With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

"Gurgle~"

Zhao Yao swallowed the pill, lowered his body, took a few steps forward, and leaned against a wall.

Hearing the stranger's voice, he peeked out and quietly cast his gaze toward the mountain path.

"Damn it, is the information Su Shangtao gave us accurate or not?"

They said Zhao's final destination was this village, but it's been two whole days and there's still no sign of him! He was almost discovered by that minor official in the red robe... Speaking of which, where did that minor official go? Could he have already left?

"No, judging from the mission details, the two are bound to meet. Now that Zhao Yao hasn't arrived, the official in the red robe certainly won't leave."

"Stop complaining. This task at the county government banquet is very important to the students of the county school. Zhao Yao will definitely not miss it."

A scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken mobilized the five of us. Such a simple task, such a generous reward, what more could we ask for?

Just wait patiently.

"I didn't complain, but it's really exhausting to keep hiding and running around on this mountain just to avoid being discovered by that petty official in red robes!"

"really……"

In the square at the entrance of Shanyang Village, five men, each over three meters tall, with dark skin and eyes like burning embers, sat together, panting and grumbling.

All five of them were Black Iron Realm Warriors!

They must have just arrived and didn't hear Zhao Yaofang's loud shouts.

Zhao Yao glimpsed their formation and heard that they had also come because of Su Shangtao and were here to capture him. He felt a chill in his heart and was glad that he hadn't run into these five people.

Without hesitation, he quietly retreated.

He quickly left Shanyang Village along the secluded path he had come from.

Not long after Zhao Yao left, the five strongmen who had been resting in the square of Shanyang Village were about to search for Zhao Yao's whereabouts in the other two villages when a strongman who was about 2.5 to 2.6 meters tall suddenly came running down the mountain path.

The strongman, panting heavily, ran up to the five Black Iron Realm strongmen. Before he could even catch his breath, he said dejectedly:

"Brothers, Su Shangtao suddenly had some kind of epileptic seizure and withdrew all the bounties in the city, saying he wouldn't kill Zhao Yao anymore."

Even if we take action now, we won't get the bounty.

In order not to offend the person who posted the bounty, he also said that as long as you take the bounty picture of Zhao Yao to him, no matter who it is, you can get a few taels of hard-earned money.

What do we do next? Should we leave?

Upon hearing this, the five dark-skinned strongmen exchanged glances and immediately began to curse.

"Fuck him..."

On the other side, Zhao Yao avoided the mass grave, passed through the strangely shaped forest, and soon arrived at the mountaintop.

"Phew~"

He stopped at the mountaintop, caught his breath, and without resting for long, immediately set off again, heading towards the mountain demon village.

On the mountain road, he traveled while simultaneously engaging in internal visualization.

Within the Jade Man Chess set, his primordial energy reserves have filled the third flame layer, and he now possesses three miniature primordial energy figures!

The pills I just looted from Shanyang Village are very effective.

"Phew~"

Zhao Yao jogged along the mountain path, exhaling a breath of hot air, feeling very happy.

It's good to be stronger. I wonder if I can beat those five dark-skinned guys now...

With his previous battle with Wu Wei as a reference, Zhao Yao tried to weigh the situation in his mind:

He was confident he could easily defeat a Black Iron Realm warrior.

He felt confident that he could defeat the two Black Iron Realm warriors, based on his combat experience.

It's already a bit difficult with three opponents, and the chances of winning are slim when facing four or five.

"Su Shangtao, Su Shangtao, just how many people did you hire to deal with me? I've kept track of every single one of these scores."

Zhao Yao gritted his teeth, panting heavily, and slowed his pace as he returned to the Mountain Demon Village.

This time, to avoid being spied on in the shadows, he didn't shout loudly and began to search carefully in the village.

After a while, he returned to the Ascension Pool in the middle of the village, feeling extremely puzzled.

What happened? Where did Song Angran go?

Zhao Yao stood there, his eyes filled with confusion.

He quickly reviewed his previous course of action in his mind:

When they were in Shanyao Village, he parted ways with Song Angran and watched him climb the mountain peak and head towards Shanyang Village on the other side of Huangyan Mountain.

After searching the mountain demon village and helping the woman with his blood essence, he headed down the mountain and arrived at the Yinshan Village.

He searched the village of Shanyin again, intending to plunder the village of Shanyang on the other side of Huangyan Mountain, before heading straight for the mountaintop. He then entered a dead-end alleyway on the summit, braving the dense forest and nearly being killed by a mass grave, before finally arriving at Shanyang Village.

"During this process, could it be that Song Angran returned to the Mountain Demon Village? He couldn't find me there, so he went to Shanyin Village to look for me?"

It was so inconvenient in ancient times.

You can't shout now...

Ultimately, it's because I'm too weak.

Hey~

Zhao Yao scratched his head, sighed, and started walking towards Shanyin Village again.

Although Song Angran's attitude was terrible, wasn't the reason I tolerated him before for protection in times like this?

We absolutely have to find him!

"Huffing and puffing~"

Zhao Yao, panting heavily, quickly descended the mountain, and Shanyin Village soon came into view.

At the same time, another man came into his view, his face stiff and like a sick tiger.

I'm suing...

He stared at the man resting at the top of the well in the middle of Shanyin Village, his pupils constricted, his heart skipped a beat, his steps faltered, and he wanted to curse.

After running around for ages, I couldn't find Song Angran, but instead I ran into this guy.

Huo Xiaotian sat upright at the wellhead, earnestly munching on a large pancake. His nostrils twitched slightly as he looked up at the mountain path.

He spotted Zhao Yao immediately, and their eyes met from afar.

"Heh~ Heh~ Ha~ Haha~ Hahaha~"

Zhao Yao stood there panting, smiled at Huo Xiaotian, and then couldn't help but burst into inexplicable laughter.

A sense of absurdity filled his lungs, making him unable to stop laughing.

Damn, they all rushed over here at once!

Since that's the case, then come on, everyone come on!

His chest heaved violently, and he turned around and started running towards the mountain demon village again.

"Cause and effect... Ha~~"

Huo Xiaotian watched him laugh and leave in silence, threw away the flatbread, wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, exhaled a hot breath, and immediately strode after him.

Zhao Yao kept running, thinking of a plan as he went.

His final destination was the mass grave!

There, he had the Broken Jade Chess set, which allowed him to hold out for a while, but Huo Xiaotian behind him might not be able to.

With that thought in mind, he ran as fast as he could and soon returned to the Mountain Demon Village.

"Huff~ Huff~"

He rested briefly, supporting his knees, and was about to continue walking up the mountain path when he suddenly heard two voices.

A voice came from the five Black Iron Warriors.

They were coming down the mountain together, talking as they walked:

"Young Master Su first offered a reward and then withdrew it, going back and forth like this, I don't know why."

There must be some secret about Zhao Yao…”

"Of course. If we happen to run into him, we can just grab him and ask him a few questions. It won't take much effort at all."

One voice came from the water of the Ascension Pool in the middle of the Mountain Demon Village:

[The Great Realm of Demon Suppression, Heavenly Decree:]

Zhao Yao, heed my command—the demon and the human have fallen to the desolate lower realm; I command you to go swiftly, purify the heavens, slay the evil and destroy the demon, and act on behalf of Heaven to punish them.

Su Shangtao withdrew my bounty?

The Great Realm of Demon Suppression, a Heavenly Decree?

In an instant, Zhao Yao was filled with confusion and excitement.