He shook his head, chuckling softly.
His reputation wasn't widespread enough to instill fear in the evil sects.
He simply hadn't killed enough of them yet.
He knew some evil sects were unafraid of death, like the Dauntless Sect, who welcomed it, eager to die in battle and ascend to the Dauntless Realm.
But most evil sects feared death.
Living poorly was better than dying well; death meant oblivion, while life offered the chance to continue cultivating, growing stronger, and ultimately controlling one's destiny.
The fact that the Myriad Transformation Sect dared to approach and spy on him meant his name hadn't resonated enough to create a deterrent.
Meng Canglan lightly furrowed her brow: "They actually got so close?"
Chu Zhiyuan said: "They're downstairs, watching me."
"Shall we just kill him?"
"Not yet," Chu Zhiyuan said calmly. "He's likely not acting alone."
Killing just one would be a waste.
His perception caught a peddler setting down his carrying pole, beginning to hawk his wares by the roadside.
Soon, several children gathered, clamoring for sugar figurines, pellet drums, and cages.
In no time, a bustling little stall formed, lively and vibrant.
Seeing this, Chu Zhiyuan appraised the peddler, impressed by his realism.
There was no visible flaw; the peddler's body pulsed with a subtle, obscure energy, difficult to detect as that of a Grandmaster.
Yet, he could instantly recognize him as an evil sect's Grandmaster.
The Dharma Idol of an evil sect Grandmaster wasn't an animal like other Grandmasters, but usually a statue.
However, there were countless evil sects, the Myriad Transformation Sect being just one, and without Meng Canglan's information, it would be difficult to determine his affiliation.
Chu Zhiyuan glanced at Meng Canglan: "You should leave first, lest you arouse his suspicion."
"... Alright," Meng Canglan nodded gently.
The safety of the Worry-Free Sect was at stake, and her presence shouldn't be revealed to the Myriad Transformation Sect.
He feigned exhaustion, sitting down beside his carrying pole to rest, his gaze occasionally darting towards Tianshui Pavilion.
Meng Canglan, wearing a white veil, moved lightly and didn't attract his attention.
Only after Chu Zhiyuan left did he truly act, standing up and slowly walking away with his carrying pole.
He trailed Chu Zhiyuan from a distance, suddenly turning into a small alley, wiping his face to reveal another handsome countenance.
At the same time, he removed his outer robe, revealing a brocade robe underneath.
He pulled a folding fan from the empty compartment and fanned himself affectedly as he exited the alley, continuing to follow behind Chu Zhiyuan.
His fanning himself in the dead of winter was quite conspicuous.
Yet, he strolled along nonchalantly, occasionally glancing at the stalls on both sides of the street, stopping to look, then shaking his head with a look of disdain before continuing on.
He followed Chu Zhiyuan from afar, completely undetected.
Upon seeing Chu Zhiyuan enter an inn, he continued walking, without stopping.
Only after walking a hundred meters away and losing sight of the inn did he suddenly accelerate, darting into a small alley and transforming once more.
He became a middle-aged man, even changing from a lean figure to a stocky one.
Not only did he disguise his face, but he could also alter his bone structure.
He walked deeper into the alley, quickly making a couple of turns, finally arriving at a small courtyard.
As he floated over the courtyard wall, he wiped his face again, reverting to an ordinary-looking young man.
Three young men were already in the courtyard, practicing palm techniques.
Their palm techniques were sometimes graceful, sometimes fierce, their moves exquisite, and their footwork swift and ethereal.
Seeing him enter, the three stopped and looked over.
One of the young men quickly asked: "Senior Brother Lu, did you find out where that guy is staying?"
"I found it."
"What about his guards?"
"He didn't bring any," the ordinary-looking young man shook his head. "He's got some nerve!"
"Impossible, right? I heard he's afraid of death and never leaves his guards."
"He didn't bring any this time; maybe he has some secret business?"
"What secret business could he have?"
"Who cares? As long as we know where he is and that he doesn't have any guards, we'll kill him!"
"Right."
"... We still need to be cautious; that guy isn't so easy to kill."
"If we can kill him, maybe the four of us can enter the Grandmaster realm."
"Yes, his blood energy is truly as strong as a dragon; no wonder he practiced the Dragon Transformation Art."
"... What's his cultivation level?"
"Even if his cultivation is strong, can he beat all of us?"
"He should have Grandmaster guards."
"... That's true; since we haven't seen his Grandmaster guards, we have to be wary."
"Then let's strike while he doesn't have any Grandmaster guards."
"We have to act first; they'll be here soon."
"Probably tomorrow; if they're fast, they'll be here by evening."
"Grandmaster..."
"Besides our sect, the Jade Cauldron Sect is also said to be coming, as well as the Soaring Cloud Sect, and even the Bound Lyre Sect is joining in the fun."
"Heh heh... Who told this young master's blood essence is so vigorous and rare in the world? With his blood essence, one will surely be able to enter the Grandmaster realm!"
"Enter the Grandmaster realm!"
The four became fanatical, their eyes gleaming as if they could already see themselves entering the Grandmaster realm.
Becoming a Perfected Grandmaster wasn't difficult for them; they just needed to kill more people.
Killing people in the Eastern Territory was too easy; it was chaotic, and no one would care if someone died.
But the Grandmaster hurdle wasn't so easy to overcome.
They needed to devour royal blood.
The so-called royal blood wasn't necessarily the emperor's blood; no matter how powerful they were, they couldn't get close to the emperor.
As long as it was the emperor's bloodline, as long as it was a male, the closer to the emperor's bloodline, the better the effect.
A prince was best, followed by a son of a duke.
Among these princes and sons of dukes, the stronger the cultivation and the better the aptitude, the better the effect.
In the entire Great Jing royal family, the best effect would come from the Fourth Prince, Chu Zhiyuan.
Second to him was the Tenth Prince, Chu Mingrui.
Unfortunately, Chu Mingrui was stationed in the military camp and was almost impossible to approach.
Chu Zhiyuan usually stayed in the inner city of Yujing, also difficult to approach.
Now, finally, there was an opportunity.
He actually ran to the Sea Gazing City alone; he was courting death.
It was said that this Chu Zhiyuan had unparalleled aptitude, rare in the world, and his cultivation was also formidable, his flying knives unmatched.
But no matter how powerful he was, he was only a Grandmaster; as long as they besieged him, they would definitely capture him.
With this thought, they couldn't wait to come and devour him before anyone else, using his royal blood to enter the Grandmaster realm.
They didn't know who spread this news, but the news was definitely true.
After following him, they confirmed that this was indeed true; Chu Zhiyuan was indeed alone in Sea Gazing City.
It was indeed the best opportunity to kill Chu Zhiyuan and achieve the Grandmaster realm.
They didn't have so many distracting thoughts; they just wanted to kill Chu Zhiyuan immediately and then achieve the Grandmaster realm.
As for whether acting in the city would harm innocent people, they never considered it.
Nor did they think that Sea Gazing City would have city guards.
Even if the Sea Gazing City guards saw the slaughter, they would pretend not to know.
The decadence of the Eastern Territory had already taken root.
"Then let's go, let's strike directly!"
"Yes, let's strike!"
Chu Zhiyuan stood calmly in the nearby alley, listening to their words, shaking his head.
Using himself as bait was indeed effective.
