After obtaining the Nether River Flower.
In the following days, since Mu Jinyu had no other leads on Spiritual Medicine, he lingered a bit longer in the Hanchi Tribe under the warm invitation of the Barbarian King.
However, with no further leads on Spiritual Medicine, after staying in the Hanchi Tribe for five days, Mu Jinyu finally decided to leave the Northern Plains and search in places rumored to have the required Spiritual Medicine.
Rather than waiting in vain for news from Hua Yunfei, he might as well visit those places that might possess the necessary Spiritual Medicine on his own, hoping to discover something.
"Ah, I wish you a smooth journey. Once your major task is completed, do come back to our Hanchi Tribe as a guest, and then we shall not return until we are drunk."
The Barbarian King did not insist on him staying further and embraced Mu Jinyu, laughing loudly.
"Yes, we shall not return until we are drunk!" Mu Jinyu nodded.
Then, Mu Jinyu, accompanied by Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan, gracefully left the Hanchi Tribe.
A day later.
Mu Jinyu left the snowy Northern Plains and headed towards the Eastern Region, planning to explore a certain mountain range to see if he could find the last four types of Spiritual Medicine needed.
As they passed by a small town, Mu Jinyu had a thought. It occurred to him that they had been in the Northern Plains for some time now and were disconnected from news, which was not quite ideal.
He intended to enter the town to gather information and see if there had been any commotion from the powerful factions chasing them lately.
In an inn, the three of them had already disguised themselves, so there was no fear of being recognized. They calmly ordered some food and drinks.
Before Mu Jinyu could inquire about the information he needed, people started to discuss on their own.
"Hey, do you think the major factions like the Wu Family, the Divine Formation Sect, and the Boundless Sect in the Central Domain have been besieging the Heavenly Sword Faction for so many days now, yet still haven't taken down that small sect? Could it be they are deliberately blocking it to make that Dragon Head Leader walk into their trap?!"
"They might want the Dragon Head Leader to trap himself indeed, but at the very least, they should take down the Heavenly Sword Faction and have its leaders under control, right? Now that the sect itself hasn't been taken, how could anyone just walk into their trap? That's ridiculous!"
"Yes, the real aim of these great factions isn't to make Mu Jinyu trap himself, but to destroy the Heavenly Sword Faction out of spite since it's the sect that nurtured the Dragon Head Leader! They have deep ties with Mu Jinyu, and would absolutely not let him sit by idly!"
"Even if he chooses to stay out of it, waiting until his cultivation is complete to take revenge, it's also easy to deviate and fall into demonhood if eager for cultivation. This is indeed a sinister calculation."
"The reason these major factions couldn't breach the sect after so long is that Mu Jinyu, as this generation's Dragon Head Leader, is protected by the Kunlun Dragon Vein Qi Luck over the entire Heavenly Sword Faction, making the originally ordinary Mountain Protection Array extraordinarily fearsome. Even with the powers of the Divine Formation Sect, they have been unable to break through for several days! But perhaps, in a few more days, they might break in!"
"Hey, don't you find it strange that even with the news of several sects attacking the Heavenly Sword Faction spreading far and wide, the Dragon Head Leader still hasn't shown up?"
"Is he a fool to show up now? What good would it do? The Wu Family nearly got wiped out because Wu Xiongfei was not there, and he just broke through to the Unity Realm Stage, using a Heavenly Tribulation to break the Wu Family! But with so many forces besieging the Heavenly Sword Faction now, what's the point of him showing up, if not to be like a mantis trying to obstruct a car."
"Right, that's why he's a smart person, staying hidden. Even if the sect that nurtured him is on the brink of destruction, he has shown no sign of action. He is biding his time, enduring humiliation, waiting until his strength is sufficient to retaliate against these sects!"
"Exactly, he's not even twenty years old and has already reached the Unity Realm Stage. Which power in the Kunlun Ruins wouldn't fear that? That's why they set aside their pride to target the Heavenly Sword Faction, trying to force him out. Even though he has reached the Unity Realm Stage, he is not yet strong enough, so they want to eliminate him now to prevent future troubles!"
"But I think the reason Mu Jinyu has disappeared for more than ten days without showing up could be that he doesn't know about this news? Judging from his past, he has never been someone to suffer losses. Whenever he has, he quickly retaliates!"
"That's impossible, right? The news has been spreading for over ten days. Could he really not know about it? Did he escape from some hidden place?"
"Whether he knows it or not, rumor has it that those powerful factions can no longer stand it. If they can't breach the Heavenly Sword Faction today, they plan to massacre everyone related to Mu Jinyu, including the Yan Kingdom's ruler Yan Ran..."
"..."
Mu Jinyu listened to the crowd's discussions, his face dark with anger, remaining silent as he listened carefully.
But Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan could notice that his hands holding the chopsticks had already unconsciously clenched tightly, with glimpses of anger flashing in his eyes.
All these indicated that his inner turmoil was far from as calm as he appeared.
It's no wonder, anyone would be furious upon returning from wandering outside only to suddenly find out that people related to them were being targeted for annihilation by enemies!
Moreover, the Heavenly Sword Faction indeed held an extraordinary significance for Mu Jinyu.
After all, his rise was indeed closely linked to the Heavenly Sword Faction.
And although his relationship with people like Yan Hua wasn't particularly good, just because they received some help from Mu Jinyu, they were being targeted? Knowing this would undoubtedly make Mu Jinyu's Three Corpses God rage!
"Let's go!"
Mu Jinyu could no longer listen to the guests' discussions any longer. The message had already made him understand the predicament of the Heavenly Sword Faction and his few ordinary friends. He had no heart for the meal anymore, tossed down some silver coins, and left the inn.
Following his actions, Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan hurriedly caught up to him, worried he might lose control of his emotions.
The current state of Mu Jinyu indeed reflected their worries, extremely filled with anger.
He had broken the Wu Family with the Heavenly Tribulation, exterminated numerous Elders of the Wu Clan, but had spared the younger members, hoping that the other forces apart from the Wu Family would be scared, henceforth hesitating and even resorting to covertly taking revenge if they dared anymore, but never openly pursuing him.
But he hadn't expected that his actions had indeed led some great sects to retreat, feeling it wasn't worth it to engage in a deadly struggle against him, who had already risen, for a dead successor.
Yet, the Wu Family, Divine Formation Sect, and Boundless Sect had not retreated but became even more rampant, starting to act against the Heavenly Sword Faction and people nearly unrelated to him.
"The Wu Family is understandable; after all, the grudges between us are indeed difficult to unravel. I am angry at their actions, yet I can comprehend!"
"But the Divine Formation Sect, Boundless Sect, what great enmity do we have that justifies such actions? Are you all also engaged in this against me?!"
"Wasn't our grudges due to your initial desire to sell the Wu Family a favor, and your Sect Leader Heir wanting the Hedao Fruit I held, leading to his demise at my hands? Isn't this self-inflicted?"
"I initially intended to let you retreat on your own terms, without holding you accountable for attempting my capture, but since you insist on courting death, I shall grant it to you!"