Sanctuary

Sensing something amiss, Xiao Yan braced one hand against the ground, his body hunched.

Perhaps Yao Lao knows something? Xiao Yan wondered to himself. Could it be that the Roland Empire, the Zhongyuan Empire, and the Church of Light have made some secret deal?

After pondering for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Xiao Yan finally jumped up from the ground.

"Forget it. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. My only goal now is to continue accumulating battle energy and break through to the Saint Realm as soon as possible. Once I become a Saint, the things troubling me now will be of no concern."

When I break through, I shall have great scholars debate the scriptures for me.

...Time flows without regard for cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, several years passed.

On this day, in the mountains behind Panshi Town, a slender figure in a green robe sat cross-legged on a giant boulder. Above his head, the fiery red elements of heaven and earth had almost condensed into a physical form, swirling into a deep crimson vortex.

As the young man inhaled and exhaled, the fiery red elements within the crimson vortex were drawn into his body as thin threads of red light, which were then refined into pure magic power and battle energy through his circulation.

After cultivating for an unknown amount of time, the young man opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Four years of cultivation, and I've finally reached the peak of the ninth rank. Within a month at most, I will break through to the Saint Realm!" The young man's confident voice echoed through the forest; it was none other than Xiao Yan.

"It is time to leave." Xiao Yan looked at the flickering lights of Panshi Town at the foot of the mountain. "I shall leave quietly in the night."

Xiao Yan whispered in his heart. In the darkness, his appearance shifted, restoring his original face, and he departed alone.

From this moment on, the famous one-armed hunter of Panshi Town, Yang Guo, went offline forever, and the Xiao Yan who had disappeared for four years logged back in.

"Giddy up, giddy up..."

A team of elite cavalry galloped rapidly along the desolate official road in the countryside. William, dressed in an exquisite gold-threaded robe, led the charge, followed closely by dozens of elite knights.

"Are you certain Xiao Yan headed in this direction?" William asked the five men in deacon robes behind him with a cold expression.

"My lord, according to the news from Blackstone City, after Xiao Yan killed the black-robed bishop there, he headed in this direction!"

A hint of coldness flashed in William's eyes. "How bold. After offending the Church, instead of hiding away, he actually dares to come out and kill!"

"Giddy up!"

William lashed his whip in anger. The sound of hooves thundered, kicking up a thick cloud of dust, and in the blink of an eye, they had covered a great distance.

Several hundred meters ahead of William and his men, Xiao Yan, traveling light, walked with a measured pace, as if deliberately waiting for something.

Noticing the commotion behind him, the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth curled up.

"I hope the fish that takes the bait is a big one." Cold light flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes, and a trace of killing intent leaked from the corners of his gaze.

From Panshi Town back to Starfire City, given Xiao Yan's speed, if he truly removed all restrictions and chose to return by evening, he could reach Starfire City before dawn.

But Xiao Yan did not choose to do so. Instead, he deliberately walked and stopped along the way, especially in crowded areas where he would intentionally join the bustle. In some large cities, he would often stay for several days.

Under Xiao Yan's manipulation, a journey that should have taken half a day had been dragged out for over a month, and he hadn't even reached the halfway point.

"Don't let me down!"

Recalling the massive manhunt by the Church of Light four years ago, while it hadn't caused Xiao Yan any actual loss, that didn't mean Xiao Yan wasn't angry.

He had endured before because his strength was insufficient, but now... let's just say it was time to settle the accounts.

The fish had taken the bait, and Xiao Yan couldn't be bothered to maintain his clumsy act any longer. He stood calmly in place, waiting.

William and his men soon caught sight of Xiao Yan.

"He's right ahead! Quick, chase!" William was overjoyed. He soared from his horse and, with a few leaps, blocked Xiao Yan's path.

The five special deacons following William jumped in kind, landing to block all of Xiao Yan's escape routes from every direction.

"Let's see where you can run now," William said coldly.

As he spoke, the sound of hooves grew suddenly urgent as dozens of knights arrived from behind, completely surrounding Xiao Yan.

"To be able to kill an eighth-rank black-robed bishop at only seventeen—I must admit, Xiao Yan, you are a genius. But you should never, ever have chosen to be an enemy of our Church of Light!" William, believing he had complete control of the situation, said arrogantly.

Xiao Yan glanced coldly at the many knights surrounding him.

Then, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward William. It's him!... Huh?

It was fine not to look, but this glance made Xiao Yan's previously relaxed heart tighten instantly, his gaze sweeping strangely over the other five special deacons.

Their facial expressions appeared rich, but the depths of their eyes were incredibly cold. If one observed carefully, one would realize they didn't feel like living beings at all, but rather weapons—biological weapons that knew only how to kill.

There is no mistake. They don't feel human to me! Xiao Yan considered a possibility.

Xiao Yan suspected that the six people before him, including William, were angels who had descended to the material plane.

Such descended angels, limited by the strength of their physical bodies, were generally only at the ninth rank.

But these ninth-rank angels possessed the Angel Battle Formation. As long as they weren't facing a ninth-rank warrior who had comprehended the laws, no one would be a match for their combined attack.

And if they truly encountered danger, these ninth-rank angels could perform a final sublimation at the critical moment, fighting to the death to unleash Saint-level combat power. Although it would only last for a few strikes, if combined with the Angel Battle Formation, the power would be nothing to scoff at—it might even be on par with a peak Saint.

Thinking of the formidable combat power of angels.

"Die!" Xiao Yan no longer hesitated. He struck first to gain the advantage; he absolutely could not allow them the chance to form their battle formation.

As Xiao Yan shifted and maneuvered, he appeared behind one of the ninth-rank angels. His palm danced, and a small black blade instantly pierced the angel's skull.

He had killed an angel in an instant.

"No!" It wasn't until the dust settled that William finally reacted.

Looking at the angel who had fallen dead to the ground, William wore an expression of disbelief. "You actually dared to kill him!"

"Don't be in such a rush, this is only the first." Xiao Yan wiped the short blade in his hand, his expression incomparably cold.

"You're courting death!" A holy radiance emanated from William's face. "The intelligence was wrong; Xiao Yan's strength far exceeds that of an ordinary Level 9 Warrior. Everyone, prepare to return to the embrace of the Lord God."

"Yes!" Hearing William issue the order, the remaining four angels did not show a hint of hesitation.

As holy light flickered across their faces and a pair of light wings unfurled from their backs, they actually flew directly into mid-air under the shocked gazes of the surrounding knights, looking down at Xiao Yan from above.

At the same moment, the bodies of the four angels began to collapse, with trails of blood emerging on the surface of their skin.

"Kill!" Knowing they could not afford to waste time, they charged toward Xiao Yan with all their might.

Facing the encirclement, Xiao Yan slowly raised his head from bottom to top, the corners of his mouth curling up.

"If it were half a month ago, I would not have been your match."

"But now, seeing me is like seeing a god!"