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### Chapter 131: General of the Black Scale Army

Shangguan Hong’s punch caused a miniature earthquake, shaking up the teahouse. Though it didn’t bring the place crashing down, the violent shudder made most people inside, including all the members of the Black Scale Army, roll around like tumbling gourds.

The battle formation instantly collapsed. Even these trained soldiers couldn’t maintain their footing before the might of the heavens, let alone charge forward and capture their targets.

Seizing this opportunity, the team leader, Teacher Mu, didn’t hesitate to wave his sleeve, conjuring a gust that blew away the Black Scale Army blocking the entrance, forging ahead with great momentum!

“Go!”

The members of the Spirit-Calling Sect immediately followed, cutting a path through the encirclement with their exceptional combat prowess and fleeing swiftly.

“Damn it! Don’t let them escape! Chase after them! Get on horseback and pursue!!!”

“Wait a minute…”

The black-armored cavalryman, also swaying unsteadily, bellowed a few commands before suddenly recalling a group that had been suspiciously quiet, who seemed to have previously caused chaos alongside these “thugs.”

He turned around in haste, only to find the soldiers responsible for capturing them sprawled haphazardly on the ground, enjoying a deep slumber. The space where the three young girls and the middle-aged man had stood was now completely empty, with only a fading silvery light remaining.

The flickering light gradually dissipated, as if mocking his futile efforts… and stupidity.

“Bastard!!!!”

…

Somewhere on a hillside more than ten miles away from the teahouse.

“Swish.”

Silver light flashed, and four figures materialized steadily, landing on the ground.

Surveying the surroundings, someone Priestess couldn’t help but exclaim.

“I must say, having spatial abilities is really convenient! Disappearing without a trace is much faster than flying around~”

“Hehe… It’s not all that powerful, you know? Truly skilled spatial mages can actually block and track teleportation. Our encounter just happened to be with mortals who are completely clueless about this, so we have no worries. Miss Vilyric, don’t rely on it too much~”

Though she said that, the silver cat ears of Cat Daughter already perked up high, betraying her excitement from the compliments, while the little white cat in her arms shot its owner a weird look before burying its head again in silence.

“Okay, okay, whatever you say~”

With a smile and a nod, the Priestess turned her gaze to the silver-haired girl beside her.

“Hen, can you share where you got those props you used earlier?”

Seemingly unfazed by the question, Princess Ling nodded slightly and answered frankly.

“Seven years ago, that silver star that brought me to this world didn’t actually disappear; it transformed and took the shape of this ring.”

Hen raised her right hand, showing a plain-looking silver ring that sparkled like a star, keeping her explanation brief.

“Once I grew strong enough to move freely, I returned to the valley where I landed and retrieved this item hidden there. It contains many things—seems tailored for my self-defense and convenience.”

“But I also don’t know where these things came from.”

“I see…”

That sounds quite unbelievable, indeed.

Yet, it precisely explains why these items, exclusive to the “Phantom World,” would appear in the Ancient Spirit Realm.

Taking another glance at the expressionless silver-haired girl, Vilyric pushed down the various thoughts flooding her mind.

Though the specifics are still unclear, this already proves that this Princess Ling, and the Hen I know, or rather, her connection to “Phantom World” must be intricately related.

A traveler… if Hen also came from the game, her situation must be totally different from that of the Priestess and Min Chen, etc.

To be honest, Vilyric felt a bit tempted to ask for that ring and investigate what was inside.

But that’s a girl’s personal item, just like the Priestess’s backpack, which contains all sorts of private things. Even given her previous relationship with Hen in the game, she wouldn’t casually say, “Hey, bestie, let me rummage through your backpack.”

So, it remains just an idle thought.

As the topic finally came to a close, Mr. Murong, who had mostly been excluded from the girls’ talk, experimentally raised a question again.

“So, Miss Vilyric, what should we do next? Do we proceed with the plan to head to the Endless Ruins Sea and look for the ancient Open Heaven Gate ruins?”

“Hmm, well…”

Standing atop the hillside, the black-haired girl looked up into the distance. From this high vantage point, she could vaguely see the silhouette of the teahouse along the official road, with swarms of indistinct dark figures stirring.

“I originally did plan that, but now I have some urgent questions I want to clarify.”

She smiled faintly.

“If I don’t check out the good show presented right in front of me, I’ll probably be sleepless tonight~”

…

Meanwhile, in a grove on the outskirts of the official road.

The members of the Spirit-Calling Sect, who had just shaken off the pursuit of the Black Scale Army, gathered together, using this brief respite to rest and discuss their next plans.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah, just minor issues.”

“It’s fine, they’re just regular soldiers.”

As Shangguan Hong looked at the six or seven fellow sect members huddled together, having confirmed everyone was okay, he leaned back against a tree to relax a bit, but soon wore a puzzled expression.

“It’s really strange… The Black Scale Army is known for its strict discipline. Why would they suddenly act out in such a savage manner? What do they want?”

The girl named Swallow, unremarkable in appearance with long black hair tied into twin tails, said in a deep voice.

“Rather than the Black Scale Army, it’s more accurate to say that the issue lies with that officer.”

Another girl sitting beside her, possessing a pure and youthful demeanor, with stunning cyan hair, immediately inquired with curiosity.

“Oh? Did our clever little Swallow notice something? Spill it!”

“What clever little Swallow? Stop giving me weird nicknames…”

Seeing everyone naturally focusing their attention on her, Swallow helplessly shook her head, seemingly too lazy to argue about the odd names and simply analyzed.

“First of all, as the Senior Brother said earlier regarding ranks, that officer is just a Black Scale cavalry captain at the sixth tier, yet he leads a group of Black Scale cavalry that should require at least a third or fourth tier commander to manage. It’s already a very unreasonable situation.”

“Besides, did you notice? From the conversation with them, the Black Scale Army rushed over because they were alerted by the sounds from the earlier battle with Xiao Yao.”

“On that point alone, it’s actually reasonable. But it also indirectly reflects several issues.”

“For example, this army was already nearby and had nothing pressing to do, which is why they could immediately come to check on us at the teahouse.”

The previously speaking innocent girl tilted her head, looking confused.

“Huh… that seems to make sense, but what does that indicate?”

Swallow sighed helplessly.

“A Xue, just use your brain a little…”

“Tehe, with Swallow around, I don’t even need to think; just tell me the answer!”

Shaking her head, the girl with twin tails spoke seriously.

“……Putting together all the information, a cavalry captain commanding a unit that exceeds his rank, active near places where the Black Scale Army normally shouldn’t be, and capable of mobilizing part of the forces for a rapid response, in what kind of scenario would that usually occur?

Shangguan Hong, the Senior Brother with unfamiliar heavy pupils and apparent military knowledge, suddenly reacted.

“You mean… they are temporarily stationed here to guard something, and most of the higher-ranking officers are busy handling other matters, so this person is managing the troops in their stead?”

Swallow nodded thoughtfully.

“Yeah, if I’m not mistaken, the Wangxi Basin, a little over ten miles away, was sealed off by the military not long ago. Looks like it was indeed done by the Black Scale Army.”

“This captain, pulling so many troops away for such a small matter and behaving so strangely, don’t you all think it’s rather unreasonable?”