Li Rui frowned.
Although Song Yao seemed to maintain a calm demeanor, the situation was actually very urgent now.
It was Xue Can and Gu Suixun fighting the old man in the real world, neither of whom were ordinary characters. If they joined forces, the probability of breaking out from the southern countries and returning to the Land of Chaos was significant.
If they managed to return, Song Yao would be as good as dead. He would be sacrificed to the World Tree, allowing that colossal entity to continue growing, amassing power until it was enough to open the heavens.
"Elder Song, where exactly is the place where you're fighting?"
"At the location of the Observation Colossus."
"Is it that landmark?"
Li Rui rubbed his chin, starting to recall the map of the battle situation before entering the Secret Realm, "How long has it been?"
Song Yao replied, "About four hours."
"Then there's still time. They can't return to the Holy Judgment High Court through the colossus branch line. There's our defense zone in between; they'd have to make an S-shaped detour. Elder Song, as long as you can exit the Secret Realm, there might still be a chance." Li Rui said.
Song Yao smiled, "No, both of them are sect leaders of top forces in the Secret Realm World, not naive novices. They will certainly act meticulously, and they'll find a way to control me."
His words were on point. Xue Can was the Sect Leader of the White Spring Sword Sect, and Gu Suixun was the Mola Sect Leader. They were not only powerful but also highly experienced.
If they controlled a strong person like Song Yao, they certainly wouldn't give him a chance. Even if he woke up from the Secret Realm, he would hardly escape on his own.
However, Li Rui said, "Then we should do our best before leaving the rest to fate, right? If our people intercept them on their escape path, there might still be an opportunity?"
Song Yao tidied his scattered hair and nodded, "You're right, I've been too quick to give up."
"Alright, so what's the main task now?"
"Destroy the Middle Heaven Array in Fengdu."
"...."
Li Rui's expression stiffened. Although he hadn't studied Fengdu's task sequence, he knew about the Middle Heaven Array.
That thing, after the Central Capital Hall, was the source controlling Fengdu's Evil Qi. When King Yan was present, by activating the grand array, he could manipulate the Evil Qi here, shrouding it in darkness and trapping any invaders.
Destroying the Middle Heaven Array would mean fighting through Fengdu.
Song Yao gave a bitter smile, "That's why I don't see any chance."
Li Rui's eyes widened, "No, if we have to fight, then fight. Today, the four Nether Emperors and King Yan are not home; it's the perfect time to steal it—charge!"
With that, he employed the Escape Technique again, heading in the opposite direction.
....
In the gates of several cities that had already lost their commanding generals, the soldiers and ghost guards sighed in relief, busying themselves with repairs and treating the wounded.
"Over here!"
"Move faster!"
"You, quickly go back into the city and report to the Military Preparation Department."
These aftermath duties were unfamiliar to the guards at Fengdu's main gate because seldom had anyone stirred up much trouble here before.
After the general was gone, several adjutants scrambled to organize things, then gathered together to discuss.
"That guy was vicious just now."
"Are we in trouble for letting him go just like that?"
"General Wan is dead; what could we do? We can't even catch up to him."
There was not a moment of sadness for the fallen great general from the higher-ups. They only felt relieved that the calamity had left, a faint sense of gratitude lingering in their hearts.
Luckily, they had hidden well. Otherwise, they might have been caught in the crossfire.
However, this sense of relief didn't last long. In an obviously panicked shout, the terror they all feared descended upon them once again.
"He's back!"
Those words prompted an immediate reaction from all the guards, and the just-stabilized gates roared back to life.
Yet no one dared to fight. Their first reaction was to find a corner to hide. Some who knew Puppetry or could summon the living dead only made token gestures. Still, these would inevitably be scattered by Divine Thunder.
Li Rui zipped through several gates. Since he met no fierce resistance, he didn't deliberately waste time.
Song Yao followed behind, leaping from one gate to another amidst the shocked expressions of the gate guards.
Finally, the two of them stood before Fengdu's main city. Ahead was the army surging out to meet them.
"...."
"Is it starting?"
"Charge!"
They rushed out, one to the left and one to the right.
...
The command levels of various countries intensified their offensive against the Land of Chaos.
They had to use this approach to distract the enemy and cover their assassination missions.
However, once war begins, there are bound to be numerous unpredictable developments.
Such as the loss of contact with Li Rui and Song Yao.
Of course, many more than just the two of them were out of contact. Still, they were undoubtedly among the most crucial.
Since many years ago, Song Yao had been a key figure in Dragon Country, capable of tying down powerhouses like Gu Suixun and Xue Can simultaneously, relying not only on strength but also on vast combat experience.
Li Rui had also demonstrated the ability to take on world-class NPCs alone, possessing the power of Thunder Skill.
Coincidentally, the time when the two lost contact was not far apart, causing Ling Zixiao to wonder if there was a connection between them.
To avoid being caught by the Prophet's scrutiny, few people knew when Li Rui set out, and only he was aware of his routes.
Therefore, the issue of where he encountered problems remained unknown to the decision-makers.
"Roger Simon, Nectis, and Ruan Lianling have successively entered into the defensive range of the Holy Judgment High Court."
Someone came to report.
"Fela Manuye, Landar Hotaron, also entered the mission range."
"And there's Mary Talley...."
.....
As time passed, new information kept coming in. Most of those sent out on assassination missions had already taken their positions.
Significantly, some, like Li Rui, also lost contact. Some even encountered enemies and had to withdraw after being seriously injured, leading to people being sent to investigate.
Although Ling Zixiao was very concerned, he had to withdraw his focus and no longer fixate on the lost contact of Li Rui and Song Yao.
The most critical task was the assassination of the Prophet. He couldn't afford to concentrate on any single person.
At present, what he had to do was use his powers to distract the Prophet.
Even though the assassination executors selected by the high officials of various countries wouldn't be detected by the Prophet, their superior strength and numbers, all united for the same goal, still risked exposure.
To ensure the Prophet wouldn't sense the threat prematurely, Ling Zixiao, along with other national Prophets, had to find ways to obstruct him.
The method was straightforward: relentlessly probing the internals of the Holy Judgment High Court.
Matters such as the arrays connecting the two realms, the location of the World Tree seeds, and the state of the High Court's forces were all content under ongoing information warfare.
As long as persistent pressure was applied, the Prophet had no choice but to deal with it constantly.
Ling Zixiao did the same, leveraging those Legendary Level consumables, also known as gold sand used in key spell-casting, to begin his actions.
"Hmm?"
Soon, he sensed something unusual. He found that his consciousness faced little obstruction and even faintly saw the inside of the Holy Mountain.
That was... Zuo Qiutian? Shouldn't he be at Dragon Country's border?
Ling Zixiao saw a scholarly-looking person, who turned back to smile at him.
"It's a trap! Pull everyone back, fast."