Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

A burst of intense energy erupted, raising a small column of dust and debris, causing the entire two-section dwelling to collapse.

Yi Chen, whose cultivation was far superior to Chen Qing's, had launched a dishonorable surprise attack when Chen Qing's vigilance was at its lowest.

Chen Qing and the woman in white, this pair of wild mandarin ducks, had no chance of escaping their fate.

The strike was successful.

Clutching a peculiar, semi-transparent mask in his hand, Yi Chen vanished into the night without a trace.

…

…

"Giddy up!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Giddy up!"

Under the moonlit sky, horse hooves kicked up clouds of dust on the earthen-yellow track, a magnificent mid-grade dragon steed galloping past with incredible speed.

The dragon steed had a large bulge on its forehead, and a faint dark aura emanated from its hooves. It was as fast as lightning, as if it was chasing the wind and catching the moon.

The intense wind pressure it created bent the roadside weeds.

From Yi Chen's perspective in a past life,

it wasn't that the dragon steed was running fast, but rather that it was flying too low…

However, Zhang Dabe, the thousand-household commander of the Mu Yang Prefecture, still felt it wasn't fast enough. Black veins bulged on his forehead; he was missing part of his forearm and bathed in blood.

Behind him, a red beam of light tenaciously pursued, occasionally launching blood-coloured glows at him, playing with him like a cat with a mouse.

"Can't hold on any longer, am I going to die?" Zhang Dabei's eyes showed a look of despair.

He could never have dreamed that the Inferno Demon Cult would dare to be so audacious, with Saint Heir Hu Bugui leading an assault on the Mu Yang Prefecture's Office of Peace and Security.

If not for the desperate resistance of his loyal subordinates, who sounded the alarm, and the strength of his dragon steed, he feared the entire Mu Yang Prefecture would have silently fallen into the hands of the Inferno Demon Cult.

Thinking of his colleagues who had died to cover his escape, Zhang Dabei's eyes abruptly reddened.

"No, even if I die, I must get the message out."

"The Inferno Demon Cult dares to commit such an outrageous act against the entire world, the imperial court will surely not let them go."

"Damn bastards, attacking Mu Yang Prefecture so stealthily, what exactly are they trying to do?"

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Zhang Dabei bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Instantly, the blood sprayed out and turned into a mist, enveloping him and his dragon steed.

In a flash, the dragon steed's speed increased once again, evading the sure-kill strike from the person behind.

"Interesting."

"But your struggles are in vain, everything is inevitable."

The youth inside the red light cracked a smile, set aside his playful demeanor, and accelerated once again.

As the pursuing light closed in again, Zhang Dabei's eyes filled with despair.

Then, in an instant, his expression was replaced by wild joy.

Ahead on the track, suddenly appeared a middle-aged scholar dressed in a blue long gown.

This man was eight feet tall with an extraordinary presence, sprinting along the track.

"Commander, something terrible has happened. The Inferno Demon Cult has gone mad. Hu Bugui led a raid on our Mu Yang Prefecture Office of Peace and Security,"

"All messages have been blocked, we can't get the word out."

"I risked my life to break out and report."

Just when all seemed lost, a glimmer of hope emerged like a village found beyond dark mountains and a forest blooming with flowers.

Zhang Dabei rolled off his horse, disregarding his image, and scrambled over to the middle-aged scholar to report.

"Good job, Commander Zhang, you've done well. Leave the rest to me,"

"You're tired. Rest well."

The mid-aged scholar's gentle voice came through, identical to the one Zhang Dabe had in his mind, just as reliable and powerful.

A sudden, invisible surge of Qi formed a giant hand that clutched at Zhang Dabe's throat.

Crack.

Zhang Dabe's body flopped onto the ground, lifeless.

"Governor Zhu really has a cruel heart, to kill such a loyal subordinate just like that," he said.

"This man's cultivation isn't bad; why not give his corpse to me, so I can put it to some use?"

"You take his living soul to concoct the Blood Soul Pill, and I'll take his essence blood to cultivate my Yin Wheel Blood Fiend Magic."

A red light retracted, revealing a young man in red, utterly nonchalant and frivolous.

"Hu Bugui, you are becoming increasingly presumptuous."

The middle-aged scholar's cold gaze landed on the man in red.

Faced with the scholar's icy stare, the red-clad young man remained unperturbed, still carrying himself with the air of a carefree playboy, his expression mockingly lighthearted.

Seeing Hu Bugui's seemingly imperturbable demeanor, the scholar could only sigh helplessly, "If it wasn't for my son, why would I ever cooperate with you devils and heretics?"

"Enough, have you set everything up for this time?"

"My son failed to break through to the True Person Realm; at this juncture, only a top-grade Blood Soul Pill might save him."

"I will lure the cultivators lurking in Longjiang Prefecture here in the next few days to 'eliminate' you, the heretic. Then, we shall join forces to activate the grand formation. You can use their essence blood to refine your Yin Wheel Blood Fiend Magic, and I will extract their living souls to concoct a top-grade Blood Soul Pill."

"Once this is done, you go your way, I'll go mine, with no further entanglement."

"Ha ha, such deep fatherly love, even the Saint Heir is moved to shed a tear," the young man said mockingly.

"But with your son's talent, even if the inferior Blood Soul Pill he took previously didn't breakthrough, it's simply a matter of more cultivation time. Why the rush, Governor?"

"I'm truly curious. Can the Governor enlighten me?" asked Hu Bugui, his face full of confusion.

"Have you heard of Yin Manor?" The scholar's voice came hauntingly.

The name 'Yin Manor' seemed to hold an eerie power; suddenly, Hu Bugui's flippant expression vanished. He recalled some records about Yin Manor from his sect's archives and couldn't help shivering.

After a while, he finally said, "Zhu Buqun, although I've always thought of you as a hypocrite, I must admit you are a good father."

"Don't worry. After pulling off something as big as this, you're pinning all the blame on me, and those righteous sects will surely wish to eat me alive. I fear I will have to stay within my sect for a long time from now on."

"So, our chances of working together again are slim."

"Therefore, as compensation, besides the living souls you need to concoct the Blood Soul Pill, all the loot from this time must go to me."

"Agreed," the scholar said coldly.

Having discussed some more details, Hu Bugui vanished into the horizon to prepare the setup.

Watching Hu Bugui's disappearing figure, the middle-aged scholar couldn't help sighing. If his own Teng'er weren't about to enter Yin Manor again, if he didn't need the living souls of high-ranking cultivators to concoct a top-grade Blood Soul Pill, why would he take such a risk?

Thinking of the aftermath, the scholar felt worried, but at this point, there was no better solution.

"A man's actions should be fierce."

"Mercy does not coexist with such deeds."

"As long as my Teng'er can survive, even if many more have to die, it's all worth it."

Thinking of his son, the middle-aged scholar's gaze became resolute once more. He casually killed the dragon horse, then flicked his finger, shooting a flame onto the corpses of Zhang Dabe and the dragon horse.

With a slight wave of his hand, a whirlwind sprang up from nowhere.

Zhang Dabe's traces vanished between heaven and earth.

Not disturbing Zhang Dabe's body and living soul was the greatest kindness he could afford his old subordinate.

For his son, he could forsake everything.