Chapter Twenty: The Demon’s Slaughter

“Brother Gu, what should we do? Cheng Wushuang is running rampant and has forced us out of the group. Now that we’ve run into so many demons, our lives are truly in danger.”

The three fleeing men had reached their limits; their speed was gradually slowing, and unless a miracle happened, the horde of demons behind them would soon catch up, leaving nothing but their bones.

“I’m so full of hate! The Cheng family, relying on their connection to the Divine Son, are lawless in Heaven’s Gate, and now, outside, they’ve forced us noble heirs out of the team. Such deep-seated hatred can only be washed away with blood. If I ever return to the sect, I will report this to the elders and make Cheng Wushuang pay for his blood debts with his life!”

One of them let out a long, anguished cry. He was the most grievously wounded; his left arm hung limply, clearly broken.

“What Feng Yu says is true. The Cheng family’s power has grown too fast, and many noble families are discontent. If someone reports this, I fear the whole sect will undergo a massive purge.”

A young man dressed in a blue robe and holding a golden ancient fan spoke up. His gaze was deep and unreadable, betraying none of his thoughts.

“Enough, Zhuge Tai. That’s not important right now. The demons are ruthless—if we fall into their hands, there will be no good outcome. We need to find a way to escape,” said the leader, who was none other than Gu Renfeng—the one Lin Fan had once rescued in the Fallen Mountains.

A cruel, grating laugh echoed toward them, as if two bones were being scraped together, making their eardrums tremble and their skin crawl.

“You humans, always so high and mighty—but do you know how dark the Abyss is? There is no light at all. Our hatred is higher than the heavens.”

The speaker was a powerful Bone Demon; the flames of life flickered in his eye sockets, terrifying to behold.

“That’s right. Our hatred starts with you!” sneered an Asura warrior. His speed suddenly surged, and in a single bound, he crossed several yards, his clawed, scaly hand descending.

“Feng Yu, look out!” Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai shouted, but it was too late to help.

Feng Yu, gravely injured, barely retained a tenth of his strength. He lagged at the rear, and when the Asura exploded forth, he couldn’t react.

“Am I… am I about to die?” Despair filled Feng Yu’s eyes. The Asura’s attack was too swift, leaving him no time to defend—he could only endure it.

A series of dull, thunderous sounds rang out; the very air seemed about to burst from the force of that giant hand. The power was vast and violent—if it landed, the outcome was obvious.

“Kill him! Kill him!” The demons howled, murderous intent surging as waves of demonic energy threatened to flood the entire Ghost Bamboo Grove.

“Now!” With a glance, Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai prepared to use their last resort—artifacts left by their elders, to be used only in the direst of moments, for their side effects would render them powerless for days.

But now there was no choice. Feng Yu was not only of distinguished birth but also their sworn brother. They could not stand by—if they had to exhaust their last drop of strength, so be it.

Suddenly, a long, hearty laugh rang out from afar. Gu Renfeng’s heart leapt as he thought of someone, a faint smile touching his lips and his surging power stilled.

“Brother Lin, what a coincidence! I’m in this sorry state only because I was outmatched and tricked by villains. Normally, I wouldn’t be so desperate,” Gu Renfeng called back with a shout of joy, recognizing the voice. Zhuge Tai, poised to unleash his killing blow, also paused.

A shrill wail filled the heavens as a brilliant beam of light descended—a snow bamboo shaft, unique to the Ghost Bamboo Grove, hurled down with destructive force.

A scream tore through the air as the Asura warrior was flung aside, his body pierced by a blood-red bamboo stalk, black demon blood gushing out.

Lin Fan landed from the sky like a descending god, holding the snow bamboo in one hand with the Asura warrior skewered and suspended in midair.

“Die!” Lin Fan roared, swinging his arm. The Asura’s body convulsed before shattering into fragments, a surge of energy instantly devoured by Lin Fan in secret.

Still, he was cautious not to consume all the Asura’s flesh and blood, lest Gu Renfeng and the others saw and began to suspect.

“So, another human. Children, attack!” The Bone Demon’s chilling voice rang out again. The fall of the Asura did not dampen the demons’ spirits; instead, it made them even more frenzied.

“Get lost!” Lin Fan shouted, seven massive stars orbiting overhead. Right from the start, he unleashed his deadliest technique—fifty thousand pounds of raw power, unrestrained, thundered across the sky.

Agonized screams followed as Lin Fan tore into the demon horde like a lion among sheep, rending them limb from limb. His power surged further, and within a quarter of an hour, he broke through to sixty thousand pounds of force.

At that moment, Lin Fan’s momentum soared. With a single furious shout, he ruptured a demon’s liver and gallbladder with sound alone—a display of wild might.

“Incredible! Has he reached the peak of Body Refinement, Eighth Layer?” The Bone Demon was shaken to his core; he’d never imagined Lin Fan would be so terrifying, utterly overwhelming his foes.

“Unbelievable!” Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai exchanged glances, both drawing sharp breaths, faces full of shock.

“Brother Gu, who is this man?” Zhuge Tai’s mind reeled. He could sense Lin Fan’s strength—though Zhuge himself had reached the peak of Body Refinement Eighth Layer, he was nowhere near Lin Fan’s match.

The range within Body Refinement Eighth Layer was vast. Legends spoke of those who could possess one hundred twenty-eight thousand pounds of force at this stage, but those were peerless prodigies. Ordinary practitioners managed just thirty or forty thousand; fifty thousand marked a genius—their own power hovered around forty or fifty thousand.

But Lin Fan was different. His strength had reached sixty thousand pounds, and with his understanding of the “Way” belonging to the Pulse Condensation realm, his combat prowess far exceeded his raw power. Yet, as he neared the Pulse Condensation realm, the rate of increase slowed.

Even so, when Lin Fan erupted in battle, his strength matched that of a true master wielding a hundred thousand pounds of force.

“All I know is his name is Lin Fan. His true origins are a mystery. He saved my life before, and now I see he’s also a disciple of Heaven’s Gate. But since when did our sect produce such a terrifying genius? At the sixth layer of Body Refinement, he can massacre a group of eighth-layer demons, and he’s already grasped the Way—he’s destined for Pulse Condensation,” Gu Renfeng marveled, deeply shocked. Only now did he realize how powerful Lin Fan had become—rivaling ordinary ninth-layer masters, with a Way of his own. The future held limitless possibilities for him.