"Mhmm, let's move out then."
Ling Feng curled his lips. Tuoba Yan had mentioned that the Heart-Devouring Red-Dust Gu in his body was mostly neutralized, so there was no need to wait for her before acting.
After all, if they delay any longer, the demons might achieve their goal.
Cao Meng responded gruffly, emphasizing the words "general" with clear dissatisfaction. He thought Ling Feng was too eager for glory.
As the saying goes, those who don't listen to their elders will suffer!
He had already spelled things out, yet this kid still insisted on his own way. Fine—let him learn the hard way.
Still, as a king-tier expert, how could he not have some pride?
Ling Feng didn't blame Cao Meng. People often blindly trusted what they saw—just like Sun Gongming in the past.
At heart, Cao Meng cared about the bigger picture. But since Ling Feng couldn't reveal the involvement of the sacred lands, misunderstandings were inevitable.
Not that Ling Feng needed their help anyway. As long as they could protect themselves long enough to send word back to Qingtian Fortress, that was enough.
The group of ten set out swiftly, racing from Qingtian Fortress toward Zuowang Valley near Luohe City.
Beyond the fortress lay twelve defensive lines—all breached. With a demon emperor among the invaders, those barricades had barely slowed them down.
Luckily, the demons avoided unnecessary slaughter to evade pursuit, so casualties among the guards weren't catastrophic.
At the final checkpoint, a massive palm strike had shattered the towering gate, leaving a gaping hole where the demons had forced their way through.
On the battlements, General Sun Gongming directed soldiers to tend to the wounded and clear the dead—a grim scene.
Ling Feng sighed, leaping onto the wall to meet him.
"General Ling?" Sun Gongming brightened momentarily before his expression darkened again. He'd been fortunate—the demon emperor's palm strike had missed him. But Commander Xiao, who'd once obstructed Ling Feng, hadn't been so lucky.
He'd been insta-killed by a demon expert, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.
"General Sun, what's the casualty count?" Cao Meng landed beside them.
"G-General Cao? You're here too?"
Sun Gongming blinked in surprise. He'd assumed Ling Feng was returning to the imperial capital, but now the young general was accompanied by Northwestern Army generals—including Cao Meng, a king-tier expert and high-ranking commander Sun had once looked up to.
"Mhmm. Commander-in-chief ordered me to assist General Ling in investigating the demon invasion," Cao Meng said offhandedly.
Sun Gongming sucked in a sharp breath. Damn! In just a few days, Ling Feng has gained enough favor to command king-tier generals?
The commander-in-chief's fondness for him is unreal!
"Enough chatter." Ling Feng cut in. "General Sun, when did the demons break through?"
"About half an hour ago. But the Flame emperor and Spear emperor quickly gave chase with reinforcements. With two Human Emperors pinning down their demon emperor, they shouldn't escape easily."
Ling Feng rubbed his nose. The Flame emperor and Spear emperor were two of the handful of Human Emperors stationed at Qingtian Fortress.
Commander Han Li took a hardline stance against northern demon incursions—whether it was demon kings or demon emperors, they would pay in blood.
As for demon rulers, the sacred lands' restrictions usually kept emperor-realm experts from intervening directly. Otherwise, the sacred lands would dispatch their own great emperors.
"Half an hour already..." Ling Feng took a deep breath. "General Cao, we should move."
Cao Meng's reply was half-hearted. With the Flame and Spear emperors handling things, why bother?
But orders were orders.
Sun Gongming, shrewd as ever, noticed Cao Meng's reluctance. He chuckled wryly and bowed. "General Cao, if I may... you'd do well to trust General Ling."
"Oh?" Cao Meng's eyelids twitched, displeased. Who is this demoted nobody to lecture me?
Sun Gongming smiled bitterly. "I once doubted General Ling's judgment. Then I lost an arm. That's all I'll say."
Cao Meng's pupils shrank as he glanced at Sun's empty right sleeve. The words gave him pause.
Ling Feng smirked, saluted Sun Gongming, and led the group forward at full speed.
Beyond the last checkpoint, the road split in three directions: the shortest path led to Luohe City, while the imperial highway continued south, and another route headed north.
To the south, a rocky mountain bore obvious battle scars: pockmarked earth, scorched soil, and ravaged hillsides. The aftermath of emperor-level combat was devastating.
"General Ling, see? The demons clearly went south—not toward Zuowang Valley," Cao Meng pointed out.
"Only their demon emperor went south. Their main objective hasn't changed."
Ling Feng remained calm. "No time to waste. We proceed to Zuowang Valley."
Cao Meng shrugged. This kid won't quit until he hits a wall. Does he really think there's some grand secret at Zuowang Valley?
The group pressed on, soon reaching Luohe City. But instead of heading straight for the valley, Ling Feng had them wait at the north gate while he visited the inn where he'd met Jiang Biyi and Ye Xingnan.
The waiter informed him the pair had left—accompanied by a middle-aged man. From the description, Ling Feng knew it had to be Steward Wei Wuyan.
Wei Wuyan's presence only confirmed it—Zuowang Valley held something monumental!