Not long had passed before Ren Xing's figure appeared nearby.
"Damn it!" Ren Xing's face darkened as he gazed at the corpse of the Berserk Tiger in front of him.
It was clear that this beast had been slain by a sword, and not too long ago. There was no doubt—it had to be Lin San's doing!
"How is he still alive? What a persistent little pest…" Ren Xing's expression twisted into a sinister grin.
"But both Zhang Tianchong and you, Lin San, are as good as dead."
An ominous laughter escaped Ren Xing's lips as he recalled something dreadful.
...
Meanwhile, Lin San continued running, soon reaching the shadowy depths of the Black Forest.
"Looks like I've lost them," Lin San muttered, finding a spot among tall rocks. He slumped against one, exhausted.
Taking out the beast cores from his storage ring, he gripped the Demon-Slaying Sword in his right hand and began absorbing the cores under the influence of All Attributes Amplification. The energy flowed rapidly, and his strength started to return.
As the source energy poured into his body, Lin San also channeled it into the Demon-Slaying Sword. Under the effects of Healing Frenzy, his power surged, and the wounds on his body began healing visibly.
His injuries were still severe. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken a long time to recover, but now, his wounds were closing before his eyes.
He stayed in the forest throughout the night, recovering.
By dawn the next day, Lin San opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.
"That feels much better."
A smile crossed his face. After a night of rest, his injuries were completely healed.
Feeling a rumble of hunger, Lin San realized he hadn't eaten. He considered hunting a beast nearby but found nothing alive. Instead, he stumbled upon the bodies of various beasts.
"Not just beasts," Lin San murmured as he ventured deeper into the forest, his eyes widening in shock.
Among the dead creatures were human corpses—warriors, many of them.
A closer look revealed that the bodies bore the same telltale signs—sword wounds.
"All of them were slain by a blade. Even the beasts."
Lin San muttered darkly, his grip tightening around the Demon-Slaying Sword. The fury within him grew, making his body tremble slightly.
"Who is responsible for this?"
With a deep breath, Lin San calmed himself. "Forget it. I need to get to Xing City."
He resumed his journey toward Xing City. Upon arriving, he noticed an unusually high level of security at the city gates. Few people were entering or leaving, and the guards seemed tense.
As Lin San approached, he noticed something strange plastered on the city gate—a series of wanted posters.
"The Sect Master of Tianqiong Sect…"
One of the posters bore the face of Zhang Tianchong, the sect master! It claimed that Zhang Tianchong had gone mad, slaughtered the entire sect, and rampaged through Xing City, killing numerous warriors.
Another poster caught his eye—a face that looked disturbingly familiar.
It was his own.
Above the image, two words stood out: "Accomplice."
Lin San's eyes widened in shock.
Accomplice?! How am I an accomplice?!
"Hey, look at that guy over there."
A few guards nearby spotted Lin San. They squinted for a moment before their eyes widened in recognition.
"That looks like Lin San!"
"Get him!"
As the guards shouted, they began to rush toward him.
"I didn't help anyone, and I certainly didn't kill anyone!" Lin San yelled as he turned and ran in the opposite direction.
"Commander Fu!"
"Lin San was spotted near the city gates! Our men are chasing him now!" One of the guards reported as he rushed into a room inside the city, where Fu Xiaohu and Ren Xing were talking.
"Good!" Fu Xiaohu sneered. "Capture him! Preferably alive!"
Upon seeing Lin San's wanted poster earlier, Fu Xiaohu had recalled how Lin San had once dared to challenge him. He had been itching for revenge ever since.
"Where is he now?" Ren Xing asked eagerly.
"He's heading toward the Black Forest," the guard responded.
"He went into the Black Forest?"
Ren Xing exchanged a glance with Fu Xiaohu.
"It's said Zhang Tianchong fled into the Black Forest after his rampage," Fu Xiaohu remarked.
After slaughtering the Tianqiong Sect, Zhang Tianchong had stormed into Xing City, massacring members of a mercenary group. It had taken the newly-appointed city lord to wound him, but Zhang Tianchong had managed to escape into the forest.
"Zhang Tianchong is injured; his wounds should be severe," Fu Xiaohu mused. "Gather the mercenary groups and the city's guards. We're going in."
"Yes, sir!" the guard replied, saluting before rushing off.
"I'm coming with you," Ren Xing said coldly. He was determined to claim Lin San's sword for himself.
...
Lin San, meanwhile, had been running frantically. The city's guards couldn't keep up with him, and before long, he had disappeared into the depths of the Black Forest.
Panting heavily, Lin San finally slowed down. "Looks like they've stopped chasing me."
"Damn it, this has to be Ren Xing's doing!" Lin San seethed, piecing together the events. It wasn't hard to guess that Ren Xing was behind his sudden status as a wanted man.
"Did the Sect Master really kill all those people?" Lin San couldn't shake his disbelief.
"But why? The Sect Master had always cared about the Tianqiong Sect… Why would he do this?"
As Lin San's mind raced, a figure silently approached him from behind.
Ye Fan, sensing the danger, nearly jumped. "Holy crap! Kid, behind you!"
Unfortunately, Lin San couldn't hear Ye Fan's warning.
"If I can find the Sect Master, I need to ask him why," Lin San muttered to himself.
"What would you ask me?"
A familiar yet terrifying voice echoed from behind him. Spinning around, Lin San's eyes widened in horror.
A face—blood-red and ghastly—was staring back at him!