Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Mr. Mo waved his hand dismissively, saying, "I'm just going to take a look. I'm not going to fight them. Those two little demons can't stop me. You just need to guard this place."

His tone was casual, yet brooked no argument.

Seeing that he was determined, everyone knew that further persuasion was useless, so they had no choice but to give up. Mr. Mo then looked at Li Yuan and transmitted his voice, saying, "Boy, now that you have broken through to the next realm, you should consolidate your strength and familiarize yourself with your power."

"The malevolent energy here is mixed, which may not be without benefit to your cultivation and understanding of sword intent. During my absence, do not leave your seclusion easily, and do not act alone. Follow Captain Chen's instructions in everything."

Seeing his earnest instructions, Li Yuan was moved but dared not make a sound. He simply nodded slightly to him to indicate that he had remembered.

Mr. Mo nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Chen Shuo: "This case may be more complicated than we thought. Some of the clues appeared at a more coincidental time than we expected."

He paused, not going into details, but gave Li Yuan a meaningful look, "You all must be careful in everything you do, and not act rashly."

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. What did Mr. Mo mean? Was he implying that the clues about Poyang Lake might be a deliberate setup to lure him here?

Chen Shuo was also moved and hurriedly bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Mo. I will be careful and cautious."

That night, all was quiet outside the pass. The demon horde did not attack on time as usual, but everyone dared not relax. While recuperating from their injuries, they also increased patrols. No one knew whether these demons were intimidated by Mr. Mo or were brewing a bigger conspiracy.

The following morning, just as he had arrived, Mr. Mo left Tiger Wolf Pass silently, his figure flashing a few times before disappearing into the mountains beyond the pass.

In the direction of Black Wind Ridge, the demonic aura had gradually dissipated, and the mountain stronghold was in a mess, completely deserted.

Mr. Mo frowned slightly, not expecting the demon king to be so decisive, directly disbanding the demon horde and fleeing overnight.

He couldn't help but feel a growing sense of doubt. After going through so much trouble, did these demons really retreat so easily?

Thinking of this, he scanned the area with his divine sense and saw several minor demons in the distant mountains and forests. In an instant, he appeared in front of them.

Those wolf demons were under the command of the Black Bear. After the Demon King returned last night, he immediately dismissed them and ran away overnight, leaving these lesser demons trembling with fear and forced to hide in the mountains and forests.

Unexpectedly, the evil star who had scared away the demon king suddenly appeared before him, causing him to kneel down in fear.

"Gods, have mercy! I'm just a nobody, I've never done anything heinous!"

"Tell me, where did those two demon kings go?"

"I don't know, but the Black Bear Demon King once revealed that he came from the Western Demon Court and was some kind of Divine Martial General."

The little demon dared not hide anything and quickly told the truth of what she knew, fearing that if she was a step too late, she would be wiped out by the other party.

"From the Demon Court? Did he mention which Demon Emperor he serves under?"

"This... I don't know. I'm just a lowly patrolman, I'm not qualified to serve Your Majesty at all."

The wolf demon was so frightened that it kowtowed repeatedly. When Mr. Mo realized that he couldn't get anything out of it, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

The little demon looked around and, seeing that Mr. Mo had indeed left, couldn't help but collapse.

In the afternoon, soldiers on patrol outside the pass urgently reported that a large group of ragged refugees, about a hundred people, had suddenly arrived outside the pass. They claimed that they had fled from Luoxia Town in the east, and that their hometown had suffered a demonic calamity, with many relatives killed or injured. They had come to request refuge inside the pass.

Upon hearing the report, General Hu Cheng personally climbed the pass wall to investigate. He saw a group of emaciated people gathered outside the pass. There were men and women, supporting the old and leading the young. They were all disheveled, covered in wounds and blood, and their cries were extremely pitiful.

"Luoxia Town?"

General Hu looked at the military advisor beside him, who hurriedly said, "General, Luoxia Town is about eighty miles to the east, and it is indeed close to the Black Wind Ridge. It is not impossible that it has been afflicted by demons."

"Activate the Great Array to detect demonic spirits and verify their identities." After a moment's thought, General Hu gave the order in a deep voice. Tiger Wolf Gorge had the responsibility of protecting the people, so they could not ignore their lives.

While we may sympathize with them, military matters are of utmost importance and cannot be compromised.

Chen Shuo watched silently from the side without saying a word. This was military affairs of Tiger Wolf Gorge, and he had no right to interfere.

The cultivator guarding the formation immediately activated it, and a soft, milky-white light descended from the wall, enveloping the group of refugees. The light swept across them without causing any change; clearly, these people possessed no demonic aura and were all pure humans.

"The array identification is correct; it is indeed a human." The cultivator in charge of the verification immediately reported.

General Hu hesitated for a moment. If he left these refugees outside the pass, they would surely be devoured by monsters at night. Under normal circumstances, he would not hesitate to open the gate.

However, the situation is tense now. Even among humans, there are bound to be spies bribed by the demon race. If they are allowed into the pass, the consequences could be dire.

He looked at Chen Shuo with a troubled expression. "Captain Chen, what's your opinion on this matter?"

"General Hu, now that the inspection has been completed, they should be placed in a safe place. However, they need to be kept under strict guard. A separate area should be designated, and capable men should be stationed there to conduct thorough questioning. We should also contact the government in the rear as soon as possible to have them taken away and placed in a safe place."

Chen Shuo promptly offered his advice.

General Hu nodded: "As Lord Chen said, open the side gate and let them in. Li Jin, you take a team and settle them in the abandoned drill ground of the West Camp. Keep a close watch on them and do not allow them to move around without orders."

"Zhao Lingyun, you are meticulous. Take a few fellow cultivators to assist in the guard duty. Be sure to be careful and alert us immediately if you discover anything unusual."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!" Li Jin and Zhao Lingyun replied in unison.

The side gate slowly opened, and under the watchful eyes of the guards, the more than one hundred refugees, supporting each other, entered Tiger Wolf Pass. They thanked the guards profusely and were taken to the western camp for temporary accommodation.

Li Jin arranged for his soldiers to set up a perimeter, built some simple shacks, and distributed clean water and coarse grains.

Zhao Lingyun, along with three cultivators at the Yin Yuan Realm who were temporarily transferred from the army, set up sentry posts at the entrance of the training ground and took turns patrolling the training ground to prevent any unforeseen events.

The refugees seemed terrified. After entering the shack, most of them collapsed to the ground, sobbing softly, or staring blankly. Only a few able-bodied men could barely help take care of the elderly and weak.

Zhao Lingyun carefully surveyed the area, scanning the people with his spiritual sense. Their auras were weak and chaotic, but they did not appear to be evil or demonic; they were no different from ordinary people.

As night deepened, several bonfires lit up the drill ground, dispelling some of the chill and illuminating the numb faces. The soldiers on guard were also somewhat weary, but dared not relax their vigilance.

In the early hours of the morning, when all is quiet, it is the time when people are most sleepy.

From a shack in a corner of the training ground, a little girl's heart-wrenching cries suddenly rang out: "Mother! Mother, what's wrong! Don't scare me, Mother! Waaah..."

The piercing cries were particularly jarring in the quiet night, waking up the nearby refugees and causing a commotion.

Zhao Lingyun frowned and said to a cultivator beside him, "Brother Wang, please wait here for a moment, I'll go take a look."

He led two soldiers and strode quickly toward the shack.