Chapter 20 Suspicious Points

Li Ying leaned her back against a gnarled ancient tree, clutching her side tightly with one hand.

There, a Demon Monster's sharp claws had torn a wound so deep the bone was visible. Although she had already applied emergency hemostatic powder, blood was still slowly seeping out, staining half of her armor red.

"Yun Bai, I really owe you this time," Li Ying said gratefully.

"Sister Ying, what are you saying?" Yun Bai shook his head. Looking at the varying degrees of injuries on everyone's bodies, he felt a tightness in his chest. "We are comrades who have lived and died together. With Old Du retiring, it's exactly when the team needs people the most, yet I never expected that I would be suddenly transferred away..."

"Heh." Fu Lianchuan suddenly let out a cold snort and glanced at Young Master Huang Yue. "When there are no threats outside, some people are the biggest threat."

"Lianchuan!" Captain Zeng Fu interrupted firmly. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "It was my error in judgment. I thought they were just a few grasshoppers at the end of autumn, but I didn't expect..."

He looked at the dissipating remains of the Demon Monster on the ground, his gaze cold. "These Demon Monsters are unusual. Their combat power and level of ferocity far exceed that of ordinary Shadow Demons."

Li Ying frowned and added, "They have more order in their movements; they don't act on instinct like Demon Monsters. And..." She hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

"And they are more like the Demon Race," Yun Bai said slowly.

On the way here while piloting the flying boat, he had repeatedly reviewed the combat footage sent by Captain Zeng Fu. The Shadow Demon was originally a relatively timid type of Demon Monster, shaped like a woman, shrouded in black mist, and would retreat upon being injured. The higher its cultivation, the more illusory its body and the denser the black mist.

But these ones just now, although shaped like Shadow Demons, were covered in strange purple-black demonic markings, and the shrieks emitting from the black mist around their faces were full of malice. More importantly, the purity of their Devilish Qi was almost indistinguishable from that of the orthodox Demon Race.

After gathering into a true "Shadow Demon," that Devilish Qi was as pure as it could possibly be.

"A few escaped just now," Fu Lianchuan reminded.

"I let them go on purpose," Yun Bai nodded slightly toward him.

Captain Zeng Fu instantly understood Yun Bai's intention—to track the source. He silently praised in his heart; this young man not only had improved his cultivation but his thinking had also become increasingly meticulous.

"The situation on the Cang Plains appears calm on the surface, but I don't feel at ease," Captain Zeng Fu lowered his voice, speaking faster. "Not to mention the incident at Niwa Village, then there was the demonic disturbance in the city later. Right after, you were urgently transferred to the air. Why are the airborne Demon Monsters so much harder to deal with than the ones on the ground? The higher-ups said it was because other cities in the Northwest were building spirit connection platforms, driving some Demon Monsters over, and they also said there were migrating Demon Birds... But now, we have encountered these unusual 'Shadow Demons' in this deep mountain forest."

"Is it an ambush?" Yun Bai asked.

"It's hard to say," Captain Zeng Fu's thick eyebrows knit together. "At first, we were only chasing two or three stragglers, going deep into the forest. I sensed something was wrong and wanted to withdraw, but it was too late. Young Master Huang Yue stepped on glowing moss several times, which seemed to trigger some kind of Formation, instantly drawing a violent siege."

He looked up at Yun Bai, his eyes filled with deep worry. "I suspect that there might be a plot by the Demon Race on the Cang Plains. Chu Prefecture is located on the border, and the State Religion is the sworn enemy of the Demon Race. How could they sit idly by while we gain a foothold in the Northwest and even lay out a network of spirit connection platforms?"

"Don't worry, Captain. On the way here, I already reported the anomalies here," Yun Bai said, though that indescribable uneasiness in his heart still lingered. "The higher-ups should be prepared."

"That's good," Captain Zeng Fu seemed to heave a sigh of relief, laughing heartily as if to appear relaxed, and pushed away the hand Yun Bai was using to support him. "There is no time to lose. Since you already have a plan, go ahead and do it. The rest of us can still hold on; after a short rest, we will be able to return to camp."

Their eyes met, and everything was understood without words. Yun Bai nodded and was about to get up.

"Yun... Yun Bai."

A strained voice sounded.

Young Master Huang Yue lowered his head and shuffled over step by step, not daring to look into Yun Bai's eyes.

Before this, he had been quite dissatisfied with Yun Bai. Because the girl he liked was liking someone else. People are always sensitive regarding romantic rivals.

Young Master Huang Yue had fallen in love with Shen Qi at first sight, but he could feel the emotion Shen Qi had for Yun Bai, which was different from how she treated others.

Even though he had only met Shen Qi once.

Yet, when he chose the State Religion team, he had accidentally learned that "Squad Yi-34" was the team Yun Bai had once been in.

Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he chose to come to Captain Zeng Fu's team.

Over these past few days, Young Master Huang Yue had thought he was working hard and seriously enough. But he hadn't received the praise and achievements he thought he deserved.

Reality, however, dealt him a heavy blow. He had been making mistakes constantly, from simple Formation maintenance to complex spiritual power coordination; he had been mercilessly scolded and corrected by the mischievous Fu Lianchuan.

He was, unsurprisingly, compared to Yun Bai. But unlike what he had expected, in this contest, he was not the winner, but a complete loser.

Having received the grace of being saved by Yun Bai, Young Master Huang Yue was now mortified.

Yun Bai said indifferently to Young Master Huang Yue, "Your injuries are the lightest. Before the others arrive, please take extra care to guard the surroundings."

How could Yun Bai not see that it was Young Master Huang Yue who had dragged the team down?

But Captain Zeng Fu had not reproached him, and the other team members had still chosen to protect this newcomer at the moment of crisis.

This was an unspoken agreement among comrades. The team might not have recognized Young Master Huang Yue's ability yet, but they had recognized his attitude of gritting his teeth and holding on, never retreating.

Young Master Huang Yue trembled violently.

That letter expressing his admiration for Shen Qi had actually been delivered by Yun Bai... He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word, only feeling a burning sensation on his face.

Yun Bai said nothing more and turned to walk into the depths of the dense forest.

Yun Bai said nothing more, nor did he wait for Young Master Huang Yue's response. He took one last look at his comrades, then turned decisively, his figure leaping a few times before vanishing into the even deeper and denser jungle shadows ahead.

In his perception, those few wisps of Devilish Qi he had deliberately let go, fleeing in panic like frightened poisonous snakes, were moving rapidly toward the southwest.

That trajectory was not aimless.

The mountain wind blew past, causing the leaves to rustle, and also brought from further away a faint, elusive, chilling aura.

Yun Bai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he increased his speed again.

He had to follow and see.

Just how deep... was the bottom of this seemingly calm pool of water.