Ye Chu shook out his arm. Cave Old Three’s power was extremely overbearing. That single clash had left his arm trembling faintly. His gaze fixed on the three men, his expression growing grave. Blocking one was no issue, but if all three attacked at once, he would be overwhelmed. He glanced at Tan Miaotong and exhaled lightly. The qi within his body surged, pouring into his arm.
Seeing Ye Chu refuse to surrender and still daring to fight them, Cave Old Three looked at him with contempt. His arms moved in wide, sweeping arcs, carrying a domineering momentum as he struck towards Ye Chu’s chest.
“A mere Intent Transformation Realm cultivator dares to think he can block me!” Cave Old Three sneered. As he moved, he drew on the surrounding spiritual energy with his own essence, unleashing the terrifying offensive power of the Innate Realm. He intended to crush Ye Chu in one decisive blow.
“You underestimate me too much!” Ye Chu stared at Cave Old Three. He swept out a palm at a cunning angle, aiming straight for Cave Old Three’s throat. Cave Old Three had no choice but to pull back to defend. The force of the impact struck his arm, and the sharp momentum forced him to stagger back several steps.
Of course, Ye Chu fared no better. He too was shaken back several paces.
“Old Three!” The other two cave masters saw this and immediately stepped forward, intending to join forces against Ye Chu.
“No need!” Cave Old Three raised a hand to stop them. He shook out his slightly numb arm. “He’s just an Intent Transformation Realm cultivator. The three of us attacking together would be giving him too much credit. You two guard the perimeter. Don’t let him escape again.”
The two exchanged a glance, then nodded. They moved to block any retreat, watching as Cave Old Three charged towards Ye Chu.
“You think one man alone can do anything to me?” Ye Chu laughed loudly. He unleashed a Vajra Palm, carrying supreme rigidity and dominance. It collided head-on with Cave Old Three’s fist. As both were forced back, Ye Chu swept out a kick. Cave Old Three defended, countering with a kick of his own.
Two kicks capable of shattering stone slammed together, producing a dull boom. Ye Chu and his opponent were both shaken back. Pain flared in Ye Chu’s foot from the impact. He stumbled backward, staggering as he retreated.
“Ye Chu!” Tan Miaotong saw Ye Chu drop to one knee. The fabric on that leg had been torn apart, revealing a swollen, bruised ankle. She could not help crying out in worry.
Tan Miaotong’s small hands clenched tightly. Light shimmered faintly along her arms, but she could not gather it properly.
Seeing the concern on Tan Miaotong’s face, Ye Chu shook his head. He exhaled lightly and looked at Cave Old Three. “Again!”
Cave Old Three glanced down at his own leg and saw a similar bruise forming. He frowned. The opponent clearly had not reached the Innate Realm, yet possessed such terrifying power — something he had never encountered before.
“Not bad at all. Who are you?” Cave Old Three stared at Ye Chu, thinking that whoever had trained such a cultivator must have considerable backing.
“You’re not qualified to know!” Ye Chu shouted. Even if he revealed his identity as Ye Chu right now, it would be useless. At this point, even if they feared his background, they would only conclude that killing him was the cleanest way to tie up loose ends.
The more they knew about his identity, the more they would want him dead — because they feared retaliation!
“Since you won’t say, then tell it to the King of Hell!” Cave Old Three roared. His attacks instantly grew fiercer. Blow after blow swept out in smooth, flowing motions, each carrying overwhelming force. From above, he sealed off Ye Chu’s escape routes with ruthless, cunning precision.
Cave Old Three no longer wanted to drag this out. No matter how unusual this Intent Transformation Realm cultivator was, under his relentless assault, he would surely be crushed.
Tan Miaotong’s palms were slick with sweat. She stared straight ahead, deeply worried about Ye Chu’s situation. But when Ye Chu turned back to her with a smile and shook his head, saying, “He alone can’t do anything to me!” her heart eased slightly.
Watching Ye Chu weave through the attacks, narrowly dodging every killing move, Tan Miaotong finally relaxed a little.
“Even at a time like this, you still have the mood to comfort a beauty. Truly a romantic young master.” Cave Old Three sneered. He turned his hand into a blade and slashed horizontally towards Ye Chu’s throat, aiming to sever his head in one stroke.
Ye Chu said nothing. He tilted his head to avoid the strike and blocked the incoming kick with his foot.
Compared to Sha Tianyun, Cave Old Three’s attacks were undoubtedly more ferocious. That was no surprise. The Thirty-Six Caves made countless enemies. Raiding, plundering, and fighting were everyday occurrences for them. Unlike the pampered State Preceptor of Sha Kingdom, they had far more real combat experience, and their explosive battle power was correspondingly greater.
Ye Chu found it strenuous to keep up. Yet in the end, he was someone who had come out of Wuxin Peak on Qingmi Mountain. That group of lunatics had drilled him relentlessly. Even if his realm was lower than Cave Old Three’s, it was not easy for Cave Old Three to take him down quickly.
“Old Three, stop playing around. Finish him quickly!” Cave Old Four shouted, growing impatient. They had not come to Yao City to waste time. There were still many things to do.
“Damn it!” Cave Old Three wanted to curse aloud. He thought to himself: when have I been playing? The opponent’s combat power really was not much weaker than his own. Taking him down would not happen in just a few moves.
“Die!” Cave Old Three grew irritated. He swept out a kick and turned his palm into a claw, grabbing viciously towards Ye Chu.
The claw grazed Ye Chu’s arm, tearing his sleeve. Ye Chu countered with a palm strike, blocking the kick aimed at his chest. He was shaken back several steps, staggering and leaving deep footprints in the ground with each retreat.
Cave Old Three watched Ye Chu escape his encirclement once again. His face darkened to an extreme. Cave Old Four and Cave Old Five exchanged a glance and realised that Cave Old Three was not toying with the opponent at all. This fellow truly had the means to render Cave Old Three powerless.
“A mere Intent Transformation Realm cultivator — truly beyond our expectations!” Cave Old Four and Cave Old Five looked at each other and muttered. They moved to flank Ye Chu from left and right. “Old Three, do you need us to join in?”
“Hmph!” Cave Old Three snorted but did not refuse. He was confident he could deal with Ye Chu, but he did not want to prolong the fight. Since the other two were willing to act together, that was for the best.
Tan Miaotong saw all three men surrounding Ye Chu. She grew so anxious that her pretty face flushed red and pale by turns. Her delicate fists clenched tightly. Light shimmered faintly along her arms, but she could not gather it properly. Her beautiful eyes filled with panic. She had never fought before, nor witnessed such fierce combat.
Ye Chu had no idea how frantic Tan Miaotong had become. He looked at the three men encircling him and exhaled lightly. He thought to himself that he had originally planned to borrow Qing Wenting’s strength to eliminate these three, but now it seemed there was no time.
“Three Innate Realm experts ganging up on me alone — you really think highly of me.” Ye Chu suddenly smiled as he looked at the three.
Cave Old Three snorted coldly. “You can be proud of that much. If you tell us now who you are, why you killed Cave Thirteen, and whether you took something from him, perhaps we’ll leave you with an intact corpse.”
“I know the way your Thirty-Six Caves operate all too well. Even if I told you, you still wouldn’t leave me whole.” Ye Chu replied. “Besides, you’re not qualified to know who I am!”
“In that case, die!” Cave Old Three roared. He circulated the qi in his body. Exchanging glances with the other two, they prepared to attack together and kill Ye Chu.
“Stop!” Tan Miaotong panicked. Ye Chu had just managed to hold off one Innate Realm expert with Intent Transformation Realm strength, which had astonished her. But she did not believe he could withstand three. Tan Miaotong regretted it deeply. Back then, her elders had urged her to spend time cultivating, but she had refused. Now, when she tried to summon the shimmering light along her arms, she could not drive it at all. She could not help Ye Chu in the slightest.
The three men ignored Tan Miaotong completely. They closed in on Ye Chu, ready to crush him.
Seeing Tan Miaotong’s eyes redden with anxiety and her charming face turn pale, Ye Chu smiled at her. “No need to worry. Killing me won’t be that easy for them. Do you really think someone who came down from that place would die so simply?”
“The rainbow over Cold Lake is still there. Don’t let this ruin your mood.”
Tan Miaotong saw that Ye Chu still had the heart to comfort her. She felt both amused and exasperated. She was not heartless — how could she possibly have the mood to admire the scenery over Cold Lake at a time like this?