The explosion covered an area of more than five hundred meters. Everything was engulfed in flames, and the lower-ranked demons were instantly annihilated. A notification appeared on the mission board — all one thousand demons had been eliminated.
In the meeting room of the clan leaders, most of them jumped to their feet.
Nagashi Shuro, head of the Shuro Clan, stood with a stern expression.
"They not only dared to attack our headquarters but also went after students from two nations. This is utter madness…"
Kazuhiko clicked his tongue, glanced around, and stood up.
"I'm not going to sit here while my grandson is dying. I'm leaving."
With those words, he quickly headed for the exit. Several other clan leaders followed — the heads of the Asimato, Yamigage, and Husho clans.
Shuro Tao looked at them and muttered,
"Tsk, don't get in the way."
Elder Zhao Lao, sitting farther away, looked uneasy and thought to himself,
What the hell… this wasn't part of the plan.
Yu Lan frowned but stayed silent.
Chang Tan, head of the Divine Spear Clan, said coldly,
"I don't care who attacked the headquarters. If you're so desperate to save those kids, go ahead. But don't bother me — I'm leaving."
Nagashi Shuro frowned.
"But your son is there!"
Chang Tan replied calmly,
"Our clan is one of the strongest in China. This will be his trial. If he dies, it means he wasn't strong enough to survive on his own."
Hearing this, Nagashi Shuro was visibly shocked but said nothing.
Vincent and Chhol exchanged looks and walked toward the doors. Seeing that, the other clan leaders followed.
Arthur smirked at his friend.
"Oh, looks like things are about to get interesting, huh?"
"Yeah, you're right," Yu Lan replied.
---
Meanwhile, in the forest, Noah and Lao Wei were blown back over fifty meters by the shockwave.
Leo ran up to them and asked,
"What happened?"
For the first time, Noah showed emotion — worry and tension.
"Run," he said sharply.
Behind them, a mid-ranked demon suddenly appeared.
Li Kun's eyes widened.
"That demon… it's almost intelligent."
The demon was tall and thin, with long black hair. The lower half of its face was hidden by a mask shaped like a jawbone. It muttered in a strange language, as if trying to explain something.
Leo turned to Li Kun.
"Can you understand what he's saying?"
"No," Li Kun replied. "My computational skills can't decode that language."
"Damn it…" Leo muttered.
Suddenly, the demon spoke in a human tongue.
"Humans… must be eradicated."
Li Kun turned pale.
"That's impossible… it can talk — it's evolved! We need to run!"
Noah, Lao Wei, Leo, and Li Kun sprinted at full speed toward Bo Hai and Sai.
At that moment, Bo Hai suddenly stopped.
Sai looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
"I sense a powerful aura coming from our team's direction. It's probably a high-ranking demon," Bo Hai said, pulling out his phone.
He called Li Kun, who immediately picked up.
Before Bo Hai could say anything, he heard shouting through the receiver:
"We're coming your way! Head for the old school!"
"Got it!" Bo Hai replied, glancing at Sai. "Get up, we're moving!"
"Where?" Sai asked.
"No time! Move!" Bo Hai shouted.
Sai nodded, and the two ran toward the old school.
Lao Wei looked back and cursed,
"Damn it! That thing's chasing us!"
He fired ten arrows in quick succession, but the demon simply waved its hand — a golden barrier shimmered around it, invisible to the naked eye.
Leaning forward, the demon dashed ahead at such speed that only dust and debris remained in its wake. In an instant, it was beside Lao Wei and tried to strike.
But Noah appeared at that moment, grabbing Lao Wei and throwing him aside.
"Thanks!" Lao Wei shouted.
The demon pointed its long finger at Noah.
"You'll die first."
"Try me!" Noah snapped, sweat trickling down his face.
"Li Kun," he said quickly, "we can't beat it. Time for Plan B — the smoke screen!"
Thick smoke erupted from Li Kun's body, covering a five-hundred-meter radius in seconds.
On the other side of the forest, a man in a black cloak stood still. He lifted a phone to his ear and said quietly,
"Begin."
At that moment, the entire forest — spanning more than five kilometers — was sealed within a powerful barrier.
It was so strong that even a nuclear warhead wouldn't be able to break through.