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Gavin told Lauren everything they knew so far.

After hearing the whole story, Lauren could not help but gasp. “So you’re saying Landon colluded with the demons in order to free the Demon Emperor imprisoned beneath Maplefall?”

“Exactly.”

“But why would he do something like that? Humans and demons are fundamentally different. Would the demons really accept a human like him?”

“Why wouldn’t they? You already know the method.” Gavin glanced around.

Lauren immediately realized what he meant. The Ye family’s steward, along with those bizarre black-robed figures. And the secret art capable of transforming humans into demons. After tonight, perhaps the entire Ye family would no longer be human.

“With the tremendous achievement of rescuing the Demon Emperor, the Ye family’s standing among the demons could never be low. As for Landon, the Saint Realm would no longer be the end of his journey, but merely the beginning.” A sharp gleam flashed across Gavin’s eyes as he spoke.

“So he’s willing to sacrifice everyone in the entire city for that? How utterly heartless.” Lauren swept her gaze across the devastated surroundings and gritted her teeth. Once the Demon Emperor emerged, all of Maplefall would inevitably become her first feast. “So we have to stop him.”

Gavin tossed several strange stones to Lauren. “These Stabilizing Stones are yours. I’ll explain in detail where each one needs to be placed.”

“No. You should place the Stabilizing Stones yourself.” Lauren shook her head and tossed the Stabilizing Stones back.

Gavin froze. “Why? If you help, we’ll be able to place them much faster.”

“The Gongsun family has experts everywhere. One more person like me won’t make much of a difference.” Lauren remained resolute in her refusal.

“You intend to…” Gavin frowned, seemingly having guessed what she was planning.

“That’s right. I’m going after Landon and stop him,” Lauren said. “If everything started because of him, then defeating him is the best way to stop all of this. Landon also knows about the Stabilizing Stones, so he’ll definitely try to stop you. We can’t put all our hopes into a single plan.”

“No. That’s far too dangerous. The Ye family’s strongest experts are all stationed there, and we still don’t know what other trump cards he has. If you head there recklessly…”

“Under normal circumstances, I would never take such a risk. But now…” Lauren lowered her head and glanced at the embarrassingly revealing outfit she was wearing. She could feel the immense power contained within it. With that power, she believed she would not lose to anyone. So she had to give it a try, even if the chances of survival were slim.

“…Very well. Since you’ve made up your mind.” Gavin let out a sigh and did not try to stop her any longer.

“There’s one more thing. I hope, Mr. Gongsun, that you’ll take my subordinates with you. As members of the Inspection Bureau, they’re familiar with every street and alley in Maplefall. They should be able to help.” Lauren suddenly added.

“Chief Inspector Luo, you…” Her subordinates stared at her in astonishment, unable to understand why she was leaving them behind.

“I’m not abandoning you. It’s just that there’s a task better suited to your abilities.” Lauren looked at them and calmly explained. The real reason, however, was that she did not want to watch them throw their lives away.

She had already realized it earlier. The bailiffs of the Inspection Bureau might excel at dealing with ordinary criminals, but against those half-human, half-demon black-robed figures, they simply had no means of fighting back.

It wasn’t because they were weak. It was simply an enemy far beyond the scope of what they were trained to handle. Helping Gavin was the role best suited for them.

Her subordinates still wanted to insist, but after meeting Lauren’s unwavering gaze, they could only lower their heads and accept her decision.

“I’ll treat them as members of the Gongsun family,” Gavin said with a solemn nod.

“Thank you.” Lauren gave him a sincere bow. “I’m leaving now.”

“May you return safely.”

“And may all of you stay safe as well.” With that, Lauren turned without another glance and walked toward the most dangerous place of all.

Only after her figure had completely vanished did Gavin withdraw his gaze. “What an obstinate girl.”

***

“That idiot!” Landon glared furiously at the two Saint Realm experts clashing high above. With a violent sweep of his hand, he smashed the teacup he was holding into pieces.

“Weren’t you only supposed to delay him? Yet a few taunts were enough to provoke you into fighting with your life on the line. As expected of nothing more than a single drop of blood. You don’t have a shred of brains!”

The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence had drained away every drop of the refined blood he had painstakingly prepared over such a long time, significantly delaying the progress of his plan. How could he not be furious?

“My Lord, we’ve located Gavin. It appears he’s already placing the Stabilizing Stones. Members of the Inspection Bureau are assisting him,” a crow landed beside Landon and reported in a human voice.

“So the Inspection Bureau has joined forces with Gavin?” A peculiar expression crossed Landon’s face.

“The Stabilizing Stones will interfere with our plan. Perhaps we should…”

“It’s of no concern.” Landon waved his hand dismissively. “There are already people handling the Stabilizing Stones for us. Your only responsibility is to gather blood as quickly as possible.”

After a brief moment of thought, Landon continued, “Suspend the human-demon transformation for now. From this point onward, every effort is to be focused on breaking the grand formation beneath our feet. Only after Her Majesty the Demon Emperor has been freed can everything truly be considered settled. Otherwise, there’s no telling what unexpected complications may arise.”¹　

“Understood.” The crow responded before rapidly flapping its wings and disappearing into the night.

Landon remained standing where he was, his gaze drifting into the distance as uncertainty flickered across his face.

Just moments ago, one of the black-robed squads had seemingly lost contact. His subordinates had reported seeing a strange pink beam of light. Yet Landon could not think of any cultivation art or technique capable of producing pink light.

Could it be that, besides the three great families and the exalted immortal from the Immortal Cloud Pavilion, another force was hiding within the city?

“Damn it!” The growing feeling that his plan was slipping beyond his control left Landon deeply unsettled. “It seems I’ll have to speed things up.”

As though making up his mind, Landon gritted his teeth and walked toward the carriage from earlier. Liana still lay quietly inside. The oversized black robe made her already pale face appear even more deathly white.

“I’m sorry, Liana. I never wanted it to come to this.” Landon softly apologized before lifting Liana into his arms. He carried her into the Wang family’s estate.

The entire place reeked of blood. At the center of the Wang family courtyard lay a small artificial lake. It had now turned crimson, filled with thick, viscous blood.

At the center of the blood lake stood a circular altar. The women and children of the Ye family had originally been undergoing the secret human-demon transformation there, but the altar had since been emptied.

Landon gently laid Liana upon it. Her body continued trembling ever so slightly. He stared quietly at her face before suddenly extending a finger toward one side. “Look over there. Do you see that?”

Liana struggled to turn her head, and her eyes suddenly widened. “M… Mother?”

“That’s right. It’s your mother.” Landon walked over and pulled away the blanket Liana had so carefully wrapped around the figure, revealing the cold, lifeless doll hidden beneath. “Liana, how about we make a deal?”