Hearing Ye Jingyu’s confident, even slightly arrogant words, a faint, wry smile touched Yuan Xiang’s face. Two years ago, he was merely a Xiantian Martial Master; if not for the Grandmaster standing beside him, one person would have been enough to kill Ye Jingyu. But now? Ye Jingyu was not only a peak Grandmaster but also a Level Six Warrior and a Soul Master of the Lingxian Realm. It would take three of Yuan Xiang himself to even stand a chance against him.

In the span of a year and a half, Yuan Xiang and his group had remained stalled at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, while Ye Jingyu had caught up from Xiantian Martial Master. What a bleak outcome.

“It seems Young Master Ye is quite confident in his strength now?” Just then, a seductive female voice rang out, and a beautiful woman in a cyan long dress stepped out of the shadows. It was Liu Qiuxue, the traitor from the Hundred Flowers Sect, who had tried to assassinate Ye Jingyu two years prior.

“Heh, killing an old woman like you is naturally a simple task. Qin Lie, you should show yourself as well, shouldn’t you?” Ye Jingyu sneered directly at Liu Qiuxue’s veiled malice, angering her so much that her face went deathly pale. No woman, no matter how astute, could bear being called old.

“It seems you knew we were lying in ambush for you all along!” Qin Lie’s voice emerged from the darkness, and then he slowly walked out, clad in a long cyan robe, stroking his beard with one hand while keeping the other behind his back, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance. However, the icy smile on his face completely betrayed his veneer.

“Since you’re all going to die anyway, why shouldn’t I tell you? That’s right, we had long suspected the Crown Prince would move against me, but it was only speculation until that piece of trash showed up,” Ye Jingyu said nonchalantly, pointing towards Adams, who was scrambling up from the ground, his body battered and charred by lightning.

“Heh, since you knew it was a trap, you still dared to come alone? It seems you are exceedingly confident in your own power?” Hearing Ye Jingyu admit he had anticipated the situation, a flicker of unease crossed Qin Lie and the others. Yet, relying on their sheer strength, their faces remained composed.

“Did you think I would come alone?” Ye Jingyu let out a cold laugh.

“What? Do you think adding a piece of trash like Zhu Ruo and a group of swordsmen who haven’t even reached the Grandmaster level will help you? To tell you the truth, we mobilized twenty Grandmasters to kill you. If Zhu Ruo hasn't surrendered by now, he’s likely already been cut down.” Qin Lie’s lips curled into a mocking grin; he intended to use these words to shatter Ye Jingyu’s composure.

“Oh? He isn’t one of mine, so kill him if you like. Why report it to me? If you manage to survive, save the news for your master,” to everyone’s surprise, Ye Jingyu showed no concern for Zhu Ruo’s life, only sneering back.

Seeing Ye Jingyu so calm, whether it was Qin Lie, Yuan Xiang, or Liu Qiuxue, a deep anxiety settled over them. Could this young man truly have reinforcements? But he only had the Grandmaster Nangong Shan with him, and that man was currently still in Caiyun Town.

“Let’s attack. This brat is just bluffing!” Finally, Liu Qiuxue was the first to break, letting out a delicate cry before her figure shot toward Ye Jingyu.

Seeing Liu Qiuxue make the first move, Qin Lie and Yuan Xiang exchanged a glance, shifted their footing, and swept toward Ye Jingyu simultaneously. Against someone who had cultivated martial arts and soul to the utmost limits, they dared not be careless. None of the three held back, accelerating toward Ye Jingyu at full speed.

“Heh, one is the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Gate, another a traitor of the Hundred Flowers Sect, and the third claims lineage from the Bai family. Three such Grandmasters uniting against this young brat—it seems you truly value me highly. But even so, how can you possibly kill me?” Observing the trio surging toward him, Ye Jingyu spoke with utter nonchalance.

“Earth-Breaking Art!” he murmured softly, forming a hand seal with his right hand and flicking his wrist. The ground churned, and an earth spire shot straight toward Qin Lie, whose expression visibly soured upon hearing the mention of the Bai family lineage.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Lie’s eyes, but facing the whistling spire, his body was forced to retreat backward.

“Falling Wind Slash!” Ye Jingyu uttered another soft cry, sending a wind blade slicing toward Liu Qiuxue. This was the true power of a Lingxian Realm Soul Master; with proficient control over spirit arts, one could engage several Grandmasters simultaneously.

Seeing the whistling wind blade approach, a look of surprise crossed Liu Qiuxue’s face. She shifted her footing slightly and dodged that single blade, but more wind blades followed, forcing her to fall back.

Two simple spirit arts successfully halted the advance of Qin Lie and Liu Qiuxue. Ye Jingyu’s figure then rapidly closed the distance toward Yuan Xiang, the Heavenly Sword Gate Master. He had once promised Xue Hengzhi that if he ever encountered Yuan Xiang, he would avenge him.

“Heaven Shattering Sword…” Seeing Ye Jingyu charging directly at him, Yuan Xiang’s face grew grave. He flicked the ancient longsword in his hand, and instantly, a sword blossom bloomed at the tip, followed by a second, a third, a fourth…

In the blink of an eye, nine sword blossoms materialized out of thin air.

Nine sword blossoms signified that Yuan Xiang’s Heaven Shattering Sword technique had reached the Ninth Level, a significant improvement from two years ago.

Although it was only two more blossoms, Ye Jingyu distinctly felt that the power now was more than several times stronger than the seven blossoms from two years ago, as if only these nine blossoms existed in the world.

But Ye Jingyu was no longer the man from two years ago. Facing these utterly ferocious sword blossoms, he didn't even think of drawing his blade; instead of retreating, he accelerated his sprint toward Yuan Xiang.

“Let me show you my self-created ultimate skill, Thunder Light Fist!” Ye Jingyu roared, unleashing a savage punch.

It was a simple straight punch, seemingly devoid of power as it shot out. Yet, in an instant, arcs of electricity sparked at the tip of his fist, currents coiling around Ye Jingyu’s arm, causing the electric glow across his body to intensify.

Soon, his fist was no longer just a fist but a massive sphere of luminous energy, emitting a sizzling sound as it smashed fiercely into the radiant sword blossoms.

Crack… It struck the first sword blossom successfully. Before that blossom could coalesce into a sharp sword energy, it was utterly shattered by the burst of powerful true essence, yet that power was far inferior to the sharp sword energy…