Losses Truly Were Heavy

After Yuan Tu and the others left, the surroundings once again fell silent.

Lin Fan did not dare move. He continued holding his breath and concentrating, making not the slightest sound.

Just then, a figure suddenly emerged from within the Blood Mist.

It was Shi Tao!

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

With the snow covering him as well, he was confident that even if Shi Tao stood right in front of him, the man would be unable to detect his presence.

"Hmm..."

"There's no one else."

Shi Tao looked around for a moment. Only after confirming that no other cultivators were present did he relax and disappear into the depths of the Blood Mist.

These Demon Cultivators were truly cautious!

Sweat beaded on Lin Fan's forehead. Only now did he truly realize that although he had become a Formal Disciple, danger still lurked everywhere.

He still wasn't strong enough...

Thus, Lin Fan did not dare move a muscle, remaining there until the following evening.

The battlefield outside had already undergone a reversal.

An utterly terrifying aura suddenly shot into the sky from the deepest part of the Blood Demon Sect. The fearsome Sword Qi surging through the air crumbled and disintegrated before that aura, as fragile as paper paste.

High in the air, a powerful expert from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect changed expression drastically and exclaimed, "The Blood Demon Sect Master has come out of seclusion!"

The reason the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had dared to attack the Blood Demon Sect this time was that they had learned the Blood Demon Sect Master had entered a life-or-death seclusion.

They had nearly taken down the entire Blood Demon Sect, but now it seemed they would most likely return empty-handed.

"While I was in seclusion, you of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect actually dared dream of annihilating the entire Blood Demon Sect. Is this the conduct of a righteous sect?"

A cold voice echoed across the heavens.

"He forced his way out of seclusion, so he must be extremely weak."

"If we fight with all our strength, we may not be without a chance of victory."

A powerful sword cultivator's eyes blazed like torches as he spoke, eager for battle.

"Impossible."

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

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

Soon, they reached an agreement, and the people of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect retreated like a receding tide.

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

"The experts of Blood Bone Peak and Blood Fiend Peak will guard every location and prevent other forces from invading the sect again."

"The elders of Blood Soul Peak will enter the Demon Vein Desolate Land and reclaim the Blood Talisman Masters taken away by the Demon Cultivators."

The Blood Demon Sect Master did not reveal himself personally, but his grand voice echoed across the sect, radiating terrifying pressure.

"What happened? Aside from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's invasion, did Demon Cultivators also infiltrate the sect?"

"The Demon Cultivators abducted Blood Talisman Masters. Did they take one or several? This is a serious matter."

"Look, it's Master Ruan. Luckily, Master Ruan wasn't abducted. Otherwise, the losses would have been unimaginable."

The surviving disciples of the Demon Sect all realized the seriousness of the matter.

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

Beside the cliff bottom were the Hidden Scripture Pavilion and the houses where the Menial Disciples lived.

But at this moment, those rows of houses had all been caught in the recent battle. Blood had dyed the ground red, and the corpses of Menial Disciples could be seen everywhere.

Of more than a hundred Menial Disciples, only a dozen or so remained, clinging to life.

"The losses are truly heavy."

Lin Fan could not help sighing.

The Hidden Scripture Pavilion was far from the main battlefield, yet it had still been affected this badly. How great, then, had the casualties been on the main battlefield?

Just then, Lin Fan subconsciously raised his head. Several figures radiating powerful auras fell straight down from the sky, heading directly toward the bottom of the cliff.

They should have been several elder-level experts, ordered to enter the Demon Vein Desolate Land and attempt to rescue Yun Peng and the other Blood Talisman Masters.

But acting only now was probably too late.

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

Her skin was as white as snow, her waist slender, and her legs straight and long. Her robes were stained with quite a lot of blood, making her look valiant and heroic.

"Young Miss, the operation failed."

"We should head back."

A man stepped forward and spoke.

"It was such a good opportunity, yet we still failed."

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

Feng Ling spoke with some self-reproach.

The young woman's eyes dimmed, and helplessness filled her expression.

"Young Miss, you've already done very well."

"Although we failed to find out where that captive was being held, the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's ability to enter the Blood Demon Sect this time was also thanks to the intelligence you provided earlier."

"There will be other opportunities. We can take it slowly."

The man consoled her.

"I know."

Feng Ling let out a soft sigh. Then she raised her sword and slowly retreated into the darkness with the man and the others.

Another night passed.

The blizzard filling the sky finally stopped.

As the mechanism stone door opened, Lin Fan returned to the cave abode.

Under the morning sunlight, Lin Fan slowly walked inside.

Zhou Wanqing and Wang Yuyao were both stunned, then joyfully threw themselves at the familiar man.

For the past two days, they had curled up inside the cave abode. Not only had they worried about their own fates, they had also been concerned for Lin Fan's safety. Now that they saw him return safely, both women finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's all over now."

Lin Fan wrapped one woman in each arm and pulled them into his embrace.

"Brother Lin, it's so good that you're all right."

Zhou Wanqing blinked her large eyes and spoke softly.

Although she had desperately wanted to escape her days as a cauldron in the cave abode, compared to that, she wanted even more for Lin Fan to remain safe and sound.

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

Wang Yuyao, meanwhile, felt conflicted. She wanted very much to escape the Demon Sect, but she also did not want anything to happen to Lin Fan.

Now that she saw Lin Fan return, her expression was somewhat complicated, filled with both delight and worry.

Lin Fan naturally saw the expressions of the two women.

Without wasting words, he roughly tore apart the gauzy skirts covering their bodies and unceremoniously absorbed their Yin Essence.

His previous experiences had made him clearly aware that before true experts, he was still far too weak.

He had previously refrained from absorbing Yin Essence to increase his cultivation, but now his thinking had shifted slightly. If he needed to absorb it, then he would.

The two women's faces flushed crimson. Their straight, slender bodies tensed involuntarily as they let Lin Fan enjoy their exquisite forms.

Moans rose and fell. Lin Fan was like a ferocious beast, leaving the two women intoxicated and unable to tear themselves away.

After a full two hours of Dual Cultivation, the Internal Breath within Lin Fan's body became slightly purer than before.

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

After satisfying both women, Lin Fan did not remain in the cave abode. Instead, he went out to inspect the situation.

The entire Blackwood Cliff was also in chaos. Shi Tao had betrayed them as a Demon Cultivator, Wang Biao had been caught in the battle and died horribly, and even Zhao Wang had suffered severe injuries.

As for Feng Ling, she had vanished completely.

Several other Formal Disciples who rarely showed themselves were also dead or wounded. The entire Blackwood Cliff no longer had more than a few decent Formal Disciples left.

Only after three days did the chaotic situation ease somewhat.

Feng Ling was confirmed to be a spy from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect. During those two days of battle, Demon Sect disciples had personally witnessed her raising her sword and killing quite a few Demon Sect disciples.

After learning the news, Lin Fan could not help sighing. "Sister Feng really was a spy from an external sect."

He suddenly recalled the second time Feng Ling had invited him to become Dao companions that day. If he had guessed correctly, she should have already known that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect would attack the Blood Demon Sect.

"I failed to seize the opportunity..."

Lin Fan shook his head.

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

Wang Biao had been the first disciple Lin Fan met after arriving at the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. That fellow had eaten without discrimination between men and women and spared no cost in climbing upward, yet in the end, he had still died.

For the sake of their shared bond as disciples of Blackwood Cliff, Lin Fan erected a grave for him.

He took out a jar of fine wine bought at the foot of the mountain, poured it all before the gravestone, and said softly, "Rest in peace. Don't enter the Demon Sect again in your next life."

The setting sun on the horizon was as red as blood. Everywhere he looked was bleak and desolate.

Of the three people who had become Formal Disciples at the same time, one had died, and one had defected.

Now, only Lin Fan remained.

A trace of bewilderment filled him. How should he walk the road ahead?

This experience had made him increasingly aware of the importance of strength.

Without sufficient strength, one would become an "ant" caught in the aftermath and crushed to death.

This was the Demon Sect. If one was not strong enough, one could die at any moment.

He had to become stronger—quietly, silently, he had to grow stronger.

Just as his thoughts churned, a voice suddenly came from nearby.

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

Lin Fan turned his head and saw Zhao Wang, who had been bandaged until he looked half like a mummy.

"He's here."

Lin Fan answered 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 none other than the Peak Master of Blood Bone Peak, the foremost of the three main peaks.