Demon King Valley

Five yellow talismans chased each other through the void, gradually forming a massive, flowing ring that spun on its own amidst a vast, pulling force.

Chen Fan pinched two fingers together and tapped them across his chest, causing five streams of light to shoot a beam of color at each other, linking them together into a five-pointed star.

"Putting on a show!" Zhang Ting felt an instinctive fear of the unknown scene. He barked out a shout and jabbed his finger fiercely at the spiritual energy vortex in the air.

"Go!"

A piercing wail, like a vengeful spirit's howl, suddenly rang through the air. The massive vortex lunged at Chen Fan, churning the surrounding currents into chaos and nearly forming a small hurricane.

With a buzzing hum, a patch of darkness spread from the vortex's center. A thick, black mist burst out, rolling and wrapping around the entire vortex. The vortex became solid and visible, like a giant black hole, from which sharp, crying shrieks emanated.

"Brother." Chen Jingjing's face turned deathly pale.

"Brother Chen Fan." The Little Medicine Boy was also terrified. He could feel his own soul fluctuating, as if he could barely stand and was about to be drawn in.

Chen Fan's expression remained calm. He chanted, "Five Elements give birth to each other."

A surge of true energy moved between his fingers, and he suddenly pointed at the Five Elements Array. The true energy shot out, striking the center of the five-pointed star.

Boom!!

The five-pointed star spun violently. An endless stream of life force materialized from nowhere, lighting up with a riot of colorful, flowing light. It advanced heavily and slowly toward the black hole.

"Ah..." Amidst a hair-raising howl, the black mist churned violently like boiling water. Before the Five Elements Array, it dissipated as if meeting its natural enemy, unable to hold for even a moment. It faded into the air, leaving only the Five Elements Array spinning with unrelenting momentum.

The onlookers below were stunned. Was this still the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman?

"This..." The Elder's murky eyes suddenly flashed with brightness. He stared in shock at the Five Elements Array before Chen Fan.

"How is this possible?" Wang Yunlan was also incredulous, her eyes wide as she exclaimed.

"Five Elements give birth to each other. Jingjing, what your brother said that day was actually true." Zhang Rumeng tugged at Chen Jingjing's clothes, her small mouth slightly open as she murmured.

Chen Jingjing was too shocked to speak.

"This isn't the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman." Zhang Ting's eyes revealed killing intent. His Soul Hooking Talisman had been wasted just like that.

"This is the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman." Chen Fan said coldly. He then guided his true energy with his fingers and pointed at the five-pointed star again.

"Five Elements overcome each other." Chen Fan snorted. His true energy shot out, striking the Five Elements Array. The array suddenly blazed with light and advanced heavily toward Zhang Ting. A vast, murderous aura, like an army marching to war, surged forth!

Zhang Ting's expression changed. He had never seen a Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman like this, but he quickly sneered, "A mere Qi Refining Layer 4, and you dare to play tricks."

"Such a slow attack! Can't I just dodge it?"

As he spoke, his face suddenly twisted. The moment he tried to move, he felt the air around him solidify, as if an invisible force had locked onto him, leaving him no way to retreat!

Boom, boom, boom...

The Five Elements Array continued its heavy, slow advance. But in Zhang Ting's eyes, it had become utterly terrifying. He suddenly felt as if even the air had grown heavy and oppressive, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe!

This sudden change made Zhang Ting want to retreat.

When he saw the terrifying killing intent in Chen Fan's eyes, fear finally appeared on Zhang Ting's face. He was decisive. Opening his mouth, he shouted, "I surren—"

Before he could finish, a dazzling light exploded before his eyes. His vision was completely filled with flowing radiance!

"Boom!!"

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhang Ting's body stood motionless as the Five Elements Array, flashing with blinding light, struck his chest slowly and heavily!

"Thud!"

"Crack!"

Almost everyone heard the crisp sound of a sternum breaking.

Zhang Ting's body flew backward. Midair, he spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily to the ground, his eyes wide open.

"...der!" Zhang Ting finally exhaled his last word. He had surrendered, but it was too late.

As Zhang Ting fell, the entire arena fell silent.

Chen Fan! Victor!

Zhang Ting! Deceased!

"The Way of the Five Elements: advance to overcome as offense, retreat to give birth as defense." Wang Yunlan murmured to herself. Chen Fan's words in the Heavenly Court that day now thundered in her mind like rolling thunder.

Having witnessed Chen Fan's Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman with her own eyes, she couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle. If she had been in his place, she would likely have died here as well.

"Brother!" A heart-wrenching cry rose from the crowd. It was Zhang Lin.

He couldn't believe what he had seen. That useless Chen Fan from before had suddenly risen to Qi Refining Layer 4 and had now killed his most admired clan brother.

Nalan Yun's face was also pale. His hands clenched tightly, and he finally muttered the name "Chen Fan" under his breath.

With Zhang Lin's anguished cry, the other disciples snapped back to reality. They stared at Zhang Ting's body on the Martial Arts Arena and erupted into an uproar.

"Zhang Ting is dead? How is that possible? He was at Qi Refining Layer 6."

"Chen Fan was only at Qi Refining Layer 2 before he went to Demon King Valley. Today, he's at Qi Refining Layer 4 and killed a Layer 6 expert. He must have found a great opportunity."

"Didn't Nalan Yun send him to find a Demon Core? Could he have actually found one and cultivated straight to Qi Refining Layer 4?"

"But what about that Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman? How was it so powerful?"

"Did you notice? The Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman he used fired all five swords at once, arranged in a formation."

"Too terrifying. Facing a talisman like that, even Senior Brother might have to taste defeat."

"You're full of shit. Senior Brother Mo Bai is the strongest among us—he's already broken through to Qi Refining Eighth Layer and spends most of his time training outside. How can this Chen Fan compare?"

"But with that sword talisman of his, at Qi Refining Layer 4, charging into the First Layer of the Heavenly Court would probably be a piece of cake."

Chen Fan paid no attention to the crowd's chatter below, nor did he even glance at Zhang Ting as he walked off the Martial Arts Arena.

"I won." Stepping up to Chen Jingjing, Chen Fan said calmly.

"You... I..." Chen Jingjing stared blankly at Chen Fan, momentarily at a loss for words.

A Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivator killing a Qi Refining Layer 6—it was utterly shocking. More importantly, this Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivator was her brother, Chen Fan.

"So, I should be going." Chen Fan took his bundle and iron sword back into his hands.

"No, you..." Chen Jingjing grabbed hold of his bundle.

"This is the path a strong must walk."

"I know, but you could wait until your realm is higher."

"If I weren't strong enough, the one lying on that stage right now would be me. Besides, there are plenty of people stronger than me out there. I need to solidify my foundation." Chen Fan said.

Chen Jingjing had no reply to that. She knew he was right, but she was afraid—afraid that this brother, regained after losing him once, might meet with another accident.

After a long moment, Chen Jingjing finally spoke: "Fine, you can go. But don't go deep into the valley, and come back within three days, or I'll come looking for you."

"You can't go yet." Chen Fan shook his head. With Chen Jingjing's strength, entering Demon King Valley would only lead to death.

He knew that in a place like that, you had to watch out not just for demon beasts, but for humans too.

"I'll be back for supplies in a week." Seeing the determination in Chen Jingjing's eyes, Chen Fan said flatly.

He hadn't planned to go deep into Demon King Valley this time anyway—just to scout it out and see if there was a chance to retrieve his lost sword. If the gains were meager, he'd need to return to town for supplies before setting out on a long training journey. But he didn't want to reveal that plan just yet.

"Alright... just... make sure you come back alive." Chen Jingjing finally let go.

Chen Fan gave a slight nod, patted the Little Medicine Boy on the head, then pushed through the crowd and headed toward the mountain gate.

The Elder watched Chen Fan's retreating back, his eyes sharp, as if lost in thought.

Heavy Sword Peak didn't restrict its disciples' freedom to travel. Outer Court disciples especially could come and go as they pleased. Only Inner Court disciples needed the Elders' approval for long training expeditions.

Though Chen Fan was already at Qi Refining Layer 4, he hadn't entered the Inner Court. As he left, the Elder made no move to stop him.

All the disciples instinctively cleared a path for him. They had witnessed an unbelievable duel today. No one paid any more attention to the corpse on the stage. Their eyes were fixed on this newly risen powerhouse—once the Outer Court's laughingstock, now Heavy Sword Peak's rising star: Chen Fan.

At this moment, Chen Fan was walking through a bustling market. The noise was deafening, drowning out even the occasional roars of demon beasts drifting over from Demon King Valley.

This market sat on the only route to Demon King Valley, set up to facilitate trades among cultivators. Of course, if someone stumbled out of the valley battered and bleeding, it also made it easier for others to rob them blind.

So unless a cultivator was exceptionally strong, most chose to travel in groups. This market had thus become a gathering spot for cultivators seeking like-minded teammates.

As Chen Fan passed a small shop with a sign reading "Fellow Daoist Stay," all kinds of shouts came from inside.

"Qi Refining Seventh Layer leading the team! Twenty people per group. Fifteen fellow daoists have already joined. Five more spots left to enter Demon King Valley and seek fortune. Only fellow daoists above Qi Refining Layer 5 welcome."

"Searching for spiritual herbs on the outskirts of Demon King Valley. Fellow daoists above Qi Refining Layer 4 welcome."

"You there, fellow daoist—interested?" A young cultivator at the shop door looked at Chen Fan and asked.

"No." Chen Fan shook his head and walked toward the entrance of Demon King Valley.

Watching him leave, the cultivator's face twisted, and he muttered under his breath: "Another fool going into Demon King Valley alone to die. Just had a Qi Refining Layer 6, and now even a Qi Refining Layer 4 brat dares to try. What kind of day is this?"