Outside the Snow Mountain Posthouse.
After slaying the last Ghost Pattern Violent Wolf, a Commander Level beast, Zhan Kong cursed angrily.
"Three damn beasts, each one faster than the last. Good thing nothing serious happened."
Three Commander Level Demons were nothing to a High-Tier Mage at peak cultivation like Zhan Kong.
But the three beasts were incredibly cunning.
Not only were they spread out, but each one was faster than the last.
If Zhan Kong hadn't had High-Tier Wind Element Magic, which made him much faster than an ordinary High-Tier Mage, he might not have been able to slay all three in time.
Just as Zhan Kong was dragging the corpses of the three Commander Level Demons back to the posthouse—
"ROAR!!!"
A deafening roar came from nearby.
Judging by its direction, it had come from the place where the students were training!
"Is that... a Commander Level beast?!"
Zhan Kong's pupils suddenly contracted.
He had already sent his subordinates to clear out the training area. There shouldn't have been any Commander Level Demons there—not even a Servant Level Demon.
The only Ghost Wolf Beast there was a Summoned Beast belonging to one of his subordinates.
"Something's happened!"
Zhan Kong's heart lurched. He immediately dropped the Demon corpses and spread his Wind Wings, flying toward the training area as fast as he could.
Little Purple's roar alarmed not only Zhan Kong in the distance, but also Tang Yue and the other teachers at the Snow Mountain Posthouse. They joined forces with the Military Mages and hurried over to form a rescue party.
After all, a Commander Level Demon was no joke.
Left unchecked, a single Commander Level Demon could threaten an entire small city.
But when everyone rushed over, they were stunned by the sight before them.
Corpses in gray robes lay scattered across the training area, along with the bodies of several stinking, dwarf-like monsters.
The students had gathered obediently in an open space, waiting quietly to be rescued.
Many of them still looked shaken, as though they'd barely escaped with their lives.
"Corpses of Gray Clothed Cultists from the Black Church and Black Beast Demons—and... the corpse of a Commander Level Curse Beast Demon!!!"
Tang Yue said in shock.
As an interrogator for the Judgment Department, she knew the Black Church all too well.
That was precisely why the scene before her shocked her so deeply.
Forget the Commander Level Curse Beast Demon—even a single Servant Level Black Beast Demon would have been more than the students could handle.
What on earth had happened here?
"An attack by the Black Church?! A Commander Level Curse Beast Demon?"
"What happened here?"
Zhan Kong asked one of the students at random.
"D-Demons... and enemies... I..."
The student's tongue was trembling. He still hadn't recovered from the shock, so there was no way he could explain what had happened.
Just then, a huge shadow emerged from the cave.
It was only about the size of an ordinary lion, but the aura it gave off was terrifying.
"Commander Level!"
Zhan Kong's hair stood on end. That aura was nothing like an ordinary Commander Level beast's—it could only belong to a Commander Level Demon!
"Don't attack, Brother Zhan Kong. It's me."
Dongfang Chen's voice rang out.
At the same time, the shadow emerging from the cave gradually became clearer in the sunlight.
It was Little Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
Dongfang Chen and Ye Xin Xia were riding on her back.
"Dongfang, did you take care of all these people?"
"More or less."
Hearing Dongfang Chen's casual reply, Zhan Kong's jaw dropped.
He knew Dongfang Chen was strong, but he had only awakened his magic a little over a year ago.
Zhan Kong couldn't imagine how Dongfang Chen had managed to deal with all these enemies.
But when he sensed the Commander Level Demon beneath Dongfang Chen, it all suddenly seemed to make sense.
"Here's what happened..."
Dongfang Chen summed up what had happened in just a few brief sentences.
After he finished, he called into the cave.
"Hey, Mofan, bring the prisoner out."
There was only an entrance to the cave; there was no other way out.
So Dongfang Chen had told Mofan and the others to tie Bai Yang up and keep a close watch on him inside, making escape even more difficult.
Hearing Dongfang Chen call out, Mofan and the others led Bai Yang out of the cave.
The moment he saw Bai Yang, Zhan Kong's gaze turned sharp.
"Bai Yang! I treated you well all these years. I even gave you the resources to become an Intermediate Level Mage and raise your Ghost Wolf Beast!
"Why did you become a lackey of the Black Church?!"
Faced with Zhan Kong's furious questions, the bound Bai Yang said nothing. He only kept his head lowered, remaining silent.
"Fine, you're not talking? I've got plenty of ways to make you talk!"
Zhan Kong waved a hand, and his subordinates took Bai Yang from Mofan.
"Take him back. Find a way to pry his mouth open and get every bit of information you can about the Black Church!"
"Wait, Chief Instructor Zhan Kong!"
It was Tang Yue who spoke.
"Could I take part in the interrogation?"
"You?" Zhan Kong looked at Tang Yue.
Tang Yue nodded. "I'm not only a teacher at Tianlan Magic High School, but also an interrogator for the Judgment Department. I came back to Bocheng to investigate the Black Church's movements. According to my information, the Black Church seems to be plotting something lately."
"The Black Church is plotting something?" Zhan Kong frowned. "So they weren't just here to kidnap this boy?"
He pointed at Dongfang Chen.
According to Dongfang Chen and Mofan, the Black Church had come here to kidnap the most favored direct descendant of the Dongfang Family, so they could use him to force the family into a medicine trade with them.
But from what Tang Yue had said, the Black Church seemed to have more in mind.
"I don't know what the Black Church is plotting, but the Judgment Department's intelligence confirms that they're up to something in Bocheng."
Tang Yue's words sounded as though she had revealed something important, but in fact, they contained no useful information at all.
Taking Tang Yue's words as his cue, Dongfang Chen spoke up.
"Brother Zhan Kong, you should look into how these people got into Bocheng without anyone noticing, especially this group of Black Beast Demons and that Commander Level Curse Beast Demon.
"They reek, so sneaking them in unnoticed would be difficult."
Dongfang Chen's words caught Zhan Kong's attention.
"Better investigate how they got into the city, then? They could've come from above or below."
Dongfang Chen pointed up at the sky, then down at the ground.
He'd made his hint clear enough. Any more, and he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Zhan Kong and Tang Yue both grew more serious.
Given how cunning the Black Church was, it was entirely possible.
"I'll make sure it's investigated."
Zhan Kong nodded solemnly, then turned to Tang Yue. "Since you're an interrogator, I'll leave the questioning to you."
"No problem," Tang Yue said.
Once they'd finished discussing the Black Church, Zhan Kong finally turned his attention to Dongfang Chen.
More precisely, he focused on Little Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"Dongfang, um... she's not dangerous, is she?"
Zhan Kong pointed at Little Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
Her aura might not have been especially strong for a Commander Level Demon.
But she was still a Commander Level Demon. If she went berserk, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Don't worry. Little Purple is my Summoned Beast. I'll keep her under control."
Dongfang Chen stroked Little Purple's head.
"Summoned Beast? You learned Summoning Magic too?"
Zhan Kong was a little surprised.
He knew Dongfang Chen had Innate All Element.
But although Innate All Element seemed like an incredible talent, it came with considerable limitations, because a person's energy was finite.
If someone wanted to cultivate every Magic Element, their Magic Cultivation would inevitably be shallow.
If they wanted to advance further, they would eventually have to choose which Magic Element to focus on.
What Zhan Kong didn't know was that Dongfang Chen possessed extraordinary Soul Power.
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