Zhao Ya also heard the sound of the cannon.
He immediately flew up to the treetops and looked toward the direction from which the sound came.
"What’s going on?" Tian Yixin also climbed up the tree and asked in a deep voice.
"It’s the northeast direction, probably a dozen miles away. Let’s go!"
Zhao Ya took the lead and dashed toward the northeast.
Tian Yixin, Gui Xuanqing, and the two fellow traveler senior brothers closely followed behind.
A dozen miles was just a blink of an eye for them.
When they arrived in the forest, they could faintly hear the sounds of fighting from within.
Zhao Ya, however, didn’t rush in but stopped in his tracks within the forest.
"What’s happening, why aren’t we going in?" Tian Yixin asked in confusion.
"You go in first, I’ll set something up around here."
Although it was unclear what Zhao Ya planned to set up, since he had said so, Tian Yixin led Gui Xuanqing and the others into the forest.
Zhao Ya quickly took out several medicine bottles from his bosom, and after a dazzling array of concoctions, began to lay poison bait around the outskirts of the forest.
His movements were swift, and within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had set up a poison circle around the forest.
This way, any unusual activity would be known to him immediately.
As for the people from Azure Dragon Temple, there was no need to worry about accidentally hurting them, as Zhao Ya had prepared the Antitoxic Pill in advance.
After setting it up, Zhao Ya quietly climbed to the top of the tallest tree within the poison circle.
From here, he could not only see the battlefield within but also observe any movements promptly, making it an excellent observation point.
The Spirit Turtle Hibernation Technique had been cultivated by Zhao Ya to a near Great Success, just one step away from reaching Extraordinary to Saint.
In this state, Zhao Ya’s Qi Blood fluctuations, as well as the aura emanating from his body, were perfectly concealed.
Even if you stood below the tree and looked up, you would not find Zhao Ya but only think he was a broken branch.
Seeing that there was nothing unusual around, Zhao Ya turned his gaze toward the battlefield.
At this moment, the forest was bustling, with at least three squads already rushing to the scene.
The crowd had surrounded a group of people, engaged in fierce battle.
Although this group was making desperate charges in all directions, they were at a disadvantage in terms of both numbers and overall strength, thus barely managing to hold on.
The people from Azure Dragon Temple, in their effort to capture a live target, were inevitably somewhat cautious.
Because of this, a fragile balance was maintained between the two sides.
But this balance was quickly broken.
A figure rushed in at great speed from afar, joining the battle without even a word upon entering the forest.
With a few strikes, several assassins from Separation Tower were sent flying without even a grunt, dead in mid-air.
The sudden flurry of strikes immediately left the people from Separation Tower stunned.
The Azure Dragon Temple’s side, however, was greatly invigorated.
"Elder Shen!" someone shouted.
The newcomer was Shen Yunshen.
He had a look of excitement on his face, with dangerous killing intent flashing in his eyes.
He had rushed here the moment he heard the cannon, even though they were searching the back mountain of the Azure Dragon Temple at the time, which was quite a distance away from here.
For this, he had left his team members behind and came alone.
His only aim was to make it for this battle.
The more pent-up frustration Shen Yunshen felt these past few days, the more intense his murderous intent became.
So upon arrival, he first struck down a few killers to vent his anger.
Now his gaze swept over the faces of those from the Separation Tower, finally settling on Qiao Le.
"Oh, isn’t this City Lord Qiao of Jade Dragon City? Since when did you become a lapdog for Separation Tower?"
Qiao Le’s face was livid, yet he couldn’t utter a harsh word.
Because he knew full well how fearsome Shen Yunshen was, otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled the city back then.
To his chagrin, after all the twists and turns, he still ended up facing him on the battlefield.
"Back in Jade Dragon City, although you ran away, the wealth stored in the City Lord’s Mansion and that business firm, I gladly accepted it on your behalf. Hope City Lord Qiao isn’t too upset," Shen Yunshen said with a chuckle.
"Your Azure Dragon Temple is too oppressive!" Qiao Le finally erupted.
The money he had painstakingly saved for his retirement was all gone, taken by Azure Dragon Temple; who wouldn’t find that intolerable?
Especially since Shen Yunshen was mocking him right in his face, naturally making him even more furious.
He let out a wild roar and charged forward, slashing with his blade.
Shen Yunshen easily sidestepped, then swiftly seized Qiao Le’s wrist.
"Lie down."
Qiao Le intended to resist a little, otherwise, if he fell as soon as someone spoke, wouldn’t that make him seem too obedient?
But in the next second, an immense force overwhelmed him, and he obediently lay down.
The gap in strength between him and Shen Yunshen was simply too great; no matter how he tried, it was futile.
Once he was down, Shen Yunshen decisively crippled his Dantian and severed various meridians.
Instantly, Qiao Le’s eyes dimmed, and his momentum turned utterly dispirited.
Being crippled of his Dantian meant his martial prowess was as good as gone.
Especially since Shen Yunshen cut off all his meridians.
In such a condition, even a deity couldn’t restore him.
"Kill me!" Qiao Le screamed.
"No rush, you’ll die eventually, but not now," Shen Yunshen replied with a smile.
He then raised his head and looked at Tian Yixin and Gui Xuanqing with some puzzlement.
"Where’s Zhao Ya?"
"He said he needed to set something up outside, so he asked us to come inside first," Tian Yixin said.
"Set what up?" Shen Yunshen was a bit puzzled.