Twelve Zodiacs

"Then you can clean up the mess for the Taibai Sect!" Qin Shuang's tone was cold, and with a single sentence, he took the lives of Shi Bingguang and the other two.

"Brother Shuang, should we spare their lives and take them back to Chaoge City to be interrogated by the Demon Division? Perhaps there will be other gains," Kou Zhong reminded him from the side.

"Good thing you reminded me. Cripple these three's martial arts and hand them over to Yang Kang and Guo Jing. They're veterans of the Demon Division and are skilled at interrogation!" Qin Shuang realized immediately upon being reminded that these three had, after all, defected to the Northern Yuan allied forces, and some useful intelligence clues might be extracted from them.

"What about the others? Do we need to rescue them?" Qin Shuang continued to ask Qin Sirong.

"No need. We scattered and fled separately to avoid being pursued, and we didn't leave any markers along the way. Whether they can escape alive can only be left to fate!" Qin Sirong's expression was dejected, clearly still worried about the other members of the team.

"In that case, Aunt, why don't you come back to Chaoge with us?" Qin Shuang immediately changed the subject upon seeing this.

"Okay!"

Qin Sirong's injuries were not severe, and with Situ Shuiling present, after a simple treatment, she could ride a horse and travel with them immediately.

The group slowly exited Taizhou and entered Qingzhou.

The sun was setting, leaving a lingering glow in the sky, dyeing half of it red. The red clouds were like brocade, like a painting, like a dream, reflecting the beauty of the world.

Under the faint afterglow, the murderous From Dragon Guards also became gentle and warm.

However, such a moment did not last long. Soon, they became highly alert again, returning to that state of extreme tension.

This was because, on the official road ahead, twenty-three figures stood unevenly, blocking Qin Shuang and his group.

These twenty-three people had different appearances and heights. The person in the middle was ugly, a natural deformity and dwarf, sitting in a metal wheelchair, emitting a shrill, strange laugh: "Hehehe, has Great Shang run out of people, sending a group of child soldiers on a mission? You're underestimating this jianghu!"

"Children, be sensible and hand over Ni Pusa, and I'll spare your lives. Otherwise, don't blame us, the Twelve Zodiacs, for being ruthless!"

"Boss, you're too polite to them. Just kill them all!"

"Look at how handsome the men are and how beautiful the women are. It would be a shame to kill them. We should at least have some fun with them first."

"Twelve Zodiacs!" Qin Shuang's eyes narrowed. Seeing that many people were watching not far behind the twenty-three, and not knowing how many were hidden in the dark, he knew he absolutely could not show weakness at this moment.

"Wei Wuyai, look at the group around you – creatures that are neither human nor beast, each uglier than the last. You dare to speak so arrogantly here and set your sights on us, the Dragon Guard? I fear you've lived long enough!"

"Hehehe, ignorant brat, you're the first person in so many years to dare provoke us, the Twelve Zodiacs, like this. Just for your courage, I'll make sure to leave you a whole corpse later!" Wei Wuyai's face contorted with rage, becoming extremely ferocious.

"Then I thank you! But I'm not as generous as you. Later, I'll chop you all into pieces and feed you to the dogs!" Qin Shuang said with extreme coldness.

"Enough nonsense. You don't need to exchange insults here. Let's settle this with our fists!" Wei Wuyai's eyes gleamed with cunning and malice. "Leave no one alive, kill!"

Among the Twelve Zodiacs, [Rat] Wei Wuyai was at the late Innate Realm. [Tiger] Bai Shanjun and [Dragon] Long Xiling were at the middle Innate Realm. The remaining twenty people were mostly at the early Innate Realm, with only a few still stuck at the Postnatal Peak.

Facing such a powerful force, Qin Shuang did not dare to be careless. He gripped the hilt of the Sorrow Dispeller saber and cautiously ordered, "Leave some people to defend, and the rest should do what they can. Survival is the priority, and delay them as much as possible!"

"I'll take the next one!" With Tiger Break in hand, Heng Feijing was the first to charge forward. Behind him, Shen Hu Chan, Ding Ning, Wang Dong, and others followed one after another!

[Rat] Wei Wuyai, whose martial arts had reached the late Innate Realm, was the strongest among those present. Shen Hu Chan, the strongest among the Dragon Guard, unhesitatingly faced Wei Wuyai. His Ananda Saber moved forward without reservation, clashing with Wei Wuyai's Netherworld Ghost Claw Hell Eighteen Kills.

[Tiger] Bai Shanjun, with his dark complexion and iron-like beard, had heavy and powerful fists. Wang Dong, as one of the only three Innate Realm experts on the team, naturally could not let Li Sheng Nan, a woman, take the lead. He used his agile footwork combined with the Wang family's Eagle Claw technique to face Bai Shanjun's Tiger Roar Fist, fighting fiercely and evenly.

[Dragon] The leader of the West Spirits, known as Long Xiling, his palm techniques were like a surging flood. His internal energy cultivation was even superior to Bai Shanjun, who was also in the middle Innate Realm. Qin Shuang did not want Li Sheng Nan to take risks. He circulated his Heavenly Frost Qi throughout his body and threw a punch to meet her.

[Ox] Yellow Ox, this person was tall and burly, with a face full of rough flesh and a large beard. His physique was like a strong ox. His martial arts were straightforward. Tang Bao Niu was initially suppressed after actively engaging him. It was only when Zhu Xiaoyao joined and kept him occupied from the side that he could barely maintain his undefeated status.

[Rabbit] Hu Yaoshi, one of the few Postnatal Peak experts among the Twelve Zodiacs. This person was skilled in bone-shrinking techniques, and his movements were agile and varied, making him very difficult to deal with. However, Fang Henshao, famous for his light footwork, using his Cicada Wing Fan to strike pressure points, happened to counter his characteristics perfectly.

[Snake] Green Snake Divine Lord, a master of snake venom. Facing Cheng Lingsu, although his cultivation was deeper, his skill in using poison was completely unable to be utilized, and his abilities were naturally greatly reduced.

[Horse] Ma Yiyun, a beautiful woman with provocative gestures and frivolous speech. All her martial arts were displayed through her pair of strong and slender legs. Feng Qiwu found it unbearable when facing her, retreating step by step. Fortunately, Li Sheng Nan replaced him with the sharpness of her Cloud Cutting Sword, stabilizing the situation.

[Sheep] Bai Yang, with a cunning and sly appearance, was skilled in using hidden weapons. It took the combined efforts of Cai Shuize and Tang Qimei to barely restrain him, preventing him from assisting others.

[Monkey] There were two of them, namely Fruit Offering Divine Lord and Golden Ape Star, both at the Postnatal Peak realm. Both were thin and small, with protruding mouths and pointed cheeks, looking three parts human and seven parts ape. Yang Kang and Guo Jing, using Quanzhen Swordplay together, fought against them. Although they had an advantage in moves, their cultivation was slightly inferior. In the back-and-forth exchange, they managed to maintain a draw.

[Chicken] Si Chenke, one was a red-clothed rooster using Chicken Beak Peck, another was a yellow-clothed man using a pair of fast knives, and three were in colorful clothes using Chicken Claw Scythes and Chicken Tails. There were a total of five people. On the Dragon Guard side, Jiang Xiaoyu, Huai Mie, Huai Kong, Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling, a group of five, specifically faced them together, using this battle to cultivate their mutual tacit understanding.