If he could achieve that, it would be good, for he had pulled back from the brink. To repeatedly wander on the edge of a cliff was a dangerous matter. Ye Tiancheng's personality was like walking on the edge of a cliff. One wrong step could send him plummeting into an abyss of eternal damnation, something no one wished to see. Therefore, many were worried about his actions, fearing he might perish without a burial place.
"It seems the best course of action now is to fight the snake tribe, or what else do you propose?" The fellow looked at Ye Tiancheng with a wicked grin, his expression clearly provoking Ye Tiancheng, making him want to kick the brat away. For Ye Tiancheng, teaching this fellow a lesson was his ultimate desire.
Within this thought, he held the most sincere intentions.
This most sincere thought was truly sincere for Ye Tiancheng, without any other ulterior motives.
Seeing him like this, those few fellows immediately dared not say anything more.
To speak further would invite Ye Tiancheng's displeasure and retaliation.
Ye Tiancheng was not joking with the Great Green Snake; he was genuinely angry. Seeing Ye Tiancheng's solemn expression, his heart was about to explode.
If this continued, it would truly be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
"No problem... you brat?"
"What's this about having or not having problems? You are truly disappointing!" In his eyes, Ye Tiancheng was a scoundrel. In terms of distributing benefits, this person was indeed a bit excessive.
If he hadn't been so excessive, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't have acted that way. Therefore, in Ye Tiancheng's view, such behavior was truly annoying.
Even in such circumstances, Ye Tiancheng could only grudgingly agree to the Great Green Snake's terms. Without absolute benefit, he could not act rashly.
Seeing him like that, he could only say nothing more.
Facing this situation, the other party had no recourse and could only accept this frustrating turn of events. It was likely that in this situation, the other party had no way out and could only accept something that felt extremely unfair to him. This would give Ye Tiancheng an opportunity.
Or perhaps he had a premonition that he himself was incapable and needed others' strength to unlock his joints. Therefore, he didn't need to consider others' emotions; he only needed to take care of his own. In a certain sense, it all came down to him thoroughly clarifying this matter. This was no simple task, as it was fraught with complex factors. These complex factors would directly lead to one problem: Ye Tiancheng would become the main character of this battle, and everyone else would be mere supporting players.
"Who dares to cause trouble here?" a stern voice sounded near Ye Tiancheng's ear. He instinctively looked in that direction and saw a person with a weapon appear before him. This fellow was extremely arrogant, and Ye Tiancheng smiled at his ostentatious aura.
"Who are you to speak so presumptuously here? Don't you know how to write the word 'death'?" The Great Green Snake beside Ye Tiancheng retorted sharply. Seeing its kin, the snake demon tribe became even more enraged.
"As one of our kind, you are a disgrace! To act as an accomplice to humans against us, you are utterly shameless!" The fellow was furious because he was a mere patrol grunt. From his perspective, there was nothing that could threaten him; only he could threaten the other. Thus, he chuckled, his face full of disdain. After all, as the saying goes, you must consider the owner before hitting the dog. This fellow showed him no respect, completely disregarding him. This was tantamount to pushing Ye Tiancheng beyond the limits of his tolerance. His aura seemed ready to devour the other.
"Damn it!" He glared at the other party in a furious rage, his imposing presence like a dragon traversing the sky.
"You bastard, how dare you be so arrogant and overbearing here!" The fellow hadn't clearly seen that on Ye Tiancheng's person, an even more ferocious snake staff appeared before the other.
The more ferocious item was the snake staff on Ye Tiancheng's person, a weapon he had just taken from the defeated Serpent Scorpion. He was using this item as a long sword for now. Although weapons like staffs and swords were entirely different, Ye Tiancheng felt it was better than nothing; as long as it could be used, it was fine.
Therefore, in his view, when some things could be changed, there was no need to say more. Speaking too much would only create a greater burden. Thus, Ye Tiancheng pointed the snake staff at the other and cursed, "Then let's have a match and see who's stronger. Whoever is the little dog will admit defeat first."
"Whoosh..." Before Ye Tiancheng could even make a move, the other party attacked first. They knew that striking first was advantageous, and striking second was perilous. They didn't know that striking first could also be perilous. By the time he realized it, he suddenly saw a powerful light appear in Ye Tiancheng's hand. It was black energy, mixed with something like red flames. Before the other party could comprehend, they were entangled by this energy. They struggled desperately, wanting to break free, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't. That energy was like a rope, firmly binding the other party. The other party felt extreme difficulty breathing, and the rope tightened further, binding them as if they were firewood.
This fellow never dreamed that a tactic effective against enemies for snakes would be used against them by an enemy. This was truly ironic.
This truly made him feel a profound sense of disappointment, and within this disappointment, there was even more infinite sorrow. Perhaps no one could understand the sorrow hidden within this, but Ye Tiancheng knew, for he had been bullied by Hou Mingzhu before. That intense feeling extended infinitely in his heart. At this moment, the Divine Stone suddenly cried out, "Wait... I sense Little Liu Zi's presence. He is on the water pavilion in the middle of the river."
He feared Ye Tiancheng would kill this fellow and then be unable to find a way to deal with the situation. The most effective method was to keep this fellow alive and exchange him for hostages. Ye Tiancheng understood what the Divine Stone wanted to say from its tone and immediately stopped, preventing the tightening of the restraints on the man-headed snake-bodied fellow.
Ye Tiancheng stopped tightening the restraints, and the fellow breathed a sigh of relief. Ye Tiancheng asked, "Tell me the truth, or I will punish you even more, making your life worse than death."
The man-headed snake-bodied person looked very surprised at Ye Tiancheng's words. He didn't understand why Ye Tiancheng cared about that little boy.
"What do you want to do? Don't mess around. Besides, hostage exchange is a wrong choice because our boss doesn't fall for such tricks."
The man-headed snake-bodied person spoke with great bitterness. In this wicked place, as long as you were useful, you were valued. Once you became useless, you would be discarded like trash.
No one cared about your life or death, because weakness here garnered no sympathy. The reason this little boy was captured here was entirely due to his unusual aura. Their boss said that this little boy possessed a strange aura that could be made into excellent elixirs.
In the world of demons, turning humans into elixirs was not uncommon. It was like humans slaughtering pigs and dogs to make food. Therefore, these animals that had become spirits also retaliated fiercely against humans. Humans and demons had never gotten along well. A long, long time ago, before the demons evolved into powerful beings, they were hunted by humans everywhere, becoming human food.
Through the creation of heaven and earth, animals unknowingly evolved into human forms. They possessed human consciousness and then began to treat humans as food. Thus, a great war ensued between the demon race and the human race. In the end, they were driven away, and peace was established. They coexisted peacefully for many years.
But today, this peace was shattered because of Ye Tiancheng's arrival. In fact, Ye Tiancheng was not the first to enter this world, but they had captured Little Liu Zi. When this news spread, Ye Tiancheng was not the primary target. The fault lay with the snake tribe. They had captured a human child, and it was natural for humans to go to the demon world to retrieve their child, which was righteous.
"I didn't expect these snake tribe members to be so foolish, letting humans catch them red-handed. They are truly a disgrace to our demon race. This way, humans have a pretext, and we won't be able to clarify things in the future." Seeing Little Liu Zi tied to a pillar on the water pavilion in the middle of the river, the Catfish Demon was furious.
"In this world, the strong are respected. As long as our demon race unites, what are humans? Human cultivators are gradually becoming scarce, while we have been cultivating for years. The time for a human counterattack has arrived. It is you timid Catfish Demons who are dragging the demon race back, so you should all die!" The man-headed snake-bodied fellow roared in anger, scolding the Catfish Demon loudly.
"That's even better. I haven't honed my skills in a long time either, and I really want to see how powerful I've become." Ye Tiancheng had just finished a fight, and saying this made one feel amused. In fact, when they spoke of not honing skills, they were not using the snake staff for attack; he wanted to test how powerful the Serpent Scorpion staff truly was.
Speaking of which, he unleashed a blazing sun, the thirteenth move of the Blazing Thirteen Swords. This move had indeed only been practiced repeatedly in his mind; it had never been used before. This move pierced the sky, as if the air itself was burning like the weather in June. The surrounding trees instantly withered and turned to ash, which then ignited. The entire area transformed into a world of flames. Seeing the power of Ye Tiancheng's Blazing Sun,
Those few fellows widened their eyes. They remarked that Ye Tiancheng actually used the snake staff to perform swordplay, but the snake staff wasn't that powerful; it wasn't even as good as the Crimson Blood Sword he used before.
If this move had been performed with the Crimson Blood Sword, it would have been even more formidable, as sword weapons and staff weapons were fundamentally different.
"I didn't expect your cultivation to be so profound, brat. I thought you were a cultivator at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, but I didn't expect you to be a cultivator who has surpassed the eighth level of the Golden Core stage. This martial skill is extremely domineering. It seems you've gained quite a lot." At this moment, a person in red clothes floated from the center of the river. It was a very handsome woman, yet she also seemed like a man. This person was neither masculine nor feminine, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't discern their gender, which confused him. When they spoke, it was also difficult to distinguish their gender. Such people are usually called androgynous, which is a skill of the snake tribe.
When they cultivate to a certain extent, they become dual-sexed, meaning both male and female, becoming neither masculine nor feminine.
Ye Tiancheng found it strange when this person flew over, not understanding their intentions. So, he chuckled and said, "I don't know your intention, esteemed sir. If you truly wish to fight me, I am ready to oblige at any time, but I have one request: if you are defeated, release the child, then yield this river to me, and furthermore, provide one hundred of your snake tribe members for me to extract monster materials."
Before even being defeated, Ye Tiancheng made such an impertinent demand. This snake tribe leader was enraged. No one had ever dared to speak to him like this. Ye Tiancheng must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to dare to babble so much nonsense to him. Thus, he appeared extremely angry, and his expression was one of great disappointment.
Sometimes, talking too much is useless; only by showing true skill in combat can one win hearts and minds. Ye Tiancheng certainly wouldn't give the other party any opportunity. He had just performed the Blazing Sun move to test the other's bottom line and gauge their cultivation level. However, the other party had not responded.
It seemed the other party was a very shrewd individual.
They saw through Ye Tiancheng's intentions but did not act rashly. If this fellow had acted when Ye Tiancheng used the Blazing Sun move earlier, his bottom line would have been exposed to Ye Tiancheng. But he did not act, merely observing with cold eyes. It was evident that he was very steady and mature in his thinking.
Seeing such an evenly matched opponent, Ye Tiancheng finally became serious. He understood very well that to defeat this fellow, one needed considerable skill and ability. Without such skill and ability, one would naturally not dare to be arrogant in front of him. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng felt like a complete fool, having just revealed his strength with one move. Perhaps the other party had already guessed what Ye Tiancheng was thinking. He seemed to coldly sneer, and then a slender, long sword appeared in his hand. He was also an expert in swordsmanship. With every movement, he displayed his superb swordsmanship and skill, flying through the air like a dragonfly, leaving no room for flaw. Such skill and display made the Great Green Snake and the Divine Stone gasp in amazement. They worried that Ye Tiancheng would be far from here in the next moment, their hearts pounding with anxiety.
"What's the big deal? Even the most powerful person has a weakness. We must first defend against them. Only by defending can we welcome opportunities and hope." Although Ye Tiancheng couldn't find the other's weakness in this instant, he still had to encourage himself and boost his morale. He couldn't lose his aura; this was the key to battle. Once one lost their aura, it was equivalent to telling others that they were intimidated and afraid, and then they would be finished. If a person yearns for happiness in their heart, obtaining happiness is only a matter of time. If a person yearns for victory, even in defeat, they will lose with dignity.
Of course, Ye Tiancheng could not afford to lose at this critical juncture. If he lost, he might lose his life. There was no other way but to brace himself and go forward. No matter the outcome, as long as he could survive, Ye Tiancheng did not care whether he could withstand the opponent's first attack. The opponent's sword attacked like a phantom, leaving no trace as it cut through the air; everything seemed ethereal and exceptionally agile.
The reason the people present couldn't defeat the opponent was the existence of this red-clothed leader. His swordsmanship was second to none in the entire region.
No one could defeat this fellow, so his arrogance was understandable. Aren't all capable people arrogant and self-important?
Capable people look down on everyone; they look down on everyone. This is only natural. Living in this world, as long as one can surpass others, they will inevitably feel a sense of looking down on everyone.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng felt that this fellow should be even more arrogant, which would allow him to see more flaws. Currently, he had restrained his original arrogance and become cautious.
It must be said that this action was very beneficial for the deployment of his Blazing Thirteen Swords.
Seeing that the opponent's sword had no discernible trajectory, there was someone who could help him track the sword's movements: the Divine Stone, which possessed extremely advanced sword-qi tracking rules. When things were invisible, the Divine Stone used its perceptive abilities to help Ye Tiancheng track the sword's traces. The fellow excitedly thought that Ye Tiancheng could not possibly withstand his sword strike, but he seemed to have underestimated Ye Tiancheng. In the next second, an explosive defense was heard, and his long sword was shattered.
Fragments flew into the air and scattered, then struck the surrounding trees, instantly shattering them into pieces. With a rustling sound, they all fell to the ground in disarray.
"Brat, I didn't expect you to see my trajectory. Impressive." The red-clothed snake tribe leader was slightly surprised because this sword strike was his proudest achievement, and no one had ever escaped its grasp. Yet today, when he used it, it was blocked by someone who appeared to be only a fifth-level Golden Core cultivator. Logically speaking, even someone who had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage could not block this sword strike. Facts are facts, and no matter how much he disbelieved it, he had to respect the reality before him. The red-clothed snake tribe leader's sword flashed again.
This sword strike was even faster than the previous one. The air was stirred uneasily. Everything in the world could be used by him; he could manipulate it at will. Immediately, all objects, driven by the surging sword qi, formed a massive tornado. The Great Green Snake and the Divine Stone were terrified because, for Ye Tiancheng, there was no way he could withstand this move. Even if he possessed the body of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he could be annihilated in one strike.