Having traveled halfway, they saw a red flare shooting into the sky, burning three times in succession.

This was a type of distress signal used within the Daoist academy.

Wei Yan immediately grabbed Shen Nanqi and quickened his pace.

He didn’t want to miss the best opportunity for rescue, nor could he leave the exhausted Shen Nanqi behind. Therefore, he ignored Shen Nanqi’s resistance.

Outside Little Lin Town.

Wei Yan, who had rushed over at full speed, landed swiftly.

He stopped right in front of the Jiang Wang brothers, who were searching the area.

The investigation into the Bingwu mission had been temporarily suspended. Because Dong A had requested secrecy, and to avoid alarming anyone, Fang Heling was now a free man.

This investigation could only be put on hold for the time being, although it was officially said to be closed.

The twelfth month was the end of the year, and the Jiang Wang brothers had been working very hard to complete missions, storing up Dao merits like animals preparing for winter.

After this period of effort, they had completed their adaptation to fighting at the extraordinary level, and their strength had improved significantly.

Linghe completed his minor heavenly cycle on the thirtieth day of the eleventh month, still breaking through at the limit of his ordinary talent. Zhao Rucheng was not to be outdone, breaking through a few days before Linghe and surpassing him.

Jiang Wang had been polishing his Dao techniques and consolidating his foundation, consuming a large amount of Dao Yuan, so his breakthrough speed had slowed down.

In the past twelfth month’s blessed land challenge day, his blessed land ranking had dropped to twenty-seventh, Donggong Mountain. His monthly merit production was only 1450 points. Adding what he had left, he had a total of 4120 merit points.

This undoubtedly increased Jiang Wang’s sense of urgency, but he was not in a hurry to break through.

The stage from the Zhou Tian realm to the Tongtian realm was an advancement from the minor heavenly cycle to the heavenly cycle, which determined the time to see the Gate of Heaven and Earth, and also determined the height and thickness of the Gate of Heaven and Earth.

It must be as stable as possible.

This was what Dong A had repeatedly instructed.

But in reality, this small team composed of three Zhou Tian realm cultivators had risen sharply in the city Daoist academy’s Dao merit list, overthrowing many previous senior brothers.

For next year’s Three City Daoist Debate, Jiang Wang had already secured the first place among the third-year students. It was even possible to directly take the county academy exam at the end of the year.

There was also Du Yeh from the Jiujiang Xuanjia, all of whom had unlimited bright futures.

The shadow brought by the White Bone Dao had gradually faded under Dong A’s efforts, and Jiang Wang was now full of beautiful imaginations about the future.

Today, their team happened to be carrying out a new mission nearby and arrived as soon as they saw the distress signal. But after searching for a long time, they found nothing.

“Did you encounter any Daoist academy disciples asking for help?” Wei Yan asked.

Linghe replied, “We were nearby and came over immediately when we saw the distress signal, but we didn’t see anyone. There weren’t even any signs of fighting.”

Everyone knew what this meant.

The team of Daoist academy disciples must have encountered an opponent they couldn’t resist, so that they didn’t even leave any traces of battle.

Then why were they able to send out a distress signal?

Thinking of this, it was chilling.

“We have to go back to the city and report this matter,” Zhao Rucheng said.

The abandoned Little Lin Town was not far away, its broken walls and ruins seemed to be telling the past.

Telling what had happened there and what had been left behind.

What happened was of course painful memories, and what was left was naturally only shame.

The junipers outside the town were growing very well – now no one dared to come here to steal and cut them down.

“Let’s go,” Wei Yan said, turning around.

“Don’t you want to look around again?” Linghe was a little reluctant.

Zhao Rucheng had suggested returning to the city earlier, but at Linghe’s repeated requests, the three brothers had searched nearby for a while, and that was how they encountered Wei Yan and his companion who had come looking for them.

Zhao Rucheng tugged at him: “Let’s go! It’s likely to be a disaster! Report it to the Criminal Investigation Department. Tracing and tracking should be left to the professionals.”

Linghe had no choice but to give up.

Because Shen Nanqi had lost his fighting ability, everyone took turns carrying him on the road, so the speed was not very fast.

The group walked onto the main road, and they could see Maple Forest City a little further ahead. Wei Yan suddenly stopped: “You go, take Shen Nanqi back.”

“Then what about you, General Wei?” Linghe asked.

Zhao Rucheng put his arm around him: “Let’s go, boss, don’t always worry about other people’s business!”

Jiang Wang had been silent, because as soon as he left Little Lin Town, he had felt a sudden sense of unease.

But he couldn’t say where this unease came from, so he just protected Shen Nanqi and walked forward.

At this time, Shen Nanqi was like a walking corpse, not caring who he followed or where he went.

But Jiang Wang keenly sensed that there was an extremely sharp aura slowly emanating from his body.

The brothers looked at each other and understood that after today’s blow, Shen Nanqi was about to push open the Gate of Heaven and Earth!

After Jiang Wang and the others had gone far away, Wei Yan suddenly turned around and rushed towards Little Lin Town.

Quick Snow was held upside down, and the golden elemental energy frantically gathered towards him.

His figure was incomparably sharp, as if cutting through the wind, advancing in the gaps of the wind.

The distance they had walked for half a day was now reached in a flash.

But the place was still quiet, as if nothing had happened.

This was a desolate place where not even souls existed, because the souls here had all become sacrifices for the shadow of the Gate of Hell.

Wei Yan held the Quick Snow saber and walked through the broken walls and ruins.

Teahouses, taverns, wheelbarrows…

He walked sometimes fast and sometimes slow, but he circled almost the entire Little Lin Town without finding any traces.

Nor did he wait for an attack.

Finally, he stopped, standing in the center of Little Lin Town, that empty flat ground – the place where the shadow of the Gate of Hell had originally condensed.

“Come out! You won’t wait for anything!” Wei Yan suddenly shouted.

As if a breeze blew, a figure in black brocade appeared before him, and under his tied-up long hair was Wei Quji’s majestic and profound face.

“It really was you following me!” Wei Yan sneered: “Using me as bait? That’s just the kind of thing you would do. Too bad someone saw through it!”

“That can only show that you are a waste, not worth them taking risks for!”

Wei Quji seemed disdainful, only throwing down this sentence coldly, and then left in a whirlwind.

He seemed to never expect an answer, only needing to express his will.

“Aren’t you a waste?” Wei Yan gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Quick Snow: “My… father?”

Back in Maple Forest City, he took Shen Nanqi back to his residence.

The three brothers went to the Dao Merit Hall to check off the mission, distributed the Dao merits, and prepared to go back.

“Third Brother, are you okay?” Zhao Rucheng asked.

“I’m fine,” Jiang Wang reluctantly said: “Maybe I’m just a little uneasy knowing that so many fellow disciples died today.”

“Go back and get some rest.” Linghe patted him on the shoulder. There was no other comfort for this kind of thing. They would experience many more things on the path of cultivation.

Walking out of the Dao Merit Hall gate, Linghe lived in the Daoist academy dormitory, Zhao Rucheng left the Daoist academy gate to go home. Jiang Wang returned to Feima Lane from the back gate of the Daoist academy.

The three brothers parted ways.

Jiang Wang walked forward alone, and when he reached the back gate, his footsteps suddenly faltered.

He was just absent-minded, and the ruins of Little Lin Town seemed to appear before his eyes. He also saw a huge, dark vortex appearing in the center of Little Lin Town!

He woke up and saw Daoist academy disciples asking him with concern.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Jiang Wang said repeatedly.

He stepped forward, but his steps were as heavy as a thousand jun.

Is it… a hallucination?