Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Broken stones were scattered recklessly across the hillside, various plants peeking out from crevices, unleashing their life force on this barren land.

The reconnaissance troops crossed the rolling mountains, navigating a rugged mountain path.

Beside the entrance to this mountain path lay a remarkably flat road, upon which hardly any pedestrians or caravans would purposely climb, save for a few pharmacists journeying into the deep mountains to gather herbs.

No one could have guessed that the Curse Sect would be so close.

Using the mountain rocks as cover, the reconnaissance troops inched closer to their target.

Yang Yu led his troops, following their footsteps onto the rugged path.

The ”Corpse Collection Coffin” unit had yet to rendezvous with Yang Yu’s team.

This operation was special, so Yang Yu did not wait for the ”Corpse Collection Coffin.”

Support from the ”Corpse Collection Coffin” would arrive via the Teleportation Array in the mountains, and Icaro Flo had already laid down Spiritual Bodies along the route, so as soon as the ”Corpse Collection Coffin” arrived, they could follow using the Spiritual Bodies left behind by Icaro Flo.

Given the special ability of the Spirit Manipulator from the ”Corpse Collection Coffin,” Yang Yu did not mind their delay. As long as Wang Wu Yidru could execute his instructions, there would still be room for maneuver, even in the worst-case scenario.

The scenery projected before Yang Yu’s eyes gradually overlapped with the images in ”Chaste Jasmine’s” memory.

The target was finally near.

The reconnaissance troops slowed their pace and focused their attention on a specific spot.

There stood a vertical rock face, surrounded by nothing but some scattered stones.

The reconnaissance troops exchanged glances and called upon a seasoned Scout.

The veteran Scout cautiously approached the rock face and tapped it lightly, eliciting the crisp sound one might expect from a common wall.

It seemed like an ordinary rock face, but high-level Barrier Magic not only deceives the senses but can also create a tangible layer on the surface to truly achieve the fake as real.

The Scout dialed the Crystal Ball for communication and sought instructions from Yang Yu:

”Commander, we’ve reached the endpoint and discovered a barrier after scouting. What are our next steps? Please advise.”

Yang Yu rubbed his chin and asked Bai Jin for his opinion.

Bai Jin made a rough estimate that the magic capable of simulating a rock face, in terms of complexity alone, rivaled some ninth-tier magic.

To silently dismantle this barrier magic would likely be quite time-consuming; if they could launch a fierce attack on a particular point, they might quickly break the barrier, but...

Launching a fierce attack would effectively expose their operation.

”Perhaps the operation is already exposed.”

Muttering to himself, Yang Yu didn’t hesitate much longer, deciding on a frontal breakthrough:

”Bai Jin, I’ll leave the task of breaking the barrier to you. After breaking through, we may suddenly face an attack. Refrain from using super-large magic for now to allow for flexible responses.”

”I’ll be careful.”

Bai Jin nodded and used ”Dancing in the Air” to fly into the sky, soon locating the nearby reconnaissance troops.

Indicating for the reconnaissance troops to retreat, Bai Jin began chanting magic, forming a white Array in front of her Magic Wand, from which emerged a Light Gun flickering with electric currents.

This wasn’t a simple attack magic; the tip of this Light Gun contained Detecting Magic: upon striking the Defensive Barrier, it would directly analyze the barrier.

Thus, even if the first magic couldn’t break the Defensive Barrier, subsequent magic would have a higher chance of breaking through the barrier until it could be thoroughly dismantled.

Gently swinging the Magic Wand, Bai Jin hurled the Light Gun at the rock face.

The Light Gun hit the wall with the speed of a thunderbolt, instantly sparking electrical storms, countless electric sparks erupting from the point of impact.

Initially, the sparks raced along the rock face, but soon they seemed entangled by something, expanding into the sky, forming strings of white lines in the air.

The rock face was indeed just an illusion.

After casting the first spell, Bai Jin quickly adjusted according to the feedback and specifically targeted the magic forming the barrier.

Another Light Gun akin to the previous one appeared before Bai Jin, as she guarded against a sudden attack from the Curse Sect while casting magic on the rock face once more.

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the blazing Light Gun exploded against the rock face, white cracks continuously spreading outward, outlining the real shape of the barrier.

Bai Jin, calm and collected, cast the third, fourth Light Gun... The white cracks intersected, gradually reaching the limit the barrier could bear.

When Bai Jin’s ninth Light Gun struck the barrier, the barrier magic forming the rock face finally crumbled, shattering into pieces and falling to the ground, reverting to ordinary magic power.

The scenery of the ”mountain” collapsed, revealing a vast city before Yang Yu and his team.

This was the Curse Sect’s stronghold.

From the sky, the city appeared no less than the Holy City of the Goddess Sect.

The city’s architectural style was quite quaint, with fields and houses crisscrossing each other, while a grand black church stood solemnly at the center, directly facing the rock face Bai Jin had just blasted.

The entire city was eerily silent.

Bai Jin found it peculiar; was the current situation similar to the air raid on Benliang City?

Showing a serious expression, Bai Jin conjured a small golden Light Sphere in her hand and hurled it towards the distant city.

The golden sphere exploded above the city, and Bai Jin’s consciousness expanded along with the magic power inside the sphere. She felt no magic fluctuations around her; the city was empty.

If equipped with the Winged Hand Clan’s magic echolocation ability, she might search the entire city thoroughly, but as a human, Bai Jin clearly had her limitations.

To ensure the accuracy of her conclusion, Bai Jin released several more spheres.

Regardless of how many spheres she cast, the result remained the same; she sensed no magic.

Bai Jin reported everything truthfully to Yang Yu.

Yang Yu shook his head, refraining from commenting, and dispatched Scouts to infiltrate the Curse Sect’s city, performing a systematic investigation of the entire city.

Mages capable of using ”Dancing in the Air” kept watch from above. If the Scouts encountered any mishaps, the mages would promptly use magic to support them.

Following Yang Yu’s orders, the reconnaissance troops conducted a thorough investigation of the city, noticing some everyday items exuding a strong sense of life, yet seeing no one.

After more than an hour, all of the swift-moving Scouts reached the same conclusion:

”This has become a genuine ghost town. The Curse Sect has vacated completely. This operation may have failed...”