"My power is far too weak right now. If I could fully recover, these three petty thieves wouldn't even be worth a glance. Even if three experts at the Longevity Realm came at me, I could slip away with ease. But regaining my strength… that's the hard part. Fang Han hasn't reached the Longevity Realm yet. If he had, he could refine nine strands of Pure Yang Essence from immortal qi to nourish me… ahhh… one day I will recover. And when I do, every last person who ever struck me—will die."
With a resentful wail, Yan sank back into the Yellow Springs Diagram, falling into silence.
The two Golden Cores had struck it too hard; the damage was severe. It had escaped being forced back into its original form, but restoring itself would still take at least a year or two. As it fell silent, the Yellow Springs Diagram turned into a ribbon of yellow light that wrapped around Fang Han before sinking into his skin like a tattoo.
Compared to Yan's weakness, the Blood Night King was another story entirely.
This crimson bat-like demon—an authentic, fully intact Dao-artifact—had lost none of its power. Its demonic essence was terrifyingly robust. If Fang Han mastered a blood-refining technique and fed it blood essence daily, it could grow even stronger—strong enough to become a mid-grade Dao-artifact in a thousand years.
With a single slash, it weakened the mightiest five-colored lotus blooming in the sky. The Blood Night King didn't hesitate—its body flickered, becoming a streak of blood-red light that zig-zagged through the air. Its claws lashed straight toward Zhu Xian, the female thief, ignoring the other two entirely. It was a strike meant for mutual destruction.
It had already seen the truth: powerful as it was, taking on all three by itself was impossible. Better to gamble everything on killing one. It didn't know the trio's origins, but it immediately recognized that the woman with the lotus was the strongest of the three. If it could threaten her life, it would force the other two to react.
The Blood Night King was the spirit of a demon blade forged from endless slaughter. Since its creation, it had survived countless battles, always finding the sliver of advantage in impossible situations. It always knew the quickest way to cut open a path to survive.
"Hmph! Seeking death!"
Zhu Xian coldly snorted. The five-colored lotus spun again, releasing another burst of multicolored radiance. Countless sword-lights erupted from the petals, forming a sword formation that enclosed the Blood Night King.
"You underestimate me."
The Blood Night King sneered, its face identical to Fang Han's—sharp, ruthless, cunning. Its body twisted and vanished into a streak of blood light.
A heartbeat later—
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Blood-colored light burst from the void as the demon blade reappeared right beside Zhu Xian, slashing downward.
"Instant–Kill Slash!"
Zhu Xian's expression changed. Her protective qi shattered instantly, her outer robe exploding into tatters. Beneath it, a protective treasure—an exquisite embroidered robe—flared to life. Lotus after lotus bloomed on its surface, cushioning the incoming demonic blade.
The Ten-Thousand-Lotus Vest—a top-tier treasure garment. Even the Iron-Armor Battle Robe of Ironheart True Lord couldn't compare. The old Blood Sky Demon Blade wouldn't have pierced it.
But the Blood Night King was now a true Dao-artifact.
Its blade twisted sharply.
Boom boom boom boom!
Lotus after lotus shattered like glass.
This wasn't the Instant-Kill Slash at all—it was the White Emperor Golden Sovereign Cut, one of the highest arts of the Five Emperor Demon Gods. A peerless divine technique long thought lost since the fall of the Yellow Springs Emperor.
"Save Zhu Xian!"
Star-Annihilation and Moon-Piercer burst forward. Their Golden Cores flew out like meteor hammers, weaving divine threads that wrapped around the Blood Night King's blade. Under combined force, the crimson demon blade was blasted tens of miles away, wailing like a wounded beast.
The Blood Night King was damaged—only slightly, but still damaged. Against three Golden Core experts, even a Dao-artifact struggled. Only a mid-grade Dao-artifact—or an upper-grade like the Undying Thunder Talisman—could face such odds with ease. A supreme treasure like the Heavenly Emperor Mirror could kill them all with a single beam.
But because of the Blood Night King's interference, the power of the celestial stars above intensified again.
Fang Han rose into the air, star-light spiraling around him. The heavenly gate above his head became a vortex, pulling in the full force of the starlight.
The 108 battle-soul relics in his mind fused completely with the star power. A second sea of consciousness—a new spiritual domain—opened within him.
Before, his mind had been packed tight with arrays and surging magic. It felt like a dam filled to the brim. Now, with the second sea of consciousness opened, the pressure drained away. His main mind felt completely refreshed.
A lifelong burden suddenly gone—
His entire body felt light, unrestrained, free.
"Why exactly are you three trying to kill me?" Fang Han floated in the starlight, his voice sharp and cold. "I don't recall ever offending any of you."
His strength hadn't increased, but his control over his techniques had become razor-sharp. If before he needed a blink of an eye to unleash Black Sun Tempest, now he needed only half of that.
Half a blink is the difference between life and death.
The Blood Night King flew back into his hand. Around Fang Han, the vast gray aura of the Desolate Heaven Art swirled. Outside that layer, a translucent frost shell shimmered like an eggshell—the Ice-Snow Domain.
"Desolate Heaven Art? Ice-Snow Domain? You're from Linglong Blessed Land?"
Star-Annihilation narrowed his eyes. "You're only at the Fifth Heaven of the Divine Ability Realm yet wield a Dao-artifact. Those arts weren't cultivated by you—they were injected into you. Don't tell me you're Linglong Immortal Venerable's son? No… she has no son."
He slowly shifted position, blocking every possible escape route.
Fang Han laughed loudly.
"You ambush me out of nowhere, and now you want to ask who I am? I'm flattered. Three Golden Core overlords, working together just to kill a mere Divine Ability cultivator? If word spreads, won't your reputations collapse?"
The trio exchanged glances and silently adjusted their formation.
Once they locked it in, escape would become near-impossible.
"Still too naïve," Star-Annihilation murmured mentally.
"If he had run instead of chatting, he might've had a thirty percent chance. Now? Not even ten."
"He never stood a chance," Moon-Piercer said.
"All that's left is to take his head."
"You stole the Seven Killing Auras that Young Master Ling spent years collecting," Moon-Piercer finally shouted. "He paid us handsomely to kill you. Blame him, not us. Move!"
The three were about to strike—
Then a sweet fragrance drifted through the air.
It seeped directly into their minds.
For a moment, the three Golden Core experts felt themselves sinking into an endless sea of blossoms, their minds drifting away.
"Dream-Scent Soul-Mist Technique! Damn it—this kid is cunning!"
Zhu Xian snapped awake first. Her Golden Core spun violently, burning away the illusion.
She turned—
A streak of blood-light was already fleeing into the distance.
Fang Han's voice drifted on the wind:
"Three esteemed thieves—today's debt will be repaid. I'll remember each of you. Expect endless trouble in the future…"
He had secretly cast one of the twenty-eight divine abilities: Dream-Scent Soul-Mist, a technique famed for its ability to cloud hearts and distort minds. If the three weren't Golden Core experts, they would've become his puppets.
"After him! He can't have gone far!"
Star-Annihilation roared as the trio shot into the night.