During a brief pause to observe their surroundings, Shi Chun suddenly spoke up to ask a question, "I've heard that Su Yuan Sect from Xuan State is at the helm, gathering all the sects, big and small, but I wonder, can it really be that there are no exceptions among the various sects? Are they truly all willing to be the Su Yuan Sect's pawns?"

The three Yuling Sect members didn't understand why he was asking this, and the leader of the group said, "That's impossible. There will always be sects who just show up for appearances, no matter which state it is."

Shi Chun said, "Are there any out-of-place sects that you know of in Xuan State? If so, name one for me. It'll save me the trouble of looking for one later on."

The man with an injured arm asked doubtfully, "What do you need this for?"

Shi Chun refused to answer, "Gentlemen, it's like I said before: after this is over, we'll each go our own way. Whatever we do, it's best you pretend you know nothing about it. I think it's better if you don't know too much; if anything goes wrong, we won't suspect you. What do you say?"

His words seemed to make some sense, and the three of them seemed to understand, choosing not to inquire further about this matter.

The leading man spoke up, "There are indeed some non-conformist sects. Over in Xuan State, there's a sect called 'Youxia Mountain' that hasn't been involved."

Shi Chun uttered a sound of acknowledgment, "How did you come to know this?"

The leader laughed, "They were hiding in a cave when we stumbled upon them. They took off the black hoods they were wearing to show us their intentions, saying they were a small sect and had no interest in getting involved. They were forced to come and planned to hide until the end of the event."

Shi Chun exchanged a glance with Wu Jinliang, thinking these guys from the Yuling Sect weren't up to any good – they likely went to rob someone.

For this reason, Shi Chun asked another question, "Did you kill them?"

The leader said, "No, we didn't. Once we confirmed they didn't have any Insect Extreme Crystals on them, there was no need to take action. If nothing has changed, they should still be hiding there. If you two would like to look for them, we remember the rough location."

Hearing this, Shi Chun was somewhat relieved, fearing that if these people had not been completely wiped out, they might have driven the Youxia Mountain sect into the ranks of that Xuan State group. He calmly replied, "Fine. After we've dealt with those dog thieves chasing you, we might trouble you to point us in the right direction."

"Of course," the three nodded in agreement.

Their group didn't linger long before continuing their journey.

This time, they didn't run too far and, within a few moments, quickly burrowed behind a mountain ridge, crawling behind a pile of dirt to keep watch. They saw a group of people resting in the shaded area at the foot of the mountain ahead.

The distance was too great to see the faces of those people, but the three Yuling Sect members each nodded in recognition.

"It looks like them."

"There's no mistake, it's them."

"Yes, the number of people is right too."

Hearing this, Shi Chun drew his blade from behind and inquired again to make sure, "We're really clear on this, we only seek revenge, not the indiscriminate killing of innocents."

The man with a wounded chest assured, "There's no mistake, it's definitely them."

The leader said, "If we're wrong, we stake our heads in apology."

Wu Jinliang joined in, "Then you must have made a mistake."

With those words, he flipped his blade and brought the large knife down like a floodgate, chopping at the arm-wounded man who was closest to him, who didn't understand the implication, spewing blood from a chest wound.

The leader was shocked and was about to leap to his feet when he heard a whooshing sound from behind, followed by his vision flipping.

Shi Chun immediately made his move, chopping off the leader's head with a single strike.

Only the man with the chest wound reacted to the shock by leaping up, drawing his sword mid-air, and slashing toward Shi Chun who was swiftly closing in.

Wu Jinliang watched this scene with a mix of awe and fear. Along the way, he had found out the Yuling Sect's three were all of the High Martial Upper Realm, and despite serious injuries, seeing Chun Tian charging in to meet them head-on still left him somewhat frightened.

Clang! The clash of sword against blade erupted in an abnormal booming sound.

Wu Jinliang furrowed his brow, impressed to himself; Chun Tian was managing to hold his ground against the Upper Realm without falling back.

Little did he know, Shi Chun also intended to test his strength against an Upper Realm opponent. Upon hearing of the three's cultivation levels, he resolved to test the true power of his "No Demon Blade."

Facing an intact Upper Realm monk might be risky, but one with serious injuries was an ideal opportunity.

After a single exchange, he didn't feel the impact that one would expect from the Upper Realm, and he did not find himself at a disadvantage, boosting his confidence.

With this newfound strength as his foundation, he felt even more confident about his subsequent actions.

Seeing he wouldn't gain an advantage in a single move, the man with the chest wound, already frightened, didn't dare linger. He immediately took the opportunity to turn and flee.

Shi Chun had anticipated his escape. The High Martial Upper Realm's speed of escape was something he couldn't match, so he quickly threw a Second Grade immobilization charm. If it weren't for his intention to test the opponent, he would have acted sooner.

After casting the talisman, the man felt the impact and retracted one leg.

Seeing him standing on one leg like a golden rooster, Wu Jinliang immediately sprang into action, planting a palm on his foot and forcefully shoving him away.

The man fell back onto the mound of dirt, while Shi Chun pounced on his opponent.

A mere Second Grade immobilization charm couldn't hold a High Martial Realm monk, and as the chest-wounded man was falling to the ground, he had already shaken off the charm's binding force, shredding the talisman paper to pieces.

What Shi Chun needed was to slightly delay his escape speed, and seize the opportunity to cleave down from above while in mid-air.

The man looking up, not yet touching the ground, urgently swung his sword to block.

Clang! Another explosive sound, as the sword and blade parted, the bodies collided for a moment, and the man punched upwards with all his might, aiming at Shi Chun.

Wu Jinliang, on top of a small hill, looked up towards the sky, only to see a figure soaring up, followed closely by several others, making him wonder how they got there so quickly.

At this moment, Shi Chun had no interest in paying attention to the others, without dodging or evading, he turned his hand and applied the "Demon Dispel Hand" technique to meet the incoming attack.

With his cultivation, how could he dare to clash head-on with someone from the Upper Realm? This was because the efficacy of the "Demon Dispel Hand" and "No Demon Blade" came from the same principle.

When he was framed for theft within Zhixu City, and duelled with his accuser, there was a reason his equal cultivation allowed him to forcefully divert his opponent's entangled attack with a palm.

Before reaching High Martial, his ability to exert his Cultivation Technique was limited, barely able to protect himself and with limited power, let alone care for objects beyond his body, but now not only can it be applied to weapons, his own strength is also greater.

Having measured the opponent's strength with that earlier direct confrontation, he no longer feared a physical clash with the enemy.

Clang! Another abnormal explosion.

The upward-attacking man's face changed dramatically, feeling an explosive force burst through his own striking force the instant their fists and palms collided. He then took a solid hit from the other's palm on his fist, his arm flung aside. He could feel that the other's cultivation was not high, yet suddenly a weird, destructive power was infused into his arm.

This force could instantly reach one's spirit, causing a soul-tearing pain that almost made him scream in agony.

Before he could recover his senses, Shi Chun had already risen with another slash, slicing diagonally while spinning in mid-air.

Boom! After one slash, blood and flesh flew in all directions.

Under normal circumstances, being cut into two pieces did not happen; the man exploded into fragments, like a blood-red firework bursting open in the sky.

Wu Jinliang, watching, was stunned. Had Shi Chun become so incredibly powerful?

This Master had decided to do it this way, knowing there must be some assurance, otherwise, he wouldn't have cooperated; he just hadn't expected that it would be in such a brusque way that a High Martial Upper Realm monk would be killed.

The scattered blood and flesh fell, and Shi Chun, holding his broadsword, also landed, along with the figures that had been flashing through the air.

The newcomers who had witnessed the final moment of slaying quietly sized up Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang.

The two men also glanced at this group of newcomers.

Shi Chun suddenly raised his blade, pointing it in a circle at the newcomers, "So there were reinforcements, no wonder you dared to be so arrogant. People of Ying State, I don't have the time to waste with you, come at me all at once!"

Wu Jinliang also placed his broadsword before him, wiping the bloodstains on it with his fingertips, and let out a cold, sneering laugh, "Looks like my blade will get its fill of blood today. Who wants to die first?"

The newcomers, feeling something extraordinary in both body and mind at the sight of his broadsword, looked at the corpse next to him, recognizing it by the clothing as one they had once fought against, and on closer inspection of the face, they knew for certain.

From hearing the sounds of the fight to its end, it was all very fast.

They knew well that the disciples from Yuling Sect weren't easy to deal with, otherwise, they wouldn't have let someone get away so easily even with more than a dozen of them joining forces.

And what of the two men before them, who had killed three in such a short period? Their strength, undoubtedly, was fearsome, thus their challenge to come at them all at once.

With such formidable might, they wouldn't dare attack together, despite their numbers.

A man with a beard and wearing a blue shirt waved his hand and spoke, "Both of you misunderstood. We are not from Ying State, we're from Xuan State, just came over to check out the commotion, definitely not their allies."

While speaking, he even rolled up his sleeve to show them the badge on his bracelet.

Not just him, several others also rolled up their sleeves to display their badges.

Seeing this, Shi Chun then raised his hand to sheath his blade behind him, "So you are also from Xuan State. Little brother, let's go; we are all from Xuan State."

"Hmm," Wu Jinliang shook the blood off his broadsword, raised it with one hand, and put it on his shoulder, then with a hop, he landed beside Shi Chun.

The man in the blue shirt hurriedly asked, "You two are also from Xuan State?"

Shi Chun replied indifferently, "Disciples from Youxia Mountain of Xuan State."

The newcomers looked at each other, all pondering. With so many sects attending the meeting, it was normal not to remember this one.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang also observed their reactions after hearing this, preparing themselves in case someone from Xuan State's group recognized them.

"So you are esteemed disciples from Youxia Mountain." The man in the blue shirt gave a respectful bow and quickly invited, "Since we all belong to the Xuan State delegation, why not join us? It's better to have someone to rely on."

Shi Chun remained calm, "Do you see my brother and me needing your care?"

This statement was a bit hurtful, but facing a master, they tended to have more patience.

Of course, the man in the blue shirt also had his rebuttal, "Our group isn't just a few of us; most of the Xuan State's forces are acting in unison, led by the Su Yuan Sect."

The implication was, now do you feel we're qualified to look after you?

"What of Su Yuan Sect? Can they share an Insect Extreme Crystal with me? I'm not accustomed to being someone's lackey," Shi Chun said, pointing at the corpse on the ground, "Here were a few who couldn't see clearly, I don't know what got into them, acting as if Xuan State was their mortal enemy, we didn't provoke or offend them, but upon seeing we were from Xuan State, they madly sought to kill us. Such idiocy, this is the end for those who can't see!"

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