From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds rang out, and both evil cultivators were struck by the sword light, their bodies involuntarily retreating.

Although no one was fatally injured, they all sustained minor injuries.

"How can this kid be so strong?" a heretical cultivator exclaimed in shock.

"It's impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to contend with three Golden Core cultivators!" Another heretical cultivator found it hard to believe.

But the facts are right in front of them: these three evil cultivators at the Golden Core stage were actually at a disadvantage in a battle against a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

"This can't go on!" the first injured evil cultivator said through gritted teeth. "Let's all three of us use the Blood Sacrifice Technique together!"

"Blood Sacrifice Technique?" The other two evil cultivators' expressions changed. "That's a move that results in mutual destruction!"

"We can't worry about that now!" the first evil cultivator said menacingly. "This kid is too wicked; we can't kill him without a blood sacrifice technique!"

"Alright! Let's die together!"

The three evil cultivators simultaneously bit their tongues, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Blood gathered in the air, forming a strange, blood-red array.

As soon as the formation was completed, the auras of the three evil cultivators surged, but their life force was also rapidly depleting.

"Blood Sacrifice Technique - A Sea of ​​Blood Rages!"

A terrifying blood mist surged from the formation, instantly covering most of the sky.

Within the blood mist, countless vengeful spirits appeared and disappeared, emitting mournful howls.

These are all innocent lives killed by evil cultivators, now forcibly summoned and used as tools for attack.

"Damn it! These evil cultivators actually used such cruel magic!" Zhang Yunfan was furious when he saw the vengeful spirits in the blood mist.

These vengeful spirits were innocent people in life, yet their souls are enslaved by evil cultivators after death; it's truly pitiful.

"I must perform a ritual to help these vengeful spirits find peace!" Zhang Yunfan made up his mind.

But the power of the Blood Sacrifice Technique was indeed terrifying; under the control of the evil cultivator, those vengeful spirits surged towards him like a tidal wave.

Each vengeful spirit carries intense resentment, enough to tear apart a cultivator's divine sense. Hundreds of vengeful spirits attacking simultaneously would force even a Golden Core cultivator to retreat.

Although Zhang Yunfan possessed a powerful spiritual sense, he still felt immense pressure in the face of such a terrifying attack.

At this critical moment, the communication jade pendant in his arms emitted light once again.

"Yunfan!" Master Zheng Yi's voice echoed in his mind, "Use the Void-Piercing Sword Intent to purify these vengeful spirits!"

"Purify vengeful spirits?" Zhang Yunfan was taken aback.

“That’s right!” Zheng Yi said urgently, “The Void-Piercing Sword Intent represents justice and purity, capable of purifying all evil. You must use compassion to activate the sword intent, not for killing, but to liberate these suffering souls!”

Hearing his master's words, Zhang Yunfan felt enlightened.

Yes, these vengeful spirits are also victims in essence; what they need is not destruction, but liberation.

“Master, I understand!” Zhang Yunfan closed his eyes and focused on feeling the pain of those vengeful spirits.

He could sense that each vengeful spirit carried immense pain and resentment. They were murdered by evil cultivators and were enslaved even after death; this suffering transcended life and death.

"Poor souls, let me relieve your suffering," Zhang Yunfan murmured to himself, while simultaneously activating the Void-Breaking Sword Intent within his body.

But this time, he activated his sword intent in a completely different way.

Previously, he used his sword intent solely for combat, filled with thoughts of killing and destruction.

Now, he is channeling his sword intent out of compassion, for liberation, and to bring peace to these tormented souls.

"Piercing Void Sword Technique - Compassionate Salvation!"

This is a completely new move, created by Zhang Yunfan at this moment of sudden enlightenment.

A gentle golden sword light emanated from him, devoid of any killing intent, only pure and compassionate.

Wherever the golden light touched, the faces of those originally ferocious and terrifying vengeful spirits revealed peaceful expressions.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

"Finally... finally I can rest in peace."

"Thank you to this kind monk."

The vengeful spirits thanked Zhang Yunfan, then turned into specks of light and disappeared into the world, returning to the cycle of reincarnation.

"No! This is impossible!" The three evil cultivators were terrified upon witnessing this scene. "How could our Blood Sacrifice Technique have been broken?"

"Because you cultivate the evil path, while I cultivate the righteous path!" Zhang Yunfan opened his eyes, a resolute light shining within them. "Evil cannot prevail over good; this is the law of nature!"

Without the support of the vengeful spirits, the blood sacrifice ritual immediately collapsed.

Moreover, because the spell was forcibly broken, the three evil cultivators suffered severe backlash, all of them vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

"Now it's your turn!" Zhang Yunfan said coldly. "Pay the price for the crimes you've committed!"

"Piercing Void Sword Technique - Sword of Justice!"

This is also a brand new move, embodying Zhang Yunfan's understanding and pursuit of justice.

Three golden sword beams descended from the sky like divine punishment, accurately striking the three evil cultivators.

"what!"

Three screams rang out simultaneously, and the bodies of the three evil cultivators turned to ashes in the sword light.

Thus, all three evil cultivators of the Blood Fiend Sect were eliminated.

Without a leader, the horde of monsters immediately fell into chaos, scattering and fleeing in all directions before disappearing into the depths of the desert.

"It's finally over." Zhang Yunfan breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although he won the battle, he was greatly exhausted. In particular, the two new techniques he created at the end almost depleted his spiritual energy.

But seeing the oasis restored to safety filled Zhang Yunfan with relief.

"Yunfan!"

A familiar voice came from the oasis; it was Sha Wuchen's voice.

The gates of the protective array opened, and Sha Wuchen led a group of residents out.

"Young Master Zhang! You're back!" Sha Wuchen excitedly ran to Zhang Yunfan's side. "We all saw the battle just now, you were truly amazing!"

"You flatter me, senior," Zhang Yunfan said modestly. "I just did what I should do."

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Xiaoyue ran out from the crowd and hugged Zhang Yunfan's leg. "You're finally back! Xiaoyue missed you so much!" The little girl was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.

Looking at Xiaoyue's innocent smile, Zhang Yunfan felt a warm current surge in his heart.

Yes, any danger is worth it to protect these kind people.

"Xiaoyue, your uncle said he would come back, and now he's back, isn't he?" Zhang Yunfan gently patted her head.

“Yes! Uncle is the most trustworthy!” Xiaoyue nodded vigorously.

"Young Master Zhang, what about those evil cultivators just now?" Sha Wuchen asked worriedly.

“They’ve all been wiped out,” Zhang Yunfan reassured him. “Don’t worry, senior, they’ll never come back.”

"That's great!" Sha Wuchen breathed a sigh of relief. "We really owe you a lot this time!"

"Senior, why did these evil cultivators find the oasis?" Zhang Yunfan asked in confusion.

"This..." Sha Wuchen's expression was somewhat grim, "It's probably because they sensed the energy fluctuations of the protective array. The array has indeed been rather unstable lately, emitting significantly more spiritual energy than before."

"I see." Zhang Yunfan nodded. "It seems we must resolve the resettlement issue for the oasis residents as soon as possible."

“Yes,” Sha Wuchen agreed, “the protective array is already quite unreliable. If it encounters another attack like this, it will probably be difficult to hold on.”

"Don't worry, senior, I already have a plan," Zhang Yunfan said. "This experience has been very rewarding, and I'm now confident in organizing a large-scale rescue operation."

"Really?" Not only Sha Wuchen, but also the surrounding residents were excited.

“Of course it’s true,” Zhang Yunfan said confidently. “However, it will take some time to prepare. Until then, I will stay in the Oasis to protect everyone.”

"Very good!"

"We can finally leave this place!"

"Thank you so much, Mr. Zhang, for your great kindness!"

After resting for three days in the oasis, Zhang Yunfan bid farewell to Sha Wuchen and the residents and set off to return to the Zheng family.

Over the course of three days, he learned about the situation in the oasis in detail, counted the number of residents who wanted to leave, and formulated a preliminary rescue plan.

According to statistics, there are a total of 123 households and 567 people in the oasis. Of these, about 200 people actually want to leave, mainly young people and families with children. Most of the remaining elderly people are unwilling to leave the place where they have lived their whole lives.

“More than two hundred people.” Zhang Yunfan thought to himself as he flew. “That’s quite a number. I absolutely cannot complete this alone. I must ask the family to send more people.”

According to his estimate, to safely escort more than 200 ordinary people across the Western Wilderness Desert, at least 20 cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above would be needed, along with sufficient flying artifacts and supplies.

This scale is equivalent to a small-scale military operation.

"I hope the clan leader and all the elders will agree to this plan," Zhang Yunfan thought to himself.

Although the Zheng family is now very powerful, it takes great courage and compassion to mobilize so much manpower and resources to rescue a group of unrelated ordinary people.

After a five-day flight, Zhang Yunfan finally returned to the Zheng family's territory.

From afar, the Zheng family mansion still looked as magnificent and imposing as ever. In front of the gate, Niu Tieshan stood guard with imposing bearing; upon seeing Zhang Yunfan return, he immediately came forward to greet him.

"Young Master Zhang! You're back!" Niu Tieshan exclaimed excitedly. "Everyone was so worried about your safety!"

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Niu," Zhang Yunfan said with a smile. "You've worked hard these past few days."

"It's no trouble at all," Niu Tieshan waved his hands repeatedly. "It's my honor to serve the Zheng family. By the way, the clan chief and all the elders are waiting for you. They said they'd inform you as soon as you return."

“Alright, I’ll go see the clan chief right away.”

Zhang Yunfan entered the mansion and headed directly towards Zheng Tianhao's residence.

The Zheng family members he encountered on the road greeted him warmly, their eyes filled with respect. After this period of experience, Zhang Yunfan's status in the Zheng family was now vastly different from before.

Especially after learning that he had gone to the Western Desert alone to train, everyone looked at him with new respect. Being able to survive in such a dangerous place was a testament to his strength and courage.

"Yunfan is back?"

Before they even reached Zheng Tianhao's courtyard, Wei Siling came out to greet them. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes when she saw Zhang Yunfan was unharmed, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Master, you've worked hard." Wei Siling bowed respectfully.

"Siling, how's things at home these days?" Zhang Yunfan asked with concern.

“Everything is fine. The clan leader and elders often inquire about you; everyone misses you very much,” Wei Siling replied truthfully.

"That's good. Where is the clan leader now?"

"They are in the council hall, discussing clan affairs with the elders. I will go and inform them immediately."

"No need, I'll just go directly there."

Zhang Yunfan arrived at the council chamber and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Zheng Tianhao's voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, Zhang Yunfan saw Zheng Tianhao and several elders sitting around a large table, which was covered with various documents and maps.

"Yunfan!" Upon seeing Zhang Yunfan, Zheng Tianhao immediately stood up, his face beaming with joy. "You're finally back! How was the training?"

"Greetings, Clan Chief, greetings, elders." Zhang Yunfan bowed respectfully before saying, "This training trip has been very rewarding; my strength has significantly improved."

"That's wonderful!" Elder Zheng Tianhe said happily. "We were all very worried about your safety. It's so great to see you back safely."

"Sit down quickly and tell me in detail about this experience," Zheng Tianhao said.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Yunfan sat down and began to recount his experience of this training.

He recounted everything in detail, from the dangerous environment of the Western Wilderness Desert to the mysterious oasis town, from the trials of the Heart Refining Tower to the attacks by the evil cultivators of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Of course, he didn't go into detail about his master's incarnation, but only briefly mentioned his master's guidance.

"Such a thing actually happened?" Everyone present was shocked after hearing Zhang Yunfan's account.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator single-handedly defeated three Golden Core stage evil cultivators—such a feat is simply unbelievable.

"Yunfan, are you sure those three evil cultivators are all at the Golden Core stage?" Second Elder Zheng Tianlei asked with some doubt.

“Absolutely true,” Zhang Yunfan replied confidently. “Moreover, the blood sacrifice technique they used was extremely powerful. If it weren’t for Master’s guidance at the crucial moment, I would probably be in danger.”

"This is simply unbelievable," exclaimed Third Elder Zheng Tianfeng. "To defeat a Golden Core cultivator with Foundation Establishment cultivation is a once-in-a-millennium event."

"It seems Yunfan has indeed gained a great deal from the Refining Heart Tower," Zheng Tianhao nodded with satisfaction. "To possess such strength at such a young age, his future achievements are limitless."

"You flatter me, Clan Chief," Zhang Yunfan said modestly. "This disciple still has many shortcomings and needs to continue to work hard."

"By the way, that oasis you mentioned earlier," Elder Zheng Tianhe said thoughtfully, "you want us to help those residents?"

“Exactly.” Zhang Yunfan nodded. “Those residents are all kind, ordinary people who have been trapped in the oasis for thousands of years. Now that the protective array is about to fail, they desperately need our help.”

“But Yunfan,” Second Elder Zheng Tianlei said with some worry, “you said more than two hundred people, that’s quite a number. To safely escort them across the Western Wilderness Desert, we’ll need to mobilize a great deal of the Zheng family’s resources.” (End of Chapter)