Lin Xue was momentarily filled with anxiety.
The ancestral hall’s door was pushed open with a loud “thud,” and the Daoist Nun rushed in, saying, “Father, the Black Dogs of the Demon-Slaying Bureau have arrived, right at the village entrance! Have you completed your Transformation yet…”
Before she could finish speaking, she caught sight of Lin Xue’s current appearance and was immediately stunned, her mouth agape.
After a moment, she regained her composure, narrowing her triangular eyes and staring fixedly at Lin Xue, her face full of envy and admiration as she praised,
“Father, this Transformation Art is truly amazing! When your cultivation recovers to the late Qi Refining stage, you must find a spirit beast for your daughter as well, so she can also transform and possess a beauty as radiant as yours.”
Lin Xue’s heart was heavy with worry, but her expression remained calm and composed.
She put on an air of nonchalance and asked in a steady tone, “How many came from the Demon-Slaying Bureau?”
The Daoist Nun greedily admired her beauty as she answered, “Five came, but they’re just minor constables from the town office, likely all low-level Qi Refiners. Father need not lift a finger; your daughter can handle them alone. Though I’m not sure if there are reinforcements coming from behind.”
Lin Xue was shocked.
What level was this she-devil at, to be so confident she could take on five Immortal Masters from the Demon-Slaying Bureau all by herself?
Was she really that powerful?
Or was she just bragging?
Suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed above the village again: “Alright, you demon cultivator, since you refuse to come out, this captain will break through the formation. Everyone, attack!”
The air quivered violently.
It must be that group of Immortal Masters from the Demon-Slaying Bureau trying to break through the Illusion Formation.
The Daoist Nun sneered, “These Black Dogs are specifically coming for us father and daughter. I make sure these lowly villagers return to the village before You Hour every day, so theoretically, they shouldn’t have had time to seek help from other villages. Most likely, they ran into some officials when they went out snake-catching recently and someone reported us.”
“They won’t break this Illusion Formation anytime soon. Father, I’ll gather all these lowly villagers now. I was planning to sacrifice them to temper my sword tonight anyway. I can just use the excuse of reporting to the officials to slaughter them.”
The Daoist Nun’s eyes flashed with a savage gleam as she turned and left the ancestral hall, heading into the village.
Lin Xue saw the she-devil going to harm the villagers and wanted to stop her, but in the end, she said nothing and silently watched her leave.
She was barely able to save herself right now, let alone rescue the villagers.
The she-devil’s attention had been drawn to the Demon-Slaying Bureau’s Immortal Masters and Lin Xue’s transformed beauty, so she had yet to notice Lin Xue’s true nature.
With the she-devil gone, this was Lin Xue’s best chance to slip away.
She could only hope that the group of Immortal Masters from the Demon-Slaying Bureau could break through the Illusion Formation in time, defeat the she-devil, and save the villagers.
Lin Xue scanned the ancestral hall, looking for anything she could take.
She had to bring Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch with her.
Though she didn’t know how to open it yet, once she learned the method of using a Storage Pouch, there might be some surprises inside.
As for the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art scroll—
She had no pockets to carry it in, and holding it was too cumbersome. Besides, she had already memorized the entire book and didn’t need to carry it around.
But leaving it here would be risky.
If the Immortal Masters from the Demon-Slaying Bureau found it, they might suspect she was a demon transformed into human form, which would implicate her.
It was safer to hide it.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Xue picked up the book and leapt onto a beam, placing it up there.
After transforming into a demon, her strength had greatly increased; jumping onto rooftops was now effortless.
After securing the book, Lin Xue jumped down lightly, grabbed Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch and hung it at her waist, then dashed out the door.
Children’s cries echoed through the village.
The she-devil was driving the villagers out.
She had to hurry.
Lin Xue had intended to leave through the village entrance, but when she reached it, she found five black-clad men standing there in uniform.
The leader was a short, stout man, fat-headed and large-eared, with a big belly, carrying a long knife on his back, holding a horn-shaped object in one hand, hands on his hips, and a face full of arrogance.
Beside him was a youth with a Long Sword hanging at his waist, holding a Wooden Tray and examining it carefully.
The other three included a middle-aged man with two swords on his back, a bearded man carrying a Long Bow, and a skinny old man with a Writing Brush tucked at his waist.
Lin Xue’s body stiffened.
These five had to be the Immortal Masters from the Demon-Slaying Bureau.
She hadn’t expected to run into them head-on.
She wondered if they could see through her demon form.
But Lin Xue soon realized the five black-clad men were not looking at her at all, as if they didn’t see her.
Suddenly, it dawned on her—this had to be the effect of the she-devil’s Illusion Formation.
From the outside, the village appeared as a large mountain.
Therefore, they couldn’t see her.
The youth holding the Wooden Tray pointed to a spot at the village entrance and said something to the short, stout man, who nodded.
The youth then waved to the other three, and they each drew their weapons and struck the spot together, causing the air to ripple.
Lin Xue silently cheered them on in her heart, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Some villagers were already emerging from their homes, dragging their families as they headed toward the ancestral hall.
Using the cover of darkness, Lin Xue avoided the villagers and ran through the woods to the other side of the village, stepping toward the outskirts.
She encountered an invisible barrier.
It was like an air wall—when she tried to move forward, she was pushed back.
Just as she expected.
This Illusion Formation prevented outsiders from entering, and naturally, no one inside could leave.
If it were easy to leave, the villagers wouldn’t have begged Honglian Xiangu so humbly yesterday afternoon to allow them to carry Er Gou to another village for treatment of the snake venom.
Still, Lin Xue decided to give it a try.
Those mortals had limited strength and couldn’t get out, but she was a demon with great power—maybe she could break through by force?
She took a few steps back, gritted her teeth, and charged at the air wall with all her might.
Thud!
The surrounding air rippled violently several times.
Lin Xue was forcefully bounced back, stumbling a few steps and nearly falling.
Damn, this Illusion Formation was pretty solid.
It seemed breaking through by brute force was impossible.
She had no choice but to try plan B: hide and wait for the Demon-Slaying Bureau’s Immortal Masters to break the formation, then escape under the cover of their fight with the she-devil.
Where to hide?
Lin Xue thought for a moment and decided to climb a tree.
From up high, she would have a good vantage point and could observe the surroundings at all times.
Once the formation was broken and the she-devil fought the Immortal Masters, that would be her chance to flee.
She looked around, found the tallest tree, leapt up, and settled onto a branch, sitting down and listening carefully to the sounds from the village.
The air occasionally rippled; the group of Immortal Masters were still working hard to break the formation.
At the ancestral hall, most villagers had gathered, whispering softly, punctuated by occasional coughs from the elderly and cries from children.
Lin Xue parted the leaves before her and widened her eyes, searching for the Daoist Nun’s figure, curious to see what she was doing now, and whether she had discovered Lin Xue’s escape.
But there was no sign of the Daoist Nun in the village; no one knew where she had gone.
Just as Lin Xue focused intently on searching, a chilling voice suddenly sounded beside her:
“Father, why aren’t you staying inside the ancestral hall? What are you doing up here in the tree?”