Kong Ji ultimately did not return to the Dragon Country’s sphere of influence, which put Cheng Wen and the others on high alert.

"I told you it was a trap, they just want to ambush us and weaken our strength!"

In the command tier, only a few initially held a skeptical attitude, but after a day and night had passed, their voices grew louder.

According to the prior plan, even if Kong Ji himself didn’t return, he should have sent a few of the Demon Race members along to report back, rather than remaining silent.

"Could it be that he sent a Demon Race member to report back, but something happened on the way?"

"No way? Those who went with him were all selected elites from various tribes, at least at the Caution Level." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"If it was that Dual Blade Fighter taking action, perhaps..."

"In such a vast place, would the world NPC just happen to run into them?"

"I said, it must be the Polar Alliance that played dirty."

The people couldn’t figure out the situation, discussing one by one, until Cheng Wen shouted with a frown: "Everyone quiet, what’s the noise about? Chen Cheng, figure out a way to check on Kong Ji’s status immediately."

The Prophet Chen Cheng looked bewildered.

You’re all arguing, and suddenly I’m the one called on.

It’s not that he didn’t care about Kong Ji’s safety, but currently there were no clues, and Kong Ji’s power was relatively high, making prophecy uncertain.

But since the order was given, he had no choice but to patiently begin calculating.

"I’ll first try to gauge his life or death."

He took out a piece of yellow paper, an Epic Level seeking talisman, intending to use this item to try and find Kong Ji’s location.

Whoosh.

Amid a burst of cyan-yellow flames, the talisman paper turned to ash as Chen Cheng closed his eyes and remained silent for several minutes.

"No good, I can’t find him."

If the seeking talisman can’t find him, he’s either being obscured by another prophet, or he’s dead.

"Commander Cheng, what now?"

The group was even more undecided now.

The problem was, they weren’t sure what had happened to Kong Ji; even though it seemed likely something bad had happened to him, the reason remained unclear.

Not everyone believed it was a trap set by the Polar Alliance, since the other side had also sent someone like Charles Brown alone at that time.

But the matter couldn’t be verified, and what if more people were sent and didn’t return? If the army pressed forward and there was a bigger trap, they couldn’t afford losses.

Cheng Wen pondered for a moment and said: "Increase the number of scouts and do everything possible to gather intelligence. Also, increase patrolling efforts at the front line."

The loss of Kong Ji was certainly painful, but acting rashly for revenge wasn’t appropriate; instead, he issued a series of commands to make the defense line more robust, to prevent unforeseen changes.

Even if the Dual Blade Fighter was real, what if he wasn’t against the Polar Alliance but teamed up with them?

On the other side, Leslie still hadn’t seen Kong Ji return with Dragon Country’s reinforcement, knowing something must have gone wrong.

"Reverend Bishop, let me go again; there must be some misunderstanding," Charles Brown proactively suggested.

"I need to consider this."

When things mutate, every side begins to weigh the pros and cons, as Cheng Wen did and so did Leslie, "If they want to use that Dual Blade Fighter to weaken us, it’s not impossible."

Charles said: "But if we fail, can they handle it? There’s a Chinese saying in the Dragon Country that goes ’lips are lost, teeth feel the cold,’ I’m sure Mr. Cheng understands this principle."

Leslie shook his head: "No, they have many strong individuals over there, especially one who instantly killed Simon, the Foggy Evil Ghost, "

Just then, a raspy voice interrupted.

"What happened?"

Supported by others, Ulysses came over.

"You’re awake."

Leslie originally intended to exploit the Western Kingdom, but now seeing this person awake, he was sincerely pleased.

"I heard you say the Dragon Country is unwilling to unite? This won’t do, they must be persuaded. Our number of strong individuals is inadequate, and if they’re intimidating alongside us, our strategy for hunting down that world NPC will be affected, cough cough."

Apparently, Ulysses hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries.

Leslie had to recount the events following Kong Ji’s arrival.

"Alas."

After listening, Ulysses shook his head with some dejection; it seemed his injuries affected his spirit, as he wasn’t one to show defeat before, "Intercepted and killed, likely encountered the world NPC on the way back, leading to Dragon Country’s suspicion."

Leslie frowned and said: "I think it’s possible, but I’m not certain."

"Such moments are no time to waver; you gather a team powerful enough, I will go personally, only then can we gain their trust," Ulysses said, surprising Leslie, as he never imagined this person willing to risk himself.

In contrast, the famously cautious Archbishop wouldn’t have such courage.

As they were contemplating, another report arrived.

"Reverend Bishop, that world NPC is no longer remaining on our side; he has breached into the Dragon Country’s territory."

"Hmm?"

Ulysses’ eyebrow suddenly rose; he pondered for a while and looked at Leslie, "Ha, cough cough, if this is the case, the situation changes. Why don’t we wait and see?"

In the face of such ambivalent behavior, Leslie almost immediately concurred.

Ulysses intended to risk himself for their own interests, unwilling to have potential team members excluded before collecting spoils, and now choosing to observe from the sidelines also stemmed from self-interest.

When the bomb is in one’s own hands, the urgency is expected; if it transfers to the opposing camp, then why fret.

.....

When Li Rui arrived in the south, there was no time to rest, and he and Cheng Mingyue hurriedly traveled south day and night.

"Is it that urgent?"

Cheng Mingyue remarked, "I’ve heard of Zuo Qiutian, but the blade-wielding person you mentioned is just his subordinate, right?"

Li Rui shook his head: "I can’t say much, but I’m certain they’re not necessarily superior and subordinate; the Dual Blade Fighter isn’t much weaker. The key is that group of theirs has problems, they’re bound to go on a killing spree; we must return quickly."

He thought not out of hubris, but because he was well acquainted with Zuo Qiutian’s group strength. With a level cap of 50, no one could assure a solo victory, but joining forces with Cheng Mingyue, even if it couldn’t guarantee a kill, it would certainly pose the greatest threat.

While they were on the move, the Dragon Country command headquarters became extremely tense as they received a report of a patrol scout group discovered dead within the scouting range, not far from the front line.

Cheng Wen took this matter seriously and personally arrived at the scene.

"Commander Cheng, they were all killed instantly, not even a chance to resist."

The scout who discovered the site spoke anxiously, "Moreover, not a single plant around was harmed, the killer struck and left without a trace."

Looking at the Extraordinary and Demon Race bodies on the ground, Cheng Wen frowned, swiping his wrist to flick out a handful of talisman papers.

An adjutant next to him noticed this small action and immediately issued a warning.

"Caref..."

He wanted to say "Be careful," but the latter half of the word stuck in his throat as a hat-wearing blade fighter suddenly appeared in front of him without warning.