Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1402 Damage
After killing the sneak attacking demon king with the strongest blow in an instant, Lu Ning also felt the fatigue coming from her body. Her innate purple energy was completely consumed, and the ice formation failed to replenish her internal energy and continued to drain her internal energy. Now was not even the time for the war to really break out, but only the time for both sides to start testing each other.

This won't work...

The task division at the distribution center gave Lu Ning a good hint. After all, the objectives of the tasks overlapped with each other. The task count of killing the demon king in the camp task increased by one, but the two tasks of repelling the offensive and killing the enemies belonging to Xinlu under the personal task did not make any progress.

So she killed a demon king, but she did not repel any attacks, nor did she really kill the enemy who belonged to the new law. This killing would most likely require the complete annihilation of the opponent's soul.

But in the situation of protracted warfare, Lu Ning's short-term burst of power could not last until all these tasks were completed. Moreover, according to what the demon king said just now, there were pursuers?
"Leave quickly and clear all traces this time. Don't let the enemy catch up!"

Lu Ning led the team to quickly withdraw from the war zone.

Not long after she left, Juque and the Ice Sword Hunter arrived at the scene. Juque was slightly surprised to see Hanzhang's headless body, squatted down to investigate for a moment, and frowned.

"Han Zhang's strength is not bad. Even if I want to kill him, it will take me ten moves. But it looks like he was killed in the first encounter. The human race actually has such a master... Could it be that the person in charge of the formation flag has come outside the city?"

However, he immediately denied this possibility. Coming outside the city is a very risky thing. Although the commanders may have means to protect themselves, the two sides have fought for so many years, and there have been cases where the Ten Absolute Formation commanders have died in the hands of demons.

The Ten Absolute Formations have always played the role of harvesting enemies on the battlefield. During this exploration phase, they will not come out easily.

"The pursuit is suspended. Inform all units that there is a team with the strength to kill the demon king instantly lurking in the mountains." Juque ordered, "We are the vanguard team. Our goal is to clear obstacles and kill as many enemies as possible. As for this person, or this team, leave it to the Dan Yao."

"As ordered."

The Ice Sword Hunters rushed in all directions and disappeared into the woods in an instant. Juque stood still, raised his foot and stomped on the ground. A crack appeared under his feet, swallowing up the remaining body of Hanzhang.

"If it weren't for the military orders at stake, I would really like to fight with this guy... What a pity." Juque shook his head slightly.

As for Han Zhang's death, it was not a particularly important matter. He would be reborn in the ice lake in less than a day. However, if he went back so soon, he would probably be questioned by Yu Lei.

"It is a disgrace to the family if the work is not done well."

Although the Ice Sword Hunters' movement speed was not as fast as Han Zhang's, who could directly escape into the earth, they could still move freely in the mountains and forests. Ordinary military forces could not stop this group of specially trained warriors. Just after noon, the order sent by Juque had reached the ears of all the "Dan Yao" who came here.

Although Lu Ning didn't know about this, she didn't care about it. She learned from the lesson of being caught up before, and relied on her team's high concealment and mobility to attack the reconnaissance team of the Saibei Army, while using the demon eye to roughly describe the terrain and enemy distribution in the mountainous area. Since she had the demon eye of the drowned shadow, Lu Ning naturally knew how to avoid the drowned shadow's prying eyes - just suppress her own physiological functions through the ice array.

Theoretically, the Soul Falling Formation could do something similar, but only the soldiers who were truly selected to enter the formation could use it to shield themselves, and ordinary people couldn't stand it. By the afternoon, Lu Ning's team had killed more than a hundred enemies and had barely recovered some of the energy to replenish the loss of the ice formation.

After finding a secluded place to rest, Lu Ning immediately began to modify the absorption rules of the ice array. This time, the regular army did not use the incomplete law of the previous law of shedding to achieve the circulation of souls, but followed a complete law. Such a law is worth analyzing and targeting. Unfortunately, this law is not in the field that Lu Ning is familiar with. Huang Kui is indeed a genius who can construct a completely different reincarnation law system. Even Lu Ning can't analyze it for a while.

The battlefield would not give her much time. After a short rest, she led her team to join the attack and counterattack again.

Until night falls.

Darkness is the cover for many night-walking masters, but it is not so suitable for such encounters. Unlike conventional ancient battles, the battlefields here are accompanied by special bombardments. When the flame array's locked bombardment explodes on the hill, half of the mountain will be illuminated, and in this intertwined environment of light and darkness, humans are at a disadvantage.

Lu Ning was ordered to withdraw her troops immediately after nightfall. Even she, who was not afraid of night battles, did the same, because the night was often the time when demons would wreak havoc.

After crushing the last reconnaissance team under the ice blade, Lu Ning immediately returned. The mountains of Gou Chen were full of mazes, and she relied on the cover of these mazes to successfully lead her troops to evacuate back to Gou Chen City.

When they return to the city, someone will naturally come to count the casualties. Lu Ning is fine, there are not many people here, and she can protect them all. Except for some people who were slightly injured by the counterattack of the accomplices during the attack, there is no loss, but it is different for others.

Not only ordinary soldiers, but even the commanders of other formations were ambushed in the mountains. There were many records of encountering demon kings. However, only Lu Ning actually succeeded in killing the demon king. For the others, it was already considered an extraordinary feat that they could come back to report the news.

If the master fails to reach the level of mastering the absolute formation, then the commander cannot fight against the demon king and can only escape at best. However, from the news that Lu Ning heard, they were more likely to be attacked by some demon kings who were good at hiding themselves. These demon kings would transform themselves into various things in the mountains, including grass, trees, and stones, and they were difficult to distinguish. In such a sneak attack, a moment of loss was inevitable.

Lu Ning felt that this camouflage ability seemed somewhat different from that of the demon king who turned himself into mud.

In the evening, when the general organized a meeting of officers, he announced even worse news.

During the exploratory battle in Guanyuan City, the second commander of the Golden Light Formation was killed.

The golden light formation was covered with heavy armor, so ordinary swords and knives would not even leave a mark. The power of the golden light formation itself also came from the light reflected by the mirror, making it even more difficult to defend. In such an offensive and defensive situation, the second palm order envoy actually died, which many people found unbelievable.

"The demon army sent out the demon king of Fengdu." Qin Luo said in a heavy tone, "We have always suspected that after the demise of Fengdu, the surviving demon king came to the northern frontier, and now it is confirmed."

"How many demon kings?" Qin Shu asked.

"Yeyou, Wuchang and Niutou, the three demon kings attacked together, obviously wanting to gain the upper hand." Qin Luo replied.

Faced with the combined attack of the three demon kings, none of the generals were able to speak. They were all wondering if they could withstand the attack of the three demon kings.

"The demons acted like this to ensure that nothing could go wrong, so they used such a formation to attack. And we also need to be vigilant. There are not many Fengdu demon kings, but they are all very powerful. There are many northern demon kings, but many of them are not strong enough. Today, the commander of the ice formation also killed a demon king in the mountain battle." Qin Luo immediately used another example to encourage everyone. As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes fell on Lu Ning.

"General, this is just a coincidence. I may not have such an opportunity next time." Lu Ning said. "Whether it is a coincidence or intentional, General Lu, the credit for killing the enemy general is real."

"Yes, if we encounter the demon king, we must retreat immediately."

"well done."

The praise from a group of people made Lu Ning unable to speak and he also wanted to kill the pursuers and retreat quickly.

She knew that she did not have the ability to fight the demon king for a long time, so she looked at Qin Luo who was at the top. Qin Luo immediately understood and clapped his hands and said, "Let's celebrate later. The war is urgent. I will arrange your tasks for tomorrow so that you can rest early. There are people on duty in the city at night. It is not so easy for the demons to break through Gou Chen."

When it came to business, all the officers immediately stood in line again.

After the tasks were assigned, all the officers hurriedly dispersed to rest, and Qin Shu called Lu Ning.

"I haven't congratulated you on your promotion to the First Palm Envoy yet."

"There aren't many people who can command the Ice Formation Palm. I just got lucky."

"Too modest is hypocritical. You have a record of killing the demon king, and today, that's two times. Even I can't achieve such a record." Qin Shu shook his head slightly, "I am from the Qin family, and my father is the general of Gou Chen, but he has so many advantages. I am only the third commander of the Soul Falling Formation, and I can't even fully master the Soul Falling Formation."

"Are you asking me how to become stronger?" Lu Ning hesitated. This was not easy to explain.

No, Qin Shu smiled and said, "I just want to thank you - in fact, everyone thanks you. If you hadn't killed the demon king and fought back today, our morale would have declined before the battle officially started. I personally want to thank you even more. No matter what the reason is, anyone who can wield a knife against the demon king is worthy of my respect."

"Then I'll take it."

Qin Shu clasped his fists slightly and then left in a hurry.

Lu Ning was a little confused. Just to say thank you? She had heard that Qin Shu's aversion to demons was very obvious, but she was not sure what the commander meant.

But let’s not think about these things for now. At least Qin Su is definitely not an enemy, so there is no need to worry so much.

Compared to the barely level battlefield on Gou Chen's side, the situation on Guan Yuan's side was a little worse.

The loss of the commander of the Golden Light Formation could be considered a military secret and was not leaked to the public, but the generals in the army were all aware of it. They were facing the crisis of being directly attacked by the three demon kings like today.

They were not afraid of death, but they were struggling to come up with any countermeasures. This was a pure battle of strength. Even the golden light formation could not stop the monster king's sudden attack, and the soldiers who were not in the absolute formation could not resist this super-standard force. Even though they all knew that as long as the absolute formation was in charge, they would be able to stop such an attack, but there were only four first-level controllers in the city, so how could they take care of such a vast battlefield?
So, should they stay in the city and not go out? Qin Taishi would never do that.

"Everyone, the Grand Master said that when a demon issues a challenge, it must have something to rely on."

Tian Jue and Di Lie were in charge of this meeting. Ning Ke and Jiang Yao, who came to help, were also present, but it was not their turn to fight today.

"This time, the demons used the power of the three demon kings to carry out the attack, intending to intimidate and undermine the prestige of our army. I trust your resolve, and Guanyuan City will not let you leave the city easily under such threats."

The leader of Tian Jue Formation stood up and said.

"Commendations, you should know that the last of the Ten Absolute Formations in the city is also the most mysterious one. This time, the Grand Master allowed us to activate its power to protect you. But the power of the Blood Transformation Formation is quite difficult to control. You can only protect yourself with it, and not become a part of the formation. Please be careful."

After saying this, the Diliezhen leader took out a stack of red paper from his sleeve.

"This item is provided by the master of the Blood Transformation Formation. It can stimulate its power and attract protection. The effect will be automatically activated when encountering the demon king level. Everyone should claim the corresponding number according to the number of their subordinates. Remember not to claim more than one. As for usage, just carry it with you. Once you see the formation being activated, you must leave the effect coverage within one stick of incense and quickly return to the city. Once you have used up one piece of paper, you can get a new one from me - don't carry too much, this is the most important thing!"

After being warned so sternly, the generals did not dare to disobey. They reported the number of their subordinates one by one and asked the officer to take the red paper.

The leader of the Tian Jue Formation turned his gaze to Ning Ke.

"Ning Juntian, Guard Jiang, you two will also be leaving the city tomorrow, so why don't you also pick up a copy for your subordinates?"

"It would be disrespectful to refuse." Jiang Yao nodded and walked forward to line up, but Ning Ke did not move.

"The Demon Suppression Bureau doesn't use this - we have our own methods, which may be incompatible with this." Ning Ke said.

"In that case, please be more careful, Juntian. The demon king's attack may not only target the commander of the absolute formation, but also any of our troops."

"Thank you."

Ning Ke stared at the red paper. She did not have any special eye abilities, but from the angry look on her face, it seemed that these red papers would only have a counter-effect on the demon-suppressing officers who were good at using demon parts, and would suppress their original combat effectiveness.

However, the not-so-good news is that if the situation is like today where the three demon kings come together to ambush, even Ning Ke herself cannot guarantee a 100% victory. Even if she can use the power of the Chaos Time Clock to seize the initiative, the Chaos Time Clock is far from invincible now, and there is not much time left in it.

She had to use some of the rewards from the distribution center to strengthen the demon-suppressing officials.