There were already numerous cultivators waiting outside the gates who watched them as they exited the arena.
Many of the people were looking fearful, having heard the commotion from inside the arena. There was also a large crowd gathered, many of them were watching with interest and others were whispering amongst themselves about what was happening inside.
He Yu's face remained solemn as she continued to lead them on their way.
Jian Li kept peeking over her shoulder as they moved, worried by the commotion that they were hearing behind them. The sound of clashing blades echoed in the distance.
"What is going on?", Jian Li asked He Yu nervously.
"Nothing we can't handle.", He Yu replied calmly.
A man suddenly stepped up to them, brandishing a short sword as he glared at Jian Li.
"Little girl. You've made quite a mess for us!"
He Yu immediately responded, her face grim.
"You dare threaten my disciple?" He Yu snapped coldly at the man as he narrowed his eyes.
The man sneered at her as he pointed to Jian Li.
"Your disciple is nothing more than trash. She's useless!"
He Yu laughed loudly at that remark, her eyes burning with rage.
"I'll make sure you regret your insolence!", she said.
Several of the spectators nearby gasped in surprise as they saw this scene unfold. Many of the cultivators watching had their hands on their weapons. They were still on edge.
The unknown man abruptly lunged at her, drawing his short sword.
He swung his sword upwards, aiming to catch her head but she gracefully dodged out of the way at the last moment.
His sword whistled through the empty space and fell harmlessly to the ground as his eyes widened in shock and fear.
A fierce aura erupted out of He Yu.
His face drained of blood instantly, as if something had sucked all the colour out of his face as he gazed at He Yu with wide eyes.
"I...I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly, his lips trembling faintly as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I..."
"You do not need to apologize!" she barked coldly at him.
He Yu's gaze narrowed as she stared at him coldly.
"I will teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
"No! Please don't..."
He Yu brutally struck the man's head, stopping his words for good.
The head of the cultivator landed on the ground some distance away, as his neck was severed with a single violent punch.
The cultivator's body twitched once, his eyes staring blankly at the sky before collapsing onto the ground, dead.
The crowd surrounding them went silent at this sight, many of them turning pale at the sudden death.
Even Chen Zhen and Hao Wu flinched at the gruesome scene.
"I'm sorry...for everything", Jian Li said as she bowed respectfully to He Yu.
She knew it was her fault for bringing them into danger. Her face paled at the thought of what might have happened if her master hadn't been there to protect them.
He Yu glanced at Jian Li and the other disciples, her expression stern as she turned back to look at the decapitated body.
"We should leave now. I don't want any more unnecessary casualties."
The cultivators around them were clearly shocked at what had just happened. Most of them made sure to keep their distance from He Yu.
"What about Jian Chen? We're leaving him behind now?", Hao Wu asked.
"Don't worry about it, Meng Liang has the situation under control.", He Yu said calmly.
She then turned and walked away quickly without a second glance.
Jian Li frowned deeply as she followed her master.
Chen Zhen and Hao Wu glanced at each other and then followed after them. As fellow core disciples of The True Sword Sect, all of them were supposed to leave together.
It left an odd taste in all of their mouths.
As they hurriedly left the area, they could hear loud cries ringing out behind them.
They then heard someone screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Stop them!", a deep voice cried out.
They turned to see a tall man with dark blue hair that fell to his shoulders, holding a heavy spear as he shouted commands at his allies.
"Stop or face our wrath!"
The cultivators in the area began to flee, many of them carrying their weapons ready to use them in self-defence. They didn't know what to expect from the chaos.
"Master... what are we going to do?" Jian Li asked hesitantly.
She looked over at He Yu as she spoke and noticed she looked pale.
"I'm not sure what's going on, but we have to get back to the sect headquarters. Now.", He Yu responded with a strained voice.
Jian Li nodded and followed along, anxiousness running through her.
The cultivators that were present had no idea what was going on, and many of them fled the area because of it.
----------
The group quickly ran through the streets, heading in the direction of the True Sword Sect headquarters a few kilometres inside the city.
It was as if they had targets on their backs.
There were numerous groups of cultivators following them, trying to intercept them.
They tried to avoid them by taking shortcuts through alleyways and narrow paths but they were unable to escape notice.
Because of their constant entanglements, their pace slowed considerably as they kept heading towards safety.
"Stop!", a deep voice yelled as more cultivators began to gather around them. "Stop them!"
Oddly, almost all of the peacekeepers of the city were gone and those who weren't got disposed of before their very eyes.
The bloodied He Yu sighed softly as she turned back to look at them.
"Just go ahead and get help from the sect. You will only cause more trouble for me accompanying me.", she replied quietly.
"But, Master..."
"This isn't the time to argue with me!" He Yu snapped coldly as she grabbed a spear from a fallen cultivator.
She then raised her voice as she shouted out towards the approaching cultivators.
"Stop or be stopped! All of you will be destroyed!"
The cultivators around them grew wary as they continued their approach. He Yu sent them all a vicious look and stood her ground.
"I said stop!"
Several of the cultivators hesitated before turning to look at one another. They felt like her orders were absolute.
One of them took out a long spear and pointed it directly at He Yu.
"You are nothing but a cornered beast. Just die in silence like the filthy dog you are.", he said.
She stared coldly at them and growled softly.
"You have no right to give me orders.", she said coldly as she raised her spear and thrust it into the air.
"Do you understand me?", she demanded, her eyes locked with his.
The man unconsciously took a single step back.
"I'll show you what a cornered beast can truly do.", she said.
A thunderclap rang throughout the area as she violently launched her spear toward the man.
Her spear was like a bolt of lightning and pierced straight through him without resistance. It hit him in the chest and exploded, killing him and the others close to him in the blink of an eye.
Their bodies were scattered everywhere as their organs were blown apart, leaving nothing more than piles of bloody flesh on the ground.