After parting with Phoebe, Han Shuo headed straight for Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. Once again, however, he avoided the front entrance, planning to enter through a secluded corner of Back Hill.
In the grove where he had shared an intimate moment with Phoebe last time, Han Shuo suddenly grew alert. An inexplicable sense that something was wrong rose in his heart. Alarmed, he immediately released three Yuan Demons. They flew out from the back of his neck and patrolled the entire grove, but discovered nothing.
Yet the feeling that something was wrong did not disappear just because the Yuan Demons had detected no activity. Instead, that deeply uncomfortable sensation grew stronger and stronger, greatly alarming Han Shuo.
With the Demon-Slaying Edge already in his hand, Han Shuo took a deep breath and sharpened his senses to their utmost, trying to detect anything unusual around him himself. Before that, he had already shouted, "Who's there? Come out!"
Han Shuo had merely called out without expecting anything. If an enemy was there, an enemy of this caliber would certainly not reveal themselves simply because of a few words from him.
But to Han Shuo's surprise, the moment he finished speaking, a sinister chuckle suddenly sounded in the dense woods. Then, right before him, the shadow of a large tree gradually gathered into a human shape.
"Young man, you're quite alert. How did you discover my presence?" Once the human shape had formed in the tree's shadow, an extremely tall, thin, sinister-looking old man in a gray cloth tunic stepped out. His hair and beard were grayish white, and his eyes were lead gray. He seemed almost devoid of vitality.
"By instinct. Who are you?" Han Shuo gripped the Demon-Slaying Edge tightly, staring hostilely at the old man as he