For any force other than East Island, Changdao was not the right place for the final battle. And it was no exaggeration to say that in Changdao, the advantages of almost all forces had been held down to the lowest point. Only East Island, which had home-court advantage, could do well in this environment.

Changdao was one of the most desolate cities in the entire East Island. The city, which was bombed by nuclear weapons, was scorched for quite a long time. Nowadays, only a small number of people lived here, and it was spa.r.s.ely populated. The same was true for the areas where all the forces lurked. The s.p.a.ce of a hundred miles around was incredibly desolate.

By now, East Island had no way back. Therefore, from the very beginning, they showed a quite resolute att.i.tude toward the coming final battle. The Divine Wind Force signed the mobilization order as soon as possible. The three giants of power, Liuhuo Palace, Jifeng Sword-reining School, and Wuji Palace fully supported this action. The Kusanagi Force was awakened completely, and the elite forces of the entire East Island Special Warfare System were all gathering toward Changdao. Changdao was spa.r.s.ely populated. So no matter how good these forces were at hiding, it was impossible for them to hide flawlessly in this empty environment. As a result, East Island basically had little trouble locating their general positions. Then, in the name of the maneuver, the army was dispatched, and the area within a radius of 100 kilometers was blocked.

There was no doubt that this was the battlefield of the final battle.

An area within a radius of 100 kilometers was either small or large. There were four villages and a town, and there were no more than thousands of people here. When the evacuation order of East Island was issued, all the civilians left as soon as possible. The whole battlefield was as silent as a ghostdom, day or night.

The night had darkened the sky, and there was no moon tonight. Dim and spa.r.s.e starlight was reflected in the silent wilderness. Silence reigned the world, and only the chirps of insects could be heard around.

A dark gray commercial vehicle moved at a constant speed on a flat road. It did not turn on its lights but moved forward under the spa.r.s.e starlight. In the dim light, the vehicle, which was not so small, was indistinct. It looked scary and strange.

“Young Master, we’ll have to walk two kilometers ahead.”

Sitting on the pa.s.senger seat inside the car, Deep Dream looked down at the screen in her hand, and her tone was calm.

“Target ahead?”

Li Tianlan had been quietly looking out the window. Hearing Deep Dream speak, he turned his head directly.

“There’s a village about 12 kilometers ahead. The villagers have already been evacuated. It’s supposed to be a gathering place of a certain force, most likely the one of East Island. We just don’t know what it is for the time being.”

Deep Dream shook her head as she fiddled with the screen. “The radar signal ahead is so strong that we have to sneak in on foot to investigate.”

Li Tianlan nodded in agreement. The vehicle they were in was now covered in the coating material of stealth fighters. Moreover, the body of the vehicle was unique. Driving in the dark, if not carefully observed, it was difficult to be discovered. Although the coating material could s.h.i.+eld the radar signal, it would be completely ineffective if the vehicle got too close to the radar. Vehicles and fighters were different, after all. A distance of more than ten kilometers was not a distance at all for a stealth fighter. A stealth fighter, which was able to intrude into the area within ten kilometers of the target, would be incredibly devastating. But vehicles could only move forward bit by bit. Even if the vehicle was coated with this precious paint, they could never really get close to the enemies’ heartland.

Not to mention that their operation this time was not to combat. Carrying out a reconnaissance mission was their most important task.

Li Tianlan quietly put a cigarette to his mouth and fumbled for the lighter. He then nodded and mumbled, “Sneak in on foot two kilometers ahead.”

Deep Dream nodded and continued to stare at the screen in her hand, saying no more.

Li Tianlan fumbled for the lighter for a long while but could not find it. He inadvertently turned his head but unexpectedly saw a pair of quiet eyes as clear as water. The beautiful face was soft, but its owner was watching the cigarette in his mouth.

“You mustn’t smoke anymore.”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ shook her head and held the lighter in her little white hand, saying, “The smell of cigarettes will exist. If there is an accident later, it is not convenient to retreat.”

Li Tianlan smiled, took his cigarette from his mouth, and said after thinking a while, “With our strength, it’s not a big deal.”

Zhongzhou State attached great importance to this reconnaissance mission. Six or seven reconnaissance teams were sent to each of the three defensive areas, with varying numbers of people. Li Tianlan and his partners belonged to the No. 3 defensive zone. They may not be a reconnaissance team with the largest number of people, but they were the strongest. There were five people in this squad; Deep Dream, Sunset Shadow, Li Tianlan, Du Hanyin, and Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+. This was the standard configuration of a special operations squad, but the role of each of them was vague.

Deep Dream and Sunset Shadow were top a.s.sa.s.sins in their own right, adept at both stealth and reconnaissance. Du Hanyin, who was now a member of Sigh City, possessed the Wind Vein and was a natural a.s.sa.s.sin. After her Wind Vein mutated, not only did she regain her strength, but she went further. An expert at the peak of the Fire-flaming Realm at the age of 27 was capable of handling most situations with ease.

As for Li Tianlan, his current strength may not be as good as Deep Dream and Sunset Shadow, but in terms of the mysteriousness of his body movements and speed, he was stronger than the two. Shadow Formula, Desperate Chase, and Night Walking were all top-notch body techniques in the Dark World. At present, Li Tianlan had learned them all. In terms of mobility, he was definitely the best of the young generation. There may be many, many people he could not beat now, but there were few who could stop him if he set his mind to leave. His security could be guaranteed in this reconnaissance mission.

The only variable was Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+.

This talented girl from Jade Pool specialized in Sword Move of the Flying Fairy from Outer s.p.a.ce and Invincible Myriad Sword among the seven sword movements in Jade Pool. The former move contained peerlessly fierce attacks, while the latter was about unparalleled power. The two sword movements perfectly accorded with the sword intent of Silence—a famous sword in Jade Pool. However, they had nothing to do with stealth. Li Tianlan had not intended to bring her with him at first, but Dongcheng Yueshen urged herself to join him. With Sunset Shadow and Deep Dream, this mission was basically foolproof. Thus, Li Tianlan brought her with him after thinking for a while. However, he did not expect that Dongcheng Yueshen, who insisted on acting with him, lapsed into unconsciousness on the way. As a result, the main personality was revived. The elegant and beautiful but pure and lovely Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ appeared beside him. Looking at his fiancée’s dazed expression, Li Tianlan did not know what he was thinking.

“Don’t worry. I will protect you.”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ blinked her clear eyes. She reached out to grasp Li Tianlan’s palm and said in a crisp tone.

Her voice was beautiful, delicate, but unwavering.

Li Tianlan let out a bitter laugh. He cast her a deep look and said calmly, “Stay with me later.”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ agreed obediently and unconsciously touched the ancient, simple longsword by her side.

The famous sword Silence!

With this sword in hand, Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ was qualified to protect anyone. It was no exaggeration to say that if she had the determination to die, she could have become one of the strongest superiors in the final battle against East Island this time. The invincible sword intent in Silence fitted her perfectly. Once she unsheathed her sword, an invincible attack would be made. Li Tianlan neither wanted nor dared to think about how horrible the stroke that was made at the cost of her life would be.

Li Tianlan squinted at Silence that lay beside Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ and remained silent.

The body of Silence was primitive, and the scabbard was full of cracks. Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ had decided to unsheathe her sword the day in Kyoto. The sword was pressed back, but the scabbard was basically destroyed. However, the scabbard cracked but did not fall apart, and the sword intent inside the sword surged vigorously than ever. Every time Li Tianlan gazed at the sword, he could clearly feel the raging and tremendous killing intent that was fierce enough to kill all living beings exuding from the scabbard.

“You don’t have to do that tonight.”

Li Tianlan looked into Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+’s unspeakably pure eyes and said seriously, “Anyway, don’t unsheathe your sword. Do you know?”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ froze and looked straight at Li Tianlan. She said softly after a long time, “I want to protect you.”

“Nonsense.”

Li Tianlan berated her humorously. He reached out and pinched her delicate little nose, while his other hand patted the box beside him. “See? It’s Skyattack which is designed by your family. When your G.o.dfather gave me this gun, he said it was a man’s job to protect his family. How can my family protect me?”

“Family?”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ looked at Li Tianlan with burning eyes. There seemed to be shyness in her clear eyes, but she looked at his eyes bravely.

Li Tianlan gave a dry cough and shook his head. “In any case, do not unsheathe your sword.”

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+’s eyes twinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt. A faint smile crept over her lips, and she said no more.

The commercial vehicle stopped in the dark.

There was a T-junction ahead, and in front of them was a forest.

“Here it is.”

Deep Dream turned off the screen in her hand and said, “There is a village ten kilometers away through the forest, and it’s also the target of our reconnaissance.”

“Let’s go.”

Li Tianlan opened the door of the vehicle without hesitation.

The No. 3 defensive area arranged by Zhongzhou State had a radius of about 30 kilometers, but surprisingly, there was only one village in this area. However, it was the largest of the four villages on the entire battlefield. So far they had ascertained that a certain force was stationed here, which was most likely from East Island. But no one could determine which one it was.

Once the final battle broke out, at least in the No. 3 defensive zone, it was definitely the most challenging problem to handle, so it was the strongest reconnaissance team in the No. 3 defensive zone that was dispatched to inspect this area.

Figuring out who the people here were, which force they belonged to, and the strength of the senior staff would be crucial to the following operation plans of Zhongzhou State.

In the whole general trend, East Island was undoubtedly in a weak position. In the final battle, however, it was the most powerful party, because it had taken everything it had as the bet, and there was no way back for it. Whether the forces from Zhongzhou State would win or lose this time, at least there was room for them to compromise. The worst thing for them was to lose some of the elites to negotiate with East Island. But if East Island lost, it would face a series of serious consequences such as the total collapse of its Special Warfare System and economy. They couldn’t afford to lose.

Sometimes, powerful meant weak.

East Island attempted to win the final battle to turn the tables and get a bargaining chip to negotiate with other forces from Zhongzhou State. And other forces were also looking covetously at East Island, looking for an opportunity to give it a fatal blow at any time.

The seven-day promise made by s.h.i.+nichi Miyamoto, an Invincible Realm expert in East Island, was already no secret. At least every force knew about that. Today was the third day, and undercurrents in Changdao had become more and more apparent.

Zhongzhou State was not the only one who was conducting reconnaissance. Various forces had also detected the club where the elites from Zhongzhou State lurked. Almost every day, hostile experts appeared in the places where these forces were most likely to hide. Every force was looking for opportunities, but all of them were holding back.

The final battle was getting closer and closer as time went by.

East Island should not be allowed to initiate the final battle, which was a consensus known by all forces. East Island had now located the hiding places of major forces, but they remained silent and did not act. That didn’t mean that they were weak, but that they were not adequately prepared yet. However, the time limit of seven days was drawing near. Once East Island sprang into action, it basically indicated that they had considerable confidence.

So it was a common demand of every major force except East Island to let East Island engage in the final battle in advance before it was fully prepared.

Wasn’t the investigation operation of Zhongzhou State another kind of probe and coercion?

In the quiet night, as Li Tianlan got off, Deep Dream, Sunset Shadow, Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+, and Du Hanyin all got out of the commercial vehicle.

The five of them went cautiously into the forest in front of them at the same time.

“Be careful.”

Deep Dream said in a solemn tone, “Since the other party has occupied the village, they won’t let go of the forest. They must be lying in ambush and have set up traps in the forest.”

“Deep Dream and Sunset Shadow walk ahead, and we’ll follow you guys. Be decisive when an accident happens. Go.”

Li Tianlan said indifferently.

The five figures moved in unison. Swift and discreet, they rushed into the depths of the forest.

One kilometer.

The forest was calm.

Two kilometers.

Silence reigned in the forest.

The five were moving more and more carefully.

Li Tianlan finally met the first patrol from the village when they had moved five kilometers in the forest. But before they could give a warning, Deep Dream had ended the lives of the patrol immediately.

Seven kilometers.

Patrols multiplied.

Deep Dream, who had been moving forward, suddenly stopped.

At about the same time, the five of them crouched down together and hid in the bushes in front of them.

Through a c.h.i.n.k in the bushes, they could see that thirty meters away, a patrol of three men was approaching in the starlight, relaxed and casual.

Experts!

The pupils of the five contracted at the same time.

Deep Dream seemed to know one of the three. She squinted her eyes and said something under her breath. “The peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm.”

The five people were silent and motionless.

The three-person patrol walked straight toward the bushes.

“Get ready to attack.”

Li Tianlan narrowed his eyes. There was a constant flicker of danger in his eyes, and he was highly concentrated.

The two sides were getting closer to each other.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters.

The most important expert at the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm walked over slowly. It seemed that he wanted to pee. He zipped his trousers straight at the bushes.

Deep Dream, who had condensed her killing intent to the extreme, leaped up all of a sudden.

Nevertheless, she didn’t have the time to attack.

The dim blue lightning spread all over the forest in a moment.

“Bang!”

The air tens of meters around twisted violently. Deep Dream’s movement suddenly came to a halt.

In their sight, a black figure appeared almost out of thin air behind the Thunder-shocking Realm expert from East Island.

A bit of glaring light suddenly shone. In the blink of an eye, an almost earth-shattering voice sounded.

Deep Dream hadn’t taken actions at all.

The figure, who suddenly appeared, struck with all its might, and the entire forest seemed to be shaking.

The lightning flashed straight down from above. For a moment, all that remained before all eyes was the glare.

The shadows of the sword and saber spread in the lightning. The whole forest was pervaded by violent and determined killing intent in a moment.

At the moment when the light diffused, Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+’s pure eyes suddenly became bright. And then, they were completely covered by the dim blue light.

Then the figure vanished in the light.

Li Tianlan’s body stiffened slightly.

A cold voice abruptly sounded at the moment when the light shone and disappeared.

“What are you doing?!”

Finally, the lightning dispersed.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. And the body of the Thunder-shocking Realm expert in East Island had been completely shattered.

And Du Hanyin, who had been at the end of the line, jerked forward. She raised the double knives in her hands and pointed the blades at Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+.

Li Tianlan turned his head in shock. In his sight, Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+’s expression was peaceful, but her body was close to his back.

She was gripping the famous sword Silence in one hand.

And she was holding a dagger which Li Tianlan had never seen before in the other hand.

The dagger was unsheathed, and the scarlet blade was engraved with gorgeous and complicated golden patterns.

At this moment, the blades of Du Hanyin’s double knives had been placed on the neck of Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+, while the body of Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ was close to Li Tianlan’s as never before.

The great power in the field was still there, and there were waves of residual power whistling in the air, but this s.p.a.ce suddenly fell silent.

Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+ looked at Li Tianlan quietly.

Li Tianlan looked at Du Hanyin seriously.

However, Du Hanyin looked coldly at Dongcheng Rus.h.i.+.