Escape

"The Great Chen Red Armored Guards! When did they arrive?" An Jing stared blankly into the distance. Though he had suspected as much, when it actually came to pass, he was still profoundly shaken. "They're already clashing with the forces left behind to guard the manor!" Sure enough, Suspended Fate Manor's recent supply shortages had been because the Great Chen authorities were watching them! Yet to strike right when Suspended Fate Manor was holding its ritual—just how long had the Red Armored Guards been staking them out? Or could it be... there was a traitor within Suspended Fate Manor? And the Red Armored Guards' objective certainly wasn't just Suspended Fate Manor... "Retreat!" Realizing something, An Jing hesitated not for a single moment, immediately barking the order: "Everyone fall back! Retreat into Suspended Fate Valley!" "Don't get caught in the battle between the Great Chen soldiers and the Demon Sect!" After all, An Jing was also a Great Chen native. He knew full well that while Great Chen wouldn't deliberately slaughter innocents to claim bounties, neither would they show mercy to children! They had no way of knowing whether An Jing and his peers were opposing the Demon Sect or part of it. To the Great Chen army, these half-grown youths taller than a carriage wheel were all prospective diehards of the Demon Sect! Sure enough, sticking to the plan he had discussed with the Sword Spirit and hiding in Suspended Fate Valley to gauge the situation was the best course of action. "Brother Jing, are you staying behind?" Gu Yeqi had been ready to obey and fall back, but seeing An Jing standing motionless where he was, an ominous premonition seized her. "You can't cover our rear! You're our Eldest Senior Brother! Without you, none of us will know where to go!" The only reason all the Children of Calamity obeyed An Jing's orders was his personal charisma. A group like this was naturally rock-solid while An Jing was present, but if he were gone... there was no second-in-command who could command everyone's respect. "Listen to me." Without looking back, An Jing stood his ground, solemn as he faced off against the equally motionless Manor Lord Yao. "From here, you and Cang Linzu lead the group deep into the valley. If all goes well, I'll shake off our pursuers and catch up to you." "Don't worry. The demonic qi has already condensed into the Fear Demon; the valley is safe for now!" Strictly speaking, this was a lie, as the demonic qi that had coalesced into the Fear Demon was only a tiny fraction of what filled the valley. Yet An Jing could sense the Sword Spirit's current state—it was one of reckless abandon, an exhilarating ease, like cutting through weeds. It was evident that the spirit had completely suppressed the demonic qi in the valley. The Children of Calamity who had just undergone the ritual would not face a second attack; only the Great Chen soldiers and the Demon Sect members would be assaulted by Extramundane Demons. As such, the valley was actually the safest place. "Brother! Agh, fine... I'll listen to you!" Hearing An Jing's resolute tone, Gu Yeqi was both frantic and frustrated, but in the end, she still trusted his judgment. Only after repeatedly urging him not to risk his life did she turn and lead the retreat. Hearing the footsteps behind him fade into the distance, rushing into the valley, An Jing let out a quiet breath of relief. Now he could focus his mind entirely on the enemy before him and observe the situation on the battlefield. At present, the Fear Demon had pinned down the Demon Sect instructors and lecturers, locked in a stalemate for the moment. Yet the Fear Demon was ultimately just a wisp of demonic qi; it was only a matter of time before the battle-formation-trained Demon Sect fighters destroyed it. The valley's garrison was also fighting the Red Armored Guards. An Jing saw a detachment of Red Armored Guards splitting off and heading toward the valley. Whatever their purpose, avoiding the crossfire was paramount. The only issue lay before him: Manor Lord Yao, who stood detached from all the fighting. An Jing frowned, studying Manor Lord Yao, who appeared somewhat distracted. If this Inner Strengthening martial artist suddenly erupted in violence to slaughter the retreating youths, it would be an absolute massacre... even though the man had already shed much blood for the ritual. While it was unlikely he would slaughter the children they regarded as "property," if An Jing wished to break free of the Demon Sect's grasp, he would have to face and defeat this greatest obstacle head-on! Yet soon, An Jing caught sight of a blinding flash of light. He finally understood why Manor Lord Yao had been staring motionless toward the horizon. At the distant edge of the sky, two entangled, nearly tangible wills swept across heaven and earth. Then, dazzling golden radiance and a desolate deep-blue hue like ten-thousand-year glacial ice tore through the firmament, shattering the clouds, as though two brand-new suns were rising between heaven and earth! The sky underwent a violent transformation. Intertwining gusts of scorching heat and bitter cold swept down, bending grass and trees and setting the mountain forests howling, the vast woods swaying violently beneath the battering gales. "Real Men... Real Men of the Hole-Void Divine Hidden Realm clashing..." Manor Lord Yao stared almost numbly at the distant light, the ghostly green baleful fire in his eyes blazing fiercely. "Real Man Xuanjing is already fighting Lord Northern Circuit Envoy." "Good, good, good. It seems there is a traitor among us." "An Jing." He turned his head to look at the youth facing him, his voice bitter and laced with a trace of bewilderment. "Did you foresee this?" "Or were you swayed by the traitor?" "No." Recovering from the shock of the Divine Hidden Real Men's clash, An Jing shook his head. He met Manor Lord Yao's gaze, speaking the honest truth: "Though I guessed Suspended Fate Manor was in dire straits, I didn't expect Great Chen to launch a surprise attack at this moment... Hah, so there really is an insider. Manor Lord, he who commits many injustices is doomed to destruction. This is what you deserve." "Mm, 'he who commits many injustices is doomed'? But if the injustices we commit were enough to bring about our doom, then what of the imperial court and this world... Do you think so too?" Manor Lord Yao offered no answer to An Jing; instead, his gaze drifted past the youth to look behind him. Sensing something wrong, An Jing whipped around and was stunned to discover that a group of children had not obeyed his orders to leave, lingering where they were. At their head was a young girl with supple black hair reaching down to her waist. Her eyes were cast down, gazing at the ground with her usual calm, taciturn demeanor. Bai Qinghan stood silently where she was, like a statue sculpted from snow. Behind her were her team members and several children who had awakened their Destiny Patterns during the ritual—numbering more than a dozen in total. "Qinghan, why... why aren't you leaving?" By now, An Jing already had a guess in mind. Yet he could not help but speak, urging this friend he had spent so much time with: "We finally have a chance to escape Suspended Fate Manor... Don't waste this opportunity!" "Eldest Senior Brother." As their leader, Bai Qinghan lifted her seemingly timid eyes to look at An Jing, yet the light within them was as serene as the void. "In the past, I could never understand you." "Only now am I certain... you and I are the same." "Yes, just as you said." "—I finally have a chance to escape Great Chen, so how could I waste this opportunity?"