Orange Alert

Lingling's voice caught in her throat.

Because Dongfang Chen's battle ended so quickly that she hadn't even finished speaking.

From Lingling's perspective, Dongfang Chen merely raised his hand, and the Cave Demon General was crushed into a pulp by an invisible force.

After a long silence.

Her voice finally came through on the other end.

"I didn't expect you to be this strong."

"Of course."

Dongfang Chen's proud tone came through.

In that strike, he hadn't even used Soul Power or Dou Qi.

Although Dongfang Chen was only an Intermediate Level Mage, combining Space Element magic with the One Thought Star Map made it no problem at all to casually crush an ordinary Commander Level demon.

"Hmph, a little praise and you're already getting proud!"

Lingling's familiar tsundere tone was back.

"But since you're this strong, some unnecessary routes can be skipped."

The sound of keyboard clacking came from Lingling's end.

She continued, "I was originally planning to map out a few routes that avoid Commander Level demons for you, but since you have the ability to deal with them, just charge straight through."

After a few more clicks, the keyboard sounds stopped.

"Mm... this way, it should save you nearly half a day. If you move quickly, you might even be able to pick the Mo Yu Grass and return by tomorrow morning."

Although the Mo Yu Grass grew at the edge of the Demon Tribe, without any transportation, relying solely on foot would still take considerable time.

Lingling's earlier plan for Dongfang Chen was to collect the Mo Yu Grass over two days.

Day one: reach the vicinity of the Mo Yu Grass and find a safe spot to rest overnight.

Day two: collect it in the morning, then spend the afternoon returning.

But since Dongfang Chen had decent strength, picking up the pace should let him return by the morning of the second day.

As for the night, that couldn't be skipped.

Because nighttime had too many variables, and many demons were active during the night by habit.

For safety, traveling at night was absolutely out of the question.

"Alright, no problem. Whatever you say, I'll do, my little strategist."

Dongfang Chen's voice came through, full of amusement.

Since Lingling was putting in the effort to plan and map routes for him, he'd follow her lead.

Even though he was in a hurry, one day wouldn't make a difference.

Lingling pouted. She felt like he was teasing her, but she couldn't find any proof.

Soon, Lingling mapped out a new route.

Following Lingling's route, Dongfang Chen reached the Mo Yu Grass's growth location by the afternoon.

Although Mo Yu Grass was a main ingredient for Fifth-grade pills, the energy it contained wasn't much.

In Fifth-grade pills, it mostly served as a neutralizer through its medicinal properties.

So there were no demons lurking around the Mo Yu Grass.

Dongfang Chen easily picked the Mo Yu Grass—or rather, the Zi Xuan Grass.

After some comparison, Dongfang Chen confirmed that Mo Yu Grass was indeed Zi Xuan Grass.

And there were three whole stalks of Zi Xuan Grass here, enough for him to refine the Po Ling Pill and the Dou Ling Pill.

A smile spread across Dongfang Chen's face.

This trip hadn't been a waste after all.

After picking the Zi Xuan Grass and storing it in his Storage Ring, Dongfang Chen said to Lingling, "Mission complete. The Mo Yu Grass is what I needed. Do I just head back the same way?"

After Dongfang Chen's words were sent, it was a while before Lingling spoke.

"Hello? Hello! Can you hear me?"

Dongfang Chen took off his earpiece. The earpiece was still lit, meaning the battery was sufficient.

Could it be a signal issue?

No, that wasn't right. The earpiece's signal was specially made, with the main frequency tied to Lingling. Unless something happened to Lingling, the signal couldn't drop.

Dongfang Chen's expression darkened.

Lingling's location was only three kilometers from the Defense Line of Kangning City.

That distance was usually a buffer zone for the Defense Line, with few demons appearing.

Even if there were, the Military Department at the Defense Line would regularly clear them out.

Additionally, before leaving, I had set up quite a few Magic Barriers around Lingling, all of which could effectively prevent demonic beasts from invading.

Logically speaking, Lingling couldn't possibly be in danger.

After a few seconds, the call on Lingling's end finally reconnected.

But the first thing that came through wasn't Lingling's voice—it was a series of urgent Alarm Sounds.

As for that Alarm Sound, though it was a bit different from what he remembered, Dongfang Chen was all too familiar with it.

After all, Bocheng had once sounded the same alarm back then.

"An Alarm Sound? From the sound of it, it's the lowest-tier Orange Alert. Lingling, are you okay over there?"

Lingling's crisp voice came through.

"I'm safe for now, but it's really bad luck—Kangning City actually triggered an Orange Alert."

Unlike Bocheng's Crimson Alert, an Orange Alert was the lowest tier of warning signal.

But even the lowest-tier signal meant at least a hundred demonic beasts were about to approach Kangning City.

"Don't worry about me. Just pull back into the city first."

"It's already too late."

Lingling's voice came through.

"I'm three kilometers from Kangning City. If I head back now, I'll probably run straight into the demonic beasts. Don't worry about me—those beasts aren't coming directly at my position. You're the one who should be worried right now."

Lingling's voice was very calm. Even with Kangning City sounding an Orange Alert, her tone carried little panic.

"I took a look through my binoculars. These demonic beasts aren't the Lizard Skull Giant Demons from the Dongting Lake tribe—they're a different group. They were probably driven out by the Lizard Skull Giant Demons. You're closer to Dongting Lake than I am, so be careful of the Lizard Skull Giant Demon movements."

"Understood. I'll try to get to you as fast as I can."

"Don't worry about me. Just stay safe first. But I probably won't be able to keep in touch with you from now on—demonic beasts are very sensitive to human activity, so I'll need to stay quiet for a while."

With that, Lingling ended the call.

Even though Lingling's tone seemed very calm, she was still just a Little Girl who hadn't awakened any magic.

No matter what, Dongfang Chen couldn't just leave her be.

So, he unfurled his Purple Cloud Wings.

Even though doing so might reveal some secrets in front of the sharp-witted Lingling, he couldn't afford to care about that now.

Dongfang Chen flapped his wings and quickly soared into the air.

Even High-Tier Mages with Wind Wings wouldn't casually fly out in the wild.

Because many demonic beasts had the ability to fly.

Once airborne, the risk of being attacked by demonic beasts increased. But for Dongfang Chen, as long as it wasn't a Commander Level Demonic Beast, one Soul Attack would do the job.

Even a Commander Level Demonic Beast was just a bit more trouble.

Compared to that, Lingling's safety was far more important.