Blood-Red Alert

That afternoon, rain fell over Bocheng. The rainwater was yellow, the sky was gloomy, and an eerie atmosphere hung in the air.

"So it's finally here." Lin Lan touched the rainwater with his hand and watched as all of Bocheng lay shrouded in the rain, looking unusually tranquil...

"Ring-ring-ring~"

A ringtone came from the phone in his hand. The moment Lin Lan answered, Tang Yue's voice came through from the other end.

"Lin Lan, the rain does contain Frenzied Spring, exactly as we discovered before. The Magic Association has already sent people to establish a Safe Zone and is evacuating the public. Reinforcements are also rushing in from all directions."

"If you know anything, then go ahead and do it. Be careful! After this, both the Arbitration Council and the Magic Association will reward you handsomely." Tang Yue spoke gravely, her words carrying a hint of concern for Lin Lan, but even more urgency for the safety of the city.

"Alright, Teacher Tang Yue, I understand." Lin Lan hung up. An unyielding light flashed in his eyes as he looked at Bocheng. He now knew exactly what he needed to do.

Xin Xia and Uncle Mo had not gone traveling. They had stayed at home, saying they would wait for Mo Fan before leaving together. Fortunately, Lin Lan had told them to rest at home these past few days. He would pick them up and take them to the Safe Zone later.

The Arbitration Council truly worked efficiently. Less than half an hour after the rain began, they had discovered that it contained Frenzied Spring. Snow Peak Mountain still had to guard against the wilderness, and there were simply too few mages in the city. They were evacuating civilians, while reinforcements would not arrive anytime soon. In a few hours, once the demon beasts invaded through the openings, casualties would be unavoidable.

"I'll go to Inscription Girls' Middle School first and blow up the demon beast opening. The demon beasts haven't reached Bocheng yet, so I'll deal with as many as I can first." With his target clear, Lin Lan prepared to head to Inscription Girls' Middle School and deal with the demon beast passage, doing his utmost to prevent the invasion.

"Dimensional Summon."

A moonlit Star Orbit lit up, and the Crimson Wind Eagle was summoned from the Summoning Continent.

"Big Eagle, let's go. To Inscription Girls' Middle School." Lin Lan jumped onto its back. The Crimson Wind Eagle immediately soared into the sky, flying at incredible speed.

Within minutes, Lin Lan arrived in the city district. Looking down from above, he saw a massive hole in the field of Inscription Girls' Middle School, with wisps of green smoke rising from within.

"Big Eagle, see that opening? Dive down." Hearing its master's command, the Crimson Wind Eagle immediately dove from the sky.

"I didn't expect someone to arrive so quickly. Looks like the Arbitration Council isn't entirely useless."

"There's a reason the priest ordered us to guard this place. Get ready to act. Don't let him destroy the demon beast cave." The two Gray-robed Cultists of the Black Vatican had been sent to guard the cave. Seeing someone interfere, they could no longer sit still.

"Fire Burst—Explode." Flames shot toward the Crimson Wind Eagle. With sharp eyes, it noticed the incoming flames and elegantly dodged with a sideways turn.

"Watch me strike him down with lightning. Lightning Seal—Raging Strike." The other Lightning Mage formed a Lightning Seal, and a small thundercloud appeared above the Crimson Wind Eagle's head. The lightning was about to descend the next second.

"Big Eagle, don't dodge. Watch me take it." Lin Lan stood directly up as the Lightning Seal struck his body, all of it absorbed into him.

"You like sneak attacks? Here, have it back."

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Raging Strike." Lin Lan transformed the Lightning Seal he had absorbed and blasted it toward the two men on the ground. Carrying a destructive aura, its power was several times greater than before.

"What the hell? He can absorb my Lightning Seal?"

The Lightning Mage's pupils trembled, his face full of disbelief.

"Rock Barrier—Jagged Stone." The Intermediate Earth Mage condensed the surrounding earth. The Lightning Seal struck the ground, shattering the soil and sending clouds of dust into the air.

"You're still standing there stunned? Why did they send such a useless piece of trash to guard this place with me?" the Intermediate Earth Mage cursed.

"You..." The Lightning Mage wanted to retort, but swallowed his words.

"Another Earth Mage. Interesting." Riding the Crimson Wind Eagle, Lin Lan descended to the ground and watched the two Black Vatican members as the dust slowly dispersed.

"Alright, you can die now~"

"Spatial Rhythm—Compression."

Silver light lit up in Lin Lan's eyes as he drew a Star Map with his hand. Layer upon layer of gravity pressed down upon the two Black Vatican members.

"Space Element... You're that Space Mage!"

"Aaaahhh..."

The Intermediate Mage cried out in agitation, his breathing in disarray. It felt as though a thousand pounds of weight were crushing him, while the other mage was directly pressed to death, blood flowing from all seven orifices.

"Correct. Your reward is a trip to the afterlife. Big Eagle, kill him~" In Lin Lan's eyes, he would not dirty his own hands killing such beasts if he could avoid it.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

The Crimson Wind Eagle spat out a Wind Disk, which swept toward the Intermediate Mage. "Aaaah..." His body was dragged into its center and torn apart alive by the wind.

"Big Eagle, do you want to eat him? Consider it a snack."

Lin Lan stroked the Crimson Wind Eagle as he spoke, but it shook its head. It had no interest in something whose very bones seemed filled with disgusting fluid.

"Roar, roar, roar~"

Lin Lan turned to look at the demon beast passage. Roars from demon beasts echoed from within.

"Big Eagle, fill it in." At once, the Crimson Wind Eagle swept up mud, sand, and dust, funneling them into the hole and packing it tightly with earth until the cave was completely filled.

"Ice Vines, Mind Control—Void Grip." Lin Lan first covered its surface with a layer of Ice Vines to freeze it, then controlled car after car and piled them atop it, forming a small mountain.

"Next one~ It seems to be near Guangxia Center."

The Crimson Wind Eagle took off, carrying Lin Lan away on the wind as they continued searching the sky for demon beast passages.

"There really is one down there. Crimson Wind Eagle, head for Guangxia Plaza and dive down." The Crimson Wind Eagle descended once more. This time, they had not been attacked in the air. Unless the Black Vatican sent someone high-level, anyone else who came would merely be delivering money to Lin Lan.

"Damn, they really came~"

The moment the Crimson Wind Eagle landed, countless ice spikes shot toward them.

"Mind Control—Repel." Lin Lan used Mind Control to knock down every ice spike, leaving them scattered two meters away from him.

"Attack!" Ten Black Beast Demons emerged from the surroundings and pounced at Lin Lan.

"Caw!" The Crimson Wind Eagle snatched up a Black Beast Demon in its sharp talons, soared into the sky, and hurled it down along with another one. Both Black Beast Demons slammed into the ground and were killed instantly.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Frenzied Charge." Lin Lan struck down two Black Beast Demons with Lightning Seals first, then pulled back and formed a star map in his hand.

"Sky Flash—Thunderbolt—Toppling Strike." A thick bolt of lightning smashed all the remaining Black Beast Demons to pieces.

"Interesting. Your head must be worth quite a lot."

"Scholar, have some fun with him. I love tormenting these so-called geniuses. I especially enjoy the looks on their faces when they beg for mercy."

A Black-robed Scholar and a Gray-robed Cultist emerged from the nearby shops, both wearing amused smiles.

"Are all of you Black Vatican members this full of yourselves? Always acting so high and mighty. I seriously wonder if you drank too much contaminated milk powder as kids and turned your brains into mush, making you think you're so incredible."

Lin Lan cursed at the two Black Vatican members. That was already putting it nicely—he usually did not waste words on animals.

"What do you know? This is the thrill before hunting prey. How could lowly people like you possibly understand?" the Black-robed Scholar said to Lin Lan.

"Ice Lock—Bone Grinding." The Black-robed Scholar unleashed several Ice Locks at Lin Lan, each one carrying a frigid aura.

"Second-tier Ice Lock? Interesting. Big eagle, go back first." The Crimson Wind Eagle was recalled.

"Phasing—" Lin Lan created a clone while his true body concealed itself within space, waiting for them to reveal an opening.

The Ice Locks struck "Lin Lan" but had no effect whatsoever.

"What is this thing? Scholar, why are the Ice Locks ineffective?" The Gray-robed Cultist panicked instantly and stared at "Lin Lan" with wary eyes.

"Don't panic. He should be nearby. I sensed a disturbance in space just now." The Black-robed Scholar had clearly encountered Spatial Magic before and noticed something. He summoned another six Black Beast Demons, while the Gray-robed Cultist summoned four more. The Black Beast Demons surrounded the two of them.

"Spatial Rhythm—Compression." Gravity bore down on them. Aside from the Black-robed Scholar, everyone else was forced to their knees, while several Black Beast Demons at the center were crushed directly into pulp.

"So... so it really is the Space Element." The Black-robed Scholar was utterly baffled. How could the Space Element be so bizarre, capable of vanishing outright? He had never even heard of such a thing. His body was also being crushed so hard that he could barely breathe.

"Space Annihilation—" Lin Lan did not respond. He simply used a powerful move to convey his regards.

Bang—

The Black-robed Scholar was blown into pieces. Spatial explosions rippled through the area, and a small patch of space trembled violently.

"What kind of monster is this?!" The Gray-robed Cultist was so terrified that he wet himself. His face was also covered in chunks of flesh.

"Lightning Seal—Python Mark." Without even looking at him, Lin Lan sent him to the afterlife with a Lightning Seal. The Black Beast Demons were all reduced to piles of mush as well.

"Dimensional Summon." The Crimson Wind Eagle flew out again and repeated the same tactic on the demon passageway—burying it and piling vehicles on top. The demons would not be able to get out for at least half a day unless they worked incredibly hard.

"Go bring Xin Xia, Uncle Mo, and Third Uncle into the Safe Zone."

Riding the Crimson Wind Eagle, Lin Lan flew toward Mo Fan's home. He first brought Xin Xia and Mo Jiaxing to the Safe Zone, only to find it already packed with people. It seemed the Magic Association and the Arbitration Council had indeed become more efficient. He then went to Third Uncle's home and brought him over as well before returning to the city.

Just as Lin Lan finished all that, four blood-red beams of light shot into the sky.

"Blood Alert. Are the wildernesses completely overrun with demons?"

"Roar, roar—" As Lin Lan stared at the beams and muttered to himself, a massive Winged Cang Wolf flew in from outside the city.