Therefore, the Demon Sect members planned to let him go, but they couldn't just let him go freely; that would be disgraceful if word got out, given that the Demon Sect also cared about their reputation.

So the Demon Sect members decided to put on a show, pretending to fight and allowing him to escape during the chaos, making it seem as if he left of his own accord.

However, unexpectedly, before the fight even started, this Tian Chun declared his intention to join them directly, which left the Demon Sect leader puzzled. Could this person be a spy?

But then, who becomes a spy by openly joining an organization? Shouldn't they secretly infiltrate instead? Just like the earlier instance when it took them three years to discover that a certain person was a disciple of the Xuanyang Sect. The Demon Sect considered themselves a small fry compared to the prestigious Xuanyang Sect, and if they hadn't already allied with the Demon Sect, Xuanyang Sect might not even bother sending a disciple as a spy and would rather annihilate them directly.

However, because they switched from being a Loose Cultivator demon to joining the Demon Sect, they became somewhat feared by the righteous sects, preventing them from being easily wiped out.

Moreover, the Demon Sect leader saw the hostility in Tian Chun's eyes and knew that this person wasn't there to spy, but was close to falling into demonic ways. He wondered how the Celestial Fragrance Sect would react if the grandson of their Great Elder joined the Demon Sect. Would they uphold righteousness over kinship? Or cover it up?

Precisely because of the Demon Sect leader's curiosity to see their final reaction, he agreed to Tian Chun's joining, despite opposition, and even gave him a seemingly powerful but actually soul-consuming banner capable of swiftly devouring the user's mind.

If Tian Chun used it a few times, he would completely succumb to demonization.

Additionally, Tian Chun revealed to the Demon Sect leader the information about Ye Tianfan's group's intention to come in and investigate. But due to the short notice, they didn't have time for effective countermeasures, only notifying others to prepare and lay in ambush.

Naturally, given the short time, they could only prepare for an ambush battle rather than set traps.

Before Ye Tianfan's group arrived, Yu Shan's side fell into an ambush, but fortunately, they had been on guard and had their Defensive Magical Treasures activated, so Yu Shan and his companions were unharmed.

After some initial chaos, Yu Shan and his group regained their composure, but upon seeing Tian Chun aligned with the Demon Sect, they completely lost hope in him. Yu Shan instructed his junior, Yu Ping, to use a Magical Treasure to record everything in preparation for when they confront the Celestial Fragrance Sect, to establish their claim.

While Yu Shan and his group were trying to break through the encirclement, Ye Tianfan's group arrived.

"Damn, what kind of trashy magical treasure did you give me? It can't even break through his Defensive Magical Treasures," Tian Chun cursed at the Demon Sect leader after his sneak attack failed to even breach Ye Tianfan's defenses.

The Demon Sect leader's eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent. Though he dared not provoke Tian Chun, if Tian Chun was so obtuse, he planned to leave him to die alongside the righteous folks. Later, they could go to the Demon Sect headquarters, challenging the Celestial Fragrance Sect to mess with them, but they should first deal with other righteous sects before Celestial Fragrance Sect could come after them.

Tian Chun noticed the Demon Sect leader's lack of response and cursed, "Useless!"

He then brandished the soul-consuming banner filled with negativity—killing, hatred, anger—and charged at Ye Tianfan.

"Don't kill him! Just injure him!" Senior Brother Yun Tian shouted to Ye Tianfan after seeing Tian Chun rushing towards him.

After all, injuring someone and killing them are two different matters. If only injured, the Celestial Fragrance Sect wouldn't have grounds to pursue responsibility. However, if he were killed, the Celestial Fragrance Sect might shamelessly seek revenge since he was the grandson of the powerful Great Elder.

Not avenging would be unthinkable, and if they didn't avenge him, Celestial Fragrance Sect and Taichu Sect would undeniably become mortal enemies.

Hence, Senior Brother Yun Tian reminded Ye Tianfan not to kill him.

However, Ye Tianfan never intended to kill him, for he wasn't an unreasonable child acting solely on whims.

But if Tian Chun genuinely threatened Ye Tianfan's life, Ye Tianfan wouldn't hesitate to kill him. It's not about ignoring the bigger picture; if his life were at risk, why care about the bigger picture at all?

Considering the bigger picture is only possible when life isn't threatened and both parties are aware of it. Letting him go might be frustrating, but it's effective, especially when everyone's watching you; killing him only invites trouble. You could appear to spare him for now, then discreetly...

As Tian Chun charged, Ye Tianfan paid him no heed. Under the defense of the Xuanhuang Tower, Tian Chun's attacks were effortlessly blocked. Ye Tianfan casually swung the Fire Lotus Sword, causing Tian Chun to clumsily dodge. After narrowly evading, resentment and murderous intent intensified in Tian Chun's eyes, and the soul-consuming banner became even more dazzling, its black aura infiltrating Titan Chun's body.

"Trouble! The magical treasure in Tian Chun's hand is demonizing him," Senior Brother Yun Tian exclaimed upon witnessing the scene. With his experience, he understood what was happening. He didn't expect the Demon Sect to resort to such a sinister ploy, aiming to demonize Tian Chun, thereby having the potential to kill him. Then the Celestial Fragrance Sect would fall out with the righteous paths, leading to infighting, granting the Demon Sect an opportunity to rise and plunge the world into chaos again.

At this point, realization dawned on the Demon Sect leader: Ye Tianfan's presence suggested the other situation was resolved. What happened to the Blood-light Five Elements Extreme Serpent? It couldn't have been destroyed, could it? It was about to mature, surely not something these kids could topple. They probably fled here after finding no hope over there.

The Demon Sect leader reassured himself that way. He couldn't afford to screw up the significant mission entrusted to him by the Demon Sect, knowing that nurturing the Blood-light Five Elements Extreme Serpent consumed the resources of many Loose Cultivators. If the task failed, the Demon Sect wouldn't be able to gather the four notorious beings of the Demon Realm.

His fate would be dire if he failed. Thinking this, the Demon Sect leader shivered involuntarily, eager to confirm the other matter quickly.

But for now, there was no way to check; they were also being pinned down by Ye Tianfan's group, making it impossible to leave.