Chapter 960: Chapter 960

Gui Xing stared incredulously at Ding Fan, who was standing beside Zhang Shanlian.

After all, it was just earlier that his palm strike had heavily hit Ding Fan, knocking him to the ground. Judging by the force of that strike...

There was no way Ding Fan could have possibly stood back up.

While Gui Xing was still stunned, a sudden burst of light erupted.

He could see clearly that the light originated from Ding Fan—it was emanating from him.

At the same time, Ban Qu and Luv Shanqi, who had been entangled in their own fight, leapt apart.

Ban Qu also noticed the light coming from Ding Fan, and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Impossible... Could it be… the Daoist Light…?"

The Daoist Light in the Ancient Martial World was nothing short of legendary. It was said that when someone received a blessing powerful enough, their body would radiate light, and the stronger the blessing, the brighter the glow.

In simpler terms, it bore resemblance to the Buddhist concept of Buddha's Light.

Essentially, when prayers and blessings were directed to someone, that energy would bind to them and transform into power.

Yet, the Daoist Light had always been a fairy tale of the Ancient Martial World—no one had ever seen it personally.

Gui Zhen squinted at Ding Fan.

"I knew this kid wouldn't simply be slaughtered so easily..."

Meanwhile, Luv Shanqi from the Spirit Sect was staring at Ding Fan with equal disbelief. He had heard about the Daoist Light too, but the events unfolding before him were beyond his understanding...

The truth was, the glow surrounding Ding Fan wasn't the so-called Daoist Light they spoke of.

The radiant light emanating from Ding Fan was merely the natural result of his enlightenment—the awakening of his spiritual intelligence after communing with the heavens. It wasn't a gift from anyone, but rather a light that arose from within.

Ding Fan exhaled a cloud of foul energy.

He then inhaled deeply, drawing in a surge of pristine air that filled his organs, leaving him with an indescribable sense of refreshment.

Huff… A wave of Qi rippled outward with Ding Fan at its center, expanding to envelop the surroundings.

Ding Fan tilted his head back and let out a long howl.

He had broken through...

Even Ding Fan himself hadn't anticipated where things would end up—he had been gravely injured by Gui Xing, and not only had he survived, but during his swift healing process using True Qi, he had achieved enlightenment.

His cultivation surged rapidly, and upon reaching the wall of the Late Golden Core Stage, he broke through with ease...

Now, Ding Fan had ascended to the Late Golden Core Stage...

It must be understood that after the Golden Core Stage, each advancement was incredibly challenging. But it seemed fate had turned unexpectedly, bringing Ding Fan great fortune while he should have succumbed to tragedy—something that made him deeply jubilant.

Ban Qu sensed the shift in the energy surrounding Ding Fan and grew visibly tense.

Earlier, Gui Xing had nearly killed Ding Fan, and the fact that he could stand up again was already miraculous—and yet now, he had even advanced his cultivation...

To Ban Qu, who had roamed the world for so long, Ding Fan was unlike anyone he had ever seen. Someone on the brink of death, yet still able to elevate their cultivation...

From a distance, Gui Zhen witnessed this and allowed a faint smile to cross his lips...

Ding Fan glanced at the gravely injured Zhang Shanlian standing beside him, barely able to stay upright.

He reached directly into his storage ring and retrieved a pill, which he then pushed into Zhang Shanlian's mouth.

"Senior Luv, take Senior Zhang to rest for now. Leave the rest to me." Ding Fan's tone was calm, but his gaze resolute and unwavering.

Luv Shanqi didn't hesitate; he swiftly helped Zhang Shanlian to safety.

"Kid, you certainly are impressive. But alas, you've chosen to make yourselves our enemy. In a few decades, you could have been a ruler of your own dominion... But you shouldn't have opposed us, the Ghost Sect."

Gui Xing spat out his words and swung his longsword directly at Ding Fan.

Ding Fan suddenly hurled the Nine Profound Iron forward.

Gui Xing dodged it with a quick step to the side.

"You're trying to use the same old trick from the forbidden land outside East City again?" Gui Xing sneered coldly.

Back outside East City, when Ding Fan was overpowered by Gui Xing, he had thrown his Grade Nine attack artifact to force Gui Xing back, using the opportunity to escape.

Gui Xing assumed Ding Fan was merely repeating his usual ploy now.

But before Gui Xing could finish speaking, Ban Qu shouted from the side, "Careful!"

Gui Xing didn't understand Ban Qu's warning.

And then—a beam of sword light abruptly returned from behind Gui Xing. His chest was instantly pierced with a gaping, bloody hole.

How... How is this possible...

Gui Xing clutched the wound on his chest, then collapsed heavily to the ground with a final thud.

Looking at Gui Xing now, his eyes were wide open, but he was devoid of life, unmistakably dead.

It seemed even in his final moments, Gui Xing couldn't understand how Ding Fan managed to kill him!

Though Gui Xing died confused, Ban Qu saw everything clearly.

The longsword Ding Fan had thrown earlier wasn't just a simple throw—after flying out, it seemed to respond to its master's command, returning for an unexpected strike.

Few Ancient Martial Warriors could have anticipated that an artifact thrown into battle could behave as if it were alive, capable of such unprecedented maneuverability.

It was this misjudgment that cost Gui Xing dearly, leading to his eventual death at Ding Fan's hands.

"Flying sword…" Ban Qu's expression was filled with terror.

Flying swords had long been whispered of in the Ancient Martial World's legends, yet none had laid actual eyes on one before now.

Ban Qu looked at Ding Fan as though he were some kind of monster.

Ding Fan, barely in his early twenties, already commanded a flying sword...

For a time, Ban Qu believed his disciple, Gui Xing, was the most talented person of this world...

But after seeing Ding Fan, Ban Qu realized Gui Xing was no match for Ding Fan at all—not by a long shot.

The disciples of the Ghost Sect were collectively shaken by Ding Fan's display...

Zhang Shanlian and Luv Shanqi were equally struck dumb.

Both of them had recognized Ding Fan's exceptional potential, but neither had anticipated that his capabilities were already this extraordinary...

Controlling a flying sword to kill enemies!

This was terrifyingly powerful!

With his longsword glinting in his grip, Ding Fan cast a cold gaze at the rest of the Ghost Sect.

"Does the Ghost Sect have anyone else willing to fight?"

Ding Fan's longsword hung at his side. His face was solemn yet defiant, resembling a War God.

Ghost Sect members shuddered collectively, gripped by a chilling fear.

Gui Xing ranked among the top three within the Ghost Sect, and Ding Fan had dispatched him so decisively. Anyone else stepping up to challenge Ding Fan now would merely meet a pointless death.

"Retreat!" Gui Zhen raised a hand to signal the Ghost Sect formation.

"Gui Zhen… Gui Xing was killed. Aren't we going to avenge him?" Ban Qu's eyes burned crimson with fury.

"You know whose orders I follow. Whether you obey or not is your choice," Gui Zhen replied bluntly, then turned away without waiting for Ban Qu's response. He glanced once at Ding Fan before leading the Ghost Sect disciples into full retreat.

Ban Qu understood well whose command Gui Zhen answered to.

It had undoubtedly come from the Ghost Sect Master himself. Though Ban Qu served as a protector of the Ghost Sect, even he dared not defy the master's orders.

After shooting Ding Fan one final, hateful glare, Ban Qu turned and followed the Ghost Sect out, keeping pace behind them.

Once the Ghost Sect fled, Zhang Shanlian and Luv Shanqi cautiously approached.

At first, they had believed that the Spirit Sect was fated to face annihilation. With the Ghost Sect arriving in a threatening swarm, the Spirit Sect was bound either for destruction or permanent captivity.

What they hadn't expected was for Ding Fan to single-handedly turn the tide—first killing Gui Sen, then Gui Xing, and finally forcing the Ghost Sect into retreat...

It was clear now that without Ding Fan, the Spirit Sect would have surely followed the Immortal Sect into its tragic downfall.

"Let's not say anything more. Return to the Spirit Sect first," Ding Fan said to Zhang Shanlian and Luv Shanqi.

This battle had left considerable losses for the Spirit Sect, including heavy injuries to its three elders and the deaths of eight or nine Ling Shan disciples.

Right now, the priority was to rest and recover.

With Ding Fan leading them, Zhang Shanlian and Luv Shanqi entered the Spirit Sect.

Ding Fan distributed Foundation Building Pills among the injured disciples and focused on helping Zhang Shanlian recover.

Zhang Shanlian's wounds were critical—if left untreated, his future cultivation would face significant obstacles.

Afterward, Ding Fan found a quiet place to meditate and heal himself.

The battle against Gui Xing had been nothing short of grueling. Ding Fan narrowly escaped defeat thanks to his robust True Qi, evading what would have been certain death. Yet, even now, the memory of Gui Xing filled him with dread.

If not for his decisive action in throwing his flying sword and striking unexpectedly, killing Gui Xing would have been tremendously difficult—even after advancing to the Late Golden Core Stage.

It took Ding Fan three full days to recover most of his internal injuries. By this time, the remaining Spirit Sect disciples who had journeyed to Mount Lu for the auction had returned.

These disciples were all vital members of the Spirit Sect.

The Ghost Sect had deliberately chosen this moment to ambush the Spirit Sect when its defenses were most vulnerable.

Their return brought renewed stability and reassurance to the surviving Spirit Sect members. Luv Shanqi immediately began organizing efforts to fortify the mountain gate to stave off any further attacks from the Ghost Sect.

During this time, Ding Fan produced more pills for Zhang Shanlian. Read complete versıon only at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥

Among these were several Fifth Grade and higher, including over ten Seventh and Grade Eight pills.

When Zhang Shanlian saw the pills Ding Fan offered, he was utterly stunned.

These pills were extraordinary. Merely a single Seventh Grade pill fetched a sky-high price of thirteen thousand Spirit Stones at the Mount Lu auction.

This handful of Fifth Grade and higher pills—who could say how many Spirit Stones they were worth...

Ding Fan, however, seemed unconcerned.

Pills could always be refined anew, but if the Spirit Sect were to perish, a resurgence would be impossible.

The feud with the Ghost Sect now left no room for reconciliation; another clash was inevitable.

As such, distributing pills to strengthen the disciples' cultivation had become the utmost priority.

Zhang Shanlian respected Ding Fan's decision and took the pills to allocate them among disciples based on their talents.

Just then, an enthusiastic Spirit Sect disciple rushed over.

"Master, a group of people has arrived at the Mortal Realm's passageway outside; they seem to be searching for the Spirit Sect's mountain gate."

Searching for the Spirit Sect's mountain gate?

Ding Fan paused momentarily before a sudden thought struck him.

Could it be… the Huangshan Shi Family?!