In fact, the headquarters of Chen Village's Secret Guard Department is located underground at the Rune Research Institute, and many of the mechanisms currently used by the Secret Guard Department are controlled by Xiaozhi.
Chen Mu had previously advocated for transforming the Shadow Guards headquarters into a paperless environment, where all data would be processed directly by Xiaozhi, and Mingye would only need to view a virtual screen to intuitively process intelligence.
However, Mingye was not used to Chen Mu's approach at the time, so the Shadow Guards Headquarters still looked similar to the traditional intelligence agencies in this world until later when she began to have Xiaozhi assist in analyzing intelligence.
"I don't care, the Xiaozhi clone you implanted in me last time was quite useful."
Even if I'm not here now, I can still get my orders through Xiaozhi, so it won't affect the operation of the Secret Guard Department."
After such a long period of adjustment, Mingye has become more and more proficient in using smart devices, so Chen Mu simply implanted Xiaozhi clone chip into her cerebral cortex as well.
In addition to exchanging information with Xiaozhi's main body at the Rune Research Institute, Xiaozhi's clone now has auxiliary functions such as ultrasonic radar and danger perception. Although Mingye is not yet proficient in using them, they can still be of some help to her.
"Okay, then come with me tomorrow. I'm off."
Chen Mu greeted Mingye, then his body transformed into white light and returned to his office upstairs.
West Ge Continent, in a secluded valley.
Here, simple wooden huts were built, and many people worked here; some were processing food, some were repairing houses, and others were forging weapons.
Although these people were simply dressed and lived in harsh conditions, their eyes were resolute, shining with a light called hope.
"They're back! The adults are back!"
At that moment, a force of nearly a thousand men rushed into the valley.
These people moved swiftly, obeyed orders, and moved in perfect unison, quickly forming a square formation and stopping in the center of the valley.
They had just come through a great battle, and now each of them was covered in blood and looked exhausted, but their eyes were full of determination.
"Five hours of rest! Dismissed."
At A Huo's command, nearly a thousand members scattered and disappeared, some to get food, some to find a comfortable spot to rest, and some to relieve themselves in the outhouse.
" Lord Huo, how did the battle go today?"
An elderly man carrying a full cup of water approached A Huo, his eyes showing some nervousness.
"I encountered a few minor troubles, but nothing serious."
A Huo picked up his water glass and took a big gulp, feeling a surge of relief in his parched throat, and his furrowed brows relaxed considerably.
"However, the Otherworldly Demon seem to have roughly located this base, so it looks like we'll have to relocate again."
He wiped the water from his mouth with his sleeve, seemingly deep in thought.
The old man's already deep wrinkles deepened even more. Every time he moved his base, many people would die. Although he had become accustomed to life and death, he still felt very sad every time someone died in front of him.
"Alright, have you decided where to move, sir?"
The Demon-Slaying Sword has a very rapid turnover of members. Although there are only over nine hundred active members now, the total number of members throughout the generations is definitely no less than ten thousand.
A Huo could ignore the others, but many of the members of the Demon-Slaying Sword had relatives, and in order to protect these relatives, he eventually had to establish a base.
This valley is home to thousands of relatives of members of the Demon-Slaying Sword. In addition, there are two other similar settlements elsewhere, with roughly the same number of relatives.
"Let's move southeast! I think it's time to bring everyone down to a stable place."
A Huo subconsciously looked southeast, as if he saw a charming little girl and a mature-looking young man smiling and waving at him.
He suddenly realized that he had really been away for far too long.
"An Ding? Lord Huo, what do you mean?"
The old man seemed to remember something, and his breathing gradually became heavy.
"Pass on my order! Tomorrow morning, we will migrate to the Orchid Mountain Range in the southeast."
I will have the families from the other two outposts enter the Orchid Mountain Range in the next few days to meet up with you. This time, we will cross the Orchid Mountain Range into the Wilderness, temporarily escaping this territory occupied by the Otherworldly Demon.
After giving his orders, A Huo leaped into his own wooden hut and sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate.
Although the decision has been made to leave this battlefield, leading more than 10,000 people through the Orchid Mountain Range and across several gathering places of Otherworldly Demon will undoubtedly involve many tough battles.
He needs to take advantage of the time to rest so that he can always be in top condition.
After hearing A Huo's order, the old man stood there, speechless for a long time.
"Are you leaving? Are you really leaving?"
He looked up at the sky, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
All those who participate in the Demon-Slaying Sword are people of unwavering will. When they join, they are determined to make a living by slaying Otherworldly Demon and have lofty ambitions.
But after these years of fighting, they were all exhausted, and more and more people wanted to leave the battlefield, but everyone just thought about it and no one dared to bring it up.
Whether A Huo's decision was intentional or unintentional, it was a very wise choice in terms of the long-term development of the Demon-Slaying Sword.
Early morning in Chen Village.
Chen Mu packed his bags early in the morning and then left Chen Village with Mingye.
Last night he absorbed the Water of Supreme Yin, and his Divine Soul successfully broke through to the Solid Realm Fifth Layer, resulting in a significant increase in his strength.
For the weak, the Wilderness is a den of dragons and tigers, fraught with danger.
However, for powerful cultivators, the Wilderness is a natural treasure trove, with countless rare and precious materials hidden deep within Wilderness. As long as you have the ability, you can take them at will.
However, ability is relative. There are some truly forbidden places in the Wilderness. Not to mention Chen Mu, even a Creation Realm expert would not dare to set foot there. What exactly is there, no one knows.
Chen Mu's exploration of the Wilderness this time did not have a fixed destination, but rather he traveled south along the mountain road, going deeper and deeper.
Human tribes' activity range in the Wilderness was always located at the border between the northern edge of the Wilderness and the Central Land. The further they went into the southern Wilderness, the more primitive the environment became, and the stronger the monsters and poisonous insects they encountered.
Even though Chen Mu's Runic Body is now fully developed and he grew up in the Wilderness, he still needs to be careful and well-prepared in such an environment.
On his journey, he would stop and collect any precious spiritual materials he encountered.
However, precious spiritual materials are always guarded by powerful demonic beasts, and he often has to fight them.
He was happy to do so, partly to test what he had learned, and partly to earn some money if he killed a monster.
However, the corpses of powerful demonic beasts were simply too enormous, so Chen Mu could only keep the most valuable parts and had to discard the rest.