Great Loss

As Yuan Tu and the others left, the surroundings returned to quiet.

Lin Fan didn't dare to move, holding his breath and remaining completely silent.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared from the blood mist.

It was Shi Tao!

Lin Fan's heart tightened. He circulated the Blood Gathering Art to its limit, merging himself completely into the surrounding environment.

Coupled with the snow cover, even if Shi Tao stood right in front of him, Lin Fan was confident Shi Tao wouldn't be able to detect his presence.

"Huh..."

"No one else."

Shi Tao looked around for a moment, confirming the absence of other cultivators before disappearing into the depths of the blood mist with relief.

These demon cultivators are truly cautious!

Lin Fan's forehead beaded with sweat. Only now did he truly realize that even as a Formal Disciple, he was still surrounded by danger.

I'm still not strong enough...

Lin Fan remained frozen, not daring to move, until the following evening.

Outside, the battlefield had already seen a reversal.

An extremely terrifying aura suddenly surged from the deepest part of the Blood Demon Sect, piercing the sky. The fearsome sword energy that had been churning in mid-air seemed like fragile paper in the face of this aura, collapsing and disintegrating.

In mid-air, a Flowing Cloud Sword Sect expert's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed, "The Blood Demon Sect Master has emerged from seclusion!"

The reason their Flowing Cloud Sword Sect dared to attack the Blood Demon Sect this time was because they had learned that the Blood Demon Sect Master was in a death seclusion.

They were on the verge of taking over the entire Blood Demon Sect, but now it seemed likely they would return empty-handed.

"You Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, while this seat was in seclusion, dared to attempt to destroy the entire Blood Demon Sect. Is this the conduct of righteous sects?"

A cold voice echoed through the heavens.

"He must be extremely weak after forcing his way out of seclusion."

"If we all fight with all our might, we might still have a chance to win."

A sword cultivator expert's eyes blazed, eager to fight.

"No."

"The Blood Demon Sect Master is not someone we can contend with. Let's forget it this time. Everyone, retreat!"

An elder of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, with deep seniority, spoke out in time.

Soon, they reached a consensus, and the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect members retreated like a receding tide.

"All Blood Demon Sect disciples, take stock of casualties."

"Experts from Blood Bone Peak and Blood Fiend Peak will guard various locations to prevent other forces from invading the sect again."

"Elders from Blood Soul Peak will enter the Demon Vein Death Zone and retrieve the Blood Talisman Masters who were taken away by the demon cultivators."

The Blood Demon Sect Master did not appear in person, but his grand voice echoed above the sect, exuding a terrifying pressure.

"What's going on? Besides the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's invasion, demon cultivators have also infiltrated the sect?"

"Demon cultivators abducted Blood Talisman Masters? Was it one or several? This has blown up."

"Quick, look, it's Master Ruan! Fortunately, Master Ruan wasn't abducted. Otherwise, the loss would be unimaginable."

The surviving Demonic Sect disciples realized the severity of the situation.

Lin Fan, hiding at the bottom of the cliff, also heard the Blood Demon Sect Master's voice immediately. He immediately shook off the snow and quickly emerged from the cliff bottom.

Next to the cliff bottom were the Hidden Scripture Pavilion and the residences of the Menial Disciples.

But at this moment, those rows of houses had been affected by the recent battle. Blood stained the ground, and the corpses of Menial Disciples were everywhere.

Out of over a hundred Menial Disciples, only a dozen or so were still clinging to life.

"Such heavy losses."

Lin Fan couldn't help but sigh.

Considering this place near the Hidden Scripture Pavilion is still far from the main battlefield, and it's already like this, how great must the casualties on the front lines be?

Just then, Lin Fan subconsciously looked up. Several figures radiating powerful auras descended from high in the sky, heading straight for the cliff bottom.

They should be several elder-level experts, ordered to charge into the Demon Vein Death Zone to try and rescue Yun Peng and the other Blood Talisman Masters.

But acting now, it's probably too late.

On the outskirts of the Blood Demon Sect, the tall Feng Ling looked unwillingly towards the depths of the sect.

Her skin was fair, her waist slender, and her legs straight and long. Her robes were stained with blood, giving her an heroic and valiant appearance.

"Young miss, the operation failed."

"We should go back."

A man stepped forward and said.

"Such a good opportunity, and yet we still failed."

"I'm sorry to the Senior Sister Qiao'er who died."

Feng Ling said with some self-reproach.

The young girl's eyes were dim, her expression full of helplessness.

"Young Miss, you've already done your best."

"Although we didn't find any trace of the one who was imprisoned, it's thanks to the intelligence you provided earlier that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect was able to break into the Blood Demon Sect this time."

"There will be other opportunities, we'll take our time."

The man comforted her.

"I understand."

Feng Ling sighed lightly, then drew her sword and followed the man and others, slowly retreating into the darkness.

The night passed again.

The snowstorm finally stopped.

As the mechanical stone door opened, Lin Fan returned to his cave dwelling.

Under the morning sunlight, Lin Fan walked in slowly.

Zhou Wanqing and Wang Yuyao were both startled, then they excitedly rushed towards the familiar man.

They had been huddled in the cave dwelling for the past two days, not only worried about their own fate but also about Lin Fan's safety. Seeing him return safely now, both women breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's all over now."

Lin Fan embraced them with one arm around each woman.

"Brother Lin, it's so good that you're alright,"

Zhou Wanqing said softly, blinking her large eyes.

Although she desperately wanted to escape the life of being a cauldron in the cave dwelling, she cared more about Lin Fan's safety than anything else.

At some point, her heart had already been captured by Lin Fan.

Wang Yuyao was a bit conflicted. She desperately wanted to escape the Demonic Sect, but she didn't want Lin Fan to be in danger.

Seeing Lin Fan return now, her expression was a little complex, a mixture of joy and worry.

Lin Fan naturally saw the expressions of the two women.

Without any preamble, he roughly tore off the gauze skirts on their bodies and unceremoniously absorbed their Yin essence.

His previous experiences made him clearly realize that he was still too weak in front of true powerhouses.

He hadn't relied on absorbing Yin essence to improve his cultivation before, but his thoughts had changed slightly now. He had to absorb it if he needed to.

The two women's faces flushed, and they involuntarily tensed their slender, straight legs, allowing Lin Fan to enjoy their graceful bodies.

Soft moans rose and fell, and Lin Fan was like a ferocious beast, making the two women linger and forget to return.

The dual cultivation that lasted for a full two hours made the internal breath within Lin Fan's body even purer than before.

The two women fell into a deep sleep, and Lin Fan fed each of them a Foundation Replenishing Pill.

After satisfying the two women, Lin Fan did not stay in the cave dwelling but went out to check the situation.

The entire Blackwood Cliff was in chaos. Shi Tao, a demon cultivator, had betrayed them. Wang Biao had been caught in the crossfire and died tragically. Even Zhao Wang was severely injured.

As for Feng Ling, she had completely disappeared.

There were also several other formal disciples who didn't often show themselves; they were either dead or injured. The entire Blackwood Cliff no longer had many decent formal disciples.

It wasn't until three days later that the chaotic situation began to ease slightly.

Feng Ling was confirmed to be a spy for the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect. During the two days of the great battle, she was seen by demonic sect disciples, wielding her sword and killing many of them.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Sister Feng was indeed an outsider sect spy."

He suddenly remembered the second time Feng Ling invited him to be her Dao companion. If he guessed correctly, she must have known that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect would attack the Blood Demon Sect long ago.

"Didn't seize the opportunity..."

Lin Fan shook his head.

Afterward, Lin Fan went to collect Wang Biao's body.

Wang Biao was the first disciple he met when he came to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. This guy would eat anything regardless of gender, and he would pay any price to climb up. He didn't expect him to die after all.

Out of consideration for their shared status as disciples of Blackwood Cliff, Lin Fan erected a grave for him.

He took out a jar of good wine bought from the foot of the mountain and poured it all in front of the tombstone, saying softly, "Rest in peace, and don't join the Demonic Sect in your next life."

The setting sun in the sky was like blood, and the view was desolate.

Of the three who became Formal Disciples in the same batch, one died and one defected.

Now, only Lin Fan remained.

He felt a hint of confusion. How should he proceed from now on?

This experience made him realize the importance of strength even more.

Without sufficient strength, one would become an "ant" caught in the crossfire and killed.

This was the Demonic Sect. If you weren't strong enough, you could die at any moment.

Become stronger, you must quietly become stronger.

Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, a voice suddenly called out.

"Junior Brother Lin, come back to Blackwood Cliff with me. The Sect Master has personally arrived."

Lin Fan turned to look. It was Zhao Wang, bandaged like half a mummy.

"I'm coming."

Lin Fan replied and quickly left with Zhao Wang.

The Blood Demon Sect had three main peaks: Blood Bone Peak, Blood Fiend Peak, and Blood Soul Peak.

The current Sect Master was the Peak Master of the foremost main peak, Blood Bone Peak.