"The Da Chen Red Armor Guards! When did they get here?"
An Jing stared blankly toward the other side. Though he had suspected as much, he was still deeply shaken now that it had actually happened. "They're already fighting the forces left behind at the Manor!"
So that was why Xuanming Manor's supplies had been running short lately: the Da Chen authorities had their eyes on it!
But how had the Red Armor Guards managed to launch an attack while Xuanming Manor was holding its Ritual Sacrifice? How long had they been watching the place?
Or... was there a mole inside Xuanming Manor?
And the Red Armor Guards' target was surely more than just Xuanming Manor...
"Retreat!" Having realized something, An Jing gave the order without a moment's hesitation. "Everyone fall back! Retreat into Xuanming Valley!"
"Don't get caught up in the fighting between Da Chen's soldiers and the Demonic Cult!"
An Jing was, after all, a Da Chen native. He knew full well that while Da Chen wouldn't deliberately kill innocents to claim credit, its soldiers wouldn't spare children, either!
They couldn't tell whether An Jing and the others were opposing the Demonic Cult or part of it. To Da Chen's army, these half-grown children—each taller than a cartwheel—were probably all future diehard Demonic Cultists in the making!
It was best to stick to the plan he'd discussed with the Sword Spirit and hide inside Xuanming Valley while they assessed the situation.
"Brother Jing, are you staying behind?" Gu Yeqi had been ready to follow the order and retreat, but when she saw An Jing standing perfectly still, a terrible foreboding seized her. "You can't stay behind! You're our Senior Brother! Without you, we won't even know where to go!"
All the Children of Calamity obeyed An Jing's orders solely because of his personal charisma. With him there, the group was naturally as steady as a rock. But if he were gone... there would be no second-in-command with enough authority to hold everyone together.
"Do as I say." An Jing didn't turn around. Standing his ground, he faced Manor Master Yao, who was likewise motionless, and spoke solemnly. "You and Cang Linzu will lead everyone deeper into the valley. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll shake off our pursuers and catch up with you."
"Don't worry. The demonic energy has condensed into a Fear Demon. The valley is safe for now!"
Strictly speaking, that was a lie. The demonic energy that had become the Fear Demon was only a drop in the ocean compared to what filled the valley.
But An Jing could sense the Sword Spirit's current state: wanton abandon, the exhilarating ease of chopping melons and vegetables. Clearly, the Sword Spirit had completely suppressed the demonic energy in the valley. The Children of Calamity, having just undergone the Ritual Sacrifice, wouldn't be attacked a second time. Only Da Chen's soldiers and members of the Demonic Cult would be targeted by the Heaven Demons.
That made the valley the safest place of all.
"Big brother! Sigh... all right, I'll do as you say!" Hearing the decisiveness in An Jing's voice, Gu Yeqi was both anxious and angry. But in the end, she trusted his judgment. After repeatedly warning him not to risk his life, she turned and led the others away.
As the footsteps behind him receded, hurrying deeper into the valley, An Jing felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
Now he could focus all his attention on the enemy and observe the situation.
For the moment, the Fear Demon had the Demonic Cult instructors tied up, and neither side would win anytime soon. But the Fear Demon was only a wisp of demonic energy. It was only a matter of time before the experienced Demonic Cult, trained in battle formations, destroyed it.
The valley's defenders were also fighting the Red Armor Guards. An Jing saw a squad of Red Armor Guards splitting off and heading toward the valley. Whatever their goal was, he needed to make sure he wasn't caught in the crossfire.
The only problem was the "Manor Master Yao" standing right in front of him, apart from all the other battles.
An Jing frowned deeply as he looked at Manor Master Yao, who seemed somewhat distracted.
If this Internal Strengthening martial artist suddenly attacked and slaughtered the retreating boys and girls, it would be a massacre... even though they'd already spilled plenty of blood for the Ritual Sacrifice.
His opponent probably wouldn't slaughter children he regarded as his "property"... But if An Jing wanted to escape the Demonic Cult's control, he had to defeat this greatest obstacle head-on!
But soon, An Jing saw a blinding flash of light.
At last, he understood why Manor Master Yao had been staring at the horizon without moving.
Far away, two intertwined wills, almost tangible, swept across the heavens and earth.
Then dazzling golden light and the cold, still blue of ten-thousand-year-old dark ice split the sky and shattered the clouds, raising two new suns above the world!
The heavens changed in an instant. Blazing heat and frigid winds crashed into each other, bending the grass and trees and roaring through the mountains. The forests swayed under each successive blast of wind.
"True Persons... True Persons in the Void-Piercing Divine Treasury realm are fighting..."
Manor Master Yao stared almost blankly at the light in the distance. The baleful green flames in his eyes burned fiercely. "True Person Xuanjing has engaged the Northern Patrol Envoy."
"Good, good, good. Looks like we have a traitor among us."
"An Jing."
He turned to look at the boy facing him, his voice bitter and tinged with confusion. "Did you figure this out in advance?"
"Or were you misled by the traitor?"
"No." Coming back to his senses after the shock of two Divine Treasury Adepts fighting, An Jing shook his head.
Meeting Manor Master Yao's gaze, he answered honestly. "I knew Xuanming Manor was in trouble, but I didn't expect Da Chen to launch a surprise attack at a time like this... Hmph, there really is a mole. Manor Master, you reap what you sow. You deserve this."
"Mm, we reap what we sow? But if our wicked deeds are enough to bring about our own ruin, then what about the court and this world... Do you think the same of them?"
Manor Master Yao didn't answer. His gaze passed over An Jing and settled on the boy's back. Sensing something amiss, An Jing whipped around—and stared in astonishment at another group of children who hadn't obeyed his order to leave and had remained where they were.
At their head stood a girl with smooth black hair falling to her waist. Her eyes were always lowered, her gaze fixed on the ground. She had a quiet, reticent air about her.
Bai Qinghan stood silently in place, like a statue carved from snow.
Behind her were her teammates, along with some of the children who had awakened their Fate Grids during the Ritual Sacrifice. Altogether, there were more than a dozen of them.
"Qinghan, you... why didn't you leave?"
By now, An Jing had already guessed the answer.
Still, he couldn't help speaking up, urging the friend he'd spent so long with. "You finally have a chance to escape Xuanming Manor... Don't waste it!"
"Senior Brother." Bai Qinghan was their leader. She raised her eyes to look at An Jing, her gaze seeming timid, yet the light in them was as still as the void. "I never understood you before."
"But now I can be certain... we're the same kind of person."
"Yes, just as you said."
"—I finally have a chance to escape Da Chen. How could I waste it?"
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