Turmoil Arises

The direction the dark figure chose to flee happened to bring him closest to Qin Sang. Just as the dark figure burst out, a streak of saber qi slashed forth even faster than the figure itself, hurtling straight toward Qin Sang's face. The saber qi seemed almost corporeal, like a genuine precious saber whose surface even reflected Qin Sang's face. At this sight, the expressions of those lingering behind changed. They had not sensed the slightest fluctuation and had never imagined someone could be hiding beneath the water. The saber qi was remarkably powerful and astonishingly swift. It reflected Qin Sang's face, yet his expression did not shift in the least. Even his eyes remained entirely unruffled. Qin Sang regarded the incoming saber qi with cold detachment. Having been the first to detect this person's presence, he had long been on guard. With his cautious nature, how could he ever be caught off guard by an ambush without having a countermeasure ready? *Whoosh!* Qin Sang's figure flashed as he easily evaded the saber qi. At the same time, his left hand flipped abruptly, and a streak of black light shot forth from the Yin-Yang Compass, hurtling toward the dark figure. The dark figure reacted with great speed, raising the precious saber in his hand and slashing out. To his shock, though the blade struck the black light dead center, there was no sensation of shattering it, and the black light hit him all the same. The dark figure felt a strange repulsive force crash against him and cried out in dismay in his heart. Stumbling, his forward momentum ground to a sudden halt—he had been blindsided by the Yin-Yang Compass. He quickly regained his balance, but his prime window of opportunity to flee had already passed. Qin Sang stowed the Yin-Yang Compass and drew his Cold Metal sword. Meanwhile, Fan Zhen arrived as well, releasing a wither-branch magic tool. Fan Zhen found Qin Sang distasteful, but he knew the larger situation took precedence; this was no time to squabble over sect grievances. The dark figure's speed plummeted. Breaking away was no longer possible, and he fell into a pincer attack between Qin Sang and Fan Zhen. From their brief clash, Qin Sang could tell that this person's cultivation was formidable, approaching the False Core stage. However, he was injured, and quite severely, or he would not have been detected so easily. The Cold Metal sword swung with sweeping, decisive arcs, scattering waves of chilling frost. Fan Zhen's wither-branch magic tool manifested into myriad shadows of trees, closing in around the dark figure. *Bang!* The dark figure struggled to defend both sides with his saber. Just as Qin Sang and Fan Zhen were about to pin him down, Cang Ling cried out in astonishment. "Senior Brother Xiong, how is it you?" Cang Ling darted between them and shouted urgently, "He's one of us! Fellow Daoists, please spare him!" Qin Sang was taken aback upon hearing this. Forming a sword seal with his hand, he recalled the Cold Metal sword, and Fan Zhen did the same. Their gazes fell upon the dark figure in their midst. Now they could see clearly that he wore a black robe—a magic tool designed to conceal one's aura, though it had unfortunately been damaged. He had a burly build and appeared to be in his forties, but his face was ghastly pale and his aura exceedingly faint. Qin Sang's earlier impression had been correct: he was indeed gravely wounded. "Cough, cough..." The dark figure was already at the end of his rope, barely able to keep a grip on his saber. "He is my senior sect brother, Xiong Li!" Cang Ling hurried forward to support Xiong Li. "Senior Brother Xiong, how did you get so badly injured?" "Fellow Daoist Xiong, forgive our offense!" Qin Sang sheathed his Cold Metal sword and cupped his hands. Earlier, it was not that they hadn't considered the possibility of him being a fellow cultivator from the Lesser Cold Domain. However, in such a dangerous situation, the safest approach had been to capture him first before questioning him. Xiong Li waved a hand at Qin Sang and asked doubtfully, "Junior Brother Cang, why are you here? I thought you were scoundrels from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Had I known..." Cang Ling explained briefly. "...We were conscripted by Pei Qin and had no choice but to rush here. Senior Brother Xiong, were you also with Martial Uncle Fang and the others? Why were you ambushed and hunted down by the Heaven-Traversing Alliance?" "It's a long story..." Xiong Li caught his breath. "We received secret orders to accompany Martial Uncle Fang south on an important mission. Unexpectedly, our movements were uncovered by the Heaven-Traversing Alliance on our return. They ambushed us and pursued us all the way here. "The enemy's forces were overwhelming, and we were no match for them. Martial Uncle Fang found a chance to lay down a grand formation, barely steadying our ground, but even that won't hold for long. "That man Pei is talking utter nonsense! The battle ahead is by no means something Foundation Establishment cultivators can take part in. Martial Uncle Fang ordered everyone to scatter, flee for their lives, and seek help. I was targeted by several Heaven-Traversing Alliance scoundrels, and I only managed to break away after pushing myself to total exhaustion..." "So that's how it is!" Qin Sang and the others cursed furiously in their hearts. That man Pei was truly devoid of human decency. Martial Uncle Fang had already dispersed the Foundation Establishment disciples, yet Pei had lied and sent them into the jaws of death. With so many Core Formation cultivators ahead, showing themselves would have meant certain doom. "We cannot remain here for long. Scoundrels from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance are actively hunting down our fellows across the waters. With Martial Uncle Fang's order, you don't need to pay any heed to that man Pei. Go, quickly!" Xiong Li glanced back at the crimson cloud and urged them repeatedly. None of them had wanted to advance in the first place. Without needing Xiong Li's urging, they turned around and fled. Qin Sang kept close to Cang Ling's side. What he was truly curious about was what mission Xiong Li and the others had carried out to provoke such a massive response from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. To his surprise, Xiong Li spoke evasively, refusing to give a straight answer. Seeing this, Qin Sang grew increasingly uneasy. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly cupped his hands to Cang Ling. "Fellow Daoist Cang, Qin bears heavy responsibilities for his sect and has other pressing matters to attend to. I cannot simply depart like this; I must return to my post first. Until we meet again." The others present seemed to awaken from a daze. Most of them were like Qin Sang, stationed here by their respective sects. Earlier, driven around by Pei Qin and terrified for their lives in the panic, they had thrown all of those duties to the wind. Now that they were finally safe, Qin Sang's reminder brought their assignments back to mind, and they all bade farewell to Cang Ling as well. Just as they were about to go their separate ways, Xiong Li suddenly forced his eyes open and said solemnly, "Fellow Daoists, heed a word of advice from Xiong: for the near future, it is best not to linger in the surrounding waters. Flee as far as you can!" With that, Xiong Li closed his eyes once more and said no more. Qin Sang gave Xiong Li a deep look and nodded slightly to Cang Ling. Then, stepping aboard the Nether Silk Cloud, he parted from the group and sped away toward the east. Even without Xiong Li's warning, he had sensed that something was amiss. Staying at the herb garden was out of the question. He had to head back, harvest the spirit herbs, and leave at once. Many of the herbs were not yet mature, but Qin Sang could not afford to care about that now. Once this place became a battlefield, no restriction, however formidable, could protect them. With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang sped up, skimming across the surface of the water as fast as he could while keeping his aura concealed. He did not dare fly with reckless abandon. Judging by Xiong Li's words, after scattering, their group had been pursued by Heaven-Traversing Alliance cultivators and fled in all directions, and the Alliance cultivators had split up to hunt them down as well. If he was too conspicuous, he was very likely to be discovered. Cultivators of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance were numerous; if he fell into an encirclement, not even a magic treasure could save him.