Simple and Straightforward

Since Brother Yan had resolved the matter at least five hundred years in advance, Li Fan did not linger any longer. He quickly slipped away from the Vermilion Bird Platform and saw Chief Clerk Chen, who seemed to have sensed something was wrong and was rushing back with the remnants of the Nangong Family.

They didn't even manage to catch those three monsters. Instead, they lost two more of their high-level immortal soldiers. It seems the Nangong Family is truly incompetent at everything.

Li Fan didn't linger with them. He quickly concealed himself and flew out of the Demon God Palace's barrier. Sure enough, he soon felt the energy tremble, the five elements change, and the mist and thunderclouds around the water churned and gathered. It was obvious that Chief Clerk Chen had discovered the disappearance of Nangong Wuqing and Su Chengd, immediately realized something was wrong, updated the sealing barrier, and restarted the Demon Suppression Platform.

However, given that the direct descendant of the Nangong Family princess died under his protection this time, and considering the Nangong Family's magnanimity, this registrar will probably not have a good outcome.

Li Fan acted decisively, escaping the barrier just as the final exit closed.

Amidst the slowly closing thunderclouds on the horizon, a channel of rosy light was left behind. The golden sunset reflected off the thick rain clouds and into Li Fan's eyes, as if a golden veil had been drawn back from the sky, as if the celestial beings were telling him to leave behind all past grievances and grudges, to walk towards this light, and that the sky would be vast and the sea boundless, allowing him to soar freely.

But things often turn out the opposite. Following Tyndall's path of light out of the barrier, what appeared before Li Fan was a battlefield of gods and demons, a scene of utter chaos and devastation, as if it were the end of the world.

Thousands of demons were fighting fiercely in the Lei Marsh. Daoist beings who could manifest the heavens and the earth and colossal monsters that blotted out the sky were everywhere. Giant beasts tens of feet tall collided and rolled, flattening the swamp and forest. Sword Light lights and precious lights fell from the sky like a meteor shower, and demonic energy covered the ground like a thick sandstorm.

Although the barrier was closing, hundreds of demons still craned their necks and charged straight into it. Fortunately, the registrar surnamed Chen decisively sealed the barrier, keeping most of the demons outside. Those who forced their way in were all trapped and killed by the thunderclouds sealing the barrier. If Nangong Wuqing were still alive and in charge, she would definitely be eyeing that little bit of family property and hesitate, which would probably have led to trouble.

Fortunately, none of the demons who came seeking their fortune were demon kings. Li Fan clearly observed that demonic energy was gathering in the southwest, indicating that it wasn't just the three great demon kings, including the Lion King; the two snake kings in the west had also joined the battle, fighting Human Race cultivators. The battlefield was ablaze with light, Sword Light flashes, and howling demonic winds, resembling the end of the world, driving countless demons and beasts to flee. This is why so many demons discovered the barrier of the Demon God Palace and surged over from all directions.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Hmph, small strait. There are no powerful demons nearby, let's just clean up this bunch of trash.'"

Indeed, we shouldn't rely too much on the Nangong Family's fighting spirit. If too many monsters manage to break in, they might come up with something new that we can't handle.

There was no need to continue digesting the True Essence of Returning to Emptiness to deal with these useless creatures, so Li Fan removed his Daoist robe to conceal himself and unleashed the Qi of the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword to annihilate the surrounding demons.

When he first came to patrol the Ten-thousand-mountains, Li Fan had to carefully hide in the shadows and kill the flying monsters with his flying sword. However, his cultivation has increased so much that he no longer needs to be so respectful. He throws out two Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword Streams, which are ten-zhang-long dragons that whistle past and tear apart the demonic wind.

Ordinary Core Formation demons, with their weaker Dao bodies, couldn't withstand Li Fan's current highest-level Destruction skill. They were completely overwhelmed by the explosive damage, shattered into countless pieces of flesh and blood, and instantly killed. To be honest, even ordinary Golden Core cultivators probably couldn't withstand a direct hit from Li Fan's Qiankun Sword Qi, let alone these demons.

Moreover, Li Fan even held back, not using his full strength. He could control two sword dragons at once, and now that he has probably killed Nangong Wuqing, 'Li Yi's' Dao heart has temporarily returned to calm. In addition, he has also upgraded and refined one of the Mountain God Dao Bodies. In this way, his Five Luo Sword Ghosts only need to suppress four Mountain God Dao Bodies, allowing him to focus on multiple tasks.

He even leisurely let the Sword Demon automatically wield the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword to slay demons, while he inspected his spoils.

It's not advisable to take anything belonging to the Hengshan disciples without permission, and each of the high-grade Storage Jade on Nangong Wuqing's body requires the use of the Nangong Family's unique true qi, such as Samadhi True Fire, in conjunction with specific talismans to open, so they can't be opened in a short time. But it wasn't all for naught; he managed to snag another flying sword.

This flying sword is six inches long, like a dagger. The hilt is made of vermilion agate inlaid with gold, and the blade is also dark red. There are fine red lines on the spine of the sword, as if it has been stained with blood. It is unknown how many people it has harmed.

This sword is named Zhu Hong. Profound Heaven Sword Intent examined it and found it to be a ninth-grade Golden Core level flying sword that was stuck at the threshold. When he forcibly seized the sword using the system before, he spent 100 points of his mood limit, so it seems that its attributes cannot compare with those high-grade sword pellets. However, it can be swallowed and hidden in the mouth for assassination. Ordinary cultivators who are unprepared and do not have the righteous law protection of Shangqing True Qi can be hit with one strike.

This sword was quite cooperative; having fallen into Li Fan's hands and seeing its master was dead, it immediately surrendered, just like its former master—bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and extremely obsequious.

Li Fan tested the Ruyi Sword Scripture Zhu Hong couple of times. This sword was specifically designed for assassination. The first strike was as fast as lightning, making it difficult to defend against. With just one strike, the demon locked by Li Fan 'Divine Sense would be killed by the sword, leaving no room for reaction. It was similar to the Pitiandao Sword.

However, Zhu Hong is a ninth-grade sword, and its upper limit for sword speed is not as high as that of Pi Tian. Moreover, the first sword strike is the fastest, and the speed of subsequent sword strikes will decrease. Of course, it is at least faster than Fa Gui and stronger than Pi Tian. Compared with most magic weapons, it can be considered a divine weapon.

However, probably because of Nangong Wuqing, and because Li Fan really didn't lack flying swords, he didn't really like it.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, "The king's servant is one who obeys orders. Whether he is a honeyed speaker with a dagger in his heart, or a cunning weapon in his chest, depends on how his master uses it. What does it have to do with the sword itself?"

Li Fan agreed, said he had learned something, and prepared to put Zhu Hong into the Yellow Jade Sword Case to raise along with Pi Tian.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'No, this is a specially made assassination sword that can be transformed and nurtured in your mouth. I will teach you the Beichen Killing Sword, the Snake Shadow Sword, which is specially designed to control this type of flying sword.'"

However, as mentioned before, this swordsmanship relies too heavily on the power of the sword itself, deviating from the true path of sword control. Don't be too greedy for convenient killing moves; instead, practice the Ruyi Sword Scripture regularly. Once you grasp the fundamentals, you can unleash the power of any type of flying sword.

So Li Fan used whatever was available, employing the surrounding monsters as live targets for practice.

Previously, Nangong Wuqing used a different sword technique to control Zhu Hong, focusing more on its sword speed. When she unleashed a sword strike, it was like a lightning bolt, making it difficult to defend against. However, when she encountered True Cultivator like Hengshan, she couldn't even break through the Shangqing True Qi, so its power was relatively limited.

The Beichen Killing Sword, also known as the Snake Shadow Sword, is a sword that can be drawn and drawn freely from the mouth, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake. Its sword path is unpredictable and bizarre. Without even needing to use hand seals or incantations, it can sever heads from the surrounding area with a simple exhale and inhale, a method of ambush and assassination.

Li Fan learned magic very quickly. He immediately tested it and found that the Sword Light he emitted was indeed like a golden-red snake tongue, and it could even bend and detour. The sword path was not the straight kind; it was indeed very cunning and insidious. But if you were to say that it was used in a direct sword fight, it was not as simple and practical as using the Ruyi Sword Scripture to control the Heaven-Splitting and Ghost-Slaying techniques.

As Xuan Tian said, this kind of killing sword is indeed difficult to defend against if practiced regularly. However, no matter how well one practices it, it is still insidious and cannot compete with fair and square sword fighting.

There's really no need to learn so many techniques for killing. This Zhu Hong needs extra blood and energy to nourish it. After thinking about it, Li Fan still felt that using the Ghost-Slaying Technique in combination with the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword to exorcise demons would be more efficient.

It has to be said that the game experience of overwhelming power is really good. Now Li Fan can even stand and fight, his Flying Dragon Sword Qi output is like a cannon, each sword storm can kill three or five demons, and the Ghost Slayer can kill with left and right slashes. Those demons who want to get close and sneak up cannot be stopped by a single sword. Even when so many demons surround him, they cannot force Li Fan to use his sword to move. The difference in power is just too great.

Meanwhile, the demons were blocked from entering the swamp by Li Fan. After a brief slaughter, they discovered that Li Fan's Dao Breath was seemingly endless, with sword dragons rolling wildly. Anyone who dared to steal a magic weapon and use their Divine Sense lock onto him would immediately be pointed at by his sword and cleaved into four pieces, demon and weapon alike. The difference in power was too great; they simply couldn't fight. Soon, they all lost their will to fight, leaving behind dozens of corpses as they scattered and fled.

Li Fan was too lazy to chase after these small fry. Seeing that the seal on the Demon God Palace was complete and there was no major problem, he shouted, "Slay the demons! Take flight!"

Then, with a flash of Sword Light, the demon slayer swept up the demon, leaving a golden line across the sky, and swept towards the main battlefield in the southwest.

The core battle between the twelve True Immortals and the five Demon Kings was too dangerous. Sword Light swept across the battlefield, and demonic power soared into the sky. Li Fan dared not get too close and risk his life, so he watched from the outside. From afar, he could see the Dinghai Pearl that he had lent out earlier, twinkling like a blue star in the dark demonic wind.

It turned out that the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain, led by Daoist Tian Shu of Seven Star Temple, had gathered on a large ship. Daoist Tian Shu used the Dinghai Pearl he had refined himself for defense, making it as stable as Mount Tai. The monsters couldn't even break through the defensive barrier; if they got too close, they would be hit in the face by a bunch of magical treasures thrown down from Seven Star Temple, so they simply stayed far away.

Humans are indeed the most adept at warfare. Although this battle was started by Hengshan's revenge, the Immortal Palace on the North Bank couldn't arrive in time. Other rogue cultivators also took initiative on the spot, directly using the treasure ship base protected by the Dinghai Pearl, Ink Bamboo Mountain, as a field hospital. They could directly engage in a war of attrition!

Groups of three or four rogue Demon Race, after chasing the demon race, would fly to the large ship of Ink Bamboo Mountain to recuperate and replenish their energy when they were injured, exhausted, or ran out of talismans. The Ink Bamboo Mountain side would also proactively send ships to provide support, effectively turning the conflict into a positional war. Therefore, although the Human Race cultivators were outnumbered, the demons were no match for them. Instead, they were caught off guard and forced into a series of defeats.

In fact, there were quite a few Nascent Soul Stage level demons. If they could unite to break through the Dinghai Pearl defense point of Ink Bamboo Mountain, the Human Race cultivators would be routed. However, after the demon kings were tied down, apart from their trusted subordinates going to help, most of the other demons stood by and watched. Some even turned around and captured other Demon Race on the ground to eat.

After all, these were just wild beasts, the top predators who reigned supreme in the mountains. Unlike the humans, they hadn't been organized and trained. How could they possibly work together? In fact, when the Thunder Department's cavalry swarmed in and hunted down those Nascent Soul Stage demons one by one, the other demons just stood by and watched, even waiting for the demons to be killed so they could grab a piece of flesh and blood for a feast!

Thus, the battlefield became a feast for Human Race and great demons to hunt down lesser demons. Several thousand Core Formation demons were simply not enough for the powerful cultivators on both sides to hunt down together. Only the followers of the three great demon kings were somewhat organized, and they fought back and forth with the immortal soldiers. However, they dared not attack the Dinghai Pearl Field Hospital on the Ink Bamboo Mountain with the strength of their own mountain stronghold. Even getting close would provoke a full-scale counterattack from the Human Race, so they all kept their distance from the flying boats of Ink Bamboo Mountain. With hundreds or thousands gathered together, it was difficult for others to make a move.

From this perspective, the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain should face little risk on the outer battlefield and have no need for Li Fan's support. Furthermore, many Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples have also set off in groups to fight the Demon Race, and they themselves are fighting with great enthusiasm. It's likely that none of the lesser monsters gathered in the south with the demon kings are Ink Bamboo Mountain spies anymore.

Seeing that his fellow disciples were not in danger, Li Fan was in no hurry to join them. Instead, he turned around and followed the group of rogue cultivators into the monster horde to cheer himself up.

So he cleared the way with his Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, followed by flying swords that attacked and killed any who managed to escape. He was practically unrestrained on the battlefield, slaughtering everything in his path.

The more tightly the demons huddled together, the more likely they were to attract Li Fan's Sword Light and charge forward. The Core Formation demons were no match for his overwhelming sword energy, and were repeatedly routed by his single-handed attacks. Meanwhile, the other human cultivators, noticing the sharp swordsman, flocked to Li Fan, picking up loose pieces and providing support. Eventually, even the Thunder Department dispatched a group of Thunder Eagles, loudly calling out to guide Li Fan and lead him into the heart of the largest demon horde, using him as the vanguard of all the human cultivators!

You know what, these Thunder Department are really professional when it comes to battle formations. They always manage to guide Li Fan to charge through the weak points of the demon formation and break through a large area of the battlefield in one fell swoop.

In this way, the Human Race cultivators on the battlefield were increasingly mobilized and organized, repeatedly charging and fighting among thousands of demons. The demon generals under the three demon kings were no match for the Thunder Department of the Immortal Palace to begin with, and now with Li Fan, a new force, charging around, they gradually retreated.

It has to be said that this kind of large-scale battlefield with hundreds or even thousands of people, especially the fantasy version, is something Li Fan is playing for the first time—cough cough, participating in the battle. Compared to the one-on-one sword duels in the arena, the combat logic is completely different.

At first, he had to maintain his distance, moving around while unleashing the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword Storm for damage, and also worrying about being attacked from all sides. He kept his flying sword for protection, and used it to slash any monsters that got too close.

However, later on, when independent cultivators and Thunder Department God soldiers started to team up with him, Li Fan no longer needed to be wary of his surroundings. He only needed to unleash his full power in a sword attack, using large-scale destructive shockwaves like the Flying Dragon Sword Storm for group attacks. The monsters facing him couldn't withstand his sword energy and would be swept away in an instant. Moreover, there were a bunch of human cultivators following along, throwing skills and magical treasures. So basically, wherever they went, it was as if a whirlwind swept through, scaring the monsters into fleeing in panic. They even complained that the demonic wind was too slow, and many even revealed their true forms, running away with their heads in their hands, completely pursuing and killing them.

Seeing the lesser demons below being swept away with overwhelming force, the lone Nascent Soul Stage demons around them had already begun to move towards the edge of the battlefield, preparing to escape. Although the demon king's troops were still trying to fight back, it was the demon kings who turned around and ran away first.

After all, they were just there to maintain appearances, and it wasn't worth Lei Marsh and losing too much with humans in the desolate Thunder Swamp. However, the Lion King Nine Bends God, who had the most famous reputation, was the first to flee. Moreover, he revealed his true form as a nine-headed lion and leaped out of the boundary with a great leap. His escape was so earth-shattering that it caught everyone off guard.

Xuan Profound Heaven Sword Intent praised it, saying that the lion was quite clever. It had sensed that the Human Race reinforcements from the northern flying palace had arrived again, and that if it continued to fight, it would be at risk of being surrounded and annihilated. It had made a decisive escape. Moreover, its fur was quite nice; it could be skinned and made into a coat.

Ahem, anyway, once the leader fled and the Immortal Palace reinforcements arrived, the demons immediately scattered. Li Fan followed the crowd and continued the pursuit, chasing them south for hundreds of miles, from dawn till dusk, until the beast heads rolled and demon corpses littered the ground before finally stopping. He then checked the system status again.

Current mood: 1220/3300

Oh, after killing so many monsters in the battlefield, I didn't even realize I'd killed over two hundred! Gathering them together and sweeping them up is so much easier than catching them one by one! Maybe I could go to the battlefield on the border between Li and Kun to clear my head!

However, after such a grand standoff for so long, we never actually saw any real fighting. It ended so abruptly, like a tiger's head starting strong but ending weakly. Could the monsters be plotting something...?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Where are all these conspiracies? That's just how the battlefield is. Waiting for people to gather is the slowest thing. Once the fighting starts, it'll be over in no time. There will always be one side that can't withstand the casualties and starts to flee.'"

Anyway, our Sword Sect always leads the charge, and the rest just follow. There's no need for so much scheming. I really don't understand what's so difficult about making such simple things so complicated.

Is war really a simple matter?

Li Fan couldn't help but imagine himself in the shoes of the monster opposite him, seeing a vast horde of sword immortals whipping up sword storms and charging straight at him...

Well, at least for the disciples of the Beichen Sword Sect, there's probably nothing simpler or more straightforward than just charging in and killing someone...