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Li Daoxuan and the others left from the earthen fortress of the Hong family, shook off their pursuers, and about half an hour later, arrived at an abandoned village at the foot of Canglong Mountain.
Mud walls lay in ruins, with weeds growing thickly amongst them.
A few crows flapped their wings, circling above a withered tree at the entrance of the village, emitting strident caws.
Whoosh!
A cold wind blew past, and Li Daoxuan stopped in his tracks.
He looked up at the crows perched in the tree at the entrance of the village, then lifted his gaze to the bright moon hanging in the sky.
The moon was about to set, and the sun had not yet risen.
The darkest and coldest time of the day was drawing near.
"Cough, cough!" Li Daoxuan coughed twice, and gradually, blood began to seep from his mouth and nose, his vision blurring.
A bitter smile appeared on his face as he thought back to over a hundred years ago when his master had disappeared without a trace, leaving him to take on the responsibility in a time of crisis, swearing to carry on the legacy of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Yet no matter how hard he tried over the years, the scale of the Demon Suppression Bureau had shrunk unavoidably, no longer possessing its former glory.
"I guess I'm just not talented enough..." With a sigh of regret, Li Daoxuan's face was filled with frustration and helplessness.
Through his blurry vision,
the tall and burly figure of the former bureau chief, with long hair draped over his shoulders, seemed to reappear before Li Daoxuan.
"Master, I'm sorry." Li Daoxuan said, "I truly did my best."
Boom!
Another gust of cold wind blew fiercely.
Finally unable to hold on any longer, he reverted from his Ape Demon state.
Returning to his original withered and shriveled old appearance, covered in blood, he fell backwards, head tilting back.
"Bureau chief!" The rest of the group were inexplicably grief-stricken, with faces full of rage and confusion. Several elders cried out in alarm, but for a moment did not know what to do.
Luo Shuang flashed and caught Li Daoxuan by the neck, gently laying him down.
She pinched Li Daoxuan's philtrum and then took out a medicinal pill from her bosom and placed it in his mouth.
"How is he?" Wang Xindong asked.
"He's barely hanging on by a thread," Luo Shuang shaked her head with a dejected expression, "What should we do now?"
"This is not the place to discuss matters. Let's take the bureau chief back to the Demon Supression Bureau first."
"It's just..." Luo Shuang hesitated, "That might not be quite proper either."
"Why is that?"
"We just received news that the Green Spirit Demon King has led an attack on the Demon Suppression Tower. There's also a great demon from the Corpse Mountain imprisoned in the tower; if it escapes, the consequences would be unthinkable. And we're not sure of the exact situation with the Demon Suppression Bureau at the moment..." Luo Shuang's eyebrows were filled with exhaustion and worry.
Wang Xindong's brows furrowed deeply, pacing back and forth on the ground, feeling more powerless the more he thought about it.
Boom!
He punched the earthen wall beside him with great force.
The entire wall collapsed, reduced to rubble, and a cloud of earthy dust billowed up.
"Then we'd better rest up here for the time being. You stay and guard the bureau chief, and I will go to the inner city for a look," said Wang Xindong, "If I return, it means the situation isn't as bad as it could be. If I don't make it back before dawn, you all should leave Baihua County directly and head to Tai'an Prefecture to seek help from the Demon Suppression Army."
"Okay!" Luo Shuang nodded in agreement.
She looked reluctant, as both of them could sense the high likelihood of misfortune on this mission.
"Then, let's not say more," Wang Xindong gestured with his hand, turning to leave the abandoned village.
Spurt!
But he had barely gone two steps away,
But in just a short while, his body was covered with large scars.
He too practiced the Eight Phases Secret Skill, possessing strong defensive skills honed through rigorous training.
These bloodstains were merely superficial and did not truly harm the inner muscles, but the spreading Blood Poison was extremely troublesome.
Wang Xindong's body temperature continued to rise, and his eyes bulged out as if exploding.
The other elders, seeing Wang Xindong at a disadvantage, wanted to help.
But Wei Changkong did not come alone. In the darkness where moonlight could not reach, numerous vague figures began to emerge. Explore hidden tales at mvl
"The final blow!" Seeing Wang Xindong was reaching his limits, Wei Changkong laughed wildly, "Let's see who can stop me now!"
Whoosh!
He spread the fingers of his left hand and raised it high above.
Blood-red Arc Blades extended several feet from each finger, slicing through the air with a sizzling noise, and then he fiercely swung downward.
Splat!
Blood splattered out in an instant.
The crazed smile on Wei Changkong's face first froze, then turned into an expression of incomprehensible shock.
Wang Xindong, drenched in blood, stood bathed in the moonlight, but he was still very much alive, not suffering the heavy blow that was expected.
And the scene of blood gushing just now...
Wei Changkong looked down, his eyes wide open, his entire left arm severed at the elbow, the nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and bones within clearly visible.
Bang bang bang bang!
The dull sound of exploding heads, like fireworks, one after the other.
Wei Changkong turned around, and in that brief moment of astonishment, the men he brought had all been killed. Their blood spurted from severed necks evaporated by the intense energy, hissing into thick smoke. Amidst the blood-smoke twisting the air and a hellish scene, a towering figure was slowly approaching.
This man was cloaked in black robes, his face unclear, but his build was towering and exaggerated, emitting an oppressive aura like an incoming tide.
He held his left hand in front of him, his slender fingers toying with a bloody severed arm.
His other hand, concealed in his sleeve, was covered with dark scales, resembling a giant lizard or dragon, sticky with thick blood, dripping down with gravity.
Wei Changkong was terrified, but he couldn't think of anyone in Baihua County who could be this formidable.
"Who are you!" Wei Changkong shouted, trying to retreat at the same time.
Whoosh!
The scene before him suddenly shifted.
Without time for any action, the man flashed from ten meters away to right in front of him.
"How noisy!"
A sharp, black finger gently touched Wei Changkong's forehead.
A surge of energy infiltrated his skull, and precisely severed the spinal nerves connecting his brain and body.
Wei Changkong was still conscious but could no longer control his limbs. His body went limp like noodles and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Su Heng!" Wang Xindong's gaze toward him was filled with sheer ecstasy, "Your arrival couldn't be better, is everything alright at the Demon Suppression Bureau?"
"Mostly unharmed," Su Heng replied gently.
"That's good, that's good..." Wang Xindong's emotions rose and fell dramatically.
Hearing this news, his pent-up breath finally released, and without any sense of decorum, he sat down against the corner of the wall. He tried to stand, pushing hard, but failed to rise successfully.
"You should rest a bit," Su Heng patted Wang Xindong's shoulder, offering comfort.
"If you hadn't arrived in time, our forces really would have been wiped out," Wang Xindong looked up, his swollen and reddened eyes full of gratitude.
"It wouldn't have come to that..." Su Heng shook his head and walked over to Li Daoxuan.
He squatted down and patted Li Daoxuan's dried and darkened cheek, "Stop pretending, the guy has been dealt with by me."