Chapter 979: Chapter 979

Rumble... The Ghost Sect disciples scrambled away in panic, and the Artifact of Attack that had been relentlessly bombarding the sect gate had collapsed to the ground with a loud crash.

At this moment, Zhao Fangyuan still felt as if everything was unreal.

Just a short while ago, Zhao Fangyuan was on the brink of being slain. Yet now, the entire situation had flipped, and the once fearsome Ghost Sect had fled in disgrace.

"Dad, are you alright?" Right at this moment, Zhao Yan rushed over out of concern for Zhao Fangyuan.

"Yaner... Thank you," Zhao Fangyuan said, knowing full well that if Zhao Yan hadn't risked her life to seek reinforcements, the Zhao Family would have been annihilated.

The father and daughter, after enduring what felt like a brush with death, embraced tightly as Zhao Yan broke into tears in her father's arms.

Ding Fan, cautious of the Ghost Sect's retreat potentially being a trap, immediately unleashed his Divine Sense to survey the surrounding area.

After a thorough investigation, Ding Fan confirmed that the Ghost Sect's forces had indeed departed.

"Many thanks to Sect Master Ding for your righteousness in coming to our aid..." Zhao Fangyuan approached with heartfelt gratitude and spoke to Ding Fan.

Ding Fan responded calmly, "It was a mere trifling effort."

Upon realizing that reinforcements had arrived, many of the Zhao Family members emerged from inside in short order.

The head of the Zhao Family came forward to express deep thanks to Ding Fan and his group's rescue efforts.

After some brief pleasantries between Ding Fan and the Zhao Family members, the Zhao Family invited the Spirit Sect group into their residence for proper hospitality.

At this moment, Zhao Yan and Ling Zhu couldn't help but realize the gap between themselves and Ding Fan. Even the Zhao Family patriarch tread carefully around Ding Fan. Thinking of their journey to Ming City together, the two women sighed deeply. Perhaps this was the most memorable period of their lives.

Ding Fan stayed with the Spirit Sect members at the Zhao Family residence for two days.

The reason for the extended stay was primarily to prevent the Ghost Sect from making a potential return. Fortunately, the Ghost Sect showed no signs of coming back.

Once the threat of the Ghost Sect was fully eliminated, Ding Fan led the Spirit Sect members away from the Zhao Family estate.

On their departure, the Zhao Family spoke of the upcoming Hidden Sect gathering in Dejiang, promising that they would also attend.

With this, the coalition against the Ghost Sect grew ever stronger.

Leaving the Zhao Family behind, Ding Fan set out to continue searching for Ruan Yuan.

Ruan Yuan had previously been pursued by Ming Chen and was currently missing, his fate uncertain. Ding Fan had resolved to track him down.

Meanwhile, Mei Zhi planned to return to the Spirit Sect and reunite with Zhao Shanhe in accordance with Ding Fan's earlier arrangements before heading to Dejiang.

After leaving Mount Lu, Ding Fan and the Spirit Sect group made their way to Ming City, where Ding Fan parted ways with Mei Zhi and the others.

Ming Chen's last known appearance was in Ming City, so Ding Fan decided this was the logical place to begin his search for Ruan Yuan.

Although Ming City wasn't considered a first-tier city, its population was in the millions, making the task of finding someone akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Ding Fan contemplated for a moment, realizing his best option was seeking Mu Zi's assistance.

Turning to state resources to locate someone was far more efficient than aimless wandering amid a sea of people.

With his plan solidified, Ding Fan dialed Mu Zi's number.

"Brother Fan? Is it really you?" Mu Zi answered, her voice filled with shock.

"Thank goodness! Brother Fan, did you call because you know I'm in danger?" Mu Zi suddenly broke into tears on the other side of the line.

Ding Fan paused, taken aback. Mu Zi, despite her vivacious and mischievous personality, had rarely cried in front of him. Clearly, she was facing considerable peril.

"Where are you now?" Ding Fan asked urgently.

"Brother Fan, I'm on Red Rock Island..." Mu Zi immediately described her precise location to Ding Fan.

Hanging up the call, Ding Fan wasted no time, embarking on Sword Flight directly toward Red Rock Island...

Red Rock Island, situated at the boundary of Huaxia's seas and the open ocean.

This island, formed from coral reefs, was home to some tropical vegetation.

Currently, near a chaotic heap of rocks on the island.

Mu Zi and a team of several members from Group 3567 were utilizing the terrain to conceal themselves.

"Mu Zi, let me take you away from here. This mission is impossible to accomplish now," said a white-bearded elder, his tone somber. "There are at least five Jonin and more than a dozen Chunin from Japan outside. Even with my cultivation level, I can only barely manage to protect you during an escape..."

"I won't leave. Abandoning my comrades here to die while I flee by myself—this is something I cannot do," Mu Zi rejected his plan decisively.

The elder furrowed his brows tightly. "I promised Elder Mu that I would ensure no harm comes to you. Listen to me, we must leave; if we delay any longer, none of us will survive."

Mu Zi remained resolute. "If you're worried about my safety, you needn't be. Someone will come to rescue me—I will be fine."

The white-bearded elder was momentarily stunned.

Mu Zi and the elder's location were surrounded by the sea; this place was practically a dead zone. Who could possibly come to their rescue?

"You won't escape," a cold voice suddenly broke the silence.

Following the voice, Mu Zi and the elder saw a masked man with a ghostly face standing before them.

The intruder hadn't made the slightest sound...

The elder's expression stiffened. He immediately drew his longsword, his demeanor turning grim as he fixed his gaze on the man.

"Surrender obediently, and I might let you keep a dog's life," the masked man said icily.

Swish... Without warning, the elder's longsword struck down swiftly.

This strike was fiercely sharp; the elder believed the opponent had no chance of blocking it.

What happened next left the elder utterly dumbfounded.

As his sword was about to make contact, the masked man vanished into thin air as if he had never been there. The sword struck nothing but air.

Before the elder could react, the masked man appeared behind him.

Swish... A Sword Beam slashed across, cutting off the elder's white beard at his chin.

The elder trembled with fear, cautiously lowering his head to see. At some point, the masked man's longsword had already been pressed against his throat.

"Don't kill me..." The elder pleaded desperately.

Seeing their strongest member subdued so effortlessly, Mu Zi and the Group 3567 members experienced a chilling despair.

After all, if the elder—their most powerful cultivator—had been defeated, what chance did the others in Group 3567 have?

"Let me give you one final choice: surrender, or die!" The masked man's icy gaze swept over Mu Zi and her group.

The Group 3567 members, despite being trained to endure extreme situations, began to falter in the face of death.

"If you won't comply, I'll ensure you disappear here forever." With those words, the masked man pulled a fist-sized spherical object out of his robes.

The masked man tossed it to the ground.

The ball hit the ground and burst into smoke.

As the smoke surged up, the surrounding area was suddenly filled with Japanese fighters.

"Kill them!" The masked man ordered coldly.

The Japanese martial artists didn't hesitate, charging forward to attack.

Just as Mu Zi and her group prepared for one last desperate fight, a sharp sound pierced through the air.

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Mu Zi recognized the sound immediately—it had to be a Wind Blade technique.

She quickly turned to look.

Sure enough, where the Wind Blade had swept through, three Japanese fighters were cleaved in half instantly.

"It's him... He's here!" Mu Zi's eyes lit up with hope. "Brothers, we've been saved—our savior has arrived."

There was only one person capable of wielding Wind Blade and coming to her rescue: Ding Fan.

As expected, following the Wind Blade's devastating strike, a figure appeared beside Mu Zi.

Standing there wasn't anyone else but Ding Fan. If not for the urgency of their mission, Mu Zi might have thrown herself into Ding Fan's arms.

Seeing Ding Fan, the masked Japanese man froze.

Surrounded by the sea, without any boats nearby, he couldn't fathom how Ding Fan had arrived here.

Ding Fan wasn't interested in exchanging words with the masked man. With a wave of his hand, a Wind Blade sliced through the air.

The masked man suddenly felt a chill on his arm. Looking down, he saw his arm falling to the ground, severed cleanly.

Rage and shock filled the masked man's features.

He hadn't even exchanged a word, yet Ding Fan had already maimed him with no hesitation or provocation.

The Group 3567 members stood stunned.

Not long ago, the masked man had been toying with their strongest cultivator like an adult bullying a child.

Now, in front of Ding Fan, the masked Japanese man was as fragile as clay, losing his arm in the blink of an eye.

With his arm severed, the formerly subdued elder took the opportunity to escape back toward Mu Zi and the others.

"Brother Fan, these Japanese scum are all evil. Don't show them any mercy!" Mu Zi, who had suffered bitterly at their hands, shouted to Ding Fan without reservation.

Ding Fan didn't hesitate. To deal with Japan—a dog-like nation—their lesson could only come from being beaten effectively.

"!@#￥%&*..." The masked Japanese man shouted loudly to his remaining fighters.

Although Ding Fan didn't understand the language, he could guess the meaning—that the masked man was ordering his subordinates to make a desperate charge.

Swish, swish, swish...

Ding Fan, unperturbed, unleashed Wind Blades in rapid succession.

In mere moments, blood splattered everywhere, severed torsos, limbs, and arms scattered the ground!

In less than a minute, the battlefield transformed into a slaughterhouse. By the end, the only one left standing among the Japanese fighters was the masked man.

"How... How is this possible..." The masked man stared in disbelief at the surrounding carnage.

Among the fallen were four Jonin and over ten Chunin.

Even slaughtering pigs, dealing with this many would take time...