"How is it? Have they chased after us?"
Yan Xicai distanced himself from the cliff, dashing outward for several kilometers in one breath before panting and stopping.
At this moment, beside him, other than Pu Wen who had followed him the whole time, there were only eight Aurora City Law Enforcers left. In the panic just now, almost everyone had scattered.
"No." A Law Enforcer glanced back. "It should be safe here."
"Damn it... What do the Enforcers of Aurora City even do?! To actually let Fire-Stealers infiltrate." Yan Xicai cursed repeatedly. "Accountability! There must be accountability for this matter! I want them to give me an explanation!"
Just as the few were speaking, a figure hurried over in this direction.
"Is it a Fire-Stealer?" Seeing him approach, Yan Xicai's nerves instantly grew taut.
"No, it's Little Jian." Seeing that person's face, a Law Enforcer immediately spoke. "His leg isn't very good, so he runs a bit slow."
"He's been trailing behind the team the whole time... Could he have been swapped by a Fire-Stealer?" Someone in the crowd muttered softly.
"Young Master Yan, wait for me..." Little Jian limped over unsteadily from afar, his face somewhat pale.
However, before he could approach the crowd, Yan Xicai spoke coldly:
"Halt!"
Little Jian abruptly froze in place.
"Who are you?"
"I... I'm Little Jian." Little Jian was frightened silly and answered incoherently, "My dad is Jian Changlin, the gardener at your house... I even poured tea for you this morning. Don't you remember me?"
Yan Xicai narrowed his eyes and gave a look to the Law Enforcer beside him. The latter instantly understood.
He drew a Short Blade from his waist and walked slowly towards Little Jian.
"Young Master Yan, what are you..."
"Verifying your identity." Yan Xicai said flatly. "You walked too slowly. I cannot rule out the possibility that you were swapped by a Fire-Stealer."
"I haven't! Young Master Yan! I really haven't!" Little Jian instantly grew anxious. "I ran slowly because my leg is lame. I really haven't been swapped..."
"Whether you've been swapped or not, we'll know once we slice your face open."
That Law Enforcer walked in front of Little Jian. The cold glint of the Short Blade reflected on his face. Little Jian's legs gave way, and he directly collapsed to his knees with a thud.
"Young Master Yan, please don't slice my face... I beg you. I'm already a cripple. If you slice my face as well, how am I going to live in the future..."
Seeing this, the blade-wielding Law Enforcer hesitated slightly. He turned to look at Yan Xicai, but the latter waved his hand in annoyance.
"Why are you looking at me? Cut."
"...Sorry, brother."
The Law Enforcer grabbed Little Jian's collar. The sharp tip of the blade pierced his cheek, and then he forcefully sliced downward bit by bit...
Miserable, shrill screams tore from Little Jian's throat. His face twisted in pain. Crimson blood seeped from his skin, and a hideous slash cut across the better half of his cheek, exposing the flesh beneath...
Beneath the flesh and blood, there was no other face.
The Law Enforcer put away the Short Blade, stood up, and nodded slightly to Yan Xicai and the others. "It's him."
The crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, the crisis is resolved." Pu Wen glanced in the direction of the cliff. "Those Fire-Stealers didn't chase after us, so they must have another objective..."
"As long as they don't provoke us, whatever they want to do is fine." Yan Xicai said deeply. "Once the 24 hours are over, they will undoubtedly die... Before then, we have more important things to do.
This time, in order to bring you into the Ancient Vault, I've practically used up all my connections and favors. If I still can't step onto the Way of the Soldier God, I can forget about taking charge of the Stars Chamber of Commerce in this lifetime."
"Let's make this clear beforehand. I can only use the Path of the Scholar God to help you plunder Killing Intent. Whether you can step onto the Way of the Soldier God yourself has nothing to do with me." Pu Wen glanced at him.
"I don't need you to remind me."
Ruthlessness flickered in Yan Xicai's eyes. He waved his large hand. "Let's go. We must hurry."
The crowd followed behind Yan Xicai one after another, heading straight into the depths of the Ancient Vault. Within the vast Wilderness, only a figure with a face full of blood was left, lying on the spot like a corpse.
Little Jian struggled to climb up. A shocking slash mark spanned across his cheek. He stared blankly at the departing crowd, his eyes full of gloom.
A moment later, he finally regained his senses. Gritting his teeth, he followed their footsteps step by step...
...
'Is this the interior of the Ancient Vault of the Military Path...?'
Under the dusky sky, Chen Ling, draped in the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe, stood alone in the barren land, muttering to himself.
Chen Ling didn't pursue any faction. There was still enough time before the Ancient Vault of the Military Path reopened... During this time, it was better to let the conflicts ferment on their own. He believed this chaotic slaughter was far from over; it was merely a temporary pause.
In other words, let the bullets fly a little longer.
And Chen Ling also needed a little time to find a way to steal the Dao Foundation.
He clearly remembered that before entering the Ancient Vault, the leading Enforcer had said that finding resonance in blood and fire, and gathering enough Killing Intent in slaughter, would give one a chance to draw out the Dao Foundation of the Way of the Soldier God...
How exactly should he do this?
While pondering, Chen Ling crossed over a small Hill.
He saw that not far from the Hill, a long and narrow ravine was embedded in the earth. Within the ravine, ten figures wearing armor and holding weapons stood together, as if discussing something.
Looking at their clothing and weapons, they didn't seem to be people of this era... Were these the ancient Slaughter Projections the Enforcer had mentioned?
Chen Ling hesitated for a moment, then walked straight down the Hill towards that ravine.
The moment he stepped into the boundaries of the ravine, those ten armored figures seemed to have sensed something and abruptly turned their heads.
They stared fixedly at the Red-Clad Chen Ling, as if he were their sworn enemy who had killed their fathers, and roared:
"It's that Qin army Lackey! Kill!!"
The next moment, the ten people raised their spears and charged toward Chen Ling with surging Killing Intent.
Chen Ling blanked for a moment. He subconsciously took a step back, and the foot that had stepped into the ravine left its spot. Immediately after, those ten armored figures suddenly stopped. As if losing their target, they turned around and walked back.
They lowered their weapons and gathered together, seemingly discussing something again.
Chen Ling: ...?
Thoughtfully, he stepped his right foot back into the ravine. Those ten people instantly became enraged. Gripping their weapons, they charged toward Chen Ling to kill him!
"It's that Qin army Lackey! Kill!!"
Chen Ling pulled his foot back, and they immediately shut up and turned around... Chen Ling took another step.
"It's that Qin army Lackey! Kill!!"
"..."
"It's that Qin army Lackey! Kill!!"
"..."
After repeating this consecutively several times, the expression Chen Ling shot at the ten people in the ravine was incredibly bizarre... Weren't these just NPCs?!