CHAPTER 529: CHAPTER 95: HELL’S ROAD

Balkan River is a famous river in the Dragon War Empire.

In the southwestern region of the Dragon War Empire, almost all internal rivers and lakes draw their water from this large river. At its narrowest spout, it is more than ten meters wide. Although it is a river, it flows like the torrential waters of a river, ceaseless throughout all four seasons.

Regarding the source of this river, there have been all kinds of stories for thousands of years.

Some say the Balkan River is a silvery waterfall hanging from the sky, while others claim it originates underground.

Too many rumors and excessive hearsay easily confuse people’s senses and tantalize the nerves of the explorers of the Dragon War Empire.

About five hundred years ago, a group of fearless explorers attempted to enter this region. They went through great hardships, employed a top-notch Mercenary Group from the major roads, and finally, in the deepest part of the Balkan Region, they found a cave.

Inside that cave, there was the howling of the wind, and the sound of the river waters, surging like ocean waves, beating against the stalactites underground.

Out of curiosity, the group of explorers, accompanied by mercenaries, delved into the cave.

Three days later, a crazed explorer was rescued from the cave.

His body was swollen like a soggy steamed bun, barely clinging to life, "Hell----"

After letting out a terrified scream, the only surviving explorer convulsed as if he were epileptic, his limbs twitched, and he died of bleeding from all seven orifices.

Where the other explorers went, and what happened to those skilled mercenaries, remains unknown.

Since then, among the empire’s surveyors, there has been a saying: the source of the Balkan River is the Blood River that leads to Hell, on its opposite shore is the Devil’s Residence Other Shore Flower City. The source of the Balkan River is also known as Hell’s Road.

Yue Jinghua and Chaos Mantis Xi Yuan saw that very cave, which was rumored to have devoured an entire team of explorers and mercenaries.

The cave was just big enough for one person to enter; at its entrance, there were traces of steps.

When Yue Jinghua entered the Balkan Region, she had seen the topographic map of this area in the information sent by Jin Nuo.

Yue Jinghua was not a superstitious person, but there indeed were many incredible places on this continent.

The National Destiny Acupoint of Shang Kingdom is such an existence that connects Dark Hell and the Canglong Continent.

Yue Jinghua believed that there were similar caves in many different places of the continent, and this so-called entrance to the underground river might be such an existence.

She lit a flame and tested it next to the cave.

The bright flame was immediately extinguished when it encountered the wind blowing out from the cave.

These Sky Bandits have been living here for a long time and must be extremely familiar with the terrain.

Since he entered this cave, it proves that there must be an extensive area underneath where one could hide.

Touching the wet flint, Yue Jinghua was certain that the reason for the fire’s extinguishing was the steam coming out from the cave.

Yue Jinghua and Xi Yuan entered the cave one after another.

At first, this so-called cave was difficult to navigate; the corridor was narrow and steep, and carelessness on the sharp cave stones would lead them to be embedded in one’s kneecaps.

Yue Jinghua and Xi Yuan used both hands and feet, especially Xi Yuan, whose wings that were usually unfettered in the sky had to be curled up on his back.

The Sky Bandit Leader was very cunning, and had been paying close attention to Yue Jinghua in secret earlier on. Seeing that she was riding a Dark Beast with a strange appearance and unfathomable strength, he knew a direct confrontation would be futile and hid inside the cave of the underground river.

Climbing out from the cave through the corridor, they saw a fluctuating sound of water ahead.

What they saw was a mist of milky white rain; on the walls, various colors of stalactites and the same colored stalactite moss were growing everywhere.

Due to the rain on the surface, excess water penetrated the soil layer and turned into mist.

Rain fog is a specific type of landscape with an abundance of moisture in the air. Just walking in the rain fog for over an hour would make the skin of ordinary people wrinkly, which is why the surveyor who entered Hell’s Road years ago had died with swollen features.

Merely standing in the rain fog for a while, Yue Jinghua’s forehead and eyebrows were already dotted with tiny droplets of water.

The visibility around was extremely poor, due to the fog.

However, there was no trace of the Sky Bandit Leader in the vicinity.

Yue Jinghua didn’t immediately press on; after sitting down cross-legged, her Divine Sense barely pierced through the rain fog, but still found no clues.

Having no other choice, Yue Jinghua could only move forward.

She firmly decided in her heart that she would search for another hour, and as soon as that time was up, she would give up the search and immediately return to the Titan.

Even though Yue Jinghua was fleet of foot, she had only covered a short distance.

As the hour was about to pass, Yue Jinghua felt regretful and prepared to turn back.

If she didn’t return soon, the people on the Titan would certainly be worried.

Just as Yue Jinghua was about to leave, an anomaly occurred in the Balkan River beneath her, which was as wide as a river.

The previously turbulent Balkan River became still, as though it had been frozen, like a top-quality silk without a single wrinkle.

The dark blue surface of the water cracked open with a ripple.

Suddenly, the Balkan River split in two, and a spine-like small ridge divided the entire river channel in half.

Half of the water continued to flow outward as usual, while the other half...

An old saying goes: People climb to higher grounds, and water flows to lower places.

And that half of the river water, forcibly split by the ridge, flowed backward as if the tide had retreated.

"What is this?!" As Yue Jinghua pondered, suddenly, she felt a biting pain around her neck as if someone had nipped her there.

Without realizing it, her hand reached up to touch her neck, and found that the mark left by Fa Xiaoyi had inexplicably become hot a moment ago.

Could it be? The source of the Balkan River’s water, is it Dark Hell?

Yue Jinghua was also shocked by her bold speculation.

But perhaps there was that possibility, somewhere along the Balkan River, there might be a node connecting Dark Hell with the Canglong Continent.

Fortunately, the pain only lasted for a moment and quickly vanished without a trace.

If she continued searching like this, she might not be able to find the Sky Bandit Leader even by nightfall.

But to let him off so easily would be too lenient for him in this plane.

To let go, to let go, one must give up to gain.

After pondering for a moment, Yue Jinghua sinisterly took out a small bottle of Death Spring water from her Desire Gourd and poured it all into the backward-flowing river channel.

The river water rushed towards the deepest, darkest recesses.

Following the original path, Yue Jinghua walked back, and after climbing out of the cave, she planted a patch of Burning Poison Algae at the entrance of the cave.

Only after everything was properly taken care of did Yue Jinghua return the way she had come.