Land Sword Immortal: Eighty Years as the Guardian of the Sword Pavilion

Chapter 96 – If…

Meng Fan deftly sidestepped the weightier issues as he spoke.

Though a smile graced his face, it was somewhat forced.

For even now, he felt lingering trepidation.

Not fear of the fox demon, but of the coffins in the underground space.

His instincts told him that even Elder Lin would have to kneel before those coffins!

Meng Fan composed himself and, alongside Li Xuerou, quickly dispatched the remaining lesser demons.

In about half an hour, the demons had been virtually annihilated.

Regrettably, the Shu Mountain Sword Sect had also lost over a dozen disciples!

Such losses were inevitable; after all, they were facing demons, not mere animals.

What followed was much simpler.

Under the organization of He Fangyuan, everyone began to round up and eliminate any demons that had slipped through the net.

Soon, the cleaning task was complete, and the demons within the forest were eradicated.

Many faces were alight with smiles, believing their mission accomplished and a great success!

But what no one knew was that they had narrowly escaped complete annihilation.

Had Meng Fan not slain the fox demon in the grand hall, not a single Shu Mountain disciple would have survived.

The fox demon was too strong!

Even Meng Fan had almost fallen for the fox demon's tricks.

If it hadn't been for Hong Qi's timely aid, things would have been truly troublesome!

But in truth, it would have been merely troublesome.

For Meng Fan, it was far from a dead end!

Even without Hong Qi, Meng Fan had other trump cards up his sleeve.

When controlled by the demoness, he had another way to break free and slay her.

That was to actively comprehend the Sword Intent of the Seven Absolute Demon Swords!

Meng Fan had dabbled in the Seven Absolute Demon Swords, the Eternal Night Sword Technique, and even the Supreme Heartless Sword Technique before, but only superficially, without deep cultivation.

He had only cultivated to the level of Sword Rhyme and Sword Qi.

The next step was Sword Intent!

For techniques like the Supreme Heartless Sword, to achieve Sword Intent required truly heartless actions, like killing one's closest kin.

This stringent requirement was nearly impossible for Meng Fan, unless he found an alternative path in the future.

However, with Meng Fan's foundation in Sword Technique, mastering the Sword Intent of the Seven Absolute Demon Swords would be effortless.

But once he mastered the Sword Intent of the Seven Absolute Demon Swords, Meng Fan would inevitably become demonized!

The sword technique of the Sword Demon was not meant for mere practice.

"Demonization" – these two words were undoubtedly accompanied by terror.

Back in the grand hall, if Hong Qi had no solution, Meng Fan would have actively comprehended the Sword Intent of the Seven Absolute Demon Swords, allowing himself to become demonized.

In a demonized state, Meng Fan would surely break free from the fox demon's control and slay her!

However, demonization would undoubtedly lead to some unexpected side effects.

So unless it was a last resort, Meng Fan would not take that step.

Fortunately, Hong Qi was reliable and spared Meng Fan from taking that final, desperate measure.

"Meng Fan brother, we've completed the task given to us by the Clan. Can we leave this Demon Realm now?" After the battle, Li Xuerou asked Meng Fan.

Meng Fan shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. The mission of the Three Sects is to eradicate all demons within this Demon Realm.

Although the demons mainly gathered into three forces, with each sect exterminating one, there are still some scattered minor demon forces in the Demon Realm that we need to thoroughly clean up, which will take quite some time.

To leave the Demon Realm, we'll probably have to wait until the time is almost up."

The passage to the Demon Realm remained open for a month.

Meng Fan estimated they would need to stay in the Demon Realm for at least twenty days.

But even after twenty days, the Three Sects would not be able to completely clear all the demons within the Demon Realm.

After all, the Demon Realm was vast, and there would always be a few that slipped through the net.

However, these few escapees would no longer have any significant impact.

The reason the Three Sects joined forces to enter the Demon Realm was that the demons within often ventured into the mortal world to kill and do evil.

If only a few escapees remained, they would no longer be able to cause any trouble.

"So it seems we'll have to stay in this Demon Realm for quite a few more days. It's really boring to have to chase and round up these little shrimps everywhere!" Li Xuerou said somewhat helplessly.

After the thrill of the large-scale battle, chasing after the odd few escapees indeed seemed dull.

"There's no helping it; it's the mission. Think of it as a chance to enjoy the scenery of the Demon Realm along the way. And if we're lucky, we might even come across some rare treasures," Meng Fan casually replied to Li Xuerou.

Before long, the Shu Mountain Sword Sect disciples gathered again on the outskirts of the forest.

Meng Fan and Li Xuerou also saw Liu Yanping and the three children.

He Fangyuan, as the leader of this mission, stepped forward once more and addressed everyone, "We've almost completely uprooted the forces entrenched in this forest. Our main task for the Shu Mountain Sword Sect is accomplished.

Next, everyone will spread out to hunt down the scattered demons in the Demon Realm. Find them and eliminate them.

When the month is nearly up, we'll meet back at the passage to the Demon Realm.

As for me, I'll find some brothers to help me take the fallen disciples out of the Demon Realm."

Leaves return to their roots.

Naturally, the Shu Mountain disciples who died in the Demon Realm could not be buried in foreign lands.

He Fangyuan's arrangement met with no objections.

Moreover, the upcoming random demon-cleaning operation was not suitable for group action.

Spreading out would allow for the discovery of more scattered demons.

Liu Yanping approached He Fangyuan with the three children and said, "Senior Brother He, these three children were rescued from the demons.

Since you're leaving the Demon Realm first, could you take these children with you?"

He Fangyuan glanced at the three children, a hint of surprise on his face.

He hadn't expected to find children captured by demons in this forest.

He told Liu Yanping, "Leave them to me. I'll ensure their safe exit and will arrange to find their families."

Liu Yanping expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Senior Brother He."

He Fangyuan replied solemnly, "It's the least I can do!"

Liu Yanping returned to Meng Fan and Li Xuerou's side with a barely concealed smile.

Relieved of the burden of the three children, her mood was greatly improved.

"I was actually thinking of having you take these three children out first, but it seems Senior Brother He has taken the task off your hands," Meng Fan said to Liu Yanping with a smile.

This was not a tease; he had indeed thought so earlier.

It was impossible to run around the Demon Realm with three children in tow.

Liu Yanping said with a heartfelt expression, "Senior Brother He truly is a good man!"