I'll Wait Here for Him

Couldn't beat him.

Then run.

Compared to his own life, everything else was insignificant.

Zhuang Mingyuan had never expected that a mere trainee Demon Suppression Envoy would be an Innate Realm martial artist.

This matter

was completely beyond his expectations.

He had even

begun to suspect that the Demon Suppression Bureau had long noticed something wrong with Lin'an City and had deliberately sent a Profound Rank Demon Suppression Envoy over, disguising him as a trainee Demon Suppression Envoy solely to lower their guard.

"Impossible!"

"In that battle, Demon Suppression Bureaus everywhere suffered heavy losses. How could they possibly have the spare strength to place a Profound Rank Demon Suppression Envoy in a tiny place like Lin'an City—"

Even at the very beginning, he had harbored some doubts about whether the Demon Suppression Bureau still had any strength to spare.

But in truth,

Zhuang Mingyuan had believed that the Demon Suppression Bureau could not possibly free up any manpower at present.

Therefore,

when he sent out the false information, he had only wanted to lure several trainee Demon Suppression Envoys here to their deaths.

After all, trainee Demon Suppression Envoys who could go out to complete assessment missions were generally only at the initial Meridian Opening stage. They were not weak, but they certainly would not be too strong either—just enough for Blood Soul to devour and advance.

Looking across the martial world,

aside from the Demon Suppression Bureau, which could possess large numbers of Meridian Opening martial artists, it was no easy matter for ordinary sects to produce even a few.

Besides,

martial artists of the martial world treated demons and evil spirits as something deeply taboo and did not dare approach them lightly.

Even if word spread that demons and evil spirits were present in Lin'an City, those martial artists would never come here to slay demons and suppress evil.

Thus,

Blood Soul's hope of advancement had fallen upon the Demon Suppression Bureau.

However—

although the Demon Suppression Bureau had sent only one trainee Demon Suppression Envoy, which had indeed somewhat exceeded Zhuang Mingyuan's expectations,

it also proved from another angle that the Demon Suppression Bureau truly lacked powerful experts now.

That being the case,

even if a single trainee Demon Suppression Envoy was not enough for Blood Soul to advance, he could still let Blood Soul devour more living beings without restraint, without worrying that the Demon Suppression Bureau would immediately send powerful experts to suppress it.

Yet for all Zhuang Mingyuan's calculations,

he had miscalculated one thing.

That was Shen Changqing's strength.

He could never have imagined that a trainee Demon Suppression Envoy would possess such formidable strength.

At this moment,

without even needing to think about it, Zhuang Mingyuan understood that the Blood Soul in Ancient Moon Village had certainly died at the other man's hands.

An Innate Realm martial artist

was not someone an ordinary Nether-Rank Specter could handle. To kill an Innate Realm expert, at the very least a Grievance-Rank Specter would have to act.

Zhuang Mingyuan fled without hesitation.

But Shen Changqing had noticed his movements from the start. The instant he fled, Shen Changqing immediately gave chase.

He had not cultivated any movement technique.

After all, a person's energy was limited. Within a year, he had to diligently cultivate the Pure Yang Art while also taking the Seven-Kill Saber Art and Iron Sand Palm into account. Where would he find extra time to study movement techniques?

Still,

even without a movement technique,

with Shen Changqing's current strength, his speed was swift as a ghost.

Very quickly,

the two vanished from the government office, one ahead and one behind.

At once,

the scene fell silent.

Several constables held torches, their expressions complicated as they looked at Zhao Fang standing there with an ashen face, then at Zhang Long's severed head on the ground, stained with filth. They had no idea what they should do.

Arrest the traitor!?

But no matter what, Zhao Fang was an imperial official, and they had served under him for many years.

If they simply let him escape,

they did not dare do that either.

If Shen Changqing returned and found Zhao Fang gone, they were merely lowly constables and could not bear such blame.

As they hesitated,

Zhao Fang looked at them and calmly waved his hand. "Go back. Don't worry. I will wait here for Lord Shen to return."

"Zhao—" Someone opened his mouth, wanting to say something, yet for a moment he did not know how to address him.

"Go!"

Zhao Fang waved them away and turned toward the inner hall.

At that moment,

he seemed to have aged several decades.

Looking at Zhao Fang's weathered and desolate back, their expressions were complicated, but they said nothing further.

"Let's go!"

"Everyone, head back—"

Very soon,

the once bustling government office became quiet.

Yet the commotion just now had already drawn the attention of the surrounding residents. But with the curfew in place, few dared to leave their homes after nightfall.

Elsewhere,

Zhuang Mingyuan and Shen Changqing were racing toward the city gates, one in front and one behind.

In terms of speed,

Zhuang Mingyuan was indeed astonishingly fast.

But Shen Changqing, as an Innate Realm martial artist, was not slow in the slightest. Aside from having opened some distance at the beginning, the gap between them was now steadily shrinking.

When the two were less than a zhang apart,

Shen Changqing struck out with a palm through the air. The powerful palm wind swept past like a heat wave, sending the surrounding temperature soaring.

Sensing the threat behind him,

Zhuang Mingyuan did not even think before turning and striking out with a palm.

Boom—

The two currents of palm wind collided in midair. Zhuang Mingyuan was ultimately much weaker, and he was immediately blasted down onto the ground.

Immediately after,

Qin Shujian's long saber slashed out, aiming straight for Zhuang Mingyuan's head.

"Don't kill me! I can tell you a secret—" Zhuang Mingyuan cried out in terror. That glint of cold light drew ever closer before finally stopping at his neck.

The icy chill

filled Zhuang Mingyuan's heart with unspeakable fear.

Though he disregarded the lives of others, he cherished his own life greatly.

Or rather,

most people who had thrown in their lot with demons and evil spirits treasured their lives immensely.

If they did not fear death,

they would not have sought refuge with demons and evil spirits.

Shen Changqing's long saber rested steadily on the other man's shoulder, pressed right against his neck. "Speak. What secret is it? If I find that you have lied to me, then death will not be the worst of it.

I trust you have heard the name Demon Suppression Prison.

A demon-man like you, if locked away in Demon Suppression Prison, will surely find the outcome more unbearable than death."

Demon Suppression Prison!

Upon hearing those three words, Zhuang Mingyuan's face instantly turned pale.

How could he not have heard the name Demon Suppression Prison?

It was an important site of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Countless powerful demons and evil spirits had been imprisoned there, and none had ever managed to walk out.

It was said that Demon Suppression Prison

was a place of certain death for demons and evil spirits.

However,

although Zhuang Mingyuan was terrified inside, he was no fool, so he forced himself to remain calm.

"I can tell you, but you must swear upon the honor of the Demon Suppression Bureau that once you learn the secret, you will let me leave completely unharmed and absolutely will not endanger my life!"

"You are threatening me?"

"How would I dare? I am merely fighting for a chance to survive."

Seeing Zhuang Mingyuan's expression, as though he would rather die than speak if Shen Changqing did not swear, Shen Changqing raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Fine. I swear in the name of the Demon Suppression Bureau that so long as the secret you tell me is valuable, I can let you live and leave completely unharmed!"