"Return our Mountain Guardian Sword!"

The three of them had no time to speak with Zhao Rui and immediately chased after Lin Han.

"This sword is a legacy of the Kongtong Sect. How could it belong to outsiders like you? What a joke."

Lin Han berated them sharply as he rapidly retreated.

He was only at the Divine Void Realm, but the Treasure Sword in his hand was incredibly mystical. After achieving Sword and Man Unity, his speed was not the least bit slower than a Dharma Master’s—perhaps even faster.

Zhao Rui watched with envy.

’If I had that Treasure Sword to go with my Purple Mansion Primordial Venerable Body... tsk, tsk, that would truly be a sight to behold, with the power to sunder heaven and earth.’

However, this was another Sect’s internal affair. As an outsider, it wasn’t appropriate for him to intervene.

If they hadn’t exposed his hiding spot just now, he would have, at most, given a covert warning. He certainly wouldn’t have spoken up.

"Sword Technique, Returning to the Origin!"

Lin Han snorted coldly. With a flick of his finger from a distance, the longsword instantly transformed into a narrow, thread-like ray of light that slashed directly toward the three pursuing Kongtong elders.

"The nerve! You learned our Sword Technique and now you dare to show it off in front of us!"

The three elders brandished their longswords, deflecting the Treasure Sword’s attack in just a few moves.

Lin Han’s goal was only to hinder their pursuit. Seeing his strike was effective, he withdrew and fled, his speed now a notch faster than before.

"Luo River Three Uglies! Six Stars Demon Dao! The Kongtong Sect has no quarrel with you, yet you help this traitor, Lin Han, and bring chaos to our sect! Do you not fear the outrage of the entire Martial Arts world?"

The three Kongtong elders, furious, bellowed at the fleeing figures.

"Old geezers of Kongtong, we didn’t want to do this either. But Brother Lin offered us too much, and we have to honor the deal. Heh heh."

"How about it? You guys can make an offer too!"

"This is infuriating! Do you truly think there is no one left in the Kongtong Sect?"

A round-faced elder among the three spat the words with hatred. He suddenly began Qi Gathering, preparing to pursue the five of them.

Before he could move, the other two stopped him. One shook his head and said, "If the three of us go after them, I fear we’ll fall for their trick to lure the tiger out of the mountains."

"Don’t forget, only six of the Nine Demons of Tianshan have shown up!"

"Then I’ll go alone."

"Junior Brother, can you defeat them by yourself? Besides, Lin Han is with them..."

"This is maddening! If I were still in my prime, how could I let vermin like the Luo River Three Uglies run so rampant?"

"The Luo River Three Uglies are no great threat. What worries me are the Nine Demons of Tianshan. I heard that the eighth and ninth were executed over at Taishan. Now, the sixth has appeared here at Kongtong. I’m afraid there’s more to this than meets the eye."

"If the Taishan Sect could eliminate them, then so can we at Kongtong."

"Junior Brother, be patient for now. Let’s wait until we’ve recovered our full strength."

"Sigh!"

With grim expressions, the three Kongtong elders walked back. Seeing Zhao Rui still in the distance, they cupped their fists and said, "I am Feihong of the Kongtong Sect. Greetings, Zhao Zhenren."

"Greetings, Feihong Zhenren."

"Zhao Zhenren, please be understanding. We have urgent matters within the Sect and were unable to split our attention to greet you. I hope you will forgive us."

The one who spoke was the leader of the three Kongtong elders, a Daoist who had the appearance of a young man.

Zhao Rui was aware of this kind of "age reversal"; it was merely a form of Divine Soul possession.

It had many drawbacks, not only consuming one’s lifespan but also suppressing one’s Power.

It wasn’t a true age reversal achieved through Cultivation.

"It’s no matter. I had a pleasant conversation with your Sect Leader and know a little about your Sect’s situation."

"Sigh. It’s shameful to admit, but if not for your warning, I’m afraid that vile disciple would have snuck up the mountain with his cronies."

"I heard you say that the Six Stars Demon Dao is also one of the Nine Demons of Tianshan?"

"The Six Stars Demon Dao, also known as the Six Stars Demon, is indeed the sixth of the Nine Demons of Tianshan. Have you heard of them as well, fellow Daoist?"

"Oh. I heard about them from rumors at the Taishan Sect. I’ve never heard of these Nine Demons or The Three Uglies before."

"Sigh. After the Gui Xu merger, they all came from the Song Realm..."

Once Feihongzi explained, Zhao Rui understood.

Previously, only the great and famous sects had enough Divine Weapons and Spiritual Treasures to build stable passages between the two realms. These figures from the Evil Sects were mostly loners and naturally lacked the resources to travel between worlds.

Moreover, the Gui Xu True Qi used to be dense, and the world was vast. For Evil Sect cultivation, it was practically a Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

Blue Star, by contrast, was barren of True Qi and had nothing to offer.

Even if some of them knew of Blue Star’s existence, they had no interest in performing charitable deeds like "helping the poor."

But things were different now.

With the merging of Returning Ruins Blue Star, they had been "passively" brought into the Blue Star realm.

Naturally, this counted as their "reemergence into the Jianghu"!

After listening to Feihongzi’s explanation, Zhao Rui couldn’t help but frown.

’If what Feihongzi said is true, then these figures from the Evil Sects are truly a major hidden danger.’

’Back at Taishan, he had thought it was simply a conflict between Mu Hua Zi of the Taishan Sect and the two demons, that they had come seeking personal revenge.’

’Looking at it now, that wasn’t the case at all.’

’First it was the Taishan Sect, and now the Kongtong Sect. There was no guarantee that Huashan, Qingcheng, Mount Emei, Shaolin, and other sects wouldn’t also be attacked by these Evil Sects.’

’To say there wasn’t a mastermind behind all this was absolutely impossible.’

’Truly, chaotic times bring out all the pests.’

’Before the invasion from the Gui Xu Great Zhou clan even arrived, these internal parasites were already starting to cause trouble.’

"Zhenren, please stay for a couple more days. After we finish our business, we will have a long chat with you!"

After speaking, Feihongzi bid farewell to Zhao Rui and hurriedly led his two junior brothers into the back mountains.

Meanwhile, Master Changkong, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, arrived late and had to learn the whole story from Zhao Rui.

"Junior Brother Lin has gone mad. Sigh!"

Master Changkong sighed. ’Couldn’t he just have focused on doing good business?’

’Did he really have to resort to all this fighting and killing!’

"Thank you very much for your help today, Zhenren!"

Master Changkong thanked him solemnly once more.

Zhao Rui offered a few humble words in return before heading back to the guest quarters to rest.

It was all a matter of coincidence.

Who knew how the Kongtong Sect would handle this situation going forward.

「The next day.」

Under the pretext of observing and learning Kongtong Martial Arts, Zhao Rui had a friendly sparring session with Master Changkong.

Master Changkong demonstrated eight different forms of Martial Arts, which was a real eye-opener for Zhao Rui.

Besides the Seven Injuries Fist, there were seven other Martial Arts, each with its own unique strengths.

One of them in particular, the Flying Dragon Swordsmanship, was quite miraculous. If cultivated to a high level, it could be combined with the Profound Celestial Sword Technique to form the Xuanlong Divine Sword Skill!

With a single slash, one’s body could transform into a celestial dragon!

Compared to a flying sword, this had a different layer of mystical power.

This was a truly unexpected delight.

Because the Kongtong Sect didn’t possess the highest level of the Flying Dragon Swordsmanship, they naturally had no way of combining it with the Profound Celestial Sword Technique.

Zhao Rui, on the other hand, obtained this level of the inheritance thanks to the system’s Support.

After a full day of sparring and gaining so much, Zhao Rui felt too embarrassed to keep taking advantage of them. The next day, he bid farewell to Sect Leader Changkong and descended Kongtong Mountain.

He planned to return to Qingcheng Mountain to check on things, as he was a little worried.

After all, numerous figures from the Evil Sects were beginning to emerge, and there was no guarantee the Qingcheng Sect wouldn’t be next.

He took the cable car down the peak, then rode in a private car provided by the Kongtong Sect to the foot of the mountain.

Only then did Zhao Rui get out of the car and begin to travel toward the Qingcheng Sect on foot.

The mountain path was rugged, but the scenery was beautiful.

As the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gradually stabilized, many plants had grown to enormous sizes.

Many old trees had also begun a second growth spurt. Not only were their branches and leaves more luxuriant, but their height and circumference had also increased significantly.

In this concentration of Spiritual Qi, it was only natural that the plants would evolve as well.

Zhao Rui’s pace was not slow. He followed the Kongtong Mountain Range, striding toward the Qingcheng Sect.

After traveling for about a hundred kilometers, a long rainbow of light suddenly streaked across the sky, stabbing straight toward him.

Zhao Rui’s brow furrowed slightly. As his eyes focused, the longsword on his back instantly shot into the air to meet the attack.

The rainbow of light was intercepted and immediately revealed its form. It was a longsword shimmering with a brilliant glow. The weapon’s divine aura was imposing and its edge was sharp, clearly no ordinary item.

"Which scoundrel dares attack? What kind of hero hides in the shadows?"

Zhao Rui shouted, though his gaze had already clearly identified his assailants.

The figures hiding not far away were none other than Lin Han and his group, who had ambushed the Kongtong Sect the night before.

"You want to meet? Easy enough!"

As the voice fell, five figures instantly descended and surrounded Zhao Rui.

Besides Lin Han, there were the Luo River Three Uglies and the Six Stars Demon Dao, who was hidden behind a mask.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Zhao Rui was slightly taken aback. ’Why are these people chasing me instead of attacking the Kongtong Sect?’