The giant green toad, known as the Guardian Beast of the Demon Sect, turned its gaze toward Lin Li upon hearing the commands of the Demon Sect disciples. At this moment, Lin Li was still quite a distance away from them.
Meanwhile, the three major sects' fleeing team spotted Lin Li as well.
Wei Heng, the leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect, saw Lin Li and his face lit up with joy. He immediately gathered his energy and shouted, "Junior Brother Lin! We've successfully destroyed the Blood Altar of the Demon Sect's branch! But now, the altar master is chasing us with his protectors, hall masters, incense masters, and their Guardian Beast! You need to run!"
"Hmph!"
The leaders and members of the other two sects did not look as pleased. The leader of the Tianjue Mountain team, in particular, was furious. Just moments ago, one of his team members had been killed by the giant green toad's tongue, leaving only two members of his squad alive, including himself. In his anger, he directed his blame toward Lin Li, saying, "That guy! Useless! While we risked our lives to destroy the Blood Altar, he wasted time here with some insignificant grunts! Absolutely disgraceful!"
"This time, not only did he contribute nothing to the mission, but he also acted independently and disobeyed orders. I'll be sure to report this to the sect master when we return!"
The leader of the Zhengmiao Sect also harbored complaints against Lin Li.
However.
At this moment, they were being chased by the enemy, so they couldn't afford to argue with Lin Li. They gritted their teeth and continued to flee.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, when Lin Li heard Wei Heng's warning, instead of retreating, the blood in his veins started to boil with excitement!
"Being chased?!"
Lin Li murmured to himself, "Perfect!"
Why had Lin Li taken on this mission? Was it to destroy the Blood Altar?
Of course not!
He came to fight, to wield the Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, and use its energy feedback to rapidly advance his cultivation!
Although his cultivation had indeed progressed rapidly from Foundation Establishment Stage 1 to where it now rivaled decades of other cultivators' hard work, for Lin Li, it still wasn't enough!
He had been holding back his trump card—the special skill of the Demon Sword—for a reason. Wasn't it precisely for a critical moment when he could unleash it and reap huge rewards?
Now, Lin Li believed that such a rare opportunity had finally arrived!
To everyone's surprise, after hearing Wei Heng's warning, Lin Li didn't run away. Instead, he charged toward them!
"Lin Li! What are you doing?!"
Wei Heng, seeing Lin Li rushing forward instead of fleeing, was filled with both shock and anger. He even dropped the honorifics, shouting, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! We've already won if we escape! Why are you running back?!"
"Who would have thought their main force was lying in ambush at the Blood Altar!"
Lin Li shouted back, "Losing four comrades is my fault. I failed to lure their main force away!"
His words slightly softened the faces of those from Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect who had witnessed their comrades die. However, they still couldn't muster any affection for Lin Li.
Meanwhile, only two members of Xuantian Sword Sect, including Wei Heng, had survived the ambush.
The other surviving member, upon hearing Lin Li's words, called out, "Junior Brother Lin! Don't say that! You're the lowest in cultivation among us, so of course, you couldn't turn the tide on your own. The ambush was their plan, not your fault! Please, brother, don't act rashly—run while you still can!"
Although the people from Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect didn't have much regard for Lin Li, they didn't want to see him foolishly throw his life away by coming back. In the face of the current crisis, they all shouted in unison:
"Yes!"
"Junior Brother Lin, run!"
"Don't come over here!"
However.
To everyone's shock and frustration, Lin Li, hearing their shouts, didn't retreat. Instead, he sped up and rushed even faster toward them!
"I appreciate your concern!"
Lin Li said as he ran, "But my original intent was to draw the enemy's main force away so you could destroy the Blood Altar! Now, due to my failure, four comrades have died, and you're being pursued. This is unacceptable! You run first; I'll hold them off! I believe I can buy you some time! Don't worry about me!"
"You?!"
Wei Heng and the other surviving member from Xuantian Sword Sect cried out in horror, their eyes bulging in disbelief. "Don't be foolish!"
The five remaining members from Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect were also shocked.
"Did we misjudge him?"
"Seems like he truly wants to do something for us!"
"Ah! We've wronged him by thinking so poorly of him earlier!"
"This is really our fault!"
They were moved and began to reconsider their earlier judgments.
But then they all became determined: "No!"
"Junior Brother Lin may be impulsive and reckless, but his intentions are pure!"
"He's a good person, and I can't bear to see him die for us!"
"We have to stop him from making this mistake!"
Having reached a consensus, the five of them channeled their spiritual power and shouted together, "Junior Brother Lin! Don't come over here!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"Junior Brother Lin! Your cultivation is low, and these are all elite forces from the Demon Sect! They're not opponents you can handle! Don't come here to die!"
They all tried to dissuade him.
But.
It was all in vain.
Lin Li pressed forward with unwavering determination!
Moments later.
Lin Li finally caught up to them.
"You fool!"
Wei Heng, the leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect team, scolded angrily. "Why are you here?!"
"I'm here to cover your retreat!"
Lin Li's eyes were filled with resolve, and his heart pounded as blood surged through his veins. He looked ahead at the approaching army led by the Demon Sect's branch altar master, their protectors, hall masters, incense masters, and…
The army of beasts and zombies they commanded.
Lin Li's heart swelled with courage and excitement.
"So many opponents... this is… amazing!"
Lin Li's eyes blazed with passion, and the hand gripping Ye Fan's sword began to tremble, unable to suppress the wild killing intent stirring within him.