Regardless of the veracity of the information, Li Jin couldn't spare any attention for it. So what if the blue-squirrel stream had been controlled by another party? Once he finished matters here at the Bloodcrystal Valley, he could easily reclaim that territory.

Through a messenger, he relayed to those hunters at the blue-squirrel stream to hold out as long as they could. Once he was done here, he would make those raiders pay for what they had done.

Explosions rattled the battlefield in the valley below them: up till now, both the ant swarm and Li Jin's elite hunters had suffered significant losses from the battle.

Of course, Li Jin's group still had the upper hand, but the blood ants were known for their numbers and rampaging ability. The superior-grade blood ant had commanded and reinforced territorial behavior, but now that it had perished, the only thought on their mind was to destroy all that opposed them, all that stood in their way.

The blood ants that emerged from the caves would activate [Bloodbath] almost instantly, ramping up their offensive capabilities before charging into the midst of the hunters.

Hunters weren't robots, and although the Li hunters present were all elites, they would still eventually get tired. They had persisted and engaged in battle for over half an hour, and even Li Jin was getting fatigued, let alone the common hunter.

However, the territory that Li Jin wanted to secure was too large to control unless he used up all his reserve troops as well.

This implied that the hunters would have no backup or replacements, and that they would have to keep fighting despite the stamina drain. Sooner or later, one would falter, and the encirclement would break apart. 

And once that happened, that damned black-clad bastard would be able to escape.

This was the outcome that Li Jin most wanted to avoid. In his anger, Li Jin didn't realize the major loophole in his plan: given Zhang Lie's combat ability, it wouldn't be difficult at all for him to break out of the entrapment.

"Quick, search the hilltop as fast as you can. Then, help the hunters at the bottom of the valley!" Li Jin commanded.

Although this would decrease the efficiency of the search, it would still be preferable to the alternative.

"Young Master Li, Chu Feng's here!"

Li Jin had no time or attention to spare for Chu Feng. Even worse, the Li hunters had found no sign of Chu Xun, and had no idea where she could be hiding. If something were to happen to her, the Li clan could face serious repercussions.

"Get out here, Li Jin!" Chu Feng shouted, right after Li Jin reminded his subordinates not to hurt Chu Xun if she were found.

Li Jin scowled, knowing that he had no choice but to deal with Chu Feng now.

On the hilltop, Li Jin and Chu Feng faced each other with their subordinates in tow.

"Where's my sister?" Chu Feng asked.

"Young Master Chu, I can't answer that question. I haven't seen any trace of your sister around! You must have heard that the Li clan's here to catch Li Hong's mysterious killer, and we're not here for your sister. We were told that your sister had travelled in this direction with the mysterious killer, but if she's here, she hasn't revealed herself."

Chu Feng judged that Li Jin's words were trustworthy. Chu Xun had quite a reputation in the Blacksteel settlement, and he doubted that Li Jin would dare to do anything to her knowing what the Chu clan would do in retribution.

"Brother, I'm right here!" Chu Xun, seeing her brother deep in thought, leapt down from a nearby tree and ran toward him. "Brother, you're too late! You missed the best part of the show!"

Chu Feng huffed in mock annoyance. "Who allowed you to run around outside the settlement with a stranger you barely knew? What would I have done if something were to happen to you?"

"Don't worry, Brother! I can take care of myself, and if I have to run away, I have the soulshard you gave me. Brother, I bet you couldn't have imagined what just happened!"

In front of Li Jin, Chu Xun began describing in meticulous detail all that she had witnessed from her vantage point up on a tree.  

It was as though she had ripped open Li Jin's wounds and scattered some salt in them. He would have attacked anyone else who dared to do so, but she was Chu Xun, beloved of the Chu clan, and Chu Feng and a large group of Chu elites were right there with her.

Li Jin could only sulk in silence. His troops were overburdened just dealing with the blood ants in the valley; he certainly couldn't rouse the Chu clan's ire now.

"Young Master Chu, since you've found your sister, I won't accompany you any further."

Chu Feng, who had just heard Chu Xun describe how Li Jin's superior-grade blood ant had been snatched from right before his eyes, laughed out loud. 

"Li Jin, I advise you to give up now. You've already sustained such severe losses and lost whatever reward you could have hoped to obtain: if you keep your troops fighting even longer, you'll only end up with more casualties. And, to be frank, this sort of formation is far too easy to break out of. If I were trapped in this manner, I would have at least five different ways of escaping."

"Young Master Chu, there's no need to burden yourself with the Li clan's affairs. If there's nothing else, please, leave the valley!"

Chu Feng had spoken out of pity for Li Jin, but Li Jin was too blinded by anger to listen to reason. In that case, he needn't waste his breath any longer. He nodded, then turned to leave with Chu Xun.

"Brother, I don't want to leave! Blackie hasn't come out yet!"

Chu Feng smiled. "What Blackie? That mysterious hunter?"

His sister nodded. "Yes!  He won't be hurt, will he?"

"If he's as mysterious as you claim, I'm sure he'll be able to make it out. Who's to say he hasn't already left?" Chu Feng told his sister, but she still seemed rather disbelieving.  

"Really? Is he already gone?"

"Of course! When have I ever lied to you?"

Chu Xun cocked her head for a moment, deciding whether or not to believe her brother. In the end, she gave in and departed with the main Chu coalition.

Li Jin stared at the departing Chu clan with serious doubts in his mind about whether Zhang Lie was really still around.

"Young Master Li, that killer appeared again! He's taken over the Thunderscale Cave!"

Li Jin was left agape by this piece of news.