Because they had obtained so little information, He Dazhi couldn't deduce the Demon Sect members' intentions from what they knew.
Zheng Dali had also been seriously injured during one of the Demon Sect's pursuits.
Fortunately, Luo Yunji had collected quite a few spiritual plants in the Imperial City, so treating their injuries wasn't much of a problem.
Although He Dazhi told his fellow disciples to treat the pursuit as training, it happened too often, and two of their senior brothers had been seriously wounded. When Zhang Xiaofan saw the Demon Sect members catching up again, he couldn't hold back and unleashed his fury, killing many of them. That finally made their pursuers from the Demon Sect back off a little.
He Dazhi and the others had no idea which Demon Sect expert was leading the pursuit. They knew nothing about that expert—not even whether there was only one.
On top of that, because of the Evil Weapon in Fifth Senior Brother's left arm, his condition was unstable. That meant three of the seven needed care, and two of them were seriously injured.
He Dazhi planned to retreat toward Azure Cloud Mountain. But perhaps it was only his imagination; he felt that the person directing the Demon Sect pursuers had seen through his plan. They surrounded and intercepted them, refusing to let them retreat toward Azure Cloud Mountain.
Once, when they were in grave danger, they fled headlong into a cave. In the end, they followed an underground river for a long time. When they emerged from the cave, they realized they seemed to have gotten even farther from Azure Cloud Mountain.
After walking for several days without encountering a single village, they finally stepped into a desolate land. Judging by the stars overhead, He Dazhi at last figured out where