Boom—!
Lu Chen's eyes snapped open. He felt the air in the entire meditation room grow thick and restless, as if it were shifting with his every thought.
Deep in his eyes, faint sparks of lightning flickered in his left, while a green whirlwind swirled in his right, both seeming wondrous and strange.
Four hundred and fifty-five years of lifespan had been completely spent!
In return, his Talisman Crafting had broken through, and he had gained a brand-new trump card, far more powerful than the Sun Flame Talisman!
Enduring the tearing pain in his soul, Lu Chen snatched up the Golden Bristle Jade Brush from the table, dipped it in earthfire cinnabar, and—with the insight that had yet to fade—set to work, his brush flying across the talisman paper!
This time, he wasn't drawing a simple Sun Flame Talisman.
His brush swept sometimes as fiercely as thunder and lightning, sometimes as lightly as a gentle breeze stroking the willow.
The crimson cinnabar lines intertwined and coiled across the talisman paper, finally forming a brand-new talisman rune ten times more complex than the Sun Flame Talisman!
On the rune's left side, lightning surged; on its right, a gale swirled.
Two entirely different forces were perfectly linked and balanced by a profound central axis, forming a strange pattern with a devastating beauty.
Hum—!
The instant his final stroke landed, the talisman paper floated into the air of its own accord!
Red and green light shone in tandem across its surface as a terrifying, razor-sharp, explosive aura burst forth, powerful enough to pierce through anything!
A whirlwind sprang up out of nowhere in the meditation room, sending the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone tumbling across the desk!
"Now that's power!"
Looking at the brand-new talisman, Lu Chen's eyes blazed with a brilliance he'd never felt before.
This Earth-Rank, mid-grade Wind Thunder Spell-Breaking Talisman was probably powerful enough to pose a deadly threat to an ordinary Ranked Demon!
Yet just as he was rejoicing at having gained another trump card—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of urgent, heavy chimes rang out without warning from the very highest point of the Demon Suppression Division—the Warning Bell Tower!
One chime!
Two!
Three!
Nine chimes in all!
The nine tolls of doom!
This was the Demon Suppression Division's highest-level alarm! It meant that a calamity capable of threatening the safety of the entire Nanling Prefecture City was about to descend!
Lu Chen's expression changed in an instant.
He put away the talisman and dashed out of the meditation room without hesitation.
By now, the entire Demon Suppression Division had descended into chaos.
Countless Imperial Guards and strongmen poured out of their barracks, every one of them wearing a look of shock and confusion.
"What happened? Why are the nine tolls of doom ringing?"
"Has the sky fallen?!"
"Quick! To the Council Hall! The Captain has summoned everyone with the rank of Centurion or above!"
Lu Chen fought against the panicked flow of people, racing toward the Council Hall like a phantom.
By the time he arrived, the Council Hall was already packed.
Captain Li Deyang stood in full armor before a massive defensive map of Nanling Prefecture City, his face grim as he stared at the ominous blood-red sky beyond the window, where the color was slowly spreading.
Deputy Commander Liu and the other senior officers of the Imperial Guard Camp stood with hands on their sword hilts, each of them looking solemn and ready for battle.
Lu Chen stood at the back of the crowd. He had just come from the direction of the Warning Bell Tower, and he hadn't even had time to get used to his brand-new Deputy Commander uniform.
His eyes lowered, he suppressed his presence to the utmost and quietly observed the expressions of everyone present.
"Everyone's here."
Captain Li spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
He extended a finger and pointed to an area in the west of the city on the map.
"One hour ago, the Anmin Ward area in the west of the city was inexplicably enveloped in Blood Mist. Fifteen minutes ago, the Blood Mist tripled in size. It has now completely swallowed Flowing Cloud Lane in Anmin Ward, along with half of the Golden Water Channel."
"The first scouting party we sent in—fifteen men in three squads—lost contact the instant they stepped into the Blood Mist. Not even a scream came out."
A wave of sharp intakes of breath rippled through the Council Hall.
"Blood Mist?" asked a veteran Centurion with a furrowed brow. "Is it some kind of large-scale miasma demon art?"
"Unknown." Captain Li shook his head, his expression growing grimmer. "But according to the observation posts on the perimeter, countless figures are moving inside the Blood Mist, and... the sound of flesh being chewed and bones being crushed has come from within."
Flesh being chewed!
Those four words sent a chill racing from the soles of the battle-hardened Imperial Guards' feet straight to their scalps.
"Worse still," Captain Li continued, his voice dropping lower, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "Just now, three civilians who barely escaped the edge of the Blood Mist rapidly withered before everyone's eyes, then turned into... Blood Slaves who attacked the living!"
Blood Slaves!
That name changed the expression of everyone present, Deputy Commander Liu included.
"Blood Demon Cult heretics!" Deputy Commander Liu cried out. "How dare they make such a commotion inside Nanling Prefecture City?!"
"It's too late to talk about that now." Captain Li's gaze swept slowly across everyone in the room. "The Blood Mist is spreading extremely fast. It can also corrupt the living and turn them into its own kind. If we can't find and destroy its source before nightfall, and let it continue to spread..."
He left the rest unsaid, but everyone present understood what he meant.
The whole of Nanling Prefecture would become a grinding mill of flesh and blood, a living hell!
"By my command!" Captain Li's voice rose sharply, filled with the ruthless authority of a seasoned commander. "The Imperial Guard Camp will mobilize in full! Establish three lines of defense centered on Anmin Ward. Hold them at all costs, and don't let a single Blood Slave escape the Blood Mist!"
"Every Centurion will lead a squad to clear out any Blood Slaves that break through the Blood Mist!"
"Liu Quan!"
"Present!" Deputy Commander Liu stepped forward and bowed to receive his orders.
"Take your elite troops and serve as the reserve. Be ready to reinforce any of the defensive lines at a moment's notice!"
"Understood!"
One order after another was issued in orderly fashion, and the tense atmosphere in the Council Hall gave way to a fierce, battle-ready resolve.
But just as Captain Li was about to dismiss the meeting, an ill-timed voice rang out.
"Captain, you seem to have... forgotten about a newly appointed Deputy Commander."
Everyone turned toward the voice. A tall, gaunt young Centurion with a sinister face was slowly stepping out of the ranks.
His name was Chen Ying, a collateral member of the Chen Clan of Nanling Prefecture. He had reached the rank of Centurion at a young age and had always looked down on his fellow officers from humble backgrounds.
Now, his sharp, hawk-like eyes settled on Lu Chen, standing at the back of the crowd, carrying undisguised mockery and provocation.
"Deputy Commander Lu is a Fortunate General the likes of whom our Demon Suppression Division hasn't seen in a century, and a peerless genius who awakened an ancient bloodline. With Nanling Prefecture facing such a disaster, this is the perfect chance for Deputy Commander Lu to show his mettle and help the Division through its troubles. Surely it would be a waste of his talents to have Captain leave him here merely to listen in?"