The village lay under a gloomy sky, with fine rain falling like silk.
In the misty drizzle, raindrops struck Qin An's dark robes, splashing into tiny sprays.
"Why not just kill you?"
Qin An's voice was calm.
The village fell utterly silent. A dropped needle would have been heard.
The Old Tree froze for a moment, then every branch on its body thrashed wildly. "Hahaha! That's the funniest joke your Grandpa Tree has ever heard."
Tang Lingwei gritted her teeth. "Qin An, you're unhurt. Return to the Evil Extermination Division at once and report this to our superiors."
She did not know what Qin An had in mind, but their situation was far from secure.
The Old Tree had a weakness, but its power was even more terrifying than the Old Monkey's.
She could not let Qin An underestimate it and throw his life away. Reporting to the Evil Extermination Division was their only chance of survival.
Qin An shook his head. "How can you keep fighting so fiercely? Does it have something to do with the Underground?"
Every swaying branch went rigid.
Qin An caught a trace of fear in the Old Tree's eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted. "Looks like I guessed right."
The Old Tree was about to speak when Qin An drove off with both feet and swooped toward it like a wild goose.
"You're courting death!"
The old tree knew its weakness had been exposed, but Qin An's fearless charge was nothing more than a rush to his doom.
Roots coiled upward and lashed toward Qin An's face like an azure dragon.
If that blow landed, it would smash even Qin An's skull to pieces.
Qin An raised his blade to block. With the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade working alongside the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method, Ice-Fire Power intertwined and crashed into the roots.
The roots burst into fragments that filled the air. Ice-Fire Power broke through, carrying the Black Blade straight to the Old Tree.
At the sight of Qin An's face, the Old Tree felt as though its whole body had plunged into an ice cellar.
Qin An raised the Black Blade and brought it straight down. "You're weaker than the monkey. Your only advantage is that you can recover. Take that away, and you're just an ordinary Body Infusion Realm fighter."
"You're all paper tigers."
Nothing could withstand the Black Blade. It bit into the middle of the Old Tree's trunk and slid downward.
Ice-Fire Power erupted along its edge, explosions bursting from the blade tip without pause, as ceaseless as the fine rain falling from the sky.
The Old Tree split in two beneath Qin An's blade.
Tang Lingwei stared wide-eyed at the sight, scarcely able to believe it.
Even if the Old Tree was weaker than the Monkey Demon, the force of Qin An's strike was astonishing.
The methods of this world fell into two kinds: principles and arts.
Principles were Mind Methods, the core of a Cultivator's practice.
Arts were combat moves, determining how much power one could bring to a fight.
She knew Qin An's Blade Technique had already reached mastery.
Even after years cultivating the Evil Extermination Division's Body Infusion Realm Cultivation Method, she had only reached minor mastery herself.
No wonder he killed the demon monkey. I've never seen talent like his in my life. With Qin An joining us, my faction will only grow stronger.
A flicker of anticipation rose in Tang Lingwei's heart.
She had thought even Qin An's talent must have its limits. Now she realized she had been a frog at the bottom of a well, mistaking the patch of sky above her for the whole world.
Gao Quan and Yao Feng exchanged a look.
Gao Quan, in particular, could not help swallowing.
Fortunately, he had always treated others warmly and had never looked down on Qin An. Otherwise, his days ahead might have been difficult.
Tender shoots appeared where the Old Tree had been severed. Its two halves began to reconnect, as if it were about to recover.
Qin An fixed his gaze on the wound.
The trunk was hollow. Far below, a diamond-shaped crystal glimmered with a dim blue light.
"That's it."
Qin An reversed his grip and drove the Black Blade deep into the wound.
The crystal trembled, and an angry voice rang out.
"Who dares ruin this old man's plans?"
Qin An raised an eyebrow, but his hand did not hesitate.
Ice and Fire Qi poured down the Black Blade. The crystal shattered, scattering fragments across the ground.
The tangled branches withered rapidly, and the life drained from the Old Tree before their eyes.
"You little bastard, you're finished!"
The Old Tree snarled, "Tree Lord won't let you go. You've ruined his cultivation. Run to the ends of the earth, and you still won't escape."
Qin An's expression remained calm. "But you'll die first."
The Old Tree choked on its words.
Qin An drew his blade free and slashed across, Ice-Fire Power surging through it.
The Old Tree collapsed into a heap of dead branches.
A round object wrapped in twigs fell out and rolled several times.
Bracing a hand against the ground, Tang Lingwei slowly stood. "That's a False God Core. Like a Blood Crystal, it can be absorbed and converted into Blood and Qi Power."
Before she could finish, Qin An circulated the Qi within his body and began absorbing the False God Core.
A moment later, the False God Core crumbled to yellow earth.
Feeling the vast reserves of Blood Essence stored within him, Qin An was quietly pleased.
The trip had been dangerous, but its rewards were considerable.
The Blood Essence of two fighters at Body Infusion Realm Perfection would be enough for him to run a round of deductions once he obtained a new Cultivation Method.
Everything was ready now except the Cultivation Method.
With this mission complete, he could exchange for one after returning to the Evil Extermination Division.
Tang Lingwei had recovered a little strength. She limped over, her expression grim.
Qin An noticed her face and frowned. "Tree Lord?"
Tang Lingwei nodded. "A very powerful Demon. He's been causing Demon calamities everywhere in an attempt to break through to the next realm."
"Ling Prefecture has its hands full because of him. He's on the same level as the Monkey Demon of Azure Cloud Valley."
"No wonder that old Monkey Demon was here. Tree Lord created this Old Tree, a False God."
"I'm afraid we're in serious trouble."
Qin An sheathed the Black Blade without a word.
Those who engaged in slaying demons and exorcising evil for the Evil Extermination Division were bound to earn the hatred of many Demons.
That voice just now had come from Tree Lord. They had ruined his plans, and he would surely remember them.
They might be safe in Ling Prefecture, but if they left it on a mission, knowing he had them in his sights would feel like a sharp blade hanging over their heads.
Tang Lingwei looked puzzled. "Aren't you worried at all?"
Qin An shook his head. "It's already happened. What good would worrying do?"
Once he entered the Martial World, grudges came with it.
Now he had the Evil Extermination Division behind him and could obtain Blood Crystals and Cultivation Methods for deduction.
He could also raise his Golden Finger's profession proficiency and grow stronger.
The danger was real, but once his strength rose, it would all be like a dream's fleeting bubbles.
Tang Lingwei did not know what Qin An was thinking. She changed the subject. "With you in my faction, we have a chance to rise."
There was a note of warmth in her words.
When they first met, she had thought Qin An had a little talent.
Now she saw that his talent was more terrifying than any she had encountered in her life.
A new thought took shape in Tang Lingwei's mind.
She wanted to win Qin An over, do everything she could to keep him under her command, and even treat him as an equal.
As a Bronze Prefecture Captain, she held considerable status. Surely Qin An would take that into account.
Qin An rested a hand on the Black Blade's hilt. "Let's go back."
Tang Lingwei's expression stiffened. Knowing he had not accepted her overture, she continued, "Staying with me would benefit you. The other Bronze Prefecture Captains have plenty of experts under them. They might not give you the same opportunities."
Qin An still said nothing. He merely rubbed the hilt with his palm.
He did not like struggles for power or fighting with his colleagues.
He had joined the Evil Extermination Division to use his Golden Finger to grow stronger.
Demons had to be killed.
And what was rightfully his, he would claim.
Seeing this, Tang Lingwei opened her mouth, then sighed. "Let's go back."
Before you continue