Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"That's strange, how did they know to go that way?"

"Yeah, the map is so basic, the sensing symbols are blurry, and the fog is so thick..."

"Did the Divine Martial Academy leak internal information in advance?"

"Impossible! With Dean Su personally overseeing the operation and four departments working together, how could there be cheating?"

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, casting suspicious glances toward the Divine Martial Academy.

On the high platform, Su Wenyuan remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the various gazes directed at him.

An instructor from Tian Ce Academy couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "Dean Su, this student of your academy, Li Yuan, seems to have extraordinary perception abilities. How could he accurately strike the stronghold under such interference?"

Su Wenyuan smiled slightly: "Li Yuan is indeed exceptionally talented."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This barrier was jointly set up by the four academies. If any of you have any doubts, you can check the array records at any time."

Seeing Su Wenyuan's composure, the others didn't say anything more, but their gazes toward the Shenwu students became even more solemn.

At this moment, the scenes of the other three teams also came into view.

The five students from Wanxiang Academy also behaved quite unusually. Instead of concealing their whereabouts, they led the way, with Wen Ruoxu taking the lead, and swaggered along the main road in the central forest.

He would occasionally flick a few thunderbolts from his hand, which would produce sharp explosions and bursts of fire into the sky. This commotion startled the low-level demonic beasts lurking in the forest, causing them to stir and flee.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. The Myriad Elephants Academy's move was clearly a ploy to scare the enemy, using the commotion to create chaos and lure the lurking demons into revealing themselves.

Although the commotion would attract other ambushes, it was still an effortless and open strategy, especially suitable for a team like theirs that was good at dealing with emergencies and had the ability to anticipate danger.

On the Taixu Academy side, Leng Ningshuang was clearly in charge. She stood in the center of the group, her hands clasped together, and a complex ice-blue array slowly condensed in front of her.

Before long, she accurately reported the location of a hostage's hiding place, and under her guidance, the team began to move forward steadily.

The audience couldn't help but secretly admire it; it seemed that not only the Divine Martial Academy, but also the Taixu Academy had its own unique detection methods.

Thinking about it this way, my doubts about Li Yuan were greatly reduced.

As for Tian Ce Academy's strategy, it was somewhat similar to Shen Wu's. A female team member with light movements scouted ahead, followed closely by Zhao Lingyun and another strong attacker, while the remaining two were responsible for guarding and providing support.

Their speed was not slow either, but they were obviously not as accurate in positioning as Li Yuan, and they needed to adjust their direction from time to time, taking many detours.

Four teams, each with its own style, appeared alternately on the giant spiritual energy screen, leaving the audience below the stage dazzled and buzzing with discussion.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the rapid and decisive progress of Shenwu Academy.

In just a quarter of an hour, they traversed the complex terrain of the mountains and forests, silently approaching the source of the demonic aura.

The fog ahead began to thin, revealing a clearing in the woods.

In the center of the open space stood a crooked, simple nest made of stones. A bonfire burned at the entrance, with the thigh of some unknown wild animal sizzling and dripping oil on it.

At that moment, two enormous figures were crouching by the fire.

A creature nearly ten feet tall, covered in thick black fur, stood upright, topped with a ferocious bear head and exposed fangs—it was a black bear spirit.

The other one was slightly smaller and covered with yellow and black stripes; it was clearly a fierce tiger spirit.

A boy dressed in coarse cloth was tied to a thick wooden stake nearby, with a black wooden plaque hanging from his waist, which was the token of his rescue.

The boy looked relaxed and even had the leisure to ask the two demons for food, praising their excellent grilling skills.

This scene made many people laugh. The hostages in the second round were basically all played by first-year students from Shenwu Academy. They probably came just for fun, and their acting was really over-the-top.

"Both of these monsters are mid-stage demon generals, possessing immense strength and formidable combat power."

"Shenwu Academy was lucky to pick a tough opponent, but fortunately there were only two."

"Let's see how they fight. Will they use strategy or a direct assault?"

The audience below the stage were buzzing with discussion, speculating about their next move.

In the scene, Li Yuan stopped and made a few simple gestures to his teammates behind him. The team members nodded, and Yu Ling'er and Ji Fanghua quietly dispersed to the sides and disappeared into the dense bushes.

The next instant, Li Yuan suddenly waved his hand.

"superior!"

Without any nonsense, without any probing, without any fancy tactics, the three of them rushed out without hesitation.

"roar--!"

Shen Lian took the lead, his silver wolf bloodline activated, and with a low growl, the long sword in his hand transformed into a bright white streak, slashing straight at the enormous black bear demon.

This strike was swift, ruthless, and utterly decisive.

Almost simultaneously, Chu Yunhe's longsword instantly enveloped the tiger demon's vital points, sealing off all its escape routes and forcing it to roar repeatedly and parry with its claws, instantly putting it at a disadvantage.

Li Yuan moved swiftly, heading straight for the hostage. His target was the token, which was also the fastest way to end the battle. Once he obtained the token and led the hostage away safely, the battle would be over.

"Aww!"

"You human brat, you're asking for death!"

The black bear spirit was slashed by Shen Lian's sword, causing it to stagger. A gash was cut in its thick fur, and blood spurted out, instantly arousing its ferocity.

Startled and enraged, he roared and slammed his large, fan-like paw down with a stench of blood.

Shen Lian stood tall and fearless, brandishing his longsword without dodging or evading, taking the blow head-on with the blade.

With a loud "clang!", Shen Lian's figure swayed slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked, but he managed to withstand the attack. Then, his blade flashed again, and he engaged the black bear demon in battle.

In an instant, the energy surged forth, causing sand and stones to fly everywhere.

On the other hand, Chu Yunhe was much more relaxed. Although the tiger demon was fierce, its strength was not as great as that of the black bear demon. Its speed, which it was so proud of, was also suppressed by Chu Yunhe's sword, leaving it with a lot of strength but nowhere to use it.

Several sword wounds quickly appeared on his body, dripping with blood. He roared in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

With both demon generals entangled and unable to break free, Li Yuan charged straight in and arrived directly in front of the wooden stake.

The student playing the hostage was quite dedicated, immediately screaming in terror, "Hero! Save me! Please save me, ahhh!"

Faced with his pitiful cries, Li Yuan's eyelids twitched involuntarily. He swung his short sword, preparing to cut the ropes.

The tiger spirit, which had been at a disadvantage, suddenly had a cunning glint in its eyes. Its thick, whip-like tail suddenly grew longer and lashed out at Li Yuan, who had his back to it.

At the same time, it roared and opened its blood-red maw, biting at Chu Yunhe's sword.

The audience was stunned. This beast had been putting on an act, feigning weakness the whole time. His real target was Li Yuan.

"Watch out!" The audience exclaimed in unison, knowing that Li Yuan couldn't hear them, but still couldn't help but warn him.

In a flash, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Li Yuan's blade remained unchanged as he slashed at the rope, but his left hand reached out behind him and precisely grabbed the tiger's tail.

The tiger spirit felt its tail tighten, as if it were locked by an iron band. Its forward momentum suddenly stopped, and its eyes revealed disbelief and horror.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chu Yunhe's sword changed from thrusting to slicing. With a flash of light, the sword silently sliced ​​across the soft belly exposed when the tiger demon pounced.