At this moment, Lin Li, catching his enemies off guard, channeled the remaining spiritual energy from his dantian—energy that had been restored by that mysterious power—into his longsword!
The three Rat Generals and the Rat King, who had relaxed due to the conversation between the black-robed man and Lin Li, surrounded him without caution. At this point, the Rat King stood directly behind Lin Li!
As Lin Li let out a thunderous roar, his movements became unpredictable!
What he employed wasn't a typical spell from the cultivation world but rather...
A technique originating from the rogue wilderness—an assassination and ambush skill!
In a flash, Lin Li spun around, and before any of the rats or the black-robed man could react, he drove his longsword directly into the center of the Rat King's skull!
[Killed Eighth-Grade Rat King, gained 888 evolution points!]
[Absorbed Eighth-Grade Rat King's blood, gained 80 energy points!]
Upon seeing the system notification, Ye Fan chuckled, "Not bad. This Rat King alone is worth a hundred regular demonized rats."
At the same moment, Lin Li, who had exhausted his spiritual energy, was instantly replenished by the energy feedback from Ye Fan!
Although his spiritual energy hadn't fully recovered yet, it was more than enough for a counterattack!
"You?!!!"
The black-robed man shouted in shock, "You actually—!"
"Haha! Surprised, aren't you?!" Lin Li laughed.
"Weren't you heavily injured just now? Do you have a death wish?"
The black-robed man's demonic power surged as his robe began to flutter in the wind, even though there was none.
But Lin Li wasn't yet ready to face the black-robed man head-on.
Fighting creatures like rats, which were far weaker than a demonic cultivator, was always easier when there was an overwhelming advantage in strength!
Moreover...
Lin Li still didn't fully understand the black-robed man's capabilities.
He thought it best to continue slaughtering the rats, restore his spiritual energy, and then deal with the black-robed man afterward!
From the way the black-robed man spoke, it seemed that this rat infestation was just a smokescreen for the sacrificial array he had set up in Dan County to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
If Lin Li could defeat and capture the black-robed man alive and take him back to his sect, it would surely be a great achievement!
At the very least, Lin Li would have saved the lives of tens of thousands of people in Dan County!
As the black-robed man continued to speak, Lin Li swiftly retreated, turning his focus to the remaining demonized rats that had gathered around due to the black-robed man's appearance.
[Killed demonized rat, gained 6 evolution points!]
[Absorbed demonized rat's blood, gained 0.3 energy points!]
...
Moments later, thanks to Ye Fan's energy feedback, Lin Li's spiritual energy was once again replenished!
At the same time, his injuries were rapidly healing, courtesy of that mysterious healing power.
"Lin Li's self-healing ability is impressive," Ye Fan thought with satisfaction. "It complements my blood-drinking feedback ability perfectly. As long as Lin Li isn't killed in one blow, I can help him recover quickly. He has more potential than any of my previous sword hosts!"
"Damn it!"
The black-robed man shouted angrily, summoning his weapon—a pair of iron claws!
At the same time, the three remaining Rat Generals launched their attack on Lin Li.
The black-robed man led the assault, with the Rat Generals providing support from the sides.
But this time, the situation was different.
Earlier, Lin Li had been caught off guard by the Rat King's attack.
Now, with his full attention on defense, even though the black-robed man's attacks were fierce, they couldn't truly harm Lin Li.
In the meantime, Lin Li killed the Rat Generals one by one, ignoring the cost of using his spiritual energy.
[Killed Fifth-Grade Rat General, gained 80 evolution points!]
[Absorbed Fifth-Grade Rat General's blood, gained 6 energy points!]
[Killed Fourth-Grade Rat General, gained 55 evolution points!]
[Absorbed Fourth-Grade Rat General's blood, gained 3 energy points!]
[Killed Fourth-Grade Rat General, gained 60 evolution points!]
[Absorbed Fourth-Grade Rat General's blood, gained 5 energy points!]
"Ahhh!!"
Seeing that the Rat King and all four of his Rat Generals, which had taken so much effort to cultivate, had been slaughtered by Lin Li, the black-robed man flew into a rage and launched a frenzied assault on Lin Li!
However, Lin Li calmly focused on defense without counterattacking.
"He's slightly stronger than me, probably at the peak of the ninth stage of Qi Refining or even Qi Refining Perfection."
While defending, Lin Li analyzed the situation. "From what he said earlier, it seems that the sacrificial array in Dan County is meant to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He must already be at Qi Refining Perfection!"
"But so what if he's at Qi Refining Perfection? After my battle with the Golden Leopard King, I'm already accustomed to fighting Foundation Establishment cultivators! Right now, he only has a slight edge over me. As long as I focus on defense, there's no way he can truly hurt me!"
"Plus, I'm surrounded by demonized rats, and my blood-drinking sword can continuously replenish my energy!"
"I'm fighting a battle of attrition. As long as I can drag this out long enough, he'll run out of spiritual energy. By then, no matter how high his cultivation is, without spiritual energy, he'll be at my mercy!"
Having made up his mind, Lin Li deliberately stalled for time to wear down his opponent.
The black-robed man, being a demonic cultivator with poor emotional control, had already started acting recklessly due to the heavy losses of his demonized rats, Rat Generals, and the Rat King.
With his relentless, reckless attacks, it didn't take long for the black-robed man's strikes to weaken.
But Lin Li was in no hurry to counterattack.
"I'll wait until he's almost completely drained before striking back. Otherwise, something might go wrong."
Lin Li reminded himself.
Meanwhile, the black-robed man, growing increasingly frustrated by his inability to land a decisive blow, taunted, "All you're doing is dodging and blocking! What kind of hero are you? If you have any guts, fight me head-on!"
"Heh! Compared to a demonic scum like you, I'm certainly a hero! But I noticed your attacks are getting weaker. Are you running out of stamina already? Seems like you can't keep it up for long before going limp! Hahaha!"
Lin Li retorted, "But look at me! I'm still going strong after all this time!"
"Curse you!!!"
Provoked by Lin Li's taunts, the black-robed man's attacks flared up again.
Finally...
After a while, even Lin Li's most biting insults couldn't stir the black-robed man, as his attacks became utterly weak and ineffective.
That's when Lin Li struck!
Slash!
The black-robed man's arm was severed in one swift move!
"Ahhh!!!"
The black-robed man screamed in agony, launching a desperate counterattack!
But Lin Li easily dodged and returned to killing the remaining demonized rats.
As Lin Li focused on the fight, Ye Fan was laser-focused on the system interface...
"Excellent!"
"Just a little more!"
Ye Fan stared intently at the system's indicators.
[Evolution Points]: 99888/100000
"Only 12 more points, and I can evolve!"
Ye Fan was ecstatic, filled with anticipation. "After waiting so long, I'm finally going to evolve!"
There were still plenty of demonized rats left, and the black-robed man was still nearby.
It was certain that after Lin Li killed just a few more rats, Ye Fan would finally upgrade!