The battlefield shifted, not by much.
After luring Liu Yunqing into the woods, Tuoba Lie and Sun Wuji stopped, believing that anything Liu Yunqing might have set up on the ground would no longer be effective.
Gazing at Chu Fan, who followed calmly and unhurriedly, the two men frowned, growing increasingly perplexed.
At this moment, their intuition told them that Chu Fan was likely the reason Liu Yunqing showed no fear of their alliance.
However, what gave him such standing?
After scrutinizing Chu Fan from every angle and finding no indication of him being a master, the two began to communicate their thoughts through a sound transmission.
"Is Liu Yunqing playing a trick again?"
"This kid is only in his early twenties, how much skill can he have?"
"He's already like this, let's do it!"
"I refuse to believe it, is this young lad perhaps a Grandmaster!"
"If he's a Grandmaster, I'm willing to die!"
The discussion was swift. Since they couldn't find any issue with Chu Fan, Tuoba Lie and Sun Wuji no longer pondered it, assuming their stances and preparing to have a good spar with Liu Yunqing, to let him know that arrogance comes at a price.
"Hmph!"
Liu Yunqing let out a cold snort, kicking up a cloud of dust as he charged towards Tuoba Lie.
With Chu Fan present, he had no fear of anything going wrong.
Knowing that it was no trouble for Tuoba Lie to contain Liu Yunqing, Sun Wuji shifted his gaze to Chu Fan, wanting to see what qualified this young man to suddenly embolden Liu Yunqing so greatly.
Sun Wuji leaped a few times, appearing before Chu Fan in an instant. From his sleeve, he suddenly drew a meticulously crafted dagger and swept it towards Chu Fan's throat.
*Swish!*
*Ding...*
A crisp sound echoed, and the dagger's icy edge was stopped at Chu Fan's jawline.
What?
Seeing Chu Fan effortlessly block his sweeping dagger with just a single outstretched finger, Sun Wuji's mind was struck as if by thunder from the heavens, his scalp instantly going numb.
The next second, Chu Fan flicked his wrist, and his middle and index fingers clamped onto the dagger.
Another crisp sound resounded.
The dagger, which Sun Wuji had invested considerable effort and funds to forge, almost capable of slicing through iron like mud, suddenly snapped like a dry, withered branch.
A profound terror seized Sun Wuji's heart.
Retreat!
At this moment, Sun Wuji understood why Liu Yunqing had been pestering them, preventing them from leaving.
It turned out this young man was even more terrifying than they had imagined.
From the simple act of the dagger being easily broken, Sun Wuji concluded that Chu Fan, whom they had overlooked, possessed a strength far exceeding their own.
How could this be?
How could it be like this?
Sun Wuji was on the verge of collapse, utterly unable to comprehend how Chu Fan, who appeared to be only in his early twenties, could be stronger than him.
If he were a Grandmaster, it would still be understandable.
But the reality was, he was a Grandmaster even more formidable than himself.
When did such a young Grandmaster appear in the world, and why had they never heard of him?
Despite his internal bewilderment, Sun Wuji had no time for further thought. His sole desire was to escape.
From a single simple exchange, he knew he was no match for Chu Fan. To continue fighting him would surely spell his end today.
However, would Chu Fan, who had led them on this wild goose chase, allow him to escape unscathed?
As Chu Fan moved his wrist, the tip of the dagger, snapped in his hand, shot towards Sun Wuji's back like a silver lightning bolt.
The threat of death was like a needle pricking Sun Wuji's consciousness.
Even though he had just told Tuoba Lie that if Chu Fan were truly a Grandmaster, he would willingly die.
But when death truly loomed, Sun Wuji no longer wished for it.
*Thud...*
A muffled sound echoed.
The dagger's tip pierced through Sun Wuji's body and lodged itself into a tree trunk opposite him.
The residual force directly split the tree trunk.
*"Pfft..."*
Sun Wuji collapsed to his knees, spitting blood. His fingers swiftly pressed points on his chest, sealing his acupoints to reduce blood loss.
At this moment, Sun Wuji's entire body trembled.
But it was not from pain, but from fear.
As the person involved, he was acutely aware of how perilous the situation had been. He knew that if he had been a second slower, his heart would have been pierced, and he would have already become a corpse lying on the ground.
Not far away, Tuoba Lie, who was locked in a fierce battle with Liu Yunqing, glanced at the scene with Sun Wuji and was momentarily stunned.
He could hardly imagine that a first-rate Grandmaster would be defeated so quickly by the young Chu Fan.
Being defeated was one thing, but nearly being killed was another.
Who exactly was he?
Tuoba Lie was in a daze, but that did not mean Liu Yunqing, who was opposite him, was.
In fact, Liu Yunqing, who had long known the outcome, was waiting for this opportunity.
He knew that Chu Fan could deal with Sun Wuji with ease, and this would surely shock Tuoba Lie.
This moment was the opportune time for him to unleash his full power.
Therefore.
By the time Tuoba Lie struggled to regain his senses and realized something was amiss, it was already too late.
In a battle between powerhouses.
Victory or defeat often hinged on a single move.
Tuoba Lie fell not far from Sun Wuji, his injuries no less severe than Sun Wuji's.
The two men exchanged glances again, their eyes filled with powerlessness.
They had never imagined that the outcome would be so drastically altered because of Chu Fan.
Having done what needed to be done, Chu Fan wasted no more time and turned back towards Tianjian Mountain.
Liu Yunqing walked up to the two men who were struggling to get up and said, "Tuoba Lie, Sun Wuji, Tiger Roar Hall and Hundred Flowers Sect do not harbor a mortal enmity with my Yunshan Sect, so I will not kill you today."
Hearing this response, the tension in their eyes slightly eased.
Having suffered heavy injuries and facing the unharmed Liu Yunqing, they were utterly incapable of fighting back and would have been slaughtered by Liu Yunqing.
"However, I wish to warn you, do not harbor any more intentions towards the secret realm!"
"Otherwise, next time you will not be so fortunate!"
With that, Liu Yunqing turned and headed back.
"Wait!"
Tuoba Lie spoke with difficulty, hesitantly asking, "Sect Master Liu, please tell me, who is he?"
He, of course, was referring to Chu Fan.
"Oh, do you want revenge?" Liu Yunqing asked with a chuckle.
Tuoba Lie shook his head. "I simply wish to know, where did such a young Grandmaster, whose strength surpasses yours and mine, come from!"
To this, Liu Yunqing replied with a helpless sigh, "I'm sorry, I also wish I knew where he came from!"
Following this, Sun Wuji and Tuoba Lie watched Liu Yunqing depart with great disappointment.
Having arrived with great momentum.
They ultimately ended up severely injured.
Sun Wuji and Tuoba Lie sat on the ground, their expressions contorted, clearly finding it difficult to accept this outcome.
However, reality was reality.
The two men knew very well that with a powerhouse like Chu Fan present, no one could obtain anything within the secret realm, so they ceased any futile resistance, enduring their injuries and leading their men to retreat.
Cheers soon erupted at the foot of Tianjian Mountain.
The people of Yunshan Sect felt immense pride at this moment, as it was not often that Tiger Roar Hall and Hundred Flowers Sect were forced to retreat.
"Why didn't you kill them?"
Standing before the entrance to the secret realm, Chu Fan asked Liu Yunqing, who was walking up.
He had expected that Liu Yunqing would not leave any future trouble, and would have killed them while they were severely injured.
Unexpectedly, he had let them go.
"They are not easy to kill!"
"They have someone behind them!"