Inside The Black Mist

Raw revenge!

On the battlefield, the vanguard was essentially cannon fodder—consumable resources used to secure victory!

To protect Ascenders, fortresses usually didn’t place them in the vanguard. After all, soldiers could be trained again, but Ascenders couldn’t be produced through training alone.

Moreover, the vanguard was typically commanded by ordinary sergeants, not Ascenders.

Now, Xie Miao wanted Tianyang to command the vanguard. To put it nicely, it was a sign of respect and trust, assigning him an important task. To put it bluntly, it was sending him to his death.

At this moment, an Ascender whispered, “Sir, isn’t it unusual to have an Ascender command the vanguard? I haven’t heard of such a precedent.”

“No precedent doesn’t mean it’s impossible or unfeasible!” Xie Miao shot him a cold glance. “Or would you prefer to switch with him?”

The Ascender’s expression changed immediately. He said nothing and stepped back two paces.

Xiaoniao, visibly angry, was about to argue but was held back by Tianyang.

Tianyang shook his head. “It’s fine. Being in the vanguard isn’t so bad. The merit comes quickly.”

They were on a battlefield, not within the fortress. Xie Miao was using battlefield regulations as a basis, so Tianyang had no reason to oppose. More importantly, Tianyang didn’t want to fall out with Xie Miao here.

After all, in a dangerous place, one’s strength was limited. If unnecessary, it was safer to stay with the team.

Even though there was someone unpleasant in the team.

Seeing Tianyang’s acceptance, Xie Miao’s smile broadened, and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. He announced loudly, “Since there are no objections, it’s decided. You have 10 minutes to rest and check your equipment.”

Tianyang suddenly extended his hand. “I need a rifle.”

He hadn’t anticipated needing to deal with Wanderers before coming, so he hadn’t exchanged for a rifle or requested one from the captain.

Given the current situation, a rifle would be much more convenient for dealing with Wanderers compared to his Crimson Moon Warblade or Death Knell.

His request wasn’t unreasonable, so Xie Miao promptly named the Ascender who had raised the question earlier, instructing him to give his rifle to Tianyang.

The Ascender had no objections and handed over his rifle and two gas magazines to Tianyang, who received them gratefully.

During the rest period, Tianyang revisited his rank status.

He focused on the new ability but didn’t receive any related information. It seemed, like the other two abilities, he would need to explore it himself.

While pondering the function of the ability [Phantom], Tianyang felt the star essence within him stir. This sensation was familiar to him.

It was a sign that the star essence was forming and preparing to release an ability.

Tianyang quickly calmed the star essence to avoid drawing attention. The light dimmed, and Xiaoniao approached.

The girl placed her hands on her hips and said authoritatively, “I’m coming with you.”

Before Tianyang could respond, Xie Miao’s voice rang out, “You don’t need to do that. One commander for the vanguard is enough.”

Xie Miao’s gaze roamed over Xiaoniao’s beautiful face, his smile wide. He had noticed Xiaoniao when they arrived at the shore and found her striking.

Later, seeing Tianyang being rescued, Xiaoniao not only worried but also let Tianyang rest on her lap.

Xie Miao felt both envy and jealousy.

Now, hearing Xiaoniao wanted to join Tianyang on the front lines, he was startled and quickly intervened.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you a newcomer? I take good care of newcomers. You can stay with me on the main team. I’ll protect you.”

“No need!”

Xiaoniao tossed her hair and stood with Tianyang. “He’s my good friend. Wherever he goes, I go. If you have an issue with that, you can complain to our captain when we get back!”

Xie Miao wasn’t giving up. “Don’t be foolish. The vanguard is very dangerous. A delicate girl like you could easily get killed. Why risk it?”

“By the way, have you heard of the Xie family? I’ll tell you this—we are definitely among the top ten families in the Qingtian Fortress!”

The implication was that following Xie Miao meant a promising future.

Xiaoniao laughed. “Top ten? So what? Even the Yun family treats me with respect. Your Xie family is nothing!”

After saying this, she quickly covered her mouth, glanced around cautiously, and gently patted her chest. “Luckily, my sisters aren’t here. Xiaoniao, a lady shouldn’t use coarse language. I won’t do it again.”

Seeing that Xiaoniao didn’t care about his family and even dismissed the Xie family, Xie Miao was enraged. If there weren’t so many people around and if Xiaoniao wasn’t so beautiful, he would have slapped her already.

Xie Miao snorted and, with a flick of his sleeve, left. “Do as you please.”

If it were someone else, he would have slapped them long ago.

Xie Miao snorted and, with a flick of his sleeve, left. "Do as you please."

After he left, Tianyang cleared his throat and said, "Although that guy is pretty annoying, he has a point. The vanguard is too dangerous. You..."

Xiaoniao tapped her waist with her slender sword and said, "So what? I\'m a Level 3 warrior. A mere wanderer won’t be a problem for me. Don\'t worry, I’ll protect you!"

Tianyang looked at her in disbelief, unable to believe that this girl, who seemed to be around his age, was actually a Level 3 ascender!

Even he had just recently been promoted to Level 2, which was already quite fast for an Ascender’s advancement.

Could it be that this girl, despite her youthful appearance, was actually as old as the squad leader?

"Um, Xiaoniao, how old are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just curious."

"Oh, I’ll be 17 in two months. How about you?"

"What, you’re not even 17 yet?"

"Yes, why?"

The departure time arrived.

Tianyang had quickly integrated with the soldiers. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, he could now call each soldier by name.

He and the soldiers had established several hand signals for quick and flexible command during battle.

When Xie Miao shouted "Depart," Tianyang led the vanguard team at the front.

Xiaoniao walked beside him, seemingly without a trace of nervousness. On the contrary, her big eyes were filled with anticipation, though it was unclear what she was looking forward to.

Knowing that Xiaoniao was not yet 17 and had become an Ascender only six months ago meant she had advanced two levels in that short time.

Such advancement speed was remarkable, even among the elite fortresses.

Just earlier, Tianyang had been somewhat pleased with his own swift promotion to Level 2. Now, that feeling had completely vanished.

Upon entering the cave, Tianyang immediately felt the temperature drop and the humidity rise.

The sound of dripping water echoed deeper into the cave, possibly indicating an underground river. The vanguard team raised their rifles, all equipped with tactical lights, and the beams swept through the cave.

While it wasn’t as bright as daylight, it was still easy to see the cave’s surroundings.

Since the Inferno Soldier had previously scouted the path, Tianyang had him lead the way toward the location of the Dead Tree.

As they passed through an opening, the tunnel descended, and the uneven ground extended into the darkness.

Walking downward gave a sense of descending into hell.

Fortunately, the tunnel wasn’t very long, and they reached the bottom in a few minutes.

“There are some strange things ahead, but no immediate danger,” the Inferno Soldier whispered.

Tianyang nodded and followed the Inferno Soldier around a corner. In the light ahead, a white skeleton suddenly appeared. Tianyang’s heart skipped a beat, as the appearance of this skeleton was sudden and without warning.

The skeleton was not human, but the visual impact was strong, especially with the empty eye sockets staring directly at Tianyang, making him momentarily think they were being watched by a dark creature.

The team cautiously passed by the skeleton, which had long horns and resembled some large reptile.

Soon, more skeletons appeared, some of which might be human. Strangely, regardless of the type, all the skeletons were facing the same direction, as if they were trying to escape something.

There were numerous bite marks on the skeletons, with various shapes of teeth marks overlapping each other.

Even a biologist might be unable to determine what bit them.

“Probably bitten by wanderers,” the Inferno Soldier said softly. “After all, the Dead Tree is ahead.”

Tianyang nodded, “That’s possible. In any case, everyone, stay alert.”

After passing the pile of bones, they arrived at a large natural cavern. The cavern was extremely high, and the light didn’t reach the ceiling.

Stone columns resembling bamboo shoots supported the cavern, covered with the common fungi of the Inverse Universe. Unlike those in Gemstone Town, these fungi didn’t glow and looked large and unhealthy, making them unappealing.

In the center of the cavern was an artificial pedestal. It had a regular shape with clear and straight lines, unlike natural formations.

Moreover, there were stone stairs carved into the pedestal.

Lying on the pedestal were heaps of bones, forming a small mountain of bones!

Tianyang gasped, “What is this?”

The Inferno Soldier shook his head, “I don’t know. When we saw this, we were all startled. That platform doesn’t look like it was made by dark creatures. Could it be from the previous inhabitants of the Inverse Universe?”

“It’s an altar.”

Xiaoniao circled the platform twice, becoming more certain, “I’ve seen similar things in books. According to the information we’ve collected in the Inverse Universe, this is called an altar.”

“They were used for sacrifices to worship deities, and there are many ways to perform these sacrifices. Sacrificing lives is considered the highest form of offering!”