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Chapter 241 I knew you'd come back! (2 words, 35th update)

The team moved on.

With Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei acting as pillars of stability, Qin Hui and his group of four were able to act with complete freedom.

Encountering a patch of wriggling vines blocking the way?
Tsk-!
Fang Qingyu pointed his fingers like a knife, and a condensed dark gold calamity fire blade aura tore through the air, like a red-hot iron cutting into butter, instantly ploughing open a scorched passage in the dense vines!

A giant, spider-like wood-torn demon, lurking in the shadows of the tree trunk, launched a volley of attacks.
"Duh!"

Without raising her head, Jiang Wei lightly tapped her fingertip, and a dark red beam of light, as if predicting the future, instantly pierced through the core wooden tumor that was about to be ejected, pinning it to the tree trunk and turning it into a burning torch.

The ground suddenly collapsed, and dozens of hyena-like ghosts made of withered branches and leaves surged out.
boom--!
Fang Qingyu stomped his foot hard.

A heavy and domineering shockwave spread out like an invisible shock wave.

Click!
The dozen or so leaf hyenas at the forefront were instantly blasted apart in mid-air, turning into countless flying fragments.

Those behind were thrown away by the terrifying force, crashing into the twisted tree trunk with a dull cracking sound!
Destroy everything!

Truly devastating!
Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei didn't even make a deliberate move; the residual power they casually released as they advanced was enough to completely crush and incinerate all the ghosts that dared to show themselves along the way.

Qin Hui and his three companions were thrilled by what they saw, but at the same time, a strong sense of powerlessness rose in their hearts.
Is this the true strength of a second-tier grandmaster?
The monsters they fought so hard to defeat were nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of a grandmaster!
The speed of travel is several times faster than before!
"Qingzi," Qin Hui cleaved through the last patch of dark green thorns blocking his path with a single stroke, revealing a relatively open area—a small "plaza" made up of tree stumps and broken vines that had been forcibly flattened by immense force. He couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Where are your teammates? Didn't Wei Banmeng and the others come with you?"

Fang Qingyu continued walking, his molten gold eyes sweeping over the figures moving around the edge of the temporary camp ahead, and calmly replied, "Don't you know what the situation is like in Qingjian City right now?"

Qin Hui was taken aback: "Huh? Outside...aren't there still some outside?"

“Only one Grandmaster is left to hold things up.” Fang Qingyu’s voice carried a cold sense of reality. “The super-large force field has sealed off the five Grandmasters here, and outside in the entire Qingjian City, only one second-tier Grandmaster is left to fight the fires. How many points do you think he can handle at the same time?”

Qin Hui was speechless for a moment, a chill rising from the soles of his feet.

Yes! The Ghost Festival tides aren't over yet!
There could be flashpoints for the deadly spirits anywhere in Qingjian City!

Even if a second-tier grandmaster is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer?
He had been so focused on this hellish lair that he had subconsciously overlooked how dangerous the situation outside was!

“So,” Fang Qingyu’s gaze was already locked on the familiar figure in the center of the square, his voice low but clear, “I sent the three of them to support that grandmaster. Qingjian cannot be thrown into chaos, and the outfall must be blocked.”

Qin Hui opened his mouth, but in the end only let out a heavy sigh and nodded forcefully: "Understood!"

As they spoke, the group stepped into the temporarily established "safe zone".

This open space of several hundred square meters was clearly forcibly cleared after a fierce battle.

The edges were piled with a large number of severed, thick vines and twisted tree trunks, and the ground was covered with scorch marks and craters left by various energy bombardments.

In the center of the open space, dozens of soldiers, dressed in different combat uniforms but covered in blood and exhausted, were either sitting or standing, taking the time to treat their wounds and recover their strength.

The air was thick with the smells of blood and medicine, and an atmosphere of extreme tension and deadly stillness.

At the very front of the open space, near the edge of the dangerous area shrouded by even denser, more sinister dark green giant trees, a figure as straight as a spear stood with his back to them, seemingly observing that desolate sea of ​​trees.

Several people stood around him, among whom one was wearing a combat uniform from the Bureau of Sanctions, with a tall and slender figure and a high ponytail that stood out.

It was Lin Kang and Duan Ling!
"Team Leader Lin!"

Qin Hui shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with excitement.

Everyone's attention in the open space was instantly drawn to it.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that it was Qin Hui and his three companions returning with reinforcements.

But when their gaze fell behind Qin Hui, and they saw the young figure with a bare upper body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, his aura as heavy as a mountain, and his molten gold eyes calmly sweeping over them...
hum!
The entire camp fell into an eerie silence instantly!

Everyone seemed to have been put on pause!

The soldier bandaging his wound stopped, the logistics personnel distributing supplies stared wide-eyed, and the team leaders who were talking in hushed tones gaped in astonishment.
"Fang Fang Shen?!"

"Holy crap! It really is Fang Qingyu?!"

"Why is he here?! Wasn't he supposed to be stationed at Heisong'ao in Anjiang Province?"

"That little girl next to him... wow... is that the legendary Jiang Wei?"

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable chorus of whispers and discussions erupted like a tidal wave.

Everyone's eyes changed! Astonishment! Disbelief! Then came a surge of ecstasy and exhilaration.

Fang Qingyu!
This name is already legendary in the Qingjian City Shenguan Bureau.

Duan Ling turned around abruptly, and the moment she saw Fang Qingyu, her bright eyes burst with amazing light. All the fatigue and solemnity on her face vanished, leaving only pure joy!
"Aoko——!!"

A loud shout, filled with uncontrollable excitement, broke the silence of the camp.

Duan Ling shot forward like an arrow, completely ignoring the gazes around her, and rushed to Fang Qingyu in just a few steps.

She was only half a head shorter than Fang Qingyu, who was wearing flat shoes, but at this moment she had no scruples. She opened her arms and, with the smell of dust and blood, grabbed Fang Qingyu's shoulder tightly!

"You're finally back!!!"

Her voice trembled slightly, a release that came from the sudden relaxation of her tense nerves.

Fang Qingyu was slightly swayed by her sudden bear hug, which aggravated the wounds on his chest and abdomen. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly let go.

A gentle smile curved his lips as he raised his hand and lightly patted Duan Ling's back, which was trembling slightly with excitement.

"Well, I'm back."

His voice was deep and steady, as if he had just gone on a long trip.

Duan Ling then let go, a bright, almost silly smile on her face, and patted Fang Qingyu's uninjured shoulder hard: "I knew you would come back."

At this moment, Lin Kang, who had been observing the sea of ​​trees with his back to everyone, slowly turned around.

He was still wearing the same washed-out, faded, dark green stained and scorched uniform from the Sanctuary Bureau. His figure remained as upright as a pine tree, but a thick layer of weariness and solemnity shrouded his brows.

However, when his deep, icy eyes met Fang Qingyu's calm, molten gold eyes not far away...
A subtle, yet undeniably real, fluctuation rippled through the depths of those eyes, which were always calm to the point of indifference.

Like a small pebble thrown into a frozen lake.

Lin Kang strode over at a leisurely pace.

His steps remained steady and powerful, each step as precise as if it had been measured.

All the noise in the camp instantly subsided, and everyone's eyes were focused on the two geniuses from the Qingjian Divine Management Bureau.

Lin Kang walked up to Fang Qingyu and stopped.

The two were of similar height and looked at each other at eye level.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lin Kang's face showed no excitement or elation; it remained his usual cold and hard expression.

However, those tightly pursed, even somewhat harsh, lips curved upwards in an extremely subtle arc, a rare occurrence.

The curve was very shallow, almost imperceptible, yet it was like a glimmer of light breaking through the dark clouds, instantly dispelling the heaviness that shrouded his brows.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Lin Kang's voice was still deep and hoarse, with a cold and hard quality unique to the battlefield, but his tone was much gentler.

Fang Qingyu looked at the rare smile on Lin Kang's face, and a hint of warmth also flashed in the depths of his molten gold eyes.

He nodded slightly, his voice clear and solemn:
"Team Leader Lin, it's been a long time."

"Team Leader Lin!"
These two words clearly reached the ears of everyone in the camp.

Given Fang Qingyu's current status—captain of the special team for Project Hidden Dragon, a second-tier grandmaster—he is indeed a legendary figure.
Actually, there's no need to call him Captain Lin anymore.

Duan Ling looked at Fang Qingyu, then at Lin Kang, her smile growing even brighter.

With a sense of pride that said, "Just as I expected."

The barely perceptible smile in Lin Kang's eyes seemed to deepen. He nodded very slightly, then his gaze swept over Fang Qingyu's unhealed wounds and the blood seeping from the bandages. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "Injured?"

"It's alright." Fang Qingyu said succinctly, his gaze passing over Lin Kang and landing on the dark green sea of ​​trees that exuded an extremely dangerous aura. "What's the situation inside now?"

When the topic turned to business, the last trace of warmth on Lin Kang's face vanished instantly, replaced by his usual cold and serious expression: "It's bad. Three second-tier Grandmasters are trapped in three different areas. They are not in immediate danger, but they are completely entangled and unable to escape. The tree demons inside are endless, and the closer we get to the core, the more dangerous it becomes. I'm preparing to gather manpower to see if we can tear open a gap and rescue one of them."

He spoke rapidly and clearly, revealing the most crucial intelligence he currently possessed.

Fang Qingyu listened quietly, his deep, molten gold eyes gleaming as he rapidly analyzed the situation. After Lin Kang finished speaking, he asked directly, "Do you have their exact location coordinates?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Kang immediately pulled out a military coordinate locator with an electronic screen from his tactical pouch. He quickly manipulated the screen a few times, bringing up three flashing red dots, and then handed it to Fang Qingyu: "Yes. The markers are updated in real time, but the signal is unstable, and the error will not exceed 500 meters."

Fang Qingyu took the locator and quickly scanned the three flashing red dots on the screen, imprinting them firmly in his mind.

Without any hesitation, the locator was thrown back to Lin Kang.

"Leave it to me," Fang Qingyu said calmly. "You all guard this place and recover your strength."

Upon hearing this, the entire temporary camp instantly fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Should we go in and find them?
Three terrifying second-tier tree demons are lurking inside!

There are also endless spawning monsters, and even five grandmasters working together couldn't escape from them!
He's all alone, and he's bringing a little girl with him as he's about to go in?

This is simply... this is as easy and casual as saying you're going to visit your neighbor!
Duan Ling couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with surprise and worry: "Qingzi, the situation inside is unclear, it's too dangerous! Those three big guys..." However, to everyone's surprise, Lin Kang's reaction was unusually decisive.

Almost the instant Fang Qingyu finished speaking, he handed over the positioning tablet without hesitation, uttering only one word in a deep voice: "Okay."

One word, crisp and decisive, filled with Fang Qingyu's complete trust.

Fang Qingyu didn't say anything more, and gestured to Qin Hui and the others: "You stay."

Then he looked down at Xiao Jiangwei beside him and said, "Let's go."

"Mmm." Jiang Wei nodded obediently, sucking on the lollipop in her little mouth very quickly.

next moment!
boom--! ! !
Blinding purple and blue lightning instantly wrapped around Qingyu and Jiang Wei's bodies above!
A violent burst of lightning power erupted, enveloping the two of them into two dazzling balls of lightning!

Thunderclap and Shadow!

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, two afterimages crackling with electricity, like lightning spears tearing through the night, instantly broke away from the camp, ignoring the countless twisting and writhing vines and shadows trying to intercept them, and ruthlessly crashed into the depths of that dark green sea of ​​trees that exuded endless silence and danger.

Only two wisps of scorching air remained, quickly dissipating, along with a faint smell of ozone in the air.

The camp was deathly silent.

Everyone remained in their previous positions, staring blankly at the direction where Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei had disappeared—the entrance to the sea of ​​trees that had been briefly illuminated by lightning and then instantly swallowed up again by the dense, dark green.

Duan Ling turned her head with difficulty to look at Lin Kang, who remained expressionless beside her. Her voice was inexplicably dry, "You're just going to let him go like that? Those are three Tier 2 beasts! Master Chen and the others are trapped inside! What if..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her worry and anxiety were palpable.

Lin Kang slowly withdrew his gaze, looked at Duan Ling, and then swept his eyes over the faces around him that were also filled with worry and suspicion.

After a few seconds of silence, as if organizing his thoughts, he finally spoke calmly in a low, hoarse voice:

"Before they arrived"

Lin Kang paused, as if stating a trivial matter.

"I just killed a peak second-tier life ghost in Black Pine Pass."

Peak of Tier 2?!
Killed him?!
The air in the camp seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

Duan Ling's worry instantly turned into utter astonishment and disbelief, her mouth slightly agape.

Qin Hui and the other three were stunned, staring intently at Lin Kang as if trying to find a trace of a joke on his face.

The other soldiers, who didn't know Fang Qingyu but had only heard his legends, were collectively petrified, their minds blank.

They killed a peak second-tier beast?!

What does that even mean?!

That's something that requires several well-coordinated and experienced second-tier grandmasters to work together, and even to pay a heavy price!

And Fang Qingyu and his group had already finished it before they even arrived in Qingjian?!
After a brief moment of dead silence.

A complex mix of emotions—utter shock, ecstasy, awe, and even a hint of fear—exploded through the camp like a volcanic eruption.

……

boom! boom! boom!
A violent thunderbolt raged wildly through the dark green sea of ​​trees!
Fang Qingyu, holding Jiang Wei's hand, followed the coordinates of the nearest red dot on the locator and chose the shortest straight path.

The speed of Thunderclap Shadow was pushed to its limit!
Two figures wreathed in purple and blue lightning, like a destructive hurricane, brutally tore apart everything in their path beneath the canopy of trees, amidst the tangled vines, and on the thick, slippery layer of humus!
Any ghoul that dares to appear on the path, whether it is a hyena formed from withered leaves, a giant python formed from intertwined vines, or a burl shooter that spews venomous barbs from the burls of tree trunks.
They haven't even fully formed yet, or they've just assumed an attack stance!
laugh!laugh!laugh!
Jiang Wei's tiny fingers played a death symphony, and beams of condensed dark red light, like the Grim Reaper calling out names, killed with unparalleled precision!

Boom!

The tribulation fire and lightning surrounding Fang Qingyu occasionally erupted, and heavy, domineering shockwaves or dark gold blade energy that could incinerate everything swept out, crushing large swaths of twisted plants along with the life ghosts hidden within them.

Completely crushing everything in its path! Unstoppable!
Wherever the two went, they left behind a path of destruction, burning with dark red flames and crackling with purple and blue lightning.

The dark green jungle, like ice and snow thrown into boiling oil, let out a mournful cry of unbearable burden.

Under such an unreasonable, straight-line advance, it took less than ten minutes!
Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei's figures, like lightning tearing through the darkness, suddenly burst out of the last dense patch of huge ferns that emitted a foul odor.

Suddenly, everything becomes clear!
This is a circular open space, about 100 meters in diameter, that was forcibly cleared out.

At the edge of the open space were thick tree stumps and vine remains, charred and broken by some terrifying force, still emitting blue smoke.

In the center of the open space, a tall figure wearing a specially made dark blue combat suit, with a powerful aura, stood with his back to them, warily scanning the dark green plant barrier that had begun to wriggle again, attempting to encircle them.

He held in his hand a heavy sword with an ancient design and an earthy yellow sheen. The sword was thick and blunt, yet it exuded a heavy, oppressive feeling, like that of a mountain.

The moment Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei appeared!
"Who?!"

A deep, thunderous roar, imbued with a powerful martial will, suddenly rang out!
The tall figure suddenly turned around!
The heavy sword brought with it a heavy, earthy yellow halo, like a mountain rising from the ground, its tip pointing directly at Fang Qingyu and the other man!
A powerful pressure belonging to a second-tier grandmaster, mixed with a strong earth element force, crashed down!

The man had a resolute face, was about forty years old, and had a fresh, deep claw mark on his cheek that was slowly oozing blood. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, full of vigilance and scrutiny.

Clearly, he did not know Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei.

Fang Qingyu paused, his molten gold eyes calmly meeting the other's sharp gaze without any evasion or hostility. He simply said in a deep voice, "Hello, I'm here to provide support. Are you alright?"

"Support?" The unfamiliar grandmaster frowned, his vigilance undiminished. His heavy sword remained firmly pointed at Fang Qingyu, and his voice was cold and hard. "Something to prove your identity."

Without saying a word, Fang Qingyu reached into his robes.

He pulled out his support badge with the special team's official seal, flicked his wrist, and the badge shot towards the other side like an arrow.

"then!"

The unfamiliar master's eyes flashed like lightning, and his left hand shot out with lightning speed, precisely catching the flying document.

He didn't check it immediately, but instead kept pointing his heavy sword at Fang Qingyu while quickly glancing at the document in his hand.

When you see the unique encryption pattern and stamped seal, especially the clearly marked peace tree emblem, you'll notice...
His tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, and the sharpness in his eyes lessened a bit, but he was still not completely at ease.

He quickly tossed the documents back to Fang Qingyu and said in a deep voice, "Yue Zhen. Thanks."

Then, his gaze swept over the still-burning jungle path that they had forcibly torn apart behind Fang Qingyu, and then looked at Jiang Wei, who stood calmly beside Fang Qingyu. His brows furrowed again, a hint of disbelief and suspicion in his eyes:

"Only the two of you came to provide support?"

Fang Qingyu put away his identification and nodded: "I am the captain of the special team. This is Jiang Wei. The situation is urgent, this is enough."

"Special Squad Leader"

Yue Zhen repeated it in a low voice, a hint of understanding and seriousness flashing in his eyes.

He was well aware of the importance of being the captain of the special team in Project Hidden Dragon.

But that's just an identity. These two people in front of us, one looks seriously injured, and the other is even younger. Can they really handle the situation here?
He suppressed his doubts, knowing this wasn't the time to dwell on it, and quickly cut to the chase: "The situation is tricky. The true forms of those three second-tier life ghosts are all underground. When we were dragged in, we were trapped in their maze. Grandmaster Su Wanqing and Grandmaster Chen are the strongest, but they're also the most deeply trapped, dragged to the core area. The other two and I are still exploring the outer area, trying to find a stable entrance into the underground!"

He paused, his face extremely grim: "But the entrance is alive! It can move! And this forest itself constantly spawns those ghostly beings that look exactly like humans! They can mimic auras and expressions! They can suddenly emerge from the shadows to ambush you, or disguise themselves as wounded comrades calling for help. It's impossible to defend against! That's why..."

Yue Zhen didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

That's why he was so wary just now.

Fang Qingyu listened, his molten gold eyes narrowing slightly.

They had just swept through the enemy ranks, and those ghosts of fate were wiped out before they could fully "take shape" and imitate them. They had never encountered such a situation before.

The entrance is underground.

Fang Qingyu's gaze fell on the "ground" beneath his feet, covered with a thick layer of humus and covered with countless slippery roots, and his brows furrowed.

Force it open?

With his and Jiang Wei's combined strength, it wouldn't be difficult to blast through the surface. However, this area has been eroded by the power of the tree spirits, making it extremely strange. The geological structure has already been altered. A rash attack could trigger a chain reaction of collapses, or they could fall directly into the traps carefully set up by those fate spirits, or even affect the trapped grandmasters.

Moreover, the entrance is "alive" and can move, so brute force is definitely not the best approach.

Just as Fang Qingyu was pondering...

"I have a solution."

A soft, calm voice rang out.

Fang Qingyu and Yue Zhen turned their heads at the same time.

Jiang Wei, who had been standing quietly beside Fang Qingyu, was now looking up at him with her small face upturned.

Those clear pupils gazed at the dim "sky" above, obscured by a dense, dark green canopy of trees, with only scattered specks of light filtering through.

Om-! ! !
An indescribable, terrifying heat and pressure suddenly emanated from Jiang Wei's small body!
Jiang Wei's small body slowly floated up, three feet off the ground.

Her clean little dress fluttered without wind, and her hair was dyed with a flowing dark gold luster, like a burning flame.

Those eyes became incredibly deep, as if they contained two burning stars.

next second.

boom--

A dark red beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from Jiang Wei's small body!

(End of this chapter)