Elsewhere, within the Wu family estate, a courtyard held a figure of formidable stature seated in meditation on a daybed. This cultivator, who bore a wound on his left arm wrapped in lingering sword energy that refused to dissipate, occasionally grimaced in pain. He was Liu Zhenxiong, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator of the Infinite Sect and the direct disciple of the third elder.

At a certain moment, his eyes snapped open, a glint of cold light flashing through them. "Have the Divine Star Sect's people arrived?"

Pulling out a token and channeling Spiritual Qi into it, he called out in a low voice, "Disciples of the Infinite Sect, gather to me."

The token not only identified one's affiliation but also carried the capability to transmit messages, though this function was limited to a range of no more than a thousand li.

Upon hearing his summons, Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and other disciples promptly converged at the small courtyard, quickly swelling the numbers to over a dozen Qi Refining stage cultivators. Liu Zhenxiong spoke in an undertone, "Two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Divine Star Sect have appeared, likely targeting me."

The disciples gasped in alarm. Liu Zhenxiong continued gravely, "Xu Ming and Bai Feng, you two are the strongest among the Qi Refining stage disciples present. Take half of the disciples each and leave separately. I will stay behind momentarily to cover your retreat."

Touched by his dedication, the disciples immediately accepted the command, "Yes!"

Chen Ge and Wei Hua were among those assigned to Xu Ming's group. As they gathered their belongings, Chen Ge suddenly tensed, recalling something, "Senior Brother Chu just purchased the Blood Refining Array and left not long ago. He wouldn't have run into the Divine Star Sect's cultivators, would he?"

Wei Hua sighed softly, "Hard to say. Let's hope he's lucky enough to avoid them."

Xu Ming scoffed, "Wasn't he the one worried about being a large target and reluctant to follow Uncle Master Liu? Why worry about him? If he's dead, what does it matter to us?"

Frowning, Wei Hua rebuked, "Xu Ming, we're all in the same boat now; we should be pulling together. Why hold such a grudge against Chu Xuan, especially at a time like this?"

Xu Ming snorted dismissively, "My issues with him are none of your business. Didn't you hear what Uncle Master Liu just said? I'm leading this group!"

Wei Hua clenched his teeth but remained silent.

Back when the Infinite Sect was still intact, Xu Ming often competed with Chu Xuan for the tenth rank within the inner disciples, a position that could attract the attention of the elders for potential direct discipleship.

Although Xu Ming was slightly higher in cultivation level, he consistently lacked the strength to best Chu Xuan and remained perpetually one rank below him at eleventh, fueling his resentment.

This backstory was well-known to Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and others.

"Bai Feng and his group will head towards Wind Flowing Mountain through the east side gate," Xu Ming spoke calmly. "We will take the west side gate, circle past Red Lake, and hide in White Ray Mountain."

As a demonic cultivator who had survived to this point, Xu Ming was no fool. Upon arriving at the Wu family estate, he had anticipated that righteous cultivators might someday come knocking, and he had prepared escape plans accordingly.

Wind Flowing Mountain and White Ray Mountain were among the most remote and densely wooded areas in Green River Prefecture. Even if the Divine Star Sect cultivators mobilized extensive manpower, it would take them months to find any trace of them in these mountains.

Of course, if a Golden Core stage cultivator from the Divine Star Sect were to intervene, using their spiritual sense could instantly reveal every detail within the entire mountain range, leaving no place to hide. In such cases, they would have no choice but to accept their fate.

However, it was highly unlikely for a Golden Core stage cultivator to personally deal with a few Qi Refining stage juniors for two main reasons.

Firstly, it would be seen as beneath them—engaging directly with such low-level cultivators could be perceived as undignified.

Secondly, the benefits did not align; if a Golden Core stage demonic cultivator were to hide in the mountains, then indeed, righteous Golden Core stage cultivators would promptly pursue them.

"Let's go," Xu Ming gestured broadly, and Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and two others quickly followed. They had all disguised themselves and deliberately donned the attire of loose cultivators to blend in.

Not long after leaving the Wu family estate, the sounds of combat reached their ears from behind—clangs and clashes of magical tools in the sky.

Clearly, Liu Zhenxiong had engaged the two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Divine Star Sect.

The battle sounded fierce.

"Move quickly, the sooner we leave, the sooner Uncle Master Liu can extricate himself," Wei Hua urged in a low shout.

Xu Ming nodded, and the group hastened their pace. However, they had only gotten seven or eight miles away from the Wu estate when Xu Ming abruptly stopped and signaled for the others to do the same with a fist in the air.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ge asked, his voice tinged with nervous suspicion. They were like startled rabbits, already on edge.

Xu Ming whispered, "My poison locusts saw that there are Divine Star Sect disciples guarding the path ahead. We must take a detour."

He had cultivated a type of gu insect called the poison locust, which looked indistinguishable from ordinary locusts at first glance. But in swarms of thousands, they could inflict severe damage on an enemy.

Poison locusts could also be used as scouts. Before departing, Xu Ming had released a swarm of his cultivated locusts to keep an eye on their surroundings, alerting them to any movements.

"Which way should we go?" Wei Hua asked.

Xu Ming gritted his teeth, "To the west, towards White Ray Mountain, there are three Divine Star Sect disciples on guard. We have no choice but to head south."

"South?" Chen Ge and the others were shocked. "That's the main gate of the Wu family estate—it's the main road! There might be even more Divine Star Sect disciples stationed there!"

Xu Ming clenched his jaw, "Right now, we can only take it one step at a time. If we have to, we'll just have to weave through them. Let's hope we don't get spotted."

"Follow me." Xu Ming gestured broadly and took the lead.

Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and the others exchanged glances, resigned to follow. Lacking in strength and without any powerful backing, they felt as vulnerable as rats crossing the street.

The group cautiously advanced for a while, gradually approaching the flat main road. Chen Ge whispered, "Senior Brother Chu must have taken the main road; I wonder how he's doing."

Wei Hua pondered for a moment, "Chu Xuan is a master of disguise; perhaps he's been detained by the Divine Star Sect disciples under the guise of being a loose cultivator."

Chen Ge's heart tightened, "If that's true, what should we do?"

Xu Ming scoffed, "Are you thinking of exposing ourselves to save him? You're overthinking it! We can barely protect ourselves, let alone someone else. To save others, save yourself first. Surely you understand that."

Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and the others remained silent.

"We're here." Just then, Chen Ge noticed that the landscape ahead opened up and quietly alerted the group.

"Keep quiet," Xu Ming hissed.

"Wait... why is there a smell of blood?" Wei Hua paused, surprised.

Everyone stopped, equally startled.

They then saw, up ahead on the ground, three bodies lying still. From their attire, it was clear these were Divine Star Sect disciples. Two of them were decapitated, their eyes bulging out as if they couldn't believe their own deaths.