However, this could get rather troublesome. Best to avoid such unnecessary complications!
Members from the three sects began to enter the portal leading to the Demon Realm one after another.
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect was the last to enter. Before Meng Fan stepped through the portal, Elder Lin patted his shoulder.
"Inside, do as you please. Offend anyone and fear not, for your master will have your back when you return! I will wait here for a month, and then we'll head back to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect together."
Hearing Elder Lin's words, Meng Fan smiled and nodded, then stepped into the portal.
He understood what Elder Lin meant.
With so many entering the Demon Realm, the enemies they might face could include not only the demons within but also members from other sects, or even their own.
Having lived for so long, what hadn't the master experienced?
He knew everything inside out!
The master was essentially telling him to act freely in the Demon Realm. Should anyone offend him, he could fight back without fear, knowing his master would support him upon his return.
As for Meng Fan's safety, Elder Lin wasn't particularly worried.
He was well aware of Meng Fan's capabilities. Among the disciples from the three sects, it was unlikely any could match Meng Fan.
Unless they all banded together against him!
But Meng Fan wasn't a fool. Why would he make enemies of so many at once?
Gradually, all disciples from the three sects had entered the Demon Realm.
The elders of the three sects remained at the entrance, showing no signs of leaving.
They planned to maintain the entrance for a month, setting up camp here.
This was also to prevent any demons from escaping, which they could conveniently eliminate.
***
After stepping through the portal, Meng Fan felt dizzy, and everything went dark.
But in just a moment, his vision returned to normal.
He found himself in a bright valley, its structure somewhat similar to Ghost Moon Valley.
Clearly, though, he was no longer in Ghost Moon Valley.
He instinctively looked up at the sky, only to find no sun.
"How strange this place is, to be so bright without a sun," Liu Yanping murmured unconsciously.
Obviously, upon arrival, everyone instinctively looked up at the sky.
"If there's no sun, where does this light come from?" Li Xuerou also asked, puzzled.
Meng Fan shook his head with a wry smile, "We're not here to settle down, so why worry about the environment? In a month, we'll leave this place, likely never to return."
"That's true," Liu Yanping nodded in agreement.
After entering the portal, the crowd naturally split into three factions.
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect gathered into one, the Limitless Sword Sect into another, and the Kunlun Sword Sect into the third.
This was to be expected and no one was surprised.
From the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, a man who appeared to be in his thirties stepped forward and announced, "Before entering the Demon Realm, the elder instructed us to follow my lead. I hope for everyone's cooperation!"
The task for the three sects entering the Demon Realm was to eradicate the demons within.
To eradicate meant to completely annihilate!
This was not a task for individuals acting alone; cooperation was indeed necessary.
The man who stepped forward was named He Fangyuan, a core disciple with high prestige among his peers, which is why the elder had appointed him to coordinate the mission.
"Our sect had already sent people to scout this Demon Realm. Within it, there are three forces entrenched in different areas.
Each sect will handle one force. Our target, the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, is a forest to the south of the Demon Realm.
Our mission is to wipe out every demon in that forest!
I have a map of the forest; just follow me."
He Fangyuan spoke clearly and confidently.
At this time, naturally, no one opposed him.
This was the elders' decision, reasonable and expected. Anyone who opposed He Fangyuan now would not prove their strength but would instead seem foolish.
The three sects set off in different directions, as their targets and destinations varied.
Under He Fangyuan's leadership, the Shu Mountain Sword Sect disciples began to head south.
"Liu Senior Sister, do you know much about this He Fangyuan?" Meng Fan asked Liu Yanping curiously.
Liu Yanping shook her head, "I'm an inner sect disciple, how much could I know about a core disciple? You should ask Li Senior Sister."
Li Xuerou told Meng Fan, "Brother Meng Fan, Senior Brother He is among the top ten core disciples, with a cultivation level that has reached the eighth layer of the Heavenly Origin Realm. In another two years, he's likely to break through to the Condensation Pill Realm."
Meng Fan addressed Liu Yanping as Senior Sister Liu, Liu Yanping referred to Li Xuerou as Senior Sister Li, and Li Xuerou called Meng Fan brother.
The three of them formed a perfect arc in their hierarchy.
"In this Demon Realm, cultivation level doesn't prove everything. How skilled is Senior Brother He in sword techniques?" Meng Fan asked Li Xuerou.
Li Xuerou replied, "Senior Brother He is low-key and lacks a competitive spirit. During core disciple assessments, he just casually gets by without showing any profound sword techniques. Even so, he always ranks within the top ten among core disciples!"
Meng Fan nodded thoughtfully.
The more low-key a person, the more terrifyingly strong they often are.
Like Meng Fan himself!
Senior Brother He's swordsmanship must be extremely strong; otherwise, the elder wouldn't have specifically chosen him to lead in the Demon Realm.
Meng Fan was just making casual inquiries; he had no desire for power. He wasn't foolish!
Besides, being a leader in such circumstances was no easy task; it was thankless and exhausting.
Silently making a fortune was the true path to success!
Meng Fan clearly remembered Elder Lin mentioning that the Demon Realm contained many treasures. He had to be vigilant.
He didn't care for power; let others have it. But if there were treasures, no one could compete with him for them. They had to be his!
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect disciples moved in groups towards the south of the Demon Realm.
The size of the Demon Realm was unknown, but according to information revealed by the elders, it wasn't too vast.
***
Following He Fangyuan, it took three days to reach their destination.
A vibrant forest full of life, lush and refreshing at first glance.
It was hard to associate such a place with demons, as one's mind would conjure up all sorts of pleasant fantasies.
But the map was accurate; this was where the demon force was concentrated.
He Fangyuan led everyone to stop at the edge of the forest.
"According to those who scouted the Demon Realm before, two main types of demons dwell in this forest.
One is the fox demon, and the other is the bull demon.
As for their numbers, there should be three to four hundred!
These demons are not very strong, and they are suppressed by this special space, theoretically no match for us.
However, we are outnumbered, so we cannot be careless. It's best to be cautious.
Let's enter the forest as discreetly as possible. For our first strike, we'll focus on assassination, catching them off guard!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Recheck: Lotas