Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 285 - 278 Temporary Part One

Chapter 285: Chapter 278 Temporary Part One

"...Mr. Red! Mr. Red!?"

Ling’er ran over, carefully looking at him but did not dare come too close, there was also Xiao Liu who was holding his arm, saved by him.

"I know... We should leave immediately. Immediately..." Lin Xin muttered, slowly coming back to his senses.

He raised his head and saw the sky was already lit with a swath of red light, the gigantic Demon God child had completely disappeared. It seemed it was in an unfinished state; although he had outperformed in a strike, the opponent was much weaker than a normal Demon God child, which was why it was overwhelmed in an instant.

"Let’s go."

He glanced at Ling’er and Xiao Liu, ragged and disheveled, flashed in form, took one in each hand, and in a breath, reached the carriage that had set off at some distance and was slowly waiting for them.

The people from the Escort Agency cheered upon catching up with them.

"Mr. Red..." Ling’er was gently placed on the horse’s side, her gaze foreign yet filled with reverence and awe. She seemed hesitant, wanting to ask Lin Xin why he hid his identity to join such a weak team. But she feared angering Lin Xin, having committed some taboo. After all, such experts are often moody or have peculiar habits.

The convoy slowly moved forward, heading straight in the set direction towards Naxi. Behind them, the fire burned, and the giant trees slowly fell.

Lin Xin knew what she wanted to ask, not just her, but also Xiao Liu, the nearby approaching escort masters, and Uncle Wu who was driving the carriage towards them.

"This senior... This junior failed to recognize the Taoist Master," Uncle Wu said respectfully. "We didn’t mean to get involved in the grand Formation set by the experts of Red Spine Sect; do you know of the one who set it up?"

However, Lin Xin just closed his lips tightly, his expression grim.

The murderous intent of the Netherworld surged and roiled, and he continuously suppressed it, consuming a substantial amount of mental energy all the time.

Waves of dizziness came constantly from the depths of his mind.

"Mr. Red... Are you alright?" Ling’er came over to support him, among the team she was the only woman. Her movements were gentle, thus the responsibility of taking care of Lin Xin, their savior, fell on her.

Lin Xin just wanted to nod to indicate he was okay.

Splat!

Suddenly, a mouthful of blood sprayed out from his mouth, splattering the nearby grass. The blood was an eerie black and red, with many clumps of coagulated matter.

His consciousness quickly blurred, and for a moment Lin Xin could no longer hold on; his body nearly had no strength left. If not for his spiritual energy and strength being exhausted, he might have started frantically killing right then.

Supported by Ling’er, his sight became blurred and his mind foggy, he almost fell sideways beside the carriage.

"Quick, help the gentleman rest!"

"Medicine for internal injuries, quickly bring it!!"

Ling’er’s sharp cries of alarm faintly reached his ears, but the sound grew softer and more distant.

Just before passing out, Lin Xin struggled to take out the silver-colored little mouse he had prepared earlier, shoving it into his mouth to bite fiercely.

Unexpectedly, as soon as it entered his mouth, it melted like a real little mouse, scurrying around in his mouth and then quickly darted down his throat, crazily rushing into his stomach.

After that, he knew nothing more.

************************

Hum.....

Lin Xin’s body suddenly fell to the ground, but a thin layer of red spiritual light surfaced around him, resembling armor that evenly covered his entire body.

Ling’er tried to lift him but could only grasp the outer layer of the red spiritual light. It felt extremely smooth and hard to hold firmly.

She quickly called a few people over to help, and they managed to get Lin Xin onto the carriage.

"Hurry, break the Formation, and it will definitely draw the people from Red Spine Sect! If we don’t leave quickly! Running into someone powerful will be troublesome!"

Seeing Lin Xin unconscious, Uncle Wu’s expression also changed. The only person capable of resisting powerful foes had fainted, what if they encountered...

Ling’er also realized the gravity of the situation and quickly nodded.

"Given the circumstances, can we still return to the Escort Agency?" Suddenly, an escort master spoke up.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

The convoy rapidly moved forward, the distance from the fire behind increasing. The surrounding noise also swiftly diminished and even began to quiet down, but besides the joy of escaping death, there was more fear of the colossal Red Spine Sect.

"By now, even the Sixth Prince of Red Spine Sect is planning to attack and kill; their ambitions are clear," Uncle Wu shook his head. "Although Mr. Red has broken the Formation, allowing us to escape, that shocking strike also destroyed the plans of Red Spine Sect, definitely stirring up great trouble."

"What should we do then?" another escort master lamented. "If Red Spine Sect chases us, we might not last even a day...."

Both Uncle Wu and Ling’er, as team leaders, also didn’t know what to do. For the moment, everyone lost the mood to talk and just kept quiet.

They quickly passed through the woodland, the surrounding trees becoming sparse and gradually darkening, comprised mostly of tall trees with sparse leaves.

Having traveled several hours, with the sky about to darken, and still no sign of any pursuers, the people finally felt slightly at ease.

Speculating that perhaps the Red Spine Sect had not seen them, some harbored thoughts of quickly detouring back.

*************************

The massive banner with the character for Zhou fluttered in the wind, crackling as it was tugged fiercely where it was planted in front of the main hall of the Mirror Mystique Sect.

The surroundings were densely packed everywhere with the bodies of the Mirror Mystique Sect disciples and Red Spine Sect members who had died in close combat.

The sheer multitude of bones and corpses had completely submerged the plaza in front of the great hall, with even the ground almost out of sight.

"You said the Sixth Prince escaped?"

By the side of the banner, a young man with a ponytail, clad in a white coat, looked astonished at the two elderly women reporting to him.

"Quell your anger, Flag King! There’s more to this matter. If it weren’t for a powerful master who suddenly appeared and broke the formation, we would not have lost several Daoist Masters," one of the elderly women quickly explained, a hint of anger on her face.

"I was merely deep in meditation for a moment, and you two, peak Intent Level experts, let an Intent Level Sixth Prince escape?" the man stood with his hands behind his back, his aura swirling about him, exuding a commanding presence without anger.

"Flag King, you must have felt that sword striking the formation just now, didn’t you? Can you really blame us sisters for this?" the other elderly woman said coldly. "We are only aligned with the Sect Leader of the Red Spine Sect and temporarily following the Flag King’s orders. That does not mean we are your subordinates!"

"You are not under my command...." Zhou Huaisha nodded. "But losing the Sixth Prince might impact the Sect Leader’s plans.... Who will bear the responsibility afterward?"

"We will bear it ourselves!" the elderly sisters said in unison.

"Can you really bear it?" Zhou Huaisha sneered.

"We will explain things to the Sect Leader! The person was a top-notch sword master! They definitely left clues and traces."

"There are few sword masters in Central Prefecture that I cannot easily drive back, including the Demon God Child, but among those who could barely reach my level, there is only one—Sword Immortal Huang Shiyu, who has been based north of Luo River, running the Exchange Sword Sect for hundreds of years. Although he is not on the Heavenly List, his power at the peak Scenic Level is stronger by just a fraction. I crossed swords with him decades ago," Zhou Huaisha said indifferently.

"It wasn’t him. The styles are completely different. The person’s Sword Intent had an almost endless scent of bloodiness, having killed who knows how many people, absolutely the tactics of a Demon Lord."

The other elderly woman said quietly.

"The Dark Path, huh...?" Zhou Huaisha pondered briefly, "Never mind him for now, find the Sixth Prince! Go inquire with the nearby Mountain Gods or lands to see if they can catch up, and if not, notify all of The Dark Path to issue a wanted alert!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Flag King," the elderly woman bowed in thanks.

"No need for pointless talk, have everyone else go out and search," Zhou Huaisha said plainly.

He was a very indifferent person. The escape of the Sixth Prince was bad for the Sect Leader, but for him, as long as he had food and drink, beautiful company, nothing else mattered much.

What was the purpose of cultivation practice? What for the Undying Longevity? What for the mighty strength?

Wasn’t it all for pleasure? If it weren’t for enjoying life, what was the point of living so long? What was the meaning?

That was the philosophy of him, the Red Flag King.

"I heard that there used to be a Golden Eagle Demon well-versed in the local geography here upfront; perhaps we could consult him," said a respectfully low-bowed elderly man in green robes standing nearby.

"Golden Eagle Demon?" The elderly sisters exchanged glances, both eager to redeem themselves, and quickly nodded.

"It is a plan, thank you, Daoist Song. What about the master who broke the formation?"

"Don’t worry about him for now. First, find the person. Once found, immediately contact Lu Yunshu or the Strange Taoist,"

"Understood," the elderly women responded softly.

"Focus on the pressing matters. The world is in turmoil, and the Imperial Clan is also in jeopardy. If the master decides to protect the Imperial Clan, he will surely make a move sooner or later."

What they didn’t know was that the master who had broken the formation was actually hiding in the departing escort agency’s caravan, but nobody thought of this possibility; who would think that a master capable of breaking a Daoist Master Level formation would humbly travel with a group of escorts? Such a scenario seemed entirely unthinkable everywhere.

After all, for a Daoist Master Level and peak Intent Level master, a swift flight could quickly cover the region, whereas ordinary caravans would need days of travel; finding the direction would only take a few hours for them.

Hence, even though Lin Xin was in a nearby caravan, no one could imagine his special circumstances at this moment.

******************

Whoosh...

Clean stream water gently flowed down from the top of the rock cliff, splashing into a small pool less than half a meter below.

The caravan stopped by the stream, several escort masters gathering stones to build a hearth for cooking.

Ling’er filled a wooden basin with water and was washing clothes, while Uncle Wu sharpened his knife on a whetstone nearby. Both occasionally glanced back at the person sitting in the direction of the coach.

Bouts of coughing continued to emanate.

Lin Xin had awakened and was now reclining against the side of the coach, sipping gently from a brown water bladder in his hand.

The setting sun was fiery, clouds drifted by the wind, and a flock of geese slowly flew overhead, emitting faint cries.

The surroundings were tranquil and leisurely, with the occasional sound of birds and insects mingling with the escort masters’ low voices.

He could feel that the escort masters, including Ling’er and Uncle Wu, were secretly discussing him, occasionally stealing glances his way.