The Betrayer Who Crossed the Mountains (2/3)

At the outermost edge of the Hundred Lands Mountain Range, Thread of Sky.

This is a formidable cliff, a forbidden place considered a "forbidden zone" by the Guifang Kingdom.

Especially now, with the possibility that "Roaring Heaven Clan is suspected to be dead".

Almost everyone in the know remained silent, unwilling to utter a single word about the Red-Haired Ghost God or the earth-shattering sword strike. But today, the taboo of this Guifang Kingdom was broken.

A woman dressed in a black ceremonial robe and with her hair tied in a snake-shaped bun arrived at this Thread of Sky.

You can tell just from their outfit.

This woman was a priestess from the Guifang Kingdom, and most likely a noblewoman of extremely high status.

But what's most shocking is that the woman is holding a severed head in her hand.

Even though he had lost his body, and half of his pale spine was exposed to the air, his head could still open its eyes and speak. Only the mournful cries that kept emanating from it showed the pain he was in.

"This is the place - "

Seeing that the head was still groaning in pain, the woman frowned slightly, then used a Witchcraft Incantation to alleviate its suffering.

"This is the Thread of Sky,' the border between the Hundred Lands Mountain Range and the Guifang Kingdom."

After the pain subsided, the head's speech became noticeably more fluent.

However, whether out of fear or terror, the voice of the head remained extremely weak.

"You were once captured by the Guirong Clan, and then rescued by the Nüman-- "

When the "Deceiver" led you to Gao Village Town, you defected due to dissatisfaction with the little shaman's distribution of food. Although you may be the only person in the Guifang Kingdom to have personally traversed this Thread of Sky—

"But do you think you're worthy of my trust?"

The woman calmly recounted the head's past achievements as if it were merely a trivial matter.

No, it's not my fault—

He struggled to move his spine, then immediately raised his voice and shouted.

"Under those circumstances, everyone knew that the food supply in Gao Village Town would eventually run out!"

"That little shaman restricts our food intake, isn't he just trying to squeeze every last bit of strength out of us before we die?"

"Clearing land, building houses, hunting---"

"Once we've completed these tasks, that's when they'll kill us!"

"From this perspective, they are actually no different from your Guifang Kingdom!"

"I simply chose to resist before that, and I didn't hurt anyone; I just ran away beforehand."

A cold smile curled at the corners of her lips as the woman sneered.

"They just left early?"

What about those you incited to rebel? Did they run away?

"No, not only did they not run away, they also caused that little witch doctor quite a bit of trouble—"

"If it weren't for the appearance of that Red-Haired Ghost God that stunned them..."

Do you think those minor troubles could escalate into a major upheaval?

Upon hearing this, the head fell silent instantly.

He was well aware of how ungrateful his actions were, but it was simply a matter of following his most primal survival instinct.

He was one of the few insightful people among those Mountain Folk slaves.

Head was among the first group of Mountain Folk who listened to Deception Rabbit's words and decided to go to Gao Village Town to seek refuge.

Similarly, the head is also the first to notice the food shortage problem.

According to his prediction, as Gao Village Town and the surrounding villages received more and more Mountain Folk slaves, the food supply was destined to be insufficient.

If this continues, that naive little witch doctor will eventually kill everyone.

Head didn't want to die, so he made what he thought was the right choice at the time—inciting rebellion and fleeing with grain.

But no matter how hard he racked his brains, he never imagined that at the last moment before he was about to escape the Hundred Lands Mountain Range, the Red-Haired Ghost God appeared and defeated the Gods of the Five Directions.

Especially this formidable chasm before them, their heads barely managed to cross it after a near-death experience.

"Oh, right, let me tell you something else--"

"You think the food in Gao Village Town will eventually run out, and you think that little shaman will kill you after he's drained your strength."

"But in fact, at the same time that little shaman was receiving you, that Deceiver was also stealing grain in the Guifang Kingdom. Looking down at the incredulous head, the woman's sneer became even more pronounced."

"I don't know how that Deceiver managed to do that."

"But even before he wreaked havoc in Cliff Settlement, he had already caused a huge food crisis for the Guifang Kingdom."

"You think your encounter in the Guifang Kingdom was just a coincidence?"

"No, in fact, if it weren't for the king's dedicated reforms, the Guifang Kingdom might have already been destroyed three years ago."

When the king was mentioned, the woman's expression clearly became somewhat abnormal.

Fortunately, the head didn't notice this, and instead opened its eyes wide in realization.

"So that's why those lunatics almost devoured me back then."

Three years ago, in that winter, it was a woman who rescued a head from among a crowd of starving people.

Unfortunately, the woman was a typical descendant of the Guifang Kingdom.

Her willingness to save the head wasn't out of any kindness, but simply because she saw the potential value in the person.

Even if the other person only had half a body left, the woman was willing to keep him in an earthenware pot.

Until recently, the Guifang Kingdom was once again plunged into internal strife.

Having learned certain truths, the woman decided to venture into the Hundred Lands Mountain Range in an attempt to find the legendary "Deceiver."

Because only by finding that "Deceiver" can their country be saved, and only then can they fulfill the mission given to them by the gods.

"Priest Qingfu, I don't know why you're heading to the Hundred Lands Mountain Range— "

Just then, the head, which had snapped out of its daze, spoke again.

"But I don't recommend you continue, because the dangers ahead are far beyond your imagination."

This Thread of Sky before us was once a battlefield for the gods, a testament to the Red-Haired Ghost God who forced back the Gods of the Five Directions.

"Unless you can fly, even with divine protection, you'll have a hard time getting through here."

As he said this, his gaze was fixed on the cliff in front of him, and his tone revealed undisguised fear.

The cliff was tens of meters wide, and the bottom was unfathomably deep.

Only the sharp spikes could be faintly seen protruding horizontally, making it look extremely terrifying.

Even more terrifying was the Sword Qi left behind by that Red-Haired Ghost God at the bottom of the cliff. It was so sharp that just a glance at it was enough to make one feel a stinging pain on the skin.

He couldn't even imagine what terrible consequences would result if those Sword Qi were reignited.

"I may not be able to fly, but I have to get there."

He firmly rejected the head's intention to retreat; Qingfu had no habit of backing down in the face of battle.

"Fool!"

By placing two fingers in its mouth, Qingfu emitted a low growl, similar to that of a wild beast, through the low-frequency whistling sound of its Adam's apple vibrating.

This is a form of witchcraft performed through sound, a Secret Method that can control wild beasts in the mountains.

"Fool!"

The whistle had barely sounded for a breath when a choking sound came from all directions.

By the time the head realized what was happening, countless snakes had already built a "snake bridge" on the cliff, quietly waiting for their master to use it.

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