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They found an inn in a town and rested for two days. The group had already changed out of their Wuhua Sect robes, disguising themselves as ordinary merchants. They then leisurely traveled south, this time not traveling by night but hiring a carriage to enjoy the scenery along the way, which was both discreet and relaxing.
Xunuo knew that no matter how powerful their pursuers were, it was impossible for them to have eyes everywhere in Mengzhou. For the past few days, their enemies would likely have concentrated their efforts and manpower around Qingyang City and Wuhua Mountain. Therefore, they should be safe here.
After traveling south for ten days, they finally changed direction and headed east directly towards Wuhua Mountain. Along the way, they heard some rumors. It was said that there was a fierce conflict between Wuhua Sect and Nanyue Sect near Wuhua Mountain and Qingyang City, with both sides resorting to underhanded tactics. Although neither side had revealed their identities, some smaller sects in Mengzhou were aware of who was involved in the fighting. They strictly forbade their disciples from entering that area, fearing that those caught in the crossfire might lose their lives without question and that their sects would be recorded in the enemy's ledger.
Such rumors from the martial world were often unreliable. Moreover, some teahouses and taverns exaggerated the situation, depicting it as a decisive battle between the two sects. They claimed that Wuhua Sect's Seven Star Sword Formation clashed with Nanyue Sect's Guardian Elder in Qingyang City. Hearing such imaginative tales made Xunuo feel overwhelmed.
Xunuo knew that the Seven Star Sword Formation would never leave the mountain. This meant that Wuhua Sect had to keep at least seven disciples capable of forming the Seven Star Sword Formation to guard the mountain gate at all times. The Seven Star Sword Formation was Wuhua Sect's highest skill and its ultimate safeguard.
Currently, however, the second-generation disciples of Wuhua Sect were not yet capable of independently activating the Seven Star Sword Formation. This meant that Wuhua Sect could only deploy one formation at a time. Thus, it was impossible for the Seven Star Sword Formation to descend from the mountain. As for the two sects clashing near Wuhua Mountain and Qingyang City, they were likely hiding their identities and striking covertly, primarily focusing on finding those few who had escaped their encirclement.
Jiang Tiesuo felt deeply attached to his sect; upon hearing this news, he wished he could fly back to Wuhua Mountain immediately. He became anxious. Xunuo analyzed his thoughts for everyone and managed to calm Jiang Tiesuo down before continuing on their planned route towards Wuhua Mountain.
As they gradually approached Wuhua Mountain, more accurate information began to emerge. Not only were there some covert actions taking place between the two sides, but there had also been several open confrontations with real weapons drawn. Two Hall Masters from Wuhua Sect had come down to oversee matters, while several high-ranking members from Nanyue Sect had also arrived.
After several skirmishes on Wuhua Sect's territory, where they enjoyed geographical advantages and superior numbers, Wuhua Sect gained a significant upper hand. Nanyue Sect saw no opportunity to exploit. Originally, they intended to strike secretly and ambush Xunuo; now it had turned into an open conflict between both sides. Although Nanyue Sect was much stronger than Wuhua Sect, they were not prepared to completely swallow them up nor did they believe they could break through Wuhua Sect's Seven Star Sword Formation. Ultimately, they had no choice but to withdraw from Wuhua Sect's sphere of influence.
Upon receiving this news, Xunuo and his companions finally breathed a sigh of relief. They calculated that they would be able to return to the mountain in just two days' time. Upon reaching a larger town, they found a restaurant and ordered a table full of delicious dishes to celebrate Wuhua Sect's recent victory as well as their own escape.
While they were enjoying their meal, suddenly a sound of hooves echoed from outside before stopping in front of the tavern.
Xunuo thought for a moment before slightly releasing his Divine Sense. Throughout their journey, he had kept his Divine Sense fully extended only while traveling through wilderness or resting in secluded places. However, when arriving at densely populated towns, he refrained from extending it further for fear of encountering someone with higher martial prowess; probing with his Divine Sense would be an obvious provocation.
Moreover, since they were nearing Wuhua Mountain, he didn't believe anyone would dare provoke them there. Thus, he hadn't released his Divine Sense in recent days.
Now that Xunuo let his Divine Sense out, his expression changed drastically. The five of them were on the second floor at a table by the window eating. Xunuo pushed open the window and said urgently, "Get on your horses; we need to head towards Wuhua Mountain."
Several people were taken aback by Xunuo's actions. Upon closer inspection, they noticed Xunuo's serious expression and realized something was wrong.
Jing Lide wasn't particularly skilled, but he was quick to react. He glanced at Xunuo, then leaped off the windowsill. The others followed suit, jumping down from the building.
Below, four horses were tied up, and a waiter was leading them toward the courtyard. Chaykov was still searching for his carriage, while Jing Lide had already mounted one of the horses and was heading east. Xunuo grabbed Chaykov by the collar and tossed him onto a horse, scolding, "Glutton, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
In an instant, Jiang Tiesuo and Nangong Changjian also mounted their horses and followed Jing Lide.
The waiter saw five people jump down from the building, four of whom had stolen horses, leaving only one young man behind. He thought they were trying to skip out on their bill and steal from the customers. Seeing one person still remaining, he reached out to grab him.
Xunuo swiftly dodged and turned to chase after the horses. However, he didn't run fast enough, allowing the waiter to catch up. After running a few hundred steps without gaining on them, he realized he had been tricked and shouted loudly.
Suddenly, four more people jumped down from the tavern. Two were older men—one in a red robe and the other in a blue robe—while the two younger ones wore black clothing.
The Red Robe Man spotted Xunuo and his companions from a distance, his eyes wide like copper bells. He simply said one word: "Chase," before taking off after them.
In no time at all, four horses and five people had left the town behind, kicking up dust as they hit the main road.
As Xunuo used his Divine Sense to probe ahead, he recognized who was coming and didn’t look back; he just kept his head down and ran. Jiang Tiesuo and the others turned back to look and immediately turned pale.
The two young black-clad men had fallen behind, but the two Robe Men were getting closer. Especially the one in red; he was a formidable opponent who had struck Xunuo in Qingyang City. If he caught up with them, none of the five would stand a chance against him.
Xunuo sped up to catch up with Jing Lide and asked, "Do you have a way to shake them off?"
Jing Lide replied, "There's a suspension bridge about two miles ahead. If we can destroy it after crossing the river, we might survive."
Upon hearing this, Xunuo said, "You all just focus on crossing the bridge."
Jing Lide immediately hung the Horse-Cutting Blade on his back and said to Jiang Tiesuo, who was following closely behind, "You all follow Jing Lide across the bridge and head straight to Wuhua Mountain. I will destroy the bridge from behind."
Nangong Changjian replied, "Master Lu should cross the bridge first; I will destroy the bridge to cut off their pursuit."
Xunuo spat, "Do you think I'm going to my death? If you destroy the bridge, how will you survive and return to Wuhua Mountain? Enough with the nonsense; I have my own way to escape."
The others had been following Xunuo for over ten days and were aware of his extraordinary abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ridden off while leaving Xunuo behind. So upon hearing Xunuo's words, they felt reassured and continued to follow Jing Lide.
Xunuo trailed behind the four horses but inwardly lamented. Logically speaking, no matter how strong a person was, they couldn't outrun a horse. However, for someone with exceptional martial arts skills, it wasn't difficult to catch up to galloping horses over a short distance using True Qi.
Behind him, two Gowned Men gathered their Inner Strength and sprinted forward, gradually closing the distance between them.
Xunuo thought it might be better to lead the enemies away so that Jiang Tiesuo and the others could escape first. He was confident in his ability to shake off his pursuers with his speed.
But then he reconsidered. If these two experts split up in pursuit, he would be safe, but his disciples would have no chance of survival. This group of five had traveled halfway across Mengzhou and were on the verge of escaping when they could be ambushed right in front of his own door. Xunuo felt a deep sense of unwillingness. If they were in Qingyang City, he would feel more at ease splitting up to escape. But now, he was determined to fight back. He wouldn't abandon his disciples until the very last moment.
Just then, as he ran through a grove of trees, Xunuo spotted a chestnut tree ahead, laden with ripe chestnuts. The early autumn fruits were plump and robust, their outer shells resembling sharp quills of a startled hedgehog.
Xunuo's heart stirred at the sight. He bit down on the Horse-Cutting Blade and removed his Long Robe. He dashed to the tree and gathered his True Qi before delivering a powerful kick against the trunk. Chestnuts fell like rain, and Xunuo used his Long Robe to scoop up a bundle of them. Then he turned around and flicked his Long Robe backward.
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