Inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Lin Feng briefly assigned the tasks.
Every member of the Dawn of Light obeyed without the slightest surprise.
But there was someone else standing nearby. Dugu Yan was nearly scared out of her wits.
Could they discuss a plan this momentous somewhere a little more private? Did she really have the right to hear this?
Just as she was trembling with unease, another sound of rushing wind came from the outskirts. A domineering old man in a gray robe hurried toward the center.
His aura spilled out, commanding awe without anger. Just the fluctuations he radiated were enough to convince Dugu Yan that he was even stronger than her grandfather!
"Just as I thought. There aren't only a few youngsters here."
If she'd still had any doubts before,
then Chen Zidian's arrival explained everything.
She silently curled in on herself, held her breath, and did her best to make herself inconspicuous, afraid she might accidentally anger the others.
As Chen Zidian landed and instantly reined in his formidable aura, he seemed to become an ordinary old man again. He was as respectful as Long Haochen.
"Your Majesty, do you have any orders?"
Chen Zidian bowed and asked quietly.
Only then did Dugu Yan realize that, apparently, everyone had been using that title.
That's right! The "His Majesty" mentioned in her grandfather's note was the person behind the curtain? Who on earth was he?
"You're back at just the right time. Go make some noise."
"Xingyu's operation is going very smoothly, and that location is better suited as a point of descent."
"To prevent anything from going wrong, we need to draw more eyes to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, this outpost."
Lin Feng paid no heed to Dugu Yan's thoughts—or rather, didn't care in the slightest. After giving his orders, he immediately ended the call.
That left Chen Zidian and the six members of Long Haochen's group to discuss the revised plan. Since they needed to make some noise, they couldn't simply sit back and wait.
They had to take the initiative and show just how great a threat they posed if they wanted to stir up the biggest commotion possible.
The discussion soon ended. The two sides continued to work separately, with the Dawn of Light carrying on with the inscription of the array patterns.
They also took on some of the patrol duties. With the time that freed up, Chen Zidian went out to make trouble himself.
In a way, this was finally putting everyone to work where they excelled. In the original story, the Demon Slayer Fallen Hunting Squad did exactly this kind of work!
"Be careful after I leave."
After saying this, Chen Zidian turned and flew outside.
His destination was clear: the Heaven Dou Empire's checkpoint on the edge of Sunset Forest.
Now that the imperial family's bounty had spread, the place was almost as lively as the Star Dou Great Forest.
For ease of management, and to guard against enemy incursions, the empire had joined forces with the two great sects to establish a huge camp.
The outer area was like a commercial street, packed with countless unaffiliated Soul Masters and mercenary groups. They provided supplies and intelligence, like a quest hub in a game.
The inner area housed the empire's elite legions, along with Soul Masters from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Qian Renxue, who was in charge, also stayed there from time to time.
Clearly, in order to complete Lin Feng's task,
Chen Zidian had set his sights on this camp.
How could he make the biggest splash? How could he crank the tension to its peak? He would deliver a shock right to their faces!
He glanced at the sky. It was already evening, the setting sun brightening the horizon as cooking smoke rose and campfires blazed to life.
"Now will do."
A smile played at the corner of Chen Zidian's mouth.
He strode through the air, slowly emerging from the forest.
He deliberately slowed his pace and gave them time to react, all so more people would see him.
In an instant, the camp's outskirts erupted into an uproar. Countless freelance workers who had come to take on missions looked up in confusion.
They didn't know who he was or what he wanted. But anyone who could fly through the air without relying on a flying Martial Soul had to be at least a Soul Saint.
What's more, his entrance was so flashy and imposing.
He acted as if nothing in heaven or earth mattered, drawing plenty of attention.
Humans were naturally curious. Most people didn't think much of it, but a few sharp-eyed ones sensed something was amiss.
This was the gathering point specially established by the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, with the two great sects assisting. What ordinary Soul Master would dare barge in?
Especially with that man in the sky, whose Soul Power surged violently.
No matter how they looked at it, he seemed to have come looking for trouble.
The clever ones quickly came to their senses. Instead of approaching to watch, they hurriedly moved farther away.
But most remained rooted to the spot, watching Chen Zidian approach through the air until he reached the sky above the camp.
At last, the inner camp reacted fiercely as well. A legion of over a thousand men, weapons in hand, gathered together and stood on guard.
Meanwhile, in another area reserved exclusively for mid- and high-ranking Soul Masters, Meng Shenji, one of the three members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's education committee, was shaking all over in terror.
He was the strongest person stationed here...
After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had only Sword Douluo Chen Xin left.
He couldn't ignore the sect's safety and remain in Sunset Forest for a long time. Most of the time, he still had to stay behind at the sect.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was in a similar situation. Neither of its two surviving Titled Douluo was currently at the camp.
As a result, Chen Zidian's advance went entirely unimpeded.
As for Meng Shenji? He didn't even dare show his face.
As the saying went, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. It was an eternal truth, and he, an old fox, understood it all too well.
He stayed in his tent, suppressing the fluctuations of his Soul Power and watching with his own eyes as Chen Zidian descended.
Hovering in the center, he was enveloped in a thick energy.
No one could make out his face or tell what expression he wore.
Combined with the suffocating pressure, it only made him seem more mysterious. Even though everyone knew how dangerous the situation was, no one dared act rashly.
They watched helplessly as Chen Zidian raised his hand and "conjured" a golden longsword out of thin air. Countless golden streams of light spilled out, quickly converging at its tip.
"Not good! Quick! Scatter! Get clear!"
Meng Shenji jolted to his senses and shouted instinctively.
If before he had only suspected that the newcomer was at least a Titled Douluo, now he was a hundred percent certain.
He knew Dugu Bo quite well and had seen him fight with all his strength. He was nowhere near this powerful.
He immediately realized that this was the mysterious force inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the one targeting the Heaven Dou Empire. No wonder even Bone Douluo had never returned.
As soon as the words left his mouth, seemingly endless holy light poured down like a meteor shower, following the swing of the sword and raining over the entire camp.
This time, Chen Zidian wasn't trying to annihilate his enemies.
His job was to make a huge commotion, so he used an area-of-effect skill.
He deliberately reduced the concentration of his spiritual energy to expand the spell's range. In an instant, it covered more than half the camp.
Only a handful of people at the very outskirts escaped the Holy Light Meteor Shower. More than ninety percent of the troops and adventurers were struck by that holy power.
The lucky ones suffered only minor burns. The unlucky ones were hit in vital spots; even though the spiritual energy had been diluted, they were still gravely wounded and knocked unconscious.
The entire camp descended into panic and chaos.
Screams and shouts echoed from every direction.
But Chen Zidian didn't strike again. Compared with killing the people here, letting them live to spread the news would draw more attention.
"This is your warning. Next time, it won't be so simple."
He deliberately spoke words meant to mislead, then vanished from the sky.
Meng Shenji crawled out of a tent scorched by the holy flames, looking into the distance as he swallowed nervously.
The last words remained etched in his mind. Once he was sure Chen Zidian had gone far away, he ran toward Heaven Dou City without hesitation. He had to send word back as soon as possible...
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