CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 90: THE HEADLESS RIVER AND THE SKY BANDIT INCIDENT

After initially meeting with suspicion, Jin Nuo watched the "Titan" take off into the sky with a mix of doubt and apprehension.

Once the Black Beauty caught the familiar scent on Yue Jinghua, she was delighted to fly up and down next to the Titan, eyeing the skyship.

After leaving Fengdan County and flying over Xuan Beast Ridge, Jin Nuo finally felt at ease, confident there were no major issues with the skyship.

What surprised Jin Nuo was that Yue Jinghua’s wooden ship could keep up with the speed of the Cloud Sailing, at times even matching the flight rhythm of the playful Black Beauty.

"It seems the Imperial Military Department’s sky sails are also due for retirement, barely differing from an ancient ship," Jin Nuo grumbled, then glowered at Niu Er, resolving to find a way to leverage the Ministry of Revenue for funds to replace the outdated equipment once he returned.

For several days, the Titan and the Cloud Sailing flew one after another, uneventfully. They didn’t encounter any sky bandits, not even a single aerial Xuan Beast, making the journey unexpectedly smooth.

If they continued at this speed, it would be about fifteen days before they entered the affluent Northern Plain Area of the Dragon War Empire.

During the day, Imperial Reconnaissance Soldiers were responsible for surveying the sky’s conditions, and at night, Jin Nuo would dispatch the Black Beauty to keep a vigilant watch.

"In two days, we will enter the Balkan Region. Tell Little Brother Yue not to let his guard down and it would be best if people could patrol his skyship at night as well," Jin Nuo instructed Black Beauty to relay the message.

He was unaware that during these days, Yue Jinghua had been dispatching the Giant Winged Mosquito King, Xi Yuan, and the Snake-haired Gorgon in coordination, preemptively exterminating aerial Xuan Beasts on their way.

This not only boosted the cultivation of her subordinate Little Xuan Beasts but also ensured a smooth journey.

Even though she was itching to try the Xuan Crystal Cannon, considering the presence of Lie Rou and Chi Xi, she hoped to avoid too many unexpected incidents along the way.

After one more day, both ships had entered the Balkan Region.

Having left the Imperial City by land at the age of thirteen, "Yue Jinghua" had little knowledge of the bizarre landscapes located in the southwest of the Empire.

The Balkan Region, located in the southwest of the Eastern Continent, is named after the source of the largest underground river in the southwest, the Balkan River.

This river is also known as the "Headless Ghost River" on the continent. Although the histories on the continent record the Balkan River originating here, no one has been able to find the true location of its source.

An Imperial survey team once aimed to find the source of the underground river, but they were trapped by the unique geographical environment of the area and had to stop their search.

Aside from the sourceless underground river, this area has another very famous feature.

The Balkan seems to have been graced by the Rain God, with at least three hundred days out of three hundred and sixty-five being rainy and foggy weather, leaving the number of days the sun can be seen very few.

Due to the exceptionally abundant rainfall and frequent underground river activity, a considerable amount of vegetation in this area has rotted and died, resulting in a very low vegetation coverage and the stone forest landscape exposed on the surface.

Underground, however, there are numerous stalactite caves.

Whenever night falls and dawn approaches, amidst the wind and rain, the wind howls through caves and stone forests, sounding like the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves.

It is this peculiar terrain that has turned the region into a hotspot for sky bandits.

High above, if a skyship or a Dark Beast flies by, the thugs on the ground can see everything clearly.

But if the people on the skyship want to pursue and ambush the sky bandits, they can hide in the stone forest or the subterranean rivers, making it impossible to chase them.

Even the Dragon Knight Mercenary Corps Group, once famous throughout the continent, couldn’t eradicate the sky bandits who ambushed the Imperial Dragon Riders, as the bandits took advantage of the terrain to make their escape.

After several incidents with sky bandits, this area has become a no-fly zone for caravans and travelers. Those wishing to travel from the northeast to the southwest of the Dragon War Empire by air now have to detour on a much longer route.

As the Titan and the Cloud Sailing ships were about to enter the largest and most densely packed stone forest in the Western Balkans of the Balkan Region, a small, inconspicuous limestone-colored skyship was docked amidst the sharp, blade-like stone forest.

At the prow stood a man with a figure as delicate as a woman’s. His skin was dark as though bruised, and he had an expression of delicacy, but his sharp eyes revealed a ruthless character.

Three other men accompanied him, ranging from lean as kindling to burly as calves, with the last one having high cheekbones and a look of sneering contempt.

These four men, of varying heights and appearances, shared one thing in common: on their left wrists, they each had a scar that had clearly been gouged out.

More than a year earlier, that scar was a specially made brand mark; if Yue Jinghua were to see it, she might still have some memory of it.

The Sea Witch Jue Shang also had the same brand on her hand.

These four were the leaders of the sky bandits of the Balkan Region. They were prisoners who had escaped from the Senluo Sea and, after amassing a force of thugs, claimed this territory as their own, mercilessly slaughtering and looting any passing skyship.

"Boss, when are we leaving this godforsaken place? We could head north; I’ve heard that the Imperial City of this country is bustling," said the man with high cheekbones, spitting as he looked up at a sky where not even a bird had flown.

"The Imperial City? You’ve got guts. If our true identities were discovered there by so-called righteous people, we’d be like rats crossing the street," the leader among them, the slender man, retorted in a voice that was both shrill and thin, grating on the ears.

"Better that than staying here. In this hellish place, there’s not even a woman in sight. I haven’t touched a woman in decades. The last one I caught was tormented to death by me in no time," the high-cheekboned man spat out again.

"Boss, this can’t go on. The mercenaries we encountered last time were strong, and since that fight, there have been far fewer skyships passing by, and the brothers are getting restless," said the burly man in a resonant voice.

"Hmph, all you think about are women. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day you die upon a woman’s belly," the slender man closed his eyes, his dark-gray battle armor rustling. A pale green Dark Energy emanated like ribbons in the air.

Inside his mind, his Divine Sense whirled, and he seemed to have clearly observed everything within ten miles.

Who would have thought this person was also a master with extremely strong spiritual cultivation.

"They’re coming. The distant winds tell us that a plump fish is about to arrive. And guess what I see? An Imperial Military Ship," the slender man’s voice rose with excitement, "This time, we’re going to seize the military ship and then, with the identity of Imperial Soldiers, enter Wohua Imperial City with dignity and honor."