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No one has ever been clear about how vast the territory of the Southern Barbarians has been since ancient times. Some say there are a million great mountains, others say it is the end of the continent, with a land ten times larger than the Central Plains lying beyond.

This claim has never been confirmed but has always existed because that’s how it has been throughout the history of the Southern Barbarians.

Every year, there are people who can’t survive and are willing to take a chance to cross mountains and ridges in search of new hope.

Although many, many will die, historically, there have indeed been many fortunate people who found new land and then established a new Barbarian state!

At this moment, Ma Yunzhang and his group were among the refugees fleeing across the great mountains.

The scale of this group was not small, nearly reaching a thousand people, including the old, the weak, women, and children, with more than half being able-bodied men.

However, almost everyone was emaciated, suffering from extreme hunger, nearly to the point of being skin and bones, with numb eyes, resembling walking corpses.

"Yunzhang, brother... It’s been ten days... are we still going?"

A subordinate asked while looking towards the endless mountains ahead, lips nearly cracked from dryness.

"If we don’t go, what else can we do? Die in these desolate mountains? Or go back and wait for death?" Ma Yunzhang turned around, his eyes bloodshot, and asked.

Upon hearing this, the few people around him were choked up and said nothing...

Go back? If their former homes were barely livable, who would want to leave their homeland?

Wutuo Country... it’s no longer a place for humans!

The ruling monarch of this generation was cursed with madness, insisting on colluding with the Imperial Court, ushering in an evil sorcerer, and placing Ghost General Temples everywhere.

The people of Wutuo Country originally worshiped the Earth Spirit and the Cave Spirit Serpent Goddess and had been living the best life among the Southern Barbarian States for fifty years, without worry for food or need for human sacrifices.

But these past two years have been different.

One after another, Ghost General Temples were erected, sinister and full of ghostly aura.

Initially, these actions were secret as people began to disappear—children, women, elderly, all vanished.

Later, it came to the point where the Ghost Temples directly demanded each family surrender a child for sacrifice!

The method of human sacrifice was incredibly cruel; children had their limbs severed, their faces skinned while still alive, and were then preserved in jars of alcohol for the so-called Ghost Generals in the temples to enjoy.

Of course, the citizens did not agree. The Southern Barbarians have always had fierce folk customs and worshiped lesser gods, so a rebellion was inevitable. However, by the time they realized and thought to resist, it was too late...

The Evil Ghosts in the Ghost Temples could devour all the various gods worshiped by the people, and they would drag an entire family of resisters in front of the Ghost Temple, flay and strip their tendons in public.

It’s said that these people of the Ghost Temples could even consume souls, so that the dead found no release, becoming eternal Evil Ghosts!

The life of the Southern Barbarians was harsh.

There wasn’t much arable land, food was scarce, the mountains were rife with miasma and poisonous creatures where a slight inattention could result in death.

They worshipped minor and strange deities, seeking a path to survival, and even then, they had already been exploited miserably.

The Imperial Court levied taxes, and even the lesser gods they worshipped had to be offered blood and vitality from time to time. The more demanding ones required the sacrifice of the bodies of men and women in exchange for barely enough blessings of food and medicinal herbs to survive.

Conditions in Wutu Country were somewhat better, worshiping the Earth Spirit in caves. The offering of blood and vitality was not as frequent; a monthly pilgrimage to the Earth Spirit Cave yielded enough food to sustain a family.

Although the Snake Women of the Earth Spirit Cave were foul and disgusting, the able-bodied men just had to close their eyes and grit their teeth, and then it would be over...

Despite the hardships, life was still better than in neighboring places like Wudang Country or Shuize Country...

They once thought their lives were tough and far from the happiness of the people in the Central Plains, but now it seems that people must be content. Many times, what breaks the current way of life is not a better one but possibly something worse.

More and more Ghost Temples were being built, and human sacrifices were carried out every year.

The city dwellers were almost bound and couldn’t escape, but those from the villages still had a chance.

After sacrificing a batch of children and especially some family members who went to the city to trade and witnessed the fate of their own children, many were so distraught they couldn’t move on the spot.

With the city’s insatiable appetite growing, many villagers began to imitate their forebears, planning to venture deeper into the mountains like the founders of Wutuo Country once did, in search of new land suitable for survival.

"But... we haven’t eaten for three days. Adults can bear it... but the women and children can’t..."

The leader, named Ma Yunzhang, numbly looked around and sat down with a wry smile on the ground: "There’s no other way. It’s better for the children and women to starve to death here than to go back and be soaked in jars, feeding those beasts."

Everyone fell silent, then turned their gazes ahead following Ma Yunzhang’s lead.

The deeper one went into the Southern Barbarians, the heavier the miasma became, to the point where you couldn’t see ten meters ahead. You’d never know what awaited you if you kept moving inward—it could be hope or a centipede or toad larger than a man, ready to swallow you whole...

The Southern Barbarians never lacked brave warriors willing to explore the great mountains and find new territory to establish kingdoms, but these legends were built on countless white bones.

If finding new lands were so easy, the Southern Barbarians wouldn’t have just a mere hundred nations after so many years.

"Boss... look!!"

Suddenly, something incredible happened!

The thick fog ahead dispersed to reveal a lush forest, with towering trees and red fruits everywhere, emitting an enticing aroma.

And on the mountain, huge water wheels, as if crafted from art, channeled clear, sweet spring water throughout the mountain range.

Some were so astonished by the sight that they had never seen such a beautiful mountain!

"This... this this..."

"Water? Water!!"

Many of the men, crazed with thirst, had their eyes light up and desperately wanted to rush forward, but Ma Yunzhang and a few of the strongest men forcibly held them back!

"Don’t move rashly, it might be a miasma-induced illusion!"

Ma Yunzhang had rich experience in this regard.

Nan Mountain’s miasmic vapors had various effects.

Some could blind a person, some could cause one’s skin to ulcerate, and some, with their colorful mists, could trap a person in an illusion, making them unaware as they tumbled into an abyss, shattering their body to pieces!

The place before them appeared to be a paradisiacal haven, but who knew if rushing over there would lead to a marsh filled with venomous snakes? Or perhaps it was just a sheer cliff?

Moreover, the sight itself was illogical. They were clearly in a desolate mountain full of thorns, so how could it suddenly turn into a manicured estate right in front of them?

This giant water wheel, these fields that appeared everywhere, although covered with snow, he could tell from the black soil exposed that it was extremely fertile land. He feared that only in the good regions of Central Plains and Shandong would one find such rich soil.

How could the Southern Barbarians possess such a place?

But not many were as rational as he was. Most people, already suffering from extreme hunger and thirst, were not listening to anyone, desperately dashing inside. With just a few men like Ma Changyun, who could stop them?

A throng of people quickly forced their way past Ma Yunzhang and his companions, rushing into the picturesque mountains!

In an instant, Ma Yunzhang subconsciously closed his eyes.

He couldn’t even bear to look at the fates of those dear to him, whether swallowed by a swarm of venomous snakes, leaving no bones behind, or tumbling off cliffs to be smashed into a bloody pulp, especially since there were so many women and children among them.

But maybe this was for the better... at least it was better than the days before. At the end, as long as death came swiftly, it was... in a way, a release.

Comforting himself like this, Ma Yunzhang even felt his mood start to calm.

But the next moment, someone was helping him up.

"Boss, something’s not right. Look!"

Of course it’s not right... Ma Yunzhang bitterly smiled. Wasn’t this obviously fake?

But upon opening his eyes, he was stunned. He saw the group that had rushed in was neither devoured by any monster nor had they fallen off cliffs. Instead, they had dashed into the painted-like mountain and started reveling.

"This water is so sweet, come quick, children, wives, hurry over!"

"These fruits are huge, quick, bring the children over, hurry!"

One after another, men who had drunk the spring water and come to their senses called back for their families, as if they couldn’t get there fast enough, for fear the bounty would be taken by others.

"What’s going on here?" Ma Yunzhang was completely taken aback. Could this be real?

He cautiously got to his feet, stumbling as he squeezed through the crowd, and the moment he entered, he felt a difference.

This place... it wasn’t as cold as the barren mountains; it was cold but refreshingly so. A breath of sweet, fresh air made him feel as if he were floating.

Where was this?

"Hey, who are you people?"

Suddenly, a deep voice of reprimand reached them. The crowd hurriedly looked up, seeing two robust soldiers in armor, and a young girl in front dressed in a Scholar’s white robe.

The girl was lovely, and in the eyes of these rough-skinned Southern Barbarians, she seemed as delicate as a fairy. Moreover, she wore the clothing of a Scholar from the Central Plains, which made her seem exceptionally out of the ordinary.

Having arrived in unfamiliar territory, the group of them didn’t dare to make a move. Seeing this, Ma Yunzhang also quickly warned everyone to stay calm.

He was trained in martial arts. He could sense that those two soldiers were no ordinary men; in the dead of winter, the snowflakes vaporized before they came within three feet of them. This kind of ability, he had only seen among the generals of Wutuo Country who rode atop elephants!

"Esteemed sirs, we are refugees from Wutuo Country. May I inquire, which kingdom is this? Who is the ruler of this land?"

In his mind, this must be a treasured nation within the deep mountains of the Southern Barbarian lands, yet to be declared officially to the outside world.

Such occurrences were not unheard of. Many new lands that were developed wished to avoid being harried by fellow countrymen, choosing not to make contact if they could avoid it, staying hidden.

It is said that Wutuo Country itself stayed hidden for a century before publicly declaring its nationhood once it had a hundred thousand strong soldiers, proactively engaging in trade and coming into the public eye.

With such bountiful land, this place must be a new nation that was still hidden and not long developed.

Truly, they were blessed by the Spirit Serpent Goddess to have chosen the correct direction.

"Wutuo Country?" The soldier who had scorned before chuckled: "Lying without a credible story? Even now, not even rich households from the Central Plains with armed escorts could make it to Jiangnan successfully, and you’re saying you’ve come from the Southern Barbarian lands?"

"Jiangnan?"

Ma Yunzhang was bewildered. That was supposed to be a place in the Central Plains, right? He was clearly in the great mountains of the Southern Barbarians, and the path he took was deep within the Southern lands. How could it possibly... lead to Jiangnan?