Chapter 95: All Are Xuanzhou People

During a brief stop for observation, Shi Chun suddenly asked, "I heard that the Su Yuan Sect leads Xuanzhou, gathering all the large and small sects there. I'm wondering, are there truly no exceptions among the sects in Xuanzhou? Are all of them genuinely willing to be pawns of the Su Yuan Sect?"

The three members of the Yu Ling Sect were unsure why he asked this. The leader replied, "That's impossible. There are always many sects, in any region, that merely go through the motions or just make up the numbers."

Shi Chun said, "Are there any uncooperative sects in Xuanzhou that you know of? If so, tell me one. It would save me the trouble of searching later."

The man with the injured hip asked suspiciously, "Why do you need this?"

Shi Chun refused to answer. "Gentlemen, as I said before, afterward, we go our separate ways. Whatever we do, just pretend you don't know anything. I think it's best if you don't know too much. That way, if anything goes wrong, we won't have to suspect you. Don't you agree?"

His words were indeed somewhat ambiguous, but the three men seemed to understand, and wisely refrained from probing further.

The leader said, "Yes, there are uncooperative ones. There's a sect in Xuanzhou called 'Youxia Mountain' that didn't get involved in the trials."

Shi Chun murmured, "How did you know, brave sir?"

The leader chuckled, "They were hiding in a cave, and we stumbled upon them by accident. They took off their black masks to show us their sincerity, saying they were a small sect, unintentionally involved, and had come out of necessity, planning to hide until the assembly ended."

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged a look, thinking that these Yu Ling Sect fellows were no good either, and must have robbed those people.

Because of this, Shi Chun pressed further, "Did you kill them?"

The leader replied, "No, we didn't. Once we confirmed they didn't have any Vermin Extremity Crystals, there was no need to act. If nothing unexpected happened, they should still be hiding there. If you two want to find them, we still remember the approximate location."

Hearing this, Shi Chun felt a little relieved, fearing these men might not have finished the job thoroughly and forced the Youxia Mountain people into the Xuanzhou alliance. He calmly responded, "Good. After we deal with those scoundrels pursuing us, we'll trouble you three to show us the way."

"No problem," the three nodded. The group didn't linger. After a brief observation, they continued their journey.

This time, they didn't go too far. After about a quarter of an hour, they quickly ducked behind a ridge, then crawled low behind a pile of dirt clods on top to observe. They saw a group of people vaguely sitting and resting in the shaded area at the foot of the mountain ahead.

From a distance, they couldn't clearly see the faces of the people, but the three members of the Yu Ling Sect all confirmed it. "It looks like them." "No doubt, it's them." "That's right, the numbers match too."

Hearing this, Shi Chun raised his hand, drew his blade from behind him, and repeatedly confirmed, "Gentlemen, are you absolutely certain? We only want revenge, not to kill innocents."

The one with the chest injury said, "Absolutely no mistake, it's them."

The leader stated, "If we are mistaken, we will offer our heads as apology."

Wu Jinliang interjected, "Then you must be mistaken—" Before he finished speaking, he flipped his saber, and the large blade descended like a floodgate. Of the three men who turned their heads in unison, not understanding his words, the one nearest to him, with an injured arm, was instantly struck across the chest, gushing blood.

The leader was shocked. Just as he was about to spring up, he heard a whooshing sound behind him. Then, his vision spun. Shi Chun had already moved, severing his head with a single strike.

Only the one with the chest injury, in utter shock, sprang up and drew his sword in mid-air, slashing towards Shi Chun, who was charging close behind.

This scene sent shivers down Wu Jinliang's spine. He had already learned on the way that these three Yu Ling Sect members were all peak-level martial artists. Although heavily injured, seeing Shi Chun rush forward to clash head-on still made his heart pound.

Clang! The clash of saber and sword produced an unusually muffled bang.

Wu Jinliang's brow twitched again. "Good heavens," he thought, "Shi Chun is actually holding his own in a head-on clash with a peak-level master!"

Little did he know, Shi Chun had actually intended to find a peak-level master to test himself against. After hearing about the trio's cultivation levels on the way, he harbored this thought, wanting to see the true power of his "Demon-Slaying Saber." Clashing with a healthy peak-level cultivator might be risky, but facing an injured one was perfect.

After that first strike, he didn't feel the expected force from a peak-level master, nor was he at a disadvantage. His courage swelled. With this newfound strength, he became even more confident in their subsequent actions.

The man with the chest injury, seeing he gained no advantage after one exchange, dared not stay. Already terrified, he immediately used the force of the clash to turn and flee.

Shi Chun had anticipated his escape. A peak-level martial artist's escape speed was beyond his pursuit. He flipped his hand, instantly deploying a second-grade 'Immobilization Talisman.' If he hadn't wanted to test his strength with a clash, he would have done so much earlier.

After the talisman shot out, the man, shaken and falling back, tucked one leg up. Seeing him in a 'golden rooster stands on one leg' pose, Wu Jinliang instantly darted out, struck his foot with a palm, and forcefully pushed him away. As the man fell back onto the dirt clod, Shi Chun lunged towards him.

A mere second-grade Immobilization Talisman couldn't hold a peak-level martial artist. As the man with the chest injury was immobilized and falling to the ground, he flexed his arms, breaking free from the talisman's restraint, shattering the paper into smithereens.

However, Shi Chun only needed to briefly delay his escape speed. Seizing this opportunity, he brought his saber down in an overhead strike from mid-air.

The man, looking up, had not yet landed, but he urgently swung his sword to parry.

Thud! Another explosive sound. As saber and sword parted, and their bodies collided, the man unleashed a full-force punch upwards, aiming it at Shi Chun.

From his spot on the dirt clod, Wu Jinliang looked up. He saw one figure soaring through the air, already above them, followed quickly by several more flashing into view. He couldn't help but be surprised: "How did they arrive so fast?"

At this moment, Shi Chun had no mind for anything else. Without dodging or evading, he flipped his hand and unleashed his 'Demon-Breaking Hand' technique, meeting the incoming punch with a palm strike of his own.

Given his cultivation level, how could he dare to clash head-on with a peak-level master? The 'Demon-Breaking Hand' and 'Demon-Slaying Saber' techniques originate from the same core art, hence their similar effects. When he was falsely accused of theft in Zhixu City and fought his accuser, a cultivator of similar standing, there was a reason he could forcefully break free from his opponent's entanglement with a single palm. Before reaching peak-level martial arts, his external energy projection was limited; he could barely protect himself, and its power was very limited, unable to affect external objects. Now, he can infuse it into his weapon, and his own body is also much stronger.

Having tested the waters with that earlier head-on saber clash, he no longer feared clashing with the opponent using his fists and palms.

Thud! Another unusual explosive sound. The attacking man's face contorted. The moment his fist met the palm, he felt an explosive force shattering his attack. Then, his fist took a solid hit from the opponent's palm, and his arm was knocked away. He could feel that the opponent's cultivation wasn't high, yet a strange destructive power surged into his arm. That power seemed to instantly reach his very soul, a pain that felt as if it could tear his spirit apart, almost making him scream.

Before he could recover, Shi Chun raised his saber again, spinning in mid-air and delivering a diagonal slash.

Boom! After that strike, flesh and blood flew everywhere. Normally, a single strike would just cut someone in half, but this man actually exploded into four pieces, like a crimson firework blooming in the air.

Wu Jinliang watched, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. "Has Shi Chun become this powerful?" he wondered. When his chief decided to do this, Wu Jinliang knew he must have some confidence, or he wouldn't have cooperated. He just hadn't expected it to be by such a brutal, head-on method that a peak-level martial artist was eliminated.

As scattered flesh and blood fell to the ground, Shi Chun, saber held horizontally, landed as well. The figures who had been flashing in the air also landed one after another.

The newcomers, who had witnessed the final deadly scene, silently scrutinized Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang.

The two also glanced at the group of newcomers. Shi Chun suddenly raised his saber, gesturing around at them. "So you have backup! No wonder you were so arrogant, you Yingzhou ruffians! I don't have time to waste on you. Come at me, all of you!"

Wu Jinliang also held his saber horizontally in front of him, wiping the blood from the blade with his fingertip, and chuckled menacingly, "It seems my saber will drink its fill of blood today! Who wants to be the first to die?"

The newcomers, seeing his large saber, already felt an extraordinary chill. Then, they looked at the corpses beside him and recognized them by their clothes as the ones they had previously fought. Seeing their faces confirmed it. From the moment they heard the commotion to the end of the fight, it had been incredibly fast. They knew very well that these Yu Ling Sect members were not easy to deal with; otherwise, their dozen or so men wouldn't have let them escape so easily. But these two in front of them had dispatched all three in such a short time. Their strength was obvious, no wonder they dared to challenge them all at once. With such formidable power, how could they dare to charge all at once, even if they outnumbered them?

A burly, bearded man in a blue robe waved his hand and said, "Gentlemen, you've misunderstood. We are not from Yingzhou; we are from Xuanzhou. We only came to see what was happening after hearing the sounds of fighting. We are absolutely not their accomplices." As he spoke, he deliberately rolled up his sleeve and showed them the medallion on his wrist. Not just him, but several others also rolled up their sleeves and displayed their medallions.

Seeing this, Shi Chun finally raised his hand and sheathed his saber behind him. "So, you're also from Xuanzhou. Junior Brother, never mind. We're all from Xuanzhou. Let's go."

"Hmph," Wu Jinliang scoffed, shaking blood from his large saber. He swung it over his shoulder with one hand and leaped to land beside Shi Chun.

The blue-robed bearded man quickly asked, "Are you two also from Xuanzhou?"

Shi Chun calmly replied, "Fuzi of Youxia Mountain, Xuanzhou."

The newcomers exchanged glances, each looking thoughtful. Clearly, they were unfamiliar with this sect. With so many sects participating, it was normal not to remember them all. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang also observed their reactions, preparing to respond. They were ready for the possibility that someone among the Xuanzhou group might recognize them.

"So, you are esteemed disciples of Youxia Mountain," the blue-robed bearded man said, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, then promptly invited them, "Since we are all part of the Xuanzhou contingent for this assembly, why not join our group? We could look out for each other."

Shi Chun calmly replied, "Do you think my junior brother and I need your protection?"

His words were a little cutting, but against masters, people tend to be more tolerant. Naturally, the blue-robed bearded man retorted, "Our group is more than just us few. Most of the Xuanzhou forces are acting together, led by the Su Yuan Sect."

"What about the Su Yuan Sect? If they get the Vermin Extremity Crystals, will they share them with me? I don't have a habit of being anyone's dog." Shi Chun then pointed at the corpses on the ground. "These blind fools, I don't know what potion they took that made them act as if they had a grudge against Xuanzhou. We didn't provoke them, yet when they saw we were from Xuanzhou, they started howling about killing us. They were sick in the head! This is the consequence of being so blind!"