Why the relentless pursuit?

The morning mist dissipated, and golden sunlight illuminated the horizon.

Lin Fan hadn't slept all night, yet he felt no discomfort; a cultivator's body far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

The two women were sleeping soundly and wouldn't wake up for a while.

A thoughtful expression flickered in Lin Fan's eyes.

With the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect attacking the Blood Demon Sect, the Demonic Sect was surely at a disadvantage. Otherwise, they wouldn't have disbanded their low-level disciples and told them to hide on their own.

If Lin Fan guessed correctly, the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect would definitely not let them, the fleeing remnants of the Demonic Sect, off the hook.

After all, as a righteous sect, once they made a move, they would surely pursue their enemies to the bitter end.

The conflict between righteousness and evil had always been irreconcilable.

Of course, the Blood Demon Sect hadn't been defeated yet, and the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect couldn't spare too many forces to hunt them down, but they would likely send out their disciples to pursue them.

Treating them as mere training targets.

He was still within the Blood Demon Sect's territory, which was still relatively safe.

However, continuing east for less than a few dozen miles would lead them to Dangyang City, which Master Ruan had warned was dangerous.

"It would take an extra hundred miles to go around Dangyang City, but for the sake of caution, it's best to avoid it if possible."

"Perhaps the situation will be much better once we enter the Eastern Territory."

Lin Fan mused.

Previously, several feudal lords from the Eastern Territory had raised an army to support the emperor, but they were all forcefully suppressed by the Great Jin Dynasty's New Emperor. Even the feudal lords' descendants and families were sent to the Blood Demon Sect.

Currently, the remnants of the Eastern Territory's feudal lords and the Great Jin court were still at war, in a state of great chaos.

It was precisely because of this that Lin Fan was willing to send the two women to the King of Linzi's city. He could also use this opportunity to hide in the chaotic Eastern Territory. Unless the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect turned the entire region upside down, it would be difficult to find any trace of him.

"There are two goals for heading to the Eastern Territory: sending the two women back to the King of Linzi's city and finding a suitable place to hide. Secondly, it's to solve the problem of not being able to continue copying and obtaining lifespan."

Lin Fan's eyes gleamed, and he then looked at the two familiar women leaning against the carriage.

The two women slept soundly. Even though they were roughing it, they felt more at ease than when they slept in the Demonic Sect's caves.

Lin Fan hadn't given them the Infatuation Pill for a day or two.

Half an hour later, as the sunlight grew brighter, the two women finally stirred from their sleep.

Zhou Wanqing rubbed her sleepy eyes, her complexion looking quite good.

Her skin was fair and delicate. As she stretched, her originally graceful curves appeared even more prominent.

She looked very relaxed, something she had never experienced in the Demonic Sect before.

Wang Yuyao yawned. Her figure was even more voluptuous than Zhou Wanqing's, and her legs were straight and slender, peeking out from her flesh-colored gauze skirt.

She glanced at Lin Fan and said softly, "Brother Lin, shall we set off now?"

She was eager to return to the King of Linzi's city as soon as possible. Last night, her dreams were filled with scenes of her returning to the King of Linzi's city.

Before, on the mountain, Lin Fan had treated her very well, but no matter how much care he showed, that life was like hell.

Lin Fan used to be her shield; now, he was her "jailer."

As for feelings, there might have been a little, but without the influence of the Infatuation Pill, it was just a superficial physical relationship.

"Brother Lin..."

At this moment, Zhou Wanqing also looked at Lin Fan.

"Then let's set off," Lin Fan said.

The two women were delighted. They packed their belongings and got into the carriage.

Lin Fan drove the carriage at a moderate pace. Under normal circumstances, they would have completely left the Blood Demon Sect's territory in another hour. However, to bypass Dangyang City, which was blocking their path, they had taken a detour of over a hundred miles.

The sky suddenly darkened. The originally clear and sunny sky was, at some point, covered by a layer of dark clouds.

At this moment, the sound of hooves suddenly came from behind.

Lin Fan's heart tightened, but he didn't slow down the carriage.

Inside the carriage, the two women also heard the approaching hoofbeats.

Zhou Wanqing's pretty face was calm, but in the depths of Wang Yuyao's eyes, a fleeting hint of nervousness appeared.

Several fast horses caught up. The leader was a man in a white sword robe.

"It's someone from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect."

Lin Fan's eyes flickered, his muscles tensed, ready to fight at any moment.

But in the next second, several fast horses whizzed past. The leader in the white sword robe didn't even glance at them before quickly leading his men away.

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to drive the carriage forward.

"It seems that not only is the direction of Dangyang City being monitored, but the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect has also deployed many disciples to search in other directions to prevent the Blood Demon Sect disciples from escaping."

Lin Fan thought to himself.

He felt a strong sense of crisis.

With a thought, Lin Fan immediately communicated with his panel.

[Do you wish to consume sixty years of lifespan to advance the Advanced Demonic Arts to Minor Accomplishment?]

A line of text, visible only to him, appeared before Lin Fan.

"Agree to advance," he said without hesitation.

The next second, more insights into the Advanced Demonic Arts flooded into Lin Fan's mind as if from thin air.

A scene materialized: a youth resembling him was practicing a set of palm techniques.

His palms moved in unison, the qi sharp and vicious. The movements, though seemingly simple, contained astonishing power.

With one palm strike, thunder roared, pushing back mountains and seas!

"After sword techniques, it's palm techniques!"

"Using palm techniques to promote the refining and absorption of spiritual energy from heaven and earth."

Lin Fan's expression grew serious.

Seated in the carriage, he mirrored the youth's movements, striking out with his palms.

His initial movements were clumsy, but after a moment, they began to exhibit a hint of a grandmaster's style.

The surrounding spiritual energy, as if pulled by an invisible force, poured into Lin Fan's body.

The six strands of Internal Breath within him surged at a visible rate, giving rise to a seventh and eighth strand.

With eight strands of Internal Breath formed and stable, Lin Fan's body suddenly trembled, his limbs and bones filled with surging power.

At this moment, he felt more powerful than ever before.

Lin Fan immediately summoned his panel to quickly check the changes within himself.

[Name: Lin Fan]
[Lifespan: 1325]
[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]
[Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm (Fourth Grade)]
[Cultivation Methods: Advanced Demonic Arts (Minor Accomplishment), Blood Gathering Art (Major Accomplishment), Talisman Secret Manual (Novice), Sword Control Technique (Novice)]

"This feeling of power is what brings true peace of mind," Lin Fan murmured softly.

After descending the mountain, without the protection of the Blood Demon Sect, his own strength was his greatest reliance.

The carriage continued its journey, soon traveling several more miles.

At this point, the horse suddenly stopped, letting out an urgent whinny.

A cold glint streaked through the air, heading straight for Lin Fan's brow.

Lin Fan's expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively rolled to dodge.

But before he could land, the ground suddenly erupted, and countless iron spikes shot out, aiming to impale Lin Fan in mid-air.

"You brat from the Demonic Sect, today is the day you die."

A man in white robes and a sword-patterned robe revealed himself, followed by several other figures.

These were the people from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect who had passed their carriage not long ago!

In a critical moment, the Azure Gavel Sword shot out from Lin Fan's sleeve. With a sweep of its sword qi, it instantly shattered more than a dozen iron spikes.

Lin Fan stabilized himself, but the Azure Gavel Sword flew out again, whistling towards the incoming flying sword.

The two swords collided, erupting in dazzling sparks.

"How is this possible..."

The man in the white sword-robed attire's face changed drastically. The opponent was actually using the Sword Control Technique, something only disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect knew!

And his technique seemed even more proficient than his own!

He was dumbfounded, and the other followers were frozen in place.

Lin Fan, however, took a step forward and instantly vanished from his spot.

By the time the man in the white sword-robed attire reacted, Lin Fan had already charged in front of them, the Azure Gavel Sword sweeping out ruthlessly.

Bang!

The man in the white sword-robed attire instinctively activated his flying sword to block, but was forced back several meters by the terrifying force. The other followers, unable to dodge in time, were caught in the attack.

With a burst of blood mist, several followers who were only in the Spirit Gathering Realm perished on the spot.

"You... are dead!"

The man in the white sword-robed attire's eyes turned red. He formed hand seals, and his flying sword's power surged, whistling towards Lin Fan like an arrow.

But it was blocked again by the Azure Gavel Sword. At the same time, a Snow Demon Wolf, transformed from a talisman, appeared behind the man in the white sword robe without anyone knowing when.

"Roar!"

Before he could react, the Snow Demon Wolf opened its massive maw and bit down fiercely on his head.

Slash!

Blood splattered. The man in the white sword robe fell, his head severed from his body before he could even cry out, becoming a cold corpse.

Lin Fan retracted the Azure Gavel Sword and shook his head, saying, "I can be a good person, so why must you force my hand?"

As he spoke, he kicked up the opponent's flying sword and then stepped forward to loot the bodies.

A moment later, several cloth bags were in his hands.

Then, Lin Fan punched out a large pit and buried the mangled corpses within.

After finishing, Lin Fan looked at the trail of black ash scattered behind the carriage, his expression turning somewhat cold.

He thought for a moment, then without a word, he urged the carriage forward and quickly departed.

Inside the carriage, Wang Yuyao lowered the curtain, her delicate, pretty face turning pale.

"Sister, what's wrong?"

Zhou Wanqing asked softly.

"Nothing..."

Wang Yuyao forced a smile and replied.