The sudden gale carried a scent of blood.

At this moment, at the waist of the mountain, the wind rolled up the scent in the sky, causing all present, including Tong Daoshuai and Silver Dao Marshal, to squint instinctively.

Qin An, extracting a demon soul from a creature, sensed the gust behind him, turned to look, and instantly understood when he heard Zhu Xueshuang’s voice.

"I see, is it a trap?"

Qin An remained calm in his mind.

If anyone else faced such a situation, they would likely panic, but not Qin An.

He had fought his way up from the bottom, facing countless dangers.

He knew well that the more dangerous the place, the calmer one must be, so his mind was like a vast ocean, unperturbed by the slightest ripple.

The moment the gale blew, it did not harm him, making his clothes flap loudly.

However, the next moment, Qin An felt his body could no longer stay stable.

Within this whirling wind, he was rapidly being flown in a certain direction.

The gale was taking him elsewhere, at a speed far faster than even the Element Transformation Realm could catch up with.

The scenery around him retreated rapidly, and as Du Yun and other Bird Demons saw Qin An vanish, they flapped their wings, riding the wind, pursuing madly without regard for the Evil Extermination Bureau members, following the direction Qin An headed.

In an instant, this group of Bird Demons, occupying the sky with their speed advantage, vanished at the horizon.

Zhu Xueshuang and others stood stunned, then quickly reacted, their faces growing dark.

Both Zhu Xueshuang and the others realized they had been set up.

The enemy hadn’t intended to attack them but targeted Qin An instead.

In other words, when Qin An was blown away, and the Bird Demons pursued, Qin An was likely in extreme danger now.

Beside Zhu Xueshuang, Qian Tong frowned.

He turned back, saying, "Everyone, quickly pursue Qin An. The wind blows straight; let’s chase in this direction."

Now there’s no other way; they could only chase after him.

They only hoped Qin An could hold on, even if just for a little while.

As soon as they caught up, they could rescue Qin An and slaughter the Bird Demons on the spot.

Soon, Zhu Xueshuang led his colleagues, pursuing Qin An with all their might.

...

At this moment, Qin An was still being blown by the wind. Even with his current immense strength, he couldn’t move amidst the wind.

The wind blew for an incense stick’s time, taking him a hundred miles away.

Qin An turned back, seeing the group of Bird Demons also riding the wind, approaching quickly at a speed not less than his own.

Rubbing his chin, Qin An thought silently, "This array is indeed formidable, far exceeding my current level, but I can see some flaws. Clearly, it costs a tremendous price to achieve such an astounding speed. Who could afford such a cost to target me?"

"It can’t possibly be the Green Bird Clan or the Seven-Colored Fish Sect."

In just an instant, Qin An calmed down, even beginning to ponder who was targeting him.

In his opinion, such a costly array couldn’t be the work of the Green Bird Clan.

The Seven-Colored Fish Sect couldn’t afford it either.

Even though the Seven-Colored Fish Sect is a higher force, it’s ultimately an underwater demonic presence, and such an array requiring Bird Demons couldn’t belong to them.

"Bird Demons, I see, it must be the Phoenix Demon Clan. It seems the news of me supplying elixirs to the Dragon Palace leaked."

"Well, this is interesting. The leak must come from within the Dragon Palace."

Just in an instant, Qin An locked onto his target.

By this time, the wind finally stopped.

As soon as he landed, Qin An executed the Nine Turns Dragon Chant Shadow Cloud Step, swiftly moving in one direction.

After him were three Bird Demons of the Element Transformation Realm, along with many Void Shattering Realm Bird Demons.

Qin An wasn’t a fool; he couldn’t confront a stronger force in this situation.

Escape first, see if he could get away.

If he couldn’t, then find another way.

...

Ahead loomed a dense forest.

Without hesitation, Qin An darted into it.

"These Bird Demons have an aerial advantage; the forest can block their sight. Even if it blocks for just a moment, I can run much farther."

Thinking this, Qin An’s figure flickered through the forest, opening a wide gap.

Seeing Qin An dive into the forest, Du Yun’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Clever indeed, worthy of being the one whom even the Phoenix King must pay a great price to slay. But you underestimate the speed of our Bird Demons and the power of the wind."

With his words, the Bird Demons flapped their wings, instantly surrounding the dense forest.

If Qin An emerged from any part of the forest, he’d be exposed to their sight.

The forest fell silent.

Within it, Qin An watched the Bird Demons through the gaps, his brow slightly furrowed.

To him, this seemed like a dead end.

Just then, Du Yun spoke loudly again.

"Unleash the gale, wipe out this dense forest for me."

With his command, the Bird Demons flapped their wings once more.

The gale emerged like blades, wiping over the forest in front.

Everywhere the wind swept, trees shattered, flowers, and grasses obliterated.

In an instant, this forest turned barren.

Behind Qin An, a green-black manifestation rose, letting the gale brush over it, standing motionless on the barren ground.

He had drawn the Cold Star at his waist, with Nine-Colored Void Essence hovering above it.

As soon as he was exposed, he rushed towards the weakest spot.

Two Void Shattering Realm Bird Demons immediately blocked the way.

Before they had a chance to react, two beams of sword light flashed by.

Two heads flew high into the air, and blood splattered everywhere.

Qin An casually extracted the demon soul from their bodies and glanced back, seeing Du Yun approaching with two other Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons.

"Such excellent blade skill, such excellent blade skill, but it’s a pity such an exceptional talent has to die by my hand." Du Yun laughed arrogantly, his wings carrying the might of the wild wind as he lunged at Qin An.

The other two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons extended sharp claws, aiming to pierce Qin An’s chest.

Qin An squinted slightly, and in an instant, his form shifted as a blue-black apparition raised its arms, guarding in front of Qin An.

"Boom!"

A terrifying sound erupted, unleashing endless residual force that rolled towards the surroundings.

Those Void Shattering Realm Bird Demons were blown away by the residual force before they could even approach.

At this moment, the apparition on Qin An’s body shattered instantly, and the attacks of the three Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons fell before Qin An.

But before the attack could land, Qin An deployed his body technique to evade instantly. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Du Yun saw this but did not find it surprising at all.

He and the other two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons flashed, moving as shadows closely after Qin An.

"Your body technique is miraculous, but to us, it’s useless because we are masters of the wild winds."

Du Yun showed a smug expression.

He knew Qin An was about to die by his hand.

As long as he took Qin An’s head, he could report back to the Phoenix King, who would surely reward him greatly.

But in the next moment, Du Yun and the two Bird Demons showed looks of astonishment.

They saw Qin An’s figure flash, turning back with a mysterious smile.

The next moment, he traced a trajectory in mid-air, landing in the nearby river.

The river was deep and wide, and Qin An entered it without causing a single splash.

At the same time, Du Yun heard Qin An’s voice in his ear.

"If you dare, come down and chase me."

Soon, Qin An’s figure disappeared from the river’s surface.

Du Yun stopped, hovering in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the water.

The river was deep, but he saw Qin An on the riverbed, channeling Void Essence to shield the river flow, looking back at him with a calm and mocking smile.

"Clever little thing, you really thought of a restraining method."

Qin An was on the riverbed, still smiling, but his hand unwaveringly grasped the Cold Star Saber’s hilt.

He hadn’t escaped randomly earlier.

In the moment he was swept by the wild wind, suspended in the air, he noticed this broad river.

He was calculating the timing and the opportunity to arrive.

This time, he just narrowly fell into the riverbed.

He understood clearly that the Bird Demons like Du Yun were creatures of the sky, and if they entered the riverbed, their combat power would surely diminish.

He could take advantage of this to find a chance for survival.

"Surround him; the moment he moves at the riverbed, we’ll chase him. He’s human, not a Fish Demon, I don’t believe he can be arrogant in this riverbed for long."

The many Bird Demons heard him and stared at Qin An intensely.

But in the next moment, Qin An gathered his voice with Void Essence, which wafted through the river surface.

"If you don’t come in, you’re just wasting time. By the way, I think Lord Zhu and the others will be arriving soon."

This sentence caused Du Yun and the two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons to exchange glances, seeing the caution and gravity in each other’s eyes.

They knew clearly that Qin An was right.

Du Yun suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "You two, come into the water with me to slay Qin An!"

The Bird Demon on the left frowned at these words, "Are you crazy? If we go into the water, our combat power would be impaired. Wouldn’t that put us in danger?"

The Bird Demon on the right said the same.

Du Yun shook his head and pointed at Qin An, "He’s just at Void Shattering Realm Great Success, not yet even at Perfection. We are Element Transformation Realm; even if we enter the water, we remain Element Transformation Realm. Killing a Void Shattering Realm Great Success is a cinch. What are you afraid of?"

"Moreover, the other Void Shattering Realm Bird Demons can keep watch from above, he won’t escape. Killing him is a sure thing."

This statement made the other two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons hesitate.

Du Yun said, "You can’t hesitate any longer. If this fails and the Phoenix King is angered, how would we face that?"

This sentence carried a subtle threat.

The two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons exchanged a glance and could only grit their teeth and nod.

Du Yun turned to the other Void Shattering Realm Bird Demons and loudly announced, "All of you keep watch from the sky. The moment he surfaces, attack together to push him back under. I refuse to believe that killing a little bastard could be this troublesome."

The many Bird Demons agreed, then stared intently at the riverbed with sharp gazes.

Du Yun took a deep breath and said no more, turning to the two Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons.

The three demons exchanged glances, turned into three beams of light, and plunged into the riverbed.

In the instant they submerged, they used Evil Qi to shield the water flow, but were still affected, their movements becoming sluggish.

Also at this time, as they sank deeper, the pressure increased.

They saw Qin An, holding the long saber watching them with a mocking eye.

Du Yun’s heart suddenly felt a twinge of unease.

Before he could react, Qin An stepped forward.

"Truly foolish; the kings of the sky wanting to become a pitiful fish on the riverbed. I forgot to tell you, I’m faster in water than on land."

Qin An’s figure flashed, moving as fast in water as on land, arriving before one Element Transformation Realm Bird Demon.

"Moreover, I’m skilled in Array, able to complement with the water flow, like this?"

Suddenly, the pressure of the surrounding water increased, forming a sealing array, locking the three Element Transformation Realm Bird Demons at the bottom.

Qin An’s right hand brushed over the Cold Star, simultaneously using the Replica Jade Stone.

An illusory figure appeared behind him.

"Never slain Element Transformation Realm before; today I shall try."