Luo Qianqian never thought that the people they’d encounter right after Bai Yizhu would be from the Snow Palace, and she instantly froze.

She had seen Haan Bing’s combat skills firsthand; relying on Big Black and Xiao Hei should allow them to leave unharmed, but... Big Black and Xiao Hei couldn’t come out from the Mountain and River Map at all.

If she summoned the Spiritual Beast here, the Mountain and River Map might be ripped apart by the two spaces, causing it to shatter...

This was also the reason the restriction within the Mountain and River Map prevented them from summoning Spiritual Beasts.

At this moment, Bai Yizhu was taken aback, watching as the other person called Haan Bing "Senior Brother Haan Bing Master"...

"So it’s Old Man Haan! I thought he looked like someone!" Bai Yizhu kept muttering to himself, looking at Luo Qianqian with a bewildered expression — wasn’t it supposed to be a hostile situation with Snow Palace?

Why was Haan Bing taking care of her along the way right now? Even though Haan Bing was covered in injuries, Luo Qianqian seemed unharmed except for some drain on spiritual power?

Doesn’t this look awfully strange?

Haan Bing, hearing Bai Yizhu’s muttering, glanced deeply at the two of them before calmly looking at the people opposite.

"Haan Bing, where are the others?" That person carried an aura of slaughter, clearly having gone through a bloody storm before encountering them.

But their eyes were filled with intense wariness, directed toward Haan Bing, which confused Luo Qianqian, though she continued to pull Bai Yizhu to the back without speaking.

They were from the same Sect; if they teamed up, avoiding them would be essential.

But the next moment left them stunned.

"Dead." Haan Bing looked calmly at the man opposite, holding a sword, gently rubbing the hilt with his fingers.

"How did they die?" The person opposite was initially surprised but not overly shocked; after not contacting anyone for so long, he had already speculated.

Seeing Haan Bing with people from other Sects raised some suspicions, looking at Haan Bing with full caution.

Among the five contestants, Haan Bing was the one with the least interaction with them and had always been a key cultivation focus of the Sect. Although the new Sect Master intended to cultivate others, Haan Bing remained influential among the younger generation.

Each participant in the Sect Conference was a top talent in their Sect, and one among them could potentially replace Haan Bing. Therefore, until Haan Bing was ousted, the others remained allied.

Addressing the greatest concern was necessary for fair competition.

Since the new Sect Master did not favor Haan Bing as much as the old Sect Master, and Haan Bing was aware, he often trained outside the Sect as nothing good awaited within.

Such as the death of his younger brother, Haan Zhi...

Moreover, no one has encountered them yet, making it strange that Haan Bing would know they died.

"There’s someone!" Haan Bing calmly drew his sword, watching the nearby position with vigilance.

The other person quickly turned to watch cautiously; at this time, nerves were on edge.

Besides, the other person trusted Haan Bing, as they were from the same Sect, more than others.

But the next moment, the sword piercing his chest left him bewildered, looking at Haan Bing who had stabbed him decisively without time to defend, piercing his chest.

"When you plotted against me, did you ever consider I had no regard for you?" Haan Bing coldly withdrew the sword, casually pulling out a handkerchief to clean it: "When plotting against me, it’s enough to know in your heart; don’t go around blabbing everywhere."

Saying this, he kicked the person ahead, telling the two behind him: "Let’s go."

Bai Yizhu and Luo Qianqian looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

Considering Snow Palace, Luo Qianqian had apparently offended Haan Bing even more severely.

"Why did you..." Bai Yixian hesitated, looking at the corpse on the ground; after all, if he could kill his own Sect members, the historically opposing Sect might not be immune to sudden attacks.

"Why kill them?" Haan Bing paused, sneering: "If they didn’t want to kill me, why would I strike?"

These four people had frequently conspired before the finals. Unaware of the blood fog’s effects, they were broken by him separately.

In a joint effort, they would overpower him; alone, they were nothing to see.

"But you are in the same Sect."

"Whether the current Sect Master or the former’s disciple, what difference does it make? Block the way, and isn’t it the same as being dead?"

Haan Bing indifferently turned to Luo Qianqian: "If you don’t trust me, you can walk separately."

"It’s fine." Luo Qianqian calmly shook her head; she had safely traveled thus far due to Haan Bing’s goodwill along the way.

"Same." Haan Bing proceeded with his sword raised without hesitation.

Bai Yizhu looked perplexed; weren’t they enemies of each other? What was happening now?

Haan Bing examined the road ahead, his brows tightly knit.

The air was thick with the scent of blood, yet devoid of people; the lingering smell suggested recent action, though they heard no commotion upon approaching.

Suddenly becoming alert.

Luo Qianqian noticed the markings on the nearby tree, her expression peculiar.

It appeared to be the mark of Sky Inquiry Tower. But why would they leave a mark unless proving they traversed this path?

And on this path, there were evident signs of slaughter, though the marking seemed old, not recently left.

"Isn’t this..." Bai Yizhu noticed it, pulling Luo Qianqian.

Luo Qianqian nodded — the Sky Inquiry Tower’s mark indeed, but likely old; that didn’t guarantee the recent presence was related.

"Shouldn’t be Sky Inquiry Tower." Instead, Haan Bing spoke.

Haan Bing had noticed the symbol, his expression heavy.

Speed and limited remnants of bodies or blood, only fleeting air remnants due to the short duration.

Such prowess was beyond their trio’s contention.

Who could it be?

"Let’s go." Haan Bing paused, speaking to those behind.

If one hadn’t left or wanted to harm them, they would have acted already; they needn’t resort to hiding for a surprise attack.