Save Me, I'll Talk! I'll Tell You Everything!

Xu Jin tucked the Baleful Gathering Crystal Core into his robes. Without waiting for the three behind him to catch up, he flashed into the dense forest and headed straight toward the mountain's interior.

By the time Wang Lei, Yan Tao, and Lin Yue caught their breath and reached the mountain ravine, they saw only two charred corpses sprawled across the rocky ground.

Old Ge lay on his back, eyes wide open, his face still frozen in disbelief even in death.

Yan Tao crouched down to inspect him. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence. "A sword through the heart, soul and spirit utterly destroyed... That killing intent, that efficiency—it's utterly absurd."

He was an official Demon Suppression Agent in the early Intent Comprehension stage. Even he would have needed to fight Old Ge for the better part of half an hour, and might not even have been able to take his life.

Yet Xu Jin had taken less than half an incense stick's time to not only intercept and kill the fleeing disciple, but also cut down Old Ge with a single sword strike.

"With strength like this, he could rank among the top official Demon Suppression Agents in our Western Office." Lin Yue withdrew her gaze, the shock in her voice not yet fading. "Who would have thought he was only an apprentice?"

Wang Lei stood to one side. Though he had been mentally prepared, his heart still churned with excitement.

Back then, he had only thought Xu Jin had great potential and was worth backing. How could he have imagined that the aftermath of his first field mission would directly kill Profound Yin Hall's second-in-command?

"Where's Brother Xu?" Wang Lei swept his gaze around, but when he saw no sign of him, his heart skipped a beat.

The moment the words left his mouth, the communication talisman at Yan Tao's waist suddenly lit up with a faint red glow.

He hurriedly crushed the paper talisman. An anxious voice from a Western Office member left behind came through. "Captain Yan! The Yin baleful aura in the direction of the ancient battlefield inside the mountain has surged, several times denser than usual. The headquarters stronghold is probably making a major move! Sister Meng Yao has already led people in ahead of you. Hurry and support her!"

Yan Tao's expression changed drastically.

Meng Yao had only taken two team members inside. If she ran into Wang Defa's main force, she would never be able to hold out.

"This is bad!" He abruptly looked toward the depths of the mountain. "Where's Xu Jin?"

"He vanished ages ago." Wang Lei gave a bitter smile. "He's probably headed for the headquarters."

"That madman..." Yan Tao was both alarmed and anxious. "He's an apprentice, and he's going alone into Profound Yin Hall's headquarters?"

Though he cursed aloud, his feet did not slow in the slightest. Gathering his breath, he shot toward the mountain interior. "Move! Catch up first! We absolutely can't let anything happen to him!"

Lin Yue and Wang Lei hurried after him, and the three figures swiftly vanished into the depths of the forest.

At the same time, within the entrance passage to the ancient battlefield inside the mountain.

Meng Yao had her back against the stone wall. Black blood seeped from the wound on her shoulder, and the hand gripping her sword trembled faintly.

In the passage before her stood more than a dozen stiff, blue-gray Yin puppets. Ghostly green flames flickered within their hollow eye sockets.

These puppets had been refined from wandering souls and corpses. They feared neither pain nor death. Even if they were hacked to pieces, as long as the soul-control threads remained unbroken, a new puppet could immediately take its place.

From the shadows in the passage came a sinister laugh. "Agent Meng, the female rakshasa of the Western Office—what a grand title. Yet today, won't you still fall into my hands? Once I refine you into a Yin puppet too, you'll surely be the finest product in my collection."

The speaker was none other than Profound Yin Hall's Yin puppet master.

Meng Yao gritted her teeth. The two team members she had brought had already been scattered by the charging puppets, their fate unknown.

If this continued, even her Astral Qi would eventually be exhausted.

Her thoughts raced. Suddenly, she withdrew her sword stance and called out, "Stop! I have something to say to you."

The laughter in the shadows paused. "What? Agent Meng has seen the light?"

"Profound Yin Hall seeks to nurture souls and refine corpses. There may not be no room for negotiation with our Demon Suppression Bureau." Meng Yao softened her tone, pretending to compromise, while her ears carefully caught the faint trembling of threads in the air. "Let me go, and I can pretend I never saw what happened today. During the later purge, I'll avoid your territory too."

"Oh?" The puppet master seemed interested, his voice drawing closer. "People from the Demon Suppression Bureau negotiate terms too? Why should I trust you?"

"Because when I, Meng Yao, speak in the Western Office, I keep my word." As she spoke, Meng Yao followed the direction of the trembling threads and slowly pinpointed the position behind a stone pillar.

Now!

A cold gleam flashed through her eyes. Just as she was about to gather her breath and charge over, a ripple suddenly came from the depths of the passage.

The puppet master gave a surprised "Hm?" before sneering. "Looks like another prey has delivered itself to my doorstep. Fine. I'll deal with you first, then clean up the newcomer."

His hand seal changed, and all the Yin puppets roared as they lunged forward at once!

Meng Yao's heart sank. She could only grit her teeth and meet them with her sword. This time, she truly feared she would not be able to hold on.

Just as the puppets pounced before her and Meng Yao prepared to fight to the death.

Boom—!

A streak of sword light cleaved sideways into the passage. Crimson-gold flames swept through, and the dozen or so Yin puppets at the front were burned until their souls scattered before they could even scream, leaving not even ash behind.

The firelight illuminated the passage—and the young figure at the entrance.

Xu Jin withdrew his flying sword, a faint black gleam flickering in his eyes.

He had originally been heading toward the headquarters. When he passed this passage and sensed activity within, he had simply turned in along the way.

"Who are you?!" the puppet master cried in alarm. He violently tugged the soul-control threads, and the remaining puppets spun around in unison and charged at Xu Jin.

Xu Jin did not even raise an eyelid. With a flick of his fingers, a second flying sword split forth. The two crimson-gold sword lights crossed left and right, like twin fire dragons darting into the puppet horde.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—"

The screams of Yin souls rose one after another. In the blink of an eye, the remaining dozens of Yin puppets had all turned to flying ash. Even the translucent soul-control threads in the air were burned apart inch by inch.

The puppet master groaned, clearly suffering a backlash.

Knowing he had encountered a formidable foe, he turned and tried to flee deeper into the passage.

But the instant he moved, a figure had already appeared behind the stone pillar like a ghost.

"Are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"

Xu Jin's voice rang beside his ear. The puppet master was scared out of his wits. Just as he raised his hand to cast a spell, sword light swept past first.

"Pfft."

His left arm was severed at the shoulder. Before the agony of the severed limb could even reach him, Xu Jin kicked him in the knee.

Crack—

The puppet master screamed and dropped to his knees. His whole body collapsed to the ground, and he could not even crawl away.

Meng Yao remained frozen in her sword-swinging posture.

Her gaze instinctively swept over the apprentice bronze badge on Xu Jin's shoulder, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

An apprentice?

An apprentice Demon Suppression Agent casually crippled the Yin puppet master I'd fought bitterly for half the day?

Was the world insane?

Or had I not woken up yet?

Xu Jin ignored the stunned Meng Yao beside him. He crouched down and looked at the puppet master, who lay on the ground convulsing in pain.

"How is the headquarters' formation core arranged? How far has the Golden-Armored Baleful Corpse been refined? Where is Wang Defa?"

The puppet master gritted his teeth, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, yet he stubbornly refused to speak. "In your dreams... Profound Yin Hall won't let you go..."

Xu Jin raised an eyebrow.

Pretty tough-minded.

A speck of crimson-gold fire condensed at his fingertip. "You don't have to talk. Then I'll slowly burn through your three souls and seven spirits, bit by bit, and see just how tough you are. I'm quite curious how long you can endure."

The spark drifted slowly toward his brow. Its scorching heat made his skin ache, and even his soul trembled along with it.

The puppet master's face instantly turned pale. He could feel that if that spark truly touched his brow, his soul would be burned utterly clean. Even reincarnation would become a luxury beyond hope.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Fear instantly shattered his mental defenses, and he wailed, "The headquarters is beneath the altar at the center of the ancient battlefield! The formation core is a Three Talents Formation made from three Baleful Gathering Crystal Cores! The Golden-Armored Baleful Corpse has already been refined to its final stage. Once the earth vein's Yin energy is drawn into its body at midnight tonight, it will be complete! Elder Wang Defa has been guarding the altar the whole time!"

"Is that all?" Xu Jin pressed.

The puppet master shuddered all over and hurriedly spilled even the trump card he had kept hidden. "There's more! The Corpse Tuo Sect beyond the pass! Elder Wang reached a deal with people from the Corpse Tuo Sect. Once the Golden-Armored Baleful Corpse is refined, they'll trade it in Soul-Severing Valley for three Yin-Soul Gathering Jades! With Yin-Soul Gathering Jades, they can refine a whole army of Yin soldiers in batches! That's everything I know! Please don't kill me!"

As he wailed, he turned toward Meng Yao and desperately begged for help. "Lady Meng! I can atone for my crimes with merit! I can lead you to the headquarters! I know the locations of every hidden sentry! Please spare my life! I'm willing to defect to the Demon Suppression Bureau!"