Huang Man opened her mouth, just about to speak when Qin An had already performed the Shocking Dragon Wind and Cloud Step, his figure turning into a blur as he swiftly darted outwards.

Seeing this, Huang Man gritted her teeth and followed closely behind. The two instantly vanished from the clearing.

Regardless, she and Qin An had already formed an alliance.

At this moment, if any doubt arose, not only would she lose her ally, but the benefits of the mission would also be lost.

The urgent task was to first accompany Qin An.

...

The mountain path was dark, the afterglow of the setting sun completely faded.

Only a few scattered moonbeams were left, becoming the only source of light at this moment.

Huang Man used her body technique, closely following behind Qin An.

Along the way, Qin An explained the course of events one by one.

"Both the morning and evening banquets were to lure us into eating, with control techniques hidden in the dishes."

"Distributing casting materials and explaining demon blood casting was just to make everything seem natural."

"Except for the patrol inspector, everyone has been controlled, but his purpose is still unknown."

As Qin An explained, Huang Man's thoughts gradually became clear in her mind.

"Where are we heading now?" Huang Man asked while following.

Qin An had already unsheathed his black knife, his gaze piercing the darkness ahead: "To find that madman."

Madman?

Huang Man was puzzled.

Qin An's voice was cold: "The madman is the most crucial person."

"First, make the patrol inspector know that the madman is important, then hint that there might be deceit between us, guiding the patrol inspector to shift focus, aiming to completely clear the madman's suspicion."

"After all, no matter how deeply they hide the madman, there's a risk of exposure, better not hiding at all, just dismiss suspicion directly."

Huang Man showed a look of sudden realization and asked, "Then why did you have me tell our colleagues not to bother with the madman?"

Qin An turned back and said, "If it weren't for this, how could we make it real, how could we uncover the true truth?"

Huang Man fell silent.

She understood.

If this wasn't the approach, quite a few patrol inspectors would have held other thoughts.

After all, except for their alliance, the rest belonged to the opposite side.

By then, the Valley Master might have had other schemes.

Huang Man sighed deeply, sincerely admiring, "What a clever trick of using one's own methods against them."

The words were truly from the heart.

Qin An first pretended to fall into the enemy's trap, then used the same methods to counter, finally leading her to break the situation.

This move was indeed brilliant.

At least among the people Huang Man had encountered, none had such deep scheming.

With such means and strength, someone like this joining the patrol inspectors, as long as luck holds and he doesn't fall premaritally, the future prospects are limitless.

Huang Man saw that Qin An was silent, and asked, "Do you know where the madman is?"

Although she had followed Qin An out, she still had no idea where the madman might be.

Qin An tightly held his long knife: "Right there."

Hearing this, Huang Man instinctively looked in the direction of the voice, only to see the familiar landscape ahead.

An old thatched hut came into view, the very residence of the undercover agent Liu Er.

Huang Man was slightly stunned: "Isn't this the place of that undercover agent?"

Qin An suddenly stopped: "It's time for you to play your part."

Huang Man didn't understand Qin An's meaning and hadn't yet reacted.

A sudden sound of footsteps arose.

Then, the hunchbacked young Liu Er stepped out of the hut, holding a large hammer in his hand.

"I never understood how you concluded the breakthrough was here."

Liu Er was no longer anxious as before, his expression calm.

Qin An lifted his gaze and swept it over: "I'm also skilled in casting, and the casting smell here is the strongest. As you said, it was a gamble."

Liu Er sighed: "I didn't expect my casual attempt earlier would really draw an expert."

Huang Man drew the dagger from her waist, holding it in reverse: "You had already realized his words weren't trustworthy?"

Qin An nodded: "Link the clues together, his identity becomes self-evident, alright, it's time for you to make your move."

Huang Man was stunned on the spot.

Qin An patted Huang Man's shoulder: "Hold him off."

As soon as he spoke, Qin An performed the Shocking Dragon Wind and Cloud Step, his figure turning into a blur as he dashed along the mountain path.

Behind Liu Er was a winding steep mountain path, from which faint sounds of hammering emanated.

The place should've been silent, but the hammering sound was endless, making any further explanation unnecessary.

Liu Er bellowed, "Leave your life behind!"

The large hammer swept across, aiming to strike Qin An's back.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing resounded.

Before Liu Er's hammer even landed, a dagger slipped through the middle, stopping the large hammer.

A flicker of coldness flashed in Huang Man's eyes: "Your opponent is me!"

In the blink of an eye, Qin An's figure had already disappeared.

Liu Er sneered, swirling the giant hammer, sweeping it horizontally at Huang Man's head: "Yesterday you threatened me with a dagger, today your head will be shattered."

As a Copper Patrol Inspector, Huang Man's strength had reached Jade Bone Realm Perfection, and she had been part of the patrol for a long time, having experienced too much blood and fire.

Even if two or three regular Silver Inspectors came, they would meet their end here.

The dagger swung horizontally, Huang Man's face was incomparably calm as she wielded the dagger, clashing continuously with the giant hammer.

However, Liu Er grew more alarmed as they fought.

"I am at Jade Bone Perfection, and so are you, is this patrol truly so exceptional?"

Huang Man sneered coldly: "Have you experienced life and death, felt what it's like being besieged by a dozen peers?"

"Without experiencing that, how can you talk about perfection!"

With that said, the cold light of Huang Man's dagger surged, her eyes filled with a blood-red hue.

Liu Er exclaimed, "Secret Technique!"

Before the exclamation ended, the iron hammer in his hand split in two.

The dagger's cold glint flashed, and Liu Er looked down at his chest and abdomen, seeing his internal organs still pulsating.

He knelt to the ground, his chest and abdominal viscera spilling out with the flashing blade, convulsing momentarily before dying instantly.

The blood red in Huang Man's eyes completely disappeared. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and prepared to chase after the place where Qin An had vanished.

She understood Qin An's intention: he wanted her to kill Liu Er here to buy him time to find that madman.

Now that Liu Er was dead, Huang Man needed to quickly go and meet up with Qin An.

Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed.

Huang Man turned around warily, then the vigilance on her face vanished completely.

At the end of her sight, more than ten bronze guards were quickly arriving.

Although they had injuries, it wasn't serious.

"Why are you all here?" Huang Man asked.

One of the bronze guards wielded a long whip: "A colleague sent a message, telling us to meet here after eliminating the Valley Master."

Meet up?

Huang Man was slightly dazed, then realized and her expression became incredibly complex.

"Did he even consider this?"

Who sent the message? Huang Man knew very well. It was naturally Qin An.

But Huang Man hadn't expected that Qin An had even accounted for this.

The bronze guard wielding the long whip frowned and asked, "What did you just say?"

Huang Man shook her head: "Nothing, did you succeed?"

The bronze guard said: "The Valley Master wasn't human; he was created through the Skill of Casting and Mechanical Skill. The controlled people have already disappeared without a trace."

Upon hearing this, Huang Man understood the truth and did not speak further. She pointed to the winding mountain path ahead: "Follow me up."

Everyone was a mountain guard who had seen bloodshed before, so they did not waste words and utilized their Body Technique to walk along the mountain path.

Although there was a sense of competition between them, given their current situation, completing the task first was wise.

...

At the mountaintop, a gentle breeze blew, the night was as dark as ink.

The madman was sitting in front of a cliff, with a pot of wine beside him.

His eyes were clear as spring water, no longer clouded like before.

Below, there was a massive canyon, with Casting Valley's situation visible at a glance.

Twelve giant bronze cauldrons floated above the canyon.

Beside the madman was one of these bronze cauldrons.

The sound of footsteps echoed, and the madman looked up at the moon, finishing the fine wine in the pot.

Numerous disciples of Casting Valley, eyes wild with fervor, carried the comatose banquet goers to an open space.

One disciple stepped forward, clasping his fists: "Valley Master, all the practitioners have been brought."

The madman nodded and tossed the wine pot aside.

The wine pot formed an arch as it fell to the bottom of the canyon with a faint sound.

From this angle, the madman saw a black-clothed figure rushing toward the mountaintop at high speed.

"Put them into the cauldron."

The disciples responded in unison and quickly placed the banquet goers into the bronze cauldron before the madman.

"Boom!"

A rumble sounded as the cauldron lid fell heavily, sealing the only exit.

"They have arrived."

A young beauty dressed in red stepped forward, her entire body exuding Evil Qi, chilling to behold.

The madman turned his head: "Only you from the Demon Hall?"

The young beauty smiled slightly: "Just one is enough; you only need Yin Fire, which is ready. When do we open the cauldron?"

The madman shook his head: "Wait for the most Yin moment of the day to refine the key step in creating the Pseudo-God."

The young beauty licked her lips: "Luring so much blood food here, Casting Valley's reputation is now ruined, but the Demon Hall will embrace you."

The madman sneered: "If not for nearing the end of life, far from Gui Cang, would I conspire with you? Hongxuan, where is your Yin Fire?"

Hongxuan raised her palm, revealing a wisp of green flame in her hand.

Upon closer inspection, the green flame's temperature was extremely low, producing cold mist upon its appearance.

When the madman saw the Yin Fire, a hint of greed appeared in his eyes: "Cold as mist, green as jade; truly exquisite."

Hongxuan glanced at the figure beneath the mountain: "I'll remind you again, they are coming."

The madman retracted his gaze, looking towards the disciples, his tone serious: "Everyone, we are about to complete a great feat in casting history, personally creating a Pseudo-God."

The remaining disciples, upon hearing this, had madness in their eyes even more intense.

The madman paused briefly, then continued: "But now someone tries to stop us. What shall we do?"

One disciple raised his right hand, shouting: "Anyone who blocks our path can be killed!"

The other disciples echoed in chorus: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Hongxuan watched this situation, a hint of fear in her eyes: "They are all madmen."

She was sent by the Demon Hall and knew very well how insane these casting-focused madmen were.

But witnessing it firsthand, she understood their hysteria.

For the creation of the Pseudo-God, they were willing to defy the world's order impulsively.

Such actions revealed their truly mad nature.

The madman waved his arm, silencing all the disciples.

"Given this, prepare the casting array!"

"Let them come with life, but leave without!"

Disciples of Casting Valley shouted in response, then, holding various weapons, stood at specified positions.

Upon closer inspection, it would be found the standing formation of these Casting Valley disciples was extremely meticulous, like stars across the sky.

Hongxuan furrowed her brow slightly, her red lips parted: "What is this array?"

The madman replied nonchalantly: "Star Array, modeled after the stars, connecting the cast items with True Qi, of immense power."

"People say Casting Valley is of casting-crazed madmen, but none know the founding Sect Leader left behind this great weapon."

"This is also to safeguard the foundation of Casting Valley."

"At the time of deployment, all things in the world can be our weapon."

After speaking, the madman picked up a piece of dry grass, which immediately glowed coldly.

When the madman threw the dry grass, the distant tree was reduced to dust.

Hongxuan slightly raised her eyebrows: "Impressive."

The madman said nothing, focusing his gaze on the end of the mountain path.

At this moment, a silhouette gradually appeared at the end of the mountain path.

Qin An wielded a black blade, surrounded by layers of killing intent.

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