“What?” High Paladin Han Qian slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with shock. Standing before him was a tall knight, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.

Han Qian’s breathing became noticeably uneven. “Those little bastards, what are they trying to do? I thought they had matured after being settled down for so long. Of all things, they remain silent for so long only to drop a bombshell. How long have they been gone?”

The tall knight said, “About half an hour.”

Han Qian said, “Go, bring them back to me. Tell them I ordered them back.”

The tall knight said with some difficulty, “High Paladin, that wouldn’t be right. It’s against the rules. Demon Hunt Squads are independent, and even the Alliance can’t arbitrarily dispatch them. Besides, everything they’ve done is within the rules.”

Han Qian roared, “What dogsh*t rules! If something happens to those little things, the entire Alliance will explode! Go now!”

“Yes,” the tall knight dared not disobey Han Qian’s order a second time, turned around, and started to walk out. Just as he reached the door, Han Qian suddenly said, “Come back.”

The knight was startled, stopped, and turned back to face Han Qian.

Han Qian walked out from behind his desk and paced back and forth in his spacious office, his eyebrows almost knitted together.

After pacing back and forth more than ten times, his eyebrows finally relaxed. He sighed softly and muttered to himself, “That kid and that girl are both over sixteen now. They should have gained a lot from being in seclusion for so long. A fledgling can never become a strong eagle soaring in the sky if it’s always under the protection of its parents. Let them go out and venture. Long Haochen, you little brat, you must come back alive to me.”

That’s right, just now, the knight standing before him had brought astonishing news: the long-dormant Sixty-Fourth Grade-Commander Demon Hunt Squad had suddenly appeared on the third floor of the Demon Hunt Squad Task Tower, accepted sixteen slaughter missions in one go, and then immediately set off, left Holy City, and headed straight for the Demon Clan.

Those were sixteen slaughter missions, and slaughter missions that only Grade-Commander Demon Hunt Squads could accept! The easiest of them required hunting down seventh-level Demon Clan powerhouses and obtaining their magic crystals. Among the missions they accepted, three were even targeting eighth-level Demon Clan powerhouses. The most powerful one was directly assassinating the Snake Demon Andromalius, the last-ranked of the seventy-two Demon Gods of the Demon Clan. Even though he was the seventy-second ranked Demon God, he was still a Demon God! He possessed the cultivation of an eighth-level peak, and once he was within the protection range of his own Demon God Pillar, his strength was equivalent to several eighth-level powerhouses.

The mission to assassinate Andromalius was the most difficult among all the Grade-Commander missions. This mission was also shared by King-level and Emperor-level Demon Hunt Squads. Keep in mind that Andromalius wasn’t just standing there waiting to be killed; he was also a Demon God commanding a large Demon Clan army!

Long Haochen and the others had even accepted a mission like that. They were simply courting death! An eighth-level peak was a terrifying existence with a spiritual power approaching 100,000.

Because the Demon Hunt Squad Task Tower was located in Holy City, it took a long time to go back and forth to accept missions. Therefore, the rules of the Demon Hunt Squads allowed them to accept several missions at once. However, this was the first time a situation like Long Haochen and his team accepting sixteen missions at once had occurred. All missions had deadlines, and if they failed to complete them within the deadline, they would be deducted merit points.

Of course, increasing the number of missions accepted at once also extended the time limit somewhat. The total time for Long Haochen and his team to complete all their missions was extended to two years. However, with their current strength, could they defeat the seventy-second Demon God Andromalius in two years? Even Han Qian, who had great confidence in Long Haochen, felt that this was a fantastical tale.

However, the little guys had already left. Should he really chase them back? That would be akin to打击 (dǎjī, discourage) the children. Recalling the true situation that occurred within the Paradise of Illusions that Long Haochen had reported to him, Han Qian’s originally tense heart gradually relaxed.

Yes, Han Qian already knew about the gains Long Haochen and his entire team had made in the Paradise of Illusions. As for how Long Haochen had brought his companions in, he didn’t know. Long Haochen only said that it was a secret that couldn’t be revealed.

Having all possessed Spiritual Stoves, they should be able to protect themselves. Moreover, Long Haochen wasn’t that old but was also not reckless. Let them go out and venture. What’s more, there was someone who would protect them. Yes, I need to quickly tell him about this.

Thinking of this, Han Qian temporarily suppressed his worries. He dismissed the tall knight and hurried out of the office himself.

At this moment, the little guys that the High Paladin was worried about were sitting in a comfortable carriage, enjoying the rare relaxation brought to them by the scenery along the official road.

The carriage was specially made for Demon Hunt Squads. Long Haochen and his team had enjoyed it once before, but only once because it was a mandatory mission.

Now that they were a Grade-Commander Demon Hunt Squad, they had the right to be assigned a carriage belonging to their own team, making travel much more convenient. At least they could get plenty of rest during the journey.

At this moment, none of the seven members of the Sixty-Fourth Grade-Commander Demon Hunt Squad was cultivating. The curtains on both sides of the carriage were lifted high, and the comfortable carriage with Floating Magic attached to it had no sense of bumps at all.

The order to not cultivate had been issued by Long Haochen. They were about to embark on a long and arduous journey, and they had just been in seclusion for so long. Everyone needed to relax. And this relaxation process was before they entered the Demon Clan.

A full year had passed since they left the Paradise of Illusions. Everyone had grown a year older, and the youngest, Long Haochen and Cai’er, had also passed their sixteenth birthdays. Compared to a year ago, the current members of the Sixty-Fourth Grade-Commander Demon Hunt Squad looked more reserved and mature, with less impetuousness and more composure.

As for what level their overall combat power had reached, even they themselves weren’t very clear. After all, they hadn’t been on the battlefield with the Demon Clan for a year.

Their first stop on this trip was still Xingxun City, which they passed through when they went to the Cave of Fearful Howls. They would still enter the Nalik Province of the Demon Clan from the Southeast Fortress and then go deep into the Demon Clan’s territory.

The carriage sped along the way. Ten days later, the group successfully arrived in Xingxun City.

In the past year or so, wars had been frequent, and human fortresses had been strongly impacted by the Demon Clan. The most tragic war was naturally the Battle of Zhennan Pass, where the Demon Clan almost breached the city. If reinforcements hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The Southeast Fortress, where the Warrior Temple was located, was the most peaceful one. It was unknown whether it was because the Nalik Province had been greatly reshuffled, but although there were occasional骚扰 (sāorǎo, disturbances), no large-scale wars had been launched.

Against this backdrop, the atmosphere in Xingxun City, which served as the back garden of the Southeast Fortress, was particularly peaceful. Industry and commerce had been effectively improved, and the people lived and worked in peace. In fact, the ambitions of humans were far less than those of the Demon Clan. As long as they could have a peaceful and stable life, they were easily satisfied.

Long Haochen and his seven companions didn’t disturb the Xingxun City Hall or the military. Instead, they quietly checked into a medium-sized hotel and settled the two coachmen, telling them that they could rest for two days and then return to Holy City. After all, they wouldn’t be able to return in a short period of time, so why have them wait here?

After letting his companions go back to their rooms to rest, Long Haochen himself took Cai’er’s small hand and walked out of the hotel. In order not to attract attention, they both wore斗笠 (dǒulì, conical hats) with veils. After all, it wasn’t just Cai’er who had an amazing appearance… Walking leisurely on the streets of Xingxun City, Long Haochen held Cai’er’s hand and said with a chuckle, “I suddenly remembered the time when we first met in Holy City. The competition that should have been the most important became a foil, and taking you back every day was what I looked forward to the most. I was very satisfied just being able to see you once a day.”

Cai’er laughed and said, “How come I can only remember how silly you were back then?”

Long Haochen didn’t take it to heart and said with a grin, “Who told me to be your fool? As long as you like it, being a fool is fine.”

Cai’er’s eyes softened immediately, and she leaned slightly closer to Long Haochen. The two walked slowly forward in this warm atmosphere.

Along the way, the two were familiar with the road. They didn’t stop until they reached a building with four large characters on its two-story facade: “Moon Night Merchant Guild.”

Entering the Demon Clan territory directly would entail great risk, as the Demon Clan’s exploration on the border was very strict. However, mingling with the Moon Night Merchant Guild to enter the Demon Clan’s interior was different. The Demon Clan, like the Temple Alliance, was tight on the outside but loose on the inside. As long as they entered their interior and disguised themselves as the Moon Demon Clan, carrying out their missions would not be difficult. Moreover, if they could get cooperation from Moon Night, their actions would naturally be much more convenient.

About five months ago, Long Haochen and Cai’er had secretly come to Xingxun City and met Moon Night, who was waiting there, to alleviate the time of her restriction and agreed on the date of this operation.

Walking into the Moon Night Merchant Guild, a clerk immediately greeted them to inquire. Long Haochen handed him a token the size of a baby’s palm and asked him to find the manager. He and Cai’er waited in the hall of the Moon Night Merchant Guild.

The guild seemed very busy, with people constantly going in and out. This was just a facade of the Moon Night Merchant Guild, and the goods were not transferred here. Even so, it seemed very busy.

Long Haochen trusted Moon Night a little more than before. The reason for this was naturally due to Moon Night’s performance in the Paradise of Illusions. Moon Night’s cooperation played a huge role at that time, and Long Haochen also saw her role in the team more clearly.

While Long Haochen was thinking about the situation of the sixteen missions he had accepted, the sound of somewhat messy footsteps suddenly came from outside. Immediately afterward, a team of soldiers walked in from outside.

(To be continued)

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