Not long after the Carefree Sect's group departed, Elder Wuqi stepped forward and said, "Brother Wuhen, I think the Grand Sacred Hall and Three Star Sect won't let this go. They're bound by the oath, sure, but as long as they keep a close eye on Holy Sword Palace, the moment Holy Sword Palace makes a move, they'll have their chance. And our Carefree Sect…"
Had this been Elder Wuhen from a few days ago, none of this would have needed saying — it was all part of his calculations.
But at this moment, his spirits were flagging. He smiled faintly. "Wuqi, have you noticed? These past few days, our thoughts have revolved almost entirely around that boy, and yet we've never been able to do a thing about him. This time, he played the fool to lure us all in — everyone was part of his scheme."
"So what? It was just a stroke of luck on his part."
"Luck?" Elder Wuhen gave a detached smile. "In the world of the strong, once can be luck. Twice or three times, and it absolutely is not. I can guarantee you — Holy Sword Palace will never lay a finger on Jiang Chen. And if they don't know what's good for them, they might even end up suffering at his hands."
"Let's go. This murky water — the Carefree Sect won't be wading into it."
Though Elder Wuhen was a deep old fox of a man, he had not lost his reason. If anything, he was perfectly capable of reading the situation for what it was.
In Jiang Chen, he saw a terrifying potential — a potential that defied his reading.
With his old fox's eye, he could tell that Jiang Chen was absolutely not someone the cultivators of the Myriad Phenomena Region could suppress. Given time, this boy was bound to shine brilliantly.
To make an enemy of someone like that — unless you could kill him on the spot, you were inviting endless trouble.
Elder Wuhen weighed the situation and decided that since the Carefree Sect had already used the earlier opportunity to settle its past grudges with Jiang Chen, there was no point in forging new ones.
Otherwise, once this boy grew stronger, the Carefree Sect would never know peace.
Practice had already proven it: the younger generation of the Carefree Sect — whether Wei Qing or Wei Xing'er — even if they currently held an edge in martial strength over Jiang Chen, none could match the boy.
The Carefree Sect still had several top-tier young talents, but compared to Jiang Chen, they always lacked a certain quality — that air of someone who could turn the tide with a flip of the hand.
It had to be said, Jiang Chen's earlier maneuvering with the antidote had given even someone as grudge-holding as Elder Wuhen a moment of clarity — pulling back from the cliff's edge and giving up on continuing this feud.
It wasn't that Elder Wuhen had grown generous. It was that in those details, he had glimpsed the potential and power within Jiang Chen — a quality virtually no peer could rival.
And so, even though Elder Wuhen suspected that Wei Qing may have died at Jiang Chen's hands, he had no desire to bring it up. First, Wei Qing was not of his direct lineage. Second, though Wei Qing had talent, he was far too careless in temperament to amount to anything great.
There was simply no need to stir up more trouble over his account.
After the Carefree Sect departed, the people of Three Star Sect harbored thoughts not unlike those of the Grand Sacred Hall. They too were planning to play the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind.
Deep within a dense forest, Elder Chen of Holy Sword Palace formed several hand seals and blew a series of short whistles.
Before long, several green butterflies fluttered in from every direction. Each had wings as thin as blades, shaped somewhat like swords — an unusual appearance.
"Sword Butterflies?" Wang Han's eyes lit up upon seeing them.
He had heard that Holy Sword Palace possessed a remarkable species of butterfly that could serve as eyes and ears, exceedingly rare and hard to raise. He had only ever heard of them — never seen one with his own eyes.
The butterflies settled on Elder Chen's arm.
Through some method of communication, before long, Elder Chen's face broke into a look of joy. "The people of Danqian Palace have left, but one person stayed behind. Based on the Sword Butterflies' description, it has to be Jiang Chen! That brat is acting alone!"
Elder Xi was equally delighted upon hearing this. "You're saying he hasn't left?"
A fierce killing intent erupted in Wang Han's eyes, sharp and murderous. "He hasn't left? Wonderful. This is what happens when you court death. Since that brat refuses to leave, this time, no matter what, we will take his head!"
Elder Chen nodded. "Elder Xi, take everyone and go. I'll stay behind."
Elder Xi was taken aback. "Why?"
Wang Han grew even more agitated. "Elder Chen! That Jiang Chen humiliated me beyond bearing — if I don't kill him, the shame and fury will never leave me! They can go back, but I will not!"
Elder Chen's expression turned cold. "Oh? Are you going to defy my orders?"
He was, after all, an Earth Saint–level powerhouse, and his imposing aura was terrifying. The moment it flared, every face around him went pale.
Elder Xi hurried to speak. "Brother Chen, please calm yourself."
"Hmph! You think I wouldn't want to bring you along? It's just that since that brat is acting alone, a large group will only make it easier for him to notice us. And — did you really think Xiang Gan, Wuhen, and that old fox Tan Lang would simply leave without a second thought?"
Elder Xi's face drained of color. "What do you mean?"
A cold gleam flickered in Elder Chen's eyes as he spoke through gritted teeth. "If my guess is correct, they must already be finding ways to track us. After all — the mantis stalks the cicada, and the oriole waits behind."
Elder Xi's expression shifted, and then the full meaning of Elder Chen's words hit him.
"They're bound by the Heaven and Earth Oath and can't make a move on Danqian Palace's people. But we face no such restriction. So in their eyes, we're the final hand. The moment we eliminate Jiang Chen and seize those top-grade spiritual herbs, they'll all come crawling out of the woodwork!"
Elder Chen's teeth were clenched, but though he could see it all coming, there was nothing he could do to change it.
A head-on clash with those three sects would only leave both sides devastated.
The best strategy was to pretend ignorance, shake off their tail in secret, and flee the moment the deed was done. Once they left Huanbo Mountain, the others would have no grounds to act openly.
Still, only two days remained. Whatever schemes they had, they would have to move quickly.