Trouble came as soon as it was mentioned. Ye Chu, Ye Jingyun, and the others had not even walked thirty li when, on a stretch of plain, they were suddenly surrounded by men on horseback. The horses neighed incessantly, kicking up clouds of flying dust under their hooves.
“You’re the one who dared to injure the city lord of Ma Yuan City?”
At the head was a bearded man. He sat tall on his horse, looking down at Ye Chu from above. As soon as he opened his mouth, his tone carried the air of someone delivering a lesson.
Ye Chu glanced at him, then frowned. “Sir, just because you’re riding a horse doesn’t mean you’re some ferocious beast. You don’t have to look at everyone as though they’re your prey!”
These words immediately enraged the men who had followed the bearded man. They glared at Ye Chu and roared, “Who do you think you are? Get down and crawl to my boss’s horse hooves right now!”
“Boss, why waste words on him? Just trample him to death!”
“Exactly! This guy is too arrogant. He probably doesn’t even know your reputation, boss.”
The bearded man waved his hand, signalling for them to stop shouting. He stared at Ye Chu and suddenly laughed. “In a hundred li around here, you’re the first person who has dared show me disrespect. Do you know what the consequences are?”
“A beast like you, apart from eating raw meat, what else can you do?” Ye Chu said disdainfully. “Get out of the way! I don’t want to fight you. You’d best not stick your head out for the city lord of Ma Yuan City!”
The bearded man continued looking at Ye Chu with interest. “You’re right. I do like drinking human blood and eating human flesh! You have no idea how delicious it is. Looking at how tender and fair your skin is, I’m very interested.”
Hearing his words, Tan Miaotong and Ye Jingyun’s expressions changed. They looked at the bearded man with disgust.
“Even the city lord of Ma Yuan City couldn’t do anything to us. What makes you think you can?” Ye Chu stared at him and said, “I advise you not to stick your neck out.”
“He is my sworn brother! If I don’t stand up for him, who will?” The bearded man laughed heartily. His gaze swept over Tan Miaotong and Ye Jingyun. “Besides, with such beauties here, it would be even more delicious to have some fun with you once before eating you.”
Ye Jingyun could not tolerate such humiliation. Without anyone noticing when, a sword appeared in her hand. She shot it straight towards him, the strike containing the full ten-tenths of her power.
“Beast! Die!”
The sword turned into a sharp streak and shot towards his vital point in an instant. But the bearded man did not even glance at it. With a casual flick of his horsewhip, he caught the sword mid-air. It landed in his hand, where he toyed with it.
“Not bad, not bad. I like fiery women. They’re more fun to play with.”
Ye Chu was inwardly startled. The opponent’s strength had truly exceeded his expectations. Ye Jingyun’s power had surged dramatically. This full-force strike was extremely terrifying. Yet the other man had blocked it so casually. One could imagine how strong he truly was.
Ye Jingyun also showed shock on her face. She looked towards Ye Chu, waiting for his help.
“Don’t look at me. I’m only in the Innate Realm. I’m definitely no match for him. You’ll have to handle this yourself!” Ye Chu naturally refused to help Ye Jingyun deal with it. He did have means, but the multicoloured-patterned murderous spider’s qi left in his qi sea was only a tiny amount now. Ye Chu was unwilling to waste it on this. He believed that since Tan Miaotong and Ye Jingyun had dared travel alone, Ye Jingyun must have some protective trump card.
“Are you even a man?” Ye Jingyun glared furiously at Ye Chu.
“Once you fulfil your promise to let me touch your thighs a few times, then we can talk about anything else.”
Ye Chu’s single sentence nearly made Ye Jingyun spit blood. She glared fiercely at him and said, “In any case, he won’t let you off either.”
The bearded man dismounted. He flicked his long whip a few times. A sharp hissing sound rang out. The arcs traced by the whip were astonishingly fierce.
“Surrender quietly. Within a hundred li, no one can refuse my will. The same goes for you!” The bearded man walked towards Tan Miaotong and reached out to touch her chin.
Ye Chu naturally would not let him lay hands on Tan Miaotong. He struck out with a palm. At the same time, Ye Jingyun unleashed a powerful strike. The two attacked from front and back.
The bearded man shook his head. He slapped out with one hand. That single slap actually collided directly with both of their fists.
“Bang…”
Ye Chu and Ye Jingyun were both forced back. Their blood and qi churned violently. Blood surged up their throats and sprayed from their mouths. With just this one strike, the opponent had inflicted serious injuries on both of them.
Tan Miaotong was shocked. She ran between the two. “Are you alright?”
Ye Chu shook his head, signalling for Tan Miaotong to stand behind him. He took a light breath and said to Ye Jingyun, “This guy has at least strength above the fifth layer of the Primordial Spirit Realm. And he has cultivated a powerful spirit-forging technique. Neither of us is his match.”
Ye Jingyun’s talent was extraordinary. She could fight above her level. Moreover, her spirit-forging technique had gradually come into its own, allowing her to far surpass ordinary cultivators of the same realm. This was why she had been able to fight the city lord of Ma Yuan City.
But the man before them was clearly far too strong. His primordial spirit was also extremely robust. In a direct clash, they were almost certain to lose.
“Give up. I’ll make your deaths quicker and more enjoyable. Otherwise, I don’t mind letting my men have some fun with you first.”
The bearded man’s words immediately excited his followers. They roared and howled, their gazes roaming over Tan Miaotong and Ye Jingyun.
Ye Jingyun felt those disgusting stares. Her face turned icy cold. She stared at the bearded man and said, “Don’t force me! I don’t want to act, but that doesn’t mean I can’t kill you all.”
Ye Jingyun could no longer endure it. Although she was reluctant to use the item her family had given her, if they truly pushed her to the limit, she would use it even if it was not worth it.
The bearded man paused for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. “Is that so? Then I really want to see what means you have!”
He naturally did not believe Ye Jingyun could deal with him. With his strength, he was already dominant in this region. Moreover, from what the city lord of Ma Yuan City had told him, he knew these people’s backgrounds. How could a few such figures possibly threaten him?
“People are telling you to hurry up and make your move! Why aren’t you doing it yet?” Ye Chu shrugged at Ye Jingyun.
“Shut your mouth!” Ye Jingyun roared furiously at Ye Chu. This guy was too disgusting. Whose side was he even on?
Ye Chu shrugged indifferently and watched the bearded man approach, continuously flicking his long whip.
Ye Jingyun stared coldly at the opponent. Light gradually surged around her arm. Seeing this, Ye Chu’s eyes brightened. He also wanted to know what Ye Jingyun’s trump card was. Back when he was in the Ye family, he had heard that the Ye family possessed an extremely precious item. Most importantly, it held a secret. Only those who had witnessed it could be considered true core members of the Ye family. And that secret, once obtained by someone with the Ye family bloodline, could allow them to become a prodigy of their generation.
Ye Chu did not particularly want to become a core member of the Ye family. He simply wanted to know what item could make the Ye family hold it in such high regard.
“Will this woman really bring that thing out?” Ye Chu muttered to himself as he watched the light shimmer on Ye Jingyun’s arm.