In an instant, countless swords flew toward Zanxing.

They started fighting before even seeing faces? Zanxing struck away the swords flying toward her with one staff strike, then rapidly circulated the Demon Lord’s essence power. Countless flower seas continuously bloomed from the staff tip, and those flower seas were black—the more prosperous they became, the more alluring they grew, smashing heavily toward the cultivators in front.

The demon race had special constitutions, and the heavenly demon bloodline was especially rare. How could ordinary cultivators be a match? This group was struck back over ten steps by Zanxing’s staff, coughing blood and not daring to approach for a moment.

Zanxing looked up at this group of people.

These robes… seemed to be from the Yinfeng Sect.

This group of Yinfeng Sect disciples wasn’t large, only about twenty or so people. She didn’t know if they had gotten separated from their main force. Zanxing didn’t see the few people she had met in Li’er Kingdom last time, and these people naturally didn’t recognize Zanxing either, only looking at her as if facing a great enemy. Someone first discovered the Xiangling Sect senior sister lying on the ground and shouted: “Isn’t this Senior Sister Sisi! She went to fetch water earlier and never returned—so she fell into this demon’s hands! Detestable!”

Zanxing said, “Could you look carefully? She’s not dead yet, so how did she fall into my poisonous hands? I pulled her out of this lake. If you don’t believe it, wait until she wakes up and ask her yourself.”

“Don’t listen to her nonsense—she’s stalling for time!” The Yinfeng Sect disciples were filled with righteous indignation and said hatefully, “This demon is extremely cunning. Even if we risk our lives, we must perish together with her. Charge, brothers! Kill this demon and avenge the people of the world!”

Zanxing: “……” She had originally thought the Demon Extermination Army would be very troublesome, but this was it? Or was it only Yinfeng Sect disciples who were this ridiculous? But the few she saw in Li’er Kingdom last time were all quite normal. Could it be that in just two years, the Yinfeng Sect had declined to this extent, unable to find even decent people?

“Senior brothers, form the formation!” That Yinfeng Sect disciple touched his long sword, and blood from his fingertip dripped into the soil. The disciples behind him followed suit, touching their long swords and dripping blood onto the earth. Dozens of long swords rose from the ground, forming a sword formation in the air that flew boldly toward Zanxing.

Zanxing: “Is there more?” All this flashy display, and she thought it was some great sword formation, but this sword formation was too small. Zanxing gripped her long staff, and when the staff paused in the air, it suddenly split into countless streams of azure light.

“Bang bang bang bang bang—”

The long swords met the azure staff pieces like hitting the hardest giant rocks. The azure staff body was smooth and round, but the staff tips were even sharper than sword points. In just a moment, the long swords shattered piece by piece, falling like rain. The disciples in the formation spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood with a “puff” and could no longer persist, all flying out together.

The sword formation was broken.

Zanxing gripped her long staff, looking at the Yinfeng Sect disciples sprawled on the ground, and said calmly: “Can you calm down now?”

“A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!” The lead disciple thrust his neck forward and sneered: “Demon, do you think we’ll let you humiliate us at will? Even if we die, we won’t bow our heads to a demon like you. Go ahead and kill us! When our sect learns of this matter, they will surely avenge us! Come on!”

Zanxing: “Why don’t you go perform opera?”

“Senior brother,” a disciple beside him who probably didn’t want to die right now, carefully tugged at his sleeve corner: “How about we listen to what she has to say first?”

“Listen to what she says? Listen to how she spews nonsense and bewitches people?” The opera performer said loudly: “Master always taught you that demons are cunning and not to fall into their traps. We’d rather die than lose face for the Yinfeng Sect. I didn’t expect you to be such a person who fears death and clings to life. Junior brother, senior brother is very disappointed in you! Have you thought about what we’d do if she takes a fancy to our bodies and imprisons us in the Demon Realm to please and serve her? I heard that the former Demon Empress went around capturing beautiful men to lock in her palace, taking them by force. If we fall into this female demon’s hands, wouldn’t that be a fate worse than death?”

Zanxing looked at him incredulously: “Who gave you the confidence to think you’re a beautiful man?”

“Stop being duplicitous. Then why haven’t you killed us yet? You want to capture us alive. Do you think we can’t see through such filthy thoughts?”

Zanxing had no mood to continue entangling with this lunatic, so she just said: “Think whatever you want. My subordinate was dragged into the water by a water monster, so I rescued him.” Zanxing pointed her staff tip toward the still unconscious Shitu Gui: “I happened to see someone from Xiangling Sect at the bottom and brought her out too. Believe it or not, no matter how bad our demon race’s reputation is, we’re not scapegoats who take the blame for nothing. If you don’t believe it, wait until this girl wakes up and ask her yourself. I still have business, so I won’t keep you company.”

She grabbed Shitu Gui with one hand and turned to leave. These Yinfeng Sect disciples had probably gotten separated from the Demon Extermination Army, and she needed to reunite with Xiao Shuang and the others first. Staying here was somewhat conspicuous—if it attracted Gui Yansheng, that would be bad. Zanxing didn’t want to start fighting with Yinfeng Sect disciples here. The most important thing on this trip was the Xiaoyuan Pearl. If Gui Yansheng was alerted first, whether he hid or appeared now, it wouldn’t be good for the demon race.

Of course, these paper-thin Yinfeng Sect disciples couldn’t do anything to her either.

Once labeled with the demon race identity, many ordinary actions became ulterior motives. Like being in a melon field or under plum trees—who could explain it clearly?

Zanxing had only taken two steps when a sinister voice suddenly came from behind: “Who gave you permission to leave?” A cold, fierce wind suddenly struck from behind.

Zanxing immediately dodged and turned to block the long sword in front of her with her staff. The newcomer looked unfamiliar, but the robes he wore were Chihau Gate’s gauze robes—this was a disciple of Chihau Gate.

Zanxing’s gaze caught sight of the little junior brother beside the opera performer earlier. From his fingertip hidden in his sleeve, a bit of voice transmission talisman ash fell out.

So it was pretending to be weak to eat the tiger. One by one, none were simple.

The Chihau Gate disciple’s sneak attack failed, and his long sword struck again. This time he used deadly force as he said coldly: “The demon race killed disciples of my Chihau Gate—an unforgivable crime. Leave none alive. Yinfeng Sect raised a bunch of trash. So many people couldn’t defeat one demon cultivator and almost let her escape. Utterly incompetent!”

“Who are you making sarcastic remarks about? Do you know how powerful she is!” The opera performer refused to back down and spoke angrily: “If you’re so capable, you do it! Your sect is so skilled—dozens of disciples were silently killed clean at Gufeng Mountain. Who in the entire cultivation world can compare to you!”

Hearing this sarcasm, the Chihau Gate member’s face became even uglier. He thrust his sword toward Zanxing. Zanxing raised her staff to meet it, but a short arrow suddenly flew from his sleeve. The arrow shaft emanated a dark black luster—clearly poisoned.

“Another sneak attack.” Zanxing’s face darkened.

She had no good feelings toward the Chihau Gate people. Back then, Lingxin Daoren had thrown her into the Ten Thousand Killing Formation and nailed her to the Divine Fire Pillar with Dragon-Binding Nails, never intending for her to come out alive. The pain of the Ten Thousand Killing Formation’s myriad killing mechanisms hadn’t been forgotten. Now, Chihau Gate disciples were using the same old tricks again, exhausting Zanxing’s last bit of patience.

“Do people from your sect only know sneak attacks?” Zanxing said coldly.

The arrow was already close at hand. The Chihau Gate disciple showed a smug smile: “Against the demon race, so what if it’s a sneak attack? Dying here today is your good fortune.”

“Just with you?” Zanxing lowered her eyes. Deep in her brow, an azure begonia quietly bloomed, accompanied by soaring azure-black light that violently exploded the arrow in front of her, shattering it to dust. The Chihau Gate disciple couldn’t dodge in time and was blasted away by the surging heavenly demon essence power. The next moment, someone suddenly grabbed his throat and lifted him in mid-air.

The woman’s gaze was calm as she held him, like lifting a weak little cat, looking down at him heavily.

“Zhao Jia Ming has been caught!” The opera performer gloated: “After talking so much nonsense, in the end, you’re still someone else’s defeated subordinate! Serves you right!”

“Senior brother,” the little junior brother reminded him: “…we’re on the same side.”

The Chihau Gate disciple called Zhao Jia Ming struggled desperately. His sword had fallen to the ground, and all the essence power circulating throughout his body was like an infant facing an adult man before this woman, ridiculously weak. So he probably knew he couldn’t escape death today and could only stare at Zanxing with hateful eyes, wishing he could cut her into a thousand pieces.

“When skills are inferior, one must accept defeat gracefully.” Zanxing spoke lightly, returning his words exactly: “Dying here today is your good fortune.”

Zanxing’s fingers around his throat slowly tightened.

“Zhao Jia Ming is going to die!” The Yinfeng Sect disciple spoke in horror.

Zanxing didn’t intend to take Zhao Jia Ming’s life. Killing Zhao Jia Ming would confirm the previous blood case at Gufeng Mountain, and this person was deliberately provoking her. Kill Zhao Jia Ming and let him gain the heroic name of an anti-demon righteous warrior? Why should she?

But this matter couldn’t just be left like this either. Heavenly demon bloodline naturally contained some innate violence. She had stable emotions and loved peace, able to suppress bloodline impulses, but occasionally those impulses would suddenly emerge, like now.

Zhao Jia Ming felt all the essence power throughout his body disappearing bit by bit. He gritted his teeth: “You…”

Zanxing was transforming and channeling all his cultivation.

Disciples who could enter Chihau Gate were not ordinary people. And the Chihau Gate disciples who could be selected for the Demon Extermination Army were not worthless. Zanxing transforming his cultivation meant making decades of his efforts come to nothing. For someone as arrogant as Zhao Jia Ming, this was probably more painful than death.

From Zhao Jia Ming’s body, golden light points gradually rose. His essence power was scattered into pieces, and his Golden Core was mostly dissolved. Just a little more, and he would become an ordinary person without the strength to tie up a chicken.

At this instant, a silver gleam suddenly came from behind. This silver gleam flowed like rotating snowflakes—dazzling and sharp, fiercely stabbing toward Zanxing’s hand. Zanxing released her grip, and Zhao Jia Ming fell to the ground with a “thud.” Someone’s voice came from behind, not concealing the mockery within: “Zhao Jia Ming, being pressed to the ground and beaten—is this all Chihau Gate people are capable of?”

This voice was bright and arrogant, carrying some deserving-of-a-beating quality, yet it made Zanxing suddenly look up.

She spun around abruptly.

Under the tree, snowflakes danced around the youth’s silver spear tip. Behind him was a vast sea of flowers, and he stood in the flying spring blossoms like a brilliant morning star—heroic and spirited.

A familiar face, but with an unfamiliar expression.

His gaze paused on Zanxing: “Demon race?”