Half an hour later, the entire third battalion relocated to a concealed cavern.

The torchlight flickered on the rock walls, reflecting stalactites hanging from the ceiling like hanging swords.

Several Earth Element Spiritualists placed their hands on the ground, chanting incantations. A dull "ka-ka" sound came from outside the cave—a heavy earth wall was closing in from both sides, sealing the entrance tightly. On the other side, several underground passages were being opened, providing an escape route for everyone.

"Everyone, eat this."

Several company commanders laid out several porcelain jars, pouring out gray-black elixir pills that emitted a faint herbal scent.

The warriors extended their hands to take them, skillfully popping them into their mouths.

The elixirs melted as soon as they entered the mouth, a cool sensation sliding down the throat, and the spiritual energy in the dantian instantly became docile, even the breathing seemed lighter.

This was a military department's special Breath Concealment Pill. In the hundreds of years of struggle against demons in the Demon Suppression Abyss, humans have long developed a comprehensive system to counteract the demon tides.

Lu Sheng chewed on an elixir pill, but his eyes glanced at Li Fei in the corner, who was huddled by the rock wall, hugging his knees, not saying a word.

"Camp Commander Qin, how on earth did you make this kid listen obediently?"

Lu Sheng leaned over, whispering as quietly as a mosquito hum, his face full of disbelief, "This Li Fei is Yan Song's die-hard follower. No matter how we dealt with him before, he cursed persistently, and reported the next day. Yet you managed in a few words..."

To be honest, he had more than once wanted to get rid of this kid. On the battlefield, it was all too easy to reasonably let a soldier die.

However, the former Camp Commander Xu Xiong, being from the military, never accepted the idea of harming comrades, even if this comrade had caused him a lot of trouble.

Qin Tian was checking personnel conditions, and upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "It's nothing more than appealing with emotion and reasoning."

In fact, he bore no ill will toward Li Fei, as in the army, it was normal for superiors to send people to monitor subordinates, and Li Fei was merely fulfilling his duties.

At its core, it was Yan Song's deliberate targeting of the third battalion that made Li Fei appear so hateful.

Lu Sheng's lips twitched, for he wouldn't believe Qin Tian's nonsense. Clearly, the commander had some unknown peculiar means to make Li Fei surrender.

Deep in the cavern, phosphorescent stones emitted a faint white light, elongating the shadows of the stalactites. Warriors sat in twos and threes against the rock wall, their breathing so quiet it was almost inaudible—the Breath Concealment Pills suppressed not only spiritual energy fluctuations but also made physiological breath as silent as stone.

Drip, drip.

Suddenly, a droplet of water formed on the cave ceiling and fell into a small puddle, making a crisp sound.

In this extreme silence, the dripping sound struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. Several people suddenly opened their eyes, instinctively reaching for the weapons at their waists, only relaxing when they confirmed the surroundings were still peaceful, though their eyes retained a cautious gleam.

During the impending demon tide, this enclosed cavern did not represent absolute safety; everyone had to remain highly alert to respond to any dangers that might arise at any moment.

Outside the cavern, the wind was calm, and there were no demons passing by, but the concentration of demonic Qi visibly climbed. The dark purple sky grew more overcast, as if a massive obsidian stone was pressing down from above, thickening even the air.

Suddenly, Qin Tian's brow furrowed slightly as his spiritual power sensed a peculiar buzzing sound from the distant horizon.

The sound wasn't from any creature; it seemed more like the vibration of the laws of heaven and earth, carrying an annihilating oppression, sweeping through from the depths of the Demon Suppression Abyss.

"It's here!" Qin Tian softly exclaimed, his voice small yet it was as if a rock had been plunged into a calm lake, instantly raising the tension in the cavern among all the warriors.

Almost the moment his words fell, a deafening rumble came from outside.

It wasn't thunder; it was an energy eruption triggered after the concentration of demonic Qi reached a critical level.

Through his spiritual power, Qin Tian "saw" the dark purple sky being torn open like a giant rend, with demonic Qi as thick as ink pouring down like a tsunami, devouring even the light.

The previously calm ground began to tremble violently; the cracks of rocks were heard outside the earthen walls—that was the sound of demonic Qi eroding rock.

More unsettling were the excited howls of demons from afar.

These were no longer the fierce cries during a usual hunt; it was a kind of near-mad revelry.

Previously scattered demons now seemed to be summoned, gathering toward the densest concentration of demonic Qi.

Their figures grew larger under the nourishment of the demonic Qi; ghostly light flickered on their ferocious faces, and their claws and fangs seemed to grow sharper. Even some low-level demons' eyes glowed blood red—it was a sign of berserk; their combat power under the demon tide increased by at least thirty percent.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar came from the direction of the Demon Cave, a roar from a high-tier demon, filled with arrogance and authority.

Soon after, countless demons howled in response, converging into a terrifying wave of sound, as if to overturn the entire Demon Suppression Abyss.

They began to ram and bite aimlessly, not just targeting humans, but infighting for territories dense with demonic Qi.

The entire Demon Suppression Abyss suddenly turned into a giant slaughterhouse, chaotic and frenzied.

Inside the cavern, the warriors held their breaths, listening to the terrifying sounds from outside; every face was written with tension and gravitas.

They knew this was merely the beginning of the demon tide. Greater danger was still to come.

"Everyone stay calm, do not make any noise." Qin Tian's voice echoed in the warriors' minds, carrying a calming force.

"Although the demon tide is terrifying, as long as we remain hidden, we can surely endure it."

The warriors nodded heavily, a look of determination appearing in their eyes.

Time passed by the drop, the demon revelry outside continued, even growing more intense. Outside the cavern, quite a few demons passed by but couldn't detect the life hidden behind the earthen wall.

"The Breath Concealment Pill really is remarkable."

Qin Tian silently marveled; this elixir was likely crafted by the Dongfang family. After years of research and improvement, the Breath Concealment Pill was enough to shield against the perception of most demons.

The demon tide reached its peak and would continue for a few hours more.

At this moment, Qin Tian did not dare to easily release his spiritual power to scout, to avoid being detected by other demons. Fortunately, his heat detection and magnetic field sensing could help him track the movements of nearby demons.

The cavern remained silent, with only the occasional sound of dripping water.

Suddenly, Qin Tian received a message in his mind, his pupils narrowing.

Li Qi, who was monitoring the Demon Cave outside, encountered danger.

Before the demon tide arrived, he had also urged Li Qi to hide in the cavern, but Li Qi was exceptionally confident in his concealment abilities and desired to continue monitoring near the Demon Cave.

After consideration, Qin Tian agreed to Li Qi's plan, as he was quite familiar with the power of the Silver Level Night Demon Bloodline, and regarding hiding one's aura, it was far superior to a Breath Concealment Pill.

But now it seemed, he had underestimated the demons during the demon tide.

"Li Qi is in trouble; I'm going over, you all keep an eye on things."

Qin Tian's voice echoed in the minds of several officers, and in the next moment, a faint silver light flashed, and he vanished from where he stood.

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