The path of cultivation lies in cultivating the mind, and the art of brush and ink is nearly an essential skill for cultivators.
Thus, sketching soone's portrait is not considered anything too difficult for Ding Fan.
The portrait was of the elder who competed with Ding Fan for the Emperor Pit Bronze Mirror at the auction on Mount Lu.
Previously, Ye Tianshi had briefly described the elder's appearance, and Ding Fan thought it resembled that gaunt old man quite closely.
Ye Tianshi glanced at the portrait and quickly nodded. "It's him."
Ding Fan's expression grew heavy.
On that day, Ding Fan used his Divine Sense to investigate and discern that the elder was indeed a cultivator. Now, recalling the depleted flesh and blood, Ding Fan was reminded of a specific cultivation thod found in the Cultivation World.
It was a demonic cultivation.
These individuals would absorb the flesh and blood of those with special constitutions, refining transformative energy for their practice.
This thod of cultivation defied natural laws, destabilizing the foundations of the Cultivation World itself; thus, whenever demonic cultivators appeared, cultivators would unite to attack them.
But Ding Fan hadn't anticipated that the elder he encountered was also a demonic cultivator.
"How is Ruan Yuan doing now?" Ding Fan asked with concern.
"I covered Ruan Yuan's escape; I believe he should be safe," Ye Tianshi replied.
Ding Fan nodded. "Your injuries are no longer life-threatening, so focus on resting well from now on."
"Ding Fan, you must find Ruan Yuan. Don't let him encounter any harm. Ruan Yuan knows about that demonic head, and I imagine the enemy won't spare him lightly," Ye Tianshi said worriedly.
Ye Tianshi's daughter, Linger, was still waiting for the Divine Power Herb from the Immortal Realm. If sothing happened to Ruan Yuan, they truly wouldn't have anywhere else to turn.
Ding Fan nodded.
After making arrangents with Ye Tianshi, Ding Fan imdiately left the place.
Returning to his own residence, Ding Fan began preparations to locate Ruan Yuan.
As Ye Tianshi said, since Ruan Yuan knew about the demonic head's existence, how could that demonic cultivator possibly let him off so easily?
Without delay, Ding Fan left behind a note and took flight into the night, controlling his sword as he traveled.
Yongfan Island was now running smoothly, and with Hu Jin and the others there, Ding Fan didn't need to worry too much over its affairs.
Through the night, Ding Fan controlled his sword and headed straight to Mount Lu.
According to Ye Tianshi, that gaunt elder had last appeared in this location.
Though Ding Fan didn't hold out much hope of finding Ruan Yuan here, he still had to co investigate. Perhaps there might be clues that could be discovered.
Ding Fan spent the entire day traveling around Mount Lu's surroundings but found nothing. As night approached, Ding Fan decided not to continue searching and prepared to rest here.
At this mont, Ding Fan was in the deep forest of Mount Lu. Exiting this place would require traveling a considerable distance.
One reason Ding Fan chose to stay here overnight was its tranquility; additionally, the Spiritual Energy here was rather abundant, making it an ideal spot to sit and cultivate.
Ding Fan operated his True Qi through two rounds of Grand Circulation and several rounds of Xiao Zhoutian.
And just then, Ding Fan suddenly detected several figures rapidly moving toward him.
This place was sparsely populated, and given the midnight hour, it was surprising to encounter anyone here. Imdiately, Ding Fan extended his Divine Sense outward.
Soon, he discovered eight individuals sprinting toward his location.
It turned out that these eight weren't in the sa group—two were running ahead, while six pursued them from behind.
From the six people in pursuit, Ding Fan could unmistakably sense an aura of intense deathly energy.
Clearly, these six individuals were mbers of the Ghost Gate.
Although Ding Fan had no information about the two being hunted, he decided to intervene. The enemy of one's enemy often becos a potential ally.
Imdiately, Ding Fan stood up and darted toward the direction of the two fleeing figures.
...
Swish swish...
Two silhouettes dashed forth in a panicked escape.
These two figures turned out to be young won in their early twenties, both quite beautiful.
"Sister, if we don't escape this place soon, they're chasing too fiercely. At this pace, we'll end up caught," one of the won said anxiously while glancing over her shoulder.
The woman addressed as "Sister" had delicate and refined features. Though furrowing her brows slightly, she resolutely declared after a mont of thought, "If they truly catch up to us, Linger, we'll end our own lives instead of letting them humiliate us."
The woman called "Linger" stiffened upon hearing her sister's words, then slowly nodded.
She clearly understood that if they were caught by those from the Ghost Gate, the tornt awaiting them would be unbearable. In such a case, choosing death was indeed preferable to disgrace.
"Zhao family mbers, you can't escape…" At this mont, a voice carried through the air, amplified with Inner Strength.
Linger knew their pursuers were closing the distance. Gritting her lips, she pushed herself to run with all her might.
Every extra step taken ant survival; otherwise, death was inevitable!
Huff… Just then, a beam of light suddenly surged from behind them, racing forward with ferocious speed. Caught off guard, the beautiful woman was struck directly in the leg by it.
With her balance imdiately disrupted, the woman plumted heavily toward the ground.
The beautiful woman had been sprinting at considerable speed, and this fall would undoubtedly result in severe injury if unchecked.
But just as the beautiful woman was about to hit the ground, a figure swiftly darted over and caught her mid-fall.
Montarily stunned, the beautiful woman hadn't expected anyone would co to rescue her in such dire monts.
She glanced up at the person who had caught her.
It was a young man with a clean, handso face. Though not physically imposing, he exuded a reassuring air of calmness…
The person was none other than Ding Fan.
When Ding Fan arrived, he imdiately saw the beautiful woman struck by a Magic Artifact. With no ti to lose, he intervened to save her.
Holding the beautiful woman securely in one arm, Ding Fan quickened his pace, grabbing Linger—who was still in mid-sprint—with his other hand. He then broke into a rapid retreat.
Ding Fan opted against engaging the pursuers head-on due to their nurical advantage; risking confrontation might jeopardize the lives of the two won.
The six pursuers were all Heavenly Level cultivators, and hiding among them was one Profound Level cultivator observing from the shadows. Ding Fan couldn't afford to be reckless in such circumstances.
"You… who are you? Let go of …" Linger protested as she was suddenly scooped up, panic evident in her voice.
"The one saving you. Stop moving if you don't want to die," Ding Fan said in a low, commanding tone.
Linger, stunned by Ding Fan's words, imdiately ceased struggling.
Feeling the incredible speed at which Ding Fan moved, the two won were filled with shock.
Both won were cultivators with Heavenly Level powers, but Ding Fan's sprinting speed far exceeded their limits.
And to note, Ding Fan was carrying two people—what kind of speed could he achieve if unburdened?
Ding Fan continued sprinting while using his Divine Sense to monitor the surrounding area.
The pursuers behind him were gradually falling behind, though they showed no signs of giving up. To completely evade them at this rate would require one to two hours of sustained effort.
Such exertion would severely deplete Ding Fan's True Qi.
He needed another way to shake them off completely.
Unleashing his Divine Sense in all directions, Ding Fan soon discovered a nearby earth crevice several kiloters away.
The crevice spanned over ten ters wide.
Its depth was marked by intricate, complex terrain; if he led the won down there and the pursuers dared to follow, Ding Fan could exploit the terrain to overwhelm them.
Having made up his mind, Ding Fan wasted no ti. His figure blurred as he sprinted toward the crevice.
Within re minutes, Ding Fan reached the fissure. Without hesitation, he leapt down, bringing the two won with him.
Just two minutes after Ding Fan disappeared into the earth crevice, six figures arrived at its edge. They hesitated briefly, unable to decide whether to descend.
Swish…
Interrupting their hesitation, a white-bearded elder appeared before them.
"Tenth Elder, the Zhao family mbers have been taken into the crevice by an unexpected interloper…"
The elder addressed as the Tenth Elder listened to his subordinate, then extended his telekinesis to probe the crevice below.
"Guard this fissure. There's no other exit here; eventually, they'll have to co out," the Tenth Elder said nonchalantly.
The Tenth Elder's telekinesis revealed the maze-like complexity of the crevice's interior. A reckless descent might fail to apprehend the targets and even risk ambush.
"Understood…" the six Ghost Gate disciples responded in unison.
...
After landing in the crevice with the two won, Ding Fan set them down and began focusing on monitoring external movents. If anyone indeed descended, he would be ready to neutralize the threat.
However, after more than ten minutes passed without movent above, Ding Fan finally let out a breath of relief. It seed the attackers were wary of the crevice's treacherous layout and had refrained from pursuing further.
"Who are you, and why did you help us?" the beautiful woman asked Ding Fan, her gaze guarded.
Linger stood protectively in front of her sister, gripping her sword tightly.
"Who I am isn't important—you only need to know I an you no harm," Ding Fan replied indifferently.
He had no intention of revealing his identity as the Spirit Sect Sect Master.
Firstly, the Spirit Sect was one of the three major forces among the Hidden Sects. For a young man to claim such status might elicit disbelief. Secondly, there was no point in divulging such information.
The beautiful woman scrutinized Ding Fan up and down.
There was an oddly pleasant aura emanating from Ding Fan—a transcendent and pure essence, ethereal and calming.
Even his gaze, as he studied her, was clean and clear.
Typically, when n looked at her, their eyes revealed a mix of emotions.
Admiration, lust, avarice…
But Ding Fan's eyes, while appraising, showed nothing but pure appreciation.
"Who are you? Why was the Ghost Gate targeting you?" Ding Fan asked casually.
The beautiful woman pondered for a mont before finally speaking. "We belong to the Hidden Sects—mbers of the Zhao family. My na is Zhao Yan… The Ghost Gate has been relentlessly assaulting our family lately. Unable to hold out, the family head sent to deliver a ssage to the Wang family in Ming City…"
"The Wang family in Ming City is also part of the Hidden Sects?" Ding Fan inquired.
Zhao Yan nodded. "The Wang family has connections to the Spirit Sect. We hope they can help us reach out to the Spirit Sect for assistance…"
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