Orange Alert

Lingling's voice caught in her throat.

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

From Lingling's perspective, Dongfang Chen had merely raised a hand, and the Cave Demon General had been crushed into a lump of flesh by an invisible force.

Silence stretched for a long while.

Only then did Lingling's voice come through the earpiece.

"I didn't know you were this strong."

"Of course I am."

Dongfang Chen sounded smug.

He hadn't even used his Soul Power or Dou Qi when he attacked just now.

Although Dongfang Chen was only an Intermediate Level Mage, with Space Element magic combined with One Thought Star Map, he could easily crush an ordinary Commander Level Demon with a casual move.

"Hmph! I compliment you a little, and you get all proud!"

Lingling's familiar, haughty tone had returned.

"But since you're so strong, we can skip some of the unnecessary routes I planned."

The sound of keyboard keys tapping came from Lingling's end.

She continued, "I originally wanted to map out a few routes that would let you avoid Commander Level Demons. Since you can deal with them, you can just charge straight through."

After a few more taps, the keyboard fell silent.

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

Although the Mo Yu Grass grew on the outskirts of a Demon Tribe, getting there on foot without any means of transportation would still take quite a while.

Lingling had initially planned for Dongfang Chen to spend two days collecting the Mo Yu Grass.

On the first day, he would reach the area near the Mo Yu Grass and find a safe place to spend the night.

Early the next morning, he would gather it, then spend the afternoon making his way back.

But since Dongfang Chen was fairly capable, he should be able to return by the following morning if he picked up the pace.

As for traveling at night, that time couldn't be saved.

There were too many unpredictable factors after dark, and many Demons were active at night.

For safety's sake, traveling at night was out of the question.

"Sure, no problem. I'll do whatever you say, my Little Strategist."

Dongfang Chen's voice brimmed with amusement.

Since Lingling had put so much effort into advising him and planning his route, he might as well follow her lead.

He was in a hurry, but one extra day wouldn't make much difference.

Lingling pouted. She felt like he was teasing her, but she couldn't prove it.

Before long, Lingling had worked out a new route.

Following her directions, Dongfang Chen reached the place where the Mo Yu Grass grew that afternoon.

Although Mo Yu Grass was a main ingredient in Fifth-grade pills, it didn't contain much energy itself.

Its role in Fifth-grade pills was mainly to balance the medicinal properties.

As a result, there weren't any Demons lurking around the Mo Yu Grass.

Dongfang Chen gathered it with ease—or rather, the Zi Xuan Grass.

After comparing the plants, Dongfang Chen finally confirmed that the Mo Yu Grass was the same as the Zi Xuan Grass.

There were three plants growing here, enough for him to make both Po Ling Pills and Dou Ling Pills.

A smile appeared on Dongfang Chen's face.

This trip hadn't been for nothing after all.

After picking the Zi Xuan Grass and putting it into his Storage Ring, Dongfang Chen said to Lingling, "Mission accomplished. The Mo Yu Grass is what I came for. Should I just head back the way I came?"

Lingling didn't answer for a long time after his voice came through.

"Hello? Hello! Can you hear me?"

Dongfang Chen took off his earpiece. Its indicator was still lit, which meant the battery was fine.

Could the signal be bad?

No, that couldn't be right. The earpiece used a custom signal, with Lingling's end as the main frequency. The signal couldn't have cut out unless something had happened to her.

Dongfang Chen's expression darkened.

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

That distance was generally part of the buffer zone around the Defense Line, where Demons rarely appeared.

Even if any did show up, the Military Department at the Defense Line would clear them out regularly.

Besides, before leaving, he had set up several Magic Barriers around Lingling, all of which could effectively keep Demons out.

By all rights, Lingling shouldn't be in any danger.

A few seconds later, the connection with Lingling finally came through again.

But the first sound wasn't Lingling's voice. It was a series of urgent alarms.

Though the alarm sounded a little different from how he remembered it, Dongfang Chen knew it all too well.

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

"An alarm? From the sound of it, it's the lowest level—an Orange Alert. Lingling, are you all right over there?"

Lingling's clear voice came through.

"I'm safe for now, but what terrible luck. Kangning City has sounded an Orange Alert."

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

But even the lowest-level alert meant that at least a hundred Demons were approaching the area around Kangning City.

"Don't worry about me. Get back to the city first."

"It's too late."

Lingling's voice came through.

"I'm three kilometers from Kangning City. If I head back now, I'll probably run right into the Demons. Don't worry about me. Those Demons haven't appeared near my position yet. You're the one who should be worried."

Lingling sounded perfectly calm. Even with Kangning City under an Orange Alert, there was little panic in her voice.

"I checked through my binoculars. These Demons aren't the Lizard Skull Giants from the Dongting Lake tribe. They're from another group, and they may have been driven out by the Lizard Skull Giants. You're closer to Dongting Lake than I am, so watch out for the Lizard Skull Giants' movements."

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

"Don't worry about me. Just stay safe. I probably won't be able to contact you after this, though. Demons are very sensitive to human activity, so I'll need to stay quiet for a while."

With that, Lingling ended the call.

Though Lingling had sounded calm, she was still just a little girl who hadn't awakened her magic.

No matter what, Dongfang Chen couldn't leave her to fend for herself.

He unfurled his Purple Cloud Wings.

Doing so might expose some secrets to the perceptive Lingling, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

Dongfang Chen beat his wings and shot into the sky.

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

Many Demons could fly, too.

Taking to the sky increased the risk of being attacked by a Demon. But for Dongfang Chen, as long as it wasn't a Commander Level Demonic Beast, one Soul Attack would be enough.

Even a Commander Level Demonic Beast would only take a little more effort.

Compared with that, Lingling's safety mattered more.