Wandering Swordsman |

"Clang!" A piercing metallic clang rang out! The Thousand-Faced Demon flicked his wrist, and his attack was precisely blocked by Luo Yinan's precise strike.

"All disciples, heed my command!" Luo Yinan completely disregarded the battle situation, unleashing a deafening roar with all his might. His voice echoed throughout the stone chamber, carrying an undeniable authority and resolve: "Retreat immediately! Quickly! Don't look back!"

The five disciples acted immediately. Suppressing their grief and anger, they turned and fled for their lives back through the dark passage they had come from. Their footsteps echoed in the empty stone chamber like a tolling death knell.

Seeing his disciple escape, the Thousand-Faced Demon's eyes burned with even greater killing intent. His attacks suddenly became ferocious and ruthless, targeting Luo Yinan's vitals and weaknesses. Luo Yinan, fighting one-on-one while also worrying about his fleeing disciple, was immediately plunged into a perilous situation. He struggled to defend himself; though his sword flashed swiftly, he was constantly restrained, and several bloody gashes appeared on his body, staining his clothes crimson.

However, during the life-or-death struggle, Luo Yinan, relying on his rich experience in combat, keenly sensed something amiss: although the Thousand-Faced Demon's attacks were fierce, it seemed that he was holding back some of his strength; otherwise, given the Thousand-Faced Demon's power, he wouldn't have been able to fight him on equal terms.

"Why...why did he hold back?" Luo Yinan's mind raced. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head: "Could it be that he held back because of the true secret of the Martial God's Tomb?"

"Since that's the case, then let's fight to the death!" A ruthless glint flashed in Luo Yinan's eyes. He forcefully forced back the Thousand-Faced Demon with a single sword strike, simultaneously retreating rapidly, no longer willing to linger in battle. He had only one thought in his mind: escape!

"Trying to escape? Too late!" Seeing him trying to flee, the Thousand-Faced Demon's eyes blazed with ferocity. He held nothing back, unleashing his sinister true energy from his palm, aiming straight for Luo Yinan's back!

Luo Yin heard the howling wind behind him and knew his life hung by a thread. Without hesitation, he hurled his longsword backward with all his might!

The longsword, like an arrow released from a bow, carried his last bit of inner strength, precisely neutralizing the incoming true energy, and continued its trajectory towards the Thousand-Faced Man Xiao's face!

Upon seeing this, the Thousand-Faced Demon had no choice but to stop and turn its head to dodge.

In that split second, Luo Yinan shot into the deep, winding passageway, his figure instantly swallowed by darkness.

"Damn it!" the Thousand-Faced Demon roared, shattering the flying sword with a single palm strike, and then chasing after it into the passage without hesitation.

......

The scene shifts to the secret chamber at the entrance of the Six Stone Gate.

The five Diancang disciples who escaped from the Hammerstone Gate passage were as pale as paper, their eyes filled with terror.

They stumbled into the secret chamber, still catching their breath, and saw Elder Yao Guangyuan and two other Diancang disciples who remained there.

Elder Yao stood tall and straight, his face calm, but his sharp eyes instantly caught the unusual expressions on his disciples' faces.

"What happened?" Yao Guangyuan's voice was low and urgent. He immediately stood up and went to the five disciples who had escaped. "Why are only you four back? Where is Elder Luo?"

A disciple, his lips trembling and tears welling in his eyes, cried out, "Elder Yao... we were tricked by those evil cultivators from overseas! But Elder Luo saw through their scheme. We escaped, but... but Elder Luo is still behind us..."

Yao Guangyuan's face instantly turned ashen, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.

He immediately turned around, ready to rush into the passage to support Luo Yinan. "I'm going right now!" he said through gritted teeth, but stopped abruptly as he was about to take a step—because hurried footsteps echoed through the Thresh Gate passage, like the drumbeats of death, reverberating in the silent chamber.

"Everyone on alert!" Yao Guangyuan shouted in a low voice, his hand on his sword hilt, his eyes fixed intently on the entrance to the passage. A tense atmosphere filled the air, as if time itself had frozen. The disciples drew their weapons, formed a circle, and stood ready for battle.

Just then, a familiar figure staggered into the passageway—it was Luo Yinan!

His clothes were tattered and blood stained most of his body, making every step extremely difficult.

Seeing this, Yao Guangyuan breathed a sigh of relief, as if half of the weight in his heart had been lifted.

"Elder Luo!" Yao Guangyuan rushed forward and reached out to support the swaying Luo Yinan. "Are you alright?"

Luo Yinan forced a bitter smile, his voice hoarse: "Elder Yao, quickly prepare the defense! The Thousand-Faced Demon is chasing me..." Before he could finish speaking, a black shadow darted out of the passage like lightning, accompanied by a mournful howl!

A bloody arm pierced through Luo Yinan's chest, leaving a trail of crimson blood droplets that splattered onto the cold ground.

Luo Yinan stared in disbelief at the hand that had pierced through his chest, his eyes filled with shock and pain.

He slowly turned his head and saw that distorted face—the Thousand-Faced Demon had silently caught up with him and was now standing behind him with a cruel smile on its face.

"No!" Yao Guangyuan's heart tightened, but he did not rush forward immediately. Firstly, he knew that if he acted rashly at this moment, he might not only injure Luo Yinan, but also put himself in danger; secondly, he was not clear about the strength of the Thousand-Faced Demon, and knew that he could not act rashly. If he were to be killed by the Thousand-Faced Demon, then all the other Diancang disciples present would die.

The Thousand-Faced Demon gently withdrew his arm, and Luo Yinan's body slumped forward, collapsing at the entrance of the Hammerstone Gate. Blood gushed from his wounds like a fountain, staining the ground before the stone gate crimson. Luo Yinan's eyes gradually lost their luster, and he murmured, "Elder Yao...run away quickly..."

The Thousand-Faced Demon stood at the entrance to the Hammerstone Gate, coldly watching Luo Yinan's gradually cooling body on the ground, a smug smile playing on his lips. His laughter echoed in the secret chamber, like the hooting of an owl, carrying endless mockery and cruelty. "It seems your Diancang Sect is nothing more than this." His voice, as piercing as a cold wind, tore through the silent space.

Yao Guangyuan took a deep breath, suppressing his grief and anger. His gaze was piercing as he stared directly at the Thousand-Faced Demon, his voice low and firm, like a volcano about to erupt, brimming with suppressed power: "You killed our sect's elder; our Diancang Sect will not let you get away with this!"

"Hahaha!" The Thousand-Faced Demon laughed wildly. "From now on, there will be no more Diancang! You self-important martial arts people of the Central Plains are nothing but frogs in a well, trying to peek into the secrets of the Divine Tomb, yet you don't even know how to spell death!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Guangyuan paused for a moment, then unconsciously turned his gaze to the other five stone doors. The passages that opened through those stone doors were pitch black, and at this moment, in his eyes, they seemed like gates to hell, each concealing countless unknown dangers and the aura of death.

His heart sank suddenly, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand—Sect Leader Duan and the other elders might have encountered the same thing, or perhaps they had even…