"Chase!" Yu Qingqiu let out a low roar and, waving his Longsword again, the pale cyan Sword Qi tore through the remaining shrubs. The guards by his side rushed toward the entrance to the tunnel, displaying all sorts of techniques, trying to intercept Li Ang before he could vanish completely.

BOOM! The outer wall of the Royal Mansion suddenly burst open, bricks and stones flying everywhere, broken wood scattering. Several figures charged out from the cracks in the exploded wall, expressionless, weapons in hand, their movements as uniform as if they were cast from the same mold.

The faces of these men were all too familiar to the soldiers of the West Factory and the Wude Army. They were notorious White Lotus Demon Cultivators on the wanted list, each one requiring the combined effort of a small squad of guards to capture.

And now, there were eleven of them... What's going on?! Weren't these people supposed to be under the surveillance of the Xijishi Factory? How did they mysteriously appear outside the walls of the Royal Mansion?

The guards were puzzled, but their experience from countless battles had their bodies reacting instinctively before their minds could catch up. Each took out a palm-sized, thin silver plate from their waist which, with a flick, expanded into a circular Shield wide enough to cover a person. They fastened it into the groove on the wrist guard of their left arm, forming a handheld Shield. Left hand with Shield, right hand with a saber, they formed a battle formation and charged toward the White Lotus Demon Cultivators.

Weapons clashed, metal rang, and the cries of battle filled the air as the two sides became entangled in combat.

"General Li, stop them! I'll chase after the Auspicious Beast!" Yu Qingqiu shouted to Li Yushan, the Wude Army's demon-hunting General. Fending off three White Lotus Demon Cultivators who had closed in around him with his Longsword, he dashed into the tunnel alone.

His West Factory Labor Officers attempted to follow their superior but were immediately entangled by the charging White Lotus Sect Members. They could only watch helplessly as Yu Qingqiu was swallowed by the piles of earth, disappearing from sight.

Only when they engaged the White Lotus Sect Members did the Labor Officers and guards begin to sense something amiss.

The White Lotus Demon Cultivators they faced were indeed powerful; each strike was capable of shattering monuments and flinging guards aside. Moreover, they coordinated extremely well. Seemingly fighting individually, they actually formed a tactical formation, advancing and retreating in unison, leaving the guards with no opening to exploit and attack them piecemeal.

But, it seemed that none of them could cast spells? They only swung their weapons, relying on brute strength alone. Even the Elite of the White Lotus, known from their files for mastery of spells, were simply hacking away with their weapons.

Something... felt off...

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Seeing his guards struggling to prevail, Li Yushan bellowed. Slightly bending his knees, he crushed the wooden floor beneath his feet to splinters. His tall and burly figure shot up like lightning, his Horizontal Saber gleaming coldly as he swiftly slashed at the neck of a White Lotus Sect Member.

With one slash, the expressionless head of the White Lotus Demon Cultivator flew up, landing on the ground with a THUD.

Under normal circumstances, the guards would have silently praised Li Yushan's swift and fierce slash, perhaps even cheering out loud.

But now, the place fell into an eerie silence. The White Lotus Demon Cultivators across from them had all stopped attacking at the same moment, all eyes focusing on the fallen head.

The head appeared normal, but not even a drop of blood seeped out from the severed neck.

Instead, dense plant roots, some brownish-yellow, some emerald green, extended chaotically from the trachea and flesh.

...

The abruptly halted White Lotus Demon Cultivators lifted their heads. Looking at the guards before them with wide-open eyes, their mouths uniformly curved into a slight, grotesque smile.

The action itself wasn't frightening. What was horrifying was that so many people did it at the exact same time.

Even the battle-hardened, experienced guards present could not help the shivers down their spines as a chill penetrated deep into their marrow.

"HO... HO..." The severed head on the ground let out a raspy breath, like that of a bellows. The plant roots at its neck, resembling crab legs, propped it up from the ground, slowly raising the head. With a sinister smile, it said slowly to Li Yushan, "Why... why did you kill me..."

"Damn it! You're a bandit, I'm a soldier. Do I need a reason to kill you?!" Li Yushan's face twisted into a ferocious grin. He tightened his grip on his Horizontal Saber and, with a single chop, sliced the grotesque head in two.

This strike seemed to act as a signal. From the noses, mouths, ears, eyes, limbs, and trunks—every corner of the previously motionless White Lotus Sect Members' bodies—dense networks of plant roots simultaneously sprouted.

These plant roots spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around each White Lotus Sect Member, transforming them into "plant beings" covered in vines.

"Damn it..." Li Yushan cursed angrily but didn't rush forward recklessly.

He'd seen plenty of strange and venomous Odd Arts in his life, but he'd never encountered a technique that could morph a person into a plant in an instant.

Who did this? Li Yushan's mind raced. These cult members can no longer be called human. Even the White Lotus Cult itself is unlikely to use such techniques on its own people. Could it be the work of an Evil Cultivator from some mysterious hidden sect?

"Death itself is not to be feared, but fear its master—" the now wooden White Lotus Sect Members let out a hoarse cry. Lifting their weapons, they chopped forward without any regard for themselves, "Join us! Join the glorious evolution!"

At least in terms of fanaticism, they haven't changed much...

"Join your mother! Circle formation!" Li Yushan roared. The Wude Army Guards instantly took half a step back, forming a circular battle array.

The outermost soldiers raised their Shields high, linking them to form a shield wall. Meanwhile, the soldiers inside screwed the Horizontal Knife Handles of their sabers into the shafts of Short Spears, creating long-handled glaives that they poised in the gaps of the shield wall.

Although the Labor Officers from the Xijishi Factory lacked the tacit understanding forged through prolonged battles, they each used their own skills to create obstructions for the enemy on either side.

At last, the circular formation of Wude Army Guards collided head-on with the charging White Lotus Sect Members. Their wooden bodies were mercilessly cut by the long-handled glaives; roots severed, splinters flew, and deep green sap gushed out like blood, splattering everywhere.

Yet the White Lotus Sect Members, as if devoid of any pain, allowed their bodies to be impaled by the blades. Still wearing their gruesome smiles, they lunged toward the shield wall.

"Join the glorious evolution! Art is an explosion!" all the White Lotus Demon Cultivators screamed fervently. Arms outstretched, they embraced the shield wall, roots surging around their chests like blooming flowers with unfolding petals, silently gathering strength.

Not good! Li Yushan's heart pounded. Before he could utter a word, the bodies of the White Lotus Demon Cultivators rapidly swelled, transforming into bloated balloons in an instant, and then violently exploded.

BOOM!! The explosion was deafening. The Wude Army Guards' supposedly impregnable circular formation crumbled instantly under the blast. All the guards were sent flying, slamming into walls and columns. Their armor was covered with a layer of fine wood chips, bits of flesh and bone, and... white mycelium?

Li Yushan, also dazed by the explosion, coughed up blood and barely managed to get up from the ground. He kicked his subordinates one by one out of the collapsing hall and, gathering his last bit of strength, escaped just before being buried by falling beams and rubble.

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