Seeking Aid from the Royal City

During Yang Zhiru's treatment, under his guidance, Li Xuanxiao used a secret art that allowed hall masters to contact one another and summoned back the only other surviving hall master to the Demon Slayer Division.

The Flying Eagle Hall Master slowly descended from the sky. His aura was weak, and he had clearly suffered grave injuries as well.

"If not for the Commander-in-Chief blocking that slash for me, I wouldn't have survived until now..."

"But because of that, the Commander-in-Chief had one arm severed..."

"Those Demon Emperors all went after the Commander-in-Chief!"

The moment the Flying Eagle Hall Master saw Deputy General Yang, he burst into tears, sinking into deep self-reproach and remorse.

Deputy General Yang shook his head. "Battle was never the strong suit of you reserve hall masters. There's no need to blame yourselves too much."

Li Xuanxiao raised another Lotus Platform and had the Flying Eagle Hall Master sit cross-legged upon it as well. He took out various pills and let him choose what to swallow.

The conditions of the two surviving hall masters were both rapidly improving.

Even if they could not recover to their peak in a short time, regaining thirty to forty percent of their combat strength was still possible.

The Commander-in-Chief had been pursued several days ago. Even if Li Xuanxiao chased after him now, it would be too late to help.

The urgent matter was what lay before them. What should they do next?

"Hall Masters, do you have any means of contacting the Demon Slayer Division warriors stationed in the cities under your jurisdiction?"

"Pei Province is in utter chaos now, and the Demon Slayer Division has borne the brunt of it, nearly being destroyed."

"We know absolutely nothing about the situation in the cities below. It's as though we've lost our eyes and ears."

"We need more information to serve as the basis for our next actions."

Hearing this, the Flying Eagle Hall Master pulled a token from his robes. "This is the Flying Eagle Token, a means of contact used only in emergencies!"

"You can use it to convey your will to every Flying Eagle Hall member under your jurisdiction."

"If they receive the message, they can likewise send word back through their smaller Flying Eagle Tokens."

Li Xuanxiao nodded, rubbing the Jade Token in his palm as he poured True Essence into it.

"This is the Pei Province Demon Slayer Division. All Flying Eagle Hall members who receive this message, immediately report your situation!"

"I'll repeat it. This is the Pei Province Demon Slayer Division. All those who receive this message..."

After repeating it three times to ensure a greater chance that the Flying Eagle Hall members would hear it, Li Xuanxiao lowered the Flying Eagle Token and waited for a response.

Second by second, time passed, yet no one answered.

The group remained silent, and the atmosphere gradually grew oppressive.

As the hall with the largest number of members and the widest reach, Flying Eagle Hall had spread through nearly every city in Pei Province.

If even such a hall had no one left to answer, what that meant went without saying.

Just as they were about to give up, a voice finally came through.

"Flying Eagle Hall member Lu Yuanyi received! I will now report my situation. The Jianping City where I am located..."

That reply was like a lamp shining amid despair, pulling everyone from their dejected state.

And after that message, it was like a toppled line of dominoes, instantly setting off a chain reaction.

"Flying Eagle Hall member Yan Chen received! I will now report my situation..."

"Flying Eagle Hall member Kong Dachao received! I will now report my situation..."

"Flying Eagle Hall member Jing Anzheng received! I will now report my situation..."

One message after another came in, each reporting its sender's circumstances.

The Flying Eagle Hall Master, seated upon the Lotus Platform, could not help but shed tears.

Back when he presided over Flying Eagle Hall, he had wished those brats would quiet down and stop reporting every little thing. They were endlessly noisy!

But now, he wished there were as many voices as possible.

Every response meant that another member had survived.

No!

More than that!

It could also mean that the city they were in had not suffered a slaughter by demons, that at the very least, the city had not fallen!

It could be said that any reply now was the best possible news!

"...For some reason, the demons suddenly withdrew in large numbers..."

"Same here. It was as if they had received orders. Our city had already been breached, yet the demons chose to retreat..."

"My location is remote. We were never harassed by demons from beginning to end. I request permission to return to the Demon Slayer Division!"

"Wait! Who are you? Your voice is wrong. Where's our Hall Master?"

"Now that you mention it, that's true. We were so busy replying that we didn't notice his voice. Who exactly are you?"

"How do you have our Hall Master's Flying Eagle Token? That's the old geezer's treasure—he never lets it leave his side!"

"Oh no! That old man couldn't have kicked the bucket already, could he? His Flying Eagle Token has even fallen into someone else's hands!"

"I think that's very possible. Hall Master, what a miserable death you died!"

Li Xuanxiao's mouth twitched. He had the sound played aloud, so the Flying Eagle Hall Master had heard every single word.

I'm someone who respects the elderly and cares for the young. I can't bear to watch old people get bullied... Li Xuanxiao silently returned the Flying Eagle Token to the Flying Eagle Hall Master.

Brats, enjoy your tongue-lashing!

Taking a deep breath, the Flying Eagle Hall Master began unleashing a furious barrage!

"You little bastards think you can turn the heavens upside down? How dare you curse me to death?"

"Just wait until you come back and see how I deal with you!"

"Three days without a beating and you're climbing onto the roof to tear off tiles! Your wings have really grown hard, haven't they?"

"Every last one of you, I've remembered your names! Don't even think about running!"

For a moment, the incoming messages abruptly ceased. After venting, the Flying Eagle Hall Master immediately felt refreshed.

"Damn! The old man isn't dead. Just listen to how foul his mouth is!"

"This voice, this flavor—exactly right. If I don't get chewed out for one day, my whole body feels awful!"

"Old man, you promised to raise our base Contribution Points, so don't you dare go back on your word! You wouldn't want us bombing you in the middle of the night, would you?"

A bunch of little bastards! The Flying Eagle Hall Master had no ability to out-argue a crowd. His chest heaved with rage, and he directly blocked them.

Yang Zhiru kept shaking his head as he listened from the side, while Ling Yan found it amusing but said nothing.

Li Xuanxiao smiled and sighed. Flying Eagle Hall truly was a band of living treasures.

However, judging from the feedback from the various Flying Eagle Hall members, the demonic chaos should have ended.

Such a uniform retreat meant their objective had likely been achieved.

This upheaval had dealt a direct, grievous blow to Pei Province's foundation.

For a long time to come, Pei Province would be unable to recover its vitality.

The Miaojing warriors of the Pei Province Demon Slayer Division could basically be said to have been wiped out to the last man. Those remaining were primarily Ultimate Realm and Profound Realm warriors.

Without enough Miaojing warriors stationed in Pei Province, its stability could not be guaranteed!

Li Xuanxiao pondered inwardly. They had to go to the Royal City and seek aid as quickly as possible.

After he voiced his thoughts, the two hall masters also agreed.

The Pei Province Demon Slayer Division was now completely paralyzed. Personnel deployment, logistical supplies, information transmission—everything was a problem.

Pei Province was essentially undefended at the moment. Though the demons had withdrawn for now, they could return at any time.

When that happened, they would have no ability to coordinate or respond.

After some discussion, Yang Zhiru and the Flying Eagle Hall Master both believed Li Xuanxiao was the best candidate to seek aid.

Only Flying Eagle Hall still retained some degree of function and could serve in transmitting information.

Therefore, the Flying Eagle Hall Master definitely could not leave.

Yang Zhiru likewise decided to remain here and receive any Demon Slayer Division warriors who might return.

Ling Yan stated that he would stay as well to help handle the aftermath.

That left only Li Xuanxiao to go to the Royal City for aid.

Li Xuanxiao did not waste any words. Every second counted now; one minute faster might save countless lives.

He asked the two hall masters for a map and methods of contact, then cupped his fists and took his leave.

A dazzling rainbow streak shot into the heavens, speeding toward the Royal City at an astonishing pace.