Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

The Imperial Preceptor's Residence of the Tang Dynasty.

An old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face was meditating with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and the space in front of him fluctuated. An old man appeared in front of him.

"Commander Luo, I know why you've come. I've already divined this matter."

"Oh? And what was the result?"

The old man's face remained expressionless as he calmly asked the question.

The imperial advisor sighed, took out three ancient coins, and began to perform divination using his fingers in front of the old man.

A quarter of an hour later, he opened his eyes, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Commander, please take a look."

The old man looked closely and his expression changed slightly. It turned out that the divination result was completely blank and could not be calculated at all.

"I am sorry that I am powerless to help. He possesses great supernatural powers and has shielded the secrets of heaven from view. This is something that I, an old Taoist, cannot contend with."

"The secrets of heaven have been blocked?" The old man nodded thoughtfully, not surprised, as if he had already guessed the answer.

"Indeed." The Grand Preceptor's eyes were also full of confusion. "I cannot deduce their life or death, nor can I deduce their whereabouts, and I cannot even capture a single image of them."

"I have lived for over three hundred years, and this is the first time I have ever seen such a situation," the Imperial Preceptor said solemnly.

Upon receiving the news at the commander's residence, Chu Jinghong was greatly alarmed.

"Can't be counted? Does that mean they... are likely doomed?" Deputy Commander Chu's voice trembled.

"No!" The old man slowly shook his head. "On the contrary, when fate is shielded to such an extent, there are usually only two possibilities."

He gave a cryptic smile: "Either they were teleported to a special place, or..."

He paused, then continued, "They have encountered an extraordinary stroke of luck, so much so that even the karmic consequences of Heaven cannot manifest. Old Chu, just wait patiently. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; perhaps... it's a good thing."

Good news? Chu Jinghong staggered backward. He would rather his son have died in the secret realm than accept this outcome where he didn't even know whether he was alive or dead.

The Four Colleges League ended in a somber atmosphere. Due to the disappearance of the Shenwu team and the withdrawal of Tiance Academy from the competition, the entire competition ended hastily without even ranking the winners.

On this day, the team from the Three Academies was about to depart. Before leaving, Leng Ningshuang came to the back mountain alone and stood there for a long time, gazing at the teleportation array of the secret realm.

"Li Yuan, I know you're not dead. Next time we meet, I'll definitely settle this with you."

Wen Ruoxu also arrived. He looked at the empty back mountain, sighed heavily, and remained silent.

Only Zhao Lingyun, after recovering from his injuries, applied to leave Tian Ce Academy and directly joined the border army.

His arrogance was completely shattered after experiencing life and death, and he became taciturn.

He had mixed feelings about Li Yuan, seeing him as a rival, feeling some regret, and even admiration that he himself was unwilling to admit.

……

In the city of Locked Dragon.

Life became increasingly difficult, and people gradually realized that the place had been cut off from all contact with the outside world.

No one has entered the city for a long time, and the people inside the city can't leave either. The entire Lock Dragon City has become a veritable isolated island.

With communication cut off and food shortages, panic began to spread throughout the city. Every day, groups of people rushed out, only to return disappointed.

Standing on the city wall, Shen Lian watched the groups of residents retreating from outside the city, his heart filled with anxiety: "I shouldn't have stayed here in the first place. I should have tried to infiltrate the army, even if it meant going to the front lines. That might have been the only way out of here, better than staying here to die!"

Ji Fanghua frowned but didn't speak. She noticed that the flow of time here was slowing down, but she didn't say anything.

Standing on the second floor of the inn, Li Yuan gazed at the hazy sky in the distance, a strange premonition rising in his heart that the answer he was waiting for should be coming soon.

"This play isn't over yet," Li Yuan muttered to himself. "What kind of outcome do you ultimately want to see?"

A few days later, the city was in complete chaos.

"Run! Someone's robbing us!"

"Help!"

Chaos reigned in the streets, with screams and cries echoing from the main urban area to remote areas, as large numbers of people fled in panic.

With resources scarce and order broken, some people who were usually suppressed by high-level cultivators began to stir and looted throughout the city.

Li Yuan and his four companions also stood at the entrance of the inn, looking at the chaos in the distance with grim expressions.

"Everyone, come in quickly and hold the door shut! I heard the streets are in chaos, and a war has broken out between humans and demons!"

Mu Weng rushed in, his face pale. He had just gone out to gather information, and it was clear that the situation was not good.

Li Yuan and the others looked at each other in bewilderment and hurriedly followed. After inquiring, they learned that because the number of demon race participants in the previous battle was relatively small, the demon race experts who remained in the city were generally stronger than the human race.

Some powerful demons began to band together, not only robbing food but also wantonly bullying humans. Some demons even began to openly eat humans.

How could this happen?

The group looked at each other, their hearts heavy. Fortunately, the Hundred Clans Inn was located in a rather remote place, so for the time being, things were relatively peaceful.

However, the good times didn't last long. One day, a group of fierce demons finally broke in, led by a bear demon with horns on its head and black fur all over its body.

He kicked open the inn's door, pointed at the trembling old man behind the counter, and roared fiercely.

"You old geezer, if you know what's good for you, get out of here! This territory belongs to me, Master Xiong, from today onwards!"

Old Man Mu was a spiritual plant and didn't have much combat power. Faced with such a vicious assailant, he could only tightly protect Rong'er behind him and plead in a trembling voice, "Brave warriors, this is my ancestral property. Please show mercy..."

Snapped!

The bear demon smashed the counter with a single slap, grinning maliciously, "Show mercy? This world is a dog-eat-dog world. If it weren't for the fact that we're both demons, I would have killed you with one slap long ago!"

"Get out of here now!"

Several little demons immediately stepped forward and reached out to grab the two of them.

"stop!"

Shen Lian could no longer hold back. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he took a step forward. The long sword in his hand was already drawn, and a strong killing intent instantly spread out.

"If you want to mess with them, ask the knife in my hand first!" Shen Lian glared at him menacingly.

The bear demon was taken aback, clearly not expecting that the one who stepped forward was an insignificant human boy. He roared and was about to make a move.

"Wait a minute."

Li Yuan strode out, followed silently by Chu Yunhe, Yu Ling'er, and Ji Fanghua, who blocked the Mu family's grandfather and grandson behind him.

"Oh? A few of you are still fearless?" The bear demon narrowed his eyes, sizing up the five people.

"They're all fair-skinned and tender, perfect for a treat for the brothers!" The bear demon completely disregarded them, laughing triumphantly to the sky, "Hahaha..."

Chu Yunhe raised an eyebrow and slowly drew his longsword. He had been holding back for a year, and a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.

"Good! Excellent!" The bear demon waved his hand, no longer wasting words, "Get them! Kill these arrogant fools!"

At his command, seven or eight demon minions behind him shrieked and brandished crude weapons, rushing forward.

Although these demons were not highly skilled, they were tough and strong, and seven or eight streams of demonic energy mixed with a foul stench rushed towards us.