Such a massive commotion naturally reached Du Xuan’s ears as well.
Seeing the white mist rapidly receding, a look of joy spread across her face.
This is… the formation has been broken!
The white mist shrouding the mountain was a type of maze formation—a spell that harnessed the power of nature itself. There were usually two ways to crack it.
The first was by intellect: pinpoint the critical core of the energy flow and uproot it. It took little effort, but demanded vast knowledge, experience, and the skill to observe the flow of energy.
The second was by brute force: shatter the formation’s foundation outright, throwing its energy into chaos until it collapsed under its own weight. This required no finesse, only power on the scale of moving mountains and filling seas.
What had just happened was the latter—the mountain’s very structure had been demolished.
Few people in the entire Great Zhou Kingdom could pull that off, and the one arriving at a time like this could only be…
The Demon Subduing Division!
Boom!
As the white mist fully dispersed, a bank of ominous clouds suddenly materialized on the nearby horizon. Thunder rumbled, lightning crackled, and the sheer force of it made the evil spirits tremble from head to toe, chills running down their spines.
These weren’t ordinary storm clouds. With sharp enough eyes, one could make out countless talismans within them, linked together by streams of energy to create the awe-inspiring spectacle.
“Surrender now,” Du Xuan said with a cold sneer, thrusting her spiritual longsword toward the two monsters ahead. “Keep resisting, and you’ll be cut down on the spot!”
“Li Lin” glanced up at the thunderclouds, then turned tail and bolted without a word.
The other monster was a beat slower but quickly followed suit.
Monsters with any brains knew when to bare their fangs and when to cut their losses.
Du Xuan hadn’t expected them to fold so cleanly. She froze for a split second before giving chase.
Boom!
In the next instant, a bolt of thunder lanced down from the heavens, striking the pair with pinpoint accuracy. Sizzling crackles filled the air, and the trailing monster pitched forward, dead in an instant.
“Hundred Thunder Talisman Array!” Du Xuan exclaimed in excitement. “Senior Sister Zou really came!”
Talisman formations came in grades. Du Xuan could handle the simple ones, but something like this—a high-grade array whose single strike rivaled the power of a Blood Talisman—was beyond all but a handful in the Demon Subduing Division.
The surviving monster fled at breakneck speed, its body warping and twisting as it ran, reason fraying at the edges.
Just as it reached the cliff’s edge, coiling to leap…
Whoosh!
A streak of cold steel flashed past, accompanied by the crisp ring of a sword.
The monster cleaved in two.
“No, I…”
Whoosh!
It split into four, its chunks tumbling over the precipice.
This swordplay was worlds apart from Du Xuan’s—in both power and sheer presence.
“Senior Sister Zou!”
Du Xuan called out happily to the woman standing ahead.
She was a tall, statuesque figure, a full head taller than Du Xuan, with waist-length hair neatly tied at the ends with a satin ribbon. Cherry lips, pert nose, almond eyes—her features were exquisitely sculpted, as if by the gods themselves.
She wore the Demon Subduing Division’s standard plain robe, her chest proudly thrusting forward. Were it not for her icy, impassive expression, she would have been an unrivaled beauty capable of toppling nations.
Du Xuan trotted over, wiping the grime from her smudged cheeks with her sleeve, a grin on her face.
“Senior Sister, did Master send you? I…”
“You’ll receive your punishment when we get back.”
The stunning senior sister cut her off coolly.
“Huh?”
Du Xuan scratched her head.
“You investigated this in Huai City and knew something was fishy from the start. So why charge ahead alone?” Senior Sister asked. “Is this what Master taught you? What I taught you? Have you forgotten every lesson on personal safety from the Demon Subduing Division?”
“S-Sorry…”
By the book, her actions had been recklessly impulsive. Without the Blood Talisman Master had given her, she might well have been in real trouble.
A stint in confinement was unavoidable this time.
Zou Lian stared at her stone-faced, watching as Du Xuan hung her head in reflection. Her lips parted, as if more words were on the tip of her tongue.
Then her brows furrowed, and she glanced past Du Xuan.
“Who is she? What’s your relationship? How long have you known her?”
The Little Snake Demon popped up out of nowhere, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out, unleashing a barrage of soul-searching questions.
But the moment she took in the woman’s figure, her scowl melted away into wide-eyed wonder.
“So… so big!”
She meant the lofty peaks straining against the other’s robe.
In proportion, Zou Lian’s weren’t outrageously huge—actually a bit smaller than Little Snake’s. The Little Snake Demon’s waist was impossibly slim, her legs endlessly long, her figure inhumanly perfect. But Zou Lian’s height amplified everything; those assets were far too much for one hand to handle. Even two… even two would struggle!
This woman was no amateur.
Hauling around that much extra weight up front every day without top-tier skill? She’d never move so fluidly.
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Du Xuan shot a glare at Little Snake. “This is Senior Sister Zou Lian, the top expert in the Demon Subduing Division’s Secret Investigation Hall!”
With that, she hurriedly turned to her senior sister to make the introduction.
“This is the companion I met on the road. Her name is Yin Luan. She comes from a tragic background, has a couple of real skills, and her heart is kind enough…”
“Companion?” Zou Lian frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you mention her in your letter?”
“Well…”
Du Xuan hesitated, looking troubled.
She had mainly been worried that including Yin Luan in the letter would draw the Demon Subduing Division’s scrutiny.
Yin Luan was hiding something about her origins—she knew that much. If she wanted to keep it secret, then Du Xuan wouldn’t rat her out.
Seeing Du Xuan fumbling for words, Zou Lian shifted her gaze to the Little Snake Demon.
Aura Viewing Technique, activate!
Unlike Du Xuan, when Zou Lian employed the Aura Viewing Technique, her eyes glowed with a faint golden light, radiating majesty and grandeur. Any ordinary Evil Spirit that saw it would lose all will to resist, no further measures required.
Yin Luan pouted and glared right back.
That was right—the dangerous scent hanging thick in the air was emanating from this woman.
Compared to Evil Spirits, Monsters, Du Xuan, or even Mystic Master, this woman’s threat level was leagues above.
She was the real deal, a true powerhouse.
And… damn, she was stacked!
The Little Snake Demon swallowed reflexively.
“The aura around you…”
Zou Lian started to say, then frowned and fell silent.
The Aura Viewing Technique revealed nothing out of the ordinary, yet her instincts screamed otherwise—this girl was no simpleton.
It was the gut feeling of someone from the Demon Subduing Division.
“Ahem, Senior Sister, I vouch for her. She’s genuinely a good person,” Du Xuan broke in to cut the awkward staring contest. “She just… doesn’t always think straight.”
“Hey! My head’s plenty straight! How can you side with an outsider right in front of me?” The Little Snake Demon whined, feeling wronged. “We’ve already done that kind of thing together!”
“See? Told you her head’s not on straight. Can’t even tell friend from foe…”
“You vouch for her, so you take full responsibility,” Zou Lian said, pulling back her gaze. “Don’t make promises lightly and betray trust, understand?”
“Mm-hmm!” Du Xuan nodded vigorously, swiftly changing the subject. “Oh, right—Senior Sister, did you manage to catch Mystic Master?”
“Mystic Master?”
“He’s the mastermind behind all these incidents. He deliberately lured me here so he could drag me back and use me as a lab rat…”
Boom! Boom!
No sooner had the words left her mouth than two explosions rocked the foot of the mountain.
“I left the others down at the base,” Zou Lian said, her eyes turning icy as she peered downward. “Looks like they’ve got something.”
