Yan Min's swift defeat was something no one present had expected. The Black Tiger Sect disciples behind him all stumbled back a step, trembling as they stared at that unimposing figure.
"H-how is this possible? How could the sect leader lose just like that?"
"No, it can't be! This is all an illusion. The sect leader won't lose!"
"No, please! He's a demon! Run!"
The disciples with weaker nerves were on the verge of collapse. Seeing Yan Min's shattered limbs, no one could keep from trembling with fear!
Yan Min was still alive, but his pitiful state only struck greater terror into the crowd.
Zhang Feng was an Innate Martial Artist, yet even he was chilled to the bone. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and with all his strength, he could only shout, "Beast! Give me back my big brother's life!"
Shen Fan looked over without expression. His ghostly figure moved again. Zhang Feng's heart lurched, and he tried to react, but it was already too late.
A wave of agony tore through his chest. He could no longer hold back a mouthful of blood, which burst from his lips as he flew away and smashed through a sturdy stone wall.
When the dust settled, Zhang Feng had lost all ability to fight!
And that was because Shen Fan had held back. Otherwise, one strike would have killed him!
Liu Yunfeng watched from the shadows, swallowing hard. He had never seen anyone so terrifying.
At that moment, he seemed to understand the true meaning behind the words, "Beneath the Innate realm, all can be slain."
"This big brother... it's not just that he can kill anyone beneath the Innate realm. I'm afraid even ordinary True Condensation Realm martial artists don't have strength this terrifying, do they?"
Liu Yunfeng silently marked Shen Fan as someone never to provoke.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter. Against disciples whose strength reached only the Qi and Blood Great Realm, Shen Fan had become an invincible foe. All they could do was flee in a panic.
But Shen Fan couldn't let them go back, so he gave a few light coughs.
Liu Yunfeng understood at once. He whistled, and a large band of Black Wind Bandits surrounded the elite disciples who had come.
Shen Fan killed a few Viscera Refining disciples himself and left the rest to Liu Yunfeng. He knew Liu Yunfeng would handle what came next.
Sure enough, after Shen Fan left, screams rose one after another. That night, the stream running through the mountain gorge was dyed completely red.
After returning, Shen Fan first enjoyed a good night's sleep, then went to find Liu Yunfeng.
"How did it go?"
Liu Yunfeng understood at once and promptly handed over two manuals. They were the cultivation methods Yan Min and Zhang Feng had practiced.
"Rest assured, my lord. These two manuals are absolutely genuine, and no one made a second copy!"
"The only pity is that those two couldn't take the pressure and died." Liu Yunfeng lowered his head and calmly reported the previous day's results.
Shen Fan glanced at the manuals, whose ink had not yet fully dried, then nodded. "You did well this time. Build a good foundation, and I think you have what it takes to become an Innate Martial Artist!"
Shen Fan dangled a tempting promise before Liu Yunfeng.
Hearing this, Liu Yunfeng dropped to his knees in excitement. "Rest assured, my lord. I'll train hard during this time and strive to build a solid foundation!"
"No need to rush. Take it slowly. We have plenty of time!"
Shen Fan's words carried an unspoken meaning. Indeed, the wealth they had gained this time was enough to cover the Black Wind Bandits' expenses for several years.
All they needed to do now was train hard and strengthen themselves.
Understanding Shen Fan's meaning, Liu Yunfeng immediately promised that over the next few months he would urge everyone to practice diligently and strive to reach at least the Muscle Refining realm!
After that, Shen Fan had nothing else to tell him. He took the two manuals and left.
Shen Fan lived in a secluded place, as he had requested. Martial training required quiet, so he had chosen somewhere like this.
Over the next three months, Shen Fan once again immersed himself in secluded, grueling cultivation. The entire Black Wind Bandits were swept up in a wave of training.
At Nine Lions City, the Black Tiger Sect had lost its sect leader, Elders, and a great many elites all at once. It collapsed overnight. Its disciples either died or joined other factions, bringing with them a large portion of the Black Tiger Sect's assets.
No one cared what had happened to the Black Tiger Sect, nor did anyone wonder whether Yan Min and the others were dead. All anyone cared about was how much they could bite off this juicy prize!
In just one month, all the Black Tiger Sect's assets had been divided up. The Thirteen Protectors of Nine Lions City reaped the greatest rewards.
The Thirteen Protectors of Nine Lions City were now the most powerful faction in the city. They were made up of thirteen Innate Martial Artists, while the other major factions could only just barely stand against them.
If Yan Min were still around, the Thirteen Protectors would never have gone so far. But he had clearly met with an accident, and so they could hardly be blamed.
After inheriting the Black Tiger Sect's assets, the Thirteen Protectors grew even more powerful, showing signs of taking the reins of Nine Lions City's Martial Path.
This made the city's various factions wary.
For a time, Nine Lions City felt gripped by tension, as if the wind carried the sound of cranes and every blade of grass looked like an enemy.
At the same time, however, a truly major event shook the Martial Path world of Lanzhou: Qingcheng Sect, in northern Lanzhou, had offended King Lanling and been ordered destroyed!
In a single night, the vast Qingcheng Sect was almost completely wiped out.
Qingcheng Sect was, after all, a renowned sect in Lanzhou, with a legacy spanning over a hundred years. Throughout that time, True Condensation Realm martial artists had always been among its ranks. In all of Lanzhou's independent factions, it was one of the most prominent.
Yet even a sect with such an ancient legacy had been utterly destroyed. The terrifying power of King Lanling's faction was plain to see!
As soon as it happened, the news spread throughout Lanzhou. Even the factions in Nine Lions City heard about it.
Of course, the story spread so quickly not only because Qingcheng Sect had suffered such a calamity, but also because of a rumor: one of its Core Disciples had escaped!
And that disciple might have the core inheritance of Qingcheng Sect!
That was what truly set the Martial Path world of Lanzhou ablaze with excitement.
An inheritance at the True Condensation level was exceedingly rare throughout Lanzhou. Unless one belonged to a superpower, any martial artist would want to seize it.
And so, a manhunt swept across all of Lanzhou.
The rumor that had spread throughout Lanzhou was, in fact, true. Qingcheng Sect had been destroyed for offending King Lanling, but the martial artists sent to wipe it out had also been True Condensation Realm experts.
Under the desperate resistance of Qingcheng Sect's True Condensation experts, two Core Disciples had still been escorted to safety.
Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian were the two who had been lucky enough to escape with their lives. They still carried Qingcheng Sect's core inheritance, Azure Dragon Transformation!
Azure Dragon Transformation was a powerful martial art that could be cultivated all the way to the True Condensation Peak. It had caught the attention of countless minor factions.
But Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian had traveled with great care, and thanks to some contingencies their sect had prepared in the past, the two had miraculously fled from northern Lanzhou all the way to the south. They were now heading toward Nine Lions City.
It seemed as though everything had been planned with a purpose.
On a rugged mountain road, two young people rode their horses at a gallop. A man and a woman, they looked almost like a pair of immortals descended to the mortal world.
They were Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian, the two fugitives.
"Senior Brother, how much farther is that Nine Lions City?" asked Xiao Yuxian, whose delicate features and slender figure made her sound all the more aggrieved.
They had nearly crossed all of Lanzhou. After more than ten days of hard travel, they had barely rested. As the young lady of Qingcheng Sect, Xiao Yuxian had never endured such hardship, so she had complained constantly along the way.
Fortunately, Liu Yucheng was mature and steady by nature, and always knew how to comfort her.
This time was no different.
"Junior Sister, don't worry. We'll be there soon. Once we find Snow Mountain Elder, we'll be safe!"
"If you're really tired, Junior Sister, we can rest for a while at the inn up ahead!"
Liu Yucheng spoke cautiously, afraid of upsetting his pampered Junior Sister.
Xiao Yuxian glanced at the inn, which was not particularly grand, and hesitated. But when she thought of their situation, she swallowed her objections for now.
"All right, Senior Brother. Let's stop at the inn ahead and rest for a while! I can take a bath, too!"
Liu Yucheng, travel-worn and dusty, could only give a bitter smile. He did not object.
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