At dusk, the west gate of the gymnasium.
The members of the squad stood or sat, guarding the steps before the main entrance.
No one had spoken for quite some time. Everyone waited silently, watching the sky gradually darken.
"Don't be nervous." Leaning against the wall, Zhang Feng had naturally sensed the squad's solemn atmosphere.
He spoke to comfort them. "There are many people standing guard around us, and a large number of divine statues are stationed inside the gymnasium.
"If any Demon Race appears, just follow my orders."
Lu Ran and the others were indeed Believers, but as Newbies, how could they possibly stand alone?
Just as Zhang Feng had said, there were many Believers posted around them.
Unless they suffered terrible misfortune and encountered a demon face-to-face, it would not be their turn to fight.
The true purpose of this night watch mission was to initiate novice Believers and change their mindsets.
It was not truly meant to send these students out to risk their lives.
Zhang Feng continued, "Rain Alley City is only a small county town. It does not have many residents, and there is only one divine avatar statue in the Suburbs.
"Over the years, very few powerful demons have descended upon our side."
Lu Ran: "..."
Why did those comforting words sound more and more like he was raising a flag?
"You are the first of this year's class." Zhang Feng changed the subject.
"Yes." Jiang Ruyi nodded lightly and gazed into the distance.
Beyond the west gate lay an open stretch of ground. Farther west were shrubs and iron fences, and beyond the fence was a road lit by streetlamps.
Under the dim yellow light, the drizzling rain was clearly visible, like a curtain of water.
"As long as you safely make it through tonight, your results this time will not be bad." Zhang Feng spoke softly.
Deng Yutang suddenly said, "From what I can see, the student squads that arrived later were all assigned inside the shelters. Only we are stationed outside?"
Zhang Feng nodded. "Naturally, the inside of a building is safer than the outside.
"Only the top ten squads may be stationed outside the various shelter buildings.
"So, as long as you safely make it through tonight, your base scores will be much higher than those of the other squads."
Deng Yutang understood. "Brother Zhang, if low-realm demons attack, let us try our hands at them."
If they wanted good results, base scores alone would not be enough.
Before they had set out, everyone had learned that Zhang Feng was a Sword Lotus Believer at River Realm: Second Stage.
River Realm!
Worthy of the Moon Watchers who protected the city, their Strength Realms were truly high.
Mist, Stream, River, Jiang, Sea.
For Believers, the River Realm was a watershed, and even more so a mark of the strong person!
Do not be fooled by the fact that Lu Ran had risen two levels in just half a month, reaching Mist Realm: Third Stage.
One had to know that within Great Xia, at least half of all Believers remained forever in the Stream Realm!
These Believers could exhaust their entire lives without crossing that threshold, unable to enter the gates of the River Realm.
The gold content of the words "watershed" was absolutely immense!
When a Believer cultivated to the River Realm, their use of Divine Power would undergo a qualitative leap.
River Realm Believers could condense Divine Power into water currents, then release those currents outward and have them coil and flow around their bodies.
This Water Flow Armor was equivalent to a life-saving talisman, and it was also the capital that allowed one to charge through enemy forces!
If you already possessed a defensive divine technique, that would be even better.
You would have one more layer of armor than others, which in some situations was equivalent to having an extra life!
"A city defense mission is no child's play." Zhang Feng stressed again. "I know you want good results, but the prerequisite for everything is obeying orders.
"Otherwise, I will deduct points from you."
"Got it." Deng Yutang felt helpless and could only nod.
During the previous Evil Dog Village assessment, the accompanying military instructors had assigned the scores. This time, however, it would be Moon Watchers from the Gods Bureau who judged them.
Lu Ran's voice came from beside him. "This time, the school ranking reward is a weapon, Young Master Deng."
Deng Yutang said, "So?"
Lu Ran teased, "The Tianchen Spear you are carrying is worth millions. Can you really care about the reward the school is giving out?"
Deng Yutang looked at Lu Ran, who was sitting on the steps, and shrugged indifferently. "I'll take it and play with it."
Lu Ran nodded in all seriousness. "So we should thank that lousy school for sending us a few scraps?"
"Hehe~" Jiang Ruyi could not help but laugh softly.
"Brother Lu, that is quite wrong!" Deng Yutang laughed as well. "Do you take first place for the reward?"
Lu Ran nodded. "Yes."
Deng Yutang tilted his head, and a huge question mark seemed to pop up above it.
He stalled for quite a while before saying, "No, you and I do it for honor!"
"Right." Lu Ran was easy to persuade, immediately changing his tune. "It is also for honor."
Deng Yutang: ???
Also?
"Stop teasing him." Jiang Ruyi said with a soft smile.
"Oh." Lu Ran extended two fingers, his fingertips slowly brushing over the icy blade.
He would not replace the Xiaguang Saber. Of course, if he got another saber...
Could he try going dual-wield?
"Woo~~~"
All of a sudden, a deep horn sounded without warning, tearing through the long night.
Lu Ran slowly rose to his feet and followed the sound, gazing far north.
But the distance was too great. Even though the streetlights and buildings were brightly lit, he could not see anything.
He only sensed that the night rain was growing heavier.
"Has it begun?" Deng Yutang tightened his grip on the Tianchen Spear.
"Ah!"
"Help! D-demons!"
"Ahhhhhh!" A burst of screams suddenly came from inside the gymnasium behind them.
The sounds were incomparably shrill. The group instinctively turned around and looked into the building.
"Hold your positions!" Zhang Feng shouted in a deep voice. "You are absolutely not allowed to act on your own or leave your posts without permission."
The screams inside the gymnasium continued, but Lu Ran could only use his imagination to sketch out the chaos within.
The formerly silent rainy night had been completely shattered.
"Mmph." Tian Tian's heart leaped into her throat. One small hand tightly gripped Jiang Ruyi's palm.
In her other hand, Divine Power surged, ready at any moment to cast Lotus Shield.
"Roar!"
Another howl came from the north, and this time, its source was very close to them.
Everyone immediately looked over and saw a huge, mist-shrouded figure appear a hundred meters away.
"Mist Shadow Person!" Deng Yutang immediately stepped forward, blocking the others in the squad.
The Demon Race: Mist Shadow, was also known among civilians as the Mist Shadow Person.
"Its realm is very high." Jiang Ruyi frowned slightly, her mind taut with tension.
Demons came in many varieties, each with different traits.
But they shared one general characteristic: generally speaking, the larger a demon was, the higher its Strength Realm.
That Mist Shadow Person in the distance was at least three meters tall, carrying an overwhelming sense of oppression.
It was at least a River Realm Mist Shadow Person!
It was humanoid, its entire body formed from gray mist. Its gray-mist face had no features, fantastical and horrifying.
From the moment it descended, it was like a source of pollution, continuously releasing thick gray fog in all directions.
"Don't move. Keep watch!" Zhang Feng had naturally judged the enemy's strength.
"Here!"
"Kill!" Several angry shouts rang out as a Moon Watcher squad posted in the north had already charged forward.
Seeing that, Tian Tian felt slightly more at ease.
Yet Zhang Feng suddenly raised a hand and pressed it to his ear.
The voice coming through the Invisible Headphones made his expression change!
"Close your eyes!" Zhang Feng blurted out, giving an extremely excessive order.
"Huh?"
"Close our eyes?" The group was utterly astonished.
In such an extremely dangerous environment, keeping one's eyes open required courage, but closing them required courage as well!
"Close your eyes!" Zhang Feng ordered again, raising his head toward the sky directly west.
Above the iron fence, energy was churning.
The next moment, a slender figure suddenly took shape and plunged headfirst into the shrubs.
It was humanoid as well, but its face was withered and haggard, its body shriveled like a corpse.
It possessed an incomparably ugly shell, yet also a pair of crystal clear, dazzling green eyes.
Demon Race: Youtong!
Among civilians, it was also known as the Youtong Ghost.
When you encountered such a creature, never! Never make eye contact with it!
With one careless mistake, you might lose yourself in its gaze, even willingly dig out your own heart and offer it to the demon to taste.
"Rise!" Zhang Feng dropped to one knee, viciously pressing one hand against the ground.
In an instant, a gigantic lotus bloomed amid the shrubs.
The sturdy iron fence was severed alive by the rapidly closing petals. Along with the shrubs and the Youtong, everything was wrapped inside the flower bud.
How could this be? Zhang Feng questioned inwardly.
The Mist Shadow Person in the north and the Youtong Ghost directly ahead were both River Realm demons?!
This was human society, not the depths of a Demon Lair, much less the higher-level Gods and Devils Battlefield.
And this was merely an ordinary full-moon night...
It was not that powerful demons could not invade. After all, anything was possible on the night of the lunar fifteenth.
But the odds were wrong!
The frequency with which River Realm demons were appearing was even more wrong!
Zhang Feng had worked for a full ten years, yet this was the first time he had encountered two powerful River Realm demons appearing one after another in a cluster.
The River Realm...
Was not merely the watershed for human cultivators. It was also the watershed of strength for the Demon Race.
Rain Alley City was only a small county town!
All along, the demons drawn to such a small place had overwhelmingly been below the Stream Realm.
Boom!
The lotus bud trembled violently as the demon within wreaked havoc madly, trying to break through its prison.
"West Gate—Gate 4, requesting support!" Zhang Feng's face stiffened. Divine Power surged in his other hand as he pressed it against the ground again. "You may open your eyes. Keep watch!"
"His!"
The Youtong's screams came from inside the flower bud.
Zhang Feng must have cast another technique. Had the Lotus Sword been unsheathed?
Receiving the command, Lu Ran immediately opened his eyes and looked over, only to see a huge, pure white lotus bud.
Such a flawless and beautiful flower was utterly out of place in this gloomy rainy night.
"Rrr~"
Just as Lu Ran was feeling that immense contrast, another sound came from his left hand side.
His heart jolted, and he snapped his head around.
Energy churned by the wall of the building. Then, a black dog fell from the sky and smashed viciously onto the concrete ground.
"Woof!"
The black dog barked wildly. Deep crimson patterns suddenly lit up across its entirely black body.
Sparks also spilled from its mouth.
Demon Race: Blood Calamity!
It was actually the Evil Race humans least wished to encounter: a Blood Disaster Hound capable of igniting raging flames!
And its body length was around 1.4 meters.
That meant...
This was a Mist Realm: Fourth Stage Blood Disaster Hound?
One Small Rank higher than Lu Ran, and two Small Ranks higher than the other three!
Lu Ran's pupils contracted slightly as he watched the Blood Disaster Hound open its bloody mouth, firelight rising within.
"Jiang Ruyi!" Zhang Feng kept both hands on the ground and decisively gave the order. "Form up and face the enemy. Lu Ran?!"
Hiss!
Before Zhang Feng had finished speaking, Lu Ran had already shot out.
Divine Technique: Immortal Hoof!
What was a Launch Start?
Sheep hooves formed beneath Lu Ran's feet as he charged straight into the rain curtain:
"Baa~"
The tiny, faint bleat sounded like an infant crying, even more chilling than the shrill cries of the Mist Shadow Person and the Youtong Ghost!
The little lamb's mournful cry pierced through layers of rain curtain and drifted into the Blood Disaster Hound's dog ears.
"Grr?" Drawn by Lu Ran, the Blood Disaster Hound instinctively turned its head.
Yes, Lu Ran had not charged straight at the Blood Disaster Hound. He had no desire to be swallowed by flames.
The flames that should have blasted toward the west gate—Gate 4—spilled into the rainy night with the turn of the dog head, shooting toward the distant iron fence.
"Damn!"
Lu Ran's heart pounded wildly as Divine Mist sprayed repeatedly beneath his feet. He could feel flames roiling behind him.
"Help! Help me."
Lu Ran fled frantically, while the Blood Disaster Hound searched for the lamb's location, its blazing fire pillar sweeping wildly across the area.
"Brother Lu!" Deng Yutang was both alarmed and anxious. Gripping his spear, he charged at the Blood Disaster Hound.
Another talisman flew past Deng Yutang's side, launching later but arriving first.
"Crack!!"
Electric light flashed as currents surged in every direction.
The rapidly fired Electric Shackles Talisman landed precisely against the Blood Disaster Hound's neck.
Divine Power surged around Jiang Ruyi, making her raincoat flap loudly.
The noble Law Master had made her move!
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the Blood Disaster Hound. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she swiftly drew the next Electric Shackles Talisman.
"Help me." Lu Ran halted, looking at the Blood Disaster Hound whose whole body had gone numb. "This is your idea of help?"
"Ha!" Deng Yutang kicked off the ground and, Tianchen Spear in hand, closed in on the Blood Disaster Hound.
That aura made it seem as though he was determined to punch a hole straight through the Blood Disaster Hound's body.
"Woof!!"
The Blood Disaster Hound howled furiously. Relying on the energy within its body and its powerful flesh, it trembled as it forced its jaws open.
Worthy of being a Mist Realm, fourth-stage fiend!
It could actually, under Goddess Jiang's hard control, tremblingly force its dog mouth open?!
At the sight, Deng Yutang's heart gave a heavy jolt as he charged forward!
Firelight had already ignited inside the Blood Disaster Hound's mouth.
"Baa~~~"
At that critical moment, the little lamb's mournful cry passed through layers of rain curtain.
It was tragic and desolate, like weeping and pleading.
The Blood Disaster Hound really was a little embarrassing—well, embarrassing for a dog.
As a fiend, the Blood Disaster Hound had actually been bewitched!
Driven by its primal urges, it uncontrollably turned its head. Its eyes brimmed with savage greed as it looked once more toward the weak, wailing creature.
Sometimes, having ears that were too sharp was not a good thing.
Deng Yutang had not heard the Sound of Lamentation. His tiger eyes shone brightly as he leaped forward without hesitation, thrusting his spear straight at the dog head.
"Clang!"
The spear tip brutally pierced through the dog head before plunging heavily into the concrete ground with a crisp ring.
Though it was a Mist Realm, fourth-stage fiend, the Blood Disaster Hound was made of flesh and had no Defense Technique.
"Die!"
Deng Yutang swept his spear horizontally. The million-level divine weapon displayed its proper worth, incomparably sharp as it sliced cleanly through the dog's body.
From beginning to end, his charging steps had never stopped.
That Little Fatty Sheep prowling in the shadows was Deng Yutang's greatest source of confidence!
"Good!" Zhang Feng gave a low shout, though his expression carried some astonishment as well.
In the brief span of three to five seconds, he had guessed almost every step of the team's actions wrong!
Following the others' gazes, Zhang Feng turned his head and saw Lu Ran standing alone in the rain.
Judging by the reactions of the team members.
So this youth was the architect behind all of it?
Another four thousand words coming up—please send some votes~
Before you continue