The youngsters were all surprised to see that Little Chu held no curiosity towards them. He treated them as if they would never meet again. There was an innate arrogance in his stance, as if he was high above, and they were ants on the ground.

This superiority was innate; it was not like the arrogance that these youngsters had. It was one that came from deep within the bones, one that had grown and appeared alongside strength. It was nothing like the arrogance that came from being flattered, from being hailed as a genius.

The youngsters, no matter how arrogant they were, all felt uncomfortable and subdued in front of Little Chu.

Bai Rouyun was doing her best to restrain her aura, and her eyes sparkled with innocence as she was looking at Little Chu with the admiration that one would hold towards an older brother who was like a hero to them.

With a final nod of his head, Little Chu led Bai Rouyun away, and the two made their way out of the mountain forest.

The return trip towards Canglan City was smooth; they did not encounter any experts which were close to Little Chu's strength.

The closer they got to Canglan City, the more oppressive the air became. The previous jubilant atmosphere was now somewhat stagnant, and everyone who walked around was extra cautious.

Although none of the mortal citizens understood what was going on, the roads had been washed with blood the previous days, and corpses had been stacked into small hills.

The ones who had died were all experts sent out by the various factions to investigate Li Moyun and Bai Rouyun. Using these experts, Li Moyun decided to scare the factions, and make them understand the severity of overstepping his boundaries.

The mortals were unaware of the cause and effect, but they knew that corpses were appearing everywhere, and they could not help but wonder whether or not it was time to relocate to elsewhere.

Even though they considered changing their place of residence, they were reluctant. Many had been living in Canglan City for generations, and it was truly a flourishing place with the Blue Water Institute close by.

Although everything seemed good, they had to be alive to benefit from the riches, and throughout the last days, no one knew who would be the next to die.

The previous days had truly left everyone feeling uncomfortable and made them stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. The oppressing atmosphere had also caused the students within the institute to remain within the school grounds and not leave on missions.

Bai Rouyun could guess what had happened, and she could also sense the increase in experts within the city. While her current strength was still somewhat low when compared to the other experts, she was still able to sense the many cultivators who were hiding in the shadows.

These experts were not here for the sake of investigating Li Moyun and her; they were likely members of the Eternal Shadow Palace, and had arrived with the purpose of protecting them.

It was true that Li Moyun did not need protection, but he also disdained having to personally deal with the many spies, so he sent his men to eradicate them. This was much more efficient, and it also ensured that the factions who had sent them would be even more enraged.

It had been a few days since the last batch of experts had arrived in Canglan City. In the beginning, many groups would arrive each day with the purpose of investigating, but the factions never heard back from these experts after they had entered the city.

They were no fools and they could guess that something had gone wrong. After sending wave after wave of experts, they soon found that it was pointless. Silence was the only answer, and they soon understood that all who were sent into Canglan City would meet a gruesome end.

It was also because of this that many factions began considering what else they could do. These experts had arrived under the veil of the night, hiding in the shadows. It was no wonder that the Eternal Shadow Lord would not accept them investigating his new territory.

Since they could not sneak any people inside, why not boldly send their geniuses to the city to look around? This way, the Eternal Shadow Lord would have to take a step back, but they would also be disadvantaged, as everyone would know their purpose.

As a result, many sects and families found a group of geniuses, and briefed them on the situation. Most of them were surprised that they were offered such an opportunity, and they could not help but consider it thoroughly.

No one would force them to accept, but those who accepted would have to enter Canglan City.

This was not a trip without risks, as one could see from the previous experts who had lost their lives inside, but it was also possible to reap some rather substantial rewards.

In the end, only a few of the groups rejected the offer, while the others spent a few hours to prepare and then set out.

It was one of these groups that Bai Rouyun and Mo Chu had met in the mountain forest.

As they were walking down the familiar streets in the city, Bai Rouyun found that many young experts had arrived, and she could not help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

She quickly understood that the sects had changed their attitude, and that this was their new approach. She had to admit that their abilities to come up with a solution was rather skillful.

She did not dislike these geniuses. Once upon a time, she would have hated them and looked down upon them, but now her life was different, and so was her view on the world. As long as these experts did nothing to harm her or her dear ones, then she had no intention of going against them.