Fang Hei also looked at the young man who had walked up beside him. His eyes were filled with the same suspicion. Naturally, he did not believe this youth could block a great cultivator either.
“How about it? Give me the Dark Nether Ink Jade, and I’ll block him for you!” Ye Chu smiled at Fang Hei. “You might not trust me, but if I can’t hold him off, you’ll die anyway. Hand it over—at least give it a try!”
“If I give it to you and you still can’t stop him, you’ll die too!” Fang Hei stared at Ye Chu.
“That’s my business. You don’t need to worry about it!” Ye Chu said to Fang Hei. “Trading the Dark Nether Ink Jade for your life—that price should be worth it to you.”
Fang Hei was a decisive man. He did not waste more words. He took out a jade box from his robes and tossed it to Ye Chu. “This is the Dark Nether Ink Jade you want. If you have the ability, take it. If not, you’ll die here with me.”
Ye Chu caught it with his hand. Though he had not opened it, the moment he touched the jade box, he knew it contained the Dark Nether Ink Jade. He casually tucked the box into his robes, a smile still on his face.
The surrounding cultivators looked at Ye Chu strangely. Snatching food from the city lord’s mouth—he was clearly not taking the man seriously. At this moment, the Dark Nether Ink Jade had become a hot potato. Without absolute strength, whoever held it would lose their life.
Ye Jingyun was equally stunned. She stared blankly at Ye Chu—the young man standing in the centre of the arena, surrounded by countless cultivators. She felt his courage was simply too great.
Ye Jingyun knew Ye Chu must still have hidden means he had never revealed to her. The combat power he had erupted with before was probably not much inferior to hers. But the opponent was a great cultivator! How could he possibly block one?
Was he really so desperate for this piece of Dark Nether Ink Jade that he would put himself in such a dangerous position?
The city lord of Black Jade City stared at Ye Chu. “No one has ever dared do this before. You are the first. But I want to know—who are you?”
“A nameless junior, just passing through Black Jade City!” Ye Chu laughed. “If the city lord is willing to give me some face, just let us leave?”
“Leave one leg and the Dark Nether Ink Jade, and I’ll let you go!” The city lord stared at Ye Chu.
“If you have the ability, come and take it yourself!” Ye Chu naturally knew that without fighting, the other side would never let him leave.
“You? A mere Innate Realm cultivator?” The city lord was stunned. He looked at Ye Chu and found it laughable. An Innate Realm cultivator dared claim he would personally come and take it?
“Go! Cut off his leg!” Although the city lord was puzzled by the youth’s audacity in provoking him, he clearly sensed that the other party only had Innate Realm strength. Since that was the case, he would let his subordinates test the youth and see what gave him such confidence.
The one who attacked Ye Chu was a Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator. Ye Chu watched the heavy hammer sweeping towards him. He did not dodge or evade. He picked up a weapon from the ground and met it head-on.
The two strikes clashed. The Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator was forced back. Ye Chu stood unmoving in place, gripping the long blade.
The city lord’s eyes twitched. To block a Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator with only Innate Realm strength—this youth was indeed extraordinary. A trace of caution rose in the city lord’s heart. The fact that the other party dared stand so openly against him—did it mean he had some means to resist him?
After sizing Ye Chu up, the city lord stopped his other subordinates who were about to rush forward. He stepped out personally and said, “I’d like to see what means you have to dare challenge me!”
“You’ll see soon enough!” Ye Chu stood there gripping the long blade. His gaze fell on Fang Hei. “You go first!”
Fang Hei glanced at Ye Chu. Without a word, he dragged his injured body and quickly moved outward.
No one among the many cultivators blocked Fang Hei. The Dark Nether Ink Jade was no longer in his possession. There was no need to risk killing him. Although Fang Hei was injured, he was still not someone who could be easily slain. Even if they could kill him, it would come at no small cost.
“Stay right there!” The city lord had a deep grudge against Fang Hei. He snorted and reached out to grab him.
“Your opponent is me!” Ye Chu slashed out with his blade, blocking the city lord’s advance. The city lord casually flicked his hand. Ye Chu’s long blade flew out of his grasp. His entire body was shaken back, staggering several steps.
“With just this level of strength, you dare try to block me?” The city lord sneered. This blade’s power was at most comparable to the Primordial Spirit Realm. He could kill ten or eight people like this with ease. It was laughable that the youth actually thought he could stop him.
“First kill you, then him!” The city lord struck out fiercely towards Ye Chu, aiming to crush his throat.
“Do you really think I can’t do anything to you?” Just as the city lord’s strike was about to land on Ye Chu’s throat, the city lord suddenly retreated. Horror appeared on his face as he stared at Ye Chu.
This scene puzzled the surrounding cultivators. Ye Jingyun also looked strangely at the city lord, wondering what had caused his expression to change so drastically.
But soon everyone understood. From Ye Chu’s body erupted a chilling aura. The aura carried corrosive power. As it surged, it seemed capable of eroding one’s primordial spirit, as though pulling the primordial spirit out of the body.
This terrified the cultivators. They retreated sharply several steps, keeping an extreme distance from Ye Chu.
Ye Chu’s aura was not particularly strong, yet the power surging from him was overwhelmingly vast.
“Murderous qi!” The city lord stared wide-eyed at Ye Chu. “You are a murderous spirit cultivator?”
The city lord finally lost his composure. Murderous spirit cultivators held a special status on the continent. Even the lowest-ranked murderous spirit cultivator was not someone ordinary cultivators were willing to provoke. Because anyone who entered that circle was certain to become a great cultivator. If they could not kill him, it meant they would have a powerful enemy in the future.
The city lord now understood why the other party dared oppose him. So he had such an identity.
“Hmph! So what if you are a murderous spirit cultivator? This is Black Jade City. Even if your talent is heaven-defying, killing you here will render it useless!” Although the city lord was reluctant to provoke a murderous spirit cultivator, the temptation of the Dark Nether Ink Jade was too great. He did not want to miss it.
If he could obtain the Dark Nether Ink Jade, perhaps his strength could advance once more. He had been stuck at this level for years. If he could break through, it would open up a whole new world. His path would become far broader.
“Who told you I am a murderous spirit cultivator?” Ye Chu looked at the city lord with killing intent flashing in his eyes. He suddenly laughed. The murderous qi rolling off him grew even more violent, continuously climbing. As it surged, it brought howling winds, far surpassing his own cultivation level.
“A mere great cultivator. I am not incapable of fighting you.”
Ye Chu’s quiet words made Ye Jingyun’s eyes widen. At this moment, the murderous qi surging from Ye Chu was overwhelmingly vast—far exceeding the Primordial Spirit Realm. It churned endlessly, carrying a heart-shaking aura. Ye Chu stood enveloped within it. Chilling yin-cold energy erupted from his entire body, making one’s scalp tingle at the sight.
Ye Jingyun stared blankly at Ye Chu. Turbulent waves surged in her heart. “He actually had such a trump card!”
While Ye Jingyun was shocked, she also hated Ye Chu to the extreme. Since Ye Chu had such means, why had she needed to use the founder’s weapon back then?