Upon hearing this, the few Little Demons turned around, their faces full of curiosity. "For real? The Demon-slaying Bureau is already here?"
Only Xie Yutang froze for a moment.
She glanced to the side.
She saw Gu Nanzhi, who had been smiling just a moment ago, her face now instantly drained of color. She stood rooted to the spot, looking utterly lost.
"You’re the fish?" Xie Yutang reached out and grabbed her arm, her voice low.
"I don’t know."
Gu Nanzhi finally snapped back to her senses under the firm grip.
’A dark-faced boy... a Demon-slaying Bureau rookie... strung up by his own people to lure out Demons.’
’These three points combined... it really sounded like her little nephew.’
Xie Yutang let out a slow breath.
Xie Yutang nodded and called out to the distant figures, "Brother, please wait a moment. Did you get a clear look at the Cultivation levels of those Demon-slaying Bureau constables?"
"Why do you ask?"
The Qingming Little Demons were taken aback for a moment, then frowned and reminded them, "While it’s true some Demon Generals want to use this incident to make a name for themselves, our General has no intention of getting involved. The General is only sheltering you for now out of respect for Demon General Duan Yue. Don’t even think about using Qingming Mountain’s name to cause trouble."
"Please rest assured, brother. We know the rules," Gu Nanzhi said with a slight nod.
"One Core Formation, nine Foundation Establishment, and a few dozen Qi Cultivation greenhorns."
The Qingming Little Demon thought for a moment before adding, "That Core Formation True Master probably broke through recently. His aura is far weaker than our General’s."
"Many thanks, brother!"
Xie Yutang cupped her hands in thanks and watched them leave.
It was only then that Monkey and the others noticed something was wrong with Gu Nanzhi. "What’s going on? Is this related to us?"
"I... I don’t know."
Gu Nanzhi shook her head, her voice faint.
Of course, she was desperate to go save her nephew.
But she was living on borrowed time. Having been with them for so long without making any contribution, how could she have the audacity to ask her saviors to walk into danger again?
"Don’t panic!"
Xie Yutang seemed unable to stand the sight of her in this state.
Frowning slightly, she once again raised a hand to steady Gu Nanzhi’s trembling body. "With the Yu Family’s Immortal Qi and resources we got from trading those two Immortal Descendants, I’ve already reached Dao Essence Perfection and comprehended a set of Core Formation Seventh Grade Sword Formulas."
"What does that mean?" Gu Nanzhi looked up, dazed.
"It means we’re in this together."
A corner of Xie Yutang’s mouth lifted into an encouraging smile. She looked around at the others, then held up three fingers and said seriously, "We can save him, but there’s only a thirty percent chance. If we fail, I don’t know how many of us will die."
"Fuck, that high!"
Monkey excitedly raised his Demon Slaying Saber. "Let’s do it!"
The other Little Demons also drew their long sabers and pulled out Immortal Talismans without a second thought.
Every single one of them had been rescued before.
It was by taking one thirty-percent chance after another that they had managed to assemble this group of nearly ten people.
"We still need to prepare. A few of you, go scout ahead. And someone go inform the Qingming Demon General. It’s rude to leave without saying goodbye."
Xie Yutang nodded and began to lay out their plan of action.
All the Little Demons were used to it; after all, they had been through this many times before.
"Count me in."
Just then, Red Face suddenly raised his arm. "I haven’t undergone Demon Transformation yet. I’ll go scout."
Having just experienced betrayal himself, seeing someone else suffer the same fate naturally struck a chord with him.
And the words of the black-robed young woman had left Lu Yun somewhat stunned.
"Now it’s forty percent."
Xie Yutang’s smile widened, and she extended another finger.
She led the other Little Demons and strode quickly away from Qingming Mountain.
The night was pitch-black.
The mountains and rivers were silent.
To this vast and towering mountain range,
whether it was the thousand members of the Demon-slaying Bureau or a mere handful of Little Demons, all were as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.
After confirming that the group of Demon-slaying Captains was nowhere nearby,
beneath a tall, massive tree,
two dozing Demon-slaying Bureau rookies suddenly felt their necks tighten.
"Ngh!"
Before they could react, a heavy blow landed on the back of their heads. With a faint grunt, their limp bodies collapsed at the foot of the tree.
Monkey flexed his fingers and looked at the old man beside him. "Baldy, you keep watch. I’m going up."
The two Demons had an unspoken agreement not to deal a killing blow.
These rookies had just joined the Demon-slaying Bureau. They hadn’t done anything yet; they were like blank slates.
A more seasoned Demon would, of course, have cut the weeds and pulled up the roots, leaving no future trouble.
But these Little Demons, after all, still retained some memories of their past lives in the human world and subconsciously held back.
"Go."
Baldy kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings.
Not far away, several figures lay hidden in the shadows, ready to provide support at a moment’s notice.
CRACK.
The treetop was easily snapped off.
Monkey, holding the barely breathing boy, nimbly leaped down and grinned. "Got him. Let’s run!"
Just as they had back at White Teeth Mine, they excitedly bolted toward the depths of the Demon Mountain.
Gu Nanzhi channeled all her Spiritual Power, and the rough black cloth rose up again, transforming into a hazy Fog that enveloped the demons’ figures.
She stared at her unconscious nephew’s face, clenched her jaw, and suppressed all her turbulent emotions.
They didn’t waste a single moment.
Under Xie Yutang’s lead, they quickly melted into the night.
SWISH! SWISH!
Just then, the Demon-Binding Rope on Chang Yi suddenly shot out, stiff and straight as a sword’s thrust.
It easily tore through the hazy Black Mist in the sky.
SNAP.
The crisp sound of a finger snap echoed from the distance.
In the next instant, countless torches flared to life all around them.
"So? Did that tear an opening for us?"
Gong Yue stood on a hillside, his figure tall and straight, his ink-black robes swaying. He looked down with a mocking smile at the figures below. "Foolish Demons, have you forgotten what the disciples of my Qi Family are best at?"
Using Divine Soul Techniques to create a few illusory figures to deceive the eyes and ears of Demons is a classic trick of the Demon-slaying Bureau.

Comments

Loading...