The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
The disciples of the Cangyun Sect looked at each other in bewilderment, and even the newly formed sword formation showed signs of chaos.
They never expected that Xie Yunyi, having exhausted her spiritual energy to arrive, would first order everyone to retreat.
The nearby Rogue Cultivator were also in an uproar.
"The Cangyun Sect is ordering her disciples to leave?"
"She wasn't even here yet, so why is she trying to stop the two sects from attacking Chu Yunfei the moment she appears?"
"Could there be some powerful figure behind Chu Yunfei that we don't know about?"
Situ Shuang'er loosened her grip on the Ice Soul Sword slightly, and a look of doubt appeared in her clear, cold eyes.
Xie Yunyi arrived too suddenly.
On that pale face, besides anger, there seemed to be a hint of fear that was hard to conceal.
What is she afraid of?
Afraid of Chu Yunfei?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Situ Shuang'er herself found it absurd.
Xie Yunyi has already entered the Divine Sea Realm Second Layer, and she is accompanied by Qin Hao, He Yang, and dozens of the Cangyun Sect disciples. Even if Chu Yunfei has really entered the Divine Sea Realm, he should not be able to frighten her to this extent.
Wu Changge looked Xie Yunyi up and down a few times, seemingly lost in thought.
He wasn't good at scheming and plotting, but he had an almost animalistic instinct for danger.
Xie Yunyi wasn't trying to be mysterious.
She genuinely wanted to save these Cangyun Sect disciples.
Qin Hao finally snapped out of his daze, his expression gradually darkening.
" Xie Yunyi, what do you mean?"
He took two steps forward and questioned in a low voice, "This place contains seventh-grade spiritual herbs and high-grade Heaven-rank spiritual artifacts, and Chu Yunfei is someone the sect is determined to kill. You're ordering all the Cangyun Sect disciples to leave? Have you gone mad?"
Xie Yunyi gripped the token tightly, her eyes filled with suppressed anxiety.
She couldn't reveal the specific reasons in public.
Once it is revealed to everyone that Chu Yunfei has killed Nangong Wuhen and possesses combat power of more than the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer, it will inevitably cause a stir among the entire audience.
At that time, the crowd might back down, or they might go completely mad because of the cultivation secrets Chu Yunfei possessed.
More importantly, she had witnessed everything from the shadows.
If Chu Yunfei believes she will reveal the secret, he is very likely to kill her as well.
Xie Yunyi could only force herself to remain calm.
" Qin Hao, I'll explain the specific reasons to you later. For now, you just need to lead the Cangyun Sect disciples away. We won't compete for the opportunities here."
She paused, then her tone became more serious.
"I'll say it again, leave immediately, this is to save your lives."
Help?
Qin Hao felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
He glanced at Chu Yunfei, then looked at his own dozens of elite soldiers, and his suspicion quickly turned into anger.
The Cangyun Sect, the Puppet Sect, and other second-rate forces affiliated with the two sects number over two hundred.
Chu Yunfei was all alone.
Even if Wu Changge were willing to help, they would still hold an absolute advantage.
Xie Yunyi, however, said that this was to save their lives?
"Absolutely not."
Qin Hao snorted coldly and refused without any politeness.
"The opportunity here is one that my Cangyun Sect is determined to seize. And I, the Holy Son, will take Chu Yunfei's life today as well. Xie Yunyi, though you are the Holy Maiden, you have no right to command me, the Holy Son."
His gaze fell on the token in Xie Yunyi's hand, and his tone became more threatening.
"Don't forget your identity. If you insist on disrupting the sect's plans at this time, I will report this matter truthfully to the sect leader after we leave the secret realm. At that time, whether you can keep your position as the Holy Maiden will depend on the sect leader's decision."
A chill suddenly rose in Xie Yunyi's eyes.
She rushed here at all costs to protect the elite of the Cangyun Sect and to save Qin Hao's life.
Instead of being grateful, the other party threatened her with the position of saintess.
If it weren't for the interests of the sect, she would have turned around and left right now, letting this fool die under Chu Yunfei's sword.
He Yang stood to the side, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
Xie Yunyi is usually calm and cautious, and would never give up a seventh-grade spiritual medicine without a reason, much less argue with Qin Hao in front of various forces.
She must have discovered something extremely dangerous.
Just as He Yang was about to ask, Xie Yunyi had already secretly activated her divine sense, preparing to transmit her voice to Qin Hao to explain the death of Nangong Wuhen.
Before she could speak, Chu Yunfei's voice rang out first.
"If I'm not mistaken, the person who evaded my spiritual detection just now was you, wasn't it?"
Xie Yunyi's delicate body suddenly froze.
She turned around abruptly, meeting Chu Yunfei's ambiguous gaze, and instinctively took a half step back.
This subtle movement, observed by those around them, immediately sparked further speculation.
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow slightly.
Xie Yunyi's reaction has already provided the answer.
The living presence that Xiaoxiao Dragon sensed earlier indeed came from her.
The other party was mostly hiding in the shadows and witnessed the entire process of Nangong Wuhen being killed.
No wonder they rushed here so urgently to stop Qin Hao.
Chu Yunfei looked at Xie Yunyi, his tone calm.
"You managed to evade my divine sense detection; your concealment treasures are quite good. But now that you know some things, are you still sure you want them to leave?"
Xie Yunyi felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly.
Chu Yunfei didn't directly expose her, but he had clearly guessed the truth.
That question seemed more like a test of her stance.
If she insists on protecting Qin Hao and the others, will Chu Yunfei consider her an enemy?
Xie Yunyi forced a bitter smile to suppress her fear.
"Young Master Chu misunderstands. I don't know what you're talking about. I asked the sect disciples to leave because the Cangyun Sect is a major righteous sect in the Eastern Continent and should not do things that damage its reputation, such as joining forces to bully Rogue Cultivator and forcibly occupying ruins."
Chu Yunfei scoffed.
"Is that so? If you only want to stop them from bullying Rogue Cultivator, you can simply stop them by speaking up. Why make all the Cangyun Sect disciples leave the ruins?"
Xie Yunyi was speechless for a moment.
She knew very well that any explanation would be meaningless in front of Chu Yunfei.
The other party confirmed that she was the one hiding in the shadows.
Qin Hao, standing to the side, was oblivious to her fear.
In his view, Xie Yunyi's attitude towards Chu Yunfei was too polite, even subtly showing a willingness to yield.
Jealousy and anger made his eyes grow increasingly gloomy.
" Xie Yunyi, I don't care why you suddenly went mad, but as a Holy Maiden, you cannot command me."
Qin Hao raised his sword and pointed it at Chu Yunfei, saying coldly, "Moreover, your attitude towards this kid is highly suspicious. If you don't provide a reasonable explanation, this Holy Son has reason to suspect that there is some kind of illicit relationship between the two of you."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunyi's expression completely changed.
She stared intently at Qin Hao, her anger finally bursting forth.
She risked being silenced by Chu Yunfei to come and save people, but Qin Hao publicly slandered her, accusing her of having an improper relationship with Chu Yunfei.
" Qin Hao, you're a complete and utter idiot!"
Xie Yunyi put away the Saintess Token, her voice trembling slightly with anger.
"I, the Holy Maiden, came to save you out of kindness, yet you are ungrateful and dare to humiliate me in public. Very well! Since you are determined to die, then stay here and fend for yourself."
She turned to look at the hesitant Cangyun Sect disciples and finally reminded them, "I have already given the order. Those who are willing to trust me, come with me now. As for those who remain by Qin Hao's side, their lives are none of my concern."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yunyi didn't hesitate for a moment and turned to rush out of the ruins.
Two female disciples who were close to her exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and followed.
Three other Cangyun Sect disciples tried to leave, but Qin Hao's icy gaze forced them to stop.
Xie Yunyi did not turn around.
She has done all she could.
Staying any longer will only put you in danger.
Even after they had flown several miles, she could still feel Chu Yunfei's gaze on her back.
That feeling of being constantly on edge made every nerve in her body tense to the extreme.
She had even secretly grasped the concealment pearl, preparing to escape with all her might the moment Chu Yunfei drew his sword.
Several breaths passed, but no thunder or Sword Qi came from behind.
Chu Yunfei did not give chase.
Xie Yunyi's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She glanced back in the direction of the ruins, a complex mix of emotions and anger flashing in her eyes.
You idiot! You'll regret this!
Inside the ruins.
Chu Yunfei withdrew his gaze and did not stop Xie Yunyi.
The other party never showed any murderous intent towards him from beginning to end, and just now they even tried to take away the Cangyun Sect disciples to avoid a conflict between the two sides.
Since that's the case, there's no need for him to go to such lengths to exterminate them.
If Xie Yunyi dares to point his sword at him in the future, it won't be too late to kill him then.
Qin Hao stared in the direction Xie Yunyi had left, a cold smile on his face.
"Save me? That's utterly absurd and laughable. Does she really think that just because she holds the title of Holy Maiden, she can order me around?"
He withdrew his gaze, his tone cold.
"Once we leave the secret realm, I will report to the sect leader about her retreat today. At that time, she will not only lose her position as the Holy Maiden, but she will also have to pay the price for publicly humiliating me."
He Yang stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Holy Son, the Holy Maiden wouldn't normally lose her composure like this. When she looked at Chu Yunfei just now, she clearly showed some apprehension. There's probably more to this than meets the eye."
He paused, then looked at Chu Yunfei's calm face.
"She may have witnessed Chu Yunfei's actions before. Should we postpone the conflict and first find out the whereabouts of Nangong Wuhen and the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect?"
Qin Hao's face darkened, and he waved his hand impatiently.
"Hidden reason? I think she's just arrogant and unwilling to contribute to the sect."
"Senior Brother He Yang, there's no need to pay her any attention. Once we obtain the seventh-grade spiritual medicine and the top-grade Heaven-rank spiritual weapon, and receive the sect's reward, she will naturally regret her choice today."
At this point, Qin Hao raised his longsword again, his killing intent locked onto Chu Yunfei.
"Don't delay any longer, take down Chu Yunfei first, then gather everyone to break the formation!"
He Yang wanted to persuade him further, but another whooshing sound came from afar.
Several streaks of silver-white sword light traversed the mountains, hurtling towards the palace ruins.
"How lively! I wonder if our Heavenly Edict Sect has arrived at the right time?"