The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

Chapter 384: Chapter 345: Hosting the Exchange, I Recommend Someone

Director Qiao had been gone for less than ten minutes before he returned.

"What? Lin Yi isn’t at the university?"

Tang Baichuan’s brow furrowed deeply.

Director Qiao nodded. "A few days ago, their dorm was destroyed by a bird Lin Yi was raising. I even took some people over to renovate it!"

"According to his roommate, he left the university the next morning and went to Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"He said he was having trouble with his cultivation and was going to Dragon Tiger Mountain for a few days of secluded training."

After Director Qiao finished speaking,

Tang Baichuan finally nodded. He was, of course, aware that Lin Yi had become the Elder Celestial Master’s disciple.

He naturally knew about it.

Back then, he had felt inexplicably happy about the matter.

The Elder Celestial Master held a very high status in the New District.

Even the old-timers from the Martial Arts Alliance had to show him a great deal of respect.

For Lin Yi to become the Elder Celestial Master’s disciple was equivalent to gaining a powerful backer.

One could even say he had gained the entire Dragon Tiger Mountain as his support.

This was a good thing, so Tang Baichuan was naturally pleased from the bottom of his heart.

"How long has he been gone?"

"Well... about a week, I think!"

"In any case, he’s been gone for a while. Should I make a trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain myself?" Director Qiao asked.

Tang Baichuan quickly shook his head. "No need. It’s enough to know he’s at Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"Don’t disturb his cultivation. As for the list for the Martial Arts exchange, save a spot for him. Help me find candidates for the other nine spots."

"Once you’ve made your selections, just submit the list to me."

Director Qiao nodded quickly. "Alright, I’ll go back and work on it right away!"

"I’ll give you a list of about twenty names!"

Seeing Tang Baichuan nod, Director Qiao finally left the office.

The final decision on the Martial Arts exchange had been made.

Besides Xingwu University, which had already begun preparing its list of exchange students,

Lanshan University, Martial Alliance University, Dragon Tiger Mountain University, and the additionally included Tieshan University and Divine Fist University had also started preparing their lists of students for the exchange.

This Martial Arts exchange was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

There might be some sort of conspiracy brewing within it.

The presidents of these universities were all shrewd and calculating individuals.

They could naturally see that something was amiss. At the very least, these people from the Outer Alliances weren’t coming with good intentions.

If the men in black were indeed connected to the Outer Alliances, as Tang Baichuan suggested,

then this Martial Arts exchange might be extremely dangerous.

Therefore, when it came to the list of students participating in the exchange,

they had to be exceptionally cautious. They couldn’t bring their worst students—that would be a matter of losing face.

But they also couldn’t send their best students, lest they suffer unforeseen losses.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

Southeast Battlefield, Operations Command Center.

Before a massive floor-to-ceiling window,

the Elder Celestial Master and Yi Nanshan both stood with their hands clasped behind their backs,

gazing out at the Restricted Area.

From a distance, the Restricted Area looked no different from any other place.

Range after range of rolling mountains stretched into the distance.

The blue sky, white clouds, and forests seemed to form a beautiful landscape painting.

A sun hung in the sky, casting a gentle light.

However, the entire scene felt somehow fake.

If one looked closely, there was even a layer of ripples, like the surface of water.

Sometimes it rippled, sometimes it was calm, and sometimes it was turbulent.

That was the barrier outside the Restricted Area. As long as the barrier remained, it would be difficult for the demonic beasts inside to break out.

Once the barrier was broken, the millions of demonic beasts within the Restricted Area would break free from their restraints.

One could only imagine, if millions, or even more, demonic beasts were to charge out,

what kind of disaster would befall the entire Huawu Alliance?

The New District and the Old District would be plunged into dire straits.

A land scorched for a thousand miles, with not even one in ten surviving—that would be a good outcome.

Rivers of blood and fields of bones would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.

By then, there would be no place left for humanity to survive.

They could only eke out a miserable existence in the cracks...

"Old General, Elder Celestial Master, General Yao and the others are here!"

Suddenly, an officer walked over.

Yi Nanshan and the Elder Celestial Master both glanced back.

A moment later, Old Yao and several other Garrison Generals walked in one after another.

Seeing each other again, they all felt a long-lost sense of camaraderie.

No matter how much they had argued over things at the Martial Arts Alliance,

they were, after all, comrades-in-arms who had fought on the battlefield together, sworn brothers.

With a great disaster looming, they had once again thrown themselves onto the battlefield.

The old barriers between them were gone, leaving only a shared belief in facing a common enemy.

"Hahaha... Quick, have a seat!"

"The conditions are limited, so we’ll have to use this as a temporary meeting room!"

Yi Nanshan laughed as he welcomed Old Yao and the others.

Hearing this, Old Yao waved his hand. "Enough, Lao Yi. What’s the need for pleasantries between old brothers like us!"

"It’s not just here. The situation on the other battlefields is much the same!"

"We didn’t come here today to relax. Let’s get straight to the point!"

Old Yao was blunt and didn’t like to beat around the bush.

After everyone had taken their seats, Yi Nanshan and the Elder Celestial Master exchanged a look.

"Alright, let’s get straight to the point then!"

"We all know why us old brothers have gathered here today!"

"It’s about the appearance of a great demon in the Restricted Area!"

"The Elder Celestial Master and I estimate that the great demon is at least at the Heart Communication Realm, perhaps even higher!"

"What’s worse is that it’s not the only one. The auras of great demons have also appeared on the Northeast and Northwest Battlefields, with roiling purple clouds and overwhelming demonic energy!"

"This is a sign—a sign that the demonic beasts are about to launch an all-out attack!"

"But... the Martial God has not yet returned. If these demonic beasts attack the barrier, it’s debatable whether we can hold them back!"

"So, the reason I’ve called you all here today is to ask,"

"how can we prevent this from happening!"

"Even if we can’t stop it on our own, we must at least be able to delay it for a while!"

As soon as Yi Nanshan finished speaking,

Old Yao and the others all lowered their heads in deep thought.

In truth, they were all very clear about this matter.

If those great demons were to attack the barrier,

they definitely wouldn’t be able to hold them off.

And if they really did break out, the entire Hua Wu would be trapped in a hopeless situation.

Besides the Martial God, no one could stop those demonic beasts.

’It’s just that the Martial God’s current realm...’

"I have a suggestion, just a suggestion... If those great demons are really preparing to attack the barrier, as a last resort, we could activate the Celestial Sacrifice Array..."

The speaker was Gu Renshu, the Garrison General of the Nanling battlefield.

He was also an old general.

When he said this, the expressions of Yi Nanshan, Old Yao, and the others all changed.

"The Celestial Sacrifice Array?"

"Is... is that really necessary?"

The other old generals present also fell into deep thought.

The Celestial Sacrifice Array was a grand formation jointly established by the previous generation’s Martial God and seven other Martial Arts Grandmasters.

Moreover, it could only be activated once.

It was equivalent to a one-time consumable.

Once the [Celestial Sacrifice Array] was activated, the demonic beasts in the Restricted Area would be trapped inside.

Even those few great demons at the Heart Communication Realm wouldn’t be able to easily break through the grand formation.

However, this [Celestial Sacrifice Array] had a time limit.

It could only be maintained for three months.

After three months, the grand formation would gradually lose its effect.

By then, all the demonic beasts in the Restricted Area would charge out, and it would be impossible to stop them.

The Martial God had once said that the grand formation must not be easily activated unless it was a matter of life and death.

This [Celestial Sacrifice Array] was the Huawu Alliance’s last chance to catch its breath.

A mere three months might be enough to save many people.

"No! The Celestial Sacrifice Array is our trump card, our final life-saving talisman!"

"If we use it now, what will we use when the real life-or-death moment comes in the future?"

"Now is not the time to activate the grand formation!"

Old Yao immediately shook his head and rejected the idea.

Yi Nanshan and the Elder Celestial Master also nodded in succession.

"I agree with Old Yao. This is not yet a matter of life and death. Besides, the Celestial Sacrifice Array will be completely used up once activated. It’s too extravagant!"

"For hundreds of years, we have been maintaining this grand formation. I do not recommend activating it unless absolutely necessary!"

The other generals also nodded and expressed their opinions.

They were all basically in agreement with Old Yao and Yi Nanshan.

Now was not the time to activate the [Celestial Sacrifice Array].

Unless they truly reached a point where they could no longer hold back the demonic beasts.

Otherwise, they absolutely must not activate the [Celestial Sacrifice Array].

"What we need to do now is keep a constant watch on the situation inside the Restricted Area!"

"Each battle zone must provide a daily summary and share it!"

"That way, we can all have a general understanding of the situation in each other’s battle zones!"

"With this crisis upon us, those demonic beasts could launch a major offensive at any moment!"

"Therefore, we must be more united than ever and avoid the costs of internal strife!"

After Old Yao finished speaking,

the others all nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Lao Yi, we received news from Hua Wu a few days ago."

"Several Outer Alliances are coming here for a Martial Arts exchange!"

"Various universities are invited to participate. Hua Wu’s intention is to have Xingwu, Martial Alliance, Lanshan, and Dragon Tiger Mountain universities each send ten students to participate in the exchange!"

As he finished, Old Yao secretly glanced at Yi Nanshan’s expression.

The Elder Celestial Master sat there without a word,

stroking his long beard, lost in thought.

After a long while, Yi Nanshan finally looked at Old Yao.

"Which Outer Alliances are they?"

"The Eagle Alliance, the Sunset Alliance, the Maple Alliance, the Sakura Alliance, and the Asia Alliance..."

"Heh, of course it’s them!"

After Old Yao finished speaking, Yi Nanshan couldn’t help but laugh.

However, he wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Instead, he turned back and exchanged a look with the Elder Celestial Master.

"What? From your reaction, you already knew?" Old Yao quickly pressed.

Yi Nanshan shook his head. "Elder Mu Ru and I are focused on the Restricted Area all day. Where would we find the time to know about these things?"

"But we had already guessed a few things before this!"

"The men in black in the Inner City are, in all likelihood, connected to those foreign powers!"

"In other words, those foreign powers are the real masterminds behind the scenes!"

"I didn’t expect them to lose their patience so quickly. And they’re bringing a few lapdogs along to our home for some so-called Martial Arts exchange?"

"I see this Martial Arts exchange as a sham; the real purpose is treachery!"

Yi Nanshan’s words hit the nail on the head.

Old Yao also nodded. "That’s right. They’ve definitely come with an agenda this time!"

"However, we haven’t yet grasped what their specific goal is!"

"The exchange is in just over twenty days!"

"Lao Yi, how about you and the Elder Celestial Master return to the Inner City to oversee this Martial Arts exchange?"

At these words, Yi Nanshan looked up at him.

"Mu Ru and I go back? Then who will stand guard here?"

"If the great demons attack the barrier at that moment, who could possibly resist them?"

Yi Nanshan’s series of questions

immediately silenced Old Yao.

Although Yi Xiaotian was the Battle Zone General here,

he was, after all, still too green.

It was one thing to have him manage the troops and fend off some minor skirmishes with demonic beasts.

But this time, they were facing a great demon of the Heart Communication Realm.

Even with Yi Nanshan and the Elder Celestial Master here, they couldn’t stop that great demon.

But it was still much better than having Yi Xiaotian alone.

If the two of them were really to leave, who could truly be at ease?

Just as Old Yao was caught in a dilemma,

the Elder Celestial Master smiled. "How about I recommend someone to you?"

"Oh? Please speak, Elder Celestial Master!"

Old Yao raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.