The Willow Grove had once been a pleasant sight, but after the demons arrived, they and the River Blade Sect disciples had cut down every tree, leaving it wide open.
Two figures appeared, and the demons and River Blade Sect disciples turned their gazes toward the far end of the grove.
Young Master Hou raised a hand and smashed his bowl with a crisp crack. A cold smile touched his lips. "They're here."
Sect Leader Liu's eyes turned cold. He drew the Black Blade at his waist, killing intent as sharp as ice.
Not far away, Qin An held the Sharp Knife and walked with steady steps.
Chen Chun followed behind him, his face grave and his hand slightly sweaty around his blade.
There were too many.
He had known they had set an ambush, but he had never imagined it would be this large.
Between Cangyuan Mountain and the River Blade Sect, there were nearly three hundred of them.
Even the Yamen's barracks held only a little over five hundred men. More than half that number had gathered here.
Qin An raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
Chen Chun stared at Qin An in surprise, wondering if he had heard him wrong.
This many, and it still isn't enough?
Sect Leader Liu sneered. "You yellow-mouthed brat. Still wagging your tongue on the brink of death? Young Master Hou, there's no need to stand on the rules of the martial world today. Let's take him down together."
Young Master Hou gently waved his folding fan and spoke in an affected voice. "I've always been a gentleman, but today's circumstances are different. I won't mind losing a little grace."
"Children, kill this boy. Ding County will be ours for the taking, with all the flesh and blood we could want."
The battle erupted in an instant.
No wasted words. No drawn-out speeches.
Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu held the front while the demons and River Blade Sect disciples surged forward behind them like a flood.
Qin An drew a deep breath, his eyes glinting coldly. "Take care of yourself."
Before Chen Chun could answer, Qin An used an uncanny movement technique and plunged into the enemy ranks.
He swept the Sharp Knife across, and a terrifying, piercing crack split the air.
One slash sent several heads flying.
Qin An had refined the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade to mastery, drawing on the strengths of many techniques.
No one could withstand that strike.
The moment he entered their ranks, heads flew.
The River Blade Sect disciples nearest Qin An felt their courage turn to ice, their steps growing unsteady.
Chen Chun swallowed. Qin An has gotten stronger again.
Sect Leader Liu frowned. "He's no ordinary Body Infusion Realm fighter."
Young Master Hou snapped his folding fan shut, his voice icy. "His blade technique bears a trace of the Demon Subduing Blade Techniques, but it's different, too. The boy has extraordinary talent. He must die today. Hold nothing back."
With that, Young Master Hou tucked the fan into his belt and stepped forward.
It was only one step, yet his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was behind Qin An, his claws stabbing straight toward Qin An's back like sharp blades.
Qin An heard the wind at his ear and whipped his blade around. It struck Young Master Hou's claws, scattering sparks.
Sect Leader Liu joined the fight with the Black Blade in hand. It swept toward Qin An's neck like the wind.
Expressionless, Qin An curled the fingers of his left hand into a claw and unleashed the Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand. His hand instantly glowed red as fire.
The Black Blade struck his left hand, and Sect Leader Liu took a small step back, blade still raised.
Everyone attacking Qin An froze.
A light breeze passed through.
Qin An stood alone in the middle, with Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu on either side.
Both Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu had turned grave.
Chen Chun's throat bobbed.
Qin An had only just entered the Body Infusion Realm, yet he was holding his own against two enemies who had been immersed in it for years. Chen Chun could hardly believe it.
He had known Qin An was strong, but never imagined he was this strong.
Qin An calmly shook out his left hand. "That blade technique of yours isn't much."
With those words, Qin An shifted his feet and used Azure Bird Leap. He skimmed forward like a wild goose and appeared before Sect Leader Liu.
Sect Leader Liu's vision blurred. Then Qin An's calm face was in front of him, and every hair on his body stood on end.
"Save me!"
He had no time to say more. Feeling Qin An's Sharp Knife cleave down toward him, he hurriedly raised his blade to block.
But Qin An's Sharp Knife accelerated midair, trailing a fierce rush of wind. Before Sect Leader Liu could block it, it pierced his chest.
The Sharp Knife punched through his chest and out his back. Blood sprayed from the wound, blooming like plum blossoms.
Qi surged along the Sharp Knife and flooded Sect Leader Liu's body.
Sect Leader Liu opened his mouth, but it was full of bloody foam. He could not utter a word.
"I killed Zhao Jinsheng, and I'm the one killing you too. Funny, isn't it?"
Qin An smiled faintly and kicked Sect Leader Liu in the chest, using the recoil to pull out the Sharp Knife.
Sect Leader Liu rolled across the ground several times, twitched, then lay still. His corpse began to cool.
The River Blade Sect disciples looked horrified. They instinctively backed away, avoiding Qin An's razor-sharp gaze.
Young Master Hou burst out laughing, saliva glistening on his fangs. "Good, good, good! One less person to share the spoils with! Children, attack!"
At his command, the Monkey Demons that had been surrounding Qin An turned on the River Blade Sect disciples.
The two sides were roughly equal in number, and the River Blade Sect disciples were caught off guard. Within a few breaths, rows of heads fell to the ground.
Young Master Hou drew a deep breath.
Wisps of blood Qi rose from the ground and flowed into his mouth.
Seeing this, Chen Chun shouted, "Watch out! After entering the Body Infusion Realm, he refined his Internal Organs!"
Once demons entered the Body Infusion Realm, they chose a part of their bodies to refine. Second Master Eagle, for instance, had refined his feathers until they were impervious to blades and spears.
Young Master Hou had refined his Internal Organs. He could temporarily drink in blood Qi to strengthen himself.
His aura surged. In an instant, all the white fur on his body turned bloodred.
His eyes resembled bloody moons, full of savage malice.
"I'm going to savor your brain."
Young Master Hou became a blur and charged straight at Qin An.
Overwhelming pressure surged toward him like a tidal wave. Even Qin An felt his hair stand on end.
It was the aura of Body Infusion Realm Perfection. Young Master Hou would possess it only briefly, but that was enough to kill Qin An.
Chen Chun gritted his teeth and prepared to rush to Qin An's aid.
This fight offered no chance of survival.
No matter how strong Qin An was, what could he do?
Chen Chun regretted letting Qin An act so rashly.
But it was too late for regrets. Chen Chun resolved to smash the pots and sink the boats.
The tall man hidden in the shadows saw what was happening on the battlefield and asked quietly, "My lady, shouldn't we act?"
Tang Lingwei narrowed her Phoenix Eyes. "Move!"
A fighter at the peak of the Body Infusion Realm was beyond Qin An's ability to handle.
Qin An had already proved his worth. Tang Lingwei thought that was enough.
But just then, her eyes widened sharply.
"That's... the aura of Perfection?"
On the battlefield, Qin An raised the Sharp Knife and solemnly circulated the Qi within him.
The Qi flowed along the pathways of the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade.
Qin An poured out every bit of Three Yang Power he had stored over the past few days.
The Sharp Knife slashed across. Three Yang Power carried an overwhelming force into Young Master Hou's claws.
A fierce gust swept past, obscuring Chen Chun's view.
When the wind died down, Chen Chun heard a voice.
"You long-haired beast. What gives you the right to call yourself a young master?"
Chen Chun's eyes went wide. He stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
Ahead of him, Qin An held the Sharp Knife in one hand and Young Master Hou's head in the other.
Blood poured from beneath the head.
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