Aftermath

Two flying swords arrived in an instant. Before Lin Fan could react, they attacked from both his left and right.

Fast, too fast!

Lin Fan's hair stood on end. He rolled on the ground, dodging the sword's edge. As he did, he drew the Azure Gavel Sword with his other hand and swept it out.

Bang!

The palm holding the sword went numb. The two flying swords grazed Lin Fan's scalp, cutting off a lock of his dark hair.

The two Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples exchanged glances, realizing Lin Fan was indeed not simple.

They immediately formed sword seals, and their two flying swords spun in mid-air before shooting out again.

Sword energy rippled, scattering the falling snow.

Lin Fan's expression grew grim. Did they really think he was a pushover?

His Internal Breath surged instantly. Sword energy erupted from the surface of the Azure Gavel Sword, forming an unbreakable defense that collided with the incoming flying swords.

At the same time, Lin Fan unleashed his full combat power. He took a step forward, shaking the ground. He lunged like a wild beast, charging at the two Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples.

"Heh..."

The man in white sneered, as if mocking Lin Fan for walking into a death trap.

A chilling sensation came from behind Lin Fan. The flying sword controlled by the man moved like a shadow, aiming straight for his back.

Another sword shadow appeared from Lin Fan's left. The flying sword controlled by the woman also attacked from a tricky angle.

Under normal circumstances, how could a cultivator's speed match that of a flying sword?

But a smile suddenly appeared on Lin Fan's lips. The Azure Gavel Sword flew out of his hand, turning into a stream of light that shot straight at the man in white.

"What..."

The man in white was stunned and could only instinctively raise his hand to block.

Squelch!

The next second, he screamed in agony. Half his body was severed by the Azure Gavel Sword, and his flesh and organs splattered.

Without the man in white controlling it, his flying sword quickly fell to the ground, losing its lethality.

"Senior Brother..."

The woman was shocked, but quickly regained her composure. She controlled her flying sword and aimed it at Lin Fan's head with even greater speed.

At this critical moment, a talisman floated out, transforming into a Snow Demon Wolf that collided with the incoming flying sword.

Bang!

The Snow Demon Wolf disintegrated. The flying sword, affected by this impact, was deflected from its original trajectory and grazed Lin Fan's shoulder.

"It's a Blood Demon Talisman..."

The woman was both shocked and enraged. She tried to control her flying sword to continue attacking Lin Fan.

But then, her body stiffened. The Azure Gavel Sword descended from the sky and plunged deep into her head.

Sword energy exploded, shattering the woman's head. White matter and blood splattered everywhere.

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went forward and searched the bodies but found nothing. He then grabbed the two flying swords and sped towards the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

He ran for several hundred feet before abruptly changing direction, heading towards the deadly demon veins at the bottom of the cliff.

With the Blood Gathering Art masking his aura and the blood mist at the bottom of the cliff providing cover, no one should be able to find him!

Whoosh!

Not long after Lin Fan killed the two Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples, a figure descended from the sky on a golden flying sword.

He was tall and slender, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an extremely powerful aura.

"Junior Brother Sun, Junior Sister Lu..."

Seeing the two corpses in the snow, he was shocked and enraged.

The golden flying sword "swished" into the air, unleashing terrifying sword energy.

The entire mountain peak vibrated violently under the impact of this sword energy.

Sensing the sword energy fluctuations from behind, Lin Fan ran even faster, pushing his Internal Breath without regard for the cost, achieving a speed beyond anything he had managed before.

Swish, swish-swish...

The wind and snow were biting cold, but Lin Fan felt no chill. As he channeled his Internal Breath, his blood boiled.

The near-death experience of danger and excitement made him flee at top speed.

It wasn't until half an hour later, when Lin Fan could no longer feel any sword energy fluctuations from behind, that he slowly stopped.

By now, the blood mist had enveloped him. Fortunately, he had activated the Blood Gathering Art to its maximum, blending into his surroundings. Thus, the bloodthirsty demon insects lurking in the mist did not detect his presence.

Lin Fan looked up. The bottom of the cliff was vast, and the ground was faintly covered with numerous piled-up skeletons.

The stench of decay was pungent.

"Just hide here. We can't go any deeper."

Lin Fan stopped.

He noticed a rock nearby and immediately moved closer, pressing his body against it.

His heart was pounding, and it took half an hour for it to return to normal.

The falling snow quickly covered him and the rock, making them blend into one.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. His breathing even slowed, making him like a lifeless statue.

Even if there were keen-sensed demonic beasts nearby, they would have a hard time detecting him unless they cleared away the snow.

Time trickled by. Lin Fan remained motionless, taking a Grain Abstinence Pill whenever he felt hungry.

He had plenty of Grain Abstinence Pills on him; as long as he wanted, he could stay hidden here for as long as he pleased.

The sounds of energy collisions in the distance didn't cease with the passage of time; instead, they intensified.

It was clear that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had made thorough preparations before launching their assault on the Demonic Sect.

Judging by the scale of the invasion, this was definitely no minor skirmish.

If the Blood Demon Sect could withstand it, it would be fine. But if they couldn't, Lin Fan might end up as a wandering orphan of the Demonic Sect.

He practiced demonic cultivation methods, and the mark of the Blood Demon Sect was already indelible. If he were to wander outside, it would be far more dangerous than staying within the sect.

Lin Fan's thoughts churned as he speculated about various outcomes.

Ultimately, he was still too weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been forced to hide at the bottom of the cliff.

He regretted it somewhat. If he had revealed his identity as a Blood Talisman Master earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have to fend for himself now and could have received special protection from the sect.

Lin Fan shook his head. It was too late to say anything now.

He could only pray that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect members would retreat quickly and that the demonic cultivators at the bottom of the cliff wouldn't discover him.

Time stretched on.

An entire night passed, but the explosions in the distance showed no signs of stopping.

"How long is this going to last?"

Lin Fan sighed inwardly.

Just then, a sudden commotion from afar made Lin Fan tense up.

The blood mist churned violently, as if something terrifying was emerging from the Demonic Vein Forbidden Zone.

"Could it be some demonic cultivators?"

Lin Fan held his breath, his muscles taut, afraid of making even the slightest sound.

Suddenly, the blood mist slowly subsided, and figures appeared not far away.

"That's..."

Lin Fan froze, unsure if they were demonic cultivators or practitioners from the Demonic Sect.

As he was filled with doubt, a familiar voice rang out from nearby.

"Senior Brother Shi, where are you taking us?"

It was Yun Peng's voice.

"Naturally, to a safe place."

Another cold voice replied. Lin Fan recognized it as the voice of Shi Tao, an inner disciple from Blackwood Cliff.

"This is the bottom of Blackwood Cliff. Any further in is the dangerous Demonic Vein Forbidden Zone."

"What exactly do you mean?"

Yun Peng sounded panicked.

"It's very safe inside the Demonic Vein Forbidden Zone. If you obediently follow me in, I guarantee your lives will be safe."

"If anyone dares to resist, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Shi Tao's tone was chilling.

"You're not Shi Tao. You must be a demonic cultivator."

"You must have forged Peak Master's orders to trick us out of the secret room and bring us here."

Another voice chimed in. Lin Fan listened closely and recognized them; they should be the Blood Talisman Masters from the flying ship that day.

"You've guessed correctly."

"This is our territory, the demonic cultivators'. If you don't want to die, listen obediently, otherwise, hehe..."

Shi Tao's demeanor was overbearing.

After his words, the other voices fell silent.

Lin Fan remained motionless, quickly piecing together the whole situation.

Blood Talisman Masters were considered "technical roles" and were heavily protected. When the great battle had just begun, the Peak Master of Blood Soul Peak had already brought them into a secret chamber for safekeeping.

However, Shi Tao, the Peak Master's personal disciple, had tricked these Blood Talisman Masters into coming here.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan's heart suddenly tightened.

If Shi Tao's body had been occupied by a demon cultivator, had no one in the Demonic Sect noticed for so long? Or, behind Shi Tao, was there a more terrifying demon cultivator concealing his identity?

The more Lin Fan thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"A demon cultivator more terrifying than Shi Tao, who could also help him conceal his identity... could it be the Blood Soul Peak Master!"

Lin Fan's eyes widened. If that were the case, it would explain how Shi Tao was able to bring the Blood Talisman Masters to this place so easily.

This would also explain why Shi Tao had the ability to arrange for him to participate in the Roaming Cloud Valley Blood Talisman Gathering before.

Lin Fan's scalp tingled. The Blood Demon Sect's environment was already harsh enough, and now with a lurking demon cultivator, was there any way to survive?

As if to confirm Lin Fan's guess, a startled cry suddenly came from not far away: "Peak Master!"

"Why are you here too?"

A Blood Talisman Master looked at the gaunt figure ahead in disbelief.

Yun Peng's face turned ashen, and his body trembled uncontrollably from panic.

The figure in front of them was none other than the Peak Master of Blood Soul Peak, Yuan Tu!

"Shi Tao is a demon cultivator, and as his master, I am naturally also a demon cultivator."

"Everyone, since you are here, make yourselves at home. Follow me into the Demon Vein Forbidden Land."

The Peak Master's voice was hoarse and low, his eyes flickering with chilling light.

Demon cultivators had an innate weakness: they could not create talismans. But with this group of Blood Talisman Masters, things were different.

Talismans were very important to them, as they could compensate for the natural deficiencies of demon cultivators.

Lin Fan felt a chill run down his spine, and at this moment, he was incredibly fortunate.

"Fortunately, I didn't reveal that I was a Blood Talisman Master beforehand. Otherwise, I would likely have been targeted by the demon cultivators and brought here by now."

Lin Fan thought, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.

"Where are Master Ruan and Wang Zhaofeng?"

Yuan Tu asked.

"When the great battle broke out, Master Ruan went to the front lines, and Wang Zhaofeng was protected by his elders. I didn't have the opportunity to act."

Shi Tao replied respectfully.

"Never mind. Master Ruan's time is drawing near. Perhaps he wishes to leave behind a good reputation. It's a pity his blood energy is dry; otherwise, we could have converted him into one of us demon cultivators."

He shook his head, then waved his hand and said, "Follow me, everyone."

Yun Peng and the other talisman masters, like lambs to the slaughter, could only obediently follow Yuan Tu and Shi Tao into the Demon Vein Forbidden Land.