"Killed?"
Tang Xueyao's face was filled with shock.
"Is this the true power of a Demon God?!"
"That's great, we finally don't have to make a move!"
Lin Xiaoxiao wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't a lie to say she was afraid of death.
But when she saw Hu Zi's ferocious combat power, a sense of security arose.
At the same time, she felt even more admiration for the true god who could tame Hu Zi.
"Awooo!~!"
Hu Zi let out a long roar.
The immense sound caused the bricks on the city wall to tremble, and the wolf howls echoed through the distant valley.
As if proclaiming victory, it stood in place, head held high, gaze lowered, in an arrogant and condescending posture.
"As expected of a true god's pet, it's truly too strong!"
Tang Xueyao leaped to Hu Zi's side and gently patted its massive paw.
"Woof!"
Hu Zi instantly returned to its normal state, shrinking to a small size, and circled Tang Xueyao a few times.
"Thank you to the true god's Demon God for once again saving us!"
"However... the fat man who came here said he had a companion who went somewhere else."
"It's very likely that companion went after the true god. This information must be conveyed to the true god to prevent him from suffering losses!"
As Tang Xueyao spoke, she absorbed the residual energy from the flattened corpse of the fat man and sent a message to Zhang Chen.
On the other side, on the border of the Valen Empire, in Tanxi City.
A caravan of elves was walking along the city streets.
However, the streets of this city were exceptionally desolate. The shops on both sides were closed, and not a single pedestrian could be seen.
Garbage was scattered everywhere on the ground, emitting a pungent odor.
"Is this the legendary Valen Empire? It seems much worse than I imagined!"
Zhang Chen frowned.
Such a dirty and chaotic environment, and it was a major border city, was hard to imagine.
"This... it wasn't like this when I came last year. Although Tanxi City is far from as prosperous as the seven main cities, it was a necessary thoroughfare for merchants."
"The commerce here was very prosperous, especially hotels and the entertainment industry, which were second to none."
"But why it has become so desolate is truly puzzling."
Jessiah, the leader of the caravan, frowned.
She was an elf with silver-white hair and large eyes. She was only sixty years old, which, in terms of elven age ratio, was equivalent to a human of about 16 years old.
Similarly, Jessiah indeed possessed the youthful form of a human sixteen-year-old, with fair skin, pointed ears, and a budding figure.
Such a face, figure, and especially a head of silver-white hair reminded Zhang Chen of Little White.
He couldn't help but feel a natural sense of closeness towards Jessiah.
"I didn't expect you to be so young, yet know so much and be able to become a leader!"
Zhang Chen chatted with great interest.
To be honest, a sixty-year-old elf was much older than Zhang Chen.
Despite both being in the form of young girls, elves, apart from their personalities being similar to human girls, had vastly different experiences.
"I've come with the caravan more than ten times, and I know many wives of high-ranking officials in the Valen Empire. They all like me very much, and always specify me for transactions."
"So over time, I became the caravan leader, not because my skills are particularly good."
Jessiah smiled shyly and said humbly.
"Master, we're back!"
Miao Ke, along with Miao Qi and Miao Yin, jumped down from the roofs of nearby shops and came to Zhang Chen's side.
"Hmm, how was it?"
Zhang Chen asked.
"As predicted, this is an empty city, with no people at all."
"We surveyed the entire city from the tall tower, and there were no signs of people on any of the streets."
"We also entered a few residences and hotels, and they were all empty."
"Many pieces of furniture were askew, and clothes were scattered around. It seemed they left in a hurry, as if something urgent had happened."
Miao Ke reported.
"Hmm, I thought this city had an energy barrier affecting my perception. It seems there's really no one."
"But... where did they all go in their haste?!"
Zhang Chen muttered to himself, frowning.
"True God, look here!"
Jessiah stood next to a bulletin board and pointed to the text, reading:
"This is an evacuation announcement. It roughly states that there is a rampant 'Lost Soul' outbreak, and to prevent the spread of the Lost Souls, cities directly connected to cities with outbreaks are being forcibly evacuated."
"The announcement was posted three days ago."
Jessiah said.
"Lost Souls? They shouldn't be so difficult that the Valen Empire is helpless. Even the Qinglin Empire, a minor nation that doesn't rank high, has the strength to clear them out. Isn't the Valen Empire overreacting?"
Miao Ke asked in surprise.
"We came through a teleportation gate. If we had taken the land route as before, we would have received news along the way."
"At that time, we would know what happened and where everyone else had evacuated to."
Zhang Chen said.
"This incident erupted very suddenly, and judging by the Valen Empire's reaction, they definitely wouldn't let the outside world know about it. So, even if we took the land route, we might not be able to gather information and might even be blocked at the border by Valen Empire soldiers."
Jessiah quickly explained to Zhang Chen, perhaps to prevent him from blaming himself.
"We need to be careful. The Lost Souls are not the primary concern, but the Black-Tailed Swallow Legion is.
"That hooded figure who escaped will definitely spread the word about the true god. Coupled with this severe Lost Soul infection issue."
"And it's happening in the most powerful Valen Empire. Given the Black-Tailed Swallow Legion's modus operandi, they will definitely send people to handle it."
"It's likely we will encounter the Black-Tailed Swallow Legion again."
Miao Ke said worriedly.
"Yes, let's not get involved in this mess. That city has many historical records. We should depart now to avoid unnecessary combat!"
Zhang Chen said to Jessiah.
"The historical city of Zhuanhuo Fort has a history museum, which surely contains many ancient texts and relics from ancient times."
Jessiah said.
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of sounds of hands slapping the ground echoed from a nearby street.
Thud... thud... thud...