Timely Rescue, Arrival at the Safe Barrier

"ROAR!"

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf thrashed violently, and several cracks began to spread across the ice chains with a sharp crackling sound.

By then, Tang Yue had already arrived.

She pulled He Yu away, instantly putting distance between them and the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf.

"He Yu, He Yu!" Zhang Xiaohou also rushed over, frantically checking He Yu's condition in a panic.

He Yu was still shaken, but seeing Zhang Xiaohou so worried, she couldn't help but feel touched.

"Xiaohou, I'm fine."

He Yu said.

Zhang Xiaohou let out a sigh of relief, his reddened eyes gradually calming, though the rims remained moist.

By then, Mo Fan and the others had also caught up.

Tang Yue looked at the ice chains and had already guessed who had arrived, but now wasn't the time to find them.

"Stay back." Tang Yue said to the group behind her.

Mo Fan and the others immediately retreated about thirty meters, and they kept going...

"Crack, crack..."

At that moment, the ice chains were about to give way.

Tang Yue dared not waste a single moment. She had to seize this chance to annihilate the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf in one blow.

"Sparrow Flame—Fierce Fist..."

Tang Yue let out a sharp cry, her body once again blazing with flames, which then condensed around her right fist.

But this time, the target was different from before.

"Nine Palaces!"

Tang Yue slammed her right fist into the ground, and the flame energy in her hand instantly surged into the earth, then erupted violently.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Pillars of flame blasted upward. Not only did a fiery ground fissure in the shape of a 'Sparrow' bloom, but thick, erupting columns of fire also formed.

On both sides of the three aligned flame pillars, the ground cracked once more, and six identical pillars burst forth.

A total of nine flame pillars, arranged in the formation of the Nine Palaces.

"Crack!"

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf had just broken free from the ice chains, but what greeted it was the already-arriving Nine Palaces of Blazing Flames.

As Mo Fan and the others watched in stunned disbelief, the nine flame pillars shot straight toward the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf.

"Roar..."

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf was instantly engulfed in flames, leaving only faint, weak howls to be heard.

A long moment passed.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

The flames dissipated. The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf was dead, charred an utterly pitch-black.

"Gulp!"

Someone swallowed hard, snapping the stunned crowd out of their daze.

At that moment, they truly understood what it meant to be a real mage.

Especially Mo Fan and Zhou Min. They were also Fire Element mages, and after witnessing the Nine Palaces of Blazing Flames, an intense longing surged in their hearts.

Would they ever reach that level?

"Is everyone alright?"

A familiar voice sounded behind the group. They instinctively turned around to look.

Qin Yuan stood there, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, one hand in his pocket, exuding an indescribable air of casualness.

Yeah, he sure knew how to make an entrance.

"Qin Yuan!"

The group exclaimed in surprise, their faces filled with awe.

"Old Qin, you... you're already an Intermediate Mage?" Mo Fan asked in disbelief.

The others also widened their eyes, utterly shocked.

Wasn't that Intermediate Ice Lock with the Spirit Seed's additional effect just now Qin Yuan?

"Yeah."

Qin Yuan nodded, not hiding it.

"Qin Yuan, thank you!"

He Yu rushed forward excitedly, nearly kneeling before Qin Yuan.

"Brother Qin, thank you!" Zhang Xiaohou stepped forward, offering his heartfelt gratitude.

"It's fine as long as you're okay."

Qin Yuan waved a hand, not particularly concerned.

Saving a life was just a casual matter.

After a few brief words, he walked toward Tang Yue and said with a smile, "Sister Tang Yue, wasn't that a pretty good coordination on my part?"

Tang Yue had wanted to scold Qin Yuan for not listening to orders.

But then she thought about how, if Qin Yuan hadn't arrived in time, He Yu would have died.

So Qin Yuan's "disobedience" was actually the right call.

"Mm."

Tang Yue nodded, then looked toward the others and said, "Let's move quickly. The commotion from the battle here has already drawn the attention of other demons."

In front of these people, she still had to put on a bit of an act regarding her relationship with Qin Yuan.

Otherwise, the old cow eating tender grass thing was honestly a bit embarrassing.

"Right, right, right! Let's go!"

Everyone quickly wiped the shock off their faces and hurried along the road.

On the way.

"When I came, I happened to run into the main force from Tianlan Magic High School. After helping them clear out some nearby threats, I left Lin Yu Xin and Xiao Yan to escort them."

Qin Yuan explained.

"Lin Yu Xin?" Tang Yue was good at catching key points, eyeing Qin Yuan with suspicion.

"She's the deputy guard leader protecting the Earth Sacred Spring. When I arrived, she was being chased by Black Beast Demons, so I saved her along the way." Qin Yuan explained with a smile.

"Is that so..."

Tang Yue nodded slightly.

The two chatted as they neared the Safe Barrier.

Over that kilometer of travel, they did run into a few demons, but with Qin Yuan and Tang Yue—both Intermediate Level mages—the safety level was maxed out.

The Vanguard Squad entered the barrier first.

Qin Yuan and Tang Yue turned back and successfully guided the main force from Tianlan Magic High School into the barrier as well.

With that, all the teachers and students of Tianlan Magic High School had survived.

Lin Yu Xin and Mo Fan were taken away by military mages, presumably to be questioned about the Earth Sacred Spring.

"Wah wah wah, I made it!"

"Oh my god, just a few hours felt like years!"

"If Brother Qin's summon hadn't saved me just now, I would've died!"

"All thanks to Qin Yuan!"

"..."

Everyone buzzed with chatter, their hearts full of gratitude toward Qin Yuan.

At the same time, they were even more stunned by Qin Yuan's talent.

In three years, Qin Yuan had broken through to Intermediate Level mage, and his second system had awakened the incredibly rare Summoning System.

A genius.

This was a true magical genius.

"Little Yuan Ge Ge!"

Ye Xin Xia's face lit up with joy as she saw Qin Yuan return.

"Mm." Qin Yuan crouched down and smiled, ruffling Ye Xin Xia's head.

The two slowly started chatting.

Tang Yue stood nearby, quietly watching the scene.

She knew about Ye Xin Xia's existence.

She had thought they were just good friends, but now it was clear that wasn't the case at all.

"This naughty little brother." Tang Yue shook her head helplessly.

Qin Yuan's audacity was beyond her imagination.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Suddenly, a massive rumbling sound came from outside the Safe Barrier. Everyone instinctively looked up.

In the distant pitch-black night sky, a blazing cluster of flames appeared, countless fireballs raining down from it like shooting stars.

"Woo—aoo!"

In the glow of the flames, everyone saw that enormous creature—the Winged Azure Wolf.

And beneath the colossal beast, atop the towering Yinmao Building, stood an inconspicuous, tiny figure. The flames in his hand surged like river water.

"Fire Element Advanced Magic—Heavenly Flame Funeral." Tang Yue watched the fire blossom under the night sky and blurted out.

Qin Yuan silently observed the battle as well.

"I wonder if Zhan Kong's Curse Element has been sealed. If not, going one-on-one with the Winged Azure Wolf wouldn't be too hard," Qin Yuan mused.

The most twisted ability of the Zu Clan was the 'Curse Borrowing Body Technique.' By borrowing demonic power through this art, one could fight demons head-on.

In the original story, Zhan Kong could cut off the Winged Azure Wolf's head even without the Curse Element. If he could use it, wouldn't he be able to pin the Winged Azure Wolf down?

Demons were formidable; mages were fragile.

But Zhan Kong was no ordinary mage. As the National Government Captain, fighting some Commander-level demons with Advanced cultivation wasn't difficult for him.