"Reporting, Commander. Han Qiubai, student of Yuqing University’s Class of 835, at your service. Please advise."
"Reporting, Commander..." (x2)
"Reporting, Captain. Li Cunliang, Sergeant of the sentry post, salutes you. Awaiting your orders."
Han Qiubai imdiately confird her status and responded on the mind network.
Tao Lang and Zhang Yuanqiao stopped their bickering. They knew their behavior had been unseemly. Before, they could get away with it since they were the strongest, acting sowhat recklessly. But now that a powerhouse had appeared out of nowhere, they needed to be more mindful of their conduct.
Li Cunliang didn’t just respond on the mind network; he also shouted aloud in the real world. His hands trembled with excitent. ’This is the mind network command system! I only saw it a few tis back when I was in service. Truly worthy of a high-ranking officer from the Candle Dragon Corps.’
Only Zhao Zeyang didn’t know how to reply. He was utterly bewildered. He had spent most of his life in the county, and though he was also an Inner Qi Martial Artist, he had never even heard the term "mind network."
"I... uh... I am Zhao Zeyang, a martial arts teacher at No. 1 High School. I await your command..."
Zhao Zeyang suddenly found the title of "Head Martial Arts Coach of No. 1 High School" awkward and embarrassing to say out loud.
Although Zhang Yuanqiao was also a Gang Qi Realm Martial Artist, he wasn’t part of the military. However, according to the Yu Kingdom’s ergency martial law for Martial Artists, he was required to obey orders. Furthermore, since he practiced a single-attribute Cultivation Technique, he was a notch weaker than others in his realm, giving him even less say in matters.
Su Yue imdiately reported her findings over the mind network and began assigning combat tasks.
"Mr. Li, proceed imdiately to the northeast. Prepare to engage the enemy from the fortified position you constructed."
"Li Cunliang, acknowledged."
The man then pulled out a walkie-talkie, his expression alight with excitent, and barked orders to his n. "Everyone, prepare to move to position Y2 to engage the enemy! Wang Xing, get my ’Osprey’ ready, and prepare the ammunition! Let’s waste these bastards! Move out!"
"Zhang Yuanqiao, you and Tao Lang must intercept the attacking Apostles on the outskirts of the county. Your objective is simply to delay them. If things go south, I will provide support. The destructive power of Gang Qi Realm Martial Artists is too great; we can’t let them fight inside the county itself."
"Yes!" (x2)
"Han Qiubai, imdiately request reinforcents from the surrounding counties and cities. Afterwards, organize the remaining combat-capable personnel for urban warfare. Again, your goal is simply to delay. Hold the line and prevent a total collapse until the outco of the forward engagent is decided."
After a brief pause, Su Yue added another command. "If a Grandmaster attacks, I will buy you ti. You are to organize an evacuation."
"Understood."
With this series of commands, the county’s entire ard force sprang into action. A powerhouse had appeared out of nowhere at this critical mont, and a reliable one at that. Han Qiubai felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. She suddenly had an inexplicable urge to cry; the unreliability of Tao Lang and Zhang Yuanqiao had put her under imnse pressure.
They didn’t have ti to inform the civilians of the impending cultist attack. Releasing the news at this point would only cause mass panic and make the situation even more difficult to manage.
Ten kiloters away on a county road, Di Yunliang and his group sped along at a breakneck pace in their stolen cars, acting with brazen arrogance.
Neither Qiangwei nor Dust Sacrifice were in the cars. High-level Martial Artists preferred to travel alone.
In any case, their next move could only be described as insane. Once word of this got out, they would be hunted by an even greater power. But with Dust Sacrifice leading them, no one dared to voice dissent. They could only vent the fear in their hearts through even more frenzied acts.
As Di Yunliang and his group drew closer to the county, their presence grew clearer in Su Yue’s perception.
Dust Sacrifice, who had been strolling through the air, suddenly stopped. From his perspective, he could see thirteen cars speeding down the road, and the red-clad figure of Qiangwei flickering in and out of view.
RUMBLE...
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the horizon. Huge drops of rain began to fall, and then the downpour began.
Di Yunliang and his group cursed the damned weather, but there was no stopping now. Their brazen actions on the way here had likely been caught on cara, but it didn’t matter. The two washed-up Inner Qi practitioners in Tianning County were no match for them.
"Let’s go! Target No. 1 High and No. 2 High. Split into two teams. Those two schools have the best crop of potential students. We’ll hit them first."
This was part of a pre-established plan. The Bright God Sect’s blood sacrifices prioritized promising young martial artists with high innate talent, followed by already powerful Martial Artists. Dust Sacrifice had demanded that all such prospects from the local high schools be gathered for a grand sacrificial ritual.
The cars didn’t slow in the downpour. The silhouette of the county was now just ahead.
"Let the festivities begin..."
One of the more frenzied cultists had already stuck his head out a window, spouting gibberish and howling in strange, unsettling tones.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP...
The heavy thud of a steel behemoth echoed. In an instant, eight bloody mists erupted in the rain. The convoy, filled with wailing cultists just monts before, instantly lost control, with cars careening one after another into the side of the road.
The mont the blood mists erupted, before the sound of the shots even reached them, the surviving cultists leaped from the vehicles like rabid dogs let off their leashes, each scrambling for cover and hitting the dirt.
The weakest among them was a Third-Realm Martial Artist. They had sharp reflexes and were incredibly durable; even leaping from a speeding car wouldn’t cause them any significant harm.
Dust Sacrifice had sensed the danger even before the gunshots rang out. He had no ti to issue a warning, but he instantly relayed the enemy’s position to Qiangwei.
’As for the "consumables" below, they would have to fend for themselves.’
Dust Sacrifice remained wary. He was unwilling to make a move himself, lest he leave behind any trace that could be tracked. Unlike the cannon fodder below, he knew with absolute clarity that he could stay in Tianning County for ten hours at most. He would have to enjoy the fruits of the blood sacrifice and then flee imdiately. Any later, and he risked being pinned down.
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