With An Lin’s current status in the school, he could skip this end-of-term examination if he wanted to.

However, he didn’t want to make himself seem special. Besides, he also wanted to protect his fellow students and friends, so he decided to go.

The Dark Marshlands was not a place to be scoffed at. There were dangers lurking around every corner, and many students and teachers had died there.

Even though brutal battles could make students grow stronger at a fast rate, An Lin still decided that he would try and help out as many students as possible when they encountered danger.

In the Gem State, which was located in the southwestern region of the Kingdom of the Nine States.

There stood a massive city by the name of Ling Can City.

This was one of the cities where the battle against the Blood Tribe was most intense.

To the west of the city was a boundless black land filled with the aura of death and decay.

On a city wall over a hundred meters tall, there were several thousand soldiers stationed there, among which were soldiers responsible for ranged attacks, scouting, cannon attacks, and melee combat. The city had all the types of soldiers it could wish for, and its city wall was like an indestructible barrier.

Sword Immortal Ling Xiao was diligently extending words of caution to An Lin.

“Student An Lin, don’t forget to keep a low profile here. After all, Emperor Yi Deng has most likely begun to suspect your involvement in the death of Laden.”

“Don’t worry, I understand that. I’ll make sure to keep myself safe here.”

An Lin nodded with a nonchalant smile.

Sword Immortal Ling Xiao heaved a resigned sigh at An Lin’s nonchalant expression. “In any case, make sure to place your own safety as your number one priority at all times. You are extremely important to the Heavenly Court.”

What else could An Lin say in the face of such a diligent and earnest homeroom teacher? He could only agree obediently for now.

Sword Immortal Ling Xiao didn’t dare to lead his students on any more missions.

Last time, his students had swept through over a dozen Blood Tribe cities, and An Lin had slain a Return to Void Stage mighty figure, which had attracted a top-tier mighty figure like Laden to the scene. Everyone had been scared sh*tless at that time, and they had almost all perished.

Emperor Yi Deng was definitely still seething with rage right now, so who would dare to sweep through some more Blood Tribe cities?! They should just lie low and not do anything drastic for now.

Sword Immortal Ling Xiao left after delivering his spiel to caution An Lin.

An Lin stretched lazily as he rode around on Da Bai along the city wall.

“I wonder how Cassidy, Merlin, and Tobias are going. They said they were going to lie low and avoid suspicion for now. They’re not going to seclude themselves for a hundred years, are they?”

An Lin stared into the distance and heaved a faint sigh.

For Return to Void Stage mighty figures with their massive lifespans, going into seclusion for centuries was very commonplace. He had even heard of some mighty figures going into seclusion for over ten thousand years.

“They won’t do that, Big Brother An. They miss your blood too much, so they won’t be able to hold out for that long. Woof!” Da Bai provided words of reassurance.

Even though An Lin didn’t want to admit it, Da Bai’s words definitely seemed to ring true.

“Big Brother An, if the three Holy Disciples of the Blood Tribe suddenly defected to the Four Nine Immortal Sect, do you think the Blood Tribe emperors will explode? Woof!” Da Bai was always worried about peculiar things, but this was quite a practical concern.

“They probably will…” An Lin nodded with a smile. “That’s why we have to repair the Starfire Battleship as soon as possible. That way, I would be able to provide a safe and warm haven for my adorable slaves.”

Da Bai: “Big Brother An, I feel like you’re sounding more and more like an exceptional mighty figure now. Woof!”

“Is that so? Perhaps this is an after-effect from all my flexing to those Return to Void Stage and Dao Integration Stage mighty figures,” An Lin mused.

Da Bai: “Just that sentence alone was a huge flex in itself! Woof!”

An Lin was a little exasperated. Was he flexing without even intending on doing so now?

The two of them mapped a lap of the city wall and did not discover anything abnormal.

“Big Brother An, I’m so bored, woof!” Da Bai sighed.

An Lin lay on Da Bai’s back, and he suddenly turned to look into the distance before waving a hand through the air, upon which wind and clouds surged.

“What is it, Big Brother An? Woof!” Da Bai asked.

“Nothing.” An Lin continued to lay on Da Bai’s back, and his eyes narrowed with a carefree and leisurely expression.

At the same time, on a black mountain over ten kilometers away from Ling Can City.

This was a steep and jagged mountain filled with massive rocks.

“Master Du Lu, this is a map of the entire Ling Can City. It had everything detailed on it, including the contour of the terrain and the soldiers distributed at each location,” a thin man with a head of greyish white hair and a pair of piercing crimson eyes reported with a fawning smile.

He handed over a yellow map to the brawny man before him, who was the size of a small mountain.

The brawny man accepted the map as he unleashed a spell technique to survey the city in the far distance.

“Master Du Lu, there is another thing I must remind you of. The students of the Heavenly Court undertaking their trials arrived today, and there are a hundred of them in total,” the thin man added.

“Hehe… What is a bunch of Dao Body Stage and Spirit Nurturing Stage trash going to do? As for the Soul Formation Stage teachers, just leave them to me! You guys focus on killing more people and drinking more blood.” Du Lu chuckled coldly.

“Yes!” The thin man bowed respectfully.

He knew that the brawny man standing before him was a powerful being with City Lord-level power! This was a man deployed by the higher-ups, and he was a Soul Formation Final Stage powerful being!

Du Lu could definitely transform Ling Can City into a paradise of blood and slaughter for them!

“Hehe, not only are there soldiers, but there are also young and juicy students! What a pleasant surprise! I’ve heard that all of the Heavenly Court students are extremely talented prodigies. I finally have a chance to taste them for myself…” A sinister smile appeared on Du Lu’s face as he extended his long, crimson tongue.

The thin man beside him was also beaming with excitement.

He could already envision that glorious and stimulating future.

Boom!

All of a sudden, a boundless, powerful force fell from the sky!

An invisible power squashed Du Lu’s powerful body flat into the ground.

The gruesome sound of flesh and bone being crushed erupted.

The brawny Du Lu was flattened into a paper-thin sheet as blood and flesh splattered all over the ground.

An eerie silence instantly descended.

“M… Master Du Lu?”

The thin man stared blankly at the remains of the brawny man.

He was greeted by deathly silence…

There was no hint of vitality left in Du Lu’s flattened body.

The thin man was completely dumbstruck.

He was here with Du Lu to survey the landscape and terrain, but Du Lu had died just like that?

Du Lu was a Blood Tribe Soul Formation Final Stage powerful being! How did he get flattened to death without even having the chance to scream?

What kind of power was this?

The thin man turned to look at the mighty city in the far distance, and fear washed over him like a tidal wave.

He let loose a sharp scream as he frantically fled into the distance, leaving a trail of excretions in his wake.

On the city wall of Ling Can City.

Sword Immortal Ling Xiao, Xu Xiaolan, Xuanyuan Cheng, and Su Qianyun all turned to look in Da Bai’s direction. Da Bai had also indistinctly detected some energy fluctuations on a certain black mountain in the distance.

“Big Brother An, what happened over there? Woof!” Da Bai asked.

An Lin was still lying on Da Bai’s back, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the blue sky and white clouds. “Nothing. I just squashed a mosquito.”