“Are we standing by on-site or heading in first?”
As the last words from the transmission talisman finished, the light faded.
Xiu Jiming fell silent for a moment.
He lit a transmission talisman to send to his colleague on the other side.
“Wait on-site to prevent the demons from escaping. I will be there immediately.”
“A busy man. Leaving already?”
Gong Xuance leaned back in his chair, rocking.
Xiu Jiming sent the talisman and looked down at Gong Xuance.
“Senior Brother, please continue to stay here until I return. Although I don’t know why Yujing wants to escort you back, since it’s the Emperor’s decree, I have no choice but to ask you to behave yourself and stay put.”
Gong Xuance replied with total indifference, “Sure. I don’t have anywhere else to go anyway. This place is pretty nice. Staying here for a few days sounds good.”
Seeing him so cooperative, Xiu Jiming nodded.
He placed a few symbolic restriction spells on Gong Xuance and then soared into the sky.
Moving instantly while at the Tribulation stage consumed too much mana.
While Xiu Jiming could afford it, considering the upcoming battle, he saved where he could.
Once Xiu Jiming left, Gong Xuance smiled and stretched lazily.
The restrictions placed on him burst one by one.
An aura as vast as the sea spread from within his body.
Gong Xuance’s cultivation rose steadily, stopping only after every restriction had been completely broken.
At this moment, the aura he radiated far surpassed that of Xiu Jiming.
Then, he reached out and pulled an iron nail the thickness of a finger from his neck.
The wound healed instantly. Gong Xuance whistled and tossed the nail aside.
“Silly Junior Brother, why go through the extra trouble?” he said with a smile.
“I always keep my word.”
By now, his aura had climbed to an unimaginable level.
“Who are you?”
At the door, a girl’s crisp, sweet voice rang out.
Gong Xuance turned his head and saw a white-haired fox girl looking at him with a wary expression.
Her ears were flattened, making her look like a little fox ready to hiss.
Seeing this, Gong Xuance gave a gentle smile.
This must be the girl his junior brother had gone to find.
He waved his hand and said, “Don’t be nervous, little girl. I’m Xiu Jiming’s senior brother.”
Lin Ling sized him up suspiciously.
She felt that this guy was completely different from Xiu Jiming.
Staring at the leisurely Gong Xuance, Lin Ling shrugged.
Since Xiu Jiming had told her the Exorcism Bureau was absolutely safe, she believed him.
Besides, if it was something Xiu Jiming couldn’t solve, it would be even more useless to rely on her.
Lin Ling hummed a song, preparing to go to the library to record some ideas that had popped into her head.
Seeing how calm she was, Gong Xuance simply sipped his tea while admiring the girl’s youthful, energetic movements.
As she reached the door, Gong Xuance put down the teapot.
In a flash, he appeared beside Lin Ling and pinned her into a corner.
He said with a grin, “Little Ling, aren’t you being a bit too unguarded?”
‘Nerve.’
Lin Ling rolled her eyes.
‘Damn it, why does this person know my name, and why does everyone call me that?’
Feeling offended, Lin Ling didn’t hesitate.
She suddenly raised her leg and delivered a fierce kick to Gong Xuance’s crotch.
His face instantly turned purple, and he collapsed onto the floor, groaning.
She walked into the library with an indifferent expression and shut the door, ignoring Gong Xuance’s wails.
It took a long while for Gong Xuance to get up. He was still clutching his crotch, clicking his tongue.
“That was harsh.”
“But… it really is a restriction. And such a severe one at that. What exactly has this little girl been through?”
Gong Xuance slowly limped back to his chair, thinking about the restriction he had sensed on Lin Ling earlier.
After a short while, Bai Yunyun and the others brought the wounded members from various branches back to the Exorcism Bureau.
Suddenly, the courtyard was filled with people lying all over the ground.
Seeing this, Gong Xuance said helplessly, “Can’t you people find another place?”
“Who are you?”
Bai Yunyun was stunned.
She was confused, thinking only Lin Ling was supposed to be in the Bureau.
Moreover, she hadn’t sensed anyone in the courtyard when she carried the wounded in.
“I’m Xiu Jiming’s senior brother,” Gong Xuance explained.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yunyun didn’t bother with him.
Her thoughts were the same as Lin Ling’s — she fully trusted that Xiu Jiming’s strength could handle anything.
If he said the Bureau was safe, it was absolutely safe.
A moment later, the awakened Zhao Yuyu entered, supported by Gu Xiao.
As soon as they walked in, they saw Gong Xuance sitting casually in Xiu Jiming’s seat.
The two looked at Bai Yunyun in confusion.
“Yunyun, who is he?”
Bai Yunyun replied indifferently, “Oh, just a freeloader. Ignore him.”
“Oh, I see.”
The two nodded carelessly and went to rest.
Hearing this, Gong Xuance stumbled, nearly falling off his chair.
How were Xiu Jiming’s subordinates all such oddballs?
***
Just then, everyone felt their hearts tremble.
In the distant outskirts, a long silver sword rose from the ground, its power piercing the sky and shaking the entire region.
Gong Xuance narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“He’s actually using his Dharma Idol? Does a demon of that level truly exist?”
Lin Ling walked out of the library and looked toward the horizon.
She saw a giant sword hacking down toward a certain location.
As the sword fell, it released a staggering light.
A long time passed before the people in the Bureau heard a thunderous boom.
A massive shockwave of energy rushed toward Moon Mountain County.
Gong Xuance frowned slightly.
In a corner where no one was looking, he raised his left hand and gave a light squeeze.
An invisible pulse rippled out from the Bureau, neutralizing a portion of the shockwave.
Inside the Bureau, the talisman array Xiu Jiming had left behind was about to activate, but because Gong Xuance blocked the force hitting the county, the array settled back down.
Gong Xuance smiled as he sipped his tea.
“No need to thank me, Junior Brother. The tea is good — just treat me to more in the future.”
Shortly after, Xiu Jiming descended from the sky followed by several cultivators.
Lin Ling hurried forward.
She saw Xiu Jiming’s face covered in blood, though his expression remained as calm as still water.
In his hand, he held a pale head that was still dripping blood.
Seeing Lin Ling running over, Xiu Jiming used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his face.
He tossed the head to another cultivator.
“Sorry for the trouble. Remember to burn it. Keep the bones for the records; I still have to report this to the Imperial Court.”
A cultivator of the True Self Realm took the head.
He was also covered in blood and filth; it was clear this group had just survived a desperate battle.
Just as Lin Ling was about to get close to Xiu Jiming, he took a step back and said with a smile, “I’m dirty.”
Lin Ling had no choice but to stand one meter away.
She pointed toward Gong Xuance, who was leisurely drinking tea.
Xiu Jiming looked up and saw that the restrictions he had placed on Gong Xuance had all been broken.
He frowned slightly.