Zenith was aware that they wouldn't fight to the death over a small insult between two groups, but he had other things he trusted.
First and foremost, the young man from the Phantom Sect displayed an overly protective attitude towards his sister, and his arrogance hinted that the course of the fight could quickly change.
Even if there was no fight, Zenith had nothing to lose. Although the young girl hadn't vocalized it, there was no doubt that her brother shared the same belief. As a result, Zenith felt at ease.
Zenith followed the Skyfall Sect duo, despite being unable to catch up with them. He knew their direction, and unlike the duo, he had no sense of urgency.
Eventually, Zenith managed to track the duo all the way to the edge of a tree-filled slope. The last ten minutes were spent leaping from one tree to another, and while he struggled, he remained determined to keep up.
The Skyfall Sect duo seemed completely aware of Zenith, treating him like an insignificant ant, which didn't bother with him much.
Before long, the four of them stood face to face.
The young man pulled his sister behind him, blocking the duo's path, and he issued a warning, "Step aside from my path, or..."
As soon as the young man noticed that his opponents were of his age, he adopted a cocky demeanor, confident in his status as a member of one of the four major forces. The duo lacked any visible tokens on their belts.
The heavier man in the Skyfall Sect asked in a condescending tone, "Did you mention that the other three forces are nothing but garbage?"
The young man's anger flared as he realized the duo's focus was on his sister rather than him.
"No, I didn't say that," she replied.
The young girl responded with a mix of anxiety and fear.
The man in the brown robe from the Skyfall Sect seemed to be trying to determine if she was lying as he asked, "So, is my little brother lying?"
With the man's words, all three turned their attention to the top of a tree deep within the forest.
Zenith chuckled to himself, "I'm truly weak."
The young man in blue robe couldn't recall a time when he felt more humiliated.
"How dare you question my sister," he said, ready to attack at any moment.
The heavier man appeared to take pleasure in the young man's agitation; his voice became even more mocking.
"We don't questioning anyone. It's just a simple question, after all. If your sister really insulted us, shouldn't she compensate us?"
The Skyfall Sect duo had tokens in their possession. Zenith didn't know when they got them, but he was sure they couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Their movements were faster than he expected.
Unable to bear the duo's words any longer, the young man burst out,
"So what if my sister said that? Isn't she right? Can the other three forces stand against our Phantom Sect? Can your sect's elder resist three moves against our forbidden technique?"
He spat out his words.
The man in the brown robe from the Skyfall Sect burst into laughter, knowing well that the duo wanted to fight.
After his laughter subsided, the man spoke, "Indeed, your sect's forbidden technique is powerful. But how many times can they use it?"
Zenith had seen the mentioned technique before; it was the attack that caused his father's death. The memory of that colossal lightning piercing through his father's chest was still vivid, but the price paid for using that technique was evident—the Phantom Sect leader and the other man were as pale as death.
The young man had already moved forward, with his index and middle fingers aimed at the heavier man's heart.
Although the heavier man seemed unprepared, his grin widened.
All Zenith could see were the arms of two men in blue and gray robes moving like a mist.
The man in the brown robe simply watched with both hands behind his head.
As the heavier man easily thwarted his opponent's attack, he slowly guided the young man toward the man in the brown robe.
At the moment when it seemed that everything was under the control of the man in the gray robe, the man in blue suddenly turned around, revealing a small knife concealed in his sleeve, and attacked the man in the brown robe's throat.
The man in the brown robe attempted to clutch his bleeding throat, but it was too late—the knife had already sliced through.
The heavier man began to scream hoarsely, "Kalo no."
When the man in brown robe fall Zenith chukled to himself "one to go"