Watching the treasure sword hovering in the sky for three circles, then slowly descending in front of him, seemingly intimate and friendly, flickering and blooming with a faint light, humming softly.

Huangfu Yi was momentarily spellbound, clearly feeling the mutual pull between himself and the treasure sword, as if an invisible thread was connecting his brow directly to the sword guard, as though they were familiar with each other.

Even within the Inner Qi Sea, the two external True Qi that had been battling fiercely like snakes and dragons, twisting and killing within the meridians of his lungs, now seemed intimidated by the sword's might, immediately separating from each other, contracting into clusters like hedgehogs, locked in a standoff in the lungs and Dantian. There was even a faint hint of them joining forces, showing clear caution towards the Divine Weapon echoing with sword cries in Huangfu Yi's Divine Court.

This is the Immortal Fate...

"It truly is a flying sword..."

Ren Feiluan, sharing in Huangfu Yi's blessing, was witnessing such a divine weapon for the first time, showing a look of envy.

After all, who wouldn't love an immortal's magic treasure, especially a divine weapon created specifically for battles between immortals like this immortal sword? Unfortunately, a mortal's fate is like a candle in the wind, easily extinguished by a gust of Demon Wind, just like before. Getting too close to such a bright flame will only lead to self-destruction.

Thus, Ren Feiluan snapped out of his daze, glanced at the fallen comrades all around, and bit his lip, pointing towards the southwest.

"That Demon Path flew in that direction. If you truly have the skills, slay his head and bring it back to honor our fallen brothers."

"Alright."

With that, Huangfu Yi didn't say another word, holding the Sky Soaring Treasure Sword, mounted a warhorse, and charged out of the camp straight towards the southwest in pursuit.

No need to say more, Pei Yuhuan was truly the apple of the Pei Family's eye, competing for Immortal Fate on her behalf, his father was even willing to part with a flying sword. If she were to disappear, presumed dead, the Pei Family would hardly let him live alone.

Moreover, the Demon Path had unleashed demons to injure people, killing numerous lives, which ignited Huangfu Yi's anger. Therefore, he didn't hesitate, relying solely on the flying sword to follow closely, tracing the black wind in the sky, the remaining Demon Qi, fearing delay would let the demon escape without a trace.

Fortunately, tracking demons was a skill Huangfu Yi was proficient in, and the flying techniques of cultivators indeed leave traces.

Mountain man's escape techniques, though incredibly fast and hard to catch, are not commonly practiced, being secrets for dueling and surviving, rarely used for daily travel.

Ordinary cultivators without a mount or magic treasures have to ride the clouds, manipulating Qi to fly, and apart from a rare few Daoist energy that is colorless and soundless, most cultivators in flight leave behind colorful smoke and clouds, making them easy to discern.

Thus, Huangfu Yi pursued the enemy on horseback, soon capturing their trail.

Previously, to hide his cultivator identity, the Demon Path masked himself and used Bat Demon's Demon Wind for a sneak attack. Now, having succeeded, he escaped ten miles southwest with Demon Wind, then quietly switched to yellow smoke, fleeing southeast, showing caution.

Yet, the Demon Path likely didn't expect that among the waste he casually annihilated, someone would dare to chase after him so quickly to meet death, so he didn't bother using the escape techniques or invisibility to conceal his trail, allowing Huangfu Yi to follow closely, gradually closing the distance.

Thus, he pursued for an entire day and night, finally out of the forest, seeing signs of people gathering on the plain, likely a village or town, and the yellow smoke finally descended to rest, probably to drink some water and catch a breath after flying for so long.

Huangfu Yi wrapped the sword in his cloak, holding it tightly, and rode towards the place, first making a circle from afar to observe the situation. The sight shocked him.

Wow, so many people.

From the hilltop overlooking, it was densely packed, people everywhere like ants covering the hills, even obscuring the horizon.

Where did this huge army come from? Why are they camping without setting up a base or raising a flag?

Upon closer inspection, Huangfu Yi realized, they weren't a regular army but a refugee army.

In these chaotic times, rebel armies, mountain bandits, and demons are rampant everywhere. Without some skills or finding a group of three to fifty guards, traveling alone or in small numbers is suicidal. Refugees seeking survival naturally band together, dragging their families, joining the refugee tide, going wherever there's a crowd.

It's not as though everyone is a refugee, but just having enough people around means that when pursued by rebel soldiers, bandits, or demons, you don't need to outrun the horses or the Demon Wind, just the unlucky fellow beside you. Even if a demon is terrifying and can eat a hundred people in one sitting, it's not foolish enough to eat thousands here and burst to death.

Under such a poor, miserable yet practical survival strategy, refugees gather more and more, growing larger and larger, sometimes amassing tens of thousands. Occasionally they band together as bandits, attacking prefectures for food and military salaries, ultimately being suppressed by vassal troops, a frequent occurrence. Half of the Huangfu family's military strategies involve suppressing such refugee bandits, so Huangfu Yi was very familiar with it.

What? Why resort to banditry instead of city work? Are you kidding, do you think it's the urbanization era?

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