You know how to run, right

Outside the Silent Bone Forest.

The Young Lad narrowed his eyes, watching the surging blood qi ahead clash against a murky, dark spiritual energy.

Had Donggua been pushed to desperation? Why was she resorting to her origin power?

Hadn’t he sent her a warning two days ago, telling her to be cautious? Had the message not reached her?

The situation was odd, but the Young Lad wasn’t in a hurry to intervene.

No matter what, Donggua was an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator—she held an absolute advantage in cultivation realm.

Besides, even if she couldn’t win, it wasn’t a big deal. Donggua wasn’t foolish; if she couldn’t win, she’d flee.

The real danger lay with him, who appeared safe at the moment.

After all, there was no telling whether the envoy from the Evil Spirit Sect was speaking the truth. Right now, they might be lying in ambush somewhere, waiting for his reaction.

If he rushed in recklessly to assist, the list of demonic cultivators to be exterminated might just include him.

Moreover, if this newly emerged demonic cultivator truly had to die, then so be it—it wasn’t like they were allies.

He knew how to weigh priorities.

The Young Lad tilted his head slightly, glancing at the sun to gauge the time. The envoy from the Evil Spirit Sect was already late.

But rather than assuming tardiness, he preferred to believe they were observing him from afar.

“My, what a commotion. Fighting is one thing, but why uproot the grass too?”

A voice suddenly rang out behind the Young Lad, causing his steady gaze to flicker in surprise. He swiftly turned around, his eyes landing on the leisurely figure of Chu Xingchen and the ever-indifferent Xie Lingyu beside him.

No warning, no presence—they had slipped behind him effortlessly.

The Young Lad knew Chu Xingchen’s cultivation far surpassed his own. After all, anyone whose depth he couldn’t gauge at first glance was undoubtedly a senior. But Xie Lingyu was different—he could roughly sense her cultivation level, around the Nascent Soul stage, and remarkably stable.

What was terrifying wasn’t that Chu Xingchen could approach him undetected, but that he could bring Xie Lingyu along without a trace.

Could it be… a Unity Realm expert?!

Since when did the Evil Spirit Sect have someone of that caliber?

A cultivator of that level would willingly serve as an envoy for the Dark Raven Bishop? What a joke—with that strength, they could easily be an Elder in a minor sect of the Central Continent. Why stoop to being a subordinate here?

Soon, a thought surfaced in the Young Lad’s mind, growing increasingly plausible.

Or perhaps… this so-called envoy was the Dark Raven Bishop himself!

After all, no one had ever seen the Dark Raven Bishop’s true face. He was always cloaked in black robes that blocked spiritual detection, his features hidden behind a specially crafted raven mask.

When fleeing, the most important thing was to ensure no one knew what you looked like.

The Young Lad’s gaze fixed intently on Chu Xingchen’s face, as if trying to pierce through any disguise.

Even if it was a false appearance, a person’s inherent demeanor and subconscious habits carried unique tells.

Chu Xingchen glanced down. “Why stare at me? Planning to make me your target?”

The Young Lad quickly clasped his hands in deference. “I wouldn’t dare. I was merely awaiting the envoy’s orders.”

Chu Xingchen nodded. “The order was given long ago. Eliminate that demonic cultivator. Since it’s two against one, we won’t intervene directly. We’ll oversee the battle to ensure they don’t escape and cause further trouble.”

The Young Lad froze.

Two against one?!

Did this person know Donggua was his ally? Or did he assume that even if they weren’t acquainted, a shared enemy warranted cooperation?

Before he could ponder further, Chu Xingchen urged impatiently, “What are you waiting for? Go assist.”

“Understood…” The Young Lad’s mind raced, but his body moved without hesitation, transforming into a streak of light as he shot toward the heart of the battle.

As the overwhelming blood qi drew nearer and Donggua’s origin power flared more violently, he made a swift decision.

First, handle the immediate threat. This was also a chance to relay a message to Donggua—tell her to flee at once.

He could afford to fall here, but Donggua couldn’t. She still had missions to oversee.

The Young Lad raised his hand slightly. A black glow flickered at his waist, and a massive scythe—tall as he was—materialized in his grip. Without hesitation, he swung it downward, aiming to crush Li Xingtian, who was maneuvering through the blood qi.

Li Xingtian’s gaze shifted, quickly noticing the intruder’s arrival. However, behind this uninvited guest stood his own master, wearing an odd smile.

An ally?

Had his master come to assist after sensing the situation?

Though he appreciated the concern, his current opponent was just a mediocre Divine Transformation cultivator.

But in the next moment, Li Xingtian watched as this supposed ally charged toward him, scythe raised with world-shattering momentum.

This didn’t look like backup—it looked like an attempt to behead him.

Li Xingtian frowned.

What was wrong with the world? Just because his spiritual energy was tinged red, everyone branded him a demonic cultivator, a villain.

Donggua also shifted her position but saw no sign of Chu Xingchen. Instead, she watched the Young Lad charge at Li Xingtian with lethal intent.

For a moment, she was baffled.

She hadn’t informed Xigua of this operation—he shouldn’t have known her whereabouts…

But no matter. His timing was decent. They could deal with this troublesome opponent first.

Just as the Young Lad’s scythe was about to descend, an angry voice transmitted into his mind:

“Who are you attacking? Don’t you know blood qi is the hallmark of our sect? Are you even from the Evil Spirit Sect? How could you mistake your own people?! And didn’t this guy claim to be one of us?!”

The Young Lad’s momentum screeched to a halt. Gripping his scythe, he stood frozen, glancing at Li Xingtian before shifting his gaze to Donggua, whose expression had turned even more stunned.

Was this newly emerged demonic cultivator a pawn planted by the Dark Raven Bishop himself? No wonder the Evil Spirit Sect had denied knowledge of this rising faction.

A blood qi cultivator, with proper heritage, appearing suddenly and expanding recklessly without fear of retaliation…

Putting it all together, it made sense.

The Young Lad pivoted, charging toward Donggua instead. His scythe rose and fell without restraint, spiritual energy erupting wildly around him.

Donggua’s expression twisted as she realized—Xigua hadn’t come to aid her, but to aid the enemy?!

She deflected the incoming blood qi and raised her flexible sword to block the Young Lad’s scythe.

At the moment of impact, amid the violent clash of energies, Donggua clearly heard the Young Lad’s urgent transmission:

“That’s a genuine Evil Spirit Sect member—one of the Dark Raven Bishop’s people. The Bishop himself is here too, though his purpose is unclear. You’ve been exposed. He might be overseeing this battle personally.”

Donggua held back the Young Lad’s seemingly ferocious but actually restrained attack, utterly bewildered by his words.

What nonsense was this?

What did any of this have to do with the Dark Raven Bishop?

The Young Lad met Donggua's accusatory gaze and could only transmit his voice loudly:

"You idiot! At least know how to run, right?!"