Chapter 62 Entering the Highlands

  The next morning, Guo Fei had his servants lead out two horses and took Hu Xiaoyue away. The servant also handed over a waist card to Guo Fei, telling him that entering and leaving Weicheng were strictly checked, only those with official positions and titles in Heishi County could enter and exit, and a waist card was required for entry and exit.

  Guo Fei wore a waist card and rode out of Wei City with Hu Xiaoyue.

  Hu Xiaoyue recognized it and rode her horse towards the high ground of Hei Yan.

  From the city wall and the main city, a big road passes through, and you can see the Black Rock Heights. In the morning twilight, the pale golden sunlight rises from the east and shines obliquely on the distant mountains.

  Looking far away, the ground seemed to suddenly rise up like a hundred or two hundred meters above the horizon. After asking Hu Xiaoyue, Guo Fei only then knew that it was Heiyan Highland.

  The only way to get down from the Blackrock Highlands is a three-kilometer-long slope that leads to the plain below, and the rest of the area is steep cliffs that are difficult to traverse, and only apes can climb. This passage is now blocked by Heishi County, which has built a stronghold and stationed two archer battalions to guard against beasts and monsters rushing out from the Blackrock Highlands.

  As the two passed through the mountain stronghold, the gatekeeper didn't ask many questions. Guo Fei discovered that many people entered the Black Rock Plateau with swords and bows, apparently many residents here made a living by hunting beasts, and going up the mountain early and returning late was their daily habit. The barracks didn't care about this.

  A warning sign on the mountain stronghold's gate reads: "Except for powerful demon hunters, ordinary hunters are warned not to camp overnight in the Black Rock Highlands. At nightfall, this place belongs to wild beasts and demons. Those with low cultivation should not venture deep into the Black Rock Highlands within a hundred miles during the day, lest they become prey. The stronghold's gate will be closed before sunset and will not be opened unless there are special circumstances."

  Along the mountain slope, after advancing about ten kilometers, we climbed onto a highland. Looking ahead, there were hills scattered all over the place, with varying heights and rugged terrain, with countless gullies. Large and small black rocks crisscrossed on these hills, and in the middle of the rocks, dense forests and shrub clusters were scattered all over, stretching towards the distance, with no end in sight.

  "It's indeed a treacherous land, with mountains and hills alternating, dense forests and rivers intersecting, and black rocks scattered all over. Such terrain could have been developed into a beautiful scenic area in the past." Guo Fei stood on a large rock, gazing out and couldn't help but praise in his heart.

  Hu Xiaoyue took Guo Fei and galloped through the mountains, traveling about a hundred miles before gradually disappearing from sight. The two entered a dense forest, dismounted their horses, and Guo Fei summoned seven corpse soldiers with a wave of his hand.

  The previously obtained knights and archers had all turned into undead soldiers. However, this knight did not become as powerful as Guo Fei had imagined, his cultivation had only increased a little. Either the resentment he had before his death had disappeared, or his weak heart had made him weak, Guo Fei speculated for a long time but couldn't find a satisfactory answer.

  "Alright, big guy, I'm putting these six people under your charge. I'm appointing you as the squad leader to manage them. For this period of time, listen to her arrangements. You're entering Blackrock Highlands mainly to hone your marksmanship skills in combat and improve your cultivation." Guo Fei said calmly to Big Guy, pointing at Hu Xiaoyue.

  "Yes, master!" The big man responded in a low voice. His eyes flashed with a faint red light, as if there was a hint of excitement. The other six corpse soldiers were the same, they were all excited, they had intelligence, and their instincts drove them to have a strong desire for power and to improve their cultivation.

  Kuo Fei's mind stirred, a faint warning swiftly arose in their hearts, the warning swept through their minds, and the dead energy within them involuntarily wanted to escape from their bodies, taking with it the consciousness and intelligence they had produced, which seemed about to vanish instantly.

  "Remember, although I'm not here, everything follows orders. Otherwise, I won't just give you a simple punishment, I can take away the life consciousness I gave you at any time." Guo Fei's face sank as he said this.

  "Yes!" The seven people were suddenly shocked, knelt down, and shouted in unison. At this moment, they knew that Guo Fei was a "god" who could take their lives at any time. Who would be willing to lose their life, even if they were just vengeful spirits?

  "Let's go!" Guo Fei nodded at Hu Xiaoyue.

  Hu Xiaoyue's eyes were slightly red, and she looked at Guo Fei with tears in her eyes. She wiped her face and turned to gallop towards the Black Rock Highlands. Behind her, seven corpse soldiers wrapped in bronze armor, carrying long guns, transformed into a series of residual shadows, following Hu Xiaoyue in an orderly manner according to their cultivation level.

  As he watched them leave, Guo Fei felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness. Gazing out at the sky, a hawk the size of a millstone circled overhead, seemingly searching for its prey. From afar, he heard the distant howls of beasts in the hills, causing Guo Fei to feel a faint sense of worry.

  Kuo Fei rode his horse back slowly, and on the way, he found a restaurant to eat something. The people eating were all discussing the annual selection of scholars competition. Three days ago, the list of participants was announced, and it would be held in the main city's square, where the first arena was located.

  The reason why Blackstone County is making a big fuss is to attract more hunters to settle in Blackstone County. Although the development here has been very rapid, it is limited to the city, and the surrounding areas are sparsely populated due to the frequent appearance of wild beasts that make people defenseless. Only by having more hunters and wealthy tycoons come to live here can this region be consolidated.

  Guo Fei took a look at his own list. It was written like this: Guo Fei, Hei Bi Bu Jun Wei.

  "Hehe, when did you get promoted to Duwei!" Guo Fei secretly smiled, this is an officer with a military rank, of course, the lord has the right to appoint officers. It must be Zhao Xue's doing. Because all the officers who were recommended above are above the rank of Duwei.

  "Oh. The little lover has left!" At dusk, Guo Fei finally returned to his residence and saw Zhao Xue standing in the courtyard, her eyes filled with anger as she saw him come back.

  "Oh, County Master has some free time, haha!" Guo Fei smiled and handed the two horses over to his servant to take away.

  "Don't be so lazy, I have great expectations for you and paved the way for you, don't take it lightly." Zhao Xue said with a hint of resentment.

  "Oh. What's considered being concerned?" Guo Fei said indifferently.

  Zhao Xue looked at Guo Fei with a hint of anger, then suddenly softened and said: "Let me analyze it carefully. In the arena competition, relying on your swordsmanship, you should be able to get selected; The second match is horse riding skills, this is your weakness, and also the key point, in this match, what's important is to choose a good mount, and then practice with the mount until you reach a proficient level."

  "Isn't this fine horse of mine good enough?" Guo Fei hesitated and asked.

  "Guo family's young master, it seems your vision is not ordinary. The Blood Stallion is a mount used by the military on a large scale, although it is also considered a common mount for mainland warriors, but truly formidable knights have mounts that are riding beasts. In this kind of competition, those rich and wealthy young masters who signed up would definitely spend money to buy riding beasts. As far as I know, there are at least 100 riding beasts now." Zhao Xue said with disdain.

  "Riding a beast, I've never seen that before!" Guo Fei showed a hint of surprise. He had seen the Ling tribe's aerial leopard mounts in the sky, but he had never seen anyone ride a beast on land before.

  "Haven't you seen it when defending your country? You definitely wouldn't see it in the Black Wall, that's where regular troops are stationed, they can't afford such expensive mounts. Only truly formidable mounted warriors can tame them, and they often have an intimate bond with their mounts, increasing their combat strength on the battlefield. However, such mounts come at a high price and are difficult to domesticate, sometimes they go berserk and turn against their masters."

  Riding beasts are also divided into grades, divided into ordinary beast classes and demon beasts. Don't think about the demon beasts, with your current cultivation, you might be eaten by them if you're not careful. But cultivating your own riding beast to grow into a demon beast is a good method, many masters have very deep feelings for their riding beasts. You consider it yourself, choose what kind of riding beast."

  Thank you for your great support! Seriously asking for recommendation and collection!