Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

The atmosphere in the office was even heavier than Qin Lie had imagined.

Lu Chen had arrived, a long sword hanging at his waist, his face expressionless.

Qin Lie had dealt with him a few times and could tell that Lu Chen's current state was different from usual.

Not only Lu Chen, but Li Hu was the same, holding a knife in his arms with his brows furrowed deeply.

Normally, he would say a few jokes at this time, but today he stood there without saying a word.

Xu Qinghe stood to the side, holding the booklet in her hands, still with that indifferent expression.

Old Zhao sat in the center of the office, with an unfolded map in front of him.

Several black paperweights were pressed against the edge of the map, and two broken demon-suppressing tokens were placed next to it.

As soon as Qin Lie entered the room, his gaze fell on the two broken tokens.

The Demon-Suppressing Token is no ordinary iron plaque.

It contains runes from the Demon Suppression Bureau and also the aura of a demon hunter.

Under normal circumstances, even if a person dies, the token will not break.

The fact that the token is now shattered like this means that the person involved definitely encountered something extraordinary.

Qin Lie withdrew his gaze and cupped his hands in greeting to Elder Zhao and Lu Chen.

"Lord Zhao and Lord Lu, you summoned me here with an urgent order; it can't be some ordinary mission, can it?"

"You guessed right, calling you here today is definitely not an ordinary task."

"These two demon-suppressing tokens were found this morning on the mountain path outside Broken Wind Gorge. The tokens belong to two silver-element demon hunters from the department."

"We didn't see anyone, nor did we find any bodies; all that's left are these two broken tokens."

Qin Lie was somewhat surprised after hearing what Old Zhao said.

Two Silver Token Demon Hunters have gone missing. To reach the Silver Token level, one's strength must be at least higher than Lu Chen's.

If someone like that can't even be found dead, then the difficulty level of this mission must be way too high!

Afterwards, Old Zhao reached out and picked up one of the broken tokens, placing it on the table.

The token was split in the middle, and there were charred marks at the crack.

Old Zhao gently pressed his finger on the crack, and the fragments glowed slightly.

The next second, intermittent sounds came from inside.

The voice sounded like someone was in great pain, as if they were trying to say their last words while fleeing for their life.

"Old Pass..."

"There's a drumbeat..."

The sound stopped there.

No one in the room spoke.

Qin Lie stared at the fragments, a chill slowly creeping down his back.

旧关

战鼓

Putting these two words together gives off an eerie feeling.

He could accept it if it was done by a demon.

However, in an old pass that had been abandoned for many years, someone suddenly beat the war drums, and then two silver-ranked soldiers lost their lives.

This kind of thing is unsettling no matter how you look at it.

Qin Lie looked up at Lu Chen.

"I've seen the name 'Broken Wind Gorge Old Pass' in the company's register."

"The booklet only says that it was an old battlefield that was later abandoned, and it does not recommend that ordinary monster hunters go near it."

"Is our mission to take us there?"

Lu Chen did not answer Qin Lie's question immediately, but looked at Old Zhao instead.

Old Zhao put the fragments back on the table and pointed to a location on the map.

"It's normal that young people like you don't know much about Duanfeng Gorge."

"The Demon Suppression Bureau's general booklet only mentions Broken Wind Gorge in a few sentences, not because it's unimportant, but quite the opposite, because it's extremely important."

"Some things can't be written too clearly, because even if ordinary demon hunters know them, it won't help them; it might even cause panic."

"Duanfeng Gorge is not just an old battlefield; in the eyes of the older generation of the Demon Suppression Division, that place is more like a tomb."

Qin Lie looked at the map, where Duanfeng Gorge was circled by cinnabar.

It is located in the northwest of Dongxuan City, neither too close nor too far from the city.

If you travel by horseback, you should be able to reach the outskirts in half a day.

Old Zhao continued speaking.

"A hundred years ago, a great demon tide broke out outside Dongxuan City, with the demon race moving south from Duanfeng Gorge."

"If they are allowed to break through Broken Wind Gorge, more than thirty villages in the northwest of Dongxuan City will not be able to stop them."

"At that time, there wasn't enough time to mobilize too many people, so we could only send the Duanfeng Battalion to take the lead."

"The Broken Wind Camp only has three thousand people. They guarded Broken Wind Gorge and held off the demon tide for seven days."

"In these seven days, the people in the villages and towns behind have all been evacuated, and Dongxuan City has also made preparations for defense, but none of the three thousand men of the Duanfeng Camp have returned."

Three thousand men held out for seven days, and not one of them returned.

Qin Lie could already imagine how brutal that battle was.

Li Hu spoke up at this moment, his voice much lower than usual.

"I've heard old demon hunters talk about the Broken Wind Camp before. They said those three thousand people weren't swallowed whole by the demons."

"Those people died one by one on the city wall. Even with broken arms, they would bite the knife with their teeth and lunge forward. Their stomachs were torn open by the monsters, and their intestines spilled out. They even tied themselves to the back of the city gate to prevent it from being broken open."

"If it were me, I'm not sure I could have made it to the end."

Qin Lie glanced at Li Hu. Although this guy usually spoke in a carefree manner, he didn't expect him to have such a delicate mind.

However, this also aroused Qin Lie's curiosity about Broken Wind Gorge.

If it were just an old battlefield from a hundred years ago, even if many people died there, it wouldn't be enough to prevent two Silver Token Demon Hunters from even sending a complete message.

There are probably other hidden reasons behind this.

"Actually, there are some things sealed below Broken Wind Gorge. Because part of the file is missing, we can't say for sure what they are right now."

"Too many people died in that battle a hundred years ago. The person in charge of recording it also died in Broken Wind Gorge. Later, when the Demon Suppression Bureau was compiling the records, they could only piece together part of the truth based on other people's accounts."

"All we know right now is that there is a seal beneath the old pass of Broken Wind Gorge, and something is sealed inside that is related to the last battle of Broken Wind Camp."

"And once this thing comes out, it will definitely not be as simple as a few ordinary monsters causing trouble."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie understood even more clearly that this mission was no longer an ordinary demon-hunting mission.

The place they are going to this time is not only related to the demon tide a hundred years ago, but also to an unclear seal.

He looked down at his hands.

Yesterday, when I fought the Black-Armed Ape Demon, the swelling on my knuckles hadn't completely subsided, and my injuries were only treated briefly.

Although he has now become an Iron Order Demon Hunter, in a mission like this, he would probably just be cannon fodder.

"Old Zhao, Lord Lu, I'd like to clarify things first."

"I can go on this mission. The Demon Suppression Division has issued an urgent order, and I am now an Iron Order Demon Hunter. There's no reason for me to hide in the back."

"But I'm only at the early stage of the eighth rank. I was able to kill the Black-Armed Ape Demon in yesterday's assessment because my opponent was still within the range where I could fight to the death."

"If even two silver tokens have gone missing in a place like Broken Wind Gorge, it would be a lie to say I'm not afraid."

"I just want to know what my role is in this mission. If it's just to make up the numbers, then I don't think it's necessary."

"My life may not be worth much money, but there are still people who care about me. I can't die in vain in a place I don't even understand."

Qin Lie spoke very directly; he felt it was necessary to make things clear.

After hearing this, Li Hu couldn't help but glance at Qin Lie.

"Hey kid, aren't you going to put on an act?"

"If it were any other newcomer, they would definitely say at this moment: 'I will serve the Demon Suppression Division and never retreat, even if it means death.'"

Qin Lie looked at Li Hu.

"Brother Li, I'm not that kind of person."

"When it's time to fight and give it my all, I'm not afraid of anything, even death."

"But if I don't even know what I'm going to do, and all I can do is shout slogans and rush forward to my death, then I can't do something so mindless."

"I may die, but before I die, I must make the most of my potential."

Li Hu grinned when he heard this.

"I'm liking you more and more now, kid. I love listening to you talk."

Everyone is afraid of death, but everyone is even more afraid of dying meaninglessly.

Lu Chen spoke up at this moment.

"That's why we called you here—to get your opinion. We're not sending you here to be a key player, nor are we sending you as cannon fodder."

"Don't even mention you, I'm not even qualified to be cannon fodder."

"Your only purpose in going there is to help us find our way."

"The demonic energy inside the old pass of Duanfeng Gorge is too chaotic. It contains not only the demonic energy left by monsters from a hundred years ago, but also the blood energy left by the old soldiers of Duanfeng Camp before their deaths, as well as the resentment that has slowly accumulated over the years."

"Ordinary demon hunters would have no idea which way to go once they went in."

"But you seem to have a unique method. Back in Wolf Fang Mountain, you could see the demonic aura left behind by Wolf King when he fled, and you could even find a secret passage by following the demonic aura."

"What I need you to do this time is not to rush in and chop people up, but to see clearly what others cannot see."

"Whatever you see, just tell the truth. As for whether it's true or false, we'll judge for ourselves."

"So, what do you think of this task now?"

After listening, Qin Lie felt a little more at ease, as long as he wasn't sent to be cannon fodder and die.

However, he was still a little surprised, because Lu Chen had just said that even he wouldn't be qualified to be cannon fodder if he went. How strong must the person leading the team be this time!

However, Qin Lie felt that this was also an opportunity for him.

I gained a lot of attribute points from assisting Wolf King last time.

This kind of mission is truly dangerous.

But if they manage to come back alive, the gains will certainly be substantial.

"Okay, no problem!"

"Alright, since you all have no problem, then your team will also participate in this mission this time."

Old Zhao spoke, bringing everyone back to their senses.

"Now, let me tell you about this mission."

"The first thing you need to do is find out why there was a sudden sound of war drums at the old pass of Duanfeng Gorge."

"If we find those two missing Silver Token Demon Hunters, bring them back alive, or bring back their bodies if they're dead."

"The third thing, and also the most important thing."

"Once you get there, you must confirm whether the old seal has cracked. If it's just the surrounding demonic energy leaking out, then you can handle it. But if the seal has really cracked, do not take any action. You must send a message immediately."

"Han Zhaoshan, the town garrison commander of Dongxuan Town, already knows about the Broken Wind Gorge. Once the seal is confirmed to be broken, he will take action personally."