The blast faded, leaving a stench of blood in the air that made Jian Dan frown. Xiao Yue immediately rushed back to her side and stood protectively in front of her. She smiled, patted his head, and swept her divine sense across him. Xiao Yue wasn't injured at all. As for Fu Hu, there was nothing left of him but a mangled corpse.
Two from the group that had attacked her managed to escape. One of them was the man who'd exposed her as a dual cultivator of sword and body. He'd probably taken advantage of the explosion to slip away. The rest were already half-dead on the ground.
"Liu Chuan, gather up all their storage gear. That's our loot." Jian Dan's voice slipped straight into his ears through a sound transmission.
"You really don't miss a thing, woman," Liu Chuan teased, but his hands moved fast. The delicate willow branches he controlled swept over the fallen bodies, leaving nothing behind.
"Thanks. But listen, someone's watching Xiao Yue and me from the shadows. You think I wanted to stir up such a big mess? Fu Hu was the one who charged in first. If I didn't put him down hard, do you expect me to sit and wait for them to gang up on me? This way, I saved you the trouble of stepping in."
"I know."
He wasn't foolish. He understood she was right, so he finished the task swiftly and quietly.
Once it was done, Jian Dan leapt onto Xiao Yue's back. She glanced toward where the hidden watchers lurked, her lips curving in a faint smile. That single look sent chills down the spines of the observers, and they quickly dropped their gazes.
When they dared to raise their heads again, the girl and her wolf were gone, leaving only a battlefield littered with corpses.
In the shadows, there were actually two groups watching. One was the third squad that had fled earliest during Jian Dan's fight with the Tan siblings. The other was a team the Tan family had sent later, unwilling to give up. By the time they caught up, though, Fu Hu was already dead.
This time, Xiao Yue carried Jian Dan with lightning speed under her orders, shaking off every last pursuer.
"Liu Chuan, did you wipe away the marks?"
"They're gone. That guy was pretty cautious, leaving them at irregular intervals."
"No matter. We'll catch up soon."
Because of the clash with Fu Hu's squad, she'd lost a little time, and the group ahead was starting to get anxious.
After resting for an hour, Hou San urged Jian Mao and Jian Jun to move out quickly.
"Hou San, half an hour more," Jian Mao said after conferring with Jian Jun. They decided to wait a little longer.
Hou San opened his mouth, but in the end only nodded and returned to his spot.
The Bai sisters, who usually took Jian Dan's lead, also noticed something was off about him. They exchanged a glance, then casually shifted closer.
Bai Xia spoke gently, "Hou San, with Fairy Lu's strength, she'll be here soon. There's no need to be so nervous."
He nodded, still a bit distracted, but he managed to steady his nerves.
Just then, a cultivator from Cloud Sea Sect suddenly appeared before them, shouting, "Seize Hou San! He's a spy planted by those immortals. He's been leaving marks along the way and leading us in circles!"
Everyone frowned at once. The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples reacted instantly, sealing off every possible exit.
Jian Jun glanced at the Cloud Sea Sect cultivator, then lowered her eyes.
The Bai sisters, however, subtly moved to stand by Hou San's sides, shielding him while making it look like they were holding him in check.
Hou San's earlier restlessness was gone. His sharp-featured face stayed calm as he looked around. He clasped his fists before saying, "Fairy Lu ordered me to lead everyone to safety. But I found someone else had left marks along the path. I couldn't risk taking a tail with us, so I led you in circles until the culprit showed himself."
"Bullshit! I saw you planting marks with my own eyes!" the Cloud Sea Sect cultivator snapped.
"I only checked the marks to confirm my suspicion."
"Hah! You've got an answer for everything. You're not even from Lingyun Continent. Why would you care about us?"
The tension tightened like a drawn bow. All eyes turned toward Jian Jun.
"Pang Hongliang, are you certain?" Jian Jun asked.
"Of course. I checked the spot myself and found this." He pulled out a large brown-green leaf from his storage ring. Near the stem, three deep gouges were carved, two horizontal and one vertical.
The leaf was handed to Jian Jun. Jian Jing also took a look, frowning slightly but staying silent.
"Hou San, do you have anything to say?" Jian Jun's voice was still gentle.
"This wasn't me. I can swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao!" Hou San's response was immediate. He knew if the accusation stuck, no one but Fairy Lu could save him. And with her gone, of course the man chose now to strike.
"This is the Immortal Realm. Who knows if your oath will even hold here? Don't waste our time pretending." The Cloud Sea Sect cultivator pressed hard.
Jian Mao and Jian Jing exchanged glances. Neither believed Hou San had the guts to pull something like this.
"Then how do you expect me to prove it?"
"Leave our group!" The cultivator's eyes flashed with a cold light as he declared righteously. His gaze slid over to the Bai sisters, clearly meaning to drive them out as well. No one here was stupid. They all saw what he was trying to do.
Bai Xia's expression chilled. "What a big mouth you've got. We were invited by the Heavenly Sword Sect. You're neither the leader nor one of their disciples, so what right do you have to decide who stays or goes?"
She and her sister had no real need to cling to the Lingyun Continent cultivators. But if they were going to leave, it would be by their own choice, not because someone forced them out.
"What's your rush to push us away? What's your real motive?"