"You dare to kill so many of my subordinates right in front of me?!" the Demon Sect Altar Master roared in fury.
"How can his power be so terrifying?!" The remaining eleven Demon Sect Incense Masters exclaimed in shock.
"Surely, he can't use that kind of attack more than once, right?"
In fact, under normal circumstances, Lin Li wouldn't be able to unleash such a powerful attack more than once. That single strike had drained all his spiritual energy.
However...
That strike had wiped out dozens of Demon Sect members, including four Foundation Establishment level Incense Masters!
So, after Ye Fan gained tens of thousands of evolution points, he naturally returned a large amount of energy to Lin Li in the form of a massive energy boost. Even though Lin Li had exhausted all his spiritual energy with that strike, under Ye Fan's relentless energy feedback, his depleted spiritual energy was rapidly being restored.
Meanwhile, the Green-Faced Ghost King, who had been observing from behind, felt a shiver of fear as he witnessed Lin Li's sword strike. It had not only killed dozens of elite Demon Sect members but had also claimed the lives of four Incense Masters.
He asked himself, "Could I have launched an attack like that?"
He shook his head, coming to a shocking conclusion: "No, I couldn't possibly execute an attack that terrifying."
After all, not everyone had a sword like Lin Li's, which could constantly replenish his energy. Most people couldn't afford to use up all their spiritual energy in one move.
Moreover, Lin Li's attack had been augmented by the Jinghong Sword technique and the Massacre skill! Naturally, even though the Green-Faced Ghost King's cultivation was higher than Lin Li's, he couldn't unleash an attack as devastating.
"But I already boasted in front of everyone, and now that sword cultivator has killed so many of my subordinates. How can I save face if I don't do something?"
The Green-Faced Ghost King gritted his teeth and thought, "I have to teach him a lesson!"
"His last attack must have consumed most of his energy. He's still facing away from me—this is the perfect time for a sneak attack!"
Without saying a word, the Green-Faced Ghost King launched a silent attack on Lin Li, aiming to catch him off guard.
He believed that Lin Li, having just unleashed such a devastating attack, would be defenseless. But Lin Li was far from being that naïve.
From the moment Lin Li had turned around, entered Massacre mode, and issued his challenge, he had been fully aware that the Green-Faced Ghost King would never let him off so easily.
So, after delivering his powerful strike, Lin Li didn't even bother to check its effects. He had already focused all his attention on guarding against an attack from behind.
Just as the Green-Faced Ghost King silently extended his claw toward Lin Li…
Lin Li countered with a backward slash!
"Ah!!!"
The Green-Faced Ghost King screamed in agony. Just as he was about to launch his sneak attack, Lin Li's sword severed his right hand, cutting it off cleanly at the wrist.
"Curse you!" the Green-Faced Ghost King howled in pain, enraged. "I'll kill you for this!!!"
He unleashed his most furious and powerful attack of his life toward Lin Li.
While the Green-Faced Ghost King's cultivation was indeed higher than Lin Li's, Lin Li had no intention of engaging him in a prolonged battle.
Lin Li knew well that, with his cultivation level at Foundation Establishment Stage 4, a direct confrontation with a Demon Sect protector would be tough.
His goal wasn't to fight them head-on.
From the beginning, Lin Li had been very clear: he wasn't here to pick fights—he was here to raise his cultivation level!
Lin Li dashed toward the outskirts of the battlefield, where the ordinary Demon Sect disciples were standing and watching.
The Green-Faced Ghost King hadn't expected Lin Li to be so shameless—to cut off his hand and then immediately flee! His powerful attack missed Lin Li, leaving him feeling frustrated and as if he were punching a cloud.
Meanwhile…
The Demon Sect disciples, who had been observing from the sidelines, were now terrified beyond belief as they saw Lin Li charging toward them.
"Oh no!"
"Why is he coming this way?"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
The disciples were so horrified by what they saw that they completely forgot the Demon Sect's strict rule of executing deserters. They didn't care that the Altar Master was watching—they only knew that if they didn't run now, they would die on the spot.
But how could they possibly outrun Lin Li, who was now in Massacre mode and had cultivation far surpassing theirs?
Lin Li easily caught up with them!
Slash! Slash!
With just a few sword swings, seven or eight Demon Sect disciples were cut down.
[Killed Refining Qi Level 2 Demon Sect Corpse-Control Stream Disciple. Gained 222 evolution points.]
[Killed Refining Qi Level 3 Demon Sect Beast-Taming Stream Disciple. Gained 321 evolution points.]
[Killed Refining Qi Level 4 Demon Sect Corpse-Control Stream Disciple. Gained 455 evolution points.]
…
"Damn it!!!"
The Demon Sect Altar Master was seething with rage as he witnessed this. His blood altar had been destroyed, and now he was watching as his subordinates were being slaughtered by Lin Li right in front of him. His decades, if not centuries, of accumulated strength were being wiped out, and his pride was being trampled.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Lin Li apart, piece by piece, to vent his anger.
Glancing at the retreating disciples from the three sects, he cursed, "Cowards!"
Then he turned back to Lin Li and commanded, "Minions, follow me!"
"Kill this wretched sword cultivator!"
…
Meanwhile, the disciples from the three sects had noticed something strange during their escape.
"Huh? That's odd," said the leader of the Tianjue Mountain group, frowning.
"Yeah, why haven't they caught up with us yet?" added the leader from Zhengmiao Sect.
"Why haven't they caught up yet? Are you serious?" Wei Heng, the leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect team, snapped. "Lin Shi-di is risking his life to hold them off for us!"
"Come on!" scoffed the Tianjue Mountain leader. "That Foundation Establishment Stage 1 junior? He's just a hot-headed fool."
The leader of Zhengmiao Sect nodded in agreement. "His intentions might be good, but he's too reckless."
"With his low cultivation level, he probably couldn't even last a few breaths before getting killed by the Demon Sect army."
The other disciples from Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect agreed, shaking their heads.
"Rubbish!" Wei Heng shouted. "If it weren't for Lin Shi-di holding them off, do you think we'd still be alive and running free?"
"Exactly!" added another Xuantian disciple. "It's all thanks to Lin Shi-di!"
"Hmph, I don't believe it for a second!" the Tianjue Mountain leader grunted. "With his cultivation, he's probably already dead, 'holding them off' my foot!"