As they paused to observe on the journey, Shi Chun suddenly asked, "I've heard that Xuan Prefecture, led by the Primordial Origin Sect, gathers large and small factions from the region. I wonder if truly every faction in Xuan Prefecture is willing to be the vanguard for the Primordial Origin Sect?"
The three from the Jade Spirit Sect were unsure why he asked this.
The man leading the group said, "That's impossible. In any prefecture, there are always those factions just going through the motions."
Shi Chun continued, "Are there any factions in Xuan Prefecture that stand apart, ones that you're aware of? If there are, tell me just to save me the trouble of finding out later."
The man with the injured arm asked suspiciously, "Why do you need to know that?"
Shi Chun refused to answer, "Gentlemen, as I've said before, once this is over, we'll each go our separate ways. Whatever we do, pretend you know nothing. It's best not to know too much so that if something goes wrong, we won't suspect you. Wouldn't you agree?"
This statement made them slightly puzzled, yet all three understood and smartly refrained from probing further.
The leader said, "There are some, indeed. There's a faction called the Wandering Mist Mountain Sect that hasn't gotten involved."
Shi Chun nodded, "And how do you know this, brave man?"
The leader laughed, "We stumbled upon them hiding in a cave. They removed the black cloth bags from their bodies to show their intentions, saying they are a small faction with no interest in participating and just want to hide until the gathering ends."
Shi Chun exchanged a glance with Wu Jinliang, thinking that these fellows from the Jade Spirit Sect were definitely up to no good, likely trying to rob them.
For this reason, Shi Chun asked, "Did you kill them?"
The leader replied, "No, we didn't. They didn't have any Insect Essence Crystals, so there was no need to act. They should still be hiding there, and if you want to find them, we remember their approximate location."
Hearing this, Shi Chun felt somewhat relieved, fearing these people might push the Wandering Mist Mountain folks into joining the Xuan Prefecture group if they killed them.
He replied calmly, "Alright, once we deal with those scoundrels chasing you, we'll trouble you to show us the way."
"Of course," the three nodded.
The group didn't stay long, continued their journey after a brief observation.
They didn't travel far this time.
After a while, they quickly ducked behind a ridge, climbed up a pile of dirt, and lay low to observe.
They saw a group of people resting in the shade at the foot of the mountain in the distance.
Although the distance made it hard to see their faces, the three from Jade Spirit Sect confirmed confidently.
"It seems to be them."
"It can't be wrong; that's them."
"Yes, their number matches."
Hearing this, Shi Chun pulled out a knife and asked for confirmation, "Make sure it's them; we want revenge, not indiscriminate killing."
The man with a chest injury said, "It is them."
The leader added, "If we're wrong, we'll offer our lives in apology."
Wu Jinliang responded, "Then you must be mistaken."
With that, the knife flashed, and he slashed the nearest one's wounded arm, blood splattering.
The leader was shocked and was about to jump up when he heard the sound of a blade behind him, then felt his vision spinning.
Shi Chun followed with a slash, cutting off his head.
Only the man with the chest injury leaped away in shock, drawing his sword to slash at Shi Chun, who pursued closely.
Witnessing this, Wu Jinliang was startled.
He already knew from their journey that these three from Jade Spirit Sect were in the Advanced Martial Realm, and despite their injuries, confronting them head-on unnerved him a bit.
Clang! The clash of sword and saber rang out unusually loud.
Wu Jinliang's brows twitched again.
Goodness, Shi Chun was trading blows evenly with an Advanced Martial expert.
What he didn't realize was that Shi Chun had intentionally sought an Advanced Martial expert to test himself, curious about the true strength of his "Void Demon Blade."
Facing an uninjured expert might have been risky, but against a heavily injured one, it was a perfect opportunity.
After the initial clash, not sensing the expected impact of an Advanced Martial fighter, gaining confidence, he felt emboldened.
With this strength, the assurance for future tasks grew.
The injured man realized he gained no advantage in the exchange and immediately turned to flee, especially since fear had taken over.
Shi Chun had anticipated his escape.
He wasn't fast enough to catch the escape of an Advanced Martial expert, so he quickly pulled out a second-tier Immobilization Talisman.
If he wanted to ensure a clean hit, he would have started with this.
After activating the talisman, Shi Chun collected himself, pausing.
Though the talisman didn't fully immobilize an Advanced Martial expert, it slightly delayed his escape long enough.
Taking advantage of this moment, Shi Chun swung down fiercely with his blade.
The man, seeing the gleaming knife, barely managed to raise his sword to block in time.
Clang! Another bizarrely loud noise split the air as blade and sword separated.
As their bodies collided on the first exchange, the man punched with full force upwards to strike Shi Chun.
Wu Jinliang, from his vantage point, watched in shock.
Above, shapes began appearing rapidly.
How did they come so fast?
In the heat of the moment, Shi Chun had no distraction.
Instead of dodging, he unleashed the "Demon-Severing Palm," fully confident in the elemental energy enhancing both weapon and body defenses.
Bang! A strange clash as fist and palm met.
The man's expression changed drastically.
Amidst the clash, an explosive force brushed away his attack, slamming Shi Chun’s palm against his own fist, shattering his defenses.
A strange invasive force tore through his mind and meridians, nearly splitting his soul apart, a sensation he couldn’t comprehend.
Before he could recover, Shi Chun pivoted, launching into another downward slash.
Boom! The man burst into four pieces as if detonating into a blood-colored explosion in midair.
Wu Jinliang stared, agape.
Shi Chun had reached such a fearsome level of prowess?
His decision to cooperate was based on confidence, yet the sheer raw might he saw now shocked even him.
As bloody remains hit the ground, Shi Chun landed, still clutching the horizontal blade.
Others rapidly descended where the fight concluded.
The onlookers traded glances between Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, equally stunned by the swift execution they had just witnessed.
Shi Chun coolly turned his blade towards the newcomers, scanning the crowd.
"So, you have reinforcements, I see. No wonder you act so brazenly. You scoundrels from Ying Prefecture, I don't have time for this nonsense. Come, let's fight!"
Wu Jinliang, raising his blade to eye-level with a grim smile, taunted, "Seems my blade seeks its fill of blood today. Which one of you wants to die first?"
The newcomers, seeing Wu Jinliang's large blade and noting the fallen men's attire, recognized these were the same three they had previously faced.
From the fight noises to the fast finish, they knew these Jade Spirit experts weren't easy prey.
After all, it had taken dozens of them working together previously to chase them off.
Now, witnessing the duo disposing of them in such a short time, they understood the terrifying skill level before them.
Even with greater numbers, confronting them directly seemed folly.
The mustached, blue-shirted leader cut in, "Gentlemen, there's been a misunderstanding. We're not from Ying Prefecture. We're from Xuan Prefecture. We heard the skirmish and came to investigate. Absolutely not their allies."
He raised his sleeve to reveal the token on his bracelet.
Others followed his gesture, revealing their tokens too.
Seeing this, Shi Chun sheathed his sword, "Ah, also from Xuan Prefecture. Brother, let it go; they're our fellow prefecture men. Let’s leave."
"Indeed."
Wu Jinliang wiped his blade and hoisted it over his shoulder, taking a leap to Shi Chun's side.
The blue-shirted man quickly asked, "You two are also from Xuan Prefecture?"
Shi Chun replied casually, "Disciples of Wandering Mist Mountain Sect."
The newcomers exchanged glances with puzzled expressions.
It was clear they weren't familiar with the sect, understandable due to the many attending factions.
They were ready for someone from the Xuan circle to recognize them.
"Ah, distinguished disciples of Wandering Mist Mountain," the blue-shirted man acknowledged politely, though with evident curiosity.
He then invited, "Since we're all of Xuan Prefecture, why not join us? It's safer together."
Shi Chun calmly countered, "Do you think my brother and I need your safety?"
A statement that, while blunt, was delivered with an authority hard to challenge.
Of course, the blue-shirted man retorted mildly, "We’re not just a few. Most of Xuan Prefecture operates in unison, led by the Primordial Origin Sect."
Meaning: now do you consider aligning worth your while?
"Primordial Origin Sect, huh? And will they share the spoils if they get those Insect Essence Crystals? I'm not a fan of being someone's lackey," Shi Chun declared, gesturing to the bodies.
"These fools went for us with hostility, same as you guys, not like we provoked them. This is what happens when you're blind."
(End of chapter)