Outside the Jiao Long Hall, a gentle breeze swept across the open field.

What should have been a scene of pleasant bird song and fragrant flowers was now shrouded in a heavy atmosphere of killing intent.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Celestial Solitary Array Gate disciples, blood soaking into the soil, exuding a pungent scent of rust.

Tao Hanping knelt on one knee, drenched in blood, sinister array patterns crawling over his body, writhing like living creatures.

He struggled to breathe, each breath accompanied by a bloody froth.

Not far away, Long Yuan was savoring a skull, blood dripping from his fangs, blooming into crimson flowers on the ground.

"Tsk tsk, truly worthy of a sect reputed for exceptional battle prowess," Long Yuan clapped gently as he advanced, crushing a piece of bone underfoot, "For a mere person to resist two Pulse Condensation Realm Dragon Generals for the time it takes an incense stick to burn without dying, it's truly admirable."

Tao Hanping suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes igniting with hateful fire: "You beast! The Sect Leader was blind to have taken in a degenerate like you, consorting with demons!"

His gaze passed over Long Yuan, seeing Ruan Lingzhi holding Xianxian's waist, standing obsequiously beside the dragon demon.

"Mr. Tao, was that slap satisfying?" Ruan Lingzhi smirked, "Since the sect can't accommodate me, I might as well join the Jiao Long Hall. Look, my array skills are more appreciated here."

Despair surfaced in Tao Hanping's heart, his throat moving with the taste of blood.

Not long ago, they had just arrived here and immediately discovered something unusual.

The place was shrouded in Evil Qi, clearly indicating the presence of demons.

Before Tao Hanping could react, a horde of Vein Condensation Realm Dragon Generals suddenly attacked.

The disciples had no ability to resist and were killed on the spot.

The adversary seemed to be playing a hunter's game, sending two Vein Condensation Realm Dragon Generals to tangle with him, ultimately seriously injuring him here.

Ruan Lingzhi, who was once considered the next Sect Leader of Celestial Solitary Array Gate, suddenly defected to the demons, becoming one of the Jiao Long Hall.

This blow was undeniably significant.

Now, surrounded by demons, Tao Hanping knew his days were numbered, regretting the mistake of trusting Ruan Lingzhi and leading the disciples into this den of demons.

Though Ruan Lingzhi mocked Tao Hanping, his palm holding Qianqian's slim waist was sweaty.

He hadn't expected this woman, who had shared his bed daily, to be a spy cultivated by the Jiao Long Hall.

Fortunately, it seemed he was useful to the Jiao Long Hall.

At that moment, he made a decision.

Rather than dying bravely, it was better to preserve his life.

Besides, returning to the Celestial Solitary Array Gate would surely diminish his influence.

It would be better to stay in this Xunyang Prefecture, wielding power and influence—after all, he was useful to the Jiao Long Hall, and the hall's plethora of Outer Elixir Realm demons was no trifling force.

Here, life might be better than at the Celestial Solitary Array Gate.

Long Yuan released his claws, feigning regret as he shook his head, "A real man, even at this time, refuses to surrender. Even I, the Dragon General, must admire this resolve. In that case, I shall send you to the afterlife!"

With that, Long Yuan prepared to take Tao Hanping's head off.

But at that moment, something unexpected occurred.

Suddenly, Tao Hanping erupted, raising his blood-stained right hand, mysterious array patterns appearing, striking Long Yuan's chest with a determination to perish together.

Long Yuan instantly sensed a life-and-death crisis, then lifted his claw, clashing with Tao Hanping's palm.

"Boom!"

A tremendous explosion suddenly sounded.

As the shockwave blasted out, Tao Hanping's right arm turned into a mist of blood.

Long Yuan staggered back a few steps, a hint of gloom flickering in his eyes: "Struggling to the death, I'm going to dismember you!"

He shifted his gaze, about to end Tao Hanping's life.

But Tao Hanping's blood array underfoot suddenly shone, and he transformed into a stream of light, fleeing toward the sky.

"What's happening?" Long Yuan furrowed his brow.

Ruan Lingzhi cried out in shock, "He used half his lifespan as a price to cast the Blood Escape Array. He's now escaped over a thousand miles away!"

Long Yuan turned, clutching Ruan Lingzhi's throat, killing intent boiling: "Since he used an array, why didn't you stop him? Aren't you a genius of the Celestial Solitary Array Gate?"

Ruan Lingzhi's face turned pale at the words, trembling in fear: "The array burns one's lifespan and activates very quickly. Even if I wanted to stop him, I simply couldn't."

"Useless!" Long Yuan threw Ruan Lingzhi to the ground: "If not for your usefulness to the Dragon Lord, this negligence would have led to your skinning today!"

Ruan Lingzhi, sweat dripping from his head, knocked incessantly on the ground, making a pounding sound.

"I know I was wrong. With my array talent, I can surely bring great benefits to the Jiao Long Hall. Not only can I decipher other sects' arrays, but I can also set up defenses for the hall, killing two birds with one stone!"

At that moment, he had forgotten his identity as a genius of the Celestial Solitary Array Gate, only wishing to preserve his life in this place full of demons.

Long Yuan waved his hand: "Take him into the hall and let the Dragon Lord take a look. Also, you two go search for the old guy's whereabouts. If you truly can't find him, then forget it. What storm can he possibly cause alone?"

Two dragon demons soared into the sky, transforming into streams of light, chasing after the direction Tao Hanping had fled.

The remaining demons took Ruan Lingzhi and entered the Jiao Long Hall.

As for the corpses of the Celestial Solitary Array Gate disciples, they were dragged inside by the numerous demons.

These cultivators' bodies were a great tonic for the demons, and they naturally wouldn't waste them.

Soon, the clearing fell silent.

...

The next morning, Xunyang Prefecture awoke under the morning sun.

The populace gradually emerged from their houses, setting up stalls or strolling the streets.

The city, initially somewhat desolate, suddenly burst with vitality.

Qin An opened his eyes, got up early, and stretched.

Today was another day at the medical hall.

Yesterday, his proficiency had grown significantly, and Qin An estimated that in just about ten days, the physician could advance to level ten.

By then, he planned to exchange for a protective cultivation technique in the Confidential Library, evolving his technique to the Great Success of Vein Condensation Realm.

The streets bustled with people, an endless stream coming and going.

Qin An first had breakfast at a stall, then prepared to head to the medical hall when a commotion sounded from a distant street corner.

On normal days, this street was relatively quiet, making the commotion especially abrupt today, drawing Qin An's attention.

Qin An looked up, frowning slightly.

At the end of the street, the crowd suddenly parted, as if frightened by something, leading to a series of screams.

Soon after, amidst the crowd, a bloodied elder stumbled forward.

The direction the elder charged towards was the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An recognized this man; it was Tao Hanping, the elder leading the team from the Celestial Solitary Array Gate yesterday.

"They should have already been on their way back to the Celestial Solitary Array Gate. Why did they suddenly return to Xunyang Prefecture, and why is he so badly injured?"

Qin An pondered deeply.

While he was considering this, two constables from different departments had already moved forward, preparing to stop Tao Hanping.

Tao Hanping, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, waved fiercely: "Make way! Make way! I need to get to the Evil Extermination Bureau!"

The constables were taken aback but, as they were patrolling the street, still intended to stop him.

At this moment, a sound of footsteps approached.

The two constables turned around to see Qin An approach with a cold star at his side.

Particularly upon seeing the bronze badge hanging from Qin An's waist, they immediately understood and quietly retreated.

Tao Hanping, who was running, was slightly stunned upon seeing Qin An, and instinctively paused his steps.

"Are you the Profound Celestial Array Gate disciple who competed yesterday?"

Tao Hanping's eyes showed slight hesitation, but his gaze instinctively moved to the bronze badge on Qin An's waist.

"You are a bronze Prefecture General of the Evil Extermination Bureau!"

Qin An nodded: "What happened?"

Tao Hanping was about to speak, but before he could, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the ground.

Seeing this, Qin An frowned and waved to the constables not far away: "You two, come here, carry him to the Evil Extermination Bureau. Interesting, the Celestial Solitary Array Gate encountered a monster."

He could feel a trace of Evil Qi lingering on Tao Hanping's body.

Moreover, this Evil Qi carried a nauseating fishy smell.

Qin An had smelled this before; it was the scent of a dragon demon.

Clearly, the people from the Celestial Solitary Array Gate were attacked by a dragon demon on the road, and only Tao Hanping managed to escape to Xunyang Prefecture.

Since it was related to the Jiao Long Hall, Qin An's interest piqued even more.

The two constables quickly complied, not daring to offend Qin An, and carried Tao Hanping behind him as they headed to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

...

In the courtyard of the Evil Extermination Bureau, Tao Hanping lay on the ground, and the Prefecture Generals coming and going from the bureau all looked at him with curiosity.

Qin An lifted his index finger, circulated True Qi, and pressed it to Tao Hanping's forehead.

With the talent of a ninth-level healer, Qin An had achieved significant accomplishments in healing.

True Qi acted like a silver needle, quickly penetrating Tao Hanping's major acupuncture points, stopping his injuries.

Only then did Tao Hanping slowly regain consciousness.

As soon as he woke, Tao Hanping tried to grab Qin An.

But Qin An sidestepped, avoiding Tao Hanping's bloody hand.

Tao Hanping was slightly taken aback and spoke with difficulty: "Ruan Lingzhi led us to a place full of dragon demons, where all the disciples perished. Ruan Lingzhi has already defected to that monster force. Please, Evil Extermination Bureau, champion the cause for the Celestial Solitary Array Gate!"

Though he was not from Xunyang Prefecture, since the incident occurred here, Tao Hanping naturally sought aid from the prefecture.

Qin An slightly frowned: "Let me report this to Mr. Zhou for handling."

The Evil Extermination Bureau has its procedures for handling matters, including task assignments.

Therefore, Qin An did not continue questioning.

Qin An stood up and waved to two Internal Affairs Department officers.

The officers promptly approached and asked respectfully: "What are your orders, sir?"

Qin An pointed to the barely breathing Tao Hanping on the ground: "Take him to Mr. Zhou's residence."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin An took the lead and headed towards Zhou Yuanfeng's location.

The two officers exchanged glances, accepted the order in unison, and carried Tao Hanping, following Qin An.

...

In the courtyard, after listening to Qin An's account, Zhou Yuanfeng frowned slightly.

"This is certainly challenging."

After being treated by Qin An, Tao Hanping had regained his vitality. Hearing this, he asked, "Why is it challenging? I know where their force is located. If I take the lords there, we can surely eradicate them."

Qin An gently stroked the scabbard without speaking.

Zhou Yuanfeng shook his head and said: "If it were other forces, once knowing their location, one could just send the Prefecture Generals of the Evil Extermination Bureau to eliminate them. But it's different with the Jiao Long Hall. Even if we know their location, it's still difficult to eradicate them."

Qin An's interest grew as well.

In Lingzhou, those monster forces each had their ways to avoid the Evil Extermination Bureau, making it difficult for the bureau to reach them.

Now, Zhou Yuanfeng seemed to suggest the same here.

Zhou Yuanfeng paused slightly before continuing: "The Jiao Long Hall is an enormous palace, difficult to eradicate because this palace can change its location, supported under the dragon demons."

Upon hearing this, Tao Hanping's face darkened significantly.

He knew that if this were the case, it would indeed be futile.

Even if the position is known, by the time the Evil Extermination Bureau's Prefecture Generals arrive, the Jiao Long Hall might have already disappeared.

"In that case, I'll return to the Celestial Solitary Array Gate." Tao Hanping said dejectedly as he prepared to leave the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An said calmly, "Wait a moment."

Tao Hanping was slightly surprised.

Qin An turned his gaze to Zhou Yuanfeng: "Mr. Zhou must have other ways to deal with the Jiao Long Hall."

Zhou Yuanfeng revealed a meaningful smile: "You're clever, able to discern my thoughts."

Qin An's fingers gently caressed the scabbard: "If Mr. Zhou could not do it, he would simply say he couldn't, not talk this much."

Their exchange left Tao Hanping utterly confused.

Zhou Yuanfeng waved his hand: "Bring it up."

The officer guarding the door quickly disappeared from sight.

After about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, two bronze Prefecture Generals brought a dragon demon into the courtyard.

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