Elsewhere in the dark forest, a group of people were moving forward in spite of the darkness.
They were surrounded by the cries of beasts.
Nearly a dozen lords were leading their own militia and troops toward Su Hao's Holy Light Castle.
Inside that pitch-black environment where not even their own fingers could be seen, they all trembled with fear and struggled to take each step!
After a short while, four or five lords and their militia had been attacked by the wild beasts, but did not dampen their resolve to give up on their target.
They knew that they had no way out, and the only option they had was to move forward.
It was only by moving forward that they might still have a chance of survival. If they retreated, death would almost certainly come knocking on their door.
At that moment, about one-third of the lords and militia were already heavily injured!
They supported each other while walking toward the castle.
Since everything was dark, they could only rely on their troops' sense of smell to locate the direction.
Everyone was already exhausted. They panted heavily while discussing their situation.
"Su Hao's castle is so far away, and I'm glad I came earlier! Any later and I'd probably turn to ruins along with my shabby castle when the invasion of darkness arrives."
"Do you think Su Hao will take us in? I'm just scared this whole trip will be in vain!"
"Yeah. I followed everyone here out of impulse. I actually tried adding Bg Shot Su Hao as a friend since the very beginning, but he never accepted my request. That's part of the reason why I feel he might not be willing to take us in."
"I don't care! I'm willing to be his slave! I'm sure he'll take us in on that condition!"
"Besides, the world outside the castle is treacherous. If we didn't travel together, I think I would've died a few hundred meters away from the castle already."
"But if we keep going, we'll probably turn into a pile of bones. There are too many unknowns ahead, and more than a third of us are injured already. If this continues, we might—"
All of a sudden, one of the lords in the crowd pointed to a place not far away and shouted, "Everyone! Look! We're almost there!"
The rest of them looked in the direction that the lord was pointing at!
What they saw was a ray of light in the darkness that illuminated a path for them!
They then looked up and marveled at a towering skyscraper that shimmered as it touched the sky .
The castle and the sub-castles were all shimmering with a strange light in the dark.
Magnificent, bright, and imposing, were the only words that appeared in their mind when they saw the castle.
At the same time, there were no longer any howling beasts around them.
It was as if all the wild beasts within a five-mile radius of the castle had disappeared the moment they stepped into this area.
Aside from that, the pitch-black darkness was no longer pitch-black as light was shining everywhere.
They could see the trees, rivers, and rocks in the surroundings clearly.
The scene was nothing short of unbelievable!
At this moment, all the lords need not rely on their troops' sense of smell to move forward. Instead, they were moving forward in the direction of the light.
Meanwhile, the lord who had just been trembling from the howling monsters took a breath, puffed his chest out, and continued to walk forward.
Everyone was shocked by the safe and bright atmosphere!
"Goodness! This is the first time I've seen a glowing castle!"
"It's so beautiful! What we're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg, but I'm already captivated by its decor and aura!"
"Didn't you notice? From the moment we stepped into this area, there were no longer any roaring wild beasts! This is unbelievable!"
"Is this the function of a city-state? Why is it glowing!"
"I'm afraid that only Big Shot Su Hao would know about this. We're all good-for-nothings who haven't even upgraded our castle to levels two or three..."
At that moment, roars could be heard from all around them!
Those roars were accompanied by the sound of footsteps from wild beasts!
In a flash, all of the lords took a huge step back in fear and huddled together at once!
"Where did that roar come from!"
"I thought it's supposed to be safe now? Why did we hear such terrifying roars?"
"Who is it? Show yourself!"
"Shh! Keep quiet!"
All of a sudden, a man's bold laughter came from nearby.
"Be not afraid, everyone. We're all on the same side. These aren't wild beasts. They're my troops!"
Gu Fei, who was wearing a red robe and riding on the back of a Golden Battle Lion, slowly made his way out from the bushes.
He had discovered the group of lords making their way toward Su Hao just moments ago, so he wanted to find out whether they came to pledge allegiance to Su Hao or to attack.
If it was the former, he might be able to feign weakness and hide in the crowd. That would allow him to enter the castle together and analyze the inside before attacking.
If it was the latter, and they were all on the same side, it would be much better to have strength in numbers.
With that thought, he walked out of the darkness in high spirits.
The lords heaved a sigh of relief almost immediately when they realized that it was a rather good-looking lord instead of a wild beast.
The crowd began expressing their opinions.
"You nearly scared me to death. I thought it was some wild beast!"
"Which region are you from, though? Why are you here?"
"Yeah. Are you like us too? Did you come here to seek refuge with Su Hao?"
Gu Fei's eyes narrowed and a cold glint flashed by. It was the former...
His discordant expression disappeared in a flash. In place of it was a smile, and he then said in a friendly tone, "Yeah. I saw from the World Announcement that Su Hao's castle has been upgraded to a city-state. I'd like to rely on him too."
With his reply, the lords suggested, "Since we're all on the same side, why don't we go together?"
…
Back at the Holy Light Castle, Su Hao stood in front of the castle with his hands behind his back. His expression remained hidden from view.
At that moment, the leader of his militia provided him with a report!
"My Lord, a group of about fifty people from the local forces has appeared within a ten-mile radius. Would you like to accept them?"
Su Hao narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly when the militiaman posed that question.
'Will you be among the fifty or so people, Gu Fei?'
With that question in mind, a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes as he said to the head of the militia, "Yes."
"Understood!"
He had crossed paths with Gu Fei in his previous life.
Gu Fei was the only person in the entire Endless Continent who had gone against the trend, and the man's strength was comparable to the previous life's Su Hao.
There was one time Gu Fei even seized Su Hao's territory and claimed the title of king.
However, Su Hao had the Sacred Night Bugs after being reborn.
Gu Fei would not be given a chance to succeed!