Pushing Through All the Way

Riding the Crimson Wind Eagle, Lin Lan took a long detour around the building where the Winged Cang Wolf was. Looking down from the sky, he saw Bocheng shrouded in billowing smoke, with severed limbs and wreckage everywhere. Demons roamed the streets, while human and demon corpses littered the ground. The elements left behind by mages casting spells in battle with demons still lingered in the air. In just a few short hours, the city had become this horrific scene.

"Fuck, big bird, move!" A red beam shot from the Winged Cang Wolf's mouth, carrying the force to destroy everything as endless destructive energy blasted toward the Crimson Wind Eagle.

"Too late!" The Winged Cang Wolf's attack was too fast. The incoming torrent of energy was thick enough to kill the Crimson Wind Eagle.

"Phasing." Lin Lan first sent the Crimson Wind Eagle back to the Summoning Plane, then used Phasing. His entire body looked as though he had been struck out of the sky by the Winged Cang Wolf's energy and crashed onto the ground.

"This beast's senses are really sharp." Lin Lan himself arrived safely on the ground through space. The Winged Cang Wolf's red pupils fixed on him, its face savage and ferocious. It was quite surprised that Lin Lan had not died, though in its eyes, Lin Lan was no more than an insect.

"Fine, you're stronger. I'll walk, okay?" Lin Lan was irritated by the Winged Cang Wolf's disdainful gaze. He had been flying along perfectly well, yet it had to knock him down. Once he grew stronger, he would chop off even a commander-level head and use it as a drinking snack.

Lin Lan was currently probably on the back mountain behind Tian Lan Magic High School. Going down the mountain would take him straight to the school. He began walking downhill. The mountain was tranquil, with few trees around. Even after using his senses, Lin Lan found no wandering demons. The demons had probably not reached this area yet, or perhaps someone had already cleared them out.

When he reached the Main Gate, it no longer carried its former solemnity. Even the signboard had been destroyed by demons. The security uncle in the guard booth had likely already fled for his life...

Several demons still wandered around the field as Lin Lan approached. One-Eyed Demon Wolves and Giant-Eyed Stinky Rats stared greedily at him, blood dripping from the fangs in their mouths. Several students lay nearby, their deaths gruesome.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Raging Strike." Lin Lan raised his hand, and several Lightning Seals struck the One-Eyed Demon Wolves and Giant-Eyed Stinky Rats respectively. With his current Beginner Level Magic, servant-level demons could only be instantly killed when they encountered him. Two One-Eyed Demon Wolves convulsed all over from the electricity before falling dead, while a Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat had its eye pierced by lightning and began fleeing desperately.

"Still trying to run? Ice Vines." A blast of Ice Vines froze the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat from head to toe. With one Void Grip from Lin Lan, it became a pile of shattered ice.

"There aren't any surviving students on the field. They should all be hiding in the gymnasium." Lin Lan headed over. The gymnasium was where students practiced casting magic. It was spacious and close to the teaching building, making it the best place to hide.

Several teachers were discussing a solution in the gymnasium, their faces filled with sorrow. They had seen too many teachers and students die, and their hearts had already turned to ashes.

"Sigh... Nowhere is safe. People are dying everywhere. This is a Blood Warning. All of Bocheng is going to fall." One teacher spoke helplessly.

"We received word that Bocheng has a Safety Barrier, didn't we? A lot of people have been arranged to shelter there. As long as we can break through, we'll be saved." One teacher seemed to see a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Yeah. We received notice several hours ago to head for the Safety Barrier. Once we get there, we'll be saved. As long as we organize ourselves and have powerful mages clear the way in front, all thousand of us can be saved."

"Mo Fan, we'll be relying on you from here on. You're the most outstanding student we have." Xue Sheng patted Mo Fan on the shoulder encouragingly.

The moment Lin Lan opened the door, he saw the gymnasium packed with students from Tian Lan Magic High School. At the front was a group organized under Mo Fan's lead.

"Fuck! Lanzi!"

"Brother Lan!"

Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou were especially excited to see Lin Lan. Mo Fan in particular felt as though he had seen the powerful leg that would carry them through a slaughterhouse.

"Lin Lan, weren't you on leave? Why did you come to school? Don't tell me you didn't encounter any demons on the way here from home?" Xue Sheng looked at Lin Lan with some confusion. Lin Lan was indeed outstanding, but it should have been impossible for him to make it to school through a city crawling with demons.

"That isn't important, Teacher. Let me join the vanguard squad too." Lin Lan did not explain. After escorting these students to the Safety Barrier, he still needed to return to the city and keep hunting demons.

"Alright, then our vanguard squad will follow Mo Fan. We'll head to the Safety Barrier together." Xue Sheng addressed everyone. In his eyes, Mo Fan, with his Innate Dual Element and third-tier cultivation, was the most suitable person to lead this team.

"No, no, no. Let Lanzi do it. He's way stronger than me." Mo Fan hurriedly refused. Since Lin Lan was here, what was left for him to do? With Lin Lan's strength, even Warrior Rank demons would have to crawl.

"Mo Fan, everyone has seen your strength. Lin Lan isn't stronger than you, so how could we let him lead?"

"Ah, Lin Lan is quite outstanding, but all our lives are at stake here. What if he makes a mistake leading the team?"

"Why? Lin Lan isn't even that strong. Why should he lead?" Several members of the vanguard squad clearly recognized Mo Fan's strength more and were doubtful of Lin Lan. After all, they would be scouting ahead. If they were choosing someone, it should be a powerful leader.

"Mo Fan, stop being modest. We don't have much time to waste. There are more and more demons now, so stop refusing." Xue Sheng thought Mo Fan was simply being humble and hurriedly urged him not to decline any further.

"Ah... this." Mo Fan's face darkened. These students still had no idea just how badass Lin Lan was.

"It's fine, Mo Fan. You can take the role. I'll act when the time comes anyway. Being captain isn't important." Lin Lan did not say much despite seeing how doubtful his classmates were of him. If they all knew his strength, the Black Vatican would have erected a tombstone for him already.

"Alright..." Mo Fan agreed. He knew Lin Lan would not care about this sort of thing anyway.

"Good. In that case, gather all the students and prepare to head for the Safety Barrier." As Xue Sheng spoke, everyone began moving.

"Lanzi, let me tell you, I broke through to Intermediate Mage! Both my elements broke through too! Hahaha..." Mo Fan was thrilled. After being cleansed by the Earth Sacred Spring, he had finally reached the intermediate level in both elements.

"Brother Lan, me too. My Wind Element reached the third tier. I really have to thank you for the Star Dust Magic Tool." Zhang Xiaohou was also delighted, a smile spread across his face. His strength had finally improved as well.

"Then you two need to work even harder. I'm almost at the second level of Intermediate Mage already." Seeing how happy they were, Lin Lan shared his own good news as well.

"I thought I was about to catch up with you, Lanzi. Who would've thought... who would've thought the gap between us would still be this huge?" Mo Fan instantly became less happy. "I shouldn't have shown off."

"Mo Fan, I've already taken Xin Xia and Uncle Mo to the Safety Barrier. You can rest easy."

"Really? I'd been worrying about them this whole time. Thanks, Lanzi."

At the Safety Barrier, Mu Zhuoyun and Mu Ningxue arrived on a Sky Eagle.

"Hello, are there any students from Tian Lan Magic High School here?" Mu Ningxue asked the Military Mage standing guard.

"Tian Lan Magic High School? No students from there have arrived yet," the Military Mage answered.

"Mo Fan, Lin Lan, I hope both of you are safe." Thinking of this, Mu Ningxue looked in the direction of Tian Lan Magic High School.

Along the way, the members of the vanguard squad remained tense, while only Lin Lan and Mo Fan looked relaxed. Lin Lan had already cleared this route when he came through, so there were not many demons around. Mo Fan probably figured that since Lin Lan was here, he would not need to lift a finger for them to get through safely.

"Alright, Mo Fan, I can't use the Space Element. Stop looking so comfortable. Be careful, or a Warrior Rank demon might jump out and bite you to death." Once they reached an uncleared area, Lin Lan reminded him.

"Holy shit, why didn't you say so earlier?" Mo Fan immediately became alert, his face turning serious. Although he had broken through to the intermediate level, he still could not defeat a Warrior Rank demon.

"Ahhh..." Corpses lay everywhere along this road. Smoke rose from abandoned cars, and in the pitch-black surroundings, it felt as though demons could charge out from any direction at any moment.

"Everyone, spread out and investigate," Xue Sheng ordered.

Everyone began scouting the surrounding area, while Lin Lan used his spiritual power to detect the little rat at the newspaper stand ahead. That's the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat that killed Zhang Yinglu, isn't it...

"There's a Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat at the newspaper stand up ahead." Zhang Xiaohou was a Wind Element mage, and his elevated position gave him a better view. He immediately spotted the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat.

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly gathered together. "Wind Element mages, scout ahead. We'll follow behind," Xue Sheng ordered. Zhang Xiaohou and Zhang Yinglu activated their Wind Elements and went forward to investigate.

"It was clearly here just now... Where did it go?" Zhang Yinglu stepped forward to check, but did not spot the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat. It had somehow appeared behind her, its sharp claw about to come down.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Raging Strike." A Lightning Seal descended from the sky, directly taking the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat's life.

"Ahhh..." Only then did Zhang Yinglu realize the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat had been behind her. Frightened, she collapsed onto the ground. The Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat in front of her had become a charred corpse and fallen over, while Lin Lan appeared behind it.

"What happened?" Hearing the screams, the others rushed over immediately. A Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat's corpse lay on the ground before them, faint arcs of electricity still crackling over its body.

"Amazing! It was just a Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat, and it died like that." Xue Sheng and the others were dumbfounded. None of them had ever killed a demon alone. With strength like that, it was no wonder Mo Fan had recommended him as captain.

"Thank you, thank you!" Zhang Yinglu rushed over and hugged Lin Lan, repeating her thanks while sobbing softly. If Lin Lan had not been there, she would have died just now.

"Mm... probably a C." Lin Lan's perception was incredibly sharp as he felt her chest rise and fall. Zhang Yinglu, I really couldn't tell before... Guess you really have to experience it firsthand.

Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou beside them looked at Lin Lan with meaningful smiles.

"Alright, alright, let's keep moving." Lin Lan quickly separated from Zhang Yinglu. With so many people watching, it was not quite appropriate. Still, it really did feel nice.

"There are three One-Eyed Demon Wolves wandering up ahead. One is by the fountain, one is in the grove, and one is by the rockery," Zhang Xiaohou told everyone.

"Then we'll split up and deal with them separately. I'll handle one, Lin Lan will handle one, and you guys can deal with the last one..." Mo Fan knew that only he and Lin Lan could handle one alone. To ensure everyone else's safety, they could work together to bombard one to death.

"No need to make it so troublesome. I'll have the big bird lure them over." Lin Lan did not want to waste any more time. The sooner they dealt with them, the better.

"Big bird?" Everyone except Mo Fan was confused. Mo Fan, meanwhile, grinned.

"Dimensional Summon." A Star Orbit lit up in Lin Lan's hand, and a Crimson Wind Eagle flew out from the Summoning Plane.

"My god, an Intermediate Mage—and from the Summoning Element!" Xue Sheng was completely dumbfounded. Were students this strong now? Everyone else looked at the majestic Crimson Wind Eagle with envy. "An Intermediate Mage... Lin Lan is an Intermediate Mage!" Zhou Min came back to her senses and exclaimed.

"This is the first time I've thought a demon looked this cool!" Zhao Kun San's eyes were full of envy. The other members stared blankly as Lin Lan stroked the Crimson Wind Eagle. "Brother Lan is so cool," Zhang Xiaohou praised happily. This also meant they would be even safer.

"Go on, big bird. Lure all the nearby demons here." At Lin Lan's command, the Crimson Wind Eagle soared into the sky and began continuously drawing nearby demons over.

"Fuck, seven One-Eyed Demon Wolves."

"This Crimson Wind Eagle is seriously awesome!"

They were dumbfounded again. Were there not only three demons? How had seven One-Eyed Demon Wolves ended up chasing after the Crimson Wind Eagle? For a moment, they panicked.

"Sky Flash—Thunderbolt—Toppling Strike."