Ye Cangtian had initially intended to exhaust Yan Biao’s stamina and then mock him thoroughly.
However, Yan Biao’s verbal abuse changed his mind. Even with his good temper, Ye Cangtian felt compelled to discipline the man’s foul mouth.
As his words fell, Ye Cangtian’s retreating momentum halted abruptly. He swung his large ringed saber repeatedly, swatting away Yan Biao’s Fierce Tiger Fist.
Simultaneously, Ye Cangtian’s other arm shot out, aiming a fierce strike at Yan Biao’s forehead.
"Not good!"
Yan Biao was startled by Ye Cangtian’s sudden change in tactics.
With his fists already batted away and his chest defenseless, he had no choice but to dodge.
But he had underestimated Ye Cangtian’s speed!
*Bang!*
A crisp sound echoed as Ye Cangtian’s finger flicked hard against Yan Biao’s forehead.
In an instant, Yan Biao cried out in pain, clutching his head, and collapsed onto the ground.
He felt an agonizing throbbing in his head, his vision spinning, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face.
“Ugh… a finger flick?”
Dongfang Mingyue, standing nearby, twitched her lips.
She had envisioned many ways for Ye Cangtian to win, but a finger flick to the forehead was something she never anticipated. It left her speechless.
“Done.”
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and returned to Dongfang Mingyue’s side. “Sister Mingyue, I was being considerate of you.”
“You brat, you call that being considerate? You’re just causing me trouble!”
Dongfang Mingyue shot him a glare and said with annoyance.
Frankly, she thought it would have been better if Ye Cangtian had simply wounded the opponent with his saber.
In that case, Yan Biao would have accepted defeat due to being outmatched. But this way, it was clearly an humiliation, and someone like Yan Biao was bound to hold a grudge!
On the other side, Yan Biao finally staggered to his feet, his head still ringing.
He glared fiercely at Ye Cangtian, grinding his teeth, wishing he could shatter them.
Yet, surprisingly, Yan Biao did not retaliate.
He had already unleashed his full strength, and any further effort would only lead to further humiliation.
The next moment, Yan Biao said coldly, “Ye Cangtian, you’ve got me this time, but don’t celebrate too soon. I will become a Heaven-tier expert sooner or later, and I’ll challenge you then to wash away today’s shame!”
Ye Cangtian shrugged at his words and replied, “I await you anytime. I hope when you come knocking again, you’ll bring me a little surprise.”
“Hmph!”
Yan Biao snorted at his response, then cupped his fists towards Dongfang Mingyue and turned to leave the Yin group.
Having been defeated by Ye Cangtian, he had no face to demand the latter’s departure and could only leave himself.
Ye Cangtian paid him no mind and immediately ordered someone to summon Dugu Ling.
A short while later, Dugu Ling reappeared in the main hall.
“Brother Ye, you were looking for me!”
In response to Dugu Ling’s inquiry, Ye Cangtian nodded. “Ling’er, I have something to entrust to you…”
Ye Cangtian wrote a letter and handed it to Dugu Ling, instructing him to contact the people at the Imperial Dragon Villa southwest of Wucheng.
Dugu Ling readily agreed to Ye Cangtian’s request and turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Ye Cangtian called out to him, “Ling’er, be extremely careful. About a hundred miles to the southwest lies the Viper Hall of the Five Poisons Sect. You must absolutely avoid any conflict with them!”
Dugu Ling nodded heavily. “Don’t worry, Brother Ye. Ling’er isn’t a child anymore.”
With that, Dugu Ling waved his hand and departed from the Yin group.
Seeing this, Dongfang Mingyue looked at Ye Cangtian. “Brat, why didn’t you just eliminate the Viper Hall? That would have brought peace to Wucheng.”
“No, that won’t do!”
Ye Cangtian shook his head and explained that eliminating the Viper Hall might not be difficult.
However, after the Viper Hall’s destruction, the Five Poisons Sect headquarters and its other four halls would undoubtedly investigate the matter, leading to a series of retaliatory actions.
This would turn the Yin group and the Dugu family into tools for the Five Poisons Sect to vent their fury.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian chose to postpone the action, waiting for the opportune moment to eliminate the entire Five Poisons Sect at once, thereby minimizing losses.
Dongfang Mingyue nodded upon hearing his explanation. “That makes sense. Alright, we’ll just wait a little longer…”
…
The sun rose.
After two days of rest, Dongfang Mingyue finally sent someone to notify Yan Biao.
Yan Biao was now waiting with his contingent at the entrance of the Yin group’s branch.
This time, he did not have any friction with Ye Cangtian. As soon as Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian boarded the carriage, they gave the order to depart.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the convoy had arrived in a dense forest.
Further ahead lay a crucial pass, Shenglong Valley.
After passing through Shenglong Valley, it would take a little over two more days to reach Liehuo Academy.
Inside Shenglong Valley, a man was leisurely leaning against a large tree, gnawing on a succulent lamb leg.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past, appearing before him.
The newcomer was none other than Heifeng.
He knelt on one knee and reported, “My Lord, just as you predicted, the convoy from Liehuo Academy has reached the outskirts of Shenglong Valley. They will arrive here within two hours at most!”
“Heh heh, very good. Go and make preparations!” the man said with a slight smile.
“Yes.”
Heifeng responded respectfully but did not turn to leave. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “My Lord, are we really going to make a move against Liehuo Academy?”
In his view, Liehuo Academy was also a peak power. If the two sides were to clash, neither would likely emerge unscathed.
“There’s no other way…”
The man glanced at him, put down the lamb leg, and said with a sigh.
He had waited for a long time and finally seized an opportunity.
However, due to the poisonous creatures surrounding the Sword Tomb and its awkward location, he had to abandon the plan and postpone the action.
Now that they had passed Shenglong Valley, it was Liehuo Academy’s territory.
Once the convoy entered Liehuo Academy, he would completely lose his chance.
He could not allow Liehuo Academy to obtain the Four Great Seals, so this was his final opportunity to act.
Therefore, regardless of whether Liehuo Academy was present or not, he had to make his move.
As for whether it would trigger a war between the two sides, he considered it entirely irrelevant. As long as he could obtain the Four Great Seals, everything else was just fleeting clouds.
Hearing the man’s words, Heifeng responded and then turned to leave.
Meanwhile…
About an hour later, the Liehuo Academy convoy entered Shenglong Valley.
Looking at the surrounding flora, everyone felt a sense of relief.
Soon, they would return to Liehuo Academy and end their rough life of living outdoors.
Inside the carriage, Ye Cangtian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his brow furrowed.
Just moments ago, he had sensed the fluctuations of several spiritual energies.
*Clang! Clang! Clang…*
Then, in the next instant, several people at the front of the convoy drew their weapons for no apparent reason.
They then turned around without warning and slashed at their companions behind them.
The sudden turn of events caught many off guard, and they fell into pools of blood before they could react.
The companions who did react, after rapidly retreating, finally saw clearly that their attacking comrades’ eyes were vacant, their reason lost.
“What’s going on?”
Inside the carriage, Dongfang Mingyue opened her eyes, lifted the curtain, and looked outside.
“Sister Mingyue, be careful. They mean trouble!”
Ye Cangtian’s expression turned grim as he warned her.
It was clear that the abnormality of the Liehuo Academy members was directly linked to the spiritual energy fluctuations detected earlier.
And spiritual energy attacks were not easily defended against.
With that said, Ye Cangtian signaled Dongfang Mingyue to wait in the carriage as he stepped out himself.
“Damn it, what are you doing! Have you all gone mad!”
“Guards! Take them down!”
Outside the carriage, Yan Biao, looking at the dozen disciples lying on the ground, roared in fury.
He genuinely couldn’t understand why these disciples had suddenly gone insane and attacked their own people.
Regardless, he had to stop this from continuing.
Upon issuing the order, the other disciples rushed forward.
“Leave some alive! Perhaps they can still be saved!”
Just then, a voice called out, and Yan Biao couldn’t help but frown.