On a dark path, a man and a ghost made their way toward the depths of the forest. It was Ning Caichen and the ghost named Xiaoqing.
The others remained invisible, following closely behind.
Yang Tao spoke.
"Let's find Xiaoqian first, then deal with the tree demon grandmother!"
Before long, Xiaoqing led them to a small house.
She knocked on the door.
"Xiaoqian, are you there?"
A voice came from inside.
"Xiaoqing? Why are you back already? Isn't it your turn tonight to find a living person? Why are you looking for me so late?"
A moment later, the door opened, revealing Nie Xiaoqian.
As soon as she stepped out, she spotted Ning Caichen standing nearby.
"Xiaoqing, why did you bring a living person here?"
Xiaoqing looked wronged.
"He came here just to see you!"
Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian locked eyes, and before they knew it, they were getting closer and closer.
Then, as if no one else was around, they hugged each other.
Xiao Qing stood there, stunned. "That fast?"
She said, "Why don't you two go inside? Doing this at the door isn't great!"
As if suddenly waking up, the two quickly separated.
Nie Xiaoqian kept staring at Ning Caichen. "What's your name?"
"I am Ning Caichen. I came here to save you from the control of the Tree Demon Granny!"
Hearing that name, Xiaoqian's face changed, and she suddenly panicked. "You have to leave now! This place is too dangerous! The Tree Demon Granny could show up at any time!" She tried to push Ning Caichen away.
But Ning Caichen grabbed her hands tightly and said with deep emotion, "I've been preparing for this for so long. No matter what, I'm going to free you this time!"
A strange voice, neither male nor female, echoed from afar. "Xiaoqian, Xiao Qing, you two are the ones I favor the most, yet you betray me?"
Xiaoqian's face went pale with fear. The Tree Demon Granny was here.
"I'll hold off the demon! You two run!"
A bearded man, Yan Chixia, suddenly jumped out. He had been nearby the whole time, which was why he hadn't noticed Yang Tao's group.
"It's you again! Always ruining my plans! This time, you won't escape!"
"I told you before, as long as you hurt good people, I will stop you!"
Yan Chixia and the Tree Demon Granny, old enemies, immediately started fighting, too caught up to care about Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian.
Xiaoqian looked at Ning Caichen anxiously. "Go while Granny is distracted! You won't get another chance!"
Xiao Qing, however, just stood there like nothing was happening.
She knew better than to pick sides. But those people from before gave her an even stronger sense of danger than Granny did, so she wasn't worried at all.
No matter what their goal was, Granny was definitely losing this time.
Yan Chixia and the Tree Demon Granny were locked in an intense battle. Though Yan Chixia was weaker, his Taoist magic was highly effective against the Tree Demon Granny, making the fight a stalemate.
Seeing Ning Caichen still standing there, Yan Chixia shouted, "Why are you still here?! If you don't leave now, you'll die!"
The Tree Demon Granny laughed. "Hahaha! You're almost out of strength, aren't you? Xiaoqian, Xiao Qing, if you hand over the human, I'll let this go. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Yan Chixia was weaker than the Tree Demon Granny. As a demon, her body was far stronger than his. He knew he wouldn't last much longer and was already planning his escape.
He had always survived by running when needed, and the Tree Demon Granny never really tried to stop him because she knew she couldn't.
"Xiaoqian, wait for me!" Ning Caichen said before pulling out a peachwood sword and jumping into the fight. He threw talismans everywhere, and with Yan Chixia's help, they quickly gained the upper hand.
Xiaoqian was stunned. She hadn't sensed any magic power in Ning Caichen at all—how was he this strong?
In truth, Ning Caichen's cultivation level wasn't high. He was even weaker than Yan Chixia, let alone the Tree Demon Granny.
But the spiritual power in his body was purer than theirs, and with Ren Fa's massive supply of talismans, along with Yan Chixia, who was nearly as strong as Granny, she was quickly getting overwhelmed.
"You brat! I misjudged you today! I'll be back for revenge!"
With that, the Tree Demon Granny turned to flee.
Yan Chixia yelled after her, "Old hag! Weren't you just saying you'd kill me today? Why are you running now? Come back!"
But at that moment, the sky suddenly changed.
Dark clouds rolled in, and the wind howled.
A huge crack appeared in the sky, and waves of eerie, ghostly energy poured out.
A deep voice echoed from within.
"Tree Demon, how is the tribute coming along?"
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