Chapter 245 Mysterious Allies

Qin Feng and his companions were walking quickly along the road back to the academy. They destroyed the altar of the followers of the Lord of Shadows in the cave and brought back several important scrolls. At this time, they felt a little relaxed, but also full of eager expectations.

"Everyone, just hold on a little longer, we'll be back at the academy soon." Qin Feng encouraged. He walked in front with a high level of concentration.

"I must take a good bath when I return to the academy." Zhang Meng grinned, his face covered with dust, looking like a mud monkey.

"Don't worry, there are more important things to do." Ye Li took out the scrolls and shook them, "These things can't get dirty."

"By the way, we need to let Vice President Feng see these scrolls as soon as possible." Chu Tian nodded, "I hope there are clues to deal with the Lord of Shadows."

"That's right." Qin Feng responded, "Although we have disrupted their plan this time, we are still far from defeating them completely."

While everyone was talking, suddenly, footsteps were heard in the woods ahead. Qin Feng immediately raised his hand and signaled everyone to stop.

"Someone!" Qin Feng whispered, tightening the Dragon Shadow Sword in his hand.

Ye Li and Chu Tian also quickly entered a state of alert, and Zhang Meng even took a stance ready to punch at any time.

"Don't be nervous, it's me." A familiar voice came from behind the tree, and then an old man in a gray robe walked out from behind the tree.

"Master!" Qin Feng shouted in surprise when he saw the old man.

"Ah, Brother Feng's master is here!" Zhang Meng was surprised and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

This old man was Qin Feng's cultivation mentor when he was in the academy. His surname was Liu, and everyone in the academy respectfully called him Elder Liu. Elder Liu was usually kind, but he was extremely strict in cultivation. Qin Feng learned a lot from him, so he always respected him.

"Elder, why are you here?" Qin Feng stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"I heard from Vice President Feng that you guys were on a mission, so I came out to take a look." Elder Liu said with a smile, "From the looks of you, you guys completed the mission pretty well."

Qin Feng nodded, briefly reported what they encountered in the cave, and handed the scrolls brought out of the cave to Elder Liu.

"We destroyed their altar and set fire to the scroll room." Qin Feng said, "These scrolls look very important. They may be the key to resurrecting the Lord of Shadows."

Elder Liu took the scroll, flipped through it carefully, and nodded: "These are indeed the scrolls of the ancient Shadow Sect. You did a good job, destroying their altar and interrupting their rituals."

"However, Elder, we are still a little worried." Ye Li said, "The followers of the Lord of Shadows are obviously not only here, they may have other bases."

"Your concerns are justified." Elder Liu nodded approvingly. "The Shadow Lord's power is spread all over the continent. It is impossible to eradicate it overnight. But you have taken an important step."

"Elder, what should we do next?" Chu Tian asked.

Elder Liu thought for a moment and said, "After returning to the academy, I will discuss further countermeasures with Vice President Feng. You all take a rest for the time being and wait for orders."

"Yes." Qin Feng nodded in response.

Just as they were about to continue on their journey, suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from a distance. Everyone immediately became alert, and Qin Feng raised the Dragon Shadow Sword again.

"Another enemy?" Zhang Meng gritted his teeth and said, "I won't show mercy this time!"

"No, they are not enemies." Elder Liu waved his hand, signaling everyone to stay calm. "I have an appointment with an old friend here, and he may come."

Sure enough, after a while, a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe came over. He was tall and slender, with delicate features and a gentle smile on his face. As soon as the man saw Elder Liu, he quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Elder Liu, how are you?" the man said.

"Haha, long time no see, how are you?" Elder Liu responded with a smile, and it was obvious that the two had a good relationship.

"Thanks to your teachings, I'm fine." The man replied, then turned to Qin Feng and the others, "Are these your disciples?"

"Yes." Elder Liu nodded, "This is Qin Feng, and these are his partners: Chu Tian, ​​Zhang Meng, and Ye Li."

"I'm Lan Xiu." The man nodded to everyone, "I'm an old friend of Elder Liu."

Qin Feng and his companions quickly saluted: "Hello, Mr. Lan."

"You don't have to be so polite." Lan Xiu said with a smile, "I have heard about your deeds. It is true that heroes emerge young."

"No, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Lan." Qin Feng said modestly.

Lan Xiu and Elder Liu were talking on the side, and Qin Feng and the others stepped back slightly to give them some space. They vaguely heard Lan Xiu mention some information about the Lord of Shadows, and how to unite with other forces to deal with it.

After a while, Elder Liu turned around and said to Qin Feng and others: "Lan Xiu is my good friend for many years. He also has some power in the eastern region. We are discussing how to unite more forces to fight against the Lord of Shadow together."

"That's great." Ye Li said happily, "If we can unite more people, we will have a better chance of winning."

"That's right." Lan Xiu nodded and said, "We have a secret base in the east that can be used as a temporary command center. If you are willing, you can go there with me to continue collecting intelligence."

Qin Feng and his companions looked at each other and thought it was a good idea. Although they had destroyed a stronghold, the power of the Shadow Lord was obviously more than that. Uniting more forces was the best way to deal with this crisis.

"We are willing to go." Qin Feng said, "Please give us guidance, Mr. Lan."

"Okay, let's go together." Lan Xiu said with a smile.

Lan Xiu led Qin Feng and his party through the woods and came to a hidden valley. There was a small village in the valley. The houses in the village were simple and tidy, and it looked like a peaceful paradise.

"This is our secret base." Lan Xiu said, "It is usually very quiet here and will not attract attention."

"What a great place." Zhang Meng exclaimed, "This way we can plan our operations more safely."

"Yes." Lan Xiu led everyone into a small room that looked like a command center. "We have arranged some personnel here to be on standby at any time."

Qin Feng and his companions walked into the cabin and found that it was simply furnished, but fully equipped. There were several maps hanging on the wall, and various documents and scrolls were piled on the table, which were obviously used to process intelligence and command operations.

"This is our operations room," Lan Xiu introduced. "We plan operations here and collect intelligence on the Lord of Shadows."

"What are marked on these maps?" Ye Li asked, pointing at the maps on the wall.

"These are the strongholds of the followers of the Lord of Shadows that we know of." Lan Xiu explained, "We have already sent people to scout some of them, and some are still under planning."

"It looks like we have a lot of work to do." Qin Feng said, "What can we do to help?"

Lan Xiu smiled and said, "First, we need to decipher the contents of these scrolls. Then, we need to continue investigating these bases and find more clues."

Qin Feng handed the scroll he brought back from the cave to Lan Xiu and Elder Liu. Lan Xiu took out a magnifying glass from the toolbox on the table and carefully examined the words and symbols on the scroll.

"These symbols are indeed the ancient texts of the Shadow Cult." Lan Xiu said, "It seems that they are planning a bigger operation."

"Is there any way to interpret it?" Qin Feng asked.

"This will take time," Elder Liu said, "but I have studied some similar symbols before, and maybe I can find a clue."

"We can help." Ye Li said, "We also have some knowledge of spells and ancient characters."

"Okay." Lan Xiu nodded, "Let's work together to decipher these scrolls as quickly as possible."

They began to work together, Lan Xiu and Elder Liu were responsible for the main interpretation work, Qin Feng and his partners assisted in collecting and organizing the information. The cabin was a busy scene, everyone was working on their own.

Although Zhang Meng was not very good at interpreting text, he was responsible for sorting and moving the materials. While working, he couldn't help but mutter: "These symbols make me dizzy. I'd better move more things."

Chu Tian and Ye Li studied the symbols on the scroll carefully, sometimes discussing in a low voice and exchanging opinions with each other. Qin Feng looked at the map and thought, he knew that it was not difficult to find these strongholds, the difficult part was how to ensure the success of the operation and not give the enemy a chance to counterattack.

Just as everyone was busy, suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside. Then, a man who looked like a detective rushed into the hut with a nervous look.

"Report! Enemy spotted!" the scout said breathlessly, "A group of men in black are approaching here!"

"What?!" Lan Xiu stood up immediately, "How did they find this place?"

"Maybe our whereabouts have been exposed." Elder Liu frowned and said, "We must react immediately."

Qin Feng clenched the Dragon Shadow Sword, a hint of fighting spirit flashed in his eyes: "Just in time, let's go meet them!"

"Calm down." Lan Xiu waved his hand, "We can't alert the enemy. We have to use strategy to deal with them."

"That makes sense." Ye Li nodded, "A rash fight will not be conducive to our plan."

"I have an idea." Lan Xiu said, "We can set a trap, lure them in, and then catch them all in one fell swoop."

Qin Feng nodded: "Okay, let's act according to this plan."

Qin Feng and his companions set up a few simple traps at the entrance of the village and ambushed them in the dark. Everyone held their breath and waited for the arrival of the man in black.

After a while, a few men in black walked into the village. They looked around cautiously and approached slowly.

"They are coming." Chu Tian said in a low voice.

"Wait a little longer." Qin Feng responded in a low voice, "Wait until they get close to the trap before taking action."

The men in black gradually approached the trap. Just as they passed by, their feet suddenly went soft and one of the men in black fell into the trap, letting out a scream.

"Get started!" Qin Feng shouted and rushed out first.

Zhang Meng roared and punched the nearest man in black. Chu Tian and Ye Li also drew their swords to fight, and the scene fell into chaos in an instant.

The men in black obviously did not expect an ambush here and panicked for a moment. Qin Feng and his companions took advantage of the terrain and quickly defeated the men in black.

After the battle, Qin Feng and his companions stood in front of several men in black who had fallen to the ground. They searched their belongings and found some maps and letters that looked like some kind of orders.

"It seems that these people are here to search us as well." Chu Tian flipped through the letter and said, "They know we are here."

"But we caught them, which can be regarded as a lesson for the followers of the Lord of Shadows." Zhang Meng said with a smile.

"We have to continue to be vigilant." Qin Feng reminded, "These people are just the vanguard, there may be more people behind."

"Yes, we can't take it lightly." Ye Li nodded.

Lan Xiu and Elder Liu came over, checked the belongings of the men in black, and said, "There is some useful information in these letters. We can use these clues to find more of their bases."

"Then we have a new goal." Qin Feng said, "Continue to search for and destroy the strongholds of the Shadow Lord until they are completely wiped out."

"Yes, this is just the beginning." Elder Liu nodded, "We will decipher the scroll as soon as possible and find a way to deal with the Lord of Shadows."

Qin Feng and his companions looked at each other with fighting spirit in their hearts. They knew that although the road ahead was full of challenges, as long as they were united, nothing could stop them.

"Let's go, let's go back and continue working." Qin Feng said.

Everyone cleaned up the battlefield and returned to the cabin. Their mission was not over yet, and new adventures were waiting for them.

The sun shines through the treetops and sprinkles on their faces, adding a touch of light to their journey. Qin Feng knows that no matter how many difficulties there are ahead, as long as they are together, they will be able to overcome all the darkness.