Whether Senior Brother He is a good person or not, Meng Fan doesn't know.
But he feels that Liu Yanping's judgment of character is really not great.
Anyway, Nie Bing and Jiang Poyue are definitely not good people!
Meng Fan did not tell Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou about the coffin he saw beneath the grand hall.
Nor did he tell them that he had blasted Nie Bing into smithereens.
Liu Yanping is a blabbermouth; telling her would just be asking for trouble, and Meng Fan isn't foolish enough to do that.
As for Li Xuerou, why bother telling her?
If she can't handle it psychologically, it would just add to her worries unnecessarily.
The disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect began to disperse, leaving the forest behind.
The journey ahead saw some traveling alone, while others formed groups of three or five.
As for Meng Fan, Li Xuerou, and Liu Yanping, they naturally continued to travel together.
***
Three days later, the trio found themselves in a valley.
During these three days, they wandered aimlessly, encountering a demon here and there, slaying a total of thirteen.
As expected, after leaving the forest, the chances of encountering demons had greatly decreased.
Meng Fan didn't even get a chance to make a move; all thirteen demons were slain by Li Xuerou and Liu Yanping.
But for such low-level demons, he couldn't be bothered to lift a finger.
Without a boss-level entity like the giant white snake, it would be a waste for Meng Fan to act!
"Meng Fan, look at the pond ahead."
As they walked through the valley, Li Xuerou suddenly called out to Meng Fan.
Following her gaze, Meng Fan saw a shimmering pond with a row of lotus leaves on the surface.
On one of the leaves, there bloomed a lotus flower.
This lotus, unsullied by the mud from which it grew, was clearly extraordinary and belonged to the category of heavenly treasures.
"This lotus flower is a treasure!" Meng Fan's eyes lit up.
This was obvious, and without him saying so, Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou also knew it was valuable.
"Meng Fan, look closely. There's a shadow at the bottom of the pond, seems like a demon is entrenched there," Liu Yanping remarked, noticing something unusual at the bottom of the pond.
Meng Fan nodded and said, "It's normal for demons to guard heavenly treasures. Isn't it our task to clear out these beasts?"
If Meng Fan and the demon's roles were reversed, then at this moment, Meng Fan would be the classic "murderer and looter."
After all, the lotus flower had always been guarded by the demon and rightfully belonged to it.
But Meng Fan is human, and the demon is a demon; it's only natural for humans to slay demons.
Just as it's natural for demons to consume humans!
So Meng Fan had no qualms about "murdering and looting."
"Senior Sister Li, you made a move last time; it's my turn now!" Liu Yanping said to Li Xuerou with a smile.
After spending the past few days together, Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou had become much closer, and she was no longer as reserved as before.
Li Xuerou nodded and said, "Don't worry, since we agreed to take turns, I won't compete with you."
Liu Yanping excitedly headed towards the pond.
But Meng Fan reached out and stopped her, saying, "Xuerou may have agreed to let you act, but I haven't."
Liu Yanping turned around, looking at Meng Fan in surprise.
"Aren't you too disdainful to bother competing with us?"
Meng Fan shook his head and said, "I may disdain to act, but I can't just watch you go to your death."
Liu Yanping frowned and asked, "Do you think I'm no match for the demon underwater?"
Her first instinct was to refute Meng Fan, even to take offense, feeling that Meng Fan looked down on her.
But out of trust in Meng Fan, she suppressed that reaction.
Because she was very clear, Meng Fan wouldn't deceive or play with her in this regard.
If Meng Fan said so, then it was highly likely she really was no match for the demon!
"Be bold and remove the word 'think'," Meng Fan said with a smile.
Then he stepped past Liu Yanping and approached the pond.
The Hong Qi Sword was drawn, and a burst of Sword Qi blossomed in the void.
【Sword Comes】
This Sword Qi swept past the lotus's stem, severing the flower and its roots.
Then, the Sword Qi drew the lotus towards Meng Fan.
Li Xuerou and Liu Yanping watched this scene, dumbfounded. Although they knew Meng Fan was strong and had been surprised by his actions time and again.
They thought they could remain calm and accept whatever amazing feats Meng Fan performed.
But this scene still left them unable to stay composed, utterly astonished.
Was this the behavior of someone whose cultivation level had been sealed?
To be honest, even if their cultivation wasn't sealed, Li Xuerou and Liu Yanping felt they couldn't pull off such a flashy move.
"Meng Fan, you're like the next Kuang Tianyou of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect!" Liu Yanping murmured to herself, looking at Meng Fan with respect.
Kuang Tianyou!
He was a legend among the young disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
Unfortunately…
While Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou were still in shock, the pond suddenly exploded, and a water dragon soared into the sky.
The lotus, which had been drifting towards Meng Fan under the influence of the Sword Qi, was shaken by the immense force of the water dragon's emergence and fell back into the pond.
At the same time, Meng Fan's Sword Qi was completely shattered!
The next second, a four-meter-long green serpent burst out of the water dragon, charging at Meng Fan.
This green serpent, though smaller than the giant white python they had encountered in the forest, was no less powerful, perhaps even stronger.
Size is not the only measure of a demon's strength.
"Both of you, stay back a bit!" Meng Fan called out to Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou behind him.
At the same time, he slashed fiercely at the approaching green serpent with the Hong Qi Sword.
Demon-Slaying Sword Momentum!
Mountain Splitting Sword Momentum!
Thunderous Sword Momentum!
The three Sword Momentums combined into the same strike that had slain the giant white python.
Meng Fan's expression was calm, showing little reaction.
The green serpent might be somewhat stronger than the giant white python, but he had already slain the fox demon in the grand hall, so why fear this serpentine creature?
To be fair, that demoness was close to the Demon King realm.
And this green serpent was far from it!
The Hong Qi Sword descended, its blade stained with blood. Meng Fan stood firm, sword in hand, while the green serpent let out a mournful cry and fell back into the pond.
Moments later, the pond was dyed red with blood.
The lotus stood in the blood-red pond, no longer as pure and untainted as before.
In the reflection of the blood, the lotus appeared seductively enchanting.
Then, under Meng Fan's watchful eye, the lotus floated up from the pond on its own and landed at his feet.
This time, Meng Fan didn't make a move.
It was the green serpent that took the initiative, delivering the lotus to him.
It was a plea for mercy.
A gesture of apology!
Hoping that Meng Fan would spare its life.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan