Demons!

"Let... let go of me!"

The white-clothed maiden struggled violently. Although she was an immortal cultivator, her strength was no match for Tang Jie. Furthermore, her shoulder injury had been aggravated, causing her to tremble in pain and cease her struggles.

The white-clothed maiden felt like crying without tears. All the grievances she had suffered in her life paled in comparison to what she had experienced today, and it was all Tang Jie's doing!

"Don't do anything rash!"

Daoist Qingsong's expression changed slightly. If the white-clothed maiden died here, he would not escape responsibility.

"Bull Demon King, your hostage-taking is despicable! Release her immediately!" Li Changshou also shouted urgently. If the white-clothed maiden met with misfortune, his position would be over.

Tang Jie snorted coldly, "Is it not despicable for hundreds of you to fight me one after another?"

This silenced Li Changshou and the others. Indeed, hundreds of their elite soldiers couldn't subdue Tang Jie, and they had even captured one of their own immortal cultivators!

"Let me and my father leave. Otherwise, even if I die today, I will make you pay the price!" Tang Jie said coldly. He had been holding back before, but if he was going to die here, Tang Jie wouldn't care about anything else and would fight with all his might.

"Don't... don't kill me, I... I'm your cousin!" The white-clothed maiden felt the killing intent in Tang Jie's tone and trembled, pleading desperately. She was still young and didn't want to die here.

Daoist Qingsong's expression turned slightly grim. He wasn't afraid of opponents like gods, but he was afraid of teammates who dragged him down.

"What do you want?" Daoist Qingsong asked, his brows furrowed. Tang Jie's use of the white-clothed maiden as a hostage put him in a difficult position.

"Let me and my father leave, and prepare a carriage. I'll release her once we're out of the city," Tang Jie said. Taking a hostage to escape was the only method he could think of at the moment.

"Yes, yes, yes... hurry up and prepare it for him!" The white-clothed maiden nodded repeatedly in agreement. It would be too unjust to die at the hands of her cousin!

"Daoist Qing Song..." The Prefect wanted to say something, but Daoist Qing Song interrupted him.

"Do as he says! If she dies in front of us, you know the consequences."

Daoist Qingsong's expression was grim.

The Prefect gritted his teeth. He beckoned and said, "Do as he says!"

Not long after, soldiers brought a carriage, and Tang Tianhao was delivered by several soldiers.

"Pfft!"

Tang Jie's fingers moved slightly, and with a surge of gang qi, he sliced through the thick iron chains binding Tang Tianhao.

"Get in the carriage!"

Tang Jie said to Tang Tianhao.

Tang Tianhao sighed, knowing that saying anything else at this moment was meaningless. He and Tang Jie got into the carriage, with the white-clothed maiden as the hostage.

"Head out of the city!" Tang Jie instructed the soldier driving the carriage.

"Yes." The soldier glanced at the Prefect and the others before nodding and driving the carriage out of the execution ground, breaking through the parted crowd!

"Did... did he really succeed?"

All the soldiers exchanged bewildered glances. Some of them felt relieved, thinking this might be a good outcome. Many of them had been spared by Tang Jie.

True Person Heyun's expression was complex. While he was relieved that Tang Jie had left safely, he also felt a sense of helplessness. He knew that the yamen would never let Tang Jie get away with this, and he could only escape for a while, not forever!

"Did you really let them go?" Prefect Li Changshou said unwillingly. Letting the prisoner escape was a huge dereliction of duty, and he would definitely be blamed!

"I'll go take a look." Daoist Qingsong shook his head, put away his flying sword, and got up to head out of the execution ground.

The carriage, driven by the soldier, traveled out of Lingyue City and stopped about ten miles away.

Tang Jie's mood was a little complicated. He knew that by storming the execution ground and rescuing Tang Tianhao, he would definitely become a wanted criminal throughout the Great Xia Dynasty.

But Tang Jie couldn't just stand by and watch Tang Tianhao be beheaded.

"Hmm?" Tang Jie's expression changed slightly.

"Tang Jie, let's talk!"

A voice sounded from in front of the carriage. It was Daoist Qingsong!

Even though they were in a carriage, Daoist Qingsong had moved faster than them and intercepted them on the road outside Lingyue City.

Tang Jie and the other two got out of the carriage. He held the trembling white-clothed maiden by the neck, preventing Daoist Qingsong from making a move.

"What do you want to say?" Tang Jie looked at Daoist Qingsong standing in front of the carriage.

Daoist Qingsong raised his hand and said, "I mean no harm. I just want to tell you that what you did today will make you a wanted criminal. There will be no place for you in the Great Xia Dynasty. Even if you escape today, tomorrow there will be immortal cultivators like me hunting you."

Tang Jie knew that Daoist Qingsong was telling the truth. Tang Jie wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could contend with the countless powerful individuals of the entire Great Xia Dynasty!

Tang Tianhao's face was filled with guilt, knowing that Tang Jie was in this situation because of his troubles.

"It's already done, what's the point of saying this now?" Tang Jie looked at Daoist Qingsong in confusion. He didn't believe Daoist Qingsong had chased after them just to say pointless things.

Daoist Qingsong smiled slightly, "There isn't no way to remedy this. Your father has connections with demons, but after all, he didn't know beforehand. If you can kill a demon and bring back its corpse, it can offset today's events."

"Kill a demon?" Tang Jie was stunned.

This matter, in the end, was caused by a demon. That demon had escaped, and Tang Tianhao was implicated and sentenced for colluding with demons.

Tang Jie frowned. But could killing a demon truly atone for his crime? He had caused a huge scene at the execution ground and rescued Tang Tianhao, which was a blatant slap in the face to the Lingyue City yamen.

The white-clothed maiden, held hostage by Tang Jie, nodded repeatedly, "Demons are extremely dangerous. Any single demon has caused the deaths of dozens or hundreds of people. Our Great Xia Dynasty, as well as various immortal cultivation sects, greatly encourage the hunting of demons. The corpse of a demon can be exchanged for many contribution points. If you can kill a demon and bring back its corpse, it will be a great merit, and it can offset your father's crime!"

Daoist Qingsong smiled and said, "To be honest, I admire you and want to see how far you can go in the future. This is the only way to save your father and yourself."

Daoist Qingsong was a cultivator himself and didn't want to see life extinguished before his eyes. Moreover, although Tang Jie had caused a commotion at the execution grounds, he hadn't harmed anyone. In his eyes, neither Tang Jie nor Tang Tianhao deserved death, which was why he followed to offer some advice.

Tang Jie fell silent. What Daoist Qingsong said was likely true; otherwise, there would have been no need for him to show himself. He could have waited until Tang Jie left the city, released the white-clothed maiden, and then appeared and acted when Tang Jie no longer had a hostage.

"Slay a demon?" Tang Jie pondered inwardly.

Demons, as a species, had existed since ancient times and were a great enemy of humankind. Whether ordinary martial artists or immortal cultivators, everyone believed demons should be eliminated!

Demons possessed various strange abilities. Some mastered demonic arts and could disguise themselves as humans, blending into crowds, making them difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. Every demon was bloodthirsty and cruel, feeding on human brains and hearts. It was abnormal for a demon to have fewer than dozens or even hundreds of human lives on its hands!

Take the demon disguised as the leader of the Six Peaks Gang, for instance. On the surface, he was the head of a gang, but in reality, he had hundreds of human lives on his conscience. He only revealed his true nature when someone happened to witness him during a hunt!

And every demon hunted would be a great merit!

Second consecutive update, requesting recommendation tickets, 嘤嘤嘤 (crying sounds) o(╥﹏╥)o