Demon King Valley

Five yellow talismans chased one another through the air, gradually forming a huge ring swirling with flowing light. Before the immense suction, it spun on its own.

Chen Fan pinched two fingers together and tapped repeatedly in front of his chest. A colored beam shot between each pair of the five streams of light, connecting them all and forming a five-pointed star.

"Quit putting on a show!" Faced with the unfamiliar sight, Zhang Ting instinctively felt a little afraid. He roared and pointed fiercely at the vortex of spiritual energy in the air.

"Go!"

A shrill wail seemed to ring through the air, like a vengeful ghost howling. The enormous vortex suddenly hurtled toward Chen Fan. The air currents around it were churned into chaos, nearly forming a small tornado.

Amid a humming sound, a dark hue suddenly spread from the vortex's center. A mass of pitch-black mist burst out and roiled around it, wrapping the entire vortex. The vortex became visible, like a giant black hole, from which came a piercing howl!

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

"Brother Chen Fan." Little Medicine Boy was frightened too. He could feel his Divine Soul trembling, as if his whole body were about to be sucked away and he could barely keep his footing.

Chen Fan remained calm. "The five elements generate one another," he intoned.

A surge of True Qi stirred between his fingers. He abruptly pointed at the Five Elements Array, and his True Qi shot from his hand, striking the center of the five-pointed star.

Boom!!

The five-pointed star began to spin with a roar. An endless stream of vitality came from nowhere, illuminating it with brilliant, multicolored light. It advanced slowly and heavily toward the black hole.

"Ah..." Amid a bloodcurdling howl, the black mist roiled violently as if boiling. Before the Five Elements Array, it seemed to have met its natural enemy and quickly dissipated. It could not even hold out for an instant before fading into the air, leaving only the Five Elements Array, its light still swirling and its momentum unabated!

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

"This..." A flash of brightness sparked in the Elder's cloudy eyes as he stared in shock at the Five Elements Array before Chen Fan.

"How is that possible?" Wang Yunlan stared wide-eyed and cried out in disbelief.

"The five elements generate one another. Qingqing, what your brother said that day was actually true." Zhang Rumeng tugged at Chen Jingjing's sleeve, her mouth slightly agape as she murmured.

Chen Jingjing was too stunned to speak.

"That isn't the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman." Killing intent surfaced in Zhang Ting's eyes. His Soul Hooking Talisman had been wasted just like that.

"This is the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman," Chen Fan said indifferently. He then guided his True Qi with two fingers and pointed at the five-pointed star again.

"The five elements overcome one another." Chen Fan gave a cold snort. His True Qi shot out and struck the Five Elements Array. It blazed with light, then slowly and heavily crashed toward Zhang Ting, unleashing a terrifying, surging killing intent like troops marching to war!

Zhang Ting's expression changed. He had never seen a Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman like this, but he immediately shouted coldly, "You're only at Qi Refining Layer 4, and you dare put on such a ghostly act?"

"An attack this slow! You think I can't dodge it?"

As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed. He had barely moved before he felt the air all around him abruptly grow sluggish. It was as if an unseen force had locked onto him, leaving him nowhere to retreat!

Boom, boom, boom...

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

This sudden change had already made Zhang Ting want to retreat.

Then he saw the terrifying killing intent in Chen Fan's eyes. At last, fear showed on Zhang Ting's face. He acted decisively and opened his mouth to shout, "I concede—"

Before he could finish, dazzling light suddenly burst before his eyes, filling nearly his entire field of vision with flowing radiance!

"Boom!!"

Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Ting stood perfectly still as the Five Elements Array flashed with dazzling light and struck him in the chest, slowly and heavily!

"Thud!"

"Crack!"

Nearly everyone heard the crisp sound of a breastbone breaking.

Zhang Ting flew backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood in midair before crashing heavily to the ground, his eyes wide open.

"...cede!" Only then did Zhang Ting manage to utter the final word. He had conceded, but it was too late.

When Zhang Ting fell, the entire arena fell silent.

Chen Fan! Victorious!

Zhang Ting! Dead!

"The way of the five elements: advance to overcome and attack; retreat to generate and defend." Wang Yunlan murmured to herself. Chen Fan's words that day in the Heavenly Court now boomed through her mind like thunder.

Having witnessed Chen Fan use the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman with her own eyes, she felt her scalp prickle. If she had been in his opponent's place, she would likely have died too.

"Brother." A heart-wrenching cry rang out from the crowd. It was Zhang Lin.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The once-useless Chen Fan had suddenly risen to Qi Refining Layer 4, and now he had killed the clan brother Zhang Lin admired most.

Nalan Yun's face was pale too. He clenched both fists, then murmured the name "Chen Fan."

At Zhang Lin's anguished cry, the other disciples came to their senses. Seeing Zhang Ting lying on the Martial Arts Arena, they erupted into uproar.

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

"Before Chen Fan went to Demon King Valley, he was only at Qi Refining Layer 2. Today he's already at Qi Refining Layer 4, and he even killed a Qi Refining Layer 6 expert. He must have come across some great fortune."

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

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

"Did you notice? He used the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman to unleash all five swords at once, arranged in a formation."

"Terrifying. Before a sword talisman like that, even Senior Brother would probably meet his end."

"Bullshit! Senior Brother Mo Bai is the strongest among us. He's already broken through to Qi Refining Eighth Layer and is often away gaining experience. How could Chen Fan compare?"

"But with that sword talisman, Chen Fan could probably enter the First Layer of the Heavenly Court with ease, even at Qi Refining Layer 4."

Chen Fan paid no heed to the crowd's chatter below. He did not even look at Zhang Ting as he stepped down from the Martial Arts Arena.

"I won," he said calmly when he reached Chen Jingjing.

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

Someone at Qi Refining Layer 4 had slain someone at Qi Refining Layer 6. It was already shocking enough—but the person at Qi Refining Layer 4 was her brother, Chen Fan.

"So, I have to go." Chen Fan picked up his bundle and iron sword again.

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

"This is a road every strong cultivator must walk."

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

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

Chen Jingjing had nothing to say. She knew he was right, but she was afraid—afraid that the brother she had gotten back after losing him once would meet with another misfortune.

Several moments later, Chen Jingjing finally spoke. "You can go, but don't venture deep into the valley, and you have to come back within three days. Otherwise, I'll go looking for you."

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

He knew that in a place like that, one had to watch out not only for monster beasts but for other people as well.

"I'll be back in a week to restock." Seeing Chen Jingjing's determined gaze, Chen Fan replied calmly.

He hadn't planned to venture deep into Demon King Valley this time. He only wanted to explore and see whether he could recover the treasured sword he had lost. If he didn't find much, he would return to town to restock before setting out on a long journey to gain experience. But he didn't want to mention that plan just yet.

"All right. Just... make sure you come back alive." Chen Jingjing finally let go.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, patted Little Medicine Boy on the head, then made his way through the crowd and headed for the mountain gate.

The Elder watched Chen Fan's retreating figure, his eyes bright as if deep in thought.

Heavy Sword Peak did not restrict its disciples from coming and going, especially those in the Outer Court, who could attend or stay away as they pleased. Only Inner Court disciples planning to travel far and gain experience needed the Elders' approval.

Although Chen Fan had already reached Qi Refining Layer 4, he had not joined the Inner Court. The Elder made no attempt to stop him as he left.

The disciples conscientiously made way for him. They had witnessed an unbelievable fight today. No one paid any more attention to the dead man on the arena. Instead, they watched this newly risen powerhouse—the former laughingstock of the Outer Court, now Heavy Sword Peak's rising star, Chen Fan.

At that moment, Chen Fan was walking through a Marketplace. It was bustling, the noise of the crowd drowning out even the occasional monster beast cries from Demon King Valley.

This was the only route into Demon King Valley. The Marketplace had sprung up here to make trading easier for cultivators. Of course, when someone stumbled out of Demon King Valley covered in wounds, the merchants found it even easier to take advantage of their misfortune.

So unless they were powerful cultivators, most people chose to travel in groups. The Marketplace had thus also become a place where cultivators could find like-minded companions.

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

"Qi Refining Seventh Layer leading a team! Twenty to a group. Fifteen fellow Daoists have already joined; we need five more before we can enter Demon King Valley in search of fortune. Only fellow Daoists at Qi Refining Layer 5 and above are welcome."

"Searching for spirit herbs on the outskirts of Demon King Valley. Fellow Daoists at Qi Refining Layer 4 and above are welcome."

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested?" A young cultivator standing at the shop entrance asked Chen Fan.

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

Watching Chen Fan leave, the cultivator's expression changed. He muttered a curse under his breath. "Another fool going alone into Demon King Valley to get himself killed. The last one was at Qi Refining Layer 6, and now even a kid at Qi Refining Layer 4 dares to do it. What kind of day is it today?"