Leaving the room with an apathetic Chikara, Akeno's clone moved toward the exit as quickly and discreetly as possible.
He could use Reibi's power to sense the hundreds of negative emotions coming from various directions.
If he were caught, Chikara would certainly not make it out alive.
For Akeno, this was a rescue mission above all else.
Navigating through the dark corridors toward the exit, they didn't encounter any demonic cultivators.
Passing through the hatch the clone had used to enter, Chikara saw the hundred clones of Akeno waiting calmly at the entrance.
Initially surprised, Chikara then spotted Kaede and the others, feeling relieved to see them unharmed.
"You need to leave. My main body, along with the main force of the branch, is arriving. Go find them," Akeno instructed.
Giving the group a direction, the clone—still disguised as a demonic cultivator—returned to the underground base, looking for an opportunity to cause destruction.
Not lingering in place, the children ran, accompanied by one of Akeno's clones, heading toward the others.
...
Inside the base, Mo Tian, his group, and the disguised clones following him had gathered in a large hall where several demonic cultivators were drinking and gambling, their laughter mingling with the scent of alcohol.
Mo Tian was visibly more relaxed and began to recover his lost Qi.
"What do we do about those things that chased us?" one of his men asked, seeing him resting without alerting anyone.
Throwing an irritated glance, Mo Tian answered with undisguised anger, "Shut up. Our job is done. If they followed us, then the mayor will deal with it. He should be waiting in the wooden house next to the hatch."
Silently listening to Mo Tian's words, Akeno's clones weren't as composed as they appeared.
"How did I not sense him!? I need to warn the others!"
With Reibi's ability, Akeno and his clones should have been able to sense the negative emotions of all living beings around them. So how had the mayor escaped his detection?
Akeno didn't believe the mayor had reached a level where he could completely suppress all negative emotions. It had to be something else...
Slipping toward the exit, thirteen clones prepared to flood the entire hall before leaving.
Noticing that no one was paying attention to them, they positioned themselves at the only entrance and exit of the hall and weaved hand signs.
"Suiton – Great Water Mass!"
Spitting torrents of high-pressure water into the hall, the water level quickly rose, propelling those near the entrance backward.
"What the hell!?"
"Where is all this water coming from!?"
Realizing the severity of the situation, several cultivators tried to push against the current to escape the hall.
If they remained, the water level could fill the entire hall and drown them.
But against twelve high-pressure water jets, the cultivators in the hall couldn't approach the entrance, no matter how hard they tried.
The water being expelled was purely chakra-based, created by the clones. The moment the clones stopped the technique, the water would instantly disappear.
At the back of the hall, Mo Tian thought of the people who had chased them and guessed they were behind this attack.
"Those dogs!"
While the twelve clones produced as much water as possible, the thirteenth finished weaving his seals and extended his hand toward the water.
"Raiton – Lightning!"
...
Outside, the mayor watched through the window of the ruined house as a small army of clones surrounded the hatch.
"Fang Qin! You've hidden your true abilities well!"
Rage and hatred overflowed in his eyes. He could feel the dark energy emanating from these faceless men.
How and why had these men appeared to aid the Thousand Lotus Sect branch?
To the mayor, these were clearly Fang Qin's subordinates. More than that, he had seen a demonic cultivator helping the kidnapped children escape.
How deeply had Fang Qin infiltrated his forces?
If there were traitors among his ranks, wouldn't his connection to the demonic cultivators be exposed to the Empire's authorities?
Now, the mayor planned to kill everyone—the demonic cultivators and the Thousand Lotus branch alike.
No matter the consequences. Even if the Thousand Lotus Sect began to suspect him, without proof, they couldn't act against him without risking repercussions from the Empire.
Leaving the house without revealing his presence, the mayor began pursuing the children fleeing toward the branch members.
...
Suddenly, as if receiving a signal, the hundred clones surrounding the hatch turned in panic toward the wooden house a hundred meters away.
"Surround it!"
Rushing toward the house, the hundred clones gripped their weapons tightly, paying attention to the slightest noise or movement from within.
Exchanging glances between their faceless heads, one clone stepped toward the door.
There was no point in being discreet anymore.
Opening the door without fear, the clone saw the single room inside—completely empty.
"Damn it!"
With the mayor gone, the clone dispelled itself in a small cloud of smoke.
...
Further away, Akeno's face tensed.
If the mayor was no longer in the house nor in the underground base, then they had to assume they were about to encounter him.
"Master! The mayor is coming!"
At his words, it wasn't just Fang Qin who became serious—the entire group looked panicked.
They were about to face an opponent at the stage of Renaissance.
"Akeno! The old man!"
Suddenly, Akeno and the others heard Kaede's voice in the distance.
A group of nine children ran toward them as fast as they could, some with tears in their eyes. The clone following them had stopped long ago, now simply waiting for the mayor's inevitable appearance to alert Akeno.
Seeing the children, Fang Qin and the others felt an indescribable relief.
Akeno hadn't deceived them.
They didn't know how he had done it, but they had retrieved the children.
Fang Qin, for his part, scanned the children's faces for any visible injuries. But suddenly, a face came to mind—a little girl's smile from years ago.
"Where is Xue Lian?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Akeno, already aware of her fate through his clone, could only step closer to Fang Qin to offer emotional support.
As Fang Qin met the sorrowful gazes of Kaede and the others, his suspicions were confirmed, and memories of the little girl resurfaced, deepening his grief.
The tiny hand he had held on the journey to the branch, the bright smile on her face when she realized she was finally safe.
"Now, you'll never go hungry again."
Tears welled up in Fang Qin's eyes as a seething rage against the demonic cultivators consumed him.
Gripping his sword, he marched toward the direction the children had come from with renewed determination.
"Master!"
Catching up to him, Akeno saw the overwhelming fury in the kind old man's eyes.
Tears streamed down his face, disappearing into his beard.
He had come to rescue the children.
Now, he was going to kill his enemies.
"Akeno, you said you had a way to deal with the mayor, didn't you?" Fang Qin asked.
Now that the children were safe, he had complete faith in Akeno's words.
If he said he had a way, then he had one!
With a somewhat hesitant expression, Akeno followed Fang Qin.
"I might have a way to fight him… but only a very slim chance to win."
If Reibi was his method to fight the mayor, it wasn't what he counted on to defeat him.
The best way to defeat an invincible opponent had always been sealing.
Whether it was Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Tailed Beasts, or even characters from Dragon Ball, sealing was always a reliable solution.
But even with Reibi and all the Jutsu he had learned, Akeno still feared battling a cultivator at the Qi and Body Harmony stage.
He was only at the Organ Fortification stage—an entire world of difference.
Without turning back, Fang Qin raised his voice.
"Return to Hope City. This is no longer a fight you can handle."
The branch members stood silently behind Fang Qin, unable to argue.
Without reaching at least the Muscle Purification stage, aside from Akeno, no one was useful in a battle against the mayor.
The two instructors at the Muscle Purification stage stood tall beside Fang Qin, their expressions showing no fear of certain death.
With a heavy heart, the branch members began to retreat.
"Fang Qin!"
Suddenly, as Akeno sensed the disappearance of his clone a hundred meters away, a voice filled with hatred erupted from the depths of the forest. "Today! You die!"
Turning toward the voice, Akeno and the others saw a blade of energy cutting through the trees, heading straight for them.
Holding his sword in front of him with a stern expression, Fang Qin focused his Qi into his blade and slashed to counter the energy attack. Forced to step back a dozen paces, he still managed to shatter the mayor's attack and nullify it.
"Fang Qin!"
Appearing before everyone's eyes, the mayor stood in mid-air, exuding an air of superiority.
In his eyes, no one before him was a threat.
On the side of the sect members, Akeno began to doubt his chances of success. Slowly, he started to release the seal on his stomach, unleashing as much of Reibi's chakra as possible.
Surviving this time would be impossible without giving it everything from the very beginning.
Unlike the branch master, if Akeno had been the one to face the mayor's attack head-on, he wouldn't have been able to stop it without being sliced in two.
Only with Reibi did he have a chance to fight against such an opponent!