The giant tree's voice was chilling, and the ground trembled faintly.
"Hounds of the Evil Extermination Division, leave now and Grandpa Tree will spare your lives."
Roots emerged from the soil one after another, their surfaces stained scarlet. The sight sent a chill down the spine.
"Attack!" Tang Lingwei shouted, her brows drawn sharply upward.
Humans and Demons were two lines that should never cross.
If they did, only blades could settle the matter.
As for why a False God had arisen, the offerings on the ground made the reason plain.
Perhaps the villagers had seen how long the Old Tree had lived and believed it possessed a spirit. Their worship, day and night, had given birth to a False God.
Whether that was true did not matter.
When a False God or Demon appeared and did evil, they killed it. Simple as that.
More than a dozen figures leaped into the air.
The Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division drew their sabers and charged the Old Tree.
The old monkey sitting in its branches suddenly hurled the head in his hand. "Old Tree, kill them!"
The Old Tree thrashed wildly. Dozens of roots burst from the ground and lashed at the Prefecture Clerks with a fierce rush of wind.
In an instant, the two sides were locked in battle.
Qin An severed a root with the Black Blade, only for more roots to sweep toward him.
They were packed so densely that their number seemed inexhaustible.
Qin An's frown deepened.
The fight had erupted so quickly. For the first time, he had seen just how decisive the Evil Extermination Division was.
But now that battle had begun, Qin An put such thoughts aside.
Tang Lingwei had reached Body Infusion Realm Perfection. The Blade Technique she used was not the Blazing Flame Saber Technique, but an even more refined Blade Technique.
Every stroke cut down dozens of the Old Tree's roots.
The other Prefecture Clerks were much the same, each wielding a Body Infusion Realm Cultivation Method.
But the Old Tree had roots beyond counting and excelled at fighting groups. For the moment, they could not break through.
They're all in the Body Infusion Realm and have completed missions. Perhaps they exchanged their rewards for more advanced Cultivation Methods, Qin An thought.
A spark of excitement stirred in him.
Cultivation Methods were exactly what he needed. With more of them and plenty of Blood Crystals, perhaps he could derive something better.
As he thought this, a rush of wind came at him, faster than the roots before it.
Hearing it, Qin An turned his left hand into a palm strike and unleashed the Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand.
Crimson Qi coated his left hand and met the incoming blow.
Metal rang against metal. the Old Monkey staggered back several steps and glared at Qin An with vicious eyes.
"You killed Fourth Young Master!"
Qin An raised an eyebrow. "A Demon from Azure Cloud Valley?"
Who else could Fourth Young Master be but Young Master Hou?
Young Master Hou was the offspring of a Monkey Demon from Ling Prefecture. Put together, the clues made the Old Monkey's identity obvious.
The Old Monkey opened his mouth, baring his fangs, then blurred forward at Qin An. "The king will reward me handsomely for killing you. You die today."
A long saber emerged from the Old Monkey's mouth, and he yanked it free.
Saber in hand, the Old Monkey slashed straight down at Qin An's head.
His momentum surged like a rainbow. The might of a fighter at Body Infusion Realm Perfection was enough to make anyone give him a wide berth.
"Old Tree, help me kill this little beast! The king will help you break through!"
Even as he swung, the Old Monkey called for the Old Tree's aid.
The Old Tree's roots whipped through the air with fierce force. Several Prefecture Clerks had already been wounded.
Gao Quan and Yao Feng were faring even worse. Great holes gaped in their waists and abdomens, wounds left by the Old Tree.
The Old Tree also possessed the strength of Body Infusion Realm Perfection. With its skill at fighting groups and roots as sharp as blades, only Tang Lingwei could hold it at bay.
Hearing the monkey's call, the Old Tree diverted most of its roots and sent them surging toward Qin An.
The pressure on the others eased slightly.
Seeing this, Gao Quan roared, "Watch out!"
Tang Lingwei was wholly focused on tangling with the roots. At his shout, she looked over, shock flashing in her eyes.
She knew Qin An could unleash a Blade Technique with the power of Body Infusion Realm Perfection, but facing two enemies at that level, he would have little chance of surviving.
Yet they were all tied down by the roots and could not reach him in time.
Tang Lingwei sighed. She knew there was no turning the tide.
She had valued Qin An's talent and thought bringing him in would strengthen the team. She had never expected him to die before he could win his first battle.
This time, Qin An was probably done for.
If so, they had to kill the Old Tree first.
With that thought, Tang Lingwei turned her saber toward the Old Tree's trunk.
Qin An saw it all and felt no resentment toward Tang Lingwei.
They barely knew each other, and this was the situation they faced.
His thoughts racing, Qin An used Azure Bird Leap, became a blur, and retreated at full speed.
The roots and the Old Monkey's saber struck the ground, sending dirt flying.
Had they struck Qin An, they would have torn flesh from bone.
He could not meet them head-on.
Both were at Body Infusion Realm Perfection. Qin An intended to play it safe.
With that in mind, he crooked his index finger in a small beckoning motion.
"Come on."
Then Qin An used Azure Bird Leap and headed out of the village.
The Old Monkey froze, then flew into a rage. "You think you can run?"
He took Qin An's gesture as a challenge.
Someone who had only just entered the Body Infusion Realm dared challenge him?
Let him run. That way, the old monkey could claim all the credit and collect his reward from the king.
"Old Tree, hold them off for me! I'll kill this little beast, then come back to help you!"
The Old Monkey shouted and gave chase.
Several Prefecture Clerks tried to stop him, but even more roots surged toward them.
Tang Lingwei watched it happen and gritted her teeth. "Do everything you can to bring down the Old Tree."
If Qin An died at the Old Monkey's hands and they failed to kill the Old Tree before he returned, they would die too.
Tang Lingwei had no confidence she could fight both at once.
At her words, the Prefecture Clerks charged the Old Tree, their eyes red.
Outside the village, a fine rain began to fall.
The weather was always unpredictable at this time of year.
Clad in dark robes, Qin An tore through the curtain of rain.
Behind him, the white-furred Old Monkey's tail swayed as he pursued with saber in hand, moving almost as fast as Qin An.
The distance between them kept shrinking.
Less than five meters behind Qin An, blood trickling from his fangs, the Old Monkey snarled, "Little beast, you can't run. I never intended to let you leave alive."
Then the air hissed.
Qin An whipped his saber around and slashed at the Old Monkey's face.
Startled, the Old Monkey hastily raised his saber to block.
But in the next instant, Qin An ignited one surge of Yang Qi within the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade.
Now that Qin An had reached the advanced stage of the Body Infusion Realm, a single surge of the blade's Yang Qi could rival the power of Body Infusion Realm Perfection.
The Old Monkey was driven backward, his hands trembling under the violent impact of the Yang Qi.
"Fine Blade Technique."
"Little beast, if you were one of the Monkey Demon Clan, I'd treat you like an ancestor. I'd protect you and let you grow."
"Too bad. You can't escape today, and you won't survive."
Qin An brushed rainwater from the Black Blade with his fingers, letting the droplets splash onto the ground. His eyes flashed like lightning. "You've misunderstood."
The Old Monkey frowned, unable to grasp what Qin An meant.
Qin An used Azure Bird Leap, became a blur, and appeared before Old Monkey.
The remaining two surges of Yang Qi erupted at once.
"You're the one who can't escape."
Before you continue