The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"What's possible?"

Van Delian asked instinctively.

"We still have a mole here."

Ye Xiao said coldly.

Chapter 80 The Crossing Plan

Looking into Ye Xiao's eyes, Van Delian broke out in a cold sweat.

"Ah... Hahahaha, Professor Brandon, you're exaggerating."

Van Delian scratched his head awkwardly. "We've all been through thick and thin together, and we've finally made it this far. There can't possibly be... uh, traitors among us."

"Of course, that's just what I said."

Ye Xiao smiled and said, "However, just in case, I suggest that everyone split into groups and keep an eye on each other."

The mole is a really troublesome thing, especially when the next step is wrong and could lead to big trouble.

Of course, if all else fails, Ye Xiao can open a spatial portal to send all these people away.

However, while this method is easy in the short term, it leaves too many hidden dangers. Ye Xiao still doesn't want to reveal his trump card unless absolutely necessary.

The fake Earth Goddess was caught red-handed by Ella and taken down in one fell swoop; this was the effect of the information he obtained through infiltration.

Imagine if the company and the Dark Shepherds had known earlier that Ella had also extended her reach here and had taken adequate precautions, then the plot against Serendra might have been even more deeply hidden.

The true form of the "Earth Goddess" would not have appeared so unguarded, nor would she have had the chance to be so easily caught and eliminated by Ella as she was this time.

Now, the "Earth Goddess" has probably disappeared without a trace in the eyes of the company and the Dark Shepherds. After all, it's impossible to know what happened in a closed divine kingdom outside the void from the mortal realm alone.

Unless someone among them can venture into the void and discover signs that the divine kingdom there has been destroyed.

However, if any person or "god" dared to do such a thing, they would only regret it.

Lydia had deliberately planted several tentacles in that void node to keep watch, waiting to see if anyone dared to come and investigate.

As for the identity of the "Earth Goddess", after Ella ate it, she did indeed gain a divine authority related to the earth and nature - "Rhea's Golden Bough".

Similar to Ella's previous divine authority, the names of these divine authority are mostly in the format of "deity" plus "symbol of authority". For example, the prefix "Wings of Lucyville" for the spatial divine authority indicates that it comes from the arrogant demon god Lucyville.

Ella clearly remembered that the earth goddess worshipped by Aslan was called "Teradom," not "Rhea."

This is a bit intriguing.

But that's a story for later. Back at the small meeting of the escape team, Ye Xiao's suggestion to divide into groups and keep watch on each other was quickly approved.

Unfortunately, in the past, people might have found it hard to accept that someone would intentionally be wary of their partner, but now that Silvana has been exposed, no one can guarantee that there aren't any traitors among the remaining people.

Since it was Ye Xiao's suggestion, he naturally planned the group assignments as well.

His previous experience in the camp defense battle, where a single wand forced more than a dozen great demons on the eastern front to cower in the earthen mounds, was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that even when Ye Xiao began to preside over this small meeting, Severif did not express any objections.

“We’ll try to avoid grouping people who know each other well. You students will be in one group, and then Severif and Professor Rhodes…”

"Who will I be paired with?"

"Van Derian asked from the side."

"You, me, and Her Highness Serendra form a group,"

Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on you."

Van Delian gave a helpless, forced smile.

To some extent, he did want Ye Xiao to keep a close eye on him, but not in this kind of "watching".

He had been thinking of finding a chance to contact his sister "Samael" again, but it seemed unlikely, at least until he left the forest.

"Remember, from now on, if any member of the same group leaves their sight for more than half a minute, they will be treated as a traitor."

After saying that, Ye Xiao added something else.

"Professor, aren't these conditions a bit too harsh..."

Celinedra tugged at Ye Xiao's sleeve.

“We are not rehearsing, Your Highness. If there is even the slightest mistake, we will all die here.”

Ye Xiao replied without hesitation, "I can't imagine anyone having any personal matters that would require them to leave the team during such a tense escape journey."

This was the first time Serendra had been so forcefully confronted, and she pouted in grievance.

However, she also understood that Ye Xiao was right.

Yes, sometimes you have to be tough. Celinedra patted her face and said to herself.

"But after we cross the battlefield, where should we go?"

At this point, another student asked a question.

"Yes, the northern part of the border forest is also separated by the Hengyuan Mountains, so I still can't return to the heart of the southern province."

Severif nodded as well.

"Who said we have to go into the southern provinces?"

Ye Xiao waved his hand.

"Huh? But apart from the route to the interior, there are no other cities."

"It's just that there are no cities like Aslan,"

Ye Xiao drew a horizontal line on the map with his fingertip, crossing the border of Aslan and pointing directly into the interior of the Molten Mountains.

"...Molten City?"

"Serendra asked in surprise."

“I remember Your Highness said that the Empire and the dwarves of Molten Core have a good relationship. Now is the time for them to show their worth.”

"I had actually considered that before,"

Severif stroked his chin. "But don't forget that the demon legion came from the Molten Mountains. Heaven knows how many demons are lurking in those mountains."

"Regarding this, I observed it from the highlands before. The demon legion actually emerged from the southern part of the Molten Mountains. They may have indeed split off a force to attack Molten City, but the probability is low..."

What Ye Xiao was referring to was actually the overall movement of the demon legion that Ella had previously observed at the Bluestone Fortress.

At that time, the largest Demon Mountains were all heading towards the border of Aslan, showing no signs of heading north.

Moreover, he knew that these demons must have come from a rift that had been artificially opened leading to hell. Such rifts were not opened so easily that there couldn't be too many of them. Therefore, the possibility of demons emerging in the northern part of the Molten Mountains was not high.

This means that the area north of the Molten Mountains is very likely safe.

However, Sivirif and the others were unaware of this information, which is why they dared not make a hasty decision to head to the Molten Mountains.

"Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to give it a try,"

Seeing that Sivirif was still hesitant, Selindra said, "There are pursuers to the west, so there's no way we can go back. Trying to cross the front line would actually give us a better chance."

"Well, since Your Highness has said so, I won't say anything more."

Severif sighed. "Crossing the front lines... this might be the craziest and most dangerous move we've made in the last few days."

"However, Professor Brandon, whether we succeed or not, I will share the responsibility with you."

Oh, sure.

Ye Xiao thought this guy would say something like, "If we fail, it's all your fault," but thankfully, he was quite responsible.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be our last escape. Whether we survive or not depends on the goddess's protection."

As he spoke, Sivirif clenched his fist and stretched it out in front of him.

"This is……?"

Ye Xiao was surprised.

"It is a long-standing tradition of our naval legion that we perform this gesture before facing an extremely difficult battle, to show that we will work together to overcome the challenges."

"The regimental commander has acknowledged you as a comrade-in-arms."

Celinedra smiled sweetly and extended her slender arm.

...Are you sure you want to be teammates with the training targets?...

Ye Xiao was speechless.

However, he eventually reached out and his fists met those of Sivirif and Serendra.

The road ahead is shrouded in gloom, but this small ceremony can at least give them some confidence.

The night sky remained dark, with distant battles and smoke billowing in the air. The three men's whispered words echoed in the silent forest on the mountain breeze.

"May the earth protect us; may glory... belong to Aslan."

Chapter 81 Crossing the Blockade

ten minutes later.

Severif directed the two remaining knights to administer stamina potions to all the black panthers in preparation for the long march ahead.

The professors also distributed their alchemical potions, restored their magic, and applied various buffs.

Celinedra opened her arms to the crowd and softly chanted a spell, enveloping them in a dark green glow.

Ye Xiao checked the status bar and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Forest Blessing... Wait a minute, Your Highness, may I use nature magic?"

He had thought the real Earth Goddess had long since passed away, but seeing the sudden move Celinedra made, although it was very weak, it did indeed contain divine power.

"what?"

Serendra paused for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh. "No, it's just a normal Tree Skin spell."

Doesn't this guy even know it himself?

Ye Xiao tried to clench his fist. The Tree Skin Technique didn't have a continuous effect on restoring stamina, although it only restored a little bit.

However, after thinking about it, he did not directly tell Serendra about this situation.

Regardless of how to convince the other party that the effect of the divine magic is so weak, it means that even if the Earth Goddess is alive, her condition is probably not very good. Saying it would only make Serendra feel worse, and there is no point in saying it.

"Everything is ready, let's go."

Severif was in charge of commanding this final escape, after all, he had the highest rank among them and should have more experience.

Everyone immediately got ready and mounted the black panther. This time, Ye Xiao rode alone, while Celinedra, who had already woken up, was responsible for carrying her unconscious sister, Fimishier.

"There are still three hours until dawn, just enough time for us to reach the imperial border under the cover of night."

"Time is of the essence. While the pursuers are still setting up their encirclement, this will be our only chance to escape."

Severif pointed into the distance.

"Remember this direction. If anything unexpected happens along the way, and I tell you to retreat, then spread out and run in that direction with all your might. After crossing the border, head north to Molten City. No matter what happens, don't stop. Do you understand?"

"clear."

The students responded softly in unison.

Although they were somewhat disheveled and their aristocratic attire had become tattered, their eyes were no longer filled with fear as they had at the beginning; now, they held a hint of determination.

"Okay. May the goddess protect us, and may we meet again alive in Molten Core after dawn."

Sevierif glanced at the group one last time, then turned back to the dark forest before him and took a deep breath—

"set off!"

……

A dozen jungle leopards charged through the dark forest with all their might.

At low altitude, two war eagles circled the fleeing group under the cover of the tree canopy, scouting the surroundings so that the group could avoid any stray demon forces they might encounter.

Meanwhile, the darkness and the dense foliage obscured the vision of the large groups of flying demons in the sky, so when the team quietly entered the demon-infested woodland, they were completely undetected.

Asar's scouts were still leisurely setting up an encirclement behind the lines. They probably never imagined that these humans would actually dare to risk their lives to cross the demon legion's rear.

Trees flew past them, and half an hour later, as the team ventured deeper into the territory, the warhawks transmitted information about the demons more and more frequently.

The group kept turning around to avoid obstacles, their route drawing a crooked curve in the vast forest.