Chapter 103: The Abyssal Demon Lair

The man was highly alert; the moment he stepped inside, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Jiang Feng explained his identity, and immediately a voice came from behind the man, asking with a hint of amusement, "Oh? Candidates, arriving so early?"

The tent flap lifted, and a group of people walked in. The most prominent among them was a middle-aged man in a black robe. He was slender, with a three-pointed beard draping over his chest, giving him the appearance of a scholar. He sized up the two young men and laughed thoroughly, "Truly, young heroes!"

The man's smile was remarkably warm, instantly inspiring trust. Jiang Feng bowed and asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?"

Stroking his beard, the man smiled and said, "I am Jin Zifu, humbly serving as the Centurion here. In a moment, I will arrange your assignments for this expedition."

Jiang Feng and Ning Changkong exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Since the medicine for the wounded soldiers had not been distributed, they had assumed the local commander was intentionally turning a blind eye. They had not expected to run into Jin Zifu here.

Jin Zifu did not speak further with them. Instead, he walked past them to inspect the wounded soldiers one by one.

He quickly noticed the nearby demon-repelling censer and asked in surprise, "What is this...?"

One of his subordinates stepped forward, instantly nervous. "It doesn't belong to us!" With that, he reached out to throw the censer away.

Jin Zifu raised a hand to stop him, smiling. "It is fine. This is a good thing." He lifted the censer to examine it closely, stroking his beard as he said, "A cultivator-grade treasure, capable of dispersing demonic qi. It couldn't be more suitable for this place! But where did it come from?"

Jiang Feng made a subtle gesture to stop Ning Changkong and asked with feigned confusion, "Didn't you put it here?"

Jin Zifu carefully set the censer back down, shook his head, and sighed. "The battlefield situation is deteriorating too quickly. The medicines promised by our superiors have yet to arrive. But with this censer, one of our biggest troubles is solved!"

Jiang Feng nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, even after the medicines from the Mustard Seed Pavilion arrived, distributing them to each war zone required administrative procedures. A delay was only natural.

Even so, a faint trace of suspicion lingered in his mind, persistent and refusing to fade.

Jin Zifu studied Jiang Feng and asked, "Looking at you, have you fought the demons before?"

Jiang Feng had not yet had the chance to change out of the cloth clothes and leather armor he wore in the Zitong Forest. He nodded honestly. "Yes. My master took us to the Zitong Forest earlier for training."

Jin Zifu smiled. "Good, very wise. This way, you will have both the experience and confidence for the upcoming exam!"

Jiang Feng's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly realized the source of that lingering sense of unease!

The demonic abyss could not be closed, and the demons were pouring out in an endless stream. Every war zone was facing a war with no end in sight.

When Jiang Feng was in the Zitong Forest, the atmosphere had been incredibly grim, and the captain's brow had been knitted into a tight knot.

From the looks of it, the situation at Shizi Street was no better than that of the Zitong Forest, yet there was not a single trace of gloom in Jin Zifu's smile! He smiled far too easily, with far too much confidence!

Perhaps some people were simply adept at hiding their emotions, but Jiang Feng's observation skills were exceptionally sharp. He quickly deduced that this was not the case. Jin Zifu's expression clearly suggested he had some trump card he had yet to play.

What could it be? Was it a personal trump card, or was there something else happening in Taicang City that he was unaware of?

Since he could not voice such suspicions, Jiang Feng could only raise his guard internally.

Jin Zifu looked around the tent, sighed a few times, and led his men out.

By now, the candidates had gradually begun to arrive. Facing the impending battle, they were both nervous and excited.

Jiang Feng swept his gaze over the crowd and spotted Jiang Huaiming. Standing beneath a tree, Jiang Huaiming was looking at him with a cold sneer.

A moment later, a figure suddenly dashed forward from behind, landing with a heavy thud in front of the main tent.

He was clad in full armor, which was heavily splattered with blood.

Several candidates covered their noses at the same time. The stench of the black blood was overpowering and fresh; clearly, this man had just come straight from the battlefield.

With a look of worry on his face, he strode to the front of the tent and reported loudly, "Captain Shi Zhongming of the Chou-Three Squad requests an audience with the Centurion!"

A moment later, someone emerged and nodded to Shi Zhongming. "Wait outside for now."

The worry on Shi Zhongming's face deepened. "But..." he urged.

Before he could finish, the messenger turned and went back inside.

Shi Zhongming paced anxiously outside. Before long, two more figures darted over, their faces bearing the same look of worry.

Upon seeing them, Shi Zhongming's eyes widened. "Captain Wu, Captain Lang, why are you here too?"

Before the two could answer, several more people arrived one after another. In total, there were eight of them, and all had come straight from the battlefield!

Jiang Feng's expression changed.

From his time in the Zitong Forest, he knew that each century had eight captains, each responsible for a sector corresponding to one of the eight cardinal directions.

The Centurion was in charge of overall strategic command, while these eight captains handled all the practical details on the ground.

The battle against the demonic abyss was raging intensely, yet all eight captains had been recalled at this critical moment? What on earth was going on?!

But military orders on the battlefield were absolute. No matter how anxious they were, they had no choice but to obey Jin Zifu's command.

After a while, everyone had finally gathered. The twenty-five candidates lined up in front of the headquarters, and Jin Zifu finally stepped out of the tent.

The eight captains immediately took a step forward, wanting to speak, but Jin Zifu smiled and raised his hand to stop them.

He spoke gently to the candidates, "You are examinees, not soldiers, so I do not have much to say to you. The demons are not of our kind and are inherently brutal. You must not let your guard down under any circumstances, and you must prioritize your own safety."

He summoned the eight captains and said to them, "These are the candidates for this provincial examination. From now on, they will be temporarily placed under your command. You will be responsible for organizing them to join the battle. You must guide them well and ensure they return safely."

Jiang Feng saw clearly that all eight captains frowned at the same time.

His heart sank. Jin Zifu was practically drawing resentment toward the candidates!

With the battle so fierce, he had recalled all eight captains from the front lines just to make them play babysitters to the candidates?!

The days ahead were going to be difficult...

The eight captains hesitated, but in the end, they held back their words.

Cupping their fists in acknowledgement, they quickly divided the twenty-five candidates. Each captain was assigned three people, leaving only Jiang Huaiming at the end.

Jiang Feng and Ning Changkong were in luck; they were paired together again, both assigned to the command of the first captain who had arrived, Shi Zhongming.

Shi Zhongming kept a stiff, expressionless face, showing no warmth whatsoever. He said curtly, "Let's go."

As they departed, Jiang Feng glanced back and saw Jin Zifu calling Jiang Huaiming, the last remaining candidate, to the side to speak with him.

The moment they left the vicinity of the command tent, Shi Zhongming stopped and called the three of them forward.

Then, he barked at them, "I don't care what you're here for. Under my command, you are my soldiers! Anyone who disobeys orders or fears death can get the hell out immediately!"

Jiang Feng replied instantly, "We will follow all your arrangements, Captain Shi!"

Ning Changkong also placed his hand on his sword hilt and nodded seriously.

The remaining candidate, named Lu Ping, was startled for a moment before quickly adding, "Please command us as you see fit, Captain Shi!"

Shi Zhongming glared at them and barked, "The fighting ahead is fierce right now. We must rush back immediately. Keep up! Hmph, and if you can't, don't bother!"

With that, he turned, channeled his movement technique, and dashed toward the center of the battlefield!

Jiang Feng and Ning Changkong had anticipated his move while he was speaking; almost the instant he moved, they both set off as well.

By comparison, Lu Ping's reaction was slightly slower. Lagging a step behind, he could only struggle to follow the three of them.

Shi Zhongming was anxious, moving at extreme speed.

He was a Dawn Warrior, a realm higher than Jiang Feng and the others. Enhanced by Dawn Qi, his base speed was naturally faster. In the blink of an eye, he had pulled far ahead.

Soon, the difference between the three candidates became glaringly obvious.

Ning Changkong came from a prestigious clan, and his martial skills had been meticulously honed. With both talent and hard work, his speed was by no means slow. He lagged only a step behind Shi Zhongming, maintaining his pace.

Lu Ping, however, could not keep up at all. After a hundred meters, he was quickly left far behind. The area was entirely in ruins, and his vision was soon blocked by collapsed buildings, forcing him to rush forward blindly in what he guessed was the right direction.

Logically, Jiang Feng had the lowest cultivation level among the four and should have been the slowest, yet what transpired with him was the most peculiar.

He would frequently fall behind, only to inexplicably reappear right beside them again and again!

Shi Zhongming glanced at him in surprise. With his rich combat experience, it did not take him long to realize that this was because the youth's choice of routes was incredibly ingenious.

He always managed to find the shortest and most optimal paths, cutting across at angles to catch up just in time.

Having served in this garrison for a long time, Shi Zhongming was highly familiar with the local terrain. Anxious to return, he naturally did not take any detours.

However, this was now a ruin devastated by the demons, and broken walls frequently blocked their path. Some could be leaped over directly, while others were so unstable they might collapse at a touch, forcing them to detour.

Yet Jiang Feng could always spot a narrow alleyway or a half-collapsed wall, slipping through the gaps to keep pace with them.

This was achieved entirely through his own keen observation and judgment, though it was also undoubtedly aided by his exceptional physical control.

*This kid... actually has some skill!*

Shi Zhongming's expression softened slightly. He nodded to Jiang Feng and said in a low voice, "Keep up, it's just ahead!"

Jiang Feng and Ning Changkong looked ahead, and both of their expressions changed drastically.

In unison, they asked, "Is this the demonic abyss?!"

Shi Zhongming took a deep breath, fixing his gaze forward just as they did. He said loudly, "That's right. This is that damned demonic abyss!"

Before them, a massive abyss stretched out to either side. It was pitch-black and far larger than they had imagined, as if taking one more step forward would bring them to the very edge of the world.

Countless demons were swarming out from within—

Lesser demons, Soldier-class demons... and even Officer-class demons!