Chapter 85 - 82: Ambush

Chapter 85: Chapter 82: AmbushCompared to the restlessness above the Peace Plains, the stands at Green Leaf Valley were much calmer. However, among the disciples, whispers of private conversations occasionally surfaced. As a series of unexpected incidents unfolded, the second round of the trial could no longer proceed and had to be postponed. Elder Xi, who was in charge of the trial, remained on the platform without taking any action until Ye Xuan had entered the Panlong Mountain. It was then that a hint of emotion appeared on his face. "This young man named Ye Xuan has astonishing talent. To be able to kill two Seventh Grade Martial Masters at the Fifth Grade Martial Master Realm—if he won with direct strength rather than employing any schemes or sneak attacks, then he truly is a peerless genius." If Jun Zhantian and Xie Guangbo heard what Elder Xi was saying now, they would probably be enraged to death since both their Princely Heirs had died at the hands of Ye Xuan. At this time, as the person responsible for the Hundred Tribes trial, Elder Xi actually had the leisure to lament Ye Xuan’s exceptional qualifications. However, this was not surprising. For a sect elder like Elder Xi, vendettas between noble families held no interest for him; he was only interested in martial arts qualifications. "As for Ye Xuan’s talent, I’m not aware of it, but his understanding of martial arts is somewhat unbelievable." It seemed that Elder Xi’s emotion was heard, as Song Peifeng beside him suddenly spoke. "Oh? It seems you know this young man quite well?" Elder Xi’s eyes lit up slightly. He knew his disciple rarely praised others, and to hear the word ’unbelievable’ from him, even the best disciples in Green Leaf Valley might not receive such praise. "I had a match with him once and ended up losing to him. In the fight against me, he was able to employ three different types of martial arts simultaneously and meld them seamlessly, invoking the great momentum of martial arts. It seems that only our Valley Master in Green Leaf Valley has mastered this seamless realm of martial arts. Master, wouldn’t you say that’s quite incredible?" said Song Peifeng. "What, a seamless realm?" On hearing the words ’seamless realm,’ Elder Xi’s expression drastically changed, and he couldn’t help but ask again, "Are you sure it’s the seamless realm?" "Yes, the feeling, although not as imposing as the Valley Master’s, had the subtlety of reaching the same ends by different means. I’m absolutely certain," Song Peifeng confirmed with a nod. "If what you say is true, then this youngster is indeed a genius. The seamless realm is a boundary many Martial Sect Masters cannot master. Let’s go into the mountains and see for ourselves. If the situation allows, we might be able to save his life." At this moment, Elder Xi was moved by admiration for talent. A young man, not yet affiliated with any sect, who had grasped the seamless realm, indeed was a martial arts prodigy. Such a gifted individual shouldn’t just die in such a place. Under Elder Xi’s directive, Green Leaf Valley also deployed several outstanding disciples to enter the Panlong Mountain with him. ... The sun set, and the sky gradually darkened, while Panlong Mountain was exceptionally gloomy and silent, with only the echoes of distant and frenetic beast howls reverberating. However, tonight, the mountain was dotted with many more torches than usual, and the powerful presences made even the nearby Demon Beasts flee in terror toward the deeper parts of the mountain. Several hundred experts had entered this testing ground in Panlong Mountain. They surged in continuously shortly after Ye Xuan had entered, though they had yet to locate any trace of him. But with so many of them, they didn’t believe they couldn’t find a single person. Even if he was on his own and could run, where could he go to escape the pursuit of so many? However, once they entered the testing grounds, those chasing Ye Xuan from various great families had to disperse to widen their search area. This made it easier to spot Ye Xuan but also meant they were farther apart from each other, which was a disadvantage. Yet, by the dead of night, these numerous experts had still not achieved any results, not even catching a glimpse of Ye Xuan. "Where on earth did this kid run off to? Could he really possess the ability to move through the ground?" In the dark forest, a five-person team was carefully searching the surroundings. The leader, an elder dressed in brocade robes, muttered impatiently. This brocade-clad elder was an elder of the Jun family, a Seventh Grade Martial Master, and the strongest member of the squad. So many experts had entered the mountain to search, lagging behind Ye Xuan by only a few minutes, yet they had lost all trace of him, and finding nothing after searching for so long was truly bizarre. However, just as this brocade-clad elder was growing extremely impatient, something suddenly whizzed through the air and struck him directly on the forehead before he had time to react. With a spurt of blood, the brocade-clad elder fell off his horse and died instantly. "Elder!" The four men behind saw the elder in the brocade robe fall to the ground, their expressions drastically changing. After dismounting and discovering that the elder in the brocade robe was already dead, their faces turned ashen. They hadn’t even seen a trace of anyone, yet a Seventh Grade Martial Master had just been killed like that. "Quick, send a signal!" Someone quickly responded, but just as he spoke those words and prepared to send a signal, suddenly, with a "pfft," something pierced through his neck. His eyes bulged, and his body went limp and collapsed. "Run!" The remaining three, as if seeing a ghost, hurriedly turned and flee. Two had died without even seeing the assailant; how could they fight? Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! Before they had gone far, three sharp whistles cutting through the air resounded, and three stones, sparking violently in midair, struck the backs of their heads. In an instant, brain matter burst forth, and all three bodies fell to the ground with a "thud," lifeless. In a blink of an eye, this team of five was mysteriously annihilated without even seeing where the opponent was. At this moment, a figure finally emerged from a hidden spot, his youthful face revealed under the moonlight—it was Ye Xuan. After searching through the five bodies, Ye Xuan collected some valuable items and then glanced at the corpses on the ground, sneered coldly, and said, "Sending so many after me, that’s quite the lavish expenditure... I just wonder how many will be left after tonight?" Ye Xuan’s stealth skills were extremely refined, particularly at night. Normal people couldn’t hope to find him. Among those who entered the mountain, he only feared the Martial Sect Masters and Half-step Martial Sect Masters. As long as he avoided them, he could freely slaughter. Using stones thrown with the Great Jade Spiral technique, he could easily kill a Seventh Grade Martial Master unawares. Tonight, he planned to give a massive shock to the noble families chasing him, making them suffer bitterly. With that thought, Ye Xuan’s figure flickered, and he vanished into the night forest once more. The next morning. The numerous noble family experts convening to pursue Ye Xuan gathered together, all wearing grim expressions. "This damn beast!" Jun Bufan’s face twitched, and his angry roars could be heard from afar. However, the expressions of the others weren’t any better than his due to the loss of about a quarter of their men last night, many of whom were important figures in major noble families. They had been busy all night, yet not only had they failed to capture Ye Xuan, they had also lost a significant number of experts. It was a case of losing the wife and the troops. "This Ye Xuan, is he really just an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old? Where did he get the power to kill so many of our experts in one night?" The speaker was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, also a Half-step Martial Sect, the family head of the Wei family, and the father of Wei Dongliu, who was killed by Ye Xuan. "It has to be him; who else could it be? I’ve observed that all the victims were killed by stones that struck vital points, instantly fatal. This indicates the kid is skilled in using stones for stealth attacks. From now on, we must be incredibly vigilant." "However, from my observation, this kid only targets those below the Seventh Grade Martial Master Realm. Teams led by Half-step Martial Sect did not suffer any sneak attacks. This indicates his power is only a bit above the Seventh Grade Martial Master level but still weaker than us Half-step Martial Sect Masters," analyzed Jun Bufan. "Exactly, no matter how talented Ye Xuan is, he’s just a young man under twenty. He might be able to sneak attack at night, but if he dares make a move during the day, we will definitely have the opportunity to capture and kill him!" the family head of the Wei family nodded, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "If only he would dare sneak attack, I’m worried he might hide during the day and not act." Jun Bufan also had a cold look in his eyes. Ye Xuan had killed his most beloved son, Jun Wuming. Among those present, perhaps no one wanted Ye Xuan’s life more than him, and he was also the person who least wanted Ye Xuan to escape. At this moment, a pigeon carrying a message suddenly flew over and landed on Jun Bufan’s hand. Removing the paper from the pigeon’s leg, Jun Bufan scanned it briefly. A trace of joy appeared on his face. "Is there any good news?" Seeing this, others were also curious, asking. Jun Bufan channeled his True Qi to crush the paper into powder, then, with a flash in his eyes and a smile, he announced, "Xia Tianyou has promised to withdraw from this matter. My father and the Xie family head have both entered the mountain, so that kid won’t be able to escape now." "More importantly, our Jun family ancestor has already left the Mansion and will be here within two days."