At the same time, Luo Zhiyuan, the inner disciple leading the group, shouted in panic, "This is bad!"
"The number of leopard demons is far too many!"
"Damn it! The elders of the sect have cleared the back mountain many times. It's specifically designated for new outer disciples to use for training. By all logic, there shouldn't be any major threats here. How could this happen?!"
As he lamented, a deafening beastly roar echoed through the air!
"ROAR!!"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a massive leopard demon emerge from behind a towering tree, which was as thick as five people holding hands around it. This demon was much larger and more intimidating than the others.
The moment Luo Zhiyuan laid eyes on the giant leopard demon, his face turned pale as a ghost.
"This is impossible!" he exclaimed.
"It's a Golden Leopard King!"
"This is an extremely rare mutation of the leopard demon!"
Lin Li, being a new disciple, was not familiar with this. However, his more experienced fellow disciples quickly recognized the gravity of the situation, and their chatter grew louder.
"A Golden Leopard King?!"
"This is terrible! We're doomed!"
"Are we going to die here?"
The joy that Lin Li had just felt from breaking through his cultivation level was quickly extinguished by the overwhelming fear surrounding him.
"Senior brother, is the Golden Leopard King really that powerful? Why are you all reacting this way?" he asked nervously.
His senior brothers glanced at him, sighing in despair as they replied, "You really don't know?"
"I just joined the sect..." Lin Li said sheepishly.
"Ah, that explains it!" one of the senior brothers sighed before explaining.
"The Golden Leopard King is an extraordinarily rare existence among leopard demons!"
"Normally, leopard demons are only equivalent in strength to Qi Refinement stage cultivators like us," they explained.
"But the sect's back mountain is vast. While the elders periodically clear the area to prevent overly powerful beasts from threatening disciples, they can't patrol it constantly. Some beasts here hide away to cultivate, and a select few are born with extraordinary talent and might break through."
"If a leopard demon breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, there's a slim chance that it will awaken its ancestral bloodline and evolve into a Golden Leopard King!"
"A Golden Leopard King is the ruler of the leopard demons! It naturally commands all beasts within its territory! And the scariest part is..."
At this point, the senior disciple shuddered, his lips trembling as he said, "Even a Golden Leopard King at the early Foundation Establishment stage can fight a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator on equal footing!"
"Look at the size of the one in front of us! It's enormous! At the very least, it's a late-stage Foundation Establishment Golden Leopard King!"
"Or worse..."
"It could already be at the peak of Foundation Establishment!"
"If it weren't, there's no way it could be this big!"
As they explained the situation to Lin Li, Luo Zhiyuan suddenly shouted, "Run!"
"This is a peak Foundation Establishment Golden Leopard King! Its strength is far beyond what I can handle as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
His voice trembled as he shouted, "I'll do my best to hold it off and buy you time to escape!"
While speaking, he pulled out a cylindrical object from his sleeve, twisted its end, and aimed it at the sky.
Whoosh~~~
Boom!!!
A brilliant firework exploded in the sky!
"I've sent out a distress signal! The elders of the sect will be here to save us soon!"
As he spoke, Luo Zhiyuan pulled out several talismans filled with thunderous energy. With a wave of his hand, the talismans flew toward the Golden Leopard King.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunder and lightning flashed!
At the same time, Luo Zhiyuan launched a fierce attack on the Golden Leopard King.
"Tsk, how interesting," thought Ye Fan, who was observing everything as the sword. "I wonder if this kid will survive this unexpected situation."
"He's intriguing. His body carries a curse even I can't fully understand, yet it manages to neutralize my passive curse skill. Moreover, his innate talent isn't weak at all! With the two curses canceling each other out, his true potential is finally emerging. Combined with my blood-drinking power, if he survives this battle, his strength will skyrocket!"
Although Ye Fan could gain evolution points even if his sword master died, the points were much fewer compared to what he earned from killing enemies.
Being forced to switch sword masters repeatedly wasn't ideal for Ye Fan either.
After all, not every sword master would be exceptionally powerful or bloodthirsty.
The sword's ability to influence its master's mind had long disappeared.
Especially after being sealed in Xuantian Sect's armory for so long, Ye Fan was tired of the silence.
He yearned for a suitable sword master who could help him quickly accumulate enough evolution points to improve the sword's quality, regain his physical form, ascend to the Immortal Realm, and finally—
Slay the despicable Honghuang Saint who had destroyed his painstakingly rebuilt body and obliterated Earth!
"But if he can't survive even this small trial, then it's just his fate. He wouldn't deserve to wield me, the magic sword!"
Even though Ye Fan muttered to himself, as a sword, he could no longer make any sound, so Lin Li couldn't hear his words.
At this moment.
Lin Li was fleeing in terror toward the exit of the back mountain, alongside his fellow disciples.
However.
With the arrival of the Golden Leopard King, more and more leopard demons began emerging from the forest!
"ROAR!!!"
Despite being struck by Luo Zhiyuan's lightning talismans, the Golden Leopard King roared ferociously. Unlike the other leopard demons, it wasn't paralyzed and continued its assault on Luo Zhiyuan.
Responding to the Golden Leopard King's call, the other leopard demons began attacking the outer disciples of Xuantian Sect who were fleeing for their lives.
Unlike Lin Li, who had just broken through his cultivation, the other disciples were exhausted after the intense battle, with their physical and spiritual energy significantly depleted.
Now, faced with an even fiercer assault, many of them began to falter.
"Ahhh!"
"Help!"
"I... I don't want to die!"
Their desperate cries echoed through the forest as the leopard demons ruthlessly tore them apart.
Overwhelmed by fear, Lin Li instinctively gripped his magic sword even tighter.
"Right now, my only hope is this sword!" he thought to himself, eyes wide with determination as a leopard demon lunged toward him. He thrust his sword forward with all his might.
ROAR!!
The leopard demon let out a pained howl as Lin Li's sword pierced its body.
However, its claws raked across Lin Li's chest, leaving deep wounds.
Just as Lin Li thought he was about to be devoured by the demon's gaping jaws...
The leopard demon's body began to wither before his very eyes!
In just two breaths, it had been drained dry, reduced to a shriveled corpse by the magic sword!
[Killed a Fourth-Grade Leopard Demon. Gained 500 Evolution Points.]
[Absorbed the blood of a Fourth-Grade Leopard Demon. Gained 5 Energy Points.]
A surge of pure energy flowed from the sword back into Lin Li's body.
However, the deep gashes on his chest continued to bleed profusely.
"I... I didn't die from being bitten by a leopard demon, but... am I going to bleed to death?" Lin Li thought despairingly.
Just as he felt the darkness closing in, a strange and mysterious energy began to rise from his dantian!
This energy had always been present, but it had been constantly devoured by the unknown curse in his body, preventing it from ever manifesting.
Now, thanks to the magic sword's curse suppressing the curse within Lin Li, this hidden energy had finally begun to stir!
His bleeding wounds, left by the leopard demon's claws, started to heal under the influence of this mysterious energy!