Chapter 15: Ambush at Luoshan

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Gazing at the finger so close at hand, its tip sharp as a blade, Luo felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead, a sudden surge of mortal danger rising in his heart. He was utterly certain that if he dared to make a move, the youth before him would strike him down without hesitation.

“Gulp, gulp…”

At this moment, everyone was deathly silent, even Luo’s swallowing could be heard clearly. The other masters at the Peak Dan Realm no longer wore their previous calm expressions; their gazes were grave, fixed intently on the boy, filled with deep apprehension.

The youth’s power posed a serious threat to their very lives. For a brief instant, they all shared a silent, unspoken thought of joining forces to eliminate Lin Fan.

Yet, when they saw Luo’s neck held firmly in the boy’s grip, they gradually abandoned that idea.

These few masters were roughly equal in strength to Luo. Even those who could surpass him admitted they couldn’t so easily defeat him.

Lin Fan’s strength clearly surpassed any of theirs.

“Little brother, let’s talk this out, let’s talk this out,” Luo said nervously, drenched in sweat.

“Do I still need to dig out a hundred spirit ores now?” Lin Fan smiled faintly, glancing at the one who had spoken earlier as he asked.

That man froze briefly, then awkwardly scratched his head, unable to reply.

Seeing this, Lin Fan turned his gaze to Luo and said with a smile, “I’ll only stay here for two months. Just dig ten spirit ores for me each day. Is that alright, Luo?”

Luo swallowed hard and gave a slight nod, too fearful to make any sudden moves, lest Lin Fan’s finger pierce his throat.

“Thank you.”

The youth withdrew his hand and immediately turned to leave. The crowd nearby instinctively parted to let him pass, watching him depart with a mix of awe and fear.

“Who exactly is this kid? Why is he so terrifying?”

Only after Lin Fan left did the others come back to their senses. The one who spoke earlier muttered nervously.

As soon as his voice fell, a cold gleam flashed across Luo’s brow. A silver light streaked forth, and the man trembled as his head was suddenly severed from his body.

The gruesome sight made those nearby feel their scalps crawl; none dared utter another word about Lin Fan.

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They understood.

Any further discussion about Lin Fan was like rubbing salt into Luo’s wounds.

Such behavior was tantamount to courting death.

“No matter where you are, only strength deserves respect.”

Leaving the mine vein, Lin Fan first handed over the spirit ores to the person in charge. Under the respectful gaze of this official, he then headed toward the Falling Mountain Gorge.

He had been ordered to be well cared for; no matter what he did, no interference was allowed.

Falling Mountain Gorge was once the last known location of a mysterious flame demon beast that had stirred bloodshed in the mining area.

Lin Fan’s ultimate purpose in coming here was that very mysterious flame demon beast. Having completed his mining task, he now headed directly to this place.

It was not far from the Yellow Sand Gorge where the mine vein lay — about half an hour’s journey.

Standing at the gorge’s entrance, the youth scanned the surroundings. Unlike Yellow Sand Gorge, this place was deeper and more mysterious.

The steep cliffs on both sides soared into the clouds, like a barrier between heaven and earth, isolating this place from the outside world.

“This is…”

Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan faintly caught a trace of fire lingering in the air. This flame aura seemed to be lurking within the gorge itself. Given his current strength, he could not yet discern its exact origin.

“That beast really is here!”

A gleam sparked in Lin Fan’s eyes. Whether this fiery aura came from the mysterious flame demon beast or not, if there was even the slightest chance, he would persist in searching.

Perhaps due to his cultivation of the Fiery Sky Qi Refining Technique, his sense for flames had become extraordinarily sensitive. Even though the dense canopy formed an invisible shield, he could still detect that faint, flickering flame aura.

He stepped forward into the gorge with steady strides, his gaze firm, his face solemn yet alert.

As he delved deeper, he was surprised to find peculiar fire-attributed plants growing within. Though not as potent as spirit herbs, they already contained some spiritual energy. In a few hundred years, these plants would likely become precious spirit medicines.

“This gorge is full of strange phenomena. No wonder both miners and guards treat it like a tiger’s den — it must be because of that mysterious flame demon beast.

However,

Searching blindly like this is akin to fishing for a needle in the ocean.

I need to find a way to lure that beast out.”

From what he heard from Lu Qianshan, the beast was extremely cunning. If a single strike failed, it would retreat without hesitation. Its beast fire was extraordinarily strange — even a peak master of the Divine Dan Realm like Lu Qianshan couldn’t easily extinguish it.

To draw that mysterious flame demon beast back to Falling Mountain Gorge would be no less difficult than ascending to the heavens.

The elders and others lurking in the shadows were puzzled by Lin Fan’s actions, unaware why he had come here.

Just as they prepared to reveal themselves and ask, a fierce gale suddenly swept out from the darkness, rushing violently toward Lin Fan.

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Lost in thought about how to attract the flame demon beast, Lin Fan suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end. A powerful sense of danger surged forth. Without hesitation, he leapt several yards away.

“Shhhh…”

Several piercing sounds of arrows slicing through the air echoed. The spot where Lin Fan had just stood was peppered with arrows, each shot with great force and penetrating power. When they struck the ground, they left several deep craters.

“Finally decided to make a move?”

Lin Fan’s expression turned icy cold. He hadn’t detected who had fired. Dodging those arrows was solely thanks to his acute crisis awareness.

Had he not moved in time, those arrows would have struck him fatally in an instant.

“Shush, shush, shush…”

Barely landing, with his body not yet fully balanced, several more arrows shot through the foliage toward him. Lin Fan furrowed his brow, anger flashing in his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, the Fire Scale Sword suddenly appeared, its blade shimmering. With several sharp clangs, the powerful arrows instantly shattered into ashes.

“Such audacity!”

This time,

Lin Fan precisely located the direction of the attack. His eyes narrowed slightly. With a sudden stomp, his figure blurred into a shadow, dashing fiercely in one direction.

The Phantom Shadow Technique.

Facing ambushers, Lin Fan held nothing back. He responded with this swift body technique.

Peak Dan Realm!

In the blink of an eye,

Lin Fan’s figure reached that of a man clad in camouflage blending perfectly with the forest. Even his face was painted with tree-patterned camouflage. Without Lin Fan’s sharp senses, even an ordinary person might not have detected him.

What a perfect concealment method. These people were definitely professional assassins!

Lin Fan was secretly shocked. He hadn’t expected the ambushers would be professional killers.

He had thought his enemies would be powerful warriors sent by the Luo family or the Crown Prince. Instead, those who wanted him dead had hired professional assassins.

“But with this level of strength, they have clearly underestimated me!”

Peak Dan Realm might be formidable to others, but to Lin Fan now, it posed no real threat.

“No, this one is concealing his true power!”