Recognized?

The battle began with astonishing swiftness, catching everyone off guard.

Cries of battle instantly spread throughout the entire forest.

It was not just the cries of battle, but also the clash of weapons, rising and falling in waves, shaking heaven and earth.

Though they could not see the scene itself, the sounds alone painted a picture of flashing blades and dancing shadows.

Normally, the constables of An Ding County only handled routine matters.

At most, they might fight a few bandits. They rarely encountered a scene like this.

The cries of battle washed over them, and some could even smell blood in the air.

"This is the Demon Suppression Division," Yu Hang sighed.

"Though they have imperial authority, they are always standing at the edge of danger."

Where in this world was there such a thing as a free lunch?

They could execute first and report afterward, backed by imperial authority.

It sounded intimidating, but everything came at a price.

Whether exterminating the bizarre or dealing with Jianghu Deviants, the Demon Suppression Division was always walking along the edge of danger.

Head Constable Xie looked at the group of constables behind him. When he saw that several of them had already gone pale, he secretly shook his head.

"These fellows have seen too little blood and fire. They still lack that little bit of ferocity."

That was what he thought, but he made his living this way, so he could not afford to dwell on it now.

First, complete the mission.

"Surround it. If even one escapes today, you'll answer to me." Head Constable Xie's tone was stern.

Only then did the pale-faced constables snap back to their senses.

They did not dare say anything more. They quickly spread out and surrounded the small temple before them.

Zhou An and Yu Hang stood close together.

Listening to the sounds of fighting inside the small temple, Zhou An silently guarded a corner.

Yu Hang did not speak either, staying by Zhou An's side.

The sounds of battle grew increasingly fierce. Agonized screams rang out from time to time, and the smell of blood became stronger and stronger.

When the fighting reached its peak, it gradually began to weaken.

It's almost over, Zhou An thought.

With careful planning against an unsuspecting enemy, the Demon Suppression Division had come well-prepared. Taking down the Beast Cult should have been easy.

Just as Zhou An thought this, the fighting finally stopped.

Several constables revealed delighted expressions.

Before coming here, they had not expected the battle to be so intense.

They had even been praying that no one would escape.

Now, it seemed no one had come out, and they would be able to complete their mission without trouble.

While the constables rejoiced, Zhou An felt that something was off.

The sounds of battle had indeed vanished, but none of the Demon Suppression Division's members had come out.

By all reason, Division Magistrate Zhang should have led his men out by now.

"Something's wrong. Be careful, Old Zhou!" Yu Hang had noticed it too and gave a quiet warning.

Zhou An nodded.

At that moment, a voice rang out from beyond the wall.

"Hehehe, I never expected that after so many years of running this sect, I would fall into your hands!"

"Demon Suppression Division! I will never rest until you are dead!"

"You have the advantage in numbers today. Another day, this Sect Leader will come settle the score with you!"

As the voice fell, a figure soared into the sky.

Zhou An raised his head and saw what the figure looked like.

It was a middle-aged man, but his entire body was covered in thick golden fur. His fingernails in particular glinted with a cold light.

His face was marked with yellow and white stripes, making him look just like a tiger.

The Beast Cult drew upon wild beasts to gain their power.

Seeing this, Zhou An already knew that this so-called Beast Sect Leader had acquired the power of a tiger.

His speed was so fast that ordinary people could not even react.

Suspended in midair, the Beast Sect Leader looked at the constables surrounding him with disdain.

"With this bunch of useless rabble, you think you can surround and kill this Sect Leader?"

His gaze swept across the constables' faces, taking in their panic with satisfaction.

But when his gaze landed on Zhou An, his eyes suddenly widened.

At that moment, Zhou An happened to meet the Beast Sect Leader's eyes.

He could understand the meaning in the Beast Sect Leader's gaze.

Those eyes held surprise, fury, and boundless killing intent.

He recognized who I am?

Zhou An was certain that the other party had seen through his identity and likely knew that he had killed members of the Beast Cult.

Though he did not know what method had been used, it was normal for a world like this to possess unusual methods.

At that moment, Division Magistrate Zhang also leaped into the air. Covered in blood and killing intent, he rapidly closed in on the Beast Sect Leader.

The Beast Sect Leader was simply too fast. Here, only Division Magistrate Zhang could catch up with him.

From midair, Division Magistrate Zhang shouted at Head Constable Xie, "What are you still hiding for? Move now! If he escapes, there will never be peace again!"

Head Constable Xie had been standing in a corner all along. Hearing this, he sighed, gripped the long saber in his hand, and chased after the Beast Sect Leader.

The two followed one before and one behind the Beast Sect Leader, running farther and farther away.

Seeing this, the constables instead breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they were not asked to give chase, everything was fine.

Zhou An watched Head Constable Xie's departing figure and frowned.

A moment later, his gaze turned sharp.

"Lao Yu, be careful. Don't force yourself."

Zhou An gave him a warning.

Yu Hang was slightly stunned.

He looked into Zhou An's eyes and quickly understood.

"You're going?"

Zhou An nodded.

Yu Hang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Zhou An quickly cut him off.

"The Beast Sect Leader's gaze made it clear that he used some unknown secret technique to learn about me. If he escapes, I'll be the first person he takes revenge on."

He had already thought it through in an instant. He had to go this time.

Kill!

The Beast Sect Leader had to die to remove this great threat from his heart.

As the old saying went, the prerequisite for growth was to eliminate every hidden danger.

The Beast Sect Leader knew about him and knew of their grudge.

Death was the Beast Sect Leader's only destination.

Yu Hang understood Zhou An's thoughts as well. He could not help, so he could only say, "Be careful. If it really comes to it, we'll leave An Ding County."

Zhou An nodded. Without saying anything more, he headed toward the nearby woods.

Several constables watched him leave in confusion.

They did not know why Zhou An was going away.

Before they could ask, Yu Hang spoke.

"Old Zhou gets the urge to use the latrine whenever he's nervous. He's just going to relieve himself."

Yu Hang did not explain much and casually gave that excuse, which made it sound even more convincing.

The constables heard this and did not grow suspicious.

After all, every constable was nervous right now. It was normal for Zhou An to react this way.

Zhou An said nothing. After entering the woods and making sure no one could see him, he chased in the direction Head Constable Xie had disappeared.

The qi within his body surged madly, pouring into his legs as he unleashed the Soaring Dragon Steps to their fullest.

Graceful as a startled swan, swift as a roaming dragon!

Zhou An became an afterimage, even faster than the Beast Sect Leader.

The aura around him steadily intensified.

By the time he vanished at the end of the woods, his killing intent had become as dense as water.