Austin flew out of the water and landed at the lakeside. He looked around but didn't see anyone nearby. He unleashed his spiritual sense to check the surroundings but he didn't find any signs of the Primordial Sect disciples.
'I've been hiding under the lake for a day. Maybe they thought I've already fled so they went somewhere else to look for me, ' he silently told himself.
'Besides, their main mission is to collect herbs. I'm sure they won't waste their time staying in one place for too long.'
He felt relieved because he was now safe from the Primordial Sect disciples.
So without hesitation, he activated the Diabolic Flashing Skill and headed towards the depth of the valley.
'According to that man, the Secret Valley lies in the depth of the forbidden valley. I guess that area is now controlled by the disciples of the three holy lands, ' Austin analyzed.
Austin kept moving while using his spiritual sense to scan the area ahead of him.
Every time he saw some people on his way, he would dodge them.
Although he wasted so much time by doing it, at least he kept himself away from trouble.
An hour had passed.
All of a sudden, Austin saw something unusual through his spiritual sense. Something seemed to be going on not so far away from him.
'What? They've made it here?' he thought.
He was in awe as he saw a large bunch of people ahead of him.
Dozens of the Flame Holy Land disciples were among those people.
They seemed to be in big trouble.
The disciples of the Flame Holy Land were surrounded by over three hundred people. Obviously, these people outnumbered them.
Austin contemplated for a while. After struggling a little, he eventually made a difficult decision. He landed on the ground and sneaked up on them.
'I'm a part of the Flame Holy Land. I can't stand watching them being bullied by other people, ' he pondered to himself.
Soon enough, he was already moving closer to where the disciples of the Flame Holy Land stood.
He caught sight of Rahul and the other Flame Holy Land disciples surrounded by more than three hundred people.
"A bunch of losers from a fourth-class sect. Do you know who we are? We're from the Blood-thirsty Gang. You really have the guts to break into this area? Who gave you the permission to pick herbs here?"
Austin heard a man in a green robe scolding the disciples of the Flame Holy Land.
"Now, I am giving you two choices: surrender all your herbs to us and leave willingly or we will kick all of you out of here by force!" the man continued to threaten them.
Austin could see the look of frustration from the faces of the Flame Holy Land disciples.
Then man continued his speech.
"If you choose
.
A teenager with a tapered face from the Blood-thirsty Gang walked to the man's side.
"Don't be angry, Nicholas. He is just a loser. Let me teach him a lesson," he said gallantly.
Obviously, this teenager in a black robe was the man's loyal follower because when he noticed that the man was already angry, he volunteered to teach Austin a lesson to appease him immediately.
This teenager was at the preliminary stage of Semi-emperor Realm so he was very confident. He slowly approached Austin with a playful look on his face. There was no way he would take a Semi-holy Realm cultivator seriously.
"You've made a huge mistake, brat. You shouldn't have offended Nicholas," the teenager warned Austin.
"Now get down on your knees and beg for mercy. After that, I will let you take your own life. Otherwise, I will cut your heart out and kill you slowly."
When he spoke, the teenager released an enormous vital energy and directed it at Austin.
But Austin didn't even waver. He just stood still and waited for the teenager to approach him.
The disciples of the Flame Holy Land also didn't come to his rescue because they had already witnessed how Austin had slain a Semi-emperor Realm master.
The teenager stopped when he was just a few meters away from Austin.
Seeing that Austin didn't move a bit, he laughed out loud.
"Brat, you can't move because of my vital energy force, right? You are just a poor guy of the Semi-holy Realm. I'm sure, if I release more vital energy, you will be crushed," he said proudly.
"You are being ridiculous," Austin responded with a defiant smile.
It wasn't true that he couldn't move because of the teenager's vital energy. It didn't even affect him.
The moment Austin finished his words, he threw a quick punch at the teenager's chest.