64: A fierce battle in the skies, the first signs of its prowess emerge.

Under the blood-colored net, the sound of killing shook the heavens! Dozens of Blood Fiend Sect Disciples formed a strange Formation, their blood Qi connected, transforming into a churning sea of blood that firmly trapped the three cloud piercer boats. The blood-colored net not only suppressed flight but also emitted a foul and stinking aura, constantly eroding the protective spiritual light of the cloud piercer boats.

"Lin Feng, Lin Xue, hold the flying boats and activate all defensive Formations!" Lin Fan's voice clearly reached their ears through a transmission, "Two Clan Elders, follow me to break the Formation!"

Before his voice faded, Lin Fan had already transformed into a golden starlight shadow, taking the lead to charge out!

"Arrogant brat! Die!" Three Blood Fiend Sect leaders at the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm closed in with sinister grins. One held a blood saber, one gripped a bone whip, and the other's fingernails grew like hooks, aiming for Lin Fan's vitals with a foul wind!

Facing the combined attack of the three, Lin Fan's expression remained unchanged. He pushed his Eternal Indestructible Body to the limit, his body glowing with intense golden light, like a golden-bodied War God! He didn't dodge or retreat, meeting the descending blood saber with a punch!

Indestructible Divine King Fist, Mountain Collapse! Boom!!! The golden punch shadow and the blood-colored saber light collided violently! A wave of air exploded, and that decent-quality blood saber actually let out a wail, its blade bent by the strike. The wielder's tiger's mouth split open, blood spraying wildly as he was sent flying back, his eyes full of horror!

Almost simultaneously, the bone whip coiled toward Lin Fan's waist like a venomous snake, and the blood claws lunged straight for his heart from behind!

Lin Fan shifted his body slightly, his left hand's fingers joined like a sword. The Power of the Stars condensed at his fingertips, transforming into a concentrated beam of starlight that precisely struck the tip of the bone whip!

Ding! The bone whip snapped back as if struck by lightning. The wielder let out a muffled groan, feeling a heavy and scorching force travel through the weapon, leaving his entire arm numb and aching.

Meanwhile, the blood claw lunging for his back struck Lin Fan's heart area squarely.

Rip! His robes tore, but golden light flowed over Lin Fan's skin. When the blood claw struck, it made a piercing sound like metal scraping against iron, and sparks flew in all directions! Not even a white mark was left behind!

"What?!" The blood claw leader's pupils shrank sharply; he could hardly believe his eyes. His "Blood Fiend Claws" had been cultivated for decades, refined with countless poisonous blood, and could pierce through refined steel, yet they couldn't break the opponent's Physical Body?!

"It's my turn," Lin Fan's cold voice rang in his ear.

The blood claw leader retreated in horror, only to find that Lin Fan had turned around at some unknown moment. His right hand's five fingers were spread, seemingly shrouded by a miniature starry sky, carrying a heavy sense of suppression as it grabbed down toward his head!

A phantom of the star pagoda flashed behind Lin Fan, drawing upon the majestic Power of the Stars!

"Not good!" The blood claw leader frantically pushed his blood Qi, condensing a thick blood shield above his head.

Psh! The star claw fell, and the seemingly solid blood shield was torn apart like paper. With undiminished momentum, his five fingers clamped onto the leader's crown!

"Soul Search!" Lin Fan shouted low. His powerful Divine Sense forced its way into the other's Sea of Consciousness, scavenging for memory fragments. He needed to know who was pulling the strings behind the scenes!

"Ah!" The blood claw leader let out a shrill scream, bleeding from his seven orifices, his Divine Soul instantly suffering heavy damage.

Seeing this, the other two leaders were shocked and enraged, roaring as they pounced again.

Lin Fan casually threw the now-idiotic blood claw leader toward the one with the bone whip. At the same time, his figure blurred, appearing in front of the saber-wielder.

The saber-wielder had just suppressed his churning blood and Qi when he saw a golden-light-covered fist rapidly enlarging before his eyes! His soul almost left his body. It was too late to raise his saber to block, so he could only frantically activate his protective blood Qi.

Bang! The protective blood Qi shattered upon impact! The fist landed solidly on his chest!

Crack! The clear sound of bones breaking rang out. The saber-wielder's chest caved in, his eyes bulged, and blood mixed with internal organ fragments sprayed from his mouth as he fell like a kite with a broken string.

In an instant, of the three at the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm, one was dead, one was crippled, and one was heavily injured!

This scene not only stunned the remaining Blood Fiend Sect Disciples but also shocked the two Lin Family Clan Elders, who were currently in a fierce battle with two other leaders at the Middle Stage of the Divine Power Realm.

"The Divine Son is actually this powerful?!" one Clan Elder thought, his mind in turmoil. Those were three experts in the Divine Power Realm! Although only at the Early Stage, their combined strength would give a typical Middle Stage expert a headache, yet they were crushed by the Divine Son with overwhelming force!

"Don't get distracted! Kill the enemies first!" the other Clan Elder shouted via transmission, his long sword turning into a sky full of green shadows, firmly entangling the opponent's blood-colored bone hammer.

After dealing with the enemies before him, Lin Fan immediately turned his gaze toward the blood-robed leader presiding over the grand Formation—a powerhouse at the Late Stage of the Divine Power Realm. This person had been floating at the Formation core, controlling the blood-colored net and hadn't personally joined the fray. However, his cold gaze had been locked onto Lin Fan the entire time.

"Kid, you indeed have some tricks," the blood-robed leader said in a raspy voice, with a hint of surprise. "No wonder someone was willing to pay such a high price. However, the game ends here."

He suddenly formed hand seals, chanting obscure incantations.

"Blood Fiend Grand Formation, Ten Thousand Souls Heart-Devouring!"

Rumble! The entire blood-colored net vibrated violently. Countless distorted and pained phantom faces emerged from the blood net, letting out silent, shrill wails! An evil power targeting the Divine Soul spread out, rushing straight for everyone's Sea of Consciousness!

Lin Feng and Lin Xue were weaker. Even with the protection of the flying boat's Formation, their faces turned pale, their Divine Souls stung, and their auras became unstable.

The two Clan Elders' movements also faltered slightly. Their opponents took the opportunity to attack fiercely, and the situation instantly became precarious.

Lin Fan also felt a cold, evil force invading his Sea of Consciousness, but under the dual protection of the Eternal Indestructible Body and the star pagoda, his Divine Soul remained as steady as a rock. His Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils shone with golden light, easily seeing through the reality of this Divine Soul attack.

"Paltry tricks," Lin Fan snorted coldly. The star pagoda within his Dantian shook, and a cool, vast Power of the Stars surged back into his Sea of Consciousness, instantly cleansing the invading evil force.

He didn't stop, stepping through the Void Realm. With every step he took, a ring of miniature star ripples spread beneath his feet, isolating the pervasive Divine Soul attack.

"What?! He's actually unaffected?!" The blood-robed leader's expression finally changed.

"Take this finger!" Lin Fan had already rushed to the edge of the grand Formation and pointed a finger toward the blood-robed leader!

This time, he used the newly comprehended "Star Finger" and attempted to integrate a trace of the spatial penetration intent he had sensed from the "Initial Deciphering of Boundary Runes"!

Starlight condensed at his fingertip. Within that starlight, a faint, almost imperceptible silver rune could be seen flowing.

Whoosh! A beam of starlight, concentrated to the extreme, shot through the air! Its speed far exceeded before! Even more strangely, wherever the starlight passed, the space in front seemed to "thin" slightly, allowing it to penetrate faster and more smoothly!

Alarm bells rang wildly in the blood-robed leader's heart! He felt that the power contained in this finger was definitely not something an ordinary Early Stage Divine Power Realm could produce! Moreover, that faint spatial fluctuation terrified him!

"Blood Fiend Shield!" he roared. Blood Qi surged around him, condensing into a thick, blood-colored giant shield covered in hideous ghost faces. The shield's surface flowed with viscous blood light, emitting powerful defensive fluctuations.

At the same time, he retreated rapidly, wanting to avoid the brunt of the attack. However, that beam of starlight seemed to have locked onto the space; its speed was incredibly fast!

Ssh! A soft sound, not an earth-shattering explosion. That beam of starlight actually sliced through the seemingly solid Blood Fiend Shield as easily as a hot knife through butter! A smooth hole was left on the shield's surface, and the blood Qi at the edges quickly withered and dissipated!

The starlight's momentum didn't decrease as it headed straight for the blood-robed leader's brow!

"Impossible!" The blood-robed leader's soul was terrified. He abruptly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which transformed into a palm-sized, incredibly solid blood crystal small shield, blocking his brow. This was his life-saving trump card, enough to withstand a strike from the Peak Divine Power Realm!

Ding! The starlight hit the blood crystal small shield, making a crisp clashing sound.

The small shield vibrated violently, blood light flashing wildly. It actually managed to block it! But the strange penetration force contained within the starlight seemed to ignore the shield's physical defense; a small portion of the power passed directly through, hitting the blood-robed leader's brow!

"Ugh!" The blood-robed leader let out a muffled groan. His brow throbbed with pain, his Divine Soul felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, and his vision went dark. His control over the grand Formation instantly became disordered.

Now! "Break!" Lin Fan seized this fleeting opportunity and threw a punch toward the blood-colored net above! In this punch, the golden light was filled with brilliant starlight, merging the peerless power of the Eternal Indestructible Body with the suppressing Dao charm of the star pagoda!

Rumble!!! The blood-colored net distorted violently. At the point of impact, countless phantom faces wailed and dissipated, and the net's lines snapped inch by inch! Simultaneously, the two Clan Elders also unleashed their full power, forcing back their opponents and swinging two sharp Sword Qis to strike other nodes of the grand Formation.

Under the internal and external pincer attack, the Blood Fiend Grand Formation, which was already malfunctioning due to the leader's injury, collapsed with a bang!

Blood light exploded across the sky, and the foul stench was swept away by a gust of wind.

"Puff!" The blood-robed leader suffered a backlash, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, his aura becoming withered. He looked at Lin Fan in horror, no longer possessing any of his previous arrogance.

"The target is too tough! Retreat!" He made a decisive call, shouting hoarsely.

The remaining Blood Fiend Sect Disciples were already terrified. Hearing this, they felt as if they had been granted a grand pardon, fleeing in all directions as streaks of blood light.

"Want to leave?" Lin Fan's eyes were cold. These evil cultivators had blood-stained hands and were clearly coming for him; how could he let them off easily?

His figure flashed repeatedly. Each time he appeared, a fleeing Blood Fiend Sect Disciple was blown apart by a golden punch shadow or pierced by the Star Finger's power.

The two Clan Elders also pursued with all their might, their Sword Qi crisscrossing, firmly entangling those leaders in the Divine Power Realm.

Lin Feng and Lin Xue also steered the cloud piercer boats, using the spiritual energy cannons on the boats to bombard the distant fleeing enemies.

A moment later, except for a few who had noticed early and escaped using extraordinary escape techniques, the ambushing Blood Fiend Sect Disciples were almost completely annihilated. Of the two leaders at the Middle Stage of the Divine Power Realm, one was dead and the other was captured while heavily injured. The blood-robed leader relied on a secret technique to burn his essence blood, transforming into a blood rainbow of startling speed, narrowly escaping with his life, though he was severely weakened and wouldn't recover for several years.

The battle ended, and the sky regained its clarity. Only the residual smell of blood and the shattered mountain forest remained as evidence of the tragic battle just now.

All three cloud piercer boats were damaged, but their cores were intact, and they could still fly.

The two Clan Elders also sustained some injuries, their auras fluctuating, but it was nothing serious. Lin Feng and Lin Xue's faces were still a bit pale, but they felt more of the excitement of surviving a disaster and a deep awe for Lin Fan.

"Divine Son, how should we proceed?" one Clan Elder asked, holding the heavily injured and captured Middle Stage Divine Power Realm leader, seeking Lin Fan's instructions.

Lin Fan stepped forward and performed Soul Search again. A moment later, his brow furrowed deeply, and the cold light in his eyes grew even more intense.

"As expected, it's the Grand Elder's lineage pulling strings behind the scenes!" Lin Fan let go, and the leader died instantly. "The old thief Great Elder contacted a Vice Sect Leader of the Blood Fiend Sect through an intermediary, promising great rewards to have them ambush and intercept us on this mandatory path. He promised that after the deed was done, he would not only provide massive resources but also secretly help cover for them and open several Small World channels for them to plunder blood food."

"Insane!" the other Clan Elder was furious. "Colluding with the Evil Path and harming one's own kin—Great Elder's crime is punishable by death!"

Lin Feng and Lin Xue were also terrified by what they heard.

"Divine Son, should we return to the Family immediately, report to the Clan Chief, and settle scores with the Grand Elder's lineage?" Lin Feng asked urgently.

Lin Fan pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Relying solely on this evil cultivator's memory, it's difficult to use as ironclad evidence. Great Elder can easily deflect, saying someone framed him. Moreover, if we return now, it plays right into their hands—missing the Prodigy Assembly would mean automatically giving up this important opportunity."

He looked toward Tianyang City with a determined gaze. "Continue forward. After this battle, Great Elder probably won't dare to make any big moves for a while. Besides, the Blood Fiend Sect suffered heavy losses and won't be able to organize a second ambush in the short term. We will speed up and reach Tianyang City as soon as possible. Once we're in the Imperial Capital, with the Imperial Family and various forces watching, they won't dare to act openly."

"As for Great Elder..." Lin Fan's eyes were filled with killing intent. "After the Prodigy Assembly, we will settle all the new and old accounts together!"

The two Clan Elders looked at each other, seeing the approval and decisiveness in each other's eyes.

"We follow the Divine Son's command!" After a brief rest and repairing some of the Formations, the three cloud piercer boats set off again, transforming into streaks of light and flying away at an even faster speed.

Inside the boat, Lin Fan sat cross-legged, silently reviewing the battle just now.

"Integrating a trace of spatial penetration intent into the Star Finger significantly increases its power and makes it hard to defend against. But the consumption is also enormous, whether in spiritual power or Divine Sense." Lin Fan inspected his internal state and found that that one finger had nearly drained thirty percent of his spiritual power and almost ten percent of his Divine Sense.

"The Initial Deciphering of Boundary Runes is infinitely profound. I haven't even reached the entry level yet; I can only barely imitate a tiny fraction. If I could truly comprehend even a bit of it, my means of dealing with enemies would be even more unpredictable." He took out the thin slice, his fingertips lightly touching it, feeling the flowing silver runes.

At the same time, he remained wary of Great Elder's subsequent moves. That man was old and cunning; having failed this ambush, he would certainly not let it go. There might be more hidden arrows at the Prodigy Assembly.

"Soldiers to the general, water to the earth—I will meet whatever comes." Lin Fan calmed his mind, took out a Medicinal Pill, and swallowed it, beginning to recover his consumption.

The cloud piercer boat traversed the sea of clouds, getting closer and closer to the Great Xia Imperial Capital, Tianyang City.