118: Invocation Ceremony

The night sky was illuminated.

The explosion site was unknown, but in the roar, gazes were cast towards the distance, looking at the fireworks rising in the air, seemingly from a burst of power.

Qin Chi and Qiu Dongyan’s gazes simultaneously cast over, their sights sweeping the distance. Qin Chi’s expression was solemn as he called out to Yan Yan, who was not far away: “Captain Yan, have you confirmed the situation?”

“Cannot confirm yet.”

“Our colleagues stationed nearby are approaching to investigate. Accurate intelligence is expected to arrive after some time.”

Yan Yan was clearly communicating. After relaying the message to Qin Jin, he said: “Qin Jin, we must also immediately rush there to reinforce!”

As his words fell.

On the ground, the sound of vehicles starting up could already be heard. At the same time, in the sky, various aerial vehicles, including Star Shuttles, were rapidly approaching with a roar, preparing to transport them for reinforcement.

About half a minute later, a large Star Shuttle docked in front of Qin Chi and the others, and the door opened.

Qin Chi did not hesitate and immediately boarded the Star Shuttle. Just then,

from behind,

Qiu Dongyan’s aged voice sounded.

“I will go with you.”

Hearing this, Yan Yan’s face showed hesitation, and he said: “Old Qiu, your body—”

“It’s fine.”

Qiu Dongyan shook her head and stepped towards the Star Shuttle: “At a time like this, any unexpected changes are highly likely to be related to the Celestial Balance Apostles.”

“If I go along, I might discover something.”

“Moreover, this place is basically useless, and I haven’t yet understood the relevant information from Qin Jin.”

As she spoke, she had already arrived in front of the low-hovering Star Shuttle.

“Good.”

Yan Yan was not a hesitant person and immediately made a decision, watching Qiu Dongyan board the Star Shuttle, then he sat down himself, activating his communicator to make a call.

The next instant...

The Star Shuttle soared into the sky, rapidly flying towards the explosion site. At the same time, on the ground and in the air, countless Patrol Bureau vehicles, like a flood, approached the scene.

Within the Patrol Bureau, without any hesitation, Song Shulin directly issued a lockdown order.

The reserve forces deployed by the Patrol Bureau were activated one by one at this moment.

Aboard the Star Shuttle.

Facing the elder’s gaze, Qin Chi’s original power surged. On the mental level, he recalled the changes that occurred in the giant Balance during the final strike, recreating it and transmitting it to Qiu Dongyan.

Verbal narration was clearly not as clear as mental communication.

After receiving the information, Qiu Dongyan’s eyes slightly closed.

Qin Chi clearly perceived a faint yet resolute power rising around her body.

The Star Shuttle continued forward.

At a certain moment, Qiu Dongyan suddenly opened her eyes, and a divine light flashed within them.

“Old Qiu, how is it?”

Seeing this, Yan Yan quickly spoke.

Qiu Dongyan’s gaze returned to its usual clarity, and her voice was calm: “Cannot be entirely certain, but this should be part of some ritual to summon a deity.”

“Deity summoning ritual?!”

Yan Yan’s eyes widened suddenly.

Against small strongholds of the Evil God Sect, they had sufficient cleansing capabilities, but if it directly involved contact with a deity, then even throwing the entire Patrol Bureau at it would be futile.

Qin Chi’s expression also became more serious.

“Don’t panic.”

Qiu Dongyan’s aged voice sounded: “According to what you previously explained, this was led by a Priest-level Secret Sect Disciple. With his ability, how could he summon a true deity?”

“After the last major purge against the Apostles Society, the Lord of Balance they worshipped has not shown up for a long time, suspected of having abandoned his followers.”

“This deity summoning ritual most likely points to some kind of divine bestowal, or it might even be an attempt to re-establish contact with the deity itself.”

“Moreover—”

Qiu Dongyan shook her head: “Just activating this ritual has already exceeded his ability limit, and he died because of it.”

“However, this is only part of the ritual, not a complete one. There should be other ritual sites set up near Hanmei City that correspond to it, and they will activate simultaneously after brewing is complete.”

Speaking of this, she looked at Qin Jin, her clear gaze flashing with admiration, and praised: “Student Qin Jin, you did well. No matter what their purpose was, with one ritual site completely annihilated, the ritual is no longer complete and basically cannot achieve their initial goal.”

“Next, what we need to do is to find the other parts of the deity summoning ritual.”

Along with her words of praise,

Qin Chi and Yan Yan’s gazes suddenly converged.

If the other party had set up other ritual sites,

would it be inextricably linked to this explosion?

After all, something like this happening at this time was too sensitive, making one inevitably connect the dots.

Qiu Dongyan’s judgment information was directly recorded and, under Yan Yan’s control, reported to the Patrol Bureau’s command center.

Qin Chi’s gaze looked to one side, through the window, to the outside.

The Patrol Bureau’s actions were extremely swift.

They were already about to arrive at the explosion site.

At the same time.

The explosion site was located on the eastern border of Hanmei City. After the explosion, the sound shook the four fields, and flames flickered in this area. Three figures, extremely disheveled, were frantically fleeing.

The Shi Lv Academy trio.

Behind them,

a group of enemies with crazed expressions were indeed in pursuit. Judging by their attire, they were from the Evil God Sect!

The trio’s condition was not good. An Ning had fallen unconscious and was being carried on Lu Jinfeng’s back. Hu Fei was by their side, occasionally striking out to block attacks coming from behind.

At this moment,

around An Ning’s body, spiritual energy was exceptionally active.

“We cannot determine An Ning’s current state.”

“We need to get her to a hospital quickly for examination and treatment.”

Lu Jinfeng, carrying An Ning, looked back at the crowd behind him: “Didn’t this place just inexplicably explode? The people in the outer area weren’t killed, and they’ve even caught up and locked onto us.”

“Teacher Zhou, aren’t you coming to save us?”

Teacher Zhou was their accompanying team leader.

“Teacher Zhou said he wouldn’t interfere with academy missions.”

“Our own missions mean we must be responsible for our own choices.”

Hu Fei’s voice sounded, looking at An Ning on Lu Jinfeng’s back.

The girl’s face was pale, and in her unconsciousness, her brows were tightly furrowed, showing signs of pain.

“Lu Jinfeng, you take An Ning and go first. This kind of explosion will definitely attract Patrol Bureau personnel. Make contact with them first and take An Ning for treatment.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll stop the enemies behind us. Being chased by them like this is too much of a time-waster.”

“There’s no need. You also said the Patrol Bureau will be here soon.”

Lu Jinfeng retorted.

“But you and I can’t determine An Ning’s current state.”

“What if we delay—

Hu Fei’s voice was very calm: “An Ning trusted me, which is why, after subtly sensing an abnormality with her spiritual energy upon investigating this place, she conducted a second re-examination, leading to the current situation.”

“I will take full responsibility.”

“An Ning, I’m entrusting her to you.”

As his voice fell,

his stout figure stopped, and instead of retreating, he advanced, actively meeting the pursuing enemies from behind to intercept and delay them.

Lu Jinfeng, carrying An Ning, gritted his teeth, his internal power surging, and his speed reached its peak.

At the same time,

behind them,

facing enemies in various outfits and with crazed expressions, Hu Fei’s stout body now began to tremble violently. In the trembling, his figure rapidly changed, gradually becoming slender and tall, his aura continuously rising.

“Come on.”

With a fierce glint in his eyes, he actively met the enemy.

On the other end,

carrying An Ning, Lu Jinfeng distinguished the route.

After arriving in Hanmei City, they did not contact the Patrol Bureau. Instead, they used a map and An Ning’s power, with the unique methods of a Spiritual Energy User, to begin investigating areas one by one.

This method sounded very primitive.

But supplemented with a Spiritual Energy User’s ability, the efficiency was not low, and they indeed made discoveries.

The trio investigated all the way here according to the map. Because of this, Lu Jinfeng also remembered the route, and currently, he was rapidly returning without getting lost.

As he fled,

his ears twitched slightly, and Lu Jinfeng suddenly looked up at the sky.

He saw that in the upper reaches of the sky, aerial vehicles, mainly Star Shuttles, were rapidly approaching the area.

At the same time,

on the ground, countless vehicles approached. Without any hesitation, he stopped and shouted: “Here, here, someone! Come!”

The next instant.

Among the vehicles approaching from various routes, several suddenly stopped. Inside, vigilant Patrol Bureau members exited, holding weapons, and loudly shouted, "State your identity! Why are you active in this area?"

"I am Lu Jinfeng, a student of Shi Lv Academy."

Carrying An Ning on his back, he quickly said, "Behind me is my classmate, An Ning. The Patrol Bureau should have our information. My classmate is injured and urgently needs treatment."

Among the Patrol Bureau members, the leader gestured, and immediately others took out computers to check.

Seeing this, Lu Jinfeng eagerly said, "I have another classmate named Hu Fei. He has already engaged in battle with enemies from the Evil God Sect. Please send people to support him."

Next to him, the member checking their identities nodded.

Seeing this, the vigilance in the leader's eyes lessened. He assigned several members: "You take them for treatment."

He looked at Lu Jinfeng: "Other colleagues are already approaching the incident site and will support your classmate immediately."

Hearing this, Lu Jinfeng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back in the direction he came from, gritted his teeth, and ultimately did not turn back.

He really wanted to go and support Hu Fei, but An Ning also needed him. If An Ning's treatment had any problems due to insufficient information, he would be held responsible.

The group got into the vehicle, and it started, moving in the opposite direction.

Just then, a questioning voice rang out.

"Student Lu Jinfeng."

"Please immediately explain what you encountered and the specific situation here."

"Immediately!"

In the sky, the star shuttle sped by.

The personnel inside were all on high alert.

Qin Jin sat by the window, his gaze directed downwards.

Yan Yan was constantly communicating, relaying messages, and issuing orders.

Just then, he put down his communicator and looked at Qin Jin and Qiu Dongyan: "The cause of the explosion has basically been confirmed."

Qin Jin's vision focused.

"It's Shi Lv Academy."

Yan Yan's expression was a bit subtle: "Three students from Shi Lv Academy came this time. After arriving in Hanmei City, they did not contact us immediately but chose to investigate on their own."

"According to them, during their investigation, something they couldn't determine happened, leading to this change."

At this point, he added: "It can now be basically confirmed that the explosion site is part of a ritual to summon a god."

"Investigation caused?"

Qin Jin raised an eyebrow: "What did they do?"

"Among the three of them, there is a young Spiritual Energy User. After that Spiritual Energy User detected an anomaly by manipulating spiritual energy, he conducted a second, deeper investigation, and then the explosion occurred."

Yan Yan spoke, looking at Qiu Dongyan: "Old Qiu, has there been such a precedent?"

Hearing this, Qiu Dongyan's expression became serious: "My understanding of Spiritual Energy Users is also limited."

"However—"

Her tone deepened: "Spiritual energy is the most mysterious power in the cosmic sea of stars, even surpassing the Mi Sect. If we infer from the first ritual arrangement, the members of the Celestial Balance Apostles were attempting to set up a ritual beyond their capabilities. In that case, under the influence of spiritual energy, a third-party force, the ritual became unbalanced, shattered, and the power erupted, causing an explosion. This possibility indeed exists."

"Shi Lv, huh—"

Qin Jin mused to himself.

In this mission, he had come into contact with students from Tian Ce, and now he had indirectly learned about students from Shi Lv. It could only be said that the students of the three major academies had distinct and varied styles of conduct.

"That Spiritual Energy User, when causing the explosion, was also affected himself. Later, to protect himself and his two companions from the residual effects of the explosion, he even overused his spiritual energy and is now being rushed for treatment."

Yan Yan updated the situation in real-time: "Our team members only encountered two people. According to them, there is still one person who engaged in battle with the enemies of the Evil God Sect who were not taken by the explosion."

It was at this moment that Qin Jin's voice suddenly rang out.

"Lower the speed."

The star shuttle's speed decreased.

Looking down through the porthole, he saw two groups of people on the ground who had already engaged in battle.

One side was clearly Patrol Bureau members.

Their opponents were, therefore, self-evident.

"Captain Yan, you continue deeper."

"I'll go help them."

As his voice rang out, the star shuttle's speed decreased. Qin Jin disengaged the safety, opened the door, and the wind rushed into the cabin.

Holding onto the edge with one hand, Qin Jin stepped out, directly descending vertically towards the ground.

"Isn't that too direct?"

Behind him, a team member's voice rang out: "Brother Yan, aren't we going to help Student Qin Jin?"

"Do we need to? Didn't you see Qin Jin's performance earlier?"

Yan Yan shook his head and looked at the driver: "Continue deeper, go investigate the situation at the explosion site."

He looked at Qiu Dongyan: "Old Qiu, when we confirm the surroundings are safe, you can join in."

Qin Jin plummeted from mid-air.

Just as he was about to land, his source power surged out. Amidst a strong counter-thrust, Qin Jin landed steadily.

A person falling from the sky attracted considerable attention from both sides of the battle. The moment he landed, Heavens Might appeared in his hand. Qin Jin's power erupted, and he immediately joined the fray.

The first to arrive here were the Patrol Bureau's stationed personnel, who were not as elite as the action team, and thus unable to deal with the enemies before them. But now, with Qin Jin's addition, the situation quickly simplified.

Because there were Patrol Bureau members fighting alongside him nearby, he didn't use any explosive moves. He simply attacked and eliminated the enemies. The strange characteristic of the Celestial Balance Apostles made it almost impossible for their members to be captured alive. Since that was the case, Qin Jin simply held nothing back.

This battle ended quickly.

From all directions, more and more Patrol Bureau members arrived and continued to advance.

Qin Jin's gaze fell on the ground.

There, a thin figure, looking almost skeletal and with a weak aura, sat up from a collapsed position with the help of Patrol Bureau members.

His clothes were tattered, his body covered in bloodstains, and in some places, his flesh was torn open, revealing bone. His injuries were severe.

Qin Jin stepped closer.

"A student from Shi Lv?"

Qin Chi's voice rang out.

This figure was, of course, Hu Fei.

He raised his head with difficulty. Because he was too weak, his vision was somewhat blurry. He subconsciously said, "A leader from the Patrol Bureau?"

"Sorry, I was too reckless and caused you trouble."

"An Ning—"

"How is An Ning?"

His thoughts were somewhat confused.

"An Ning?" Qin Jin guessed, "Your Spiritual Energy User classmate? He has already been taken away by the Patrol Bureau."

"That's good."

His upper body, which he had struggled to straighten, went limp, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take him for treatment quickly."

Qin Chi waved his hand.

Next to him, the Patrol Bureau member supporting him nodded, called others over, and together they lifted Hu Fei onto a stretcher and carried him to the vehicle.

As if the battle had completely ended, Hu Fei, lying on the stretcher and being transported to the vehicle, found his thoughts gradually clearing. He spoke weakly, "What position does that person just now hold in your Patrol Bureau?"

He had held on until the Patrol Bureau members arrived as reinforcements. During the battle, due to his injuries and exhaustion, he had collapsed to the ground, but he had witnessed the subsequent fighting and seen Qin Jin's actions.

The ease and speed with which he eliminated the enemies left a deep impression on him.

Inside the vehicle, the two accompanying Patrol Bureau members exchanged glances.

One of them said, "That person is not a leader of our Patrol Bureau."

"What?!" Hu Fei was somewhat startled and couldn't help but cough violently, pressing on, "Then who is he? An external helper you invited? A Martial Abyss expert passing by who helped out?"

"We also saw him for the first time."

"No, when he just arrived at the battlefield, we received a message from our superiors telling us that this person was a friend, not an enemy."

"He, like you, is a student who came to perform an academy mission this time."

At this point, he paused and revealed his identity.

"Martial Abyss Academy, Qin Jin."