The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Clearly, they had ventured deep into the area, surrounded by demonic encampments, and their overall speed had inevitably slowed down.

Professor Rhodes and Ye Xiao carefully used their magical senses to detect alarms and traps in the surrounding area, bypassing or avoiding these dangerous arrangements that they could not silently access, thus clearing a path for the team.

Everyone's palms were sweaty as they gripped the reins, their expressions tense.

This is already deep within the area where the demon army is stationed. If they are not careful and are discovered, they will face annihilation from demons pouring out from all directions.

"It's done."

At this moment, Ye Xiao got up from the ground and flipped back onto the black panther's back.

Several flame-shaped engravings hidden in the grass in front of him slowly dissipated into specks of light under the interference of his magic.

Fortunately, most of the traps set by the demons were fairly straightforward, and even Ye Xiao, a half-baked master mage, could crack most of them.

However, Ye Xiao dared not act rashly against some of the traps that might trigger alarms.

"Watch out, another group of demons is coming."

Just then, Severif suddenly raised his hand and said, "Everyone, take cover immediately."

The group immediately lay down on the crouching black leopard and hid in the surrounding grass, holding their breath.

Reaching this position means we're already deep in the rear of the legion, teeming with small groups of demons; it's not so easy to get around anymore.

Therefore, if the route ahead happens to be blocked, they can only hide by the roadside and wait patiently for the enemy to pass by.

Two minutes later, a series of rapid footsteps approached, and sure enough, a group of red-skinned demons with ram horns strolled leisurely along the mountain path beside them.

"Hmm? Can I smell a human scent?"

In the procession, one of the demons walking at the front suddenly stopped.

Ye Xiao had good hearing, and upon hearing this, he immediately squinted and turned his head to scan the people at the back of the line.

He knew, of course, that demons had a keen sense of smell, so before setting off he made sure everyone was given a potion to mask their scent.

The effect hasn't ended yet, so there's no reason for it to be detectable unless someone is deliberately sabotaging it.

But in that glance, he didn't notice anyone acting strangely. Even the more suspicious Vandrian was lying on the leopard, shaking his head innocently at him.

"You're delusional. There's not a single human here. If there were even a village, it would have been eaten up, land and all."

The demon's companion mocked mercilessly, "Stop wandering around aimlessly, let's hurry to the front lines, or we won't even get a drop of profit."

"Tsk tsk, look how anxious you are..."

The demon grinned. "Alright, alright, maybe it really was just my imagination..."

Ye Xiao continued listening, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief. This damned demon was so jumpy that he almost thought the other party had become enlightened.

Just then, a dread demon suddenly descended from the sky and landed next to the mid-ranking demon leading the squad.

The bat-like ghoul opened its mouth and whispered a few words in the squad leader's ear. The leader's eyes narrowed, and he turned to his men, shouting:

"Quiet down, you idiots! News has come from above that a human team has escaped in from the west."

"Open your eyes wide and pay close attention! If we find out they escaped along the route we took, the general will cut off all your useless heads and feed them to the horned wolves!"

Chapter 82 Foolish Man

Holy crap, this news spread so fast?

Ye Xiaofang's heart, which had been at ease, immediately tightened again.

He was sweating bullets; it seemed Assal wasn't as stupid as they'd imagined.

It is estimated that while setting up the encirclement, they also sent an advance team to search the surrounding area. After searching, they may have found traces of their temporary encampment and realized that the main force had already set off.

However, they were already quite lucky to have gotten here before the news spread. The more troublesome thing was that the demon squad in front of them had become vigilant after receiving orders.

After the squad leader finished speaking, a lower-ranking demon in the front row immediately stepped forward, waving his arms, and said a few words to the squad leader.

"...What, are you sure you just smelled a human?"

The demon squad leader listened to the report from one of his subordinates in the front row, his eyes filled with doubt. "How did you find it? Why didn't even I smell it?"

“Lord Vatula, I’ve had a very keen sense of smell since I was a child,”

The demon exclaimed excitedly, "I initially thought it was just my imagination, but after hearing your command, I think there might really be a human team nearby!"

Ye Xiao, who was lying in the grass, had his lips twitching.

Are you kidding me? Where did this genius kid come from?

In his frustration, he exchanged glances with Severif and the others, their hands already reaching for the weapons behind their backs.

If this group of demons really intends to approach this way, they will have no choice but to strike first.

Compared to Ye Xiao's composure, Sivirif was clearly much more nervous.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He knew that once he made a move, even if he could instantly kill this group of demons, enemies would swarm in from all directions like a hornet's nest had been stirred up.

Therefore, he couldn't help but pray in his heart that the goddess would not find out.

"Then, where did you smell the scent coming from?"

The squad leader frowned.

"It's there!"

The little red-skinned devil raised his hand and pointed to the northwest.

Seeing the direction the other person was pointing, Ye Xiao felt a slight sense of relief, but at the same time, he cursed the little devil inwardly.

I thought this guy was really that awesome, able to smell them even through the poison barrier, but it turns out the direction of his finger has nothing to do with their location. He's probably just pointing randomly to show off in front of that little boss.

However, thanks to that foolish little devil, the demon squad split up and headed off in that distant direction, conveniently clearing a path for them.

Just when the whole team thought the demons had gone the wrong way, suddenly, a soft "whoosh" sounded through the forest, and a sharp arrow carrying the element of wind pierced the head of the little demon who was pointing the way.

The "genius boy" was killed when his head was blown off, leaving him a corpse. The demon squad leader stared in shock, then immediately raised his club and roared, "Humans!!! Kill them!!!"

what?

The sudden turn of events left Ye Xiao somewhat incredulous.

He clearly saw that the arrow had been shot from the bushes that the demon squad had searched for, and had nothing to do with their escape team.

Does this mean there really is another human group there?

The group members exchanged bewildered glances, clearly realizing that there was another human team nearby besides them.

This is the rear of the demon legion. Even a rescue team wouldn't have run to this godforsaken place. That team could only be humans on the run.

Celine gripped the hilt of her sword tightly at her waist with a heavy heart. Ye Xiao could tell from her pale face that she wanted to go and support the other team.

But she also knew very well that this meant putting everyone here in danger.

In theory, with another squad that suddenly appeared out of nowhere drawing the demons' attention, they now had a perfect opportunity to escape.

When faced with the choice between her own survival and saving her compatriots, Serendra was tormented by a raging inferno.

Looking at the eldest princess's expression, Ye Xiao couldn't help but sigh softly.

He could roughly understand why she was the Earth Saintess in her previous life. This girl was truly kind-hearted; even after being betrayed by her beloved family, she was still so compassionate.

If it were him, he wouldn't hesitate for a second; he would just run away and be done with it.

"You...you guys hurry up and leave, I'll go check..."

"Serendra said in a trembling voice. She was actually very scared at the moment, but she still couldn't let go of it."

"Your Highness, have you gone mad?!"

Severif's voice was almost barely suppressed with astonishment as he cursed mercilessly.

Are you kidding me? What would you do there at this time except die?

"Be rational, Your Highness!! It's better to get out alive and avenge them than to sacrifice yourself in vain!!"

Perhaps these words awakened Serendra, for she finally fell silent and gritted her teeth as she pulled on the reins.

"You should be the Holy Maiden of Light."

Ye Xiao commented in a low voice.

He wasn't being sarcastic; he genuinely believed it.

Not far away, the demon horde charged forward with a cacophony of cries, and several Aslan knights also rushed out of the woods to engage the demons in battle.

"Those are the armors of the garrison at Qing Shi Fortress!"

Sevierif recognized the origins of his compatriots. "How did they end up here? Deserters?"

If they were deserters during the siege, abandoning them wouldn't hurt so much in my conscience.

But when another knight appeared carrying a heavily wounded white-bearded old man, everyone present widened their eyes in astonishment.

"In the name of Aslan's honor, we swear to protect the Sword Saint to the death!!!"

The knights, covered in blood, roared in fury as they were surrounded by dozens of demons.

Yes, that old man is none other than Sword Saint Elon, the dean of Sea Cliff Academy.

Earlier, when Serendra and the first and second groups of students retreated from Bluestone Fortress, he and several knights stayed behind to hold off the pursuing demon legion and cover the retreat for everyone.

I never expected to run into them here again.

To be able to severely injure one of the only five Saint-level beings in the human race to this extent, the opponent must be exceptionally powerful.

However, the enemy is probably not here. These knights must have hidden away with the seriously wounded Elon after the battle, and then, just like Ye Xiao and the others planned, they intended to escape to the border under the cover of night.

Of course, that's another story. Right now, Ye Xiao could tell from Celinedra's expression that she wasn't going to leave.

Elon saved her life by covering their retreat back then, and now it's really too much for her to ask such a guy to heartlessly abandon his savior and run away.

Not only Serendra, but several students in the rear team, especially Elon's granddaughter Lyra, also began to waver.

The team was divided, and Sevierif was also having a headache.

This could be considered a golden opportunity to escape, but the opportunity is fleeting. If things continue like this, it's feared that no one will be able to leave in the end.

It doesn't matter if he dies, but the eldest princess, the third princess, and these young noble students are the future of the empire, and he must rescue them.

"When faced with disagreements, doing nothing is often the most fatal mistake."

Just then, Ye Xiao suddenly spoke up, "How about this, Commander Sivirif, you take everyone and go first, I'll go rescue Dean Elon..."

"I'll go with you..."

Celine had barely opened her mouth when Ye Xiao ruthlessly interrupted her, "Don't mess around, you'll drag me down."

Celinedra shut her mouth in frustration, her eyes filled with a hint of grievance and inner turmoil.

Ye Xiao had already firmly rejected her. If she continued to pester him and stay, it would only harm him. But if she didn't stay, wouldn't her actions ultimately lead to her escape? What difference would that make from hypocrisy?

"And Lyra, Robert... don't cause me any trouble. Remember the spells I taught you and protect Prince Femishil to Molten City. You are now knights of the Empire, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

As he spoke, Ye Xiao called out several other students who were overly righteous.

To be honest, these guys are pretty stupid. They're about to lose their lives, yet they're still thinking about all sorts of other people's trivial matters.

But when Ye Xiao recalled the past, whenever he saw such people in other stories, he would always feel sad for the sacrifice of these "fools".

"...Brandon, are you really going to do this?"

Severif looked at Ye Xiao. He understood that this was the only way for the team to continue moving forward, but it was something he found hard to accept.

He wouldn't condone sacrificing a partner for the sake of inner peace and a sliver of hope.

“Professor Brandon…”

Leila and the other trainees also spoke up with concern.

After being captured at Morningwind Fortress, she was initially just afraid and somewhat resentful of Ye Xiao. But now that he had taken such a risk for them, she truly began to regret her past foolishness.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm about to die."

Ye Xiao helplessly rubbed his hair, then waved his hand.

"Go ahead without worry. Don't forget, your teacher is very strong."

Chapter 83 Fishing in Troubled Waters