Dianxing City

Although Shi Lan is only at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm, her strength surpasses that of ordinary seventh-level Body Tempering Realm martial artists.

Shi Lan rubbed her arm, feeling its usual softness, and was a little puzzled. Practicing the Vajra Divine Fist shouldn't turn her into a muscular "Vajra Barbie," but it should have made her muscles and bones much firmer.

Yet, her body remained unchanged, just as it was before she started practicing martial arts, except for a significant increase in flexibility.

Shi Feng tossed a cleaned, ox-like demonic beast onto the ground and handed his saber to Shi Lan.

A flicker of excitement crossed Shi Lan's eyes. She licked her lips, took the saber, and began to process the meat.

Initially, Shi Feng had handled these tasks, but after eating his roasted meat twice, Shi Lan decided to do it herself for a better meal.

Shi Feng's strength was formidable, but his roasted meat was mediocre at best; it was merely edible.

As soon as she placed the meat on the grill, a thunderous roar, like an earthquake, echoed from afar.

"What is that..."

Shi Feng narrowed his eyes, looking at a black line that appeared at the edge of the horizon.

The black line was rapidly approaching their location. As it drew nearer, Shi Lan could clearly see its true form: riders clad in black armor, wearing masks, and mounted on magnificent horses that resembled dragons.

This cavalry unit numbered no more than a hundred, but their unified charge created a momentum like an army of thousands passing through.

What drew Shi Lan's attention the most was the large banner in the center of the formation, black with golden characters.

"Suppress Demons..."

These two words seemed to possess a magical power, etching themselves deeply into Shi Lan's mind.

In less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, the cavalry unit had arrived before Shi Lan and Shi Feng. They slightly slowed down, observed the two, and then passed by without stopping.

"Demon Suppression Army... why are they here..." Shi Feng murmured softly, a bad premonition flashing through his mind.

This location was at least tens of thousands of miles away from the front lines Shi Tianlu had told him about. The Demon Suppression Army always operated on the very front lines of suppressing demonic beasts. If they were in this vicinity, then a large horde of demonic beasts couldn't be far away.

Could it be that these tens of thousands of miles of territory had already...

"Shi Feng, do you know these people?" Shi Lan asked, hearing Shi Feng's mumbling.

Shi Feng snapped back to reality and said, "Young Master, let's take a detour and head northeast."

"Why? Because of those people just now?"

"It's very dangerous around here." Shi Feng briefly explained the origin of the Demon Suppression Army and what their presence in the area signified.

Shi Lan didn't hesitate and agreed, choosing self-preservation.

After changing direction and traveling for seven or eight days, the two gradually noticed something was amiss. The further northeast they went, the more frequently they encountered the Demon Suppression Army.

Initially, they would see them once every two days, but later, it became three or four times a day.

This anomaly made Shi Feng uneasy.

Finally, after encountering the fifth wave of Demon Suppression Army cavalry in a single day, Shi Feng could no longer suppress his curiosity. He stopped the dozens of riders and asked, "May I ask, sirs, what has happened ahead? Why are so many Demon Suppression Army patrolling this area?"

From the cavalrymen, Shi Feng learned a shocking piece of news.

After Yunshan Gorge was attacked by a Demon Emperor and suffered heavy losses, more than ten strongholds, including Hukou Gorge, Yangxing Ridge, Xiquan Ferry, and Heavenly Dao Peak, had successively fallen.

The demonic race had launched a large-scale invasion, and Chengtian Domain was already engulfed in war. There were no longer any front lines; everyone was fighting their own battles.

Upon hearing this news, Shi Lan and Shi Feng dared not change direction arbitrarily again. They could only brace themselves and continue heading in the direction opposite to the boundless demonic territory.

After another three days of travel, Shi Lan and Shi Feng finally spotted a city.

This city was much larger than Tenglong City. Its walls were nearly twenty zhang high, and the traces of recent, hasty reinforcement were evident, clearly indicating they had been recently raised.

"Dianxing City..."

Shi Lan whispered the name and led her horse towards the city gate.

After a brief inspection by the gate guards, the two entered the city. Black-armored patrolling soldiers were visible everywhere.

Shi Lan roughly estimated that Dianxing City was at least five to six times the size of Tenglong City.

There were very few pedestrians on the streets, and the few that were present hurried along.

Shi Lan and Shi Feng made a circuit and found an inn. After their journey of roughing it, Shi Lan hadn't experienced the comfort of a bed and a hot bath in a long time.

Shi Lan tapped on the counter, waking the innkeeper who had dozed off behind it.

The innkeeper, around sixty years old, raised his eyelids, yawned, and said, "Guests, this humble establishment has no more food or drink. If you wish to stay, the rooms upstairs are all vacant, and you can stay as you please, free of charge."

"Innkeeper, has something happened in Dianxing City? Could you tell us about it?" Shi Lan frowned slightly at the innkeeper's nonchalant attitude.

"It's all because of those demonic beasts," the innkeeper sighed.

"The Demon Suppression Army has completely taken over Dianxing City. All supplies are being centralized. The original residents of the city have either fled or been evacuated in waves. I suppose it will be my turn soon."

No wonder the city was so large yet so sparsely populated.

"Now, only this old man remains at this inn. If you don't mind, please stay. There's a well in the backyard for water. If you're looking for a place to eat, you'll have to find somewhere else."

Shi Lan thanked the innkeeper, carried her luggage upstairs, found an empty room, and settled in.

Shi Feng led the horse to the inn's backyard, made arrangements, and then went out to gather information.

After Shi Lan settled her luggage, she went downstairs to borrow the kitchen from the innkeeper, boiled several pots of water, and took a comfortable hot bath. While traveling, even a hot bath was a luxury.

After gathering information, Shi Feng quickly returned to the inn.

"Young Master, we will depart for the Holy Martial Immortal Sect's territory tomorrow."

"Why the rush?"

"Dianxing City is too dangerous. Just the day before yesterday, Huangsha City, nine hundred miles to the northwest, fell to a Beast Tide. The Beast Tide could spread here at any moment."

Hearing this, Shi Lan nodded. "As you say. How far is the Holy Martial Immortal Sect from here?"

"About ninety thousand miles."

"Ninety thousand miles?! When will we ever get there?" Shi Lan was startled by the distance. Calculating on her fingers, she realized that was more than a full circle around the Earth.

Shi Feng shook his head and smiled. "It won't take too long. I can travel two thousand miles a day by flying my artifact, so we should arrive in about a month and a half."

Reminded by Shi Feng, Shi Lan suddenly remembered that Shi Feng could fly. He had been walking behind her for the past while, and she had been so engrossed in her cultivation that she had almost forgotten.

Seeking recommendation tickets, seeking collections~ (:з"∠)