Former Interstellar Mercenary In Urban Cultivation World-Chapter 1302: The Empty Fortress

The man sighed. "If I can save a life, I’ll try. I can’t just stand by and watch people walk to their deaths. A life is still a life, after all."

"You’re kind-hearted," Amalia remarked.

The man chuckled. "It’s just a few words, nothing too difficult. But I’ll still give you some advice—if you insist on going to the Titan’s Ridge, don’t go too deep. That place is strange."

"Oh? How so?" Amalia asked with interest.

"According to those who made it back alive, they never even saw what was killing people. No sign of monsters, nothing—but people just kept dying one by one. Sometimes, they’d be standing right next to them, perfectly fine, and then suddenly, they’d drop dead. The one thing they all had in common? They had ventured deep into the Titan’s Ridge."

Hearing this, Amalia and Kenny Lin were almost certain that it wasn’t some mysterious creature killing them—it was the Holy Gate of the Heaven and the Earth.

If their headquarters was truly in the Titan’s Ridge, they wouldn’t want anyone to discover it.

So, they would eliminate anyone who got too close and fabricating a terrifying legend to keep people away.

Over the years, fewer and fewer people had dared to enter the Titan’s Ridge, largely due to this growing myth.

Of course, myths alone weren’t always enough to deter reckless adventurers.

Another reason people stopped going was that the Titan’s Ridge held nothing they were looking for.

"Young lady, I’m not joking. If you’re dead set on going to the Titan’s Ridge, don’t go too deep, and you’ll be fine," the man said seriously, hoping they’d listen.

"Thank you for the warning," Amalia nodded in gratitude.

Seeing that they did not seem to take his warning to heart, the middle-aged man shook his head and proceeded with their boarding registration.

Ten minutes later, the ship launched, carrying its passengers further away from Moonstone Base.

The ship had a total of 30 landing points, each designated by a number.

At every stop, the ship would halt for three minutes.

This was the only transport route, with a ship departing approximately every half hour—but only during the summer season.

In winter, the number of ships was reduced by half.

If someone encountered danger and failed to board in time, the chances of survival were slim.

At every stop, people disembarked one after another.

The farther they traveled, the fewer passengers remained.

By the end, only two people were left on board.

The crew member guarding the cabin cast them several puzzled glances.

"Station 30 has been reached."

Upon receiving the notification, the crew member informed Amalia and Kenny Lin, watching them disembark with a look of pity.

Another two people heading to their deaths—there was little chance of ever seeing them again.

Amalia and Kenny Lin stepped off the ship and surveyed their surroundings.

The landing site was a vast, open plain.

This plain had once been a massive mountain, later flattened in the middle to serve as a landing zone for ships.

In the distance, a large landmass rose from the midst of an expansive, untouched forest—that was the Titan’s Ridge.

Due to the legends surrounding the Titan’s Ridge, ships did not land directly there.

Instead, they dropped passengers off at the nearest mountain peak.

Once the ship had disappeared from sight, the two of them took to the air, riding the wind toward the Titan’s Ridge like a pair of rockets.

In no time, they had crossed into its territory.

Unlike others who wandered blindly through the forest, they searched for the Holy Gate of the Heaven and the Earth’s headquarters from above.

Along the way, they encountered aerial creatures attacking them—one of the reasons why ships dared not enter the Titan’s Ridge.

These creatures varied in size and form.

Some were massive, capable of dealing fatal blows upon impact.

Others were small but troublesome; if they managed to infiltrate a ship’s engines, they could cause malfunctions.

In large enough numbers, they could shut down an engine entirely, leading to an inevitable crash.

After multiple incidents, no ship dared to fly over the Titan’s Ridge anymore.

The Titan’s Ridge stretched far and wide.

From above, all they could see was an endless expanse of dense forests, winding mountain ranges, and rolling hills.

The terrain extended endlessly, encircling the entire region.

The Holy Gate of the Heaven and the Earth’s headquarters was hidden somewhere within.

Even satellites would struggle to detect it—not that it mattered, since this planet had no satellites.

Due to the planet’s unique energy field, any attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite into orbit had failed.

For this same reason, despite knowing that Planet Tetra-5892 was rich in resources, the Crimson Moon Dynasty had never attempted a full-scale military sweep.

Without sufficient intel, they did not dared to act rashly—doing so could provoke the native creatures into launching a large-scale attack.

But these limitations meant nothing to Amalia and Kenny Lin.

Extending their spiritual senses, they quickly pinpointed the cult’s headquarters.

In no time, they descended upon the outskirts of the Holy Gate of the Heaven and the Earth’s base.

What they sensed within was cloaked in an eerie black aura—lifeless and stagnant, showing almost no signs of activity.

Casually dispelling the illusionary formations surrounding the cult’s outer defenses, the two of them entered the headquarters’ plaza.

The vast square, spanning over two thousand square meters, was utterly deserted.

A dark gray castle loomed in the midst of the silence, shrouded in deathly stillness.

"Did we arrive too late?" Amalia frowned.

Within the range of her spiritual sense, she could barely detect a single person.

The entire castle was empty.

According to the memories she had obtained, the Holy Gate of the Heaven and the Earth’s headquarters had always been occupied.

They never abandoned the entire base at once.

This could only mean that after their operation on Planet Omicron had failed, they had become wary and evacuated overnight.

Amalia had been careful, deliberately avoiding killing or capturing too many cultists, precisely to prevent them from sensing anything amiss.