CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 148: THE GOLD COMMANDANT STRIKES, FIRE CROW RACE DESTROYED

In the midst of the Fire Crow Clan Leader’s fury, he remained oblivious to the disturbance among the fire crows below.

Not until the poisoned dagger approached did all his feathers suddenly bristle, a piercing chill surging to his head!

In that life-and-death instant, the Fire Crow Clan Leader swiftly folded his wings.

Yet the dagger, like a venomous snake, pierced through his wings, effortlessly tearing apart his defenses.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader, borrowing momentum, retreated violently, eyes blazing fire, fiercely shouting: "Who are you!"

Ordinary fire crows could not break through his wing defense; there was something wrong with this fire crow in front of him.

The fire crow slowly stood up, shaking his head regretfully: "What a pity I couldn’t kill you with one blow."

Before the words even fell, the fire feathers around him surged and transformed into a middle-aged man in black in an instant.

The man lightly twirled the dagger at his fingertips, sneering, "But you’re not far from death."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader’s gaze swept over the gold medal at the man’s waist, his pupils suddenly constricting: "Mountain Patrol Gold Officer!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a wave of intense pain suddenly spread from his wings.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader looked down, only to see the black poison spreading like a spider web, involuntarily exclaiming in horror: "What a fierce poison!"

At the crater, two people with gold medals at their waists poked their heads out, quietly appearing.

"Li, your plan lacked a bit of heat; you didn’t manage to kill him."

The Mountain Patrol Gold Officer named Li sneered: "If he were really dead, you’d accuse me of monopolizing the credit."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader gulped: "Three!"

He recognized the identity of the three.

It was these three Mountain Patrol Gold Officers who had severely injured him before!

If it weren’t for the Fire Crow Clan’s innate flying ability, he would’ve perished long ago.

Li gripped the dagger, advancing slowly, the dagger glinting with a cold light: "A Mountain Patrol Gold Officer never fails; with the task accepted, you’re doomed to die."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader, his wings racked with unbearable pain and seeing the crater blocked by two people, knew the opponents had planned meticulously, even cutting off his last escape route.

"If we fight today, death is certain!"

The Fire Crow Clan Leader took a deep breath, wings flaring with rage, sweeping towards Li.

In the next moment, a raging sea of fire erupted, as if it would burn everything to ashes.

Seeing this, Li swept his dagger in a vicious trajectory, extinguishing all the flames before him.

But just then, a fierce glint appeared in the Fire Crow Clan Leader’s eyes.

Amidst the gushing blood, both enormous wings severed completely.

Li’s eyes narrowed slightly: "Knowing you’re poisoned, you severed your wings to survive; too bad, without wings, you’re not even a mere beast."

Without replying, the Fire Crow Clan Leader turned and plunged into the sea of lava.

The two Mountain Patrol Gold Officers above, seeing this, instantly knew he aimed to escape using the lava and hurriedly dashed down from the crater.

But before they could stand firm, the two wings on the ground suddenly radiated red light.

An unstable energy abruptly surfaced on the wings.

The three immediately reacted, faces changing, hurriedly deploying protective cultivation techniques, retreating several zhang away.

"Boom!"

A terrifying roar suddenly erupted as the wings exploded, raising an endless sea of flames, enveloping all three men.

After the flames dispersed, Li extinguished the fire on his shoulder, looking at the now empty cavern, his face extremely sullen.

"Escaped again, didn’t expect there was another escape route."

One Mountain Patrol Gold Officer said indifferently: "A crafty rabbit has three burrows, let alone this crafty Pulse Condensation Realm demon."

The other Mountain Patrol Gold Officer sneered: "Without wings, any condensing vein demon can pinch him to death, chase!"

Hearing this, Li scanned the surroundings, licking his lips: "He made us exert so much effort, let’s collect some interest first."

"The Fire Crow Clan should be exterminated."

"Leave no remaining fire crows, and it would be quite an achievement."

With these words, threads of desire for merit appeared in the eyes of the two Mountain Patrol Gold Officers.

A gust of wind brought with it a series of consistent cries of misery from the Fire Crow Clan.

...

Upon the desolate plains.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader staggeringly fled, the wound on his back charred and festering, his face exceedingly pale.

From afar, the wails carried by the wind, the Fire Crow Clan Leader closed his eyes, heart filled with despair.

The Fire Crow Clan was annihilated.

Three Pulse Condensation Realm Mountain Patrol Gold Officers took action; there could be no survivors of the Fire Crow Clan.

"Run! Just run!"

The Fire Crow Clan Leader suppressed his despair, forcibly containing his grief and indignation, running across the barren land, while his mind spun rapidly.

"Cannot seek refuge with demon forces, the Demon’s Hall cannot be trusted either!"

He initially intended to seek refuge with the other two demon forces, but now it seemed absolutely impossible to go.

He knew why he was exposed, and why the others found him.

The Fire Crow Clan had existed for so long, never before had the Mountain Patrol Gold Officers knocked on their door, precisely because of their unique location.

Now they suddenly came, it must be related to the other two parties.

For the Mountain Patrol Officers to complete their task, they could even assist one demon force.

Perhaps it wasn’t just the other two demon forces; the Demon’s Hall might also have stepped in.

Though these are only speculations, he could not afford the slightest relaxation now.

"Now without wings, most of my power is lost. Only when my wings recover can I plan slowly!"

"I must not recklessly hunt blood prey, or I will definitely leave a trace."

"That’s right, there is a place, very suitable for me..."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader showed a sinister smile, then turned towards a specific place to run.

...

A tranquil village.

At this moment, many villagers were bustling about in the village.

Under the old locust tree, the sacrificial offerings glistened with oil upon red silk cloth.

The pig’s head still bore traces of fresh blood at the corners of its mouth.

Elderly men in indigo coarse cloth knelt on cushions, the veins on their withered hands bulging.

Incense sticks trembled between their fingers, exuding long, thin white smoke.

The copper bell beneath the shrine eaves suddenly rang out chaotically, an old man in a rain cape swiftly flicked away a yellow talisman paper, the paper ash mingled with sparks landing on the face of a woman kneeling in the front row.

Many villagers wore expressions of devoutness.

Under the old locust tree stood a statue.

The statue had cracks but was well-preserved overall.

It was a statue of a man, dressed in imposing armor with a long spear hanging behind him.

If you look closely, you’ll notice the statue’s eyes flickering with an imperceptible glow.

After the ritual ended and the many villagers gradually retreated, the statue suddenly emitted a burst of light.

A man strikingly similar to the statue slowly stepped out, enjoying the sacrificial livestock, devouring them ravenously.

The armored man ate in a very crude manner, yet there was an air of righteousness surrounding him.

Just as the man finished eating all three livestock, he suddenly looked up, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

Before the man could react, a pair of sharp claws pressed down on his shoulders.

The armored man turned to see a face with a sharp beak drawing near.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader sneered coldly, "A benevolent Pseudo-God, quite rare indeed."

"Listen well, keep acting benevolent, protect the village, and all the offered livestock go to me, or I’ll consume this village whole!"

...

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

The morning sunlight streamed in, casting mottled patterns on the ground.

Qin An got up early, washed and dressed himself in clean black clothes, attached the mountain patrol silver badge and cold star, and headed towards the Confidential Library.

Before him, a wisp of smoke appeared, gradually forming into words.

[Scholar lv.6 (800/1000): Your reading speed has greatly improved, and you have a photographic memory]

Lately, Qin An had been practicing the Scholar profession proficiency diligently, completely absorbed in it.

Originally, as Qin An occasionally browsed cultivation techniques, the Scholar profession had already reached five hundred points in proficiency.

With his recent dedicative effort, Qin An had brought it up to eight hundred points.

Now, just two hundred more points, and he could successfully advance to level seven.

And for Qin An, those two hundred points’ proficiency were just a matter of days.

Today, Qin An planned to go out, practicing the Scholar profession once more.

As for achievements, Qin An had already had the Internal Affairs Department’s state official tally them up, he just hadn’t gone to redeem them yet.

He had figured it out now, knowing that currently, the priority was to elevate his realm, which was the most important thing.

So he was waiting, waiting a few days after successfully advancing the Scholar profession to level seven, only then using demon yuan and his Golden Finger to infer cultivation techniques.

The way to the Confidential Library was uneventful.

During this time, Qin An went out to the street for lunch and dinner.

It wasn’t until dusk started setting in that Qin An left the Confidential Library.

Ahead, the smoke changed again, twisting like a snake, hovering in midair.

[Scholar lv.6 (900/1000): Your reading speed has greatly improved, and you have a photographic memory]

"Nine hundred points, after tomorrow, I can advance to level seven."

Qin An thought as he walked towards his house, "After level seven, I’ll go redeem cultivation techniques and enhance my strength again."

Thinking this, Qin An was very close to his house.

As he got closer, Qin An slightly paused his steps.

At the entrance stood a state official from the Internal Affairs Department.

The state official stood with hands hanging down, looking around, as if searching for someone.

Since he appeared in front of Qin An’s house, Qin An knew without thinking, this state official was here for him.

Thinking of this, Qin An walked forward slowly.

The state official, seeing Qin An approach, immediately greeted him respectfully with a fist salute, "This humble one pays respects to Sir."

Qin An looked over calmly, "Is there something important?"

The state official hurriedly whispered, "Mr. Yang said that the things Mr. Qin sent have some clues, and he wants Mr. Qin to come and take a look."

Upon hearing these words, Qin An’s fingers brushed over the sheath, "Alright."

Hearing the name Mr. Yang, he knew it was certainly related to the coffin.

It seemed his expectations were correct.

The state official bowed his head, "This humble one will take his leave first."

With these words, a respectful attitude was unmistakable.

Qin An waved a hand, signaling him to leave first.

After the state official left, Qin An thought for a moment, changed direction, and headed towards where Yang Quanfeng was.

Since there were clues, he might as well go check it out.

In case it could deal a heavy blow to the demonic forces or the demon hall, Qin An would naturally be willing.

Before long, Qin An’s figure disappeared under the moonlight.

...

At the small courtyard where Yang Quanfeng was.

At this moment, including Yang Quanfeng, all nine Jinzhou Guards had arrived.

Although Wan Ziqing’s face was still somewhat pale, she was no longer in any serious condition.

In the middle of the courtyard, a coffin wrapped in iron chains stood upright.

The nine Jinzhou Guards surrounded it, none of them speaking.

They were all waiting for someone.

At that time, a figure in black came under the moonlight like a shadow.

The nine Jinzhou Guards glanced and then left quietly.

The expressions of those present varied.

The Jinzhou Guards unfamiliar with Qin An were normal, but they looked at Qin An with curiosity.

Wan Ziqing’s eyes had a hint of aloofness, but aside from aloofness, there was a trace of gratitude.

She had not yet fully mastered her art of cutting off emotions, and under intense emotions, it would still show slightly.

Mo Chuan’s expression was extremely complicated.

He had once had disputes with Qin An, but after knowing Qin An was willing to join the mountain patrol guards, he took the initiative to reconcile.

He respected those who joined the mountain patrol guards and admired this group of demon hunters from afar.

However, what Mo Chuan didn’t expect was that in only a few short months, Qin An transformed from a naive young man just stepping out of the county to a mountain patrol silver guard on par with Jinzhou Guards.

The various feelings this stirred naturally were beyond words.

Qin An scanned around, found a place to sit, and asked, "Mr. Yang, have you found anything?"

Since he came, he didn’t like beating around the bush and directly got to the point.

Yang Quanfeng nodded slightly, then raised his right hand, channeling True Qi into the coffin.

"Look closely, and you can see the result."

When the True Qi was infused, Qin An slightly raised an eyebrow.

The coffin shook, and the chains on it emitted a piercing sound that was grating to the ears.

Qin An could sense that inside was both clear Evil Qi and a trace of a cold aura.

Yang Quanfeng withdrew his hand, speaking with a serious tone, "This matter... is tricky."