More than a dozen massive Blood Mountains enveloped Lin Xuan, and a terrifying, blood-fiend aura engulfed his figure. Everyone thought he was done for.
But at that moment, a booming sound rang out. The dozen or so mountains trembled violently before cracks began to snake across their surfaces. A towering Sword Qi emerged and, with a single strike, split all of the mountains in half! Lin Xuan’s figure reappeared. He stood in the void, completely unharmed.
How could this be possible? The entire crowd was in shock. The members of the Demon Sect, the people of the Yu Family, Yu Fei, Clan Leader Yu, Blood Shadow, and even the hidden Mo Fan—all were left completely stunned. Everyone was utterly dumbfounded, staring speechless at the scene before them.
"Heavens, what’s happening?"
"He blocked it."
"Lin Xuan, he blocked it again!"
Mo Fan was deeply shaken. He had been in despair just moments ago, but unexpectedly, Lin Xuan had created another miracle! It was truly unbelievable.
How can this be? Blood Shadow’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in disbelief. Who would have thought he could block it again? And not only that, he even cleaved my attack apart! Damn it! How can Lin Xuan be so strong? She almost coughed up blood from sheer rage.
The Demon Sect members beside her also looked grim. Moments ago, they were smug, believing they had finally killed Lin Xuan. But in an instant, they were brutally slapped in the face by reality. How can this be happening?
Could it be that this kid’s Array is really sixth-grade? they thought, terrified.
"Luck!" Blood Shadow gritted her teeth. "This kid must have gotten lucky to block my attack."
Lin Xuan sneered dismissively. "Luck? What a joke. I told you already that this is a sixth-grade Array. You people are simply no match for me."
With that, Lin Xuan fully activated the Yin-Yang Array. Black and White Sword Qi crisscrossed in the air, releasing an overwhelming aura. As they felt this power, the bodies of the Demon Sect members trembled. This Array posed a fatal threat to them. It really was a sixth-grade Array.
Manor Master Yu roared with excitement, "Hahaha, fantastic! Our Yu Family is safe!" He threw his head back and laughed heartily. Hearing this, the rest of the Yu Family members erupted in an uproar.
"What? It’s truly a sixth-grade Array!"
"Fantastic!"
"We’re going to survive!"
They cheered with excitement. Before, when Lin Xuan had claimed to possess a sixth-grade Array, they hadn’t believed him in the slightest, thinking he was just bragging. But unexpectedly, he had been telling the truth! Lin Xuan really did have a sixth-grade Array! With this, he can definitely fend off a fifth-grade Array. He can win! That means our Yu Family will be safe!
"Damn it, retreat!" Blood Shadow’s expression was incredibly grim. She had never expected her opponent to hold such a trump card. She was completely outmatched. With a wave of her hand, she led her people in a hasty retreat.
But Lin Xuan snorted coldly. "Want to leave? Dream on!" He had no intention of letting these Demon Sect members escape. His figure flickered as he executed the Void Technique, instantly appearing before them.
Then, he fully unleashed the Yin-Yang Sword Array. Black and White Sword Qi swept out in all directions. Blood Shadow’s expression changed drastically as she hurriedly dodged. The other Demon Sect members were also terrified.
"Defend!"
"Quickly, defend!"
They frantically activated their fifth-grade Array to defend themselves. The two Arrays collided with a deafening roar, and a destructive force swept across the land. This time, however, the fifth-grade Array could no longer hold.
The Black and White Sword Qi penetrated the blood-red Array, instantly piercing through the bodies of the Demon Sect members.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Miserable screams rang out as dozens of Demon Sect members fell dead, one after another.
Lin Xuan slaughtered them as easily as crushing ants, leaving the members of the Yu Family to watch, utterly stupefied.
He’s too strong! Too shocking! Is this the power of a sixth-grade Array? It’s truly terrifying beyond belief!
Blood Shadow’s body was also pierced, but she didn’t die. She had used the Substitution Technique, letting a blood-red clone die in her place while her true self fled in a mad panic.
This time, however, Lin Xuan had no intention of letting her escape. He used the Array to completely seal the area, blocking Blood Shadow’s path.
"I’ll fight you to the death!" she shrieked, frantically activating the fifth-grade Array. She began to burn her own qi and blood, preparing to fight Lin Xuan to the bitter end.
Lin Xuan sneered disdainfully. "Fight me to the death? Are you worthy?"
He struck out with his sword again. The Black and White Sword Qi shot forward. The second sword strike destroyed Blood Shadow’s second substitute. The third and final sword pierced through her true body.
Blood Shadow’s body collapsed. This time, there was no escape.
Dozens of Demon Sect members had been turned to ash within the Sword Array.
"He won! Young Master Lin won!" The Yu Family members cheered wildly at the sight.
"Haha, this is great!"
"Young Master Lin is mighty!"
"Young Master Lin is invincible!"
"We’re safe!"
"We survived!"
They were overcome with the feeling of having survived a great disaster.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Mo Fan was also deeply shocked. Lin Xuan’s strength had truly exceeded his expectations. All his previous worrying had been unnecessary. Even without me here, no one could threaten him. Junior Brother Lin truly is a prodigy. His future achievements will likely be limitless. Mo Fan thought to himself, feeling genuinely happy for Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan, for his part, was also very satisfied. By eliminating Blood Shadow and her subordinates, he had completed his mission and gained a large number of points. The harvest had been bountiful.
At this time, the voice of the big black dog rang out, "Boy, look at the mask on that demoness’s face. That’s a good find."
Lin Xuan squatted down, and after examining Blood Shadow’s face, he finally removed a mask. It was as thin as a cicada’s wing and cool to the touch. Many mysterious runes were engraved on its surface, along with a line of small characters: Phantom Mask. That must be its name, he thought.
The big black dog said, "This is a fine Treasure. After putting it on, you can change your appearance and aura. It can completely alter your face.
"Even a King wouldn’t be able to see through the disguise.
"With this, you can change your identity during a crisis to avoid being hunted."
Lin Xuan was deeply moved. This really is a good thing. Before, Blood Shadow used this very mask to fool everyone in the Yu Family. Thinking of this, he carefully stored the Treasure away, then collected all the Storage Rings from the corpses. Only then did he withdraw the Yin-Yang Sword Array.
After the Sword Array dissipated, everyone from the Yu Family rushed over. Manor Master Yu bowed deeply. "Thank you, Young Master, for saving our lives."
Behind him, the rest of the Yu Family members all bowed and echoed his thanks. "Thank you, Young Master, for saving us."
Manor Master Yu continued, "Young Master, we were truly blind before. We were deceived by that demoness and misunderstood you.
"We never expected you to set aside our previous offenses and save our Yu Family. We are immeasurably grateful.
"Such a great kindness is impossible to repay.
"Our Yu Family is willing to submit to you, Young Master, and serve you with utmost loyalty."
This startled Lin Xuan. He hadn’t expected the Yu Family to be willing to submit. He said, "I won’t be staying here for long, so your submission is meaningless."
Manor Master Yu hurriedly replied, "No matter where you may be in the future, Young Master, as long as you give the order, our Yu Family will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
Seeing such sincerity, Lin Xuan could only give a slight nod. Then he asked, "What about the poison afflicting you all?"
Hearing this, Manor Master Yu gave a bitter smile. "About that... I’m not sure.
"It’s embarrassing to admit, but even though I am a fourth-grade Alchemy Master, I have never seen a poison like this."
"Boy, that poison must be from the demoness," the big black dog’s voice rang out. "Check her Storage Ring for any records about it."
Hearing this, Lin Xuan took out Blood Shadow’s Storage Ring and searched it. Sure enough, he found a scroll containing records of a demonic poison.
So that’s what it is! he realized. He turned to Manor Master Yu and said, "This poison is colorless and tasteless, but it is incredibly potent. No one below the rank of a King can withstand it.
"It’s perfectly normal that you were unable to resist it.
"However, the poison only temporarily causes one to lose their Spiritual Power.
"Your Spiritual Power will return within a day, so there’s no need to worry."
Hearing this, the people of the Yu Family finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. They began to clean up the battlefield, clearing away the corpses of the Demon Sect members. Lin Xuan took this as his cue to leave the Yu Family estate.
After leaving, he looked into the void and asked, "Brother Mo Fan, how many points do I have now?"
Mo Fan was responsible for keeping score, so he naturally knew Lin Xuan’s current point total. He looked at the scroll in his hand and said, "You have currently killed ten three-star Grandmasters, thirty-six two-star Grandmasters, and fifteen one-star Grandmasters.
"Thus, your current total is 29,500 points."
After speaking, Mo Fan felt a rush of excitement. That’s nearly thirty thousand points! This kid is truly heaven-defying!
Lin Xuan was also extremely pleased to hear this. So many points, not bad at all, he thought, very satisfied. And the demon-hunting mission isn’t over yet. I might be able to raise my score even higher.
「In a courtyard on the east side of Lion Moon City.」
A group of people were resting there, their bodies stained with blood and their faces etched with exhaustion. They were members of the Star Alliance. Sitting in the center of the group was Shen Tang.
Over the past few days, they had encountered many Demon Sect experts. The fierce battles that ensued had yielded a great harvest. This time, the Star Alliance was cooperating with Shen Tang. They would severely injure members of the Demon Sect and then allow Shen Tang to deal the final blow. This way, all the points would be credited to her.
Their goal, naturally, was to boost Shen Tang’s score and ensure she took first place in the mission. Their efforts had proven quite effective; Shen Tang had already accumulated 15,000 points, and she was thrilled.
She said, "This score should be the highest one right now. It looks like first place is mine!"