"Let's get going as well," Ke Huofen said to his companions. "We should at least be there to help out should the need arise."
His companions did not respond, or at least not verbally. All they did was to follow silently behind him as he led the way into the narrow mountain path. In contrast, many of the traders were not as restrained, calling out excitedly behind them as they rode in on their horses.
"Thank you, and stay safe, Sir Ke!"
"Go get them, Sir Ke!"
"Let's grab a drink when you are back!"
Amidst the cheers, Fei Qing silently started towards the narrow path as well.
"Wait, Brother Fei," Cong Liexian suddenly held him back by the shoulder. "Before we go, I just want to make sure that you remember our promise."
"...I know, I won't forget about that," Fei Qing replied solemnly.
"I'll trust you on that then," Cong Liexian answered. "Let's go."
With that, the mysterious duo headed into the narrow path right behind Ke Huofen's group, much to the surprise of the others.
"Now then, I guess we wait?"
"I guess so."
"If you want to wait, I suggest waiting a little further off," the soldier guide shrugged. "This is the only exit, so I won't be surprised if any of those escaping cultivators come rushing out once the battle starts. Fresh from the battle and drowning in bloodthirst, they might just instinctively lop off the head of anyone who shows up in front of them."
Those words caused chills to run down the spines of the trailing group.
"That makes sense..."
"Let's go a little further."
"Yeah, it's not that we are afraid of dying, but we don't want to be where we could be blocking the way of the coalition members."
"Yes, yes. That's exactly it!"
The trailing group did not need much convincing to come to a consensus. But just as the group was about to start backtracking to put some distance between them and the entrance to the narrow path, a shrill laughter could be heard coming from behind them.
"Hahaha! You bunch of livestock might not be too stupid, but you certainly aren't too bright either! Do you really think that this is your backyard, where you can just come and go as you please?"
Following those words, a frail-looking man leapt down from the top of a cliff that overlooked the group, landing right behind them and effectively cutting off their escape route.
He was dressed in loose black robes, with his face partially concealed by a hood that was pulled over the top of his head. Be it on purpose or not, the hood was not long enough to cover the grin on his face. Just witnessing this eerie grin was sufficient to cause many in the trailing group to break out in a cold sweat.
The crescent moon blades in his hands were completely black in colour, and would have easily camouflaged into his loose robes if not for their metallic sheens that reflected off the final rays of light from the setting sun.
His appearance instantly turned the atmosphere cold. The height at which he leapt was not one that an ordinary mortal could survive, yet it seemed to be nothing to him.
At this point, everyone in the trailing group realised that they were in deep trouble.
"Damn it, we still got too close in the end!" the soldier guide cursed.
"That's not exactly it. You wouldn't have been able to guide them to our location if you didn't at least bring them up to here," the frail-looking man said matter-of-factly. "Your true mistake is to even decide to come on this trip in the first place!"
Everyone already had their guesses, but what he said finally confirmed his identity. By referring to this place as 'our location', he was definitely a member of the Scarlet Leaf Sect!
"Please let us go! We are not cultivators; we won't be able to harm you even if we tried!" one of the traders pleaded.
"Who knows? That might be true... or it might also not be true," the frail-looking man started walking slowly towards them. "As for what the truth really is, there's only one way to find out. If you are unable to defend yourselves, then I guess that would be the best proof that you are not cultivators!"
"Tch! Run! We need to join up with the main group!" the soldier guide shouted before running into the narrow path.
The members of the trailing group did not need to be told twice. The moment the soldier took off, they followed without hesitation. The area immediately descended into a state of chaos as everyone started fighting to be the first to enter the narrow path.
They directly abandoned the expensive wares in their carts and wagons, choosing to take the loss over being weighed down by them. Some even threw punches and kicks at others as they fought to be the first to escape.
Zhao Yunxiao Two did not act immediately, choosing to allow a small group to run ahead before following along. He did not want to be the first, and neither did he want to be the last. This way, he would have some buffer time to observe should anything unexpected happen at either end of the group.
In his heart, he silently swore at Ren Xiexing and the city lord.
This was exactly why having a public discussion about their plans was a bad idea. After doing so, it would have been more surprising if the members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect still failed to make the necessary preparations for their arrival!
But at the same time, he could not help but sense that something was amiss.
It was not surprising that the Scarlet Leaf Sect had been prepared for this. But why was the frail-looking man not attacking?
Disregarding the fact that he was a cultivator, even an ordinary mortal would have easily caught up to the trailing group by now, considering how they had to funnel through a bottleneck to escape into the narrow path. If he wanted to kill, this was the best opportunity to do so!
However, the frail-looking man actually chose to take his time on his approach, allowing the trailing group to slowly funnel into the narrow path. It was almost as though he had wanted them to escape into the narrow path in the first place...
Did the Scarlet Leaf Sect want to eliminate the entire Righteous Coalition – vanguard party, main strike force, and the trailing party – all in one fell swoop?
If that was truly the case, then they might have miscalculated a little. He did not know about the other cultivators in the main strike force, but Shadow Noble Ren Xiexing would not be easy to deal with!
His reputation as the hunter of unorthodox cultivators was the best testament to his individual combat strength. And even if the Scarlet Leaf Sect was looking to use the lives of the members of the trailing group to threaten him into surrendering, that would be unlikely to work as well.
Just from his suggestion on how they could use slaves as a vanguard party, it was clear that Shadow Noble Ren Xiexing had little regard for the lives of ordinary mortals. There was no way that someone like that could be threatened into surrendering, or at least not in such a manner!
At this point, Zhao Yunxiao felt more curious than anything else.
Just how would the Scarlet Leaf Sect deal with someone like Shadow Noble Ren Xiexing, who was not only exceedingly powerful, but also walked the grey areas between orthodoxy and not?
It was a good decision to have sent a clone instead of going personally. If he had to worry about his life, it was unlikely that he would be able to truly observe and analyse these developments with a calm mind!
As he thought through the current situation, Zhao Yunxiao Two slowly followed the panicking members of the trailing group as they rushed into the depths of the narrow mountain path. With the soldier guide leading the way, they had no need to worry about getting lost.
It did not take long for them to see hope. After passing the first crossroad, they quickly caught sight of the main strike force.
Ren Xiexing and the rest of the cultivators had been staring intently at an inconspicuous cave entrance that led into the cliff wall to their right, but their attention was instantly stolen with the appearance of the trailing group.
"Help!" the soldier guide shouted as he sprinted over to join the ranks of the cultivators. "There are members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect outside targeting us!"
The rest of the trailing group followed closely behind, only daring to stop when they were standing directly in front of the main strike force.
"Save us!"
"Stop pushing! I'm going to fall!"
"Don't just stand there and move further in! That guy's coming!"
"What's going on?" Ren Xiexing said with a frown. "Who is coming? Is it a member of the Scarlet Leaf Sect?"
"That's right! One of them waited until all of you left before appearing to cut off our escape!" the soldier guide informed.
"Fellow Cultivator Ren, please focus on the cave. I will take care of this," a member of the main strike force stepped forward.
He looked to be in his early-fifties, with short hair that was greying at the temples. However, his eyes were filled with a light of vitality, and his physique could compare favourably to just about any strong young man in their prime.
"Then I would have to trouble you for this, Fellow Cultivator Shao Chen," Ren Xiexing nodded before turning his attention back towards the cave.
"Leave it to me," Shao Chen nodded before slowly levitating into the air, his watchful eyes fixated upon the end of the trailing group that was still streaming in.
After giving him a quick scan, Zhao Yunxiao Two quickly turned his attention towards Ren Xiexing and the rest of the main strike force, then towards the cave that they were all looking at intently.
The vanguard party was nowhere to be seen. Had they already entered the cave?
But if that was the case, why was there no commotion whatsoever?
Could the Scarlet Leaf Sect members have already vacated the place? Or was it that the members of the vanguard party did not even have the opportunity to cry for help?
Or had they already cried for help before the arrival of the trailing group, just that the main strike force had reservations about rendering their assistance?
He was extremely tempted to extend his spiritual sense into the cave, but knew better than to do so.
If anything, this was the job of the main strike force.
On the other hand, he was here merely as an observer – a role that he was actually somewhat proficient in. Now, he just had to remember the duties of an observer, and refrain from acting on his own accord!
As if to answer the questions in his head, loud screams and shouts could suddenly be heard coming from within the cave, followed by the frantic re-emergence of numerous members of the vanguard party.
Their faces were pale, and their expressions desperate. Just like the members of the trailing party, all of them were trying to get one step ahead of the others as they fought to escape the confines of the cave.
It was not difficult to guess what happened within, especially since many of their clothes were now stained red with blood.
"Get ready. They should be appearing any moment now," Ren Xiexing reminded, and the rest of the cultivators could not help but tense up a little.
Just as he had expected, several figures slowly came into view from behind the escaping vanguard party. Three men – all donning loose black robes with hoods that hid more than half their faces.
They were chatting casually with one another, almost as though they were on a regular stroll. Even then, their pace was still significantly faster than the vanguard party members who were running for their lives.
With a single light step, one of them instantly caught up to an escaping old lady who had just been more than ten metres away.
Slash-!
Fresh blood spurted out from behind the old lady as the sword sliced her back open, completely exposing her bare spine. She did not even have the time to scream, falling to the ground with her eyes wide open in horror.
She was not the only one either.
The other two men similarly made their moves. Together, the three of them cut down the escaping members of the vanguard party one after another. This inevitably drew screams from the others – all of them terrified of becoming the next target.
This created quite the sight as two groups – the vanguard party and the trailing group – sprinted towards the waiting main strike force with all their might.
At this point, everyone in the main strike force turned their attention towards Ren Xiexing. Despite the deteriorating situation, nobody was willing to make a move without his cue.
Yet in the face of all that was happening, including how the members of the vanguard party continued to be cut down one by one, Ren Xiexing continued to observe in silence.