Chapter 263 Should We Save Them?

Ziyun'er gnashed her teeth and said, "Such despicable people. Master, do you want me to go over and sort them out?"

Xiao Chen raised his hand to stop her. "Let's go together and see what's going on."

The team made their way over and saw that the groups handing over their Hearts of Illusory Moon belonged to smaller sects. They must be trying to return to Grade 3 and 4 districts after accidentally entering the Grade 5 district.

When the youngster carrying the blood-red broadsword on his shoulder spotted Xiao Chen and the rest, he counted the number of the team. "Hand over your Heart of Illusory Moon if you want to cross this road. Nine of you means you have to hand over ninety Hearts and not one less."

"You!" Ziyun'er immediately lost her temper. Xiao Chen raised his hand again, stopping her. He sauntered to the youngster and asked relaxedly, "You're Xiao Chen, yes?"

"Correct!" The younger raised his fist and swiped his nose with a thumb. "Once you hand over your Hearts, all you have to do is use my name. I guarantee no one will dare provoke you within a hundred miles, no matter which district you are in."

"Oh." Xiao Chen nodded. "What if I refuse?"

"Say that again, kid..." The youngster's expression darkened instantly. The youngster holding a white feathered fan beside him said serenely, "Flowers and dust; a night of flowers leave no dust. Brother Xiao, it seems that this person is going against us."

The youngster raised a hand. "Brother None-flower, leave this unruly kid to me!" He pointed at Xiao Chen and then tapped the red broadsword resting on his shoulders with his thumb. "You! Do you know where did this Blood Lotus Demon Blade come from?"

Xiao Chen nodded. "I'd like to hear the details."

The youngster scoffed. With a smug look on his face, he said, "I got this from exterminating the entire He family. Back then, I wanted to borrow this blade but they refused. So, I killed their household, all one hundred or so of them. I snatched it from them! Kiddo, if you don't want to die, you'd better hand over the Hearts of Illusory Moon like a good child! I don't want to have to kill you!"

Those around them felt cold sweat forming on their back as they listened. Sure enough, the rumors were true. Xiao Chen was a cruel person who could kill without blinking.

Behind them, Qingyu finally lost control of herself and burst into laughter. Seeing that she was mocking him instead of being scared, he bellowed, "What are you laughing about?!"

Xiao Chen shook his head. "Perhaps your memories are faulty, Brother Xiao. Someone from the He family had created trouble at the assembly of orthodox sects that the Widespread Wintriness Sect hosted. He left this blade behind after losing to you in a fight."

The youngster narrowed his eyes. This explanation was plausible too. However, he swiftly realized that something was off. He bellowed, "Kid, it's what I say it is!" Following his howl, he swung his blade.

The crowd gasped. That attack could cut a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! However, their expectation of a bloody outcome was subverted. The sound of clanging metals filled their ears as Xiao Chen pinched the broadsword between his fingers.

"Impossible!"

Once again, the crowd was startled. Wasn't this blade said to be strong enough to cut a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator? Perhaps Xiao Chen wasn't as powerful as rumored after all and didn't deserve his reputation.

No matter how hard he tried, the youngster couldn't summon any strength to remove the broadsword from in between his opponent's fingers. He knew he was in trouble this time. He must have met a ruthless person. He hastily said, "Brother None-flower, what are you waiting for? Come and help me!"

The other youngster holding a white feathered fan immediately glared at Xiao Chen. "Kid, do you know who am I?"

Xiao Chen shot him a disinterested look. "Oh, and who might you be?"

"Listen well then. I'm the one who charged into the Imperial Palace of Xiyue State not too long ago and spilled enough blood that it formed a three-inch layer on the floor, None-flower Dust! I even took away their assassination association, Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under the Moon. Believe it or not, I can kill you the moment you step out of the Forest of Illusory Moon."

Xiao Chen smiled. "Brother None-flower, your memories must be faulty too. The only person you killed was the Crown Prince of Xiyue State and you did it outside the palace. The Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under the Moon isn't with you either."

The crowd was astonished. Where did this person come from? Why was he so familiar with Xiao Chen and None-flower Dust's affairs?

Suddenly, a blaze rocketed into the sky and an ear-splitting explosion followed. Everyone felt the ground under them tremble. Xiao Chen moved his fingers, releasing his hold on the youngster's broadsword, and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw several swords racing over to their side, and ten or so people speeding along on the ground using the Sky Treader technique. It appeared that those in the sky were hunting those running on the ground.

The two groups of people arrived in the blink of an eye. The group on the ground was a mixture of flustered-looking males and females. They wore cyan-colored badges, indicating that they were from the East Continent. When a pretty female disciple spotted Xiao Chen, Yu Yifeng, and the others, she yelled, "Senior Brother Xiao Chen! Senior Brother Yifeng! Save us!"

The group hovering in the air wore clothing of a blazing red color and white badges with the words "Order of the Divine Fire" carved on them. They were disciples from the Order of the Divine Fire.

After seeing the Order of the Divine Fire team, the youngster masquerading as Xiao Chen knew he was in trouble. He yelled at the girl had called for help earlier, "Don't shout nonsense! I don't know you people!"

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes when he detected the formidable aura coming from one of the disciples of the Order of the Divine Fire. He wasn't the only one who noticed the potent aura of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. The rest was so terrified that they dared not make the slightest noise.

Xiao Chen glanced at the group that was being hunted and found two somewhat familiar faces. The female disciple had a badge with the words "Faith of the Lofty Clouds" carved on it while the male disciple had a badge with the words "School of the Savage Flames" carved on it.

The male disciple from the School of the Savage Flames hastily said, "Brother Xiao, have you forgotten about me? We went to the Wuwang Wind Cloud City together! I'm Qin Xinyan!"

The mention of the Wuwang Wind Cloud City reminded Xiao Chen that he had indeed met these two back then. The group of ten or so had stepped onto a land of fantasy then, where they entered a cave filled with Vampire Bats and fought a Corpse Puppet together. They were allies who went through trials and tribulations together. Xiao Chen nodded and indicated for them to come over.

Relieved, Qin Xinyan immediately led his team to Xiao Chen's side. One of the disciples of the Order of the Divine Fire narrowed his eyes. "You're Xiao Chen?"

The youngster that masqueraded as Xiao Chen was frightened out of his wits after sensing a Nascent Soul Realm aura from the speaker. In a shaking voice, he replied, "Yes. But I don't know them. I won't interfere with what you're doing..."

Xiao Chen pushed the fakes aside and said dully, "Move aside. They're not talking to you."

The youngster shivered. When he turned his head to look at the Order of the Divine Fire, he found that they weren't looking at him. When the realization hit him, he immediately felt a chill running all over his body.

The one from the Order of the Divine Fire narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, the rumors about Xiao Chen were true. Xiao Chen had remained calm even in the face of his Nascent Soul Realm aura. He said, "Excellent. I'm Wan Yanyan. Xiao Chen, I've heard of your reputation and don't wish to make things difficult for you today. Take your team and leave."

Zhou Li, Qingyu, and the rest were relieved to hear this. The crowd of onlookers, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. What was going on? Could this person be the real Xiao Chen? Had they fallen for a trap when they handed over their Hearts of Illusory Moon earlier?

The youngsters pretending to be Xiao Chen and None-flower Dust knew they were in trouble when they felt the resentful glares from those around them. They were trying to slip away when Wan Yanyan bellowed, "The rest of you! I dare you to take even a single step!"

The rest were terrified. Those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to flee dared not to move anymore. The aura of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was a powerful deterrent. Once the cultivator's flying sword moved, they would immediately be eliminated.

Xiao Chen glanced at Wan Yanyan. "I don't care about the others but the Faith of the Lofty Clouds and the School of the Savage Flames are friends of mine. I hope you'll show some mercy and leave them alone after taking some of their Hearts of Illusory Moon."

The moment they heard this, Zhou Li, Qingyu, and the rest felt their hearts tighten and frowned. Qingluan shook her head at him, indicating for him to stay out of trouble. It was good enough that they were allowed to leave.

Wan Yanyan raised his head and laughed heartily. Just as swiftly, his gaze turned sharp as he looked coldly upon Xiao Chen. He said sternly, "I'm not fighting you out of respect but you should be aware of your strength!" The True Energy flowing all over his body jolted and a squall immediately materialized. The cultivators nearby began suffocating under the weight of such intense pressure. The weaker ones even fainted.

Xiao Chen was alarmed. This person wasn't an initial-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator as Han Moyang had described, but a mid-stage one!

He didn't even know if the ten or so cultivators here would join hands with him to fight Wan Yanyan. Even if they would, they were still no match for a mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. A cultivator like this could eliminate countless Core Forming Realm cultivators with a single attack.

He considered this for a long time. To be frank, he wasn't that close to the Faith of the Lofty Clouds and the School of the Savage Flames. Were they worth the risk? He couldn't demand his team to tread such dangerous waters with him. In the end, his only fault was his lack of strength.

Yu Yifeng and the rest didn't disturb him when they saw that he was weighing the pros and cons of his decision. The female disciple from the Faith of the Lofty Clouds was looking at him with a tearful face. "Senior Brother Xiao Chen, we spoke up for you when they called you a demon back then. Please help us. The Order of the Divine Fire wants to, wants to..." The words became stuck in her throat.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath. "Brother Yifeng, let's go."