The words had barely left his mouth when Hu Sanniang's heart trembled.
For some reason, unease lingered in her heart like a nightmare she could not shake.
When Qin An pressed his palm against her white fox tail, Hu Sanniang felt its warmth.
It was warm and comforting.
The feeling vanished in an instant.
Golden light burst from Qin An's palm, blazing as brightly as the midday sun.
Qin An had activated the Crimson Firmament Hand at the start of the fight, but had held back its power until now.
The Crimson Firmament Hand could gather power. The longer it charged, the stronger it became.
Now it had reached its limit, and Qin An unleashed it all.
The golden light seemed capable of breaking anything, destroying everything before it.
The white fox tail split open, flesh and skin tearing as though scalding oil had been poured over it.
"Ah!"
Hu Sanniang threw back her fair neck and let out an ear-piercing scream. Her voice had lost its allure, turning as shrill as a night owl's cry.
Ma Rou's right hand trembled. Dazzled by the golden light, she nearly lost her grip on the Life-Taking Rope.
Nie Hu had recovered somewhat and regained a little fighting strength. He was about to help ease Ma Rou's burden.
But as the golden light flared, he felt as though ten thousand needles had pierced him, and cold sweat streamed down his body.
Qin An was too strong, beyond what either of these veteran Bronze Prefecture Captains could match.
Only now did the two of them truly see Qin An for what he was—and see themselves clearly too.
If they faced him, neither believed they could survive his exquisite Blade Technique and sun-bright fists.
Hearing Hu Sanniang scream, the remaining Fox Women abandoned the Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division and turned to rescue her.
But before everyone's eyes, her head shattered to pieces like a watermelon smashed with a hammer.
Expressionless, Qin An reached out and wiped his hand on Hu Sanniang's white fox tail.
Blood smeared across the fur, leaving a dark red streak that sent chills down their spines.
The headless corpse fell to the ground. After twitching for a moment, it went still.
Silence fell. A dropped needle would have been heard.
Qin An frowned. "Is it that interesting to watch?"
The Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division finally came to their senses. Shaking off their shock, they raised their weapons and charged into the Fox Women.
Hu Sanniang's death struck the Fox Women like a heavy hammer, crushing their will to fight.
Qin An's fierce decisiveness rallied the Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division.
The enemy had weakened while they had grown stronger. It was a one-sided battle.
Moments later, the scene was a wreck, with mangled corpses strewn everywhere.
Several Prefecture Clerks sat on the ground, gasping for breath, terrible wounds covering their bodies.
Qin An looked around, then carried the Black Blade over to Hu Sanniang and Hu Rong. Without a change in expression, he began butchering their bodies.
Two large Blood Crystals emerged. Qin An circulated the True Qi within him and absorbed them both.
Everyone saw it, but no one objected.
Had Qin An not arrived, they might already have been reduced to bloody remains.
Even if Qin An took everything, none of them would have complained.
After butchering the bodies, Qin An's Butcher proficiency rose substantially. He then searched the two of them for a while.
Aside from a little silver, they had nothing.
Qin An raised an eyebrow. Demons really are poor. They don't even carry a single Cultivation Method.
He did not know how precious Cultivation Methods were, or that few people carried them around.
Qin An then began butchering the other Fox Women's corpses.
The Fox Women had reverted to white foxes after death, making them easy for Qin An to butcher.
Every Fox Woman here had been at the Body Infusion Realm, and each still contained a Blood Crystal.
Qin An stored the entire hoard of Blood Crystals within his body.
His blood and vitality surged like a dragon. Qin An reckoned the supply would last him some time.
He had found no Cultivation Method on this trip, but the haul was rich. The Blood Crystals alone had answered an urgent need.
With the merits from this mission added in, Qin An reckoned he could exchange them for another cultivation method once he returned.
Smoke appeared and twisted like a snake into words.
[Butcher lv.4 (230/600): The livestock you butcher is slightly more delicious.]
This round of butchering had brought him a great deal of proficiency, another worthwhile gain.
Once he had finished, Qin An turned to Nie Hu and Ma Rou.
The two were ordering the Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division to clear the battlefield.
The Prefecture Clerks cleaned up every corpse Qin An had butchered.
Many Prefecture Clerks' bodies still lay on the ground. They had died horribly.
Grief crossed Nie Hu's face. He clenched his fists and lowered his head. "I wanted to give you all a good life, but today you lost your lives. I failed you."
They had all served under him, and he bore some blame for what had happened. He could scarcely face them.
People died every day in the Evil Extermination Division. Humans killed Demons and False Gods, and Demons and False Gods killed humans in turn.
Death carried little weight in the Evil Extermination Division. Everyone had seen too much of it.
A comrade who had laughed with them yesterday might lie beneath a white sheet today.
Nie Hu had served as a Bronze Prefecture Captain for years, but the deaths of brothers as close as family still pained him.
Sensing Qin An's gaze, Nie Hu took a deep breath and steadied his emotions.
Then, his gaze firm as iron, he strode toward Qin An.
Qin An rested a hand on his blade and narrowed his eyes.
Ma Rou was about to stop Nie Hu when she saw him halt.
Nie Hu dropped to one knee, clasped his fists, and spoke in a voice that rang like a bronze bell.
"Nie Hu has done wrong."
Ma Rou's eyes widened. She stared at the scene in disbelief.
Every Bronze Prefecture Captain under Cheng Sufeng knew Nie Hu's character.
Nie Hu could be killed, but making him bow his head should have been impossible.
Yet Qin An had done just that.
Qin An said evenly, "What wrong have you done?"
Nie Hu spoke openly and loudly. "First, I shouldn't have looked down on you."
"Second, I shouldn't have let my anger toward you drive me to act rashly and cost so many brothers their lives."
"I can never repay you for saving my life. If you're still displeased with me, do with me as you wish."
With that, Nie Hu fell silent.
Qin An raised his left hand toward Nie Hu.
Nie Hu closed his eyes and waited for Qin An's fist.
He had disliked Qin An because he thought Qin An had deliberately drawn close to Cheng Sufeng to climb the ranks.
After today's battle, he knew he had been wrong. Qin An had earned Cheng Sufeng's favor through his own strength.
He was a man. If he had been wrong, he had to accept the consequences.
The expected pain never came. Instead, a slight weight settled on his shoulder.
Nie Hu opened his eyes and saw Qin An patting his shoulder.
"Get up."
Qin An withdrew his hand. His tone was calm, but it left no room for argument.
Nie Hu froze for a moment, then came to his senses. He lowered his head and clasped his fists. "Thank you, Brother Qin, for putting aside our past differences. If you ever need me, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Qin An shook his head and looked around.
The Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division had finished cleaning up. Their eyes were filled with awe as they looked at Qin An.
The strong earned respect everywhere, especially in the Evil Extermination Division, where strength ruled.
Qin An suddenly remembered something and asked, "What was this Tiger Clan's Secret Treasure the Fox Woman mentioned?"
Before you continue