Fang Ling walked farther onward. This gorge was even longer than he had imagined.
"Were my eyes playing tricks on me?" Suddenly, he spotted a figure ahead.
Judging by the figure's back, it was a woman. She sat cross-legged in midair, apparently cultivating.
Fang Ling stopped and looked closely, confirming that he was not hallucinating. There really was someone before him.
The wind here is already strong enough to tear through Jin Buhan's indestructible golden body. This person's strength is no trifling matter! Fang Ling thought.
At that moment, the woman turned around and slowly opened her eyes.
She looked young, only around thirty.
Full and lustrous as pearls and jade, she exuded the charm of a mature woman from head to toe.
Yet her eyes betrayed her true age. She had clearly weathered countless storms.
Her gaze settled on Fang Ling, a trace of puzzlement flashing through her eyes before she murmured, "I never imagined the Six Harmonies Sect had grown so powerful."
"At such a young age, you already possess a physique that rivals even the supreme beings of the Demon Race with the emperor bloodline."
"What is your name, and which generation's sect master are you?"
This woman had mysteriously appeared deep within the Six Harmonies Sect's forbidden grounds and asked which generation's sect master he was.
That naturally made Fang Ling suspect that she, too, belonged to the Six Harmonies Sect, and had probably been one of its sect masters.
When Fang Ling did not answer, the woman asked again, "What level have you reached in the Ke Mo Body?"
Fang Ling knew what she meant by the Ke Mo Body. It was the Six Harmonies Sect's supreme inherited body-refining art.
He had skimmed through it before, but felt that it fell a hundred and eight thousand miles short of the Taotie Divine Art, so he had taken no interest in it.
"It seems you aren't from the Six Harmonies Sect." The woman narrowed her eyes and sneered.
"And who are you?" Fang Ling countered.
The woman laughed and said, "The world once called me the Fairy of the Li River, though that was thousands of years ago."
"I suppose calling myself the founding ancestor of the Six Harmonies Sect would make things clearer to you."
"Back then, I traveled to the Southern Sun Kingdom and discovered this strange place."
"So I simply founded a sect, using it as a screen to conceal this place from prying eyes."
"That way, other wandering experts wouldn't discover it."
"So that's how the Six Harmonies Sect came into being." Fang Ling was somewhat surprised.
"I designated this place as the sect's forbidden grounds. No one but the sect master may enter without permission." The Fairy of the Li River's tone shifted, and displeasure surfaced on her face. "Since you've barged in today, could it be..."
"Still, I don't actually care what happens to the Six Harmonies Sect. But I discovered this place first."
"If you know what's good for you, leave of your own accord!"
"Otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what?" Fang Ling asked, looking at her impassively.
"With strength like yours at such a young age, you certainly have reason to be proud." The Fairy of the Li River smiled.
"But if you don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth runs, what good is peerless talent? Sooner or later, you'll die before your time!"
"I truly cannot bear to snuff out a human prodigy like you..."
There had to be some exceedingly rare treasure ahead. Fang Ling would never give it up.
He ignored the Fairy of the Li River's warning and continued forward.
The Fairy of the Li River watched him silently, her gaze growing colder and darker.
She had spent thousands of years here, pouring in immense amounts of time and effort.
Of course she would not stand by and watch a latecomer take what she had guarded so bitterly for so many years.
"Brat, you brought this upon yourself. Don't blame me!" Killing intent filled her eyes, leaving none of her earlier grace.
The Fairy of the Li River's figure flashed. She appeared behind Fang Ling in an instant and swept her shapely leg at him.
But Fang Ling made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he turned and clamped his left hand around her ankle.
He was not being arrogant. The fact that the Fairy of the Li River had stopped here undoubtedly meant that this was the limit of her physical endurance.
For him, however, fierce as the wind here was, it still caused him no discomfort. His limits lay far beyond this point.
Thus, his chances of defeating her were still quite high.
Tightening his grip on the Fairy of the Li River's ankle, he slammed her into the ground without the slightest mercy.
With a crash, her body shattered the solid ground, hardened by long exposure to the gale winds.
The Fairy of the Li River felt her head buzzing and momentarily fell into a daze.
Killing intent had risen in Fang Ling, and he was about to smash her head apart with a punch.
But suddenly, terrifying flames erupted from the Fairy of the Li River's body.
What his left hand had been gripping was her smooth, tender, cool ankle.
Yet in the blink of an eye, it seemed to become a branding iron, so hot that he instinctively let go.
With his current physical strength, he could essentially ignore ordinary flames.
But the fire on the Fairy of the Li River's body had burned him outright.
"Brat, did you think that because you made it this far, your strength must at least be equal to mine?"
"Heh, little did you know that my body is my weakest asset!" The Fairy of the Li River sneered.
Golden flames now burned all over her, and even from a distance, Fang Ling could feel the pain of his skin being roasted.
The Fairy of the Li River leaped into the air.
Then she raised her hand and instantly traced a circular spell formation before her.
"Flame Rain Meteor!" She pressed her palm against the formation, and fiery meteors shot out one after another.
The searing heat radiating from each fiery meteor was several times greater still!
The terrifying fiery meteors blanketed the entire area. Fang Ling had nowhere to dodge and could only face her attack head-on.
This woman's cultivation is so high. She's at least in the early Open Sun realm... two whole major realms above me!
Fang Ling dared not be careless, nor did he want to take the attack directly.
Just touching her ankle earlier had burned him terribly.
Now, there was no telling how many times hotter these fiery meteors were.
If he let those flames touch him, he would lose a layer of skin even if he survived.
He stood in place, his right eye instantly turning red and becoming a blood eye.
His right eye had been gouged out shortly after his birth. Later, after the Devil Ancestor's Heart was transplanted into him, his Chaos Saint Body had healed itself and grown this even more terrifying blood eye.
This blood eye possessed tremendous power over space. At present, the limit of what he could do was distort space to neutralize and redirect an opponent's attacks.
A red light flashed in his blood eye, and the fiery meteors filling the sky instantly vanished!
But power this great was not something he could wield lightly.
A trail of bloody tears flowed uncontrollably from the corner of his eye.
The Fairy of the Li River had thought this move would kill Fang Ling instantly, but the result filled her with fear instead.
What kind of monster is this fellow?
His cultivation is so much lower than mine, yet he can neutralize my great divine ability...
Though Fang Ling possessed the Heaven-Hiding Art, once he fought, his opponent could easily judge his approximate cultivation. That could not be concealed.
Things have come to this. I have to kill him, or once he grows stronger, I'll surely die! The Fairy of the Li River gritted her teeth, and a great flaming sword condensed in her hand.
With a sharp cry, she slashed at Fang Ling.
Fang Ling also condensed his Life-Bound Blood Sword and met her attack. "Prison-Subduing!"
Dragon-Slaying, Heaven-Questioning, and Prison-Subduing were three supremely powerful sword strikes the Sword Demon had comprehended at different stages of his life.
He had comprehended Dragon-Slaying in his youth, after competing with and killing a prodigy of the dragon race.
He had comprehended Heaven-Questioning in middle age, while sparring with a remnant image of the Heavenly Emperor in the Heavenly Palace.
Finally, he had comprehended Prison-Subduing during his three hundred thousand years of imprisonment in Cold Mountain Temple. It could be called the culmination of his lifetime of swordsmanship.
When Fang Ling unleashed Prison-Subduing, he had grasped only its surface, not its essence.
Even so, the power of this move surpassed most sword techniques in the world.
Moreover, his Life-Bound Blood Sword was empowered by Tongyuan's sword soul, making its might even more terrifying.
As sword shadows flashed, the victor was decided.
The Fairy of the Li River was wounded by Sword Qi, leaving a sword gash across her full chest deep enough to expose bone.
Blood-red baleful energy lingered around the wound, inflicting further damage.
Fang Ling's sword strike knocked her down, leaving her kneeling on one knee.
Drip, drip. Watching blood drip steadily from her chest, she felt as though she were dreaming.
His mastery of the sword is actually this terrifying as well...
It seems I can only use that move!
The Fairy of the Li River clenched her teeth, lifted her head, and let out a hysterical roar.
Nine golden suns rose from within her and hung high in the sky.
"Nine Suns Illuminate the World!"
Terrifying heat scorched everything. The surrounding rocks and ground melted in an instant, turning into scalding magma.
This was an indiscriminate attack. Even the Fairy of the Li River herself could not escape it.
Her dress burned away completely, but because she was the source of the flames, she did not feel the agony of the nine suns' scorching heat.
Fang Ling, however, suffered terribly. His long black hair burned away in an instant.
His clothes met the same fate, leaving him completely bare.
Beneath the scorching heat of the nine blazing suns, even his body struggled to endure. His skin turned scarlet, like a branding iron left in the fire for ages.
If a basin of cold water were poured over him now, it would surely hiss and sizzle.
To catch the bandits, first capture their king! He gritted his teeth and endured.
Ignoring the nine suns overhead, he fixed his gaze on the Fairy of the Li River instead.
With a beckoning motion, a golden spear appeared in his hand.
The spear's sharpness sent a stabbing pain through the Fairy of the Li River.
It radiated an aura of destruction, as though it could annihilate everything.
"Why aren't you dead yet?" The Fairy of the Li River's eyes widened as she retreated again and again, utterly panicked.
Nine Suns Illuminate the World was already her ultimate trump card. By all rights, Fang Ling should have burned to death the moment the nine suns rose into the sky.
Yet his vitality surpassed her imagination. Not only had he survived the flames, he could even keep fighting.
Fang Ling roared and hurled the Mysterious Gold Heaven-Piercing Spear.
An innate spirit treasure defied the heavens not merely because it possessed immense power.
More importantly, it was one with its master and could grow.
Whenever its master grew a little stronger, it would grow stronger as well. The two had, in truth, long since fused into one.
Thus, the Mysterious Gold Heaven-Piercing Spear was now far more powerful than it had been a short while ago.
With a sharp hiss, the Mysterious Gold Heaven-Piercing Spear pierced the Fairy of the Li River's body, pinning her to the ground and killing her.
Her eyes remained wide open, and her hands fell limply. Just like that, she perished.
The magnificent sight of nine suns hanging in the sky vanished with her death.
The heat gradually dissipated from Fang Ling's scorched red skin, restoring it to normal.
Thump, thump, thump. His undying heart beat faster, restoring his body's condition.
The hair that had burned to ash grew back as well.
His dead skin peeled away, scattering in the gale winds...
He hurriedly took a fresh set of clothes from his storage pouch and put them on, then slowly walked over to the Fairy of the Li River's corpse.
Before you continue