did not encourage Tower Climbers to linger here! The fog was therefore a means of driving them away... or even killing them!

"Whether this is a game or some immortal's joke..."

"I can't gamble with my life."

Wu Yu's heart stirred as he took out the Bronze Token.

When he opened the [Map], sure enough, the gray fog had covered a vast area.

Only the inner ring was still relatively safe, and the fog countdown had refreshed as well!

Fogfall: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds.

"So it's one day, too."

"Twenty-four hours is enough. I just won't be able to evacuate with Liu Zheng."

Wu Yu pondered for a moment.

In terms of safety, leaving with Liu Zheng and the others was naturally best. There would be official patrols, and one of them was a rich second-generation kid loaded with high-tech equipment. Every bandit villager would go down with one shot, and even Transcendent Martial Artists could be killed!

But... the rewards would be at their lowest that way.

Since Wu Yu had already come out, he naturally could not just fight for six hours and head back.

A moment later, he rose and nimbly sprang out from behind the rocks, continuing onward.

Evil Tiger Stronghold... was already close!

Two hours later!

Wu Yu climbed up a large tree and looked toward the end of a forest path.

There stood a crude stronghold, with wooden gates and watchtowers, as well as several brawny men in animal-hide clothes standing guard lazily.

There were archers among them, as well as saber-wielders.

"Evil Tiger Stronghold normally has only a few hundred people, and most of them stay outside to patrol, rob, make sacrifices, and so on! Usually fewer than a hundred remain in the stronghold, though the chief will be inside!"

Wu Yu narrowed his eyes and observed for a long while, finally relaxing inwardly.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will emerge victorious from a hundred battles!

Everything matched the information he had investigated. There were not many bandits inside Evil Tiger Stronghold.

Perhaps because Liu Zheng had gone on a killing spree, there did not even seem to be a hundred bandits left in the stronghold.

"I can't see any elderly, weak, sick, or crippled people... Were they all taken away as sacrifices?"

After observing for a long time, Wu Yu noticed the crucial point.

Evil Tiger Stronghold could perform the Mountain Lord Rite, becoming "tiger wraiths" through sacrifice and receiving the Mountain Lord's blessing!

But the Mountain Lord had already been wounded by a Transcendent Martial Artist from the city. It was probably in no condition to care about the stronghold right now.

After all, the Mountain Lord itself had hidden away inside Lostway Cave!

"Better safe than sorry! I'll make a little noise and test them..."

Wu Yu was excited, but he still followed the plan.

Looking behind him, he saw several crudely made cages containing a few squirrels, several snakes, and some birds he did not recognize.

Relying on the bullet-bending and unerring accuracy of the [Heaven-Earth State], Wu Yu had punched little animals and kicked little snakes through the forest, easily catching a whole pile of them.

"My cage-making skills are terrible... Good thing I only need them for a little while."

Wu Yu muttered inwardly. Carrying the cages, he carefully climbed down, released the animals in batches, then activated the [Heaven-Earth State] and tossed out little stones without the [Bi Fang Sigil].

After learning Heaven-and-Earth Toss, he had become far more agile. Combined with the stamina provided by "Exquisite Food," Wu Yu darted through the forest at astonishing speed.

"Guwa!?"

At the stronghold gate, several bandits wore puzzled expressions.

"Pwa! Pwa!"

From the watchtower, two archers shouted several times. A few saber-wielding bandits then cautiously headed into the woods.

A moment later, they came out with a squirrel in hand, cursing and grumbling.

After a while, one archer suddenly turned around, drew his bow, and fired toward a spot!

Whoosh—!

The arrow shot into the distance, passed through the canopy, and sent a small bird tumbling down.

"Pwa!"

The archer cursed, then ignored it.

After it happened once, twice, three times, the bandits stopped paying much attention.

"Just as I thought! After undergoing the Mountain Lord Rite, these bandits' brains have gotten even worse!"

Half of Wu Yu's face peeked out from behind a large tree as he watched in secret.

"Looks like there are no hidden sentries either, only the guards out in the open."

"Maybe that's one of the benefits of the [Newcomer Secret Realm]!"

The panel notification that had appeared on the Bronze Token earlier had not only reduced the danger level, but greatly increased the rewards as well.

Now that a day had passed, Wu Yu felt this deeply.

Leaving everything else aside, if the enemies were stupid, the danger level would naturally be much lower!

"The logic is sound too. Looks like this world is complete."

"Storage Bags, cultivation techniques, martial artists..."

He let out a long breath and slipped into the bushes according to plan.

Since he was close to the stronghold now, Wu Yu did not dare eat "Exquisite Food" or "High-Grade Spirit Wine." He had kept the [Heaven-Earth State] activated all the way here, moving like a ghost. In moments, he silently approached the stronghold gate.

And because of the earlier grass-stirring snake-scare, the bandits were no longer so vigilant. Whenever there was movement in the forest, they merely assumed it was a bird or snake.

There was no cover around the stronghold gate. If Wu Yu advanced any farther, he would be exposed.

"They're more than ten meters away from here!"

He hesitated, but ultimately did not take the risk.

If they were within ten meters, he could make them explode with just one extra glance!

Taking out five little stones imprinted with the [Bi Fang Sigil], Wu Yu drew a deep breath and hurled them fiercely!

Whoosh—!

The five stones flew out, scarlet vapor coiling around them as they closed in on the stronghold gate in the blink of an eye.

Several bandits immediately noticed them, but upon seeing that they were just little stones, they paid them no mind and instead warily looked toward Wu Yu's direction.

The next moment—

Boom—!!!

Flames erupted across the watchtower, and the explosion tore the archer's body apart.

A charred head fell, smashing into the head of a saber-wielding bandit below!

At the same time, the other four stones made sharp turns in midair, flying toward four different directions!