Chapter 270: Rescue

A Level 2 Purification Tower that had previously been activated has been contaminated once again.

Li Luo knows very well what this means.

Because ordinary Otherkind do not have the ability to continue contaminating an activated Level 2 Purification Tower; even a Disaster-level Otherkind cannot do it.

In the current area, only one Otherkind is capable of this: that Great Disaster-level Smiley Otherkind.

This re-contaminated Level 2 Purification Tower is located at the junction of the outer and inner perimeters, which indicates that the Smiley Otherkind is moving, and the direction it is moving is toward this stronghold...

At this moment, a sense of heaviness rose in Li Luo's heart; the worst-case scenario had finally appeared.

The speed at which that Otherkind has set its sights on the stronghold is even faster than they had imagined.

"I remember this Level 2 Purification Tower was activated by Duze Honglian and the others before, right?" Li Luo asked.

Jiang Qing'e nodded slightly.

Li Luo frowned: "I don't know if their team has made it back yet."

Although he is not fond of the Duze siblings—after all, from any standpoint, both sides are considered hostile—in the current situation, if they could have the help of Duze Honglian and her team, it would undoubtedly relieve a lot of pressure.

Regardless, Duze Honglian's team is among the best in the Third Star Hall, and their combat power is quite considerable.

Jiang Qing'e shook her head and said: "I have been keeping an eye on them too, but I haven't received any news from them yet. However, if they are smart enough, they should be returning soon."

"I hope so."

Li Luo sighed. He looked at the teams continuously returning from afar and rubbed his brow with a headache. He never expected that he would just come to this Dark Cave to earn some points, only to suddenly provoke such a huge problem.

Really, it's never worry-free.

For now, one can only hope that the academy will be able to react as quickly as possible after receiving the news.

Astral Sage College.

In a basement-like venue, the layout here is exceptionally unique; both the floor and the walls are formed by intertwined ancient roots.

Figures walk back and forth within it.

On some stone platforms, several figures sit cross-legged. At this moment, these figures are all holding a section of root, eyes closed, and flowing light flashes across those roots from time to time.

Suddenly, someone opened their eyes, a look of gravity flashing across their face. A leaf as green as jade appeared in their hand.

"There is an emergency!" they said in a deep voice.

Many gazes were immediately cast toward the center of the room. A Purple-Glory Mentor stationed at the academy walked over quickly, took the green leaf from the latter's hand, and then focused on sensing the information within it.

"Stronghold 13, a Great Disaster-level Otherkind has appeared?"

A moment later, their expression changed slightly.

Immediately, they looked at the person beside them and asked: "How much time is left until the teleportation array for Stronghold 13 opens?"

"... even more days, because it just opened today, and it is currently in the process of accumulating energy."

Hearing this answer, the Purple-Glory Mentor's brows furrowed even tighter. This time is too long; if a Great Disaster-level Otherkind has really appeared at Stronghold 13, it will inevitably target the students at the stronghold.

And with the stronghold's defensive power, it might not be able to hold it off.

If the stronghold's defenses are truly breached by that Great Disaster-level Otherkind, the students there will inevitably face death.

The total annihilation of the students at a stronghold is absolutely a major event that would shake the academy, and this matter might even spread throughout the Great Xia Kingdom.

This would bring about many negative repercussions.

"Damn it, how could a Great Disaster-level Otherkind slip into the outer area?" the Purple-Glory Mentor cursed in a low voice, then asked again: "Which students are at Stronghold 13?"

Someone immediately handed over the list of those assigned to Stronghold 13.

The Purple-Glory Mentor scanned it quickly: "Jiang Qing'e? Duze Honglian? They are both the top students of the Third Star Hall... but with their strength, I'm afraid they can't stop a Great Disaster-level Otherkind."

After finishing the list, the Purple-Glory Mentor had an even worse headache. Jiang Qing'e, Duze Honglian, and Li Luo are all top students of the academy; their talent is being watched even by the academy's higher-ups. If something happens to them here, it would truly be a huge problem.

However, the Purple-Glory Mentor quickly made a response.

"Send a message to the Fourth Star Hall team closest to Stronghold 13, and have them gather at the fastest speed, then rush to Stronghold 13 to provide support."

"Yes!" someone hurriedly replied.

The Purple-Glory Mentor watched the person who went to deliver the message, their brows still locked tightly. In the end, they could only let out a sigh.

"I hope it's in time."

The area deeper into the outer zone of the Dark Cave is known as the Sweeping Zone; this is the combat area for Fourth Star Hall students and some Gold-Glory Mentors.

And the Otherkind that appear here almost no longer include White-Erosion level; at the very least, they are Red-Erosion level, and Disaster-level Otherkind are not exactly rampant, but they are definitely not rare.

Occasionally, one might even encounter some Great Disaster-level Otherkind, and whenever such a level of Otherkind appears, it will trigger a fierce battle.

At this time, in a certain direction of this area, some Fourth Star Hall teams received some information that suddenly came from their Green Wood Plaques.

It was sent from within the academy.

It was an emergency distress signal.

Support Stronghold 13.

This sudden call for help caught these Fourth Star Hall students and some Gold-Glory Mentors off guard. They also found it hard to believe that a Great Disaster-level Otherkind could actually pass through their blockade and appear in the outer area.

However, the Dark Cave is so vast that even though they are the closest to Stronghold 13, it would still take a considerable amount of time to rush there.

This, I'm afraid, won't be in time!

At a gathering point in this region.

The teams here also received the sudden instruction and fell into a dispute for a moment. Their dispute was whether there was enough time to go for rescue; if there wasn't, wouldn't it be a wasted trip?

Somewhere in the crowd, a beautiful figure with a peerless appearance was particularly eye-catching; it was the Princess.

She was wearing light purple clothes and trousers. The seemingly simple attire on her body revealed an unmistakable nobility and magnificence. At this moment, her pretty face also changed slightly: "Stronghold 13? Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e are at this stronghold?"

"How could they be so unlucky..."

The Princess's delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and her slender fingers were gently clenched; this was a sign of her irritable mood.

The arguments from other Fourth Star Hall teams around her were still coming. The Princess took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, and then she stood up. Her weapon, which looked like a white jade scepter, stomped heavily on the ground, making a low sound.

The surrounding arguments quieted down a lot, and gazes were cast toward her.

Then they saw that the Princess's pretty face, which usually wore an approachable smile, was now covered in frost.

The Princess's phoenix eyes scanned the area with majesty, and her voice was cold: "I don't want to say any nonsense. I just want to tell you that those are our classmates facing a crisis of annihilation. If we don't go, they might even all die on this desolate, cold, and gloomy land."

"If you were no longer students of the Astral Sage College, I wouldn't ask you to do anything, but... since we are still in this Astral Sage College, we have an obligation to save them."

"Regardless of whether we can make it in time, I will not abandon them."

After the Princess's voice fell, she said no more, turned around, and headed outside the stronghold.

Behind her, some Fourth Star Hall students immediately followed.

The other Fourth Star Hall students looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and finally, they all followed. The entire gathering point instantly became empty.

It must be said that the appeal the Princess possesses in this Fourth Star Hall is indeed unparalleled.

Listening to the many footsteps following behind, the Princess's expression did not have any ripples. Her phoenix eyes held some worry as she looked in the direction of Stronghold 13.

The reason she was so anxious was mainly because of Li Luo.

After all, her own younger brother's congenital defect still relies on him for treatment.

"Li Luo..."

"You must hold on."

She murmured, and then her beautiful figure soared into the sky.