"If there’s trouble, Elder Mu can hold down the fort and keep Fenglin State safe for a while. As a last resort, we’ll wake all our colleagues who are Entering the Dream."

Shen Bai said thoughtfully, "Lord Liu’s Artifact Dao is truly endlessly versatile."

The Artifact Dao was a very special practice.

Its practitioners took all sorts of artifacts to their absolute limit, using their unique properties to fight their enemies.

Give them a sword, and they could unleash incredible Swordsmanship.

Give them a gourd, and they could even use it to contain aberrations.

Of course, while the Artifact Dao seemed incredibly powerful, its entry barrier was exceptionally high.

Not only did it require natural talent, but even someone as skilled as State Governor Liu Wufeng could only use four artifacts at once.

Any more, and the backlash would kill him.

Therefore, it was a powerful practice with a high barrier to entry, and very few cultivated it.

In the entire Observatory of Fenglin State, only Liu Wufeng and Qin Shuang were practitioners.

Shen Bai continued, "In that case, take the civilians to the designated location immediately. Don’t waste any more time."

Huang Guang and Kong Fang nodded. Then, following Shen Bai’s orders, they quietly carried away the unconscious civilians.

Only Kong Fang left with the civilians.

Huang Guang remained where he was.

Shen Bai had originally planned to leave with the main group, but when he saw Huang Guang stay behind, he sensed something was up.

"Is there something else?" Shen Bai asked.

Huang Guang glanced around. After the main group had left the street, he sidled up and whispered, "Lord Shen, Lord Liu asked me to give you a message. He said you must be extremely careful. This incident might be a ploy the enemy is using to target you."

Hearing this, Shen Bai nodded. "I understand."

’If this incident is connected to the recent Nightmare and Long Yan, then it’s very likely a plot against me.’

’Based on so many civilians Entering the Dream all at once, I have a bold theory. This might just be a smokescreen. The enemy’s real goal is to take my life.’

’As for how they plan to kill me on the spot, I can’t figure that out yet.’

With this in mind, Shen Bai asked, "What were Lord Liu’s exact words?"

Huang Guang organized his thoughts before replying, "Lord Liu’s meaning is that you should move with the main force, but if the situation deviates, you are free to act on your own judgment."

"The most important thing is that you must ensure your own safety. If you were to be harmed, or if they were to succeed, it would be a tremendous loss for Fenglin State."

As he said this, Huang Guang did not add any of his own embellishments; he relayed Liu Wufeng’s words exactly as requested.

’He was also wondering to himself who could possibly be a match for Shen Bai.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’After all, following this series of incidents, Shen Bai was already considered a god-like figure among the members of the Ding Division.’

’No matter the difficulty, it was all child’s play for Shen Bai.’

Of course, despite his doubts, Huang Guang still completed his task.

Shen Bai grunted in acknowledgment. "Don’t worry. Let’s go to where the civilians are gathered and assess the situation first."

Huang Guang nodded, and then he and Shen Bai left the street together.

In a remote area not far from Fenglin State was a spacious public square that few people visited on ordinary days.

The reason was simple: the square had previously been a military barracks.

But after the Great Zhou Country implemented various reforms, the barracks were abandoned.

Most ordinary civilians were busy making a living, and no one was inclined to come out here to spend their leisure time.

For this very reason, it was the perfect place to gather the civilians.

When Shen Bai and Huang Guang arrived, Shen Bai’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper as he looked at the densely packed crowd of civilians ahead.

The civilians were all lying on the ground, some even covered with blankets. Their eyes were shut tight, and their hands and feet were bound.

But they would twitch from time to time, accompanied by waves of murmuring, creating a terrifying sight.

An ordinary person seeing this would probably have fainted from shock.

Liu Wufeng and Elder Mu were there, along with members from the Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding Divisions.

In addition, Liu State Governor was also present with constables from the Government Office, assisting the Observatory with security.

The Observatory had lent them a hand last time, so this time the staff from the Government Office didn’t hesitate, doing everything in their power to help.

Besides, if something like this really did result in the deaths of half the state’s population, neither Liu Wufeng nor Liu State Governor would escape unscathed.

Sensing Shen Bai’s arrival, Liu Wufeng exchanged a few quiet words with Elder Mu before walking over.

"It’s good to see you’re all right."

He had been worried something had happened to Shen Bai. If it had, he would have felt guilty for a long time.

For one thing, he had personally recruited Shen Bai. If Shen Bai died because of this incident, he would be partially responsible.

Although Liu Wufeng was the State Governor of the Observatory, he had also come up through the Jianghu.

The bonds and loyalties of the Jianghu still held a significant place in his heart.

That’s how he was able to forge the Fenglin State Observatory into such a tightly-knit, impenetrable unit.

That wasn’t something that could be achieved through political maneuvering alone.

Shen Bai shook his head. "Don’t worry, Lord Liu. I’m fine. But this time, it’s probably not as simple as just Entering the Dream."

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Rest assured. I have been making preparations ever since the Nightmare first appeared. The artifact I have for this is one I’ve been preparing for a long time."