A fallen leaf slowly drifted in the void.
The leaf seemed as if someone had cast a delaying spell on it, making its descent particularly slow.
Moreover, not only the leaf, but it seemed as if all things in this world slowed down in an instant.
"Profound Meaning of Quick and Slow?" Ji Ruobing frowned and said.
The sound of the Jade Flute echoed through heaven and earth, narrating the process of a hunter chasing its prey.
The tune was tight and tense, resembling a hurdy-gurdy.
Compelled to drink, the hurdy-gurdy urged... since ancient times, how many warriors returned from battle?
As the sound of the flute rose, even Ji Ruobing’s movements were affected.
The Myriad Tribulations Cone, which was originally spinning rapidly, started to slow down.
The power of the thunder calamity appearing in the sky also weakened considerably.
The swordsman broke free from the swamp of thunder calamity, his huge sword slicing through the void.
"Dark Night Confusion Kill."
The sword disappeared, and with it, the person vanished.
Immediately after, countless Sword Intents appeared in the sky, coming from all directions.
They surrounded Ji Ruobing.
What followed was a chaotic dance of swords.
The sound of clanging swords continually resonated.
Echoing in the hollow void.
After dodging several attacks, Ji Ruobing was eventually struck by a sword.
The opponent’s speed was too fast; even Xu Zimei could only see some blurred shadows.
Xu Zimei had always believed there was an insurmountable gulf between the Divine Vein Realm and Stepping into Immortality.
But some talented disciples of the Divine Vein Realm could challenge those who had stepped into immortality.
However, they only challenged ordinary immortals.
It should be known that among immortals, there are also the exceptionally formidable.
In their own realm, they too could be called talented disciples.
These three, in Xu Zimei’s view, were the exceptional ones among the immortals.
Now, as the first Sword Intent hit Ji Ruobing, what followed were countless more.
The Sword Intent tore through the silent void, splitting it into numerous fragments.
And Ji Ruobing was at the center of it all, every Sword Intent sweeping past her.
Her white robe torn, blood scattering in the void.
"Now," Xu Zimei shouted softly.
He rotated the Heaven Expanse Astrolabe in his hand, casting endless starlight.
This starlight soared into the sky, enveloping the entire Talisman Array.
Every array has its critical point.
Xu Zimei punched down, shattering the entire focal point of the array.
The Talisman Array also disappeared into the void.
Xu Zimei’s figure flickered, and the next moment, he appeared in front of Ji Ruobing.
"Let’s go," he said, grabbing Ji Ruobing with one hand while tearing through the void in front of them with the other, vanishing from the spot.
As Ji Ruobing fled, the swordsman wanted to pursue again.
But he was stopped by the man with the Jade Flute.
"Return and report," the man with the Jade Flute said calmly.
"But she escaped," the swordsman replied, confused.
"Just say that the Saint Heir of the True Martial Holy Sect saved her; that should suffice as an explanation," the man with the Jade Flute replied indifferently.
"Why not pursue?" the swordsman still puzzled.
"Why pursue?" the man with the Jade Flute countered.
"We are ordered by Young Master Lu to pursue and kill; how can we explain such an obvious letting go?" the swordsman said, slightly shaking his head.
Turning his head toward another talisman array man, he asked, "Second Brother, what do you think?"
"You still haven’t understood. Our eldest brother doesn’t want to cause trouble," the talisman array man said with a shake of his head and a wry smile.
"Lu Changhen and Ji Ruobing are vying for a position in the Slaying Immortal Sect, and the factors involved are too significant.
If we mishandle this, none of us will end up well."
"Is elder brother trying to avoid offending both sides?" the swordsman asked in surprise.
"Yes, when Lu Changhen came to us, if we refused, it would offend him, but if we killed Ji Ruobing,
those in the Slaying Immortal Sect who support Ji Ruobing would certainly not let us off."
The talisman array man said with a laugh, "So we agreed to Lu Changhen, but we did not kill Ji Ruobing.
The Saint Heir of the True Martial Holy Sect is the perfect uncertain factor."
"There’s actually another reason," the man holding the Jade Flute said calmly.
"Being the Saintess of the Slaying Immortal Sect, do you really think she has no trump card and would be so easily killed by us?"
The swordsman remained silent in thought for a moment.
Xu Zimei carried Ji Ruobing across the void, stopping only when they reached a hundred miles away.
At this moment, Ji Ruobing was severely injured, her clothes completely stained blood red.
Even her consciousness was becoming blurry.
She forced a pill into her stomach.
"It’s nothing," Xu Zimei waved his hand, infusing a strand of life energy from the Tree of Life into her body.
It also saved her life.
Given Ji Ruobing’s cultivation level, she could heal on her own even if nothing was done, it was only a matter of time.
Xu Zimei placed Ji Ruobing on a hillside, waiting for her injuries to heal.
The location of the two was unclear, and how far they were from Immortal City.
Xu Zimei did not know for the time being.
He was reluctant to fight those three men for two reasons.
Firstly, those three had no ill intentions towards him; they merely wanted to trap him, and there was no need to conflict with the Slaying Immortal Sect.
Secondly, if it were a one-on-one fight, he wouldn’t be afraid, but if all three attacked together, Xu Zimei would not be their match.
Autumn is a rainy season.
The sky could change as swiftly as a woman’s face.
A convoy passed along the road at the base of the hill.
This convoy was nearly a hundred people strong, but only one carriage was present.
The carriage, made of Purple Heart Wood, had the character "Fan" engraved on its curtains.
The nearly hundred people appeared to be guards, and like a dragon, they majestically moved northward.
"There’s someone there," suddenly, someone pointed at the hillside and shouted.
The guards, clearly well-trained, swiftly surrounded the hillside.
"I do not know who is here, but please come forward and talk," said an elder in green clothes who walked up from the front of the guards, his voice full of authority.
"Don’t misunderstand," Xu Zimei, holding Ji Ruobing, walked down from the hillside.
He said, "The two of us were being pursued and took shelter here. Might you know the way to Immortal City?"
The elder looked at Ji Ruobing, who was entirely blood-stained in Xu Zimei’s arms, and frowned slightly.
Then he said, "Follow this road straight north, and after a few corners, you will reach Immortal City."
Xu Zimei frowned slightly; the route seemed quite complicated, and it appeared they could only ask for directions as they continued.
"Uncle Chen, since we are traveling the same way, let’s go together," just then, a voice as clear as a lark rang from inside the carriage.
"Being on the road, it’s good to have each other’s company, besides, we are also headed to Immortal City."
Hearing the lady’s words, the elder frowned slightly.
He responded, "Miss, these people’s origins are unknown, and as they are being pursued, it may not be prudent."