As spiritual energy revived, I, having acquired certain attributes, gradually ascended to immortalit

Chapter 137 Planning

Deep in the woods, the night was as dark as ink.

In the darkness of the distance, the occasional low growl of a demon and the tremors of some large creature stomping on the ground could be heard.

Through the gaps in the huge bushes, in the dappled light of the moon, the civilian force that should have been hunting demons could be seen.

At this moment, they were sitting together without making any moves.

Compared to Shen Qing's group, they split up to hunt demons as soon as they entered the forest, and their score increased relatively quickly from the start.

That was the middle-aged Taoist priest of the eighth rank.

Although he was relatively weak, he could still get points if he was careful. However, he felt somewhat out of place among the other four.

She especially sensed that someone's gaze was strange, so she took the initiative to separate from them from the beginning.

And that is indeed the case.

The four who had separated actually reunited, but instead of hunting demons, they were planning something, which caused the score to stagnate.

Otherwise, even if they were not as good as Shen Qing and the others, they wouldn't be completely motionless.

"That Taoist priest was lucky; he didn't beg and shout to join us."

A young man with dyed purple hair, who looked to be in his late twenties, casually spat on the ground, and the roots of the giant grass next to him immediately made a "sizzling" sound.

A small patch of charred black residue was formed from the corrosion.

"It would save us a lot of trouble if we acted together."

Their original plan was to kill the Taoist priest to avoid getting in their way, but as soon as they entered, the priest offered to act alone.

"Alright, just an eighth-rank official."

The middle-aged man in charge interrupted their grumbling, "Stop talking nonsense, let's think about what to do next."

He glanced at everyone and continued, "According to the adults, the best way for us to win is to eliminate all those people from the Bureau of Dissidents."

Although we are not afraid of them as they are both of the seventh rank, we are just afraid of the worst-case scenario.

Moreover, it was also to provoke conflict between the public and the local authorities, so after taking action, they needed to leave behind some clues for them.

As he spoke, the middle-aged man looked around at his surroundings.

"This place is perfect right now. For example, when we are surrounded by demons and panic and run away, we might accidentally affect them and cause them to perish in the melee."

This way, conflict can be sparked, but it won't get too much attention.

The middle-aged man's lips curled up. "After all, it was agreed from the beginning that it's normal for injuries to occur during the competition. They were killed by the demons."

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and the listeners didn't show any surprise.

These individuals, who were fundamentally abnormal, were completely unaware of the risk of death they might face, as long as they could complete the mission.

Whether it came from demons or from subsequent interrogations by the Bureau of Extremism based on clues—they didn't consider it at all.

The group discussed the specific details of the operation, who would be responsible for luring the demons, who would finish them off in the chaos, and who would leave clues behind.

No one thought the plan would fail.

Four seventh-rank officials were lying in ambush in this place surrounded by demons; even if the opponent had three heads and six arms, he would hardly escape death.

Suddenly, a rustling sound reached everyone's ears, very soft, like small animals darting through the grass.

The middle-aged man suddenly stood up.

"Who?!"

"It's probably some kind of low-grade small monster." (7)

Despite saying this, the previously lazy purple-haired man suddenly sprang to attention, drew a short knife from his waist, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The giant grass in front of them collapsed instantly, and a figure behind them clutched his shoulder and burrowed into the depths of the grass.

"It's that ox-nose!"

Purple Hair's eyes widened, and the middle-aged man immediately roared, "Chase him! We can't let him get away!"

Although they had intended to leave some loopholes to provoke conflict, this directly exposed their plan, which was beyond their expectations.

However, the middle-aged Taoist's speed was ridiculously fast.

Her innate ability is to shrink the earth to an inch, possessing the ability to fold space, and one step is equivalent to ten steps for a normal person.

In this environment covered with giant grass, they have an even greater advantage.

Then, the Taoist took out two more talismans from his sleeve and slapped them on his legs. A blue light shone, and his speed increased again, almost turning into a blur.

"Damn it, it's a talisman from the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs!"

Purple Hair cursed loudly, and also took out a talisman and exerted force with his feet, but the distance not only did not shorten, but even showed a tendency to increase.

If this continues, the other party might escape.

Thinking of this, Zi Mao pulled out a short knife from his waist, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness, and slashed it across his own arm.

The skin and flesh were torn open, and purplish blood seeped out, splattering around and making a sizzling sound.

He weighed the dagger, now stained with his own blood, in his hand, and then flung it away.

"Whoosh!"

The short knife pierced the air, hitting the middle-aged Taoist priest directly on the shoulder. He staggered and almost fell to the ground, but he did not stop. The next moment, he disappeared into the bushes ahead.

Purple Hair stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue the pursuit, but the environment here was complicated, it was nighttime, and with demons all around, it was really difficult for him to catch up.

"How is it?" The middle-aged man caught up, his face grim.

"They got away." Purple-haired guy gritted his teeth in annoyance. "That damned life-saving talisman from the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs came in handy now."

"However, he still only has one path: death."

He looked at his wound, from which purplish-red blood was still seeping, and sneered, "Even with the Bureau of Hellfire's antidote, you're no match for my poison weapon."

"He won't live more than a few minutes, especially considering the commotion ahead."

"In that case, let's get out of here as soon as possible."

The middle-aged man nodded. He knew very well how potent the purple-haired man's poisonous blood was. Even if someone of the same level didn't receive targeted treatment, they would die within half an hour.

There might be hope outside, but here, there is only death.

He looked up and gazed in a distant direction.

There was quite a commotion there; large swathes of giant grass were bent over, and the ground was trembling constantly, suggesting that some formidable demon was going berserk.

They had vaguely heard it earlier, and now it's even closer.

"Could it be a turf war?" Purple Hair guessed casually. "Or maybe they're fighting with other contestants?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

How is this possible? It's late at night, visibility is poor, and there are demons everywhere. Who would be so brazen?

As soon as Purple Hair finished speaking, as if in response to his thoughts, the giant grass in front of him was bent over again.

A colossal figure vaguely appeared; it was an elephant demon as large as a house, its skin appearing a thick bluish-gray under the moonlight.

The enormous fangs gleamed coldly.

This elephant demon weighs at least ten tons. With a single blow of its trunk, it creates a crater like a grenade, scattering dirt and grass clippings everywhere.

Who in their right mind would dare to provoke such a thick-skinned, incredibly strong demon? Unless they were insane.

Even if they win, they will be devoured by the other demons that come after them, leaving not even bones behind.