Meanwhile, on the other side.

Annie Rui remained at the front of the convoy, continuously smashing apart the sluggish corpses that wandered nearby.

Ever since Starnight City had been reclaimed, the number of corpses in Nightfall Domain had noticeably decreased. Any large-scale undead horde would eventually be hunted down by Divine Chosen, making Annie Rui’s journey remarkably smooth.

"I’ve always heard that the Northern Frontier was a living hell, a forbidden land of death. Honestly, it’s nothing special. We haven’t even run into that many corpses along the way."

With an arrogant snort, Annie Rui confidently removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"This is ridiculously easy. We just need to keep following this road and we’ll reach Maple Leaf Fortress."

"Roar! Roar!"

Another series of corpse howls echoed from the gray mist ahead.

This time, however, the cries sounded unusually coordinated.

"My lord, judging from the noise, there are quite a few enemies ahead. Let us probe them first."

One of the attendants drew his cavalry bow and fired an arrow into the mist. A dull metallic clang echoed back.

The attendant frowned.

"Why did it sound like that?"

"I’ll handle it. Stop wasting your energy."

Annie Rui waved impatiently.

"They’re just corpses. Every year, the border walls kill more corpses than the entire Fierce Stallion Castle eats loaves of bread."

Confidently urging his horse forward, Annie Rui charged straight into the mist, intending to send whatever foolish corpses stood in his way to hell.

Killing corpses had become his preferred way to vent his emotions. Only through slaughter could he briefly forget the pain of losing his family.

"Heh. Prepare to be smashed into pieces."

The small mist-dispelling lamp rapidly cut through the gray fog.

A silent army of corpses stood across the road, completely blocking the route leading to Maple Leaf Domain.

There was no chaotic charge.

No meaningless screaming or mindless howling.

The corpse soldiers held wooden spears in disciplined formation, their left hands gripping various decayed shields. Solemn and silent, they stepped forward in perfect unison.

Rusting plate armor scraped against itself.

Accompanied by thunderous footsteps, every corpse thrust its spear forward simultaneously.

Like a forest of iron spikes, countless spearheads lunged toward him.

"Whoa!"

Annie Rui’s pupils shrank instantly.

Startled, he yanked hard on the reins.

Fortunately, the warhorse beneath him was an exceptional breed. With only a loud neigh, it stumbled and twisted its body aside, narrowly avoiding charging headfirst into the undead army.

"What the hell is this?"

"These corpses... they’re way too organized."

A giant question mark seemed to pop into Annie Rui’s mind.

He could hardly believe his eyes.

Every corpse was equipped with decayed plate armor and crude polearms.

Such worn-out equipment was common throughout the Northern Frontier. After all, the land had endured countless brutal wars.

But the corpses were actually carrying blood-stained banners.

That was terrifying.

Scattered corpses were insignificant.

Organized corpses were another matter entirely.

At that point, they were no longer mere mobs. Even overwhelming force would struggle to deal with them.

Like silent ancient beasts, the undead army advanced another synchronized step.

More corrupted soldiers emerged from the mist.

"At least five hundred of them!"

"No, this road is impossible. Even if I exhaust all my mana, I won’t be able to kill them all."

Annie Rui might be impulsive, but he wasn’t stupid.

He immediately turned his horse around and fled.

"Move! Move! Move!"

"We can’t get through this route!"

His face pale, Annie Rui retreated. Though his subordinates were reluctant, none dared disobey. They followed him northward, planning to find another path.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Phield encountered Annie Rui’s convoy.

"Hello there, sir. What brings you to Nightfall Domain?"

Emerging from the gray mist, Phield rode a tall warhorse infused with monstrous bloodline power. The beast radiated overwhelming strength.

Dressed in plate armor and a black cloak, with a cavalry lance in hand, Phield looked like a stage boss from a video game as he slowly approached.

"Holy shit!"

Phield’s appearance startled Annie Rui so badly that he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Only after realizing it was a human, and that there were merely two attendants accompanying him, did Annie Rui curse.

"Who the hell are you?"

Despite having a very feminine name, Annie Rui had a notoriously bad temper.

Hearing that hostile tone, Phield frowned.

"Could you try speaking like a civilized person? I should be the one asking questions here. Bringing an armed force into my territory is practically a declaration of war."

"A declaration of war? You’re Phield?"

"Damn it. You aren’t even affected by the gray mist. I get it now. You’ve already become a demon!"

Only lords and Divine Chosen were immune to the gray mist.

It was worth noting that "lord" referred specifically to those who had awakened a Lord Talent. Simply calling someone a lord wouldn’t grant immunity. Under normal circumstances, one only advanced into a true lord after forming a contract with a Divine Chosen.

In Annie Rui’s eyes, Phield was a complete failure.

How could someone exiled to Nightfall Domain possibly possess a Divine Chosen?

There was only one explanation.

He had become a demon.

"A demon?"

Phield was dumbfounded.

Were the two beautiful women standing beside him invisible or something?

"People everywhere are saying you made a deal with demons, and you’re still denying it."

Speechless, Phield patted his chest.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I established a safe zone in Nightfall Domain and simply travel in and out to transport supplies?"

"I can’t be bothered arguing with you."

"Disgrace of humanity, let me show you a lesson."

Mana erupted from Annie Rui.

Second-tier mana surged outward in overwhelming waves as he drew his cavalry lance and charged.

"Good, good, good."

"So we’re skipping straight to trying to kill people?"

Phield turned toward Ashina and spoke softly.

"Help me if I start losing. Actually, no. I need to personally teach him how to behave."

His own second-tier mana exploded outward.

Phield’s aura surged like a storm.

"I’m going to beat you into a puddle."