Among these three people, one had a calm demeanor and wore black clothes, another was dressed in luxurious robes with a frivolous look in his eyes, and the last was a woman in her thirties, still retaining some charm.
"Oh, it's Brother Xun, a disciple of Master Suipo. What a coincidence!" the woman surnamed Liu said with a charming smile as she saw these three disciples of Master Suipo.
But the three black-clothed cultivators opposite her coldly scrutinized them, their faces showing some somberness.
The woman among them even asked with a hostile expression, "Coincidence? Why are you two Yu Ling Sect sisters sneaking into Yue State instead of staying in Yuanwu Kingdom? Do you look down on our Ghost Spirit Sect?"
"Sister Lin, you've misunderstood. Sister Han and I came to Yue State under our master's orders. The matter was urgent, so we didn't have time to inform your sect. Moreover, we will only stay in Yue State for a few days and then leave, meaning no disrespect," the woman surnamed Liu explained with a light laugh.
"No matter the reason for your visit to Yue State, I won't pry. I only have one question: did you go to the Taiyue Mountain Range a few days ago to retrieve something?" The black-clothed cultivator asked emotionlessly, his eyes fixed on the woman surnamed Liu.
"Taiyue Mountain! Are you referring to the Taiyue Mountain Range, where the former Huangfeng Valley of the Seven Sects of Yue State was located?" Han Yunzhi asked with a slightly puzzled look.
"So, you really did go there," the black-clothed cultivator said expressionlessly, though a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Hearing this, the elegant scholar and the woman next to him also showed signs of hostility.
Han Yunzhi and the woman surnamed Liu exchanged a look, both realizing the underlying animosity in the other's words.
However, their group had never been to Taiyue Mountain. They had only been using a technique to remotely sense the position of the spiritual infant and knew that the cultivator with the restricted spiritual infant had stayed in the Taiyue Mountain area for about half a day.
So, the woman surnamed Liu quickly thought of an excuse and said, "We haven't been to Taiyue Mountain, but a hundred miles behind us, there is a cultivator who stayed there for a while, roughly the time you mentioned. Brother Xun, are you perhaps looking for this person?"
"A hundred miles behind? Sister Liu, are you making this up? How would you know if someone stayed in Taiyue Mountain? Is he also a cultivator from your sect?" the scholar in luxurious robes asked with a playful smile after his eyes had roved over the two women's bodies.
"Brother Que, you jest. We wouldn't dare deceive you while in Yue State. If you don't believe me, I can swear to it, and you can go check yourself. We don't know the person. As for how we know this, it's a bit complicated. We have urgent matters to attend to now, but I can explain it in detail to you later," the woman surnamed Liu said with a slightly flushed face, looking charmingly at the scholar.
Seeing her expression, the black-clothed cultivator frowned, feeling half-skeptical.
After a moment's thought, his expression softened, and he said, "If it were an ordinary matter, I would naturally trust you. But this time, our sixth junior brother and some of his subordinates were killed in the Taiyue Mountains, leaving no trace behind. This has angered our master greatly. I checked the recent entries of high-level cultivators into Yue State, and only your group's movements seemed suspicious. Since you claim that the person behind you stayed in Taiyue Mountain, why don't you come with us for a confrontation? I want to see who this person is. If he is indeed the killer, I will reward you handsomely afterward." The black-clothed cultivator's words, though seemingly casual, were accompanied by a tightening encirclement by the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples.
Seeing this situation, the woman surnamed Liu's face changed slightly. Just as she was about to say something, her expression suddenly changed, and she looked back in shock.
Everyone felt a powerful and cold divine sense descending from the sky, enveloping them completely. Though they hadn't seen the person, the cold and hostile intent was palpable.
"It's a Nascent Soul stage cultivator! You said this person was a Nascent Soul stage elder and tried to deceive us into our deaths!" the charming woman exclaimed in anger and fear.
"Enough talk! Split up and flee. Whoever can escape should do so," the black-clothed cultivator said sternly. He transformed into a streak of black light and fled first.
"But that person might not be the killer of our sixth junior brother. There's no need to be so fearful," the scholar hesitated, but the woman next to him scoffed, "If you want to risk your life, go ahead. I won't accompany you!" She turned into a red light and shot off in another direction.
The scholar looked furious, but after a hateful glance at the Yu Ling Sect disciples, he also flew away.
The remaining Yu Ling Sect disciples, seeing this, naturally scattered in a panic.
The terror of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator left them with no will to resist.
"This group is useless. They not only failed to help but also wasted our time for escape," the woman surnamed Liu muttered angrily.
"No, the situation is better now. With these people as cover, our chances of escape have increased. Let's each rely on our fate," Han Yunzhi said calmly, patting her spirit beast pouch. A large white bird appeared in the air.
The woman surnamed Liu and the other Yu Ling Sect disciples quickly adjusted their routes, either fleeing directly on their magic instruments or releasing flying spirit beasts like Han Yunzhi to escape.
The only commonality was that they all fled alone, in different directions, to avoid being targeted by the pursuing cultivator.
In an instant, the area was empty of people.
Their thought was that even if the Nascent Soul stage cultivator was fast, he couldn't catch all of them, allowing most to escape with their lives.
Han Li, now within a hundred miles, had sensed the situation. Seeing the additional group of demonic cultivators, he was slightly puzzled.
But as both groups scattered, he frowned, finding it a bit tricky.
With a cold expression, Han Li took a deep breath. Thunder sounded behind him, and silver arcs of lightning danced, revealing a pair of silver wings.
With the Demonic Thunder injected into his Wind and Thunder Wings, Han Li disappeared in an arc of lightning, reappearing several miles away.
Repeating this Thunder Escape technique, Han Li's figure flickered closer to the spot where the cultivators had separated.
Without expression, he extended his divine sense, quickly locating all the fleeing demonic cultivators.
The farthest was over fifty miles away, while the nearest was just ten miles off.
With a cold laugh, Han Li locked onto the farthest Core Formation stage cultivator, then disappeared in a flash of lightning.
The furthest fleeing person was not the black-clothed cultivator but the charming woman in her thirties.
She had used some peculiar technique, despite her Core Formation early stage cultivation. Covered in red light and jumping spirit flames, she moved like a fiery spirit, transforming into a huge fireball.
Around the fireball, several bands of green light extended from her body, propelling her a dozen feet with each move at an astonishing speed.
Feeling quite pleased with herself, she believed her escape technique, enhanced by her wind-attributed treasure, "Floating Spirit Band," rivaled even Nascent Soul cultivators in speed.
Confident that she was the most likely to escape unscathed, she suddenly heard a distant "rumbling" sound. Though faint and far away, it made her freeze and turn back in the red light.
