Wasn't I Supposed to Be Held Accountable? Is Your Memory That Bad?

The instant crimson-gold swordlight tore through the night, the fleeing yin cultivator felt a sudden heat on his back, and half his soul nearly fled in terror.

Without a second thought, he spun around and flipped his palm. A round shield condensed from black baleful energy abruptly took shape.

This Black Baleful Shield was a life-saving technique of Profound Yin Hall disciples. Even ordinary martial artists in the Comprehension realm could not break it.

Unfortunately, he had encountered Molten-Gold Sword Aura.

"Sizzle—"

Crimson-gold swordlight slammed into the shield's surface, instantly burning a charred hole through it. The flying sword, its momentum undiminished, pierced straight through his shoulder.

"Aah—!"

The yin cultivator screamed and crashed to the ground. Half his shoulder, along with his sleeve, had been set ablaze by yang fire, sending him rolling across the ground in agony.

The other yin cultivator was scared out of his wits and plunged into the forest without looking back.

Xu Jin drifted down from midair. With a tap of his toes against the official road, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.

In the blink of an eye, he had blocked the man's path.

"Can... you run?"

The yin cultivator's pupils contracted sharply. Gritting his teeth, he threw a punch. Xu Jin neither dodged nor evaded, instead meeting it with a punch of his own.

"Crack!"

A crisp snap rang out alongside a scream.

The man's arm bone bent and broke at an unnatural angle. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily at Wang Lei's feet.

Wang Lei reacted swiftly. Almost the instant the man hit the ground, three evil-banishing talismans flew from his hand and landed precisely on the man's shoulders and chest.

The moment the talisman paper touched the yin baleful energy, it lit up with cinnabar-red radiance. Yang fire raced through his meridians and spread across his body, making him convulse in pain until he no longer had the strength to rise.

At the other end of the official road, the yin cultivator whose shoulder had first been pierced by the flying sword endured the searing pain. A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes as he clenched his teeth and prepared to bite off his tongue and kill himself.

The rules of Profound Yin Hall dictated that once one fell into the hands of the Demon Suppression Bureau, one had to scatter one's soul to send a message. Even in death, they had to alert the elders.

But just as his tongue moved, a spark of crimson-gold fire streaked through the air and struck the center of his brow.

Yang fire burrowed through his brow straight into his soul, ten times more painful than having his flesh scorched.

The man's eyes flew wide. His body twitched twice, then his head lolled to one side as he breathed his last. Even his soul was burned completely clean.

When the remaining yin cultivator, restrained by talisman arts, saw his companion die without even a soul left behind, he was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder seemed to split apart.

Taking advantage of the instant Xu Jin withdrew his focus, he suddenly bit through his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of black blood over his own chest, chanting under his breath.

"Burning his lifespan?" Wang Lei's expression changed slightly.

Before his words had faded, the black baleful energy around the man surged severalfold. The thick stench was so overpowering that it forced people's eyes shut.

Using the dust and smoke as cover, he endured the evil-banishing talismans and scrambled to his feet, darting toward the depths of the mountains. He was more than twice as fast as before, vanishing into the shadows of the dense forest in an instant.

"After him!"

Just as Wang Lei was about to move, urgent footsteps sounded behind him.

Two figures rushed over with sabers in hand. They were Yan Tao and Lin Yue.

The two had expected to chase several more miles before intercepting the fugitives, but when they clearly saw the scene on the official road, both stopped dead in their tracks, stunned on the spot.

A charred corpse lay on the ground. Judging by its clothes, it was a yin cultivator disciple from the charity estate;

Elsewhere, only signs of struggle remained. Clearly, another had escaped.

The two young people standing in the middle of the road wore black trainee uniforms patterned with crimson. They looked no older than eighteen or nineteen.

They had pursued the fugitives for three whole days and spent half a day breaking through the outer sentry formation of the yin cultivator hideout. Yet these two trainees had intercepted and killed one in the middle of the road, forcing the other to flee?

Yan Tao sheathed his long saber and stepped forward two paces. "Are you two from the Demon Suppression Bureau? Which Hundred-Household Office are you from?"

"Reporting, sir, we are trainee demon slayers from the city's Hundred-Household Office." Wang Lei stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "I am Wang Lei, and this is Xu Jin. We came to patrol the western outskirts due to unusual yin baleful activity. We happened to encounter these two fleeing, so we intercepted them."

"Trainees?" Lin Yue's delicate brows furrowed slightly, disbelief in her voice. "The ones at the charity estate are official disciples under Wang Defa of Profound Yin Hall. Their black baleful arts are vicious and sinister. You two trainees..."

"Brother Xu received a special Grade A rating in the supplementary enrollment assessment. His Molten-Gold Sword Aura naturally counters yin filth." Wang Lei could not hide the hint of pride in his tone. "We came specifically for these yin cultivator hideouts in the western outskirts. We did not just happen upon them."

Yan Tao and Lin Yue were even more shocked.

Profound Yin Hall had occupied the western outskirts for half a year, acting in secret and with ruthless brutality. Even official demon slayers like them had to track them cautiously, yet these two trainees had actually come looking for hideouts to clear?

"So you are Brother Xu, the special Grade A talent. No wonder." Yan Tao's expression eased as he cupped his fists. "I am Yan Tao, an official demon slayer from the Western Office. This is Lin Yue. We have been tracking this charity estate hideout for three days. I never expected you two to beat us to the prize."

He paused, his tone turning solemn. "We cannot let the one who escaped go like a tiger back to the mountains. If he sends word back to their main altar, the other hideouts will certainly relocate at once. Since you two are also after Wang Defa, why not join forces and pursue him? We can first wipe out the charity estate hideout, then follow the clues to find his lair."

Xu Jin did not answer. Black light flashed through his eyes, and with a flicker of his body, he swept away. He was so fast that only an afterimage remained, several degrees faster than Yan Tao, an official demon slayer in the Comprehension realm.

Yan Tao and Lin Yue exchanged a glance, each seeing shock in the other's eyes.

The hell, this is a trainee?

Half an incense stick later, beside a mountain stream deep in the wilderness.

The yin cultivator was clutching his wound as he leaned against a stone wall, gasping for breath.

"Did I shake them off?"

Just then, the sound of wind came from behind him.

"Bang!"

A kick landed solidly in the middle of his back.

The yin cultivator tumbled forward. His already injured arm struck a rock, and pain blackened his vision. He nearly passed out on the spot.

Xu Jin slowly walked over, stepping on shattered stones, and looked down at him from above.

"Run. Keep running."

The yin cultivator was both shocked and enraged. Gritting his teeth, he propped himself up and demanded sharply, "Who exactly are you? Our Profound Yin Hall bears no grudge against you. Why are you trying to wipe us out to the last?"

"No grudge?" Xu Jin gave a derisive laugh and crouched down. "You set up the Baleful Intent Gathering Formation at the mass graveyard, didn't you? Weren't you going to talk tough and hold me accountable? Is your memory that bad?"

The yin cultivator's expression changed drastically.

Only the elders and a few core disciples knew that the mass graveyard breeding site had been destroyed!

Could the man before him... be the Demon Suppression Bureau agent who had destroyed the Yin General and forced the elder to temporarily lie low?

How dare he come looking for them himself!

"Y-you had better not get too arrogant! The elder's divine powers are vast. Once he refines the baleful corpse, he will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes!" The yin cultivator roared fiercely despite his inner weakness. His fingertips secretly gathered the last wisp of black baleful energy, condensing it into a short spike. Then he lunged at Xu Jin's heart. "I'll fight you to the death!"

Xu Jin did not even raise his eyelids. He merely lifted a hand.

Pure yang force struck the black baleful spike and pierced through it as easily as a hot knife through butter.

The force continued onward and blasted into the man's arm. With a muffled puff, his entire arm was blown into a bloody pulp, black blood splattering across the ground.

The yin cultivator let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground, convulsing all over. He no longer had the strength even to lift a hand.

"I'll give you a chance." Xu Jin's tone was casual. "Where is your lair, and where are the other two soul-nourishing formations hidden? Tell me, and I'll grant you a quick death."

The yin cultivator stared at Xu Jin, trembling from head to toe. His teeth chattered, and his eyes were filled with terror and struggle.