Chu Lingwei stared into the distance, watching a figure flash past quickly without revealing themselves.
"Who exactly are you? Stop skulking around here." Ye Xuan fixed his gaze forward; for a fleeting moment, he had sensed a stranger's presence.
However, it was only for an instant, and the presence soon vanished.
Ye Xuan felt a surge of tension, knowing in his heart that this place was more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Esteemed fellow Daoist, could you please reveal yourself?" Chu Lingwei could sense that this person was still ahead and had not left.
"Your words are much more pleasant."
As Chu Lingwei spoke, a man in green emerged. He was tall and slender with a slightly sallow complexion. A small puppet rested on his shoulder; he was a disciple of the Renyan Sect.
"You are a disciple of the Renyan Sect."
Renyan Sect disciples were easily recognizable. Most of them would craft puppets for themselves, using them as their weapons.
"So what if I am, so what if I'm not?" The Renyan Sect disciple chuckled, giving Ye Xuan a peculiar grin as he appraised him from head to toe. "Your current physique is quite suitable for a puppet."
"That remains to be seen if you have the skill," Ye Xuan scoffed. Among the younger generation, he was considered exceptional. His strength was only surpassed by Chu Lingwei, but to other cultivators, he was still a prodigy.
"Very well, then let's have a try." The Renyan Sect disciple smiled mysteriously, and the puppet on his shoulder launched itself towards Ye Xuan.
Chu Lingwei's heart leaped in alarm. This was not a Renyan Sect disciple at all, or at least, not one who had entered with them.
"Wait."
Chu Lingwei interrupted their impending confrontation, deflecting the Renyan Sect disciple's initial assault.
"Apologies, we had no intention of picking a fight." Chu Lingwei cupped his hands towards the Renyan Sect disciple. "Please, esteemed Daoist, do not hold this against him."
"What if I insist on holding it against him?" The Renyan Sect disciple withdrew his puppet and burst into laughter, as if he had heard the most preposterous joke. "You are the first person to ask me not to pursue a matter."
"Senior Sister, we don't need to be afraid of him." Ye Xuan's face flushed with indignation. He was not at all intimidated by a fight. This person was clearly provoking them, and he felt deeply insulted.
Chu Lingwei shook her head at Ye Xuan. They had not even ascertained the person's identity, and a rash engagement would be of no benefit to them.
"Junior Brother, step back."
Ye Xuan opened his mouth, then nodded and retreated.
"Disciples of the Cultivation Academy?" Although Chu Lingwei and Ye Xuan were not wearing the uniforms of the Cultivation Academy, the Renyan Sect disciple recognized them at a glance.
"Yes, we are disciples of the Cultivation Academy." Chu Lingwei readily admitted, simultaneously transmitting a message to Feng Ming and the others.
"Can you discern his cultivation?"
"No, but it's likely much higher than yours." Huànmāo transmitted, their gaze wary as they watched the disciple before them. "I sense this person is very dangerous. The way he looks at you carries killing intent."
Chu Lingwei's eyes flickered. It seemed a battle was unavoidable.
"Finally, I have been waiting." The Renyan Sect disciple's gaze turned icy. He had waited here for a hundred years, and now, finally, disciples of the Cultivation Academy had arrived. His revenge could finally be exacted.
"Esteemed Senior, may I ask how you identified us as disciples of the Cultivation Academy?" Chu Lingwei stepped forward, placing herself between Ye Xuan and the disciple, preventing him from revealing his emotions.
The Renyan Sect disciple laughed even louder. "If I cannot even recognize my enemies, what qualification do I have to live here?"
"I do not know you at all!" Ye Xuan finally recognized the gravity of the situation. This cultivator intended to take their lives.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know me. As long as you are disciples of the Cultivation Academy, that is enough." The Renyan Sect disciple's eyes were like a venomous snake, fixed on Ye Xuan. "You, step aside. I only kill men."
"Senior Sister, you must leave this place quickly. This person is very dangerous."
Ye Xuan snorted and whispered to Chu Lingwei.
"You cannot defeat him," Chu Lingwei stated bluntly. If Ye Xuan were to face this person alone, it would be a sure death.
Ye Xuan's expression stiffened. Must she be so certain? He was, after all, a disciple of the Cultivation Academy.
"I didn't expect you to have such self-awareness." The Renyan Sect disciple reached out to stroke the puppet on his shoulder, his eyes suddenly blazing with hatred. If not for the disciples of the Cultivation Academy, he would not be stuck here, and he would never have to leave again.
Here, they could only grow old and die. He truly resented it.
"Esteemed Daoist, could you allow us to die with understanding?" Chu Lingwei thought of the male cultivator who had saved her. He had told her that the cultivators who remained here would not be friendly. "Have you been a resident here all along?"
Ye Xuan was shocked by Chu Lingwei's words. What did Senior Sister mean?
"You are very intelligent." His lack of denial was an implicit acknowledgment.
"How is that possible? How could you remain here?" Ye Xuan looked incredulously at the Renyan Sect cultivator. Shouldn't everyone be sent out once their time was up? How could anyone remain here?
"I even thank your Cultivation Academy. If not for you, I would not have been able to stay here." The Renyan Sect disciple pointed at Ye Xuan. "Originally, if I had left here, my cultivation would have advanced significantly, and my status would have risen. But all of that was ruined by disciples of your Cultivation Academy."
The Renyan Sect disciple suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter, his voice laced with extreme sarcasm. "I never expected disciples of the Cultivation Academy to also engage in petty trickery."
"You..." Ye Xuan was furious. He could not tolerate his academy being so denigrated.
"He is dead."
Chu Lingwei interrupted Ye Xuan's words and said.
Ye Xuan and the Renyan Sect disciple both stared blankly at Chu Lingwei. When they regained their senses, the Renyan Sect disciple wore a look of grim satisfaction. "He deserved to die."
"Are you feeling better now?" Chu Lingwei transmitted to Ye Xuan. "Hurry and leave this place."
"No, how can I let Senior Sister find a way out for me?" Ye Xuan wanted to stay with Chu Lingwei to protect her, not to be protected by her.
"Only if you leave can I leave. You are a liability here." Chu Lingwei saw that the Renyan Sect disciple was losing patience and said with a sharp tone, "Go quickly, or neither of us will be able to escape."
As Chu Lingwei spoke, the Renyan Sect disciple's puppet lunged at her. Chu Lingwei gave Ye Xuan a shove, urging him to leave quickly.
"Senior Sister."
"Go quickly. Only if you leave will I have a chance to escape." Chu Lingwei made it clear that she had means of self-preservation, and his presence here would only be a burden.
"Alright, Senior Sister, be careful."
Ye Xuan gritted his teeth, turned, and quickly departed.
"Your opponent is me." Chu Lingwei blocked the Renyan Sect disciple's attempt to pursue, sending a surge of spiritual energy towards him.