Even though it was a Foundation Establishment expert from our side who had appeared, the atmosphere inexplicably became somewhat oppressive.

"Master Lin, what a coincidence!"

Li Hongfu spoke with amusement, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Li Yongyuan, who was following closely behind, glanced at Lin Xiuyuan after recognizing the figures of the people in the room. A cold glint seemed to flash in his eyes, but then a smile appeared on his face as he looked at Qin Suwan and said happily:

"That's great. I was worried about whether Fairy Qin had managed to escape. Now I can finally put my worries to rest."

Qin Suwan forced a smile, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Li. Let's not delay and leave this place now!"

At this moment, Li Hongfu suddenly spoke up and said, "There's no rush. Although we've shaken off our pursuers, we don't know how many demonic cultivators are still chasing us in this ancient forest. Moreover, these demonic cultivators possess mysterious abilities that are difficult for us to detect with our divine sense."

"Previously, Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Brother Heng bought us enough time to escape, but Senior Brother Heng was a step too slow and seems to have been trapped. Senior Brother Zhao is probably being chased by those two demonic cultivators as well."

"I wonder if young friend Lin could contact Senior Brother Zhao? After all, Senior Brother Zhao knows the specific route and the rendezvous point."

Li Hongfu spoke very calmly, as if he only wanted to consider everything thoroughly, and the look he gave Lin Xiuyuan was also kind and approachable.

But Lin Xiuyuan felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that every word he uttered from now on would be a matter of life and death!

Lin Xiuyuan had used the communication jade talisman to contact Zhao De early on, but had received no response. Either he had escaped too far, beyond the talisman's range, or…

Lin Xiuyuan remained calm, but his thoughts were racing.

"Senior Li, I also have no reply from Senior Zhao De."

Lin Xiuyuan planned to tell the truth. At this critical juncture, he was afraid of revealing any flaws. Once he did, it would mean that he was guilty and would only make the situation worse.

After saying this, Lin Xiuyuan felt a slight tightness in his heart, clasped his hands and continued, "However, Senior Zhao had already instructed me that if we got separated, I should go to a certain place to wait."

"I wonder if, as Senior Li said, someone will meet us, or if Senior Zhao will be waiting there himself."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongfu looked suspicious and scrutinized Lin Xiuyuan from head to toe, but could not find any flaws in his assessment.

His last words were just a bluff; could there really be a rendezvous point? Or was Zhao De really waiting there?

For a moment, Li Hongfu was filled with doubt, yet he couldn't make up his mind.

Lin Xiuyuan's ability to get Senior Brother Chen to personally visit him clearly shows that he is highly regarded by the Chen family. Zhao De's relationship with Senior Brother Chen is also unusual; his actions on the shore earlier indicated special care, and it's possible that he did indeed make arrangements in private.

Immediately, Li Hongfu, his amiable expression unchanged, asked, "Where is the place you mentioned, young friend Lin? Is it far from here?"

"I'm not quite sure, it should be quite a distance. Let's set off immediately without delay."

After saying that, Lin Xiuyuan called everyone to set off together, and then took Liao Cai'er's hand and together they activated the Wind Control Talisman.

Seeing this, Li Hongfu suppressed his urge to act and glanced ahead. Li Yongyuan had already moved close to Qin Suwan, fawning over her.

This made Li Hongfu shake his head, feeling rather disappointed. He glanced at Lin Xiuyuan's back a couple of times, his eyes flashing, and then he followed after him.

The group continued their rapid journey through the dense forest.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his palms.

Since the other party did not choose to take immediate action, there is still a glimmer of hope!

Immediately, Lin Xiuyuan took out several more Spirit Gathering Pills and swallowed them all at once, hoping to quickly recover his remaining magical power.

"Cai'er, I have something to tell you. Don't show any unusual behavior that might attract attention. Just listen to me."

Liao Cai'er subconsciously turned her head to look, then quickly turned back to look at the road ahead.

Lin Xiuyuan stared calmly ahead, moved a little closer to Liao Cai'er, and did not use telepathy, fearing that fluctuations in his magical power would alert her. He spoke in a whisper, barely audible to her.

"Some unexpected things might happen later. If there's any unusual activity, immediately activate the Wind Riding Talisman and run, understand? I have a talisman with me, so don't worry about me."

Upon hearing this, Liao Cai'er tightened her grip on Lin Xiuyuan's hand, her expression changing instantly. She moved her lips, but ultimately listened to Lin Xiuyuan's words and held back her anger.

Lin Xiuyuan seemed to sense the fluctuations in her heart. He forced a smile, turned his head to look at her, patted the back of her hand, and then, while observing the celestial phenomena to determine his direction, he sped away.

Hopefully, this gained time will allow me to run into Zhao De, or someone else, on the road, which might bring about a turning point.

The greatest hope now rests on the fact that Zhao De is still alive and can reply to the message jade talisman.

Otherwise... your life and fortune will be in danger!

If Zhao De knew that he had already escaped, then as long as it is confirmed that Zhao De has not perished, his current predicament can be easily resolved; otherwise, it will not.

When the time comes, Li Hongfu will take action and kill everyone present. He can simply return and say that he encountered a demonic cultivator to settle the matter.

Otherwise, having made such a grudge, why would I still have to escort this talisman genius to successfully join the Chen family?

I doubt the other party would be so foolish as to think they could resolve the conflict with a few words and a few laughs!

Don't forget, it was Li Yongyuan who arranged for the ambush and killing, not some other minor conflict.

This is a feud involving life and death.

They're saying nice things now, seemingly forgiving each other.

Who knows if he will settle scores later when he rises to prominence?

Especially since he was such a genius in the art of talismans, and he had joined the Chen family of the Golden Sea Sect! Naturally, this was an opportunity to eliminate him in one fell swoop and prevent future troubles.

If Lin Xiuyuan were in the other person's position, he would have done the same.

Otherwise, it would be like raising a tiger to cause trouble, bringing instability to oneself. This is a very simple truth.

The group of seven sped through the ancient forest.

The atmosphere of the escape was oppressive and tense, but something else seemed to intensify this sense of oppression.

This caused everyone's expressions to become somewhat somber, except for Li Yongyuan and his nephew...

By this time, they had been traveling at high speed for half an hour.

Li Hongfu seemed to be getting impatient. He checked the communication jade talisman, but still received no reply from Zhao De. He then looked up at Lin Xiuyuan's back, a cold glint in his eyes, and asked lightly:

"Young friend Lin, I wonder if you've arrived yet? We seem to have walked quite a distance; perhaps you've mistaken the direction..."