The Demon Suppressing Guard Takes the Case
Behind the Night Owl and the knife-wielding man, another signal flare shot into the sky.
A beam of light, even brighter than before, exploded in the sky—a signal of support from the Demon Suppressing Guard.
Lin Wanyue saw the light and felt a sense of relief. The Demon Suppressing Guard's reinforcements were about to arrive, but they couldn't wait for them to arrive before taking action.
Yongning County City is in complete chaos.
The soldiers and officers are cooperating with the Demon Suppressing Guard to conduct a city-wide search; torches and footsteps are everywhere in the streets and alleys.
At the entrance of the county magistrate's office, County Magistrate Chu was blocked by two soldiers inside the threshold and could not get out.
He was old, and being a scholar, his cultivation level wasn't high; he had only undergone the Second Body Tempering. He had served as the magistrate of Yongning County for over a decade, and no one had ever dared to stop him like this.
Moreover, those who stopped him were just two nobodys. In the past, he would have had a hundred ways to make sure they died without a burial place.
County Magistrate Chu's face flushed red as he roared at the two soldiers, "Dare to block my way? Aren't you afraid of losing your head? Get out of my way!"
The two soldiers exchanged a glance, neither stepping aside nor making a move, both feeling uneasy. They knew that if the magistrate got away with it, they would be in deep trouble.
At this moment, a person dressed in the uniform of Commandant from the Demon Suppressing Guard walked in from outside.
Upon seeing him, County Magistrate Chu's anger immediately shifted. "How dare you, the Demon Suppressing Guard, disrespect this magistrate! I will certainly report this to the Emperor and have your Demon Suppressing Guard Division impeached! Where is Commandant Jiang?"
Upon hearing this, the Commandant chuckled, then his face turned cold. "Hurry up and take him down."
He took a stack of papers from his sleeve and slapped them onto County Magistrate Chu's face. "Evidence of collusion with the Heaven Overturning Cult. Do you still want to see it?"
County Magistrate Chu looked down at the stacks of papers, his lips trembled a few times, and his voice, once arrogant, was now shaky. "Is your Demon Suppressing Guard so domineering?"
The Commandant ignored him and simply waved his hand. Two soldiers assisted the Demon Suppressing Guard in taking County Magistrate Chu away.
What kind of Demon Suppressing Guard would it be if it weren't domineering in handling cases?
The Commandant didn't look at him again, but was worried. "Commandant Jiang should be fighting with the Sub-Altar Deputy Leader now. I hope everything goes well."
The support signal flashed by quickly.
Both the Night Owl and the knife-wielding man turned around at the same time, their expressions changing.
Without hesitation, the Night Owl turned and darted toward the Altar, with the knife-wielding man close behind.
The two immediately broke the ritual. Night Owl grabbed the Blood Essence Crystal that had not yet fully condensed, ignoring the Blood Qi that was not yet fully formed on it, and put it into his palm.
Lin Wanyue looked at the light of the signal flare, then glanced at Night Owl's movements. "Ye An, these two guys are trying to escape."
Ye An understood perfectly. Before Lin Wanyue could finish speaking, he had already drawn his sword and given chase.
The man with the knife noticed someone chasing him and suddenly turned around, slashing horizontally with his blade. "I went a little lighter just now, did you really think you could beat me, kid?"
Ye An didn't reply. Shuanghong approached from the side, the blade of his sword gliding along the edge of the blade. As he moved away, he struck with his Star-Shattering Finger, a finger landing on Ye An's wrist as he gripped the sword.
Night Owl glanced back and caught a glimpse of Ye An's profile and the movement of his body. His movements slowed slightly, and his expression changed.
At this moment, he recognized Ye An. The Qingshi Beast Arena — the Outer Sect Disciple who had run away back then. He never expected to see him again here, nor did he expect that the Body Tempering Realm kid from back then could now chase after him and fight.
The man with the knife glanced down at the wound on his chest. He stopped fighting and shouted towards Night Owl, "Come help me! You won't escape even if I die!" Night Owl didn't turn around or slow down. He had already taken the Blood Essence Crystal and was rushing off in another direction.
Just as Night Owl was about to leap out of the open space, a sword light slashed diagonally from the side, forcing him to take a half-step back.
Lin Wanyue stood before him, sword tip pointing forward, blocking his path. "Now, one against one, do you think you can still be my match?"
Night Owl didn't reply, nor did he rush to break through. He glanced at the Blood Essence Crystal in his hand.
The Blood Essence Crystal was still pulsating slightly, like a heart whose beating had been forcibly stopped.
Night Owl shifted his gaze from Lin Wanyue, glancing at the trembling tip of her sword and then at the approaching Firelight behind her.
Instead of forcing his way through, he took a step back and darted to the side in another direction. He turned his feet, and dark red True Essence exploded from beneath his feet, his body becoming a blur as he attempted to pass through Lin Wanyue's sword circle from the side.
Lin Wanyue didn't let him pass. Her sword had already been thrust out, and at this moment, she had pushed the Hanging Edge Sword Art to its limit. The tip of the sword chased after the afterimage, landing precisely at the point where he changed direction.
Night Owl was forced to stop, dodging the sword light. His True Essence condensed into a thin layer of armor on his shoulder. The sword tip grazed the armor, making a low scraping sound, but did not pierce through. Without pausing, he condensed his True Essence into a crescent-shaped blade of energy in his palm and hurled it at Lin Wanyue. Lin Wanyue dodged to the side, and the blade grazed her shoulder, severing a lock of hair before striking the Altar behind her, leaving a charred dent.
The wound on the man's chest was still bleeding, and dark red True Essence surged from his arm, spreading forward along the back of the blade. The entire blade seemed to be enveloped in a layer of dark liquid, and the edge of the blade gleamed with a dark light.
He didn't call out to Night Owl again, nor did he look in the direction of the Altar. He was certain that Night Owl wouldn't turn back and that he wouldn't survive, but he didn't intend to let Ye An have an easy time either.
Ye An did not wait for him to finish gathering his strength.
Shuanghong struck first, his sword slashing diagonally upwards from the lower left corner, the tip landing on the inside of the elbow joint of the arm holding the knife.
The swordsman's sword strike was fully charged, but in that instant, Ye An's sword interrupted his momentum. Dark red True Essence dissipated from the back of the blade, like a water sac punctured. The Star-Shattering Finger followed immediately, landing next to the old wound on his chest. The force did not penetrate, but only caused a jolt.
The man holding the knife leaned back slightly, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He glanced down, feeling the other person's swirling inner True Qi circulating within his body. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the knife slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He then collapsed forward, kneeling on the ground, face down, motionless.
Ye An ignored this and turned to look in the direction of the Night Owl.
Night Owl had retreated to the edge of the open space, but Lin Wanyue was still in front of him. She had already thrust her sword out twice, both times dodged, and was now thrusting it out a third time. Her sword strike was a little slower than before, the angle was correct, and the landing point was not off, but Night Owl was faster than her sword, and each time he dodged at the last moment.
Ye An remained silent. Shuanghong did not stab Night Owl, but instead positioned itself between Night Owl and Lin Wanyue, blocking his next change of direction.
Night Owl's only escape route, which hadn't been completely blocked by Lin Wanyue, was blocked by this. The Blood Essence Crystal in his hand was still burning hot, but he had no intention of rushing forward anymore.
He glanced at Ye An, then at Lin Wanyue, and at the approaching Firelight.
Finally, he made up his mind that even if it meant risking his own life, he would kill the two of them on the spot!