Bamboo Sea Forest, located south of Lingzhou, is a hundred miles away.

The hills of green bamboo sway with the wind, reflecting a glimmering golden light amid the surging emerald waves, like a moving tapestry.

At this moment, this serene bamboo sea is filled with patrol officers from the Evil Extermination Bureau, their murderous aura dispersing the usual tranquility.

Qin An arrived on horseback, raising his eyes with slightly arched brows.

Thousands of bronze patrol officers stood in formation like a forest, all elite at Jade Bone Realm Perfection; hundreds of silver patrol officers stood among them, all prominent figures in the Gui Cang Realm.

As for the gold patrol officers...

"There are actually six of them." Qin An squinted his eyes, pondering silently.

Six gold-armored commanders stood like javelins among the crowd, with solemn expressions and unwavering seriousness.

Among them was the more familiar Li.

"No wonder it's the big task that triggered the token warning." Qin An mused to himself, "To mobilize such a lineup is a rare spectacle indeed."

The ability of these solitary evil-exterminating patrol officers to gather so many shows the importance of this task.

Many patrol officers looked at Qin An with electric gazes, especially the silver patrol officers, whose eyes flashed with unusual brilliance.

The reputation of being exceptional with both fist and saber had long resonated throughout Lingzhou; today, seeing him in person, many silver patrol officers were already secretly comparing themselves.

Qin An ignored the looks from the surrounding people, noticing an acquaintance approaching.

Dongfang Mo, with a long sword hanging at his waist, gracefully strode over the bamboo leaves, and saluted, "Mr. Qin, long time no see."

Qin An looked around and found Dongfang Mo to be the only familiar one among the silver patrol officers.

As for Huang Yue and others he had met in previous missions, they did not come for this task.

"How is the situation?" Qin An asked straightforwardly.

Dongfang Mo arrived earlier, just in time to inquire about the situation.

As for Li, it seemed he was in a confrontation with the other five gold patrol officers again.

Pulse Condensation Realm is extremely rare in Lingzhou; the experts who could be promoted to gold patrol officers are those who have walked through life and death and hence do not submit to each other.

Dongfang Mo pointed to the depths of the bamboo forest: "The Profound Celestial Array Gate is ready, and it will be activated approximately after half a stick of incense."

Qin An looked at the indicated location.

Not far away, in the center of Bamboo Sea Forest.

At this moment, over a hundred disciples of the Profound Celestial Array Gate, under the guidance of Gao Lingyu and two elders, were busy shuttling back and forth carrying precious materials.

"Array setting?"

Qin An roughly glanced at it and saw through the key points in one look.

This is a method of breaking the array with another, requiring high proficiency in array formations to perform.

The advantage is that it avoids mistakes in breaking the array; once the array is set, it only requires stability maintenance.

However, the downside is not only the preciousness of the materials required for setting up the array but also the necessity to avoid disturbances during the array-breaking process.

"No wonder the patrol officers were called to guard." Qin An turned and said, "Mr. Dongfang, how about teaming up?"

Since meeting a familiar person, it's natural to team up.

The task is simple: to firmly guard the surroundings during the array-breaking process.

Of course, what is simple is the procedure. What kind of monsters and demons might appear remains unknown to anyone.

Dongfang Mo's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing this: "I couldn't ask for more!"

Among the silver patrol officers, Dongfang Mo is considered a top prodigy, with a foundation built on five Yang Elixir, naturally of great depth.

Had it not been for Qin An's overwhelming brilliance, Dongfang Mo would naturally be the focus of these silver patrol officers.

Given Dongfang Mo's proud nature, it's challenging for him to team up with others.

Only Qin An is an exception.

After two tasks, this proud prodigy sincerely admired Qin An.

Teaming up with Qin An, Dongfang Mo even considered it his good fortune.

Qin An nodded slightly: "Then let's wait and see."

This task is straightforward and direct, so there won't be any scheming; just patiently wait for the disciples of the Profound Celestial Array Gate to set the array.

Dongfang Mo acknowledged this, gripping his long sword and standing next to Qin An, though a few doubts arose in his mind.

He felt that the aura around Qin An seemed to have strengthened again, but without Qin An activating a cultivation technique, it's hard to pinpoint where exactly the strength lies.

"Maybe I'm overthinking; it's impossible for him to reach the Pulse Condensation Realm..."

After contemplating for a while, Dongfang Mo stopped thinking, focusing his mind on waiting.

...

Time passed.

The disciples of Profound Celestial Array Gate worked busily like ants, tirelessly carrying precious array materials, moving throughout Bamboo Sea Forest.

Half a stick of incense time gradually passed.

The busy disciples stopped to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, looking towards Gao Lingyu at the center of the crowd.

Gao Lingyu, dressed in green, with slight ripples in her garment under the breeze, gently moved like a lotus.

Numerous patrol officers shifted their gaze collectively towards Gao Lingyu.

Gao Lingyu took a deep breath and said loudly, "Everyone, after half a stick of incense, I will activate the array. Breaking the array requires one hour; I entrust this hour to all of you."

The many patrol officers remained silent, nodding slightly.

Everyone in this line of work knows full well the dangers that this hour may bring.

Six gold patrol officers retracted their aura, no longer opposing each other.

Li stepped forward and said loudly, "Everyone, divide into six positions and guard the various locations of Bamboo Sea Forest closely."

The array-breaking is crucial, concerning the matter of the Demon Transformation Pool. Even Li and the six gold patrol officers know that this mission certainly carries great risks.

As soon as the words fell, the many patrol officers scattered automatically, standing behind the six gold patrol officers.

Qin An and Dongfang Mo stood in Li's team, followed by many silver and bronze patrol officers.

Once the teams dispersed, they started heading in different directions...

Bamboo Sea Forest is vast, vast to the point where the eye cannot see its end.

Precisely due to the enormous area, even with many patrol officers here, it still seemed sparse.

Fortunately, everyone is a cultivator; this sparse distance can be covered in an instant.

After dispersing, the positioning was quite strategic.

The gold patrol officers guarded the widest paths, while the rest of the patrol officers spread out along various pathways.

Qin An and Dongfang Mo stood together defending a rugged path.

Looking at the dense bamboo forest around, and the faintly visible colleagues within it, Dongfang Mo seemed to have something to say, but stopped mid-thought.

Qin An noticed Dongfang Mo's expression and frowned, "Mr. Dongfang, do you have something to say?"

Dongfang Mo snapped out of his reverie and cautiously said, "Mr. Qin, although it's a bit presumptuous, I still want to ask, what level are you at now?"

The more he stayed beside Qin An, the more he felt something was off.

Not to mention, the aura around Qin An felt like an ocean, completely different from when they last met.

Inquiring about someone's cultivation is extremely impolite, and Dongfang Mo initially didn't want to ask, but Qin An brought it up, so he asked casually.

Qin An gently stroked the Cold Star Saber's hilt, his tone as calm as discussing the day's weather, "Pulse Condensation Realm."

Upon hearing this, the scene fell into silence.

Though it was just Dongfang Mo and Qin An, Dongfang Mo felt a chill down his back, as if a cold wind swept over his spine.

"This..." Dongfang Mo's throat moved, "Exactly how did you cultivate?"

Qin An pondered, "Just diligent practice."

He truly had been working hard recently.

Not mentioning anything else, even the day-to-day mundane life felt tediously dull.

Dongfang Mo said bitterly, "I've also been quite diligent, but compared to Mr. Qin, I feel like a frog at the bottom of a well."

His suspicions were confirmed, yet he suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Not much time had passed since their last meeting, yet Qin An had already reached Pulse Condensation, while he was still remaining at Great Success of Gui Cang Realm.

Dongfang Mo prided himself on being a genius, but compared to Qin An, the word genius seemed watered down.

Qin An patted Dongfang Mo's shoulder and said, "There are so many geniuses in the world, comparing with others only brings trouble."

Dongfang Mo helplessly said, "Mr. Qin, if you were in my shoes, you'd certainly find it hard to step out."

"No," Qin An shook his head.

Dongfang Mo curiously asked, "Mr. Qin can overcome it?"

Qin An solemnly said, "I only make others uncomfortable; no one can make me uncomfortable."

Dongfang Mo: "..."

He suddenly felt that he had seen another side of Qin An, a rather troublesome side.

If not for the fact that he couldn't defeat Qin An, he would surely challenge him in the arena.

"Mr. Qin truly is..." Dongfang Mo couldn't find words, after a long pause, "...remarkably unique!"

Qin An smiled slightly, continuing to rub the Cold Star Saber's hilt without speaking.

However, with Qin An's words, Dongfang Mo's bitter feeling really diminished.

The two continued their vigil until about half an incense stick of time had passed.

Gao Lingyu walked to the center of the array formation, sat cross-legged, hands placed over her knees, and closed her eyes.

The power of the array rippled out like waves, bringing a hush over the bamboo sea.

Though her strength was not strong, in the art of arrays, she was a master of Xunyang Prefecture.

At this moment, using an array to break another, if undisturbed, success was certain.

The ground subtly shook, emanating from the bamboo forest to the distance.

All the patrol guards instantly tensed up, and the sound of weapons unsheathing echoed.

Such work involved licking blood off a knife edge, naturally, they couldn't afford any slip-ups at critical times.

Any minute negligence would cost lives, no one wished to die due to oversight.

After the ground stopped shaking, it returned to calm, but the powerful array power enveloped the surroundings, adding pressure to the bamboo forest.

Qin An had already drawn the Cold Star, waiting quietly with the saber ready.

Dongfang Mo stood beside Qin An, focused intently on the forward.

Time passed, after a few breaths.

Sounds of metal clashing came from all directions, evil qi soared into the sky!

Qin An glanced around, through the dense bamboo forest, he saw many colleagues had already engaged in battle with demon beasts.

Even where the six patrol gold guards stood, powerful auras spread forth.

"The battle has begun." Qin An turned his sight forward, "It's here."

A gentle breeze brushed through, the sound of rushing footsteps approached.

Several figures emerged amidst the bamboo woodland ahead.

Three demon beasts, varied in shape, broke through the bamboo, their ferocious fangs gleaming.

The two sides clashed immediately, without any irrelevant words.

Dongfang Mo raised his long sword, his Life-taking Sword Skill swift as the wind, directly targeting one of the Gui Cang Realm beasts, quickly engaging in a fierce fight with it.

He was a Foundation Establishment genius with five Yang Elixirs, though overshadowed by Qin An, dealing with such ordinary Gui Cang beasts posed no pressure.

After merely a dozen moves, he pierced through the beast's throat.

Dongfang Mo took the demon beast's demon essence out, puzzled why the other two beasts hadn't moved, and turned back only to fall silent.

He saw two Gui Cang Realm beasts laying on the ground, lifeless.

Qin An was leisurely wiping off the Cold Star's blood on one beast's fur, while absorbing two demon essences into his body.

Dongfang Mo felt quite helpless.

Thinking he was already fast enough, he hadn't expected Qin An to be even faster.

These two beasts probably didn't even last a full face-off.

With two beasts eliminated, the rugged path returned to quiet.

Aside from their side, other locations were equally calm.

This proved the other patrol guards had also handled their battles, even the patrol gold guards' side was the same.

Qin An frowned, "Something's off."

Dongfang Mo was slightly confused, asking, "Why is something off?"

Qin An raised his gaze sweeping around, "For matters of such magnitude, the Demon Hall wouldn't make it so simple, before the storm strikes, the sun shines bright."

Dongfang Mo, upon hearing this, seriously said, "If that's the case, the calmer it is, the more dangerous it gets."

He wasn't a fool; in fact, every Evil Extermination Bureau patrol guard was wise.

There are many who share this idea, including the six patrol gold guards who think alike.

But now, with the enemy hidden and themselves exposed, they could only continue guarding, ensuring no mistakes happen.

…

While everyone felt puzzled, on a towering hill away from the bamboo forest.

Elder Bird's eyes emitted golden light, then gradually dimmed, "The location of the six gold guards is locked, Elder Dog, it's time for the treasure granted by the Hall Master to make its appearance..."

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