Yu Di managed to land a small distance away from the scene. Bai Feng landed next to him. The first rays of the sun reached out to touch the mountains.

  “Senior Fu, mind watching over these guys while I go over and knock some sense into Elder Li?” Yu Di asked.

  “Yeah, do what you need to.” Fu Homei stayed behind, ensuring that the captives were secure.

  “What should we do?” Bai Feng asked.

  “What do you think, Elder Bai?” Yu Di had an answer, but he doubted himself.

  “Maybe we can talk with them?”

  “When has that worked for that fool?”

  Bai Feng’s mouth set into a hard line.

  “I have an idea, but if it doesn’t work, do you think you can intimidate them?” Yu Di asked.

  Bai Feng nodded.

  By the time Yu Di approached, Elder Li’s group had stood behind his squad mates, using them as human shields.

  How did Elder Li know they were coming here? The answer was simple: he had one of the jades.

  Yu Di fixed his face and cupped his hands.

  “Greetings Elder Li. Might I inquire as to why you are holding our fellow disciples captive?”

  “It’s you,” Elder Li said. The sun’s rays hit him perfectly. The Elder still had an immaculate beard and his clothes were pristine. Yet his fellow disciples’ clothes were in as much disarray as Yu Di’s.

  “I hope the festival has been treating you well,” Yu Di said. He didn’t know how the fool could keep his clothes looking so well while trekking through this terrain. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Elder Li. But why are you holding fellow disciples captive?”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you,” Elder Li said.

  “Then what about to Elder Bai?”

  Bai Feng looked at Elder Li.

  “You want an explanation?" Elder Li took a step back. "We’ve had a few instances where other sects dressed like us, pretended to be like us, and infiltrated our forces only to deal a heavy blow. As you have shown, there is nothing stopping them from changing their clothes. So we have to be vigilant, especially when we see a supposed ally.”

  Yu Di hadn’t noticed that. It never occurred to him that they would do such a thing.

  “They have no honor,” Elder Li continued. “So for these disciples, we’re not sure if they are who they say they are.”

  “I can vouch for them,” Yu Di said.

  “All of them? How do you know that they are our true allies? Do you know all the disciples that come from our sect?” Elder Li narrowed his eyes. “Sadly, even as an Elder I can’t recall all of our fellow disciples. So I only trust those I do know.”

  “You know me. Isn’t that enough?”

  “No.”

  “I can,” Bai Feng said.

  “You can name all our fellow disciples?” Elder Li asked. He pulled a disciple standing next to him. “Who is he?”

  “Chen Kitan. Junior disciple under Elder Su.”

  “And her?”

  “Lu Xuantian. Senior disciple under Elder Lu. I believe they’re related.”

  Before Elder Li could pull anyone else out, Bai Feng went up and down the line naming every disciple she saw. Every single one of them were from their sect.

  “As Sect Leader Gu said, we can’t forget who our fellow disciples are,” Bai Feng said. “I have spent much of my time remembering each and every one of you, especially those that trained under me.”

  The person most surprised was probably Yu Di. He remembered Bai Feng telling him that despite training with her, they all chose to leave her side. The one that seemed most forgotten was Bai Feng.

  “Does that satisfy you, Elder Li?” Yu Di asked.

  “Yes,” Elder Li said. “You all can join my group we must be—”

  “Wait, who said we were joining your group?” Yu Di asked.

  Elder Li held his arms behind him, standing tall. The sun now shining fully on his figure, almost as if the heavens were favoring him above all others.

  All Yu Di wanted to do was smash his face in and strip him of his stupid beard. There was no way he was going to let this incompetent child lead their group to their early graves.

  “My group is larger than yours,” Elder Li said. “We have the weapons and items collected from the battlefield. You only have weaklings. Your strongest two are injured and tired. It’s only logical that you join my group.”

  A loud bell rang in the sky above them before Yu Di could respond.

  The stats of the arena were displayed for everyone to see:

  Forgotten Spirit Sect (Blue): 32

  Iron Blood Sect (Red): 54

  Spider Fang Sect (Black): 83

  Verdant Cloud Sect (Green): 9

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  “That can’t be right,” Yu Di said. “We fielded the stronger team, yet we’re being suppressed by the Spider Fang Sect.”

  “We have reports the Spider Fang Sect did something despicable,” Elder Li said. “They killed their weaker disciples so that stronger ones could take their place.”

  “That’s horrible,” Bai Feng said.

  “Yes, which is why we need to create a united front to repel them. Otherwise, they will pick us off as they have done with the Verdant Cloud Sect.”

  “While I don’t agree with you on everything, this is something I do agree on,” Yu Di said. “But not under you. I would rather go off on my own than be under your particular leadership.”

  “A junior like you dares to question my authority?” Elder Li stood taller, making him look down on Yu Di.

  “I question your very ideal of leadership. You haven’t participated in any fights have you?”

  “Leaders don’t fight.” Elder Li tilted his head back to further look down on Yu Di.

  A loud clang reverberated above them as if to punctuate his point. The four sect leaders battled it out above the arena with stronger and stronger techniques. It looked like the other three were suppressing Sect Leader Gu Zi and pressing him on all sides.

  “If leaders don’t fight, what do you call that?” Yu Di asked.

  “I’m the general,” Elder Li said. “I command from afar and make sure—”

  “Guys, we have incoming,” Fu Homei shouted. “They’re wearing black and red tunics and coming at us at the same time.”

  Yu Di peered up at the sky. Sure enough, the other two sects must have allied. They were all riding on those flying boards from the black tunics earlier.

  “What are you standing here for? Go out and fight!” Elder Li shouted.

  “No, we head into the forest,” Yu Di said. “It will be harder for them to overwhelm our forces inside. We can use the trees as cover and link up with the transmission jades. Everyone move out.”

  Yu Di jogged into the forest, hoping that others would listen to him.

  Bai Feng and Fu Homei caught up in seconds. Behind them marched their other squad mates along with a few others.

  The quiet of the forest was eerie. There was no wind like on the outside. No animals made any sound. Had they all fled when they saw this murderous band of cultivators approaching the forest?

  It wasn’t a huge stretch as one cultivator could be considered a problem, but a group could be considered a disaster. It’s why they were usually encouraged to have their feuds outside of city limits.

  “Elder Bai, once this is done, you have to show me how to make those delicious buns,” Fu Homei said while taking a bite out of one. “None of my servants back home could make anything this delicious.”

  “Of course, I’ll show you how as soon as we get home,” Bai Feng said. “There’s a special trick to the flour to make it especially fluffy.”

  Hearing their conversation made Yu Di take out one of the buns. Not only were they fluffy but the ingredients inside were amazingly juicy.

  Yu Di paused once they were further in enough.

  “Okay people, we need to split up here and work in groups. My people with jades step forward.”

  Seven of his squad mates stepped forward.

  “Everyone else, join one of these groups.”

  Almost all the disciples moved to join a group without question. Only Elder Li stood alone, unmoving.

  “What are you going to do?” the Elder asked. “Leading from behind the safety of Elder Bai and Junior Fu?”

  Yu Di smirked.

  “I’m going to be bait, care to join me?”

  Elder Li frowned and decided to join one of the bigger groups led by Cui Ying.

  “Everyone fan out and only take easy fights. Remember the four rules, most importantly: Report Everything.” Yu Di was looking at Cui Ying. He felt sorry for the head servant as he was not going to have a good time wrangling the Elder.

  Just in case, Yu Di sent a directed transmission to Cui Ying.

  “Be careful of Elder Li. He might kill you to take over the squad. If that is so, run to another group.”

  The man’s eyes widened, but he had the presence of mind to not look over at the Elder. He nodded toward Yu Di.

  The group dispersed in many different directions.

  Yu Di stayed with Bai Feng and Fu Homei.

  “How are you two feeling after the fight?” Yu Di asked.

  “I’m almost at full power,” Fu Homei said. “Your bickering with Elder Li allowed me to cultivate.”

  “I’m fine,” Bai Feng said.

  “Then get ready to be the hammer then.” Yu Di dashed toward the forest’s entrance. He pressed the orange dimple on his jade.

  A wave of black tunics rushed into the forest. These were the low level grunts.

  Perfect.

  Yu Di gathered his Qi, focusing on the wood element. He hadn’t done this in so long as his demigod cultivation would have naturally done this for him. He mixed fire Qi into the technique.

  This was going to hurt.

  With a push, he released the technique. A vortex of fire swirled above the trees before collapsing onto them. But instead of burning the trees like a normal fire, it turned all the trees into towering infernos.

  The black and red tunics at the Qi Condensing level caught on fire. Those in the Foundation Establishment level resisted, but at differing levels. The Core Formation stage disciples came in and cleansed the fire.

  Yu Di made a note of the five Core Formation disciples they had. They all wore black tunics. Maybe the Iron Blood Sect weren’t working with them, but under coercion. That changed things for Yu Di’s strategy.

  He took out his jade tablet:

  Current Power: Realm 1, Stage 2, End Stage, Peak level (Foundation Establishment)

  Remaining Lifespan: 9 years, 4 months.

  Current Status: Cursed (11.8% lifted), Marked

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level (Demigod)

  It was as Yu Di expected. Not only did he get further cursed, but he also lost a few months from his life span. On the plus side, he finally reached the peak level in Foundation Establishment. All he’d need to do later is ignite his core again and he would be in the Core Formation stage. He would do it right now, but he needed all the Qi he currently had for the next part.

  The black and red tunics fanned out after recovering.

  Yu Di focused on his first target, a level one Core Formation black tunic. He stayed behind to tend to the sick and injured. How noble.

  Yu Di was going to make him regret that decision. He took out his staff and placed it on a nearby tree. He pressed the fire element on the staff five times.

  These fools think they can suppress a Qi Wielding realm technique? They’re not going to have a good time.

  Yu Di took out another trident, this one made of plain, hard steel. The only unique thing about it was that it could take a beating as long as he imbued it with Qi. It was a gift from some distant land he traveled to. He was there to steal their secrets and they thanked him for it afterwards.

  But all that didn’t matter. Yu Di only had one thing in mind.

  He hefted the trident above him, cycled as much Qi at his current level as he could, and then threw it at the Core Formation black tunic.

  It struck him right in the back, tines sticking out the front.

  The black tunic turned only his head to face Yu Di. His eyes locked on to him. With all the anguish in his face, he pulled the trident out of his back with inhuman flexibility. He spat blood onto the ground and waved his hands over his chest. The holes closed.

  Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed. He put on his most demonic smile.

  The black tunic took the bait, rushing over at full speed.

  Yu Di snapped his fingers, activating his staff. All the trees burned again and the wails coming from the red and black tunics made him shiver.

  In that brief moment, the Core Formation black tunic paused, unsure of whether to chase Yu Di or help his fellow disciples.

  Yu Di chose that moment to run as fast as he could, feeling absolute remorse for having to harm others in order to save his own people.

  Curse unlocked: 1% lifted.

  What?