Summon Companions

But the moment they stepped inside the city, the man standing at the gate suddenly slammed the heavy doors shut with a loud bang.

The sound of the closing gates sent a jolt through the nerves of the four.

"Why did you close the gates? If we encounter danger, there won’t be any time to reopen them!"

The four turned hostile gazes toward the man at the rear, their faces filled with alarm.

Not only that, but they couldn’t reopen the gates—meaning if this man refused to let them out, they were trapped.

The man at the gate grinned.

It was an eerie sight.

As he laughed, his mouth stretched wider and wider, until it split into a monstrous, gaping maw.

A massive tongue unfurled, lashing toward the four.

In an instant, one of the male convicts was snatched up, dragged into the creature’s mouth, and chewed alive amidst agonized, blood-curdling screams.

The remaining three were paralyzed with terror, their faces drained of color.

The crowd in the square was equally horrified. The moment the man was devoured, one of the floating images above vanished, but through the others’ perspectives, they could still witness the gruesome scene in its entirety.

It was too brutal. Too horrifying.

"This is bad!"

"That man is a demon infiltrating our human ranks! No wonder he demanded no reward to enter a Level 7 Forbidden Zone."

The leaders of the various factions also paled, realizing the man had been a demon in disguise.

Yet in the brief moment of their shock, another convict was swallowed whole by the monstrosity.

"Run!"

The sole surviving woman and the remaining man exchanged a glance, knowing resistance was futile, and immediately took to the air in desperate flight.

"Keh keh!"

The demon licked its lips, its expression dripping with mockery.

"Foolish humans. Do you really think you can escape my Demon-Sealing City?"

Its tongue shot out like a whip, coiling around the man’s leg and yanking him back with brutal force.

"Go to hell!"

The man roared, drawing a pair of blades and slashing down, severing the tongue. Free once more, he bolted.

"Hmph!"

"Pathetic."

The demon sneered—and the severed tongue on the ground suddenly shot up like a blade, piercing the fleeing man’s body in an instant.

Now, only the woman remained.

Her face was twisted in terror, pupils dilated, teeth sinking into her lower lip as sheer unwillingness burned in her eyes.

She gripped her sword tightly, though she knew any struggle would be in vain.

Back in the square, only one image remained in the sky.

But few were watching anymore. They all knew—there was no hope left.

This mission had ended in failure.

At last, the severed tongue lashed toward the woman.

She barely dodged, but the attack still grazed her abdomen, drawing blood.

Though she had survived this strike, the outcome was inevitable.

The crowd in the square sighed, already turning to leave.

Then, someone shouted—

"Look! There’s another figure!"

At the cry, the dispersing crowd whipped their gazes back to the image. Sure enough, another person seemed to have appeared on the scene.

In the final image, a man in white robes strolled leisurely into view, muttering to himself—though the projection could only show visuals, not sound.

The surviving woman was stunned.

How was there another person in the city? And such a young one at that?

Yet her gaze turned wary. Could this be another demon in disguise?

But before her suspicions could solidify, the newcomer suddenly taunted the demon.

Yi Feng hadn’t expected to stumble upon humans and a seemingly powerful demon after his fruitless search.

A flicker of hope reignited in his chest—so of course he had to provoke it.

"Damnable human!"

The demon was equally surprised to find another human in the city, but Yi Feng’s mockery enraged it.

Its elongated tongue lashed out like a blade, piercing through the air straight for Yi Feng’s vitals.

The woman’s face darkened.

Seeing Yi Feng provoke the demon confirmed he was human, and for a fleeting moment, she felt a sliver of relief at finding a fellow survivor.

But now, the demon was attacking him—and this fool wasn’t even dodging!

"Move!"

"Is this guy insane?"

Back in the distant square, the crowd erupted in anxious cries.

They had thought this mysterious newcomer might turn the tide, but now it seemed he was just another casualty.

Finally, under countless watching eyes, the demon’s bladelike tongue struck Yi Feng’s chest—aimed straight for his heart.

Many couldn’t bear to watch, shutting their eyes instinctively.

Yet to everyone’s shock, the tongue collided with Yi Feng’s body as if hitting solid stone. The impact sent a jolt of pain through the demon, its tongue trembling violently.

"What?"

"He’s unharmed?"

"Does his heart have some kind of protection?"

"How did the tongue not even scratch him?"

Both the woman on-site and the distant spectators gasped in disbelief.

They had assumed this newcomer was reckless—but he clearly had tricks up his sleeve.

"Tch. Looked all high and mighty, but you’re just another weakling."

Yi Feng’s hopeful expression soured instantly.

He seized the quivering tongue and yanked hard.

"Boom!"

The demon was hurled into the ground with enough force to crater the stone.

Not done yet, Yi Feng hoisted the tongue again and flung the creature like a ragdoll.

"Crash!"

Nearby structures collapsed as the demon crashed into the rubble, howling in pain.

The spectacle of Yi Feng toying with the demon left the onlookers in awe.

"Who is this guy? He’s incredible!"

"He’s dominating that demon!"

"So his presence here wasn’t a coincidence after all."

The expedition’s organizers shot to their feet, eyes locked onto Yi Feng’s image.

"Is he from our Heavenly Domain?"

"Does anyone recognize him?"

"Which major faction does he belong to?"

"Someone this strong can’t be unknown!"

Amid the clamor, curiosity about this mysterious powerhouse’s origins ran wild.

On the battlefield, the lone surviving woman covered her mouth, watching Yi Feng effortlessly brutalize the demon.

Her eyes were alight with sheer, overwhelming shock.

Just how powerful this demonic creature was, as one of the individuals involved, she understood better than anyone.

Yet, she never expected that in the hands of this young man, it would only be trampled upon.

"Roar!"

"Damn it, lowly human!"

"You’re dead! How dare you cause trouble in my Demon-Sealing City? I’ll make sure you die—and die horribly!"

The battered demonic creature let out a furious roar from within the ruins before soaring into the sky.

As it ascended, it emitted another strange, unsettling cry.

The sound reverberated throughout the entire city.

"Oh no—it seems to be summoning other demons!"

Seeing this, the woman nearby cried out urgently.

In the distant square, those watching the scene felt their hearts tighten with unease once more.

It was clear to everyone that the demon’s eerie roar was a call to its kin.

Amid the howls, the long-tongued demon had already reached the heights of the sky.

Its voice spread to every corner of Demon-Sealing City.

With a vicious sneer, its eyes brimming with malice and hatred, it had already imagined countless ways to torture the human before it.

However...

Why was the response from the city so slow this time?

Logically, the moment its cry rang out, its companions should have answered. Yet, even after its throat grew hoarse from screaming, there wasn’t the slightest sign of movement.