“Tian Fan!!!”
The leader of the black-clad group turned around, his eyes filled with rage. Three powerful seeded experts had been slain by Tian Fan just like that. His anger exploded beyond control.
The remaining five men in black retreated step by step, their faces filled with terror. This was a harbinger of death itself.
“If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. But if they do, no matter how far they run, they will die!”
These icy words left Tian Fan’s mouth as his figure once again disappeared into the night’s shadows.
Under the endless moonlit sky, as dawn approached, Tian Fan emerged from the shadows. His injuries were mostly healed, and the divine power within him had fully recovered. He raised his head and gazed into the distance, a cold smile forming at the corner of his lips.
In the ancient forest, the six remaining people huddled closely together. The darkness of the night was too dangerous for them. Moments earlier, their leader had sent a distress signal to the Yin-Yang Sect for reinforcements.
A makeshift bonfire illuminated their faces, casting ominous shadows. The losses they had suffered this time were unbearable.
“Where are you going?”
A young man asked as someone nearby stood up.
“Relieving myself. I can’t hold it any longer.”
The man in black quickly ran to the side. Moments later, the sound of water splashing onto the ground echoed in the stillness. But in that instant, a flash of silver light cut through the air.
“Xiao Li! Xiao Li! Xiao Li?”
The black-clad man called out in confusion to his companion, who stood motionless in the shadows.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you…”
He stepped forward and grabbed his companion by the arm, only to feel something wet and warm. A round head suddenly rolled off, its eyes wide with terror.
Thud…
Pushing the headless b0dy away in horror, the man stumbled backward. Before he could react further, a longsword pierced through his thr0at.
“Ah!”
Realizing the grim truth, the elderly leader of the black-clad group roared in fury. The three remaining men behind him shuddered uncontrollably.
“He’s a demon! He’s a demon!”
One of them stammered, trembling as he backed away in fear.
“Watch out!”
The elder turned sharply and shouted, simultaneously striking behind the young man with his palm.
Clang!
An iron sword fell to the ground, leaving the young man drenched in cold sweat.
“I’ve had enough! I don’t want your payment anymore! This is your Yin-Yang Sect’s matter, not mine! I’m leaving! Yes, I’m leaving!”
One of the black-clad men mumbled, turned around, and ran in a random direction. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the night. The other two stood, their expressions wavering between fear and indecision.
“Ah!”
A scream pierced the night, startling flocks of birds into frantic flight.
The two remaining black-clad men huddled even closer to the elder, their faces pale with terror. At that moment, they fully understood the dread of death.
Whoosh…
The sound of a sword slicing through the air came from the darkness. The elder, with sharp eyes and a fiery-red longsword, parried the incoming blade. A crisp *crack* rang out as he severed the flying sword.
Immediately, he dashed forward, his figure pursuing the fleeting shadow of Tian Fan. However, after covering a significant distance, he still failed to find any trace of him.
“It’s a trap!”
Realizing his mistake, the elder turned sharply and headed back.
Meanwhile, the two remaining black-clad men trembled uncontrollably. After the elder had gone, they didn’t follow him. Instead, they cautiously retreated into the distance.
Their sole thought was to escape this nightmare. Yet, after running a few miles, a figure resembling both god and demon appeared before them, holding a bl00d-stained sword.
“Don’t kill us! We’re not from the Yin-Yang Sect. You—you only have a grudge against them! They were the ones who wanted to kill you. It has nothing to do with us! Please, spare us…”
The two men knelt and pleaded with trembling voices.
“Leave!”
Frowning, Tian Fan coldly barked.
The two black-clad men, as though granted a reprieve from death, scrambled to their feet. They cautiously moved past Tian Fan. Seeing that he remained motionless and didn’t even turn to look at them, they exchanged a glance. Malice and greed flickered in their eyes.
Suddenly, they turned back, thrusting their swords at Tian Fan. Their blades struck true, piercing his body.
Their faces lit with joy at their success. But in the next instant, their smiles froze.
As with the elder earlier, this too was merely an afterimage.
“The tree desires calm, yet the wind ceases not. I don’t wish to kill, but I am left with no choice!”
Behind him, Tian Fan let out a helpless sigh. Two sword beams surged forth, sending two heads flying into the air. Bl00d sprayed like a fountain, dyeing the ground red with crimson.
“You… you are too cruel!”
At that moment, an elder from the Yin-Yang Sect arrived. Seeing the two heads with unwilling expressions still etched on their faces, his complexion turned red as he roared in anger.
“Cruel? Am I cruel because I refused to stand still and let you kill me?”
Tian Fan’s expression was icy and filled with mockery as he spoke coldly.
“Enough talk! Today, I will end you!”
The black-robed elder shouted furiously, his body emanating a crimson glow. The long sword in his right hand shimmered with alternating black and white light. Countless sword beams shot out from the sword, shredding the surrounding trees into splinters.
Silver radiance like the moon and golden brilliance like fire. Tian Fan faced it without fear. His eyes were resolute, brimming with fighting spirit. A silver diagram appeared before him, spinning as he waved his right hand.
Now, with only the two of them present, Tian Fan had nothing to fear. Even though his opponent was a mid-stage Cloud Heaven expert, he had no need to flee. The recent time spent in meditative cultivation had not been in vain, and he aimed to break through once again amidst this bl00dy battle.
Boom!
The sword beams unleashed by the black-robed elder were entirely blocked by Tian Fan’s silver diagram. Explosions erupted violently, stirring up whirlwinds that shredded vast swathes of trees around them. Such was the power of a battle at the Cloud Heaven stage; even the residual energy could wreak devastating destruction.
Humm…
A massive black hand emerged from the sky, surrounded by rolling white mist.
The Yin-Yang Hand Seal!
This technique, cast by the black-robed elder, was far more powerful than when Jian Hongming had performed it previously.
Bang!
Tian Fan showed no fear. His silver fist punched upward, creating ripples in the void. The Yin-Yang Hand Seal shattered instantly, and bl00d seeped out in strands.
“Ah! I will k!ll you!”
The black-robed elder roared in fury, his palm bleeding profusely. Enraged, his entire body became shrouded in black light. His face turned completely dark, exuding a chilling and terrifying aura. A sinister energy permeated the ancient forest, corroding everything it touched. Even the two c0rpses on the ground sizzled and dissolved into nothing but skeletal remains under the black mist.
Tian Fan’s expression grew grave; he felt the looming threat of death.
Countless silver talismans surged madly from his body. A “swast!ka” symbol appeared above his head, while a silver lotus bloomed beneath his feet.
The Five Elements Seal activated, the “swast!ka” symbol emerged, and eighty-one sword beams intertwined.
Boom!
The “swast!ka” symbol was majestic and overbearing, the Five Elements Seal solemn and divine. The ultimate combination of the three supreme battle techniques far surpassed the power he displayed during his battle with Xiang Yufei.
The clash of two immense forces resulted in a storm of sand and dust. Energy storms raged wildly, annihilating all vegetation within a radius of a mile.
“Cough… cough…”
The black-robed elder coughed up bl00d and staggered toward the fallen Tian Fan.
“Ha! You wretched brat, you’ve finally died. You—”
Before he could finish speaking, Tian Fan suddenly leapt up from the ground. His long sword erupted with dazzling silver light.
Slash!
“Ah!”
A miserable scream escaped from the black-robed elder as he clutched his severed right arm tightly, bl00d gushing ceaselessly.
Tian Fan’s chest heaved violently, and he spat out bl00d continuously. Yet, with unimaginable willpower and intelligence, he endured the excruciating pain. Summoning the last of his strength, he swung his sword again, severing the elder’s left arm.
“Ah!”
The black-robed elder, now completely disarmed, rolled on the ground in agony. Meanwhile, Tian Fan gasped heavily, sat cross-legged, and began to recover. Silver light flickered around him as the surrounding spiritual energy converged toward him, slowly healing his injuries.
Moments later, Tian Fan stood tall once again. Although only 20% of his divine power had recovered, it was more than sufficient to deal with the now-crippled elder.
“You are ruthless… so ruthless!”
The elder wailed miserably, bl00d pouring uncontrollably from his severed limbs, dyeing the ground a deep red.
“Hmph. If you plan to kill, you should also be prepared to be killed!”
Tian Fan’s voice was cold and unyielding.
“You wretched brat, you won’t escape! The army of the Yin-Yang Sect is already on the way. They’re coming down this path. You’re doomed—doomed!”
The black-robed elder’s gaze was venomous as he glared at Tian Fan.
“You old scoundrel, go to hell!”
Enraged, Tian Fan swung his sword, decapitating the black-robed elder in one strike.
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