Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 41: Battle on the eve of exit, meet again after the hardship

Lin Fan, his heart pounding with anxiety, rushed towards the forbidden area's exit like a raging storm. His clothes rustled in the wind, his hair flew wildly, and every step he took raised a cloud of dust.

However, just a dozen miles from the exit, he suddenly stopped, his expression instantly turning cold. He saw two uninvited guests standing in the way, their intentions ill-intentioned.

One was a gray-robed old man from Spirit Beast Mountain. His figure was hunched, but within his deep-set eye sockets, a pair of eyes revealed shrewdness and ruthlessness. A rich aura of spiritual energy lingered around him, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that he was a master of the thirteenth level of Qi training.

Beside him stood a young man from the Giant Sword Sect, his figure erect and his face stern. He clutched a massive sword, a gleaming, cold light. Runes swirled on the blade, emanating a faint sense of oppression. Similarly, his spiritual energy surged, evidently also reaching the thirteenth level of Qi training.

"Boy, you've come at the right time. Hand over all the treasures on you and I'll spare your life!" The old man in gray spoke first, his voice hoarse and full of unquestionable arrogance.

Lin Fan knew this fierce battle was inevitable. Without a word, he slapped the storage bag at his waist. In an instant, a flash of light appeared, and the Star-Breaking Sword appeared in his hand with a clang. At the same time, he also took out the Hunyuan Shield and held it firmly in front of him.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Fan's hands formed hand seals like a phantom, muttering something to himself. With his movements, the Star-Breaking Sword instantly transformed into a streak of cold light, soaring towards the two Tribulation Cultivators with a swiftness so swift it resembled a meteor streaking through the night sky. The runes on the Primordial Shield also began to flicker, emitting faint circles of light, tightly protecting Lin Fan and preparing for the impending attack.

The gray-robed old man's expression suddenly froze, his figure retreating like a ghost, a low growl emanating from his lips. With a flick of his sleeve, a spirit rat, radiating a faint green light, leaped out, instantly expanding to the size of a millstone. With its teeth bared, it lunged at the Star-Shattering Sword. Spiritual energy surged through the spirit rat, fearlessly withstanding the sword's sharp edge with its flesh and blood.

With a loud "bang", the sword energy spread out, slicing the surrounding air like a sharp blade. This was originally a high-level demon beast. Facing the fierce attack of the Star Shattering Sword, the gap in strength was too great, so how could it easily resist?

Instantly, the spirit rat screamed in agony, its once glossy fur ripped and ripped by the sword's energy, blood splattering everywhere. Its massive body was nearly severed in half. It fell heavily to the ground, its hind legs twitching weakly, barely surviving with its last breath.

The gray-robed old man's expression instantly turned extremely grim upon seeing this, his features contorted in a state of heartache. "Evil beast!" he shouted angrily, but even this cry couldn't reverse the Spirit Rat's decline.

At that moment, the young man from the Giant Sword Sect, taking advantage of Lin Fan's fading moves and a brief moment of spiritual energy depletion, raised his greatsword high with both hands. The runes on the blade glowed brightly, and then, with overwhelming momentum, he slashed down at Lin Fan. This strike concentrated all his strength, and the air around him seemed to be torn apart by the blade, making a sizzling sound. The sharp energy cut Lin Fan's cheek painfully.

Lin Fan's eyes narrowed suddenly, a flicker of panic in their gaze, but his instincts, honed through years of combat, quickly calmed him. Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately commanded the Hunyuan Shield to meet the attack at top speed. A resounding clang, like the roar of a bell, pierced his eardrums. The powerful impact numbed Lin Fan's arms, as if struck by a heavy hammer. He involuntarily took several steps backward, plowing two deep furrows into the ground.

Lin Fan knew he was outnumbered, facing two opponents at once. His position was extremely difficult, and he couldn't afford to slack off. He took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his arm. His spiritual energy surged like a surging wave. Under his control, the Star-Shattering Sword shone once more, its aura becoming increasingly concentrated. His wrist danced like a spirit snake, and the Star-Shattering Sword slashed through the air, creating complex and deadly shadows. He attacked both the gray-robed old man and the young man simultaneously, attempting to break through this desperate situation.

At the same time, his other hand reached into his storage bag like lightning and pulled out a thick stack of talismans, no less than twenty or thirty in total. These talismans emanated various radiances, and the runes flickered continuously. Most of them were elementary and intermediate-level talismans, but although there were only five or six elementary and advanced-level talismans, they exuded even more powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Go!" Lin Fan shouted, flicking his wrist with force, throwing the talismans in his hand outward. Instantly, the talismans, like activated spiritual objects, rapidly spun and fragmented in the air. Then, a burst of light ignited, transforming into countless spells, some blindingly dazzling and some incredibly powerful, that rained down upon the two Tribulation Cultivators like a torrential downpour of pear blossoms.

Suddenly, fireballs, swirling with heat, hurled themselves at the two like flaming meteors. Ice spikes condensed into sharp icy spikes, flashing with cold light and piercing the air with a shrill whistling sound. Wind blades formed invisible blades, wantonly slicing everything around them. These spells intertwined and combined their power, equivalent to the simultaneous release of spells by twenty or thirty mid-to-late stage Qi training cultivators. The power was truly astonishing.

The gray-robed old man and the young man's faces instantly turned pale as paper. They had never imagined that Lin Fan had such a powerful back-up plan. Not daring to slack off, they hurriedly summoned their respective defensive magic weapons.

The gray-robed elder quickly formed hand seals, and a pristine shield emitting a faint green light instantly appeared before him. Strange animal patterns were carved into the shield, faintly emitting a mysterious power. The young man then held the greatsword horizontally, and the runes on the sword suddenly glowed, forming a solid spiritual barrier.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The spells and defensive artifacts collided with a deafening roar. The powerful impact whipped up a gust of wind, sending sand and rocks flying. The surrounding trees were uprooted, and the ground was smashed into large pits of varying depths. Under the impact of the wind and spells, the two men pressed their feet firmly against the ground, their bodies trembling slightly, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, and they fought with all their might to resist the wave after wave of attacks. The runes on the defensive artifacts flashed violently, the light flickering, as if they could shatter at any moment. Seeing this, Lin Fan's eyes flashed with a fierceness, and he immediately ordered the Star-Shattering Sword to join the attack. The Star-Shattering Sword was like a nimble lightning, cleverly bypassing the weak points of the defensive artifacts and piercing the gray-clothed old man.

At the same time, he pulled out a dozen talismans from his storage bag like lightning. With a flick of his wrist, the talismans flew towards the young man. "Boom!" The talismans exploded instantly, and various magical lights intertwined, like a huge net, enveloping the young man.

Under the combined attack of the Star-Breaking Sword and the talisman, the situation suddenly reversed. The gray-robed old man's defensive magic weapon could no longer hold up, and the runes extinguished with a snap, followed by a crackling sound as they shattered into pieces.

The Star-Shattering Sword pierced through his defenses unhindered, the sharp blade instantly slicing through his chest, sending blood splattering. The gray-robed old man's eyes widened in disbelief, his body flying backwards like a kite with its string cut.

On the young man's side, the spells unleashed from over a dozen talismans were equally astounding. Flames burned, ice spikes pierced, lightning struck—a continuous barrage of attacks. Under this torrential onslaught, the runes on his defensive magic weapon flickered a few times before shattering into dust with a bang. The young man had no time to react; the force of the spell sent him flying, slamming him to the ground, spitting blood and barely breathing.

Lin Fan knew that to cut the grass, he had to root it out. He absolutely couldn't leave these two men any chance of survival. He quickly formed seals with his hands, muttering something to himself. A ball of blazing flame condensed in his palms, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a fireball the size of a washbasin. Enveloped in a surging heat wave, it soared towards the bodies of the gray-clothed old man and the young man.

"Boom!" The fireball hit with pinpoint accuracy, instantly unleashing a powerful force. The flames blazed fiercely, instantly engulfing the two men. Under the intense heat, their bodies rapidly carbonized. In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to two piles of ash, which were blown away by the mountain breeze and dissipated into the air.

Then, Lin Fan stretched out his hand and gently waved his spiritual power. Like obedient little birds, the two storage bags flew into his hands with a few "whoosh" sounds. He breathed slightly heavily, a hint of relief after exhaustion on his face. After a few adjustments, he placed the two storage bags in front of him and began to carefully count them.

A casual glance and his eyes lit up instantly. The storage bag was overflowing with a dazzling array of items, including over a dozen rare spiritual herbs. These herbs were quite old, some even emitting a faint aura, their value evident at first glance. Among them was a fiery red Ganoderma lucidum, its leaves clearly veined, each line imbued with surging spiritual energy – the very ingredient needed to refine the elixir that would break through bottlenecks.

……

Lin Fan pulled a Soul-Returning Pill from his pocket and swallowed it in one gulp. As soon as the pill entered his stomach, he felt a warm current spreading through his body, and the mana he had just consumed began to rapidly recover. After resting for a while, he dusted himself off and headed towards the forbidden area's exit.

Unexpectedly, the journey was far from peaceful, with several attempts at robbery. Each of these men, ferocious and vicious, began yelling at him to hand over his storage bag. Lin Fan knew that reasoning with these men was futile; his only option was to rely on his own strength.

Whenever faced with a threat, Lin Fan never flinched. Wielding the Star-Breaking Sword, he relied on his masterful swordsmanship to forge a bloody path. If faced with a stronger opponent, he would quickly pull a handful of talismans from his storage bag and toss them out. As the talismans exploded, a variety of spells flew towards the enemy like a surging tide: blazing fireballs, sharp ice spikes, piercing wind blades, roaring lightning strikes... These spells either drove back or annihilated the enemies.

Fighting and killing his way through, Lin Fan relied on his own skills and the talismans to fight his way to the forbidden area's exit. Suddenly, Lin Fan felt a dizzy sensation. When he regained consciousness, he found himself standing on a slope of loess. With a chill in his heart, Lin Fan hurriedly walked behind Patriarch Chen Minghui and stood properly.

For the next few minutes, figures flickered at the forbidden area's exit. Disciples from the seven sects, some alone, their faces weary but unable to conceal their relief at having survived, emerged one after another from the mysterious forbidden area. Others emerged in groups of three or five, supporting each other and whispering about their thrilling experiences within the forbidden area.

Lin Fan stared at each person, his expression tense. That was until the familiar figure appeared: Li Ling'er, dressed in white, her hair slightly disheveled. Her pretty face was a bit pale, but her eyes were still bright. Lin Fan's heart finally settled down, and he relaxed instantly.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a brilliant smile, and while no one was paying attention, he winked playfully at Li Ling'er. His lively expression, like the warm spring sun, swept away the previous tense haze.

Li Ling'er was startled at first, then a blush spread across her cheeks, and a smile crept into her lips. Her eyes were filled with a gentle, understanding expression. The surrounding noise faded into the background. At this moment, their eyes were focused solely on each other, sharing the joy and relief of reunion after a difficult time.

(End of this chapter)