Escape

"Da Chen Red Armor Guards! When did they arrive?"

An Jing looked toward the distance in a daze. Although he had suspected as much, seeing it actually happen left him quite shocked: "They have already engaged the guards left behind by the manor!"

As expected, the reason for the recent tightening of supplies at Xuanming Manor was that they had been targeted by the official forces of Da Chen!

But to be able to strike during the very time Xuanming Manor was holding its ritual, how long had the Red Armor Guards been watching them?

Or was it that... there was a traitor inside Xuanming Manor?

And the target of the Red Armor Guards was certainly not just Xuanming Manor...

"Retreat!" Thinking of something, An Jing did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately ordered in a loud voice: "Everyone fall back, retreat into Xuanming Valley!"

"Do not get caught up in the battle between the Da Chen soldiers and the Demonic Cult!"

An Jing was, after all, a Da Chen person himself. He knew very well that while Da Chen would not deliberately kill innocents to claim credit, they would not show mercy to children either!

They wouldn't be able to tell if they were fighting against the Demonic Cult or were members of it. To the Da Chen official army, these half-grown children who were already taller than a cart wheel were likely all considered future die-hard reserves for the Demonic Cult!

As expected, it was best to follow the plan originally discussed with the Sword Spirit and hide in Xuanming Valley to assess the situation.

"Big Brother Jing, are you planning to stay behind?" Gu Yeqi had been ready to follow the order to retreat, but seeing An Jing standing motionless in place, a sense of foreboding immediately arose in her heart: "You cannot stay to cover our retreat! You are the head senior brother! Without you, we won't even know where to go!"

The reason all the Children of Calamity followed An Jing's orders was solely due to his personal charisma. Such a group was naturally stable while An Jing was present, but if he were gone... there was no second-in-command in the entire group who could command respect.

"Listen to me." An Jing did not turn back. Instead, he stood his ground and confronted Manor Master Yao, who was also standing perfectly still: "From here on, you and Cang Linzu lead the team into the depths of the valley. If nothing goes wrong, I will shake off the pursuers and catch up with you."

"Rest assured, the Devilish Qi has already condensed into a Fear Demon; the valley is safe for the time being!"

Strictly speaking, this statement was a lie, because the Devilish Qi that had transformed into the Fear Demon was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the total amount of Devilish Qi in the valley.

But An Jing could sense the current state of the Sword Spirit. It was a feeling of wantonness, a sense of ease like cutting through melons and vegetables. Clearly, It had completely suppressed the Devilish Qi in the valley. The Children of Calamity who had just undergone the ritual would not encounter a second attack; only the Da Chen soldiers and the Demonic Cult members would be attacked by the Heavenly Demon.

In this way, the valley was actually the safest place.

"Big Brother! Sigh, fine... I'll listen to you!" Hearing the resolute tone in An Jing's voice, Gu Yeqi was both anxious and angry, but she ultimately trusted his decision. After repeatedly urging An Jing not to throw his life away, she finally turned around to lead the retreat.

Hearing the footsteps behind him gradually fading away as they hurried into the valley, An Jing felt a sense of relief.

He could focus his mind more intently on the enemy and observe the situation on the field.

Currently, the Fear Demon was stalling the Demonic Cult instructors, and a winner would not be decided for a while. However, the Fear Demon was ultimately just a wisp of Devilish Qi; it was only a matter of time before it was eliminated by the experienced Demonic Cult members who were trained in battle formations.

The valley's garrison was also fighting the Red Armor Guards. An Jing saw a detachment of Red Armor Guards splitting off and heading toward the valley. Regardless of their purpose, it was best not to get caught in the crossfire.

The only problem remained the 'Manor Master Yao' standing before him, who was independent of all the fighting.

An Jing frowned, looking at the seemingly distracted Manor Master Yao.

If this Internal Strengthening martial artist were to suddenly erupt and slaughter the retreating group of boys and girls, it would be an absolute massacre... even if the other party had already spilled plenty of blood for the sake of the ritual.

Although it was highly unlikely that the other party would slaughter these children whom they viewed as 'property'... if he wanted to break free from the control of the Demonic Cult, he had to defeat this greatest obstacle head-on!

But soon, An Jing saw a blinding flash of light.

He finally understood why Manor Master Yao had been staring motionless at the horizon earlier.

At the far end of the distant horizon, two entangled, nearly tangible wills swept across the heavens and the earth.

Then, a dazzling golden light and a cold, deep blue like ten-thousand-year black ice tore through the sky, shattering the clouds and raising two new suns between heaven and earth!

The celestial phenomena changed abruptly. Winds of scorching heat and biting cold intertwined and pressed down, causing the grass and trees to bend, the mountains and forests to howl, and the entire woods to sway violently under the buffeting gales.

"A True Person... a battle between True Persons of the Divine Treasury realm..."

Manor Master Yao looked at the light in the distance with an almost wooden expression. The ghostly green baleful fire in his eyes was already burning fiercely: "True Person Xuanjing has already engaged the Northern Patrol Envoy."

"Good, good, good. It seems we have a traitor in our midst."

"An Jing."

He turned his head to look at the boy facing him, his voice bitter and laced with a hint of confusion: "Did you calculate this?"

"Or were you bewitched by the traitor?"

"No." An Jing, having recovered from the shock of the Divine Treasury True Persons' battle, shook his head.

He met Manor Master Yao's gaze and spoke the truth: "Although I guessed that the situation at Xuanming Manor was difficult, I didn't expect Da Chen to launch a surprise attack at this time... Hmph, there is indeed a traitor. Manor Master, this is what happens when you commit too many evils; it is what you deserve."

"Hmm, 'too many evils'? But if the evils we commit are enough to bring about our own destruction, then what about the imperial court and this world... is that what you think as well?"

Manor Master Yao did not reply. His gaze passed over An Jing to look behind the boy. An Jing sensed something was wrong and turned around abruptly, only to be stunned to find that there was still a group of children who had not followed his orders to leave and had remained in place.

At the head of them was a girl with soft black hair cascading down to her waist. She had been keeping her eyes lowered, looking at the ground, with a calm and taciturn demeanor.

Bai Qinghan stood there silently like a snow-sculpted statue.

Behind her were her team members, including some children who had awakened their Fate Grid during the ritual. The total number of them was actually over a dozen.

"Qinghan, you... why didn't you leave?"

At this moment, An Jing already had a guess in his heart.

But he still couldn't help but speak up, offering a word of advice to this friend with whom he had spent so much time: "It was so hard to get a chance to escape Xuanming Manor... don't waste this opportunity!"

"Head senior brother." As the leader, Bai Qinghan raised her seemingly timid eyes to look at An Jing, but the light in her eyes was as calm as the void: "In the past, I could never understand you."

"But now, I am certain... we are the same kind of person."

"Yes, just as you said."

"--Since I have finally managed to escape Da Chen, how could I possibly waste this opportunity?"