Ambushed

Demon King Valley, as its name suggested, was a valley—but it was astonishingly vast.

Chen Fan could no longer imagine what the valley had looked like hundreds of years ago.

Ever since Monster Beasts had descended upon Earth, they had occupied the valley, leaving it abandoned for centuries. Yet as Chen Fan stood at the entrance, he could still make out a few decrepit buildings, little more than a few remaining walls or half a roof.

Several cultivators were sitting at the entrance. When they saw Chen Fan enter the valley alone, their expressions changed. After sensing that he was only at Qi Refining Layer 4, they shook their heads repeatedly.

"This is the second one coming here to die. That little girl at Qi Refining Layer 6 who came earlier might be fearless because she's young. If she's lucky, she might survive by staying around the outskirts of Demon King Valley. But this kid at Qi Refining Layer 4? He must've come here to kill himself because he's lost his mind." An old man explained this to his grandson.

"Then why has he lost his mind?" The child looked about eight or nine. Holding a candied hawthorn skewer, he widened his eyes and asked.

"Maybe he was hurt in love, or maybe he lost his motivation in life. Your grandpa once suffered a painful heartbreak too, but I made it through." The old man's face showed regret.

"Grandpa, what's heartbreak?"

"Hmm... It's like how much you love eating that candied hawthorn, but one day it doesn't like you anymore and won't let you eat it. How would that make you feel?"

"Grandpa, I get it now. That big brother went in to kill himself because the candied hawthorn didn't like him."

Chen Fan had already entered Demon King Valley. He had heard every word of the conversation between the grandfather and grandson at the entrance. The child's innocent yet only half-understood words stirred something in his heart, but he couldn't grasp what it was.

He knew this might be a moment of sudden insight into the Dao, but the timing wasn't right. At his current level, he couldn't comprehend it.

Chen Fan shook his head and stopped trying to force that fleeting insight. Then he continued onward.

"Roar!" "Awooo!" "Screee!"

As Chen Fan ventured farther into the valley, the cries of all kinds of Monster Beasts grew clearer.

"The spiritual energy seems denser here than outside. It must be because spirit herbs grow abundantly in this place." Chen Fan took a breath and murmured to himself.

"Moo~"

Just then, a Monster Beast charged out from behind a large tree, bellowing as it rushed toward Chen Fan.

It was a Giant Bull Beast comparable to a cultivator at Qi Refining Layer 4. Its two horns were hard and sharp; an ordinary cultivator who encountered it could easily lose their life through one careless mistake.

But Chen Fan's steps shifted, and in an instant, he flashed to its side. Before the Giant Bull Beast could react, his sharp sword leapt from its sheath. Infused with Blazing Heaven Sword Qi, it turned into a streak of white light and pierced the beast's head.

In an instant, the bull was decapitated. Its head, with its sharp horns, and its body crashed to the ground. Carried forward by its momentum, the carcass slid several meters, leaving a trail of blood.

Chen Fan didn't linger. The bull's blood would soon draw other Monster Beasts from the area. And the Giant Bull Beast was only at Qi Refining Layer 4; it hadn't formed a Demon Core. The only valuable part was its pair of sharp horns, worth several dozen taels of silver.

But Chen Fan wasn't interested. He had come here to gain experience, bring his body to its peak condition, and seek out Demon Cores from high-level Monster Beasts or spirit herbs.

"Cultivators have been coming here for years to seek their fortunes. It'd be a lot more convenient if someone had drawn a complete map." Chen Fan strode forward. In fact, people had made maps, but only a small number of people had access to them, and they weren't sold in the Marketplace. The maps that did make it into circulation were generally limited to the outskirts, and those held no appeal for Chen Fan.

Just then, a loud crash came from the grove ahead. Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and watched. Someone in the grove had used a fireball Talisman. It seemed two groups were fighting over something, refusing to back down and sparing no effort as they battled.

"With commotion like that, they'll surely attract the attention of the Monster Beasts nearby." Chen Fan shook his head slightly and continued deeper into the valley.

Since he had come here to gain experience, he had no need to worry about trouble. Only if he encountered an opponent he couldn't handle would he need to avoid them.

The two groups fighting in the grove hadn't spread their battle over a wide area. Chen Fan wasn't so bored that he'd walk through the middle of their crossfire, so he chose to go around them.

But just as he passed behind a group of people, his expression suddenly changed. He darted backward, drawing the sword at his waist at the same time. It flashed like a streak of silver, striking out like a sudden clap of thunder.

"Clang!"

A small throwing knife infused with True Qi struck his sword with a piercing ring, then fell to the ground.

Chen Fan's expression turned cold. Someone had attacked him.

Whoosh!

He had barely stopped moving when another sharp whistle cut through the air.

A second throwing knife appeared to his front left. This time, it carried far more True Qi and force than the first.

Chen Fan's mind sharpened. This was a martial cultivator whose style resembled that of a sword cultivator. Moreover, this person seemed to specialize in throwing knives and concealed weapons, giving them a major advantage in this terrain.

Even as he considered this, Chen Fan moved without hesitation. A flash of sword light cleaved downward.

"Clang!"

The throwing knife snapped in two and fell to the ground. Chen Fan stamped his foot and shot toward the woods like a swift leopard.

His eyes narrowed, his expression cold. As he ran, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Whoosh!

The sharp whistle sounded again.

"Found you." Chen Fan gave a cold snort. His figure suddenly blurred, becoming a phantom like a specter as he raced toward a giant tree nearby. The throwing knife grazed his earlobe.

This person had attacked him without provocation, and every knife had been aimed at a vital spot. Chen Fan was now intent on killing him.

The moment he charged toward the tree, a blue figure sprang out from behind it.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three sharp whistles rang out almost as one. Three streaks of knife light shot toward Chen Fan like meteors chasing the moon, aimed at three vital points across his body.

Chen Fan's eyesight was extraordinary; he could make out the trajectories of all three knives. Each blade had a yellow Talisman stuck to it.

A cold gleam flashed in Chen Fan's eyes. He stepped with Formless Step, his body becoming an intangible phantom, and flung a Talisman from his hand.

Buzz!

At the same time, his long sword vibrated rapidly at an unbelievable frequency, ringing out with a bright sword cry. Chen Fan let out a sharp shout and swung. Drawing on Blazing Heaven Sword Qi, he conjured a huge, circular shield of sword light in front of himself.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three crisp clashes rang out in succession. The three throwing knives snapped in half, and the three Talismans were torn apart by Blazing Heaven Sword Qi before they could activate.

The man in blue paled. He was just about to retreat when a mass of pitch-black smoke burst open in the air and hurtled toward him with a shrill howl. A tremendous force dragged at him, making him stagger and struggle to stay upright.

A flash of sword light streaked past.

Chen Fan's figure gradually appeared behind the man in blue, his sword angled toward the ground, his expression calm.

Thud!

A fine line of blood slowly appeared across the man in blue's neck. He collapsed heavily to the ground, lifeless.