The person who arrived was not very old, probably around Ding Fan's age. His cultivation was extraordinary, appearing to be of the Heavenly Level, First or Second Grade.
However, his deanor was extrely arrogant, full of superiority and condescension.
"Kid, was it you who bullied my junior sister?" The man pointed at Ding Fan's nose as he spoke.
"Your junior sister?"
Ding Fan suddenly recalled soone—the Spirit Sect disciple nad i Zhi, who had tried to harm him with Sword Qi in the forest earlier.
At that ti, Ding Fan had dispersed her Sword Qi with a wave of his palm. If that could be considered bullying, then that was the only instance. After all, Ding Fan had only interacted with the female disciple from the Spirit Sect on that one occasion.
"What, demonic head, so soon you've already forgotten ?" At that mont, i Zhi's cold figure appeared before Ding Fan.
Seeing i Zhi, Ding Fan imdiately understood that she had brought him there, not Zhang Shanlian.
Ding Fan naturally also understood why i Zhi was calling him a demonic head. i Zhi must still be misunderstanding that those twenty-so people had been drained of their flesh and blood by him.
"Junior sister, don't be angry. Leave this kind of scum to ," the man said, swinging his right hand as a longsword instantly appeared in his hand.
While speaking to i Zhi, the man's face was full of ingratiation. Ding Fan could tell that this man was clearly trying to curry favor with i Zhi before coming to confront him.
"Kid, if you don't want to lose an arm or a leg, kneel down now and apologize to my junior sister."
Ding Fan couldn't be bothered to pay attention to i Zhi or the self-absorbed man beside her. Without hesitation, Ding Fan turned and walked away, showing no intention of engaging further with them.
The man saw Ding Fan blatantly ignoring them, and his brow furrowed tightly. "Kid, do you know who I am? Zhao Shanhe is my father, and you dare offend !"
"What does that have to do with ?" Ding Fan replied indifferently.
"Kid, I'll teach you a lesson!"
The man swung his longsword, sending a surge of Sword Qi straight toward Ding Fan's head.
The opponent's initial strike was a killing move, which greatly annoyed Ding Fan.
The opponent had unleashed their full Inner Strength. If Ding Fan's cultivation had been lacking, or if he hadn't received Wen Yizhou's inheritance, he would have been slain under the opponent's sword.
"Scram!" Faced with soone attempting to take his life, Ding Fan could not tolerate such audacity. He raised his foot and struck.
Before the man could even approach Ding Fan, he was directly sent flying by Ding Fan's kick.
Even though Ding Fan hadn't used his full strength, the kick was enough to make the man suffer. After crashing through over a dozen Ink Bamboo stalks, the man landed in a pitiful heap on the ground.
i Zhi furrowed her elegant brows tightly at the sight.
i Zhi hadn't expected that the man, with a cultivation of Heavenly Level, Second Grade, would be instantly defeated by Ding Fan. Now looking at the man, his eyes were blank, his body convulsing—clearly, he wouldn't be able to get up anyti soon.
Just then, Ding Fan suddenly felt a figure dart past him.
The influence of the Ink Bamboo limited Ding Fan's Divine Sense, preventing him from tracking the figure's full movents.
Nonetheless, even in that split second, Ding Fan identified the figure based on their aura.
The figure darting into the Ink Bamboo forest was Gui Zhen. However, due to the Ink Bamboo interfering with Divine Sense and Telekinesis, Gui Zhen passed nearby without noticing Ding Fan and the others.
Why was Gui Zhen here?
A faint unease crept into Ding Fan's heart.
Ignoring i Zhi and the incapacitated man, Ding Fan promptly transford into a blur of motion, pursuing Gui Zhen's direction.
i Zhi, unaware of Ding Fan's pursuit of Gui Zhen, thought Ding Fan was avoiding her. Instead of running out of the forest, he was advancing deeper into it.
Feeling a surge of urgency, i Zhi was alard.
She knew that the endpoint of Ink Bamboo led to the Spirit Sect Forbidden Land. Could Ding Fan seriously intend to enter the Forbidden Land?
i Zhi bit her lip.
Ding Fan's cultivation was incredibly formidable, and i Zhi knew she couldn't stop him alone. But allowing Ding Fan to enter the Forbidden Land would an enormous bla falling on her. After all, she was the one who had led Ding Fan here.
After a brief hesitation, i Zhi decided to chase after him. Regardless, she had to uphold the dignity of the Spirit Sect. Resolving herself in the mont, she decided that if necessary, she would perish alongside Ding Fan, rather than let him casually enter the Forbidden Land.
Ding Fan maintained a cautious distance while pursuing Gui Zhen, staying close enough to keep Gui Zhen within the range of his Divine Sense.
Gui Zhen, running at full speed, seed entirely unaware that he was being tracked.
After nearly half an hour of sprinting, Gui Zhen finally stopped. Ding Fan also paused, concealing himself behind a massive boulder.
Gui Zhen had arrived at the end of the Ink Bamboo forest, where a towering mountain blocked the way.
Ding Fan could feel ancient and mysterious energies emanating from the mountain. Although he couldn't pinpoint the significance of the place, he knew it was far from ordinary—likely an important site for the Spirit Sect.
"Gui Zhen, you're early," a square-faced elder erged from the opposite side of the Ink Bamboo forest.
"Feng Shanxing, you're not late either," Gui Zhen replied.
Feng Shanxing?
Ding Fan furrowed his brows slightly.
Earlier, atop the pavilion, Ding Fan had learned that the Spirit Sect was currently governed by the Four Great Protectors, among whom Feng Shanxing was one.
Ding Fan couldn't understand why Feng Shanxing would et with Gui Zhen here. Could it be they shared so unspeakable secrets?
"Gui Zhen, don't forget that your Ghost Sect is supposed to support in becoming the sect master of the Spirit Sect," Feng Shanxing stated bluntly.
Gui Zhen nodded. "I haven't forgotten. The Ghost Sect has always kept its promises."
"How many people have your Ghost Sect brought?"
"Enough to ensure your ascension as Spirit Sect Sect Master," Gui Zhen replied calmly. "However, the Spirit Sect's passageway..."
Feng Shanxing glanced at Gui Zhen and said, "I've already arranged for loyal disciples. Tomorrow, a signal flare will go off. At that ti, the passageway between the Spirit Sect and the Mortal Realm will open. You can have the disciples of Ghost Sect rush in to support my ascension as sect master."
"Rest assured, but bear in mind—after you beco sect master, you must fulfill your promise to our Ghost Sect," Gui Zhen warned.
"Understood. The Seven-Colored Spirit Pearls will be handed over—all six in our possession," Feng Shanxing declared.
Gui Zhen shook his head. "Now it should be seven. Today, soone nad Ding Fan delivered a red Spiritual Pearl as his gift. Now, your Spirit Sect's Seven-Colored Spirit Pearls have been fully assembled…"
"What?" Feng Shanxing's eyes widened imdiately. For centuries, they had failed to collect all Seven-Colored Spirit Pearls. The division and conflict within the Spirit Sect, despite its outward appearance of unity, stemd largely from their struggle over the pearls.
"I wouldn't lie to you," Gui Zhen said. "I was present at the ti."
Feng Shanxing nodded. "As long as you fulfill your end of the bargain, I will ensure the seven pearls are delivered to your Ghost Sect."
Hidden in the shadows, Ding Fan listened and felt profoundly dismayed.
Feng Shanxing's actions were akin to inviting disaster into the sect. With the Ghost Sect infiltrating the Spirit Sect, peace would be impossible—the sect would likely face annihilation.
Even if the Ghost Sect held to their word and helped Feng Shanxing seize power, their obsession with the Seven-Colored Spirit Pearls hinted at their underlying sches. Considering the pearls were treasures left by Wen Yizhou, their significance was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Yet Feng Shanxing was willing to betray such ancestral relics for his own gain.
"Uncle Feng? Why are you here?" Suddenly, a voice rang out.
Ding Fan was montarily stunned before releasing his Divine Sense again.
After sensing the surroundings, Ding Fan's brows furrowed tightly. Sohow, i Zhi had managed to catch up to this location.
At the mont, i Zhi appeared unaware of the danger, conversing with Feng Shanxing.
Even Feng Shanxing hadn't anticipated soone showing up here. From his perspective, as this was the Spirit Sect Forbidden Land, no disciples should be wandering here.
"Hmm? Why are you here?" i Zhi imdiately noticed Gui Zhen, growing alard and cautious.
Having witnessed Gui Zhen's ruthless thods before, i Zhi felt deeply uneasy toward him.
"Feng Shanxing, is this person from your Spirit Sect? Deal with her and silence her," Gui Zhen said indifferently.
i Zhi tensed, glancing warily at Feng Shanxing.
"Uncle Feng..."
Before i Zhi could finish speaking, Feng Shanxing struck—launching a sudden and overwhelming attack at her.
Feng Shanxing's cultivation had surged recently, approaching Fifth Grade of the Profound Level. Such power was far beyond i Zhi's ability to resist.
i Zhi felt completely immobilized, even struggling to breathe. A sense of utter despair overwheld her.
As Feng Shanxing's attack neared her, i Zhi knew she faced certain death.
Just as i Zhi was plunging into despair, a figure dashed forward, lifting her away. i Zhi imdiately felt her body lighten.
Boom—
In the instant that i Zhi was whisked away, the spot where she had stood was blasted into a massive pit by Inner Strength.
Seeing the pit, i Zhi felt a chilly dread. Had the attack landed on her, survival would have been impossible!
Peering at her rescuer, i Zhi was astounded—it was none other than the "little demonic head" Ding Fan whom she had intended to teach a lesson.
How could it possibly be him who saved her?
i Zhi had chased after Ding Fan relentlessly, but his speed had left her far behind. Ultimately, she had lost him entirely.
With no other option, i Zhi had headed straight for the Forbidden Land, where she encountered Feng Shanxing.
What she hadn't anticipated was that Feng Shanxing would try to kill her.
"Don't let them escape!" Seeing i Zhi rescued, Gui Zhen's expression grew sinister.
If she escaped now, their entire plan would be severely jeopardized.
Beside him, Feng Shanxing also harbored murderous intent.
At this mont, Ding Fan held i Zhi in his arms as his figure blurred, charging toward the mountain wall ahead.
The mountain wall concealed a hidden formation—it was actually the entrance to a cave. Without hesitation, Ding Fan carried i Zhi and dashed inside...
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