Li Fan stared ahead, only to see the young figure retreat into an ancient tree, completely rging into it and vanishing without a trace.
"Humans, you’ve got so nerve, daring to ruin my plans."
The surrounding ancient trees unexpectedly emitted sounds at the sa ti, creating an echo that lingered. The group looked up, as though the voice was omnipresent.
anwhile, the forest’s trees continuously resonated, as demons resembling spirit monkeys leapt nimbly between the trees, quickly surrounding the area.
Li Fan glanced upward. The demons looked grotesque—long arms sharp as blades, pale faces akin to apes but far more sinister.
"Puppet demons," Huang Xiong said, "Brother Yang, these puppet demons are incredibly fast, ghost-like, with razor-sharp claws that seal throats with a single gash. They devour human brain matter and are exceptionally wicked. Usually, these demons operate in groups but follow orders from stronger demons, likely that brat from before."
"That’s a Tree Demon."
The young girl perched herself back on Huang Xiong’s shoulder, her expression solemn.
At the ntion of "Tree Demon," the group’s expressions imdiately changed.
"How could there be a Tree Demon here?" Huang Xiong clearly had heard of the Tree Demon’s fearso reputation.
"Tree Demon?" Li Fan turned to the young girl.
The girl nodded. "A Tree Demon is a shapeshifting entity born from old tree spirits. Yun ng Swamp, as a natural haven for demons, provides the perfect environnt for their ergence. A Tree Demon has at least a thousand years of cultivation, but that young figure seed rather youthful, likely offspring spawned by the Tree Demon itself."
"You’ve got so talent, human woman. I like you. Go capture her and bring her here so I may enjoy her," the eerie echoes sounded again. Imdiately, the hidden puppet demons among the surrounding trees went berserk, lunging madly at their human prey below.
"Don’t let catch you!" Huang Xiong roared, stepping forward with a deafening stomp. His towering fra held a heavy iron cudgel, smashing down on a leaping puppet demon hurtling toward him.
"Boom..." The impact was staggeringly violent. The imnse power obliterated the demon’s skull, pulverizing it into a sar of filth that splattered outward.
"Such imnse strength." Li Fan glanced briefly at Huang Xiong’s massive figure. As a martial artist at the late Innate stage, Huang Xiong possessed raw physical power that bordered on monstrous. If not for the sudden ambush earlier that had hindered his movents, he wouldn’t have been endangered.
The sound of winds howled fiercely. With every strike from Huang Xiong’s cudgel, another demon t its grisly end. His fighting style offered no flair—only unbridled violence and bloodshed.
*Li Fan thought to himself that Huang Xiong truly possessed innate Divine Power.*
But the demons’ numbers were too overwhelming; Huang Xiong alone couldn’t possibly kill them all. Elsewhere, puppet demons continuously leapt down from above. The Demon Hunting Team was visibly outnumbered.
As one man looked poised to fall into peril, Li Fan charged forward, his sword slashing out with the sound of wind. Like a breeze brushing past, the sword cut through with a "snick"—a demon was instantly bisected.
"Thank you, Young Hero Yang," the man called out in gratitude. But Li Fan didn’t stop moving, his form swift like the wind. He swung his sword again, and the man only saw a flash of sword light before the demon’s head separated from its body. Li Fan had already vanished from where he stood, moving on to intercept another foe.
"So fast..."
The man’s naked eye could barely follow Li Fan’s movents. Li Fan’s sword was even faster—it was as if he witnessed a gust tearing through the air, Li Fan becoming one with the wind, his sword united with its flow. Within monts, the ground was strewn with demon corpses.
"How dare you!" The echoing voice ca once more, as the surrounding trees suddenly stirred. Branches and vines surged wildly toward Li Fan, as though imbued with life itself.
Li Fan glanced upwards, and Sword Aura emanated suddenly. The charging branches and vines were instantly shredded into fragnts.
Above him ca the sound of whistling winds. Amidst the ancient trees, countless sharp thorns shot toward him. In the chaos of the attacks, puppet demons also seized the opportunity to close in on the group. A pale, humanoid demon suddenly entered Li Fan’s field of vision, its sharp claws slicing toward him.
A streak of lightning flared as Li Fan swung his sword horizontally. The puppet demon’s body exploded on the spot.
With a thought, countless lightning streaks flashed, crashing against surrounding trees. Mana surged around Li Fan, rendering many of the trees charred and blackened.
As lightning crackled across the battlefield, a figure attempted to retreat into the distance.
"Go."
Li Fan’s sword shot forward like a thunderbolt, crossing the void. With a "snick," the figure was pinned to a giant tree.
The figure struggled violently. Having transford into human shape earlier, its body now twisted grotesquely, revealing the face of a Tree Demon. Its eyes burned with wrath as it locked onto Li Fan, who approached, saying, "I am the son of a Charm Demon. How dare you touch ?"
*Is this Tree Demon not very intelligent?*
*It behaves sowhat like a human child.*
Li Fan paid no attention. Placing a hand on his sword, a thunderous bolt of lightning enveloped the demon’s body. Its form was instantly scorched black.
Li Fan reached out and grasped a Demon Core—a shimring orb infused with pure Wood Elent Mana—appearing in his palm.
This Demon Core contained an extrely concentrated and abundant energy akin to a Foundation Establishnt Realm demon’s Demon Core.
"Not a bad haul." Li Fan stowed the Demon Core away. Huang Xiong approached, and the young girl on his shoulder gazed at the core with a wary expression. "Such pure Wood Elent Mana—the Tree Demon that produced it must be exceptionally powerful."
"Brother Yang, we owe you one this ti. Without your help, we’d have been in serious trouble," Huang Xiong said with a respectful bow. "To display cultivation at the Out-of-Body Realm at such a young age, you must co from a prestigious family. Are you a Bai Lu Academy student?"
Li Fan shook his head.
"You’re not?" Huang Xiong looked intrigued. "With talent like yours, the Academy’s instructors would certainly fight over you. Why haven’t you considered it?"
"Why must I go to the Academy?" Li Fan looked at Huang Xiong, sensing his deep respect for Bai Lu Academy.
"What?" Huang Xiong froze; wasn’t it an obvious choice?
To him, attending the Academy seed like an unquestionable path.
"Even here in Yun ng Swamp, one can cultivate. Why insist on a place like the Academy?" Li Fan walked ahead, saying, "Brother Huang, you seem to hold Bai Lu Academy in high regard. Do you desire to join it?"
Hearing Li Fan’s reply, Huang Xiong felt a pang of emotion. People truly were different.
From what Li Fan implied, it seed he didn’t care much about entering the Academy, believing cultivation was achievable anywhere.
"Of course, I’d love to. I co from the outskirts of Yun ng City and grew up hearing tales of the Academy’s glory. I’ve long dreamt of training there, but alas, I lack Qi Refinent talent and failed its entrance exams, leaving no choice but to chart my own path," Huang Xiong said. "That’s why I’ve always envied the geniuses at the Academy."
"I heard the Academy accepts all kinds. Brother Huang, with your natural Divine Power, you’re stronger than many talented cultivators. Couldn’t the Academy make an exception for you?" Li Fan asked. "Can’t their rules be bent?"
"Qi Refinent is the foundation of cultivation. Even for martial artists, lacking refinent talent ans relying on external ans to temper the body. Over the years, surviving by hunting demons and narrowly escaping death has been the only way I’ve improved, but I think my limits have been reached."
Huang Xiong sighed, saying, "Back when I applied for the Academy’s exams, I couldn’t even pass the first and most basic round. Let alone an exception—the rules simply couldn’t change for . This brute strength of mine is not much use."
"Brother Huang, your innate Divine Power surpasses many Qi Refinent talents among cultivators. You’ve only been held back by limitations and so bad luck, unable to et soone who recognizes your worth. You’ll have opportunities in the future," the girl seated on his shoulder said softly.
"For , it’s not a big deal. My greatest hope is to see you enter the Academy," Huang Xiong responded. Seeing Li Fan glance at the girl, Huang Xiong introduced her: "Brother Yang, this is Xiao Kui. She has a unique gift that allows her to identify demons. Xiao Kui suffered injuries while young, which hindered her cultivation. Over the years, I’ve tried, but I still haven’t found a cure for her wounds."
"I see," Li Fan murmured thoughtfully. As the group carried forward, soone beside Li Fan whispered quietly. "Xiao Kui is an orphan. A few years ago, she was abandoned during a crisis by another Demon Hunting Team and was saved by Brother Huang. Ever since then, she’s followed him loyally. Whenever they venture into Yun ng Swamp, Xiao Kui’s talent for foreseeing dangers has saved Brother Huang countless tis. Though they aren’t blood siblings, their bond goes deeper than family."
Li Fan gave a small nod. After what had just happened, it seed the team had begun to accept him, their previous coldness now gone.
As the pair spoke, a sudden whistling sound ca from upfront.
"Careful!" the girl cried. Li Fan then saw a streak of sword light flash in the distance, followed by a "snick". The scout from the Demon Hunting Team instantly collapsed, lifeless.
"Hou’er!" Huang Xiong shouted in panic as the sword light retracted, leaving behind traces of Sword Aura in the air.
The scout called "Hou’er" lay on the ground, his throat gushing blood. His body convulsed as he reached out feebly toward Huang Xiong for help, but it was no use. Within monts, he was dead.
Li Fan stepped forward, lowering his gaze, as Divine Sense stretched into the distance and detected the presence of a group of figures.
"I’m sorry, I was watching for demons," Xiao Kui murmured with reddened eyes. She’d failed to detect the presence of this threat, having focused too narrowly on potential demon activity.
In truth, Li Fan hadn’t sensed any Demon Energy either.
*As Huang Xiong had said, in Yun ng Swamp, humans could be more dangerous than demons.*
Ahead, near a clearing between trees, figures began to appear—humans from another Demon Hunting Team.
The man in the center wore a silver mask, concealing his face except for a pair of jet-black eyes. Wisps of Sword Aura surrounded him, marking him as the assailant from before.
The energy radiating from him signified a Late Stage Soul Ergence cultivator—and a Sword Cultivator at that.
Sword Cultivators were renowned for their ability to kill across distances.
Huang Xiong raised his head, his furious gaze locked onto the silver-masked swordsman. With his iron cudgel gripped tightly in hand, he hesitated, glancing at the girl on his shoulder—unsure if he could even protect Xiao Kui.
"I’ve chased the Tree Demon Spirit for so ti. Please hand it over," the silver-masked man said softly. His voice was hoarse, tinged with a certain effeminate chill, yet unmistakably authoritative.
First kill, then seize the Demon Core.
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