Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

Gu Qianji raised his hand and touched his beard. After drinking the wine, he became noticeably more talkative.

"Actually, although I was nominally a sweeper back then, I actually had a lot of work to do. Zhenyao Pass was always short-handed, and whoever was available had to help out."

"Besides sweeping, I also have to move array stones, fill array sand, repair array flags, and clean up damaged array plates when I have free time."

"I wasn't young back then, and everyone said I had low talent. No array master was willing to formally take me as their apprentice, and no one was willing to spend time teaching me."

"However, there are people setting up formations at Zhenyao Pass every day. After seeing it many times, you can gradually figure out some of the tricks."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie's smile faded considerably, and his expression showed more surprise.

"If what you're saying is true, then your talent is indeed remarkable. You learned formations without a master, just by watching from the sidelines?"

Gu Qianji shook his head.

"There's no such thing as learning something after just one look. I've simply looked at things more times than others, and I remember them better than they do."

"If you don't understand it today, just keep looking at it tomorrow. If you look at a single array pattern dozens of times, you'll eventually figure out what it's for."

As he said this, a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

"Sometimes when those array masters aren't around, I'll secretly dismantle the arrays they've set up to see exactly how the array stones are arranged."

"After you understand it, put it back in its original position. You'll learn faster that way."

After hearing this, Qin Lie immediately revealed a wicked smile.

"What if you can't put it back together after taking it apart?"

Gu Qianji shrugged, giving a very straightforward answer.

"What else could we do if we couldn't put it back together? Of course, we got beaten up. Those array masters all had terrible tempers, and I got beaten up by them quite a few times back then."

Qin Lie finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Even Xu Qinghe, who had been riding at the very back of the group and fiddling with the Soul Sealing Book, looked up and smiled slightly when Gu Qianji told her that he had been beaten.

Gu Qianji didn't feel ashamed at all. He tilted his head back and took another sip of wine, his expression still very relaxed.

Qin Lie laughed for a while before continuing, "And then what happened? Since you were doing well at Zhenyao Pass, why did you suddenly go to Dongxuan City?"

Gu Qianji paused slightly in the hand holding the wine gourd.

The smile on his face slowly faded, and his gaze drifted beyond the mountains and forests to a more distant place. He remained silent for a long time.

The more Gu Qianji remained silent, the more curious Qin Lie became. He rode his horse closer to the side and stared at Gu Qianji for a while.

"Old Gu, say something! Why did you leave Zhenyao Pass? Was someone bullying you back then?"

Gu Qianji immediately glared at him.

"Who dares to bully this old man?"

Qin Lie nodded, a look of realization on his face.

"I understand now. It must be because after you learned the formation, you took advantage of your master's power and bullied others in the Demon Suppression Pass all day long, and eventually you were kicked out, right?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qianji raised his hand and lashed out with his riding whip.

Qin Lie was prepared and immediately spurred his horse to the side, but he didn't stop talking.

"Old Gu, Old Gu, why are you resorting to violence at your age? Did I guess right? You really did bully others in the Demon Suppression Pass, and that's why you were kicked out?"

"You little brat, stop right there!"

Gu Qianji lashed the horse's rump with his whip and immediately chased after Qin Lie.

"You little brat, stop talking nonsense. If I catch you today, I'll teach you a lesson on what it means to respect your elders!"

Qin Lie's horse was already in front, and it ran even faster after hearing the commotion.

Gu Qianji chased after him for a long time but couldn't catch up. He could only pull on the reins, panting, and curse at Qin Lie's back.

"You just wait. Tonight, after you fall asleep, I'll set up an insect-gathering array where you sleep, so you can experience what it's like to be bitten by bugs all night!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie immediately pulled on the reins and stopped the horse in front of him.

He turned around, looked at Gu Qianji who was still panting, and his smile was somewhat ingratiating.

"Hey, Lao Gu, I was just joking with you. Why did you take it so seriously? A senior should have the demeanor of a senior."

"How about this, I take back everything I just said, and we'll be even, okay?"

Gu Qianji shook his head.

"That won't do. At the very least, I'll give you a good lashing to teach you a lesson, so you won't dare to talk nonsense again."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie immediately turned his horse around.

"Then let it go. You're in a bad mood right now, and that whip would definitely be hard on you, so I'd rather not get it."

After saying that, he urged his horse forward again.

The group ran for another ten miles or so.

Although Qin Lie kept joking, he knew in his heart that Gu Qianji must have his own reasons for not wanting to talk about it.

Everyone has things they don't want to talk about, and there's no point in pressing them further. When Gu Qianji is willing to talk about it someday, we'll tell him naturally.

After walking a little further, a short scream suddenly came from the woods next to us.

Immediately afterwards, a series of chaotic footsteps sounded from inside, mixed with the suppressed cries of children.

The branches kept swaying, and the sound grew closer; clearly, someone was running towards their location.

Qin Lie's smile vanished instantly. He raised his hand to signal Gu Qianji and Xu Qinghe to stop, and his other hand slowly landed on the hilt of the Shattered Snow Blade.

Gu Qianji spurred his horse to his side, listened to the sounds coming from the woods for a while, and then whispered a reminder.

"Never mind that, let's get going. Don't forget we still have a mission; there's no need to cause trouble in a place like this."

Qin Lie frowned as he looked towards the woods.

"But I clearly heard someone crying, so I'll go check it out."

This time, Gu Qianji didn't argue with him, and her expression became serious.

"The matter at Qing Shi Yi has just ended, and the other side already knows we're heading north. Who can guarantee this isn't a trap deliberately set by someone?"

"If you rush in now, and there are already people buried inside, you'll be walking into a trap."

Qin Lie did not answer immediately.

The cries from the woods were becoming clearer, and the vegetation ahead was shaking violently from the impact.

Someone is running desperately out, and they are very close to them.

Qin Lie thought for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to the side of the road.

"Let's tie the horse to the side and wait here. If the people who come out are problematic, we'll retreat immediately. If they're just ordinary people, we'll rescue them."

Gu Qianji looked at him and asked another question.

"After rescuing them, are you planning to take them with you on your journey, or leave them here and wait for the pursuers to catch up?"

Qin Lie answered very decisively.

"Then let's kill off all the people chasing them first."

After listening, Gu Qianji gave a soft hum.

"Kill them all? You don't even know why these people were being chased, how dare you say you killed them all?"

"Are all those chasing them demons? Even if they are, do you know if there are ambushes nearby, or how many things are lurking in the shadows?"

He pointed ahead, his tone growing increasingly forceful.

"Even if there's no ambush, how long are we going to stay here? An hour, a day, or two or three days?"

Qin Lie didn't interrupt, so Gu Qianji continued speaking.

"Qin Lie, our current mission is to deliver the Zhenguan Seal to Zhenyao Pass. You just experienced how dangerous the killing formation at Qingshi Post Station was. Since the enemy was able to make a move at Qingshi Post Station, they might continue to block our way ahead."

"Every hour we delay increases the danger. Saving these people is important, of course, but if they delay the sealing of the pass and cause problems at Duanfeng Pass, then it won't just be these few who die, but many more."

Gu Qianji's words were very straightforward.

He didn't deliberately consider Qin Lie's feelings, nor did he leave him any room to evade.

He wanted Qin Lie to understand that every decision they made now affected more than just the lives at hand.

Xu Qinghe remained silent throughout.

She simply sat on her horse, quietly watching Qin Lie, waiting for him to make a decision.

Just as Gu Qianji and Qin Lie were arguing, the commotion in the woods reached them.

Accompanied by a series of chaotic footsteps, a middle-aged man with a face covered in blood stumbled out of the woods.

He was holding a five- or six-year-old child tightly in his arms when he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Following closely behind him were more than a dozen villagers in tattered clothes.

An elderly woman with gray hair fell to the ground as soon as she ran out of the woods, but was helped up by two people next to her and continued running.

When the middle-aged man saw Qin Lie and the other two, he was stunned for a moment. Then, as if he had grasped the last straw, he scrambled over with the child in his arms.

"My lords! Help! There's a monster behind us!"

The other villagers also gathered around, their faces filled with fear, and they all started shouting at once.

"Please, gentlemen, save us!"

"The monster is catching up soon!"

"Save the children!"

Qin Lie did not respond, but slowly drew the Snow-Shattering Blade from his waist.

Gu Qianji stood to the side, watching Qin Lie's actions, and sighed softly.

"Kid, this is your last warning. You can still leave now."

"The matter at Qing Shi Yi has just ended, and the other side already knows that we are heading north. Who can guarantee that this is not a trap set on purpose? If you rush in now, and there are people waiting for us in the dark, then you will be walking into a trap."

Qin Lie turned to look at Gu Qianji, but his expression remained calm.

"Old Gu, you're not from the Demon Suppression Division, but I am."

"What do you think is the purpose of the Demon Suppression Division? Is it merely to slay demons and monsters?"

"I think the greatest significance of the Demon Suppression Division is to protect the safety of these ordinary people."

"If I hadn't met them today, it would have been fine, but now they're right in front of me. You're making me watch them die. Even if the Zhenguan Seal is successfully delivered to Zhenyao Pass in the end, it will mean nothing to me."

After saying that, Qin Lie reached into his robes, took out the Zhenguan Seal, and handed it directly to Gu Qianji.

"Old Gu, you're right, you can't put all your eggs in one basket. I know you definitely have a way to sever the connection between the Zhenguan Seal and me, so you can continue your journey to Zhenyao Pass with the Zhenguan Seal."

"If I die, the connection between the Zhenguan Seal and me will naturally be severed, and you can still reconnect Duanfeng Pass and Zhenyao Pass."

Gu Qianji took the Zhenguan Seal, weighed it in his hand a couple of times, and then hurled it directly at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie instinctively reached out and caught it, staring at him in astonishment.

Gu Qianji was so angry that his beard stood on end, and he pointed at Qin Lie and started cursing.

"What kind of person do you take me for? Do you think I'm the kind of person who's afraid of death and would abandon my comrades to run away?"

"You're all just causing me trouble. Half an hour, I'll give you half an hour. Resolve this matter within half an hour. If you can't, we're leaving immediately. No one is allowed to continue playing the hero!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie immediately smiled.

"I knew it, Old Gu, you couldn't bear to leave me here alone. Alright, I'll go hold off those monsters, you quickly set up the formation and hide these people."

Gu Qianji glared at him irritably, but did not continue to argue. She turned and walked towards the group of villagers.

He took out several array flags from his pocket, raised his hand and flicked them out one after another. The array flags landed accurately in all directions, and he began to set up a concealment array.

Although the villagers didn't know what had happened, they all stood still and didn't dare to make a sound.

Just then, a heavy running sound suddenly came from deep in the woods, and the ground trembled slightly. Large trees swayed continuously, as if some enormous creature was rapidly approaching.

Xu Qinghe dismounted, and the Soul Sealing Scroll appeared in her hand.

She closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, then opened them again, her gaze already fixed on the depths of the forest.

"The thirteen demonic energies, the strongest of which has already exceeded our level of ability to handle."

As soon as Xu Qinghe finished speaking, several figures rushed out of the woods.

At the very front was a tall black wolf demon, which, when standing upright, was much taller than the wolf king Qin Lie had encountered before.

Its body is covered with coarse black fur, its two arms are very thick, and its sharp claws hang down at its sides. With each step it takes, the soil under its feet sinks a little deeper.

Behind it followed twelve wolf demons.

Several of the wolf demons had iron chains in their mouths, and the other end of the chains was tied to several wounded villagers.

The clothes on those people were already soaked with blood, their legs dragging on the ground. They had no strength left to struggle and could only let the wolf demon drag them forward.

The middle-aged man who had rushed out carrying the child saw one of them and his expression changed instantly.

"father!"

The person tied at the front was an elderly man with gray hair. His legs were tightly bound by iron chains, his body was covered in wounds, and his face was stained with blood.

Even though he had been tortured like this, he still gritted his teeth and never begged these monsters for mercy.

Hearing the shout, the black wolf demon turned its head and glanced at the middle-aged man, then raised its hand.

A wolf demon nearby immediately grabbed the iron chain and pulled the old man to the front.

The old man fell heavily to the ground, and before he could even get up, the black wolf demon had already stepped on his head.

"Now that you know someone here, things are much easier. Tell me, where exactly is the thing hidden?"

Upon hearing the Black Wolf Demon speak, Qin Lie tightened his grip on the Snow-Shattering Blade.

Judging from its aura alone, the black wolf demon in front of them has already reached the level of a demon general.

More importantly, they brought survivors with them, clearly not in a hurry to kill the villagers, indicating that this was not just an ordinary monster attack on a village.

The old man's face was half-pressed to the ground as he was trampled, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, but his voice still showed no sign of yielding.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you."

After hearing this, the black wolf demon was stunned for a moment, and then he threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"Okay, very good. Since you're unwilling to cooperate, I'll ask someone else."

As soon as it finished speaking, it slowly raised its foot, aiming it at the old man's head to stomp down.

"stop!"

Qin Lie charged forward, and the Shattered Snow Blade was instantly drawn from its sheath.

The blade was aimed straight at the black wolf demon's neck. Sensing the danger, the black wolf demon immediately withdrew its foot that was about to step on the old man, and at the same time raised its claws to block in front of itself.

The blade and claws collided with a sharp, cracking sound. A powerful force traveled along the blade, and Qin Lie and the Black Wolf Demon were both forced to retreat.

After Qin Lie landed, his feet left a long trail in the mud.

The black wolf demon also took two steps back, looked down at its neck, where a shallow wound had appeared, and a few drops of dark red blood were flowing down its black fur.

The black wolf demon raised his hand and touched his wound, the smile on his face slowly fading away.

"A seventh-rank martial artist. You think you can save someone from my clutches? It seems you don't know your own capabilities."

Qin Lie did not answer, but simply gripped the Snow-Shattering Blade tightly again, pushed off with his feet, and charged forward once more.

Wolf looked at Qin Lie charging towards him, and a cold smile returned to his lips.

"You human warriors are always like this, knowing full well you're no match, yet you still stubbornly charge forward. Why bother? Just surrender obediently, and you'll suffer less."

Qin Lie did not slow down his running speed, his eyes always fixed on Lang Xing.

"This is the difference between us humans and you beasts."

Before he finished speaking, Qin Lie had already rushed in front of Lang Xing.

He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, his blood and qi surging rapidly into his arms, and the Snow-Shattering Blade brought down with immense force.

Wolf dared not respond as casually as before, and immediately raised his arms, crossing them above his head to block.

With a loud thud, the blade slammed heavily into Wolf's arms.

The ground beneath Wolf's feet cracked instantly, and his legs sank uncontrollably.

Only then did its expression truly change, because the power of this strike was completely different from the previous exchange.

Qin Lie was able to unleash power far exceeding that of a peak seventh-grade martial artist not because his realm had suddenly improved, but because the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill within his body had begun to operate.

As the exercise was performed, the qi and blood that were originally scattered throughout his limbs and bones gradually converged and eventually flowed into his arms.

Although Qin Lie is still only at the peak of the seventh rank, the power he unleashes far surpasses that of an ordinary peak seventh-rank martial artist.

Wolfwalker clearly noticed this as well.

It let out a low growl, and its demonic energy erupted instantly, with powerful force surging from its arms.

Qin Lie felt a tremendous impact, and his body uncontrollably staggered back several steps.

On the other side, Gu Qianji did not participate in the battle.

While Qin Lie and Lang Xing were fighting, he quickly took out several array flags from his storage space and planted them in different locations around him.

"Everyone stay here and don't wander off."

Although the villagers didn't know what Gu Qianji was doing, they could tell that the people in front of them were saving them.

Upon hearing Gu Qianji's words, everyone nodded and gathered within the area enclosed by the array flags, as instructed by him.

Xu Qinghe stood on the other side, the Soul Sealing Book in her hand already open.

As the pages turned, gray-white chains flew out and wrapped around the wolf demons who were about to charge at the villagers.

Just as the wolf demons were about to pounce, their bodies suddenly froze.

They looked down and realized that, without them noticing, their hind legs were now firmly bound by grayish-white chains.

Xu Qinghe glanced in Qin Lie's direction.

"Leave these lesser demons to me; you focus on dealing with your own opponent."

Qin Lie nodded.

"no problem."

The next moment, he charged at the wolf again.

The two figures collided instantly, their blades flashing and demonic energy clashing violently.

The wolf moved with incredible speed, and each attack was imbued with a powerful demonic aura.

Although Qin Lie continuously strengthened himself with the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill, the gap in combat experience and realm still existed, and soon he had several more wounds on his body.

But he did not back down.

Because behind him were the villagers who had no power to resist.

Wolfwalker quickly realized this as well.

It glanced at the villagers behind Qin Lie, a cold smile appearing on its lips. Suddenly, it changed its attack direction, its figure flashing as it charged directly backward.

Qin Lie's expression changed, and he stepped forward, instantly blocking Lang Xing's path.

"Your opponent is me."

Wolf was forced to stop, looking at Qin Lie who was blocking his way, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"What's the use of you standing in front of me? With your strength, you're no match for me. You might as well surrender now and at least save your life."

Qin Lie gripped the Snow-Shattering Blade tightly, his gaze remaining unchanged.

"How will you know I'm no match for you if you don't try?"

Wolf was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"madness."

As soon as it finished speaking, it pounced on Qin Lie again.

The battle lasted a long time, until the last battle flag fell to the ground, and the surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed.

Wolf, who had been fighting, suddenly stopped and his expression turned serious.

It looked back and saw Gu Qianji standing not far away, while the seemingly ordinary places around it were connected by an invisible force.

The surrounding scenery remained unchanged, but Wolfwalker clearly felt that his movements were restricted.

Its speed slowed down, and the flow of demonic energy also paused slightly.

Wolf's expression darkened as he looked at Gu Qianji.

"Array Master".

Gu Qianji patted the dust off his hands, a smile on his face.

"I have studied formations for many years, but I am not good at direct combat."

"But since you've given me time to set up the formation, you're not leaving today."