Chapter 48

Despicable! Xiefengzi cursed inwardly. After being hit by the Qiankun Ring, the true fire scattered, and Xiefengzi took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and his body exploded into more than a dozen flames that rapidly darted in all directions. Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai each targeted a flame and attacked, extinguishing two of them. When they looked again, the other flames had already fled. Ximen Shuai sighed, "The Great Fire Body Splitting Technique is indeed formidable." The Great Fire Body Splitting Technique splits into more than a dozen real flames, and as long as one flame remains unextinguished, Xiefengzi will not die.

Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan had come with multiple coordinated strategies to deal with the thousand-year-old fox demon, but they unexpectedly encountered Xiefengzi first. Facing Xiefengzi's cultivation, Lin Fan decisively used the first strategy, trapping Xiefengzi with the Nine Turnings Demon Binding Technique, while Ximen Shuai attacked when Xiefengzi was immobilized. Although he landed a hit, Xiefengzi ultimately managed to escape.

Ximen Shuai said, "However, the Great Fire Body Splitting Technique damages one's cultivation. Although only two flames were extinguished, Xiefengzi has suffered severe injuries and can only enter seclusion to recover in the near future."

Lin Fan said, "Unfortunately, next time Xiefengzi won't engage in a true qi battle with me." The Nine Turnings Demon Binding Technique requires the true qi of both parties to come into contact or for their bodies to touch in order to be used.

Ximen Shuai nodded, "The Great Fire Body Splitting Technique is not that simple. He was caught off guard this time, but if he had split into a fiery body to face us, he might have had a chance to escape unscathed."

Lin Fan asked curiously, "What if you faced him one-on-one?"

"I would win," Ximen Shuai answered confidently. He possessed the immortal-level magical treasure, the Seven Break Flags. Being a high, rich, and handsome man, he naturally had more resources than others. However, Ximen Shuai did not want to use the Seven Break Flags unless absolutely necessary, as their abilities were fixed, and relying too much on them would limit his own development.

The Fire Deity Sect, strictly speaking, is not considered an evil sect. It was founded a thousand years ago by an outsider from a very distant place. The sect venerates fire, believing it to be the source of life. There is also a saying that as long as the fire does not extinguish, life will not cease. However, seven hundred years ago, the Fire Deity Sect's leader coveted power and began spreading the faith and recruiting disciples among the people. Over several decades, the number of disciples exceeded a million. On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the disciples of the Fire Deity Sect from the Eleven Continents rose up in rebellion. The emperors of the Eleven Continents fought separately, and three of the continents were completely overrun. The Fire Deity Sect's leader declared himself emperor and bestowed thousands of titles.

Afterward, under the leadership of the Central Continent's emperor, the various continents began to purge the Fire Deity Sect's disciples and besiege the three overrun continents. In the face of overwhelming defeat, the Fire Deity Sect's leader could not hold back and led the cultivators to join the power struggle. Using cultivation to slaughter mortals made them an evil sect, and the Purple Flute Hall immediately responded, uniting with eight other sects to directly attack the Fire Deity Sect's headquarters. In the end, the Fire Deity Sect's headquarters were breached, the leader was killed, and his followers scattered. A small number of them fled into the Vast Wasteland and reestablished the Fire Deity Sect.

The Fire Deity Sect remained obscure in the Vast Wasteland, even during the great battle of the evil sects, and did not stand out. However, over the past two hundred years, the Fire Deity Sect suddenly rose to prominence, swallowing six small evil sects nearby, unifying the Flame Mountain, and setting up protective formations, becoming one of the top ten evil sects in the Vast Wasteland.

Apart from the farce of the emperor's dream seven hundred years ago, the Fire Deity Sect has not engaged in much evil behavior. However, they have had conflicts with the Demon Sect and a few righteous disciples in the Vast Wasteland, showing no mercy. They claim, "We do not offend others unless they offend us, and if they do, we will retaliate." Additionally, the Fire Deity Sect does not interact with other evil sects and does not accept any invitations from them.

The Yunqing Sect has a certain subjective view of the Fire Deity Sect, considering it to be like the Poison Dragon Sect in the Ten Thousand Mountains, both righteous and evil. However, the Fire Deity Sect has engraved the humiliation of seven hundred years ago on a stele in front of the Flame Mountain Hall, indicating a strong hostile sentiment towards the Purple Flute Hall and other righteous sects. This also reflects the narrow-minded and vengeful nature of the Fire Deity Sect's members.

A battle between the righteous and the evil in the Great Snow Mountain is quite normal. Since no one died, everyone should just go home and find their own mothers. However, since Xiefengzi is a high-ranking expert of the Fire Deity Sect, according to the Fire Deity Sect's nature, this means they have a grudge. However, Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan were not too concerned. Xiefengzi would be in seclusion for some time, and by the time he emerged, they would have long returned to their own homes. Xiefengzi, no matter how arrogant, would not dare to recklessly invade the Twelve Continents.

Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai searched the Great Snow Mountain for four hours but did not encounter any isolated Ice Souls. They encountered at least seven or eight together. Lin Fan, who had been frozen once, was wary. Ultimately, at Lin Fan's suggestion, the two of them flew high and left the Great Snow Mountain.

Upon leaving the Great Snow Mountain, they entered the Vast Wasteland, a region characterized by deserts, wastelands, and swamps.

Upon entering the Vast Wasteland, Ximen Shuai warned, "Fly low and be on guard. Evil people frequently appear here. This is the map; memorize it. Don't blindly head towards someone's territory, or you won't know how you died."

Lin Fan looked at the map, "Is this the Purple Pupil Sect?"

"Yes, this is the Emerald Valley," Ximen Shuai said. "We will take the Wasteland Canyon, passing through the territory of two small evil sects. This route is relatively safe. Additionally, if we encounter any evil sect disciples, we should immediately attack to prevent them from raising the alarm and being surrounded."

This route is a detour, adding at least a hundred miles. Lin Fan asked, "Why can't we pretend to be evil sect disciples?"

"Good question. Don't assume that evil sect disciples greet each other with polite titles like 'Senior Brother' or 'Junior Brother' as in the righteous sects. Why are they called evil sects? Besides practicing evil techniques, they also have evil hearts. If you carry a few magical treasures and wander around, you might be killed at any moment. Therefore, another characteristic of evil sects is that they send out patrollers near their own mountains but do not venture far. Only elite experts like Xiefengzi roam freely. Generally, small sects do not provoke experts from large sects, and large sects also kill and plunder each other, but they do not act unless they are sure they can eliminate the evidence. Our unfamiliar faces appearing near someone's territory is like announcing the arrival of a fat sheep."

Lin Fan said, "But I can use the Bamboo Sword." The Blood Shadow Sect is a major sect. If he carried a banner and pretended to be a messenger, who would attack the least profitable messenger?

"..." Ximen Shuai was speechless, "But I can't."

Lin Fan asked curiously, "Last time in the Jiulang Mountains, I saw you use the Blood Shadow Technique?"

"That's not the Blood Shadow Technique; it's just using true qi to make your blood look like the Blood Shadow Technique." Ximen Shuai's eyes sparkled, "I can pretend to be a member of the Heavenly Border Sect. They cover their faces with cloth, leaving only their eyes exposed. The Heavenly Border Sect uses various poisons, and killing them is useless, so other evil sects do not actively provoke them."