The Calamity's End

Li Fan was unaware that the Celestial Devil Emperor had already met a tragic end, leaving not even a complete corpse. Of course, even if he knew, it wouldn't matter. At most, he could say something like, "Why didn't you just give me your head?" After all, his abilities were limited; he could only take on eight Dao Lords at most, and he couldn't defy the heavens or change his fate.

Now, Li Fan is using the last of his tricks to hunt down Zhi Jingzi!

The New Beichen Killing Sword, the Invisible Sword of Extreme Calamity!

As the name suggests, this move is an upgraded version of the old Killing Sword technique. Li Fan used to think that Xuan Tian didn't want to pass down the Killing Sword technique, but he later learned that what he didn't pass down were just the killing techniques; the real secret manual had actually been passed down by Xuan Tian long ago.

It is the <<Ordinary True Essence Sword Transformation Guide>>.

The Nine Yin Mountain Beichen Sword Sect used to be a hodgepodge. The cultivation methods of the disciples from both the main mountain and the outer mountain were different, and there was also the distinction between Qi and sword techniques. There was also the Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture, as well as the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, the Shadowless, Formless, Traceless, and Formless Sword, and the Crimson Vein Child Sword, among other unorthodox methods. When they fought, it was a lively and exciting affair. The whole mountain was filled with the Sword Light.

The final victor in this chaotic battle, the strongest swordsman from the Bloodhorn Sect, the Sword Ancestor Xuantian, naturally possessed the most powerful and awesome sword technique among all these Beichen Sword Techniques.

Therefore, after Xuan Tian became the sect leader, he naturally had to pass on his swordsmanship as the direct lineage of the Sword Sect. However, there was a small problem.

He won't...

Xuan Tian's true skills were not actually acquired from outside the mountain, but were learned after his entire family was wiped out and he was transformed into a sword child by the main mountain using a secret killing technique!

You can ask Xuan Tian to kill people, he's very good at it, but ask him to transform his disciples into sword attendants, he can't do that! He'd have killed all the people who could!

Of course, with Xuan Tian's talent and aptitude, even without those secret techniques, he could still deduce the Sword Child Manual by experimenting on a few more disciples. However, as everyone knows, this arrogant and proud man is destined to be alone, usually only accompanied by a group of sword companions. He's too busy spoiling a disciple he finally gets to use for human experimentation.

Therefore, Xuan Tian extracted the essence and discarded the dross. Based on his own experience as a sword apprentice cultivating qi, he improved the Sword Sect's sword qi method, made extensive deletions and revisions, and simplified it to make it easier for the less intelligent to understand. In the end, he created this <<Ordinary True Essence Sword Transformation Guide>>! If this were in any other sect, it could be said that anyone who has learned this method is a true disciple of the sect leader!

However, it was ultimately just cultivating sword energy and simulating the sword energy circulation of the sword child. Without the modification of the human body's organs and the sword in the abdomen, the power could not be displayed, which is why it was buried.

However, as Li Fan cultivated to the Transformation Stage and created a large number of micro-dust star-script talismans, while also using these micro-dust bodies to research methods of transforming into humans, Xuan Tian also joined in making use of these waste materials. Using these bodies as experimental subjects, he and Li Fan deduced and modified them according to the Tai Su method, causing the Sword Child's method, the secret sword for killing, to reappear in the mortal world!

Of course, Li Fan rarely uses these techniques. After all, the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow's output is already explosive, hitting exactly where it's pointed, so there's no need to resort to those underhanded tricks like the Hidden Sword Secret Sword or the Invisible Sword. But these skills still have a reason to be passed down, because the Beichen Sword Sect's supreme secret manual, "Transforming the Body into a Sword, Xuan Tian Zhu Mo Sword Intent," is precisely the ultimate move of the Beichen Killing Sword!

Yes, Xuan Tian's technique of condensing all the sword intent and sharpness into a willow leaf-shaped sword tip was Oldest One the secret manual of the Beichen Killing Sword. Those sword attendants were ultimately to be forged into this willow leaf-shaped 'intelligent assassination flying sword' through various surgeries, cultivation, secret methods, and refinement!

This is the true Beichen Killing Sword!

Of course, these 'killing swords' only possess the intent of a sword, lacking human reason and consciousness. Like hidden weapons or throwing darts, they are essentially made by using special methods to transform sword children who have been nurtured to the Divine Transformation stage into one-time enlightenment-level weapons, used to assassinate experts at the Dao Lord level.

Xuan Tian's bloodthirstiness likely stemmed largely from the modifications made to this killing sword. His ability to maintain his original mindset and transform the path of death into the path of the sword truly makes him a rare genius in the world.

Ahem, alright, stop praising Xuan Tian. He can't hear you anyway. In short, Li Fan's new Beichen Killing Sword, the Tai Sha Formless Sword, is an assassination technique he specially developed to deal with Zhi Jingzi at the Enlightenment stage. It's an improved version of the original Killing Sword and the Shadowless, Formless, and Traceless Sword Qi!

He transforms his dust-like body into a sword attendant, then secretly crafts a deadly sword intent, concealing the Tai Sha Sword Embryo as its blade, and employs various secret techniques to conceal his form and energy, ensuring a single, devastating strike!

As Zhi Jingzi fled, Li Fan's invisible sword followed closely behind like a shadow!

He really didn't believe it! Coming and going as he pleased! Even a cat or dog could jump around in front of him! You think you can run away? Where the hell do you think you can run to?! The moment you stop, you're dead!

Then Zhi Jingzi escaped, her escape light continuing unabated...

As expected of someone who has received the true teachings of Xuan Tian, his rich combat experience is ingrained in his bones. The moment he was suddenly and severely injured by the dark sword, he almost instinctively used the most correct method, which was to escape with all his might and push his sword speed to the limit while enduring the damage!

Do not linger, do not retaliate! If you've been ambushed, escape the encirclement immediately! Create distance! Escape at full speed!

Li Fan hadn't expected this guy to be so decisive, without the slightest hesitation or wavering. Anyone who even slightly lost focus would be doomed...

But nothing unexpected happened, Zhi Jingzi escaped...

Alas... I can't catch up anymore, my sword energy is exhausted...

After all, this was the Tai Sha Formless Sword, not the Tai Sha Divine Speed Sword. It was mainly used for ambushing people. Its maximum range was a hundred miles, which could be unleashed with the sword power of the Enlightenment level in a short time. However, its Dao power was also exhausted in an instant. Zhi Jingzi covered his head and fled frantically, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye. Li Fan's current Microdust Avatar could only watch helplessly. He really couldn't catch up with him...

Can't you bosses even keep up the fight?! Have some class! All you do is surrender or run away! Why don't you stay and give me a proper fight, you bastards!

Li Fan was also helpless. He drove away Zhi Jingzi with his sword and then realized that they had already chased him to the border.

At this moment, a faint white line has appeared on the horizon, and from a distance, it looks as if golden clouds are burning across the Night Curtain sky.

The sun is about to rise.

Has the Heavenly Demon Tribulation ended? Well, then the Grand Tutor is dead, and the Immortal Palace is probably gone.

Li Fan looked at his hands. The wisp of dust Dao body he had just formed was pierced and cracked by the Tai Sha Formless Sword, its Dao power exhausted. It seemed that relying solely on the Dao power of an avatar was indeed insufficient to deal with these Dao Lords in the Taiji Realm.

Now Li Fan has no intention of returning to Yuntai Peak. This time, he captured three sect leaders of Xuanmen and offended five others. Going back would be like walking into a trap. So he quickly patted the Star Seal to mend and stabilize his Dao body. After thinking for a while, he flew back to the Three Enclosures.

The entire Wang Jing was now deathly silent. Faint sounds of battle could still be heard from the sky, as if some demonic and blood soldiers were still fighting. Shattered corpses littered the ground. Ordinary officials and civilians in the city, whose cultivation levels were below the Nascent Soul Stage, had long since turned to blood, leaving no trace. These corpses were the remains of the immortal soldiers and nobles killed in last night's battle, falling like dead fish and swallows swept up by a storm, scattering across rooftops and beams. Collapsed palaces, wrecked immortal islands, and burning ships lay everywhere, a scene of utter devastation. A gentleman surveying the scene could only see despair and deathly silence.

Li Fan slowly flew over the collapsed city gate and landed outside the city. He discovered that there was still a large pool of blood there, but for some reason it hadn't seeped into the ground. He looked at the ancient riverbed that was now overflowing with blood, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly realized what was happening and waved his hand.

The pool of blood rose from the ground like a crimson dragon soaring into the sky, circled once, and then transformed into a red robe that draped over Li Fan's shoulders, obscuring his face in a bloody shadow.

A blood-transforming array killed so many people, but by a twist of fate, it nourished his Blood God Child Dao Body, which was recuperating here. Now, its strength is even greater than before, and it has at least gotten a share of the spoils, probably from several hundred thousand people...

Li Fan turned his head and looked at a burning fireball in the sky, like a small sun, slowly falling towards the mountains. That was the last rays of light from the Ziwei Immortal Palace, which had overlooked the world for millions of years.

Well, although the Heavenly Demon's calamity has been averted, the Three Enclosures of the Immortal Palace have been destroyed, and an even greater catastrophe will soon descend upon the Central Plains.

The company's plan has failed, the Immortal Palace has been destroyed, the Mystic Sect has been severely damaged, the Divine Cult is engaged in a bloody battle in Kansai, Zhi Jingzi has also been killed by a sword and fled...

It's time to eliminate Nangong.

Then Li Fan rolled up his crimson robe and transformed into a blood-red shadow, soaring into the sky.

Three sect leaders are still imprisoned in the Star Realm, so they can't use the membrane jump teleportation for the time being. They can only fly back to Ink Bamboo Mountain. Li Fan had an idea and cast another divination for his two disciples.

Amao is still Ji? Tsk, in this situation, this guy can still come up with Ji. He might as well just change his name to Aji...

Qin Jiu... Hmm? What's going on? Fierce again? Why don't you change your name to Qin Fierce...?

Although the two old bastards from Mount Song are scum, they shouldn't be so ruthless as to make things difficult for a junior like Qin Jiu. Qin Jiu has passed the Yuntai Grand Competition, survived his tribulation, and is protected by Mount Song; where does he come from that is so fierce?

Since he didn't feel comfortable leaving Qin Jiu as a hostage in the hands of those two old beasts, and Kun was also in Songshan, Li Fan used his Blood Shadow Godly Movement to transform into a rainbow of light and fly to Songshan to pick him up.

When they reached the Thirty-Six Peaks from afar, Li Fan realized something was wrong.

Countless Blood Demons of the Divine Cult are attacking the mountain! Weren't these the ones besieging Ziwei Yuan before? How come they killed an Immortal Emperor and are now attacking Songshan?! Can't you guys just stop fighting already?! You've been fighting all night and you're still not done??

Fortunately, he had disguised himself beforehand, and Li Fan was quite adept at blending in with the demonic cult members. He transformed into a blood wind and circled the thirty-six peaks, probing and observing before he understood what was going on.

As expected, last night the Grand Tutor underwent his tribulation, and the Three Palaces suffered calamity. A large number of the Three Palaces' ministers and the Grand Tutor's core advisors had already fled the capital under the protection of their personal guards and escaped to Mount Song for refuge!

Palace Master Cui of the Heavenly Palace, Shangshu Lang Fu Lanshuo, and Sili Xiaowei Zhong Hui —these divine lords and true lords whom Li Fan had met once before—were all currently presiding over the mountain-protecting formation, holding out for reinforcements. However, the Grand Tutor's family and sons were still nowhere to be seen. It seemed that the Grand Tutor Manor and the Zhang mansion had fled in two separate routes. Those who had fled to Mount Song for refuge were mainly Zhong Hui's retainers and former officials, various ranks of rank, probably hoping to use their status as disciples of Mount Song to seek refuge.

Meanwhile, those who had also met Li Fan once before—Wang Hu, Zhao Bao, the Diancang Seven Sons, the Four Friends of Mei Mountain, the Five Immortals of Qingcheng, the Six Eccentrics of Huangshan, and the Eight Heroes of Dongzhou—who were previously bodyguards for the Grand Tutor, are now outside the mountains, dressed in the skins of the Divine Cult, and setting up various formations of the Ten Absolutes to prepare for attacking Songshan.

Honestly, just based on the great things these people have done recently, even if God were to appoint each of them as a Dharma King, it wouldn't be enough!

Well, these 'demonic cult' members weren't satisfied with just destroying the Immortal Palace; they didn't stop even at dawn. It seems they're determined to take advantage of the Celestial Devil Emperor's demise to completely wipe out the core members, strategists, and advisors of the Grand Tutor's faction, eliminating them from the very root of the problem.

The two old beasts of Songshan probably won't care.

They were already being very reckless by not taking action against the Celestial Devil Emperor; if they continued to protect the remnants of the Grand Tutor's faction, they would only completely offend their fellow cultivators.

The most obvious evidence is that Mount Song clearly has nine palaces and thirty-six peaks. If the Great Yi Dao Grand Formation were really set up, even if the two elders did not directly take action, dozens of Divine Lords would be unable to do anything about it.

But now, only the Grand Tutor's faction remains in Mount Song, scattered across eight peaks, barely maintaining a defensive barrier similar to the Eight Trigrams Formation. The other twenty-four peaks are unguarded!

It's unclear whether it's because the deities of Mount Song are 'coincidentally' not in the mountains, or 'too late' to return to provide assistance, or perhaps they're mixed in with the Blood Demons and Blood Gods outside, mingling with Li Fan, preparing to offer their 'pledge of allegiance'...

Li Fan calculated with his fingers and sensed that Qin Jiu and Kun were currently at the summit of Mount Song, within the Daoist temple of the two elders of Mount Song, separated from the surrounding peaks by the Taiyi Nine Palaces. There, a protective array protected the area, making it impossible for ordinary people to fly up there, and no 'demonic sect' had actually dared to provoke the two elders. Logically, they should be safe and sound; they shouldn't be 'fierce' at all...

However, before Li Fan could even figure it out, and before the Ten Ultimate Formation were even properly set up, the Grand Tutor's faction's formation had already been broken!

Indeed, there's a traitor among us! Fu Lanshuo, as the descendant of the Yi Yang Hou, a court Shangshu Lang, a trusted confidant promoted by the Grand Tutor, and a right-hand man of the Divine Lord, was naturally in charge of the Yifeng Mountain Formation, yet he suddenly abandoned it! This immediately caused the entire formation to collapse!

As if telepathically connected, the Blood Demons of the Heavens adopted a posture of encirclement and annihilation, circling around the mountain to the defensive zone guarded by Fu Lanshuo, and suddenly accelerated their charge! Not one of them chased after or entangled with the fleeing Divine Lord Fu! They rushed into Mount Song and began a massacre! A chaotic and brutal slaughter! They cut down everyone they saw! Leaving no one alive!

Li Fan was also among the demons. He saw his personal guards and protectors helplessly being crushed and killed by the blood-red hands that filled the sky! Blood swords and blades were sliced into thousands of pieces! Officials and nobles were smashed into mud! Those who tried to escape were all cut down by the Sword Light! Even the cicadas that flew into the sky were dismembered and their souls were devoured by the blood demons!

It was a terrible tragedy. Cui Yuan, the acting palace master, roared in fury but couldn't withstand more than three moves before being attacked by four or five streaks of blood-red light, turning her into a bloody mess. Even a genius like Zhong Hui didn't have a chance to display her skills. Before she could even speak, she was pierced through the heart by Sword Light, her body and head flying off, cut into several pieces. Her head was then torn to pieces by the demons fighting over it. The other drug-addicted gluttons who had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, and the sons of noble families who held official positions, were even more tragically slaughtered, their entire ranks wiped out, a bloodbath on Mount Song.

Besides the faction of the Grand Tutor being brutally murdered and wiped out by the Demonic Sect, the disciples of Mount Song who did not serve in the Immortal Palace were also not spared.

Although many core figures of the Inner Sect of Songshan were 'coincidentally' absent or had been sent out to assist the border troops, many Outer Sect Disciples, those with aristocratic backgrounds and those who had studied at Songshan in the Golden Core Outer Sect, naturally came to assist in protecting the Grand Tutor. As a result, they were all slaughtered at this time. With a gust of blood wind, their flesh was torn apart and shattered into pieces on the ground!

A few people, however, were quite clever. They realized that the Blood Demon was only chasing and killing the remnants of the Immortal Palace and wasn't attacking other peaks. So they tried to climb the chains and escape to other peaks.

As a result, many of the Outer Sect Disciple from other peaks, many of whom were at the Foundation Establishment stage, actually cut the iron chains, adhering to the principle of "better to die than to die themselves," and watched their fellow disciples fall off the cliff, crashing into the fierce winds and blood rain, where they were strangled to death.

Li Fan frowned, but had nothing to say.

What's there to say? The Xuanmen sects are all petty and ruthless, always looking to eliminate any potential threats. Do you think they'd wipe out your entire clan and then let the orphans of your Three Realms Immortal Clan cultivate on Mount Song for future revenge?

So, after slaughtering the Grand Tutor's staff, guards, and personal soldiers, the Blood Demons began searching house to house and mountain to mountain to kill the disciples of Mount Song. Without asking any questions, as long as they were of noble blood, they would find them and slap them to death...

"Heaven-Slaying Slash--!"

Li Fan was nearly startled off the sky by the powerful roar. He quickly flew over to investigate and saw that it was Qin Jiu and Shi Kai again! Seriously, are you two ever going to stop? Instead of staying put and recovering from your injuries at that old beast's place, what are you doing here causing trouble?!

Li Fan glanced over and saw a pile of corpses of Songshan disciples on the hilltop. Shi Kai, who had just Shi Kai, was being grabbed by the neck and lifted up by a 'Demon Sect God Lord'. He had already fainted, and his hands were torn and broken, but he was still holding a broken knife.

Qin Jiu, his entire body wrapped in bandages and yellow talismans, his two broken arms still not fully healed, was covered in blood and roaring in a frenzied state. He actually spat out a blood sword from his mouth, as if he had a blade in his mouth, and then lunged forward to stab the red-robed 'Devil Sect Dharma Protector' standing among a pile of corpses of Songshan disciples!

The Demonic Sect Lord was too lazy to move. He calculated with his fingers, frowned, tossed Shi Kai away, and then flicked his sleeve, striking Qin with a palm...

"Bang!"

Fortunately, Li Fan arrived just in time. Taking advantage of the moment, he launched a sneak attack from behind, unleashing a palm strike that came down from the sky, slamming the guy to the floor and shattering his body. Then, Qin Jiu rammed into him with his sword, finishing him off!

Ugh, this kid is such a handful. Why does he always seem to be heading straight for his own death? No wonder he's so fierce...

Li Fan was about to give this guy a lecture and tell him not to go looking for trouble, when he saw Qin Jiu kneeling on the ground, banging his head against the ground like a madman!

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Qin Jiu, not content with killing someone, was still biting the sword and stabbing it repeatedly. It was unclear what deep-seated hatred he harbored, but he used the blood sword in his mouth to chisel the head of the Divine Lord until it looked like a rotten tomato before finally stopping.

"Hey, that kid's not dead yet." Li Fan glanced at Shi Kai, Shi Kai, it was hard to tell whether he'd been knocked unconscious by being pinched or hit.

Qin Jiu ignored him, collapsing to the ground, gritting her teeth, whimpering and moaning, her mouth full of blood, her shoulders twitching...

Huh? He's crying? So this guy can cry too? Is he in a lot of pain?

Li Fan glanced at Qin Jiu, then followed Qin Jiu's gaze to the other side, where a pile of corpses of Hengshan disciples lay, red and yellow.

These people must also be scions of powerful and influential families... Oh, I see, they were rounded up to be eliminated completely.

Actually, birth is quite easy to calculate, especially since the bloodlines of powerful families are all documented in the Immortal Palace after they leave. To a fortune teller, whether someone is from a noble family or not can be determined at a glance, and they even know which father they are descended from. These descendants probably never imagined that by worshipping at Mount Song, they would one day be wiped out and blasted to pieces.

By this time, the pile of corpses had been crushed into a heap of rotten flesh, resembling a piece of sachima (a type of Chinese pastry), making it impossible to distinguish the remains. Qin Jiu's eyes were fixed on a chrysanthemum stained crimson amidst the blood and gore.

So, you're friends?

Li Fan scratched his head, unsure of what to say to comfort him, so he simply lifted Qin Jiu up, patted his head, and made the boy, whose face looked like a demon, temporarily fall asleep.

Then he reached out and beckoned the smashed red chrysanthemum. He wiped away the brain matter and flesh, examined it, and recognized the golden chrysanthemum. It was probably the kind of flower ornament on the headdress called "Year-Round Scenery" that noble ladies from wealthy families loved to wear.

This chrysanthemum is quite old; its luster and fragrance have faded, and some petals are broken. It looks like it was discarded by its original owner and treated like trash, yet someone carefully kept it and probably made a hairpin for their daughter. It's clear that it has been meticulously cared for and looks like a real flower.

Li Fan sighed, stuffed the golden chrysanthemum into the bandage around Qin Jiu's heart, gave him half a pill to stop the bleeding, and then tucked him into his sleeve.

This ordeal is over; let's return to Ink Bamboo Mountain.