Repairing the Barrier
"Sir, shall we head to Shangyang Town now?"
Shen Qingwu was the first to speak. Ever since she lost to Su Ying in the competition at Fallen Star Plain, she had been holding a grudge.
Now that Shangyang Town has been captured, we can go there to kill monsters and earn points, and then have a showdown with Su Ying.
She turned to look at Su Ying, "Why that expression? Are you afraid of losing to me?"
Su Ying snapped out of her daze, glanced at her, and spoke in a neutral tone.
"You think I'm afraid of losing to you? You're a defeated opponent."
"You..."
"What do you mean, 'you'? Trying to brag? Wait until you beat me."
Those around them were used to seeing the two arguing again.
During their time in Fallen Star Plain, the two of them would bicker for days on end.
Han Baizhan coughed, and the two of them fell silent, turning to look at him.
"Although we have recaptured Shangyang Town, we have not yet received orders to proceed Shangyang Town. We will continue to wait here."
Disappointment was evident on everyone's faces.
Just then, the tokens of Su Ying, Shen Qingwu, and the others vibrated simultaneously.
Su Ying took it down and her expression changed slightly.
The message was sent by Xiao Tianqi. The first part was a notification for her to meet up in Shangyang Town.
The second half, however, consisted of only one line of text, which left her completely frozen in place.
The sixth-tier Demon Emperor was lured away by Lu Feng, Zhao Changgeng was likely killed by Lu Feng. If you encounter Lu Feng, be sure to prevent him from coming to Shangyang Town.
Su Ying's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the token, but her expression relaxed.
Zhao Changgeng was Great Grandmaster, Lu Feng was able to kill him, so his chances of surviving Hu Xiaotian were very high.
Otherwise, Xiao Tianqi wouldn't have allowed Lu Feng to hide.
Just as he was pondering this, several voices came from the side.
"Great! The Si Zheng has ordered us to head to Shangyang Town immediately!" someone nearby shouted excitedly.
"My lord, can we leave now?" Shen Qingwu turned to look at Han Baizhan.
Han Baizhan had obviously received the message as well, nodded to Shen Qingwu, and then raised his voice:
"I'm sure you've all received the message. Let's set off for Shangyang Town!"
Everyone took to the air, preparing to fly towards Shangyang Town.
Su Ying didn't move; she lagged behind and walked up to Han Baizhan.
"My lord, the Five-City Grand Competition is over. I wish to return to the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau."
Han Baizhan paused. The people around her also stopped and turned to look at her.
"What? Su Ying, what are you thinking? Leave now?"
Shen Qingwu was the first to turn back, looking completely puzzled.
She knew Su Ying too well; given Su Ying's personality, it was impossible for her to leave right after the great battle and before the situation had completely stabilized.
Su Ying didn't explain. She just looked at Han Baizhan.
Han Baizhan was silent for a moment.
He had no right to stop her. The Five-City Grand Competition was indeed over, and the support mission was complete.
Disciples from each city must return to their respective Demon-Slaying Bureau; this is the rule.
"Does Deputy Si Zheng Xiao know about this?"
"It was Uncle Xiao who told me to go back," Su Ying said, bringing up Xiao Tianqi.
Han Baizhan glanced at her twice and finally nodded.
"In that case, take care on your journey."
"Thank you, sir."
Su Ying clasped her hands in a fist salute, nodded to Shen Qingwu and several other familiar disciples, then activated her True Essence, her figure soaring into the air and flying towards the north.
Shen Qingwu stood there, looking in the direction where Su Ying had disappeared, a hint of disappointment on her face.
She had originally planned to have a good match with Su Ying in Shangyang Town, but now she suddenly felt rather bored.
"Is there anyone else leaving?" Han Baizhan's voice was a few decibels louder than usual.
Everyone fell silent. No one spoke again.
"Since no one is leaving, let's set off."
Han Baizhan took off first, followed closely by hundreds of his disciples, flying towards Shangyang Town.
After leaving the group, Su Ying did not immediately fly towards the North City.
She first landed in a secluded mountain hollow, took out the token, dripped some blood into it, and sent a message to Lu Feng.
Tell Lu Feng not to go to Shangyang Town, but to find a place to hide. He'll be safe in a month.
After sending the message, she put away the token, activated her True Essence with all her might, and flew towards the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau.
She knew Lu Feng's strength better than anyone else.
Others might not believe that she killed Zhao Changgeng, thinking that it was impossible for an Early Grandmaster to kill a Great Grandmaster, but she believed it.
How many things did Lu Feng do that he thought were impossible?
Zhao Changgeng was the first disciple of the Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau to break through to the Great Grandmaster; he was a prodigy.
Once headquarters confirms that Zhao Changgeng died at Lu Feng's hands, they will not let it go.
All she can do now is return to the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau and find her father.
As long as Su Xuanqing is willing to take action, Lu Feng still has a chance to survive.
She pushed her speed to the limit, her figure like a purple streak of light, skimming the clouds as she sped northward.
Half an hour later, in Shangyang Town.
Han Baizhan landed with over a hundred disciples.
Qin Bailian was already waiting at the town entrance. After a quick headcount, he assigned everyone to the various main checkpoints as planned.
He promised double the credit, and although everyone was exhausted, their morale was high, and they quickly took their places.
With this new force, the defense of Shangyang Town finally looked somewhat decent.
Wu Qingfeng did not linger there.
After everyone arrived, he led Xiao Tianqi, Song Xuanji, Lu Qingshan, and a few others straight towards the barrier.
The barrier Shangyang Town is the only passage for demonic beasts to enter Yongzhou.
Once the barrier is repaired, the monsters from outside the pass will no longer be able to enter.
At that time, the monsters within Yongzhou will become like water without a source, and will be wiped out sooner or later.
The barrier is located in a mountain valley behind Shangyang Town.
When the group arrived, they immediately spotted the cave entrance.
A rift about ten feet in size hung in mid-air, its edges shimmering with an irregular dark red glow, within which lay complete darkness.
Occasionally, a chilling, demonic Yao Qi seeps out from within, completely obscuring the view inside.
Just then, a surge of energy suddenly began to move through the cave entrance.
Dozens of second-tier wolf demons darted out of the darkness, but Wu Qingfeng didn't even raise his hand; he simply waved it casually.
A surge of powerful True Essence transformed into an invisible wave of energy, sweeping across the area. The dozens of wolf demons were crushed into a bloody mist in mid-air, without even having time to let out a scream.
Then, Wu Qingfeng took out a white stone from his pocket.
The stone was small, about the size of a fist, and the moment it appeared, a pure Yao Qi filled the surrounding air.
Wu Qingfeng held the stone in his palm and turned to look at Song Xuanji.
"Brother Song, this is Demon-Identifying Stone. Could you please repair the barrier here?"
The Demon-Identifying Stone is a core material for cultivating protective barriers. By integrating this stone into the barrier, one can identify demonic beasts and keep them outside.
Demon-Identifying Stone are also extremely rare, and each Demon-Slaying Bureau has very little stock.
"No problem! However, refining the Demon-Identifying Stone will take two hours. During these two hours, there must be no disturbance. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain." Song Xuanji took the Demon-Identifying Stone and then spoke to everyone.
"Brother Song, just focus on refining it. Leave the rest to us."
Upon hearing Wu Qingfeng's statement, Song Xuanji nodded.
Then Song Xuanji sat down cross-legged, threw the Demon-Identifying Stone into the air, and faced the Demon-Identifying Stone with both palms. True Essence surged from his palms and enveloped the stone.
The Demon-Identifying Stone began to melt little by little.
"While Brother Song was refining the Demon-Identifying Stone, I set up the Seven Kills Formation here to prevent a sixth-tier Demon Emperor from intruding."
"Brother Xiao and Brother Lu, please keep watch outside and prevent the monsters from launching a sneak attack."
After Wu Qingfeng finished speaking, he took out a palm-sized array plate from his sleeve and casually tossed it at the entrance of the passage.
The array plate immediately lit up with a ring of dark cyan light patterns.
Wu Qingfeng himself acted as the core of the formation, continuously injecting True Essence into the Seven Kills Formation.
"Leave the outside to us."
Xiao Tianqi and Lu Qingshan turned and flew towards the outer edge of the mountain valley, guarding the two paths leading to the barrier on the left and right.