Return to the Outer Academy, Seek Wu Tianlang

The Enforcement Team headquarters of the Outer Academy stood in a relatively isolated area in the eastern part of the academy.

The architecture was rugged and austere, built from dark massive stones, carrying an air of grim, iron-blooded severity.

Without passing through the layers of checkpoints below or reporting in, two figures flew directly over a weakly monitored section of the defensive array and descended toward the Training Ground at the center of the Enforcement Team's base.

Bang! Bang!

Two dull landing sounds rang out, sending up a faint cloud of dust. One of them stumbled before steadying himself—it was Wu Hao. His face was slightly pale; clearly, he had not adapted to this completely unbuffered "airdrop" method.

Qin Han had carried him all the way back.

"Brother Qin, could you give me a warning next time..."

Wu Hao rubbed his face, which stung from the high-speed wind, and muttered softly.

Their near break-in did not trigger any alarms.

Many of the guards stationed at the open and hidden checkpoints between the inner and outer academies had once come from the Enforcement Team, or were closely connected to it.

Qin Han and Wu Hao were considered one of their own. Their faces and auras had long been recognized by these guards.

Seeing it was them, most simply turned a blind eye, happy to do them a favor.

The moment the two landed firmly on the Training Ground, the Enforcement Team members training or resting nearby were immediately stirred.

"Boss?!"

"It's the boss! He's back!"

"Wu Hao is back too!"

With a rush, more than a dozen hardened team members surrounded them.

"Boss! It really is you! Hahaha, I knew it—how could you possibly have fallen at the Fallen Fire Sect?!"

"Good grief, Boss, this aura of yours... it's far stronger than before you left!"

Facing their overlapping greetings, Qin Han smiled and patted several of them on the shoulders. "You lot haven't been slacking off while I was gone, have you?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Han swept his gaze over the crowd and asked directly, "The Old Man? Is he with the team?"

At the mention of Wu Tianlang, the smiles on everyone's faces faded somewhat.

"He went out—to the Black Corner Region. Still because of those bastards from Earthflame Gate."

One team member spoke in a low voice.

"When something happened to you, Boss, the Old Man went all out after recovering from his injuries. For over half a year now, whenever anyone from Earthflame Gate dared show their faces in the Black Corner Region, he pursued them to the bitter end, taking down quite a few of their people.

"This time, he received intelligence that several Earthflame Gate stragglers were active in the Black Storm Region, so he personally led a team of elite brothers out there. By the count of days, they've been gone nearly half a month. They should be back within the next day or two."

Qin Han nodded at that.

He understood Wu Tianlang's temperament. He would repay any grievance.

A small part of this half-year-long pursuit had been for Jia Nan Academy, but more of it had been for him.

"The Black Storm Region..."

Qin Han pondered.

It was a buffer zone between the Black Corner Region and Jia Nan Academy's sphere of influence. The environment was complex, all sorts of people gathered there, and it was not far from Peace Town.

"Let's go, Wu Hao." Qin Han made his decision. "We'll wait in Peace Town."

At their speed, it would not take long to get there from the Enforcement Team headquarters.

They arrived after the time it took to drink half a cup of tea.

However, just as the distinctive Dead Soul Tree came into view—

Whoosh—bang!

A sharp whistle tore through the air, followed by a blinding burst of red flame in the sky.

The light condensed without dispersing, forming the image of crossed saber and sword—the Enforcement Team's emergency Signal for Help.

Judging by its direction, it was less than ten li ahead of Peace Town.

"It's the Enforcement Team's Signal for Help!" Wu Hao's expression changed.

"Go!"

Qin Han's eyes sharpened. His figure had already become a blurred streak of light, while Wu Hao gritted his teeth and followed at full speed.

Within a few breaths, they had crossed the dense forest. The view before them suddenly opened up, only to be instantly filled with a thick stench of blood and violent Dou Qi fluctuations.

More than a dozen team members dressed in Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team uniforms were all wounded. Standing back-to-back in a small circular formation, they barely held off seven or eight fierce attackers surrounding them.

Several corpses already lay on the ground, some Enforcement Team members and some attackers.

At the heart of the battle was an even fiercer clash.

The most conspicuous figure was Wu Tianlang.

He was still dressed in black, his face cold and stern. The long saber in his hand swept wide and heavy, and even while fighting two opponents alone, he showed no sign of falling behind.

Opposite him.

One of them was also at the peak of the Dou Wang realm, wielding a Ghost Head Greatsword as wide as a door panel.

The other was a Five Star Dou Wang. His movements were elusive, and he wielded a pair of Poisoned Daggers, specializing in vicious, underhanded attacks.

The two worked together seamlessly, one direct and one unpredictable. Though Wu Tianlang had them on the defensive, they still managed to keep him firmly entangled.

"Wu Tianlang! If you know what's good for you, stay out of this!"

The peak Dou Wang elder launched a frenzied assault as he sneered. "Hand over that black-robed brat and everything on him! I'll let you and your damn Enforcement Team get the hell out of here!

"Otherwise, we'll leave every last one of you here today as fertilizer for this forest!"

Wu Tianlang's reply was an even fiercer Crimson Blade Light that nearly tore through space.

"You sure talk a lot of nonsense!"

"That kid said he's related to a Jia Nan Academy student. My Enforcement Team will be protecting him."

Wu Tianlang forced the two back another half-step, but he still could not break through their encirclement.

"Fuck!"

"Third Brother! Stop wasting time playing with those small fry! Finish this quickly, then we'll deal with this Old Thing together!"

The elder carrying the Ghost Head Greatsword cursed furiously.

As soon as he finished speaking, a Five Star Dou Wang aura abruptly erupted from among the Black Corner Region crowd attacking Jia Nan Academy.

"Fine!"

The man who answered flicked his spear, turning it into several glints of cold light as it shot straight toward the Enforcement Team captain at the front. At the same time, he shouted to his subordinates, "You three, capture that black-robed brat! Dead or alive!"

The Black Robe Man's aura faltered, and a trace of despair and ruthlessness flashed through his eyes, as if he were preparing to risk his life.

But the next moment—

"You dare touch someone from Jia Nan Academy? Who gave you the nerve?!"

A cold, furious roar suddenly exploded above the battlefield.

A scorching, violent aura descended like a meteor from the heavens, crashing straight into the battle between the Five Star Dou Wang and the Black Corner Region fighters.

BOOM!!!

The blast wave erupted like a tangible tsunami.

The Five Star Dou Wang who had been about to deliver the killing blow bore the brunt of it. An irresistible force mixed with terrifyingly scorching Fire Energy slammed into him head-on, and the spear in his hand was shaken loose after bending out of shape.

The others were sent flying directly by the shockwave, coughing up blood as they were hurled away.

As the dust gradually dispersed.

A tall, upright figure slowly rose from the shallow crater.

His black hair stirred gently, his robes fluttered in the wind, and Lotus Fire and specks of star flames faintly flowed around him.

"Boss?!"

No one knew who cried out first. Wu Tianlang suddenly whipped his head around and saw a familiar face.

His entire body trembled at first, before he burst into wild laughter.

"Heaven truly has eyes! I knew the King of Hell wouldn't be able to take you, brat!"

As his voice fell, the longsword in his hand whistled with even greater force as he charged straight at the enemy.

"Fuck! Has this Old Thing gone mad?!"

The two cursed as they struggled to hold him back.

On the other side, seeing that Wu Tianlang was still as vigorous as ever, Qin Han finally let out the breath he had been holding.

However, when his gaze swept over the people below, it paused on the Black Robe Man's face, which seemed somewhat familiar to him.