A woman, dressed in a flowing palace gown adorned with silk ribbons, resembling an immortal from a painting, gracefully walked through the air, as if stepping on lotus flowers. The glowing pearl was released from her hand.
Beside her, a man in a blue Daoist robe, holding a 27-inch long sword, strode through the sky with dragon-like steps. Each of his steps allowed him to cross dozens of meters, and within just two or three breaths, he was already hovering above the Golden Leopard King.
"It's Elder Zou from the Law Enforcement Hall!"
"And the Celestial Maiden Qinglian from the Treasure Pavilion!"
"Thank goodness!"
"A senior at the late Core Formation stage and another at the mid Core Formation stage have arrived!"
"We're saved!"
The surviving outer disciples of the Xuantian Sect were immediately filled with hope and joy.
Lin Li, who had just hidden in the forest, glanced back.
"This…"
He hesitated for a moment before making up his mind: "Although I now have the Blood-Drinking Sword, I'm still just a small cultivator at the middle stage of Qi Refinement. Xuantian Sect is still a great help to me! Plus, I've saved these six survivors. Going back to the sect will be far better than fleeing aimlessly and wandering the world!"
Having made his decision, his thoughts quickly became more active: "This Golden Leopard King, not even Senior Brother Luo Zhiyuan in the late Foundation Establishment stage could handle it. According to him, the beast's strength is comparable to a cultivator at the early Core Formation stage."
"If I could let the Blood-Drinking Sword get a share of that…"
At this thought, Lin Li's heart began to burn with excitement. "Killing just a dozen or so ordinary leopard demons has already boosted my cultivation. If I could somehow reap the benefits of the Golden Leopard King, the rewards would be unimaginable!"
Anyone could see the possibilities!
Though Lin Li was plotting in his mind, Ye Fan, who was bound to the sword, wasn't aware of his exact thoughts.
"Now that the senior members of the sect have arrived, it seems that for now, he won't be in any immediate danger," Ye Fan murmured to himself. "This sword master truly has good fortune. But unfortunately, with the sect's reinforcements here, there's no chance of gaining any more evolution points from this fight."
Each leopard demon had provided 500 evolution points and 5 energy points.
Lin Li had killed over twenty, nearly thirty in total.
Calculating it all, that only amounted to a little over 10,000 points, far from the 100,000 needed for his next evolution.
He checked his system panel.
[Host]: Ye Fan
[Sword Name]: Ordinary Longsword (forged from special metal, now a sharp long sword)
[Quality]: Sharp
[Passive Skill]: Bloodthirsty (can absorb blood to sharpen the blade and transfer some energy to the host)
[Curse]: This sword harbors intense resentment. If the wielder lacks sufficient strength, they will be plagued by misfortune.
[Evolution Points]: 59,500/100,000
[Energy]: 696
"Sigh! Who knows when I'll be able to evolve," Ye Fan sighed.
He also longed for a powerful sword master, someone who could use him to slay formidable enemies and earn large amounts of evolution points quickly.
But.
At the moment, his quality was only that of a sharp, mortal weapon.
For most cultivators, this was considered subpar.
Even many Qi Refinement cultivators wouldn't bother using a mortal weapon like this. At the very least, they would wield a low-grade magic tool.
Had Lin Li not lacked background and resources, being a low-level disciple who had only recently joined the sect, he might not have chosen to use Ye Fan, this sharp mortal weapon.
As for cultivators with higher realms?
There was no point even thinking about it!
They wouldn't even spare Ye Fan a glance!
Right now, Lin Li had already gained a lot from Ye Fan. He understood the sword's unique qualities and treasured it greatly.
Thus, Lin Li surviving this calamity was something that Ye Fan found somewhat comforting.
"Let's hope this sword master can improve quickly, so I can be used to slay stronger and more powerful enemies!"
Recalling the years he spent gathering dust in the Xuantian Sect's warehouse, Ye Fan shuddered with dread. "Otherwise, who knows how many years it'll take before I can ascend to the Immortal Realm and take my revenge on the saint who destroyed Earth!"
While Ye Fan was lost in thought, Lin Li remained hidden among the trees, intently watching the battle between the Daoist and the Golden Leopard King.
In the path of cultivation, Qi Refinement was about sensing and absorbing spiritual energy, using it to coat weapons or strengthen the body.
Once one reached Foundation Establishment, they could begin releasing spiritual energy in the form of attacks.
Unfortunately, even then, the spiritual energy of Foundation Establishment cultivators was still somewhat diffuse. Against a formidable opponent like the Golden Leopard King, it was still insufficient.
Only Core Formation cultivators, like the Daoist in the sky, could unleash highly concentrated and powerful spiritual attacks!
For instance, unlike Luo Zhiyuan's sword light earlier, which couldn't harm the Golden Leopard King, the Daoist's sword light was far smaller but incredibly dense!
When it struck the Golden Leopard King, it consistently caused the beast to howl in pain, each strike cutting deep into its flesh!
At the same time.
The Daoist's footwork was more mystical.
He condensed spiritual energy under his feet, allowing him to leap several meters in an instant.
This freed him from the limitations of the ground, enabling him to fight in the air.
Though this consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy and wasn't as efficient as flying on a sword, it made his movements extremely elusive in battle!
The Golden Leopard King's massive size, which had been its greatest advantage, now became a liability when facing the Daoist.
Though the beast's attacks were fierce, it appeared clumsy when compared to the Daoist, who flickered in and out of view.
Meanwhile, every one of the Daoist's strikes, though not massive, delivered lethal damage!
Before long, the Golden Leopard King's body was riddled with wounds!
"Roar!"
The Golden Leopard King let out a frustrated roar, attempting to flee.
"Foul beast! Where do you think you're going?!"
The Daoist shouted, slashing out a massive arc of sword light!
This strike was much larger than the previous ones.
It hit the Golden Leopard King squarely, slicing a deep gash across its back from front to rear!
"Roar!!"
Howling in agony, the Golden Leopard King turned and bolted toward the forest.
Unfortunately for Lin Li, it was running straight in his direction!