Wang Clan Patriarch felt a twisted sense of delight rising within him.
He thought, if that strike could chop off Daoist Longshan's head, that would be great. It was very likely—after all, only those who had experienced it firsthand would know how terrifying that slash was.
Even he had paid a heavy price, let alone Daoist Longshan who had only recently stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm. Wang Clan Patriarch clearly remembered their previous battle—Daoist Longshan had potential, but he was still slightly inferior in strength.
He hoped Daoist Longshan would end up worse than him.
Old Demon Lin's blood-red blade appeared too abruptly. The others hadn't reacted in time—or rather, only two people had responded. But General Shenyu was solely focused on killing Old Demon Lin and didn't even glance at that blade. He immediately chased after the blood light that Old Demon Lin had transformed into.
At this moment, Old Demon Lin was using the Bloodburning Technique and wouldn't last long, so General Shenyu had to stay close.
There was one more person who reacted—Green Ox Bladesman.
But when he saw the blood-red blade aiming at Wang Clan Patriarch, he naturally didn't interfere.
However, his expression suddenly changed.
That blood-red blade, after severing one of Wang Clan Patriarch's arms, continued forward with unstoppable force toward Daoist Longshan!
Green Ox Bladesman shouted and drew his blade, but it was still a bit rushed. Blades of Sword Qi slashed out at great speed—fast, but lacking in power.
The blood-red blade cleaved through the Sword Qi one by one and continued heading for Daoist Longshan.
Daoist Longshan was greatly alarmed.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
Though he had been in combat the whole time, he focused mainly on defense, constantly observing his surroundings—far better off than Wang Clan Patriarch, who had gone all-out in a head-on fight. Thus, he had already noticed the incoming blood-red blade.
Old Demon Lin's strike had first severed Wang Clan Patriarch's arm, then been blocked by Green Ox Bladesman's Sword Qi. Its power was less than half of its peak.
"I can block it."
Daoist Longshan's eyes were razor sharp, and the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art taught by Ning Qi began operating silently within him.
In an instant—
A mysterious force surged inside his body. He felt that his control over the power of heaven and earth had suddenly surged, boosting his confidence even more.
Daoist Longshan swung his sword, stirring wind and thunder, and struck toward the blood-red blade.
Boom!
A violent tremor rang out. Huge bursts of blood-red light bloomed in the night sky, horrifying to behold.
The blood-red blade fell powerlessly, while Daoist Longshan, unable to bear the shockwave, was sent flying.
His insides shook, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood—he was injured.
But he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
All things considered, this was already a great outcome. Hadn't Wang Clan Patriarch become the One-Armed Patriarch? He only had to rest and recover for half a year—far luckier than Wang Clan Patriarch. ＲΑŊố₿ĘṤ
He cast a grateful glance toward Green Ox Bladesman in the distance. If not for his intervention, his injuries would've been worse.
Of course—
The most important thing was still the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art taught by Ning Qi. Without it, he'd either be crippled or dead.
Wang Clan Patriarch was in disbelief.
He was full of frustration and could only vent his rage on the Heaven-Man Realm cultivator from the Demonic Sect in front of him. Though he had lost an arm, the Demonic Sect's expert was in even worse shape. Two against one was still a crushing advantage.
Green Ox Bladesman let out a breath of relief, slightly amazed. He hadn't expected Daoist Longshan to turn the tables in such a desperate situation.
At that moment—
The battlefield situation shifted dramatically.
Old Demon Lin fled with the Bloodburning Technique, and General Shenyu was in pursuit.
The Demonic Sect division was now facing complete annihilation.
Green Ox Bladesman hesitated, unsure what to do—then heard General Shenyu's voice from afar:
"Brother Green Ox, help them quickly clean up the aftermath, then come assist this general!"
He continued chasing Old Demon Lin into the distance.
Green Ox Bladesman no longer hesitated.
His eyes swept over the battlefield.
Nine versus four—one of the Heaven-Man Ranking powerhouses on their side was unchallenged. No need to guess the result.
Moments later—
All four Demonic Sect Heaven-Man cultivators were defeated.
Though some tried to use forbidden techniques, the disparity was too great—they were still suppressed. On the Great Yan Dynasty's side, some Heaven-Man experts were also wounded.
Wang Clan Patriarch was the worst—one arm gone, his vitality weakened, face pale.
Among the others, the four court Heaven-Man cultivators were more seriously wounded. They had done most of the fighting. One had a bloody gash across his chest, with Sword Qi still ravaging inside.
As for Lord Xiaoyao and the others, they only suffered minor injuries—they had held back to preserve themselves.
If Daoist Longshan hadn't been ambushed by Old Demon Lin's blade, he too would've been lightly wounded. Now, he needed half a year to heal.
To this—
The court experts understood well but said nothing. After all, the fact that they came to help was already a favor; such things were hard to judge.
"The court recognizes all of your contributions. Once the General returns, he will certainly report your merits!"
A Heaven-Man Realm expert from the court said with a smile.
"But this extermination of the Demonic Sect isn't yet complete. The General is still pursuing Old Demon Lin. To avoid accidents, please assist the General. I'll stay behind to clean up."
Everyone gave slight nods.
Letting an old demon escape was never a good thing.
That man glanced at the pale Wang Clan Patriarch and added:
"Patriarch Wang, you're heavily injured. Why not stay here with me?"
But Wang Clan Patriarch shook his head in refusal.
"I'll go with you."
The look in Old Demon Lin's eyes before he fled had given him chills. He had an ominous feeling—if he didn't personally see Old Demon Lin die, he wouldn't be able to sleep.
Seeing this, the man didn't press further.
In a flash—
Several Heaven-Man experts soared into the sky, following the aura that General Shenyu had deliberately left behind.
...
Night sky.
Two streaks of light tore through the heavens—one fleeing, one chasing—causing a great commotion.
Some who saw the astonishing disturbance fled far away in fear, not daring to get close.
One of the streaks was blood-red, full of killing intent, in front;
The other was cyan, brimming with murderous aura, behind.
They were Old Demon Lin and General Shenyu.
Old Demon Lin kept burning his blood, pushing his speed to the limit. But General Shenyu, using some unknown secret art, barely kept up.
This shocked Old Demon Lin. He roared angrily:
"Shenyu! You wiped out my Deadfire Abyss division and now want to wipe us all out?! Such ambition!"
From afar came General Shenyu's icy voice:
"Relax. You're not getting away."
"The Bloodburning Technique consumes your blood essence. How long can you hold out?"
Old Demon Lin sneered:
"Hold out? I took a Blood Demon Flower—how long do you think I can last? At least two days and nights won't be a problem."
General Shenyu felt a jolt of tension—but said coldly:
"Then this general will chase you for two days and nights!"
"If you've got reinforcements, bring them! This general would be glad to earn more merit!"
They continued hurling threats—also probing each other's resolve.
There was no doubt—
General Shenyu's words left Old Demon Lin speechless.
In truth, his condition was very bad. Seriously injured, barely sustaining the Bloodburning Technique with the Blood Demon Flower.
He could feel the medicinal effects fading, and his injuries worsening. After all, the flower couldn't completely offset the technique's toll.
But most importantly—he couldn't shake off General Shenyu.
With the Blood Demon Flower's aura, hiding was impossible. Even miles apart, his presence could be sensed.
That guy was tailing him relentlessly, using some kind of treasure or secret art—he was in better shape than Old Demon Lin even after using the Blood Demon Flower. He was just waiting for him to wear out.
"What do I do?" Old Demon Lin's thoughts raced.
He had intended to send a signal to summon Demonic Sect reinforcements—but if too few came, they'd just be cannon fodder.
The Blood Demon Flower could only let him run for two days.
After that, if he kept burning blood essence, he wouldn't last long.
In such a short time, there was no way to gather strong enough allies or flee far enough. The Demonic Sect headquarters was remote—not reachable quickly.
"If I head toward Yunzhou, there's another division there. But... it's even weaker than Deadfire Abyss—useless."
He rejected idea after idea.
He bitterly realized—he was in a dead-end.
His best outcome? Run for two days, burn out, then get killed by General Shenyu.
The Blood Demon Flower continued to burn.
Suddenly—
Old Demon Lin shuddered. A mad gleam lit up his eyes.
"No! No, I still have a chance!"
"If I head toward Qingzhou, there's a deadly place called Blackwind Cliff. The Black Fiend Wind there is terrifying—even Heaven-Man experts rarely survive—but there's still a sliver of hope!"
"This is already a dead end—why not gamble on that one sliver?! Once I enter Blackwind Cliff, Shenyu won't dare follow. A nine-in-ten chance of death is better than a guaranteed one!"
Madness surged in Old Demon Lin's eyes.
This might be his only chance.
A few breaths later, his mind was set.
He would gamble!
"To Qingzhou!"
"And while I'm at it, I'll vent some rage!"
A savage grin rose on Old Demon Lin's face.
In this battle at Deadfire Abyss, the one he hated most was General Shenyu—pursuing him to the ends of the earth.
Next was Wang Quan.
He had heard people yelling during the battle—this old bastard brought reinforcements with the Martial Saint Token.
If not for that, how would he have ended up like this?
Last was Daoist Longshan.
If it weren't for that stupid Heaven-Man Ceremony he was hosting, so many Heaven-Man experts wouldn't have gathered.
He couldn't touch General Shenyu for now—but he could vent on the other two.
His earlier slash—he didn't know if it killed them or not. That unresolved rage was still burning.
Now that he was passing through Qingzhou, he might as well collect some interest.
If he remembered correctly—
The Wang Clan and Zhenwu Sect were both in Qingzhou!
The moment the evil thought arose, Old Demon Lin could no longer suppress it.
Demonic Sect members always paid back blood with blood.
The Blood Demon Flower would last him two days—going to Blackwind Cliff would only take a little over a day.
He could spare some energy to attack—it was no issue.
Neither faction had a Heaven-Man expert overseeing them—it wouldn't take much time.
Thinking this—
Old Demon Lin erupted in a burst of blood light, blazing through the sky even faster.
Behind him, General Shenyu's eyes turned cold.
"Trying to run? Not happening!"
A faint light shone from within his chest, merging with the cyan armor on his body.
His speed also rose a notch—but still fell behind Old Demon Lin.
The distance gradually widened—but General Shenyu wasn't anxious.
He knew Old Demon Lin's outburst wouldn't last.
As long as he kept following, the gap would shrink again.
"Old Demon Lin, struggle all you want—you're doomed!" He sneered.
...
Qingzhou.
Wang Clan's splendid estate.
The setting sun was like blood, casting dazzling colors across the glazed tiles of the mansion, drawing awe and envy from passersby.
Though Daoist Longshan had previously come knocking, embarrassing the Wang Clan, some still praised their grandeur. In this city, the Wang Clan remained the undisputed overlord.
At the moment—
Clan Head Wang Qinghe was inspecting the main bloodline's younger disciples' progress. His reprimanding voice echoed through the sparring arena:
"You have the best cultivation resources, yet this is how you repay the clan? Do you feel no shame?"
"The patriarch has gone to the Heaven-Man Ceremony. If he seizes the chance to achieve Heaven-Man status, do you think that opportunity will ever reach you? If it falls into another bloodline's hands, in a hundred years, you won't even be mainline disciples anymore!"
He roared in fury.
The young disciples all lowered their heads, trembling.
Suddenly—
One person looked up, pupils dilated, stammering:
"Clan Head... b-blood..."
Wang Qinghe was irritated.
"Blood what? Isn't that just sunset light? Useless brat..."
He turned to look, still cursing—but instantly fell silent.
A look of terror flashed in his eyes—he sensed a terrifying aura.
"Heaven-Man..."
In the distant sky—
A blood light streaked by, filled with murderous intent.
For some reason, Wang Qinghe felt it was headed straight for the Wang Clan.
He wasn't wrong.
In a blink—
That blood light stopped above the Wang Clan estate.
A sinister, white-haired elder appeared before everyone.
A crushing pressure surged out.
Some weaker Wang Clan disciples and servants fell to their knees.
"S-Senior… this is the Wang Clan of Qingzhou…" Wang Qinghe stammered.
Old Demon Lin glanced at the Wang Clan's name plaque by the gate, a twisted smile on his lips.
"Wang Clan? You're exactly who I'm looking for!"
He waved his hand.
The Blood Demon Flower's power erupted.
Heaven and earth trembled.
In an instant, terrifying blood-red Blade Qi shot into the sky—
And slashed down toward the Wang Clan estate.