The Supernatural Daily Life of a Magazine

Chapter 25 The Treasured Item

Just then, the badge on his chest suddenly heated up. Not just warm, but scorching hot. Li Shancheng took off the badge and found that it was emitting a rhythmic pulsating light—three short bursts followed by one long burst, repeating three times.

"This is... an emergency signal from the ley lines." He recognized the pattern. "Someone is sending a distress signal through the ley line network!"

The two immediately ran to the courtyard. Editor-in-Chief Qin was already there, holding a specially made compass. The needle spun wildly and finally pointed to the northwest.

"The direction of the Kan position formation's core." Bishop Qin's expression was grave. "Jiang Han is in trouble."

"Can I receive specific information?" Li Shancheng asked.

Bishop Qin adjusted the compass and channeled energy into it. A line of trembling text appeared above the compass:

"Kan position...attacked...traitor...colluded from within and without...seal broken...come quickly..."

The text ends here.

"The Kan position formation's core has been attacked?" Xu Qingqing exclaimed in shock. "Old Jiang is that strong..."

"If it's an internal traitor coordinating with an external attack, even the strongest defense will be hard to defend against." Bishop Qin put away his compass. "We must go to provide support immediately. If the Kan position falls, the entire earth vein network will become unbalanced, and the pressure on the Wen Shu array eye will be even greater."

"But on the night of the full moon..." Li Shancheng hesitated.

"The crisis at Kanwei is the prelude to the Battle of the Full Moon," Bishop Qin decided decisively. "Su Yan is already on her way; she sent a message saying she'll be heading directly to Kanwei. We can't fall behind."

He looked at Li Shancheng: "Shancheng, your bloodline ability is still unstable, but the Kan position crisis may be exactly the 'real combat test' you need. However, you must promise me that if you feel you are losing control, stop immediately and don't force it."

"I understand," Li Shancheng nodded.

"I'll go too," Xu Qingqing said.

"And me too." Liu Wei came out of the west wing. "I'm quite familiar with Hanshan Technology's tactics and equipment, so maybe I can be of help."

Bishop Qin pondered for a moment: "Alright, but we must be fully prepared. The Kan position array eye is located in the mountainous area north of Beijing, with complex terrain, and it's the battlefield chosen by Hanshan Technology, so it's bound to be full of traps."

They quickly prepared their equipment. Besides the usual magical artifacts and weapons, Bishop Qin also specially took out several of his most prized possessions:

• "Earth-Walking Boat" is a palm-sized wooden boat model that can be transformed into a real boat when infused with energy. It can travel through the land and is used for fast movement and avoiding ground traps.

• "Break-Breaking Bells" are a string of seven copper bells, each corresponding to a common protective barrier or trap. Shaking them can temporarily weaken or break through them.

• "Rejuvenation Powder" is a specially made healing powder that has remarkable effects on energy damage.

Once everything was ready, Bishop Qin activated the Earth-Traveling Boat in the center of the courtyard. The wooden boat model absorbed energy and rapidly expanded, transforming into a real boat capable of accommodating four people, but its hull was semi-transparent, seemingly existing between reality and illusion.

"Get on board." Bishop Qin stepped in first, the ship slid slightly, as if stepping on soft ground.

Li Shancheng, Xu Qingqing, and Liu Wei boarded the ship in turn. Bishop Qin chanted an incantation, and the ship sank completely into the ground—not by digging through the soil, but by merging into the earth like a fish entering water. The surrounding soil and rocks became transparent, and they could see the underground structure: rock layers, water veins, mineral veins, and those glowing energy channels—the network of ley lines.

The Earth-Traveling Boat moved rapidly along a glowing energy channel at an astonishing speed. Li Shancheng could see many branches around the channel, leading in different directions. The light from one of the branches was noticeably dim, yet it was still flickering.

"That's the tributary leading to the Kan position array eye," Bishop Qin pointed to the passage. "The energy is disordered; it's definitely under attack."

As they approached the critical point, they could feel increasingly intense energy fluctuations—not natural pulsations, but shockwaves generated by battle. The earth-walking vessel began to rock violently, and cracks appeared in the tunnel walls.

"We're almost there." Bishop Qin slowed the ship down. "Prepare for battle, but remember, our primary objective is to support Jiang Han and confirm the status of the Kan position array, not to eliminate all enemies."

The ship rose to the surface, breaking through the earth. They arrived at the entrance to an underground cave, and the sight before them made everyone gasp.

The cave interior should have been a space similar to the Wenshu Secret Treasury, but now it was in a mess. Most of the runes on the walls had gone out, the ground was covered with cracks, and the water in the central pool—the core of the Kan position array—was boiling, its color changing from clear blue to murky dark red.

Jiang Han leaned against a boulder, his body riddled with wounds, his dark blue robe stained crimson with blood. Yet he remained standing, his hands forming a hand seal, maintaining a precarious water barrier. Outside the barrier, five men in black continued their attack, their weapons emitting dark red energy beams, each strike causing the water barrier to ripple violently.

Even more shockingly, among the attackers was a familiar face—Zhao Feng, the commander of the ambush at Shuanglong Bridge.

"How could he be here?" Xu Qingqing exclaimed. "Kanwei is in northern Beijing, and Shuanglongqiao is in the city center. How could he have moved so quickly?"

"Unless... there's more than one Zhao Feng," Liu Wei said, her face pale. "Or, Zhao Feng has a way to move quickly."

Bishop Qin acted without hesitation. He threw out the Barrier-Breaking Bell, its sound echoing through the cave, causing the attackers to visibly pause. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Shancheng and Xu Qingqing burst out of the water curtain, each heading towards one of the two enemies.

Li Shancheng chose an opponent who wielded a long whip. The whip darted through the darkness like a venomous snake, its tip barbed, each swing accompanied by a piercing whistling sound. He activated the Kan Water Amulet, unleashing a water shield in front of him, but the whip managed to partially pierce the shield; the barbs grazed his arm, leaving a burning pain.

"New kid," said a woman wielding a whip, her voice hoarse. "Is this the level of reinforcements Old Man Jiang was waiting for?"

Li Shancheng didn't answer, concentrating on recalling combat techniques. Knowledge from the Book of Light surged forth again, this time concerning the application of water magic. He drew circles with his hands, and the water vapor in the air rapidly condensed, transforming into dozens of ice needles, which shot out.

The woman parried with her whip, shattering most of the ice needles, but a few still struck her shoulder and leg. The ice needles melted immediately upon impact, leaving deep wounds that exposed bone—the needles contained highly concentrated energy.

"Interesting." The woman sneered, but her movements became noticeably slower.

On the other side, Xu Qingqing was fighting an opponent wielding dual swords. Her golden eyes were fully lit, allowing her to predict every attack. The dual swords flashed like silver light, but always missed by a hair's breadth, unable to touch Xu Qingqing. Conversely, her short staff struck precisely at her opponent's weaknesses with each blow, leaving burning marks on her enemy with golden runes.

Bishop Qin then directly confronted Zhao Feng and the other two enemies. He displayed strength far exceeding his usual abilities; the compass in his hand was not only used for detection but could also fire energy beams, allowing him to handle all three opponents with ease.

But the situation quickly changed.

Zhao Feng suddenly took a step back and took out a metal cylinder from his pocket. He pressed a button, and a dark red beam of light shot out from the cylinder, shooting straight into the sky, piercing through the cave ceiling, its destination unknown.

"He's calling for reinforcements!" Jiang Han shouted weakly.

Almost simultaneously, more footsteps echoed from the cave entrance. At least ten new enemies poured in, three of them dressed in white lab coats similar to research suits and carrying strange instruments.

"Energy suppression field, activate!" a doctor in a white coat shouted.