Chapter Eighty-Eight: Commander of the Safe Zone!

“Brother Lei.”

Zhan Yu stood there in white robes, his hair cut in a tousled style, carrying himself with the air of a sword immortal. On his back was a somewhat damaged sword, unsheathed, with faint traces of blood still clinging to it.

In the small pavilion, there was also another girl. She wore a yellow dress, through which one could dimly make out fair skin and a white inner garment. She looked quite young, her long black hair falling slowly to her waist. Yet unlike the others, her eyes were covered by a black cloth strip, and she stood silently to the side without speaking.

Aside from the three of them, everyone else had already withdrawn.

Qi Lei bent over and adjusted the sand table before asking, “How is it?”

“Not very promising. This time, those who came out of the Land of Moonlight seem to include a second-tier civilization, and their side should already have a war plan against Blue Star. The number of aberrant beasts is increasing.” Zhan Yu shook his head.

“The Land of Moonlight has only been fully explored in recent years. It may be that something went wrong in Peach Blossom Retreat, causing an abnormal fluctuation in planar energy. Their civilization has already altered the coordinate lock of the planar gate. I found a chance to go in and take a look; it’s no longer the safe zone we set up before.”

Zhan Yu relayed to Qi Lei the information he knew.

Qi Lei coughed twice softly, looking somewhat unwell, and that made Zhan Yu’s expression shift slightly.

Although Qi Lei still appeared vigorous, time had already left deep marks upon him. The accident eight years ago had dealt a severe blow to Qi Lei’s vital energy and blood, and unexpectedly, he still had not recovered to this day; indeed, it seemed to be worsening.

Who could have imagined that the once warlike supreme commander of Jingmen Safe Zone had become so weathered and worn?

“First, keep the defenses stable. Reinforcements should arrive very soon. Also go and tell Qin Zhishu that Jingbei Industries should stay out of the Peach Blossom Retreat matter.”

“Zhao Weimin’s niece seems rather capable. After An Qing dies, she should be able to seize the opportunity. This time, many reinforcements should be coming from outside. We can’t let others see us make a fool of ourselves,” Qi Lei said.

“Understood.” Zhan Yu did not ask how Qi Lei had received the news so quickly. In his view, that was only natural.

“What about the Black Mage? Have you found any clues?”

Qi Lei looked at Zhan Yu.

“No.” Zhan Yu shook his head. “The situation was too urgent at the time. I couldn’t get away, and by the time I rushed over, I had already lost track of him.”

“Then take Xiao Yu there with you. Find a chance to speak with him. The Black Mage should already have crossed into the realm as well. If we can bring him over, that would be even better.” Qi Lei seemed to be thinking something over, then shook his head. An unrestricted spellcaster was something he had hardly ever heard of.

“All right.” Zhan Yu agreed.

Qi Lei gave a few more instructions before Zhan Yu left with the girl whose eyes were covered by the black strip.

Qi Lei sat down in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Looking toward the direction of Jingmen Safe Zone, his thoughts were in turmoil.

When the mutations first began, Qi Lei was already thirty-eight years old. Now, more than thirty years had passed, and he was already past seventy.

Even if his level on the data panel was not low, his body had begun to feel exhaustion. Coupled with the side effects of once devouring a massive quantity of blood pills, Qi Lei could sense that he probably did not have much time left.

In truth, he very much hoped that new talent would rise within Jingmen Safe Zone. Over the past decade and more, he had also tried to nurture all kinds of prodigies in several martial academies, but nothing ever came of it.

In the early years, there were still a few promising seedlings discovered among the masses, but later on, with the division of guilds and resources, and the splitting of factions within Jingbei Industries, Qi Lei increasingly felt powerless.

Without the accumulation of resources, ordinary people were basically unable to catch up with the major guilds.

Qi Lei had tried reform several times, trying to promote the development of the martial academies, but most of the time he was still exploited by scheming people. Nothing much came of it. He even dealt with several brothers who had once fought alongside him through life and death, which caused considerable resentment among some.

Later still, when Qi Lei was injured and had no choice but to withdraw from the front lines for a time, someone had already quietly proposed replacing the supreme commander.

Jingbei Industries appeared to be a top-tier major guild on the surface, but in reality it was entangled with far too many interests. Unless absolutely necessary, even Qi Lei was not very free to act.

If not for the fact that Zhan Yu could still hold things down for now, Jingmen Safe Zone might already have been turned upside down.

Qi Lei’s thoughts became increasingly tangled as he considered some particularly vexing matters.

A crimson aura suddenly rose from his body, and faintly, there seemed to be a shadow trying to break free from within him.

Qi Lei held his breath and forcibly suppressed that aura.

But his brow only furrowed deeper.

In recent times, the bloodline aura had grown increasingly volatile and intense, and he was already beginning to feel as though he could no longer restrain it.

Not only that, but deep within his bloodline, he seemed to sense that the crimson aura from eight years ago was about to surge forth again.

With the front line contracting, Jingmen Safe Zone once more took on a bleak and solemn atmosphere.

Although the authorities had issued assurances that a defense line would certainly be established, some people had already begun preparing to evacuate.

This time, the major guilds all suffered heavy losses, but fortunately, once daylight arrived, the monsters’ assault had receded, and some supplies from the nearby strongholds had been gathered back.

All kinds of public opinion and rumors fermented within Jingmen Safe Zone, while the Black Mage, who stood at the center of the storm, had already removed all his gear and transformed back into the harmless Yi Shen.

The news of An Qing’s death had basically already spread, and along with it, quite a few names on Yi Shen’s blacklist had been dealt with as well, directly signaling the collapse of one of the forces in Peach Blossom Retreat.

His mother came back once to ask about Yi Shen’s safety. After learning that he was all right, she continued handling matters in Peach Blossom Retreat. As An Qing’s authority was completely wiped out, Zhao Nanxing also obtained approval from the official side and directly announced herself as the temporary acting guild leader of Peach Blossom Retreat.

It was said that Qi Guyi’s side had some objections.

But they were suppressed by the people of Jingbei Industries.

Such efficiency could not help but make Yi Shen sigh. If he had known that eliminating An Qing would be enough to take back Peach Blossom Retreat, there would have been no need for him to go to such great lengths.

An Qing’s death had pushed the progress on the Peach Blossom Retreat front forward by a great step, and his mother had also smoothly taken over most of the things his father had left behind.

But for Yi Shen, this was only the beginning.

From here on, whether he wanted to continue improving his own strength, lay out the foundations of his power, or seek news of his father, he would need to spend a great deal of time.