Three-Year Deadline

A pitch-black skeleton stood on the high platform of Blackwood Cliff.

Its eye sockets pulsed with oily green flames, emitting an extremely cold and eerie aura.

"The great battle a few days ago, you all witnessed its brutality."

"The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect has officially declared war on our Blood Demon Sect."

The skeleton opened its mouth, and a slightly deep voice emerged.

"Although you are low-level disciples of the sect, you are also individuals with potential, and you may very well reach a certain height in the future."

"Therefore, you cannot perish easily, nor should you die here."

"The sect's situation is precarious right now, with the Demon Cultivators from the Demon Vein Desolate Land watching menacingly, and the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect has even joined forces with multiple powers to encircle and suppress us."

"To preserve the sect's legacy, I have decided that all disciples below the fifth rank of the Meridian Condensing Realm will be dispersed. You will go to the mortal world to seek refuge. As long as you can survive and hide there, it will suffice."

The black skeleton spoke, and with a casual gesture, a box opened, revealing densely packed pills within.

The pills had a bloody sheen, looking somewhat sinister.

"This is the antidote for the Bone-Gnawing Pill. After taking it, it will neutralize the poison in your bodies."

After the Sect Master of the Blood Demon Sect finished speaking, he stared intently at the few remaining disciples on Blackwood Cliff.

Lin Fan, Zhao Wang, and the other surviving disciples stepped forward to receive them.

"Very good."

"I forgot to tell you, this pill can neutralize the poison of the Bone-Gnawing Pill, but it is also another kind of poison."

"Within three years, if you cannot return to the sect in time, you will all die outside."

The black skeleton's tone was chilling.

It stared coldly at Lin Fan, Zhao Wang, and the others. If anyone refused to take it, they would die on the spot.

This Sect Master is too ruthless, Lin Fan thought, his heart tightening.

Under the skeleton's gaze, despite his reluctance, Lin Fan had no choice but to swallow the pill.

The next morning.

Numerous carriages drove out from within the Blood Demon Sect.

In one of the carriages, Lin Fan, wearing a bamboo hat, sat inside with a complex expression. Beside him, Zhou Wanqing and Wang Yuyao were incredibly excited.

Previously, when he was a Menial Disciple in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, he had desperately wanted to escape the Blood Demon Sect.

But now that he was actually leaving, Lin Fan felt a sense of confusion.

Before the carriages had even left the mountain gate, Zhao Wang rode up on his horse.

He was alone; his Cauldron had long since been drained dry.

"Junior Brother Lin, where are you heading?"

"The Eastern Realm."

"The Eastern Realm? The spiritual energy is thin there; it's not a good place."

"Then take care, Senior Brother."

"You too. We'll meet again in three years."

Zhao Wang patted his horse's back, then sped up, disappearing into the valley ahead in the blink of an eye.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Wanqing suddenly asked, "Brother Lin, are you really going to escort us back to King of Linzi's City?"

Wang Yuyao's beautiful eyes also flickered as she gazed intently at Lin Fan.

"Don't you want to go back?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.

Zhou Wanqing nodded slightly and said, "Thank you..."

Wang Yuyao remained silent, but her gaze towards Lin Fan became incredibly complex.

Escorting the two women back to King of Linzi's City was not a spur-of-the-moment decision for Lin Fan.

He knew that due to the effect of the Infatuation Pill, the two women were his Dual Cultivation cauldrons, but deep down, they probably longed to escape this predicament of being at someone else's mercy at all times.

The Blood Demon Sect's situation was dire, and they, as low-level disciples, were being sent into the mortal world for safety. They should act with discretion.

Continuing to travel with the two women would only increase the risk.

Therefore, for his own safety and for the future of the two women, Lin Fan decided to send them to King of Linzi's City in the Eastern Realm.

The carriages traveled eastward, and after several days, they still hadn't left the Blood Demon Sect's sphere of influence.

Just then, a sparrow suddenly landed on the roof of the carriage and spat out a small bag.

By the time Lin Fan reacted, the sparrow had already flown away.

The cloth bag was open, and inside it was a letter.

The contents of the letter were as follows: "If you wish to travel east, bypass Dangyang City. The road ahead is long and perilous, be careful."

Signed: Ruan Anyuan.

"Master Ruan..."

Lin Fan was taken aback, a complex emotion he couldn't quite describe spreading through his heart.

He remembered the scenes from the Blood Talisman Gathering at Roaming Cloud Valley.

"Blackwood Cliff... you're from the Menial Disciple background, aren't you?"

"You're also a young person who hasn't had it easy. Since you're here this time, try to learn something."

"Everyone here was discussing enthusiastically, only you were zoning out, truly deserving of a beating."

Lin Fan smiled, looking in the direction of the Blood Demon Sect, and said softly, "Master Ruan, if you knew I had already become a Blood Talisman Master, you would probably be very happy, wouldn't you?"

A hint of warmth he hadn't felt in a long time arose in his heart.

Dusk.

The carriage slowly stopped, and at Lin Fan's signal, the two women alighted to stretch their legs.

Gazing at the setting sun on the horizon and feeling the long-lost sense of freedom, both women were in good spirits, their brows showing unconcealed joy.

Finally, they had left that chaotic and brutal Demonic Sect, breathing in the fresh air untainted by the smell of blood.

"Lin Lang, should we continue on our way, or rest here for the night?"

Wang Yuyao asked softly.

She desperately wanted to travel without rest and return to King of Linzi's City as soon as possible, but now her life and freedom were still in Lin Fan's hands.

"We need to take a detour tomorrow to avoid Dangyang City, so it's best to rest tonight,"

Lin Fan said after some thought.

"Brother Lin, avoid Dangyang City? Won't that be a huge detour?"

Zhou Wanqing blinked her beautiful eyes, looking a bit confused.

Wang Yuyao also pursed her red lips but remained silent.

"It's a bit dangerous there."

Lin Fan said after some thought.

The two women suddenly understood and immediately began preparing for the night.

Night soon fell.

The two women slept soundly, wrapped in blankets.

Lin Fan sat by the campfire, glanced in the direction of the Blood Demon Sect, and then opened the cloth bag.

Besides the letter, there were three boxes inside the bag.

One box contained three pieces of Spirit Jade emitting spiritual energy.

These spirit stones were very precious; cultivators could use Spirit Jade to cultivate in areas with thin spiritual energy.

The second box held a booklet, which was Master Ruan's insights on Talisman Crafting.

Although it wasn't a secret manual for talismans, it could help Lin Fan better cultivate the "Talisman Secret Manual."

The third box was opened, and inside it were another letter and a pill.

Lin Fan opened the letter first. It read: "The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is thin, so you can only cultivate through Dual Cultivation methods. These three pieces of Spirit Jade will aid your practice."

"That booklet contains some of my experience in Talisman Crafting. If you study it carefully, it will significantly improve your Talisman Crafting skills and allow you to become a Blood Talisman Master soon."

"As for that pill, it contains the antidote. But remember, if the Sect Master cannot resolve the crisis within three years and is besieged and killed, you can take the antidote and do not need to return to the sect; if the Sect Master is not dead, regardless of whether you have taken the antidote, you must return within three years."

"The poison the Sect Master gave you is imbued with a trace of his aura. If you do not return in time, the Blood Demon Sect will definitely send people to kill you."

After reading the letter, Lin Fan burned it to ashes.

Then, he solemnly put away the Spirit Jade and the antidote. Finally, he took out the "Talisman Secret Manual" that Master Ruan had given him last time.

Lin Fan hadn't had the chance to cultivate this talisman secret manual yet, and now seemed like a good time.

[Do you wish to consume twenty years of lifespan to pre-emptively reach the Novice level of the Talisman Secret Manual?]

Lin Fan said without hesitation, "Agree to pre-empt."

The next second, partial comprehension of the "Talisman Secret Manual" poured into his mind out of thin air.

A scene suddenly appeared: a young man who looked like Lin Fan was using a Talisman Brush to sketch a Blood Demonic Rune.

This time, the Blood Demonic Rune was more profound and obscure than before.

His movements went from slow to fast. As the final stroke fell, the rune's radiance surged, and an astonishing aura erupted.

"More refined Blood Demonic Rune essentials."

Lin Fan's gaze sharpened slightly.

He couldn't help himself and took out his Talisman Brush, sketching according to the youth's movements.

On the originally pure white Talisman Paper, Blood Demonic Runes slowly took shape, a faint luster retracting with the solidification of the ink.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Fan's final stroke fell, and the entire Blood Demonic Rune finally took form.

Lin Fan immediately summoned his Panel and quickly checked his latest changes.

[Name: Lin Fan]
[Lifespan: 1385]
[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]
[Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm (Third Grade)]
[Cultivation Method: Advanced Demonic Arts (Proficient), Blood Gathering Art (Mastered), Talisman Secret Manual (Novice), Sword Control Technique (Novice)]

"The Talisman Secret Tome has become Talisman Secret Manual."

Lin Fan noticed the change in the Cultivation Method column.

He wasn't surprised; after all, the "Talisman Secret Tome" was originally a abridged version of the "Talisman Secret Manual."

This situation was practically a characteristic of the Blood Demon Sect. Those in power, to maximally control their disciples, would almost always pass down abridged versions of cultivation methods and various secret manuals, sometimes even multiple times.

At this moment, Lin Fan noticed the number in the Lifespan column again.

His brow suddenly furrowed, and he muttered, "After leaving the Blood Demon Sect, I temporarily can't copy and gain lifespan. I'll have to start being more economical with it from now on."

Before, when he was in the Blood Demon Sect, he could maintain a balance between the lifespan he gained from daily copying and the lifespan he consumed through pre-emptive use.

But now that he was down the mountain and couldn't gain lifespan, it meant that if Lin Fan wanted to continue pre-emptively increasing the proficiency of cultivation methods and secret manuals through the Panel, it would be a case of one consumption being one less.

This was a major problem that he had to find a way to solve. Otherwise, if he wanted to lie low in the secular world, something might go wrong.

With the future uncertain, Lin Fan found it difficult to sleep for the entire night.