The heavy rain was still falling.

Han Qiubai was soaked to the bone. After half an hour of bitter fighting, both sides had suffered losses. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She had taken two sword wounds, but in exchange, she had successfully killed two Inner Qi Realm cultists. However, the man opposite her was simply too cunning; every time she aimed for him, she ended up hitting one of his underlings instead.

Ultimately, the Martial Arts Administration Bureau’s overall strength was too weak. One by one, its members collapsed as their Qi Blood was depleted, and the situation inevitably worsened.

"HEHEHE... You can’t keep this up, can you, little wench? Just you wait. I’ll be sure to give you some special treatment..."

Di Yunliang was panting heavily. Though they were both in the Inner Qi Realm, the woman’s resilience was incredible, and her Fast Sword Skill was exceptionally sharp. On several occasions, she had nearly poked a few holes in him.

However... He glanced at the wounds on her leg and lower back and gloated inwardly. ’After sacrificing two idiot teammates, I’ve finally crippled her mobility. Now I can just wear her down until she’s dead.’

Cheng YuanYu casually fended off his opponent from the Martial Arts Administration Bureau. He found the whole situation laughable. ’So what if we take them down? Once today’s business is over and Dust Sacrifice has harvested the entire county, utter annihilation will be all that awaits us.’

Once the government gets serious, there’s no way a group like ours can possibly escape.

As Cheng YuanYu mulled this over, his gaze grew determined. He glanced at Di Yunliang. ’That old dog is doomed,’ he thought. ’I need to make plans for myself.’ He changed his fighting style, forcing his opponent toward a distant alleyway.

Once in the alley, Cheng YuanYu kept up the charade for a little longer. Seeing that no one had noticed them, he dropped his disguise. The power of a peak third-realm expert erupted from him. Unlike the other phonies in the cult, Cheng YuanYu’s martial skills were truly polished.

With a series of blinding flashes, he plunged his blade into his opponent’s chest.

"You... How is this possible..."

The young martial arts instructor’s face twisted in pained disbelief. This man had been evenly matched with him for so long. How had he suddenly become so much stronger?

Cheng YuanYu watched indifferently as the man collapsed. He took out a set of prepared clothes and changed into them. Then, he reached up and began pressing and kneading his face. His features softened, and while a faint trace of his original appearance remained, he now looked like a completely different person.

This was not Dust Sacrifice’s Face-Changing Skill, but a crude appearance-altering technique that Mr. Qian had obtained from some unknown channel. Cheng YuanYu had studied it for a time and mastered some of its rudimentary applications.

"Damn you, Dust Sacrifice. I’m done playing your games..."

Cheng YuanYu looked up at the torrential rain, then turned and vanished into the curtain of water. Having spent so much time in Tianning County, he had long since prepared several safe houses. He had checked on one earlier, and its marker was still there. He could lay low for a while.

BOOM—

A thunderous roar echoed, and Di Yunliang and his men flinched violently. They scattered like startled mutts, abandoning their enemies to dive for cover.

Han Qiubai’s expression was puzzled. ’That sounds like a super-powered weapon firing,’ she thought. ’I just don’t know who the target is.’

In the middle of his hasty escape, Cheng YuanYu dove into a drainage ditch. He cautiously peeked out for a moment, but when he saw that nothing was amiss, he cursed under his breath and continued to run.

The members of the Martial Arts Administration Bureau didn’t know what madness had possessed the cultists, but it didn’t stop them from seizing the moment to take potions and recover their Qi Blood. Their martial techniques were more refined than their opponents’, but their Qi Blood reserves were comparatively weaker. Han Qiubai also took the opportunity to hastily bandage her wounds.

After waiting a moment and hearing no second gunshot, the cultists cautiously emerged from their cover. Seeing that all was quiet, the two sides clashed once more.

ROOOOAR—

The roar of a monstrous beast seemed to fill the world. On the roof of the central hospital building, a colossal, blood-red beast appeared and bounded into the distance, seemingly toward the Y2 position. Di Yunliang and his men felt their scalps tingle in terror.

The roar had caused everyone’s Qi Blood to roil violently, making them unsteady on their feet. Although the Martial Arts Administration Bureau members were similarly affected, their fundamentals were more solid, allowing them to recover much faster.

In that brief moment of chaos, many of the cultists were badly injured. Even Di Yunliang was nearly run through by a sword.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

Di Yunliang was utterly bewildered. ’This damn place, Tianning, is just plain cursed! We were told there were only two old-timers in the Inner Qi Realm. And what happens? First, there’s a fucking super-powered weapon, then Gang Qi Martial Artists show up one after another, and now some unknown monster appears with an aura even more terrifying than the Rose Apostle’s. Can Dust Sacrifice even handle this?’

A vicious resolve hardened in Di Yunliang’s heart. There was no retreat now.

"I refuse to believe any more crazy shit can happen! You bitches, I’ve got you in my sights today!"

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression contorted with rage.

"Kill...!"

"Hm?" Di Yunliang was startled; the battle cry seemed to have come from behind him.

Han Qiubai’s eyes lit up, and she led her team forward without hesitation.

Through the curtain of rain, Yu Fei’s reinforcement squad from the No. 2 Middle School—along with several other high school martial arts instructors they’d met along the way—charged forward. This force of more than twenty people descended upon Di Yunliang and his men.

The cultists were instantly thrown into chaos. Mingling with the crowd, Yu Fei launched opportunistic strikes with his sword, claiming several kills in quick succession. Few could maintain such a clear grasp of the battlefield amidst the chaotic fray. The value of his [Super Speed Reaction] was proving itself yet again.

Di Yunliang was stunned by the sudden assault. Gritting his teeth in fury, he unleashed a burst of Inner Qi to repel his attackers and then turned tail and fled.

The string of sudden, disastrous turns had caused him to break completely, shattering his will to fight.

Han Qiubai and Yu Fei had been watching Di Yunliang’s every move. The moment he fled, they both gave chase.

-----------------

Dust Sacrifice stood on the rooftop, watching the Rose Apostle locked in a fierce struggle with two others. He felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.