Breaking Free

Dawn had just broken.

In the roll-call hall, four ten-man scout squads stood in neat, silent ranks.

Sun Chenguang, disguised by Ye Xiaofan, stood like a little transparent nobody at the end of Sun Wucai's squad, his peripheral vision constantly studying the others.

When he saw the team responsible for investigating demon information to the west, one of its members—a stocky middle-aged man with sparse brows, narrow eyes, and a dark complexion—made his heart tremble faintly.

Ever since becoming a cultivator, he had developed this instinctive reaction whenever he encountered someone who posed a threat to him.

Only experts like Tie Wuqing and Xiao Qiaofeng had ever given him this feeling.

The Demon Suppression Division has a hidden expert like this? Could this be Uncle Xiao's arrangement?

The dark-skinned middle-aged man seemed to notice Ye Xiaofan's gaze. He turned to look at him, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth.

Just then, Xiao Qiaofeng walked out.

The dark-skinned middle-aged man turned back, and Ye Xiaofan stopped looking around as well.

Looking at Xiao Qiaofeng ahead of him, Ye Xiaofan frowned slightly. Something felt strange, yet he could not put it into words.

His strength?

That intangible aura seemed different from the Xiao Qiaofeng he knew.

Xiao Qiaofeng swept his gaze across the crowd and cleared his throat.

"Everyone, this mission is arduous. I won't waste words. While keeping yourselves safe, do your utmost to investigate the demons' strength and distribution. I wish you all a safe return."

"Please rest assured, Commander Xiao. We will complete the mission!"

Everyone clasped their fists and shouted in unison.

"Good. Move out!"

Upon receiving the order, the four ten-man scout squads filed out under the leadership of their respective Banner Commanders.

Following Banner Commander Sun Wucai, Ye Xiaofan mounted a horse that had long been prepared and galloped toward the north city gate.

The sky gradually darkened.

A relay station appeared beside the official road.

The relay station's gates sagged crookedly, already beyond recognition.

"We'll rest here tonight. Tomorrow, split into pairs and investigate the demon distribution toward Thorn Swamp. Two days from now, gather in the pine forest west of the Thorn Swamp entrance."

After sending people to investigate the surroundings and confirming that no demons were lurking nearby, Sun Wucai issued the order.

The group led their horses into the relay station. Broken tables, chairs, and debris lay everywhere inside, while blackened bloodstains covered the floor and walls.

Clearly, this place had once suffered a demon attack.

They settled the horses in the relay station stables, found some fodder to toss to them, then returned to the main hall.

"Tonight, four people per group will stand watch. For the first half of the night, Li Dana..."

Sun Chenguang, whom Ye Xiaofan was impersonating, was not assigned a watch shift. As Sun Wucai openly used his authority to favor his own junior, the other eight said nothing.

Clearly, they were long accustomed to it.

Once Sun Wucai had arranged the watches, everyone dispersed, found clean spots, and took out dry rations from their packs to eat.

No one spoke, and no fire was lit.

Ye Xiaofan found a spot by the window and feigned sleep as he waited.

In the middle of the night, the yellowed crescent moon hid fearfully behind dark clouds.

Ye Xiaofan's brow twitched. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the roof.

He had just heard faint footsteps coming from above.

An expert with extraordinary movement arts? Is this Uncle Xiao's arrangement?

Ye Xiaofan swept his gaze through the relay station hall. Seeing that everyone was breathing steadily and that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he was about to rise and investigate outside.

Suddenly, cries of alarm came from outside.

"Demons! Demons..."

Everyone in the hall jolted awake. They grabbed their weapons and rushed outside after Sun Wucai.

"What..."

Sun Wucai had barely moved his lips before the sight before him froze him in fright.

A group of roughly thirty demons was charging toward them. At their head was a wolf demon nearly three meters long, radiating the terrifying aura of the Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

"Banner Commander Sun, what do we do?"

One Demon Suppressing Guard swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice.

Ye Xiaofan glanced at the demons and lost interest. A mere Body Refinement Seventh Layer no longer registered in his eyes.

While everyone's attention was fixed on the demons, Ye Xiaofan inconspicuously turned sideways and looked toward the relay station roof.

A blurry figure stood atop the roof. He could vaguely make out that it was a woman.

Moreover, she gave him a sense of danger.

An accident, or Uncle Xiao's arrangement?

For a moment, Ye Xiaofan could not be certain.

The person on the roof noticed Ye Xiaofan's gaze and nodded at him.

Ye Xiaofan immediately understood. This was someone Xiao Qiaofeng had arranged. At once, he relaxed and turned his gaze back to the charging demons.

He wanted to see how Sun Wucai, at the Body Refinement Sixth Layer, would deal with this.

"Split up and run! Remember, gather in the pine forest west of the Thorn Swamp entrance two days from now!"

Before Sun Wucai's words had even faded, he had already shot more than six meters away, not even caring about this "junior of his Lineage."

Seeing Sun Wucai flee first, the others cursed inwardly and unleashed their movement arts, rushing in different directions.

After one final glance at the person on the roof, Ye Xiaofan drifted north at top speed.

The moment Ye Xiaofan moved, the person on the roof moved as well.

Feeling the faint sound of air splitting behind him, Ye Xiaofan raised his brows and increased his speed by several degrees.

The person behind him remained unhurried, maintaining a safe distance as she followed.

Ye Xiaofan ran more than twenty li in one breath. After shaking off the demons pursuing him, he stopped and turned to face the blurry figure sweeping toward him.

As she drew closer and closer, Ye Xiaofan froze.

He was very familiar with the newcomer: a faceless bronze mask and a Wine Gourd hanging from her waist.

"Gang Leader Tie, how could it be you?"

"Why couldn't it be me?"

Tie Wuqing arrived before Ye Xiaofan. After curiously looking him up and down, she removed the Wine Gourd from her waist and took a deep draught, speaking in a somewhat lazy tone.

"Gang Leader Tie, are you leaving Qingyang County too?"

"That's right!"

After taking several drinks, Tie Wuqing reluctantly rehung the Wine Gourd at her waist. There was not much wine left, so she had to save it.

Joy rose in Ye Xiaofan's heart. With Tie Wuqing traveling alongside him, if his luck truly proved poor and he encountered the Body Refinement Ninth Layer Thorn Crocodile Turtle that had undergone two Blood Replacements, his chances of escaping would be much higher.

With the supreme-grade movement art Wind Shadow Steps, he refused to believe Tie Wuqing could be faster than him.

"Let's go. We need to reach Jinyang Prefecture City as quickly as possible. It would be best if we could invite an expert before the Evil reacts."

Tie Wuqing's deep eyes were full of worry. Xiao Qiaofeng had already told her that the county magistrate was the Evil hiding in Qingyang County, which was why she had agreed to help.

At this moment,

Qingyang County's Demon Suppression Division.

The fake "Ye Xiaofan" was cultivating on the bed in his room.

Creak—

The door opened on its own. The fake "Ye Xiaofan" abruptly opened his eyes and saw someone standing inside the room.

The man had an eerie face, tightly furrowed brows, and boundless fury in his eyes.

His terrifying aura seemed to freeze the air in the room solid.

He came this quickly? I wonder if Xiaofan can escape successfully.

The fake "Ye Xiaofan" sighed inwardly and stared expressionlessly at the county magistrate before him.

"Speak. Where did Ye Xiaofan go?"

The county magistrate flashed forward, seized the fake "Ye Xiaofan" by the throat, and lifted him up. Suppressing the fury in his chest, he asked coldly.

Ever since personally seeing Ye Xiaofan, the county magistrate had immediately understood that Ye Xiaofan was his opportunity—his opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in the future.

Before becoming the Evil, he had merely been an ordinary cultivator. At most, his potential could support him until the Body Refinement Ninth Layer and one Blood Replacement.

After becoming the Evil, he had hidden in Qingyang County, continuously capturing humans in secret and torturing them to absorb emotions such as despair, fear, resentment, and unwillingness.

In only a few short years, he had broken through to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer.

But after cultivating to the Body Refinement Fourth Layer, he discovered that his cultivation speed had become extremely slow. This was a sign that his potential was about to run dry.

Yet Ye Xiaofan's appearance had given him hope.

As long as he devoured the soul origin of Ye Xiaofan, this monstrous genius, he was confident he could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage within twenty years.

"Cough, cough... County... County Magistrate, sir... I... I don't understand what you're saying."

The fake "Ye Xiaofan" said with difficulty, his face red from suffocation.

"Hmph!"

The county magistrate snorted coldly, tightened his grip, and carried the fake "Ye Xiaofan" away.

A rather good idea had formed in his mind.

When the time came, not only could he devour the soul origin of a monstrous genius, he could also conveniently absorb a wave of the geniuses' Seven Emotions and Six Desires.

Like a king in the darkness, the county magistrate carried the unconscious Luo Ming past the Demon Suppressing Guards on patrol without incident and arrived at Xiao Qiaofeng's courtyard.

When he saw that the Xiao Qiaofeng before him was fake as well.

"Good! Good! Good! I'll waste a little time playing with you all."

The county magistrate laughed in extreme rage. He could guess that Xiao Qiaofeng and Ye Xiaofan had certainly mixed into the scout teams that left today.

"Trying to escape my grasp? Simply laughable."