Reunion

"Weng!"

A crisp sword hum rang out.

Chen Fan's figure blurred slightly, and a cold gleam of sword light flashed between the two disciples in an instant.

He appeared abruptly behind the two disciples, flicked his longsword, and his form turned into a phantom as he shot forward at extreme speed.

"What are you two doing? Stop him!" the Burly Man roared at the two disciples.

Bang! Bang!

The moment the words fell, the two disciples crashed heavily to the ground, a thin bloodstain slowly surfacing on their necks.

"Such terrifying Sword Qi." The Burly Man's heart jolted with alarm, but he dared not delay, quickly striding toward the cave entrance to give chase.

However, Chen Fan hadn't fled far; he was blocked outside the cave by the Black-Robed Woman.

When the Black-Robed Woman saw Chen Fan, she paused in slight surprise, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, and muttered to herself, "How is it a man?"

Then she stared at Chen Fan and asked, "Who sent you?"

Without waiting for his reply, she turned directly to look at the White-Robed Woman in midair and said loudly, "Senior Sister, I never thought you'd take a male disciple. And from the looks of it, his talent isn't anything special either."

Chen Fan frowned slightly but paid her little heed. He was calculating the best route to the formation's eye. With his current Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivation, he was utterly powerless against the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he understood the gap between the two realms all too well.

"This person is not my disciple. My disciple did come here for training, but I already told her not to approach this place. Your schemes are futile now," the White-Robed Woman said softly, shaking her head.

"If you didn't come for your disciple, then why are you here? If he weren't trapped by me, how could you possibly appear here?" the Black-Veiled Woman didn't believe her.

"I came to dissuade you from making further mistakes. This Tomb cannot be touched. Some things are buried deep precisely because they must never resurface, or great calamity will follow," the White-Robed Woman said, her face gradually frosting over.

"Is that so? I don't buy it. Your precious disciple has already stolen them out of the tomb," the Black-Veiled Woman chuckled lightly, glancing at Chen Fan.

"I told you, this person is not my disciple," the White-Robed Woman said with a frown.

Shua!!

Chen Fan's figure blurred again, and a sword light sliced through the air.

The Black-Veiled Woman's expression turned cold. She swept her hand, and a surge of vast True Qi erupted like a massive torrent, roaring outward and swallowing the slender sword light almost instantly.

Chen Fan's form materialized behind the Black-Veiled Woman. That strike had been a feint; using her surging True Qi as cover, he swiftly darted toward the cave's exit.

"Hmph, you think you can escape?" The Black-Veiled Woman snorted coldly, making no move to chase. With Chen Fan at Qi Refining Layer 4, she didn't consider him worth her attention.

It wasn't until she saw him suddenly stop at a certain spot that her expression shifted. By the time Chen Fan swung his sword and struck, her face turned ashen, and she realized it was too late to stop him.

"Boom"

With a thunderous crash, the light barrier of the entire Magic Array shattered, and a small square Formation Disk returned to the Black-Veiled Woman's hand.

"Brat, you dare damage my Magic Array?" The Black-Veiled Woman stared at the chipped corner of the Formation Disk in her hand, nearly fainting from rage. This was a priceless Magic Tool, and a mere Qi Refining Layer 4 brat had broken a piece off it.

"Little brother, hold on." The White-Robed Woman in the air suddenly descended on her flying sword, chasing after Chen Fan. She couldn't let him take the items from the Tomb.

Hearing this, the Black-Veiled Woman's eyes flickered, and a sly smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Senior Sister, you stay too."

She leaped into the air, flinging out five Talismans. In a flash of light, they transformed into five swords, shooting toward the White-Robed Woman with sharp whistles, perfectly blocking her pursuit of Chen Fan.

"Junior Sister, don't be reckless. This is no trivial matter. Those things cannot be allowed to spread," the White-Robed Woman said, frowning as she dodged the five flying swords.

The Black-Veiled Woman remained unmoved. She swept her hand again, and ten Talismans flew out, turning into ten swords that streaked across the sky like meteors, sealing off all of the White-Robed Woman's paths.

"I don't understand what you're worried about. The Marrow Cleansing Pill is precious, but it's not that big a deal if it gets out. Unless... you're afraid of that sword?" The Black-Veiled Woman's eyes gleamed with a strange light as she looked at the White-Robed Woman. "Does that sword hold some secret?"

"That's none of your concern." Seeing Chen Fan vanish completely into the forest, the White-Robed Woman's face turned icy. She had no good expression left for the Black-Veiled Woman and turned to fly into the air, trying to continue her search for Chen Fan.

"Hmph, so-called righteous sects. In the end, they're full of dirty secrets. Leaving the sect was the right choice. You said I was born with a seductive bone, unfit for the Immortal Sect, so I'll walk the Demonic Path and prove my Dao through it." The Black-Veiled Woman watched the White-Robed Woman leave and sneered coldly.

"Sect Master." At that moment, the Burly Man from earlier, who had discovered Chen Fan in the cave, walked up behind her.

"What did he take?" The Black-Veiled Woman's eyes flashed with a cold gleam.

"The sword and the Marrow Cleansing Pill," the Burly Man replied.

"Draw his portrait and post it at the entrance of Demon King Valley. Offer a heavy bounty for this man." The Black-Veiled Woman paused briefly before adding, "Take him alive."

"Yes." The Burly Man bowed and hurried away.

At that moment, Chen Fan was fleeing swiftly. He pushed his True Qi to the limit, stepping with the Formless Step, his form nearly turning into a blur, ghostlike. Only the rustling of leaves and shrubs in the wind could be heard as he passed, but no figure was visible—just a faint shadow streaking by.

He ran until he reached a relatively secluded patch of forest. After confirming no one was following, he gradually slowed his pace.

He had originally planned to break the formation's eye and let the White-Robed Woman and the Black-Veiled Woman fight each other, but he hadn't expected the White-Robed Woman to suddenly chase him. This only confirmed his suspicion: this imitation sword was connected to the Immortal Sect, and to his own sword.

With that thought, he took the sword from his waist and strapped it to his back for easier movement.

Then he spread out the leather map, picked a region where demon beasts roamed, and set off again.

Four days passed...

Perched on a lush ancient tree, Chen Fan had concealed all his aura, his eyes fixed on two Golden Leopards below. These were demon beasts comparable to Qi Refining Eighth Layer, already possessing a trace of intelligence and having formed Demon Cores. A Qi Refining Eighth Layer Demon Core would be quite useful to him.

Beneath the tree lay scattered human bones and rotting corpses—remnants of the two beasts' meals. A nauseating stench assailed Chen Fan's nose, but he remained motionless. He had been hiding here all night.

At his Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivation, facing a single beast at Qi Refining Eighth Layer head-on was already no less difficult than fighting two Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivators at once. On top of that, this leopard was quick in both reaction and speed, and with two beasts moving together, Chen Fan could hardly guarantee victory. So he chose to wait.

Wait for an opportunity to strike!

Soon, one of the male leopards went out to hunt, vanishing into the grass. But Chen Fan did not move; he continued to wait silently.

After a few breaths, the male leopard that had left suddenly poked its head back out from the grass, bared its teeth, and then slipped back in.

Without a sound, Chen Fan's True Qi had already fully infused the longsword.

"Hum!"

The longsword suddenly trembled, letting out a crisp sword hum. Chen Fan stamped his foot, and his form turned into a blur as he shot forward, the longsword thrusting straight ahead, transforming into a silvery-white Sword Light.

"Swoosh!"

The Golden Leopard was sharp-eared; hearing the sound of air being split, it lunged forward in a tiger pounce.

"Roar!" In an enraged roar, the Golden Leopard's long tail lashed fiercely backward, whipping through the air like a chain with a sharp whistle, its momentum savage.

Chen Fan's expression did not change. He twisted his wrist, and the longsword spun in a circle, a circular Sword Light suddenly appearing in the air.

With a dull chirp, a string of bright blood beads flew through the air, and a severed length of tail was sent tumbling high.

Roar!!!

A thunderous howl exploded from the ground like a sudden clap of thunder, stabbing into Chen Fan's ears like needles and causing a faint sting. This was a roar that disturbed the soul; anyone with weak divine sense would have been scared out of their wits by it.

Chen Fan's divine sense was far beyond that of an ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivator. He was completely unmoved. The longsword swung, turning into a cascade of Sword Light like a woven net, descending upon the Golden Leopard.

A terrified low growl came from the Golden Leopard's throat. In panic, it swiped a claw at Chen Fan.

"Chirp!"

Blood splattered everywhere as the Golden Leopard's front claw was cleanly severed by Chen Fan and tossed aside.

The Sword Light was about to cleave the Golden Leopard apart.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, a sharp whistle howled through the air.

Chen Fan jerked the longsword, turning back to slash with a humming sword note.

Clang!

In the crisp sound of metal striking metal, a Silver Needle was sent flying by Chen Fan's sword.

"Whoosh!"

Without giving Chen Fan a moment's rest, another sharp sound of air being torn came right after.

Chen Fan's pupils sharply contracted. He swung his sword, drawing a straight Sword Light diagonally across his front.

Chen Fan hurriedly withdrew his sword. The Silver Needle was blocked by the blade, but the force behind it was astonishing. Chen Fan could feel his sword trembling slightly.

Another clang rang out. Chen Fan felt as if his sword had struck a heavy axe blow; his tiger's mouth went numb. His expression shifted slightly. He no longer tried to clash head-on with his opponent. He stamped his foot hard, and his form leaped over the Golden Leopard.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Sure enough, two more sounds of air being split followed. Two Silver Needles traced straight silver lines through the air, like fleeting meteors, and slammed viciously into the Golden Leopard.

"Bam!"

The Golden Leopard was struck as if by a heavy blow. Its body flew sideways a full two meters before crashing heavily to the ground. It let out a few low growls, staring in terror at the direction the Silver Needles had come from.

Chen Fan's eyesight was extraordinary. He saw at a glance that the Silver Needles had pierced straight through the Golden Leopard's body and only stopped after embedding themselves in the ground.

"Quite some skill, no wonder you're so bold, daring to snatch treasures right under two Foundation Establishment cultivators." A soft, alluring voice came.

From within the forest, a woman stepped forward, barefoot, treading on empty air. She wore a black veil, her face covered. With each step forward, she revealed two pale, jade-white legs that stirred the blood. A single thin gauze could hardly conceal her seductive figure.

Chen Fan was unmoved. His sword blade, gleaming with cold light, hummed as he pointed it straight at the Black-Veiled Woman.

"Roar!"

The Golden Leopard was not yet dead. It suddenly lunged up and charged wildly at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan frowned slightly. He swept his longsword back, turning it into a cascade of Sword Light that slashed down at the Golden Leopard.

The Black-Veiled Woman acted almost simultaneously. With a flick of her hand, five Talismans flew out. In a stream of light, they transformed into five longswords, shooting toward the Golden Leopard with sharp whistles.

Even though the Black-Veiled Woman was helping, Chen Fan did not let his guard down. The cascading Sword Qi slashed straight down, splitting the Golden Leopard's head clean in two with a chirp. He then stepped forward, a flash of Sword Light appearing, and the Golden Leopard was cut in half at the waist. The two halves crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, blood gushing from the waist like a spring. Amid the flesh, a Demon Core glowing with a blue light could be seen, pulsing with considerable spiritual energy.

"Quite interesting. Qi Refining Layer 4 cutting a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Golden Leopard in half—this is the first time I've seen that." The Black-Veiled Woman's eyes held a hint of amusement as she looked at Chen Fan and smiled.

"Your Talisman flying swords held it back," Chen Fan said quietly.

"Humility is a good quality. Since you're not my senior sister's disciple, I'll take you as my own apprentice," the Black-Veiled Woman said lightly.

"This Humble One's talent is nothing special," Chen Fan replied indifferently.

The Black-Veiled Woman paused for a moment, then recalled that earlier, outside the Tomb, she had said to the White-Robed Woman that Chen Fan's talent was mediocre. But that had only been to annoy the White-Robed Woman. Chen Fan's talent, she had now witnessed firsthand—this was definitely a genius.

"Mmm... young and still holding a grudge. That's not a good trait, but I like it." The Black-Veiled Woman's voice was syrupy and seductive, making Chen Fan deeply uncomfortable.

"You want to take back that sword and the pills?" Chen Fan was unwilling to waste time. He raised his sword, pointing it at the Black-Veiled Woman, and said coldly, "Then come and fight."

"Pfft..."

Seeing Chen Fan like this, the Black-Veiled Woman covered her mouth behind the black veil and let out a laugh.

"Don't be alarmed, Disciple. That little thing isn't worth a second glance from your master. If you like it, take it. If it's not enough, you can come to me for more."

"..." Chen Fan was momentarily speechless. A powerhouse at the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet acting like this—it left him unable to read her. But on second thought, this woman's nature was exactly as those cultivators before had said: she was simply a demoness.

With that in mind, Chen Fan sheathed his sharp sword, then bent down to pick up the Demon Core from the ground. Turning around, he walked away, ignoring the Black-Veiled Woman entirely.

After a few steps, her soul-stirring voice came from behind: "Disciple, are you leaving already?"