The Tree Spirit roared in fury, countless branches quivering, as the palace filled with sinister winds and evil qi.

Moments later, the Tree Spirit suppressed the evil qi within, his gaze shifting from madness to calmness.

It was only after joining the Demonic Hall that the Tree Spirit realized its true terror.

He had initially believed that the Pseudo-God from the village could reach perfection, but he hadn't anticipated Qin An single-handedly destroying it.

He hadn't wanted to join the Demonic Hall, but now that his breakthrough opportunity was ruined, setting it up a second time would be nearly impossible.

The Demonic Hall promised to provide him with the evil qi from the Tiger Race's hidden treasure, which he knew was his only chance to reach perfection.

Had it not been for the need to use the evil qi from the Tiger Race's hidden treasure to enhance himself, the Tree Spirit would have long turned the treasure into a furnace, exterminating everyone present.

"Speed up, refine the evil qi quickly, once I break through to perfection, all of you will die!"

The Tree Spirit's eyes glinted coldly as he extended a branch to open a nearby wooden box.

The wooden box was exceedingly old, with dark red blood stains long dried on its surface.

The branch touched the wooden box, which opened in response.

A young woman in purple lay unconscious in the box with her eyes closed.

Branches wrapped around her waist, lifting her into the air.

The Tree Spirit scrutinized her, mumbling, "The Ye Family has a Pure Yin Body. No wonder the fox mother went through great pains to save her. With a Pure Yin Body, cultivating yin-aligned cultivation techniques will yield double the results with half the effort. She is also an excellent candidate for purifying evil qi. Now, she's my gain."

The branch suddenly went taut, piercing into the woman's forehead.

Vast quantities of evil qi surged in, circulated through her body, then flowed back into the Tree Spirit.

The Tree Spirit ceased further contemplation, closing his eyes and continuing to absorb the tiger's evil qi.

...

"This plan is feasible."

In the dark passage, Wan Ziqing nodded in agreement after a brief moment of thought.

Qin An stroked his black blade: "But to execute the plan, at least two Jinzhou Guards are needed to ensure success."

Earlier, Qin An and Wan Ziqing meticulously discussed and formulated the upcoming plan.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey can relay the jade's position to the fox mother and Hou Lie. By exploiting this characteristic to gather multiple Jinzhou Guards, luring the fox mother and Hou Lie over to eliminate them would save a lot of effort.

However, the hidden treasure's passages are labyrinthine, making it extremely difficult to gather the Jinzhou Guards.

Qin An had searched for a long time yet only found Wan Ziqing.

Wan Ziqing shook her head: "You're underestimating the Evil Extermination Bureau."

Qin An raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Wan Ziqing's gaze turned icy cold: "Besides me and the Jinzhou Guards stationed outside, there are three Jinzhou Guards already within the Tiger Race's hidden treasure, plus thousands of Yinzou Guards gathering. It's only a matter of time before we meet."

Qin An rubbed his jaw: "If that's the case, the plan can proceed quickly."

Thousands of Yinzou Guards are equivalent to thousands of Jade Bone Realm experts, a formidable force even in Lingzhou.

The Tiger Race's hidden treasure may be perilous, but with so many Yinzou Guards, even with Jinzhou Guards added, any danger can be turned safe.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey trembled, listening to their plan, a chill running through its heart.

Master Hou is doomed.

With his understanding of Master Hou, as soon as the location is revealed here, the fox mother will surely come.

By then, they'd likely be rounded up in one sweep.

Luckily, he switched sides in time to save his life.

Wan Ziqing glanced at Qin An: "After this is over, there will be an opportunity. If you can reach Jade Bone Realm Perfection, you might want to give it a try."

Qin An asked, "What opportunity?"

Wan Ziqing shook her head: "You'll find out then. But while it's a good opportunity, Yang Quanfeng might not be willing. It's been a long time since he's had someone like you."

Qin An continued to stroke his black blade, saying nothing.

What Wan Ziqing mentioned was cryptic, but if even one as devoted to severing emotions and desires as Wan Ziqing could bring it up, Qin An guessed it must be significant.

Everything would have to wait until after the affair with the Tiger Race's hidden treasure concluded.

The two said no more, and after Wei Shun'an brought the Yinzou Guards over, they proceeded toward a specific location.

...

The hidden treasure was treacherous, with battles occurring everywhere.

Though various Pseudo-Gods appeared frequently, and monsters mingled among them, the wealth of the Evil Extermination Bureau gradually advanced steadily.

In one cavern.

Hou Lie threw aside a Yinzou Guard's corpse, licked bloodstains from his paw, his gaze dark: "Where is the Tree Spirit hiding?"

They'd been searching for a long time, not only for the Tiger Race's hidden treasure but also for the Tree Spirit himself.

The fox mother's face was ashen, wiping bloodstains from her white fox tail, her tone icy: "Keep searching, we'll find him eventually."

Conflicts were frequent among the mystical beings of Lingzhou, and after today's incident, their grudge against the Tree Spirit surpassed even that with Qin An.

On this venture, they hadn't gained anything but instead encountered Silver Tiger Beasts several times.

Had they not banded together, they might have suffered losses by now.

Hou Lie nodded, then his expression changed as he pulled out a glittering jade stone: "There's movement."

The fox mother's eyes filled with evil qi, she stepped forward: "Is it that little bastard Qin An?"

If Tree Spirit ranked first in her grudges, then Qin An ranked second.

The former's son was slain by Qin An's hands, the latter's Cang Mountain Jade taken by Qin An.

Now that the jade signaled, the fox mother's first thought was Qin An.

Hou Lie didn't respond, using True Qi to communicate with the jade.

Shortly after, the Thousand-Faced Monkey's voice came from the jade.

"Master, where are you?"

Hou Lie looked around and said, "In a cavern, but I don't know the specifics. What's your situation?"

The Thousand-Faced Monkey whispered: "Qin An and Wan Ziqing have met up. I'm secretly lurking among the Yinzou Guards, nearly exposed myself. Master, should I activate the location?"

Before Hou Lie could reply, the fox mother spoke first.

"With Wan Ziqing present, how did you send the message?"

Foxes are distrustful, and especially in such critical times, the fox mother couldn't trust easily.

Hou Lie ceased speaking, knowing the fox mother's concerns were valid, and waited for the Thousand-Faced Monkey to respond.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey lowered its voice: "After Qin An and Wan Ziqing met, they dismissed everyone, and I seized the chance to contact the master."

The fox mother fell into deep thought.

Hou Lie looked at the fox mother and asked, "What do you think?"

As temporary allies, they naturally discussed before taking action.

The fox mother gritted her teeth: "Activate the location!"

Considering what the Thousand-Faced Monkey said, the fox mother didn't sense any discrepancies.

This was a golden opportunity worth the risk.

If the two joined forces, they could not only kill Qin An but also eliminate Wan Ziqing.

Opportunities like these don't come again.

Hou Lie nodded, gripping the jade: "Send the location."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey replied softly: "Understood."

The jade radiated pure white light, emitting a wisp of white smoke that pointed in a specific direction.

Monkey Lie turned his head and said, "Let's go."

The two of them stopped wasting words and dashed towards the location indicated by the white smoke.

No danger was encountered along the way.

Monkey Lie and the Fox Mother knew the reason.

With thousands of Yin Prefecture guards plus four Jinzhou guards, even the secret stash of the Tiger Race couldn't withstand it.

Breaking through the Tiger Race's secret stash was merely a matter of time.

It was precisely because of this that they followed the tracking to eliminate targets one by one.

Crossing a small path, Monkey Lie and the Fox Mother drew closer to the target location.

Monkey Lie slowed down and communicated with the jade stone: "What's the situation?"

Now being very close to the jade stone, everything had to be handled cautiously.

Understanding the situation in advance is necessary to formulate the next plan.

However, upon communicating with the jade stone this time, no sound came from it.

It was as silent as water, with even a needle drop audible.

A bad feeling surged in Monkey Lie's heart.

Footsteps echoed in the darkness.

Monkey Lie looked towards the source of the sound and saw Qin An holding a black knife, walking slowly forward.

The Fox Mother warned, "Something's not right!"

They were the ambushers, so why were they encountering Qin An?

Before Monkey Lie could respond, Qin An's lips curled slightly.

"So, this is how the Fox Mother and the leader of the Monkey Tribe look."

Qin An was already aware of the hatred the two bore towards him, but today was the first time he saw them in person.

Monkey Lie surveyed his surroundings, his eyes emitting a fierce light: "No matter, let's kill this brat first!"

There was no one else in the darkness. Though he didn't know why Qin An was so confident, since he appeared, they might as well take Qin An's head.

With those words, Monkey Lie kicked off with both feet, turning into a trail of shadows pouncing towards Qin An.

Though doubtful, the Fox Mother knew that if she didn't act after Monkey Lie did, it would provoke his discontent.

The white fox tail followed closely, aiming directly at Qin An's head.

The attack was a killing move.

Evil Qi surged like a dragon, far stronger than the broken Silver Tiger Beasts that Qin An had dealt with.

Facing both attacks, Qin An remained composed, calm as the water in a lake.

Monkey Lie sneered, "Little bastard, staying so calm even in death, I hope you'll remain this way when I peel your skin later."

Qin An rubbed the black knife, stepping aside slightly: "You old brute, I'm afraid you won't get to strip my skin."

As Qin An stepped back, he immediately gave way.

A sharp wind whistled through, cutting the darkness like water.

A hammer followed the wind, aiming straight for Monkey Lie's chest.

At the same time, a voice sounded, tinged with disdain.

"You touch my subordinate and disregard Mr. Yang?"

Feeling the icy wind, Monkey Lie opened his eyes wide: "Yang Quanfeng!"

As the words fell, the hammer had already arrived close.

Ignoring Qin An, Monkey Lie crossed his claws to meet the hammer, using its recoil to swiftly retreat three meters.

His claws trembled slightly, and Monkey Lie's expression turned grave.

Elsewhere, a pair of hands stroked the Fox Mother's white tail.

The previously fierce white tail suddenly contracted, an icy chill bursting from it.

Sensing danger, the Fox Mother quickly withdrew her tail.

Not far away, Wan Ziqing, her hands emitting a blue glow, shook her head regrettably.

"So close, just a little more."

Hearing this, the Fox Mother's fur stood on end, shouting fiercely: "It's a trap, retreat!"

The wind howled as Monkey Lie was already the first to retreat backwards.

Everything that had happened shown they had been tricked.

Both Yang Quanfeng and Wan Ziqing were outstanding among the Jinzhou guards.

Yang Quanfeng had even made great achievements in the battle at the Hundred Beasts Sect, single-handedly taking on two opponents.

How could they contend with these two?

Unable to fight, they could only flee.

But at this moment, Wan Ziqing made another move.

Ice spread from her feet, covering the stone cavern in an instant.

With the heartless technique, carrying cold attributes, plus Wan Ziqing's strength, the chill froze the Fox Mother and Monkey Lie.

Feeling the chill in his legs, before Monkey Lie could react, the hammer was already smashing towards his back.

In that critical moment, Monkey Lie raised his hands to block.

The loud sound of a blast echoed.

Monkey Lie's claws turned to minced meat.

The momentum of the hammer didn't diminish, crushing down from Monkey Lie's head to the ground.

When Yang Quanfeng lifted the hammer, all that remained was a heap of minced flesh and a blood core.

Yang Quanfeng picked up the pseudo-core and looked towards where the Fox Mother was.

The Fox Mother, subdued by the chill, was stiff as ice.

Wan Ziqing extended her right hand, pressing it on the Fox Mother's shoulder.

The action appeared gentle, yet the Fox Mother's body suddenly went limp, her True Qi frozen into ice.

Wan Ziqing was about to take action to completely obliterate the Fox Mother.

At this moment, Qin An spoke: "Mr. Wan, please wait. I have something to inquire."

Wan Ziqing raised an eyebrow, then temporarily quelled her killing intent.

With her status as a Jinzhou guard, she wouldn't normally entertain such talk.

But since Qin An had orchestrated the entire plan, and with Yang Quanfeng present, she momentarily gave Qin An face.

The Fox Mother, seeing Qin An approach, spat, "Despicable bastard, you win without honor!"

Qin An retorted with a sneer: "You wanted to bully the weak with numbers, isn't that fair play?"

"Background is also part of one's strength."

In his past life, reading novels, Qin An often found many things puzzling.

Clearly, those protagonists had tremendous backgrounds, yet played as if they had to face enemies alone, refusing to use their backgrounds.

To him, it seemed very foolish.

Today, with just a bit of thought, he easily dealt with two major foes without breaking a sweat. Isn't this much better than risking everything on his own?

Qin An rubbed the black knife, speaking slowly: "Where is Mr. Tree, and is Ye Lengyu still alive?"

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