In one of the countless settlements, Jiang Tao hid inside his hut while preparing to escape.
Flames flickered in the darkness as torches toppled over and huts caught on fire.
Throughout the small settlement, cries for help and screams of agony mixed in with the sounds of fighting and flesh being ripped apart.
Arms were torn off and devoured like seasoned chicken legs, and faces were hollowed out with a single bite.
The settlement received news less than half an hour ago that the nearest settlement had been corrupted by the black fog.
The residents naturally panicked, and some even immediately fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
However, those who quickly fled had ended up dying faster.
They barely escaped only to encounter the corrupted humans outside the settlement.
The corrupted humans were inside out, with flesh on the outside but as if painted with black ink.
Occasionally thick black blood dripped from their body.
Their limbs elongated, and jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Ten thousand years ago, the Lower Realm was on the brink of complete destruction due to a great being from the Upper Realm.
It is said that the great being tried to devour the Lower Realm itself but was struck down by the heavens.
The Lower Realm and Upper Realm are two worlds separated by empty space, and it is said the Upper Realm houses all the true immortals and gods.
The tales of old spoke of the Upper Realm, a world of paradise where even common grass can turn someone from the Lower Realm into a true immortal.
Whether it was true or not was up to speculation.
One of the greatest casualties from that event was the path to the Upper Realm being cut off.
In the Lower Realm, cultivators could no longer ascend after reaching a certain cultivation realm.
Thus, they are forever stuck in the Lower Realm with no way forward, though there are not many cultivators around to begin with.
How can anyone cultivate when resources are extremely scarce, and heritages perished during the bygone era?
All the powerful sects were wiped out by the great being, leaving only scattered cultivators remaining.
It would be a miracle to even encounter a cultivator these days, and even thinking about cultivation was a pipe dream.
Without even knowing the first step, how can anyone step onto that path?
The great being's attempt to swallow the Lower Realm was halted by a colossal golden palm of unimaginable size and slapped the great being into oblivion.
Everyone from both worlds had seen it, and it was recorded down in history for generations.
Though many from the Lower Realm had doubts, why didn't anyone from the Upper Realm stop that great being?
There are many questions left unanswered, but the aftermath ultimately left the Lower Realm in ruins.
The humans barely survived being wiped out during that era, and after thousands of years, it was not much better.
The aftermath caused a black fog to envelop most of the Lower Realm, with some areas being less affected.
Settlements formed in these safer areas, yet dangers did not lessen at all.
The fog only corrupted humans, and no one knew why animals were spared, but the humans turned into ferocious monsters that only wanted to devour everything.
Being corrupted gave them the strength of ten grown men at the minimum.
The fog could not be avoided or blocked, and occasionally it would travel from forbidden areas to supposedly safe areas.
If one sees the fog, they can only abandon everything and run.
At present, Jiang Tao frowned as he snuck a peek through his window.
The endless slaughter and human feast made him remember the night from two years ago.
This would be the third settlement he had lived in, as the past two had ended up in similar situations.
In the current era, people grouped and formed settlements to survive.
There were no cities or dynasties, as they would be pointless and even more dangerous given the chaotic times.
There was an unspoken rule that a settlement could not be too big, but some naturally ignored this rule.
Generally, the population of a settlement should be a few hundred people at most.
If thousands of people gathered and all turned into corrupt humans, they could easily take out the surrounding settlements.
The corrupt humans could not infect others, only devour them.
If the corrupt humans could be dealt with eventually, the other settlements would be safe.
But how many lives would be lost by then?
After the fog corrupted a certain number of people, it would disappear, but no one wanted to gamble on how many would be corrupted.
Back to the present, with his bag full of his essentials, he bided his time to escape.
Currently the corrupted were attacking a group of guards next to the settlement walls, around a hundred corrupted against fifty men.
It wouldn't take long before the guards were wiped out, maybe a few more minutes.
More corrupted humans were drawn to the guards after they had finished their meals.
Jiang Tao was much better off, as his hut was practically secluded away from the others on the other side of the settlement.
In the past, he was able to escape with ample time, but this time was a bit tricky.
It was the middle of the night, and most people had already gone to sleep besides the guards.
If not for a hunter who liked to roam at night for certain game, the settlement wouldn't have received the news at all.
The hunter had gone to a nearby settlement only to see a black fog envelop the entire place.
He ran back as fast as he could but knew in his heart that their smaller settlement wouldn't survive this crisis.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, numerous loud explosions were heard.
"They must have set off the last line of defence." mumbled Jiang Tao.
If all hope is lost, at least bring down the enemy with you.
Strapped to each guard was enough explosives to blow apart thick stone walls.
Knowing this was the cue to leave, Jiang Tao quickly left through the back door of his hut.
A few meters away from his hut were the thick wooden walls of the settlement, and next to the wall, there was an escape hole covered in a pile of leaves he had kept hidden for emergencies.
Quickly parting away the leaves, he crawled into the hole and ended up on the other side of the wall.
With his body hunched low and a burlap bag strapped around his body, his feet moved quicker than they ever have.
Only by escaping further into the forest and heading to the nearest settlement would he have any hope of surviving.
His body became a black blur as he swiftly ran deeper into the forest.
The sound of leaves and twigs brushing against his body was peaceful compared to the sounds of people wailing in horrifying agony.
Knowing the general direction to the next settlement, he ran at an even pace after a certain distance passed.
It was hard to clearly see at night despite the full moon, so he could only run in the general direction.
Being a well-fed youth who chopped wood all day, Jiang Tao didn't lack strength or stamina compared to a lot of people.
However, against the corrupted, he would be torn to shreds regardless.
After running for what felt like hours, his legs felt heavy as if full of lead, but at least he could see the settlement just up ahead.
Torches lined the stone walls of this large settlement, with patrolling guards posted on top.
In fact, a lot of the residents from his small settlement migrated from here due to overcrowding.
Men with simply crafted crossbows guarded on top of the wall, taking their jobs seriously considering their stern expressions and vigilant behaviour.
A few men heard the intense rustling of branches and quickly took aim.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" Jiang Tao shouted with some fear.
He knew at this time at night, they wouldn't hesitate to shoot immediately.
Anything lurking outside the walls at night was an enemy 99% of the time.
Knowing a human spoke didn't ease these guards at all, but at least they didn't immediately shoot.
"State your business! What are you doing out here at night?!" A guard with a fierce expression demanded.
"My name is Jiang Tao, and I worked for Mr. Li at the northeast settlement by the river! A settlement near us got corrupted, and we got invaded!" He quickly replied despite panting from exhaustion.
"A corrupted settlement? How long ago?" All the guards suddenly tensed.
This wasn't pleasant news at all.
They could manage a couple dozen at most, but even the smallest settlement consisted of a hundred people.
"It must have been an hour by now. I escaped during the last line of defence."
The guards quickly judged the distance and time, determining the corrupted humans would arrive in an hour at the latest.
They would take a bit of time to completely devour all the residents, leaving no bone remaining.
A couple of guards ran off only to return with a human the size of a bear.
Listening to the information provided by the guards and after briefly questioning Jiang Tao, his expression became ugly.
This person was supposedly the settlement leader.
He decided to trust Jiang Tao based on the information he provided and the name Mr. Li.
A large pole struck a giant metal bell hanging on the wall.
A loud chime echoed across the settlement and immediately woke up the residents, who scrambled around in panic.
A good rule to follow was, if one ever hears the emergency bell, grab your things and prepare to run for your life.
Unlike the settlement he came from, this one had thick stone walls that were reinforced with metal bars, while his settlement only had wooden huts and basic wooden walls.
They were strong enough to fend off random bandits, but their defence meant nothing to the corrupted.
However, even these reinforced stone walls were only good enough to fend off a dozen corrupted at most, not an entire horde of them.
The guards on the wall scrambled to prepare for battle while arranging for the residents to flee.
They could not win against this horde, so they must all scatter like rats.
"Quickly pack your belongings and follow the escape plan!"
The residents grit their teeth as sorrow and anger fill them.
They all prayed that one day, they wouldn't have to live like scared rats.
It would be a miracle if one could stay in a settlement for more than five years.
After running, they would either join existing settlements or form their own.
Children sobbed silently as their parents hurried to pack the bare minimum.
Water and dry rations were crucial.
Not only did they need it for survival, but it was also important for bartering goods.
Why pack clothes when you can trade someone some dried meat for them?
The residents, amounting to a few hundred, packed their essentials and were ready within twenty minutes.
Following the escape plan, groups of twenty people formed with a group leader at the front.
The plan was simple: each group picks a direction of a known settlement and runs.
It was a massive gamble, as dying on the journey was quite common.
Perhaps they would simply emulate Jiang Tao, running to a different settlement only for that settlement to scatter.
The guards who stayed behind would take out as many corrupted humans as possible to dwindle the numbers.
They had offered him to join them, but he refused after some thought.
Sometimes it was easier to survive alone than in groups.
No longer bothering with Jiang Tao, they made their own preparations.
Jiang Tao, seeing everyone preparing to flee, no longer hoped they could stand a chance against the horde.
Having a chance to breathe, he pulled out a tattered map made of rabbit hide and stared at a path leading to the west.
In the deep forest towards the west, there was a bigger settlement he knew of.
One where the walls were made of iron and bronze and the population neared five hundred.
A strong settlement but also one that could easily fall as well.
Knowing time was limited and this was his best option for now, he became a scattered rat like the rest.
Despite his fatigue, he could only run as fast as he could.
If he encounters a corrupted human on the way, he will have to struggle for his life and fight against death.