The event of the nearly-instantaneous downfall of the Lei Clan had caused a bout of chaos to ensue in the Jade Lotus Domain. As a clan that ruled over a vast area and was controlled by a Mortal God, they were well within the upper-echelon of the world and were entrenched into many different pots. Now these pots were stirred and some even tilted over.
A power vacuum had been created, and it was the opportunity of many. This type of chaos had concealed the abrupt and seemingly random human disappearances that were taking place within the Jade Lotus Domain and the sect.
The person responsible for these disappearances quietly held a transmission crystal in her palm as she awaited a response in Jade Blessed City. When it became lit with light, her expression subtly changed followed by a sigh of relief.
Wei Wuyin had given her permission to act as she will. At the moment, she stood at a restaurant's entrance that was filled with all sorts of cultivators. Her breathing and aura was subdued and concealed as she calmly waited.
Earlier, she had completed her mission of eradicating those marked for death by Wei Wuyin and decided to grab a bite. In an utter coincidence, she came upon the whispers of a plot.
Her eyes glanced into the restaurant to see three figures of unruly-looking men seated together being unusually silent. While they talked quietly and waited, their gazes would shift towards a table. At this table was a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and bright eyes. Her attire was modest but her looks were exquisite and pure.
She was a beauty without a doubt. And she was now the main target of these three men.
Normally, she wouldn't intervene in such an event as the cultivation world was cruel, but when she knew the exact reason for their actions, her heart blazed with a dark emotion.
Before she could further her thoughts, the young girl had finished her meal and rose up after paying her bill. Without a care in the world, as if completely unaware of her current predicament, she left with a pep in her step.
Su Mei hid herself. The three men got up soon after and followed behind her, even though it was still daylight. They stayed a certain distance away from the young woman as they trailed her, but behind them, Su Mei had changed her attire to something more casually appropriate. A dark blue dress that highlighted her feminine curves that could easily be forgotten by her valiant and ruthless tactics.
They were quite good at tailing someone, splitting up and changing the tail every so often. She could tell they used transmission crystals to coordinate their positions, and this showed a level of skill that shocked even her. If it wasn't for their complete belief that they would never be followed, they might have been able to spot her.
The girl soon left Jade Blessed City on a carriage with a driver. She took the main roads as she departed. The three men's cultivation bases weren't low, so they followed on foot.
Su Mei's eyes narrowed with a dark glint. She avoided engaging in public because a fight between cultivators could lead to all sorts of innocent casualties and variables. It was best to strike when isolated. Furthermore, she wasn't sure if she could kill them all easily.
Each one of these cultivators were an incredible expert, having a cultivation at the Third Stage of Qi Condensation, Elemental Birth Phase. She even felt that they had all birthed the four main elements already. If it was a one-vs-one, she would have complete confidence, but numbers mattered in a fight with close cultivation bases.
Several hours passed, and they were now far away from the city. That's when Su Mei heard the commotion. The crashing of wood against the ground followed by explosive sounds and wailing cries. She knew that the carriage driver was likely killed by their assault.
She didn't hesitate to speed up and catch up to the three. This was the best time for her to strike.
Just as she assumed, in a relatively clear grassy clearing, the three men had taken action. There were remnants of earth and fire qi within the area, and within the hands of one of these men was the unconscious young woman. She seemed to have been instantly subdued.
Su Mei hid herself a little bit away in the distance as she calculated a good position to take action. Patience and planning was important before taking action. This was an aspect of battle that Wei Wuyin had taught her long ago, and she believed this thoroughly. It was this modus operandi that she was able to effortlessly kill the experts listed by Wei Wuyin.
Firstly, her life was always the most important to take into consideration. Secondly, the urgency of the situation vs objective has to be determined. At the moment, the young girl was not in harm's way as they wished to capture her. Therefore, there wasn't any urgency, hence why she waited for them to attack and lower their guards upon perceived success.
Lastly, always establish an advantage in any engagement, before or during, no matter how small.
The three men's guards were truly lowered. "Finally, we're done with this mess." One of the men said. He had a scar beneath his left eye, a gruff voice, and unruly facial hair. However, his muscular body and dense aura showed a strong foundation.
He spat on the ground.
Crack! Pshh!!
Not too far away, a skinny man used a dagger to slit the throat of the carriage driver before wrenching his head from his torso. The sound was disgusting to hear as blood and matter splattered about. However, he seemed quite practiced as no blood touched his clothes.
This man's eyes were sunken, revealing a chilly and vicious light. "Another trophy," he said with a cold laugh.
The last one was a silent, tall, burly looking man with a face full of black facial hair. He wasn't too muscular or skinny, but he stood out as his head lacked any hair. He merely looked on, and it seemed he was the most cautious of the three as his spiritual sense was circulating around him.
The scarred man carried the young girl as he said, "The boss will definitely enjoy this one. Let's go." With that, he hoisted the soft body of the young girl on his shoulder as he walked away.
The skinny man was murmuring to himself with a strange smile as he regarded the head. For some reason, a little bit of a pitched tent could be seen on his pants. As for the bald and silent man, he followed the scarred man without hesitation.
Su Mei could not identify the dynamic of this group a little. Her body moved silently as she didn't want to engage in a clearing. Instead, she waited several minutes tailing them until they reached a location cluttered by trees. With their line of sight mostly obstructed, she, who held the initiative, finally acted.
Her saber in hand, she slithered her way to be behind the skinny man who trailed a little away from the others, seemingly holding a decapitated head with all sorts of thoughts. Without a moment of hesitation, she jumped out with a chop.
"What?!" The skinny man was startled. However, when he saw Su Mei approaching him with killing intent, that startled look abruptly vanished, revealing a malicious glint and cold smile. "Finally, you reveal yourself! Haha!" As if expecting Su Mei, he threw the decapitated head towards her.
Boom!
Before a moment had passed, the head exploded and engulfed Su Mei's figure in a raging explosion of flames.
「Earth Art: Spikes of Heaven」
Then, a series of earthen spikes shot from beneath the ground to pierce the location she had been. A little bit away, the bald man had his hand placed on the ground as his earth qi flowed freely within.
It seemed that they had long since made preparation against Su Mei, noticing her long ago.
"Damn! And she was such a beauty. Did you see her hair, that skin and those eyes? Ooooh, I would do all sorts of things to her head!" The skinny man coldly spat with laughter and a tinge of regret. However, he was most ignored.
The bald man's eyes were more focused as he peered through the dust and smoke. Then, his eyes violently widened.
"Watch o—" he tried to call out, but it was too late.
Silver qi flashed and the laughter that was abhorrent to the maximum was cut off.
Plop.
A head fell.
The bald man watched as his comrades head fell from his shoulder, blood gushing out from the clean-cut stump of his torso. His heart was racing, but he was experienced as he circulated his earth qi to protect himself with a ward. He held his hands at the ready to execute some handseals, his eyes looking about his as spiritual sense tried to lockdown Su Mei's figure.
"To think she would use a spiritual spell to create an diversionary illusion…such high-level methods are usually reserved for high-level experts of the top sects." He cursed in his heart as he realized that their entire plan to eliminate their tail was a part of her plan. Otherwise, how could she set up a spiritual spell of that level?
She let herself become noticed.
He cursed as he wanted to run, but he was likely too slow and putting himself in such a passive situation was no good against a saber cultivator. His intelligence was obviously greater than the skinny man as he analyzed the situation and knew his limitations. However, it did him little good to stay alive.
While he was in the midst of his thoughts, Su Mei had prepared and gathered her qi and unleashed her strongest art.
「Saber Art: Torrential Outpour」
A vast, river-like surge of saber qi arrived and descended like a natural disaster. The bald man could only watch as the silver river that seemed to be teeming with saber images descended.
Before he could even scream, he was overwhelmed and eviscerated.
Su Mei undid her concealing spiritual spell, revealing her figure as her bright eyes were accompanied by a hint of exhaustion. This wasn't due to qi depletion, but her spiritual energies had been drained after consecutive spells.
Her bright black eyes fixed in the distance. The leader of the group had already departed, leaving the two to her. Unfortunately for him, her cultivation was stronger and so was her planning. With a tap of her feet, she pursued.