Chapter 15

As the flying figure drew closer, it became clear that the Fire Dragon True Man was standing on the summit of Fan Yun Peak, while four Tianhai Sect disciples circled the mountain peak. The Fire Dragon True Man was protected by true fire, manipulating two fire dragon whips to chase and lash at the Tianhai Sect disciples. When the fire dragon whips struck the Tianhai Sect disciples, they were sent flying half a mile away. The Tianhai Sect disciples could not penetrate his defenses; their flying swords and magical treasures were easily blocked by the fire dragon whips. The Tianhai Sect disciples knew they were no match, but for the sake of their sect's reputation, they aimed to hold on a bit longer before finding a way to retreat.

According to one document, the four Tianhai Sect disciples were defeated by the Fire Dragon True Man in a single exchange.

According to another document: The four Tianhai Sect disciples fought bitterly for ten hours, but ultimately could not match the Fire Dragon True Man and were defeated.

There is a fundamental difference between the two accounts.

Everyone watching found it uninteresting; the power disparity was too great, and the Fire Dragon True Man had only used a third of his strength. Lin Fan watched for a while and was about to leave when a beam of sword light suddenly shot out from the side of Fan Yun Peak, piercing through the cloud sea and ascending to the mountain peak. It struck the Fire Dragon True Man's back with the force of lightning and thunder. The Fire Dragon True Man's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned a fire dragon whip to counter. Unexpectedly, a spurt of blood erupted from the sword light, striking the fire dragon whip and extinguishing its flames. The sword light mercilessly broke through the fire dragon whip and struck the Fire Dragon True Man. Although he was protected by true qi, the attack sent him flying half a mile away, spewing blood, clearly severely injured.

The sword light did not linger, descending the mountain peak and disappearing into the cloud sea, out of everyone's sight.

"Blood Shadow Sect," the onlookers whispered. Even the Tianhai Sect disciples abandoned the Fire Dragon True Man, riding their flying swords into the cloud sea. Nearby righteous disciples also joined in, beginning to surround and pursue the sword light.

Lin Fan nodded; it was indeed the Blood Shadow Sect. The Blood Shadow Sect was an evil sect, and their most famous and feared technique was the Blood Shadow Great Technique, which elite disciples could learn. One of its methods involved using one's own blood to defile magical treasures, temporarily rendering them incapable of attack or defense, allowing the user to strike the target directly. This person might not have been more powerful than the Fire Dragon True Man, but the surprise attack had severely injured him in a single exchange.

The evil sect was the mortal enemy of the demon path. This appearance united all the major and minor sects, but the independent cultivators did not join the alliance. Some, who hated the evil sect's actions, joined the pursuit, while others remained on the sidelines, not participating.

...

Fan Yun Peak, as its name suggests, was surrounded by rolling clouds. The cloud layer was thick, and the Blood Shadow Sect knew that once they appeared, they would be attacked by many. Therefore, after a successful strike, they immediately fled into the cloud sea. The righteous cultivators clearly lacked combat experience; so many rushing into the cloud sea would inevitably lead to friendly fire.

Lin Fan, with his rich experience and flexible thinking, immediately saw a key point: the ravine below Fan Yun Peak. Why did the evil sect attack? It certainly wasn't to right a wrong; there must be some benefit. Even if they killed the Fire Dragon True Man, they wouldn't be allowed to occupy Fan Yun Peak. His appearance only made everyone more united and determined to fight a common enemy.

What benefit could there be? Unless it was a trap. The cloud sea might conceal traps or arrays, and the evil sect was luring everyone into pursuit, then using the chaos to activate the arrays, causing chaos within the cloud sea. Killing and looting was the favorite method of the evil sect, and also the most despised. It usually came in two forms: targeting someone's treasure and finding a way to kill them, or indiscriminately killing cultivators and taking whatever treasures they had.

Lin Fan rode a wind charm down to the bottom of the ravine. Although no treasures had fallen from the mountain peak, there were plenty of rocks, indicating that someone had crashed into the mountain or attacked it.

Approaching the bottom of the ravine, Lin Fan dispelled the wind charm and gently landed, using a charm to disguise himself as an ordinary person without cultivation for a certain period. This would prevent others from sensing him, though it depended on their cultivation level.

At the bottom of the ravine, there was a patch of flowers and green grass. A man was inside an array, surrounded by a circle of lit candles. His eyes were bleeding, and he sat inside the array, muttering incantations. The blood from his eyes slowly trickled down his cheeks. Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching and immediately opened his eyes, standing up with a blood banner in hand, ready to defend.

"Heaven and Earth, Blood Law is natural." A figure in white appeared from the side of the ravine, landing a hundred paces away from the man. Lin Fan recognized him as Ximen Shuai, the thief.

The man was taken aback: "Who are you?"

Ximen Shuai spread his arms, the veins on his face and arms bulging and pulsing, looking terrifying: "Greetings, Senior Brother. I am a bloodline disciple of the Blood Shadow Sect, Shangguan Shuai."

"Why are you here?"

"I heard that a treasure has appeared in the Jiulang Mountains. I came to see if I could get a share, but I didn't expect Senior Brother to have everything arranged."

The man visibly relaxed his guard. This was a true qi circulation method of the Blood Shadow Sect, unknown to outsiders, and even if known, untrainable. The man said, "Junior Brother, you arrived just in time. My junior sister is luring the righteous scoundrels into the array above. Please protect me while I perform the ritual."

Lin Fan was shocked. Ximen Shuai was not only a disciple of the former Demon Lord of the Demon Sect but also a disciple of the Blood Shadow Sect. "Damn, you're impressive, managing to navigate two mortal enemies."

"Respect Senior Brother's command." Ximen Shuai drew a line of blood and used blood遁 to move within ten paces of the man.

The man nodded, sat down, and closed his eyes, continuing the ritual. Suddenly, Ximen Shuai smiled at Lin Fan's hiding spot and gestured with his left hand. Then, his face changed, and his right hand transformed into a large hand, grabbing the man's throat and pinning him to the ground. The man was shocked: "Junior Brother? Aren't you afraid of the sect rules?"

Ximen Shuai chuckled and cast a circle: "Go complain to the King of Hell."

Ximen Shuai's first move sealed the man's magical power, preventing him from using true qi. The circle then mercilessly struck the man's neck, decapitating him. Ximen Shuai walked over, finding a red gem from the corpse: "For the one who was watching, this blood soul banner is for you." He waved, and the white blood soul banner landed in front of Lin Fan.

Lin Fan laughed: "No reward without merit."

Ximen Shuai put the red gem into his ring and said, "When I give something, I don't follow any rules. Of course, if you tell me something, I would be very grateful."

"What?"

"Who was the high expert who secretly helped you at the inn that day?"

Lin Fan sighed, looking at the blood soul banner: "The blood soul banner is a treasure of the Blood Shadow Sect, with countless uses. But the prerequisite is that you know the Blood Shadow Heart Method; otherwise, even a Great Sage would be unable to activate it."

"Coincidentally." Ximen Shuai took out a book: "The Blood Shadow Secret Manual, which records the entry-level cultivation methods of the Blood Shadow Sect and the uses of the blood soul banner."

"Ximen Shuai, you're too despicable," Lin Fan said. "If I practice the Blood Shadow Secret Manual, I will surely suffer a mental breakdown."

Ximen Shuai took out a small tripod: "This treasure is called the Three Pure Tripod. Once refined, it can protect your mind."

"You're too generous. To find out a piece of information, you give me a blood soul banner, the Blood Shadow Secret Manual, and the Three Pure Tripod." Lin Fan smiled, but suddenly his face stiffened, and he fell to the ground, eyes wide open, motionless.

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