The catch from baiting the hook, a return to Yuanshan; tracing events, the results of a calculated setup

Under [True Person Qingluo]'s gaze, Lin Chang had no intention of changing his mind.

His resolve was unwavering.

Though the wider situation was turbulent, Lin Changheng would not change his established plans for improvement because of it. He would merely consider developments from multiple angles and make minor adjustments to adapt.

Besides, the more chaotic the situation became, the more he needed strength to protect himself. This was an iron law he had learned through two hundred years of struggle in the cultivation world.

Still, the many Core Formation Cultivators fleeing into Zhao territory also demonstrated one of the few advantages of being a high-level rogue cultivator: freedom.

Once they reached Core Formation and could protect themselves, provided they had no lineage, faction, or close relatives tying them down, they could leave whenever they wished. Unlike sect cultivators, resources did not automatically fall into their hands anyway. Moving house and changing countries took only a thought.

As long as a Nascent Soul Cultivator was not standing before them, or holding some "handle" that could be used to trace them, they could simply pretend his orders did not exist.

Unburdened by attachments and possessing a certain destructive power, they were, in a sense, "invincible."

Under such circumstances, once a Core Formation Cultivator fled to another country, Nascent Soul Cultivators generally turned a blind eye, provided the fugitive did not return to taunt them to their faces and earn their lasting hatred.

It was not that Nascent Soul True Lords were particularly magnanimous. The cost of dealing with such fugitives far exceeded the gains. It simply was not worth the trouble.

For sect Core Formation Cultivators, the opposite was true. Resources, personal bonds, their Dao hearts, and other ties forced them to live at another's pleasure.

Thus, nothing in the cultivation world