Bai Lili got up early the next day, preparing to go to the tournament venue to see if she could find an excuse to enter the Hunting Zone and retrieve Xuan Long. She looked out the window at the weather and said, “The weather is really bad, gloomy.”
Without lingering, she packed up, called Lilith and the other two, planning to leave directly after retrieving Xuan Long. Her intuition told her to leave quickly.
When Bai Lili arrived at the venue, she found her academy’s teachers and students all there. She bent low and signaled Lilith and the others to be quiet. She saw that, according to common sense, her academy’s teachers should have already led everyone away; there was no reason for them to still be here.
The four of them—Bai Lili, Lilith, Su Ruo, and Qing Hanyin—crept forward to a high platform where they could see most of the venue. Bai Lili saw that in the center of the original arena floor, a magic circle similar to the one Lilith had shown her before was drawn. The people around it were all wearing black robes; only those outside the circle wore normal clothes.
Bai Lili observed from above for a while and spotted a familiar figure. Long Chen was tied to a wooden pillar, with some unknown pattern drawn beneath him. She quietly asked Lilith, “Lilith, do you know what they’re drawing?”
Lilith was silent for a moment, as if unsure, then said seriously, “It looks like a magic circle related to an evil god. I’m not sure about the rest.”
Just as Bai Lili was about to say something, Su Ruo covered her mouth and turned her head in a certain direction. Standing there was Lin Shuran. Bai Lili saw that she was wearing a mainly black outfit, just like a typical cult saintess.
Bai Lili formed a conjecture: ‘Could Lin Shuran be the saintess of this cult? Then Long Chen must be the sacrifice.’
She observed from the platform for a while. Lin Shuran opened a portal to the Hunting Zone. This meant that everything in the venue was currently under control. In this situation, she really didn’t know how to act. Long Chen’s life was worthless, but what she feared most was the consequence of activating the magic circle.
Bai Lili, Lilith, Su Ruo, and Qing Hanyin discussed what to do. Given the current situation, not standing with the academy at the start was the right choice. It seemed the academy’s teachers and students must have been controlled.
Qing Hanyin used her psychic power to get a general understanding of the situation. The main personnel were concentrated near the arena, but she was surprised to find that these people’s ability levels were not high, yet they could subdue and control high-level ability users. There must be something fishy. Although she didn’t know what Lin Shuran was planning, it definitely wasn’t good.
Bai Lili looked around the surroundings—there was nothing useful. The entire venue was clean. Just as the four of them were about to secretly move to another spot to observe, Lin Shuran suddenly turned her head and shouted, “Get them!”
Seeing that they were discovered, Bai Lili sent the message she had already typed on her phone to her parents, hoping they would act quickly. They were about to counterattack when a giant tentacle emerged from nowhere and tightly bound the four of them.
They couldn’t move at all. The tentacle seemed to carry some poison, making their heads feel groggy. Then Lin Shuran walked up to Bai Lili and spoke, “Perfect timing. I was planning to go find you, but you came to me instead.”
Bai Lili didn’t understand what she meant. Seeing Bai Lili’s confused expression, Lin Shuran couldn’t be bothered to waste words. She knew the news had probably already been sent out, and she didn’t have much power from the evil god left. She had to hurry and hold the ceremony.
Bai Lili was taken by Lin Shuran to another magic circle, while she herself stood at the last circle. The large circle in the middle surrounded the open portal, as if intending to twist the portal’s space to summon the evil god.
The ceremony began. The magic circle under Bai Lili’s feet emitted a red glow. Then Bai Lili felt a stabbing pain all over, and her consciousness began to blur. From not far away came Long Chen’s pleading cries. Just as Bai Lili thought she was going to die, a familiar blue figure appeared from within the portal.
In an instant, the venue was covered in blinding white light. Bai Lili only felt her body become light, as if something had grabbed her. Xuan Long kicked the controlled Lin Shuran, sending her flying to the boundary of the arena. She crashed into the wall with a scream.
The controlled tentacle seemed to lose Lin Shuran’s control and released them. Lilith and the others fell. Xuan Long quickly swept its tail, sending the cultists guarding both sides flying into the wall—unconscious or dead. Then it caught Lilith and the others. Without time to figure out how to exit, it crashed its head through the venue’s wall, creating a gap.
Using its incredible jumping power, Xuan Long carried Bai Lili and the others away from Lin Shuran’s venue. When Bai Lili woke up again, she was in the hospital. Her parents were by her side. Weakly, she asked, “Did you catch Lin Shuran?”
Bai Qing’s expression was serious. He shook his head and said, “By the time we arrived, there was no one left in the venue. This time, we have your Xuan Long to thank for successfully rescuing all four of you.”
Bai Lili hadn’t expected Xuan Long to directly save all four of them and even kick Lin Shuran away. Then she remembered Xuan Long and asked, “Dad, where is Xuan Long now?”
Bai Qing smiled and said, “It’s been arranged to stay by your mother’s side. Remember the camera you gave Xuan Long? It captured something crucial—the identities of the cultists. Now we just need to search for them by their faces.”
Bai Lili really hadn’t expected Xuan Long to be so capable. Then she saw Lilith, Su Ruo, and Qing Hanyin lying beside her. Bai Qing saw what she wanted to ask and said, “They’re fine. It’s just that the anesthetic toxin hasn’t worn off yet.”
He seemed to think of something, a hint of anger on his face. “That old man, your academy head, dares to recruit anyone into the school. After this incident, let’s see how he holds onto his position.”
Bai Lili didn’t say much. She had heard Lin Shuran say that she would come for her. Although she didn’t know the other party’s ultimate goal, she was certainly on the list of people to capture.
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