Boom!!!
A powerful sword arc burst forth from the ground, blocking the Nascent Soul protector of the Demonic Sect just as he was about to strike down Qinglian Immortal. The explosion scattered rocks and sent dirt flying in all directions.
"What's happening?!"
The Demonic Sect protector cried out in shock, halting his advance. He furrowed his brow, glaring at the sudden crack in the ground, while the demonic sect members following him also came to a stop.
At the same time, Qinglian Immortal, who had been ready to accept her fate, was equally astonished. Then, an indescribable joy surged through her heart.
"Although I don't know what's going on, this is my chance!"
Seizing the opportunity, Qinglian Immortal quickly retreated.
The disciples of Xuantian Sect followed suit, retreating as well. Meanwhile, the Xuantian Sect Master and Elder Zou began to help their two gravely injured Nascent Soul ancestors from the Qi Sect and Sword Sect.
Just then, a man clad in luxurious robes, with a high crown on his head, leaped out of the fissure in the earth. His appearance was dignified, handsome, and exuded the air of someone in a position of power.
This man was none other than Lin Li, who had just traveled back from Baixing Kingdom!
"Who are you?"
The Demonic Sect protector could feel the intense killing intent radiating from Lin Li. While the members of Xuantian Sect might not have sensed it as deeply, the Demonic Sect cultivators, well-versed in dark arts, were all too familiar with such murderous auras.
The killing intent surrounding Lin Li was incredibly solid, something that could only come from slaughtering countless people!
What concerned the protector even more was that this mysterious figure emerging from the ground was, like him, a Nascent Soul cultivator!
"And who are you?" Lin Li replied, noticing the protector's attire was identical to that of the Demonic Sect members who had once pursued him. His mood improved instantly, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.
"I am Pei Hu, one of the two great protectors of the Demonic Sect headquarters, and a Nascent Soul cultivator!" Pei Hu demanded again, "And who are you?"
"Me?" Lin Li sneered, "I am Lin Li, a disciple of Elder Zou from the Sword Sect of Xuantian Sect!"
"What???"
At that moment, everyone except Lin Li was dumbfounded.
What was going on? The person the Demonic Sect protector regarded as a dire threat was actually a disciple of Elder Zou, a mere Core Formation cultivator from the Xuantian Sword Sect?
That seemed utterly absurd!
All of the Demonic Sect members began to feel that their protector was perhaps being overly cautious.
Meanwhile, the members of Xuantian Sect were equally shocked.
Elder Zou, who had been helping the Nascent Soul ancestor of the Sword Sect, was visibly stunned.
"Lin Li?!"
Elder Zou was in disbelief. "Wasn't he killed during the first mission of the righteous and demonic war, hunted down by the Demonic Sect's young master and priest decades ago?"
After handing the Nascent Soul ancestor over to the other elders of the Sword Sect, Elder Zou turned around to look.
All he saw was Lin Li's back.
At the same time, Qinglian Immortal, also retreating, felt her heart race wildly.
"Is it really him?!"
The disciple who had once taken her purity had never left her thoughts. When she heard news of Lin Li's death, she had mourned in silence for a long time.
But now, she could never have imagined that the one who had saved her at the moment of death, emerging from the earth, would be…
Lin Li!
"Didn't he die long ago?" Qinglian Immortal quickly turned to look but could only see Lin Li's back. "Could it really be him? Did he return from the underworld to save me?"
Shaking her head, Qinglian Immortal smiled bitterly and thought to herself, "Qinglian, what nonsense are you thinking? How could that be possible? You must have heard wrong!"
Meanwhile, many of Lin Li's former peers from the Sword Sect, who were also present, were equally astonished by what they heard.
The former team leader of Lin Li's first mission, Wei Heng, looked at Lin Li's back in disbelief.
...
"Hahaha! Ridiculous!"
The Demonic Sect protector, Pei Hu, laughed mockingly. "You can stop pretending! How could a mere disciple from the Xuantian Sword Sect possess such hidden power?"
"Oh? You don't believe me?"
A cruel smile appeared on Lin Li's lips. The Baixing Holy War had already ended, and as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he had no worthy opponents to fight anymore. As a result, despite possessing the magic sword, Lin Li's cultivation had plateaued.
Returning to Zhao Kingdom was not only about vengeance but also about further advancing his cultivation.
Lin Li remembered clearly that the source of the chaos in the Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world was none other than the Demonic Sect!
And so, Lin Li prepared to unleash a massacre.
"If you don't believe me, I'll let you witness one of Xuantian Sword Sect's most powerful techniques, taught to me by my master, Elder Zou: the Jinghong Sword!"
Lin Li's shout echoed through the battlefield.
Everyone in Xuantian Sect was stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at Lin Li's back.
It was like a scene from a dream!
Especially for Elder Zou and Qinglian Immortal, who stood only thirty meters away from Lin Li, their hearts were shaken to the core.
Elder Zou trembled, "Is it really Lin Li? The Jinghong Sword is a technique only he mastered!"
Qinglian Immortal's heart was also in turmoil, "It's really him? He's clearly far beyond the Core Formation stage now! He… He's finally worthy of marrying me. What should I do?!"
As everyone reeled from shock and surprise…
A dazzling sword arc flashed through the air. In a fleeting moment, the Jinghong Sword sliced through all the demonic cultivators behind the protector, cutting them in half!
[You have killed a Demonic Sect cultivator at Core Formation Stage 3, gaining 37,567 evolution points.]
[You have killed a Demonic Sect cultivator at Core Formation Stage 5, gaining 55,264 evolution points.]
[You have killed a Demonic Sect cultivator at Core Formation Stage 7, gaining 78,421 evolution points.]
...
In an instant, the six Core Formation cultivators under the Demonic Sect protector were slain.
Excitement surged within Ye Fan as he exclaimed, "Three hundred thousand evolution points, secured!"
At the same time, Lin Li felt a familiar thrill rising within him.
"The magic sword has started feeding me energy again!"
After killing five Nascent Soul cultivators in the Baixing Holy War, Lin Li's cultivation had advanced to the peak of Nascent Soul Stage 2. Now, with the surge of energy from these kills, he felt the bottleneck beginning to loosen...