“If you won’t let him go, we’ll settle both scores and fight!” the green-robed man said domineeringly.
“Hmph, bold words! Do you know who we are? We’re from the Dark Night Hall! In the East Yan Domain, our Dark Night Hall is a top-tier force. If you cross us, you’ll regret it!” the Transcendent Realm elder said arrogantly.
“Don’t give me that. The border mountains are far from your East Yan Domain, separated by several domains. What’s your Dark Night Hall here? Ever heard of a strong dragon not overpowering a local snake?” the green-robed man sneered.
“You…” the elder’s face darkened.
Indeed, the East Yan Domain was too far away for the Dark Night Hall’s influence to reach here.
“If this were the East Yan Domain, you’d be dead for speaking like that!” the man in the brocade robe said venomously.
“You said it yourself, that’s in the East Yan Domain,” the green-robed man scoffed.
“Enough, Young Master, let’s go,” the elder said to the man in the brocade robe.
“Elder Li, we finally found this kid. How can we let him off so easily?” the man in the brocade robe said, full of reluctance.
“I promise you, we’ll get revenge on this kid. Listen to me, let’s leave for now. I’ll explain later,” the elder said.
“Fine, so be it.”
Though unwilling, the man in the brocade robe couldn’t argue since the elder had spoken. He nodded reluctantly.
He turned to Lin Yun.
“Kid, you got lucky escaping this time, but don’t get cocky! We’ll settle this score eventually!” the man in the brocade robe said with a venomous glare.
“Don’t worry, you won’t get that chance,” Lin Yun said nonchalantly, shrugging.
“Hmph, we’ll see!”
The man in the brocade robe snorted, then followed the elder and left.
After they departed, the two brothers Lin Yun had saved rushed to him.
“Are you alright, Fellow Daoist?” the brothers asked warmly.
“I’m fine. Thanks for your help just now,” Lin Yun said with a grateful smile.
The situation earlier had been truly dangerous for him.
“You saved our lives back then. We owed you two lives, so this is just repaying the debt,” the brothers said with a smile.
Lin Yun couldn’t help but marvel at how strange the world was.
He hadn’t expected that saving them casually would lead to them rescuing him now.
Back then, he had saved them without much thought or expectation of reward.
Perhaps this was karma, the good deed he planted yielding this fortunate outcome.
If Lin Yun had been cold-hearted and hadn’t helped, he wouldn’t be reaping this reward now.
“By the way, Fellow Daoist, last time we got separated because of those robbers, we didn’t get your name,” the Mysterious Saint brother said.
“I’m Lin Yun,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Fellow Daoist Lin Yun, we’re Wu Qing and Wu Yue,” the two brothers introduced themselves.
“Oh, and this is our big brother, Wu Chengtian, a Transcendent Realm cultivator,” Wu Qing said, introducing the green-robed man.
“Fellow Daoist Wu Chengtian, thank you for earlier,” Lin Yun said, clasping his fists in respect.
“You’re too polite. I should thank you for saving my two brothers. Without you, they might not be alive,” Wu Chengtian said warmly.
“It’s a pity we let those guys go. They robbed us last time, and now they walk away unscathed,” Wu Qing and Wu Yue said, their faces filled with resentment.
“Brothers, they have a Transcendent Realm cultivator. Though I’m also Transcendent Realm, fighting them would lead to mutual destruction. I’m not confident I could win, and neither side would benefit. Saving Fellow Daoist Lin Yun was the priority,” Wu Chengtian explained.
“That makes sense,” Wu Qing and Wu Yue nodded.
“By the way, Fellow Daoists Wu Qing and Wu Yue, you escaped with my four teammates last time. Why aren’t they with you?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
“We travelled with your four teammates for a few days, but we were heading in different directions. My brother and I decided to go deeper into the border to find our big brother, who’s a Transcendent Realm cultivator hunting demons there, so we parted ways,” Wu Qing explained.
“I see,” Lin Yun nodded in understanding.
After a pause, he continued, “So why are you here?”
Wu Yue explained, “We had a conflict with another team. They couldn’t beat us and offered information to spare themselves, telling us about a rare natural treasure maturing here. So, our big brother decided to bring us to check it out.”
“I didn’t expect it to be a Blood Demon Flower about to bloom,” Wu Chengtian said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“But with so many teams competing, it’ll be tough to seize it,” Lin Yun sighed.
“My brother is Transcendent Realm, so our chances are relatively higher,” Wu Yue said with a smile.
“That’s true,” Lin Yun nodded in agreement.
Teams with a Transcendent Realm cultivator had a better shot at the Blood Demon Flower than those without.
But once the flower matured, the situation would be unpredictable. A Transcendent Realm cultivator’s chances were only relatively better, not guaranteed.
“In any case, we’ll do our best to seize it,” Wu Chengtian said.
He turned to Lin Yun, “Fellow Daoist Lin Yun, stick with us for now. As long as you’re by my side, those guys won’t dare trouble you.”
“Alright, I’ll trouble you then,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
Having a Transcendent Realm protector would indeed make him much safer.
“Haha, you’re my brothers’ saviour. No need to be so polite,” Wu Chengtian laughed heartily.
They planned to stay in this spot and wait for the Blood Demon Flower to bloom.
Meanwhile, the man in the brocade robe, the elder, and their group returned to the lake.
“Elder Li, why didn’t we fight? Letting that kid go like that, I can’t accept it! Even if they have a Transcendent Realm cultivator, you’re one too, and we outnumber them. What’s there to fear?” the man in the brocade robe said darkly, full of resentment.
“Young Master, even with our numbers, they have a Transcendent Realm cultivator. A fight would be brutal. Even if we won, we’d pay a heavy price, like killing one enemy while losing eight hundred of our own,” the elder explained.
He continued, “With the Blood Demon Flower about to bloom, if we fight now and get mutually injured, my condition would be compromised, and I’d lose the ability to compete for the flower. We need to stay in top shape for the flower’s contest. That’s the priority.”
