"Sigh, I can only hope that Lin Shidi has some kind of heavenly protection," the members of the Three Great Daoist Sects sighed as they shook their heads.
They had already given their all.
Yet, they couldn't even deal with the giant toad.
Now, having witnessed the death of its master, the giant toad had gone berserk.
Their team, apart from the three captains, was mostly injured and could no longer provide any help to Lin Li.
"We've done all we can. For now, we can only retreat and later hide in the surrounding area, hoping to offer Lin Shidi some assistance if possible," Wei Heng said, full of regret, though powerless to help further.
...
Deep inside the Hongjiang branch of the Demon Sect.
Lin Li was fleeing in the direction where the Three Great Daoist Sects had been pursued, which just so happened to be near the ancient blood altar!
At this moment...
Lin Li's body was drenched in blood, with three deep claw marks visible down to the bone on his right shoulder, and his back bore X-shaped cuts from both swords and blades.
If Lin Li hadn't been a cultivator, any ordinary person would have already perished by now!
Even so, Lin Li was still struggling to survive.
While in the slaughter state, Lin Li's spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and he had to use even more spiritual energy just to keep his meridians and veins intact, preventing himself from bleeding out.
Due to his severe injuries, Lin Li's speed had greatly diminished.
Whoosh... BOOM!
Suddenly, a giant toad appeared, leaving a long trail of afterimages as it leapt over Lin Li's head and slammed into the ground, causing a massive shockwave.
Behind Lin Li, the two remaining protectors of the Demon Sect were relentlessly chasing him with fury.
"Get out of my way!" Lin Li gritted his teeth and shouted at the enormous toad blocking his path.
"Croak!!!"
The giant toad, of course, wouldn't listen to him.
It let out an angry cry and shot out its tongue.
As everyone knows, frogs and toads primarily use their tongues to catch prey.
But the giant toad's tongue was far from the kind used by frogs in the natural world to catch flies—it resembled a missile!
The massive tongue shot out with lightning speed, too fast for Lin Li to dodge.
He could only raise his sword in front of him just as the tongue struck.
Clang!
With a deafening sound, Lin Li's body was hurled backward!
The impact caused the wounds Lin Li had been protecting with his spiritual energy to tear open, and fresh blood flowed freely!
Just as Lin Li was sent flying, an indescribable, mysterious force surged up within him.
It seemed to drain his remaining spiritual energy like water, but then transformed it into a warm, healing power that quickly mended his wounds.
His depleted spiritual energy was swiftly replenished, thanks to Ye Fan's constant energy feedback.
...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Lin Li crashed through three of the Demon Sect's two-story buildings before finally coming to a stop, his feet skidding across the ground and leaving deep tracks in the dirt as he planted his sword into the earth to stabilize himself, panting heavily.
"Your life is mine!"
Before Lin Li could catch his breath, the two protectors who had been chasing him charged at him, shouting for his death.
"Hahaha, hahahaha!"
To their surprise, Lin Li suddenly burst out laughing hysterically!
"What's this?"
"Has he gone mad, knowing he's about to die?"
The two protectors were puzzled but didn't slow their assault.
"Perfect!" Lin Li laughed wildly to himself. "As I expected, I gambled right this time!"
Thanks to that mysterious power, Lin Li's wounds had healed almost completely in just a few breaths.
At the same time, the energy feedback from Ye Fan had allowed Lin Li to break through the bottleneck of the fifth stage of Foundation Establishment and advance to...
The sixth stage of Foundation Establishment!
At this moment, although Lin Li's wounds had not fully healed, they were close.
And in just a few more breaths, his injuries would be completely healed!
More importantly...
His power had grown even stronger—he had advanced from the peak of the fifth stage of Foundation Establishment to the sixth stage!
"You want to die?" Lin Li's wild laughter ceased, and his voice turned icy, filled with killing intent.
The two protectors were suddenly struck with fear, their bodies breaking out in cold sweat!
However, they had seen Lin Li's severe injuries with their own eyes.
As terrifying as Lin Li was, they believed he was now at the end of his strength.
Suppressing their fear, they shouted, "Still acting tough when you're about to die?"
With that, they swung their sword and blade, closing in on Lin Li!
A bloodthirsty smile curled on Lin Li's lips, "Jing! Hong! Sword!"
"What?!"
The two protectors gasped in shock, "How can he still...?!"
Before they could finish their sentence, the red sword arc of the Jinghong Sword had already beheaded them both!
[Killed the seventh-stage Foundation Establishment protector of the Hongjiang Demon Sect, gained 7,888 evolution points]
[Killed the eighth-stage Foundation Establishment protector of the Hongjiang Demon Sect, gained 8,999 evolution points]
"This kid has incredible luck, to survive all this!" Ye Fan's soul couldn't help but smile. "But this works out well. With a swordmaster like him, I'll reach the Immortal Realm sooner!"
"Croak!!!"
The giant toad, having witnessed the deaths of the two protectors, let out a deafening roar of rage!
Instead of fleeing, it seemed ready to fight to the death.
"Since you're seeking death too, hahaha! Then come!" Lin Li laughed heartily as he charged head-on toward the giant toad!
Having learned from their previous encounter, Lin Li was well-prepared for the giant toad's attack this time.
In his slaughter state, all of Lin Li's abilities had been drastically enhanced.
The giant toad's tongue attack, while powerful, no longer posed a threat to Lin Li.
Slash!
Sidestepping the tongue's strike, Lin Li swung his sword, severing the giant toad's tongue with a swift cut!
Beast blood sprayed everywhere!
The giant toad let out a pained screech and jumped in agony.
Although its skin had been toughened enough to resist Foundation Establishment-level attacks, its tongue—especially the middle portion—remained one of the weakest parts of its body, aside from its eyes.
Now, with its tongue severed, the toad could only rely on its massive body for offense.
But...
Did its physical strength matter to Lin Li?
Could mere flesh compete with refined steel?
"Jinghong Sword!!!"
"Jinghong Sword!!!"
"Jinghong Sword!!!"
As Ye Fan continued feeding him energy, Lin Li unleashed a relentless series of powerful strikes at the giant toad!
Despite its enormous size, the giant toad soon found itself covered in wounds, blood pouring from its body.
At last, after sustaining countless injuries, the giant toad made a fatal mistake.
Seizing the moment, Lin Li leaped high into the air.
With a final Jinghong Sword strike, he plunged his blade into the giant toad's eye, shattering the eyeball and driving the sword deep into its brain!
[Killed the False Core-level Hongjiang Demon Sect guardian beast, gained 16,666 evolution points]