The secret passage was as quiet as water, and a pin drop could be heard.

When the clear footsteps sounded, they were extremely distinct in the passage.

Qin An raised his black knife, pointing towards the source of the sound, his gaze calm as water: "Who."

Footsteps here either meant someone from the Evil Extermination Bureau or an enemy.

A figure appeared before Qin An, dressed in dark clothes, a silver badge hanging at his waist, with a few traces of eagerness on his face.

"To meet a colleague here is truly fortunate."

The Silver Commander walked over quickly with a smile on his face.

A barely noticeable glint of coldness appeared in Qin An's eyes, but he didn't show it, and said coolly: "Are you alone?"

If it were any other Silver Commander, Qin An might have chatted more, but this one wasn't anyone else—it was the Thousand-faced Monkey he had recently encountered in the Confidential Library.

The Thousand-faced Monkey feigned helplessness: "I don't know where they are either. After the scenery changed, I was alone."

The helplessness on his face was genuine.

He never expected to encounter Qin An here.

Initially, after encountering Qin An, he thought his opportunity had come.

If he could kill Qin An here single-handedly, he would surely receive a reward from Monkey Lie upon returning.

But just as he was about to make a move, he saw Qin An effortlessly slay two Pseudo-Gods.

Those were Pseudo-Gods of the Jade Bone Realm, not just any trash found on the street.

Though he was dubbed Thousand-faced, he ultimately wasn't a combat type.

Even with the combined efforts of the Treeman and the Bronze Tiger Beast, they couldn't do anything to Qin An, so how could he manage to kill Qin An?

In an instant, the Thousand-faced Monkey decided that he must not reveal any flaws before Qin An.

Thankfully, he had great confidence in his Thousand-Faced Skill; as long as he didn't make a move, he wouldn't be exposed.

Qin An stroked his chin, and said, "Since that is the case, shall we travel together?"

He didn't immediately cut down the Thousand-faced Monkey, just like Yang Quanfeng said—the Thousand-faced Monkey was merely bait, not to be feared by himself. It was the demonic forces behind him that mattered.

Given that, keeping him close might reveal the movements of the demonic forces.

Whether it was the Fox Mother, the Monkey Demon, or the Tree Lord, they were all Qin An's great enemies.

If he could take the opportunity to eliminate them, Qin An would be much safer in Lingzhou.

A barely noticeable sense of relief appeared in the Thousand-faced Monkey's eyes, knowing he had deceived Qin An, he quickly replied: "Of course, traveling together will certainly be safer."

Qin An said no more, turning and heading deeper into the passage.

If he talked any longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from slaughtering the Thousand-faced Monkey and taking his blood essence.

The Thousand-faced Monkey saw that Qin An didn't waste words, and he couldn't be happier, hurriedly following behind Qin An, stepping into the deeper part of the passage.

Before long, the two disappeared at the end.

...

In a dark and secluded place.

Blood traced the corner of the Fox Mother's mouth, her face full of wrinkles showing a trace of indifference.

Not far ahead, a silver-glowing Tiger Beast exuded an overwhelming might, its power surpassing the Jade Bone Realm.

Behind, Monkey Lie wiped blood from his claws, baring his fangs.

"You said there wouldn't be any danger, yet we've encountered three terrifying Pseudo-Gods!"

Before coming, the Fox Mother had said that all dangers inside the Tiger Race's hidden treasure had been cleared.

But shortly after entering, they encountered several Bronze Tiger Beasts.

If they were Jade Bone Realm Bronze Tiger Beasts, it would be fine, as they could easily slaughter them with their strength.

But before long, a Silver Tiger Beast appeared, stronger than those of the Jade Bone Realm.

The Silver Tiger Beast's ambush had nearly cost Monkey Lie his life, hence his fury.

The Fox Mother scolded: "Shut up, fool!"

Monkey Lie paused, then became furious: "How dare you insult me!"

As the Monkey Clan leader, he had never suffered such indignation and was about to confront the Fox Mother.

The Fox Mother reached out with her withered hand, grabbing Monkey Lie by the collar, and said through gritted teeth: "It's a trap!"

Monkey Lie stood there, eyebrows furrowed.

The Fox Mother released her grip: "Once inside, we were separated; you and I ended up together, yet we haven't seen the Tree Lord."

"The Tiger Race had told me everything, there's no way they could have deceived me. Now the treasure is ever-changing, there's only one possibility."

Monkey Lie thought carefully, his voice like ice: "The Demon Hall!"

Holding the clan leader's position wasn't for fools, and with some analysis, he understood the Demon Hall was involved.

If the Tiger Race's treasures were already under the Demon Hall's control, and they let others in and wanted them dead inside, the consequences were self-evident.

The Fox Mother sneered: "Apart from the Demon Hall, there are still seven Pseudo-God forces in Lingzhou. Now, with the Tree Lord already joining the Demon Hall, if you and I die here, only three forces remain."

"At that time, the Demon Hall will face far fewer obstructions in taking them down."

Fury surged in Monkey Lie's eyes: "Kill that cursed old tree!"

The Fox Mother's face was grim, and her hands clenched slightly.

She thought she had everything under control, even planning to play the Monkey Clan against the Tree Lord for greater benefit.

But now it seemed she had miscalculated.

All were top forces in Lingzhou; why should they be willing to be manipulated?

The Fox Mother coldly said: "Let's join hands, break through the path, and if we find the Tree Lord, we kill him first!"

At this point, there was nothing more to say.

The Fox Mother and Monkey Lie exchanged a glance before heading deeper in.

Before leaving, Monkey Lie contacted the Thousand-faced Monkey, wanting to gather information on the Evil Extermination Bureau's movements.

...

"There are fewer Pseudo-Gods."

Qin An killed a Bronze Tiger Beast with one strike, absorbed the Pseudo-God's essence, and frowned.

This was the fourth essence, plus the one blood essence he already possessed, now totaling five stored within him.

Though he could store a maximum of eight, Qin An could save the surplus for later use.

But he hadn't expected the Pseudo-Gods to suddenly decrease in number.

The Thousand-faced Monkey wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, looking at Qin An with a trace of reverence: "Pseudo-Gods aren't easily produced, requiring perfect conditions."

"And with so many Silver Commanders entering the treasure, many might have already slain them."

He felt fortunate not to have foolishly attacked Qin An, for if he had, he might already be a corpse.

Qin An nodded, reached out to stroke his black knife, wiping away the bronze tarnish on it.

He was ready to delve deeper.

Having come all this way, how could he not seize more good stuff?

But just then, a tremor came from the Thousand-Faced Monkey's body.

Upon feeling the tremor, the Thousand-Faced Monkey was slightly startled.

He knew very well what the vibration came from; it was the thing Hou Lie used to contact him.

But wasn't it agreed that only he would contact Hou Lie on a single line?

Why contact him at such a time?

With a killing demon by his side, how could he dare make any move?

The Thousand-Faced Monkey swallowed hard: "It's nothing."

Qin An raised an eyebrow, walking slowly to the Thousand-Faced Monkey, his eyes cold as ice: "Hand it over."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey looked embarrassed as he said, "We're colleagues, why make it this hard, everyone has some secrets."

Qin An placed a black knife to the Thousand-Faced Monkey's neck: "Hand it over."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey only felt a chill around his neck.

He sensed the evil qi emanating from Qin An, knowing Qin An wasn't bluffing, and that the knife would truly fall.

If it fell, his head would be severed from his neck.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey gritted his teeth, taking out a jade stone from his bosom: "This is a treasured item from my home, it can foresee danger, and the tremor just now was probably warning us of danger."

He fabricated a reason on the spot.

Without his special technique, this jade stone would absolutely make no sound.

Using this reason to deceive Qin An seemed feasible to the Thousand-Faced Monkey.

But before he could say a second sentence, Qin An suddenly spoke.

"This must be what you use to contact others, right?"

He had read quite a few miscellaneous books, where similar records were mentioned.

Combining this with the Thousand-Faced Monkey's identity, Qin An thought of this possibility.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey was slightly stunned, clutching the jade stone: "What exactly are you talking about? I don't understand."

With a flash of the knife, a cold glint appeared.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey only felt a chilling sensation in his right arm, instinctively looking toward his arm.

His right hand was already severed, lying on the ground bleeding profusely.

Pain quickly followed, and the Thousand-Faced Monkey clutched his wound, reaching out to grab the fallen jade stone.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey knew in his heart that he had been exposed.

Though he didn't know why he had been exposed, the most important thing now was to get the jade stone and inform Hou Lie of Qin An's situation.

A hand intercepted the Thousand-Faced Monkey, picking up the jade stone.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey struggled and said, "Give it back to me!"

Another flash of the knife, and the Thousand-Faced Monkey's legs were chopped off entirely by Qin An, causing him to fall to the ground and roll over repeatedly.

Qin An squinted, playing with the jade stone in his hand: "How do you use it?"

Upon seeing the jade stone, he suddenly had an idea.

If he could use the jade stone to know the other party's moves in reverse, wouldn't he be able to turn the tables and catch them unawares?

The Thousand-Faced Monkey coldly said, "Don't even think about finding out, if you have the guts, chop off my head!"

Another flash of the knife followed.

Then, the Thousand-Faced Monkey's head flew high, rolling a few times on the ground with a trace of incredulity.

He couldn't fathom why Qin An was so decisive.

The corpse on the ground gradually cooled, and suddenly a light flashed across.

In the next moment, the grain-sized Thousand-Faced Monkey quietly left the body, running toward a certain location.

This was his plan, and the only way to survive.

He was residing inside another body, and as long as the main body wasn't injured, he was practically immortal.

As long as Qin An thought he was dead, he would have the opportunity to escape.

But the sound of the wind arose, and when the Thousand-Faced Monkey turned to look, he saw the black knife was less than an inch away from him.

A cold sweat dripped from the Thousand-Faced Monkey's forehead, and as he looked at Qin An Nan's calm and serene face, a sense of fear inexplicably rose in his heart.

Qin An's voice was like a demonic sound piercing his ears.

"Move again, and you really will die."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey, no matter how many faces he had, was thoroughly comprehended by the Evil Extermination Bureau, and Qin An naturally knew it well.

Since he knew, he certainly wouldn't let him escape.

The Thousand-Faced Monkey swallowed hard, no longer the former defiance, pleading, "Spare my life, I was wrong."

Qin An smiled slightly, raising the jade stone in his hand: "That will depend on your cooperation."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey naturally understood Qin An's intention and trembled, saying, "Will you really let me go?"

Qin An said calmly, "Not only will I let you go, but the Evil Extermination Bureau will also benefit you."

"If you betray the Monkey Race, you'll have no way out. Your Thousand-Faced Skill, on the contrary, can be utilized by the Evil Extermination Bureau."

"The Evil Extermination Bureau likes creatures without a way out because they are very handy to use."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey fell into deep thought, yet the cold sweat on his forehead did not pause even slightly.

After a long time, the Thousand-Faced Monkey seemed to resign to his fate and nodded, "I will communicate with the jade stone, how do you need me to do it?"

He knew the truth in Qin An's words and understood that if he wanted to survive, he had no other way, only this method could keep him alive.

Just like Qin An said, the Evil Extermination Bureau likes creatures without a way out.

Of course, he could very well put on a brave face, adopt a fearless attitude.

But he was not a brave person.

In these days, it's better to live a shameful life than die a glorious death.

Living is more important than anything.

Following the Evil Extermination Bureau was indeed a good plan.

Qin An handed over the jade stone, saying lightly, "Find out their whereabouts, be smart."

The Thousand-Faced Monkey quickly nodded, not daring to have any disobedience, promptly utilizing a secret technique to communicate within the jade stone.

Before long, the vibrating sound of the jade stone gradually ceased.

Hou Lie's voice came from within the jade stone, sounding very anxious.

"Is there any danger? Where is the main force of the Evil Extermination Bureau now?"

After the words paused slightly, the voice of the Fox Mother followed closely.

"Where is that little bastard Qin An now?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.