Chapter 40: Escape

  “Great ’s Red Armuards! When did they arrive?”

  An Jing gazed bnkly in that dire. Although he had suspected something like this, he was still quite shake truly happened. “They’re already fighting the forces left behind in the manor!”

  So that expined why Hanging Fate Manor had retly been tightening its supply li had been targeted by Great ’s authorities!

  But to strike precisely while the manor held its ritual… for how long had the Red Armuards been monit them?

  Or… was there an informant inside Hanging Fate Manor?

  And surely, the Red Armuards’ target was not just Hanging Fate Manor…

  “Retreat!” Something dawned on An Jing, and he did not hesitate for a moment, raising his void , “Everyone fall back! Withdraw into Hanging Fate Valley!”

  “Don’t get caught up in the fight betwee ’s troops and the demonic sect!”

  After all, An Jing was a citizen of Great . He khat while the empire would not go out of its way to kill the i flory, her would it show mercy just because someone was a child.

  They could not distinguish whether these youths opposing the demonic sect were really foes of the seembers of it. To Great ’s soldiers, any half-grown kid taller than a carriage wheel might as well be a future diehard member of the Heavenly Will Demonic Sect.

  Indeed, best to follow the inal pn he and the Sword Spirit had made—take refuge in Hanging Fate Valley first and see how things developed.

  “Big Brother Jing, are you pnning to stay behind?” Gu Yeqi had been about to obey An Jing’s order and withdraw, but seeing him remain motionless raised an ominous worry in her. “You ’t hold them off by yourself! You’re our Senior Brother! Without you, we won’t even know where to go!”

  All of the Children of Camity obeyed An Jing solely thanks to his personal charisma. The group funed stably as long as he resent, but if he were gohere would be no sed figure who could hold everyoogether.

  “Just do as I say.” An Jing did not turn his head. He stood where he was, face-to-face with the equally still Medie Manor Lord, speaking sternly: “, you and g Lingzu will lead the others deeper into the valley. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll shake off any pursuers and catch up.”

  “Don’t worry. The demoniergy already maed into the Dread Demon; the valley should be safe for now!”

  Strictly speaking, that was a half-truth—verting into the Dread Demon had only used a fra of the demoniergy in the valley.

  But An Jing could sehe Sword Spirit’s current state: free-wheeling, as though chopping down foes with ease. Clearly, it had thhly suppressed the valley’s demoniergy. The newly ritually awakened Children of Camity would not face a sed demon attaly the Great soldiers and the demonic sect members would now be targeted by the Heavenly Demon.

  Hence, ironically, the valley was the safest pce.

  “Big Brother! Argh, fine…I’ll do what you say!” Hearing An Jing’s decisive words, Gu Yeqi could only trust his judgment. She repeatedly begged him not to risk himself, then turo lead the retreat.

  As the footsteps behind him gradually receded toward the depths of the valley, An Jing exhaled in relief.

  He could now focus entirely on the enemy, assessing the situation.

  At the moment, the Dread Demon had locked the demonic sestructors in bat, her side close to victory for now. Ultimately, it was merely a wisp of demoniergy; given enough time, the seasoned demonic sect forces profit in formation warfare would defeat it.

  Meanwhile, the manor’s defensive forces were g with the Red Armuards. An Jing could see oat of those guards splitting off toward the valley. Whatever their goal, he intended not to get caught in the crossfire.

  That left just one problem: the Medie Manor Lord standing before him, separate from all hting.

  An Jing frowned, eyeing the Medie Manor Lord, who seemed somereoccupied.

  If this Internal Fortifiartial master suddeed in violehe retreating youths would be sughtered in the blink of an eye. Even if he had sacrificed a great deal of Blood Essence for the ritual, that would hardly stop him.

  Although it was likely he would not kill these children, whom they regarded as valuable “assets”… if An Jing wao break free from the demonic sect’s trol, he had to be ready to face down this greatest obstacle!

  But just then, An Jing glimpsed a blinding fsh of light.

  He finally uood why the Medie Manor Lord had been gazing off into the distance, unmoving.

  Far away, two masses of power almost tangible in their iy were entangled across heaven ah.

  Then, unbelievably dazzling golden radiaertwined with aernal ice blue chill, ripping open the sky and shattering clouds. Two new suns rose in the space between heaven ah!

  Celestial phenomena abruptly ged, waves of heat and cold wind colliding fiercely. Grass and foliage beh the onsught, forests roared, the entire woodnd quaking in that violent gale.

  “A ‘True Person’ at the Void-Pierg Divireasury realm… two True Persons are fighting…”

  The Medie Manor Lord stared woodenly at that light in the distahe dim green balefire in his eyes burning fiercely. “So True Person Xuanjing has ehe Northern Patrol Envoy.”

  “Well, well, well. Clearly we have a traitor in our midst.”

  “An Jing.”

  He turo face the youth before him, a bitter note in his voice mixed with doubt. “Did you predict this?”

  “Or were you just swayed by the traitor?”

  “No.” Breaking free from his own shock at that Divireasury-level flict, An Jing shook his head.

  He locked eyes with the Medie Manor Lord and spoke the pin truth: “I had guessed that Hanging Fate Manht be in trouble, but I never imagined Great would strike now… Yes, clearly there’s a spy. Manor Lord, this is exactly the oute of ‘those who do evil bring ruin on themselves.’ You earhis.”

  “Mmm. ‘Those who do evil…’ But if our wrongdoing alone were enough to destroy us, the imperial court and this entire world…” He did not finish.

  Instead, the Medie Manor Lord’s gaze slipped past An Jing to somewhere behind him. Sensing something amiss, An Jing spun around, astoo find that a group of children had not obeyed his order to leave and were still standing there.

  Leading them was a girl with long, silky bck hair draped to her waist. Her head was bowed, eyes downcast, as calm ait as always.

  Bai Qinghan stood there like a statue sculpted of id snow, silent.

  Behind her were members of her group and several other youths who had awakened Heaven-Ordained Fates during the ritual. Altogether, they numbered more than ten.

  “Qinghan, you… why haven’t you left?”

  In that moment, a suspi rose in An Jing’s mind.

  But he could not help speaking up, trying to persuade this friend who had spent so much time by his side: “We finally have a ce to escape Hanging Fate Manor… Please, don’t waste it!”

  “Senior Brother.” Bai Qinghan, as their leader, raised her seemingly shy eyes toward An Jing. Yet those eyes shoh a steady, void-like calm. “Before, I never uood you.”

  “Now, though, I’m certain… we’re the same kind of person.”

  “Yes, just as you said:”

  “—I’ve finally found my ce to escape Great , so how could I possibly waste it?”

  (End of Chapter)