“How are they?”
Zhang Ergou pointed at Li Zhan and Li Xun, who were still unable to move normally.
“They are fine for now. I’ve given them pills, and they should wake up soon.”
Qu Yao helped Li Xun and Li Zhan sit down. The two began to meditate and recover as soon as they saw Zhang Ergou return.
“That’s good to hear.”
Zhang Ergou breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Zhan and Li Xun had been seriously injured, it would have been a fatal blow to their mission.
“What do we do next?” Qu Yao had nothing else to do and asked as Zhang Ergou sat down.
Zhang Ergou shook his head without answering.
They first needed to wait for Li Zhan and Li Xun to fully recover, to guard against a counterattack from Beiming of the demon race.
“Let’s rest first, and we’ll continue our investigation tomorrow.”
After speaking, Zhang Ergou set up a barrier, enclosing the four of them.
Qu Yao nodded. There was nothing they could do now but follow Zhang Ergou’s lead, as they were unfamiliar with this place.
The town was not large, but due to the arrival of Beiming of the demon race, very few people were seen.
...
The next day, Zhang Ergou opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing past.
After a night of meditation, the spiritual energy he had consumed had finally been restored.
However, he also discovered that the concentration of spiritual energy here was much lower, and it was mixed with something akin to demonic energy, which made him uncomfortable.
If he hadn’t possessed the spiritual fire within him to completely refine the demonic energy, he might have been invaded by it.
Li Zhan and Li Xun had both noticed this situation while meditating to recover from their injuries, and they quickly and decisively refrained from absorbing the local spiritual energy.
Instead, they each took out high-grade spirit stones to absorb, using them to recover their injuries and spiritual energy.
After a night of meditation and cultivation, their injuries were mostly healed. As Zhang Ergou stood up, the others also began to stir.
Day had broken, but the hazy gray mist had not dispersed, still hanging over the entire town, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
“I’ll go and scout ahead. You all continue to recover here.”
Seeing that the others had woken up, Zhang Ergou instructed Li Zhan and the other two. Their injuries were not completely healed yet. Following Zhang Ergou’s instructions, Li Zhan and Li Xun nodded and sat down again.
“I’ll go with you.” Qu Yao ran forward and stood beside Zhang Ergou.
“That’s not advisable. Those two still need someone to guard them. You should stay here and protect them. I won’t go far, just a quick look around the vicinity.”
Qu Yao had no objections and silently nodded in agreement.
Zhang Ergou began to cautiously explore, starting from where they had been meditating. This town was peculiar, and the range of his divine sense was not extensive.
It only extended a few hundred meters. Within the coverage of his divine sense, the goings-on in the town were clear.
For nearly fifteen minutes, Zhang Ergou found nothing. The town was eerily quiet, just as it had been when they arrived yesterday.
Not a single living creature appeared.
The most important task now was to find the source of the demonic energy in the town.
Yesterday, with Beiming of the demon race present, Zhang Ergou and the others had attributed the demonic energy to him. Now, it seemed that was not the case.
Perhaps Beiming was also drawn to this place by the demonic energy.
Zhang Ergou recalled discovering an abyss in the Western Regions with Hua Xu and the others. That place was a nexus where the demon realm and the cultivation world intersected.
At that time, Hua Xu and the others had discovered that the formation barrier between the two realms had loosened, even allowing Hua Xu to capture a demon lord.
Could it be that this place was also a border with the demon realm? Sudan Novel Network.
Zhang Ergou frowned. He carefully scanned his surroundings, but he found nothing in the center of the town.
Continuing westward, Zhang Ergou keenly sensed that the spiritual energy seemed to be becoming more diluted, while the concentration of demonic energy increased.
“What lies to the west?” Zhang Ergou muttered to himself.
Of course, no one answered him. He would have to investigate himself.
Ever since encountering Hua Xu and the others, the Snow Mountain Elder in his sea of consciousness had fallen silent. Zhang Ergou had thought the Snow Mountain Elder had chosen to hide himself because he had encountered someone with a higher cultivation base.
However, when he was alone and called out to the Snow Mountain Elder, he had not responded either.
It seemed the Snow Mountain Elder had fallen into a deep sleep, and it was uncertain when he would wake up.
If the Snow Mountain Elder were awake, he could have asked him about things he didn’t understand. Now, he could only rely on himself to figure things out.
Before leaving the Misty Sect, Zhang Ergou had never encountered anyone from the demon race or the demon realm.
In just a few short months, he had not only met a demon lord but also encountered people from the demon race in this town.
The intelligence Hua Xu had given them earlier only mentioned an attack by an unknown force; they had never expected it to be the demon race.
Moreover, Beiming’s combat prowess was not weak, indicating a relatively high status among the demon race.
Once the matter here was clarified, they needed to report it to the alliance as soon as possible. This was a matter of great importance, and Zhang Ergou knew they could not afford to delay.
Following the direction of increasing demonic energy concentration, Zhang Ergou made his way.
He finally reached the edge of the town, where a giant abyss blocked his path.
Zhang Ergou’s eyes widened instantly. The entire abyss was filled with demonic energy, making it impossible to see its full extent.
Judging by the current situation, the demonic energy was overflowing incessantly. If this continued, not only the entire town would be invaded by demonic energy, but nearby cities and regions would also be severely affected.
Fortunately, it was discovered in time. If the source of the overflowing demonic energy were sealed again now, it would at least temporarily curb the outward expansion of the demonic energy.
The entire abyss was shrouded in demonic energy. Judging by the outflow, the breach seemed to have opened not long ago. Considering that the escaped Beiming was a formation master, Zhang Ergou understood.
The breach here must have been opened by Beiming of the demon race. If they hadn't stayed to investigate thoroughly, a great disaster would have occurred.
He remembered what the demon lord had told them about being lured by people from the demon race to the place where the formation barrier between the demon realm and the cultivation world intersected in the Western Regions.
Connecting this to the current situation, Zhang Ergou speculated that there must be a connection between the two.
The demon lord had claimed at the time that they were lured by people from the demon race. If his words were true, then someone within the demon race must be plotting to reopen the barrier between the two realms.
And invade the cultivation world.
If the demon lord was lying, then what was his relationship with Beiming, who opened the breach here, and did they have any connection?
These questions swirled in Zhang Ergou’s mind. For now, the priority was to seal the breach as soon as possible.
However, the abyss was vast and seemingly endless. His divine sense was limited here, making it difficult even to locate the breach.
“Ergou, have you found anything?”
Just as Zhang Ergou stood at the cliff’s edge contemplating a solution, Li Zhan and the other two arrived.
“What is this?” Before Zhang Ergou could answer, they saw the abyss slowly overflowing with demonic energy.