This was a deadly strike.
A bloodstained demonic sword emerged from the void, fast as lightning, thrusting straight at Tian Fan’s forehead. It was terrifying to the extreme, even managing to bypass his spiritual intuition.
Tian Fan was shocked, cold sweat trickling down his back. This was the first time someone had evaded his spiritual perception. He only sensed it when the demonic sword was already upon him.
At the critical moment, Tian Fan activated his Divine Cloud Steps. His body moved like a green streak of light, dodging the strike aimed at his forehead at the last possible moment. However, he still failed to completely avoid the fatal sword.
“Pfft…”
Blood splattered as the bloodstained demonic sword pierced through Tian Fan’s left shoulder. His entire body was sent flying hundreds of meters away. Blood gushed from the wound, soaking through his freshly changed clothes, turning them crimson once again.
“Heh, the Son of God? So that’s all you’ve got!”
Ahead, a figure clad in black appeared. He was wrapped entirely in leather, revealing only a pair of chilling eyes that locked onto Tian Fan. His gaze was as cold as ice.
“Who are you!?”
The man’s strength was formidable, and he was clearly adept at concealing himself. Tian Fan had no choice but to remain cautious.
“Heh, heh… Right before you die, I’ll tell you.”
The black-clad man’s face was completely hidden. Judging by his voice, he was a young man. The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished from Tian Fan’s sight.
“Hmph! Show yourself!”
Tian Fan snorted coldly. Golden light flickered in his eyes as he struck out with a massive golden hand toward his left side.
“Ah!”
A miserable scream echoed from the void. A shadowy figure appeared, but before he could even register his shock, a golden palm slammed down on him. He was sent flying, his bones cracking instantly.
With the presence of *Mind Without Traces*, almost nothing could escape Tian Fan’s perception. Earlier, he had been caught off guard, but now that he was aware of the assassin’s existence, the black-clad man was completely exposed before him.
“You…” The black-clad man’s face was filled with shock. His concealment technique had failed against Tian Fan.
“Speak! Which faction do you belong to? Who sent you?”
Tian Fan’s voice was cold as he strode toward the fallen assassin with composure.
The black-clad man remained silent, glaring at Tian Fan with icy eyes. Then, his body vanished once more into thin air.
“You can’t escape!”
Tian Fan sneered and disappeared from his original spot in an instant. In the next moment, he reappeared a hundred meters away, his golden fist smashing down. The void distorted like a sponge.
“Pfft…”
Blood splattered as the black-clad assassin was forcibly struck out of the void. His body was torn apart, his remains scattering across the vast grassland, an unnatural sight amidst the serene landscape.
“Just how many factions want me dead…?” Tian Fan muttered. He glanced at the mangled corpse one last time before striding away, disappearing beyond the endless plains.
Not long after he left, three more figures dressed in black appeared.
An aura of bone-chilling cold radiated from them. Like the previous assassin, they were wrapped in black leather, with only their eyes visible as they stared at the scattered remains.
“The target has appeared…”
“Injured…”
“Pursue…”
The three men spoke in short, concise sentences before transforming into three black streaks, chasing in the direction Tian Fan had left.
*****
“They’re here.”
As Tian Fan walked through the vast grasslands, he suddenly sensed an approaching presence. The corners of his lips curled slightly, and he calmly stood his ground.
“Tian Fan?”
A cold voice came from one of the black-clad men.
“That’s me.”
Tian Fan’s expression remained calm as he swept his gaze over the three assassins. Sensing their overwhelming killing intent, he was secretly astonished. Just how many lives had they taken to accumulate such an intense aura of death?
“Kill!”
Without wasting any words, the three assassins attacked. Their bloodstained demonic swords erupted with crimson light, all aiming at Tian Fan’s vital points. Their movements were precise, honed through decades of ruthless training.
Tian Fan’s expression grew serious. A magnificent divine sword appeared in his hands. Though it emitted no divine power, he swung it with all his might, adjusting his strikes at odd angles to deflect the three incoming demonic swords.
Clang!
Despite the Yin-Yang Sword losing its divine weapon’s natural suppression, its toughness was unparalleled. The three assassins were sent reeling by the force of the clash.
“Who are you? Why do you want me dead?” Tian Fan asked coldly, dragging the Yin-Yang Sword along the ground as he gazed at the three men.
None of them answered. Instead, they swiftly adjusted their stances. Their swords gleamed with a sinister glow as they lunged forward again. The dry grass of the plains swirled into the air.
Boom!
A massive sword of light radiated an eerie crimson glow, cleaving toward Tian Fan. Surrounding it was a rolling wave of deathly red mist, surging forward like an all-devouring inferno.
On the other side, a pitch‑black beam of light appeared, shrouded in dense black mist. An overwhelming aura of murderous intent emanated from it, causing the surrounding temperature to drop by several degrees.
Tian Fan’s expression immediately changed, as golden light surged over his entire body. A dazzling golden swast!ka imprint appeared above his head, trailing streams of golden light. At the same time, he moved as swiftly as his sword, executing the Ninefold Unity Sword Technique with both grace and ferocity, clashing with two unmatched attacks.
Boom!
Tian Fan’s body shook uncontrollably, and he was blasted over a hundred zhang away.
“Pfft…”
As if expecting his body to appear here, another man in black emerged. At that moment, he had already gathered sufficient strength, and a dazzling sword light cut through the sky, like an immortal descending from the heavens, piercing through the void and leaving a through‑and‑through blood hole on Tian Fan’s body.
Several men in black looked coldly at Tian Fan, their eyes not resembling those of a normal person—as if they had lost all humanity. They didn’t give him even a moment to catch his breath, as three blood‑stained demonic swords were swung out again. Their red glow was startling as they were aimed respectively at Tian Fan’s brow, dantian, and heart, striking with extreme cruelty.
Seeing the three demonic swords, Tian Fan remained unusually calm at that moment, his mind and body serene. Golden divine light continually flashed in his eyes, and three powerful psychic forces were directed toward the three men ahead.
“Ah…”
Three screams of agony rang out as the three assassins had blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. They staggered back three zhang, yet even after coming to a stop, their bodies continued to tremble.
Tian Fan’s body landed on the ground. With a light tap of his toes, he leaped immediately. Deploying his Divine Cloud Step, his speed reached its limit as he instantly appeared beside one of them, his Yin‑Yang Sword slashing diagonally downward.
Boom!
The man in black met him with a massive sword, but given his strength, how could he compare with Tian Fan’s physical form? The collision between the Yin‑Yang Sword and the demonic sword in his hand sent the man’s legs deep into the ground.
Buzz…
Tian Fan’s left hand flashed with golden light, aiming to smash the man in black below, but at that moment a sword’s whistle echoed from behind him, forcing him to desist; otherwise, his back would have been pierced by that sword.
Boom!
The demonic sword pierced through Tian Fan’s afterimage and plunged into the earth, shattering a large expanse of soil and lifting the man in black, who had been trapped underground. This individual demonstrated an astonishing command of swordsmanship.
“Indeed, there’s some skill to it!” a cold voice uttered as the three men in black merged together.
“It’s a pity he ran into us; he is destined to die!” another man in black spoke, his tone as frigid as ice and devoid of any emotion. “Feng Da, watch your tongue!”
Tian Fan snorted coldly, though inwardly he remained on guard. These three were no ordinary individuals; each move was deadly, as if they were born to kill.
“Attack!” another man in black commanded.
The three men in black began to channel the power of their demonic swords, unleashing three streams of red light. An endless black aura of death emanated from them, and its oppressive presence made Tian Fan shudder. The black aura, like rolling dark clouds or terrifying demonic flames, completely enshrouded them.
In just a moment, the figures of the three men in black vanished into the pitch‑black aura, leaving behind only a thick black demonic mist drifting around, exuding a heavy sense of death.
Tian Fan drew a sharp breath, his heart filled with awe. What kind of scene was this? Where did such a heavy stench of death come from? Could they have crawled out of hell?
With the figures of the three men in black completely gone, only a solemn-faced Tian Fan remained standing in the midst of the scene. Suddenly, he turned around and revealed a strange smile to his right. The hidden man in black was startled for a moment, but only for an instant—he reached his right hand into his bosom, his eyes flashing with cold light and exuding an eerie aura.
It was only then that Tian Fan moved; his figure instantly vanished from the man in black’s sight.
“Watch out!”
Two exclamations of alarm rang out from another direction, causing the man in black to shudder as he instinctively moved sideways. However, it was already too late.
Thud!
A magnificent treasured sword pierced straight through his chest, and the man in black lowered his head, fixating on the sword lodged in his chest as his eyes quickly dimmed.
“You…”
Two shocked voices emerged from the black demon.
“No need to hurry; he is just the first!” Tian Fan coldly shouted. Stepping with his Divine Cloud Step, he left an afterimage behind and in a single stride appeared beside another man in black. With his hand, he unleashed the force of his Yin‑Yang Sword, accompanied by the roaring sound of wind and thunder. This strike was incredibly powerful, distorting the void around the sword.
Crack…
The man in black raised the demonic sword in his hand high, but in just a moment—as the Yin‑Yang Sword slashed downward—the demonic sword was shattered instantly, falling to the ground. At the same time, the momentum of the Yin‑Yang Sword continued its downward slash.
Thud…
A severed hand flew out and landed far away. The man in black let out a miserable scream, retreating while clutching his severed arm, his eyes fixed intently on Tian Fan and filled with venomous resentment.
“If you want to kill, then be prepared to be killed!”
Tian Fan sneered coldly, stepping forward in a single stride. With the Yin‑Yang Sword slung behind him and his golden fist descending through the air to end the man’s life, suddenly a black light cone shot out like lightning from behind him, blocking his finishing blow.
“I’ve been waiting for you all along!”
Tian Fan snorted coldly; his golden fist maintained its momentum. With a sweep of the Yin‑Yang Sword behind him, he cleaved the black light cone far away.
Thud…
The man in black had no chance to evade—the golden fist landed squarely on him, shattering him into pieces on the spot.
“Next, it’s your turn. I’ll send you to meet them!”
With an expression of indifference, Tian Fan turned his body and coldly stared ahead…