Not long after starting to meditate and heal, Murong Qinxue came to Lin Hao's room.

  "Tell me, what exactly happened back then?"

  Murong Qinxue asked.

  She had already contacted the sect and reported the situation here. She instructed Liu Mei to wait and inform her as soon as the sect replied.

  Lin Hao opened his eyes, still feeling quite dizzy.

  After thinking for a moment, Lin Hao said, "Honestly, I don't remember. I only recall entering the inn room, seeing the little fox, and the Peach Blossom Bde Immortal lying on the bed. Then the little fox left, I went to uncover the Peach Blossom Bde Immortal's veil, and after that, I remember nothing. My head still hurts..."

  Murong Qinxue furrowed her brows in thought, then sighed, "Your condition suggests you've been controlled by the Demon Cn's spirit manipution technique. I was careless and fell into the Demon Cn's trap. They clearly want to divide the human cns, knowing our long-standing grudge with the Lieyang Sect, they aim to provoke us into conflict."

  "Such an obvious scheme, the Lieyang Sect wouldn't fall for it, would they?" Lin Hao frowned.

  "Even if they see through it, so what? The fact remains that you killed their Saintess, and they will demand you be handed over to save face. Moreover, the Lieyang Sect's patriarch has broken through, and now they are powerful and eager to assert their dominance."

  Hearing this, Lin Hao was shocked and understood the gravity of the situation.

  With the Demon Cn watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, to unite the human cns and quell the Lieyang Sect's anger, the sect might indeed sacrifice him, a mere pawn.

  As Lin Hao was lost in thought, Murong Qinxue said, "This time, it was my oversight that allowed the Demon Cn's scheme to succeed. You acted on my orders, so ultimately, the responsibility lies with me. Rest assured, I will protect you with your master."

  ...

  Murong Qinxue and the others stayed awake all night, waiting for a reply from the sect, but to no avail.

  "The sect master has ordered: capture Lin Hao at all costs and bring him back for trial! Additionally, the sect master has dispatched several experts to assist."

  Meanwhile, the Lieyang Sect had already received their sect master's orders early on.

  To avoid alerting the enemy, the Lieyang Sect did not immediately capture anyone but instead set up an ambush in secret.

  "Murong Sect Master, our disciples have discovered that the Lieyang Sect is on the move, seemingly setting up an ambush on our way back to the Xuan Yin Sect, possibly to cut off our retreat. What should we do?"

  Liu Mei received the test news and immediately consulted with Murong Qinxue.

  "Retreat—we can't wait any longer. Everyone, retreat!"

  After some thought, Murong Qinxue gave the order.

  "Liu Mei, you must ensure Lin Hao returns safely to the sect."

  "Don't worry! As long as I have a breath left, Lin Hao will be safe."

  With the situation critical and no news from the Xuan Yin Sect, Murong Qinxue had no choice but to lead the retreat.

  With so many people, to avoid being captured in one fell swoop by the Lieyang Sect, Murong Qinxue decided to split up.

  She divided the group into several teams, with Ning Qingxue and Lu Buping escorted by the elders originally stationed here to confront the Lieyang Sect. Lin Hao was escorted by Liu Mei.

  They dispersed out of the city and pnned to regroup at a location hundreds of miles away from Tian Sha City.

  As for her, she stayed behind to cover the retreat and keep an eye on the Lieyang Sect's leader, who posed the greatest threat!

  "Take this. If the sect master sends any news, we can communicate immediately."

  Murong Qinxue handed a jade talisman to Liu Mei.

  The group exchanged words of caution and then parted ways.

  Lin Hao and Liu Mei disguised themselves and wandered around Tian Sha City, blending in with a crowd of strangers to leave the city.

  Sure enough, they had tails following them.

  However, those tailing them were not particurly powerful and were easily shaken off.

  Lin Hao was already at the mid-Golden Elixir stage, and Liu Mei was half a step into the Elemental Infant stage, making them formidable experts even among the five great Immortal Path sects.

  They moved swiftly, and in just a short moment, they were already over a hundred miles away from Tian Sha City.

  However, in such a crisis, they couldn't expend all their spiritual power just to travel.

  They needed to conserve strength to deal with any potential conflicts, so they slowed their pace.

  "How's your recovery?"

  Liu Mei inquired.

  "I'm about seventy to eighty percent healed. As long as it's not an old fellow at the te Golden Elixir stage, I can still fight."

  Lin Hao replied with a smile.

  Liu Mei nodded, knowing Lin Hao wasn't exaggerating.

  The Purple Elixir Lin Hao condensed was one in ten thousand, far stronger than other Golden Elixir cultivators.

  Even injured, he wasn't someone an ordinary Golden Elixir cultivator could match.

  "Let's go."

  After a brief rest, the two set off again.

  They had only traveled a dozen miles when they sensed a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation coming from behind.

  "Xuan Yin Sect scoundrel? Where do you think you're going!"

  A voice shouted from behind, approaching rapidly like a shooting star.

  The newcomer was an expert who had discerned from their traveling techniques that they were from the Xuan Yin Sect.

  This must have been a pre-arranged ambush by the Lieyang Sect.

  Lin Hao and Liu Mei exchanged gnces, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

  "You go first! I'll hold him off."

  Liu Mei decided swiftly, brandishing her spear and charging at the enemy behind them.

  Lin Hao wasn't one to hesitate either, channeling his spiritual power to speed up his escape.

  "Xuan Yin Sect scoundrel, do you think you can escape?"

  Not long after taking flight on his sword, three figures suddenly emerged from the forest ahead, soaring into the sky to block Lin Hao's path.

  Lin Hao's heart sank.

  "Show your true face! Hiding like this, what kind of hero are you?"

  "We're only here to capture that little scoundrel Lin Hao, we won't trouble anyone else. As long as you reveal your true identity, we can let you go."

  The three in front taunted as they approached Lin Hao, their faces full of mockery.

  Among them, one was at the early Golden Elixir stage, and two were at the peak of Foundation Establishment. With their strength, they couldn't possibly detect Lin Hao's true identity.

  As they drew closer, Lin Hao's eyes flickered, and his appearance began to change.

  "Fellow Daoists, I am not Lin Hao, I..."

  While removing his disguise, Lin Hao secretly gathered his strength.

  Seeing the three were close enough, Lin Hao suddenly unched a surprise attack, using his finger as a sword.

  Bzing Sun Fme!

  Fires of War!

  Fire Phoenix Scorches the Pins!

  Without holding back, Lin Hao unleashed his strongest killing move!

  In three swift steps, his sword techniques changed, and the Fire Lotus Sword Technique was executed.

  Fire Phoenix Scorches the Pins was aimed at the early Golden Elixir stage cultivator.

  In an instant, fmes soared, engulfing all directions, with the phantom of a phoenix rising and falling amidst the scorching fire.

  It was as if a great sun had fallen, turning the world crimson.

  "Ah!"

  "No!"

  Two agonizing screams sent chills down one's spine.

  Under Lin Hao's cold gaze, two Lieyang Sect cultivators turned to ashes in an instant.

  Their bodies, along with their magical treasures, vanished completely.

  "Fire Lotus Sword Technique! The signature move of Great Bamboo Peak's master, Feng Cangyue! You are..."

  The early Golden Elixir stage cultivator among the three had perished, but the remaining peak Foundation Establishment cultivator survived.

  He seemed to have a secret treasure that, when he caught fire, emitted cold ice and mist, offering some resistance and preventing immediate death.

  In that brief moment, he realized that this person was indeed Lin Hao!

  Peerjun