I'm in the Demonic Sect, but my cultivation techniques are being used for palace intrigue!

Faced with the excruciating pain from the injury to his left arm, Zhu Jingguang didn't even have time to furrow his brow!

"Tsk!"

The person who came to assassinate Zhu Jingguang seemed not to have expected this seemingly weak guy to be so decisive, and couldn't help but let out a light "tsk" of displeasure.

"Get the hell out of here!"

Seemingly angered by the soft "tsk" sound, Zhu Jingguang immediately roared, and then...

"Rumble..."

In an instant, an extremely violent surge of heat erupted from his dantian, rushing wildly through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

In an instant, Zhu Jingguang's blood and energy were ignited—his skin turned bright red, as if it were about to bleed, and his previously weak aura, which had been weakened by his injuries, surged several times over at this moment!

Then, taking advantage of the sudden burst of terrifying force, Zhu Jingguang swung his intact right fist, which was like a hammer forged from refined iron, with a loud cracking sound as it tore through the air, and slammed it fiercely towards the enemy in front of him!

"Bang—"

A deep, muffled thud echoed throughout the narrow stone chamber.

Zhu Jingguang's right arm slammed into the blade of the attacker's longsword. The immense recoil caused Zhu Jingguang's entire right arm to almost lose all feeling, but the force of his strike was truly astonishing, forcing the attacker back three steps!

"Step," "step," "step"...

The attacker staggered back several steps, then looked at Zhu Jingguang, who was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, with a look of surprise and doubt.

"Blood-Exploding Combustion Technique?"

The attacker, who had not attempted another attack, looked with some apprehension at Zhu Jingguang, whose skin had now turned blood red.

Because this person was standing at a distance, confronting him, Zhu Jingguang finally saw the true face of this uninvited guest.

It was a tall, slender man wearing a dark red robe. The red was so intense it looked as if it were dripping with blood. It was hard to tell whether it was the original color of the fabric or the murderous aura that had been stained with countless drops of blood.

  

In his hand, he held a long sword that was still dripping blood. The sword was narrow and long, and it faintly emitted an eerie red light.

What's most unsettling is the bronze mask he wears on his face.

The mask was made in an extremely bizarre way; the left half of the face was crying, with clear tear tracks, while the right half of the face was laughing wildly, with the corners of the mouth stretching all the way to the ears.

Tears and laughter, sorrow and joy, are perfectly blended together on this mask, exuding a suffocating madness and murderous aura.

"That's interesting..."

The voice emanating from beneath the blood-stained mask was hoarse and shrill.

"A mere Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator not only obtained the outer disciple's token but also cultivated the 'Blood Burst Technique' to such a degree... It seems I really made the right choice coming today!"

"A genius like you, whether refined into a magical artifact, a puppet, or used to feed Gu worms... are all excellent choices!"

"Looks like... I'm going to make a small fortune today!"

…………

As the man in blood-red robes spoke, his murderous aura suddenly surged, and his originally scarlet robes seemed to be soaked in blood, fluttering and rustling even without wind.

At the same time, the longsword in his hand emitted a shrill hum, and the originally dim blood light on the blade instantly intensified, transforming into a nauseating blood-red streak, launching another storm-like attack on Zhu Jingguang.

This sword strike was merciless, each move deadly, as if it intended to chop the outer disciple before it into mincemeat.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang"...

The sounds of metal clashing resounded intensely in the narrow stone chamber, sparks flying everywhere.

Zhu Jingguang's expression was solemn. The iron sword in his hand was already covered with cracks and was about to fall under the heavy pressure of the opponent's evil weapon.

While desperately fending off the relentless attacks, he suddenly spoke up amidst the flashing blades:

"You didn't come here to avenge Senior Sister Tan?"

The question was abrupt, yet it caused a very slight pause in the blood-clad man's previously unstoppable offensive.

"Senior Sister Tan?"

The man in blood-red clothes was taken aback at first, then, as if he had realized something, a strange, surprised sound came from beneath his mask.

"Oh...I understand!"

"That outer disciple token you received, it came from Senior Sister Tan, right?"

"Tsk tsk tsk... I didn't expect that the bitch died at the hands of someone like you, a mere fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator!"

…………

Zhu Jingguang heard no trace of grief in the blood-stained man's words; on the contrary, he sensed a kind of ecstatic joy, as if he had discovered a new world.

"You killed Senior Sister Tan...you really did a good deed!"

At this moment, the blood-clad man's attacks became even more ferocious, as if he wanted to tear Zhu Jingguang to shreds.

"The fact that you were able to attack Senior Sister Tan and kill her directly shows that you had no idea that Senior Sister Tan actually had someone backing her!"

"But if I could use your head to curry favor with the person behind Senior Sister Tan, I might even gain that senior brother's favor and rise through the ranks!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"You did a really good job with that!"

…………

Zhu Jingguang paid no attention to the blood-clad man's ecstasy or his boastful words trying to curry favor with the person behind Senior Sister Tan; he didn't even blink.

At this moment, all his attention was focused on one thing the other person had mentioned in their words!

"You know I obtained the outer disciple token, but you don't know that I got this token from Senior Sister Tan..."

While parrying, Zhu Jingguang analyzed the situation at an extremely fast pace.

"This means you are not a confidant of the Great Sun Sword, and may not even be considered one of its direct subordinates!"

"Or perhaps... the Great Sun Sword didn't tell you all the information about me?"

As Zhu Jingguang shared his analysis, he kept a close eye on the blood-stained man's eyes, which were exposed outside the mask, not missing a single subtle emotional fluctuation.

"The Great Sun Sword?"

Upon hearing this name uttered by Zhu Jingguang, a hint of hesitation and astonishment appeared in the eyes of the man in blood.

At the same time, the long sword in his hand, which was originally sharp and unparalleled and aimed at Zhu Jingguang's throat, was momentarily slowed down due to his momentary loss of focus.

Although it was only for a brief moment, Zhu Jingguang had already obtained the answer he wanted to know.

"I see……"

Zhu Jingguang felt much more at ease.

It seems that this blood-clad man is only after him or his token, and has nothing to do with the Great Sun Sword... Even if he does, he and the Great Sun Sword are by no means a united front!