Killing Intent

Yi Yun and the other six people left the platform plaza amidst the disdainful or pitying gazes of the Martial Arts Alliance members.

"A bunch of cowards."

"These people are not worthy of practicing martial arts at all. They deserted at the slightest danger in the secret realm. Although they are safe for now, this retreat without a fight will probably create a mental demon in them."

People chattered amongst themselves as they watched the seven people leave.

Those who remained continued to be chosen by the Reincarnator on the stage, receiving a final pep talk for their mission.

The thought of the resources they could obtain, and the inheritance distributed to everyone before the mission began, filled these people with excitement.

Yi Yun returned to his residence and casually tidied up his things. Actually, there wasn't much to tidy up; all his belongings were in his Space Ring, while his most important trump card was sealed inside the God Descending Tower.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Yu Chi Wei, along with the other five young people who had decided to withdraw from the Martial Arts Alliance, appeared at the door.

All six of them were looking at Yi Yun, Yi Yun was the strongest among them, and they all implicitly regarded him as their Yi Yun.

Yi Yun glanced at the six people. The leader was a bald young man with a strong build and a peak cultivation level of Dao Seed. Behind him were two girls who looked quite similar. They were slender, petite, and cute, and looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. They were twin sisters.

Many twins share similar martial arts talents, grow up in the same environment, and have very similar skill levels.

The last two were tall and thin, and taciturn.

"Senior Brother Jiang, what are you planning to do?" Yu Chi Wei asked.

"What can we do? Let's leave Absolute Sword Mountain first," Yi Yun said casually.

"Senior Brother Jiang, my Lineage is nearby. Why don't we rest at my Lineage's for a few days and then discuss this further?" A melodious voice rang out; it was the twin girls who spoke.

Yi Yun turned around. The girl who had just spoken was a little shy. Her face flushed slightly as she said, "I come from the Chu Family. My name is Chu Qing'er, and this is my younger sister, Chu Ke'er."

The Chu Family is a newly emerging Lineage located in the central region of the Tianyuan Realm. Although its foundation is average, its recent development can be described as booming.

Yi Yun smiled and said, "Our first priority is to get to your house safely before we talk about anything else."

"Um?"

Everyone was stunned by Yi Yun's words.

What does that mean?

"Senior Brother Jiang, are you saying the Martial Arts Alliance won't let us leave?"

The group exchanged glances, finding it hard to believe. They had already decided to withdraw from the Martial Arts Alliance, so why would the Martial Arts Alliance force them to stay? Surely they wouldn't imprison them or intend to kill them, would they?

Yi Yun did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Senior Brother Jiang, aren't you overthinking this? In recent years, the Martial Arts Alliance has emphasized winning hearts and minds through virtue. They are fair in their dealings, distribute resources fairly, and have made considerable concessions during the secret realm explorations organized by the Martial Arts Alliance. Why would they attack us? If word gets out, wouldn't that damage the Martial Arts Alliance's image? This would not only make them lose face, but leaving us alive wouldn't benefit them either..."

The bald young man stroked his chin, speaking with disbelief.

Chu Qing'er and Chu Ke'er also looked at Yi Yun with their bright, watery eyes, wondering what was going on.

"I'm just guessing; maybe I'm wrong, and that's for the best."

Yi Yun didn't explain. When Yu Chi Wei proposed to withdraw from the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he clearly sensed a murderous intent.

And this murderous intent was emanating from the Masked Man.

The murderous intent was cold and hidden, concealed within the Masked Man's own aura, making it difficult for others to detect.

Clearly, the Masked Man wouldn't let them leave, at least not Yi Yun.

Perhaps it's time for the Martial Arts Alliance to drop its pretense and begin implementing its plans...

"Senior Brother Jiang, although the Martial Arts Alliance has been pressuring us, it has still given us a lot of cultivation resources. Is it possible that they are attacking us just because they can't bear to part with these resources?"

Yu Chi Wei frowned and said that he had always believed Yi Yun's words, but after thinking it over, he could not figure out why the Martial Arts Alliance would take action.

"I don't know about that." Yi Yun simply smiled calmly. "Perhaps they just want to keep me here, or perhaps they want to keep all of you here. If you come with me, your fighting strength will be stronger; if you don't, the danger will be less. You can weigh the pros and cons yourselves. However... if you come with me, I can't guarantee your safety."

Yi Yun finished speaking, he packed his things and prepared to head down the mountain.

The group was momentarily stunned. "It can't be that exaggerated..."

"Senior Brother Jiang, wait for us!"

The twin girls naturally followed Yi Yun, without even considering the choices he offered them.

The others followed, all feeling that Yi Yun's thinking was too sinister. What motive would the Martial Arts Alliance have to attack them?

The group used their Movement Technique to pass through the storm of Absolute Sword Mountain and arrived at the foot of the mountain smoothly.

At this moment, the bald young man took out a spirit boat. "Let's get on the boat and use it for transportation to save some energy."

"Good!"

All seven were young people who had been ostracized by the Martial Arts Alliance, so they shared a sense of sympathy and their relationship naturally grew closer.

The spirit boat sped along at an extremely high speed, and in no time it had traveled tens of thousands of miles. At this distance, the towering Absolute Sword Mountain had disappeared into the horizon and was no longer visible.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the Martial Arts Alliance really wouldn't stop them after all, and Senior Brother Jiang had really been overthinking things.

"Looks like we're safe now." Chu Ke'er breathed a sigh of relief, patted her still-developing chest, and her little face was flushed.

"The seven of us have been through thick and thin together, so how about we become sworn brothers and sisters?" Yu Chi Wei's eyes lit up as he came up with this idea.

The others thought it was a good idea. Everyone present was outstanding, and even if they left the Martial Arts Alliance, they would still have bright futures. Forming an alliance would benefit everyone.

All six looked at Yi Yun. If they were to become sworn brothers, Yi Yun would naturally be the eldest brother and the most important person. If he didn't agree, it would be meaningless.

Yi Yun remained calm, as if he hadn't heard Yu Chi Wei's suggestion. He glanced at the porthole of the spirit boat, where patches of white clouds drifted by.

Just then, Yi Yun spoke up, "Our ship has been lingering in the same spot for quite some time."

Yi Yun's words stunned everyone. What?

Their ship had been sailing straight and at a high speed, long since leaving the Martial Arts Alliance's territory. So why Yi Yun say they were lingering in the same spot?

"What happened?"

The bald young man immediately checked the core formation of the spirit boat and found no problems.

"No need to check, the spirit boat is fine, it's just... we've stumbled into a large formation."

Yi Yun spoke casually, pressing down on the hilt of the Ancient Dust Saber.

"Breaking into the formation? Could it be...?"

The group's expressions changed drastically. They had no idea they had stumbled into some kind of formation. Just as the bald youth was about to speak, an extremely cold aura descended from the sky, enveloping the entire ship.

The bald youth felt a chill run through his body, and his expression changed drastically. Only then did he truly realize what Yi Yun meant—the enemy was already upon him! (To be continued~^~)