Great Shang.
A population of over 160 million.
Its territory covered 1.86 million square kilometers, stretching out in a long, narrow shape.
It stretched over 2,200 kilometers from east to west and 840 kilometers from north to south.
But...
The Red Sun Sword Sect was not within Great Shang.
It was in a mountain range east of Great Shang, originally called White Night Mountain, but now renamed Red Sun Mountain.
The Red Sun Sword Sect did not rule over just Great Shang, but three countries: Da Li, Da Chu, and Great Shang.
Their combined area exceeded six million square kilometers.
Their combined population exceeded 440 million.
Therefore, Guangzhou City was over 2,000 kilometers from the Red Sun Sword Sect.
To get there...
At a martial master's level of physical fitness, he could cover seventy or eighty kilometers in a day. It would take nearly a month to reach the sect.
Li ChunJun pondered for a while.
Then he walked toward a small, densely wooded park.
He needed to think carefully about what to do next.
At eighteen, he still had no idea how many people had turned a blind eye to his existence after he went on a killing spree in Guangzhou City.
With no way to get information, he also had no idea what his current strength meant.
His ordinary understanding of the world made him think only that the entire country had put out a wanted order for him. The situation was serious and needed to be handled carefully.
Otherwise...
More variables would come into play.
He sat deep in thought, like a weary traveler taking a rest.
But after only a brief while, he sensed something.
A man who looked to be in his thirties or forties walked over.
Li ChunJun recognized him.
"Ling Feng?"
Then he added, "Is this disguise of mine that easy to recognize?"
"Partly because I've been searching for information about you lately. And partly..."
The middle-aged man...
Ling Feng, who had given him a business card not long ago, glanced at his outfit. "This kind of getup stands out on its own."
"Stands out?"
Li ChunJun looked down at himself.
He had gone out in this outfit several times already, and nothing unusual had happened.
No one had recognized him, either.
Otherwise, how could he still be living so peacefully in that apartment building?
"Want to talk somewhere else?"
Ling Feng asked.
Li ChunJun pondered for a moment, but this time he didn't refuse.
He followed Ling Feng to a sedan parked in a nearby lot and got in.
Ling Feng drove toward the outskirts while watching him in the rearview mirror.
It was hard to imagine that this young man, only eighteen and still carrying a trace of boyishness, had accomplished so many earth-shaking deeds in Guangzhou City in less than a month.
More than two hundred people!
More than two hundred lives!
Most of them had been people with power and influence.
What kind of terrifying strength did that take!?
And now...
Guangzhou City's senior and mid-level officials were already trembling at the mere thought of him.
When Ling Feng had gathered information about him, every person he spoke to had been deeply wary of the subject, even playing deaf and dumb. That was the best proof.
They were afraid.
Aside from a very few people at the very top, probably everyone in Guangzhou City had been frightened into submission by his ruthlessness, his brutality, his killing.
A top martial master wasn't frightening on their own.
But when a top martial master with no fear and nothing to lose killed without restraint, who could claim they were absolutely safe?
For that reason, even if someone really spotted Li ChunJun, they would pretend not to see him.
Some might even deliberately steer clear of him.
As for ordinary people...
Ordinary people wouldn't pay attention to any wanted order.
Even if they saw him face-to-face, they would probably think he was just someone who looked similar.
Better to avoid trouble.
That was also why, after realizing Li ChunJun was hiding in this area, Ling Feng had kept wandering around nearby until he "discovered" him a second time and hurried over.
He had already realized this was the most important opportunity of his life to rise to prominence.
A top martial master was already an influential figure he could hardly have hoped to meet in his lifetime.
And this top martial master was only eighteen!
Who could say how far he might go in the future!?
The Innate Realm!?
Or...
Become a cultivator!?
Even the lowest-ranking cultivator, a Body Refining Cultivator, was like a ladder to the heavens for middle-class people like them.
If Ling Feng helped him through this difficult time, their connection would bring rewards beyond measure in the future.
Of course, there were risks.
But for now, the risks had already been reduced to a manageable level.
Besides, what in this world came without risk?
"Actually, I've been looking for you for several days now,"
Ling Feng said candidly as he drove.
"I have plenty of trouble on my hands right now, and there's a wanted order out for me."
Li ChunJun replied calmly.
"I told you before, the trouble you're talking about isn't trouble at all. A wanted order? Would it work on a cultivator? If even one cultivator were willing to step forward and make a few arrangements for you, all your problems would be solved."
As he spoke, Ling Feng smiled. "Besides, I think you have a chance of becoming a cultivator on your own. And as for cultivators... Which country would dare punish one under its laws?"
"Cultivator."
Li ChunJun heard him out and fell into thought.
That...
Really was a way forward.
But the problem was that he couldn't become a cultivator anytime soon.
And cultivators, too, had different levels of status.
If he killed Jin Zhiya, a disciple of the Red Sun Sword Sect, being a cultivator wouldn't protect him.
"I know you'll seek revenge on Jin Zhiya. Are you worried about her status as a disciple of the Red Sun Sword Sect?"
Ling Feng said earnestly, "In my view, an eighteen-year-old top martial master is just as talented as someone with a Spirit Root—perhaps even more so!"
He continued, "What you need now is an opportunity! A chance to prove yourself, a chance to step back into the light! Once you can return to the light, you can go to the Red Sun Sword Sect and become one of its disciples!"
"Become a disciple of the Red Sun Sword Sect?"
"Exactly. It's not at all beyond your reach! The next step beyond a top martial master is the Innate Realm! An Innate Realm martial master can enter an Immortal Array through a recommendation and have Heaven and Earth Origin Qi poured into their body. They become a Body Refining Cultivator. Why couldn't you join the Red Sun Sword Sect as a Body Cultivator?"
Ling Feng spoke quickly. "As long as you're also a member of the Red Sun Sword Sect, killing Jin Zhiya to avenge yourself would be perfectly justified! Why would the sect pursue the matter at all?"
Li ChunJun didn't answer.
"The world is made up of countless groups. Showing your talent and leaning on a powerful backer is the fastest way to grow. Isn't Jin Zhiya the perfect example?"
Ling Feng urged him patiently. "If she weren't a disciple of an immortal sect, but just an ordinary rich young lady, the Jin Family would already have been wiped out by you."
He paused, then added, "And with your talent, joining an immortal sect is the fastest way for you to grow. With the sect's legacy, you could become a cultivator, a powerful cultivator, and one day even a True Person or a True Lord. If your talent is high enough, even the ethereal immortals might be more than just ancient legends..."
Immortals!
That word shook Li ChunJun.
Become Immortal.
As for whether he could make that ethereal legend real one day, his conviction burned like fire. He would advance without retreat.
But if he could enter an immortal sect...
Then the road ahead would be smoother, and he would travel it faster.
"So..."
Li ChunJun looked at Ling Feng. "You have a way in?"
Ling Feng perked up. "I do! The highest authority at the place I work is a cultivator! A cultivator with a towering background. They say he has a high-level Qi Refining Cultivator backing him!"
Then he added emphatically, "Within Xuan Province, there's nothing he can't do!"
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