Let You Practice Life Skills, You Grind into Divine Positions

In the courtyard.

Tang Lingwei, clad in dark robes, wore a serious expression, her hand gripping the long saber at her waist tightly.

About a dozen Evil Extermination Division clerks were ready to depart.

Once Qin An arrived, Tang Lingwei waved her hand and said, "Let's go."

No one spoke. The group followed Tang Lingwei, heading out of Ling Prefecture...

Before departing, they were issued swift horses.

Although it was Qin An's first time riding a horse, with his current perfected Body Infusion Realm strength, controlling it wasn't difficult.

They crossed Ling Prefecture and headed north.

Gao Quan rode alongside Qin An.

"Be careful later, this isn't about demonic creatures this time," Gao Quan said sternly.

They were at a disadvantage within the Evil Extermination Division, so they naturally needed to stick together to survive. Tang Lingwei's team was, therefore, quite united.

Qin An frowned. "If it's not demonic creatures, then what is it?"

Gao Quan looked ahead and said, word by word, "False gods."

This was the second time Qin An had heard about false gods. The last time, Gao Quan had said he'd explain later.

It seemed his mouth was indeed prophetic.

Yao Feng, short in stature, sidled over and said, "So-called false gods are evil born from people's thoughts."

"Anything people imagine can potentially become a false god, both good and bad."

"For example, when common folk worship the Kitchen God, the object of their worship could very well become a false god."

"Benevolent false gods bless their worshippers with abundance, while evil ones consume their blood and flesh."

Qin An understood upon hearing this.

According to Yao Feng, false gods were beings born from human imagination. He didn't need Yao Feng to explain anything more complex.

This was Qin An's first encounter with false gods, and he felt a slight curiosity.

Ahead, the outline of a village gradually appeared.

A dark cloud, like a black shroud, enveloped the entire village.

Qin An looked up, feeling a heavy pressure wash over him.

Tang Lingwei looked back. "Proceed with caution."

They dismounted, drew their sabers, and entered the village.

Upon entering, the oppressive pressure intensified.

Qin An's brow furrowed as he saw the scene within the village.

The ground was scorched black, and corpses littered the area.

Men, women, and children alike had all become scattered bodies.

Not far away, a massive old tree stood tall.

The tree was exceptionally high, with lush branches and leaves.

Bodies were entwined by the tree's roots around their necks, hanging from its branches.

On one of the branches, an old monkey with white fur held a skull, gnawing on it intently.

Sensing their gazes, the old monkey bared its bloody maw.

"The lackeys have arrived."

Tang Lingwei drew her saber and sneered, "It's rare for false gods and demonic creatures to cooperate."

The giant tree trembled. Three cracks appeared on its trunk, serving as eyes and a mouth.

A chilling voice echoed.

The giant tree's voice was laced with coldness, and the ground trembled slightly.

"Evil Extermination Division hounds, leave now, and Uncle Tree will spare your lives."

Roots emerged from the soil, their surfaces stained crimson, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Attack!" Tang Lingwei's eyebrows shot up as she shouted.

Humans and false gods were like two parallel lines, destined never to intersect.

If they did, it could only lead to conflict.

As for the origin of the false god, the offerings on the ground revealed the reason.

Perhaps the villagers, seeing the old tree's longevity, believed it possessed a spirit. Through constant worship, a false god was born.

Whether this was the absolute truth didn't matter.

When false gods and demonic creatures commit evil, they must be slain.

Dozens of figures took flight.

The Evil Extermination Division officers drew the long sabers at their waists and charged toward the old tree.

The old monkey sitting on the tree suddenly threw down the head it was holding. "Old Tree, kill them!"

The old tree thrashed wildly, dozens of roots bursting from the earth. They swept towards the Evil Extermination Division officers with a fierce wind.

In an instant, both sides were locked in combat.

Qin An, wielding his black saber, severed a root, only for more to sweep toward him.

The roots were dense, seemingly inexhaustible.

Qin An's brow furrowed deeper.

The fight had erupted so quickly; it was his first time experiencing the decisiveness of the Evil Extermination Division.

But since the battle had begun, Qin An didn't hesitate.

Tang Lingwei's strength had reached the peak of the Body Infusion Realm. The blade techniques she used were not the Blazing Flame Blade Techniques, but a more refined set.

With every strike, she could sever dozens of the old tree's roots.

The other Evil Extermination Division officers were similar, all employing Body Infusion Realm cultivation methods.

However, the old tree had an abundance of roots and excelled at crowd control, making it difficult to breach its defenses.

"These people are all in the Body Infusion Realm, and they've completed missions. Perhaps they've exchanged for deeper cultivation methods," Qin An thought to himself.

His heart burned with desire.

Cultivation methods were what he needed. If he could acquire more, coupled with a large amount of Blood Crystals, he might be able to deduce even better ones.

As he thought this, a gust of wind, faster than any previous root attack, came his way.

Hearing the sound, Qin An formed a palm with his left hand and unleashed the Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand.

Crimson Qi enveloped his left hand, colliding with the gust of wind.

A metallic clang echoed as the old monkey was forced back several steps, its face contorted with malice as it glared at Qin An.

"You killed the Fourth Young Master!"

Upon hearing this, Qin An raised an eyebrow and looked at the old monkey. "A demonic creature from Azure Cloud Valley?"

Qin An could only think of Young Master Hou when he heard "Fourth Young Master."

Young Master Hou was the offspring of a Monkey Demon from Ling Prefecture. Connecting these facts, the old monkey's identity was clear.

The old monkey opened its mouth, its fangs bared. It transformed into an afterimage and lunged at Qin An. "My King will reward me handsomely for killing you. You will surely die today."

A long saber materialized from the old monkey's mouth, and it drew the weapon with a loud shing.

Wielding the saber, the old monkey swung it down towards Qin An's head.

Its momentum was like a rainbow, the might of the peak Body Infusion Realm forcing all to retreat.

"Old Tree, help me! Kill this brat, and my King will help you break through."

Even as it struck, the old monkey did not forget to call out to the old tree.

The old tree was already swinging its roots with great force, and many Evil Extermination Division officers were already injured.

Gao Quan and Yao Feng were having a particularly tough time, with large wounds in their abdomens inflicted by the old tree.

The old tree also possessed the strength of the peak Body Infusion Realm, and combined with its crowd-control abilities, its roots acted like blades. Only Tang Lingwei could truly contend with it.

At this moment, the old tree heard the monkey's voice and diverted a large portion of its roots, flinging them towards Qin An.

The pressure on the others eased slightly.

Seeing this, Gao Quan roared, "Be careful!"

Tang Lingwei, who was intently entangled with the roots, looked over at the warning and her eyes widened in shock.