Chapter 921: The Ubiquitous Military Force (3)
Long Xueyao smiled and said, "It has been like this since my grandfather built this city. You don't need to be afraid; they won't do anything to the people in the city. They are mainly guarding against demons and the rare beast tides."
The city had been this well-protected since the very beginning?
Shen Yanxiao was speechless as she looked blankly at the sky. That was to say, even when Blizzard City had been fully prepared to face off against a beast tide, it still fell.
The first generation Blizzard City had been reduced to ruins under the attack of the beast tide!
What if Sun Never Sets were to encounter a beast tide?
People who gave no thought to the problems of the future would soon suffer.
Looking at the military strength of Blizzard City, Shen Yanxiao could not help but break out in cold sweat for Sun Never Sets's future.
"Was the beast tide scary?" Shen Yanxiao remembered the words of that sage impostor.
In a year's time, another beast tide would reappear in the Forsaken Land; she did not have much time left.
The smile on Long Xueyao's face slowly faded, leaving a slight frown behind.
"I didn't experience it, but my father said that my grandfather had suffered a lot after the beast tide. At that time, there were 50,000 elite members of Blizzard Mercenary Group stationed outside of Blizzard City, and there were also 10,000 elite members from each of the big four mercenary groups. Even with these 90,000 elite mercenaries fighting valiantly for their city and their lives, none of them returned alive. The population of the city quickly declined, leaving only commoners. The only one who escaped was my grandfather, who was desperately protected by his contractual mythical beast. After escorting my grandfather out, that mythical beast was seriously injured and was forced to sleep for nearly a hundred years before waking up again. And now, its strength is much weaker compared to how it was before. Its strength has now declined to the level of a high-level rank eight magical beast."
The beast tide had been the eternal nightmare of the Blizzard Mercenary Group.
In just five days, countless people were buried under the sea of blood brought by the beast tide. The first generation Blizzard City, which had taken more than ten years to build, was also reduced to ashes.
Shen Yanxiao listened in trepidation.
With tens of thousands of elite mercenaries and even more commoners guarding the city walls, they had only lasted for five days?
And they had even lost a mythical beast?
What kind of horrible calamity was that?!
Shen Yanxiao finally understood why even the God Realm, an organization that rarely appeared in the public eye, would be so proactive to ask about the beast tide. No one could resist such a calamity.
Moreover, the demon beasts that attacked Blizzard City back then were not the main force of the beast tide. Just a branch cut off from the main force alone was enough to reap the lives of thousands of people and the strength of a mythical beast...
If the main force had attacked then, wouldn't that mean...
Shen Yanxiao did not dare to continue with her thoughts. Originally, she thought that the invincible walls of Sun Never Sets and the eight mythical beasts in her hands could resist the beast tide, but it seemed that she had been too naive!
Fortunately, she had asked before it was too late. Otherwise, she was afraid that she would still be in the dark of potential damage a beast tide might cause.
"The beast tide is a nightmare for everyone in the Forsaken Land. Fortunately, there has not been a beast tide for a very long time." Long Xueyao took a deep breath. As the daughter of Long Fei, she had heard many rumors about the beast tide from her father since she was young.
Shen Yanxiao could not say anything, because she knew that there was only a year or so before the next beast tide would hit.
A hundred years ago, there was only one human city in the Forsaken Land, Blizzard City. But now, there are already six cities. The four countries of the Brilliance Continent each had their own city.
Shen Yanxiao wondered which of the four cities would be unfortunate enough to suffer from a beast tide this time around.
Chapter 922: Strange Illness (1)
Shen Yanxiao was in deep thought about the possible ways for her to improve the military strength of Sun Never Sets. Thus, along the way, she just started to ignore everything in her surroundings, paying no need to continue observing. She just followed behind Long Xueyao with a thoughtful expression.
"Young City Lord!"
The two people were walking quietly when a mercenary suddenly rushed over.
"What's wrong?" Long Xueyao immediately stopped in her tracks. She recognized that the other party was the mercenary responsible for guarding the City Lord Mansion.
The mercenary was so tired that he was sweating profusely. He didn't even bother to wipe his sweat as he hurriedly said, "The city lord is acting up again. The Deputy Head asks you to return immediately!"
"What?!" Long Xueyao's face immediately turned pale. She couldn't care less about explaining anything to Shen Yanxiao as she dashed towards the City Lord Mansion.
Shen Yanxiao frowned slightly. When she first saw Long Fei, she felt that his complexion was somewhat abnormal. This mercenary said that Long Fei had "acted up again"? Was he sick?
Since Long Fei gave her a good impression, Shen Yanxiao also rushed back with Long Xueyao.
After returning to the City Lord Mansion, Shen Yanxiao saw a large group of mercenaries crowding the perimeter of the City Lord Mansion. Looking at the silver snowflake badge hanging on their right chest, she knew that they were mercenaries of the Blizzard Mercenary Group.
This group of hot-blooded men were anxiously blocking the main hall of the City Lord Mansion. As soon as they saw Long Xueyao's figure, they immediately made way for her to pass through.
Shen Yanxiao just followed behind Long Xueyao. From time to time, some eyes would fall on her.
These members of the Blizzard Mercenary Group were all very curious. Where did this youth accompanying their young city lord come from?
Long Xueyao rushed to Long Fei's room in a hurry. Before she entered the door, a terrifying roar echoed inside the room.
The hoarse roar was like the roar of a wild beast, enough to make one's soul tremble.
Long Xueyao immediately pushed the door open and entered. Suddenly, a black shadow pounced towards her.
Shen Yanxiao, who was following closely behind Long Xueyao, immediately pushed Long Xueyao to the side. She supported herself with one hand and directly resisted the black shadow's push.
But the next second, Shen Yanxiao was stunned. The black shadow that rushed towards Long Xueyao was clearly Long Fei, whom she had seen at noon; it was just that the gap between the current Long Fei and the Long Fei she saw at noon was too big.
At this moment, all the muscles on Long Fei's body were swelling so much that it was bursting out. His thin clothes were torn apart, and his exposed skin was suffused with a suspicious red light. The veins on his face were bulging, his eyes were bloodshot, and his black pupils were filled with madness. Deafening roars constantly came out from his mouth.
Shen Yanxiao's palm was pressed against Long Fei's shoulder, but the high temperature on the other side was burning her palm. Shen Yanxiao had even wondered whether she was touching a living person or a soldering iron!
"Head!" Two middle-aged men suddenly rushed out of the room. They grabbed Long Fei's arms from both sides and used all their strength to pull him back into the room.
Shen Yanxiao hesitantly withdrew her palm. She looked at the reddish skin on her palm, and a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Shen Jue, I'm sorry." Long Xueyao looked at Shen Yanxiao with lingering fear. Just now, if Shen Yanxiao had not acted in time, she feared that she would have been attacked by her father.
"It's okay. Let's go and see City Lord Long first." Shen Yanxiao hid her hand in her sleeve. The strange feeling coming from her palm made her feel suspicious.
Long Xueyao did not say anything else and directly entered the room. She had tacitly allowed Shen Yanxiao to enter the room as the door behind them closed.
The room was a mess.
Chapter 923: Strange Illness (2)
The tables, chairs, and other furniture had been smashed into pieces. The broken porcelain pieces scattered all over the floor. Apart from the bed, everything else in the room had been completely destroyed.
In the room, besides Long Fei and the two other middle-aged men, there was also a white-haired old man standing by the bed with trembling hands.
"Uncle Wu, Uncle Qin, quickly tie Father to the bed!" Long Xueyao decisively ordered. Long Fei's current situation would not only hurt others, but also himself.
Wu Run and Qin Qiong were the Deputy Heads of the Blizzard Mercenary Corps. They immediately tied Long Fei to the bed according to Long Xueyao's instructions.
Long Fei, who was now tied up, was still raging. His hands and feet were bound, but he kept on roaring. That hideous appearance made it difficult for people to associate him with the calm and amiable Long Fei she saw at noon.
The current Long Fei was like an enraged beast, without any sense of rationality.
Long Xueyao looked at her father with heartache, her delicate little face full of sorrow.
"It's all because I'm useless that I couldn't find the Joy-Sucking Grass for Father." Long Xueyao clenched her fists and bit her lip.
Wu Run and Qin Qiong spent a lot of effort subduing Long Fei. Both of them were sweating profusely. They looked at Long Xueyao, who was blaming herself, and quickly said, "You have done your best. Fang Qiu has told us what happened on your trip. It is already fortunate enough that you have come back safely."
Long Xueyao only smiled bitterly. Looking at her crazed father, she felt as if a knife was being twisted in her heart.
"Father still hasn't improved?"
"The Head has been acting up more frequently these days. Doctor Wei has been watching over him, but there has not been any improvement." Wu Run sighed.
Doctor Wei, who was in charge of Long Fei's treatment, felt ashamed.
"I wonder what's wrong with City Lord Long?" Shen Yanxiao looked at the grieving people in front of her and subconsciously asked.
"This must be Little Brother Shen Jue?" Qin Qiong looked at Shen Yanxiao and asked.
"Yes, I am." Shen Yanxiao nodded her head.
Qin Qiong smiled bitterly. "I'm really sorry for letting you see such a sight. Our Head was seriously injured fourteen years ago. Since then, his body has never been in good condition. Later on, he developed a strange illness. Every month, he would go crazy and lose his rationality. The reason why our Young City Lord went to the northern border previously was to find a medicinal herb for our City Lord."
Long Fei's illness was no longer a secret. Almost everyone in the Divine Wind Alliance knew about it, so Qin Qiong did not conceal it.
Shen Yanxiao frowned slightly. The moment she came into contact with Long Fei just now, she clearly felt a strange feeling from Long Fei's body. That feeling was very strange, as if there was something in Long Fei's body that resonated with the source of magic in her body.
Long Fei was a Second-Class Expert, a Swordmaster to be exact, a profession that did not have to do anything with magic.
But why did her source of magic resonate when she touched him?
Shen Yanxiao felt that it was a little strange. She did not think that Long Fei was sick at all.
She felt that Long Fei's appearance was very likely...
"What illness does City Lord Long have?" Shen Yanxiao probed.
Qin Qiong glanced at Physician Wei, who was trembling at the side. Physician Wei swallowed his saliva before walking forward while trembling. "This old man has been taking care of the City Lord for many years. From the City Lord's condition, I guess that he must have gone crazy. However, it doesn't seem like the case so I'm not too sure."
Crazy?
Shen Yanxiao laughed in her heart. The symptoms did not match the diagnosis at all.
Chapter 924: Strange Illness (3)
"Why do I feel that City Lord Long doesn't look sick, but rather... cursed?" Shen Yanxiao asked.
"Cursed?" As soon as Shen Yanxiao said this, the four people in the room were stunned.
"Shen Jue... what do you mean by cursed?" Long Xueyao was so surprised that she stuttered.
Curses were scary to many people, because only the Second-Class Experts among Warlocks, the so-called Summoners, could use curses.
Shen Yanxiao nodded her head. From the reaction of the crowd, she knew that Warlocks were indeed not well-liked around here.
Fortunately, when she was dealing with the demons on the way back to the city, she used the skills of an Archer. Otherwise, she would not dare to mention curses in front of them.
"But... aren't curses only used by Summoners? In the Brilliance Continent, Warlocks have gone extinct. Who could use curses nowadays?" Wu Run had a puzzled look on his face.
"I heard that the person sent to the Forsaken Land by the Longxuan Empire is a Warlock. That person seems to be from Saint Laurent Academy. Didn't Saint Laurent Academy always keep their Warlock Branch? Since that person came from Saint Laurent Academy, it is very likely that there is a powerful Warlock in Saint Laurent Academy." Qin Qiong seemed to have thought of something.
Shen Yanxiao was speechless.
She never thought that Qin Qiong's thoughts would be so jumpy. He actually thought of her and Yun Qi.
She had really shot herself in the foot!
Just as Shen Yanxiao was considering whether she should redeem her reputation for herself and Yun Qi, Long Xueyao opened her mouth and said, "It can't be her. I heard that the current City Lord of Sun Never Sets is only fourteen years old. When my father was injured, she was only one year old at most. Even if there is a hidden Warlock in Saint Laurent Academy, that person has always kept a low profile for many years. He should not be the one who injured my father."
Long Xueyao directly denied Qin Qiong's guess.
Qin Qiong thought about it and felt that he was being irrational.
"However, the existence of the City Lord of Sun Never Sets proves one thing: Warlocks have not disappeared from the Brilliance Continent. Since there are Warlocks hiding in Saint Laurent Academy, there must be some fishes that have escaped the net and are lurking all over the Brilliance Continent. Perhaps... the City Lord was injured by those fishes?" Wu Run said.
"That's not impossible." Qin Qiong nodded.
Long Xueyao was more rational. She looked at Shen Yanxiao seriously and asked, "Shen Jue, you said that my father might have been cursed. Can you tell me how you determine it?"
Shen Yanxiao pursed her lips. She really wasn't a meddlesome person. However, Long Fei and his daughter looked quite pleasing to the eye, and they had also treated her quite well. Thinking that she would soon steal the blueprint of their Thunder Artillery, Shen Yanxiao tried to explain as well as she could as repayment.
"It's very simple. When I touched City Lord Long just now, I didn't feel the emergence of battle aura in his body. Instead, I felt a corrosive magical aura attached to his body. City Lord Long is a Swordmaster so he cultivates battle aura. This magical aura, if he didn't cultivate it himself, must have been imposed on him by someone. I once heard that when a person is cursed, the magical aura lurking in their meridians will fill every part of their body. That's why I have this suspicion."
Not for anything else, but for the sake of Long Xueyao's filial piety, she would give her a little help.
Chapter 925: Strange Illness (4)
Long Xueyao, Wu Run, and Qin Qiong exchanged a look. They had more or less heard about curses, but since Warlock had been extinct for many years, none of them even thought about them as culprits.
"Doctor Wei, do you think the words of little brother Shen Jue are trustworthy?" This matter was of great importance, so Qin Qiong could only consult Doctor Wei.
Doctor Wei shook his head and hesitated for a while before saying, "I couldn't figure out City Lord's condition in the first place. Now that Little Brother Shen Jue has said it, it's quite possible that is the case. After all, City Lord has taken a lot of medicine over the years, but he hasn't improved in the slightest. Moreover, when City Lord acts up, his body does indeed have a certain corrosive nature."
Upon hearing Physician Wei's words, the three of them looked even worse for wear.
"What exactly happened to father back then? Uncle Wu, Uncle Qin, do you know?" Long Xueyao was a little anxious. Compared to an illness, a curse was more terrifying.
Wu Run and Qin Qiong both smiled bitterly.
"Back then, the Head went out alone and he didn't allow us to follow him. We really don't know what happened to him back then. All these years, when we asked about what happened back then, the Head always avoided talking about it."
If Long Fei was willing to reveal a thing or two, they would not have been so passive.
Long Xueyao was very anxious.
If it was an illness, they could still think of ways to treat it.
However, if it was a curse...
How many Warlocks existed in the continent? How many were known by the world?
"Shen Yanxiao!" Long Xueyao exclaimed.
Shen Yanxiao was shocked.
"To Sun Never Sets! The City Lord of Sun Never Sets, Shen Yanxiao, is a Warlock! She might have a way to save my father!" Long Xueyao thought of Shen Yanxiao, who had been quite talked about during this period of time.
"Young City Lord... She is a Warlock... Do you think she will agree?" Wu Run was not optimistic about Long Xueyao's idea.
He really did not have a good impression of Warlocks.
"No matter what method she uses, as long as she is willing to save my father, I am willing to pay any price!" Long Xueyao was firm. Compared with Long Fei, everything else was not important.
Shen Yanxiao stood silently at the side. As the person in question, she was standing beside Long Xueyao, listening to her wishing to go to Sun Never Sets. It really felt... very strange... very strange.
But...
She really did not know how to lift the curse!
She was still an Advanced Warlock and was still one step away from being a Second-Class Expert. Even if she stood out and revealed her identity now, she still could not remove the curse on Long Fei.
There were only two ways to save Long Fei. The first way was to ask Yun Qi to help.
But, Shen Yanxiao would never force her own teacher to appear in front of others.
The other way was to wait until she unlocked the sixth layer of her seal tonight to see if she could successfully break through and become a Second-Class Expert. As long as she broke through the second stage, she would have a way to deal with the curse.
Unfortunately, Shen Yanxiao's thoughts could not be told to Long Xueyao.
Not to mention that the relationship between Blizzard City and Sun Never Sets was not very friendly. Furthermore, she just talked about the possibility of it being a curse, so if she were to jump out and say that she could solve it, even if Long Xueyao did not suspect her, Wu Run and Qin Qiong would suspect that she had ulterior motives.
It's hard to be a good person!
"This... there's no hurry for the time being. The current situation of City Lord Long is not suitable to travel far. It's not too late to wait until City Lord Long recovers. Besides, Miss Long, you'd better ask your father why he was injured. After all, a curse is only my guess." Shen Yanxiao tried to calm the tense situation.
Chapter 926: Seal? (1)
"Alright." Long Xueyao sighed. At least she had some clues as to why her father was acting like this now.
"Shen Jue, thank you." Long Xueyao sincerely thanked Shen Yanxiao. If not for Shen Yanxiao's words, she feared that they would have never known about the curse.
Shen Yanxiao scratched her head and did not answer her.
Don't thank me yet. I'm going to steal the blueprint for the Thunder Artillery tonight.
Long Fei struggled for a long time before he fainted. Long Xueyao and the other two were busy taking care of Long Fei, so Shen Yanxiao obediently went out first.
Returning to her room, Shen Yanxiao first ate the dinner sent by the servants and then climbed into her bed.
"Xiu, now unlock the sixth layer of the seal for me!" Shen Yanxiao sat cross-legged on the bed, her tone particularly firm.
'You want to save him?' Xiu's cold voice sounded in Shen Yanxiao's mind.
Shen Yanxiao frowned slightly. Although she had the intention to help Long Xueyao, it was not to the extent of giving up everything for her.
"I just want to break through and become a Second-Class Expert as soon as possible so that you can help me train my soldiers." Hearing about the beast tide today made Shen Yanxiao uneasy. She did not have much time to prepare.
Moreover, there was still a month until the seventh day of the seventh month. She still hoped to beat Geng Di in the competition of the four-nation city lords!
Although Geng Di's strength could be ignored, now that she saw Long Fei, her thoughts were not so simple.
Long Fei was a true Swordmaster. He would definitely participate in the competition.
The strength of the City Lord of the Twilight City of the Seven Kingdoms was unknown; Shen Yanxiao estimated that it would not be too bad. Shen Yanxiao wanted to suppress everyone in the competition of the four cities and gain more advantages for her city. And since she wished to avoid relying on Vermillion Bird, she must improve her strength further.
A lot of things forced her to break through the second class promotion quickly. Even without Long Fei's matter, she would still break through tonight.
'Okay.' Xiu agreed very straightforwardly.
Shen Yanxiao closed her eyes and quietly waited for the seal to be unlocked.
However, just as she was preparing her heart, she fell into a coma the next second.
After Shen Yanxiao fell asleep, a black mist quietly flowed out from her body and condensed in front of her bed.
Xiu narrowed his golden eyes and looked at Shen Yanxiao, who was lying on the bed weakly. His slender arm stretched out, picking her up from the bed with one hand. His other hand directly pulled up the sleeve of her right arm, revealing the Seven Stars Locking Moon on her arm.
A year ago, the sealing totem was dim and lightless. Now, it was replaced by five bright red marks; there were still two that had not turned red.
Only two of the seven layers remained.
However, Xiu's golden eyes were not at all relaxed. His eyes carefully swept over the seal on Shen Yanxiao's arm. Under the five red dots, he faintly saw a circle of white light.
"Is it not the Seven Stars Locking Moon?" Xiu frowned slightly, and his thin lips spat out unbelievable doubts.
Looking at Shen Yanxiao's sleeping face, the seriousness in his eyes did not disperse.
"Forget it." He sighed softly and slowly put Shen Yanxiao on her bed. He stretched out a palm, covering Shen Yanxiao's seal.
"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, we will live and die together."
Taking a deep breath, Xiu slowly closed his eyes and poured the power in his body into the seal.
As the wisps of power reached the seal, wisps of gray fog continuously seeped out from Xiu's palm.
"Uh!" A low cry came out of Shen Yanxiao's mouth. She suddenly sat up and opened her eyes.
Chapter 927: Seal? (2)
Both of her eyes were now green, as if they were representing life and mother nature.
Xiu's golden eyes flashed with surprise.
Shen Yanxiao looked blankly at Xiu, her ignorant eyes were full of confusion and helplessness. She tilted her head and the black silk was replaced by the color silver in an instant. With her long silver hair, she looked like an elf from the Moon God Continent.
Xiu raised his hand and brushed the side of Shen Yanxiao's face.
"Sleep."
With a low groan, Shen Yanxiao closed her eyes tiredly and fell into a deep sleep.
Xiu was silent as he watched Shen Yanxiao fall into a deep sleep. There was an unsolvable worry between his brows.
A faint mist brushed past Shen Yanxiao's closed eyes and her silver hair.
As the mist slowly faded, Shen Yanxiao's hair once again turned all black.
As if nothing had ever happened, she lay quietly on the bed.
Xiu sighed softly. His figure turned into a black mist and disappeared without a trace.
When Shen Yanxiao woke up, it was already late at night. There were no lights in the room, so she sat up in bed in the dark.
The night was the best time for a thief. She did not light the lamp. In the darkness, she seemed to be able to see everything around her.
"I can't tell when Long Xueyao will go to Sun Never Sets. But before that, I have to get the blueprint of the Thunder Artillery." Shen Yanxiao touched her chin. Once Long Xueyao left, it would not be good for her to stay in Blizzard City any longer. After all, Long Xueyao was going to Sun Never Sets to find her. She should at least go out and show her face.
Shen Yanxiao quickly tidied her clothes and checked for any changes in her body. This time, after the seal was undone, she felt that the battle aura and magic in her body had become much purer. She was now touching upon the threshold of a Second-Class Expert, only one step away from truly being one.
Taking advantage of the night, Shen Yanxiao looked for a place in the City Lord Mansion where she could find the Thunder Artillery blueprint.
It was already late at night, and the City Lord Mansion was dark. People had already fallen asleep. Occasionally, a team of guards would patrol the residence. With Shen Yanxiao's skills, it was easy to avoid them.
Shen Yanxiao first arrived at Long Fei's study. She focused her magic into her eyes, allowing her to clearly see everything in the room. The night did not obstruct her at all.
Long Fei's study had a lot of books, from various military strategies to various historical records. Shen Yanxiao was very cautious with her movement. All the books she had touched were placed back according to their original positions. She did not make any sound. Even when guards patrolled the study, they did not find any abnormalities.
Shen Yanxiao searched for a while but did not find anything special.
After a while, she searched the entire mansion before finally finding the blueprint of the Thunder Artillery in Long Fei's bedroom.
On the bed, Long Fei was exhausted from the aftereffects of the curse. Wu Run and Qin Qiong alternately guarded Long Fei by his bedside. Shen Yanxiao took advantage of the few minutes when the two of them talked outside the door and successfully got the blueprint of the Thunder Artillery.
Looking at Long Fei's pale face, Shen Yanxiao carefully put the blueprint of the Thunder Artillery into her storage ring. Outside the door, Wu Run and Qin Qiong had already finished their conversation and could enter the room at any time.
Just as Shen Yanxiao was about to slip away, Long Fei suddenly let out a groan. Qin Qiong, who was outside the door, immediately pushed the door open and entered. At the same time, Shen Yanxiao flipped over and hid on the roof beam.
She was as quiet as an agile cat.
"Qin Qiong?" Long Fei struggled to open his eyes.
Chapter 928: Origin (1)
"Head!" Qin Qiong immediately walked to the bedside.
Long Fei reluctantly sat up.
"I acted up again?"
"Yes." Qin Qiong replied.
"Sigh, it's been hard on you." Long Fei had no memory of everything that happened when he acted up. But every time he woke up and saw the mess in the room, he was already very clear about what happened.
"It's all because of our uselessness that Head has to suffer so much." Qin Qiong couldn't bear to see this.
Long Fei was an upright person. Whether it was towards his mercenaries or the citizens of Blizzard City, he was very kind. Thus, he always had a good reputation among the five major mercenary groups.
If one asked which mercenary group among the five largest mercenary groups of the Divine Wind Alliance had the most loyal members, then it was surely the Blizzard Mercenary Group.
Back then, Blizzard City of the Blizzard Mercenary Group had suffered the attack of the beast tide and lost a large number of elites. It could be said that they had almost fallen from the position of one of the five major mercenary groups. However, with the support and loyalty of the entire mercenary group, they were still able to stand firmly in the position of the five major mercenary groups.
Long Fei smiled bitterly and said, "This is my own fault. It has nothing to do with you."
Qin Qiong was silent for a moment. He immediately thought of the conversation he had with Shen Yanxiao during the day and immediately said, "Head, do you suspect that you are not sick at all?"
Long Fei was stunned.
Qin Qiong told Long Fei about the possibility that Shen Yanxiao had mentioned during the day. Long Fei's eyebrows slightly wrinkled.
"Curse? If that is the case, then it is highly likely." Long Fei seemed to have thought of something.
"I wish to go to Sun Never Sets and ask Shen Yanxiao for help. But I don't know if she will agree." Qin Qiong had a difficult expression on his face. When Shen Yanxiao had just entered the Forsaken Land, the Fantasy Devil City had sent people to tell them the news of Shen Yanxiao's arrival to obstruct her.
Although Long Fei did not intend to make a move at that time, due to certain reasons, Long Fei still sent some people to harass them. Although they did not cause any damage to Shen Yanxiao's people, this matter had already been done.
Now that they had to ask Shen Yanxiao for help, they were really not sure if Shen Yanxiao would agree.
After all, what they had done back then was rather unkind.
Long Fei said, "For that matter, we really did wrong for her. We really shouldn't have obstructed her that day. At the end of the day, we were rude."
Qin Qiong sighed.
"If we had done what you said, we would not have made a move. But that day, Commander Gu was also there. What he asked the Iron Blood Mercenary Group to do, we will be the ones to receive blame." At that time, Long Fei did not care about Shen Yanxiao's arrival. Unfortunately, Gu Lan was also present. Although Long Fei was unwilling to make a move, Gu Lan did not inform Long Fei of his decision. Long Fei had only found out later.
After Shen Yanxiao counterattacked, Long Fei naturally stopped Gu Lan.
However, Sun Never Sets did not know these facts.
What they knew was that Blizzard City had made a move, and that the City Lord of Blizzard City was Long Fei, they only cared about this.
Shen Yanxiao listened in on the conversation from the roof beam and was quite surprised in her heart. It turned out that the person who had made the move was not Long Fei, but Gu Lan, that weirdo!
This was good to know, or else she would have wronged for Long Fei.
"Alas, it's too late to say these things." Long Fei was just very helpless.
"In the end, she is still a child of the Vermillion Bird Family. Whether it was me who tripped her or not, I have already let her down by not stopping Gu Lan in time."
Chapter 929: Summoning Skill (1)
Shen Yanxiao raised her eyebrows. Long Fei's words were thought-provoking.
Qin Qiong seemed to know what Long Fei was referring to.
"Head, you still remember our ancestors' affairs?"
Long Fei said, "Of course. My ancestors are related to the ancestors of the current Emperor of the Longxuan Empire. However, they failed to compete for the throne back then. Winner takes all, and the loser becomes the thief. If it were not for the Vermilion Bird Family Head lending a helping hand to my ancestors to get out of the Longxuan Empire, how could they have the opportunity to build up the Blizzard Mercenary Group? Even though it was a long time ago, the Vermilion Bird Family is considered as our benefactor. Just standing on the sidelines while watching the descendant of our benefactor getting schemed against by our allies... I have honestly let my ancestors down."
So exciting!
When Shen Yanxiao heard Long Fei's words, she nearly fell from the beam.
She had found it strange previously. The surname Long was pretty rare. In the Longxuan Empire, only the direct descendants of the royal family could use it. Moreover, she had never heard of anyone with that surname in other countries. She did not expect Long Fei and Long Xueyao to have such a relationship with the Emperor of the Longxuan Empire.
Furthermore, her ancestors had actually saved their ancestors' lives.
Shen Yanxiao honestly felt that coincidences in this world were too amazing.
Long Fei and Qin Qiong chatted for a while longer. The general consensus was that Long Fei believed that he was inflicted with a curse.
Qin Qiong was worried that Shen Yanxiao might not agree to undo the curse on Long Fei.
Qin Qiong also asked about why Long Fei was cursed back then.
Unfortunately, Long Fei would not mention a single word about that incident.
And so, Shen Yanxiao failed to hear more juicy stories.
Long Fei soon fell back asleep. Qin Qiong turned off the lights and sat by the bed to guard him. Shen Yanxiao slipped away without attracting Qin Qiong's attention.
The so-called Thief God was someone who could come and go without a trace right under someone's nose!
After obtaining the blueprint for the Thunder Artillery and hearing about the secret between Long Fei and the Longxuan Empire's royal family, Shen Yanxiao felt that she had gained a lot tonight.
When the thief returned back to her room, Shen Yanxiao silently continued on with her training. After undoing the sixth seal, her training speed had increased by leaps and bounds. At the break of dawn, she managed to advance both her Archer and Warlock professions to the second class promotion!
A Second-Class Archer was called Magic Archer. As the name implies, a Magic Archer's arrows were no longer a simple battle aura attack. Every arrow would contain traces of magic and most importantly, a Magic Archer could manipulate the direction of the arrow for a certain period of time.
This was practically as heaven-defying as telekinesis!
As for Second-Class Warlocks, they would experience a huge change, and they would be referred to as Summoners.
There was a huge gap between Summoners and Warlocks. Warlocks used curses as their main attacking method, but Summoners were completely different.
The magic in a Summoner's body would undergo a huge change after the second class promotion. Using magic, they would draw a summoning array on the ground and drip their blood on it. Next, they would use their blood as a medium to summon phantom beasts from another world!
The strength of a phantom beast was comparable to a magical beast, but there was no limit to how much one could control.
A person could only sign one magical beast in their entire life. After they contracted a magical beast, they could never sign a second one.
But it was possible to have several phantom beasts!
As long as they were powerful, a Summoner could summon several phantom beasts to serve them. Of course, the quantity and quality were inversely proportional. The more phantom beasts they summoned, the weaker they would be. And vice versa.
Chapter 930: Summoning Skill (2)
During the summoning period, a Summoner had to provide enough magic support for the summoned beast to continue staying in the world. Once the supply line of magic was cut, the phantom beast would immediately return to the magic passage and back to their world.
The power of phantom beasts relied entirely on the Summoner's strength. They would only be strong if the Summoner was strong.
Shen Yanxiao had once heard from Yun Qi that a long time ago, a powerful Sage Summoner summoned a huge Lord of Lava from another world. The Lord of Lava was ten times larger than eight mythical beasts combined, and could flatten a city with one foot. That Sage Summoner swept across the entire Brilliance Continent with that handsome lord and did not encounter a single worthy opponent. It was not until his magic was exhausted that the terrifying behemoth returned to the other world.
One foot to flatten a city...
Just the thought of it made Shen Yanxiao excited!
She finally broke through to her second class promotion with great difficulty. Shen Yanxiao could not wait any longer and said to Xiu, "Xiu! I've broken through my second class promotion!!"
A ball of black mist immediately surged out from Shen Yanxiao's body and Xiu appeared before her once again. When his gaze met with Shen Yanxiao's excited eyes, it paused for a moment before he shifted his gaze away.
"Not bad."
Shen Yanxiao chuckled.
"I would like to try my summoning skills." Shen Yanxiao had heard many rumors about Summoners from Yun Qi. She had been tempted for so long. If it were not for her lack of strength, she would have done it already.
Yun Qi had taught her the Summoner's summoning array so that she could use it whenever she broke through her second class promotion. However...
Yun Qi did not expect Shen Yanxiao to break through to the second class promotion in such a short time.
"Try it over there." Xiu sat down on a chair beside the table. He then gracefully raised his hand to support his chin. He was just like a king that made people have the urge to kneel.
Even when Xiu was just simply sitting on a chair, he still let out a monarch-like aura. Shen Yanxiao could not help but take extra care of her heart and liver in case they bursted out
If the rulers of the four countries were to see this aura of a ruler in front of them, would they kill themselves out of embarrassment?
"Sure!" After she finished discussing Xiu's natural beauty, Shen Yanxiao rubbed her palms and busied herself in the room.
Following Yun Qi's instructions, Shen Yanxiao focused all her magic on her fingertips and quickly drew a summoning array with a radius of one meter.
The entire summoning array was drawn with magic power; it did not require any other items. One could only see streaks of flickering blue light drawing strange patterns on the ground.
Once she finished drawing the summoning array, Shen Yanxiao took a deep breath and stood up. She then decisively bit her finger.
A bright red bead of blood blossomed on her fingertips. She raised her hand and dropped her blood onto the summoning array as she chanted an oath.
"Use my blood to nurture your soul!"
The moment the last word was uttered, the summoning array immediately radiated a blinding light.
The dazzling light covered the entire summoning array in an instant and a gust of wind from another world blew across the room!
Shen Yanxiao held her breath and stared at the center of the summoning array.
Amidst the light, she saw a black shadow emerging from the summoning array, revealing itself bit by bit.
As the gale wreaked havoc, the light seemed to finally reach its peak in an instant, but suddenly the light dissipated and the wind stopped!
Shen Yanxiao looked at that figure in the summoning array in shock!
Chapter 931: Summoning Skill (3)
"Guji?" A palm-sized fire dragon stood in the summoning array, confused.
"..." Shen Yanxiao was thoroughly speechless.
Where was the promised Lord of Lava?
Where was the promised savage magical beast that could flatten a city with one foot?!
Shen Yanxiao wanted to cry but no tears came as she looked at the mini dragon that was only the size of her palm. This little guy's entire body was fiery red. Its head was about the same size as his body. On its back, two thumb-sized dragon wings gently clung onto the dragon scales. No matter how she looked at it, this little guy could only amount to a cute mascot!
There was nothing about it that resembled a terrifying beast.
Shen Yanxiao felt depressed.
She knew that she had just advanced to a Summoner and that it was unrealistic to summon a lord-level phantom beast. However...
This guy was just too tiny!
Looking at the mini dragon that was about the same size as Little Phoenix, Shen Yanxiao's shoulders immediately collapsed.
"Guji? Guji?" The mini dragon did not seem to know that the Summoner that had summoned it was swimming in a sea of regret. It swayed back and forth with its tiny claws before starting to crawl forward. At a speed that was almost as fast as a wriggling worm, it arrived at Xiu's feet.
Then...
It stuck out its little head like a lackey and rubbed against Xiu's toes...
"I did not summon this creature! I did not summon this creature!" Shen Yanxiao could not bear to look at it. Forget that this mini dragon was not the least bit intimidating, but wasn't it summoned using her blood?
So!
Why wasn't it fawning over me? Why did it hug Xiu's toe and act cute instead?
It did not make any sense!
Xiu curled his brow and bent down to pick up the mini dragon that stuck to his feet with two fingers.
"Eh." Shen Yanxiao was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered what Xiu had done to that eighth-ranked magical beast. She could not help but break out in cold sweat for that adorable but not mighty beast.
At the very least, you should take a look at who you are acting like a spoiled child to. Is that lord someone you can provoke?
How dare you touch Xiu's pure toes? This is blasphemy!
Just as Shen Yanxiao thought that Xiu would instantly kill this mini dragon that had dirtied his pure toe, Xiu placed it on the table.
"I haven't seen a Phantom Dragon in a long time." Xiu said.
"Do you know what that is?" Shen Yanxiao asked.
Xiu nodded.
"It's called a Phantom Dragon; it is somewhat similar to the dragons of this continent. However, it lives in a different world so only a Summoner can lure it into this world. The Phantom Dragon's physique can rival that of dragons and it possesses higher wisdom when compared to the Dragon race. Not only is its defense high, but it can also create an environment that could confuse the enemy. During the battle between gods and devils, the God Summoner of humans once summoned the King of the Phantom Dragons to insta-kill 100,000 devils."
Shen Yanxiao blinked. Insta-killing 100,000 devils?
That was the Devil race...
The most savage race in this world had been insta-killed by a single Phantom Dragon?
Just the thought of it made Shen Yanxiao feel that Phantom Dragons were really ferocious.
"I remember that the Phantom Dragon King is known as the Wing of Death. Unfortunately, no one among humans can summon it anymore." Xiu stretched out his finger and poked the mini dragon's small wings.
"Phantom Dragon King? Wing of Death?" Shen Yanxiao did not know much about phantom beasts.
Chapter 932: Summoning Skill (4)
Xiu unhurriedly said, "Similar to magical beasts, magical beasts are divided into different ranks. Magical beasts are divided into low, intermediate, high, mythical, sage, and legendary magical beasts. The same goes for phantom beasts. However, powerful phantom beasts above high-level phantom beasts are known as elite phantom beasts. Above them are lord-level phantom beasts and the highest are demon lords. The Wing of Death is the strongest among Phantom Dragons, in other words, it is a demon lord."
"Then the Lord of Lava is equivalent to a sage-level magical beast?" Shen Yanxiao heard that Yun Qi mentioned a Lord of Lava.
"More or less, but magical beasts are weaker than phantom beasts. If phantom beasts also exist in this world, then I'm afraid the position of a magical beast might be in jeopardy." Xiu propped his chin and looked at the mini dragon hugging his finger acting cute. There was no fluctuation in his eyes.
"Magical beasts are... weaker than phantom beasts?" Shen Yanxiao was speechless.
"Magical beasts are born in the Brilliance Continent, so naturally, they would be weaker. Even demon beasts are more powerful than magical beasts. However, magical beasts can cooperate with humans to fight, so their degree of adaptability is higher than the other two. Even though demon beasts are powerful, they have no intellect and are the type to have strong limbs but a simple mind. As long as we find their weakness, it would be easy to defeat them. Phantom beasts are the kings of the beast race. Unfortunately, they can only exist in this world for a short period of time and are completely reliant on the Summoner's personal abilities. They are a burden in long drawn-out fights. Combined together, magical beasts are the most practical." Xiu gave a simple analysis of the three types of beasts.
Each had their strengths and weaknesses.
Even though magical beasts were weaker than their two counterparts, they could enter into a contract with humans and could perfectly cooperate with humans. Furthermore, there was no time limit and their loyalty was also very high.
Demonic beasts did not have any intellect, making them only useful as vanguards. If they were to encounter someone familiar with them, they would very possibly suffer a huge loss.
Phantom beasts were powerful and smart, but they were not creatures of this world. They could only exist for a short time, which meant they could only be used during decisive battles.
"Phantom beasts really did quite a number to the Devil race. I saw them often during the war between the gods and devils, but I didn't think I would see them again." Xiu seemed to have recalled the past. Even though Xiu was still indifferent to the mini dragon, he did not kill it directly.
"Are phantom beasts really that strong?" Shen Yanxiao looked at the mini dragon with a bitter expression.
"Then what rank is it?" She did not pray for an elite or lord-level phantom beast. At the very least, she did not want to embarrass herself.
Xiu glanced at Shen Yanxiao and slowly said something that made her vomit blood.
"A newborn like that can't even be considered as a low-level beast."
In the end, she summoned a useless toy?
Shen Yanxiao's lips twitched. Luckily, she had already prepared for the worst. Even if this mini dragon was a low-level phantom beast, she could endure it.
However...
It was a newborn that could not even be considered as a low-level beast!
Thinking about how Little Phoenix was an eighth-ranked magical beast the moment it was born, then looking at this mini dragon...
Shen Yanxiao had to admit that this was the biggest failure yet in her glorious life!
Was it really not sent by phantom beasts to trick her?
"Guji?" The mini dragon did not even notice that its appearance had brought about such a terrible setback for a certain someone as it continued to stay by Xiu's side and act cute.
Shen Yanxiao felt like her body was already full of cuts and bruises as she was covering her face. She then bent over and picked up the mini dragon from the table.
Chapter 933: Summoning Skill (5)
"How are we going to send this guy back?" She would never let anyone know that the first phantom beast she summoned was this cute mascot!
But what about Xiu?
Xiu was not human!
"Cut off the magic transmission, or put it back in the summoning array and let it return on its own." Xiu looked at Shen Yanxiao's vivid expression; there seemed to be a trace of a smile in his eyes.
"Okay!" Shen Yanxiao lifted the mini dragon in her hands and walked towards the summoning array in high spirits.
Why didn't she just cut off the magic transmission?
Sorry, Yun Qi did not expect her to break through to the second class promotion so early, so...
He did not teach her how to cut off the magic transmission!
"Guji?" The mini dragon widened its scarlet eyes and looked at Shen Yanxiao's gloomy face. It did not know why the human that had summoned it had such a terrifying aura.
Shen Yanxiao placed the mini dragon on the teleportation array and put her hands on the sides of her hips. "You can go back now."
"Guji?" The mini dragon tilted its head. Its eyes were filled with confusion.
"Go back." Shen Yanxiao said righteously.
"Gu?"
"..."
"Ji?"
"..."
Shen Yanxiao stood outside the summoning array and stared at the mini dragon.
Xiu seemed to know what was wrong. "It was just born so it must not know how to go back."
"No way!" Shen Yanxiao turned to look at Xiu in despair.
"I'm pretty sure that is it." Xiu narrowed his eyes. A phantom beast was much more fragile and ignorant when compared to a magical beast. The strength of a phantom beast was developed through training in another world.
"Don't lie to me! You are tricking me, aren't you!?" Shen Yanxiao wanted to cry. Looking at that silly mini dragon standing in the summoning array and revealing an 'I'm so cute' appearance, she really wanted to strangle it to death.
She did not know how to cut off the magic transmission and the mini dragon would not return by itself. What could be good about this?
"Xiu, do you know how long it will take for it to consume all my magic?" Shen Yanxiao could only pray that it would consume a lot of magic to support a phantom beast in this world. In that case, she could send this mascot back due to insufficient magic.
Xiu looked at Shen Yanxiao who had just broken through to the second class promotion and then at the mini dragon who was in a daze. He then gave Shen Yanxiao the conclusion that would make her fall into the abyss.
"A newborn phantom beast does not require much magic. With your current magic source, it should be possible to support it for a decade or two."
"..." Oh god, please strike her with lightning!
The mini dragon could not wait for Shen Yanxiao to give it a hug, so it hopped on her with its short legs.
Shen Yanxiao could only look on helplessly as the mascot used its four little claws to slowly climb up.
Shortly after, it climbed onto Shen Yanxiao's shoulders, and with its two dragon claws firmly grabbing onto her clothes, it stood up!
"Guji!" The mini dragon felt that it was standing very high, so it tried its best to spread its mini wings so that it would appear very mighty.
But in reality...
Forget it.
"Should I be happy that it at least didn't lie on my head?" Shen Yanxiao wiped her sweat. When she abducted Little Phoenix home, she had left it for the Vermilion Bird to raise without any hesitation. But now that it was her turn... she still felt that it was a tragedy.
At the very least, Little Phoenix was an eighth-ranked high-level magical beast and could be considered as a reserve force for mythical beasts. Furthermore, it also had two mythical-level parents as its fighters.
Chapter 934: Summoning Skill (6)
But a mini dragon here...
Other than acting cute, it was useless!
Shen Yanxiao had picked up many things in her life.
For example, Lan Fengli.
For example, Little Phoenix.
For example, Freud?
Lan Fengli, who was a super Killing God, was currently Shen Yanxiao's personal tail and number one fighter.
Little Phoenix was the number one mascot of Sun Never Sets. Even though its fighting strength was not overbearing, its parents were extremely powerful.
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Freud had contributed greatly to the group of advanced-ranked demons.
This mini dragon was the most useless creature Shen Yanxiao had ever picked up.
Furthermore, she had summoned this creature herself.
"I can only bring it with me?" Shen Yanxiao felt powerless. She never thought of throwing away the mini dragon or killing it. She would never do such a disturbing thing.
"Yes." Xiu nodded.
"Alright." Shen Yanxiao felt helpless; From now on, she would just pretend that she now had an ornament with her.
Shen Yanxiao did not know what else she could do other than to comfort herself.
The pleasant surprise of her two professions advancing to the Second-Class had been worn down by the mini dragon's appearance. Shen Yanxiao did not intend to continue summoning more summoned beasts as she did not know how to send them back. If another few baby Phantom Dragons were to appear, her thin shoulders would not be able to support them.
Removing the magic array, Shen Yanxiao allowed the mini dragon to stand on her shoulders and 'strut around'.
The next morning, when Long Xueyao delivered food to Shen Yanxiao, she was shocked by the adorable creature on her shoulder.
Shen Yanxiao could only use the excuse that it was her magical beast to muddle through.
However, Long Xueyao's expression when she left was honestly...
It was a thought-provoking scene. The word 'pity 'was almost written all over her face.
As there was no aura on the mini dragon, it looked no different from an ordinary wild beast. Naturally, Long Xueyao regarded the mini dragon as a low-level magical beast.
Imagine.
A young prodigy with astonishing strength but only a low-level magical beast. The image was unimaginable.
Shen Yanxiao felt helpless. She could only think of sending a letter to Yun Qi as soon as she returned to Sun Never Sets to ask him how to cut off the magic transmission.
Due to Shen Yanxiao's previous warning, Long Xueyao and Long Fei had a long discussion. In the end, they decided to go to Sun Never Sets in two days.
It was called a visit, but in reality, it was to ask Shen Yanxiao to lift the curse on him.
Of course, other than the two Deputy Heads of the Blizzard Mercenary Group, only the father and son pair of the Gu family knew about this.
Long Xueyao would certainly tag along, and Gu Lan had naturally arranged for his son to join the team. On the surface, he claimed that he was representing the God Wind Alliance to show his friendliness to Sun Never Sets, but in fact, he wanted Gu Feng to get closer to Long Xueyao on the way.
Everyone knew what he was thinking.
The day before they set off, Long Fei had also invited Shen Yanxiao to go to Sun Never Sets. After all, Shen Yanxiao was the one who discovered his curse. Furthermore, Long Fei also intended for Shen Yanxiao to develop a sense of belonging to the Blizzard Mercenary Group so that he could lay the groundwork for him to invite her to join in the future.
After she broke through to the Second-Class, Shen Yanxiao was also planning to return to Sun Never Sets. Since it was a free ride for her, she did not refuse.
However, if Long Fei knew that the young man he thought so highly of had stolen the blueprint of his Thunder Artillery, what would he think?
Chapter 935: Returning to Sun Never Sets (1)
If Long Fei wanted to go to Sun Never Sets, he must travel through the northern and eastern region. No one knew how many demons he would encounter on the way. Qin Qiong stayed in Blizzard City to arrange everything in Blizzard City while Wu Run went along with Long Fei to Sun Never Sets. Other than Long Xueyao, Gu Feng, and Shen Yanxiao, there were also three hundred advanced-level professionals with them. There was nothing that could stop such a decked out team even if they were attacked by demons.
With so many powerful mercenaries, even though Long Fei and the others had encountered several waves of demons in the northern region, they easily survived without any mishaps.
Shen Yanxiao did not attack from the moment they began travelling. She had already broken through to the Second-Class so there was no need to train with demons anymore.
Furthermore...
The mini dragon seemed to like to stand on her shoulders, and Shen Yanxiao did not want to bring this adorable idiot around all day long.
The mini dragon's expression was very arrogant. It seemed to regard itself as an emperor. Even when it stood on Shen Yanxiao's shoulders, its gaze when looking at others was filled with contempt.
On the other hand, Long Xueyao found the mini dragon adorable so she would tease it from time to time.
However, the mini dragon's reaction could only be described as arrogant.
They safely left the northern region and finally stepped into the eastern region of the Longxuan Empire.
"This is the east? It's much warmer than where we were." Long Xueyao and Shen Yanxiao were in the same carriage. Long Fei and Wu Run were also in the carriage. Long Fei had arranged for Gu Feng to be in another carriage.
The reason for that was that he was too noisy!
"There are many demons in the eastern region of the Forsaken Land. The demons here are not like those in the northern region who have some contact with humans. We have to be careful when we are here." Long Fei looked at the scenery outside the window. The miners of Blizzard City had once been active in the eastern region so he knew that the demons there were very savage.
With the exception of the eastern region, humans had already settled down in the other three regions. The three cities had more or less interacted with the surrounding demon settlements, and they had paid a lot of slaves in exchange for stability.
However, the Sun Never Sets was only built a few months ago. Even if they had that thought, they would not be able to implement it so soon.
Long Fei informed everyone that they had to be vigilant after entering the eastern region as they could start a battle with demons at any time.
However...
On the first day when they entered the eastern region, they saw some demons from afar. However, those demons did not rush towards them. Instead, they turned and left.
Long Fei only regarded them as low-level demons who did not have the courage to approach them.
The next day, a group of demons led by five to six advanced-ranked demons openly walked past their carriages. Almost all the mercenaries were prepared for a bloody battle, but those few advanced-ranked demons merely glanced at them with a calm expression before leading their minions to continue their journey. They seemed to not even have the appetite to eat humans.
The same thing happened on the third day...
Long Fei was puzzled. Blizzard City had been active in the east for quite a while. So, how come the demons in the eastern region had become so polite after only a few months?
They did not pounce over to bite them the moment they saw them. Instead, it was as if they were accustomed to it and completely ignored their team.
Chapter 936: Returning to Sun Never Sets (2)
Not to mention Long Fei, even the mercenaries were puzzled.
It had become a habit for humans and demons to fight as soon as they met. However, they had witnessed wave after wave of demons wandering around before their eyes.
God knew, their hearts were constantly in their throats.
However, those wandering demons never attacked them. But this didn't calm their nerves. They would constantly be on guard until those demons disappeared completely from their view.
However, as they encountered more and more demons, the situation of getting "stood up" also increased. Those mercenaries were so depressed that they wanted to curse.
What was with the demons in the eastern region?
Fight if you want!
Don't you know it's unethical to tease other people's nerves like this?
The demons in the eastern region were innocent. During this period of time, the merchants who came to Sun Never Sets to cooperate with them were almost endless. At first, they knew to slightly avoid those humans. However, these people were endlessly transporting items back and forth between the Sun Never Sets and the border; this had severely affected their normal lives.
Therefore, they might as well not avoid it. At most, they would not eat it if they saw it.
Demons had the mentality that if they did not eat them, they could do whatever they wanted and freely wander around the eastern region.
That was why the Blizzard Mercenary Group was in such a predicament.
Both sides were innocent and both sides were helpless.
They could only continue with the awkward situation.
Shen Yanxiao sat in the carriage and listened to the conversation between Long Fei and Wu Run.
"When did the demons in the eastern region become so... friendly?" Wu Run was dumbstruck as he saw another group of demons passing by their group. This was great. The demons did not even spare them a glance as they looked straight ahead. Instead, the mercenaries in their team looked at those passing demons with tears on their faces.
And on the mercenaries' faces, the sentence, "Since you dare to come out, why aren't you trying to hit us?" was clearly written.
Wu Run felt helpless. What made him even more helpless was that while he was sighing, one of the intermediate-ranked demons passing by suddenly stood up and waved his bear-like claws at Wu Run in the carriage...
The world went crazy!
Wu Run was immediately struck dumb.
"I saw a demon waving at me..." Wu Run's voice sounded absent-minded. He started to wonder if he was hallucinating.
Long Fei sighed. He honestly felt that everything that happened after they entered the eastern region was unimaginable.
"The demons here are... quite adorable." Long Xueyao could not help but laugh when she saw the clumsy demon waving its meaty claws.
Even though he was a little ugly, he looked more like an intermediate-ranked demon beast. When he did that, he looked... adorable.
"Could it be, the demons in the eastern region have all changed? No wonder Shen Yanxiao built the city so quickly. It seems like the demons here do not have the habit of eating humans?" Wu Run finally realized these oddities among demons.
He had a deep feeling that the rapid progress of Sun Never Sets must have something to do with the demons' cooperation.
Chapter 937: Return to Sun Never Sets (3)
Long Fei glanced at Wu Run and said, "How many of the people we sent to the eastern region had been eaten by demons here?"
Wu Run blanked out for a moment. There was a trace of uneasiness on his face. He scratched his head and said, "There seems to be quite a few."
When the eastern region was ownerless, the three forces often went to the eastern region to mine. However, the situation at that time was truly horrendous. In the beginning, they had no understanding of the circumstances in the eastern region, and to pay for their ignorance, Blizzard City had to part with the lives of many mercenaries.
"Something must have happened to the demons here. Otherwise, they would not be this calm." Long Fei did not think it was so simple. Demons were savage by nature. Their thirst for human flesh was second nature to them.
There was no reason for them to suddenly abandon their source of food for no reason.
Long Fei narrowed his eyes.
Ever since Shen Yanxiao entered Sun Never Sets, he had consciously evacuated all Blizzard City personnels from this area, so he had no clue what had been going on in his absence.
"Could it be related to Shen Yanxiao?" Wu Run asked.
"It must be." Long Fei nodded heavily.
The two of them chatted endlessly while Long Xueyao listened on with relish.
On the other hand, Shen Yanxiao had her eyes closed but her ears did not miss a single detail of their conversation.
Trembling, foolish human!
This was the result of her good training. In her territory, there were absolutely no demons that would dare to eat humans!
Shen Yanxiao was happy, but at the same time, felt very unfortunate.
If it were not for the demons in her territory being so obedient, why would she be forced to the north just so that she could find demons to train with?
No, saying anymore than this would lead her to tears!
The comfortable journey made the Blizzard Mercenary Group almost forget that they were still in the Forsaken Land. The journey was even smoother than if they were to stroll around their city; it had completely distorted their worldview.
From the moment they saw demons, they would be on guard. Nowadays, they would occasionally wave to demons.
In just a few days, the worldview of the Blizzard Mercenary Group had been completely shattered.
If it were not for the fact that they still had a destination in mind, they would probably have attempted to get closer to those overly friendly demons.
Demons that did not eat humans? They were just too rare!
They wanted to chat with them about life!
The closer Shen Yanxiao got to Sun Never Sets, the more complicated her emotions were.
Ever since she left Sun Never Sets, she would often sense the fluctuations in Vermilion Bird's heart. However, Vermilion Bird was smart enough not to rely on the spiritual link between them to locate her.
Even though Vermilion Bird wished he was at her side, he had respected her choice.
Even though...
Those spiritual fluctuations were most probably him despising her decision to leave him behind.
However, as they got closer to Sun Never Sets, the connection between Shen Yanxiao and Vermilion Bird got clearer. She could sense it, and Vermilion Bird could certainly sense it as well.
The connection between a master and a contracted beast was hard to sever.
Even though she was full of energy when she had left, now...
Seeing that she was about to return to the city, Shen Yanxiao felt somewhat guilty.
She could almost imagine the face of those people who were forced to do her job after she had left.
When she thought of the ire she would receive once she entered Sun Never Sets, Shen Yanxiao's feelings were extremely complicated. As a result, she lost interest in listening to Long Fei and the rest.
Chapter 938: Return to Sun Never Sets (4)
When the Blizzard Mercenary Group arrived at the city gates, everyone was shocked!
With the tall pitch-black city walls, they could almost feel an invisible pressure enveloping their hearts as they stood beneath the grand walls.
After being so used to the white walls of their city, now looking at the darkness before them, the members of the Blizzard Mercenary Group could not help but swallow their saliva.
Was this the rumored city that only took half a year to build?
Well...
This was just too much!
Just by standing outside the city, they could tell that the city was more than twice the size of their city. Moreover, from the city walls to the city gates, every inch of the city was exquisitely built. None could find any fault with it.
The perfect state of Sun Never Sets shocked everyone who came here to the core.
Who would have expected that such a near-perfect city only took half a year to complete?
How long did it take Blizzard City to be built? How long did it take Fantasy Devil City to be built? How long did it take Twilight City to be built?
Which of the three cities did not take more than five years?
However, it only took them one-tenth of the time to build a city that was much larger than theirs!
This was tantamount to giving the other three city lords a tight slap.
"These walls are made of obsidian?" Wu Run gulped. He subconsciously walked to the giant wall and touched the cold surface.
"This is... too extravagant." He knew very well how precious obsidian was. Back then, they had plundered a lot of obsidian from the eastern region, but no one had ever dared to be so extravagant as to use it to build their walls!
"The structure of the city walls are firm and sturdy. It seems like Shen Yanxiao has put some thought into this. Our Blizzard City has really fallen behind." Long Fei looked at Sun Never Sets in front of him. Even though he felt disappointed, he was not jealous at all. He was a magnanimous person. He was only envious that Shen Yanxiao could build such a city in such a short time.
"It's just some black walls, what's there to gawk at?" Gu Feng got down from the carriage with a gloomy expression. He had wanted to get close to Long Xueyao, but he had been arranged to stay in a different carriage for the whole journey. Other than when they were eating or resting, he could not see Long Xueyao at all.
What made him even more depressed was that Shen Jue, that country bumpkin, was riding in the same carriage as Long Xueyao!
Wu Run shot a glance at Gu Feng. He did not like this arrogant second-generation young master. Gu Lan had some skills, but Gu Feng was a complete idiot!
If not for Gu Lan being his father, who would want to talk to him?
No one paid any attention to Gu Feng. Although he did not mind the silence too much, he was still unwilling to be ignored. Looking for something to say, he cast his gaze at the city gates. When he saw that there were only four soldiers guarding the gates, he could not help but laugh. "No matter how spectacular the city walls are, isn't this just pitiful? It's such a huge city, but I'm afraid only these few guards are guarding the city gates. I think Sun Never Sets is just an empty shell compared to our Blizzard City."
"Sun Never Sets has just been completed, so it's normal that the personnels are not in place yet." Long Fei did not think much of it. The guards of ordinary cities could not be compared to Blizzard City. The God Wind Alliance had an innate advantage in this aspect, that was indisputable.
Long Fei would never do something so shameless like comparing their strength to the weaknesses of others.
Chapter 939: Return to Sun Never Sets (5)
Without Long Fei's support, Gu Feng did not dare to say anything else. No matter how arrogant he was, he did not dare to oppose Long Fei.
Long Fei asked Wu Run to convey to the guards that he had come to pay a visit to Shen Yanxiao.
However...
"Meet our City Lord?" The guard's expression was odd.
"That's right. Please inform her of our arrival," Wu Run said politely.
The few guards looked at each other before one of them quickly went and reported to the city.
Not long later, a handsome young lady arrived at the gates.
The young lady wore a long yellow robe with an elegant smile on her beautiful face. Behind her was a tall, sturdy middle-aged man that gave off an imposing aura.
The moment Gu Feng saw the girl, he swallowed his saliva.
Previously, all the rumors about Shen Yanxiao contained only information about her eccentric temperament and nothing more. Everyone kept saying that she was just someone who did not walk on the right path and stubbornly pursued the Warlock profession in school. Besides that, the only thing known about her was that she was the founder of Sun Never Sets. But unexpectedly, Shen Yanxiao was rather pretty.
Gu Feng secretly sized up the girl in front of him. Unlike Long Xueyao's delicate appearance, the girl in front of him had an additional sweetness to her, similar to a flower in a greenhouse. Just her presence could cause men to have the urge to protect her.
However, she was just that, attractive. She did not possess any semblance of aura a city lord should have. It seemed like her role in the founding of Sun Never Sets was severely overstated.
Along the way, Gu Feng noticed that the demons in the eastern region were excessively friendly. Moreover, the completion of Sun Never Sets was exceptionally fast. Looking at the 'Shen Yanxiao' in front of him, she was delicate, totally lacking in the domineering department. He could not help but think that she was lucky to have obtained such a city.
Gu Feng could not help but look down on her. He thought that Shen Yanxiao relied on luck to build Sun Never Sets. If he instead were the city lord, he was sure that he would have done a better job.
"I believe you must be the City Lord of Sun Never Sets, Shen Yanxiao. I am Wu Run, Deputy Head of the Blizzard Mercenary Group. I am here with my Head to pay a visit to City Lord Shen." Wu Run promptly stepped forward and introduced himself. After all, they came to ask for a favor so his attitude was rather humble.
However, the young lady was stunned by the assumption. She looked at Wu Run who was bending over and her beautiful face blushed. She smiled and said, "Deputy Head Wu, you must be joking. I am merely a maid by the City Lord's side, not the City Lord herself."
"What?" Wu Run was surprised. 𝗇𝑜𝓥𝔢𝓁𝑛𝔢xt.𝐜𝑜𝓂
The young lady bowed and said, "I am Yin Jiuchen. The City Lord is currently occupied with some tedious affairs so she has asked me to come and welcome you."
Having recognized the wrong person, Wu Run felt somewhat embarrassed.
"My Head has something to ask of City Lord Shen. I wonder if she can spare some time to meet him."
Yin Jiuchen smiled and said, "First, please enter the city and rest. I will inform the City Lord in a while."
Since he had already said so much, Wu Run could not say anything else and informed Long Fei of the wait.
Yin Jiuchen guided the Blizzard Mercenary Group into the city.
The moment they entered the city, the prosperous scene of Sun Never Sets caused the members of the Blizzard Mercenary Group to be dumbstruck. The clean and tidy streets were crowded with shops much like a rowdy marketplace, and there was an endless stream of merchants coming and going. If they did not know that Sun Never Sets was still a wasteland half a year ago, they would have thought that they had accidentally entered a regular city in another country.
Long Fei was also secretly amazed by the internal situation of Sun Never Sets. Shen Yanxiao must have put in a lot of effort to allow merchants to enter the city for business in such a short amount of time.
It had to be known that even in Blizzard City, merchants would require the protection of a large number of mercenaries to enter the city. However, he had seen many caravans entering the city without bringing many guards with them. From this, it could be deduced how safe the roads from the border to Sun Never Sets were.
Chapter 940: Return to Sun Never Sets (6)
Shen Yanxiao walked at the tail-end of the group. She was happy to see Sun Never Sets being so lively. When she had left, the merchants of Sun Never Sets had not arrived yet. Everything in front of her had been built up the month she had left.
Her people must have exerted quite a lot of effort.
Additionally, Yin Jiuchen was doing a good job of welcoming Long Fei and the others in her stead. No one would have expected that the girl was a timid slave girl a few months ago.
Shen Yanxiao was delighted with the development of Sun Never Sets as she continued observing the changes.
It had only been a month and it had progressed to this stage. It was better than she had expected.
However, there was another thing she was curious about: whether those people from the God Realm had left or not.
A large part of the reason why she could not wait to slip away was because of those people from the God Realm.
She felt that the appearance of that sage imposter was strange, but she did not want to get involved with the God Realm. Therefore, she obediently listened to Xiu and left.
While they were walking, Long Fei, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.
Puzzled, Shen Yanxiao looked to the front and saw that Long Fei had stopped in front of the gates of the Demons Guild.
The Demons Guild was the Mercenary Guild substitute Shen Yanxiao had provided to the demons in the city. Previously, she did not allow advanced-ranked demons to walk around in the city due to the arrival of the people from the God Realm. But now, it seemed like there were many advanced-ranked demons in uniform that were flowing in and out of the Demons Guild.
Had the people from the God Realm left?
"Demons Guild? That's a novel name." Long Xueyao was never really interested in the conventional girly stuff, she was instead much more interested in anything related to mercenaries. The moment she saw the plaque that said "Demons Guild", her interest piqued.
Long Fei narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
"It's just a small mercenary group. It's far inferior to the mercenary groups of our God Wind Alliance." Gu Feng did not want to admit that everything in Sun Never Sets was better than Blizzard City. In particular, when he saw the grand buildings in the city, he was greatly impacted. But now that he saw this shack of a Mercenary Guild in Sun Never Sets, he finally regained some confidence.
In the aspect of mercenaries, the God Wind Alliance had no rival.
Gu Feng's voice was not soft and coupled with his unconcealed sarcasm, it immediately attracted the attention of several mercenaries who just came out from the Demons Guild.
One of the mercenaries immediately frowned when he heard Gu Feng's words. Shen Yanxiao recognized him at a glance as she stood behind him.
That mercenary was none other than Tian Qiu, one of the top five advanced-ranked demons in Sun Never Sets.
Tian Qiu looked at the arrogant Gu Feng with a displeased expression and coldly snorted. "Where did this blind guy come from? Do you not bring out your brain and eyes when you go for a walk?"
So poisonous!
Shen Yanxiao silently gave Tian Qiu a thumbs up!
When has Gu Feng ever suffered such humiliation? The opponent was merely an ordinary mercenary while he was the young head of one of the five great mercenary groups in the Brilliance Continent, the Iron Blood Mercenary Group. He immediately exploded.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that? A mere mercenary like you? Why don't you think about your own status first? Do you think you're so great for staying in such a small mercenary group? Really, nowadays people really think that some random trash on the sidewalk can become a mercenary. Seems like this Sun Never Sets only amount to this much."